Author: Michael Comaous

Go big or go home. The Instax Wide’s larger image has always made it the Instax of choice for photographers. Ingenious enthusiasts even figured out how to mod older models (the Wide 300) with custom lenses for even better quality images. The Instax Wide 400 is similar in most ways to the 300 that preceded it. It uses the same lens and the same full auto exposure system. If you want full exposure control, this is not the Instax for you. That said, I love this format and hence this camera.It’s a rather chunky thing. The film is pretty good…

AI skeptics may also be cheered to hear that the company is pumping the brakes on Copilot, which has made its way into everything from the keyboard to the humble notepad.exe over the last few years (even as the standalone Copilot app’s appearance and capabilities have changed pretty dramatically from iteration to iteration). Davuluri said Microsoft would be “more intentional” about where Copilot appears and how it works and specifically promised to “[reduce] unnecessary Copilot entry points, starting with apps like Snipping Tool, Photos, Widgets, and Notepad.” Davuluri also said Microsoft would begin testing less-disruptive Windows updates that would give…

Nvidia’s GTC conference had everything: trillion dollar sales projections, graphics technology that can yassify video games, grand declarations that every company needs an OpenClaw strategy, and even a robot version of the beloved snowman Olaf from Disney’s “Frozen.” On the latest episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, TechCrunch’s Kirsten Korosec, Sean O’Kane, and I recapped CEO Jensen Huang’s keynote and debated what it means for Nvidia’s future. And yes, a big part of our discussion focused on poor Olaf, whose microphone had to be turned off when he started rambling. Even if the demo had gone flawlessly, Sean might still have…

First came the AI beauty pageant. Then the AI music contests. Now, there is an award for AI Personality of the Year — perhaps the inevitable next step for the AI influencer economy as it transforms from quirky novelty into a serious and lucrative industry.The contest, a joint venture between generative AI studio OpenArt and AI-powered creator platform Fanvue, with backing from AI voice company ElevenLabs, opens on Monday and runs for a month. The organizers said it is intended to “celebrate the creative talent ‘behind’ AI Influencers” and recognize their growing commercial and cultural clout.Contestants will compete for a…

A new video (above) out of South Korea features the field tests and interaction capabilities of KAIST Humanoid v0.7, developed at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). The impressive humanoid robot was developed at KAIST’s Dynamic Robot Control & Design Laboratory (DRCD) and deploys actuators and other technology that was developed in-house. In the video below, you can watch the bipedal bot walk, jog, and jump in an incredibly human-like way. It also shoots a soccer ball toward a goal (disappointingly there’s no robot goalkeeper there to challenge it), and performs a perfect moonwalk along astroturf. And…

Starting on Monday, the Trump administration will be sending ICE agents to airports across the country, Trump’s border czar Tom Homan announced on Sunday. Funding for both ICE and TSA’s parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, lapsed on February 14 after the Senate could not pass a funding bill for the Department. Democrats have refused to sign off on a DHS funding bill without modest changes made to the rules governing ICE in its crackdown on immigrants, especially in light of the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by ICE agents. The lapse in funding has put a…

GL.iNet Mango GL-MT300N-V2 pros and cons Pros Compact and can be powered with USB Offers several ways to get an internet connection when traveling Built-in VPN support is a great way to create a secure network when out and about. Cons Uses microUSB for power rather than USB-C The “getting started” guide only skims the surface of what this device can do User interface can be a bit slow at times. Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.I thought that having a mobile hotspot built into my smartphone would put an end to needing a travel router. After all,…

The war with Iran and ensuing blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping lane, has spiked oil prices and sent governments scrabbling for their reserves. How high will prices go, and how bad could it get?On Friday night, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby published a memo to his employees showing that his very fuel-dependent business is prepping for a very long fallout. “Our plans assume oil goes to $175/barrel and doesn’t get back down to $100/barrel until the end of 2027,” he wrote.Jet fuel accounts for between a quarter and a third of airlines’ operating costs. Prices have…

Saleem Ali, an environmental systems scientist at the University of Delaware who also provides research and advice on critical metals to the United Nations, says that deep-sea mining should be part of discussions on the green transition. He coauthored a 2022 analysis, funded by The Metals Company, that compared mining waste from terrestrial deposits to that of seabed resources. (Ali says he has never received direct funding from The Metals Company.) For example, the analysis looked at the impact of terrestrial mine tailings on water pollution and local biodiversity, and at the anticipated pollution from nodule mining, such as seabed sediment…

The Securities and Exchange Commission has closed its investigation into electric vehicle startup Faraday Future, despite SEC staff on the case recommending an enforcement action last year, TechCrunch has learned. Four sources familiar with the investigation, who were granted anonymity to speak about the government case, told TechCrunch that the SEC informed the company and people involved in the probe about the closure this past week. The dismissal of the case comes amid a historic drop in enforcement actions by the SEC, which only initiated four cases against publicly-traded companies in its 2025 fiscal year, a recent report shows. The…