Have you played Neva yet?

BYD's premium sub-brand is all set to take on Audi, BMW and Mercedes, with its crab-walking, blowout-beating Z9GT leading the charge.

Jo Ellis, a National Guard pilot, is suing an influencer who falsely identified her as the captain of a helicopter that collided with a passenger plane in January.

Macworld Apple’s Magic Mouse doesn’t usually go on sale—and we’ve never seen it this low. Apple’s Magic Mouse with a Lightning port is available for an all-time low of $60 at Woot right now, a savings of $20 and 25 percent off its MSRP. That’s not just a great a discount—it’s the lowest we’ve ever seen. This isn’t the newest version of the Magic Mouse, but other than a Lightning port instead of USB-C, it’s identical to the one Apple sells. You probably already know that you need to flip it upside down to charge it, but that’s the same with the newer model. If you don’t have Lightning cables anymore, don’t worry because there’s a USB-C to Lightning cable included in the box. You won’t even have to charge it that often because the internal battery will last for about a month before it needs your attention again. Apple’s Magic Mouse with a super low profile that features a single clickable surface with two customizable buttons and a multi-touch area that you can use to scroll and swipe with ease. The sleek design also allows you to glide across the desk however you need. So go and order your Apple Magic Mouse for $60 at Woot while you can still get one. Apple gear always sells out fast and this one is a clearance item so it’s likely to go quickly, so hurry up before they disappear like magic. Snag a 25% discount for the Apple Magic MouseBuy now at Woot

Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden have launched a formal inquiry into partnerships between tech giants Google and Microsoft, and AI startups, demanding detailed information about arrangements they fear may be circumventing antitrust scrutiny while consolidating power in the rapidly evolving AI market. In identical letters sent to Google and Anthropic, as well as Microsoft and OpenAI, the lawmakers expressed concern that these corporate partnerships “discourage competition, circumvent our antitrust laws, and result in fewer choices and higher prices” for businesses and consumers using AI tools. All four companies have been given until April 21 to respond to a series of pointed questions about their relationships. The inquiry comes as enterprise customers increasingly depend on these AI systems, but may face limited options and higher costs if market consolidation continues unchecked. Google, Anthropic, Microsoft, and OpenAI did not comment on the development. “De facto mergers” without regulatory oversight The senators’ letters specifically highlight Google’s 14% ownership stake in Anthropic after investing $3 billion, while seeking information from Microsoft regarding the “terms of its relationship” with OpenAI. “These arrangements sometimes function as de facto mergers – allowing companies to consolidate talent, information, and resources – all while bypassing the scrutiny typically applied to mergers and acquisitions,” the senators wrote in their letters to both sets of companies. The lawmakers cited a January 2025 Federal Trade Commission (FTC) report warning that such partnerships risk “locking in the market dominance of large incumbent technology firms.” They also referenced the FTC and Department of Justice’s merger guidelines, which note that even partial acquisitions may present “significant competitive concerns” by affecting firms’ incentives and strategies. Computing resources as a competitive advantage A major focus of the inquiry is how these partnerships potentially monopolize limited computing resources critical for AI development. The senators questioned whether Anthropic and OpenAI receive preferential access to Google’s and Microsoft’s computing capacity over other cloud customers, respectively, and asked for details on payment arrangements for these resources. For enterprise customers, this could translate to an uneven playing field where only select AI providers have access to the necessary infrastructure to develop competitive models. “Partnerships between CSPs and AI developers, if left unchecked, may accelerate consolidation of the AI sector, ultimately driving up prices and choking off innovation,” the letter stated. The lawmakers also asked pointed questions about capital expenditures on AI infrastructure and how much has been recouped from profits earned by the AI partners, suggesting concern about cross-subsidization between the technology companies. Talent consolidation and information sharing Another key concern is the movement of talent and information between partner organizations. The senators asked both sets of companies whether individuals currently serve on boards or hold positions at both companies simultaneously, and about the flow of employees between the partner companies. Enterprise buyers may face a market where fewer independent teams are developing competing AI solutions if the industry consolidates around these dominant partnerships. The letter specifically referenced the FTC’s finding that some partnerships “embed engineers in one another’s companies, allowing for information transfer about technology and intellectual property” that enables “Big Tech to consolidate AI talent.” High switching costs create lock-in The senators expressed particular concern about how these partnerships may create technical and financial barriers that lock AI developers into specific cloud service providers (CSPs). “Exclusivity contracts might restrict an AI developer whose needs evolve to be better suited to another CSP or who might benefit from a multicloud solution,” the letter stated, noting that “hefty egress fees can raise the cost of switching to a new CSP.” The development of specialized AI semiconductor chips further raises these barriers. The senators noted Anthropic’s use of Google’s proprietary Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) for model training, while similarly questioning Microsoft’s development of the Maia 100 AI chip that incorporates OpenAI’s technology. For enterprise customers, these interlocking technical dependencies could ultimately mean fewer options and higher costs if competition diminishes. Acquisition potential raises additional concerns The senators pointedly asked both Google and Microsoft whether they currently have plans to acquire their AI partners, if acquisition discussions have occurred, and if the AI companies would be amenable to such deals. This follows the FTC report noting that respondents indicated that “acquisition of the AI developer by its CSP partner was a possibility.” Complete acquisitions would represent the ultimate consolidation of these partnerships, potentially removing any remaining independence between the companies. Broader implications for enterprise AI strategy The congressional inquiry highlights mounting regulatory concern about AI market concentration just as enterprise adoption reaches critical mass. Companies developing AI strategies should consider the potential impact of regulatory action on their chosen AI providers. If lawmakers determine these partnerships violate antitrust laws, enterprises could face disruption to their AI supply chains. Conversely, stronger antitrust enforcement could potentially create more competitive pricing and innovation in the AI market long-term. The senators’ letters reflect growing concern about AI consolidation, which they note “has received attention from bipartisan groups in Congress, federal antitrust agencies, and enforcers in allied nations like the UK and European Union.”

Apple's stock has regained some of its losses after the announcement of a 90-day pause on some new tariffs, while the tariff on imports from China to the U.S. has been jacked up to 125%.Tim Cook (left) and President TrumpFollowing the introduction of a 104% tariff rate against China and further retaliation from China, Apple's stock was bracing for another day of turbulence on the market. However, after an announcement of a tariff pause, Apple's been given a bit of a reprieve.In an announcement on Wednesday, President Donald Trump confirmed that he had authorized a 90-day pause on new tariffs against most countries the U.S. deals with. At the same time, there is also a lowering of the reciprocal tariff to 10% for the period. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

A monthly check-in on the ConstructionConnect Project Stress Index (PSI) composites from March indicates a slight (1.1%) increase in the number of nonresidential construction projects either paused, delayed, or abandoned across the country. This rise was driven primarily by a 9.5% increase in abandonment activity. Year-to-date, abandonments have likewise surged by 41%, far outpacing the 3.5% increase in bid date delays and the 19% decline in on-hold activity observed in 2025. The abandonment rates were shown to be twice as high for private-sector construction. This is due primarily to concerns over the construction labor market and price increases related to tariffs combined with the effects of persistently elevated interest rates. Over the past four months, bid date delays and on-hold activity have both declined as abandonments rose, according to the report. Both March's bid date (0.7%) and on-hold activity (8.0%) readings were shown to have gone down. Related on Archinect: Tariff-...

Disney and developer Dlala Studios have officially confirmed that Disney Illusion Island Starring Mickey and Friends is coming to PC (via Steam, Microsoft Store and GOG), PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. While the digital release is slated for release on May 30, the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions will also be getting physical editions which come with an exclusive poster on May 30 in North America and June 27 in Europe. As part of the new multiplatform release, Disney Illusion Island Starring Mickey and Friends is also getting new content in the form of Scrooge offering the playable characters a new special ability called Dig! This ability can then be turned in for permanent upgrades for a new game mode dubbed Cave Adventuring Scavenger Hunt (C.A.S.H.). This new content will also be released on Nintendo Switch. Getting ready for its release on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, a new trailer for Disney Illusion Island Starring Mickey and Friends has been released. Check it out below. The trailer gives us quick glimpses at each of the four playable characters, before giving us a wider look at its gorgeous art style and levels and character designs. As the trailer indicates, along with the new content, Disney Illusion Island‘s multiplatform release will also bring with it sharper visuals thanks to the higher resolution output that is possible on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. The multi-platform release was first hinted at earlier this week when PSDeals was able to scrape through PlayStation Store’s backend for details about the release. The game will include all of the gameplay features from the original Nintendo Switch release, including offline co-op multiplayer for between 2 and 4 players, along with the ability for players to help each other by using unique abilities. Disney Illusion Island was originally announced back in September 2022. It was eventually released on the Nintendo Switch, even getting a trailer leading up to its July 2023 release date. The trailer gave us a glimpse at some of the areas that players would be exploring in the game, as well as some of the special abilities of each of the four playable characters. In Disney Illusion Island, players take on the role of Mickey, Minnie, Goofy or Donald as they set forth to explore the titular island. The game has been structured like other metroidvania titles, complete with players needing to explore every nook and cranny in order to find upgrades and shortcuts that will help them progress further through its story. Back when it came out, the title got generally positive reviews. Its Metacritic aggregate sits at around 73, and in our own review for the game, we gave it a score of 8 out of 10. While we praised the game for great visuals and animations, as well as the general charm it exudes thanks to its witty writing, we did find some of its gameplay mechanics a on the shallower end, and the lack of combat offering up some awkward boss fights here and there.

Live from TED2025 What we learned at day 2 of TED2025 Posted by: Maria Ladias, Oliver Friedman and Brian Greene April 9, 2025 at 12:50 pm EDT The stage and theater at Session 2 of TED2025: Humanity Reimagined on April 8, 2025, in Vancouver, BC, Canada. (Photo: Gilberto Tadday / TED) Celebrating the joy of learning unexpected things, day 2 of TED2025 kicks off with a bang — or, more specifically, a howl, as we learn about the communication of wolves. From there, speakers explore a wide range of ideas, from the surprising parallels between evolution and language to jaw-dropping live demos of humanoid robots, AI-powered 3D games and more. Learn about bold visions for cleaning up the ocean, ending child hunger and aligning AI with humanity’s best interests. Are you ready to dive into what you didn’t know you needed to know? Here are some key takeaways from day 2: Jeffrey T. Reed speaks at Session 2 of TED 2025: Humanity Reimagined. April 8, 2025, Vancouver, BC, Canada. (Photo: Gilberto Tadday / TED) From wolves to humans, communication shapes survival and success. With the help of AI, we’re closer to understanding animal conversations. Linguist and software engineer Jeffrey T. Reed’s research on wolf vocalizations reveals how these creatures use sound not just for survival but also to negotiate, signal and stay in sync. This mirrors human communication, as cognitive scientist Steven Pinker suggests, where “common knowledge” allows us to do everything from navigating cities to sparking revolutions through coordinated action. None of this would be possible without the ever-evolving relationship between genes and language, explored in a fascinating conversation between evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins and linguist John McWhorter (who also guest curated and hosted Session 2 of TED2025). Whether it’s a peacock’s colorful display, a wolf’s howl to reunite with its pack or a poet’s words to inspire — communication is the thread that ties us all together. Roland Fryer speaks at Session 2 of TED 2025: Humanity Reimagined. April 8, 2025, Vancouver, BC, Canada. (Photo: Gilberto Tadday / TED) Bold takes on parenting and the role of culture in today’s biggest challenges. Journalist Lenore Skenazy makes the case that giving kids more independence, instead of micromanaging their every move, helps build resilience and — counterintuitively — eases both parents’ and children’s anxiety. Economist and entrepreneur Roland Fryer brings real-world perspective to how systemic inequalities shape our world. While hip-hop often gets blamed for its controversial lyrics, he flips the script, showing how the genre can reflect deeper societal issues, offering a voice to the unheard and shedding light on the complexities of race, class and opportunity in a way few other mediums can. Bernt Børnich speaks at TED2025: Humanity Reimagined on April 8, 2025, in Vancouver, BC, Canada. (Photo: Gilberto Tadday / TED) Technology continues to infiltrate our lives. In a series of live demos, speakers show how technology is poised to integrate even more deeply into our daily lives. Roboticist Bernt Børnich brings the robot NEO onstage, showing that humanoid home helpers are no longer science fiction — they’re just around the corner. Meanwhile, Shahram Izadi takes us inside the development of Google’s new Android XR platform, which aims to give users the power of AI (on their faces) via headsets and smart glasses. Lastly, technologist Kiran Bhat previews the future of AI-powered 3D gaming, building an immersive, wintry Japanese village with only a series of text prompts. Palmer Luckey speaks at TED2025: Humanity Reimagined on April 8, 2025, in Vancouver, BC, Canada. (Photo: Gilberto Tadday / TED) Inside the high-tech arms race. AI in warfare is no longer a hypothetical — it’s an inevitability, says Palmer Luckey, an inventor and founder of defense technology company Anduril Industries. He asserts that the US military must embrace mass-producible, AI-powered autonomous weapons in order to overwhelm adversaries with technological superiority. The stakes are no less than the ability to protect our way of life for a generation, he says: We need to summon every possible advantage to win. Wawira Njiru speaks at TED2025: Humanity Reimagined on April 8, 2025, in Vancouver, BC, Canada. (Photo: Gilberto Tadday / TED) Africa has a blueprint for feeding children sustainably and at scale. Food trailblazer Wawira Njiru urges a reimagining of Africa not as a crisis zone but as the source of innovative solutions to child hunger. By focusing on school meals that use locally grown foods, engaging local communities and governments and innovating with simple but powerful technology, her nonprofit Food4Education has served more than 100 million meals — and they’re showing no signs of slowing down. With support from the Audacious Project, TED’s innovative funding initiative, Food4Education will feed one million kids daily in Kenya by 2030 and two million more across Africa, offering a blueprint for the rest of the world to follow in ensuring that every child has access to nutritious food. Boyan Slat speaks at TED2025: Humanity Reimagined on April 8, 2025, in Vancouver, BC, Canada. (Photo: Jasmina Tomic / TED) Protecting the planet from every angle. On a scuba trip in Greece as a teenager, marine custodian Boyan Slat found more plastic bags than fish in the water. This shocking experience sparked The Ocean Cleanup, an ambitious effort to use technology to capture ocean trash at its source. After an initial (and very public) setback, Slat has now deployed trash “Interceptors” in eight countries, capable of capturing millions of kilograms of plastic in just hours of deployment, with plans to expand to 30 more countries. Back on land, farm animal welfare champion Lewis Bollard pulls back the curtain on the everyday horrors of factory farming — from crowded cages for hens to crates that confine pregnant pigs — and reveals how consumer demand has already driven major corporate and legislative reforms. By blending big data, inventive tech and grassroots pressure, Slat and Bollard illustrate that massive environmental problems can be tackled — if we decide to act. Tristan Harris speaks at TED2025: Humanity Reimagined on April 8, 2025, in Vancouver, BC, Canada. (Photo: Gilberto Tadday / TED) We urgently need to find the “narrow path” to building safe AI — before it’s too late. The current path of AI development is dangerous, unsustainable and “insane,” says technologist Tristan Harris, as profit- and influence-seeking companies create frontier models that are proving themselves to be untrustworthy and downright deceitful. But creating an AI dystopia is not inevitable — rather, it’s a choice we’re making. By gaining clarity on the risks and taking cues from how humanity has faced other existential challenges, like nuclear proliferation and ozone depletion, we can find what Harris calls the “narrow path,” where AI is rolled out into society with wisdom and foresight — and where powers match responsibility. Attendees giving a standing ovation at TED2025: Humanity Reimagined on April 8, 2025, in Vancouver, BC, Canada. (Photo: Gilberto Tadday / TED) Head of TED Chris Anderson and impact investor Jacqueline Novogratz at TED2025: Humanity Reimagined on April 8, 2025, in Vancouver, BC, Canada. (Photo: Gilberto Tadday / TED)

Watch a Spinning Martian Dust Devil ‘Consume’ Another in a New Video Captured by NASA’s Perseverance Rover Tracking dust devils helps researchers learn more about Mars’ atmosphere, wind and weather conditions NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover spotted a large dust devil (on the right) consuming a smaller, fainter twister (on the left in the foreground). NASA / JPL-Caltech / LANL / CNES / CNRS / INTA-CSIC / Space Science Institute / ISAE-Supaero / University of Arizona NASA’s Perseverance rover has captured a Martian atmospheric phenomenon reminiscent of the mischievous, spinning Tasmanian Devil from Looney Tunes. The new visuals show a dust devil consuming a smaller one on the rim of the red planet’s Jezero Crater. “These mini-twisters wander the surface of Mars, picking up dust as they go and lowering the visibility in their immediate area,” Mark Lemmon, a Perseverance scientist at the Space Science Institute, says in a NASA statement. “If two dust devils happen upon each other, they can either obliterate one another or merge, with the stronger one consuming the weaker.” Perseverance spotted the swirling winds with its navigation camera on January 25 while exploring a location on the crater’s western rim called Witch Hazel Hill. At about 0.6 miles away from the twisters, the rover snapped photos as a roughly 210-foot-wide dust devil pulled in a smaller and fainter 16-foot-wide one. NASA compiled Perseverance’s images of the event into a short video. A Martian dust devil consumes a smaller, fainter one moving to the left of it, as other twisters spin in the distance. NASA / JPL-Caltech / LANL / CNES / CNRS / INTA-CSIC / Space Science Institute / ISAE-Supaero / University of Arizona Dust devils occur when air heated by Mars’ ground rises through the denser, cooler air above it, and surrounding air moves in to take its place. This incoming air begins to rotate and rise into a column, picking up speed—similar to how a spinning ice skater moves faster by bringing their arms closer to their body, according to NASA. The rotating air drags up dust into its twister, redistributing it around the planet. “Dust devils play a significant role in Martian weather patterns,” Katie Stack Morgan, project scientist for the Perseverance rover at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, says in the statement. “Dust devil study is important, because these phenomena indicate atmospheric conditions, such as prevailing wind directions and speed, and are responsible for about half the dust in the Martian atmosphere.” While it might feel natural to compare Mars’ dust devils to Earth’s tornadoes—or the twister in The Wizard of Oz—Martian whirlwinds are not nearly powerful enough to lift up much of anything, let alone a farmhouse. “The Martian atmosphere is so thin that it would feel like a gust of wind,” atmospheric scientist Priya Patel explains in a NASA video. “Though, you’d get pretty dirty.” Perseverance Rover Captures Dust Devils Whirling Across Mars (Mars Report) Watch on According to a recent study, however, Martian dust could cause serious hazards for future astronauts: namely, respiratory health issues. “The dust really does get everywhere, and it behaves a bit differently to dust on Earth,” where the particles get smoothed down over time, says Julia Cartwright, a planetary scientist at the University of Leicester in England who didn’t participate in the study, to CNN’s Jack Guy. On the moon and Mars, dust particles are very sharp. “This is a problem if they are in the air that you are breathing—sharp particles are more likely to cause irritation to soft membranes, which is where you can run into issues with your lungs,” Cartwright adds. Martian dust has already caused problems on uncrewed space missions. Notably, a 2018 dust storm permanently shut down NASA’s Opportunity rover after covering its solar panels with grit. The agency’s InSight lander met a similar fate in 2022. Both Perseverance and NASA’s Curiosity rover were designed with a nuclear power source, which help them fare better in such dust storms, per Forbes’ Amanda Kooser. The recent dust devils are just two of many that Perseverance has captured since landing on the Red Planet in 2021, and it has even recorded the sound of a dust devil. In 1997, NASA’s Pathfinder mission was the first to capture photographs of dust devils from the ground. Further studies of these dust devils and Martian dust in general could help inform NASA as it strives for its goal to send humans to Mars as early as the 2030s. Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.