Photo credit: Alibaba
Alibaba began selling its Qwen N1 and N1 Pro smart glasses in China on October 13 after a Hangzhou event, with pre-orders open since late September. Standard packages start near 2,899 RMB ($433) for the N1 and 3,399 RMB ($508) for the Pro, though subsidies and launch offers can bring the lower model closer to 2,200 RMB ($329). Both models land in the same price band as Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses and are listed on Taobao, Tmall, JD.com, and Douyin.
Fujifilm’s latest square-format instant camera arrives with a noticeably softer outline than the boxy model that preceded it. The Instax Square 2’s body measures 139 by 119.5 by 71 millimeters and weighs 450 grams empty, shaped from smooth plastic that curves around the edges rather than meeting them at sharp angles. Vertical texture lines run along the grip and continue around the large front lens barrel, giving the camera a consistent feel in the hand whether you hold it for a quick portrait or a wider scene. Three color options ship with it: Slate Blue, Misty White, and Brick Red.
Kirigami, the Japanese practice of cutting paper in addition to folding it, opens possibilities that pure folding alone cannot reach. Matthew Lim applied the method to a series of objects that shift from a completely flat sheet into a usable three-dimensional form and back again, relying on carefully placed cuts and folds rather than fasteners or adhesives. One result is a compact phone grip that springs into place when needed. Another is a side table large enough to hold everyday items, assembled from plywood panels linked by printed hinges.
Google DeepMind showed this week that Gemini 4 Argon can watch a short video of a person tossing beanbags into a cornhole board, map the arm swing and release point onto a humanoid’s joints, build a full physics simulation of the robot and the board, practice the motion until the hand clears the hip cleanly, then transfer the result to Apptronik’s Apollo humanoid. On real hardware the robot sank seven consecutive shots. Researchers described the sequence as turning ordinary video into a scalable training ground that compresses weeks of manual simulation modeling into a few hours.
Alpine unveiled the A310 Vision at the Paris Motor Show as a one-off study that marks fifty-five years since the original A310 arrived and fifty years since its V6 version joined the range. The concept takes the rear-engined coupe that once sat against the Porsche 911 and stretches it into a low, wide form that keeps the classic presence while updating every proportion for an electric layout.