Engadget News + Next
Each weekday morning we bring you the tech news you need today, and then in the afternoon we showcase stories about the technology, science, and culture that will influence tomorrow, all brought to you by Engadget.
3 Affordable alternatives to Sonos speakers
Getting good multi-room audio doesn’t have to break the bank.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Amazon introduces new Kindle Paperwhite, Colorsoft and entry-level models
They come in new colors, including Ube purple and Fig red.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
FDA approved artificial heart valve for kids that grows as they do, OpenAI fired 3 employees who allegedly shared info with an external AI safety group, and Audible rolled out an AI-generated interactions feature
-Designed by a company called Edwards, the Autus Size-Adjustable Valve is an artificial pulmonary valve designed to be implanted into pediatric patients and can be expanded as the child grows.
-The Wall Street Journal reported that OpenAI let go of three employees from its safety team after they allegedly shared confidential information with a third-party organization, one focused on AI safety.
-Audible just announced something called Interactive Stories, which lets listeners "become part of the story's world." This is done via generative AI, so people can sort of talk to a character.
<...
Amazon unveils a thinner and faster Fire TV Stick 4K
It will cost just $30 during the Prime Day deals event next week, and retail for $60 otherwise.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Elon Musk and Palmer Luckey will advise the government on the future of warfare, Reddit imposing new restrictions on Old Reddit, and Neon will make a truly open-source SCP movie
-Project Meridian will be led by Elon Musk, Palmer Luckey and Newt Gingrich, none of which has served in the US military.
-Â While Old Reddit remains popular among a vocal contingent of longtime users, the company has said the older version of the site has been a "significant source" of AI scraping.
-Neon announced that it's developing an anthology film based on the SCP Foundation community's horror fiction.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Why Wi-Fi extenders simply aren't worth buying in 2026
A single extender might fix a dead zone, but can't compete with better network tech.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
McDonald's is reportedly using AI to "dynamically" price its burgers, there's now an official US government AI chatbot, and OpenAI rolled out Dots, its new personal agents
-This is basically surge pricing, like with ride-share platforms, but for hockey puck burgers that have been sitting under a hot lamp.
-America.gov is an interface for people to ask natural language questions about information and services from federal agencies.
-Â OpenAI is pitching Dots as proactive, always-on AI systems that can chip away at tasks for you every hour of the day.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Robot dogs on farms do a lot more than just guarding
Moving beyond security details to crop surveillance.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Anthropic lost $8 billion last year and said its AI could destroy humanity, OpenAI canceled GPT-6.1 Astra's release over deceptive behavior, and Meta is starting an enterprise business to justify its massive AI spending
-Anthropic reported an operating loss of $8 billion last year (on a $42 billion net loss), despite a 12-fold revenue increase from the year before to $4.6 billion. The company also said its AI tech may pose "existential risks to humanity."
-GPT-6.1 Astra performed poorly on tests that measure how well it adheres to instructions. It also wasn't honest about telling testers the actions it did and didn't perform in order to achieve its goal.
-Meta has been laying the groundwork for this shift over the last several months with a slew of AI-focused tools, including business agents...
It took MapQuest until 2026 to add public transit directions
The 30-year-old map service is quickly getting with the times.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The US government plans to use AI to help redact documents, Bill Gates says it's irresponsible for AI to not have safeguards, and OpenAI's agents targeted and infiltrated US government websites
-A FOIA expert at the University of Florida told the Washington Post, "I think we have to watch the government really carefully on how they use AI to redact records, because I think it's going to be a very powerful tool for secrecy.”
-Gates said the more pressing concern is when bad actors tap into the power of AI to aid with bioterrorism or mass financial fraud incidents.
-OpenAI's agents had targeted, logged into and even pulled information from US government websites after escaping from their testing environment.
Learn more about yo...
Meta's Muse AI agent is coming to its AI glasses
Have your virtual assistant book a flight while you’re jogging.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Google is sending a tiny AI data center to space, Revolut is piloting facial recognition at store checkouts in the UK, and Google added creepy avatars to Gemini 3.8 live's agents
-It's four specialized computer chips called "tensor processing units" which, combined, offer the power of a single server in a data center. Solar panels will supply just one kilowatt of power to juice the chips, which is equivalent to the energy needed to run a hair dryer.
-Pay with Smile will run on Revolut Register, the company's new hospitality point-of-sale hardware system.
-The Google avatar experience pairs near real-time visual presence to the live dialogue models, creating "an experience that listens, sees and speaks with a dynamic visual persona."
Learn more...
Anthropic and OpenAI announce more powerful (and cheaper) AI models
After a lot of back and forth about slowing the pace of AI development, both companies are releasing new models.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
An OpenAI agent hacked into an Australian government website, Meta to stop training its AI on 'visual data' from its smart glasses, and ShinyHunters hackers say they have up to 3TB of sensitive info about FBI employees
-Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed "extreme concern" about the incident and criticized the company for taking too long to notify Australian authorities.
-Meta says it will allow people to opt out of having their "visual data" from the glasses used for AI training.
-ShinyHunters got the information by using a zero day exploit in the PeopleSoft program from Oracle to obtain access to Amazon Web Services' GovCloud servers.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Peloton has made a foldable (treadmill)
The Tread Flex is the company's first fold-up treadmill, and also its cheapest to date.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Anthropic & OpenAI announce more powerful and cheaper AI models, XPENG's humanoid robot walked off the assembly line ready to work, and Apple linked landmarks on its Maps app to Hidden Histories podcast episodes
-Anthropic's Fable 5.1 and OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra rolled out new models that offer similar levels of performance but at lower costs
-XPENG says its Iron humanoid robot walked autonomously off its newly operational production line after its assembly was complete, paving the way for mass production later this year.
-Apple now links to Hidden Histories podcast episodes within Maps for select landmarks in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago and Washington, DC.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Is there any benefit to keeping your smart TV in standby mode?
Turns out there's a lot going on behind that blank screen.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Polymarket is lobbying European nations not to be treated as a gambling website, the EU will force data centers to disclose their energy and water use, and Apple’s home hub device is almost ready
-The company reportedly talked to the European Commission and the European Securities and Markets Authority, in hopes that they would agree to regulate it under MiFID rules.
-The European Union's regulatory arm has proposed rules that would force data center operators to disclose their energy and water use through a common rating system.
-Dubbed J490 inside Apple, the device is currently being widely tested in employees' homes ahead of a release.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Candy Crush developers are planning a strike
King's staff want to get negotiations back on track after years of bargaining.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Amazon barred Meta's Muse AI from shopping on its site, Joby Aviation completed a fully autonomous cross country flight and Gavin Newsom wants to implement a kill switch for frontier AI models
-Anyone using Meta's Muse to shop on Amazon is now being greeted with the message, "Continued access by an unauthorized AI agent violates Amazon's Conditions of Use, to which our customers have agreed."
-Joby Aviation has claimed the "first-ever autonomous flight across the United States," after it outfitted an aircraft with its autonomous flight system to complete the journey without human input.
-In an executive order signed by Gavin Newsom on Friday, California will convene national experts to create new recommendations for AI safety during a two-month time frame.
Learn more...
Best Wireless Headphones for 2026
We've tested dozens of headphones at different price ranges — these are our favorites.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The biggest issues with delivery robots are exactly what you'd think
Too often, delivery robots just don't understand the rules of the road (or sidewalk).
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
A Microsoft executive called OpenAI's web scraping the 'largest theft of labor in human history', Anthropic says Claude 'leads' 26 percent of its AI R&D work, and the FAA says laser strikes on aircraft fell again
-Microsoft's director of Applied Science, Dr. Brent Hecht, said OpenAI's work was akin to the "largest theft of labor in human history" that could create a "doom loop."
-By "leads," the company means that the AI "can complete most of a task end-to-end from a high-level prompt, while a human supervises."
-However, there were still 4,470 cases of planes being targeted by lasers between January and July of this year.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Meta is reportedly gearing up to launch new smart glasses without a camera
The company is hoping they would attract new customers amid privacy concerns over current models, The Information says.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
OpenAI revealed more instances of concerning AI model behaviors, Meta's rules for AI deepfakes are 'consistently and fundamentally inadequate', and a Japanese company developed a humanoid robot 'ambulance'.
-OpenAI revealed six new incidents, wherein the models it was testing acted on their own and behaved in concerning ways it didn't expect, in a post about how it was adopting a new framework for "misalignment reports."
-The Oversight Board is once again pushing Meta to address the flood of AI-generated content on its platform.
-GMO Internet Group unveiled what it calls Japan's first "humanoid ambulance" on the streets of Tokyo this month.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
What's the biggest IMAX theater in the world?
If you'd like to visit one, there could be a lot of travel involved.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Meta is gearing up to launch new smart glasses without a camera, the DOJ says companies used Binance to funnel $1.5 billion in crypto to Iran, and Nitter and XCancel shut down after threats of legal action
-The Information says Meta could unveil the new model dubbed Luna at its upcoming annual Connect developer conference scheduled on September 23 and 24.
-Federal prosecutors disclosed Binance's alleged role in the scheme in a forfeiture complaint that they say sent $1.5 billion to Iran via a series of interrelated digital wallets.
-Nitter is an open-source platform that allows people to read posts without being logged into X or having an X account.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
What's the difference between AppleCare+ and AppleCare One?
What’s worth getting depends on how many and what kind of Apple devices you have.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Music distributors agreed to new anti-fraud measures, X Corp and SpaceXAI dismissed their lawsuit against Apple, and Apple TV cleaned up at the Emmys
-On Monday, the IFPI launched the Streaming Integrity Initiative, what it calls "a new industry commitment to combat streaming fraud and protect artists, songwriters and fans from its harm."
-Elon Musk's X Corp and SpaceXAI have moved to dismiss a lawsuit against Apple.
-Apple's streaming service collected eight Primetime Emmy awards last night, including six for Widow's Bay and two for Pluribus.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Universal Music Group is collaborating with ElevenLabs on a new AI-powered creation platform
The unnamed software will be built around licensed music from UMG artists who want to participate.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
OpenAI agents hacked a software service before the Hugging Face incident, Sam Altman says OpenAI won't file for IPO this year, Tesla's 2nd-gen Roadster is finally getting a debut nearly a decade later
-A group of researchers told The Wall Street Journal that the agents, which the company was testing in a supposed sandbox environment, reportedly broke into RubyGems, which is a community-run packaging service for Ruby programs and libraries.
-Â In an interview with Fortune, Sam Altman said that "given everything happening with safety, right now would be an ill-advised moment to go public."
-Those waiting for the next Roadster model have been left in the dark since the prototype's initial reveal in 2017.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The iPhone Duo just might live up to the hype
It's got that Apple touch.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Anthropic caught scientists using Claude to further bio weapon research, CA has new laws on the use of social media and AI chatbots by kids, and UMG is collaborating with ElevenLabs
-"Biological misuse" is just one flavor of troubling AI usage the report documents, but it's of growing importance because newer models like Fable 5 are increasingly good at helping with scientific research.
-Chatbot makers will be required to implement mental health resources, safety protocols in case a minor discusses self harm and notifications for parents if a child turns off safety settings.
-The deal with UMG is the first that ElevenLabs has cut with a major label, and the new platform will be distinct from its ElevenMusic AI music generation software.
...
Instacart now has its own AI assistant
It can recommend recipes with ingredient lists you can quickly add to your cart.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
NASA and IBM made an AI model for exploring the Moon, Trump Mobile's T1 Phone now costs $250 more, and Microsoft struck a deal with a national teachers union to not use school data to train AI
-NASA and IBM found it was particularly adept at identifying areas on the lunar surface where there might be ice.
-The price hike on the Trump phone was first reported by The Verge, which also noted that the provider didn't make an announcement about it and just quietly updated its website.
-FT is the country's second-largest teachers union and is describing the deal as a "first of its kind" effort that seeks to fill in some gaps from the lack of any real federal guardrails for AI.
Learn more about your...
How Long Should A Laptop Battery Last On A Single Charge?
And how you can help it perform at its best.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
US accused Chinese AI companies of industrial-scale campaigns, Suno trained its latest models with help from Warner and BMG, and what's going on with OpenAI and the Navier-Stokes controversy?
-The US accused DeepSeek, Moonshot AI, Alibaba, MiniMax, StepFun and Z.AI of extracting "billions of tokens across millions of exchanges/requests" from American models, including Anthropic's Claude, OpenAI's GPT, Google's Gemini and xAI's Grok, since 2024.
-Suno's v6 series consists of three models: v6, v6-wild and v6-mini. The first of those is Suno's new flagship offering.
-OpenAI announced that it found a solution to the Navier-Stokes problem, but the news has been marred by a debate over whether the company acted based on unpublished research from other parties.
Learn...
The Apple Vision Pro was used for a successful hip surgery
Stryker says its SportSuite Vision software for the headset received De Novo authorization from the FDA in July.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Samsung and TSMC hope AMSL's new machines will help address the chip shortage, a new Elizabeth Holmes doc is coming, and Retroid teased a dual-screen handheld
-Samsung and TSMC will join Intel in adopting ASML's latest High NA extreme ultraviolet lithography chip fab machines.
-You Can See Everything is the latest bizarre chapter in Holmes' story from directors Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim.
-Based on the limited info in the teaser, it's hard to say exactly what Retroid's upcoming multi-display gadget will look like.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
