I was delighted to get Hibiscus (otherwise known as hot pink), but there’s also a more subtle Pistachio (warm green), and the usual Frost (white) and Obsidian (black). I’m sad they cut Indigo (surely everyone’s favorite from last year). Like Apple, Google seems to save the fun colors for the regular Pixel, and the Pros look more muted.

Despite a 6.3-inch screen, this is what passes for a small phone nowadays. Switching from last year’s Pixel 10 Pro XL, I really appreciated how easy it was to handle the Pixel 11 one-handed. It’s a little thick, but it feels good in hand and has almost the same profile as the Pro, so you can use cases interchangeably. And I do recommend snagging a Pixel 11 case; I already scuffed the paintwork when I dropped it on the beach.

The screen is the same as last year’s: an excellent 6.3-inch OLED display with a 1080 x 2424-pixel resolution and refresh rates of 60 or 120 Hz. It’s a shame Google didn’t upgrade to a variable refresh rate (1 to 120 Hz) since it can save battery life. It also defaults to 60 Hz, and you have to dip into the Display settings to toggle on the smoother 120 Hz. The display is plenty bright with a 3,000-nit peak brightness; I never found myself squinting. Side by side with the Pro, it’s not quite as bright or sharp, and it has larger bezels, but you have to look closely to see the difference.

The fingerprint unlock is as good as any, but Google’s Face Unlock still doesn’t work in the dark, which will annoy any iPhone defectors. US buyers will also have to do without a SIM slot, as the Pixel 11 is eSIM-only stateside. Physical SIM cards make switching between phones more straightforward, but phone makers and carriers have made that process smoother with eSIMs than in the past. Sure, it’s much easier to pop a card in than to go through your carrier when traveling abroad, but setting up an international eSIM isn’t that complex. Both have benefits, but with US phones and carriers embracing eSIM over the past couple of years, it’s become a nonissue.

Power Up

The new chip, Google’s Tensor G6, is supposed to deliver 20 percent gains in power efficiency, 25 percent faster browsing, and 15 percent faster app loading. The Pixel 11 has 12 GB of RAM and 256 or 512 GB of storage. For everyday use, it feels fast and responsive. I had no issues with loading apps or scrolling web pages, and the camera app feels a bit faster. Compared with my Pixel 10 Pro XL, I also noticed the Pixel 11 notified and loaded video from my Nest video doorbell a second or two faster.

I put it through its paces with the challenging mobile game Wuthering Waves. It was playable, but the action stuttered, and even on the Balanced (graphics and performance) setting, there were dropped frames aplenty during combat. After an hour, the Pixel 11 was warm, and the battery went from 40 to 26 percent. Less demanding games, like Mini Metro and Alto’s Odyssey, were fine, but dedicated gamers should still look elsewhere.

A retired military hauler once tasked with moving troops and supplies now carries a double bed, a Miele oven, and a bathroom most studio apartments would envy. Sitting on Cars & Bids right now is this ACELA MONTERRA GL 4×4 finished by Krug Expedition, a fully sorted expedition truck whose current asking range still sits below many 2026 Porsche 911 configurations while the auction runs.

Stewarts & Stevenson were the ones who created the original M1078A1 for the US Army. Later, Acela Truck Company acquired the surplus chassis, stretched it out, and made it all civilian-friendly by converting the Monterra GL into it, before pairing it with Krug’s 16-foot living module. Its power comes from a Caterpillar 7.2 liter inline six turbodiesel engine, which produces roughly 330 horsepower and 860 lb ft torque. An Allison 7-speed automatic with integrated transfer case distributes torque to all four wheels. There is a unique 113 gallon aluminum gasoline tank on board to keep you running on extended trips no matter what.

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The off-road kit is as serious as the engine, with forty-six inch Goodyear tires on 20-inch wheels providing a monstrous 22 inches of ground clearance. You get a central tire inflation system, a permanent four-wheel drive system with a 50/50 split when needed, an auto lock differential, high-speed gearing, and a 30-inch water fording capacity. That means this device can handle a desert, beach, or woodland trail without issue, whether you want to glide over the dunes or simply get to the center of nowhere.

Down within Krug’s module, you’ll find a torsion-free subframe that separates the living space from the chassis; the walls and ceiling are all composed of thick GRP laminate with lots of glass fibers. You get hardwood cabinetry, a permanent double bed in the back, and a dinette on one side that converts into another sleeping area, allowing you to have a suitable two-person layout. A fold-out table and few bench seats transform the lounge into somewhere you actually want to hang out.

The kitchen equipment in this thing is mostly unaffected by the usual limitations that most camper vans face. There’s an Miele induction hob on a soft-touch Fenix worktop, as well as a compact Miele oven with microwave and steam functions. And then there’s the Vitrifrigo fridge freezer, which has an impressive 169 liters of fridge space and 57 liters of freezer space. A genuine stainless steel sink with a built-in soap dispenser completes the wet side.

The bathroom features a real shower and a dry separate toilet, as well as 130 gallons of fresh water with three stages of filtration. You get 66 gallons of gray water from a tank underneath. A rooftop air conditioner and a hydronic heating system provide climate control. You’ll be “off the grid” owing to a 24 volt, 990 amp hour Li battery powered by a cheeky 1400 watt solar array. And just for good measure, all of your gear that needs to stay outside is placed in some aluminum storage crates.

The meter reading is approximately 12,000. It looks like it’s been loved like a family member, with little wear and tear. This thing is ready to leave Cheyenne and hit the open road. For anyone looking to escape the daily grind and live a life of wide open spaces, you’ll find almost everything you need right here, all packed up in one convenient package that can still handle obstacles most luxury cars can only dream of, and the auction is still going on, so the price is still unknown for the time being. What we do know is that this monster is already in some nice company, and a lot of those other things can’t even get out of their own way.
[Source]

‘Only markets in three categories – infrastructure; data and AI; and identity, access and network security – are broadly positioned for clear growth,’ finds Forrester.

Worries of a ‘SaaSpocalypse’ miss the bigger picture, says market research firm Forrester, which finds that AI’s impact on the service industry is anything but uniform.

Its new data-driven AI disruption model, a platform built on its in-depth research into the market, confirms a few widely recognised beliefs.

First, many of the enterprise software categories affected by AI will be reshaped rather than displaced.

The need for services to support in embedding technology into workflows, regulatory requirements and switching costs, alongside the growing demand for data, orchestration, governance and trust capabilities, will keep these support sectors relevant despite the heavy disruption they may face.

Second, the sectors most likely to invest in and succeed in the AI era are, unsurprisingly, those in the data, agentic, network, infrastructure and security sectors.

Sectors poised for success look to be those providing the infrastructure, data, governance, trust, and security capabilities that underpin AI adoption – rather than AI application vendors – as businesses move from experimenting with the technology to deploying it across their organisations.

These AI ‘enablers’ include cloud platforms, data centre and storage providers, and creators of AI models and platforms. Cybersecurity and identity providers are also expected to profit.

In comparison, skills-based services will face disruption as AI is expected to assume tasks that traditionally depended on human knowledge, according to Forrester.

Its model finds sectors including technology implementation, software development, creative services, localisation and training to be among those expected to come under strong pressure.

“Every technology and service market is facing an AI overhaul,” said Craig Le Clair, vice-president and principal analyst at Forrester, who co-authored the research.

“Our research shows that AI’s benefits will not be distributed evenly across technology markets. Only markets in three categories – infrastructure; data and AI; and identity, access and network security – are broadly positioned for clear growth. Technologies in the other categories will be forced to adapt.”

Ted Schadler, vice-president and principal analyst and the research’s other co-author, said: “The challenge for technology and service providers is not simply understanding where AI is advancing but how it will reshape the economics of their markets.”

Forrester’s new model analyses the impact of AI on 17 technology and service categories spanning more than 200 markets across factors including AI substitutability, labour intensity, support for agentic workloads, commercial models, data and trust advantages, agentic workload support, AI-focused R&D investment, regulatory friction, asset intensity and switching costs.

Don’t miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.

from the the-rich-get-richer dept

Warner Brothers CEO David Zaslav oversaw years of dysfunction during the last wave of pointless Warner Brothers AT&T and Discovery mergers, which included tens of thousands of brutal layoffs, consistent creative infighting, endlessly higher prices, cancelled programming, and endless chaos.

Unlike most of us, who’d be shitcanned and ostracized, Zaslav is the kind of affluent brunchlord who can only fail upward. He saw $165 million in compensation in 2025, and is poised to cash out with a $550 million golden parachute should the Paramount and Warner Brothers merger succeed.

With the merger postponed due to a 12-state antitrust lawsuit, Zaslav is still finding a way to fail upward either way the wind blows, most recently in the form of a $21.7 million stock sale. Which is on the back of two additional stock sales of $173 million earlier this year:

Zaslav’s latest sale of 773,173 shares of WBD stock, for an aggregate market value of $21,655,292, was handled on his behalf by Fidelity Brokerage Services, according to a company filing with the SEC Thursday. That came after the exec sold $59.47 million of stock in July and $114 million March.

Nice work if you can get it.

Zaslav is among the highest paid executives in media despite having done absolutely nothing to deserve such outsized compensation. He’s seen virtually nothing in the form of meaningful penalties for degrading the brand, derailing countless creative projects, overseeing devastating layoffs across the sector, or generally turning once-premiere brands like HBO into clunky has beens.

Guys like Zaslav aren’t actually building anything useful, nor are they remotely interested in the longevity of the company, its customers, the talent that powers it, or the people who work there. They’re playing with funny numbers to try and perpetually generate the illusion of impossible permanent growth at incredible scale, then cashing out when the check finally comes due for their complicated shell games.

As always, it’s labor and consumers that eat most of the costs at the other end, something that’s likely to accelerate dramatically should Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition of Warner Brothers survive state antitrust challenge.

Filed Under: brunchlords, ceo pay, david zaslav

Companies: warner bros.

Genesis just showed the world its first full-size electric SUV, the GV90, and the doors alone are enough to stop traffic. On the range-topping Neolun version, the rear doors open backward while the fronts swing forward. A dual-motion hinge lets the rear doors slide out a short distance first, then swing wide. When both pairs stand open, the B-pillar vanishes from view. Genesis calls the arrangement the Neolun Arch Gate and claims it is the first coach-door system that can open and close each door on its own. The result is a single, unbroken opening that feels closer to stepping into a private lounge than climbing into a conventional three-row SUV.

The identical Neolun model can be ordered as a four-seat Executive Suite, although this is not the only configuration option. Real wood veneer covers the second-row floor and even warms the space with soft heat from beneath, a modern spin on the popular Korean underfloor heating system. The armrests, side panels, and even the door trims join in the fun. When the car is parked, the front seats simply swing around to face the back, allowing four people to sit in a circle and speak. There’s also a privacy divider, a fridge, fold-out tables, and a glass ceiling (that allows you to adjust the transparency to your mood), all of which contribute to the feeling of a fancy living room on wheels. Seats with 15 individual air cells and a special metallic coating on the windshield that clears ice without the use of a climate system, because who needs the car’s heating to keep the windshield clear when you have this?

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A dual-motor setup generates 657 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque. The 123.5-kilowatt-hour battery is the largest Hyundai Motor Group has ever fitted to an electric vehicle, which bodes well for range. So we’re looking at about 310 miles with the lighter seven-seat configuration, but with a lower load, and a 350-kilowatt charger that can charge the battery from 10 to 80 percent in 22 minutes. Multi-chamber air suspension ensures a smooth ride, and rear-wheel steering allows you to tilt the steering wheel a sharp 5 degrees, making the 208-inch-long GV90 feel like a midsize sedan.

Inside the cabin, the flat floor and the long 127.8-inch wheelbase provide plenty of space. When the vehicle is parked, the 23.6-inch OLED panel appears, and when there is additional space available, it extends to a 24.6-inch cinematic display. You also have a 25-inch head-up display that projects speed, navigation, and driver-assistance information directly in front of you. Twenty-five Bang & Olufsen speakers provide Dolby Atmos sound, and for added peace of mind, a new roof airbag deploys when you’re on your roof in a rollover, keeping everyone safe inside.

The regular GV90 is equipped with conventional doors and six or seven seats. Both use the same engine, battery, and much of the technology. There are sixteen exterior colors to pick from, including three matte finishes, while the limited Neolun comes in a special two-tone paint. The body color 24 inch forged wheels complement the wool cashmere touches inside.

Production will begin in the 2027 model year, although pricing has yet to be determined. We predict the conventional version to start about $100,000, while the Neolun variations will likely cost more. Genesis is positioning the GV90 as a comfy SUV, a place for you and your friends to hang out while driving, rather than a pure efficiency machine. With its coach doors, oak floor, and lounge seating, the GV90 feels more like a private room on wheels than a normal three-row hauler.
[Source]

Bambu Lab packed its most approachable machine into a footprint that fits on a crowded workbench and still delivers results that used to require far more patience and money. The A1 Mini, priced at $224.10 (was $249), reaches first-time owners fully assembled, already squared, and loaded with automatic routines that handle the tedious setup steps older printers forced users to master by hand. Unbox it, remove a few shipping ties, plug in power and Wi-Fi, and the machine begins calibrating itself. Bed leveling, vibration compensation, nozzle pressure checks, and Z-offset all happen without paper tests or manual adjustments. Most people reach a successful first print inside twenty minutes.

The build volume is a cube of 180 by 180 by 180 millimeters. This little beast of a machine can tackle a variety of projects, including phone stands, desk organizers, miniature tools, figurines, and about every useful component a beginner may require. Larger projects are more difficult to complete because they must be split and glued, but it is a small price to pay for keeping the item compact and stable. The moving bed and strong frame with full-metal linear rails maintain the motion looking smooth, even when the tool head is rushing ahead.

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Speed is one of the primary reasons to purchase this printer. Official top speed is 500 millimeters per second with an acceleration of 10,000 millimeters per second squared, but in the real world, most people find that quality prints top out at 180-300 millimeters per second depending on the model, which is still a lot faster than those low-cost machines that were the norm for beginners just a few years ago. In some cases, a standard Benchy test model can conclude in less than twenty minutes, which is equivalent to completing a work break.

The print surface is ready to go because all you have to do is place the provided textured PEI plate on it and heat it to 80 degrees Celsius. When the print is finished, simply let it cool and it will pop out with a little flex. The all-metal hotend is capable of reaching 300 degrees Celsius and includes a 0.4 millimeter stainless nozzle that can be quickly replaced. You may also modify the nozzle size to 0.2, 0.6, or 0.8 millimeters to change the print detail or flow. Direct-drive extrusion works well with PLA, PETG, TPU, and PVA. ABS, on the other hand, is out of the question since the open frame and moderate bed temperature cannot maintain a consistent heat level.

The machine monitors things as it goes, such as filament runout, tangle detection, and power outage recovery, to help prevent those annoying unsuccessful prints that can occur overnight. There’s even a camera on board that records your print progress and allows you to create time-lapse videos, which is really cool. The touchscreen is 2.4 inches in size and color, and you can operate pretty much anything from there, but there’s also free software and a phone app to help with slicing, remote monitoring, and file transfer by Wi-Fi or microSD. Best of all, there are pre-tuned profiles for most of the popular filaments, so you don’t have to go through all that trial and error stuff..

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If you want to go fancy, there is an extra AMS Lite unit that adds four-color support. This device sits outside the printer and can switch materials on the fly during a single job; it’s like magic, I tell you. You can perform multi-color printing without constantly changing filament, but it generates waste and takes up more room, and don’t get me started on flexible filaments…

Even in the quieter modes, this machine is reasonably quiet, with noise levels of less than 48 dB, allowing you to use it in a shared living room without bothering anyone. It also weighs only 5.5 kilograms and measures 347 by 315 by 365 millimeters, making it easy to transport if necessary. The greatest part is that everything comes in one box, including a starter spool, spare nozzle, some tools, and adhesive, so you’re virtually ready to go from the start.

Facepalm: The latest Patch Tuesday update for Windows 11 started rolling out last week, bringing multiple new features, improvements, and bug fixes. However, following several complaints from disgruntled users, Microsoft has now acknowledged that the update may be causing some games to crash on affected devices.

The KB5121003 update was released on August 11 for Windows 11 builds 26200.9168 and 26100.9168. According to some users who installed the update, it contains a bug that is causing games to crash and display the EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION error. In some cases, the PC automatically reboots after the crash.

After Redditor MyCatsNameIsKlaus reported the issue last week, several others confirmed that they were also experiencing crashes, error messages, and random reboots after installing the update. Redditor Thin_Twist7030 even posted event logs, WER reports, and a kernel dump analysis by DeepSeek, suggesting that the game crashes were actually system BSODs that occurred while playing Arc Raiders.

The AI analysis suggests that the problems are caused by a pre-existing “bad-handle bug” that Windows previously ignored or returned an error for when an invalid handle was closed. However, the update appears to have tightened kernel handle validation, causing the same invalid handle close to trigger bug check 0x93 INVALID_KERNEL_HANDLE instead of being tolerated.

Microsoft confirmed that the issue is affecting Windows 11 versions 25H2 and 24H2 and is investigating whether it is caused by the update or incompatible third-party software. The company added that affected games include Arc Raiders, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, and The Finals.

Microsoft hasn’t suggested an official workaround, but Thin_Twist7030 claims that rolling back KB5121003 via DISM stopped the crashes on his system. They added that they have paused Windows Update for one month so that the contentious update package won’t automatically reinstall. As a permanent fix, they recommend that users remove old drivers responsible for the bad-handle bug.

Game crashes and random reboots are apparently not the only issues caused by KB5121003. According to a Microsoft Learn post by Brian Stringfellow, Teams and the new Outlook are no longer working on Arm devices after installing the update. While Teams crashes after opening, the new Outlook doesn’t even launch. The classic Outlook app, however, works as expected.

Stringfellow claims that the issue is affecting a Snapdragon-powered Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition assigned to his company’s CFO. He added that the same problem cropped up earlier this year after installing KB5094126, but the issue was resolved by simply rolling back the update. The problem has now apparently reemerged following last week’s update.

Microsoft has yet to respond to the report, but a couple of other users replied to the thread, confirming that they are also experiencing similar issues on the HP OmniBook 3 and Surface Pro 11, both powered by Arm64 processors.

• Sudan’s army has destroyed at least six Chinese-made CH-95 drones since June 2026
• The Akıncı costs roughly $25 million, twelve times more than the CH-95
• Armed drones are now the leading cause of civilian deaths in Sudan

Sudan’s civil war has continued since April 2023, when the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) first clashed across the country’s cities and provinces.

Above the battlefields, a quieter contest has unfolded between two very different classes of unmanned aircraft flying for opposing sides.

AI-generated content in the Apple Music app may get easier than ever to spot, as record labels and distributors will be required to label it as such later in 2026.

Back in March 2026, Apple introduced Transparency Tags for Apple Music. These are entirely optional disclosure labels, which were used to indicate that specific content was “materially generated” with the help of artificial intelligence.

At the time, Apple said it believed distributors should “take an active role in reporting when the content they deliver is created using AI,” and that its AI-focused tags were “the first concrete step” in the process. So far, however, Apple hasn’t forced labels or distributors to label AI-generated content, but that might soon change.

In an email to Apple Music content distributors, detailed by The Hollywood Reporter, Apple now says that “content providers will be required to include AI Transparency Tags in any instance where AI was used to create a material portion of the content, including tracks that are AI platform generated.”

The change is set to take effect later this year, though it remains to be seen how Apple aims to enforce its new requirements.

At the time of writing, Apple’s AI Transparency Tags are not visible to end users of Apple Music. However, the company’s email to Apple Music content distributors says that it wants to “provide listeners with as much transparency as possible,” so there’s always a chance the AI-disclosure tags will become visible to all.

Apple’s decision to force distributors and record labels to use AI labels is a bit of a pivot, compared to its earlier stance. Even so, the move is part of a larger strategy to combat misleading AI-generated content.

Apple’s efforts to reduce AI spam, impersonation, and play count manipulation

In an open letter to the music industry, back in May 2026, Apple highlighted the benefits of AI, but cautioned that artificial intelligence should never replace artists, but only amplify their work.

To that end, Apple claims that it has created internal tools to identify AI-made tracks, fight spam tracks, and combat impersonation, all by monitoring music streams. If an AI-generated track is getting Apple Music can even automatically pull AI-generated tracks that get their plays from manipulated streams.

In 2025, Apple redistributed royalties from approximately 2 billion manipulated streams, with the funds diverted to the company’s payout pool for artists and labels.

Apple has “developed technology in-house that would allow us to exactly see what music people are delivering us,” said Apple Music VP Oliver Schusser in April 2026. He added that these tools let Apple see “what AI [model] it is and all that.”

The company’s current assortment of AI and spam-prevention tools is seemingly effective. According to Schusser, more than a third of songs uploaded to the Apple Music service are “100% AI,” but listening remains below 0.5%. In other words, nobody’s actually listening to these fully AI-generated songs.

How other music streaming services handle AI disclosure

Overall, Apple’s efforts targeting the abuse of AI are admirable, but the company is late to the party, especially compared to Deezer’s approach.

Spotify will apply an AI Persona badge to select artist profiles.

Apple Music rival Deezer has had AI-detection systems for well over a year, catching 60,000 AI-generated songs each day. Its CEO claimed most AI-generated content on Deezer was used to commit fraud.

Spotify, meanwhile, has taken a restrictive yet nuanced approach regarding AI. The streaming service excludes songs associated with “AI Personas” from editorial recommendations. Artists themselves have the option to disclose whether they use generative AI by labeling their profile as an AI Persona, but Spotify itself will step in and apply the label if it’s deemed necessary.

Once a preset listener threshold is met, Spotify will apply the AI Persona badge if an artist’s public identity “appears to represent photorealistic AI-generated identities.” Notably, however, the AI Persona badge will display if the designation was applied by Spotify or by the artist themselves. Artists will have the option to appeal Spotify’s decisions as well.

While it remains to be seen when Apple Music’s AI label requirements will roll out, Spotify’s AI Persona badges will become available in mid-September 2026, while Deezer’s anti-AI measures remain in use.

All in all, Apple’s approach to AI in music is now more decisive, with its idea of mandatory labels. The company recognizes the potential of AI, and while it hasn’t banned AI songs outright, it won’t tolerate manipulated play counts or impersonation of real human artists.