Spotify's 2024 Wrapped results arrived this week, and while the whole package seems a bit thin compared to previous years, we're still getting a kick out of seeing our listening habits laid bare. Apple Music also dropped its annual Replay, and Tidal's 2024 Rewind has landed, so non-Spotify users have...
Google Wallet can now hold your US passport
Now you’ve got one less thing you have to fish for in your pocket or purse at the airport. Starting today, Google Wallet can carry a digital copy of your US passport and use them at Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) checkpoints. If you want to add your passport to Google’s...
SpaceX completes Starlink’s first direct-to-cell constellation
SpaceX completed its first Starlink direct-to-cell satellite constellation this week. On Wednesday, the company launched 20 satellites aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, 13 of which can communicate directly with cell phones without extra equipment. The completed constellation follows the FCC’s approval of a deal between SpaceX and T-Mobile last week....
The next iPhone SE’s new modem reportedly won’t be as capable as Qualcomm’s
It seems increasingly likely that Apple’s fourth-generation iPhone SE will feature the first 5G modem the company has built in-house. A new report from Bloomberg both confirms earlier reporting from 9to5Mac and clarifies that Apple’s first modem won’t be quite as capable as the chips the company is trying to...
Get trapped on a pirate ship or in Dracula’s castle in Escape Simulator 2
The first Escape Simulator solved the biggest problem with VR puzzle games. Once you’ve solved everything, the game’s over. Unless you can erase specific memories a la Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind style, there’s zero replayability. Pine Studio’s Escape Simulator added a custom builder mode where the community could...
If you’re really bored, X’s Grok AI chatbot is now free to use
Is your weekend a bit bare-bones? Here’s something that could entertain you for a minute or two. The chatbot Grok-2 is now free for everyone to fool around with on X. We knew this was coming and, well, now it’s here. Grok it up baby. There are some limitations for...
Meta AI has ‘nearly’ 600 million monthly users
Meta’s aggressive push to make its AI assistant a ubiquitous presence in its apps continues to pay off. Meta AI is on the verge of passing its next major milestone, with “nearly” 600 million monthly users, Mark Zuckerberg shared in an update. Meta AI, which debuted last fall, passed 500...
TikTok inches closer to a US ban after judges shoot down appeal
Three judges shot down ByteDance’s petition to overturn a law that could ban TikTok in the US. On Friday, The New York Times reported that the judges upheld the new law, which requires the company to sell the app to a non-Chinese company by January 19 or face a ban....
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown is the first turn-based game in the franchise’s long history
There’s a new TMNT game in town, and it’s unlike anything the franchise has attempted before. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown, as the name suggests, is a turn-based strategy RPG. This means that players will control characters on a grid-based map, with each turn representing movement or an action...
Crypto evangelist David Sacks will serve as Trump’s AI and cryptocurrency advisor
Donald Trump has picked a crypto bull to advise him on AI and cryptocurrency policy. On Thursday evening, the president-elect took to Truth Social to share that he was appointing former PayPal COO David Sacks to serve as his “White House A.I. & Crypto Czar.” Trump said Sacks would also...