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Klarna wants to be your bank, your store, and now your phone network tooIt’s new mobile plan offers unlimited 5G, but it's unclear how support will workUnlimited data sounds great, but what happens when you need help or travel abroad?Klarna, the fintech company known for reshaping the buy-now-pay-later space and once using an AI bot to do the job of 700 staff, is moving into a very different line of business: mobile connectivity.The company is launching a mobile network that promises unlimited 5G data, talk, and text for $40 per month in the United States.Klarna’s new service is being rolled out in partnership with Gigs, a company that describes itself as the “operating system for mobile services.”Klarna moves beyond banking“Klarna’s push into the mobile space marks the beginning of a new era for connectivity. Now, consumers can expect a seamlessly integrated mobile experience that bundles premium connectivity with financial tools, all through the apps they already know and love,” said Gigs CEO, Hermann Frank.The plan includes unlimited 5G data that reportedly won’t be throttled, with coverage on AT&T’s nationwide network.Klarna claims there are no hidden fees, no contract lock-ins, and a setup process that happens in minutes through the Klarna app.But questions remain about long-term service reliability, especially when services like customer support and international roaming haven’t yet launched.For now, only a basic unlimited plan is available, with premium options expected later.“Klarna has saved consumers time and money, and reduced financial worry for over 20 years. With mobile plans we’re taking that one step further, as we continue to build our neobank offering,” said Sebastian Siemiatkowski, CEO and co-founder of Klarna.“Consumers already know and love Klarna’s super smooth services and now, with one tap in the Klarna app, they’ll be up and running with their new phone plan, no hassle, no hidden fees, just great value.”The offer seems to address common frustrations among US mobile users. Klarna’s internal research suggests half of Americans "believe switching phone plans is too difficult.”The company touts its 25 million active users and high Net Promoter Score as reasons why it could disrupt telecom just as it did digital payments.With N26 and Revolut already venturing into telecom, Klarna’s entry is part of a larger trend where neobanks try to wrap financial and connectivity tools into one platform. Surely it's only a matter of time before PayPal joins the fold.You might also likeCheck out the best 3D modeling software for 3D printing and moreWe've rounded up the best portable monitors available nowOver 16 billion records leaked in "unimaginable" major data breach

I get it. Parents confronted with the exorbitant cost of a college education and the possibility that their progeny will also need a new laptop are disinclined to spend $1,000 or more on a Mac when a Windows machine could be had for hundreds less.I also know that the decision is not that obvious or straightforward. A Windows computer that costs $450 is in no way comparable to, say, a $999 MacBook Air. That, I think, was the point of the nearly 8-minute-long YouTube ad Apple launched and then apparently made private within 24 hours (but other copies of it still exist – see below).Titled "Convince Your Parents to Get You a Mac", the ad is set in a college pep assembly with an audience full of disinterested teens (or actors, it's hard to tell) and SNL's Please Don't Destroy's Martin Herlihy as presenter.It's not what I'd call a clever ad. The premise...well, I'm not sure there is one. Herlihy is mostly just presenting Apple's "The Parent Presentation" Keynote template, which anyone can download and, ostensibly, modify to convince their parents why it's a good idea to invest in a Mac for their child's college experience.Taken at face value, Apple's presentation is spot on. Yes, a Mac is more expensive, but still an excellent value because of things you don't need to invest in or worry about, like backup software, blue screens, and antivirus software. The best MacBooks are well-built and lightweight.Like I said, solid argument.I do not understand why Apple chose to promote it with an overly long video featuring jokes and bits that didn't land with me or the college prep audience, which sits in uncomfortable silence for most of the video. This may have been part of the joke, but I didn't see the humor in it.Hard to watchHerlihy gives it his all. The cringe humor fits in nicely with some of the work he's done on SNL with Please Don't Destroy castmates Ben Marshall and John Higgins. Without them to play off of, however, each joke floats lifelessly out over the audience before cashing in the aisles.I wonder if someone at Apple, maybe CEO Tim Cook, happened to check out the "ad/infomercial" after it launched and immediately knew this was a misfire.Essentially, Apple managed to take its most salient points and make them hard to listen to or sit through.Obviously, Apple considers this a critical moment in the pre-back-to-school buying period. It's hoping with this ad or maybe others like it, to plant a seed, and preferably one in the heads of those who can make the laptop purchase. Enlisting teens who want new laptops in the efforts is smart, but this was not the way.The video is too long, too weird, and too oddly earnest to be a shareable bit of content. If this were on TikTok, I would've swiped up within 12 seconds.There may be some salvageable parts from this marketing misstep, but I kind of doubt it. Don't worry, though, Apple is good at this stuff and I'm sure they'll be back soon enough with a TikTok-length ad that all your friends will want to share with each other and, eventually, their parents.If there's a lesson in this, it's that Apple might just want to leave the whole effort to teens who, it seems, are already earnestly sharing their presentations on TikTok.You might also likeApple finally unveils the MacBook Air with the M4 chipSurface Laptop 13-inch vs MacBook Air 13-inchBest MacBooks and Macs 2025: we've tested the top Apple ...

Media Matters for America has sued the US Federal Trade Commission, claiming that the agency is unfairly targeting it in retaliation for past criticisms of the social media platform X in violation of the organization's First Amendment rights. It's the latest move in the ongoing hostilities between the nonprofit media watchdog and X owner Elon Musk.

"The Federal Trade Commission seeks to punish Media Matters for its journalism and speech in exposing matters of substantial public concern—including how X.com has enabled and profited from extremist content that proliferated after Elon Musk took over the platform formerly known as Twitter," the complaint from the watchdog states. "The campaign of retribution against Media Matters must stop."

This back-and-forth legal battle began in 2023 when Media Matters published a report finding that X ran advertisements next to antisemitic posts, which led to many prominent companies withdrawing their ads from the social media network. After Musk threatened to file a "thermonuclear lawsuit" in response, X sued Media Matters later that year, claiming the organization was attempting to push advertisers into boycotting its service. CEO Linda Yaccarino called the report "misleading and manipulative" in a note to X employees, while a representative from Media Matters told Engadget: "This is a frivolous lawsuit meant to bully X's critics into silence. Media Matters stands behind its reporting and looks forward to winning in court."

Last month, while Musk was still closely tied to President Donald Trump's administration and working with the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, the FTC launched its own investigation into Media Matters to determine whether the group illegally colluded with advertisers. The FTC is now comprised of only three Republican commissioners following Trump's dismissal of two Democratic commissioners, which those former civil servants said was an illegal action by the president since their terms cannot be ended early without "good cause." Considering that earlier today, the FTC allowed a $13.5 billion acquisition within the advertising agency on the condition that purchaser Omnicom cannot engage "in collusion or coordination to direct advertising away from media publishers based on the publishers’ political or ideological viewpoints," it seems unlikely that the regulator will be receptive to Media Matters' case.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/media-matters-is-suing-the-ftc-to-block-investigation-into-x-advertiser-boycott-204514805.html?src=rss

Tesla launched its robotaxi service over the weekend, with only a small number of cars and heavy human supervision on and off the road. While less impressive than previously promised, the company's caution ultimately seems for the best — at least one robotaxi attempted to drive on the wrong side of the road, based on a video posted to X and spotted by Bloomberg.

The ride video shared by Rob Maurer is largely uneventful, with the Tesla navigating turns and lane merges with few issues. Except for around seven minutes or so into the ride, when the Tesla's wheel starts jerking back and forth and the car briefly crosses onto the wrong side of the road. As Bloomberg notes, "a honking horn can be heard as the Tesla re-enters the correct lane over a double-yellow line, which drivers aren’t supposed to cross."

Here’s my entire first Tesla Robotaxi trip from start to finish. Ten miles across south Austin. Timestamps in comments. pic.twitter.com/cr6y4z1UWB— Rob Maurer (@TeslaPodcast) June 22, 2025

The Tesla may have corrected itself on its own or under the influence of someone monitoring the ride remotely, but the in-car supervisor didn't appear to do anything. That's not the only instance of potentially unsafe driving Bloomberg spotted. Early riders have shared multiple instances of robotaxis going over the speed limit, though that might be more of a reflection of the cars driving around Tesla's vehicles than their collective need for speed. Waymo, which also operates in Austin, strictly follows the posted speed limit as a rule.

Tesla's Full Self-Driving system has been heavily criticized in anticipation of the company's robotaxi launch and the eventual introduction of its Cybercab, which doesn't have a steering wheel. Earlier in June, The Dawn Project staged a demonstration showing a self-driving Tesla plowing through child-sized mannequins eight times in a row. The company's Full Self-Driving system is also currently being investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration over its involvement in four different crashes.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/teslas-first-robotaxi-rides-are-already-running-into-a-few-bumps-205308245.html?src=rss