WHAT’S INSIDE:

👇️ Todays’ Feature: Google Flights Gets Conversational

• Ford, Lucid, iPhone 17, iPhone Air + Apple iOS 26, Google AI News, Grok 4.20,

• Latest food and dining and food technology news

• Arts and culture news, intersection of tech and entertainment

• The latest sports news and sports tech

• Futurism, the latest in future concepts and cutting edge deep tech

• Latest news in wellness and wellbeing tech, biotech, medtech and more

TOP CONSUMER TECH NEWS:

Auto Report: Ford’s $5B overhaul cuts costs, assembly time, parts by 40%. Lucid unveils "bold new concept off-road variant of the Lucid Air with rugged wheels. Tesla plans to enhance its Full Self-Driving visualizations using Unreal Engine. Tensor plans to launch first U.S. consumer-ready autonomous vehicle by 2026.

Apple — iPhone 17 gets larger screen, improved cameras, and ultra-thin iPhone Air + Apple iOS 26 Beta 6 new ringtones, improved UI and app speed enhancements. Apple is also testing Siri for app operation via voice, releasing spring 2026.

Google Personalizes News — Google launches "Preferred Sources" in the U.S. and India, letting users customize their Top Stories in search. By starring favorite sites, users get tailored content.

xAI — Developing Grok 4.20, to rival GPT-5. Elon Musk hinted at a late August release, with enhanced app-building and multimodal processing for video and audio, aiming to improve speech nuance understanding.

Niantic Enhances Quest 3 — Niantic's Spatial SDK v3.15 upgrades Quest 3 and Quest 3S with advanced mixed reality features like centimeter-accurate Visual Positioning System (VPS), real-time physical environments using Meta's XR cameras.

Claude's Context Boost — Anthropic expands Claude Sonnet 4's context window to 1 million tokens, improves task performance, with premium charges over 200,000.

WEEKEND CRYPTOGRAM:

Stripe's Blockchain Leap — Stripe partners with Paradigm to create a new Layer 1 blockchain. Following its Stablecoin infrastructure acquisition, Stripe launched a Stablecoin Business Account in 101 countries by February 2025.

Do Kwon's Guilty Plea — Do Kwon, co-founder of Terraform Labs, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and wire fraud related to the $40 billion collapse of TerraUSD. He agreed to forfeit $19.3 million and could face up to 12 years in prison.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PACASO

FEATURE ARTICLE 

Google Flights Gets Conversational

By Sam Elyaszadeh

What if planning your vacation felt like chatting with a savvy travel agent — not scrolling through endless fare grids?

Google just rolled out Flight Deals, an AI-powered tool embedded in Google Flights that lets “flexible travelers” type natural language prompts — like “week-long winter trip with great food, nonstop only” — and instantly get curated flight options sorted by savings. It’s powered by a custom version of Gemini 2.5 that parses your vibe-and-budget based on your data & past interactions into real-time pricing matches.

The Real Pivot: From Search to Experience

This isn’t just search upgraded, it’s a mental shift. No longer do you need to nail a destination and date to shop for airfare. Instead, Flight Deals embraces the joy of serendipity – inspiring new travel ideas through AI rather than imposing rigid choices.

Market Muscle and Economic Signal

With the tool still in beta for the U.S., Canada, and India, Google is subtly flexing its ecosystem play: unrivaled data, AI scale, and search dominance. But this move comes amid rising regulatory fire. In the EU, regulators are probing whether Flight Deals unfairly nudges users toward Google’s own services, a concern under the Digital Markets Act.

Meanwhile, the DOJ is already testing Google’s market power on multiple fronts. From adtech to chatbot deals, it makes this rollout a high-stakes experiment between innovation and oversight.

What It Signals for Travel, AI, and UX

• Trend: AI is bleeding into lifestyle — where convenience meets discovery.

• Consumer Behavior: Travel is becoming less about destination obsession and more about how you’d feel once you get there.

• Regulatory Watch: Big Tech’s move into embedded AI experiences will be judged not just on UX, but on fairness — especially when those experiences live inside monopolistic platforms.

What Comes Next

Flight Deals is Google’s bet that the future of travel planning is fluid: less rigid planning, more inspired browsing. But the real test is regulatory and public response. Will this redefine how we dream up trips, or become another flashpoint in debates over digital dominance and choice?

Try Flight Deals

TECH IN ARTS & CULTURE:

Google's Mystery Project — Google is reportedly working on a new AI World Model generative multimedia project that they claim will outperform Meta. It is creating intrigue and speculation within the tech community.

Skydance-Paramount Deal Finalized — Skydance Media acquired Paramount Global to form a new media and tech leader, focusing on creative storytelling and a tech-forward approach.

Taylor Swift Announces New Album — Taylor Swift revealed her 12th album, "The Life of a Showgirl," through social media, sparking massive fan excitement.

AI Video Tool Sparks Controversy — Grok launched a generative AI video tool that creates suggestive deepfakes like a Taylor Swift nude video without censorship.

Waymo x Spotify — Waymo integrates Spotify into its robotaxi service, allowing users to stream their own music and podcasts directly from their phones.

Harry and Meghan x Netflix — Harry and Meghan renewed their multi-year Netflix agreement, giving Netflix first look at their upcoming projects.

Wikipedia's Legal Stand — Wikipedia has been allowed to contest the Online Safety Act classification as a high-risk platform, arguing this could hinder access.

Match's FTC Settlement — Match Group agreed to pay $14 million to the FTC for misleading users with false advertising, stressing transparency in billing, cancellations.

FOOD & DRINK TECH:

Amazon Expands Grocery Reach — Amazon launches perishable food delivery through its Same-Day Delivery service in 1,000 US cities, challenging Instacart and Walmart+. Plans to expand to 2,300 cities by year-end.

Restaurant Chains Feel the Pinch — US restaurant chains are struggling as Americans increasingly eat at home due to concerns about job security and persistently high prices.

McDonaldland VR — McDonald's launches a McDonaldland VR experience in Meta Horizon Worlds featuring iconic characters, with mini-games including a "Golden Arches Obstacle Course" for collecting items and cosmetics.

Gen Z's Alcohol Habits — Despite embracing sober trends, Gen Z may not be drinking less overall but rather being more selective about when to indulge, suggesting a temporary shift in drinking culture rather than permanent decline.

Promising EoE Breakthrough — Tel Aviv University researchers identified TSLP protein as key trigger for Eosinophilic Esophagitis, with neutralizing TSLP shown to alleviate symptoms, offering a promising therapy for this allergy-related condition.

Ikea Garlic Press Recall — Ikea recalls over 54,000 365+ Värdefull garlic presses due to laceration and ingestion hazards, sold from March 2024 to May 2025; customers should return them for a full refund with no receipt needed.

SPORTS DESK:

Paramount's UFC Power Play — Paramount secured a seven-year, $7.7 billion deal with TKO Group Holdings for UFC broadcasts, marking a major shift from Disney's previous agreement and challenging the pay-per-view model.

ESPN-Fox Bundle — ESPN and Fox launch a $39.99/month streaming bundle including NFL and NBA games starting October 2; the partnership targets cord-cutters while potentially facing antitrust scrutiny.

Netflix Eyes MLB — Netflix is pursuing MLB's Home Run Derby rights following ESPN's exit, potentially expanding its baseball offerings to meet growing live demand.

Son Shines in MLS Debut — Son Heung-min made his MLS debut for LAFC post a record $26.5M transfer, entering in the 61st minute. He earned a crucial penalty, leading to a 2-2 draw against Chicago Fire, with a sellout 20,000 fans in attendance.

SailGP's High-Speed Appeal — SailGP attracts celebrity investors and a 20M global audience with its high-speed F50 catamaran races using hydrofoil technology, luxurious event experiences and advanced broadcasting techniques.

Cincinnati Open's Ambition — The Cincinnati Open aims to become tennis's fifth Grand Slam with a $260 million renovation; despite location challenges, it's earning praise from top players like Sabalenka and Medvedev.

Xtadium UK Launch — Xtadium, an immersive sports app, expands to the UK with content from Wimbledon and Wrexham; users can co-watch using Meta Avatars, available free on the Meta Horizon Store.

FUTURISM:

Smart Dust Revolution — Smart dust comprises sub-millimeter wireless sensors that autonomously transmit environmental data, with applications in healthcare, defense and urban infrastructure; market growth expected despite privacy concerns.

3D-Printed Space Revolution — Korea Institute of Industrial Technology successfully tested a 3D-printed titanium fuel tank withstanding -196°C and 330 bar pressure, enabling faster aerospace component production pending testing.

Space-Ready Memory — Micron Technology develops radiation-tolerant SLC NAND flash memory for space applications, meeting commercial and government mission demands with reliability in harsh environments.

Revolutionary Nuclear Detector — GRETA, a next-gen gamma-ray detector with 30 germanium modules developed at Berkeley Lab, enhances nuclear physics research by improving detection efficiency for deeper exploration of atomic nuclei.

Robot Revolution in Laundry — Helix, Figure's VLA model, achieves fully autonomous laundry folding without modifications, enabling seamless transition from industrial to household tasks with improved dexterity.

Microwaving Rocks for CO2 Capture — A Canadian company uses microwaves to treat mining waste, enhancing CO2 capture with serpentine-rich tailings that could store billions of tonnes of greenhouse gas.

Quantum Radar Breakthrough — Physicists develop a prototype quantum radar using cesium atoms that locates underground objects within 4.7 centimeters, promising advancements for utility construction and archaeology.

WELLBEING AND HEALTH TECH:

Snail Eye Magic — Golden apple snails can regenerate eyes, offering insights for human regenerative medicine; researchers aim to activate similar genetic processes in human eye development.

Revolutionizing Healthspan — New focus on healthspan shows it's lagging behind life expectancy; studies reveal improvements in intrinsic capacity for newer generations due to better nutrition, education, and healthcare.

Nano Dental Relief — CalBots, magnetic nanobots, offer lasting relief from dental hypersensitivity by forming stable plugs in tooth tubules; biocompatible innovation surpasses traditional toothpastes.

AI Brain Monitoring — Cleveland Clinic partners with Piramidal to develop large-scale AI model for monitoring brain health in ICUs, enhancing patient care and outcomes in critical settings.

Mini Robots to Crush Kidney Stones — University of Waterloo develops tiny robots using urease to dissolve kidney stones; minimally invasive treatment heading for animal testing.

Treat Yourself with Digital Spa Therapy — New wellness trend features immersive digital treatments with light shows, sound waves, and VR designed to soothe Americans with short attention spans.