Today's spotlights:
Xiaomi released an open-source coding tool that claims to beat Claude Code.
Anthropic safety messaging backfired and shut downed its most powerful models
Snapchat locks down under-16s to friends-only sharing
The 2026 World Cup Ball has to be charged before every match.
This Mini PC at $250 is punching above its weight
Read time: 5 minutes
Tech Stories This Week
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MiMo Code v0.1.0 is live on GitHub, free, terminal-native and according to Xiaomi's own benchmarks, outperforming Anthropic's Claude Code on complex tasks.
Open-source & free: MIT license, installs in one terminal command on Mac, Linux and Windows
Benchmark claims (Xiaomi's own testing, take with appropriate salt):
SWE-bench Verified: 82% vs Claude Code's 79%
SWE-bench Pro: 62% vs 55%
Terminal Bench 2: 73% vs 69%
Key edge: persistent memory across sessions, it remembers your project context, converts repeated tasks into reusable skills and improves over time
Multi-model support works with Anthropic, OpenAI, DeepSeek, Kimi and GLM; compatible with Claude Code tools and workflows
Powered by MiMo V2.5 a multimodal model with a 1M token context window, currently free
My take: The benchmarks are self-reported and based on 576 developers in an internal beta, not exactly independent. But the architecture argument is interesting: Xiaomi claims the performance gains come from MiMo Code's memory and workflow system, not just the underlying model. If that holds up under independent testing, it's a genuine contribution, not just another Claude wrapper.
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The U.S. government ordered Anthropic on Friday to immediately pull access to Claude Fable 5 and Claude Mythos 5 worldwide, citing national security concerns. Anthropic complied. It also made clear it thinks the call was wrong.
Why: A reported jailbreak of Fable 5 triggered a national security-framed export control order
The jailbreak: Getting the model to scan a codebase and flag vulnerabilities, something GPT-5.5 already does openly
Anthropic's position: It complied, but publicly pushed back, calling the shutdown standard unjustifiable at industry scale
The irony: Months of "our model is too dangerous to release" messaging is exactly what put a government target on its back
The timing: Fable 5 had been live for three days. An IPO is on the horizon
Altman's reaction: He called it in April, "It is clearly incredible marketing to say, 'We have built a bomb. We were about to drop it on your head. We will sell you a bomb shelter for $100 million'"
My take: When you spend months telling regulators, the press and the public that your model is uniquely dangerous, dangerous enough to warrant a restricted program, vetting committees and controlled access, you don't get to be surprised when the government takes you at your word. With an IPO coming and Fable 5 now offline days after launch, the timing couldn't be worse. The safety-first positioning was always a double-edged sword and it just cut.
App updates
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Rolling out this week, Snapchat is tightening content controls for its youngest users — and for once, the changes are meaningful, not cosmetic. What's changing:
Ages 13–15 get a dedicated friends-only profile. Stories and Spotlight videos are visible only to mutually accepted friends, with no public reach at all.
No engagement metrics: no favourite counts or rankings on content, removing the pressure to chase numbers
Ages 16–17 get limited public sharing, with visibility restricted to friends, followers and mutual connections, plus parental oversight
Ages 18+ get full public profiles, the only group with unrestricted distribution
Snaps are unaffected: Direct messaging is not restricted, though parents can monitor contacts via Snap's Family Center
Context: Snap settled a social-media-addiction lawsuit earlier this year and is fighting similar cases across the US.
My take: Removing engagement metrics for under-16s is the most underrated part of this update. Follower counts and favourite numbers are what turn casual posting into compulsive behaviour and Snapchat knows it. This feels less like a goodwill move and more like regulatory pressure doing its job.
Gadget special
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The Adidas Trionda isn't just a football, it's a sensor device. And before every World Cup kickoff, it spends 90 minutes on a charging pad.
What's inside it:
14-gram motion sensor chip embedded in one panel, with counterbalances in the other three to keep flight stable
Tracks 500 data points per second speed, spin, trajectory, direction and exact point of contact
Transmits in real time to the VAR room, combined with stadium player-tracking cameras
Powers Semi-Automated Offside Technology resolves tight offside calls in seconds, not minutes.
Also flags handball incidents, pinpoints the precise moment of ball contact
90-minute charge = 6 hours of power, covers warm-ups, full match and extra time. Auto-hibernates when stationary
My take: Charging a football before a match still sounds absurd and yet here we are. The offside application alone justifies it; VAR delays have been one of football's biggest frustrations for years. If the Trionda cuts those decisions from minutes to seconds reliably across all 104 matches, it's a genuine upgrade to the game. The real test is consistency, a sensor malfunction in a knockout stage match would be a nightmare nobody wants.
image source: gmktec.com
The GMKtec G10 is gaining attention as one of the best budget mini PCs, offering solid performance, upgradeability and connectivity for less than $250.
Powered by AMD's Ryzen 5 3500U processor with Radeon Vega graphics.
Supports up to 64GB RAM and dual NVMe SSD storage expansion.
Can drive up to three displays simultaneously.
Includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 2.5Gb Ethernet connectivity.
Compact enough to fit in the palm of your hand while handling everyday productivity, coding, media streaming, and light gaming.
As mini PCs continue to improve, devices like the G10 are proving that you no longer need a bulky desktop to get reliable computing performance.
My Take: For most people, a powerful tower PC is overkill. The GMKtec G10 shows how far compact computers have come, delivering surprisingly capable performance at a price that makes traditional desktops look increasingly unnecessary.