Apple nears deal to pay Google $1B annually to power new Siri, report says
Apple is turning to Google’s technology to help revamp Siri and power a slate of upcoming features for the voice assistant.
Tech
The keyboard of choice for modular synth nerds gets a proper sequel after 10 years
If you’ve ever watched a synth video on YouTube, there’s a decent chance you’ve seen the Arturia KeyStep at some point. The affordable keyboard and controller has been a steady presence since its release in January of 2016, especially in DAWless circles. Now Arturia is finally releasing a proper successor, the KeyStep mk2, and on […]
Baseball broke containment during the World Series
With the swing of a bat, another October came and went for those of us who love baseball. As languid and habitual as the rest of the season can feel, October baseball at its best is pure chaos: Night after night, there’s a promise of something new, that you might see something that’s never happened […]
Apple is planning to use a custom version of Google Gemini for Apple Intelligence
Apple is preparing to power its AI-upgraded Siri with a custom version of Google’s Gemini AI model, according to a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The iPhone maker will reportedly pay Google around $1 billion annually to gain access to the technology, which will generate summaries and perform planning-related tasks. As noted by Bloomberg, Apple […]
The nostalgia and surprise of returning to Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Last week, Nintendo surprised everybody with an announcement: Over four years after its “last major free content update,” Animal Crossing: New Horizons is getting a Switch 2 upgrade and a free update for all players. It’s not often that an incredibly popular game goes years between updates, but since when has anyone been able to […]
8BitDo’s latest wireless controllers can now shake-to-wake the Switch 2
Third-party controller makers that have figured out how to wirelessly wake the Switch 2 from its standby mode are generally loud and proud about that feature. That’s because there still aren’t many controllers that can mimic one of the $89.99 Switch 2 Pro’s biggest selling points, which is letting owners turn the console on from […]
Pinterest CEO touts open source AI: ‘tremendous performance’ with reduced costs
Pinterest CEO Bill Ready says open source AI is offering cost savings to the company, particularly in visual search.
Lina Khan to co-chair NYC mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s transition team
Khan’s appointment sends a message to the tech industry, whose most powerful players have already been critical of Mamdani, a Democratic socialist.
Millions to receive free electricity in 2026 thanks to Australia’s solar boom
Australia now has so much solar power that the government will require utilities to sell customers free electricity for three hours per day.
Amazon’s grocery store dreams are reshaping Whole Foods
Amazon built a portal to Kraft Mac & Cheese, Goldfish crackers, and Nestlé Drumsticks inside one of its Whole Foods stores — and it plans to do the same at others. In a blog post on Wednesday, Amazon details a Whole Foods concept store in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, where shoppers can order grocery items from […]