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Apple Introduces M6 and M5 Ultra Chips

Apple has announced the new M6 2nm processor, designed for the Mac Mini, and the M5 Ultra, a powerful quad-die chip for the Mac Studio. While the M6 focuses on efficiency and improved multithreaded performance with its 12-core CPU, the M5 Ultra is built for high-demand tasks like 3D rendering, featuring up to 36 CPU cores, an 80-core GPU, and support for up to 512GB of unified memory. Preorders for both systems begin Tuesday, with a launch scheduled for September 22nd.

Source: The Verge

New Zealand Proposes Social Media Ban for Children Under 16

New Zealand is introducing a bill to ban children under 16 from using social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook to protect them from harmful content and addictive technology. While Prime Minister Christopher Luxon advocates for these virtual safety measures, the proposal faces opposition from several political parties. Under the new law, non-compliant platforms could face significant penalties, including fines of up to 10% of their global revenue for failing to verify user ages.

Source: BBC

Uber Adds Live Video Feature for Teen Rides

Uber is rolling out a new feature for teen accounts that allows parents to view a live, encrypted video feed from the driver’s selfie camera during their child’s ride, providing added peace of mind amid ongoing ridehail safety concerns. This feature, which requires driver opt-in and notifies all parties when active, complements existing safety measures like GPS tracking and PIN verification, while drivers qualified for these trips must maintain high safety ratings.

Source: The Verge

Xiaomi Launches Its Own Mobile AI Chip

Xiaomi Corp. has launched its in-house Xring O3 mobile processor for its marquee devices, aimed at enhancing power efficiency and artificial intelligence capabilities. This move strengthens Xiaomi’s semiconductor design efforts while reducing its long-standing reliance on third-party suppliers such as Qualcomm Inc. and MediaTek Inc.

Source: Bloomberg

WhatsApp Strengthens Account Security

WhatsApp has introduced new security features to counter sophisticated phishing and hacking attempts, including support for longer, alphanumeric two-step verification PINs and the ability to add multiple passkeys for better cross-platform account management. Additionally, the app is providing Android users with more context for calls from unknown numbers, further building on recent updates such as profile usernames and the optional WhatsApp Plus subscription plan.

Source: TechCrunch

Google Expands Gemini Enterprise Into Legal AI

Google has expanded its Gemini Enterprise platform with specialized AI tools for law firms, developed in collaboration with firms like Weil Gotshal and Freshfields to streamline legal tasks securely. This move intensifies competition in the legal AI sector, where Google rivals established providers like Thomson Reuters, Anthropic, and LexisNexis in meeting the growing demand for generative AI in the profession.

Source: Reuters

Hugging Face Draws Acquisition Interest Above $13 Billion

Hugging Face has reportedly attracted acquisition interest at a valuation exceeding $13 billion, highlighting its role as a cornerstone of AI infrastructure. Despite this interest, CEO Clem Delangue has emphasized the startup’s commitment to its community and long-term sustainability over short-term financial gains or fundraising maximization. This focus on independence is consistent with the company’s history, such as its earlier decision to decline a $500 million investment from Nvidia to ensure no single dominant investor could influence its strategic direction.

Source: TechCrunch

Google Rolls Out Motion Assist on Android 17

Google has begun a phased rollout of its “Motion Assist” feature on Android 17, starting with Pixel devices, to help reduce motion sickness by displaying customizable, vehicle-motion-responsive visual cues around the screen’s edges. Unlike previous iterations that were limited by system UI restrictions, Motion Assist now utilizes updated OS-level APIs to appear over all apps and system elements. Users can enable the feature via Google Play Settings or a Quick Settings tile, and the system offers various personalization options for the motion indicators, such as adjusting color, shape, and opacity.

Source: Android Authority

Fitbit Founders Launch Luffu Link Wearable

Luffu Link, a new LTE-enabled health and safety wearable from Fitbit co-founders James Park and Eric Friedman, integrates all-day health sensing, voice logging, and location awareness to provide an intelligent family care system without requiring a phone. Designed as a discreet, jewelry-like alternative to traditional trackers, the device focuses on family connection and well-being by monitoring daily patterns and offering emergency assistance. Currently available for pre-order at $250 with a future retail price of $300, the Link complements the existing Luffu app to help families manage caregiving responsibilities without the need for constant monitoring.

Source: TechCrunch

Threads Tests Podcast Transcription Feature

Threads is currently testing new podcast-focused features, including a tool for automatic audio transcriptions that enables users to read along without sound. While not guaranteed for release, these efforts highlight the platform’s ongoing strategy to support content creators and capitalize on its growth to 500 million monthly active users.

Source: Engadget

Divine Brings Back the Spirit of Vine — Without AI Content

Divine, a new app inspired by the beloved short-form video platform Vine, has launched to restore the spirit of human-centric, creative content while explicitly prohibiting AI-generated material. Founded by former Twitter employee Rabble with backing from Jack Dorsey, the app features a scrolling feed of six-second videos, incorporates an archive of original Vine posts, and emphasizes transparency, decentralized infrastructure, and user agency to offer a healthier alternative to mainstream social media.

Source: CNN

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ByteDance Folds AI Tools Into Doubao Super-App to Fight Tencent

Bloomberg’s sources report ByteDance is consolidating teams working on its AI coding platform Trae and agent-building platform Coze into its ChatGPT-style chatbot Doubao. Sources say ByteDance will launch Doubao Work as an independent app as early as this week in order to compete with Tencent’s WorkBuddy, China’s currently most-used office AI tool. Previously, Alibaba also combined some of its AI tools into its own workspace-aimed platform Qwen Work.

Source: Bloomberg

Twitch and Amazon face legal action over using livestreams to train AI

Earlier in August, Twitch announced streams on the platform would be used as training material for AI, with all content creators enrolled by default. In a somewhat-disastrous livestream with Twitch chief product officer Mike Minton answering community questions about the feature, he straight up said, “If it was opt-in, nobody would opt in. Um, that’s honestly the answer. So it’s going to be on by default.” Connecticut-based streamer Warren Pandiscia began a class action lawsuit against Amazon and Twitch for using streamers’ videos for AI training without consent or permission, seeking damages and a halt to the practice. Twitch and Amazon have yet to comment.

Source: BBC and Kotaku

Taiwan issues indictments over alleged illegal export of AI servers to China

Taiwanese prosecutors indicted nine people, including Nvidia and Super Micro employees, for alleged involvement in illegaly exporting AI servers to China. A prosecutor says the charges include breach of trust and document ​forgery in connection with the illegal exports, and that 74 of the 130 servers mentioned in falsified documents did arrive in China.

Source: Reuters

Microsoft Teams now lets admins block external bots from meetings

Microsoft rolled out a Teams update protection policy, allowing administrators to automatically block all identified external bots from being able to attend meetings, building on a June update that tagged any detected bots to require administrator approval. The feature is rolling out slowly and will be globally enabled by late September.

Source: Bleeping Computer

Apple starts testing AI shopping assistant in the Apple Store app

9to5Mac reports some Apple users are now part of an “Early Preview” of a new Virtual Assistant available within the Apple Store app. Participants have a chat-style icon in the bottom right corner instead of the usual search icon. Clicking brings up the notice: “I’m your virtual shopping assistant. Ask me about Apple products, existing orders, connecting with a specialist, and more, or feel free to use the prompts below.” The prompts include learning about latest products, trade-in values, and explaining various carrier offers, among others.

Source: 9to5Mac

What is the ‘Android Pulse’ app that just appeared in Google Play Store updates?

Over the weekend Android users discovered an app named “Android Pulse” appearing in a the list of Google Play updates. Android Pulse is an official first-party app, and the description states the app “facilitates rule distribution for anomaly detection in critical system resource consumption by the Android operating system and installed applications.” Under system settings, the app is listed only as ‘Pulse’ and there is no user-accessible interface available. 9to5Google notes “It’s curious that Google did not use its dedicated System Services approach to update this kind of app.”

Source: 9to5Google and Digital Trends

Netflix reportedly considers opening its app to other streamers

The New York Times reports Netflix executives discussed bringing in third-party services available within the Netflix app, mentioning Peacock and Fox One as possible options. The report does not specify whether access to content from any third-party platforms would be included in a Netflix subscription or require an additional fee. The New York Times says no “imminent deal” is planned.

Source: The New York Times and The Verge

New Zealand joins the global push to keep under-16s off social media

New Zealand is introducing a bill requiring social media platforms to verify access only to those over 16 years of age. In the bill, non-compliance penalties for platforms could reach up to 10% of the platform’s global revenue. This bill will not be voted on before an election in November. Australia enacted a similar social media ban for youths that began on December 10th, 2025. Another similar bill in France, that would’ve banned under-15s from social media, was blocked by the courts in France, on August 14th.

Source: The Next Web

Zillow settles FTC claims it paid Redfin to stop competing on apartment listings

On Monday, the US Federal Trade Commission and several states announced a settlement with real estate platform Zillow over an illegal $100 million USD deal with Rocket Companies’ Redfin in 2025 to stop posting rental listings, instead referring customers to Zillow’s, for up to nine years. The plaintiffs argued the deal drove up prices by an average of 14.5%. As part of he settlement, Redfin agreed to rebuild its rental advertising business within six months, and a Redfin spokesperson says the company will maintain a partnership with Zillow through 2030 while building up the standalone rental business.

Source: Reuters

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Show Notes

Big AI Ambitions, Real-World Limits

A week of tech news where the biggest stories are less about flashy launches, and more about companies hitting the practical edges of AI, hardware, regulation, privacy, and cost.

TikTok Pays Up on Kids’ Privacy

TikTok and ByteDance agreed to a $400 million settlement with the US Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission over alleged children’s privacy violations. The case involved the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act and a previous 2019 consent order, though TikTok does not admit wrongdoing. Still, it lands as one of the largest children’s privacy settlements on record.

source: Axios

ByteDance Wants a Frontier Model Too

The Financial Times’ sources say ByteDance is training a massive AI model with as many as 10 trillion parameters. The exact size could still change because the model is early in training, but ByteDance appears to want its Seed AI team catching up to Anthropic and other top labs. China’s AI race is not just about cheaper open models, but pushing scale too.

source: Financial Times

Apple Reorganizes Around What’s Next

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports Apple is cutting more than 200 jobs across Siri, Vision Pro, immersive video, and gaming teams as it shifts more resources toward AI and new devices. About 100 jobs are being cut from the Vision Pro team, including much of the headset’s gaming team and part of the expensive immersive video group. Another roughly 100 are coming from Siri and software teams, though Apple says the restructuring will create some new roles.

source: Bloomberg

Walmart Finally Taps In

Walmart is adding tap-to-pay at Walmart and Sam’s Club stores in the US, including Apple Pay and Google Pay. The rollout starts August 24th at select locations, expands to all stores and clubs by the end of 2026, and reaches fuel stations by mid-2027. After years of pushing customers toward Walmart Pay, this sounds like Walmart admitting people just want to tap their phone or card and move on.

source: TechCrunch

OpenAI Cuts Some AI Model Prices

OpenAI cut prices for some GPT-5.6 developer models as businesses keep a closer eye on AI bills. Luna, its fastest and lowest-cost model, is down 80%. Terra is down 20%. The flagship Sol model price is unchanged, but OpenAI says GPT-5.6 also helped make its own infrastructure cheaper to run, including work that reduced serving costs by about 20%.

source: Reuters

Boise Gets the AI Boom Treatment

Micron’s AI boom is turning Boise, Idaho into a bigger chip hub. The company announced Micron Research Labs, a $10 billion research center headquartered in Boise, as part of its broader US memory-chip expansion. CNBC reports the buildout is already showing up in jobs, construction, housing pressure, and local wealth tied to Micron stock, so it’s a semiconductor story, but also a hometown transformation story.

source: CNBC

The Lidar Supply Chain Gets a Security Review

In more Idaho news, TechCrunch’s sources say Idaho National Laboratory is reviewing whether Chinese-made light detection and ranging sensors, better known as lidar, could create security risks if they become common in US vehicles. The concern is not just supply chain dependence; lawmakers and industry executives worry about possible spying, data collection, or mass disruption of sensors used in autonomous vehicles. Chinese suppliers like Hesai and RoboSense have driven lidar prices way down, and US automakers are interested.

source: TechCrunch

Leaked Cloud Keys Are Still Live

More than 9,300 exposed Amazon Web Services access keys found online between August 2022 and August 2026 are reportedly still active. These aren’t harmless leftovers. Valid keys can let attackers access cloud services, steal data, spin up infrastructure, or run up costs inside corporate accounts. A good reminder that leaked cloud credentials need to be treated like an active incident.

source: BleepingComputer

China’s Satellite Internet of Things Test Moves Ahead

China approved Geely’s commercial aerospace arm, Geespace, to run a two-year commercial satellite Internet of Things trial. Geespace already has 64 GeeSAT satellites in orbit and says the network handles about 340 million communication requests a day, with uses in vehicles, shipping, energy, water systems, and fishing fleets. China’s private space sector is growing, as it moves satellite operators from launches and constellations into regulated telecom services.

source: South China Morning Post

The Anniversary Xbox May Be Pricey

Reliable leaker billbil-kun of Dealabs points to Microsoft’s Xbox Series X25 limited-edition console costing $900 and launching November 27th, coinciding with Black Friday. Microsoft previously confirmed the translucent green 25th anniversary console and matching controller, but hasn’t officially announced the price or date.

source: Polygon

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Show Notes

China Recalls Push Automakers to Improve Manual Door Releases

Amid growing safety concerns regarding electronic door latches that can trap occupants during emergencies, 11 carmakers in China, including Tesla, Xiaomi, and Xpeng, are issuing recalls to improve access to manual door releases. This trend toward electronic latching systems has faced increased scrutiny globally, with regulators in China planning a ban on hidden exterior handles by 2027 and U.S. authorities investigating safety standards. Consequently, manufacturers like Rivian and Ford are actively redesigning their vehicles to ensure manual releases are more intuitive and accessible.

Source: TechCrunch

Samsung Expected to Reclaim Global Smartphone Lead

Counterpoint Research predicts that Samsung Electronics will regain the lead in the global smartphone market this year due to its supply chain resilience amidst a 14.3% decline in overall shipments, which disproportionately impacts Chinese manufacturers. While Samsung and Apple remain relatively stable, the broader market faces continued pressure from high component costs, leading manufacturers to pivot toward premium models rather than relying on AI or foldable features to spark a significant upgrade cycle.

Source: Bloomberg

DeepSeek Launches Experimental V4 Flash Model

DeepSeek has launched an experimental multimodal release of its V4 Flash model, engineered for high-speed, high-resolution processing of complex visual inputs like infographics and screenshots. While early benchmarks show multimodal performance near proprietary models like Anthropic’s Claude, real-world testing highlights difficulties with complex, non-standard agentic tasks. These operational issues coincide with rising API prices, illustrating the cost and compute demands of advanced visual reasoning models.

Source: Bloomberg

New York Overtakes Bay Area in Tech Talent

A recent CBRE report highlights that the rapid growth of AI-specific tech jobs is significantly impacting regional office markets, with New York overtaking the San Francisco Bay Area in overall tech talent for the first time. While AI roles have surged across the U.S. and Canada, AI-driven companies are bucking remote work trends by fostering an office-centric culture, leading to increased office leasing in major hubs like Manhattan, Boston, Seattle, and San Francisco. Contrary to fears of job displacement, the AI sector is driving job creation and office recovery, particularly within the finance industry.

Source: CNBC

Nevada Approves Paid Robotaxi Services

The Nevada Transportation Authority has authorized Tesla, Waymo, and Uber to launch paid robotaxi services in the Las Vegas area. Tesla has been granted permission to deploy up to 5,000 vehicles, while Waymo and Uber, in collaboration with Zoox and Motional, are each authorized for 1,000, signaling a significant expansion of driverless transport in the region over the coming year.

Source: Engadget

UK Cinemas Restrict Camera-Enabled Smart Glasses

British cinema operators are implementing restrictions on camera-enabled smart glasses, such as Meta’s AI-powered eyewear, citing significant concerns over privacy and film piracy. This move reflects a broader trend of regulatory scrutiny regarding the recording capabilities of such devices, which recently led courts in England and Wales to prohibit their use. While operators acknowledge the potential accessibility benefits of smart glasses, they are prioritizing security and legal compliance through venue-specific policies that aim to remain proportionate to the risks identified.

Source: Reuters

ChatGPT Gets Apple Messages Plug-In

OpenAI has released an Apple Messages plug-in for ChatGPT, enabling users to integrate their messaging inbox with the chatbot for tasks such as sorting, analyzing, drafting, deleting, and sending texts. While the feature offers significant functional utility, it has raised privacy questions, prompting OpenAI to clarify that the plug-in operates locally and to advise users to maintain review processes when automating message transmission.

Source: TechCrunch

Windows 11 Update Causes Game Crashes and System Issues

The mandatory Windows 11 KB5121003 update, released August 11, is causing significant issues, including game crashes, system instability, and driver compatibility problems, despite fixing 400 security vulnerabilities. While developers like Embark Games work on fixes and suggest driver-level workarounds, Microsoft is currently investigating the reports and has yet to announce a formal remediation plan.

Source: Engadget

Senators Demand Answers From TikTok Over Safety Experiment

Senators Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal are demanding answers from TikTok by September 1 regarding a 2021 experiment where the company withheld safety features designed to curb “filter bubbles” to test the impact on user engagement. Following reports that a teenager died by suicide after being excluded from these safety protections and exposed to harmful content, lawmakers are pressing the company to disclose whether it has deliberately prioritized engagement and ad revenue over safety interventions for young users.

Source: Engadget

Patreon Unveils New Roadmap for Creators

Patreon CEO Jack Conte has announced a new roadmap aimed at creating a “better internet” for creators, featuring a significant overhaul of the platform’s discovery algorithm to better highlight smaller creators. The update introduces short-form video tools like Clips, alongside upcoming features such as “Niches” communities and enhanced anti-scraping and verification measures, reflecting the company’s push to compete with social platforms while addressing broader creator concerns.

Source: The Verge

Meta Launches AI Vibe-Coding App Pocket

Meta has launched its AI-driven “vibe-coding” app, Pocket, in the U.S., allowing users to generate, share, and remix interactive minigames and experiences called gizmos using text prompts. Following the acquisition of the team behind a similar app called Gizmo, Meta has integrated these creative tools into a social-feed format that leverages smartphone capabilities like touch and tilt. This release marks another step in Meta’s broader AI-focused strategy, following recent introductions like the “Vibes” feed and AI-powered photo animation features.

Source: Engadget

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U.S. Warns of AI-Assisted Cyberattacks on Critical Infrastructure

U.S. security agencies, including CISA, the FBI, and the NSA, have issued warnings regarding ongoing cyberattacks on Siemens S7 programmable logic controllers within critical infrastructure sectors like water and energy. Hackers are leveraging AI to generate exploit scripts targeting poorly secured or outdated devices, potentially causing significant operational disruption. These incidents, often linked to suspected Iranian hackers, have impacted various U.S. states, prompting officials to reiterate the importance of keeping critical systems disconnected from the internet to mitigate risks.

Source: TechCrunch

Australia Taxes Tech Giants That Don’t Pay Local News Publishers

Australia’s new “News Bargaining Incentive” legislation imposes a 2.5% tax on the advertising revenue of major tech companies, including Meta, Google, TikTok, and Microsoft, unless they establish commercial agreements with local Australian news publishers. Platforms can offset this levy by reaching deals with at least eight publishers, with financial incentives favoring agreements with smaller and medium-sized outlets to support domestic journalism.

Source: Reuters

Google Adds New AI Study Tools to Search and Gemini

Google has introduced new AI-powered study tools for Search and Gemini, aimed at enhancing learning and competition with other educational platforms. These features include interactive 3D simulations, custom study documents created from uploaded files, personalized practice quizzes, and a new Lens-based problem-solving experience. Additionally, Gemini now offers multi-step research report capabilities in Gemini Live and a dedicated learning hub to centralize study materials like flashcards and notes, providing students with a comprehensive, interactive academic assistant.

Source: TechCrunch

Meta Faces Scrutiny Over Ads for AI Deepfake Tool

Meta recently faced scrutiny for running advertisements for “Kromix,” an AI-powered tool capable of generating nonconsensual pornographic deepfakes, including images of female U.S. politicians, which violated the company’s policies against sexual content. Despite claims by Meta and Apple that they employ automated systems and strict policies to block such harmful material, both platforms continue to struggle with effective enforcement, with critics pointing to Meta’s heavy reliance on AI moderation over human oversight as a key factor in these repeated failures.

Source: Ars Technica

Samsung Galaxy Users Report RCS Problems After Switching Phones

Samsung Galaxy users switching to new devices are reporting widespread RCS connectivity issues in Google Messages, often manifesting as error code 3100 after using Samsung Smart Switch. Google suggests these problems may stem from corrupted cache files transferred during the setup process, recommending that users update the app, clear Carrier Services data, and toggle RCS off and on. While some users find these steps ineffective and occasionally resort to factory resets, the underlying cause remains a significant point of frustration for those migrating data to new handsets.

Source: Android Central

U.S. Gaming Market Revenue Falls 10% in July

In July, U.S. gaming market revenue fell 10% year-over-year to $4.5 billion, with console sales experiencing their worst July performance since 2020, dropping 29% due to waning Nintendo Switch 2 interest and memory crisis-related price hikes. Additionally, gaming accessory sales fell 6% and overall video game sales declined 9% largely due to mobile segment setbacks, while the Call of Duty: Black Ops II port emerged as the month’s top-grossing paid game.

Source: Game World Observer

Roblox Agrees to Major Child Safety Changes in Australia

Roblox has entered a court-enforceable agreement with Australia’s eSafety commission to significantly enhance child safety on its platform, following findings that it failed to prevent unauthorized adult-child contact and visibility of sensitive underage user data. While Roblox has implemented tiered age-gating and verification measures globally, it must now further commit to making children’s accounts private by default, restricting adult-initiated contact without parental consent, and undergoing third-party safety audits within the next three months to address ongoing regulatory concerns and lawsuits.

Source: Engadget

OpenAI Targets 2027 or Earlier for IPO

OpenAI has targeted 2027 or earlier for its IPO, with CFO Sarah Friar emphasizing that the move is a strategic milestone rather than a financial necessity. Despite projecting strong revenue growth and enterprise momentum, the company faces significant challenges, including intensified competition from Anthropic.

Source: The Next Web

Slack Launches AI Coding Channels

Slack has launched “Slack Code,” a new feature that creates dedicated, project-specific channels for teams to collaborate with AI coding agents like Claude and Devin. These channels allow users to build features, fix bugs, and update pages with full visibility, featuring real-time code auditing, live previews, and automated archiving upon task completion. Available on all plans, the feature integrates seamlessly with major AI agents from partners like Vercel and GitHub to enable collaborative development directly within the Slack workspace.

Source: The Verge

YouTube Pays Creators Millions to Stay Exclusive

YouTube is offering millions in financial incentives to popular creators for content exclusivity, aiming to counter Netflix’s efforts to license their videos for concurrent release. While Netflix appeals to creators with additional revenue and exposure to its vast subscriber base, YouTube argues that cross-posting undermines its viewership and advertising value. Consequently, YouTube is strengthening its stance, threatening to deprioritize creators who work with Netflix while leveraging exclusive deals to maintain its position as the primary platform for these influencers.

Source: Bloomberg

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Show Notes

Amazon Prime Air drone delivery is expanding to nearly 500 cities and towns this year

On Wednesday, Amazon announced plans to expand drone deliveries to include “nearly 500 cities and towns in the United States by the end of 2026”. Prime Air currently delivers within major centers in Arizona, Texas, Florida, Michigan, Nebraska, Kansas, and Louisiana. The service will soon be available in “Chicago, Illinois; Syracuse, New York; Cleveland, Ohio; Atlanta, Georgia; and Boise, Idaho metro areas”.

Source: Bloomberg and Amazon

OpenAI Is Taking Its Ad Business to 31 New European Markets

OpenAI announced an expansion to 31 additional markets in Europe for its ad pilot, including Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, Portugal, the Czech Republic, and several Nordic countries. Previously, the pilot test was only available in North America, Australia and New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, and Brazil. In a briefing call, OpenAI’s enterprise CMO Colin Fleming noted the company’s ad revenue grew over 25% since early August and that 20% of approximately one billion weekly active ChatGPT users have commercial intent.

Source: AdWeek

Samsung hikes chipmaking prices by up to 15% on demand spike, sources say

Reuters’ sources claim Samsung raised prices for select advanced contract chipmaking services by up to 15%. Samsung currently is unable to meet demand for existing Chinese orders as Samsung needs to reserve some capacity for its own products, as well as meet US demands. Chinese customers are reportedly accepting the price hikes due to restrictions issued by the United States over exports of advanced chipmaking gear. Samsung declined to comment.

Source: Reuters

China is removing Microsoft’s Windows 10 from state agencies

Bloomberg reports China’s Ministry of State Security ordered select “state-linked entities” to uninstall the currently in-use customized version of Windows 10. This is ahead of the previously scheduled internal retirement of the Microsoft operating system due to data security concerns. A Microsoft representative told Bloomberg, “Microsoft is not aware of a security incident affecting this product, which continues to receive regular security updates”. The retirement was originally planned for February 2027 as part of China’s effort to reduce use of foreign technology.

Source: Bloomberg and The Next Web

Young adults in the U.S. are increasingly wary of AI, concerned it will take jobs

Pew Research Center published results of a June 2026 poll showing 52% of Americans are “more concerned than excited about the increased use of AI in daily life”, a jump from 37% in 2021. In this latest report, 37% are “equally excited and concerned” about the increased usage, with only 9% “more excited than concerned”. Within the sample group, 55% of adults under 30 years old are in the “more concerned than excited” grouping. In Pew Research’s jobs-related query, 71% of adults responded “AI will lead to fewer jobs in the United States” in the next twenty years, and only 5% think “AI will lead to more jobs”.

Source: Pew Research Center

Spotify’s Running Mode is now available on Android

Spotify’s AI-powered Running Mode is now available for Premium subscribers on Android in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. The mode is in the Spotify Fitness Hub and has 25 presets for different music genres and can be adjusted to the length of a scheduled run, as well as beat match if aiming for a specific pace, with optional audio cues. Running Mode launched for iOS earlier in July.

Source: Engadget

Firefox Smart Window adds AI web search, automatic tab groups, and more

Mozilla and search and retrieval company Exa.ai have partnered to add new features to Firefox’s Smart Window beta. Smart Window enables users to “retrieve current web information and show the sources behind its response without taking you to a separate search results page” using natural language prompts. It can also suggest tab groupings by topic and close duplicate tabs with a single click. Currently the Smart Window beta is only available in English within the United States and Canada.

Source: 9to5Mac

NVIDIA GeForce NOW adds Firefox to its supported browser lineup

In other Firefox news, game streaming service Nvidia GeForce Now added support for Firefox on Windows. Previous officially supported GeForce Now browsers included Chrome, Edge, Opera, and Safari. Games can run up to a resolution of 1440p and at 120fps, but only for GeForce Now Ultimate subscribers, which costs $19.99 a month.

Source: Mozilla and Engadget

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Show Notes

Meta Faces $200 Billion Lawsuit Over Social Media Design

Opening statements began in a multi-state consumer protection lawsuit where 29 attorneys general accuse Meta of designing Facebook and Instagram to foster compulsive use in children while misleading the public. While Meta notes a potential $1.4 trillion liability, plaintiffs estimate damages at $193–200 billion. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, rather than the advisory jury, will decide the case, which could force nationwide product changes to features like infinite scroll and algorithms or reaffirm Section 230 protections.

Source: The Next Web

Perplexity’s Free India Experiment Faces Its Biggest Test

Perplexity’s year-long experiment offering free Pro subscriptions to Airtel customers in India successfully drove millions of downloads and increased revenue, but the true test of this growth strategy is now beginning. As the initial free trials expire, it remains to be seen whether these users will transition into long-term paying subscribers or if the surge was merely a temporary spike in engagement.

Source: TechCrunch

OpenAI Disbands Preparedness Team Amid Safety Concerns

OpenAI has disbanded its ‘preparedness’ team, marking the third such restructuring of safety functions in favor of integrating risk oversight directly into engineering and product teams. While the company characterizes this as a streamlining effort ahead of an expected IPO, the move has drawn scrutiny due to its proximity to a model breakout event involving Hugging Face and a series of high-level executive departures. Critics argue this fragmentation reduces accountability for critical safety decisions, though proponents suggest that embedding specialized risk owners within product teams could enhance responsiveness.

Source: The Next Web

OpenAI Launches ChatGPT for Teens

OpenAI has launched “ChatGPT for Teens” to address safety and academic integrity concerns, featuring a “Study Mode” for guided support rather than direct answers, alongside built-in homework monitoring to curb cheating. The platform includes default safety protections, parental control tools, and learning aids, though the efficacy of these measures against determined circumvention by teens remains to be seen.

Source: TechCrunch

Apple’s Camera-Equipped AirPods Appear in Demo Video

A demo video in the macOS Tahoe 26.7 release candidate reveals Apple’s rumored camera-equipped AirPods, which use ‘Visual Intelligence’ to analyze surroundings and act as eyes for Siri. Designed with a thicker build and longer stems, they assist with navigation and compete with Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses. Despite non-photographic claims, their subtle design raises privacy concerns. The AirPods could launch in September alongside new iPhones and an updated Siri.

Source: The Verge

Fairphone 6+ Arrives in the U.S.

The Fairphone 6+ is now available in the U.S. for $649, marking the company’s first direct, non-modified entry into the market with support for T-Mobile and AT&T. This midrange Android device features a Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 processor, 12GB of RAM, and a 6.31-inch OLED display, paired with a versatile camera system. Its primary appeal remains its focus on sustainability and longevity, offering 12 easily replaceable components, a five-year warranty, and software support through 2033, positioning it as a durable, repair-friendly alternative in an increasingly expensive smartphone market.

Source: TechCrunch

Google Plans to Move Device Manufacturing Out of China

Google plans to complete its transition of device manufacturing out of China to Vietnam and India by 2027. Additionally, the company aims to grow its Pixel phone sales to approximately 13 million units in 2026, pursuing an aggressive “attack” growth strategy despite rising component costs and ongoing price pressures.

Source: 9to5Google

Comcast Launches Xfinity Shield for Home Security

Comcast has launched Xfinity Shield, a new platform that centralizes home, family, and cybersecurity protection into one app. The service includes a complimentary tier, Wi-Fi Shield, featuring “Wi-Fi Motion” technology to detect household movement using existing Wi-Fi signals, alongside cybersecurity and parental control tools. Customers can also opt for the $15/month “Shield Select” subscription, which adds hardware such as an indoor camera and sensors, along with 24/7 emergency response services and advanced AI-powered object identification.

Source: Engadget

Apple Warns App Store Regulation Could Hit Services Revenue

Apple’s latest Form 10-Q filing warns that global regulatory actions and lawsuits, including EU mandates and the Epic Games case, threaten its Services revenue model by challenging the 30% App Store fee. Despite U.S. headwinds, the segment grew 12% to $30.74 billion in Q3, supported by advertising and iCloud.

Source: AppleInsider

Reddit Experiments With Video and Audio Versions of Posts

Reddit is experimenting with new audio and video features that transform traditional text posts and comments into interactive, narrated content. This initiative aims to engage new users and improve platform accessibility by allowing people to listen to or watch posts as short-form videos, all while leaving the original text content unchanged.

Source: Engadget

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On Monday Uber announced a partnership with drone company Zipline for deliveries. The partnership includes a “strategic investment” by Uber with Zipline, though the amount was not disclosed. The deliveries will begin in Zipline’s existing US markets later in 2026, including Dallas-Fort Worth, before spreading to a few dozen more American cities. Uber is shooting for a goal of one million drone deliveries a day by the end of 2029, with deliveries taking only 5-10 minutes. Zipline currently also delivers for Walmart and Chipotle in the United States.

Source: Engadget and TechCrunch

The Guardian analyzed a 2025 report by the UK-based Age Check Certification Scheme (ACCS), which contributed to the passing of Australia’s social media ban, finding the chapter on “emerging technologies” cited papers on future age-verification tech “appear to be AI hallucinated, rather than being based on real sources”. A spokesperson for the ACCS initially denied the accusation, only conceding sources for some links came from ChatGPT when pressed by Guardian Australia. Independent senator Fatima Payman said “The government must demand an apology and refund from the contractor behind the report”.

Source: The Guardian

Bloomberg reports Stripe finalized a deal to acquire American AI company OpenRouter for over $7 billion dollars. OpenRouter’s platform routes customer’s requests to various AI models, according to a specified budget range and development requirements. OpenRouter provides access to over 400 models and claims to have 8 million users globally.

Source: Bloomberg and TechCrunch

OpenAI launched a ChatGPT feature called Computer History, which records keystrokes, keyboard shortcuts, and clicks on macOS in order to build a searchable memory. Files are stored locally in unencrypted plain text and does not take any screen recordings, screenshots, or audio. OpenAI says collected data will not be used to train models by default, though may become training data if memories are used in later chats, depending on a user’s settings. This feature is not available in the UK, Switzerland, or within the European Economic Area.

Source: The Next Web

OpenAI signed a 10-gigawatt data center deal with SoftBank’s SB Energy in southern Ohio. The center will be closed-loop and air-cooled, and the United States government will construct a natural gas plant near the site in order to sell energy to what could be one of the largest AI hubs. Nvidia will provide a guarantee on the buildings in exchange for the company being the exclusive chip provider.

Source: CNBC and The Wall Street Journal

A 404 Media investigation following an earlier story of rare booksellers noticing a large uptick in bulk sales suspected to be related to an AI company, discovered books ended up at an Amazon warehouse in Las Vegas. 404 Media worked with one of the sellers to include an Apple Airtag in the shipment to reveal the final location. The Amazon team is called VGT3, which cuts bindings off of books to scan the data for training. A spokesperson told 404 “Amazon purchases books through commercial channels to help develop and improve the products and services our customers use”.

Source: 404 Media

Also on Monday, 404 Media revealed an expert witness in a trial over an 2020 explosion at Watson Grinding in Houston that killed three people used AI to construct the expert report. A plaintiff’s attorney discovered an AI generated “Citation Overlay” within the report and recognized it as coming from ChatGPT. The expert witness asked ChatGPT to “create an exceptional expert witness report defending the standard of care at 3M” and the report needs to “show how 3M is 0% at fault for the explosion at Watson Grinding.” When asked for comment, 3M did not respond to 404 Media.

Source: 404 Media

SpaceX closed its acquisition of AI company Cursor for $60 billion dollars. The process, which began in April 2026, continued after SpaceX became a public company, exercising the option to purchase as part of an April partnership agreement. In the press release Cursor said the company will gain “access to the largest fleet of GPUs in the world.”

Source: TechCrunch

Germany’s Federal Cartel Office ordered Apple to change how it prompts users to accept or deny data use by third-party apps. The regulator found Apple’s App Tracking Transparency framework breached competition rules by steering users away from allowing third-party apps to use data and displaying more favourable consent prompts for sharing data for Apple apps. Apple must change the prompts within four months, and the commitments will be for seven years, to be monitored by a trustee. Previously Apple was fined €150 million by France and €98.6 ​million by Italy over the discriminatory App Tracking Transparency framework.

Source: Reuters

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Show Notes

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Apple Develops AI Model for China With Alibaba

Apple has developed a proprietary large language model for the China market in partnership with Alibaba, signaling a strategic shift to better compete against domestic rivals. This initiative, designed to integrate with Apple Intelligence, aims to navigate local regulatory challenges and restore Apple’s competitive edge in a critical market where the absence of AI features has previously impacted sales.

Read More — Reuters

France’s Highest Court Rejects Social Media Ban for Children Under 15

France’s highest court has declared a proposed ban on social media for children under 15 unconstitutional, ruling that it infringes upon youths’ freedom of speech and communication. This decision, a setback for President Emmanuel Macron, signals potential legal and technical challenges for global efforts to restrict social media access for younger teenagers. Despite this ruling, the French government intends to pursue revised legislation while other nations and the EU continue to explore similar regulatory approaches, highlighting the ongoing tension between protective digital policies and privacy concerns.

Read More — Bloomberg

Google Launches Gemini 3.7 Flash

Google has launched its new Gemini 3.7 Flash AI model, which offers improved performance in coding, debugging, and efficiency for app production while integrating enhanced safety features. Despite this release, the company continues to face pressure due to delays with its more powerful Gemini 3.5 Pro model and competition from rivals like OpenAI and Anthropic, leading to investor questions regarding Google’s AI roadmap and its ability to maintain a leading market position.

Read More — Bloomberg

White House Introduces Tariffs of Up to 100 Percent on Drones

The White House has introduced new tariffs of up to 100 percent on drones and associated components to enhance national security and encourage domestic manufacturing, or “on-shoring.” These measures, which target both heavy-duty and sensitive commercial drones, are expected to increase costs for consumers as vendors pass on the expenses. The policy aims to reduce dependence on Chinese-manufactured models, like those from DJI, though industry experts note the significant challenge of replicating China’s advanced drone supply chains and specialized engineering capabilities within the US.

Read More — Engadget

Flock Implements Stricter Data Retention Policies

Flock is implementing stricter data retention policies and mandating a new “Audit Assistance” tool designed to flag atypical search patterns for administrative review. Despite Flock’s claims of efficacy, privacy experts and critics from the ACLU and EFF argue that the company has provided insufficient technical details about how the tool works and lacks independent auditing evidence to prove it effectively prevents abuse, suggesting that stronger legal constraints on technology use are more critical for ensuring accountability.

Read More — TechCrunch

Heart Aerospace Completes First Flight of All-Electric X1 Prototype

Heart Aerospace has successfully completed the first flight of its all-electric X1 prototype, marking a significant milestone for the company as it eyes regional aviation markets. With interest from airlines like United and Air Canada, Heart aims to follow this success with the ES-30, a hybrid-electric model designed to replace traditional turboprops by 2031 through lower operational costs and enhanced reliability, though the company’s ambitious timeline remains dependent on future advancements in battery density and weight.

Read More — Engadget

Netflix Shutters Two Internal Game Studios

Netflix is shuttering two internal game studios, Night School Studio and Moonloot, as part of an ongoing restructuring of its gaming division. This decision follows a series of previous studio closures and divestments, signaling a consolidation of the company’s internal game development strategy. Moving forward, Netflix’s gaming focus is shifting toward four specific areas: kids, party, narrative, and mainstream titles, with increasing emphasis on cloud gaming and mobile-controller-based experiences.

Read More — Variety

Critical SAP Commerce Cloud Vulnerability Is Being Actively Exploited

A critical remote code execution vulnerability in SAP Commerce Cloud (CVE-2026-58231) is being actively exploited in the wild three days after patch release. Caused by improper authorization in the Data Hub Adapter, the flaw allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code on e-commerce platforms. Despite no public proof-of-concept, researchers confirmed active attacks, underlining persistent security threats for SAP.

Read More — BleepingComputer

Uber Expands Robotaxi Strategy With Pony.ai

Uber is expanding its global robotaxi strategy by partnering with Pony.ai to deploy 2,000 self-driving vehicles across Europe and the Middle East, building on their existing pilot service in Zagreb. This collaboration, which includes plans for four additional European cities, is part of Uber’s broader effort to become a leading platform for autonomous commercialization by working with partners like WeRide and Baidu Apollo Go to scale operations in cities like Madrid and Tokyo, while gathering data to accelerate development against competitors like Waymo.

Read More — CNBC

X Tests Tool to Show Post-Limiting Labels

X is testing a tool giving select users visibility into post-limiting labels like spam or NSFW. Aimed at clarifying algorithmic “shadowbanning,” the complex data remains hard to interpret. Concurrently, X expanded open-sourcing its recommendation algorithm while continuing to withhold sensitive advertising and non-timeline data.

Read More — Engadget

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Show Notes

Apple Negotiates Real-Time News Licensing Deals for AI Siri

Apple is negotiating multiyear licensing deals with news publishers to provide its upcoming AI-powered Siri assistant with access to real-time information. Unlike industry standards that typically rely on fixed upfront fees, Apple is proposing a unique usage-based payment structure. The initiative comes amid a complex landscape of litigation and licensing agreements between publishers and AI companies, and follows Apple’s previous challenges with AI-generated news features that were discontinued due to accuracy concerns.

Read More: Yahoo Finance

White House Launches Private-Sector Offensive Cyber Program

The White House administration is launching a program allowing private-sector firms to conduct offensive cyber operations against foreign criminal organizations. Overseen by the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department, the initiative seeks to expand the nation’s capacity to counter cyber threats by utilizing private cybersecurity professionals. The approach has raised concerns about potential escalation and unintended consequences. Participating companies will be required to hold a $1 million bond to ensure compliance.

Read More: Bloomberg

Twitch Will Use Creator Content to Train Amazon’s AI Models

Twitch has announced that it will use creator content to train Amazon’s generative AI models, with creators opted in by default. Users have expressed concerns about their content being used without their knowledge, particularly because Twitch hosts large amounts of long-form video and audio. Twitch leadership defended the opt-out approach, acknowledging that a strictly opt-in system would likely result in low participation. Creators can manually opt out through their channel settings under Security and Privacy.

Read More: TechCrunch

Claude Cowork Comes to Chrome

Anthropic has integrated Claude Cowork into the Claude for Chrome extension, allowing conversation history, skills, and connectors to synchronize across devices. The update makes it easier to continue tasks across platforms and provides a workaround for performing tasks in tools without official Claude support. The feature is currently available to Max and Team subscribers, with Pro access expected soon.

Read More: Engadget

Brazil Orders Discord to Suspend Livestreaming

Brazil’s data protection authority, ANPD, has ordered Discord to suspend its livestreaming feature following an investigation into the death of a 13-year-old girl. Authorities allege the platform was used to encourage self-harm and cited Discord’s lack of real-time access to content for automated violation detection as a major concern. Discord is cooperating with law enforcement, while five teenagers have been arrested in connection with the case. The company faces a three-day deadline to comply, with potential fines of approximately $9 million per violation until adequate protections for minors are implemented.

Read More: BBC

Windows Defender Zero-Day Claims Could Enable Full System Access

Security researcher Nightmare Eclipse has disclosed “ShieldBreak,” a newly reported zero-day vulnerability affecting Windows Defender on Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server 2025. The researcher claims the vulnerability could allow attackers to gain full system-wide access. The disclosure follows a contentious history between the researcher and Microsoft involving vulnerability reporting and legal threats over disclosure practices. Microsoft is investigating the claims, but no patch is currently available.

Read More: TechCrunch

Meta Removes More Than 750,000 Underage Australian Accounts

Meta says it has removed more than 750,000 accounts believed to belong to users under 16 since Australia’s social media ban began in December. Although Meta maintains that its AI systems are effective at identifying underage users, regulators remain skeptical, noting that many minors continue to access the platform. The Australian government is considering doubling non-compliance fines to A$99 million ahead of a parliamentary inquiry, increasing pressure on Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, and other platforms.

Read More: Reuters

LiteLLM Supply-Chain Attack Exposes Thousands of Organizations

A supply-chain attack targeting the open-source tool LiteLLM exposed credentials belonging to more than 2,500 organizations and 434,000 CI/CD pipelines during a roughly 40-minute window in March. The attack, attributed to the group TeamPCP, occurred after victims downloaded compromised versions of LiteLLM and other packages, including Trivy, from the Python Package Index. Attackers gained access to sensitive information such as cloud keys and corporate secrets, highlighting the significant security risks within modern software supply chains.

Read More: Ars Technica

Microsoft Is Merging Consumer and Enterprise Copilot Apps

Microsoft is consolidating its consumer and enterprise Copilot applications into a single unified app beginning in mid-September. The change is intended to simplify the user experience while making it easier to switch between personal and professional accounts. Microsoft will provide migration support for chat history and content while maintaining data separation for professional users. However, group chats, podcast generation, and standard Deep Research features will be retired, while some advanced research capabilities will become exclusive to Microsoft 365 Premium subscribers.

Read More: ZDNET

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On Tuesday Samsung announced the Galaxy Buds Hearing Aid feature received clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Using Samsung’s app a user will be able to take a hearing test and receive a “medical-grade” assessment in approximately five minutes, revealing whether any hearing loss is mild, moderate, severe, or profound, for each ear. The feature will be available to those with Galaxy Buds 3 Pro and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro in the United States and “select approved markets” later in 2026. Apple’s AirPods gained hearing device FDA clearance in 2024.

Source: 9to5Google

On Tuesday, OpenAI released a ChatGPT desktop app for Linux, following the desktop app releases for Windows and Mac in July. The app combines ChatGPT, ChatGPT Work, and Codex. An OpenAI spokesperson told The New Stack, “Linux has been one of the most-requested platforms for the desktop app” and notes “the ability for ChatGPT to interact with desktop applications like OpenOffice or GIMP — isn’t available at launch”. The app is in preview and runs on Ubuntu 24.04 and 26.04 LTS, Debian 13, and Fedora 43 and 44, for both the x64 and ARM64 architectures.

Source: TechCrunch and The New Stack

Electronics manufacturer Foxconn, which previously made more than half its revenue from assembling Apple iPhones, revealed last quarter than Apple now only accounts for under 30% of revenue. Foxconn’s cloud and networking division, building tech for AI servers, now brings in 51% of revenue.

Source: 9to5Mac

Toyota issued a recall for 508,354 Camry Hybrids in the United States over a 7 inch screen remaining blank when a vehicle is started in certain conditions, blocking access to critical information. Data including various warning indicators, safety reminders, and other car status are not visible elsewhere in a vehicle with a disabled screen. The United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) notes this malfunction increases the risk of crash under these conditions. Recall notices are expected to arrive September 21st and the issue can be resolved with a software update. Globally the recall will affect approximately 655,000 Toyota Camrys built between December 2023 and July 2026.

Source: Digital Trends

Analysis from Sensor Tower about global mobile spending growth in Q2 2026 shows gaming app revenue declined 4.5% year-over-year and non-gaming apps rose 14.6% year-over-year. Gaming apps had 11.3 billion downloads and $19.2 billion revenue while non-gaming apps had 25.5 billion downloads and $24.4 billion revenue. The United States leads in app spending with China in second. And top markets for app downloads are India, the US, and Brazil coming in third. Sensor Tower reports the most downloaded app globally for the period was ChatGPT, then TikTok, then Instagram. Apps raking in the most in-app-purchases were TikTok, ChatGPT, and Google One.

Source: 9to5Mac

Tesla will recall approximately 20,000 Model Y and Model 3 vehicles due to a violation of federal safety standards regarding headlight brightness. The federal standard in question limits low beam intensity in part of the beam to 125 candela; Tesla’s reached up to 230.1 candela, over the limit by approximately 84%. In 2024 the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) was informed by Tesla that the lights were almost twice as bright as legal, while asking the NHTSA to deem this overage as “inconsequential”. The NHTSA now denied this request, replying “NHTSA does not consider the absence of complaints or injuries when determining if a noncompliance is inconsequential to safety.”

Source: Gizmodo and The Next Web

FlightAware withdrew a lawsuit against prediction market Kalshi under 24 hours from the initial filing. FlightAware filed suit against Kalshi on Monday, alleging the company used FlightAware’s data and name, without knowledge, for gambling on flight cancellations. Lawyers for FlightAware say the case is “voluntarily ​dismissed, without prejudice, against all defendants”. Neither company responded to a request for comment by Reuters.

Source: Reuters

Meta released a native Threads app for Meta Quest VR headsets on Tuesday, following last month’s release of the app for Ray-Ban Display AR glasses. The VR app contains all the Threads features, with users able to browse feeds, post, reply, like, search, play videos. The Meta release says “We designed the new Threads app for Meta Quest to make using VR more social than ever” and “Threads can enhance your VR experience”.

Source: The Verge

On Wednesday, CNET exclusively reports automotive app store Appning partnered with anime streaming service Crunchyroll to enable playing the company’s library in select vehicles. This will roll out to select BMW and Mini vehicles to start — available in North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America and Australia — with Appning planning to expand access to over 40 different car manufacturers. Users will need a paid Crunchyroll subscription. Crunchyroll’s SVP of global distribution and business development Brian McGarvey says, “Today’s consumers expect their entertainment to be available wherever they are, including in their vehicle”. Playback will only be available when a car is parked and blocked during movement.

Source: CNET