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Today — 12 January 2025Tech News

Watch Duty was downloaded 2 million times during this week’s LA fires

12 January 2025 at 13:45

Fire-tracking app Watch Duty has become a crucial source of information for Los Angeles residents threatened by the ongoing wildfires.  As TechCrunch’s Maxwell Zeff explained, the app relies on a network of active and retired firefighters, first responders, official government reports, and volunteer reporters who monitor radio scanners to offer real-time updates on active wildfires. […]

© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

CES 2025: Self-driving cars were everywhere, plus other transportation tech trends

Even before CES 2025 kicked off a few trends began to emerge — or more accurately, some gaps appeared.  All U.S. and some European automakers that have helped turn CES into an auto show were absent. Several Chinese automakers filled that void, notably Zeekr, the EV brand owned by China’s Geely Holdings. Wey, a premium […]

© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Awesome Games Done Quick raises another $2.5 million for a cancer nonprofit

The weeklong speedrunning marathon Awesome Games Done Quick 2025 wrapped up in the wee hours of Sunday morning, and organizers say it managed to pull in a total of $2,556,305 for Prevent Cancer Foundation. 

As could be expected, the event in Pittsburgh brought a good mix of skill and silliness: there was a Crazy Taxi speedrun featuring a live band; FunkopotamusWes played the piano during his run of New Super Mario Bros. Wii, using his head and feet to control the game via motion controls; and Dr. Doot did an Elden Ring bosses speedrun using an electric saxophone. Yes, the saxophone did make little doot doot sounds the entire time.

The marathon ran continuously from January 5-12, so there are many, many more great moments besides these to catch up on if you missed it. Everything can be found on the Games Done Quick YouTube channel.

AGDQ is one of several charity-focused events held by Games Done Quick every year, and the next one, Back to Black is coming up in February. Highlighting Black hosts and speedrunners, that event (Feb 6-9) will raise money for the racial justice nonprofit, Race Forward. Over the years, Games Done Quick has raised more than $54 million for various charities including Prevent Cancer Foundation and Doctors Without Borders. AGDQ raised about $2.5 million during its marathon last year, too. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/awesome-games-done-quick-raises-another-25-million-for-a-cancer-nonprofit-202228938.html?src=rss

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A screen grab from the livestream of Awesome Games Done Good 2025 showing the live view (top left) of Dr Doot using an electric saxophone as a controller to defeat Elden Ring's Malena (right), shown during the cut scene as she enters phase 2 of the fight

What does Mark Zuckerberg want from Donald Trump?

12 January 2025 at 10:35
Digital photo collage of MAGA hat and Meta logo.
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images

At this point, it’s pretty clear what Donald Trump wants from Mark Zuckerberg. But what does Zuckerberg, who has now gone to Mar-a-Lago twice since the November election, want from the President-elect?

That’s the question I’ve been asking sources in and around Meta over the last several days. They all described Meta’s relationship with the outgoing Biden administration as incredibly hostile. It’s safe to assume that Zuckerberg wants a reset for the MAGA regime, especially since Trump threatened not that long ago to imprison him for life.

In Trump’s America, removing tampons from the mens’ restrooms on Meta’s campuses, — a real thing that just happened — is as much a business decision as a political one. Destroying ‘woke’ ideology is a key pillar of Trump’s stated mandate. Others who know they need to play the game, like Amazon, are also starting to fall in line. Even still, Zuckerberg is transforming Meta for this new political reality at a speed that’s unusual for a company of its size and influence. Founder mode.

In his conversation with Joe Rogan and his video on Instagram, Zuckerberg shares a laundry list of issues that Trump could help him with: fighting other countries...

Read the full story at The Verge.

This year could bring the iPhone Air and an entry-level iPad with Apple Intelligence

It’s looking more and more like the rumored ultra-thin iPhone we’ve been hearing about for the last few months will get Apple’s “Air” branding. In the Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says the iPhone 17 lineup will feature a new model that could be called the iPhone 17 Air, and it’ll be roughly 2 millimeters thinner than any other model we’ve seen yet. “It will have a base-level A19 chip and a single-lens camera system,” Gurman notes, and will serve “as a testing ground for future technologies, including ones that could allow for foldable devices.” That and the upcoming new iPhone SE will use Apple’s first in-house modem, according to Gurman.

We’re also likely to see upgrades to the entry-level iPad that will make it compatible with Apple Intelligence. Gurman reports that the next generation of iPad will get the A17 Pro chip and 8 GB of memory. That news should come in the spring along with the iPhone SE and new iPad Air models, according to Gurman.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/this-year-could-bring-the-iphone-air-and-an-entry-level-ipad-with-apple-intelligence-175059162.html?src=rss

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An iPhone 16 with a blue and purple abstract wallpaper held in a person's hand against a white background

Here are the five best pieces of founder advice I learned as a host of Found

12 January 2025 at 09:00

After more than two years — and nearly 100 episodes — as a host of TechCrunch’s recently ended Found podcast, I have learned a lot about how founders approach building their startups. I’ve heard stories about how founders know when it is the right time to expand from their core product, to how startups approach […]

© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Apple may add an iPhone Air to its lineup

12 January 2025 at 08:21

Apple’s next major iPhone upgrade will include a new model called the iPhone 17 Air, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. This seems like an obvious way to expand the lineup, given Apple’s success with the Air moniker for thinner MacBooks and iPads (I’m currently typing these words on my MacBook Air), and could be more […]

© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Robot vacuums just keep growing

12 January 2025 at 08:00
Roborock’s Saros Z70 looks set to be the first robot vacuum with an articulating arm to come to market. It’s designed to pick up light items like socks and tissues. (Not actual size) | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

CES saw wild innovations from Roborock and Dreame and helpful upgrades from the rest of the pack, all of which are set to make 2025 a banner year for those who’d rather leave the cleaning to the robots.

Read the full story at The Verge.

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