Nikita Bier, the platform’s head of product, said users who don’t add AI disclosures will be suspended from Creator Revenue Sharing for at least 90 days.
Hytale Game Servers is a community-built server listing platform for the upcoming game Hytale. Server owners can list their servers with live player counts, voting systems, and category filters, allowing players to easily find and join servers. Premium tiers offer priority placement and analytics. Built with an open-source plugin, the platform allows servers to sync data automatically. Currently, it is in its coming soon phase as we finalize the last features before launch. Join the Discord community via the link on the website at https://hytalegameservers.net.
Agent Mom is an AI Chief of Staff for families that connects calendars, inboxes, and to-dos to keep schedules in sync and conflicts under control. It manages multiple Google Calendars with travel-time awareness, scans emails, PDFs, and images to extract events and action items, and classifies real conflicts versus all-day items. You stay in control by reviewing and approving while it handles the heavy lifting for your household. Built by a busy mom for busy families.
The app’s use as a discovery tool is rising as users turn to its short-form videos and personalized content to find information, according to research from Adobe.
Security researchers say exploits used by governments to hack into iPhones have been found to be used by cybercriminals. They warned of an emerging market for "secondhand" exploits.
South Korean authorities made a serious blunder as they sought to showcase their crackdown on online fraud and cybercrime. According to local reports, Seoul's National Tax Service (NTS) released a press statement detailing an on-site investigation targeting 124 high-profile tax fraud suspects. In the process, it also published a photo...
Resident Evil Requiem is finally here, and you can join the 159K people currently playing it on Steam at the time of this writing if you want to. From everything we've seen and heard since its release at the end of last week, it's been a huge hit, and while thousands of players are still digging their way through it, plenty of players are already looking towards what's next. Which, if the rumors are true, will be a Leon-focused DLC. That's at least what reliable Resident Evil leaker, Dusk Golem, is pointing towards. In an extended thread on X (formerly […]
The M5 Pro and M5 Max announcement was accompanied by some changes in the way Apple categorizes its CPU cores. With the company introducing the term ‘super’ to the lineup, perhaps it was a hint that its Fusion Architecture allowed it to develop even more capable custom cores without compromising on efficiency. Sadly, this isn’t the case, because the M5’s performance cores have also been renamed to ‘super cores,’ concluding that the M5 Pro and M5 Max won’t be clocked any higher, removing any advantage that we thought was present because we fell victim to Apple’s clever marketing. The super cores […]
Well, the moment we all felt was coming has finally arrived. Highguard, the maligned live service raid shooter from former Apex Legends developers at Wildlight Entertainment, is permanently shutting down next week, on March 12, 2026. When the servers go offline, it will have lasted for only 45 days between its January 26 launch and March 12. The news was announced via the game's official X (formerly Twitter) account, with a statement from the studio that begins by saying, "Today we're sharing difficult news. We have made the decision to permanently shut down Highguard on March 12." It continues to […]
Samsung launches glasses-free 3D Spatial Signage, combining optical depth technology, AI content tools, and large-format displays for commercial environments.
A new shape, superb sound quality, and some intriguing new features make the WF-1000XM6 a worthy contender for your iPhone’s audio — but can they better Apple's flagship buds?
A tech billionaire-backed super PAC is spending $125 million to undercut candidates pushing for AI regulation. New York's Alex Bores, a former tech executive himself, is one of them.
It's no secret that Highguard has languished under dwindling player counts and an apparent lack of funding since its launch in late January 2026, with rumors swirling that Tencent pulled funding from Studio Wildlight shortly after the launch of the game, prompting a round of layoffs that saw around 80% of the development team behind the game lose their jobs. Now, barely a month after launch, Wildlight has announced that it will shut down Highguard on March 12. Servers will remain online until March 12, but it's unclear if players will receive refunds for in-game purchases.
Despite the imminent shut-down, it seems like the developer will release the available content that has been completed in an upcoming update that will launch ahead of the shutdown and add a new Warden, a new weapon, account-level progression, and skill trees to the game—all content that may have added enough interest in the game if released earlier, but will likely suffer from being too little, too late. This isn't the first apparent last-ditch effort to save the game, with previous patches addressing complaints by adding new bases and a new game mode, among other new content, all of which again seemed to be positively received but didn't make a dent in the game's plummeting player counts.
Intel Corporation today announced that its board of directors has elected Dr. Craig H. Barratt as independent chair, effective following the company's Annual Stockholders' Meeting on May 13, 2026. Barratt will succeed Frank D. Yeary, who is retiring from the board and will not stand for reelection at the Annual Meeting. Yeary has served as a director since 2009 and as chair since 2023.
"On behalf of the board and the entire company, I want to thank Frank for his commitment to Intel and his strong leadership as chair during one of the most consequential periods in Intel's history," said Lip-Bu Tan, CEO, Intel. "Frank led the effort to bring me in as the company's CEO, encouraged disciplined board oversight, and reinforced strong board governance. With his and the board's support, I have been empowered to take decisive actions to strengthen our financial foundation, advance our process roadmap and position the company for long-term competitiveness. His leadership helped guide Intel through a period of transformation and onto firmer footing for the next phase."
Today at MWC 2026, Lenovo announced its latest consumer device innovations targeted at creators, gamers, and productivity-focused users. This includes powerful creative convertibles like the Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition (14", 11), ultralight laptops like the IdeaPad Slim 5i Ultra (14", 11), productivity-on-the-go tablets like the Idea Tab Pro Gen 2, and the Yoga Pro 7a (15", 11) and the Legion 7a (15", 11)—laptops both powered by AMD Ryzen AI Max+ Series processors, delivering next-generation improvements in performance, AI experiences, and graphics.
Lenovo also unveiled proofs of concept from both its Yoga and Legion sub-brands—the Yoga Book Pro 3D Concept and the Legion Go Fold Concept—that embody Lenovo's commitment to pushing the envelope with its consumer innovations. The Yoga Book Pro 3D Concept addresses gaps in the 3D creative process by shedding the need for peripherals and streamlining user interactions. The Legion Go Fold Concept pushes the adaptability ethos of the Legion Go line of gaming handhelds even further with modularity to fit even more use cases.
AMD and Lenovo recently drew ire from the gaming community over its apparent lack of support for the original Legion Go gaming handheld, although it was subsequently revealed that ASUS had more recent updates available for the ROG Ally, which is based on the same AMD APU. More recently, it was revealed by Adam Patrick Murray on The Full Nerd podcast that Lenovo has issued a statement in response to the news reports, and that the company has confirmed it will offer support for the Legion Go at least until October 2029. Murray says that his PR contact, who clarified the state of the Legion Go's support, denounced the original comment by Lenovo support that claimed that AMD and Lenovo were no longer supporting the device as an "ugly rumor." That said, the Legion Go's support has never had the best reputation for software support, with gamers often complaining in the r/LegionGo subreddit about slow updates.
Lenovo's full statement reads:
Support for the Lenovo Legion Go (8.8", 1) has not been discontinued. Lenovo is actively continuing to support the Legion Go (8.8", 1) with necessary driver and BIOS updates and will continue to do so through October 2029. Lenovo is working in concert with AMD on driver update cadence, and new updates will be released once they have passed Lenovo's rigorous review protocols.
Ubiquiti has released a new member of its UniFi Mesh APs, called the U7 Mesh which has a rather novel design that works both indoors and outdoors, since it's IPx6 rated. The Wi-Fi 7 access point is admittedly only dual-band, we'd guess due to the short range of the 6 GHz band, which wouldn't make a whole lot of sense to include in an outdoors AP. The U7 Mesh is an upgraded version of its U6 Mesh, which is something of an odd sidegrade, as although it has been given a 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port, the 5 GHz Wi-Fi radio has been downgraded from 4x4 to 2x2.
The U7 Mesh offers up to 4.3 Gbps throughput in the 5 GHz, but this is limited to devices that can use 240 MHz wide channels, which not all Wi-Fi devices support, as even some Wi-Fi 7 devices are limited to 160 MHz. The 2.4 GHz band supports speeds of up to 688 Mbps. Ubiquiti has changed the antenna design to allow for omnidirectional or directional use for the 5 GHz radio, which could be useful in a backhaul type situation. The U7 Mesh is powered via PoE and has a max power consumption of 13 W. The U7 Mesh is available now for US$199.
The global NAND Flash industry continued to benefit from AI infrastructure build-outs in 4Q25, according to TrendForce's latest research. All in all, the combined revenue of the top five NAND flash suppliers sharply rose 23.8% QoQ to US$21.17 billion.
The primary growth driver was explosive demand for enterprise SSDs, fueled by large-scale AI server deployments by North American CSPs. Meanwhile, severe HDD shortages and extended lead times accelerated a shift in orders toward NAND solutions, which further tightened supply. The resulting imbalance worsened NAND shortages and pushed prices higher, directly boosting supplier revenues.
As technology innovation accelerates both data creation and value, the need for scalable, efficient, high-performance storage solutions has never been greater. Today, Seagate Technology announced its next-generation Mozaic 4+ platform, the industry's only heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR)-based storage platform deployed at-scale, is now qualified and in production with two leading hyperscale cloud providers. Supporting capacities up to 44 TB, these qualifications reflect production-scale deployments in hyperscale environments.
With additional customer qualifications under way, Seagate is delivering on its roadmap to scale from today's 4+TB per-disk toward a future 10 TB per-disk - enabling hard drive capacities of up to 100 TB. The platform incorporates a next-generation suspension architecture and an enhanced system-on-a-chip that enables precise recording at higher densities while maintaining enterprise-class reliability. Each platform generation allows continued gains in capacity without requiring disruptive architectural shifts.
The MSI GeForce RTX 5090D v2 Lightning has officially appeared on the Chinese market, according to a Bilibili user named "Hardware Patrick Star." This China-exclusive SKU is an adaptation of the new GeForce RTX 5090D v2 with MSI's overclocking enhancements, allowing the card to reach new performance heights, paired with an all-in-one liquid cooler. The new RTX 5090D v2 retains the GB202 family's compute power, with 21,760 CUDA cores, Blackwell architecture, and a 575 W TGP, but reduces the memory to 24 GB of GDDR7 on a 384-bit bus, compared to the previous 32 GB on a 512-bit bus. MSI noted that the GeForce RTX 5090D Lightning GPU is limited to 1,300 units. However, since the China-exclusive SKU is considered a completely different graphics card, it is possible that there are another 1,300 units for the Chinese market with the RTX 5090D v2 Lightning model. The Bilibili user has SKU number 909, indicating that the rest have been distributed to retail channels.
We reviewed MSI's regular GeForce RTX 5090 Lightning graphics card and found that the GPU can reach up to 1,000 W with an OC BIOS loaded. We observed an average GPU clock speed of 3,218 MHz due to the water cooling. Independent testing might show the RTX 5090D v2 Lightning achieving similar performance levels, but since it's a China-focused SKU, we could only see reviews from Chinese hardware reviewers. Earlier claims by EXPreview indicate that hands-on testing suggests mixed results for buyers. In pure gaming, the RTX 5090D and RTX 5090D v2 cards are often nearly identical, with frame rate differences usually within a percent or two, so most current 4K titles will not noticeably suffer from the missing 8 GB. For AI workloads and model inference, the gap is more significant, with single-digit to low-double-digit performance drops where extra memory is important.
AMD is seeing server CPU demand it didn't fully anticipate, with CEO Lisa Su describing it as having "far exceeded" her expectations. Speaking at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference earlier today, Su outlined how the landscape has shifted as agentic AI applications have taken off, pushing CPUs back into the spotlight alongside accelerators. The CPU-to-GPU ratio in AI compute workloads has evolved dramatically over the past few months, and top customers reportedly told Su that CPU demand sitting alongside AI was "under-forecasted." Supply is tightening as a result. The sudden spike in customer commitments left little time for the supply chain to adjust, though AMD says it's working closely with partners to ease existing bottlenecks and expects capacity to expand over the coming year. Su expressed confidence that AMD's product lineup is well positioned to address training, inference, and agentic workloads going forward. We've also seen this play out at the customer level, with hyperscalers like Meta signing CPU agreements with AMD and NVIDIA, a sign that compute is diversifying away from a pure GPU focus.
Back in late January, Intel disclosed it had to reallocate wafer capacity from its PC division to Xeon production after hyperscalers started ordering larger quantities than anticipated, triggering a temporary shortage. Then, in early February, both Intel and AMD warned customers in China about tightening supplies, with Intel Xeon delivery times stretching to as long as six months and prices up more than 10%. AMD's situation is somewhat less difficult, but lead times have still pushed out to eight to ten weeks for some orders. On the consumer side, AMD's next-gen Ryzen 'Olympic Ridge' desktop processors based on Zen 6 are rumored to have slipped to 2027, possibly another sign that AMD is prioritizing Zen 6 chiplets for EPYC server processors.
The new MacBook Pro will be offered in 14-inch and 16-inch configurations, both featuring Liquid Retina XDR displays with up to 1600 nits of peak HDR brightness. Storage capacity starts at 1 TB for the M5 Pro model and 2 TB for the M5 Max variant.
ImagineIf is a collaborative storytelling platform where people from around the world create stories together. Each story starts with "Imagine if..." and grows one sentence at a time, like a tweet-length contribution. AI generates a unique visual for every segment, bringing the story to life. Stories can branch in different directions based on reader choices, creating infinite narrative possibilities. The platform supports 20+ languages, features an XP/leveling system, streak rewards, and a Season Pass for premium members. Whether you're a writer, reader, or just curious, anyone can join a story chain and add their part in seconds. No writing experience is needed.
MSI's most premium GPU variant, the LIGHTNING series, has been spotted in China, coming in with lower VRAM than the original model, but the looks remain consistent. MSI's LIGHTNING Z GeForce RTX 5090D V2 Features Lower VRAM Than Original Model, Yet Packaging Is the Absolute Best The MSI LIGHTNING variant, originally introduced with the GeForce RTX 5090, has been the talk of the town among 'premium GPUs'. Not only that, but this variant also features one of the highest-rated BIOS versions, at 2500W. With MSI's original showcase, there were no details on whether we could see a version specific to […]
Planned obsolescence is the game in town, especially in the tech world, and no one appears as savvy at this game as Apple, which has elevated the periodic adjustments of its product portfolio into an art form. Today, Apple has discontinued its 32-inch 6K display, called the Pro Display XDR, and replaced it with a 27-inch 5K one, aptly dubbed the Studio Display XDR. Apple replaces the pricey Pro Display XDR with the cheaper Studio Display XDR that entails some compromises Apple has officially retired the Pro Display XDR in favor of the new 27-inch Studio Display XDR, which while […]
Seagate has begun shipping its 44TB Exos HDDs based on its HAMR technology to two hyperscale customers as others qualify the all-new Mozaic 4+ hard drive platform.
Micron’s shipping 256GB SOCAMM2 memory samples to customers Micron has delivered its first 256GB SOCAMM2 memory samples to customers, allowing users to create AI systems with 2TB of LPDDR memory across eight memory channels. With Micron’s first monolithic 32Gb LPDDR5X memory, Micron can enable next-generation AI capabilities through increased memory access. This enables higher performance […]
Apple today launched its most advanced silicon design yet with the introduction of the M5 Pro and M5 Max processors for MacBook Pro laptops. These new SoCs feature an 18-core CPU with six new "super cores" and 12 performance cores. The main difference between the M5 Pro and M5 Max lies in the size of the integrated GPU and the maximum memory capacity that Apple can equip these SoCs with. With these two SoCs, Apple has added another core tier to its lineup. In the M5 Pro/Max SoCs, a new tier called "M-core" has been introduced, which sits between the Super Core and Efficiency Core. What used to be performance and efficiency cores in the regular M5 have been renamed. Essentially, Apple renamed the performance core to super core and introduced an M-core tier that sits between the super core and efficiency core. Interestingly, the efficiency core is completely absent from the new SoCs, resulting in a combination of performance and middle-class cores, which will enhance the performance of these processors. In this context, the regular M5 SoC has four super cores and six efficiency cores.
Inside these new SoCs, the six super cores run at 4.61 GHz, while the M-cores run at 4.38 GHz. The M-core is a 7-wide out-of-order execution CPU that has roughly 70% of the P-core performance with slightly lower power usage. This new core tier is expected to boost the multithreaded performance of the M5 Pro/Max processors by up to 20%, according to some preliminary estimates found on Chinese Baidu forums. For the M5 Pro, Apple has included 16 MB of cache for the super cores, 16 MB of cache for the M-cores, and 24 MB of memory cache. The memory choice is LPDDR5X, which runs at 9,600 MT/s and offers up to 64 GB of capacity. In the M5 Max, the core cache remains the same, but the memory cache is increased to 48 MB, and the memory capacity is upgraded to a configuration of up to 128 GB. Both SoCs feature GPU cores that run at 1.62 GHz, with the M5 Pro having a 20-core iGPU and the M5 Max having a 40-core iGPU.
According to Li-Qun Gu, DNA is an extremely compact, stable package of information. Natural DNA strands encode the biological blueprints of all life on Earth but Mizzou researchers are exploring ways to repurpose molecular biology as a digital storage medium.
Jolla's return to the smartphone market follows a turbulent decade during which the company nearly collapsed, pivoted to licensing its Sailfish OS platform, severed business ties with Russia after the invasion of Ukraine, and later reorganized under the new corporate structure Jollyboys. The reset produced a device assembled in Salo,...
Priowise is an AI-powered strategic alignment and prioritization platform that turns founder vision into a structured product strategy and keeps it aligned with execution. It helps teams define what truly matters, build a clear prioritization logic, and translate strategic intent into a structured, impact-driven product roadmap.
By analyzing objectives, initiatives, and market context together, Priowise identifies gaps between strategy and what’s being built, suggests what’s missing, and recalibrates priorities as conditions change. Instead of static plans or intuition-led decisions, teams get a living system that keeps strategy measurable, adaptive, and continuously aligned with impact.
Brilliaint brings real AI help to your iPad notes. Write with Apple Pencil, then ask or circle any equation, diagram, or paragraph to get step-by-step help or clear explanations. It reads your handwriting, checks your work, and turns imported work or iPad notes into flashcards, practice quizzes, and visual diagrams for all types of learners. You can also import PDFs, photos, or lecture audio; it sees and transcribes them, then uses your notes and uploaded class material for quizzes and answers.
Built for students who struggle with traditional studying, whether due to ADHD, learning differences, or a different way of processing information.
Threat hunters have called attention to a new campaign as part of which bad actors masqueraded as fake IT support to deliver the Havoc command-and-control (C2) framework as a precursor to data exfiltration or ransomware attack.
The intrusions, identified by Huntress last month across five partner organizations, involved the threat actors using email spam as lures, followed by a phone call from
Bandai Namco has dropped a curious teaser on X (formerly Twitter) announcing that it'll be revealing "a new RPG" later this week on March 5, at 3pm PT / 6pm ET / 11pm BT. The post is also accompanied with a short video that includes an T for Teen ESRB rating, a shot of a forest with a tower in the distance that reaches into the sky, followed by a character walking with a sword and shield on their back. At that point, the teaser cuts, showing gold text that reads "New RPG reveal" with the March 5th date and […]
AMD's CEO has discussed the company's situation with enterprise demand for its server CPUs, and according to Lisa Su, Team Red faces 'unexpected' customer volume. AMD's Lisa Su Says that the CPU Supply Is Tightening, as Customer Commitments Increase Rapidly The ratio of CPU: GPU in modern-day AI compute workloads has evolved dramatically over the past few months, mainly since with agentic applications coming in, the role of CPUs has increased signifcantly. We have seen hyperscalers like Meta enter into standalone CPU agreements with infrastructure providers like AMD and NVIDIA, indicating that compute is diversifying away from GPUs. While talking […]
On top of the two Fallout TV series adaptations, the upcoming God of War TV series, the Mass Effect series, and the Wolfenstein series that Amazon has in the works, in September 2025, it confirmed that it is working on a Life is Strange TV series adaptation. The show is set to be written and led by Kaos writer, Charlie Covell, and today, in a new report from Variety, we learned who Amazon has tapped for the show's two lead roles, Max and Chloe. In the case of both casting choices, Amazon and Covell have opted to go for two […]
Unlike the desktop variant, the laptop variant comes with a lower VRAM size, but leaks are suggesting higher memory capacity for the laptop edition as well. Lenovo Yoga Pro 7 Leaked Specifications Reveal RTX 5070 Laptop GPU With 12 GB GDDR7 Memory; ASUS Also Lists Laptops With RTX 5070 12 GB Mobile GPU Despite memory shortages, the leaked listings show that NVIDIA is rumoredly increasing the memory capacity of one of its RTX 50 series cards. On one hand, NVIDIA has been reportedly prioritizing 8 GB RTX 50 series GPUs, but on the other hand, we are seeing some laptop […]
The MacBook Air M5 is more expensive than the M4 version, but there is an important silver lining that may make you think differently about the new 13-inch laptop.
After U.S. and Israeli forces started bombing Iran, reports say cyber operations have disrupted communications, supported surveillance activities, and have been used in psychological operations.
The news comes as Pinterest has faced serious headwinds. Shares tumbled over the past year, with disappointing earnings, layoffs affecting 15% of its workforce, a declining ad business, and increased rivalry from AI chatbots.
Google will begin enforcing a minimum daily budget for Demand Gen campaigns starting April 1, 2026.
What’s happening: The Google Ads API will require a minimum daily budget of $5 USD (or local equivalent) for all Demand Gen campaigns. The change is designed to help campaigns move through the “cold start” phase with enough spend for Google’s models to learn and optimize effectively. The update will roll out as an unversioned API change, applying across all buying paths.
Technical details:
In API v21 and above, campaigns set below the threshold will trigger a BUDGET_BELOW_DAILY_MINIMUM error, with additional details available in the error metadata.
In API v20, advertisers will receive a generic UNKNOWN error, with the specific validation failure referenced in the unpublished error code field.
The rule applies when modifying budgets, start dates, or end dates in ways that push daily spend below the $5 floor — covering both daily and flighted budgets.
Impact on existing campaigns. Current Demand Gen campaigns running below the minimum will continue serving. However, any future edits to budgets or scheduling will require compliance with the new floor.
Why we care. For advertisers and developers, this adds a new compliance layer to campaign management workflows. Systems will need updating to catch and handle the new validation errors before deployment.
The bottom line. Google is standardizing a minimum investment threshold for Demand Gen — prioritizing performance stability, while requiring advertisers to adjust budgets and automation accordingly.
I hate to see anyone overpay for RAM. So what's the solution? This bundle with Ryzen 5 9600X CPU, B850 motherboard, AiO liquid cooler, and 16GB of DDR5-6000 RAM is now down to just $439 for a limited time
Capcom has revealed that 50% of its total game sales now come from PC, with the company expecting that share to increase. Resident Evil Requiem has already become the biggest Resident Evil launch on Steam.
What if I told you there's an app that can solve practically all of the audio issues usually experienced when connecting AirPods to a Windows PC? I only wish I'd started using the MagicPods app a lot sooner.
Keychron has been revamping its mainline mechanical keyboard line-up pretty consistently lately, but its latest launch, the B11 Pro, is a deviation from those designs, falling square in the mobile productivity space rather than the enthusiast mechanical keyboard sphere. The B11 Pro adapts the ergonomic 65% Alice layout seen in Keychron's K11 Max and puts it into an ultraportable, foldable keyboard with scissor switches. The folding form factor and 65% layout mean that, when folded, the B11 Pro measures in at just 196.3 × 143 mm when folded up, making it a potential option for space-constrained travelers and commuters. The Keychron B11 Pro is currently available on the Keychron online store for $64.99, although it will likely launch on Amazon at a later date.
The B11 Pro has a 65% layout, meaning there is no num pad, nor is there an F row—likely a decision made in favor of a compact physical footprint—although there is a dedicated compact arrow cluster, which should make the adjustment to the smaller layout somewhat easier. It also uses Keychron's scissor switch mechanism and concave keycaps, meaning it should feel something akin to a laptop keyboard to type on. Keychron does not specify, but none of the other keyboards in the B Pro series feature NKRO, so it's safe to assume neither does the B11 Pro. Interestingly, Keychron has opted for a soft-touch material on the back of the B11 Pro, and the whole keyboard weighs in at just 258 g. The B11 Pro also features both 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth 5.3, and the keyboard supposedly gets around 135 hours on a single charge from a 250 mAh battery. There's also a nifty sensor that detects when the keyboard is closed—both a convenience and battery-saving feature. Keychron has also conveniently labelled the relevant modifier keycaps with both macOS and Windows legends, and the key maps themselves can be changed in Keychron Launcher, much like the brand's mechanical keyboard line-up.
NVIDIA today announced that GTC, the world's premier conference on AI and accelerated computing, will take place March 16-19 this year in San Jose, California. More than 30,000 attendees— spanning developers, researchers, business leaders and AI-native companies—will gather from over 190 countries to explore how AI is becoming essential infrastructure, powering a new industrial era.
"GTC is the epicenter of the AI industrial era," said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA. "AI is no longer a single breakthrough or application—it is essential infrastructure. Every company will use it. Every nation will build it. From energy and chips to infrastructure, models and applications, every layer of the stack is advancing at once, and you'll see that all come to life at GTC."
On X, Altman acknowledged that OpenAI should have taken more time to address the "super complex" issues surrounding privacy and data security before rushing to finalize the agreement with the Pentagon. He added that the company learned a valuable lesson from the controversy, one that will help guide better decision-making...
Qualcomm announced a strategic coalition with numerous telecom operators and other technology companies to prepare for the global rollout of 6G. At MWC 2026, the partners established a roadmap aimed at launching commercial deployments beginning in 2029.
Bungie's upcoming first-person extraction shooter, Marathon, is just coming off of its open preview Server Slam, which gave players on PS5 and PC a chance to jump in and try the game themselves for free before it arrives on the aforementioned platforms later this week on March 5, 2026. The preview weekend gave players an opportunity to provide Bungie with a lot of feedback, some of which the studio has already been able to address with fixes that were applied during the server slam, while other issues will continue to be investigated and tweaked post-launch. One thing that's also come […]
One of the most interesting game reveals at The Game Awards 2025, at least in my opinion, was Neon Giant's NO LAW. The new game from the makers of The Ascent is a first person open world shooter that was easy to compare to Cyberpunk 2077, although its developers were quick to address that, clarifying that it's "a lot more intimate" in comparison to CD Projekt RED's game. In a new interview with EDGE magazine (issue 421, April 2026), Neon Giant co-founder and creative director Arcade Berg revealed the true inspiration: immersive simulations. We feel really good about putting this […]
The introduction of the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro lineup was accompanied by a pleasant surprise, as Apple has raised the minimum storage for all M5 and M5 Pro models. With these portable Macs now shipping with a 1TB SSD, buyers who were previously running into low internal memory warnings and had to resort to clever workarounds, such as using cloud storage, can finally breathe a sigh of relief. However, this upgrade isn't free, but the price is less aggressive compared to Apple's previous business practices. The base storage upgrade won't come free for M5 and M5 MacBook Pro models, as Apple […]
After unveiling a slew of new products over the past few hours, including the iPhone 17e, the M4 iPad Air, the M5 Pro and M5 Max chipsets, the all-new MacBook Pro devices, the M5 MacBook Air, the Studio Display and the Studio Display XDR, Apple is gearing up to reveal its much-anticipated low-cost MacBook tomorrow, when it will also hold a hands-on 'Apple Experience' event simultaneously in various choice locations around the globe. Even so, a brief website glitch has revealed an important tidbit ahead of tomorrow's grand unveiling: the new device will be called MacBook Neo. Apple's upcoming budget MacBook will be called MacBook […]
Although CAPCOM’s RE Engine proved to be a great engine for linear games such as Resident Evil Requiem, Monster Hunter Wilds highlighted how the engine wasn't as good at handling open-world games. Its significant performance issues have now been fixed for the most part, and they may even be a thing of the past for future games from the Japanese publisher, judging from a recent statement. During a Q&A session held during the publisher's Q3 FY2025 Financial Results Conference Call, CAPCOM discussed its future PC strategy. "As of the third quarter, PC sales account for approximately 50% of total unit […]
Nintendo hosted its first Indie World Showcase of 2026 and the fourth Nintendo Direct event of the year this morning, with an 18-minute presentation chock-full of indie games coming to Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch. While the showcase lacked some of the heavy-hitter reveals we guessed at after Nintendo announced the showcase yesterday, like the release date reveal for Hollow Knight Silksong: Sea of Sorrows DLC or a Vampire Crawlers release date, it wasn't without its big indie announcements. One of the most notable announcements (and the one that closed out the show) was the reveal that Blue Prince […]
As expected, Apple has been on a veritable frenzy when it comes to launching new products. On Monday, the Cupertino giant unveiled the iPhone 17e and the M4 iPad Air. Today, we've got the densest volley so far, with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chipsets, the all-new MacBook Pro devices, and the new M5 MacBook Air getting their respective spots on the stage. Even so, Apple has just announced the all-new Studio Display and Studio Display XDR, replete with a 27-inch 5K Retina XDR display that features an advanced mini-LED backlight, up to 2000 nits of peak HDR brightness, […]
Micron's latest breakthrough in the memory industry is the debut of the more capable SOCAMM2 memory modules, featuring leading capacity and power efficiency. Micron's Newer SOCAMM2 Focuses On Reducing Bottlenecks With KV-Cache, Leading to Lower Latency Workloads With the 'applications' layer of AI, the memory bottleneck is growing as workloads continue to scale, which is why DRAM manufacturers have paid special attention to advancements being made with HBM and other AI-specific memory products. In Micron's latest announcement, the firm has set a "new benchmark" with SOCAMM2 memory modules, as they ramp up the per-module capacity to 256 GB, marking a […]
The forecast puts 2026 on track for the steepest device shipment contraction in over a decade, according to Ranjit Atwal, senior director analyst at Gartner.
NordVPN is the best streaming VPN for unlocking content everywhere including For All Mankind 2026 – and you can buy Nord for 74% off with a free Amazon $50 voucher worth .
Under the new Standard plan, subscribers will lose access to the audiobooks they've consumed when they unsubscribe. The Premium plan lets users keep the audiobooks they’ve listened to even if they unsubscribe.
AI recommendations are inconsistent for some brands and reliable for others because of cascading confidence: entity trust that accumulates or decays at every stage of an algorithmic pipeline.
The mechanics behind that shift sit inside the AI engine pipeline. Here’s how it works.
The AI engine pipeline: 10 gates and a feedback loop
Every piece of digital content passes through 10 gates before it becomes an AI recommendation. I call this the AI engine pipeline, DSCRI-ARGDW, which stands for:
Discovered: The bot finds you exist.
Selected: The bot decides you’re worth fetching.
Crawled: The bot retrieves your content.
Rendered: The bot translates what it fetched into what it can read.
Indexed: The algorithm commits your content to memory.
Annotated: The algorithm classifies what your content means across dozens of dimensions.
Recruited: The algorithm pulls your content to use.
Grounded: The engine verifies your content against other sources.
Displayed: The engine presents you to the user.
Won: The engine gives you the perfect click at the zero-sum moment in AI.
After “won” comes an 11th gate that belongs to the brand, not the engine: served. What happens after the decision feeds back into the AI engine pipeline as entity confidence, making the next cycle stronger or weaker.
DSCRI is absolute. Are you creating a friction-free path for the bots?
ARGDW is relative. How do you compare to your competition? Are you creating a situation in which you’re relatively more “tasty” to the algorithms?
Both sides of the AI engine pipeline are sequential. Each gate feeds the next.
Content entering DSCRI through the traditional pull path passes through every gate. Content entering through structured feeds or direct data push can skip some or all of the infrastructure gates entirely, arriving at the competitive phase with minimal attenuation.
Skipped gates are a huge win, so take that option wherever and whenever you can. You “jump the queue” and start at a later stage without the degraded confidence of the previous ones. That changes the economics of the entire pipeline, and I’ll come back to why.
Why the four-step model falls short
The four-step model the SEO industry inherited from 1998 — crawl, index, rank, display — collapses five distinct infrastructure processes into “crawl and index” and five distinct competitive processes into “rank and display.”
It might feel like I’m overcomplicating this, but I’m not. Each gate has nuance that merits its standalone position. If you have empathy for the bots, algorithms, and engines, remove friction, and make the content digestible, they’ll move you through each gate cleanly and without losing speed.
Each gate is an opportunity to fail, and each point of potential failure needs a different diagnosis. The industry has been optimizing a four-room house when it lives in a 10-room building, and the rooms it never enters are the ones where the pipes leak the worst.
Most SEO advice operates at the selection, crawling, and rendering gates. Most GEO advice operates at “displayed” and “won,” which is why I’m not a fan of the term.
Most teams aren’t yet working on annotation and recruitment, which are actually where the biggest structural advantages are created.
Three audiences you need to cater to and three acts you need to master
The AI engine pipeline has an entry condition — discovery — and nine processing gates organized in three acts of three, each with a different primary audience.
Act I: Retrieval (selection, crawling, rendering)
The primary audience is the bot, and the optimization objective is frictionless accessibility.
The primary audience is the algorithm, and the optimization objective is being worth remembering: verifiably relevant, confidently annotated, and worth recruiting over the competition.
Act III: Execution (grounding, display, won)
The primary audience is the engine and, by extension, the person using the engine, where the optimization objective is being convincing enough that the engine chooses and the person acts.
Frictionless for bots, worth remembering for algorithms, and convincing for people. Content must pass every machine gate and still persuade a human at the end.
The audiences are nested, not parallel. Content can only reach the algorithm through the bot and can only reach the person through the algorithm. You can have the most impeccable expertise and authority credentials in the world. If the bot can’t process your page cleanly, the algorithm will never see it.
This is the nested audience model: bot, then algorithm, then person. Every optimization strategy should start by identifying which audience it serves and whether the upstream audiences are already satisfied.
Discovery: The system learns you exist
Discovery is binary. Either the system has encountered your URL or it hasn’t. Fabrice Canel, principal program manager at Microsoft responsible for Bing’s crawling infrastructure, confirmed:
“You want to be in control of your SEO. You want to be in control of a crawler. And IndexNow, with sitemaps, enable this control.”
The entity home website, the canonical web property you control, is the primary discovery anchor. The system doesn’t just ask, “Does this URL exist?” It asks, “Does this URL belong to an entity I already trust?” Content without entity association arrives as an orphan, and orphans wait at the back of the queue.
The push layer — IndexNow, MCP, structured feeds — changes the economics of this gate entirely. A later piece in this series is dedicated to what changes when you stop waiting to be found.
Act I: The bot decides whether to fetch your content
Selection: The system decides whether your content is worth crawling
Not everything that’s discovered gets crawled. The system makes a triage decision based on countless signals, including entity authority, freshness, crawl budget, perceived value, and predicted cost.
Selection is where entity confidence first translates into a concrete pipeline advantage. The system already has an opinion about you before it crawls a single page. That opinion determines how many of your pages it bothers to look at.
Crawling: The bot arrives and fetches your content
Every technical SEO understands this gate. Server response time, robots.txt, redirect chains. Foundational, but not differentiating.
What most practitioners miss is that the bot doesn’t arrive in a vacuum. Canel confirmed that context from the referring page can be carried forward during crawling. With highly relevant links, the bot carries more context than it would from a link on an unrelated directory.
Rendering: The bot builds the page the algorithm will see
This is where everything changes and where most teams aren’t yet paying attention. The bot executes JavaScript if it chooses to, builds the Document Object Model (DOM), and produces the full rendered page.
But here’s a question you probably haven’t considered: how much of your published content does the bot actually see after this step? If bots don’t execute your code, your content is invisible. More subtly, if they can’t parse your DOM cleanly, that content loses significant value.
Google and Bing have extended a favor for years: they render JavaScript. Most AI agent bots don’t. If your content sits behind client-side rendering, a growing proportion of the systems that matter simply never see it.
Representatives from both Google and Bing have also discussed the efforts they make to interpret messy HTML. Here’s one way to look at it: search was built on favors, and those favors aren’t being offered by the new players in AI.
Importantly, content lost at rendering can’t be recovered at any downstream gate. Every annotation, grounding decision, and display outcome depends on what survives rendering. If rendering is your weakest gate, it’s your F on the report card. Everything downstream inherits that grade.
Act II: The algorithm decides whether your content is worth remembering
This is where most brands are losing out because most optimization advice doesn’t address the next two gates. And remember, if your content fails to pass any single gate, it’s no longer in the race.
Indexing: Where HTML stops being HTML
Rendering produces the full page as the bot sees it. Indexing then transforms that DOM into something the system can store. Two things happen here that the industry often misses:
The system strips the navigation, header, footer, and sidebar — elements that repeat across multiple pages on your site. These aren’t stored per page. The system’s primary goal is to identify the core content. This is why I’ve talked about the importance of semantic HTML5 for years. It matters at a mechanical level: <nav>, <header>, <footer>, <aside>, <main>, and <article> tell the system where to cut. Without semantic markup, it has to guess. Gary Illyes confirmed at BrightonSEO in 2017, possibly 2018, that this was one of the hardest problems they had at the time.
The system chunks and converts. The core content is broken into blocks or passages of text, images with associated text, video, and audio. Each chunk is transformed into a proprietary internal format. Illyes described the result as something like a folder with subfolders, each containing a typed chunk. The page becomes a hierarchical structure of typed content blocks.
I call this conversion fidelity: how much semantic information survives the strip, chunk, convert, and store sequence. Rendering fidelity (Gate 3) measures whether the bot could consume your content. Conversion fidelity (Gate 4) measures whether the system preserved it accurately when filing it away.
Both fidelity losses are irreversible, but they fail differently. Rendering fidelity fails when JavaScript doesn’t execute or content is too difficult for the bot to parse. Conversion fidelity fails when the system can’t identify which parts of your page are core content, when your structure doesn’t chunk cleanly, or when semantic relationships between elements don’t survive the format conversion.
Something we often overlook is that even after a successful crawl, indexing isn’t guaranteed. Content that passes through crawl and render may still not be indexed.
That might sound bad enough, but here’s a distinction that should concern you: indexing and annotation are separate processes. Content may be indexed but poorly annotated — stored in the system but semantically misclassified. Non-indexed content is invisible. Misannotated content actively confuses the system about who you are, which can be worse.
Annotation: Where entity confidence is built or broken
This is the gate most of the industry has yet to address.
Think of annotations as sticky notes on the indexed “folders” created at the indexing gate. Indexing algorithms add multiple annotations to every piece of content in the index.
I identified 24 annotation dimensions I felt confident sharing with Canel. When I asked him, his response was, “Oh, there is definitely more.”
Those 24 dimensions were organized across five annotation layers:
Gatekeepers (scope classification).
Core identity (semantic extraction).
Selection filters (content categorization).
Confidence multipliers (reliability assessment).
Extraction quality (usability evaluation).
There are certainly more layers, and each layer likely includes more dimensions than I’ve mapped. Hundreds, probably thousands. This is an open model. The community is invited to map the dimensions I’ve missed.
Annotation is where the system decides the facts:
What your content is about.
Where it fits into the wider world.
How useful it is.
Which entity it belongs to.
What claims it makes.
How those claims relate to claims from other sources.
Credibility signals — notability, experience, expertise, authority, trust, transparency — are evaluated here. Topical authority is assessed here, too, along with much more.
Annotation operates on what survives rendering and conversion. If critical information was lost at either gate, the annotation system is working with degraded raw material. It annotates what the annotation engine received, not what you originally published.
Canel confirmed a principle I suggested that should reshape how we think about this gate: “The bot tags without judging. Filtering happens at query time.” Annotation quality determines your eligibility for every downstream triage.
I have a full piece coming on annotation alone. For now, annotation is the gate where most brands silently lose and the one most worth working on.
Recruitment: Where the algorithmic trinity decides whether to absorb you
This is the first explicitly competitive gate. After annotation, the pipeline feeds into three systems simultaneously.
Search engines recruit content for results pages (the document graph).
Knowledge graphs recruit structured facts for entity representation (the entity graph).
Large language models recruit patterns for training data and grounding retrieval (the concept graph).
Before recruitment, the system found, crawled, stored, and classified your content. At recruitment, it decides whether your content is worth keeping over alternatives that serve the same purpose.
Being recruited by all three elements of the algorithmic trinity gives you a disproportionate advantage at grounding because the grounding system can find you through multiple retrieval paths, and at display because there are multiple opportunities for visibility.
Recruitment is the structural advantage that separates brands with consistent AI visibility from brands that appear inconsistently.
Act III: The engine presents and the decision-maker commits
Grounding: Where AI checks its confidence in the content against real-time evidence
This is the gate that separates traditional search from AI recommendations.
Ihab Rizk, who works on Microsoft’s Clarity platform, described the grounding lifecycle this way:
The user asks a question.
The LLM checks its internal confidence. If it’s insufficient, it sends cascading queries, multiple angles of intent designed to triangulate the answer, which many people call fan-out queries.
Bots are dispatched to scrape selected pages in real time.
The answer is generated from a combination of training data and fresh retrieval.
But grounding isn’t just search results, as many people believe. The other two technologies in the algorithmic trinity play a role.
The knowledge graph is used to ground facts. AI Overviews explicitly showed information grounded in the knowledge graph. It’s reasonable to assume specialized small language models are used to ground user-facing large language models.
The takeaway is that your content’s performance from discovery through recruitment determines whether your pages are in the candidate pool when grounding begins. If your content isn’t indexed, isn’t well annotated, or isn’t associated with a high-confidence entity, it won’t be in the retrieval set for any part of the trinity. The engine will ground its answer on someone else’s content instead.
You can’t optimize for grounding if your content never reaches the grounding stage.
Display: The output of the pipeline
Display is where most AI tracking tools operate. They measure what AI says about you. But by the time you’re measuring display, the decisions were already made upstream, from discovery through grounding.
Display is where AI meets the user. It also covers the acquisition funnel, which is easy to understand and meaningful for marketers. This is where most businesses focus because it’s visible and sits just before the click. I’ll write a full article on that later in this series.
Won: The moment the decision-maker commits
Won is the terminal processing gate in the AI engine pipeline. Ten gates of processing, three acts of audience satisfaction, and it comes down to this: Did the system trust you enough to commit?
The accumulated confidence at this gate is called “won probability,” the system’s calculated likelihood that committing to you is the right decision. Three resolutions are possible, and they form a spectrum. To understand why that spectrum matters, you need to understand the 95/5 rule.
Professor John Dawes at the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute demonstrated that at any given moment, only about 5% of potential buyers are actively in-market. The other 95% aren’t ready to purchase. You sell to the 5%, but the real job of marketing is staying top of mind for the other 95% so that when they decide to move to purchase, on their schedule, not yours, you’re the brand they think of.
The three scenarios that follow show how AI takes over the job of being top of mind at the critical moment for the 95%. I call this top of algorithmic mind.
The imperfect click: The person browses a list of options, pogo-sticks between results, and decides. Traditional search and what Google called the zero moment of truth. The system doesn’t know who is ready. It shows everyone the same list and hopes. The 95/5 efficiency is low. You’re hitting and hoping, and so is the engine.
The perfect click: The AI recommends one solution and the person takes it. I call this the zero-sum moment in AI. This is where we are right now with assistive engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and AI Mode. The system has filtered for intent, context, and readiness. It presents one answer to a person moving from the 95% into the 5% with much higher precision.
The agential click: The agent commits, either after pausing for human approval, “Shall I book this?” or autonomously. The agent caught the moment of readiness, did the work, and closed it. Maximum precision. This is the ultimate solution to the 95/5 problem: AI catches the exact moment and acts.
Search won’t disappear. Most people will always want to browse some of the time. Window shopping is fun, and emotionally charged decisions aren’t something people will always delegate.
The trajectory, however, moves from imperfect to perfect to agential. Brands need to optimize for all three outcomes on that spectrum, starting now. Optimizing for agents should already be part of your strategy, as should optimizing for assistive engines and search engines. AAO covers them all.
Search engines, AI assistive engines, and assistive agents are your untrained salesforce. Your job is to train them well enough that you’re top of algorithmic mind at the moment the 95% become the 5%, and the AI either:
After conversion, the brand takes over. You should optimize the post-won feedback gate. The processing pipeline, the DSCRI-ARGDW spine, gets you to the decision. Served sits outside that spine as the gate that closes the loop, turning the line into a circle.
Every “won” that produces a positive outcome strengthens the next cycle’s cascading confidence. Every “won” that produces a negative outcome weakens it. Ten gates get you to the decision. The 11th, served, determines whether the decision repeats and your advantage compounds.
This is where the business lives. Acquisition without retention is a leak, both directly and indirectly through the AI engine pipeline feedback loop.
Brands that engineer their post-won experience to generate positive evidence, reviews, repeat engagement, low return rates, and completion signals, build a flywheel. Brands that neglect post-won burn confidence with every cycle.
Diagnosing failure in the pipeline
The three acts — bot, algorithm, engine, or person — describe who you’re speaking to. The two phases describe what kind of test you’re taking.
Phase 1: Infrastructure, discovery through indexing
Absolute tests. You either pass or fail. A page that can’t be rendered doesn’t get partially indexed. Infrastructure gates are binary: pass or stall.
Phase 2: Competitive, annotation through won
Relative tests. Winning depends not just on how good your content is but on how good the competition is at the same gate.
The practical implication is infrastructure first, competitive second. If your content isn’t being found, rendered, or indexed correctly, fixing annotation quality is wasted effort. You’re decorating a room the building inspector hasn’t cleared.
In practice, brands tend to fail in three predictable ways.
Opportunity cost (Act I: Bot failures)
Your content isn’t in the system, so you have zero opportunity. Cheapest to fix, most expensive to ignore.
Competitive loss (Act II: Algorithm failures)
Your content is in the system, but competitors’ content is preferred. The brand believes it’s doing everything right while AI systems consistently choose a competitor at recruitment, grounding, and display.
Conversion leak (Act III: Engine failures)
Your content is presented, but the system hedges or fumbles the recommendation. In short, you lose the sale.
Every gate you pass still costs you signal
In 2019, I published How Google Universal Search Ranking Works: Darwinism in Search, based on a direct explanation from Google’s Illyes about how Google calculates ranking bids by multiplying individual factor scores. A zero on any factor kills the entire bid.
Darwin’s natural selection works the same way: fitness is the product across all dimensions, and a single zero kills the organism. Brent D. Payne made this analogy: “Better to be a straight C student than three As and an F.”
As with Google’s bidding system, cascading confidence is multiplicative, not additive. Here’s what that means:
Per-gate confidence
Surviving signal at the won gate
90%
34.9%
80%
10.7%
70%
2.8%
60%
0.6%
50%
0.1%
Illustrative math, not a measurement. The principle is what matters: strengths don’t compensate for weaknesses in a multiplicative chain.
A single weak gate destroys everything. Nine gates at 90% plus one at 50% drops you from 34.9% to 19.4%. If that gate drops to 10%, it kills the surviving signal entirely. A near-zero anywhere in a multiplicative chain makes the whole chain near-zero.
This is competitive math. If your competitors are all at 50% per gate and you’re at 60%, you win: 0.6% surviving signal against their 0.1%. Not because you’re excellent, but because you’re less bad.
Most brands aren’t at 90%. The worse your gates are, the bigger the gap a small improvement opens. Here’s an example.
Gate
D
S
C
R
I
A
Re
G
Di
W
Surviving Signal
Discovered
Selected
Crawled
Rendered
Indexed
Annotated
Recruited
Grounded
Displayed
Won
Your Brand
75%
80%
70%
85%
75%
5%
80%
70%
75%
80%
0.4%
Competitor
65%
60%
65%
70%
60%
60%
65%
60%
65%
60%
1.8%
I chose annotated as the “F” grade in this example for demonstrative purposes.
Annotation is the phase-boundary gate. It’s the hinge of the whole pipeline. If the system doesn’t understand what your content is, nothing downstream matters.
Applying this Darwinian principle across a 10-gate pipeline, where confidence is measurable at every transition, is my diagnostic model. I recently filed a patent for the mechanical implementation.
Improving gates versus skipping them
There are two ways to increase your surviving signal through the pipeline, and they aren’t equal.
Improving your gates
Better rendering, cleaner markup, faster servers, and schema help the system classify your content more accurately. These are real gains, single-digit to low double-digit percentage improvements in surviving signal.
For many brands and SEOs, this is maintenance rather than transformation. It matters, and most brands aren’t doing it well, but it’s incremental.
Skipping gates entirely
Structured feeds, Google Merchant Center and OpenAI Product Feed Specification, bypass discovery, selection, crawling, and rendering altogether, delivering your content to the competitive phase with minimal attenuation.
MCP connections skip even further, making data available from recruitment onward with triple-digit percentage advantages over the pull path.
If you’re only improving gates, you’re leaving an order of magnitude on the table.
The highest-value target is always the weakest gate
Improving your best gate from 95% to 98% is nearly invisible in the pipeline math. Improving your worst gate from 50% to 80% transforms your entire surviving signal. That’s the Darwinian principle at work: fitness is multiplicative, the weakest dimension determines the outcome, and strengths elsewhere can’t compensate.
Most teams are optimizing the wrong gate. Technical SEO, content marketing, and GEO each address different gates. Each is necessary, but none is sufficient because the pipeline requires all 10 to perform. Teams pouring budget into the two or three gates they understand are ignoring the ones that are actually killing their signal.
Then there’s the single-system mistake. At recruitment, the pipeline feeds into three graphs, the algorithmic trinity. Missing one graph means one entire retrieval path doesn’t include you.
You can be perfectly optimized for search engine recruitment and completely absent from the knowledge graph and the LLM training corpus. In a multiplicative system, that gap compounds with every cycle.
Most of the AI tracking industry is measuring outputs without diagnosing inputs, tracking what AI says about you at display when the decisions were already made upstream. That’s like checking your blood pressure without diagnosing the underlying condition.
The tools to do this properly are emerging. Authoritas, for example, can inspect the network requests behind ChatGPT to understand which content is actually formulating answers. But the real work is at the gates upstream of display, where your content either passed or stalled before the engine ever opened its mouth.
The correct audit order is pipeline order. Start at discovery and work forward.
If content isn’t being discovered, nothing downstream matters. If it’s discovered but not selected for crawling, rendering fixes are wasted effort. If it’s crawled but renders poorly, every annotation and grounding decision downstream inherits that degradation.
This is your new plan: Find the weakest gate. Fix it. Repeat.
The inconsistency Fishkin documented is a training deficit. The AI engine pipeline is trainable. The training compounds. The walled gardens increase their lock-in with every cycle.
The brand that trains its AI salesforce better than the competition doesn’t just win the next recommendation. It makes the next one easier to win, and the one after that, until the gap widens to the point where competitors can’t close it without starting from scratch.
Without entity understanding, nothing else in this pipeline works. The system needs to know who you are before it can evaluate what you publish. Get that right, build from the brand up through the funnel, and the compounding does the rest.
Next: The five infrastructure gates the industry compressed into ‘crawl and index’
The next piece opens the infrastructure gates in full: rendering fidelity, conversion fidelity, JavaScript as a favor, not a standard, structured data as the native language of the infrastructure phase, and the investment comparison that puts numbers on improving gates versus skipping them entirely.
The sequential audit shows where your content is dying before the algorithm ever sees it, and once you see the leaks, you can start plugging them in the order that moves your surviving signal the most.
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The Paradox at the Gate:
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The M5 Pro and M5 Max announcements wouldn’t have been complete without the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, and Apple has proudly announced the updated family, with the lineup now starting with 1TB of storage as standard. The latest portable Macs also come with Apple’s in-house N1 wireless chip that debuted in the iPhone 17 series, and despite sticking with the same design, there are a ton of upgrades added to these machines, which we’ve discussed below. Apple retains the same design for the M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models, with the majority of upgrades happening on the […]
After teasing its arrival in a post on X (formerly Twitter), an Xbox Wire blog post confirms that Cyberpunk 2077 will headline the new batch of games coming to Xbox Game Pass in the first wave of games joining Microsoft's gaming subscription service for March 2026. It's the second CD Projekt RED title to arrive on the service within the last two weeks, after The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt arrived on February 19, 2026. However, just like The Witcher 3's arrival, the catch here is that it'll only be available to console players, so if you're a PC player who […]
The long-awaited M5 Pro and M5 Max are finally here, powering Apple’s 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models. For the first time, Apple has incorporated a new and improved Fusion Architecture, combining two dies onto a single chipset, bringing a host of improvements to the table. The components forming the multiple dies include the CPU, scalable GPU, Media Engine, unified memory controller, Neural Engine, and Thunderbolt 5. The M5 Pro and M5 Max also utilize TSMC’s latest and greatest 3nm ‘N3P’ architecture, so let us dive into the details immediately. New chip design enables Apple to increase the total number […]
Apple is steadily building up the hype ahead of its hands-on 'Apple Experience' event on Wednesday, and it is doing so primarily by unveiling a slew of new products in the intervening days. On Monday, we got the iPhone 17e and the M4 iPad Air. And today, it's the turn of the all-new MacBook Air, replete with the M5 chipset, 512GB of base storage, a faster SSD that goes all the way up to 4TB, the N1 wireless networking chip, a Liquid Retina display, and up to 18 hours of battery life. Behold the stunning M5 MacBook Air Apple has […]
NVIDIA confirmed today that two of the main PC releases due this month, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach by Kojima Productions and Marathon by Bungie, will support the latest second-generation transformer model, NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 Super Resolution, via the NVIDIA app override. Kojima Productions had already confirmed support for NVIDIA DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation (AMD FSR 4 and Intel XeSS 2 are also supported). Now, we know that users will be able to switch the Super Resolution to DLSS 4.5 (which recently beat AMD FSR 4 and even native resolution rendering in a blind test conducted by […]
MSI Cyborg laptop packs a Core i7-13620H CPU, RTX 4050 GPU, 16GB of DDR5 memory, and a 512GB NVMe SSD, giving creatives and multitaskers the speed and graphics power they need.
Apple just updated its Studio Display with an upgraded camera, more advanced ports, and better sound, but it also ushered in a new Studio Display XDR to replace the Pro Display XDR.
With Gibbs and Diane hitched, the young agent faces the reactions of his teammates. Here's how to watch NCIS: Origins season 2, part 2 online and from anywhere.
The chips are engineered around Apple's new Fusion Architecture, an advanced design that merges two dies into a single, high-performance system on a chip (SoC).
To help you prevent a single policy issue from snowballing into a full account suspension, here’s how Google’s three-strike system works and what you should do at every stage to keep your ads running.
Case study: Appealing a Google Ads strike
Over the past 10+ years, I’ve helped thousands of advertisers identify and resolve Google’s policy concerns so that their businesses can resume running ads. One such situation involved helping a business that sells ceremonial swords for military dress uniforms.
Google’s Other Weapons policy prohibits advertising swords intended for combat. However, that same policy permits the advertising of non-sharpened, ceremonial swords, which is what this business sells. Even though this business was properly advertising its products within Google’s ad policy parameters, Google issued them a warning for violating the Other Weapons policy.
After the warning, we documented for Google that the business wasn’t violating Google’s policy. We also added specific disclaimers to the business’s sword product pages, noting that the swords were only ceremonial. Frustratingly, Google decided to issue a first strike to the business anyway.
We appealed the strike because the business wasn’t violating Google’s policy. But Google quickly denied that appeal. We tried appealing again, and Google denied the second appeal. The ad account remained on hold with no ads serving, and the business was losing revenue.
Ultimately, we had to “acknowledge” the strike to Google (I’ll explain what that means later) so that the ads would resume serving. We then worked with Google to craft more precise disclaimer language, stating that the swords for sale were ceremonial blades and not sharpened for use as weapons. This disclaimer was added to the business’s website footer so that both Google’s robots and human reviewers could see it on every single page (regardless of whether swords were for sale on a particular page).
Because of all these changes, Google’s concerns were satisfied and the business has never received any subsequent warnings or strikes. The end result was a success, even though technically there should never have been a warning or strike issued because an actual policy violation never occurred.
Key takeaway: Google will sometimes incorrectly issue warnings and strikes, and even reject appeals, and will often require excessive website disclaimers to convince them that all is well.
Understanding Google’s strikes system can save your ads account from suspension. The search giant adheres to a system that begins with an initial warning and is followed by a “three strikes and you’re out” protocol.
The warning: Your ‘mulligan’ opportunity
Before issuing your ad account an initial strike, Google will first send you a warning notification.
This warning informs you that there’s a problem and allows you to address and resolve Google’s concern before your account is penalized with an official strike.
The penalty: None (yet). Your ads can continue to run.
What to do: Appeal any ad/asset disapprovals if you’re confident Google made a mistake, or identify the issue and replace the disapproved ads/assets with fully compliant versions
Treat warnings seriously — ignoring them likely ensures your account will begin receiving strikes.
Strike 1: At least three days without ads
If Google decides that the same policy violation still exists after a warning was issued, your ad account will receive its first official strike.
The penalty: All ads will stop serving for three full days.
What to do: Acknowledge or appeal the strike.
Acknowledge the strike
This is your fastest path back to serving ads. But Google counts strikes as cumulative over a 90-day period.
If you acknowledge the strike rather than successfully appeal it, you’ve started the clock on the possibility of three strikes and a permanent suspension. Deciding which approach is best is a case-by-case determination.
To acknowledge the strike, you must:
Remove all ads/assets that violate Google’s cited policy
If Google decides there’s been another policy violation within 90 days of resolving your first strike, or if your original violation was unresolved during those 90 days, your account will receive a second strike.
The penalty: All ads will stop serving for seven full days.
What to do: Your options are the same as for Strike 1: acknowledge or appeal the strike.
Strike 3: Your account is suspended
If Google decides there’s been another policy violation within 90 days of resolving your second strike, or if your previous violation was unresolved during those 90 days, your account will receive a third strike.
The penalty: Your account is suspended, and you may not run any ads or create a new ad account.
What to do: Your only recourse now is to appeal the suspension.
Successfully appealing a suspension is definitely possible. But the process is often a nightmare, and the results are never guaranteed.
Important: Once suspended, you’re unable to make any changes to your ad account.
Google is sometimes inconsistent at following their own rules. Here are two examples I’ve seen first-hand.
Successfully appealing a strike doesn’t always reset the 90-day clock
I have a client who acknowledged a first strike on June 25. They received a second strike on July 26, which they successfully appealed. You would think that should reset the 90-day counter back to June 25.
However, Google gave them another second strike on October 16, far beyond 90 days from the date of the first strike, but within 90 days from the date of the “first” second strike, which they successfully appealed.
Google sometimes automatically returns your account to ‘warning’ status after a first strike expires
I have a client who received a warning on August 7, followed by a first strike on September 7. They acknowledged the first strike, and that strike expired on December 6, 90 days after it was issued.
However, the account immediately reentered “warning” status, with a new 90-day clock starting from when the first strike expired. There was no new email notification about this warning, and the warning didn’t appear on the Strike history tab.
Look for a notification at the top of your Google Ads account.
Check the Policy manager page in your Google Ads account.
How do I see my history of strikes?
Go to the Strike historytab on the Policy manager page in your Google Ads account.
Can you get a strike without having ad disapprovals?
Yes. Google can issue strikes even if no ads are formally disapproved.
How are Google’s three- and seven-day ad holds calculated?
Google counts full days. For example, if you receive and acknowledge a first strike (a three-day hold) on January 1, your ads won’t be eligible to resume serving until January 4th.
Are account strikes worse than ad disapprovals?
Yes, account strikes are significantly worse than individual ad disapprovals. A strike prevents all your account’s ads from serving and can easily escalate to a full account suspension.
Which Google policies have the three-strikes rule?
Enabling dishonest behavior.
Unapproved substances.
Guns, gun parts, and related products.
Explosives.
Other weapons.
Tobacco.
Compensated sexual acts.
Mail-order brides.
Clickbait.
Misleading ad design.
Bail bond services.
Call directories, forwarding services, and recording services.
Credit repair services.
Binary options.
Personal loans.
Important: If you violate one of Google’s many other policies not listed above, you could find your ad account suspended immediately, with no warning or three-strikes system.
What you can do to prevent and navigate Google Ads strikes
Follow these best practices and tips to minimize the chances of receiving a Google Ads strike:
Read the Google Ads policies that apply to your industry so that you know what to do and what not to do.
Delete old ads and assets you no longer need, so they can’t trigger strikes unexpectedly.
Add clear and comprehensive disclaimers to your website that will help Google understand you’re complying with any ad policies you think they might otherwise decide you aren’t.
Save copies of any appeals you submit because Google won’t show them to you after they’re submitted.
If you receive an account strike, closely monitor the 90-day clock so you know when you’re safely out of the previous “strike” window.
Google understandably cares deeply about its reputation and the safety of its users. That’s why Google’s policy team often strictly enforces its advertising policies, and why they’re sometimes over-aggressive when interpreting and applying their own policy language.
To keep our Google Ads accounts in good health and our ads running, the best thing we can do as advertisers is to deeply understand Google’s advertising policies and requirements.
Always be ready to jump through hoops to explain your unique situations, and over-comply with Google’s edicts whenever feasible.
Meta is updating its ad measurement framework, aiming to simplify attribution in what it calls a “social-first” advertising world.
What’s happening. Meta is narrowing its definition of click-through attribution for website and in-store conversions. Going forward, only link clicks — not likes, shares, saves or other interactions — will count toward click-through attribution. The change is designed to reduce discrepancies between Meta Ads Manager and third-party tools like Google Analytics.
Between the lines. Social media has overtaken search as the world’s largest ad channel, according to WARC, but many attribution systems were built for search-era behaviors. On social platforms, engagement extends beyond link clicks. Historically, Meta counted all click types toward click-through conversions, while many third-party tools only counted link clicks — creating reporting misalignment.
What’s changing. Conversions previously attributed to non-link interactions will now fall under a renamed “engage-through attribution” (formerly engaged-view attribution). Meta is also shortening the video engaged-view window from 10 seconds to 5 seconds, reflecting faster conversion behavior — particularly on Reels. The company says 46% of Reels purchase conversions happen within the first two seconds of attention.
Why we care. This update makes it easier to see which actions actually drive conversions, reducing confusion between Meta reporting and third-party analytics like Google Analytics. By separating link clicks from other social interactions, marketers get a clearer view of campaign performance, while the new engage-through attribution captures the value of likes, shares, and saves.
This gives advertisers more confidence in their data and helps them make smarter, more impactful
Third-party tie-ins. Meta is partnering with analytics providers like Northbeam and Triple Whale to incorporate both clicks and views into attribution models, aiming to give advertisers a more complete performance picture.
The rollout. Changes will begin later this month for campaigns optimizing toward website or in-store conversions. Billing will not change, but reporting inside Ads Manager may shift as attribution definitions update.
The bottom line. Meta is attempting to balance clearer, search-aligned click reporting with better visibility into uniquely social interactions — giving advertisers cleaner comparisons across platforms while still capturing the incremental impact of engagement-driven conversions.
For more than a decade, the dominant model was simple — identify a keyword, write an article, publish, promote, rank, capture traffic, convert a fraction of visitors, and repeat. But that model is breaking.
Content marketing is collapsing and rebuilding simultaneously. AI systems now answer informational queries directly inside search results. Large language models (LLMs) synthesize known information instantly. Information production is accelerating faster than distribution capacity. Public feeds are already saturated.
The cost of producing content has fallen to nearly zero, while the cost of being seen has never been higher. That changes everything.
Here’s a system for content marketing in a world where being found is increasingly unlikely.
The decline of informational SEO
Informational SEO used to be treated as a growth opportunity. Publish enough articles targeting informational queries, and traffic would compound.
But traffic was always a proxy metric. It felt productive because dashboards moved. In reality, most content was never read deeply, rarely linked to, and often indistinguishable from competitors. Page 1 often contained 10 variations of the same article, each rewritten with minor differences.
Now, AI answers absorb demand directly. Users receive summaries without clicking. The known information layer of the web is becoming commoditized.
If your strategy relies on answering known informational questions, you’re competing with a machine trained on the entire web. Informational SEO is over as a strategy.
Search content will still matter, but its role shifts. It becomes closer to customer service and sales enablement. It exists to support conversion once intent is clear. It doesn’t build fame.
Content marketing, properly understood, must do something else entirely.
Growth hackers came in and took over SEO. Driven by the desire to show impressive charts to the board, they turned SEO from a practical channel into a landfill of skyscrapered, informational content that did little for real growth.
So, we need a reset. There are only two reasons to create content:
You’re in the publishing business.
You’re marketing a business.
If you’re in the second category, your content is advertising. That doesn’t mean banner ads. It means its job is to build mental availability. As advertising science has repeatedly shown, brands grow by increasing the likelihood of being thought of in buying situations and making themselves easy to purchase from.
The advertising analytics company System1 describes the three drivers of profit growth from advertising as fame, feeling, and fluency.
Fame means broad awareness.
Feeling means positive emotional association.
Fluency means easy recognition and processing.
If your content doesn’t contribute to those outcomes, it’s activity and not helping your growth.
SEO teams optimized for clicks, but clicks aren’t the objective. Being remembered is. In an AI era, this distinction becomes decisive.
Historically, content marketing relied heavily on pull: Someone searched, you ranked, and you pulled them from Google to your website. That channel is narrowing.
As AI summaries answer queries directly, the ability to pull strangers through informational search decreases. Pull remains critical for transactional queries and high-intent keywords, but the gravitational pull of informational content is weakening.
Push becomes more important. You have to push your content to people, distributing it intentionally through media, partnerships, events, advertising, communities, and networks rather than waiting to be discovered. It must be placed directly in front of people.
The paradox is this: We once believed gatekeeping had disappeared. Social media and Google created the illusion of fair and direct access. Now, gatekeepers are back — algorithms, publishers, influencers, media outlets, and even AI systems themselves.
When channels are flooded, selection mechanisms tighten.
Kevin Kelly wrote in his book “The Inevitable” that work has no value unless it’s seen. An unfound masterpiece, after all, is worthless.
As tools improve and creation becomes frictionless, the number of works competing for attention expands exponentially, with each new work adding value while increasing noise.
Kelly’s point was that in a world of infinite choice, filtering becomes the dominant force. Recommendation systems, algorithms, media editors, and social networks become the arbiters of visibility. When there are millions of books, songs, apps, videos, and articles, abundance concentrates attention, creating a structural shift.
When production is scarce, quality alone can surface work. When production is abundant, discoverability depends on networks, signals, and amplification. The value is migrating from creation to curation and distribution. In practical terms, every additional AI-generated article makes it harder for any single article to be noticed.
The supply curve has shifted outward dramatically. Demand hasn’t. Human attention remains finite. As supply approaches infinity and attention remains fixed, the probability of being found declines.
Being found is now an economic problem of scarcity rather than a technical exercise in optimization. When production is abundant, attention is scarce. When attention is scarce, distinctiveness and distribution become currency.
This is where Rory Sutherland’s concept of powerful messaging becomes essential for us. In his book, “Alchemy,” he argues that rational behavior conveys limited meaning.
When everything is optimized, efficient, and frictionless, nothing signals importance. Powerful messages must contain elements of absurdity, illogicality, costliness, inefficiency, scarcity, difficulty, or extravagance — qualities that serve as signals. They tell the market that something matters.
Consider a wedding invitation. The rational option is an email — instant, free, and efficient. Yet most couples choose heavy paper, embossed type, textured envelopes, even wax seals. The cost and inefficiency are the point. They signal commitment and create emotional weight. The medium amplifies the meaning.
The same logic applies to marketing. When everyone can publish a competent article in seconds, competence carries no signal. A 1,000-word blog post answering a known question communicates efficiency, not importance. Scarcity and effort change perception.
MrBeast built early fame by counting to extreme numbers on camera. The act was irrational. It was inefficient and difficult. That difficulty was the hook. It signaled commitment and created memorability. The content spread not because it was informational, but because it was remarkable.
In an AI-saturated environment, rational content becomes invisible. If 10,000 companies publish summaries of the same topic, none stand out.
But if one brand commissions original research, prints a limited run of a physical report, hosts a live event around the findings, and strategically distributes it, the signal is different. The effort itself becomes part of the message.
Scarcity also changes economics. Sherwin Rosen’s work on the economics of superstars demonstrated that small differences in recognition can lead to disproportionate returns because markets reward the most recognized participants disproportionately.
Moving from being chosen 1% of the time to 2% can double outcomes because fame compounds. In crowded markets, the most recognized option captures an outsized share and reinforces its own dominance.
This is why being found is fundamentally different now. In the past, discoverability was a function of production and optimization. Today, it hinges on distinctiveness and signal strength. When production approaches zero cost, attention becomes the only scarce resource, which means you should be aiming for fame rather than optimization.
Paul Feldwick, in “Why Does The Pedlar Sing?” argues that fame is built through four components:
The offer must be interesting and appealing.
It must reach large audiences.
It must be distinctive and memorable.
The public and media must engage voluntarily.
These four elements provide a practical framework for content marketing in an AI era. Here’s how that works in practice.
Create something interesting
You must create new information, not restate existing information. That could mean:
Proprietary data studies.
Original research.
Indexes updated annually.
Experiments conducted publicly.
Tools that solve real problems.
Physical artifacts with limited distribution.
Events that convene a specific community.
Consider the origins of the Michelin Guide. A tire company created a restaurant guide that became a cultural authority.
Awards ceremonies, industry rankings, annual reports, and indexes all function as content marketing. These are fame engines.
The key is the perception of effort and distinctiveness. A limited-edition printed book sent to 100 target prospects can carry more weight than 1,000 blog posts. Costliness signals meaning.
Reach mass or concentrated influence
Interest without distribution is invisible. Distribution options include:
Media coverage.
Partnerships.
Paid advertising.
Events.
Webinars.
Physical mail.
Community amplification.
If you lack a budget, focus on the smallest viable market. Concentrate on a defined audience and saturate it.
Many iconic technology companies began by dominating narrow communities before expanding outward. Public relations and content marketing converge here.
Earned media multiplies reach.
Paid media accelerates it.
Community activation sustains it.
If your content is never placed intentionally in front of people, it can’t build fame.
Be distinctive and memorable
SEO content historically failed on distinctiveness. Ten articles answering the same question looked interchangeable. But in an AI era, repetition disappears into the model.
Distinctiveness can come from:
A recurring annual report with a recognizable format.
A proprietary scoring system.
A unique visual identity.
A specific tone.
A tool that becomes habitual.
An award or certification owned by your brand.
Memorability drives mental availability. Fluency increases recall. When someone recognizes your brand instantly, you reduce cognitive effort. Repetition of distinctive assets compounds over time.
You have to continually go to market with distinctive, memorable content. If you don’t do this, you will fade in memory and distinctiveness.
Enable voluntary engagement
You can’t force people to share, but you can design for shareability. Content spreads when it carries social currency, enhances the sharer’s identity, rewards participation, and makes access feel exclusive.
Referral loops, limited access programs, community recognition, and public acknowledgment can all increase spread. The key is that the message must move freely between humans. It must be portable, discussable, and referencable.
Memetics matters. If it can’t be passed along, it can’t compound.
If content must be designed for distinctiveness, distribution, and voluntary engagement, search leaders need a different playbook. Here’s a five-step framework.
Step 1: Separate infrastructure from fame
Maintain search infrastructure for high-intent queries, optimize product pages, support conversion, and provide clear answers where necessary. But stop confusing informational volume with brand growth.
Audit your content portfolio. Identify what builds mental availability and what merely fills space to reduce waste.
Step 2: Invest in originality
Allocate budget to proprietary research, data collection, and creative initiatives. If everyone can generate competent summaries, originality becomes leverage.
This may require shifting the budget from content volume to creative depth.
Step 3: Design for distribution first
Before creating content, define distribution.
Who needs to see this?
How will it reach them?
Which gatekeepers matter?
What media outlets might care?
Reverse engineer reach.
Step 4: Build distinctive assets
Create repeatable formats that become associated with your brand.
An annual index.
A recurring event.
A recognizable report structure.
A named methodology.
Consistency builds fluency.
Step 5: Measure fame
Track:
Brand search volume.
Direct traffic growth.
Share of voice in media.
Unaided awareness, where possible.
Traffic alone is insufficient.
If content doesn’t increase the probability that someone thinks of you in a buying moment, it’s not performing its primary job.
We’re entering a period where automation handles the average, freeing humans to focus on the exceptional. The future of content marketing isn’t high-volume AI-generated articles. It’s the creation of new information, new experiences, new events, and new signals that machines can’t fabricate credibly.
It requires a partnership with PR, a strategic use of physical and digital channels, disciplined distribution, and a commitment to fame. Budgets will need to shift from volume production to creative impact.
In a world where information is infinite and attention is finite, the brands that win will be those that understand that being found is more valuable than being published. Content marketing in the AI era isn’t about producing more. It’s about becoming known.
Retroid discontinues its 12GB Pocket 6 handheld due to memory market changes Retroid has announced that it has discontinued its 12GB Retroid Pocket 6 handheld and raised the price of its 8GB model. This is “due to significant changes in the global memory market”, which has largely been caused by AI datacenter buildouts. Retroid is […]
March is off to a strong start for Game Pass subscribers, with major RPGs, day one releases, and returning favorites landing across Cloud, Console, and PC.
Hideo Kojima has lately been collaborating with fashion and hardware designers, and the latest product is a Limited Special Edition ASUS ROG Flow Z13 gaming PC. It's now available to buy, and I don't expect it to be available for very long.
Xbox Insiders can now test AI-powered highlight reels on the ROG Xbox Ally X. The NPU-exclusive feature is a hint at Microsoft's next-gen console strategy.
Apple today announced the latest 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro with the all-new M5 Pro and M5 Max, bringing game-changing performance and AI capabilities to the world's best pro laptop. With M5 Pro and M5 Max, MacBook Pro features a new CPU with the world's fastest CPU core, a next-generation GPU with a Neural Accelerator in each core, and higher unified memory bandwidth, altogether delivering up to 4x AI performance compared to the previous generation, and up to 8x AI performance compared to M1 models. This allows developers, researchers, business professionals, and creatives to unlock new AI-enabled workflows right on MacBook Pro.
It now comes with up to 2x faster SSD performance and starts at 1 TB of storage for M5 Pro and 2 TB for M5 Max. The new MacBook Pro includes N1, an Apple-designed wireless networking chip that enables Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, bringing improved performance and reliability to wireless connections. It also offers up to 24 hours of battery life; a gorgeous Liquid Retina XDR display with a nano-texture option; a wide array of connectivity, including Thunderbolt 5; a 12MP Center Stage camera; studio-quality mics; an immersive six-speaker sound system; Apple Intelligence features; and the power of macOS Tahoe. The new MacBook Pro comes in space black and silver, and is available to pre-order starting tomorrow, March 4, with availability beginning Wednesday, March 11.
Apple today announced M5 Pro and M5 Max, the world's most advanced chips for pro laptops, powering the new MacBook Pro. The chips are built using a new Apple-designed Fusion Architecture. This innovative design combines two dies into a single system on a chip (SoC), which includes a powerful CPU, scalable GPU, Media Engine, unified memory controller, Neural Engine, and Thunderbolt 5 capabilities. M5 Pro and M5 Max feature a new 18-core CPU architecture. It includes six of the highest-performing core design, now called super cores, that are the world's fastest CPU core. Alongside these cores are 12 all-new performance cores, optimized for power-efficient, multithreaded workloads. Collectively, the CPU significantly boosts performance by up to 30 percent for pro workloads.
The GPU scales up the next-generation architecture introduced in M5 to an up-to-40-core GPU. With a Neural Accelerator in each GPU core and higher unified memory bandwidth, M5 Pro and M5 Max are over 4x the peak GPU compute for AI compared to the previous generation. The GPU substantially increases graphics capabilities—now up to 35 percent for apps using ray tracing than M4 Pro and M4 Max—enhancing advanced visual effects and 3D rendering. With M5 Pro and M5 Max, the new MacBook Pro is the ultimate powerhouse for pros and is available for pre-order starting tomorrow, with availability beginning Wednesday, March 11.
Each week, new games and apps integrating NVIDIA DLSS, NVIDIA Reflex, and advanced ray-traced effects are released or announced, delivering the definitive PC experience for GeForce RTX players. DLSS 4.5 is our latest upgrade to the ever-improving DLSS Super Resolution, adding a second generation transformer model that further enhances image quality. Via the NVIDIA app, you can apply DLSS 4.5 Super Resolution to your game library on all GeForce RTX PCs and laptops, instantly upgrading clarity and quality.
This week, you can upgrade Marathon and Black One Blood Brothers with DLSS 4.5 Super Resolution, followed by Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection on March 13th. And Demonologist now includes native support for DLSS 4.5 Super Resolution. On March 19th, DEATH STRANDING 2: ON THE BEACH launches, featuring DLSS 4 With Multi Frame Generation, and DLSS Super Resolution that can be upgraded to DLSS 4.5 Super Resolution via the NVIDIA app.
BenQ, the global leader in display and color-tuning innovation, today announced its MA270S, a new 27-inch 5K monitor designed to give Mac users the clarity, color, and intuitive experience they expect from a native Apple display. As the latest expansion to the Mac-optimized MA series, including the MA270U/MA270UP and MA320U/MA320UP, the BenQ MA270S is ideal for Mac users who rely on precise visual detail and text clarity to match the accuracy and sharpness of their MacBook display.
The MA270S features a Nano Gloss panel and true 5K resolution (5120x2880), matching macOS native pixel density for sharper text, lifelike images, and comfortable extended use. It delivers Mac-level color with 500-nit brightness, 99% P3 color, and a 2000:1 contrast ratio for vibrant color reproduction and crisp detail. With iKeyboard Control, users can adjust brightness and volume directly from the MacBook keyboard, creating a more seamless, native Mac experience.
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.
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.
The successor to the iPhone 16e was announced yesterday, with Apple introducing several changes to the iPhone 17e compared to last year’s model while retaining the same design. For $599, there are plenty of things to like about the Cupertino giant’s newest release, but does it offer more value compared to the base iPhone 17, which retails for $799? We have discussed some key differences below, allowing you to make a better decision on whether you should save $200 or spend it. Display and other features The iPhone 17e sticks with the same 6.1-inch notched display as the iPhone 16e, with […]
Ever since video games have been a thing, players have always sought the help of others to overcome difficult segments. While how they seek help has changed a lot over the years, moving from guides published in magazines to online walkthroughs and videos, the need for guidance for particularly challenging segments is as strong as it has ever been. In the future, however, there could be a massive change in how players receive their much-needed help, judging from a patent filed by Microsoft detailing a cloud-based Xbox system to let human or AI helpers take over temporarily. As spotted by […]
For those who own budget NVIDIA and AMD GPUs, the new MONTECH PSU series will offer better reliability at an affordable price. MONTECH Launches BETA 2 Power Supply Series, Including 550W, 650W, 750W, and 850W ATX 3.1 Certified Units PC hardware maker MONTECH has introduced its newest PSU series called BETA 2, which offers various wattage capacities of power supplies at affordable prices. The BETA 2 series, unlike high-end PSUs, aims at the budget segment, offering wattage capacity as low as 550W. However, each unit is ATX 3.1-certified and PCIe 5.1-compliant, making them reliable for modern GPUs that can momentarily […]
South Korea's National Tax Agency added a photo of a hardware wallet in a press release, which also listed its mnemonic seed phrase. This led to an unknown user using the code to recover the wallet and steal over US$4.8 million in crypto seized by the government.
Online security firm DataDome just reported that it has stopped a massive scalping effort to buy memory modules and resell them at inflated prices, turning the memory situation from bad to worse.
The Jarvis standing desk has everything I want in a height-adjustable setup, including excellent stability from its sturdy 1-inch laminate top and solid three-stage frame.
CD Projekt Red is reportedly planning to release a third expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ahead of The Witcher 4, and now a new rumor suggests it will be set in a familiar location.
Bridging the gap: A-list actor Jeff Bridges reveals the first two production cameras of his resurrected WideluxX panoramic camera line with a rotating lens
Amazon UK has announced that its Spring Deal Days sale will start later this month — here's everything you need to know and our pick of the best early deals worth shopping now.
A clever compact hybrid machine that blends the mini PC format with a fully configurable NAS system. Ultimately, this makes it easy to understand for those without IT experience and ensures it will fit most homes and small offices.
Ethan Agarwal, a 40-year-old tech entrepreneur with no political background, told TechCrunch on Monday evening that he is running for California's 17th congressional district.
What do conversion rate optimization (CRO) and findability look like for an AI agent versus a human, and how different do your strategies really need to be?
More and more marketers are embracing the agentic web, and discovery increasingly happens through AI-powered experiences. That raises a fair question: what does CRO and findability look like for an AI agent compared with a human?
Several considerations matter, but the core takeaway is clear: serving people supports AI findability. AI systems are designed to surface useful, grounded information for people. Technical mechanics still matter, but you don’t need entirely different strategies to be findable or to improve CRO for AI versus humans.
What CRO looks like beyond the website
If a consumer does business directly through an agent or an AI assistant, your business needs to make the right information available in a way that can be understood and used. Your products or services need to be represented through clean, well-structured data, with information formatted in ways that downstream systems can process reliably.
As more people explore doing business with AI assistants, part of the work involves making sure your products and services can connect cleanly. Standards, such as Model Context Protocol (MCP), can help by enabling agents to interact with shared sources of information.
In many cases, a human may still decide to engage directly on a brand’s site. In that context, content and formatting choices matter. Whether you focus on paid media or organic, ensuring your humans can take desired actions — and will want to — is important.
Old‑school SEO encouraged the idea that more keywords and larger walls of text would perform better. That approach no longer holds.
Wayfair does a great job using accessible fonts, a call to action when the user shifts to a transactional mindset, and easy-to-understand language.
Both humans and AI systems tend to work better with clearly structured, modular content. Large blocks of uninterrupted text can be harder for people to scan and understand. Clear sections, spacing, layout, and visual hierarchy help users quickly understand what they can do and how to accomplish the goal that brought them to the page.
There’s no fixed minimum or maximum amount of text that works best. You should use the amount of content needed to clearly explain what you offer, why it’s useful, and what sets it apart.
A technical topic will need more text, broken into smaller paragraphs. There are great calls to action as well.
A technical topic will need more text, broken into smaller paragraphs. There are great calls to action as well.
Visual components can be helpful when paired with useful alt text. Lead gen forms should be easy for humans to complete and regularly audited for spam or friction. Content that’s hard for people to use is also harder for automated systems to interpret as helpful or relevant.
Optimization 2: How are you communicating with your humans?
One of the best ways to communicate clearly to systems is to communicate clearly to people. Lean into what makes you an expert, but avoid unnecessary jargon or overly complex language. Descriptions should stay specific, accurate, and on-brand.
A simple gut check: if a 10-year-old couldn’t broadly understand what you do, why it matters, and how to engage with you, you’re probably making things harder than necessary. Even though AI systems are sophisticated, clarity still matters because the goal is ultimately to support a human outcome.
If you’re unsure, try putting your positioning copy into an AI assistant and asking it to critique its clarity. Ask for simplification and clearer explanations, not for new claims or embellishment.
Visual components matter here as well. Comparison tables can help when they genuinely support understanding, but they can hurt when they’re used as a gimmick rather than a guide. Accessibility principles matter, too. Color contrast, readable font sizes, and restrained font choices reduce the risk that someone can’t process your site.
IAMS has a thoughtful quiz to find the right dog breed and offers additional close matches. High-contrast color, easy-to-understand buttons, and high-quality photos help.
Images should be easy to understand and clearly connected to the surrounding text. Alt text helps people using assistive technologies and reinforces the relationship between visuals and written content.
A user comes to your site to do something. They might want to buy, request a quote, or speak with your team. That action should be clear.
When the intended action is unclear, it becomes harder for both people and automated systems to understand what your site enables.
Tarte Cosmetics does a great job of leaning into CRO principles, including inclusivity, accessibility, and social proof.
Shopping experiences tend to surface in conversations with shopping intent because assistants are trying to complete the task they were given. If it’s unclear how to add an item to a cart or complete a purchase, you make it harder for a human to do business with you. You also make it harder for systems to understand that you’re a transactional site rather than a catalog of items without a clear path forward.
Lead generation requires similar clarity. If the goal is to talk to your team, include a phone number that can be clicked to call. You might also include a form that submits directly into your lead system or a flow that opens an email client. Forcing users through multiple form pages often frustrates people and adds unnecessary complexity to the experience.
I cover technical considerations last for a reason. The most important work you can do is support the humans you serve. Technical improvements help, but they rarely succeed on their own.
Tips from the Microsoft AI guidebook. (Disclosure: I’m the Ads Liaison at Microsoft Advertising.)
Excessive imagery, low contrast between text and background, or unstable layouts can create challenges.
Make sure your site renders consistently and meaningfully. Large layout shifts after load, measured in cumulative layout shift (CLS), can frustrate users. Pages overloaded with ads or pop-ups can distract from the reason someone arrived in the first place and may introduce trust concerns.
Security matters as well. Malware warnings, broken rendering, or incomplete page loads can raise red flags for both users and automated systems.
Tools like IndexNow can help notify search systems of content changes more quickly. Microsoft Clarity is a free tool that shows how users behave on your site, surfacing friction you might otherwise miss. This includes Brand Agents that help your humans have more meaningful chatbot experiences.
One useful check is to review how your site appears when used as input for ad platforms or auto-generated creative tools, such as Performance Max campaigns or audience ads.
These can provide a helpful lens into how platforms interpret your content. When the resulting positioning and creative align with what you intend, you’re usually doing a good job serving both crawlers and people. When they don’t, it’s often a signal to revisit clarity, structure, or user flow.
Capcom removes its Enigma DRM from Resident Evil 4 after less than a month Last month, Capcom removed Denuvo from Resident Evil 4 on PC and replaced it with their Enigma DRM. While the removal of Denuvo is usually seen as good news, the addition of Enigma caused issues. PC gamers reported performance issues after […]
Minecraft’s PlayStation 3 source code has reportedly leaked online, revealing internal development files, scrapped features like Skylands terrain, early villager houses, and insight into how the console edition was optimized for 256MB of RAM.
Fraunhofer IIS and Airoha Technology are presenting a breakthrough multi-channel spatial audio solution for next-generation wireless headsets at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2026. The collaboration integrates Fraunhofer's industry-leading LC3plus codec and Cingo spatial audio rendering solutions with Airoha's flagship Bluetooth SoC, the AB1595—enabling high-definition, low-latency, and resilient wireless multichannel audio tailored for premium mobile and XR applications.
At the core of this joint solution is a seamless, high-definition multichannel wireless transmission chain designed to meet the evolving demands of mobile devices, extended reality (XR), and immersive media ecosystems. By leveraging Airoha's proprietary High Data-rate Technology (HDT), the AB1595 platform provides the robust bandwidth required to support Fraunhofer's LC3plus codec. This combination delivers high-resolution audio with efficient bitrates and ultra-low latency—essential for scalable, multichannel headset designs that go far beyond traditional stereo limitations.
At MWC 2026, Fibocom (300638.SZ, 0638.HK) and MediaTek unveiled a flagship CPE solution powered by the FG390 5G module and Filogic 8800 Wi-Fi 8 chipset. The new design combines 5G-A's high-speed connectivity with Wi-Fi 8's enhanced wireless performance, delivering faster, smarter, and more reliable network access for global users.
Key Highlights:
Powerful 5G + Wi-Fi 8 integration: The solution integrates with the Filogic 8800 Wi-Fi 8 platform and the FG390 5G module powered by MediaTek T930, bringing together the best of 5G-A and Wi-Fi 8 to create seamless, high-performance connectivity for homes and SMB.
Smarter multi-AP collaboration: Reduces interference by over 40% and boosts spectrum efficiency for smoother multi-device operation.
Extended coverage and stronger stability: With Enhanced Long-Range (ELR) and dRU technologies, wall penetration and coverage increase by up to 40%, keeping edge connections stable.
Lower latency, higher throughput: Latency drops to sub-millisecond levels, while throughput doubles—even with 200+ devices connected simultaneously.
Designed for the AI era: Supports 2.4/5/6 GHz tri-band concurrency, ensuring reliable connections for AI devices, AR/VR applications, and smart-home networks.
NVIDIA has reportedly lowered its performance requirements for the HBM4 memory used in "Rubin" GPUs, as SK hynix and Samsung are reportedly struggling to meet the ambitious performance targets set by NVIDIA. According to a new note from SemiAnalysis, NVIDIA is reducing its specification requirements for the upcoming GPU generation. Originally, NVIDIA targeted a total bandwidth of 22 TB/s for the Rubin chip, but memory suppliers seem to be having difficulty meeting these requirements. Initial shipments are expected to achieve closer to 20 TB/s, which translates to approximately 10 Gbps per pin for HBM4. This indicates that NVIDIA's aggressive upgrade plan for "Vera Rubin" is facing a setback, and the final performance will differ slightly.
Interestingly, NVIDIA's initial target for the "Vera Rubin" VR200 NVL72 system was 13 TB/s in March 2025, which was later upgraded to 20.5 TB/s by September. At CES 2026, NVIDIA confirmed that the VR200 NVL72 system is now operating at 22 TB/s of bandwidth. Compared to AMD's Instinct MI455X accelerator, which has 19.6 TB/s, NVIDIA initially had lower system bandwidth. They addressed this by using faster DRAM and improving interconnects between CPUs, GPUs, and the entire system. However, as memory makers like SK hynix and Samsung struggle to meet NVIDIA's performance requirements, we will see HBM4 speeds of about 20 TB/s for the entire "Vera Rubin" system.
Samsung is overhauling the power delivery network in its HBM4E memory to tackle what's becoming one of the bigger engineering headaches in next-gen AI chips. This comes just two weeks after the company shipped its first commercial HBM4, already pushing 11.7 Gbps consistently with headroom up to 13 Gbps. As designs move from HBM4 to HBM4E, the number of power bumps grows from 13,682 to 14,457, packed into the same space with thinner, denser wiring. That drives up current density and resistance, causing IR drop (voltage weakens as it travels through the circuits) while the heat generated in the process makes things worse, creating a feedback loop that can affect performance or even cause circuit failure.
To fix this, Samsung segmented the power network. The large centralized MET4 power block on the base die, previously laid out in big honeycomb-like sections near the interposer, has been split into four smaller sections, with upper layers further broken up to reduce congestion and shorten routing paths. According to Samsung, the results were significant, metal circuit defects dropped 97% compared to HBM4, and IR drop improved by 41%, giving the chip more voltage headroom for higher speeds and better reliability.
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...
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...
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.
Hellenic Trading Tools has a simple options trading log built for active traders who want clarity without spreadsheets. It lets you quickly record trades, review performance, and spot patterns that actually matter.
In beta, you can log trades quickly, edit them easily, and upload CSV files from your broker. Integrations are in progress. Early users can share feedback directly with the founding team as we continue building.
The Rise of MCPs in the Enterprise
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is quickly becoming a practical way to push LLMs from “chat” into real work. By providing structured access to applications, APIs, and data, MCP enables prompt-driven AI agents that can retrieve information, take action, and automate end-to-end business workflows across the enterprise. This is already showing up in production
Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed details of a new phishing suite called Starkiller that proxies legitimate login pages to bypass multi-factor authentication (MFA) protections.
It's advertised as a cybercrime platform by a threat group calling itself Jinkusu, granting customers access to a dashboard that lets them select a brand to impersonate or enter a brand's real URL. It also lets
Last month, ahead of the launch of Resident Evil Requiem, the Resident Evil 4 remake received a surprise update on PC. While the small update did not add any content to the game, it removed the Denuvo DRM protection the game had since launch and replaced it with Enigma DRM, which had a significant impact on performance. While the community and games media such as Digital Foundry did not hide their disappointment at the practice of updating years-old games just to add DRM that ultimately ruins the experience for those who purchased the game, the lack of communication from CAPCOM […]
The Nintendo Switch 2 helped accelerate the microSD Express standard, encouraging manufacturers like Samsung to launch incredibly fast storage cards that were barely larger than your finger. The P9 Express is the company’s first range to utilize the PCIe NVMe protocol to deliver speeds of up to 800MB/s, with capacities of 256GB and 512GB starting from only $44 on Amazon. It is an inexpensive way to say goodbye to your slower and headache-inducing microSD cards. The P9 Express microSD Express cards are 4x faster than regular storage cards, and have a 6-proof protection to boost reliability and longevity Let us start […]
We might finally have a solid clue of who's working on the long-rumored Fallout: New Vegas remaster: it's Iron Galaxy, which has dropped a pretty heavy-handed tease on LinkedIn: a "Please Stand By" picture from a Fallout game with the background of a bright desert environment and the following accompanying statement: Today’s our February company meeting. It’s time to catch up with what the company’s been up to and what’s coming up next for IG. The Chicago-based game developer, which is very fond of its independence, has released a few original titles in the past, including Wreckateer, Divekick, Extinction, and […]
Finally, something appears to be working, and hopefully, we will see fewer Ryzen 9000 death reports popping up on Reddit. YouTuber Level1Techs Revives "Failed" AMD Ryzen 9600X on ASRock X870E Taichi Using Latest BIOS with AMD AGESA 1.3.0.0a Microcode Ryzen 9000 "failures" do not always indicate CPU deaths. While in a lot of cases, we did see burned CPUs and sockets, not every setup sees such damage signs. Sometimes the CPU dies or fails without showing any burn marks or any discoloration. In such cases, the CPU may not be dead but still fails to boot due to unknown issues, […]
Microsoft has officially brought Shader Execution Reordering (SER) and Opacity Micromaps (OMMs) out of preview with the latest DXR 1.2 update, as part of DirectX Agility SDK 1.619. With SER and OMM now standardized, more game developers and GPU makers will be able to adopt it to make ray/path-traced scenes run much faster.
The slimline, rugged 4G smartphone is fully waterproof and drop-proof, with a decent loudspeaker and long battery life, making it an ideal option for anyone working outside. With AI apps, there’s plenty on offer for anyone who wants a solid smartphone without any real frills or demands from higher specs.
Bishop's return has emotional consequences for the team, especially old flame Torres. Here's how to watch NCIS season 23, part 2 online and from anywhere.
If you're anything like me, you've already got confused between Young Sherlock and Young Sheldon. But according to the former's creator, you're not the only one.
Google is rolling out Video Reach Campaign (VRC) Non-Skip ads, expanding how brands reach connected TV audiences on YouTube.
What’s happening. VRC Non-Skips are now live globally in Google Ads and Display & Video 360. Built for the living room experience, they run as non-skippable placements optimized for connected TV (CTV) screens.
Why we care. YouTube has been the No. 1 streaming platform in the U.S. for three straight years, making the TV screen a critical battleground for your brand budget. With guaranteed, non-skippable delivery, you can ensure your full message reaches viewers in premium, lean-back environments.
AI in the mix. Google AI dynamically optimizes across 6-second bumper ads, 15-second standard spots, and 30-second CTV-only non-skippable formats. Instead of manually splitting your budget by format, you can rely on AI to allocate impressions for maximum reach and efficiency.
Bottom line. Advertisers now have a simpler way to secure guaranteed, full-message delivery on the biggest screen in the house — using AI to maximize reach and efficiency across non-skippable formats without manually managing the mix.
NVIDIA released its GeForce 595.71 WHQL Game Ready Drivers yesterday to address issues with the previous 595.59 WHQL version. However, troubles don't seem to be over yet, as reports are coming from multiple users running the latest driver that the new installation is restricting GPU voltages across the RTX 50 series of "Blackwell" graphics cards. As multiple reports point out, the v595.71 driver is causing users to see a significant performance drop across multiple titles, all stemming from the capped GPU core voltage that is reducing the frequency. Wccftech testing has confirmed that the MSI GeForce RTX 5090 SUPRIM X used to run at a 1.020-1.030 V range, resulting in about 3,015-3,030 MHz in FurMark stress-testing using the older v591.86 driver with a manual overclock applied.
However, without a change in settings, the GPU now runs at a lowered voltage range between 1.005 V and 1.010 V, with occasional drops to 1.0 V. This has resulted in boost frequencies that are below 3,000 MHz, degrading the GPU performance while also lowering power usage. The reasoning behind this might be that NVIDIA is experimenting with lower voltage caps to limit what the GPU is capable of boosting to, so it can draw less power and prevent the fragile nature of the 12V-2x6 connector from overheating. Yesterday's launch of the GeForce 595.71 WHQL Game Ready Driver mentioned that the previous driver issues were resolved, which included fans not spinning or not being detected at all. However, with the new driver release, we didn't receive any information about intentional or unintentional voltage regulation happening within the driver. Hence, we are left to wait for the official company response.
ASRock Industrial announces the launch of the iEPF-11000S Series, a powerful Expandable Edge AIoT Platform engineered for next-generation edge AI applications. Powered by Intel Xeon 600 processors with W890 chipset, the iEPF-11000S Series delivers professional grade CPU performance, support for up to four graphic cards, PCIe Gen 5 connectivity, and up to 2 TB of RDIMM/RDIMM-3DS DDR5 memory with ECC protection for mission-critical edge processes. Designed for versatility, the iEPF-11000S Series features a comprehensive I/O with multiple expansion slots, high-speed networking including 10 GbE, and advanced storage capabilities. Built for professional computing environments, it includes a robust 1600 W power supply unit, TPM 2.0 security, and Intel vPro manageability. With support for both 4U tower or rack-mount configurations, the series is primed for advanced edge AI computing platforms, powering Gen AI LLMs, AI training and inference, visual computing, data analytics, and compute-intensive industrial applications that demand exceptional processing power and reliability.
iEPF-11000S: Quad-GPU Edge AI Platform with Intel Xeon 600
Powered by Intel Xeon 600 processors, the iEPF-11000S Series delivers high performance for edge AI computing, real-time analytics, and compute intensive industrial automation. Supporting up to 2 TB of quad-channel DDR5 ECC RDIMM memory, it ensures fast, reliable, and memory-intensive processing for AI model training, predictive maintenance, and automation. Designed for AI acceleration, deep learning, and high-performance visual computing, the iEPF-11000S Series supports up to four discrete GPUs, delivering the compute power needed for multimodel parallel inference, AI training, and intensive visual computing. Its powerful computing resources enable accelerated deployment of real-time AI inference, data analytics, and intelligent industrial automation.
Club 3D, a Dutch technology innovator specializing in advanced computer connectivity solutions since 1997, announced its newest connectivity solutions for March. These include 2 new adapters, a USB-C to RJ45 10G Ethernet Adapter and a USB-C to HDMI 2.1 Adapter. The Club 3D CAC-2505 is a premium USB-C to HDMI 2.1 adapter that delivers next-generation visual performance in a compact form factor. It is designed to future-proof your setup by enabling stunning 8K60Hz video output from any USB-C device supporting DP Alt Mode.
The Club 3D CAC-2531 is a professional-grade USB-C to RJ45 10G Ethernet Adapter that delivers blazing-fast 10 Gbps speeds to any mobile or desktop setup. It is designed to bridge the gap between ultraportable hardware and high-speed network environments while providing a compact, plug-and-play solution for data-heavy workflows.
Huion, a trusted name in the design and manufacturing of digital drawing tablets, has officially launched its next-gen 21.5-inch pen display today, the Kamvas 22 (Gen 3). This exciting development comes at the perfect time for digital artists as we kick off the new year.
Over the past two years, Huion has consistently pushed the boundaries of innovation, advancing both technology and expanding its product lineup. This showcases the company's determination to offer a diverse range of options tailored to both entry-level and professional artists. With Kamvas 22 (Gen 3), they now have another tool to express their artistic vision.
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...
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.
DailyLens combines AI-powered journaling with evidence-based protocols to track mood, reduce stress, and build lasting habits. It offers text or voice entries with auto-transcription, AI insights, and personalized summaries; five mood formats including a 2D map, trend charts, and daily, weekly, or monthly AI reports; and guided breathwork techniques such as Box, 4-7-8, Diaphragmatic, Bellows, and Lion's Breath. With over 100 curated practices for Morning Energy, Deep Focus, Sleep Optimization, and Longevity, it is local-first, encrypted, and fully offline, featuring streaks, 12 badges, and your AI mentor. Coming soon: NSDR, guided meditations, and Binaural Beats.
Vanikya is an AI-powered creative suite for generating, editing, and optimizing visual assets. Its flagship Imagine engine lets you produce professional images with precise control, create up to 24 variations at once, and switch across 16+ state-of-the-art models with pay-as-you-go credits and commercial rights. Vanikya also includes Chat for brainstorming and copy, Creative Insights for content performance analytics, and features like InstantSite for rapid room and building reimagining, all designed to streamline professional workflows.
Microsoft on Monday warned of phishing campaigns that employ phishing emails and OAuth URL redirection mechanisms to bypass conventional phishing defenses implemented in email and browsers.
The activity, the company said, targets government and public-sector organizations with the end goal of redirecting victims to attacker-controlled infrastructure without stealing their tokens. It described
Today, Japanese developer and publisher CAPCOM announced that a new episode of its CAPCOM Spotlight series of livestreams will air on Thursday, March 5, at 2 PM Pacific Time. This CAPCOM Spotlight will last approximately half an hour, focusing on the following upcoming and existing games: Below, we've added a brief overview of each featured game, in release date order. Street Fighter 6 is the only game that's already out. Launched in June 2023 to critical acclaim, it marked the studio's return to form for its flagship fighting franchise after the rocky reception to Street Fighter V. It introduced a […]
MSI officially launches new RTX 5070 Midnight Edition GPUs for World of Warcraft MSI has officially launched new Midnight Light and Midnight Void Editions of its RTX 5070 Gaming Trio graphics card, celebrating the launch of World of Warcraft Midnight. Both designs are inspired by Quel’Thalas, and let World of Warcraft fans choose their side […]
Google on Monday disclosed that a high-severity security flaw impacting an open-source Qualcomm component used in Android devices has been exploited in the wild.
The vulnerability in question is CVE-2026-21385 (CVSS score: 7.8), a buffer over-read in the Graphics component.
"Memory corruption when adding user-supplied data without checking available buffer space," Qualcomm said in an advisory,
The threat activity cluster known as SloppyLemming has been attributed to a fresh set of attacks targeting government entities and critical infrastructure operators in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The activity, per Arctic Wolf, took place between January 2025 and January 2026. It involves the use of two distinct attack chains to deliver malware families tracked as BurrowShell and a Rust-based
MSI, a world-leading provider of high-performance gaming hardware, proudly announces its latest collaboration with Blizzard Entertainment to celebrate the launch of World of Warcraft: Midnight. Together, MSI and Blizzard introduce the limited edition MSI × World of Warcraft: Midnight GeForce RTX 5070 graphics cards, available in two distinct designs—Light Edition and Void Edition—bringing the legendary forces of Azeroth to life through cutting-edge performance and immersive visual storytelling.
Powered by NVIDIA Blackwell, GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs bring game-changing capabilities to gamers and creators. Equipped with a massive level of AI horsepower, the RTX 50 Series enables new experiences and next-level graphics fidelity. Multiply performance with NVIDIA DLSS 4, generate images at unprecedented speed, and unleash creativity with NVIDIA Studio.
Quectel Wireless Solutions, a global end-to-end IoT solutions provider, today announces the FCE870Q Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.0 module. The module's higher peak data rate of 5.8 Gbps, coupled with lower latency and strong network connection reliability, makes it ideal for over-the-top (OTT) services, high-definition video and augmented and virtual reality use cases.
Featuring 4K 4096 quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), an advanced modulation technique in Wi-Fi 7 that increases data throughput by 20% compared to Wi-Fi6, the FCE870Q enables faster 4K and 8K streaming. Performance is also aided by the module's support for 320 MHz enhanced multi-link single radio (eMSLR) technology which enables the faster data rate alongside ultra-low latency. A highlight of this module is the integration of Bluetooth 6.0 featuring built-in Channel Sounding to enable enhanced ranging accuracy and advanced proximity-based applications.
MonoDesk is a workspace for freelance creative professionals who run projects end to end. It connects clients, projects, and timelines with simple Kanban boards and a weekly planner that shows what’s due, in progress, or complete. An AI agent summarizes briefs, turns notes into tasks, drafts client updates, and reviews work with project-aware feedback, so you ship with confidence. Set up in minutes by uploading a proposal to auto-create clients, projects, and task lists, then focus on the creative work.
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...
Unify is an all-in-one AI workspace for creating videos, images, music, and chat. It brings leading models like Kling, Sora, Veo, GPT-Image, and more into a single dashboard, so you can generate reels, cinematic shots, product photos, lip-sync avatars, and copy without juggling separate tools. Teams get unlimited access with no per-model subscriptions, using it for ad creatives, social content, scripts, and research, while built-in chat connects you to GPT, Claude, and Gemini.
Pulsar Gaming Gears, a leading developer of high-performance esports peripherals, in collaboration with Prodigy SEG, today announced the official launch of the Pulsar ZywOo The Chosen Mouse Gen 2 Limited Edition Pink. This new product launch aligns with a historic peak in the career of Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut. Recently crowned the World #1 Player for a record-breaking fourth time, ZywOo has officially become the most decorated individual in the history of the game. Coming off back-to-back championship wins at IEM Kraków 2026 and PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026, he has reached a career milestone of 30 HLTV MVP medals-shattering all previous records.
This new generation is the product of Pulsar's uncompromising eS standard, utilizing Pulsar's advanced in-house R&D and meticulous refinement to meet the exact competitive needs identified from the first generation. Designed for palm grip users, the mouse features a unique, refined shape co-created with ZyWOo, and two sizes, Mini 59 g, Medium 62 g to ensure the absolute control and consistency required for elite-tier competitive play. Speaking on the new iteration of the mouse, ZywOo emphasized the continuous drive for competitive perfection.
Changing your eating habits is often hard; it’s part routine, part culture, and part comfort. A little help can make a big difference. Goodbye Meat is an app designed to support you as you cut down on meat. You can track your meals, see your progress over time, and measure the positive impact you have on the environment.
The team is barely functioning with their software offline, and patience is stretched thin. But when is The Pitt season 2 episode 9 released on HBO Max?
NVIDIA's latest driver release might be affecting voltages, virtually restricting them, on RTX 50 "Blackwell" GPUs. My GeForce RTX 5090 GPU Is Running At Lower Voltages After Installing NVIDIA's Latest Driver. Voltage Limitations Introduced For RTX 50 GPUs? A few days ago, NVIDIA released its latest GeForce Game Ready (GRD) drivers, v595.59. The driver release was meant to be the optimized version for Resident Evil Requiem and offered additional fixes. However, as soon as the driver launched, several users started reporting issues with the driver where GPU fans were not working, clock speeds were being hampered, and overall performance in […]
Firma.dev is an e-signature API built for developers at startups and mid-sized SaaS companies. It is designed for speed, allowing integration in hours with embedded editors for templates and signing, supported by clear documentation and a straightforward REST API. There are no sales calls or monthly minimums. The pricing is $0.029 per envelope, pay-as-you-go, which is significantly cheaper than DocuSign with no upfront costs. You also receive customer workspaces for private, isolated templates and envelope tracking. Firma.dev is compliant with ESIGN, UETA, and eIDAS, and is designed to support HIPAA and SOC 2 compliance.
The app’s use as a discovery tool is rising as users turn to its short-form videos and personalized content to find information, according to research from Adobe.
The decision upheld a lower court ruling that artificial intelligence-generated content does not have the same legal protections as human-created work.
While Apple floods the zone with iPhone 17e and iPad Air news, the Lenovo Yoga AIO 27" is stealing the show with a $600 discount and a rotating screen the iMac can't touch.
That happened late on Saturday, February 28, and as of this writing, Claude is still holding the top spot. ChatGPT has slipped to second place, with Google's Gemini trailing in third. It's a remarkable rise for an app that wasn't even in the top 100 back in January.
Bustem helps e-commerce brands detect and take down copycats before they damage revenue and credibility. Using AI, Bustem continuously scans individual websites, marketplaces, paid ads, social platforms, and search engines.
From one dashboard, you can instantly see who is copying your brand, where the infringement is happening, what it is likely costing you in lost revenue, and the fastest path to takedowns. To get started, Bustem offers a free 360° Threat Report that shows exactly what’s happening to your brand online before you commit.
Recy is an applicant tracking system that helps teams hire faster. It combines an intuitive interface with AI-powered resume parsing and candidate matching to reduce manual work and surface the best talent. Run your entire process in one place with branded career pages, customizable pipelines, email communication, automations, and hiring analytics. Collaborate across your team with shared notes, role-based access, and real-time insights to streamline decisions and scale hiring efficiently.
As OpenAI transitions from a wildly successful consumer startup into a piece of national security infrastructure, the company seems unequipped to manage its new responsibilities.
A hobbyist developer's new app, which can detect nearby smart glasses, comes amid resistance to always-on recording and listening devices that invade people's privacy.
The company said usage grew from 40 minutes per day in 2023 to 46 minutes in 2026. Other documents referenced teens as being a top priority for the app before asking existing users for birthdays.
Microsoft briefly blocked the term “Microslop” in its official Copilot Discord server, leading to user backlash, filter workarounds, and a temporary lockdown. The incident highlights broader frustration around Windows AI and Copilot adoption.
According to a senior analyst at Gartner, the sub-$500 PC market will have completely disappeared by 2028 due to rising component costs. It's not exactly a surprise, but it is a dire warning to anyone who needs a new laptop.
One of the affected developers shared the incident on Reddit. According to the post, the Google Cloud API key was compromised between February 11 and February 12 and was primarily used to access Gemini 3 Pro Image and Gemini 3 Pro Text services.
Our best budget OLED TV of 2026, the LG B5, is on sale at Best Buy with a massive 50% discount, bringing the price of the 48-inch model down to just $649.99.
The Wolf Among Us 2 has been missing for so long that it's started to reach mythical levels of 'games in development hell.' It's been nearly a decade since it was first revealed, and in that time, a lot has happened. Now, a new rumour points to the game's development having been restarted for (at least) a second time, and that it's being co-developed with an unnamed studio in Argentina. It claims that it'll be ready by 2027, and that we may even get a remaster of The Wolf Among Us to go along with it. Firstly, a reminder of […]
In February, TechPowerUp partnered with Fosi Audio to bring our readers from around the world a chance to grab one of 10 Fosi Audio C3 gaming-grade external sound cards with AI-powered DSPs. The Fosi Audio C3 is an external USB sound card (DAC + headphones amp) with a selection of parts purpose built for PC gaming. The C3 uses AI models to recognize key in-game sounds, such as footsteps, gunfire, reloads, and directional cues, and dynamically enhance what matters while reducing irrelevant or distracting noise. Rather than simply making certain frequencies louder, the system is designed to identify and prioritize important sounds depending on the gameplay context. The Giveaway is now close, and the results are in! Without further ado, here are the 10 winners!
ShurikN from Serbia
Bryan from Singapore
Khusanbek from the United Kingdom
Russel from Australia
ushirlo from Croatia
Yu-Jie from the United States
Markus from Germany
FatherOBlivion from the United States
Xin Qi from the Netherlands
azarel from Denmark
Huge congratulations to all 10 of you! TechPowerUp and Fosi Audio will return with more such interesting Giveaways!
Apple's M4 chip delivers up to 30 percent faster performance compared to last year's M3 chip, according to Apple. The performance gap is significantly larger when compared with older Apple M1 chip devices, reaching roughly 2.3× improvement. While the upgrade from M3 to M4 is more incremental, users upgrading from...
Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation are now available for $119. The updated model adds Adaptive Audio and improved voice clarity while retaining seamless iOS integration and wireless charging. At this price, they're a compelling option for anyone who wants Apple's ecosystem features without stepping up to the Pro lineup.
The iPhone 17e features a 6.1-inch OLED display with peak brightness reaching 1,200 nits. The screen is equipped with an improved anti-reflective coating and is protected by Apple Ceramic Shield 2.
IPWho is a real-time IP geolocation and IP intelligence API designed for developers and businesses that need accurate location and network data. It provides detailed information including country, city, ASN, ISP, and connection type through a simple and easy-to-integrate REST API.
IPWho helps teams enhance fraud detection, improve geo-targeting, personalize user experiences, and gain better insights into their traffic. With fast response times and reliable data coverage, it enables businesses to make smarter, location-aware decisions without complex setup.
Here's your chance to bag a gob-smacking record-low price for the 4.5-star-rated multicooker from Ninja that was one of our favourite kitchen gadgets from last year.
Ellison reassured investors that HBO’s identity and creative vision as a studio would remain unchanged, stating, “Our viewpoint is HBO should stay HBO.”
Before Call of Duty: Warzone established itself as one of the most popular battle royale games ever when it arrived in 2020, Call of Duty's first brush with battle royale came in 2018's Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 with its Blackout mode. Today, Activision revealed that it is bringing Blackout back - sort of. Black Ops Royale is a new, "Blackout-inspired" battle royale mode that is getting added to Call of Duty Warzone, and just like Warzone, it will be free for players to jump in. The new mode arrives next week on March 13, 2026, and brings back […]
The latest Steam Hardware & Software Survey for February 2026 has shown that the GeForce RTX 5070 has become the platform's most popular gaming graphics card, but there are some doubts about the survey methodology.
Google is expanding its recurring billing policy to allow certified U.S. online pharmacies to promote prescription drugs with subscriptions and bundled services.
What’s happening. Certified merchants can now offer:
Prescription drug subscriptions — recurring billing for prescription medications.
Prescription drug bundles — combining drugs with services like coaching or treatment programs, as long as the drug is the primary product.
Prescription drug consultation services — recurring consults to determine prescription eligibility, either standalone or bundled with medications.
Requirements for eligibility. Merchants must maintain certified status, submit subscription costs in Merchant Center using the [subscription_cost] attribute, include clear terms and transparent fees on landing pages, and comply with all existing Healthcare & Medicine and recurring billing policies. Accounts previously disapproved can request a review once requirements are met.
Why we care. The update opens new revenue opportunities for online pharmacies, letting them leverage recurring models and bundled services while staying compliant with Google policies.
The bottom line. Certified U.S. online pharmacies can now run recurring prescription and bundled offers, giving them more flexibility to reach patients and scale subscription-based services.
Google updated both its image SEO best practices and Google Discover help documents to clarify that Google uses both schema.org markup and the og:image meta tag as sources when determining image thumbnails in Google Search and Discover.
Image SEO best practices. Google added a new section to the image SEO best practices help document named Specify a preferred image with metadata. In that section, Google wrote:
“Google’s selection of an image preview is completely automated and takes into account a number of different sources to select which image on a given page is shown on Google (for example, a text result image or the preview image in Discover).”
Here is how you influence the thumbnails Google chooses:
Specify the schema.org primaryImageOfPage property with a URL or ImageObject.
Or specify an image URL or ImageObject property and attach it to the main entity (using the schema.org mainEntity or mainEntityOfPage properties)
Here are the overall best practices when choosing these methods:
Choose an image that’s relevant and representative of the page.
Avoid using a generic image (for example, your site logo) or an image with text in the schema.org markup or og:imagemeta tag.
Avoid using an image with an extreme aspect ratio (such as images that are too narrow or overly wide).
Use a high resolution, if possible.
Google Discover image selection. In the Discover documentation Google added a section that reads:
“Include compelling, high-quality images in your content that are relevant, especially large images that are more likely to generate visits from Discover. We recommend using images that meet the following specifications: At least 1200 px wide, High resolution (at least 300K) and 16×9 aspect ratio”
“Google tries to automatically crop the image for use in Discover. If you choose to crop your images yourself, be sure your images are well-cropped and positioned for landscape usage, and avoid automatically applying an aspect ratio. For example, if you crop a vertical image into 16×9 aspect ratio, be sure the important details are included in the cropped version that you specify in the og:image meta tag).”
“Use either schema.org markup or the og:image meta tag to specify a large image that’s relevant and representative of the web page, as this can influence which image is chosen as the thumbnail in Discover. Learn more about how to specify your preferred image. Avoid using generic images (for example, your site logo) in the schema.org markup or og:image meta tag. Avoid using images with text in the schema.org markup or og:image meta tag.”
Why we care. Images can have a big impact on click-through rates from both Google Search and Google Discover. Here, Google is telling us ways we can encourage Google to select a specific image for that thumbnail. So review these help documents and see if any of this can help you with the images Google selects in Search and Discover.
Intel references “B70 System” on GitHub Intel has officially referenced a “B70 System” as part of its software release notes on GitHub, officially confirming that the company has a higher-end ARC PRO series graphics card on the way. Right now, Intel’s highest-end ARC PRO graphics card is the ARC B60, which uses the same GPU […]
Rising memory and storage costs are pricing entry-level PC buyers out of the market, which may disappear entirely. According to the analyst firm Gartner, the sub-$500 PC sector might vanish by 2028. Their analysis indicates that memory, which used to be just a small part of the total bill of materials (BOM) at 16% of the total PC cost in 2025, is expected to rise to nearly a quarter of the PC's cost at 23%, making the entry-level PC segment unsustainable. "This sharp increase removes vendors' ability to absorb costs, making low-margin entry-level laptops nonviable. Ultimately, we expect the sub-$500 entry-level PC segment will disappear by 2028," said Ranjit Atwal, Senior Director Analyst at Gartner. He added, "In addition, rising AI PC prices will delay the projected 50% market penetration of AI PCs until 2028."
We have witnessed multiple price increases across many PC components such as DRAM, NAND Flash, and GPUs. With manufacturers unable to produce PCs at any tangible profit levels in the sub-$500 PC sector, it might entirely disappear from the mainstream PC market. The concept of budget builds might become obsolete, with the majority of PCs ending up in categories above that threshold, near or beyond four figures. Gartner estimates that there will be about a 130% increase in combined DRAM and NAND Flash pricing by the end of this year, increasing PC prices by about 17% compared to 2025 levels. This situation will push consumer and enterprise demand toward premium PCs.
At MWC Barcelona 2026, Huawei debuts its latest SuperPoD product Atlas 950 SuperPoD, TaiShan 950 SuperPoD and a series of computing solutions to the global market. This embodies the company's latest endeavor to open source and open collaboration with the aim of building a resilient computing foundation and creating a new option worldwide.
Tech innovation builds a resilient computing foundation
With AI technologies evolving rapidly and models now using trillions of parameters, agentic AI is beginning to penetrate into core production processes in many industries. This is driving up demand for larger computing scale and lower latency. However, these massive models are beyond the reach of conventional horizontal scaling; larger clusters often suffer from lower utilization and frequent training interruptions.
Akasa, a leading provider of thermal solutions, has launched the AK-CC7409BP01, a low-profile CPU cooler designed for thermally demanding, space-constrained environments. Compatible with Intel LGA1851 and LGA1700 sockets, the cooler integrates a copper vapor chamber heatsink and a UL-certified side blower fan to deliver reliable, sustained cooling at only 29.5 mm in height, making it well-suited to 1U servers, SFF systems and other applications where vertical clearance is limited.
The AK-CC7409BP01 supports 12th-14th Generation Intel Core desktop processors (LGA1700 socket) and Intel Core Ultra Series 2 processors (LGA1851 socket) up to 125 W TDP.
In a recent update shared via Telegram, the maintainer of Myrient announced that the service will shut down on March 31, 2026. After that date, hundreds of terabytes of gaming-related data is expected to disappear from the internet. The decision reportedly follows a sharp increase in storage and hosting costs,...
Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed details of a now-patched security flaw in Google Chrome that could have permitted attackers to escalate privileges and gain access to local files on the system.
The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026-0628 (CVSS score: 8.8), has been described as a case of insufficient policy enforcement in the WebView tag. It was patched by Google in early January 2026
Google has announced a new program in its Chrome browser to ensure that HTTPS certificates are secure against the future risk posed by quantum computers.
"To ensure the scalability and efficiency of the ecosystem, Chrome has no immediate plan to add traditional X.509 certificates containing post-quantum cryptography to the Chrome Root Store," the Chrome Secure Web and Networking Team said.
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What if the biggest secret of your life was written into your DNA… and got it wrong? Our guide explains how to watch Handcuffed: Last Pair Standing online now and free from anywhere.
Iranians have been offline for over 48 hours following military strikes, with data showing internet traffic close to zero since February 28. Here's everything we know.
Windscribe is giving away "cold, hard cash" and lifetime VPN subscriptions to animators who can turn its quirky server nicknames into 60-second shorts. Here is how to enter the $42,000 prize pool.
Tech workers have signed an open letter urging the Department of Defense to withdraw its designation of Anthropic as a "supply chain risk" and instead to settle the matter quietly.
The US is working on legislation targeting Chinese memory suppliers, and according to a new proposed 'rulemaking', the use of YMTC and CXMT could be banned for government products. YMTC, SMIC & CXMT Are Now Targeted In a Proposed Legislation, Limiting Their Adoption Across Commercial Products The debate over integrating Chinese memory into consumer-grade products has emerged recently amid DRAM shortages. The 'Big 3' suppliers are currently busy with enterprise demand, leaving little capacity behind for consumer products. However, one of the major factors hindering the likes of CXMT from supplying DRAM chips to mainstream manufacturers is US legislation, and […]
GMKtec is about to release a brand new AI mini PC, and we can already sense what hardware will power this compact machine. GMKtec Announces 2nd Gen Desktop AI Supercomputer With 180 TOPS of AI Power Popular mini PC maker, GMKtec, has teased a brand new AI mini PC on X, claiming that it can deliver up to 180 TOPS of AI performance inside a small box. GMKtec hasn't revealed the specifications of this mini PC and left it to the readers to guess the hardware. The company already has all the latest Intel and AMD-based mini PCs, such as […]
Resident Evil Requiem arrived on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2 just days ago from the time of this writing. It's practically an understatement to say that it's been a massive hit, with critics (including Wccftech's Nathan Birch) and fans alike loving the ninth mainline entry in the horror series, with over 340K players jumping into it on Steam alone right when it launched this past Friday. While Capcom hasn't shared any sales figures at the time of this writing, if you needed another sign pointing to how much of a hit Requiem has been, a quick […]
Apple made the iPhone 16e a highly attractive proposition for the masses wanting to step into the company’s hardware and software ecosystem by offering a $599 package that boasted the best battery life for any 6.1-inch iPhone launched at the time. Just comparing the iPhone 17e in pure endurance, the latest comparison shows that Apple might have ignored this bit about its latest release, making it the worst-performing model from the current-generation lineup. Even the iPhone Air, which wasn’t known for its battery prowess, ends up with better statistics than the iPhone 17e Unless the specifications bump for the same $599 price as […]
With the hardware side of Apple's AI strategy reportedly in an equal, if not greater, disarray than the software side, it is hardly a surprise that the Cupertino giant has been forced to rely on Google's servers, along with its very capable Gemini model, to ship the revamped Siri and the AI features that come with it. Against this backdrop, the bespoke Baltra ASIC might be Apple's only viable avenue of escaping Google's ensnaring clutches. Apple's internal disarray is leading to a situation where a large proportion of its AI servers simply sit idle on warehouse shelves The Information is […]
Next week, French developer Spiders (a subsidiary of the ailing publisher NACON since 2019) will launch the game GreedFall: The Dying World, originally called GreedFall II, out of early access. It's a delicate time for the company, between the mixed reception to the early access version of The Dying World and the tensions within the studio in late 2024 that led to a strike and, eventually, to higher wages for employees. A few months ago, Spiders also laid off most of the animation team, probably because there was no more work to be done on GreedFall: The Dying World in […]
Digital Extremes has revealed that the next major free update for Warframe titled "The Shadowgrapher" will arrive later this month on March 25, 2026. Which, is also the same day that Warframe will make its debut on another platform, following its arrival on Android devices last month. The official Nintendo Switch 2 version of Warframe will launch alongside the Shadowgrapher update on March 25. The news was revealed in the studio's latest DevStream with its 193rd installment, teasing a bit of what's to come in the Shadowgrapher, and showing off the game's 64th playable Warframe, Follie, along with her abilities […]
A new Nvidia GPU driver, 595.71, has been released which resolves issues in its since-recalled 595.59 driver which reportedly caused some graphics card fans to stop working.
The world of AI is getting more complex, and we assess the current state of LLMs, what makes them tick, and explore the risks and features that companies are looking to integrate in the future.
Nvidia releases GeForce 595.71 driver following hardware monitoring and fan “not spinning” issues The launch of their GeForce 595.59 driver was a disaster for Nvidia. Hardware monitoring broke for many users, with fan detection failing, and one or more of their GPU fans stopped spinning after the driver update. Mere hours after launch, Nvidia was […]
Razer’s new Laptop Sleeve 16" with Wireless Charging is a premium 3-in-1 accessory for gamers and creators. While it offers dual MagSafe-compatible charging zones and rugged protection, the $130 price tag and lack of an internal battery raise questions about its overall value. Here is everything you need to know about Razer's latest everyday carry essential.
Logitech's G305 Lightspeed wireless gaming mouse hasn't left my desk for over 5 years, and sometimes it feels like its single AA battery lasts forever, too.
As NAND Flash pricing has skyrocketed, reaching nearly a 500% increase over the past six months, Phison has reportedly started requiring some customers to make prepayments to control the supply. This means that customers who haven't even started a Phison order will need to send funds as a form of credit to purchase a set amount of Phison controllers, SSDs, or any other storage products. According to a notice to its customers, Phison has stated that the rapid increase in NAND Flash demand has driven various parts of the storage supply chain to seek alternative payment methods, with a focus on quicker settlements. This means customers must either accept faster contract settlements or use other forms of payment like prepayment credits.
Phison is a company primarily focused on making SSD controllers, which are manufactured at TSMC, Samsung, or other fabs as logic devices, not NAND Flash. The company's latest E28 controller is produced on TSMC's 6 nm node, a mature class of semiconductor nodes. This suggests that Phison's supply chain is largely intact. However, if Phison is arranging NAND Flash purchases on behalf of customers, that could explain why faster settlements are requested. Specific arrangements likely vary by customer and should be confirmed on a case-by-case basis. There might be situations where Phison provides SSD makers with blueprints for SSDs and handles part of the design and supply chain logistics within the company, making the situation more understandable. In such cases, Phison would need to secure a fast contract settlement to ensure the SSD maker gets the best possible price for the NAND Flash that ultimately pairs with a Phison controller. The full statement follows.
AMD earlier today announced the Ryzen AI 400 series desktop APUs in the Socket AM5 package. These are the company's second desktop APU generation on Socket AM5 following the Ryzen 8000G series "Phoenix Point." While "Phoenix Point" is based on "Zen 4," the newer Ryzen AI 400 series is built on the "Gorgon Point" silicon powered by the "Zen 5" microarchitecture. A key difference between the two APU generations is the emphasis on AI performance. "Gorgon Point" packs an XDNA 2 NPU with 50 TOPS of throughput on tap, making Ryzen AI 400 series the first socketed desktop processor that meets Microsoft Copilot+ requirements.
While "Phoenix Point" featured a single CCX design with up to eight full-sized "Zen 4" cores, "Gorgon Point" reverts to a dual-CCX design for its CPU complex. The first CCX features four full-sized "Zen 5" cores that can boost up to the maximum rated speed of the APU model, along with 8 MB of L3 cache that's shared among the four "Zen 5" cores. The second CCX features four compacted "Zen 5c" cores, with an 8 MB L3 cache shared among them. "Zen 5c" is a physically compacted version of "Zen 5," it has an identical IPC and ISA, but it caps out at roughly two-thirds the maximum boost frequency of the full-sized "Zen 5" cores. For threads to migrate between the two CCX, their instructions and data make a trip through the chip's Infinity Fabric interconnect, just like it was during the old "Zen 2" architecture days.
Manage your business finances like a pro with a lifetime license for Intuit QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus, now only $200 (reg. $699). Many small business owners start managing their finances with spreadsheets and bank portals, only to realize they need something a bit more robust. Intuit QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus gives you a full desktop accounting system with a lifetime license and no ongoing subscription, and it's on sale now for $199.97 (reg. $699).
When The Game Awards featured the debut of Resident Evil Requiem, the reveal trailer showed protagonist Leon S. Kennedy driving a custom Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT through a cinematic storm of fire and mutant chaos. Porsche's signature design language – an aggressive stance, aerodynamic contours, and the distinctive Turbo GT...
Automated Content Recognition (ACR) operates within the smart TV software stack, scanning brief snippets of video and audio from whatever appears on the screen – whether streaming services, broadcast television, or external inputs. Those snippets are then compared against a large online database to identify content in real time. By...
The Motorola Razr Fold is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, and is paired with up to 16GB of memory and 1TB of storage. The device has also received an IP48 certification, indicating a basic level of dust and water resistance. The non-"Elite" flagship chipset and the absence...
RevEdge surfaces signals, risks, and opportunities that may impact your revenue, helping you execute before you lose a dime. Mobile-first and designed for busy leaders, RevEdge digests revenue signals from every area of your business that impacts revenue, delivering executive-level insights that clearly lay out the context, potential revenue impact, and recommended strategic next steps. The best part? Embedded actions let you execute directly in the app, helping you drive revenue with clarity and confidence.
Samsung's new flagship, the Galaxy S26 Ultra, does not disappoint. It's thinner, lighter, and more powerful, even managing to squeeze more exciting photographic and video capabilities out of the same set of cameras.
The Apple March event is live today, which means you can find incredible deals on existing Apple devices at Best Buy, including AirPods, iPads, MacBooks, and more.
Acer’s Predator Helios Neo pairs an Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX processor with 16GB RAM and a 1TB PCIe SSD in a 16-inch chassis built for demanding creative and AI workloads.
WhatsApp has published tips on how to evade restrictions on its service with a VPN, specifically mentioning Mullvad and Amnezia as "well-regarded" providers.
A hacking group called Department of Peace said they hacked a specific office within Homeland Security to protest ICE’s mass deportation campaign, and the companies aiding it.
On the first day of its ongoing product launch window in the run-up to Wednesday's hands-on 'Apple Experience' event, the Cupertino giant has unveiled its all-new M4 iPad Air along with the iPhone 17e, bringing substantially more unified system memory, the N1 wireless networking chip, and the C1X modem to the proverbial table, all for a starting price of $599. Behold the substantially more powerful M4 iPad Air Upgraded silicon Apple's new M4 iPad Air, both the 11-inch and 13-inch variants, sport the M4 chip that renders the new devices up to 30 percent faster than their M3 chip counterparts. […]
While one of this week's upcoming showcases was taken off the calendar today, another has been added. Nintendo announced it will host an Indie World Showcase Direct tomorrow, March 3, 2026, at 6am PT / 9am ET / 2pm BT. The showcase will be roughly 15 minutes long and provide updates on upcoming indie games heading to the Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch, and it is the first Indie World event since the last one took place on August 7, 2025. Last time, we were told not to expect Hollow Knight Silksong news, since the game's release date had […]
Phison's model, with NAND market supply, has now shifted to securing capital upfront from customers as the company navigates a seller's market. NAND Prices Have Climbed a Whopping 500% In Last Year Alone, Driven By AI-Demand The NAND industry is also experiencing a significant imbalance in supply lines, as the role of storage in AI inference has increased dramatically over the past few months. We have already seen NAND spot prices climb significantly over the past few quarters, and for suppliers like Phison, the situation has started to bite into their profit margins. According to a DigiTimes report, Phison is […]
Apple has taken the wraps off the iPhone 17e, and the first thing we did was dive into the specifications page of the iPhone 16e’s successor to find out if the A19 shared some similarities with the same silicon found in the base iPhone 17. It turns out that there’s just one difference, and it is the same one present in the iPhone 16e and the base iPhone 16. Like before, the iPhone 17e features a binned A19 with fewer GPU cores than the silicon running in the iPhone 17 Scrolling through the ‘Tech Specs’ section of the iPhone 17e, we […]
In just a few hours from the time of this writing (10am PT to be exact), the Marathon Server Slam will wrap up, and players' free weekend in Tau Ceti IV will be over. Bungie ran the server slam from February 26 to March 2, with players on PC and PS5 able to jump in and try Marathon for themselves with a few limitations. Beyond an odd start to the slam, where the phrase 'ARC Raiders' was censored for an unknown reason, its player numbers weren't too bad, peaking at 143,621 concurrent players on Steam. What's more important for Bungie […]
In a development that falls largely in line with earlier rumors and tidbits, Apple has just announced its latest budget iPhone, the iPhone 17e, replete with the now-ancient notch, an upgraded processor, modem, and display, all for the same $599 price point. Behold Apple's iPhone 17e Physical features In what constitutes a disappointing departure from earlier rumors and tidbits, Apple's iPhone 17e does not, in fact, sport the Dynamic Island. Instead, the Cupertino giant's latest budget iPhone adheres to the same archaic notch-based display form factor that was first introduced with the iPhone X all the way back in 2017. […]
Rebellions details how it developed one of the world's first quad-chiplet AI accelerator with UCIe interconnects and how it did not use all of the technologies that the UCIe 1.0 specifications includes.
A 130% surge in combined DRAM and SSD prices by the end of 2026 will push PC prices up 17% compared to 2025 levels and wipe out the sub-$500 PC market.
If you’re not actively managing your branded search campaigns, you’re leaving money on the table and your reputation in the hands of competitors, review aggregators, and affiliate marketers.
Brand protection through PPC isn’t just about bidding on your own name. It’s a strategy that spans defensive bidding, query monitoring, ad copy testing, and reputation management across the entire customer research journey.
Why brand search deserves more than basic defense
Most PPC managers treat brand campaigns as an afterthought. Set up a campaign, bid on the exact brand name, maybe add some close variants, and call it done.
But the reality is far more complex, especially when we’re talking about bigger, well-known brands. Your brand exists across dozens of query contexts, each representing a different stage of the customer journey and requiring a different strategic approach.
Consider what happens when someone searches for your brand. They’re not just typing your company name, they’re asking questions, seeking validation, comparing alternatives, and researching specific features.
If you’re only covering exact-match brand terms, you’re missing the majority of brand-related searches and leaving those high-intent users exposed to competitor messaging.
Third-party sites like review aggregators and affiliate comparison websites actively bid on your brand terms to capture traffic and redirect it to their comparison pages, where your competitors pay for prominence.
The cost? Your brand equity, customer trust, and ultimately, conversion rates.
4 categories of branded searches you need to cover
Based on user intent and competitive vulnerability, branded searches fall into four strategic categories. Each requires different bid strategies, ad copy approaches, and landing page experiences.
Let’s break down each category and the specific PPC tactics that can work.
Brand trust and reputation queries
“Is [Brand] good?”
“[Brand] reviews.”
“Is [Brand] legit?”
“Is [Brand] worth it?”
These searchers are in the validation phase. They’ve heard of your brand but want social proof before committing.
The competitive threat here comes from review aggregators and affiliate sites that will happily show your reviews alongside competitor CTAs.
PPC strategy
Bid aggressively — these are high-intent users who are close to converting.
Use review extensions and star ratings in your ads.
Highlight trust signals in ad copy (years in business, customer count, awards).
Send users to dedicated testimonial or case study landing pages, not your homepage.
Test callout extensions with specific proof points.
Product features queries
“What is [Brand] known for?”
“Pros and cons of [Brand].”
“Does [Brand] offer [feature]?”
Users searching for feature-specific information are evaluating whether your solution meets their requirements. Competitors often bid on these queries with ads suggesting they offer superior features.
PPC strategy
Create feature-specific ad groups with tailored ad copy.
Use sitelink extensions to direct users to specific feature pages.
Address the specific feature in headline 1, don’t waste space on your brand name.
Include feature demos or video on the landing page.
Test whether these queries warrant higher bids than core brand terms.
Comparison queries
“Alternatives to [Brand].”
“How does [Brand] compare?”
“Is [Brand] better than [Competitor]?”
“Is [Brand] right for [use case]?”
This is the most competitive category. Users are actively comparing you to alternatives, and both direct competitors and third-party comparison sites are bidding heavily. This is where you’re most vulnerable to losing customers who were already considering you.
PPC strategy
Bid at or above top-of-page estimates to maintain Position 1.
Create dedicated comparison landing pages for each major competitor.
Include pricing transparency if it’s a competitive advantage.
Monitor auction insights obsessively to identify new competitive threats.
Consider category-level comparison ads for “best [category] tools/products” searches.
Niche questions
“Is [Brand] expensive?”
“Does [Brand] offer discounts?”
“Is [Brand] secure?”
These queries reveal specific concerns or evaluation criteria. They’re often low-volume but extremely high-intent because they represent genuine decision-making criteria.
PPC strategy
Develop FAQ landing pages that address multiple related concerns.
Test lower bids — these queries often have less competition.
Use search query reports to identify emerging concerns and address them proactively.
The traditional single-brand campaign approach doesn’t give you enough control or insight at scale. Instead, structure your brand defense across four specialized campaigns, each targeting different intent signals and requiring distinct bid strategies.
Core brand defense
This covers exact-match brand terms and common misspellings with aggressive bidding to maintain 95%+ impression share and top positions. Never let this campaign be budget-limited.
Use multiple RSAs to test different value propositions. Monitor lost impression share due to rank as your primary competitive threat indicator.
Brand + category
Capture phrase-match queries like “[Brand] CRM” or “[Brand] for [use case],” where users are researching you within a specific product context.
Bid slightly lower than core brand terms, but ensure ad copy acknowledges the category and emphasizes your category leadership. Test whether category-specific landing pages outperform your homepage for these queries.
Brand reputation and reviews
Theseintercept validation-phase users searching “[Brand] reviews,” “[Brand] ratings,” or “is [Brand] good” before they click through to third-party aggregators. Bid aggressively here — these comparison-shopping clicks are worth more than core brand searches.
Use review extensions prominently, include specific social proof metrics in ad copy (4.8 stars, 10,000+ reviews), and send traffic to dedicated testimonial pages rather than your homepage. Test video testimonials on landing pages.
Competitive comparison defense
Control the narrative for queries like “[Brand] vs [Competitor],” “[Brand] alternative,” or “better than [Brand].” These are users you’re at risk of losing, so pay up to your maximum acceptable CPA.
Create unique landing pages for each major competitor with honest comparisons that emphasize your advantages, include side-by-side feature tables, and offer special conversion incentives like extended trials or migration assistance.
Defensive tactics against third-party aggregators
Sites like G2, Capterra, and other affiliate comparison sites actively bid on your brand terms without violating trademark policy because they legitimately have content about your brand.
But they’re siphoning off your traffic and often presenting biased or incomplete information. Your defense requires three coordinated approaches.
Bid aggressively on review keywords
Review aggregators bid heavily on “[Brand] reviews” and “[Brand] ratings” because these are their money keywords, so you need to bid even higher.
Run the math: If a review aggregator click costs you $3 but sends that user to a page where your competitor’s ad costs $50, you’re getting a deal at $10 per click on your own review keywords.
Calculate the lifetime value of a customer versus the cost of letting them click to a third-party site where competitors can advertise. Also, keep in mind it’s cheaper for you to bid on your own brand than for competitors to outbid you.
Claim and optimize your profiles on major review platforms you want to work with
Even if you can’t prevent them from bidding on your brand, ensure that when users click through, they see optimized content, strong ratings, and an active presence with responses to reviews.
Many review platforms offer advertising options — test running ads on your own profile pages to capture users who arrive via organic search or competitor ads.
Build dedicated testimonial and customer story pages
Make yours more compelling than third-party review aggregators. Include video testimonials, detailed case studies with metrics, filterable reviews by industry or use case, and verified customer badges.
Then use your PPC ads to drive users to these owned properties instead of letting them discover review aggregators organically.
Your brand campaign ad copy needs to do more than confirm your brand name. It needs to preempt objections, differentiate from competitors, and provide compelling reasons to click your ad instead of a competitor’s or third-party site. Three frameworks deliver results.
The preemptive strike
Identify the top 3-5 objections that come up in your sales process and address them directly in your ad copy before users encounter them on competitor or review sites.
If implementation time is a concern, use “Live in 5 days, not 5 months.”
If pricing is opaque, try “Transparent pricing, no hidden fees.”
If enterprise readiness is questioned, lead with “Trusted by 500+ enterprise customers.”
If ease of use is a concern, emphasize “No training required, start today.”
The competitive differentiator
Don’t just state features, state features your competitors don’t have or can’t match. This is especially critical for comparison queries where you know competitors are showing ads. Examples include:
“Only platform with native [unique integration].”
“Industry’s fastest performance, verified by [third party].”
If you can’t identify any unique features or USPs, that’s a signal to improve your product positioning or capabilities. Without clear differentiation, PPC alone won’t drive sustainable conversions.
Social proof stacking
Combine multiple types of social proof to build credibility quickly. Don’t just pick one element, stack them. Try
“4.8 stars from 10,000+ reviews. G2 leader 5 years running.”
“Join 50,000+ companies. Featured in Forbes and TechCrunch.”
“Winner: Best [category] 2025. 98% customer satisfaction.”
Sending all brand traffic to your homepage is a missed opportunity. Different branded queries represent different user intents and concerns, and your landing pages should address those specific intents.
Feature-specific pages
When users search “[Brand] + [feature],” send them to dedicated pages that explain the feature in detail, show it in action, and provide clear next steps.
Include a hero section explaining the feature in one sentence, a video demo or animated screenshot, technical specifications for enterprise buyers, integration details if relevant, and customer examples using this specific feature.
Comparison pages
Create dedicated comparison landing pages for each major competitor. Be honest about differences while emphasizing your advantages. Include side-by-side feature tables, pricing comparisons if advantageous, and customer testimonials from switchers.
Acknowledge competitor strengths without being dismissive, highlight 3-5 key differentiators where you excel, and offer migration assistance or switch incentives. Make your CTA clear and prominent, offering a trial or demo.
Trust and validation pages
For review and reputation queries, create dedicated pages that aggregate social proof rather than linking to your G2 profile or hoping users browse scattered testimonials.
Display aggregate ratings prominently (average of G2, Capterra, etc.), place video testimonials above the fold, show recent reviews with verified badges, make reviews filterable by industry, company size, and use case, include case studies with concrete metrics, and highlight third-party awards and recognition.
Monitoring and optimization: The ongoing battle
Brand protection isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it strategy. The competitive landscape constantly evolves, new competitors emerge, third-party sites adjust their strategies, and user search behavior shifts. You need systematic monitoring and rapid response capabilities across three time horizons.
Weekly monitoring
Review:
Search term reports to identify new query patterns.
Auction insights for increased competitor presence.
Impression share metrics to diagnose declining performance.
Lost impression share breakdowns by budget and rank.
Manual searches of your top 10 brand queries to see what ads are showing.
Quality score checks for brand keywords to diagnose landing page or ad relevance issues.
Monthly deep dives
Analyze conversion paths to understand how brand search fits into the broader customer journey.
Review assisted conversions since brand campaigns often contribute to non-brand conversions.
Audit landing pages for relevance and conversion performance.
Gather competitive intelligence on what landing pages competitors use for brand conquesting.
Test new ad copy variations focused on emerging objections or competitive threats.
Analyze search impression share by device and location to identify gaps.
Quarterly strategic reviews
Audit your complete branded query coverage to identify missing categories or query types.
Assess whether your coverage across the four query categories remains comprehensive.
Conduct competitive conquest analysis to determine which competitors most aggressively target your brand.
Evaluate ROI of different brand campaign types to optimize budget allocation.
Review third-party aggregator presence for new sites bidding on your brand.
Advanced tactics for sophisticated brand protection
Dynamic keyword insertion
For validation queries like “is [Brand] good” or “does [Brand] work,” use dynamic keyword insertion to echo the user’s specific question in your ad copy, creating higher relevance and click-through rates. Try headlines like “Yes, {KeyWord:[Brand]} Is Excellent” or “Absolutely, {KeyWord:[Brand]} Works.”
Geo-modified campaigns
If you have location-specific offerings or competitors vary by geography, create geo-modified brand campaigns. Users searching “[Brand] New York” or “[Brand] enterprise” may have different needs than general brand searchers.
Audience layering
Apply audience segments to brand campaigns to adjust bids based on user quality. Users who’ve visited your pricing page before should get higher bids on brand searches than first-time visitors. Similarly, prioritize users who match your ideal customer profile demographics.
Trademark enforcement
While Google generally allows competitors to bid on your brand terms, using your trademarked brand name in their ad copy is often prohibited.
Monitor competitor ads and file trademark complaints when they use your brand name in headlines or descriptions. This is particularly effective against smaller competitors and affiliates who may not realize they’re violating policy.
Problem/solution queries
Capture queries where users are researching whether your solution addresses a specific problem. These are often high-intent and represent clear use case alignment.
Target queries like:
“[Brand] for [problem].”
“How to [solve problem] with [Brand].”
“[Brand] [use case] solution.”
“Can [Brand] help with [challenge].”
Budget allocation and ROI considerations
How much should you invest in brand protection versus acquisition campaigns? The answer depends on three factors:
Competitive pressure.
Brand strength.
Customer lifetime value.
If you operate in a highly competitive category where multiple well-funded competitors actively bid on your brand terms, invest more in brand protection. Run auction insights weekly to monthly to quantify competitive presence.
If competitors show in 40% or more of your brand auctions, this is a high-threat environment requiring aggressive defense. Stronger brands with dominant organic presence can afford to spend less on core brand defense because their organic listings provide natural protection. This doesn’t apply to reputation and comparison queries where third-party sites rank organically.
High LTV businesses should invest more aggressively in brand protection because the cost of losing a customer to a competitor or having them influenced by negative review sites is substantial. If your average customer is worth $50,000 over their lifetime, paying $50 per click to defend against comparison queries is economically rational.
For most B2B SaaS and high-consideration products, allocate approximately 15-25% of total paid search budget to comprehensive brand protection. Within that allocation, dedicate 40% to core brand defense (exact match), 25% to competitive comparison defense, 20% to reputation and review queries, and 15% to feature and niche question queries.
Brand protection through PPC isn’t just defensive marketing. It’s a competitive moat. When you control the narrative across branded search contexts, you ensure high-intent users see accurate information instead of competitor ads or third-party pages monetizing your brand equity.
The brands that win treat this as strategy, not maintenance. They segment branded queries by intent, build landing pages to match, monitor threats continuously, and defend high-value search real estate aggressively.
Start with an audit using the four-category framework. Close coverage gaps, align campaigns and landing pages to intent, and commit to weekly monitoring, monthly optimization, and quarterly strategic reviews.
If you don’t own your branded searches, someone else will.
If your brand’s content arm has been active for a few years, I’m guessing you have plenty of material that can be revised to help you show up more prominently in AI search answers — we’ll call this AEO throughout the article.
I’m getting bombarded with brand marketers’ questions about how to get AEO traction these days. “Revise your old content” is a favorite answer that often produces an “aha” moment for the other party, possibly because the nature of AEO is so forward-looking.
That answer sparks a few important follow-up questions I’ll tackle below.
How do you reformat content for better AEO performance?
I like to lean on three principles when I tackle content reformatting. Optimizing for:
Topical breadth and depth.
Chunk-level retrieval.
Answer synthesis.
Here’s what that means in practice.
Optimize for topical breadth and depth
Structure your site using a hub-and-spoke model. For each primary category or keyword theme, build a comprehensive hub page that introduces the broader topic and links out to supporting spoke pages that dive deeper into specific facets.
Each spoke page should focus on one clear angle and develop it thoroughly enough to establish distinct purpose and query intent. Because user questions branch in different directions, covering multiple angles helps expand your overall topical reach.
Link related spoke pages to one another where it makes sense, and consistently back to the hub as the central reference point. This reinforces how your content connects and gives AI systems clearer signals about the relationships between topics.
Don’t rely on using the whole page for context. Each chunk should be independently understandable.
Keep passages semantically tight and self-contained. Use one idea per section and keep each passage tightly focused on a single concept — as Our Family Wizard did here:
Optimize for answer synthesis
Summarize complex ideas clearly, then expand with a clearly structured “Summary” or “Key takeaways”. Start answers with a direct, concise sentence. Favor a plain, factual, non-promotional tone.
This formatting, from Baseten, puts an easily digested TL;DR right at the top of a post explaining AI inference:
Start with the premise that AI readability is about clarity, not gimmicks, and this approach has tons of appeal to humans looking to quickly understand the content they’re consuming.
AI systems favor content where:
Answers are named, not inferred.
Sections have clear intent.
Key points are easy to lift without rewriting.
That often means being more explicit than traditional SEO ever required — defining terms directly, summarizing sections, and stating conclusions early. It’s kind of the opposite of keyword-stuffed content that’s overwritten to hit assumed “preferences” the Google algorithm might have for content length.
The only real hesitation I have is that content generated by AI may oversimplify nuance. Not every page should be optimized for a single atomic answer, and strategic or opinionated content still benefits from narrative flow.
I try to strike a balance by:
Explaining first, then elaborating.
Labeling insights, then proving them.
Making the answer obvious before adding sophistication.
When done well, this has appeal for both AI and humans.
Now, all of that said, LLM-produced content — just check out your LinkedIn feed if you need examples — very quickly became recognizable as exactly what it is: AI-produced content that’s easily consumed by AI models.
The effect can be very off-putting depending on the reader, even if your content, as it should always strive to do, includes original POVs, research, and or data that the LLMs couldn’t possibly find from existing content.
Keep a close eye out for AI tells, the dreaded em dash, squished vertical line spacing, a bullet-point list featuring emojis, sentence structures like “It’s not just [X]. It’s also [Y].” or “It’s more than [A]. It’s [B].” and removing them wherever you see them.
For AEO, prioritization is less about traffic, which is where a lot of SEO marketers stop KPI-wise, and more about answer value.
I start by identifying content that:
Contains clear expertise or proprietary insight, which LLMs love.
Answers questions people ask repeatedly but doesn’t state the answer cleanly.
Is already referenced internally by sales, support, or customers as “explainer” material.
Also worth noting: Is the content focusing on one of our core products or services, even indirectly? That’s fundamental. Visibility for visibility’s sake isn’t worth much, so make sure it’s got a natural tie-in to pipeline or revenue growth.
As far as types of content to prioritize, reports, tools, and evergreen guides tend to rise to the top because they already contain structured thinking, if not structured answers. AI systems don’t reward originality embedded in prose. They reward explicit conclusions, definitions, and frameworks.
Here’s my simple AEO prioritization test:
Can an AI model confidently quote or summarize this page as is?
Would it know what question this page answers within the first few seconds?
Are the key takeaways labeled or implied?
If the answers are “no,” and the theme of the content is important to your business growth, that content is a strong reformatting candidate.
How do you approach metadata when revising content for AEO?
Before I dive into the how, I’ll mention that these elements have a different function for AEO than they do for SEO. In SEO, they function as ranking levers. In AEO, they serve more as context anchors.
Let’s break down each key element of metadata and show how that difference should play out.
Title tags
Title tags serve as the topic of the page for traditional SEO. For AEO, make them more descriptive about the page’s primary answer or function.
So a title tag that reads “Session replay software” for SEO purposes could be rewritten for AEO to say “Session replay: what it is, when to use it, and when not to use it.” Title tags with more context give AI systems clearer signals about how and when to cite the content.
Headings (H1-H3)
In traditional SEO, header tags have been used to identify categories, for example, “compliance monitoring.”
In AEO, I use them to map to specific questions or claims. Possible updated versions of the above would be:
What is compliance monitoring?
Why does compliance monitoring matter for companies in {x} vertical?
Common issues caused by a lack of compliance monitoring
When should a CTO invest in compliance monitoring?
To stress-test your header tags, try answering them. If it takes you more than a few sentences to answer your question or prove your assertion clearly and persuasively, it’s probably the wrong question and not one a user is going to type into ChatGPT.
Meta descriptions
Meta descriptions are those chunks of expanded text that might or might not be pulled into the SERP in traditional SEO, but do serve to explain more about the content. In AEO, they act as a compressed intent signal. AI systems, like the SERPs, may choose not to quote the meta description, but good ones help reinforce:
Who the content is for.
What problem it resolves.
How it should be framed.
Through the AEO lens, I look at meta descriptions as a one-sentence briefing note for both users and LLMs.
What changes — and what doesn’t — in the shift to AEO
You may have noticed a theme here — while, in general, what’s good for SEO is what’s good for AEO, there are material differences in the two disciplines. Knowing what they are and how to adapt accordingly can pay off in AI search visibility.
I’m not arguing that your content strategy or themes should pivot. But knowing that AI models read and ingest content differently than more traditional SEO algorithms is important and should be factored into the way you’re repurposing your evergreen work from months and years past.
Google published a new help page detailing how its Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) works — offering merchants clearer guidance on how checkout flows operate across Google properties.
What’s happening. The documentation explains how UCP and its UCP-powered checkout enable a native “Buy” button that moves the transaction directly onto Google surfaces, while merchants remain the seller of record. To activate the feature, merchants must implement the native_commerce attribute in Merchant Center.
Payments run through stored Google Wallet credentials, and processors must support Google Pay tokens.
Why we care. UCP was first introduced as part of Google’s agentic shopping push and later confirmed as live in Merchant Center. UCP moves checkout directly onto Google surfaces, reducing friction between product discovery and purchase. That could improve conversion rates, especially in AI-driven experiences like Gemini and AI Mode.
The new documentation also clarifies implementation requirements, helping merchants prepare their feeds and payment systems to participate in Google’s evolving, agent-powered commerce ecosystem.
The bigger picture. By centralizing checkout while keeping merchants as the seller of record, Google is reducing friction in AI-assisted shopping and tightening its control over the transaction layer.
The bottom line. With formal documentation now live, UCP moves from concept to operational playbook — signaling that AI-driven, on-Google checkout is becoming a core part of Google’s commerce strategy.
First seen. The help document was spotted by PPC News Feed founder Hana Kobzova.
RPCS3 keeps getting better With their latest updates to RPCS3, kd-11, the project’s lead graphics developer, has managed to solve two longstanding issues with the PlayStation 3 emulator. With improvements to Z-Culling and the emulator’s Texel Remapper, RPCS3 can now run several PS3 classics with improved visuals. Thanks to these changes, many previously incorrect visuals […]
Lenovo's Yoga 7 2-in-1 with a 2K OLED display and AMD Ryzen AI 5 CPU is currently down to just $599 at Best Buy. It's such a good deal that it's set to expire tonight.
Rich color options, powerful features, and an ultra-lightweight build—the Yunzii M1 is designed to deliver exceptional comfort and precision in every move. With its sleek design and pro-level performance, it's the perfect upgrade for your gaming desk setup and daily workflow alike.
Versatile Connectivity
The Yunzii M1 supports 2.4 GHz wireless, Bluetooth, and USB-C wired modes, offering flexible and low-latency performance across different usage scenarios. Compatible with both Windows and macOS, it transitions seamlessly between gaming, office work, and travel setups. Each package includes the Yunzii M1 mouse, a Type-C cable, a 2.4G receiver with a built-in storage compartment, and a user manual—everything you need right out of the box.
Intel has confirmed the existence of its larger Arc Pro B70 "Battlemage" graphics card, designed for professional visualization and AI workloads, through its LLM Scaler software with a small performance testing done in non-ideal scenario. The company plans to release this GPU within the current quarter, which means we could see the official launch and availability in about a month. The upcoming Arc Pro B70 and Arc Pro B65 GPUs are part of this release, utilizing the long-rumored BMG-G31 GPU die intended for higher-end models.
Starting with the more advanced Arc Pro B70, Intel plans a BMG-G31 configuration featuring 32 Xe2 cores and 32 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus. This setup translates to approximately 4,096 FP32 cores in its full configuration, doubling the core count and memory capacity of the current Arc Pro B60, within a single-GPU version. For the smaller Arc Pro B65, Intel has scaled down the BMG-G31 die to support 2,560 FP32 cores, with a total of 20 Xe2 cores. While this matches the core configuration of the Arc Pro B60, the B65 comes with 32 GB of GDDR6 memory, which is 8 GB more than the Arc Pro B60. As dual-GPU configurations were common with the Arc Pro B60, we might also see dual-GPU PCBs with the Arc Pro B70 if Intel's partners like Maxsun follow suit with their Arc Pro B60 Dual-GPU card.
According to Culpium—written by ex Bloomberg tech industry writer Tim Culpan—TSMC is now telling its customers to apply for production allocation for its N2 node, as most of it has already been booked up until the end of 2027. Lead time is said to be six quarters on what production capacity is left, which is causing problems for companies that manufacture with TSMC to live up to their own roadmaps. Even those lucky enough to have been allocated production on the N2 node are said to be looking at as much as a 12 month lead time from start of production until delivery of the finished chips.
Culpium also confirms that NVIDIA now is TSMC's biggest customer, as we reported last week. Even so, NVIDIA is also said to be affected by the N2 node production constraints, even though they might not be as badly affected as small customers of TSMC. The report mentions that there are some exceptions to the lead times, including what is referred to as hot lots or hot runs, but these come in at premium pricing for the customers, as these are last-minute production runs that don't have guaranteed lead times. This is bad news all around, as it means a lot of planned products are unlikely to see the light of day, as they will either be too costly to manufacture or it will simply take too long for it to make sense to invest in.
Today, the NanoIC pilot line, a European initiative coordinated by imec and dedicated to accelerating innovation in chip technologies beyond 2 nm, releases two first-of-a-kind advanced interconnect process design kits (PDKs): a fine-pitch redistribution layer (RDL) and die-to-wafer (D2W) hybrid bonding PDK. These early-access PDKs bring advanced packaging capabilities within reach of universities, start‑ups, and industry innovators and mark an important step in enabling high‑density, energy‑efficient chip‑to‑chip connectivity.
As the semiconductor industry moves toward ever more complex and heterogeneous system architectures, advanced packaging has become a key enabler in supporting this progress. Instead of merely enclosing individual chips, today's packaging technologies bring multiple dies (chiplets) together into tightly integrated systems where performance, energy efficiency, and bandwidth hinge on how effectively those components can interact. By enabling chiplets to be interconnected at high density, advanced packaging provides the foundation for the next generation of high‑performance computing, AI accelerators, and data‑intensive applications.
NVIDIA has released its latest GeForce 595.71 WHQL Game Ready Driver, addressing issues from the previous 595.59 WHQL version, which caused many headaches for gamers who installed it. With the new 595.71 WHQL, NVIDIA is providing support and optimizations for games such as Resident Evil Requiem and Marathon. Alongside these games, the new 595.71 WHQL fixes problems found in 595.59 WHQL, including a bug where one or more GPU fans stopped spinning after the update. Thankfully, this has been fixed, and gamers were spared the headaches of potentially damaging their expensive GPUs. Additionally, hardware monitoring utilities can now once again recognize all GPU fans, allowing users to continue monitoring and fine-tuning fan profiles without issues. Interestingly, this comes as another game ready driver release, and not a hotfix version. NVIDIA also fixed some game artifacts that were appearing specifically with the GeForce RTX 50 series, such as green artifacts in Total War: THREE KINGDOMS and black bars appearing in The Ascent.
Apple today announced the new iPad Air featuring M4 and more memory, giving users a big jump in performance at the same starting price. With a faster CPU and GPU, iPad Air boosts tasks like editing and gaming, and is a powerful device for AI with a faster Neural Engine, higher memory bandwidth, and 50 percent more unified system memory than the previous generation. With M4, iPad Air is up to 30 percent faster than iPad Air with M3, and up to 2.3x faster than iPad Air with M1. The new iPad Air also features the latest in Apple silicon connectivity chips, N1 and C1X, delivering fast wireless and cellular connections—and support for Wi-Fi 7—that empower users to work and be creative anywhere. Available in two sizes and four gorgeous finishes that users love, the 11-inch iPad Air is super portable, and the 13-inch model provides an even larger display for those who want more space to multitask. With game-changing iPadOS 26 capabilities, advanced cameras, all-day battery life, a powerful app ecosystem, and support for accessories like Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard, iPad Air delivers a remarkable and versatile experience for anyone who wants to do more on iPad, from students and creators, to business users and gamers.
With the same starting price of just $599 for the 11-inch model and $799 for the 13-inch model, the new iPad Air is an incredible value. And for education, the 11-inch iPad Air starts at $549, and the 13-inch model starts at $749. Customers can pre-order iPad Air starting Wednesday, March 4, with availability beginning Wednesday, March 11.
Intel used its MWC conference in Barcelona to showcase its most core-dense Xeon 6+ processor, codenamed "Clearwater Forest." As one of Intel's most complex chiplet designs, the package combines 12 compute chiplets manufactured on an Intel 18A node with three active base tiles on Intel 3 and two I/O tiles on Intel 7. In this configuration, each compute tile contains six modules of four "Darkmont" efficiency cores, providing 24 E-cores per tile and a maximum of 288 "Darkmont" E-cores on a single socket. A two-socket system, therefore, approaches 576 cores. The design connects clusters with a high-bandwidth on-chip fabric and stacks die using Foveros Direct 3D, while EMIB links connect multiple tiles in a 2.5D arrangement.
Each "Darkmont" E-core comes with a 64 KB instruction cache, a wider front end, and a larger out-of-order window to sustain more in-flight work. Execution resources and the number of execution ports have been increased to improve parallel integer and vector throughput. Physically, clusters are grouped in four-core units sharing about 4 MB of L2 cache per group, and the package-level last-level cache can exceed a gigabyte, with about 1,152 MB of combined last-level cache across the package. "Clearwater Forest" supports the existing Xeon server platform socket, 12 memory channels, and broad I/O, including 96 PCIe 5.0 lanes and 64 CXL 2.0 lanes. Memory speed targets push toward DDR5-8000.
The most striking prototype was the AI Workmate Concept, a desk robot that combines conversational AI with cameras, sensors, and projection hardware. Less dramatic – but more immediately practical – was the AI Work Companion Concept, a stationary desktop assistant with its own display and AI-driven scheduling engine. Together, they...
The Legion Go Fold's headline feature is a folding pOLED panel that goes from 7.7 inches when folded to 11.6 inches when fully opened, giving you a tablet-class screen without carrying around a tablet-sized device. The display comes with a 2,435 x 1,712 resolution and a speedy 165Hz refresh rate.
Veterinary clinics are overwhelmed with inbound calls, appointment scheduling, emergency triage questions, and follow-ups while trying to deliver quality patient care. PupPilot is the AI front office built specifically for veterinary practices. It automates call handling, scheduling coordination, post-visit follow-ups, and urgent triage routing, reducing front desk overload without sacrificing clinical nuance. Unlike generic AI call systems, PupPilot is designed for species-specific workflows and real-world veterinary operations. The result is fewer missed calls, smoother scheduling, and more time focused on patients.
Users of a popular Iranian prayer app were flooded with phone notifications as U.S. air strikes hit Iran's biggest cities, killing the country's leader.
After wooing Cal AI for months, MyFitnessPal has successfully acquired its up-and-coming rival, Cal AI, the app built by teens soaring on the apps stores.
Anthropic's AI chatbot Claude experienced widespread service disruptions on Monday morning, with thousands of users reporting issues accessing the bot.
UPDATE - March 3, 2026: Shortly after the publication of this article, NACON took to X (formerly Twitter) to confirm that its NACON Connect event will return in May 2026, but did not specify a date in May. Original Story: French publisher NACON, the company behind releases like last year's Hell is Us and upcoming titles like Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss has had quite a wild week. A week ago today, the company announced it would be hosting a NACON Connect showcase to show off its upcoming releases and give players a tease of what's coming for 2026 and beyond. […]
Samsung sticking with the same 5,000mAh battery on the Galaxy S26 Ultra as the company’s previous flagships would have made buyers livid, as they likely had the impression that the company was taking an ultra-conservative approach while its rivals were advancing with high-capacity silicon-carbon batteries. However, little did they know that Samsung’s latest and greatest has incredible endurance, with a battery drain test showing that the device can hold out quite well against the competition. Surprisingly, the iPhone 17 Pro Max meets its match as the Galaxy S26 Ultra manages to successfully outlast its smartphone rival The popular YouTuber Mrwhosetheboss […]
Qualcomm has just taken a significant step towards cornering edge AI use cases, especially when it comes to smart watches and other wearable devices like AI pins and AI pendants, by unveiling the all-new Snapdragon Elite Wear chip that offers "best-in-class AI performance and power efficiency." Qualcomm's Snapdragon Elite Wear chip is capable of running an on-device model with up to 2 billion parameters, with Time To First Token (TTFT) of just 200ms, and the ability to process up to 10 tokens per second Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Wear leverages TSMC's 3nm chip fabrication process and sports the following CPU […]
Starfield has long been rumored to be set for a PlayStation 5 launch, and in the past few months, reports suggested that the latest open-world game from Bethesda would be launching on Sony's current-generation system sometime in April. Today, we learned there's a solid chance it will indeed make its debut on the system on April 7, 2026. In a new report shared today on Dealabs, reliable leaker billbil-kun corroborated the game's release date, previously revealed by Polish website PPE, whose sources haven't always been accurate. Following their own investigation, the leaker was able to corroborate not only the release date but also […]
For years, ecommerce ran on a simple model: Google drove traffic, and your site did the selling. Rankings, clicks, and conversion rate determined performance. That model just changed.
With the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) and AI Mode, Google can now discover, compare, and complete purchases inside its own AI experiences. Search is shifting from a traffic channel to a transaction layer. Visibility now depends on whether Google’s AI selects your product data.
When AI makes the recommendation and closes the sale, optimization moves upstream. The question isn’t just whether you rank. It’s whether you’re chosen.
Here’s what changed and what SEO and AI optimization teams need to do next.
The shift to agentic commerce
Google launched the Universal Commerce Protocol, or UCP, on Jan. 11. This new open standard is designed to let AI agents discover, evaluate, recommend, and purchase products across the web, all inside Google’s own AI experiences.
What stood out to me wasn’t just the protocol itself, but the ecosystem Google built around it. UCP was developed with platforms like Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target, and Walmart, with payment networks already integrated. That kind of coordination suggests this was planned for the long haul, not just a quick test.
At the same time, Google rolled out three platform-level capabilities that make this real in day-to-day shopping:
Business Agent gives brands an AI-powered representative inside Search and the Gemini app. Shoppers can ask product questions, compare options, and get brand-level guidance without visiting a website.
Direct Offers allow merchants to inject exclusive discounts directly into Google’s AI Mode, so promotions now live inside the recommendation engine itself.
Checkout in AI Mode lets Google complete purchases inside its own interface, turning Google from a traffic broker into a transaction layer.
More importantly, this allows Google to turn everyday conversation into commerce. Instead of waiting for shoppers to type product searches, Gemini can now respond to natural language prompts like “help me plan a camping trip” or “what will get wine out of my couch” by pulling live inventory, pricing, and availability from retailers, and completing the purchase in the same interaction.
When AI intermediates the buying journey, brands compete inside the recommendation layer, not just in search results.
For most of my career, ecommerce worked the same way everywhere — search engines, ads, and marketplaces existed to send people to your site. Your site did the selling. UCP changes that model entirely.
Now AI handles the whole journey. It figures out what someone actually needs, compares the options, and can even complete the purchase. At that point, it doesn’t really matter how good your homepage or category page is if AI never chooses your product in the first place.
I saw this problem years ago, working with a large American candle retailer. People weren’t really shopping for candles. They were trying to get rid of pet smells, calm down after a long day, or make their house feel a certain way. But all we could give Google were scent names and product categories.
If someone wanted something that killed pet odor without smelling like fake fruit, we probably had the perfect candle, but it almost never got shown because the data couldn’t express that situation.
That’s what changes here. With Gemini and UCP, people can finally describe what they’re dealing with, and the AI can map that to the right products in a brand’s catalog.
And when checkout happens inside Google, everything shifts. You don’t win because someone clicked your site. You win because the AI picked your product. Business Agent pushes that even further by letting brands show up right in the middle of that decision.
In real terms, that can be the difference between moving a few thousand units and moving 10 times that, without changing a single product, just because the right things are finally being matched to the right people.
This creates a very different kind of competition than what we’re used to. In the past, weak data or mediocre pages might push you lower in the results. Now, when product data is incomplete or inconsistent, the AI has little reason to consider you at all.
Brands are competing for inclusion in the system’s recommendation set. That shift changes where the storefront lives. It now exists wherever the AI presents options in that moment.
The new playbook: How SEO and AI optimization help
For a long time, SEO was framed as getting pages to line up with keywords. In reality, search engines have always been trying to understand products well enough to make decisions on a user’s behalf. What’s changing now is how explicit that decision-making has become.
Google is feeding AI Mode, Gemini, and Business Agent with product feeds and structured data, and it keeps adding more fields that describe how products actually get used. Things like common questions, what works with what, and what people buy instead when something is out of stock. That’s how the AI starts to reason, not just match words.
I saw this clearly while working with an outdoor apparel brand. Someone planning a trip to Europe wasn’t really searching for a jacket. They were thinking about rain, cold mornings, long walks, and changing weather. We had the right products, but shoppers had to guess which filters to click or which category to start in to find them.
With agentic commerce, that guesswork goes away. A shopper can just say, “I’m going to Europe in the spring, what jacket should I bring?” and Gemini can look at weather resistance, weight, breathability, and what’s actually in stock, then show the few options that make sense.
That’s what all these new attributes unlock. They let the AI understand products the way a good salesperson would. And when that happens, it’s not a small optimization. It can be the difference between a campaign barely working and one that suddenly takes off.
What matters isn’t page position. It’s whether Google’s AI understands what a product is, who it’s for, and when it should be recommended.
When I worked with a high-end luxury jewelry retailer, one of our biggest challenges was building “user journey” pages. We had to create landing pages for things like anniversary gifts, modern gold, or minimalist style because shoppers weren’t searching for SKUs. They were searching for meaning:
“I need something that feels romantic.”
“This is for someone who loves simple gold instead of flashy diamonds.”
“I want it to look modern, not old-fashioned.”
Those pages worked, but they were slow to build, hard to keep fresh, and almost impossible to personalize.
With Gemini and UCP, that whole layer moves into AI. A shopper can just describe the person, the style, and the budget, and the system puts together the right products in real time. That feels less like search and more like having a personal shopper.
And none of that works without good product content. The descriptions, the specs, the reviews, even how people interact with the site are what give the AI something to reason with.
If your pages are thin or confusing, the AI has nothing solid to work from. For SEOs, this is the moment the fundamentals become decisive again.
The same goes for site experience. When people stick around, buy, and don’t return products, Google learns that your brand is a safe bet. In an AI-driven world, that trust is what keeps you in the recommendations.
Direct Offers then layer paid promotion on top of this organic selection system, creating a blended performance layer where feed quality, content quality, and media strategy all work together inside the AI buying experience.
Merchant Center has evolved beyond a Shopping ad upload tool. It now connects your entire retail operation to Google’s AI. Inventory, pricing, promotions, shipping, and product details all flow through it so Gemini can actually act on them. If that data is wrong or out of sync, the AI can’t confidently sell anything.
That’s why every field suddenly matters. Titles, descriptions, categories, GTINs, brand names, and images aren’t just metadata anymore. They’re how the AI knows what something is and whether it should trust it.
Google is also starting to add more human context into those feeds. Things like common questions, what accessories go with a product, what people buy instead, and how something is used in the real world. That’s how a machine starts to understand products the way a person does.
This is where a lot of brands get blindsided. A small pricing error, a feed that lags behind inventory, or a missing promotion is all it takes for products to quietly fall out of the AI layer. You might get an alert in Merchant Center, but if no one’s watching closely, the impact shows up in lost visibility long before anyone realizes what happened.
If you’re eligible, turning on Business Agent is part of this too. It lets your brand show up inside those AI conversations, not just as a product listing, but as something that can answer questions and close the sale.
And it’s not just the feed. Google is constantly comparing what you tell it in Merchant Center with what it sees on your site. When those two don’t line up, trust drops, and so does visibility.
Product feed optimization essentials checklist
Complete all available attributes
Title, description, product type, Google product category.
GTINs, MPNs, brand identifiers.
Images – multiple angles, lifestyle shots.
New conversational commerce attributes (coming soon)
Answers to common product questions.
Compatible accessories.
Product substitutes.
Use cases and scenarios.
Feed quality signals
Price accuracy and competitiveness.
Availability and inventory status.
Shipping and return information.
Promotion data for Direct Offers eligibility.
Business Agent activation
Eligible U.S. retailers can activate in Merchant Center.
Customize the AI agent’s voice to match brand.
Train the agent on product data – coming feature.
Enable direct purchases within the chat experience.
Structured data alignment
Ensure website schema markup matches Merchant Center data.
Product schema, offer schema, and review schema all contribute to AI understanding.
Connecting Google Search Console to Merchant Center
This connection matters more than most people realize. Search Console used to tell you how pages were doing. Merchant Center tells you how products are doing. In an AI-driven world, those two things are finally tied together.
Linking them turns this from guesswork into something you can actually manage. You can see which products are getting picked up by Google, which ones are getting ignored, and where bad data is quietly killing your visibility. Disapproved items, missing attributes, price mismatches – all of that shows up right where you can act on it.
It also lets you watch how demand is shifting. You can see when impressions move from traditional search into Shopping and AI results, and which products are benefiting. That’s how you know whether your catalog is really working inside the AI layer or just sitting there hoping someone clicks a link.
What to monitor
Once everything is connected, this becomes your early warning system. It’s the dashboard you end up living in. It tells you which products are broken, which ones are being ignored, and which ones are quietly driving everything.
Performance reports show which items are actually getting seen and clicked, whether that’s in Shopping results or inside AI experiences. And the alerts are what save you from surprises. Price mismatches, crawl issues, or policy problems can quietly pull products out of the AI layer without you ever noticing unless you’re watching.
In an AI-driven commerce world, those small data issues don’t just hurt performance. They decide whether your products show up at all.
Product feed diagnostics
Disapproved products and reasons.
Missing required attributes.
Data quality warnings.
Performance insights
Click-through rates on product listings.
Impressions in Shopping results vs. organic.
Conversion tracking across channels.
Issue alerts
Broken feeds or crawl errors.
Price and availability mismatches between site and feed.
Policy violations that limit visibility.
Action items
Set up automatic alerts for feed issues.
Regular audits of product data completeness.
Monitor new conversational commerce metrics as Google rolls them out.
This shift to agentic commerce is already happening. AI is now deciding what to show and what to recommend.
I’ve seen brands struggle not because their products were wrong, but because the right products never reached the right people. That’s always been the gap in search. People know what they need. The system just doesn’t always connect the dots.
Agentic commerce starts to close that gap. When AI understands both the shopper and the catalog, it can finally match real needs to real products instead of forcing people to guess the right keywords.
That’s what Google has built here. Search has become a system for turning intent into answers.
So the work is clear. Keep your product data clean. Connect Search Console and Merchant Center. And start thinking about how people actually describe their problems, not just how they type queries.
Amazon reports datacenter fire in the UAE after “objects hit” it during Iran missile strikes Amazon has confirmed that power has been shut off at one of its datacenters in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after the facility was “impacted by objects” amid Iran’s strikes against the country. This has impacted the availability of Amazon […]
Thermaltake launches its TT PowerCare after-sales support program in the UK Thermaltake has just launched its new TT PowerCare program in the UK, offering buyers fast PSU replacements alongside their existing extended warranties. Once a PSU is verified as faulty, Thermaltake UK will arrangea replacement within 48 working hours. This will give Thermaltake PSU buyers […]
Montech today unveiled the Beta 2 line of mainstream ATX 3.1 power supplies. These PSUs are designed to meet ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 CEM specifications, providing mainstream-thru-performance segment gaming PC builds with a modern PSU architecture. These come in four variants based on output, 550 W, 650 W, 750 W, and 850 W. All four offer 80 Plus Bronze-rated switching efficiency. All four models come with fixed cabling, which comprises individually-sleeved wires for each cable.
The PSUs feature single +12 V rail design, DC-to-DC switching, and most common electrical protections. All four use 120 mm hydro-dynamic bearing fans, and a Japanese-made main capacitor. All four models come with 24-pin ATX and two 4+4 pin EPS connectors. The 550 W, 650 W, and 750 W models come with two 6+2 pin PCIe power connectors (which meet ATX 3.1 excursion specs); while the 850 W model offers a 450 W-rated 12V-2x6 connector besides two 6+2 pin PCIe power. Montech is backing all four models with 5-year warranties. The 550 W model is priced at $49.90, the 650 W model at $59.90, the 750 W model at $63.90, while the 850 W model goes for $69.90.
Esports is entering its most transformative era yet, according to major global research from Logitech G showing increasing cultural acceptance and a significant rise in the number of people who view professional gaming as a legitimate and aspirational career path.
The newly released study, based on 18,000 respondents across 12 countries, shows that nearly one in 10 (8 per cent) of people globally would choose to become a professional gamer if they could restart their career, ranking higher than professions such as politician (6 per cent), recruiter (6 per cent), or professional racer (5 per cent). Gen Z respondents ranked pro gaming among their top career ambitions at 15 per cent, if they had the chance to start over or pick a new career, compared with 10 per cent of Millennials, 7 per cent of Gen X, and just 3 per cent of Boomers.
At MWC 2026, TCL introduces a comprehensive tablet lineup designed to support a range of modern digital lifestyles.
Leading the Productivity Segment
The TCL Note A1 NXTPAPER follows its award‑winning debut at CES with a showcase at MWC. As TCL's first NXTPAPER e-note, it delivers a paper‑like visual experience powered by NXTPAPER Pure display technology with 3A Crystal Shield Glass. Paired with the T‑Pen Pro featuring ultra‑low latency and 8,192 pressure levels, it closely replicates natural handwriting. Integrated AI tools further enhance note‑taking and content organization, creating a focused digital workspace for professionals, students, and creators.
Samsung Display participates in MWC26, the world's largest mobile communications exhibition, held in Barcelona, Spain from March 2 to 5. Marking its fourth consecutive year at the event, Samsung Display showcases a broad portfolio of OLED technologies that serve as both interfaces and component solutions optimized for AI edge computing. Notably, reflecting the growing importance of smartphone privacy alongside enhanced AI capabilities, the company has unveiled the "Flex Magic Pixel" zone, presenting its breakthrough panel-integrated privacy technology that demonstrates its OLED innovation to a global audience.
Under this year's exhibition theme, "The IQ Era," Samsung Display has designed its booth around the concept of "Intelligent OLED City." The booth is organized into four zones: AI Square, AI Edge District, AI Entertainment District and AI Sports District.
Writing in a press statement, Gartner warns that soaring memory costs are projected to cause a 10.4% worldwide decline in PC shipments while smartphone shipments are expected to drop by 8.4% in 2026.
Industry insiders have expressed particular confidence in Starfighter, directed by Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy. According to sources cited by Variety, early showings of footage have impressed studio observers who describe Gosling's performance as standout and praise Levy for recapturing the original series' "spirit of fun."
Mio is an AI phone assistant that dials, speaks naturally, and gets things done from a simple text. It navigates phone trees, waits on hold, talks to real people, and returns a clear summary of what was said and decided. Forward calls to Mio to screen spam, take messages, and confirm appointments. It remembers contacts and preferences, supports over 70 languages, shows live call status, and can schedule calls in advance. The pricing is pay-as-you-go with free signup credit and charges only for active conversation time.
This week is not about one big event. It shows where things are moving. Network systems, cloud setups, AI tools, and common apps are all being pushed in different ways. Small gaps in access control, exposed keys, and normal features are being used as entry points.
The pattern becomes clear only when you see everything together. Faster scans, smarter misuse of trusted services, and steady
Most SaaS teams remember the day their user traffic started growing fast. Few notice the day bots started targeting them.
On paper, everything looks great: more sign-ups, more sessions, more API calls. But in reality, something feels off:
Sign-ups increase, but users aren’t activating.
Server costs rise faster than revenue.
Logs are filled with repeated requests from strange user agents.
If
The PlayStation Pulse Explore earbuds are brilliant for PS5 and PlayStation Portal, and at this discounted rate we're highlighting today, superb value for money.
Pokémon Pokopia has broadly remained a mystery since its first announcement, with little given away about its gameplay mechanics and storyline; I’ve spent two weeks playing, and it’s a surprise worth waiting for.
The flagship Arrow Lake CPU isn't going to deliver any significant performance uplifts over its predecessor, but here's what you can expect. Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus Delivers 6-8% Higher Single and Multi-Threaded Performance vs Core Ultra 9 285HX in Leaked Geekbench Benchmarks Similar to the desktop variant, the mobile Arrow Lake lineup will also receive its new flagship chip called the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus. It's a high-performance chip that offers the same 24-core/24-thread configuration as its predecessor, the Core Ultra 9 285HX. However, being a refresh, it's going to bring some upgrades, mostly in the clock speed. […]
Stellar Blade was the first console and PC game by Korean developer Shift Up, and one of the best debuts on dedicated gaming platforms from a former mobile-only developer we have ever seen. While its initial popularity may have been boosted by Sony Interactive Entertainment, the game soon became a smashing success on PC, selling a considerable number of copies in a short time. With Stellar Blade 2 confirmed to be in development, it stood to reason that SIE would publish the second entry in the series as well, but there's a chance Shift Up will publish its next game itself, as the studio is strengthening its capabilities […]
Following a series of cast announcements for the show, the first look at the God of War series in development by Amazon arrived last week with a shot of Kratos and Atreus, played by Ryan Hurst and Callum Vinson, which directly adapts one of the first sequences of the 2018 game starring both. While this sort of picture is usually not very representative of a show's final quality, this first image caused quite a reaction, not only from fans of the series who believe there's some AI-generated content involved, but also from its creator, David Jaffe, who is known for his strong […]
The most powerful discrete GPU for the workstation segment, the Battlemage, will be available this quarter. Intel Arc Pro B70 Mentioned in LLM-Scaler vLMM Beta Release Notes, Confirming the Existence of BMG-G31-Powered Workstation GPU We have been hearing about the BMG-G31-powered Battlemage GPUs for a while now. Even though Intel appears to have cancelled the plans for releasing the consumer variant, the workstation variants are likely coming very soon. In January, we posted two stories related to the Arc Pro B70, which is going to be the flagship Battlemage workstation GPU in the lineup. It will be more powerful than […]
Laura Fryer, one of the original members of Xbox's founding team, shared her memories of working with Phil Spencer (who recently retired from Microsoft) in her latest YouTube video. However, she also revealed that she was forced out of Xbox after suffering an episode of harassment. Fryer was working directly below Xbox founder Seamus Blackley (yes, the same guy who just claimed the whole division would eventually be shuttered by new CEO Asha Sharma) in 2000. After Blackley left, she became Director of the Xbox Advanced Technology Group. In this role, she cultivated worldwide Xbox Developer Support, launched XNA, created […]
Save $150 on this powerful CyberPowerPC gaming rig, powered by the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D and our favorite gaming GPU right now, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, alongside a 2TB SSD and 32GB of DDR5 RAM, all for just $1,749.99.
Google Discover caught my attention in 2021, when it was driving millions of clicks a month to publishers. I underestimated how pervasive it would become.
My feed cycles through soccer, television, Baltimore news, SEO, and world events — a reminder that Discover understands users at an almost uncomfortable level.
It’s not limited to one app. Discover appears in Chrome new tabs, the Google app, Android home screens, Google.com on most mobile browsers, and other Google surfaces.
If Google Discover is everywhere, it’s our job as SEOs to capitalize on this opportunity. Let me show you how.
Essential considerations before we begin optimizing for Discover
Discover traffic isn’t a viable source for all brands, just as search isn’t for all of them.
Discover favors timely content
Content that performs well in Discover is almost always highly time-relevant and from authoritative sources, generally major publishers. It would be unusual to see evergreen content in Discover.
Because of this, sites I’ve worked with that get the most traffic from Discover often get less traffic from traditional search than they do from Discover.
Discover traffic is declining
Many publishers are finding that Discover traffic is declining, as the Discover feed now includes a large volume of social posts and AI summaries of major stories from multiple sources. This displaces the articles that used to make up the feed.
No matter how technically optimized a website is, content that’s good and relevant to users will outperform content that isn’t, even when their interests are constantly changing.
If your content doesn’t get traffic in Discover, consider whether it’s the kind of content Discover aims to surface. Likewise, if you experience a sudden drop in Discover traffic, review the content before exploring technical causes.
Don’t let any of this deter you from optimizing for Discover. These optimizations won’t hurt traditional search, and you may end up getting Discover traffic you didn’t expect — I’ve often seen non-publishers experience brief spikes in Discover. Most of these suggestions are minor template-level changes that should be low effort.
The three main things I look at first when auditing new clients are:
Discover publisher profile.
Images in articles.
Publisher and author signals.
This is where your optimizations start.
Discover publisher profile
Check your Discover publisher profile to ensure your website and social profiles are linked. You’ll need a tool to find your publisher profile page. I use Damian Tsuabaso’s, which is in Spanish but still straightforward. Insert your brand’s name, URL, or entity ID, then search.
Interestingly, Discover profile pages are linked directly to your entity’s Knowledge Graph ID. The URL string in the profile page is a tokenized version of the KGMID (not in all cases). I expand on this further in this LinkedIn post.
When reviewing your publisher profile page, focus on two main questions:
Does it reflect you as a publisher? New brands, or brands that have been acquired or rebranded, may have unclear publisher profiles. Fixing this requires clarifying your brand’s entity and making Knowledge Graph optimizations.
Are your brand’s social media accounts appearing on the page? Publisher pages can aggregate social media posts across platforms, and those posts are increasingly occupying real estate. Getting social profiles added may take time because there’s no dashboard for managing Discover profile pages.
To help link social accounts to your brand:
Ensure your Organization schema includes sameAs elements that list your social accounts.
Google’s documentation emphasizes that using images, especially large images, is important for visibility in Discover. It also recommends using the max-image-preview:large tag to display the best-resolution image as the article card preview.
I generally check the following:
Confirm there’s a max-image-preview:large tag. This may seem minor, but many CMSs don’t include it in article templates by default, and I routinely see it missing.
Ensure displayed images, especially the hero image at the top of the article, have a minimum width of 1,200 pixels. The rendered size will vary by browser, but the image file itself should be at least 1,200 pixels wide.
Review the configuration of your Open Graph image tags. They’re usually the preview image used in Discover. This image should match the hero image and be 1,200 pixels wide. I frequently see the Open Graph image set to a logo, which Google has discouraged. While that specific line was recently removed from the documentation, I’d still avoid using a logo.
The Open Graph Protocol also allows you to define image dimensions. When feasible, use those properties and ensure they accurately reflect the image’s true dimensions.
Publisher and author transparency
You’ve probably already considered E-E-A-T best practices, but implementing them supports overall content SEO performance.
For author transparency, I check that:
The article’s author is clearly defined on each article, including an image, byline, link to a bio page, and social links.
The listed authors are the actual contributors, not a generic company-wide byline or an uninvolved executive.
Author bio pages include a meaningful bio, credentials, links to social accounts, and links to other articles published on your site.
Relevant schema.org structured data related to the author is included on both the article and the bio page.
For publisher transparency, confirm that you:
Have an About Us page linked in your footer or main navigation.
Use Organization schema on your home or About page.
Have created robust terms of use and editorial policy pages related to your organization, and they’re linked in the footer.
Discover is just the beginning
Discover is driven by relevance, timeliness, and authority, not checklists.
Technical optimizations won’t make content succeed in Discover if it doesn’t belong there.
The optimizations outlined above are essential for visibility, but the largest Discover opportunities are typically uncovered through broader content audits.
Here’s a question every marketing leader should be asking right now: How healthy are your customer relationships? Not your campaigns, not your channels but the actual relationships.
It’s a harder question than it sounds. Most organizations have spent the last two decades building around channels.
Email had a team. Social had a team. In-store, ecommerce, service, each with their own stack, their own metrics, their own version of success. And from the inside, it looked like progress. Every team was hitting their numbers.
But from the customer’s perspective it felt like dealing with multiple companies wearing the same logo. Marketing sends a “We miss you!” email the day after a frustrating support call. Sales doesn’t know the customer has already watched a demo. In-store purchase history is invisible to the ecommerce team. No continuity. No memory. No relationship.
On March 11, 2026, some of the sharpest minds in marketing, CX, and customer engagement are coming together to tackle exactly that. Engage with SAP Online is a free, half-day virtual event built for leaders who are done optimizing channels in isolation and ready to rethink how their organizations build and sustain customer relationships.
Who’s speaking and why it matters
The event opens with Sara Richter, CMO of SAP Engagement Cloud, sharing new findings from the SAP Engagement Index, a global study of 10,000 consumers and 4,800 senior decision-makers. But the real draw is the lineup that follows.
Mark Ritson, professor, founder of MiniMBA, and arguably the most no-nonsense voice in marketing today, delivers the keynote: “Trends Shaping Customer Experience: What’s Real, What’s Not, and What Matters Most Now.”
If you’ve followed Ritson’s work, you know what to expect: zero hype, sharp diagnosis and a clear-eyed take on how customer behavior is shifting faster than most brands realize. He’ll unpack why loyalty can no longer live in marketing alone and what leaders need to do about it.
From there, two more sessions bring the theory to life:
Jutta Richter(head of 1:1 campaign management, BMW Group) tackles the question of influence in modern customer journeys, and how brands can show up with relevance when customers are already halfway to a decision.
Daniele Tedesco (ecommerce global process owner, Essity) and Venky Naravulu (director of partner solutions, Sinch) join Ritson to share real-world lessons on modernizing engagement through AI and connected systems.
Across all sessions, the focus is on what’s working, what isn’t, and what to do about it.
As Ritson himself put it in contributing to the Engagement Index: “Engagement isn’t something one department can fix. Every team shapes the brand, and the real progress comes when they work from the same understanding of the customer.”
The backdrop: Why this conversation is urgent
This event isn’t happening in a vacuum. Preview findings from the SAP Engagement Index, which will be unveiled in full at the event, point to a growing disconnect between what customers expect and what most organizations can deliver.
Among the headlines:
75% of consumers say they’re put off by disorganized brands that pass them between multiple people or teams to resolve a single issue.
Yet 77% of brands claim their engagement strategies already deliver seamless experiences.
SAP calls this the Engagement Divide: the distance between what customers need in the moments that matter and what most organizations can actually deliver. And based on the research, for most businesses, it’s growing.
The channel mismatch alone tells a story. Customers have moved, but too many brands haven’t followed:
41% of consumers prefer to shop via mobile apps, yet only 28% of brands engage there.
43% of consumers prefer online shopping, yet only 26% of brands engage via web and e-commerce.
And when SAP assessed how well organizations align people, processes and technology around engagement, just 21% scored at a high maturity level. The vast majority, 63%, sit in the middle: able to deliver basic personalization, but struggling with the coordination across marketing, sales, service, and commerce that consistent experiences demand.
It’s a crowded middle tier, and breaking out of it requires more than better campaigns. It requires a fundamentally different operating model.
From channels to relationships
The conditions driving this divide have been building for years. Customer acquisition costs have climbed steeply across sectors. Third-party tracking is eroding. When it costs that much to win a customer, you can’t afford to lose them at a weak handoff between marketing and fulfillment, or between purchase and support.
And consumers themselves have changed. With AI at their fingertips, they compare, switch and decide in seconds. They form opinions long before a brand’s message lands in their inbox. The micro-moments that used to belong to marketers now belong to customers, and those moments increasingly determine whether a brand wins or loses a relationship.
At the same time, the technology to fix this has finally matured. Customer data platforms work. AI has moved from experiment to operational tool. Real-time processing is no longer enterprise-only. The capability exists. The question is whether organizations can reorganize to use it.
At SAP, they’re calling this shift the Engagement Era: a move from organizing around channels and departments to organizing around the customer relationship as a whole. A world where engagement isn’t episodic but continuous, where loyalty is an outcome of connected experiences, and where every function that touches the customer journey is visible and coordinated.
The research shows that intent is already there:
77% of businesses plan to invest in AI-powered engagement this year
76% are investing in omnichannel technologies
The challenge is execution: moving from channel-centric optimization to relationship-centric orchestration. That means unified customer profiles visible across every department. It means journey-level visibility, not just campaign-level reporting. It means measuring success at the relationship level, lifetime value, retention, advocacy, not just opens and clicks.
The speakers and practitioners at Engage with SAP Online on March 11 are the ones building the playbook. If you’re ready to see what that looks like in practice, this is a half-day well spent.
Intel’s expected to unveil its refreshed lineup of Core Ultra CPUs this month It looks like Intel is getting ready to launch its Core Ultra 5 250K Plus and Core Ultra 7 270K Plus CPUs, refreshing the company’s Core Ultra 200 series lineup. According to Videocardz, Intel plans to unveil its “Arrow Lake Refresh” on […]
Microsoft's gaming team had a big all-hands meeting last week, and the mood was emotional, but also energized and jubilant. Here's what outgoing CEO Phil Spencer and incoming CEO Asha Sharma had to say.
Xbox’s new CEO has moved quickly to hire two senior marketing leaders, including a Publishing and Lifecycle Marketing Leader and a Senior Product Marketing Manager for a major RPG franchise, potentially signalling a shift in Xbox’s marketing strategy.
As 5G adoption continues to accelerate, high-speed connectivity is reshaping digital experiences—yet many users worldwide still do not have access to 5G. To bridge this gap and accelerate the transition from 4G to 5G, TCL is introducing an entry-level 5G connectivity lineup at MWC26, including TCL 5G CPE B50 and TCL 5G Mobile Wi-Fi B50 Pro. Together with the brand-new Wi-Fi router TCL LINKHUB WR5360, these products deliver faster, more stable and smarter connectivity across homes, offices and mobile scenarios. By integrating 5G and Wi-Fi 7 technologies into entry-level devices, TCL continues to make premium connectivity more attainable.
TCL 5G CPE B50: A high-performance entry-level 5G foundation
Built around essential connectivity demands—including speed, stability, and multi-device capacity—B50 brings advanced 5G and Wi-Fi 7 technologies into an accessible networking solution.
TCL introduces its all-new TCL CrystalClip earbuds at MWC 2026, setting a new benchmark for open-ear audio with a seamless blend of immersive sound performance, effortless all-day comfort, refined design aesthetics, intuitive AI-powered functionality and truly enduring battery life.
Pioneering the Future of Open-Ear Comfort
The way we listen is evolving, and so are consumer expectations. Consumers are increasingly seeking solutions that offer extended comfort, maintain connection with the environment, and deliver high-quality audio throughout the day. This growing preference has paved the way for "open-ear" design to emerge as a natural evolution in personal audio.
RayNeo, a leading innovator in augmented reality (AR) wearable technology, today unveiled the Batman Edition of its latest smart glasses, the RayNeo Air 4 Pro, at MWC 2026. Available for purchase since February 27, 2026, RayNeo Air 4 Pro comes in both a Standard Edition and Batman Editions, offering consumers more personalized choices that blend practical entertainment and productivity with everyday cosplay expression.
Next-Generation Entertainment: The RayNeo Air 4 Pro
Positioned as a "new species of head-mounted TV," the RayNeo Air 4 Pro sets a new benchmark for personal entertainment by combining industry-leading display technology with premium audio. Powered by a customized Vision 4000 chip and fine-tuned in collaboration with the legendary audio brand Bang & Olufsen, the device transforms any environment into a private cinema. Whether connected to a smartphone, PC, or the newly launched Nintendo Switch 2, this "pocket magician" delivers an immersive, on-the-go viewing experience. Key features of the RayNeo Air 4 Pro include:
At the 2026 Mobile World Congress (MWC), TCL announced a groundbreaking advancement in its proprietary NXTPAPER eye-care technology. For the first time, NXTPAPER's signature full-color electronic display technology will be integrated with AMOLED displays, marking a major leap forward in the mobile viewing experience. This significant advancement combines the unparalleled picture quality, rich, finely detailed visuals and exceptional brightness of AMOLED with TCL's industry-leading eye care display performance, delivering a display that is both exceptionally vibrant and remarkably gentle on the eyes during prolonged viewing. Through natural-light-like visual comfort and an extraordinary paper-like experience, this brings global users a truly unmatched level of visual comfort on smartphones, leading the industry into a new era of intuitive, visually comfortable mobile display technology.
"As screen time continues to rise, from early messages to night scrolling, visual fatigue has become a shared modern experience. As the primary medium through which we perceive the world and access information, displays must not only deliver stunning image quality but also prioritize visual health." said Jefferson Li, General Manager of TCL Mobile Phone. "This new milestone in our NXTPAPER journey reflects TCL's unwavering commitment to human-centric innovation. By integrating NXTPAPER with AMOLED, we are addressing the market demand for displays that don't force users to choose between vivid visuals and eye comfort. This advancement brings us closer to our mission of creating a smartphone viewing experience that feels incredibly natural and comfortable while staying easy on the eyes even during prolonged use."
pureLiFi, the global leader in light-based communications, is set to challenge expectations at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2026 by shattering speed barriers and solving the Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) industry's toughest challenge, delivering high quality signal indoors. LiFi is a high-speed, wireless communication technology that transmits data through the light spectrum rather than traditional radio frequencies.
The latest LiFi systems on show leverage technology trusted by international security agencies for classified networks, demonstrating that LiFi's massive capacity and military-grade security are accessible to all. Moving beyond the constraints of radio frequencies, pureLiFi is unveiling its High-Bandwidth Architecture, capable of a staggering 10 Gigabits per second (Gbps). Alongside this breakthrough, the company will showcase a powerhouse lineup of 5G FWA partner demonstrations and the latest Bridge XC Flex system.
The new details, shared by noted leaker NateTheHate2, corroborate an earlier report by journalist Jason Schreier. According to these accounts, Sony no longer views PC ports – particularly of its single-player titles – as a major priority or a significant revenue driver. Several projects already in development are still expected...
Announced today, the new Ryzen AI 400 Series and Ryzen AI PRO 400 Series desktop processors are being positioned as AMD's first real "AI PC" desktop lineup. They pair Zen 5 CPU cores with RDNA 3.5 integrated graphics and an XDNA 2 NPU rated at up to 50 TOPS for local acceleration.
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