Gemini for Android rolls out side panel and settings redesign
Following the Spark-to-Task update , the Gemini app has now rolled out redesigns of the side panel and settings on Android.
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Xbox’s first chief operating officer is out after just a few months
Xbox is losing its first chief operating officer (COO) after creating the new role just a few months ago. Helen Chiang is leaving Microsoft today, according to an internal Xbox memo seen by The Verge. Chiang has been at Microsoft for 21 years, serving as the head of Minecraft before being promoted to Xbox chief
OpenAI now trains its frontier AI models with no internet access
OpenAI is now training its most advanced AI models without internet access following a string of rogue hacking incidents. In a blog post on Friday, OpenAI says it built an offline testing environment where AI models can interact with indexed and cached web content "without risk of affecting external systems." OpenAI…
Google Health 5.11 rolling out with Fitbit Air Health Guardian, improved sleep tracking, & more
Google Health 5.11 is rolling out this week as a rather big update for Fitbit trackers and the Pixel Watch.
New TV, weak sound? Here’s how to fix it with a Sonos soundbar
Today’s thin TVs leave little room for powerful speakers. Here’s why dialogue gets lost, how a Dolby Atmos soundbar like the Sonos Arc Ultra can help and how to pick the right setup for your room.
Google Messages rolling out Enhanced Protection mode against spam and scams
Following the announcement earlier this month , Google Messages for Android is rolling out an Enhanced Protection mode to counter spam and scams.
Pixelated 122: Seven years late, same foldable problems
Welcome to Pixelated episode 122. This week, Abner, Damien, and Will discuss the first slate of iPhone Duo reviews, as Apple dives headfirst into a crowded foldable field for thee very first time. What should Android OEMs learn from the iPhone Duo, and what did Apple fail to catch up to the competition on? As always…
Hegseth warns prediction market bets warp military judgment, endanger troops
Pentagon memo: Insider trading gives US enemies key intel on military operations.
Formula 1 gets Dolby Atmos support on Apple TV in the U.S. starting today
Apple TV subscribers in the US can now watch Formula 1 live in Dolby Atmos, starting with this weekend’s United States Grand Prix. Here’s the schedule.
Gemini Notebook now available as Connected App for deeper integration
Gemini Notebooks are already available in the Gemini app side panel, but Google is now adding deeper Connected App integration.
Updated Google privacy policy says your Gmail might be used for advertising
Turning on Personal Intelligence gives the company more data for ad targeting.
Apple’s new $2K iPhone Duo wows critics with foldable screen — but some users are already complaining of cracked devices
Apple's first foldable iPhone is drawing praise for its sleek engineering and nearly invisible screen crease, but a handful of social media posts show cracked devices on day one.
9to5Mac Daily: October 23, 2026 – MacBook Pro rumors, iPhone Duo apps
Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac . 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app , Stitcher , TuneIn , Google Play , or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.
iPhone Duos listed for resale up to $10K as Apple stores sell out within hours on launch day
Online opportunists are cashing in on the iPhone Duo craze, listing the hinged new devices for as much as $10,000 as they sell out on opening day.
There's a third PHP2Shell bug, but it won't get an emergency fix
Bad things (and software bugs?) come in threes
TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026 roundtables: Go deeper on the challenges founders are solving right now
TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026 is coming to SoWa Power Station in Boston on November 4, bringing founders, investors, and operators together for a full day of candid conversations, practical sessions, live pitching, networking, and smaller roundtables built for deeper discussion.
Reconstructing the Ancient Chinese Storm of Crows Weapon
The Chinese had been using large crossbows – akin to Greek and Roman ballistae – for warfare for many of the same reasons that European armies loved them. Their single, …
Friday’s Android app deals and freebies: DREDGE, Slaps And Beans, Thronefall, more
Friday’s best Google Play app and game deals are ready, including DREDGE, Slaps And Beans, Argo’s Choice: Offline Game, The Ancestral Legacy, Ticket to Ride, Thronefall, Demon Castle Story, Lumino City, and more. Just be sure to dive into Pixel Watch 5 at up to $150 off , the most affordable Galaxy Z Fold 8 at over…
Report: Apple gains ground in China as smartphone shipments hit 14-year low in Q3
Rising memory prices continue to weigh on the global smartphone market, with shipments in China alone falling 10% year over year in Q3. Here are the details.
Google will target ads based on Gmail, Photos data if Personal Intelligence is enabled
If you’re an Android user, you’ve probably trusted Google with mountains of your own personal data over the last couple of decades. Now, a new privacy policy update suggests that the company is finally dipping into that data to target personalized ads, and you can’t opt out with disabling Personal Intelligence.
iPhone Duo has hidden trick that solves a common complaint
iPhone Duo is officially out in the wild, and users keep discovering new details about the device. The latest: there’s a hidden trick that makes opening Control Center significantly easier.
Abandoned Popcorn Time apps had to be disabled to prevent a zombie army
Remember Popcorn Time, the app that served as an easy-to-use front end for streaming torrents of movies and TV shows? Development of the MPAA's least-favorite app of the 2010s has been abandoned for years, but the "Netflix of Piracy" software is still installed on millions of devices that are just waiting to join a bot
Inside the Pentagon, the pressure is on to find a home for a new spaceport
Space Force considering options: public-private, federal installation, state land.
Jack Dorsey’s Block made an AI model that talks to you like an awkward new friend
Jack Dorsey's Block announced an AI model called Dessa that's trained "from scratch on nothing but human conversation," and to show off the model, Block shared chats it has had with humans that can occasionally be a little awkward and uncanny. Take this one, for example, shared by Dessa lead Ragavan Thurairatnam. The…
Spotify ramps up policy enforcement on family plans
If you share Spotify sub with family, you may need to scan QR code to prove it.
watchOS 27.2 gets new RC ahead of next week’s launch
Apple has just released a second RC (release candidate) build of watchOS 27.2 for testing. Here are the details.
Red-team report found OpenAI utterly failed to monitor its agents during Hugging Face attack
Monitoring was only partial and was easily bypassed
Next week’s MacBook Pro could be huge upgrade, but with one problem
Apple has a fully redesigned MacBook Pro launching next week that promises to be a major upgrade, except in one key area.
Download the iPhone Duo’s official light and dark wallpapers here
Even if you’re not planning on getting an iPhone Duo, you can now download its light and dark wallpapers for any of your devices. Get them below.
From Toast to Bessemer: Who founders will hear from at TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026
Hosted by TechCrunch in partnership with Fidelity Private Shares, the full-day event goes beyond fundraising and AI to explore the realities of finding customers, building teams, sharpening a pitch, developing founder leadership, and scaling companies both inside and outside traditional startup hubs.
Tesla Supercharger Prices Are Up 15% in the Last Year
Over the past year, Tesla has gradually hiked Supercharger pricing by up to 15% for both non-Tesla EVs and Tesla owners using the network
Soundcore’s latest noise-crushing headphones are on sale for a new low price
My colleague John Higgins considered Soundcore’s Space One some of the best budget noise-canceling headphones you could buy when they launched in 2023 — and their successor has only improved upon their winning formula, albeit with a $30 price increase. Thankfully, the Soundcore Space 2 are currently on sale at Amazon…
Google Health 5.11 rolling out expanded 100+ activity detection to Fitbit Air, Pixel Watch
With the Fitbit Edge announcement, Google Health previewed improved automatic activity tracking, and it’s now beginning to roll out with version 5.11 of the app.
Google will pay people to use less electricity so its data centers can use more
Google has an answer to some of the electricity supply problems that data center construction is causing : It has signed an agreement with energy supplier Voltus to build what it’s calling a 1-gigawatt virtual power plant, expanding on an earlier 100 megawatt deal the two signed earlier this year.
Running a Philips CD-i Off USB-C
The Philips CD-i is a console with many shortcomings, and those include the power supply. For whatever reason, the engineering team decided it should use an 8P8C connector just like …
Cheap Android phones found with malware already installed
The Midnight Mimosa malware campaign hides inside cheap Android phone firmware, giving attackers powerful access before owners even turn devices on.
Revival Rugs Birthday Sale: 20 Percent Off Sitewide Through Sunday
The brand’s lovely selection of hand-knotted and handwoven wool rugs at reasonable prices make it a WIRED-staff favorite.
Hyperscalers allow more scrutiny of controversial data center plans
Hyperscalers are getting decidedly twitchy about citizens’ reactions to their secretive data center construction plans, and are looking for ways to de-escalate some of the conflicts.
HomeKit Weekly: SwitchBot’s new light bars bring 12-zone color to Apple Home
Lighting effects can make or break your TV room, gaming setup, etc. SwitchBot’s RGBICWW Light Bars take a different approach from most products, with dedicated cool-white and warm-white LEDs alongside the color zones. The end result means real white light for work and reading, and 12-zone RGBIC color for movies. It…
Fi’s GPS-equipped dog trackers are on sale for 30 percent off
If your dog or cat is prone to getting lost, or you frequently go on adventures together, you can save 30 percent on Fi pet trackers through October 25th when you enter coupon code SCARY at checkout. The sale includes several satellite-connected trackers, including the Fi Ultra GPS we previously tested, which is down…
Elon Musk’s dangerous grip on outer space
Last week, Starshield - the version of SpaceX's Starlink used by the Ukrainian military - was throttled to block terminals traveling above certain speeds from accessing the service. The Ukrainian army's interceptors, which counter Russian drones carrying bombs, suddenly stopped working at high speeds, making it easier…
Crows can evaluate visual info twice as fast as mammals
Birds' compact nervous system seems to help them handle tasks very quickly.
Intel gets waiver after worries fuzzy US ban on foreign-made robots may hit fabs
Company says foreign-made robotic vehicles are crucial to US chip production.
Tesla reveals Optimus Academy, where robots teach themselves
Tesla has begun building production quality Optimus robots in Fremont and revealed its training plan.
The iPhone Duo should have been an iPad
We gave the iPhone Duo a 7 /10. But that wasn't always the score we planned, and it might not be the right score forever. Such are the challenges of reviewing - and assessing - a big, new idea about the most popular smartphone in history. On this episode of The Vergecast, David and Nilay
What’s the Best iPhone to Buy or Avoid Right Now? (2026)
The first folding iPhone Duo is here, alongside the 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, but they’re not your only options. We have all the details on Apple’s smartphone lineup to help you find the right model.
RFK Jr.’s vaccine injury clinic could damage NIH hospital, board warns
"Trust is slow to build and quick to lose," board chair Jack Leslie said.
Knicks sent employees fake offer of championship rings in phishing test: Report
Corporate phishing tests are common, but this one was especially cruel.
Matrix gains ground in Europe’s public sector — but replacing Teams is another matter
Matrix-based messaging tools are gaining traction among European governments that seek to gain greater control over sensitive communications data and lessen their reliance on US technology suppliers.
Android lets you ‘bubble’ apps for easy access now – how it works
Keep your most-used apps accessible with this new feature.
Agent cloud startup Daytona hits $1B valuation backed by FirstMark and a who’s who of angels
Daytona is building a cloud for agents that's like giving every agent its own computer. It has attracted founders of Stripe, Perplextity, Datadog, Mercor, and others as angels, it says.
AI models think humans are a bunch of amoral sheep
Ask LLMs for their most controversial take on humanity, and it turns out they have little nice to say about us, as one AI experiment found
Tesla Cancels Cybertruck in Australia and New Zealand
Cybertruck won’t come to Australia or New Zealand after seven years of reservations, but holders get a refund and one free year of FSD on another purchase
Commonwealth Fusion Systems gets $85M to build better fusion-ready semiconductors
Top-funded fusion startup Commonwealth Fusion Systems received an $85 million award from the federal government to advance conductors for fusion power plants.
Sam Altman’s OpenAI eyes $30B fundraising round ahead of looming IPO: report
The ChatGPT maker is raising up to $30 billion at a $1.25 trillion valuation, CNBC reported, citing people with knowledge of the situation.
This Editors’ Choice-winning Samsung foldable is $200 off for a limited time
We love the sharp, vibrant screens and all-day battery life of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, and this discount makes it even sweeter.
Apple fanatics line up overnight for new foldable iPhone Duo — but stores sell out within hours
At Apple’s glass-cube Fifth Avenue store, a video posted online showed a "massive queue" around 4:15 a.m. as customers waited for the new iPhone Duo.
Meta is charging government and nonprofit pages to post links on Facebook
The new restrictions are a test which is explicitly not supposed to impact these entities.
What some of Anthropic’s backers are reportedly worth before its IPO
Early-stage and follow-on investors in the AI lab are already sitting on major paper returns.
Hackaday Podcast Episode 392: Microscopes, Drones, and Other DIY Things
Hackaday Editors Elliot Williams and Al Williams met to review the week in Hackaday. Turns out, it was a week for tiny things, cybersecurity, nostalgia, and projects that would have …
Instacart explores potential sale, holds talks with Uber and DoorDash: report
The report put Instacart's value at roughly $12 billion and said an investment bank is helping the company assess its options.
Hottest toy for Christmas? Nvidia CEO plays with adorable Microduck robots, 20,000 sell
The robots, stomping their little feet and making tiny R2-D2 noises, sat, fell down dead for a "nap," and summersaulted on voice command.
VCs, Superhuman Mail founder share red flags about product-market fit
Top investors from Iconiq and Sapphire Ventures, along with Rahul Vohra, the founder of Superhuman Mail, share the do's and don'ts for building hit products.
Carta and NewView partner, hoping to entice more startups to let employees sell shares early
A new program wants to encourage more startups to allow workers to cash out early by making it easier to transact tender offers.
Razer Basilisk V4 Pro Review: Tried and true and now with AI
Razer's Basilisk V4 Pro gaming mouse features an ergonomic shape, a lighter weight, and a couple of extra buttons, plus Razer's Focus Pro 50K optical sensor.
Apple Music has a fun Easter egg for the iPod's 25th anniversary
Time to dust off the click wheel.
Michigan prof creates Python-like Jac language for AI agents
Stop burning $165K on AI rewrites; Jac is meant to "gobble up" your polyglot stack
OpenClaw creator spent $10 million on AI tokens last month
OpenClaw, the AI digital assistant, is looking to establish itself as an essential tool for users — but if it is as profligate in its use of tokens as its creator, Pete Steinberger, then users could be in for some huge usage bills.
Touchscreen MacBook? No, thanks – I ditched my Surface for a reason (3 actually)
Apple’s trackpad is already enough touch input for me. But that’s not the only reason this former Microsoft Surface user is thumbs down on touch Macs.
Micron's next-generation 3D NAND to double bit density with over 400 layers, offering extreme performance
Micron's G11 3D NAND promises 42 Gb/mm2 and 5,400 MT/s interface speed, enabling SSDs with extreme capacity and performance.
Tesla to Launch Unsupervised FSD, Let Owners Join Robotaxi Network in Q2 2027
Unsupervised FSD could reach the first customer Teslas around Q2 2027, letting owners add their cars to the Robotaxi network within Tesla’s geofences.
The MSX Gets A New Sound Expansion Cartridge
If we’re honest, there aren’t a whole lot of accessories coming out for the MSX computer line this holiday period. There is, however, a new sound expansion cartridge for the …
Arc browser on its way out as makers suggest an alternative
No new accounts from now, and the end will come in December
Meta hit with $25 billion fine for illegally sharing user data
A judge in New Mexico has fined Meta $25 billion for its flouting of data privacy laws between 2010 and 2021, including its controversial passing of data to Cambridge Analytica .
Solidigm confirms plans to build a fab in the US, abandons IPO plans
SK hynix abandons IPO plans for Solidigm, confirms plans to build a Solidigm 3D NAND fab in the U.S.
Unauthorized AI agents detected inside accounts at major banks
Unvetted and unauthorized third-party AI agents are operating inside the bank accounts of some U.S. customers. Axios' Madison Mills joins "CBS Mornings" to explain more.
PHP2Shell: Haven’t patched yet? Take these steps now to mitigate
The PHP Project provides instructions to stop further RCE exploits in limited settings.
How Many Billions Would It Take to Hold Meta Accountable?
Meta got hit this week with its biggest fine yet, the latest in a mounting pile of court-ordered payments.
Gigabyte Z890M Aorus Elite WiFi7 Motherboard Review: Icy-white SFF board offers full-size features for Intel
The $209 Gigabyte Z890M Aorus Elite Wifi 7 Ice is one of the better-looking Micro ATX boards, with an icy-white aesthetic and full heatsink coverage that give it a premium vibe for white-themed Intel builds.
SparkyOS: Lightweight general-purpose Arch, on a pendrive
Interesting new project from the minds behind SparkyLinux