Tuesday, July 7, 2026

Google announces Pixel 11 launch event in August

Google has announced its next Made by Google launch event for the Pixel 11 series, scheduled for August 12, 2026, at 6 PM ET in New York City. The invitation includes a teaser animation of a gold phone, hinting at new design elements. Early leaks suggest the Pixel 11 will feature slimmer bezels compared to the Pixel 10, while the Pixel 11 Pro may also be thinner and include a redesigned camera bump. This event follows last year's Pixel 10 launch, which featured Jimmy Fallon and occurred on August 20.

DHL Group raises earnings forecast after pre-tax income jumps 29%

DHL Group has increased its earnings forecast for 2026 following a robust second quarter, where pre-tax income surged by 29% and revenue grew by over 10% year over year. The company now expects its earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) to exceed 6.5 billion euros, up from a previous estimate of 6.2 billion euros. This growth is attributed to improved demand compared to the same quarter in 2025, which faced challenges from tariffs and trade policy shifts, alongside ongoing savings from its Fit for Growth efficiency campaign.

Chip stocks sell off after Samsung earnings fall short of high AI bar

Chip stocks experienced a significant selloff as investors reacted to Samsung Electronics' earnings report, which, despite showing a quarterly profit surpassing $1.8 billion, failed to meet the heightened expectations surrounding artificial intelligence demand. Shares of Samsung fell 8%, reflecting a broader market trend where beating earnings is insufficient to satisfy investor appetite in the AI sector. The decline also affected Korea's Kospi index, which dropped about 5%, and SK Hynix, which is set to list on Nasdaq, saw its shares decrease by 7%. Concerns are mounting that AI spending may not keep pace with skyrocketing memory prices, prompting price hikes from major companies.

Anthropic's Claude Cowork AI agent is now available on mobile and web

Anthropic has announced the rollout of its AI agent Claude Cowork to mobile and web platforms, previously available only through desktop. Beta access will begin gradually in the coming weeks, starting with Max subscribers. This expansion allows users to initiate tasks on their desktop, monitor progress via mobile, and access results through a web browser, with Claude continuing to operate even when devices are inactive. Notably, over 90% of Cowork's usage is dedicated to business operations and content creation, highlighting its focus beyond software work.

Hugging Face Models on Foundry Managed Compute

At Microsoft Build 2026, Microsoft introduced Hugging Face models on Foundry Managed Compute, allowing users to deploy a curated catalog of open-weight models with a single click. This integration features weekly updates and pre-staged weights in Azure, ensuring enterprise-grade security and governance. Foundry Managed Compute serves as a managed GPU platform, supporting a wide range of models from various AI developers, including Microsoft and OpenAI, and provides tools for real-time monitoring and evaluation of AI agents.

Don't rely on AI for personal finance advice, study finds

A recent study in the Journal of Financial Planning reveals that artificial intelligence programs, including ChatGPT and Claude, can deliver inconsistent and potentially biased financial advice. Researchers evaluated seven widely used AI platforms by posing questions about emergency savings, asset allocation, and retirement withdrawals. The findings indicate significant discrepancies in the responses, with AI outputs often sounding authoritative yet lacking accuracy. Experts advise that while AI can provide a general overview of financial topics, it should not be the sole source of financial guidance, particularly for personalized situations.

China eyes export curbs on its top AI models, and Europe is caught in the middle

China is exploring export restrictions on its advanced AI models, following discussions with tech giants such as Alibaba and ByteDance. The proposed limits would affect both released and unreleased models, potentially raising costs for companies that currently rely on affordable Chinese alternatives. This move poses a significant challenge for Europe, which depends on foreign AI development and is already facing a digital gap, with over 80% of its digital products sourced from outside the region. The EU's InvestAI initiative, aimed at building its own AI capabilities with a budget of 200 billion euros, is lagging behind, further complicating the situation.

Chemistry Ventures is raising $500M for its second fund

Chemistry Ventures is in the process of raising $500 million for its second fund, according to an SEC filing. Founded two years ago by Mark Goldberg, Ethan Kurzweil, and Kristina Shen, the firm initially launched with a $350 million fund. It focuses on early-stage startups in sectors such as developer tools, fintech, and infrastructure, with notable portfolio companies including Granola, Decagon, Persona, Serval, and Nova Intelligence. Reports indicate that the second fund is already oversubscribed and is expected to close soon.

Abacus Tokenizes Life Insurance Assets as $224B Market Moves Onchain

Abacus Global Management is pioneering the tokenization of the secondary life insurance market, valued at $224 billion, by moving part of its portfolio onchain. The firm has successfully tokenized over 100 in-force policies and aims to transition its entire balance sheet by the end of 2026. This blockchain-based system will create immutable records of ownership and cash-flow rights, significantly reducing the time required for transactions from weeks to days. CEO Jay Jackson emphasized that this tokenization is a natural extension of Abacus's operations, enhancing the speed and confidence expected by institutional investors.

Brookfield, Bloom Energy Expand AI Infrastructure Partnership to $25 Billion

Bloom Energy and Brookfield have expanded their partnership agreement, increasing project financing to $25 billion, up from an initial $5 billion announced in October 2025. This expansion reflects a strong demand from hyperscalers and AI infrastructure developers for fast and reliable power. The collaboration combines Brookfield's expertise in AI infrastructure development and capital access with Bloom's rapidly deployable onsite power solutions. Bloom Energy's Chief Commercial Officer Aman Joshi emphasized the partnership's momentum, highlighting the urgent need for clean power to support AI growth.

AI law startup Norm raises $120M, hits unicorn valuation

AI law startup Norm announced a successful Series C funding round, securing $120 million and achieving a valuation of $1.2 billion. Founded nearly three years ago, Norm operates an AI-native law firm, Norm Law, which utilizes proprietary AI agents alongside human attorneys to provide legal services to enterprise clients. Distinctively, Norm's business model charges clients based on outcomes rather than traditional hourly billing. The new capital will facilitate product development and expand the attorney workforce.

iFixit has a new toolkit for fixing appliances, building furniture, and household repairs

iFixit has unveiled its new Megalodon Driver Kit, priced at $34.95, aimed at simplifying household repairs and DIY tasks. This compact toolkit features a redesigned screwdriver known as the Megalodon, which includes a unique Swivel Grip Cap that allows for easy screw removal and secure tightening. The kit comes with 16 extended-reach bits, each with 2-inch shanks, specifically selected for common fasteners encountered in appliance repairs, furniture assembly, and general DIY projects. Additionally, the kit is organized in a plastic case with a magnetic lid that doubles as a sorting tray to prevent losing screws during work.

Google Voice now offers paid tiers with call recording & Gemini for personal accounts

Google Voice has expanded its offerings by introducing paid tiers for personal accounts, moving away from its previous focus on enterprise customers. The new Google Voice Starter plan, priced at $10 per month, includes features such as three-way calling, call recording, and 24/7 support. The more advanced Google Voice Standard plan costs $20 per month and adds automated call handling and the Gemini feature, which transcribes conversations and generates summaries. Currently, there is a 50% discount for the first six months of the Standard plan, making these offerings accessible to small businesses and individual users alike.

Marshall upgrades the bass and repairability of two wireless speakers

Marshall has launched the Acton IV and Stanmore IV Bluetooth speakers, featuring upgraded tweeters, bass ports, and internal designs for enhanced sound quality. The Acton IV, priced at $299.99, includes a 4-inch woofer and dual 0.75-inch tweeters, while the Stanmore IV, at $399.99, boasts a larger 5-inch woofer. Both models emphasize repairability, allowing users to replace parts such as knobs and front grills. Additionally, they support Bluetooth Auracast for seamless multi-unit playback and can connect to Marshall's Heddon Wi-Fi streaming hub, which integrates with services like Spotify Connect and Tidal.

Savi’s app aims to protect consumers from realistic AI scams like kidnappers demanding ransom

Savi Security, founded by brothers Patrick and Ryan Coughlin, has launched an app aimed at protecting consumers from increasingly sophisticated AI-generated scams, following a traumatic incident involving their mother. The company raised $7 million in seed funding, led by Acrew Capital, and will offer its app on iOS and Android. The app features live-call monitoring, allowing users to detect scams during phone conversations, and is priced at $8 per month for family coverage. This initiative comes amid a surge in imposter scams, with the FTC reporting losses of $3.5 billion in 2025, a significant increase from previous years.

Samsung is increasing prices on these Galaxy smartphones, again

Samsung has once again increased prices on its budget Galaxy smartphones in India, with the latest adjustments taking effect on July 4. This marks the fifth price hike for these devices, with increases primarily affecting lower-end models. For instance, the Galaxy A06 5G's base model has risen from ₹10,499 to ₹14,999, reflecting a ₹4,500 increase since its launch last year. Other models, such as the Galaxy A07 4G and Galaxy M07 4G, have also seen similar price adjustments, with each storage tier experiencing a ₹1,000 hike.

AirPods Max condensation lawsuit significantly narrowed by judge

A Brooklyn federal judge has dismissed most claims in a proposed class-action lawsuit against Apple regarding alleged condensation defects in its AirPods Max. The lawsuit, initiated by Arthur Apicella and Dustin Amundson, claimed that moisture formed inside the headphones during normal use, leading to connectivity issues and degraded sound quality. Judge Orelia E. Merchant dismissed all claims under New York law with prejudice, including Apicella's allegations of warranty breaches and consumer protection violations. However, Amundson's claims under Washington state law's implied warranty of merchantability and the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act will continue.

Chinese AI models regularly pass 30 percent on OpenRouter as cost gap widens

Chinese AI models are increasingly favored by US companies due to their significantly lower costs compared to offerings from OpenAI and Anthropic. Since February 8, 2026, models from companies such as DeepSeek and Z.ai have consistently accounted for over 30 percent of traffic on the OpenRouter platform, peaking at 46 percent. This is a marked increase from an average of just 11 percent last year. OpenRouter employee Justin Summerville noted that these Chinese models are running 60 to 90 percent cheaper than their US counterparts, prompting companies like Lindy to switch from Anthropic's Claude to DeepSeek, resulting in substantial savings.

J.P. Morgan raises Apple stock target to $345 despite hardware price hikes

J.P. Morgan has raised its price target for Apple stock to $345, maintaining a Buy rating despite recent price hikes on several products due to a market-wide memory shortage. Following a 6% dip after the announcement, Apple’s stock has rebounded nearly 15%, currently trading at $311.44, close to its all-time high of $317.40. The firm believes that historical sales data shows a limited relationship between pricing and sales volume, suggesting that consumers will continue to purchase Apple products regardless of price increases, particularly in the case of Macs, which may benefit from heightened demand tied to AI features.

Apple stops signing iOS 26.5.1 after critical security fix release

Apple has stopped signing iOS 26.5 and iOS 26.5.1, effectively preventing users from downgrading to these versions following the release of iOS 26.5.2 on June 29, 2026. This decision comes after a critical security update aimed at addressing vulnerabilities, particularly those related to AI-powered hacking risks. Apple typically halts signing older versions once newer updates are deemed stable, and iOS 26.6 is expected to be released later this month, with beta testing for iOS 27 already underway.

AWS Expands DevOps Agent with AI-Powered Release Management to Validate Code Before Production

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has significantly upgraded its AWS DevOps Agent by introducing AI-powered release management features that autonomously assess code changes and conduct software testing before production deployment. The new capabilities, currently in preview, include Release Readiness Review and Autonomous Release Testing, which allow engineering teams to evaluate production readiness and enforce organizational standards earlier in the software delivery pipeline. This expansion addresses the challenges posed by the increasing volume of AI-generated code, which has created bottlenecks in traditional review and testing processes, thereby enhancing the overall efficiency of software delivery.

L’Oreal, Mondelez, and Nestle use AI to speed product development

L’Oreal, Mondelez, and Nestle are increasingly integrating AI into their product development processes to enhance efficiency and innovation. L’Oreal has applied AI for four years, enabling the company to predict how molecules will affect skin and hair, thus accelerating product formulation by four times. Mondelez employs AI for recipe development across brands like Cadbury and Oreo, achieving a 60% success rate in improving biscuit recipes. Meanwhile, Nestle is reformulating its products to remove artificial colorings by the end of 2026, reflecting a broader industry shift towards cleaner ingredients.

How AI could enable autonomous robot workers in workplaces—and maybe homes

Recent advancements in AI are propelling the development of autonomous robots capable of performing a wide range of tasks in workplaces and homes. Companies like Boston Dynamics are at the forefront, with their Spot robot conducting autonomous inspections in hazardous environments. The evolution from basic navigation tasks to complex autonomous operations is driven by techniques such as reinforcement learning and large foundation models, which allow robots to learn and adapt to unstructured environments. However, significant challenges remain, including a data gap that hinders the training of robots to perform reliably across diverse conditions.

Jim Cramer calls out buying opportunities in this 'vicious' market rotation

On Tuesday, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq experienced declines of 0.70% and 1.5%, respectively, primarily driven by a sell-off in technology and momentum stocks. The downturn was exacerbated by disappointing preliminary earnings from Samsung, which raised concerns about AI infrastructure spending. In this 'vicious rotation,' Jim Cramer advised investors to seek out fundamentally strong companies with significant price drops, highlighting recent purchases of Intel and Honeywell Aerospace. Meanwhile, the healthcare sector has shown resilience, with Johnson & Johnson and Eli Lilly seeing notable gains amidst the broader market slump.