The year 2024 is shaping up to be an exciting one for technology. Several major phone manufacturers have announced new flagship devices, artificial intelligence continues to advance, and cybersecurity remains a top concern.

Samsung Unveils New Foldable Phone

Samsung unveiled its newest foldable phone this week – the Galaxy Z Flip 5. Building upon the success of last year’s Galaxy Z  Flip 4, the new phone has an even more durable folding screen and upgraded cameras. When closed, the phone is a compact square that fits neatly in your pocket. But when unfolded, it provides a full 6.7 inch display for an immersive viewing experience.

The Galaxy Z Flip 5 also introduces Samsung’s new Flex Cam mode, which allows you to freely adjust the angle of the camera while the phone is partially folded. This enables you to easily take high quality selfies or group shots from creative new perspectives. Pre-orders for the Galaxy Z Flip 5 begin next week and the phone is expected to ship at the end of the month.

Google Reveals Pixel Fold and New AI Features

Not to be outdone, Google also announced its first ever foldable phone – the Pixel Fold. When opened, the Pixel Fold boasts a spacious 7.6 inch display. Google focused on software innovations to take advantage of the foldable form factor. For example, there is a new Multi-page mode that lets you view multiple apps simultaneously on the big screen. You can check your calendar while browsing the web or view your inbox as you’re typing out an email.

Google also previewed new AI-powered software features coming to the Pixel Fold and other Pixel phones later this year. These include Intelligent Audio which can automatically enhance the audio quality of voice and video calls. There is also a new Intelligent Blur feature that can seamlessly blur backgrounds on video calls for more privacy. The Pixel Fold will be available next month.

OnePlus 10 Pro Brings New Camera Tech

Smartphone maker OnePlus released its flagship OnePlus 10 Pro earlier this year. The phone is best known for its top-of-the-line performance and fast charging speeds. This year, OnePlus focused on major improvements to the camera system. The OnePlus 10 Pro is outfitted with a new ultra-wide camera featuring a unique fisheye lens for a 150 degree field of view. This enables cool distortion-free shots and immersive framing options.

The main 48MP camera on the back now leverages a cutting-edge 2nd generation Hasselblad camera system for more natural color tuning and photo optimization. OnePlus says this provides photos with more accurate colors straight out of the camera. The OnePlus 10 Pro also introduced a Movie Mode to capture cinematic quality video footage. Pricing starts at $899 unlocked.

AI Image Generation Reaches New Heights

Recent advances in AI image generation have captured the public’s imagination in 2024. Services like DALL-E 2, Stable Diffusion, and Google’s Imagen can now generate photorealistic images simply based on text prompts. This has opened up exciting new creative possibilities for artists, designers, and content creators. At the same time, concerns have been raised about potential misuse of the technology to spread misinformation or inappropriate content.

Key innovations that brought AI image generation to the next level include diffusion models and deep learning on massive datasets. Models like Stable Diffusion are trained on millions of image-text pairs to learn the visual concepts associated with words. The AI can then apply what it learned to imagine entirely new images matching text prompts. Under the hood, diffusion models allow the AI to iteratively improve and refine generated images towards greater realism.

The research labs behind these systems like Anthropic and OpenAI are now focused on safety techniques to prevent abuse, such as watermarking AI-generated images. But the pace of progress in AI imagination continues to accelerate.

Brain-Computer Interfaces Become More Practical

A number of companies are racing to develop practical brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies that allow humans to control or interact with computing devices simply using their brain activity. While still early stage, significant progress was made on consumer-grade BCI tech in 2024.

Social media giant Meta announced new arm wearables that can detect muscle tension signals from motor neurons firing in the brain. Users can control AR/VR experiences or operate digital avatars with natural hand and finger motions. Neurotech startup Synchron debuted a new minimally invasive BCI implant that allows patients to digitally type simply by imagining the movements involved in typing on a keyboard.

On the software side, several groups open sourced new machine learning frameworks this year that can better decode brain signals picked up by EEG headsets. While not yet at a mainstream consumer level, BCI tech in 2024 clearly demonstrated the immense potential to expand our digital capabilities using just our thoughts.

Cyber Attacks Continue to Threaten Businesses and Governments

Unfortunately, as new technologies provide new opportunities, they also open up new attack surfaces for cyber criminals and state-sponsored hackers. Cybersecurity remained a major area of concern in 2024, as ransomware and malware attacks continued to threaten businesses, government agencies, hospitals, and everyday internet users.

A string of attacks on Kubernetes server infrastructure disrupted operations at dozens of e-commerce companies during the holiday shopping season. A major U.S. hospital chain reported that patient health records were compromised and held for ransom by an Eastern European cybercrime gang. And Chinese state hackers were reportedly responsible for a sophisticated breach that stole classified weapons designs and communications from the U.S. Defense Department’s network.

In response, the U.S. government passed a new cybersecurity bill aimed at strengthening protections for critical infrastructure entities like power plants and water systems. The bill creates a new cyber director position at DHS and allocates funding for state and local governments to monitor threats and update IT security. It also establishes tighter regulations around software supply chain security. However, experts warn much more work is needed to reinforce cyber defenses and create clear norms in cyberspace.

Social Media Sites Ramp Up Moderation Efforts

Under intense public pressure, social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter took new steps to ramp up content moderation and curb the spread of misinformation, hate speech, and cyberbullying in 2024. But many argue it is still not enough.

This year, Twitter rolled out new filters to detect and block harmful language as it is being typed out and expanded its definition of prohibited hate speech. YouTube announced a policy banning videos promoting conspiracy theories about protected groups and events that lead to real world violence. And an independent oversight board criticized Meta’s handling of abusive Facebook groups and warned their recommendation algorithms often amplify divisive and inflammatory content.

In response, Meta highlighted its quadrupling of content moderation staff since 2021 and use of AI to find and remove prohibited material at scale. But critics say the platforms still react too slowly during viral hate speech controversies and allow harmful groups to openly organize. As the public scrutiny intensifies, the pressure is on big social media firms to balance free speech with safety.

The Growing E-Waste Crisis

With consumers rapidly upgrading to new phones and devices yearly, the world faces an mounting crisis of electronic waste. The UN estimates e-waste is now the fastest growing waste stream on the planet, with over 50 million metric tons generated per year. That number could more than double by 2030.

Only about 20% of e-waste is formally recycled worldwide due to lack of infrastructure in many countries. The rest often ends up in landfills where hazardous materials like lead and mercury can contaminate groundwater. Burning e-waste also releases toxic chemicals into the atmosphere. Children are especially vulnerable to the health effects of exposure to e-waste pollution.

Experts say manufacturers, governments, and consumers all have a role to play in confronting the exploding e-waste problem. Policies are needed to incentivize device makers to use safer materials and make their products more repairable and recyclable. Developing countries need help building out recycling systems to divert e-waste from landfills. And greater public awareness can drive demand for more sustainably made electronics.

Smart Cities Become a Reality

The vision of smart cities powered by connected technology moved closer to reality in 2024. Sensors, IoT devices, and integrated software are now helping urban planners manage air pollution, traffic congestion, energy usage, and crowding in cities like never before.

In Seoul, new camera systems and AI algorithms help adjust traffic signals in real-time to optimize vehicle and pedestrian flow at busy intersections, reducing commute times by nearly 25% on major city thoroughfares. Singapore now has over 300,000 connected lampposts and street lights that double as data collection points, allowing for granular monitoring of building occupancy rates, foot traffic, parking space availability, and even standing water after heavy rains.

Other innovations helping cities get smarter include digital urban planning platforms, autonomous transportation options, and integrated emergency response networks. Proponents argue smart city technology can make urban living more convenient, efficient, and sustainable. But privacy and cybersecurity advocates want safeguards to prevent misuse of the data collected.

Space Tourism Prepares for Lift Off

Long discussed as a distant future possibility, space tourism took major steps towards becoming a reality in 2024. Several private space companies are nearing readiness for their first paid civilian flights into orbit and beyond.

Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity spaceplane expects to receive final FAA approval soon to begin flying commercial passengers on