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Showing posts from February, 2026

The trap Anthropic built for itself

Anthropic, OpenAI, Google DeepMind and others have long promised to govern themselves responsibly. Now, in the absence of rules, there's not a lot to protect them. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/0OmrQfH via IFTTT

The best instant cameras you can buy right now

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Even with the ability to take excellent photos with our phones and instantly share them across the world, there’s something magical about the old-school instant camera. With just a click of a button, you can capture a moment in a photo that you can see and touch almost immediately. Images captured by an instant camera aren’t as pristine or perfect as those produced by modern digital cameras, but their soft images and imperfections are often a big part of the allure. Yet not all instant cameras are the same, and some of them are better suited for different needs and budgets. That’s why we tested some of the most popular instant cameras on the market from brands like Fujifilm, Polaroid, Leica, Canon, Kodak, and others. All the models featured in our instant camera buying guide are enjoyable to use, but each offers a distinct set of features at a different price point. As a result, some are more appropriate for a child or budding photographer, while others are more advanced and provide...

Defense secretary Pete Hegseth designates Anthropic a supply chain risk

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US President Donald Trump (R) looks on as US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks to the press following US military actions in Venezuela | AFP via Getty Images Nearly two hours after President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he was banning Anthropic products from the federal government , Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth took it one step further and announced that he was now designating the AI company as a "supply-chain risk". The decision could immediately impact numerous major tech companies that use Claude in their line of work for the Pentagon, including Palantir and AWS. It is not immediately clear to what extent the Pentagon may blacklist companies that contract with Claude for other services outside of national security. After a week of tense negotiations over the company's acc … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/S34nGbK via IFTTT

OpenAI fires employee for using confidential info on prediction markets

The company said such trades violates its internal company policies about using confidential information for personal gain. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/09iBoNb via IFTTT

Microsoft’s Copilot Tasks AI uses its own computer to get things done

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Microsoft is previewing a new AI system, Copilot Tasks, that it says is designed to take care of busywork for you in the background, the company announced on Thursday . The feature takes the load off your device using its own cloud-based computer and browser, allowing it to handle a variety of jobs ranging from scheduling appointments to generating study plans while you do something else. As noted by Microsoft, you can describe what you need to Copilot Tasks using natural language, and assign Copilot Tasks to complete jobs on a recurring, scheduled, or one-time basis. Copilot Tasks will provide a report once its work is complete. You can ca … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/rHs0yoN via IFTTT

LG XBOOM 360 deal: A serious speaker at a third of the price!

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Credit: SoundGuys Are you looking for a speaker that can really push some sound? Here’s one that will blow your socks off, and it is at a third of the price it would usually go for. You can take this home for a mere $99.99! Buy the LG XBOOM 360 speaker for just $99.99 ($200 off) from Android Authority https://ift.tt/3GIgEUZ via IFTTT

Anthropic CEO stands firm as Pentagon deadline looms

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said Thursday that he "cannot in good conscience accede" to the Pentagon's demands to give the military unrestricted access to its AI systems. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/dytgewY via IFTTT

New York sues Valve, alleging its loot boxes are ‘quintessential gambling’

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New York Attorney General Letitia James is suing Valve for "illegally promoting gambling" through the loot box systems it has built for video games like Counter-Strike 2 , Team Fortress 2 , and Dota 2 , according to a press release . The attorney general seeks to "permanently stop Valve from promoting gambling features in its games, disgorge all ill-gotten gains, and pay fines for violating New York's laws." "This loot box model that Valve has developed - charging an individual for a chance to win something of value based on luck alone - is quintessential gambling, prohibited under New York's Constitution and Penal Law," the lawsuit says . Valve … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/NDgQHYn via IFTTT

You can now use Nano Banana to guide video generation in Google’s creative AI studio

TL;DR Google Flow now features a redesigned user interface with a new asset grid for organizing and managing content. The creative studio software fully integrates Nano Banana for easy image generation, and taps into Whisk and ImageFX functionality. Flow also supports customizable video editing tools that let users extend a clip’s length and more. Google Flow, the brand’s AI-powered creative studio , is getting a major upgrade with a redesigned user interface and new content management features. The company announced the changes in a blog post today, which include a greater focus on image editing. Previously, Flow had a focus on video generation with Veo models at the heart of the experience. That’s changing with today’s updates, as Google wants Flow to become a universal hub for generating images, videos, and stories with Google AI. The new-look UI taps into Nano Banana for image generation , which is now “fully built into the core experience.” Google also brought features f...

Nvidia has another record quarter amid record capex spends

"The demand for tokens in the world has gone completely exponential," Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said about the company's earnings. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/9yqoaxK via IFTTT

Step up your charging game with these Anker and UGREEN deals

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Credit: Anker Are you suffering from slow charging? Not all chargers and cables are built the same, and we often find that these are the culprits. If you are tired of being tethered to a wall, let us introduce you to a couple of deals from Anker and UGREEN. Buy the Anker Nano Charger 45W for $29.99 ($10 off) from Android Authority https://ift.tt/xP8pni4 via IFTTT

Uber engineers built an AI version of their boss

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said the company’s employees have gone all in on AI, going so far as to build a chatbot of him that they use to practice their pitches. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/yjS4Uov via IFTTT

First look: Google Messages is finally catching up with live location sharing

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Credit: Adamya Sharma / Android Authority TL;DR Google Messages is getting ready to add a new “Real-time Location” sharing feature. We managed to enable the feature in the app and can now show you how it’ll work end-to-end once it goes live. You’ll be able to share your live location within chats, and the best part is that the feature will be usable across devices and configurations. Over the past few years, we’ve seen Google Messages evolve from being a simple texting app to a full-featured messaging platform for Android. With RCS adoption and modern features like message reactions, inline replies, and improved media sharing, Messages feel more competitive with third-party chat apps than ever before. from Android Authority https://ift.tt/mTL23jD via IFTTT

The Galaxy S26 series may already be behind Pixel phones in one big way

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Credit: Andy Walker / Android Authority TL;DR Logs posted by a Google employee confirm the Galaxy S26 Ultra does not support powered-off tracking via Google’s Find Hub. Google’s Find My Device network can locate powered-off phones, but only Pixel devices have supported the feature so far. Samsung’s SmartThings Find works offline, but still requires the phone to be powered on. Despite Android’s upgraded Find My Device network (now called Find Hub ) rolling out more than a year ago, Samsung’s new flagship phones may still miss out on one of its most useful features. from Android Authority https://ift.tt/86TPA7w via IFTTT

A Meta AI security researcher said an OpenClaw agent ran amok on her inbox 

The viral X post from an AI security researcher reads like satire. But it's really a word of warning about what can go wrong when handing tasks to an AI agent. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/HRhjB97 via IFTTT

Tesla’s battle with the California Department of Motor Vehicles isn’t over after all

Tesla has filed a lawsuit against the California DMV in the ongoing battle around Autopilot. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/bZ9aXSF via IFTTT

Someone got the Galaxy S26 Ultra and went hands-on with the new Privacy Display

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Credit: Sahil Karoul/X TL;DR A YouTuber has shared a hands-on clip of the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s Privacy Display feature in action. The video shows him activating the feature and viewing the phone from different angles to check how effective it is in real-world use. We can also see that Samsung will offer two display dimming options, including one for “Maximum privacy protection.” A tech YouTuber seems to have gotten his hands on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra just days ahead of Unpacked . With Samsung’s latest flagship in hand, creator Sahil Karoul has shared a short clip demonstrating how the company’s new Privacy Display feature works. The video shows him activating the feature and viewing the phone from different angles to check how effective it is in real-world use. from Android Authority https://ift.tt/YvoqjST via IFTTT

All the important news from the ongoing India AI Impact Summit

India is hosting a four-day AI Summit this week that will be attended by executives from major AI labs and Big Tech, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Nvidia, Microsoft, Google, and Cloudflare, as well as heads of state. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/TnBphYR via IFTTT

Apple might take a new approach to announcing its next products

Apple has invited the tech press to a “special Apple experience” on March 4, but it might unfold a bit differently than the company's standard press event. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/z7mQscL via IFTTT

Dear Amazon: It’s 2026 and I still want a new Kindle Oasis

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The Kindle Oasis is so old it predates the pandemic, and yet somehow, Amazon still hasn’t replaced it. Since its launch in 2019, we’ve collectively “flipped” plenty of pages and watched the Kindle lineup evolve in almost every direction. What we haven’t seen is a single new model with physical page-turn buttons (and I’m not alone in missing them). Shoppers and Redditors alike prove the demand hasn’t gone anywhere. Neither has the case for a new Oasis. Bring back buttons from Android Authority https://ift.tt/rToMBQj via IFTTT

Move over, Apple: Meet the alternative app stores available in the EU and elsewhere

A list of some of the alternative app stores iPhone users in the EU can try today.  from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/SgWPoG3 via IFTTT

‘Hey Plex’ is landing on the Galaxy S26 series as Perplexity joins Galaxy AI

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Credit: Samsung TL;DR Samsung has announced that it’s bringing deep Perplexity integration to the Galaxy S26 series. Galaxy S26 users will be able to invoke Perplexity using a dedicated “Hey Plex” wake phrase. Perplexity can be used in core Samsung apps like Notes, Calendar, Gallery, Clock, and Reminders, as well as in select third-party apps. The company has hinted that more Galaxy devices could also get this feature. Samsung just announced that it’s doubling down on agentic AI for the Galaxy S26 series with a new Perplexity integration. The company says Perplexity will be introduced as an additional AI agent on the upcoming flagship Galaxy phones, sitting alongside Samsung’s existing AI experiences, including the revamped Bixby. from Android Authority https://ift.tt/X7RiomN via IFTTT

Anker’s powerful home theater on wheels is pure chaos

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The Soundcore Nebula X1 Pro is too weird to exist. It takes the excellent 4K projector and karaoke microphones from Anker's Nebula X1 and stuffs them inside a powerful five-speaker Google TV party on wheels. It's so absurd that it feels like a gadget fever dream - and I'm here for it. At the heart of this system is the same liquid-cooled, triple-laser, auto-image-correction-everything projector I reviewed last summer . It's unbelievably quiet for a 3500 ANSI lumen projector that lays claim to the title of being the brightest and most vivid all-in-one portable projector on the market. Now it's also the loudest, with 400W of audio added to the … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/iSVputG via IFTTT

India’s Sarvam launches Indus AI chat app as competition heats up

Sarvam's Indus chat app is currently available in beta. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/cWk2LQg via IFTTT

Samsung’s finally killing off support for these Galaxy Fit trackers

TL;DR Samsung is updating the Galaxy Wearable app ahead of the One UI 8.5 launch, and it drops support for two Galaxy Fit wearables. The Samsung Galaxy Fit and Galaxy Fit e, both released in 2019, will no longer work with the Galaxy Wearable app following the update. The update also adds support for the Galaxy Buds 4 and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro ahead of their expected reveal next week. One UI 8.5 is right around the corner, and Samsung is starting to make changes to core features and apps in preparation for the big launch. This week, the brand previewed a major Bixby upgrade that will add natural language understanding and real-time web access. Now, the Galaxy Wearable app is getting an update that brings a fresh One UI 8.5 look to the software and adds support for the upcoming Galaxy Buds 4 series. However, the latest update also drops support for two Galaxy Fit models. Galaxy Wearable app version 2.2.68.26010761 is currently rolling out in Korea, with other regions likely to foll...

The creator economy’s ad revenue problem and India’s AI ambitions

The creator economy is evolving fast, and ad revenue alone isn’t cutting it anymore. YouTubers are launching product lines, acquiring startups, and building actual business empires. In fact, MrBeast’s company bought fintech startup Step, and his chocolate business is outearning his media arm. This isn’t just one creator’s strategy. For many, it’s the new playbook.  On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Rebecca Bellan unpack how creators are diversifying beyond ads, […] from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/idZ83Ux via IFTTT

The Pitt has a sharp take on AI

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Each episode of HBO's The Pitt features some degree of medical trauma that almost makes the hospital drama feel like a horror series. Some patients are dealing with gnarly lacerations while others are fighting off vicious blood infections that could rob them of their limbs, and the chaos of working in an emergency room often leaves The Pitt 's central characters shaken. But as alarming as many of The Pitt 's more gore-forward moments can be, what's even more unsettling is the show's slow-burning subplot about hospitals adopting generative artificial intelligence. In its second season, The Pitt once again chronicles all the events that happen … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/k8RQcxi via IFTTT

Amazon’s latest Kindle Scribe update marks a growing gap with the Colorsoft

TL;DR Kindle Scribe update 5.19.2 adds Alexa+ note features. The update also adds a new cloud sync setting for Drive and OneDrive imports. Some Colorsoft owners have also spotted a new highlight color and colored bookmarks not listed in Amazon’s release notes. Amazon is rolling out new Kindle Scribe software, continuing to lay the groundwork for AI tools on its notebook-forward ereader. Like most Kindle releases, version 5.19.2 rolls out across multiple models, but the most meaningful changes center on the Scribe’s note and cloud features. Specifically, the update focuses on the infrastructure behind Amazon’s evolving notebook experience. As previously announced , Amazon is expanding support for sending notebooks to Alexa+, allowing the assistant to summarize notes, answer questions, and turn handwritten text into calendar events, to-dos, and reminders. The feature relies on Alexa+, Amazon’s subscription AI assistant, which is also currently rolling out. from Android Autho...

The RAM crunch could kill products and even entire companies, memory exec admits

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Phison is one of the leading makers of controller chips for SSDs and other flash memory devices - and CEO Pua Khein-Seng has now become a leading voice for just how bad the RAM shortage might get. Companies may need to cut back their product lines in the second half of 2026, and some companies will even die if they can't get the components they need, he agreed, in a televised interview with Ningguan Chen of Taiwanese broadcaster Next TV. While the interview's entirely in Chinese, friends of The Verge stepped forward to confirm parts of a machine-translated summary that's been making headlines. They also note, importantly, that it's the int … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/3cIlO1u via IFTTT

Deal: This Philips S2108 Portable Bluetooth Speaker looks awesome!

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Credit: Philips via Amazon The Philips S2108 Portable Bluetooth Speaker is pretty awesome, especially if you can get it for a mere $14.99. Think about it: That’s less than the price of a lunch these days! Buy the Philips S2108 Portable Bluetooth Speaker for just $14.99 ($28 off) from Android Authority https://ift.tt/gzRXauq via IFTTT

Dyson turned its skinny PencilVac into a lightweight wet floor cleaner

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The PencilWash is designed to be lightweight and maneuverable. | Image: Dyson Dyson has announced an alternate version of its skinny PencilVac that's designed to clean spills and stains on hard floors instead of sucking up dirt and debris. Like the PencilVac, which Dyson called "world's slimmest vacuum cleaner" when it was announced nine months ago , the new PencilWash squeezes a battery, motor, and other electronics into its 1.5-inch-diameter handle. But it trades a dust bin for a water reservoir located in its larger cleaning head featuring a single floor-scrubbing roller. At 4.9 pounds without water or a low foaming cleaning solution in its tank, the PencilWash is slightly heavier than the four-pound PencilVac, but … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/AURIQvH via IFTTT

Etsy sells secondhand clothing marketplace Depop to eBay for $1.2B

The deal comes nearly five years after Etsy purchased Depop for $1.62 billion, at a time when secondhand clothing apps were gaining traction during the pandemic. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/GsiKMv7 via IFTTT

The best deals on MacBooks right now

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Apple currently sells MacBooks equipped with its own M-series processors in a wide range of sizes and price points, all of which run the company’s newest operating system, macOS 26 . Purchasing a new MacBook can be complicated if you’re trying to figure out what specs you need, but finding a deal on a relatively speedy model is surprisingly easy, especially since Apple increased the starting RAM on several models in late 2024 and hasn’t stopped. These days, it’s not uncommon to see various MacBooks discounted by up to $800, although the quality of deals fluctuates frequently. Alternatively, purchasing refurbished options directly from Apple is another way to save money without waiting for the changing deal winds to blow your way. It’s also the only option to find certain configurations of older models as Apple continues to move forward with newer releases. Apple’s refurbished store offers a one-year warranty and generally discounts new units by up to 20 percent. But if you want to...

The Samsung Galaxy S26 series isn’t out yet, but dbrand’s cases and skins are

TL;DR The Samsung Galaxy S26 won’t be revealed until next week, but dbrand’s three case offerings for the series are available now. The dbrand Grip case is available for all three upcoming Galaxy S26 models, while the Ghost and Tank cases are exclusive to the Galaxy S26 Ultra. The case and skin maker’s site also shows Galaxy S26 renders that preview the design of the new phones. A new phone usually needs a new case. With the Samsung Galaxy S26 series on the horizon, all eyes are on case and accessory makers to see what they have in store for the upcoming phone models. Samsung has a Galaxy Unpacked event set for Wednesday, February 25 at 10am PT / 1pm ET where we expect to see the Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26 Plus, and Galaxy S26 Ultra. If you needed an early look, dbrand’s cases and skins for the entire Galaxy S26 lineup are already live on the company’s website . The site features product renders for each Galaxy S26 model, showing off the redesigned rear camera arrangement. It als...

Ford turns to F1 and bounties to build a $30,000 electric truck

The team, led by Tesla veteran Alan Clarke, is obsessed with efficiency. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/NKqHlmf via IFTTT

Valve’s Steam Deck OLED will be ‘intermittently’ out of stock because of the RAM crisis

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Valve has updated the Steam Deck website to say that the Steam Deck OLED may be out of stock "intermittently in some regions due to memory and storage shortages." The PC gaming handheld has been out of stock in the US and other parts of the world for a few days , and thanks to this update, we now know why. The update comes shortly after Valve delayed the Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and Steam Controller from a planned shipping window of early 2026 because of the memory and storage crunch. "We have work to do to land on concrete pricing and launch dates that we can confidently announce, being mindful of how quickly the circumstances around bot … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/V3CEpRQ via IFTTT

Google confirms new Downloads backup feature for Android: Here’s how it’ll work

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Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR Google is finally rolling out Drive’s new local file backup feature for Android devices. We’ve been tracking the feature for months and can tell you exactly how it would work. Android will use Google Drive to store backup copies of your downloaded files, but there are some caveats to how this will happen. Google’s latest February Play System update is here, and it includes a short but intriguing item in the changelog: from Android Authority https://ift.tt/0KU58nr via IFTTT