Testing the Viral AI Necklace That Promises Companionship But Delivers Confusion

Fortune tested the AI Friend necklace for two weeks and found it struggled to perform its basic function. The $129 pendant missed conversations entirely during the author’s breakup call and could only offer vague questions about “fragments” when she tried to ask for advice. The device lagged seven to ten seconds behind her speech and frequently disconnected. The author had to press her lips against the pendant and repeat herself multiple times to get coherent replies. After a week and a half the necklace forgot her name and later misremembered her favorite color.

The startup has raised roughly seven million dollars in venture capital for the product and spent a large portion on eleven thousand subway posters across the MTA system. Sales reached three thousand units but only one thousand have shipped. The company brought in slightly under four hundred thousand dollars in revenue. The startup told Fortune he deliberately “lobotomized” the AI’s personality after receiving complaints. The terms of service require arbitration in San Francisco and grant the company permission to collect audio and voice data for AI training.


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This DeWalt Nine-Piece Power Tool Set Is Over 25% Off for Prime Day

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Amazon Big Deal Days is coming October 7-8, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over.


I’m always in a love/hate relationship with my power tools. I love getting things done and fixing stuff around the house—nothing makes me happier than realizing I have the exact right tool necessary to quickly set things right. But power tools are expensive, which is where the hate part comes in.

Which is what makes this deal on the Dewalt nine-tool combo kit so attractive. It comes with everything most people will need to get stuff done—a reciprocating saw, a circular saw, an oscillating multi-tool, a drill/driver, an impact driver, a grinder, and a blower, as well as nice extras like a work light and Bluetooth speaker (because you absolutely need music when you’re sweating and getting coated in drywall dust). It also comes with two batteries and a charger—so you can charge one while using the other.

Personally, I like Dewalt as a brand—they’ve never let me down, and in my experience, their tools last more or less forever. This kit includes everything most people will need to do routine maintenance or DIY projects around the house. You’ll definitely find yourself using each of these tools on a regular basis, and having them all on hand with a battery available to slap into place at any moment means you can tackle jobs whenever you want (or when emergencies pop up) without having to scrounge around in your shed or go to the neighbors asking to borrow stuff.

Normally, this kit runs close to a grand, but for Prime Day it’s 26% off. Whether you’re replacing a bunch of worn-out tools or want to jump-start a set of real power tools, this is a terrific opportunity.

Looking for something else? Retailers like Walmart and Best Buy have Prime Day competition sales that are especially useful if you don’t have Amazon Prime.

Our Best Editor-Vetted Early Prime Day Deals Right Now


Ring Battery Doorbell Plus


—
$79.99

(List Price $149.99)


Ring Indoor Cam (2nd Gen, 2-pack, White)


—
$49.98

(List Price $79.99)


Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023)


—
$69.99

(List Price $139.99)

Deals are selected by our commerce team

Ubuntu 25.10 Delivering Some Nice Performance Gains For Intel Core Ultra “Lunar Lake”

Ubuntu 25.10 is looking quite nice in the performance department ahead of its official release later this week. On various systems tested thus far, Ubuntu 25.10 is delivering nice gains over Ubuntu 25.04 and compared to the current Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. The latest Ubuntu 25.10 benchmarking at Phoronix is looking at the Intel Core Ultra Lunar Lake performance using the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 Aura Edition laptop.

AMD wins massive AI chip deal from OpenAI with stock sweetener

On Monday, AMD announced it will supply AI chips to OpenAI in a multi-year deal worth tens of billions of dollars annually that gives the ChatGPT creator an option to acquire up to 10 percent of the chipmaker’s stock for 1 cent per share, Reuters reports. The agreement covers hundreds of thousands of AMD’s AI graphics processing units over several years starting in the second half of 2026.

The deal marks a major endorsement of AMD’s AI hardware and software capabilities as the company competes with Nvidia for dominance in the AI chip market. AMD executives project the agreement will generate more than $100 billion in new revenue over four years from OpenAI and other customers who follow OpenAI’s lead.

“We view this deal as certainly transformative, not just for AMD, but for the dynamics of the industry,” AMD Executive Vice President Forrest Norrod told Reuters on Sunday. The chipmaker will start booking income from the deal next year when OpenAI starts building a 1 gigawatt facility based on AMD’s forthcoming MI450 series chips.

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Immune System Research Earns Nobel Prize for Brunkow, Ramsdell and Sakaguchi

Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on Monday for their discoveries about how the immune system regulates itself. The three researchers split 11 million Swedish kroner ($1.17 million). Their work identified regulatory T cells and the FOXP3 gene that controls them. Dr. Sakaguchi spent more than a decade solving a puzzle about the thymus. He discovered that the immune system has a backup mechanism to stop harmful cells from attacking the body’s own tissues. Dr. Brunkow and Dr. Ramsdell found the specific gene responsible for this process while studying mice that developed severe autoimmune disease.

More than 200 clinical trials are now underway based on their research. Cancers attract regulatory T cells to block immune attacks. Researchers are developing drugs to turn the immune system against these cancer cells. In autoimmune diseases, regulatory T cells are missing or defective. The FOXP3 gene provides a starting point for drugs that teach the immune system to stop attacking itself.


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Best Buy Techtober Deals Event Slashes Acer RTX 50 Gaming PCs Up To $690 Off

Best Buy Techtober Deals Event Slashes Acer RTX 50 Gaming PCs Up To $690 Off
Not to be outdone by Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days event that kicks off this Tuesday, Best Buy is holding a sales bonanza of its own. As part of the retailer’s Techtober Sale, as it’s called, a bunch of Acer desktops and laptops are marked down by up to several hundred dollars, including gaming systems rocking GeForce RTX 50 series hardware

Inversion’s Arc Spacecraft For 1-Hour Deliveries From Space To Earth Is Ready For Liftoff

Inversion's Arc Spacecraft For 1-Hour Deliveries From Space To Earth Is Ready For Liftoff
Fed up with Amazon Prime’s same-day delivery promise? How about this for an alternative: a Los Angeles-based startup is aiming for same-hour, anywhere on Earth logistics thanks to its prototype Arc spacecraft. Think space shuttle, but autonomous and much smaller.

Inversion, the company behind this out-of-the-box-but-makes-total-sense idea,

OpenAI and AMD Strike Multibillion-Dollar Chip Partnership

OpenAI and AMD announced a multibillion-dollar partnership on Monday for AI data centers running on AMD processors. OpenAI committed to purchasing 6 gigawatts worth of AMD’s MI450 chips starting next year through direct purchases or through its cloud computing partners. AMD chief Lisa Su said the deal will result in tens of billions of dollars in new revenue over the next half-decade.

OpenAI will receive warrants for up to 160 million AMD shares at 1 cent per share, representing roughly 10% of the chip company. The warrants will be awarded in phases if OpenAI hits certain deployment milestones. The partnership marks AMD’s biggest win in its quest to disrupt Nvidia’s dominance among AI semiconductor companies. Mizuho Securities estimates that Nvidia controls more than 70% of the market for AI chips.


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I’m a Professional Carpenter, and These Are the Best Early Prime Day Deals on Tools

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Amazon Big Deal Days is coming October 7-8, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over.

If you’re looking to build a cordless tool kit or add to one you already have, you’ve probably noticed how expensive tools can be. When you shop for new tools, the cost of batteries, bits, blades, and accessories can be high, not to mention hand tools. Looking out for deals on reliable brands that will hold up over time can save you money now as well as in the long-term when you consider the cost of replacing batteries and tools as they wear out. Here are some of the best early Prime Day deals on tools.

Cordless drills and drivers

A cordless drill and driver set is the cornerstone of a home tool set. These tools allow you to do basic home DIY projects like putting up shelves or hanging a TV, and they will also be useful for more advanced projects like building furniture or repairing fencing. The Dewalt 20-volt Max Drill and driver set is $179, 31% off its regular price. This set comes with a drill, a driver, two 20-volt batteries, a charger, and a tool bag. This is the driver set that I use at work, and it stands up to a lot of abuse. The batteries can go for up to1 0 years without needing to be replaced, even with daily use.

Best deal on a specialty set

This refurbished Makita 18-volt subcompact drill and driver set is now $164.99, 31% off its typical price. This set comes with a drill, impact driver, two 18-volt, 1.5-amp-hour batteries, a charger, and a tool bag. A sub-compact drill or driver weighs less than three pounds, making them idea for portability. These tools are also smaller than the average drill and driver so they’re good for fitting into tight spaces.

Best deal under $100

The 18-volt Ryobi cordless power drill is $49.97, 17% off its usual price. The set comes with a drill, a 1.5-amp-hour battery, and a charger. This is a good set for a beginner; it will do everything you need for basic projects. The battery will hold a charge for about an hour and a half with moderate use.

Cordless power tools

Cordless power tools have gotten lighter and more advanced over the last couple of years, allowing you to use power saws for hours without swapping batteries, and to finish work without dragging an extension cord behind you. The Milwaukee 18-volt cordless random orbital sander is $99, 39% off its regular price. This is the sander I use in my personal tool kit, and it works just as well as the corded version without needing an outlet and an extension cord. It comes with a dust catcher attachment and a couple of sanding discs, but you’ll need an 18-volt Milwaukee battery to use it.

Best deal on a cordless saw

The DeWalt 18-volt jig saw is $152.99, 36% off its regular price. This saw is good for making custom shapes and for doing small, precise cuts. It comes with a starter multipurpose blade, but you’ll need a DeWalt 18-volt battery to use it.

Best deal under $100

The Ryobi 18-volt three-inch cutoff tool is $98.88, 29% off its regular price. This is a saw designed for cutting metal, wood, or PVC, so it’s a versatile addition to your home DIY tool kit. It comes with a three-inch metal cut-off blade, but you’ll need an 18-volt Ryobi battery set to use it.

Hand tools

Hand tools can be an overlooked component of a home DIY tool kit, but they’re important for most home maintenance and DIY projects. Getting all the different tools and bits you need can be expensive, though. The Irwin 6 ½ inch coping saw is $8.99, 43% off its regular price. It can make precise cuts in wood for custom projects like installing trim or making dovetail joints.

Best deal on screwdrivers

The Craftsman ratcheting screwdriver set is $16.98, 29% off its usual price. This set comes with a ratcheting screwdriver handle, 24 bits, and a telescoping magnetic pick-up tool. This is a good set for a simple home maintenance kit—it doesn’t take up much space and it comes with almost any bit you would need for basic DIY home maintenance like changing air filters or swapping cabinet hardware.

Best deal under $20

A pair of 10-inch Irwin locking pliers is $12.93, 52% off their typical price. These locking pliers are indispensable for removing stripped or rusted nuts and bolts, pulling nails, and a variety of other tasks. I have a pair that I keep in my personal tool set that have lasted more than a decade, and I find new uses for them every time I start a new project.

Looking for something else? Retailers like Walmart and Best Buy have Prime Day competition sales that are especially useful if you don’t have Amazon Prime.

Our Best Editor-Vetted Early Prime Day Deals Right Now


Ring Battery Doorbell Plus


—
$79.99

(List Price $149.99)


Ring Indoor Cam (2nd Gen, 2-pack, White)


—
$49.98

(List Price $79.99)


Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023)


—
$69.99

(List Price $139.99)

Deals are selected by our commerce team

OpenAI agrees to buy ‘tens of billions’ worth of AMD chips

It was only a few weeks ago that NVIDIA pledged a $100 billion investment in OpenAI. Now, OpenAI has come to another agreement, this time with NVIDIA’s competitor, AMD. OpenAI has announced a deal to use AMD’s chips to create six gigawatts worth of AI infrastructure. AMD expects to make “tens of billions of dollars” from this agreement. 

According to OpenAI, AMD will act “as a core strategic compute partner to drive large-scale deployments” of its technology. OpenAI will use AMD’s Instinct GPUs, with plans to deploy the first gigawatt of the Instinct MI450 GPUs during the second half of 2026

“AMD’s leadership in high-performance chips will enable us to accelerate progress and bring the benefits of advanced AI to everyone faster,” Sam Altman, co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, said in a statement. 

The deal will also give OpenAI the chance to purchase 160 million AMD shares at a penny each. These shares will vest over time as different milestones are reached — starting with that first one gigawatt deployment. Ultimately, these shares would give OpenAI up to a 10 percent stake in AMD. 

Agreements between major AI players are popping up everywhere. In its recent deal with NVIDIA, OpenAI plans to use the former’s chips to make at least 10 gigawatts of AI data centers. The $100 billion investment will come in waves timed to each new gigawatt of power. This process should also start during the second half of 2026. 

OpenAI is also working with Microsoft on ways to share technology, with the latter having invested over $13 billion in the former — for 49 percent of its profits. Meanwhile, Nvidia recently invested $5 billion in Intel to “seamlessly” connect “the strengths of NVIDIA’s AI and accelerated computing with Intel’s leading CPU technologies and x86 ecosystem.” Intel has also been tasked with creating NVIDIA-custom x86 CPUs for the market and AI infrastructure platforms.  

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-agrees-to-buy-tens-of-billions-worth-of-amd-chips-134816630.html?src=rss