Topic: news writing
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Microsoft Patches Notepad's Malicious Link Vulnerability
Microsoft patched a critical Notepad vulnerability (CVE-2026-20841) that could have allowed remote code execution via malicious links in Markdown files. The company confirmed the flaw was not actively exploited before the fix, which was released as part of its routine security updates. This incid...
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MrBeast Acquires a Banking App
Beast Industries, owned by YouTube star MrBeast, has acquired the teen-focused banking app Step, marking its first major move into financial services. The acquisition aligns with MrBeast's plan to launch a personal finance channel, leveraging his massive, young audience to promote the youth-orien...
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Google Pixel 10A Launch Date Officially Set for February 18
The Google Pixel 10A will be available for preorder on February 18, as announced with a teaser image showing a new powdery blue color. The phone's design closely resembles the previous Pixel 9A, featuring a similar dual-lens camera housing and bezels, though internal specifications are not yet de...
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Apple's Xcode Now Integrates OpenAI and Anthropic AI Coding Assistants
Apple has integrated AI agents from Anthropic and OpenAI directly into Xcode 26.3, enabling them to actively write, edit, and configure code within the development environment. The update supports the Model Context Protocol, allowing developers to connect additional third-party AI tools and servi...
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DOJ Appeals Landmark Google Monopoly Ruling
The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a cross-appeal against Google, signaling dissatisfaction with the court-ordered remedies and seeking stricter antitrust enforcement. The core legal dispute centers on whether the mandated fixes, which require Google to share search data and avoid exclusive...
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Belkin's Wemo Smart Devices to Go Offline This Saturday
Belkin is discontinuing cloud services for most Wemo smart home products, ending remote access, voice control, and app updates. Only newer Thread-based devices and products fully configured in Apple HomeKit before the deadline will retain smart functionality. Other affected devices will revert to...
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Google to Pay $135M for Android Data Collection
Google has agreed to a $135 million settlement to resolve a class action lawsuit alleging it collected Android users' cellular data without proper consent, even when apps were inactive or location services were off. The settlement mandates Google to simplify user controls over data transfers, obt...
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WhatsApp's New Lockdown Mode Boosts Security Against Cyberattacks
WhatsApp has introduced a "Strict Account Settings" mode, a lockdown feature that blocks media from unknown senders and silences calls from non-contacts, primarily for high-risk users like journalists and activists. When enabled, this setting creates a digital fortress by disabling link previews,...
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Amazon to Pay $309 Million Over 'No Hassle' Returns Lawsuit
Amazon has agreed to a settlement exceeding $1 billion to resolve a class action lawsuit alleging it failed to properly process returns and issue refunds as advertised. The settlement includes approximately $600 million for customer refunds and over $300 million in direct payments, plus a commitm...
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Make AI Writing Sound Human with Wikipedia's AI-Spotting Guide
A new tool called Humanizer, developed by Siqi Chen, uses Wikipedia's AI-detection guidelines to make AI-generated text appear more natural by avoiding flagged stylistic patterns. The tool specifically scrubs linguistic giveaways like vague attributions and promotional language, transforming AI o...
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Apple's Next AI Wearable: AirTag-Sized Device in the Works
Apple is reportedly developing a discreet, AI-powered wearable pin to capture environmental audio and visual data, marking a step into ambient computing. The rumored device, in early development, features a dual-camera system, multiple microphones, and wireless charging, with a potential launch a...
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Threads Surpasses X on Mobile, Yet Trails in Overall Users
Threads now surpasses X in global daily active mobile users, with approximately 141.5 million users, indicating sustained growth rather than a sudden spike. While Threads leads globally on mobile, X still has more mobile users in the U.S. and dominates significantly in web traffic, where Threads'...
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Visible Now Offers Outage Credits to Customers
Visible Wireless is issuing a $5 bill credit to customers as compensation for a recent network outage, mirroring a larger credit offered by its parent company, Verizon. The credit was communicated via an in-app apology, but some users reported needing to contact support to receive it, indicating ...
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Tech Giants Pay for Wikipedia Enterprise Access
Major tech firms like Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, Perplexity, and Mistral AI are now paying customers of the Wikimedia Foundation, securing premium access to Wikipedia's data for their services. These partnerships operate through Wikimedia Enterprise, a service that tailors Wikipedia's data for comm...
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Pete Davidson and Michael Irvin Star in Netflix's First Original Podcasts
Netflix is launching its first two original video podcasts this month, featuring comedian Pete Davidson and NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin, marking its strategic entry into the podcasting arena. **The Pete Davidson Show** premieres January 30th with weekly, unfiltered discussions from his garage...
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Paramount Sues Warner Bros. Over Failed Deal
Paramount has sued Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) to force disclosure of its Netflix partnership details, arguing this is necessary for shareholder transparency in the competitive streaming landscape. Paramount's CEO criticizes WBD for rejecting its merger proposals without proving the Netflix deal...
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Amazon Upgrades Prime Members to Alexa Plus Automatically
Amazon is automatically upgrading Prime members to its new Alexa Plus service, powered by a large language model, to better compete with rivals like Google's Gemini, though users can revert to the classic version with a voice command. Early user feedback on the rollout has been mixed, with compla...
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Microsoft Adds Direct Purchase Buttons to Copilot
Microsoft's Copilot AI assistant now features in-chat purchasing, allowing users to buy recommended products directly within the conversation without navigating to external websites. The new functionality includes a "Buy" button that triggers a secure checkout screen within the chat, where users ...
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Framework's Memory Prices Rise Again, More Increases Expected
Framework has significantly increased the price of its DDR5 memory modules to $10 per gigabyte, with the 48GB option more than doubling in cost, due to ongoing supplier pressure. To help customers manage costs, Framework allows its DIY Edition laptops to be ordered without memory, enabling users ...
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Top Podcasts Leave YouTube for Netflix
Netflix is securing exclusive video podcast rights through a partnership with iHeartMedia, directly challenging YouTube's dominance by removing full episodes of popular shows like *My Favorite Murder* from YouTube. This move is part of Netflix's strategy to diversify its content and create a uniq...
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X Sues Operation Bluebird Over Twitter Trademark
X Corp. has sued startup Operation Bluebird, alleging it is attempting to steal the "Twitter" and "Tweet" trademarks and arguing the rebranding to X did not constitute legal abandonment of these rights. The lawsuit claims Operation Bluebird is creating consumer confusion by adopting branding simi...
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Merriam-Webster's 2025 Word of the Year Revealed: 'Slop'
Merriam-Webster has named "slop" its 2025 Word of the Year, formally defining it as low-quality, mass-produced AI-generated digital content. The year saw a split in industry response, with some major platforms implementing policies to curb AI slop while others, like Meta and OpenAI, launched appl...
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Apple Music Replay 2025: See Your New Listening Stats
Apple Music Replay is an integrated annual recap that provides subscribers with detailed personal listening statistics, including top artists, songs, and genres. The feature includes a shareable highlight reel for social media and offers a consolidated view of how musical preferences have evolved...
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Amazon and Google Cloud Partner to Prevent Outages
AWS and Google Cloud have partnered to create a direct, private link between their platforms, enabling businesses to quickly establish a connection as a safety net against service disruptions. The system includes proactive monitoring to identify potential failures and a coordinated maintenance sc...
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YouTube & Google Play Movies Removed from Movies Anywhere
Movies Anywhere has removed content purchased through Google Play or YouTube from its service as of October 31st, ending their integration and syncing capabilities. Previously linked movies from Google accounts remain accessible in Movies Anywhere, but new purchases on Google Play or YouTube will...
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OpenAI's Sora App Now Available on Android
OpenAI has launched the Sora video generation app for Android, making it available in key markets like the U.S., Japan, and Korea through the Google Play Store. A new "character cameos" feature introduces reusable digital avatars that users can integrate into their video projects for enhanced cre...
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Apple Launches Web-Based App Store
Apple has launched a web-based App Store at apps.apple.com, offering a centralized hub for discovering apps across all its devices with an interactive interface. The web store enhances discoverability with search and category browsing but does not support direct downloads, instead linking to the ...
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Zillow Adds Direct Messaging for Home Browsers
Zillow has introduced a built-in messaging tool to simplify collaboration, allowing users to discuss properties and share listings directly within the app. Users can invite others via a unique link to join conversations in Zillow’s inbox, where they can exchange messages and share property discov...
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Mastodon Adopts Bluesky's Starter Packs With Opt-Out Option
Mastodon is introducing "Packs," a feature to help users discover accounts and build engaging feeds through curated lists organized by topic, similar to Bluesky's Starter Packs. The feature emphasizes user control by allowing individuals to opt out, receive notifications when added, and remove th...
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Qualcomm Acquires Arduino in Major IoT Play
Qualcomm has acquired Arduino to combine its open-source hardware community with Qualcomm's semiconductor technology, while Arduino will maintain independent operations and its brand identity. Arduino introduced the Uno Q board, featuring Qualcomm's processor and real-time microcontroller, which ...
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Google's New Desktop App Adds Spotlight-Style Search to Windows
Google is testing a new Windows desktop app that offers a Spotlight-style search via Alt + Space, enabling users to find information across local files, Google Drive, and the web. The app integrates Google Lens for visual searches and AI Mode for tasks like solving math problems, with results org...
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Amazon's NFL Thursday Night Football Gets an AI Upgrade
Amazon is introducing AI-powered features like Pocket Health for its Thursday Night Football coverage to provide real-time, interactive insights during live NFL games. New End of Game AI tools for the 2025 season will heighten suspense by evaluating possession scenarios and predicting comeback po...
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Google Fined $425M in Landmark Privacy Violation Case
A federal jury ordered Google to pay $425 million for continuing to collect user data even after individuals disabled tracking features, marking one of the largest penalties for digital privacy violations. The class action lawsuit, representing about 98 million users, accused Google of unlawfully...
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Apple's Siri May Get an AI Upgrade Powered by Google
Apple is developing a major AI upgrade for Siri, potentially using Google's Gemini technology, to enhance its capabilities and compete in the digital assistant market. The upgrade will transform Siri into a more proactive tool with features like web content summarization, using a multi-layered ar...
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Uber Eats Now Delivers Tech from Best Buy
Uber Eats has partnered with Best Buy to offer electronics delivery, allowing customers to order items like headphones and laptops through the app. Over 800 Best Buy locations in North America are participating, expanding the retailer's delivery options alongside services like Instacart and DoorD...
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