Didn't Even Make It a Year: Microsoft's AI Mascot Mico Booted from Voice Feature
Mico, the anthropomorphic AI character Microsoft launched just last October, has now been pulled from Copilot's voice chat interface and reassigned to the Learn Live tutoring section. The official explanation reads like the kind of euphemism you'd use to explain sending the family dog off to live on a farm.
Getting This Apple Alert Means Someone's Paying to Spy on You
Apple has once again sent out mercenary spyware attack warnings and launched a new support page explaining what to do next. These notifications are rare—getting one means signs consistent with Pegasus-level attacks have shown up on your device.
Trump slaps 100% tariff on "sensitive" drones, targeting exactly what the US can't build itself
The White House is imposing a 100% tariff on drones over 25kg or equipped with thermal imaging or docking station capabilities, aiming squarely at Chinese models like DJI—but the US currently has no domestic supply chain capable of replacing them.
MacBook Battery Draining Fast? Check This Number First, Then Flip These Hidden Switches
macOS's automatic mode is good enough most of the time, but when your battery starts aging, the night before a long flight, or when you just want to squeeze out that last hour of battery life, these options buried deep in Settings are where you actually need to look.
DeepSeek's Promised "Permanent Low Prices" Broken: V4 Pro API Rates Quadruple With Peak/Off-Peak Pricing
Back in May, DeepSeek promised to lock in its promotional pricing permanently. Now it's announced a fourfold price hike for the V4 Pro API along with peak/off-peak billing — though even so, the rates still undercut most competitors.
Even Dashcam Placement Can Be Illegal? What to Check Before Your Cross-State Road Trip
Dashcams are legal in all 50 states, but placement, size, and audio recording rules vary by state — before a cross-state road trip, it's best to install according to California's strictest standards.
Trying to Block Teens from Social Media, France's Top Court Blocks the Whole Nation's Verification Problem First
France's Constitutional Council struck down the under-18 social media ban over "unclear verification mechanisms." Macron has already asked the PM to rewrite the bill—this legislative tug-of-war is far from over.
Search "app store" and Only Get Walmart? Judge Catches Google Playing Dumb
The judge overseeing the Epic antitrust case has determined that Google rigged the game on third-party app stores—search results got diluted and the "install" button got swapped for "view." Google now has one week to fix it.
Kia EV3 Starts at $30,945 in the US—Over $4,000 Cheaper Than Original Target
Kia has confirmed the EV3's US starting price at $30,945, well below the $35,000 target announced back in April. That makes it the brand's cheapest EV yet—and one of the few models still holding the line under $30k as US EV incentives shrink.
Google Makes AI Watermarks Optional: You Can Now Turn Off That Sparkle Icon
Google VP Josh Woodward has announced that Nano Banana, Omni, Lyria, and other models will allow users to remove visible AI watermarks, leaving only the invisible SynthID and C2PA metadata mandatory. Regulated regions like the EU and South Korea remain unaffected.
Ferrari's First Four-Door, Five-Seat EV Is Here—But Luce Still Refuses to Give You a Giant Screen
Ferrari's all-electric Luce debuts in Taiwan, hitting 0-100km/h in 2.5 seconds with over 530km of range, yet resists EV screen conventions with physical buttons and a round instrument cluster. Pricing starts at NT$26.08 million.
How Much Will App Store's External Payment Cut Cost? Apple's Proposal: 5% to 15%, Basically Just Half Off
Apple has submitted an external payment commission proposal to the court, with rates ranging from 5% to 15%. The numbers look like a concession, but do the math and it's the same old App Store in-app purchase logic in disguise.
A Green Cabinet Older Than Atari: David Perry's 1973 Arcade Machine Hits the Auction Block
A 1973 two-player Computer Space cabinet from Earthworm Jim programmer David Perry's personal collection has surfaced at RR Auction, bidding alongside the Apple 50th anniversary sale, with the auction closing August 20.
Everest Hidden Inside a Phone Case: TORRAS' New Case Brings Sneaker Airbag Tech to Your Pocket
TORRAS has launched the Ostand Q3 Air Pro phone case, applying sneaker airbag logic to a dual-layer drop-protection structure — with Mount Everest's terrain engraved into the inner lining, a detail users will almost never see.
The Man Who Built Swipe Culture Now Wants You to Stop Swiping: Hinge Founder's AI Matchmaking Gamble
Hinge founder Justin McLeod is launching a new app called "Overtone" that ditches swiping in favor of AI matching, claiming it's built on "relationship science." But a psychologist who's spent a decade studying compatibility says bluntly: no one has ever pulled this off.
Oxenfree's Home Is Gone: Netflix Shuts Down Two Game Studios, Pivots Hard Into TV Party Games
Netflix has shut down Night School Studio, developer of the Oxenfree series, along with Helsinki-based studio Moonloot Games, while also cutting the only accessibility design role on its games team — shrinking its gaming footprint yet again.
Apple Insiders Are Calling It "iPhone Ultra" — But Does the Name Actually Make Sense?
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that Apple employees have widely adopted the name "iPhone Ultra" for the rumored foldable phone, but analysts are questioning whether this naming can live up to Apple's traditional definition of "Ultra."
Sony's IER-M500 Stage Monitors Land in Taiwan, Red/Blue Colorway Kills the Left-Right Guessing Game
Sony drops the IER-M500, a universal in-ear monitor built for the stage. Full-sealed isolation meets Hi-Res resolution, with a red/blue two-tone design letting performers tell left from right in an instant. Priced at NT$3,490.
Just One Year After Its Debut, Sonos's First Headphones Get a Successor: FCC Filing Leaks Five-Color "Ace Ultra"
An FCC filing for model number S52a points to Sonos unveiling its next-generation headphones, the Ace Ultra, this September — jumping from a single black-and-white colorway to five new hues, while adding voice control and smart home integration.
Trump Slaps 100% Tariff on Drones — But There's a Loophole for Made-in-USA Pledges
Thermal-imaging drones, aircraft over 25kg, and parts weighing more than 25kg now face a 100% tariff, with all other drones hit at 25%. But buried in the fine print is a loophole: companies that commit to manufacturing in the US can wipe the tariff out completely.
Apple TV Just Quietly Unlocked 20 Classic Movies for Free — And That's Not Its Usual Move
Apple TV built its name on originals, but it just tagged around 20 films—including "The Martian," "E.T.," and "Titanic"—as "Just Added." Subscribers can stream them straight away, no extra purchase or rental required.
Meta Donates 15,000 AI Glasses to Ireland's Visually Impaired—Same Model Under Fire for Spy-Cam Concerns
Meta is giving away 15,000 pairs of Ray-Ban Meta glasses for free to Vision Ireland, enough to cover every adult member of the visually impaired services organization. But this same eyewear has recently come under fire after its recording light was found to be hackable and traces of facial recognition testing surfaced.
DJI Mic Mini 2S: 32-bit Float Squeezed Into a 12g Body, Where Pro Specs Meet Brand Stubbornness
The Mic Mini 2S adds internal 32-bit float recording, finally giving the Mini series a real safety net — but that 1mm-raised logo on the body is still something creators can't shake off.
Off By a Few Thousandths of an Inch: Virgin Galactic's New Spaceship Gets Delayed Before It Even Has a Name
The Delta class spaceship was originally slated for its first flight in Q4 this year, but assembly tolerance issues have pushed it back to February 2027 at the earliest. Fifty tickets at $750,000 a pop have already sold — even though the ship is still just an online poll away from having a name.