Tech
Physics Professor Credits Collaboration for Her Success
For Cinzia DaVià, collaboration isn’t just a buzzword. It’s the approach she applies to all her professional endeavors.
From her contributions to the development of a silicon sensor used in CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) particle accelerator experiments to her current research on portable energy generation solutions, there’s a common thread.
Cinzia DaVià
Employers
University of Manchester, England;
Stony Brook University, in New York
Job titles
Professor of physics; research professor
Member grade
Senior member
Alma maters
University of Bologna, Italy; University of Glasgow
As a professor of physics at the University of Manchester, in England, and a research professor at Stony Brook University, in New York, she has built strong connections across academic disciplines. Her continued involvement at CERN connects her with a broad array of professionals.
DaVià, an IEEE senior member, says she leverages her expertise and her network of collaborators to solve problems and build solutions. Her efforts include advancing high-energy particle experiments, improving cancer treatments, and mitigating the effects of climate change.
Collaboration is the foundation for any project’s success, she says. She credits IEEE for making many of her professional connections possible.
Even though she is the driving force behind building her alliances, she prefers to shine the spotlight on others, she says. For her, focusing on teamwork is more important than identifying individual contributions.
“The people involved in any project are really the ones to be celebrated,” she says. “The focus should be on them, not me.”
A career influenced by Italian television
As a young child growing up in the Italian Dolomites, her passion for physics was sparked by a popular documentary series, “Astronomia,” an Italian version of Carl Sagan’s renowned “Cosmos” series. The show was DaVià’s introduction to the world of astrophysics. She enrolled at Italy’s Alma Mater Studiorum/University of Bologna, confident she would pursue a degree in astronomy and astrophysics.
A summer internship at CERN in Geneva changed her career trajectory. She helped construct experiments for the Large Electron-Positron collider there. The LEP remains the largest electron-positron accelerator ever. An underground tunnel wide enough to accommodate the LEP’s 27-kilometer circumference was built on the CERN campus. It was Europe’s biggest civil engineering project at the time.
The LEP was designed to validate the standard model of physics, which until then was a theoretical framework that attempted to explain the universe’s building blocks. The experiments—which performed precision measurements of W and Z bosons, the positive and neutral bits central to particle physics—confirmed the standard model.
The LEP also paved the way, figuratively and literally, for CERN’s Large Hadron Collider. Following the LEP’s decommissioning in 2000, it was dismantled to make way for the LHC in the same underground testing tunnel.
As DaVià’s summer internship work on LEP experiments progressed, her professional focus shifted. Her plans to work in astrophysics gradually transitioned to a focus on radiation instrumentation.
After graduating in 1989 with a physics degree, she returned to CERN for a one-year assignment. As she got more involved in research and development for the large collider experiments, her one year turned into 10.
She received a CERN fellowship to help her finish her Ph.D. in physics at the University of Glasgow—which she received in 1997. Her work focused on radiation detectors and their applications in medicine.
“Nothing was programmed,” she says of her career trajectory. “It was always an opportunity that came after another opportunity, and things evolved along the way.”
A fusion of research and results
During her decade at CERN from 1989 to 1999, she contributed to several groundbreaking discoveries. One involved the radiation hardness of silicon sensors at cryogenic temperatures, referred to in physics as the Lazarus effect.
In the world of collider experiments, the silicon sensors function as eyes that capture the first moments of particle creation. The sensors are part of a larger detector unit that takes millions of images per second, helping scientists better understand particle creation.
In large collider experiments, the silicon sensors suffer significant damage from the radiation generated. After repeated exposure, the sensors eventually become nonfunctional.
DaVià’s contributions helped develop the process of reviving the dead detectors by cooling them down to temperatures below -143° C.
Her proudest professional accomplishment, she says, was a different discovery at CERN: Her research helped usher in a new era of large collider experiments.
For many years, researchers there used planar silicon sensors in collider experiments. But as the large colliders grew more sophisticated and capable, the traditional planar silicon design couldn’t withstand the extreme radiation present at the epicenter of collider collisions.
DaVià’s research contributed to the development, together with inventor Sherwood Parker, of 3D silicon sensors that could withstand extreme radiation.
The new sensors are radiation-resistant and exceptionally fast, she says.
Scientists began replacing planar sensors in the detectors deployed closest to the center of each collision. Planar detectors are still widely used in collider experiments but farther from direct impacts.
The development of the 3D silicon sensor was groundbreaking, but DaVià says she is proud of it for a different reason. The collaborative approach of the cross-functional R&D team she built is the most noteworthy outcome, she says.
Initially, people with conservative scientific views resisted the idea of creating a new sensor technology, she says. She was able to bring together a broad coalition of scientists, researchers, and industry leaders to work together, despite the initial skepticism and competing interests. The team included two companies that were direct competitors.
That type of industry collaboration was unheard of at the time, she says.
“I was able to convince them,” she says, “that working together would be the best and fastest way forward.”
Her approach succeeded. The two companies not only worked side by side but also exchanged proprietary information. They went so far as to agree that if something halted progress for one of them, it would ship everything to the other so production could continue.
DaVià coauthored a book about the project, Radiation Sensors With 3D Electrodes.
DaVià has long been concerned about the impact of extreme weather events, especially on underserved populations. Her interest transformed into action after she attended the American Institute of Architects International and AIA Japan Osaka World Expo last year.
During the symposium, held in June, panelists shared insights about natural disasters in their regions and identified steps that could help mitigate damage and protect lives.
The topics that particularly interested DaVià, she says, were excessive glacial melt in the Himalayas and the lack of tsunami warnings on remote Indonesian islands.
One of the ideas that surfaced during a brainstorming session was that of “smart shelters” that could be deployed in remote areas to assist in recovery efforts. The shelters would provide power and a means of communication during outages.
The concept was inspired by MOVE, an IEEE-USA initiative. The MOVE program provides communities affected by natural disasters with power and communications capabilities. The services are contained within MOVE vehicles and are powered by generators. A single MOVE vehicle can charge up to 100 phones, bolstering communication capabilities for relief agencies and disaster survivors.
DaVià’s knowledge of MOVE guided the evolution of the smart shelter concept. She recognized, however, that the challenge of powering portable shelters needed to be solved. She took the lead and formed a cross-disciplinary team of IEEE members and other professionals to make headway. One result is a planned two-day conference on sustainable entrepreneurship to be held at CERN in October.
“IEEE helps bring people together who might not otherwise connect.”
The goal of the conference, she says, is to “join the dots across different disciplines by involving as many IEEE societies and external experts as possible to work toward deployable solutions that help improve life for people around the world.”
The two-day event will include a competition focusing on solutions for sustainable energy generation and storage systems, she says, adding that entrepreneurs will share their ideas on the second day.
Her commitment to developing solutions to mitigate destruction caused by extreme weather led to her involvement with the IEEE Online Forum on Climate Change Technologies. She led the way in creating the Climate Change Initiative within the IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society (NPSS).
She was the driving force behind securing funding for two of the society’s climate-related events. One was the 2024 Climate Workshop on Nuclear and Plasma Solutions for Energy and Society. The second event, building on the success of the first, was last year’s workshop: Nuclear and Plasma Opportunities for Energy and Society, held in conjunction with the Osaka World Expo.
New paths to guide others
DaVià reduced her involvement at CERN, when she joined the faculty at the University of Manchester as a physics professor. In 2016 she joined Stony Brook University as a research professor in the physics and astronomy department. She divides her time between the two schools.
She still maintains an office at CERN, where she works with students involved with particle physics. She is also an advisory board member of its IdeaSquare, an innovation space where science, technology, and entrepreneurial minds gather to brainstorm and test ideas. The goal is to identify ways to apply innovations generated by high-energy physics experiments to solve global challenges.
DaVià is the radiation detectors and imaging editor of Frontiers in Physics and a cochair of the European Union’s ATTRACT initiative, which promotes radiation imaging research across the continent. She is an active member of the European Physical Society, and she is an IEEE liaison officer for the physics and industry working group of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics.
She has coauthored more than 900 publications.
IEEE as the connector
DaVià’s involvement with IEEE dates back to her undergraduate years, when she was introduced to the organization at a conference sponsored by the IEEE NPSS.
As her career grew, so did her involvement with IEEE.
She remains active with the society as a distinguished lecturer. She is a member of the IEEE Society of Social Implications of Technology, the IEEE Power & Energy Society, and the IEEE Women in Engineering group. She received the 2022 WIE Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award.
She stays involved in IEEE to help her understand the work being done within each society and identify opportunities for cross-collaboration, she says. She sees such synergies as a key benefit of membership.
“IEEE helps bring people together who might not otherwise connect,” she says. “We are stronger together with IEEE.”
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The era of human web search is over: Nimble launches Agentic Search Platform for enterprises boasting 99% accuracy
Web Search has already been disrupted by AI — just take a look at how readily Google is presenting users with AI Overviews (summaries of search results) at the top of their results pages, how Bing early on integrated OpenAI’s GPT models, and how Perplexity continues to build on its own AI-driven web search platform and browsers.
Nimble announced the launch of its Agentic Search Platform, a system designed to transform the public web into trusted, decision-grade data for AI systems and business workflows.
The launch is supported by $47 million in Series B financing led by Norwest, with participation from Databricks Ventures and others, bringing the company’s total funding to $75 million.
The initiative addresses a fundamental bottleneck in the current AI era: while large language models (LLMs) are becoming more sophisticated, they often reason over incomplete or unverifiable external information. Nimble’s platform aims to eliminate this “guesswork gap” by providing a governed data layer that searches, navigates, and validates live internet data in real time.
In an exclusive interview with VentureBeat, Nimble co-founder and CEO Uri Knorovich reflected on the early skepticism regarding his vision of a machine-centric internet.
“Whenever we started this company, and the first time I went to investors, I told them the web is built for humans, but machines are going to be the first citizens of the web,” Knorovich recalled. He noted that while initial reactions labeled him as “too visionary,” the current reality of AI adoption has validated his thesis.
Technology: Coordinated multi-agent architecture
The core of Nimble’s solution is a proprietary distributed architecture that orchestrates specialized agents to perform tasks traditionally handled by human researchers or brittle web scrapers. According to the company’s infrastructure documentation, the process is broken down into five distinct layers:
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Headless browser and browsing agents: These layers manage the initial interaction with a target domain, navigating complex site structures as a human would.
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Parsing agents: These agents interpret the page content, identifying relevant data elements across various formats.
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Data processing agents: This layer aggregates, filters, and cleans noisy internet data to produce specific, structured answers.
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Validation agents: The final step involves verifying the results to ensure accuracy and completeness before delivery.
Unlike standard search engines designed for consumer link-clicking, this architecture uses multimodal and reasoning capabilities from frontier models—including those from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta—to control real browsers. This allows Nimble to navigate dynamic layouts and cross-check results, producing auditable data outputs rather than simple text summaries.
A new paradigm: ‘The web is built for humans, but machines are the first citizens’
Knorovich points out that the scale of AI interaction with the web is fundamentally different from human behavior. “We, as humans, search for maybe three or five options before we making decisions… but every day, Nimble perform more than 3.2 million interactions in the web,” he explained. This sheer volume of billions of monthly searches represents a programmatic shift that requires a new type of infrastructure.
The bottleneck for enterprises today, according to Knorovich, isn’t the intelligence of the models, but the quality of the data they can access. “Agents are the headlines, and accurate and reliable web search is the bottleneck,” he stated.
Nimble vs. consumer search: Precision over speed
Knorovich explicitly differentiates Nimble from general-purpose tools like Google or consumer AI search assistants.
While Google has built a search experience for consumers that is optimized for speed and finding a local restaurant, enterprises require high-scale, high-accuracy results to make multi-million dollar decisions.
“General purpose web search tool are great to have a general answers, such as who is the wife Leo missing,” Knorovich remarked during the interview. “But enterprises need deep, granular data, and they need to have the ability to control the search filters, to control the regulation, to control what is a trusted source”. Unlike consumer AI modes that may summarize a Reddit post or high-level news, Nimble provides “street-level” information that can be stored directly in an enterprise system of record.
Product: Bridging the no-code and developer divide
The Agentic Search Platform is delivered through two primary interfaces designed for enterprise scalability:
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Web search agents: A no-code AI workflow builder that enables business teams to describe the data they need and receive structured data streams without writing a line of code.
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Web tools SDK: A suite of APIs for builders to search, extract, and crawl the web directly from their code. This includes specialized tools like the /crawl API for mapping entire domains and the /map API for creating domain trees.
The platform is built to deliver data with greater than 99% accuracy — meaning fewer than 1% inaccurate or hallucinated data for the total contents of each search result returned — and a latency of 1-2 milliseconds per request.
It integrates natively with major data environments, allowing users to stream clean data directly into Databricks, Snowflake, S3, or Microsoft Fabric.
During the interview, Knorovich emphasized that Nimble is designed to be model-agnostic, working seamlessly with state-of-the-art models from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google’s Gemini. This flexibility allows companies to use Nimble alongside their existing tech stack, whether they are running models in the cloud or on-premise for high-security environments like healthcare or banking.
Case studies: Accuracy in action
Knorovich provided several real-world examples of how this “street-level” data impacts professional workflows. For instance, a real estate broker looking to expand into a new territory doesn’t need a high-level summary from a general-purpose AI.
“If you want to know what’s happening in the commercial real estate in Atlanta… you’re not looking for search that’s optimized for the millisecond,” Knorovich explained. “You’re looking for street-level, neighborhood-level information… data that you can actually see on a table or download to Excel”.
Another use case involves major financial institutions utilizing Nimble for “know your customer” (KYC) processes. By deploying an autonomous search agent, banks can cross-reference multiple public reports, criminal records, and address verifications to build a complete profile of a client before they even enter the building. The goal, Knorovich noted, is to provide the “external truth” that exists outside an organization’s internal firewalls.
Enterprise licensing and compliance
Nimble differentiates itself from legacy scraping tools through a rigorous focus on governance and trust. The platform is “compliant-by-design,” holding certifications for SOC2 Type II, GDPR, CCPA, and HIPAA.
Pricing is structured to support both experimental startups and high-scale enterprise operations, aligned with the volume and depth of data retrieved.
“Pricing should be aligned with the value that the user is getting… therefore, we are pricing by the amount of searches that you’re running,” Knorovich said.
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Search and answer APIs: Standard search inputs cost $1 per 1,000, while the “Answer” function—which provides reasoning based on search results—costs $4 per 1,000.
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Managed services: For larger organizations, managed tiers start at $2,000 per month (Startup) and scale to $15,000 per month (Professional) for unlimited agents and priority support.
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Proxy access: A network of over 1 million residential proxies is available starting at $7.50 per GB
Community and user reactions
The transition to agentic search has already been operationalized by several Fortune 500 companies and AI-native startups:
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Julie Averill, former CIO at Lululemon, stated that pricing intelligence which once took weeks to review can now be responded to in minutes by putting control in the hands of an agent.
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Itamar Fridman, CEO and Co-founder of Qodo, noted that the platform’s scalability was “crucial in developing more robust and reliable AI systems” by feeding LLMs with high-quality data.
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Dennis Irorere, Data Engineer at TripAdvisor, highlighted that the platform simplifies the extraction of structured data from complex sources, which he described as “transformative” for his role.
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Grips Intelligence reported scaling to over 45,000 e-commerce sites using Nimble’s Web API to deliver real-time pricing and product data.
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Alta utilizes the platform to power millions of AI-driven go-to-market workflows daily, reporting 3–4× deeper context and >99% reliability
Series B to accelerate multi-agent web search and data governance
The $47 million Series B funding announced alongside the platform will be used to accelerate research in multi-agent web search and further develop the governed data layer.
The round saw participation from a wide ecosystem of investors, including Target Global, Square Peg, Hetz Ventures, Slow Ventures, R-Squared Ventures, J-Ventures, and InvestInData.
Andrew Ferguson, VP of Databricks Ventures, noted that Nimble complements their Data Intelligence Platform by providing a “real-time web data layer” that extends workflows beyond internal sources. This strategic investment signals a shift in the industry toward prioritizing “external truth” to ground mission-critical AI applications.
For Knorovich, the future of the web belongs to programmatic interaction. “Programmatic web search is where we are building towards,” he concluded. By moving away from legacy data vendors and brittle scrapers, Nimble aims to provide the real-time structure needed for AI to act with confidence in the real world.
Tech
Apple rolls out age verification tools worldwide to comply with growing web of child safety laws
Apple is launching new tools to comply with the growing number of age verification laws both in the U.S. and abroad. As part of the changes, Apple will block the downloads of apps rated 18+ in Brazil, Australia, and Singapore, while also rolling out other features to comply with laws in the U.S. states of Utah and Louisiana.
The company informed developers on Tuesday that it’s expanding its set of “age assurance” tools, including an updated Declared Age Range API now available for beta testing.
These tools allow developers to obtain a user’s age range without gaining access to the user’s personal information, like their date of birth. The need for a technical solution like this came about as more governments around the world have created laws to block or restrict certain apps like social media that can only be used by adults 18 and up.
In Brazil, for example, developers can use the Declared Age Range API to obtain the user’s age category, if the user or their parent or guardian chooses to share it.
In addition, Apple will block users in Australia, Brazil, and Singapore from downloading apps rated 18+, starting today, until they confirm they are adults. In this case, the App Store will perform the age confirmation automatically, but Apple notes that developers may still have separate compliance requirements they need to meet.
Also, developers whose games contain loot boxes, a gambling-like mechanism that lets players spend money for a random chance at in-game rewards, and that lawmakers believe shouldn’t be available to kids, will see their apps’ age ratings updated to reflect an 18+ audience in Brazil, specifically.
In the U.S., new users in Utah and Louisiana will soon have their age categories shared with their developers’ apps through the Declared Age Range API, as well. The company said it has expanded its other tools around age ratings and permissions to meet its compliance obligations.
“New signals are now available through the Declared Age Range API, including whether age-related regulatory requirements apply to the user and if the user is required to share their age range,” reads the Apple blog post. “The API will also let you know if you need to get a parent or guardian’s permission for significant app updates for a child.”
Apple last October worked to comply with similar age assurance requirements in Texas, but put some of its plans on hold back in December, as the state’s law is being fought in court. It also updated its age ratings system last year with more granular age ranges than before, and added a variety of new questions for developers submitting apps to Apple for review.
It’s been said time and time again that the iPhone 18 Pro will sport a noticeably smaller Dynamic Island. Now, yet another report has reiterated the claim.
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A repeat rumor says the iPhone 18 Pro will have a smaller Dynamic Island.
While the iPhone 18 Pro isn’t expected to feature any major design changes, Apple’s next high-end iPhone is set to receive new under-display technology that will reduce the Dynamic Island.
Following a January 2026 post with alleged dimensions of the new-and-improved Dynamic Island, a repeat rumor now says the iPhone 18 Pro will indeed receive a modified camera cutout.
Rumor Score: 🤯 Likely
Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
Sophia Space says it has closed a $10 million seed financing round to accelerate the development of orbital computing systems that could serve as the foundation for space-based data processing.
The startup’s tabletop-sized satellite modules take advantage of a proprietary system that combines solar power generation and radiative cooling. Multiple tiles can be connected into racks to provide scalable computing power in low Earth orbit. The infrastructure concept is called Thermal-Integrated LEO Edge, or TILE.
“With this seed round, we’re not just building compute modules,” Sophia Space CEO Rob DeMillo said today in a news release. “We’re building the infrastructure for the next era of space-based AI and data processing.”
The investment round was led by Alpha Funds, KDDI Green Partners Fund and Unlock Venture Partners — and builds upon $3.5 million in pre-seed investment. The newly raised cash will support the continued hiring of engineering talent, the further maturation of Sophia’s TILE platform and the formation of strategic partnerships in the orbital computing ecosystem.
Sophia Space is based in Pasadena, Calif., and was founded by Leon Alkalai, a former fellow at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory who now serves as the company’s chief technology officer. But the venture has a Pacific Northwest connection in chief growth officer Brian Monnin, who worked at Intel and Microsoft before founding Seattle startups Play Impossible and Quivr.
In-space computing is increasingly gaining attention because of the potential for launching orbital data centers for artificial intelligence applications.
Orbital data centers could address some of the major challenges surrounding terrestrial data centers, such as the need for land and electrical power. But finding a way to cool data center satellites amid the vacuum of space poses its own technical challenge. Sophia’s founders say the company’s TILE architecture, combined with the placement of satellites in orbits around Earth’s day-night terminator, can address the cooling challenge.
Sophia Space is planning to conduct in-space demonstrations of its software with an existing communications network later this year.
DeMillo told GeekWire that the company is planning to start with edge computing applications — for example, doing on-orbit processing of imaging data collected by Earth observation satellites. “Until we get to the level where we’re going to be putting up our own orbital data centers, selling these as edge computers allows income to flow into the company and gets our name out there, and allows us to refine things going forward,” he said.
He said Sophia Space is planning to deliver its first TILE modules to customers in 2028.
[This is a sponsored article with U Business.]
U Business just launched a new mobile device bundle to solve one of the biggest headaches for growing companies: getting teams properly equipped without burning cash upfront.
The U Biz 3-Line Bundle is a limited-time offer that packages multiple business lines together under one plan, with free flagship smartphones. Yes, including the latest Apple iPhone 15 and Samsung Galaxy S25.
Designed to make connectivity easier, it’s built on U Mobile’ 5G network to support the day-to-day needs of Malaysian entrepreneurs and SMEs, regardless of whether your team is desk-bound or constantly on the move.
Here’s everything you need to know about the new U Biz 3-Line Bundle.
The smarter business upgrade
As mentioned, the bundle gives businesses three mobile lines under a single plan, available with either the U Biz 68 or U Biz 98. Each line comes with a free flagship 5G smartphone, with no upfront payment required for the devices.
Instead of buying phones separately and managing multiple subscriptions, this limited-time offer bundle allows companies to consolidate your mobile needs into one structured plan.
In today’s Instagram and TikTok-driven world, flagship 5G smartphones are now a necessary productivity tool for businesses. Yet, buying several devices at once may not be financially strategic as it can strain cash flow, especially when paired with recurring operational expenses.
With the U Biz 3-Line Bundle, entrepreneurs and SMEs are able to spread those costs into predictable monthly payments.
What’s more if this new bundle includes flagship 5G devices. Businesses can choose between premium iOS and Android options, including the Apple iPhone 15 and Samsung Galaxy S25.
Access to these newer flagship 5G devices means that the team is able to enjoy stronger performance and longer software support. Thereby translating to more reliable day-to-day work tools.
Business performance without compromise
Businesses get to choose between the U Biz 68 (which starts from RM68/month per line) and the U Biz 98 (which starts from RM98/month per line).
Both plans are built for high-usage business environments. On the data front, users get up to 1,000GB of 5G high-speed data, supporting faster downloads, smoother video calls, real-time cloud collaboration, and reliable hotspot usage across teams.
Communication-wise, the bundle includes unlimited local calls, so teams can stay connected internally and with clients without worrying about extra charges.
There’s also free global roaming in over 60 destinations, useful for businesses that have regional travel needs or cross-border operations.
By combining multiple lines and devices under one bundle, companies can better optimise their monthly expenses.
All-in-one connectivity for SMEs
As Malaysia’s 5G ecosystem continues to expand, having access to a strong 5G network becomes increasingly important for businesses that operate across multiple locations.
Whether you’re a new startup or a business scaling up, the U Biz 3-Line Bundle is suited for teams of all sizes who want to stay connected without breaking the bank, regardless of where work takes you.
So if your team is seeking premium devices, then this is one bundle deal you do not want to miss.
To sign up or learn more about the U Biz 3-Line Bundle, check out the website here.
Meta AI security researcher Summer Yue posted a now-viral account on X describing how an OpenClaw agent she had tasked with sorting through her overstuffed email inbox went rogue, deleting messages in what she called a “speed run” while ignoring her repeated commands from her phone to stop.
“I had to RUN to my Mac mini like I was defusing a bomb,” Yue wrote, sharing screenshots of the ignored stop prompts as proof. Yue said she had previously tested the agent on a smaller “toy” inbox where it performed well enough to earn her trust, so she let it loose on the real thing. She believes the larger volume of data triggered compaction — a process where the context window grows too large and the agent begins summarizing and compressing its running instructions, potentially dropping ones the user considers critical.
The agent may have reverted to its earlier toy-inbox behavior and skipped her last prompt telling it not to act. OpenClaw is an open-source AI agent designed to run as a personal assistant on local hardware.
Tech
BluOS Partners with airable to Enhance Radio and Podcast Discovery Across NAD, Bluesound, PSB and More
Tens of millions of people listen to podcasts and stream internet radio every day. The challenge isn’t access, it’s organization. With content spread across multiple apps and platforms, discovery can feel fragmented, and for many listeners that means sticking to the familiar rather than finding something new.
BluOS, the premium multi-room audio software platform from Lenbrook Media Group is addressing that with a new partnership with airable. The first phase integrates airable’s extensive global catalog of internet radio stations and podcasts directly into the BluOS Controller app.
The update gives BluOS users centralized access to a wide range of programming, from independent shows like the eCoustics Podcast to widely followed titles such as The Joe Rogan Experience, The Daily, and thousands of global radio stations. Rather than requiring separate apps, content is surfaced within the BluOS interface itself, with browsing tools organized by country, genre, city, and newly added stations.
Because BluOS operates as the software layer across hardware brands including Bluesound, NAD Electronics, PSB Speakers, DALI, Monitor Audio, Cyrus Audio, and Roksan, the integration rolls out across a broad installed base without requiring new hardware.
The goal is straightforward: streamline radio and podcast discovery inside the same control environment users already rely on for music streaming and multi-room playback.
What Is airable?
airable is a Germany-based media services provider that supplies internet radio and podcast aggregation to audio brands, automakers, and streaming platforms.
In simple terms, airable is the infrastructure layer. It licenses, organizes, and maintains access to a massive catalogue of global radio stations and podcasts, then integrates that catalogue into partner ecosystems through APIs and backend services.
Rather than each company negotiating station agreements or building its own discovery engine, airable handles:
- Aggregation of tens of thousands of global radio stations
- Podcast indexing and catalog updates
- Metadata, categorization, and search tools
- Geographic portals (country, city, genre browsing)
- Ongoing catalogue maintenance and scalability
For platforms like BluOS, airable acts as the content backbone behind the scenes. The user experience lives inside the BluOS Controller app, but the station and podcast database, discovery structure, and updates are powered by airable’s media services platform.
It’s not a consumer-facing brand most listeners recognize — and that’s intentional. It operates quietly in the background, enabling centralized radio and podcast access without requiring users to jump between separate apps.
The Bottom Line
By integrating airable into BluOS, Lenbrook adds a large, structured catalogue of global radio stations and podcasts directly inside the BluOS Controller app. That means no separate radio app, no bouncing between podcast platforms, and no fragmented search experience.
Who benefits? Existing BluOS users across Bluesound, NAD Electronics, PSB Speakers, DALI, Monitor Audio, Cyrus Audio, and Roksan. They get broader access and improved discovery through a software update, not a hardware upgrade.
In practical terms, BluOS becomes a more complete listening hub with music, radio, and podcasts in one control environment without adding complexity.
For more information: bluos.io
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Tech
James Cameron Complains About Netflix/Warner Bros Merger, Doesn’t Acknowledge A Paramount Deal Would Be Much Worse
from the gargantuan-ego dept
We’ve explained in detail how Larry Ellison is trying to scuttle Netflix’s planned merger with Warner Brothers because he wants to buy CNN and HBO, and, as he’s doing with CBS (and now TikTok) turn them into a safe space for right wing zealots, autocrats, and oligarchs. He’s unsubtly trying to build the kind of autocrat-friendly state television we’ve seen arise in places like Orban’s Hungary.
Since Donald Trump and MAGA want the same thing, they’ve been helping Ellison’s quest along, first by launching a campaign against “woke Netflix” across right wing media, and more recently by launching a fake DOJ “antitrust investigation” that scrutinizes the Netflix Warner Bros merger “to protect the public interest,” but ignores the fact that a Paramount/Warner tie up would be arguably worse.
Enter Director James Cameron, who last week decided to “help” by writing a publicized letter to Senator Mike Lee, lamenting the Netflix Warner Brothers merger (and only the Netflix merger) as “disastrous to the motion picture business.” Cameron, who in the letter calls himself a “humble movie farmer,” seems to mostly be concerned with the a possible shortening of the 45-day theater-to-streaming window:
He’s also doubtful Netflix would stick to its pledge about keeping movies in theaters for a set amount of time; his letter cited a 17-day theatrical window that was cited in an earlier Deadline report, rather than the more recently mentioned 45-day window.
“What administrative body will hold them to task if they slowly sunset their so-called commitment to theatrical releases?” Cameron wondered.
Traditional theater owners have been particularly and understandably sensitive about the shortening of this window since COVID demonstrated the outdated nature of such arbitrary restrictions. Major chains like AMC haven’t helped themselves on this front; their biggest innovation of late has been to saddle brick-and-mortar theater visitors with more ads than ever.
Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos didn’t take Cameron’s public grievances well, saying he’d already met with Cameron about maintaining the 45-day release window, and lamented Cameron’s participation in a “Paramount disinformation campaign:”
“I met with James personally in late December and laid out for him our 45-day commitment to theatrical exhibition of films and to the Warner Bros slate,” Sarandos told Fox Business’ The Claman Countdown today in the latest sit-down in the exec’s seemingly never-ending media blitz this week. “I have talked about that commitment in the press countless times. I swore under oath in front of the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust that that’s what we would be doing.”
“So I am … I’m particularly surprised and disappointed that James chose to be part of the Paramount disinformation campaign that’s been going on for months about this deal,” Sarandos said, sticking it at the same time to the Oscar winner and his David Ellison-owned WB rival.
The weird part about Cameron’s missive is he doesn’t mention Paramount at all in his letter to Lee, despite the fact that it’s extremely likely that Paramount would be just as bad on shortening release windows. And given that Paramount and Warner have way more structural similarities than Netflix and Warner, the number of layoffs would likely be significantly worse.
This is before you even get to the fact that Larry Ellison is clearly gobbling up media giants in service to our violent kakistocracy, something that seems kind of important to mention if you’re going to inject yourself into the middle of the debate. Cameron mentions none of this; either because he doesn’t know, or because he was potentially made promises by Ellison and Paramount and didn’t want to be transparent about it (neither of which is good).
None of this is to say that a Netflix Warner Brothers merger would be great for consumers or the market. Media consolidation always results in layoffs, higher prices and steadily eroded product quality. Ideally you’d block all additional media consolidation and impose meaningful limits. But that’s simply not happening under Trump, making the Netflix Warner tie up the best of a bunch of bad options.
Anybody trying to do any good (and that includes Dem lawmakers) in the regulatory reality we currently inhabit would likely have to concur Netflix owning Warner is better than Ellison owning the entirety of U.S. media. Especially given what we’ve all been witnessing over at CBS (and know from years of watching Ellison’s nonexistent ethics at Oracle). Strange days, strange bedfellows.
Filed Under: consolidation, film, james cameron, larry ellison, media, mike lee, release windows, state television, streaming, ted sarandos, theaters
Companies: netflix, paramount, warner bros. discovery
Researchers from the American Institute of Physics’ publishing arm have developed a technique that could change how smartphones are inspected for tampering and hidden modifications. Instead of physically examining a device, the team demonstrated a way to detect whether a smartphone has been altered using radio-frequency signals from a distance.
The work introduces what researchers describe as a robust over-the-air testing platform that analyzes how a smartphone’s radio hardware behaves when it communicates wirelessly. The idea is surprisingly simple. Every phone’s radio components produce a unique “fingerprint” when transmitting signals. If a device has been modified, damaged, or compromised, that fingerprint changes in subtle but measurable ways.
The team showed that this method can reliably distinguish between original, untouched phones and devices that have been tampered with. Because the system works wirelessly, it could theoretically be used to check phones without needing physical access. That opens the door to entirely new ways of verifying device integrity.
Why remote phone verification matters
Detecting hardware tampering today usually requires physical inspections or specialized lab testing, which makes large-scale verification difficult in places like airports, offices, or secure facilities. The new approach aims to change that by using a remote test setup that analyzes a phone’s radio-frequency behavior and compares it to known baselines to spot signs of modification.
This could open the door to practical uses across multiple industries. Governments and enterprises could screen devices entering sensitive environments, manufacturers could verify products throughout supply chains, and even second-hand marketplaces could confirm that phones haven’t been altered before resale.
The research is still experimental, but it reflects a growing shift toward hardware-level security. While everyday users may never interact with this technology directly, the idea of phones being quietly verified from a distance points to a future where device trust checks happen behind the scenes.
The age old question of which tool to buy still keeps home improvers and professionals up at night. Every brand delivers its own strengths, and no two tools will provide exactly the same performance or experience. This makes crowning a definitive champion among the field of excellent options challenging, if not outright impossible. The market is constantly shifting, and today’s top dog may be relegated to a lesser status tomorrow thanks to a new release or even a recall notice on a tool. In 2026, Pro Tool Reviews named Milwaukee the best cordless power toolmaker, but the year prior OnlineTradesman gave the honor of “Best-in-Trade Winner” to DeWalt, with Makita earning the runner up spot. Countless outlets focusing on the tool marketplace have developed numerous rankings systems and come to varying conclusions on the value and positioning of these massively popular brands.
One thing is certain, however: These three toolmakers are virtually unchallenged at the podium when considering the power tool ecosystem. While they may trade places frequently, other competitors rarely knock the trio from this perch. In our own testing and research, Milwaukee claimed the top spot, followed by DeWalt and then Makita. It’s important, however, to note that the differences between the toolmakers is razor thin, and all three will serve users exceedingly well. I’ve had the opportunity to use numerous power tools from all three brands, and own cordless tools from two (and corded implements from the third). My experience helped ground the research, but pricing, power, user reviews, and other data points played a primary role in drawing these conclusions.
Catalog range: Makita’s coverage takes the cake
Each of the three tool brands offer something unique to buyers seeking niche equipment. That much is undeniably true, and so it can be difficult to pin down a general scope that hits the mark for every buyer. Milwaukee makes some specialized tools like a power trowel and a drain cleaning air gun. Makita offers gems like an LXT cooler/warmer and coffee machine. DeWalt’s unique options include things like floor sanders and a wide range of pneumatic tools. There’s also the ecosystem hump to get over. For tool owners already invested in one of these brands’ cordless offerings, buying something new comes with the requirement to also tack on batteries and charging equipment. This can dissuade someone from branching out, even if their brand of choice doesn’t make a specific tool required to handle a job on their to-do list.
One approach that can be illustrative of a brand’s value to the generalist is the size of its mainline catalog. All three manufacturers offer numerous product lineups, but each delivers a primary range to the market featuring the bulk of their cordless power tools. Makita’s coverage is the most expansive in this regard, with over 350 LXT tools in its 18V/36V lineup. Milwaukee’s M18 cordless system ranks second here, with over 325 tools, including both its standard and Fuel badged options, and DeWalt brings up the rear with over 250 20V Max XR tools. It’s worth noting, however, that Milwaukee has consistently been an innovator at the cutting edge of needs experienced by pro users, so there’s a bit of bonus heft to the red and black power tool option.
Power output: Milwaukee reigns supreme
Output capability is a constant concern for anyone reaching for power tools. These implements are only as good as the force they can apply to a fastener, board, or other workpiece element, after all; a tool that doesn’t radically improve upon the force you can generate by hand is one that’s frankly worthless. Fortunately, none of these three primary competitors can realistically be accused of lacking the power necessary to accomplish tasks. All three make heavy duty tools as well as delicate force producers for use in nuanced application or removal tasks.
If it’s power you’re after, though, Milwaukee is the undisputed leader of the pack. Milwaukee tools, on the whole, deliver the best in power output across the trio, but this sometimes comes at the detriment of control or rotational speed. Sheer muscle is found most easily here, but that’s not always the goal; buyers will want to think about the actual demands of their typical job parameters before simply investing in the tool with the highest torque output or deepest cut capacity while resisting bind ups. With that being said, if you’re fastening substantial timbers for emergency preparations or building a large structure, Milwaukee’s added power output may be a welcome addition. DeWalt offers a strong showing, too, but lags behind Milwaukee with added emphasis on battery capabilities, tool integrations, and ergonomics. Makita brings up the rear while leaning even more significantly into functional enhancements beyond sheer force production.
Integrated technologies: Makita’s high-tech chops shine
Makita’s ergonomic designs are far and away the best of the bunch. Similar attention is paid to elements like its STAR Protection Computer Controls and anti-vibration technologies. Makita tools feature numerous exclusive technological upgrades that don’t exist in other product catalogs. This sets the Makita tool ecosystem apart from its competitors as an innovative brand with lots of quality of life enhancements to offer its users. Coupled with the large catalog, Makita makes a strong case for itself as a flagship option that any kind of tool user might happily settle upon when shopping for near gear.
DeWalt is also a force to be reckoned with in the premium functionality department. The brushless motors the company uses in its power tools are a highlight of the brand’s technological prowess, even as brushless power production is featured across all three brands. DeWalt’s batteries are also more durable than Milwaukee’s offerings, and feature FlexVolt capability as well as a higher top end with a 15Ah option. Milwaukee sits comfortable at the bottom of the pack here.
Pricing: Milwaukee (and sometimes DeWalt) offer the best cost efficiency
In many comparisons across these three tool brands, pricing is largely similar. There’s not a huge divergence across the board, but some trends do start to emerge as more tools are stacked up against one another. While each brand will undoubtedly offer the cheapest tool of the three in some categories and at certain times (with sale pricing and phase outs muddying the waters even further), on average, Makita is the most expensive of the three. Where Milwaukee and DeWalt land in relation to one another is, surprisingly, a matter of perspective.
Because Milwaukee’s M18 range features both a standard lineup and its enhanced Fuel tool system, making direct comparisons can be a little difficult. Among its flagship M18 tools, Milwaukee comes in as the cheapest overall manufacturer in this comparison, with DeWalt notably more expensive. We performed a roundup of five common home improvement and jobsite tools (drills, jigsaws, miter saws, angle grinders, and multitools) to get a direct sense of the typical pricing buyers can expect. Makita’s average LXT tool price was $311.60, while DeWalt averaged $246.20 across its 20V Max XR range. Milwaukee averaged $271.80 when considering Fuel tools exclusively and $231.80 with three standard M18 models subbed in where applicable. Because the difference is marginal when evaluating the premium solutions in Milwaukee’s stable, and across the breadth of the Milwaukee catalog it tends to come out as the more cost-effective option, DeWalt necessarily sinks into the second position in terms of overall pricing.
User reviews: DeWalt digs out the best overall user rating by a hair
User feedback is perhaps even more important than any singular datapoint when comparing the tools that brands offer to the market. In many instances, the differences between tools are slight, and can come down entirely to personal preference over any distinguishable advantage that an individual unit holds over its competition. Naturally a smaller drill that doesn’t sacrifice power offers better access in tight spaces, and a circular saw with a deeper cut depth can handle increased demands. But none of these brands provides every tool in their arsenal with a functional range that exceeds the alternatives. However, user experiences across the board can be instructive when trying to understand how well each brand hits the mark it’s looking to set with its equipment.
Across a selection of the five standard home improvement and jobsite tools we looked at earlier, DeWalt earned the highest overall rating with a 4.778 average score (out of 5). The brand’s tools collected a total of 32,781 reviews. Second place went to Milwaukee, with 8,406 reviewers giving it a slightly lower 4.761 average across both its Fuel products and standard M18 models. Makita brought up the rear with a 4.717 average across 4,640 reviews. It’s worth noting that Milwaukee’s score is heavily dependent on the treatment of its Fuel and standard model ranges. Focusing on Fuel-badged tools alone boosts its score to 4.794 over 6,180 reviews, bumping it into first position. Substituting standard models where applicable, the score sinks down to 4.646 with 7,008 total reviews, and dropping firmly into last place among the three brands. With this in mind, a combined score feels to be the most just approach to evaluating its offerings.
Methodology
We ranked the three brands based on points accrued for each category, with first being worth 3 points, second yielding 2 points, and third adding 1 point to the tally. For the final two categories, we evaluated pricing and user feedback on five mainline tools that many buyers will either have already or prioritize for typical, future projects. They were the brand’s full-sized offerings of drill/driver, miter saw, jigsaw, oscillating multitool, and angle grinder. After finalizing the scores, Milwaukee came out with 11 points, DeWalt with 10, and Makita had earned 9. It’s worth noting that Milwaukee earned top marks in price based on overall costs across the flagship M18 range, but when evaluating only Fuel-badged tools the margin between the brands was so thin that the increase in price actually swaps their overall point totals and therefore their positions.
However, it seems appropriate to score Milwaukee on the breadth of its M18 range and not just the most expensive end of the products within that segment of the catalog. This choice does serve to highlight the value that each brand brings to the table, with all three offering excellent tools that users can gain a lot of value from, regardless of their personal preference.
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