Enlarge (credit: Google) In addition to a whole bunch of Pixel 9 phones, Google launched the Pixel Watch 3 and Pixel Buds Pro 2 at its Made by Google event today. Here’s the lowdown on what’s new, what’s interesting, and what Google has to say about the products beyond their AI connection. The Pixel Watch 3 45 mm model, which boasts 40 percent more usable screen space than the prior…

Enlarge / A still video capture of X user João Fiadeiro replacing his face with J.D. Vance in a test of Deep-Live-Cam. Over the past few days, a software package called Deep-Live-Cam has been going viral on social media because it can take the face of a person extracted from a single photo and apply it to a live webcam video source while following pose, lighting, and expressions performed by…

Enlarge / The Bambu Lab A1, complete with heated build platform. (credit: Bambu Lab) A patent lawsuit filed by one of 3D printing’s most established firms against a consumer-focused upstart could have a big impact on the wider 3D-printing scene. In two complaints, (1, 2, PDF) filed in the Eastern District of Texas, Marshall Division, against six entities related to Bambu Lab, Stratasys alleges that Bambu Lab infringed upon 10…

Enlarge / Paint 3D, once the future of the Paint app, is getting the axe in November. (credit: Andrew Cunningham) In October of 2017, Microsoft released a version of Windows 10 called the “Fall Creators Update,” back when the company tried to give brand names to these things rather than just sticking to version numbering. One of the new apps included in that update was called Paint 3D, and while…

Enlarge Federal authorities have arrested a Nashville man on charges he hosted laptops at his residences in a scheme to deceive US companies into hiring foreign remote IT workers who funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars in income to fund North Korea’s weapons program. The scheme, federal prosecutors said, worked by getting US companies to unwittingly hire North Korean nationals, who used the stolen identity of a Georgia man to…

Enlarge (credit: Intel) Intel has shared more about the voltage-related issues that affected some 13th- and 14th-generation Core processors, as the company tries to put the episode behind it. As reported by Tom’s Hardware, Intel says that the problem originated with “elevated operating voltage” stemming from “incorrect voltage requests,” specifically an increase to the minimum operating voltage of the chips. These “elevated voltage events can accumulate over time,” eventually damaging…

Enlarge (credit: Nova Launcher) Back in July 2022, when mobile app metrics firm Branch acquired the popular and well-regarded Nova Launcher for Android, the app’s site put up one of those self-directed FAQ posts about it. Under the question heading “What does Branch want with Nova?,” Nova founder and creator Kevin Barry started his response with, “Not to mess it up, don’t worry!” Branch (formerly/sometimes Branch Metrics) is a firm…

Enlarge (credit: Ole_CNX via Getty Images) On Thursday, OpenAI released the “system card” for ChatGPT’s new GPT-4o AI model that details model limitations and safety testing procedures. Among other examples, the document reveals that in rare occurrences during testing, the model’s Advanced Voice Mode unintentionally imitated users’ voices without permission. Currently, OpenAI has safeguards in place that prevent this from happening, but the instance reflects the growing complexity of safely…

Enlarge (credit: Sonos) Addressing blowback from Sonos’ wildly unpopular app redesign will cost the company $20 to $30 million “in the short term,” according to CEO Patrick Spence. In May, Sonos launched an updated app that aggravated many users due to its removal of common functions, like accessibility features and the ability to edit playlists and song queues, use sleep timers, and access local music libraries. Sonos said it wanted…

Enlarge / Apple’s M2 Pro Mac mini. (credit: Andrew Cunningham) Apple hasn’t updated its Mac mini desktop lineup since the beginning of 2023, when it added M2 and M2 Pro chips and discontinued the last of the Intel models. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that the update drought will end later this year, when the mini will skip right from the M2 to the M4, something he originally reported back in…