Daniel Moreno-Gama is facing federal charges for attacking Sam Altman’s home and OpenAI’s HQ
Daniel Moreno-Gama is now facing federal charges after allegedly traveling from Texas to California with the intent to kill OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. On April 10th, he was arrested after throwing a Molotov cocktail at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's home and attempting to break into OpenAI's headquarters. According to prosecutors, at the HQ, "Moreno-Gama attempted to break the glass doors of the building with a chair and stated that he had come to burn down the location and kill anyone inside."
His charges include "attempted damage and destruction of property by means of explosives and possession of an unregistered firearm," according to the Departmen …
The Mercedes EQS returns with massive range and charging gains
A year ago, Mercedes-Benz did the prudent thing and paused its EQ lineup of electric vehicles in the US. With customer demand drying up for luxury EVs, and federal incentives getting axed by vengeful Republicans, Mercedes put its first-generation EVs on ice.
But then, in January, Mercedes quietly reintroduced the EQS brand in the US, with The Drive declaring that the "blobs are back" - a reference to the sedan's much-maligned jelly-bean shape that prioritized aerodynamics over a more traditional profile. But we didn't yet realize how back the EQS truly was.
Today, Mercedes is reintroducing its electric sedan to a wary, cash-strapped market …
Justin Bieber’s YouTube Coachella set had nothing to do with who owns his music
This past Saturday at the Coachella music festival, Justin Bieber played the first of two headlining sets in a deal reportedly worth $10 million. It was his most significant solo performance in years. But Bieber spent some of his time on stage the way many of us do on Saturday nights: on YouTube. For some of the set, Bieber played parts of his older songs right off YouTube from a Mac laptop. Behind him, on the stage's screen, you could see YouTube's website as he searched for songs in real time and then put the videos on full-screen while he sang along on stage.
"I'm sorry to cut it, but these are little snippets. I just want to see how fa …
RAMageddon has come for Microsoft’s Surface Pro and Surface Laptop
Microsoft just raised the prices across its line of Surface devices amid the global RAM shortage. Now, the 13-inch Surface Pro 11 and the 13.8-inch Surface Laptop 7 cost $500 more than their original starting price, going from $999 to $1,499, as reported earlier by Windows Central.
Last year, Microsoft stopped selling the $999 versions of the Surface Pro 11 and the 13.8-inch Surface Laptop 7 in favor of the $1,199 models with more storage. At the time, it seemed like Microsoft was trying to make room for the cheaper 12-inch Surface Pro and 13-inch Surface Laptop that launched last May. However, these newer devices aren't safe from the pric …
NZXT to pay $3.45 million settlement over Flex PC rentals
NZXT and its business partner Fragile have agreed to pay $3.45 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that accused the companies of attempting to "scam" consumers through their Flex PC rental service. The preliminary settlement was filed in a California District Court on April 7th to close a civil RICO case against the Flex program over allegations that it defrauded 19,322 customers through deceptive marketing practices and aggressive debt collection.
The settlement was shared on YouTube by Gamers Nexus, with host Steve Burke noting that NZXT and Fragile are still offering PC rental programs under the new agreement. This follows Gamers Ne …
AI influencers are ‘everywhere’ at Coachella
Coachella kicked off on Friday, and as usual, it's the place to be for online influencers looking to show off their memorable experiences at the festival. A quick scroll through my social media feeds has already shown me many uncannily attractive figures in glitzy outfits, posing for perfectly staged photographs with celebrities.
Only some of these content creators aren't really there. They don't even exist at all outside of our screens. They're generated using AI tools.
Faking Coachella attendance is nothing new - even real influencers have been doing so in recent years - but generative AI has now progressed to the point where it's become …
The Apple Watch Series 11 has returned to its best-ever price
If you’re still holding onto an older Apple Watch, now might be a good time to upgrade. Right now, the 42mm Apple Watch Series 11 with GPS is on sale for around $299 ($100 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target, which is its best price to date. If you prefer a larger size, the 46mm is also $100 off for a limited time, with the base GPS configuration selling for about $329 at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target.
Apple Watch Series 11
Where to Buy:
While it’s not a significant upgrade over the Apple Watch Series 10, we still recommend it if you’re using a Series 5 or Series 6. It’s Apple’s fastest and most durable flagship wearable yet, with a bright, wide-angle OLED display that’s easy to read at a glance. It offers the longest battery life of any Series model to date, allowing you to eke out up to 24 hours (or 38 hours in low-power mode) on a single charge with the base configuration. The LTE version doesn’t drain as quickly either thanks to Apple’s power-efficient 5G modem, and you can charge a dead watch to 80 percent capacity in just 30 minutes.
On the health and wellness side, it offers a diverse range of features, from FDA-cleared hypertension notifications and sleep scores to ovulation tracking, sleep apnea detection, and fall detection. Beyond that, you get access to watchOS 26 features like Workout Buddy, which offers real-time coaching, as well as wrist flick and double tap gestures so you can control the watch without touching the screen. Rounding things out, you also get Apple’s usual set of smart features, including Apple Pay, Siri, and access to music directly from your wrist.
Read our Apple Watch Series 11 review.
Xbox Game Pass ‘has become too expensive,’ says Microsoft’s new gaming chief in leaked memo
Microsoft's new Xbox chief, Asha Sharma, has signaled that Xbox Game Pass pricing is about to change. In an internal memo to Xbox employees, obtained by The Verge, Sharma admits that "Game Pass has become too expensive for players" and that Microsoft needs "a better value equation."
"Game Pass is central to gaming value on Xbox. It's also clear that the current model isn't the final one," says Sharma. "Short term, Game Pass has become too expensive for players, so we need a better value equation. Long term, we will evolve Game Pass into a more flexible system which will take time to test and learn around."
Microsoft hiked the price of Xbox …
You can make a multicolor MacBook Neo out of Apple’s spare parts
If you're having trouble deciding on a color for a new MacBook Neo, you might not have to choose just one. The folks over at MacWorld found that Apple doesn't appear to limit the colors of spare parts you can buy for your Neo, potentially allowing you to deck out your indigo laptop with pink-tinted keyboard caps or a citrus green bottom cover.
You'll have to pay for these spare parts on top of the Neo's $599 starting price, though. While the bottom case costs $34.32, the keyboard caps are $39, and the top case is $175.12. A replacement for the entire keyboard is priced at $139.92 (with a $29.40 return credit). The MacBook Neo and its spare …
Read OpenAI’s latest internal memo about beating the competition — including Anthropic
OpenAI's chief revenue officer, Denise Dresser, sent a four-page memo to employees on Sunday about the company's strategic direction, emphasizing the need to lock in users and grow its enterprise business.
The memo, which was viewed by The Verge, repeatedly underlines the importance of building a moat around its AI products, to combat how easy it is for users to switch between whichever model is topping the charts on any given day or week. Dresser, who recently took over much of former COO Brad Lightcap's duties as he transitions to a new role focused on special projects, also emphasizes the importance of focusing on enterprise clients. It …