Emily Forlini of PCMag joins Mikah Sargent this week! A look into Synchron's headquarters, Beeper relaunches its messaging services after being acquired by Automattic, OpenAI releases its new agentic AI service, and an AI service company is hosting over 5,000 nonconsensual AI models of real people.

• Emily shares her time checking out Synchron, a company developing brain-computer interface implants that is considered a significant competitor to Neuralink, founded by Elon Musk.
• Mikah talks about Beeper's relaunch of its messaging app, which runs on devices and offers premium services such as access to more accounts and power-user-type features.
• OpenAI launched its new agentic AI service, ChatGPT agent, Thursday morning. This service can complete work for you on your computer and perform a variety of tasks for you.
• And Emanuel Maiberg of 404 Media shares his reporting into Hugging Face and how it is hosting over 5,000 AI models of real people, without consent, following another company, Civitai, which previously banned these models.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Emily Forlini

Guest: Emanuel Maiberg

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Dan Moren joins us this week! Rumors are circulating about an A18 MacBook Pro and iPhone 17 Air from Apple, Samsung just held its Galaxy Unpacked event this month and unveiled updates to some of its products, AI bots are scraping obituaries for profit, and a new browser war is emerging between two AI companies.

• Dan Moren talks about the rumored A18 MacBook Pro and iPhone 17 Air that Apple could announce this year as ways to appeal to broader consumer markets.
• Mikah Sargent shares the Galaxy Z Flip7, Galaxy Z Fold7, and the Galaxy Watch8 that Samsung unveiled at its recently held Galaxy Unpacked July 2025 event.
• Joe Supan of CNET joins the show to talk with Mikah about how AI is starting to scrape obituaries shared on social media networks like Facebook, and is being monetized for profit.
• And Mikah discusses an upcoming AI-powered browser war that looks to challenge Google Chrome, with companies like Perplexity launching Comet and OpenAI soon to launch its own web browser.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Dan Moren

Guest: Joe Supan

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Amanda Silberling joins Mikah Sargent this week for Tech News Weekly! X is piloting the use of AI chatbots to generate Community Notes. The Supreme Court's porn ruling and what it means for internet privacy. Microsoft tests using AI to diagnose medical cases. And what's new with the Nothing Phone 3?

• Amanda shares the story she wrote for TechCrunch about how the social media company, X, is testing an AI program that can help generate Community Notes for its posts.
• Mikah talks about the Supreme Court's ruling on a Texas law requiring age verification to access adult websites and what this could mean for internet privacy in the future.
• Mikah also shares research that Microsoft conducted on utilizing AI to help diagnose medical cases that even expert physicians struggle to figure out.
• And Andrew Lanxon of CNET joins the show to talk about the Nothing Phone 3 and what he experienced from his hands-on with the device.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Amanda Silberling

Guest: Andrew Lanxon

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This week on Tech News Weekly, Mikah Sargent and Emily Forlini explore RFK Jr.'s ambitious plan to get health trackers on every American's wrist, Apple's CarPlay Ultra facing resistance from automakers, landmark AI copyright rulings, and Fairphone's latest sustainable smartphone offering.

• RFK Jr.'s Wearable Health Initiative - Emily Forlini discusses the HHS Secretary's vision for every American to wear health trackers within four years, examining both the potential benefits of democratizing health data and concerns about privacy, data collection, and the government outsourcing public health monitoring to tech companies.
• Apple CarPlay Ultra vs. Automakers - Mikah explores Apple's ambitious expansion beyond infotainment to control entire car dashboards, revealing which manufacturers are embracing or rejecting the technology, and discussing the fundamental question of who should own the in-car experience - tech companies, automakers, or consumers.
• AI Copyright Rulings Shake Tech Industry - WIRED's Kate Knibbs breaks down two precedent-setting court decisions involving Meta and Anthropic, explaining how judges ruled AI training as "transformative" fair use while leaving the door open for piracy-related damages that could reach into the trillions.
• Fairphone 6: Sustainability Meets Modularity - Will Sattelberg from 9to5Google showcases the latest repairable smartphone featuring modular backplates, a dedicated "Moments" mode for digital wellness, and an ambitious 8-year software support promise, though US availability remains limited.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Emily Forlini

Guests: Kate Knibbs and Will Sattelberg

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This week on Tech News Weekly, Mikah Sargent and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy talk cybersecurity vulnerabilities with over 40,000 exposed internet cameras, Wyze's new security features following past breaches, a study on youth mental health and addictive tech use, and the launch of Trump Mobile's new phone and cellular plan.

• 40,000 Exposed Internet Cameras: A cybersecurity investigation by BitSight reveals that over 40,000 internet-connected cameras are accessible to anyone with a browser and IP address, many of which use default passwords or lack basic security features.
• Wyze Introduces "Verified View" Security Feature: Following previous incidents where users could see other people's camera streams due to cloud failures, Wyze launched a new security feature that stamps user metadata onto footage for an additional layer of verification to access photos and videos.
• Study Challenges Screen Time Assumptions for Youth Mental Health: A major JAMA study tracking over 4,000 kids from ages 10-14 found no direct link between screen time duration and suicidal behavior, but instead identified addictive usage patterns as the real culprit.
• The Launch of Trump Mobile: The new "47 Plan" offers 20GB of data for $47.45/month, along with a $499 phone claimed to be "made in America," though tech experts question both the value proposition and manufacturing claims.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

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Abrar Al-Heeti is joining Mikah Sargent this week! Abrar is excited about one of the new features Apple announced for iOS 26 that could be important for a rumored device next. Would you be willing to be matched with others based on your search history? Some of the new things discovered in the teardown of the Nintendo Switch 2. And Meta is in hot water again over AI chatbots posing as licensed therapists.

• Abrar talks about the new Adaptive Power feature Apple unveiled at WWDC this past week and how this new feature could be necessary for the rumored iPhone 17 Air that Apple could release sometime next year.
• Mikah shares about a new experimental platform called Browser Dating that matches users based on their previous internet search history.
• Liz Chamberlain of iFixit joins the show to talk about the Nintendo Switch 2's teardown, the updated Joy-Con controllers, and how aspects of the console are much harder to repair than their predecessor.
• And 404 Media's Sam Cole stops by to discuss Meta's AI Studio chatbots, which are posing as real therapists with fake licenses and credentials.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Abrar Al-Heeti

Guests: Liz Chamberlain and Sam Cole

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Amanda Silberling is joining Mikah Sargent this week on Tech News Weekly! Initial hands-on impressions with the Nintendo Switch 2. Reddit sues Anthropic. Amazon will be testing humanoid robots to deliver packages. And what could be announced at WWDC25.

• Scott Stein of CNET is staying busy as he joins the show to share his hands-on impressions of Nintendo's Switch 2 console, Mario Kart World, and its new features.
• Amanda talks about Reddit suing the artificial intelligence company Anthropic for allegedly not paying for its services without a proper licensing agreement.
• You may receive your Amazon packages from robots in the future, as Mikah shares how the company prepares to test humanoid robots for delivering packages.
• And Christopher Lawley of youtube.com/@ChrisLawley joins Mikah to discuss what Apple may unveil at its Worldwide Developers Conference on June 9th.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Amanda Silberling

Guests: Scott Stein and Christopher Lawley

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Dan Moren joins Mikah Sargent this week on Tech News Weekly! Apple is rumored to announce a major OS redesign and unified naming scheme at WWDC this year. How YouTube creators are competing against traditional television. Insights into research showing technology use and association with reduced cognitive decline. And how North Koreans have stolen over $6 billion in cryptocurrency through U.S. remote jobs.

• Dan Moren talks about how Apple is rumored to unveil an upcoming OS redesign and unified naming scheme later at WWDC this year, internally dubbed 'Solarium'.
• Mikah talks about YouTube creators and how they are building full production studios as they create more original content for the platform, as YouTube is slowly replacing channel surfing and more linear TV consumption.
• Mikah gets excited and dives into research showing how more technology use can reduce cognitive decline in older adults, showing that tech engagement strengthens cognitive function.
• And Mikah shares a story of how North Koreans are infiltrating U.S. tech jobs, recruiting workers in financial distress for tech support roles, to steal cryptocurrency through laptop farms, which has totaled over $6 billion to date.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Dan Moren

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Emily Forlini and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy are taking the reins of this week's episode! Does a robot vacuum really need an arm to help keep your home floors clean? Inside the chaotic struggle to keep Fisker EVs maintain connectivity. A wireless way to charge your low-powered smart devices. And insight into Sam Altman's company, OpenAI, acquiring Jony Ive's AI startup company, io.

• Jennifer shares her thoughts on Roborock's Saros Z70 Robot Vacuum after testing it out for some time.
• Emily talks about an association formed by Fisker owners following the company's bankruptcy and how it collapsed following disputes over costs and a botched software upgrade with American Lease.
• Jennifer also had the opportunity to use a new wireless power system from Wi-Charge, which uses infrared lasers to charge low-powered devices, such as smart locks, wirelessly.
• And Lauren Goode, Senior Correspondent for WIRED, joins Emily to discuss Sam Altman and Jony Ive's partnership to create AI hardware following OpenAI's acquisition of Jony Ive's io company.

Hosts: Emily Forlini and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

Guest: Lauren Goode

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Dan Moren joins Mikah Sargent this week! A quick preview of Android 16 and Material 3 Expressive ahead of Google I/O with CNET. If you received a 'Lopez Voice Assistant' email, you may be owed a settlement. Apple is finally rolling out its rebranded 'CarPlay Ultra', which was unveiled years ago. And the age of paranoia with deepfakes and scams.

• Patrick Holland of CNET joins Mikah to talk about his first look into Android 16 and Material 3 Expressive's redesign, ahead of Google I/O on May 20th.
• Mikah shares that if you received an email titled 'Lopez Voice Assistant,' don't delete it! You could be eligible for up to $100 as part of Apple's Siri settlement.
• Dan Moren talks about Apple rolling out its 'CarPlay Ultra' that was unveiled three years ago, and the car brands supporting this new iteration of CarPlay.
• And Mikah chats about a great Wired piece about the 'Age of Paranoia', which talks about AI-driven frauds and how more people are proactively verifying their online interactions.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Dan Moren

Guest: Patrick Holland

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