YouTube just released some new stats that show how the service is being consumed on televisions, and the numbers are enormous. Watch time on TV for sports content was up 30 percent year over year; viewers watched more than 400 million hours of podcasts on their TVs every month. This is YouTube we’re talking about, though, so of course the …
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iOS 18.2 is out now, adding ChatGPT integration and more Apple Intelligence tools
Apple has released iOS 18.2,iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2, which add a bunch of new Apple Intelligence features, including Image Playground, Genmoji, and integration with ChatGPT. With Image Playground, users can generate an image from a prompt or make something based on one of Apple’s suggestions. However, Image Playground seems to opt for cartoony or stylistic photos instead of …
Read More »Cruise’s robotaxi service will likely shut down as GM pulls its funding
General Motors said it would no longer fund its Cruise robotaxi service as it seeks to focus its spending on autonomous vehicle development specifically for personally owned vehicles. Now Cruise employees will be combined with GM’s internal teams working on advanced driver assist systems, like Super Cruise, as well as its project to develop autonomous vehicles to sell to customers …
Read More »Microsoft is giving Copilot a new taskbar UI and keyboard shortcut on Windows
Microsoft is changing up how Copilot works on Windows yet again. After demoting Copilot to a Progressive Web App (PWA) earlier this year, Microsoft is now rolling out an update to Windows testers that replaces the PWA version of Copilot with a “native” experience that includes a new keyboard shortcut and quick view UI. The new quick view for Copilot …
Read More »Google’s future data centers will be built next to solar and wind farms
In what it’s calling a “first-of-its-kind partnership,” Google will collaborate with developers to build data centers powered by renewable energy generated on-site. It’s partnering with energy company Intersect Power and investment firm TPG Rise Climate on a $20 billion initiative to develop an unspecified number of “industrial parks” across the US this decade. The first one is supposed to be …
Read More »YouTube’s AI-powered dubbing is now available to many more creators
YouTube says it has expanded its AI-powered auto-dubbing to “hundreds of thousands of channels” in the YouTube Partner Program that are “focused on knowledge and information.” YouTube says it will bring the feature to “other types of content soon.” What the dubs consist of depends on the language used in the original video. If it was in English to start, …
Read More »Trump’s pick for FTC chair promises to go after ‘censorship’ from tech companies
President-elect Donald Trump has selected Andrew Ferguson to be the next chair of the Federal Trade Commission. Ferguson will take over for Lina Khan, who has earned praise from Vice President-elect J.D. Vance for her efforts to fight big tech. “Andrew has a proven record of standing up to Big Tech censorship, and protecting Freedom of Speech in our Great …
Read More »WordPress must stop blocking WP Engine, judge rules
WP Engine just won a preliminary injunction against WordPress parent company Automattic. On Tuesday, a California District Court judge ordered Automattic to stop blocking WP Engine’s access to WordPress.org resources and interfering with its plugins. Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín found merit in WP Engine’s claims that Automattic’s actions harmed business relationships, saying Mullenweg’s “conduct is designed to induce breach or disruption.” …
Read More »Valve is now selling refurbished Steam Deck OLEDs starting at $439
The Steam Deck OLED, the best version of Valve’s gaming handheld with additional battery life, a slight increase to performance, and an eye-popping screen, can now be purchased refurbished for $110 less than it costs brand-new. Valve has just begun selling certified refurbished Steam Deck OLED models starting at $439 in the US, UK, Canada, and EU. That buys you …
Read More »YouTube Kids mobile app redesigned on iOS and Android
The YouTube Kids mobile app is getting a redesign that both makes it look and behave more like the standard YouTube app and lets kids browse through videos in portrait mode for the first time. It’s rolling out over the next few weeks on iOS and Android, while the web and smart TV experiences stay the same. The YouTube Kids …
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