Tech

Users can pair the app with the “gateway” that powers the open-source AI assistant, according to its description on the Google Play Store and App Store. Once connected, users can chat with OpenClaw using real-time voice conversations, approve an agent’s actions, and control access to features like their device’s camera or location.

In April, Google announced that AI Plus, Pro, and Ultra subscribers in the US would be able to connect Google Photos with Personal Intelligence to let Gemini generate AI images based on their personal context. Beginning today, however, the feature won’t be behind a subscription: all eligible users in the US will have access.

Swedish-language site Flamman reported that Daniel Berntsson gave 5 million Swedish kronor to the Örebro Party. The VPN company responded to the news on X, and Mullvad’s co-CEO Fredrik Strömberg told TechRadar “I don’t like that he made this donation,” but that “we will continue to protect the universal right to privacy.”

It’s time for a new series on The Vergecast! (It still needs a name. Please help.) We’re going to give Verge staffers a challenge, and regroup a few weeks later to see who did it best. We’re starting with some vibe coding. The Verge’s Jake Kastrenakes and Hayden Field share what they’ve made with AI that has actually stuck in their lives, before David gives the challenge: build a website to solve a problem in your life. We’ll be back with the results soon, and in the meantime, send us ideas for more challenges! (Also, names for the series. PLEASE.)

Cursor, which SpaceX recently announced plans to acquire, says its new app can help users launch and track AI agents, as well as show updates about an agent’s progress via the iPhone’s Live Activities feature.

While existing Matter-friendly smart ceiling lights from Lifx and Aqara are $95 to $150, SwitchBot launched a 2,000-lumen 12-inch option for $49.99, and a slightly brighter and larger 3,200-lumen 15-inch model for $79.99. Both include full color plus warm or cool white lighting, dimming, 26 preset scenes, and eight lighting effects.

Forget for a moment that it’s morally disgusting to let people bet on wildfires; people have already spent $1.2 million doing it. The real question is when someone will commit financially-motivated arson in order to win their bet — because unlike other major environmental events, massive fires are easy to create.

An update to Discord’s support page says it’s trying out a way to scan your ID through Incode, adding that “only your date of birth is reviewed for age confirmation purposes,” while your ID and selfie will be “permanently deleted.” Discord’s also testing age verification via a credit card or ID pass in Google Wallet.

The Play design tool for Mac and iPhone won an Apple Design Award for innovation last year, and could be used to prototype iPhone app interfaces before it was pulled from the App Store. Apple doesn’t specifically mention how it’ll use Play, but its IP could be used to improve Xcode developer tools.

In a 6-3 ruling, the Supreme Court determined that people have a reasonable right to privacy on their devices. The government had argued “geofence warrants” don’t constitute searches — but the court disagreed.

That’s according to this Trendforce report, which says Apple is planning to adopt OLED panels across its future MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and iMac products that are capable of achieving 95 percent coverage of the BT.2020 color gamut. BT.2020 covers more of the visible color spectrum compared to DCI-P3 standard Apple currently uses.

Mirroring similar concerns raised by Apple, Google is now warning that “scammers and fraudsters could exploit greater access to apps’ permissions” if the EU pushes ahead with draft measures that would force the company to open its Search data and Android operating system to competitors. In a statement to Wired, Google security engineering head, Heather Adkins, said:

It may never come to the US, but LG announced its new HomeBot AI Objet Collection Roni robot vacuum in South Korea today. Its charging/cleaning dock can be hidden in kitchen cabinetry (requiring some reno) but there’s also a standalone dock that looks like a nondescript side table.

If you’re trying to cut down the amount of time you spend on YouTube, there’s at least one more video you should watch. Modder Throaty Mumbo has built a custom cartridge that can search and stream YouTube on a Game Boy Color. The quality and experience look awful, but it works.

The maximum penalty for social media providers that fail to keep under-16’s off their platforms is now 99 million AUD (about $68.2 million), double the original. It follows a study suggesting more than 80 percent of under-16s are still using social media in Australia. In a statement, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said:

The upgraded StanbyMe 2 Max TV that was unveiled in April is now available to buy in the US for $1,299.99. The 32-inch display provides up to 4.5 hours of battery life, and can be rotated into landscape or portrait orientations when attached to its rolling stand, or the built-in folding stand at the rear.

Google has struggled to keep up with demand for its cloud computing power, and Meta has grown increasingly reliant on Gemini for many of its needs. Now, Meta, along with a number of other clients, is being told that Google simply can’t provide the capacity they want. According to the Financial Times:

The racing league has been testing it for at least two years now, and it’s ready to make its big debut. It can accelerate to 300 km/h (186 mph) in 4 seconds with a top speed of over 350 km/h (217 mph). The big challenge is keeping that up for an entire lap without exploding.

The oldest service in the BBC’s portfolio has sent its last broadcast. Keeping the longwave signals flowing has become increasingly expensive, and very few rely on the tech now that streaming is widely available, and VHF radio and satellites have largely replaced longwave.