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Particle, the AI newsreader startup started by ex-Twitter engineers, has launched Radar, a search engine that transcribes and semantically indexes over 130,000 podcasts to surface quotes and highlights. The product grew out of a popular clip-sourcing feature in Particle's news app and is now offered as a standalone API for AI agents and data buyers, including hedge funds and search platforms like Exa.
Microsoft is rolling out a feature that lets Xbox owners register their physical game discs so they play as digital titles tied to their account. The program will reportedly cover thousands of games, giving players disc-free access without needing to keep swapping media.
Pioneer, known for its CarPlay head units, has entered the iPhone accessories market with a new product line designed for in-car use. The collection includes a MagSafe wireless charger, a phone mount, and USB-C charging options, now available for purchase on Amazon.
The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals voted 2-1 to block an FCC Media Bureau notice that would have let political parties and joint fundraising committees, not just individual candidates, claim the discounted 'lowest unit charge' broadcast ad rate ahead of the election. Four Democratic candidates had sued, arguing federal law reserves that discount for candidates alone, while national Republican committees backed the FCC's broader interpretation.
Julia Collins, who became the first Black woman to co-found a unicorn company after Zume Pizza hit a $1 billion valuation in 2018, later left to launch Planet FWD, a platform helping brands track and cut their carbon footprint. In an interview, she reflected on her entrepreneurial upbringing, her early career as the first hire at food chain Mexicue, and her approach to leadership across the more than $500 million she has raised in venture capital.
Public opposition to AI data centers has grown sharply since ChatGPT's 2022 launch sparked a computing boom, with communities pushing back against projects backed by Oracle, Meta, Google, Amazon and Microsoft, who plan to invest over $700 billion in U.S. data centers this year. The backlash has become significant enough to shape 2026 midterm election dynamics and prompted President Trump to publicly defend the industry.
Deep Cogito, a startup founded by former Google AI search employees, has raised $43 million in funding. The capital will support the company's mission of helping businesses develop their own specialized AI models rather than relying solely on third-party systems.
Google's Pixel Watch 5 introduced exclusive Weave and Chronograph watch faces, plus custom face creation tools. A Reddit user found a workaround letting Pixel Watch 4 owners access these same faces by sideloading a newer version of the Pixel Watch Faces app using the GeminiMan WearOS Manager tool over wireless ADB debugging.
Rockstar Games officially confirmed that recently circulated Grand Theft Auto 6 gameplay clips are genuine, describing their unauthorized release as heartbreaking for its team. The company apologized for the long wait for information and said development is nearly complete, though it plans years of post-launch updates. Rockstar will show an extended official look at the game via Netflix on August 27, followed by a YouTube release.
Xbox chief executive Asha Sharma told the BBC that rising hardware costs, partly fuelled by AI spending, mean the company must prioritise affordability for its next-generation console, codenamed Project Helix. She also announced that owners of roughly 1,000 physical disc titles will soon be able to unlock digital entitlements for those games, with rights transferring to new owners if discs are resold.
Apple TV announced a new heist thriller titled '12 12 12,' premiering November 13 with its first two episodes, followed by weekly releases through December 25. The series stars Anthony Mackie as a disgraced FBI agent and Jamie Dornan as a career criminal, structured around three timelines—12 months of planning, 12 hours of the heist, and the 12 days after—centered on a vault robbery beneath Zurich.
SpaceX is pursuing exemptions from federal environmental rules to speed construction of what would become the largest spaceport in the world. Wildlife advocacy organizations are pushing back, arguing the waivers would bypass protections meant to safeguard sensitive habitats and species near the site.