OpenAI has released ChatGPT Images 2.5, which includes a new Sketch feature allowing users to draw a rough doodle inside ChatGPT and have it converted into a polished image based on typed instructions. Users can invoke the tool by typing @Sketch, then annotate specific parts of the generated image with comments to request targeted edits, such as changing eye color. OpenAI says the update also improves lighting and texture quality, strengthens multi-turn editing consistency, and cuts image generation latency by up to 50% compared to the previous version.
Google has shifted Chrome from its four-week milestone update schedule to a two-week cycle, with version 153 rolling out now across desktop, Android, and iOS. Each release will carry a smaller set of changes, but updates will arrive twice as often, with version 154 already slated for September 22.
Amazon has cut the price of the Tapo MagCam C460 wireless outdoor security camera to $84.99 from its $119.99 list price, matching its lowest recorded price. The battery-powered camera features a magnetic mount, 4K recording, color night vision, and AI-based alerts for people, pets, and vehicles.
Xiaomi released the Xiaomi 18 Fold and Huawei unveiled the Mate XT2 trifold this week, both timed just ahead of Apple's Wednesday event where the company is expected to reveal its first foldable iPhone under CEO John Ternus. Analysts say the Chinese manufacturers are trying to lock in buyers before Apple enters the foldable market.
Sophos researchers detailed a second-stage Linux rootkit infecting F5 BIG-IP APM systems, likely delivered after attackers exploited the critical CVE-2025-53521 remote code execution flaw. The malware infects Apache's httpd process, hooks internal functions to intercept PHP file loading, and injects a web shell into memory rather than writing files to disk, while also altering SELinux settings and persisting through firmware upgrades. ESET separately analyzed the same threat under the name PoisonedRefresh.
After five years of development, Pistol Shrimp Games has launched a free public demo of Free Stars: Children of Infinity, the sequel to The Ur-Quan Masters made by that game's original creators. The demo focuses solely on the melee combat mode, letting players choose from 38 ships—including nearly all classic Ur-Quan Masters vessels plus new additions—for head-to-head arcade battles. It's available now on Steam and GOG for Windows, Mac, and Linux, with console versions still to come.
Google has rolled out Chrome 153 on desktop, Android, and iOS, marking the switch from a four-week to a two-week release schedule. This follows an earlier announcement that Google would double the frequency of stable Chrome releases to speed delivery of features and fixes.
The OECD's latest PISA assessment found 15-year-olds scoring at their lowest levels since testing began in 2000, with reading falling from 501 in 2012 to 466, science from 506 to 486, and math from 502 to 469. The organization attributed the decline to increased screen time, less voluntary reading, and hasty reading habits, noting students who frequently used AI chatbots for schoolwork scored roughly 20 points lower in science.
An analysis breaks down why cheap and expensive smart TVs differ mainly in their system-on-a-chip, which handles video decoding, upscaling, and app performance. Budget TVs often lack AI-assisted upscaling, are capped at 60Hz refresh rates, and tend to run menus and apps more slowly, while pricier models handle 120Hz output and sharper image reconstruction.
Google has shifted Chrome's stable release schedule from a four-week cycle to a two-week cycle, beginning with Chrome 153 across desktop, Android, and iOS. This means new features, bug fixes, and security patches now reach users twice as fast as before. Chrome 154 is already in beta and slated for release on September 22.
A developer released Solid Objects, an open-source library that replicates the Durable Objects programming model—one identity, one state, one ordered mailbox per object—without requiring a dedicated vendor runtime or daemon. Instead, it runs directly on databases developers already operate, including SQLite, PostgreSQL, and MySQL. The release follows the creator's frustration with vendor lock-in and unpredictable metered billing tied to existing Durable Objects platforms.
Emily Oberg, founder of fashion brand Sporty & Rich, revealed she tested AI-generated imagery to cut costs on e-commerce photo shoots, which typically run upwards of $200,000 twice a year. She said the results looked flat, lifeless and overly perfect, with models appearing 'dead in the eyes,' prompting her to return to using a full human team for future shoots.