Meta will fund seven new natural gas plants to power its biggest data center yet

Posted on by

Meta will essentially foot the power bill for the $27 billion mega data center it’s building in Louisiana. On Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the company struck a deal to fund the energy infrastructure needed for the project.

Through a deal with Entergy Louisiana, Meta will fund seven new natural gas power plants, 240 miles of transmission lines and battery energy storage at three locations. The gas plants will have a combined power output of 5,200 megawatts, and the transmission lines will operate at 500 kilovolts.

In addition, the company will help fund up to 2,500 MW of new renewable resources. It also agreed to a memorandum of understanding for future nuclear power development. The 4-million-square-foot Richland Parish, LA, data center will be Meta’s biggest yet. It’s currently under construction.

The energy deal follows a pledge by tech companies, including Meta, to offset local residents’ rising electricity costs from AI data centers. The companies plan to “build, bring or buy the new generation resources and electricity needed to satisfy their new energy demands, paying the full cost of those resources.” However, the pledge lacks a binding agreement or any enforcement mechanisms.

The shift in tone comes in response to growing anger from local communities over the rise of power-hungry, environmentally damaging AI data centers. A December poll found that 60 percent of Americans — including majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and independents — support more AI regulation. Just this week, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced a bill to force a moratorium on data center construction until meaningful regulations are passed.

We could easily file this and similar moves as Big Tech’s latest attempt to convince voters and officials that it can be trusted to do right without enforceable regulations. We’ve seen that movie before.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/meta-will-fund-seven-new-natural-gas-plants-to-power-its-biggest-data-center-yet-201000045.html?src=rss

Android 17’s New Beta Brings Major UI Changes, Split-Screen Controls And More

Posted on by
Android 17's New Beta Brings Major UI Changes, Split-Screen Controls And More
Android 17 has reached the Platform Stability and third beta phase. Per Google, Platform Stability means that since “the API surface is locked; you can perform final compatibility testing and push your Android 17-targeted apps to the Play Store.”

This is an especially pivotal time for app developers, and certain Android 17 features like

You Can Create a Full Smart Home Set-Up on a Budget With These Amazon Big Spring Sales

Posted on by

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

Amazon’s Big Spring Sale continues to march on. Within this sale, you can find deals on a range of different tech items, including laptops, power tools, fitness trackers, and even smart home devices. Computerized smart homes went from a science fiction dream in the 1970s to a full-time headache and money pit in the 2000s, but in 2026, we’ve finally hit the sweet spot, where you can fully automate your home without spending your life savings or needing a degree in programming. Thanks to the arrival of Matter-compatible gear and some serious discounts during Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, a basic smart home is achievable with a total cost of less than $2,000. So let’s take a walk through what your daily routine looks like when your house starts working for you.

Smart doorbells and floodlights

As we approach the front door, the lights from the Ring Doorbell Plus with Ring Floodlight Cam turn on automatically. For $164.99 (50% off) you’re getting a professional-grade security perimeter and a head-to-toe view of any visitors.

More smart doorbells on sale on Amazon:

Smart locks

Rather than fiddling around with your keys like some kind of caveman, you have three options for unlocking your front door with this SwitchBot Smart Lock Pro ($84.99, 57% off): Use the app, enter the combination, or slide your finger over the biometric sensor. So your “welcome home” sequence goes like this: The lights find you, the camera sees you, and the door unlocks for you, all before you’ve even reached for the handle.

Smart plugs and lighting

Once you step inside, the house begins waking up. Your tasteful mid-century lamps are still in place, but they’re controlled by these Kasa Matter Smart Plugs (on sale for $39.99 for four). Compatible with Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings, these outlets can be programmed to turn on when the door unlocks. So does the Philips Hue Go Smart Portable Table Lamp ($84.99). It’s glowing amber, one of the millions of colors you can choose.

Smart climate control

You settle into your favorite chair. The air is perfectly crisp. Your Google Nest Thermostat ($89.99) checked your schedule and dialed in your preferred temperature before you arrived. Cool, but also efficient: The brain of your HVAC system helps cut your energy costs by never heating or cooling an empty house.

Sensing the rays of the sun outside, the SwitchBot Blind Tilt Motorized Blinds ($48.99) adjust the slats to prevent glare on the TV. The blinds and the thermostat have been working together all day to account for the sun and keep the house at the optimum temperature.

Smart entertainment core

With the temperature and lighting perfect, it’s time to relax. You tap your phone or issue an order, and the Google TV Streamer ($79.99) wakes up your home theater, organizing all your subscriptions into one sleek interface. To your left, the Echo Studio ($189.99) begins to glow, ready to pump out spatial audio that rivals surround sound setups.

More smart home speaker deals from Amazon:

Smart cleaning

Down the hall, the Ecovacs Deebot X8 robot vacuum and mop ($599, $500.99 off) is finishing its evening rounds. It vacuums and mops, then washes its own pads with hot water, either on a schedule or at your command.

More smart vacuums on sale on Amazon:

Smart router and mesh

Keeping all of this gear connected is a TP-Link AXE5400 Tri-Band WiFi 6E Router ($112.99, 66% discount) that manages the high-bandwidth streaming, while the eero 6 Mesh System ($139.99) ensures there isn’t a dead zone from the basement to the attic.

Smart command center

If you want to make adjustments to your set-up, you can control everything from a single place, the SwitchBot Hub 3 ($79.99). It’s compatible with 100,000+ infrared appliances, all SwitchBot devices, and third-party Matter-compatible devices.

Smart modules

With the night winding down, you take to your bed and check the Echo Spot ($49.99) on the bedside table. Put one of these anywhere in your house and instantly confirm that the door is locked, the lights are out, and the TV is off. If you forgot anything, no worries, just say, “Hey, Alexa, turn off the TV.”

Smart emergency controls

But then you hear a warning sound! Something is wrong. You briefly remember Ray Bradbury’s short story “The Veldt,” but it’s not a digital lion that turned real; it’s a leak. But the GoveeLife Premium Smart Water Leak Detector 2 ($49.98) you installed caught it instantly and sent the warning to your phone, so you’re able to take care of it. You’ve also installed a GoveeLife Smart Air Quality Monitor ($36.78), so you know the air isn’t full of smoke from burning toast. Drifting back to sleep, you ask Alexa to play a recording of “There Will Come Soft Rains” by Sara Teasdale, just for irony’s sake.

Ring Battery Doorbell Plus with Ring Floodlight Cam Plus, White


$164.99
at Amazon
$329.98
Save $164.99

Ring Battery Doorbell Plus with Ring Floodlight Cam Plus, White


$164.99
at Amazon
$329.98
Save $164.99

SwitchBot WiFi Smart Lock Pro with Keypad Touch, Fingerprint Keyless Entry Door Lock, Bluetooth Electronic Deadbolt, IP65 Weatherproof, Fits Your Existing Deadbolt, Supports Matter, Alexa and Google


$84.99
at Amazon
$99.99
Save $15.00

SwitchBot WiFi Smart Lock Pro with Keypad Touch, Fingerprint Keyless Entry Door Lock, Bluetooth Electronic Deadbolt, IP65 Weatherproof, Fits Your Existing Deadbolt, Supports Matter, Alexa and Google


$84.99
at Amazon
$99.99
Save $15.00

TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini


$21.99
at Amazon

TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini


$21.99
at Amazon

Philips Hue Go Smart Portable Table Lamp, White – White and Color Ambiance LED Color-Changing Light – 1 Pack – Indoor and Outdoor Use – Control with Hue App or Voice Assistant


$122.75
at Amazon
$175.99
Save $53.24

Philips Hue Go Smart Portable Table Lamp, White - White and Color Ambiance LED Color-Changing Light - 1 Pack - Indoor and Outdoor Use - Control with Hue App or Voice Assistant


$122.75
at Amazon
$175.99
Save $53.24

Nest Thermostat


$89.99
at Amazon
$129.99
Save $40.00

Nest Thermostat


$89.99
at Amazon
$129.99
Save $40.00

SwitchBot Blind Tilt Motorized Blinds – Smart Electric Blinds with Bluetooth Remote Control, Solar Powered, Light Sensing Control, Add Hub Mini to Make it Compatible with Alexa & Google Home


$48.99
at Amazon
$69.99
Save $21.00

SwitchBot Blind Tilt Motorized Blinds - Smart Electric Blinds with Bluetooth Remote Control, Solar Powered, Light Sensing Control, Add Hub Mini to Make it Compatible with Alexa & Google Home


$48.99
at Amazon
$69.99
Save $21.00

Google TV Streamer 4K – Fast Streaming Entertainment on Your TV with Voice Search Remote – Watch Movies, Shows, Live TV, and Netflix in 4K HDR – Smart Home Control – 32 GB of Storage – Hazel


$79.99
at Amazon
$99.99
Save $20.00

Google TV Streamer 4K - Fast Streaming Entertainment on Your TV with Voice Search Remote - Watch Movies, Shows, Live TV, and Netflix in 4K HDR - Smart Home Control - 32 GB of Storage - Hazel


$79.99
at Amazon
$99.99
Save $20.00

Echo Studio Compact Smart Speaker (Graphite)


$189.99
at Amazon
$219.99
Save $30.00

Echo Studio Compact Smart Speaker (Graphite)


$189.99
at Amazon
$219.99
Save $30.00

TP-Link Archer AXE75


$112.99
at Amazon
$199.99
Save $87.00

TP-Link Archer AXE75


$112.99
at Amazon
$199.99
Save $87.00

Amazon eero 6 (3-Pack)


$139.99
at Best Buy
$199.99
Save $60.00

Amazon eero 6 (3-Pack)


$139.99
at Best Buy
$199.99
Save $60.00

The total smart home cost: $1,852.64

The total cost for building a fully integrated smart home, from top-to-bottom is under $2,000, and you’re saving a total of $1,410.21 over the full retail prices by taking advantage of Amazon’s Big Spring Sale. Not too shabby.

Our Best Editor-Vetted Amazon Big Spring Sale Deals Right Now

Deals are selected by our commerce team

European Commission confirms data breach

Posted on by

The European Commission has announced that it suffered a cyber attack that affected “cloud infrastructure hosting the Commission’s web presence on the Europea.eu platform.” While the attack has been contained, Bleeping Computer reports that the threat actor claiming to be behind it was able to take over 350GB of data before the Commission addressed the issue.

“Early findings of our ongoing investigation suggest that data have been taken from [Europa] websites,” the European Commission says. “The Commission is duly notifying the Union entities who might have been affected by the incident.”

The Commission’s investigation is ongoing, and it has yet to disclose how its cloud infrastructure was breached. According to Bleeping Computer, the threat actor was able to access the Europa sites and employee data via one of the Commission’s Amazon Web Services accounts. The Commission disclosed a breach that similarly impacted employee data in February.

Both breaches appear to be less severe than the Salt Typhoon hack that impacted US telecommunications companies in 2024. Hackers reportedly gained access to data from the smartphones of members of both the Trump and Harris campaigns, and other government officials. In January 2026, the European Commission introduced a new Cybersecurity Package designed to address similar issues, in part by outlining new ways for EU states to deal with potentially risky companies in their telecom supply chains.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/european-commission-confirms-data-breach-200000982.html?src=rss

Austria Plans Social Media Ban For Under-14s

Posted on by

Austria plans to restrict under-14s from using social media platforms over concerns about addictive algorithms and harmful content. The government says draft legislation should be ready by the end of June, though details around enforcement and age verification have yet to be finalized. The BBC reports: Announcing the plans, Vice-Chancellor Andreas Babler of the Social Democrats said the government could not stand by and watch as social media made children “addicted and also often ill.” He said it was the responsibility of politicians to protect children and argued that the issue should be treated no different to alcohol or tobacco: “There must be clear rules in the digital world too.” In future, said Babler, children under 14 would be protected from algorithms that were addictive. “Other information providers have clear rules to protect young people from harmful content.” These, he said, should now be implemented in the digital space. Yesterday, juries in two separate cases found social media giants liable for harming young people’s mental health. The verdicts are being hailed as social media’s Big Tobacco moment.

Further reading: California Bill Would Require Parent Bloggers To Delete Content of Minors On Social Media


Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Hegseth, Trump had no authority to order Anthropic to be blacklisted, judge says

Posted on by

“Classic First Amendment retaliation.” That’s how US District Judge Rita Lin described the Department of War’s effort to blacklist Anthropic and designate it a supply-chain risk.

By all appearances, “these measures appear designed to punish Anthropic,” Lin wrote in an order granting Anthropic’s request for a preliminary injunction.

Officials seemingly had no authority to take such extreme actions without considering less restrictive alternatives or offering any evidence that Anthropic posed an urgent risk to national security, Lin said. Instead, “the Department of War’s records show that it designated Anthropic as a supply chain risk because of its ‘hostile manner through the press.'”

Read full article

Comments

The Best Tech Deals Under $25 During Amazon’s Big Spring Sale

Posted on by

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

Amazon’s Big Spring Sale is on its third day, and there are tons of big-ticket items still on sale. But if you’re looking to score a bargain on a budget, I’ve used all my resources to find the best tech deals under $25.

The Roku Streaming Stick HD is $18

The Roku Streaming Stick HD is the most basic Roku Stick you can buy, and it’s 40% off right now, making it a great time to upgrade your TV’s OS to my favorite one. You can get it for $17.99 (originally $29.99).

Fire TV Sticks are now $25

Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K Plus is one of Amazon’s most popular Fire TV Stick options. It’s powerful enough for 4K entertainment, and it’s just $25 for the Amazon Big Spring Sale (down from $49.99) after a 50% discount. The Fire TV Stick Plus sits above the base Fire TV Stick HD (also discounted right now), and offers a quad-core 1.7 GHz processor coupled with 2GB RAM for fast app launches and smooth navigation.

Anker wired earbuds are $20

If you are looking for earbuds but don’t want to pay too much for something you might end up losing, the Soundcore by Anker P20i are a solid pair with some impressive features for their $19.99 price (marked down from $39.99). You get Bluetooth 5.3, 30 hours of battery, water resistance, and a full EQ with its companion app.

This Iniu portable phone charger is $21

I recently lost my Iniu portable charger on a weekend road trip. Fortunately, it was at the end of my trip, and it had served its purpose well, saving my phone’s battery (and therefore my life) multiple times. You can get one now for $20.99 (originally $29.99).

A heart rate monitor you can trust for just a little over $25

Okay, yes, I cheated a bit. This one is $27, but trust me when I say those extra $2 will be well spent. The CooSpo chest strap is a specialist. It has one job, which is to measure your heart rate, and it does it so well, Lifehacker’s Senior Health Editor Beth Skwarecki uses it to get a baseline when she tests other fitness gadgets. If monitoring your heart is a priority, don’t sleep on this chest strap.

Our Best Editor-Vetted Amazon Big Spring Sale Deals Right Now

Deals are selected by our commerce team

Iran-Linked Hackers Breach FBI Director’s Personal Email

Posted on by

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: Iran-linked hackers have broken into FBI Director Kash Patel’s personal email inbox, publishing photographs of the director and other documents to the internet, the hackers and the bureau said on Friday. On their website, the hacker group Handala Hack Team said Patel “will now find his name among the list of successfully hacked victims.” The hackers published a series of personal photographs of Patel sniffing and smoking cigars, riding in an antique convertible, and making a face while taking a picture of himself in the mirror with a large bottle of rum.

The FBI confirmed that Patel’s emails had been targeted. In a statement, bureau spokesman Ben Williamson said, “we have taken all necessary steps to mitigate potential risks associated with this activity” and that the data involved was “historical in nature and involves no government information.” Handala, which presents itself as a group of pro-Palestinian vigilante hackers, is considered by Western researchers to be one of several personas used by Iranian government cyberintelligence units. […] Alongside the photographs of Patel, the hackers published a sample of more than 300 emails, which appear to show a mix of personal and work correspondence dating between 2010 and 2019.


Read more of this story at Slashdot.

MacBook Neo With Liquid Cooling Mod Sees Massive Temp Drop And Huge FPS Boost

Posted on by
MacBook Neo With Liquid Cooling Mod Sees Massive Temp Drop And Huge FPS Boost
Apple’s A18 Pro powered MacBook Neo couples a budget price tag with relatively impressive performance. Benchmarks have shown it to offer better single-core performance than most x86 processors and it can even provide a decent gaming experience. Although a modder wanted to find out if Apple was leaving performance on the table due to the machine’s

Crunchyroll is now available as a channel in the Apple TV app

Posted on by

If you’re still using Crunchyroll after its AI subtitle fiasco and subsequent price increase, there’s a new way to watch. The anime streaming service is now available as a channel in the Apple TV app.

That means you can subscribe and stream your favorite anime titles, all within Apple’s video app. No need for the Crunchyroll app or a separate login. (Your Apple account handles your subscription using this method.) 9to5Mac notes that this is the first significant new channel added to the TV app in some time.

Crunchyroll starts at $10 per month, after the platform raised all of its monthly subscription prices by $2 earlier this year. That may be a hard sell for fans frustrated by the platform’s direction.

Last year, months after the company president enthused about the potential for AI subtitles, fans noticed something fishy. The German subtitles for Necronomico and the Cosmic Horror Show included one that began with “ChatGPT said…” Crunchyroll pinned the blame on a third-party vendor and promised it would work to “rectify the error.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/crunchyroll-is-now-available-as-a-channel-in-the-apple-tv-app-182500579.html?src=rss

Samsung’s New QuantumBlack QD-OLED Tech Aims To Fix Glare And Boost Black Levels

Posted on by
Samsung's New QuantumBlack QD-OLED Tech Aims To Fix Glare And Boost Black Levels
Samsung Display recently introduced a new feature to its QD-OLEDs dubbed QuantumBlack, which is designed to mitigate reflections in brightly-lit rooms. Another component of QuantumBlack is that surface hardness is improved from 2H to 3H, which should also make the panels more durable overall. While a hard push or drop will still spell disaster,

If you live in Georgia, there’s a new exhibit you can visit celebrating Apple’s 50th anniversary

Posted on by

The Mimms Museum of Technology and Art in Roswell, Georgia is debuting a new exhibit celebrating Apple’s 50th anniversary. The exhibit, iNSPIRE: 50 Years of Innovation from Apple, is set to open on April 1, the date the company was founded, and includes “more than 2,000 artifacts across 20,000 square feet, making it the largest public display of Apple products in the world.”

iNSPIRE is supposed to offer “a unique look” into Apple, by “highlighting early computers, rare prototypes, original documentation and immersive installations inspired by Apple’s most iconic products and campaigns.” Based on photos shared from the exhibit’s launch event, that includes displays of every model of key products like the iPod, iPhone and iPad, and an interactive installation that inserts you in the company’s iconic iPod ads.

If you’re based on the west coast of the US, the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California is also displaying its own “Apple@50″ exhibit, and running what it calls “Mactivations,” scheduled demos where you can interact with a reproduction of an original Macintosh.

Apple’s own celebrations have included a published letter from CEO Tim Cook ruminating on the company’s mission, and live music events at the company’s stores, offices and select landmarks around the world.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/if-you-live-in-georgia-theres-a-new-exhibit-you-can-visit-celebrating-apples-50th-anniversary-180940846.html?src=rss