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Tech News
WIRED's ongoing testing of MagSafe phone grips now includes the Spigen OM104, Casely's MagRing and MagRing+, and the Smartish Wallflower. Each offers a different approach, from a nylon finger strap to a swiveling silicone ring to suction-cup wall mounting, with trade-offs in comfort, flatness, and durability noted for each.
OpenShot has released version 4.0, introducing a dedicated Color View that combines a large preview, clip properties, color wheels and live video scopes. The update centers on a new Color Grade effect offering both basic corrections like exposure and contrast, and advanced tools such as tonal-range color wheels, editable RGB curves, and support for .cube LUT files.
In the 1960s, a theory circulated that Stonehenge functioned as an ancient astronomical computer, based partly on the arrangement of 56 holes at the site. Critics at the time, including archaeologist Richard Atkinson, questioned this interpretation, noting some holes may have simply resulted from old tree growth rather than deliberate design.
A product management analysis describes how many teams keep every idea, from major platform overhauls to minor UI tweaks, in a single flat backlog list. One Head of Product described their 400-item backlog as a two-year-old 'graveyard with a search bar,' where sprint planning devolved into arguing over items with no shared context for comparison.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports Apple built and tested a shorter, magnetically attaching Pencil variant designed for its rumored foldable iPhone, expected to launch alongside the device this fall. Gurman notes the accessory isn't expected to ship as a consumer product at launch, citing storage challenges and the fragility of foldable plastic displays.
Code found in the One UI 9 Beta 7 build for the Galaxy S26 references Scam Detection support for a wide range of devices, including the Galaxy S25 series, Galaxy Z Fold 7, Z Flip 7, Z TriFold, and the unreleased Galaxy S27 lineup. The same code lists model numbers tied to these devices and references an Exynos 2700 chip alongside a Qualcomm option for the S27 series, hinting at Samsung's continued dual-chipset approach.
IBM's next-generation mainframe processor, discussed by Christian Jacobi and Christian Zoellin at Hot Chips 2026, integrates decoders capable of handling both the z/Architecture instruction set and Arm instructions within the same core. The chip uses a shared decode pipeline with separate instruction decoders for the two architectures, a design approach IBM says differs from earlier dual-ISA attempts like Itanium.
A review piece examines Google's preinstalled Clock app and argues it lags behind specialized alternatives like Alarmy, Chrono and NFC Alarm Clock despite its wide reach on Android phones. The author's top request is adding task-based alarm challenges—math problems, CAPTCHAs, QR or NFC scans, or sliding puzzles—that force users to physically engage before an alarm can be dismissed.
Berlin officials confirmed cybercriminals are attempting to extort the city after the Rhysida ransomware gang publicly listed it on their leak site last Friday, following an intrusion discovered in mid-August. The attackers claim to have stolen nearly 1.44 million files totaling 5.79TB, including government, legal, financial, HR, and health records, along with credentials belonging to senior officials and infrastructure security assessments. Mayor Kai Wergner said Berlin will not pay, and law enforcement including the State Criminal Police Office and federal security agencies are investigating.
Martin Casado, a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, has been highlighting renewed investor enthusiasm for hardware startups after a period dominated by software and AI-model bets. This comes as Casado also helped lead the firm's recent investments in OpenRouter and Cursor, underscoring his active month across multiple deal categories.
Reports indicate Apple is preparing for a leadership transition, with hardware engineering chief John Ternus positioned as the likely successor to CEO Tim Cook. Cook transformed Apple into a $5 trillion company largely through operational and supply chain excellence rather than product breakthroughs. Ternus would face pressure to reinvigorate the company's innovation pipeline in a way reminiscent of the Steve Jobs era.
The European Commission has classified OpenAI's ChatGPT, along with Reddit and Roblox, as Very Large Online Platforms/Search Engines under the Digital Services Act, since each surpasses 45 million average monthly EU users. This designation subjects them to stricter obligations covering ad targeting, algorithmic transparency, and protections for minors. The three companies have until the end of December 2026 to comply.