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Tech

AI Summary

  • Artificial intelligence is rapidly expanding across industries, drawing significant national investment from countries like India, while simultaneously facing legal challenges over data use and copyright, and raising ethical concerns about content and "AI-washing" in layoffs.
  • Elon Musk's ventures, including SpaceX and xAI, are pursuing ambitious space-based data center projects and exploring corporate mergers, while Blue Origin has shifted its focus from space tourism to developing lunar landers.
  • Apple posted a record quarter for iPhone sales, is reportedly exploring new hardware like foldable iPhones, and is actively acquiring companies to enhance its artificial intelligence capabilities.
  • The tech industry is navigating increased regulatory and legal scrutiny, including a major privacy settlement for Google, copyright infringement lawsuits against AI firms, and ongoing debates about data sourcing and content moderation.
  • Autonomous vehicle technology continues its rollout, with Waymo expanding services to airports, but the sector also faces ongoing safety investigations following incidents involving robotaxis.

TechCrunch


Hacker News


Engadget

  • Apex Legends won't be playable on Nintendo Switch after its next season 9 hours ago by Cheyenne MacDonald
    Media, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Cheyenne MacDonald

    Apex Legends developer Respawn said it's ending Nintendo Switch support for the game this summer, with the release of Season 30. After that point, it'll work with the Switch 2 and all other currently supported platforms, but not the original Switch. "Season 29 will be the final update for Apex Legends on Nintendo Switch," the team wrote in a post on X. > Hey legends, we want to share an important update about Apex Legends on the Nintendo Switch. > > Season 29 will be the final update for Apex Legends on Nintendo Switch. Future seasons of Apex Legends will continue to

  • Apple is already thinking about its second foldable iPhone, and it may be a clamshell 11 hours ago by Jackson Chen
    Technology & Electronics, Handheld & Connected Devices, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen

    We may not have a concrete release date for the first foldable iPhone, but Apple may already be looking into a smaller device that will follow it up. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is exploring a "square, clamshell-style foldable phone," with the caveat that this potential device is "far from guaranteed to reach the market" and only "under consideration" right now. If this eventually leads to a smaller foldable iPhone, that means Apple believes it can compete against existing options on the market, including Samsung's latest Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Motorola's revamped Razr foldable. Gurman's report also signaled that

  • Apple's online store now lets you build a new Mac exactly the way you want 12 hours ago by Jackson Chen
    Software, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen

    Just like buying a new iPhone through Apple's online store, you now select each spec of your new Mac device when purchasing through the website. As first spotted by MacWorld, Apple updated its online configuration tool for purchasing a Mac. Compared to the previous design that allowed you to pick between several prebuilt options, the new configurator lets you choose one spec after another instead. It's not a major difference compared to choosing between preconfigured options, but interested buyers have more customization since they can select the color, display, chip, memory, storage and even power adapter. The updated page also gives

  • Indonesia is lifting its ban on Grok, but with some conditions 13 hours ago by Jackson Chen
    Politics & Government, Society & Culture, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen

    Grok is once again available in Indonesia, after the country lifted its ban on the AI chatbot that was seen generating millions of sexualized deepfakes, thousands of which included children. The country's Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs released a statement earlier today, which said X is allowed to resume service in Indonesia but will be subject to monitoring for any future violations. According to the Indonesian government agency, X provided a letter that detailed several implemented measures that prevent the misuse of its Grok chatbot. Alexander Sabar, the ministry’s director general of digital space supervision, said in the statement that

  • How to replace your AirTag battery 18 hours ago by Georgie Peru
    Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Georgie Peru

    Apple’s AirTag is designed to run quietly in the background, helping you keep track of everyday items like keys, bags and luggage. Unlike many small trackers, an AirTag doesn’t need to be charged. Instead, it uses a standard replaceable coin cell battery that typically lasts around a year, depending on usage. When the battery runs low, your iPhone will alert you. Replacing it is a simple process that takes just a few minutes and doesn’t require any tools. This guide explains how to tell when your AirTag battery needs replacing, which battery to use and how to swap it safely. HOW TO


The Verge

  • Bill Gates says accusations contained in Epstein files are ‘absolutely absurd’ 12 hours ago by Terrence O’Brien
    Microsoft, News, Tech

    Reports of Bill Gates' connections with Jeffrey Epstein grow more lurid with each dump of documents from the Department of Justice. The latest includes somewhat confusing emails that Epstein may have been drafting on behalf of someone named Boris, who worked at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The messages claim that Bill contracted an STD and wanted to "surreptitiously" give Melinda antibiotics. It also claims that Bill had "trysts" with married women and "Russian girls." In a statement to Business Insider, a spokesperson for Bill Gates said: > "These claims are absolutely absurd and completely false. The only thing these documents

  • Shedding light on Iran’s longest internet blackout 12 hours ago by Sarah Jeong
    AI, Interview, Policy, Report, Speech

    After protests broke out in early January, the Iranian regime shut down the internet, starting the longest blackout in Iranian history. Despite this attempt to stop the protests from spreading, they did not stop. Still, the internet shutdown slowed down the spread of information both inside and outside Iran. Behind the heavily policed borders and the jammed signals, an unprecedented wave of state violence continues to add to a death toll somewhere between 3,000 and 30,000. Even at the lowest count, which has been acknowledged by the Iranian state and is likely a wild underestimate, these last few weeks have been

  • You need to listen to M83’s icy post-rock record Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts 13 hours ago by Terrence O’Brien
    Column, Entertainment, Music, Music Review

    New York City got hit with a hell of a snowstorm last week. And, inevitably, when I'm watching the snow fall, wandering the oddly quiet streets after dark, people hiding inside and staying warm, I put on M83's sophomore record, Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts. Before Nicolas Fromageau left the band and Anthony Gonzalez embraced traditional pop song structures, saxophone solos, and teen angst, M83 released two albums of mostly instrumental music. The self-titled debut album is kind of forgettable, but the second one finds the French duo taking inspiration from the repetitive bombast of Mogwai and Godspeed You!

  • This tiny pocket-friendly e-reader is packed with frustration and potential 15 hours ago by Andrew Liszewski
    Gadgets, Hands-on, Reviews, Tech

    I've used and reviewed dozens of e-readers over the years, but the 5-inch Kobo Mini remains my favorite for one simple reason: It was small. While it lacked useful features like screen lighting and page turn buttons, its size made it an e-reader I actually wanted to carry every day. The $69 Xteink X4 e-reader is even smaller than the Kobo Mini and E Ink smartphones like Boox Palma. It's satisfyingly pocketable but also frustratingly unintuitive and functionally limited out of the box. That could be a deal-breaker were it not for a growing community of users working to improve

  • I don’t hate the robot barista like I thought I would 16 hours ago by Allison Johnson
    Report, Robot, Tech

    It’s so embarrassing when a robot is better than you at latte art. | Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge In Seattle, the only thing we love more than coffee is our coffee shops. On a six-block walk I pass at least a half dozen, each with their own vibe: one focused on chai, another inside a yoga studio, a Starbucks that's surprisingly busy for late afternoon downtown. I passed them all up to get to one shop in particular, where a barista named Jarvis would address me by name and make me a thoroughly decent latte with rose-flavored syrup - nothing


Wired


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