Author: News Room

Microsoft has announced Project Solara, which is a new platform built for AI agents rather than applications. During the Build 2026 keynote, Microsoft says it expects the next wave of AI-first devices to run on the Android-based Project Solara, rather than Windows. The company already has a couple of hardware form factors in mind, unveiling concepts for a smart display and a smart badge. The badge is the more interesting of the two devices, as it is designed to mimic a smart identity badge that workers in certain professions use gain to access to their offices, etc. “We’ve reimagined a…

Microsoft just kicked off Build 2026 with a keynote from CEO Satya Nadella and other company leaders. As expected, it was filled with announcements, ranging from new Surface hardware to an always-on personal assistant and updates across Microsoft’s in-house AI models.If you didn’t watch the event live, you can catch up on all the latest news in the roundup below.Image: MicrosoftThe Surface RTX Spark Dev Box is geared toward developers who want to run local AI models on their device, serving as a substitute for Qualcomm’s canceled dev kit. It comes equipped with Nvidia’s new Arm-based Spark RTX chip and…

Intel couldn’t catch a break. Layoffs. Shakedowns. Crashing CPUs torpedoing its reputation, sending desktop gamers fleeing to AMD. Apple and Qualcomm pushing Intel out of multiple flagship laptops. A gaming graphics card going MIA. But its Panther Lake laptop chip, the first on its all-important 18A process, turned out excellent — and a handheld version might make Intel the leader in portable gaming chips.On Monday, I spent two hours with an MSI Claw 8 EX AI Plus handheld atop Intel’s new Arc G3 Extreme. I walked away thinking that next-gen handhelds have finally arrived. The true leap in performance and…

Nintendo has announced an update for its Nintendo Music streaming service, which makes it easier to listen to your favourite gaming tunes in more places. The service, which is a nice additional perk for Switch Online subscribers, now supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. This makes it easier to tune into your favourite gaming soundtracks while dodging the traffic, minus the dreaded green shells heading your way. Voice control is also supported in the in-car environment. Furthermore, the service is now available in a web browser making playback possible on desktop and the app is also optimised for tablets too.…

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday creating a “voluntary framework” for AI companies to share their frontier models with the federal government before they’re released “to promote secure innovation and strengthen the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure.”The order says the US AI industry has succeeded in part “because we refuse to stifle this innovation with overly burdensome regulation,” but that it also recognizes new AI capabilities come with security risks. Accordingly, it directs several federal agencies to come up with a framework to “assess the advanced cyber capabilities of AI models” before they’re released to the public. Companies would…

Microsoft announced a bunch of new in-house AI models at Build 2026, including a new “flagship” model: MAI-Thinking-1. It’s an ambitious step into model development for Microsoft, which introduced its initial in-house models last year – before then, it had relied on OpenAI’s models. The two companies recently renegotiated their deal to loosen ties. According to Microsoft, MAI-Thinking-1 is a “medium-sized model” that “matches leading models” on “key” software engineering benchmarks. Microsoft says the company “trained it from the ground up on clean data, without distillation from third-party models.” As for other models announced today, t … Read the full…

Microsoft is kicking off its Build developer conference today with a promise of making Windows a trusted platform for development. As the company continues to focus on performance and reliability fixes for Windows 11, it’s also creating a developer-optimized experience that bundles a lot of useful tools and apps and embraces Linux even further.“We have optimized the Windows 11 experience for developers, bringing frequently used command line utilities, a familiar comfort shell, faster setup experience, a built-in way to create and interact with Linux containers on Windows and a new experimental Intelligent Terminal,” explains Windows chief Pavan Davuluri.Microsoft has created…

It’s Global Running Day on June 3, and to celebrate Apple is bringing some special features to Apple Watch and Apple Fitness+, including a limited-edition award on Apple Watch. On the day, Apple Watch users can earn a limited-edition award when they record a running workout of at least 5K (3.1 miles), using Apple’s own Workout app or any app that records workouts to Health such as Strava or WorkOutDoors. While Fitness+ is a gym-centric system, the $9.99/£9.99 subscription (also available in Apple One) still has running-centric programs like Yoga for Every Runner to build strength and mobility. There are…

Microsoft is moving its annual Build developer conference from Seattle back to San Francisco and making some changes along the way. This year, the event will be held at Fort Mason, the former US Army post located in the San Francisco Bay Area, instead of the bustling downtown of Seattle. Microsoft is moving Build to this location to capture the AI buzz of San Francisco and to make the event more intimate.“There are great conferences that are enormous, and part of it is just the sprawl and scale of it, and there are great conferences that are tiny that are…

Next week is Apple’s developer conference, where we’ll get a look at the next version of the iPhone software among other announcements. But Apple’s June event is in danger of being overshadowed by stacks of iPhone Fold/iPhone Ultra leaks at present (no, I don’t know which it will be called as yet, but I’m thinking iPhone Fold). The latest leak is of a dummy unit produced to show off the device’s dimensions. Dummy devices have been shown before and there’s no way to verify the authenticity, but the design lines up closely with earlier dummy units shared by leaker Sonny…

After expanding its offerings to video with the CS-8 inspired by Kodak and Canon’s retro Super 8mm film cameras, Camp Snap is returning to its roots. The Camp Snap 2 is a sequel to the company’s first screenless digital point-and-shoot camera that updates the original with a slimmer design, faster performance, filters available right out of the box, and new features making it easier for kids to use.The Camp Snap 2 is available starting today through the company’s online store for $69.95, which is the same price as the original. Color options being carried forward include stealth black, chestnut brown,…

When Lego announced its tech-packed Smart Bricks at CES, we were impressed by the potential — enough to give it our Best in Show award. But when the first Star Wars sets actually launched in March, we were less enamored. All that promise of clever interaction and creative play ultimately boiled down to a few voice barks and flashing lights, with the smartest features we’d seen at CES nowhere to be found.Today, Lego announced the second generation, with 12 new sets launching this summer, promising Pokémon play and some of the smarts we’d been missing. After a few hours training…