Made by Google was this week, that includes a full vary of reveals from Google’s greatest {hardware} occasion. Google unveiled its new lineup of Pixel 9 telephones, together with the $1,799 Pixel 9 Fold Professional; superior AI-powered photo-editing instruments; and the brand new Pixel Buds Professional 2, that are infused with Gemini AI. The corporate additionally introduced Gemini Reside, a conversational AI voice assistant to compete with OpenAI’s Superior Voice Mode, although the stay demo had a number of hiccups.
Epic Video games launched its rival iOS app retailer within the European Union. It’s launching with video games like Fortnite, Rocket League, Sideswipe and Fall Guys, and is working with builders to launch their video games on the Epic Video games Retailer sooner or later. Fortnite’s return to iOS comes over 4 years after Apple first eliminated the sport from its App Retailer, years of authorized battles, and regulatory adjustments introduced by EU’s Digital Markets Act.
X launched Grok-2 and Grok-2 mini in beta with improved reasoning. The brand new Grok AI mannequin can now generate photographs on X, although entry is at the moment restricted to the social community’s Premium and Premium+ customers. Nonetheless, Grok’s image-generation characteristic doesn’t appear to have any guardrails round creating photographs of political figures like related merchandise do — and many customers are making the most of it.
That is TechCrunch’s Week in Overview, the place we recap the week’s greatest information. Need this delivered as a e-newsletter to your inbox each Saturday? Join right here.
Information
The “most epic fail” award goes to…: CrowdStrike accepted the award for Most Epic Fail at Def Con’s Pwnie Awards, only a few weeks after its software program replace triggered a worldwide IT meltdown. A minimum of they have been sport about it. Learn extra
Waymo takes its driverless robotaxis to the freeway: Waymo will begin testing its totally autonomous robotaxis on freeways within the San Francisco Bay Space after getting approval from California regulators to cost for autonomous rides on the freeway. Learn extra
20 years of competing with Google Maps: OpenStreetMap is a community-driven platform that serves firms and software program builders with maps to allow them to rely rather less on proprietary merchandise like Google — and it simply celebrated its twentieth birthday. Learn extra
Productiveness your approach: If you wish to keep productive whereas distancing your self from the standard Large Tech gamers, we put collectively some open supply alternate options to standard productiveness apps like Calendly, Zoom and Substack. Learn extra
The FBI goes after Radar: The FBI seized the servers of a ransomware and extortion gang known as Radar (aka Dispossessor). It’s a uncommon win for the FBI, which has struggled to include and curtail the rising risk from ransomware. Learn extra
Rating shuts down: The relationship app for folks with good to glorious credit score shut down in early August, the corporate informed TechCrunch. What was solely imagined to be a pop-up app acquired a lot person curiosity that it stayed stay for six months earlier than lastly shutting down. Learn extra
Apple goes after Patreon: Apple threatened to take away Patreon from the App Retailer if creators use unsupported third-party billing choices or disable transactions on iOS, as an alternative of utilizing its in-app buying system for Patreon’s subscriptions. Learn extra
California helps digital IDs: Residents of California will quickly have the ability to retailer their driver’s license or state ID of their Apple Pockets or Google Pockets apps, because the state works to launch assist for digital IDs within the coming months. Learn extra
Extra dangerous information for Byju’s: India’s prime courtroom has placed on maintain a tribunal ruling that halted Byju’s insolvency proceedings — a win for U.S. collectors which might be in search of to recuperate $1 billion from the once-celebrated edtech startup that has since fallen from grace. Learn extra
Generate profits on Telegram: Telegram introduced new methods for creators to earn cash on its platform, together with month-to-month paid subscriptions that customers should purchase utilizing the app’s digital forex as a way to get entry to a creator’s further content material. Learn extra
That’s a yikes from me: Palo Alto Networks is getting quite a lot of grief for a current commerce present occasion by which two ladies posed with lampshades on their heads. CEO Nikesh Arora apologized in a LinkedIn put up, saying it was not “consistent with our values.” Learn extra
Evaluation
Will AI change artwork as we all know it? The most recent AI fashions can produce nice demos, however will they actually change how folks make motion pictures and TV? A panel at SIGGRAPH explored the potential of generative AI and different methods to alter the best way media is created right now. Whereas filmmakers and VFX specialists assume the usefulness of those instruments might pave the best way for movie within the brief time period, it might additionally change the medium past recognition in the long run. Learn extra
Pour one out for CrowdTangle: Journalists, researchers and politicians are mourning Meta’s shutdown of CrowdTangle, a instrument used for monitoring the unfold of disinformation on Fb and Instagram. Its alternative is much less accessible and has fewer options, critics say, main many individuals to query why the corporate axed the useful gizmo simply three months earlier than a contentious U.S. election that’s already threatened by AI and misinformation. Learn extra
