John Deere launched an AI chatbot for farmers
John Deere is testing a new "JD" AI assistant that it says can help farmers make more money, with answers about best practices and historical trends that are based on their own data. It uses their "field, machine and operational data" to answer questions on topics like equipment settings, fuel usage, or harvest timing.
The press release didn't mention which AI technology is behind this platform. But after fighting with farmers and the FTC for years over the right to repair, the news of Early Access Program testing for this bot comes with a mention of its ten-point Farmer Data Commitment saying it won't sell the data, and lets farmers cont …
Sony’s new party speakers have more bass, more LEDs, and more connectivity
Sony announced three new tower-style party speakers that will now be the largest options in its ULT Power Sound lineup. The new ULT Tower Max, ULT Tower 7, and ULT Tower 5 all feature expanded connectivity including USB-C, RCA, and XLR ports for connecting to audio gear using physical cables. The new models also come with improved lighting using up to 100 LEDs to provide visual feedback for functions like battery life and Bluetooth syncing in addition to creating an animated light show synced to what you're listening to.
The largest of the new ULT Power Sound speakers is the $1,499.99, 121-pound Tower Max that looks big enough to double as …
Google Pics is like Canva, but with even more AI
Google has a new suite of creative design tools for Workspace users called Google Pics, which aims to make editing and generating "professional-grade" AI images less cumbersome for businesses. Built around Gemini and the Nano Banana generative AI model, Google Pics is designed to give more granular control over prompt-based image making and manipulation, allowing users to tap on specific objects or text, and describe what they want to change - features that may avoid the ugly results that chatbots are known to spit out for marketing imagery.
"While AI image generation has been a huge hit for personal use, it's been a different story for bus …
Shelly’s new $50 security camera watches your home without a subscription
After launching a budget-friendly flood sensor last month with impressive battery life, Shelly announced a new $49.99 security camera today that can be used without any additional subscription fees - although that's still an option if you want to expand its capabilities.
The Shelly Camera will be available soon from the company's online store and other resellers in black or white. Although competitors like Wyze have released 2K security cameras for $40, Shelly's first camera is limited to 1080P with a wide field of view that stretches 110 degrees horizontally and 70 degrees vertically with night vision capabilities. But there's no battery, …
Sonos introduces new headphones, soundbar, and software in its biggest announcement in years
At an event in New York City, Sonos announced two new audio products - the Sonos Beam Ultra soundbar and Sonos Ace Ultra headphones, details of which were found in an FCC filing in early August - and a major update to its audio operating system dubbed Sonos 27. It's the biggest single Sonos announcement since 2024, when a new app rollout upset its customers and sent it into damage control mode.
Software changes are core to Sonos' announcements, with the company leaning heavily into AI integration with Sonos 27. This includes the company's own Sonos 27voice assistant that it built in-house for music and system control. It's coming as an earl …
Tim Cook’s legacy isn’t just phones, it’s politics
As much as any Apple product released during his time as CEO, Tim Cook's tenure will be remembered for its ruthlessly efficient tight-rope walk between an autocrat in China and a would-be autocrat in the US.
During his 15 years as CEO, Cook steered Apple through relations with both Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump, including escalating conflicts between the two. As Apple's enmeshment in China raised serious questions about reports of forced labor and censorship, Cook managed to appease Xi while maneuvering around political blowback in the US. And when Trump launched a trade war against China, Cook managed to soften …
John Ternus takes over as Apple’s new CEO
The multitrillion-dollar home of the iPhone, Mac, and so many other tech gadgets has a new leaader, as Tim Cook has been replaced as CEO as of September 1st by former hardware boss John Ternus. How will we look back on Cook’s legacy, and what will Apple look like under the leadership of Ternus and new chief hardware officer Johny Srouji?
With the next iPhone event scheduled for September 9th, we’ll probably find out soon. Here’s everything we think we know so far about the John Ternus era at Apple.
- John Ternus sets up his twttr.
- Tim Cook’s legacy isn’t just phones, it’s politics
- A day-one briefing for Apple’s new CEO
- Tim Cook’s Apple: his 10 biggest wins and misses
- John Ternus is now the CEO of Apple
- Phil Schiller is leaving his biggest jobs at Apple
- Read Tim Cook’s final message to Apple staff as CEO
- Apple’s Vision Pro and smart glasses leader reportedly leaves for OpenAI.
- Tim Cook and John Ternus comment on Apple’s CEO change during earnings call.
- Tim Cook’s departure is the start of a new era at Apple
- Will a new CEO help realize Apple’s smart home potential?
- Tim Cook was an innovator — just not the Jobs kind
- The AirPods are Tim Cook’s most underrated achievement
- The Mac is in good hands in Apple’s post-Cook era
- Wearable health tech might be Tim Cook’s greatest legacy
- One more thing about Apple’s new CEO.
- John Ternus’ first big problem is AI
- “I was very impressed with myself to have the head of Apple calling to ‘kiss my ass.’”
- Apple will have a product guy as CEO again
- Tim Cook will still be Apple’s Trump whisperer
- Read Tim Cook’s letter to the Apple world as he departs as CEO
- New Apple CEO calls for an emergency Vergecast.
- Apple names Johny Srouji as chief hardware officer
- Apple CEO Tim Cook is stepping down
Florida blocks Flock cams on state highways
Florida is banning Flock cameras and other automated license plate readers across state highways, as reported earlier by NBC News and local news outlet WUSF. In a memo on Monday, Florida's Department of Transportation says it's revoking permits for all license plate readers, adding that they must be removed from state highways within 30 days.
As noted in the memo, Florida's DOT says it's issuing the order in response to the "recent exponential increase in deployments" of license plate readers, "coupled with concerning reports of misuse, data privacy concerns, and surveillance schemes." The agency is also halting future requests for license …
Get ready for a really busy month of smartphones
We're not even half a day into September, and two new smartphones have already launched: the Poco F9 Pro and F9 Ultra. We're expecting more this week, as the IFA trade show kicks off in Berlin, before we get new iPhones a week after that. And that's only the beginning of what promises to be an exceptionally busy month for smartphone launches.
For the decade I've worked in the industry, tech journalists have always spoken in hushed tones about the dreaded "Techtember," when just about every tech company on the planet seems to be in unspoken agreement that it's time to launch new products in time for the holiday buying season. (It's followed, …
Nvidia’s controversial DLSS 5 arrives September 3rd and requires serious GPU horsepower
Nvidia is officially launching DLSS 5 this week, following a divisive announcement in March where we likened the AI upscaling tech to a "real-time generative AI filter for video games" and "motion smoothing for video games, but worse." DLSS 5 will officially be available on RTX 50-series desktop and laptop GPUs and through GeForce Now cloud gaming, though the only game with the tech so far is NBA 2K27 - which is launching September 3rd at 9PM PT on PC.
When it was announced, Nvidia lauded DLSS 5 as "the company's most significant breakthrough in computer graphics since the debut of real-time ray tracing in 2018," and highlighted how the tec …