Microsoft is boosting the launch time of key Windows apps and features – here’s how

Microsoft is boosting the launch time of key Windows apps and features – here’s how

Lance Whitney/ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET’s key takeaways Low Latency Profile aims to help Windows apps launch faster. The feature works by spiking the CPU speed. Early testing shows improvement. Ever find that opening an app, triggering a menu, or running other tasks in Windows doesn’t feel as fast or…

There aren’t enough rockets for space data centers — Cowboy Space raised $275M to build them

There aren’t enough rockets for space data centers — Cowboy Space raised $275M to build them

The apparently insatiable demand for AI compute has data center entrepreneurs looking to the stars. There’s a key problem: There aren’t enough rockets to put data centers in orbit around Earth, and they’re too expensive. Most of the players are hoping that SpaceX’s Starship — expected to make its 12th test flight as soon as…

Digg tries again, this time as an AI news aggregator

Digg tries again, this time as an AI news aggregator

Digg is back from the dead. Again. Just months after launching, the reboot of Kevin Rose’s once-popular link-sharing site shut down in March, as the company shifted course. Originally redesigned as a competitor to the massive community forum site Reddit, the new Digg found that it wasn’t able to effectively manage the bot traffic invading…

Daniel Ek-backed defense tech Helsing to raise $1.2B at $18B valuation

Daniel Ek-backed defense tech Helsing to raise $1.2B at $18B valuation

Five-year-old European military drone startup Helsing is reportedly close to raising a new $1.2 billion round at about an $18 billion valuation. The round is expected to be led by Dragoneer and co-led by existing Helsing investor Lightspeed, the Financial Times reported. Helsing last raised just under a year ago, in June 2025, in a…

Bravo is creating unscripted microdramas for the Peacock app

Bravo is creating unscripted microdramas for the Peacock app

It’s about time that the microdrama trend has gone mainstream. As microdrama apps like ReelShort and DramaBox quietly rake in billions, Peacock announced on Monday that’s launching two unscripted Bravo microdramas, which will stream on its app. These are vertical video series, with episodes around 60 to 90 seconds, are designed for a quick, TikTok-like…

‘Too early’ to talk IPO, Redwood Materials’ incoming CFO says

‘Too early’ to talk IPO, Redwood Materials’ incoming CFO says

Redwood Materials has finally found a new chief financial officer roughly a year and a half after its last one departed. He’s a familiar face to the former Tesla executives running the battery recycling and energy storage company. On Monday, Redwood Materials said it has hired former Tesla finance chief Deepak Ahuja as its new…

Discord launches Nitro Rewards, giving subscribers access to the base tier of Xbox Game Pass for no extra cost

Discord launches Nitro Rewards, giving subscribers access to the base tier of Xbox Game Pass for no extra cost

Discord on Monday unveiled Nitro Rewards, which gives Nitro subscribers access to offers from other gaming and lifestyle brands for no additional cost.  Currently, Nitro offers upgrades to Discord itself, like more profile customization options, HD streaming, and the ability to upload files of up to 500 MB. The subscription is optional, as you can…

Venmo’s biggest makeover in years comes at a very interesting time

Venmo’s biggest makeover in years comes at a very interesting time

Venmo is rolling out a significant redesign over the coming months that aims to make the app more useful, social, and easier to navigate. This is the peer-to-peer payments app’s biggest refresh since 2021. The timing is notable. PayPal, which owns Venmo, is restructuring to spin Venmo off as a standalone business unit — a…