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A weeklong boycott is now underway against Amazon and its many, many subsidiaries, like the audiobook titan Audible.

Florida is going all-in on President Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration. Gov. Ron DeSantis has ushered in a new law that formalizes agreements between all 67 Florida sheriffs and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The move enables local officers to enforce federal immigration laws. Florida has also imposed harsher penalties for offenses committed by people illegally in the U.S. than for everyone else.

In many parts of the world skin whitening is a major industry, but women in Nigeria have a particular fondness for creams and lotions that promise to lighten their skin. By one estimate, over 77% of women in the country have used such products. We go to Nigeria and learn that the effects of skin whiteners can be severe and many people who use them are unable to stop.

NPR's Juana Summers speaks with Hampton Dellinger, who formerly led an independent watchdog agency, about his decision to drop his lawsuit challenging Trump's attempt to fire him without cause.

(Image credit: U.S. Office of Special Counsel)

Nokia’s Lunar Surface Communications System was supposed to be the first 4G network deployed on the moon and a test for future crewed missions. Things didn’t go to plan.

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A letter from two House Democrats presses Rubio for details about who approved an effort to try to use hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer money on armored electric vehicles from Tesla.

(Image credit: David Zalubowski)

• Users have reported degraded print quality with third-party ink
• Firmware updates are blamed, but Brother denies all allegations
• HP previously admitted to updates that affected third-party ink performance

Printer maker Brother has denied locking in users to its own ink cartridges via so-called firmware updates.

The news came after electronics technician and right-to-repair activist Louis Rossmann accused the company of updating its printer firmware to either block non-OEM toner or degrade performance.

Further posts on the internet, including Reddit threads, have confirmed similar problems from other users, who noticed printing quality drop when using third-party toner.

Brother denies blocking third-party ink

Moreover, reverting to older firmware versions has proven either difficult or impossible, meaning printers that previously functioned as normal could now be considered ‘broken’.

The company stated (via Ars Technica): “We are aware of the recent false claims suggesting that a Brother firmware update may have restricted the use of third-party ink cartridges. Please be assured that Brother firmware updates do not block the use of third-party ink in our machines.”

Brother argued that variations in third-party toner quality could be responsible for print quality issues: “Brother printers do not intentionally degrade print quality based on whether a Brother Genuine or non-genuine ink/ toner cartridge is used. Brother cannot verify the quality of printing that will result when using a third-party compatible with a Brother printer.”

HP has faced lawsuits and legal settlements over similar issues, with CEO Enrique Lores justifying third-party ink blocking by citing enhanced security. Back in late 2023, CFO Marie Myers also noted that Instant Ink subscribers are 20% more profitable for the business.

“It is standard practice that we perform a Brother [G]enuine check when troubleshooting a Brother printer… We believe this check in the process may have led to a misunderstanding[,] but as we confirmed, the firmware update would not be responsible for the degradation of quality or removal of printer features,” Brother added.

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• Despite its footprint, the MT1’s bed is the same size as an electric Hummer’s
• Some variants will boast up to 500hp
• Silicon Valley start-up says first units will ship this year

The world isn’t kind to EV start-ups, with the likes of Canoo and Lordstown Motors succumbing to financial pressures, while even established names like Ford and Chevrolet have struggled to find a captive audience for their battery-powered pick-ups.

But there’s a new start-up on the scene and Telo, a Silicon Valley company cofounded by autonomous driving expert Jason Marks and ex-Tesla battery engineer Forrest North, hopes to make a name for itself with the mantra that bigger isn’t always better.

Dubbed an “Urban Adventure Vehicle”, the diminutive MT1 features the same footprint as a modern Mini Cooper SE, yet boasts Toyota Tacoma levels of practicality and load-lugging ability.

Inside, there’s enough room for five adults, yet the truck bed is larger than a Rivian R1T's and it’s all down to clever packaging. Without the need for an enormous combustion engine or bulky drivetrain, Telo has been able to maximize interior and load space.

That said, there should be a caveat on the bed length estimations, as Telo’s load space extends into the backseats, with a clever 'mid-gate' sliding into place when you want to transport passengers.

According to Telo, the small but mighty electric truck can transport 4ft-by-8ft sheets of plywood and up to 8ft surfboards with a split rear seat configuration. There’s also a retractable tonneau cover to protect kit and a Rivian-esque lockable storage tunnel under the bed.

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(Image credit: TELO)

Despite its small size, Telo claims it will offer the truck with either the option of a 300hp single motor set-up or a monster 500hp dual motor configuration that’s paired to an equally gargantuan 106kWh battery.

It seems overkill, but the company wants the MT1 to be able to haul 1,600 lbs (around 725kg) of kit and be able to tow 6,600lbs (almost 3,000kg), while still offering a range of around 350 miles, as well as the ability to charge from 20-80% in 20 minutes.

Prices start at $41,520 (around £32,000 / AU$66,000) for the Single Motor variant and increase to $49,019 (about £38,000 / AU$78,000) for the Dual Motor, All Wheel Drive model. A smaller, standard battery is included in that price, or customers can option a Long Range version for an additional $3,980.

It comes in eight different colors and can be specified with a handful of neat optional extras, such as a Solar Cab Roof, a hardshell canopy for the rear bed and solar panels for the tonneau cover.

However, Telo is taking $152 reservations right now, which is no guarantee this won’t just be another flash-in-the-pan electric truck start-up.

Showing Tesla how it's done

(Image credit: TELO)

With the backlash against Tesla’s founder and outspoken CEO in full swing, the Cybertruck appears to be taking the brunt of everyone's frustration, with reports of vandalism and even arson at Tesla showrooms as anti-DOGE protests break out across the US and Europe.

With its oddball angular styling, excessive footprint and blinding stainless steel body panels, Cybertruck seems to represent everything that certain pockets of the population can’t stand about Tesla and Musk right now.

Telo, on the other hand, has taken an altogether different approach. Rather than focus on making a bold, arguably egotistical statement, the team has started with practicality and its own slightly goofy looks have naturally followed.

Measuring a massive five feet (1,524mm) shorter than the Toyota Tacoma, it still manages to offer a similar amount of stowage space, without the road-hogging footprint.

Easy to park, simple to thread through busy cities and capable of rolling up its sleeves and getting its hands dirty, it’s everything the Cybertruck isn’t.

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• Apple has delayed the smarter, AI-infused Siri and says it will arrive "in the coming year."
• Since Apple Intelligence's debut, we've been waiting to try the smarter Siri with access to Apps
• "It’s going to take us longer than we thought to deliver on these features"

We’ve all been waiting for Apple to drop the significant Siri upgrade that was supposed to arrive at some point within the iOS 18 lifecycle. It goes beyond Siri’s colorful glow all around the screen that’s been here since the iPhone 16 lineup launched in September of 2024 and was promised to make the virtual assistant smarter, more useful, and a far better conversationalist.

However, our hopes were greatly diminished with iOS 18.4 arriving as developer and public betas without a new Siri. This is especially true after so many reports and rumors hinted that Apple was planning to release the new Siri – at least the first taste of it – in the spring.

Now, though, Apple has confirmed to Daring Fireball that the significant Siri upgrade is delayed: “It’s going to take us longer than we thought to deliver on these features, and we anticipate rolling them out in the coming year.” Those features included Siri factoring in personal context and the ability to see, understand, and control various applications on your device.

(Image credit: Future)

Apple originally announced the upgraded Siri with Personal Context back at the main WWDC 2024 keynote (World Wide Developers Conference) on June 10 without an exact release date in writing, but that it would arrive in the coming months.

The statement to Daring Fireball in full from Apple reads: “Siri helps our users find what they need and get things done quickly, and in just the past six months, we’ve made Siri more conversational, introduced new features like type to Siri and product knowledge, and added an integration with ChatGPT. We’ve also been working on a more personalized Siri, giving it more awareness of your personal context, as well as the ability to take action for you within and across your apps. It’s going to take us longer than we thought to deliver on these features and we anticipate rolling them out in the coming year.”

Apple has rolled out numerous Apple Intelligence features, but even so, this major upgrade to Siri, which would have put it on the same playing field as OpenAI’s ChatGPT Voice Mode or Gemini Live, was a real headliner. Writing tools, notification summaries, and Clean Up in photos, among others, are all helpful, and so is Siri’s ability to provide tech support. Even so, the truly smarter Siri would have been the real meat and potatoes of Apple Intelligence.

It’s also a rare admission from Apple, but the strong communication and transparency with level-setting expectations for when these features will finally ship is appreciated. I imagine even more so for folks who have been waiting for it to drop – me being one of them – and have invested in devices that are capable of running Apple Intelligence. It’s on par with the cancellation of AirPower, the iPhone 4’s ‘Antennagate,’ and the retooling of Apple Maps.

Further, it’s worth giving this piece by TechRadar’s Editor-at-Large Lance Ulanoff a read with this statement from Apple providing additional context – Apple’s privacy first and a more cautious approach with AI and Apple Intelligence was doing it no favors, writing “Yes, I get that Apple is the most privacy-aware and secure consumer platform and ecosystem. A portion of their AI strategy revolves around Private Cloud Compute. But what is that locked-down vapor actually doing for us?”

It's worth a read now in light of the confirmed delay. At least Apple is still committed to rolling out this new Siri with personal context and app access. Further, it’s clear they’re committed to doing it right … even if that takes more time.

Safe to say that the stakes will be even higher at the 2025 World Wide Developers Conference and with iOS 19, both of which are likely three months away as the event is typically within the first two weeks of June.

This story is developing…

@techradar

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