Industry
This 2.2-pound Acer laptop somehow promises 30 hours of battery life
PCWorld highlights the Acer TravelMate P6 14 AI, a remarkably lightweight laptop at 2.2 pounds that promises up to 30 hours of battery life through advanced engineering. The device features Intel Core Ultra Series 3 Panther Lake processors, carbon fiber and magnesium-aluminum construction, plus multiple display options including 3K OLED touchscreen. Set for August launch, this laptop targets business travelers seeking exceptional portability without sacrificing performance or battery endurance. Historically, a travel laptop with long battery life meant more weight and thickness. That's not the case with Acer's TravelMate P6 14 AI, which somehow squeezes up to 30 hours of battery life inside a laptop weighing less than 2.2 pounds.
The Download: unlocking lithium and controlling Ebola
Plus: Anthropic is now valued higher than OpenAI. How a new extraction process could unlock the world's lithium A new method for extracting lithium could cut costs and emissions from one of the world's most important materials for EVs and energy storage. The technique uses a weak acid to dissolve silicate minerals. That frees not only the lithium but also other useful materials, including alumina and silica. "At scale, we believe this will be the lowest-cost way of sourcing lithium in the world," says Yet-Ming Chiang, an MIT professor who co-authored a study of the process published yesterday in . Startup Rock Zero is already working to commercialize the research.
Lopez: As Compton students ace tests, educators are baffled by Rep. Maxine Waters' snub of school bond
Things to Do in L.A. Tap to enable a layout that focuses on the article. As Compton students ace tests, educators are baffled by Rep. Maxine Waters' snub of school bond Students walk on campus at Dominguez High School in Compton. A bond measure would provide millions of dollars to rebuild the school. This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here .
Nvidia's N1X could show us the future of PCs--and the bill that comes with it
PCWorld anticipates Nvidia's N1X launch at Computex, featuring an Arm-based APU with 20 CPU cores and Blackwell graphics that could match RTX 5060 laptop performance. The article highlights growing concerns about PC hardware affordability, with examples like Steam Deck price increases suggesting higher costs may become the norm. This trend matters for consumers as powerful new hardware from Nvidia, AMD, and Intel may deliver impressive performance but potentially at premium prices that limit accessibility. The PC industry is once again on the brink of a pivotal moment in history--or so appears to be the case, given the rumors about Computex next week. In particular, the internet anticipates the launch of Nvidia's N1X, an Arm-based APU expected to marry ferocious CPU performance with equally knockout GPU chops.
Robot Talk Episode 158 – Autonomous robot deliveries, with Ahti Heinla
Claire chatted to Ahti Heinla from Starship Technologies about their AI-powered delivery robots that operate independently on streets and pavements. Ahti Heinla is the co-founder and CEO of Starship Technologies, the world's leading autonomous delivery company building AI-powered robots that operate fully independently in real-world environments. One of the original engineers behind Skype's billion-dollar success, Ahti later made a quiet pivot into robotics, spending the past decade advancing practical, consumer-facing AI. Under his leadership, Starship has completed more than 10 million autonomous deliveries with a fleet of over 2,700 robots navigating streets, pavements, weather, and people, without human intervention. Robot Talk is a weekly podcast that explores the exciting world of robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous machines.
The Morning After: Apple's dramatic Siri overhaul is coming and it might look like this
The Morning After: Apple's dramatic Siri overhaul is coming and it might look like this The Morning After: Apple's dramatic Siri overhaul is coming and it might look like this WWDC is right around the corner. Apple is preparing to reintroduce the new Siri at WWDC 2026 -- and that's happening very soon. A report from offers an early preview of the update, with illustrations of what Apple's Gemini-powered AI agent will look like when it finally lands. The final version set to be introduced to the public in June could differ, s Mark Gurman added. Siri will soon live inside the iPhone's Dynamic Islandand, as before, you'll be able to wake the assistant by saying Siri or holding down your phone's power button.
Google's best new AI feature is just a really good to-do list
PCWorld highlights Google's Gemini Daily Brief as a standout AI feature that creates personalized to-do lists by scanning Gmail, Google Calendar, and recent chats. Available on Google's AI Pro and Ultra plans, the feature provides actionable buttons like "add to calendar" and "mark complete" for enhanced task management. While Google I/O introduced many AI announcements with limited immediate impact, Daily Brief proves genuinely useful for organizing daily commitments and appointments. Google's big I/O event came and went last week, stuffed to the gills with new AI announcements and functionality. Most of it left me cold . But one -- and only one -- of those Gemini announcements is actually making a difference for me in the week following Google I/O, and it's relatively humble: Daily Brief, a Gemini-generated daily to-do list based on your Google Workspace data.
NSDAP archive: How DER SPIEGEL processed the data from the Nazi card file
Bereich How DER SPIEGEL processed the data from the NSDAP membership card file aufklappen The NSDAP membership card file was recently made available by the US National Archives on its website in digitized form. DER SPIEGEL downloaded all of these documents and extracted the content with the help of artificial intelligence. To minimize errors when reading the old files, the dataset was first classified with the help of machine learning and pre-sorted into groups. The handwriting on the index cards is in some cases difficult to read, on some the text has faded, many are written in old German script (Sütterlin). Other cards, meanwhile, were filled out with a typewriter.
Still using Windows Media Player? Try this instead
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. MPC-BE is a lightweight, open source gem that handles more formats with way less hassle. If you're still relying on Windows Media Player, or bouncing between media player apps that feel too bloated to work properly, MPC-BE will feel like a breath of fresh air. Short for Media Player Classic - Black Edition, MPC-BE is a lightweight, open source media player that focuses on doing one thing really well: playing your videos and audio without any fuss. Just a fast, clean player that works.
'Like a billionaire on acid': Star Wars director Gareth Edwards comes out in favour of AI
'Like a billionaire on acid': Star Wars director Gareth Edwards comes out in favour of AI Speaking at Amazon's AI on the Lot event, the Rogue One film-maker Gareth Edwards said'it'll do anything you ask' and'it's going to be better than CGI' Jurassic World Rebirth and Rogue One director Gareth Edwards has enthusiastically endorsed the use of generative AI in film-making, saying "it is a fucking genius at helping you" and "it's going to be better than CGI". Edwards was speaking at AI on the Lot, an event in Culver City, California, organised by Amazon, and in remarks reported by the Hollywood Reporter said: "I can't see a reason why you wouldn't become interested in this stuff as a film-maker. It's so clearly a tool that might be up there with the camera. It's going to be better than CGI." Edwards said that AI is most useful in the preparatory stages of film-making, saying: "It's only good for iteration and discovering what the movie should be, and then once you know what it is, go in and start making it your movie." He added: "It has no taste whatsoever. It is a fucking genius at helping you. I view it like having a second-unit director who is a billionaire on acid. Like, it'll do anything you ask, not a problem. And you'll give it notes, and it'll be like, 'I don't do notes. I'll just do something totally different.' Edwards' positive view of AI was echoed by veteran writer and director Paul Schrader, who was also speaking at the event. In remarks reported by Deadline, Schrader said: "I don't think the real future of AI commercially is in all this flash, all these monsters - that's just jacked-up special effects on steroids," he said. "The real tip of the spear is when we can create an AI protagonist, not a hybrid, and that movie makes money.