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Simply the latest news, updated on the hour.

Sat, Apr 25, 2026, 5:33 AM EDT

Tech

AI Summary

  • The AI arms race continues with Google pledging up to $40 billion to Anthropic and Cohere acquiring a German startup to bolster its transatlantic AI capabilities.
  • Apple's future is a hot topic as Tim Cook reportedly considers stepping down, with speculation surrounding a potential 'killer AI product' needed for the company's next chapter.
  • X, formerly Twitter, is expanding its app offerings with a standalone XChat app on iOS and launching new features like custom timelines, while also facing internal shifts with the rumored closure of its Communities feature.
  • The tech industry is grappling with the fallout of AI advancements, from DeepSeek previewing new models to a startup raising $5.1 million for an AI social network and concerns over AI-designed drugs and AI tools aiding cybercrime.
  • Venture capital remains robust, with investors like Lachy Groom backing India startup Pronto at a $200 million valuation and a pre-seed round of $5.1 million raised for an AI social network.

TechCrunch


Hacker News


Engadget

  • XChat, the standalone app for messaging on X, is available on iOS now 12 hours ago by Ian Carlos Campbell
    Software, Mobile Apps, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell

    XChat, the standalone app for accessing X's messaging feature, is available to download now for iOS. X first suggested it would be stripping direct messaging from X in 2025, but at least for now, XChat is available in the original X app, the web and this new app. Based on its launch video, the new XChat app offers many of the elements of modern messaging X had already introduced to its chats feature, like the ability to delete and edit messages, block screenshots and send disappearing messages. The new XChat app also supports video and audio calls, and X claims that

  • Maine governor vetoes bill temporarily banning large data centers in the state 13 hours ago by Ian Carlos Campbell
    Politics & Government, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell

    The governor of Maine, Janet Mills, has vetoed a bill that halts the construction of large data centers in the state until the fall of 2027. While the bill passed both houses of the Maine's legislature on April 14, and Mills has suggested she'd support a temporary moratorium, the governor wanted a bill that would exempt an existing data center project in Jay, Maine. The bill specifically blocked the construction of data centers that consume 20 megawatts of power or more and directs state agencies and other entities to not issue permits unless proposed projects fall under those energy needs. Passing

  • A Battlefield movie adaptation is on the way, possibly starring Michael B. Jordan 13 hours ago by Will Shanklin
    Movies, Media, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Will Shanklin

    Have you ever noticed how Walgreens and CVS locations often end up across the street from each other? Well, Call of Duty and Battlefield have a similar thing going on. A mere eight days after the upcoming Call of Duty movie got an official premiere date, lo and behold: There's news from The Hollywood Reporter that a Battlefield movie is on the way. The project has some heavy-artillery star power attached. Oscar winner Michael B. Jordan (Sinners) is slated to produce and possibly star in the film. Meanwhile, Christopher McQuarrie of Mission Impossible fame is set to write, direct and produce.

  • The DOJ is backing xAI in its lawsuit against Colorado 14 hours ago by Ian Carlos Campbell
    Politics & Government, Civil Rights, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell

    The Department of Justice has announced that it's intervening on the behalf of xAI in the company's recent lawsuit against the state of Colorado. xAI first filed the suit in early April in response to a recent Colorado law that requires developers of "high-risk" AI systems (for example, ones used in healthcare, employment or housing) to both disclose and mitigate the risk of algorithmic discrimination in their systems. The law is set to go into effect in June, and the DOJ is now asking a Colorado District Court to declare it unconstitutional. In xAI's original argument, Colorado Bill SB24-205 violated the

  • What you need to know as Elon Musk's lawsuit against Sam Altman begins 15 hours ago by Igor Bonifacic
    Company Legal & Law Matters, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Igor Bonifacic

    In a few short days, jury selection will begin in the long-awaited Musk v. Altman case. At the end of that process, an Oakland federal court will task nine regular people with deciding if OpenAI defrauded Elon Musk when it announced, and recently completed, its reorganization to become a more traditional for-profit business. More than just being the venue where two billionaires will air their grievances against one another in public, the trial has the potential to reshape the AI industry. HOW DID WE GET HERE? Musk first sued OpenAI in 2024, but the seed of the dispute was planted when Sam


The Verge

  • Microsoft will let you pause Windows Updates indefinitely, 35 days at a time 13 hours ago by Stevie Bonifield
    Microsoft, News, Tech, Windows

    Windows users will no longer be forced to run automatic updates in the middle of a game or a busy day. Microsoft is rolling out some long-awaited changes to Windows Update to users on its Dev and Experimental Windows Insider channels, including the ability to indefinitely delay updates up to 35 days at a time. Last month, Microsoft announced a slew of upcoming changes to improve Windows 11 and address some of users' most common complaints about the platform. Chief among the company's planned fixes was making updates less disruptive. In its blog post on Friday, Microsoft says you'll be able

  • Alex Jones has uncovered another massive conspiracy 14 hours ago by Mia Sato
    Culture, Entertainment, Internet Culture, News

    Alex Jones is onto something. | Photo by Joe Buglewicz / Getty Images Alex Jones may soon lose Infowars, the digital perch that he's used for decades to traffic in conspiracy theories, to The Onion, the satirical newspaper. But not before he's uncovered something truly dastardly: comedian Tim Heidecker's past (publicly available) work. "The Onion newspaper has been rocked by the discovery that their new creative director, produced pro pedo/child kidnapping, torture and murder programs," Jones wrote on X on Friday. "Below is an actual mug shot of the creep.." he continued. Included in the post is a fake mugshot of Heidecker

  • The person who allegedly leaked Paramount’s new Avatar movie has been arrested 14 hours ago by Charles Pulliam-Moore
    Entertainment, Film, Streaming, TV Shows

    Following Paramount Skydance's move to launch an investigation into how its upcoming Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender animated feature leaked onto the internet, a suspect has been taken into custody by police. The Straits Times reports Singaporean police have arrested a 26-year-old man who is alleged to have uploaded the new Avatar movie (previously titled The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender) online after accessing a server where the project was being held ahead of its scheduled October 9th premiere on Paramount Plus. According to the authorities, a copy of the entire movie was found on the suspect's electronic devices. If

  • BMW is one step closer to selling you a color-changing car 16 hours ago by Andrew Liszewski
    BMW, Cars, Gadgets, News, Tech, Transportation

    It’s not quite the color-changing car that’s been teased, but BMW’s new BMW iX3 Flow Edition brings us closer. | Image: BMW At CES 2022, BMW debuted its BMW iX Flow concept car that could dynamically change its appearance using the same grayscale E Ink panels found in e-readers like the Kindle. It was followed by the BMW i Vision Dee concept and the BMW i5 Flow Nostokana that were both upgraded with color E Ink panels. Its latest concept, the BMW iX3 Flow Edition announced at the 2026 Beijing Auto Show, might look slightly less ambitious but it takes a

  • Google’s handsome Pixel Watch 4 is on sale for $40 off in both size configurations 16 hours ago by Brandon Widder
    Deals, Fitness, Gadgets, Google, Google Pixel, Smartwatch, Tech, Verge Shopping, Wearable

    Spring has sprung, as they say, and to mark the occasion, Google is running a spring-centric promo until Sunday, April 26th. The limited-time discounts apply to a number of Google’s first-party devices, from the Pixel 10 Pro to the Pixel Buds Pro 2, as well as the wearables like the Pixel Watch 4. In fact, Google’s latest watch is on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and the Google Store in its 41mm / Wi-Fi configuration starting at $309.99 ($40 off) — or in the 45mm config for $359.99 ($40 off) — which is one of the better prices we’ve seen


Wired


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