Tech Archive

Sean HollisterFeb 24

New Xbox CEO: ‘The plan’s the plan until it’s not the plan.’

Microsoft gaming CEO Asha Sharma says almost nothing’s been decided about the future of Xbox, telling Windows Central:

Right now, I need to learn, candidly. About the ‘why’ of these decisions, what we were optimizing for, and what the data says about the Xbox strategy today. That’s the honest answer. I’m looking at lifetime value, not just what happened in a previous moment, or in short term efficiencies and things like that. The plan’s the plan until it’s not the plan.

Nothing might be the right thing to promise at a moment like this. But she also says hardware news announcements are coming.

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma — "This team has brought it back before, and I'm here to help us do it again."

[Windows Central]

Stevie BonifieldFeb 24

Google is ‘deeply sorry’ for push notification that included a racial slur.

The notification was related to an incident at the BAFTAs on Sunday, as Variety reports. “We’ve removed the offensive notification,” Google spokesperson Brianna Duff said in a statement to The Verge, adding that the error didn’t involve AI, but rather that push notification systems intended to “accurately characterize” content from the web “accidentally” included the slur.

Google ‘Deeply Sorry’ for BAFTA News Alert That Included N-Word, Says the Message Was Not AI-Generated

[Variety]

OpenAI defeats xAI’s trade secrets lawsuit

Hayden FieldFeb 24

Stevie BonifieldFeb 24

Instagram is coming to Google TV.

After launching on Amazon Fire TV in December, Instagram for TV is expanding to Google TV devices in the US starting Tuesday, as Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced in a post on Threads. The feature lets users view reels on their TV, arranged into “channels” for different topics and themes.

Adam Mosseri on Threads

[Threads]

Let me see some ID: age verification is spreading across the internet

Stevie BonifieldApr 24

Discord is delaying its global age verification rollout

Stevie BonifieldFeb 24

1Password is going up in price

Emma RothFeb 24

Stevie BonifieldFeb 24

Russia is investigating Telegram CEO Pavel Durov.

After moving to restrict access to the messaging app earlier this month, Russia has also now opened a criminal investigation into its founder and CEO, Reuters reports. Durov responded in a post on X on Tuesday, saying:

“Russia has opened a criminal case against me for ‘aiding terrorism.’ Each day, the authorities fabricate new pretexts to restrict Russians’ access to Telegram as they seek to suppress the right to privacy and free speech. A sad spectacle of a state afraid of its own people.”

Andrew LiszewskiFeb 24

This omni-directional bike balances on just one big red ball.

A year ago James Bruton demonstrated a custom self-balancing bike that rolled around on a pair of big red inflatable balls. For 2026 he’s both simplified the bike by reducing it to just a single ball, while also further complicating the build by creating his own custom omni-wheels for more precision and control.

You can still get $30 in Samsung credit when you reserve a Galaxy S26 phone

Sheena VasaniFeb 24

Jay PetersFeb 24

Twitch is taking a more nuanced approach to suspensions.

Instead of a suspension completely stopping you from accessing any part of Twitch, which has historically been the case, users will now only lose access to specific features for minor infractions. To start, there will be streaming suspensions and chatting suspensions.

Modernizing Our Approach to Enforcements

[Twitch]