You can easily disassemble this repairable smartwatch using just a Phillips screwdriver

The Spectra is a new smartwatch designed from the ground up to be hackable and easy to repair. It was created by Pocuter, a company that has spent the last few years honing an expertise in building small electronics like its tiny Pocuter One computer. What makes the Spectra unique is that it’s repairable, yet with…

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Snap says New Mexico intentionally friended alleged child predators, then blamed the company

Snap says the basis of a scathing lawsuit suggesting it systematically recommends teens’ accounts to child predators is backwards — the company is now accusing the New Mexico attorney general of intentionally seeking out such accounts before recommendations were made. The company says the AG’s case is based on “gross misrepresentations” and cherry picks from…

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Automakers plead with Trump: don’t kill the EV tax credit

The auto industry is sending an urgent message to President-elect Donald Trump: spare the $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit. In a November 14th letter to Trump and his transition team, the auto industry’s main lobbying group urges the new administration to preserve incentives for EV buyers and manufacturers that were enacted under President Joe Biden,…

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AI landlord screening tool will stop scoring low-income tenants after discrimination suit

SafeRent, an AI screening tool used by landlords, will no longer use AI-powered “scores” to evaluate whether someone using housing vouchers would make a good tenant. On Wednesday, US District Judge Angel Kelley issued final approval for a roughly $2.3 million settlement to prevent SafeRent from discriminating against tenants based on income and race. The…

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Strava closes the gates to sharing fitness data with other apps

We wanted to provide some additional context around the changes to our API Agreement and the impact for our users and developers. We currently anticipate these changes will impact less than .1% of applications and proactively notified the majority of those affected last week. Enhanced Privacy and User Control Privacy and user control are at…

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Alexa could soon be better at calling an Uber and buying concert tickets

Following ongoing reports that Amazon’s generative AI makeover of Alexa is not going well, it appears Amazon may take a more practical approach to making its smart assistant more useful. According to Business Insider, Amazon is partnering with several companies to make Alexa better at doing things you might want a digital assistant to do: including…

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Amazon and SpaceX attack US labor watchdog in court

Amazon and SpaceX are seeking to hamstring the National Labor Relations Board, asking a court to declare its processes for upholding labor law unconstitutional. But judges on a three-person panel appeared skeptical when the companies presented their arguments Monday. In two separate cases before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, the two companies argued that…

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Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake: a straightforward, old-school RPG

We’re in a pretty good moment for sprawling, complex role-playing games. New releases like Metaphor: ReFantazio and Dragon Age Absolution, along with older titles like Elden Ring (including this year’s expansion), Cyberpunk 2077, and Baldur’s Gate 3 have sucked millions of people into their expansive worlds. They can be all-consuming experiences, offering players all kinds…

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