63 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Archives for October 2026

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Nerial, the developer of Reigns, is “entering hibernation mode.”

The studio is ending development, according to a post today. Earlier this year, the team launched a Witcher-themed version of Reigns. And if you haven’t played Card Shark, you should!

A screenshot from Nerial about entering “hibernation mode.” The provided alt text says: “Unfortunately, another one of those announcements with text on a somber background color. We’re stopping the activity of our studio, Nerial.”
Image: Nerial
Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
Huawei says RAMageddon has increased its smartphone costs by $200.

Its consumer business chief Richard Yu said the higher costs are hurting Huawei’s profitability “very badly,” and Huawei will “have to raise prices going forward, though it will be moderate,” Bloomberg reports.

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon launch joint venture aimed at eliminating dead zones.

First announced in May, the joint venture aims to expand network connectivity by pooling spectrum resources and bringing satellite coverage to more parts of the US. Paul Roth, who previously held leadership positions at AT&T, Cingular Wireless, and Ameritech, will serve as interim CEO while the companies search for a permanent leader.

Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
Audible’s new Character Guide can help you keep track of who’s talking in your audiobooks.

It adds bubbles on the player page for supported audiobooks showing which character and voice actor is speaking, along with “spoiler-free character cards” with more details on the performers. Audible’s also introducing an Interactive Stories feature for chatting with AI versions of book characters, starting with Dracula’s Renfield.

Promotional screenshots for Audible’s Character Guide feature
Image: Audible
Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Casio’s limited-edition G-Shock watch costs more than a car.

The $80,000 MRG-D5000 features a case and bezel made of ultra-tough sapphire crystal as part of Casio’s “Blue Rose Project” collection, as reported earlier by Wired. Casio is only releasing 20 of these luxury watches, which come with solar charging, radio-controlled timekeeping, water resistance up to 200 meters, and 24-carat gold lettering.

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1/6Image: Casio
Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
New Yorkers can now name and shame subscriptions that are difficult to cancel.

The “Click to Cancel” rule announced in July is now in effect, with a new web portal launching today where NYC residents can report businesses that fail to provide a straightforward cancellation process. Filed complaints will be reviewed by the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, and mediators may be assigned to resolve the matter.

Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
Samsung’s smart glasses might arrive next month.

The Android XR glasses, designed in partnership with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, were announced in May, with new designs revealed at Unpacked in July. Now The Korea Herald reports they’ll hit the market some time in November, citing confirmation from a Samsung official.

Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
AI chatbots are still removing women’s hijabs.

After a French far-right politician used AI to strip a real Muslim woman of her hijab last month, The Guardian tested ChatGPT, Grok, and Gemini’s image editors and found that all the chatbots would comply with such requests. This issue has persisted for many months, adding to fears about how easily AI tools can be used to undress and violate women and children.

Thomas Ricker
Thomas Ricker
California is the tenth state to legalize plug-in solar.

Residents can now easily install up to 1200W of solar panels without utility pre-approval. The DIY kits popular in Europe start at around $300 and feed the sun’s energy back into the home through standard wall outlets. More expensive kits with battery storage can help save even more money and provide backup power during a blackout. Either way, they should pay for themselves quickly in the state with the highest residential electricity rates.

EcoFlow’s high-end, weatherproof, plug-in solar kit has an integrated battery.
EcoFlow’s high-end, weatherproof, plug-in solar kit has an integrated battery.
Image: EcoFlow
Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
2GB Raspberry Pis are getting pricier.

The company has announced several price hikes over the last year in light of the ongoing RAM crisis, and this time it’s adding $12.50 to the price of the 2GB Raspberry Pi 4 (now $67.50) and Raspberry Pi 5 (now $77.50) variants.

“The current memory supply circumstances are very challenging, but, as we’ve said before, they won’t last forever. The price of memory will eventually subside, and we look forward to reversing our own price increases when it does.”

Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
OpenAI’s president withdraws from second AI super PAC donation.

After handing $25 million last year to Leading the Future — which lobbies for AI-friendly policies — Greg Brockman has now pulled his plans to donate a further $25 million amid mounting public backlash against AI. Brockman said the following in a Slack message seen by The New York Times:

“I also want to say that I feel terrible about the fact that LTF keeps reflecting on the company and become so much of a distraction for people here. I’ve been thinking hard about how to turn the ship on it. We’ve donated $25m so far, and have no plans to donate more at this time.”