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Simply the latest news, updated on the hour.

Sat, Jun 20, 2026, 1:36 AM EDT

Tech

AI Summary

  • The tech industry is experiencing a significant push in AI integration, with major players like Google and Ambani exploring its use in everyday applications, while startups like Baseten are raising substantial funding rounds.
  • Robotics and autonomous systems are gaining traction, evidenced by Hyundai's acquisition of Boston Dynamics, advancements in robotaxis by companies like Go, and innovations in AI for robot control.
  • Hardware and chip technology remain a focal point, with Amazon aiming to compete with Nvidia, ASML facing scrutiny over chip tool exports to China, and considerations around component costs impacting product releases like Nothing's CMF phone.
  • Concerns around AI ethics, safety, and regulation are prominent, including government actions like the Anthropic ban, restrictions on AI in schools, and lawsuits alleging false promises regarding self-driving features in vehicles.
  • The market for consumer tech is seeing diverse trends, from the resurgence of retro devices like old iPods and advancements in display technology like e-ink frames, to the evolving landscape of smart home devices and the challenges of implementing new features like augmented reality in wearables.

TechCrunch

  • He made your free video player run smoothly. Now he’s doing that for robots. 6 hours ago by Anna Heim
    Startups, IoT, Kyber, open source software, physical ai, VLC

    French serial entrepreneur and open-source legend Jean-Baptiste Kempf has been building Kyber, an infrastructure layer to control remote devices in real time.

  • From PGP to Mythos: a brief history of export controls that didn’t stop anyone 8 hours ago by Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai
    AI, Security, Anthropic, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, export controls, infosec, Mythos, Spyware

    For the last 30 years, stopping the flow of cybersecurity-related software has proven to be ineffective. It's unclear why it would work now with Anthropic’s cybersecurity model Mythos.

  • Go eyes robotaxis and acquisitions after Japan’s biggest IPO of 2026. Here’s why it matters 9 hours ago by Kate Park
    Apps, Transportation, Go, initial public offering, Japan, taxi hailing

    Go’s IPO — Japan’s biggest so far this year — has done more than provide a much-needed boost to the country’s languishing listing season. It has also supplied the taxi-hailing app with the capital required to address an existential issue: Japan’s shortage of drivers. Go, which went public Tuesday, plans to use the ¥88.6 billion […]

  • Aura’s impressive e-ink photo frame doesn’t even look digital 10 hours ago by Amanda Silberling
    Hardware, aspen, aura, e-ink, Eric Jensen

    What’s the most cliche possible gift you can give a relative? A digital photo frame, displaying a rotating slideshow of family photos. Now Aura has completely refreshed this product space with its gorgeous Aura Ink frame, which uses e-ink to create a display that doesn’t even look digital. Digital frames have always been so popular […]

  • Every fusion startup that has raised over $100M 14 hours ago by Tim De Chant
    Climate, Fundraising, Startups, evergreens, fusion power, nuclear fusion

    Fusion startups have raised $7.1 billion to date, with the majority of it going to a handful of companies.


Hacker News


Engadget


The Verge

  • Nothing cancels this year’s CMF phone due to RAM prices 9 hours ago by Stevie Bonifield
    Gadgets, Mobile, News, Phones, Tech

    Nothing's next budget phone is the latest victim of RAMageddon. As 9to5Google reports, Nothing co-founder Akis Evangelidis announced in a post on X that a follow-up to the CMF Phone 2 Pro won't be coming this year: We were working on a successor but with memory prices where they are right now, we can't build a phone that feels like a genuine step forward at a price that makes sense for CMF. As a result, we've decided not to launch a new CMF phone this year. Last week, Nothing CEO and co-founder Carl Pei also said the RAM shortage has

  • NASA selects Eric Schmidt’s rocket company for a 2028 mission to Mars 12 hours ago by Stevie Bonifield
    NASA, News, Science, Space

    Relativity Space’s CEO is former Google executive Eric Schmidt. | Image: Alexander Tamargo / Getty Images Relativity Space, the rocket company led by former Google executive Eric Schmidt, was picked to launch NASA's Aeolus payload to Mars in 2028, as reported earlier by TechCrunch . Under a new public-private partnership, Relativity Space will provide the "spacecraft, rocket, and cruise operations" to fly Aeolus to Mars, where the payload will "provide the first integrated, daily, global view of Martian winds, temperatures, dust, and clouds." The Aeolus payload will have four instruments on board for studying the Martian atmosphere, which NASA says

  • Hue’s wired wall modules bring non-smart lights into its ecosystem 13 hours ago by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
    News, Smart Home, Tech

    The new Wired Wall Switch Modules fit behind existing switches. | Image: Signify Smart lighting company Philips Hue has launched its first wired wall modules . Installed behind existing wall switches, the new devices bring non-smart lights into the Hue ecosystem for the first time. Hue also announced new Play table and floor lamps that are more affordable versions of its Signe series , along with upgrades to its E14 candle bulbs that add a broader white light spectrum and Matter-over-Thread compatibility. The new lights are now available globally; however, the Wired Wall Switch Modules are Europe-only. Signify CTO George

  • The NTS Radio Player brings the best of internet radio to your hi-fi 16 hours ago by Terrence O’Brien
    Entertainment, Gadgets, Music, News, Streaming, Tech

    Have I found my Chromecast Audio replacement? | Image: NTS Radio NTS Radio and Swedish audio company Atonemo have teamed up on a dedicated player that brings NTS's genre-defying mixes and streaming stations to almost any stereo or speaker setup. And, like Atonemo's existing Streamplayer , you can also listen to your favorite streaming services with it, using AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Spotify Connect, or Tidal Connect. The $179 NTS Radio Player puts out 24-bit / 192kHz audio over a standard 3.5mm audio jack and comes with an adapter cable for connecting to RCA on your vintage hi-fi system, or

  • The film about Sam Altman has been dropped by Amazon MGM 16 hours ago by Hayden Field
    AI, News, OpenAI

    Luca Guadagnino's film about OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Artificial , has reportedly been dropped by Amazon MGM. The film, which stars Andrew Garfield and covers the rollercoaster five days in 2023 spanning Altman's termination and reinstatement as CEO, had been in the works for about a year . The cast also includes A Complete Unknown actress Monica Barbaro as OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, Ike Barinholtz as Elon Musk, and Anora 's Yura Borisov as OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever. In a statement to Deadline , the studio said it believes the movie "will be better served if it were released


Wired


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