Prego, the US pasta-sauce brand, and nonprofit oral-history group StoryCorps have unveiled the Connection Keeper, a puck-shaped dinner-table audio recorder aimed at sparking conversation and reducing phone use at meals. Announced in late April 2026, the limited-run device sells for $20 with fewer than 100 units to be produced; sales were slated to open April 27 and recordings to become shareable via StoryCorps beginning May 4. The Connection Keeper records CD-quality audio to a 16GB microSD card (about eight hours), uses a simple button interface, two microphones and USB-C transfer — there is no Wi‑Fi, cloud streaming or AI transcription built in. Buyers receive prompt cards and a branded bundle that includes sauce and spaghetti. Users may upload recordings to a StoryCorps portal (StoryCorps says the portal is encrypted) and optionally contribute items to StoryCorps’ archive and the U.S. Library of Congress. Critics and reporters note the product’s limited availability and raise questions about privacy, consent and the specifics of data handling and long-term storage.

Apple announced on April 20-21, 2026 that long‑time hardware chief John Ternus will succeed Tim Cook as chief executive on Sept. 1, with Cook moving to executive chairman. Ternus, a 25‑year Apple veteran who has overseen hardware engineering across iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods and the Vision Pro, is charged with steering the $4 trillion company into an era dominated by artificial intelligence. Apple said Cook will remain through the summer to help with the transition and will continue engaging with policymakers globally. The company also reorganised senior hardware roles, naming Johny Srouji to a broader chief hardware officer remit. Investors showed only a muted reaction to the news, with shares slipping modestly in after‑hours trading. Analysts highlight Ternus’s strengths in product engineering and delivery but note Apple’s relative lag in foundational AI development, its recent deal to integrate Google’s Gemini into Siri, and pressure from rivals such as Nvidia, Google and Meta on AI and new form factors.

Jeff Bezos’ AI lab Project Prometheus is close to securing about $10 billion in new financing that would value the company at roughly $38 billion, multiple media reports said on April 20-21, 2026. Launched in November 2025 with roughly $6.2 billion in initial backing, Prometheus is led by co-CEOs Bezos and Vikram (Vik) Bajaj and focuses on “physical AI” — systems trained to understand and interact with the real, engineered world. Reported target applications include advanced manufacturing, aerospace, automotive, robotics, semiconductor production and drug discovery. Institutional investors including JPMorgan and BlackRock have been named among participants, though the round had not been finalised at the time of reporting and the companies declined to comment. Prometheus has hired researchers from leading AI labs and expanded offices beyond San Francisco to Europe, positioning itself against established AI players while pursuing proprietary operational data and specialised real‑world training pipelines.

Apple updated its Sports app (version 3.10) on April 20–21, 2026, adding the first persistent CarPlay widgets and expanded motorsport features. The update brings two small CarPlay widgets — My Teams and Leagues — that display live scores and schedules on iOS 26 CarPlay dashboards, supplementing the app’s previous Live Activities-only presence. Widgets are configured on iPhone (Settings > General > CarPlay > My Car > Widgets) and can appear in one to three widget stacks depending on vehicle display resolution; enabling Smart Display Zoom may allow an extra stack. Apple also added F1 race-tracking data (weather, track temperature, wind speed) and World Cup 2026 prep tools to follow favorite teams and view group lists. Reports note widgets may not update instantaneously. Apple Sports, launched in 2024 and available across the U.S., Canada, Mexico and many European and Latin American markets, remains a free iPhone download and aims to increase in-car access to scores and event data ahead of major sporting seasons.

Delft-based Orange Quantum Systems (OrangeQS) has closed a second tranche of its seed round, extending total funding to €15 million with a €3 million investment from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund. The additional capital follows a €12 million first close in June 2025 led by Icecat Capital and brings EIC Fund board member Zeina Chebli onto OrangeQS’s board. The company makes automated, cryogenic test equipment for quantum chips—the MAX system for high-throughput industrial testing and the FLEX system for R&D—with an open-source OS, OrangeQS Juice. The firm says MAX can test large chips (100+ qubits) in days rather than weeks, addressing a key bottleneck as quantum development moves toward foundry-style manufacturing. OrangeQS has launched the MAX Partnership Programme, with Rigetti Computing, QuantWare and Peak Quantum as founding partners, allowing hardware makers to influence the product roadmap while retaining IP. Customers and deployments include IQM in Finland, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Berkeley Lab and QuTech. OrangeQS, which has about 30 employees, will use the funding to expand production, hire staff and advance non-destructive and parallel testing capabilities outlined in a new white paper.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Siemens executives used the Hannover Messe industrial fair to press for looser European Union rules for industrial artificial intelligence, saying sector-specific freedom is needed to boost productivity and investment. Merz said on April 19 that industrial AI should, where possible, be exempted from the “regulatory straitjacket” of the EU AI Act to allow efficiency gains, resource optimisation and cost reductions. Siemens CEO Roland Busch warned the company could prioritise investments in the United States and China if the EU does not ease constraints, arguing machine and industrial data should not be treated the same as personal data. The interventions come ahead of the EU AI Act’s full entry into force on Aug. 2, 2026, and follow Germany’s pledge to expand AI data processing capacity at least fourfold by 2030. The calls underscore industry concern about compliance burdens and the risk of investment diversion as Europe seeks a balance between safety rules and competitiveness.