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Tech

AI Summary

  • AI is seeing massive investment for diverse applications, from creative tools to enterprise solutions, but this rapid expansion is accompanied by serious concerns about data privacy, security flaws, and ethical implications, prompting increased regulatory attention.
  • Several major data breaches and privacy incidents have been reported, affecting nearly a million customers at a fintech giant and exposing confidential client emails through a Microsoft AI tool, highlighting persistent cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
  • The consumer tech market is active with new product releases, including Google's latest budget Pixel smartphone, significant app updates like Audible's ebook-audiobook sync, and platforms like Snapchat achieving major subscription growth.
  • Regulatory bodies and legal systems are increasingly scrutinizing tech companies, leading to lawsuits over intellectual property, challenges to market operations, and investigations into platform safety and content moderation practices.
  • Strategic funding continues to flow into AI and climate-tech startups, while established players are making business adjustments, facing supply chain constraints affecting product availability, and navigating broader economic shifts.

TechCrunch


Hacker News


Engadget

  • Nevada sues Kalshi for operating a sports gambling market without a license an hour ago by Will Shanklin
    Politics & Government, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Will Shanklin

    Nevada is taking action against the rapidly growing Wild West of prediction markets. The state's gambling regulators and attorney general sued Kalshi on Tuesday. They accuse the company of bypassing Nevada law by operating a sports gambling market without proper licenses. In addition, they say Kalshi provides services to individuals under 21, which violates state law. The lawsuit follows a federal appeals court’s rejection of Kalshi's request to prevent the state from pursuing legal action. And it comes a day after the Trump administration claimed that only the federal government has the right to enforce the industry. Prediction markets, which allow users

  • Here's what to expect at Apple's product launch event on March 4 an hour ago by Lawrence Bonk
    Technology & Electronics, Handheld & Connected Devices, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Lawrence Bonk

    Apple has scheduled a product launch event, dubbed an "Apple Experience", for March 4 at 9AM ET. The company is reportedly holding this event in NYC, London and Shanghai. Everyone loves shiny new products, so what can we expect to see at Apple's first launch event of 2026? We don't know anything for certain, but we have plenty of educated guesses that have been sourced from industry reports and speculation from analysts. BUDGET-FRIENDLY MACBOOK There have been rumors swirling that Apple is preparing to launch a cheaper alternative to the MacBook Air. Bloomberg reported on this all the way back in November. Industry

  • Spotify debuts SeatGeek integration for concert ticket sales 3 hours ago by Andre Revilla
    Software, Media, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Andre Revilla

    Ticketing marketplace SeatGeek has announced a partnership with Spotify that will direct an artist's fans to its platform from the Spotify app. The integration is currently limited to a few participating venues for which SeatGeek is the primary ticket seller. While SeatGeek is one of the largest online marketplaces for the secondary ticketing market, the company's announcement makes clear that this Spotify integration only applies to venues where it's the primary ticketing company. For now, that's just 15 US partner venues, primarily professional sports arenas like AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Spotify has experimented with direct ticket sales in the past, but

  • Google Pixel 10a vs. Pixel 9a: What's changed and which one should you buy? 4 hours ago by Georgie Peru
    Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Georgie Peru

    Now that pre-orders are open for the Google Pixel 10a, it’s time to see how it stacks up against last year’s Pixel 9a. At first glance, the two phones look very similar, and that’s not a bad thing. Google hasn’t tried to reinvent its budget-friendly formula this year, sticking to the same compact design, clean software experience and camera-first approach that made the 9a such a good value. Both phones share a lot in common, including 120Hz OLED displays, Google’s Tensor G4 chip, strong computational photography and seven years of OS and security updates. The actual differences are more incremental, including

  • Google's $500 Pixel 10a smartphone arrives on March 5 4 hours ago by Anna Washenko
    Technology & Electronics, Handheld & Connected Devices, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko

    Google debuted the Pixel 10a phone today. Pre-orders are open now and the smartphone will be available starting March 5. Although it's the new 2026 addition to the A series lineup, the Pixel 10a invites many comparisons with last year's Pixel 9a. For starters, the price is identical at $499. Design-wise, not much as changed. The back of the phone can lay flat, which has become a hallmark of the Pixel A collection, rather than wobbling around on a bulky camera housing. The screen is still 6.3 inches with an Actua display. The phone's insides are also the same; the 10a


The Verge

  • Microsoft is bringing a built-in network speed test to Windows 11 an hour ago by Emma Roth
    Microsoft, News, Tech, Windows

    Microsoft is working on a bunch of new features for Windows 11, including a new network speed test that you can access from your taskbar. The tool is bundled in an update rolling out to Windows 11 Insiders in the Release Preview Channel, allowing you to right-click the network icon in the system tray to access a speed test option that opens in your default browser. From there, you can check how fast your connection is over Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or cellular data. Microsoft first started testing this feature last year, and it could offer a convenient alternative to checking your connection

  • Ken Watanabe didn’t think a kabuki movie would work an hour ago by Andrew Webster
    Entertainment, Film, Interview, Report

    A three-hour-long period drama about kabuki, a centuries-old form of Japanese theater, doesn't exactly sound like box office gold. But that's exactly what happened with Kokuho. Director Lee Sang-il's adaptation of the Shuichi Yoshida novel of the same name was a surprise hit last year, becoming Japan's top-grossing live-action film domestically. But star Ken Watanabe - a veteran actor known for Hollywood movies like Inception and Detective Pikachu - initially didn't think it was a good idea. He loved the novel, but worried that the art form wouldn't translate well to film. "'Don't do that,'" he remembers telling Sang-il when he

  • Acer’s Chromebook Plus Spin 514 is $200 off, marking a new low price 2 hours ago by Sheena Vasani
    Deals, Gadgets, Tech, Verge Shopping

    Acer’s Chromebook Plus Spin 514 is an excellent 2-in-1. | Image: The Verge If you want a Chromebook that can double as a tablet when you need it to, Acer’s Chromebook Plus Spin 514 is one of the better 2-in-1s on the market. And you can buy it with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for $499 ($200 off), which is a new low price, at Best Buy until the end of today, February 18th.  ACER CHROMEBOOK PLUS SPIN 514 (2025) WHERE TO BUY: * $699 $499 at Best Buy * $799.99 $769.99 at Acer Powered by the Kompanio Ultra 910 processor, the

  • Are Elon Musk’s Mars plans finally coming back down to Earth? 2 hours ago by Georgina Torbet
    Blue Origin, Business, Report, Science, Space, SpaceX

    Maybe you've heard, but Elon Musk is apparently a Moon fan now. He has historically been the ultimate cheerleader for human missions to Mars, and as recently as last year, he said his aim was to go straight to the red planet and that the Moon was "a distraction." Now, he has apparently changed his mind, announcing that SpaceX has shifted focus to building a city on the Moon. Within the space science community, this news about the Moon has largely been met with eye rolls, primarily because so many have become jaded toward Musk's overly ambitious plans and wildly unrealistic

  • Audible syncs ebook reading and audiobook listening to keep you focused 2 hours ago by Stevie Bonifield
    Amazon, Books, Entertainment, News, Tech

    On Wednesday, Audible launched a new "immersion reading" feature that could help readers concentrate on their audiobooks by allowing them to read along with the ebook version. While listening to an audiobook in the Audible app, users can tap the "Read & Listen" button above their book's cover art to see the text version of what they're listening to. As the audio plays, the text is highlighted in sync. The option to read and listen at the same time could help improve reading comprehension for readers who struggle to stay focused on their books. It could also be useful for people


Wired


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