Apple and Google have been fined R$19 million (about US$3.1 million) in Brazil after a judge ruled that the companies contributed to allowing the controversial photo editor FaceApp to improperly collect data from its users. The app has a long history of questionable privacy policies.Apple and Google fined in Brazil over FaceAppAs reported by UOL, Judge Douglas de Melo Martins ruled this week that both Apple and Google were responsible for distributing FaceApp, which is accused of improperly collecting sensitive data from its users. The judge believes that the photo editor app violates the Brazilian Civil Rights Framework for the Internet, a law that regulates the use of the internet and digital platforms in the country.Under Brazilian law, platforms are prohibited from massive and improper collection of personal data without users consent. Apart from not complying with the law, the app also doesnt provide terms of use and privacy policy translated into Portuguese.In addition to the fine, the judges decision also orders Apple and Google to pay compensation of R$500 (US$82) to each person in Brazil who has downloaded and used FaceApp since June 2020. In response, Apple said it has no control over FaceApps terms of use and privacy policy as it is distributed and maintained by a third party. Apple also argues that the data was collected in accordance with international standards.Google also opposes the decision with similar arguments, claiming that it only distributes apps through Google Play and is not responsible for FaceApps terms of use.For the judge, both companies play an active role in the consumer chain, providing infrastructure and conditions for the operation of FaceApp. He believes that Apple and Google contributed to the app infringing Brazilian laws. Apple and Google can still appeal the decision in court.For those unfamiliar, FaceApp is a popular image editor app that lets users transform and tweak their photos with aging effects, skin smoothing, accessories, and much more. The app has gone viral among teenagers. In 2019, FaceApp was accused of storing users photos on its servers without consent. The FBI also said the app was a potential threat because of its ties to Russia.FaceApp is still available on the App Store and is free to download although it does offer in-app purchases that cost up to $100.H/T: Thiago!Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

MacPaw, the company behind many great Mac apps such as CleanMyMac and Setapp, unveiled Eney at CES 2025. Its an all new AI assistant for your Mac, aiming to simplify your digital life. Eney will help you complete tasks quickly, effortlessly, and with ease.In simple terms, Eney feels like magic. Youll be able to talk to Eney, ask it to do a task for you, and itll just do it. MacPaw is in a unique position to develop this tool, since theyve already established great relationships with many Mac app developers through Setapp.Eney will have many capabilities, but some of the top ones include:Sending emails for youConverting a file formatUninstalling appsWriting notesCleaning your Mac for youQuickly trimming videosDownloading videos for youHelping you sort through unread emailsExtracting audio from a videoAnd more!MacPaw is going to have all sorts of integrations with third party developers to make this possible. Eney will exist as a little window on your Mac, with most tasks being handled in the background, with no need for apps to be opened in the foreground. Certain apps will be able to have miniature interfaces within Eney if necessary.All Eney tasks will be processed using an on-device model that MacPaw is developing, and your local documents and personal information will never be sent to a cloud-based AI provider, such as OpenAI or Google.Eney will be available later this year, and you can sign up for the waitlist and email updates right here. Theyve also uploaded a trailer to YouTube, which you can check out to learn more:What do you think of MacPaws Eney announcement? Let us know in the comments.Follow Michael:X/Twitter,Bluesky,InstagramAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

"Polymarket should be shut down for this."Fire SaleAs Los Angeles burns, users of the crypto-based platform Polymarket are gleefully placing bets on the devastation caused by the raging wildfire, which has already destroyed more than one thousand homes and killed at least two people.As of writing, there are at least nine running bets on the prediction market platform on the Palisades fire (though only three have significant amounts of money on the line)."Will the Palisades fire be contained Friday?" reads one outcome prediction, with over $40,000 worth of bets placed. The odds, as it stands, are "NO," with a dismal 2 percent chance.By contrast, a recent wager on whether the fire will burn 10,000 acres by Friday sits at a 100 hundred percent chance, as the damage extended to nearly 12,000 acres today. Somewhere, someone's crypto wallet just got a little fatter.Anything and EverythingPolymarket has emerged as one of the world's leading prediction markets, a type of platform where users can bet on all sorts of outcomes, including the extremely trivial. Want to make a buck on how many times Elon Musk will tweet in a week, or if Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce will get engaged before April? You can do that.There's also plenty of old fashioned sports betting on the market: over $2 billion has been wagered on predicting this season's winners of the Super Bowl, the NBA, and the Premier League combined.That said, betting on Polymarket is technically illegal in the US not that it's stopping many would-be bettors,who can easily sidestep the law with VPNs and their blockchain currencies underscoring the both ethically and legally dubious nature of the operation.All the more striking is the sheer number of outcomes on serious current events, including politics. In fact, Polymarket made a name for itself during the last election cycle, when the site's hivemind correctly predicted that Donald Trump would win the presidency, when many traditional polls favored Kamala Harris.Wicked GameBetting with your crypto wallet on an unfolding catastrophe, however, is a new hi-tech low though perhaps merely the latest testament to the overwhelming ubiquity of gambling today. On social media, the reaction has been one of shock, outrage, and mockery."The gamblification of everything is Evil in [the] fullest sense of the word," tweeted writer Tyler Austin Harper. "Capital-E Evil.""Polymarket should be shut down for this," echoed tech reporter Thomas Maxwell.The most damning detail is that it appears that the site's operators don't have any scruples about these kinds of bets as it's been eagerly highlighting some of them on its social media pages.Share This Article

1 of 21CNETRealbotix's Aria robotAI has been on a roll, and that's going to continue throughout the coming year. AtCES 2025in Las Vegas, we got a look at some of the ways it'll be showing up in products that you'll be able to bring into your home or that'll otherwise infiltrating your life.Meet Aria, a robot from Realbotixthat uses generative AI to engage in real-time conversations, with an emphasis on social intelligence. CNET's Jesse Orrall interviewed her, and she told him Realbotix robots are also "designed specifically for companionship and intimacy." Not quite Detroit: Become Human status, but Aria looks the part.2 of 21Katie Collins/CNETDelta ConciergeDelta Airlines showed off the AI-powered Delta Concierge, which is being folded into the Delta Fly app and which will eventually bring passengers personalized seat-back travel assistance.3 of 21BMW's Panoramic iDriveLanding first on its Neue Klasse EVs, BMW's Panoramic iDrive will eventually come to all of the automaker'snew cars.4 of 21NvidiaNvidia RTXAmid all the AI at CES this year, chipmaker Nvidia managed to steal the show with meaningful announcementsabout the tech behind artificial intelligence advances. Just check out these RTX AI renders.5 of 21Lisa Eadicicco/CNETGoogle TV plus AIHere, a TV uses the Google Assistant with Gemini AI to provide YouTube videos as answers for to a query -- in this case, asking for vacation recommendations. Google also showed off a TV that can tell when someone is in the room and then display relevant content. It says those capabilities should arrive later this year.6 of 21LymowLymow OneAI and robots aren't exactly synonymous, but the two often go hand in hand: brains to go with the brawn. Here's a robot for outside the house. The $3,000 Lymow Oneis designed to mow your lawn with precision, and mulch it as well.7 of 21James Martin/CNETDisplace TVThe first thing that gets your attention about the Displace TV is that you can use suction cups to mount it to a wall, or in this case a refrigerator. Its operating system is designed to use anAI agentand voice commands to ease tasks from streaming and sending emails to ordering food delivery. Prices range from $2,500 to $6,000 (not including a $1,000 discount during CES).8 of 21James Martin/CNETHalliday XR smart glassesCNET's Lisa Eadicicco tried outHalliday XR smart glassesthat actually look like glasses and can display information in your field of view without obstructing it. They're meant to be an AI companion. For instance, in one demo, someone spoke in Mandarin and Lisa saw a translation into English.9 of 21Katie Collins/CNETRopet pet robotRemember the Furby? Well, the Ropet is not that, but no one will blame you if you get those vibes. This robot likes to be petted, it'll dance when music is playing, and the built-in camera can recognize objects you put in front of it.10 of 21James Martin/CNETNkojita cat FuFuFile this under completely unnecessary but cute. The Nkojita cat FuFu will blow on your hot beverages to cool them down so you don't have to.11 of 21James Martin/CNETSamsung's Vision AISamsung's TVs are getting more AI smarts, like AI karaoke and live translation for closed captions, under the heading of Vision AI.12 of 21James Martin/CNETLive Translate on TVsHere's how Samsung is showing off its Live Translate AI feature.13 of 21RayNeoRayNeo Air 3 display glassesThe RayNeo Air 3 display glasses look to be a solid update to their predecessor. With micro-LED displays capable of hitting 2,500 nits of peak brightness, these AR- and AI-powered glasses could be something special when they land in mid-2025.14 of 21May MobilityMay Mobility's self-driving TecnobusThough it may be some time before you'll board a May Mobility self-driving Tecnobus, the vehicle can hold up to 30 passengers, go up to 45 mph, and will be fully wheelchair-accessible.15 of 21HumetrixHumetrix Global Health Communicator AppImagine seeking medical advice when you're somewhere you don't speak the local language. With Humetrix's Global Health Communicator app, you can take advantage of thevoice-to-voice communication within the app to find the help you need.16 of 21James Martin/CNETSamsung BallieThis is Samsung's Ballie robot, designed to roll throughout your household. During a demonstration at the show, Ballie shared information about Las Vegas attractions; turned on lights and various smart home products by voice command; and projected a movie onto a wall. Samsung says it will ship the robot in the US this year. Pricing hasn't yet been revealed.17 of 21RoborockRoborock Saros Z70The Roborock Saros Z70 is a multitalented robotic vacuum cleaner that features a mechanical arm that can pick up items while it cleans your floors.18 of 21EurekaJ15 Max Ultra robovacThe new Eureka J15 Max Ultra uses AI and an infrared vision system to detect liquid (even if it's transparent) and will adjust its cleaning method to handle the spill. It can also detangle its brushes on its own.19 of 21Katie Collins/CNETMirokaiThe Mirokai is a 100,000 euro ($103,000) robot that can do quite a few things. It's on a roller base and has opposable thumbs for picking up items. You can have conversations with it, too.20 of 21James Martin/CNETMirumi sloth robotThe Mirumi is a cute robot that serves one function -- to evoke a response -- and the company behind it, Yukai Engineering, hopes it's joy. Mirumi is supposed to cling to the strap of a bag or purse and will move its head and look at people while you're tending to your business.21 of 21SamsungFor after CES: Galaxy UnpackedIt's January, and that means new Galaxy phones are on the way. Just as CES was getting started, Samsung revealed the date for its own, separateGalaxy Unpacked event later this month. That's where the company will likely reveal the presumed Galaxy S25 lineup and all sorts of nifty AI features.

Every winter in Las Vegas we get to see a flurry of original, weird and wonderful new technology products, andCES 2025has been no different. CNET experts continue to trawl the show floor of the tradeshow looking for the most impressive tech inventions --AItools, tech for yoursmart home, newTVs, ground-breaking cars, laptops, health techand scads ofrobots.See the bounty of tech goodness we've discovered at this year's CES below. We'll keep updating this curated list of the coolest new stuff that delights, inspires and may soon solve real problems, from our homes to the world beyond.While a good chunk of the mosteye-popping finds of the show are concepts, you can check out the manynew products at CES you can buy now(or soon), or have a chuckle reliving thebizarro things we've seen at CES in the past. Honda Honda 0 series EVs From prototype to production We first saw Honda's 0 ("zero") series last yearas a concept, and this year Honda has shared a closer-to-final version of the sleek line, which goes into production in 2026. It's now running Asimo OS, an operating system named after its Asimo robot of yesteryear.These EVs look like what you'd expect a future car to look like; still with some wedginess to their shapes, and referred to as "gorgeous" by automotive reporter Antuan Goodwin. Honda's Gorgeous 0 Series EVs Begin Production Next Year. Geoffrey Morrison/CNET Xgimi Ascend A roll-up projector screen on the cheap-ish It's not the LG OLED rollable screen of your dreams, but the Ascend may be more within your grasp. It's a retractable, ambient light-rejecting screen with built-in speakers and an ultra short-throw projector that looks like a piece of furniture when the screen withdraws. TV tech guru Geoffrey Morrison has been an ultrashort throw skeptic, but thinks this pair may solve some of the issues he's had with them. There's no pricing yet for the screen (the projector is $2,700), but it's bound to be less than models like the LG. Finally, A Roll-Up Projector Screen of Your Budget TV Dreams. AC Future AC Future AI-THu, AI-THt and AI-THd Tiny homes with big tech When you're ready to go small -- or don't have the budget to go big -- a tiny home can be an appealing alternative, especially when it's luxurious and packed with the latest smart tech. Our favorite of AC Future's designer mini residences is the AI-Thu, a modular build (as small as 400 square feet) packed with smart technology that helps control lighting, heating, cooling and appliances, plus solar panels, a water recycling system, atmospheric water generation and a lot more. Would You Pay $100,000 for a Mini Smart House? We Saw the Details at CES 2025. Antuan Goodwin/CNET Top of mind for every potential EV buyer is how inconvenient charging is -- but the Aptera Solar EV is wrapped in solar panels to recharge while you drive. Forget the cockroach-looking solar-powered cars of yesteryear, as this EV is a svelte three-wheeler with a swooped design that looks like it's about to take off into the sky (that achieves 70% less drag than EV's on the road today). Aptera expects to start producing the $40,000 vehicle later this year, so start planning if a constantly-recharging two-seater EV would fit your lifestyle. I Took a Ride in an EV That Doesn't Need to Plug In. See at Aptera James Martin/CNET Dreame X50 Ultra A robot vacuum with tiny legs to get up ledges or cross door gaps. Roombas and other robot vacuums have been a big hit, but their little wheels can be defeated by the tiniest ledge or threshold between rooms. Enter Dreame's X50 Ultra, which has two short wheeled legs it can deploy to surmount very modest obstacles. No, it won't climb stairs, but we saw it conquer small ledges a couple inches high. This advancement comes at the steep price of $1,699 when it starts shipping in mid-February (preorder it for $390 off). Dreame's Robot Vacuum Won't Be Climbing Stairs, but We Saw It Summit a Small Ledge at CES 2025. Katie Collins/CNET Delta Concierge Delta's AI-powered app aims to reduce travel woes. Delta has a new feature for its phone app, and yes, it's AI-powered. Coming this year, Delta Concierge will help out with the most annoying parts of travel, like reminding you about passport renewal and visa requirements, suggesting what to pack for your destination's weather and general tips on getting around while you roam. Like other new AI-powered features, you'll be able to ask questions through text or speech in natural language and have the app respond. Anything that makes travel less painful -- and for free -- is a big help these days. Delta Concierge Will Anticipate Your Every Travel Need Like an AI Trip Butler. Josh Goldman/CNET Lenovo Legion Go S New with added Steam! In addition to a prototype version of the update to its current Legion Go, the company's additions to its Go line of handheld gaming consoles include a couple of brand-new Go S models -- one of which is the first to run SteamOS natively, in addition to the Windows version. Yes, that's right: A Steam Deck alternative! Both models have identical hardware, and the Go S has a more traditional design compared with its somewhat overcomplicated sibling. It's pretty cool, but makes us wonder: where's our Xbox handheld, Microsoft? Lenovo Legion Go S Offers a Welcome, Less Complicated Design Than the Original. Watch this: See Lenovo's Gesture-Controlled, Rollable ThinkBook Laptop in Action 01:45 Lenovo Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable A clever take on dual-screen laptops It's still only a concept, but Lenovo's new laptop extends the screen upward rather than folding it (or folding two screens together) like almost every dual-screen laptop we've seen. We've got no pricing or available for it yet -- it's a real product, not just a concept or prototype -- but being able to turn a laptop screen from 14 to 16.7 inches in a press of a button sounds like something I want. Wild Displays: Lenovo Shows Off Dual-Screen Yoga Book and Rollable ThinkBook. James Martin/CNET Housing renters who want to mount their TV but are wary of drilling into their walls, your ship is about to come in. The Displace TV uses suction cups to stick to the wall and runs off batteries, meaning you can stick it pretty much anywhere in your home or office. It comes in varying sizes, starting with a $1,499 27-inch model and going up to a $4,999 55-inch TV, which will ship in spring 2025. I Suction-Cupped Displace TV's Wireless OLED to a Wall. I'll Never Be the Same. See at Displace Watch this: Displace TV's 55-Inch Television Hangs From a Wall Using Suction Cups 03:15 Matt Elliott/CNET Nvidia GeForce RTX 50 series graphics cards Bigger on the inside? The new Nvidia cards just jumped more than a generation's worth in their power to render games and perform complex AI image generation, among a lot of other things. And they still fit into the box on your desk and cost about the same as before. The Wait Is Over: Nvidia's Next-Gen RTX 50-Series GPUs Are Here. Watch this: Everything Announced at Nvidia's CES Event in 12 Minutes 11:47 Celso Bulgatti/CNET Samsung stretchable screen concept Horror movies just gained a dimension You know that horror trope where something scary stretches the screen towards you and something awful enters the world? Samsung's turned the stretching screen of our nightmares into reality -- though it could be flowers as much as the undead pushing through. The screen bulges in the middle to produce a 3D effect; it's a little hard to see, according to editor Lisa Eadicicco, but it's there. Samsung's Wild Stretchable Display Concept Turns 2D Into 3D. Lisa Eadicicco/CNET Swippitt A fast way to fill up your phone's charge. And empty your wallet Swippitt's added a twist to the phone battery case: a box that swaps external batteries when you stick your phone in the slot. But it's not for everyone: At $450 for the hub and $120 for the Link case, the Sippitt is more expensive than aPlayStation 5and almost as pricey as an iPhone 16. I Watched a Printer-Size Gadget Add More Battery Life to a Phone in Seconds. Lymow Lymow One Robo-mows your lawn and spits back mulch I'm all for anything that can remove the tedium from everyday (or every-week) tasks, and this one is the first to do away with one of the most tedious homeowner tasks. It not only mows your lawn, it gnaws most of the detritus (including leaves and branches) into lawn food. A New Robot Mower at CES 2025 Can Do Something No Rival Can. Tara Brown/CNET Roborock Saros Z70 A robot vacuum with an arm You may not want, or even care about robot vacuums. If you're looking for the "see" in "must-see," this armed and dangerous (to dirt) robot vacuum has proven mesmerizing to watch. What's the arm for, you ask? It's not just vacuums;it can pick up after you. We Spent Hours Watching a Robot Vacuum Pick Up Socks. It's a Dream Come True. HMD Imagine you're cut off from mobile cell service in the outdoors or when networks are down, but it doesn't matter: HMD's new $200 OffGrid device lets you link your Android or iOS phone to networks of satellites to send texts, check-in messages to loved ones and even send emergency pings. From the ashes of last year's Motorola Defy Satellite Link comes a product with even more features, though you'll need to pay a monthly subscription to use it. Give Any Phone a Texting Hotspot Connection Using a Satellite. Just Like iPhone 16. See at Hmd Watch this: These New Smart Glasses Want to Be Your Next AI Companion 02:31 James Martin/CNET LG Signature Smart Instaview A concept appliance putting cameras inside the microwave for all your TikTok and Instagram posts. We've seen smart kitchen appliances, but none that cater to the...influencer crowd? The LG Signature Smart Instaview has cameras inside the microwave to record video of you making your favorite dishes -- and don't worry, there are plenty of sensors that check on how the food is cooking to make sure you don't end up with a smoldering mess. There's also a 27-inch HD display and speakers so you can watch TV while you cook. While only a concept device for now, the Instaview is an intriguing look at how kitchen-fluencers are nudging tech forward, too. Home Kitchen & Household LG Built the Perfect Fancy Microwave for Social Media. Circular Circular Ring Gen 2 A smart ring that detects irregular heartbeats to warn ahead of strokes or heart attacks. For years, premium smartwatches have been able to detect atrial fibrillations -- irregular heartbeats that could preclude strokes and cardiac events -- but not everyone wants a smartwatch. Enter the Circular Ring Gen 2, a $380 smart ring that watches out for these AFib events and tracks other health data, will be available to buy in the next couple months. Circular's New Smart Ring Can Detect AFib From Your Finger. James Martin/CNET Samsung's micro LED smartwatch concept A Micro LED display that's so bright you can see it in daylight. For all the smartwatch lovers who can't see their screens in broad daylight, Samsung debuted a concept device showing a next-gen micro LED display that's brighter than any watch you can buy. While it could be years before this reaches a consumer device, it's promising -- just promise to never take it out in a dark theater. Samsung's Micro LED Smartwatch Concept Is the Brightest Screen I've Seen on a Watch. Jon Reed/CNET Roam SodaTop Add fizz on the fly The SodaStream, which lets you create carbonated drinks at home, was a great idea when it launched. But now everyone's in motion and equipped with water bottles, so why should you be able to get your fizz on in only one location? The SodaTop is a cap for compatible water bottles that carbonates water in compatible containers. This Revolutionary Bottle Cap Lets You Make Sparkling Water Anywhere. 25 for CES 2025: The Must-See Tech We're Obsessed With

Apple released the second public beta of iOS 18.3on Tuesday to developers and public beta testers. The release comes a few days after the company released iOS 18.2.1. While Apple squashed a few bugs with that update, the latest beta introduces a few improvements to developers and beta testers. Apple/Screenshot by CNETRead more: An Expert's Guide to iOS 18Since this is a beta, I recommend downloading it only on something other than your primary device. Because this isn't the final version of iOS 18.3, the update might be buggy and battery life may be short, so it's best to keep those troubles on a secondary device.Note that the beta is not the final version of iOS 18.3, so there could be more features to land on your iPhone when iOS 18.3 is released. There's no word on when Apple will release iOS 18.3 to the public yet.Here's what iOS 18.3 could bring to your iPhone soon. And just a reminder that only developers and beta testers who have an iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max or the iPhone 16 lineup can access any Apple Intelligence features for now. If you have any other iPhone, you won't have access to those features.Repeating operations in CalculatorOne thing developers and beta testers can do in the iOS 18.3 beta is repeat operations in the Calculator app without entering the equation again. This isn't new, but Apple removed this ability from Calculator when the company released iOS 18 in September.Now, developers and beta testers can continue to double something, for example, just by pressing the equal sign multiple times instead of entering an equation again and again.What else is new in the beta?Besides that, there's not much in terms of new features. I downloaded the developer and public betas after they were released, and I don't see any other big changes.There are a few minor aesthetic changes in the beta, like the Camera Control option in Settings now has a dark mode icon. But most of the changes so far are likely internal improvements and refinements.While there aren't many changes in the update, this is just the second public beta of iOS 18.3. There will likely be more betas before the OS is released to the public, so there's plenty of time for Apple to add new features and improve on others. As of now, there's no word on when Apple will release iOS 18.3 to the general public.For more on iOS, here's what to know about iOS 18.2.1 andiOS 18.2. You can also check out our iOS 18 cheat sheet. Watch this: What to Expect From Apple in 2025 04:23

Massive wildfires are currently sweeping through Los Angeles, leaving nearly 3,000 acres of land and more than 1,000 buildings devoured by flames, which have been exacerbated by gusts of up to 100 mph, multiple sources report. More than 30,000 residents of the city and surrounding areas have been put under mandatory evacuation orders. Among the affected are Hollywood actors and reality TV stars forced to flee their homes, most of which are located in Pacific Palisades, an affluent neighborhood between Santa Monica and Malibu.Per TMZ, the evacuees include Ben Affleck, who was photographed leaving his $20 million mansion for his ex-wife Jennifer Garners home in Brentwood, which is a 20-minute drive from the Palisades. Garner and their three children reportedly havent left their residence yet, but all residents in the area are on standby.Mark Hamill shared on social media that his family and neighbors were fleeing for [their] lives. In an Instagram post, the Star Wars actor called the blazes the most horrific fire since 93, and wrote that small fires [burned] on both sides of the road as he approached the Pacific Coast Highway.Schitts Creek actor Eugene Levy and his wife Deborah Devine were caught in the gridlock of fleeing residents, per the Los Angeles Times. While stuck in traffic, Levy told the outlet that he couldnt see any flames but the smoke was very dark.A photo taken on Tuesday shows smoke from the blaze enveloping the residential area.Photo: Tiffany Rose/Getty ImagesActor James Woods, known for his roles in Casino and Once Upon a Time in America, documented the flames near his Palisades home in a series of clips. Standing in my driveway, getting ready to evacuate, Woods said in a video shared on social media, adding that firefighters were attempting to contain the blaze by dumping water from airplanes above the inferno. Woods later posted that he is unsure if his home is still standing, and that he and many of his neighbors no longer have insurance after a major company canceled many of the policies in the neighborhood about four months ago.

Its 2025, and companies still dont know what AI is good for. Thats the impression I got from this years CES, which featured AI-powered kitchen appliances, baby cribs, and other products that really werent calling for AI.See: Spicerr, an intelligent touchscreen-equipped spice dispenser that learns your taste as you cook to recommend unique recipes.Spicerrs utility is a little questionable to begin with. Spicerr doesnt grind, and it takes $15-$20 proprietary capsules that cant be refilled. Setting all that aside, were people really itching for a meal-suggesting salt and pepper shaker to begin with?Elsewhere at the show, there was Dreos ChefMaker 2, an AI-powered air fryer. Yep, you read that correctly AI-powered air fryer. The concept isnt as outlandish as Spicerr, mind you. ChefMaker 2 can extract recipes from cookbooks via a page-scanning feature, and even handle the tricky math of calculating cooking times and temps. But is cookbook scanning really a feature the air-fryer-buying public demanded? Speaking as a member myself, I cant say its ever occurred to me and that appears to be true of most folks.Image Credits:DreoRemarkably, CES had even weirder AI products in store.Razers Project Ava, inexplicably named after the killer robot in the 2014 movie Ex Machina, is an AI gaming copilot, as the company describes it. Ava basically plays games for you without actually playing games for you. With permission, Ava captures stills of your computer screen, then gives pointers (e.g. Dodge when the blade spins). As The Verges Sean Hollister writes, Ava is controversial in that it was evidently trained on gaming guides, yet doesnt credit the authors. Its also distracting. At least in its current form, Ava is on a several-second delay, and it interrupts the games audio to give instructions.I must ask once again: Who was clamoring for this, exactly? Whos going to use it on a regular basis, much less pay for it? So far as I can tell, the out-there AI products at CES are a symptom of the industrys unrestrained hype. AI companies raised $97 billion last year in the U.S. alone, enough to buy 42 Spheres. Vendors are throwing AI spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks, because theres little downside to doing so and massive potential upside.In many cases, theyre also running up against the limitations of AI as we know them. Figuring out which use cases of AI are technically feasible has been a formidable challenge for the industry. Often, its led to over-promising under-delivering. ChatGPT still gets things wrong. Image generators are historically inaccurate. And characters in AI videos blend into each others bodies.So were stuck with IRL AI slop: air fryers, spice dispensers, and AI gaming copilots. Theyre not what most of us want, but theyre whats possible today with relatively low R&D lift. Heres to a better next year.TechCrunch has an AI-focused newsletter!Sign up hereto get it in your inbox every Wednesday.

CES 2025 is in full swing. While the conference features reveals from tech powerhouses like Nvidia, Samsung, and Toyota, there are also some very strange product concepts and announcements circulating on the show floor. Weve compiled the weirdest, silliest, and most eyebrow-raising products from CES 2025.A robotic cat that cools down your coffee for youImage Credits:Yukai EngineeringA new adorable gadget from Yukai Engineering is the Nkojita FuFu, a tiny robotic cat that can be mounted to a mug or bowl and will blow air in human-like intervals to help cool off your coffee or soup. The company says the product was born after a team leader wanted an easier way to cool down freshly cooked baby food because doing so often left him feeling breathless and dizzy.An electronic spoon that elevates the flavor of your foodImage Credits:Maxwell ZeffWhy add more salt to your meal when a $127 spoon could simulate the taste of sodium for you? Japanese company Kirin Holdings showed off an electronic spoon that makes your food taste saltier. The company says its spoon uses a weak electric current to concentrate sodium ion molecules in your food, adding a stronger umami and salt flavor to low-sodium foods.A handheld gaming console thats really, really bigImage Credits:AcerHandheld consoles are great for gaming on the go, but Acers latest product is really pushing the limits of what is considered portable. The Nitro Blaze 11 is undeniably massive: With a 10.95-inch display, its not only the size of an 11-inch iPad Air, it also weighs as much as two iPad Airs stacked on top of each other. You might need to get your wrist strength up before giving it a try!A concept laptop with a rollable screen turns into a realityA few years ago, Lenovo teased its concept for a laptop that has a screen that can expand into a much larger one. At this years CES, what was just a concept has turned into the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable. The devices 14-inch OLED display can unfurl itself and expand into a 16.7-inch panel with the press of a button or gesture controls, effectively adding a lot more screen space without any other monitors or accessories.And you can watch our friends at Engadget getting up close and personal with the Gen 6 Rollable below.An AI-powered spice dispenserSpicerr is another odd food tech gadget from this years CES. The device fashions itself to be a sort of Keurig machine for spices, with individual capsules that you can rotate through while its AI detects how much you will need based on the recipe youre using and dispenses it for you. If you want to add a little more than what it recommends, theres also a freeform function that gives you a bit more control.An AI-powered birdbathBird-watching tech is nothing new to CES. Longtime attendees may remember Bird Buddys smart bird feeder or Swarovskis $4,799 AI-powered bird-watching binoculars. The latest bird innovation comes from Birdfy: a smart birdbath. The Bath Pro uses AI to detect when birds are using it and takes a photo but theres a monthly subscription fee if you want it to identify species.A $1,350 espresso machineImage Credits:MeticulousHow much is too much for a jolt of caffeine? Meticulous showed off this smart espresso machine, which the company claims is the first of its kind with a robotic lever. The machine features 10 digital sensors that monitor water temperature, pressure, flow rate, and the weight of the liquid in the cup and can make real-time adjustments like a barista. The preorder price for the machine is a whopping $1,350, plus another $250 if you want its milk steamer.A gaming chair that warms (and cools) your buttRazer showed off its concept for a gaming chair that can heat and cool your seat like a fancy car seat. The system features a self-regulating heater thats capable of reaching up to 86 degrees Fahrenheit, as well as a bladeless fan system that circulates cool air through the mesh backing so you can stay comfortable while youre grinding Fortnite.Tim Meadows next to a giant coffee cupImage Credits:Kirsten KorosecWhile not a product reveal, I would be remiss to not mention one of the silliest keynote moments of the conference. To illustrate BMWs Panoramic iDrive, the company pretended to shrink the entire audience as if the keynote took place inside a BMW. Thanks to that, we now have this wonderful photo of comedy legend Tim Meadows looking very small next to a giant coffee cup.As our own Brian Heater writes, weve already reached the point in CES where its hard to tell a real product from an elaborate prank. In Case of Death is a grim bundle designed to be a dead mans switch for your digital life. It includes an 11-inch iPad case, a smart ring, an app, and a self-destructing 11-inch iPad Pro which bricks in the case of the users death. According to the company, the death protections include features that can erase your search history, Rickroll your loved ones for eternity, and send out one final social media post to your followers.The latest Enron prankWhile not technically a CES 2025 reveal, the resurrected Enron made an announcement for a fake at-home nuclear reactor on Monday to transparently piggyback off of the attention paid to the spree of tech industry announcements. Called the Enron Egg, the latest hoax involved a very CES-style keynote video championing the eggs ability to power a home for 10 years straight and revolutionize the power, independence, and freedom industries. Sure!An adorable, fuzzy robot for your purseYukai Engineering also debuted Mirumi, its latest charming robot that mounts to a purse and moves its head like a curious baby as it observes its surroundings. The company says Mirumi was designed to re-create peoples joyful experiences when interacting with a baby as it expresses itself through inquisitiveness, bashfulness, and comfort.

There was a time when baristas just had to write a customers name on a cup and call it out. They wouldnt always get the name right, but more often than not, it went to the right person.The prospect of picking up takeout has, however, become considerably more dicey in this post-pandemic era dominated by the Uber Eats and DoorDashes of the world. Chicago-based hardware startup Pickpad is aiming to address the issue with its little square device of the same name.The product, which was showcased at CES 2025, is a small platform where coffee shops and restaurants place food and beverage when ready for takeout. The modular smart pad system connects directly to a restaurants P.O.S. system, automatically inputting customer names onto the base. The startup is currently piloting the technology with a Chicago-based caf.Founder and CEO Yaro Tsyhanenko told TechCrunch that the system will be offered as part of a hardware-as-a-service (HaaS) package, at a price of $9 to $19 a month per pad. That includes support, software, and everything else a restaurant needs to get the system up and running. The exact price depends on how many pads a location adopts and whether they opt to pay annually or monthly.At the moment, the pads are still pricey to produce, at a cost of around $100, per Tsyhanenko. That should drop a fair bit once Pickpad begins scaling its manufacturing efforts. The company is also eying the creation of full shelves that can easily slot into an Ikea bookcase, creating an automated cubbyhole system for order pickup.Check out more CES 2025 coverage, including