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Blueprints AI, a Santa Monica startup founded by Al Drams and Coco Cao, is showcasing a new version of its software that converts 2D sketches or PDFs into code-compliant, permit-ready construction blueprints within minutes. The company, incorporated in 2025, was selected for TechCrunch Disrupt's Startup Battlefield 200 cohort, where it is presenting this week in San Francisco.
Samsung is facing a broader memory chip shortage affecting device shipments industry-wide, but strong demand for its Galaxy Z Fold 8 foldable phone has helped the company maintain its position as a top smartphone shipper. The strength of this product lineup is credited with cushioning the company against the wider supply constraints.
Yandex confirmed that drone attacks damaged three of its data centers in Sasovo, Kaluga, and Vladimir between October 8-11, knocking two facilities offline entirely and degrading the third. Customers have reported being unable to access files stored on Yandex's cloud infrastructure, and the company says it cannot give a reliable timeline for restoring service. Yandex has urged customers to switch to alternative disaster-recovery infrastructure while its teams work to stabilize the remaining systems.
Some hardware stores are promoting employees originally hired for pest control—store cats—as a way to attract customers. These animals are now featured in social media posts that have racked up thousands of views, according to reporting on the trend.
A retrospective piece revisits predictions from Kevin Kelly's 2016 book The Inevitable, including his claim that by 2026 Google's core product would be AI rather than search. The piece recounts Kelly's early-2000s conversation with Larry Page, who told him Google was 'really making an AI,' and argues Google has used search queries to train its AI systems rather than the reverse.
The Electrical Safety Foundation International says extension cords aren't designed as permanent wiring and can degrade when left connected continuously. Unplugging a cord after use gives owners a chance to spot cracked insulation, loose connections or overheating plugs before they become hazards.
Beats by Dre posted a short teaser video confirming an upcoming collaboration with Pokémon on its Beats Pill Bluetooth speaker. The clip shows a Pill speaker with illuminated design elements, following earlier social media sightings of a Pikachu-branded version at Target. The standard Beats Pill retails for $149.99, often discounted to $129.
Google introduced the Fitbit Edge, a new wearable priced at $179.99 that slots between the slim Fitbit Air and the Pixel Watch, adding an OLED screen for notifications, maps, weather and music controls. The device includes Gemini-powered Google Health Coach and Health Guardian features (requiring a Health Premium subscription), automatic activity recognition for up to 100 activities, over 50 exercise modes, a seven-day battery, and 50-meter water resistance. It's available for preorder now, with retail availability on October 27, in four standard colors plus a $219.99 Stephen Curry Special Edition.
Carrefour reported that hackers affected refrigeration units in 80 of its roughly 6,000 stores. Monoprix said about 5% of its more than 400 stores were hit, and affected food was pulled from shelves where its safe condition could not be confirmed.
Bending Spoons, the tech company behind Vimeo, AOL and Airtable, received roughly 800,000 job applications last year but hired only 286 people, according to a Fortune report. The company warns candidates upfront about its demanding culture, including blunt feedback, frequent restructurings and a willingness to part ways with underperformers. Its hiring process includes practical assessments such as online tests that can take up to six hours.
Amazon has cut the price of JBL's Endurance Peak 4 sports earbuds to $79, a $51 discount from their usual price and the lowest price recorded for the model. The earbuds carry an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance and offer up to 48 hours of battery life with their charging case.
Market trackers reported that global PC shipments in the third quarter of 2026 were unusually low by historical standards. The specific figures and vendor breakdowns from the report were not detailed in the available material.