Latest news with #TheNextEpisode
Business Insider
04-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
Google mocks Apple's delayed AI features in new 'coming soon' ad
To tease its new phone, Google dunked on Apple — and soundtracked it to Snoop Dogg. In a new advertisement for the coming Pixel 10 smartphone, Google took a shot at Apple's delayed launch of its AI features. Apple announced an overhauled, "more personalized" Siri powered by Apple Intelligence at the Worldwide Developers Conference in 2024, but has yet to roll the feature out. "If you buy a new phone because of a feature that's 'coming soon,' but it's been 'coming soon' for a full year, you could change your definition of 'soon' — or you could just change your phone," the ad's narrator said. The ad then flashed the text, "Ask more of your phone," along with the launch date of August 20. With the camera roving up and down the sides of a jet black phone, Google's ad evoked the sleek futurism of previous Apple campaigns. The company soundtracked its ad to Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg's "The Next Episode." Neither Apple nor Google responded to requests for comment. Apple launched its official AI bid, a suite of features called Apple Intelligence, in 2024. Some of the features announced at WWDC were included in iOS 18, which launched that September. Others, like the Siri integrations for Apple Intelligence, never came. In March, Apple officially announced that it was delaying the Siri overhaul, a rarity for the company. "It's going to take us longer than we thought to deliver on these features and we anticipate rolling them out in the coming year," spokesperson Jacqueline Roy told the unaffiliated Apple blog Daring Fireball at the time. Apple also made a YouTube ad private that showed Bella Ramsey using the still unreleased Siri features. Apple is now facing a lawsuit over how it advertised the AI features on the iPhone 16. CEO Tim Cook gave a status update on the overhauled Siri during Apple's earnings call last week. "We're making good progress on a more personalized Siri, and we do expect to release the features next year," Cook said.
Tom's Guide
04-08-2025
- Tom's Guide
Pixel 10 tease — Google is having a blast poking fun at Apple's Siri failures
Google will officially announce the Pixel 10 series at the end of August during its next Made by Google event. That hasn't stopped the Mountain View company from teasing its flagship phone line as a mind-boggling number of leaks continue to pour out. On Monday (August 4), Google posted a teaser ad on its YouTube channel that takes digs at Apple over its ongoing struggle to release an updated AI-powered version of Siri. The video is also set to an instrumental version of "The Next Episode" by Dr. Dre, another poke at Apple since the company owns Beats by Dr. Dre. The ad references how Apple announced several Apple Intelligence features and Siri upgrades during WWDC 2024. The rollout of Apple Intelligence has been slow and, in some cases, delayed until 2026. As Google implies, many of its announced AI capabilities are already available in its Gemini AI platform. Meanwhile, regular image leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer (OnLeaks on X) teamed up with Android Headlines to share new renders of the Pixel 10 from just about every angle. The leaks show off the phone in the rumored "Frost" colorway kind of a silvery-white. For the most part, the Pixel 10 resembles last year's Google Pixel 9. You'll notice that the camera array is slightly different, largely thanks to the addition of a third camera, making the glass a bit bigger. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. It should feature a 48MP main sensor, a 12MP ultrawide and a 10.8MP telephoto sensor, the same as the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. It may be hard to tell from the renders, but Google is reportedly keeping the matte finish on the sides and back of the phone, the same as last year's base phone. The Pro models are allegedly sticking to glossy. The phone should have a 6.3-inch OLED display plus the Tensor G5 processor, a 3nm processor made by TSMC. Again, Google is set to announce the Pixel 10 series, where we expect to see the base model, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL Pixel 10 Pro Fold, as well as the Pixel Watch 4. The Pixel 10 is rumored to start at $799 for the 128GB version, with the 256GB variant selling for $899. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
The Hill
07-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Lawler mocks potential Maloney comeback campaign
After a report that former Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney is considering challenging Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) in the midterms, the Hudson Valley representative sarcastically weighed in on the prospect of a rematch with the man he unseated four years ago. 'I'm sure Democrats are excited about the prospects of Sean Patrick Maloney making a come back — because it worked out so well the last time,' Lawler wrote on X. Maloney served five terms in Congress before being unseated by Lawler in an expensive 2022 race. His loss for the 17th Congressional District seat was all the more stunning because he was the head of the campaign arm for House Democrats at the time. Axios reported Monday that Maloney is weighing whether to challenge Lawler, but would likely not make a decision until the fall. He is also reportedly considering a run for governor. In his post about Maloney, Lawler included a video edit of him posing with Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) set to the Dr. Dre song 'The Next Episode,' wearing meme sunglasses and a gold chain. At least six Democrats are already vying for the seat, seen by many in the party as a prime pickup opportunity for the 2026 midterms. NY-17 is one of three GOP-represented districts that voted for former Vice President Harris for president. Republicans will seek to defend their 220-212 majority, which allowed them to muscle the 'big, beautiful bill' through Congress and to President Trump's desk. Democrats, meanwhile, are hoping that opposition to Trump and backlash to the bill's cuts to social services and tax breaks favoring the rich will enable them to flip key districts.
Glasgow Times
30-06-2025
- Glasgow Times
Pensioner took part in £20k money laundering scheme
James Tominey, 65, received the cash into his bank account from fraudsters on March 31, 2021. He was caught after he attempted to withdraw the money the same day from his HSBC bank account. The matter was forwarded to the fraud team after Tominey's request was refused, as he did not have identification. It was later discovered that Tominey, of Lennoxtown, East Dunbartonshire, transferred £9000 of the dirty cash to a woman who lived in the same village through his online banking account. Tominey pleaded guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to possession of £20,000 of criminal property. He also admitted transferring £9000 of criminal property to the woman. The court heard that Tominey attended his bank to withdraw £10,000. An employee noticed that he had received £20,000 into his bank account earlier that day and quizzed Tominey on it. Tominey told the employee that the money was a result of a redundancy package from a recruitment company. He was then asked for identification to withdraw the cash but Tominey stated that he "forgot it." The matter was reported to the bank's fraud team for an investigation. Around 20 minutes after entering the bank, Tominey was seen to transfer £9000 from his online banking to the woman. Tominey was arrested two weeks later and he gave a version of events to the police. READ NEXT: Man threatened to burn down partner's flat and lit fire outside Prosecutor Darren Harty said: "He became involved under the pretence of easy money." Tracey Mulholland, defending, told today's sentencing that her client was to receive £300 from his cut in the scheme. The lawyer added: "Mr Tominey said that he was naive and was making poor decisions. "Both he and the woman were in the scheme willingly and knew what he was doing was wrong." Sheriff Vincent Lunny tagged Tominey for 20 weeks, keeping him indoors between 7pm and 7am. The sheriff said: "This was a serious matter and in my view the custodial threshold has been passed. "This is not a victimless crime - the handling of this money is a serious matter without which these gangs cannot operate. "I suspect that this was drug money but this has not been confirmed either way but it was a significant scheme and is a serious blight on life in Scotland." As Tominey left the dock, his phone was heard to ring with the ringtone of Dr Dre's and Snoop Dogg's hit 'The Next Episode'.
The Herald Scotland
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
How Average White Band 'touched the core' of Black America
Yet a group of six guys from Scotland are among the most influential figures in the contemporary sound of all those genres, and that's despite literally being called the Average White Band. "Those are some Scottish guys," former U.S President Barack Obama said in an interview with Bruce Springsteen. "And those boys can jam." The Boss concurred. Read More: Chuck D of Public Enemy said seeing them on Soul Train was "a revelation", they've been sampled by NAS, N.W.A, The Beastie Boys, De La Soul and Del tha Funkee Homosapien to name but a few. Glasgow's David McCallum may have provided the basis for Dr Dre's 'The Next Episode' but the AWB leave him in the dust - the website WhoSampled credits 169 to one song alone. Go one step removed and you can probably trace Kendrick Lamar's funk and soul infused To Pimp a Butterfly to the Average Whites, Eminem once said "I'm a product of Rakim", who famously sampled the group's 'School Boy Crush'. Anthony Baxter, the director of You've Been Trumped, is currently in the process of making a film about the group entitled Soul Searching. A snippet will be shown at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday, with some of the biggest names in music already on board. He tells The Herald: "I've been blown away by how deeply their music is revered in the United States, I've spent the best part of the last couple of years filming extensively and whether it's the audiences they had on their last tour, which was 80% black in pretty much every place I went to, or they incredible impact they've had on some of the biggest names in music today, predominantly hip-hop artists and music producers, they've told me what the band means to them. 'Whether it's Flava Flav, Questlove, or a woman called Melody Spann Cooper who runs Chicago's longest-running black music station who told me: 'they touched the very core of who we were'. "Chuck D said to me, 'you just feel it and that was the epitome of soul'. DJ Premier said 'their funk wasn't made up, it was from their heart and soul'. Average White Band (Image: Supplied) "Questlove told me that when he came across the band on Soul Train it was at that moment he decided he wanted to become a drummer. He played their live album every day for 10 years, because he just loved it so much. "In Scotland everyone knows their songs but I think the story of how they've impacted hip-hop and black music culture in America is one that really surprised me with how deep it goes. 'In Detroit there was this band of brothers called The Jitterbugs who pioneered this dance move called The Jit, and 'Schoolboy Crush' was one of the real influences on that dance move. 'In Los Angeles I spoke to two former Crips and the infamous Crip Walk was really influenced by 'Schoolboy Crush'. Their music has penetrated the culture in America in a much deeper way than I'd initially thought and it's just been a real joy to see how revered the band is." On the face of it, it's a pretty unlikely combination. Six white guys who grew up in post-war Scotland not just doing R&B and funk, but doing it so well they became adored in the places which gave the world that sound. Mr Baxter says: "There were six of them in the beginning and they listened to this kind of music coming in from the United States – Aretha Franklin was their heroine. 'They would search through all the latest Black music coming in, it was being played in one or two pubs around Scotland and they would seek out that music. 'They've explained to me that their Scottishness helped, not only just in the sound of their voices in singing this very soulful, funky music but also when they were growing up after the war it was extreme austerity and I think people like Chaka Khan were going through a similar kind of thing – so there were parallels there." The filmmakers are hoping to have it finished by the end of this year, which marks 50 since the Average White Band topped the charts Stateside. It's produced by Montrose Films along with Screen Scotland, Kartemquin Films, Vertigo Films, and Sky Originals, and it's hoped with the threat of Trump tariffs in the air there will be some Hollywood interest. Mr Baxter says: "I came to know the music of the band when I was growing up but I didn't really know much about their backstory until I read a piece a journalist friend of mine wrote about them. 'I contacted Alan Gorrie about three years ago and sat down with him and spoke about making a film. Since then I've embarked on a journey and found this extraordinary story which was far more multi-layered than I had ever anticipated. "There are still one or two very high profile musicians who are keen to speak to me for the film but what we have already is a terrific story. 'We've uncovered some amazing archival footage along the way, part of the ambition I have is to put the viewer back in 1970s America when they've come across there. "This is more than a music documentary, people will celebrate the music but also be able to immerse themselves in the world of Average White Band and that profoundly important point in music culture. "It's funky, it's R&B, it's soul… it's Average White Band.'
