Latest Tech News

Stay updated with the latest in technology, AI, cybersecurity, and more

Google tests Audio Overviews for Search queries

Google Search is experimenting with Audio Overviews for certain Search queries, the company announced on Friday. The feature was first introduced to NotebookLM, Google’s AI-based note-taking and research assistant. The tech giant says Audio Overviews will use its latest Gemini models to give users another way to absorb and understand information. “An audio overview can help you get a lay of the land, offering a convenient, hands-free way to absorb information whether you’re multitasking or sim

TechCrunch Mobility: The cost of Waymo

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. Sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced late this week that it plans to streamline the Part 555 exemption process to make it faster for automakers that want to deploy self-driving vehicles built without human controls like a steering wheel or pedals. The letter sent to “stakeholders” (meaning those com

Computing’s Top 30: Deven Panchal

Leading a global open source project with hundreds of contributors across borders, cultures, platforms, and organizations is a prospect fraught with challenges. Deven Panchal is well aware of those challenges, having led two such projects for AT&T Labs: Acumos, the world’s first open source AI marketplace ONAP, which allowed developers to embed AI into the design and deployment of network, telecom, and security services To manage—if not avoid—the myriad complications entailed by such endeavo

Computing’s Top 30: Sukanya Meher

Sukanya S. Meher loves a good intersection. Especially the one between theory and application, which she first seriously explored in the realm of superconductor electronics. Today, Meher works in electronic design automation (EDA), bringing with her a unique perspective on circuit design, modeling, simulation, and tool development. This EDA work is also giving her the chance to explore a new intersection: that between technology design and customer success. As an AMS staff engineer at Synopsys

Microsoft's own Xbox handheld is "essentially cancelled"

TL;DR: Microsoft and Asus recently announced two new Xbox-branded handheld devices: the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X. While these represent a new step for Xbox gaming on portable devices, a new report suggests that Microsoft has internally shelved its own Xbox handheld project – one that was never officially announced but had been the subject of considerable speculation. According to The Verge, Microsoft has "essentially canceled" its native Xbox handheld to focus on the Xbox software plat

Epic Games sues Fortnite cheat developer for selling wallhack and auto-aim tools

Editor's take: Multiplayer gaming is about fair fights, not shortcuts. But cheaters keep buying their wins, ruining it for everyone else. Epic Games is cracking down hard because cheating isn't just unfair – it's a threat to the whole game. Sorry, losers. Cheating doesn't pay. Epic Games recently announced a new lawsuit targeting developers of Fortnite cheating tools. The company is going after an individual who created software that lets players see through walls and use auto-aim. Epic shared

Here's how to turn off public posting on the Meta AI app

This photo illustration created Jan. 7, 2025, shows an image of Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, and an image of the Meta logo. AI generated images of women kissing while mud wrestling and President Donald Trump eating poop are some of the conversations users are unknowingly sharing publicly through Meta's newly launched AI app. The company rolled out the Meta AI app in April, putting it in direct competition with OpenAI's ChatGPT. But the tool has recently garnered some negative publicity and sp

Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors will step down as CEO; deputy Phil Rogers will take his place

Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors is stepping down as CEO while his deputy CEO Phil Rogers will take over the top job in August. Wingefors spun his Swedish game holding company out of Nordic Games Group in 2016, and he renamed it Embracer Group in 2019. Wingefors was a controversial leader in the game industry, as he built up Embracer Group to more than 100 game studios, only to fall victim in the post-pandemic slowdown. As growth slowed, Wingefors had to lay off a lot of people, sell off studios or

Wizards of the Coast and Giant Skull: ‘Gamers are telling us what they have always told us’ | The DeanBeat

Ten days, ago, Hasbro’s Wizards of the Coast announced an exclusive publishing agreement with Giant Skull, the game studio started by Star Wars Jedi: Survivor game leader Stig Asmussen. They announced that Asmussen’s studio is working on a new single-player action adventure title set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons. I had a chance to talk with the company leaders about the deal. At the Summer Game Fest Play Days, I sat down with John Hight, President of Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gami

Magic Cue on the Pixel 10 sounds like Pixel Screenshots on steroids

Joe Maring / Android Authority TL;DR Google has reportedly been working on a new AI-powered assistance tool for Pixel devices since 2023. The system would monitor your screen and actions in apps, and offer “personal predictive suggestions.” First known as Pixie, and then Pixel Sense, a new leak suggests Google has renamed the tool to Magic Cue. Who doesn’t love a good mystery? In the smartphone world, upcoming high-profile devices sometimes leak so much that it feels like there’s nothing lef

Samsung snuck in a surprise for its latest SmartThings app update

Robert Triggs / Android Authority TL;DR Samsung has rolled out a sizeable update to the SmartThings mobile app. The changelog mentions a new Home Life survey, improved routine configurations, sharing Galaxy Tag location, and easier navigation of SmartThings Map View. Not listed in the changelog is support for SmartThings in Now Bar and Live Notifications. If you haven’t seen it yet, be on the lookout for a new update for the SmartThings mobile app. The smart home app has recently received a

Apple TV+ has two premieres this weekend, here’s what to watch

Following the successful debut of Stick, and ahead of the much-anticipated return of The Buccaneers for its second season, Apple TV+ has two releases this weekend that promise to grip both kids and adults alike. Here’s what to watch: Echo Valley From Apple Original Films, Echo Valley stars Julianne Moore (The Big Lebowski) as Kate, a mother whose stable life running a horse therapy ranch is shattered when her drug-addicted daughter Claire, played by Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria), shows up covered

Topics: apple award emmy tv watch

Apple releases new iOS 26 beta 1 build to developers

Apple unveiled iOS 26 earlier this week alongside the first developer beta, but now it has released a revised build to beta testers for select iPhone models. In an unusual move for a major new OS version, Apple has shipped two beta versions in the very first week of release. Except the newly released software is not technically developer beta 2, but rather a revised version of iOS 26 beta 1. The previous build of iOS 26 beta 1 was 23A5260n. This newly released build is 23A5260u—just barely d

Topics: 26 beta build ios iphone

How to buy the Nintendo Switch 2: Stock updates for Walmart, Target, Best Buy and more

Engadget has been testing and reviewing consumer tech since 2004. Our stories may include affiliate links; if you buy something through a link, we may earn a commission. Read more about how we evaluate products . You can finally buy the Nintendo Switch 2 in the US. The $450 console officially went up for sale on June 5, and several retailers have offered it both online and in-store in the week since. While millions of people have been able to snag the device, online inventory dried up fairly qu

How to turn off Google’s AI Overviews in web searches

Save some time (and energy and water) and Google without the “help” of AI. Google’s AI Overviews do not save me time. For one, I work for a tech blog and am therefore professionally curious as to whether or not the generated answers are correct, so I spend a few ticks figuring that out. (Answer: Sometimes, but not always!) Then things get existential as I contemplate how long a self-cannibalizing system can sustain itself — if the AI gives answers pulled from websites that survive on visits fr

Google links massive cloud outage to API management issue

Google says an API management issue is behind Thursday's massive Google Cloud outage, which disrupted or brought down its services and many other online platforms. Google says the cloud outage started around 10:49 ET and ended at 3:49 ET, after causing issues for millions of users worldwide for over three hours. Besides Google Cloud, the incident also impacted Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Chat, Google Cloud Search, Google Docs, Google Drive, Google Meet, Google Tasks, Google Voice, Google Le

The best rechargeable batteries of 2025

It's time to rethink disposable batteries. We toss out billions of them each year, filling landfills, creating hazardous waste, and spending our hard-earned money. Rechargeable batteries have come a long way and can now outperform disposables. They're a smart upgrade for anyone tired of constantly replacing dead AAs. I tested and ranked the best rechargeable batteries of 2025 to help you get top-tier performance, longevity, and value from your batteries. Keep reading for my top picks below. Al

This stylish Beats speaker is one of my summer must-haves, and it's on sale right now

ZDNET's key takeaways Beats' latest Pill speaker is available for $150 in five colorways: Statement Red, Matte Black, Champagne Gold, Navy Blue, and Blush Pink. An impressive battery life and a subtle, clean design set the Beats Pill apart from its competitors. However, Beats' overemphasized, bass-forward sound can mask the other aspects of a song. $99.99 at B&H Photo-Video The Beats Pill (2024) is currently on sale for $100, $50 off its original price. Beats recently released two new Pill co

How to install iOS 26 beta on your iPhone (and which models support it)

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean? ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or

Subtype Inference by Example

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in tools and programming languages that can automatically detect common types of bugs, in order to improve product quality and programmer productivity. Most commonly, this is done via static type systems, but traditional static type systems require large amounts of manual annotation by programmers, making them difficult to work with. Therefore, modern programming languages make increasing use of type inference, which provides the same benefits

Luxe Game Engine

luxe A lovingly crafted cross platform game engine About luxe is a cross platform, rapid development game engine to make games for Mac, Linux, Windows, and Web, with console support in development. luxe is an easy to learn game engine for making 2D or 3D games. As an engine it prioritizes design and workflow for rapidly expressing ideas. Designed as a 2D first engine, luxe aims to provide a strong 2D toolset ready to make games. This applies whether it's a one hour or one+ year project.

Best Buy’s Giving You $1,000 Off Refurbished Microsoft Surface Touchscreen Laptop, Nearly Free Right Now

Looking to replace you laptop but don’t feel like shelling out thousands for the latest MacBook? Well you don’t need to sweat. You can grab yourself something perfectly capable of meeting your everyday needs. New is overrated. Like-new is good enough for just about anything and is a great way to save yourself hundreds and hundreds of dollars. What happens to new products anyway? Well I’ll tell you. They become old. It happens to us all. Stop trying to fight the entropy of the universe and just a

The Real-World Places Behind ‘Andor’ Season 2’s Architectural Marvels

Andor, the live-action Star Wars prequel series created by Tony Gilroy and starring Diego Luna, concluded its second and final season last month. Spanning the years prior to the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the series has garnered massive praise from Star Wars fans and critics alike for its deft storytelling, stirring lead performances, and majestic setpieces. This is especially true in the show’s second season, which sees the former thief-turned-rebel-fighter on the run for his life

NASA Satellite Captures Massive Wastewater Flow off California Coast

In 2022, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory launched a satellite sensor to map minerals in the Earth’s dusty, arid regions. But that’s not all it’s useful for—in a new study, scientists used the spectroscopic tool to study massive amounts of sewage flowing into the sea off the Southern California coast. Every year, millions of gallons of untreated and treated wastewater are unceremoniously dumped into the Tijuana River, ferrying pollution through communities on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico borde

Anker Recalls PowerCore 10000 Power Banks for Burning or Exploding. Learn How to Get a Free Replacement

On Thursday, June 12, electronics maker Anker announced an official recall of Anker PowerCore 10000 power banks with the model number A1263. The company received 19 reports of the portable chargers catching fire and exploding. The Consumer Products Safety Commission reports that more than 1.1 million of the products sold in the US are affected by the recall. The company plans to replace the charging devices, but customers must submit photo evidence of ownership and also prove that they've dispo

Inside the firm turning eerie blank streaming ads into useful nonprofit messages

StreamTV Insider provided flights from New York City to Denver and two nights of accommodation so Ars could attend its StreamTV Show. Ars does not accept paid editorial content. DENVER—Ads shown while you're streaming shows or movies are disruptive enough. But there's something uniquely eerie about what you see when a connected TV (CTV) platform fails to sell ad inventory. You may get a black screen accompanied by ethereal music or a confusing thumping beat, alongside a graphic that says someth

Topics: ad adgood ctv johns space

There’s another leak on the ISS, but NASA is not saying much about it

There's another leak on the International Space Station, and NASA has already delayed one crew launch to the orbiting laboratory as a result. Beyond that, the space agency is not offering much information about the unfolding situation in orbit. However, multiple sources have confirmed to Ars that the leak is a serious concern for the space agency as it deals with hardware that is approaching three decades in orbit. To understand the current situation, it is important to review past leaks on th

Anbernic’s sliding screen handheld might be too chunky and heavy for your pockets

is a senior reporter who’s been covering and reviewing the latest gadgets and tech since 2006, but has loved all things electronic since he was a kid. Anbernic hasn’t officially released or even put its new RG Slide handheld up for preorder yet, but a handful of reviewers have recently shared their first impressions of the new console. Anbernic may be leaning a bit too far into novelty and nostalgia with the RG Slide’s design, while not actually capitalizing on what made devices like the light

Google’s test turns search results into an AI-generated podcast

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. Google is rolling out a test that puts its AI-powered Audio Overviews on the first page of search results on mobile. The experiment, which you can enable in Labs, will let you generate an AI podcast-style discussion for certain queries. If you search for something like, “How do noise cancellation headphones work?”, Google will display a button bene

Zevo’s EV-only car-share fleet is helping Tesla owners make money

Hebron Sher remembers daydreaming in 2019 when Elon Musk promised Tesla’s cars would become robotaxis, capable of going out in the world to make money for owners. Sher was already a user of the car-sharing platform Turo, and the idea of turning a Tesla into an even bigger moneymaker was an attractive proposition. But as years went by, Musk failed to follow through on that promise. So, in 2021, Sher assembled a small team and brought on co-founder Saimah Chaudhry to start his own company. “Hey,