Culture

On Wired's Uncanny Valley, senior writer Will Knight draws on a recent China trip to ask whether shared vulnerability could become shared diplomacy.

A software update disables the camera when wearers cover the front-facing LED, paired with a new marketing campaign to rehabilitate the device's image.

Cheap energy, abundant land, and proximity to Beijing have turned a remote Inner Mongolian city into a crucial hub for the data centers powering China's AI ambitions.

After years of leaning on its own wallet, the retail giant will open its registers to rival tap-to-pay platforms, starting at select stores on August 24th.

A ruling against the Free State of Bavaria hands activist Markus Drenger a win, though fundamental Open Data issues remain unresolved.

CEO Jack Conte says the platform’s roadmap also includes security and platform upgrades, plus new features for creators and fans.

A Verge essay describes feline siblings who can't stand each other, a four-times-daily feeding routine, and the small appliance quietly absorbing the shock of a 2024 family expansion.

Heise's hands-on review examines Brett Trepstra's Marked 3, a macOS tool that bundles the full Markdown workflow into a single package.

The German tech publisher's iX brand pitches Make.com and n8n as a hands-on path to deploying AI agents across business workflows without writing code.

While the UK government faces mounting pressure to scrap a sprawling Palantir health care deal, Greater Manchester insists it can do better on its own.

A new Google app feature will use AI to tune Discover based on natural-language requests and remember those preferences for future visits.

Heise examines whether the fastest integrated graphics units on the market can finally replace dedicated graphics cards for gamers.

BIOS version 3.20 for Ryzen 7040-series mainboards, released in July, has reportedly rendered some Framework Laptop 13 machines inoperable on both Windows and Linux.

Anthropic's new invisible watermarks, meant to satisfy new EU rules, drew online override methods within hours of the announcement.

Testing the Google Pixel Watch 5, Victoria Song frames today’s smartwatches as polished but still searching for a more convincing purpose.

Footage showing the VR headset's unboxing, setup process, and accessories briefly appeared on the ARM Steam client following an update before being pulled.

The upcoming action film was available to stream in full on the US version of Prime Video for at least an hour, weeks before its August 21st theatrical release.

By reconstructing the company's surveillance software, WIRED confirms the tool's reach extends well past plate readers—and some departments are already running it.

The company has invited media to a September showcase where the first Android-based notebooks are expected to be unveiled.

The premium walkthrough says Apple’s mail app has underused features, and argues attachment handling on the iPad can be even more comfortable than on a Mac.

Zak, Zelda, and Cody Williams say they want their late father's profile to be a 'safe, trusted place' after his daughter spoke out against the use of his AI likeness.

The Verge argues that interest in the film owes a lot to Warner Bros. Discovery’s effort to shelve it, a move that also spotlighted the company’s pattern of disappearing nearly finished movies.

The new dedicated mode centralizes existing youth safeguards and adds fresh safety features as regulators and rival platforms tighten age-based protections for AI tools.

The repairable Fairphone 6 Plus goes on sale unlocked in the US for $649.99 through Fairphone's website and Amazon, with support for T-Mobile and AT&T.

Version 27 of key Adobe applications will not run on Intel-based Macs, following Apple's completed transition to Apple Silicon.

After getting Allsky software running on a Raspberry Pi, the project’s next step is printing an enclosure to prepare the camera for night use.

The network's new show curates its stories from social media chatter and web searches — and has quietly been on air since April.

Uber says it wants to reach one million drone deliveries a day by the end of 2029, with first deployments planned for this year.

Apple will revise its data collection consent prompts after Germany's Federal Cartel Office said the design of App Tracking Transparency favored the company's own apps.

A heise+ analysis argues that digital sovereignty stops being a buzzword when it is tied to open source, open standards and verifiable certifications.

In a Heise commentary, the AvD argues that battery-electric cars alone cannot deliver climate neutrality and calls for lower energy prices and synthetic fuels.

A new Heise+ tutorial argues that moving off classic application servers can modernize legacy Jakarta EE workloads.

A simple sewn-in hook — proudly branded BagLev — has The Verge's reviewer hooked on the camera-gear maker's new City Line of bags.

Organizers are giving prospective attendees an extra week of discounted pricing for the online conference and adding a new on-site workshop in Cologne.

The $50 Snap Grip Stand converted a critic who had previously dismissed the brand's accessories as overpriced.

Disney’s annual fan event previewed major Marvel and Star Wars projects, including the X-Men cast, a new Avengers: Doomsday trailer, a first look at VisionQuest, and a teaser for Ahsoka season two.

The Verge says an ongoing RAM and storage crunch has thrown computer pricing out of whack just as students look for affordable laptops.

As some people describe themselves as ‘marrying’ chatbots, Republican state policymakers are drafting legislation to preserve the current legal status: no recognition under US law.

A new 'Media watermark' toggle in Gemini and Flow lets users strip the sparkle marker from AI-generated images, video, and music.

The app rolled out a redesigned wordmark this week, and critics say it barely resembles the old one — or even spells Instagram.

The sensor-level imaging feature, including a retro 'Digi' style that mimics older digital cameras, won't be coming to previous Pixel phones.

As camera-equipped smart glasses become virtually indistinguishable from ordinary eyewear, a new Heise guide maps the legal recourse against covert video recordings.

Wired frames Mark Zuckerberg’s lengthy AI statement as thin on substance, in a broader conversation about how AI is reshaping culture.

A watershed cybersecurity breach has forced the AI lab to confront hard questions about the culture that enabled it.

A new filing in the companies' long-running dispute shows Apple seeking a cut of digital purchases made outside its in-app payment system, a move Epic says is "far outside of the bounds."

The robot vacuum’s new Matic Cues feature lets people speak directly to the machine or gesture toward debris to trigger a cleanup.

A new hands-on review finds autonomous mowers finally capable of real yard work, even as their tendency to wander keeps them short of set-it-and-forget-it status.

The Verge's roughly two-hour hands-on with Marvel's Wolverine delivered the expected carnage — and an unexpected attachment to Logan himself.

The Switch 2's first Fire Emblem lets players swap between four heroes instead of pledging to a single faction like Three Houses.

The title is back as a Legacy Edition, but owners of the version removed in 2019 get no free upgrade.

Heise says the conference will feature a keynote by Dr. Constanze Kurz alongside sessions on agentic AI systems, data contracts, modern Lakehouse architectures and governance.

The Retro Mechanical Keyboard with Dual Super Buttons is 30 percent off on Amazon, one of the lowest prices seen for the bundle.

The head coach, who initially took full blame, disclosed the new detail during a recent press conference.

A Heise top-10 test names a contactless smart lock that opens by face or hand as its winner, while noting other models have their own strengths.

A Verge column reframes automated writing-detection tools as a cultural fault line, tracing suspicion about machine authorship back well before ChatGPT.

On its fifth anniversary, the German tech publisher's training arm surveys the current challenges facing IT continuing education.

Heise’s training offering is aimed at administrators and IT managers who need to understand their role in an ISMS and practice putting ISO 27001 measures into effect.

The doctors' association cites 'serious parental failure' and demands strict platform rules as Minister Prien prepares new legislation.

Elon Musk's platform retires its embattled payout model in favor of a September 8 launch that gates rewards behind verified reach.

New AI toolbars and prompts are appearing in Google’s writing apps, and users who do not want Gemini’s assistance can disable those features.

The indietronica musician turned entrepreneur is developing new music hardware that he insists is a forward-looking product, not a nostalgia play.

Sandra Joyce says bug-bounty programmes are being flooded with reports, users and companies are being hit by AI attacks, and cybersecurity is changing fast.

The streaming platform's newest FAST experiment abandons handpicked libraries in favor of an unending stream of machine-made video.

The LA rapper seems to have stopped denying AI’s role in the 80s synth pop-themed track after producer Medasin’s claims and a detector release tied to Treblo.

The Moonrock-operated games media outlet, launched in late 2024, has shed its full newsroom, according to its former editor-in-chief.

Citizen's Allowance recipients are increasingly using AI to contest official notices, straining job centers — and more than a quarter of the appeals succeed.

WIRED reports that ChatTJB, created by artist and former Google employee Tucker Bryant, is meant to make people reflect on the "strange moment" around AI.

Samsung's first Ultra-branded foldable carves out its own form factor instead of simply supersizing the standard Z Fold 8.

The European Commission is scaling up Europe’s IRIS² satellite network, with secure services for states, militaries and emergency responders targeted from 2029.

Deadline says Uli Latukefu will play Ganondorf in the upcoming The Legend of Zelda movie and that he signed a multi-picture deal, though Nintendo and Sony have not confirmed additional films.

Apple's flagship wireless earbuds are $60 off, with Amazon and Walmart matching the discounted price.

The Chinese automaker's Brazilian factory delivers its debut hybrid model as sales in Latin America's largest car market continue to climb.

The forthcoming open-source model forecasts both a storm's track and intensity from lower-resolution data, though researchers admit they don't fully understand how it works.

A unanimous yearlong moratorium in Hernando County, Florida, signals a growing bipartisan backlash against the infrastructure powering the AI boom.

Die Funktion ist nun allgemein verfügbar und soll den Betrieb vereinfachen, weil keine separate Vektordatenbank mehr nötig ist.

A Lawfare analysis finds xAI's AI-generated encyclopedia has been frozen since late April, with no entry changed in more than three months.

Google’s long-running Assistant will stop working on Android phones and Wear OS smartwatches next month, with Gemini assuming the personal assistant role.

More than 50 offending image and video ads appeared on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, or Threads, according to Meta’s ad library data, and some ran as recently as this week.

Amazon’s Ring has introduced the Peephole Cam 2K, a sleeker replacement for its 2019 Door View Cam that installs through an existing peephole without drilling or wiring.

The feel-good sports sitcom's comeback may prove the most important release in a year packed with returning favorites and new originals.

The chipmaker said data center revenue reached $6.7 billion in its latest quarter, up from $5.8 billion in Q1 and 107 percent higher than a year ago, underscoring how AI demand is reshaping its business.

The encrypted messenger extends its linked-devices feature beyond PCs and iPads, letting a single phone number sync securely across additional Android phones and iPhones.

The carrier's new EIP Flex 36 stretches the standard installment window by a year and waives upfront costs for a limited time.

Many BMW owners are being shown a banner ad for Spider-Man: Brand New Day on the car’s Control Display, a move framed as a “special surprise.”

An unofficial revival promises classic ICQ elements including UINs, contact lists, and the signature “Uh-oh” sound, though little is known about who runs it.

Puck's Matthew Belloni says generative tools have quietly become standard in filmmaking, shifting the industry's battle from adoption to power over what comes next.

A broadcast feature promises to read players' faces—leaving the poker world to wonder whether it's a party trick or a threat to the game's future.

A leaked memo obtained by The Verge suggests Microsoft's next console, codenamed Project Helix, will run titles from every prior Xbox generation as well as PC games.

Bitkom’s ranking says Germany has good infrastructure, but weak use and a disastrous public administration.

Offline wallets are pitched as the gold standard of crypto security, but when the random number generator behind a seed phrase fails, the secret is guessable from the moment of creation.

The prolific studio behind Pokémon keeps experimenting outside its flagship series, but The Verge frames Beast of Reincarnation as another sign of how hard it is to establish a distinct identity.

A new malware campaign spreading through the Arch User Repository has prompted maintainers to suspend all AUR updates for the time being.

Leaked press images offer the clearest look yet at Lenovo's first Googlebook models, showing both a traditional laptop and a 2-in-1 tablet ahead of a launch expected later this year.

A heise+ review looks at six compact battery-powered fans and highlights what buyers should watch for when purchasing and cleaning them.

Heise reviews the 24B2D5300 dual-screen display, a 120 Hz unit built for client-facing desks and shared workspaces.

Heise's review of Xiaomi's latest smart sports watch asks whether its sensor accuracy, route navigation and marathon battery life make it a real alternative to Garmin and Polar.

The shared family planner is discounted through August 9th as households brace for a hectic return-to-class season.

The Verge's Dominic Preston argues that as foldable phones lose their novelty and settle into maturity, the resulting stagnation is exactly the opening Apple has been waiting for.

A Wired security roundup flags cyberattacks on water systems, alongside items on FBI interest in AI crime-detection tools, Russia’s charges against Telegram’s founder, and xAI’s challenge to a state “nudification” ban.

New EU regulations require people to be told when they're interacting with AI or viewing AI-generated content, raising fears of 'disclosure fatigue.'

The Shoreline Mafia member's solo climb to No. 58 has triggered immediate speculation that the track is largely machine-made.

The short-lived feature let users alter satellite imagery with text prompts, raising concerns about AI-generated deepfakes of real-world places.

Mark Zuckerberg previewed a future in which Meta’s AI tools do more than chat, acting on users’ behalf as the company goes all-in on AI.

Satya Nadella says the unified app combining chat, coding, and agentic capabilities will span consumer and commercial experiences when it launches this year.

A detection technique embedded in assignment instructions flagged the vast majority of students for using AI tools.