Daily archive
160 stories from 51 outlets. Times show when each story first broke, in UTC.
Apple is in early settlement talks with the U.S. Department of Justice regarding the 2024 antitrust lawsuit. Apple has proposed several offers, per Bloomberg.
Also covered by MacRumors, 9to5Mac, AppleInsider, The Next Web
#Apple overtook Nvidia on Friday to become the world's most valuable company for the first time since April 2025, closing at roughly $4.88 trillion.
Also covered by The Guardian Tech, MacRumors, 9to5Mac, AppleInsider, The Next Web
#Kioxia's market value has halved from its peak amid an AI selloff. Japanese AI-linked stocks tumbled as a fresh rout in US semiconductor shares spread across Asia after TSMC's outlook failed to reassure investors. SoftBank sank 8%.
Also covered by CNBC Technology
#Zoox issued a software recall after heavy smoke caused a robotaxi to enter an active emergency scene, highlighting the vehicles' confusion in smoky conditions.
Also covered by CNBC Technology, Engadget, The Next Web, Gizmodo, Quartz
#Apple has increased the monthly price of its Apple One Family and Premier bundles by $2, while the Individual plan remains unchanged. This follows recent price hikes for Apple Music and iCloud+.
Also covered by CNET, Digital Trends
#Shark's ChillPill Personal Fan and Cooling System, which combines a rechargeable fan with a dry-touch evaporative cooling pad, is back to its best-ever price, offering an affordable way to stay cool.
#The 2026 Lucid Gravity Touring is reviewed as quick, comfortable, roomy, and agile for a large electric SUV.
#TechCrunch reviews the Dyson Hot+Cool HF1, noting its quiet operation, simple controls, and bladeless design that makes it suitable for both heating and cooling year-round.
#Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky says the short warranty relies on customer trust and promises to make things right if issues arise.
#A $10,000 bounty is offered to developers who can successfully get Linux running on a PlayStation 5, aiming to restore general-purpose computing capabilities to the console.
#Luxury phone maker Vertu releases a $6,880 foldable device that includes a dedicated AI agent for scheduling, summarization, and concierge services. Early tests show competent AI performance but highlight battery and price concerns.
#Greenworks Tools recalls ~554,780 Kobalt batteries after 34 reports of smoking, sparking, or catching fire during charging.
#Wired reviews the Panasonic Japanese Microwave, which measures food temperature directly and stops cooking when the food is hot, calling it terrific.
#TechCrunch reviews the Remarkable Paper Pure, the successor to the Remarkable 2, praising its writing experience and noting the review was written on the device itself.
#A week before Samsung's expected launch, luxury brand Caviar has listed a customized Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra for sale online, featuring Lionel Messi's face and a $13,000 price tag.
Also covered by Android Authority
#A Newegg bundle offers the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X3D CPU, a B650M motherboard, and 16GB of DDR5 RAM for $450, saving over 31%.
Also covered by Wccftech
#Tesla is selling a $225 balance bike for toddlers, designed to help young children learn to balance and ride.
Also covered by CNET, The Next Web
#Google's Gboard keyboard is reportedly developing a sign language recognition feature that uses the phone's camera to interpret sign language, potentially a major accessibility upgrade.
#Caviar is selling a Lionel Messi-themed Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra for $13,130, a week before its official unveiling, featuring 24-karat gold and luxury design.
Also covered by Digital Trends
#A roundup of the top budget-friendly smartphones released in the first half of 2026, covering models under a certain price.
Also covered by Android Authority
#Wired and Mashable round up the best tech for back to school, including laptops, accessories, and gear to help students crush coursework.
Also covered by Tom's Hardware
#Samsung's Freestyle+ projector, priced at $1,200, supports portable projection on uneven surfaces. Android Authority calls it ideal for outdoor movie nights without needing a couch.
Also covered by Android Authority, Digital Trends
#An Android Authority writer who has used every Pixel since day one outlines six improvements the Pixel 11 needs, focusing on fixing basics rather than adding flashy features.
Also covered by ZDNET
#The TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro, featuring a paper-like 120Hz display for reading and eye comfort, is discounted to $279.99 at Amazon, its lowest price ever.
Also covered by TechRadar
#Nvidia's RTX 5000 Super GPUs are reportedly ready at AIBs but are held back by the high cost of 3GB GDDR7 memory modules, delaying release.
Also covered by TechRadar, TechSpot, Wccftech
#New leaks suggest the Google Pixel 11a will feature a Tensor G6 chip, improved face unlock, and a significant hardware change, though other specs remain as expected.
Also covered by 9to5Google, Android Authority, Android Police, Digital Trends, Gizmodo
#Kodak releases the EC35, a $35 point-and-shoot 35mm film camera available in seven vibrant colors. Gizmodo describes it as a real disposable replacement, offering a refillable alternative to one-time-use cameras.
Also covered by Engadget, TechRadar, Digital Trends, Gizmodo
#BTS member J-Hope skipped Samsung Unpacked but starred in the Galaxy Z Fold 8 campaign after giving fans an early glimpse of the device on Instagram, spoiling the wide design.
Also covered by Android Authority, Mashable Tech
#Northwestern engineers built the Phantom Twist drone that spins extremely fast to become nearly invisible via motion blur, while emitting an unholy whine.
Also covered by TechRadar, TechSpot, Digital Trends, Gizmodo, Hackaday
#Bitcoin drops below $63,000 as the chip rout goes global, with the AI selloff spreading from stocks to crypto markets.
Also covered by CoinDesk, Decrypt
#ASML will give all employees globally a one-time €20,000 share award, vesting on January 1, 2030, as AI demand drives record sales.
Also covered by The Next Web
#Tata Electronics is preparing to make India's first semiconductor wafers using far older technology than originally expected, highlighting the challenges India faces in building a domestic chip industry from scratch.
#Wired reports that the prediction market Polymarket's Panamanian corporate structure is opaque, puzzling even former employees, amid ongoing scrutiny of the company.
#Lyft CEO David Risher insists the company has lowered its prices and that customers who only check Uber's app are missing out on savings.
#SoftBank Group plans to sell about ¥60 billion ($369 million) of notes to institutional investors in Japan this month, after earlier retail and foreign-currency bond offerings.
#The rapid growth of data center projects in Spain and Portugal is constrained by electrical grid capacity, network access, and permitting issues, slowing development.
#Japanese stocks fell sharply after a selloff on Wall Street raised new doubts about the sustainability of the global AI-driven market rally.
#SpaceX is in discussions with the US Department of Defense to provide computing power, adding to Elon Musk's growing defense and infrastructure portfolio, per the Wall Street Journal.
#China will impose a consumption tax on lithium-ion and solar batteries for the first time in a decade, but sodium batteries remain exempt.
Also covered by The Next Web
#SAP closes its acquisition of Prior Labs for over €1B, betting on AI built for structured data and spreadsheets rather than chatbots, just 18 months after the startup was founded.
Also covered by The Next Web
#Mitsubishi Electric seeks to reach a deal by September with Toshiba and Rohm to combine their power semiconductor operations, per Bloomberg.
Also covered by The Next Web
#Eoptolink Technology, a Chinese maker of high-speed optical modules that wire Google and Amazon data centers, files confidentially for a Hong Kong IPO of up to $5 billion, per The Next Web.
Also covered by The Next Web
#Foundation Future Industries, a humanoid robotics startup backed by Eric Trump, is developing robots for military use. The effort has drawn criticism from watchdog groups concerned about ethics and conflicts of interest.
Also covered by Gizmodo
#Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's leather jacket sold for $960,000 at Sotheby's, 96 times its retail price. The final price was 16 times the pre-sale estimate, with 45 collectors placing 65 bids, per Quartz.
Also covered by Tom's Hardware, The Next Web, TechRadar, Gizmodo, Quartz
#SpaceX's mega Starship rocket abort came within a second of launch, in what would have been its 13th flight. The abort was triggered just before ignition.
Also covered by The Register, Fast Company Tech, Quartz, Wccftech
#Disco Elysium developer ZA/UM has laid off 32 employees across all departments following the release of Zero Parades: For Dead Spies, GamesIndustry.biz reports.
Also covered by GamesIndustry.biz, Polygon, IGN
#Amazon is fixing an AWS billing bug that displayed estimated charges in the billions and even trillions for some customers. The erroneous amounts, including one user's bill of over $1.4 quadrillion, appear to be a display error and not actual charges, though the incident has caused widespread concern.
Also covered by Wired, The Register, Engadget, The Next Web, TechRadar
#Cardano activates its first hard fork voted on by the community, marking a shift toward decentralized governance. The 'Van Rossum' hard fork transfers core development responsibilities to external teams, as reported by Decrypt and other outlets.
Also covered by CoinDesk, Decrypt
#Decrypt reports that Strategy chairman Michael Saylor made a 110-point case against Bitcoin's BIP-110 soft fork, warning it would cause more harm than the problem it aims to solve.
Also covered by CoinDesk, Decrypt
#Oil prices posted their biggest single-day jump in weeks as Houthi naval blockade spread beyond the Strait of Hormuz, with Brent crude surging past $100 a barrel. The escalation follows Houthi strikes on Saudi tankers in the Red Sea.
#Anthropic is reportedly in early-stage discussions to lease data center capacity from Meta Platforms Inc. The potential deal could be worth $10 billion over two years, according to sources cited by The New York Times.
Also covered by CNBC Technology, Engadget, SiliconANGLE, The Next Web, The Decoder
#Z.AI is on track to achieve $1 billion in annual recurring revenue, making it the first Chinese AI company to reach that milestone. The enterprise-focused AI startup faces intense competition in the Chinese market.
Also covered by The Next Web
#Bloomberg argues that China's path to winning the AI race does not require superior technology, but hinges on economics, power, and engineering advantages.
#A $400 million chip-backed loan signals the next wave of AI infrastructure, with financiers increasingly backing inference chips over traditional GPUs for AI workloads.
#DeepSeek, the Chinese AI startup, is raising $1.5B at a $71B valuation as part of its strategy to flood the world with cheap AI models, per Bloomberg. The company held a four-hour pitch meeting with investors in Hangzhou.
#Patreon strengthens defenses against AI scraping by working with Cloudflare to block bots training on creators' content without permission, moving beyond robots.txt reliance.
#Bloomberg reports that businesses dependent on a single AI model are diversifying to avoid vulnerability, rejecting AI model monogamy.
#OpenAI updates the redesigned ChatGPT app for Mac to make chats easier to access, addressing user complaints about the new interface.
Also covered by Digital Trends
#TikTok is starting to test an opt-in tool that scans for AI-generated likenesses and lets creators report them to the company. Initially testing with some US creators.
Also covered by Digital Trends
#A new poll shows more US employees support forcing AI companies to transfer half of their stock into a public wealth fund. Meanwhile, Index Ventures co-founder Neil Rimer predicts the AI wealth will have to be redistributed, voluntarily or involuntarily.
Also covered by TechRadar
#A podcast explores the work of Iason Gabriel, a philosopher at Google DeepMind tasked with anticipating AI's impact, and questions whether ethicists can make a difference amid escalating commercial and geopolitical pressures.
Also covered by The Next Web
#Axios reports that China has caught up to US frontier AI models at substantially lower cost, erasing America's commanding lead. A Chinese moonshot has matched the performance of models that defined the frontier just weeks ago.
Also covered by Slashdot
#China's Xi Jinping is building an AI coalition with 29 countries, including Russia, aiming to create an open AI ecosystem outside of US control.
Also covered by Bloomberg Technology, CNBC Technology, The Next Web, Gizmodo, Quartz
#A user shares how integrating Gemini with Gmail and Calendar allows them to manage their entire workday from a single interface, highlighting productivity gains.
Also covered by How-To Geek
#An XDA Developers article argues that local LLMs are good for some tasks but terrible at others, specifically noting that trusting a local LLM with code is a mistake while it excels at other tasks.
Also covered by How-To Geek
#The Trump administration is now deciding which companies and entities get access to frontier AI models from Anthropic and OpenAI, per CNBC. The White House asserts control over model access.
Also covered by The Next Web, Quartz
#Anthropic has clarified that its most powerful model, Fable, will remain available in Claude's Max and Team plans, but Pro users will see reduced limits and are encouraged to use API pricing. The move aims to balance access and cost.
Also covered by Android Authority, PCWorld, Hacker News
#Moonshot AI's open-source Kimi K3 model has shaken global markets, outperforming US rivals and prompting a selloff in tech stocks. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang defends Chinese AI, saying America has nothing to fear from open-source models. The model's rapid adoption and competitive pricing are challenging Silicon Valley's lead.
Also covered by Bloomberg Technology, Axios, The Next Web, Quartz
#A renewed $25 million-per-year contract with a Thomson Reuters subsidiary expands ICE's data broker capabilities under the Trump administration, per Wired.
Also covered by 404 Media
#Weather forecasts are relied upon by airlines, grid operators, and farmers, but the risk of data manipulation is growing, posing threats to critical decisions.
#Magnet Forensics, a Canadian cybersecurity firm, accuses a former contractor of sharing trade secrets about a previously unknown iPhone flaw with a rival firm.
#Signal is developing support for using one account on multiple Android devices, starting with adding a tablet or phone as a secondary device.
Also covered by Engadget
#A vulnerability in OpenSSL, tracked as HollowByte, allows an 11-byte TLS request to cause the server to allocate up to 131 KB of memory indefinitely, effectively freezing it until the process restarts. The issue was silently fixed in June without a CVE, and systems using glibc are particularly affected.
Also covered by The Hacker News
#The Pentagon froze permitting for 155 wind projects across 24 states, citing concerns that drones can hide among wind turbines. The projects are on hold for nearly a year.
Also covered by The Next Web
#Kaspersky researchers discover GoSerpent, a previously undocumented malware used since late 2025 to target Southeast Asian entities for long-term access and intelligence gathering.
Also covered by TechRadar
#Capital One has released VulnHunter as an open-source tool that uses agentic AI to find and fix security vulnerabilities in code. The announcement was shared on Hacker News.
Also covered by Hacker News
#San Francisco's attorney ordered Apple and Google to remove 8 AI 'nudify' apps from their app stores. Apple has since removed several such apps after legal action accused the company of allowing deepfake pornography tools to remain on the App Store.
Also covered by Ars Technica, MacRumors, AppleInsider, TechSpot, Digital Trends
#ACR Stealer malware uses ClickFix lures to steal browser tokens and Microsoft 365 files. Microsoft warns of a surge in attacks targeting enterprise customers.
Also covered by BleepingComputer
#A bug in Gemini on Android allows bypassing the lock screen PIN to send SMS and WhatsApp messages. Google is working on a fix, reports Digital Trends.
Also covered by Digital Trends
#Abbott Laboratories suffers two cyber incidents in the same week, with the ShinyHunters group claiming responsibility and demanding ransom, impacting cancer drug research and other operations.
Also covered by TechRadar
#Hackers are actively exploiting two critical WordPress vulnerabilities (CVE-2026-63030 and CVE-2026-60137) to deploy webshells and install malicious plugins on affected servers, per BleepingComputer.
Also covered by The Register, The Hacker News, TechRadar, BleepingComputer, Slashdot
#Ernst & Young notifies customers of a data breach caused by the compromise of a third-party support ticket system used by its IT personnel.
Also covered by ZDNET, TechRadar
#Flock Safety is abandoning its plan to use its acoustic detection network to listen for signs of screaming and disturbance, following backlash. Privacy concerns remain as the company continues to face scrutiny over its surveillance technology.
Also covered by 404 Media, TechRadar, Gizmodo, Techdirt, Hacker News
#Republican Sen. Josh Hawley accuses Meta of using lawfare in efforts to destroy whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams, who made allegations about Meta's dealings with China and treatment of employees. The Guardian reports on the senator's accusations.
Also covered by Hacker News
#A review of Microsoft's Surface Laptop with 8GB RAM finds that Windows 11 performance is poor, recommending against such configurations.
#Code changes in Apple's Wallet app backend indicate that Apple's Car Key feature will soon support vehicles from Great Wall Motor's TANK brand, expanding the digital car key ecosystem.
Also covered by 9to5Mac
#Apple has increased the prices of its iPhone lineup in Japan across all models, with the iPhone 17 series and iPhone Air seeing hikes of up to 11%.
Also covered by MacRumors, 9to5Mac, Digital Trends
#Apple increases iCloud+ subscription prices in 8 countries: Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, South Africa, Turkey, Colombia, and the Philippines. The hikes range from 20-30% depending on the tier.
Also covered by 9to5Mac, AppleInsider
#Android 17 introduces a feature that makes device passcodes stronger, improving security. Users report it makes their Pixel much harder to break into.
Also covered by MakeUseOf
#Apple increased prices on Apple Music and Apple One plans, citing rising licensing costs. The price hikes are the first for Apple Music in four years.
Also covered by MacRumors, 9to5Mac, AppleInsider, Engadget, Android Authority
#IGN reports that Xbox's big reset has scrapped studios building original ideas in favor of doubling down on legacy IP, raising questions about how it will find its next big franchise. The report follows Microsoft cutting 3,200 jobs and studio leaders reportedly detesting Game Pass.
Also covered by TechRadar, Digital Trends, IGN, Wccftech
#The Verge reports that a Trump administration OMB proposal could give political appointees control over scientific research, threatening the future of US space science.
#A new report on climate attribution science says our ability to tie weather damages to climate change is improving, which oil companies are worried about.
#Ars Technica reports on Russia's efforts to develop a reusable rocket similar to SpaceX's Falcon 9, with potential hop tests starting in 2028.
#Google's FireSat program launches satellites capable of spotting wildfires that other satellites miss, as Canadian wildfire smoke continues to blanket large parts of the US Northeast. The constellation aims to provide early detection and rapid response to wildfires.
Also covered by Slashdot
#New research suggests ancient Egyptian princesses were buried with weapons because they could use them, not for symbolic reasons. The mummified remains indicate they were trained as archers, challenging previous assumptions about royal women's roles.
Also covered by Gizmodo
#Google DeepMind and Isomorphic Labs outline their approach to bioresilience, leveraging AI to detect and respond to biological threats. The programme focuses on early warning systems and countermeasure development.
Also covered by Hacker News
#Chinese company BrainCo demonstrates a brain-computer interface that allows users to control robots with their thoughts, eliminating the need for physical input or speech.
Also covered by TechRadar
#India's first privately-developed rocket, Vikram-1, successfully reached orbit on its maiden flight, marking a milestone for the country's private space industry.
Also covered by Ars Technica
#TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 will host a session on how to get pre-seed funding with conviction and storytelling, addressing challenges for founders in a competitive AI startup landscape.
#TechCrunch and Stripe are hosting a Startup Battlefield event in Sydney on August 19, with one startup winning automatic entry into TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco.
#Valar Atomics is negotiating a new funding round that would value the company at $6 billion, indicating growing investor interest in nuclear energy.
#Agility Robotics is opening a new training center for its Digit humanoid robots in Fremont, California, near Tesla's headquarters.
#Spanish satellite startup Sateliot is increasing its fundraising round to up to €150 million ($172 million) to offer satellite connectivity directly to smartphones. The company aims to provide a service that connects standard phones via satellites.
Also covered by The Next Web
#Databricks finalizes a funding round valuing it at $188 billion, with Coatue leading and $3 billion added to its balance sheet, per the Wall Street Journal. The valuation exceeds the company's own earlier $175B talks, extending its AI-driven growth narrative.
Also covered by SiliconANGLE, The Next Web
#Grand Theft Auto 6 pre-orders generate an estimated $260 million in the first week, with analysts predicting up to $5.2 billion in sales by the end of launch week, calling it the strongest pre-order campaign ever recorded.
Also covered by TechRadar, IGN
#San Francisco city attorney David Chiu sent cease-and-desist letters to Apple and Google demanding removal of eight AI-powered nonconsensual undressing apps, targeting apps that create fake nude images from photos.
Also covered by 9to5Mac, Engadget
#TechRadar provides a guide on how to watch the Belgian Grand Prix 2026 live streams online from anywhere, including free options.
Also covered by Mashable Tech, TechRadar
#Redmagic's Astra 2 gaming tablet, featuring a 9-inch OLED display, liquid cooling, and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, launches globally in August. The tablet is priced at $699 and offers a premium gaming experience.
Also covered by Digital Trends, Gizmodo
#The article points out that perimenopause has entered the spotlight, but the hype may be overblown and not entirely accurate.
Also covered by MIT Technology Review
#Hulu's 2025 revival of King of the Hill delivers a profound and relatable Season 15, weaving in callbacks while answering long-held questions from the 16-year hiatus. IGN praises the season as the show keeps getting better.
Also covered by IGN
#Databricks has remade its image into an AI company and has published research on the cost savings of open weight AI models for coding.
#As parents look for alternatives to unrestricted smartphones, a growing number of companies are building phones designed specifically for kids, from feature-limited mobile devices to minimalist home phones.
#Bethesda announces new Starborn DLC arriving in 2027 and reveals that Starfield has been played by 17 million players, reaffirming its commitment to the franchise.
Also covered by IGN
#Wired reviews REI's best new and revamped outdoor gear of 2026, including tents, sleeping bags, coolers, and bikes, recommending top picks for campers.
#Food producer Taylor Farms released a statement on the Cyclospora outbreak Friday, confirming that it's "voluntarily removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the US market." Reuters reports that, according to a source, Taylor Farms told customers like Yum Brands owner Taco Bell and the food distributor Sysco on Thursday to pull shredded […]
#The American Diabetes Association blocked the publication of op-ed articles, leading the authors to post them as a preprint. Troubling new details emerge on the controversy, per Ars Technica.
#Ars Technica is hiring a senior technology reporter to cover desktops, laptops, phones, CPUs, GPUs, and NAS. The role focuses on hardware and computing technology.
#TechCrunch examines a Zoom hack that prevents recording, and questions the value of transcribing every meeting and conversation in the age of AI summaries.
#The Pentagon's Space Development Agency has not moved as fast as officials would like, with missiles being launched at the joint force every single day in Operation Epic Fury. The agency faces challenges in meeting its ambitious timeline for satellite-based missile tracking and communications.
#Are we living through a small car renaissance? There's the Slate Truck, Amble's dune buggy, and the Fiat Topolino, as well as a whole galaxy of kei cars and trucks from Japan that have their own built-in fan base. While microcar sales in the US are still as tiny as the vehicles themselves, there are […]
#We consulted preparedness experts and WIRED’s team of testers for the essential gear to keep on hand in case of wildfires, earthquakes, and lord knows what else.
#A reviewer tests a Linux distribution that looks like Windows, created by a Microsoft engineer and based on Ubuntu, noting its uncanny similarities and user experience.
Also covered by How-To Geek
#Election deniers who promoted the '2000 Mules' narrative believe Donald Trump's recent speech proves their claims and could lead to invoking the Insurrection Act, Wired reports.
Also covered by Wired
#Warner Bros. confirms Mortal Kombat 2 will stream on HBO Max starting July 24, ahead of its physical release.
#Joseph Ziegler, the game director for Bungie's upcoming extraction shooter Marathon, has announced he is leaving the studio. The departure comes as the game is still in development.
Also covered by IGN
#Ryan Hurst tore a bicep during a stunt while carrying a tree, forcing surgery and a recast; Amazon scrambles to find a replacement, delaying the series.
Also covered by Engadget, Polygon, Wccftech
#Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse said acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was condescending and evasive during a meeting, while Sen. Thom Tillis indicated the meeting may clear the way for his confirmation vote.
Also covered by Quartz
#The NYT Strands hints and answers you need to make the most of your puzzling experience.
Also covered by Mashable Tech, TechRadar
#Connections is a New York Times word game that's all about finding the "common threads between words." How to solve the puzzle.
Also covered by Mashable Tech, TechRadar
#Battlefield 6's Season 4 update will include Top Gun characters, fighter jets, and themed modes, per Polygon.
Also covered by IGN
#Magic: The Gathering announces a Stardew Valley-themed Secret Lair superdrop, featuring three drops launching later this month, as revealed at MagicCon Amsterdam.
#Verizon Fios introduces a new 5Gbps home internet plan, more than twice as fast as its previous 2Gbps flagship offering. The upgrade comes as competition in fiber broadband intensifies.
Also covered by Engadget
#Here's the answer for "Wordle" #1855 on July 18 as well as a few hints, tips, and clues to help you solve it yourself.
Also covered by Mashable Tech
#Trump declassified documents to blame China for the 2020 election, but the documents actually show Russia was meddling for him, according to analysis.
Also covered by Techdirt
#iPhone owner loyalty rate reached 87% in 2026, while the rate of Android users switching to iPhone dropped to 12%, according to new data. Apple's customer retention remains strong despite rising prices.
Also covered by AppleInsider, TechSpot
#A Hackaday article explores the use of white rails on railroads as an infrastructure hack, detailing how they work and their potential benefits.
Also covered by Hacker News
#At MagicCon Amsterdam, Wizards of the Coast announces Magic: The Gathering will embrace the multiverse in 2027 with sets including Kamigawa, Zhalfir, Mystery Booster Commander, and other themed expansions, expanding cross-dimensional storytelling.
Also covered by Gizmodo, Polygon
#Netflix's Heartstopper Forever movie concludes Nick and Charlie's story with a bittersweet farewell. The film also contains a clever The Odyssey Easter egg, connecting to the same release date as Christopher Nolan's epic.
Also covered by TechRadar
#Julia Evans shares lessons about running SQLite, including a new SQLite Query Explainer tool by Simon Willison that helps visualize query execution.
Also covered by Hacker News
#MakeUseOf recommends a set of free tools to install on any new Windows PC to improve the user experience.
Also covered by MakeUseOf
#Polygon notes that a Scarlett Johansson sci-fi thriller, considered better than Lucy, is now available for free streaming.
Also covered by How-To Geek
#A GameStop search result suggests Nintendo may open pre-orders for the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake on August 4, potentially leading to the first proper footage of the game.
Also covered by Wccftech
#Looking to add a smart speaker to your house? Here’s which to choose, whether you’re an Alexa, Siri, or Gemini fan.
Also covered by CNET
#New York City Mayor Mamdani has proposed a rule that would require landlords to label AI-generated images used in apartment rental advertisements. The proposal aims to prevent deceptive marketing practices in real estate listings.
Also covered by Hacker News
#Spotify is removing millions of AI-generated tracks from its platform in an effort to fend off spammers and maintain content quality. The move targets artificially produced music that clogs the service.
Also covered by TechSpot
#The iconic Z80 microprocessor celebrates 50 years. An open-source replacement chip is being developed as a drop-in DIP40 compatible version.
Also covered by Hackaday, Slashdot, Hacker News
#The World Cup final halftime show aims to be the most-watched spectacle ever with performances by Justin Bieber, BTS, Shakira, and Coldplay. TechRadar provides a guide on how to watch the halftime show for free via live streams and TV channels worldwide.
Also covered by Mashable Tech, TechRadar
#YouTuber Styropyro demonstrates a sloshing-mercury-powered neon light that creates a unique glowing display, effectively making lightning in a bottle.
Also covered by Gizmodo
#Google has open-sourced its Noto 3D emoji set, allowing anyone to use them. The company shared insights into the design challenges of creating 3D emoji, such as depth and perspective.
Also covered by 9to5Google, Hacker News
#The upcoming real-time strategy game Game of Thrones: War for Westeros has been delayed from its original 2026 release to early 2027. Polygon reports the delay is intended to meet a higher quality bar, with the developer aiming to redeem the franchise's video game track record.
#Sydney Sweeney is set to star in a reimagining of the Sleepy Hollow story, based on Lindsey Anderson Beer's novel 'Hollow,' with Sony producing the film.
Also covered by IGN
#Amazon restocks Pokémon TCG Pitch Black Elite Trainer Boxes and booster sets after initial shortages, with pricing and set list details available.
Also covered by IGN
#Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey earns $124M in its second weekend. The 4DX version has viewers fighting for their lives with moving seats, wind, water, fog, and other effects, per Mashable.
Also covered by The Verge, Mashable Tech, Gizmodo, Polygon, IGN
#A lifetime Microsoft Office 2024 Professional Plus license is available for $54.99, saving $195. The deal includes essential productivity apps with no subscription fees.
Also covered by Mashable Tech, PCWorld
#The Shader Injector 2.0 mod for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth dramatically improves PC visuals, fixing flat lighting, and modders are exploring procedural skyboxes to push further.
Also covered by Wccftech
#Bethesda confirmed Fallout 5 preproduction, Fallout 3 and New Vegas remasters, and Obsidian's new Fallout game. The studio pushed back on claims of Xbox control over its projects.
Also covered by The Verge, Engadget, Polygon, TechSpot, TechRadar
#Techdirt reports that Trump Media pitched traders a $100,000 feed of Trump's Truth Social posts, highlighting the scale of profiting from the presidency. The article notes the brazen nature of these efforts.
Also covered by Fast Company Tech, Techdirt
#Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 features a thinner and wider design, but critics warn of a dark side. Samsung execs explain the choices while addressing competition from Apple's iPhone Ultra. The new design trade-offs raise concerns about durability.
Also covered by The Verge, 9to5Google, Engadget, TechRadar, ZDNET
#