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    Gadget Hacks

  • AirPods 4 vs Pro 3: Which Apple Earbuds to Buy in 2025?
    With the holidays approaching, choosing between Apple's AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro becomes more critical than ever. Apple now offers two distinct versions of the AirPods 4—a standard model at $129 and an enhanced version with Active Noise Cancellation at $179, according to 9to5Mac. Meanwhile, the latest AirPods Pro 3... Read more »
  • Google Assistant Dies: Gemini Takeover Starts Now
    Reviewed by: Jame Jimenez If you've lived with Google Assistant for the past decade, brace for a big switch. The trusty voice helper is getting the boot, and its replacement aims higher. Google has officially confirmed the shift, calling it "Gemini for Home," a new assistant experience and platform upgrade... Read more »
  • Adobe Premiere Pro iPhone App Launches Free - Here's The Catch
    Reviewed by Jame Jimenez There's never been a better time to be a content creator. Adobe just dropped its full Premiere video editing app for iPhone, and it's now available for download on the App Store. After weeks of anticipation since pre-orders started back in September this year, Adobe has... Read more »
  • Apple Fights AI Lawsuit Over Delayed Siri Features
    Apple finds itself in hot water over delayed AI features, but the company isn't backing down. Apple filed a motion to dismiss the class action lawsuit targeting its Apple Intelligence rollout delays on Thursday. The company says two missing Siri features do not justify sweeping legal claims. The twist, and... Read more »
  • iOS 26 Visual Intelligence Transforms Screenshots
    Apple's Visual Intelligence just got a major upgrade in iOS 26, and honestly, it's about time. The original feature launched in iOS 18.2 as a Camera Control button that could describe your surroundings and translate text. Now Apple has extended Visual Intelligence in iOS 26 to work with content that's... Read more »
  • Apple's Secret Siri App Reveals ChatGPT-Like AI Coming 2026
    Reviewed by Jame Jimenez Behind closed doors at Apple, Siri is getting a rethink that could change how we talk to our devices. Apple's been quietly working on a ChatGPT-like app to help its engineers test the overhauled version of Siri. The app isn't going to be released to the... Read more »
  • iPhone Fold Could Be Thinner Than iPhone Air at 4.5mm
    You know that feeling when you see something so impossibly thin you almost can't believe it's real? That was me when I first held the iPhone Air's remarkable 5.6mm profile. Then came the wild part, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reports that next year's iPhone Fold could measure just 4.5-4.8mm when unfolded.... Read more »
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    Slashdot

  • Ukraine Is Jamming Russia's 'Superweapon' With a Song
    Longtime Slashdot reader fahrbot-bot shares a report from 404 Media: The Ukrainian Army is knocking a once-hyped Russian superweapon out of the sky by jamming it with a song and tricking it into thinking it's in Lima, Peru. The Kremlin once called its Kh-47M2 Kinzhal ballistic missiles "invincible." Joe Biden... Read more »
  • Magician Forgets Password To His Own Hand After RFID Chip Implant
    A magician who implanted an RFID chip in his hand lost access to it after forgetting the password, leaving him effectively locked out of the tech embedded in his own body. The Register reports: "It turns out," said [said magician Zi Teng Wang], "that pressing someone else's phone to my... Read more »
  • Iran's Capital Is Moving. The Reason Is an Ecological Catastrophe
    An anonymous reader quotes a report from Scientific American: Amid a deepening ecological crisis and acute water shortage, Tehran can no longer remain the capital of Iran, the country's president has said. The situation in Tehran is the result of "a perfect storm of climate change and corruption," says Michael... Read more »
  • Cryptographers Cancel Election Results After Losing Decryption Key
    The International Association of Cryptologic Research (IACR) was forced to cancel its leadership election after a trustee lost their portion of the Helios voting system's decryption key, making it impossible to reveal or verify the final results. Ars Technica reports: The IACR said Friday that the votes were submitted and... Read more »
  • Google Starts Testing Ads In AI Mode
    Google has begun testing sponsored ads inside its Gemini-powered AI Mode, placing labeled "sponsored" links at the bottom of AI-generated responses. Engadget reports: [A] Google spokesperson says the result shown is akin to similar tests it's been running this year. "People seeing ads in AI Mode in the wild is... Read more »
  • SEC Dismisses Case Against SolarWinds, Top Security Officer
    The SEC has officially dismissed its high-profile case against SolarWinds and its CISO that was tied to a Russia-linked cyberattack involving the software company. Reuters reports: The landmark case, which SEC brought in late 2023, rattled the cybersecurity community and later faced scrutiny from a judge who dismissed many of... Read more »
  • Malaysia's Palm Oil Estates Are Turning Into Data Centers
    An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg: Malaysia's palm oil giants, long-blamed for razing rainforests, fueling toxic haze and driving orangutans to the brink of extinction, are recasting themselves as unlikely champions in a different, potentially greener race: the quest to lure the world's AI data centers to the... Read more »
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    The Register

  • Copackaged optics have officially found their killer app - of course it's AI
    With power in such short supply, every watt counts SC25  Power is becoming a major headache for datacenter operators as they grapple with how to support ever larger deployments of GPU servers - so much so that the AI boom is now driving the adoption of a technology once thought... Read more »
  • Self-destructing thumb drive can brick itself and wipe your secret files away
    Catch: you have to plug it into a computer first If you’ve ever watched Mission Impossible, where Jim Phelps gets instructions from an audio tape that catches fire after five seconds, TeamGroup has an external SSD with your name on it. The T-Create Expert P35S is a portable USB-powered SSD... Read more »
  • Researchers get inside the mind of bots, find out what texts they trained on
    RECAP agent overcomes model alignment efforts to hide memorized proprietary content If you've ever wondered whether that chatbot you're using knows the entire text of a particular book, answers are on the way. Computer scientists have developed a more effective way to coax memorized content from large language models, a... Read more »
  • ShinyHunters 'does not like Salesforce at all,' claims the crew accessed Gainsight 3 months ago
    Shiny talks to The Reg EXCLUSIVE  ShinyHunters has claimed responsibility for the Gainsight breach that allowed the data thieves to snarf data from hundreds more Salesforce customers.…... Read more »
  • Makers slam Qualcomm for tightening the clamps on Arduino
    But the Wiring folks were disenchanted even before Qualcomm swallowed Arduino Qualcomm quietly rewrote the terms of service for its newest acquisition, programmable microcontroller and SBC maker Arduino, drawing intense fire from the maker community for grabbing additional rights to user-generated content on its platform and prohibiting reverse-engineering of what... Read more »
  • Pentagon pumps $29.9M into bid to turn waste into critical minerals
    It's unclear how much scandium and gallium ElementUSA will contribute to the supply chain, or when The US Department of Defense is asserting its desire to be an integral part of the American rare earths and critical minerals supply chain with a deal to establish a domestic pipeline of gallium... Read more »
  • Big Red borrows a lot of green, hopes AI will put it in the black
    Cost of insuring against Oracle debt default spikes as September seems a long time ago opinion  The weather's cooling, and so is Wall Street's patience with Oracle's AI makeover. Big Red is spending big, and the risk metrics aren't looking cozy.…... Read more »
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    Computer Hardware Inc - Blog

  • Keep Sensitive Data Private by Disabling AI Training Options
    Most AI chatbots, including ChatGPT, Claude, and Google’s Gemini, let you control whether your conversations will be used to train future models. While allowing this could improve the AI, it also means that sensitive business information and intellectual property could become part of the chatbot’s training data. Once data is... Read more »
  • When to Trust AI Tech Answers (And When to Call Us)
    Recently, we’ve fielded a spate of questions from people who have used an AI chatbot to help with a technical issue and then asked us to confirm whether the information was accurate, helpful, or even safe. First off, we’re not offended. If you can work through simple problems on your... Read more »
  • Follow This Advice Before Switching to a New iPhone 17
    Are you considering getting one of the new iPhone 17 models? While it’s always tempting to unbox a new device and dive right in, taking a methodical approach to setup will save you from potential frustrations down the road. When you’re ready to transfer your data—and, for many people, that... Read more »
  • Apple Unveils New iPhone 17 Lineup, Updated Apple Watches, and AirPods Pro 3
    In the tech world, September brings the fruits of Apple’s harvest: new iPhones, Apple Watches, and AirPods. At its recent Awe Dropping event, Apple introduced the new iPhone 17 lineup, the ultra-thin iPhone Air, the Apple Watch SE 3, Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, and the AirPods... Read more »
  • Blood Oxygen Monitoring Returns to Recent US Apple Watches with Software Updates
    With the release of iOS 18.6.1 and watchOS 11.6.1, Apple restored blood oxygen monitoring capabilities to US Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2 models that previously had this feature disabled due to a patent infringement suit by medical device maker Masimo. Apple’s redesign processes blood oxygen data... Read more »
  • Pay for Apple TV+ Annually to Avoid the Recent Monthly Price Increase
    Apple has raised the monthly subscription fee for Apple TV+ to $12.99, marking the third price increase since the streaming service launched at $4.99 in 2019. While the monthly cost has increased, Apple kept the annual subscription priced at $99, making it a more economical choice for those who plan... Read more »
  • Working with Time Zones in Apple’s Calendar Apps
    Calendar events are usually straightforward. For instance, if you schedule a meeting for 3 PM on Thursday, an alert will remind you to leave 30 minutes beforehand. However, since we live in an increasingly global world, we occasionally have to consider time zones when scheduling meetings. Business travelers have long... Read more »
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    Hot Hardware

  • Aoostar Teases A Slick Mini PC With AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 Strix Halo Chip
    Aoostar released an updated teaser image of its AMD Ryzen Strix Halo-powered mini PC, the Aoostar Nex395, with a much different design than the original. The new design looks much smoother and more streamlined, whereas the former  had sharper edges and a darker color scheme. The new teaser image (originally... Read more »
  • Microsoft Open Sources Zork Trilogy Preserving Generation Of Classic Games
    The proliferation of digital game libraries and cloud streaming services has raised concerns about game preservation. Some publishers, such as EA, have stepped up in a big way by open sourcing older titles in their back catalogs. Now, Microsoft is adding its own contribution by open sourcing the classic Zork... Read more »
  • Intel Nova Lake Tipped For Xe3 And Xe3P GPU Tiles To Boost Graphics And AI
    Intel has already established that the graphics parts of Panther Lake are using the Xe3 architecture, but that they will be branded as part of the Arc B-series. The given rationale is that the first-generation Xe3 graphics products utilizing the "Xe3-LPG" architecture will be something more like an evolution of... Read more »
  • Microsoft Rolls Out Xbox Full Screen Experience To All Windows 11 Handhelds
    During the recent Xbox Partner Preview, Microsoft announced several upcoming Xbox and PC games, but also highlighted that the Xbox Full Screen Experience (FSE) would be rolling out to all PC gaming handhelds and eventually expanding to other Windows 11 PCs through the Windows Insider Program. If you've been paying... Read more »
  • Meta Quest 3S Hits All-Time Low & Includes A Free $50 Gift Card
    Remember when getting into virtual reality was cost prohibitive? Yeah, neither do we at this point. VR has outlasted 'passing fad' status and appears here to stay—even Valve is getting in on the action with its upcoming Steam Frame headset (alongside other hardware, including another Steam Machine). Meanwhile, there are... Read more »
  • Google Unveils Nano Banana Pro AI Model To Generate Studio Quality Images & Designs
    With the arrival of Google’s Nano Banana Pro (officially the Gemini 3 Pro Image model) the AI image generation landscape has once again moved forward into deeper usefulness and hyper-realism. Along with the creative power it now gives users, Nano Banana Pro brings up more debates over digital authenticity and... Read more »
  • PS5 Black Friday Deals Drop Prices Lower Than Even Pre-Hike Levels
    If a price hike is a sickness, than Black Friday is the cure. Black Friday deals on PlayStation 5 consoles are now in effect, providing a salve against recent price adjustments made by Sony. And yes, it's easy to be soured by a so-called deal on items that recently went... Read more »