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Tech

AI Summary

  • Elon Musk's X platform is experiencing repeated outages, with reports indicating significant downtime, raising concerns about its reliability.
  • Canada has initiated a reduction in tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), potentially signaling a shift that could lead to similar actions from the U.S. in the future.
  • YouTube has relaxed its monetization policies regarding controversial topics like self-harm and abuse, which has garnered mixed reactions from content creators and viewers.
  • In gaming, Italy is investigating Activision Blizzard for its monetization strategies in mobile games, alleging misleading practices related to in-game purchases, highlighting ongoing regulatory scrutiny in the industry.
  • AI developments continue to dominate the industry, with notable movements such as OpenAI's investment in a brain-computer interface startup and new partnerships involving the Wikimedia Foundation and major tech players, underscoring the rapid evolution and commercialization of AI technology.

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Engadget

  • How to claim Verizon's $20 credit for Wednesday's service outage 2 hours ago by Andre Revilla,Billy Steele
    Technology & Electronics, Finance, Handheld & Connected Devices, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Andre Revilla

    Verizon is offering a very small mea culpa after Wednesday's massive outage, which drew more than 1.5 million reports on Downdetector and lasted hours. Initially, the carrier posted on X that it will offer a $20 credit, but customers must redeem it in the myVerizon app. The company then said the credit could be claimed though customer service (via phone or chat), but our editors’ attempts to do so via chat were met with a message to wait for a text with further instructions. Engadget editors began receiving the texts this morning (Jan 16) with a link to redeem. From there,

  • Engadget Podcast: Why did Apple choose Gemini for next-gen Siri? 3 hours ago by Devindra Hardawar
    Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Devindra Hardawar

    Apple's next-gen Siri is still far off, but this week the company announced that it'll be using Google's Gemini AI for its new foundation models. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget's Igor Bonifacic discuss why Apple teamed up with Google again, instead of OpenAI or Anthropic. Also, they chat about Meta's Reality Lab layoffs, which is refocusing the company on AI hardware like its smart glasses. SUBSCRIBE! * iTunes * Spotify * Pocket Casts * Stitcher * Google Podcasts TOPICS * Meta announces 1000+ layoffs, closes 3 VR studios as it shifts focus to AI hardware – 2:12 * Gemini can now

  • Get $100 off Apple's Mac mini M4 desktop 3 hours ago by Sarah Fielding
    Shopping, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Sarah Fielding

    The holiday season is fully in the rear view mirror and real life is here to stay. But that doesn't mean the time for gifts is over — especially ones for yourself. You can still take advantage of great January sales on some awesome tech products. Take the Apple Mac mini M4, which is down to $500 from $599. The 17 percent discount gives you 16GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD for only about $20 more than the computer's Black Friday sale. Its beefier models are also on sale: opting for 512GB of SSD will cost you $690, down from

  • Our favorite 3-in-1 wireless charger is on sale for 32 percent off 3 hours ago by Anna Washenko
    Handheld & Connected Devices, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko

    Now that the winter holidays are well and truly past, now's the perfect time to take stock of your tech setup. If you were gifted (or gifted yourself) some new gear in December, make sure that you've got the proper accessories to keep that gear performing at its best. If a new way to power all those batteries would be a benefit, Amazon's currently running a discount on an excellent wireless charging pad. The UGREEN MagFlow Qi2 3-in-1 Charger Station 25W is on sale for $95. That's only a little bit above the lowest price we've ever seen for the

  • Netflix will give WBD movies 45-day theater exclusivity if deal goes through 3 hours ago by Matt Tate
    Movies, Media, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Matt Tate

    The fate of Warner Bros. Discovery remains the biggest story in Hollywood, with Paramount Skydance refusing to back down from its rival bid to the proposed Netflix acquisition of the company. If the Netflix deal does go through, the company’s co-chief executive, Ted Sarandos, has attempted to ease concerns around what that could mean for theaters. In an interview with The New York Times, Sarandos responded to a question about his company’s commitment to the theatrical business by insisting that he has no interest in bringing a swift end to it. "We will run that business largely like it is today,


The Verge

  • Canada is going to start importing Chinese EVs — will the US follow? an hour ago by Andrew J. Hawkins
    Electric Cars, News, Policy, Transportation

    Is the North American blockade on Chinese EVs softening? Today, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a deal with China to slash tariffs on electric vehicles in exchange for lowering duties on canola products. Canada will initially allow up to 49,000 Chinese EVs at a 6.1 percent tariff, Carney said, though the exact timeline was unclear. The news comes a few days after President Donald Trump signaled a willingness to allow Chinese EVs in the US, despite his administration's ongoing trade war with China and long-standing concerns about the potential impact on domestic automakers in the US. At an event in

  • 600,000 Trump Mobile phones sold? There’s no proof. an hour ago by Dominic Preston
    Gadgets, Mobile, Phones, Policy, Politics, Report, Social Media, Tech

    Where's the Trump phone? We're going to keep talking about it every week. We've reached out, as usual, to ask about the Trump phone's whereabouts. As usual, we're still waiting for a response. In the meantime, some impressive alleged sales figures have gone viral - but they might be too good to be true. This week, I saw something new in my regular scouring of the web for updates on the Trump phone: a repeated claim that Trump Mobile has secured nearly 600,000 preorders for the phone. With a $100 deposit per device, that would make for a tidy $60 million

  • I saw the future of retail, and it’s all AI an hour ago by Mia Sato
    AI, Business, Creators, Online Shopping, Tech

    Several people are gathered around a bleach blond man in a bright pink suit suspended in a clear plastic tube. With a microphone in front of him and a giant sign reading TALK TO ME placed above, "Mike" waits, hands clasped patiently in front of his body, to take questions from his public. "Mike" is a hologram, powered by ChatGPT and created by a company called Hypervsn. The responses "Mike" gives to audience comments and questions are on a three-ish second delay, but the stunted flow of conversation might not matter much - an attendant at the Hypervsn booth tells me

  • Kodak’s collectible Charmera is a terrible camera I somehow don’t hate an hour ago by Andrew Liszewski
    Cameras, Gadgets, Hands-on, Reviews, Tech

    It’s so cute you may overlook the Charmera’s many limitations. Like trading cards, Lego figures, and even the coveted Labubu, you don't know exactly what your Kodak Charmera camera is going to look like until you open the box. The anticipation and a $30 price tag helped the collectible camera sell out quickly and become nearly impossible to find over the holidays after its debut last September. The Charmera's not going to replace your smartphone camera, or even a decade-old point-and-shoot buried in a drawer. But it's got enough charm to earn it a place on your keyring, and enough novelty

  • This 3D-scanned insole is another example of placebo tech 3 hours ago by Victoria Song
    Column, Gadgets, Optimizer, Tech

    Why not get your custom insole engraved? This is Optimizer, a weekly newsletter sent every Friday from Verge senior reviewer Victoria Song that dissects and discusses the latest phones, smartwatches, apps, and other gizmos that swear they're going to change your life. Optimizer arrives in our subscribers' inboxes at 10AM ET. Opt in for Optimizer here. I take my feet seriously. Which was why, in December, I found myself in an office, propping my leg up on a chair as a tech startup CEO used an iPhone to scan my bare tootsies from multiple angles. No, I wasn't angling to become a saucy


Wired


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