Hands-On Windows 158: Semantic Search

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy of The Verge joins Mikah Sargent this week on Tech News Weekly! Amazon has announced its upcoming fall hardware event. OpenAI is working towards implementing security features for teens using ChatGPT. A look into SMS blasters as a way to target you with scam texts. And Scott Stein of CNET spent some time with Meta's newest Ray-Ban Display Glasses and Neural Band. Jennifer is excited as Amazon has announced its upcoming hardware event for September 30th, at which the company is expected to unveil its latest Kindle and Echo devices. Also, Google will be debuting its latest smart home devices the day after Amazon's hardware event on October 1st! OpenAI is working towards implementing safeguards and restrictions for teens using ChatGPT, following lawsuits and growing regulatory scrutiny. Mikah shares how cybercriminals are utilizing a process called "SMS blasters" to send scam text messages to people. And Scott Stein of CNET joins the show from the Meta campus to share his initial hands-on experience with Meta's new Neural Band and latest Ray-Ban Display Glasses. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy Guest: Scott Stein Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: smarty.com/twit zocdoc.com/tnw pantheon.io

After decades of broken promises, semantic search arrives on Windows 11—but is this the breakthrough we've been waiting for, or just another half-step? Hear Paul's honest verdict and what matters for power users. Host: Paul Thurrott Download or subscribe to Hands-On Windows at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-windows Want access to the ad-free video and exclusive features? Become a member of Club TWiT today! https://twit.tv/clubtwit Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

iOS 26 just dropped, and Hands-On Apple reveals the surprising new features you'll notice first, such as custom message backgrounds and built-in polls that change how you chat with friends. Get the scoop on the subtle details and settings that will likely impact how you use your phone every day. Messages app gets refreshed info page and easier contact editing Custom conversation backgrounds debut in Messages with photos and colors Built-in polling feature launches for group decision-making in Messages New message filtering, unknown sender screening, and notification controls explained Conversation backgrounds, photo visibility, and contact photo options in Messages settings Host: Mikah Sargent Download or subscribe to Hands-On Apple at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-apple Want access to the ad-free video and exclusive features? Become a member of Club TWiT today! https://twit.tv/clubtwit Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

This year's CEDIA (Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association) Expo was chock full of interesting audio and video products, though very few made their world debut at the show. Still, there's plenty to talk about with special guest Michael Heiss, industry journalist, consultant, and jolly good CEDIA Fellow. In Part 2, we talk about all the audio goodies he saw there, as well as some of the mega-demos. Host: Scott Wilkinson Guest: Michael Heiss Download or subscribe to Home Theater Geeks at https://twit.tv/shows/home-theater-geeks Want access to the ad-free video and exclusive features? Become a member of Club TWiT today! https://twit.tv/clubtwit Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

Apple shook up its 2025 iPhone lineup and Mikah and Rosemary break down which model actually fits your life, budget, and hands! Plus, the under-the-radar launch day surprises that could change your pre-order strategy. iPhone 17 lineup explained: 17, 17 Pro, Pro Max, and Air iPhone preorder experiences, successes, and snags Choosing between iPhone 17, Air, and Pro: key differences and who should buy iPhone 17: colors, display, aluminum build, and dual cameras overview Who should skip the iPhone 17 for screen size or accessibility needs iPhone Air: larger, thinner, titanium, single camera, and new MagSafe battery Trade-offs of Air's lightweight design vs. camera features and battery life Pro and Pro Max: aluminum unibody, thermal improvements, and triple lenses Updated camera system, optical zoom, and thermal management in Pro models Carrier SIM slot impacts battery life on non-US iPhones Tips for iPhone declutter, storage management, and accessory costs Shortcuts Corner: iOS 26 Home app adaptive temperature and thermostat updates App Caps: Art of Fauna app and $15 JETech slim iPhone case recommendation Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard Contact iOS Today at [email protected]. Download or subscribe to iOS Today at https://twit.tv/shows/ios-today Want access to the ad-free video and exclusive features? Become a member of Club TWiT today! https://twit.tv/clubtwit Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

With AI hype everywhere, are we confusing slick projections and sci-fi clichés for real progress? This episode exposes the flawed thinking behind tech's boldest predictions and dives into what your future with "intelligent machines" might actually look like—waffles and all. Interview with Nick Foster AI's $344 Billion 'Language Model' Bet Looks Fragile Yann LeCun's mondo preso Elon Musk's xAI Lays Off 500 Data Annotation Workers Bessent: TikTok deal 'framework' reached with China, Trump and Xi will finalize it Friday The OpenAI paper on usage Generative AI at the Crossroads: Light Bulb, Dynamo, or Microscope ChatGPT Will Guess Your Age and Might Require ID for Age Verification Generative AI at the Crossroads: Light Bulb, Dynamo, or Microscope A Maslow-Inspired Hierarchy of Engagement with AI Model I Wasn't Sure I Wanted Anthropic to Pay Me for My Books—I Do Now How an AI Giant Became Obsessed With an Albino Alligator Amazon invests over $1 billion to raise employee pay, lower healthcare costs The Center for the Alignment of AI Alignment Centers Rest of World: A hidden network handles chats for OnlyFans stars. AI could soon take over How Americans View AI and Its Impact on People and Society Roadwarden David Lynch's quirky house Hosts: Leo Laporte, Jeff Jarvis, and Paris Martineau Guest: Nick Foster Download or subscribe to Intelligent Machines at https://twit.tv/shows/intelligent-machines. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: pantheon.io threatlocker.com/twit

With Windows 10's end-of-life looming, Paul and Leo dissect the real risks, questionable hardware requirements, and whether dumping old PCs in landfills is an acceptable trade-off for modern security. Plus, why is Apple finally buying up touchscreen displays for MacBooks after years of resistance, and what could that mean for the future of both Mac and Windows hardware? Windows Consumer Reports asks Microsoft to continue Windows 10 support Reminder: Windows 11 25H2 ISOs are available... x64 only, in Insider Preview. Arm version is from Dev channel and is a VHDX Dev (25H2) and Beta (24H2) - Copilot prompt in Click to Do, Prompt recommendations in Start, controller navigation for gaming handhelds, SCOOBE, agents in the Store, more Release Preview (24H2 AND 25H2) - Click to Do table detection, action tags, and Summarize improvements; agent in Settings improvements, Hardware indicator improvements, more Quick Machine Recovery is a solid addition to your recovery toolbox Microsoft releases Windows 365 Cloud Apps in Preview A MacBook with a touch screen? Oh the irony Microsoft 365 Microsoft finally settles Teams antitrust case with EU and you're not going to believe what happens next Microsoft 365 desktop apps (i.e. "Office") gets Copilot chat even for free - Web grounded? That's ungrounded, right? Microsoft 365 commercial pulls in previously separate sales, service, and financial services Outlook Lite is heading off to a farm to chase rabbits No more Office file editing in Microsoft 365 Copilot app for iPhone and iPad AI OpenAI and Microsoft hint at another major restructuring of their partnership Auto AI model selection comes to Visual Studio Code. Your orchestration is showing Visual Studio 2026 on .NET Rocks and the recent news about configuring GitHub Copilot in VS 20xx. Hardware October is going to be a big month for new hardware Apple rumored for October Google Home on October 1 with Gemini Amazon devices (September 30, close enough) Where are the next-gen PC chips? Xbox & games Third-party store integration comes to Xbox app on Windows Microsoft kicks off another big half month for Xbox Game Pass Epic Games can't stop beating Google in court Tips & Picks Tip of the week: Improve Windows 11 security App pick of the week: Google app for Windows Hosts: Leo Laporte and Paul Thurrott Download or subscribe to Windows Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly Check out Paul's blog at thurrott.com The Windows Weekly theme music is courtesy of Carl Franklin. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: uscloud.com helixsleep.com/twit

Apple just rewrote the rules of device security with a chip-level upgrade that could wipe out most iPhone vulnerabilities overnight. Find out how "memory integrity enforcement" aims to make exploits a thing of the past—and why it took half a decade to pull off. Are Bitcoin ATMs anything more than scamming terminals. Ransomware hits the Uvalde school district and Jaguar. Did "Scattered LapSus Hunters" just throw in the towel. Germany, for one, to vote "no" on Chat Control. Russia's new MAX messenger has startup troubles. Samsung follows Apple's WhatsApp patch chain. Shocker: UK school hacks are mostly by students. HackerOne was hacked. Connected washing machines in Amsterdam hacked. DDoS breaks another record. Bluesky to implement conditional age verification. Enforcement actions for Global Privacy Control. Might Apple have finally beaten vulnerabilities Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1043-Notes.pdf Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now. You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page. For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT vanta.com/SECURITYNOW threatlocker.com for Security Now bitwarden.com/twit Melissa.com/twit

Shelly Brisbin joins the show this week! Who got which of the new devices that were announced at last week's Apple event? Reviews of the latest OS 26 operating systems are starting to roll out. Should you get the iPhone Air? And Apple scored big at the recent Emmys with 22 wins! iOS 26 Review: Through a glass, liquidly. Help, I have been charmed by the iPhone Air. The iPhone 17 square selfie camera is a bigger deal than you think. Siri just got five surprise iOS 26 features, here's what's new. Apple's Outstanding Comedy The Studio sweeps as the most-winning freshman comedy in Emmy history... visionOS 26 now available starting today: Here's what's new for Apple Vision Pro. Today in Apple history: Steve Jobs leaves and rejoins Apple. Picks of the Week Shelly's Pick: Case for Vision Andy's Pick: NotebookLM Web Importer Alex's Picks: Carrot Weather & Tenganda Tea Leo's Pick: pico-mac-nano Hosts: Leo Laporte, Alex Lindsay, and Andy Ihnatko Guest: Shelly Brisbin Download or subscribe to MacBreak Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/macbreak-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: Melissa.com/twit helixsleep.com/twit pantheon.io cachefly.com/twit

iPhone 17 event live blog: on the ground at Apple's keynote Google Court Doc: Open Web Is In Rapid Decline Anthropic Judge Rejects $1.5 Billion AI Copyright Settlement (1) The Software Engineers Paid to Fix Vibe Coded Messes What to expect from Meta Connect SpaceX strikes $17B deal to buy EchoStar's spectrum for Starlink's direct-to-phone service Tesla Wants Out of the Car Business Tesla Offers Elon Musk an Unprecedented $1 Trillion Pay Package Gen Z protests in Nepal, sparked by a social media ban, have killed nearly 2 dozen and injured hundreds. Here's what to know Microdramas are TikTok turned up to 11, and they're coming for your time and money Tiny Vinyl is a new pocketable record format for the Spotify age Kodak's mini camera fits on your keyring and is smaller than an AirPods case Geek News Central Mourns the Loss of Todd Cochrane Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Dan Patterson, Victoria Song, and Jason Hiner Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: expressvpn.com/twit bitwarden.com/twit oracle.com/twit shopify.com/twit NetSuite.com/TWIT