• Meta closes 550,000 accounts to comply with Australia’s kids social media ban

    January 13, 2026

    To comply with Australia’s under-16 social media ban, Meta said on Medium that it has shut down nearly 550,00 accounts. That number includes 330,000 Instagram, 173,000 Facebook and 40,000 Threads accounts deemed to belong to children. “Ongoing compliance with the law will be a multi-layered process that we will continue to refine, though our concerns about determining age online without an industry standard remain,” the company wrote. Australia’s minimum age social media ban, the first of its kind in the world for a democracy, went into effect on December 10. The ten platforms affected, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, X,…

  • Google’s Gemini to power Apple’s AI features like Siri

    January 13, 2026

    It’s official. Apple has chosen to work with Google, a longtime partner, to power AI features like Siri.  “After careful evaluation, we determined that Google’s technology provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models and we’re excited about the innovative new experiences it will unlock for our users,” Apple and Google said in a statement. The partnership confirms previous reporting on a deal with Google. Neither Apple nor Google have confirmed the price tag, but previous reports indicate Apple could be paying Google around $1 billion for access to its AI technology. The deal also comes after Apple spent…

  • Get Apple’s 25W MagSafe charger for only $30 right now

    January 13, 2026

    One way you can reduce the number of cables you have to deal with on the regular is by investing in a few wireless chargers. Those with iPhones should consider Apple’s own MagSafe charger not only because of its sleek and effective design, but also because it’s on sale right now at Amazon. The Qi2.2-rated MagSafe charger is down to $30 for the one-meter version, or $40 for the two-meter version. Apple Get a $10 discount on Apple’s Magsafe charger in one or two meter sizes.  $30 at Amazon If you have an iPhone 16, iPhone 17 or iPhone Air,…

  • Amazon says 97% of its devices can support Alexa+

    January 13, 2026

    Amazon offered a bit more insight into how it sees its AI platform competing in the real world at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week. Namely, Amazon plans to leverage the extensive footprint its devices already have in the home as well as consumers’ existing familiarity with its Alexa brand. “Ninety-seven percent of devices we ever shipped can support Alexa+,” noted Amazon Alexa and Echo VP Daniel Rausch in an interview at CES. He said the latest figures Amazon has on hand indicate the company has sold more than 600 million devices, and the “vast majority” will…

  • Netflix won seven awards at the Golden Globes with Adolescence and KPop Demon Hunters

    January 13, 2026

    The 2026 Golden Globes took place on Sunday and it was another big night for streamers. Netflix took home seven awards, Apple and HBO Max each won three and Hulu got one. Netflix’s hit show Adolescence received four awards alone, including best limited or anthology series. It also won for best actor (Stephen Graham), supporting actor (Owen Cooper) and supporting actress (Erin Doherty) in a miniseries or television film. KPop Demon Hunters — the sensation which became Netflix’s most-watched title — won for best animated feature and best original song. “I just want to say this award goes to people…

  • Trump’s EPA plans to ignore health effects of air pollution

    January 13, 2026

    Ever since Ronald Reagan was president, the Environmental Protection Agency has assigned a value to human life. If you think too long about it, it’s a bit crass, but the upshot was to provide some cost-benefit analysis of pollution controls. Lowering pollution can prolong human life, so if the health benefits of reducing pollution outweighed the costs, then there was an economic argument to be made in favor of those reductions.  Every administration since has assigned some value to human life when determining how to regulate air pollution. The Trump administration is planning to throw decades of accepted practice out…

  • GWM offering range-wide deals after record year in Australia

    January 13, 2026

    GWM is offering discounts of up to $6000 across its entire model range, as it aims to maintain its momentum following a record year in Australia in 2025. The Haval Jolion small SUV is being offered with reductions of between $1000 and $3000, with discounts of $2000 to $4000 on the Haval H6 mid-size SUV, $2000 on the similarly sized Haval H7, $1000 on the Tank 300 off-road SUV, between $1000 to $2000 on the Tank 500 large SUV and Cannon ute, and between $2000 and $6000 on the Cannon Alpha ute. A couple of GWM models – the Cannon…

  • Apple’s Mac mini M4 is back on sale for $499

    January 13, 2026

    The holiday season is fully in the rear view mirror and real life is here to stay. But that doesn’t mean the time for gifts is over — especially ones for yourself. You can still take advantage of great January sales on some awesome tech products. Take the Apple Mac mini M4, which is down to $500 from $599. The 17 percent discount gives you 16GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD for only about $20 more than the computer’s Black Friday sale. Its beefier models are also on sale: opting for 512GB of SSD will cost you $690, down…

  • Pebble founder says his new company is ‘not a startup’

    January 13, 2026

    Pebble’s founder, Eric Migicovsky, is doing things differently with his reboot of the Pebble smartwatch brand and an AI ring. The team is small, inventory isn’t being manufactured before it’s sold, and there’s no outside funding. Most importantly, he says, the new company, Core Devices, is “not a startup.” “We’ve structured this entire business around being a sustainable, profitable, and hopefully, long-running enterprise, but not a startup,” Migicovsky told TechCrunch on the sidelines of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week. Image Credits:Pebble “Startups are good for the world,” he clarified. “You need to have money in order…

  • Meta appoints ex-Trump and Bush official as its new president and vice chairman

    January 13, 2026

    Meta has appointed Dina Powell McCormick, a banking executive and former Republican White House official, as its new president and vice-chairman. The company said McCormick will help guide its overall strategy and execution as a part of the management team. “Dina’s experience at the highest levels of global finance, combined with her deep relationships around the world, makes her uniquely suited to help Meta manage this next phase of growth as the company’s president and vice chairman,” said Meta Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. McCormick was a partner at Goldman Sachs and ran its Global Sovereign investment banking business. She…