Google says that of its list of over 10,000 most-used Android apps, 96.6% run without issue on Intel-powered Googlebooks, meaning roughly 300 apps have problems. Google attributes most failures to apps lacking full large-screen support rather than chip incompatibility. The company also detailed that Intel Googlebooks use a binary translation layer converting 64-bit Arm code to native 64-bit x86_64 instructions, rather than legacy 32-bit emulation.
Amazon's second Prime Big Deal Days event is in its last stretch, running until 3AM ET on October 8th. The Verge reports roughly 100 active deals on gadgets from Apple, Sony, Google and others, many of which are price-matched at Best Buy, Walmart and Target rather than exclusive to Amazon Prime members.
Google Play Store listings now display one of five badges indicating how well an Android app functions on Googlebook laptops. The tiers range from 'Made for desktop' and 'Optimized for desktop' for strong laptop experiences, down to 'Compatible with desktop' and warnings like 'Better on the website' or 'Built for mobile' for apps less suited to larger screens. The labeling system was spotted by a Reddit user and detailed by Android expert Mishaal Rahman.
Samsung Wallet can now lock, unlock, and start select GM vehicles for users in the US and Canada, starting with 2025-2027 Cadillac Lyriq, 2026-2027 Optiq, and 2027 Vistiq models. GM says the feature will expand to more Cadillac models by the end of 2026, with GMC and Chevy trucks gaining digital key support in December. The feature requires Samsung Galaxy devices with both ultra-wideband and Bluetooth Low Energy support.
San Francisco startup Rainmaker used planes and drones to disperse silver iodide into clouds above Homer, Alaska on 23 August, a cloud-seeding technique meant to accelerate rain formation. The company says the operation produced 19 million US gallons of water in three hours, but local resident Cooper Freeman says the community was not informed in advance and no environmental monitoring followed.
Honda's research arm, along with builders Taisei and Taisei Rotec, will install dynamic wireless charging equipment under Japan's Tateyama Expressway starting in fiscal 2027 as part of the Tateyama Project. The system uses magnetic coupling between coils buried in the road and receivers on vehicles to charge batteries while driving, targeting logistics and trucking fleets first. A durability test roadway beginning construction in late 2026 will simulate heavy truck loads and examine charging performance, with later tests checking power delivery up to 150 kW.
Google has entered a power purchase arrangement with Constellation Energy covering 3.6 gigawatts of electricity, according to Reuters. Constellation CEO Joe Dominguez described the deal as a model for cooperation between tech firms and energy companies to fund grid infrastructure through private investment.
Spotify announced it is expanding audiobook access to more than 180 markets across Europe, the Americas, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, starting the rollout immediately and continuing over coming months. The expansion gives over 750 million users access to more than 350,000 titles in over 120 languages, up from a previous footprint limited mostly to English-speaking countries and Germany.
Google unveiled EmbeddingGemma 2, a multimodal on-device AI model that can process text, images, video frames and audio locally. Alongside it, the company released AI Edge Foresight, a macOS app that expands shorthand bullet points into polished meeting notes and answers questions live during meetings, all without sending data off the device.
Amazon is selling the REDTIGER ZP1 Telephoto and Wide Dash Cam for $165.98, down from its $239.99 list price, a discount of $74 that matches its lowest recorded price. The deal requires an active Amazon Prime membership, which shoppers can obtain through a free 30-day trial.
Amazon is selling the Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus for $774.49, a $425 markdown from its $1,199.99 list price, as part of a Prime Day promotion. The phone features a 6.7-inch QHD+ 120Hz display, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, 12GB RAM, up to 512GB storage, a 50MP main camera system, and a 4,900mAh battery with 45W charging. The discount requires an active Amazon Prime membership, though new users can access a free 30-day trial.
Michael Smith, 54, was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to running a scheme that used AI-generated songs and thousands of bot accounts to fraudulently generate billions of streams on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and YouTube Music between 2017 and 2024. Court documents say Smith worked with an AI music company's CEO and a music promoter, routing bot traffic through VPNs to dodge anti-fraud detection, and collected more than $10 million in royalties.
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