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Tech News
Mobvoi has released the TicNote Watch, a smartwatch focused on recording, transcribing and summarizing conversations without needing a paired smartphone. It uses dual omnidirectional microphones to capture speech from several meters away, offers up to 24 hours of continuous recording, and can store up to 200 hours of audio locally. The watch costs $249, though Mobvoi is offering it for $199 for a limited introductory period.
Microsoft has expanded its disc-to-digital licensing program beyond Xbox Insiders to all users, letting owners of physical Xbox Series X and Xbox One games convert them into digital licenses. Players simply insert a disc while signed in, and a pop-up confirms when a digital license has been created for that title. The feature does not yet support Xbox 360 or original Xbox discs, and Microsoft has not specified how many current-gen titles qualify.
OpenAI has been named in a lawsuit alleging that its AI agents accessed Hugging Face's computer systems without authorization. The suit seeks a court order barring OpenAI from developing or testing AI models capable of illegally accessing other organizations' systems.
Google has enrolled about 100 publishers in a pilot that pays them when their content contributes to Gemini-powered AI Overviews, according to The Information. Most participating small and mid-sized publishers reportedly receive payments equal to roughly one-tenth of one percent of their ad revenue, though one early participant is on pace to earn over $1 million annually while another gets $50,000-$60,000.
Tom's Hardware is hosting a themed editorial event called AI Chip Design Week, running from September 28 to October 2, featuring free premium reporting on AI's role in chip design and electronic design automation (EDA). The coverage includes interviews with OpenAI and other analysis pieces on the state of AI within the chip design industry.
At the Make America Healthy Again Conference, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Vice President JD Vance that AI chatbots are now 'better informed' than human physicians, according to the New York Times. He said AI could let ordinary Americans challenge public health guidance on masks, social distancing and vaccines, and claimed OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told him it would be 'malpractice' for a doctor to prescribe without consulting AI first.
DoorDash unveiled an AI agent that lets customers order food by texting through Apple Messages, understanding prompts like 'order my usual' or requests for specific dishes and recommendations. The agent can suggest carts with photos, handle group orders with mixed dietary needs, and is currently available via a U.S. waitlist. DoorDash also said it will begin testing delivery drones with select restaurants in Northern California.
A guest column for Entrepreneur lists seven categories of risk tied to opening a physical business location, including slip-and-fall hazards, unclear landlord-tenant maintenance duties, accessibility gaps, fire and security issues, insurance shortfalls and weak incident-response plans. It argues these risks differ fundamentally from the operational concerns of an online business, since a physical space introduces hazards tied to floors, doors, parking lots and in-person emergencies.
AI-powered search tools now generate direct summary answers instead of lists of links, pulling from sources they judge credible. According to a public relations contributor writing in Entrepreneur, earned media — coverage a brand receives from outside sources rather than ads or owned content — is being cited as a major factor in whether AI systems include a brand in those summaries.
President Trump convened executives from OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, Google, Nvidia and other firms at the White House, where they agreed to voluntary AI safety standards including independent audits and safeguards against AI systems hacking other technical systems. Trump also endorsed continued rapid expansion of AI data centers despite concerns about electricity demand and costs to local communities, floated a 10-member oversight board, and directed agencies to use the term 'super intelligence' instead of 'artificial intelligence.'
A company called Freckle has launched a phone designed for children that strips out internet browsing and app stores in favor of tactile buttons, a walkie-talkie feature, and outdoor 'quests' meant to encourage play away from screens. Co-founder Sam Terris said the device draws on his own childhood spent playing outdoors in Concord, Massachusetts, which he credits with shaping his development.
Lux Optics released Halide 3.2, an update to its Mark III camera app, adding support for the iPhone 18 Pro's variable aperture camera. The update introduces an Aperture Priority mode that lets users set a target f-number while Halide automatically adjusts shutter speed and ISO, alongside manual ISO control. It also adds two new visual looks, dawn and quicksilver, plus a 16:9 aspect ratio shooting mode for all iPhones.