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Pearl Abyss has launched a free 20-minute playable demo of Crimson Desert that runs entirely through Twitch's cloud streaming, requiring no download or installation. The demo works on any device with a web browser, though notably not on current game consoles. It coincides with the rollout of Crimson Desert Enhanced, a major free update released last week.
PeopleFinders has introduced a new service called Stud or Dud that lets users run background checks on people they're dating or considering dating. The tool aims to automate the online research many people already do informally, pulling together public records and digital footprints into a single report.
Google is reportedly preparing to launch Gemini 3.8 Flash imminently, a model DeepMind's internal testing found outperforms Anthropic's Opus on coding tasks. The release would follow Gemini 3.7 Flash, launched just weeks earlier, and comes as Google shelves plans for a separate Gemini 3.5 Pro model, pushing the next Pro-tier release to Gemini 4.0.
California lawmakers passed SB 868, a bill that sets rules for small, plug-in solar devices—often mounted on balconies, yards or roofs—capped at 1,200 watts per home. The bill replaces the costly utility interconnection process for these systems with a free online registration, provided devices meet electrical codes, carry third-party safety certification and include anti-backfeed protection. It now awaits Governor Gavin Newsom's signature, with compliant products potentially available by spring 2027.
Dell introduced the 14s, a thin and light 14-inch Windows 11 laptop targeted at students and young adults, available in Linen, Dusty Rose, Washed Denim, and Velvet Green finishes. The device uses an aluminum chassis, Intel Panther Lake processors, up to 16GB of RAM, up to 1TB storage, and a battery Dell claims lasts up to 21 hours of video playback. Pricing and release date remain unannounced, though Dell suggests the laptop will be positioned as an affordable option.
Data from time-tracking tool RescueTime shows the average employee gets only 85 minutes of undisturbed focus per day, squeezed out by meetings, notifications, and constant task-switching. A related Gallup survey on worker engagement found rising workloads and unclear job boundaries are further eroding enthusiasm and creative capacity, especially as companies downsize without replacing roles.
Dell has announced the 14S, a mainstream 14-inch laptop offered in four colors with a 61.2 Whr battery for all-day use. It comes with up to an Intel Core 7 processor, choice of FHD or 2.8K displays, up to 16GB of RAM, up to 1TB of storage, and weighs just over 2.5 pounds. Pricing hasn't been announced yet; Dell says details will come closer to its fall launch.
Dell is expanding its mainstream 14S laptop series with lower-cost configurations built on Intel's more efficient Wildcat Lake chips instead of Panther Lake. The new models start at 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, come in four bright colors, and pricing won't be confirmed until closer to their fall launch.
Apple has updated Apple Maps to display Lake Ontario as 'Lake America' for users in the United States, following Google's earlier change to its maps. The renaming stems from an executive order President Trump signed after US-Canada trade talks collapsed, with Canadian users still seeing 'Lake Ontario' and the rest of the world seeing both names. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Trump personally contacted Apple to push through the naming change.
Loudoun County, Virginia turned to former AOL infrastructure and empty fiber-optic networks left after the dot-com crash to attract data center investment, led by economic development official Buddy Rizer. The strategy shifted the county's tax base from over 80% residential to just over half commercial revenue, transforming it into a hub handling a large share of global internet traffic.
Acer has introduced the Swift Blade 14, a 799-gram, carbon-fiber-bodied laptop measuring as thin as 12.95mm, positioning it as a lighter alternative to Apple's 13-inch MacBook Air. The device will ship with Intel's Wildcat Lake processors ranging from a five-core Core 3 to a six-core Core 7, paired with 12GB of RAM, along with either a basic LCD or optional OLED display. Acer also announced the Swift Air 16, a larger companion to the budget-friendly Swift Air 14, though pricing for both new models won't be revealed until closer to their December launch.
A federal grand jury in California indicted 40-year-old Searzhudin Tamirlanovich Aktulaev, extradited from Cyprus in May 2025, over a phishing scheme that used 255 fake accounts to send malicious Excel attachments to roughly 80,000 freelancers on an unnamed job platform between 2016 and 2017. The attachments deployed TVRAT and DarkVNC malware, giving the defendant remote access to victims' machines and letting him steal e-commerce credentials and personal data for fraud.