Minimalist News

Simply the latest news, updated on the hour.

Tech

AI Summary

  • Ozlo's Sleepbuds are poised for a significant year with the introduction of AI features to enhance sleep tracking and user experience, indicating a trend towards health-focused technology in wearables.
  • Meta has expanded its energy initiatives by signing agreements with three nuclear power companies to secure 6.6 gigawatts of power for its data centers, reflecting a growing emphasis on sustainable energy sources in tech infrastructure.
  • Elon Musk's AI venture, Grok, has faced backlash for its image generation feature aimed at paying subscribers, highlighting ongoing concerns about the ethical implications of AI-generated content and user safety on social media platforms.
  • Anthropic has successfully secured its first enterprise partnership with Allianz as AI gains traction in corporate environments, indicating a shift towards integrating advanced AI systems in various business operations.
  • The CES 2026 event showcased a notable shift towards "physical AI" technologies with companies unveiling robotics and automation tools, emphasizing the growing importance of tangible AI applications beyond traditional software solutions.

Powered by OpenAI

TechCrunch


Hacker News


Engadget

  • The Morning After: The best of CES 2026 2 hours ago by Mat Smith
    Smart Phones, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Mat Smith

    We’re wrapping up coverage of the biggest tech show in the world. CES 2026 is almost over, and while we have more stories and wrap-ups to come, here are the most interesting products we’ve spotted, written about and critiqued/praised. That includes our picks for the best of CES. We gave out 15 awards as well as our best of show, and you might be surprised by some of our picks — I know I was. Read on for some of the best things to come out of Las Vegas this week, but first up, our Best of the Best winner, which

  • WhatsApp might soon be subject to stricter scrutiny under the EU's Digital Services Act 2 hours ago by Ian Carlos Campbell
    Software, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell

    Meta's messaging app WhatsApp could soon be subject to deeper scrutiny (and punishment) under the European Commission's Digital Services Act, Reuters reports. Because the app's broadcasting feature WhatsApp Channels grew to around 51.7 million average monthly active users in the European Union in the first six months of 2025, the feature has crossed the 45-million-person barrier that lets DSA rules apply. A platform is designated as a "very large online platform" or VLOP once it has 45 million monthly users or more, according to the European Commission. Once an app or service passes that amount, it's subject to the DSA and

  • ExpressVPN two-year plans are up to 78 percent off right now 3 hours ago by Andre Revilla
    Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Andre Revilla

    ExpressVPN is back on sale again, and its two-year plans are up to 78 percent off right now. You can get the Advanced tier for $101 for 28 months. This is marked down from the $392 that this time frame normally costs. On a per-month basis, it works out to roughly $3.59 for the promo period. We’ve consistently liked ExpressVPN because it’s fast, easy to use and widely available across a large global server network. In fact, it's our current pick for best premium VPN. One of the biggest drawbacks has always been its high cost, and this deal temporarily solves

  • CES: So very big, so little sustainability tech 3 hours ago by Amy Skorheim
    Renewable Energy & Energy Saving, Environment, Nature & Environment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Amy Skorheim

    Every third booth at CES showed off some new AI product or other. If you wanted to find a robotic lawn mower, throw a rock. Humanoid robots, smart locks and super thin TVs were everywhere. But if you went looking for sustainability products, you’re going to have to hunt a bit. Last year, the Sustainability section at the Las Vegas Convention Center had 20 booths. This year, there were 38, but that’s in part due to the combination of the energy and sustainability categories. So exhibitors like South Korea’s largest electric utility company, a nuclear power company from the same country

  • CES 2026 proved the PC industry is hosed this year 4 hours ago by Devindra Hardawar
    Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Devindra Hardawar

    Dell's XPS 14 now costs over $2,000. An AMD executive predicts that PC builders will likely make piecemeal upgrades this year, instead of building entirely new systems. And new AI supercomputers from NVIDIA and AMD are gobbling up the RAM market. At CES 2026, it was hard not to notice the dire year ahead for the computing industry, one that will likely lead to higher prices and more limited availability for consumer goods across the board. Really, though, the show just confirmed what was apparent since RAM prices skyrocketed over the last few months, driven by demand from AI datacenters. As


The Verge

  • Did you know that Gmail has emoji reactions? 44 minutes ago by Emma Roth
    Google, News, Tech

    Google rolled out emoji reactions to personal Gmail accounts a little over two years ago, and I completely forgot about it until now - probably because the option is hidden within a small, smiley face icon beside the Forward button. But now, Google is bringing emoji reactions to all Workspace users by default on February 9th, reminding me of their existence (and all the times I could've replied with a "thumbs-up" instead of a full-blown message). Selecting the inconspicuous smiley face button displays a range of emoji you can use in place of a written response. If your recipient is another

  • Scenes from the anti-ICE march in New York City an hour ago
    Policy, Politics, Report

    On Thursday evening in Manhattan's Financial District, hundreds of protesters braved the cold to protest US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), after an agent fatally shot a woman at close range on Wednesday. Earlier that day, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's visit to One World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan sparked protests outside the building. The day before, Noem had described Good's actions as an "act of domestic terrorism." The public video footage, in which Good appears to wave agents past her car and then begin to drive away, paints a starkly different picture. The moment when an ICE agent

  • The latest on Grok’s gross AI deepfakes problem 2 hours ago by Verge Staff
    AI, Elon Musk, Law, News, Policy, Tech, Twitter - X, xAI

    The launch of an AI image editing feature on xAI’s Grok has caused chaos on X after it was used to generate a flood of nonconsensual sexualized deepfakes. As Hayden Field wrote, “screenshots show Grok complying with requests to put real women in lingerie and make them spread their legs, and to put small children in bikinis.” UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the deepfakes “disgusting,” saying, “X need[s] to get their act together and get this material down. And we will take action on this because it’s simply not tolerable.” X has slightly restricted the feature by requiring a paid

  • Meta expands nuclear power ambitions to include Bill Gates’ startup 3 hours ago by Jess Weatherbed
    AI, Energy, Meta, News, Science, Tech

    Meta has forged agreements with three nuclear power providers in an effort to secure the vast amount of electricity it needs to power AI data centers. The agreements with TerraPower (which is backed by Bill Gates), Oklo (backed by Sam Altman), and Vistra are expected to deliver 6.6 gigawatts of energy for Meta's projects by 2035 - which is enough energy to power Ireland. These AI projects include Prometheus, the first of several supercluster computing systems, which is expected to come online in New Albany, Ohio, sometime this year. Meta is funding the construction of new nuclear reactors as part of

  • Black Mirror has been renewed for another season 3 hours ago by Charles Pulliam-Moore
    Entertainment, Netflix, Streaming, TV Shows

    In an interview with Netflix's Tudum, Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker announced today that the sci-fi anthology series will be returning for an eighth season. "Well, luckily it does have a future, so I can confirm that Black Mirror will return, just in time for reality to catch up with it," Brooker said. "That chunk of my brain has already been activated and is whirring away." Brooker didn't go into detail about what kinds of new Black Mirror stories he plans to tell next, but he explained how thinks of each season as an album made up of different kinds of songs. "Our


Wired


Looking for more? Search Google News