84 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
Skip to main content

Thomas Ricker

Thomas Ricker

Deputy Editor

Deputy Editor

    More From Thomas Ricker

    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    Don’t worry, this little robot’s not going to replace 1 million Amazon warehouse jobs.

    Here’s how Amazon described its test of Agility Robotics’ bi-pedal Digit robot in a press release yesterday:

    Digit can move, grasp, and handle items in spaces and corners of warehouses in novel ways. Its size and shape are well suited for buildings that are designed for humans, and we believe that there is a big opportunity to scale a mobile manipulator solution, such as Digit, which can work collaboratively with employees.

    Scale usage, but somehow not replace any human workers at newly cost-conscious and union-hating Amazon? Sure.

    1/2
    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    Garmin brings FDA-cleared EKGs to latest US sport watches.

    The ECG App is now available for Epix Pro series, Fenix 7 Pro series, Venu 3 series, and Tactix 7 watches to record heart rhythm and check for signs of AFib. The app lets you perform a 30-second electrocardiogram (ECG, or EKG if you prefer its Germanic origins) and view the results immediately. As usual, DesFit has all the details on his YouTube channel.

    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    Suunto shocks with $449 touchscreen OLED sportswatch.

    If DC Rainmaker is impressed by the price of the new endurance-sports focused Suunto Race smartwatch then you should be too:

    Suunto has absolutely slaughtered the competition on price here. The base unit is priced at just $449, including a sapphire crystal display and stainless steel case.

    That makes it $150 less than the comparable Polar Vantage v3 and more feature-rich Garmin Forerunner 965.

    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    Chrome now lets horny Android users quickly delete last 15 minutes of activity.

    Google says that it’s also making privacy options easier to access:

    You’ll soon be able to quickly delete your browsing history, site data, and now also including recent tabs. There will also be a new 15 minute option when selecting the duration. Just click the three dots in the top-right corner of your Chrome browser and select ‘Clear browsing data’.

    It’s already live in Chrome beta if you just can’t wait.

    Enjoy, sickos.
    Enjoy, sickos.
    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    The toast-o-matic reminder.

    My colleague Andru Marino is a genius:

    When I need to remember an important meeting, I place a slice of bread in my toaster oven, which is connected to a Wemo smart plug. Then, I ask my Google Assistant to turn on the toaster five minutes before the event. When I smell toast, it reminds me that I have a meeting in a few minutes.

    Fan plugged into smart plug on kitchen counter.
    Just add bread.
    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    McLaren x B&W Zeppelin.

    The iconic Zeppelin speaker design has been around since the iPod days, and now features some McLaren-inspired styling to go along with the 2021 wireless refresh. Multiroom connectivity is also improved — just like Google’s — only days after Sonos lost its patent lawsuit. Prices start at £799 / $899 / €899.

    1/7
    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    Samsung’s terrible financial year continues, but there’s hope.

    Operating profit dropped 78 percent instead of the 80 percent expected which has Wall Street types all giddy. That’s about $6 billion less than the same quarter in 2022, but hey, Samsung’s still raking in about $1.79 billion. Samsung’s struggling chip business is the likely cause but we won’t get the details for a few more weeks when the final earrings report is released.

    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    PC industry looks to generative AI for sales boost.

    PC shipments are still down, but the decline has slowed with analysts like IDC’s Linn Huang expressing optimism about more expensive “AI PCs” on the horizon:

    “Generative AI could be a watershed moment for the PC industry. While use cases have yet to be fully articulated, interest in the category is already strong.

    That’s good news for Microsoft and Intel with Windows 12 and Meteor Lake / Arrow Lake just around the corner.

    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    China’s Nio loses $35,000 per EV sold.

    It only sells 8,000 cars a month, per the NYT, but enough for US and EU automakers to be concerned since Nio receives hefty subsidies from the Chinese government to stay afloat. For example:

    When Nio nearly ran out of cash in 2020, a local government immediately injected $1 billion for a 24 percent stake, and a state-controlled bank led a group of other lenders to pump in another $1.6 billion.