Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has released a new multimodal model called Qwen VLo that can understand and generate images. Available for free in preview through Qwen Chat, it can use image or text prompts to generate pictures, and accepts text in multiple languages, including Chinese and English. It can also edit, change backgrounds and switch styles, handling multiple image edits in sequence. An upgrade over January’s Qwen 2.5-VL release, Qwen VLo uses progressive generation, allowing users to see the image creation in progress, and Alibaba says it’s particularly good at making inline adjustments to fine-tune images. Read more

British phone maker Nothing Technology Limited has announced the Phone (3), with a divergent look and major camera upgrades that cater to its young fanbase. At a launch event in London, Nothing CEO Carl Pei said his company, which also makes headphones and earbuds, will go “all-in” marketing its new Android flagship smartphone against premium offerings from Samsung and others. It starts at $800, 25 percent more than the Phone (2), but Pei says there are plenty of upgrades — including four 50MP cameras and a circular mini-LED screen on the back of the device. Roughly the size of a quarter, the secondary screen displays data in a retro-looking dot matrix format called the “Glyph Matrix.” Read more

Apple has changed its European App Store policies in response to the Digital Markets Act, in hopes the move will help ward off a potential fine of up to $585 million for violating the 2022 law in the way it charges commissions from third-party developers selling apps through links in the App Store. The European Union threatens fines of up to $60 million per day for DMA violations. A European Commission spokesperson said the body is assessing whether Apple’s new terms bring the company into compliance. The Commission is requiring the company “to make a series of additional changes to the App Store,” explains Apple, adding that “we disagree with this outcome and plan to appeal.” Read more

In an effort to be more brand and creator friendly, TikTok is launching a broadcast channel feature called Bulletin Boards that shares in-app message updates. Essentially serving as one-to-many DM chats that fans can follow, Bulletin Boards can include text, images and video, with text limited to 1,000 characters and 20 bulletins daily. While fans can react by posting emoji to Bulletin Board posts, they cannot otherwise reply. The move comes as TikTok seeks to expand its brand toolkit, even updating its Symphony advertising suite to allow brands to create content that mimics material posted by influencers. Read more

Google Labs is testing Doppl, an experimental app that uses AI to let you virtually try on clothes. Available on iOS and Android in the U.S., Doppl requires the user to upload a full body photo to which images of outfits can then be applied. It will work with various types of outfit photos, from pictures taken with a smartphone to screen grabs from shopping sites or social media. Doppl can also create AI-generated videos from a static image to give an idea of what the outfit would look like from different angles when worn. While Google hopes Doppl “helps you explore your style in new and exciting ways,” it cautions that the app “is in its early days and it might not always get things right.” Read more