Tech news roundup for Saturday, September 12, 2026 leads with Rocket Lab formally protesting NASA’s decision to award Blue Origin a $700 million Mars orbiter contract, plus a fresh comparison of the iPhone Duo against Google’s Pixel 11 Pro Fold and Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8.
Table of Contents
Also in today’s tech news roundup: Moss developer Polyarc has shut down after nearly 12 years and leaked specs point to a premium Lenovo Googlebook 15. On the AI beat, robot-training startup Mecka AI is nearing a $500 million valuation and Y Combinator’s Garry Tan weighed in on AI model distillation, while our science desk revisits an astronaut’s view of 9/11 from space 25 years later.
The TLDR
- Tech & Apps: iPhone Duo vs. Pixel 11 Pro Fold vs. Galaxy Z Fold 8: How They Compare
- AI Tools: Robot-Training Startup Mecka AI Nears $500M Valuation
- Science & Space: Rocket Lab Protests NASA’s $700M Blue Origin Mars Contract
Tech & Apps
iPhone Duo vs. Pixel 11 Pro Fold vs. Galaxy Z Fold 8: How They Compare
With Apple’s first foldable iPhone approaching, Lifehacker lined up the iPhone Duo against Google’s Pixel 11 Pro Fold and Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8. The Duo is the heaviest and thickest of the three, while the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the lightest and thinnest; the Pixel’s inner display is larger at 8 inches versus the Duo’s 7.6 inches. On cameras, the Pixel’s triple-lens setup leads on zoom, while the Duo leans on 4K/120fps video with Dolby Vision and ProRes support.
Moss Developer Polyarc Shuts Down After Nearly 12 Years
Seattle VR studio Polyarc, the team behind the Moss series, has closed after nearly 12 years, Engadget reports. The closure follows layoffs earlier in 2026 after the studio said it couldn’t secure funding once a large, unannounced project was canceled. It comes shortly after Polyarc shipped Moss: The Forgotten Relic in July 2026 across PS5, Xbox, Switch, Switch 2, and PC.
Lenovo Googlebook 15 Leak Points to a Premium Chromebook Rival (Unconfirmed)
Leaked specs reported by Engadget suggest Lenovo’s unannounced Googlebook 15 will target the premium laptop tier, with a 15.3-inch 120Hz OLED display and an Intel Core Ultra 5 chip reportedly on board. Neither Lenovo nor Google has confirmed the device, so treat the leaked RAM, storage, and battery details as unconfirmed until there’s an official announcement. If Google’s growing footprint on your devices already bothers you, it’s worth knowing how to turn off Google’s Personal Intelligence feature in the meantime.
AI Tools
Robot-Training Startup Mecka AI Nears $500M Valuation
Robotics data startup Mecka AI is nearing a roughly $500 million valuation in a new funding round led by Sequoia Capital, TechCrunch reports. The two-year-old company pays crowdsourced workers to record themselves doing everyday tasks to help train humanoid robots. The round comes just months after Mecka’s Series A, underscoring how much investor money is chasing real-world robot training data right now.
Y Combinator’s Garry Tan Says Leave AI Model Distillation Alone
Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan says regulators shouldn’t crack down on AI “distillation,” the practice of training a new model by heavily querying an existing one, TechCrunch reports. His comments come as U.S. AI labs have accused Chinese competitors of distilling their frontier models; Tan argues smaller American open-weight labs should be free to use the same technique on U.S. frontier models rather than face new restrictions.
Science & Space
Rocket Lab Protests NASA’s $700M Blue Origin Mars Contract
Rocket Lab has filed a formal protest with the Government Accountability Office over NASA’s decision to award Blue Origin a $700 million contract to build a Mars communications orbiter, Space.com reports. Rocket Lab argues NASA’s award is inconsistent with eligibility rules Congress laid out for the program and says the agency’s technical review of its own bid contained errors. Under the award, Blue Origin is contracted to deliver the Mars Telecommunications Network by the end of 2028.
25 Years Later: An Astronaut’s View of 9/11 From Space
This week marked 25 years since NASA astronaut Frank Culbertson witnessed the September 11, 2001 attacks from aboard the International Space Station, and Space.com revisited his account for the anniversary. Culbertson was the only American not on Earth that day, and he watched and recorded the aftermath from orbit before later describing what he saw. Space fans who like tracking orbital passes for themselves can compare SkySafari vs Stellarium to find the right astronomy app for watching the ISS go by.
Explore more: Fitbit Premium is still worth it now that it lives under Google Health, how to turn off Google’s Personal Intelligence feature, compare SkySafari vs Stellarium.
Tech News FAQs
Why is Rocket Lab protesting NASA’s Mars orbiter contract?
Rocket Lab filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office arguing that NASA’s award of a $700 million Mars communications orbiter contract to Blue Origin doesn’t meet the eligibility rules Congress set for the program, and that NASA’s technical review of its bid was flawed.
Is the Lenovo Googlebook 15 an official product?
No. As of this roundup, the Googlebook 15 is based on leaked specifications reported by outlets like Engadget, not an official Lenovo or Google announcement, so pricing and final specs could still change.
Why did Moss developer Polyarc close?
Polyarc shut down after failing to secure new funding once a large, unannounced project was canceled, following layoffs earlier in 2026. The closure comes after nearly 12 years and shortly after releasing Moss: The Forgotten Relic in July 2026.
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Photo: US Embassy from New Zealand / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.