Apple’s new affordable MacBook should have the Windows world rethinking things.
The R2 arrives in a segment already dominated by the Model Y. But ultimately Rivian needs to do more than just beat Tesla if it’s going to survive.
Gift links dropped a couple months ago. Have you shared one, opened one, ignored them or are wondering what the heck we’re even talking about? Answer a few Qs and tell us how they’re working for you.
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Minnesotans who are active in anti-ICE organizing say they’ve spotted drones in their neighborhoods — and in at least one instance, hovering right outside their houses — in recent weeks. The Department of Homeland Security won’t confirm whether the drones are theirs, but ICE has reportedly used license-plate readers and facial recognition technology to surveil activists in Minneapolis.
The Xreal Neo video dock-meets-charger has been canceled. The company shared the news on Reddit, stating its decision was based on concerns about its “3rd party dock reliability” and “battery longevity.” Xreal owners hoping to play the Switch 2 through their glasses now have to rely on third-party products, like a battery dock from Viture, a company that Xreal recently sued for patent infringement.
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This spring, Peacock is bringing a new Jeopardy! game to its mobile app. It will feature daily trivia rounds straight from the Jeopardy! team, along with shareable scores and streak challenges.
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The decision reverses a 2024 order for TikTok to shut down its operations in the country, and comes after an agreement that TikTok will implement “enhanced protection” for Canadians’ personal information.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service, which previously warned against using TikTok, said Canadians should “proceed cautiously” when joining new platforms and “conduct their own research on the type of data being collected,” CTV News reports.
Uber out here collecting robotaxi companies like they’re Pokémon! The majority Hyundai-owned Motional is operating a fleet of autonomous Ioniq 5s in Las Vegas. The arrangement is similar to Uber’s other AV partners: riders who indicate they’re interested in robotaxis may get matched with one of Motional’s vehicles.
The cars will have safety drivers behind the wheel, though perhaps not for long: Motional says it’ll remove them by the end of the year.
Lego’s tiny toy computer can fly higher than these first Star Wars sets.
Amazon has expanded its Alexa Plus personality styles with a new “Sassy” option. The chili pepper icon hints at this Alexa’s “unfiltered personality,” but don’t worry, Amazon is keeping the spice mild, with only “occasional censored profanity.”
Chris K.:
Programming your robot to swear then programming it to censor its own swearing is something
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Two lost episodes from the third series of Doctor Who have been discovered in a private collection by film preservation trust Film is Fabulous! The six-decade-old episodes — titled “Nightmare Begins” and “Devil’s Planet” — have been restored from their original 16mm telerecordings by the BBC, and will be available on iPlayer.
The company postponed its next AI model, codenamed Avocado, from this month until at least May, the NYT reports. Performance apparently falls short of rivals like Google.
Meta’s spent billions trying to catch up, and Avocado will be its first major release since hiring Scale’s Alexandr Wang to revamp its efforts.
The GFiber unit is combining with Astound Broadband to form a new independent fiber provider. Google will hold a minority stake, with the majority owned by investment firm Stonepeak. GFiber CEO Dinni Jain said the partnership “is the next step in our decade-long mission to redefine what customers can expect from their internet provider.”
“Newgrounds used to get 3,000 flash animations a year, most are forgotten,” Newgrounds Roulette creator Mike Wing said on X. “So I made a site that shuffles through them.”
It’s a fun and nostalgic way to waste a few minutes, but just remember — these randomized animations came from Newgrounds in the 2000s and may not be safe for work.
Parrots have legendary intelligence, but perhaps none like this exemplary Halo legend: a Congo African Grey rescue at the Alveus Sanctuary who can mimic Xbox noises. They can also dance to the classic Halo theme song. The sanctuary doesn’t know the bird’s name or gender yet, but may I suggest… “Master Cheep?”
Samsung’s latest Galaxy S phones are going through the motions.
Amazon will hold its annual Prime Day event in June instead of July this year, according to a recent report from Bloomberg. Sources told the outlet the sale will take place in “late June,” though Amazon has yet to confirm the exact timing of its multi-day shopping event.
Narayen told investors today that AI-first products “should be our next billion-dollar business,” and that he will leave the role he’s held since 2007 once the board names a successor. He’s overseen its Creative Cloud rollout, big bets on the future of AI, and its abandoned $20 billion attempt to acquire Figma.
Narayen:
The next era of creativity is being written right now — shaped by AI, by new workflows and by entirely new forms of expression. Adobe has never waited for the future to arrive. We’ve anticipated it. We’ve built it. And we’ve led it.
In a court filing, US Customs and Border Protection official Brandon Lord says parts of the agency’s new refund processing system are currently 40 to 80 percent complete. According to Lord, the CBP will begin “performance testing in the next few weeks.”
The CBP previously estimated that the system would be done in April, as its existing tech wasn’t equipped to handle $166 billion in refunds.
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Professionals will love the accurate and plentiful reference modes, but far better options exist for the rest of us.
Brief, Sweet, and Chill options launched in January for Alexa Plus, and now there’s also Sassy, an “unfiltered personality with razor-sharp wit, playful sarcasm, and occasional censored profanity.”
The clever comebacks-equipped voice is adults-only and requires additional verification checks, but it’s no Microsoft Tay, M3gan, or AIA. Where the Sweet version leads with “I’m radiating pure joy,” this one suggests mayhem and being “ready to wreck some things together.”
People are tired of not owning anything, iPods are popular again, and Tidal is trying to cash in. You don’t need a subscription to buy songs, and the company is only taking a 10 percent cut, but there’s an extra service fee if you use Apple’s in-app payment system.
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Crossbody phone straps may become even more popular now that they’re more functional. Ugreen’s alternative to Apple’s iPhone strap doubles as a 47-inch long USB-C charging cable with connectors that use a locking mechanism to securely connect to your phone. It’s currently available from Amazon in Germany for €19.99, or around $23, according to Appgefahren.de.
IDC, Omdia, and Gartner agree: the PC market will shrink because of RAMaggedon. Respectively, they’re forecasting 11 percent, 12 percent, and 10 percent declines in 2026, far bigger than previously predicted.
“The sub-$500 entry-level PC segment will disappear by 2028,” Gartner said in late February. Phones will drop similarly. And these forecasts don’t include the impacts of Trump’s war on Iran.
Cosmos and Earth. Paging Carl Sagan! The EV company announced the names at its Investor Day in New York City today. Both are expected to be mid-sized crossover SUVs, with an estimated starting price of $50,000. That makes the Lucid Earth and Cosmos incredibly important to the company’s long-term future — sort of similar to the Rivian R2. If Lucid wants to break into the mainstream, it needs to sell more affordable vehicles.
Ahead of Apple’s milestone anniversary on April 1st, Cook wrote a letter reflecting on Apple’s history:
We’ve spent five decades rethinking what’s possible and putting powerful tools into people’s hands. Through every breakthrough, one idea has guided us — that the world is moved forward by people who think different.
Apple has also launched a new @helloapple Instagram account, which will offer a behind-the-scenes look at its devices and demonstrate how they “continue to inspire creativity around the world,” according to social media consultant Matt Navarra.
YouTube performance artist-turned-metal singer Poppy is narrating the English version of an audio-only adaptation of a short story from horror manga master Junji Ito. Oh, and it’ll only be available on vinyl. You can check out the Kickstarter campaign here, and stay tuned for more on this project from me very soon.
