Top headlines from Engadget, the internet's original tech blog.

Udio's upcoming subscription service will use the label's catalog for AI-generated songs and remixes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-At some point in the last couple days, Grok began to offer extremely over the top opinions about Musk. The bot claimed that Musk is the "undisputed pinnacle of holistic fitness" and that he is more fitter than LeBron James, smarter than Albert Einstein, better fighter than Mike Tyson, morally superior to Jesus, and a better communist than Joseph Stalin. -FoloToy, a company selling AI-enabled toys, suspended sales of its products after a consumer safety report showed there were few restrictions around what its toys would talk about. -After what was apparently a successful testing period, OpenAI has announced that it is rolling out group chats in ChatGPT to "all logged-in users on ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus and Pro plans globally over the coming days." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matthew Prince, the company's CEO, explained the problem that took major websites offline. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-Spotify has unveiled an upcoming interactive feature called SongDNA designed to show you the samples, collaborators and covers included in a given track, the company announced. As part of that update, Spotify also revealed that it has acquired WhoSampled, the company behind the SongDNA technology. -Google is rolling out an update to Maps that brings some new tools to the table, including the ability to check on EV charger availability. The app already showed the location of EV chargers, but not if they were available or not. In other words, it was entirely possible to roll up to a charging station only to find a line of EVs waiting for juice. -European policymakers have proposed sweeping changes to the way the EU regulates the tech industry. In just the last few months, the likes of Meta and Google have questioned strict EU policies relating to privacy and AI expansion, but if the European Commission's new package of proposals are passed, a number of big tech roadblocks will be removed. Or at least lifted up a bit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's also available to developers and enterprise customers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-users of the social network to participate in public conversations about popular trends. By its own admission, Snapchat has previously focused on private conversations, but says the growth of its TikTok-like Spotlight feature made it clear that people want to comment publicly about topics they're interested in. -"It's AI on standby." said Read AI CEO David Shim explaining that the company's vision is to give people a tool that can record, transcribe and analyze nearly every professional conversation they have, no matter where those discussions take place and whether they occur online or in-person. -When Meta announced last year that it was ditching third-party fact checkers in favor of an X-style Community Notes system, the company was careful to note that it would only implement the changes within the United States to start. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WeatherNext 2 can generate information around eight times faster than the previous version. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-If you're experiencing internet issues this morning, you're far from alone. Infrastructure company Cloudflare has been hit with what it calls "widespread 500 errors, with Dashboard and API also failing." The company said that services are starting to recover, but customers may continue to see "higher-than-normal errors rates" as it continues to work on the problem. As of 8:13 am, the company said that "the issue has been identified and a fix is being implemented." The company added that "we have made changes that have allowed Cloudflare Access and WARP to recover. Error levels for Access and WARP users have returned to pre-incident rates." -Tesla has secured a ruling to strip a 2017 lawsuit claiming a racist work environment of its class-action status, as reported by Reuters. The lawsuit could not proceed with class-action status because the plaintiffs' attorneys had failed to find 200 class members willing to testify. -Google's DeepMind just released WeatherNext 2, a new version of its AI weather prediction model. The company promises that it "delivers more efficient, more accurate and higher-resolution global weather predictions." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The investment will be made over the next two years and introduce three new data centers across Texas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-Jeff Bezos is spearheading a new AI start-up called Project Prometheus, focused on his current interests in space and engineering. The New York Times reported that the company, which has yet to be made public, will reportedly have $6.2 billion in funding. Part of that sum will come from Bezos, who will act as co-CEO. -Rivian's electric mobility spinoff named Also announced a $3,500 starting price for its first e-bike called the TM-B. The startup unveiled the shapeshifting e-bike last month, with options for a limited Launch edition, a Performance version or a base model. -The wait for a new Mac Pro may take a lot longer, according to the latest Power On newsletter. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that the Mac Pro has an uncertain future within Apple's desktop strategy and isn't likely to see a refresh in 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plus, Tesla is reportedly testing Apple CarPlay in its vehicles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney+ might soon play host to user-generated short-form AI videos. Iger said, “the other thing that we're really excited about, that AI is going to give us the ability to do, is to provide users of Disney+ with a much more engaged experience, including the ability for them to create user-generated content and to consume user generated content — mostly short-form — from others.” -Verizon had a marked drop in postpaid wireless customers, losing 7,000 customers in that segment compared with a gain of 18,000 in Q3 2024. CEO Dan Schulman said, "we are going to take bold and fiscally responsible action to redefine Verizon's trajectory at this critical inflection point for our company. These will not be incremental changes." -Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket launch marks the first time the space startup has been able to catch a New Glenn booster for later reuse. The maiden flight of the rocket in January was successful in the sense that it got New Glenn into space, but Blue Origin wasn't able to save the booster from a watery grave. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The wireless headset has been rumored for years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-DoorDash is bringing its robot delivery service to Miami, following an initial rollout in Los Angeles and Chicago earlier this year with over 600 participating merchants. The company continues to work with Coco Robotics as part of its push towards a "multi-modal system" that allows it to make human, robot and drone deliveries at scale. -Google has announced a trio of new AI-powered shopping features. The tech company is rolling out more conversational search capabilities for shopping in AI Mode, so that buyers can make more specific and descriptive queries to find exactly what they're looking for. -In August, Google announced that it will implement a new safety feature that would require developers to verify their identities if they want Android users to be able to sideload their apps. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apple is reportedly looking to expand its iPhone's satellite capabilities beyond emergency assistance and texting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-Coda Music used the recent backlash around Spotify co-founder Daniel Ek as a way to differentiate itself from the number one streamer, calling out Ek's controversial funding of defense technology firm Helsing earlier in the year. Coda Music announced a new feature that feels designed to answer another of the recent Spotify controversies: AI slop music flooding the platform. In response, Coda Music is launching AI identification tools with the purpose of finding and labeling songs that weren't composed by actual humans. -WhatsApp is following in the footsteps of fellow Meta-owned companies, Instagram and Facebook. Bloomberg reported that the European Commission will give WhatsApp's open channels the designation of Very Large Online Platform (VLOP) under the Digital Services Act. -Threads is rolling out some new features for sharing podcasts and podcast episodes. Creators have the option to add the link to their show to their bio page; after that, their posts with show and episode links will appear with an audio preview. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"I feel like we're competing with what Instagram should have and could have become, but did not," Patreon CEO Jack Conte said. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-Broadcom and a company called CAMB.AI are teaming up to bring on-device audio translation to a chipset. This would allow devices that use the SoC to complete translation, dubbing and audio description tasks without having to dip into the cloud. -Next year will see the end arrive for two of Facebook's external social plugins. The platform's Like button and Share button for third-party websites will be discontinued on February 10, 2026. -Ford may be on the verge of sunsetting the F-150 Lightning truck. The model is an electric pick-up truck, and the best-selling one in the US, but the publication cited Ford execs who said the company would consider halting production completely on the F-150 Lightning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apple is reportedly looking to expand its iPhone's satellite capabilities beyond emergency assistance and texting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-LGBTQ+ rights and acceptance have taken another hit in China, with Apple removing two of the countries biggest LGBTQ+ dating apps. Wired reports that Blued and Finka are no longer available on the iOS App Store or certain Android App Stores following orders from the Cyberspace Administration of China, the country's internet regulator and censor. Apple told Wired that it must "follow the laws in the countries where we operate." -The government of Denmark said on Friday that lawmakers from its political right, left and center have reached an agreement to ban social media for anyone under 15. -Ahead of its 21st anniversary, World of Warcraft is dealing with some controversy around its latest update. Developer Blizzard has confirmed that WoW is introducing a new "Hearthsteel" housing-related virtual currency with its upcoming Midnight expansion, and users are worried that it could become a microtransaction trap on a game that already costs $15 a month to play. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The company estimated that scams could account for 10 percent of its 2024 revenue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-Rockstar Games has announced that Grand Theft Auto VI has been delayed once again to November 19, 2026. The open world game was previously delayed from its 2025 launch window to a May 2026 release earlier this year. -SpaceX is acquiring more spectrum licenses from EchoStar in exchange for about $2.6 billion worth of shares in Elon Musk's aerospace company. The transaction is an expansion of the $17 billion deal struck between the companies in September. -Amazon just introduced an AI tool that will automatically translate books into other languages. The appropriately-named Kindle Translate is being advertised as a resource for authors that self publish on the platform. The company says the tool can translate entire books between English and Spanish and German to English. Amazon promises that more languages are coming down the pike. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Meta was slapped with a cease-an-desist letter warning it off comparing its content restrictions to the movie-ratings system. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-Heineken is teaming with a battery and electric company on a new solution at its Lisbon, Portugal brewery. They're building a 100MWh grid- and solar-powered heat battery that will generate the steam while reducing carbon emissions. -Next year is seemingly going to be the year that Netflix gets aggressive with podcasting. We already knew that the streamer will start licensing video podcasts from Spotify Studios and The Ringer in the new year. -Sony AI released a dataset that tests the fairness and bias of AI models. It's called the Fair Human-Centric Image Benchmark. The company describes it as the "first publicly available, globally diverse, consent-based human image dataset for evaluating bias across a wide variety of computer vision tasks." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Call notifications, full messages, voice message support and other features are included in the app, which is available today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-Putting AI in space may sound like a sci-fi nightmare, but Google is thinking about the idea with a research endeavor called Project Suncatcher. The idea is to put power-hungry data centers into orbit on solar-powered satellites, so they can be powered by unlimited, clean energy available 24 hours a day. -Since being placed on a Department of Commerce entity list in 2020 over national security fears, China's DJI has faced the threat of a US ban on its hyper-popular drones. -Stability AI has partially succeeded in defending itself against accusations of copyright infringement. As reported by The Guardian, Stability AI prevailed in a high-profile UK High Court case, following Getty first suing the company in 2023 for allegedly using its copyright images to train its Stable Diffusion AI art tool without permission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

San Diego, Detroit and Las Vegas are next for the Google subsidiary's driverless taxis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-On Monday, Amazon announced a new multi-year, $38 billion cloud partnership with OpenAI. Amazon expects to deploy all the capacity OpenAI has agreed to buy by the end of 2026, with the option to purchase additional capacity in 2027 and beyond. Amazon says the partnership “will help millions of users continue to get value from ChatGPT.” -Google has pulled the AI model Gemma from its Studio platform after a Republican senator said it "fabricated serious criminal allegations" against her, as reported by The Verge. Senator Marsha Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee, sent a letter to CEO Sundar Pichai to accuse the company of defamation after the model allegedly created a story about her committing sexual assault. -TikTok just announced that it will be hosting its first-ever awards show in the US. The appropriately-named TikTok Awards will take place on December 18, starting at 9PM ET. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

SpaceX could build up to 600 satellites that will be used for a high-tech aerial defense system. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-Elon Musk has told Joe Rogan that he hopes to unveil a flying car "before the end of the year." As Gizmodo has reported, Rogan asked Musk about the long-delayed second-gen Tesla Roadster in his show, when the Tesla CEO suddenly started talking about wanting the vehicle to fly. -The Republican-led FCC has voted on and approved a proposal that would make it harder for consumers to receive itemized bills with accurate information from their ISPs, as originally spotted by CNET. This proposal revises previous "unnecessary" requirements on the grounds that a fact-based list of charges "may confuse customers." -After teasing its dual-screen gaming handheld last month, Anbernic has already put its RG DS up for preorder on its website. When the Anbernic RG DS was revealed for the first time, the handheld maker only hinted at a price range of less than $100. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Pinterest Assistant can make recommendations based on the items you've saved and the boards you've made. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-A number of US government agencies are backing a potential move by the Commerce Department to ban TP-Link routers, according to The Washington Post. Multiple sources familiar with internal deliberations spoke with the publication on the condition of anonymity, including a former senior Defense Department official. -Donald Trump and China's leader, Xi Jinping, have agreed to a one-year pause on the punitive Trump-instated tariffs that are at the heart of the ongoing trade war between the two superpowers. -Immersive productivity for Windows 11 is now available on the Meta Quest 3 and 3S with the latest release of Meta's Horizon OS. The feature, called Mixed Reality Link, was available on a limited basis after public previews began last year. The Windows virtual desktop experience is now rolling out to all users. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It starred an AI-generated, crypto-hawking Jensen Huang. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-As part of an AI-focused reorganization, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan told employees that it will offer voluntary buyouts, according to an internal company memo. At the same time, he emphasized that there would be no specific role eliminations as part of the new structure. -It looks like Meta's Vibes feed is just the start of the company's pivot toward AI slop. In an earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that "we're going to add yet another huge corpus of content" to Meta's recommendation system, via AI's ability to create and remix content — so you're likely to see even more AI generated posts on Facebook and Instagram. -Proton, the company behind Proton VPN and other encrypted apps like Proton Mail and Proton Drive, just launched a new web page called the Data Breach Observatory that aims to make accurate cybercrime data more widely accessible. The Observatory is intended to be a continually updated report that records any data leak detected on the dark web, with information sourced from the underground data marketplaces themselves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's also introducing new AI tools for Illustrator, Premiere Pro and Lightroom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-When OpenAI launched its TikTok-like Sora app, a key feature was "Cameo" that allows people to add any likeness to videos they generate. Now the maker of Cameo, an app that allows you to buy short videos from celebrities, has filed a lawsuit accusing OpenAI of violating its trademark by using the same name. -Google has been forced to reassure its users that it has not suffered a large-scale data breach that could affect their Gmail accounts. A few months ago the company released an unusual statement intended to put to bed allegations that its email service had been hit with a serious security issue. And it did so again this week, after numerous news outlets published stories suggesting that 183 million passwords may have been compromised in a new breach. -It's been nearly three years since Withings first showed off U-Scan to a bemused world, and now it's finally on sale. U-Scan is the company's at-home urinalysis gizmo which sits in your toilet bowl and tests your first splash of the day. The device runs a tiny sample through a microfluidic to test, depending on what cartridge you use, either your nutritional or kidney health. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the next iPad Pro to come with a new M6 chip and a vapor chamber for better cooling performance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-Some Tesla vehicles with FSD engaged are said to have run red lights and driven against the flow of traffic. Tesla initially offered a Mad Max mode in 2018, before FSD was available. The company revived Mad Max this month and it didn't take long before there were reports of Tesla vehicles that were using the mode rolling stop signs and driving above speed limits. -Google's long-awaited AI health coach is nearly upon us, as a preview version is launching tomorrow for some Fitbit Premium users in the US. This will only be for Android devices at first, but the company promises an iOS version is in the works. -It's no secret that YouTube has been taking every step it can to make Shorts compete with TikTok and Instagram Reels. Now, YouTube creators will be able to access Premiere mobile in Shorts by clicking on "Edit in Adobe Premiere." It will include Adobe's editing tools, generative sound effects and, of course, a range of AI features powered by Firefly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Noetix Robotic's Bumi is an affordable, lightweight robot that's designed for consumer use. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-The US Customs and Border Protection submitted a new measure that allows it to photograph any non-US citizen who enters or exits the country for facial recognition purposes. According to a filing with the government's Federal Register, CBP and the Department of Homeland Security are looking to crack down on threats of terrorism, fraudulent use of travel documents and anyone who overstays their authorized stay. -Google is rolling out a new feature for Gemini's Canvas, the free interactive workspace inside the AI chatbot's app, meant for students and employees who need to create presentations. Gemini is now capable of generating slides with just a prompt, though users can also upload files like documents, spreadsheets and research papers if they want a presentation based on a specific source. -The Commodore 64 is back in black, sort of. Retro Games and Plaion Replai released a limited edition redesign of the best-selling computer, called THEC64 - Black Edition. The latest blacked-out version is now available on Amazon or Retro Games' website for $119.99. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A watchdog group says millions of tons of discarded US electronics is being shipped overseas every month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-When fully stretched out on a sunny day, Nissan's solar panel system can add about 1,864 miles of driving distance a year and power multiple accessories. The panel works whether you're driving or parked. -The Competition Appeal Tribunal ruled that the iPhone maker abused its dominant market position to inflate developer fees. The tribunal found that the company has "near absolute market power" for iOS app distribution and in-app payments. The decision declared that Apple has been "abusing its dominant position by charging excessive and unfair prices." -Strava's big attack on Garmin didn't last long. On Tuesday, the former filed paperwork to dismiss its patent infringement lawsuit against the latter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The vehicle company says it'll be able to suss out maintenance concerns and offer route suggestions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-Amazon has revealed that it's currently working on smart glasses designed for delivery drivers, confirming previous reports about the project. The company said that glasses use AI-powered sensing capabilities and computer vision to detect what their cameras are seeing. Drivers then get guidance through the glasses' heads-up display embedded right into the lens. -YouTube is adding a timer to Shorts to help curb all of that incessant doomscrolling, according to a report by TechCrunch. This feature is rolling out to all users after being spotted in an Android APK file earlier this year. Here's how it works. Users set a daily time limit for Shorts via the app's settings. Once reached, they'll see a pop-up reminding them to take a break. This pop-up is easily dismissed with a tap, but it's the thought that counts. -The Spotify app has been freezing and crashing on some Android devices, according to multiple users and a report by 9to5Google. This is happening only when a phone or tablet is connected to Wi-Fi, so keep on listening to Spotify while out and about. Users first took note of the problem around two weeks ago, taking to Spotify forums to address their concerns. Many folks say that the app becomes essentially unusable on Wi-Fi due to the constant crashes and freezing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The company reportedly believes it could avoid more than half a million future hires. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Users can skip the command-line tools and start vibe coding faster. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The hardware giant marked a major milestone by manufacturing one of its next-gen AI chip parts in TSMC's Arizona facility. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's like Cortana resurrected. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-The difference in emissions between plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and gas cars is merely 19 percent and not 75 percent as lab tests show, according to a report by a group of European transport and environment NGOs. -OpenAI has paused video generations of Martin Luther King Jr. on Sora at the request of King Inc., the estate that manages his legacy. The company said in an announcement on X that it worked with the estate to address how his "likeness is represented in Sora generations" after people used the app to create disrespectful depictions of the American civil rights leader. -CNN has unveiled its new All Access subscription streaming service that will cost $6.99 per month or $69.99 annually. The new tier will include a "selection" of CNN's live programming along with originals and more — but it doesn't appear to offer a live CNN feed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's due to arrive next year, along with an indoor security camera. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

-Apple has introduced a new M-series chip on updated versions of the iPad Pro, MacBook Pro and for the first time, Apple Vision Pro. The new M5 chip shares plenty of similarities with the M4 chip Apple introduced in 2024, but the biggest seems to be a focus on improving graphics and AI performance. -Google has released a new update to its Veo AI video generation model that should make it do a better job of sticking to prompts and converting images into videos. - Meta has started rolling out group chats for the app, which lets you add up to 50 of your followers to a single conversation. Just start a new message and add anybody who follows you on Threads. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices