Punjab Times

Technology

Aluminium: Why Google’s Android for PC launch may be messy and controversial

“Finally.” That was my first reaction when I heard Google would combine Android and ChromeOS into a single operating system. Android has long struggled on tablets, and ChromeOS always felt like too much of a stripped-down alternative to tempt me away from Windows and Mac. So last week, it was exciting to see a leaked first glimpse at Google’s Aluminium OS, and hear it may already be slated for an Intel Panther Lake laptop dubbed “Ruby” and a “Sapphire” high-end tablet.

But the future may not be coming as fast as you’d think, and it might be messy when it gets here. According to previously unreported court documents in the Google search anti …

Read the full story at The Verge.

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Technology

YouTube now blocking background playback on mobile browsers

YouTube logo on an abstract background

YouTube has started to block third-party mobile browsers from using a background playback loophole. Background playback is supposed to be limited to YouTube Premium subscribers through the official iOS or Android app, but many people have been using browsers like Brave, Vivaldi, and Edge to get background playback without a subscription. Not anymore.

“Background playback is a feature intended to be exclusive for YouTube Premium members,” says an unnamed Google spokesperson in a statement to Android Authority. “While some non-Premium users may have previously been able to access this through mobile web browsers in certain scenarios, we have …

Read the full story at The Verge.

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Technology

The Model S changed everything

The Tesla Model S is at the end of its illustrious 14-year run – and what a dizzying ride it’s been.

In 2012, when Tesla made its first Model S deliveries to customers, Facebook acquired Instagram. Apple launched the iPhone 5 and iOS 6. Barack Obama sailed into his second term. Superstorm Sandy shredded New York City and highlighted the ominous threat of climate change. As the nation recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, cautious optimism flowed through the airwaves as medium-sized tech companies seemed positioned to solve the world’s most challenging problems. Early adopters were whimsical pioneers racing faster to the future, breakin …

Read the full story at The Verge.

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Technology

Proton VPN two-year subscriptions are 70 percent off right now

Proton VPN is running a solid deal right now, dropping its two-year Proton VPN Plus plan to $2.99 per month. That works out to $72 billed upfront for the first 24 months, which represents a 70 percent discount compared to its regular pricing. 

We’ve rated Proton VPN highly thanks to its strong privacy credentials, transparent nonprofit backing and consistently fast performance. It’s one of the services we recommend in our guide to the best VPNs, and this deal also shows up alongside other standout offers in our ongoing roundup of the best VPN deals. It’s a good option if you’re looking to lock in long-term protection at a lower monthly cost.

In our Proton VPN review, the service impressed us with consistently fast performance and strong privacy protections. We measured average download speeds at 88 percent of our unprotected connection and upload speeds at 98 percent, which is more than enough for 4K streaming, gaming and torrenting. It also unblocked Netflix in every region we tested, and while its Mac and iOS apps aren’t quite as polished as the Windows and …read more

Technology

The Morning After: Elon Musk’s SpaceX is buying his AI company, xAI

TMA

Like some sort of corporate Russian doll, SpaceX has announced its acquisition of xAI. The merger will “form the most ambitious, vertically integrated innovation engine on (and off) Earth,” according to, well, owner Elon Musk. 

The AI company, arguably best known for its ongoing CSAM-generating chatbot controversy, might seem like a strange fit for a rocket company. But SpaceX is apparently key to Musk’s latest scheme to build AI data centers in space. There might be an argument for moving the resource-intensive operations to space — but Musk continued.

He also claimed space-based data centers will eventually enable further advances in space travel. “The capabilities we unlock by making space-based data centers a reality will fund and enable self-growing bases on the Moon, an entire civilization on Mars and ultimately expansion to the Universe.”

Back on Earth, xAI and X (formerly Twitter) merged last year, which means SpaceX now owns the social network Musk bought in 2022. 

— Mat Smith

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Technology

A community organizer’s guide to Signal group chats

The Signal messaging app logo with a lock, whistle, and grocery bag inside it

With ICE and CBP roaming the streets, united community action is more important than ever right now – from local mutual aid groups to school safety patrols. Known for its privacy features and end-to-end encryption, the Signal messaging app has become a popular platform for organizing these community groups.

Signal can be a great tool for private messaging, but it’s at its best if you know how to use all the privacy options. Not all of these options are automatic or even immediately obvious; there are also some best practices that are helpful for participating in and leading group chats.

Signal and your First Amendment rights

As you’re as …

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