🤖 Earth's smartest AI?

Just when we thought it couldn’t get any wilder with Deepseek’s latest advancements, xAI dropped a plot twist: Grok 3. Musk even called it the 'smartest AI on Earth'.

Starting this week, anyone can access the latest version of the AI chatbot for free, for a limited time – while paid subscribers have access to exclusive advanced features. It's a smooth play...get more users in, build momentum, and then…lure them to become paid users eventually.

With OpenAI and Google pushing their own AI models hard, xAI is making sure Grok stays in the conversation.

Do you think Grok can challenge the biggest players? Will you use it?

— David

📰 News & Insights

• Apple launches a new budget iPhone

What it means: After weeks of anticipation of what the newest member of the Apple family could be, there's now a cheaper version of the iPhone 16.

• Transsion is selling the most budget phones in the Philippines

Why it matters: With more than half of all smartphones sold being budget phones priced at under $100, Transsion leads the charge grabbing 37.3% of the market.

• A Nigerian EV company is challenging big players in the market.
• Reddit may no longer be a free-for-all information hub.
• The smartphone market in the Middle East slowed down in 2024.

⚙️ Products & How-Tos

• Jio is taking a bite into India’s billion-dollar Smart TV market

Why it matters: With JioTele OS, its new Smart TV operating system, it aims to take on Samsung’s Tizen, LG’s WebOS, and Xiaomi's FireOS.

• 5 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Using a Web Browser

Why it matters: In this article, Ladou shares five critical mistakes to watch out for when using your web browser.

• Humane calls it quits on its AI assistant after struggling to find a market fit.
• From battery health to processor performance, here are 5 critical tests to run before buying a used Windows laptop.
• Google’s latest update is finally bringing the Circle to Search experience to iPhone users. 

💸 Startups & Careers

• All you need to know before becoming a Smart Contract Developer

Why it matters:  With Web3 taking off, companies are scrambling to hire Smart contract developers who can build and maintain these contracts.

• Here's how to write a standout CV to land a Software Developer job in the UK

Why it matters: Your CV is the first thing recruiters see, and if it doesn’t stand out, you might not even get a shot at an interview. This guide helps you craft a CV that gets noticed and gets you hired.

• Top Asian Startup Funding — Week 8, 2025: These are the funding deals we tracked in the Asian region this week – featuring Parkwise, Neolix Technologies, Omnisun, Lightstorm, Stelmec, Swish Club, EDGE Tutor, and Demuzo.
• LatAm's Top Weekly Startup Funding — Week 8, 2025: In this week's funding deals, we tracked Solfácil, Azos, Advolve.ai and Calice in the LatAm region.
• Startup Funding in Africa and the Middle East — Week 8, 2025: Here are the venture funding activities we tracked in the Middle East and African region this week – including Augury, The Box, Mansa, Blum, Qme, and Dabchy.

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