Meta introduced Muse, a new personal AI agent that can independently send emails, book travel, complete web forms, and negotiate deals using a user's stored email, payment, and account information. Announced by Mark Zuckerberg via Instagram, Muse runs on Meta's new Muse Spark model and is available in the U.S. through a standalone app, WhatsApp integration, and the muse.ai website, with free basic access and paid tiers for more complex tasks. Meta also plans to bring Muse support to its AI glasses.
Meta unveiled Muse, an AI assistant app built on its Muse Spark models, that can handle tasks such as booking appointments, filling out forms and watching home security feeds. The app, internally codenamed Hatch, offers a free tier alongside $20 and $100 monthly subscription options depending on usage, according to AI chief Alexandr Wang.
Apple's CarPlay setup works well by default, but users can adjust several settings afterward to personalize the experience. These include changing the wallpaper, switching between dark and automatic themes, adjusting text size and boldness, and rearranging or adding apps and widgets to the home screen.
Meta has moved its agentic AI assistant, Muse, into a limited closed testing phase, according to Testing Catalog, gating access through a waitlist and invite codes. An App Store listing reveals the app can connect to Gmail, Google Calendar, health apps, and even users' bank accounts and cards to track spending and suggest canceling unused subscriptions.
A CNET survey found 55% of US adults say a lower price would push them to upgrade their phone, while 52% cite longer battery life and 38% want more storage. Only 12% said AI features would motivate an upgrade, and just 13% said a new form factor like a foldable would sway them. The findings come ahead of Apple's Sept. 9 event, where the company is expected to unveil its first foldable iPhone alongside new iPhone 18 Pro models.
Singaporean startup Lingverse unveiled iKairos at IFA Berlin, a modular AI gadget built around a circular 'neural core' that can be worn as a necklace pendant or plugged into a small desktop robot body. The core module features a display with cartoon eyes and a hidden camera that slides open only when needed, letting it record photos or video. Lingverse says the device ambiently tracks conversations, surroundings and habits to log memories and offer personalized suggestions.
Samsung has started rolling out the One UI 9 Watch beta, based on Wear OS 7, to the 2023 Galaxy Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic models in South Korea. The update follows earlier beta releases for the Galaxy Watch 8, Watch 7, and Watch Ultra, though a full changelog has not yet been published.
Emerging thinking on productivity challenges the old model of high performers sacrificing sleep, family, and hobbies to maximize work output. Instead, the ability to rest deliberately is being framed as equally important as the ability to focus, forming a key part of sustained achievement.
Director Zach Cregger has acknowledged that fans of the Resident Evil video game franchise have specific expectations for his film adaptation, but says he can't satisfy every demand. He's asking audiences to temper expectations while promising the movie will honor the source material in meaningful ways.
A public records request revealed that Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava proposed a marketing partnership with Rockstar Games in June to brand parts of the county—including the airport, PortMiami, Metrorail stations, and Tropical Park—with Grand Theft Auto VI's Vice City imagery. Proposed features include a Vice City Motor Fest car show, a themed airport terminal and baggage claim, a dockyard installation modeled on the game's Port Gellhorn, and a community media space called Vice City Radio Lab. The county's sheriff has pushed back against the plan, given the game's violent, law-breaking gameplay.
Samsung's Galaxy S26 series arrived with higher prices and only incremental hardware upgrades, keeping the same 5,000mAh battery used since 2020 even as Chinese rivals like HONOR ship phones with far larger silicon-carbon batteries. New sales figures show Samsung's flagship and foldable lines are still selling well despite these limited improvements, suggesting the company has little financial incentive to push harder on hardware.
A commentary revisits a 2010 Harvard study showing people are happier focusing on the present, even boring tasks, than letting their minds wander. The author argues this problem has intensified in tech culture, where excessive optionality, social comparison, and startup hype make it hard for ambitious people to commit fully to their current path.
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