Amazon is said to be negotiating an acquisition of Decart, a startup whose DOS software optimizes AI models to run on different chips in weeks instead of months, in a deal valued at as much as $7 billion. Decart also builds Lucy and Oasis, AI models that generate simulated 3D environments for gaming and robotics training. Anthropic had reportedly discussed buying Decart for about $6 billion last month but walked away after due diligence, for reasons that remain unclear.
Amazon has cut the price of JBL's Endurance Peak 4 sports earbuds to $79, a $51 discount from their usual price and the lowest price recorded for the model. The earbuds carry an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance and offer up to 48 hours of battery life with their charging case.
Amazon commits to at least four years of security updates for Kindle devices, but its Kindle Updates page shows some models, like the 2024 Paperwhite and first-gen Colorsoft, are slated for coverage through 2030. Earlier this year Amazon fully cut off devices as old as the 2007 original Kindle and other pre-2012 models from downloading, purchasing or borrowing new books, though previously downloaded titles remain readable.
Amazon now operates more than 1 million robots across its warehouses, making it the largest robot operator in the world, according to the company. Despite this automation push, Amazon remains the second-largest corporate employer globally with over 1.5 million full- and part-time human workers, per its 2025 annual report, and plans to expand its robot fleet further through new manufacturing facilities.
Amazon's 12th-generation Kindle Aluminum introduces an aluminum body in Seaglass Green and Alpine Sky, alongside the existing plastic Kindle in black and Ube purple. The device is slightly shorter than the 2024 Kindle and has a flush screen design, but keeps the same 6-inch display and core reading system.
Members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have failed to reach agreement on a timeline for its next assessment report, according to Nature's Daily Briefing. The impasse raises the possibility that the 2028 UN climate conference, which includes a major stocktake of global progress, could proceed without updated scientific findings to inform negotiations. Panel co-chair Robert Vautard noted that such approvals usually take only minutes, underscoring how unusual the current standoff is.
Amazon is reportedly negotiating to acquire Decart, a San Francisco-based AI startup, in a deal valued at roughly $7 billion. Decart builds software that helps developers switch between different AI chips, according to the report.
Amazon announced it will stop using nondisclosure agreements when negotiating with local governments over new data centers, mirroring a similar move by Microsoft. The announcement appeared within a broader Amazon blog post arguing that data centers benefit the communities where they are built.
Amazon is discontinuing its 15-year-old Fire tablet brand in favor of new Alexa Tablets that run standard Android with Google Play access instead of Fire OS. The lineup includes the Tablet 8 ($229), Tablet 11 ($329), Tablet 12 Pro ($499) and a Nanomatte Pro model ($549), shipping this month in the US, Canada and Mexico with Alexa+ integrated throughout the interface.
Nicolas Cage told a New York Comic Con panel that he declined to sign an AI usage waiver Amazon wanted for his role in Spider-Noir, calling Amazon "a very AI-friendly company" given its $50 billion OpenAI investment. Amazon canceled the acclaimed series after one season, shortly before it received 11 Emmy nominations, and Cage said he doubts he'll work with the studio again.
Takeshi's Castle, the Japanese physical-challenge game show that originally aired on TBS from 1986 to 1990, received a reboot on Amazon Prime Video on 21 April 2023. German-Japanese actor Subaru Kimura joined returning host Tani as co-leader of the contestants in the new version. The reboot's finale game, Yabusame, pits contestants against castle defenders including kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa in a tennis-ball shooting contest for a million-yen prize.
The Ugreen Nexode 100W GaN wall charger is on sale at Amazon for $39.98, a 27% cut from its $54.99 list price. The four-port charger includes three USB-C ports and one USB-A port, with one USB-C port capable of delivering up to 100W using a compatible cable.
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