Tech news picked on 2026-10-16
Stretchy silicone magnetic pouch for the back of your phone, fits more cards and belongings
- This product is a stretchy silicone pouch that attaches to the back of a phone that supports magnets. The original text says it is similar to a magnetic wallet that holds a few cards, but because it stretches, it can hold more items.
- The use cases suggested on the website by the maker, Ninja Labs, include credit cards, debit cards, membership cards, ID cards, car keys, wireless earbuds, lip balm, gum, loose change, and bills. The original text does not include results from measuring actual storage capacity.
- The price is 58. The colors are a clear silicone version in 1 types, solid pink, blue, lavender, and black in 4 types, and a rainbow glitter finish.
- The reporter expects the silicone surface to grip well, so items should not slip out if the pouch is not overfilled. This is the reporter's expectation and not something confirmed by hands-on use.
Luxury authenticity chip expands to jewelry, trophies and perfume bottles
- A small chip placed inside a product lets a phone verify authenticity when tapped, and consumers can show proof of ownership in a dedicated app. The company said the chip was designed to fit inside products without damaging them.
- Founder Lucy Holland argued that it is better than easily copied QR codes or fixed NFC links. The chip reportedly creates a security response on every scan and has wire that detects tampering. This is the company's claim, and the source does not report any independent verification.
- The second-version chip works on metal surfaces and can be scanned through glass. The company said this chip is ready for production and can be used on jewelry, trophies, hard-surface products and glass items such as perfume bottles.
- The company raised pre-seed funding of $1.75 million and launched a consumer iOS app and a portal where brands manage product records. According to the source, brands can use these to offer benefits such as clubs, event check-ins and early access to new products.
- The Verge, citing a Nieman Lab report, said Meta's new commercial terms appear to give it permission to automatically crawl 'linked' websites of business accounts that promote content on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger.
- The terms say collected content may be used for product development, improvement, research, and AI training, and will take effect starting October 30.
- Nieman Lab interpreted that although Meta has AI licensing deals with CNN, Fox News, USA Today, and People Inc., the new terms would let it use a broader range of press content for training without such deals.
- Businesses that do not agree to the terms may lose access to Meta products for business purposes. At the time of the report, Meta had not immediately responded to The Verge's request for comment.
Amazon devices chief Panos Panay admits failure but explains how to keep the vision
- Panos Panay, senior vice president in charge of Amazon devices, Alexa, and Leo, told founders on the TechCrunch Disrupt stage that failure is unavoidable and essential in building good products.
- He cited the failure of the Surface RT launch during his more than 19 years at Microsoft. According to the source, this failure led to a write-down of about $1 billion (a downward adjustment of asset book value).
- Panay stressed that people should examine the decisions that piled up before the failure, rather than the failure moment itself. The examples in the source are unfinished software, inventory judgment errors, and balance problems in distribution strategy.
- He said to admit failure without making excuses, keep the vision, and adjust direction by only about 30 degrees rather than changing it greatly. This is his personal view, and the source does not provide evidence that this approach has produced results.
- Interho Biosystems develops intestinal organoids (small lab-grown tissue models modeled on human intestinal tissue) of 1mm in size. The source says it is a Denver-based startup spun out of the University of Michigan.
- The source explains that these intestinal organoids can be used to examine how drugs or compounds may affect the human body before testing in people.
- The source says its main product, GastroScreen, is sold to pharmaceutical, biotech, food, and chemical companies and used in drug and compound testing.
- It won the TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 Startup Battlefield finals among five teams and received a prize of $100,000. The runner-up was Apate, an Australian startup whose AI agents respond to scam calls and messages to lure scammers.
- Benchmark partners acknowledged at the TechCrunch Disrupt event that the long-standing practice of venture capital not investing in two directly competing companies is wavering because of the AI boom.
- According to the source, AI coding agent company Factory fired a board observer after saying that person discussed a move with Cognition, a direct competitor (maker of the Devin coding agent). This is the claim of Factory's CEO. The person has already resigned and denied sharing confidential information.
- Benchmark's Eric Vishria said that because companies are changing quickly, conflicts between investment firms are unavoidable in the current climate. Peter Fenton stressed that when conflicts arise, they should not come out as surprises after the fact, and that transparency is the principle.
- The source does not say that Benchmark has officially abandoned this practice. The report summarizes remarks made by individual partners at the event, and no official company policy document has been confirmed.
Sega halts sales of Total War: Shogun 2 remaster after bugs and complaints
- According to the source, Sega is halting sales of the 'Complete Edition' remaster of the 2011 strategy game 'Total War: Shogun 2'. The edition bundles the base game with all DLC and was promised improved graphics, UI scaling for 1440p and 4K resolutions, and updated controls.
- After launch, complaints followed about bugs and upscaled art that users believe was made with AI. The game received an 'Overwhelmingly Negative' rating on Steam, and sales have already been halted.
- Sega and developer Creative Assembly admitted in a joint statement that the current state falls short of expectations and their own standards. They said they would make the original game available again, and existing buyers can keep accessing the Complete Edition.
- The Steam page also lists Mataboo as a developer studio. Sega said it is working with development partners to find and fix the causes of the problems. The causes and fix schedule are not confirmed in the source.
ChatGPT Chrome extension can now read open tabs to compare them or fill out forms
- After installing the ChatGPT Chrome extension, ChatGPT can pull content from tabs open in Chrome and use it in its answers. It is called by tagging Chrome from the web app or the desktop app.
- Examples OpenAI published include comparing sofa products across three open tabs, organizing prices, key features, and source links for each vendor into a comparison table, and filling out an open form but stopping just before submission.
- Opening ChatGPT in the sidebar lets you use your full chat history without leaving the page you are currently viewing. According to the source, ChatGPT Work can control tabs to send messages, fill out forms, and download files, and it can group or organize open tabs.
- The source only compares this feature to Google Gemini's automated browsing feature and does not include any independent verification of its actual accuracy or performance.
- According to the original article, Meta's new commercial terms take effect on 30 October 2026. Businesses and media outlets that keep using Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp business accounts are deemed to agree that Meta may collect websites linked to those accounts with web scrapers.
- The original article reports that three legal experts reviewed the terms and found that this clause could be read as a basis for using news site content to train Meta AI. It adds that whether a court would accept this is uncertain.
- Until the terms take effect, business accounts have no option to decline them. The article says the only guidance for those who do not agree is to stop using Meta products for business.
- Meta replied that this content gathers provisions previously scattered across several terms and that the crawling method does not change. It also said content access can be managed with a robots.txt file. This is Meta's claim.
Steam adds grouping of game achievements into multiple sets
- Steam developers can now split the achievements of the base game and DLC (additional content) into several groups. Each group has its own progress bar.
- According to the original article, how you play stays the same. Achievements unlock as you play normally, and when you view the achievement list, Steam shows them grouped by the sets the developer created.
- When you complete all the achievements in a group, a 'Set Complete' trophy appears on your profile. Developers can archive time-limited groups, such as seasonal or year-end events.
- The Steam achievements page will show an overall progress summary, progress for each group, and details for individual achievements together. Valve said it will first be available in the latest Steam client beta, and the supported game count mentioned in the original is 17.
Calorie-tracking app Cal AI recruits many influencers to build word of mouth
- Cal AI is an app that uses AI to log food calories. Founder Zach Yadegari described the company's growth on the TechCrunch Disrupt stage.
- According to the founder, the company increased its posts by paying influencers amounts based on their reach. He said a certain number of viewers per post led to sign-ups.
- According to the original report, Cal AI was founded in 2024 and generated more than $30 million in revenue over 2 years before MyFitnessPal acquired it in March. The acquisition price was not disclosed.
- The founder said that choosing influencers with narrow, tight-knit communities was important. This is the founder's claim, and the original article has no independent verification.
- Tesla showed its Roadster generation 2 turning in the air with small thrusters and then landing on the ground. The maneuver is difficult for ordinary cars, so it became the core of the demonstration.
- According to the source, 10 thrusters are connected to 600 liters of compressed air to lift and rotate the car. Engineering vice president Lars Moravy said the compressed air tank can be refilled.
- There are three trims: Performance, Thrust, and Rocket. Reservation amounts are Performance $50,000 and Thrust $250,000, while Rocket was only described as invitation-only. The source reports Tesla's claim that all three trims will have a range of 300 miles and a speed of 230 miles or more.
- The source says that after Musk first mentioned the thruster option in 2018, the launch was delayed several times, to the years 2020, 2021, 2023, and 2024. The launch price has not been disclosed, and the launch timing is presented as 2028.
Share of Internet routes passing RPKI validation rose from 54% to 70% over 1 years
- RPKI is a system in which the holder of an IP address block states, through signed records (ROAs), which networks may announce that address, and networks check routes against these records to filter out mismatched ones. According to IPinfo's aggregation, the share of routes passing validation rose from 54.0% September 2025 to 70.3% September 2026.
- Among IPv4 addresses in China, the share of validated routes rose from 3.7% to 83.0%, accounting for a large part of the increase. Excluding China, the source states a rise from 58.0% to 63.2% over the same period.
- Invalid routes that failed validation were seen on average at only 2 locations per BGP peer across the RIPE RIS and RouteViews collectors. Validated routes were seen at 596 locations and routes without ROA records at 595 locations. This is the result of IPinfo measuring 1,614,288 routes on September 28, 2026.
- The source says IPinfo's aggregation found that 138,698 of 855,217 validated routes, 16.2%, still left room for attack because ROA permitted ranges are wider than actual announcements. This interpretation is IPinfo's analysis.
Google Workspace improves moving mail and files from Microsoft 365 and editing Office files directly
- Google's post covers improvements to the data import tools used when moving from Microsoft 365 to Google Workspace. Moving mail, calendars, files, and Teams conversations is the core of the update.
- According to Google, mail and calendar imports are up to 5 times faster than before, at no extra cost. The post does not state the conditions under which this speed figure was measured.
- File imports from Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive, and Teams are now generally available. The post says Outlook rules, calendar permissions, and shared mailboxes move to comparable features such as Gmail filters and Google Groups.
- Office editing mode in Gmail is set to become generally available this quarter. The post explains that users can edit an attached Word file directly in Docs and then automatically attach the revised version to a reply draft.
BlackBerry Work app adds on-device email summaries and draft rewriting
- Starting with 3.20, you can turn on a feature that rewrites email draft sentences, adjusts tone and length, and briefly summarizes email threads. It is only available on devices that support Apple Intelligence or Google Gemini Nano.
- The source states that data for this feature is processed by an on-device AI model. Admins can change the default summary instruction to fit organizational needs and can restore the default at any time.
- Starting with 3.19, users can create multiple signatures and choose a default signature. If an admin sets a default signature and does not allow users to add their own signatures, the admin signature is fixed as the default and cannot be changed.
- Starting with 3.20, the category colors of calendar events created in Microsoft Outlook are shown in event details and in day, week, and agenda views. They do not apply to shared calendars or delegated calendars, and changing categories within the BlackBerry Work app is not supported.
Bluesky plans payment features for buying, selling and tipping within its network within months
- Bluesky said it plans to introduce payment features within a few months that let users buy and sell goods within the network, or tip posts they like with money. It was described as the first step of a revenue model that does not rely on advertising.
- CEO Toni Schneider and COO Rose Wang announced the plan on stage at the TechCrunch Disrupt event. This is a company announcement, and the original does not mention fees, pricing structure, or payout methods.
- Schneider said people are already selling goods and raising donations on the network. The direction is to create a way to financially support what people like, and to make it work not only on Bluesky but also in other apps.
- The company opposed the view that advertising inevitably ruins social networks, and argued that because Bluesky is a public benefit corporation (PBC), its company mission is central to its business strategy. This is management's claim and has not been confirmed as a result of actual operations.
- Withings says the feature that automatically moves health records from Withings smartwatches and smart scales to other apps such as Apple Health or Google Health is tied to the paid Withings Plus subscription.
- According to the source, new Withings accounts created after 2026 October 13 need a monthly 9.95 or yearly 99.50 subscription for this feature. A one-month free trial tied to the device allows sync; when the trial ends, sync stops, but data already saved in the app is not deleted.
- Existing accounts created before 2026 October 12 can keep using free sync. This comes from an official comment left on the forum by a Withings support team member, and a media outlet reported it after checking the forum post.
- The feature is tied to the account, not the device, so the source explains that existing accounts can keep syncing without a subscription when a new watch or scale is registered to them.
A personal log of running videos, photos, and passwords on one home mini PC
- The author says they installed and run Jellyfin, a video streaming program, Immich, a photo backup program that replaces Google Photos, and Vaultwarden, a password manager, on a single mini PC at home.
- The author says they do not open the home server directly to the internet. Only the VPN server is reachable from outside through IPv6, and because public Wi-Fi rarely offers IPv6, the VPN often does not work there.
- The hardware is a Beelink S12 Pro mini PC (Intel N100, memory 16GB, SSD 512GB). The author bought it last year for 180, and the same product is currently listed on Amazon for 359.
Amazon devices head Panos Panay expects AI devices to handle tasks on their own instead of apps
- Panos Panay, Amazon's senior vice president in charge of Alexa and devices, said on the TechCrunch Disrupt stage that users will rely less on finding apps and giving commands one by one. This is the speaker's personal outlook.
- The ambient devices he describes work quietly nearby and use sensors and AI to figure out what needs to be done first. They are the opposite of the approach where users give a command every time.
- Amazon's new Bee device was introduced as a wrist band or a removable necklace style band, and as a credit card sized device that attaches magnetically to the back of a smartphone. The source says the device listens to conversations and organizes tasks, reminders, and notes.
- According to the source, Bee processes raw audio in real time and then deletes it without saving it. Conversation records are encrypted with a key that the device creates and manages, and according to the company's description, no one, including Amazon employees, can open them unless the user shares them. The source did not independently verify this.
Bluesky's AI tool Attie can now make small games and apps to share on social
- Bluesky's AI tool Attie launched earlier this year as a way to build your own feed with AI. It has now been expanded so you can describe a small social app, such as a game, poll, or dashboard, in text and share it as your own website.
- According to the original author's own test, a simple poll app was generated within a few minutes after entering a prompt. Public examples included a game imitating Flappy Bird, a drum machine, a quiz, and a click-based game where you raise a celery character.
- Each app gets its own link on the attie.site domain, and the creator's name appears at the bottom of the page.
- Bluesky CEO Tony Schneider described Attie in a TechCrunch Disrupt interview as social vibe coding for communities. This is the company's own description.
- The original author rated the apps they tried as light experiments at the level of novelty, and said they liked the drum machine.
Meta releases Muse Spark Open, an open-weight AI model it said can run on a Mac
- Meta released Muse Spark Open, an open-weight AI model whose internal weights are public. Meta claims it is the 'most capable' open-weight model in the United States.
- The model size is 816 billion parameters, and the amount of input it can process at once is 1 million tokens. The claim that it outperforms other popular open-weight models is based on evaluation results published by Meta.
- It was reported to be designed to run locally on Apple computers. However, reports citing Engadget say local use requires at least 1 terabytes of RAM, and the Mac Studio with the M5 Ultra chip was mentioned as the best-suited device.
- Meta cited examples of using its AI coding terminal Muse Code, including bug fixes and feature additions to a Mastodon client, and said it reviewed and trimmed video in the DaVinci Resolve video editing program. All of these examples are Meta's own claims.
Volvo expands Nvidia self-driving partnership and plans to bring it beyond electric vehicles
- Volvo said it will expand its partnership of about 10 years with Nvidia to put self-driving systems that can drive on city roads and highways into future vehicles.
- The technology has three parts: Nvidia's sensor and computing architecture Hyperion, the driving software Alpamayo, and the safety evaluation layer Halos. Volvo will combine its own vehicle safety systems and engineering with these.
- Ali Kani, head of Nvidia's automotive business, claimed that the structure, which runs machine learning software and conventional software at the same time, is highly safe. This is Nvidia's explanation, and the original article contains no independent verification results.
- The contract value and the first vehicle model to use the technology were not disclosed. Volvo's Alwin Bakkenes said the first vehicle with the new technology will come out within 10 years.
Meta and Apple Work Together to Help the Muse Spark Open AI Model Run Better on Mac
- Meta has released a new AI model, Muse Spark Open. Meta explained that the model can run directly on a desktop computer by linking two high-performance Mac Studio units.
- Meta claims this model is the most capable open-weight model released in the United States. Open weights are a method of publishing a model's trained results so anyone can download and use them. The performance evaluation is Meta's claim.
- Meta said the model is a multimodal model with a total of 816 billion parameters. Multimodal means it handles several kinds of input, such as text and images, together. Apple also published a technical article covering MLX and three open models, including this one.
- MLX is an array computing framework for running machine learning tasks on Apple silicon. The two companies are usually competitors, but The Verge reported that they publicly supported each other for this launch. Pricing, licensing, and how the model will be offered to general users are not stated in the original article.
Meta releases Muse Spark Open, a model that can run on two Mac Studios on a personal desktop
- Meta's Muse Spark Open is an AI model for coding and multi-step tasks. It is distributed so that users can download the trained model weight files and run them directly.
- According to Meta, connecting two Apple M5 Ultra Mac Studios lets users run this model on a personal desktop. The company claims the two machines together act like a device with about 1TB unified memory.
- The model weights can be obtained from Hugging Face, Amazon SageMaker AI, Google Cloud Model Garden, and Microsoft Foundry Models. They can also be used through APIs from hosting services such as Together AI, Groq, and OpenRouter. The license is the Muse Model License, which limits commercial use conditions.
- Meta said it tested using Muse Code on-device to modify the iOS code of Ice Cubes, an open-source Mastodon app, and to review and trim video frame by frame in the video editing program DaVinci Resolve.