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Tech

AI Summary

  • The FTC has upheld a ban on stalkerware founder Scott Zuckerman, impacting his unrelated business operations and marking a significant enforcement action against privacy violations in the tech industry.
  • SoftBank and Nvidia are reportedly in negotiations to fund Skild AI, which is gaining traction for creating a versatile foundation model for robotics, indicating continued interest in AI-driven hardware startups.
  • Waymo's autonomous taxi service has seen significant growth, revealing a rising demand for robotaxi services as it expands its ride offerings well beyond previous figures.
  • Nvidia has received approval from the Department of Commerce to export its H200 AI chips to China, amidst legislative efforts in Congress to restrict such exports, highlighting ongoing tensions and competition in the AI hardware space.
  • The launch of AI features across various platforms is on the rise, exemplified by Google’s AI try-on app enabling e-commerce and Anthropic's Claude Code integration into Slack, illustrating a shift toward AI-enhanced user experiences across industries.

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Engadget

  • Letterboxd Video Store's first film rentals will be available this week 5 hours ago by Anna Washenko
    Movies, Media, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko

    Letterboxd has introduced its first wave of exclusive digital film rentals for the company’s previously announced Letterboxd Video Store. The inaugural collection is themed Unreleased Gems and includes four movies that received awards or acclaim during a film festival. The titles will be available to watch from Letterboxd from December 10 through January 9. Each film is limited to certain geographic markets and the prices will also vary both by title and country. The Unreleased Gems rental titles include It Ends, a mystery-horror that played at SXSW 2025; Sore: A Wife From the Future, which received eight nominations at the 2025

  • Congress removes right to repair language from 2026 defense bill 6 hours ago by Anna Washenko
    Politics & Government, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko

    According to a statement from the Public Interest Research Group, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 has removed language that would have granted the US military the right to repair its own equipment rather than requiring it to use official defense contractors for maintenance. This bill is still being considered by Congress, but it is uncertain whether the right to repair language is likely to be re-introduced once it has been removed.  "Despite support from Republicans, Democrats, the White House and key military leaders, troops will keep waiting for repairs they could perform themselves," US PIRG Legislative Associate

  • Katsuhiro Harada is leaving Bandai Namco after 30 years 7 hours ago by Anna Washenko
    Media, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko

    Katsuhiro Harada is departing Bandai Namco at the end of 2025. He announced the news both with a farewell note shared on X and, in possibly the coolest exit ever, with an hour-long DJ mix. Harada's 30-year career has most closely been involved with Tekken and he's a familiar face in the fighting game community. He began as a voice actor in the original Tekken game and continued to do so even as he became a director for the series. He has worked on other Bandai Namco titles as a producer, both in and out of the fighting genre. "Each project

  • An AI copycat of King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard went unnoticed on Spotify for weeks 7 hours ago by Anna Washenko
    Music, Media, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko

    Despite making some moves to address the proliferation of AI-generated audio on its platform, Spotify failed to catch a copycat making imitations of music by King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. The long-running experimental rock band from Australia, has been a vocal critic of Spotify and was one of several artists that took their music off the platform in the summer. The move was in response to the discovery that outgoing CEO Daniel Ek was a leading investor in an AI-focused weapons and military company. Today, a poster on Reddit was recommended what appeared to be an AI-generated copy of

  • Google and Apple partner on better Android-iPhone switching 8 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 and Apple have long existed as polar opposites, each ruling over their tech kingdoms with little interest in cooperation. But the latest build of Android's Canary operating system hints at an unusual instance of collaboration between the brands, with a new feature that seems aimed at making data transfer simpler between Android and iOS mobile device during the setup phase. It is expected to also be available in a future developer beta of iOS 26.  A representative for Google confirmed that the report from 9to5Google on this development is accurate, but didn't provide any additional details on how the transfer


The Verge

  • Here are the best Apple Watch deals available right now 6 hours ago
    Apple, Deals, Gadgets, Report, Roundup, Smartwatch, Tech, Verge Shopping, Wearable

    The Apple Watch Series 11 is the most affordable it’s ever been. | Photo: Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Apple recently launched its latest fleet of smartwatches, including the Apple Watch Series 11, the SE 3, and the Ultra 3. Each wearable offers something a little different (their prices indicate their breadth of features), and we’re already starting to see big price drops. Additionally, we’re still recommending some recent predecessors in Apple’s portfolio, including the Series 10 and Ultra 2, for which discounts are fairly common. 1. Featured Products 2. Apple Watch Series 11 deals 3. Apple Watch Series 10

  • The best robot vacuum and mop to buy right now 6 hours ago by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
    Buying Guides, Gadgets, Reviews, Smart Home, Smart Home Reviews, Tech, Verge Shopping

    Robot vacuums that can both mop and sweep your floors have improved significantly in recent years. While they are still not as effective as good ol’ manual labor, if you run them regularly, they will help keep your floors cleaner with much less effort on your part. The difference is that newer “combo” robot vacuum and mop models are designed to actually scrub your floors. The first robot vacuums that could also “mop” simply slapped a thin, flat microfiber pad on the bot that kind of Swiffer-ed your floor. Basically, all this was good for was getting up fine dirt that

  • The best iPad deals you can get right now 7 hours ago
    Apple, Deals, Gadgets, iPad, Tech, Verge Shopping

    Apple’s latest iPad Pro is only a few months old, but you can already save $100 on the 11-inch base model. | Photo: Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge While the best iPad deals usually land during major sale events like Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day, many great iPad deals are available outside of those times. The day-to-day discounts come and go like changing winds, so there’s often some amount to be saved, particularly on Apple’s most affordable iPad, the iPad Mini, and the latest iPad Air. As for the iPad Pro, Apple just introduced a new model with an M5

  • The 34 best gifts that your teen will actually use 8 hours ago by Sheena Vasani
    Gadgets, Gift Guides, Tech, Verge Shopping

    Between keeping up with TikTok trends and whatever new gadget just dropped, it's tough to know exactly what teens are into these days. Luckily, we can help. We may be older than teenagers, but many of us here at The Verge are kids at heart. Plus, we've also got a few staffers with older kids. To make your life a little easier this holiday season, we rounded up what we think are the best gifts for teens, based on our tech expertise as well as what our staff's teens are into right now. Below, you'll find gift ideas for many types

  • The Apple Watch Series 11 just got a big $100 discount ahead of the holidays 10 hours ago by Brandon Russell
    Apple, Deals, Gadgets, Smartwatch, Tech, Verge Shopping, Wearable

    The discount brings the price down to $299 ($100 off). | Image: The Verge We thought Black Friday and Cyber Monday would bring the lowest prices of the year, but apparently not. Right now, you can snag Apple’s Watch Series 11 in the 42mm configuration with GPS for a new all-time low of $299 ($100 off) at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy. That beats the $70 discount we saw at the beginning of the month, which means if you didn’t take advantage then, you can save even more now. The 46mm model with GPS is also down to its lowest price


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