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Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S26 FE, priced $50 higher than its predecessor at $700 for 128GB and $800 for 256GB. The phone keeps a 12-megapixel selfie camera but widens its field of view, and it inherits several camera software tools from Samsung's pricier S26 and Z Flip 8, including Super Steady Video, My FanCam autoframing, and Audio Eraser noise removal that also works with Netflix and YouTube.
The FCC's latest broadband deployment report, released August 14 under Chairman Brendan Carr, eliminates the previous gigabit-speed goal and rephrases its language to describe broadband as merely 'often' essential rather than fully essential to modern life. The report claims 96.9% of Americans now have access to 100Mbps/20Mbps speeds, though these figures rely on self-reported data from internet service providers.
Erin Katz of Allen Service told CNET that homeowners should avoid turning off air conditioning entirely while traveling, since a home left to overheat can damage electronics, kill houseplants, and endanger pets. Instead, she recommends raising the thermostat only a few degrees above the usual setting, such as 75°F instead of 70°F, to save energy without letting the home get dangerously hot.
Android System Intelligence (ASI) is a system component baked into Android that powers on-device smart features like Now Playing and Live Caption, and it cannot be uninstalled like a regular app, though many manufacturers let users disable it in Settings. Android Authority found in January 2026 that turning ASI off does not break core phone functions, but it does disable the AI-driven contextual features that rely on it. Google has not published a full list of what stops working per device, leaving some uncertainty for users who disable it entirely.
Samsung's new Galaxy S26 FE sits between its A-series and flagship S lineup, offering a 6.7-inch 120Hz OLED display, a triple rear camera setup, and an Exynos 2500 processor with 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB storage. It includes a 4,900mAh battery, 45W wired and 15W wireless charging, and seven years of software support, at a starting price of $700, up $50 from last year's model.
Meta has settled a lawsuit brought by attorneys general from nearly every US state accusing the company of designing Facebook and Instagram to be addictive to minors and misleading the public about platform safety. As part of the deal, Meta will pay $18 billion toward child online safety and youth mental health programs while rolling out new teen protections, including a two-hour daily usage cap and blocked access between midnight and 6 a.m.
Meta has reached an $18 billion settlement with attorneys general from 52 US states, territories and DC over claims it deliberately designed Instagram to be addictive to teenagers. As part of the deal, Meta will fund youth safety programs and roll out new default restrictions for under-18 users across Instagram and Facebook, including a combined two-hour daily time limit and a midnight-to-6am blackout period.
Across the United States, individuals are disabling, damaging, or stealing Flock Safety surveillance cameras used by local police departments, employing tactics ranging from spray-painting lenses to outright destruction. In Lumpkin County, Georgia, a sheriff's Facebook post offering a $1,000 reward for information about a vandalized camera backfired, drawing over 30,000 comments largely siding with the vandals rather than law enforcement.
Agroscope researchers enlisted about 1,000 citizen scientists to bury more than 2,000 pairs of organic cotton underwear and 12,000 tea bags at 1,000 sites across Switzerland. After one and two months, participants dug up the items and returned them so scientists could measure how much material had been eaten away by soil organisms, using decomposition as a proxy for biological activity. Private gardens showed the highest soil activity of any land type tested, while lawns showed the lowest.
Sahuarita, Arizona police chief John Noland told the Daily Wire that his 68-officer department has used electric-shock gloves, known as GLOVEs, for roughly two years, calling the devices successful at gaining compliance. His comments follow reporting that ICE has ordered a large supply of the same equipment and that Oklahoma officers used them on students during the 2025-2026 school year.
ZDNET published a curated list of Linux distributions suited for people switching from Windows in 2026, deliberately excluding Linux Mint. Zorin OS tops the list for its Windows-like interface options and a feature that detects when a user tries to install a .exe or .msi file and suggests an open-source alternative from its app store.
Meta shelved a broader round of layoffs tied to its 'Project OT' restructuring effort, which aimed to replace larger teams with AI agents and smaller staff groups. Internal data showed AI-generated code volume jumped 220%, but actual product improvements reaching users grew only 36%, while security incidents rose 40% and time spent fixing them climbed 70%.