The airline met the moment at the Sphere

Lenovo's ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable can extend its display upwards.

Hearing a lot about Lemon8 lately? Youre not the only one.Amid alooming U.S. banon TikTok, content creators have been pushing theplatforms sister app. Lemon8 resembles an amalgamation of thetypes of short-form videosfound on TikTok and the picture-perfect aesthetic of Instagram and Pinterest.Like its popular relation, Lemon8 is owned byChina-based ByteDance, whose collection of internationally available apps also includes the video editing app CapCut and the photo and art editing app Hypic. In addition, the company operates Douyin, the Chinese sibling of TikTok that follows Beijings strict censorship rules.Lemon8 launched in the U.S. in 2023, a few years after it first popped up in Asian markets. Though it garnered some media and user interest in its early days, the app hasnt taken offas much as TikTok, which has more than 170 million U.S. users.But more people have downloaded the app in the past month, making it one of the top-ranking free apps on Apples app store. Lemon8s popularity could potentially soar further depending on the outcome of aU.S. Supreme Court hearingFriday over a law requiring TikTok to break ties with ByteDance or face a U.S. ban.TikTok says it plans to shut down the platform in the U.S.by Jan. 19if the government prevails, as it didin a lower court.What are creators saying about Lemon8?Influencers previously partnered with Lemon8 to promote the lesser-known app on TikTok. In recent weeks, many of them have hailed Lemon8 as the place to go if TikTok is banned under federal law. Some have also been recommending it through paid sponsored posts tagged #lemon8partner, showing a recent corporate push to generate more users.But theres a hitch. The law, which would wipe out TikToks U.S. operation if its not sold to an approved buyer, states the divest-or-ban requirement applies generally to apps that are owned or operated by ByteDance, TikTok or any of their subsidiaries. That means even though Lemon8 and CapCut are not explicitly named in the statute, their futures in the U.S. also are in jeopardy.Jasmine Enberg, an analyst at market research company Emarketer, noted that the creators recommending Lemon8 may not be aware of the possible implications for the other ByteDance apps because the law does not identify them.The recent Lemon8 ads on TikTok also may be a sign that ByteDance is hoping or betting Lemon8 slips through the cracks as lawmakers and regulators focus their attention on TikTok, Enberg said. Representatives for the companies did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Lemon8 downloadsTo boost Lemon8s user base, TikTok announced in November that creators would be able to access a Lemon8 account with the same account they use on TikTok, a feature the company says will enhance their ability to cross-post content. TikTok said the integration was designed to expand creators reach and engagement potential.Like TikTok, Lemon8s main feed features both a following section that lets users look at content from the creators they follow and a For You section that recommends other posts. The newer platform also sorts posts into different categories, like relationships, wellness and skincare.ByteDance has not disclosed the number of global or U.S. users on Lemon8, which is believed to be miniscule compared to its trend-setting sister app. Data from the research firm SimilarWeb indicates Lemon8 has a little over 1 million daily active users in the U.S. According to the market intelligence company Sensor Tower, the app had 12.5 million global monthly active users as of Dec. 24.Sensor Tower estimates the app saw a significant jump in global downloads in December a 150% increase compared to an average 2% month-over-month decline last year. The U.S. accounted for 70% of the months downloads.The largest number of U.S. downloads were performed on Dec. 19, according to Sensor Tower. That was the day afterthe Supreme Court saidit would hear this weeks oral arguments over the constitutionality of the federal law that could ban TikTok.The lawpassed with bipartisan supportlast year after lawmakers and Biden administration officials expressed concerns that Chinese authorities could force ByteDance to hand overU.S. user dataor sway public opinion towards Beijings interests by manipulating the algorithm that populates users feeds.President-elect Donald Trumpasked the Supreme Court on Dec. 27 to pause the potential TikTok ban from going into effect until he is inaugurated and his administration can pursue a political resolution to the issue.Haleluya Hadero, AP business writer

Taxpayers who have been the victims of identity theft have experienced significant delays when requesting refunds from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), according to a Wednesday report to Congress from the National Taxpayer Advocate on the most serious problems that taxpayers faced last year. These delays hurt low-income taxpayers the most.The report, published annually, highlights significant delays in processing Employee Retention Credit claims and resolving identity theft cases. The IRS took an average time of 22 monthsalmost two yearsto issue refunds to taxpayers affected by identity theft.Tax-related identity theft is a crime where a fraudster will steal a taxpayers identifying information, such as a social security number, and use it to file fraudulent tax returns to enrich themselves with fraudulent refunds. It could happen to anyone.Unconscionable delaysHundreds of thousands of taxpayers are victims of tax-related identity theft each year, often through no fault of their own, Erin Collins, the national taxpayer advocate, wrote.These victims are still experiencing unconscionable delays waiting for the IRS to process their returns and pay their refunds with no immediate resolution in sight, Collins wrote.Often, taxpayers are not even aware that they are a victim of identity theft until they attempt to file their tax returns. The IRS system rejects their filing because their social security number has already been used.Frustration and financial burdenLow-income taxpayers made up two-thirds of all identity theft victims last year. Of those, 62% reported experiencing financial burden as a result of the crime. Refund delays can exacerbate existing hardships or cause new ones; many low-income taxpayers rely on these refunds to afford basic living expenses. They are at the mercy of the time it takes for the IRS to solve the issue, Collins wrote.Recent trends in identity theft show that the most vulnerable populations to identity theft are the elderly, disabled people, and students.Collins published 69 legislative recommendations to improve the taxpayer experience, mainly centered around fixing these impactful delays. She asks that Congress requires the IRS to process refund claims within a year and impose consequences if the IRS fails to do so. She also recommends expanding the U.S. Tax Courts jurisdiction to hear refund cases in order to decrease the time it takes taxpayers to get their money back.

Meta said Wednesday that it will allow some Facebook users to view eBay listings on its Marketplace service, as it tries out a possible way to resolve European Union charges of anticompetitive behavior that the bloc leveled last year.The social media company said its launching a test that will let Facebook users in Germany, France and the U.S. browse eBay listings directly on its Marketplace online classifieds service but complete the transaction on eBay.Meta is carrying out the trial afterBrussels slapped the company in November with a penalty of nearly 800 million euros ($824 million)for what it called abusive practices involving Marketplace.European Union antitrust enforcers accused Meta of illegally shutting out competition by tying Marketplace to its social network and automatically exposing Facebook users to Marketplace whether or not they wanted it. They also accused Meta of gaining an unfair advantage through ad-related data.While we disagree with and continue to appeal the European Commissions decision on Facebook Marketplace, we are working quickly and constructively to build a solution which addresses the points raised, Meta said in a blog post, adding that its solution could benefit people on both platforms.The European Commission, the 27-nation blocs top antitrust enforcer, said it had no specific comment, saying only that Meta must comply with the decision issued in mid-November within 90 days.Shares of eBay jumped on the news. The company said that starting Wednesday a select number of eBay listings in the three countries will be seamlessly integrated and viewable on Facebook Marketplace. The listings will be from a variety of categories, based on factors including shopping trends and listing quality, it said, without being more specific.Buyers will complete their transactions following the same process as they would when buying directly through the eBay website and will be covered by the platforms money-back guarantee and other protections, it said.Kelvin Chan, AP business writer

Fashion brand Louis Vuitton and artist Takashi Murakami have created a New York City pop-up store with multiple colour-blocked rooms and furniture with rounded edges to showcase a new phase of their collaboration. Located in New York's SoHo neighbourhood, the pop-up store celebrates the original 2003 Louis Vuitton x Murakami collaboration with updated and original versions of bags, accessories and other items displayed in small, bright, monochrome spaces.Louis Vuitton and Murakami have created a pop-up shop in New yorkFor the design, the team referenced Toyko's capsule hotels, an accommodation style that offers small, sometimes bed-sized rooms at an affordable price such as the recently renovated (Do-C) Gotanda hotel."Drawing design inspiration from Tokyo's famous modular hotels, the pop-up's minimalist interior is divided into distinct areas each with a specific purpose and bold colour theme," said the team.The space features small, colour-blocked rooms that branch of a central hallThe two-storey space features a bright white, central corridor on the top floor, where rooms painted in orange, green, deep purple, and bubblegum pink branch off its sides.Each room is outfitted with matching built-in shelving, Louis Vuitton and Murakami insignia, hanging pendants and furniture.Rounded edges border the spaces and furnishingsRounded edges and corners border the furnishings throughout the store, while bright, fluorescent lighting panels line the ceilings.The rooms contain displays of the collection, as well as a pink cafe and a squat, purple vending machine accessible by visitors after they make a purchase.Read: Louis Vuitton flagship store disguised as stack of luggage trunksA stairwell lined with Louis Vuitton motifs leads downstairs to a cinema that displays two animated films by Murakami produced during the original collection launch.Open in New York City for a temporary time, the space is the first of a host of global events set to celebrate the anniversary. The largest pop-up will take place in Toyko.The store was informed by Japanese capsule hotels"The project acts as a modern-day showcase for an enduring creative bond, defined by artistic vision, remarkable feats of traditional craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology, and the timeless appeal of this seminal moment in early 21st-century pop and collector culture," said the team.Louis Vuitton recently covered its New York City flagship in giant luggage trunks, while designer CJ Hendry relocated 100,000 plush flowers overnight for a Brooklyn pop-up shop.The Louis Vuitton x Murakami New York pop-up takes place over January 2025 at 104 Prince Street in Soho. SeeDezeen Events Guidefor an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.The photography is by Brad Dickson courtesy of Louis VuittonThe post Louis Vuitton and Murakami create NYC pop-up informed by Tokyo hotels appeared first on Dezeen.

The latest crop of AI-enabled wearables like Bee AI and Omi listen to your conversations to help organize your life. They are also normalizing embedded microphones that are always on.

By abandoning fact-checkers and loosening its Hateful Conduct policy, Meta has made clear the future it wants for its platforms.

OpenAIs chief executive and founder denies the allegations, which are similar to claims his sister has long made online.

Cybersecurity company Esetis now urgingWindows 10 users to upgrade to Windows 11 or another operating system well in advance of Oct. 14, 2025, when support for Windows 10 ends.intoIts about five to twelve minutes to avoid a security fiasco in 2025, Eset security expert Thorsten Urbanski said,according to Bleeping Computer .Eset estimates there are around 32 million computers still running Windows 10 in Germany alone, roughly 65% of all devices in the country. Windows 11 runs on 16.5 million devices, corresponding to approximately 33%. According to Statcounter, global figures for Windows 10 and 11 use are similar.Many Windows 10 users have not upgraded because of Windows 11s higher hardware requirements, which make it inaccessible for older computers.The situation is much more dangerous than when support for Windows 7 ended in 2020, said Urbanski.