Starlink’s V5 dish is now available — here’s how it compares
SpaceX's latest residential dish - the Starlink V5 - is now available in "select areas." It's notably smaller and lighter than the V4 dish with improved power efficiency. It'll be available in more places as SpaceX ramps up production to meet global demand. The company notes that Starlink V5 is not intended for in-motion use - for that you'll have to wait for the revamped Starlink Mini teased alongside the V5 last month.
Google and Epic give up fighting — third-party Android app stores are coming next week
Epic Games and Google have just jointly withdrawn their attempt to retroactively settle the lawsuit that's changing how Android app stores work in the United States - and that means Google will be forced to carry rival app stores inside of its own. In fact, Google tells the court, it's ready to begin carrying third-party app stores on Wednesday, July 22nd. Does that mean it's time for Microsoft to launch an Xbox game store on Android?
In October 2024, Judge James Donato originally agreed that forcing Google to carry rival Android app stores within its own Google Play store for several years, and forcing it to share its own entire catalog of …
Nothing’s good-looking Watch 3 Pro smartwatch is just $69
While most fitness trackers are losing the screens to keep the price low, the CMF by Nothing Watch 3 Pro is a bit different. The budget-friendly smartwatch with a 1.43-inch OLED display is even cheaper than usual at Amazon, where it costs $69 in every color (the price fluctuates between $79 and $99). Some notable specs include compatibility with iOS and Android, and long battery life of up to 13 days on a single charge. It’s great for workouts (with accurate, dual-band GPS, IP68 protection, and a heart rate sensor), but stylish enough to wear out to dinner. It currently costs $20 less than the screenless Google Fitbit Air.
CMF Watch 3 Pro
Nothing’s slick-looking budget watch features a 1.43-inch OLED display, 131 sports modes, dual-band GPS, and a four-channel heart rate sensor. It also delivers up to 13 days of battery life under normal use and supports all your typical app integrations (Strava, Apple Health, etc.).
Where to Buy:
I’ve had trouble sticking with smartwatches in the past, but I picked up a Watch 3 Pro during a similar sale a few months ago, and I often reach for it over my beloved Casio GA-2100. It helps that I rarely have to worry about keeping it charged thanks to its impressive battery life. Even with the always-on display enabled, I can usually wear the Watch 3 Pro for two or three days of constant use before I have to charge it.
The Watch 3 Pro has a big, eye-catching face, and is available in four different colors, each with their own bezel shape, detailing, and color-coordinated strap. The Nothing X app has a ton of different face options to choose from, with some that are heavy on complications, and others that focus on fun and style. I have the light green model and I’ve gotten quite a few compliments, although I also like the orange model for a more fitness-focused look. It’s a little large, which is my preference for watches anyway, but it does make it a little uncomfortable for sleep tracking.
If $69 is a little too much, consider the CMF by Nothing Watch Pro 2, which is currently $39 (usually $55) at Amazon. The newer model has upgraded GPS, a more accurate heart rate monitor, longer battery life, and a slightly larger screen. But the older version uses the same app, and has swappable bezels to customize the look.
Microsoft’s biggest ever patch Tuesday lets you hold off updating for longer
Microsoft just released a long list of improvements for Windows 11 as part of its bigger patch Tuesdays, patching at least 570 security holes, almost triple the number fixed in last month's record-breaking release, according to Krebs on Security. It also includes the ability to pause updates indefinitely, as reported earlier by Windows Central. This option rolled out to Windows Insiders earlier this year, allowing you to hold off on updates for up to 35 days and repeatedly extend the deadline after that.
It comes as part of Microsoft's plan to revitalize Windows 11 with updates focused on addressing user complaints and improving performance …
OpenAI may announce a ChatGPT smart speaker this year
OpenAI's first device is set to be a smart speaker that lets you talk with ChatGPT, according to a report from Bloomberg. The device apparently won't have a screen, but will use a camera and additional sensors to "understand" your environment.
The report comes just days after Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI that accused the AI company of stealing hardware secrets. OpenAI, in a new statement on Tuesday, said that it is "not aware of any evidence that this complaint has merit."
Sources tell Bloomberg that OpenAI's device will also feature a rechargeable battery that will allow users to carry it with them. It will offer smart home contro …
SpaceXAI’s Grok programming tool was uploading its users’ entire codebase to cloud storage
SpaceXAI's Grok Build AI coding tool was spotted uploading users' entire codebases to Google Cloud before it was reported, and the company turned it off. The Register reports that Cereblab published findings on Monday showing how the Grok Build CLI was packaging and uploading entire code repositories, "including files it was told not to open and secrets deleted from history," significantly more data retention than similar tools like Claude Code.
The researchers say that as of Monday, their tests show SpaceXAI's servers returning a "disable_codebase_upload: true" flag, and the codebase upload "no longer fires."
Elon Musk responded to the i …
Philips Hue’s budget-friendly Essential starter kit has hit a new low price
Although most of Prime Day’s unusually good Philips Hue deals have ended, a few remain, and some, including the black Philips Hue Twilight Sleep and Wake-Up Light, are even cheaper. None, however, have fallen to a new all-time low price like Philips Hue’s Essential starter kit. Right now, you can buy a bundle containing four white and color E26 bulbs and a Hue Bridge for $79.99 ($40 off) at Amazon. Since that’s the same price as the two-bulb Essential starter kit, it’s like getting two bulbs for free.
Philips Hue Essential starter kit,
Where to Buy:
Each of the color-changing bulbs can display millions of colors or tunable white light ranging from a warm 2200K to a cooler 6500K, while producing up to 800 lumens of brightness. The Hue app also offers a preset lighting scenes for everything from movie nights to the holidays, though you can also create your own. Meanwhile, the included Hue Bridge lets you control the lights when you’re away from home, create schedules, connect up to 50 lights throughout your home, and set automations so they can, for instance, turn on automatically when you arrive home. It also allows you to control the lights through all the major smart home platforms, thanks to Matter compatibility.
As Philips Hue budget-friendly kits, there are a few premium features they lack that are worth mentioning. Most notably, the bulbs only dim to two percent instead of 0.2 percent. Philips Hue also doesn’t guarantee they’ll match the color accuracy of its flagship bulbs across generations. If you’re simply looking to fill your home with colorful smart lighting at a reasonable price, though, those differences may not matter much to you.
Plex problems prevented users from streaming movies and shows
Plex services experienced some major issues on Tuesday, with multiple users reporting problems on Plex's forums and on Reddit. Many people use Plex as a way to stream shows and movies they host locally, but users are upset because today's problems were reportedly affecting their ability to do that.
"Basically all Plex is down unless you can play locally over LAN and even that takes ages and doesn't always work," said one user. Others reported problems with matching content on their servers. For me, the Plex TV website was loading slowly, though while initially writing this story, it started to load more reliably.
Plex had confirmed issues, …
Nintendo’s Switch 2 bundle that includes a game is $50 off
Discounts on the Nintendo Switch 2 are rare, but they do happen on occasion. There’s one happening now, actually, on the company’s $499.99 console bundle that includes a digital game (Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, or Pokémon Pokopia). Usually, the bundle saves you $20 or $30, depending on the game you choose, but for $449.99 at Amazon (discount reflected at checkout), Nintendo is effectively giving you a game for free.
If you’re considering grabbing a Switch 2, I highly recommend doing so now. The biggest motivator (aside from its great selection of new games and near-complete compatibility with original Switch games) is that the console will get a price hike in September, going from $449.99 to $499.99. Also, it’s not clear if it will continue to include a discounted game with purchase at that point. So, you’re getting more value at $449.99 here than ever before.
Meta accused of using biased AI targeting for mass layoffs
A group of 26 former Meta employees is suing the company over claims that it used AI tools to unfairly target workers on leave with layoffs, as reported earlier by Reuters. In the lawsuit, the employees allege Meta determined which workers to dismiss based on performance data collected by a "constellation" of internal AI tools, but failed to exclude those on parental or medical leave from its ranking system:
The result was that employees who took protected leaves were disproportionately selected for layoff, based on scoring that not only failed to account for their protected leaves, but in effect penalized the employees for exercising thei …