Tech news today is dominated by one big-ticket deal: NASA has awarded Blue Origin a $700 million contract to build its next Mars telecommunications orbiter, a sign that Jeff Bezos’s space company is becoming a serious NASA contractor beyond its own rockets.

Beyond that, IFA 2026 in Berlin brought a wave of gadget news from Anker and Xiaomi, Belkin unveiled new power bank battery tech, Google and Adobe both shipped notable AI updates, and Hubble spotted a strange new cloud pattern circling Saturn’s south pole. We also flag an unconfirmed dark-web claim about a massive driver’s license data leak.

The TLDR

• Tech & Apps: Anker’s Eufy MindBase brings on-device AI to home security
• Science & Space: NASA taps Blue Origin to build its next Mars orbiter

Tech & Apps

Anker’s Eufy MindBase brings on-device AI to home security

At IFA 2026 in Berlin, Anker unveiled Eufy MindBase, a local AI hub that processes footage from Eufy security cameras entirely on-device, without sending video to the cloud, according to The Verge. The hub supports up to 48TB of local storage and works as a Matter 1.5 controller, so it can also tie into HomeKit, Alexa, Google Assistant, and Home Assistant setups. Anker also introduced several companion products at the show, including a hybrid indoor/outdoor camera system and a video doorbell, though Eufy hasn’t announced MindBase’s price yet. If you’re shopping for camera-based smart-home gear without professional installation, our guide to the best smart doorbells for renters covers renter-friendly options already on the market.

Belkin’s new power banks use a ‘semi-solid’ battery layer

Belkin announced its first power banks built with semi-solid-state battery technology, called BoostSolid, which adds a gel-like layer alongside the usual liquid electrolyte, per The Verge. Belkin says the design retains 80% of its capacity after 1,000 charge cycles, which it markets as lasting up to 3 times longer than a typical power bank. Two models arrive this month: a $69.99 5,000mAh magnetic Qi2 charger and an $89.99 10,000mAh version with a display and 60W wired output.

Xiaomi teases its Fold 18 Pro ahead of a full reveal

Xiaomi used IFA 2026 to officially show off the Fold 18 Pro, its next passport-style foldable phone, ahead of a full China launch on September 7, according to Engadget. Xiaomi confirmed a “supercar red” color option, Leica-branded cameras, and its own custom XRING 03 chip, but held back on screen size, camera specs, and full dimensions. Engadget’s hands-on impression is that the phone looks shorter and wider than Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8, though that’s a visual observation rather than an official spec comparison.

Dark-web listing claims to sell 153 million driver’s licenses — unconfirmed

A listing on a dark-web marketplace called Nexus claims to be selling scans of 153 million U.S. and Canadian driver’s licenses, along with ID cards and other documents, according to Ars Technica. The seller’s own figures haven’t been independently verified, but multiple reports say the FBI’s New Orleans field office has opened an investigation into a suspected leak tied to an ID-verification service. Treat the scale of this breach as an unconfirmed claim rather than a settled fact for now.

Google ships Gemini 3.8 Flash, its third Flash model in six weeks

Google released Gemini 3.8 Flash, its third Flash-tier model in six weeks, which Google describes as its “most intelligent workhorse model” yet, according to Ars Technica. Google says the model scores 90.8% on the Terminal-Bench 2.1 coding benchmark, up from 81.6% for the previous Flash version. It’s priced from $0.75 per million input tokens through the end of 2026, after which rates rise. If you use AI tools day to day, our roundup of the best free AI tool to summarize long PDFs and articles is a good next read.

Adobe brings Photoshop and Firefly into Slack

Adobe announced that more than 70 of its creative and productivity tools — including Photoshop, Firefly, Premiere, Acrobat, and Illustrator — are now available directly inside Slack through a new MCP app, according to 9to5Mac. Inside Slack, users can remove backgrounds, adjust lighting, resize graphics for different platforms, and turn spreadsheet data into visuals without leaving the conversation. The app launched globally on September 2 for Slack Business+ and Enterprise+ customers and works without an Adobe account, though signing in unlocks more generative AI features.

Science & Space

NASA taps Blue Origin to build its next Mars orbiter

NASA awarded Blue Origin a $700 million contract to build its next Mars telecommunications orbiter, a data-relay spacecraft rather than a science probe, according to Space.com. The orbiter falls under NASA’s Mars Telecommunications Network program and will be built on Blue Origin’s Blue Ring spacecraft platform. NASA wants the orbiter delivered by the end of 2028, with the network expected to be operational at Mars by 2030, replacing the aging Mars Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter that currently relay data from Mars rovers.

Hubble spots a mysterious 10-sided cloud pattern on Saturn

Using Hubble Space Telescope observations, a team led by Agustín Sánchez-Lavega found a giant 10-sided atmospheric wave circling Saturn’s south pole, described in a new study published September 2 in Science Advances, as covered by Phys.org and Space.com. It’s the first time researchers have seen a large, regular-sided jet pattern in Saturn’s southern hemisphere; the planet’s north pole has a well-known hexagon-shaped jet stream that’s been stable for over 40 years, but this new decagon still appears to be an emerging, evolving feature.

Explore more: best smart doorbells for renters, best free AI tool to summarize long PDFs and articles.

Tech News FAQs

What is Anker’s Eufy MindBase?

Eufy MindBase is a local AI hub for Anker’s Eufy security cameras, unveiled at IFA 2026. It processes footage on-device with up to 48TB of storage and connects to Matter, HomeKit, Alexa, and Google Assistant, though Anker hasn’t announced pricing yet.

How much do Belkin’s new BoostSolid power banks cost?

Belkin’s semi-solid-state power banks launch this month at $69.99 for a 5,000mAh magnetic Qi2 model and $89.99 for a 10,000mAh model with a display and 60W wired charging.

Is the 153 million driver’s license leak confirmed?

No. The figure comes from a dark-web marketplace listing that hasn’t been independently verified, though reports say the FBI’s New Orleans field office has opened an investigation into a suspected breach.

What’s new in Google’s Gemini 3.8 Flash?

Gemini 3.8 Flash is Google’s third Flash-tier model in six weeks, with notable coding-benchmark gains and introductory pricing of $0.75 per million input tokens through the end of 2026.

When will Blue Origin’s Mars orbiter be ready?

NASA wants the orbiter delivered by the end of 2028, with the broader Mars Telecommunications Network expected to be operational at Mars by 2030.

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Photo: NASA Flight Opportunities / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

The post 8 Essential Tech News Stories for Thursday, September 3, 2026: Blue Origin’s $700M Mars Deal and Anker’s New AI Smart Home Hub appeared first on GTWebs.