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Simply the latest news, updated on the hour.

Thu, Jul 2, 2026, 9:16 PM EDT

Tech

AI Summary

  • The rapid advancement and widespread adoption of AI continue to be a dominant theme, with companies like Microsoft launching dedicated AI deployment firms and discussions around AI's real costs and potential job market impacts emerging from major players like Google, Amazon, and Goldman Sachs.
  • Meta is actively exploring new AI applications, launching a generative AI game app called Pocket and reportedly building its own cloud business, while also facing scrutiny regarding the pace of AI agent development.
  • The tech industry is grappling with privacy concerns and regulatory actions, as evidenced by FTC settlements, proposed bans on geolocation data sales, and ongoing debates about data consent orders, underscoring an 'American Privacy Emergency'.
  • The future of hardware and physical media is in flux, with discussions ranging from the potential demise of video game discs and the advancement of new display connections like HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort, to the introduction of new gadgets and the potential for digitizing old game formats.
  • Despite the AI frenzy, some traditional tech sectors are experiencing significant growth, with Tesla reporting a substantial jump in Q2 sales and Rivian raising its EV sales forecast, indicating continued momentum in the electric vehicle market.

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Engadget


The Verge

  • Tesla driver faces manslaughter charges over Texas crash that killed a woman inside her home 3 hours ago by Emma Roth
    Electric Cars, News, Policy, Tesla, Transportation

    The man whose Tesla struck and killed a woman inside her Texas home last month is now facing manslaughter charges, as reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal and local news outlet KHOU 11 . 44-year-old Michael Butler was arrested on Wednesday and claimed to have been driving his Model 3 using Tesla's Full-Self Driving (FSD) system at the time of the crash, according to an arrest affidavit . The court document includes the officer saying that data extraction from Butler's phone found several FSD-related Google searches from May 2026: "Tesla fsd not aggressive enough 2026 model," "tesla fsdnot [sic]

  • Meta has a new app called Pocket that is absolutely nothing like the old Pocket 4 hours ago by Jay Peters
    Apps, Meta, News, Tech

    Mozilla shut down the well-loved read-it-later Pocket app last year , and now Meta is launching an app called Pocket with an entirely different, AI-focused pitch: this new app lets you make and share little interactive "gizmos" built from an AI prompt, as reported by Business Insider . Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is all in on AI as the new social media , and he's previously described a vision of how users could use AI to make interactive experiences and share them with people. The launch of Pocket appears to be one manifestation of that idea, and it follows Meta

  • The best July 4th sales we found so far 5 hours ago by Cameron Faulkner
    Deals, Gadgets, Verge Shopping

    July 4th sales are typically a precursor to what we’d see during a mid-July Prime Day, but obviously things are flipped around this year. Last week’s big Prime Day sale is over, yet there are a number of familiar deals still poking around in the week leading up to the nation’s birthday. Best Buy is hosting its own 4th of July sale, for example. And, if you’re on the hunt for tech and gear for the outdoors, REI is hosting a sale on products that will last through the week. There are even some Apple deals you can get, some

  • Weber marks down grills and griddles to their best prices ever for July 4th 7 hours ago by Brad Bourque
    Deals, Gadgets, Verge Shopping

    The Weber Spirit E-325 grill with three burners. | Image: Weber If our recent Decoder interview with Weber Blackstone CEO Roger Dahle has you craving freshly grilled meats or veggies, Weber just so happens to have a variety of grills, smokers, griddles, and accessories selling at big discounts ahead of the July 4th holiday. It makes a bunch of models, but we’ve landed on a range of grills and griddles at varying price points. Weber is cheaper than other retailers by about $50 on most of these picks, but we’ve noted where you may be able to find them at

  • The video game disc is dead 9 hours ago by David Pierce
    Apple, Gadgets, Gaming, Podcasts, Tech, Vergecast

    For decades, to be a gamer was to accumulate a lot of stuff. Consoles, controllers, accessories, weird VR gloves that never worked properly, but mostly the games themselves. Over the years, games have come in every shape and size you can imagine. And now that era appears to be ending. On this episode of The Vergecast , David and Nilay talk about Sony's plan to end production of PlayStation discs , Microsoft's ongoing strategy for digitizing games , and in general the end of physical game media. It all makes a certain kind of business sense - and these companies


Wired


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