Microsoft Paint can now make AI coloring books
Microsoft is giving its Paint and Notepad apps on Windows new AI capabilities for editing text and making digital illustrations. The updates are currently rolling out to Windows Insiders in the Windows 11 Canary and Dev channels, and include features that feel oddly niche or advanced for such simplified apps, such as AI text improvements in Notepad and the ability to instantly generate coloring book pages in Paint.
The latter feature is aptly called "Coloring book," and lets you make blank coloring templates in version 11.2512.191.0 of Paint based on a text prompt. Users can access this feature by selecting the Coloring book option from the …
The TikTok deal is done, finally
Just over a year after it briefly disappeared from app stores, TikTok in the US is now part of a new entity, TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC. With approval from both the US and China closing on the schedule laid out in December, ByteDance's ownership of the new joint venture is now only 19.9 percent to satisfy the terms of the divest-or-ban law signed in 2024 by President Biden. The other 80.1 percent is owned by investment firm Silver Lake, Oracle, and Abu Dhabi investment firm MGX - the three "managing investors" that now hold 15 percent stakes - and several other smaller investors, like Michael Dell's family investment firm.
Ring can verify videos now, but that might not help you with most AI fakes
Ring has launched a new Ring Verify tool that the company says can "verify that Ring videos you receive haven't been edited or changed." But since Ring won't verify videos that have been altered in any way, it probably won't be able to verify those videos you see on TikTok that look like they're from security camera footage but are actually made with AI.
All videos downloaded from Ring's cloud now include a "digital security seal," Rin …
Beyond Good and Evil 2 somehow survived the purge at Ubisoft
In what world does Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake get canceled amid corporate restructuring and yet BG&E2 does not?
"Beyond Good & Evil 2 remains a priority for us in the context of our strategy centered around Open World Adventures," an unnamed Ubisoft spokesperson told Kotaku and Insider Gaming.
The original Beyond Good & Evil is a fantastic game I can enjoy even now, over 20 years on from its 2003 release.
The sequel has been in development hell nearly as long at over 17 years, the longest of any major game; it's survived the retirement of its first creative director, the death of its second creative director, and that one …
Samsung’s smallest Frame TVs have fallen to their lowest prices to date
Unless you’re dead set on picking up a larger panel, Samsung’s forthcoming 2026 Frame lineup represents a fairly minor upgrade. That makes last year’s model an easy rec for those on the hunt for an art-inspired 4K TV, especially given the 43- and 50-inch models are down to the lowest prices we’ve seen at Woot, selling for $597.99 ($302 off) and $697.99 ($402 off), respectively, through January 31st.
Samsung The Frame (2025)
Where to Buy:
Samsung’s last-gen 4K TV can easily pass for a piece of artwork, thanks to its slim QLED display that can showcase thousands of famous paintings when idle. Its anti-glare matte panel adds a realistic, canvas-like quality that helps it blend into your home decor, and you can even display your own photos and images. It’s great for watching TV shows and movies, too, as it supports HDR10 Plus for richer image quality and Dolby Atmos for more spacious, immersive sound. You also get access to all your major streaming apps — Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus, etc. —along with support for both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
There are some caveats to bear in mind, such as the fact that the 43-inch model only offers a 60Hz refresh rate, whereas larger models can reach 144Hz. And though Samsung offers a limited selection of free artwork, you’ll need a Samsung Art Store subscription ($4.99 a month / $49.99 a year) to access the full catalog. Nonetheless, both the 43-inch and 50-inch models are a good investment if you want Samsung’s artsy TV experience but in a smaller, more affordable package.
Nintendo is following up Alarmo with a weird Talking Flower in March
After sharing a brief look at its new Talking Flower during a Nintendo Direct showcase last September that generated more questions than answers, Nintendo has finally revealed more details about what the interactive toy actually does and how much it costs. It shares some functionality with Nintendo's Alarmo alarm clock, but the Talking Flower seems more like a talkative companion for fans of Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
First and foremost, as the name implies, the Talking Flower will just randomly speak a couple of times every hour when left alone, with phrases like "sometimes it's nice to space out," and "is it weird for flowers to talk?" A s …
Vimeo lays off ‘large portion’ of staff after Bending Spoons buyout
Vimeo is laying off employees around the globe just months after the Italian software company Bending Spoons acquired the platform for $1.38 billion, as reported earlier by Business Insider. Even though it's not clear how many people were laid off, Dave Brown, Vimeo's former brand VP, says in a post on LinkedIn that "a large portion of the company" was impacted.
Other former employees echo this statement in posts online, with one video engineer saying "almost everyone" at the company was laid off, "including the entire video team." Another software engineer says he was laid off along with "a gigantic amount of the company." Bending Spoons s …
Epic and Google have a secret $800 million Unreal Engine and services deal
A judge is questioning whether Epic Games and Google are settling their long-running antitrust fight partly because of a previously unannounced partnership involving the Unreal Engine, Fortnite, and Android. In a hearing in San Francisco today, the court revealed that Epic and Google have struck a new deal that apparently includes "joint product development, joint marketing commitment, joint partnerships." California District Judge James Donato expressed concerns that the agreement - which he indicated would involve Epic "helping Google market Android" and Google newly "using Epic's core technology" - could have led Epic to soften its demand …
Sen. Markey questions OpenAI about ‘deceptive advertising’ in ChatGPT
Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) is pressing OpenAI about its move to bring ads to ChatGPT, and is asking several other companies whether they have similar plans. In letters to the CEOs of OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Snap, and xAI, Markey writes that embedding ads into AI chatbots "raises significant concerns for consumer protection, privacy, and the safety of young users."
OpenAI will start testing ads for free ChatGPT users in the coming weeks, and they'll appear in the form of "sponsored" products and services at the bottom of conversations with the chatbot. The company says it will surface ads relevant to your chat, though it won't …
Tesla is finally doing unsupervised robotaxi rides
Tesla is finally doing unsupervised robotaxi trips in Austin, Texas, according to a video posted on X. Elon Musk reposted the video, congratulating Tesla's AI team for the milestone.
For months, Tesla's robotaxis in Austin and San Francisco have included safety monitors with access to a kill switch in case of emergency - a fallback that Waymo currently doesn't need for its commercial robotaxi service. The safety monitor sits in the passenger seat in Austin and in the driver seat in San Francisco. Neither service is fully open to the public yet, relying instead on customer waitlists.
Musk has said that the human monitors are only there bec …