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 Following a quiet start to 2026, the final week of January has been a busy one for Apple so far. There are new versions of the AirTag and the Black Unity band for the Apple Watch, and the Apple Creator Studio bundle is now available.
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Google is baking Gemini into Chrome, with a persistent side panel, Nano Banana image edits, Connected Apps, and auto-browse tasks for some subscribers.
The post Gemini, Nano Banana Are Coming to Chrome as Google Reinvents the Browser appeared first on eWEEK.
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 The launch of Apple Creator Studio on Wednesday would have been a fitting opportunity for Apple to unveil new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, but unfortunately it looks like that was nothing more than wishful thinking.
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As fans and media prepare to descend on the Bay Area for Super Bowl LX, what does a high-tech city like San Francisco do? Why, call in the robotaxis, of course. On Thursday, Alphabet's Waymo began offering fully autonomous rides at San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
There are some limits. For now, SFO access is restricted to "a select number of riders." However, access will gradually expand over the coming months. The service is also limited to the SFO Rental Car Center (pickups and drop-offs) at launch. Waymo says it will expand to other airport locations, including terminals, "in the future."
The San Francisco Standard notes that SFO is now the third airport in Waymo's repertoire. The San Francisco launch follows the company's service at Phoenix Sky Harbor and San Jose Mineta. As for the Bay Area, Waymo now serves more than 260 square miles in the region.
Unfortunately, this isn't Waymo's only appearance in the news this week. On Wednesday, the company said one of its robotaxis struck a child, who sustained minor injuries. The incident took place on January 23 in Santa Monica. Th
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The move underlines Meta's belief that AI will reshape not only its products but also the wider economy, workplace structures, and more.
The post Meta to Nearly Double AI Spending appeared first on eWEEK.
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The UK opened free AI courses via the AI Skills Hub to upskill 10 million workers by 2030, with £27 million TechLocal funding and Spärck scholarships.
The post UK Launches Free AI Training for Every Adult in the Country appeared first on eWEEK.
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 Lockdown Mode is an optional security feature designed by Apple to provide maximum protection against highly sophisticated digital threats. When enabled on your Apple device, it greatly reduces exposure to complex attacks by restricting certain features and network connections. Keep reading to learn how to use it across iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
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 Apple's new AirTag introduces a series of small improvements, so how does it compare to the original model from 2021?
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Waymo plans a London robotaxi pilot in April and hopes to open rides to paying passengers as soon as September, pending UK regulatory approval.
The post Waymo's Driverless Taxis Could Hit London Streets Later This Year appeared first on eWEEK.
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Beijing reportedly approved the sale of hundreds of thousands of Nvidia H200 chips to Chinese AI companies—the culmination of a dramatic shift in US tech policy.
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Virtual private networks (VPNs) have been household technology for a while now, but there's still a lot of uncertainty around them. This is partly due to the fact that they can conceal online activity that local or national governments deem illegal — up to and including, say, circumventing ID checks for age verification. Consumers aren't helped by the sheer amount of duds sold in app stores right next to the best VPNs, especially when they're purposefully exploiting moments that have people rushing to shore up their online anonymity. If you've almost decided to start using a VPN, you may be wondering if the services you're looking at are actually safe.
Unfortunately, the answer is a hard "it depends." VPNs are technology that can work well or poorly, just like they can be used for good or evil. There's nothing intrinsically dangerous about using a VPN — whether or not one is safe comes down to who built it and how they're running it. The good news is that there are easy ways to tell whether you're using one of the good ones.
The question "Are VPNs really safe?" can also mean something else — "Is using a VPN enough to keep me safe online?" I'll get into that too, but to spoil the ending: VPNs are important security tools, but they aren't enough to protect against all digital threats by themselves. Also, to be clear, I'm talking here about commercial VPNs like Proton VPN and ExpressVPN, not commercial VPNs like NordLayer or Cisco AnyConnect
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Brandon Sanderson, a popular author of high-fantasy and science fiction books, has signed a deal with Apple TV to adapt his works set in the Cosmere fictional universe into films and TV shows. Sanderson said last year at Celsius 232, Spain's annual sci-fi and fantasy convention, that his ultimate dream project is a "really good Mistborn film." Apple TV is making that come true: Some of the first projects to come out of the deal are feature film adaptations of the Mistborn books and a TV show based on series.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sanderson's deal with the streaming service is unprecedented, because he will have major creative control over the adaptations. He will write, produce and consult for the projects under development, and he will have the power to sign off on various aspects of the adaptations. That's a level of control other famous authors such as George R. R. Martin don't enjoy. In fact, Martin recently talked about how House of the Dragon's showrunner, Ryan Condal, has stopped taking his notes and suggestions into account.
Sanderson's Cosmere universe encompasses dozens of books set in various but interconnected worlds and timelines. They're all bound by a single creation myth, which explains w
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 AI-powered browsing features have become a battleground among browser makers in recent months. OpenAI launched its Atlas browser in October, while Microsoft Edge and Opera have also introduced AI assistants and automated browsing capabilities. And now Google is upping the ante. The company has announced a slew of new AI features for Chrome, including a persistent sidebar for the Gemini chatbot and "auto browse" capabilities that can perform web tasks on your behalf.
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Two AirTag generations enter the ring, only one leaves (but don't worry, both are easily found later).
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Amazon has confirmed that it's letting go of 16,000 workers and employees across its organization. In an announcement by company SVP Beth Galetti, she explained that Amazon was going through organizational changes to reduce layers and remove bureaucracy. Affected employees in the US will be given 90 days to look for another internal role and will receive severance pay if they do not find any. Galetti also said that Amazon doesn't have plans to announce "broad reductions every few months" but admitted that the company could "make adjustments as appropriate."
News about the layoffs was leaked in an email mistakenly sent out early to workers, along with a calendar invitation for a meeting dubbed internally as "Project Dawn." In the email seen by Bloomberg and the BBC, Amazon Web Services Senior Vice President Colleen Aubrey told workers that their "impacted colleagues" from the US, Canada and Costa Rica had already been notified. "Changes like this are hard on everyone. These decisions are difficult and made thoughtfully as we position our organization and AWS for future success," Aubrey reportedly wrote in the email.
Amazon eliminated 14,000 roles back in October 2025 across its games, logistics, payment and cloud computing divisions, with the availability of AI technologies being one of the main reasons for the layoffs. "Thi
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The latest research shows that wearables could soon be a vital part of tracking your heart health.
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The subscription service bundles Final Cut Pro and other Studio tools with premium versions of Pages, Numbers and Keynote.
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The update also includes Nano Banana image tools and deeper integrations with Google apps like Gmail, Calendar, Maps and Flights.
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China's military-linked labs are building predator-inspired drone swarms and quadrupedal robot teams designed to keep operating even when communications are jammed.
The post China's Military Labs Build ‘Apex Predator' Drones, Robot Packs appeared first on eWEEK.
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Commentary: With new US ownership, the magic of TikTok's algorithm appears to have run out. And so has my interest.
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 Apple today announced that its hit comedy-drama series "Ted Lasso" is returning for a fourth season in "summer 2026," but it did not share a specific date.
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Originally, Microsoft had made the Limited Edition Crocs available in October, timed with the company's 50th anniversary celebration. The "shoes" were originally made available as part of a Microsoft-sponsored sweepstakes. However, the footwear has now become a viral hit of sorts.
"Based on the incredible response and positive engagement across social media, we're thrilled to share that the Microsoft Limited Edition Crocs Bundle officially drops globally beginning today," the company said in an updated blog post.
The Crocs ship in a Windows XP-inspired theme. It's based upon the "Bliss" background, inspired by a photograph from Charles O'Rear taken just a few miles from my home. (Like Windows, the Sonoma, Calif. vista looks nothing like the original photograph.) They also include custom Jibbitz charms taken from Microsoft iconography, such as the mouse cursor. There's even a Bliss-themed drawstring backpack, perfect for carrying them to your next gala or shindig.
Where can you buy such wonders? At Microsoft's official merch site, where sizes are available from a women's 4/men's 2 all the way up to a women's 19/men's 17.
While I have actually purchased several Microsoft's
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