• BMW scraps end date for V8 and V12 engine production

    January 27, 2026

    BMW has scrapped plans to end production of its trademark V8 and V12 petrol engines, which will continue to be offered in its high-end performance and luxury models alongside a range of new electric vehicles (EVs) as part of its Neue Klasse electrification strategy. According to Automotive News Europe, the German automaker’s renewed commitment to large combustion engines is due in part to continuing high demand in the US. “High-performance engines remain a central part of our strategy,” a BMW spokesperson told ANE, adding that North American demand for V8 vehicles remains “above average” and that the company doesn’t expect…

  • Trump admin reportedly plans to use AI to write federal regulations

    January 27, 2026

    The Trump administration is planning on using Google Gemini to draft important federal regulations, . This is starting with the Department of Transportation, according to interviews with agency staffers. Regulations created by the DOT help keep us safe when traveling. The plan was initially presented to DOT staffers last month, with agency attorney Daniel Cohen writing to colleagues about AI’s “potential to revolutionize the way we draft rulemakings.” Gregory Zerzan, the agency’s general counsel, has indicated that President Donald Trump is “very excited by this initiative” and that DOT will be “the first agency that is fully enabled to use…

  • South Korea’s Edenlux set for U.S. debut of eye-strain wellness device

    January 27, 2026

    People around the world now spend hours a day on their smartphones. On average, daily smartphone use exceeds three hours, and for many adults, total screen time climbs to six hours or more, according to research. This constant close-up screen exposure has been linked to a growing list of eye-health issues, including dry and irritated eyes, eye fatigue, blurred vision, headaches, and the worsening of nearsightedness, per reports. Edenlux, a South Korea–headquartered startup, has developed technology to address eye and ear health issues caused by screen-heavy digital lifestyles. The company’s mission is personal. Edenlux founder and CEO Sungyong Park knows…

  • Jaguar calls hybrid rumours ‘rubbish’, doubles down on EV-only future

    January 27, 2026

    Luxury brand Jaguar has denied reports it’s set to introduce new models packing a petrol engine, saying it remains fully committed to an all-electric future and that suggestions to the contrary are “rubbish”. The Sunday Times published a report on January 24, 2026, claiming the Indian-owned British automaker is exploring the inclusion of extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) powertrains which incorporate internal combustion engines (ICE). Such a move would represent a significant strategy shift after Jaguar’s 2024 announcement it would stop making ICE-powered vehicles, announcing it would pause production entirely as part of its transition to a more upmarket, electric-vehicle-only brand. However,…

  • Claude now offers deeper integrations with apps like Canva and Slack

    January 27, 2026

    Anthropic has been building out support for third-party apps inside of Claude. As of today, the chatbot can now connect to platforms like Slack and Canva, fetching up files from inside those apps or performing tasks within them on a user’s behalf. For instance, when connected to Box, Claude can now search for files, preview documents inline and answer questions about the content in front of you. Meanwhile, with a connection to Asana, it can now turn chats into projects, tasks and timelines your co-workers can then find and interact with on the project management app. Box and Asana are…

  • Qualcomm backs SpotDraft to scale on-device contract AI with valuation doubling toward $400M

    January 27, 2026

    As demand grows for privacy-first enterprise AI that can run without sending sensitive data to the cloud, SpotDraft has raised $8 million from Qualcomm Ventures in a strategic Series B extension to scale its on-device contract review tech for regulated legal workflows. The extension values SpotDraft at around $380 million, the startup told TechCrunch, nearly double its $190 million post-money valuation following its $56 million Series B in February of last year. Across regulated sectors, enterprises have moved quickly to test generative AI, but privacy, security, and data governance concerns continue to slow adoption for sensitive workflows — especially in…

  • Polestar to sell emissions credits to EV-averse brands

    January 27, 2026

    Australia’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) is now in effect, and electric vehicle (EV)-only brand Polestar has confirmed it will sell the emissions ‘credits’ it accrues to brands struggling with their EV uptake. Under the NVES, all manufacturers operating in Australia are required to meet average fleet-wide carbon dioxide emissions targets every year. These targets will get stricter each year, and any brand that fails to meet them will be fined. However, if a brand beats its fleet-wide target – particularly easy in the case of plug-in hybrid-heavy and EV-only brands – they’ll earn ‘credits’ that can either be used to…

  • A TikTok US power outage caused a ‘cascading systems failure’ leading to multiple bugs

    January 27, 2026

    If your TikTok feed has felt a little off lately, it’s not just you. TikTok says is still working to fix its service in the US following a power outage at one of its data centers that’s caused “multiple bugs” in the app. TikTok users have reported problems logging in and uploading videos, as well as strange behavior from the “for you” algorithm. Creators have also noticed that new uploads are seemingly getting o views or likes and that in-app earnings have disappeared. “Since yesterday we’ve been working to restore our services following a power outage at a U.S. data…

  • Google pays $68 million to settle claims its voice assistant spied on users

    January 27, 2026

    Google agreed to pay $68 million to settle claims its voice assistant illegally spied on users to, among other things, serve them advertisements, Reuters reports. Google did not admit wrongdoing in the settlement of the class-action case, which accused the firm of “unlawful and intentional interception and recording of individuals’ confidential communications without their consent and subsequent unauthorized disclosure of those communications to third parties.” The suit further claimed that “information gleaned from these recordings was wrongly transmitted to third parties for targeted advertising and for other purposes.”  The case centered on “false accepts,” wherein Google Assistant is alleged to…

  • 2026 Bentley Continental GTC Speed review

    January 27, 2026

    “Speed… I, am speed…” – Lightning McQueen, 2006. Since first watching the iconic Pixar film as a (very) young boy, those famous words from the opening scene would often play in my head at random times. Some 20 years later, they still have plenty of relevance. Whether you’re about to start a race in a video game or settling in behind the wheel for a real-life race or track session, as a Cars fan and general driving enthusiast it’s hard not to pretend you’re Lightning McQueen psyching himself up for the next round of the Piston Cup. And it was…