Tech

A European Commission page noting tech acquisitions has a listing under Apple dated June 17th for a company called Samplab GmbH, as reported by AppleInsider. An archived “About” page for Samplab notes that “AI will revolutionize the music industry.”

According to 9to5Mac, the latest HomePod 27.2 beta adds Sound Glow support on the second-gen HomePod and first-gen HomePod Mini. Apple announced the feature with the HomePod Mini 2 last week, and says it can sync the HomePod’s LEDs colors to match album art or Apple’s ambient soundscapes.

As Ars Technica reports, Florida’s Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles says the hackers accessed its systems using a local law enforcement employee’s “compromised credentials.” The FLHSMV has started notifying victims about the breach, which could have exposed “driver licenses data, motor-vehicle information, document images, and other personal information.”

Days later, Energize Lab still hasn’t even acknowledged that its “AI charm bot” is literally profiling you, storing everything you tell it in the cloud, and that a single hacker can read all those conversations, hijack the bot’s personality, and make it lie to you.

Creator life involves using a lot of software. Bad software. Stephen Robles is one of the creators who decided to build something better, for himself and for his community. He tells David how he thinks about his responsibility as a developer, how he makes apps, and how AI is changing the way he builds things for his audience.

The AI note-taking app will use your sources to suggest topics for a slide deck or video, while allowing you to confirm decisions on formatting, visual style, and scope before it starts creating. You can also turn on a new “Review” toggle that lets you look over a final outline before Gemini Notebook’s final rendering.

34 percent say they regularly get news from YouTube, Pew Research says. As for other social media platforms:

The Electronic Frontier Foundation’s free browser extension is now available on Safari version 26.5 and later, along with other browsers like Firefox and Chrome. EFF says it’s working on bringing Privacy Badger to Safari for iOS, too. Earlier this month, EFF also shared some new guides with more online privacy tips and browser suggestions.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said earlier this month that we should assume that all AI models are “compromised,” and now Microsoft is going one step further. “Unfortunately, frontier models, regardless of their origin, cannot be trusted,” says Hayete Gallot, executive vice president of Microsoft Security. Microsoft is naturally positioning its new Project Perception as a solution to securing AI models. It’s an agentic security system designed to help cybersecurity professionals secure and control AI agents.

Students’ names, addresses, birth dates, demographic info, disability status, and other personal data was copied from Educational Testing Services, one of the state’s testing partners, the Los Angeles Times reports. California’s Department of Education says the breach could affect “all students enrolled in the three previous school years.”

The branding of the Hidisc HD-TCHD2MPDBK Type-C HDMI Mirroring Cable isn’t exactly simple, but if you’re looking for a Switch 2 dock that’s easy to stash they’re not going to get more streamlined than this. The cable’s launching in Japan for 1,980 yen (around $12.50) but you’ll need to connect and provide a USB-C power source in order for the Switch 2 to output video.

Reuters reports that Microsoft pulled out of the deal with British company Nscale to build the AI data center after local electricity grid officials said the site won’t be supplied with power until the 2030s. Construction is still expected to go ahead without Microsoft’s support, and Nscale says it’s partnership with Microsoft on other projects “remains strong.”

A massive review of local contracts by NBC News found 55 places where Flock entered no-bid contracts that escaped public scrutiny by claiming its products couldn’t be compared to others on the market. Another 11 were priced just below thresholds that would have required local council votes.

In the latest episode of Adam Savage’s Tested the former model maker sits down with Lorne Peterson who discusses the earliest days of ILM, his work on Star Wars, and how off-the-shelf model kits were integral to the design and construction of iconic vehicles like the Millennium Falcon and Jawa Sandcrawler.

If you missed the original versions, starting at 9AM PT/11AM ET today you’ll be able to preorder Analogue’s new Super Nt Plus and Mega Sg Plus retro consoles compatible with the cartridges from each respective platform. The new Plus versions come with several quality of life improvements including built-in wireless controller connectivity, USB-C power ports, and cartridge hot swapping.

Following an FCC ban on consumer routers made outside the US last March, TP-Link announced today that it has entered into a Letter of Intent (LOI) with the US-based Key Tronic to “bring next-generation product assembly to the United States.“ Starting as early as next year, pending US regulatory approval, Key Tronic will begin assembly of TP-Link’s Wi-Fi 8 networking products in Corinth, Mississippi.

The Duo’s imminent release means the EU released its energy and durability ratings, including its rated battery capacity of 4,883mAh. Rated capacities are lower than typical marketed capacities, so this battery is bigger than in either the Galaxy Z Fold 8 or Z Fold 8 Ultra, but still smaller than in foldables from Oppo and Honor.

What’s not to trust about this X post, given the vague deadline of “next year,” and track record of broken promises? Actually doing this would require Musk to give away more than $10 billion worth of shares, but I guess that’s more feasible than President Trump’s $1.3 trillion plan to sway voters.

Amazon started letting US and UK users stream games from Luna inside Prime Video in July, and today the feature will be available in Canada, France, Italy, and Spain to Amazon Prime subscribers on Fire TVs, Amazon says.

Nathan Fielder’s three-hour documentary about Elizabeth Holmes raked in $15 million in its opening weekend. That’s double expectations and enough to place it in second place at the box office this weekend, behind only Street Fighter. What’s more, it’s the largest opening for a non-music or concert documentary since 2004’s Fahrenheit 9/11.

Yesterday it was reported that the TikTok account for Alex Gibney’s Musk documentary had been “permanently suspended.” Today, TikTok US spokesperson Mahsau Cullinane told The Verge, “I can confirm that the advertising account has been restored after an error,” which was described as technical.

According to Mark Gurman, Apple’s retail stores are planning a “reset” on the evening of November 5th into Friday the 6th. Generally, that means new signage and demo devices indicating that it could be the on-sale date for the M6 iMac, touchscreen MacBook Pro, and OLED iPad mini rumored to be announced later this month.

The big problem with smart TVs is that they start to slow down, stutter, and generally suck pretty quickly. Ansub Khan figured out a way to get Claude to clean up the mess and make his old Android TV feel new again. Best part: he lays out step-by-step how to do it on your own TV. Though, as with anything involving AI, proceed cautiously.