Why AI food looks like that
There is a torrent of unappetizing slop coming from restaurants, cafes, and brands that are increasingly turning to AI to generate images promoting their food. The resulting horror show includes donut shrimp, Reubens from the deep, wormlike noodles, and noodle-like pastries and stringy chicken. There's also construction material masquerading as ice cream, ice cream masquerading as brains, and other masonry-adjacent cuisine. I don't even know how to begin describing this monstrous attempt of a burger, and the less said about the trypophobic burrito from hell, grubs and all, the better. There are lumps. And holes. So many holes.
"Diffusion mo …
Microsoft’s Project Zenith is a ‘distraction-free Windows experience’ for developers
Microsoft is giving its developer-optimized Windows experience a name: Project Zenith. While the software maker originally announced a similar developer-optimized Windows effort at Build earlier this year, Project Zenith is designed for new developer-focused devices with 64GB or more of unified memory.
"Project Zenith devices come with a preconfigured Windows setup for development and a set of tools curated for what developers reach for first," explains Logan Iyer, CVP of Windows platform and developer at Microsoft. "On these devices, developers can run 30B+ parameter models locally and unmetered - accelerating experimentation while helping …
Sam Altman apologizes for ‘messy’ GPT-6 Astra rollout that’s locked out paying users
Just hours after OpenAI launched GPT-6 Astra, CEO Sam Altman was already apologizing for what he describes as a "messy rollout" after paying users expecting access to the new frontier model were left waiting.
The company hailed the model as a "generational leap in capability" on Thursday and described it as the start of "the AGI era," a fuzzy and poorly defined term tech executives nevertheless insist on using to promote their products. It said Astra would roll out to some enterprise customers - specifically those with access to its Daybreak cybersecurity platform - that day. This would expand to include all Plus, Pro, Business, and Enter …
This NAS company wants to run your local smart home
Ugreen, known for its phone power banks, chargers, and NAS storage solutions, is moving into the smart home - in a big way. This week at the IFA tech show, the company launched its HomeAgent smart home platform that combines security camera storage, on-device AI, and smart home control in one system, managed by a voice assistant called Uliya, with the promise that everything runs locally.
At the core of Ugreen's HomeAgent system is a hub that acts as the brain of your smart home, running a local-first AI (with some caveats) that you can interact with using natural language via Uliya. There are three hub configurations to choose from, each …
Lexar’s Muse is an ultra-slim portable SSD that’s less than 4mm thick
Following the lead of companies like Xteink, Lexar is the latest to sacrifice a USB-C port in the pursuit of slimming down its hardware.
When the Lexar Muse Ultra-Slim Portable SSD launches later this year in 512GB and 1TB capacities it will be one of the slimmest you can buy. At its thickest point in the middle it measures just 3.8mm, but that tapers to only 1mm at the edges thanks to high-density NAND stacking and a "custom ultra-thin PCB architecture" inside. But performance remains solid with read speeds up to 1,050MB/s and write speeds maxing out at 1,000MB/s. That's fast enough to record 4K Apple ProRes video at up to 120fps when conn …
Aqara goes all in on smart lighting
After showing off several smart home firsts at CES, Aqara has returned to IFA with a major lineup of smart lighting compatible with both Zigbee and Thread. One of these new devices is the Floor Lamp T1, which trades the look of a typical lamp for an LED-equipped pole attached to a base.
The lamp stands 4.6 feet tall, offering RGBIC lighting and 18 individually addressable zones. Similar to the floor lamp from Govee, Aqara's new device emits light in the area surrounding it, creating a splash of color on your wall.
Aqara is getting into smart lighting for the outside of your home as well. In addition to new permanent outdoor smart lights w …
This rugged phone’s removable camera can survive and capture your extreme adventures
RugOne's Xsnap 7 Pro comes with both an IP68 and IP69K rating, meaning the rugged phone can survive intense water blasts and complete submersion for up to 30 minutes. But what really sets the Xsnap 7 Pro apart from everything else on the market is that one of its three rear cameras can be removed and used as a standalone action cam. It made its debut at MWC 2026 earlier this year but is launching through Kickstarter on September 7th for €799 (around $930) in limited quantities, followed by a global release in October for $999.
The Xsnap 7 Pro's detachable camera module isn't quite as a capable as the DJI Osmo Nano or the Insta360 Go Ultra t …
Nvidia will officially bring DLSS 5 to older GPUs — but won’t give gamers full control
Officially, Nvidia's controversial DLSS 5 AI rendering was supposed to launch this evening with only a single game, only on Nvidia's latest RTX 50 GPUs, and with developers in full control of their artistic vision.
But unofficially, modders have already ported a leaked version of DLSS 5 to run on just about anything while cranking sliders to the max. Now, Nvidia is changing its plans. DLSS 5 is still launching first on RTX 50 GPUs, but it's officially coming to older RTX 40-series GPUs as well, Nvidia spokesperson Rajal Maharaj confirms to The Verge.
"Our current focus is on optimizing performance for the GeForce RTX 50 Series with model u …
The unusually muted Tesla Cybercab launch
At a private, closed-door event in Austin, Texas today, Tesla officially launched its gilded car of the future: the Cybercab. It's a huge milestone for Elon Musk, who has been hyping the imminent arrival of driverless cars for years and has bet the future of his company on AI, autonomous vehicles, and humanoid robots.
It was an unusually muted event, with no livestream, no journalists, and a very short invite list comprised mostly of pro-Tesla content creators. Tesla influencers planning live shows with the event stream were left streaming the webpage that tracks the number of Tesla robotaxis in Texas instead.
But if the goal was to blunt …
Steve Ballmer got suspended by the NBA because of a podcast and a jumbotron corruption scandal
Last September, Steve Ballmer insisted in an ESPN interview that the Clippers weren't involved in a shady-looking $28 million endorsement deal for his star player, Kawhi Leonard, that involved no actual endorsing. Now, the former Microsoft CEO has been suspended by the NBA for a year, while the league says his team will forfeit five future draft picks and pay a $30 million fine, among other penalties.
A year later, an NBA-commissioned 35-page report by Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz is basically calling him a liar, saying those claims were "inaccurate (at best) with respect to Mr. Ballmer" and "clearly false" when it came to Clippers presi …