Author: News Room
Artist and musician Brian Eno — who also composed the iconic Windows 95 operating system startup chime — called on Microsoft today to “suspend all services that support any operations that contribute to violations of international law,” saying the company plays a role in “surveillance, violence, and destruction in Palestine.” It’s the latest high-profile instance of the tech giant being pressed on its contracts with the Israeli government.“I gladly took on the [Windows 95] project as a creative challenge and enjoyed the interaction with my contacts at the company,” Eno wrote on Instagram. “I never would have believed that the…
In its antitrust case against Meta, the US Federal Trade Commission is asking a judge to consider an alternate reality. In that world, the company never bought Instagram and WhatsApp. The two apps remained competitive with Facebook, developing features that competed for users’ attention. And that competition created a thriving ecosystem of social media apps where people can connect with their friends and family. Meta has spent the past several days — during which it’s begun lodging its case-in-chief in a Washington, DC, courthouse — building a counternarrative. In its telling of this alternate present, Instagram and WhatsApp are shadows…
There have been public failures as well, such as the Humane AI Pin and the Rabbit R1 personal assistant device. “Those were very poor products,” said Ive, 58. “There has been an absence of new ways of thinking expressed in products.”Our initial reviews certainly backed up Ive’s impression, as David Pierce said the Pin “doesn’t work,” and called the R1 “a worse and less functional version of your smartphone.”Humane, which, like io, was lead by former Apple employees, has already disappeared into the mist of an acquihire by HP and shut down all AI Pins in February. The Rabbit R1…
OpenAI is buying io, a hardware company founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive and several other former engineers from his time there, including Scott Cannon, Evans Hankey, and Tang Tan.Ive won’t be joining OpenAI, and his design firm, LoveFrom, will continue to be independent, but they will “take over design for all of OpenAI, including its software,” in a deal valued at nearly $6.5 billion, Bloomberg reports.About 55 hardware engineers, software developers, and manufacturing experts will join OpenAI as part of the acquisition. That includes Cannon, Hankey, and Tan. The first devices following the acquisition are set to…
Whether you’re a PC gaming die-hard with a headset, are all-in on consoles, or split your time between the two, you’re probably spending a heck of a lot of time sitting down. So getting a top gaming chair is pretty important. And if you’re into cars, then this Audi-inspired gaming chair from Vertagear is perfect. Launched just in time to pair with all the latest gaming tech from Computex 2025, the collection offers three models, each mirroring a different Audi persona. The SL3800 Audi Edition, looks like it’s been yanked out of an A4 – refined, plush, a bit posh…
Google didn’t want to give publishers the choice to keep their content out of AI Search results because it’s “evolving into a space for monetisation.” That’s according to a newly disclosed internal document spotted by Bloomberg, which reveals that Google had discussed offering publishers more granular control over how website data would be used in AI Search features instead of the illusion of choice they eventually received.One of the suggestions in the documents that Google considered a “hard red line” would enable publishers to prevent Google’s AI models from referencing their data in real time, but not opt out of…
Unless you’re wearing a shellsuit while watching a Betamax video of Roland Rat driving a Sinclair C5 to Woolworths to pick up a copy of No Jacket Required by Phil Collins, there are few things that look more ‘80s than these KM5 Lightwear Headphones Hp1. Originally crowdfunded in Japan last year, enough people wanted to look like Marty McFly that these retro headphones are now available to buy for £159/$189 – and they’ve had some important upgrades to make them fit for use in 2025 rather than 1985. For starters there’s Bluetooth 5.4 with LE Audio support, so you don’t…
Google’s AI search results are about to get even more ads. On May 21st, the company announced that it’s going to start testing ads in AI Mode, the new AI-powered search feature that just rolled out to everyone in the US.AI Mode is the new tab in Google Search that opens an AI chatbot-like interface, where you can get a rundown of what you’re searching for, along with links to relevant websites. But these answers could soon have product recommendations and other ads.As an example, Google says if a user asks AI Mode for tips on how to build a…
The newest fitness tracker craze seems to be smart rings. They’ve been around for a while now, with Oura arguably the most popular option. I’ve used one, and while it’s great – it isn’t perfect. My biggest problem has been with the Automatic Activity Detection feature, or (in my experience) lack thereof. But this free update for all users fixes this problem, along with plenty of other improvements across the board. The update includes a reworked step-counting algorithm that ditches estimated steps in favour of actual pedometer-style tracking. I don’t know why this wasn’t here to begin with, but at least…
Google is working with Samsung to bring a desktop mode to Android. During Google I/O’s developer keynote, engineering manager Florina Muntenescu said the company is “building on the foundation” of Samsung’s DeX platform “to bring enhanced windowing capabilities in Android 16,” as spotted earlier by 9to5Google.Samsung first launched DeX in 2017, a feature that automatically adjusts your phone’s interface and apps when connected to a larger display, allowing you to use your phone like a desktop device.A demo during the presentation revealed a Samsung DeX-like layout, with apps like Gmail, Chrome, YouTube, and Google Photos centered in the taskbar at…
If rumours are to be believed Apple has had a HomePod with a screen in the works for a couple of years now, and at first glance you’d be forgiven for thinking this is it – but the WiiM Sound is more of a Sonos rival than a smart speaker. With its HomePod-esque chassis and 1.8in touchscreen, the WiiM Sound could certainly pass for a new version of Apple’s original smart speaker, but the only microphone you’ll find is built into the remote (although you can use Alexa or Google Assistant via your phone). Inside there’s a 4in woofer and…
If you ask me, there’s always space in my games catalog for a fun third-person shooter that I can play with my buds online. Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 delivers some of the best blood-gushing, bug-crushing action, filling a Gears of War void that I didn’t know needed filling. You can jump into the fray while saving some money, as Space Marine 2 has hit its lowest price yet at Amazon, GameStop, and Best Buy. Normally $69.99, it costs $39.99 for the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X.Other deals worth checking out Read the full article here