Tech News Roundup — June 28, 2026 (PM)

This afternoon’s roundup leads with Microsoft’s response to a brutal RAM market — a sub-$850 Surface with 8GB of RAM, a configuration the company would have laughed at two years ago. We also look at Samsung’s plan to float AI data centers on ships, Binance pulling out of the EU after losing the licensing fight, and a quiet milestone for the Linux kernel as 7.2-rc1 closes out a merge window that pushed the tree past 43 million lines.

Microsoft

• Microsoft finally made a more affordable Surface, but the timing reflects the RAM crisis. The Surface Pro 12-inch and Surface Laptop 13-inch can now be configured with just 8GB of RAM, starting at $849 for the Pro and a comparable price for the Laptop. Two years ago the company was still pushing 16GB as a floor; the move mirrors Apple’s and Acer’s 8GB configurations in 2026 laptops, forced by sustained memory pricing. Windows Central
• Edge sheds another AI feature. Microsoft has quietly killed the AI-powered “history search” capability in Edge, the latest removal under the Windows K2 initiative that is scaling back where Copilot appears across the OS. The browser should feel noticeably less cluttered. Windows Central
• The RAM crisis is now reshaping gaming hardware too. Rising memory and storage costs are pushing even modest gaming rigs above $1,000, with Valve’s Steam Machine launching above that line for its cheapest model. The piece asks what budget PC and Xbox players can actually do as the “affordable hobby” framing breaks down. Windows Central

Linux & Open Source

• Linux 7.2 merge window closes past 43 million lines. Linux 7.2-rc1 ships today, capping a merge window that pushed the kernel tree past 43M lines of code. Phoronix’s quarterly recap also flags the dropping of old drivers, AI-assisted vulnerability detection landing in the tree, and continued momentum on Rust-based drivers as the Q2 highlights. Phoronix Phoronix
• Vim GTK3 on Wayland gets a real performance fix. Patches queued upstream deliver a “major milestone” in reducing the latency that has plagued the GTK3 Vim build on Wayland compositors, finally making the native build competitive with terminal-Vim. Phoronix

AI / Infrastructure

• Samsung wants to put data centers on ships. Samsung Heavy Industries is developing floating data center platforms — modular, sea-cooled, and designed to ride out the energy and land constraints of land-based AI buildouts. The concept is the latest in a string of “non-traditional” siting experiments (underwater, Arctic, orbital) being driven by AI’s power and cooling footprint. Pplware

Crypto

• Binance suspends EU operations. The world’s largest crypto exchange announced it is shutting down operations across the European Union, citing its inability to obtain the necessary licenses under MiCA. The move leaves a major gap in the European market and is another data point in the ongoing consolidation of regulated crypto venues. Pplware

In Brief

• Ad-free streaming is now a luxury tier. A Verge column argues that streaming’s original promise — cheap, on-demand, ad-free — is gone, with ad-supported tiers becoming the default and ad-free experiences pushed up to premium pricing. [The Verge]
• The story behind Nest’s thermostat. The Verge’s Version History podcast revisits Tony Fadell’s founding of Nest, the 2011 launch, and the long road to making the smart thermostat a mainstream category. [The Verge]
• Portugal: new rules for renewable energy self-consumption and energy communities. A new decree-law aims to make producing and sharing renewable energy simpler and cheaper in Portugal, accelerating collective self-consumption. Pplware
• Magnitude 4.1 earthquake felt in the Algarve. The tremor was felt Sunday morning in Lagos and Portimão; no significant damage reported. Pplware
• Braga to suspend shared e-scooters in the city center. The municipality announced a temporary suspension of e-scooter sharing platforms, citing ongoing public-space concerns. Pplware
• Portuguese government to expand speed-radar network. Pplware runs a poll on whether drivers think the new radars will actually improve road safety. Pplware

Roundup compiled from the TTRSS Tech feed. 14 articles from 4 sources (Windows Central, Phoronix, Pplware, The Verge) clustered into 8 stories.