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Dolby Vision 2: AI-Powered HDR Gets a Major Upgrade

2025-09-04

Dolby Vision 2: AI-Powered HDR Gets a Major Upgrade

Dolby has unveiled Dolby Vision 2, an evolution of its HDR format. Beyond fine-tuning picture settings, Dolby Vision 2 introduces "Content Intelligence," leveraging AI and TV sensors to dynamically adjust brightness, addressing common complaints about overly dark scenes (think *Game of Thrones*' infamous 'Battle of Winterfell'). A new "Authentic Motion" feature aims to optimize motion handling across various viewing environments, though this may prove controversial among purists.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech Dolby Vision

Amazon Prime Video Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Button Misleading Consumers

2025-09-01

Amazon Prime Video Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Button Misleading Consumers

A user is suing Amazon Prime Video, claiming its use of the "buy" button is misleading, as it actually purchases a revocable license to access digital content, not permanent ownership. The plaintiff points out that the fine print below Prime Video's "buy" button is too inconspicuous, only visible at the final stage of the transaction. Legal experts believe Amazon might argue users should read the full terms, but the plaintiff is likely to win because ordinary consumers understand "buy" as a permanent transaction. The key to this case is proving that Amazon's advertising is misleading and the losses suffered by consumers due to content removal.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech

Game Console Prices: A Historic Anomaly

2025-08-30

Game Console Prices: A Historic Anomaly

Modern game consoles are defying historical price trends. Data shows that pre-2016 consoles typically halved in price after three years. However, today's consoles maintain around 90% of their launch price even five years later. While past consoles, like the Atari 2600 and 3DO, launched at exorbitant prices (over $1000 in 2025 dollars), they quickly dropped in price to levels comparable to current consoles within a few years. This indicates a significant deviation from historical pricing patterns in the modern gaming market.

(arstechnica.com)

Game game consoles price trends

Gmail Accused of Partisan Spam Filtering: GOP Claims Bias

2025-08-30

Gmail Accused of Partisan Spam Filtering: GOP Claims Bias

FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson accused Google of using partisan spam filters in Gmail, allegedly sending Republican fundraising emails to spam while delivering Democratic emails to inboxes. Ferguson's letter to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai alleges potential FTC Act violations. Google denies the accusations, stating its spam filters are based on objective user signals and apply equally to all senders, regardless of political affiliation. This reignites long-standing Republican complaints previously dismissed by a federal judge and the Federal Election Commission.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech

Battlefield 6's Secure Boot Requirement Sparks Controversy

2025-08-30

Battlefield 6's Secure Boot Requirement Sparks Controversy

EA's decision to require Secure Boot for the Battlefield 6 PC open beta ignited a debate among players. Many were unable to enable it or unwilling to grant kernel-level access to EA's anti-cheat, preventing them from playing. Technical director Christian Buhl defended the decision as a necessary evil to combat cheating, though admitting it wouldn't eliminate it entirely. While Secure Boot enhances anti-cheat capabilities, it also excludes some players.

(arstechnica.com)

Game Battlefield 6

The Secret to Long-Lasting Beer Head: It's All About Fermentation

2025-08-27

The Secret to Long-Lasting Beer Head: It's All About Fermentation

A seven-year study by Swiss researchers reveals the crucial role of fermentation in beer foam longevity. The research, published in Physics of Fluids, shows that the number of fermentations (single, double, or triple) significantly impacts foam stability. Foam stability is a complex interplay of factors including surfactants, gravity, and bubble interactions. Understanding these dynamics not only enhances our appreciation of beer but also offers insights into the broader field of foam science.

(arstechnica.com)

Misc foam fermentation

AMD CPU Stability Issues: The Importance of BIOS Updates

2025-08-26

AMD CPU Stability Issues: The Importance of BIOS Updates

Both AMD and Intel have faced issues with CPU performance degrading over time, often linked to motherboard manufacturers deviating from default settings. To address similar problems, AMD recommends users promptly update their motherboard BIOS to obtain the latest default settings, improve compatibility, and enhance security. AMD's longer lifespan chipsets and CPU sockets, along with various power and overclocking tools, create a much wider range of system configurations, increasing testing difficulty. This is particularly true for AM4 motherboards, which can theoretically pair with much later CPUs, unlike Intel's ecosystem.

(arstechnica.com)

Hardware BIOS updates CPU stability

Russia's New Soyuz-5 Rocket: Breaking Free from Ukraine, Targeting Commercial Launches

2025-08-26

Russia's New Soyuz-5 Rocket: Breaking Free from Ukraine, Targeting Commercial Launches

Following the breakdown of space cooperation with Ukraine due to the conflict, Russia is accelerating development of its new Soyuz-5 rocket. Powered by the powerful RD-171MV engine, which avoids Ukrainian components and boasts over three times the thrust of a NASA Space Shuttle Main Engine, the Soyuz-5 aims to replace the Zenit and Proton-M rockets. Russia hopes to gain a stronger foothold in the commercial launch market. However, even more significant is the Soyuz-7 (Amur) rocket, designed with a reusable first stage and new liquid oxygen-methane engines, intended to eventually replace the Soyuz-2. Its debut, however, has been pushed back to no earlier than 2030.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech Russian space program Soyuz-5 rocket RD-171MV engine

Small EVs Reign Supreme: Lowest Lifecycle Carbon Emissions

2025-08-26

Small EVs Reign Supreme: Lowest Lifecycle Carbon Emissions

A University of Michigan study reveals that compact electric vehicles boast the lowest lifecycle carbon emissions, considering factors like vehicle type, usage patterns, and location. Comparing gasoline, hybrid, and electric vehicles, the study found that a compact electric sedan with a 200-mile battery has just 17% the lifecycle emissions of a gas-powered pickup truck. Even a short-range electric pickup only produces 25% of the emissions. Hybrids offered modest improvements, while among EVs, smaller battery packs consistently resulted in lower environmental impact.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech Carbon Emissions

The Physics of the Banned Spin Serve in Badminton

2025-08-24

The Physics of the Banned Spin Serve in Badminton

A recently banned badminton serve, known for its nearly impossible-to-return spin, has been analyzed by Chinese physicists. The 'spin serve,' which adds pre-spin just before racket contact, was banned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) in 2023 due to concerns over unfair advantage. The BWF's research, published in Physics of Fluids, delves into the complex aerodynamics of the shuttlecock, revealing how its unique feather structure and the spin contribute to the serve's effectiveness. This research highlights the intricate physics behind seemingly simple sporting techniques and underscores the BWF's efforts to maintain fair play.

(arstechnica.com)

Game Spin Serve

Google's Gemini App: Tiny Requests, Huge Cumulative Impact

2025-08-23

Google's Gemini App: Tiny Requests, Huge Cumulative Impact

Google's team analyzed the energy consumption of its Gemini app. A single text request consumes a minuscule amount of energy, equivalent to about nine seconds of TV watching. However, the massive volume of requests results in a significant cumulative energy consumption and carbon footprint. Encouragingly, over the past year, Google has reduced energy consumption per prompt by 33x and carbon emissions by 1.4x through software optimizations (like Mixture-of-Experts) and renewable energy usage. This highlights how even seemingly small AI requests can have a large environmental impact at scale, demanding continuous technological improvements and energy strategy optimization.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech

The Huge Hurdle to US EV Adoption: Charging Infrastructure

2025-08-22

The Huge Hurdle to US EV Adoption: Charging Infrastructure

While a large percentage of US homes could theoretically support EV charging, the reality is far more complex. Over a third require costly electrical upgrades to handle home chargers, significantly increasing EV ownership costs and potentially exceeding those of gasoline cars. Furthermore, charging in multifamily dwellings presents even greater challenges, requiring permission from management companies and expensive grid upgrades, posing a significant obstacle to widespread EV adoption.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech charging infrastructure grid upgrades

Trump's U-Turn: Turning CHIPs Act Grants into Equity Stakes

2025-08-21

Trump's U-Turn: Turning CHIPs Act Grants into Equity Stakes

Trump, who previously vowed to kill the CHIPS Act, is now reportedly planning to transform its grant funding into equity investments in US chipmakers. This surprising move has sparked considerable debate. The plan involves converting already-approved (but mostly undisbursed) grants from the Biden administration into equity stakes in companies like Intel, giving American taxpayers a share in the profits. This strategy is seen as a potential balance between fiscal responsibility and securing US semiconductor dominance, but it may also introduce uncertainty for other companies seeking federal grants and potentially impact their operational efficiency.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech CHIPS Act Equity Investment

Gouach's Infinite Battery: Cracking Bosch Encryption and Reimagining E-bike Power

2025-08-21

Gouach's Infinite Battery: Cracking Bosch Encryption and Reimagining E-bike Power

After overcoming initial setbacks, Gouach developed the IP67-rated Infinite Battery, securing over $3.7 million in funding through Indiegogo and venture capital. This modular battery pack boasts compatibility with various e-bikes, notably conquering the challenge of encrypted communication with Bosch mid-drive motors. EU backers are slated to receive their kits in June, with US deliveries and an open online store to follow. Gouach's innovative approach, treating e-bike batteries as modular components rather than monolithic units, signifies a potential paradigm shift in the industry.

(arstechnica.com)

Hardware e-bike

Mini SSD Card: A Potential Solution for Portable Gaming Storage Bottlenecks

2025-08-20

Mini SSD Card: A Potential Solution for Portable Gaming Storage Bottlenecks

Games are getting increasingly large, often exceeding 100GB, due to factors like high-resolution textures, detailed graphics, extensive audio files, and support for multiple languages. To address the slow storage speeds in portable gaming devices, the Mini SSD card has emerged as a potential solution. It aims to deliver speeds comparable to internal SSDs without requiring users to disassemble their devices for upgrades. While not yet a formally ratified standard, it offers a convenient storage upgrade option for gamers.

(arstechnica.com)

Hardware game storage portable gaming

Google's Tiny Gemma 3 AI Model Runs on Your Phone

2025-08-15

Google's Tiny Gemma 3 AI Model Runs on Your Phone

Google announced a tiny version of its Gemma open-source model, Gemma 3 270M, boasting only 270 million parameters yet capable of running on smartphones and even web browsers. This contrasts sharply with larger models containing billions of parameters. Despite its small size, Gemma 3 270M demonstrates strong instruction-following capabilities and exceptional efficiency, consuming only 0.75% of a Pixel 9 Pro's battery after 25 conversations. This opens new possibilities for privacy-focused and low-latency local AI applications.

(arstechnica.com)

AI

EV Range Records: More Nuance Than Meets the Eye

2025-08-14

EV Range Records: More Nuance Than Meets the Eye

Polestar 3's impressive single-charge drive is raising eyebrows, but the title of "longest EV drive on a single charge" is more nuanced. While the Polestar 3 used standard specs, tweaking factors like tires can yield greater range. Chevrolet's Silverado WT, with a massive 205 kWh battery and worn, over-inflated tires, drove 1,059 miles around Detroit. Lucid's Air Grand Touring managed 749 miles from St. Moritz to Munich. However, these feats often involve low average speeds and specific conditions (like AC off or downhill routes), making direct range comparisons tricky.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech

AI Social Simulation Reveals Fragile Democracy

2025-08-14

AI Social Simulation Reveals Fragile Democracy

Researchers used a simple AI model to simulate social media dynamics, revealing how it reinforces political polarization and creates echo chambers, hindering constructive political dialogue. While the model isn't perfectly realistic, the robustness of the mechanism it uncovered—the interplay of cultural and structural factors—is concerning, highlighting the potential negative impact of social media on democracy.

(arstechnica.com)

AI social simulation

Russian Cybercrime Groups Exploit WinRAR Zero-Day

2025-08-12

Russian Cybercrime Groups Exploit WinRAR Zero-Day

Two Russian cybercrime groups are actively exploiting a high-severity zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2025-8088) in the widely used WinRAR file compressor. Attacks involve phishing emails containing malicious archives that, when opened, backdoor the victim's computer. The vulnerability abuses Windows' alternate data streams to bypass restrictions and place malicious executables in %TEMP% and %LOCALAPPDATA% directories. Security firms ESET and Bi.ZONE have linked the exploits to RomCom and Paper Werewolf/GOFFEE respectively, demonstrating significant resources and technical capabilities. A patch for the vulnerability has been released by WinRAR.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech

LLMs Fail to Generalize Beyond Training Data

2025-08-12

LLMs Fail to Generalize Beyond Training Data

Researchers tested the generalization capabilities of large language models (LLMs) on tasks, formats, and lengths outside their training data. Results showed a dramatic drop in accuracy as the task diverged from the training distribution. Even when providing correct answers, the models often exhibited illogical reasoning or reasoning inconsistent with their answers. This suggests that chain-of-thought (CoT) reasoning in LLMs doesn't reflect true text understanding, but rather the replication of patterns learned during training. Performance also degraded sharply when presented with inputs of varying lengths or unfamiliar symbols, further highlighting the limitations in generalization.

(arstechnica.com)

AI

Apple's iOS 26 to Feature GPT-5

2025-08-11

Apple's iOS 26 to Feature GPT-5

According to 9to5Mac, Apple will integrate OpenAI's latest GPT-5 model into iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe 26. GPT-5 boasts an 80% reduction in hallucinations and features a significant rework of OpenAI's model positioning; it automatically selects whether to use a reasoning-optimized model based on the prompt. Free users will accept the model choice, while paid ChatGPT users can manually select. The specifics of GPT-5's implementation in iOS remain unclear, particularly regarding paid users' ability to manually choose models. These OS updates are expected in September.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech

Porn Sites Use SVG Files to Spread Malicious Script, Hijacking Facebook Likes

2025-08-10

Porn Sites Use SVG Files to Spread Malicious Script, Hijacking Facebook Likes

Security researchers have discovered multiple pornographic websites built on WordPress that use SVG files to spread malicious JavaScript code. This obfuscated code ultimately downloads a malicious script called Trojan.JS.Likejack, which silently likes specified Facebook posts if the user is logged in. This isn't a new tactic; previous incidents involved SVGs in cross-site scripting attacks and phishing scams. Researchers have identified dozens of affected websites. While Facebook shuts down accounts involved, these offenders consistently return with new profiles.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech

Court's Hasty Class Certification in AI Copyright Case Sparks Concerns

2025-08-09

Court's Hasty Class Certification in AI Copyright Case Sparks Concerns

A class-action lawsuit against Anthropic for using copyrighted books to train its AI model has sparked controversy due to the court's hasty class certification. Critics argue the case involves complex copyright ownership issues, including deceased authors, orphan works, and fractional rights. The court's notification mechanism is insufficient to protect all authors' rights, potentially leaving many unaware of the lawsuit and forced into unfavorable settlements. Further complicating matters is the existing conflict between authors and publishers regarding AI copyright. This rushed decision risks silencing crucial discussions about copyright in AI training, failing to adequately address the rights of millions of authors and leaving a cloud of uncertainty over the use of copyrighted material in AI.

(arstechnica.com)

AI copyright ownership

Supreme Court Rules Broadband Isn't Telecom; Net Neutrality Fight Continues

2025-08-09

Supreme Court Rules Broadband Isn't Telecom; Net Neutrality Fight Continues

A 2024 Supreme Court ruling empowered courts to block agency interpretations of federal statutes, overturning a 2016 FCC decision under the Obama administration. The court decided broadband is classified as an "information service." Groups like Free Press are foregoing an appeal, focusing instead on Congress, state legislatures, and other courts to fight for internet affordability and openness. While the 6th Circuit's decision was flawed, alternative approaches are deemed more effective. Net neutrality could still reach the Supreme Court through other cases, and California's net neutrality law remains in effect.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech

US Library of Congress Briefly Deletes Sections of the Constitution

2025-08-07

US Library of Congress Briefly Deletes Sections of the Constitution

Parts of Article I of the US Constitution, including clauses authorizing Congress to create a Navy, call forth a militia, and sections on habeas corpus, bills of attainder, and limitations on states' powers, were temporarily deleted from the Library of Congress website. While the error has been corrected and the Constitution itself remains unchanged, the incident has sparked attention and may ironically lead to increased readings of the foundational document.

(arstechnica.com)

Misc Library of Congress

OpenAI Battles NYT Over 120 Million ChatGPT Logs in Copyright Dispute

2025-08-06

OpenAI Battles NYT Over 120 Million ChatGPT Logs in Copyright Dispute

OpenAI is embroiled in a legal battle with the New York Times and other news organizations over copyright infringement. The news organizations demand access to 120 million ChatGPT user conversation logs to prove unauthorized use of their content. OpenAI argues this request is excessive, violating user privacy and delaying the case. Microsoft, a co-defendant, is also involved, with its internal ChatGPT equivalent potentially adding fuel to the fire. The core issue revolves around balancing copyright protection with user privacy and defining fair use in the context of AI models.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech

macOS Tahoe Beta Bids Farewell to the Old Hard Drive Icon

2025-08-06

macOS Tahoe Beta Bids Farewell to the Old Hard Drive Icon

Apple's latest macOS 26 Tahoe developer beta brings a complete overhaul of system disk icons, marking the end of the era for the iconic old hard drive icon. The new design reflects modern SSDs and extends to applications like Disk Utility and installers. While functionally minor, the change symbolizes Apple's complete departure from the traditional HDD era, prompting a touch of nostalgia.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech

Tesla Found Partially Liable in Autopilot Wrongful Death Case

2025-08-03

Tesla Found Partially Liable in Autopilot Wrongful Death Case

A Miami federal jury has found Tesla partially liable in a 2019 wrongful death lawsuit involving its Autopilot system. George McGee, driving a Tesla Model S with Autopilot engaged, ran a stop sign and crashed into a couple, killing Naibel Benavides and severely injuring Dillon Angulo. While Tesla argued McGee was solely responsible, the jury determined Tesla bore one-third of the liability for selling a defective vehicle, awarding plaintiffs $129 million in compensatory damages and $200 million in punitive damages. This marks the first time a jury has found Tesla liable in a wrongful death case involving Autopilot.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech

AI Salaries Eclipse Even Apollo-Era Earnings

2025-08-02

AI Salaries Eclipse Even Apollo-Era Earnings

The salaries of today's AI researchers dwarf those of even the Apollo program's astronauts and engineers. While Neil Armstrong's annual salary, adjusted for inflation, pales in comparison to what top AI researchers earn in a few days, the disparity highlights the intense competition for a limited pool of highly specialized talent in the booming AI industry. This unprecedented compensation surge is driven by massive investment, the hype surrounding AI, and the concentration of wealth in the tech sector.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech salary comparison

Trump's De Minimis Exemption Elimination: A Shockwave Through E-commerce

2025-08-01

Trump's De Minimis Exemption Elimination: A Shockwave Through E-commerce

The Trump administration is moving to permanently eliminate the de minimis exemption for imported goods, a move with significant implications for e-commerce giants like Amazon, eBay, and Walmart, and consumers. This elimination will likely lead to higher prices for Chinese-made goods and potentially goods from other countries sold on US platforms. While travelers can still bring back a small amount of duty-free items, many direct-to-consumer shipments will face tariffs ranging from $80 to $200 per item. This action, framed as addressing national emergencies impacting trade and public health, is expected to disrupt e-commerce and consumer purchasing power, with long-term consequences yet to be fully understood.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech trade policy

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