Blog Posts

Blog Posts

French insurtech Alan reaches €5B valuation

A decade after becoming the first new independent health insurer in France in 30 years, Alan has closed a €100M round backed by Index Ventures, Shopify’s Tobi Lütke, and World Cup winner Antoine Griezmann, and it’s not slowing down. Alan, the Paris-based health insurance startup, has raised €100 million ($116 million) in a new round […]

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“Garmin Watch Best Sellers Reach Record Low Price During Amazon Spring Deal Days”

The Garmin Venu 4, an elite fitness watch, is now offered at a special price of £389.99, reduced from its initial £469.99, as part of Amazon’s Spring Deal Days promotion. This limited-time deal showcases an impressive 17% discount on a device celebrated for its elegant design, AMOLED display, and extensive health and fitness monitoring features. The Venu 4 comes with dual-band GPS, ECG, HRV, SpO2, and skin temperature sensors, positioning it as a prime selection for fitness aficionados. Although it has a slightly bulkier design and slower charging times in comparison to its predecessor, the Venu 4 continues to be an appealing choice for those in pursuit of advanced fitness tracking features and smartwatch capabilities, such as Bluetooth calling and voice commands. This promotion is a unique chance to obtain a high-end fitness watch at an exceptionally low price, making it a desirable option for individuals aiming to elevate their fitness journey with state-of-the-art technology.

Swiss VC Emerald Technology Ventures Reaches €100M Milestone for Global Water Fund II

Temasek and the Grundfos Foundation have joined the fund as it passes its latest target, part of a broader push to channel institutional capital into water technology innovation. Water scarcity is not a future problem. It is a present one, already constraining agriculture, industry, and urban planning across multiple continents. What has lagged, historically, is […]

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Amazon’s Health AI now available to all US customers

Three years after its $3.9 billion bet on One Medical, Amazon is deploying its healthcare AI assistant across its main website and shopping app, in a direct challenge to OpenAI’s ChatGPT Health and Anthropic’s Claude for Healthcare. Amazon has opened its Health AI assistant to all US customers, removing the requirement to be a One […]

This story continues at The Next Web

Oppo’s New Foldable: Nearly Creaseless

The first thing most people seem to do when they try out a foldable phone I’m reviewing is look for the crease in the screen. In the case of Oppo’s Find N6, it might take them a while. Oppo claims that the Find N6, launching in full next week on March 17th, has the world’s […]

iOS 26.4: In-Depth Review of Fresh Features for iPhone Users

# iOS 26.4: Latest Features and Updates

iOS 26.4 is in the beta testing phase, accessible to developers and public beta participants. This update brings a range of new features designed to improve the iPhone experience, especially in Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, Messages, and beyond. Here’s an in-depth overview of the new elements in iOS 26.4.

## iOS 26.4 Overview

The newest beta iteration, iOS 26.4 beta 3, is currently available, with a public launch anticipated by late March or early April. Earlier updates, like iOS 18.4, were rolled out around this timeframe, suggesting a similar schedule for this release.

## New Features in iOS 26.4

### Enhancements in Apple Music

Apple Music receives substantial upgrades in iOS 26.4, which include:

1. **Concerts**: Discover nearby concerts and check tour dates for artists from your library.
2. **Full-Screen Artwork**: Updated design features that improve the visuals of albums and playlists.
3. **Revamped Profile Section**: Simplified management of accounts and subscriptions.
4. **Playlist Management**: The capability to add a song to multiple playlists at once.

#### Playlist Playground

An exciting new feature is the **Playlist Playground**, which leverages Apple Intelligence to generate playlists based on user-specified text prompts. Users can further refine the resultant playlists using additional prompts, highlighting Apple’s AI integration within the user interface.

### Introduction of New Widgets

iOS 26.4 presents **Ambient Music widgets** for the Home Screen, enabling users to listen to music curated for specific moods like Chill, Productivity, Sleep, and Wellbeing. These widgets are available in small and medium configurations.

### Updates to the Reminders App

The Reminders app now incorporates a **Smart List** that gathers all tasks flagged as urgent, enhancing the previously introduced “Urgent” label that activates alarms for critical tasks.

### RCS Encryption Support in Messages

iOS 26.4 introduces support for testing end-to-end encryption of RCS messages. Users can turn on this feature within the Messages settings, and a new lock icon will represent encrypted conversations. This feature is still in beta and will be fully accessible in a future release.

### Improvements in Apple Podcasts

The update refines Apple Podcasts with **enhanced video podcast functionalities**, facilitating smooth transitions between video and audio formats. It also adds support for dynamic video advertisements.

### Updates to Apple Health

The Apple Health app has been updated to include more detailed **Sleep and Vitals information**, featuring a metric for average bedtime and reinstated Blood Oxygen levels in the Vitals graph.

### Protection Against Stolen Devices

**Stolen Device Protection** is automatically activated in iOS 26.4, requiring Face ID validation for certain actions when outside trusted locations, thereby bolstering device security.

### Additional Changes and Features

– The App Store and Games applications now feature revamped search capabilities.
– The Wallpaper Gallery and Apple Watch face gallery have improved designs.
– A new accessibility feature, **Reduce Highlighting Effects**, is now available.
– Dark Mode has been enhanced for menu popups within Control Center.
– Updated iCloud settings now enable searching Photos and iCloud Drive content.

## Conclusion

As beta testing progresses, additional modifications may be implemented in iOS 26.4. The new features, especially those in Apple Music and the Reminders app, are geared toward significantly improving user experience. User feedback will likely influence the final version, which is expected to be released soon.