Mariam Naficy, the founder of cosmetics retailer Eve and design marketplace Minted, has a long history of supporting independent artists and helping them sell their products. Her latest venture, Arcade AI, is a new type of marketplace that puts creative control directly into the hands of users.

The generative AI platform, which launched its beta in September, allows customers– referred to as “Dreamers”– to input their ideas into a generator that then produces a variety of jewelry design options. They can also upload images. 

Once a “Dream” is selected, it’s assigned to one of Arcade’s artisans, who brings the digital concepts to life as tangible pieces of jewelry, including bracelets, charms, earrings, necklaces, rings, and more. There are a number of materials to choose from, including gold, brass, silver, and a variety of gemstones, including diamonds, garnet, ruby, and more. 

I tested the new generator myself, which leverages a mix of third-party models, such as Stable Diffusion and Midjourney. After entering my personal preferences, particularly my love for opals, the AI tool generated a delicate, gold floral necklace for me (featured in the image above). 

I then placed the order with Studio Maisette, one of the design studios on the platform, and a few days later, I received a video of the finished product for approval. The entire process, from order placement to product delivery, took around two weeks. 

While the necklace might seem basic at first glance, I think it perfectly captures my aesthetic. Bonus points for the trio of opals, which are of good quality, according to my gemologist friend. 

Not all the results generated were up to standard, however, and I ran into some hurdles along the way. For example, the AI generator had a hard time adding multiple charms to one necklace. It also failed to create complex objects like a twenty-sided die. 

“To make sure that everything is manufacturable, we actually have to constrain the models a little bit to what the makers are giving us in terms of data or what they can make,” Naficy told me. 

Fortunately, there’s an editing tool where you can add, erase, or adjust certain elements to truly bring your vision to life. Still, it didn’t always turn out as I envisioned.

Naficy plans to improve the “magic editor,” adding things like Image Prompt (IP) Adapters, which are small models that allow pre-trained text-to-image diffusion models to create images based on image prompts. Another idea in the works is to let users be able to choose a part of the image to modify. Or drag a part of the image and move it elsewhere.

Designing custom jewelry on Arcade can be quite expensive, potentially costing $1,000 or more, depending on the complexity of the design. However, if you prefer a simpler piece, you can expect to spend around $100. Shipping ranges from $10 to $30. This is in line with what custom-designed jewelry usually costs.

For reference, the piece I designed was priced at $186 plus $10 in shipping. 

The cost depends on the material used, the size of the object, and other factors like the length of a necklace chain or any additional requests you want to add in the comments section to the manufacturer. Makers set their prices and have to accept the design and agree with the price before agreeing to make it. They can also reject a design if they think it’s too complicated to make. 

Even if users can’t afford to purchase their creations on the website, Naficy said they can simply enjoy the process of creating and adding their designs to the collection of “Dream Boards” featured on their profile. 

“We just want this to be magical and fun, and we’re just going to keep working on these experiences until it’s more magical and very fun. But there is this part of me that just wants people to be able to create for fun and share their creations with other people. They don’t actually have to only buy to experience the site,” she said. 

Notably, “Dreamers” can profit from their designs, earning a 2.5% commission on sales. To become a seller, users must have 100 followers and have either sold three items or sold $500 worth of products. In the coming weeks, they’ll be able to set their own price point. 

Using an AI generator to allow customers to take control of design could be controversial among jewelry designers for several reasons. Designers may worry that their unique creations could be replicated or used without permission, which could infringe on their intellectual property rights. Additionally, some might fear that automating the design process could result in fewer opportunities for human designers, jeopardizing their livelihoods. 

However, Naficy claims the artisans featured on Arcade feel differently. 

“They were very receptive. I was not expecting that…They saw it as a way to increase business, you know, like, ‘This is great because now I can talk to consumers and understand what they want.’”

And, according to Naficy, the AI model is trained never to copy a design exactly as it is shown in the uploaded image. 

“We can block certain words from being used in the prompt layer. Also, in our image functionality, we can dial up how strongly the AI is allowed to deviate from the source image,” she explained. 

“I spent 15 years running Minted, where people would copy our artists all the time, and I could see the pain that it caused people. I was very artist-empathetic because we were constantly issuing takedown notices for them on our site and trying to protect the artists and the art. So what we’re doing, I think gives us actually more control than most marketplaces,” Naficy added.

Arcade is considering expanding to other categories in the future, possibly adding accessories, apparel, leather goods, and more. This would have Arcade directly competing with Off/Script, another product creation platform that emerged last year to help artists fund their AI-designed items, spanning from clothing and accessories to home decor and furniture. 

In terms of features, Naficy wants to add more social features in the coming months. This includes the ability for sellers to thank users who buy their designs and options for community members to chat with each other. Arcade may also launch competitions where winners can earn free jewelry if their design gets the most votes.

Another long-term goal is to partner with major brands, allowing users to purchase products from well-known retailers directly through the platform.

Arcade has received $17 million in total funding from Ashton Kutcher (Sound Ventures), Offline Ventures, and Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn co-founder). Other notable investors include Colin Kaepernick, Lumi founder and former NFL quarterback; David Luan, CEO of Adept AI Labs and former vice president of engineering at OpenAI; and supermodel and entrepreneur Karlie Kloss, among others.

While there aren’t a lot of new features in Android 15, it does offer some useful additions for your phone — and one of the most interesting is called “Private Space.” Think of it as a separate app vault that locks away specified apps on your Android device.

Of course, the main lockscreen already stops other people from accessing your phone, but Private Space puts an extra barrier in place. The idea is that if you lend someone your device to make a call or look at a photo, they won’t accidentally (or deliberately) stumble into something they shouldn’t. It’s also an extra safety net if your phone is lost or stolen while it’s unlocked.

I tried the feature on a Pixel 8 phone running Android 15. Here’s how it works.

Now, whenever you want to go to your private space, just scroll to the bottom of the app drawer, tap on the padlock icon, and authenticate (using either a biometric method like fingerprint recognition, or a PIN).

You can’t drag apps in and out of your private space — you have to install them. Think of it almost like a completely different Android device. When you’re within the space, tap the Install button to add new apps, and long-press on an app icon and choose Uninstall to remove them.

You can receive notifications from apps in the private space, but only when it’s unlocked. To use the same example as I used above, it’s effectively like a separate device, and when the space is locked, it’s like you’ve turned off that device. For this reason, Google doesn’t recommend using it to store apps that might need to send you critical information. 

Once you’ve unlocked your private space, it stays open on the app drawer until you lock it again via the Lock button. You can also have the space lock automatically in certain situations: this and other options can be configured by tapping on the gear icon in the private space window.

Note that you can’t transfer your private space to a new phone. The standard Android-to-Android setup process won’t include any private space apps. You’ll have to start the private space again from scratch, though you can sign in with the same Google account you used for the private space on the older phone, which will restore your data in apps such as Gmail and Google Keep.

ASRock Rack’s TURIN2D48G-2L+ is a sizable new server motherboard designed to handle the most demanding needs of high-performance computing.

Supporting dual AMD EPYC 9005/ 9004 series processors, including the top-tier 192-core EPYC 9965, this motherboard is engineered for maximum power and memory capacity.

A couple of days back the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that it had successfully completed its third reusable launch vehicle (RLV) landing experiment (LEX) at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) in Chitradurga, Karnataka. This time, it showed that the launch vehicle could land on its own, even in tougher conditions. This mission tested the approach and landing conditions for a vehicle returning from space at high speeds. It confirmed that ISRO had the necessary skills to develop an RLV. Earlier ISRO’s LEX-01 mission on April 2, 2023, and LEX-02 mission on March 22, 2024, had also been executed flawlessly. 

Following these successful missions, ISRO announced that the RLV LEX-03 mission had, once again, demonstrated the vehicle’s ability to land autonomously. This time, it performed under tougher conditions, including a wider release range of 500 metres compared to LEX-02’s 150 metres and more challenging wind conditions. The 21-foot-long winged vehicle, called ‘Pushpak’, was dropped from an Indian Air Force Chinook helicopter at a height of 4.5 km, and a similar distance away from the runway. Pushpak then automatically adjusted its course, approached the runway and made a precise horizontal landing right at the centre of the runway. 

“As this vehicle has a low lift-to-drag ratio, it had to land at a speed of over 320 km/h. In comparison, commercial planes usually land at around 260 km/h and fighter jets typically land at about 280 km/h. A low lift-to-drag ratio means an aircraft or object generates a relatively smaller lift compared to the drag it experiences, resulting in less efficient flight performance and increased fuel consumption. Drag is the force that resists an object’s motion through air or fluid, slowing it down and requiring energy to overcome,” explained space expert Girish Linganna. 

ISRO noted that this mission tested and confirmed an advanced guidance algorithm that corrects errors in both forward and sideways directions. This system is crucial for future missions where vehicles re-enter Earth’s atmosphere from orbit. 

“The RLV-LEX uses a combination of sensors, including an inertial sensor, radar altimeter, flush air data system, pseudolite system and NavIC. The space agency highlighted that the RLV-LEX-03 mission reused the winged body and flight systems from the previous LEX-02 mission without any changes. This shows ISRO’s strong ability to design flight systems that can be reused for multiple missions,” added Linganna. 

After the success of the LEX programme, ISRO’s ‘Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstrator’ (RLV-TD) project is set to advance by testing an unmanned Orbital Re-entry Vehicle (ORV). This new vehicle will be about 1.6 times larger than Pushpak. It will be launched into a 400-km orbit within the next two years using a modified geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV).

The ORV mission will carry out several experiments in space. These tests are designed to evaluate a heat shield that protects against high temperatures during re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, as well as a foldable landing gear system. 

Over 50 years ago, the idea of reusable launch vehicles emerged. However, it was SpaceX that transformed this concept into reality. In December 2015, SpaceX achieved a historic milestone by successfully landing the first stage of a Falcon 9 rocket vertically on a landing pad at Cape Canaveral. Since then, the restoration of Falcon 9 boosters has become routine, and SpaceX continues to push the boundaries with innovations like the reusable nose cone and the Starship rocket—a fully reusable space vehicle currently in testing. 

“An RLV is a vertical (retrograde) multistage launch system that allows for the reuse of some or all of its component stages. Unlike science fiction depictions, we haven’t yet created an all-encompassing reusable launch engine that operates both in the air and space. However, progress is underway, with projects like the Sabre engine in development. Reusing the first stage and nose fairing can slash overall launch costs by 30–40 percent. SpaceX’s RLV can compete across multiple payload classes (medium, heavy, and transitional) by adjusting boosters and choosing between reusable and disposable options,” said Srimathy Kesan, founder and CEO of Space Kidz India, which is into design, fabrication and launch of small satellites, spacecraft and ground systems. 

“Vehicle-Technol India’s space agency, ISRO, has been developing the RLV-TD—a scaled-down prototype to test technologies for future reusable launch vehicles. The RLV-TD has undergone successful hypersonic flight experiments, demonstrating crucial aspects like aerodynamic manoeuvring and autonomous landing,” she added. 

This expert says that achieving vertical reusability demands intricate engineering and precise landing capabilities. “Other reusable technologies, such as horizontal (winged) launch systems, exist. These use jet aircraft as accelerators, simplifying launch requirements but sacrificing payload mass. SpaceX’s success has inspired other players. As the industry evolves, RLVs will continue to shape the future of space exploration, making access to space more sustainable and economically viable,” said Kesan. 

Besides India several countries have pursued, or are pursuing, programmes similar to ISRO’s RLV-TD. For instance, in the United States, the Space Shuttle is one of the most famous reusable spacecraft programmes, that operated from 1981 to 2011 and X-37B is an unmanned, reusable space plane operated by the US Air Force. Similarly in the US SpaceX Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy were partially reusable launch vehicles with landing boosters and Blue Origin’s New Shepard a reusable suborbital launch vehicle. 

In Russia, too Buran which was similar to the US Space Shuttle, only flew once in 1988 and the Federation spacecraft (in development) is a planned partially reusable crewed spacecraft. Also in Europe Space Rider (in development phase) is an unscrewed, reusable space plane by the European Space Agency. China too has a reusable experimental spacecraft which was tested in 2020 but details are limited. 

When one compares ISRO’s RLV-TD with other global peers it is a small-scale technology demonstrator, while some other programmes (such as Space Shuttle) were full-scale operational systems. “ RLV-TD is primarily focused on demonstrating technologies for future reusable vehicles, while some other programmes are or were operational launch systems. In design terms also RLV-TD uses a winged body design similar to the Space Shuttle and X-37B, but different from vertical landing systems, such as SpaceX’s Falcon 9. RLV-TD is still in the early testing phases, while some other programmes are operational, or in advanced stages of development. Also like the X-37B, RLV-TD is designed for autonomous operation, unlike crewed systems, such as the Space Shuttle,” pointed out Linganna. 

While ISRO’s RLV-TD programme is not as advanced as some other countries’ reusable spacecraft programmes, it represents a significant step for India in developing this technology. The programme aims to reduce launch costs and increase access to space, which aligns with global trends in the space industry. 

Imagine yourself 20 years from now, and ask yourself the question: What was Apple’s biggest impact on the world? Since the return of the prodigal Steve Jobs in 1997, the California company has unveiled a series of innovations that have heavily impacted how we use technology today.

Apple’s influence is vast, and its sheer market power means it’s a consultant to companies and governments worldwide. It has many products that have had a lasting impact on our lives, not the least of which is the iPhone and how it changed the smartphone industry. Then there’s the iPod and iPad, which created entirely new categories.

Despite all of these successes, I think Apple’s biggest lasting impact is in an entirely different category: Apple Health. To understand why, we need to briefly look at some key moments in Apple’s history that have shaped its direction today.

A brief history of Apple’s devices portfolio

Think back to the first question; your mind may have immediately jumped to the iPhone, or perhaps thinking of the iPod brought a smile to your face. Apple has a long history of creating products that either overhaul entire categories or create all new categories of their own.

The iPhone is the best example of this. In 2007, Apple introduced the first iPhone, and once it went on sale, it changed your smartphone forever. No more styluses and resistive displays — hello fingers and capacitive screens. Within a year, we had the App Store, then there was FaceTime, Siri, Touch ID, and Face ID. And then the removal of the headphone jack.

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It’s not just the iPhone. The iPod has had a similar impact and helped usher in a digital era for music, and no one has come close to replicating the success of the iPad in the tablet space. For all these successes, there’s one product and area that no one has been able to compete with Apple. That thing is Apple Health.

All roads lead to Apple Health

Apple’s Glowtime event in September saw many announcements. From the iPhone 16 series to the Apple Watch Series 10 and the new AirPods 4, the company unveiled a lot of new products. It also unveiled updates to others, including a new color for the Apple Watch Ultra 2, and a single update for the AirPods Pro 2.

In the long term, Apple’s Glowtime event will be remembered for that single update: the AirPods Pro 2 can now conduct a clinical hearing test, and soon, they’ll be able to act as hearing aids.

We all know people who have lost or have limited function in one or more of their senses and they all act the same way: at some point, there’s a denial that there’s a problem. This is due to more than just denial of the problem; hearing aids are feared because they’re ugly, expensive, and cumbersome, and no one likes going to a doctor.

Now consider the AirPods Pro 2. Apple has sold tens of millions of pairs of these, and we’re all used to seeing them in people’s ears. Diagnosing a hearing problem, and getting a pair of hearing aids, can cost thousands of dollars, but for $249 (unless you grab one of the best AirPods deals), you can achieve the same thing. This will transform millions of lives overnight, and you’re more likely to persuade a friend or loved one in denial to test using their pair of AirPods.

The Apple Watch is the crown jewel in Apple Health

The AirPods Pro 2 is a great example of how any product can be used to improve some aspect of health, but the crown jewel in the Apple Health ecosystem is the Apple Watch. This year was the 10th anniversary of the first Apple Watch, and it’s been documented as saving millions of lives, mine included. The iPhone changed our lives, but did it save them?

The Apple Watch is the most important device that Apple sells right now. Of all the products on Apple’s shelves, it’s the one that markedly improves your life. There’s a suite of health features that could save your life, including high and low-heart-rate notifications, EKG, fall detection, and blood pressure monitoring (at least, on older generations).

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There are also features that can detect AFib and other heart conditions, car crash detection, and Sleep Apnea detection. This latter feature is new for this year and is designed to help diagnose Sleep Apnea in the millions of undiagnosed patients globally. The Apple Health app can sync data to and from most fitness apps — unlike the myriad of equivalent apps on Android that don’t sync to as many apps — and it can even sync your medical records.

The suite of Apple Health features available today is already incredibly strong. Looking down the road for the next few year, it only stands to get better.

The future for Apple lies in Health

Smartphone sales have stagnated over the past few years. Although 1.14 billion smartphones were sold globally in 2023 and there are still millions of new customers who are coming online for the first time, many of these people won’t be able to afford an iPhone. For Apple, the iPhone is designed to bring customers into its ecosystem, but there are not many places that Apple can innovate, at least until it makes a foldable iPhone.

Now think about the Apple Watch. It’s several generations younger than the iPhone, and the entire wearable market is nascent in comparison to smartphones. Crucially, Apple still has a dominant lead, with Apple Watch shipments accounting for 26% of total wearable shipments, according to a recent report from Counterpoint.

I can’t tell you what long-term features Apple is working on for the iPhone, but Apple is working on several Apple Watch features that will be transformative. These include blood pressure monitoring without a cuff and non-invasive blood glucose monitoring. Samsung and Google are both also working on these features, and all three companies are going head-to-head with large pharmaceutical companies in a race to be the first to bring these features to market.

In particular, non-invasive glucose monitoring is considered the holy grail for treating diabetes. I use a continuous glucose monitor that inserts a small needle in my arm and transmits glucose readings to my phone. I change the sensor every 10 days and it costs hundreds of dollars per month for the sensors, even with a premium health insurance plan.

Like the AirPods Pro 2 and hearing aids, consider the possibility of buying a single device from Apple that did all of this instead. These are just two examples of many ways that Apple could become your health provider. The company is on a journey to democratize health for everybody, and in doing so, its impact on our lives will grow ever stronger.

I’m not the only one who thinks so. In late 2020, Tim Cook dived into the Apple Watch and Apple’s approach to Health. He confirmed that the company was initially surprised at how many customers called Apple Health features life-changing, leading him to say: “I do think, looking back, in the future, you will answer that question: Apple’s most important contribution to mankind has been in health.”

Having already been a beneficiary of Apple Health, I can’t wait to see what Apple — and Samsung and Google — do over the next few years to keep growing the mobile health space.

Anker makes some excellent charging products and right now Amazon is lowering the price of the Anker Prime 6-in-1 charging station to its lowest ever. This charging station/power strip normally costs $110, but you can currently pick it up for $70.

This is the lowest we’ve seen this particular product on Amazon, and it looks like it was discounted just this week based on the price history from Camel Camel Camel. It also usually sits at around $99. So this is definitely a good deal.

As a charging station and power strip with multiple ports and outlets, you’ll be able to charge several devices at one time. This is a 6-in-1 charging station so that’s 6 devices. There are two USB-A ports, two USB-C ports, and then two AC outlets. So you could use the USB ports for charging your phone, smartwatch, earbuds, and tablet, and then use the AC outlets for your laptop charger for example. Now remember this is also a compact power strip, so you could also use the AC outlets for plugging in other devices like lamps or clocks. Or really anything that needs to be plugged into an AC outlet.

This charging station is very slim so it should easily fit in your bag if you need to take it with you places. Plus, it has a power output of 140W. Which is more than enough to charge pretty much any smaller device. Even bigger devices like the Switch or Steam Deck.

Another really neat feature is that there’s a small display on the front of the charging station. This shows you how much power is coming from which port. So you know at all times which devices are charging quicker. Which is pretty handy.

Buy at Amazon