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Tech News
Asus and Microsoft have set a launch date for the higher-end ROG Xbox Ally X20 handheld, which features an OLED screen. The device carries a premium price tag but stays roughly in line with what competing gaming handhelds already cost.
Bankrupt Spirit Airlines accepted a $10 million bid from Google to acquire 34 years of company records, including invoices, flight operations details, Wi-Fi sales, and employee files, beating a $7.5 million offer from AI firm Mercor. The Association of Flight Attendants, representing 5,500 former Spirit crew members, has filed a court objection arguing the sale exposes sensitive worker data that employees never consented to having used for AI training, even though Google says customer information is excluded.
Prebiotic soda brand Poppi is running a recruiting push built around social media creators rather than traditional job postings, led by a team it calls 'culture' instead of HR. VP of Culture Sophia Sesto is fronting the effort, treating the hiring campaign like a marketing rollout aimed at online audiences.
New spending data from payments firm Ramp, covering 70,000 US companies, shows Anthropic's top-tier model Fable 5 accounts for just 11 percent of total spending on the company's AI tools. Businesses are increasingly reserving expensive frontier models for complex tasks while routing routine work to cheaper options, including Anthropic's own older models and open-weight offerings from Chinese competitors.
VK, formerly Mail.ru Group, has filed a lawsuit against Apple in a Moscow arbitration court after Apple pulled VK apps like VKontakte, VK Messenger, and Mail Cloud from the App Store in June to comply with EU sanctions. VK is demanding the apps be reinstated and is seeking daily penalties of roughly $696,000 if Apple refuses, which would total over $250 million annually.
A free iPhone app called Zuckoff scans Bluetooth signals to alert users when Ray-Ban Meta glasses, Snap Spectacles, or similar wearable cameras are nearby, estimating their distance. It's part of a growing set of privacy tools, including Antizuck and Nearby Glasses, built in response to concerns that smart glasses can record video without visible warning.
A Pew Research Center poll of 3,488 US adults found roughly a quarter have used AI chatbots to diagnose symptoms, mostly for convenience and cost savings, with nearly all reporting the information was at least somewhat helpful. The same survey found Americans express greater unease about AI being used by their doctors and providers than about using it themselves, and want to be told when it's involved in their care.
OpenAI now offers a cheaper ChatGPT Go tier worldwide for users who no longer need premium features, while also retiring GPT-4o from ChatGPT on February 13, 2026 despite earlier restoring it due to user demand. Separately, a Defense Department deal to deploy OpenAI's models on a classified network triggered a 295 percent single-day spike in US app uninstalls, prompting OpenAI to amend the agreement to bar domestic surveillance uses.
In an interview with Michael Cohen, President Trump argued that towns rejecting data centers are making a mistake, claiming the facilities bring jobs and 'tremendous tax revenue.' His remarks come as data centers face bipartisan public backlash over energy use, water consumption, and local disruption.
Formula 1 confirmed on the eve of the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort that Max Verstappen will remain with his current team long-term, ending months of speculation about his future. Williams also announced it is keeping both Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz. Despite the contract news, all three drivers had disappointing race weekends, part of a broader pattern of tense intra-team rivalries seen across the grid.
A gear guide covering Kindle accessories has been refreshed for August 2026, adding a section on compatible wall and portable chargers alongside updated pricing. The guide, written by a reviewer who owns every current Kindle model, covers cases, straps, stickers, charms, book holders and page-turning remotes meant to make reading more comfortable or personalized.
Google's new Pixel 11 Pro Fold shaves about 1mm off its overall thickness compared to its predecessor, but the design achieves this by making the two halves of the device asymmetrical rather than uniformly flat when unfolded. The side housing the cover display is noticeably thicker than the other half, a departure from the flat-backed design of every prior Pixel Fold model. The change accompanies other trade-offs, including a smaller battery capacity than the previous generation.