This year, the right-to-repair movement got a boost from--surprisingly--big tech, tariffs, and economic downturn. It has been a big year for the right to repair, the movement of advocates pushing for people to be able to fix their own electronics and equipment without manufacturer approval. The issue has gathered broad support from technologists, farmers, military leaders, and politicians on both sides of the aisle. It is popular with just about everyone--except the companies who stand to gain if the parts, instructions, and tools necessary to fix their products remain under lock and key. Three US states passed right-to-repair laws this year, including in heavily Republican states like Texas where the measure received a unanimous vote in both the House and Senate.

Thousands of Airbus planes are being returned to normal service after being grounded for hours due to a warning that solar radiation could interfere with onboard flight control computers. The aerospace giant - based in France - said around 6,000 of its A320 planes had been affected with most requiring a quick software update. Some 900 older planes need a replacement computer. French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said the updates went very smoothly for more than 5,000 planes. Fewer than 100 aircraft still needed the update, Airbus had told him, according to local media.

Zoox, the Amazon-owned robotaxi company, announced a voluntary software recall for its vehicles. The company had paused its driverless vehicle operations for a review following an incident last month where a Zoox car and a passenger car collided in Las Vegas. According to the report filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the crash did not cause any injuries. CNBC reports that Zoox has resumed usual operations following the software update. "After analysis and rigorous testing, Zoox identified the root cause," the company said in a blog post today.

Google just announced that it will soon drop support for the first- and second-generation Nest Learning Thermostats. The devices won't stop working completely, but remote access is going away, as are software updates and compatibility with the Google Home app. The older Nest Learning Thermostats that are losing support include the second-generation units for the U.S., released in 2014, as well as the European version of the second-gen thermostat, which also went on sale in 2014. The original Nest Learning Thermostat, which was released only in the U.S., landed in 2011. Google says it will drop support for the thermostats starting October 25, 2025. Besides no longer receiving software updates, the older Nest Leaning thermostats will lose Nest and Google Home app support, meaning no more out-of-home control.

It is one of the world's most popular messaging apps, used by more than two billion people around the globe. But within days, WhatsApp will stop working on three popular phones that are used by millions. From May 5, anyone still using a trio of Apple devices will no longer be able to send or receive messages on the app. After this date, only devices running the iOS 15.1 operating system or newer will be supported. The affected devices are the iPhone 5s, the iPhone 6, and the iPhone 6 Plus.

Amazon's new feature could make it easier to get into the latest release in a series, especially if it's been some time since you've read the previous books. The new Recaps feature is part of the latest software update for the Kindle, and the company compares it to "Previously on..." segments you can watch for TV shows. Amazon announced Recaps in a blog post, where it said that you can get access to it once you receive the software update over the air or after you download and install it from Amazon's website. Amazon didn't talk about the technology behind the feature in its post, but a spokesperson has confirmed to TechCrunch that the recaps will be AI generated. Shortly after the feature rolled out, users talked about it on social media, wondering if Amazon is using generative AI to write series summaries.

As of today, the Humane Ai Pin is dead--less than a year since its launch. Following an acquisition by HP, Humane shut down many of the core features of the artificial intelligence-powered wearable and deleted user data, rendering it useless. Yes, some functions remain, like checking battery life (useful!), but you can't access the voice assistant. If you spent 700 on the Ai Pin, you might be wondering what you can do now. These are the risks of being an early adopter, but not getting a refund on a device bricked before the warranty is even up feels like a rip-off.

Elon Musk has long railed against the U.S. government, saying a crushing number of federal investigations and safety programs have stymied Tesla, his electric car company, and its efforts to create fleets of robotaxis and other self-driving automobiles. Now, Musk's close relationship with President Donald Trump means many of those federal headaches could vanish within weeks or months. On the potential chopping block: crash investigations into Tesla's partially automated vehicles; a Justice Department criminal probe examining whether Musk and Tesla have overstated their cars' self-driving capabilities; and a government mandate to report crash data on vehicles using technology like Tesla's Autopilot. The consequences of such actions could prove dire, say safety advocates who credit the federal investigations and recalls with saving lives. "Musk wants to run the Department of Transportation," said Missy Cummings, a former senior safety adviser at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "I've lost count of the number of investigations that are underway with Tesla.

Apple has begun rolling iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2 to iPhones and iPads. The updates bring with them major enhancements to the company's suite of AI features, and are likely the final software releases Apple has planned for 2024. More Apple Intelligence features are available through macOS 15.2. However, note access to all of the AI features mentioned below is limited to users in the US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the UK for now, with support additionally limited to devices with their language set to English. Provided you own an iPhone 15 Pro, 16 or 16 Pro, one of the highlights of iOS 18.2 is Image Playground, which is available both as a standalone app and Messages extension.

Apple has released its latest iOS 18.1.1 In a post on its security website, the tech giant says the update fixes two vulnerabilities which have already been'actively exploited' by hackers. According to security experts, these bugs could be used to remotely compromise a user's device and even gain access to their online accounts. While the security weaknesses have only been exploited on Mac so far, waiting too long could leave your iPhone vulnerable to being hacked. Michael Covington, VP of strategy at cybersecurity firm Jamf, says: 'The fixes provided by Apple introduce stronger checks to detect and prevent malicious activity, as well as improve how devices manage and track data during web browsing.