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Everything Unpacked

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Richard Lawler
The second Android 17 beta is out now for Google Pixel.

Google is testing the second Android 17 beta on compatible Pixel devices in line with its accelerated release timeline. The release notes say it adds desktop window-like app bubbles so users “can organize, move between, and move bubbles to and from anchored points on the screen,” although testers report they haven’t seen them working yet.

There are also cross-device app handoffs, which can work with a web app even if it isn’t installed on the second device.

Screenshot showing Google Calendar opened in a small window over Gmail on an Android device.
Google Calendar opened in an “app bubble” window on Android 17.
Image: Google
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Stevie Bonifield
Google Translate is using Gemini AI to offer alternative translations based on context.

In December, Google Translate started using Gemini AI to improve translations for colloquial phrases and idioms that might not make sense in other languages, and now the Translate app also offers alternative phrasings on iOS or Android.

Users can also ask the AI for more context with new “Understand” and “Ask” buttons.

A screenshot of Google Translate with a new “show alternatives” button.
Image: Google
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Quote
Richard Lawler
Warner Bros. says Paramount’s latest offer is superior to its current deal with Netflix.

A four-day clock for Netflix to respond just started, but here are the details of the offer that include a starting price of $31 per share and other assurances, like:

“…a $7 billion regulatory termination fee payable by PSKY in the event the transaction does not close due to regulatory matters, payment by PSKY of the $2.8 billion termination fee that WBD would be required to pay to Netflix to terminate the existing Netflix merger agreement, an obligation of Larry J. Ellison and an associated trust to contribute additional equity funding”

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External Link
Jay Peters
What happened with Highguard.

Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier published a big piece about Highguard’s development and what took place after the game flopped at launch. Following Wildlight Entertainment’s layoffs earlier this month, less than 20 people are still at the studio, Schreier reports.

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External Link
Stevie Bonifield
Two new compact PCs for using Windows from the cloud.

The Asus NUC 16 and Dell Pro Desktop for Windows 365, both arriving in Q3 2026, are the latest “Cloud PCs” from Microsoft, following the Windows 365 Link from 2024. They’re designed for businesses accessing Windows from the cloud with added security features like a “small, locked-down operating system” called Windows CPC.

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Youtube
Jay Peters
A look back at Stardew Valley.

To celebrate the game’s 10th anniversary, creator Eric Barone, aka ConcernedApe, posted a fascinating retrospective video. He also revealed two new marriage candidates in the upcoming 1.7 patch: Clint and Sandy.

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Terrence O'Brien
Qobuz is automatically detecting and labeling AI music now, too.

Deezer started labeling AI content last year. Now Qobuz is doing the same. It’s also enacting an AI charter promising “The heart of Qobuz is and will remain human,” saying curation and editorial won’t be AI-driven. It stopped short of banning AI content, which some customers have been asking for.

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Stevie Bonifield
Walmart is paying $100 million to settle a lawsuit for deceiving its Spark delivery service drivers.

The FTC and 11 states accused Walmart of showing “drivers in its Spark Driver delivery program inflated base pay and tip amounts,” resulting in millions of dollars of lost earnings. Walmart also allegedly deceived customers by claiming that 100 percent of tips went to drivers.

The settlement also requires Walmart to implement an earnings verification program for drivers, as well as other changes. A separate lawsuit from the CFPB over driver bank accounts was dropped last year in the first weeks of the Trump administration.

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Jay Peters
“DM me.”

As part of a test on Threads, when you type “DM me” or “message me” in a post or reply, those words will turn into a link that people can tap to start a DM conversation.

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Youtube
Jay Peters
Want to try the new God of War roguelike mode?

Input this twist on a familiar code to unlock it early in the recently-released Sons of Sparta: Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, L1, R1, touchpad.

Looks fun; I really liked the roguelike mode in God of War Ragnarök.

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Youtube
Terrence O'Brien
The Avalanches built a synthesizer from e-waste.

Australian mobile carrier Telstra launched Second Life Sounds to raise awareness of the discarded electronics in landfills and collecting dust. I don’t know how much of an impact this box of repurposed mobile phones, game consoles, and old cables is going to have, but it’s a good reminder to revisit Since I Left You.

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External Link
Stevie Bonifield
eBay is laying off six percent of its staff just a week after acquiring Depop.

Around 800 jobs will be cut as eBay says it’s “taking steps to reinvest across our business and align our structure with our strategic priorities,” CNBC reports, after eBay purchased the secondhand clothing marketplace Depop for $1.2 billion earlier this month to attract more Gen Z customers.

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Dominic Preston
If you like piña coladas, and protein macro gains.

Then you’ll be pleased to know that Beyond Meat’s protein soda now comes in four new flavors. You can now buy a 12-pack with piña colada, cherry berry, cucumber grapefruit, and strawberry lemonade, still with your choice of 10g or 20g of protein.

Beyond Immerse soda in a range of new flavors
Beyond says the new flavors are only available for a limited time.
Image: Beyond Meat
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Andrew Webster
Take me down to the Star City.

With season 5 of For All Mankind streaming next month, Apple’s showing off a first look at its upcoming spinoff. Star City is shown from the Soviet Union’s perspective as it becomes the first country on the moon, offering an alternate view of this alternate history. It starts streaming on May 29th.

A still photo from the Apple TV series Star City.
A still photo from the Apple TV series Star City.
A still photo from the Apple TV series Star City.
A still photo from the Apple TV series Star City.
A still photo from the Apple TV series Star City.
A still photo from the Apple TV series Star City.
A still photo from the Apple TV series Star City.
A still photo from the Apple TV series Star City.
1/8Image: Apple
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Twitter
Richard Lawler
Tim Cook teases new Apple launches starting Monday morning.

Rumors of an Apple product launch event next week look confirmed, now that Tim Cook is posting about a “big week ahead,” with a short video clip of someone swiping around Apple’s logo. So, new MacBook Pros, probably some new iPads, and maybe the rumored iPhone 17e?

We’ll find out soon.

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External Link
Tina Nguyen
The Pentagon is making moves.

In what appears to be preparations to fully blacklist Anthropic for not budging on their acceptable use policies, the Defense Department has begun reaching out to contractors to assess their exposure to the AI company’s products. Boeing and Lockheed Martin, two of the biggest companies in the defense space, have reportedly been contacted.

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