SURPRISE: Kash Patel Has Been 'Hacked' Just in Time to Try to Scuttle His Nomination

Surf’s “contexts” are like folders, only AI-powered and more automated. | Image: Deta Let me just explain the demo that got me excited about Surf, a new browser coming from a startup called Deta. Max Eusterbrock, one of Deta’s cofounders, shared his screen with me over Zoom and asked me to pick a YouTube video. I told him to search for Cleo Abram’s latest, about digging through the center of the Earth. “Do you have a question for the video?” Eusterbrock asked. I took a second to figure out what he meant, then remembered Abram had mentioned something about exactly how deep the Earth is. Eusterbrock opened the browser’s built-in chat window and typed in my question. A moment later, it returned the answer, plus a timestamp and a link to the exact spot in the video that addressed it. What Surf did was both very cool and, in an AI-processing sense, actually pretty straightforward. It grabbed the automatically generated transcript from the YouTube page and quickly used an AI model — a combination of OpenAI tech and Deta’s own — to run my question as a semantic search to see where the video answered it. It found the right spot, generated the answer and the link, and was done. Surf is still in its early stages. Deta is calling it version 0.1, with a full public release planned for next year. It’s only a desktop browser for now, and Eusterbrock says he expects most people won’t use it as their only browser anytime soon. Other than all the AI stuff, it’s pretty basic — it’s based on Chromium, shows a bunch of horizontal tabs at the top, you already know the drill. It’s a browser. But inside that demo is the big idea behind this browser, and a peek at why everyone’s so interested in connecting AI to the open web. Surf’s main character is the chatbot, which lives in the sidebar and has total access to everything you see and do in your browser. (Terrifying security nightmare? Maybe! Deta’s planning to do as much processing as possible locally, which should help.) You tell the chatbot what to look for, and you tell it which things to care about. Because it’s a browser and not a ChatGPT clone, it can also see your private docs, your email, and everything else you see online. Image: Deta By adding sites and files to your stuff, you give Surf’s AI more to work with. Surf’s core construct is the “context.” A context is like a folder — in early versions of the app, it’s actually called a folder — and you can fill each one with notes, links, and even screenshots and files, all of which live natively in your browser. Surf’s chat can then query anywhere from a single file to an entire context all at once. It’s a bit like Google’s NotebookLM — another way to find things and ask questions across links and documents — but it’s built right into the browser. When you save something to your “stuff,” the app’s space for unsorted things, Surf can automatically suggest you add it to a related context. There are lots of other AI-powered features inside of Surf, too. When you select text in a PDF, rather than copy and paste the gobbledygook that sometimes comes out, the browser will use OCR to take a screenshot, read the text, and paste it out more cleanly. You can use the chatbot to tweak webpages, too; Eusterbrock navigated to Hacker News, told the bot to hide everything other than “Show HN” posts, and it automatically did so. Surf can’t actively use web apps on your behalf, but it can see everything currently on the page and make use of it however you’d like. Deta has been working on future-of-computing stuff for a while, starting with a whole cloud-based operating system called Space that could run in a browser tab. But Eusterbrock and his colleagues discovered that building a new OS also required building countless new apps and services. “We had all these apps — like a Notion clone, but a lot worse than Notion,” he said. “And the big limitation of being a browser tab is you can’t support Notion inside a browser tab.” Instead of building the whole OS from scratch, Deta decided that the most powerful thing to be was actually the browser itself, able to operate across tabs and apps and websites. (This is roughly the same theory that animates The Browser Company’s work on Arc and Dia, it’s why OpenAI is looking into building a browser, and you could even say the same about Google and Chrome. If you control the browser, you can control the web.) There is some Space DNA in Surf, though, like the desktop-style homescreen where you can pin stuff for easy access and a universal search system. Deta’s plan is ultimately to charge for the AI features, Eusterbrock says. He compares it to apps like Obsidian, which have a basic app for free but charge for extra and connected services like sync and publishing. “Once we have costs on the cloud side,” he says, “that’s where we think we can make a business out of this.” Deta has a lot of feature ideas, a lot of new ways to organize your life through AI. And if it can build a browser you’re willing to use, it can do almost anything.

Photo by Andrew J. Hawkins / The Verge The fragmented and frustrating nature of our current EV charging landscape has been widely — and correctly — cited as one of the most significant barriers to EV adoption. Why buy a plug-in car when every time you plug it in, you have to sign up for another EV charging app, fumble through your payment information, authorize the account, and pray it results in a successful charging experience? What if you could instead plug in and everything just worked automatically? That’s the goal of a partnership between nonprofit SAE International, a consortium of automakers and EV charging operators, and the Biden administration, which just announced a new framework for “universal Plug and Charge” that will be officially rolled out early next year. “You just go anywhere you want, boom, you plug in, it accounts for everything in the cloud, charges your card, and you walk away,” said Gabe Klein, executive director of the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation. “You just go anywhere you want, boom, you plug in, it accounts for everything in the cloud, charges your card, and you walk away.” “It’s a security solution for EV charging,” added Tim Weisenberger, project manager for emerging technologies standards at SAE International. The framework aims to deliver a truly seamless and hassle-free charging experience in which every electric vehicle can plug into any public charger without any additional steps required from the vehicle owner. This was the intention of the official international standard (ISO 15118), also called Plug & Charge, that enables automatic charging and payment as soon as the car is plugged in. In vehicles with Plug & Charge, the charger communicates securely with the vehicle and bills the owner without the need for app signups or additional billing information. The technology is currently available in dozens of models but hasn’t been embraced universally. Tesla helped originate the Plug & Charge experience by making its Superchargers interoperable with its passenger vehicles from the very beginning. But Tesla is a unique example as both a vehicle manufacturer and EV charging operator. The framework aims to deliver a truly seamless and hassle-free charging experience To adopt Plug & Charge, other automakers need to make individual deals with third-party charging companies to ensure their vehicles can communicate seamlessly with the charging companies’ equipment. This new framework developed by SAE International and its partners aims to complement and enhance the ISO standard with a universal protocol that is both secure and simplified. This works because the SAE-led effort includes several unique features, including a Certified Trust List to enable secure, automated authentication right at the onset, when the vehicle is plugged in. “A little bit more robust system would probably be appropriate,” said Sarah Hipel, acting chief technology officer at the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation. “This group... they are focused on that authorization and authentication mechanism specifically, and that is unrelated to the ISO owned 15118-2 standard.” And the trust list enables roaming, meaning the technology can use multiple PKIs, or Public Key Infrastructure, which describes a collection of tools and procedures that help secure digital communications and transactions. These PKIs can be used interoperably, meaning there can be competition in the marketplace. (The current ISO standard only describes one nonroaming PKI.) “The trust list is kind of like a big file folder.” “The trust list is kind of like a big file folder,” Hipel said. “And once you put your anchor in it and it’s been audited — it’s a very rigorous process in order for you to be able to put your anchor in there — but once you put your anchor in there... and they’ve signed their commercial business agreements that they want to access the different routes in the file folder, then you can free roam with anyone.” Hipel said she expects most manufacturers to use the existing ISO standard for their charging controls and then the PKI mechanism to secure the charge through authorization and authentication. The framework was an agreement reached between SAE International’s Industry Technologies Consortia, the group’s Electric Vehicle Public Key Infrastructure Consortium, and the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, which consists of employees of both the US Department of Transportation and the Department of Energy. Members of the SAE consortium include major charging providers, like BP Pulse, ChargePoint, and Electrify America as well as automakers like Ford, General Motors, Tesla, Rivian, Toyota, and BMW. More are expected to join over time. But ultimately, this is an industry-led project that was initially requested by the automakers and is being funded by them, Weisenberger said. Thus far, the project has cost around $1.5 million, and future funding will be provided by the participating companies. “Nobody’s free riding,” he added. “Everybody’s involved, working hard. It’s really cool to see that they’re all just in it to make this all work.” And there will be benefits beyond seamless charging for EV owners, such as secure vehicle-to-grid (V2G) communication and bidirectional charging that will enable EVs to send energy back to the grid to help balance out power loads. This will help create a more resilient grid and should also head off criticism that the current energy system can’t tolerate an all-electric vehicle fleet. And since it’s been an industry-led project, the participants believe it will survive through the next Trump administration, despite President-elect Donald Trump’s stated goal of rolling back his predecessor’s EV funding projects. “The ship has sort of sailed, if you will,” Klein said. “And the market dynamics I think have taken over, which is great.”

Image: Samar Haddad / The Verge One of the more popular end-of-year items is music service recaps, and one of the best known is Spotify Wrapped. The company puts together a roundup of everything you listened to that year in various statistical formats, wrapped up (well, that’s what it’s called, right?) in bright, swirling graphics. For 2024, you’ll be shown what music categories you followed, how your listening habits changed over the year, get a list of your top 10 songs and artists, check out your top artist of the year, and even see a short video interview with one of the featured artists. This year’s Wrapped also lets you access separate segments, such as a personalized podcast with two AI “hosts” (compliments of Google’s NotebookLM) who chat about your listening habits. It’s easy to find Spotify Wrapped on your mobile app. (Interestingly, while 2023’s Wrapped was available on the Spotify website as well, this year, you can only find it on the Android or iOS app.) The simplest way is to just open the app and look at the top menu — you should find a button labeled “Wrapped” that will lead you straight to a Wrapped homepage. From there, you can watch your Wrapped timeline (by tapping the “Let’s go” button)... Read the full story at The Verge.

An air pressure sensor inside the Elemnt Ace bike computer can determine wind speeds while you ride. | Image: Wahoo Fitness Wahoo Fitness announced a new bike computer featuring a built-in air pressure sensor that’s used to calculate the speed of the wind during a ride. The Elemnt Ace’s added metric lets cyclists better understand their performance during a ride and how their times and speeds may have been affected by the conditions outside. It’s available now through the company’s online store for $599.99 and includes an aluminum alloy mount for attaching it to a bike’s handlebars. It’s the most expensive bike computer Wahoo Fitness currently offers, but competitors like Garmin still offer even pricier alternatives. Image: Wahoo Fitness A small vent on the front of the Elemnt Ace leads to its air pressure sensor inside. Air speed is measured using an air pressure sensor located just inside a small vent on the front of the computer. By comparing that to the bike’s ground speed as determined by the Elemnt Ace’s dual-band GPS system, the speed of the wind can be calculated. The computer’s Aero Awareness system gives cyclists two additional metrics to take into consideration. AeroBoost which factors in both performance improving tailwinds and drafting effects, and AeroDrag for the negative effects of riding into the wind. Image: Wahoo Fitness A 3.8-inch touchscreen works alongside several buttons for easier navigation during a ride. Other features include a relatively large 3.8-inch full-color touchscreen display that works alongside several physical buttons that make navigating menus and selecting options a little easier while a bike is in motion. Battery life is rated at up to 30 hours, while Wi-Fi and Bluetooth allow settings and ride data to be synced to the cloud and Wahoo Fitness’ mobile apps. The Elemnt Ace is also a fully-featured GPS navigation device with voice-guided turn-by-turn directions and an option to retrace your route to get right back to where you started a ride.

Broadcast channel replies allow participants to respond to messages as they can on Instagram posts. | Image: Meta Instagram is adding some new features to broadcast channels that give platform creators more ways to directly interact with their followers. Meta announced in its latest blog post that creators can enable “Replies” in their broadcast channel limited group chats, allowing participants to respond to messages and each other’s comments — just like they already can on Instagram posts. Creators can also publish time-sensitive “Prompts” to their channels, presented as questions like “what are you having for dinner today?” to encourage audience engagement. Channel participants have 24 hours to respond with text or photos, and can like their favorite comments left by other users. Instagram is also rolling out new metrics for creators to track, including total number of interactions, story shares, and poll votes, alongside “personalized, actionable guidance” that can help them grow and manage their audiences. Image: Meta Prompts work like open-response polls or sub-threads, allowing channel members to engage in a contained conversation. We’ve asked Meta to clarify when these new broadcast channel features will be available for Instagram creators. Instagram head Adam Mosseri initially teased the update by enabling it on his own “IG Updates” channel earlier this week. While Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp also support broadcast channels, these new features have only been announced for Instagram. Meta hasn’t mentioned if they’ll eventually be rolled out to its other platforms, but given Instagram was the first to launch broadcast channels it may be being used as a testing ground.

Image: Disney After bringing Hulu content to the Disney Plus app earlier this year, Disney is now doing the same for ESPN Plus programming. A new ESPN tile is being added to the app’s homescreen. The tile just says “ESPN,” because for right now, it’ll only include the live games and shows that are normally part of ESPN Plus. But next year will mark the long-awaited debut of a true ESPN streaming service — you know, the actual cable channel with shows that sports fans can’t live without — and that’ll eventually be accessible through this Disney Plus portal, too. Disney’s reasoning for putting all this content under one umbrella is simple: it wants to get more people signed up for the Disney Plus / Hulu / ESPN Plus triple-package bundle. And the less friction there is, the more appealing that bundle becomes for customers who might only be paying for the core service right now. To help push the bundle even harder, Disney Plus subscribers can now access “a curated selection of live sports events and shows from ESPN Plus and movies and series from Hulu.” The tiles for both services will now appear in the main navigation even if you’re not paying for Hulu or ESPN. Image: Disney If you’re a bundle subscriber, you get all the stuff! If you’re not, you get a small sampling of stuff... to help tempt you into the bundle. “This gives our bundle subscribers one place to consume everything they love from all our brands.” Alisa Bowen, president of Disney Plus, said in a press release. ESPN Plus offers access to “over 30,000 live sports events each year” along with plenty of original content. But this is really just a half-step towards the end goal of bringing real, linear ESPN to the service. Disney says what we’re seeing today is “the groundwork for an expanded sports offering on Disney Plus in the US upon the launch of ESPN’s flagship direct-to-consumer product, expected in fall of 2025.” That ESPN streaming service is expected to launch as early as August and has been rumored to cost upwards of $30 per month. Yes, just for ESPN. You’ll be able to view it through Disney Plus, but CEO Bob Iger has said the ESPN app will offer a more feature-packed sports experience with integrated betting and fantasy leagues. The Disney option is there for people who want the convenience of everything being crammed into a single app. Disney is determined to make its streaming business a reliable profit maker, and the real money is in bundles and ad-supported plans. On the ad front, advertisers will have the ability to purchase inventory “by sport, league, team, within live events, and across all marketplaces” now that ESPN content is streaming within Disney Plus. The company has also taken steps to tackle password sharing and now charges customers between $6.99 and $9.99 for letting others sign into their Disney Plus account from a different location. The cost of subscribing to Disney Plus is inevitably going to keep climbing higher. And Disney will no doubt cite the app’s value as an all-encompassing entertainment hub — now with sports — as the rationale for those hikes. For the end user, it can all feel reminiscent of cable, but that’s the streaming era we find ourselves in.

As far as tech goes, 2024 was a strong year for some innovative, interesting, and unforgettable moments. We kicked off the year with the Apple Vision Pro — Apple’s long-awaited entry into the world of “spatial computing.” It was impressive, with The Verge’s editor-in-chief, Nilay Patel, describing the device as “magic, until it’s not.” But it still remains to be seen if Apple’s first MR device can kick off this new age of computing. Meta also showed us what it developed after investing billions into its metaverse division. Deputy editor Alex Heath got a demo of Project Orion — a pair of AR glasses that won’t make you look like a super dork (okay, maybe a little). More importantly, though, we got a sense of where AR is heading, which arguably puts Meta in pole position in this space. This was also the year of wearable AI assistants. At CES 2024, we were introduced to the cute Rabbit R1 that stole our hearts. And we got to see Humane’s highly anticipated AI Pin. Even though the devices were big disappointments when they finally released, they do represent a turning point in the future of AI interactions. We can never go a year without the biggest smartphone upgrades. Samsung,... Read the full story at The Verge.

Apple won't follow the trend of introducing a brand new chip with its best new iPad models, as it did with the M4 iPad Pro. According to the latest reports, the M5 iPad Pro won't arrive before late 2025 or even early 2026. Top insider Ming-Chi Kuo wrote a blog post on Medium saying the M5 iPad Pro is expected to enter mass production in the second half of 2025. "The iPad Pro equipped with the M5 processor is expected to enter mass production in 2H25," he wrote. "The company's business momentum in 2H25 is anticipated to benefit significantly from Apple's new product launches." While this might not mean much, Kuo is likely talking about the significant refreshes expected by this time of the year, such as the iPhone, Apple Watch, and possibly a new version of the Apple Vision Pro. That said, users shouldn't be that worried about their M4 iPad Pro becoming an obsolete product in the near future. If rumors are accurate, the iPad Pro with the M4 processor could be almost two years old before Apple introduces a new variant. Even when that happens, we don't expect significant changes. Based on what we've heard so far, it seems that the iPad Pro will only get a specs bump with the M5 processor, and the next-generation chip won't even be such a big deal. Image source: Apple Inc. While the M4 greatly improves over the M3, Apple has apparently canceled the M5 with the newer 2nm process developed by TSMC due to cost concerns. According to The Elec, the M5 chip will adopt a new System On Integrated Chip technology, which enhances thermal management and reduces electrical leakage. With that, we could see enhancements in performance and efficiency and a broader focus on Neural Engine tasks for AI and Apple Intelligence. While knowing that Apple has moved on to producing its newer processors, we still have several months with M4 products, including some new ones that need to be unveiled. When will Apple start introducing new M5 products? If the company follows the schedule analysts predict, the M5 family won't be available before the end of next year. Here's what we expect: Late 2025: Apple should unveil at least new M5 MacBook Pro models with the M5 Pro and M5 Max options; the company could also update the Mac mini and iMac, although it's unclear at this moment; Late 2025/Early 2026: Apple introduces the M5 iPad Pro; Early 2026/Mid 2026: Cupertino unveils new MacBook Air models with the M5 processor; Mid 2026/Late 2026: Apple expands the M5 chips for the Mac Studio and potentially to Mac Pro, depending on the upgrades expected for this processor. It's important to note that bigger changes are expected to start appearing by 2026 or 2027, when Apple will unveil a new OLED display technology for the MacBook Pro, followed by an improved display on the iPad Pro. In the next couple of years, we could also see Apple unveiling its first foldable products as well. Don't Miss: Apple just took the first major step toward making next-gen M5 iPads and Macs The post New iPad Pro won’t be Apple’s first product with an M5 chip appeared first on BGR. Today's Top Deals Best deals: Tech, laptops, TVs, and more sales Black Friday begins: 20% off Sonos, $29 Magic Bullet, $60 Vortex air fryer, $79 Ember heated coffee mug, more Early Black Friday deals: Nintendo Switch games, $249 Oura Ring 3, $25 Crock-Pot, $100 Beats Pill, more T-Mobile’s latest holiday offer: Get an iPhone 16 Pro on us

Eli Lilly said on Wednesday patients taking its obesity drug Zepbound lost 47% more weight than those who were given Novo Nordisk's Wegovy in the first large, head-to-head trial of the highly in-demand rival medicines. In the 751-person trial, Zepbound helped patients lose...