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Latest story• Dec 18, 2025

Maker Builds Nostalgic Digital Video Camera, Resembles Disposable Fujifilm QuickSnap

YouTube creator Abe has built a digital camera that deliberately produces grainy, low-quality footage reminiscent of early 2000s camcorders, swimming against the tide of smartphone perfection. Using drone components including a small analog camera designed for first-person view flights, Abe's contraption records composite video signals at a modest 640 by 480 resolution onto microSD cards, complete with the color...

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The Ultra-Realistic AI Face Swapping Platform Driving Romance Scams

The Chinese AI app Haotian has generated $3.9 million selling ultra-realistic face-swapping technology that allows scammers to conduct convincing video calls during romance and investment frauds. The platform, which adjusts up to...

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The Displace Hub can make your normal TV wireless

Displace's $1,900 Hub transforms any 55-100 inch TV into a wireless, wall-mounted display using suction mounting and a 15,000mAh battery. The system requires recharging every 5-10 hours of use.

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We Mass-Deployed 15-Year-Old Screen Sharing Technology and It's Actually Better

Helix, an AI platform where users watch autonomous coding agents work in cloud sandboxes, spent three months building a sophisticated 60fps H.264 video streaming pipeline to replace WebRTC, only to discover it failed on...

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If you own a first-gen Starlink router, SpaceX wants to replace it for free

SpaceX is discontinuing software updates for first-generation Starlink routers from 2020, making them obsolete and potentially vulnerable to security risks. To thank loyal customers, the company is offering free upgrades to the...

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Tuitar – A portable guitar training tool and DIY kit

Tuitar is a terminal-based guitar training tool that runs on ESP32 hardware and helps users learn guitar through real-time pitch detection and fretboard tracking. The portable DIY kit offers multiple training modes including...

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YouTube bans two popular channels that created fake AI movie trailers

YouTube banned two popular channels, Screen Culture and KH Studio, for creating fake AI-generated movie trailers that violated the platform's spam and misleading-metadata policies. The channels heavily featured Disney properties...

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The immortality of Microsoft Word

Legal tech companies consistently fail because software engineers fundamentally misunderstand lawyers' workflows, particularly their misguided obsession with replacing Microsoft Word with alternatives like Markdown or proprietary...

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Apple is bringing even more ads to the App Store

Apple will expand App Store search ads beyond the current single top spot starting next year, giving advertisers more placement opportunities since 65% of downloads come from searches.

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AI could spell the final end of Firefox - unless Mozilla does this

Mozilla's new CEO plans to add AI features to Firefox, but core users including Linux enthusiasts and privacy advocates strongly oppose this due to data collection concerns.

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Alexa+ can now answer your Ring doorbell and talk to people

Amazon launched Alexa+ Greetings, allowing the AI assistant to answer Ring doorbells and have conversations with visitors on behalf of homeowners. The feature uses visual recognition to identify visitors by their clothing,...

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China figured out how to sell EVs. Now it has to dispose of old batteries.

China's early electric vehicle batteries are reaching retirement age, creating a massive waste challenge as an estimated 820,000 tons of degraded batteries need disposal this year, rising to 1 million tons by 2030. While major...

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iRobot’s bankruptcy isn’t the end — it’s a reboot, says its CEO

iRobot filed for bankruptcy after its Amazon acquisition collapsed, but Chinese manufacturer Picea Robotics is acquiring the company. Under Picea's partnership, iRobot launched eight new products with upgraded features like lidar...

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Here’s why you may have to wait until 2027 to get an iPhone Fold

Apple's iPhone Fold development is running behind schedule, with analyst Ming-Chi Kuo revealing the device will likely be announced in late 2026 but face production challenges that could delay actual customer deliveries until...

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Google will turn the news into a custom podcast for you - free

Google launched a free AI podcast feature that converts news articles into 15-minute audio discussions between virtual hosts, allowing users to customize topics and sources through the Google News app.

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Snapchat Quick Cut automatically creates music-synced videos in seconds

Snapchat launched Quick Cut, a new feature that automatically creates music-synced videos from users' photos and memories within seconds using AI-powered lens technology. Currently available only on iPhone with Android support...

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Meetup's new mobile app is designed to make it easier to meet people IRL

Meetup redesigned its mobile app with modern features and enhanced safety tools to attract younger users, who now make up 40% of its base. The company will merge its member and organizer apps into one platform next year.

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Instagram wants to limit hashtag spam

Instagram is implementing a five-hashtag limit per post to combat spam after users flooded posts with endless tag lists. Chief Adam Mosseri explained that fewer specific hashtags perform better than lengthy generic ones,...

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How Atlas Obscura plans to embrace the 3D web

Atlas Obscura will launch the Obscura Society in early 2026, a WebXR virtual lounge where users explore unusual destinations together using 3D avatars across desktop, mobile, or VR devices.

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Now there's a robot app store because we all want our bots to kick like Bruce Lee

Your $13,500 humanoid robot can now download Bruce Lee martial arts moves. Unitree has launched what appears to be the world's first robot app store, allowing owners of their G1 humanoid to browse collections like "Funny...

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Wisk Aero completes first flight of Generation 6 autonomous aircraft

Wisk Aero, a Boeing subsidiary, successfully completed the first flight of its Generation 6 autonomous electric aircraft at its California test facility, performing vertical takeoff, hover, and stabilized flight maneuvers. This...

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Google's latest AI tool briefs you on your day like a personal assistant

Google launched CC, a free AI productivity agent that sends personalized daily briefings by analyzing your Gmail inbox and Google Calendar to create morning game plans for tackling upcoming tasks and appointments. Currently...

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The Story Behind Windows 3.1’s ‘Hot Dog Stand’ UI Color Scheme

Windows 3.1's infamous "Hot Dog Stand" color scheme wasn't created as a joke or dare, despite popular myths suggesting otherwise. Virginia Howlett, Microsoft's first interface designer who worked on the system, revealed the...

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Google Maps just got its biggest upgrade in years, and it changes how you navigate (for the better)

Google's Gemini AI assistant has upgraded its local search capabilities to display results in a rich, visual format that includes photos, ratings, review highlights, and maps with location pins, replacing previous text-only...

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