Numerous car companies are trying their hands at digital assistants, but Mini is planning something more... characterful. The automaker has unveiled Spike, an English Bulldog-inspired helper coming to future Mini models. While his exact functionality is still unknown, he'll walk you through the "operating concept" of a given car and is meant to foster an "emotional connection." We suspect this pup won't seem so loveable when you're in a hurry, but it might beat the personality-free assistants from other makes.

Spike will make his debut in the cabin of the Mini Concept Aceman at the Shanghai auto show beginning April 18th. He'll appear on both the OLED-based infotainment display and the dashboard. You'll learn more about the canine companion's features later in the year, the company says.

Introduced last year, the Concept Aceman is a compact electric crossover with a minimalist design (there's only a handful of analog controls) and an emphasis on personalization. There are projections on the dashboard, light animations on the nose and a variety of "experience modes" meant to liven up your commute. We wouldn't expect many of these ideas to reach production Minis, but the more angular body, recycled plastic interior and emphasis on tech may translate to the upcoming lineup. Mini has already teased an electric Countryman E with a 313HP dual-motor system and an estimated 280-mile range.

The strategy isn't surprising for parent company BMW, whose concept cars frequently center around a personalized digital experience — see this year's i Vision Dee as an example with its dash-length HUD, voice commands and color-changing exterior. Theoretically, you'll develop an attachment to Spike that keeps you buying Mini cars for the assistant inside, not just the performance on the road.

Don't count on your Twitter Circle tweets being limited to a close-knit group, at least for the time being. Users have discovered a bug that exposes at least some private Circle posts to outsiders. They frequently show up in followers' For You recommendations, but some say the content is reaching total strangers. As you might imagine, that could be problematic if you're discussing a sensitive topic or want to minimize potential harassment.

Twitter is unavailable for comment as it has disbanded its public relations team. Creator Theo Brown tellsTechCrunch Twitter may be failing to filter Circle tweets out of its recommendation system before they're shared with other users.

Circles have been glitchy for months, but the flaws aren't known to have shared tweets with people outside a Circle. They sometimes haven't included the label indicating their Circle-only status, even if it was clear they couldn't be shared elsewhere. This is considerably worse — you now can't trust that a private post will stay that way.

Twitter has dealt with a growing number of technical issues since Elon Musk bought the company and laid off many employees. There have been multiple outages, troublesome API changes and confusion over feature rollouts and removals. While these hiccups aren't necessarily prompting a user exodus, they don't help at a time when the social media giant is reportedly struggling to keep advertisers and turn a profit.

The PC market has been reeling for months, but it just got worse. Both Canalys and IDC estimate that worldwide computer shipments dropped between 29 to 33 percent year-over-year in the first quarter of 2023. That's a steeper drop than during the holidays, and this time none of the major brands escaped the worst of the downturn. Second-place HP escaped relatively lightly with a 24 percent drop in shipments, while fourth-place Apple felt the most pain with a drop of more than 40 percent. ASUS, Dell and Lenovo all took a roughly 30 percent hit.

The explanations may sound familiar. Customers are reluctant to buy PCs in a turbulent economy where inflation is running wild, and the pandemic-era boom in remote work is still winding down. People either can't afford new machines or already have ones that are good enough. There's no comment on why Apple struggled more than its peers, but it generally targets the high-end market and is more vulnerable to poor economic conditions. TechCrunch also notes that Apple's transition to in-house chips helped it avoid the tough times that Windows vendors faced in recent years, but that the honeymoon period may be over.

Analysts are optimistic. Canalys believes this is the worst drop the PC market will see in 2023, while both research groups expect to see recovery as soon as the second half of 2023. Old computers will be due for upgrades, including Chromebooks at schools, while businesses will update to Windows 11 systems. IDC also sees the slowdown as giving manufacturers a chance to move some production outside of China.

There's still a note of caution. IDC warns that the PC industry could be in for a "slog" if recessions continue into 2024. Although the sharpest declines may be over, it could take a long time for the market to bounce back. Don't be surprised if brands play it relatively safe with computers they know are likely to sell, rather than experimenting with unusual designs.

Now is a good time to buy a high-performance tablet for your springtime travel — or some very early back-to-school prep. Microsoft is running a spring sale that offers up to $300 off Surface Pro 9 models, while Amazon is roughly matching many of those prices. Almost all versions are discounted, whether they're Intel- or ARM-based, and the bargains get larger with more advanced configurations. An Intel Core i7 model with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD is down to $1,600 (normally $1,900), while a Qualcomm SQ3 variant with 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and 5G has dropped to the same price.

Other deals are still worth exploring. A $100 discount effectively gives entry-level Surface Pro 9 buyers a free upgrade to a 256GB SSD, and the sweet-spot Core i5 model with 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD is down to $1,300. If you simply must have the best, a Core i7 tablet with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD is down to $2,300. Surface Pro Signature Keyboards are up to $75 off, too. 

The Surface Pro 9 unified Microsoft's Intel- and ARM-powered tablet designs for the first time, and the results are mostly positive. This is a surprisingly thin slate that still has the power for serious multitasking, and you can even upgrade the SSD (a rarity in tablets) if you need more storage. The SQ3 version also includes 5G support to keep you connected while you're camping or traveling on business.

We'll be frank: you'll probably want an Intel-based Surface Pro 9. It's not only faster than its ARM equivalent, but compatible with a much wider range of software. And yes, the virtually mandatory keyboard attachment isn't included in the price. Still, this is one of the precious few tablets that can truly be called a laptop replacement. It's fast enough for serious work, yet portable enough for note-taking (with the optional pen) and other handheld duties.

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Did you ever want to see how the creators of Wallace and Grommit would handle the Star Wars universe? You're about to get your chance. Disney has released a trailer for Star Wars: Visions Volume 2, and it includes a peek at Aardman's short film "I Am Your Mother." To no one's surprise, it includes the studio's characteristic humor and ridiculously cute stop-motion animation — let's just say that Wookiee rage has never been more endearing.

The nine-short anthology includes projects from a wider selection of countries than the first collection. Pixar veteran Rodrigo Blaas is involved, as are accomplished outlets like Studio Mir and Triggerfish. As before, these aren't canonical tales — they're explorations of the Star Wars universe using a range of animation styles and storytelling formats.

Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 reaches Disney+ on May 4th (aka Star Wars Day). To some degree, this is Disney's way to fill the gap between marquee live action shows like The Mandalorian season three and Ahsoka. You might not mind, however, if you'd like to see some fresh takes on an otherwise familiar space fantasy.

Did you ever want to see how the creators of Wallace and Grommit would handle the Star Wars universe? You're about to get your chance. Disney has released a trailer for Star Wars: Visions Volume 2, and it includes a peek at Aardman's short film "I Am Your Mother." To no one's surprise, it includes the studio's characteristic humor and ridiculously cute stop-motion animation — let's just say that Wookiee rage has never been more endearing.

The nine-short anthology includes projects from a wider selection of countries than the first collection. Pixar veteran Rodrigo Blaas is involved, as are accomplished outlets like Studio Mir and Triggerfish. As before, these aren't canonical tales — they're explorations of the Star Wars universe using a range of animation styles and storytelling formats.

Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 reaches Disney+ on May 4th (aka Star Wars Day). To some degree, this is Disney's way to fill the gap between marquee live action shows like The Mandalorian season three and Ahsoka. You might not mind, however, if you'd like to see some fresh takes on an otherwise familiar space fantasy.

Now that many phones don't come with chargers, you might need one — and thanks to an Amazon sale, you won't have to pay much to get more than the basics. The retailer is offering Anker charging equipment for up to 44 percent off, including wired and wireless options. Most notably, the Anker 637 MagSafe charging station is down to a record-low $64, or $36 off. You can wirelessly charge your iPhone while also powering two USB-C devices (up to 65W), two USB-A devices and three AC-powered items.

Many of the other deals revolve around the travel gear you'll want for camping or vacations. The PowerCore 10000 Redux portable battery is down to $30 (normally $40), while the Anker 511 USB power strip is the most steeply discounted item at $20 (44 percent off). If you need USB-C cables to connect everything, you can buy a two-pack of 60W-capable cables for only $10 (usually $16).

You'll need at least an iPhone 12 to make use of the 637's wireless charging. If you have the right handset, though, it's an excellent way to charge multiple devices. You don't have to plug your phone in at the end of the day, and you won't have to run cables to a power strip that's likely sitting on the floor. Think of this as a dock for the MacBook Air and other thin-and-light laptops that may not have many spare ports for recharging all your other gadgets.

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AI normally needs to be trained on existing material to detect objects, but Meta has a way for the technology to spot items without help. The social media giant has published a "Segment Anything" AI model that can detect objects in pictures and videos even if they weren't part of the training set. You can select items by clicking them or using free-form text prompts. As Reutersexplains, you can type the word "cat" and watch the AI highlight all the felines in a given photo.

The model can also work in tandem with other models. It can help reconstruct an object in 3D using a single image, or draw from views from a mixed reality headset. Effectively, Segment Anything can limit the need for additional AI training.

Both the AI model and a dataset will be downloadable with a non-commercial license. That is, creators can't use it for products. This is primarily for research and expanding access to the technology. Right now, Meta uses somewhat similar tech to moderate banned content, recommend posts and tag photos.

The developers acknowledge that the existing model is flawed. It might miss finer details, and isn't as accurate at detecting the boundaries as some models. And while Segment Anything can handle prompts in real-time, it bogs down when demanding image processing is involved. Some more specialized AI tools are likely to outperform this model in their respective fields, Meta says.

You aren't about to see this AI in robots or other devices where fast, accurate object detection is (usually) vital. However, models like this may still help in situations where it's impractical to rely exclusively on training data. A social network could use the tech to keep up with a rapidly growing volume of content. If nothing else, this shows that Meta wants to generalize computer vision.

Meta is no stranger to sharing AI breakthroughs, such a translator for unwritten languages. With that said, there's pressure on the company to show that it's as much of a powerhouse in the category as tech heavyweights like Google and Microsoft. It's already planning generative AI "personas" for its social apps, and inventions like Segment Anything show that it has a few advantages of its own.

Google wants to make it as easy to scrub an app account as it is to create one. The company has announced that Android apps on the Play Store will soon have to let you delete an account and its data both inside the app and on the web. Developers will also have to wipe data for an account when users ask to delete the account entirely.

The move is meant to "better educate" users on the control they have over their data, and to foster trust in both apps and the Play Store at large. It also provides more flexibility. You can delete certain data (such as your uploaded content) without having to completely erase your account, Google says. The web requirement also ensures that you won't have to reinstall an app just to purge your info.

The policy is taking effect in stages. Creators have until December 7th to answer questions about data deletion in their app's safety form. Store listings will start showing the changes in early 2024. Developers can file for an extension until May 31st of next year.

The changes come several months after Apple instituted a similar rule for App Store software. In both cases, the companies are concerned about privacy violations and the ensuing fallout — they don't want users to fall prey to data breaches because they couldn't easily delete accounts or sensitive info when they stop using an app.

This also follows growing efforts by regulators to demand more control over services. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently proposed rule changes requiring easy ways to cancel subscriptions and memberships. While the FTC is focused more on unwanted charges than privacy, the message to app makers is clear: provide more control of accounts or face repercussions.

The perpetrators of the ransomware attack against Oakland have leaked more of the data from the hack. The city has confirmed that Play, the hacker group claiming responsibility for the ransomware, has shared a second batch of info on the dark web. While officials aren't sharing more details, The Oaklandsidesources say the dump was 600GB and included confidential Oakland Police Department files (including disciplinary records), council members' communications and city staff's medical records.

The first release from early March was a comparatively modest 10GB, but included city employee rosters and police records. The incident was serious enough that the Oakland police union is now demanding $25,000 per officer for the damage done through the leak. The union also wants to pressure the city into tightening its security.

The February attack prompted the city to declare a state of emergency and take its network offline in a bid to limit the damage. That left many non-emergency services unavailable, including the systems to issue licenses and permits. Oakland closed some buildings and warned of delayed responses to non-urgent complaints. Access to some systems came back in late February.

Play group has been linked to numerous attacks, including Rackspace and the Belgian city of Antwerp. The gang first emerged in June of last year, when BleepingComputer forum users reported attacks attributed to the outfit.

The city still hasn't outlined Play's demands. However, the second wave of leaks suggests Oakland isn't bowing to pressure to pay the ransom. That's not a surprising decision. While the exposed data increases the risk of fraud, the city risks encouraging more ransomware attacks if it gives in.