Samsung Galaxy S25 series was launched last month and it runs on the company’s new Android 15-based One UI 7 out-of-the-box. Alongside introducing more features on the company’s flagship lineup, the OS update is also said to bring new capabilities to the Galaxy Buds 3 series. Galaxy S25 users will be able to leverage Galaxy AI — the company’s artificial intelligence (AI) suite — to take advantage of Interpreter in Listening mode. Additionally, they also get access to other features including Adapt sound, Adaptive Noise Control, and extensive app sound settings.

One UI 7 Features on Galaxy Buds 3 Series

According to Samsung, Galaxy Buds 3 series users can now adjust volume, noise control, and sound settings all from the Galaxy S25’s quick settings panel. The same can be accessed by long-pressing the volume slider which opens up options to toggle 360 audio, tweak equaliser, boost dialogue, and change the ANC mode. They can also apply sound settings for individual apps and the phone will apply them whenever media from the particular app starts playing.

One UI 7 brings an Adapt sound feature which can curate a personalised sound experience when on calls or while watching videos. They can also take advantage of the advanced hearing test to further personalise the audio profile. Powered by Galaxy AI, the Interpreter in Listening mode allows Galaxy Buds 3 series users to get an audio translation from 20 languages directly in their ears, eliminating the need to glance at the phone.

It also bolsters existing features such as Adaptive EQ and Adaptive ANC. Meanwhile, Galaxy Buds 3 Pro users have access to Adaptive Noise Control which automatically analyses audio and adjusts it according to the ambient sound. Meanwhile, the Siren Detect and Voice Detect features raise the ambient sound when a siren or voice is detected in the background.

As per Samsung, One UI 7 on the Galaxy S25 series expands Galaxy AI capabilities across the ecosystem.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the next title in Game Freak’s long-running Pokémon series of video games, received a new trailer at the Pokémon Presents showcase Thursday. The trailer showed off the game’s setting and revealed more gameplay but stopped short of confirming a release date. Pokémon Legends: Z-A is set for launch on the Nintendo Switch in late 2025. At the presentation, The Pokémon Company also announced Pokémon Champions, a new battling-focussed title for the Switch and mobile devices.

Pokémon Legends Z-A Trailer

The new trailer for Pokémon Legends: Z-A featured more of the game’s Paris-inspired setting, Lumiose City. Players will get an option to choose their starter Pokémon from Chikorita, Tepig, or Totodile.

While Pokémon games feature turn-based action, Pokémon Legends: Z-A will introduce real-time battles, where Trainers and their Pokémon move around in real time, and Pokémon execute their moves on command. There’s no release date for the game yet, but it’s confirmed to launch in late 2025.

Pokémon Champions Announced

The Pokémon Company also announced a new Pokémon game at the presentation. Pokémon Champions is a battling-focussed title for Nintendo Switch and mobile platforms.

The game features familiar Pokémon battling mechanics and allows players to bring in classic Pokémon from Pokémon HOME. The game will come with a variety of modes and will support cross-platform battles between Switch and mobile devices. Pokémon Champions doesn’t yet have a release date yet and is currently in development for Nintendo Switch, Android, and iOS.

The Pokémon Presents showcase, which arrived as part of Pokémon Day celebrations, also included news and updates on older Pokémon titles and other games from the world of Pokémon. Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet get a collection of new in-game events. More updates were announced for Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, Pokémon TCG, the Netflix series Pokémon Concierge, Pokémon GO, Pokémon Sleep, Pokémon Unite, and more.

The Pokémon Company also announced that video games in the iconic series will now be localized in Latin American Spanish.

A Canadian regulator said on Wednesday it will impose a fee on Google to recover the cost of enforcing a law that requires large internet platforms to pay for news content on their websites.

The imposition of the levy on the Mountain View, California-based search engine giant comes at a time of increased tension between Canada and the United States over trade, border security, and a digital services tax on US technology firms.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission said the vast majority of its operations are funded by fees charged to the companies it regulates, and the cost recovery rule for the Online News Act will come into effect from April 1. The charge may vary from year to year and does not have an upper limit.

The CRTC finalised the rule after a period of public consultations, during which Google intervened to argue against its implementation saying it was “not a rational approach” to impose 100 percent of the costs on one entity.

Part of a global trend to make internet giants pay for news, Canada passed the law last year to address media industry concerns that tech companies were elbowing news businesses out of the online advertising market.

Only Alphabet’s Google and Facebook-parent Meta met the threshold of a large enough company that would need to pay news organisations.

Google, after months of negotiations with the government, agreed to pay CAD 100 million annually in a deal with publishers to keep news stories in search results. Meta, however, decided to block news from its Facebook and Instagram platforms in Canada to avoid payments.

Google, among other comments in its submission to the CRTC, argued the rule was “an unfair additional regulatory burden on a company that has continued to support the news ecosystem in this country.”

In a policy notice posted to its website on Wednesday, the CRTC said due to the structure of the Online News Act, the recovery costs can only be levied on the digital platforms to which the law applies.

Google declined to comment beyond its response submitted during the CRTC consultation.

© Thomson Reuters 2025

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Firefox browser maker Mozilla on Friday updated its Terms of Use a second time within a week following criticism overbroad language that appeared to give the company the rights to all information uploaded by users.

The revised Terms of Use now states –

You give Mozilla the rights necessary to operate Firefox. This includes processing your data as we describe in the Firefox Privacy Notice. It also includes a nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license for the purpose of doing as you request with the content you input in Firefox. This does not give Mozilla any ownership in that content.

A previous version of this clause, which went into effect on February 26, said –

When you upload or input information through Firefox, you hereby grant us a nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use that information to help you navigate, experience, and interact with online content as you indicate with your use of Firefox.

The development came days after the company introduced a Terms of Use for Firefox for the first time, along with an updated Privacy Notice that aims to give users more transparency in its data practices.

“We’ve been listening to some of our community’s concerns with parts of the TOU, specifically about licensing,” Ajit Varma, VP of Product at Mozilla, said in a statement. “Our intent was just to be as clear as possible about how we make Firefox work, but in doing so we also created some confusion and concern.”

Mozilla emphasized that it doesn’t sell or buy data about its users, and that it made the changes because certain jurisdictions define the term “sell” more broadly than others, incorporating the various ways by which a consumer’s personal information changes hands with another party in exchange for monetary or other benefits.

On top of that, it said it already collects and shares some data with its partners from optional ads served on New Tab and sponsored suggestions in the search bar as a means to stay “commercially viable.”

Mozilla also pointed out that while it does not access users’ conversations with third-party artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots enabled via the sidebar (and through a shortcut), it does gather technical and interaction data on how this feature is used to help improve the Firefox browser.

This includes how often each third-party chatbot provider is chosen, how often suggested prompts are used, and the length of selected text.

“Whenever we share data with our partners, we put a lot of work into making sure that the data that we share is stripped of potentially identifying information, or shared only in the aggregate, or is put through our privacy preserving technologies (like OHTTP),” Varma said.

The pushback against Mozilla’s Terms of Use follows Google’s new ad tracking policy that has drawn scrutiny from regulators and watchdogs who say it raises privacy concerns.

The Ads platforms program policies, which went live on February 16, 2025, allow the use of IP addresses to fingerprint users and reach them across platforms without the need to re-identify them. The U.K. Information Commissioner’ Office (ICO) has called it an “irresponsible” change.

“Organisations seeking to deploy fingerprinting techniques for advertising will need to demonstrate how they are complying with the requirements of data protection law,” ICO said in a statement. “These include providing users with transparency, securing freely-given consent, ensuring fair processing and upholding information rights such as the right to erasure.”

Apple has been sued by consumers who said its claim that three versions of Apple Watches are “carbon neutral” and environmentally friendly is false and misleading.

In a complaint filed on Wednesday in San Jose, California federal court, seven purchasers of the green-tagged Apple Watch Series 9, SE and Ultra 2 said they would not have bought their watches or would have paid less had they known the truth.

Apple, also known for the iPhone, launched the watches in September 2023, saying they would be carbon neutral through a combination of lower emissions and purchases of carbon offsets.

But the plaintiffs–from California, Florida and Washington, D.C.–said two carbon offsetting projects on which Apple relied to meet its corporate emissions target did not provide “genuine” carbon reductions.

They said much of the land in Kenya’s Chyulu Hills Project lies within a national park protected from deforestation since 1983, while land for China’s Guinan Project was heavily covered by trees even before the project began in 2015.

“In both cases, the carbon reductions would have occurred regardless of Apple’s involvement or the projects’ existence,” the complaint said. “Because Apple’s carbon neutrality claims are predicated on the efficacy and legitimacy of these projects, Apple’s carbon neutrality claims are false and misleading.”

The plaintiffs also said 70 percent of US and Canadian consumers consider environmental sustainability crucial when making purchases, citing a study by the National Retail Federation and IBM.

In a statement on Thursday responding to the lawsuit, Apple did not discuss the case but defended its environmental record.

“We’ve drastically cut emissions for Apple Watch by over 75 percent, and we are investing significantly in nature-based projects to remove hundreds of thousands of metric tons of carbon from the air,” it said. “We detail our work prominently and transparently for our users.”

The Cupertino, California-based company has aimed to be carbon neutral by 2030, including in its supply chain.

Wednesday’s lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and an injunction blocking Apple from marketing the three watches as carbon neutral.

The case is Dib et al v Apple Inc, US District Court, Northern District of California, No. 25-02043.

© Thomson Reuters 2025

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Forza Horizon 5, the acclaimed open-world racer from Playground Games, will arrive on PS5 on April 29, the developer announced Thursday. The Microsoft first-party game, which launched as an Xbox and PC exclusive in 2021, is now up for pre-order on the PlayStation Store. Players who pre-purchase the Premium Edition of Forza Horizon 5 on PS5 will be able to dive in early and play the game starting April 25.

Forza Horizon 5 PS5 Launch

The PS5 release date confirmation comes nearly a month after Forza Horizon 5 was announced as the next Xbox exclusive title coming to Sony’s console. All PS5 users who pre-order the game will receive special bundle that includes Forza Horizon 5’s cover car — the 2021 Mercedes-AMG ONE, 5,000 #Forzathon Points that can be used to buy cars and cosmetics in the game, and five Backstage Passes that can unlock any hard-to-find car available in the Backstage Shop.

On PS5, Forza Horizon 5 will come with two graphics modes — Performance (60fps) and Quality (30fps). For PS5 Pro users, the Performance mode will feature increased visual fidelity. Quality mode, on the other hand, will add ray traced car reflections to Races and Free Roam.

Forza Horizon 5 is available in Standard, Deluxe, and Premium editions on the PS5. The Standard Edition is priced at Rs. 3,999; the Deluxe Edition, which includes the Forza Horizon 5 Car Pass, comes in at Rs. 5,399; and the Premium Edition, which includes the Hot Wheels and Rally Adventure DLCs, Car Pass, Welcome Pack, VIP membership, and Early Access starting April 25, is priced at Rs. 6,599.

In addition to Forza Horizon 5’s PS5 launch, Playground Games announced the Horizon Realms update will arrive on all supported platforms on April 25. Touted as one of the game’s biggest updates yet, Horizon Realms will include four new reward cars and a new stadium track.

Forza Horizon 5 was announced for the PS5 in January, with Playground Games setting a Spring 2025 release timeline. The racing title joins a string of first-party Microsoft titles that have made their way to PS5 since the company shifted to a multi-platform strategy last year.

Forza Horizon 5 launched November 9, 2021, across PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X. The racing title, set in an expansive open world based on Mexico, was a critical and commercial success, winning in three categories at The Game Awards 2021.

Apple has announced several improvements aimed at streamlining the process of setting up Child Accounts while revamping the parental control features offered by the company. The company is also working to minimise the amount of data collected by developers while verifying the ages of app users. Apple says it will introduce additional age categories for ratings, to offer more precise categorisation for apps designed for younger users. The Cupertino company will also require developers to declare if their apps include user generated content, ads, or parental controls.

Apple to Introduce Declared Age Range API to Minimise Sensitive Data Collection

In a document published by Apple, the company says that it is preparing to simplify the process of setting up Child Accounts that can be used by children under the age of 13. Apple also says that child-friendly safety settings will be enabled by default on these accounts, if parents do not complete the setup process.

A new Declared Age Range API will also be made available to developers, allowing them to provide users with access to age-appropriate content while preserving user privacy. This privacy-focused API allows parents to share an “age range” of their children with developers, instead of providing their date of birth.

The company says that a “limited subset” of developers will be able to continue collecting government-issued ID or other relevant personal data from users in compliance with regional obligations.

Parents will be able to provide consent for using the App Store using Face ID (or Touch ID) instead of providing their credit card information for younger users with Child Accounts, according to the document. Parents will also be able to adjust age ranges for their children to grant or restrict access to apps or features via the App Store.

Apple will also make it easier for developers to categorise their apps based on ages, with additional age ratings. Later this year, the company will allow developers to set the age limit to their apps to 13+, 16+, or 18+, which will offer a wider range of controls. Apple currently offers 4+, 9+, 12+, and 17+ age ratings, and younger children cannot access apps or content with an age rating for older users.

Meanwhile, developers will have to inform users — possibly via the App Store — whether their app includes support features such as advertising, user generated content, or even parental controls. Apple also said that it will make accommodations for regional variations in guidelines.

Tablet shipments in India grew by 42.8 percent year-over-year (YoY) in 2024 to 5.73 million units, according to a report by a market research firm. The report claimed that the increase in notebook PC prices and better Android features have driven customers to opt for tablets for productivity and entertainment. The detachable and slate tablet categories have reportedly grown by 30 percent and 47.2 percent YoY in 2024, respectively. However, tablet shipments in the country did see a 17 percent YoY drop in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2024 due to delays in certain government manifesto deals, the report added.

India Tablet Shipments Grew in 2024 

According to an International Data Corporation (IDC) report, tablet shipments in India grew to 5.73 million units in 2024, marking a 42.8 percent YoY increase. The data is based on data from IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker. Driven by “strong eTailer promotions, discounts, and cashback offers,” the consumer segment grew by 19.2 percent YoY in 2024, as per the report. Samsung led the eTailer channel with 24.4 percent share, the report added.

Meanwhile, the commercial tablet segment grew by 69.7 percent YoY in 2024. This growth was recorded despite a 9.9 percent YoY decline in the Very Large business (VLB) segment, the report noted and added that the education segment, driven by increased government-funded education projects, saw a “remarkable 104.5 percent YoY growth.”

IDC analyst Priyansh Tiwari noted in the report that the “better cameras, software updates, and app integration” in Android tablets “attracted a certain section of PC buyers,” to buy tablets “for light productivity and entertainment.” The analyst added that the increase in PC notebook prices due to “rising component costs,” is another reason that led customers to choose tablets over PCs.

According to the report, more than 60 percent of the tablet shipments in India in 2024 were entry-level tablets priced at or less than $300 (roughly Rs. 26,200). The report added that the ASP (average selling price) for the total tablets shipped in the consumer segment increased from $309 (roughly Rs. 27,000) in 2023 to $336 (roughly Rs. 29,400) in 2024.

Samsung topped the tablet market in India with a share of 42.6 percent in 2024. The company also led in both commercial and consumer segments, with 51.1 percent and 32.1 percent market share, respectively.

The report noted that the South Korean tech giant maintained the lead in the Q4 2024 as well with a 35.5 percent market share in tablet shipments in the country. The lead in the quarter was owing to the “strong presence in public sector education projects, its good push across consumer channels, and a heavy inventory push during online sales,” according to the report.

Acer Group took the 2nd spot in 2024 with a market share of 18.7 percent in tablet shipments, followed by Apple in the third position with an 11 percent share. Lenovo grabbed the fourth spot alongside Xiaomi with 9 percent market share each. 

India Tablet Shipments 2025 Outlook

IDC’s Bharath Shenoy claimed that the acceptance of tablets in industries like FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods), hospitality, BFSI (Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance), and more, “is on the rise as it is seen as a portable productivity device.” The tablet market in 2025 in India is expected to “maintain its growth momentum in the consumer segment as well,” because of the launch of more AI-backed tablets in the coming months.