Technology & Blockchain News Editor
Rowan Cheng
A TIDEZINE editorial byline covering fast-moving news in technology, platforms, digital policy and blockchain.
Latest Stories
Clarity Act Stalls in Congress, But Bitwise Says Crypto Actually Got Faster Regulatory Progress Out of It
Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan argues that with the Clarity Act failing to pass, the crypto industry actually ended up with fewer restrictions and quicker SEC action — his contrarian take on the legislative setback.
Amazon's New Fire TV Stick 4K Touts Faster Boot Times, Slimmer Body, While New Remote Goes by Feel
Amazon has launched its next-gen Fire TV Stick 4K, claiming boot and launch speeds 20% to 40% faster than similarly priced competitors. It's priced at $60, dropping to $30 during Prime Big Deal Days.
Xbox Launches Mythic Achievements, Finally Scratching That Decade-Long Platinum Trophy Itch
Xbox has unveiled a new system called Mythic Achievements, awarded to players who fully complete a game's original achievement list. The system retroactively applies all the way back to Xbox 360-era titles, though it's currently only available to Xbox Insider testers.
Instagram's Campus Program Adds New Feature: Verified-Students-Only Stories and Club Channels
Instagram is expanding its School Partnership Program, letting partner schools set up clubs and channels to post exclusive content that only UNiDAYS-verified students can view. The feature is rolling out now.
Anti-Snipe Tax Turned Self-Enrichment Tool: Pons V2's 10 Projects Expose $18.4M Rug Pull Operation
On-chain analysts discovered that across 10 token projects on the Pons V2 platform on Robinhood Chain, founders exempted specific wallets from the anti-snipe tax—wallets that then bought up the majority of token supply, totaling $18.4 million.
Nicolas Cage as Legendary Coach in Madden Trailer — One Line Reveals the Video Game's Origin Story
The trailer for David O. Russell's biopic Madden has dropped, with Nicolas Cage playing legendary football coach John Madden. The film recreates the pivotal scene where he discusses the design of the original Madden NFL game with EA founder Trip Hawkins.
Ondo Launches Three On-Chain Portfolio Tokens Built on BlackRock Strategy
Ondo has rolled out three on-chain portfolio tokens, with the underlying asset allocation strategies crafted by asset management giant BlackRock, bringing institutional-grade model portfolios into the tokenized world.
Blockchain.com Signs Agreement with NYSE to Explore Tokenized US Stocks and ETFs
Blockchain.com has signed a cooperation agreement with the New York Stock Exchange to jointly explore tokenized stock and ETF products, though the overall plan still requires regulatory approval.
UK Regulator Steps In: Android, Chrome Users May Have to Repick Their Search Engine Every Year
The UK's Competition and Markets Authority has proposed new rules requiring Google and phone makers to show search engine choice screens on Android and Chrome — and repeat the prompt annually. AI assistant choice is also on the table.
Eight Sleep Launches Pod 6, Sensors Jump from 2 to 18, Subscription Fee Still Applies
Eight Sleep has unveiled its next-generation smart mattress system, the Pod 6, adding 18 biometric sensors and a standalone single-size version. Pricing still lands between $2,000 and $3,000, plus a mandatory monthly subscription fee.
Apple Opens a Concert Venue in London: Behind Its 600 Seats Lies a Full Recording Studio Philosophy
Apple has opened Apple Music Hall at its London headquarters in Battersea Power Station, a 600-seat venue equipped with 48 speakers, 16 camera positions, and Spatial Audio recording facilities — clearly built specifically for Apple Music Live.
US Spot Bitcoin ETFs See $999M Single-Day Inflow, Biggest in Nearly 11 Months
US spot Bitcoin ETFs posted a net inflow of $999 million on Monday, marking the largest single-day inflow since October 6, 2025.
SEC Rolls Out "Innovation Exemption," Says It's Stepping In Where Congress Has Stalled on Crypto Legislation
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has introduced an "innovation exemption," which officials are framing as a response to the Senate's slow progress on crypto legislation. Public details remain limited for now.
GMO Launches Humanoid Robot Ambulance to Rescue Broken-Down Robots on Tokyo Streets
GMO AI & Robotics Trading has rolled out Japan's first "humanoid robot ambulance" in Tokyo, stocked with parts, tools, and a spare robot on board. Broken units get swapped out on the spot, while the malfunctioning robots are shipped back to Humanoid Lab in Shibuya for repairs.
Deutsche Bank to Launch European Crypto Custody This Year, Starting with Just Bitcoin, Ether and Select Stablecoins
Deutsche Bank plans to launch a digital asset custody service in Europe this year, targeting institutional clients. The initial rollout will be limited to Bitcoin, Ether, and a handful of stablecoins — a notably cautious first step.
Googlebook Laptop Opens for Preorder September 21, with Gemini Intelligence as the Core Selling Point
Google's new laptop brand, Googlebook, will open for preorder at 9 a.m. ET on September 21. Running an Android-based ChromeOS, the lineup is built around interactive features powered by Gemini Intelligence.
StarCraft Returns After Years of Silence—Blizzard Turns It Into an Open-World Shooter
BlizzCon 2026 dropped a cinematic trailer confirming that the new StarCraft will be a "story-driven open-world shooter"—but players won't get their hands on it until spring 2030.
Diablo V Set for Spring 2029 Launch — BlizzCon Also Confirms Netflix Animated Series
Blizzard announced at BlizzCon that Diablo V will launch in spring 2029, while also confirming that an animated series in partnership with Netflix is in development, echoing a rumor that had gone quiet for six years.
Same Number, Two iPhones—T-Mobile Wants an Extra $5/Month for iPhone Handoff
iOS 27's iPhone Handoff lets one eSIM number switch between two iPhones. In the US, it's launching exclusively with T-Mobile—and the carrier's decided to charge an extra $5 a month for it.
MoneyGram Teams Up With Rain to Launch First Stablecoin-Backed Visa Card, Starting in Colombia
Cross-border remittance company MoneyGram has partnered with crypto payments startup Rain to launch its first stablecoin-backed Visa card, debuting in Colombia.
Nintendo's Double Direct Wraps Up: Winter Port Lineup Overflows, Metroid and Kirby New Entries Close the Show
This week's second Nintendo Direct centered on the Switch 2 port lineup, with Monster Hunter Wilds, Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, and The Witcher 3 remaster all making appearances—before Metroid Ravenous and Kirby and the World Beyond were finally revealed at the very end.
Cronos Confirms: On-Chain Rollback Recovers $111.2M, $9.2M Still Missing from Tectonic Exploit
Cronos officially stated that in response to the Tectonic protocol exploit, the on-chain rollback mechanism recovered approximately $111.2 million in funds. However, an additional $9.2 million had already left the chain before the rollback took effect and remains unrecovered to this day.
DBS and Citi Complete First Weekend Cross-Border USD Settlement, Tokenized Deposits Bypass Bank Holiday Restrictions
DBS and Citi have used tokenized deposit technology to complete the first weekend USD cross-border settlement between Singapore and the US, allowing transfers that were previously restricted to banking days to go through on holidays.
LeBron James Teases Polymarket Partnership in Social Media Video, Free Agency Moves Once Drove $273M in Prediction Market Volume
LeBron James posted a video on social media hinting at a partnership with prediction market platform Polymarket. His past free agency decisions have previously driven $273 million in trading volume across prediction markets.
US Bitcoin ETFs See $731 Million Single-Day Inflow, Largest Since January
Analysts note that US Bitcoin ETFs recorded a net inflow of $731 million in a single day, marking the largest daily capital return since January this year. The momentum is being attributed to dovish remarks from Fed Governor Christopher Waller.
Claude's Memory Is Now Editable: Anthropic Lets Users Rewrite What the Chatbot Remembers Long-Term
Anthropic is rolling out more granular memory controls for Claude, letting users edit or delete what the chatbot remembers by topic, with the option to include or exclude sensitive information.
OpenReserve Gets Preliminary Approval from US OCC, Prepping National Bank for On-Chain Settlement
OpenReserve Holdings, backed by Andreessen Horowitz, has secured preliminary approval from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to charter a national bank focused on on-chain settlement, following the close of a $25 million seed round.
Crypto Industry Pushes SEC to Fast-Track ETF Reviews, Allow Confidential Filings — Jane Street, Schwab Push Back
Crypto industry players are urging the U.S. SEC to speed up its ETF review process and allow confidential draft filings, while Jane Street and Charles Schwab warn that rushed listings and confidential submissions could undermine market oversight.
Honor Robot Phone Hands-On: The Wild Experiment of Squeezing a Gimbal Into a 9.6mm Body
Honor built its own 2.6-gram gimbal motor and tucked it inside a phone's back cover to drive three-axis stabilization for a 200MP main camera. This limited-run experimental device, launched only in China, feels somewhere between a regular phone and a dedicated gimbal camera in real-world use.
NVIDIA PAIR: Turning That Idle PC at Home into a Free AI Compute Pool
NVIDIA unveiled PAIR, a free open-source tool, at IFA 2026. It distributes AI compute workloads to idle computers on your local network, so your main machine doesn't have to shoulder the entire GPU load alone.