Software & Apps
TikTok robot star Rizzbot gave me the middle finger | TechCrunch
A couple of Thursdays ago, I awoke at nearly 4:30 a.m. to a dizzying Instagram DM. Rizzbot, a kid-size humanoid robot that’s made by Unitree Robotics and has a massive social media following — more than 1 million TikTok followers and more than half a million followers on Instagram — had sent me a photo: he was flipping me off. No words. No explanation. Just a robot…
NHL partners with Kalshi and Polymarket, igniting tribal gaming sovereignty backlash
The National Hockey League (NHL) is stepping into new territory by signing licensing deals with prediction market operators Kalshi and Polymarket. The move takes the league’s official partnerships beyond the usual sportsbooks like DraftKings and FanDuel. It’s the first time a major US sports league has attached its name to platforms that call themselves financial…
Microsoft Copilot gets 12 big updates for fall, including new AI assistant character Mico
Microsoft today held a live announcement event online for its Copilot AI digital assistant, with Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft's AI division, and other presenters unveiling a new generation of features that deepen integration across Windows, Edge, and Microsoft 365, positioning the platform as a practical assistant for people during work and off-time, while allowing…
Baby Steps isn’t done with Maxi Boch
Maxi Boch isn’t done with Baby Steps. Boch has enjoyed a productive career in game development and she knows how it feels to be creatively finished with a project. She experienced it at various points with Rock Band, Dance Central, Fantasia: Music Evolved and Ape Out, but on Baby Steps’ launch day, done was not…
Pixel 10 Pro XL vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Which Android Camera Wins?
A top-tier smartphone camera needs to perform, but also make it look like it’s not trying very hard. We expect a tap of the shutter button to create a great image in any circumstance, regardless of whether the person making the image knows anything about photography. Many phones include decent cameras, but a small number…
‘Mistress Dispeller’ review: A shockingly intimate look at extramarital affairs
In American media, a man cheating on his wife is often a source for tears, screaming, vengeance, murder-based TV shows, or one of the greatest concept albums of all time. So, when this American movie critic sat down for the Chinese documentary Mistress Dispeller, I brought my societal expectations with me, thinking I knew what…
There Are Hundreds of VPNs, But I Only Recommend These 6
VPNs, Compared Other VPNs We’ve Tested EventVPN is the new hotness in the VPN world. It’s a free, ad-supported VPN that comes from ExpressVPN. Ads and VPNs don’t really mix, but EventVPN says it’s able to offer a free service via Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) and Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA), basically allowing it to…
Top OpenAI, Google Brain researchers set off a $300M VC frenzy for their startup Periodic Labs | TechCrunch
Periodic Labs, a new startup by one of OpenAI’s most respected researchers, Liam Fedus, and his former Google Brain colleague, Ekin Dogus Cubuk, came out of stealth last month with an enormous $300 million seed round. It was led by Felicis and included a who’s who of angels and other top VCs. The startup began…
Abstract or die: Why AI enterprises can't afford rigid vector stacks
Vector databases (DBs), once specialist research instruments, have become widely used infrastructure in just a few years. They power today's semantic search, recommendation engines, anti-fraud measures and gen AI applications across industries. There are a deluge of options: PostgreSQL with pgvector, MySQL HeatWave, DuckDB VSS, SQLite VSS, Pinecone, Weaviate, Milvus and several others. The riches…
Today’s best iPad deals include $50 off the 256GB iPad A16
We generally think Apple’s iPads are the best tablets for most people, but they usually don’t come cheap. To help those looking to grab one today get the most value possible, we’re keeping an eye on sale prices and rounding up the best iPad deals we can find each week. Unfortunately, after the barrage of…