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Snaps augmented reality glasses business will now be its own entity, with the company establishing Specs Inc. as a wholly owned subsidiary. It will enable Snap to more easily secure investors and partnerships for its wearables, as well as to grow Specs into a distinct brand while running it within Snap Inc. As The Information reported in mid-2025, Snap was thinking of ways to raise outside money for its AR glasses to be able to better compete with Meta, which has a lot more money to spend on development. It was already considering spinning off the business back then.Specs are launching at an important time, as artificial intelligence transforms the way that we use our computers, the company said in its announcement. The glasses operating system can help you get things done faster based on what they see and what they know about your behaviors. Snap also says that its smartglasses can keep you present in the moment with friends and family unlike phones and computers, since they superimpose digital tools over your view of the real world. In addition, the company believes Specs can help reduce waste over time as its digital tools can replace physical objects, such as manuals and whiteboards. Snap didnt say whether Specs Inc. already has investors lined up, but it is already hiring for over 100 roles around the world. The new subsidiary is expected to launch Snap's next generation of standalone AR glasses sometime this year. Company CEO Evan Spiegel previously said that the model will be lighter, have a much smaller form factor and have more capabilities than its older smartglasses, which are mostly developer-focused. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/snap-is-spinning-off-its-ar-glasses-into-a-separate-business-140000659.html?src=rss
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Last summer, Google announced that Android 16 would include a desktop interface built from Samsung DeX, a mirroring and phone integration tool for PC. Thanks to a (now permissions-restricted) bug report discovered on Google's Issue Tracker, we have what is almost certainly a first look at the Android-on-desktop project, codenamed Aluminium OS. First spotted by 9to5Google, the bug report was about Chrome incognito tabs and included two screen recordings. The description said the recordings were from an HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook. The video shows a 'chrome://version/' page where one can see the OS listed as Android 16. 9to5Google also said the bug report listed "ALOS" as the operating system, understood to stand for Aluminium OS, along with a corresponding build number that matches the one seen in the screen recordings. The UI looks like a clear blend of ChromeOS and Android aesthetics, with an Android-style taskbar across the bottom and status bar across the top, with familiar battery and Wi-Fi indicators. The videos also show the Play Store, windowed apps, split-screen multitasking and a version of Chrome with an extensions button, which is currently only available on the desktop version. Google has yet to comment on the leak, so users may have to wait for future Android 16 updates for a more in-depth look at the upcoming desktop experience.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/our-first-look-at-googles-android-for-pc-interface-leaks-in-a-bug-report-133006008.html?src=rss
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The UKs Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is recommending measures to give publishers more control over how their content is used in Googles AI overviews. The aim is to provide a fairer deal for content publishers, particularly news organizations, the CMAs chief executive Sarah Cardell said in a press release. With Google accounting for more than 90 percent of search inquiries in the UK, the CMA recently designated the company with strategic market status for search under the Digital Market Act. That allows the regulator to apply conduct requirements on Google to promote competition and avoid antitrust issues.With those new powers, the CMA proposed a number of measures today. The first is a set of controls that would allow publishers to opt out of their content being used for features like AI Overviews or to train AI models. Google would also need to properly attribute publisher content. Another measure would require Google to apply fair search result rankings for businesses, with an effective process for raising and investigating issues. Google would also need to provide a choice screen for alternative search options on Android mobile and Chrome browsers. These targeted and proportionate actions would give UK businesses and consumers more choice and control over how they interact with Googles search services as well as unlocking greater opportunities for innovation across the UK tech sector and broader economy, Cardell said in a statement.In response, Google wrote that its exploring updates to let sites specifically opt out of Search generative AI features. The aim, it said, is to keep search helpful for people who want information quickly while allowing publishers to better manage content. Any new controls need to avoid breaking Search in a way that leads to a fragmented or confusing experience for people, the company wrote, adding that its optimistic it can meet the CMAs requirements.When its new designation was announced in October 2025, Google complained that some of the proposed interventions would inhibit UK innovation and growth. Citing a study, the company said that similar measures imposed by the European Union produced negative results that have cost businesses $114 billion.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/uk-wants-to-give-web-publishers-a-fairer-deal-with-googles-ai-overviews-132742850.html?src=rss
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