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This week, Asus confirmed that it won’t be making any more smartphones. The company will instead focus its energy on R&D on commercial PCs and physical AI (i.e., robotics and smart glasses). The company will continue to support existing smartphones, however. Per Ice Universe, Samsung will unveil the S26 series on February 25. Pre-orders will begin on February 26 and end on March 4. Then a pre-sale period from March 5 to March 10, and then general sales from March 11. The Galaxy S26 Ultra was initially reported to ship in four colors, but Evleaks says we’re expecting more than…

In a new report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, it appears that Apple’s big plans to reinvent the Safari web browser have hit a bit of a speed bump. While we were expecting a massive AI-driven overhaul to change the Apple-exclusive browser, some of that work has recently been put on hold as the company shifts its focus toward fixing Siri first.What happened to the new SafariLast year, we caught wind of some very ambitious upgrades for Safari that would make it much more than just a window to the internet. The goal was to build a browser for the “AI…

A failed December effort to bring down parts of Poland’s energy grid was the work of Russian government hackers known for causing past energy disruptions, according to a security research firm that investigated the incident.  Last week, Polish Energy Minister Milosz Motyka told reporters that the attempted cyberattack on December 29 and 30 saw hackers targeting two heat and power plants, as well as trying to disrupt the communication links between renewable installations, such as wind turbines and power distribution operators. Motyka called the incident the “strongest attack” on Poland’s energy infrastructure in years, with the Polish government blaming Moscow…

​If you thought 2025 couldn’t get any crazier, the streaming world had one more surprise up its sleeve before the year ended.  Netflix, already the largest streaming platform with over 325 million subscribers, took a bold step by acquiring Warner Bros.’ film and television studios, as well as HBO, HBO Max, and other assets. The deal, announced in early December, will bring together some of the most legendary franchises, such as Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, and DC Comics properties, among others, all under one roof. ​The scale of this megadeal has stunned industry observers. Not only is it historic…

Last week, we looked at the OnePlus 15R – with a €100 discount only for the 512GB model, it was effectively a free storage upgrade type deal. Now there’s also an additional €20 discount at checkout – that’s not much, but the phone only just launched. The €20 discount is available on the 256GB variant too, but since that costs €700, it doesn’t make sense. €680 is the exact same price that the Poco F8 Ultra goes for. The Poco is faster with a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset (vs. 8 Gen 5 on the OnePlus), but…

The Department of Justice has reportedly opened a criminal investigation into HR and payroll startup Deel over allegations that it hired a corporate spy to leak information on its biggest rival, Rippling, reports The Wall Street Journal. In an emailed statement to TechCrunch, Deel says that it is “not aware of any investigation. We will always cooperate with the relevant authorities and provide any necessary information in response to valid inquiries.” Deel’s statement then makes its own allegations against Rippling. It points to its own lawsuit that alleges its rival has been on a “smear campaign,” claiming it’s beating the…

A couple of weeks ago, Realme launched the 16 Pro and 16 Pro+. Right now, they are only available in India, which is a shame – these two have some impressive specs and though they are a bit pricey, they could have found success in other markets too. The Realme 16 Pro+ flaunts a 200MP main camera (1/1.56”, OIS) and a 50MP 3.5x periscope (1/2.76”, f/2.8, OIS), plus an 8MP ultra-wide camera and a 50MP selfie module. It’s not perfect (video stabilization and ultra-wide videos in particular being substandard), but it is better than most mid-range phones – many of…

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has opened an investigation into Waymo after its robotaxis have been spotted illegally passing stopped school buses numerous times in at least two states. The NTSB is specifically focusing on the more than 20 incidents that have occurred in Austin, Texas, it said in a post on X on Friday. “Investigators will travel to Austin to gather information on a series of incidents in which the automated vehicles failed to stop for loading or unloading students,” the NTSB said in a statement to TechCrunch. A preliminary report is expected within 30 days, and the…

Yann LeCun’s new venture, AMI Labs, has drawn intense attention since the AI scientist left Meta to found it. This week, the startup finally confirmed what it’s building — and several key details have been hiding in plain sight. On its newly launched website, the startup disclosed its plans to develop “world models” in order to “build intelligent systems that understand the real world.” The focus on world models was already hinted at by AMI’s name, which stands for Advanced Machine Intelligence, but it has now officially joined the ranks of the hottest AI research startups. Building foundational models that…

Smart glasses are all the rage these days, and while Xiaomi’s latest offering is not the smartest option out there, it does offer a premium design and some generally useful features. The Mijia Smart Audio Glasses incorporate built-in speakers into the temples, which means you’re getting an open earbud experience built into the glasses. That’s paired with quad microphones for hands-free calls, and the ability to record calls and audio in your surroundings. We got hold of the Titanium version, which retails for €199, though Xiaomi is also offering browline and pilot styles, with the latter offering UV400 protection. The…