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The Trump administration has launched a $500 million project to develop a universal flu vaccine that won't need yearly updates. But vaccine experts are puzzled by its focus on a dated technology.

(Image credit: Science Photo Library)

Veterans and others express outrage as the Trump administration ends special protective status for Afghans who had relocated to the U.S.

(Image credit: Jose Luis Magana)

Major League Baseball has lifted the lifetime ban of Pete Rose, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and 15 other deceased players. The move clears the way for a Hall of Fame vote but doesn't guarantee admission.

(Image credit: Joe Robbins)

There are lots of unknowns ahead of potential direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey.

(Image credit: Gavriil Grigorovnhac and Nhac Nguyen)

Alongside the new feature, the company is revamping the way Airbnb Experiences will work in the future.

• Huawei is ditching Windows and replacing it with HarmonyOS on all future laptops
• HarmonyOS is gunning for a billion users as it spreads far beyond smartphones
• HarmonyOS Next ditches Android roots and is now a fully in-house Huawei operating system

Huawei’s software ambitions are rapidly expanding. What began as a survival strategy in response to U.S. sanctions has evolved into a bold initiative to position HarmonyOS as a dominant operating system across smartphones, tablets, TVs, and soon, PCs.

Now aiming to surpass one billion users, HarmonyOS is preparing for a new era of computing after Huawei lost access to Microsoft Windows licenses.

Originally unveiled in 2019 after seven years of development, HarmonyOS, known as Hongmeng in China, was Huawei’s answer to being cut off from Google’s Android ecosystem.

A billion smartphones powered by HarmonyOS

The operating system first appeared on smart TVs and quickly expanded to smartphones in 2021. By late 2024, over 900 million devices were already running HarmonyOS, with that number expected to cross the one-billion mark soon.

This rapid adoption is reflected in Huawei’s mobile performance; its smartphones recently overtook Apple’s in Chinese market share, reaching 19% compared to Apple’s 17%.

This growth has laid a strong foundation for Huawei to scale HarmonyOS across more devices as it seeks to unify its ecosystem, mirroring Apple’s seamless integration between iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.

In March 2025, Huawei’s license to use Microsoft Windows expired. Due to ongoing U.S. sanctions, the company cannot renew the agreement. As a result, Huawei is taking another bold step by replacing Windows with HarmonyOS on its future laptops.

The company has already showcased a new, unnamed laptop running HarmonyOS 5, also referred to as HarmonyOS Next. Unlike previous versions, this edition is no longer based on Android and is fully developed in-house. Huawei is expected to officially launch the device later this month.

The new OS supports core productivity tools such as WPS Office and enterprise apps like DingTalk. Thousands of HarmonyOS mobile apps are expected to run on the new laptops, offering users a familiar, mobile-like experience on desktop devices.

With its large ecosystem, spanning smartphones and beyond, HarmonyOS could soon emerge as one of the best Windows alternatives, particularly in regions where access to Microsoft's operating system is restricted or banned.

However, if these laptops continue to use AMD or Intel chips, users may still have the option to install or dual-boot Windows, or even explore alternative Linux distros.

Via Tomshardware

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The U.S. men's team plays India in the T20 World Cup in suburban New York City. India advancing in the tournament is normal, but for the U.S. team it's unexpected. It has already beat Pakistan.

The full moon is an ethereal lantern dancing with Earth in NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers' snapshots from the International Space Station.

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• Beelink AI Mini packs 16 cores and 126 TOPS into a Mac Studio rival
• This mini PC doubles as a local AI server, no cloud required
• Built for developers and creators handling massive AI workloads

In a bold attempt to rival Apple's Mac Studio, Beelink, a Chinese company, has announced its new mini workstation, dubbed the AI Mini. This compact yet powerful device is designed to meet demanding computing requirements.

The AI Mini is Beelink's second mini PC powered by AMD's Ryzen AI Max+ 395 processor, which combines the Zen 5 CPU architecture with a high-performance integrated Radeon 8060S graphics card.

This 16-core, 32-thread chip delivers up to 126 TOPS of AI compute capability. Its APU architecture merges CPU and GPU processing into a unified platform, improving efficiency for both general-purpose computing and AI-specific tasks.

Huge RAM for handling large datasets

According to Beelink, the AI Mini can function as a local AI server, making it ideal for developers running intensive models like DeepSeek R1, without the need for external GPUs or cloud-based infrastructure.

The device supports up to 128GB of RAM, boosting its appeal as a high end workstation for professionals handling large datasets, video rendering, or machine learning workloads.

Beelink has confirmed the inclusion of dual USB4 ports, each capable of speeds up to 40 Gbps, along with a USB Type-C port located on the front panel. Additionally, the AI Mini supports dual 10 Gbps Ethernet ports, delivering seamless connections to multiple devices.

Priced at $1,999, this business PC is not inexpensive, at nearly double the cost of Beelink's previous SER9 HX-370. However, similar devices based on AMD’s Strix Halo chip, such as the GMKTec EVO-X2, have also crossed the $1,500 mark.

Via Beelink

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José Mujica, the charismatic former guerrilla fighter who later went on to lead Uruguay and became known as "the world's poorest president" for his austere lifestyle, has died at 89.

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The video showed the "Halloween" legend hawking something she "didn't authorize, agree to or endorse."

The premium phone's AI video skills sound intriguing but its high price might be a problem.

Get a firsthand look at how a Pennsylvania home transformed its energy costs by making the switch to a heat pump.

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Look out for Red Hulk.

Airbnb has been a disruptor since it hit the scene in 2007. Now, at its annual Summer Release event, it’s redesigning its app to make navigating easier and ultimately leveling up what you might expect from a stay at one of its many properties worldwide.

For instance, while you get a bit more space with an Airbnb, you might lose out on some amenities, be it a gym, an attached restaurant, or even some self-care. The tech company's answer is dubbed Airbnb Services, essentially a way to book a service like a massage, a haircut, or even a chef to arrive at wherever you’re staying.

That aims to fill in the missing gap of what you might get from a hotel, but it also gives you, the visitor, a bit more control, with the option of looking through the available options and picking the ones that fit your needs the most.

Similarly, Airbnb Experiences aims to replace the mundane with memorable, allowing you to book activities from locals in the cities where you stay to get the most out of them. These seem especially fun, and at a launch event, Airbnb certainly brought out the talent to up this.

Then, tying this all together is a redesign app that looks a lot easier to navigate and acts more like a helpful companion. If you have a stay booked, as well as services or experiences, it can bundle them as an itinerary for you, listing important reminders.

1. Book a haircut, massage, or a catered meal with Services

(Image credit: Airbnb)

Services seem like the most approachable addition, and probably one of the most requested. Rather than finding out if the host approves of a third-party, Airbnb handles the vetting and will offer 10 categories of services at launch. Those include chefs, photographers, massages, spa treatments, personal training, hair treatments, makeup, nails, prepared meals, and catering.

It’ll launch in 260 cities across the globe at first and lives directly in the Airbnb app – there is an entire ‘services’ category at the top, and after you book a location, or are considering, you can see recommended services.

Airbnb is vetting the service providers and promises that each has around 10 years of experience in the respective industry. Additionally, each instructor or provider has to go through a verification process and list out applicable trainings or certifications.

(Image credit: Airbnb)

Services will start at $50 in the US (we’re waiting for exact starting prices to be confirmed in the UK and Australia, but that converts to around £40 / AU$80) and are rolling out now. Airbnb is also encouraging providers to apply to become hosts for services on the platform.

The real kicker here, though, and one that potentially could have TaskRabbit concerned, is that you don’t need to book an Airbnb home for a stay to use Services or Experiences (more on this in a bit).

If you need a photographer for a birthday party or a shower, you could fire up Airbnb on your iPhone or Android phone, look through reviews, and hire a professional. Same for a hibachi chef for a girls' night out – at an Airbnb or in your own home – or for a caterer specializing in soup dumplings.

2. Memorable moments dubbed Experiences

(Image credit: Airbnb)

Next to Services up-top in the Airbnb app will be ‘Experiences’ with a hot-air balloon icon. And similar to the 'Icons' homes that Airbnb lets folks enter to win a stay in – like the house from Up or the control room from Inside Out – Experiences is a bit more pie-in-the-sky, in the best way possible.

These are unique activities run by folks from where you’re staying that aim to let you really immerse yourself in the locale. It could be a cooking class or a dining experience, but rather than just a meal at a restaurant, it’s interactive and potentially led by a Michelin-star chef, or you can freshen your wardrobe with a celebrity stylist.

(Image credit: Airbnb)

Similarly, rather than just visiting a historical place, you can be led through the site with a dedicated historian or take a workout class with an expert in that specific field. The idea is to have true experts for a more compelling, well, experience.

Experiences will be launched in 650 cities worldwide, and Airbnb says that will be expanding. There will also be a higher tier dubbed Airbnb Originals, which the company promises could lead you to eating barbecue with Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City or playing volleyball with an Olympian. There’s no word on pricing for these, but I suppose these might be more similar to Airbnb Icons, in that you enter for the chance to use these.

More likely, you’ll find yourself with the more standard Airbnb experiences, which aim to be more than just standard.

3. App redesign

(Image credit: Airbnb)

Helping to make all of these more appealing, and honestly more integrated into the booking of an Airbnb – maybe a beach bungalow, a fancy loft, or a classic cabin – the app is also getting smarter in some key ways. The layout aims to make this flow a bit easier, and for the app to act as a companion serving up reminders and suggestions.

The biggest change, though, is that Airbnb now allows users to search for properties worldwide alongside the best services and experiences all in one place. Under the hood, Airbnb says it’s built an entire new tech stack that adds capacity for these new offerings and sets up a large runway for the future.

And I think that hints at the broader play here – Airbnb doesn’t want to be an app you open once or twice a year for a big vacation or trip. Rather, it’s there and is an app with more tools in its chest, allowing you to book more casual everyday services but also more memorable ones, whether you’re on the go or for a staycation.

Carolina Milanesi, President and Principal Analyst at Creative Strategies, told TechRadar, “Expanding into services makes a great deal of sense as it allows for a richer experience than the stay itself and can certainly add to it by adding a more visceral component to the stay – say you are using a personal trainer while you travel or organizing a photographer for your girls reunion weekend. The option of booking even when you are not staying shows they are trying to expand and deepen the relationship with a customer by having multiple touch points through the year.”

It certainly adds up, and this could grow Airbnb’s user base as well. We’re going hands-on with the new app, and maybe even an experience or two soon, so we’ll report back with more. But if you’re keen to give it a go, update to the latest version of the Airbnb app now.

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The biggest addition is beat editing, which will help creators sync their audio and visual elements much more efficiently.