The new Muse Spark Open AI model can work on M5 Ultra Mac Studios. | Photo: Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Meta announced the Muse Spark Open AI model today, claiming that it's the "most capable US open-weight model to date." But the company also says that it's the "the first model in its class" that can "run on your desktop using two Apple M5 Ultra Mac Studios with the latest MLX framework."
Meta and Apple, typically rivals, worked together on the launch and are publicly supporting each other.
"Muse Spark Open - weights releasing today - runs great on new Mac Studios thanks to work with @johnternus and Apple," Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on X.
"Congrats to the team!" new Apple CEO John Ternus said in a reply. "Amazing to run a model of Muse …
This render with a transparent background is the closest we’ll ever come to touching one of these things. | Image: Sony
Sony has announced a trio of new Walkman portable media players that start at an already absurd $1,899.99 for the NW-ZX900 and climb all the way up to $5,899 for the gold-plated NW-WM1ZM3. Sandwiched in between is the $2,999.99 Walkman NW-WM1AM3, which is nearly identical to the WM1ZM3, just minus the gaudy gold shell.
All three devices are aimed squarely at the audiophile market, if the price tag didn't make that clear. All three feature Sony's DSD (Direct Stream Digital) Remastering Engine, which upsamples standard PCM audio to an 11.2MHz DSD stream, which it claims delivers a more analog-like sound. They also all feature gold-plating on …
Volvo plans to launch hands-free, point-to-point driving by 2030, powered by Nvidia's latest AI technology. The Chinese-owned, Swedish-designed automaker said Thursday it would use Nvidia's autonomous driving stack to power a new partially automated driving system similar to Tesla's Full Self-Driving (Supervised).
Volvo says the new point-to-point system will be Level 2++, meaning it can handle complex urban environments, including traffic lights, stop signs, and unprotected left turns without explicit driver control. In addition to Tesla's FSD, it will also resemble the Nvidia-powered system that Mercedes-Benz recently rolled out for the …
The Alienware AW3426DW is discounted to $742.22 at Amazon, just over $50 off its usual price of $799.99. It’s not quite the lowest price we’ve seen on this well-equipped gaming monitor, but still a decent discount. The 34-inch screen just came out a couple months ago, and is equipped with Penta Tandem quantum dots for bolder colors than you’ll find on other QD-OLED panel. And of course, it provides the deep blacks and high contrast expected of the display tech.
This ultrawide (21:9) QHD OLED gaming monitor has a 280Hz refresh rate, a fast response time, and a slick design. It’s tough to get more OLED for your money than with this model when it’s discounted.
Alienware supports both Nvidia G-Sync and FreeSync Premium Pro adaptive refresh rate tech, so PC gamers with modern GPUs can enjoy a smooth frame rate when their systems can’t output a frame rate that matches its native 280Hz refresh rate. The 1800R curve adds an immersive element to the setup, and it has two HDMI 2.1 ports, as well as DisplayPort, and USB-A and USB-C for charging and connecting peripherals.
Other deals to consider
You can take 25 percent off the price of eligible Belkin Screen Skinzcustom screen protectors when you use code Screenskinz25 at checkout. These unique screen protectors come in both clear and privacy versions that keep onlookers for seeing your screen. They have a hidden design that show up only when the phone’s display is off, or when viewed from the side with the privacy versions. There are options for custom designs or collaborations with sports teams and brands.
The Baseus Bowie MC2 Open Ear earbuds are only $45.99 at Amazon when you use code HNDCWYO8 at checkout, a nice discount from their usual price of $79.99. These lightweight clip-on style earbuds last over 11 hours on a single charge, and are IP67 water and dust resistant, making them a great choice for working out or walking the dog.
Best Buy has the 2025 edition of the Corsair RM850e on sale for just $72.99, just over half its usual price of $144.99. This fully modular desktop power supply is 80 PLUS Gold rated for excellent efficiency, with full ATX 3.1 support and a dedicated 12V-2×6 connector for single cable operation on newer GPUs.
Google is updating its AI search results to make inline links appear "higher up in responses more frequently," according to a blog post. The company's search results from AI Overviews and AI Mode give you answers in a customized view instead of the traditional list of links, but there are concerns that the format reduces traffic to publishers. Google says it's been making "continued and substantial increases to the presence of inline links in our AI experiences," and this new change will help ensure "ensure key sources are easily clickable right when you need them."
The company is announcing several other changes to highlight links an …
If you missed out on Prime Day’s headphones deals, you’re in luck. Sony’s latest flagship headphones are selling for even less than they did during Amazon’s big fall sale. As part of B&H Photo’s Deals of the Day, you can currently pick up Sony’s WH-1000XM6 noise-canceling headphones in silver for just $328 at checkout ($130 off) for the rest of the day. That’s one of the best prices we’ve seen, and much cheaper than what you’ll typically pay at major retailers like Amazon and Best Buy, even during seasonal sales.
The WH-1000XM6 are Sony’s best over-ear headphones yet, thanks in part to a new chip, which Sony says delivers the most powerful active noise cancellation in the series. Unsurprisingly, they also deliver the best sound of any WH-1000XM-series headphones to date, with new drivers that produce clearer vocals and richer bass. They’re great for work and life outside the office, too, thanks to improved call quality and multipoint Bluetooth, which lets you stay connected to two devices at once.
If you travel or commute frequently, you might appreciate that Sony brought back the foldable design of the XM4, making the headphones easier to pack. Their wider headband also helps with comfort during long listening sessions, and the earcups can be easily removed for cleaning or to be replaced when needed. Battery life remains solid at up to 30 hours with ANC enabled, and as an added convenience, you can now charge them while listening — provided you use a 3.5mm audio cable alongside a USB-C charging cable.
There's a growing trend in the consumer tech world: gadgets designed to spy on everything and everyone around you, regardless of whether or not anyone else actually consented to it. Now, with the advent of "AI personal assistants" like Meta's Muse, you're being cheerfully asked not just to give up your own data, but also the information of your friends, family, the person you went on a Hinge date with five years ago - and virtually anyone else you've ever come in contact with.
Since Muse was released last month, the agent has already been downloaded millions of times and hit No. 1 on Apple's App Store. With the help of its creepy virtual av …
E Ink announced the next generation of its Kaleido color e-paper screen technology today, delivering several welcome improvements. The company's existing Kaleido 3 displays can be found in e-readers and tablets from companies like Kobo, PocketBook, and Boox, while Amazon's Kindle Colorsoft uses a customized version to improve performance. The new Kaleido 4 technology addresses some of Kaleido 3's shortcomings with improved color reproduction, better contrast, and faster screen refreshes.
Other E Ink technologies, like its Gallery 3 display found in the Remarkable Paper Pro, use colored pigments that move around to form full-color images, bu …
An Nvidia RTX Spark chip aboard an Asus laptop motherboard. | Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge
Fourteen years ago this month, Microsoft released an Nvidia-powered Windows PC that would become one of the greatest tech flops in modern history. The original Microsoft Surface, which ran a stripped-down version of Windows on an Nvidia Tegra chip, bombed so hard that Microsoft had to write off $900 million in inventory.
The problem was that Nvidia's Arm chip couldn't run existing Windows apps. Buyers had to leave their legacy programs behind.
This Friday, October 16th, Nvidia will once again be at the heart of Arm-powered Windows PCs with the first wave of RTX Spark laptops. But now, the company says, they'll run everything. Adobe. Offic …
We knew that a number of big tech firms were helping to fund the construction of Trump's ballroom, but we didn't know just how much they were giving to the cause. Now the Washington Post published a list of all the major donors to the White House ballroom project, along with how much each contributed. In total, Silicon Valley and the crypto industry have reportedly delivered over $150 million for the effort.
Some of that money has come from individuals, some from charitable organizations tied to major firms or industry players, and some directly from the companies themselves. In Google's case, the $22 million was part of a controversial se …
Following the launch of its $50 subscription-free security camera last month, Shelly announced another new accessory for smart home automation today that can keep track of multiple people as they move through rooms or large spaces without recording them. The Shelly Presence Gen4 sensor uses mmWave radar technology instead of a camera to detect the presence, motions, and activities of people and pets. It's available starting today for $84.99 through Shelly's online store and is expected to hit other retailers like Amazon and Best Buy soon.
The Presence Gen4 can be perched on a shelf or a table using its built-in stand or permanently mounted …
Link your image libraries together into one easy browsing gallery. | Image: Microsoft
Microsoft has redesigned its Photos app for Windows 11, overhauling the editor and image viewer, and combining photos and videos from your PC, OneDrive, and iCloud into a single space. The new combined gallery experience aims to make it easier to manage and view your photos without jumping between apps or devices, while also improving app launch and scrolling performance in Photos.
To combine your galleries in the Windows 11 Photos app, you'll need to turn on Camera Backup in the OneDrive mobile app on iOS or Android, and follow Apple's guide to set up iCloud for Windows. Once combined in the Windows 11 Photos app, you can browse by date, o …
U.S. Maj. Nidal Hasan is seen in a booking photo after being moved to the Bell County Jail on April 9, 2010 in Belton, Texas. | Getty Images
The execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan will not be livestreamed as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had previously announced.
Donald Trump announced the plan was off in a post on Truth Social:
I think streaming the execution for all to see might have been a strong deterrent for the World to witness how America deals with Terrorists and SCUM like Hasan but, many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die, through streaming, or through any other visual device. He will die, as scheduled, by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed. That said, the execution may be viewed in person by the immediate fami …
Microsoft and Nvidia held a launch party for the first wave of RTX Spark laptops last week in San Francisco, where a new wave of AI PCs took center stage amid a packed crowd and a lively hands-on area. A day after the media event, I was invited to a quieter Nvidia event to hear a lot more about the new RTX Spark computing platform. While Nvidia's new laptops might look like regular Windows machines, the chips inside are Arm-based, instead of the traditional x64 architecture used by AMD and Intel. Combined with a powerful GPU, RTX Spark is designed for the future of AI, and it means a lot of work has gone into getting these laptops ready for …
An Israeli ad tech firm worked with spyware companies to infect devices, including at Al Jazeera, by simply showing users an online ad, according to a joint investigation by security researchers at Citizen Lab and Confiant. It's the first time researchers have found technical evidence of a zero-click attack - a form of hacking that requires no action by users - delivered through targeted advertising, as reported earlier by NBC News.
The ad firm, called Discover-Tech, presents itself as a typical online advertising agency, but researchers say it actually provides a pipeline for hacking groups to plant malicious ads across the web. It operat …
Apple's iPhone Duo foldable phone opens for preorder tomorrow, October 16th, at 8am ET / 5am PT, but you don't have to wait until then to get your order mostly sorted. The company's product page for the phone now lets you select the color you want, along with storage capacity, carrier preference, and whether you want to set up a trade to make the $1,999 foldable a little cheaper.
Once you enter all of the details, all you'll need to do tomorrow morning, once preorders open, is to confirm your order. It'll be sitting in your cart ready for checkout. This will save you some time, and you'll jump ahead of people who are still customizing their …
The Atom couldn’t have launched at a worse time for Ledger. | Image: Ledger
Ledger has announced its latest crypto-centric hardware effort, the Android-based Atom, a device that resembles a phone but is instead designed to be used alongside one. It arrives at a tricky time for Ledger, which has been forced to cease sales of some of its hardware across southeast Asia following hardware tampering in its supply chain, which has reportedly seen over $86 million worth of crypto stolen from across some users' accounts.
While Ledger's previous hardware wallet signers have been compact devices, running custom software and often with E Ink displays, the Atom is the spitting image of a regular Android smartphone. In fact it …
Last year, Amazon bought Bee, a relatively unknown startup with a $50 always-listening AI wearable that summarized every conversation you had. Today, the e-commerce giant is announcing two new Bee devices - and a new subscription to go with them. First is the $74.99 Bee Frontier, an updated version of the original Bee device. And coming soon is the $99.99 Bee Eclipse, a credit-card-shaped gadget that snaps magnetically onto the back of a smartphone.
Both devices are framed as gadgets to help you stay present in the moment. They listen to your daily conversations and then provide summaries, transcripts, insights, and to-dos based on what ha …
There's a new digital pet in town - a cute little marshmallow of a robot that can change its cartoony expressions to match your mood. But if you or your kids talk to "Eiliko" over Wi-Fi, it'll phone home to China. Its AI companion can store literally everything you tell it on Chinese servers, where hackers can easily gain access or even hijack its personality. And the company that made it, Energize Lab, doesn't seem to care.
I bought an Eiliko from Amazon on August 29th. During a 10-minute conversation on August 30th, I asked the little bot: "Do you ever tell anybody else what I'm saying?"
Big Walk's co-op multiplayer walking adventure has proved popular since launching in August, but Xbox players have been excluded from the fun - and now the game's creators have explained why. Developer House House said in a blog post that it decided not to release Big Walk on Xbox consoles in accordance with the Palestinian-led BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement, which has called to boycott Microsoft, including products under the company's gaming division.
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