Meta is adding ridiculous ‘rate limits’ and a soft paywall to its smart glasses
Would you pay $20 a month for access to AI hardware you already own? That appears to be one of Meta's next bets. This week, it quietly announced that your glasses' Conversation Focus feature will soon be limited to three hours of use per month, unless you pay for a $19.99 Meta One Premium subscription.
In a help article, the company insists that it won't require a subscription to use your glasses, period; it's merely erecting a "rate limit" for certain AI features. Even premium subscribers will only get 15 hours of Conversation Focus per month under that "rate limit," it claims.
Problem is, Meta's rate limit is ridiculous. The Conversatio …
Anthropic’s long-sidelined Fable 5 is greenlit to return
After weeks of negotiating with the Trump administration, Anthropic is finally going to be able to bring Claude Fable 5 back online. In a post on X, Anthropic said it plans to begin restoring access Wednesday to users globally on Claude platforms, and that the company would re-enable access on AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Foundry soon, but with no set timeline.
Anthropic wrote:
We've received notice that the Department of Commerce has lifted export controls on Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5.
We'll begin restoring access tomorrow, and will share an update soon.
We're grateful to our users for their patience, and to everyone who work …
Dish files for bankruptcy, but not shutting down
Dish, the company that operates Dish TV and Sling TV, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy," as reported earlier by Reuters. The plan will allow the EchoStar-owned company to continue to wind down its wireless operations after "unforeseen delays" held back its sale of $23 billion worth of 5G spectrum to AT&T. Dish TV, Sling TV, and other brands involved will continue to operate during the process, and in a press release, the company says it plans to emerge from Chapter 11 by the end of the third quarter of 2026.
Boost Mobile and Gen Mobile aren't included in the bankruptcy process and will continue to operate as normal.
Due to the delayed 5 …
Amazon fined $2.25 million for failing to help identity theft victims
The Federal Trade Commission fined Amazon $2.25 million to settle claims that the company failed to help customers who fell victim to identity theft, as reported earlier by Bloomberg. In its complaint, the FTC accuses Amazon of refusing to provide customers with information about purchases made with fraudulent accounts, in violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).
As alleged in the filing, identity theft victims who contacted Amazon "would often enter a Kafkaesque sequence" where a support agent wouldn't provide records related to a fraudulent account unless they could name the person who opened it.
In one instance, a victim attem …
Acer’s Swift Go 16 is a lot of laptop for $900
As high memory and storage prices have driven up the cost of everything from consoles to computers, finding a competent laptop for under $1,000 has become a challenge. Thankfully, the Acer Swift Go 16 AI is on sale for $899.99 at Best Buy, a steep discount from its usual list price of $1,549.99. The well-equipped laptop has an Intel Core Ultra 7 355 processor, 32GB of LPDDR5X memory, and a 1TB SSD. It has a great 16-inch OLED (1,920 x 1,200) touchscreen, too. Its tall 16:10 aspect ratio lets you see more, and it has a 180-degree hinge that lets you find your preferred viewing angle.
The generously-sized multi-touch touchpad has a Corning Gorilla Glass top layer, and its backlit keyboard even squeezed in a numpad. Sure, its integrated Intel graphics aren’t great for serious gaming, but it should be more than powerful enough for Balatro, and the system can run for over 20 hours on a single charge, depending on brightness settings. It has quite a few ports, particularly when compared to other slim laptops, including two USB-A 3.2 ports, two USB-C with Thunderbolt 4 support, HDMI 2.1, a microSD card slot, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Correction, June 30th: An earlier version of this article mistakenly used a photograph of the Acer Swift 16 AI instead of the Acer Swift Go 16 AI.
Google’s NotebookLM can sum up your research in a TikTok-style clip
Google's NotebookLM is adding a new way to catch up on your notes: TikTok-style AI videos. The new feature is rolling out to Google AI Ultra and Pro subscribers, allowing NotebookLM to generate 60-second vertical AI clips based on the sources you upload to the app.
The example shared by Google details Australia's unsuccessful war on emus, pairing paper cutout-style AI art of emus with narration. It adds to some of the other ways NotebookLM lets you interact with your research, including by generating AI podcasts, cinematic videos, and visual explainers.
LG’s 27-inch Tandem OLED gaming monitor is cheaper than ever
The price of LG’s UltraGear 27GX700A-B 1440p gaming monitor that came out last August has dropped to nearly its best price yet. You can grab it at Amazon for $484.99 or at LG for $499.99 (originally $599.99). That’s a great deal considering this is one of LG’s Primary RGB Tandem panels built with fourth-generation WOLED tech that delivers higher brightness and punchier contrast than its predecessors, rivaling QD-OLED.
LG 27-inch UltraGear Tandem OLED gaming monitor
Where to Buy:
This model could satisfy gamers with PCs built to deliver smooth 1440p gameplay. It features a 280Hz refresh rate, twin HDMI 2.1 and one DisplayPort 1.4 jack, a near-instant .03-millisecond response time, not to mention a thin design. The monitor also has some USB-A ports for connecting accessories, plus a headphone jack for private listening.
The 27GX700A-B supports AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and is Nvidia G-Sync-compatible, meaning it supports variable refresh rates and can keep the image running smoothly even with variations in frame rate. We haven’t tested this model, but reviews site Rtings does say it has “distracting VRR flicker,” though that likely depends on the game.
While costs have risen in recent months on computer components like RAM and storage, it’s been delightful to watch prices go in the opposite direction for OLED gaming monitors. Some people may prefer to spend less on fast, feature-packed IPS and VA panels, but it’s nice that there are more opportunities to get cutting-edge panel tech for your gaming PC or console.
007 First Light’s developer lays off staff but claims its next franchise will continue
IO Interactive, the studio behind the Hitman series and 007 First Light, announced that it is laying off staff after a relationship with an "external partner" on its next big franchise, Project Fantasy, "has come to an end." IO has described Project Fantasy as an "online fantasy RPG", and Kotaku and Bloomberg report that Microsoft, which is planning significant cuts as part of a broader "reset" of the Xbox business, was going to be the game's publisher.
It's unclear how many people will be affected by IO's "staffing decisions." The company says "we are fully committed to supporting those affected through this challenging transition." IO al …
Moto’s Tag 2 tracker is $20 for a limited time
Announced at CES 2026, the Moto Tag 2 has finally arrived in the US. The Bluetooth tracker with improved battery life over its predecessor, plus UWB sensing for more accurate tracking, is available through Motorola’s site at a special $19.99 launch price (originally $29.99). There are plenty of trackers for Android owners to consider, but the Tag 2 seems tough to beat at this price. It supports Google’s Find Hub network, has an IP68 rating, and runs off a replaceable CR2032 coin battery that can last up to 600 days.
Moto Tag 2
Where to Buy:
The Moto Tag 2 has a built-in speaker that can sound off at up to 77 decibels. The tracker itself has a button that can be set to do several things, and is configurable within the Moto Tag app. Pressing the button can help you find your phone nearby. It can also trigger your phone’s camera shutter. A Bluetooth tracker doesn’t need most of these features to be good, but the Moto Tag 2 has them anyway.
Netflix is using an AI-generated Gene Wilder voice in its Willy Wonka reality show
A new teaser trailer confirmed that Wonka's The Golden Ticket will premiere on Netflix on September 23rd, following its Squid Game reality show in the trend of creating real competitions based on fictional torture scenarios. While the sets seen in the trailer are real and not some Glasgow-style AI fakes, the voiceover is AI-generated.
Deadline reports that Netflix worked with AI audio company ElevenLabs with consent from Wilder's family, after working on productions re-creating the voice of Michael Caine and Stan Lee. It also continues Netflix's 2021 partnership with the Roald Dahl company, and is separate from the Charlie vs. the Chocolat …