Meta reached a proposed settlement with a coalition of state attorneys general over lawsuits alleging harm to young users, avoiding a federal trial in Northern California. The deal, approved by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, includes payments of up to $16.7 billion over a decade and new teen-focused features like forced time limits, notification blocks, and a chronological feed option.
A new analysis pushes back on fears of AI-driven obsolescence, arguing that structural bottlenecks will keep humans central to research and development. It frames AI primarily as an augmentation tool rather than a replacement, predicting that human effort will move away from routine technical execution toward tasks that resist easy verification.
JBL has unveiled the Pulse 6, a portable Bluetooth speaker priced at $330 that is now available for preorder ahead of a September 6 shipping date. The speaker features a lantern-like design with 360-degree LED lighting, offering 16 preset themes split between ambient and party modes, and can sync with other JBL products via Auracast.
Roku announced it will stream eight Sunday night NWSL matches for free via The Roku Sports Channel, beginning with Seattle Reign FC versus Houston Dash on August 30 and ending with San Diego Wave FC versus Boston Legacy FC on October 25. The company also plans to carry a Sunday night match every week during the 2027 season.
A proposed technique lets websites detect AI agents through HTTP Accept headers and respond with stripped-down Markdown instead of full HTML pages. This version omits navigation bars, stylesheets, scripts, and layout elements, leaving only the core textual content for automated systems to process.
An APK teardown of Microsoft's Link to Windows Android app has uncovered hidden code for remotely shutting down, restarting, updating, or putting a paired Windows PC to sleep. The app currently only supports remotely locking a PC, and these new commands would extend that functionality with built-in warnings about lost work or disconnection.
Netflix has released a trailer for an upcoming game show, 'Wonka's The Golden Ticket,' in which contestants navigate a hazardous chocolate factory guided by an AI-recreated voice resembling Gene Wilder's iconic Willy Wonka. The trailer's unsettling tone has drawn comparisons to horror rather than family entertainment, sparking online discussion.
Devolver Digital confirmed its mascot platformer, Volvy's Adventure: Reslimed, will launch on Steam November 19, the same release date as Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto 6. Developed by Doinksoft, the game is a remaster of an unreleased action-platformer starring Devolver's mascot Volvy, who battles enemies, collects onions, and transforms into a muscular form called Swolvy to rescue kidnapped friends from warlocks. The game will cost $5, with a 25 percent launch discount.
Meta has agreed to pay as much as $17.1 billion and change how Instagram and Facebook operate, settling claims from 47 states, D.C. and U.S. territories that its platforms were built to addict and harm children. About $12 billion is due upfront, with the rest contingent on Snap, TikTok and YouTube accepting similar penalties and reforms.
YouTuber Sydney Watson suggested without evidence that Connecticut Sun center Brittney Griner might be a man playing in the WNBA, despite Griner being cisgender. The claim surfaces amid a broader right-wing campaign against trans athletes in women's sports, fueled by figures like former swimmer Riley Gaines and WNBA player Sophie Cunningham, who has publicly opposed trans women competing in the league.
Leaker Evan Blass posted images on X suggesting Apple's rumored foldable iPhone Ultra will come in three colors, including an unexpected red variant, alongside previously rumored black and white options. The images reportedly show inconsistencies with iOS 27's interface, using an outdated iOS 26 battery icon, raising doubts about their authenticity even if AI-generated.
The College Board is introducing a new yearlong Advanced Placement course, AP Business with Personal Finance, set to debut nationally in the 2026-27 school year. The course combines core business topics like entrepreneurship, marketing and accounting with everyday money skills such as budgeting, saving and investing, using case studies and project-based learning. It aligns with national financial literacy standards from the Council for Economic Education and the Jump$tart Coalition.