One month after Epic Games and Google seemingly stopped fighting over the future of Android app distribution, they were back in a San Francisco courtroom today - where Judge James Donato just ordered Google to make it easier to install rival app stores on Android. It's been nearly three years since a jury unanimously decided that Google had an illegal monopoly over Android apps, and almost two years since Judge Donato decided the best way of undoing that monopoly would be to crack open Android app distribution. Donato ordered Google to carry rival Android app stores inside its own Google Play Store, and to provide rivals with complecte acc … Read the full story at The Verge. Source: https://www.theverge.com/policy/979852/that-is-not-acceptable-judge-orders-google-to-make-rival-app-store-installs-easier

There are over 120,000 of Flock’s automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras installed all over the US. Flock’s cameras, and others like them, use AI to identify and track vehicles based on their license plate number, make, model, color, and other info, networked together to track vehicles and people’s movements throughout the day and across the country. Dozens of communities have canceled contracts for the cameras or turned them off, including Los Angeles, as officials have pushed for more limits on the data they collect, who has access to it, and how it can be used in the future. Earlier this year, Amazon-owned Ring canceled a partnership with Flock after online backlash. Flock CEO: ‘We got this one wrong’ Flock cameras? Target practice. Another grim portent for our AI policing future. The LAPD has suspended its use of Flock’s license plate readers, for now. No, Flock isn’t threatening people for debating surveillance The all-too-predictable Flock stalking problem. Let’s talk about Ring, lost dogs, and the surveillance state Ring’s Flock breakup doesn’t fix its real problem Flock is “pausing further exploration of a potential partnership with Ring.” Ring cancels its partnership with Flock Safety after surveillance backlash Dozens of Flock AI camera feeds were just out there AI annotators overseas may be reviewing Flock license plate camera footage from the US. Amazon’s Ring now works with video surveillance company Flock Unprotected license plate surveillance cameras let anyone with a web browser tune in Source: https://www.theverge.com/tech/979869/flock-alpr-ai-surveillance-protest-privacy

Petlibro’s Granary 2 feeder. | Image: Petlibro A Petlibro outage is preventing its smart pet feeders and other devices from performing scheduled tasks, like dispensing food. The outage began on Tuesday, with users across Reddit reporting that their smart feeders, litter boxes, and water fountains have gone offline. Though Petlibro maintains that "existing settings and schedules stored locally on your device will continue to operate as programmed," many users say that's not the case. Instead, some users report that Petlibro's RFID and Granary food dispensers are missing scheduled feedings due to the outage - a major problem for pet owners currently away from home. Some users say they've … Read the full story at The Verge. Source: https://www.theverge.com/tech/979295/petlibro-outage-smart-pet-feeders

It's almost time for the Made by Google keynote, where the company will show off the brand-new Pixel hardware it announced today. Like last year, it'll be a celebrity-packed live show, though Trevor Noah is hosting instead of Jimmy Fallon. If the 2025 show was any indication, today's broadcast might be something of a cringefest. If you've been following tech news this morning, you already know a lot about the new Pixels. Press and creators were able to publish extensive hands-on impressions of the new hardware hours ago, and you can read our coverage of the Pixel 11 phones, their new camera features, the Pixel Watch 5, and more right now. … Read the full story at The Verge. Source: https://www.theverge.com/tech/979241/made-by-google-2026-live-blog-pixel-11-trevor-noah

The 8BitDo mechanical keyboard and dual super buttons. | Image: The Verge If you’re looking for a mechanical keyboard that can give your desk a touch of retro flair, Amazon has 8BitDo’s Retro Mechanical Keyboard with Dual Super Buttons on sale for $69.99, one of the lowest prices we’ve seen for the bundle. The styling on this keyboard is thorough, with blocky retro legends on the rounded keycaps, and supplementary buttons and detailing to help match the theme. 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard This mechanical keyboard is designed to look like Nintendo’s original NES controller, with features like two red customizable buttons. Along with Bluetooth support, it also offers a standard tenkeyless layout with clicky, hot-swappable switches. Where to Buy: $99.99 $69.99 at Amazon (N edition) Despite how it looks on the outside, the internals on this keyboard are modern, with support for Bluetooth, 2.4GHz, and a USB wired connection, and compatibility with both Windows and Android. The 87-key setup is mounted on white Kailh Box switches for that vintage clicky sound, with a volume knob and function keys for quick controls. The included dual super buttons connect to the keyboard, and can be programmed to a variety of key combinations and functions without the need for any additional software. These sizable buttons are great for easy access to shortcuts like copy and paste or media shortcuts, and the bundle includes one, but you can connect up to four to a single keyboard. Other deals to consider Best Buy has the Aukey 2-in-1 MagSafe Qi2 wireless charging stand discounted to $27.99 (usually $49.99). The stand can charge your iPhone and AirPods at the same time with up to 15W of power, and folds away neatly for travel or to clear desk space. You can grab a Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge with 512GB of storage at Woot for $669.99, almost half off the retail price of $1,299.99. The phone st... Source: https://www.theverge.com/gadgets/979263/8bitdo-mechanical-keyboard-galaxy-25-edge-deal-sale

Hackers who steal compromising images of you from social media and personal accounts are selling them on the dark web. Here's how to protect yourself. Source: https://www.zdnet.com/article/hackers-private-photos-fbi-avoid-sextortion/

Got an old 32-bit computer lying around? Don't throw it away - Sparky Linux has decided not to give up on the aging architecture. Source: https://www.zdnet.com/article/sparky-linux-32-bit-support/

Google's latest lineup of Pixel 11 phones is here, and Amazon has a free gift card offer on every single one. Source: https://www.zdnet.com/article/google-pixel-11-amazon-deals/

Did a prototype Microsoft gamepad fall off the back of a truck? We can't say, but a Redditor has legit-looking photos of a prototype Xbox controller that's almost certainly the Xbox Elite Series 3. Incredibly, they claim they bought the pad for $200 on OfferUp. In May, a Brazilian regulator's leaked images revealed that Xbox Elite 3 would have new two new scroll wheels on the bottom edge, a second wireless mode to connect directly to Xbox Cloud Gaming servers, and a new "Pair Button" that can also switch between those servers and your console. Where might that pair button live? Today, we have a possible answer: it might sit right next to t … Read the full story at The Verge. Source: https://www.theverge.com/games/978374/xbox-elite-3-prototype-pad-leaks-with-tiny-built-in-screen

After a former lead writer claimed Saber "replaced me with ChatGPT," CEO Matthew Karch now claims, "Neither Saber nor Unigine have replaced any writers with AI," for the Rideshare "Stimulator" game announced last month, developed by Unigine. The writer, Stella Sacco, says differently, however, posting on Bluesky that "I was lead writer on this one! And Saber replaced me with ChatGPT midway through development. All the passenger voices were AI too. Either they changed direction at some point or they're not disclosing it on Steam." Saber describes Rideshare "Stimulator" as an "immersive driving simulation game that puts you behind the wheel … Read the full story at The Verge. Source: https://www.theverge.com/games/978558/rideshare-stimulator-writer-ai-saber-interactive

That’s a lot of people chatting with their AI friends all day. | Image: Google For the 14th time, a Google product has hit 1 billion users. Google CEO Sundar Pichai posted on X that a billion people are using Gemini every month, and that Gemini is Google's fastest-growing product ever. A billion users is a huge milestone, but Google isn't the first AI app to hit it. OpenAI's ChatGPT hit the mark a few weeks ago, though the company buried the announcement that "more than 1 billion people are putting ChatGPT to work" in an otherwise anodyne blog post about how people use AI. External data suggested ChatGPT crossed 1 billion users as early as this June, but OpenAI hadn't announced anything until that post on August 6th. … Read the full story at The Verge. Source: https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/978113/chatgpt-gemini-1-billion-users

It looks like we'll be getting a successor to the Sonos Ace headphones sometime this fall, which was hinted at by CEO Tom Conrad during a third quarter earnings call. As reported by What Hi-Fi?, an FCC filing by Sonos, Inc reveals details about upcoming wireless headphones with the model number S52A. In addition to the S52A designation, one of the submitted documents shows an oval diagram - likely the ear cup - marked with the name Sonos Ace Ultra, although that name isn't listed anywhere else. It follows the naming scheme Sonos has used in the past with its Arc and Arc Ultra soundbars. The documents also list color options we'll likely see … Read the full story at The Verge. Source: https://www.theverge.com/tech/978355/sonos-headphones-fcc-filing

Meta has launched a Threads app for Meta Quest VR headsets, the company announced on Tuesday. The launch follows Meta bringing the app to its Ray-Ban Display AR glasses last month and the recent news that the platform has crossed 500 million monthly active users. It seems like a pretty full-featured app. Meta says that with the Threads VR app, you can do things like browse feeds, make posts, like and reply to posts, visit profiles, search, and watch videos - you know, Threads stuff. "We designed the new Threads app for Meta Quest to make using VR more social than ever," Meta says. "Whether you want to keep up with conversations during a ga … Read the full story at The Verge. Source: https://www.theverge.com/tech/978181/meta-threads-quest-vr-app

The new feature lets you send money to your children without them needing a card or separate account. Source: https://www.zdnet.com/article/i-tried-google-wallets-new-allowance-feature/

Brick can curb your screen time, and it's on sale for a limited time. Source: https://www.zdnet.com/article/brick-back-to-school-deal/

As outages become more expensive and frequent, recovery readiness is emerging as the true measure of resilience. Source: https://www.zdnet.com/article/why-recovery-readiness-has-become-the-new-standard-for-cyber-resilience/

I used Claude Cowork to automate a workflow, and the result was remarkably effective, but it exposed four drawbacks. Source: https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-i-use-claude-cowork-record-a-skill-for-automated-research/

The Ecovacs Deebot X12 OmniCyclone is not just a mouthful; it's a market leader in features and intelligence. Source: https://www.zdnet.com/article/deebot-x12-omnicyclone-review-ecovacs-robot-vacuum/

Google is set to announce its Pixel 11 series phones - here's what we know. Source: https://www.zdnet.com/article/what-to-expect-rumors-made-by-google-2026/

The Marshall Stanmore IV is a more expensive home speaker, but there's so much to like that $430 sounds like a good value. Source: https://www.zdnet.com/article/marshall-stanmore-iv-review/