The US government just banned Roombas
The US government just banned Roombas

When the Trump administration announced yesterday that it was banning “advanced robotic devices” from entering the United States, the headlines were all about humanoids. But spying doesn’t require legs – and neither does the FCC’s robot ban. The robot ban will sweep up robot vacuum cleaners too, FCC media relations director Katie Gorscak confirms to […]

We’re running out of reasons to ignore AI safety
We’re running out of reasons to ignore AI safety

Earlier this month, OpenAI gave several of its AI models a task: complete a test designed to measure their cybersecurity capabilities. It put the systems in a sandboxed environment without an internet connection and set them off to work. What happened next is almost laughably silly – but also, as Adam Gleave, cofounder and CEO […]

Is it illegal to trick the US government into wiping your phone during a questionably legal search?
Is it illegal to trick the US government into wiping your phone during a questionably legal search?

A Georgia man was charged with a felony for allegedly wiping his phone while being questioned by Customs and Border Protection. Samuel Tunick had something in common with others who have had their devices searched at airports: He was an activist. Unlike others who have had their phones seized with no explanation, Tunick was told […]

Logitech will pull a Nintendo — only European mice will come with replaceable batteries
Logitech will pull a Nintendo — only European mice will come with replaceable batteries

In June, Nintendo announced a new version of the Switch 2 that should let you easily replace its battery pack – but only for Europe. Logitech will do much the same. User-replaceable batteries will be the law in Europe in February 2027, but instead of bringing them to the rest of the world, Logitech plans […]

Logitech’s handheld plans are on ice — don’t expect a G Cloud 2 soon
Logitech’s handheld plans are on ice — don’t expect a G Cloud 2 soon

Logitech’s new gaming boss, Robin Piispanen, tells me he likes the idea of gaming handhelds. “It’s such a charming value proposition,” he says, as we sip iced vanilla lattes at my local cafe. But he’s not building one right now. He’s not sure when or if Logitech should try again, after its underwhelming experiment with […]

Why China is giving away its best AI models
Why China is giving away its best AI models

Silicon Valley has spent much of the past week on red alert, digesting the arrival of Moonshot AI’s Kimi K3, a Chinese AI model that can allegedly beat some of the best systems built by US companies at a fraction of the cost. Its performance alone would have been enough to intensify the rivalry between […]

SDCC 2026’s best trailers are heavy on cyberpunk and sci-fi
SDCC 2026’s best trailers are heavy on cyberpunk and sci-fi

San Diego Comic-Con took place over the weekend, and as per usual it was full of tidbits of news across film, TV, and gaming. Marvel revealed the next Ghost Rider (Ryan Gosling) and Black Panther (David Jonsson), while we also got release dates for God of War: Laufey (February 16th) and the fourth and final […]

Meta is royally screwing up its smart glasses rollout 
Meta is royally screwing up its smart glasses rollout 

Across New York City, London, and Washington, DC, ads for Meta’s smart glasses have been plastered over with satirical posters from activist groups. One guerrilla ad calls these “the biggest advancement in pervert technology since the trenchcoat.” Another transposes the words “mass surveillance predator glasses” over influencer Kylie Jenner’s face, calling her out for partnering […]

Synth historian Oli Freke will spend big on a good bicycle
Synth historian Oli Freke will spend big on a good bicycle

Oli Freke is a musician and journalist whose works have appeared in Sound on Sound, The Quietus, and Mixmag. This has included using math to explore the melodic potential of the Western 12-tone scale and deep dives on effects plug-ins. He’s even written a book tracing the evolution of the synthesizer from 1963 through 1995, […]

Meta just created a moderation nightmare for its smart glasses
Meta just created a moderation nightmare for its smart glasses

Meta’s smart glasses have been a PR headache for the company. Public backlash has been swift, and fierce; people are concerned about the erosion of privacy and expansion of surveillance. Some especially bad actors are using the glasses to film themselves “pranking” random strangers. Women have become unsuspecting social media content for men filming themselves […]