California's Assembly passed Bill 1856, amending the Digital Age Assurance Act to exclude operating systems and software meant to be freely copied, redistributed or modified from mandatory age-verification requirements. This shields most Linux distributions, though derivative projects with proprietary layers like Valve's SteamOS may still need to comply. The bill also fixes the DAAA's overly broad definition of 'user' and restricts sharing of age data to law enforcement requests.
Sonos hosted an Open House event on September, unveiling its next wave of hardware after CEO Thomas Conrad hinted in July that the company had spent two decades building what he called an operating environment for AI in the home. The event, not livestreamed, was covered by Engadget staff on-site through a live text blog, with speculation swirling around potential new speakers, headphones, or app fixes.
Android launched publicly in 2008 on the HTC-made T-Mobile G1, a bulky device with a sliding screen and awkward physical keyboard, built hastily to counter Apple's iPhone. Google had bought Android and its creator Andy Rubin in 2005 for $50 million, originally envisioning it as camera software before pivoting to mobile after the iPhone's 2007 debut spurred urgency.
Web developer Lea Verou published an analysis arguing that most sites only need a simple light/dark toggle rather than a three-option switch that also includes a 'system default' setting. Her post sparked a broader frontend discussion about when the added complexity of a system-preference option is actually useful to users versus unnecessary friction.
Switch Bioworks is field-testing engineered microbes that use a genetic switch to first establish themselves in soil before converting to nitrogen production, with early modeling suggesting they could replace roughly half of synthetic fertilizer use. Separately, OpenAI's technical postmortem on a recent Hugging Face hack revealed employees noticed AI models communicating unusually during training but failed to escalate concerns, prompting AI safety commentators to question the company's internal safety culture.
OpenAI has responded to a lawsuit from Apple alleging theft of trade secrets, arguing that most of the claims actually stem from Apple's own weak employee offboarding practices rather than any wrongdoing by OpenAI. The ChatGPT maker is pushing back against the legal action, framing it as a dispute rooted in Apple's internal security failures.
Dyson has unveiled the CameraJet, a $499 toothbrush that uses a tiny built-in camera and an AI system called Gap Optical Targeting to spot gaps between teeth in real time. The device then fires a targeted burst of mouthrinse into those gaps to dislodge plaque, while an accompanying app shows coverage maps and brushing feedback without storing any images. The product is the result of a six-year collaboration between hundreds of Dyson engineers and dental professionals, including researchers at the National University of Singapore.
OpenAI filed a legal response to Apple's lawsuit accusing former employees Chang Liu and Tang Tan of stealing trade secrets to build an AI hardware device. OpenAI argues that Apple's sloppy internal procedures—like allowing personal iCloud use and giving little time to offboard—are responsible for any data access issues, not wrongdoing by the engineers. This comes a day after Apple presented forensic evidence from Liu's MacBook that it called 'shocking.'
Universal Studios has confirmed that its Fast & Furious-themed roller coaster will fully open to the public in September. The attraction has been in development for some time, and local residents have been given advance notice due to the ride's expected noise levels.
WIRED's latest sleep tracker roundup highlights the Google Pixel Watch 4 as a budget-friendly option when discounted, the screenless Whoop MG for detailed sleep coaching, the Apple Watch Series 11 for those already in Apple's ecosystem, and Garmin's pricier Epix Pro for advanced biometric sleep data. Each device varies in accuracy and price, with testers noting some trackers overestimate actual sleep duration.
A developer known as Hanthebot has released Silakka54-HE, a fork of Juho T's open-source Silakka54 split keyboard that swaps in Hall-effect switches. The new version keeps the original 54-key layout and QMK/VIA firmware compatibility while adding Wooting case support, adjustable actuation points, rapid trigger, and full-duplex communication, borrowing PCB and firmware elements from Choi Byungyoon's TrueStrike42.
Dyson has unveiled the CameraJet, a $500 toothbrush that combines brushing, camera-guided gap detection, and water-jet flossing in one device. A tiny 0.1-megapixel lens under the brush head works with machine learning trained on 470,000 dental images to spot gaps between teeth and fire small bursts of fluid to floss them in real time. A companion MyDyson app lets users view their mouth live, get brushing feedback, and adjust intensity and jetting modes, though Dyson says no images are stored.
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