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OpenAI Launches Improved Version of Latest Reasoning Model. Here's What It's Best For

OpenAI this week announced an improved version of its o3 generative AI reasoning model, saying it performed better on benchmarks and is designed to spend more time thinking on difficult problems. The new model, called o3-pro, is now available for Pro and Team users in ChatGPT and API users, and will come to Enterprise and Edu users next week. In its release notes, OpenAI said the model is similar to o1-pro, which users favored for its math, science and coding skills. It incorporates improvement

Topics: model o3 openai pro users

An Experimental New Dating Site Matches Singles Based on Their Browser Histories

Imagine, for a moment, that your most clandestine internet searches—anxiety-riddled deep dives on WebMD, Google queries wondering if your cat is trying to kill you, or why farts smell the way they do—were the key to finding a soulmate. Would you sign up for a dating site that guaranteed connection in return for your browser history? For more than a decade, developers have tried to perfect the science of compatibility. Tinder promised infinite swipes. Bumble let women make the first move. Feeld

Would you buy a scented mouse? ASUS thinks you’ll love this unique, bizarre accessory

TL;DR ASUS is launching its Fragrance Mouse, which uses aromatic oils to give it a fresh scent. A refillable, washable oil reservoir lets you customize and change fragrances. It’s otherwise a standard wireless mouse, offering Bluetooth and 2.4GHz connectivity, and up to 2400 DPI. Do we ask too much from our technology? We want products that aren’t just fast and feature-rich, but also priced affordably. They should be beautiful with inspiring designs, but also robust enough to withstand the ri

ChatGPT’s weekly user base has exceeded the entire US population

Calvin Wankhede / Android Authority TL;DR ChatGPT has crossed 400 million weekly users, marking a 33% increase in just three months despite rising AI competition. More people are adopting ChatGPT through word of mouth, with personal use driving its continued growth. OpenAI’s enterprise business is also expanding, now with 2 million paying users as companies integrate AI into their workflows. The AI chatbot battle continues to reshape the tech landscape, but OpenAI — the company behind ChatGP

Deals: The Razer Basilisk V3 Pro and Logitech G502 X Plus are $55 off

Logitech Are you looking for a good gaming mouse? The biggest brands in this market are Razer and Logitech. Today, we have deals on a couple of the most popular ones from these brands: The Razer Basilisk V3 Pro and Logitech G502 X Plus. They cost the same and are discounted by nearly identical amounts. Which one are you picking? Let’s help you figure that out. Get the Razer Basilisk V3 Pro Wireless Gaming Mouse for $104.98 ($55.01) Get the Logitech G502 X Plus Lightspeed Wireless Optical Mouse

Windows Notepad and Paint are still free - but the AI will cost you. Here's how much

ZDNET For years, we've been able to freely use all the features in Windows apps like Notepad and Paint. But those days seem to be gone. Yes, the core features are still freely accessible, but the latest AI skills? Not so much. Also: How to remove Copilot from your Microsoft 365 plan A Windows forum post published Thursday described the ways that Microsoft has added AI to Notepad and Paint in Windows 11. In Notepad, you can request a rewrite of the text and even specify whether you want it sho

Asus’ new “Fragrance Mouse” is a wireless mouse that also smells

PC- and accessory-maker Asus has never been one to shy away from a strange idea, whether it's a tablet that you need to slide your smartphone into before you can use it, a laptop touchpad that's also a screen, or going with "Rock Solid, Heart Touching" as a corporate slogan. But an announcement the company made today stands out: Asus is launching something called the Asus Fragrance Mouse, a fairly regular-looking wireless mouse that also smells. Yes, the main differentiating feature of the Frag

Apple is removing iCloud end-to-encryption features from the UK after government compelled it to add backdoors

Apple is removing the option to enable Advanced Data Protection for iCloud users in the United Kingdom. This feature let users fully protect their data stored in iCloud with end-to-end encryption. However, a recent UK government order forces companies like Apple to put backdoors in its encryption systems. Rather than comply and compromise Advanced Data Protection, Apple is left with no choice but to remove the feature altogether. In a statement to 9to5Mac, Apple said that current users of ADP i

Apple disables iCloud's Advanced Data Protection feature in the UK

Apple users in the UK can no longer access one of the company's most powerful data protection tools, as first reported by Bloomberg. The feature, Advanced Data Protection (ADP), allows iPhone users to add optional end-to-end encryption to a variety of iCloud data. The move comes amid an ongoing dispute between Apple and the UK over a government order that would require the company to build a backdoor to allow British security officials to access the encrypted data of users globally. "ADP protec

These Hello Kitty Smartwatches Are Criminally Adorable

On Thursday, Japanese peripheral maker Green House released a line of Hello Kitty smartwatches that are so adorable that I was annoyed by how boring most smartwatches look these days. The budget smartwatches are themed around four iconic Sanrio characters: Kuromi, Cinnamoroll, Pompompurin, and Hello Kitty, who I recently found out is five apples tall and not a cat but a little girl. It’s a fact I still can’t quite over. Notification sounds, and alerts are all made in the voices of each charact

Apple Intelligence and ChatGPT Are Coming to the Vision Pro

Did you think the one missing feature on Vision Pro was the ability to create AI-generated emojis to text to friends? On Friday, Apple declared its planning to launch the first few Apple Intelligence features on its $3,500 Vision Pro. While the features are well-known if you’ve used a Mac in the last six months, they may indicate Apple’s MR headset may also receive the cross-app AI-ified Siri whenever that finally becomes a reality. The visionOS 2.4 beta (which should be available to users befo

Topics: ai apple pro users vision

Best Internet Providers in Massachusetts

What is the best internet service provider in Massachusetts? According to CNET, Xfinity is the best internet provider in Massachusetts, thanks to its solid speeds, competitive pricing and reliability. However, Xfinity isn’t available in every part of the state and you have more options to choose from. For residents in eastern Massachusetts, Verizon Fios is a strong alternative, offering fast speeds at reasonable rates. In rural areas, local fiber networks may provide better service. If afforda

Apple Pulls iCloud Encryption Feature Following UK Government Demands

Apple is withdrawing its Advanced Data Protection tool from the UK, leaving iCloud users without the highest level of encryption the company currently offers. The move comes just weeks after reports emerged that the British government was pressuring Apple to create a backdoor into its encrypted services for law enforcement and spying purposes. ADP is an opt-in security tool, which provides end-to-end encryption for iCloud services to those who want it. The UK's Home Office had refused to confir

Apple pulls encryption feature from UK over government spying demands

Apple has stopped offering its end-to-end encrypted iCloud storage, Advanced Data Protection (ADP), to new users in the UK, and will require existing users to disable the feature at some point in the future. The move comes following reports earlier this month that UK security services requested Apple grant them backdoor access to worldwide users’ encrypted backups. “Apple can no longer offer Advanced Data Protection (ADP) in the United Kingdom to new users and current UK users will eventually n

Topics: adp apple end uk users

The UK’s war on encryption affects all of us

is a policy reporter. Her past work has focused on immigration politics, border surveillance technologies, and the rise of the New Right. Update February 21st: Apple has removed its Advanced Data Protection feature in the UK, calling itself “gravely disappointed” with the move. The encryption wars have reached a fever pitch, and the most contentious battle is not happening in the United States, where much of the action has been in the past — like the government’s efforts to restrict exports of

OpenAI rolls out its AI agent, Operator, in several countries

OpenAI said on Friday that it is rolling out Operator — its AI agent that can perform tasks on behalf of users — for ChatGPT Pro subscribers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the U.K., and more countries. OpenAI said Operator will be available in most places where ChatGPT is available, apart from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein, and Iceland. Operator, which launched in January in the U.S., is one of several “AI agent” tools on the market that can be

Apple pulls iCloud end-to-end encryption feature for UK users after government demanded backdoor

Apple confirmed Friday that it “can no longer” offer a security feature that allows users in the United Kingdom to encrypt their iCloud data. In a statement provided to TechCrunch, Apple spokesperson Fred Sainz said the company’s Advanced Data Protection feature will no longer be available to new users and current U.K. users “will eventually need to disable this security feature.” “We are gravely disappointed that the protections provided by ADP will not be available to our customers in the U.

Topics: apple data end said users

Report: AI coding assistants aren’t a panacea

In Brief As they gain in popularity, AI coding assistants such as GitHub Copilot may appear to be boosting productivity. But in reality, they could be causing overall code quality to decline. That’s the top-line finding from a new report released by software engineering platform GitClear, which analyzed 211 million code lines from 2020 to 2024. According to GitClear’s analysis, there was a remarkable decline in code reuse last year — a potential cause for concern, given that code reuse is a co

‘Tripsy’ trip planner app can now convert currencies and show nearby places

Tripsy, a popular app to help users plan and organize their trips, has just received another major update with some useful new features. The new version of the app makes it easier for users to check their expenses in different currencies and also to see nearby places on a map. What’s new with Trispy For those unfamiliar, Tripsy is a trip planner that “helps you plan your entire trip in one place.” You can share your itinerary with family and friends, receive flight alerts, and make wish lists

New Windows 11 preview build improves privacy for European users

In a nutshell: Microsoft recently announced a new Windows 11 Insider Preview Build for the Dev and Beta Channels, providing beta testers with new features and privacy-abiding changes. Redmond uses Insider builds to test potentially disruptive changes to Windows, so we will have to wait to see if these improvements will become permanently added to upcoming stable Windows releases. The Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3281 (KB5052086) removes the Location History API, a feature previously u

YouTube Music just gave its AI playlist maker a revamp

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR A YouTube Music update has turned the “Ask for music any way you like” card into an “Ask for music” carousel. The carousel refreshes throughout the day. There’s a new “Ask any way you like” text field below the carousel. The home feed for the YouTube Music app now looks a little different for Android users. An update has rolled out that changes how “Ask Music” appears in the app. Spotted by 9to5Google, the old “Ask for music any way you like” card t

Google’s phone app can now filter out spam and unknown calls from your call log

C. Scott Brown / Android Authority TL;DR Google’s Phone app is adding new filters to help users organize their call logs and reduce clutter. The new filters let users sort call history by missed calls, calls from contacts, and spam-marked numbers. Google has been expanding its Call Assist features with tools like Hold for Me, Direct My Call, and reverse phone lookup. Google is making a small but useful change to its phone dialer app, aiming to make call history management less of a headache.

YouTube Premium Lite is coming to the US for the first time, but there’s a catch for music lovers

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR YouTube plans to launch a “Premium Lite” plan. This plan will allow users to watch videos, except for music videos, without ads. Premium Lite will be announced soon for the US, Australia, Germany, and Thailand. Late last year, there were reports of users seeing offers to subscribe to YouTube Premium Lite, a cheaper alternative to Premium that ended in 2023. At the time, a spokesperson for Google told Android Authority that the company was “testing a

Apple CEO Tim Cook had a ‘great meeting’ with President Trump today amid ongoing tariff issue

Apple CEO Tim Cook is back in Washington D.C. today just a few weeks after donating to and attending Donald Trump’s second presidential inauguration. That’s according to FOX Business White House Correspondent Edward Lawrence, who posted on X that Cook was walking to the White House shortly after 10 a.m. ET today. FOX Business Cameras caught Apple CEO Tim Cook on asking into the White House about 10 minutes ago. #Apple #WhiteHouse pic.twitter.com/CONgQhI3bG — Edward Lawrence (@EdwardLawrence) F

ChatGPT reaches 400M weekly active users

ChatGPT has surpassed 400 million weekly active users. "We feel very fortunate to serve 5 percent of the world every week," OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap said on X about the new audience stat. This figure is twice the weekly active user count reported by the company in August 2024 , which was double the figure it posted in November 2023. The latest milestone for the AI assistant comes after a huge uproar over new rival platform DeepSeek earlier in the year, which raised questions about whether the c

You can’t build a moat with AI (redux)

Last spring, we wrote an article called You can’t build a moat with AI. That post argued that prompt engineering, while important, would be difficult to defend over time given how easy it is to experiment with LLMs. As a result, you have to focus on the quality of data your application has access to and your use of that data to differentiate yourself. Everything we said in that post has held true, but the release of models like DeepSeek R1 and o3-mini have brought the concerns about AI applicat

Five Kinds of Nondeterminism

February 19, 2025 Five Kinds of Nondeterminism Or four kinds, or six kinds, I'm not picky about how you count them No newsletter next week, I'm teaching a TLA+ workshop. Speaking of which: I spend a lot of time thinking about formal methods (and TLA+ specifically) because it's where the source of almost all my revenue. But I don't share most of the details because 90% of my readers don't use FM and never will. I think it's more interesting to talk about ideas from FM that would be useful to

Fitbit’s got a battery problem

is a senior reporter focusing on wearables, health tech, and more with 13 years of experience. Before coming to The Verge, she worked for Gizmodo and PC Magazine. Last month, Fitbit Versa 3 and Sense owners started getting notifications to download a mandatory firmware update. The problem? Overheating batteries. In an official consumer notice, Google (which owns Fitbit) notes that the firmware update would “reduce the risk of battery overheating and reduce battery capacity.” Affected users, of

Meta starts accepting sign-ups for Community Notes on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads

Meta announced in a blog post on Thursday that it’s now accepting sign-ups for its Community Notes program on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. The announcement follows Meta news last month that it’s going to end its third-party fact-checking program and is instead moving to a Community Notes model similar to the one at X. In its blog post, Meta explains that Community Notes will be a way for users across its platforms to decide when posts are misleading, and allow them to add more context to t

OpenAI now serves 400M users every week

In Brief OpenAI is increasingly looking like a consumer company, telling CNBC that it now has 400 million weekly active users. Usage is still growing at a rapid pace as the AI developer behind the AI chatbot, ChatGPT, “only” had 300 million users in December 2024. Though OpenAI has not revealed the number of paid customers with an active subscription to ChatGPT Plus or ChatGPT Pro. On the B2B front, ChatGPT’s enterprise plans are growing nicely: OpenAI now has 2 million paying enterprise users