Mistral is reportedly in talks to raise $1B
French AI startup Mistral is in talks to raise up to $1 billion in equity from investors including Abu Dhabi’s MGX fund, reports Bloomberg.
Tech
Zoom’s new Meta Quest app encourages taking video calls in VR
Zoom has rolled out a standalone app for Meta Quest headsets. With the app, you can join or host meetings in virtual reality while appearing as your Meta Avatar. Zoom launched an app for the Quest in 2023, but it was only available through Meta’s Horizon Workspaces app, and users could also only host a […]
Activision took down Call of Duty game after PC players hacked, says source
Activision last week brought offline the Microsoft Store version of “Call of Duty: WWII” as the company was investigating “reports of an issue.”
Jack Dorsey made an encrypted Bluetooth messaging app
Twitter co-founder and Block Head Jack Dorsey launched a new peer-to-peer messaging app over the weekend called Bitchat that runs entirely over Bluetooth. Bitchat relies on Bluetooth Low Energy mesh networks to send encrypted communications directly to nearby devices without requiring internet or cellular service. “Bitchat addresses the need for resilient, private communication that doesn’t […]
The best Prime Day smart home deals we found
Prime Day is one of the best times of the year to stock up on smart home gear. With big price drops on all of Amazon’s many smart home brands, from Blink and Ring to Echo speakers and Eero Wi-Fi routers, plus a ton of other manufacturers getting in on the action, making your smart […]
How to watch Samsung’s foldable-filled Unpacked event
Samsung is preparing to parade the latest Galaxy-branded foldables, wearables, and perhaps some other surprises at its summer Unpacked event tomorrow, July 9th. The show is expected to cap off months of leaks around the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 phones, as well as the lightly redesigned Galaxy Watch 8 series […]
How The New York Times is (still) getting gamed by the right
Lately, it has been difficult to ignore a tendency at The New York Times to make astonishingly bad news judgments. The paper’s obsession with a view from nowhere is long-standing, but as Republicans increasingly circulate insane conspiracy theories and racist nonsense, the cult of centrism has taken a self-destructive turn. The most recent – and […]
OneText raises $4.5M from Y Combinator, Khosla to reinvent shopping by text
The typical online checkout experience has become bloated with friction. And while more companies are building solutions around online checkout, few are rethinking it from scratch. One such company is OneText, which is building what it calls a “text-to-buy network,” that lets shoppers complete purchases via text message. The company, founded by former PayPal employees, […]
In a blow to Google Cloud, Replit partners with Microsoft
Replit is one of the breakout stars of the vibe coding world. This partnership is a good deal for both companies.