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Minisforum has begun selling the MS-S1 MAX-P495, a compact workstation powered by AMD's Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 495 chip, one of the first systems available with this processor. The US configuration includes 192GB of LPDDR5X-8533 unified memory, a 2TB SSD, dual 10GbE networking, and USB4 ports, priced at $7,399.
Google's Gboard keyboard includes native features like translation, clipboard history, quick text-case switching, and a personal dictionary that replicate functions previously requiring separate downloaded apps such as Google Translate. A writer at Android Authority describes replacing four apps entirely by using these built-in Gboard tools instead, accessible through the keyboard's toolbar menu.
Polaroid has unveiled the Mod, a new instant camera featuring a lens-ring dial that switches between four creative shooting modes: Double Exposure, Split Shot, Light Painting, and Motion Freeze. The camera also includes a front-facing Brightness dial for exposure control, and it goes on sale globally today for $169.99 via Polaroid's online store, with other US retailers stocking it from October 6th.
Mozilla has shipped a visual overhaul for Firefox across desktop and mobile, introducing bubble-shaped tabs, a rounded address bar, refreshed icons, and new color themes and wallpapers. The update, part of Firefox 157, also brings back Compact Mode, a condensed layout that shrinks tabs and toolbars to give more screen space to web content, with an auto-compact option for smaller screens. Mozilla says the changes carry no performance cost.
Heven AeroTech, a maker of hydrogen-powered drones known for long flight endurance and high onboard power output, says its aircraft could serve as airborne platforms for directed-energy laser weapons. The company frames its technology as a potential answer to the Pentagon's challenge of getting high-energy lasers airborne.
A wave of new brands and established retail chains are targeting 11-year-old girls, rebuilding a category of stores, products and media once dominated by names like Claire's, Limited Too and Delia's. Industry figures cited in the report describe the tween segment as worth roughly $100 billion, with one retailer saying there is significant market share still up for grabs.
CNET reviewer John Carlsen tested the SandBar Roller Starter Kit, a $30 device with two 8-inch lint rollers, an extendable handle and two preinstalled rolls, designed to clean pet hair and litter from between bed sheets in one pass. The dual-roller design lets it clean top and bottom sheets simultaneously without snagging, and SandBar sells six-pack refill rolls for $20, or $16 each with a subscription.
Atomic, a Boston-based startup founded by former Tesla employees, closed a $12.5 million Series A round led by Klass Capital and Madrona Venture Group, bringing total funding to over $15 million. The company builds AI software that simulates inventory scenarios and recommends or automates supply chain decisions, with customers including DoorDash and HelloFresh. Atomic also named longtime Tesla planning director Jeff Goodrich as CTO and third co-founder.
Christina Weaver of Kodiak, Alaska turned herself in to a state wildlife officer after harvesting three Wilson's snipes in September, believing hunting season had opened based on a Google AI Overview stating snipe season began September 1. That date applies to some Alaska regions but not Kodiak, where the actual season runs from October 8 to January 22. The investigating officer confirmed his own search produced the same misleading result.
Telephone World is now hosting Evan Doorbell's Phone Tapes, a collection documenting the workings of the 1970s-era telephone network. The site includes a curated Group 1 Playlist of 95 narrated recordings, along with additional narrated 'production tapes' and newly released unnarrated 'raw tapes'. Doorbell holds copyright but permits free redistribution, provided the material is not sold.
A new tutorial demonstrates how developers can integrate external C or C++ libraries into Godot projects using GDExtension and the newly available godot-cpp 10 bindings on ConanCenter. The example uses flecs, an Entity Component System library, to simulate 100,000 particles reacting to a mouse cursor inside a Godot scene.
A developer released an updated build of ProsperoEden, an alpha emulator ported from Eden (itself derived from Yuzu) that runs Nintendo Switch games natively on jailbroken PlayStation 5 consoles. User reports on GitHub cite 60fps in Cuphead and Hollow Knight, and 40-50fps in titles like Horizon Chase Turbo, Mario vs. Donkey Kong, and Metroid Dread. The update improves OpenGL rendering, game loading, and adds per-game handheld or docked mode plus DualSense controller support.