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Inside Amsterdam’s high-stakes experiment to create fair welfare AI

Finding a better way Every time an Amsterdam resident applies for benefits, a caseworker reviews the application for irregularities. If an application looks suspicious, it can be sent to the city’s investigations department—which could lead to a rejection, a request to correct paperwork errors, or a recommendation that the candidate receive less money. Investigations can also happen later, once benefits have been dispersed; the outcome may force recipients to pay back funds, and even push some

The Download: Amsterdam’s welfare AI experiment, and making humanoid robots safer

Amsterdam thought it was on the right track. City officials in the welfare department believed they could build technology that would prevent fraud while protecting citizens’ rights. They followed these emerging best practices and invested a vast amount of time and money in a project that eventually processed live welfare applications. But in their pilot, they found that the system they’d developed was still not fair and effective. Why? Lighthouse Reports, MIT Technology Review, and the Dutch n

Android 16 introduces Advanced Protection mode to fortify your phone against threats

From harmful apps to insecure connections, there are all kinds of risks you’re exposed to. Thankfully, Android features a range of security settings to keep your device and data protected from these threats. To take this protection even further, Google is rolling out an Advanced Protection mode with Android 16 . Today, Android 16 is coming to eligible devices, and with it, Advanced Protection mode. As Android 16 beta users are aware, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen this feature, but now it

Android 16 reduces notification clutter with this simple but needed change

TL;DR Android 16 will automatically group all notifications from the same app to create a more organized notification panel. While Android has supported notification grouping for years, it was largely up to app developers to implement. This behavior is now enforced by the OS, preventing any single app from cluttering the notification panel and making alerts more manageable for users. With the new Android 16 update, Google is introducing several major changes to how notifications look and beha

Don’t forget: Three-button navigation is getting a much-needed upgrade with Android 16

TL;DR Android 16 extends predictive back navigation to three-button navigation. You can now see a preview of the previous screen by long-pressing the back button. Additionally, apps targeting Android 16 will have predictive back system animations by default. After debuting the predictive back navigation as a developer option in Android 13, Google finally enabled it by default in last year’s release. The feature previously only worked when using gesture-based navigation, but Google is extendin

Save $100 on the GoPro HERO13 Black action camera!

If you’re trying to find the best action camera around, you’ve undoubtedly considered the GoPro HERO13 Black. It is the latest and greatest from a brand that is widely recognized for these action cams. If you’re looking to get it, right now might be a great time to pull the trigger, as the GoPro HERO13 Black is $100.99 off. Buy the GoPro HERO13 Black for just $329 ($100.99 off) This offer is available from Amazon, but you can get the same discount from GoPro’s website. We’re linking to the Amaz

The latest Android 16 QPR1 beta finally organizes Android’s messy sound settings

Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority TL;DR Google is cleaning up Android’s “Sound & vibration” settings page in the upcoming Android 16 QPR1 update. Instead of one long list, the new layout groups settings into distinct categories like “sound patterns” and “Audio.” The volume sliders also get a modern design, while other options are relocated to make the page feel less cluttered. After more than 16 years of development, the Android OS is packed with features. If they weren’t organized, navigat

The first Google Beam device can be yours for just $24,999 (Beam license sold separately)

TL;DR HP has revealed the first device with Google Beam 3D video conferencing technology. The HP Dimension with Google Beam will cost $24,999 and doesn’t include a license to use Google Beam. Google revealed its Project Starline 3D video conferencing technology back in 2021, which then got rebranded to Google Beam earlier this year. Now, HP has revealed the first commercial product with this tech, and it’s not cheap. HP announced the HP Dimension with Google Beam today, and it will cost a cra

visionOS 26 announced with spatial widgets, all-new Personas, more

visionOS 26 is official. Today during WWDC, Apple announced the next major software update for Vision Pro. Here’s a roundup of new features coming to Vision Pro in visionOS 26. New features visionOS 26 brings to Apple Vision Pro Over the past year since visionOS 2 was announced, Apple Vision Pro users have received several major software updates—gaining powerful Mac Virtual Display upgrades and the first Apple Intelligence support. visionOS 26 is Apple’s next big push to grow spatial computin

Apple will let third-party developers use Apple Intelligence models to empower their apps

Apple today announced a new framework, called Foundation Models, that will allow developers to access the same models that power on-device Apple Intelligence. This will let third-party apps easily offer AI features. Because these models run locally using the Apple Silicon chips on your iPhone or iPad, they can be made available wholly offline, and with no associated cloud API costs. This is the first time Apple is giving developers direct access to the power of these on-device foundation model

Apple overhauls Vision Pro Personas feature, now with much higher-quality 3D avatars

As part of visionOS 26, Apple is overhauling the Personas feature for Apple Vision Pro users. Personas are the 3D avatars the system uses during FaceTime calls when the user is wearing the headset. When Vision Pro launched last year, Personas were widely criticized due to their uncanny valley appearance — and the whole feature was labelled as a ‘beta’ in the OS. Apple has been gradually improving the fidelity of the avatars with every release, and visionOS 26 takes the most dramatic step forwar

visionOS 26 developer beta 1 is now up

Apple just wrapped up its WWDC25 keynote, and visionOS 26 is now available as a developer beta, alongside the rest of its platforms. Here’s how to install it. visionOS developer beta 1 is now live Today, Apple announced visionOS 26, which joins Apple’s renamed operating system lineup alongside iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and so on. The new system brings PlayStation VR2 Sense compatibility, spatial widgets, Look to Scroll, and performance improvements under the hood. If you want to enroll in the develo

Why you should delete your personal data from the internet, and how to keep it from resurfacing

Image: Incogni Try searching your full name online right now and see what surfaces. Within a few clicks, you’re likely seeing your home address, phone number, age, and even details about family members. If that’s what a simple search turns up, just imagine what malicious actors can find when their business relies on exploiting your personal data. If there was a big red delete button, you’d set a new record for how fast you could smash it! The problem is there isn’t one, unless you know where

New Apple Music feature in iOS 26 will make singing K-pop lyrics a breeze

With iOS 26, Apple is making Apple Music a lot more fun to sing along with, especially for fans of international music. The update will introduce two features designed for listeners who enjoy songs in languages they don’t necessarily speak fluently. Here’s how it’ll work. Translation beyond Messages At WWDC25, Apple introduced several live translation tools, meant to make communication across languages easier in Messages, FaceTime, and Phone. But one of the more unexpected and delightful uses

macOS 26: Spotlight gets actions, clipboard manager, custom shortcuts, more

After years of incremental tweaks, Spotlight is taking center stage in macOS Tahoe 26, in what Apple calls its biggest update ever. Here’s everything that’s new. With this release, Apple wants to evolve Spotlight from a simple file and app launcher into a fully-fledged productivity layer across macOS, much like Alfred and Raycast users have used for years. A faster, more relevant Spotlight Spotlight now aims to be the fastest way to browse and interact with content on your Mac. It uses on-dev

Xcode 26 beta includes new ‘Apple Vision Pro 4K’ simulator

Apple held its WWDC25 keynote yesterday, where it announced a new suite of software updates for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, and visionOS – all under the new version numbering umbrella of ’26’. A new suite of OS releases comes with a new version of Xcode, which also falls under the new 26 naming umbrella. In the first beta of Xcode 26, the developer tool used to build apps for these new operating systems, Apple now includes a new ‘Vision Pro 4K’ simulator. In Xcode 26, the current genera

Topics: 26 apple new pro visionos

Apple TV+ gears up for Foundation Season 3 with first full trailer, watch it now

One of Apple TV+’s most-watched series is gearing up for its return. Foundation is set to premiere its third season in just a few weeks, and Apple has just released the first full trailer teasing what’s to come. You can watch the intense new preview right now. ‘Chaos has a name: The Mule’ If you’ve been following Foundation, you know the series is one of Apple’s most ambitious sci-fi project to date, based on the classic novels by Isaac Asimov. It’s earned praise for its intricate world-buildi

Vision Pro’s first third-party Apple Immersive Video brings MotoGP racing via Blackmagic

Apple Vision Pro owners will soon get to experience the exhilarating world of motorcycle racing. CANAL+ announced an upcoming Apple Immersive Video film that will bring viewers directly into the world of MotoGP racing. The project marks the first third-party studio production in Apple’s Immersive Video format, filmed entirely with Blackmagic’s URSA Cine Immersive camera system designed specifically for Vision Pro content. Expanding Vision Pro’s immersive content library Set to debut in Septemb

Eufy's 3-in-1 robot vacuum is 42 percent off right now

Engadget has been testing and reviewing consumer tech since 2004. Our stories may include affiliate links; if you buy something through a link, we may earn a commission. Read more about how we evaluate products . You can own it for just $380. Robot vacuums are undeniably a big convenience, saving you so much time while keeping your house clean. But sometimes there's a small mess you want to quickly remove or a little corner the robovac can't reach, requiring a traditional vacuum. While you cou

Nintendo sets record with 3.5 million Switch 2 units sold in four days

Nintendo has sold 3.5 million Switch 2s in four days, setting a company record for a new console launch. That puts Nintendo on track toward its goal to sell 15 million units by March 2026 if it can keep up on the production side. By comparison, it took the original Switch nearly a full month to hit 2.7 million units sold, even though it launched at a considerably lower price ($300 compared to $450 for the Switch 2). To get a hold of one, fans entered lotteries to buy consoles directly from Nint

SAG-AFTRA has suspended its gaming industry strike over AI protections

SAG-AFTRA has suspended its strike against ten game studios. The organization's national board will meet tomorrow to consider a tentative agreement with the developers; more details of the arrangement will be disclosed if and when the board agrees to the terms. Variety obtained a statement from a spokesperson for the gaming companies that offered some hints about the contents of the potential deal: "This agreement builds on three decades of successful partnership between the interactive enterta

Microsoft fixes Windows Server auth issues caused by April updates

Microsoft has fixed a known issue causing authentication problems on Windows Server domain controllers after installing the April 2025 security updates. Platforms affected by these problems include Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2022, and the latest version, Windows Server 2025. However, as Microsoft further explained when it acknowledged this known issue in early May, home users are unlikely to be impacted since domain controllers are typically used in enterprise aut

Operation Secure disrupts global infostealer malware operations

An international law enforcement action codenamed "Operation Secure" targeted infostealer malware infrastructure in a massive crackdown across 26 countries, resulting in 32 arrests, data seizures, and server takedowns. Led by Interpol and conducted from January to April 2025, the operation focused on disrupting infostealer malware groups that steal financial and personal data through widespread infections. The data stolen by infostealers commonly includes account credentials, browser cookies,

I managed to buy a Nintendo Switch 2 - and it's easy to see why it's flying off shelves

Kerry Wan/ZDNET While the Nintendo Switch 2 launched only a week ago, it's already set the record for being the fastest-selling Nintendo console ever. Today, the company shared that the latest 2-in-1 gaming system sold over 3.5 million units worldwide in its first four days. For reference, the original Nintendo Switch sold 2.74 million units in its first month, while Sony sold 4.4 million units of the PlayStation 5 in seven weeks, according to Daniel Ahmad, director of research and insights at

Type-based vs. Value-based Reflection

Type-based vs Value-based Reflection Frequently, whenever the topic of Reflection comes up, I see a lot of complains specifically about the new syntax being added to support Reflection in C++26. I’ve always thought of that as being largely driven by unfamiliarity — this syntax is new, unfamiliar, and thus bad. I thought I’d take a different tactic in this post: let’s take a problem that can only be solved with Reflection and compare what the solution would look like between: the C++26 value-ba

John L. Young, the Guy Who Created Wikileaks Before Wikileaks, Dies at 89

John L. Young, often hailed as an under-recognized hero of the digital age and co-founder of the groundbreaking transparency platform Cryptome, passed away on March 28th in New York City. His death, in relative anonymity, stands in stark contrast to the thunderous revelations that defined his pioneering work. His passing was quietly acknowledged by Archinect, a professional publication for architects, on June 4th: “John L. Young, architect and the co-founder (with his wife Deborah Natsios) of

The Justice Gang We’ll Meet in ‘Superman’ Is Coming Into Focus

Even casual fans know a lot about Superman already ahead of James Gunn’s upcoming film named for the character. He’s starred in plenty of films and TV shows, including some very recent releases. Lois Lane and Lex Luthor? We know them too. But what about Superman‘s support team that’ll be introduced in the film as the Justice Gang? In a new profile, Nathan Fillion (Green Lantern Guy Gardner), Isabela Merced (Hawkgirl), and Edi Gathegi (Mister Terrific) shared a bit about what to expect from their

What It Took to Build the Death Star

The ultimate manifestation of the Empire’s overwhelming belief in strength through fear, the Death Star is everything insidious and evil about the Imperial engine in Star Wars—as well as its inevitable downfall. But while the story of stopping the Death Star is well trod at this point, the story of just how it was built in the first place is much more complicated. It’s not just complex because the Death Star’s construction took place over the course of decades, but because of that time frame, t

Apple's VisionOS 26 Hands-On: Virtual Me and 3D Memories Are Stunning

My virtual Scott Stein persona is hauntingly real, spatial scenes feel like living 3D memories and even the experience of sticking widgets to virtual walls – and virtual windows – is better than I ever thought. Hey. That's me. My first experience in Apple's new Vision OS 26, announced Monday at WWDC, was making my new 3D-scanned Persona, a feature that Apple says is finally out of beta. I used to find its uncanny style funny, but not anymore. I find it unsettlingly real. Like, I feel like I'm

HP's New AI-Powered 3D Conferencing With Google Beam: Here's What Stands Out

HP has partnered with Google for a new virtual conferencing solution that doesn't need VR headsets or other wearables, called HP Dimension with Google Beam. Instead of glasses, it's a giant 3D-enabled display that sits on a conference desk in front of you and mimics the feeling of interacting with someone just a few feet away. It also costs $25,000. Previously called Project Starline, HP's Dimension with Google Beam promises to be "AI-powered," which refers to algorithms in charge of adjusting