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Anthropic shares more details about how Claude’s new watermarks will work

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Anthropic published a blog post Friday seeking to answer some basic questions about how it will watermark the text generated by its chatbot Claude. Such as: How will the watermarking actually work? Can it be hidden with editing? And how does this affect code?

Claude users have been debating the move since the company revealed earlier this week that it would be doing this watermarking to comply with the EU AI Act’s Transparency Code, which requires AI companies to use systems that make it possible to identify AI-generated content.

On Reddit, for example, one poster characterized this as a conspiracy against innocent Claude users, while another claimed, “The only reason you wouldn’t want this is to lie to people.” And Business Insider reports that “dozens” of users on X have claimed to cancel their Claude subscriptions as a result.

Anthropic’s new post starts with a general overview of the watermarking concept, explaining that when making “low-stakes choices” — like choosing between the words “overcast” and “grey” to describe the weather — Claude can create a pattern in its responses that is “undetectable to the reader, but is detectable to anyone who has a key that encodes it.”

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“Watermarking does not impact the quality of Claude’s output,” the company said. “To a reader, a watermarked response is indistinguishable from an unwatermarked one.”

More specifically, Anthropic said it will be using the SynthID-Text approach that the Google DeepMind team outlined in 2024, and that it plans to release a watermark detection API. It also noted that watermarking is distinct from the AI detection approaches offered by companies like Pangram that look for “tells” in the writing (like the construction “his isn’t [X], it’s [Y]”) to reveal AI usage: “Picking up on these patterns is fundamentally different from checking for a watermark.”

Could someone just rewrite the text to hide the watermark? Anthropic said it’s possible, but “light editing probably won’t remove the watermark completely,” while “a complete rewrite where every word is replaced will.”

“In the latter case, of course, it’s arguable whether the text can any longer be described as AI-generated,” the company said.

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As for whether the watermark will be detectable in text that was only proofread or edited by Claude, Anthropic said that will depend on “the length of the text and how heavily Claude has edited it.” If it’s only been lightly edited, “nearly all the words” will have been written by the human author and “there’s very little (if anything) for the watermark to attach to.”

Code, meanwhile, should have less of a watermark than other text, because the model will need to create working code and won’t have the freedom to choose between a variety of equally valid options. 

“Having said that, in areas where there is an arbitrary choice between particular words or terms within the code, the watermark can be used, such as comments within code,” Anthropic said. “But by definition, it will have a negligible effect on the actual code produced.”

Anthropic also said that Claude won’t be the only AI chatbot to generate watermarked text, as “other major model developers have signed the same Code of Practice and will be implementing their own watermarks.”

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This Beautifully Weird Necklace Is Secretly a USB Drive

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I’m already growing hoarse in Golden Gate Park as Charli XCX takes the stage at a San Francisco music festival. The crowd starts jumping as a guitar hook hits, and I reluctantly comply, bouncing around on these aging knees as my chunky Puff necklace almost flies off the chain.

During a lull in the set, someone next to me compliments the necklace, which has stainless steel swirls and a bulbous orange center. Their eyes grow wide as I flip the cap off and explain that it’s a hidden USB flash drive—I plugged the Puff into my phone to show off the animations.

When Harry Isaac and Sebastian Bidegain, working together under the Noware moniker, posted an early prototype of their retro-futuristic necklace on social media in 2025, it quickly racked up over a million views with thousands of waitlist sign-ups to buy one. The duo has spent the last year attempting to turn the online attention on their prototype into a mass-produced reality. Now, Noware is finally ready to ship units this October.

Image may contain Accessories Gemstone Jewelry and Sapphire

Photograph: Courtesy of Noware

The pair arrived at the WIRED office wearing Puff necklaces, naturally, that match with their trendy gorpcore outfits. They seem nervous, albeit excited, to show off their creation. Neither has had a wide release for their products before, though both are well-versed in whimsical designs. Isaac previously went viral for making an electric scooter that shoots out bubbles. Bidegain was already sculpturally approaching electronics, with prototypes like a vape camera and lo-fi sampler built into a rock.

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The design ethos of the Puff is just as much about aesthetics as it is about usefulness. Noware’s marketing materials show a cool girl with a Puff clipped onto her purse, where a Labubu might have sat last year, as well as styled on her neck with a pile of other silver chains. Bidegain says the “squishy, doughy” textures of food partially inspired Puff’s design, as well as cellular biology and tactile devices, like old phones and radios.

“On one end, I want anyone to be able to wear it, just if they think it’s pretty,” he says. “Though, I also want people who actually find utility in flash drives as part of their workflow: photographers, DJs, IT people.”

The small screen in the middle of the necklace is my favorite aspect. When it’s plugged into my phone or laptop, Puff’s center lights up with a customizable design. The Noware duo showed me goopy animations that reacted to the direction I held the phone as well as an aquarium mode. They even put the WIRED logo on it through custom software anyone can use to craft their own designs. The Puff doesn’t have an internal battery, so the USB drive can live as a piece of jewelry far longer than the expiration date of most electronics.

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Apple pulls ad over ‘electronic babysitting’ concerns

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Someone missed the point of an iPhone billboard, prompting Apple to pull the advertisement down after it was accused of normalizing “electronic babysitting.”

Apple has removed one of its billboards in Milan, Italy, after public outcry. The ad in question depicted a toddler holding a food-smeared iPhone paired with the text “Tutto ok, e iPhone,” which translates to “It’s okay, it’s an iPhone.”

Apparently, the Italian children’s rights watchdog Autorita Garante per l’Infanzia e l’Adolescenza (AGIA) had received a call from a concerned citizen. The citizen believed that Apple was normalizing “electronic babysitting,” or the act of placating a child with an electronic device.

So, AGIA wrote a statement, first spotted by 9to5Mac, that accused Apple of not taking the issue seriously. It said that Apple was putting children on the path to digital addiction and was potentially putting children’s psychological and cognitive development at risk.

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However, the advertisement campaign wasn’t saying that toddlers should be given iPhones. Instead, it was part of Apple’s larger “Relax, it’s iPhone” campaign designed to promote the device’s durability.

Other images in the campaign included someone using the iPhone in the rain, a dog with an iPhone in its mouth, and an iPhone sitting at the edge of a bathtub. All situations that used to make smartphone owners cringe before companies like Apple made extra efforts to increase device durability.

Yet Apple is still aware of the ad’s optics. So, down it came.

It has since been replaced with an advertisement showcasing the device’s Find My capabilities, as reported by la Repubblica.

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TalkTalk Business and ARO to borg into UK tech services giant

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70,000 customers will join the collective, whose name and leader remain unknown

TalkTalk Business and UK technology services biz ARO plan to merge, creating what they say will be one of the country’s largest communications and managed services providers.

The pair claim the combined organization will be “uniquely positioned” to serve as a single technology partner for British firms pursuing digital transformation. It will have annual revenue of about £200 million ($270 million) and a combined customer base of more than 70,000 companies.

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Analyst firm Megabuyte noted that ARO, formerly known as Arrow, is the larger of the two businesses by earnings.

However, the vast majority of the combined customer base will comprise TalkTalk Business’s small-business clients, with the remainder mainly ARO enterprise customers. Megabuyte expects fixed-line and mobile communications and connectivity to generate most of the combined revenue – about £130 million ($176 million) – with IT and cybersecurity services providing the remainder.

Megabuyte said the immediate priority would be integrating the businesses and finding opportunities to sell their services across the combined customer base.

“One can see why the deal is being sold in terms of cross-sell, with relatively little overlap in terms of customers and products. TalkTalk Business has a large base of small business customers who should be receptive to ARO’s mobile and Microsoft offerings, as well as other IT and cyber services,” says chief analyst Philip Carse.

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TalkTalk Business completed its separation from the wider TalkTalk Group earlier this year as it sought to expand as an independent managed network provider. It recently acquired Planet IT, a service desk biz selling IT support and professional services.

Telecoms and IT services: the magic combination?

Vodafone Business and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) have teamed up in another example of a UK communications firm joining forces with a managed services provider.

In this case, the arrangement is a partnership combining Voda’s connectivity, cybersecurity, cloud, and digital services with TCS’s technology, consulting, AI, and systems integration capabilities.

“UK businesses are looking for partners who understand their market, their customers and the pressure to modernise quickly,” said VodafoneThree business director Nick Gliddon.

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The pair say they will work together on cloud transformation and migration, AI and automation, cybersecurity, network modernization, and digital infrastructure.

ARO provides cloud, cybersecurity, and datacenter services and is a Microsoft Solutions Partner.

The two firms describe their operations as highly complementary.

The deal remains subject to approval under the UK’s National Security and Investment Act (NSIA), apparently because ARO supplies some government customers, and is expected to close by the end of the summer.

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Initially, both businesses will retain their existing brands and offices while the companies develop their integration plans.

The implication there is that there could be a shake-out of duplicate products and staff roles coming later, as often happens with corporate mergers.

We asked what the combined business would be called and who would lead it, but the companies declined to answer.

“This is a defining moment for both ARO and TalkTalk Business,” claimed ARO chief Ciaran Rafferty.

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“By bringing together our complementary strengths, we are creating a stronger partner with broader capabilities, deeper expertise and greater capacity to invest in innovation, service delivery and long-term customer success.”

TalkTalk Business CEO Ruth Kennedy said it represents a key step in the firm’s ambitions to become a leading managed services provider.

“The market is evolving rapidly, with organizations increasingly seeking technology partners that can combine strategic expertise, operational excellence and broad service capabilities at scale,” she commented. ®

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Philips Expands Roku Ambilight TV Lineup With New QLED Models

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Following the 2025 launch of its 7875 Series LED/LCD TVs with Roku and Ambilight, Philips is expanding the lineup for 2026 with the new 7985 Series. The latest models retain Roku’s smart TV platform and Philips’ signature Ambilight technology, but add Quantum Dot technology for the first time in the series, moving the range into the increasingly competitive QLED TV category.

Philips Ambilight Extends the Picture Beyond the Screen

Ambilight is a lighting technology available on select Philips TVs that projects colored light beyond the borders of the screen, creating a more immersive viewing experience. Small LEDs on the back of the TV cast light onto the wall behind it, matching the colors and action on-screen in real time.

Big game-winning goal? Your living room glows green. Concert blasting through your speakers? The lights pulse with the beat. Romantic movie sunset? The wall behind your TV adds more drama than the plot.

Ambilight effectively takes the TV from “just a screen” to the main attraction in the room by extending the visual experience beyond the display itself and making the wall behind it part of the presentation.

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What Is QLED?

A QLED TV is an LCD-based TV that has an LED backlight, and images are still viewed on an LCD display panel. However, it adds another component, a sheet of Quantum Dots (that is where the “Q” comes from). The Quantum Dot sheet is placed between the LED backlight and LCD panel to improve color. Quantum Dots are nano (microscopic) particles that emit color when hit with a light source. For a complete rundown on how the technology works, refer to our companion article.

Quantum Dot Layers

QLED and Ambilight Create a More Immersive Viewing Experience

The 2026 Philips 7985 Ambilight QLED TV Series uses Quantum Dot technology to expand the available color range, improve color accuracy, and deliver a brighter image compared with conventional LED/LCD displays.

Ambilight TV has always been about creating a more immersive way to experience television,said Fangfang Li, CEO, SKYWORTH USA. “With our new QLED Ambilight TV series, we’re expanding that experience with advanced QLED technology that delivers richer colors, enhanced picture quality, and a more immersive way to watch, stream, and play.”

Pro Tip: In 2025, SKYWORTH entered into a trademark licensing agreement (TMLA) that allows it to offer Philips-branded televisions to the North American market. 

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Philips 7985 Ambilight QLED TV Series Key Features

  • Ambilight: Ambilight extends on-screen colors onto the surrounding walls, creating a wider and more immersive viewing experience.
  • Follow Audio Mode: This dedicated audio-reactive mode uses Ambilight effects that pulse and move with the beat of the music, adding another visual element to parties and music playback.
  • Gaming Excitement: Ambilight reacts to gameplay in real time, providing dynamic lighting effects that complement fast-paced action on the screen.
  • Roku Backdrops and Ambient Lighting: Roku Backdrops can display artwork or personal photos, while Ambilight can provide ambient lighting when the TV is not being used for conventional viewing, adding more versatility to the room.
  • Eye Comfort: Ambilight can soften the perceived contrast between a bright TV image and a darker surrounding room, potentially making extended viewing more comfortable.
  • Seamless Streaming: Built-in Roku OS provides access to thousands of movies and TV shows, Roku Originals, more than 500 live TV channels, and a wide selection of streaming apps.
  • HDR Support: Philips 7985 Ambilight QLED models support HDR10, Dolby Vision, and HLG, providing compatibility with major HDR formats for enhanced contrast, color, and highlight detail.
  • Dolby Atmos Support: Dolby Atmos compatibility provides support for immersive, multidimensional audio when used with compatible content and audio equipment.
  • Roku Smart Picture: Roku Smart Picture automatically adjusts picture settings based on the type of content being displayed to optimize the viewing experience.
  • Wireless Connectivity: The TVs support wireless connections with compatible Roku speakers, soundbars, and subwoofers, providing additional options for building an integrated home theater system.
  • Apple AirPlay: Apple AirPlay support allows users to stream music, videos, photos, and other compatible content directly from Apple devices to the TV.
  • Roku Ecosystem: Integration with the Roku mobile app provides access to voice controls, remote-control functions, and Roku Smart Home notifications for broader system connectivity.
Roku OS 14 Mobile App

Philips QLED Amblight TVs with Roku OS Specs

Philips Model 50PUL7985/F7  55PUL7985/F7 65PUL7985/F7
Product Type QLED TV with Ambilight QLED TV with Ambilight QLED TV with Ambilight
Price $319.99 $369.99 $469.99
Screen Size (Diagonal) 50-inches 55-inches 65-inches
Display Panel LCD  LCD LCD
TV OS Roku Roku Roku
Aspect ratio 16:9 16:9 16:9
Contrast ratio (typical) 4000:1 4000:1 4000:1
Dynamic Contrast  Yes Yes Yes
Response time (typical) 8  ms 8  ms 8  ms
Backlight Edge Lit LED Edge Lit LED Edge Lit LED
Panel resolution 4K UHD (3840x2160p) 4K UHD (3840x2160p) 4K UHD (3840x2160p)
Motion Processing 120 PMR (Perfect Motion Rate) 120 PMR (Perfect Motion Rate) 120 PMR (Perfect Motion Rate)
HDR Support Dolby Vision,
HDR10, HLG
Dolby Vision,
HDR10, HLG
Dolby Vision,
HDR10, HLG
Viewing angle 178º (H) / 178º (V 178º (H) / 178º (V 178º (H) / 178º (V
Sound System Dolby Atmos, Stereo, SAP Dolby Atmos, Stereo, SAP Dolby Atmos, Stereo, SAP
Built-in speakers 2 2 2
Child Protection Yes Yes Yes
Parental Control Yes Yes Yes
Remote Control Yes Yes Yes
Guided setup Yes Yes Yes
Multimedia USB media browser USB media browser USB media browser
Multimedia connections USB storage device USB storage device USB storage device
TV system ATSC 1.0
NTSC
ATSC 1.0
NTSC
ATSC 1.0
NTSC
Video Playback ATSC 1.0
NTSC
ATSC 1.0
NTSC
ATSC 1.0
NTSC
HDMI Connections 4 4 4
Wireless connection WiFi WiFi WiFi
Other connections CVBS+Audio L/R in

F-Type (75 ohm)

Ethernet

Headphone out

Digital audio out (optical)

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CVBS+Audio L/R in

F-Type (75 ohm)

Ethernet

Headphone out

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Digital audio out (optical)

CVBS+Audio L/R in

F-Type (75 ohm)

Ethernet

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Headphone out

Digital audio out (optical)

HDMI features eARC/ARC (HDMI 1)

EasyLink (HDMI-CEC)

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System standby

One Touch Play

Routing Control

System info (menu language)

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System audio control

Power status

eARC/ARC (HDMI 1)

EasyLink (HDMI-CEC)

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System standby

One Touch Play

Routing Control

System info (menu language)

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System audio control

Power status

eARC/ARC (HDMI 1)

EasyLink (HDMI-CEC)

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System standby

One Touch Play

Routing Control

System info (menu language)

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System audio control

Power status

USB 2.0 inputs 1 1 1
Audio Output Digital Optical Digital Optical Digital Optical
Dimensions (WHD without stand) 43.7 x 25.6  x 3.5  inches 48.3  x 28.1  x 3.5  inches 56.9  x 32.9  x 3.5  inches
Dimensions (WHD with stand) 43.7 x 28.3 x 11.0  inches 48.3 x 30.7  x 10.1  inches 56.9  x 35.3 x 11.8  inches
Weight  (without stand) 17.5  lbs 22.2 lbs 31.3 lbs
Weight (with stand) 18.2 lbs 22.9 lbs 33.5 lbs
Wall Mount Compatibility 200 x 100 mm 200 x 100 mm 400 x 300 mm
Included accessories Batteries for a remote control

Remote Control

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Stand Feet x 2

Screws

Quick install guide

Quick start guide

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Batteries for a remote control

Remote Control

Stand Feet x 2

Screws

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Quick start guide

Batteries for a remote control

Remote Control

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Stand Feet x 2

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Quick install guide

Quick start guide

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The Bottom Line 

The addition of Quantum Dot technology gives the 2026 Philips 7985 Series a meaningful step up from the earlier 7875 Ambilight Roku TVs, with the potential for a wider color gamut and better overall color performance. But the real differentiator remains Ambilight. The combination of QLED, Roku OS, and Philips’ rear-mounted dynamic lighting system gives the 7985 Series something that most similarly priced TVs simply do not offer.

There are compromises. Philips does not specify full-array local dimming or Mini-LED backlighting, and the company has not provided peak brightness figures, making it difficult to judge how effectively the 7985 Series will reproduce demanding HDR content. Dolby Vision support is welcome, but HDR format compatibility does not guarantee high-impact HDR performance; substantially brighter premium QLED and Mini-LED TVs can deliver considerably more highlight intensity and contrast.

Gaming support also appears fairly basic, with no indication of more advanced features such as 120Hz or 144Hz high-refresh-rate playback or VRR. Dolby Atmos is supported, but the TV’s built-in two-channel speaker system will inevitably limit the immersive effect, making a soundbar or home theater system the better option for movies and television.

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For buyers on a tighter budget, however, the equation is more interesting. The 50-, 55-, and 65-inch Philips 7985 models combine QLED color, Dolby Vision, Roku streaming, over-the-air television support, four HDMI inputs, and Ambilight in an affordable package. If you want the strongest HDR performance or a serious gaming display, there are better-equipped options. If you want an inexpensive primary or second-room TV with an easy-to-use Roku interface and a visual feature that genuinely stands apart from the competition, Ambilight remains the reason to look at Philips.

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Price & Availability

The Philips 7985 Series Ambilight QLED TVs are available in 50″, 55″, and 65″ screen sizes on Amazon and BJ’s Wholesale Club.

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Disney’s Millennium Falcon Ride Activates Fortnite In-Game Rewards

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The next Fortnite tie-in is here, and it’s connected with a real-world experience: jump on the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run ride at either Disneyland or Disney World starting from Sunday, Aug. 16, and you’ll earn exclusive in-game extras.

Unveiled by Disney and Epic Games during the annual D23 convention in Anaheim on Saturday night, you’ll be able to use the official Disneyland apps to accept a special mission on the interactive ride to collect crates for your Fortnite account. You can use the crates to earn rewards on a new custom Star Wars island in the game called Smugglers Gambit.

“Smugglers Gambit, built in-house by an incredibly talented team, is an immersive, high-quality game,” said Sean Shoptaw, EVP of Disney Games and Digital Entertainment. “These experiences reflect our ambition to connect stories and worlds across formats into one converged entertainment ecosystem.”

On Smugglers Gambit, you can play as a smuggler from the Outer Rim (the location represented by Galaxy’s Edge at the Disney Parks). You’ll be able to explore the new Star Wars locations of Ord Ryla and Mersa Veta Station on the new island. 

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It’ll have co-op missions, quests, class choices, leveling up and new gear available to unlock. You’ll be battling pirates, as well as “Imperial remnants and dangerous wildlife.”

The Millennium Falcon ride opened at Disneyland and Disney World with the launch of the Star Wars-themed areas in 2019. It allows six people to ride inside a cockpit replica of Han Solo’s famous spaceship, with two people serving as pilots, two as gunners and two as engineers to steer the ship, blast enemies away and repair any damage received to the ship during the flight, respectively. 

It’s a flight simulator, so you watch a screen take you through one of several scenarios (the latest Mandalorian-themed missions just launched to tie in with the release of The Mandalorian and Grogu in cinemas in May) while the ride vehicle moves in tandem, and you use physical controls to interact with and affect the flight. 

The cockpit technology was built on Unreal Engine 5 and developed by Walt Disney Imagineering together with Industrial Light & Magic, the famed visual effects studio founded by Star Wars creator George Lucas in the 1970s.

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Smugglers Gambit was similarly built with Imagineering, Lucasfilm and Disney Games, expanding the story of Hondo Ohnaka, the pirate, smuggler and eventual Resistance ally based at the Black Spire Outpost on Batuu. Ohnaka first appeared in the Clone Wars TV show, but is best known as a shady ally of the protagonists in the follow-up cartoon series, Rebels.

“Building on Epic’s technology, Disney’s Imagineers are shaping the future of interactive entertainment, where an experience goes from the physical world into Fortnite,” said Epic Games President Adam Sussman.

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run | Fortnite costs nothing, other than your pricey theme park entry, and only requires you to accept the special mission via the Disneyland app or My Disney Experience app while you’re waiting in line for the ride. You then need to link your MyDisney account with your Epic Games account to claim your rewards in Fortnite, or use a code to transfer them from the ride to the game. 

“The seamless link between Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and Smugglers Gambit … (is) a groundbreaking example of how stories can flow across screens, theme park rides and games,” said James Waugh, Senior Vice President, Franchise Story & Creative Strategy, Lucasfilm.

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The ride tie-in follows the Star Wars IP Toolkit’s launch in Fortnite in May — which Disney says drew in 8 million players in the first 72 hours — an expansion that allows players to build their own Star Wars-themed games and islands in Fortnite. The game also famously hosted an event back in Dec. 2019 that heralded the return of Emperor Palpatine a week ahead of his appearance in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. 

Theme parks have been leaning increasingly into more immersive experiences, with Universal Studios Orlando last year opening Epic Universe, which, among other experiences, lets you use your Super Nintendo World Power-Up bands as Amiibo on your Nintendo Switch. The Smugglers Run Fortnite experience looks to be the first one that gives you in-game rewards back home, depending on how well you play a theme park game.

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Kingdom Hearts 4 Fans Are Well Fed After 2 Days of Great Trailers

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Giant Heartless in Kingdom Hearts 4Disney

Kingdom Hearts fans made their joy known during D23’s Entertainment Showcase when a 90 second trailer popped up amid the parade of film and TV announcements, revealing some new details about the upcoming Kingdom Hearts 4 game. But the good news wasn’t limited to the big showcase. During the 25th Anniversary panel for Kingdom Hearts at D23 the game’s Director, Tetsuya Nomura, revealed the original trailer was actually 4 minutes long.

He then showed everyone the trailer, and the crowd went truly wild.

There’s a lot going on in this trailer, and it reveals quite a bit about the way Kingdom Hearts 4 is going to work. A promised, this longer trailer has all of the same pieces from the night before but with quite a bit more depth. Here are a few things I found, supported by commentary from the game’s creators.

  • King Mickey as a playable character: While the good King has always been a part of Kingdom Hearts, he’s usually off trying to solve a different part of the puzzle on his own while his friends help Sora with the rest. This time around, you will be able to play as King Mickey while he tries to solve a series of puzzles within a magical book. This gameplay won’t be as combat focused as playing with Sora, opting instead for a series of origami-style puzzles to solve as the mystery unravels. It’s not immediately clear how much of the game as a whole will be played as Mickey.
  • Maleficent will be a significant villain in this game: There’s never just one villain in a Kingdom Hearts game, and Maleficent has been a thorn in the side of Keyblade wielders from the beginning, but Tetsuya Nomura made it clear she will be a significant character in this game. Maybe she sees Sora’s appearance in Quadratum as a window to spread darkness to even more worlds?
  • Quadratum will be one of the biggest regions of the game: While it’s been said in earlier trailers the real world-looking area we see Sora in is called Quadratum and is based on artists and developers roaming Tokyo for inspiration, it was revealed at D23 that Quadratum will be one of the biggest parts of the game to travel in. To help with this, Sora will have new movement abilities, in addition to the rail gliding and lamp post launches seen in previous games. The goal is for it to be big because the fights there will be against very big Heartless, as seen in the trailer.
  • Toon Town heavily influenced the hub region for this game: Much like Traverse Town, Twilight Town and other hub-style areas from previous Kingdom Hearts games, this new title will have Disney Town. The area will be filled with bright, colorful activities based partly on the kid-focused Toon Town in Disneyland. Additionally, you can expect a minigame focused on sweet treats inspired by Disneyland, just like sea salt ice cream and other treats from previous games.
  • Something that wound up on the cutting floor of a previous game will be in Kingdom Hearts 4: During the D23 panel, Tetsuya Nomura shared there was something big the team wanted to include in Kingdom Hearts 3 that wound up being cut because it wasn’t able to do well by the time the game needed to ship. Whatever that cut part of the game was, Nomura has made it a part of Kingdom Hearts 4. All we need now is any actual details about what this is.
  • Kingdom Hearts 4 will ship in 2027: It was made very clear during this panel that Kingdom Hearts 4 will not experience any delays at this point that will cause this game to ship any later than 2027. There’s no commitment to when in 2027 just yet, and Kingdom Hearts 2 shipped on December 22, 2005 so it really could be any point next year.

Other than the above, the Kingdom Hearts team repeatedly shared this game will follow the same general format of its predecessors. Each world will be its own environmental challenges, include popular characters from across all Disney IP regardless of how old or new, encourage a diversity of gameplay styles and will be unapologetically Disney. All we need now is a way to preorder.

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X Open Sources Its Ranking and Filtering Algorithms

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An anonymous reader shared this report from TechCrunch:

X is significantly expanding its open source codebase, which includes the app’s “For You” algorithm and its core ranking engine, and adding a feature that will let users see if their account or posts have been impacted by any of its ranking systems, the social network said on Thursday. The company is making the source code for the “For You” timeline, the default feed you see when you open the app, available on GitHub under the Apache v2 license. It’s also expanding its previous efforts to open source parts of its codebase to add more detail, including the model configuration, filter, and core ranking system details. That means it includes the parameters used to weight different signals — key to understanding which posts are actually displayed. This also makes the codebase roughly 10 to 15 times larger than it was before.

“You’ll get the core ranking code that pulls posts and ranks them for any given user and assembles the feed,” X’s VP of Product Keith Coleman told TechCrunch in an interview ahead of the announcement. “You can see the systems that filter out potentially problematic, rule-violating content…And some of those systems, like the ranker and the score, you can even run yourself outside the company.”
“This is the kind of thing that I think people will be fairly shocked that we are releasing,” he added.

In addition to the repository, X is providing tools that will let users see for themselves if and how X’s ranking systems have impacted their account or posts. A new transparency tool is rolling out to an “Under the Hood” page in the app’s settings, which will let users who have posted 10 or more times over the past month download their aggregate stats as a JSON file. The file will show if any labels have been applied to their account or posts over the past calendar month.

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X’s VP of Product told TechCrunch that X engineers will consider pull requests. “That would be amazing to have people submitting code that improves the algorithm…I mean, how cool would it be for the X algorithm to be not just visible to the public, but also, like, by the public?”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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SpaceX officially closes its Cursor acquisition

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AI coding startup Cursor is now officially a part of SpaceX, according to an announcement on the Cursor blog.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX — which also acquired Musk’s xAI earlier this year — announced a deal in April for the companies to develop technology together; the deal also gave SpaceX the option to acquire Cursor for $60 billion. Two months later, as SpaceX became a public company, the companies said they were moving forward with the acquisition.

In its announcement that the deal has closed, Cursor repeatedly referenced SpaceX’s computing infrastructure, which the company has been renting out to customers including Anthropic and Google. (SpaceX also faces a lawsuit over the pollution created by its data center gas turbines.)

Cursor said that by becoming part of SpaceX, it will have “access to the largest fleet of GPUs in the world.”

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“SpaceX is building the computing capacity needed to scale intelligence far beyond what exists today,” the company added. “Cursor will be one place where that intelligence becomes useful.”

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Porsche’s One-Off Flachbau RS Revives the Slant Nose for the Road

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Porsche Flachbau RS 911 GT2 RS Reveal
A single customer handed Porsche’s Sonderwunsch team a nearly new 2018 911 GT2 RS with the Weissach package and asked for something that had not existed in decades. The result is the Flachbau RS, a factory one-off that stretches the front of a modern turbocharged 911 into the flat, purposeful silhouette once reserved for the most extreme racing cars of the late 1970s.



The silhouette belongs to the 935/78, a long-tailed Group 5 machine commonly known as Moby Dick due to its white paint and whale-like proportions. In the early 1980s, a few 911 Turbo road vehicles featured the identical front styling. At the time, approximately 948 of the original Flachbau models left the factory. This new automobile marks the first time Porsche has explored the concept of a current generation GT2 RS while still keeping it street legal in Europe.

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Work began nearly three years ago, with Style Porsche designers, Weissach engineers, Porsche Motorsport experts, and the Manthey team all contributing. Grant Larson, the designer who had already given us a modern take on the 935 for Porsche’s 70th birthday, was the one who finally got to stamp his name on the finished design – however it’s worth noting that he was already well into retirement by then. The criteria was extremely clear: keep the 3.8-liter twin-turbo flat-six with 700 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque exactly as is, and modify everything else around it.

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Porsche Flachbau RS 911 GT2 RS Reveal
Porsche Flachbau RS 911 GT2 RS Reveal
The most noticeable difference is up front, where the standard GT2 RS’s fenders have been removed. Lower, wider panels with properly positioned louvers replace them, allowing high-pressure air to exit the wheel arches more effectively. There’s a new bumper with two small canards and a deeper splitter, and the gasoline filler flap and mechanism had to be redesigned from the ground up to accommodate the changed shape. Round headlights are no longer available; instead, three thin LED units stacked vertically inside the fender provide high beam, low beam, and daytime running light. When the lights are turned out, the front end appears to have no headlights at all, similar to the vintage race vehicles. The body is primarily coated in Grand Prix White, a color first introduced on the 911 in 1974 and matching several classic cars from Porsche’s own collection. The dark panels and exposed carbon fiber provide contrast. The hood features a U-shaped carbon band that is deliberately reminiscent of the Martini-liveried Moby Dick. Aero disks in the same white are mounted over the rear wheels and brake calipers in a deep black.

Porsche Flachbau RS 911 GT2 RS Reveal
Porsche Flachbau RS 911 GT2 RS Reveal
Over at the back of the car, there’s a new rear wing that’s several inches higher than the standard GT2 RS piece. The S-shaped mounts and three-position manual adjustment are all from the 992-generation GT3 R Rennsport. At high speeds, the wing can generate around 1,221 pounds of downforce on the rear axle, which is somewhat higher than a GT2 RS with the Manthey kit installed. A matching front splitter, underbody panels, and rear diffuser round out the kit. Carbon-fiber aero disks reduce drag in the rear wheels. Overall, the changes save the car nearly 70 pounds compared to the already slim Weissach-equipped donor.

Porsche Flachbau RS 911 GT2 RS Interior
Porsche Flachbau RS 911 GT2 RS Interior
Inside, the front seats remain intact, with red Alcantara and black leather, as well as the carbon fiber shells. Everything else has been ripped out. The middle screen has been replaced by a simple storage box wrapped in leather. To conserve weight, the whole audio system was removed, as well as the majority of the sound deadening material and floor coverings. The exposed metal bits, like the bodywork, have been painted in Grand Prix White. Some parts have also been bolted with carbon cladding, and some of the wiring is still visible, but they made sure to cover the parts they couldn’t go without. The “Flachbau RS” insignia is still stitched on the headrests, along with a stylized shape of the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Even the mandatory warning triangle is tucked away in a removable box so it doesn’t get in the way on track days. A little gold plaque on the passenger side dashboard reads “Sonderwunsch” and comes with an engraved plate stating the car is a “Werksunikat 2026, Flachbau RS.”

Porsche Flachbau RS 911 GT2 RS Interior
Porsche Flachbau RS 911 GT2 RS Interior
Porsche approached the validation process with the same rigor as they would with a production vehicle. First, digital accident simulations, airbag tests, and structural analysis were performed to ensure the vehicle’s safety. Then they built a few prototypes and tested them in the wind tunnel, at high speeds on the Mendig airport, and with test driver Lars Kern doing 50 laps of the Nordschleife. To ensure that all of the faults were worked out, they conducted an endurance test in Weissach that replicated 150,000 kilometers of drive in the showroom. They also built three different test mules to figure out the lighting and aerodynamics. Finally, the finished Flachbau RS contains all of the components required to be legally driven in Europe.

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Ferrari’s CZ26 One-Off Debuts at Monterey Car Week, is Silver Capsule with Red Edges

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Ferrari CZ26 Reveal Monterey Car Week
Ferrari rolled a completely unique coupe onto the Monterey Car Week stage this week and called it CZ26. Built through the Special Projects programme for a single American client, the car started life as an SF90 Stradale and left Maranello two years later looking like something else entirely. Flavio Manzoni’s design team treated the SF90’s hard points as a fixed foundation and then drew a new body around them, one that leans hard into the clean geometry of 1970s Italian industrial objects while still delivering the performance numbers the donor car made famous.



The silhouette is purposefully oriented horizontally. A low, central volume falls in like a capsule between four powerful, muscular wheel arches, and the roof and pillars are finished in black, giving the passenger cell the appearance of a discrete chunk embedded in the body. From the front, the vehicle looks to have a full-width, serious business-like grille that swallows incredibly slim lighting modules, brake ducts, and sensors in a single dismal strip.


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The leading edge is practically straight up and down, giving the nose a sharp visage that appears to have been designed by a brilliant architect rather than just rounded off like the SF90. At the back, the body simply stops dead. The taillights are perched out on the end of the car with a cantilevered design that appears to be about to tip over, and the diffuser is as broad as the car is long, with the glass engine cover completely shaded, making it impossible to see what’s lying underneath. The car’s body is painted a liquid-silver color dubbed Argento Veloce, which looks like liquid metal and shimmers and swirls under the light; the only bright red elements you’ll notice are the functional aero bits.

Ferrari CZ26 Reveal
Ferrari CZ26 Reveal
Every minor change underneath affects how air moves around the car. The radiator pack was rearranged so that air flows more effectively via it while also providing a little extra downforce at the front. The air curtains in the bumper corners ensure adequate airflow around the wheels. The underbody and all of its small vortex generators were modified to maintain the car’s overall balance. The rear spoiler was increased in size and the diffuser was reshaped to increase the car’s speed, while the engine cover received a few new air vents to keep it from becoming too hot when the hybrid system is working as hard as it can. Finally, it all adds up to a car that has a considerably simpler appearance than the SF90 but performs just as well in terms of airflow.

Ferrari CZ26 Reveal
Ferrari CZ26 Reveal
Nothing mechanical has changed; the 3,990cc twin-turbo V8 still produces 797cv at 7900 rpm and 804 Nm at 6250 rpm. Three electric motors add extra 162kW of power. The combined output ranges from 986 to 1000cv, depending on rounding. The power is routed to all four wheels via the reliable 8-speed dual-clutch gearbox, a configuration we’ve seen before. The 7.9kWh battery provides around 25 kilometers of pure-electric range, which is about as far as most people would want to go. The top speed remains at 328km/h, with acceleration from 0 to 100km/h taking 2.5 seconds and 0-200km/h taking 6.7 seconds. It takes only 29.5 meters to brake from 100km/h.

Ferrari CZ26 Reveal
Ferrari CZ26 Reveal
The weight distribution remains the same, with 45% up front and 55% in the back. The car itself is 4,762mm long, 2,005mm wide, and 1,189mm tall, with a 2,650mm wheelbase. The 20-inch wheels are shod with 255/35 rubber in the front and 315/30 in the rear, and the rims are gloss black with a shot-peened surface that catches the light in a way that regular pieces do not.

Ferrari CZ26 Interior
Ferrari CZ26 Interior
Ferrari CZ26 Interior
Ferrari CZ26 Interior
The cabin features the traditional black and red color scheme. The technical fabric upholstery takes up the most of the space, however it is broken up with snatches of Rosso Lampante stitching and inlays. The CZ26 logo will be embroidered on the dash and between the seats. The slick and glossy carbon fibers provide a stunning contrast, with metallic threads running thru them. The door panels and top of the dashboard have the same Argento Veloce finish as the exterior, blending the cabin and body together, while the seats, as expected, are the latest Ferrari design, lighter and more supportive than those on the SF90, but not considerably different.

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