Tech

Katharine Gemmell / Bloomberg: The UK CMA provisionally clears Broadcom’s $61B acquisition of VMware, after finding that the deal would not harm competition; the deal still needs US approval  —  – CMA looks to clear technology deal after an in-depth review  — The decision follows a green light from its EU counterpart

The entirety of Night School Studio used to fit into a single room. The biggest bragging rights for its Glendale, California, office were that it shared the building with actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s media company, HitRecord. In 2014, Night School, cofounded by cousins Sean Krankel and Adam Hines, was one of many independent studios cropping up as more game devs sought …

“This A.I. stuff is getting really crazy.” The voices of Charlamagne tha God, host of the nationally syndicated radio show “The Breakfast Club,” and his guests Mandii B and WeezyWTF filled Ylonda Sherrod’s car as she sped down Interstate 10 in Mississippi during her daily commute. Her favorite radio show was discussing artificial intelligence, specifically an A.I.-generated sample of Biggie. …

Robert Triggs / Android Authority Pixel 7 TL;DR Some Pixel phone owners are reporting that a variety of apps are crashing on their devices. It’s believed the problem could be related to the Carrier Services or Play Services apps. We saw a pretty crazy bug on Android in 2021, when a faulty version of the Android System Webview app resulted …

Gene Park / Washington Post: A look at “non-playable character” TikTok creators, like Pinkydoll, who livestream themselves doing robotic and repetitive actions for digital tips  —  On TikTok, a woman named Pinkydoll with a thousand-yard stare faces you, undulating just enough to let you know she’s alive.

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR WhatsApp is rolling out the ability to initiate conversations with new, unknown numbers without needing to save them in your contact book. To text an unknown number, search for the number in the New Chat screen. WhatsApp remains the IM app of choice for millions of users worldwide. In regions like Asia, connecting with …

Introducing Zoho Cliq for TV  —  Televisions are not tied to their usual functions anymore.  You can now use your smart TV for gaming, streaming your favorite series on Netflix, screen mirroring your mobile phone to watch a movie, and much more.

Robert Triggs / Android Authority TL;DR A leak suggests the iPhone 16 Pro Max could have a telephoto lens with a very high focal length. A machine translation says it could be a “periscope ultra-telephoto,” suggesting a focal length over 300mm. Combined with a rumored sensor increase, the telephoto could be the one to beat in 2024. For years now, …

Jon Gertner / New York Times: A look at the Wikipedia community’s debates about AI, including AI’s threats and potential benefits, knowledge creation, truthfulness, and legal concerns  —  Can the online encyclopedia help teach A.I. chatbots to get their facts right — without destroying itself in the process?

TL;DR Sony has scheduled a launch event for next week. The company will most likely announce the WF-1000XM5 earbuds on the day. The teaser for the upcoming launch suggests Sony has made major improvements to noise cancelation on the new flagship buds. Sony is teasing a launch event for next week and we’re pretty sure it’s when the company will …