6 Expert Tips for Awesome Fireworks Photos / Meta Tests AI Chatbots That Text You First / How Much Internet Speed Do You Really Need?

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THIS WEEK IN TECH

I Let AIs Handle My 'Deep Research': Some Got Lost, One Was a Clear Winner

This week, we tested the deep research modes from OpenAI, Google, Perplexity, and xAI. Did you notice a big name missing from that list? Apple Intelligence is still on life support, and Cupertino is reportedly thinking about replacing it with ChatGPT or Claude.

Over on X, however, xAI is confident enough in Grok to let the AI write Community Notes. What could go wrong? And Perplexity is jumping on the premium bandwagon with the $200-per-month Max tier. Will Cloudflare's new AI-scraping blocker hamper their plans?

NEWS YOU NEED NOW

Want Awesome Fireworks Photos? Try These 6 Expert Tips

Fireworks shows give shutterbugs plenty of photo ops. Follow these tips to capture the best shots of the nighttime spectacle, no matter what camera you have.

iPhones Running iOS 26 Are Freezing FaceTime Calls When They Detect Nudity

The feature is currently active within the iOS 26 developer preview, but it may be a bug left over from testing for Apple's child accounts.

An AI-Generated Friend? Meta Is Testing AI Chatbots That Text You First

These chatbots will text you once every 14 days to follow up on your previous chats.

Anthem Is Shutting Down, You've Got 6 Months Left to Play

The game will remain playable until Jan. 12, but it's already been removed from digital storefronts and will no longer be accessible via the EA Play library on Aug. 15.

What's New to Watch on HBO Max This Week

Sinners comes to streaming this week on Max, plus a bunch of other cool movies and shows exclusive to the service. Here are our must-watch options.

Own Microsoft's Surface Earbuds? Check to See If You Can Still Charge Them

If you still have a pair of Surface Earbuds, you might want to do a wellness check. Reports suggest that they're struggling to come back to life when left for months without a charge.

EXPERT ANALYSIS

Master the Pit: The Best Grilling and BBQ Gadgets

The oldest form of cooking has moved well past the dark ages of kettle grills and charcoal briquettes. These are the best smart grilling gadgets you need to host the ultimate high-tech barbecue.