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Microsoft just wrapped up a big Windows and Surface-focused keynote in San Francisco.

The biggest announcement was arguably the release details about the Surface Laptop Ultra, its new laptop that’s powered by Nvidia’s RTX Spark Arm-based chip. The machine will start at $2,599 for a configuration with an 8-core CPU, 24GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage, and it will be released on October 16th.

The laptop also has built-in magnetic USB-C charging instead of the proprietary Surface Connect magnetic charging port. The Verge’s Tom Warren published a deep dive all about the new laptop.

Microsoft also announced that the Surface RTX Spark Dev Box, a mini PC for developers, is available for preorder for $5,999 ahead of shipping in November.

In addition, Microsoft shared details about some updates coming to Windows, including “Hybrid Intelligence” features that lets Copilot use files on your Windows PC to take actions and a new search experience that lets you do quick actions from the search bar.

You can catch up with all of our coverage from the event right here.

– Pinned How Microsoft built its MacBook Pro competitorBefore Microsoft releases a laptop to the public, it needs to put the device through its paces.

That all happens inside a windowless, warehouse-like lab on the company’s Redmond, Washington, campus, where the team developing Surface devices programs robots to press their buttons thousands of times, pelts devices with radio waves from giant antennas, and builds contraptions that drop objects from increasingly daring heights to see whether the products can hold up.

Its latest laptop, the product I’m here to see, really needs to hold up. The Surface Laptop Ultra isn’t just another high-end config of the Surface Laptop, it’s the debut platform for Nvidia’s RTX Spark — Nvidia’s entrance into the world of Arm-based PC chips, and a chance to blow expectations out of the water when it comes to what a Windows laptop is capable of.

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– Microsoft is giving Copilot more control over Windows and your filesAt today’s Windows and Surface event, Microsoft showed off an upgrade to its Copilot AI system that will give it access to local files on your PC and the ability to take actions across the OS.

It’s part of an idea Microsoft is calling “Hybrid Intelligence,” where apps and tools rely on a mix of local and cloud AI models to accomplish tasks efficiently. To show off how Hybrid Intelligence works, Jacob Andreou, Microsoft’s EVP of Copilot, walked through a video demo on stage asking Microsoft’s Autopilot tool to help with filing taxes.

Andreou told the AI agent that he got an email from his accountant and asked Autopilot to get her what she needs. Autopilot then used Hybrid Intelligence to search across different folders to find the documents, rename the files, zip them into a folder, and draft an email to send to the accountant with the zip file attached.

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– Tom Warren and Emma Roth The Surface Laptop Ultra finally has a release date — and a starting price of $2,599Months after revealing its Surface Laptop Ultra, Microsoft has announced that the Nvidia RTX Spark-equipped device will launch on October 16th. Pricing starts at $2,599 for the base configuration, featuring an 18-core CPU, 24GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage.

The Surface Laptop Ultra ships with a 15-inch HDR touchscreen display with up to 2,000 nits of peak brightness, along with a larger trackpad that supports haptic feedback. The device uses Nvidia’s new RTX Spark chip, an Arm-based processor with up to 128GB of unified memory.

Both Microsoft and Nvidia are positioning RTX Spark laptops at the very premium end of the laptop market, designed for high performance across creative software, gaming, and local AI tasks. Read Article >

– Surface RTX Spark Dev Box is available for preorder for $5,999Microsoft’s Nvidia-powered Surface RTX Spark Dev Box is available for preorder now directly, and slated to ship in November for just about $6,000. It’s pricier than the DGX Spark mini PC Nvidia launched last year, but PC prices have been climbing due to shortages of RAM and other components.

The Dev Box’s flat, 3D-printed anodized aluminum chassis doubles as a heatsink and resembles the top vents on an Xbox Series X. It’s launching alongside the new Surface Laptop Ultra and runs on Nvidia’s Arm-based RTX Spark platform and 128GB of unified memory.

With that much memory, along with a 100-watt thermal envelope and Nvidia’s Tensor cores, you could probably get an impressive gaming experience on the Dev Box. But as its name suggests, it’s mainly aimed at developers.

It’s optimized for running local AI, including “models exceeding 120B parameters,” for tasks like testing AI models, prototyping AI agents, or running AI coding tools on-device. Read Article >

– Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Ultra has built-in magnetic USB-C chargingMicrosoft has created a magnetic charging solution for its Surface Laptop Ultra that uses USB-C. After scrapping its proprietary Surface Connect magnetic charging on its smaller Surface devices last year, the Surface Laptop Ultra has a charging cable that attaches magnetically to the right side USB-C port.

During Microsoft’s Windows event on Wednesday, Windows and Surface chief Pavan Davuluri said that you can just “bring the connector close, and it snaps right into place.“ It’s still a proprietary solution, but the USB-C port it slots into still works for video, data, and other USB-C connectivity like you’d expect. Microsoft is calling it Magnetic Connect, and I’m surprised the company hasn’t shortened that to Mag-C.

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– Muse is coming to Windows.Meta’s new AI agent will be getting a native app on Windows, Windows and Surface chief Pavan Davuluri announced at today’s event. No timeline on when, though. Meta launched a Mac Muse app in September.

– Windows and Surface live blog: On the ground at Microsoft’s eventWe’re in San Francisco today to hear what’s next for Windows and Surface.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and Windows and Surface chief Pavan Davuluri will all be holding a “conversation on how local AI will shape the next chapter of the PC.” Microsoft and Nvidia have been working together on the new RTX Spark platform, which is focused on boosting local AI models, creative apps, and even gaming on a series of new laptops.

Nvidia’s GPU expertise is getting squeezed into laptops like the Surface Laptop Ultra, and we’re about to find out exactly what it’s capable of. Read Article >

For the first time in years, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers — better known as ICANN — is accepting applications for new top-level domains. These are the suffixes at the end of all URLs, and you may know them as things like .com, .org, and .pizza.

ICANN just announced the 1,615 applications that have been submitted so far, from 481 different applicants. The trend will not surprise you: AI is everywhere.

Ten different companies, including both Meta and OpenAI, applied for the .agent domain. Seven, including OpenAI, applied for .agi.

Six, including OpenAI, applied for .asi, clearly attempting to get in on President Trump’s demand to switch from “artificial intelligence” to “super intelligence.” Four companies applied for .intelligence, and Meta is one of two interested in the preposterously long .superintelligence. (OpenAI applied for a total of 15 TLDs; Meta wants a whopping 21.)

There are, broadly, two types of domains in these applications. One is more generic, the kind of thing lots of people or companies might use. There are hundreds of those in this current batch, from .geek to .haha to .anime to .jackpot. There’s also my personal favorite new one, .itiswhatitis.

The other is purely branded, giving a company its own TLD to use for its own purposes. There are 345 brand applications in this batch, including everything from .applebees and .bankofamerica to .zillow and .zoom.

Meta applied for .facebook, .instagram, .messenger, .meta, .frommeta, and .threads, which it could use for many purposes; Bluesky applied for .bsky with the apparent intention of weaving the domain into its usernames; OpenAI applied for .chatgpt, .codex, .openai, .gpt, and others; Anthropic wants .anthropic and .claude.

These strings could ultimately make for memorable product pages, social media usernames, and much more besides.

It has mostly been a tough road for these alternate TLDs over the last few years. Some, like .ai or .app, have become somewhat popular thanks to various tech trends, but most people just never got used to the idea of typing .restaurant or .babysitting, and .com and a few others have actually become more important than ever.

It’s interesting to see so many brands go for their own domain, which only Google and a few others have accomplished before.

This is but one step in the process of creating a new top-level domain, and nothing will be made official before sometime next year. But it appears that even as the world becomes more filled with and mediated by AI, great domain names continue to matter. Even the AI companies think so.

OpenAI adds new features to ChatGPT for Teens

OpenAI is adding new features to ChatGPT for Teens, a mode launched last August that includes safeguards and break reminders, to help users navigate the college application process.

New College Planner tracks deadlines and requirements

The upcoming College Planner will let users keep track of application and financial‑aid deadlines. According to OpenAI, “College Planner brings together application requirements, deadlines, tasks, and financial‑aid steps for schools on a student’s list in one plan.” Students applying to multiple schools can return to the planner to update their progress, use a timeline to look ahead, and see what remains to be done.

They can also ask ChatGPT follow‑up questions, from clarifying a requirement to getting started.

U.S. rollout targets grades 10‑12

OpenAI says the new College Planner will be available “soon,” with an initial focus in the U.S. on students in grades 10‑12 who plan to attend a four‑year college.

Study‑related updates also on the way

Other study‑related updates are also on the way. iOS users can now capture multiple photos in a continuous burst and turn them into a single PDF. ChatGPT will also be able to generate flashcards from a user’s notes.

Concerns raised by Common Sense Media

These announcements come shortly after Common Sense Media released a report labeling ChatGPT for Teens an “unacceptable risk,” claiming the AI tool still does kids’ homework and fails to alert parents when it should. OpenAI counters that, on average, teens spend “under 15 minutes a day” using the service.

Who is Jane Doe? Online vigilantes have attempted to reveal the Cornell University student who filed a lawsuit accusing seven fraternity members of gang rape, and in doing so have unleashed a wave of abuse against several other women.

Her attorneys say three women have been incorrectly identified and harassed — and the real Jane Doe is also receiving threats. “She’s not doing well,” her attorney Thomas Guiffra told CNN on Sunday.

“She’s under siege on social media, where people are trying to identify her.”

Unmasking Jane Doe

X and Substack aren’t stopping users from harassing women they believe are connected to the rape case — and the women who aren’t.

Unmasking Jane Doe

X and Substack aren’t stopping users from harassing women they believe are connected to the rape case — and the women who aren’t.

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The fact that several women are now facing a torrent of online abuse in connection to Jane Doe’s lawsuit isn’t surprising. Targeted harassment and intimidation campaigns were a hallmark of the backlash to #MeToo.

These targeted harassment campaigns were once organized on websites like Kiwi Farms and 4chan. But the effort to unmask Jane Doe — and to terrorize any woman they believe to be Jane Doe — is happening right in the open, on mainstream social media platforms that aren’t doing anything to stop it.

Jane Doe’s identity isn’t a total secret: It’s known to her attorneys, the judge presiding over the case, the seven men she’s accusing of rape, and their attorneys, too. In civil cases, a plaintiff’s anonymity is ultimately up to the judge, who weighs several factors, including whether identifying the plaintiff by name will put them at risk of physical or mental injury.

“In New York, there’s no automatic right to proceed anonymously,” said Annie Seifullah, a founding partner at the victims’ rights firm Incendii Law.

Google has outlined a new update that introduces several fresh capabilities for the Pixel Buds 2A and Pixel Buds Pro 2, with the rollout already underway. These enhancements were first hinted at during August.

The primary addition is sleep detection powered by the Pixel Watch, now available for both earbud models. When a user is asleep while wearing a Pixel Watch, the earbuds will automatically pause playback, mute alerts, and disable touch controls.

Additional changes arrive for both Buds 2A and Pro models. A tap‑to‑mute gesture lets you silence or unsilence the microphone during calls, but only when paired with a Pixel phone, and a single tap can now launch live translation. New Gemini voice commands let you manage active noise cancellation, tweak the equalizer, or enable touch controls.

Dynamic ANC is the last feature, automatically adjusting audio output and noise‑cancellation intensity based on how well the earbuds seal in your ears. This functionality is limited to the Buds Pro 2.

Google shared the rollout details in a community forum post for Pixel Buds. The initial announcement, posted yesterday, indicated that all features except Dynamic ANC would also be delivered to the original Pixel Buds Pro, but that reference has since been removed from the post. We have contacted Google for comment on this revision.

When David Fincher’s The Social Network debuted in 2010, many still viewed Mark Zuckerberg as a genius who had transformed the world by creating Facebook. Aaron Sorkin’s screenplay criticized Zuckerberg’s personality and his aggressive business tactics, yet it also helped turn the co‑founder into a legend while the public was still enamored with Silicon Valley.

After Zuckerberg complained in 2014 that the film had hurt him, Fincher replied that he was “sorry that it did” and admitted he “wouldn’t want a movie made about the things I did when I was 19,” either. Fincher’s apology showed how much leniency the public was willing to grant the world’s (then) youngest billionaire.

By 2026, it is difficult to picture anyone feeling much sympathy for the person now leading Meta.

Aaron Sorkin’s follow‑up to The Social Network places the Facebook Files scandal on the timeline.

Aaron Sorkin’s follow‑up to The Social Network places the Facebook Files scandal on the timeline.

The movie lacks the driving energy that made The Social Network feel operatic.

Much like The Social Network turned details from Ben Mezrich’s book The Accidental Billionaires into a gripping drama, writer‑director Aaron Sorkin’s The Social Reckoning weaves a narrative around The Wall Street Journal’s explosive reporting featuring Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen.

Marketed as a companion piece rather than a direct sequel, The Social Reckoning traces Haugen’s time inside Facebook and uses her experience to show how the company’s relentless pursuit of growth turned it into a societal menace. Zuckerberg remains a prominent figure in the film, but Sorkin seems far more interested in exploring the tension between traditional media and tech giants.

Although The Social Reckoning’s central messages about how social‑media algorithms have harmed our lives are powerful, the film still lacks the propulsive, thrilling energy that made The Social Network feel operatic.

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma told employees this morning that Microsoft is preparing something for Grand Theft Auto VI that “no other platform holder is doing,” according to attendees. Sources close to Microsoft’s strategy reveal that Xbox has secured exclusive game streaming rights for Grand Theft Auto VI.

The deal will mean only Xbox Cloud Gaming can stream Grand Theft Auto VI to players at launch, though the agreement’s duration remains unclear. Since Rockstar Games has yet to announce a PC version of Grand Theft Auto VI, the arrangement allows Xbox to market its cloud gaming service to PC users who wouldn’t otherwise own an Xbox Series X/S or PS5.

This streaming rights announcement follows Microsoft’s recent overhaul of Xbox Cloud Gaming. Starting in November—coinciding with Grand Theft Auto VI’s release—the service will cap streaming at 15 hours for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members, 10 hours for Premium tier subscribers, and just five hours for Essential users.

Additionally, next month Microsoft will introduce a pay-as-you-go access model for Xbox Cloud Gaming, moving beyond the Game Pass subscription requirement. This timing aligns perfectly with Grand Theft Auto VI, enabling players without an Xbox or those who primarily game on mobile to stream the title by purchasing hour bundles.

During the same all-hands meeting, Sharma also revealed that Project Helix, the next-generation Xbox hardware, will consist of a “family of devices,” and that Microsoft plans to collaborate with partners on some of these products.

OpenAI announced that an unpublished frontier model has solved numerous enduring mathematical problems, presented in 722 manuscripts that encompass 372 families of related results. This continues a series of discoveries that have both astonished and concerned sections of the math community, prompting ethical and conduct debates.

As noted by AGMAI, the independent panel of top mathematicians assembled to ensure responsible communication, the batch contains solutions to “hundreds” of unresolved questions. It is claimed that the batch contains solutions to “hundreds” of open mathematical questions.

The findings were anticipated for weeks, but OpenAI had not yet disclosed which problems were tackled or the exact publication timeline.

In September, the firm reported that its model had “solved more than 100 long‑standing open problems spanning most mathematical domains.” The accompanying documents also feature brief summaries of the model’s reasoning, compute‑usage estimates, and statistics on the total problems tried. OpenAI states that the typical outcome required roughly three hours of ChatGPT Pro‑level computation.

AGMAI — the Advisory Group on Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence — issued its initial guidance in late September, urging AI laboratories to publish mathematical results promptly and via conventional academic channels when feasible, while also revealing information such as the model name, prompts, and compute expenses.

The group further urged AI companies to avoid using the release of mathematical results as promotional tools for their models, noting that this harms the mathematical community. OpenAI outlined its approach for this release: the results are being posted in a GitHub repository, which includes procedures for revising papers and citing them.

For this release, we’re publishing the results in a GitHub repository, with protocols for paper revisions and citations.

Comedian Sebastian Maniscalco is encountering criticism from fellow comics who argue that his takeover of SiriusXM’s Raw Comedy channel is damaging opportunities for new talent, as previously reported by Deadline.

Several prominent comedians, including Patton Oswalt and Margaret Cho, have shared online videos urging Maniscalco to uphold Raw Comedy’s tradition by featuring up-and-coming performers on his channel, rather than predominantly showcasing well-known names.

Maniscalco’s channel succeeded SiriusXM’s Raw Comedy, which previously supported over 800 comedians.

In April, SiriusXM introduced Sebastian Maniscalco’s Comedy Radio, described by the satellite radio provider as ‘curated and headlined by Sebastian himself.’ This change replaced the established Raw Comedy channel, which offered uncensored stand-up performances from diverse comedians.

Currently, the channel broadcasts Maniscalco’s own show along with stand-up routines that comedian Dan Soder claims primarily feature ‘very famous comedians who are deceased or financially secure.’

The backlash intensifies as Stand Up for Standup, a nonprofit supporting comedians in need, released a report highlighting the channel’s pivot away from emerging talent. These comedians depend on both the exposure and royalties from SiriusXM.

The organization notes that since March, the number of spins on Maniscalco’s channel has narrowed from over 800 comedians to just 275 artists, with a significant bias toward celebrities.

‘Stand Up for Standup’ states, ‘We believe this reduction in the total number of artists receiving plays on Channel 102, along with the altered distribution favoring a select few, is detrimental to comedians and the future of comedy.’

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Apple is working with LG on a new series of smart‑home products, such as a video doorbell, thermostat, indoor camera and additional items, Bloomberg reports. The gadgets will carry LG branding while connecting to the speculated Apple smart‑home hub slated for unveiling at an October 13 event.

According to Bloomberg, the freshly revealed LG smart‑home equipment stems from a ‘second-party’ collaboration with Apple. Sources indicate the forthcoming range will also feature a deadbolt lock, an outdoor security camera and a floodlight camera.

Many of the devices are expected to support Thread and Matter as Apple undertakes a formal reboot of HomeKit, and the lock will include ultra‑wideband technology that could enable automatic unlocking when a user approaches the door.