Tech Boys

The Google Pixel 9 series is set to launch on Aug. 13 at the Made by Google event, but the question is, how will they differ from the previous generation? I don't know about you, but I want to see Google step it up with a new set of features that will blow competitors away. According to leaks and rumors, however, it appears that the Pixel 9 series series will be playing "catch up" with some of the biggest players on the market. I won't keep you in suspense for long, so here's the scuttlebutt we've been hearing about the Google Pixel 9 and Google Pixel 9 Pro — and even a possible new Pro XL model that may be added to the Pixel family. SEE ALSO: Google Pixel 9 is rumored to steal this iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 feature Quick look at Google Pixel 9 rumors Google is unveiling the Pixel 9 series on Aug. 13 at the Made by Google event, which is unusual because it typically holds its Pixel-related event in October. Instead of the typical two-model series,...

Today, a group of senators introduced the NO FAKES Act , a law that would make it illegal to create digital recreations of a person's voice or likeness without that individual's consent. It's a bipartisan effort from Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), fully titled the Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe Act of 2024. If it passes, the NO FAKES Act would create an option for people to seek damages when their voice, face or body are recreated by AI. Both individuals and companies would be held liable for producing, hosting or sharing unauthorized digital replicas, including ones made by generative AI. We've already seen many instances of celebrities finding their imitations of themselves out in the world. "Taylor Swift'' was used to scam people with a fake Le Creuset cookware giveaway. A voice that sounded a lot like Scarlet Johannson's showed up in a Chat...

The 2024 Paris Olympics saw the gymnastics arena light up with the thrilling women's gymnastics team final. Team USA, led by the phenomenal  Simone Biles , aimed for gold—her floor routine was, without a doubt, a historic moment for Team USA and the Olympics. SEE ALSO: How women’s gymnastics is scored at the Olympics, and how Simone Biles pushes those boundaries NBC assembled an amazing team led by seasoned play-by-play announcer Terry Gannon. Gymnasts Samantha Peszek and Tim Daggett joined Gannon and provided expert analysis. However, who stole the show was the dynamic duo of Olympic gold medalist Laurie Hernandez and Olympian Justin Spring who lent their analytical prowess, ensuring no detail went unnoticed. Hernandez, an Olympic gold medalist from the 2016 Rio Games, was shown some massive love on social media during the team finals. Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Rich Lerner joined them on play-by-play duties, add...

Call Recording, announced at WWDC 2024 , is one of the most highly anticipated iOS 18 features. And now, thanks to the iOS 18.1 developer beta that dropped today, iPhone users can test the new perk. First, follow our guide to install the new iOS 18.1 developer beta . Next, because Call Recording is an Apple Intelligence feature, you'll need an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max to access it. Once you've met these requirements, here's a quick-and-easy guide on how to test the new iOS 18 Call Recording utility (h/t MacRumors ). Call Recording on iOS 18.1: How to use it Keep in mind that there may be bugs and other flaws in the beta version. So make sure that you produce a backup for your iPhone before installing the iOS 18.1 developer beta. Without further ado, let's dive into how to use call recording on the new beta. Start a call via the Phone app. While the call is in progress, tap on the record button on the top-left corner. You will hear the "Thi...

The next time you DM a creator on Instagram, you might get a reply from their AI. Meta is starting to roll out its AI Studio, a set of tools that will allow Instagram creators to make an AI persona that can answer questions and chat with their followers and fans on their behalf. The company first introduced AI Studio at its Connect event last fall but it only recently began to test creator-made AIs with a handful of prominent Instagrammers. Now, Meta is making the tools available to more US-based creators and giving the rest of its users the chance to experiment with specialized AI “characters.” According to Meta, the new creator AIs are meant to address a long-running issue for Instagram users with large followings: it can be nearly impossible for the service’s most popular users to keep up with the flood of messages they receive every day. Now, though, they’ll be able to make an AI that functions as “an extension of themselves,” says Connor Hayes, who is VP of Product for AI Stu...

Stephen Nedoroscik, aka Pommel Horse Guy, proved to be an early Team USA standout in the 2024 Paris Olympics on Monday, delivering a medal-winning performance. However, it wasn't  just  Nedoroscik's stunning performance on the pommel horse for the U.S. men's gymnastics team that had folks talking. Like a cheesy scene from She's All That , parts of the internet couldn't quite believe a dude with glasses — gasp — could also be a world-class gymnast. Nedoroscik also got the requisite Clark Kent comparisons, considering he has dark hair and specs. SEE ALSO: How AI is trying to medal at the Paris Olympics To be clear, Nedoroscik  is  a world-class gymnast. He specializes in the pommel horse event — like, that's all he does — and he absolutely crushed his routine to secure Team USA a bronze medal, the team's first medal since 2008. The team even lifted him in triumph after his performance. Tweet may have been deleted The internet was chock full of memes...

Do U.S. border agents have free rein to search travelers' electronic devices, such as phones, tables, and laptops, without a warrant? According to court filings, that's what they were doing. But there might be an end to that " broad, unconstitutional authority ," as the American Civil Liberties Union has called it. A federal district court in New York sided with civil liberties groups to rule that U.S. border agents must obtain a warrant before searching those devices. "As the court recognizes, warrantless searches of electronic devices at the border are an unjustified intrusion into travelers’ private expressions, personal associations, and journalistic endeavors — activities the First and Fourth Amendments were designed to protect," Scott Wilkens, senior counsel at the Knight First Amendment Institute, said in a press release . "The ruling makes clear that border agents need a warrant before they can access what the Supreme Court has called a '...

Connections is the latest New York Times word game that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle , Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle. If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for July 29's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you. What is Connections ? The NYT 's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common. Tweet may have been...

Simply Elegant Glass has been selling hand-crafted sex toys on Etsy for nearly a decade. In that time, the shop has made over 7,000 sales and racked up more than 1,500 mostly five-star reviews. The Etsy shop — which offers glass dildos, anal plugs and other insertable items — drives the majority of the small business’ overall sales. But as of Monday July 29, the bulk of the shop’s catalog won't be allowed on the marketplace anymore under Etsy’s new restrictions around sex toys. The Adult Nudity and Sexual Content policy , which was quietly published at the end of June to the platform’s “House Rules,” states that “Etsy prohibits the sale of adult toys that are: inserted into the body; applied to the genitalia; designed for genitals to be inserted into them.” Among other things, it specifically forbids vendors from selling “dildos, vibrators, anal plugs, sex dolls and fleshlights.” The policy update, spotted first by Mashable , came in tandem with a community forum post by Etsy’s ...

Apple Intelligence isn’t likely to be ready in time for the public releases of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 in September, but you might not have to wait too long for it after that. According to Bloomberg ’s Mark Gurman, Apple is planning to introduce Apple Intelligence with iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1, which the company expects to be out by October. The betas for these — with some of the AI features — will reportedly be ready for developers to start playing with as soon as this week. Apple Intelligence won’t offer its full suite of features at the start. Some, like the AI-powered Siri , are expected to come later in the year.   Gurman has reported that these updates could even slip into next year. And when Apple Intelligence does arrive, it won’t be compatible with every phone that can support iOS 18. Apple said during its announcement that it requires a device with an A17 Pro processor or M-series chip . That rules out all recent iPhone models except the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max . Thi...

TL;DR: Through July 28, get a Microsoft Visio 2021 lifetime license for Windows on sale for £15.51 (save 92%). Once you set this up on your device, your license will never expire. While we all love the classic suite of Microsoft Office apps — Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and their siblings — you might be missing out on other tools if you’ve never expanded your Microsoft repertoire. We’d like to introduce you to Visio, an app that helps you build diagrams and flowcharts more efficiently than the tools above. Through July 28, you can get a lifetime license for Windows on sale for £15.51 (reg. £194.20).  The missing piece in your Microsoft toolkit Microsoft Visio aims to help you visualise your ideas, processes, reporting structures, or anything else you want to bring to life. Start with premade templates, starter diagrams, or stencils made for flowcharts, org charts, floor plans, or brainstorming maps. Or, freestyle your own creations from scratch. Then, browse more than 2...

Connections is the latest New York Times word game that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle , Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle. If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for July 28's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you. What is Connections ? The NYT 's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common. Tweet may have been...

Apple and the unionized employees at its Towson, Maryland retail store have reached a tentative agreement that could secure them better pay, job protections, scheduling improvements to support a work-life balance and a more transparent disciplinary process. The Towson location in 2022 became the first Apple Store in the country to unionize, and back in May, it voted to authorize a strike against the company after “unsatisfactory” negotiation outcomes. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers’ Coalition of Organized Retail Employees (IAM CORE) said it’s been negotiating with Apple since January 2023. Under the tentative three-year agreement they’ve now reached, workers would be given average raises of 10 percent over the life of the contract, and starting pay rates for most positions would go up. The agreement would also establish a severance clause. The union represents about 85 employees, who will get to vote on the agreement on August 6. This article orig...

Users on Elon Musk's X came across an interesting new option tucked deep into the Settings tab on the social media platform this week. "Allow your posts as well as your interactions, inputs, and results with Grok to be used for training and fine-tuning," reads the settings option on X, formerly known as Twitter. The option refers to X's AI chatbot Grok, which the company continues to integrate throughout the platform . The fine print under the Settings option text goes on to say that the data is used to "continuously improve your experience" on X, but that the user's data will also be shared with Musk's AI company, xAI, which powers Grok. It's good that X informs users of how it uses their data. It's also positive that X provides users with a choice on whether they want to share their data with xAI and X for AI training. It's bad, however, that X opts users in by default . It's also not great that users had to seemingly discover...