Author: Cinga
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The FTC should stop tech companies from bricking their products, consumer groups say
A coalition of consumer protection and anti-waste groups wants the Federal Trade Commission to go after “software tethering,” or the practice of tying hardware’s functionality to external software — which often renders products unusable after software updates stop. The groups, including Consumer Reports, iFixIt, US PIRG, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Center for Economic Justice,…
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Starlink says it will block X in Brazil
Starlink, the satellite internet company controlled by Elon Musk, has been caught in the crosshairs of an ongoing feud between the billionaire, who also owns X, and Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. In addition to imposing a ban on X over the spread of misinformation, the Brazilian justice also handed down an order that…
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Qualcomm’s new eight-core Snapdragon X Plus makes these Windows laptops cheaper
Qualcomm launched its first big wave of Windows laptops this summer for $999 and up, but a new, somewhat weaker chip could soon shave off at least $100. Today, the company is announcing its first eight-core Snapdragon X Plus chips, which will feature in a new Asus Vivobook S 15 and Dell Inspiron 14 that’ll…
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EcoFlow launches four new batteries for phones, homes, and RVs
EcoFlow just launched four new battery products designed to power everything from your home appliances in the event of a blackout to your Qi2-compatible phone to RVs. Going from most powerful to least, there’s the second-generation Power Kit to power your off-grid vanlife fantasies, the midrange Delta 3 and compact River 3 solar generators, and…
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Peak Design’s Outdoor bags are ready for your next adventure
San Francisco-based Peak Design — maker of one of our all-time favorite backpacks — is back with its first new bag lineup in five years. PD says its new Outdoor line of backpacks and slings can be worn together for use beyond the pavement. They feature the company’s “most advanced soft-goods design to date,” with lots of adjustment points…
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Sub.club is here to help the fediverse make money
The fediverse has the potential to help create enduring and interoperable social networks. But many creators and businesses rely on bigger, closed platforms because they offer direct ways to make money from their audiences, which is hard to do in the fediverse right now. Sub.club is trying to solve that. The idea is that this…
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Remember Steam Machines? EmuDeck founder revisits Valve’s TV console idea
Valve once dreamt of building Linux-based game consoles called Steam Machines. They flopped — but the dream eventually became reality as the handheld Steam Deck instead. Now, a particularly noteworthy Steam Deck enthusiast is reviving the idea of a console-sized Steam Box, one with his own retro gaming twist. Rodrigo Sedano is the founder of…
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Hyundai’s electrified N Vision 74 is headed for production someday soon
The N Vision 74 coupe was a slick embodiment of Hyundai’s “high-performance vision of electrification” two years ago that we have hoped to see as a real vehicle. That seems way more likely now that it got namechecked in Hyundai’s plan to launch 21 fully electric models by 2030. This slide (below) is from the…
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Telegram CEO charged in French criminal investigation
The charges were later detailed in a press release posted to the official LinkedIn account of the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office. French prosecutors will release Durov under judicial supervision on a €5 million bail, but he won’t be allowed to leave France. As noted by Le Monde, Durov also faces charges of refusing to comply…
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Google’s custom AI chatbots have arrived
Google will soon let Gemini subscribers create custom chatbots that can serve as a gym buddy, cooking partner, writing editor, and more. Users can give the chatbots — called Gems — distinct personalities and specialties by simply describing a set of instructions. Google first introduced Gems during I/O in May. In an example prompt shown…