Make your favorite golfers day with the best gifts to enhance every part of their game.

This affordable audio controller is great, especially if you use Ableton.

Daisy Harris, an A.I.-generated English granny, has been stymying scammers with meandering, time-wasting conversations. But can she actually make a dent in the flood of fraud?

The ruling by a federal judge, Leonie Brinkema, in an antitrust case over Googles advertising technology could add to the internet companys woes.

MacworldIf youre thinking about buying an iMac this holiday shopping season, there is one reason why you might want to hold off on that purchase. Several people who bought an M1 iMac a few years ago have reported a major problem with the displaya problem that doesnt appear until after the standard warranty expires.A Macworld reader researching an M4 iMac purchase brought this Apple Support Community thread to our attention. In the thread (which has 352 Me too votes), several users report that the M1 iMac screen shows horizontal lines that hinder the screens usability. The users report that the problem appears over a year after the M1 iMac was purchased, and since the standard warranty has expired, the user must pay for the repair, which can cost $650 or more in the U.S.about half of what a new M4 iMac will cost.User Jotap62 said they had a technician look at their problematic iMac. They determined that the problem lies with a power cable for the LCD, which can wear out over time due to the high amount of voltage running through it. Because of the way the LCD is constructed, the repair requires the whole LCD to be replaced, which makes it quite expensive. And even if the repair is done, there is no way of knowing if the problem is permanently fixed.A few users reported that Apple fixed the problem for free after the standard warranty expired, but it took some convincing. They gathered the information reported online (including the Apple Community thread) and took the issue up with an Apple Store manager, who decided to fix it. Weve contacted Apple to see if theyve addressed the issue and will update this article if we receive any new information.The M1 iMac may be using a bad power cable that causes these lines to appear on the display.latVm on Apple Support CommunityThe M4 iMac was released only a few weeks ago and the M3 iMac was released a year ago, so those models havent been out long enough for the faulty cable to burn outif those models are still using that same cable. Theres no way for users to know if thats the case.Presumably, this problem would be covered under AppleCare+, which costs $60/60 per year or $169/169 for three years of coverage. Though we dont usually suggest customers buy AppleCare+ for a desktop Mac due to the lack of travel, its something to consider if youre buying an M4 iMac, at least until we find out if the problem has been addressed.

MacworldTheres no other way to say it: The iPad Pro is expensive. As are its accessories. So if you want one, youre probably waiting for the best possible deal to jump at. Well, this is that deal: Ahead of Black Friday, Amazon is slashing up to $300 off the iPad Pro and its accessories ahead of Black Friday, and you can put together a super bundle for hundreds off.The best possible bundle is the 11-inch iPad Pro with 2TB of storage ($300 off) with the Apple Pencil Pro ($30 off; also at Best Buy) and the 11-inch Magic Keyboard ($50 off) for a combined savings of $380. But we also like the 13-inch iPad Pro with 1TB of storage ($200 off) with the Apple Pencil Pro and 13-inch Magic Keyboard ($75 off) for more than $300 off.Remember, youre also getting twice as much RAM with the 1TB and 2TB models, a full 16GB versus 8GB on the other configurations.You can also find savings on models with less storage. For example, the 11-inch iPad Pro with 256GB of storage is $150 off, while the 13-inch model with 256GB of storage is $200 off. Add in the Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard savings, and youre still looking at a fantastic deal.The M4 iPad Pro is Apples top-of-the-line tablet, with a new thinner design (the 13-inch model is just 5.3mm) and a repositioned front camera thats now on the longer landscape edge. It also now has an OLED display for richer colors and deeper blacks. And its fully compatible with Apple Intelligence as it rolls out over the coming months.The iPad Pro is without a doubt the best tablet Apple or anyone else has ever made. And at these prices, its a pretty good bargain too.

Microsoft hasreleased a new collection of tools and a guide to fix security issues that have arisen around the way the companys generative AI (genAI) Copilot assistant handles information. Namely, the tools indexing of an organizations internal data can lead to the AI assistant sharing sensitive information when it shouldnt.A Microsoft employee familiar with customer complaints tells Business Insider: Now, when Joe Blow logs into an account and starts Copilot, they can see everything. All of a sudden, Joe Blow can see the CEOs email.Business Insiderreports that the behavior prompted several organizations to delay using Copilot for security reasons. Many data governance challenges associated with AI were not caused by AIs arrival, a Microsoft spokesperson told the publication.Instead, according to the spokesperson, AI tools like Copilot highlight how companies need to take proactive responsibility for how they manage internal documents and other information.

After a series of delays, Microsofts Windows Recall feature is now available in a limited preview for Copilot+ PCs.Recall, which takes regular snapshots of a users screento provide a searchable timeline of actions, drew criticism from security and privacy experts when it was unveiled earlier this year.On Friday, Microsoft announced a new Windows 11 build for Windows Insiders Dev Channel that includes Recall and Click To Do,another Copilot+ featurein preview that provides an interactive overlay on a users screen.The number of Windows Insiders testing the features is likely to be small at this stage, asWindows 11 Insider PreviewBuild 26120.2415 (KB5046723)can only be accessed on Copilot+ PCswith a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip. Support for devices running AMD and Intel chips is coming soon, Microsoft said in ablog post.The announcement marks the next step toward a full release for a feature that waslabeled a privacy nightmareupon its announcement in May.A planned rollout in June was postponed in response, and Microsoft has attempted toaddress security and privacy concernswith several updates. This includes making the feature opt-in, requiring biometric authentication with Windows Hello prior to use, blocking detection of personal details such as credit card details and passwords, and the addition of avirtualization-based security enclave (VBS Enclave) to secure data on a users device.

This is todays edition ofThe Download,our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of whats going on in the world of technology.How Trumps tariffs could drive up the cost of batteries, EVs, and morePresident-elect Donald Trumps America First plan to enact huge tariffs on imported goods threatens to jack up the cost and slow down the development of US cleantech projects.These plans could easily add billions of dollars to the prices that US companiesand therefore consumerspay for batteries and electric vehicles, as well as the steel used to build solar farms, geothermal plants, nuclear facilities, transmission lines, and much more.Here are three areas where the costs of materials and products that are crucial to the energy transition could rise. Read the full story.James TempleGoogles antitrust gut punch and the Trump wild cardLast week, the US Department of Justice released its recommendations for proposed remedies in its antitrust case against Google. While no one thought the DOJ would go easy on Google, the remedies it did suggest are profound and, if enacted, could be catastrophic to its business.Next, Google will make its own set of proposals to the court. Finally, Judge Amit Mehta, who has been presiding over the case, will have to decide which, if any, of these remedies to enact. So what is the DOJ proposing, and what role will the incoming Trump administration play?Mat HonanThis story originally appeared in The Debrief with Mat Honan, your weekly take on the tech news that really matters. Its subscriber-only, so sign up here to get the next one in your inbox.The must-readsIve combed the internet to find you todays most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.1 Developing countries arent happy with Cop29s climate finance dealThey claim the $300 billion annual pledge isnt anywhere near enough. (The Atlantic $)+ Thats despite the sum tripling the current annual pledge to aid them. (Bloomberg $)+ Heres how the money stacks up. (Reuters)2 Theres no way Elon Musk is going to balance the US governments booksHis ambitions to slash $2 trillion in annual spending are highly unlikely to be realized. (Vox)+ Musks cost-slashing department is interviewing applicants. (WP $)+ What tech broligarchs really want from Trump. (The Atlantic $)3 One of the worlds biggest battery startups has filed for bankruptcyNorthvolt was one of the industrys brightest hopes. What happened? (WSJ $)+ Its struggles demonstrate how Europe is losing the battery race with Asia. (FT $)+ Super-light materials that help suppress EV battery fires just got a big boost. (MIT Technology Review)4 Huawei is poised to launch a phone running its own softwareThe Mate 70 device would be its first flagship device devoid of Android code. (FT $)5 Meta is struggling to respond to Blueskys successIts tweaking Threads in a bid to make it more attractive to displaced X users. (WP $)+ Bluesky has rapidly overtaken Threads in daily user numbers. (FT $)6 Tesla violated environmental rules in TexasIts factory dumped toxic pollutants in Austin for months in 2022. (WSJ $)7 Is it still worth learning to code these days?The creep of AI-powered coding assistants has recent graduates worried. (NYT $)+ How AI assistants are already changing the way code gets made. (MIT Technology Review)8 Singapore is a self-driving car paradiseThe past decade has seen the island state reinvent itself as an autonomous vehicle hub. (Rest of World)+ Baidus new robotaxis are hitting Chinas roads. (The Verge)+ How Wayves driverless cars will meet one of their biggest challenges yet. (MIT Technology Review)9 This Etsy witch will curse Elon Musk for you For the bargain price of $7.99. (Wired $)10 Stuck for Christmas gift ideas? Ask ChatGPTChoosing the perfect present is tough. AI could help to lighten the load. (The Guardian)+ Heres how people are actually using AI. (MIT Technology Review)Quote of the dayThis document is little more than an optical illusion.Chandni Raina, a negotiator for India during the Cop29 climate negotiations, condemns the $300 billion pledge agreed to help developing nations cope with the effects of climate change, the Guardian reports.The big storyWho gets to decide who receives experimental medical treatments?August 2023There has been a trend toward lowering the bar for new medicines, and it is becoming easier for people to access treatments that might not help themand could even harm them. Anecdotes appear to be overpowering evidence in decisions on drug approval. As a result, were ending up with some drugs that dont work.We urgently need to question how these decisions are made. Who should have access to experimental therapies? And who should get to decide? Such questions are especially pressing considering how quickly biotechnology is advancing. Were not just improving on existing classes of treatmentswere creating entirely new ones. Read the full story.Jessica HamzelouWe can still have nice thingsA place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet em at me.)+ The forgotten history of the worlds very first cyber cafe is fascinating.+ If youre looking to plan a holiday for 2025, this is the ultimate guide to help you decide where to go.+ What happened when Ridley Scott met Paul Mescal.+ Stop! Whatever you do, dont do this to your Thanksgiving turkey.

This story originally appeared in The Debrief with Mat Honan, your weekly take on the tech news that really matters. Sign up here to get the next one in your inbox.Last week, the US Department of Justicereleased its recommendations for proposed remediesin its antitrust case against Google. While no one thought the DOJ would go easy on Google, the remedies it did suggest are profound and, if enacted, could be catastrophic to its business.First, some background. The case was first filed back in 2020. Then in August, Judge Amit Mehta ruled in favor of DOJ (and against Google), finding that Google ran its business as an illegal monopoly. Now, the DOJ has made its case for what it thinks Google should have to do in the wake of that verdict. Next, Google will propose its own set of remedies to the court. Finally, Judge Mehta will have to decide which, if any, of these remedies to enact.So what is the DOJ proposing? Buckle up.The government starts by calling for an end to third party payments. This means Google would have to stop paying the likes of Apple and Mozilla to make Google search the default engine in those companies browsers and devices. This is not surprising. These agreements were at the heart of the matter that led to the ruling in August.Google would also be required to disclose data sufficient to level the scale-based playing field it has illegally slantedincluding syndicating search results to its competitors. This basically means it would have to share its treasure trove of search data to the likes of Microsoft, OpenAI, DuckDuckGo, Brave, and on down the line.The DOJ also argues Google should be forced to divest control and ownership of Chrome and Android. In the case of Android, Googles mobile operating system that most of the phones in the world run on, Google would either have to sell it, or no longer require manufacturers, like Samsung or LG, to use its services on their devices. And if it was the latter, any deal would be subject to oversight and couldstillpotentially result in a forced sale of Android if the government found Googles actions insufficient.If the other remedies are body blows, this one is more like losing a limb. Selling off Chrome and/or Android would have massive, massive consequences all across Googles lines of businesses. Its also worth noting that before he was tapped to oversee all of Google (and then Alphabet), Sundar Pichai ran Chrome and then Android. These are his babies.But wait, theres more! Google would also be prohibited from investing in or buying outright any search or search text ad rival, search distributor, or rival query-based AI product or ads technology. Thats big because there are a lot of companies in the AI spacetrying to become the search engineof the future right now. (Though it was cleared, Google was already under scrutiny for such investments in the UK, which wasinvestigating its $2 billion investment in Anthropic.) Google could even be prohibited from using any properties it already owns and operates from favoring its own search or ad products. This would force the company to present users with choices of which search engines to use in its own hardware devices, like the Google Pixel phone, as well as on services like YouTube.Theres still more on the DOJs wish list. But you get this picture. Its a heavy hammer.So now what?You can think of where we are a little bit like the stage of a criminal trial when a defendant has been found guilty and a prosecutor suggests a sentence. The judge still has the final word here (at least until an inevitable appeal) and could choose to enact more lenient penalties along the lines of what Google will likely propose, or take up the Justice Departments set of proposals in whole or in part. (He could also just go his own way.) In short, now we know what the DOJ would like to see happen. And of course the whole thingcouldwill go to appeal. So, what will actually happen remains to be seen.What will Trump do?A little bit of a wild card in all this is that by the time Judge Mehta gets around to a ruling (he has set a two week hearing for April with a rulingprojected in August 2025) there will be an entirely new administration in office. In theory, the Trump administration could drop the case altogether or push for lighter remedies.While we dont yetknowwhat it will do, its worth considering that Google does not have many friends in Trumpworld. Vice President-elect J.D. Vance has said bluntly that its time to break Google up. Trump has long aired grievances about the company. And the suit began, remarkably,four years ago under the first Trump administration.But, then again, inan interview last month,Bloomberg Newseditor in chief John Micklethwait asked Trump if Google-parent Alphabet should be broken up. After a series of complaints and digressions about how he appeared in its search results, Trump more or less equivocated. He called breaking up Google a very dangerous thing and noted that China is afraid of Google. And then: Sometimes you have to fight through these threats. Im not a fan of Google. They treat me badly, but are you going to destroy the company by doing that? he said. What you can do without breaking it up is make sure its more fair.So maybe Trump will see Google as a bulwark against China. If theres one thing he seems to like less than Google, its China? Or, well, who knows, it could come down to who Trump talked to last. AsThe Vergeeditor in chief Nilay Patel pointed out, some of Trumps allies in tech are already strongly in the anti-Google camp: The problem for Google is that Andreessen, Vance, Musk etc all sort of love this idea,he skeeted on Bluesky.(Yeah, thatswhat you call it. Sorry, I dont make the rules.)I would add Peter Thiel to that list as a very notable etc. Thiel has been extremely critical of Google, and has come down in particular on its relationship with China. Heswritten an op-ed in theNew York Timesabout it, and has gone so far as to call the company seemingly treasonous. So, theres that.What do I think?Im not a lawyer! This is not investment advice! Blah blah blah! But Ive been covering Google for a long, long time. Nearly my entire career.Do I think Google has grown too big and too powerful? Absolutely! No one company should have as much market dominance as it does. Not Google. Not Apple. Not Meta. Not Amazon. Not Microsoft. Which means its especially messed up that they all are that big. Big Tech reminds me of the famous political cartoon(s) of the great colonial powerscarving up their own spheres of influence, except in this case we are all China.Still, Ill say something that may be a little contrarian here: I think Googles control over Chrome and Android are more or less beneficial for consumers, or at least help provide a goodexperience. The data collection practices are horrendous and potentially dangerous. And yes, product ecosystems are most often swamps that are meant to make it hard to get out of any given system.But the way Google has made so many of its productsChrome, Gmail, Search, Maps, Gemini, Android, Photos, etc.highly interoperable is kinda nice when you look at it from a purely user-centric perspective. It means you can share your data and log in and history and, to some extent, personality across lots of different products in ways that make life at least a tiny bit more convenient. This may seem trivial, but when you get an email confirming a doctors appointment, which Google then automatically adds to your calendar, alerts you with a notification on your phone that its time to depart in order to arrive on time, and then helps you navigate to the new office, its pretty helpful.That said, I think any remedies should target the agreements Google has with other companies to keep its engine as the default. For the first time in decades, were starting to see real search alternatives emerge and they should not be stifled by secret multi-billion dollar agreements among the great powers. I also think a good ruling would limit Googles ability to prioritize its own products and services in search resultsfor example, when I search for a good Thai restaurant near me, Google displays the actual results with a list of restaurants from its database with its user reviews, plotted out on its own Maps product, and this is all above a link to Yelp that might actually have better review data and the same mapping.Maybe you disagree! Well, there is still plenty of time to argue with me and tell me Im wrong. The only thing thats certain at this point is that this case is going to drag on for a long time.Programming note: The Debrief will be off next week. See you in December.If someone forwarded you this edition of The Debrief, you cansubscribe here. I appreciate your feedback on this newsletter. Drop me a line atmat.honan@technologyreview.comwith any and all thoughts. And of course, I love tips.Now read the rest of The DebriefThe NewsElon Musk joined Trumps call with Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Open AI gives us a view of how it safety tests its large language models. Several of the big crypto companies are campaigning for seats on Trumps new crypto council. Threads begins rolling out Bluesky-esque updates as that network starts to surge. Incredible graph of the output of global climate emissions by nations over time. A look at the legal and ethical issues surrounding uterus transplants. Turns out a two-hour interview will enable AI to create a pretty accurate replica of your personality.The ChatEvery week Ill talk to one of MIT Technology Reviews reporters or editors to find out more about what theyve been working on. This week, I talked to Eileen Guo, our senior reporter for features and investigations.Mat: Hey Eileen, I loved your story on Clear. Its such a strange company. What does it do exactly?Eileen: Thanks! That its so ubiquitous but also under the radar is why I wanted to write about it. Clear is a biometric identity company. Initially, it allowed members to go through airport security a little bit fasterby submitting to background checks and then, once at the airport, verify their identities with their biometrics. But for the past few years, its been aggressively expanding outside of airports.Mat: How did this private company get to take responsibility for identity verification at airports?Eileen: Clear started in the aftermath of 9/11, when airport security was a mess and everyoneCongress, the newly created TSA, travelerswas looking for a solution to speed up the process without (theoretically) sacrificing security. Verified Identity Pass, as the company was then known, was one of a few companies that stepped up and it was the most successful by far. I think that was because it was really good at public-private partnerships. It really grew by renting space from the airports where it operated; for every person that signed up, the airports would also receive a portion of revenue.Mat: Youve written about biometrics several times now. Are we on an inevitable journey to using our faces and fingers as identifiers? Like, at some point if I want a Big Mac, am I going to have to scan my eyeballs into the drive thru camera?Eileen: I think the companies selling the technology want it to feel inevitable, and more companies are certainly trying to push pay by palm or iris or face, so well see more of it, but were also seeing other ways of proving our digital identities. Biometrics is one solution (with a lot of problems). But its not the only one.Mat: Anything surprise you when you reported this out?Eileen: I guess I hadnt understood how much the biometrics and identity space is really commoditized. One of our early questions was, what is Clears technology? But Clear doesnt write the facial verification or other algorithms that it uses; it chooses the best ones, and then its real differentiator is packaging it all together in a platform that is easy to useboth for its business customers (like LinkedIn or Home Depot) and us, its human customers.The RecommendationAs a sad old GenXer, nothing makes me feel sadder or older than seeing bands I loved as a kid, bands that sometimes felt dangerous or revolutionary or deeply weird, shuffling around on stage in orthopedic shoes selling nostalgia to graying, pot-bellied old people wearing the same Ben Davies pants they bought at the community thrift in 1994. Dont get me wrong! I was swooning with all the other aging hipsters on statins at the Magnetic Fields and Bikini Kill and Smashing Pumpkins and Green Day shows this year. And I fully intend to see Kim Deal come tour next year, especially because it will give me a chance to once again talk about how I saw her open for Nirvana.But all these things just remind me that Im gonna die. Which is why I have been extremely behind the times in listening to The Cures new album, Songs of a Lost World. But as everybody has been saying, it is easily one of their best albums, period, and one of the best albums of the year as well. Maybe it helps that their music has always been the kind of stuff that reminds me Im gonna die, but in a good way! Anyway. If you have not already, go give it a listen. Endsong in particular is really beautiful. (And, uh, maybe about getting old and dying.)