Creepy or Fun? Vodafone's New Spokesperson Is AI, Not a Real Person
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is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. For months, Google has maintained that the web is “thriving,” AI isn’t tanking traffic, and its search engine is sending people to a wider variety of websites than ever. But in a court filing from last week, Google admitted that “the open web is already in rapid
Your Monday morning edition of 9to5Toys Lunch Break deals is now ready to go. Now just over 24 hours out from tomorrow’s Apple reveal event, we are tracking even lower prices on select iPhone 15/16 Pro models with as much $730 in savings for folks not upgrading. Those deals also join the most affordable 1TB M4 Mac mini configuration at $100 off as well as some notable deals on the latest heart-rate monitoring Powerbeats Pro 2 at $50 off, and prices have dropped even further on some of the new 25
is down to $19.99 at Amazon . It’s just small $5 discount, but this is something that’s worth jumping on if you’re planning international travel any time soon. Its slim design aside, I like that it has four ports (two USB-C, two USB-A), and support for Type A, I, G, and C plugs, which allows it to work in over 200 countries and regions, according to Anker. In terms of USB power, it’s on the slow side — best for when you want to charge gadgets overnight. For instance, one of the USB-C ports can d
In Brief Just nine months after raising a whopping $10 billion (plus $5 billion in debt) in January, Databricks has confirmed another $1 billion raise at a $100 billion valuation. When rumors of the raise first broke last month, Databricks CEO Ali Ghodsi told TechCrunch that the company is using the funds to invest in its Supabase-competitor database for AI agents. “A year ago, we saw in the data that 30% of the databases were not created by humans,” said Ghodsi. “For the first time, they wer
On Monday, Anthropic announced an official endorsement of SB 53, a California bill from state Senator Scott Wiener that would impose first-in-the-nation transparency requirements on the world’s largest AI model developers. Anthropic’s endorsement marks a rare and major win for SB 53, at a time when major tech groups like CTA and Chamber for Progress are lobbying against the bill. “While we believe that frontier AI safety is best addressed at the federal level instead of a patchwork of state reg
Xpeng CEO He Xiaopeng speaks to reporters at the electric carmaker's stand at the IAA auto show in Munich, Germany on September 8, 2025. Xpeng plans to launch its mass-market Mona brand in overseas markets next year in a move that will boost competition with its Chinese rivals and established automakers in the electric vehicle arena. In a wide-ranging interview with CNBC on Tuesday, Xpeng CEO He Xiaopeng said the company's international expansion is moving faster than he expected and signaled,
Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET's key takeaways You can access four new Copilot skills directly from File Explorer. You can summarize, ask questions, and compare up to five files. The process supports Microsoft 365 files, PDFs, and web files. Microsoft 365 users have long been able to turn to Copilot on the web to analyze and answer questions about their documents and other files. But now they can get help from Microsoft's AI di
The best part of going to a film festival is finding something new. Sure, it’s great to find out that movies you’re excited about are in fact good — I’ve had luck so far with Exit 8, No Other Choice, and Wake Up Dead Man — but it’s so much more exciting to be surprised by something when you had no expectations going in. That’s what happened to me when I walked into a theater to watch Arco, an absolutely gorgeous animated film from director Ugo Bienvenu, on day 4 of the Toronto International Fil
In Brief Advertising exchange PubMatic has filed a lawsuit against Google, accusing the tech giant of illegally monopolizing the ad technology market. PubMatic is seeking billions of dollars in damages, according a report from Bloomberg. The lawsuit marks the second time that an advertising exchange has sued Google since a federal judge ruled in April that the search giant had illegally monopolized ad exchanges and ad servers. The judge has set another trial for this month to determine whether
SpaceX and the company behind Boost Mobile have struck a deal that will bolster Starlink’s direct-to-cell satellite mobile service. EchoStar has agreed to license AWS-4 and H-block spectrum to SpaceX. The agreement is worth up to $17 billion with half in cash and half in SpaceX stock. For iPhone users, the deal will also expand Starlink’s satellite mobile service beyond T-Mobile, which is currently the exclusive U.S. mobile service provider with Starlink service. In connection with the transa
America's moms love their jobs. Why are so many leaving them? Featured Videos For You Which topics matter most to you? Add your favorites and you’ll see more of these stories in the For You section.
Elon Musk still makes some of America’s best electric cars. Earlier this summer, I rented a brand-new, updated Tesla Model Y, the first refresh to the electric SUV since it debuted, in 2020. Compared with even just two years ago, when the Model Y became the world’s best-selling car, many companies make great EVs now. Some of them have the Model Y beat in certain areas, but for the price, the Tesla is still the total package. Now, imagine how good Teslas could be if Musk apparently wasn’t so bor
Ever since Spotify launched an AI DJ, Amazon Music has been developing its own AI-powered features, including AI-generated playlists and AI-assisted search, to compete more effectively with the music giant. Now, Amazon Music is launching a new feature called “Weekly Vibe,” designed to further personalize the listening experience. The feature is rolling out today to U.S. customers across all subscription tiers within the app on both iOS and Android. Recognizing a common challenge faced by avid
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has agreed to acquire 50MHz of wireless spectrum and Mobile Satellite Service spectrum licenses from EchoStar, for use in the Starlink satellite network. EchoStar will sell its AWS-4 and H-block spectrum licenses in exchange for $8.5 billion in cash and $8.5 billion SpaceX stock. SpaceX said the deal would let it develop and deploy its “Direct to Cell” constellation, which it claims can provide broadband-speed internet access to mobile phones across the world. Of the cash, $2
The world is full of extraordinary young people brimming with ideas for how to crack tough problems. Every year, we recognize 35 such individuals from around the world—all of whom are under the age of 35. These scientists, inventors, and entrepreneurs are working to help mitigate climate change, accelerate scientific progress, and alleviate human suffering from disease. Some are launching companies while others are hard at work in academic labs. They were selected from hundreds of nominees by e
Uber and its new partner Momenta will start testing an autonomous ride-sharing service in Europe in 2026, Momenta announced. The service will kick off in Munich, Germany using Momenta's self-driving tech and Uber's ride-sharing platform, with the goal of future European expansion. The companies chose Munich to kick off the operation due to the city's "deep-rooted engineering heritage, top-tier automotive ecosystem and openness to innovation," Momenta said. Momenta and Uber announced a "strategi
Apple has taken the second approach with caveats. Rumors suggest the iPhone 17 Air's battery capacity will sit around 2,900 mAh, a steep drop from prior iPhone models, especially at the 6.6-inch screen size. But the company is supposedly making up for it with power-saving tricks to make sure battery life remains similar to other iPhones, including Apple's more efficient C1 modem that debuted on the iPhone 16e earlier this year. Luebbe declined to comment on whether Group14’s silicon-carbon comp
AssembleDebug / Android Authority TL;DR Google’s upcoming Nest Cam and Doorbell are already appearing in retail stores. A user spotted them at Home Depot along with their prices. Google is expected to showcase new smart home devices on October 1 alongside Gemini for Google Home. Google is set to officially showcase advancements in Gemini for smart speakers and display on October 1. In addition to the new smart speaker that Google teased at the Pixel 10 launch event, we also expected to see n
People like to tell the story of how VHS beat Betamax because adult film studios backed VHS. It’s a clutch-your-pearls story that says nothing about why these multi-million-dollar businesses picked one format over the other. The real story is that while Betamax tapes had better resolution and fidelity, VHS was cheaper, offered longer recordings, and, most importantly, was the more open format. Not many people talk about how or why RSS won the content syndication war because few people are aware
In 2019, Record Store Day partnered with manufacturer Crosley to revive a 3-inch collectible vinyl format first launched in Japan in 2004. Five years later, a new 4-inch-sized format called Tiny Vinyl wants to take the miniature vinyl collectible crown, and launch partner Target is throwing its considerable weight behind it as an exclusive launch partner, with 44 titles expected in the coming weeks. It’s 2025, and the global vinyl record market has reached $2 billion in annual sales and is stil
Roam the wide-open halls and cavernous showrooms of the Colorado Convention Center during Psychedelic Science, the world’s largest psychedelics conference, and you’ll see exhibitors hawking everything from mushroom jewelry, to chewable gummies containing extracts of the psychoactive succulent plant kanna, to broad flat-brim baseball caps emblazoned with “MDMA” and “IBOGA.” Booths publicize organizations such as the Ketamine Taskforce and the Psychedelic Parenthood Community, and even The Faerie
Ride-hailing giant Uber and Chinese autonomous vehicle startup Momenta plan to start testing robotaxis in Munich, Germany starting in 2026 – the first continental European city either company has announced publicly – with plans to expand to other markets. The partnership was first unveiled in May 2025, when Uber said Momenta-powered vehicles would launch on its platform in Europe in 2026, initially with human safety operators onboard to monitor the vehicles and take control if needed. Momenta,
Verified Nominee: Taco Bell Corporation for deploying voice AI ordering systems at 500+ drive-throughs and discovering that artificial intelligence meets its match at “extra sauce, no cilantro, and make it weird.” Reported by: Isabelle Bousquette, Technology Reporter for The Wall Street Journal - August 28, 2025. The Innovation Taco Bell boldly deployed voice AI-powered ordering systems across more than 500 drive-through locations, convinced that artificial intelligence could finally solve hu
How the Slavic migration reshaped Central and Eastern Europe Genetic analyses of medieval human remains reveal large-scale migrations, regional diversity, and new insights into early medieval communities Excavation in 2020 at the pre-Slavic cemetery of Brücken, Mansfeld-Südharz District (Saxony-Anhalt). © Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie Sachsen-Anhalt Excavation in 2020 at the pre-Slavic cemetery of Brücken, Mansfeld-Südharz District (Saxony-Anhalt). © Landesamt für Denkmalpflege u
Have you ever tried programming with a language that uses musical notation? What about a language that never runs programs the same way? What about a language where you write code with photographs? All exist, among many others, in the world of esoteric programming languages, and Daniel Temkin has written a forthcoming book covering 44 of them, some of which exist and are usable to some interpretation of the word “usable.” The book, Forty-Four Esolangs: The Art of Esoteric Code, is out on 23 Sep
MacBook Lid Angle Sensor C++ Library A C++ library for reading MacBook lid angle sensor data, based on reverse engineering of HID device specifications. Features 🔍 Direct access to MacBook's built-in lid angle sensor 📏 Real-time precise angle measurements (0-360 degree range) ⚡ High-performance C++ implementation with modern C++14 standard support 🛡️ Comprehensive exception handling mechanism 🔧 Clean and easy-to-use API interface 📦 CMake build system support Device Compatibility Suppor
European champions Spain face a tough match in Turkey on Sunday as they look to make it back-to-back wins in World Cup qualifying Group E. Below, we'll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch the game as it happens, wherever you are in the world, and how to use a VPN if the match isn't available where you are. The Spaniards kicked off their campaign with a comfortable 3-0 dispatch of Bulgaria in Sofia on Thursday, thanks to first-half goals from Mikel Oyarzabal, Marc Cucure
is transportation editor with 10+ years of experience who covers EVs, public transportation, and aviation. His work has appeared in The New York Daily News and City & State. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Uber and one of its many robotaxi partners, Momenta, will test fully driverless cars in Germany next year. The news comes as Europe continues to lag behind the US and China in the number of commercially operational robotaxi services. T
Microsoft said its Azure cloud platform has returned to normal service after an incident of cut underwater cables that played out over Saturday. The tech giant reported "undersea fiber cuts" in the Red Sea on Saturday morning, which disrupted Azure service throughout the Middle East and led to potential "increased latency" for users. Microsoft said that the latency issue was resolved by Saturday evening and was able to reroute the Azure traffic through other paths. Microsoft didn't provide a re