2 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Tech Archive

Archives for August 2026

New York Governor Kathy Hochul thinks AI should be ‘less evil’
Play

The governor on 3D-printed guns, AI and data center backlash, and who protects kids online.

Nilay Patel
Emma Roth
Emma Roth
AT&T accuses Charter of misleading customers about its “fiber” internet.

In a lawsuit filed on Friday, AT&T claims Charter misuses the word “fiber” in its “Spectrum Fiber Broadband Network” service to “hide the fact that its network mainly connects to customers’ homes using copper wire:”

Charter’s 100% fiber service is available only to “select residential consumers,” according to Charter’s website. It represents a small percentage of Charter’s network… The campaign deceives consumers, distorts competition, and appropriates the goodwill that AT&T’s 100% fiber network has earned.

Thomas Ricker
Thomas Ricker
Google wants Disney, Universal, and other studios to license characters and films for its AI tools.

Google is pitching its AI tools as a way to streamline production and visual effects, but the effort faces pushback from union workers and creators concerned about copyright, job displacement, and artistic control.

Thomas Ricker
Thomas Ricker
LG’s smart home is getting a terribly named chatbot.

Its conversational AI agent is called ThinQ Claw (a riff on OpenClaw) and builds on its acquisition of Homey. LG says it can “understand user intent and context and help complete tasks by connecting and coordinating relevant services and devices,” be they LG appliances or third-party products. It’s being demoed for the first time at the big IFA tech show kicking off later this week.

Now with AI.
Now with AI.
Image: LG
Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien
Apple tested a stylus for the foldable iPhone, but probably won’t ship one.

According to Mark Gurman, the company built a stubbier Apple Pencil that magnetically attached to the side of the phone for storage and charging. But it was awkward in certain positions and could leave marks on the delicate foldable screens. Ultimate Gurman says:

It seems unlikely that Apple will actually launch this accessory when it rolls out the foldable iPhone next month. Moreover, I would be surprised if the company abandons the position of Steve Jobs, who famously said, “Nobody wants a stylus” when he unveiled the original iPhone in 2007.

China’s robots race ahead

Bots were breaking records and breaking down at Beijing’s World Humanoid Robot Games.

Robert Hart
Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien
Brave is adding email aliases to its browser.

The privacy-focused browser will now let users create decoy addresses to sign up for services. Brave will still forward messages from those services to your primary email, so you won’t miss out on important updates. But it adds a layer of protection, making it harder for big tech to track you.

Sean Hollister
Sean Hollister
See SNES carts in an Xbox Ally and Doom on a Canon PowerShot, hear hot handheld news.

I guest-starred on the Expedition: Handheld podcast this week and brought LOTS of show-and-tell. It’s almost like an extended version of Today I’m Toying With, though it’s on audio podcast platforms as well! Let me know what you think?

Welcome to Night Vale cocreator Joseph Fink learned storytelling from Grim Fandango 

His latest book, The Nudge, tells the tale of a man who can’t seem to outrun a mysterious evil.

Terrence O'Brien