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Apple is gearing up to launch its annual back-to-school promotion in the U.S. (and probably Canada) next week. Here’s what to expect.

iPhone-maker hit by technological challenges that have led to delays to the full rollout of its ‘Apple Intelligence’ features

TweakTown writes that the Switch 2 "has reportedly beaten the record for the most-sold console within 24 hours and is on track to shatter the two-month record," selling over 3 million units and tripling the PlayStation 4's previous launch day sales. So Nintendo's first console in 8 years becomes ...

Atkinson’s gleeful brilliance helped people draw on computer screens and access information via links.

Is copyrighted material a requirement for training AI? asks the Washington Post. That's what top AI companies are arguing, and "Few AI developers have tried the more ethical route — until now. "A group of more than two dozen AI researchers have found that they could build a massive eight-t...

Apple has long offered a refurbished store on its website, where it sells recent generation products at a pretty sizable...

AppleInsider reports: The engineer behind much of the Mac's early graphical user interfaces, QuickDraw, MacPaint, Hypercard and much more, William D. "Bill" Atkinson, died on June 5 of complications from pancreatic cancer... Atkinson, who built a post-Apple career as a noted nature photographer, ...

Google is rolling out "Scheduled Actions" in the Gemini app for AI Pro and Ultra subscribers, allowing users to automate routine tasks by instructing the AI...

LegalZoom and Perplexity have formed a strategic partnership, marking the first collaboration between a legal services provider and a major generative AI...

A new analysis of Dead Sea Scrolls that paired radiocarbon dating with AI has determined many of the biblical manuscripts are older than once thought.

Despite what tech CEOs might say, large language models are not smart in any recognizably human sense of the word.

The ACLU accused Sonoma County of using drones to spy on residents and photograph sensitive areas, including outdoor baths and through private windows.

A California appeals court ruled this week that holding a phone while driving, even while looking at a map to navigate, is still illegal.

ElevenLabs' 'most expressive' v3 model can speak with a huge range of emotions in more than 70 languages. Try it for yourself.

Max Mitchell's personal portfolio website showcasing his photography, YouTube videos, coding projects, and work history.

Meta’s new AI app is making private conversations public without clear consent. Join the Mozilla community in demanding Meta shut down its "Discover Feed" and ensure that all AI interactions are private by default. Protect user privacy now.

OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, has a plan to overhaul college education — by embedding its artificial intelligence tools in every facet of campus life. If the company’s strategy succeeds,...

The Federal Communications Commission is down to two members after Republican Nathan Simington and Democrat Geoffrey Starks announced their departures.

Another year, another viral tweet argues against “learning to code.” The latest one comes with cherry-picked data implying that art history majors outperform computer scientists in labor markets. Yet the underlying data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York prove the opposite. Art history ...

The Senate is pushing ahead with language in its budget bill that could restrict states from regulating AI for a decade, and opponents warn it could hamper other consumer protections.

The Blank Display (and Why It Can Still Happen)  Five minutes before a customer demo, I plug my 4K monitor into the USB-C port on a brand-new laptop. The display doesn’t light up, and now I’m scratching my head—the cable fit, so why isn’t it working?  USB4® carries the promise of a single USB Type-C® port that can do it all – charging, high speed data, multiple displays, and compatibility with Thunderbolt™ peripherals. However, Windows Diagnostics Data shows that 27% of PCs with USB4 have encountered a limited functionality notification, meaning that a customer plugged a USB-C device in, but a feature (alternate mode) that device needs was not implemented on the PC and Windows notified the user. The reversible USB Type-C connector isn’t the problem, the inconsistent implementations of USB-C port capabilities across the PC ecosystem is.  USB Power Delivery on USB-C ports can deliver up to 240 W of power, and USB4 (which is only available over USB-C) can deliver up to 80Gbps bandwidth (up to 120Gbps for Displays), DisplayPort Alt Mode, DisplayPort and PCIe tunneling, and support for Thunderbolt™ peripherals – all through one connector. But the promise of 'universal' in Universal Serial Bus (USB) only matches user expectations if every port delivers a consistent experience, regardless of laptop manufacturer implementation choices.  So why does the demo fail? Because not all USB-C ports are created equal. You can’t tell which ones deliver the full experience just by looking at them. In this case, if the PC doesn’t support DisplayPort Alternate Mode functionality, that monitor won’t light up even though the cable fits. PC manufacturers can implement ports that look identical but differ wildly in functionality: one may charge your laptop and run a 4K display; another might only deliver USB 2.0 data speeds. The USB specification allows this, and without clear enforcement, the consumer experiences frustration, guesswork, and endless troubleshooting.   This isn’t new. As USB specification versions have evolved and added new capabilities, the complexity has sometimes left consumers in the dark, especially when ports aren’t labeled clearly. Most people don’t know what “USB 3.2 Gen 2x2” means or which port supports what features. That’s why we’re pleased to see the USB-IF introduce simpler, clearer branding guidelines like “USB 40Gbps” and “USB 80Gbps”, making it much easier for everyone to understand exactly what each port can do.  We think it’s important for this clear branding to carry through to the actual customer experience with USB-C ports on Windows 11 PCs. While the USB specifications give PC manufacturers the ability to choose which optional features the port supports, we set out to establish a minimum bar for USB-C port capabilities on PCs.     Figure 1 Table of the capabilities required by WHCP for mobile Windows systems  The Windows Hardware Compatibility Program (WHCP) comes in to turn this table into reality – turning optional features into mandatory ones, and ensure a consistent level of performance you can count on. The table above reflects what you can reliably expect from USB-C ports on WHCP-certified mobile PCs.  Some USB 40Gbps and USB 80Gbps ports on Windows 11 PCs are also certified by Intel under the Thunderbolt™ brand, allowing them to be labeled as Thunderbolt™ 4 or Thunderbolt™ 5, respectively. You can rest assured that Thunderbolt™-branded ports meet all the rigorous requirements of both Microsoft’s WHCP program and Intel’s Thunderbolt™ program. Additionally, to qualify to use the Thunderbolt™ brand from Intel, the product must first be certified by the USB-IF.  Two Firm Promises of USB-C on Windows 11  When we set out to improve the USB-C experience with WHCP, we started by defining the customer promises that we wanted to achieve. This came down to two simple goals:  USB Data, Charging and Display “just works” on all USB-C ports: Your favorite USB 1, USB 2, and USB 3 peripherals, chargers and displays will work exactly as advertised on any USB-C port on your WHCP-certified Windows 11 device.   Systems that support USB 40Gbps also give full compatibility with USB4 and Thunderbolt™ 3 peripherals: On a WHCP-certified USB 40Gbps system, you can also plug in any USB4 or Thunderbolt™ 3 device and trust it will work every time on every port.  To ensure that certified Windows 11 PCs deliver on these goals, we introduced new and updated WHCP requirements alongside the release of Windows 11, version 24H2, that are laser focused on them.   What every USB-C port needs to nail WHCP compliance  All mobile systems with USB-C ports  Meeting our first customer promise, that USB Data, Charging and Display “just works” on all USB-C ports, requires any WHCP compliant mobile PC with USB-C to support a baseline set of requirements. No matter what speeds your USB-C ports support, every port can be expected to deliver the following:  You can trust that your devices will work flawlessly, avoiding the frustration of unreliable connections, as we require USB-IF certified silicon in the PC. This guarantees that every connection is robust and reliable through USB-IF certification or equivalent electrical compliance, rigorously tested for compatibility in a lab.  Your devices will charge efficiently and consistently as every USB-C port on a certified PC needs to support USB Power Delivery charging.  DisplayPort Alt-Mode is required for all USB-C ports to support connecting monitors.  When you plug a display in, you can feel confident it will work well because the ports have to be VESA certified.  The Microsoft driver stack requirement means PCs are validated using Microsoft’s built-in USB controller drivers. This ensures that security and feature updates arrive via Windows Update, keeping your system secure and up-to-date without any hassle.  All Mobile Systems Advertising USB 40Gbps or 80Gbps Support   WHCP qualified systems with USB 40Gbps or 80Gbps also deliver the second customer promise, full compatibility with USB4 and Thunderbolt™ 3 peripherals, ensuring top-tier performance and compatibility:  This ensures lightning-fast data transfers, making large file transfers and high-speed internet connections a breeze.  Baseline bandwidth means every certified Windows 11 PC advertising USB 40Gbps must sustain full speed 40Gbps links on all USB-C ports.   To enable you to expand your system’s capabilities without any compatibility issues, we require PCI Express tunnelling that allows external GPUs and NVMe enclosures to work seamlessly because host routers tunnel PCIe on every port.   You can continue using your favorite peripherals without any interruptions as we require Thunderbolt™ compatibility ensures that existing Thunderbolt™ docks remain plug and play.   DisplayPort requirements ensure support for up to two 4K monitors at 60Hz, providing a stunning visual experience for your work and entertainment.  Finally, sleep and resume resilience ensures that host routers survive low-power states without dropping tunnels. This means your system remains reliable and connected, even when it’s in sleep mode.  WHCP eliminates the worry of powering devices you plug-in by requiring uniform port power requirements ensures that each USB 40Gbps port sources at least 15 W (7.5 W on tablets).   WHCP already covers the next spec bump. Any PC that advertises USB 80 Gbps must meet all the above requirements, while also supporting operation in symmetric 80 / 80 Gbps mode and asymmetric 120 / 40 Gbps mode for increased display bandwidth.  How we enforce it: The Hardware Lab Kit  That “it just works” moment isn’t magic; it’s the result of a tightly choreographed process:  Translate Pain into Policy We reflect on user feedback, telemetry, and field failures—like the left-port-only monitor issue—and convert each into a discrete WHCP requirement with acceptance criteria.  Author Automated Tests Our team writes reproducible, automated Windows Hardware Lab Kit (HLK) test cases for every requirement: signaling timing, speed negotiation, power delivery, DisplayPort/PCIe tunnels, sleep/resume resilience, and more.  Partner-Led Validation OEMs, silicon vendors, and accessory brands run these HLK tests and submit logs to Microsoft. Any failure halts certification until the issue is resolved in hardware or firmware.  Continuous Evolution WHCP updates with every Windows release. New tests and criteria flow via Windows Update—so fixes and feature enhancements reach end users without new hardware.  Learn how to run HLK tests and meet the USB4 requirements at aka.ms/whcp  If You’re an OEM or Accessory Maker  Robust USB on Windows requires end-to-end testing—protocol compliance, signal integrity, power negotiation and security—and Microsoft’s USB Test Tool (MUTT) suite of hardware and automated scripts streamlines WHCP certification. Download MUTT and dive into the full device-, silicon-, and system-level requirements (including test collateral) for USB4 on Microsoft Learn:  MUTT suite: https://learn.microsoft.com/windows-hardware/drivers/usbcon/microsoft-usb-test-tool--mutt--devices  USB4 requirements: https://learn.microsoft.com/windows-hardware/design/component-guidelines/usb4-required-testing  PC manufacturers are on track to achieve WHCP compliance across most systems in the coming years.  © 2025 Microsoft. USB Type-C® and USB-C®, USB 2.0 Type-C™ are registered trademarks of USB Im

As much as people love USB-C, there’s one massive flaw that becomes very obvious the moment you look at the ports on any computer. This being that there’s no (standardized) way to tell …

The US Supreme Court gave the Department of Government Efficiency access to sensitive Social Security information, lifting restrictions a judge said were needed to protect the privacy of millions of Americans.

Walmart plans to offer deliveries using drones from Alphabet subsidiary Wing from 100 stores in five new U.S. cities, the retailer said Thursday. The retail giant is adding Wing drone deliveries from stores in Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando and Tampa, on top of existing drone operations in Dallas and Bentonville, Ark. The company did not say exactly when it will start service in the

In a move that has almost become tradition, the Trump administration has once again hit pause on the TikTok ban, leaving the app's fate mired in uncertainty.

The move would mark Trump’s third extension, as he seeks to stave off enforcement of a law requiring that the app be banned in the U.S. or sold

From Bloomberg. View the full context on Techmeme.

Company set to highlight software redesigns as it remains on sidelines of AI revolution.