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Sun, Apr 5, 2026, 10:22 PM EDT

Tech

AI Summary

  • AI development continues to dominate headlines, with significant investments and acquisitions, like Anthropic's $400M deal for Coefficient Bio, alongside ongoing discussions about the ethical and practical implications of AI power consumption and the potential for AI-generated content to blur lines with entertainment.
  • The space industry is buzzing with activity, from SpaceX's potential IPO and orbital data center concepts to NASA's Artemis II mission capturing stunning imagery of the Moon and Earth, highlighting advancements in both private and governmental space exploration.
  • Tech giants are navigating complex legal and user-base challenges, with Microsoft's Copilot terms of use stating it's 'for entertainment purposes only' and Apple facing regulatory hurdles like the closure of loopholes for its services in Russia.
  • The job market and the role of technology are being re-evaluated globally, as seen in Japan where robots are filling undesirable jobs, and in the US where employers are reportedly using personal data for salary negotiations.
  • Consumer tech is seeing a mixed bag of updates and developments, from new productivity apps and game releases to hardware news like Samsung's TV lineup and potential price hikes on consoles, alongside continued innovation in areas like electric vehicles and smart home devices.

TechCrunch


Hacker News


Engadget

  • NASA shares breathtaking images of Artemis II astronauts taking in the view from Orion's windows 6 hours ago by Cheyenne MacDonald
    Science, Space & Astronomy, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Cheyenne MacDonald

    The Artemis II crew is almost at the moon, and the astronauts spent this weekend carrying out preparations for their lunar flyby on Monday. That included manual piloting demonstrations, reviewing their science objectives for the six-hour observation period and evaluating their space suits, which are there for life support in the event of an emergency and for their return home. But, they've had plenty of time to take in the views, too — and those views sure are spectacular. In the latest series of images shared by the space agency, the astronauts are seen gazing at Earth through the windows

  • The UK government reportedly wants Anthropic to expand its presence in London 9 hours ago by Jackson Chen
    Government, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen

    While the US and Anthropic are in the midst of a major dispute, the UK is trying to sway the San Francisco-based AI company to expand its presence on English soil. According to a report from The Financial Times, staffers at the UK's Department for Science, Innovation and Technology have worked on proposals that include expanding Anthropic's office in London, along with a potential dual stock listing. The UK's strategy follows a public fallout between Anthropic and the US Department of Defense earlier this year. After the AI company said it wouldn't budge on certain AI guardrails, the Department of Defense

  • Samsung will discontinue its Messages app in July and replace it with Google's 11 hours ago by Jackson Chen
    Technology & Electronics, Handheld & Connected Devices, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen

    Samsung is putting the final nail in the coffin for its own messaging app. The smartphone maker posted an "End of Service Announcement" on its website, revealing that the Samsung Messages app will no longer be available by July of this year. Samsung also recommended that anyone still using Samsung Messages switch over to Google Messages as the default messaging app. For Samsung Messages users in the US, the switch to Google offers RCS messaging that lets you send high-quality media, join group chats and get real-time typing indicators no matter the smartphone's OS. Galaxy smartphone owners may lose out on

  • Devils on the Moon brings the score-chasing of pinball to the Playdate 14 hours ago by Nathan Ingraham
    Video Games, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Nathan Ingraham

    Pinball video games have been around for years — I cut my teeth on Space Cadet 3D Pinball, which was pre-loaded on Windows 95. They range from realistic recreations of pinball tables you’ll find at arcades to games that could never exist in real life like 2019’s Demon’s Tilt or older ones like Metroid Prime Pinball for the Nintendo DS or Pokémon Pinball for the Game Boy Color. I didn’t expect to find a detailed pinball game for the humble and delightful Playdate, but a pair of developers working under the name Amano pulled it off with Devils on the Moon

  • The Spaceballs sequel will be released in April next year a day ago by Cheyenne MacDonald
    Movies, Media, Celebrities, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Cheyenne MacDonald

    There's finally a release date for the Spaceballs sequel — but before you get too excited, it's a whole year away. As first reported by Deadline, Amazon MGM Studios announced on Friday night that the upcoming Spaceballs movie will hit theaters on April 23, 2027, right around the 40th anniversary of the first film. Several members of the original cast will be reprising their roles, according to Deadline, including Mel Brooks, Rick Moranis, Bill Pullman, George Wynder and Daphne Zuniga.  > Spaceballs: The Release Date. April 23, 2027. pic.twitter.com/5Xv0BKmf7C > > — Amazon MGM Studios (@AmazonMGMStudio) April 4, 2026 Whispers of a potential


The Verge

  • Los Thuthanaka’s Wak’a is a mellower follow-up to last year’s surprise Pitchfork favorite 9 hours ago by Terrence O’Brien
    Column, Entertainment, Music, Music Review

    Los Thuthanaka basically came out of nowhere last year to capture Pitchfork's album of the year with their self-titled debut. Because it wasn't available on streaming, it largely flew under the radar. I honestly kind of forgot about it until Pitchfork gave it the number one spot in its year-end list. In retrospect, I'm not entirely sure how, though. Los Thuthanaka sounds like nothing else. It's joyous, jagged, and sounds like it's being blasted out of a broken Bluetooth speaker in your neighbor's backyard - it's glorious. The follow-up EP Wak'a turns down the tempo and smooths some of the sharper

  • Suno is a music copyright nightmare 11 hours ago by Terrence O’Brien
    AI, Entertainment, Music, Report, Tech

    AI music platform Suno's policy is that it does not permit the use of copyrighted material. You can upload your own tracks to remix or set your original lyrics to AI-generated music. But, it's supposed to recognize and stop you from using other people's songs and lyrics. Now, no system is perfect, but it turns out that Suno's copyright filters are incredibly easy to fool. With minimal effort and some free software, Suno will spit out AI-generated imitations of popular songs like Beyoncé's "Freedom," Black Sabbath's "Paranoid," and Aqua's "Barbie Girl" that are alarmingly close to the original. Most people will

  • I let Gemini in Google Maps plan my day and it went surprisingly well 13 hours ago by Allison Johnson
    AI, Google, Hands-on, Reviews, Tech

    Take me to the tacos, Gemini. You may be familiar with Gemini as the thing that's in every Google service you use - whether you want it or not. While it's been a constant, sometimes unwelcome presence in Gmail for at least the past year, it's a relatively new addition to Maps. And you know what? It's kind of great. To put it to the test, I had Gemini plan a day-long itinerary for me around the city. After an hour or so of having Gemini find stuff for me - playgrounds near the new light rail extension, kid-friendly restaurants with vehicle themes,

  • Is the Slate Truck too minimal for its own good? 14 hours ago by Andrew J. Hawkins
    Electric Cars, Hands-on, Reviews, Tech, Transportation

    The first thing you notice about the Slate Truck is its size. It's small, surprisingly so. In a country where trucks often come with their own zip code, Slate's pickup is refreshingly puny, measuring 174.6 inches long, 70.6 inches wide, and 69.3 inches tall, with a curb weight of approximately 3,602 pounds (1,634kg). As a reference point, it's nearly the same size as Marty McFly's 1985 Toyota SR5 from Back to the Future. But inside, that diminutive feeling disappears, as I found myself with ample amounts of head- and legroom. As a relatively tallish guy (over 6 feet) who often feels

  • How the Amazon Echo learned to talk — and listen 15 hours ago by David Pierce
    Amazon, Amazon Alexa, Gadgets, Podcasts, Tech, Version History

    A photo of a black speaker, the Amazon Echo, on a gray background. | Photo: Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Jeff Bezos badly wanted a voice computer. He had been saying so publicly since the very early days of Amazon, telling anyone who would listen about why voice might make it easier and more natural to interact with technology. (And to buy stuff from Jeff Bezos.) But when a team at Amazon set out to actually make the voice computer a reality, they encountered a seemingly endless series of hard problems. Eventually, though, they created two products, the Echo speaker


Wired


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