Author: alex

Automattic files counterclaim against WP Engine over trademarks and open‑source contributions Automattic has filed a counterclaim in its legal battle with WP Engine, alleging that WP Engine — after receiving a $250 million investment from private equity firm Silver Lake — violated WordPress trademarks and failed to contribute materially to the open‑source WordPress project. The counterclaim claims WP Engine used branding such as "WordPress Technology Company," allowed partners to call it "WordPress Engine," and released products labeled "Core WordPress" and "Headless WordPress," which Automattic says confuse consumers about who develops WordPress. Automattic also alleges WP Engine did not deliver on a promised commitment to devote five percent of its resources to supporting the WordPress project. Key allegations Trademark misuse: WP Engine allegedly used WordPress trademarks and confusing branding that imply…

Anker Prime: new premium accessories line launches with 25% off through Nov 16 Anker has introduced a new premium range called Anker Prime and started a launch promotion: customers can get 25% off all Prime products by entering the coupon code PRIMETECH25 at checkout. The offer is valid until November 16. The Prime series expands Anker’s accessory lineup with a focus on higher‑end designs and materials. The company unveiled several new products as part of the range this week and is running the limited‑time discount to mark the launch. What to know Discount: 25% off new Anker Prime products with coupon PRIMETECH25 at checkout. Validity: Offer runs through Nov 16 (check local terms and availability). How to redeem: Enter the coupon code at checkout on Anker’s online store; terms may…

Sennheiser HDB 630 review: near‑audiophile wireless with a dongle Sennheiser’s HDB 630 aim to bring audiophile‑level sound to a wireless, ANC‑equipped package. Priced at $500 and shipping with the BTD 700 USB‑C dongle, these headphones unlock high‑resolution wireless streaming (up to 24‑bit/96kHz with the dongle), a neutral and detailed tuning, long battery life, and a robust suite of customization options. They’re not perfect: the design borrows heavily from the Momentum 4 (a look some find underwhelming for a $500 pair), some genres benefit from EQ boosts, and the control app is mobile‑only. Still, for listeners who prioritize sound fidelity in a wireless set, the HDB 630 are one of the most compelling options right now. Quick highlights High‑res wireless via included BTD 700 dongle: aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless up…

AWS outage traced to a DynamoDB automation bug that broke DNS and took many services offline Amazon has published a detailed report on the Oct. 20 outage that disrupted many websites, apps and online services. According to the report, the incident began with a bug in the automation that manages DynamoDB’s DNS records for the US East (Northern Virginia) region. That bug produced an empty DNS record for key data‑center addresses and the automated repair process failed to fix it, forcing Amazon to intervene manually. Because DynamoDB stores and manages hundreds of thousands of DNS records used by other AWS systems and customer workloads, the DNS failure cascaded across dependent systems. Services that could not reach DynamoDB experienced DNS failures, leading to partial or total outages for numerous popular services.…

OpenAI’s AMD & Broadcom chip deals ratchet up pressure on TSMC OpenAI has signed large, multi‑year agreements with AMD and Broadcom to secure vast quantities of AI silicon: AMD will produce roughly 6 gigawatts of GPUs (with the first ~1GW due in late 2026), while Broadcom will deliver about 10 gigawatts of AI accelerators and networking systems starting in the back half of 2026 through 2029. These deals aim to give OpenAI custom hardware tuned for inference and training workloads, diversify its supply away from a single vendor, and (per analysts) reduce unit cost compared with fully in‑house designs. But there’s a bigger industry story: no matter who designs the chips, almost all advanced nodes are manufactured at a single company — TSMC. Why TSMC matters TSMC leads in advanced…

Perplexity opens Comet AI browser to everyone for free Perplexity has made its AI browser Comet freely available to all users after a limited early release in July. Comet embeds a personal AI assistant directly into the browsing experience, aiming to make web research, summarization and task completion faster without switching apps. The launch comes just days after OpenAI introduced its own browser project, Atlas, on macOS — setting up immediate competition in the emerging category of AI‑first browsers. Both efforts reflect a broader push to integrate large‑model assistants more tightly into how people browse the web. What Comet offers Built‑in AI assistant: Summarize pages, answer questions and generate content without leaving the browser. Research workflow: Tools to collect, cite and organize web findings more efficiently. Free access: Comet is…

Judge says Meta can’t shield internal teen‑harm research with attorney‑client privilege A court in Washington, D.C. has ruled that Meta cannot use attorney‑client privilege to block internal documents and research related to social media harm to teenagers. The judge found that advice from Meta’s lawyers encouraging employees to “remove,” “block,” “button up” or “limit” portions of studies appeared intended to limit legal liability and potentially to conceal evidence — bringing the crime‑fraud exception into play. The court ordered Meta to hand over four specific documents created between November 2022 and July 2023 within seven days. Meta has disputed the ruling, saying these were routine lawyer‑client discussions and that no research findings were deleted or destroyed. Case context The decision relates to state lawsuits and hundreds of private civil claims accusing…

Samsung Galaxy XR: lighter, cheaper and more comfortable — but app ecosystem still catching up Samsung’s new Galaxy XR headset aims squarely at Apple’s Vision Pro with a different playbook: make XR lighter, more comfortable and far more affordable. In early hands‑on impressions, reviewers found Galaxy XR easier to wear for longer sessions and better suited to daily use — even if it doesn’t match every one of Vision Pro’s headline features. Key strengths cited include a noticeably lower weight, ergonomic comfort, and a price point that is roughly half that of the Vision Pro. That affordability could lower the barrier for consumers curious about spatial computing and help grow the XR market beyond early adopters. Software & apps: progress, but not there yet One winning factor for Galaxy XR…

Sleep Awake arrives Dec 2: Blumhouse-backed psychedelic horror leans on immersive sound Sleep Awake, a first‑person psychedelic horror from Eyes Out (founded by Spec Ops: The Line director Cory Davis and Nine Inch Nails guitarist Robin Finck), is due to release on December 2 for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Published by Blumhouse Games, the title promises a sound‑forward, narrative‑heavy experience that leans into audio design to build tension and dread. The game takes place in the last known city on an Earth ravaged by The HUSH — a mysterious force that eliminates anyone who falls asleep. Players control Katja, who must stay awake and survive as residents resort to extreme measures to avoid The HUSH. Expect surreal visuals, unsettling encounters, and a strong emphasis on atmosphere rather…

Daily AI Brief: Anthropic advances Claude with domain focus and TPU scale Quick roundup of the past 24–48 hours focused on Anthropic (Claude) and OpenAI. Anthropic announced several notable product and infrastructure moves — domain enhancements, workflow customization and a large Google Cloud TPU expansion — while OpenAI had no major public announcements in this window. Top developments Claude for Life Sciences: Anthropic unveiled capabilities tailored for life‑sciences research, promising improved performance and integrations with scientific workflows. Read Anthropic’s post Agent Skills: New Agent Skills let organizations customize Claude for specific workflows and integrate with tools like Box and Notion, easing enterprise adoption. Agent Skills details Google Cloud TPU expansion: Reporting indicates Anthropic plans to significantly increase its Google Cloud TPU commitments to scale Claude, a major infrastructure bet that…