Apple is launching a new live music venue called Apple Music Hall beneath its European headquarters in Battersea Power Station, London, opening September 28th. The 600-capacity space includes a reconfigurable 38-foot stage, a 48-speaker spatial sound system, wiring for 16-plus broadcast cameras, and two recording studios behind the stage for full production capability. The opening show's lineup has not yet been revealed.
theverge.com
· 2026-09-22
Electronics remain connected to home wiring even when powered off, leaving components like motherboards, RAM and SSDs exposed to voltage spikes that occur when electricity returns after an outage. These surges, which can exceed the standard 120-volt household level in the US, often cause more harm than the outage itself.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-22
Kairos Power has partnered with Samsung C&T, which will provide equity funding and in-kind engineering services worth up to $100 million, including a $70 million equity stake, to help build a 50-megawatt demonstration nuclear reactor for Google. The reactor, called Hermes 2, is part of a larger 2024 agreement in which Kairos aims to supply Google with about half a gigawatt of nuclear power by 2035, with Hermes 2 targeted to start operating in 2030.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-21
BLAVOR has released a 20000mAh Solar Power Bank aimed at fall camping and tailgating season. The device integrates four cables directly into its housing (two USB-C, one Lightning, one USB-A) alongside three extra ports, letting users charge up to six devices without packing separate cables, plus a solar panel and a top-mounted Qi wireless pad for iPhone and Apple Watch.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-09-21
In a Decoder podcast interview, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman discussed Apple's recent iPhone hardware event, which marked John Ternus's debut as CEO following Tim Cook's departure less than two weeks earlier. The event also introduced the iPhone Duo, Apple's first foldable smartphone, a launch Gurman says was deliberately timed to coincide with the leadership transition.
theverge.com
· 2026-09-21
Solar panel prices have plunged from roughly $5-6 per watt 26 years ago to about 12 cents per watt today, according to Ember co-founder Dave Jones cited in a Financial Times report. The report attributes this steep decline almost entirely to a massive expansion in Chinese solar manufacturing, which has made panels affordable for both wealthy and developing nations.
futurism.com
· 2026-09-20
The US Environmental Protection Agency announced on September 14 that it is rescinding the 2024 Carbon Pollution Standards, which had required coal plants and new gas plants to capture 90 percent of their carbon emissions or close by 2039. The agency says the rollback will save industry $370 million in compliance costs, but has not disclosed the resulting public health toll.
text.hrw.org
· 2026-09-20
Wireless chargers using the Qi2 standard convert energy less efficiently than wired cables, losing up to 30 percent of power as heat during the charging process. That extra heat can degrade smartphone battery capacity by up to 12 percent over two years, and as much as 25 percent in hot climates or environments.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-20
A consumer tech guide outlines strategies for navigating Amazon's flooded marketplace, where searches for common items like power banks return tens of thousands of results from both trusted brands and unknown sellers. The guide flags fake reviews, counterfeit goods, and duplicate listings using identical photos as common pitfalls, especially with third-party sellers. It recommends buying directly from Amazon when possible, since Amazon manages its own inventory more closely than that of outside sellers.
wired.com
· 2026-09-20
Data center technicians spend their shifts walking miles of server rows, sniffing for burning smells, and checking equipment for damage—including from birds—as they keep facilities powering the AI build-out running smoothly. The work combines physical inspection routines with constant vigilance for small warning signs that could signal bigger equipment failures.
wsj.com
· 2026-09-19
Monitors with built-in USB hubs use two types of ports: an upstream port that links the monitor to a computer, and downstream ports where peripherals like keyboards or drives connect. If a monitor's video signal runs over HDMI or DisplayPort, those cables don't carry USB data, so a separate USB upstream cable is required for the hub's downstream ports to function. USB-C can eliminate that extra cable when the monitor and cable support DisplayPort Alt Mode and USB Power Delivery.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-19
Jeff Lawson, who co-founded and scaled Twilio to over $4 billion in revenue, is now leading Inertia, a fusion energy startup. He will speak about this career shift at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 in a fireside chat on the Smart Systems Stage, discussing how his software background applies to a capital-intensive deep tech venture involving lasers and manufacturing.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-18
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