Tech & Mobile 24-Hour Briefing

Tech & Hardware

Last updated: October 29, 2026, 11:10 PM ET

Gaming & Software

From Software has pushed The Duskbloods techpowerup.com to 2027 to allow for a final round of balancing on its multiplayer action title. Fedora 45 now has an official release date of November 3 techpowerup.com after bugs pushed the schedule back. Bungie has fueled speculation about a "Destiny Classic" after a Destiny 1 re-release teaser techpowerup.com followed the disappointing Marathon launch. Ubisoft says it has no other Assassin's Creed remakes techpowerup.com in active development following the Black Flag resync.

Platforms & Social

Reddit CEO announced a shift arstechnica.com toward a logged-in-only experience after search traffic fell meaningfully last quarter. Instagram is testing 90-minute horizontal videos techpowerup.com in a format aimed squarely at YouTube creators.

Hardware & Semiconductors

Intel reported third-quarter 2026 results techpowerup.com, while reports suggest it is readying Moon Lake techpowerup.com and a Wildcat Lake refresh on its 18A node. Solidigm is considering a $45 billion techpowerup.com investment in U.S. NAND flash manufacturing, pending approval. Sandisk posted fiscal first-quarter 2027 results techpowerup.com and announced an 8-for-1 stock split. Printed circuit board shortages could stretch to 2030 techpowerup.com, keeping motherboard and GPU prices under pressure.

Big Tech Earnings

Microsoft posted a record $92.3 billion techpowerup.com in quarterly revenue, even as its Windows OEM and devices revenue dropped 22% techpowerup.com. Xbox console sales fell 14% techpowerup.com as Microsoft pointed to supply shortages. Alphabet reported $127.6 billion techpowerup.com in Q3 revenue, while Google acknowledged that AI search earns less arstechnica.com per query and plans to lean on more ads. Samsung reported a record profit techpowerup.com of KRW 10.74 trillion for the third quarter.

Software & Graphics

Windows 11 received right-click menu improvements arstechnica.com along with a cloud recovery option for PCs that won't boot. Microsoft is bringing DirectX dump files techpowerup.com to Windows PCs to unify GPU crash diagnostics. A new DirectX Raytracing update techpowerup.com adds clustered geometry for higher frame rates and up to 90% VRAM savings.

Policy & Security

President Trump declared foreign-made factory robots arstechnica.com a national security threat and ordered trade talks, with tariffs on the table. The Pentagon's inspector general declined to probe arstechnica.com the Starlink and Starshield slowdown in Ukraine despite requests from senators of both parties. A massive leak exposed 41,000 DHS workers arstechnica.com and undercover ICE agents. Fake GitHub repositories posing as PS5 projects are spreading malware techpowerup.com, so users should avoid them. Kalshi and its co-founders face felony charges arstechnica.com in Utah over violations of state gambling laws.

SpaceX & Space

SpaceX is pulling back arstechnica.com from some NASA contracts, raising concerns about the agency's reliance on the company.

Peripherals & Hardware Launches

Pulsar is teasing a dual-sensor gaming mouse techpowerup.com with an adjustable sensor position. Keychron launched the Steampunk Q19 HE techpowerup.com 8K gaming keyboard. Razer partnered with Evangelion techpowerup.com on an EVA-01 collection, and Corsair teamed up with Embark Studios techpowerup.com on Arc Raiders gear. Audio-Technica released the ATH-M50xSTS-WL techpowerup.com wireless Stream Set headset, and Grava Star introduced its Mercury Edge techpowerup.com wireless gaming headsets. Global OLED notebook shipments are forecast to grow over 40% techpowerup.com in 2027.

Deals

Windows 11 Pro is available for $9.97 techpowerup.com through November 1, down from an MSRP of $199, while Office 2024 Professional Plus sells for $49.97 techpowerup.com as a one-time purchase.

Coming Up

Fedora 45 launches November 3 techpowerup.com. The Duskbloods now arrives in 2027 techpowerup.com after its delay.

Mobile News

Last updated: October 29, 2026, 11:10 PM ET

Carriers & Satellite Competition

T-Mobile has rejected a potential mobile virtual network operator arrangement with SpaceX, with the company arguing there is no economic case for the deal. Its CEO went further in a separate exchange gsmarena.com, ruling out letting SpaceX's Starlink Mobile service run on the carrier's network as SpaceX presses its ambitions in the US telecom market.

Android & Google

Google brings back androidcentral.com app lock in the third beta of Android 17 QPR3, giving Pixel users another reason to test the build. Separately, Google fixed engadget.com a Photos bug that had kept edited images hidden from other apps, and expanded AI Mode advertising engadget.com to ten additional countries, a move that could make the feature profitable. Google also unveiled its Gemini 4 Carbon engadget.com model, which it says delivers a significant leap in AI coding and cybersecurity, and rolled out Immersive Explorations androidcentral.com in Gemini for students.

Social Platforms & Privacy

Meta is testing engadget.com a Threads Friends feature for sharing posts with smaller groups, and will now alert parents engadget.com if teens repeatedly search for self-harm content on Facebook. Reddit is moving engadget.com to require logins as AI erodes its search traffic, starting with tests outside the US. VRChat has declined engadget.com to add AI labels despite a user survey showing demand for them.

Smartphones & Hardware

One Plus launched gsmarena.com the Ace 7 and Ace 7 Pro, featuring cooling fans and 185Hz displays. The Ultrahuman Ring Pro is now on sale gsmarena.com across US retailers, with same-day fitting androidcentral.com available at Best Buy. Honor added gsmarena.com the X9e s to its X-series. Wobble is preparing gsmarena.com the launch of its Speed 5G in India, and iQOO introduced gsmarena.com a more affordable Pad Pro sharing the Ultra's 165Hz screen. Huawei's rumored Starlight sub-brand is expected gsmarena.com to debut with a wide-screen phone, and Redmi's Clip Neo buds cost gsmarena.com half as much as Xiaomi's Clip-on. A new certification gsmarena.com corroborates the Galaxy S27's charging speed, while a report gsmarena.com claims Apple relaxed quality-assurance standards on the iPhone Duo to meet production timelines. Thermo Works also released a shorter RFX Meat Mini engadget.com wireless probe.

Gaming & Entertainment

Netflix is developing engadget.com a live-action PUBG series written, directed and starring Donald Glover. Ubisoft has signaled engadget.com that more Assassin's Creed remakes are not coming soon. From Software has delayed engadget.com The Duskbloods until 2027 while it refines the rules and balance. Sony is adapting engadget.com the indie horror game Mouthwashing into a film directed by Karyn Kusama, and Sony also revealed its transparent Prism Collection gsmarena.com for the PS5. Easy SMX's S10 Lite controller, reviewed as an affordable Switch 2 option with an odd removable faceplate, is assessed engadget.com in a fresh review. AMC's Dune: Part Three popcorn bucket drew engadget.com criticism for its double-hole design.

Security & Outages

Fan fiction site AO3 is down engadget.com, and recovery could take weeks, though its data is reportedly intact. A hacktivist group leaked engadget.com records of more than 41,000 Homeland Security personnel. Separately, a malware attack engadget.com against online poker players may have netted a hacker millions.

Amazon & Devices

Amazon closed out its Techtober event with a suite of Alexa-powered Echo devices, including a digital Photo Frame androidcentral.com. The Trump Mobile T1 has been revealed gsmarena.com as a rebranded HTC U24 Pro in a teardown.

Coming Up

The iQOO 16 is rumored gsmarena.com to launch outside China around December 15 to. The Duskbloods arrives engadget.com in 2027.

Apple News

Last updated: October 29, 2026, 11:10 PM ET

Apple Hardware

Apple unveiled 9to5mac.com a new MacBook Pro with a PROLED XDR display, and the company has since said 9to5mac.com mac OS touch support is only getting started. Pricing for the lineup runs from $1,999 to $14,549 9to5mac.com, and a Trend Force forecast 9to5mac.com puts OLED MacBook Pro shipments at up to 1.5 million units in 2027. Owners who would rather not use the screen can disable the touchscreen macrumors.com through an accessibility setting.

The new iPad mini also arrived, and a Apple executive explained 9to5mac.com why it uses OLED without Pro Motion. Its RAM specifications macrumors.com were revealed in Xcode 27.2, and Apple declined macrumors.com to offer a 120Hz panel. Shoppers can compare where to pre-order macrumors.com the new Mac Books, iPad mini and iMac, and deals 9to5mac.com include discounts on Air Pods Pro.

Home & Accessories

The Home Pod mini 2 launches macrumors.com tomorrow with a delayed Siri AI feature, and hands-on images macrumors.com show its new two-tone colors. Amazon has also brought back the $9 pre-order discount macrumors.com on the Home View.

Software & Security

iOS 27.2 added 9to5mac.com new Shortcuts features, and a look ahead 9to5mac.com to iOS 27.3 points to further iPhone updates. A forgotten Popcorn Time updater exposed appleinsider.com up to 350,000 Macs, and users who installed the old app are urged to remove it. Russia has reportedly ordered appleinsider.com Apple to hand over user messages on demand.

Policy & Business

Apple lowered its App Store commission 9to5mac.com in Taiwan following regulatory discussions, with the new fee of 26 percent taking effect October 31 macrumors.com. Door Dash has agreed to acquire Instacart appleinsider.com for $17 billion, and Reddit now lets users choose 9to5mac.com between For You and Following feeds. Reddit will also require an account 9to5mac.com for most content.

Services & Entertainment

Apple TV's crime thriller Nocturne 9to5mac.com premieres tonight, and critics have called it impossible to stop watching. The second season of Stick appleinsider.com returns with Owen Wilson, and Ascension appleinsider.com has added three more cast members. Strava now offers Google Gemini insights 9to5mac.com for personalized workouts.

Coming Up

Apple's HomePod mini 2 macrumors.com goes on sale tomorrow, October 30. Shipping dates for the new devices are set to begin in November appleinsider.com.