MacBook Neo vs. Mac Mini: I’ve tested Apple’s $599 computers, and my preference is clear

MacBook Neo vs. Mac Mini: I’ve tested Apple’s $599 computers, and my preference is clear

Kyle Kucharski and Jason Hiner/ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. Apple has been making a serious play for the budget market. While a high-end MacBook Pro still carries a premium price tag, the introduction of the MacBook Neo — a new entry-level model starting at just $599 — signals a shift toward…

These 5 Amazon Spring Sale deals are HSA and FSA eligible

These 5 Amazon Spring Sale deals are HSA and FSA eligible

When is Amazon’s Spring Sale? Amazon’s annual Big Spring Sale event runs March 25-31, 2026 When does Amazon’s Spring Sale end? The spring sale ends at 11:59 p.m. PDT on March 31. What does HSA/FSA mean? HSAs and FSAs are tax-advantaged accounts that are designed to pay for qualified medical expenses with pre-tax dollars, which…

Cohere launches an open source voice model specifically for transcription

Cohere launches an open source voice model specifically for transcription

Enterprise AI company Cohere on Thursday launched its first voice model: Transcribe is an open source automatic speech recognition model that can be used for tasks like note-taking and speech analysis. Relatively light at just 2 billion parameters, the model is meant for use with consumer-grade GPUs for those who want to self-host it. It…

Conntour raises $7M from General Catalyst, YC to build an AI search engine for security video systems

Conntour raises $7M from General Catalyst, YC to build an AI search engine for security video systems

The surveillance tech industry today is in the spotlight, but not for the best reasons. With controversy around the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement tapping into Flock’s camera network to surveil people, and home camera maker Ring drawing criticism for building new features that would enable law enforcement to ask homeowners for footage of their…

Silicon Valley’s two biggest dramas have intersected: LiteLLM and Delve

Silicon Valley’s two biggest dramas have intersected: LiteLLM and Delve

This is one of those Silicon Valley real-life episodes that seem pulled from the HBO satire show. This week, some really atrocious malware was discovered in an open source project developed by Y Combinator graduate LiteLLM. LiteLLM gives developers easy access to hundreds of AI models and provides features like spend management. It’s a breakout…

Defense startup Shield AI lands $12.7B valuation, up 140%, after US Air Force deal

Defense startup Shield AI lands $12.7B valuation, up 140%, after US Air Force deal

Autonomous military aircraft maker Shield AI has raised $1.5 billion in Series G funding at a $12.7 billion post-money valuation, the company announced on Tuesday. The deal was led by PE firm Advent (which has a $1 billion budget to invest in defense tech, it says) and a JPMorganChase investment group. In addition, Shield AI…

Data centers get ready — the Senate wants to see your power bills

Data centers get ready — the Senate wants to see your power bills

Two U.S. senators on Thursday fired the latest salvo in an increasingly active front against data centers and their energy use. Senators Josh Hawley and Elizabeth Warren sent a letter to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) asking it to collect details on energy use from data centers — and how that use is affecting the…

Google Translate’s real-time headphone translations feature expands to iOS and more countries

Google Translate’s real-time headphone translations feature expands to iOS and more countries

Google announced on Thursday that “Live Translate,” its AI-powered Google Translate feature that lets you hear real-time translations in your headphones, is expanding to iOS and to more countries. With this expansion, the feature is now available on iOS and Android in the U.S., India, Mexico, Germany, Spain, France, Nigeria, Italy, the United Kingdom, Japan, Bangladesh,…

David Sacks is done as AI czar — here’s what he’s doing instead

David Sacks is done as AI czar — here’s what he’s doing instead

David Sacks has used up his days as Donald Trump’s AI and crypto czar. Speaking with Bloomberg on Thursday, the longtime entrepreneur, investor, and podcaster, confirmed that his non-consecutive 130-day stint as a special government employee is over and that he’s moving on to co-chair the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST)…