Few pieces of technology capture attention quite like a device that launched an era. In September 2008 T-Mobile teamed up with Google to reveal the G1, a phone built from the ground up to run Android software. Available starting that October for customers on a two-year plan, it arrived at stores priced at $179 ($277 today) and immediately drew crowds eager to try something different.

When users opened the body, they discovered a full QWERTY keyboard stashed away beneath, which was a lifesaver for hammering out emails or scribbling down quick notes without having to look for those tiny on-screen buttons. The 3.2″ capacitive touchscreen sat above the keyboard, displaying some wonderful 320 x 480 pixel pictures and menus that would come to life with a tap or sweep of the finger.

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A little trackball tucked itself away just below the screen, making it easy to scroll through large lists or zoom into maps, which was difficult to perform on the glass without it. Nearby buttons handled the typical navigation, while a dedicated search key quickly returned Google results. Power came from a Qualcomm MSM7201A processor running at 528MHz and supported by 192MB of memory. In the box, they’d discover a 1GB microSD card already installed and ready to start, with room to add an 8GB one if necessary.

The 3.15MP rear camera took clear and detailed shots, and the autofocus quickly locked onto whatever you were trying to photograph. Despite the lack of a flash, daily photographs typically looked far better than you’d expect for a phone of this period. The detachable 1150 milliamp-hour battery pack provided around five hours of conversation time and more than five days on standby. It only took a few seconds to swap it out for a spare, and you were back up and running without having to find a charger.

The G1 launched with new software, the first version of Android, and did an excellent job of connecting with Google services from the start. Your Gmail would send new messages instantly, and Maps would show streets in sharp clarity and even spin to mirror the real world using a built-in compass. YouTube videos would play smoothly over Wi-Fi or a carrier data connection, and the new Android Market allowed you to download additional apps directly to your smartphone.

Connectivity-wise, the phone had all the bases covered, as it functioned on GSM networks, could do 3G speeds when available, easily snagged Wi-Fi networks, quickly paired with Bluetooth headsets, and provided accurate turn-by-turn directions via GPS. It weighed 158 grams and was just over half an inch thick, so it fit comfortably inside a pocket even with the sliding mechanism. You might choose between black, white, or brown to match your unique taste.

Pershing Square has taken a new position in Microsoft, with the size to be disclosed in a 13F filing later on Friday. The stock is down roughly 16% year-to-date.

Bill Ackman has bought Microsoft. Pershing Square’s chief executive said on X on Friday morning that the fund had taken a new position in the software company after its recent share-price decline, with the size to be disclosed in a regulatory filing later in the day. 

Ackman’s stated rationale was that the market is mispricing the enterprise franchise rather than the AI one. Investors have underestimated Microsoft’s software ‘given its deeply embedded role across enterprises and highly attractive price-value proposition’, he wrote, framing the position as a quality-compounder bet on the installed base rather than a directional call on Azure capex.

The timing is the substance of the trade. Microsoft shares are down roughly 16% year-to-date and have traded near $413 since late April, when chief financial officer Amy Hood used the company’s fiscal Q3 results to raise full-year capital expenditure guidance to about $190bn, well above the roughly $155bn analysts had penciled in.

The results themselves were a beat. Azure grew 40%, the AI run-rate hit $37bn, and total revenue cleared $82.9bn. The stock fell anyway, on what one widely circulated buy-side note called the $190bn capex plan that repriced AI.

Ackman has run this play before this year. Pershing Square disclosed a new stake in Meta in February, three weeks after the latter’s own capex-driven sell-off, with Ackman describing the position at the time as a ‘deeply discounted valuation’.

The Microsoft entry follows the same shape: a megacap dragged lower by an AI-spending guide, framed by Ackman as an opportunity to buy a high-quality franchise at a temporarily de-rated multiple.

Funds running more than $100m are required to file Form 13F disclosures of US-listed positions within 45 days of quarter-end, which makes Friday a heavy day for hedge-fund reading.

Pershing Square’s last 13F, covering the December quarter, showed eleven positions and roughly $16bn in disclosed US holdings concentrated in Brookfield, Uber, Amazon, Alphabet and Meta. Microsoft did not appear. Today’s filing will show whether the firm has trimmed any existing names to fund the new one or sized it from cash.

The trade also lands inside a wider AI-infrastructure debate. Hyperscalers have committed more than $650bn to AI capex across 2026, on the combined Q1 numbers from Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta and Apple, and the market is now pricing the question of when, or whether, that spend converts cleanly into operating earnings.

Ackman is, in effect, arguing that Microsoft’s existing Office, Windows and Azure book of business is enough to clear the bar, separately from the AI optionality.

Microsoft’s deep integration of OpenAI’s models across Copilot, Azure and the developer stack has been the dominant narrative in the company’s repricing over the past three years (TNW has tracked the arc). The capex bill is the cost of holding that lead. Ackman’s bet is that the enterprise software business underneath it is being given less credit than it should.

Pershing Square has not disclosed the size of the position or the average purchase price. The 13F filing is expected later on Friday US time.

Formerly known as WhiteHat, Multiverse was last valued at $1.7bn in 2022 following a $220m raise.

London-based edtech Multiverse has raised $70m in a round led by Schroders Capital, to accelerate its European expansion. The round places the company at a valuation of $2.1bn.

Founded by British businessperson Euan Blair, the round also saw the support of existing investors including General Catalyst, Lightspeed Venture Partners, D1 Capital Partners, Index Ventures, Bond and StepStone Group. Blair is the son of former UK prime minister Tony Blair.

Multiverse said that it wants to ensure that “AI benefits the workplace, rather than displacing it”. It was last valued at $1.7bn in 2022 following a $220m raise.

Multiverse, which was founded under the name WhiteHat in 2016, offers personalised upskilling programmes to support technological adoption. It has an AI coaching platform called Atlas.

To date, Multiverse has delivered more than £2bn worth of benefits to more than 1,000 employers, it said. Its clientele includes the likes of Microsoft, Palantir and Databricks. Atlas has tripled daily active users over the last year, the company added.

Alongside this raise, all Multiverse employees, regardless of seniority, have been offered equity and a long term stake in the company as a result of raise, Multiverse said.

“There are companies who desperately need the benefits AI can bring. There are AI companies. What has been missing is the layer that bridges the two,” said CEO Blair.

“This investment marks the moment Multiverse defines that category, and takes it across Europe. Getting outcomes from AI and unlocking productivity is not just a technology problem. It is a people problem. We exist to solve it.”

UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves added: “Multiverse is a fantastic example of a British company helping turn that ambition into reality. This investment will support its expansion across Europe, strengthening a UK firm that is competing globally and equipping people with the skills to make AI work in practice.”

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Euan Blair, 2023. Image: Village Global via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)

• Eben Upton says AI could put young people off tech jobs
• This could hurt the economy due to a shortage of engineers
• Some are overhyping the capabilities of AI tools and technology

Raspberry Pi founder Eben Upton has warned AI is making people less likely to pursue tech jobs, and could therefore hurt the economy of the future.

Speaking to the BBC’s Big Boss Interview podcast, Upton said that the technology could “distort people’s choices in ways that make that skill shortage worse and not better.”

Samsung’s upcoming wide-screen foldable may end up making a surprising compromise in the camera department.

According to a new leak, the rumoured Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide could launch with just two rear cameras instead of the triple-camera setup Samsung typically reserves for its premium foldables.

The device has already appeared in several leaks ahead of its expected July unveiling. This includes official-looking renders reportedly pulled from an early One UI 9 build. Those renders hinted at the simplified camera layout. Furthermore, new details from GalaxyClub and SamMobile now appear to confirm it.

According to the latest report, both rear cameras on the Z Fold 8 Wide will use 50MP sensors. The main camera will feature an f/1.8 aperture, while the secondary sensor will reportedly use an f/1.9 lens. Both cameras will also support 8K video recording at 30fps.

That setup feels fairly modest compared to Samsung’s usual foldable ambitions, and is especially notable considering devices like the Galaxy Z Fold series traditionally push heavier camera hardware.

The move also mirrors Samsung’s more experimental Galaxy S25 Edge that also adopted a similar dual-camera approach. However, unlike the S25 Edge — which features a massive 200MP primary sensor — the Z Fold 8 Wide appears to prioritise simplicity over outright camera power.

Elsewhere, the phone will include two 10MP selfie cameras, one on the outer display and another on the folding inner screen. Battery capacity may also differ from the standard model. The Z Fold 8 Wide is tipped to feature a 4,800mAh battery, slightly smaller than the 5,000mAh cell expected on the regular Galaxy Z Fold 8.

Taken together, the leaks suggest Samsung could position the Z Fold 8 Wide as a more affordable alternative within its foldable lineup. A reduced camera setup and slightly smaller battery would help explain a lower price point, especially if the company wants to make wider foldables more accessible.

The handset will also launch in several colours, with Dark Green reportedly acting as the signature finish.

Samsung is expected to officially reveal the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide alongside the standard Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Flip 8 sometime in July.