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Sure, we've seen millions poured into lobbying and other means of influence during every presidency, but the last two years set a whole new bar. Business leaders, including those from almost every Big Tech company, stepped over themselves to prove fealty to Donald Trump's second administration. It's easy to see why: Their kowtowing was meant to secure regulatory favors, gain tax and tariff advantages and avoid Trump's ire. Ultimately, it was all in the service of appeasing their shareholders. Why else would Apple CEO Tim Cook, someone who typically cultivates a progressive image, hand deliver a gold plaque to the President of the United States?
Before we leave 2025 behind, it's worth documenting the many ways tech companies and leaders debased themselves for political favor with the Trump administration.
Alphabet (Google)Google dropped diversity recruitment goals in February, following Trump's executive orders dismantling DEI programs in the federal government. Google also changed its AI principles to allow AI in weapons and surveillance, a move that is in line with the relaxed artificial intelligence regulation the Trump administration would later adopt for its
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 Apple today provided public beta testers with the first release of an upcoming macOS Tahoe 26.3 update for testing purposes. The public beta comes two days after Apple provided the beta to developers.
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Google says it sought to make a model that was both fast and smart.
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The Magpies look to put their derby disappointment behind them as they host the Cottagers in this EFL cup clash.
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Don't let winter weather cause chaos. Here's how to inspect and prepare your home for the winter season.
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Last year, Meta announced that it was opening up its VR operating system to other headset makers, starting with ASUS and Lenovo. Now, it seems that Meta is pumping the brakes on the effort and those third-party Horizon OS headsets might never actually launch.
The company has "paused" the program, Road to VR reported. Meta confirmed the move in a statement to Engadget, saying that it's instead focusing on "building the world-class first-party hardware and software needed to advance the VR market." ASUS and Lenovo didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Both companies have said little about the headsets since they were first announced in 2024. ASUS' was going to be a "performance gaming" headset under its Republic of Gamers (ROG) brand, while Lenovo's was intended to be a mixed reality device focused on "productivity, learning and entertainment" experiences
The shift isn't entirely surprising. Meta Connect was very light on virtual reality news this year as smart glasses have become a central focus for the company. Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that Meta was planning significant cuts to the teams working on virtual reality and Horizon Worlds. The company said at the time it was "shifting some of our investment from Metaverse toward AI glasses and wearables given the momentum there."
Still, Meta is seemingly leaving the door open for third-party VR headsets in the future. "We're committed to this for the long term an
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We compared top web hosting services like SiteGround and Hostinger to help you find the best host for your website, whether it's a hobby site, blog or e-commerce store.
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There are plenty of desks with a wide range of features. Our CNET experts can help you find the ones worth considering.
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The new Conversation Focus feature tackles one of the most universal struggles: trying to hear someone in a crowded, noisy space.
The post Meta AI Glasses Get Spotify Integration and Voice Boost appeared first on eWEEK.
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We tested six models from top manufacturers and evaluated dozens more to find the best washing machines for laundry day.
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OpenAI rebuilds ChatGPT Images to challenge Google's Nano Banana, bringing faster image generation, editing, and conversational iteration into one creative workflow.
The post Nano Banana Faces New Rival as OpenAI Rolls Out ChatGPT Images Overhaul appeared first on eWEEK.
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Last year at CES, Samsung debuted its first mainstream Micro RGB TV, a 115-inch model that surprised us with its rich, vivid colors and $30,000 price tag. Now, the company has announced that it will be showing off an entire lineup of Micro RGB TVs at CES 2026 ranging from 55- to 115-inch models, promising to set "a new standard for premium home viewing."
As a reminder, Micro RGB is a unique new technology similar to Mini LED displays. Unlike the white backlights used on Mini LEDs, though, it uses tiny red, green and blue LEDs that produce more accurate colors and offer smaller and more controllable dimming zones. However, because pixels can't be turned on and off individually like Micro LED or OLED, Micro RGB contrast ratios aren't as high. They promise to be brighter and more color accurate than other technologies, though, hence the high prices and "premium" branding.
Samsung's upcoming Micro RGB lineup will be available in 55-, 65-, 75-, 85-, 100- and 115-inch models and use the next evolution of the company's technology. The main claim to fame is near broadcast monitor-like color accuracy, covering 100 percent of the demanding BT.2020 HDR standard. That new standard now has a name and VDE certification: Micro RGB Precision Color 100.
Other key features include Samsung's "Micro RGB AI Engine Pro" for more precise frame-by-frame clarity and realism, new color enhancement functions, Samsung's glare free tech and enhanced audio features including Dolby Atmos and Adaptive Sound Pro.
Yesterday, LG
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Over 20 AI-enhanced apps and tools, including unlimited Firefly and 3rd-party image generations, make Adobe the industry leader.
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The latest ChatGPT model could be your new work sidekick.
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Dads are traditionally tough to shop for—let me help with these handpicked gift ideas for fathers with great taste.
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Get the best weight capacity, durability, stability and features in a standing desk with the help of our CNET experts
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If you were a customer of AT&T in 2019 or 2024, you could be eligible to receive up to $7,500 in compensation for two data breaches.
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The lawsuit filed by the Department of Motor Vehicles involved Tesla's Autopilot and Full Self-Driving claims.
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Samsung's Galaxy Z TriFold is less versatile than the comparable Huawei Mate XT, but several smart design choices give it unique advantages.
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AI kept giving me a fake family in my holiday card photos. Here's what went wrong.
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With a new year just around the corner, now is the perfect time to take stock of your finances. A budgeting app can help with that, and right now you can get 50 percent off your first year of a Monarch Money plan. All you need to do is enter the code MONARCHVIP at checkout and you'll pay $50 for the initial 12 months instead of the regular price of $100. Note that the offer only applies to new users.
Monarch Money was the runner-up in our guide to the best budgeting apps in 2025, and it was definitely a grower. Initially we found the experience of using the app to be needlessly complicated compared to some of its rivals, but get over that hurdle and it's impressively fully-featured. There are plenty of customization options, a helpful "goals" feature and a thorough month-in-review recap that beats out similar features from some of its competitors. We also like how you can grant account access to others.
Besides the steep learning curve, we also noted that the mobile app is less intuitive to use
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 Samsung kicked off a holiday sale last week, and this event has expanded recently with even more great deals on monitors, TVs, Galaxy smartphones, and home appliances. Many of these deals are the exact same all-time low prices we tracked during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
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MIT researchers built an AI robotic system that turns plain-language prompts into 3D designs and assembles objects with prefabricated parts and user feedback.
The post ‘Robot, Build It': MIT's New AI Lets You Build Real Objects Just by Describing Them appeared first on eWEEK.
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WavePad is a full featured sound editor that lets you professionally edit and make voice and other audio recordings. With WavePad you can cut, copy and paste parts of recordings and, if required, add effects like echo, amplification, and noise reduction and will work as either WAV editor or mp3 editor but it also supports many of the other file formats. [License: Ad-Supported / Freemium | Requires:
11|10|8|7|Android | Size: 3 MB ]
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What's the common denominator among all tech enthusiasts? Coffee mugs. They're the best underrated gift. The nerdier the better.
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Amazon is in discussions with OpenAI to invest $10 billion in the company while supplying more of its AI chips and cloud computing services, according to The Financial Times. The deal would push OpenAI's valuation over $500 billion but is likely to raise more questions about the company's circular investment agreements involving chips and data centers.
The two companies are also in talks about the possibility of OpenAI helping Amazon with its online marketplace, similar to deals it has made with Etsy, Shopify and Instacart. However, any agreement still wouldn't allow Amazon to market OpenAI's most advanced models on its developer cloud platform, as Microsoft holds the exclusive rights to those until the 2030s.
OpenAI recently restructured its agreement with Microsoft to allow it to use data center capacity from other suppliers. Around the same time, it made a string of deals with NVIDIA, Oracle, AMD and others to build out data center capacity and acquire or rent AI chips.
The new deal would require OpenAI to use Amazon's Trainium AI chips and rent more data center capacity from Amazon Web Services (AWS). That's on top of the $38 billion that OpenAI has already committed to renting servers from AWS over the next seven years.
These deals have sounded alarms among investors considering their circular nature. In many of those, including this latest Amazon deal, OpenAI is taking investment m
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 Apple is in talks with suppliers to manage iPhone chip assembly and packaging in India for the first time, reports The Economic Times.
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You'll be able to play FIFA's new game at home in 2026.
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I switched to a glass air fryer, and I'm never going back. Here's why.
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A letter to shareholders called the offer "inadequate."
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The latest iPhone update also upgrades the music, podcast and news apps, and gives you more Liquid Glass options.
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If you haven't yet upgraded to Apple's AirPods Pro 3, you can pick up the company's latest model at a discount through a deal on Amazon right now. The AirPods Pro 3, which came out in September, are currently down to $210. That's $40 off and only $10 more than the record-low price we saw last week. The Pro 3s have been fluctuating in price since Black Friday, with the lowest they've been being $199 for a brief period. With the new AirPods Pro, Apple made some big improvements, including better battery life and sound quality, and introduced useful new features, such as Live Translation.
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Back in September during Meta Connect, the company previewed a new ability for its smart glasses lineup called Conversation Focus. The feature, which is able to amplify the voices of people around you, is now starting to roll out in the company's latest batch of software updates.
When enabled, the feature is meant to make it easier to hear the people you're speaking with in a crowded or otherwise noisy environment. "You'll hear the amplified voice sound slightly brighter, which will help you distinguish the conversation from ambient background noise," Meta explains. It can be enabled either via voice commands ("hey Meta, start Conversation Focus") or by adding it as a dedicated "tap-and-hold" shortcut.
Meta is also adding a new multimodal AI feature for Spotify. With the update, users can ask their glasses to play music on Spotify that corresponds with what they're looking at by saying "hey Meta, play a song to match this view." Spotify will then start a playlist "based on your unique taste, customized for that specific moment." For example, looking at holiday decor might trigger a similarly-themed playlist, though it's not clear how Meta and Spotify may translate more abstract concepts into themed playlists.
Both updates are starting to roll out now to Meta Ray-Ban glasses (both Gen 1 and Gen 2 m
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As OpenAI scrambles to improve ChatGPT, it's ditching a feature in its free tier that contributed to last summer's user revolt.
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She calls him "an odd, odd duck" in a newly published article.
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 OpenAI added several new features to its flagship ChatGPT product today, introducing Apple Music support and upgraded image generation capabilities.
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 All of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 17 models are equipped with a Camera Control button that provides quick access to the Camera app and camera settings, but not everyone is a fan of it. Fortunately, though, Apple apparently plans to improve it.
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Five things you can do on the professional social network that may increase your chances of landing your next gig.
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Following the release of GPT-5.2 last week, OpenAI has begun rolling out a new image generation model. The company says the updated ChatGPT Images is four times faster than its predecessor. If you're a frequent ChatGPT user, you'll know it can sometimes take a while for OpenAI's servers to create images, particularly during peak times and if you're not paying for ChatGPT Plus. In that respect, any improvement in speed is welcome.
The new version is also better at following instructions, including when you want to edit something the new model just generated. You can ask the system to add, subtract, combine, blend and even transpose elements. At the same time, OpenAI says the update offers better text rendering. That's something many image models have traditionally struggled with, but according to the company, the new ChatGPT Images is capable of handling denser and smaller text. As part of the today's model update, OpenAI is additionally adding a dedicated Images section to the ChatGPT sidebar. Here you'll find preset filters and prompts you can look to for inspiration.
The new ChatGPT Images arrives just as Nano Banana Pro is responsible for a surge in Gemini usage. In October, Google said its chatbot had 650 million users, up from 450 million just a few months earlier in July. Nano Banana Pro has proven so popular, the company recently
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Yale epidemiologist Harvey Risch, who has speculated about a connection between Covid vaccines and "turbo cancer" and promoted ivermectin, says he'll chair the President's Cancer Panel.
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A place in the semifinals is up for grabs as the Bluebirds look to pull off a shock at Stamford Bridge.
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 Apple and Amazon are facing a new UK opt-out class action seeking more than £900 million ($1.2 billion) over claims that the companies struck an unlawful deal that pushed independent Apple and Beats sellers off Amazon and kept prices higher for consumers.
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Tap through our test to see which AI tool generated the best images according to our judges: an artist, a Pulitzer-winning photographer and a photo retouching master.
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 In line with previous rumors, The Information today reported that Apple is planning to release a special 20th-anniversary iPhone less than two years from now.
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Netflix has inked a deal with iHeartMedia to begin showing video podcasts, so the content will never, ever run out. The partnership covers new episodes from more than 15 popular podcasts, including The Breakfast Club, Dear Chelsea, My Favorite Murder and others. Customers will have access to video podcast episodes in early 2026.
In addition to new footage, the partnership includes a select library of archival episodes from each show. It's worth noting that YouTube already platforms video versions of many popular podcasts, including stuff like The Breakfast Club.
This follows a similar deal from earlier this year in which Netflix announced plans to stream video podcast episodes from Spotify. That partnership covers stuff like The Bill Simmons Podcast and The Zach Lowe Show, among others.
Many people use podcasts for background noise and soon Netflix will be a major player in that market, such as it is. Disney also recently started prioritizing those "barely paying attention" eyeballs, as it inked its own deal to air The Rich Eisen Show on weekdays.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainme
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The telecom giant owes millions a slice of its settlement fund, but time is running out to file a claim.
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Apple's iOS 26.1 update delivers major security fixes, performance boosts and enhanced privacy controls for your iPhone. Discover why updating now protects your data.
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The 8-core, 16-thread 7800X3D was the sweet spot for gaming performance and price a couple of years ago, though it's been superseded by the Zen 5-based 9800X3D (which can be installed in the same AM5 motherboards). That said, the newer chip is $460 from various retailers right now and only about 5 percent faster in higher-end games.
That makes this deal on the older 7800X3D a no-brainer. Put that extra budget towards your GPU or a bigger SSD and your upcoming PC build will be a lot more capable. Oh, and remember that the X3D processors don't come with coolers—as AMD assumes you'll want something a little beefier—so make sure to include one in your PCPartPicker list.
Grab the Ryzen 7 7800X3D for $319.99 on Amazon while you still can. There's no indication of how long this particular deal will last, but Walmart is also selling it on sale, which you can snag if the Amazon deal runs out. (In fact, depending on where you are in relation to the nearest distribution center, you could get the
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Sometimes you can notice the signs of a failing SSD. For instance, the once-quick transfer speed slows to crawl, there are frequent program or system crashes, or file system access errors or SMART errors occur. If you notice these things, especially in combination, there's a good chance your SSD is on its way out. In that case, it's time to prepare for the worst and do the following:
Back up critical files
It goes without saying that the first thing you'll want to do if you think your SSD is on the blink is to back up your critical data. Backups should be done regularly anyway, but even if you're doing that, you'll still want to make a new backup of your critical files at this point to have them ready to go should your SSD suddenly die.
See our roundups of the best Windows backup software and
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 Read full story for latest details.
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