Meta and Oakley have introduced a stylish new line of smart glasses capable of recording high-quality 3K video, streaming music, answering calls, and interacting directly with Meta AI assistants. They offer double the battery life of the previous Meta Ray-Ban model, and prices start at $399. A special $499 limited-edition Oakley Meta HSTN version will launch on July 11.
Wix has acquired Base44, a six-month-old solo startup specializing in no-code AI tools for quickly building web apps, for $80 million in cash. Created and bootstrapped by a single founder, Base44 rapidly gained traction due to its profitability and ease of use.
Finland has activated the world’s largest sand battery, designed to store heat efficiently and sustainably. Built using recycled soapstone, the low-tech silo system will provide the community of Pornainen with weeks of heating energy, significantly reducing carbon emissions without the need for sophisticated lithium-based solutions.
E-bike maker VanMoof, which faced near-collapse due to its heavily customized components and costly maintenance structure, has rebounded with the introduction of the S6 e-bike. Backed by technology from McLaren and supported by a redesigned service network, the company hopes to avoid past pitfalls while offering customers advanced features and smoother rides.
Baiju Bhatt, co-founder of Robinhood, has turned his attention skyward with his latest startup, Aetherflux. The ambitious venture has raised $60 million to explore laser transmission of solar energy from orbit. Early support from the U.S. Department of Defense and a demonstration satellite slated for launch in the coming year indicate a serious commitment to proving the viability of space-based solar power.
SpaceX experienced another setback when one of its Starship rockets exploded during a test at its Texas facility. Though no one was injured, the explosion, caused by the rupture of a pressurized tank, likely pushes back their planned launch schedule, which had targeted late June.
Meanwhile, Spotify’s much-anticipated lossless audio offering remains elusive. While recent clues hidden in the latest app code indicate ongoing development, the streaming giant has yet to announce when customers will finally get to experience this long-awaited premium audio feature.
Digg is making a comeback, aiming to position itself as an AI-enhanced alternative to Reddit. Its redesigned alpha app is currently being tested, highlighting curated communities, AI-driven summaries, and interactive, gamified elements such as “Gems” and daily user leaderboards.
The U.S. Navy is streamlining its startup collaboration process to attract innovation in critical areas like AI, GPS, and infrastructure upgrades. By cutting red tape and clearly defining the challenges they face, Navy CTO Justin Fanelli stated that they hope to become key partners for Silicon Valley firms looking for concrete implementations for their cutting-edge technologies.
In a strategic talent move, Mark Zuckerberg has reportedly been offering up to $100 million in incentives to AI researchers and engineers from OpenAI and DeepMind to join Meta. OpenAI’s Sam Altman, however, confirmed that none of his core team members have accepted such lucrative offers, emphasizing the strong sense of mission that unites his employees. OpenAI continues pushing forward with its own projects, including potential plans for launching an AI-powered social media platform as a direct competitor to Meta’s struggling offerings.
Finally, an after-party hosted by San Francisco startup Cluely became an overnight social media sensation, attracting more than two thousand attendees. However, local authorities stepped in to preemptively shut down the excessively hyped event before it had even begun, leaving founder Roy Lee’s ambitious party plans temporarily on hold.
