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Senator Ron Wyden sent a letter to NSA Director General Joshua M. Rudd asking the agency to update its public guidance on VPN configurations. He argued that current recommendations don't help Americans facing foreign surveillance—including government staff, contractors, journalists and human rights defenders—choose which VPNs actually protect their communications.
Nvidia has released PAIR, a free open-source beta tool that connects compatible devices on a home network to pool their unused processing power for local AI inference and agentic tasks. It works with GeForce RTX 20-series and newer GPUs, RTX Pro cards, DGX Spark systems, and Apple M4 or later chips, running on Windows, Linux, and macOS.
A new opinion analysis argues that digital advertising is shifting toward transaction-based models where the point of purchase itself has become a key driver of brand demand, not just its final step. This trend, described as 'commerce media,' extends the retail media concept beyond retailers and CPG brands into other transactional ecosystems like travel and finance.
Microsoft will end unlimited cloud streaming for Game Pass Ultimate subscribers, replacing it with monthly hour allotments: 15 hours for Ultimate, 10 for Premium, and 5 for Essential. Users who want more can buy extra cloud playtime hours through the Xbox Store, a feature now open even to people without a Game Pass subscription, including Xbox One owners wanting to try newer titles.
OpenAI unveiled GPT-6 Astra, its newest flagship model, claiming top-tier performance in browsing the web, operating software, and solving complex math problems. The rollout begins with enterprise users in OpenAI's Daybreak early access program before expanding to ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Business subscribers, though availability for free users remains unconfirmed. Cofounder Greg Brockman told reporters he believes the company may have just ushered in the AGI era with this release.
Microsoft plans to reorganize its financial reporting starting next fiscal quarter, dropping its existing three segments—Productivity and Business Processes, Intelligent Cloud, and More Personal Computing—in favor of two new categories: Devices and Consumer, and Agents and Infra. The change, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, is meant to better reflect how the company's business now revolves around AI agents and infrastructure.
TikTok is adding several new comment features: voice comments up to 60 seconds long for users 18 and older, rolling out over the next month; comment polls with up to five options that creators can track results for, already live globally; and photo comment upgrades including live photo uploads available now and the ability to post up to nine images in a carousel comment within the next month.
Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Greg Casar announced the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act, which would permanently prohibit building or deploying superintelligent AI and temporarily halt advanced AI development until a federal regulator sets safety rules. The bill also calls for the U.S. to pursue international agreements preventing superintelligence from being built anywhere in the world.
Audacity 4.0 has shipped with a rebuilt Qt-based interface, a new clip-editing model, customizable workspaces, native high-DPI rendering, and a new AUP4 project format. Official Windows builds also gain ASIO playback and recording support alongside broader changes to how the app handles recording, playback, plugins, and projects.
Indian wearable maker Ultrahuman has closed a $70 million funding round backed by Qualcomm Ventures, Labcorp, Alpha Wave, Blume Ventures, Nexus Venture Partners and Alteria Capital, valuing the company at $365 million—roughly three times its 2023 valuation. The round includes $65 million in equity and $5 million in debt, and Ultrahuman is now developing a new ring built on Qualcomm silicon instead of its current Nordic Semiconductor chip.
A policy expert describes public interest technology as the practical bridge between government policy and the people it is meant to serve, citing food assistance as an example where eligible people miss out due to lack of awareness or overly complex applications. The approach focuses on designing systems and tools that make existing programs actually reachable and usable by the people who qualify.
Motorola has released a new Razr flip phone edition covered in 35 hand-placed Swarovski crystals plus a 32-facet crystal hinge accent, this time in a black 'Meteorite' colorway with a quilted leather-like texture. The $900 package, available September 10, includes crystal-covered Moto Buds 2 Plus and a base Moto Watch, while internal specs match the standard 2026 Razr. Motorola also unveiled the Moto Watch Ultra, a $350 wearable with LTE, dual-band GPS, NFC payments and roughly two-day battery life, launching the same day.