How an OpenAI influencer trip backfired
The brand trip is a right of passage for influencers. It's a mark of legitimacy that a sponsor wants to invite them on an all-expenses-paid vacation, often with luxurious freebies and activities. Trips can also spur hard feelings from uninvited influencers, trigger criticism from the public, and project a certain frivolousness.
Usually it is fast fashion companies or beauty brands flying out influencers with the goal of flooding social media with sponsored content. This time, it was a major AI company.
Over the weekend, several influencers began posting about OpenAI's "first ever brand trip," which appears to have taken place outside of N …
Lenovo’s Legion Go S with SteamOS is down to its lowest price ever
Memory and storage prices will be inflated for the foreseeable future, so we’re always happy to find a good deal on capable gaming hardware, like this discount on the Lenovo Legion Go S with a Z2 Go processor and SteamOS. Normally $1,137.41 (and selling for close to $1,000 at Best Buy), Lenovo has the handheld console on sale for just $635.54 when you use code EXTRASAVEAFF at checkout, the lowest price we’ve seen yet for this model.
Lenovo Legion Go S with SteamOS (Z2 Go)
Where to Buy:
We reviewed both the Windows and SteamOS versions of this gaming handheld when it released in 2024, and found the latter to be a much more appealing option, largely thanks to the improved user experience that Windows has shown signs that it’s slowly catching up to. The Z2 Go chip isn’t all that impressive, with similar performance to the more expensive OLED Steam Deck, but it’s still a solid choice for indie games and more spec-intensive titles if you turn the settings down. The 8-inch IPS panel goes up to 120Hz, and has variable refresh rate, which helps the Legion Go S stand out among other options at the same price.
Read our Lenovo Legion Go S (SteamOS) review.
‘Not healthy’ LLM use is more common than you think
Hank Green, a popular YouTuber and science communicator, said he is stepping back from production amid intense criticism over his use of AI. Green described his AI usage as "not healthy," but stressed that he used it for finding research sources and not to write scripts.
Much of the ensuing firestorm in this corner of the internet has centered on how a creator can square a brand built on authenticity and credibility with a technology trained on the (often uncompensated) works of others, and which has a well-known tendency to generate plausible-sounding falsehoods. Some attention has fallen on Green's description of what appears to be an unh …
BMW’s in-car Spider-Man ad is villain behavior
When a premium car brand like BMW says it has a "special surprise" in store for drivers, I'd expect something more luxurious than having a movie commercial beamed onto the dashboard. That's exactly what's happening to many BMW owners, however, who are being shown banner ads for Spider-man: Brand New Day on their Control Display upon starting the vehicle.
In a statement to The Autopian, BMW confirmed that the ads are definitely real, serving as part of "a broader brand partnership" with the new Marvel movie. BMW's own announcement also confirms that the ads are running from July 27th until August 10th, and reveals how widespread they are:
…
T-Mobile’s $0-down financing plan bundles taxes and fees
T-Mobile is launching a new financing option that will allow you to pay for a device, taxes, and fees over 36 months. In an update on Tuesday, T-Mobile says its new Equipment Installment Plan (EIP) Flex 36 requires no upfront payment and will come with a 0 percent APR for a limited time.
Even if you are financing a device, carriers typically require you to pay sales tax, an activation fee, or a down payment at checkout. T-Mobile says its new plan eliminates that by allowing you to pay off all of these costs over time - though its website notes only "well-qualified customers" will pay $0 upfront. The EIP Flex 36 financing option is available …
Skylight’s smart calendars are up to $90 off during its back-to-school sale
The start of a new school year can feel hectic, as parents juggle their kids’ classes, extracurriculars and sports on top of work, appointments, and other responsibilities. It’s easy for things to slip through the cracks, but Skylight’s shared smart calendars can help keep everyone on track, and from August 2nd through August 9th they’re up to $110 off.
The sale includes the 15-inch Skylight Calendar 2 for $279.99 ($20 off) at Best Buy and the 27-inch Skylight Calendar Max for $509.99 ($11o off) at Amazon. If you’re willing to subscribe to the $79 per year Plus plan, you can get the 10-inch Skylight Calendar for $149.99 ($20 off), which includes one month of Plus for free. The 10-inch model takes up the least amount of space, though the newer, larger 15-inch Calendar 2 features faster performance, a brighter display, and swappable magnetic frames. The 27-inch Calendar Max, meanwhile, offers the sharpest and largest screen and must be mounted to the wall (the other models can stand on a table or be mounted), making it the easiest option for large families to view from across the room.
The Skylight Calendar
Where to Buy:
Regardless of which model you choose, every Skylight Calendar includes the same set of organizational features. Each member of your household can have their own color-coded profile, and each can sync events from Google, Outlook, Apple, Cozi, or Yahoo calendars. You can also create shared lists for groceries, chores, and other to-dos that everyone can access from the calendar or the companion mobile app, and even send your grocery list to Instacart with a couple of taps. Built-in weather forecasts also can help you plan around upcoming events, and you can also share calendar access with family members and trusted contacts.
Skylight Calendar Max
Where to Buy:
You get even more perks if you subscribe to the $79 per year Plus Plan (the first month of the service is free to try). Skylight uses AI to automatically turn emails, photos, flyers, and spreadsheets into calendar entries. It also adds meal planning, tools for assigning and rewarding completed chores, and a mode that displays your photos like a digital picture frame.
Read our Skylight Calendar Max review.
Update, August 4: Adjusted the copy and product cards to reflect current pricing, and added Amazon and Best Buy offers where the discounts are better than Skylight’s.
Samsung’s HDR10 Plus Advanced is launching this month on Prime Video
After previewing HDR10 Plus Advanced late last year, Samsung's not-Dolby Vision 2 spec will launch globally on Amazon's Prime Video this month. The first TVs announced with support are Samsung's 2026 lineup, which will be able to make use of the extra metadata to deliver more precise HDR that is optimized for what you're watching, and tone mapping that can adjust for specific areas of the screen instead of applying one setting to the whole frame.
Samsung's press release didn't mention which titles will have support initially, or how many there are, other than including a press image showing off Amazon's series Ride or Die. The news also co …
Texas says data centers must pass an audit before connecting to the grid
Texas announced new a audit on data centers that could slow approval for new facilities seeking to connect to the state energy grid.
Governor Greg Abbott (R) on Monday directed the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to verify and audit new data center proposals, writing that the review is needed to "keep the grid stable and reliable." Data centers will need to provide information on state and local incentives they've received, how much they'd rely on the state grid, expected water consumption and sources, and how they plan to track community impacts including noise.
It's not cle …
The Asus Chromebook Plus CX34 is at one of its lowest prices
The Asus Chromebook Plus CX34 is a dependable laptop that doesn’t cost a fortune, despite being nearly three years old. It’s cheaper than usual right now, and you have a few options in the sub-$400 range. The option with the most storage is currently on sale for $399.99 (about $100 off recent prices) at Amazon. It has a 12th Gen Intel Core i3 processor (1215U), 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. If you don’t think you’ll need that much storage, the model with 128GB is $349.99 at Walmart, and includes a slightly faster 13th Gen Intel Core i3 processor (1315U).
Best Buy has the fastest version of the CX34 that’s discounted to $399.99. It has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, but with the 13th Gen Intel Core i5 1335U. It should deliver significantly better performance compared to the i3 options above.
Asus Chromebook Plus CX34
Where to Buy:
The Asus Chromebook Plus CX34 is a well-built Chromebook that delivers solid performance for the price, even if its 8GB of RAM isn’t especially impressive by today’s standards. 8GB of RAM isn’t as limiting on ChromeOS as it is on Windows 11 or macOS. Its Chromebook Plus designation means it includes access to Gemini along with a free year of Google AI Pro (access to Nano Banana and Veo via Gemini, plus 5TB of storage), along with other complimentary offers.
It’s also more powerful than many bargain bin Chromebooks; in our testing, it was snappy and responsive even with more than a dozen apps open as well as downloads and updates running in the background. We were also impressed by its sharp, 14-inch anti-glare 1080p display, along with the solid 1080p webcam. You also get a good port selection, including two USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, HDMI, and a headphone jack, so you can connect an external monitor and other devices.
Read our Asus Chromebook Plus CX34 review.
Three more ways to save
- The Igloo Playmate KoolTunes 14-Quart Cooler with a built-in Bluetooth speaker is down to $69.99 ($70 off) at Walmart in a few colors, which is one of its better prices to date. It combines a classic cooler with a removable Bluetooth speaker, so you can keep drinks cold while listening to music at the beach, park, or campsite. The speaker component offers up to 10 hours of battery life and is IP56-rated for dust and water resistance, while the 14-quart cooler can hold up to 26 cans.
- The Anker Charger (100W, 3 Ports, Smart Display) is on sale for $47.99 ($22 off), a new low price, with code EDF37569 at Newegg, while you can buy it for $2 more at Amazon. The small, travel-friendly charger features two USB-C ports and one USB-A port, allowing you to charge up to three devices at once with up to 100W of power. Its built-in display shows information like charging status and temperature, and Anker includes a 4.9-foot USB-C cable.
- The refurbished Roborock Q7 M5 Plus is down to $192 at Roborock’s official eBay storefront when you use the code NEWFINDS20 at checkout. That’s less than half its $429.99 list price when purchased in new condition, and includes a two-year warranty. The robot vacuum and mop hybrid uses lidar navigation to map your home, allowing you to set no-go zones and clean room by room. It also comes with a self-emptying charging dock, delivers up to 10,000Pa of suction, and features an anti-tangle side brush.
Apple is working on iPhone-to-Windows copy-paste
Apple is working on a feature that will allow users in the European Union to copy content on their iPhone and paste it onto their Windows PC (or vice versa), as spotted earlier by MacRumors. The move comes in response to an interoperability request from Microsoft that asks Apple to open up its Universal Clipboard feature, which supports copying and pasting across the Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Vision Pro.
Under the EU's Digital Markets Act, developers and government agencies can work with digital gatekeepers, like Apple, to make their systems interoperable with third-party tools and services. The EU's ruling on connected devices has also forced …