NASA’s Curiosity rover found a ‘sea of polygons’ on Mars
The latest discovery from NASA's Curiosity Mars rover is a field of honeycomb-shaped polygons covering a Martian valley called Valle Grande. As Gizmodo reports, Curiosity has snapped pictures of the unusual terrain texture before, called polygonal fractures, each about 1.5 to 3 inches wide, but NASA says it's previously only found them in small patches, "nothing on the scale discovered in Valle Grande."
Curiosity captured a 360-degree panorama of the "sea of polygons" on June 19th and 20th (Martian sols 4,930 and 4,931) that shows the texture spreading out in all directions. Project scientist Ashwin Vasavada says the Curiosity team "measur …
Google DeepMind’s new AI model can control a robot’s entire body
Google DeepMind says the latest version of its Gemini Robotics AI model can "control entire humanoid robots." While the previous model focused on controlling a humanoid robot's upper body, Gemini Robotics 2 now supports "whole-body motions" ranging from its feet to fingertips, according to an announcement on Thursday.
The new model will allow humanoid robots to perform a wider range of actions, as it allows them to walk, crouch, stretch, and manipulate objects. Videos shared by Google show how Apptronik's Apollo 2 robot can bend over to pick up a watering can, as well as find and take specific items off a shelf.
Though Google DeepMind not …
ABC demands FCC drop its ‘punitive’ early license renewal of its stations
ABC filed its formal opposition to the Federal Communications Commission's effort to force it to submit to an early renewal of its broadcast station licenses, calling it an effort to chill the speech of broadcasters across the country.
In a new filing with the FCC, ABC charges that the agency's willingness to pursue the early renewal of eight of its licenses far before they expire is "extraordinary and unprecedented." The company alleges the FCC "has spent the last 18 months searching for some pretext for revoking the Stations' licenses," but charges that the agency's real motivations for pursuing these licenses are clear: "Each is owned by …
Google is working on Chrome updates that don’t require restarts
Google is working on a way to apply Chrome updates without requiring you to restart your browser. In a post on Thursday, Google outlines its approach to bug fixes in the age of AI, while noting that it's trying to make updates less disruptive by "investing in 'dynamic patching' that will eliminate the need for a full browser restart."
According to Google, AI-powered security tools have already helped the company find and fix dozens of bugs. Chrome 149 and 150, for example, contained 1,072 bug fixes, exceeding the number of patches in the past 23 major releases combined. That's part of the reason why Chrome is switching to a two-week release …
Pixel 11 Pro Fold design leaks ahead of Google launch event
Weeks ahead of Google's next Pixel hardware event, Leaker Evan Blass has shared what appear to be marketing renders of the unannounced Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold in a post on his Substack.
The renders, if accurate, show that the new foldable will look fairly similar to last year's model - it has a tall outer screen instead of using a shorter style like the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the rumored foldable iPhone. The renders also show that the inner screen will retain the 8-inch size. However, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold's back camera array has been slightly redesigned and will apparently get the glowy light that Google has already teased for the Pixel …
Friend re-launches its AI pendant with a speaker that talks to you, for twice the price
Do you remember Friend? The Friend that launched an AI pendant, spent $1.8 million of its $2.5 million to acquire friend.com, and plastered the NYC subway with ads promoting artificial companionship?
Yeah well, if you didn't remember, Friend is back. And now, it's twice the price.
This morning, Friend launched a new ad showing two people talking to their Friend pendants about very personal life problems. It didn't say it explicitly, but the ad showcased a new feature the pendant now includes: a speaker. Before, Friend would only message back to you, but now, …
Best Buy is selling an RTX 5080 for more than the RTX 5090’s MSRP
Best Buy has raised the price of the Asus ROG Astral RTX 5080 OC to $2,099 - the first time a major US retailer is directly selling an RTX 5080 for more than the $1,999 MSRP of the RTX 5090, VideoCardz reports. The ROG Astral RTX 5080 OC now costs 40 percent more than its launch price of $1,499, and over double the $999 MSRP of the RTX 5080 Founders Edition.
As VideoCardz notes, this is currently the only RTX 5080 directly sold by Best Buy that's priced over the RTX 5090's MSRP. There are still other RTX 5080 GPUs available for significantly less, including at other retailers - Asus is selling the ROG Astral RTX 5080 OC for $1,899, which i …
Xiaomi’s SkyNomad N90 Max is an extended-range EV with a transforming interior
The SkyNomad N90 Max is the latest electric SUV from Xiaomi and its first extended-range EV, with a claimed range of over 1,705 km (about 1,059 miles). It will come in both five- and seven-seat configurations, as well as an N90 Max Camping Edition.
One of the big features of the N90 is its highly customizable interior. The front seats rotate 180 degrees, the center armrest slides out to become a small table, and the second row features zero gravity seats with footrests. The Camping Edition adds a pop-up top, a rooftop bed platform, an attachment point for a tent, and a detachable table. Some models will also include a fridge and overhead sp …
Razer’s new keyboards drop the price on powerful gaming features
Razer has insisted that optical keyboard switches are the best choice for competitive esports stars and the sweatiest of try-hards, but it's now relenting slightly by offering cheaper keyboards with magnetic switches and a similar array of gaming features. The $120 Razer Huntsman V3 HE Magnetic Mini and $140 Huntsman V3 HE Magnetic Tenkeyless, both launching today, are the company's first keyboards to use Hall effect switches. They're wired-only boards loaded with gaming-first features, and I've had a brief chance to test both and take them for a spin.
The new Huntsman boards offer the hallmarks found in many other Hall effect mechanical ke …
Zoox can now charge for rides in its steering-wheel-free robotaxis
Zoox just got permission to charge for robotaxi rides in its boxy, steering-wheel-less vehicles. On Thursday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced it has granted the Amazon-owned Zoox a temporary exemption, allowing it to deploy up to 2,500 vehicles annually over the next two years, as reported earlier by Reuters.
The NHTSA's decision exempts Zoox from rules requiring vehicles to have traditional controls, like a steering wheel, pedals, windshield defrosting, and mirrors. Zoox's vehicles are built with passengers in mind, rather than drivers, featuring an interior with two bench seats and sliding doors. Until now, Zo …