Phones

Alphabet (Google's parent company) just replaced Verizon in the Dow Jones Industrial Average—think of the Dow as a club of 30 of America's most important companies, and Alphabet got the invitation. The swap happened because the Dow cares most about stock price: higher-priced stocks have more influence, and Verizon's was too low to matter much. Google now joins other tech giants like Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon in this exclusive index, cementing tech's stranglehold on what represents American business.

Meta just launched a new line of smart glasses under its own brand (not Ray-Ban) starting at $299—about $80 cheaper than their previous entry-level option. The glasses don't have a screen yet, but they have a camera, speaker, and an AI button that lets you ask questions about what you're seeing, translate languages, or take photos without touching your phone. Meta and its partner EssilorLuxottica control over 80% of the smart glasses market, and they're betting this cheaper option will make the tech mainstream before competitors like Apple or Amazon arrive.

Mark Zuckerberg's bet on smart glasses is paying off way better than his multibillion-dollar VR headset bet—glasses are actually selling while VR remains a niche hobby for gamers. Meta's latest glasses, including a limited-edition pair designed with model Kylie Jenner, come in three styles and promise eight hours of battery life with 40 extra hours from a charging case. The company sees these lightweight glasses as stepping stones toward future versions with actual screens built into the lenses, turning them from novelties into genuine AI assistants you wear all day.