Technology news summaries — Page 9
Essential facts and source links for recent technology stories.
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Wrensilva adds White Oak option to Studio console at $9,900
Wrensilva has added a White Oak finish to its Studio all-in-one record console, previously available only in Natural Walnut. The White Oak model starts at $9,900 and offers vinyl, Bluetooth and auxiliary playback; integrating it with a home Sonos system costs an extra $900. -
Marathon’s December Symbiosis update will add PvE and team deathmatch
Bungie says Marathon’s December Symbiosis update will add team deathmatch and a permanently available PvE mode for players to test builds and skills without attacks from other players; details of the PvE mode are still being finalized. -
Control Resonant launches on PS5 with melee-focused combat
Remedy Entertainment’s Control Resonant, a direct sequel to 2019’s Control, is now on the PlayStation Store for PS5. The Standard Edition costs $59.99 and Digital Deluxe $69.99; Dylan Faden is the new protagonist in a shift toward melee combat. -
Shopify signs Meta deal for Muse checkout as Amazon blocks the agent
Shopify will let Meta’s Muse AI agent complete purchases at eligible stores, with Shop Pay as a checkout option; Amazon has blocked Muse and other shopping tools, and asked Meta to remove Amazon from Muse. Shopify shares rose more than 5% on Sept. 22. -
Motley Fool favors Innodata over BigBear.ai for 2026
In 2025, Innodata’s revenue rose 48% to nearly $252 million and it earned about $32 million; BigBear.ai’s revenue fell about 19% to nearly $128 million and it lost roughly $294 million. The Motley Fool favors Innodata for 2026 despite risks at both. -
CrowdStrike brings Falcon to Snowflake Marketplace in new partnership
CrowdStrike and Snowflake announced an Aug. 31 partnership to offer Falcon through the Snowflake Marketplace. Joint enterprise customers can use pre-committed Snowflake capacity for Falcon subscriptions, with tools linking Snowflake data and security telemetry across platforms. -
Google expands Demand Gen with YouTube AI, one-tap ads and Maps extensions
Google is rolling out Demand Gen updates this week: YouTube viewers can ask AI-powered questions about products shown in videos, one-tap image ads are coming to Shorts and Gmail, and businesses can promote locations through affiliate extensions in Google Maps. -
Motorola confirms Signature 27 flagship is coming to North America
Motorola is bringing its Signature 27 flagship to North America, unlike the previous model. Executive Nicole Hagen cited feedback from customers, media and analysts, and U.S.-registered Signature phones bought abroad. No launch date or other specs are public. -
Google, OpenAI and Anthropic reportedly target 2026–27 launch for AI standards body
Google, OpenAI and Anthropic reportedly plan an industry-led AI standards body, tentatively named SAFA, for launch by late 2026 or early 2027. It would set frontier-AI safety standards and, under current plans, operate independently of government. -
FEVM pairs Ryzen 9 9950X3D and RTX 5090 Laptop GPU in 2.6L PC
FEVM unveiled its 2.6-liter FA80G mini PC, pairing a 16-core Ryzen 9 9950X3D desktop CPU with Nvidia’s 24GB RTX 5090 Laptop GPU. The CPU can receive up to 90W and the GPU up to 150W; the bare-bones flagship is priced at ¥22,299 (about $3,300) before memory and storage. -
Mosseri outlines Instagram ranking signals and advice for creators
In a video series, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri explained that the feed ranks posts by predicting how users may respond, with recency also important, and advised creators seeking reach to focus on engagement rates rather than total views or likes. -
Walmart plans fall rollout of Papa Johns pizza ordering
Walmart announced a partnership that will let customers order Papa Johns pizza through its digital ecosystem and combine restaurant meals with grocery and household purchases. Rollout starts in select markets this fall, with nationwide expansion planned. -
U.S. Army awards AeroVironment $464.8 million laser contract
The U.S. Army awarded AeroVironment a $464.8 million contract for its Enduring High Energy Laser (E-HEL) program, part of the company’s LOCUST line. AeroVironment will provide continued training and system support for defenses against small- to medium-sized drones. -
Apple reportedly develops prototypes for a screenless health band
Bloomberg reports Apple is developing prototypes of a screenless wristband that could track activity, sleep, daily readiness and “health age.” Apple has explored the category for several months; if it moves ahead, the device likely won’t debut before 2028. -
Google plans Oct. 1 launch to test AI computing in orbit
Google plans an Oct. 1 launch of an experimental satellite carrying its TPUs and solar panels to test simple AI queries in orbit—the first concrete step by a major tech company toward orbital data centers. The satellite is expected to operate for a year. -
Motley Fool names five chip stocks for a five-year AI investment
The Motley Fool names Nvidia, Broadcom, SK Hynix, TSMC and ASML as semiconductor stocks to buy and hold for five years, citing AI growth. Nvidia reported revenue growth of 106% to $96.2 billion in fiscal 2027 Q2 and said it could have been higher without capacity constraints. -
Greg Abel points to AI data centers as a significant opportunity for Berkshire Energy
Greg Abel said AI data centers are a significant opportunity for Berkshire Hathaway Energy, but BHE would not sell power to hyperscalers if doing so raised rates for other customers. BHE reported $891 million in Q2 2026 operating income, up 27% year over year. -
McDonald’s lays out roughly $8.5 billion in franchisee aid and drive-thru AI plans
McDonald’s announced roughly $8.5 billion in franchisee support on Sept. 23, 2026, including about $5 billion through 2030 and the remainder through 2036; its NEXT program plans to expand ArchIQ AI for drive-thru orders. -
Oracle seeks to defer New Mexico data center rent amid possible power delays
Oracle invoked force majeure over possible delays in securing power at New Mexico’s Project Jupiter data center. Bloomberg said Oracle seeks to delay rent if the site misses its 2028 opening; a Reuters source said Oracle cannot terminate the lease. -
HomePod Software 27 leak hints at Siri AI, with support still unconfirmed
Researcher pdfu’s Sept. 23 post says leaked HomePod Software 27 contains code for Siri AI, including new status lights and audio cues. The feature remains inactive on current HomePods, and Apple has not confirmed support or compatible hardware. -
A roughly 47-minute video documents Apple's 2010 iPhone 4 Antennagate Q&A
A roughly 47-minute video of the Q&A at Apple's July 16, 2010, iPhone 4 press conference has surfaced on YouTube, more than 16 years later. It shows Steve Jobs, Tim Cook and Bob Mansfield answering reporters; the upload's source is unknown. -
Google schedules Oct. 1 satellite launch to test AI chips in space
Google has scheduled an Oct. 1 launch of a prototype satellite aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base to test whether its AI chips can operate in space; the experimental payload is not a full data center. -
A Missouri student's ChatGPT chat became evidence in a 17-vehicle vandalism case
Ryan Schaefer, a Missouri State University student, pleaded guilty to felony property damage in a case involving 17 vehicles. Police found his ChatGPT chat in a phone search he consented to; he received five years’ probation and 200 hours of community service. -
Meta casts Muse AI agent as future centerpiece and outlines privacy plans
At Meta Connect, Mark Zuckerberg made Muse central to Meta’s future. The AI agent has risen to the top of Apple’s App Store and Google Play Store, and Zuckerberg said millions use it. Meta plans to take a small cut of transactions made through Muse. -
Enterprise AI’s value may hinge on context and execution, not model choice
A Forbes analysis argues that as capable AI models become widely available, companies can gain more by grounding them in strategy, operations and past results—and using that context to turn decisions into coordinated action, review and organizational learning. -
Failed Face ID checks can restart some iPhone 18 Pro models; fix due next week
Apple says an update coming early next week will address a bug affecting some iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max models. A failed Face ID check during app authentication can make affected phones briefly freeze and restart; Apple has not named the update or given an exact release date. -
Qualcomm renews Apple patent pact as CFO lays out three-part growth plan
Qualcomm renewed its global patent-license agreement with Apple, effective April 1, 2027; the companies did not disclose its terms or duration. CFO Akash Palkhiwala says Qualcomm aims to build roughly equal data center, smartphone and auto/IoT businesses within two years.
