AI Search Is Getting Better at Answers and Worse at the Web
The more AI search improves at giving you what you asked for, the more it hollows out the ecosystem that made the answers possible.
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41 posts
Android's Theming Problem Is a Design Problem
Android lets you change almost everything about how your phone looks. That freedom has quietly become a liability.
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The Subscription Model Has Peaked, and Software Companies Are Starting to Feel It
After a decade of converting everything to monthly billing, the software industry is hitting resistance it can't simply UI-dark-pattern its way out of.
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Software Subscriptions Are Repricing, and the New Numbers Don't Add Up
The era of cheap SaaS was always going to end. What's replacing it is harder to justify than anyone wants to admit.
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Offline Mode Is a Feature That Disappeared While You Weren't Looking
Apps used to work without a connection. Now they barely pretend to try - and we've normalised the regression.
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The File Has No Home Anymore
Cloud sync promised to free files from devices. Instead, it made them belong to nowhere - and nobody's fixing that.
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The Notification Has Won, and We Let It
Notifications were supposed to be alerts. Instead, they became the primary interface - and the app is now optional.
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Notifications Have Won, and Your Phone Knows It
The notification system was designed to serve you. Somewhere along the way, that arrangement quietly reversed.
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Notification Badges Are Broken Design, and We've Just Accepted It
The red dot that rules your phone was never designed to help you. It was designed to keep you opening apps.
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AI Coding Assistants Are Getting Better at Writing Code Nobody Should Write
The more fluent AI coding tools become, the more confidently they generate the wrong abstraction at the wrong time.
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The Browser Is Eating the Operating System, and Nobody Seems Bothered
Chrome OS proved the concept a decade ago. Now the rest of the industry is quietly finishing the job.
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The Quiet Death of the Standalone App
Everything is becoming a platform, and the apps we used to own are turning into subscriptions inside subscriptions.
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AI Assistants Are Getting Worse at Saying 'I Don't Know'
The pressure to sound useful has made AI chatbots more confidently wrong than ever - and that's a design choice, not a bug.
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4 Smart Home Projects Worth Leaving to the Professionals
Some smart home upgrades are better handled by professionals. Electrical panel work and complex network rack setups top the list of projects to think twice about.
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Bluesky adds long-form content support via AT Protocol community apps
Bluesky's latest app update integrates long-form content from AT Protocol-powered publishing platforms, letting users read articles and blog posts within the app.
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Corgi's valuation doubled to $2.6B in three weeks, and LPs are paying attention
Corgi's valuation doubled to $2.6B in just three weeks, drawing scrutiny from LPs over rapid internal markups with no liquidity event in between.
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Engadget Podcast: GameStop's $56B eBay Bid, reMarkable Paper Pure Review
The Engadget Podcast breaks down GameStop's $56B eBay bid, reviews the reMarkable Paper Pure, and covers the week's biggest tech headlines.
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Five HBO Max Shows Worth Binging Over a Long Weekend
Five HBO Max series - including The Penguin and The Chair Company - chosen specifically for their short enough season lengths to finish over a single weekend.
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Five Linux Distros That Disappeared When Their Developers Left
A look at Linux distributions that were once popular or beloved but disappeared after their key developers stepped away or sold up.
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Four Windows 11 Features Worth Turning On Right Now
Windows 11 includes several powerful features that are off or hidden by default - including clipboard history, snap assist, and per-app audio controls.
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Google Apps Work Better Together - Here's How to Use Them
Combining Google apps like Gemini, Gmail, Docs, Keep, and Calendar unlocks integrations that can streamline writing, task management, and daily organization.
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Google Maps has a Street View time archive most people don't know about
Google Maps has quietly preserved years of Street View history, letting users look back at how places appeared in the past.
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Google Tests Cutting Free Gmail Storage From 15GB to 5GB for New Users
Google is testing a cut to free Gmail storage for new users, potentially dropping the limit from 15GB to 5GB in select regions, with phone verification required to unlock more.
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HBO Max in June: House of the Dragon, Larry David, and More Worth Watching
House of the Dragon season 3, a new Larry David comedy, and a Questlove-directed documentary are among the HBO Max highlights arriving in June.
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Healthcare data platform H1 raises $40M from CVS despite cooling SaaS market
Healthcare data platform H1 raised $40M led by CVS Health Ventures, with CEO Ariel Katz arguing its physician data business is insulated from AI disruption.
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Leaked Disney memo points to Hulu app shutdown by end of 2026
An internal memo reported by Business Insider suggests Disney plans to shut down the standalone Hulu app and fold its content into Disney+ by end of 2026.
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M-DISC promises 1,000-year data storage - its maker lasted under a decade
M-DISC is a write-once optical format designed to last 1,000 years, but its inventor Millenniata filed for bankruptcy in 2016. Verbatim still sells the discs today.
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Pentagon confirms adversaries used commercial location data to track U.S. troops
U.S. Central Command confirmed adversaries used purchased commercial location data to track American troops, prompting Sen. Wyden to call adtech a national security threat.
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Phishing Campaign Targets Signal Users' Chat Backup Recovery Keys
A phishing campaign is tricking Signal users into handing over their backup recovery keys, potentially exposing past messages, photos, and documents.
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Prison Phone Service Pay Tel Exposed 300K Callers' IDs in Unsecured Cloud Server
Cybersecurity firm UpGuard found a password-free Azure server exposing 300K+ driver's licenses, ID documents, and inmate communications belonging to Pay Tel customers.
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Slate Auto to Reveal EV Pricing and Open Preorders on June 24
Slate Auto will reveal pricing for its low-cost EV on June 24 and begin taking non-refundable $300 preorders, with first deliveries expected by end of 2025.
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Slate EV Truck Pre-Orders Open June 24, Price Now Expected in Mid-$20Ks
Slate's electric truck pre-orders open June 24 with a $300 non-refundable deposit. Pricing is now expected to start in the mid-$20,000 range after federal EV tax credits were eliminated.
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Sony Partners with TSMC to Build Next-Gen Image Sensors in Japan
Sony and TSMC are forming a joint venture in Japan to develop next-gen image sensors, as Sony's CEO moves to reduce the company's in-house manufacturing footprint.
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Spotify's Mobile Apps Get Bulk Editing, Folder Management, and Background Downloads
Spotify has rolled out several mobile updates including playlist folder editing, bulk track management, and background downloads for iOS Premium users.
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TechCrunch Extends Startup Battlefield 200 Deadline to June 8
TechCrunch has extended the Startup Battlefield 200 application deadline to June 8, giving early-stage startups a final chance to compete at Disrupt 2026.
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Waymo's Ojai Robotaxi, Built on a Zeekr Platform, Opens to Select Riders
Waymo has begun offering free rides in its new Ojai robotaxi - a Zeekr-built minivan outfitted with Waymo tech - to select users in three U.S. cities.
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What TPM Actually Does in Windows 11 - and Why Microsoft Botched the Explanation
TPM 2.0 was framed as a Windows 11 checkbox requirement, but the security chip does far more - and Microsoft largely failed to explain why it matters.
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Why Google Messages' Cloud Backup Is More Trouble Than It's Worth
Google Messages only backs up to Google Drive, quietly consuming storage and concentrating your private data with one provider. Here's what to consider before enabling it.
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Wired Internet Without Running Ethernet Cables: Three Options Worth Knowing
Specialized adapters using existing coaxial or other in-wall wiring can deliver wired internet speeds without the hassle of running new ethernet cables.
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Your Motherboard May Cap How Much Storage You Can Actually Add
Adding more storage to a PC isn't always as simple as buying a bigger drive - your motherboard may impose limits on how far you can actually scale.
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YouTube adds audio-first mode and auto speed for podcast listeners
YouTube is rolling out an audio-first "on-the-go mode" and auto speed playback for podcasts, available to Premium subscribers on Android first.
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