Latest news with #SeongJoonCho
IOL News
3 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
AI startup Perplexity makes $34. 5 billion bid for Google's Chrome browser
The Perplexity AI logo during a news conference at the SK Telecom Co. headquarters in Seoul, South Korea. Perplexity, which offers an AI search engine to compete with Alphabet Inc.'s Google, has quickly grown from a small upstart to one of the most closely watched AI startups. Image: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg AI startup Perplexity said it made a formal offer to acquire Google's Chrome browser for $34.5 billion (R621bn), in anticipation of requirements that may be imposed on the search giant in antitrust proceedings. The unsolicited bid was sent to Alphabet's Google on Tuesday morning, a Perplexity spokesperson said. It comes not long after rival artificial intelligence startup OpenAI also expressed interest in acquiring Chrome, which together with the open-source Chromium software is the main way people access the web on PCs. After a federal judge found last year that Google has an illegal monopoly in internet search, the US government has said it wants Google to sell the Chrome browser and license search data to competitors, among other proposed changes. US District Judge Amit Mehta, who heard the case, is expected to issue a ruling in the coming days with remedies to prevent the company from monopolizing the online search market. San Francisco-based startup Perplexity, which has sought to woo users from Google by offering search powered by AI, earlier this year raised $100 million in a round of funding that valued it at $18bn, Bloomberg News reported. That raises the question of how Perplexity could afford to follow through on its Chrome offer. 'Multiple large investment funds have agreed to finance the transaction in full,' Perplexity Chief Business Officer Dmitry Shevelenko said. It isn't the first time Perplexity has made an offer for a major internet property ahead of a forced transition. Earlier this year, the company also submitted a bid to TikTok parent ByteDance., to merge with its US operations and create a new entity. TikTok is facing a US ban without a deal. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ The field of web browsers has seen renewed interest as AI companies seek to build agents that can complete online shopping and other tasks for users. Perplexity has said it is preparing to release a browser called Comet that features an AI agent. The company added that it would not make any 'stealth modifications' to Chrome. 'This is part of our commitment to continuity and choice for users, and will likely be seen as having the benefit of stability for Google and its many advertisers,' the spokesperson wrote. If the bid is accepted and a deal is approved, Perplexity said it would invest $3bn over the next two years in Chrome and Chromium and 'extend offers to a substantial portion of Chrome talent.' The company added that its offer to Google did not include any equity in Perplexity - to avoid any antitrust concerns. BLOOMBERG
Forbes
28-06-2025
- Forbes
Samsung Teases ‘Wildly Thin' Galaxy Z Fold 7 Before Launch
The Samsung Galaxy Fold 6 is the last of its kind. Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg While Samsung slashes the cost of its Galaxy S25 Ultra and raises trade-in prices to the highest levels I've ever seen, the Korean company is also preparing to launch its Galaxy Z Fold 7 by teasing its new design. Again. In an email to Samsung device users, the company has a selection of quotes from YouTuber Parker Burton, who has seemingly used the device ahead of launch. 'This is wildly thin,' Burton is quoted saying in the promotional email. Continuing 'When you have this thing folded, it's going to feel just like your regular phone.' It's not uncommon for smartphone manufacturers to tease aspects of their phones ahead of launch to build hype. Samsung, in particular, has been increasingly loose with information about its products before they're officially announced. But the Korean company has taken this to another level with the Fold 7. We have already seen a silhouette of the device from all angles via Samsung's press team—confirming how slim the phone is—with the names of the devices included in the press image file. The company has also published press releases outlining what upgrades to expect from the Fold 7. 'For years, Samsung has listened to users asking for bigger screens, better cameras, and new ways to connect and create.' One release read, hinting that the Fold 7 will have an improved camera and a bigger screen. The latter was confirmed to me by a Samsung executive earlier this month. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 Is A Reset Device For Samsung All of this tells me that Samsung sees the Fold 7 as a serious shift from what has come before. A reset, if you will, of the Fold series. The same criticisms pop up after every Fold launch. There's the tall, unusual, aspect ratio on its front screen, the average camera output (again, for a phone that costs as much as a good laptop), and the chunkiness. Samsung sees the new device as an answer to all of that and, as such, making it clear that the Fold 7 allays all of those fears. I'm sure the threat of companies that have made strides in slimming down their foldable phones, adding top-end cameras and bigger screens from the likes of Oppo, OnePlus and Google lit a fire under Samsung to make these design changes. We will have to see if the Fold 7 measures up to the competition and provides the reset the series clearly needs.
IOL News
28-06-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Samsung is poised to unveil latest folding smartphones on July 9
A Samsung Electronics Co. Galaxy Z Fold 6 smartphone displayed at a Samsung store in Seoul on Oct. 4. Image: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg Samsung Electronics announced plans to hold its latest launch event on July 9, when the company is expected to introduce new foldable smartphones and other Galaxy devices. The Unpacked summer showcase will kick off in Brooklyn, New York, at 10 am local time, Samsung said, promising to deliver 'the next evolution' of Galaxy phones and artificial intelligence features. The new products should include the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Galaxy Z Fold 7 handsets, solidifying Samsung's position in the folding category. The Flip device is expected to feature a larger outer display, similar to the Razr Ultra from Lenovo Group's Motorola division. Folding devices have become a hotly competitive area for smartphone makers in recent years, even if most consumers have yet to embrace them. The devices are pricier than standard handsets and remain niche items, but manufacturers are betting that more refined designs can entice shoppers. Apple - Samsung's biggest smartphone rival - doesn't sell a folding model, though it's preparing to introduce one as soon as next year, Bloomberg News has reported. The Fold 7 will resemble a tablet when it's unfolded, like past models, and should feature a thinner design and slimmer bezels, according to a teaser that Samsung posted this month. The upgrade signals that the company is looking to keep pace with Chinese phone brands like Huawei Technologies, Honor and Oppo. Honor told Bloomberg in a recent interview that its upcoming Magic V5 foldable will measure just 8.8 millimeters thick when closed. Alphabet Inc.'s Google is Samsung's main competitor for this type of folding phone in the US and is similarly expected to unveil its Pixel 10 Pro Fold later this summer. Samsung is also expected to announce its latest smartwatch, the Galaxy Watch 8, during the July Unpacked event. And the South Korean consumer electronics giant is likely to highlight its Galaxy AI suite of software features. Samsung is nearing a wide-ranging deal with Perplexity AI Inc. to preload that company's app and assistant on upcoming devices, Bloomberg reported last month. BLOOMBERG
Toronto Sun
24-06-2025
- Business
- Toronto Sun
Samsung poised to unveil latest folding smartphones on July 9
Folding devices have become a hotly competitive area for smartphone makers, even if most consumers have yet to embrace them Published Jun 24, 2025 • 2 minute read A Samsung Electronics Co. Galaxy Z Fold 6 smartphone displayed at a Samsung store in Seoul, South Korea, on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. Photo by SeongJoon Cho / Bloomberg Samsung Electronics Co. announced plans to hold its latest launch event on July 9, when the company is expected to introduce new foldable smartphones and other Galaxy devices. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The Unpacked summer showcase will kick off in Brooklyn, New York, at 10 a.m. local time, Samsung said, promising to deliver 'the next evolution' of Galaxy phones and artificial intelligence features. The new products should include the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Galaxy Z Fold 7 handsets, solidifying Samsung's position in the folding category. The Flip device is expected to feature a larger outer display, similar to the Razr Ultra from Lenovo Group Ltd.'s Motorola division. Folding devices have become a hotly competitive area for smartphone makers in recent years, even if most consumers have yet to embrace them. The devices are pricier than standard handsets and remain niche items, but manufacturers are betting that more refined designs can entice shoppers. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Apple Inc. — Samsung's biggest smartphone rival — doesn't sell a folding model, though it's preparing to introduce one as soon as next year, Bloomberg News has reported. The Fold 7 will resemble a tablet when it's unfolded, like past models, and should feature a thinner design and slimmer bezels, according to a teaser that Samsung posted this month. The upgrade signals that the company is looking to keep pace with Chinese phone brands like Huawei Technologies Co., Honor and Oppo. Honor told Bloomberg in a recent interview that its upcoming Magic V5 foldable will measure just 8.8 millimeters thick when closed. Alphabet Inc.'s Google is Samsung's main competitor for this type of folding phone in the US and is similarly expected to unveil its Pixel 10 Pro Fold later this summer. Samsung is also expected to announce its latest smartwatch, the Galaxy Watch 8, during the July Unpacked event. And the South Korean consumer electronics giant is likely to highlight its Galaxy AI suite of software features. Samsung is nearing a wide-ranging deal with Perplexity AI Inc. to preload that company's app and assistant on upcoming devices, Bloomberg reported last month. Toronto & GTA Toronto Blue Jays Toronto & GTA NHL MMA
Forbes
17-06-2025
- Forbes
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 New Design Feature Leak
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg Samsung has effectively announced the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 7 already—three times, in fact—in three separate teasers that gave us several glimpses into what the new phone will be like. The clearest takeaway from those snippets is that the Galaxy S25 Edge will play a role in the Fold 7's design. This long, slow build-up suggests the company plans a much bigger upgrade than the small iterative updates we've seen for the last two generations. A contact at Samsung confirmed this to me, explicitly saying that the cover display is bigger and something closer to the size of a standard smartphone (pointing to my Pixel 9 Pro at the time). This is good news and precisely what Fold users, myself included, have been calling for since rivals OnePlus and Google launched their wider-screened foldable phones. As exciting as that design shift will be, it was expected. I thought Samsung would make this change immediately after the Fold 6 launched last summer. What I didn't expect was the release of a new ultra-slim Edge phone and how that would impact the Fold 7. To me, the Galaxy S25 Edge doesn't make sense. Judging by the rumored early sales data, I'm not alone. Either Samsung is leading the pack in a new slim phone trend (it says it isn't copying Apple's iPhone 17 Air), or the device is a prototype for future phones. I'd put my money on the latter. You see, Samsung had to redesign several components to fit high-end Galaxy S25 hardware into the Edge. Entirely new processes and components were born out of the Edge's R&D. The company isn't going to ignore those discoveries in favor of older technology. The company said so last week. 'The newest Galaxy Z series is our thinnest, lightest and most advanced foldable yet – meticulously crafted and built to last.' The new Galaxy Z Fold 7 is apparently the slimmest Fold Samsung has ever made. From watching Jerry Rig Evertything's S25 Edge video, it looks like the 200MP camera and motherboard lost the most weight (in comparison to the S25 Ultra). I suspect the Fold will do the same, with the new motherboard technique being the biggest space saver. This has long been the barrier to foldable phones. They're cumbersome and large. Even the modern devices, with all of their polish, are still two—admittedly slim—phones stacked together. The Fold 7 looks noticeably slimmer in the teasers and it might bridge that gap between power smartphone users (read: tech nerd) and a regular device that regular people consider buying. The trade-off for the S25 Edge shedding all of that weight is battery life. Lithium-ion technology hasn't advanced like other crucial components in smartphones. Bigger is actually better. And I wonder how Samsung will offset this in the newer slimmer Fold, which needs a battery that can power two screens. Software optimization and energy-saving efficiencies can only do so much. Perhaps the wider frame provides space for another battery. We will have to see. Samsung is also clearly planning to re-use the Edge's tech in future Galaxy phones. I wouldn't be surprised if the Galaxy S26 Plus is replaced by a Galaxy S26 Edge. It offers something different that the base Galaxy S and Ultra models don't. A combination of both a cheaper price and some Ultra features, such as the 200MP camera, alongside the svelte chassis. That is a better offer than the 'middle one' category the Plus currently inhabits. It makes sense, but the question of battery life will continue to loom large with these ultra-thin phones.
