Neowin

OpenAI takes on Chinese models by reducing prices for GPT-5.6 Luna by 80% and Terra by 20%

Pradeep Viswanathan — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 18:54:01 +0000

While OpenAI says the price reductions were enabled by GPU kernel improvements and better speculative decoding, cutting Luna's price by 80% reflects the intensifying competition in the AI market. Read more...

Google's Gemini Robotics ER 2 allows multiple robots to work together

Pradeep Viswanathan — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 17:58:01 +0000

Google's Gemini Robotics ER 2 supports multi-robot collaboration, real-time task planning, continuous video understanding, Gemini Live API support and more. Read more...

WWE 2K26, Wildgate, and more join Xbox Free Play Days for the weekend

Pulasthi Ariyasinghe — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 17:16:01 +0000

The latest Free Play Days promotion lands with games that Xbox players can jump into even without any Xbox Game Pass subscription. Read more...

65-inch Hisense U6 Pro 4K UHD Smart Fire TV drops to its lowest price ever with 41% off

Fiza Ali — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 17:00:03 +0000

The 65-inch Hisense U6 Pro 4K UHD Smart Fire TV is currently at its lowest price with a limited-time 41% discount. Read more...

Save 85% on a Microsoft Office 2021 Professional lifetime digital license

Neowin Deals — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 17:00:01 +0000

Word, Excel, Teams, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote! Get all these essential Microsoft apps for your Windows PC for a low one-time cost. Read more...

Spotify wants to be your fitness coach with its new Running Mode feature

Ivan Jenic — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 16:30:01 +0000

If you need a custom-made playlist for your running sessions, but don't feel like assembling it yourself, Spotify now has a feature that does that for you and provides some coaching on top. Read more...

Maingear outs panaromic curved desktops with "Zero" cables powered by AMD, Intel, Nvidia

Sayan Sen — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 16:13:54 +0000

Maingear unveils panoramic curved desktops featuring virtually "zero" visible cables, powered by AMD, Intel, and Nvidia for top-class gaming performance. Read more...

Two roguelite games are free to claim on the Epic Games Store this week

Pulasthi Ariyasinghe — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 15:48:01 +0000

It's freebie day on the Epic Games Store again, and the latest two games you can grab are both roguelite experiences with plenty of action. Read more...

Gears of War E-Day's 12-player Horde Siege mode brings bigger battles and boss fights

Pulasthi Ariyasinghe — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 15:32:01 +0000

The Coalition has given a look at the multiplayer portion of Gears of War E-Day, including PvP and the new 12-player Horde Siege mode. Read more...

Microsoft stock soars 15% after strong earnings, Copilot super app is coming this quarter

Pradeep Viswanathan — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 15:16:01 +0000

After lagging behind its mega-cap tech rivals for months, Microsoft just made a dramatic comeback that caught Wall Street's full attention. Read more...

Free eBook: Zero Trust Security: A Hands-on Guide (was $101.95)

Sponsored — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 15:00:01 +0000

Principles, applications, and methodologies to help organizations transition from traditional security models to a Zero Trust approach. Read more...

AI is finding bugs faster than Microsoft can fix them

Usama Jawad — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 14:16:01 +0000

AI is exposing Microsoft's security problems at an unprecedented pace, but a growing backlog could create a dangerous new challenge. Read more...

Galactic Civilizations IV's Federations & Empires expansion lands with governments overhaul

Pulasthi Ariyasinghe — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 14:00:01 +0000

A brand-new expansion for Galactic Civilizations IV just landed, bringing fans of the 4X title four distinct new ways to govern their civilizations. Read more...

Microsoft is working on a new Windows 11 context menu that is faster and more compact

Usama Jawad — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 13:34:02 +0000

Windows 11's frustrating right-click experience could soon get a dramatic makeover, with a long-requested improvement finally on the horizon. Read more...

Nvidia GeForce NOW gains support for Halo: Campaign Evolved, Mistfall Hunter, and more

Pulasthi Ariyasinghe — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 13:30:01 +0000

Games like Halo: Campaign Evolved, Mistfall Hunter, and Corsair Cove populate the latest update to Nvidia GeForce NOW. Read more...

Customer ordered $1,125 RTX 5070 Ti, opened the factory-sealed box to find a surprise

Fiza Ali — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 13:18:01 +0000

Think opening a sealed, expensive GPU package guarantees you got what you paid for? One online buyer caught a surprising e-commerce swap on camera before leaving the store. Read more...

Turns out the US ban on advanced robotic devices includes robot vacuums and lawn mowers too

Fiza Ali — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 11:50:01 +0000

Think the FCC ban on advanced robotic devices only targets high-tech humanoids? Well, a surprising household staple just got caught in the net as well. Read more...

OpenAI is giving away ChatGPT to 100,000 scientists, mathematicians, and engineers for free

Pradeep Viswanathan — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 11:34:01 +0000

By equipping global academic institutions with ChatGPT for Academic Researchers program, OpenAI is lowering the barrier to complex scientific discovery. Read more...

EA CEO pay rose to $38 million for Battlefield 6 success just as its developers were axed

Pulasthi Ariyasinghe — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 11:18:01 +0000

EA has given its executives massive bonuses for Battlefield 6's record-breaking success, just as multiple development teams from the game were hit with layoffs. Read more...

CMA investigates Microsoft for hiding Classic Microsoft 365 plans after 2025 AI price hikes

Paul Hill — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 10:42:02 +0000

The CMA says Microsoft offered a limited-time Classic plan but didn't publicize it well enough. If found in breach, the CMA can fine Microsoft 10% of its global turnover. Read more...

Samsung reports over 1800% rise in profits during Q2 2026, but mobile division suffers

Paul Hill — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 08:48:01 +0000

The global memory shortage has acted as a massive boon for Samsung's chip division, but these outsized returns cannot last forever. Read more...

Kioxia starts shipping cost-effective BiCS Flash samples, supports 4.8Gb/s speeds

Paul Hill — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 07:34:01 +0000

The eventual commercial production of Kioxia's cost-efficient memory will help somewhat to help clear the memory shortage that's pushing prices up right now. Read more...

Microsoft closes FY26 with record $90 billion quarter as Azure surpasses $100 billion

Pradeep Viswanathan — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 04:30:02 +0000

Microsoft has released its Q4 FY26 financial results, recording $90 billion in quarterly revenue, an 18% year-over-year increase with annual Azure revenue past $100 billion for the first time. Read more...

Uncovering the mystery of unplayable .raw audio files in Windows

Ivan Jenic — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 23:00:01 +0000

Have you ever noticed strange, unplayable audio files like Focus0_48000Hz.raw in Windows? Let's find out what these are together: Read more...

HP OmniBook 3 drops to its lowest price ever with a 33% discount

Fiza Ali — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 18:16:01 +0000

The HP OmniBook 3 laptop is currently selling at its lowest price to date with a 33% discount, saving you $220. Read more...

Google's Lyria 3.5 makes AI-generated songs sound more natural and expressive

Pradeep Viswanathan — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 17:58:01 +0000

Building upon earlier releases like Lyria 3 and Lyria 3 Pro, the new Lyria 3.5 introduces notable enhancements to song quality, structural musicality, and more. Read more...

The iPhone 18 Pro Max could cost more than you expect

Hamid Ganji — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 17:16:02 +0000

If you're planning to buy an iPhone 18 Pro Max this fall, you might need to set aside a few hundred dollars more because the device has become more expensive to manufacture. Read more...

Save 80% on Autodesk AutoCAD: 1-Year Subscription

Neowin Deals — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 17:00:01 +0000

Design Faster with AI-Powered AutoCAD—Create Precise 2D & 3D Designs with Smart Blocks, Autodesk Docs, DWG Support & Specialized Toolsets Read more...

The latest Gemini for macOS update is here to change how you work across apps

Fiza Ali — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 16:30:01 +0000

Mac users just got a much faster way to write, edit, and summarize work on their desktop without opening AI chat window or leaving their active app. Read more...

If you want a 4TB NVMe SSD, this is your chance to grab one with this coupon deal

Sayan Sen — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 15:52:01 +0000

In these difficult times, it's super hard to find something good to get due to high memory prices. As such check out this discounted 4TB NVMe SSD wherein you pay only $400. Read more...

PC gamers can now play Halo: Campaign Evolved in split-screen thanks to modder

Pulasthi Ariyasinghe — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 15:16:01 +0000

A modder has managed to enable split-screen co-op play on the PC version of Halo: Campaign Evolved, a feature that's only on the console version officially. Read more...

Free eBook: Data Makes the World Go 'Round (worth $45) expires today

Sponsored — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 15:00:01 +0000

A soup to nuts strategy guide for business leaders interested in implementing artificial intelligence in their organizations in a way that drives real-world results. Read more...

Microsoft Outlook is about to get one of its best features in ages

Usama Jawad — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 14:36:01 +0000

One of Outlook Calendar's biggest annoyances is finally disappearing, with a simple change that could make managing your day feel effortless. Read more...

Microsoft details timeline for Whiteboard retirement and enterprise migration

Usama Jawad — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 14:18:01 +0000

Microsoft has finally detailed what happens next with Whiteboard, but users have little time left before a major change becomes irreversible. Read more...

Gemini can now help you summarize and write comments in Google Docs

David Uzondu — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 14:02:01 +0000

Google has announced a new Gemini feature in Google Docs that allows the AI to summarize, review, and even add comments. Read more...

Kimi K3 model is now deployable on Microsoft Foundry through Fireworks AI

Pradeep Viswanathan — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 13:46:01 +0000

Microsoft has now expanded its enterprise AI catalog by making Kimi K3 available on Microsoft Foundry through Fireworks AI's high-throughput serverless inference infrastructure. Read more...

Employees of AI companies call for slow AI development if progress becomes uncontrollable

Pradeep Viswanathan — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 12:06:01 +0000

Over a thousand employees and leading researchers have joined together to issue an urgent warning to world governments on AI development. Read more...

OpenAI and Alibaba launch new voice models for transcription and real-time conversations

Pradeep Viswanathan — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 06:48:01 +0000

Alibaba's flagship model surpassed OpenAI on the Artificial Analysis Speech-to-Speech Index with an overall score of 84.1% compared to OpenAI's 79.1%. Read more...

Microsoft releases KB5101684 for Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 with Windows Hello upgrades

Ivan Jenic — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 01:16:43 +0000

Cumulative Update Preview KB5101684 for Windows 11 versions 25H2 and 24H2 is here with a big changelog. Check out what's new: Read more...

Microsoft releases KB5101681 for Windows 11 26H1 with new calendar-based update pause

Ivan Jenic — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 01:06:02 +0000

Cumulative Update Preview KB5101681 for Windows 11 26H1 is here with a big changelog. Check out what's new: Read more...