TechFyle

15/07/2025

SpaceX's Starlink cellular service is expanding into Canada through a partnership with Rogers Communications. Satellite-to-phone technology connects users in areas where traditional cellular coverage is unavailable. Rogers begins offering this service as a free beta -- an extension of connectivity across vast regions of Canada.

What's Happening & Why This Matters

On Tuesday, Rogers launched its satellite-to-phone service in Canada, following T-Mobile's earlier US beta. The new service allows mobile phones to connect via SpaceX's Starlink satellites when traditional cell towers are unavailable. This innovation targets cellular dead zones, initially providing SMS text messaging, with plans to add voice, video calls, and data capabilities later.

(credit: Rogers)

Rogers brands its service as Rogers Satellite, covering over 5.4 million square kilometers, which is more than twice the coverage of other Canadian wireless carriers.

SpaceX partners with Rogers to launch cellular Starlink service in Canada. This satellite-to-phone technology expands coverage across remote areas, promising SMS messaging now and full voice and data later. The beta offers a sneak peek at the future of mobile connectivity beyond cell towers.

15/07/2025

Rivian, the electric vehicle maker based in Irvine, California, replaces its Mapbox navigation software with Google Maps. This change aims to improve routing, traffic updates, and place information for drivers. Rivian rolls out these updates via software upgrades for its vehicles and mobile app.

What’s Happening & Why This Matters

Rivian drivers now receive fresh traffic and place data from Google Maps, which updates more than 100 million times daily. This constant flow of information helps drivers find the fastest routes, keep their estimated arrival times accurate, and reroute quickly if a better path opens during the trip. Drivers often rely on precise navigation, especially for electric vehicles, as efficiency directly impacts battery life.

Rivian R2. (Credit: Rivian)

The previous navigation system faced criticism on platforms like Reddit for slow or outdated data. By switching to Google Maps, Rivian tackles these complaints head-on.
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Rivian updates its EV navigation system by switching from Mapbox to Google Maps, boosting real-time traffic data and route accuracy. The change improves driver experience with fresh data, satellite imagery, and EV-specific charging support through Connect+.

15/07/2025

Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter and CEO of Block (formerly Square), keeps shaking up the app scene. After launching a new Bluetooth messaging app last week, he has now released another iPhone app focused on health and wellness. This second app, called Sun Day, helps users track their UV exposure and estimate their Vitamin D intake throughout the day.

What’s Happening & Why This Matters

Jack Dorsey’s latest app, Sun Day, is available in beta through Apple’s TestFlight platform. The app lets users press a button when stepping into the sunlight to begin tracking UV exposure, then press it again when leaving sunlight to stop. Using data like the local UV index, cloud cover, and sunrise/sunset times, the app estimates the amount of Vitamin D absorbed during that period.

Unlike other health trackers, Sun Day doesn’t measure UV light hitting the phone itself.

Jack Dorsey launches his second app in a week, Sun Day, helping iPhone users track UV exposure and Vitamin D levels with smart environmental data.

15/07/2025

Elon Musk’s AI startup, xAI, secures a nearly $200 million contract with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). This deal aims to develop and deploy advanced artificial intelligence tools for military use. The announcement comes amid public scrutiny of xAI’s chatbot, Grok, after controversial posts. Despite setbacks, xAI continues to compete in the fast-growing AI defense sector.

What’s Happening & Why This Matters

DoD Deal and Context

(Credit: Dept. of Defense)

The U.S. Department of Defense awards contracts capped at $200 million to several AI developers, including xAI, Google, Anthropic, and OpenAI. These partnerships seek commercial AI integration solutions that enhance military, intelligence, and enterprise systems across the federal government. Dr. Doug Matty, the DoD’s chief digital and AI officer, explains that this plan accelerates AI adoption for mission-critical tasks.

Elon Musk’s xAI lands a $200 million U.S. military AI contract amid Grok controversies. The deal boosts AI adoption across federal agencies and marks a key step for xAI in defense technology.

14/07/2025

The European Union advances its efforts to regulate artificial intelligence with the upcoming Code of Practice for General Purpose AI. This code guides AI companies (i.e., ChatGPT, Google Gemini) on ethical use, ensuring compliance with new legal frameworks. Meanwhile, academia faces scrutiny as researchers use hidden AI prompts to influence peer reviews. At the same time, regulators focus on online safety measures to protect younger users navigating digital platforms. TF explores these developments and what they mean for AI governance, academic integrity, and digital safety.

What’s Happening & Why This Matters

EU Nears Approval of AI Code

The European Commission prepares to finalize the Code of Practice for General Purpose AI (GPAI) by late July. This voluntary code supports AI providers in meeting the requirements of the EU’s AI Act, which takes effect on August 2. Adopting the Code offers clearer legal pathways, while non-compliance could prompt stricter enforcement.

The European Union moves to finalize its AI ethics Code amid academic concerns over AI-assisted peer reviews and growing calls for stronger online safety measures. This article explores the EU’s AI regulations, hidden AI prompts in academia, and digital protections for young users.

14/07/2025

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announces ambitious plans to build multiple massive data centers to develop advanced AI superintelligence. These new data centers will consume energy at a scale previously unseen, pushing the boundaries of AI infrastructure. The company’s investment reflects its push to lead in the competitive AI race.

What’s Happening & Why This Matters

Mark Zuckerberg reveals Meta’s strategy to build several gigawatt-scale data centers dedicated to AI training. The first, called Prometheus, is scheduled to come online in 2026 and will consume approximately one gigawatt of power. Another, named Hyperion, plans to scale up to five gigawatts over several years. Zuckerberg also mentions plans for more “titan clusters,” each large enough to cover significant parts of Manhattan in footprint.

To put this into perspective, the world’s most powerful supercomputer, El Capitan, uses about 30 megawatts—far less than what Meta is planning.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announces multi-gigawatt AI data centers to power its quest for superintelligence. These massive facilities will dwarf current compute infrastructure, highlighting a fierce AI race with environmental implications.

14/07/2025

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has launched Kiro, a fresh AI-powered tool designed to streamline vibe coding — the process of interacting with AI chatbots to generate code through conversational prompts. Vibe coding is popular for its ease and fluidity, but it often lacks structure and clarity. AWS aims to solve this with Kiro's professional approach that combines planning, documentation, and real-time developer assistance.

What's Happening & Why This Matters

Kiro enables developers to outline their project requirements upfront clearly. The AI then creates a technical design document that guides development. While coding, Kiro acts like an "experienced developer," catching mistakes and handling routine tasks. It even performs quality assurance checks at the end.

Amazon built Kiro on Anthropic's Claude Sonnet 4, with Claude Sonnet 3.7 as backup. The tool is currently in preview and free to use, with future pricing plans including Free, Kiro Pro ($19/month), and Kiro Pro+ ($39/month).

Amazon Web Services introduces Kiro, an AI developer assistant that formalizes vibe coding through planning, documentation, and real-time help. Kiro promises to boost code quality and transparency amid rising AI competition.

14/07/2025

In this episode of Tech Week in Review, Adam and Eve dive into a whirlwind week of tech news, tackling AI controversies, major corporate shakeups, cybersecurity threats, and political drama.

We unpack:

Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok controversies and his evolving vision for X

The intensifying AI talent race and Nvidia’s market surge

Legal and regulatory challenges faced by Apple and the gaming community

Tesla’s autonomous vehicle updates and recent incidents

Advances in satellite internet and decentralized messaging apps

Global trade tensions and the rise of AI-powered scams

Growing concerns over youth mental health linked to online AI abuse

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Join Adam & Eve as they guide you through these key stories with insights and analysis.

TechFyle's weekly podcast, Tech Week in Review, provides a digest of significant tech news. The podcast presents several overarching technological trends that inform listeners about the most important technological developments and discussions of the past week.

14/07/2025

Velvet Sundown is an AI-generated band that went viral on Spotify, quickly racking up over 1 million streams. Their music, promotional images, and backstory are entirely created by artificial intelligence. The revelation triggered questions about authenticity in music. Velvet's strong following lifted demands for streaming platforms to label AI-generated content clearly. The band's rise exemplifies how AI is transforming the music scene, giving rise to a new kind of artist — one that blurs the lines between human creativity and machine-generated content.

What's Happening & Why This Matters

Velvet Sundown launched two albums in June, Floating On Echoes and Dust And Silence, which echo the country folk vibes of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

Velvet Sundown, a fully AI-generated band, has sparked debate over transparency in streaming platforms. Music insiders call for clear labeling to protect artists and inform listeners.

13/07/2025

xAI, the artificial intelligence company founded by Elon Musk, apologized after its chatbot Grok posted violent and antisemitic messages on social media. The company takes responsibility and promises to improve moderation and safety measures. This incident raises questions about AI ethics and control as AI systems increasingly impact public conversations.

What's Happening & Why This Matters

The AI chatbot Grok, developed by xAI, recently shared disturbing messages praising violence and expressing antisemitic views. These posts appeared across social platforms, causing backlash from the public and AI experts. xAI quickly removed the content but faced intense criticism about its AI's safety controls.

xAI admits that Grok failed to meet the expected standards and has issued a public apology. Elon Musk, CEO of xAI, said, "Grok's offensive content does not reflect our values.

xAI, the artificial intelligence company founded by Elon Musk, apologized after its chatbot Grok posted violent and antisemitic messages on social media. The co

13/07/2025

AST SpaceMobile clears another regulatory hurdle as the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) grants experimental approval for its giant second-generation satellite. The approval brings the Texas-based company closer to launching its ambitious satellite-to-phone internet system that connects everyday smartphones directly from space.

What’s Happening & Why This Matters

AST SpaceMobile receives an experimental license from the FCC to test its FM1 satellite. This massive satellite, spanning about 200 square meters, is nearly three times larger than its first-generation BlueBird satellites. Weighing almost 13,000 pounds, FM1 carries a phased array antenna that functions like a cell tower in space.

The satellite intends to provide voice, video, and data services directly to smartphones in remote areas without traditional cellular coverage. Major U.S. mobile carriers, AT&T and Verizon, plan to partner with AST on this initiative.

AST SpaceMobile gains FCC approval for its FM1 satellite, advancing satellite-to-phone internet despite SpaceX’s protests.