Apple’s $3,500 Vision Pro is finding real traction in niche enterprise use, like CAE’s pilot training, Lowe’s kitchen design visualization, and Dassault’s engineering workflows. “Over the last few weeks, I had an opportunity to try out some of those applications, and they are game-changers, albeit within their specific domains,” writes Steven Rosenbush via the Wall Street Journal. “Companies should pay attention now to what’s going on in these niche markets. Based on what I saw, these systems are having an impact on the way users integrate content development and engineering, which has implications for the way companies approach roles, teams and workflow.” From the report: Home-improvement retailer Lowe’s has deployed the Vision Pro at five locations in the San Francisco Bay Area and five locations in the Austin, Texas area. Customers use them to visualize how design ideas will look in their actual kitchen. The company plans to scale the effort to 100 of approximately 1,700 stores by the end of the year, eventually ramping up to 400 locations in markets with sufficient scale to justify the investment, Chief Digital and Information Officer Seemantini Godbole told me. […]

Dassault Systemes, the French industrial software company, has long created virtual worlds for commercial use. Scientists, manufacturing experts, product managers and others use its platforms to design and engineer molecules for drug development, as well as data centers, factories, aircraft and electric cars. The 3DExperience platform was launched more than a decade ago, pulling together a range of Dassault brands including 3DExcite on the premise that “everything is going to become an experience,” 3DExcite Chief Executive Tom Acland said. In February, Dassault Systemes and Apple announced a collaboration to produce the 3DLive App, which went live February 7. Users include Hyundai, Virgin Galactic and Deutsche Aircraft, he said.

[…] Canadian aircraft training company CAE is using Vision Pro to provide pilot training that complements full-motion flight simulator experience required for certification and recurrent checks, according to Chief Technology and Product Officer Emmanuel Levitte. The company has employed mixed reality and immersive training for at least 10 years. The Vision Pro has unlocked new capabilities, he said. The display is as sharp and readable as the controls in a real cockpit, which Levitte found not to be the case with other devices. The haptic feedback and audio quality also contribute to a more realistic training experience, he said. Remote crew members will also be able to be co-located virtually, enabling training that was previously only possible when individuals were physically in the same cockpit, according to Levitte.

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Grady Martin writes: Natron Energy has announced the immediate cessation of all operations, including its manufacturing plant in Holland, Michigan, and plans to build a $1.4 billion “gigafactory” in North Carolina. A company representative cited “efforts to raise sufficient new funding [being] unsuccessful” as the rationale for the decision.

When previously covered by Slashdot, comments on the merits of sodium-ion included the ability to use aluminum in lieu of heavier, more expensive copper anodes; a charge rate ten times that of lithium-ion; and Earth’s abundance of sodium — though at least one anonymous coward predicted the cancellation of the project.

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Longtime Slashdot reader sinij shares a report from CBC News: Prime Minister Mark Carney is delaying a plan to force automakers to hit minimum sales levels for electric vehicles. The move is part of a series of measures the government announced Friday to help the sectors most affected by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The EV mandate will be paused as the government conducts a 60-day review of the policy, and will be waived for 2026 models. Sources told CBC News that the review will look at the entire mandate and next steps.

“We have an auto sector which, because of the massive change in U.S. policy, is under extreme pressure. We recognize that,” Carney said at a news conference in Mississauga, Ont. “They’ve got enough on their plate right now. So we’re taking that off.” The government is using the review as part of broader look at all the government’s climate measures, he added. […]

Brian Kingston, president of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association, called it “an important first step.” “The EV mandate imposes unsustainable costs on auto manufacturers, putting at risk Canadian jobs and investment in this critical sector of the economy,” he said in a statement. “A full repeal of the regulation is the most effective way to provide immediate relief to the industry and keep it competitive.”

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It was in 2002, during the George W. Bush administration, when NASA decided to put a satellite into orbit to track emissions of carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas pumped into the atmosphere through human activity.

After many twists and turns, NASA’s 23-year remit of charting greenhouse gas emissions could come to a close as soon as the end of this month. President Donald Trump’s budget request to Congress calls for terminating 41 of NASA’s 124 science missions in development or operations, and another 17 would see their funding zeroed out in the near future. Overall, the proposed budget slashes NASA’s spending by 25 percent and cuts NASA’s science funding in half.

This year’s federal budget runs out September 30, and although lawmakers from both parties have signaled they will reject most of Trump’s cuts, it’s far from certain that Congress will pass a budget for the next fiscal year before the looming deadline. The Trump administration, meanwhile, has directed NASA managers to make plans to close out the missions tagged for cancellation.

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An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: President Donald Trump said on Thursday his administration would impose tariffs on semiconductor imports from companies not shifting production to the U.S., speaking ahead of a dinner with major technology company CEOs. “Yeah, I have discussed it with the people here. Chips and semiconductors — we will be putting tariffs on companies that aren’t coming in. We will be putting a tariff very shortly,” Trump said without giving an exact time or rate.

“We will be putting a very substantial tariff, not that high, but fairly substantial tariff with the understanding that if they come into the country, if they are coming in, building, planning to come in, there will not be a tariff,” Trump told reporters. “If they are not coming in, there is a tariff,” Trump said in his comments on semiconductors. “Like, I would say (Apple CEO) Tim Cook would be in pretty good shape,” he added, as Cook sat across the table. Further reading: Trump Basks in Tech Leaders’ Spending Vows at White House Dinner

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Mozilla announced today that they will end 32-bit Linux support for Firefox in 2026, with version 144 being the last release and ESR 140 as the fallback option. Phoronix reports: Firefox has continued providing 32-bit Linux binaries even with most other web browsers and operating systems going all-in on x86_64 support. But given that 32-bit Linux support is waning by distributions and the vast majority of distributions aren’t even shipping i686 install images anymore, they will be removing 32-bit Linux builds in 2026.

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As fall approaches and COVID cases tick up, you might be thinking about getting this season’s COVID-19 vaccine. The annually updated shots have previously been easily accessible to anyone over 6 months of age. Most people could get them at no cost by simply walking into their neighborhood pharmacy—and that’s what most people did.

However, the situation is much different this year with an ardent anti-vaccine activist, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as the country’s top health official. Since taking the role, Kennedy has worked diligently to dismantle the country’s premier vaccination infrastructure, as well as directly hinder access to lifesaving shots. That includes restricting access to COVID-19 vaccines—something he’s done by brazenly flouting all standard federal processes while providing no evidence-based reasoning for the changes.

How we got here

In late May, Kennedy unilaterally decided that all healthy children and pregnant people should no longer have access to the shots. He announced the unprecedented change not through official federal channels, but via a video posted on Elon Musk’s X platform. Top vaccine and infectious disease officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—which sets federal vaccination recommendations—said they also learned of the change via X.

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Getting the right TV is an art. You need to know whether you need a QLED or OLED in your living room, or perhaps you’re just looking for a budget LED to stick in a basement to keep up with your shows while doing some work. Regardless of what you get, getting a TV at a bargain is a win we all need. I’ve rounded up the best TV deals I could find, whether you need a high-end TV, a mid-tier TV, or something more affordable.

Best budget TV deals

Roku is maybe one of the best brands to buy a TV for cheap right now. The Roku 75″ Class Plus Series QLED TV is 4K, supports Dolby Vision, has a 60Hz refresh rate, and comes with Roku’s snappy operating system built in. You can get this massive TV for $499.99 (originally $899.99), the lowest price I’ve seen it.

Roku – 75″ Class Plus Series QLED 4K Smart RokuTV

$499.99
at Best Buy

$899.99
Save $400.00

$499.99
at Best Buy

$899.99
Save $400.00

Another budget TV deal:

• TCL 75-Inch Class QM6K Series $799.99 (originally $999.99): I’ve been lucky enough to test TCL’s new QM6K QLED TV firsthand for a couple of months. It’s hard to believe it’s considered a budget TV, considering how good it is.

Best mid-tier TV deals

Right now, the 65-inch, 75-inch, and 85-inch QM7K are marked down 40%, bringing their prices down to $897.99, $1,197.99, and $1,499.99, respectively. All of them are at the lowest prices they have ever been, according to price-tracking tools.

The highlights for these include a bright panel (great for sunlit rooms), plus deep blacks and almost no light bloom, giving it that premium picture quality. Gamers will appreciate the 144 Hz native refresh rate and 288 Hz support panel with VRR and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, making it a smooth viewing experience. Since it’s a Google TV, it has hands-free Google Assistant and Google Cast, which makes streaming almost anything from your phone or computer a breeze. It can also do the same for iPhones with AirPlay. If you’re a color stickler, you might notice that the colors run a little warmer out of the box, according to PCMag’s “excellent” review, but that’s something you can edit easily in the picture settings.

TCL 85-Inch Class QM7K Series QD-Mini LED 4K UHD Google Smart TV

QLED, 144hz, 288hz Gaming Rate, Anti-Reflective Screen, Bang & Olufsen Audio, Atmos (85QM7K, 2025)

$1,499.99
at Amazon

$2,499.99
Save $1,000.00

$1,499.99
at Amazon

$2,499.99
Save $1,000.00

Other mid-tier TV deals:

• If you’re looking for a truly massive TV, consider the Hisense 98″ Class QD5, a QLED TV currently going for $1,497.99 (originally $2,298), the lowest price since its release earlier this year. It has my favorite OS, Google TV, which lets you cast your phone or computer seamlessly. It also has a native 144Hz refresh rate with AMD FreeSync Premium, so gaming will be smooth. The Dolby Vision Atmos and HDR 10+ support will make movie nights pop.

• The Sony BRAVIA 5 is the mid-tier TV from Sony’s 2025 LED TV lineup, with a decent amount of dimming zones and the Mini LED backlight technology that makes it look crisp and bright. It comes with Google TV OS, supports Dolby Vision, and has good brightness on SDR content; just be careful with glare from reflections, since it’ll make viewing a challenge. You can get the 65-inch version for $1,198 (originally $1,499.99).

Best high-end TV deals

Samsung’s The Frame TV has a Pro version, with a 4K Mini LED screen for greater contrast and brightness. The connector box is completely wireless, so the only TV cable you’ll need to worry about is the power cord, which fits flush behind the TV mount. You can get the Samsung 65-Inch The Frame Pro TV for $1,798 at Amazon (was $2,198), the lowest price it has been. The specs inside are solid, but the main draw is its matte screen that can be framed with bezels to make it look like a large painting when its not in use.

Samsung 65-Inch Class The Frame Pro

NQ4 AI Gen3 Processor, Art Mode, Samsung Vision AI, Alexa Built-in

$1,797.99
at Amazon

$2,197.99
Save $400.00

$1,797.99
at Amazon

$2,197.99
Save $400.00

Other high-end TV deals:

• Hisense 100″ Class U8 Mini-LED ULED 4K UHD Google Smart TV $3,539.96 (originally $6,999.99): The Hisense U8QG was released in April of this year. It’s a solid, well-rounded TV that will work great in bright rooms and excels for watching sports, playing video games, and movies. The brightness, black levels, and colors are its most impressive specs.

• LG C5 55-inch $1,396.99 (originally $1,799.99): For those looking to splurge on an OLED TV, the 55-inch LG C5 is a great choice; the 65-inch model is also discounted, to $1,496.99 (originally $2,696.99). This OLED came out this year and it’s impressive to already see it with such a steep discount. It has excellent image quality like you’d expect from any OLED, has great gaming specs, and the contrast looks great even in bright rooms, according to CNET’s review.