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Simply the latest news, updated on the hour.

Mon, Apr 20, 2026, 3:33 PM EDT

Tech

AI Summary

  • The tech industry is grappling with significant security breaches, with North Korean hackers allegedly responsible for a massive $290 million crypto theft and app hosting service Vercel confirming a hack that led to customer data being stolen.
  • Artificial intelligence continues its rapid integration and disruption, evident in Deezer reporting that 44% of daily song uploads are AI-generated, while OpenAI faces "existential questions" and tech CEOs envision AI enabling constant presence.
  • Space exploration faced setbacks as Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket malfunctioned, placing a customer satellite in the wrong orbit, prompting an FAA investigation, although the company did achieve a successful reuse of a New Glenn booster.
  • The cybersecurity landscape is complex, with reports of the NSA utilizing Anthropic's AI model 'Mythos' despite potential Pentagon conflicts, and Mastodon and Bluesky experiencing DDoS attacks causing server outages.
  • AI's influence extends to user services, with WhatsApp testing a premium subscription for cosmetic features and Palantir releasing a manifesto that critics likened to 'comic book villain ramblings,' highlighting broader discussions on company culture and AI's role.

TechCrunch


Hacker News


Engadget

  • Ubisoft will officially reveal the Assassin's Creed Black Flag remake on April 23 an hour ago by Lawrence Bonk
    Media, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Lawrence Bonk

    It's happening. Ubisoft has scheduled a livestream for April 23 at 12PM ET to discuss the long-awaited Assassin's Creed Black Flag remake. The showcase will be available to watch on the company's YouTube and Twitch pages. It's officially called Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced and has been rumored to be in development for years. Ubisoft ended speculation by announcing the game last month. We don't know anything about how the game will play or look, as Ubisoft has only dropped some promotional art featuring protagonist Edward Kenway lounging on a boat. The livestream should feature a trailer that will answer many burning

  • LinkedIn's new Crosscheck feature lets premium subscribers test competing AI models for free an hour ago by Karissa Bell
    Arts & Entertainment, Social & Online Media, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Karissa Bell

    You can now use LinkedIn to test out some of the latest AI models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft and other companies without having to worry about token limits or paying for an extra subscription. The professional network is experimenting with a new feature that allows people to test AI platforms' latest offerings within LinkedIn.  It’s called Crosscheck, and it's rolling out now to anyone with a LinkedIn Premium subscription in the United States. The feature is meant to be a kind of "blind taste test" for AI models, according to the company's Chief Product Officer Hari Srinivasan. Users start with

  • Meta is testing a WhatsApp Plus subscription that mostly focuses on cosmetic upgrades 2 hours ago by Jackson Chen
    Software, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen

    Meta is testing out a premium version of its messaging app, called WhatsApp Plus, that will include several paywalled features. As first spotted by WABetaInfo, Meta is currently rolling out a paid version of WhatsApp, which features mostly cosmetic upgrades. According to the Help Center page, WhatsApp Plus subscribers will get access to premium stickers that can have special effects and the ability to personalize the app's themes and icons. Beyond the decorative elements, WhatsApp Plus users can pin up to 20 chats, set a premium ringtone for certain contacts and further customize chat lists with alerts, ringtones and themes. According

  • The FAA grounds Blue Origin New Glenn rocket after failure to put payload in orbit 2 hours ago by Lawrence Bonk
    Science, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Lawrence Bonk

    The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has grounded Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket following an incident during Sunday's launch from Cape Canaveral, according to reporting by Orlando Sentinel and others. The rocket looked good on the way up but was ultimately unable to put its payload into the correct orbit. The FAA is calling the incident a "mishap" and is beginning an investigation to "enhance public safety, determine the root cause of the event and identify corrective actions to avoid it from happening again." The organization said in a statement that a "return to flight is based on the FAA determining that

  • Ball x Pit's next update adds 11 more balls to the fray on April 27 2 hours ago by Kris Holt
    Video Games, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Kris Holt

    It's been a whole month since I've played some Ball x Pit after the mobile versions went live in March, but I'll surely be jumping back in again next week. The latest update will arrive on April 27, bringing a host of goodies to the wonderful brick-busting roguelite, which was one of Engadget's favorite games of 2025. Designer Kenny Sun spilled most of the beans about the update on the PlayStation Blog, revealing that it will add two new characters, 11 more balls with special powers, four passive upgrades and a new building. If you opt to play as The Tiptoer,


The Verge

  • Insta360 is putting screens on its next wireless mics to show logos or images 37 minutes ago by Andrew Liszewski
    Audio, Gadgets, News, Tech

    The Mic Pro transmitters feature E Ink color screens on the front to customize their appearance. | Image: Insta360 Insta360's first wireless microphone kit debuted in June with small, lightweight AirTag-sized mics that were easier to wear hidden away. The new Insta360 Mic Pro, which the company is teasing during the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas, is instead designed to be prominently displayed. On the front of each transmitter is a round E Ink color screen that can be customized with photos, logos, branding, or custom artwork. The company didn't share specifics about when the Mic Pro will launch, aside from

  • Mercedes’ first all-electric C-Class is its sportiest one yet an hour ago by Andrew J. Hawkins
    Cars, Electric Cars, Mercedes-Benz, News, Transportation

    The Mercedes-Benz C-Class, typically a benchmark in luxury compact sedans, now gets an all-important electric variant. The new C 400 4MATIC is built on an 800-volt architecture designed for efficiency and long-distance travel. Its estimated range is up to 762 kilometers (473 miles) on the WLTP cycle. And Mercedes boasts that it's the "sportiest C-Class ever" but also "smooth like an S-Class." While Mercedes-Benz has a long history of releasing EVs under its "EQ" branding, the current C-Class is only available in a gas, mild-hybrid, and plug-in hybrid powertrain. So this marks the first time that the C-Class nameplate has been

  • You can grab a Sonos Era 100 for $85 off thanks to Sonos’ latest refurb sale 2 hours ago by Sheena Vasani
    Deals, Gadgets, Sonos, Speakers, Tech, Verge Shopping

    The new Sonos Era 100 SL keeps costs down by dropping the mics, but if you’d rather keep hands-free voice controls, picking up a refurbished, non-SL model is the way to go. Thankfully, Sonos is taking up to 25 percent off a range of refurbished gear through April 24th, dropping the price of the Sonos Era 100 to $134 with a one-year warranty. That’s $85 cheaper than buying a new model, and still $55 less than the mic-less SL. If you want bigger, more immersive sound, the Era 300 is also available for $329, which is $150 less than buying

  • Deezer says AI song uploads have nearly overtaken human music 2 hours ago by Emma Roth
    Entertainment, Music, News

    Deezer says it receives nearly 75,000 AI-generated song submissions to its music streaming platform each day, accounting for about 44 percent of all daily uploads, as reported earlier by TechCrunch. Despite the increase in "fraudulent" uploads, Deezer says the consumption of AI songs makes up around 1 to 3 percent of total streams, as the platform continues to remove AI-generated music from its recommendation algorithm. Deezer positions the tool as setting an "industry standard," adding that the platform is currently the "only" music streaming service tagging AI-generated tracks. The service also demonetizes AI-generated songs and has stopp … Read the full story

  • Fortnite developers can make AI characters now — just don’t try to date them 3 hours ago by Jay Peters
    AI, Entertainment, Fortnite, Gaming, News

    Following last year's AI-powered Darth Vader in Fortnite that swore in a re-creation of James Earl Jones' voice, Epic Games is now letting Fortnite creators experiment with a new "conversations" tool to create AI-powered characters that players can talk and interact with. "Instead of authoring dialogue trees for characters in your islands, conversations transforms an NPC into an AI-powered character capable of unscripted dialogue and interactions with players, like a quest giver or narrator," Epic says. "You define who the character is with simple prompts-how they think, what they know, and how they behave-and then select a voice that match … Read


Wired


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