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During a Senate hearing, FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that his agency has bought information that could be used to track individuals' movement and location. We do purchase commercially available information thats consistent with the Constitution and the laws under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, and it has led to some valuable intelligence for us, he said. Law enforcement is required to obtain a warrant in order to get location data from cell service providers following the Carpe
The Information reported that an AI agent within Meta took unauthorized action that led to an employee creating a security breach at the social company last week. According to the publication, an employee used an in-house agentic AI to analyze a query from a second employee on an internal forum. The AI agent posted a response to the second employee with advice even though the first person did not direct it to do so. The second employee took the agent's recommended action, sparking a domino effec
Google and cybersecurity companies Lookout and iVerify have detailed a new hacking technique that potentially puts a significant portion of iPhone users in danger, just by visiting the wrong web page. The hack is called DarkSword and since it specifically targets several different versions of iOS 18, it could affect close to a quarter of iPhones, Wired writes. DarkSword is a fileless hack that leverages a collection of exploits to access sensitive data when an iPhone visits an infected website.
The White House has been promising a set of national rules to guide artificial intelligence since late last year, and today Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) fired the first volley. The senator shared a discussion draft for codifying the executive order signed by President Donald Trump in December calling for an AI bill. Her stated goal is a policy that protects children, creators, conservatives and communities from harm. Blackburn has called for tougher policies for AI safety, and one of the core
A recent change in how the US Postal Service handles shipping partners appears to have forced Amazon to make alternative plans. The company reportedly plans to cut the number of packages it ships through USPS by at least two-thirds later this year. It says the decision came after USPS ended negotiations at the eleventh hour in favor of a new bidding process. On Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Amazon plans to reduce the shipments it hands off to USPS. Last year, the company account
Update, 4:05PM ET: A few hours after this story was published, Google reached out to retract the news. The company provided Engadget with the following statement: Search Live has not rolled out globally to all users. It remains available in the US and India, with testing currently underway in additional markets. We apologize for the earlier miscommunication. Given that the company says it is testing in more markets, it seems entirely possible that the global Search Live release will happen soone
NASA and ESA have released new images from the Hubble Space Telescope of a comet breaking up as it exits the solar system, captured as part of study recently published in the journal Icarus . The images are notable not only because they offer a more detailed view of the inside of a comet, which could offer new information about the early days of the universe, but also because they were taken by accident. Photographing K1, or Comet C/2025 K1 as it's officially known, wasn't the original intention
Perplexity's Comet AI browser is now available as a standalone app for iPhone users. The tool initially debuted last summer on PCs, but cost $200 a month . The new app is free, as is the recently-released Android version . Comet is an AI-powered browser, which has become a hot product category throughout the past year or so . This is basically a web browser combined with a chatbot that can perform some tasks on a user's behalf. Like related tools, people can ask it to summarize a webpage or cond
Chalk up a win for creative artists against AI companies. On Wednesday, the UK government abandoned its previous position on copyrighted works. Its currently working on a data bill that, if unaltered, would have allowed AI companies like Google and OpenAI to train models on copyrighted materials without consent. Artists and other copyright holders would only have been offered a mere opt-out clause. After significant backlash , the UK backed off from that position. We have listened, Technology Se
Microsoft is rolling out a number of Xbox Series X|S updates to those on its Xbox Insiders program, and one of them has been requested by the community for years. Youll soon be able to disable the Quick Resume feature for specific games, meaning they'll boot up fresh each time you launch them. As a reminder, Quick Resume is a feature that Microsoft introduced with its current generation of consoles. It lets you suspend a number of games simultaneously so theyre running in the background even whe
Double Fine is following up on Keeper one of our favorite games of 2025 with Kiln , a multiplayer online pottery party brawler. The game was showcased during Xboxs Developer Direct stream in January and now it has a release date. Its coming to Xbox Series X/S, Xbox on PC, Xbox Cloud, PlayStation 5 and Steam on April 23. Xbox said Kiln will be Handheld Optimized from the jump. In Kiln , you'll use a virtual pottery wheel to shape a piece of clay into a vessel and then decorate it. The size and
We just got our first trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day , the next big Marvel film. This is the fourth installment led by Tom Holland and follows the multiversal shenanigans of Spider-Man: No Way Home . I'm about to get into some spoilers, for those still working through the MCU catalog. No Way Home ended with the entire world forgetting about the existence of Peter Parker, so this new movie will deal with the fallout from that. His whole support system is gone, though it looks like he still
Stop me if you've heard this before: Meta has a new program to lure top creator talent to Facebook and it comes with hefty bonus payments. The company is launching a new initiative aimed at popular creators who already have large followings on TikTok, YouTube or Instagram and offering them bonuses up to $3,000 a month just for posting on Facebook. Meta's goal is to draw more top talent to its Content Monetization program, which pays creators based on views and other engagement metrics across Sto
After rolling out Search Live to all US Google app users last September , Google is now bringing the feature to every place where it offers its AI Mode chatbot. Search Live, if you need a reminder, allows you to point your phone's camera at an object or scene and ask questions about what you see in front of you. Google debuted the tool at I/O 2025 before it began rolling it out to users. With today's expansion, Search Live is available in more than 200 countries and territories. What's more, Goo
Ever since making the jump to the Nintendo Switch, there's something that's bugged me about practically every modern Pokmon game, a feeling that has only intensified after spending countless hours in Pokopia . For titles based in big, open worlds and filled with adorable polygonal characters and lovely music, why is nearly every pokmon still saddled with a call that sounds like a dial-up internet connection? As someone who played Pokmon Red and Blue at launch, I'm very aware that the origin of t
After letting us drive a prototype around in the snow earlier this month, BMW has fully unveiled its all-new i3 electric vehicle. It's a far cry from the original funky hatch launched way back in 2013, offering more of everything including power, range and space. It also looks like you'd hope a 3-series EV would: a sporty sedan, minus the polarizing grille on the gas-powered M3. The i3 uses BMW's Neue Klasse platform and indeed borrows inspiration from the company's Vision Neue Klasse concept un
The Pentagon is making plans to have AI companies train versions of their models specifically for military use on classified information, according to the MIT Technology Review . If true, it wouldnt come as a surprise, seeing as the US is aiming to become an AI-first warfighting force, based on the statement [PDF] released by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth earlier this year. The department is already using AI models in the military: For instance, the US reportedly used Anthropics Claude to he
There was once a time in which many people couldn't wait to toss their smartphone aside every two years (and sometimes even more frequently) in order to get the latest model as soon as it hit shelves. But that world has faded for the most part now as shoppers demand devices that last for years so they can hold on to them for longer. And when the time finally comes to upgrade, many are being more conscientious about what happens to their old gadgets. You may want to trade in your smartphone or se
Its hard for most people to justify spending $3,299 on a monitor, but creative pros will gladly do so if it makes their jobs easier. Apples 27-inch 5K Studio Display XDR is aimed straight at those folks and it costs considerably less than the companys previous high-end monitor, the 6K Pro Display XDR . Thanks to the Mini LED IPS panel, the Studio Display XDR has higher brightness and color accuracy than nearly any other monitor on the market. It also has tech that boosts contrast to outperform s
MindsEye developer Build a Rocket Boy (BARB) has gone through serious drama recently including layoffs and accusations of sabotage . Now, the company is parting ways with its MindsEye co-publisher IOI Partners (the company behind Hitman publisher IO Interactive) and assuming sole publishing responsibilities going forward. It also means that a planned MindsEye and Hitman collaboration will be cancelled, the companies announced in a press release . IOI Partners involvement with MindsEye comes to a
The Department of Defense said giving Anthropic continued access to its warfighting infrastructure would introduce unacceptable risk to its supply chains in a court filing submitted in response to the AI companys lawsuit. If youll recall, Anthropic sued the government to challenge the supply chain risk designation it received for refusing to allow its model to be used for mass surveillance and the development of autonomous weapons. In its filing, the department explained that its secretary, Pete
Subnautica 2 has weathered the storm and has rescheduled its early access release. IGN reported today that the sequel to the underwater survival game will begin early access on PC and Xbox in May, although a more specific date was not provided. The news comes a day after a judge ruled that former Unknown Worlds Entertainment CEO Ted Gill should be rehired at the game studio. That decision capped off a dramatic year for the team behind Subnautica , which was acquired by Krafton in 2021. The studi
Horizon Worlds, Meta's first pass at a metaverse, will be inaccessible via virtual reality headset after June 15, 2026. The company shared plans to separate Horizon Worlds from Quest VR platform and focus exclusively on the smartphone version of the app in February, and now in a new post on its community forums, Meta detailed when the VR version of Horizon Worlds will be deprecated. By March 31, Meta says individual Horizon Worlds and Events will no longer be listed in the Quest's Store and head
Apple has started providing small security updates to iOS, iPadOS and macOS devices. These are dubbed Background Security Improvements that will offer minor system updates between the larger software updates. According to the company, these are meant to deliver lightweight security releases for components such as the Safari browser, WebKit framework stack, and other system libraries that benefit from smaller, ongoing security patches between software updates. These updates should download in the
What a short, strange journey it's been for FBC: Firebreak ; Remedy announced that the final update for the online multiplayer game is available today. But while this Open House update will be the end of new content, the studio said it plans to keep the game available. FBC: Firebreak will stay online and continue to be playable for years to come, Remedy said. We have done engineering work to ensure we can sustain the upkeep of the relay servers when the player volume is lower. Remedy has won lo
Spotify is introducing a way for subscribers to get bit-perfect playback of songs if they listen on Windows. The company's newly announced Exclusive Mode gives the music streaming app complete control of audio processing on your PC so you can listen to songs exactly as they were mastered. Without Exclusive Mode turned on, your computer may alter audio before it reaches your DAC by resampling it, mixing other system sounds in, and changing the volume, Spotify writes. With the mode enabled, all ot
It's only been two years since Dune: Part Two took over multiplexes, but we already have a trailer for the third installment. The appropriately-named Dune: Part Three is an adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune Messiah book from 1969. Just like the book, the latest film takes place a number of years after Dune: Part Two . If the first movie was contemplation, a boy exploring a new world, and the second one is a war movie, this one is a thriller, according to The Hollywood Reporter . It is action-pa
Kalshi has been sued by Arizona's attorney general for operating an illegal gambling business in the state and unlawfully allowing people to place bets on elections. Kalshi may brand itself as a 'prediction market,' but what it's actually doing is running an illegal gambling operation and taking bets on Arizona elections, both of which violate Arizona law, the state's Attorney General Kris Mayes said . The company defines itself as a prediction markets platform, where users make bets on the outc
Now that Epic Games and Google have made up or at least found a way to resolve their long-running disputes everyone with a compatible Android device can get back to the business of playing Fortnite . The game will return to the Play Store globally on March 19, the same day that the next Fortnite season goes live. It previously dropped back onto the Play Store in the US in December. Google pulled Fortnite from the Play Store back in 2020 after Epic tried to bypass the 30 percent cut of all in-a
FIFA is turning to streaming platforms to maximize its return on the 2026 World Cup. Two months after announcing a Preferred Platform partnership with TikTok , the organization has now struck a similar deal with YouTube. Broadcasting rights are FIFAs largest revenue stream for the tournament and media companies pay top dollar for that access. So, deals like this with streaming platforms help sweeten the package for broadcasters looking to boost their reach. What does that look like for those wa
When OpenAI released GPT-5.4 at the start of March , the company said the new model was designed primarily for professional work like programming and data analysis. Now OpenAI is launching GPT-5.4 mini and nano, and while it is once again highlighting the usefulness of these new systems for tasks like coding, one of the new models is available to Free and Go users . What's more, that model, GPT-5.4 mini, even offers performance that approaches GPT-5.4 in a handful of areas. As a Free or Go user,
We might not have had a proper Nintendo Direct in 2026 yet, but there have been plenty of Switch and Switch 2-related announcements in the last few weeks, including a release date for the Yoshi and the Mysterious Book , a surprise port of Kena: Bridge of Spirits and the final trailer for the imminent The Super Mario Galaxy Movie . But if youre a Switch 2 owner who prefers to play your library of games in handheld mode, Nintendos latest announcement might be the one that interests you most. The
There's an official WhatsApp app for select Garmin smartwatches . It's available for free right now in the Garmin Connect IQ Store. WhatsApp is primarily a chat platform, so this new app allows users to read and reply to messages, send emojis and peruse the chat history. The app also lets users accept or decline incoming calls arriving from the platform, all without having to break out the smartphone. This is WhatsApp, so messages are end-to-end encrypted. As previously mentioned, it's not avail
Starfield is officially coming to PS5 , with a launch date set for April 7. Preorders are open right now for both the digital and physical versions. It's long been rumored that Bethesda's sci-fi RPG would be going multiplatform and, well, here we are. The PS5 version will tap into the DualSense controller's capabilities with adaptive triggers that work differently depending on the weapon you're using. The light bar will offer an indication of your character and ship health (if you ever look at i
Microsoft has revealed the second wave of Game Pass additions for March. Disco Elysium and Resident Evil 7: Biohazard headline the 12-title batch, and several games previously exclusive to the Ultimate tier are also expanding to Premium. DreamWorks Gabby's Dollhouse: Ready to Party kicks off the wave on March 17. South of Midnight , the action-adventure from Xbox studio Compulsion Games, and The Alters both arrive on March 18 on the Premium tier after being Ultimate-only. The Alters , from Frost
At the start of the year, Google introduced Personal Intelligence , a Gemini feature that allows the chatbot to pull information from the user's other Google apps and services to generate personalized responses. After making the feature first available to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers, the company is expanding availability to more users in the US. Google is kicking off the expansion with AI Mode. Starting today, anyone in the US can enable Personal Intelligence inside of the company's dedi
Its time to lock in those brackets. The 2026 NCAA basketball tournaments, affectionately known as March Madness , begin this week. In fact, some of the action on the mens side starts tonight. Both the mens and womens tournaments are available to stream through various apps and services, but navigating the web of broadcasters and TV channels can be confusing. Weve broken down when all the games are happening, where to watch and the best options for saving some cash doing so. What does March Madne
Amazon just launched one-hour and three-hour delivery options in many cities and towns throughout the US. As a matter of fact, the company says three-hour delivery windows are already available in over 2,000 locations, while one-hour windows have launched in hundreds of cities. You can check to see if your area is covered by clicking right here . Just like same-day and next-day delivery, this doesn't cover every available item. Amazon boasts that over 90,000 products are ready for fast, reliable
You can sum up the gamer response to NVIDIA's DLSS 5 announcement with the ever-relevant Fallout 4 meme: Everyone disliked that. Across social media and Reddit last night, I couldn't find anyone who's genuinely positive about the potential for DLSS 5, which uses AI to add photorealistic lighting and materials to in-game models and environments. Instead, it's mostly complaints about the feature being another avenue for AI slop. And you know what? I agree. It's not unusual to see gamers being refl
Sony is rolling out a firmware update for its PlayStation Portal handheld that introduces a new quality option for both Remote Play and Cloud Streaming. Choosing the 1080p High Quality mode means that youll be able to stream games at a higher bitrate compared with the 1080p Standard option. You can switch to this mode by going to Quick Menu > Max Resolution and picking 1080p High Quality while youre playing a game. Youll need to restart your game session for the change to take effect. Naturally,
Apple and Nike are at it again. But this time, their collaboration doesn't involve Apple Watch bands or a shoe-tracking iPod . Instead, the companies are launching a new color option for Beats' fitness-focused earphones. Meet the Powerbeats Pro 2 - Nike Special Edition. This isn't just a new colorway, Beats CMI Chris Thorne wrote in a press release. It's a collision of two brands that dene performance, culture and sports the attributes of today's athlete. Okay, cool, but marketing-speak aside,
Oppo is back with another high-spec foldable phone you may never see outside a tech journalist's hands. The Find N6 is its new, sub-9mm device that is headed to Asian markets and, for now, not many other places. That means no US or European availability. So why write about it? With its build quality, hardware specs and camera array, not only is it a very good phone, but it's also proof that another device maker can go toe-to-toe with Samsungs dominance in flagship foldable phones. Hardware Image
Last year, Dell came this close to abdicating its throne as the maker of the best premium Windows laptops when it announced it was killing off the XPS brand . Thankfully, the company regained its wits, admitted its mistake and doubled down on its flagship notebook line by revealing a full redesign for 2026 with super sleek builds, improved performance and helpful tweaks to nearly everything else we loved about its predecessors. The one blemish to Dell's crown jewel is some keyboard issues on ear
Smart home company Aqara has launched what it says is the first camera certified for Matter , the open source standard that enables interoperability across brands, like Google and Amazon. The Aqara G350 is an indoor security cam that also functions as a Zigbee and Matter hub in the Aqara Home app, which means the camera will enable you to control various devices across smart home protocols from different brands within one location. The camera itself comes with a 4K wide-angle and a 2.5K telephot
Replacing a smartphone every two years is partially why billions of phones go into landfills each year. If stacked flat atop one another, that many handsets would reach farther than the ISS . But weve become accustomed to that 24-month time frame because wireless carriers often push an upgrade on biennial contracts, and many smaller phone makers only offer software support for two years. But now, with longer software commitments from major manufacturers, along with growing right-to-repair legisl
Marshall is launching a smaller companion for its highly rated Bromley 750 party speaker . The new Bromley 450 retains the larger models guitar-amp motif but comes in a petite, less expensive package. The Bromley 450 carries over its larger siblings 360-degree audio trickery. Like equivalents from other companies , Marshalls True Stereophonic 360-degree sound fools your brain into perceiving more directionality than its form factor allows. Lighting effects (inspired by 70s stage shows) also carr
After ByteDance suspended the global rollout of its new Seedance 2.0 AI video generator on the weekend, US senators have now told the company to immediately shut down the app. Seedance 2.0 poses a direct threat to the American intellectual property system and, more broadly, to the constitutional rights and economic livelihoods of our creative community, Senators Marsha Blackburn and Peter Welch wrote in a letter to the company . The letter reflects an increasing worry in government about AI comp
You may have a little Apple fatigue after last week's barrage of Macs, iPhones and iPads. The company wasn't done, however. Surprise! Here is an updated pair of AirPods Max . It's a predictable surprise, perhaps, but one I wasn't expecting after so many other new devices. It's also the first true update. The AirPods Max 2 look identical to their predecessor, but now have an H2 chip. First, the AirPods Pro 2 improve noise cancellation by 50 percent and add support for Adaptive Audio and Live Tran
Denon is addressing an omission in its current turntable lineup: Bluetooth streaming. With the new DP-500BT, the company combines refined design, analog sound and high-resolution wireless connectivity. With its semi-automatic operation and switchable phono preamp, this model has the features to suit beginners and experienced vinyl listeners alike. The DP-500BT has a belt drive system, a balanced S-shaped tonearm and an aluminum die cast platter. Theres also a pre-installed moving magnet (MM) car
There are many E Ink tablets out there , but most of them are basically digital notebooks. They are great for reading and handwriting notes, but not so great for doing all of that regular tablet stuff like checking emails and doomscrolling. Boox, however, has released a number of E Ink tablets that can access the Google Play Store , opening up users to the wide world of traditional smartphone apps. The company's latest product is a refresh of the Go 10.3 tablet, called the Go 10.3 Lumi. This int

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