Here are today’s 9 verified tech & science stories, covering Tech & Apps, AI Tools and Science & Space.
Table of Contents
Every item below links to its original source.
The TLDR
- Tech & Apps: Apple Faces New $2.7 Billion Lawsuit Over App Tracking Transparency
- AI Tools: OpenAI Launches Astra, a New Model Built for Computer and Browser Tasks
- Science & Space: One-Dose Gene-Editing Treatment Cut Cholesterol by Over 50% in Small Trial
Tech & Apps
Apple Faces New $2.7 Billion Lawsuit Over App Tracking Transparency
A former UK antitrust regulator filed a £2 billion ($2.7 billion) lawsuit against Apple on September 3, arguing its App Tracking Transparency feature is an anticompetitive abuse of Apple’s control over the App Store, according to 9to5Mac. The case, filed at London’s Competition Appeal Tribunal, is led by Ann Pope, who previously held a senior post at the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority — the same regulator that has investigated Apple’s conduct. Apple responded that it built App Tracking Transparency to give users real control over cross-app tracking and that it applies the same rules to its own apps as it does to outside developers.
Netflix Reportedly Developing a Live-Action ‘Ravenloft’ Series From Dungeons & Dragons
Netflix is reportedly developing a live-action series based on Ravenloft, one of Dungeons & Dragons’ gothic horror settings, according to a Deadline report cited by The Verge. Director Alfonso Cuarón and writer John August are reportedly attached alongside Hasbro Entertainment, though Netflix hasn’t officially confirmed casting or a release window. The series is said to center on the origin story of vampire Darklord Strahd von Zarovich, one of D&D’s best-known villains.
This Rugged Phone’s Camera Pops Off Into a Waterproof Action Cam
RugOne’s new Xsnap 7 Pro is a rugged smartphone with a magnetic rear camera module you can detach and use on its own as a waterproof action camera, according to The Verge. The phone carries IP68 and IP69K ratings, meaning it’s built to survive full submersion and high-pressure water blasts. RugOne says early-bird preorders open on Kickstarter September 7.
Xbox Is Capping Game Pass Cloud Streaming Hours Starting in November
Also in today’s tech news roundup: Microsoft will start limiting how many hours Game Pass subscribers can stream games from the cloud each month beginning in November — 15 hours for Ultimate, 10 for Premium, and 5 for Essential — with the option to pay for extra hours beyond the cap, according to Ars Technica. The outlet reports the change will require over 1 million subscribers who currently stream more than that to either cut back or pay more.
Audacity 4.0 Ships With a New Dark Mode and Its Biggest Update in Years
The free, open-source audio editor Audacity released version 4.0 on September 3 with a redesigned look, including an optional dark mode alongside its classic interface, according to Engadget. The update also adds non-destructive editing with overlapping clips, an envelope tool for automating gain in real time, zoomed-in sample-level editing, one-click clip splitting, and track metering to spot clipping — all while remaining free.
Google’s September Android Update Lets Gemini Remember Where You Left Things
Google’s September Android feature drop adds five updates, including a Find Hub feature that lets you tell Gemini to remember where you left an item — like a passport — so you can ask for its location later without needing a physical tracker, according to Lifehacker. The update also adds Motion Assist bubbles meant to ease car sickness, a Gemini Live “Guided Vision” mode to help blind and low-vision users find objects with their camera, Google Keep list collaboration inside Messages group chats, and new custom chat themes — rounding out today’s tech news roundup on the Android side.
AI Tools
OpenAI Launches Astra, a New Model Built for Computer and Browser Tasks
OpenAI released its Astra model on September 3, positioning it as a step forward for AI that operates computers and browsers directly, with strong results on coding, bug-finding, and terminal tasks, according to TechCrunch. The model uses a technique OpenAI calls “opaque recurrence,” which makes its step-by-step reasoning harder for outside researchers to audit — a tradeoff the company says comes with more capable models. Astra is rolling out first to OpenAI’s Daybreak cybersecurity program, then to Pro, Plus, Enterprise, Business, and API users over the following week.
Science & Space
One-Dose Gene-Editing Treatment Cut Cholesterol by Over 50% in Small Trial
A Cleveland Clinic-led Phase 1a trial of CTX310, a CRISPR-based gene-editing therapy given as a single IV infusion, found that the four participants who received the highest dose saw their LDL cholesterol drop by an average of 52.5%, with results published in the New England Journal of Medicine, according to ScienceAlert. The treatment edits liver cells to lower a protein called ANGPTL3; the trial included just 15 participants total, and a larger Phase 1b trial is now underway to test a fixed dose.
BepiColombo Begins Its Final Approach to Mercury After 8 Years in Space
The joint European-Japanese BepiColombo mission began its arrival sequence at Mercury on September 3, jettisoning the transfer module that carried it across the inner solar system since its 2018 launch, according to Space.com. The spacecraft is scheduled to enter orbit around Mercury on November 21, after which its two science orbiters — ESA’s Mercury Planetary Orbiter and JAXA’s Mio — will separate to begin studying the planet, closing out today’s tech news roundup with a milestone eight years in the making.
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