Hasta La Gadget!

Ahead of Upgrade 2025, NTT Corporation (NTT) has released the English-language edition of “The Identity of IOWN,” a book authored by Akira Shimada, president and CEO of NTT, and Katsuhiko Kawazoe, senior executive vice president and CTO of the company. 

Now available on Amazon, the book provides a comprehensive overview of the Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN) initiative, a cornerstone of NTT’s strategy to reshape the digital infrastructure of the future. 

First introduced in 2019, the IOWN Initiative is NTT’s long-term vision for a photonics-based communications and computing platform. 

It aims to address the growing demands of a data-driven society while tackling environmental concerns through significantly improved power efficiency and computing performance. The goal is to replace traditional electronic systems with optical technologies, enabling faster, smarter, and more energy-efficient networks to support future innovations like AI, IoT, and beyond.

“The Identity of IOWN” was published in conjunction with NTT’s annual research and innovation summit, Upgrade, which is being held in San Francisco on April 9–10, 2025. The summit’s theme, “Innovation for the New Reality,” aligns with the book’s message, highlighting technologies such as artificial intelligence, photonics, quantum computing, and autonomous medical systems.

In the book, Shimada addresses the urgent need for sustainable innovation. “The price of humanity’s rapid industrial development has been the heavy burden placed upon the Earth,” he writes. “There is a way to simultaneously achieve solutions for both issues—the challenges and opportunities posed by the internet and the need to manage power usage to ensure global sustainability—and thereby create a better society – through the IOWN Initiative.”

The initiative outlines four major stages of development, starting with IOWN 1.0, which saw the initial commercialization of the All-Photonics Network (APN) in March 2023. The APN eliminates the need for optical-electronic-optical conversions, vastly improving the efficiency of long-distance data transmission.

In 2024, NTT introduced IOWN 2.0, focusing on computing infrastructure and the development of photonics-electronics convergence (PEC) devices. These devices are intended to connect computer boards using light rather than electricity, with commercialization expected in 2026.

Future stages include IOWN 3.0 around 2029, which will miniaturize PEC devices for use between semiconductor chips, and IOWN 4.0 around 2032, where optical signaling is expected to take place inside the chips themselves. 

These technological advancements are designed to support three primary performance goals: a 100-fold increase in power efficiency, a 125-fold improvement in transmission capacity, and a 200-fold reduction in latency.

Kawazoe describes the project as “unlimited innovation,” explaining how IOWN pushes the boundaries of current technological assumptions. He states that it allows us to “paint a picture of a new future by leaping past the limits of our thinking that is premised on the technologies at our disposal now.”

The book details the technical roadmap and explores the potential societal benefits of IOWN, ranging from advanced healthcare applications to next-generation entertainment and smart infrastructure.

Sean Lawrence, vice president and head of NTT’s IOWN Development Office, highlighted the global relevance of the initiative. “NTT was able to foresee the data transmission and processing demands of the future, conceptualizing IOWN after decades of fundamental research and development in optics and computing. The need for IOWN is further exacerbated by AI, and we look to IOWN to unlock AI’s full potential in a far more sustainable way.”

IOWN is backed by the IOWN Global Forum, founded in 2020 by NTT, Intel, and Sony Group. The Forum now includes over 150 global members such as Cisco, Google, Microsoft, and NVIDIA, reflecting widespread industry support.

NTT Publishes “The Identity of IOWN,” Detailing Optical-Photonic Transformation and Vision for a Sustainable, Data-Driven Future

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Samsung’s Ballie will go on sale in the US and South Korea this summer, the company announced today. What’s more, through a partnership with Google Cloud, the diminutive robot will ship with a Gemini AI model. 

Samsung didn’t state the specific system that powers Ballie, but in combination with the company’s own proprietary language models, it says the robot has multimodal capabilities, meaning Ballie can process voice, audio and visual data from its sensors. According to Samsung, Ballie can also manage your smart home devices and even offer health and styling recommendations, if you’re inclined to seek that type of advice from a robot.    

Samsung has yet to announce pricing for Ballie, though with the uncertainty around the Trump administration’s recently announced tariffs, you can’t blame Samsung, can you? The company first demoed Ballie in 2020. The robot has gone through a few iterations since the then, with the version you see above first demoed at CES 2024. Samsung said then Ballie would arrive sometime in 2024, but last year came and went without the robot hitting store shelves.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/samsungs-cute-ballie-robot-arrives-this-summer-with-google-gemini-in-tow-133658886.html?src=rss

Drones have become an important tool in a creator’s bag of tricks, allowing them to capture aerial footage that elevates their videos. And nowadays, they’ve become more accessible as video quality and features have dramatically improved while prices have dropped.

Recent budget-friendly models include DJI’s Neo and Flip drones, along with the HoverAir X1 Pro lineup, all under $500. If you’ve got more to spend, the options are similarly plentiful with drones like the DJI Mini 4 Pro and HoverAir X1 Pro Max. And for the price of a good mirrorless camera, you can get DJI’s Mavic 3 Pro that offers awesome image quality, range and other features.

Price is obviously key, but you also need to consider features like video quality, obstacle avoidance and tracking. To help you decide which one is best for you and your budget, we’ve assembled this guide to the best drones you can buy right now, complete with models aimed at novices, professionals and filmmakers.

The best drones for 2025

What to look for in a drone

Camera features

For this guide, we’re looking only at drones that are basically flying cameras, so you want the best video and photo features possible. Bigger devices like DJI’s Mavic 3 Pro or Air 3S carry relatively large sensors, offering superior picture quality for nighttime cityscapes or other low-light scenes. Smaller models like the Mini 4 Pro and HoverAir X1 Max use smaller camera sensors, so they aren’t as good in dim light.

Field of view and minimum aperture are also important, with most drones typically having a wide-angle focal length, though a few others like the HoverAir X1 Max carry an ultrawide lens. Some models have multiple cameras including a wide and a zoom. As for aperture, lower numbers are better and allow for shooting in dim light. Most DJI models are solid in this regard, while the HoverAir models don’t perform as well.

Video resolution and slow-mo are also essential camera capabilities. Most drones these days can shoot at 4K with a frame rate of at least 30 fps, though some offer 6K or even 8K at up to 30 fps. Higher-end models can shoot 4K at up to 120 fps, allowing you to slow down the action dramatically to create a cinematic look.

Other noteworthy features include log or HDR video that supports higher dynamic range, particularly in bright and sunny conditions. Finally, the camera’s gimbal and stabilization are important factors to keep your footage looking as smooth as possible. Some drones have gimbals that can rotate the camera 90 degrees to give social media creators the maximum resolution for vertical formats.

Drone features: Speed, range, safety, battery life and obstacle detection

By and large, there are two types of camera drones to consider. The first are standard drones (usually with open propellers but not always) designed to fly outside and take scenic shots. Often there’s nothing to stop the props from striking skin or objects, so they can’t really be used indoors or around people. Some models like the DJI Neo and Flip have prop guards that better protect bystanders and property, as well as the drone itself.

Then there’s first-person-view (FPV) camera drones, which often have propeller guards and are meant to be used both indoors or outside to capture exciting footage. Standard models don’t need to go particularly fast as they’re mainly used to shoot fun videos for social media, but FPV drones need to move at high speeds to create excitement. Because of that speed, they’re also better in breezy conditions as they can fight gusts and return home more quickly. Acrobatic abilities (often promoted by the manufacturer in ads or packaging) are also important for FPV drones, as it allows the user to perform tricks and zip around obstacles.

Battery life is another important factor. The best drones boast a battery endurance of up to 45 minutes, while FPV drones like the Avata 2 can only fly for about half that time as they tend to be heavier and carry smaller batteries to reduce weight. As a general rule, a single battery isn’t enough for any serious shooting so you’d do well to buy your drone in a kit with a few batteries and a charger.

As for range, DJI tends to dominate in this area, with its latest models able to maintain a video signal at a distance up to 20km (12.4 miles). HoverAir’s models are weaker with the top-end X1 Max model limited to just 1km (0.6 miles) when using the optional beacon system. DJI also offers multiple ways to control its drones including headsets, joystick-type controllers, motion detection controllers and smartphones.

The best drones have sensors to detect obstacles in all directions. Others are limited to only avoiding obstructions coming at them from the front and some only rely on the main camera to prevent crashes. Finally, if you want to have your drone follow you around automatically, you’ll need it to be able to track you around when you’re vlogging, riding a bike or skiing, while also avoiding obstacles.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/best-drone-120046775.html?src=rss

Social media platform Instagram has been around since 2010 yet it still doesn’t have a dedicated iPad app. In fact, the last we heard about the network’s interest in tablets was back in 2022, when Insta head Adam Mosseri said there simply weren’t enough iPad users to merit developing a native app. A baffling standpoint, but one that could finally be changing.

A current employee of the service spoke anonymously to The Information recently and said that in this, the year 2025, Instagram is at last working on an iPad app. As of now, the only way to use Instagram on an iPad is a zoomed-in version of the company’s iPhone app. Most businesses realized a decade ago that repurposing a phone app isn’t a great user experience since the aspect ratio is so different on a tablet. That’s particularly noticeable when your service is all about photo and video content.

The sudden interest in iPad may be part of Instagram’s broader efforts to fight for social media dominance as the popular video platform TikTok faces a potential ban in the US. The Information also reported that Instagram recently hosted an early preview of an upcoming Edits app for video-editing, which would compete with CapCut, a rival service also owned by ByteDance and at risk of falling within the TikTok ban.

Mosseri has also spoken about plans to improve Instagram’s capabilities in content search. “You can imagine, whatever you use Instagram for, it’d be great to be able to find ‘that’ more easily,” he said on an episode of the Build Your Tribe podcast. “But also for creators … it should allow content to resurface so that you don’t get all the value in those first 24 or 48 hours.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/the-year-is-2025-and-instagram-is-reportedly-working-on-an-ipad-app-223942933.html?src=rss

Social media platform Instagram has been around since 2010 yet it still doesn’t have a dedicated iPad app. In fact, the last we heard about the network’s interest in tablets was back in 2022, when Insta head Adam Mosseri said there simply weren’t enough iPad users to merit developing a native app. A baffling standpoint, but one that could finally be changing.

A current employee of the service spoke anonymously to The Information recently and said that in this, the year 2025, Instagram is at last working on an iPad app. As of now, the only way to use Instagram on an iPad is a zoomed-in version of the company’s iPhone app. Most businesses realized a decade ago that repurposing a phone app isn’t a great user experience since the aspect ratio is so different on a tablet. That’s particularly noticeable when your service is all about photo and video content.

The sudden interest in iPad may be part of Instagram’s broader efforts to fight for social media dominance as the popular video platform TikTok faces a potential ban in the US. The Information also reported that Instagram recently hosted an early preview of an upcoming Edits app for video-editing, which would compete with CapCut, a rival service also owned by ByteDance and at risk of falling within the TikTok ban.

Mosseri has also spoken about plans to improve Instagram’s capabilities in content search. “You can imagine, whatever you use Instagram for, it’d be great to be able to find ‘that’ more easily,” he said on an episode of the Build Your Tribe podcast. “But also for creators … it should allow content to resurface so that you don’t get all the value in those first 24 or 48 hours.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/the-year-is-2025-and-instagram-is-reportedly-working-on-an-ipad-app-223942933.html?src=rss