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Measures come as Donald The President offers olive branch to regime in Tehran View the full article

Is your iPhone, iPad, or Mac a little hard to use? Lucky for you, Apple has announced key accessibility features coming to all its devices later this year. These include Accessibility Reader, which makes small fonts easier to read, and Vehicle Motion Cues, which prevent motion sickness while using Apple devices in vehicles. If some of these sound familiar, it's because they may already be on one or two Apple devices, but are now set to come to others as well. While the company's already tipped its hat as to what's in the works, expect to hear more details during WWDC 2025, scheduled from June 9 to 13. That's where Apple usually unveils all of its annual operating system updates and sometimes, even shows off new hardware. In the meantime, here are all the new accessibility features we currently know are coming to Apple devices later this year: Accessibility Reader makes text easier to read Credit: Apple Lots of people find default text sizes or fonts difficult. Accessibility Reader is a new feature designed to help with that. It allows you to customize text on your Apple device to make it easier to read. You can change the font, color, spacing, and have your Apple device read out the text for you. You can think of it as reader mode for text in any file (or even in the real world, which I'll touch on shortly), or as improved text-to-speech. This is because Accessibility Reader can be launched from any app, according to Apple. It can also be paired with the Magnifier app on your Apple devices, which means that you can zoom into text in the real world and use this feature to read it more easily. This feature will be available on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro. Magnifier comes to the Mac Credit: Apple Your iPhone ships with a built-in magnifying glass, which is the Magnifier app. This is an important accessibility aid for many people who have low vision, and now Apple says it's coming to the Mac. On the Mac, you'll be able to connect Magnifier to external cameras as well, including your iPhone if you're using it as a webcam via Continuity Camera. You'll be able to tweak brightness, contrast, color filters, and perspective to make it easier to see things with Magnifier for Mac, according to Apple. Accessibility nutrition labels are coming to the App Store Credit: Apple The App Store added 'privacy nutrition labels' to app listings a few years ago, which helps you quickly see if apps are collecting your data. Now, the App Store is adding accessibility nutrition labels to help you check if an app supports the accessibility features you need. Apple says these labels will acknowledge whether an app supports VoiceOver, Voice Control, Larger Text, Sufficient Contrast, Reduced Motion, captions, and more. Still, I really wish Apple would add better search filters to the App Store. I'd love to filter out apps that collect data and lack support for specific accessibility features, and there's currently no real way to do that. Improved Braille support on Apple devices Credit: Apple Apple also says that it's adding Braille Access to your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro. This feature adds a braille note taker to your devices, and can even perform calculations using Nemeth Braille (which is often used in math and science classrooms). Braille Access can also open BRF (Braille Ready Format) files, which will allow people to access books and files created on braille note taking devices. Live Captions are now on the Apple Watch Credit: Apple Live Listen is an Apple feature that makes things easier to hear for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Apple says Live Listen controls will soon be added to your Apple Watch as well, and the device will be able to show real-time Live Captions. This works by turning your iPhone into a remote mic that streams directly to made-for-iPhone hearing aids, AirPods, or Beats headphones, and when this is active, you'll be able to view captions directly on a paired Apple Watch, according to Apple. The watch can start or end Live Listen sessions, which will allow you to place the iPhone near the person who's speaking and follow the conversation from a short distance away on your Apple Watch. This could be great for learning in a classroom and other similar situations. Vehicle Motion Cues comes to the Mac Credit: Apple Ever since they launched last year on the iPhone, Vehicle Motion Cues have been indispensable for me. The feature works by displaying moving dots on the screen that correspond to the direction of a vehicle's motion, and it's now coming to the Mac, Apple says. I've always suffered from motion sickness, which makes it hard for me to view screens while I'm in moving vehicles. Even if I'm otherwise fine in a car or a bus, I start to feel very nauseous if I look at a screen, read a book, or try anything that requires me to focus on a fixed object. Since Apple launched Vehicle Motion Cues last year, I've finally been able to use my iPhone when I'm a passenger in vehicles. If this feature works as well on the Mac, I'm excited to use it to watch videos when I'm riding in a car. The company also said that it's planning to allow you more control over how these dots are displayed on your screen. Improved accessibility features on the Vision Pro Credit: Apple Apple Vision Pro is set to get a new Enhanced View, which will allow you to magnify everything that's in view via the main camera on the device. Apple says the Live Recognition feature will use on-device machine learning to describe surroundings, find objects, read documents, and more. The company also plans to enable a new API to allow some apps to access the Vision Pro's main camera, which will help developers create apps that make the most of these accessibility features. Other important updatesApple also revealed a bunch of other, smaller accessibility related features. Here are a few of my favorites: Background Sounds, which lets you play nature sounds or dark noise, will get more customization options, a timer to stop playing after a while, and new actions for automation via Shortcuts. Personal Voice, which recreates the voices of people who are losing the ability to speak, will be faster and easier to use, Apple says. The feature will be able to create a more natural sounding voice in under a minute with 10 recorded phrases, according to the company. Share Accessibility Settings lets you temporarily share your accessibility tweaks with other Apple devices, such as when you're using an iPad to place an order or borrowing a friend's device for a bit. You can check out the full list of accessibility updates and content on Apple's website. View the full article

On Tuesday, Microsoft said it is cutting less than 3% of its global workforce, including LinkedIn. The company which an estimated 228,000 employees as of last June, meaning the layoffs will affect approximately 6,000 employees. The tech giant, which makes popular software products Windows and Word, will make cuts across various locations, teams, and roles. “We continue to implement organizational changes necessary to best position the company for success in a dynamic marketplace,” a Microsoft spokesperson told Fast Company. The news comes less than two weeks after the Redmond, Washington-based company beat first quarter earnings expectations, driven by its Azure cloud business. It also issued strong guidance going forward, despite President’s The President’s tariffs and overall economic uncertainty. Microsoft also said it invested heavily in AI infrastructure during the first quarter of 2025. Microsoft said that it regularly adjusts its workforce to meet the strategic demands of the business, and that by reducing layers with fewer managers, the company hopes to increase agility and enhance efficiency by minimizing redundancy and streamlining processes, procedures, and roles. It also said the cuts will let employees spend more time leveraging new technologies and capabilities. On Tuesday, a number of LinkedIn employees posted about the reported layoffs on LinkedIn. The layoffs would be the largest at the company since 2023, when Microsoft eliminated 10,000 jobs, and follows a small round of performance-based layoffs at the beginning of 2025. However, a Microsoft spokesperson told CNBC the upcoming layoffs are not performance based. CEO Satya Nadella previously said Microsoft planned to spend $80 billion on data centers for artificial intelligence workloads in 2025, which could be even more costly with tariffs. Microsoft isn’t the only tech company to make cuts since the beginning of this year. A number of high-profile technology giants have been trimming their ranks, including Amazon, Meta, and Salesforce. Facebook parent company Meta Platforms cut about 5% of its workforce—roughly 3,600 employees—in February, and Amazon announced it was laying off dozens at the end of January. View the full article

Numbers jumped after the expiration of a moratorium at the end of 2024, but rates of foreclosure rose across all loan types, the Mortgage Bankers Association said. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The JBL Xtreme 4 is massive, right at the limit of what I would consider a portable speaker, with a powerful sound that can handle a large backyard barbecue party. Right now, it's $130 off, bringing its price down to $249.95 (originally $379.95). That's a record low price for this particular speaker, according to price tracking tools. JBL Xtreme 4 24 hour battery, IP67 rating, Powerbank, PartyBoost for Multi-Speaker Pairing. $249.95 at Amazon $379.95 Save $130.00 Get Deal Get Deal $249.95 at Amazon $379.95 Save $130.00 I've been using the JBL Xtreme 4 outdoor speaker for months, taking it with me to hang out in my backyard, in my office, and to host soccer games with Street FC. Since I have other JBL speakers, I am able to take full advantage of the Aurocast feature, which lets me connect it to other JBL speakers for a fuller sound. I also found the full EQ customization and presets useful. The speaker is powerful, which makes sense for a speaker of this size. What stands out the most is its powerful bass, which is typical of JBL speakers. Since it is IP67 rated, it can be submerged underwater and resists dust, making it perfect for the beach. It also comes with a detachable carrying strap that makes carrying it much easier. The battery can go up to about 27 hours, depending on your use, but I've managed to stretch it past that point by being conservative with the volume. Speaking of volume, it's a directional speaker, meaning it'll project to wherever it's facing. In my backyard, I try to place it as far back as I can and pump up the volume, which has worked well for my gatherings of about 12 people. View the full article

Some policies the industry group is calling for the Office of Management and Budget to definitively rescind have already been pulled back to some degree. View the full article

Eleven years after Google first announced its grand unifying theory of design—Material Design—it’s introducing its third major revision to the system. Called Material 3 Expressive, the company will tell you that it’s their most “researched update” ever, promising to help people find what they’re looking for on the screen faster than before. But it’s also the company’s most maximalist design system to date. Still enabling quieter minimalist designs, sure, but embracing bolder colors, more playful animations, and all around more overt approaches to interface. There’s a new roundness to almost every component, right down to the tips of Google’s new default typeface, Google Sans Flex Rounded, which replaces the hard edged terminals on letterforms with smooth tips. But mostly, Google is using more of everything to accentuate contrast, like between headers and bodies. Button shapes can now be anything from giant pills to stars. Perkier animations rekindle tech’s old favorite words, “joy” and “delight,” with a bit more springiness in them across the board. And UI elements on your screen often react to others—dial a phone number, and each digit you press bounces the others out of the way like cartoony bubble tape. “It’s kind of like the next evolution,” says Vanessa Cho, VP, Google Design. “It’s design with the soul. What I mean by that is it’s [still] driven with deep purpose…but it also connects with you on the emotional level.” The history of Material DesignMaterial Design was born over a decade ago, as Google Designers developed a grounding metaphor to codify its otherwise fragmented approach to design. Inspired by light and paper, Material Design was like a stretchy piece of wonder paper that could reshape to do anything, and it brought a sense of tactile physics to Search, Android, and other Google Services. In the years since, Material Design veered from its ambitious roots. It imagined eventually breaking out of screens and becoming the interface for our lives—what would be a better interface for an internet of things than literal matter that would reshape itself in front of you? Material Design was built for a path toward that smart infrastructure that seemed so inevitable in the 2010s. But a decade later, and the world didn’t play out that way. Instead, most things stayed dumb as we got sucked deeper and deeper into our phones. The stoic minimalism that Material Design v 1 celebrated got washed out by the pixel onslaughts of TikTok and other social media platforms. The emoji of 2014 seem quaint by the comparison of just about everything on Instagram, where even AI characters are attempting to be my bff. So in 2021, Material Design pivoted. It became more about personalization—allowing your phone to have a color palette and typefaces more reflective of you. And now? Material Design is trending more maximal, with an overt approach to design that’s willing to call attention to itself as a moment of celebration, rather than disappear into the background. “We’re in an era of expression…thinking about TikTok and whatever you’re on,” says Mindy Brooks, VP, Product & UX, Android Platform. “So this design system allows us to, even as developers and creators of it, to express what we want to in the product.” Testing and manifestingAcross Google’s products, these new design standards play out in different ways. On Android, it means we see apps presented in a greater array of typefaces (pushing expressiveness and information hierarchy at the same time), while apps like Photos trend toward the Canva-create-a-card vibes we get on iOS today. On Wear OS, the colors from your phone can be mirrored on your wrist, and buttons now wrap all the way into the curves of the display through a lovely marriage of device and UI. But what Google’s design team most wants to highlight is that Material 3 Expressive isn’t style over substance. Validated by 46 studies that tested hundreds of designs across more than 18,000 participants, they found that the expressive end of the Material Design system was preferred across all age groups, though especially Gen Z, which preferred the more maximalist screens 87% of the time. The team also found that Material 3 Expressive was faster to navigate. Certain actions were spotted up to 4x faster than before. And while older adults are typically slower at finding certain buttons on the screen, the larger buttons inside Material 3 Expressive proved faster to find for everyone—while eliminating the age gap. Google claims older adults can use this design system with the same rapidity of youth. (And who woulda thunk, a big red “send” button would be easier to spot than that old little paper airplane in the corner?) As a design solution, it’s hard to argue with Google’s own validating data or the joy of bringing in more color and motion into the mix. But I’m more interested in Material 3 Expression for what it reveals about this era of design. For the last decade and a half, minimalism has taken over everything from blanded branding to interface (the world of interior design notwithstanding, which has been waffling on the idea for some time). But celebratory expression used to be in! Animations like Apple’s genie effect—which shrunk apps into your taskbar like a genie into the lamp—embodied playfulness before minimalism conquered tech. They were invented way back in 2004 during a more optimistic time in tech, right beside bondi blue iMacs with handles on them. This was the hope of a world that didn’t end after Y2K. Now, screen time debates have been decimated by the For You Page and AI everything, while your Grazas and Manischewtizs of the world prioritize a bit of funk over subdued Swissness. We’re back in expressive times again. View the full article

Minnesota farmer Dan Glessing isn’t ready to get too upset over President Donald The President’s trade wars. Farm country voted heavily for The President last November. Now Glessing and many other farmers are taking a wait-and-see attitude toward the Republican president’s disputes with China and other international markets. China normally would buy about one row out of every four of the Minnesota soybean crop and took in nearly $13 billion worth of soybeans from the U.S. as a whole last year. More than half of U.S. soybeans are exported internationally, with roughly half of those going to China, so it’s a critical market. The President last month raised U.S. tariffs on products from China to 145%, and China retaliated with 125%. But Monday’s announcement of a 90-day truce between the two countries backed up the reluctance of many farmers to hit the panic button. More good news came in an updated forecast from the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Monday that projected higher corn exports and only slightly lower corn prices. The report also predicted somewhat lower soybean exports but higher domestic consumption, resulting in higher prices. Soybean futures surged. After he finished planting his soybean crop on Monday, Glessing said he was excited by the news and hopes to see more progress. But he said he wasn’t really surprised. Tariffs, weather and other uncertainty On a bright, sunny day last week, as he began planting soybeans, Glessing said tariffs were only one of the things he’s worried about — and not necessarily the biggest. Farming, after all, is an enterprise built on loose soil, the whims of weather and other uncontrollable factors. “Am I concerned about tariffs? Yeah. I mean, there’s uncertainty that comes with that,” Glessing said. “Is that the number one driving factor in these poor commodity prices the last two years? No.” As he steered his 25-year-old Case IH tractor over a gently rolling field near the town of Waverly, he towed a planter that inserted his seeds through the stubble of last year’s corn crop. As he laid down the long rows, he rumbled past a pond where wild swans paddled about. Riding shotgun was Georgie the Corgi, who alternated between roaming around his cab and half-dozing at his feet. Perhaps more skeptical than Glessing is Matt Griggs, one of many soybean farmers in Tennessee paying close attention to the trade war. On Monday, he said the ripple effects on farmers might still be coming. “We’re only on a 90-day pause,” Griggs said. “Who knows what is going to come after that?” Joe Janzen, an agricultural economist at the University of Illinois, said the commodity markets have largely shaken off the initial shock of the trade war, including The Presidents’ declaration of April 2 as “Liberation Day,” when he announced stiff worldwide tariffs. “Our markets have largely rebounded and are back where we were around April Second,” Janzen said. “Tariffs have not had a major impact on prices yet.” Even something that might seem like good news — ideal planting conditions across much of the Midwest — has its downside. The potential for bigger crops sent prices downward, Glessing noted. High interest rates, seed and fertilizer costs pose additional challenges. “There’s so many other factors besides just tariffs and my market price,” Glessing said. Looking for signs of progress But Glessing said he was encouraged by that morning’s news of a trade deal with the United Kingdom, and said he hopes the current uncertainty in talks with China and other countries ultimately leads to better trade deals going forward. Glessing had finished planting his corn the day before on the other half of a field that he rents from his father’s cousin, split between 45 acres of corn and 45 acres of beans. It’s at the farm where his grandfather grew up, and it’s part of the approximately 700 acres he plants on average. He locked in those planting decisions months earlier as he made deals for seeds, fertilizer and other supplies. Back on his “home farm” closer to Waverly — where his late grandfather’s house, made of local brick, still stands and a cacophony of house sparrow songs filled the air — Glessing was pleased to spot the first signs of corn he had planted there about 10 days earlier poking above the soil. Waverly is about an hour west of Minneapolis. Its most famous resident was Democratic former Vice President Hubert Humphrey. It’s in the congressional district represented by Republican House Majority Whip Tom Emmer. Glessing’s post as president of the Minnesota Farm Bureau puts him in close touch with other influential politicians, too. He and his wife, Seena, were Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s guests at the Capitol for The President’s inauguration in January. Glessing declined to say who he voted for. The Glessings have three kids, milk about 75 dairy cows, and grow corn, soybeans and alfalfa on a combination of parcels they own or rent. He uses the alfalfa and corn primarily to feed his cows. He sells his soybeans to a processing plant in Mankato, where some of them become soybean meal he adds to his animal feed. The milk from his cows goes to a co-op cheese plant in Litchfield that sells internationally. Because Glessing has local buyers locked in and doesn’t directly export his crops, he’s partially cushioned from the volatility of world markets. But he’s quick to point out that everything in the agricultural economy is interconnected. Lessons learned during The President’s first trade war On his farm near Humboldt, Tennessee, roughly midway between Memphis and Nashville, Griggs weathered the 2018 trade war during The President’s first term and said he feels more prepared this time around. “Back in 2018, prices were about the same as what they are now, and due to the trade war with China, prices dropped around 15%,” he said. “They dropped significantly lower, and they dropped in a hurry, and due to that, we lost a lot of demand from China.” Griggs said exports to China never fully rebounded. But he doesn’t think the impact of the current dispute will be nearly as drastic. Griggs — who raises approximately 1,600 acres of cotton, corn, soybeans and wheat — said tariffs were just one consideration as he planned out this year’s crops. Growing a variety of crops helps him minimize the risk that comes with weather, volatile prices, and now the prospect of a trade war. Griggs said he’s going to be watching for opportunities to sell when market volatility causes upticks in prices. “The main thing I learned in 2018 was that if you do have a price period where prices have risen some, go ahead and take advantage of it instead of waiting for it to go higher,” said Griggs. “Because when it comes to the tariffs and everything, the markets can be very unpredictable. So my lesson learned was, ‘Don’t hold out for a home run, be satisfied with a double.’” He said a temporary subsidy called the Market Facilitation Program helped soybean farmers withstand some of the losses last time could help if something similar is revived this year. But he said no farmer wants to make a living off government subsidies. “We just want fair access to markets,” Griggs said. “And a fair price for the products we produce.” —Steve Karnowski and Kristin M. Hall, Associated Press AP videographer Mark Vancleave also contributed to this report. View the full article

Lower is acquiring a top-five ranked real estate portal to create an "end-to-end homeownership platform" to rival Rocket Mortgage. View the full article

It feels like a minor problem, I'll admit it. But you know when you check into a hotel and have to spend the next fifteen minutes connecting all your Apple devices to the network? Starting from your iPhone, then moving to your iPad, and then your Mac? Well, it looks like Apple understands your pain. According to a new report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, iOS 19 will include a new feature that will automatically connect multiple devices to the same public Wi-Fi network after you log in with just one of them. That's convenient for a couple of reasons. Beyond just keeping you from having to cycle through all your devices, it can also reduce the amount of paperwork you have to fill out. When signing into wifi at a location with public access, like a gym, café, hotel, or the airport, you'll often be asked to fill out a web form. These will usually ask for some information, but can also include captchas, or even unique codes that limit how much data you can access on a per-device basis. This new system means you'll only have to fill out the form once. Once you get through a web form, the wifi login and details will sync automatically between all your connected Apple devices, just like they do right now for a regular wifi network. Of course, this hasn't been 100% confirmed yet, and there are still a few questions to answer. How will this work for wifi networks that limit that amount of devices you can connect to them, for instance? Still, Gurman has a credible track record of leaking software and hardware changes currently on Apple's roadmap, so we'll likely see more on this in due time. iOS 19 is expected to be announced at WWDC in June, and according to the rumors, will come with a pretty big redesign for iPhones, iPads, and Macs. View the full article

Arno Antlitz tells FT car summit of the risks of complacency after reforms deliver ‘the first results’View the full article

The company is positioning its Tinman platform as a serious industry competitor and suggests it's eying product costs of around $1,500 per loan. View the full article

Destination weddings are out, and virtual weddings are in. Rather than traveling to the Amalfi Coast or Provence, Wired recently interviewed a couple who chose to host their nuptials in the place they first met and fell in love: Minecraft. Sarah Nguyen, 24, from Portland, Oregon, and Jamie Patel, 25, from Leicester, England, met at 13 years old on a Minecraft role-play server. “It’s the closest thing we have to a shared home,” Nguyen told Wired. Most of their relationship was long-distance, lived out in the virtual world (the couple now resides together in Portland). Even Patel’s proposal took place atop a scenic mountain in Minecraft, delivered via in-game dialog. Nguyen and Patel aren’t alone. Wired reported that more couples are choosing digital ceremonies hosted in the virtual spaces where their relationships first blossomed. The pandemic marked a turning point for the wedding-industrial complex. With many weddings postponed or canceled, frustrated couples turned to the only option left—online. Digital ceremonies became a lifeline for those unable to host in-person gatherings due to restrictions. Others fully embraced the virtual, including a 2020 Animal Crossing wedding and metaverse nuptials in 2021. Now, even without restrictions, the demand for digital nuptials hasn’t slowed. In fact, an entire cottage industry has emerged to meet it. Companies like Wedfuly offer virtual wedding services starting at $800, which includes equipment and a remote production team for the day of. Even traditional event planning firms are introducing digital packages. The appeal is clear—especially as the national average cost of a wedding in the U.S. hits $33,000, according to The Knot. The global wedding industry is valued at $899.64 billion, and the average cost for a guest to attend a U.S. wedding is $610, according to Bankrate. Virtual weddings, on the other hand, let friends and family attend from the comfort of their homes. Nguyen and Patel’s celebration cost just $300 (including custom skins, server hosting, and a designer to script NPCs and quests) and welcomed 50 guests from eight different countries. Wired also spoke with Jessica Hu, an ordained officiant and “digital celebrant” based in Chicago. Hu specializes in ceremonies across Twitch, Discord, and VRChat, and has officiated more than 40 weddings in online spaces since launching her services in 2020. “It’s easy to dismiss it as novelty,” Hu says. “But these weddings are deeply sacred. I’ve had couples exchange vows using emoji reactions. I’ve had Discord bots cue the processional music. I’ve seen Twitch chats cry in real time.” Cue the heart-eyes and crying emojis. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Samsung announced the new Galaxy S25 Series back in January, and later that same month teased a fourth, thinner phone, the Galaxy S25 Edge. It wasn't until last week that we finally learned more about the new device Samsung is calling the "slimmest Galaxy S Series ever." Intrigued? You can already preorder it, and both Samsung and Amazon offering deals in the lead-up to the S25 Edge's release on May 30. Free 512 GB Upgrade and $50 Amazon Gift Card SAMSUNG Galaxy S25 Edge $1,099.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $1,269.99 Save $170.00 Pre-order Here Pre-order Here $1,099.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $1,269.99 Save $170.00 Free 512GB Storage Upgrade and Up to $630 instant trade-in credit SAMSUNG Galaxy S25 Edge $1,099.99 at Samsung $1,219.99 Save $120.00 Pre-order Here Pre-order Here $1,099.99 at Samsung $1,219.99 Save $120.00 SEE -1 MORE The phone sounds like a winner: It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip, comes with 12GB of RAM, and starts with 256GB of storage. It also has a dual camera setup with a 200 MP wide lens and 12 MP ultra-wide and front lenses. And it's super thin at around 5.84mm. It's pretty sweet when retailers offer pre-order deals for flagship products. They don't happen very often, and once the products are released, it's rare to see a similar opportunity for at least a couple of months. Right now, both Samsung and Amazon are offering a free upgrade to 512GB from the basic 256GB option, allowing you to choose the unlocked version from among the same three colors. But that's where the similarities stop. If you have a phone to trade in, go with Samsung's offerSamsung is offering up to $630 in trade-in credits when preordering the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge. You can trade in more than one phone if you want as well. If you go with Samsung, you'll also get their Samsung Care+ Theft and Loss program free for three months. Finally, if for some reason you want to upgrade again within 12 months, you'll get at least 50% of the MSRP of the new phone. If you don't have a trade-in, Amazon is offering a $50 gift cardIf you don't have a trade-in or want to try your luck selling your older phone yourself, go with Amazon's deal. You'll get the same delivery timing and price, a one-year warranty, and a $50 Amazon gift card that Samsung doesn't offer. View the full article

Apple is partnering with brain-computer interface company Synchron to develop technology that lets users control devices using neural signals. Still in the early stages, the technology could significantly expand accessibility for users who are unable to operate devices with their hands, Synchron said in a press release. The partnership was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. “This marks a defining moment for human-device interaction,” Synchron CEO Tom Oxley said in a statement. “Apple is helping to pioneer a new interface paradigm, where brain signals are formally recognized alongside touch, voice and typing.” Historically, users have interacted with tech devices through keyboards, mice, and more recently, touch and voice. But these interfaces remain limiting for people with certain impairments. Apple and Synchron are now working to translate specific brain signals into actions like selecting icons on a screen. Synchron’s implantable device, called the Stentrode, uses electrodes to read brain activity. It integrates with Apple’s “Switch Control” feature, which allows users to operate devices via alternative input methods. “When we ask our clinical trial participants what they want to do, it’s always about communication and creativity,” Synchron chief commercial officer Kurt Haggstrom said in a statement. “And to most people, that means using their Apple devices. For Apple to recognize that need, and respond to it, demonstrates how much they value accessibility for their users.” The technology likely remains years away from FDA approval and widespread use. Synchron said limited trials with patients are expected to begin later this year. View the full article

DWS plans to vote against Thomas Rabe because of ‘repeated breach of expectations’View the full article

LinkedIn owner joins Meta and Amazon in rebalancing workforce as artificial intelligence race heats upView the full article

Scammers and cyber attackers are always looking for new ways to steal your information, and even the most cautious among us can be at risk when using our mobile devices for everyday activities. Google is rolling out new security features for Android to help users protect against scams, fraud, and theft, and revealed a bunch of them during its mobile-focused event "The Android Show: I/O Edition," leading up to this year's Google I/O event starting May 20. Here's what's coming soon to your Android device. Expanded scam detection featuresGoogle recently rolled out real-time, AI-powered scam detection that alerts users to possible fraud when suspicious conversational patterns are found in Google Messages and Phone by Google. The feature, available for Pixel devices, will now cover a wider net of scams, including package delivery scams, job seeking scams, toll road and billing fee scams, crypto scams, financial impersonation scams, gift card and prize scams, and tech support scams. In-call scam protections are also expanding and will prevent users from taking actions that put their data at risk or open the door for malware. While on the phone with non-contacts, you won't be able to disable Google Play Protect, sideload new apps from web browsers or messaging apps, or grant accessibility permissions. You'll also get a notification to stop screen sharing at the end of a call. In-call protections for Google Play Protect are available for Android 6+, while sideloading and accessibility limits are available on Android 16. Finally, Google is piloting in-call protections for banking apps. To protect against impersonation scams that compromise financial account information, your device will warn you if you launch a participating banking app while screen sharing with an unknown contact with a one-tap "End call" button. Android 11+ users in the UK will have first access to the feature in the coming weeks. Improved theft protection featuresIn the last year, Google released a number of theft protection features to help secure your data if your device was lost or stolen. Remote Lock, which allows you to lock down your Android or wipe it remotely, will now have a security challenge question to prevent unauthorized access, and Factory Reset protections will be expanded. Identity Check—originally rolled out to Pixel and Samsung One UI 7 device—will be available on more supported devices that upgrade to Android 16. This feature requires biometric authentication to access certain resources when you're outside of trusted locations. Finally, Android 16 will hide one-time passwords on your lock screen when your device is not connected to wifi and hasn't been unlocked recently to prevent thieves from utilizing them to access your accounts. Key Verifier for Google MessagesGoogle Messages is getting a new feature to help you confirm that you're chatting with who you think you are (rather than a scammer impersonating someone you know). With Key Verifier, the person will have to confirm that your contact keys in the Google Contacts app match by scanning a QR code or comparing numbers, which will then mark them as verified. If their number is compromised in some way, such as in a SIM swap attack, the verification will disappear, letting you know that your conversation may not be secure. Key Verifier will be available sometime this summer for devices running Android 10+. Live threat detection for appsGoogle Play Protect, which runs safety checks on apps before they're installed on your device, is getting an upgrade. Live threat detection will run continuously on-device and in real time to quickly identify suspicious patterns or behavior that may indicate malware and alert you before apps are even installed. This update is available now for all Android users. Device-level Advanced ProtectionGoogle's Advanced Protection program adds extra security for users who carry sensitive data or have greater privacy concerns, such as journalists, activists, and executives. When enrolled, you're required to enter your passkey or security to access your account and may get more frequent alerts related to malware risks. Android 16 now has a device-level Advanced Protection security setting for anyone who prioritizes security in addition to account-level safeguards. View the full article

Google's Gemini AI is going beyond Android phones, the company officially announced today, prior to its Google I/O 2025 conference later this month. Specifically, Google says it will bring the AI assistant to smartwatches, cars, TVs, and even mixed reality headsets. This is a significant step forward for its Gemini push, as it'll allow people to use the service on almost all devices in the Google ecosystem. Gemini on Wear OS devices Credit: Google The goal of Gemini on your smartwatch is to ensure you've always got your AI assistant with you, so you can ask questions while you're cooking, biking, or doing the chores as your phone charges. Google says you can use Gemini to set reminders, and it'll be able to use contextual information such as your location to give you correct answers. The company adds that you can ask Gemini to remind you about a restaurant reservation mentioned in your email inbox, or to remember which locker you're using at a gym, right from your Wear OS smartwatch. Gemini for smartwatches is planned to arrive "in the coming months." Gemini in your car Credit: Google Google Assistant for Android Auto has been among the most useful features for drivers who want to stay hands-free, and now the company is upgrading it to Gemini. This will be available to every car that supports Android Auto or has Google built-in. The company says this will help people by letting them use natural language to control their cars, reducing distractions. You won't have to think of the right voice prompt to get the results you need, Google claims. As far as real-world use cases go, Google suggests that you could ask Gemini for a daily news rundown while excluding certain topics, or you could have Gemini summarize your text messages, then reply to them for you— even translating them to another language if you like. As for helping you with your trips, Google suggests you could ask the AI to help you find points of interest along your route, such as a charging station near a park. Gemini is coming to Android Auto "in the coming months," and it'll be available for cars with Google Built-in after that. I'm curious how helpful this will really end up being, because in some use cases, Gemini has been a bit slower for me than non-AI control. Gemini on TV and other devices Credit: Google Gemini is also coming to Google TV, where the company says it will help you find the right kind of content. For instance, you could ask it to find "action movies that are age-appropriate for kids," and it'll serve you up a list of AI-assisted recommendations. Alternatively, the bot could supposedly answer questions by sharing a few words, then linking to relevant YouTube videos. Sounds great, as long as the AI doesn't hallucinate or accidentally send your kid down a misinformation rabbit hole. Gemini is also planned for a few other devices, including eventual Android XR mixed reality headsets. The company said Samsung will launch the first Android XR headset later this year, and that it will ship with Gemini included. Some earbuds from Sony and Samsung will also get Gemini support, but the launch timeline is unclear for those devices. View the full article

Google has unveiled a major update to its Material 3 design language, which guides the visual appearance of apps across Android and the web. Called Material 3 Expressive, the new look is intended to make software "more engaging and easier to use," and is quite a departure from what's gone before. It's not easy to sum up what Material 3 Expressive is, but you can see a few of Google's example screenshots included in this article. Google says that expressive design is design that "makes you feel something" when you use it. "Expressive interfaces have an emotional impact, fostering connection by evoking a feeling or mood through visual design and interaction," as per the official announcement blog post. The new update covers colors, fonts, and shapes. Credit: Google What that actually looks like is bolder colors, more creative use of typography, more flexibility in terms of shapes, and animations that are now more natural and fluid. You can expect to see Material 3 Expressive start showing up in Google's own apps, and it's encouraging app developers to adopt the look, too. We should also hear more about the update at Google I/O 2025, which gets underway on May 20. As you can see from the attached pictures, a fresh batch of text styles have been introduced to help add flair to apps and draw your attention to important functions and features—whether that's a recording button or an unread message. There are also dozens of new shapes, and new morphs for switching between them. More Material 3 Expressive examples from Google. Credit: Google Animation effects, meanwhile, are intended to look more realistic and more logical than before. Colors have been updated to be richer and more dynamic, and as with the other improvements, the thinking with the new color schemes is that users are better able to find their way around apps and see where key features are. Google is encouraging app developers to combine these colors, shapes, text styles, and animations to be more creative in their designs. "Makers have more flexibility with M3 than ever before, so we encourage you to play around with these elements and see what works for you," says Google. Backed by user researchThe revamped Material 3 Expressive design covers most aspects of a software interface, including navigation bars, progress indicators, app controls, carousels, and floating action buttons (known as FABs). However, Google has specifically said this isn't a generational leap to Material 4, but rather an evolution of the existing Material 3 aesthetic. The initial spark behind Material 3 Expressive was apparently to "dial up the feeling" and make mobile and web apps less homogeneous. While there are quite a few guidelines to take in here for developers, Google is also keen to see more variety and more experimentation—including "hero moments" that "break from predictable or uniformly applied design ideas." The new look has scored highly in testing, Google says. Credit: Google And there's plenty of research behind the new look. According to Google, Material 3 Expressive is based on 46 different studies covering more than 18,000 participants, who were asked to rate visuals in categories including playfulness, energy, creativity, friendliness, and modernity. A combination of surveys, experiments, and even eye-tracking tests were deployed to get Material 3 Expressive looking the way it does. It's also an update that's been three years in the making, so the shapes, colors, and text you see here have been tweaked and refined over a long period of time—and no doubt will stay in place for several years, before we get the next overarching visual refresh. Expect to see refreshes for your favorite apps soon. Credit: Google The new look has been a hit with users of all ages, according to Google. As per its research, the new design guidelines make interfaces easier to use, and result in apps that users are more likely to switch to as well. Key UI elements are apparently up to four times easier to spot in apps that follow the Material 3 Expressive templates. Whether or not you're a fan of the Material 3 Expressive look, it's on the way to Google's suite of apps across mobile and the web. Google has now released design kits for developers to start playing around with, too, so third-party apps should also start adopting the visual refresh in the near future. View the full article

US president expected to meet new ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa during visit to Saudi ArabiaView the full article

Close to 300 former employees could be eligible for the settlement once it is officially approved later this year. View the full article

As you sift among the various options for your short-term investments, keep these key items on your dashboard: yield, guarantees, liquidity and your individual situation. The short-term investments that promise the highest yields often come with at least some risk and/or constraints on your daily access to funds. It may be that you’re just looking for the highest safe yield and don’t care that much about liquidity. Or maybe having ready access to your funds is the name of the game. Also think through whether you value an ironclad guarantee or are willing to go without in exchange for a potentially higher yield. Some cash instruments are fully FDIC-insured, while others are not. On the short list of FDIC-insured investments are checking and savings accounts, CDs, money market accounts (not to be confused with money market mutual funds), and online savings accounts. Certificates of deposit CDs will typically offer the most compelling yields of all cash instruments, and they’re also FDIC-insured. Yet there are a couple of caveats. One is that minimum deposits for the highest-yielding CDs might be $25,000 or even higher. There’s also a trade-off on the liquidity front: You’ll usually pay a penalty if you need to crack into your holdings before the maturity date. The longer the term of the CD, the bigger the penalty for cashing out early. Online savings accounts If you want daily liquidity, a decent yield, and FDIC protection, your best bet will tend to be a high-yield savings account through an online bank or a savings account through a credit union. The former offers FDIC protection, up to the limits, whereas credit union accounts are insured by another entity, the National Credit Union Administration. Money market mutual funds Money market mutual funds also offer daily liquidity and the convenience of having those funds live side by side with your long-term investments. But money market fund yields are still generally below those of online savings accounts today. Additionally, money market mutual funds aren’t FDIC-insured, though in practice most funds have done an excellent job of maintaining stable net asset values. Don’t confuse money market mutual funds with brokerage sweep accounts, though both are offered by investment providers. Interest rates on brokerage sweep accounts, which hold investors’ cash that hasn’t yet been invested, have ticked up a bit recently but are still well below other cash options. Stable-value funds Stable-value funds are another example of an investment that offers an often-decent yield in exchange for not checking the liquidity and guarantee boxes. Stable-value funds are only accessible inside of company retirement plans. They invest in bonds, so they’re not FDIC-insured; to protect investors’ principal, they employ insurance wrappers to help maintain a stable net asset value. Just bear in mind that stable-value funds carry drawbacks. Because you can only own such a fund within a 401(k), you’ll pay taxes and penalties to withdraw your money before retirement unless you meet certain criteria. So don’t think of a stable-value fund as an emergency fund unless you’re already retired or close to it. Honorable mention: I Bonds In contrast with the preceding investment types, I bonds are the only safe investment vehicles that will guarantee to make investors whole with respect to inflation. I bonds are Treasury bonds that pay a fixed rate of interest as well as another layer of interest that varies with the current inflation rate, as measured by the Consumer Price Index. As attractive as that is, it comes with a few asterisks. If you redeem an I bond within five years of buying it, you’ll forfeit three months’ worth of interest. Purchase constraints are another drawback for large investors. —Christine Benz, director of personal finance and retirement planning at Morningstar This article was provided to The Associated Press by Morningstar. View the full article

Ukrainian president puts onus on Russian counterpart to engage in IstanbulView the full article

TikTok is launching a nationwide initiative in honor of Small Business Month, pledging $1 million in advertising credits to support small businesses across the United States. The platform, home to more than 170 million U.S. users, says over 7.5 million businesses are currently using TikTok to grow their reach and engage new audiences. According to the company, 74% of businesses on TikTok say the platform has helped them scale—whether by hiring more staff or expanding market reach. The new programs are aimed at accelerating that momentum through financial support, education, and mentorship. Key Initiatives for Small Business Month As part of its celebration of Small Business Month, TikTok is rolling out several initiatives to empower entrepreneurs: $1 Million Ad Credit Giveaway: U.S.-based small businesses will have the opportunity to win advertising credits to help them grow on the platform. Small Biz Fest TikTok Academy Webinars: Beginning May 15, TikTok will host a weekly webinar series that offers expert advice and strategies for creating successful ad campaigns. “100 Ways to Grow on TikTok” Video Podcast Series: This content series will share stories and insights from entrepreneurs using TikTok to build their brands. Small Biz Fest Roadshows: These in-person events in Los Angeles, New York City, and Austin will help small business owners optimize their TikTok presence. Entrepreneurs can access the campaign’s full offerings—including event registration and content—by visiting tiktoksmallbizfest.com. Spotlighting Small Business Success TikTok is using the campaign to highlight small business success stories that have gained momentum through the platform. Among them are: Cocoa Asante (@cocoaasante): Founder Ella Livingston scaled her luxury chocolate brand globally after a viral review by creator Keith Lee. Coastal Caviar (@shopcoastalcaviar): Kelly Bozigian launched her handmade charm necklace business and reached $1 million in revenue within six months. Growth Through TikTok Shop TikTok Shop continues to serve as a growth engine for small businesses. The platform cites multiple success stories: BossUp Cosmetics (@bossupcosmetics): Founder Aaliyah Arnold saw her business grow by 500% after launching a color-changing lip oil through TikTok Shop. She sold over 500,000 units and purchased her first home at age 20.* Final Boss Sour (@finalbosssour): The brand’s viral taste test videos and strong creator engagement led to consistent sell-outs and a dedicated following. From beauty products to unique snacks, TikTok Shop enables small businesses to turn casual viewers into loyal customers. During Small Business Month, users can explore standout small business products via a dedicated in-app banner and the Small Biz Fest tab from May 27–29. Additionally, TikTok will spotlight small businesses at state capitols in New York and Texas, where entrepreneurs will have the chance to meet with policymakers and discuss the platform’s economic impact on local businesses. This article, "TikTok Commits $1 Million in Ad Credits to Support U.S. Small Businesses" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article