Morning edition, October 29, 2026

A magnifying glass rests over a desk, with a rising beam of light and a tall stack of paper pages beside it. — A search lens and a rising beam of light over a desk. Illustration generated by AI. Illustration generated by AI.

Alphabet says AI is lifting Search queries to a five-year high in growth

By Sasha Shader · October 29, 2026

Alphabet's Q3 2026 results show Search revenue up 12 percent, and CEO Sundar Pichai says AI investments are driving the fastest year-over-year query growth in five years.

A wireless router sits on a counter beside a sealed crate, an unopened permit, and a shelf of boxed routers with one empty slot.

FCC again blocks TP-Link's Wi-Fi 8 routers from US sale; rivals cleared

By Milo Modem · October 29, 2026

TP-Link's Wi-Fi 8 routers remain off US shelves under the FCC's foreign-router rule, while Asus, Netgear and others have won exemptions. Older TP-Link models stay on sale.

A crouched spacesuited figure hides in a dim corridor beside a flickering lamp, with a stormy outpost visible through a cracked window.

Alien: Isolation 2 gets a physical edition, plus mic input and photo mode

By Charlie Checkpoint · October 29, 2026

Creative Assembly's 17-minute Q&A confirms a boxed release of Alien: Isolation 2, a real-world microphone option, a camera-style photo mode, and a smarter Xenomorph.

An armored hunter stands in a ruined city street at dusk beside a train car and a carved stone tomb entrance.

PlayStation Plus Essential adds Dead Island 2 and two more games on November 3

By Penny Pixelpincher · October 29, 2026

PlayStation Plus Essential members can claim Dead Island 2, Monster Train 2 and Tomb Raider IV-V-VI Remastered starting November 3.

A connected baby monitor sits on a shelf beside an empty bed in a dim child's bedroom, with a nightlight glowing in the corner.

New York's two new child-safety laws get the basics right

By Rex Respawn · October 28, 2026

Opinion: New York's chatbot and baby monitor laws ask tech makers for plain duties instead of promises, and that is the right way to protect families.