Engadget News + Next

The project was shut down last year as the company shifted focus toward AI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-Adobe has announced updates for Premiere and After Effects, including new AI-powered tools that are meant to speed up your video editing tasks. -The UK government has announced a consultation, asking people for their feedback on whether to introduce a social media ban for children under 16 years old. -Gladys West's work laid the foundation for the global positioning system. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plus, how to claim Verizon's $20 credit for last week's service outage Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-If you weren't able to shut down your Windows 11 device recently, Microsoft has rolled out an emergency fix addressing a couple of critical bugs that popped up with its latest January 2026 Windows security update. -Washington state residents may soon be forced to produce IDs before getting onto websites with pornographic content. -Six years after the announcement of plans to build Atari Hotels in eight cities across the US, including Las Vegas, only one now seems to be moving forward, in Phoenix, Arizona. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The best budget fitness trackers can help you stick to your fitness goals without breaking the bank. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-The US Department of Commerce announced that Taiwanese businesses will make an upfront investment of at least $250 billion into their US production capacity. -Live Now is included as part of Bluesky's latest update, alongside "cashtags," a separate type of hashtag for collecting conversations about publicly-traded companies. -The Netflix/Sony deal expands on the exclusive rights the companies have in the US, and means the service will be the first place people will be able to stream upcoming projects. Sony's films will stream worldwide on Netflix in what's called "Pay-1," the first window of availability after a movie's theatrical and VOD releases. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The AI can search through your photos, Gmail and Search and YouTube history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-X says it is changing its policies around Grok’s image-editing abilities following a multi-week outcry over the chatbot repeatedly being accused of generating sexualized images of children and nonconsensual nudity. -OpenAI has debuted a dedicated ChatGPT-powered translation tool. While folks have been using the main chatbot for translation for some time, Android Authority spotted that you can now find ChatGPT Translate on its own webpage. -Spotify is raising the prices for its premium subscriptions by $1 to $2 across the board, starting this February. Those are similar figures to the company’s last price hike in 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Claude Cowork is a file-managing AI agent for the rest of us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced on his X platform that the company will stop selling its $8,000 Full Self-Driving option and make it strictly a monthly subscription service after February 14. -The DEFIANCE Act lets the subjects of nonconsensual, sexually explicit deepfakes take civil action against the people who create and host them. Deepfakes are a known issue online, but without the proper protections, easy access to AI-powered image and video generation tools has made it possible for anyone to create compromising content using another person's likeness. -The UK government has backtracked on a plan to require all workers to have a digital ID following a backlash. It will no longer be mandatory to register with the digital ID program to prove one has the right to work in the country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Claude Cowork is the computer agent for the rest of us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the other hand, Malwarebytes said this incident is related to an alleged leak that includes usernames, email addresses, phone numbers and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Parting with your money has never been easier. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-YouTube introduced some new filters to its advanced search tools today. Possibly the most exciting change is that Shorts are now listed as a content type, so the three-minute-or-less videos can be excluded as results in your searches. -After years of testing its humanoid robot, Boston Dynamics' Atlas is entering production. The first companies that will receive deployments are Hyundai and Google DeepMind, the firm's newly minted AI partner. -UK-based EV startup Longbow Motors showed off one of its high-performance electric machines with advanced in-wheel motors from Donut Labs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

LG's vision for a "zero labor home" feels more aspirational than actually possible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-OpenAI is launching a new feature that will allow users to connect medical records and wellness apps to ChatGPT in order to get more tailored responses to queries about their health. -Apple announced that JPMorgan Chase will be the new issuer for the Apple Card. According to the tech company, the transition to the new provider should take about two years to complete -Ubisoft is closing a Canadian studio just over two weeks after it unionized. The company told GamesIndustry.biz that the closure of Ubisoft Halifax was part of "company-wide actions to streamline operations" and unrelated to the unionization. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NVIDIA has begun production on its new Vera Rubin supercomputer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-The appropriately-named Lenovo AI Glasses Concept promises to transform "how users interact with their surroundings and unifies their workflow." -Meta has teamed up with Garmin, as well as a handful of research partners, to explore some intriguing use cases for its wrist-based controller. The social media company has previously worked with Garmin on fitness integrations for its glasses. -The Chinese micromobility company Navee introduced the UT5 Ultra X, a dual-motor e-scooter with an advertised top speed of 43 mph along with an auto-following golf cart and a seaplane? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How the display tech is different from Micro LED, Mini LED and OLED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-As early as the end of this year, your earbuds could pull double-duty, pumping out tunes and keeping an eye on your brain’s health. The product being released today is the NAOX Link NX01, an in-ear EEG designed to replace the wire-covered caps you’ve seen at a sleep clinic. -Birdbuddy was one of the first smart bird feeder brands, with a wildly successful Kickstarter back in 2020. And this year, they’ve added birdsong to their species identification capabilities. -For better or worse, CES 2026 is shaping up to be a big year for humanoid robots. Chinese company Agibot showed up with two: the roughly human-sized A2 and the slightly smaller X2, both of which were displaying their surprisingly impressive dancing abilities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The 1S is a spec bump of the original One, and it's cheaper. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-SwitchBot turned up to CES with a wearable microphone which records and transcribes every noise to come from your mouth. -Samsung had a big surprise for folks last night at CES 2026: A massive 130-inch Micro RGB TV. -Lockin debuted its newest smart lock model. It charges wirelessly via an optical infrared beam with a four-meter range. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Adam Mosseri says creators should prioritize "unflattering" images to prove they are real. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-Starlink will lower the orbits of roughly 4,400 satellites this year as a safety measure, according to engineering VP, Michael Nicolls. In a post on X, Nicolls wrote that the company is "beginning a significant reconfiguration of its satellite constellation," in which all satellites orbiting at around 342 miles will be lowered to around 298 miles. -Rather than the very tall towers typically used for this approach, Airloom's structures are 20 to 30 meters high and are made of a loop of adjustable wings that move along a track, a design that’s sort of like a roller coaster. -The Swiss minimal phone pioneer Punkt is back with another model, the MC03. The new handset continues Punkt's focus on privacy, security and digital minimalism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Turn your Apple tablet into the ultimate productivity tool with the right gear. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The companies, products and trends that fared the best over the last 12 months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-In its worst-case-scenario model, the IDC predicts PC shipments could shrink by up to 8.9 percent in 2026 because of the high cost of memory. -Meta has acquired an AI startup called Manus — known for its custom research and website-building agents — in a deal valued at more than $2 billion. It's reportedly one of the largest acquisitions yet involving a startup nurtured in China's AI ecosystem. -Samsung will have two new inexpensive mobile devices arriving on the US market next month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The two-armed, five-fingered robot named CLOiD is supposed to help with tasks around the home. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-Considering the caliber of President Trump's other appointees, Jared Isaacman is probably the best candidate for the job. Outside of being a successful entrepreneur, he has flown fighter jets and been to space twice as part of the Inspiration4 and Polaris Dawn private missions. -Michał Kiciński, co-founder of CD Projekt, has acquired total ownership of the DRM-free video game storefront GOG. The digital video game platform was started by CD Projekt in 2008 with a stated mission to preserve "Good Old Games" (hence the GOG acronym). -Ubisoft had to shut down Rainbow Six Siege's servers and roll back transactions, a situation that came from a widespread breach that left various players with billions of in-game credits, ultra-rare skins of weapons, and banned accounts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

CEO Sam Altman posted about the role on X, saying the models 'are starting to present some real challenges.' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-Apple has requested to appeal to the UK's Court of Appeal, which would escalate the case beyond the Competition Appeal Tribunal. The latest appeal attempt follows an October decision from the CAT, where the court found that Apple engaged in anticompetitive practices by exploiting its dominant market position with the App Store to charge higher fees. -Ubisoft has shut down Rainbow Six Siege's servers and is in the process of rolling back the fallout of a widespread breach that left various players with billions of in-game credits, ultra-rare skins of weapons, and banned accounts. As of Sunday afternoon, the status page on Rainbow Six Siege's website still shows "unplanned outage" on all servers across PC, PlayStation and Xbox. -The aim is for Google Photos to work seamlessly with Vision AI Companion, Samsung's souped-up version of Bixby. This would help to make user photos part of the day-to-day TV experience, with photos appearing while navigating the TV's OS during "contextual and convenient moments." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Get a great machine for cheap with our top-rated picks for budget laptops all costing $1,000 or less. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Previously sold drones will not be affected. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The only thing holding people back now is price. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-The Federal Communications Commission has added foreign-made drones and their critical components to the agency’s “Covered List,” making them prohibited to import into the US. In a public notice published by the FCC, it said several national security agencies have determined that unmanned aircraft systems and their critical components produced in foreign countries pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States. -Anna's Archive, the open-source search engine for shadow libraries, says it scraped Spotify's entire library of music. The group acquired metadata for around 256 million tracks, with 86 million actual songs, and is just under 300TB in total size. -An investigation by the New York Times into Uber's background checks and safety procedures for its drivers found a patchwork approach that opens the door for violent felons to drive for the ride-hailing platform. Uber outright rejects applicants convicted of murder, sexual assault, kidnapping and terrorism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Waymo halted its autonomous ride-hailing services in the city in response. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-New York governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation on Friday aimed at holding large AI developers accountable for the safety of their models. The RAISE Act establishes rules for greater transparency, requiring these companies to publish information about their safety protocols and report any incidents within 72 hours of their occurrence. -OpenAI revealed that users can adjust characteristics under new Warm, Enthusiastic, Header & Lists and Emoji options found in the Personalization settings. Between the four options, you can choose between more, less or default to fine-tune exactly how you want ChatGPT to sound in its responses. -On Friday, Bloomberg reported on the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) severing its ties with FWD.us. Zuckerberg's group provided no funding to the advocacy group for the first time this year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

But will it ask them to buy stuff? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-Orbital tracking company LeoLabs assessed that the issue was caused by an "internal energetic source rather than a collision with space debris or another object." SpaceX said it's working with NASA and the US Space Force to track the remains of the object. -Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that Honda will suspend production in Japan on January 5 and 6. (Honda didn't specify the affected factories.) In addition, all three of the automaker's Guangqi Honda Automobile plants in China will shut down from December 29 to January 2. -Gizmodo noticed that Trump Mobile is selling these other brands' phones for the same cost, or sometimes more, than the same refurbs from other retailers. Seems pretty par for the course. NBC News opted to order one of the T1 phones in August to track its development. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

So much for OpenAI's triumphant return Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-The Ultrahuman Ring Air now has the capacity to track snoring and general respiratory health. This is thanks to proprietary technology called Respiratory Health PowerPlug, which is basically a suite of audio analysis tools along with some "advanced biomarker tracking" and AI. -A recently published pricing experiment study showed that the Instacart app gave different users different prices for the same items from the same store location at the exact same time. Some of the testers saw prices up to 23 percent higher than what the other testers saw, though the average difference for the same list of items was around 7 percent. -A report from Reuters claims that scientists in China have created a prototype of a machine that could eventually be used to produce semiconductor chips capable of powering artificial intelligence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plus, there's a new dedicated sidebar with presets and prompt suggestions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-Warner Bros. Discovery's board has formally rejected the $108 billion takeover bid from Paramount Skydance. WBD said it remains committed to its $82.7 billion deal with Netflix, which would close some time next year, pending regulatory approval. -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. -Back in 2022, the California DMV accused the automaker of using deceptive language to advertise those products and making it seem like its vehicles are capable of level 5 autonomous driving. Tesla has since added the word “Supervised” to the name of its Full Self-Driving assistance technology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

But the catch is authors and publishers can't opt out of having this feature in their works. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-In Google’s email announcement, however, it said it was discontinuing dark web reports because “feedback showed that it did not provide helpful next steps.” -A Louisiana law that would have required social media platforms to verify the ages of their users has been blocked by a judge. - Ford announced plans this week to reboot the F-150 Lightning as an EREV hybrid. An EREV is similar in concept to a plug-in hybrid but with a larger battery that's topped up by a gas generator — the powertrain itself is all electric. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

OpenAI and Disney are partnering to bring Disney characters to Sora (OpenAI) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-Grok's confusion seems to be most apparent with a viral video that shows a 43-year-old bystander, identified as Ahmed al Ahmed, wrestling a gun away from an attacker during the incident, which, according to the latest news reports, has left at least 15 dead. -Google seems to be cracking down on the use of Disney characters in AI-generated videos on YouTube after it was hit with a cease and desist letter. -iRobot expects the deal to close next February, but says it will continue to operate "with no anticipated disruption to its app functionality, customer programs, global partners, supply chain relationships or ongoing product support." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mark Zuckerberg has been shaking up the company's AI strategy as it pursues "superintelligence." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-On Thursday evening, President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for a single, nationwide regulatory framework governing artificial intelligence at the expense of the ability of different states to regulate the nascent technology. -Disney and OpenAI announced a three-year licensing agreement: Starting in 2026, ChatGPT and Sora can generate images and videos incorporating Disney IP, including more than 200 characters from the company's stable of Star Wars, Pixar and Marvel brands. -Amazon's plan to offer AI-generated recaps of Prime Video shows isn't off to a great start. The company's recap of the first season of Fallout features multiple errors, including basic facts about the plot of the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anker and Valerian are providing a more affordable big-screen experience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices