GM's autonomous vehicle Cruise division is already going through a rough patch, with the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) recently suspending its driverless permits over safety issues. Now, several new reports have highlighted other issues with the company, including problems with its autonomous vehicles (AVs) recognizing children and the frequency with which human operators must remotely take control. The company also just announced that it's temporarily suspending production of its fully autonomous Origin transport.

The most concerning issue is that Cruise reportedly kept its vehicles on the streets even though it knew they had problems recognizing children, The Intercept reported. According to internal, previously unreported safety assessment materials, Cruises autonomous vehicles may have been unable to effectively detect children in order to take extra precautions. 

"Cruise AVs may not exercise additional care around children," the document states. Because of that, the company was concerned that its robotaxis might drive too fast near children who could move unexpectedly into the street. Cruise also lacks data around child-specific situations, like kids separating from adults, falling, riding bicycles or wearing costumes. 

In one simulation, the company couldn't rule out a scenario where a vehicle strikes a child. In another specific test drive, a vehicle detected a child-sized dummy but still struck it with a mirror at 28 MPH. The company chalked up the problems to a inadequate software and testing — specifically, it lacks AI software that could automatically detect child-shaped objects around the car and maneuver accordingly.

In a statement to The Intercept, Cruise admitted that its vehicles sometimes temporarily lost track of children by the side of the road during simulation testing. It added that the problem was fixed and only seen in testing and not on public streets, though it didn't say what specific actions it took to resolve the issue. A spokesperson also said that the system hadn't failed to detect the children, but did fail to classify them as such. 

It further stated that the odds of an accident involving children were relatively low. "We determined from observed performance on-road, the risk of the potential collision with a child could occur once every 300 million miles at fleet driving, which we have since improved upon. There have been no on-road collisions with children."

The report also notes that Cruise AVs have trouble detecting large holes in the road, such as construction site pits with crews inside, something the company itself called a "major risk." GM's own documents indicated that even with its small AV fleet, a vehicle was likely to drive into such a hole at least once a year — and into a pit with people inside once every four years. 

That scenario almost happened, according to video reviewed by The Intercept. Onboard cameras show an AV driving right to the edge of a pit, inches away from workers, despite the presence of construction cones. It only stopped because someone waved a "slow" sign in front of the windshield. 

"Enhancing our AV’s ability to detect potential hazards around construction zones has been an area of focus, and over the last several years we have conducted extensive human-supervised testing and simulations resulting in continued improvements," the company said in a statement. "These include enhanced cone detection, full avoidance of construction zones with digging or other complex operations, and immediate enablement of the AV’s Remote Assistance support/supervision by human observers."

All of that raises the question of whether Cruise should be operating its vehicles on public roads. "If you can’t see kids, it’s very hard for you to accept that not being high risk — no matter how infrequent you think it’s going to happen," Carnegie Mellon engineering professor Phil Koopman told The Intercept. 

The child detection issue isn't the only recent exposé on Cruise, as it turns out that the robotaxis aren't really autonomous at all. In fact, they require human assistance every four to five miles, according to a report in The New York Times confirmed in large part by Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt in Hacker News. 

"Cruise AVs are being remotely assisted (RA) 2-4 percent of the time on average, in complex urban environments." wrote Vogt. That equates to someone intervening every four to five miles, which could be multiple times on many trips. There is typically one remote assistant "for every 15-20 driverless AVs," Cruise stated later.

In a statement to CNBC, the company provided additional details: "Often times the AV proactively initiates these [remote assistance actions] before it is certain it will need help such as when the AV’s intended path is obstructed (e.g construction blockages or detours) or if it needs help identifying an object," a spokesperson wrote. "Remote assistance is in session about 2-4 percent of the time the AV is on the road, which is minimal, and in those cases the RA advisor is providing wayfinding intel to the AV, not controlling it remotely."

Finally, it appears that Cruise has halted production of its Origin autonomous vehicle after the California DMV pulled its license, Forbes reported. In an all-hands meeting with employees, Vogt, referring to the DMV license withdrawal, stated that "because a lot of this is in flux, we did make the decision with GM to pause production of the Origin," according to audio from the meeting. 

Cruise is still operating its AVs in California, but now must have a human backup driver at the wheel. Meanwhile, California says it has given Cruise a path back to driverless operation “The DMV has provided Cruise with the steps needed to apply to reinstate its suspended permits, which the DMV will not approve until the company has fulfilled the requirements to the department’s satisfaction,” it said in a statement. 

TikTok only launched its Creator Fund a few years ago, but is already killing it off in favor of a new monetization scheme that arrived earlier this year. "Starting December 16, 2023, the Creator Fund will be discontinued in the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Germany," a spokesperson told Engadget in a statement. "All creators currently enrolled in the Creator Fund can upgrade to the Creativity Program." 

The Creativity Program emphasizes longer content, with a required minimum video length of at least one minute (TikTok now allows videos up to 30 minutes long). The company said it wants to create "the best possible experience" on the platform with the new system, but longer videos also help TikTok sell more ads. The main benefit for streamers is that it pays up to 20 times the amount offered by the Creator Fund, according to the company. 

"We developed the Creativity Program based on the learnings and feedback from the Creator Fund, and we'll continue listening and learning from our community as we explore new features and enhance existing ones to further enrich the TikTok experience," TikTok said. The Creator Fund will continue to be available for users in Spain and Italy, at least for now.

The Creator Fund was unveiled in 2020 with an initial commitment of $200 million to be paid out to top streamers. Soon after, the company said it would support hundreds of thousands of creators with over $2 billion in funding over the next three years. 

However, it got off to a rough start after top users complained that they weren't receiving very much money. Last year, streamer Hank Green shared that he made about 2.5 cents per 1,000 views on the platform — a fraction of his YouTube earnings and about half of what he earned on TikTok prior to the fund.

We designed the Creativity Program based on [creator] feedback, to encourage creators to create high-quality, original content, generate higher revenue potential, and open doors to more real-world opportunities. The program offers higher cash incentives, giving creators the potential to earn up to 20 times the amount previously offered by the Creator Fund.

The Creativity Program, by contrast, arrived in February this year as an invite-only system before opening up to all eligible creators. It's still in beta, but any Creator Fund users can join, provided they're at least 18 years old and have at least 10,000 followers and 100,000 video views in the last 30 days, along with a US-based account (or account in one of the other eligible countries). After switching to the Creativity Program, users are removed automatically from the Creator Fund.

Some creators have embraced the Creativity Program, according to a report from Insider. Streamers with subscriber numbers varying from a half million to several million have seen payouts ranging in the low thousands to nearly $100,000 per month, "a complete 180" from what they were seeing before, according to one creator. 

Streamers may like the longer format and extra revenue, but users may need to some to adjust. In a recent TikTok internal survey, nearly 50 percent of users said videos over a minute in length were "stressful," and a third of users watched videos online at double speed, according to a Wired report from earlier this year.

TikTok only launched its Creator Fund a few years ago, but is already shutting it down in favor of a new monetization scheme that arrived earlier this year. "Starting December 16, 2023, the Creator Fund will be discontinued in the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Germany," a spokesperson told Engadget in a statement. "All creators currently enrolled in the Creator Fund can upgrade to the Creativity Program." 

The Creativity Program emphasizes longer content, with a required minimum video length of at least one minute. (TikTok now allows videos up to 30 minutes long.) The company said it wants to create "the best possible experience" on the platform with the new system, but longer videos also help TikTok sell more ads. The main benefit for streamers is that it pays up to 20 times the amount offered by the Creator Fund, according to the company. 

"We developed the Creativity Program based on the learnings and feedback from the Creator Fund, and we'll continue listening and learning from our community as we explore new features and enhance existing ones to further enrich the TikTok experience," TikTok said. The Creator Fund will continue to be available for users in Spain and Italy, at least for now.

The Creator Fund was unveiled in 2020 with an initial commitment of $200 million to be paid out to top streamers. Soon after, the company said it would support hundreds of thousands of creators with over $2 billion in funding over the next three years. 

However, it got off to a rough start after top users complained that they weren't receiving much money. Last year, streamer Hank Green shared that he made about 2.5 cents per 1,000 views on the platform — a fraction of his YouTube earnings and about half of what he earned on TikTok prior to the fund.

We designed the Creativity Program based on [creator] feedback, to encourage creators to create high-quality, original content, generate higher revenue potential, and open doors to more real-world opportunities. The program offers higher cash incentives, giving creators the potential to earn up to 20 times the amount previously offered by the Creator Fund.

What is the TikTok Creativity Program

The Creativity Program, by contrast, arrived in February of this year as an invite-only system before opening up to all eligible creators. It's still in beta, but any Creator Fund users can join, provided they're at least 18 years old and have at least 10,000 followers and 100,000 video views in the last 30 days, along with a US-based account (or account in one of the other eligible countries). After switching to the Creativity Program, users are removed automatically from the Creator Fund.

Some creators have embraced the Creativity Program, according to a report from Insider. Streamers with subscriber numbers varying from a half million to several million have seen payouts ranging in the low thousands to nearly $100,000 per month, "a complete 180" from what they were seeing before, according to one creator. 

Streamers may like the longer format and extra revenue, but users may need to some to adjust. In a recent TikTok internal survey, nearly 50 percent of users said videos over a minute in length were "stressful," and a third of users watched videos online at double speed, according to a Wired report from earlier this year.

MediaTek has unveiled its flagship Dimensity 9300 mobile processor using TSMC's 3rd-generation 4nm+ technoclogy. The company claims much improved performance and power consumption over last year's Dimensity 9200, and performance on par with Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor in some key benchmarks. That makes three flagship mobile system-on-chips launched in the last month (including Google's Tensor G3), showing some healthy competition in the high-end mobile processor space. 

The Dimensity 9300 has what MediaTek calls an "all-big core architecture" oriented toward performance, with four ultra-large cores and four big cores, making eight altogether. That compares to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which comes with a single ultra-large Cortex-X4 core, along with 5 big Cortex-A720 cores and 2 smaller Cortex-A520 cores to balance energy savings and performance. 

With all that, it delivers 15 percent more performance than the Dimensity 9200 at the same power level, or 33 percent power draw at the same performance. It also allows for 40 percent more peak performance, according to the company. Mediatek also claims an AnTuTu score of 2,130,000+, which roughly matches The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3's AnTuTu score. 

MediaTek is also claiming a 46 percent jump in GPU performance over the previous processor at the same power levels and higher frame rates than its rival on certain gaming benchmarks. It also offers much improved deep learning performance over the Dimensity 9200 thanks to the new APU 790 AI processor — with up to 8 times the processing speed and Stable Diffusion image generation under a second.  

It also has features that improve computational photography and video, support for always-on HDR at 4K 60p, "real-time bokeh tracking" at 4K 30fps, AI processing on RAW photos and videos and support for the new Ultra HDR format in Android 14. 

That's all quite impressive if accurate, though tests will need to bear those claims out. In any case, it looks like a solid alternative to Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, and it's likely to appear on a number of upcoming devices, possibly including the The Vivo X100 and X100 Pro. 

Last week, a number of Apple Watch owners noticed that their batteries were draining much quicker than normal after they installed the latest watchOS version 10.1. Now, Apple has acknowledged the issue in an internal memo seen by MacRumors, and promised that a fix will arrive in an upcoming update. 

The issue is affecting multiple models including older ones like Watch SE and Watch Series 5, up to brand new versions like Apple Watch Ultra 2, according to Reddit, Apple's Support Community, X and other sources. The issue appears to be fairly serious, with one user noting that "watchOS 10.1 is killing the battery on my Apple Watch," draining it from 100 to 50 percent in less than 60 minutes. 

Apple appeared to address the issue partly with its iOS 17.1 update, noting that it resolved a problem involving "increased power consumption" when a Watch running watchOS 10.1 is paired with an iPhone using iOS 17, as MacRumors noted. That doesn't seem to have fully resolved the issue, though.

Apple said in the memo that the issue will be fixed in a watchOS update "coming soon," without providing a more specific date, specific models affected and reason for the problem. Given the nature of it, however, we'd hope it's a high-priority item. Apple is reportedly set to release iOS 17.1.1 for iPhone, and will hopefully also release watchOS 10.1.1 with a fix.

Volvo’s EX30 crossover has yet to arrive, but it's already generated a lot of interest thanks to a killer combination of a charming design and low starting price of $35,000. On top of that, it’s eco-friendly to the core due to its low carbon manufacturing footprint and use of sustainable materials.

There is a “but,” though. All models sold globally to start with, including in the US, will be built in China by Volvo parent Geely. That’s controversial given current geopolitical tensions and it means the EX30 won’t be eligible for federal US tax credits. However, Volvo recently announced that it would build some models in its Ghent, Belgium plant in Europe starting in 2025 to “boost… production capacity for the expected EX30 demand in Europe as well as for global export.”

We’ve finally been able to drive the EX30 in Barcelona and answer a lot of lingering questions. How’s the handling, acceleration and range? We know it’s fairly small, so is there enough interior space for the US market? And how does it stack up against the competition, especially Tesla, considering the lack of tax credits? Let's dive in and learn more.

Features

We looked at the EX30 when it first launched, examining the controls, infotainment system, storage and more, so check that out if you haven’t. Still, I’ll revisit some highlights here before the drive. 

There are two versions of the EX30, the single-motor Extended Range and the twin-motor Performance model, starting at $34,950 and $44,900 respectively (before the $1,195 destination fee). They’re built on parent Geely’s 400 volt SEA platform, shared by some upcoming Polestar models.

The Extended Range version makes a decent 268 horsepower with 258 pound feet of torque, while the Performance model ups that to a wilder 422 horsepower and 400 pound feet. Both feature 69 kWh batteries, with 64 kWh usable, for an estimated EPA range of 275 and 265 miles respectively (the final figures should be available soon). There’s a 51kWh battery too, but it’s only available in Europe. The maximum charging rate is 153kW, bringing the battery from 10-80 percent in 26.5 minutes.

Steve Dent for Engadget

Starting in 2025, the 2026 model year EX30 will be equipped with a NACS (North American Charging Standard) port thanks to its recent agreement with Volvo. That means the 2025 model debuting in 2024 will effectively be a unicorn, as it will carry a CCS port instead — though a NACS adapter will be included for Tesla Superchargers, of course. 

The base models are, well, basic, with things like parking sensors and a digital key left out. We tested both with the “Ultra” equipment level, which includes the Harman Kardon sound system, larger wheels, USB-C outlets, power front seats, park assist pilot and more. Those cost $40,600 and $46,600, respectively.

Steve Dent for Engadget

The EX30 is a looker, with balanced proportions and smooth lines. The design says “friendly” and “accessible” rather than “aggressive,” and it caught a few admiring looks from passersby.

From the outside, the EX30 looks larger than it is, but the 167-inch wheelbase is similar to a Mini Clubman or VW Golf GTI hatch – not large vehicles by any means. It weighs 3,850 pounds, about the same as a Kia Niro EV. All told, it’s Volvo’s smallest SUV by a good margin.

That’s not an issue up front, as the EX30 is relatively wide and has ample headroom for tall drivers. The backseat is a bit cramped, though, especially with tall occupants up front. The rear cargo area can accommodate a decent amount of stuff, and you can make it a bit larger by removing the floor-leveling door. It can be further expanded by folding down the front seats.

Steve Dent for Engadget

Rather than putting speakers in the doors, Volvo simply used a soundbar-like system built by Harman Kardon. That’s smart, as it should appeal to younger users in Volvo’s target market. With EX30-specific tuning, it sounds really good too.

The interior isn’t as basic as the Model 3, as there are switches and stalks for drive mode, turn signals, lights, volume and other primary functions. The interior is also less sterile thanks to Volvo’s creative use of sustainable materials and color schemes. Everything is soft and welcoming, with a variety of textures and patterns, made from things like old denim and recycled PVC window frames.

Steve Dent for Engadget

Like the Model 3, though, the EX30 has no dashboard, just a center touchscreen, so important information like speed and charge level is off to the side. Volvo says that it helps you refocus on driving, somehow, but I’m not a fan – it forced me to take my eyes off the road more than I’d like.

All other things are handled by the 12.3-inch center touchscreen. The main display shows key functions like speed, moving map, charge, drive mode and more. Other settings let you change things like the steering firmness, or get maximum boost in the Performance model by choosing all-wheel drive – if you don’t mind a significant hit to range. The on or off one-pedal control isn’t as precise as I’d like, as it lacks multiple braking levels like Kia’s EV6 and other models.

Driving

Steve Dent for Engadget

Now that we know the EX30, what’s it like to drive? In short, it’s a Volvo. That’s not a bad thing – what it lacks in agility, it makes up in comfort. It floats over tattered freeway pavement with little jolting and you’ll barely notice potholes or small speed bumps. It’s a nice car to drive in the city or take on cross-country trips, but it’d flounder on a track.

That’s not an accident; Volvo specifically tuned in a fair amount of suspension travel to favor comfort over sport. Tesla went the other way with the Model 3, so it can nip around corners more precisely, but rides harshly on less-than-smooth roads.

In terms of power and torque, the Extended Range model has enough for most drivers. With a 5.1 second 0-60 MPH time, overtaking is safe and easy at freeway speeds and acceleration is crisp and predictable in all conditions. With that model, the power pairs well with the suspension, striking a nice balance between comfort and control.

Steve Dent for Engadget

The Performance version is on another level, though. With 422 horsepower and 400 pounds of torque in an EV of this size and weight, acceleration is hair-raising. In fact, it can go from 0-60 MPH in just 3.4 seconds, quicker than any Volvo to date and close to the Model 3 Performance. On tight winding roads with short passing zones, I felt confident enough to zip around trucks or buses. Freeway speed limits arrive almost too quickly, though the EX30 is limited to 180 km/h, or about 112 MPH.

Despite the power, it’s no race car. The suspension is identical to the Extended Range model, which is to say, too soft for high-speed cornering. Just stomping on the pedal from a start can create some drama, as it becomes clear that the suspension isn't quite up to that level of instant torque. So, apart from the raw horsepower, it’s not an enthusiast car.

Steve Dent for Engadget

The EX30’s Pilot Assist is reasonably advanced for a relatively inexpensive EV, offering more than just lane-keeping and collision avoidance. As on other Volvo cars, it can also change lanes automatically, make passing easier and adjust your speed to traffic. It also offers a Park Pilot Assist function that can locate spots at speeds up to 14 MPH and then park automatically. The system worked as well as any I’ve tried, squeezing the car into tight spots while displaying synthesized views all around the vehicle.

It also has an advanced driver alert system as standard. It can not only detect if your hands are on the wheel, it uses a special sensor that raises a warning if it thinks you’re distracted, drowsy or inattentive.

Wrap-up

After driving the EX30 for nearly a full day, I’m impressed. While not the most nimble crossover EV, it’s comfortable to drive whether you’re on the freeway or city streets full of potholes. Even in the base single-motor model, the acceleration is more than anyone needs. In the dual-motor performance version, it’s borderline insane. It also offers enough range for reasonably long trips, with support for decently fast charging.

Steve Dent for Engadget

Volvo has more or less nailed the interior, bar a few minor complaints. It ticks all the boxes for buyers looking for an eco-friendly car, particularly the fact that Volvo says it uses 75 percent less CO2 to manufacture than its current EVs. It also uses sustainable materials in the fun but functional interior.

The EX30 has a lot of competition from the likes of Tesla, Volkswagen and Chevy, though, and is at a disadvantage due to the lack of a federal tax credit. The fact that it’s built in China may turn off some buyers, though as mentioned, Volvo just announced it would build some EX30s in Ghent, Belgium, starting in 2025. Still, it should appeal to a lot of consumers looking for something charming, easy to drive and relatively quick, along with fans of the Volvo brand. With all that, the EX30 should be a solid hit in North America and elsewhere.

Intuit is shutting down its free budgeting app Mint, which had 3.6 million active users in 2021, Bloomberg reported. The company will absorb users into its other service called Credit Karma when Mint disappears on January 1st, 2024 — less than two months from now. 

"Credit Karma is thrilled to invite all Minters to continue their financial journey on Credit Karma, where they will have access to Credit Karma’s suite of features, products, tools and services, including some of Mint’s most popular features," Mint wrote in its product blog. The company noted that Mint's product team and some features have already shifted over to Credit Karma. 

Mint helps users manage their budget, track expenses and keep track of subscriptions and monthly bills so you don't pay late fees. Intuit acquired the company in 2009 for $170 million, with Mint saying the acquisition would help bring the app to millions more users. 

Intuit will shift users to Credit Karma (a company it acquired in 2020), even though they're not exactly the same. Credit Karma is more like a banking app that lets users view transactions, monitor credit and see multiple accounts, but lacks the budget tracking features that make Mint attractive to many. Intuit specifically notes on a support page that "the new experience in Credit Karma does not offer the ability to set monthly and category budgets," instead helping users "build awareness" of their spending. However, Mint's net worth feature was recently ported over to Credit Karma.

Mint users will be able to transfer their accounts by logging into Credit Karma from the Mint app, after which they'll lose access to their Mint profiles. They can also download or erase any Mint data if they'd rather not switch. 

Some Mint users on Reddit don't seem thrilled with the switch, with one saying that without the budgeting feature, "Mint is just a glorified checkbook register." Intuit, meanwhile, was recently ordered to pay $141 million for deceiving millions of low-income Americans into paying for tax services that should have been free. 

Oscar-nominated actor Scarlett Johansson has taken legal action against an AI app developer for using her voice and image in an ad without permission, Variety has reported. The 22-second ad promoted an AI image editor called Lisa AI: 90s Yearbook & Avatar, and reportedly used an AI-generated version of Johansson's voice and image.

The ad showed a real clip of Johansson in a Black Widow behind-the-scenes clip, saying "What's up guys? It's Scarlett and I want you to come with me...". It then transitions to AI-generated photos and a cloned version of her voice promoting the AI app. Under the ad is fine print that states: "Images produced by Lisa AI. It has nothing to do with this person." Multiple Lisa AI apps created by Convert Software remain on the App Store and Google Play, according to Variety, but the ad no longer appears on X. 

Johansson is "handling the situation in a legal capacity," said her lawyer Kevin Yorn. "We do not take these things lightly. Per our usual course of action in these circumstances, we will deal with it with all legal remedies that we will have," he added. 

Johansson has one of the best known faces (and voices) in Hollywood and is the spokesperson for high-end companies including Dolce & Gabbana and Louis Vuitton. Given that, it's hard to believe that someone would even attempt to rip off her likeness, if the claim is accurate (and it's not exactly a ringing endorsement for the quality of advertisers on X). 

The idea of using AI to rip off celebrity likenesses is a relatively new phenomenon, so the legal ramifications are still being worked out. In one notable incident, actor Tom Hanks warned his fans on social media that videos using AI versions of his likeness were being used to fraudulently hawk products. 

Though it's still a legal grey area, some states have related laws around privacy rights, with California for one allowing civil lawsuits for the unauthorized use in advertising or promotion of someone’s "name, voice, signature, photograph or likeness." 

Your EV may go a long way between charges, but can it carry dozens of passengers? GreenPower can boast both of those things with its latest electric school bus called "Mega Beast," it announced in a press release spotted by Electrek. A massive 387 kWh battery supplies nearly 300 miles of range and it can carry up to 90 people — around three classrooms full of kids. 

The long wheelbase Type D model features "the longest range and has the biggest battery pack in the school bus market," GreenPower said. It uses a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack that offers high energy density and a longer life span, but a higher initial cost.

Mega Beast is a souped up version of GreenPower's regular 140 mile range, 197.3 kWh Beast ("Beast" stands for "battery electric automotive school transportation"). Along with double the battery size, it offers better hill-climbing power, the company wrote. 

Why the need for so much range, when buses usually do just two runs per day? This version is designed for longer range routes at rural schools, for example, or school districts that can't necessarily charge a bus at mid-day. It's also aimed at regions with "extreme weather conditions and schools that also use the all-electric bus for extra-curricular activities."

Large electric school buses with around 100 miles of range can cost $300,000 to $400,000, up to four times the price of a diesel-powered school bus. However, maintenance costs are lower and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently launched the Clean School Bus Program providing $5 billion over five years to replace existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models. Other companies building electric buses include Daimler via its Thomas-Built Buses division, along with Blue Bird. 

Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy Z Flip5 Retro, a limited edition version that pays homage to the iconic SGH-E700 (aka the SGH-E715 in the US on T-Mobile), which first came out 20 years ago in 2003. It comes with the same indigo blue and silver color combo as the original, along with similar pixel graphics for the clock widget on the cover screen and an exclusive cityscape-style animation on the Flex Window. It'll be sold in Korea and several countries in Europe, but not the US.  

The SGH-E700 was Samsung's first mobile phone with an integrated antenna and became a certified hit, selling more than 10 million units. The success of that phone elevated Samsung's standing in the mobile phone industry at the time, helping make it the smartphone behemoth it is today. The phone was popular enough that in 2007, Engadget noted that Samsung effectively reissued the phone with new radios as a nostalgia play, even though it was only four years old at the time. 

The Galaxy Z Flip5 Retro will include three Flipsuit cards featuring logos from different eras of Samsung’s history, a Flipsuit case and a collector card engraved with a unique serial number, the company said. It'll be available starting November 1 in Korea, the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Australia from Samsung's website.