- Coldplay ticket scalping fiasco sparks backlash in India
- Droughts drive Spanish boom in pistachio farming
- Tokyo recovers some losses to lead Asian markets higher
- Rural schools empty in North Macedonia due to exodus
- US dockworkers launch strike after labor contract expires
- Thousands evacuated as Super Typhoon Krathon approaches Taiwan
- Kenya airport whistleblower fears for his life
- Sheinbaum to take office as Mexico's first woman president
- Scientists fear underfunded Argentina research on verge of collapse
- US port officials gird for strike despite last-minute bargaining
- With 118 dead from Hurricane Helene, Biden defends US government response
- Breeder who tried to create enormous trophy sheep jailed in US
- Qatar Airways seeking 25% stake in Virgin Australia
- US port officials gird for strike as labor talks stay stuck
- As toll crosses 100, Trump puts Hurricane Helene at election center stage
- US Fed Chair sees 'further disinflation' in economy
- Epic Games sues Google and Samsung over app store
- Officials see no shortages from likely US port strike
- UK families of Gaza hostages warn Lebanon attack 'takes focus away'
- Shares in Stellantis, Aston Martin skid on profit warnings
- Dali prints found in London garage sold at auction
- ECB chief backs bank mergers amid UniCredit, Commerzbank talk
- China stocks soar on stimulus, but US and Europe retreat
- 100 dead in storm Helene damage, flooding across US southeast
- China stocks soar on stimulus, Europe slides on automaker woes
- German antitrust watchdog steps up monitoring of Microsoft
- Nepal's urban poor count cost of 'nightmare' floods
- E.Guinea, Gabon clash at ICJ over oil-rich islands
- New blow for UK's Starmer as growth data disappoints
- China's top banks to tweak mortgage rates to boost housing market
- Muslim women break taboos navigating east London's waterways
- Nepal dam-building spree powers electric vehicle boom
- More than 60 dead from storm Helene as rescue, cleanup efforts grow
- Dozens missing, 9 dead in migrant boat wreck off Spanish Canaries
- Death toll from Hurricane John hits eight in Mexico
- Storm Helene's toll rises as rescue and cleanup efforts gain pace
- SpaceX launches mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding as cleanup begins
- SpaceX set to launch mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Boeing strike grinds on as latest talks fail to reach agreement
- Iran 'news' sites, hackers target Trump ahead of US election
- US ports brace for potential dockworkers strike
- Japan's speedy, spotless Shinkansen bullet trains turn 60
- US hurricane deaths rise to 44, fears of more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Global stocks mostly rise, cheering Beijing stimulus
- Europe en route for Moon with new simulator, says astronaut Pesquet
- Fireworks forecast if comet survives risky Sun flypast
- Argentina judge orders dictionary to delete pejorative definition of 'Jewish'
- Global stocks rise on rate hopes, Beijing stimulus
Samsung turns to AI to regain smartphone throne
Samsung on Wednesday released its latest Galaxy smartphones with new artificial intelligence features as the South Korean giant seeks win back its spot as the world's biggest phone seller from Apple.
"Artificial Intelligence will bring about great change in the mobile industry," Samsung president T.M. Roh said as he kicked off an event in a sports center in the Silicon Valley city of San Jose, California.
Mobile devices will become the primary access points for AI, with Samsung aiming to be a leader on that path, Roh added.
The premium S24 Ultra unveiled at the event was said to have the capability to translate foreign language phone calls and texts while they were taking place.
A Samsung executive likened it to having an interpreter taking part in multi-lingual phone calls.
Available in 13 languages, the on-device function is powered by Samsung's own AI technology.
Through a partnership with Google, which makes the smartphone's Android operating system, the S24 also offers an unprecedented search function.
This, also using AI, functions by allowing users to simply circle a phrase or image they want to search.
The feature eliminates the need to juggle between apps for searches with meddlesome cut and pasting, the company said.
Messaging and car system features such as navigation were also augmented with AI to either recommend responses or tend to tasks while letting drivers focus on roads.
AI also strengthens the phone's camera powers, with generative AI helping to fill in or remove backgrounds.
These AI features are powered both from the cloud or from the phone itself and several use Google's Gemini foundational model that also powers the search engine giant's Bard chatbot.
Similar AI features are widely rumored to be part of the next iPhone 16, probably to be released later this year.
Much like Apple's already released iPhone 15, Samsung's S24 comes with a titanium frame, which the company said allowed for better durability.
The Galaxy S24 series will begin shipping on January 31 with the top of line Ultra starting at $1,299.
The S24 came out just days after industry data showed that Apple's iPhone for the first time became the world's biggest selling smartphone after Samsung's 12-year run as leader.
According to the International Data Corporation, the iPhone stole Samsung's crown in 2023 with 234.6 million units sold, compared to the South Korean firm's 226.6 million units.
Samsung also teased a smart ring at the end of the event, providing a glimpse on screen but giving no details.
O.Ignatyev--CPN