On a warm fall afternoon at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, a gentle breeze blows through the meticulously landscaped trees lining the walkways. A ray of sunshine hits the famed Team Disney building, where 19-foot-tall stone carvings of the seven dwarfs of Snow White fame hold up the roof.
The renowned sculptural architecture is a nod to the film that helped build the Disney empire. And just across the lot, inside Disney’s Main Street Cinema, the entertainment giant is exploring ways to preserve that legacy with the help of technology, such as artificial intelligence. Four startups are gathered in the theater to present their technology to a crowd of executives and media attendees. One startup, Animaj, is demonstrating how it uses AI to accelerate the animating process.
Brightly colored, blobby figures prance and bound across a wide screen in front of me, characters from a children’s YouTube series called Pocoyo. Animaj — selected by Disney as one of its 2025 cohort of startups to finance, platform and mentor via the Disney Accelerator Program — is now using human artists and AI to produce these shorts, allowing it to bring the series to screens quickly.
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“Thanks to this tool, it takes less than five weeks to produce a 5-minute-long episode, whereas it used to take five months,” Animaj CEO and co-founder Sixte de Vauplane tells me, speaking in front of the company’s demo space after the presentation.
CNET
That dramatic acceleration of a traditionally painstaking process flows directly from the rapid advances in generative AI in the past several years, and those advances aren’t just for professionals: AI-powered video-generating tools surged into the mainstream in 2025. Google’s Veo 3 and OpenAI’s Sora 2 now allow anyone to create a cartoon animation from the comfort of their phone, without any sketching experience or even artistic inclination required. The use of generative AI is something that Hollywood is fighting to keep at bay, lest it take jobs away from human artists.
But Animaj says that its technology doesn’t replace animators. It simply makes their jobs less tedious. An animator will still be sketching out each of the main poses, and then AI will be used to fill in all the in-between movements of the character that move them from A to Z. And even then, the company says, an animator is in control of tweaking those AI-generated movements.
It’s an interesting perspective when I think about the building right across from me, which houses hundreds of Disney animators. Will they see AI the same way? Disney confirmed it will soon introduce its partnership with Animaj, with the two companies in discussions around how to potentially use this AI system in animation across Disney Branded Television and Disney Television Studios.
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“The plan is to announce something in the coming months,” says David Min, vice president of Disney Innovation.
Keeping artists centered with AI tools
Hand sketches become instant 3D animations.
Animaj
Animators will control the AI feature as another part of their digital toolkit, according to de Vauplane. The storyboarding process will remain the same as it is with more traditional computer-generated imagery, he says. The AI tool will just “bring the idea to life much faster.”
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“The artist is in control. For us, it’s super important because we know that AI can be seen as a threat for the artist,” de Vauplane says. “We want to show that there is another way to use AI in a very ethical way.”
I reached out to the Animation Guild for comment and am still awaiting a response. But late last year, after four months of bargaining, the union representing animators was unable to include many AI safety provisions in its contract. They would not be able to avoid using AI tools if required by a job, for instance, or to opt out of having their work used to train those AI tools.
But artistic expression has a long history of evolving with technology.
Animators moved on from watercolor hand sketches — used to animate Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Sleeping Beauty in the 1930s and 1950s, respectively — to CGI for movies like The Little Mermaid and Aladdin in the 1980s and 1990s. It transitioned into 3D CGI with the release of Tangled and Frozen in the 2010s. Each technological innovation has sped up the animation process. So is AI simply another tool in the modern CGI toolkit, especially if it preserves the key elements of an animator’s workflow?
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To maintain the “creator-first approach” that centers human artists — a hallmark of last century’s Walt and Roy Disney partnership — Min says that Disney looked into “pretty much all of the AI companies.”
“We looked at thousands of companies, all big and small, and what Animaj does well is that the artist is really driving the process,” he says, adding that you don’t really see this in video-generating AI apps like Sora and Veo, which read your text prompts and spit out (usually nonsensical) videos. “This is the artist drawing the key frames from A to Z, and then allowing things to be filled in in between. That’s why we selected Animaj.”
Expediting the animation process
The “motion in-betweening” feature from Animaj lets artists input main character positions, with the AI model filling in the blanks of what gets the character from standing to sitting position.
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Animaj
Animaj’s AI tool is used to expedite the animation process. Trained only on images from the show in question, and working within the parameters of an animator’s real-time sketches, the AI tool predicts the character’s next moves — and the animator corrects it when it goes awry. This can save a lot of time: hours, weeks, months, depending on the type of animation and show being worked on.
Min says it takes much longer to make an animated series than many people understand.
“It can be like a year before you can even get a pilot of something to test out. With Animaj, they can do it in 30% of the time,” Min says. We’re standing in front of Disney’s Stage 1 building, amid a throng of Disney cast members, startup reps and other tech execs and enthusiasts. “The future of animation is a big, broad statement, but definitely this is where the future of animation is going and trending.”
Like so many media companies in the age of streaming, Disney needs to produce high-quality content at a faster rate to keep up with audience demand. Animaj also uses AI to collect data to understand what themes are trending or resonating with online audiences, and then animate episodes quickly to meet those interests while they’re current and popular.
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Because its animation process moves so rapidly, Min says, Animaj can also test new ideas much faster.
“Not only do they have the content production AI to actually help build the animated shorts faster,” Min says, “but then they’re using AI to also read the analytics on what’s going on with the viewing of the video that can then help inform the storytelling as well.”
How does AI animation work?
Outside, sitting under a tree in the California sunshine, a Pocoyo animator sketches a character on a screen with a 3D model popping up on a screen beside it. I watch as he uses a stylus to make slight adjustments to arm and leg movements generated by the AI.
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An animator sketches Pocoyo characters while the AI model instantly generates the sketches into 3D versions.
Corinne Reichert/CNET
“Our proprietary animation tool allows the artist, Joe sitting here, to draw a sketch and to control the animation just based on the sketch,” says Antoine Lhermitte, Animaj’s chief technology officer, as we watch the artist work. It’s a big time-saver, he adds.
Blog posts by Animaj detail how it uses AI to bring sketches to animated life, while still retaining the unique art style of an animation. The company used four seasons of Pocoyo to build a database of more than 300,000 poses, using both sketches and their corresponding 3D poses for each character that the AI model could learn from. Artists were also asked to produce more sketches of the characters to be used in the next season.
Artists can input into a 3D pose-modeling program various positions of the character, for instance, standing and then sitting. The AI model would then fill in the blanks of what gets the character from standing to sitting position, something Animaj calls “motion in-betweening.”
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Working with the AI model, the artist makes corrections to any of the AI-generated animations, like shifting an arm or a leg to where it should be. The time savings with not having to hand-draw every single pose that comes with a character’s actions means animators can “concentrate more on refining the style and flow of scenes rather than starting from scratch with each new pose,” Animaj says.
As a result, the artists are freed up from repetitive tasks to spend more time on the creative side. At the same time, it’s enabling those artists to use an AI tool that is matched up with their working style, and not one producing text prompt-based AI slop, like all those horrific animations invading YouTube or social media, where the characters’ features change in every frame or have three tails and 17 fingers.
“We know how frustrating it can be when you use third-party AI models and you prompt something, it creates something so different than what you have in mind,” de Vauplane says. “Here, it creates something, generates something you can easily tweak…something which is fully consistent with the brand DNA.”
Preserving that Disney DNA is critical as the entertainment giant seeks to uphold its 100-year legacy while keeping pace with modern technology. As the seven dwarfs sang in the 1937 classic Snow White, which established Disney as an animation powerhouse, “Heigh ho, heigh ho, it’s off to work we go.” For tomorrow’s animators, it’s off to work with the help of AI.
Unlimited resources truly open up every potential for ocean exploration, and the latest U-Boat Worx innovation elevates a private submarine to new heights. Its most recent offering, the updated Super Sub, has caught up with the speed of aquatic life at depth and can keep up with it. This vessel can carry a pilot and two passengers down to 300 meters at a speed of 10 knots, which is much faster than most other personal submersibles to say the least.
The Super Sub’s body was literally expanded from nose to tail, and side wings were added to increase the overall width to 3.27 metres. That’s essentially a revolutionary body shape designed to cut through the water with minimal resistance. An acrylic pressure hull in the front provides passengers with a practically unobstructed view in all directions because it is free of tanks and other equipment.Passengers relax in quality leather seats inside a climate-controlled cabin with all the amenities, including air flow controls to keep things just right, a Bluetooth music system, and even space to store chilled drinks.
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Four electric thrusters in the back provide a total of 100 kilowatts of forward power. A handful of smaller thrusters installed on the wings provide a further 12 kilowatts of control. They run on a 62-kilowatt-hour battery, which provides 8 hours of operation or around 18 kilometers at cruise speed. Hydrofoils attached to the rear thrusters may tilt to direct the force precisely, allowing the submarine to bank around curves of up to 30 degrees or climb and descend at steep angles of up to 45 degrees.
The pilot uses a joystick controller called the SHARC system, which connects the thrusters and hydrofoils for quick response at any angle. For surface navigation, there is a wireless remote called MARLIN, which allows you to position the sub over a dive site or direct it away from the support yacht before beginning your dive. The screens inside provide real-time tracking data from a wide-angle sonar capable of scanning 130 degrees ahead for 100 meters. It has auto-tweak functionality, which allows it to avoid obstacles in real time.
If you want to take a break from the controls, the sub includes automated depth and direction hold functions that will keep you stable. A maximum depth protector prevents the sub from diving deeper than 300 meters and returns it to the surface if it approaches the limit. To be safe, there is a deadman switch that will automatically surface the sub if the pilot stops responding after a certain amount of time. The backup life support system will keep you alive for 96 hours by providing oxygen, food, water, and other necessities. In an emergency, there’s a manual drop-weight release that adds extra buoyancy to assist you go back to the surface quickly, as well as a line that marks your position once you’ve resurfaced. To top it all off, the independent DNV organization certifies that all of these safety elements meet the tightest criteria after testing the Super Sub in the waters near Curaçao.
The Super Sub weighs 9,000 kg and still has room to slip into the water from a yacht deck or dock thanks to the handy sliding freeboard extension, which allows you to lift the hatch in turbulent circumstances without fear of it getting caught. Let’s not forget those strong lights on the outside; when you’re diving, they light up the seafloor or wrecks and provide a magnificent view down into the depths, transforming what was once a boring old view out to sea into a true window into the secret world beneath the waves.
When you look at the price tag, it’s roughly 5.2 million euros, or around 6 million dollars, which covers the entire vessel from the moment it leaves the factory floor to the day it’s delivered with all of the documentation completed. U-Boat Worx, the Dutch business behind dozens of these submarines since 2005, has refined its design over the years, and the latest Super Sub is their fastest model yet. [Source]
Before LaGuardia and JFK, New York City had Floyd Bennett Field, its first dedicated airport. From the moment it opened in 1931, it served as the location in Brooklyn for modern aviation to get off the ground (literally and figuratively). Eventually, the aforementioned LaGuardia Airport was built in 1939 and became the global hub for travel that it is today. That didn’t mean the Floyd Bennett Field no longer served a purpose, however.
Floyd Bennett Field was purchased by the United States Navy in 1941 as World War II kicked into high gear in Europe. Even before the United States formally entered the war after the attacks on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the U.S. Navy was using the space to train ground crews. Later, the Navy flew anti-submarine patrols from Floyd Bennett to protect American and British ships that were crossing the Atlantic. This old airport was also home to aircraft like the PBY Catalina seaplane that were hugely instrumental to the Allied war effort.
The Catalina was essentially a flying gunboat and patrol platform with four total machine guns and the ability to carry upwards of four bombs totaling 4,000 pounds for taking out German U-boats. That kind of firepower flying out of a convenient location like New York City was instrumental to the Allies in the early stages of the war.
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Floyd Bennet Field’s role in WW2 and beyond
While patrols were ongoing in the North Atlantic, Floyd Bennett Field was also instrumental to carrier operations in the Pacific theater. A number of aircraft manufacturers had factories in New York City, including Grumman. This company was responsible for making planes like the F6F Hellcat, one of the top World War II fighter aircraft. The Hellcat pummeled the Imperial Japanese Navy, scoring a total of 5,155 air “kills” over the span of just two years. Hellcats were flown and tested at Floyd Bennett Field and then transferred to the West Coast for deployment to carrier groups.
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Just being the home of the PBY Catalina and F6F Hellcat would cement the airport’s place in U.S. Navy history. However, it also served as the first ever testing and training ground for the then-bleeding edge helicopter in 1943. After the war, operations at the park slowed down, and it was closed entirely as a military airport in 1971. It is now preserved as part of the National Park Service.
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warned network defenders that Iranian hackers linked to the country’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) are using Telegram in malware attacks.
In a flash alert issued on Friday, the FBI says Telegram is being used as command-and-control (C2) infrastructure by malware targeting journalists criticizing the Iranian government, Iranian dissidents, and various other oppositional groups worldwide.
The bureau linked these attacks to the Iranian-linked and pro-Palestinian Handala hacktivist group (also known as Handala Hack Team, Hatef, Hamsa) and the Iranian state-sponsored Homeland Justice threat group tied to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
In these attacks, the Iranian hackers are using social engineering to infect targets’ devices with Windows malware that enables them to exfiltrate screenshots or files from compromised computers.
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“Due to the elevated geopolitical climate of the Middle East and current conflict, the FBI is highlighting this MOIS cyber activity,” the bureau said.
“This malware resulted in intelligence collection, data leaks, and reputational harm against the targeted parties. The FBI is releasing this information to maximize awareness of malicious Iranian cyber activity and provide mitigation strategies to reduce the risk of compromise.”
Iranian malware attacks abusing Telegram (FBI)
This warning was published one day after the FBI seized four domains (handala-redwanted[.]to, handala-hack[.]to, justicehomeland[.]org, and karmabelow80[.]org).
The websites available via the seized clearnet domains were used by the Handala and Homeland Justice threat groups, and a third threat actor tracked as Karma Below, during their attacks and to leak sensitive documents and data stolen in cyberattacks targeting victims in the United States and around the world.
These actions follow Handala’s cyberattack on U.S. medical giant Stryker, in which they factory reset approximately 80,000 devices (including employees’ personal computers and mobile devices managed by the company) using the Microsoft Intune wipe command after compromising a Windows domain administrator account and creating a new Global Administrator account.
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Last week, the FBI also warned that Russian intelligence-linked threat actors are targeting Signal and WhatsApp users in phishing campaigns that have already compromised thousands of accounts.
“The activity targets individuals of high intelligence value, such as current and former U.S. government officials, military personnel, political figures, and journalists,” said the FBI in a public service announcement issued after Dutch and French cybersecurity authorities described similar account-hijacking operations.
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In what’s probably the culmination of Apple’s 50th anniversary celebrations, maybe we’ll get to see Tim Cook dance again at a large-scale party now being planned at Apple Park.
Apple Park is to host an elaborate 50th anniversary party
The anniversary celebrations were started by Tim Cook writing an open letter about Apple’s five decades, and since then events have followed in New York, China, South Korea, France, and Thailand. More are expected in the UK, Canada, and Australia, but probably the biggest one will be at Apple Park. According to Bloomberg, Apple is planning what’s described as “an elaborate 50th birthday party” at its Cupertino, California headquarters. There are no further details in the article, and not even confirmed dates, but there is supposition that John Ternus will be center stage as the most likely next CEO of the company. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
Xiaomi has been out of the laptop game for a few years, but the Book Pro 14 (2026) completely outperforms their previous offerings with cutting-edge technology that manages to deliver everyday comfort and a serious punch in an impressively small chassis, rivaling Apple’s MacBook Air.
The Book Pro 14 weighs a sleek 1.08kg and is only slightly thicker than 15mm, making it easy to sneak into your luggage without drawing notice. The entire design revolves around a single huge piece of die-cast magnesium alloy that acts as the main frame, which is then encased in a carbon fiber bottom panel and a titanium support beneath the keyboard. The idea behind all of this was to minimize weight while yet having a structure robust enough to withstand being bunged in a travel bag, and there are a variety of color possibilities, including blue, grey, pink, and white, which is a nice change from the usual bland neutrals.
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The screen is 14.6 inches and features an OLED panel with a resolution of 3,120 x 2,080, which is refreshed 120 times per second. Oh, and it’s touch-sensitive and bright enough to see in almost any setting. Overall, it provides a really fluid experience whether you’re seeing documents or watching videos, and the colors appear accurate for creators.
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Intel basically provides the CPUs, and there are a few solid options to select from, ranging from the Core Ultra 5 325 to the Core Ultra X7 358H, which has an incredible 16 cores. Meanwhile, the top models have 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, with an internal slot for adding another drive for a total of 4TB.
Power management is handled by a huge 10,000 square millimetre vapor chamber, which works in tandem with dual fans and three independent airflow channels to keep the whole thing nice and cool even when running solely on battery power. The battery has an amazing 72WH capacity, and estimations range from 19.8 hours of mixed use to 12 hours of uninterrupted video playback or over 16 hours of online meetings. It’s also easy to recharge; simply plug in a 100w charger and you’re ready to go.
When it comes to connectivity, we’ve got the essentials without the extras: a single standard USB-A connector adjacent to an HDMI port, two USB-C ports (one of which supports Thunderbolt), and a 3.5mm socket to meet all of your audio demands. The keyboard boasts 1.3mm of key travel and LEDs to help you work late at night or in low-light conditions. The touchpad is a reasonable size at 129 square cm and responds to pressure in a way that allows you to employ a few extra gestures for shortcuts and other purposes. To sweeten the deal, Xiaomi has included a few features that should make life easier, such as seamless file copying between devices and the ability to read documents on whatever tablet or phone you own without having to worry about it.
Prices in China start around 8,500 yuan, which equates to approximately $1,234 for the entry-level model with 24GB of memory and 1TB of storage. The higher-spec models with faster processors and more memory cost around 10,500 yuan. Sales began in China on March 21st, and if you were lucky, you might have gotten one of the early deals that were available.
Salesforce acquired Clockwise’s workers, but not the company itself
Clockwise customers advised to migrate to Reclaim
Agentforce annual recurring revenue up 169%
Clockwise CEO Matt Martin has announced via a LinkedIn post that Salesforce will be hiring the startup’s team as part of its broader Agentforce push.
Because Salesforce is acquiring the workers and not the company, Clockwise has confirmed it will be shutting down from March 27, 2026, leaving customers having to find an alternative.
Martin confirmed that all customer data would be deleted, meaning that Salesforce won’t have access to Clockwise’s database, and that unused subscriptions will be refunded.
Article continues below
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Clockwise closes down as Salesforce acquires workers, not company
“We believe this move will allow us to have even greater impact,” Martin wrote, explaining the founding team’s success and experience. “We will be bringing our deep expertise building reliable, agentic software to the Agentic Enterprise.”
The 10-year-old company has served major customers, like Uber, Netflix and Atlassian, during its time in market, but now users are being directed to rival app Reclaim in light of the near-immediate shutdown. Reclaim will be matching Clockwise’s prices to make the transition less painful.
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“They’re joining my charter to build Agent Interoperability and Orchestration within Agentforce,” Clockwise co-founder Gary Lerhaupt wrote in a separate LinkedIn post. Lerhaupt joined the Agentforce team as Product Architecture VP a little over a year ago after around eight years at Clockwise. Martin also spent over two years at Saleforce between 2014 and 2016 before departing to create Clockwise.
Although Salesforce has not commented on how the new recruits might drive Agentforce forward, we can at least expect immense growth. The Agentforce business grew 169% in terms of annual recurring revenue, now accounting for $800 million. Total company revenue for the most recent full year stood at $41.5 billion, up 10% year-over-year.
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The team from Auger accepts the Startup of the Year trophy at the 2025 GeekWire Awards. (GeekWire File Photo / Dan DeLong)
Boot up the robot trophies, it’s time to vote for the finalists for the 2026 GeekWire Awards!
This is your chance to help us honor the top innovators and entrepreneurs in Pacific Northwest tech — from Startup of the Year to Next Tech Titan, from Young Entrepreneur of the Year to CEO of the Year, and much more.
With 50 finalists across 10 categories, the annual GeekWire Awards are a much-anticipated and hotly-contested affair, hosted live from the Showbox SoDo in Seattle on May 7.
Cast your ballot here or in the embedded form at the bottom. Voting runs through April 10.
The event will feature a VIP reception, sit-down dinner and fun entertainment mixed in. Tickets go fast, and a limited number of half-table and full-table sponsorships are available, so contact events@geekwire.com to reserve a spot for your team today.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll feature the finalists in special GeekWire editorial posts on each category.
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Now in its 18th year, the GeekWire Awards is a premier event for the Seattle tech community, bringing together hundreds of geeks to celebrate innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit. Past winners have included Auth0, Tableau, Smartsheet, Rover, Remitly, Swype, Redfin, Zulily, The Black Boardroom Initiative, University of Washington computer scientist Ed Lazowska, Technology Access Foundation and many others.
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GrapheneOS is doubling down on privacy at a time when most platforms are moving the other way. The security-focused Android alternative says it won’t require personal information from users, even as governments tighten identity and data collection rules.
In a recent public post, the team said the OS will remain usable without accounts or ID checks worldwide. That decision comes with a clear tradeoff. If local laws demand verification, access in those regions could disappear instead of the platform changing its approach
That puts GrapheneOS on a direct collision path with a broader push toward verified online services. While most companies adapt quietly to stay compliant, this project is choosing to stay outside that system entirely.
No ID means no compromise
The position itself isn’t new, but the clarity is. Access to GrapheneOS and its services won’t depend on signing up or proving your identity, regardless of where you are
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GrapheneOS will remain usable by anyone around the world without requiring personal information, identification or an account. GrapheneOS and our services will remain available internationally. If GrapheneOS devices can’t be sold in a region due to their regulations, so be it.
Instead of tailoring rules for each market, the platform keeps a single global standard. If a government requires identity checks to distribute or use it, support in that region stops there.
That approach is rooted in how the OS is built. GrapheneOS strips out unnecessary data exposure wherever possible, including avoiding centralized accounts that can tie activity to a person. Adding identity requirements would break that model at a fundamental level.
Why this stance stands out
There’s a practical downside to that consistency. In regions where stricter rules take effect, users could lose access to GrapheneOS devices or updates tied to the platform
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The limitations go further than availability. Hardware support is deliberately narrow, limited to devices that meet strict security requirements. Broader compatibility options are avoided because they weaken protections. Even setup reflects that thinking, with preloaded devices offered to reduce exposure to standard Android installs
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That tradeoff is hard to ignore. You get stronger privacy guarantees, but you give up flexibility in devices and access.
What happens next
GrapheneOS is still trying to grow without loosening its rules. A long-term partnership with Motorola aims to bring official support to more devices starting in 2027, which could improve availability without lowering its standards
Expansion will stay selective. Devices that don’t meet its requirements won’t be supported, even if that slows adoption.
The project’s funding model also plays a role. It runs entirely on donations, now enough to support a full-time team. That independence gives it room to hold this line while others bend under regulatory or commercial pressure.
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If you’re thinking about switching, the value is straightforward. You get a mobile OS that avoids identity checks entirely, but depending on where you live, access could become harder to maintain over time.
Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.
Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one. Let’s hope you know a lot about a certain NBA player. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.
Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Somebody has to win!
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Green group hint: Gridiron strategy.
Blue group hint: Certain bird.
Purple group hint: A hoops star.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Used to break a tie.
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Green group: Offensive formations in football.
Blue group: Cardinals.
Purple group: Associated with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
One of the coolest things about old hi-fi hardware is that it often came with flickety needles that danced with the audio level. You can still buy these if you want, or you can simulate the same look on a screen, as [mircemk] demonstrates.
It isn’t [mircemk]’s first rodeo in this regard. An earlier project involved creating simulated VU meters on round displays, but they were somewhat limited. Using the Adafruit GFX library on an ESP32 netted a working setup, but it was jerky and very jagged and digital-looking. It was more akin to a fake needle display running on an 8-bit computer than something that looked like a real vintage VU meter.
[mircemk] didn’t give up and figured the ESP32 microcontroller and GC9A01 round display could surely deliver better results. The trick was to leverage the LVGL graphics library instead, along with the Squarelinestudio UI editor. The library was able to display far richer graphics that look like an actual vintage VU meter, even appearing glowing and backlit like the real thing. The moving needle animates far more smoothly as well, pulsing with the music in a way that feels far more realistic compared to the earlier attempt.
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It’s nice to see this simple project revisited and so boldly improved just a year later. If you’re looking to implement real-looking gauges while retaining the flexibility of a small LCD screen, you might like to try the LVGL library for yourself. With that said, sometimes you just can’t beat the real analog gauges themselves. Video after the break.
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