Technology

Intel’s tick-tock isn’t coming back, and everything else I just learned

Published

5 months ago

October 24, 2025

Intel’s tick-tock isn’t coming back, and everything else I just learned

Today on the company’s Q3 2025 earnings call, where Intel saw its first profit in nearly two years due primarily to those lifelines, CEO Lip-Bu Tan and CFO David Zinsner explained how the company doesn’t yet have enough chips. It’s currently seeing shortages that it expects to peak in the first quarter of next year — in the meantime, leaders say they’re going to prioritize AI server chips over some consumer processors as it deals with supply and demand.

“We expect CCG [Intel’s consumer chips] to be down modestly and DCAI [Intel’s server chips] to be up strongly as we prioritize capacity for server shipments over entry level client parts,” Intel says. Tan revealed today that Intel will also release new AI GPUs each and every year, following Nvidia and AMD in shaking up their traditional cadence to address the huge demand for AI servers. It’s not clear what that might mean for those hoping for more Intel gaming GPUs.

While all eyes are on Intel’s hot new Panther Lake and its 18A process to show the world it can still make the most potent consumer PC chips and make them in-house, the company reiterated it’s only launching one SKU of Panther Lake this year and slowly rolling out others in 2026. Here’s another possible reason why: Zinsner hinted today that Panther Lake will be a “pretty expensive” product to start with, and Intel’s going to have to push its existing Lunar Lake chips instead “in at least the first half of the year.”

While Intel has repeatedly pushed back against the idea that its 18A process had poor yields, the company admitted to investors and analysts today that it’s not ready to be a huge financial success either: yields are “adequate to address the supply but not where we need them to be to drive the appropriate level of margins,” says Zinsner, suggesting that it might be 2026, or even 2027 for an “acceptable level of yields” in that regard.

For now, Intel will be “working closely with customers to maximize our available output, including adjusting pricing and mix, to shift demand towards products where we have supply and they have demand” — which sounds like playing with the prices it charges PC makers to stick Intel inside their computers and pointing them at Lunar Lake parts instead of hot new ones. Tan reiterated today that he’s not going to invest in more capacity unless there’s “committed external demand,” and Zinsner says investments in capacity next year won’t “significantly change expectations”.

Intel says that 18A will be a “long-lived node” that will power “at least the next three generations of client and server products.” If you were hoping for a return to the “tick-tock” days where Intel would alternate between shrinking its chips and releasing new architectures every generation, that’s not happening here.

But that doesn’t mean Intel will cancel its next node, Intel 14A, as it warned it might. Tan suggested today that customers have stepped in to save 14A, and Intel, that the company is “delighted and more confident” in it, and Zinsner says it’s not only “off to a good start,” but better than 18A was at this point “in terms of performance and yields.”

Technology

Two of my favorite color e-book readers are the cheapest they’ve been in months

Published

5 hours ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

Two of my favorite color e-book readers are the cheapest they’ve been in months

Color isn’t essential in an e-reader, but let’s be honest, it’s a nice perk that can bring digital books, magazines, comics, cookbooks, and other publications to life. The catch is that color ebook readers tend to be substantially pricier, which makes today’s deals stand out. Right now, the Kindle Colorsoft (16GB) and Kobo Libra Colour are matching their lowest prices to date, with the Amazon e-reader going for $169.99 ($80 off) at Amazon and Best Buy, and the Libra Colour going for $199.99 ($30 off) via Rakuten’s online storefront.

At their core, both are excellent e-readers with 7-inch, 300ppi E Ink displays, which drop to 150ppi when viewing color. The Colorsoft’s display is slightly more vibrant in most instances, but the difference isn’t dramatic. Each also offers IPX8 water resistance, so you don’t need to worry about spills and can comfortably read in the bath or by the pool.

Which one makes more sense for you largely depends on where you buy your books, how much storage you need, and whether you like to take notes. The Colorsoft is great if you’re heavily embedded in Amazon’s ecosystem, as buying and accessing Kindle books is intuitive and doesn’t require any sideloading. As the more affordable option in Amazon’s lineup, the standard Colorsoft delivers a nearly identical reading experience to the Signature Edition, and it supports Amazon’s “Send to Alexa Plus” feature, which lets you send notes or documents to Amazon’s AI-powered assistant for summaries, to-do lists, reminders, and more. The downside is that it lacks wireless charging and an auto-adjusting front light — which are standard on the step-up model — and comes with 16GB of storage instead of 32GB.

That said, if I didn’t already own so many Kindle books, the Libra Colour would be my pick. It offers double the storage at 32GB and includes intuitive physical page-turn buttons. You can also write notes while reading, given that it offers stylus support, and it includes built-in notebook templates, as well as the ability to convert handwriting to typed text. It also supports EPUB and a wider range of file formats, and lets you save articles for offline reading with Instapaper. And it also offers adjustable warm lighting, which makes reading at night a little easier on the eyes.

Technology

Robot plays tennis with humans in real time

Published

6 hours ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

Robot plays tennis with humans in real time

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A humanoid robot is now rallying tennis shots with a human in real time. It runs without a script or remote control, so it can react instantly on a tennis court.

The robot stands about 4 feet tall, giving it a compact, human-like frame. Galbot Robotics released a video showing its robot going shot-for-shot with a human player. The system behind it is called LATENT and runs on the Unitree G1.

And it is not just returning the ball. It is moving, adjusting and competing during live play.

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CHINA’S COMPACT HUMANOID ROBOT SHOWS OFF BALANCE AND FLIPS

A humanoid robot rallies tennis shots with a human in real time, reacting without scripts or remote control during live play. (Galbot Robotics)

Why this tennis robot is different from others

Most athletic robots you have seen follow scripts. They perform pre-programmed actions or rely on a remote control. This one operates differently. It reacts to a human opponent in real time, tracking fast-moving balls, shifting across the court and returning shots with surprising accuracy. It also adjusts to changing trajectories and unpredictable shots during rallies. Researchers say it can sustain long rallies with millisecond-level reactions and full-body coordination. That marks a major step forward.

How the AI learned to play tennis

Training a robot to play tennis is extremely complex. Tennis involves:

Tennis ball speeds can reach up to 67 miles per hour
Split-second racket contact
Constant movement across a large court

Capturing complete human gameplay data is difficult. So the researchers used a different method.

Training the robot using motion fragments

Instead of recording full matches, they focused on small segments of movement:

Forehands
Backhands
Side steps

They gathered about five hours of motion data from five players. The sessions took place on a compact 10-by-16-foot court. That space is more than 17 times smaller than a standard tennis court.

RESTAURANT ROBOT GOES HAYWIRE, SENDS TABLEWARE FLYING BEFORE BREAKING OUT IN DANCE MOVES

Humanoid robots designed by Galbot Robotics select items from a shelf at the Shanghai New Expo Center in Shanghai, China, on July 26, 2025. Galbot Robotics also designed the tennis-playing robot that learns movement fragments and applies them in live competition. (Ying Tang/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

How the robot plays tennis during live rallies

The system first learns individual movements. Then it combines them into coordinated sequences. That allows the robot to:

Move toward the ball
Strike it with control
Recover and reposition

To improve performance, the team trained the model in simulation. They varied physical conditions such as mass, friction and aerodynamics. This helps the robot adapt to real-world unpredictability. As a result, the system responds dynamically instead of following a fixed routine.

How well does it actually perform against humans?

In testing, the system achieved up to 96% success on forehand shots in simulation. In real-world trials, the robot can sustain rallies with a human and consistently return the ball across the net.

Watching the demo, it appears competitive. At times, the robot places shots away from the human player. That suggests more than a simple reaction. It points toward early forms of decision-making.

There are still limits. The robot can look unstable at times. Its motion is not yet as fluid as a trained athlete. High or unpredictable shots may still present challenges. Even so, the progress is clear.

Why this matters beyond tennis

This breakthrough goes far beyond tennis. It shows how robots can learn complex human skills without perfect data. The same approach could apply to:

Football
Badminton
Industrial work
Search and rescue

Any task that lacks complete motion data could benefit from this method. That is the bigger picture.

WORLD’S FASTEST HUMANOID ROBOT RUNS 22 MPH

A robot dances at the launch ceremony of a Galbot Robotics retail store in Beijing, China, on August 7, 2025. The company has also designed a 4-foot robot that returns tennis shots with millisecond reactions and full-body coordination. (VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

Could robots compete with humans one day?

The path forward is becoming clearer. Today, the robot rallies. Next, it competes. In time, robots could train with or challenge professional athletes. Exhibition matches between humans and machines may become part of the sport. That future no longer feels far away.

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Kurt’s key takeaways

This demo shows how quickly things are changing. Robots are no longer stuck following scripts. They can now react, adjust and compete in real situations. What used to feel far off is starting to show up right in front of us.

So here is the question: If a robot could outplay you on the court, would you still want to compete, or would you rather train with it? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Technology

AI influencer awards season is upon us

Published

18 hours ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

First came the AI beauty pageant. Then the AI music contests. Now, there is an award for AI Personality of the Year — perhaps the inevitable next step for the AI influencer economy as it transforms from quirky novelty into a serious and lucrative industry.

The contest, a joint venture between generative AI studio OpenArt and AI-powered creator platform Fanvue, with backing from AI voice company ElevenLabs, opens on Monday and runs for a month. The organizers said it is intended to “celebrate the creative talent ‘behind’ AI Influencers” and recognize their growing commercial and cultural clout.

Contestants will compete for a total prize fund of $20,000, which will be split between an overall winner and individual categories of fitness, lifestyle, comedian, music and dance entertainer, and fictional cartoon, anime, or fantasy personality. Victors will be celebrated at an event in May that the organizers are dubbing the “‘Oscars’ for AI personalities.”

To enter, you must develop your AI influencer on OpenArt’s platform and submit it at www.AIpersonality.ai. You’ll be asked for social media handles across TikTok, X, YouTube, and Instagram, as well as the story behind the character, your motivations for creating it, and details of any brand work.

Among those assessing contestants are 13‑time Emmy‑winning comedy writer Gil Rief, the creators of Spanish AI model Aitana Lopez, and Christopher “Topher” Townsend, the MAGA rapper behind AI-generated gospel singer Solomon Ray. According to a copy of the judges’ briefing seen by The Verge, contestants will be scored on four criteria: quality, social clout, brand appeal, and the inspiration behind the avatar. Specific points include reliably engaging with followers, portraying a consistent look across social channels, accurate details like having the “right number of fingers and thumbs,” and having “an authentic narrative” behind the avatar.

The contest is open to established creators and novices alike, though existing AI influencers will still need to submit material produced on OpenArt’s platform, Matt Jones, head of brand at Fanvue, told The Verge.

Despite being designed to celebrate creators of virtual influencers, Jones said that entrants don’t need to publicly identify themselves. “If a person who created this amazing piece of work wants nothing to do with the press or to expose themselves or to have their name out there, that’s obviously fine,” he said. “There would be no need to thrust anybody into the limelight here. We would just celebrate the piece of work.”

That creators can remain anonymous feels odd for a contest judging authenticity, particularly in an AI influencer ecosystem built on fictional people, fake personas, and fabricated backstories. That same anonymity has also helped grifts flourish with little accountability, from the AI white nationalist rapper Danny Bones to MAGA fantasy girl Jessica Foster.

There’s familiar baggage too, including persistent questions about originality, whether AI-generated work, or even a likeness, has been lifted from real creators, and whether these tools simply reproduce the same old biases in synthetic form. Organizer Fanvue has already faced criticism for this in the past: in 2024, a Guardian columnist described its “Miss AI” beauty pageant as something that “take(s) every toxic gendered beauty norm and bundle(s) them up into a completely unrealistic package.”

To Fanvue’s Jones, creators inevitably leave something of themselves in the AI characters they make. “You can’t help but put a little bit of yourself into the stories that you tell and the characters that you make,” he said, urging creators to “lean into that.” The idea feels at home in the influencer economy: not strictly real, but a form of synthetic authenticity the internet already knows how to handle.

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