Writing the summary…
Why OLPC’s $100 laptop never stood a chance

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The smart home graveyard is getting crowded
This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on the fragile state of your connected devices, follow Jennifer Pattison Tuohy. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers' inboxes on Sunday at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here. How it started A decade ago, a […]

Googlebooks might be the real deal
Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 145, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you're new here, welcome, I'm happy to be done traveling for a bit, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) This week, I flew to San Francisco to try out […]
PNOE’s new face mask wants to make lab-grade breath testing a self-serve affair
PNOĒ, the Malden, Mass.-based startup whose breath-analyzing mask used to bear an unfortunate resemblance to Bane's, is launching a sleeker self-serve version on October 1 that lets gym-goers measure their VO₂ max and other metabolic markers in eight minutes without a trained operator.
Google tests buying from Walmart-owned Flipkart through Gemini and AI Mode in India
The limited test covers select products and users, with a broader rollout planned for later in October.

Apple hit with $5.7 billion in damages over haptic patents
Haptics tech company Taction sued Apple in 2021, alleging it infringed two of its patents. Now a federal jury in San Diego has awarded Taction over $5.7 billion in damages. According to CNBC, "The lawsuit centered around U.S. Patent Nos. 10,659,885 and 10,820,117, which both involve vibration-based, tactile transducer technology that helps users feel a […]
Insurers claim AI is already increasing healthcare costs
Blue Cross Blue Shield says hospital use of AI tools led to an additional $942M in healthcare spending over a two-year period.