Amazon to pay $2.5 billion to settle FTC claims over unwanted Prime enrollments The Federal Trade Commission announced a settlement requiring Amazon to pay a $1 billion civil penalty to the FTC and $1.5 billion to refund customers after alleging Amazon enrolled roughly 35 million customers into Amazon Prime without proper consent and made cancellations difficult through deceptive interface designs. Key settlement terms $1 billion civil penalty to the FTC (largest civil penalty in an FTC breach case). $1.5 billion in consumer redress to provide refunds for affected customers (estimated ~35 million people). Amazon must stop using deceptive "dark patterns" in the Prime sign-up and cancellation flows — for example, removing misleading options such as a button reading "No, I don’t want Free Shipping" during cancellation. Amazon must provide clearer…

Insta360 Wave: AI conference speakerphone with 8-mic array Insta360 has launched the Wave, a conference speakerphone focused on clean voice transmission, easy use and AI-powered transcription. The device integrates eight microphones to capture speech from up to ~5 meters (approx. 16 feet) and uses automatic gain control plus AI noise reduction to keep quiet voices and background noise under control. The speaker is aimed at improving remote and hybrid meetings with built-in meeting intelligence. Key specs Microphones: 8-microphone 3D array Pickup range: up to ~5 m / 16 ft Audio: Hi‑Fi capture; AI noise cancellation removing many common noises Features: Automatic gain control, AI transcription and meeting assistant features Design: Levitating speakerphone-style form factor Connectivity: Likely USB/Bluetooth (typical for speakerphones); check official page for exact ports Price, availability & subscription…

xAI sues OpenAI over alleged trade-secret theft Elon Musk’s xAI has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in California federal court, alleging that the ChatGPT maker stole trade secrets by hiring former xAI employees who allegedly took proprietary code and operational know‑how. Key claims xAI alleges former engineer Xuechen Li took confidential data before joining OpenAI and has filed a separate suit against him. The complaint names another ex-xAI engineer, Jimmy Fraiture, accused of copying source code and transferring it to personal devices prior to joining OpenAI. xAI also claims a senior finance executive brought proprietary “rapid data‑center deployment” methods to OpenAI. xAI’s lawyers describe the conduct as part of a “broader and deeply troubling pattern” of trade-secret misappropriation and unfair competition. Context OpenAI has not yet commented publicly on the…

Nothing Spins Off CMF into India‑Headquartered Subsidiary Tech company Nothing is spinning off its budget CMF brand into an independent subsidiary headquartered in India for manufacturing and R&D, in partnership with Indian ODM Optiemus. The move is expected to create over 1,800 jobs and focuses on affordable devices (primarily under $200). Key points Headquarters for manufacturing & R&D: India Partner: Optiemus (Indian ODM / telecom partner) Jobs: 1,800+ projected Product focus: Budget-friendly devices (earbuds, smartwatch, smartphones) priced largely under $200 Funding context: Nothing recently raised $200M in a funding round; a separate ~$100M JV/investment has been reported for the CMF spin-off Background CMF by Nothing launched in 2023 with earbuds and a smartwatch, and has since expanded into smartphones. India represents a strong market for Nothing — the brand has…

Spotify strengthens AI protections: disclosures, impersonation policy & spam filter Spotify has announced a set of policy updates to address AI-generated music and spam on its platform. The key measures include: AI disclosure in credits (via DDEX) — Artists can specify which parts of a track used AI (vocals, instrumentation, post-production) instead of a simple "AI/no-AI" label. Impersonation policy — Clearer rules and stronger protections against unauthorized AI vocal clones and deepfakes, with defined recourse for affected artists. New spam filter — A system to detect and tag uploads that use mass uploads, duplicates, SEO hacks, artificially short tracks and other spammy tactics; Spotify reports removing over 75 million spammy tracks in the past year. Spotify emphasized balancing creative freedom with protecting artists from bad actors and content farms. The…

Best October Prime Day Deals — Early Picks & Where to Buy October Prime Day is approaching and Prime members are already seeing early discounts. Below are top picks from the early sale period with quick notes and a link to search each product on Amazon (affiliate tag included). Apple iPad (A16) — $299 ($50 off). A faster base iPad with double the storage. Search on Amazon Apple Mac mini (M4) — $499 ($100 off). Compact desktop with M4 chip and 16GB RAM in base model. Search on Amazon Apple iPad Air (11-inch, M3) — $449 ($150 off). Great productivity tablet with the M3 chip. Search on Amazon Jisulife Life7 handheld fan — $25. Portable fan with 5,000 mAh battery and wear-around-the-neck option. Search on Amazon Roku Streaming Stick Plus…

Tom: TomTom launches new warning system for drivers TomTom has introduced “Tom” — a new combination of its free TomTom app together with a traffic-warner called Tom by TomTom. The system provides real‑time traffic and hazard alerts and the Tom unit gives visual and audible warnings to drivers. The two components are designed to work together to improve on‑road safety. Key points What it is: A paired solution — TomTom’s app plus the Tom by TomTom traffic-warner (lights & sounds). What it does: Real‑time traffic and hazard alerts; warns drivers of possible dangers using light and tone signals. Availability: Announced recently and appears integrated with TomTom’s navigation ecosystem and some in‑vehicle solutions. No clear evidence yet that the Tom hardware is sold as a standalone product on major retailers like…

Forza Horizon 6 — Set in Japan (2026) Microsoft and Playground Games have officially revealed Forza Horizon 6 at Tokyo Game Show. The new entry takes the Horizon series to Japan and is slated for release in 2026, launching first on Xbox and PC. What we know Setting: Japan — Tokyo confirmed, plus rural and mountain areas (Mount Fuji featured in teaser). Release: 2026, first on Xbox and PC. Gameplay: No gameplay shown in the TGS teaser trailer; teaser focused on cultural trinkets and Mount Fuji visuals. Studio notes: Playground Games' Art Director Don Arceta cited Japan's "unique culture" — cars, music and fashion — as a reason for choosing the location and said the studio aims for an authentic representation. Features: Seasons will return; Japanese car culture will be…

OpenAI for Germany — SAP, OpenAI & Microsoft launch sovereign AI offering for public sector (from 2026) SAP, OpenAI and Microsoft have announced a joint initiative called "OpenAI for Germany". The program aims to make it easier for German federal and local administrations, as well as research institutions, to use advanced AI tools while meeting strict data sovereignty, privacy and compliance requirements. The rollout is planned to begin in 2026. Key points Partnership: SAP, OpenAI and Microsoft collaborating to provide an AI offering tailored to the German public sector. Technical base: The solution will run on SAP’s Delos Cloud, which is hosted on Microsoft Azure and is being prepared to support large AI workloads (reports cite expansion to thousands of GPUs). Goals: Enable AI-driven automation and productivity improvements in administrations…

Baseus launches PicoGo‑2 series: compact Qi2.2 magnetic powerbanks with built‑in USB‑C cable Baseus has expanded its PicoGo lineup with the PicoGo‑2 series — portable magnetic powerbanks that support the new Qi2.2 / MagSafe standard. The compact units come in 5,000mAh and 10,000mAh variants and combine magnetic wireless charging with wired convenience. Key features Qi2.2 / MagSafe compatible — up to 15W magnetic wireless charging for iPhones (PicoGo 5,000mAh model); higher-end AM61 variants advertise higher wireless/wired outputs. Built‑in USB‑C cable plus an additional USB‑C port for wired charging (20W+ support depending on model). Compact, ultra‑slim design with a rotatable kickstand for hands‑free use. Multi‑layer protection and low‑current modes for smaller devices. Capacity options typically include 5,000mAh and 10,000mAh. Availability & pricing The 5,000mAh PicoGo models are available from Baseus and major…