Technology Editor
Quinn Wang
A TIDEZINE editorial byline covering technology, digital culture and blockchain developments.
Latest Stories
Robinhood Adds Perpetual Futures and Weekend Stock Trading, Rolls Out AI Agent Builder
Robinhood announces its US stock platform will open up perpetual futures trading and weekend stock trading, while also launching Robinhood Agents in the same update, letting users build their own custom AI agents right in the app.
Senate Report Names Names: USDT Emerges as Core Tool in Iran's Shadow Banking System
A new US Senate investigative report states that Tether and its stablecoin USDT have become central to the operation of "Iran's shadow banking system"—details are scarce, but the allegation is unambiguous.
Florida AG Files Emergency Injunction Against OpenAI, Demanding Halt to New Model Training and Block on Minor Users
Florida Attorney General Uthmeier filed an emergency motion on Monday asking the court to bar OpenAI from training new models without independent safety oversight and to cut off minors' access to ChatGPT, in a case stemming from a criminal investigation earlier this year into the FSU shooting.
'Control Resonant' Launches at $60 the Same Week as an Indie Boss-Beatdown Game
'Control Resonant' launched this week at $60, alongside 'Stick It to the Stickman' — where you climb the corporate ladder by literally beating up the CEO — plus a first look at the 'Ball x Pit' expansion dropping November 12.
KelpDAO Sues LayerZero and Bryan Pellegrino, Alleging Written Endorsement Tied to $292M rsETH Exploit
KelpDAO is suing LayerZero and Bryan Pellegrino over the April 18 rsETH exploit that resulted in $292 million in losses, claiming the bridge setup involved had received written endorsement from the defendants.
Qualcomm Unveils Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2, Letting Earbuds Actually Understand What You're Saying
Qualcomm has announced its next-generation audio chip, Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2, boasting doubled on-device AI processing power aimed at powering the next wave of voice-interactive gadgets like earbuds and audio glasses.
Xbox Cuts 268 More Jobs: Next 'Halo' Game Handed to Activision, Ninja Theory Faces Shutdown
Xbox's ongoing "reset" continues, with this latest round of 268 layoffs hitting Halo Studios hard. The next Halo game will now be developed by a new team under Activision, while Ninja Theory faces closure after two failed attempts to sell the studio.
Paramount Settles With 12 US States, Clearing Final Hurdle for $110 Billion Warner Bros. Merger
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the settlement. Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. is expected to close in early October, putting David Ellison in control of DC and Harry Potter's rights.
Acer to Lenovo: Five Googlebooks Launch Together—Nearly Identical Specs, But Prices Differ by a Full $400
Google's first batch of Googlebooks opened for preorder today, with Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo each releasing one model. Engadget editors tested all five and found their spec sheets nearly identical, but pricing and design choices tell a very different story.
Senate's Clarity Act Stalls, But House Committee Beats It to the Punch With Crypto Tax Bill
The House Ways and Means Committee has voted to advance the first federal crypto tax framework to the full House floor—timing that lands just one day after the Senate's Clarity Act hit a roadblock.
Boox Palma 3 Switches to Aluminum Body, Yet Costs $60 Less Than Predecessor
Boox just dropped three new E Ink devices at once, and the standout is its pocket-sized e-reader Palma 3, which upgrades from a plastic shell to an anodized aluminum body—yet drops the price from $380 to $320, all while adding support for the InkSense Plus stylus.
Nitter, XCancel Shut Down One After Another — Legal Pressure Seen as Key Factor Behind Closure of X Viewing Tools
Nitter and XCancel, third-party services that let people browse X posts without an account, have both recently ceased operations — and both point to the same underlying cause: legal action from X.
Symbiosis Bitcoin Bridge Hacked: 46.1 Billion syBTC Minted Out of Thin Air, Attacker Only Cashed Out $336K
Cross-chain protocol Symbiosis's Bitcoin bridge was exploited, but 15 BTC has since been recovered, with the project offering the attacker a 20% bounty to return the rest. Blockchain security firm Blockaid says roughly 46.1 billion syBTC were minted during the incident, yet the attacker only managed to cash out about $336,000.
Tesla's Next-Gen Roadster Set to Debut October 10, But Two Marquee Reservation Holders Already Bailed
After nine years of waiting, Tesla has finally announced via its official X account that the next-gen Roadster will debut on October 10. A countdown image on its website hints at a possible flight package, but reservation holders—including Sam Altman and Marques Brownlee—have already canceled their orders.
Blockstream Refuses to Pay Ransom: 600 BTC Still Missing After Liquid Exchange Hack
Liquid has restored trading functionality following the hacker attack, but cross-chain withdrawals remain suspended as recovery efforts continue. Blockstream has also publicly responded to the attacker's demand for a 600 BTC ransom, flatly rejecting it.
India's SEBI Launches Demat 2.0 Pilot: Three Issuers Raise Over $100M via Tokenized Corporate Bonds
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has unveiled its first Demat 2.0 pilot results, with three issuers raising over $100 million through tokenized corporate bonds, settled using wholesale central bank digital currency.
Nasdaq Pours $100 Million Into Kraken's Parent Company, Doubling Down on Tokenized Equity Infrastructure
Nasdaq Ventures has announced a $100 million investment in Payward, the parent company of crypto exchange Kraken, as the two expand their partnership on tokenized equity infrastructure.
Neo Geo AES+ Reboot Console Delayed to September 2027 — AI's Memory Chip Grab Even Hits Retro Consoles
The Neo Geo AES+ reboot console, licensed by SNK and manufactured by Plaion Replai, has seen its shipping date pushed from this November to September 16, 2027, due to tight memory chip supply caused by the AI infrastructure buying frenzy. The price, however, remains unchanged.
Hyperliquid Policy Center Backs CFTC, Calls on Court to Dismiss CME Perpetual Futures Lawsuit
The Hyperliquid Policy Center has accused CME Group of stifling innovation, urging the court to dismiss CME's lawsuit against the CFTC — a new voice has entered the fight over who regulates perpetual futures.
Tether Teams Up with Fasanara on $400M Fund, Aims to Raise Cap to $3B
Stablecoin issuer Tether and fintech firm Fasanara have jointly launched a stablecoin-settled private credit fund, starting at $400 million, with plans to raise up to $3 billion from institutional investors, deployed through Fasanara's global fintech lending network.
Ink Foundation, GSR and Other Crypto Firms Team Up to Launch Charter Foundation, Targeting Token Issuance Costs
A group of crypto companies has launched the Charter Foundation, proposing a new framework to help projects cut token issuance costs. Participants include Ink Foundation and market maker GSR.
Apple's New CEO John Ternus Makes His Debut, First-Ever Foldable iPhone Reportedly Coming
Apple is holding its "Surprise and shine" event on September 9, marking John Ternus's first time hosting the company's annual showcase since taking over from Tim Cook. The long-rumored first foldable iPhone may finally make its debut, with a price tag that could reach as high as $2,000.
Matter Labs Open-Sources Prividium's Permissioning Engine, Germany's Bundesbank Testing It
ZKsync developer Matter Labs has open-sourced the core permissioning engine of Prividium, its DLT platform built for financial institutions. Germany's Bundesbank is currently the only publicly named institution testing it.
South Korea Amends Law to Bring Tokenized Securities Into Financial System, Hanwha Builds Platform on Avalanche
The amendment passed by South Korea will take effect this coming February, formally bringing tokenized securities into the existing financial regulatory framework. According to The Block, Hanwha has already been developing a related platform on the Avalanche blockchain.
Razer Launches Budget Clio X Head Cushion Speaker, Cuts Price in Half by Shrinking the Drivers
Razer unveiled the Clio X at PAX West 2026, priced under $110—less than half the flagship model—with the tradeoff being a swap from a single 43mm driver to two 38mm drivers plus passive radiators, a clear compromise in exchange for a smaller footprint.
AMC Stock Soars 21% Overnight as CEO Blasts Robinhood's Tokenized Shares as "Outrageous"
AMC shares jumped 21% in a single day, while the company's CEO publicly slammed Robinhood's newly launched tokenized shares, questioning their legitimacy; OpenAI had previously raised similar criticisms.
Wyoming's Stablecoin FRNT Switches Gears: Drops LayerZero for Chainlink CCIP, Adds Reserve Verification
After completing a security review last month, the Wyoming Stable Token Commission migrated FRNT's cross-chain infrastructure from LayerZero to Chainlink CCIP, while expanding its partnership to bring on-chain reserve verification into the mix.
Ugreen Drops $20,000 on Local AI Smart Home, But Skips Home Assistant Support
Ugreen unveiled HomeAgent, MasterAgent, and SynCare cameras at Gillette Stadium, pitching local AI that never touches the cloud. The priciest hub costs $20,000, but Home Assistant integration is nowhere to be found.
OpenAI Just Said It Would Slow Down—Then GPT-6 Astra Aced the Hacker Tests
Less than two months after the GPT-5.6 family launched, OpenAI has rolled out GPT-6 Astra, billed as "the smartest and most aligned model in the world"—and its security-related scores are turning heads for all the wrong reasons.
Audacity 4.0 Is Here: Free Open-Source Audio Editor Gets Ableton-Level Precision Tools
Audacity rolls out its biggest overhaul in five years with Version 4.0, adding a colorful dark mode, envelope automation tools, and sample-level fine-tuning—while keeping a classic interface option so longtime users don't have to relearn everything.