Discord heightens ad focus by introducing video ads to mobile apps in June

Discord heightens ad focus by introducing video ads to mobile apps in June

Discord’s mobile app will have video ads starting in June, the company announced today. The initial pilot for the video ads, which Discord calls Video Quests on Mobile, will offer advertisers the ability to “showcase trailers, make impactful announcements, and highlight premium content” to users, Discord said. Discord was a proudly ad-free platform until March…

HP avoids monetary damages over bricked printers in class-action settlement

HP avoids monetary damages over bricked printers in class-action settlement

HP also now provides disclaimers on the product pages for most of the printers that it sells, stating that the device “is intended to work only with cartridges that have a new or reused HP chip” and uses Dynamic Security “to block cartridges using a non-HP chip.” “Periodic firmware updates will maintain the effectiveness of…

Apple and Google in the hot seat as European regulators ignore Trump warnings

Apple and Google in the hot seat as European regulators ignore Trump warnings

The European Commission is not backing down from efforts to rein in Big Tech. In a series of press releases today, the European Union’s executive arm has announced actions against both Apple and Google. Regulators have announced that Apple will be required to open up support for non-Apple accessories on the iPhone, but it may…

Plex ups its price for first time in a decade, changes remote-streaming access

Plex ups its price for first time in a decade, changes remote-streaming access

Plex is a bit hard to explain these days. Even if you don’t know its roots as an outgrowth of a Mac port of the Xbox Media Center project, Plex is not your typical “streaming” service, given how most people use it. So as Plex announces its first price increase to its Plex Pass subscription…

The Pixel 9a arrives in April for $499, with streamlined design and larger battery

The Pixel 9a arrives in April for $499, with streamlined design and larger battery

On more expensive Pixel phones, you can take macro shots using the ultrawide lens, which has autofocus. The Pixel 9a doesn’t have that, but it can take macro photos with a new AI-assisted feature called Macro Focus. This uses the primary sensor to create a sharper close-up shot. Again, we’ll have to see how this…

Nvidia announces “Rubin Ultra” and “Feynman” AI chips for 2027 and 2028

Nvidia announces “Rubin Ultra” and “Feynman” AI chips for 2027 and 2028

On Tuesday at Nvidia’s GTC 2025 conference in San Jose, California, CEO Jensen Huang revealed several new AI-accelerating GPUs the company plans to release over the coming months and years. He also revealed more specifications about previously announced chips. The centerpiece announcement was Vera Rubin, first teased at Computex 2024 and now scheduled for release…

Gemini gets new coding and writing tools, plus AI-generated “podcasts”

Gemini gets new coding and writing tools, plus AI-generated “podcasts”

On the heels of its release of new Gemini models last week, Google has announced a pair of new features for its flagship AI product. Starting today, Gemini has a new Canvas feature that lets you draft, edit, and refine documents or code. Gemini is also getting Audio Overviews, a neat capability that first appeared…