Tech Boys

It's been nearly a year since DJI sued the Department of Defense over its designation as a "Chinese military company." On Friday, a judge ruled against the drone maker. US District Judge Paul Friedman said the DoD presented enough evidence that DJI contributes to the Chinese military. "Indeed, DJI acknowledges that its technology can and is used in military conflict but asserts that its policies prohibit such use," Friedman wrote in his opinion . "Whether or not DJI's policies prohibit military use is irrelevant. That does not change the fact that DJI's technology has both substantial theoretical and actual military application." DJI challenged the designation in October 2024. It told the court it is "neither owned nor controlled by the Chinese military." The company claimed in its filing that it suffered "ongoing financial and reputational harm" as a result of the inclusion. The designation can prevent companies from a...

Matriculating college students are beginning their higher education journeys with an AI-assisted bump — or so tech companies want you to think. According to a 2024 global survey of students by the Digital Education Council, more than half used AI tools on a weekly basis. The most common was ChatGPT , as well as tools like Grammarly and Microsoft CoPilot. Educators report students leaning on chatbots to complete assignments, streamline research, and even write college admissions essays . But nearly the same percentage of students reported that they didn't feel equipped with the skills necessary to use and understand AI. A vast majority said they were discouraged by their university's integration of the modern tech. A recent Gallup poll of students around the country revealed nearly half were unsure of their school's stance on AI. As universities contend with the potential consequences of generative AI use , students themselves are feeling the pressure, and even excite...

Dating in 2025 isn't easy, according to daters that Mashable spoke to earlier this year. Dating app exhaustion is realer than ever, and while people want to branch out and meet in person, they're finding it difficult.  With modern life as busy as it is, and community scattered as it is, online dating isn't going anywhere. That's not a bad thing, as dating apps are a legitimate way to find a partner, and not just a short-term one. Nearly 44 percent of adults say they use dating apps to find a long-term partner rather than just casual dating or hookups , according to the Pew Research Center. One in 10 partnered adults met their current partner through a dating app, and for younger adults and LGBTQ people, that number rises.  SEE ALSO: Feeling thrifty: 10 free dating apps to try in 2025 You can find someone on dating apps, even if you long for a spontaneous meet cute . Are dating apps worth it? Even using the "right" app for you may still bring moment...

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order finalizing some of the terms of a deal to bring TikTok's US business under American control. The new TikTok entity will be owned by a group of US-based investors, while ByteDance will maintain a smaller stake in the new company and keep the app's algorithm. TikTok has faced more than a year of uncertainty about its future in the United States since former President Joe Biden signed a law last year requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban. In January, the Supreme Court upheld the law and TikTok briefly went dark just as Trump took office. Trump promptly signed an executive order extending the ban deadline for the app. (He signed off on a fourth extension last week.) Today's order declares that the plan to split off a US entity from the ByteDance-owned company will meet the requirements of the ban order. The executive order comes after a flurry of interest in TikTok from US companies and investors. Microsoft...

ChatGPT Pro users have a new way to feed their data to the machine. OpenAI's flagship product got a new feature this week called ChatGPT Pulse, as outlined in a company blog post . Pulse is available as a preview now for ChatGPT Pro users on mobile only. ChatGPT Pulse takes your chat history and, if you feel up to it, your Gmail and Google Calendar data and synthesizes it all into a daily set of personalized updates for your perusal. If you have a trip to London, it'll offer tips for fun things to do there, according to an example screenshot in the blog post. SEE ALSO: Colleges are giving students ChatGPT. Is it safe? An example of what Pulse can do. Credit: OpenAI According to OpenAI, this is meant to be a quick hub you glance at in the morning, not necessarily something you check throughout the day. That said, it seems like you can turn any of its recommendations into chat topics, if you want. It should also be noted that connecting Gmail and Calendar to Pulse ...

The Pokémon Company International is not pleased that President Donald Trump's Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is using its intellectual property to promote the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) raids. “We are aware of a recent video posted by the Department of Homeland Security that includes imagery and language associated with our brand," said a statement from the Pokémon Company International provided to Mashable. "Our company was not involved in the creation or distribution of this content, and permission was not granted for the use of our intellectual property.” On Tuesday, the DHS posted a 1-minute video across their social media accounts on platforms like X and Facebook set to the theme song for the Pokémon TV show.  This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. The DHS video includes clips from various ICE raids, where individuals alleged to be undocumented immigrants are being searched and arrested b...

Do you want a wireless keyboard that only needs the power of nature and your own initiative to stay running for a long time? Logitech might have the answer. This week, the company announced the launch of a repairable, solar-powered keyboard, the Logitech Signature Slim Solar+ K980. The Swiss computer peripheral company's new wireless keyboard is available now, and it sports a couple of very interesting features. It features a solar cell that the company claims can last up to a decade. Second, it's meant to be repairable, per The Verge . Logitech told The Verge that it's encased in a plastic casing that should be easy for users to work around, and spare parts for repairs are being sold by iFixit , a website that partners with a lot of tech companies to sell replacement parts for all sorts of devices. Credit: Logitech SEE ALSO: The Apple Magic Keyboard is on sale for $50 off right now at Amazon Even cooler is that the keyboard will apparently work with artificial...

Following the announcement of its first smart glasses with a built-in display , Meta is opening several temporary retail locations where you'll be able to demo the Meta Ray-Ban Display, their Meta Neural Band controller and the rest of the company's Reality Labs products. These new "Meta Lab" locations will offer another way to see the company's new $799 smart glasses, which currently aren't available for purchase without an in-person demo and fitting. For the rollout of the Meta Ray-Ban Display, Meta Lab locations will be available to visit in Las Vegas starting on October 16, Los Angeles starting on October 24 and New York starting on November 13. Meta also says interested Bay Area customers will  be able to demo and purchase the new smart glasses at the company's existing Meta Store location in Burlingame, which has been rebranded as a "Meta Lab." While the appeal of having the face-mounted camera and speakers of the Ray-Ban Meta smart gl...

Disney+ is increasing its prices for several of its bundles and standalone plans, with price changes going into effect Oct. 21. The announcement comes at a tumultuous time for Disney, which faced criticism for its Sept. 17 suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! over Kimmel's comments about far-right commentator Charlie Kirk's killer. The backlash led users to cancel their Disney+ and Hulu accounts in order to boycott Disney. On Sept. 22, Disney announced that Kimmel would return to air Sept. 23 . SEE ALSO: How to cancel your Disney+ subscription on your desktop or your phone Disney+'s price hikes have become a yearly tradition, with the streaming service increasing prices in Dec. of 2022, and Oct. of 2023 and 2024. How much will Disney+ cost going forward? Let's break it down. How much will Disney+ standalone plans cost after price increases? Both of Disney+'s standalone plans will be getting more expensive come Oct. 21. The ad-supported Disney+ plan will inc...

Wow, it’s thin . And light . And it feels very nice in your hand. I’ve been showing Apple 's new iPhone Air to people for the last couple of days, and that, without fail, is the reaction that I get. This tells me that I may have been wrong about the iPhone Air. When it was first announced , I wasn’t sure that the world needed a very thin iPhone. And I was sure that a super-thin iPhone would surely take a hit when it comes to battery life. And when I saw that it only had a single rear camera — the horror! "This thing will surely be a dud," I thought. But the iPhone Air isn’t just thin. Think about it this way: This is the first iPhone that was designed, first and foremost, to be as cool, beautiful, and, yes, sexy as possible. I’ve only had the iPhone Air in my hands for a few days, not enough time to fully assess its camera or battery life. My full review of the iPhone Air is coming in a week or two. For now, let’s talk first impressions. The iPhone Air is the pret...