Napster sold for US$207 million, eyes metaverse revival

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Roughly 25 years after disrupting the music industry, the original file-sharing service Napster has been acquired by metaverse startup Infinite Reality for US$207 million. Infinite Reality plans to transform Napster into a "social music platform" with virtual concerts and artist tools for selling digital and physical goods.

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Samsung co-CEO Han Jong-hee dies, Jun Young-hyun takes sole charge

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Samsung Electronics co-CEO Han Jong-hee has died of a heart attack at age 63, the company announced. Han, who oversaw consumer electronics and mobile, leaves newly-appointed Jun Young-hyun as sole CEO, effective immediately.

Jun, head of the underperforming chip division, now leads as Samsung navigates trade uncertainties and seeks to regain ground in the artificial intelligence chip market. Samsung has yet to name Han's successor.

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FuriosaAI rejects $800 million Meta acquisition offer

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South Korean AI chip startup FuriosaAI has reportedly turned down an $800 million acquisition offer from tech giant Meta, according to local media reports. The decision stems from disagreements over post-acquisition business strategy and organizational structure, not financial terms.

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Apple bets big on visual AI: Cameras coming to AirPods and beyond

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Despite a rocky start with Apple Intelligence, Apple is reportedly shifting its artificial intelligence focus towards "Visual Intelligence," planning to integrate cameras into its wearables, starting with AirPods and the Apple Watch by 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

This strategy aims to allow users to interact with Siri by describing what they see, building on the iPhone 16's new Camera Control button that offers AI-powered visual analysis. Apple envisions this hands-free, screen-less interaction as a core feature of future devices.

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