All articles tagged with #tech
Apple Intelligence for HomeKit Secure Video adds AI video summaries, search, and multi-camera stitching, but pricing is steep: $9.99/month for 2TB iCloud Plus for one camera, $29.99/month for a second, and up to $59.99/month for five cameras—potentially $720/year for a five-camera setup, with The Verge noting the value doesn’t justify the cost despite the feature upgrades.
Anthropic, Google and OpenAI have reportedly discussed forming an industry AI standards body to test models before deployment, inspired by Demis Hassabis’s proposal for a US-led regulator modeled on FINRA. The talks, ongoing with or without the Trump administration, envision a public‑private partnership overseen by government and funded by industry, staffed by independent experts. While OpenAI and other executives push for international coordination on safety, some leaders (including Meta’s Zuckerberg) reportedly oppose the idea, and White House review processes remain opaque.
Dell’s 2026 XPS 13 positions itself as the first strong challenger to Apple’s MacBook Neo, offering a premium, ultra-thin chassis, a 13.4-inch 500-nits touchscreen with 120Hz, solid keyboard/trackpad, and fast SSD in a $699–$999 range. While 8GB RAM is still usable for light multitasking, it can bottleneck Windows performance compared with the Neo’s higher-end config, and the laptop lacks a headphone jack; the recommended pick is the 16GB/512GB variant at $999.99 for smoother daily use.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports Apple is developing two first‑party game controllers for the iPhone, likely sold under Beats; MacRumors had previously spotted macOS 26.7 code referencing such controllers. Gurman says the devices are designed for iPhones, with Beats executives leading the project as Apple tests entry into game accessories at a more affordable price point.
Installer No. 143 rolls in with Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro and AirPods 5, plus Meta’s Muse AI, refreshed Sony XM4C headphones, Philips Hue Play Screen Sync, and more gadget picks; the issue also features Verge editor Emma Roth’s homescreen and current obsessions and invites reader recommendations for the crowdsourced section.
LG says its smart TVs do not continuously record or transmit conversations and that wake-word detection is processed locally; it also notes that Automatic Content Recognition, voice recognition, and interest-based advertising are optional and not enabled by default, though critics note that logs show ambient audio data and privacy concerns remain unaddressed.
Ikea’s Badkruka wireless Bluetooth speaker is now available in the US for $59.99. Nearly seven inches tall and lacking a built-in battery, it isn’t pocketable but can be powered from a wall outlet. It supports Bluetooth, can wirelessly link with other Badkrukas for multi-speaker setup or stereo pairing, and includes three EQ modes and Spotify Tap. For wired use, it can connect to a TV, home theater, or PC via the included TOSLINK optical cable (optical input). Available in black or a pink/wood-textured finish.
A leak circulated by UploadVR, reportedly found in the HorizonOS Prescription Lens firmware, shows Meta’s Project Phoenix as a slim mixed-reality headset that sits between smart glasses and a full VR device: a glasses-style frame with a wire to an external compute puck and outward- and downward-facing cameras, smaller than Quest 3, and aimed at competing with Xreal/Viture. Meta plans a launch next year, with Google reportedly pursuing a similar Aura XR line.
Meta says it is changing the prompts suggested by its AI chatbot after a viral video showed Meta AI prompting a user to identify the child in her video. The prompt reportedly pulled from the user’s and relatives’ posts to infer details like age and location, prompting criticism of invasive personalization. A Meta spokesperson said the feature “missed the mark” and should not have prompted such questions, noting the change is to prevent personal-topic prompts; Meta AI’s responses are supposed to be based on information the user already has access to. The changes follow earlier moves by Meta to limit AI-generated content on its apps, and the company says it has fixed the issue.
Samsung’s new New Zealand ad features a Tim Cook lookalike from Palmerston North promoting the Galaxy Z Fold 8, spoofing Apple’s cinematic launch style and poking fun at Cook’s updated profile picture as Apple unveils the iPhone Duo.
Slack is rolling out Slackforce Surfaces, an AI-powered feature that lets Slackbot build interactive charts, dashboards, polls, and more directly inside a chat by pulling data from conversations and connected apps (like Google Drive or Salesforce). Surfaces can be shared, pinned, and commented on within channels, with a demo showing an arcade‑themed AI-token usage dashboard. Slack emphasizes data remains under permission controls and you aren’t exporting it to another tool. The feature is available to all customers (including free) with live data coming in October.
John Higgins argues that AirPods with cameras should not exist due to privacy concerns, noting rumors that any cameras would be low‑res and used to power Siri AI and Visual Intelligence rather than capture images; even with safeguards, ubiquitous earbud cameras could enable covert recording, so he’s glad Apple delayed them and hopes the concept never arrives, even as Apple pushes sensor-based features like Audio Intelligence on the Apple Watch.
Apple brings back a black color option for the iPhone 18 Pro after last year’s absence, with The Verge’s Jay Peters highlighting his lifelong preference for black and noting he’ll seek out the black model amid a four-color lineup that includes burgundy, blue, and silver.
The Verge’s hands-on with the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max shows a design similar to the 17 Pro but with color-matched glass and four color options (black, silver, glacier blue, burgundy). Key additions include a variable-aperture main camera with four stops (f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8, f/4.0) and new pro controls in the native camera app (manual shutter speed, white balance, focus with peaking). The Dynamic Island is smaller and can display three Live Activities at once. Preorders start September 12 ahead of a September 18 release, with prices starting at $1,199 for the Pro and $1,299 for the Pro Max.
Apple has raised prices on its remaining iPhone models following the ‘Surprise and shine’ event. The iPhone 16 now costs $799 (up from $699), the iPhone 17E with 256GB is $699 (from $599), the iPhone 17 starts at $899 (from $799), and the iPhone Air is $1,099 (from $999). The base iPhone 18 was not shown at the event, and higher-end models begin at $1,199. In short, even affordable iPhones cost more than they did yesterday.