Tech / Product News & Reviews

  1. Oregon governor signs nation’s first right-to-repair bill that bans parts pairing

    Starting in 2025, devices can't block repair parts with software pairing checks.

  2. Intel, Microsoft discuss plans to run Copilot locally on PCs instead of in the cloud

    Companies are trying to make the "AI PC" happen with new silicon and software.

  3. Google’s Pixel 9 might have three models, adding a small “Pro” phone

    A 6.8-inch "Pixel 9 Pro XL," 6.1-inch "Pixel 9 Pro," and a "Pixel 9" at 6.0 inches.

  4. Explaining why your keyboard feels so darn good—or way too mushy

    Ars Technica's guide to keyboards: Mechanical, membrane, and buckling springs.

  5. WWDC 2024 starts on June 10 with announcements about iOS 18 and beyond

    Speculation is rampant that Apple will make its first big moves in generative AI.

  6. Chrome launches native build for Arm-powered Windows laptops

    When the big Windows-on-Arm relaunch happens in mid-2024, Chrome will be ready.

  7. Flying coach? At least you’ll be able to watch movies on an in-seat OLED TV soon

    Who needs legroom when you have 8.3 million individually emissive pixels?

  8. Mozilla’s privacy service drops a provider with ties to people-search sites

    Owner of Onerep removal service launched "dozens of people-search services."

  9. macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 released to fix the stuff that the 14.4 update broke

    The 14.4 release introduced a number of problems the new update claims to fix.

  10. Where’d my results go? Google Search’s chatbot is no longer opt-in

    The search chatbot used to be opt-in, but now Google will try it on normal users.

  11. “Temporary” disk formatting UI from 1994 still lives on in Windows 11

    "It wasn't elegant, but it would do until the elegant UI arrived." It never did.

  12. Samsung users ask, “Why does the S-Pen smell so bad?“

    Apparently the "Ultra" phone's S-Pen often smells like burning plastic.

  1. Windows Notepad’s midlife renaissance continues with spellcheck and autocorrect

    Now Windows' only built-in text editor, there's more room for Notepad to grow.

  2. Android 15 gets satellite messaging, starts foldable cover app support

    Google still isn't letting Play Store apps use RCS, though.

  3. AMD promises big upscaling improvements and a future-proof API in FSR 3.1

    API should help more games get future FSR improvements without a game update.

  4. Microsoft debuts major Surface overhauls that regular people can’t buy

    Not the first business-exclusive Surfaces, but they're the most significant.

  5. Vernor Vinge, father of the tech singularity, has died at age 79

    Vinge won multiple Hugo awards and created a sci-fi concept that drives AI researchers.

  6. Google reshapes Fitbit in its image as users allege “planned obsolescence”

    Generative AI may not be enough to appease frustrated customers.

  7. Pixel 8a rumors list 120 Hz display, DisplayPort compatibility

    A better screen, better SoC, and maybe a higher price.

  8. Formula 1 chief appalled to find team using Excel to manage 20,000 car parts

    Williams team leader may only be shocked because he hasn't worked IT.

  9. Entirely accurate 3D-printed Mac Plus built in these 29 painstaking steps

    What could have been a dozen separate videos is instead one 48-minute marvel.

  10. YouTube will require disclosure of AI-manipulated videos from creators

    YouTube wants "realistic" likenesses or audio fabrications to be labeled.

  11. Office 2024 will be the next standalone release, as the Office brand lives on

    Consumer prices stay the same; MS promises at least one more standalone release.

  12. Google’s phone app no longer searches Google Maps

    Google's search-infused phone app was touted as a major feature a few years ago.

  1. USB hubs, printers, Java, and more seemingly broken by macOS 14.4 update

    Issues seem to be related to security fixes made in Apple's latest OS.

  2. Qualcomm’s “Snapdragon 8s Gen 3” cuts down the company’s flagship SoC

    The "s" moniker doesn't make it better than the old 8 Gen 3 chip.

  3. Once “too scary” to release, GPT-2 gets squeezed into an Excel spreadsheet

    OpenAI's GPT-2 running locally in Microsoft Excel teaches the basics of how LLMs work.

  4. Google says Chrome’s new real-time URL scanner won’t invade your privacy

    Google says URL hashes and a third-party relay server will keep it out of your history.

  5. Walmart resurrects the M1 MacBook Air as an entry-level $699 laptop

    Price undercuts Apple's own refurbished pricing for the M1 Air.

  6. Intel’s 6.2 GHz Core i9-14900KS is a reminder of why the MHz wars ended

    An impractical bragging-rights CPU tops Intel's 14th-gen desktop lineup.

  7. The Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra abandons the small-phone market

    The Zenfone 10 was a unique 5.9-inch phone; this year's Zenfone is more generic.

  8. Unreleased preview of Microsoft’s OS/2 2.0 is a glimpse down a road not taken

    Microsoft's involvement in IBM's OS/2 project ended before v2.0 was released.

  9. Google’s Gemini AI now refuses to answer election questions

    Gemini is opting out of election-related responses entirely for 2024.

  10. Raspberry Pi-powered AI bike light detects cars, alerts bikers to bad drivers

    Data from multiple Copilot devices could be used for road safety improvements.

  11. Abysmal revenue stats of 30K mobile apps show why devs keep pushing for subs

    New apps reportedly make median monthly revenue of less than $50.

  12. The 2024 Moto G Power packs wireless charging, 8GB RAM in a $300 phone

    The 2024 Moto G starts arriving at the end of March at most budget carriers.