Paramount will need to release way more movies to make this merger work
Now that Paramount has reached a settlement with the 12 states that were suing to block its $110 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), the studio is even closer to becoming one of the world's biggest production houses. In addition to spending at least $300 million more on film and TV projects produced in the US, Paramount says that it will release a minimum of 30 movies annually after it absorbs WBD. On paper, these goals make it sound like Paramount is trying to ensure that the entertainment industry won't be harmed by its WBD acquisition. But when you look at the studios' recent output, it seems very much like Paramount CEO Dav …
Rabbit’s new AI agent doesn’t need an R1 to run
Rabbit, the company behind the underwhelming R1 device, is rolling out a standalone AI agent that you don't need its hardware to use, as reported earlier by Wired. The startup says its new OS3 "agentic operating system" runs in the cloud but operates locally across Windows, Mac, and Linux devices.
According to Rabbit, you can add up to five devices to one account, along with your preferred AI models. OS3 will automatically determine the devices, files, apps, and AI models it needs to complete a task. You can also access OS3 through its dedicated desktop site, a paired messaging app like Telegram or iMessage, as well as on Rabbit's R1 device …
Saudi Arabia’s new Exobot EVs make the Cybertruck look normal
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is mostly known for its global dominance over petroleum production and oil reserves - not necessarily cars and auto manufacturing, and certainly not electric vehicle production. So it was a little surprising on Monday when a Saudi startup called Ceer unveiled a pair of hyper-angular, spaceship-like EVs, with plans to launch an additional five models by 2030.
The Exobot (yes, that's the real name) sedan and SUV are expected to go on sale in Saudi Arabia starting in 2027. The ultra-futuristic designs scream Tron, Blade Runner, and every other sci-fi movie you've seen - and then some. The gullwing doors are ripped s …
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 comes in an Extreme version too
Qualcomm has announced the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, this year joined by the 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 too. The company describes both new phone chips as flagships, and the spec differences are relatively minor, mostly limited to improved AI processing, video capture, and gaming performance on the Extreme model.
Both Gen 6 chips are built on a 2nm process, and share much in common, including their modems, display specs, security features, GPS, and memory and storage support. Qualcomm no longer publishes detailed breakdowns of the cores across its silicon, but the CPU details given are identical, with two big cores at up to 5GHz and six performa …
Motorola’s wild-looking Signature 27 runs Qualcomm’s new Extreme chipset
Motorola is the first company to announce a phone running Qualcomm's top-end Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chip. The Signature 27 looks set to be Motorola's most advanced flagship in some years, though we're still waiting for the full specs, price, and release date.
Any prospective buyers will first have to get over the design, which seems guaranteed to earn mixed reception. The aluminum phone has a thin body, available in either black (sorry, "Pantone coal smoke") or green ("Pantone capulet olive"), with a woven tactical texture on one and a "feather-inspired" finish on the other. Either way, it slopes upwards into what Motorola calls a …
Apple clarifies that Texture and Grain controls are exclusive to the latest iPhones’ cameras
Apple's new texture and grain controls for stylizing photos will be more limited on older phones than initially expected.
A confusingly worded press release from Apple indicated that the new features, announced alongside the iPhone 18 and 18 Pro earlier this month, would be "available" on older devices like the iPhone 16 and iPhone Air that "support the latest generation of Photographic Styles."
But it turns out that "available" didn't mean that older iPhone models would have full access to those new features.
Making texture adjustments to enhance or smooth a subject's skin and adding film grain will only be an option when those phones …
Score free Pixel Buds 2A when you preorder a Googlebook at Best Buy
The Android-powered Googlebooks are coming soon, with familiar brands and specs that rival Windows Copilot machines. For anyone eager to get their hands on any the new laptops, there’s a preorder perk you may want to know about lasting until October 25th, 2026.
When you add a Googlebook to your cart at Best Buy, a pair of Pixel Buds 2A in hazel will be added for free. You can preorder now, with some systems shipping as early as October 5th, 2026. If you’re curious about the new machines, my colleague Antonio G. Di Benedetto got to spend some time with the laptops and shared his thoughts.
There are a number of qualifying Googlebooks available at the retailer, including options from Acer, Lenovo, Asus, HP, and Dell. There’s a dedicated category page for the new genre of laptop in case you want to peruse the lineup. The least expensive model is the Acer Googlebook 14, which starts at $899 and features an Intel Core 5 Ultra, 16GB of LPDDR5X memory, and 512GB of storage. We also compared the specifications and features for each machine, in case you’re having trouble deciding.
Read our Googlebook hands-on.
Save $30 on Apple’s Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and a numpad
Until the end of the day on September 22nd, 2026, Best Buy and Amazon have the black Apple Magic Keyboard on sale for $169.99, a $30 discount from the usual price. This is the souped-up version of Apple’s full-size, wireless keyboard, with a Touch ID button, numerical pad, arrow keys, plus additional function keys. The Touch ID functionality is compatible with macOS computers running version 15.1 or newer on Apple-made silicon.
Apple Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad
Where to Buy:
The keyboard includes a woven USB-C cable that handles both charging and data, or you can use Bluetooth for a wireless connection. Black-colored Apple accessories tend to carry a higher price premium than their equivalent white models, and go on sale less frequently. Best Buy’s price is only good through 10PM PT on September 22nd, 2026, and the Amazon page is currently shipping one or two days out.
Other deals to consider
- The refurbished 160W Anker Prime Charger is on sale for $75 on eBay via the Anker Outlet Store, $41 lower than the current Prime-exclusive price at Amazon, and half off the list price for a new model. This compact charger sports three USB-C ports, with a maximum output of 140W from a single port. It even has a little display for power monitoring or changing charging modes with the push of a button.
- For a limited time, you can grab a 512GB microSD Express card for $99.99 or less. The Samsung P9 is $99.99 at B&H Photo and Amazon (discounted automatically applied at checkout), and the SanDisk GamePlay is $98 at Walmart. The Switch 2 is the only mainstream device that requires a microSD Express for add-ons torage, and first-party Nintendo games run between 10 and 30 GB (the upcoming Ocarina of time remake is 27GB, for example) so a 512GB card can store upwards of 15 games.
- The 4K Blu-ray version of Interstellar is discounted to $14.96 at Amazon. That’s the lowest we’ve seen the price since Prime Day in June, and a five dollar break from the usual price. This classic Christopher Nolan film is an excellent addition to any film buff’s home collection, and benefits massively from the sharper visuals provided by the 4K Blu-ray. Read our review.
San Francisco sues Trump Media for selling early access to Trump posts
San Francisco is suing the Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company behind Truth Social, for selling early access to President Donald Trump's posts on the social media site. The lawsuit, filed today in California state court, alleges that the Truth API feed is a "corrupt business scheme" that violates both California's Unfair Competition Law and federal ethics and anti-corruption laws that prohibit insider trading.
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle recently called Truth Social the "most powerful and popular social media platform in the world." While the latter part of that statement is objectively untrue based on any credible e …
Apple is reportedly working on a Whoop-like fitness tracker
Apple is working on a new fitness tracker with a screenless design, similar to the one made by Whoop, according to a report from Bloomberg. A prototype of the device reportedly has "a thin fabric band with a sensor-equipped computing module."
The device is in an early stage of development and likely wouldn't arrive before 2028 if Apple decides to release it, Bloomberg reports. In addition to Whoop's lineup of 5.0 bands, the company also sells MG - or "medical grade" - variants with a built-in EKG feature. The bands are designed to be worn continuously, as they offer more than 14 days of battery life.
As pointed out by Bloomberg, Apple has …