AI video is invading YouTube Shorts and Google Photos starting today

Google is following through on recent promises to add more generative AI features to its photo and video products. Over on YouTube, Google is rolling out the first wave of generative AI video for YouTube Shorts, but even if you’re not a YouTuber, you’ll be exposed to more AI videos soon. Google Photos, which is integrated with virtually every Android phone on the market, is also getting AI video-generation capabilities….

July 23, 2025
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New “AppleCare One” plan bundles three extended warranties for $20 a month

Apple is introducing a fairly major update to its AppleCare extended warranty program today: AppleCare One, a program meant to cover users with multiple Apple devices who want extended hardware and software support for all of them. The program can cover up to three devices, regardless of what kind of device they are, for $19.99 a month, and additional devices can be added for a flat $5.99 a month. The…

July 23, 2025
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A power utility is reporting suspected pot growers to cops. EFF says that’s illegal.

In May 2020, Sacramento, California, resident Alfonso Nguyen was alarmed to find two Sacramento County Sheriff’s deputies at his door, accusing him of illegally growing cannabis and demanding entry into his home. When Nguyen refused the search and denied the allegation, one deputy allegedly called him a liar and threatened to arrest him. That same year, deputies from the same department, with their guns drawn and bullhorns and sirens sounding,…

July 22, 2025
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Surprising no one, new research says AI Overviews cause massive drop in search clicks

Google’s search results have undergone a seismic shift over the past year as AI fever has continued to escalate among the tech giants. Nowhere is this change more apparent than right at the top of Google’s storied results page, which is now home to AI Overviews. Google contends these Gemini-based answers don’t take traffic away from websites, but a new analysis from the Pew Research Center says otherwise. Its analysis…

July 22, 2025
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“Surface Laptop 5G” for businesses shows Microsoft isn’t done with Intel yet

Microsoft has gone all-in on Arm-based Qualcomm Snapdragon X-series chips for its Surface PCs, including the less-expensive-but-more-compromised 13-inch Surface Laptop and 12-inch Surface Pro from this spring. But the company still hasn’t quite given up on businesses and individuals who still want or require a traditional Intel or AMD-based x86 PC. The latest addition to the lineup is the “Surface Laptop 5G,” an updated version of the Intel-based 13.8-inch Surface…

July 22, 2025
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Google gets ahead of the leaks and reveals the Pixel 10 early

Google has an event next month to officially launch the Pixel 10 series, but the leaks have been coming fast and furious beforehand. There won’t be much left to learn on August 20, particularly now that Google has revealed the phone. Over on the Google Store, there’s a video revealing the Pixel 10’s design, and it looks just a little familiar. The video (which you can also see below) isn’t…

July 21, 2025
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Google adds YouTube Music feature to end annoying volume shifts

Google’s history with music services is almost as convoluted and frustrating as its history with messaging. However, things have gotten calmer (and slower) ever since Google ceded music to the YouTube division. The YouTube Music app has its share of annoyances, to be sure, but it’s getting a long-overdue feature that users have been requesting for ages: consistent volume. Listening to a single album from beginning to end is increasingly…

April 18, 2025
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Synology confirms that higher-end NAS products will require its branded drives

Popular NAS-maker Synology has confirmed and slightly clarified a policy that appeared on its German website earlier this week: Its “Plus” tier of devices, starting with the 2025 series, will require Synology-branded hard drives for full compatibility, at least at first. “Synology-branded drives will be needed for use in the newly announced Plus series, with plans to update the Product Compatibility List as additional drives can be thoroughly vetted in…

April 18, 2025
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Company apologizes after AI support agent invents policy that causes user uproar

On Monday, a developer using the popular AI-powered code editor Cursor noticed something strange: Switching between machines instantly logged them out, breaking a common workflow for programmers who use multiple devices. When the user contacted Cursor support, an agent named “Sam” told them it was expected behavior under a new policy. But no such policy existed, and Sam was a bot. The AI model made the policy up, sparking a…

April 17, 2025
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HP agrees to $4M settlement over claims of “falsely advertising” PCs, keyboards

HP Inc. has agreed to pay a $4 million settlement to customers after being accused of “false advertising” of computers and peripherals on its website. Earlier this month, Judge P. Casey Pitts for the US District Court of the San Jose Division of the Northern District of California granted preliminary approval [PDF] of a settlement agreement regarding a class-action complaint first filed against HP on October 13, 2021. The complaint…

April 17, 2025
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