Microsoft Confirms ‘Project Helix,’ a Next-Gen Xbox That Can Run PC Games
An anonymous reader quotes a report from 80 Level: Microsoft has officially confirmed development of its next-generation Xbox console, currently known internally as Project Helix. While concrete details remain limited, early information suggests the company is positioning the device as a hybrid between a traditional console and … ⌘ Read more

Pentagon Formally Designates Anthropic a Supply-Chain Risk
The Pentagon has formally designated Anthropic as a “supply chain risk,” ordering federal agencies and defense contractors to stop using its AI tools after the company sought limits on the military’s use of its models. In a written statement, the department said it has “officially informed Anthropic leadership the company and its products are deemed a supply chai … ⌘ Read more

Mac Studio 512GB RAM Option Disappears Amid Global DRAM Shortage
Apple has removed the 512GB RAM configuration for the Mac Studio, leaving 256GB as the new maximum. The remaining 256GB upgrade has also increased in price and now faces longer shipping delays as demand grows “due to consumers seeking machines suitable for running local AI agents,” reports MacRumors. From the report: The Mac Studio starts with … ⌘ Read more

United Airlines Can Now Boot Passengers Who Refuse To Use Headphones
United Airlines has updated its contract of carriage to require passengers to use headphones when playing audio or video on personal devices during flights. Travelers who refuse could be removed from the plane or even permanently banned from flying with the airline, reports CBS News.

United notes that it will offer customers who forget t … ⌘ Read more

Trump’s TikTok Deal Benefited Firms That ‘Personally Enriched’ Him, Lawsuit Says
An anti-corruption group has filed a lawsuit (PDF) against Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi over the deal that transferred TikTok’s U.S. operations to a group of investors tied to the administration. The suit claims the arrangement violates a 2024 law requiring ByteDance to divest and alleges the deal financi … ⌘ Read more

AMD Will Bring Its ‘Ryzen AI’ Processors To Standard Desktop PCs For First Time
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: AMD has been selling “Ryzen AI”-branded laptop processors for around a year and a half at this point. In addition to including modern CPU and GPU architectures, these are attempting to capitalize on the generative AI craze by offering chips with neural processi … ⌘ Read more

OpenAI Releases New ChatGPT Model For Working In Excel and Google Sheets
OpenAI today released GPT-5.4, an upgraded ChatGPT model designed to be faster, cheaper, and more accurate for workplace tasks. The update also introduces tools that let ChatGPT work directly inside Excel and Google Sheets. Axios reports: GPT-5.4 is designed to be less error-prone, more efficient and better at workplace tasks like draf … ⌘ Read more

Tim Sweeney Signed Away His Right To Criticize Google Until 2032
As part of Epic’s settlement with Google over the Play Store, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney agreed to stop criticizing Google’s app store practices until 2032 and even publicly support the revised policies. The deal also prohibits Epic from pushing for further changes to Google’s platform rules. The Verge reports: On March 3rd, he not only signed away Epic … ⌘ Read more

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei Calls OpenAI’s Messaging Around Military Deal ‘Straight Up Lies’
An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: Anthropic co-founder and CEO Dario Amodei is not happy – perhaps predictably so – with OpenAI chief Sam Altman. In a memo to staff, reported by The Information, Amodei referred to OpenAI’s dealings with the Department of Defense as “safety th … ⌘ Read more

Amazon’s Bahrain Data Center Targeted By Iran For US Military Support
Iranian state media said on Wednesday that it targeted Amazon’s data center in Bahrain due to the company’s support of the U.S. military. The drone strike that occurred on Sunday disrupted core cloud services and caused “prolonged” outages. Two data centers in the UAE were also damaged by drone strikes. CNBC reports: All of the facilitie … ⌘ Read more

US Tech Firms Pledge At White House To Bear Costs of Energy For Datacenters
Major tech companies including Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta pledged at the White House to pay for new power generation and grid upgrades needed to support their rapidly expanding datacenters. The Guardian reports: The agreement is meant to help mitigate concerns that big tech’s datacenters are driving up US electricity … ⌘ Read more

Jensen Huang Says Nvidia Is Pulling Back From OpenAI and Anthropic
An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: At the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom conference in downtown San Francisco Wednesday, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said his company’s recent investments in OpenAI and Anthropic are likely to be its last in both, saying that once they go public as anticipated later this year, the opportu … ⌘ Read more

Solar In Poor Countries Is Creating a Huge Lead Hazard
schwit1 shares a report from Slow Boring: A new report (PDF) from the Center for Global Development documents that most of [the decentralized solar/battery systems used in poor countries in sub-Saharan Africa] use lead-acid batteries, like Americans use in cars. Lead-acid batteries work for a while and then need to be recycled. If they’re recycled safely, that … ⌘ Read more

Humble Games’ Former Bosses Buy the Studio’s Back Catalog
Former Humble Games executives have reacquired the publisher’s catalog of more than 50 indie titles from Ziff Davis and relaunched their company as Balor Games. “For the developers we have worked with over the years, this moment is a reunion,” Balor Games CEO Alan Patmore wrote in a statement. “[It has] the same leadership and the same commitment to thoughtfu … ⌘ Read more

US Cybersecurity Adds Exploited VMware Aria Operations To KEV Catalog
joshuark writes: The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has added a VMware Aria Operations vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-22719 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, flagging the flaw as exploited in attacks. VMware Aria Operations is an enterprise monitoring platform that helps organizations track t … ⌘ Read more

A Nuclear Reactor Backed By Bill Gates Gets Federal Approval To Start Building
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the New York Times: A novel type of nuclear power plant in Wyoming backed by Bill Gates received a key federal permit on Wednesday, making it the first new U.S. commercial reactor in nearly a decade to receive clearance to begin construction. The Nuclear Regulatory Commissio … ⌘ Read more

Father Sues Google, Claiming Gemini Chatbot Drove Son Into Fatal Delusion
A father is suing Google and Alphabet for wrongful death, alleging Gemini reinforced his son Jonathan Gavalas’ escalating delusions until he died by suicide in October 2025. “Jonathan Gavalas, 36, started using Google’s Gemini AI chatbot in August 2025 for shopping help, writing support, and trip planning,” reports TechCrunch. “On … ⌘ Read more

Google Ends Its 30% App Store Fee, Welcomes Third-Party App Stores
Google is eliminating its traditional 30% Play Store fee and introducing lower commissions, while at the same time allowing alternative billing systems and making it easier for third-party app stores to operate on Android. The changes stem largely from Google’s settlement with Epic Games. Engadget reports: The biggest change is to how Goo … ⌘ Read more

Sony Pulls Back From PlayStation Games on PC
Sony is reportedly abandoning its recent push to bring major PlayStation games to PC and will instead keep most single-player titles exclusive to the PlayStation 5. According to Bloomberg, the shift back toward console exclusivity may be driven by weaker PC sales and concerns about diluting the PlayStation brand. From the report: Online games such as Marathon and Marvel Tokon will sti … ⌘ Read more

Computer Scientists Caution Against Internet Age-Verification Mandates
fjo3 shares a report from Reason Magazine: Effective January 1, 2027, providers of computer operating systems in California will be required to implement age verification. That’s just part of a wave of state and national laws attempting to limit children’s access to potentially risky content without considering the perils such laws the … ⌘ Read more

Vehicle Tire Pressure Sensors Enable Silent Tracking
Longtime Slashdot reader linuxwrangler writes: Dark Reading reports that a team of researchers has determined that signals from tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMSs), required in U.S. cars since 2007, can be used to track the presence, type, weight, and driving pattern of vehicles. The researchers report (PDF) that the TPMS data, which includes unique sensor IDs, is … ⌘ Read more

Emails To Outlook.com Rejected By Faulty Or Overzealous Blocking Rules
Microsoft spent much of the past week rejecting legitimate emails sent to Outlook.com, Live, and Hotmail accounts due to what appears to be overly aggressive IP reputation filtering or faulty blocklist rules. According to The Register, many senders received 550 errors claiming their networks were blocked, preventing delivery of invoice … ⌘ Read more

TikTok Says End-To-End Encryption Makes Users Less Safe
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the BBC: TikTok will not introduce end-to-end encryption (E2EE) – the controversial privacy feature used by nearly all its rivals – arguing it makes users less safe. E2EE means only the sender and recipient of a direct message can view its contents, making it the most secure form of communication available to the general … ⌘ Read more

Apple Announces Low-Cost ‘MacBook Neo’ With A18 Pro Chip
Continuing its product launches this week, Apple today announced the “MacBook Neo,” an all-new, low-cost Mac featuring the A18 Pro chip. It starts at $599 and begins shipping on Wednesday, March 11. MacRumors reports: The MacBook Neo is the first Mac to be powered by an iPhone chip; the A18 Pro debuted in 2024’s iPhone 16 Pro models. Apple says it is up to 50% … ⌘ Read more

Intel’s Make-Or-Break 18A Process Node Debuts For Data Center With 288-Core Xeon 6+ CPU
Intel has formally unveiled its Xeon 6+ “Clearwater Forest” data-center processor with up to 288 cores, built on the company’s new Intel 18A process and using Foveros Direct packaging. The chip targets telecom, cloud, and edge-AI workloads with massive parallelism, large caches, and high-bandwidth D … ⌘ Read more

New App Alerts You If Someone Nearby Is Wearing Smart Glasses
A new Android app called Nearby Glasses alerts users when Bluetooth signals from smart glasses are detected nearby. The Android app, called Nearby Glasses, “launches at a time as there is an increasing resistance against always-recording or listening devices, which critics say process information about nearby people who do not give their consent,” repor … ⌘ Read more

Qualcomm CEO: ‘Resistance Is Futile’ As 6G Mobile Revolution Approaches
At Mobile World Congress, Cristiano Amon of Qualcomm argued that the coming 6G networks will power an AI-driven “agent economy,” where devices and AI assistants constantly communicate across the network. “AI will fundamentally change our mobile experiences,” Qualcomm chief executive, Cristiano Amon says. “It’s going to change how we th … ⌘ Read more

ChatGPT Gets GPT-5.3 Instant Update With Less ‘Cringe,’ Fewer Hallucinations
An anonymous reader quotes a report from MacRumors: OpenAI today updated its most popular ChatGPT model, debuting GPT-5.3 Instant. GPT-5.3 Instant is supposed to provide more accurate answers and better contextualized results when searching the web. The update also cuts down on unnecessary dead ends, caveats, and overly declarative … ⌘ Read more

‘Game of Thrones’ Movie In the Works
Warner Bros. is developing a feature film set in the world of Game of Thrones with writer Beau Willimon of Andor and House of Cards. “That’s about all we know right now, and as with everything ‘Thrones’ things could change, but the film is firmly in development,” reports TheWrap. Page Six Hollywood was first to break the news and speculated that the story could revolve around Aegon I, the legen … ⌘ Read more

NASA Repairs Artemis 2 Rocket, Continues Eyeing April Moon Launch
NASA is eyeing an April launch window for the upcoming Artemis II mission after it repaired a helium-flow issue on the Space Launch System upper stage rocket. “Work on the rocket and spacecraft will continue in the coming weeks as NASA prepares for rolling the rocket out to the launch pad again later this month ahead of a potential launch in … ⌘ Read more

A Possible US Government iPhone-Hacking Toolkit Is Now In the Hands of Foreign Spies, Criminals
Security researchers say a highly sophisticated iPhone exploitation toolkit dubbed “Coruna,” which possibly originated from a U.S. government contractor, has spread from suspected Russian espionage operations to crypto-stealing criminal campaigns. Apple has patched the exploited vulner … ⌘ Read more

OpenAI Is Developing an Alternative To GitHub
OpenAI is reportedly developing a code-hosting platform that could compete with GitHub, The Information reported on Tuesday. “If OpenAI does sell the product, it would mark a bold move by the creator of ChatGPT to compete directly against Microsoft, which holds a significant stake in the firm,” notes Reuters. From the report: Engineers from OpenAI encountered a rise in service … ⌘ Read more

Google Chrome Is Switching To a Two-Week Release Cycle
Google is accelerating Chrome’s major release cadence from four weeks to two starting with version 153 on September 8th. “…our goal is to ensure developers and users have immediate access to the latest performance improvements, fixes and new capabilities,” says Google. “Building on our history of adapting our release process to match the demands of a modern web, C … ⌘ Read more

LibreOffice Says Its UI Is Way Better Than Microsoft Office’s
darwinmac writes: While many users choose Microsoft Office over LibreOffice because of its support for the proprietary formats (.docx, .xlsx, and .pptx), others prefer Office for its “better” ribbon interface. These users often criticize LibreOffice for having a “clunky” UI instead of the “standard” ribbon interface you would find in Word, Excel, and ot … ⌘ Read more

Meta’s AI Display Glasses Reportedly Share Intimate Videos With Human Moderators
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Engadget: Users of Meta’s AI smart glasses in Europe may be unknowingly sharing intimate video and sensitive financial information with moderators outside of the bloc, according to a report from Sweden’s Svenska Dagbladet released last week. Employees in Kenya doing AI “annota … ⌘ Read more

OpenAI Amends Pentagon Deal As Sam Altman Admits It Looks ‘Sloppy’
OpenAI is amending its Pentagon contract after CEO Sam Altman acknowledged it appeared “opportunistic and sloppy.” On Monday night, Altman said the company would explicitly restrict its technology from being used by intelligence agencies and for mass domestic surveillance. The Guardian reports: OpenAI, which has more than 900 million users of Ch … ⌘ Read more

Accenture Acquires Ookla, Downdetector As Part of $1.2 Billion Deal
Accenture is acquiring Downdetector parent company Ookla from Ziff Davis in a $1.2 billion deal to bolster its network analytics and visibility tools for telecoms, hyperscalers, and enterprises. “The deal, which will transfer all of Ziff Davis’s Connectivity division to Accenture, includes Ookla’s Speedtest, Ekahau, and RootMetrics,” notes The … ⌘ Read more

India’s Top Court Angry After Junior Judge Cites Fake AI-Generated Orders
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the BBC: India’s Supreme Court has threatened legal consequences after a judge was found to have adjudicated on a property dispute using fake judgements generated by artificial intelligence. The top court, which was responding to an appeal by the defendants, will now examine the ruling given … ⌘ Read more

Apple Launches New M5 Chips, MacBook Pro, and First New Monitors In Years
Today, Apple updated the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air with support for its new M5 chips. It also unveiled a pair of all-new Studio Display XDR monitors. Longtime Slashdot reader jizmonkey shares details about the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, which look to be fairly major updates from the previous generation: Apple announced its newest … ⌘ Read more

AI-Generated Art Can’t Be Copyrighted After Supreme Court Declines To Review the Rule
The Supreme Court of the United States declined to review a case challenging the U.S. Copyright Office’s stance that AI-generated works lack the required human authorship for copyright protection, leaving lower court rulings intact. The Verge reports: The Monday decision comes after Stephen Thaler, a comput … ⌘ Read more

ChatGPT Uninstalls Surged By 295% After Pentagon Deal
After OpenAI announced a partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. uninstalls of ChatGPT surged 295% in a single day. Meanwhile, rival Anthropic “gained enough popularity to earn the number one spot on the App Store’s Top Free Apps leaderboard,” reports Engadget. TechCrunch reports: This data, which comes from market intelligence provider Sensor Tower, repre … ⌘ Read more

Hacked Tehran Traffic Cameras Fed Israeli Intelligence Before Strike On Khamenei
An anonymous reader shares a CTech article with the caption: “A brilliantly executed operation.” From the report: Years before the air strike that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Israeli intelligence had been quietly mapping the daily rhythms of Tehran. According to reporting by the Financial Times (paywalled), near … ⌘ Read more

Amazon Cloud Unit’s Data Centers In UAE, Bahrain Damaged In Drone Strikes
sizzlinkitty shares a Reuters report detailing how drone strikes in the Middle East conflict with Iran damaged AWS data centers in the UAE and Bahrain, disrupting core cloud services and causing “prolonged” outages. Following the initial report, where Reuters said “objects” had triggered a fire at the data centers, the article was … ⌘ Read more

The 19th Century Silent Film That First Captured a Robot Attack
The Library of Congress has restored Gugusse et l’Automate, an 1897 short by Georges Melies that likely features the first robot ever shown on film. Long thought lost, the reel was discovered in a box of decaying nitrate films donated from a Michigan family collection. NPR reports: The film, which can be viewed on the Library of Congress’ websi … ⌘ Read more

Superagers’ ‘Secret Ingredient’ May Be the Growth of New Brain Cells
alternative_right shares a report from ScienceAlert: According to a study of 38 adult human brains donated to science, superagers – people who retain exceptional memory as they age – have roughly twice as many immature neurons as their peers who age more typically. Moreover, people with Alzheimer’s disease show a marked reduction in neu … ⌘ Read more

Iowa County Rolls Out Extensive Zoning Rules For Data Centers
Linn County, Iowa has adopted what may be one of the nation’s strictest local zoning ordinances for data centers, requiring detailed water studies, formal water-use agreements, 1,000-foot residential setbacks, noise and light limits, and infrastructure compensation. “But seated beneath a van-sized American flag hanging from the rafters of the drafty Pa … ⌘ Read more

British Columbia To End Time Changes, Adopt Year-Round Daylight Time
An anonymous reader quotes a report from CBC.ca: The B.C. government says this Sunday will be the last time British Columbians have to change their clocks. The province will be permanently adopting daylight time and the March 8 “spring forward” will be the last time change, Premier David Eby announced Monday. “We are done waiting. British C … ⌘ Read more

Apple Might Use Google Servers To Store Data For Its Upgraded AI Siri
Apple has reportedly asked Google to look into “seting up servers” for a Gemini-powered upgrade to Siri that meets Apple’s privacy standards. The Verge reports: Apple had already announced in January that Google’s Gemini AI models would help power the upgraded version of Siri it delayed last year, but The Information’s report indicates … ⌘ Read more

HBO Max and Paramount+ To Merge Into One Streaming Service
Paramount Skydance plans to combine HBO Max and Paramount+ into a single streaming platform following its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. “As we said, we do plan to put the two services together, which today gives us a little over 200 million direct-to-consumer subscribers,” said David Ellison, the company’s CEO. “We think that really position … ⌘ Read more

Charter Gets FCC Permission To Buy Cox, Become Largest ISP In the US
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Charter Communications, operator of the Spectrum cable brand, has obtained Federal Communications Commission permission to buy Cox and surpass Comcast as the country’s largest home Internet service provider. Charter has 29.7 million residential and business Internet customers compared t … ⌘ Read more