Perplexity submits a new bid for TikTok

Perplexity submits a new bid for TikTok

Perplexity AI has submitted a revised proposal to merge with TikTok, in an arrangement that would give the U.S. government up to 50 percent ownership of the new entity. The Associated Press first reported on the new proposal. A source with knowledge of the bid confirmed to TechCrunch that the AP’s reporting is accurate. The … Read more

Google could soon let you tweak your Pixel’s vibration pattern

Google could soon let you tweak your Pixel’s vibration pattern

What you need to know Google Sounds 3.2 might bring new haptic feedback options to Pixel devices, letting users control how their phone feels. The latest version of the app splits the Ringtone Alert section into “Sounds” and “Vibrations” tabs, with 12 vibration patterns for ringtones and 11 for notifications. Each vibration pattern has different … Read more

Another Undersea Cable Damaged in Baltic Sea. Criminal Sabotage Investigation Launched

Another Undersea Cable Damaged in Baltic Sea. Criminal Sabotage Investigation Launched

“An underwater data cable between Sweden and Latvia was damaged early on Sunday,” reports the Financial Times, “in at least the fourth episode of potential sabotage in the Baltic Sea that has caused concern in Nato about the vulnerability of critical infrastructure…” Criminal investigations have started in Latvia and Sweden, and a ship has been … Read more

Radar Trends to Watch: December 2024 – O’Reilly

Radar Trends to Watch: December 2024 – O’Reilly

It’s the end of the year for Radar! We hope all of our readers enjoy the holidays. Here’s one prediction for 2025: Is this the end of the road for improving LLM performance by scaling either the number of parameters or the training data? No one knows yet. Regardless of the answer, we expect interest … Read more

Microsoft patches Windows to eliminate Secure Boot bypass threat

Microsoft patches Windows to eliminate Secure Boot bypass threat

For the past seven months—and likely longer—an industry-wide standard that protects Windows devices from firmware infections could be bypassed using a simple technique. On Tuesday, Microsoft finally patched the vulnerability. The status of Linux systems is still unclear. Tracked as CVE-2024-7344, the vulnerability made it possible for attackers who had already gained privileged access to … Read more

Apple Still ‘Exploring’ New AirPods With Tiny Cameras

Apple Still ‘Exploring’ New AirPods With Tiny Cameras

Apple continues to explore the idea of releasing camera-equipped AirPods in the future, according to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman. Gurman only briefly mentioned the possibility of AirPods gaining tiny cameras, as part of his Power On newsletter intro this week, focused on Apple’s future wearables ambitions. He did not explain what the cameras would be used … Read more

Private Internet Access VPN review: a low-cost VPN for all your devices

Private Internet Access VPN review: a low-cost VPN for all your devices

Private Internet Access MSRP $11.95 “Private Internet Access (PIA), offers great deals on long subscriptions and reliable operation at good speeds, and while I’m not a fan of tiny windows, it has plenty of features and great 24/7 live chat support.” Pros Quick, reliable server connections Fast, helpful 24/7 live chat support Thousands of servers … Read more

Only Playing Games With a Controller? You’re Missing Out

Only Playing Games With a Controller? You’re Missing Out

Summary Controllers have limitations; flight sticks can enhance games like Mechwarrior & Elite Dangerous. Arcade fight sticks revive retro games. A mouse & keyboard enhance console gaming experience and are overlooked. Racing wheels provide realistic driving mechanics; light guns have a resurgence. The humble game controller is probably the most popular way to play these … Read more

DEEP Robotics Quadruped, Agility Digit, and More

DEEP Robotics Quadruped, Agility Digit, and More

Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your friends at IEEE Spectrum robotics. We also post a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next few months. Please send us your events for inclusion. RoboCup German Open: 12–16 March 2025, NUREMBERG, GERMANY German Robotics Conference: 13–15 March 2025, NUREMBERG, … Read more