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Apple’s new iOS 26 public beta 5 is here, but is your iPhone eligible for the update? Check this list

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In just a few days, the Apple iPhone 17 event will be here — the “awe dropping” event is officially confirmed for Tuesday, September 9. If Apple follows its past schedule, that could mean we’ll get to download iOS 26 and iPad 26 exactly one week after the event. Coming with the OS 26es are huge upgrades to your iPhone and iPad’s operating systems. You’ve heard of Liquid Glass, right? It’s like the better-executed version of Windows Vista and definitely one of the cooler features coming this fall. We spent two weeks test-driving it — you can check out our detailed hands-on iOS 26 preview, or you can try it out yourself by downloading and installing the public beta 5. That software is a more stable iteration of the separate developer version, which recently hit the beta 8 waypoint, and offers a few more flashy features not yet available in the public version. (While the public beta is open to everyone and quite stable, always remember there’s a degree of risk involved with beta software.) Additionally, there are credible reports that iOS 26 could bring a new live translation feature to AirPods, too. Not sure if you want to upgrade your smartphone or tablet this year? No worries, we’ll help you find out if your devices will be able to run iOS 26.

While Apple didn’t nix any iPhones from its eligibility list last year, that’s not the case for 2025 — a few models are getting cut this time. All iPhone 8 models and the iPhone X were the last to get the boot in 2023, and this year the 2018 models are getting left behind. If you have an ineligible device, you won’t be able to download iOS 26 when it becomes available this fall.

We’ll get to the bottom of which iPhones and iPads will support iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 this year. To see what’s coming with the latest OSes, check out everything announced at Apple’s WWDC June 9 event. One thing you shouldn’t immediately expect is Apple’s updated version of Siri, though the company is reportedly working on a ‘stripped-down’ AI chatbot to compete with ChatGPT.

These three iPhones won’t be compatible with iOS 26

Unlike last year, several iPhone models won’t be eligible to download the newest iOS when it makes its debut in September. This trio of models first released in 2018 won’t be coming to the iOS 26 party:

iPhones compatible with iOS 26

While we don’t yet know the new iPhones Apple will be dropping next month — though there are iPhone 17 rumors — we do know, per Apple’s site, that the phones listed below will be compatible with iOS 26. Basically, if you have an iPhone that was announced in 2019 or later, you’re in the clear:

  • iPhone SE (second generation or later)

iPads compatible with iPadOS 26

The iPads listed below, and any iPads released later this year, are eligible to download iPadOS 26.

  • iPad Pro 12.9‑inch (3rd generation and later)

  • iPad Pro 11‑inch (1st generation and later)

  • iPad Air (3rd generation and later, including M2 and M3)

  • iPad (8th generation and later, including A16)

  • iPad mini (5th generation and later, including A17 Pro)

What if I don’t want to buy a new iPhone?

If you want to continue using your older iPhone that isn’t supported by iOS 26, that’s fine. However, you’ll miss out on security updates which could potentially put your phone at risk for malware and other threats. Additionally, some apps may stop working if they require a certain version of iOS or later. And of course, you won’t be able to access the latest features iOS 26 offers.

When will iOS 26 become available?

Apple usually rolls out its latest iOS in mid-September, just a few days before the new iPhones hit store shelves. Last year, it released iOS 18 on Monday, Sept. 16. If it follows suit this year, we should have access to the new operating system on Tuesday, Sept. 16 — exactly one week after the event.

Expect a confirmation of the release date at the iPhone 17 event on September 9.

iOS 26 features we’re excited about

Liquid Glass design: Your home screen is getting revamped with new app icons, including dark mode and all-clear options. You’ll also notice buttons with a new floating design. Liquid Glass was designed to make all of Apple’s OSes more cohesive.

Phone app redesign: You’ll finally be able to scroll through contacts, recent calls and voicemail messages all on one screen. It also comes with a new feature called Hold Assist that’ll notify you when an agent comes to the phone so you can avoid the elevator music.

Live Translate: iOS 26 is bringing the ability to have a conversation via phone call or text message with someone who speaks another language. Live Translate will translate your conversation in real time.

Polls feature: Coming to group messages in the Messages app, chat members will be able to create polls. This can help prevent the unwanted 30+ messages when it comes to deciding which restaurant you’re meeting at this weekend.



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Microsoft fires two more employees for participating in Palestine protests on campus
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Microsoft fires two more employees for participating in Palestine protests on campus

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Microsoft has fired two more employees who participated in recent protests against the company’s contracts with the Israeli military and government. The two employees, Nisreen Jaradat and Julius Shan, were fired “in connection” with demonstrations that saw protesters set up encampments at Microsoft’s headquarters, according to Hossam Nasr, an organizer with the No Azure for Apartheid group.

Two other Microsoft employees were fired last night for their involvement with a protest that saw members of the group gain access to a company building and live stream themselves inside the office of Microsoft president Brad Smith. Jaradat had previously sent a mass email around Microsoft saying she was “fed up” with the company’s treatment of her as a Palestinian worker, bypassing the company’s restrictions on language around Palestine and Gaza internally in order to do so.

The No Azure for Apartheid group has been taking public actions against Microsoft throughout the year. The group interrupted Microsoft executives during live streamed presentations on multiple occasions this spring. More recently, the group attempted to occupy a plaza on Microsoft’s headquarters. After being removed, they returned the next day with tents and tables and poured red paint across a Microsoft sign; 18 people were arrested.

Protesters returned again on Tuesday for the demonstration in Smith’s office. Afterward, Smith held a press conference saying that Microsoft is “working every day” to investigate potential misuse of Azure in Israel. But he said the protesters’ actions were “not ok.”

Microsoft declined to provide an attributable statement to The Verge.



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Robbie and Dana look at the ER screen above reception
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The Pitt season 2: everything we know so far about the hit HBO Max show’s return

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The Pitt season 2: key information

– Will arrive in January 2026
– Teaser trailer released in August 2025
– Production began in June 2025
– Main cast set to return
– New recurring characters revealed
– Season 2 will time jump to 10 months ahead
– Hopes for future seasons

The Pitt season 2 is coming in January 2026, only a year after the popular HBO Max show premiered on the streamer. The medical drama saw ER‘s Noah Wyle as the dynamic Dr. Michael ‘Robby’ Robinavitch taking charge of an incredibly stressful day at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital.

And traumatic it most certainly was, culminating in a rather dramatic finale that fortunately, viewers won’t have to wait too long to find some resolve. But, in true hospital fashion, as one intense shift ends, another begins (though with a time jump, which I’ll get into more below) as the medical staff begin another day with even more drama. Here’s everything we know so far from release date, confirmed cast, plot synopsis, and more.

Full spoilers for The Pitt season 1 to follow.

The Pitt season 2: is there a release date?

We’re so back.Season 2 of #ThePitt has begun filming. Stream Season 1 now on Max. pic.twitter.com/EfBYnrBzLuJune 16, 2025

The Pitt season 2 release date has been confirmed – and it’s January 2026. Revealed by Max CEO Casey Bloys in conversation with Vulture back in March, he said: “The second season will premiere in January of 2026, a year later. This model of more episodes cuts down on the gap between seasons.”

With season 1, we were treated to an epic 15 episodes worth of emergency room drama. And it appears season 2 will follow suit, Bloys added: “What I love about something like The Pitt is, I can get 15 episodes in a year. That’s a really great addition to what we’re already doing on the platform. And I’d like to do more shows in this model.”


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After a February 2025 renewal, the show headed into production on season 2 in June amid official news from HBO Max that the series had stayed among the top three of the streamer’s most-watched titles globally.

The Pitt season 2 trailer

The Pitt Season 2 | Official Teaser | HBO Max – YouTube

Watch On

The Pitt season 2 got its first official teaser trailer in August and it reveals more high-octane medical drama unravelling in the emergency room as doctors struggle with an overwhelming rush of patients in dire need of help.

But, it did make us say, hang on, hasn’t The Pitt season 2’s first trailer spoiled a major season 1 cliffhanger? In the first five seconds, Dana can be seen back at work, standing behind the desk. Surprising news considering the season 1 finale saw her seriously questioning whether she could keep doing the job. She’s back and I’m not mad about it, quite the opposite.

The Pitt season 2 teaser trailer is also great confirmation for other cast members, alongside Dana, returning for the next installment.

The Pitt season 2 confirmed cast

The main cast will return for The Pitt season 2 (Image credit: HBO Max)

Spoilers follow for The Pitt season 1.

Thanks to the teaser trailer, here’s The Pitt season 2 confirmed cast we know so far:

Dr. Heather Collins won’t be returning for season 2 (Image credit: HBO Max)

There’s one character that won’t be returning for The Pitt season 2 and that’s Tracey Ifeachor as Dr. Heather Collins, as confirmed by Deadline. While it’s not clear the reasons behind her exit, Ifeachor posted on her official Instagram to say: “It was an absolute privilege to play Dr. Heather Collins in such a groundbreaking season and piece.”

We also know about some new characters joining The Pitt season 2. Lawrence Robinson will play Brian Hancock, “a sweet, charming and kind-hearted patient who turns a soccer injury into a possible meet-cute with one of the doctors” (as per Deadline).

Sepideh Moafi also joins as a series regular playing an attending physician, as well as Charles Baker, Irene Choi, Laëtitia Hollard and Lucas Iverson in recurring roles, as exclusively revealed by Deadline.

Finally, in another reveal by Deadline, Zack Morris is also joining as Jackson Davis, “a patient brought to the ED after an uncontrollable outburst in the college library.”

The Pitt season 2 story speculation

The Pitt season 2 picks up on Langdon’s first day back (Image credit: HBO Max)

Full spoilers follow for The Pitt season 1.

For The Pitt season 2, the cast will pick up in the emergency room 10 months after the intense shift that unravelled in season 1.

This time jump was revealed during Deadline’s Contenders TV panel in April and it was further explained by the creative team that season 2 will take place over the Fourth of July weekend for another 15 hours and 15 episodes of medical emergencies.

And when it comes to the reason for this time jump, the show’s creator R. Scott Gemmill revealed to TVLine that it has a lot to do with Dr. Langdon’s recovery.

The season 1 finale saw Dr. Robby tell Langdon that if he wants to return to Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center, then he has to check himself into a 30-day inpatient rehab. Of course, that’s not 10 months. But, recovery isn’t linear.

Gemmill said: “Thirty days is probably the minimum he would have to do. You can do 60, 90… and part of [the time jump] is driven by when he can shoot in Pittsburgh.”

He added: “Nine, basically 10 months later, gives a lot of room for us to have developed a few stories in the interim and catch up with everyone. And with it being Langdon’s first day back, we get to catch up as he catches up with all those people.”

And like season 1, the next season will follow the same 15-hour schedule running from 7am to 10pm and all the intense medical situations that can bring in, especially over the Fourth of July weekend.

While the season 1 finale saw Dana’s return unclear, she’s back (Image credit: HBO Max)

The recovery wasn’t just for Langdon though with Dr. Robby having to address his own mental health issues and speaking to TVLine in April, Gemmill said: “Getting himself mentally healthy against is part of his journey.”

With such stressful jobs, the pressure was unsurprisingly getting to the doctors and none more so than Dana Evans who we last saw packing up her things in the season 1 finale and telling Dr. Robby she was thinking about leaving the ER for good.

Fortunately, we know she didn’t commit to this, appearing in the first official teaser trailer very much still part of the team (despite a stern look pointed towards Dr. Robby).

And with new characters joining for season 2, there’s plenty of new faces – both doctors and patients – that I’m sure will bring their own personal dramas (and medical cases) to The Pitt.

What they won’t be doing in the 15 hours that will unfold on our screens though, is ever leave the ER. Gemmill explained: “The reality is that we don’t really leave our set. We don’t leave the ER. We did a few things at the very end where we saw people going home and stuff.

“But beyond that, I don’t expect us to go anywhere beyond the hospital and the ambulance bay until the last episodes of next season, and maybe we’ll see a couple other parts of the hospital.”

The real-life medical landscape is reflected in season 2 (Image credit: HBO Max)

And although they’re not stepping outside of the hospital, it doesn’t mean they can’t address real-time and real-life concerns that affect medical care in the US.

Speaking to Variety, executive producer John Wells explained that this includes President Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’, outlining a 12% cut to Medicaid spending: “The Medicaid changes are going to have a significant impact, and you don’t have to take a political position to discuss what the impact is actually going to be.”

Gemmill added: “We take out platform very seriously. I think one of the things when you can reach 10 million people – and this was true back in the day on ‘ER’ as well – is with that amount of people listening, you have to be responsible for what you put out there.”

Will The Pitt return after season 3?

Could The Pitt become an annual drop for HBO Max? (Image credit: Max)

With The Pitt season 2 landing on HBO Max in January, there’s no news yet of a season 3… and beyond. It doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll have to wait until January for news of more though, given season 2 was treated to an early renewal.

But, for now, I don’t have much to report other than Gemmill joking with Deadline that: “If there’s a season 12, we’ll do a musical. Right now, we kind of want to stick to what was working for us, but we’re still learning. It’s a process.”

While season 12 sounds crazy to talk about now (and a musical even crazier), ER did run for 15 seasons. So, maybe it’s not all that wild of an idea after all.

For more Max-focused coverage, read our guides on the best Max shows, best Max movies, The Last of Us season 2, and Peacemaker season 2.






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NYT Mini
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Crossword lovers in mourning as the New York Times commits its latest unspeakable act: Paywalling the Mini puzzle

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There’s a tweet from early 2021 I think about more often than I should think about any tweet not written by dril, because it really does feel like it speaks to The Times We’re Living In: “Trying to explain to my parents (very gently) that basically nobody under 40 right now expects good things to happen ever again.” Overly broad? Sure: For one thing, this gloomy outlook couldn’t account for the invention of beloved puzzle game Wordle just seven months later, which has made many people happy for up to several seconds at a time.

But on a long enough timeline I’d say it proves out, because the endless march of enshittification guaranteed the New York Times would buy Wordle and eventually slap ads on it, and slowly leverage its growing empire of pleasant daily puzzles into a multi-million dollar profit scheme. We arrive now to the horrible present: The Mini crossword, most frivolous and innocent of all the NYT Games puzzles, is now, without warning, stuck behind the subscriber paywall.

“Miserable buggers. It was tiny and not particularly great, but it was something in this godforsaken capitalist hellscape,” mourns one soulful member of r/crosswords, where Redditors have been coming to terms with the sudden change.


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The Mini is, indeed, tiny and not particularly great. As a crossword puzzle its defining feature is its simplicity, challenging you to clear its miniature grid in a matter of seconds rather than minutes or hours. But NYT Games has in recent years found great success and millions of dollars in profit from these sorts of snackish puzzles, many of them free to play. At least for now. With time and innovation, even the most frivolous moments of our daily routines can be effectively monetized.

The stages of grief at this dawning revelation are all laid bare in this most human of Reddit reaction threads:

DENIAL: “My guess is that’s it’s an error. In the app it’s still listed under the free games section.” On a desktop browser, a pop-up forces you to subscribe (currently with a button proclaiming you can “Save up to 75%”); using the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, I confirmed that a few weeks ago, the pop-up included another button to “Play without an account. Upon updating the NYT Games Android app, the previously free daily mini puzzle appeared with a subscriber lock on its icon.

ANGER: “Gouge! Gouge! Gouge! Gouge! Gouge! Gouge! Gouge! Gouge! Gouge! Gouge! Gouge! Gouge! Gouge! Gouge! Gouge! Gouge! Gouge! Gouge! Gouge! Gouge! Gouge! Gouge! Gouge! Gouge!”

BARGAINING: “We should all write a letter to the editor of the nyt. letters@nytimes.com. If the cracker barrel can get their sign back then we can get our free mini back.”

DEPRESSION: “I hate it here. Why can’t we have nice things”

ACCEPTANCE: “I bit the bullet and subscribed. Not just for the mini, but for other features they include with other games. They’re having a sale right now.”

If you receive your news from any source but The New York Times, you may rightly view this as a trifling offense in its recent history of journalism that ranges from embarrassing to gross to, uh, actively heinous. And you might further think, well, I could probably go play some daily puzzles over at Merriam-Webster. The dictionary seems pretty cool and doesn’t pay any opinion writers to chat about eugenics. That’s good thinking. Respectable. Can’t argue with it.

But that 75% off offer isn’t going to last forever, you know. And The Mini? Well, sure there are plenty of other crossword websites around, but that one’s right there in your browser history. It’s right there in the app. A guaranteed easy win. A daily affirmation that you are wise.

What’s a few bucks, the New York Times whispers, to pretend for 48 seconds every day that good things can still happen?



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Bella Ramsey Tells 'The Last of Us' Haters to Go Play Their Video Games
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Bella Ramsey Tells ‘The Last of Us’ Haters to Go Play Their Video Games

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The online discourse surrounding The Last of Us season two was entrenched in unwarranted outrage, sparked by outrage over the show’s centering a gay love story and killing off the franchise’s leading man. The trolling, which resulted in the show getting review bombed, of course, is weird considering that both these major plot aspects are also present in Neil Druckmann’s series of Naughty Dog games.

Recently Bella Ramsey, the show’s Emmy Award-nominated lead (alongside Pedro Pascal), discussed with The Awardist podcast their reaction to the reactive rage-baiters who took issue with Ellie’s lesbian relationship.

“Because there’s nothing I can do about it anyway. The show is out. There’s nothing that can be changed or altered. So I’m like, there’s not really any point in reading or looking at anything,” Ramsey shared. “People are, of course, entitled to their opinions. But it doesn’t affect the show; it doesn’t affect how the show continues or anything in any way. They’re very separate things to me. So no, I just don’t really engage.”

Ramsey addressed how that vocal minority of vile-spewing can sincerely excuse themselves from engaging with season three, which will see showrunner Craig Mazin, helming solo after Druckmann stepped back, follow the show’s antagonist Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), who killed Joel (Pascal). The story twist has been around since it debuted in the game, but it still continues to divide The Last of Us fandom and shock casual show viewers during season two.

The shift in leading characters will delve into Abby’s world to inform her worldview. How Ellie comes into play is under wraps but Ramsey affirmed that they hope haters steer clear if they won’t approach the story with an open mind: “You don’t have to watch it. If you hate it that much, the game exists. You can just play the game again. If you do want to watch it, hope you enjoy it.”

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.



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NYT Connections: Sport Edition on a phone
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Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints, Answers for Aug. 28 #339

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Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is just always tough for me these days. You too? If you’re struggling but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.  

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Hoops errors.

Green group hint: Get the mic.

Blue group hint: Tennis triumphs.

Purple group hint: A note to follow so.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Basketball violations.

Green group: Roles on a broadcast team.

Blue group: Last four US Open women’s singles winners.

Purple group: Preceded by “LA.”

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The completed NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Aug. 28, 2025.

NYT/Screenshot by CNET

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is basketball violations. The four answers are backcourt, double-dribble, goaltend and travel.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is roles on a broadcast team. The four answers are color, play-by-play, sideline and studio.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is last four US Open women’s singles winners. The four answers are Gauff, Raducanu, Sabalenka and Swiatek.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is preceded by “LA.” The four answers are Clippers, Coliseum, Galaxy and Liga.

Toughest Connections: Sports Edition categories

The Connections: Sports Edition puzzle can be tough, but it really depends on which sports you know the most about. My husband aces anything having to do with Formula 1, my best friend is a hockey buff, and I can answer any question about Minnesota teams.

That said, it’s hard to pick the toughest Connections categories, but here are some I found exceptionally mind-blowing recently.

#1: Series A Clubs, Jan. 11. Answers: Atalanta, Juventus, Lazio, Roma.

#2: WNBA MVPs, Jan. 21. Answers: Catchings, Delle Donne, Fowles and Stewart.

#3: Premier League team nicknames, Jan. 17. Answers: Bees, Cherries, Foxes and Hammers.

#4: Homophones of NBA player names, Jan. 26. Answers: Barns, Connect, Heart and Hero.



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Our Favorite GoPro Is $150 Off
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Our Favorite GoPro Is $150 Off

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Whether you’re mountain biking, skiing, or jumping out of planes, GoPro has been a household name for taking videos of your most adventurous activities. Right now, you can scoop up the GoPro Hero 13 Black (7/10, WIRED Recommends) as a bundle with both the standard and ultra wide lens mod for just $330, a full $150 off the retail price, and the lowest price ever for this bundle.

Photograph: Scott Gilbertson

GoPro

Hero 13 Black Ultra Wide Edition

Even though it features the same 27-megapixel sensor and processor found in the GoPro Hero 12 (8/10, WIRED Recommends), the new features and larger battery make it our favorite pick among the current GoPro models, at least for standard video. GoPro also returned GPS to the new model, which affects battery life, but is an important feature among users. You have a wide set of options for resolution and frames per second too, with up to 60 FPS at 5.3K, and 120FPS at 4K. The new slow-motion burst mode can supercharge those numbers for short periods of time, like taking a 5.3K video at 120FPS for five seconds.

The interchangeable lenses are definitely the key selling point for the GoPro Hero 13 Black, letting you change the field of view and filters to suit your sport or situation. Normally you’d have to pay around $120 to get the ultra wide lens on its own, but with the discount, you’re basically paying full price for the camera and getting the lens included. It makes a big difference too, taking the field of view up to 177 degrees, which GoPro says is 36% wider and 48% taller than the regular lens.

Older GoPro users will also appreciate the new magnetic mounting adapter, which brings it in line with some of our other favorite action cams. There are other quality of life changes too, like a waterproof pass-through charging door for longer sessions. The biggest downside of the GoPro is probably its battery life, which still falls short of competitors like the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro (8/10, WIRED Recommends), which is also a great action cam.

If you’re looking at upgrading from another recent GoPro model, this might not be worthwhile, especially if you don’t plan on using the ultra wide angle lens. For new owners, especially those looking to swap their lenses, this is our favorite GoPro for good reason, and a welcome discount on its best feature.



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Microsoft introduces a pair of in-house AI models

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Microsoft is expanding its AI footprint with the release of two new models that its teams trained completely in-house. MAI-Voice-1 is the tech major’s first natural speech generation model, while MAI-1-preview is text-based and is the company’s first foundation model trained end-to-end. MAI-Voice-1 is currently being used in the Copilot Daily and Podcast features. Microsoft has made MAI-1-preview available for public tests on LMArena, and will begin previewing it in select Copilot situations in the coming weeks.

In an interview with Semafor, Microsoft AI division leader Mustafa Suleyman said the pair of models was developed with a focus on efficiency and cost-effectiveness. MAI-Voice-1 runs on a single GPU and MAI-1-preview was trained on about 15,000 Nvidia H-100 GPUs. For context, other models, such as xAI’s Grok, took more than 100,000 of those chips for training. “Increasingly, the art and craft of training models is selecting the perfect data and not wasting any of your flops on unnecessary tokens that didn’t actually teach your model very much,” Suleyman said.

Although it is being used to test the in-house models, Microsoft Copilot is primarily built on OpenAI’s GPT tech. The decision to build its own models, despite having sunk billion-dollar investments in the newer AI company, indicates that Microsoft wants to be an independent competitor in this space. While that could take time to reach parity with the companies that have emerged as forerunners in AI development, Suleyman told Semafor that Microsoft has “an enormous five-year roadmap that we’re investing in quarter after quarter.” With some concerns arising that AI could be facing a bubble-pop, Microsoft’s timeline will need to be aggressive to ensure taking the independent path is worthwhile.



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Google’s Pixel Care Plus includes free screen and battery repair
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Google’s Pixel Care Plus includes free screen and battery repair

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Google is phasing out its Preferred Care extended warranty plan for the Pixel Care Plus program. Pricing between the two is pretty similar. You’ll still pay $8 per-month, or $159 for a two-year plan on a Pixel 9. For a Pixel 10 Pro Fold, that jumps up to $339 for two years, or $18 per-month, with the optional loss and theft package for a small extra charge.

The big changes here are that screen and battery repairs are free, and service fees for other accidental damage are much lower. Under the old Preferred Care program, replacing a cracked screen would run you $29. Under Pixel Care Plus a cracked front screen or battery running at under 80-percent capacity will get swapped out for $0. Unfortunately, if you happen to mess up the internal screen on your 10 Pro Fold, you are not covered.

Other accidental damage fees vary depending on model, ranging from $49 on some older models like the Pixel 8a and 9a, to $99 on the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. On average they’re lower though, with service fees reaching $129 for the Pixel 9 Pro and Fold models. The new loss and theft option, which adds $1 or $2 a month to the plan, also varies per model with deductibles ranging up to $149 on the high end.

The new plans bring Google more inline with the likes of Samsung, which ditched screen replacement fees under its new extended coverage plans back in January.



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IBM Quantum System Two
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AMD and IBM announce collaboration to build quantum centric supercomputing architectures

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  • IBM and AMD partner to combine quantum and high performance computing
  • Collaboration aims to accelerate research in fields from drug discovery to logistics
  • Companies plan open source platforms and hybrid workflows with initial demo soon

IBM and AMD have announced plans to “build the future of computing” by collaborating on new architecture to blend quantum systems with high-performance hardware in a bid to solve some of the world’s most difficult problems.

The partnership will combine IBM’s expertise in building quantum computers and related software with AMD’s background in processors, graphics, and AI accelerators in a step toward quantum-centric supercomputing.

The companies are looking at ways in which to integrate AMD CPUs, GPUs, and FPGAs with IBM’s quantum computers, with the ultimate goal to accelerate emerging algorithms that neither quantum nor classical systems can handle on their own.


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Pushing past the limits

“Quantum computing will simulate the natural world and represent information in an entirely new way,” said Arvind Krishna, Chairman and CEO, IBM.

“By exploring how quantum computers from IBM and the advanced high-performance compute technologies of AMD can work together, we will build a powerful hybrid model that pushes past the limits of traditional computing.”

The two tech giants will work together to build open-source platforms that can scale and support research in fields such as drug development, materials science, and supply chain optimization.

Lisa Su, Chair and CEO of AMD, also emphasized the importance of the partnership, saying, “High-performance computing is the foundation for solving the world’s most important challenges. As we partner with IBM to explore the convergence of high-performance computing and quantum technologies, we see tremendous opportunities to accelerate discovery and innovation.”

AMD has previously worked on some of the world’s fastest supercomputers, including Frontier and El Capitan.

This hybrid approach is also expected to support IBM’s roadmap toward fault-tolerant quantum computing, a milestone the company has said it hopes to reach before the end of the decade.

IBM has already begun similar work with other partners including Riken in Japan, as well as institutions like Cleveland Clinic and Lockheed Martin.

An initial demonstration is planned for later this year and will show how IBM quantum computers can work alongside AMD technology to deliver hybrid quantum-classical workflows.

The partnership will support open-source ecosystems, such as Qiskit, in a bid to encourage the development of algorithms for quantum-centric supercomputing.

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