This digest compiles the latest from Tech Spot.
Today’s Tech Spot Roundup
Those cheap Windows and Office keys might come from a federal crime
The US Department of Justice says 52-year-old Heidi Richards of Brandon, Florida, who ran Trinity Software Distribution, has been sentenced to 22 months in federal prison after a jury found her guilty of conspiring to traffic in illicit Microsoft Certificates of Authenticity (COA) labels. The court also ordered a $50,000 fine.
Nvidia's plan to open-source 6G might be bad news for the companies that built 5G
At this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Nvidia announced a “commitment” to make 6G both AI-native and open from the ground up. The list of companies backing this includes major telcos like Deutsche Telekom, T-Mobile, and SoftBank. But the names that really jump out are Ericsson and Nokia, the…
Starlink Mobile is rolling out V2 satellites that promise 100x data density from orbit
The shift coincides with the rebranding of Starlink’s “Direct to Cell” business as Starlink Mobile, a service that enables connectivity between smartphones and the satellite network without requiring dedicated user terminals such as dishes.
DirectX just made shader execution reordering official, boosting ray tracing performance in games
The recently released Shader Model 6.9 brings Microsoft’s official take on Shader Execution Reordering (SER) out of preview. Nvidia and a few game developers have already benefited from the feature, but the latest test nearly doubles frame rates for Intel Arc Battlemage GPUs.
Washington state bill would ban employers from forcibly microchipping workers
The Washington State Legislature website describes House Bill 2303 as a law that prohibits employers from microchipping employees, which is nice.
Charter's Cox deal approved: Higher broadband prices could follow as FCC clears $34.5B merger
The Federal Communications Commission’s approval of Charter’s $34.5 billion purchase of Cox positions Charter’s Spectrum brand to overtake Comcast in total broadband subscribers once the transaction closes. Charter currently serves about 29.7 million residential and business Internet customers, compared with Comcast’s 31.26 million. The addition of Cox’s 5.9 million subscribers would make Charter the…
Samsung Wallet can now store your house keys in your phone
Starting this month, smart locks from Aqara, Nuki, Schlage, and Ultraloq will support Samsung’s recently announced Digital Home Key for Samsung Wallet. Similar to Apple Wallet’s digital keys, Samsung users will be able to unlock the door to their home by opening the wallet app on their phone or smartwatch…
AI-driven warfare is here, and the Iran strikes show how fast it's advancing
Reports this week claim Anthropic’s Claude AI model was used in early US-Israel operations against Iran, including intelligence analysis and scenario planning tied to targeting.
TCL brings AMOLED to its paper-like Nxtpaper concept phone
For years, Nxtpaper devices have relied on LCD panels designed to reduce glare and mimic the look of paper. That approach delivered natural, matte visuals suited for long reading or viewing sessions, though it came with the inevitable compromise of reduced contrast and color depth. Now TCL has rebuilt that…
The Best Gaming Monitors… in $100 Increments
Got a budget for your next gaming monitor? We’ve tested the best options from $150 to $1,500 and picked the top choice at every price point – no fluff, just clear recommendations that make buying easy.
Microsoft blocks the word 'Microslop' in Copilot Discord, and the server melts down
Trouble began when users discovered that Discord messages containing the word “Microslop,” a mocking nickname for the company’s AI-heavy direction, were automatically blocked. Those attempting to post the word received a notice saying their message included a “prohibited phrase.”Screenshots spread quickly across social media, pushing what might have been a…
End of today’s Tech Spot roundup.
