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Tech News
Michael Wisler, who became M&T Bank's chief information officer in 2018 after years at Capital One, has shifted the 170-year-old Buffalo-based bank away from outside tech contractors toward an in-house engineering team. The move aims to speed up how quickly the bank can adapt its systems to new technology and customer demands while building more resilient infrastructure.
The Kansas Department of Labor, under Secretary Amber Shultz, has modernized its unemployment insurance technology, replacing software that dated back to the 1970s. Previously, agents juggled five separate screens, some requiring command-line input without mouse support, and the system shut down nightly for batch processing, blocking claims filed in the evening. The agency has now introduced AI-driven tools to streamline the filing process and support staff.
Sony's WH-1000XM5 noise-canceling headphones are currently on sale for $198, a $202 discount that marks one of the lowest prices seen for the model. Several other Sony headphones are also discounted as part of the same sale, though the WH-1000XM5 remains the standout deal despite being one generation behind the newer WH-1000XM6.
Belkin's SoundForm Mini 2 wireless on-ear headphones, designed for children ages 3 and up, are currently discounted 25 percent using the code VERGE25OFF. The base model drops from $29.99 to $22.49, while the version with a zip-up carrying case falls from $39.99 to $29.99 after the code is applied.
Burning Man organizers updated their official survival guide to allow Meta's camera-equipped smart glasses at this year's festival, provided wearers get explicit permission before recording anyone in frame. The policy contrasts with venues like New York nightclub Basement, which has vowed to permanently ban attendees caught wearing the devices.
Ahead of Apple's expected iPhone 18 Pro unveiling next week, leakers agree on two colors—Dark Cherry/Burgundy and Sky Blue—but disagree on the third option. Fixed Focus Digital claims it will be black with no silver variant, while Sonny Dickson has posted images of SIM tray covers suggesting silver is the third color instead.
Razer has introduced the Prio, a new mobile gaming controller that collapses down to roughly the size of a credit card and weighs just 101 grams for easy portability. Despite its compact folded form, it offers a full controller layout with recessed joysticks, a D-pad, face buttons and shoulder buttons, and connects via USB-C so it draws power directly from the phone. It works across Android and iOS devices and supports cloud gaming services like Xbox Cloud Gaming, Steam Link, and PS Remote Play.
Google has fixed a bug in its Home app that was preventing owners of older Chromecast and Chromecast Audio devices from setting them up. The company confirmed the fix in a Reddit thread and advised affected users to update to Google Home app version 4.26 or later and retry setup. Those still experiencing issues are encouraged to contact Google support.
A technical review examines the ferrocyanide/ferricyanide redox couple, prized in flow batteries for its stability, kinetics and solubility, and asks why no one has built a symmetric flow battery using it on both electrodes. The piece explains that ferrocyanide reacts with heavy metal cations like zinc or iron to form insoluble Prussian blue compounds, blocking the metal-plating side of such a design, and notes that even chelation workarounds using pyrophosphates lead to poor long-term cycling stability, as shown by degradation data after 100 cycles.
Students, teachers, and the school's principal have filed 30 lawsuits in a California federal court alleging OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman gave 'substantial assistance' to Jesse Van Rootselaar, the suspect in the Tumbler Ridge school shooting. The suits claim OpenAI's safety team flagged the suspect's violent conversations with ChatGPT and recommended alerting Canadian authorities, but executives chose silence to protect the company's reputation and finances, then merely deactivated the account rather than banning the user outright.
With the Google Pixel 11 series now available in bold colors and featuring a new HiLight LED on Pro models, reviewers have rounded up recommended protective cases for the phones. Options highlighted include the slim, protective Spigen Liquid Air and the grip-focused dBrand Grip Case, among several others covering different price points and styles.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani unveiled a one-year moratorium starting in the 2026-2027 school year that blocks roughly 600,000 students from pre-K through eighth grade from using AI in class, and bars teachers from using AI to grade their work. Companion and mental-support chatbots will be prohibited at all grade levels, individual screens are banned until third grade, and screen time guidance caps middle schoolers at 45 minutes daily. High schoolers will get limited AI access, twice-yearly AI literacy lessons, and a small pilot program testing vetted AI tools in a handful of classrooms.