Most smart TVs ship with limited internal storage that quickly fills up due to app caches, temporary files, and manufacturer-installed bloatware that can be difficult or impossible to remove. Users can clear app cache through settings for temporary relief or uninstall unused apps, though bloatware removal is often restricted by manufacturers. An alternative workaround is attaching an external streaming device like a Fire TV Stick, Roku, or Google TV Streamer, which brings its own storage and app ecosystem independent of the TV's built-in memory.
Nvidia's latest SEC 13F disclosure reveals it holds $63.44 billion across just eight public equity positions, with Intel and SpaceX making up roughly 80% of the total value. Notably, seven of the eight holdings saw no new activity last quarter, yet the portfolio's value more than tripled, rising from about $18.4 billion to over $63 billion largely due to price appreciation.
NASA successfully launched the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which will spend three months traveling roughly one million miles to reach its observation post at the second Sun-Earth Lagrange point. Once there, it will scan the cosmos with a field of view 100 times wider than Hubble's and a speed 1,000 times faster, using a 300-megapixel infrared camera and a coronagraph that blocks starlight to reveal orbiting planets.
Roborock has released the Qrevo 2 Pro, a midrange robot vacuum that combines suction and mopping capabilities in one device. Testing found the unit performs cleaning tasks well but its object-avoidance sensors frequently fail to detect cables, leading it to snag or ingest them during runs.
Apple Arcade launched Retro Bowl College+ on August 6, a version of New Star Games' 2023 college football spin-off. The game lets players manage one of over 250 college teams using simple swipe-based controls for passing, running and kicking, while defense is handled by the game's simulation. Off the field, players must juggle roster morale, player ratings, facility upgrades and team budgets.
A leaked internal Microsoft spreadsheet revealed that one employee in the Customer and Partner Solutions unit racked up $28,000 in AI usage costs over a 28-day period, dwarfing the company-wide median of about $300. The disclosure came after Microsoft added an 'AI $ Usage Per Month' tracking column to its compensation data, exposing wide disparities in spending among roughly 350 employees who reported figures.
IBM and University of Chicago researchers used a new error-correction technique to encode 70 logical qubits and complete a random circuit sampling task in roughly 15 minutes, a computation that would take leading classical supercomputers an impractical amount of time. The team also designed a more structured circuit approach to verify that the quantum output was actually correct, addressing a longstanding challenge in confirming quantum results once problems exceed classical checking ability. The circuits and data have been published via the Quantum Advantage Tracker.
A new explainer breaks down why many viewers assume they're watching 4K content when they're not, pointing to factors like device settings, HDMI cables, subscription tiers, and per-service quality controls. It walks through specific examples including Disney+'s data usage settings, YouTube's on-demand quality selector, and Amazon Prime Video's new Ultra tier that gates 4K access behind an added fee.
A developer has published free, GPL-licensed source code for three old Windows 3.1x-era programs: a limited implementation of Conway's Game of Life, a GDI object-cleanup utility called GDI Rescuer, and a Mastermind-style game called Code Breaker. The Game of Life program notably demonstrates mixing 16-bit C with 32-bit assembly via winmem32.dll and handling palette and DIB color translation quirks of the era.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has frozen further state spending on Flock's AI-powered license plate cameras, a decision made shortly before a Texas Tribune investigation exposed that the state had already spent over $30 million on the technology. That funding came largely from a $1 fee added to insurance policies, ostensibly to combat catalytic converter theft.
Anti-surveillance group Secure Justice reports that 214 cities and counties have dropped Flock Safety's license-plate camera contracts since 2021, with 90 cancellations in August alone—a fourfold jump from July. Communities from Lansing, Michigan to Pflugerville, Texas cited cost, data-sharing practices, network reach, and cases of police misuse as reasons for ending their deals. Flock says new city partnerships still outnumber cancellations roughly 10 to 1 this year.
Meta is testing robots from vendors like Kinova, ABB, and Watney Robotics to perform physical data center tasks such as power-cycling servers, swapping network cables, and restarting machines. Internal workers say one arm alone could eventually take over up to 80% of certain job duties if trials succeed. The initiative has not been previously disclosed.
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