Tech Boys

More than six months after TikTok was briefly banned, we still don't know exactly what its fate in the US will be. But we do have new insight into the legal wrangling that has allowed Apple, Google and other platforms to continue to support the app. If you remember, TikTok was only "banned" for a matter of hours shortly before President Donald Trump took office in January and delayed enforcement of the law. The app's service was promptly restored January 19, 2025, but the app didn't return to Apple and Google's app stores until February 13. Reporting at the time suggested the companies had lingering concerns about potential liability for running afoul of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. Back in February, Axios and others reported that the Justice Department had given "assurances" to tech platforms that they wouldn't be penalized for violating the law. Now, we know exactly what Attorney General Pam...

In a major shakeup, The Last of Us co-creator Neil Druckmann has stepped away from the series and will not be involved in the upcoming third season. Druckmann, who co-created The Last of Us alongside showrunner Craig Mazin and wrote and directed several episodes, announced his departure in a post on Naughty Dog's official Instagram account. The news was first reported by The Ankler . SEE ALSO: When is 'The Last of Us' Season 3 coming? "I've made the difficult decision to step away from my creative involvement in The Last of Us on HBO," Druckmann's statement reads. "With work completed on Season 2 and before any meaningful work starts on Season 3, now is the right time for me to transition my complete focus to Naughty Dog and its future projects, including writing and directing our exciting next game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet , along with my responsibilities as Studio Head and Head of Creative." Druckmann went on to praise hi...

Nothing isn't just a phone and earbuds company anymore. On the same day that the UK-based tech startup debuted its Phone (3) flagship handset, Nothing also showed off its first pair of over-ear headphones. Nothing Headphone (1) brings a similar sort of iconoclastic design language from Nothing's other products to the realm of over-ear cans. They've got big, blocky, rectangular frames around the ear cups and a number of physical buttons and controls on the headphones themselves for every function you could imagine. Nothing Headphone (1) launches on July 15, just like Phone (3), and will cost a fairly hefty $299.99. SEE ALSO: Nothing Phone (3) announced. See specs, price, preorder details These headphones support what Nothing is calling "AI-adaptive active noise cancelation" with 40MM drivers and support for spatial audio. The hardware was made in partnership with KEF , a first for Nothing. One thing that might make Headphone (1) appealing to some users is...

In what was probably an inevitable conclusion, X has announced that it will allow AI to author Community Notes. With a pilot program beginning today, the social network is releasing developer tools to create AI Note Writers. These tools will be limited to penning replies in a test mode and will need approval before their notes can be released into the wild. The first AI Note Writers will be accepted later this month, which is when the AI-composed notes will start appearing to users. "Not only does this have the potential to accelerate the speed and scale of Community Notes, rating feedback from the community can help develop AI agents that deliver increasingly accurate, less biased, and broadly helpful information — a powerful feedback loop," the post announcing this feature said. Sounds great. Assuming it works . The AI Note Writers will be assessed by "an open-source, automated note evaluator" that assesses whether the composition is on-topic and whether it ...

The landscape of YouTube drama channels has evolved over the platform's 20 years, but they still rely on one tried and true marketing gambit: clickbait. And generative AI tools are bringing it back in big, and alarming, ways. Dozens of channels, for example, have been tallying up views and profit using AI-generated thumbnails and fake quotes purported to be from the Sean "Diddy" Combs trial, many of which use celebrity likenesses and graphic language to entice viewers to watch. First reported by the Indicator and later co-published by the Guardian , around 900 videos across 26 channels have generated nearly 70 million views over the past 12 months, even as Big Tech claims to crack down on deepfakes and misinformation. SEE ALSO: Caring for ourselves amid the Diddy trial and collective trauma exposure Most of the channels sharing so-called "Diddy slop" rely not only on AI thumbnails, but also AI-generated narration, in an attempt to misleadingly connect...

The US Department of Justice's antitrust lawsuit against Apple will progress. US District Judge Julien Neals of New Jersey denied the tech company's motion to dismiss the lawsuit brought over its "walled garden" approach to smartphone software. "We believe this lawsuit is wrong on the facts and the law, and we will continue to vigorously fight it in court," a spokesperson from Apple said. The DOJ and several states filed the lawsuit against Apple in March 2024. Their argument was that Apple had created a monopoly over app software. The suit claimed that Apple's restrictions and fees placed on developers, as well as its limits on third-party devices and services, were in violation of antitrust laws. Apple quickly responded with a rebuttal of all the claims made in the lawsuit. The company filed for a dismissal of the case in August. Judge Neals' ruling in the US comes as Apple has also been facing down charges of anti-competitive behavior in th...

Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle . As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer. If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you. SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: Hints and answers for June 30 Where did Wordle come from? Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble , music identification game Heardle , and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once .  Word...

Dave the Diver just marked its two-year anniversary, and the team behind it has a bunch of updates to share about its future. While it's mostly good news, there is one little hiccup: the upcoming In the Jungle DLC , which was announced a few months ago and was expected to arrive later this year, now isn't likely to launch until 2026. But everything else announced in the 11-minute anniversary video should make up for it. That includes the return of the time-limited free Godzilla DLC , which is now back on all platforms until at least the end of 2026. If you missed out on it the first time, here's your chance. Mintrocket Studio Head Jaeho Hwang also said the team is extending the availability of the recent DLC, Ichiban's Holiday , which will remain available through next year as well. After hearing feedback from fans about the pricing, that pack will get "regular discounts" to make it cheaper.  The game just landed on the Epic Games Store and according ...