On Version History: the phone that sparked a tech blog bonanza, a massive backlash, and the future of phones.
Europe wants to tax the flood of cheap packages from Chinese retailers like Shein and Temu, just like Trump did. From next July, a €3 charge will apply per item type to parcels below €150, a temporary fix while the bloc works on removing the exemption altogether.
It takes a lot to convince the Russian people that something is worth openly criticizing their government and staging a show of opposition. Apparently, one of the few things that can convince them to risk the repercussions is the recent Roblox ban. According to Reuters:
In Tomsk, 2,900 km (1,800 miles) east of Moscow, several dozen people braved the snow to hold up hand-drawn placards reading “Hands off Roblox” and “Roblox is the victim of the digital Iron Curtain” in Vladimir Vysotsky Park, according to photographs provided by an organiser of the protest.
“Bans and blocks are all you are able to do,” read one placard. The photographs showed about 25 people standing in a circle in the snow, holding up placards.
The ROG Strix XG27 JCG (such a catchy name) can switch between 5K (5,120 x 2,880) at 180Hz for detailed AAA games, or QHD at 330Hz for e-sports speed. It’s an IPS display, not OLED, but it does support DisplayHDR 600 and Dynamic Shadow Boost. With CES just around the corner, we’re sure this won’t be the only 5K dual-mode gaming monitor for long.
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The sample-focused DAW gets an MPC-like hands-on interface.
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Posha uses AI and a motorized arm to cook your dinner autonomously. It’s impressive but expensive, and raises all the usual concerns about connected kitchen appliances.
A curated mix of tech-y standouts, everyday favorites, and other delights for everyone on your list.
Price hikes related to the memory shortage aren’t just coming for PC gamers; smartphones, laptops, and storage drives could soon get increases, too.
I love my Noctua fans as much as the next PC nerd, but I’ve never quite understood the obsession with their colors. Nonetheless! If you want matching shrouds, cases, and more, Prusa now sells exact color-matched filament in Noctua Brown and Noctua Beige for the same price as its other colors.
This China-only Android phone is the first to include the feature, along with just about every other type of cooling tech, including fans, a heatsink, and a vapor chamber, all topped by the blue liquid cooling system.
According to iFixit, however, all that cooling didn’t make up for the RedMagic 11 Pro’s limited repair options.
It’s kinda like a pair of chunky sunglasses that runs Android apps.
Bi Gan, the director of Resurrection, talks about the purpose and power of the long, unbroken tracking shot.
In a blog post, the nonprofit says it has “significant reservations” about systems that require AI companies to pay to train on their content, stating that they “could become new concentrations of power, with the ability to dictate how we experience the web.”
Despite its concerns, the Creative Commons recently partnered with the RSL Collective to allow creators to collect “contributions” from AI companies, as it aims to “infuse concepts of reciprocity in standards that are ready for adoption.”
Free, ad-supported streamer Tubi is now compatible with Matter Casting, making it the first app other than Prime Video to adopt the standard, which is currently only available on Amazon Fire TV devices.
Will you use it? Maybe not, but at least it’s an option, unlike Netflix.
[TubiTV Corporate]
The Beatles drummer pops into the corner of a livestream titled “Airport Gamble Sesh” and asks the streamer if he’s “on the radio.” At one point, Starr gets right up to the camera, apparently trying to make sense of whatever is happening on the stream. The streamer seems to have zero idea who Ringo is while viewers try to tell him in the chat. Starr pretty quickly leaves the area because the streamer keeps coughing and seems to be sick.
“Beatle Ringo?” the streamer asks while reading a comment. “Who is that?”
The tool, which lets you have voice conversations in AI Mode in the Google app, now uses Google’s newest Gemini model for native audio, which means that responses are “more fluid and expressive than ever before,” the company says. You can hear an example in this video.
Cutting-edge research shows language is not the same as intelligence. AI companies are ignoring it.
New seasons of Hijack, The Last Thing He Told Me, Shrinking, and Monarch are all on the docket as well as the debut of the film Eternity. Personally, I’m anticipating Hijack the most; the first season was so dumb but also was way more gripping than I expected.
The outlet’s standards editor called errors within the personalized AI podcasts “frustrating” as staffers report that the feature is “misattributing or inventing quotes” and “inserting commentary,” according to Semafor. The Washington Post launched AI podcasts earlier this week, offering users two AI hosts that discuss top stories tailored to reading habits.
