@Snap2 | Digg | Digg

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TikTok finalizes deal for its US entity

TikTok has finalized a deal for its US entity, TikTok USDS Joint Venture, with ByteDance retaining a 19.9 percent stake and the rest controlled by non-Chinese investors including Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX. The new entity will protect US users' data, retrain TikTok’s algorithm, and handle content moderation. The joint venture also includes CapCut and Lemon8, with a seven-member board of directors overseeing operations.

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Vimeo lays off most of its staff just months after being bought by private equity firm

Vimeo, a video-hosting platform, has laid off most of its staff just months after being acquired by private equity firm Bending Spoons for $1.38 billion. The layoffs have impacted nearly the entire company, including the video team. The reason for the layoffs is unknown, but Bending Spoons has a history of purchasing tech companies and cutting costs through layoffs. Vimeo, founded a year before YouTube, has positioned itself as a premium alternative for hosting creative and business-adjacent videos.

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Retro handheld maker Anbernic has a new gamepad with a screen and heart rate sensor

Retro handheld maker Anbernic has introduced a new gamepad, the RG G01, featuring a 2.5-inch HD smart screen for intuitive customization and a heart rate sensor to monitor well-being during gaming.

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A rival smart glasses company is suing Meta over its Ray-Ban products

Solos, a smart glasses maker, is suing Meta for patent infringement related to its Ray-Ban smart glasses, seeking billions in damages and an injunction. Solos claims Meta's products violate its patents on core smart eyewear technologies. The lawsuit alleges that Meta gained access to Solos' technology through Oakley and a former MIT Sloan Fellow who worked at Meta.

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“I swallowed some of it. I had really been spitting it out near the end.” | The Verge

A kid ate part of an AI art exhibit!!!

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Community - Private/Request-Access limits?

Will communities sometime get the option to be either private, or request-access only?

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Apple will begin showing more App Store ads starting in March

Starting in March, Apple will show more App Store ads in search results, appearing both at the top and further down. This move aims to provide more opportunities for advertisers to drive downloads, as search is the primary method for finding and downloading apps, accounting for nearly 65% of downloads.

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Meta is temporarily pulling teens' access from its AI chatbot characters

Meta is temporarily halting teens' access to its AI chatbot characters globally due to safety concerns. This decision follows reports of inappropriate interactions and follows the company's commitment to re-train its chatbots to prevent discussions on sensitive topics. Teens will still be able to access the official Meta AI chatbot, which already has age-appropriate protections.

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Even the lawmakers behind the TikTok ban have no idea what’s going on |

Lawmakers who passed a bill to ban TikTok are staying quiet about the repeated delays of its enforcement by President Donald Trump. The Verge contacted several lawmakers involved in the bill's passage, but only Maria Cantwell commented, expressing concerns about the lack of transparency in the deal Trump is brokering. The deal, which involves selling TikTok to a US entity, raises questions about whether it meets the legal requirements for divestiture and if it will sever all ties to China.

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Hang on, there’s a Trump Phone Ultra coming too? | The Verge

What are they even trying to achieve?

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Apple accuses Europe of 'delay tactics' following alternative app store collapse

Following the shutdown of an alternative app store, Apple has accused the European Commission (EC) of using 'political delay tactics' as an excuse to probe and fine the company. Apple claims the EC has refused to approve changes to its pricing model for third-party app stores, which it submitted in October. The EC insists it is in constant contact with Apple to find a solution compliant with the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The EC is reportedly preparing to blame Apple for the shutdown of the Setapp store, citing complex business terms.

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Malaysia lifts ban on Grok after taking X at its word

Malaysia has lifted its ban on Grok, Elon Musk's AI chatbot, after X Corp implemented required safety measures against misuse. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission confirmed it was satisfied with the new policies, which now prohibit the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing. The country will continue to monitor the platform for further violations.

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Chrome won’t support macOS 12 starting later this year.

Starting with Chrome 151, Google will no longer support macOS 12 Monterey, requiring users to upgrade to macOS 13 Ventura or later to continue receiving updates.

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The Last General: A new game planned for release in mid-late 2026

The Last General is a real-time modern war strategy game featuring diverse single player and multiplayer match types, including deathmatch battles, assassinations, and sieges, set on billions of massive islands.

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Elon Musk is weighing how to participate in the midterm elections.

Elon Musk is considering ways to participate in the midterm elections, having already donated $10 million to a super PAC supporting Nate Morris, who is running for the seat left by Mitch McConnell. Musk aims to encourage voters who only participate when Trump is on the ballot to vote in this year’s elections.

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Giving your healthcare info to a chatbot is, unsurprisingly, a terrible idea | The Verge

OpenAI's ChatGPT Health promises privacy, but users must trust the company's word as tech companies are not bound by the same obligations as medical providers. Despite assurances, data protection largely depends on the company's privacy policies and terms of use, which can change over time. Additionally, while the tool is not intended for diagnosis or treatment, its potential medical use raises questions about its classification and regulation.

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Google won’t stop replacing our news headlines with terrible AI

Google has confirmed that its AI-generated news headlines in Google Discover are now a permanent feature, not an experiment. Despite claims of improved user satisfaction, these AI headlines have been criticized for being misleading and inaccurate, often misrepresenting the content they link to. Google maintains that these headlines are not rewrites of individual articles but rather AI-powered overviews of trending topics. However, this has raised concerns among news publishers about the potential impact on their ability to accurately market their journalism.

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Microsoft Paint can now make AI coloring books

Microsoft has introduced new AI capabilities to its Paint and Notepad apps on Windows. The updates, currently available to Windows Insiders, include AI text improvements in Notepad and a 'Coloring book' feature in Paint that generates coloring book pages based on text prompts. These features are available on Copilot Plus PCs, suggesting Microsoft is exploring ways to make its AI-infused Windows 11 devices more marketable.

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It’s the end of an era for Sony TVs | The Verge

Sony's new joint venture with TCL marks the end of an era for Sony TVs, as discussed on The Vergecast. The podcast covers Sony's legacy in televisions, the implications of the deal, and the broader AI news, including monetization strategies and AI hardware.

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600,000 Trump Mobile phones sold? There’s no proof.

There is no evidence to support the viral claim that Trump Mobile sold 600,000 preorders for its phone. The figure originated from a meme account and has been widely shared, even by reputable sources, but no credible evidence backs it up.

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A second US Sphere could come to Maryland

Sphere Entertainment plans to develop a smaller Sphere venue in Maryland, near Washington, DC, with seating for 6,000, featuring immersive technology and a high-resolution screen. This project, pending governmental incentives and approvals, aims to generate revenue and create jobs.

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Google Search AI Mode can use Gmail and Photos to get to know you

Google is enhancing its AI Mode in Search with a new Personal Intelligence update. This update allows the chatbot to analyze users' Gmail and Google Photos accounts to provide more personalized responses. Eligible Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers can opt in to this feature, which is currently rolling out in the US for personal Google accounts. The update aims to tailor search results to users' interests and daily life, such as suggesting travel itineraries based on email bookings and photos, and curating recommendations based on users' activities.

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Claude Code is suddenly everywhere inside Microsoft

Microsoft is increasingly adopting Anthropic's AI coding tool, Claude Code, despite selling its own GitHub Copilot. The company is encouraging its employees to use both tools, and is considering selling Claude Code to its cloud customers. Microsoft's decision to adopt Claude Code more broadly among its engineering teams suggests a vote of confidence in Anthropic's AI tools over its own.

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Google has finally killed the Stadia Bluetooth tool — but this person rescued it!

Google has discontinued the Stadia Bluetooth tool, but a developer named Christopher Klay has saved a copy of the tool on a personal GitHub page and is hosting a working version. This allows users to still convert their Stadia controllers into Bluetooth gamepads. While Google made mistakes, they are praised for shutting down the service in the right way.

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Ring can verify videos now, but that might not help you with most AI fakes

Ring has introduced a new Ring Verify tool to authenticate the authenticity of Ring videos, but it has limitations that may not help you spot AI-generated fakes.

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Samsung’s smallest Frame TVs have fallen to their lowest prices to date

Samsung’s 2025 Frame TVs, available in 43-inch and 50-inch sizes, are currently at their lowest prices on Woot, offering up to $400 off. These smart TVs double as wall art when not in use, featuring a slim QLED display that can showcase thousands of famous paintings. They support HDR10 Plus and Dolby Atmos, and come with access to major streaming apps, as well as compatibility with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. However, the 43-inch model has a 60Hz refresh rate, and a Samsung Art Store subscription is required for full access to the artwork catalog.

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The TikTok deal is done, finally

Do you have faith in Oracle?

3d

Judge Donato will not approve or reject the Epic v. Google settlement today.

Judge Donato has decided not to approve or reject the Epic v. Google settlement today. Both parties have been granted a few weeks to discuss and file a final brief by early March. Judge Donato emphasized the importance of Google's compliance, which Google has confirmed. Additionally, the court-ordered technical committee, tasked with resolving store-within-a-store and catalog access details, is operational.

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Intel’s CFO on Lunar Lake RAM: “We’ve got what we need.”

During an earnings call, Intel CFO David Zisner revealed that Intel was proactive in securing memory for its previous-gen Lunar Lake chips, which feature integrated RAM, ahead of a global shortage. With the new Panther Lake laptop processors, Intel has abandoned the built-in memory design, alleviating concerns about memory supply.

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Amazon could lay off “thousands” of employees next week. | The Verge

According to The Verge, Amazon is expected to lay off thousands of employees as early as next week, following a previous round of 14,000 job cuts in October.