2 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Thomas Ricker

Thomas Ricker

Deputy Editor

Deputy Editor

    More From Thomas Ricker

    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    Fire TV now easier to view and navigate.

    Amazon is today delivering on the April promise of Adaptive Display, according to Engadget. The feature increases the size of things like text and menus while scaling the artwork proportionally. Users can choose from large or larger.

    <em>Regular.</em>
    <em>Large.</em>
    <em>Larger.</em>
    1/3
    Regular.
    Image: Amazon
    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    Watch this Susan Kare doc.

    The reputable Design Docs YouTube channel has a new documentary about Apple’s first graphic designer. Kare is responsible for the smiling Mac icon, that weird looped-square Command symbol still found on Apple keyboards, and many other “pictures that taught a generation of nervous, non-technical people that a computer could be approached without fear.”

    Fine, electric mountain bikes don’t suck

    It’s not cheating if you’re just having fun.

    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    Tesla makes a $225 bike.

    Not what anyone expected — or wanted — but a Tesla-branded balance bike is now available for the junior edgelord in your life.

    1/2
    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    Baseball bans dugout iPads with AI apps.

    Major League Baseball is cracking down on league-issued iPads provided to teams since 2016. Teams can no longer install custom apps that tap into generative AI to recommend “substitutions, pitch calling, and other in-game decisions traditionally made by players and coaches.” It seems up to “a third of the league used the dugout iPads for at least one of these purposes.”

    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    SpaceX continues dropping below IPO price.

    SPCX sunk another three percent in extended trading after last night’s aborted Starship launch, falling further beneath its IPO price of $135. The record-setting IPO made Elon Musk the world’s first (paper) trillionaire. Today he’s worth $838.1 billion. Concerning.

    Down and to the right is never good.
    Down and to the right is never good.
    Screengrab: Google
    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    VPN use doubles after UK began age-gating porn.

    Here’s the Financial Times citing an official report published by the UK’s media watchdog:

    The research shows a sustained higher level of VPN use, with an estimated number of daily UK VPN users of 2.2mn, compared with 1.2mn before the July 2025 rules.

    About a quarter of children have used VPNs to circumvent restrictions designed to protect them.

    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    AST delays first direct-to-phone satellite network.

    AST SpaceMobile was targeting the end of 2026 to begin service, but its low-Earth orbit constellation won’t reach its target of 45 BlueBird satellites until “early 2027.” This is partly due to Blue Origin’s failure to properly deploy one of AST’s giant cell towers, but also a reduction in launch capacity now that the New Glenn rocket is sidelined by a subsequent launch pad explosion.

    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    Uber is gobbling up Delivery Hero.

    The $14.8 billion acquisition offer for the German food-delivery giant, would give Uber ownership over services like Glovo and Foodora to expand its reach into 99 markets. In an effort to avoid antitrust scrutiny, it’s selling off operations to an investment firm in 14 markets where Uber Eats and Delivery Hero overlap.

    The split between Uber and SSW Partners.
    The split between Uber and SSW Partners.
    Image: Uber
    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    Apple Intelligence approved in China.

    Apple’s on-device generative AI service has officially been registered with China’s cyberspace regulator, clearing a major hurdle for device rollout. To navigate local regulations, Apple is tapping domestic tech giants, integrating Alibaba’s Qwen and Baidu’s AI models to power the experience for Chinese users, as reported last year.

    Meanwhile, Apple and the EU are waiting to see who blinks first.