Google is batting back against malware and backdoor computer infection by adding VPN app verification at the Google Play Store that includes a badge for trusted downloads. Google has indicated that simply selecting reputable brand-name VPNs (virtual private networks) is no longer an effective way of avoiding trouble, as nefarious actors have found ways to infect legitimate VPN apps with malware. Last month, the Google Managed Defense team warned that malware known as Playfulghost had reportedly infected some popular VPNs, using them to inject malware and remotely control infected devices. Read more

Most people know Hugging Face as a resource-sharing community, but it also builds open-source applications and tools for machine learning. Its recent release of vision-language models small enough to run on smartphones while outperforming competitors that rely on massive data centers is being hailed as “a remarkable breakthrough in AI.”  The new models — SmolVLM-256M and SmolVLM-500M — are optimized for “constrained devices” with less than around 1GB of RAM, making them ideal for mobile devices including laptops and also convenient for those interested in processing large amounts of data cheaply and with a low-energy footprint. Read more

ChatGPT has a new “deep research” agent that OpenAI says uses reasoning to synthesize large amounts of online information and complete multi-step research tasks. “It accomplishes in tens of minutes what would take a human many hours,” OpenAI suggests, claiming it will “synthesize hundreds of online sources to create a comprehensive report at the level of a research analyst.” Powered by a version of the upcoming OpenAI o3 model optimized for web browsing and data analysis, the company says the deep research agent will typically take 5 to 30 minutes to complete its work. The agent is described as an ideal research tool for areas such as finance, science and engineering. Read more

Vodafone announced it has made the world’s first video call from an area of no coverage using a commercial satellite connection and standard mobile phone. The call was touted as the “first space to land gateway in Europe,” connecting satellites with Vodafone’s terrestrial network. Call participants Margherita Della Valle, CEO of Vodafone Group, in a remote area of Wales, and British astronaut Tim Peake, in Newbury, UK, experienced “a full mobile broadband experience” during the groundbreaking connection. Vodafone is working with Starlink rival AST SpaceMobile to bring a commercial satellite-to-mobile broadband service to Europe, possibly this year. Read more

NASCAR has added a new experience that gives spectators a view from race car cockpits with its new “Driver Cam.” Courtesy of TNT Sports and streaming service Max, NASCAR fans were able to see and hear what went on from the driver POV behind the wheel, choosing from among up to 40 vehicles at the 2025 Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina this past weekend. Viewers can select and monitor up to four simultaneous feeds with an array of specialized video, audio and graphics features for the duration of the NASCAR Cup Series calendar for 2025, exclusively on Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max. Read more