News — Page195

A promotional video of Meta's new Ray-Ban Display smart glasses surfaced online just days before the company's Connect event. The unlisted clip, later removed from Meta's YouTube channel, shows black Wayfarer-style frames with a small heads-up display capable of showing maps, chat messages and contextual information. The video also highlights a wristband accessory and a swipe‑to‑type interaction. A second video features Oakley’s Sphaera‑style sunglasses, which lack a display but include a centrally placed camera. Both videos were briefly available before being taken down, prompting renewed speculation ahead of the upcoming product launch.Read more

New York has moved to protect minors online by detailing rules for the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act. Governor Kathy Hochul signed the legislation, and Attorney General Letitia James announced that platforms must verify users' ages before delivering algorithmic feeds or nighttime notifications. The state will allow platforms to choose verification methods that are effective and protect data, but will prohibit reliance on government‑issued IDs. A parental‑consent component requires minors to seek permission for curated feeds, with both minors and parents able to revoke consent at any time. Public comment is open until December 1, and the rules must be finalized within a year.Read more

China's State Administration for Market Regulation has opened an investigation into NVIDIA's $6.9 billion purchase of Mellanox, asserting that the deal violated national antitrust laws and the conditions China set when it approved the takeover. While no penalties have been announced, the regulator’s preliminary findings were kept confidential until now, coinciding with U.S.–China trade talks in Madrid. The original acquisition was announced in 2019 and approved by Chinese authorities the following year on the basis that NVIDIA would continue supplying GPUs and interconnect products under “fair, reasonable, and non‑discriminatory” terms.Read more

Ecovacs introduced its flagship robot vacuum, the Deebot X11 OmniCyclone, featuring a new agentic AI voice assistant called Agent Yiko. The system learns users' habits, offers proactive cleaning recommendations, and provides real‑time troubleshooting guidance. Highlights include automatic setup, AI‑driven setting suggestions based on floor type and mess level, and a top‑up charging feature. Ecovacs notes that 80% of users repeat the same voice commands daily and often under‑utilize voice controls. The Deebot X11 OmniCyclone launched in the U.S. and Canada with a list price of $1,499.99.Read more

A recent roundup highlights eight lesser‑known AI applications that go beyond chatbots. From Merlin, which identifies birds from photos or calls, to Goblin.Tools, a suite designed for neurodivergent users, each tool addresses a specific need. OpusClip automates video clipping for social media, while Rewind.ai records and indexes everything on a Mac for easy retrieval. Be My AI assists blind or low‑vision users by describing surroundings in real time. Character.AI lets users converse with fictional or historical personalities, Gamma generates polished presentation slides, and SciSpace Agent serves as a research assistant for scholars. Together, they illustrate how AI is expanding into practical, niche domains.Read more

Gearbox Software chief Randy Pitchford asserted that the poor performance of Borderlands 4 on PCs is due to outdated hardware rather than game optimization. He described the title as a “premium game” for “premium gamers” and suggested that users with older systems should not expect high frame rates. The comments have drawn criticism from the gaming community, which points out that the game struggles even on top‑end GPUs such as the RTX 5090, and that many players are using mid‑range cards like the RTX 4060. The backlash highlights ongoing tensions over game optimization and hardware expectations.Read more

Google's Gemini iOS app has risen to the No. 1 spot among free iPhone apps, propelled by the launch of its new AI image model, Nano Banana (officially 2.5 Flash Image). Users praised the model’s ability to edit photos and add elements seamlessly, generating over 200 million AI images and attracting more than 10 million new sign‑ups. The surge underscores growing consumer interest in standalone AI products and positions Gemini as a strong challenger to industry leader ChatGPT.Read more

Qualcomm announced the upcoming launch of its Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor at the Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii. The new chip, positioned as the successor to the Snapdragon 8 Elite that powers 2025 flagship devices such as Samsung’s Galaxy S25, Xiaomi’s 15 Ultra and OnePlus 13, incorporates the Oryon CPU and continues the “Elite” branding while aligning with the series' fifth‑generation naming. Qualcomm explained the naming shift in a recent blog post, emphasizing the performance boost and industry‑leading status of the Elite label. The company will showcase the chip’s capabilities at the summit next week.Read more

Apple's iOS 26 brings a suite of subtle yet impactful enhancements that go beyond the headline changes. Users can now customize alarm snooze lengths, create custom ringtones without a computer, copy selected text from messages, and view visited places in Maps. Battery charging estimates appear on the lock screen, and Adaptive Power Mode adjusts performance on the fly. New visual tools let photos become spatial scenes, screenshots be searched, and lyrics be translated in real time. Additional conveniences include AirPods as a remote shutter, conversation backgrounds in Messages, and on‑device PDF editing, all designed to make daily iPhone interactions smoother and more personal.Read more

A recent personal experiment shows how ChatGPT’s new AI Agent mode can research and suggest budget‑friendly fall activities. The user, based in Montclair, NJ, asked the Agent to find free or low‑cost outings such as hikes, small‑town trips, and seasonal events. The AI returned options like a local jazz festival, a nearby hike, and even a suggestion to watch the New York Marathon. The experience highlights the tool’s ability to browse the web in real time, while also noting the need for users to verify sources and tailor prompts for the best results.Read more

A comprehensive look at the leading AI image generators of 2025, including DALL·E 3, Leonardo AI, Canva, Adobe Firefly, and Stable Diffusion. The review highlights each tool's strengths, privacy policies, pricing options, and suitability for beginners and professionals. DALL·E 3 earns CNET’s Editor’s Choice for its conversational workflow and complex prompt handling, while Leonardo AI and Canva offer robust free plans. Adobe Firefly integrates directly with Creative Cloud, and Stable Diffusion provides open‑source flexibility. The analysis helps users choose the right service based on creative needs and budget.Read more

Creating effective prompts for AI image generators requires a clear description of subjects, setting, dimensions, style, and mood. Testing across platforms such as Google’s model, Midjourney, DALL‑E, Adobe Firefly, Leonardo, and Canva shows that a well‑structured prompt reduces unwanted artifacts and improves output quality. Prompt engineering involves specifying characters, location, aspect ratio, color palette, aesthetic, and emotional tone while avoiding exclusionary language that may be ignored. When results are unsatisfactory, tweaking the prompt or resetting settings can help, but the tools remain aids rather than replacements for human creativity.Read more

Amazon announced that it will hold its annual fall hardware event later this month in New York City, where it is expected to showcase a range of refreshed products across its portfolio, including Kindles, Echo smart speakers, Ring security devices and Fire TV products. The company will highlight the latest upgrades to its Alexa assistant, emphasizing new AI‑driven conversational skills. Industry observers note that the launch comes as competition intensifies in the smart‑home market, with rivals such as Apple reportedly planning their own home‑device offerings.Read more

A recent study involving elementary‑aged children discovered that reading aloud to a social robot reduced physiological signs of anxiety compared with reading alone or to a human adult. The experiment measured voice steadiness, heart rate and facial temperature, finding calmer responses when the robot was the audience. Comprehension scores remained unchanged, suggesting the robot’s presence lowered stress without affecting learning outcomes. Researchers propose that social robots could serve as low‑pressure listeners in classroom settings, helping students build confidence in public speaking tasks.Read more

Nvidia has risen to global leadership in artificial‑intelligence chips, but its success has placed it at the center of escalating trade tensions between the United States and China. Successive U.S. administrations have imposed export controls that require Nvidia to ship reduced‑specification GPUs to China, spurring a black‑market for higher‑performance units. The Trump administration blocked sales of Nvidia’s H20 chip, a product designed for the Chinese market, before a deal allowed limited sales in exchange for a 15 percent revenue share to the U.S. government. Chinese regulators have since warned domestic firms against purchasing the H20, adding uncertainty to Nvidia’s Chinese business. CEO Jensen Huang has publicly criticized the U.S. curbs, calling them a failure that accelerates Chinese rivals’ development. Both Nvidia and China’s State Administration for Market Regulation declined comment.Read more

Apple announced that its new Watch Series 11 has received FDA clearance for a hypertension alert feature. The function, unveiled at an Apple event and confirmed by Bloomberg and Apple, uses the watch's optical heart sensor and a machine‑learning algorithm trained on a study of more than 100,000 participants. It monitors users in the background for a month‑long period to identify patterns that may indicate high blood pressure, a condition that affects over a billion people. Apple plans to roll out the feature in 150 countries when the Series 11 and Ultra Watch 3 begin shipping on September 19, adding to its growing portfolio of health‑focused capabilities.Read more

Amazon has scheduled a press event for September 30 at 10 AM ET, featuring Panos Panay of the Devices & Services team. A composite invitation image hints at updates to the Kindle e‑reader line, Fire TV hardware, and Echo speakers. Recent product refreshes include the Kindle Scribe and Colorsoft, as well as the Echo Dot, Echo Pop, and Echo Show 8, suggesting that the upcoming announcements may focus on new or refreshed entry‑level Kindle models, a redesigned standard Echo speaker, and additional Fire TV or streaming stick options.Read more

Snap is rolling out a major software update for its Spectacles augmented reality glasses, adding a redesigned web browser, dedicated Spotlight video browsing, and a new gallery lens. The upgraded Snap OS promises smoother site switching, better power efficiency, and up to 40 minutes of continuous video playback. The changes aim to make AR experiences more useful as Snap prepares to launch a smaller, lighter consumer version of the glasses in 2026, moving beyond its current developer‑only model.Read more

Spotify has expanded its free tier, allowing ad‑supported listeners to select and play any individual song on demand. Previously limited to shuffle‑only playback, the new feature lets free users search for a specific track, tap it in an album or playlist, or follow a shared link to hear it right away. All other free‑tier restrictions remain in place, including advertisements and a limited number of skips per hour. The change is being rolled out globally today, giving non‑paying listeners a more flexible listening experience without altering the core revenue model.Read more

Microsoft announced that all Microsoft 365 business users will receive a free Copilot Chat sidebar in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote. The feature provides AI‑driven assistance such as drafting documents, summarizing content and analyzing spreadsheets without requiring a separate Microsoft 365 Copilot license. While the free version offers core capabilities, the paid Copilot subscription continues to deliver advanced features like file upload, image generation and access to newer models such as GPT‑5. The rollout comes with no price changes for business customers, and Microsoft plans to bundle additional sales, service and finance Copilots into its subscription later this year.Read more