Boltt Ace 5G and Evo 4G Pair Clean Android 16 With Two-Year Security Support
Boltt has disclosed a clean-Android strategy for its first smartphones. The Ace 5G and Evo 4G
CMF Buds Neo Priced at ₹1,999; ₹100 Difference Tests Battery, ANC Cuts
CMF put its Buds Neo earphones on sale in India Thursday, pricing them at ₹1,999. The buds are advertised with 35-decibel active noise cancellation and a total playback time of 52 hours.
Samsung Raises Advanced Chip Prices Up to 15% as AI Demand Fills Capacity
SEOUL, August 20, 2026, 09:08 KST — Samsung Electronics has raised prices for some advanced contract-chip orders by up to 15%. AI demand has filled key production lines and restored pricing power to a foundry business that has lost money since 2022.
Waymo Lets San Francisco Users Book Ojai Robotaxis With Gemini Assistant Inside
SAN FRANCISCO, August 19, 2026, 14:12 PDT — Alphabet's Waymo opened up its Ojai robotaxi for any rider in San Francisco on Wednesday. The new model gives passengers more space and a Gemini AI assistant for in-car controls and questions.
Unitree’s 460% IPO Surge Prices Robot Maker Near 200 Times Sales
Unitree Robotics closed 460% above its offer price in its Shanghai debut. The surge valued the humanoid robot maker near $50 billion.
Google’s $10 Million Spirit Data Deal Delayed Over Employee Privacy Risk
A U.S. bankruptcy court delayed approval of Google’s proposed $10 million purchase of Spirit Airlines’ internal data. The September 9 hearing will follow a union challenge over employee privacy.
Tecno Pova 8 Pro 5G Debuts in India at ₹49,999, Sales Start August 21
NEW DELHI, August 18, 2026, 16:02 IST — Tecno, a smartphone brand under Shenzhen Transsion Holdings, priced the new Pova 8 Pro 5G at ₹49,999 for India. The phone goes on sale August 21 on Flipkart and in retail shops.
Cerebras CS-4 Packs Six Times CS-3 Compute Into a New AI Rack
SAN FRANCISCO, August 18, 2026, 20:13 PDT — Cerebras Systems unveiled the CS-4, a three-wafer AI rack delivering 750 sparse-FP16 petaflops. First shipments are scheduled this quarter.
Apple Rolls Out 5% Commission for EU Apps Sold Outside App Store, Drops Per-Install Tech Fee
STOCKHOLM, August 19, 2026, 02:11 CEST — Apple is dropping its EU per-install tech fee and moving to a 5% commission on digital sales from apps distributed outside the App Store. The changes take effect October 1 and will apply to all EU developers with one set of terms.
Samsung Wallet Adds Volkswagen ID. Digital Keys, but Older EVs Miss Out
SEOUL, August 19, 2026, 06:09 KST — Samsung Electronics began adding Volkswagen ID. electric-vehicle keys to Samsung Wallet across Europe. The feature can unlock, start and share access to seven named ID. models without a physical key.
Cerebras CS-4 Packs Six Times CS-3 Compute Into a New AI Rack
SAN FRANCISCO, August 18, 2026, 20:13 PDT — Cerebras Systems unveiled the CS-4, a three-wafer AI rack delivering 750 sparse-FP16 petaflops. First shipments are scheduled this quarter.
Apple Rolls Out 5% Commission for EU Apps Sold Outside App Store, Drops Per-Install Tech Fee
STOCKHOLM, August 19, 2026, 02:11 CEST — Apple is dropping its EU per-install tech fee and moving to a 5% commission on digital sales from apps distributed outside the App Store. The changes take effect October 1 and will apply to all EU developers with one set of terms.
Samsung Wallet Adds Volkswagen ID. Digital Keys, but Older EVs Miss Out
SEOUL, August 19, 2026, 06:09 KST — Samsung Electronics began adding Volkswagen ID. electric-vehicle keys to Samsung Wallet across Europe. The feature can unlock, start and share access to seven named ID. models without a physical key.
Fairphone Gen 6+ makes U.S. debut at $649.99, focuses on repairability
AMSTERDAM, August 18, 2026, 20:12 CEST — Fairphone is launching its first phone for the U.S. consumer market, selling the unlocked Gen. 6+ for $649.99. The company is pushing the device on the ability to swap out 12 parts, instead of hardware specs. The phone was listed as out of stock and marked “coming soon” on Fairphone’s official U.S. store Tuesday.
ChatGPT for Teens Defaults Under-18 Users to Safer Mode
OpenAI launched ChatGPT for Teens on Tuesday for users aged 13 to 17. The service automatically applies tighter safeguards when an account declares, or appears, to belong to a minor.
Nvidia Backs OpenAI’s Ohio AI Campus With Up to $105 Billion Guarantee
PIKETON, Ohio, August 18, 2026, 01:44 EDT — Nvidia agreed to provide up to $105 billion in guarantees supporting OpenAI’s 20-year lease at an Ohio AI campus, Reuters reported. OpenAI separately confirmed Nvidia credit support for the project’s initial 4.25 IT-gigawatts.
Boltt Ace 5G and Evo 4G Pair Clean Android 16 With Two-Year Security Support
Boltt has disclosed a clean-Android strategy for its first smartphones. The Ace 5G and Evo 4G will run Android 16 without preloaded third-party apps. Both receive two years of security updates.
CMF Buds Neo Priced at ₹1,999; ₹100 Difference Tests Battery, ANC Cuts
CMF put its Buds Neo earphones on sale in India Thursday, pricing them at ₹1,999. The buds are advertised with 35-decibel active noise cancellation and a total playback time of 52 hours. Sales start August 26.
iQOO Z11 Priced from ₹34,999, Upgrades Cost ₹15,000 More
iQOO rolled out its Z11 5G in India on Thursday, pricing it at ₹34,999. The device features a 144Hz curved AMOLED display and packs a 7,050mAh battery. Sales begin August 25.
Ant’s Falcon TST 2.0 hits six banks, claims 60% FX savings
Ant International rolled out its Falcon Time-Series Transformer Model 2.0 on Thursday. Six major banks are working with Ant on the new forecasting tool. The company said the forecasts can cut foreign-exchange hedging and allocation costs by over 60%.
Stripe’s OpenRouter Deal Brings 10 Trillion Daily AI Tokens Into Its Billing Stack
Stripe agreed to buy OpenRouter, placing a fast-growing AI gateway inside its payments and billing business. The companies did not disclose the transaction price.
Amazon Targets 500 U.S. Drone-Delivery Locales as Permitting Test Looms
Amazon.com plans to offer drone delivery across about 500 U.S. locales by year-end. The expansion would move Prime Air far beyond its current 11-location footprint.
Samsung Raises Advanced Chip Prices Up to 15% as AI Demand Fills Capacity
SEOUL, August 20, 2026, 09:08 KST — Samsung Electronics has raised prices for some advanced contract-chip orders by up to 15%. AI demand has filled key production lines and restored pricing power to a foundry business that has lost money since 2022.
Waymo Lets San Francisco Users Book Ojai Robotaxis With Gemini Assistant Inside
SAN FRANCISCO, August 19, 2026, 14:12 PDT — Alphabet's Waymo opened up its Ojai robotaxi for any rider in San Francisco on Wednesday. The new model gives passengers more space and a Gemini AI assistant for in-car controls and questions.
Unitree’s 460% IPO Surge Prices Robot Maker Near 200 Times Sales
Unitree Robotics closed 460% above its offer price in its Shanghai debut. The surge valued the humanoid robot maker near $50 billion.
Google’s $10 Million Spirit Data Deal Delayed Over Employee Privacy Risk
A U.S. bankruptcy court delayed approval of Google’s proposed $10 million purchase of Spirit Airlines’ internal data. The September 9 hearing will follow a union challenge over employee privacy.
Tecno Pova 8 Pro 5G Debuts in India at ₹49,999, Sales Start August 21
NEW DELHI, August 18, 2026, 16:02 IST — Tecno, a smartphone brand under Shenzhen Transsion Holdings, priced the new Pova 8 Pro 5G at ₹49,999 for India. The phone goes on sale August 21 on Flipkart and in retail shops.
Cerebras CS-4 Packs Six Times CS-3 Compute Into a New AI Rack
SAN FRANCISCO, August 18, 2026, 20:13 PDT — Cerebras Systems unveiled the CS-4, a three-wafer AI rack delivering 750 sparse-FP16 petaflops. First shipments are scheduled this quarter.
Apple Rolls Out 5% Commission for EU Apps Sold Outside App Store, Drops Per-Install Tech Fee
STOCKHOLM, August 19, 2026, 02:11 CEST — Apple is dropping its EU per-install tech fee and moving to a 5% commission on digital sales from apps distributed outside the App Store. The changes take effect October 1 and will apply to all EU developers with one set of terms.
Samsung Wallet Adds Volkswagen ID. Digital Keys, but Older EVs Miss Out
SEOUL, August 19, 2026, 06:09 KST — Samsung Electronics began adding Volkswagen ID. electric-vehicle keys to Samsung Wallet across Europe. The feature can unlock, start and share access to seven named ID. models without a physical key.
Fairphone Gen 6+ makes U.S. debut at $649.99, focuses on repairability
AMSTERDAM, August 18, 2026, 20:12 CEST — Fairphone is launching its first phone for the U.S. consumer market, selling the unlocked Gen. 6+ for $649.99. The company is pushing the device on the ability to swap out 12 parts, instead of hardware specs. The phone was listed as out of stock and marked “coming soon” on Fairphone’s official U.S. store Tuesday.
ChatGPT for Teens Defaults Under-18 Users to Safer Mode
OpenAI launched ChatGPT for Teens on Tuesday for users aged 13 to 17. The service automatically applies tighter safeguards when an account declares, or appears, to belong to a minor.
Higgsfield pulls in $400 million, puts valuation at $5.4 billion on business deals
Higgsfield pulled in $400 million in a Series B round, sending its valuation up to $5.4 billion. That’s about four times higher than where it was in January. DST Capital led the investment.
Wispr Raises $280 Million, Says Canto Cuts Noisy-Speech Errors to 5%–10%
Wispr has raised $280 million in a Series B led by Menlo Ventures. The private financing values the voice-software maker at $2 billion. Wispr also previewed Canto, its first proprietary speech model.
Nvidia Backs OpenAI’s Ohio AI Campus With Up to $105 Billion Guarantee
PIKETON, Ohio, August 18, 2026, 01:44 EDT — Nvidia agreed to provide up to $105 billion in guarantees supporting OpenAI’s 20-year lease at an Ohio AI campus, Reuters reported. OpenAI separately confirmed Nvidia credit support for the project’s initial 4.25 IT-gigawatts.
Xiaomi Smartphone Margins Slide to 8.5% as Memory Costs Jump
Xiaomi Corporation saw smartphone margins take a hit Tuesday, with rising memory costs weighing on cheaper models. Gains from its electric vehicle business haven't caught up to offset the squeeze in the wider group's earnings.