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The Sims Mobileis going away as EA will shut it down on January 20, nearly eight years after its debut in March 2018. An update that went live on Monday is the final one and the company is delisting the game on October 21. Since the game requires online servers (game progress is stored there), it'll no longer be possible to play The Sims Mobile in three months' time."The Sims Mobile and The Sims community as a whole are full of creativity, kindness, and imagination," EA said in a blog post. "You've amazed us with your stories, builds, and Sims. We're proud to have shared this journey with you, and as a token of our appreciation, we've prepared a few surprises as we head into TSM's final chapter."EA will run 14 events, including limited-time quests and treasure hunts, in The Sims Mobile over the next few months. It's no longer possible to spend any real money in the game, though players can use their existing in-game currency. As of today, players also have unlimited energy, which "should make it easier to complete projects and enjoy the last few months of play," EA said. On January 6, EA will unlock all of the Build Mode and Create A Sim items so players can fully customize their homes and sims' looks for a couple of weeks before the grim reaper shows up for The Sims Mobile.Back in 2022, EA and Sims studio Maxis announced Project Rene, a game that will run across multiple platforms, including mobile. So it's maybe not too surprising that the company wants to focus its Sims mobile efforts there.In any case, the shutdown stinks, especially for those who have spent money on The Sims Mobile as well as for the sake of game preservation. The decision to scuttle the game won't exactly allay concerns that fans of the series, which has a significant LGBTQ+ fanbase, have about the future of The Sims if and when the planned sale of EA to a group that includes Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund goes through.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ea-will-shut-down-the-sims-mobile-in-january-173958279.html?src=rss

There's a lot to like about NordVPN, as I covered in my full NordVPN review. It's one of the fastest among the best VPNs, and it's got a bunch of cool, specialized servers for various VPN tasks. But the apps can be frustrating, and beyond that, no VPN is perfect for everyone. If you've decided NordVPN isn't for you, here's how to cancel your subscription and get your money back.How to turn off auto-renewal on NordVPNEven though you've decided to part ways with NordVPN, you may want to keep your subscription active while you pick out a replacement service. If that's the case, you can simply cancel automatic renewal and let your subscription expire at the end of the billing period. If you change your mind before then, you can turn auto-renew back on. Here's how to do it.

Oura has redesigned its official app with a refreshed visual interface and new health-tracking insights. The company boasts that the app refresh offers "modern visual language with deeper personalization."To that end, there are now three main and easily identifiable tabs. The "Today" tab includes only the most relevant data to help inform daily decisions. The "Vitals" tab offers "at-a-glance views of core health pillars." This includes data on sleep, stress and cardiovascular trends. Colors change based on various biometric indicators to offer quick visual cues.The "My Health" tab is more interested in long-term health, offering cumulative data on a user's strengths, traits and opportunities for proactive care. This tab also includes a section about habits and routines to link "daily behaviors to measurable outcomes."The new Oura app also offers some increased health-tracking capabilities. The previous version of the app included a view that showed a month of data regarding menstrual cycles and fertility window predictions. This has been increased to a full year. Members also now get personalized cycle phase data from a single night of sleep instead of having to wait two months like before.The app is launching "in the coming weeks," but there's a spot of bad news. It'll only be available for the Oura Ring Gen3 and the Ring 4. The Ring 4 recently got a hardware update, with an option for a durable ceramic coatingThis article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/ouras-new-app-brings-enhanced-health-insights-and-longer-fertility-window-predictions-171329174.html?src=rss

Spotify just introduced a feature that lets users follow their favorite concert venues. This will provide people with updates and details about upcoming concerts.Once a venue is selected as a favorite, it gets saved in a user's library. Browsing each venue provides information on scheduled concerts, general announcements and other stuff. Folks can even filter upcoming shows by genre. Clicking on a specific spot will also pull up "tailored suggestions for other venues" in the vicinity.Spotify's new venue-tracking platform will offer links to each location's "official ticketing partner" to make it easier to scoop up some tickets. The company says it currently tracks over 20,000 venues throughout the globe, from "iconic arenas to beloved independent clubs."Spotify also announced a change to its live event feed. This will now update daily instead of weekly. For the uninitiated, this tool tracks when artists are touring and lists nearby live events.The platform recently added yet another tool for concert discovery in the form of custom playlists that highlight artists with upcoming shows in the area. These playlists update every week and include 30 songs.These are welcome tools, as artists don't get paid a whole lot from streaming platforms, instead relying on live ticket sales. The features could also help stem some of the bad press that's been coming Spotify's way lately, thanks to CEO Daniel Ek's involvement with a weapons manufacturing company and the platform going running recruitment ads for controversial government entities like ICE.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/spotify-now-lets-people-follow-venues-to-find-out-about-concerts-153836816.html?src=rss

It's official: Microsoft has officially ended support for Windows 10. Thankfully, there's a free and easy way to get another year's worth of Extended Security Updates (which will take you to mid-October 2026). But even if your computer meets the minimum system requirements for a free Windows 11 upgrade, anything older than a year won't be ableto take advantage of Microsoft's Copilot+ AI PC features, like Windows Recall or Studio Effects for video chats. So if you've already been feeling that your current aging PC is on the verge of dying - slow performance, whining fans, batteries that barely keep a charge - it's probably time to consider replacing it with a new system.We've already done the legwork of researching and selecting new hardware in our best laptop and best Windows notebook guides (we've also covered more powerful gaming and schoolwork systems), but here are some suggestions if you're just looking to snap up something quickly.The best Windows 10 laptop replacementsSurface Laptop 13.8-inchIn many ways, the Snapdragon-powered Surface Laptop is emblematic of where Windows PCs are headed. It's incredibly light, surprisingly powerful for something with a mobile chip and its battery lasted over 17-and-a-half hours in our testing. While you may run into some compatibility issues if you're running ancient Windows programs, for most people the Surface Laptop is one of the best PC experiences they can have today. If you're looking for something smaller and cheaper, there's also a $700 13-inch model, and the $1,200 15-inch version is worth it if you need a bigger screen. (Check out our full review of the Surface Laptop 13.8-inch.) Dell 14 Premium laptop Sam Rutherford for Engadget Dell 14 PremiumWe loved last year's XPS 14, and now that it's been renamed as the Dell 14 Premium, it's still a fantastic machine. It looks and feels luxurious, and it has one of the best screens around. You may just need some time getting used to its invisible trackpad (which is blended into the palm rest), and its capacitive function key row. (Check out our full Editor's Choice review of the Dell 14 Premium.)ASUS ZenBook S 14The ZenBook S14 wowed us with its powerful hardware, excellent battery life (of over 16 hours) and solid construction. It's a sign of how far ASUS has come from simply copying Apple. The S14 is also lighter than the MacBook Air, and it includes more useful ports (two USB-C, one USB-A, HDMI and a headphone jack). Its Ceraluminum case (a unique ceramic material) also feels surprisingly polished, and its OLED screen looks simply amazing. (Check out our full review of the ASUS ZenBook S 14.)Apple MacBook AirDon't yell at me - Apple's new computers are so good that Windows users should seriously consider jumping ship to Macs. While the software may take some getting used to, it's worth the struggle for the speed and incredible battery life from Apple's M-series chips. The MacBook Air remains one of the best computers around, with an incredibly thin and fan-less case and far more power than you'd think. And if you're an iPhone user, you'll also have access to features like phone mirroring that are tough to replicate on Windows. (Check out our full review of the M4 MacBook Air.) Dell Slim Desktop Dell The best Windows 10 desktop replacementsDell Slim desktopIf you're just looking for a basic desktop replacement, it's hard to go wrong with the Dell Slim. While we haven't reviewed this specific model, the specs on even the entry-level configuration have all of the power you need for basic computing, despite housing everything in a frame that's notably smaller than older tower PCs. And if you need a bit more performance, consider the slightly more expensive Dell Pro, which can squeeze in up to 32GB of RAM and a handful of dedicated graphics cards.Apple Mac MiniApple's Mac mini is one of the most powerful mini-desktops around, it's adorably small and it starts at just $599 (look for the frequent sales that drop the price by as much as $100). Just as I argued above for the MacBook Air, it's worth considering the jump to MacOS simply because Apple's hardware is so impressive now. And don't worry, you can connect any monitor to it, and you won't have to replace your existing PC keyboard and mouse.Geekom A6 MiniWhile I haven't tested the Geekom A6 Mini yet, it's widely considered one of the best Windows mini-desktops around $400 to $500. The A6 Mini features a very capable AMD Ryzen 7 6800H processor with a bit of gaming power, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. You honestly don't need much more for basic productivity work.Frequently Asked QuestionsDo I need to upgrade to a new computer if my current Windows 10 PC still works fine for me?Your computer will still continue to run following the Microsoft's termination of default support for Windows 10 on October 15, 2025, but that's not a wise longterm strategy. The free Extended Security Updates will buy you another year, but that's effectively a limited life support: After that, Windows 10 PCs won't receive security updates or any sort of improvements, so they'll be vulnerable to hacking and malware. And if you've still got an old Windows 10 machine, there's a good chance that its components may wear out soon. If you choose to continue using a Windows 10 PC, be sure to back up your important data and try not to rely on it for critical tasks.Can a Mac run native Windows software?Virtualization software like VMWare and Parallels can let you run Windows apps inside of macOS, but be aware that also involves buying a copy of Windows and dedicating a large chunk of disk space for it. These days, most major apps are available across both platforms, so be sure to check if there's a Mac version of your favorite Windows app.Can a Chromebook or iPad replace a Windows 10 PC?Chromebooks and iPads both have very specific purposes: Chromebooks are great budget-friendly machines for accessing the web and running online apps. iPads are a handy way to upgrade your mobile internet experiences, since their large screens are better for browsing the web, running apps and watching media. But neither are ideal replacements for a Windows 10 PC, which can access the full breadth of Windows software in addition to the web. If either one works for you, great; but we think the options listed above are better full-service PC replacements.I have a ton of PC games. What's my best upgrade option?It's easy to find a decent gaming desktop from a reliable computer maker these days, just make sure you're equipped with at least 32GB of RAM (new titles can be pretty memory intensive), and an NVIDIA RTX 40-series or AMD Radeon RX 9000-series GPU.As for CPUs, I'd recommend sticking with Intel's 13th-gen chips or AMD's Ryzen 8000-series processors at a minimum. Don't count out gaming laptops either, as they've come a long way over the last decade. It's not hard to find a gaming notebook that's powerful, portable and useful for multimedia and productivity work as well.Update, October 20 2025, 9:30AM ET: This story has been updated to reflect that the Windows 10 end of support date has now passed, and we've included a link to an explainer on how to extend support for another year for free.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/the-best-new-computers-to-replace-your-old-windows-10-pc-134500000.html?src=rss

There's yet another streaming bundle in town, and it will be ideal for fans of Ted Lasso and The Office. Apple and Peacock have teamed up to provide both of their streaming services together in a bundle starting at $15 per month. The new Apple TV + Peacock bundle is officially available now for $15 monthly for the ad-supported tier. This is a mighty fine deal, given that Apple TV recently changed both its name and price. The platform costs $13 per month now on its own. Peacock starts at $11 per month. In other words, this is a discount of around $9 each month. In this economy, we'll take any savings we can get. As mentioned previously, the only caveat is that the base tier includes ads. The subscription shoots up to $20 per month for an ad-free version. However, a standalone subscription to ad-free Peacock is $17 on its own. Additionally, Apple One subscribers will get a 35 percent discount on Peacock Premium Plus plans. It's always nice when two lonely corporations find friendship, isn't it? For the uninitiated, Apple TV is the company's big-wig streaming platform. It's primarily known for sci-fi like Severance, For All Mankind and the upcoming Pluribus. The platform is also host to plenty of comedy, like The Studio, Shrinking and Ted Lasso. Peacock is NBC's streaming service. It streams old-school network programming like The Office, Grimm and Superstore. The service features a stable of original programming like Poker Face, Twisted Metal and the underrated Mrs. Davis. The platform also recently premiered a little show called The Paper, which is a spinoff of The Office. Against all odds, this is actually a great little sitcom and a worthy successor to the original. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-new-apple-tv-and-peacock-streaming-bundle-is-officially-available-170403587.html?src=rss

Beats devices have been the more colorful, full-of-personality complements to Apple's clean-and-minimal gear ever since Apple bought the company back in 2014. Beats earbuds and speakers are the more flexible alternatives to things like AirPods and HomePods, and the new Beats Powerbeats Fit keep that tradition alive. Some six months after the Powerbeats Pro 2 debuted earlier this year, Beats now has an updated version of the Fit Pro to offer folks looking for many of the conveniences of an Apple device in something with slightly more character and versatility. Rather than reinventing the wheel, Beats made small changes on the Powerbeats Fit that ultimately make for a more polished version of its predecessor. What's new If you're familiar with the Beats Fit Pro, you'll be familiar with the Powerbeats Fit. Beats kept much of what worked with its previous $200 earbuds here (including the price), making very minor changes to improve the comfort and the overall design. The new buds have 20 percent more flexible wingtips and the charging case is 17 percent more compact than that of the Beats Fit Pro. More on the wingtips in a moment, but first I have to commend Beats for making the charging case feel ever so slightly more premium this time around - and since it's smaller than before, it's less cumbersome to tuck in your back pocket. The buds also fit snugly into the charging case with a satisfying snap every time; they always align properly to recharge, something I cannot say about past pairs of the AirPods Pro I've owned. When it comes to the wingtips on the Powerbeats Fit, they appear to be a hair shorter than those on the Beats Fit Pro, and certainly more malleable. I felt the biggest difference in flexibility at the base of the wingtip where it meets the earbud - those on the Powerbeats Fit have a bit more give than those on its predecessor. These small changes make it easy to pop the Powerbeats Fit into your ears and really not fuss with the wingtips at all. They're present just to provide a more secure fit during intense workouts, and they do just that. I wore them during strength training, 5K runs and leisurely walks and I didn't have to adjust them at all once I popped them in. When Beats announced these new buds, the company claimed its design tweaks would also make the Powerbeats Fit more comfortable to wear all day long, not just during workouts. I'll admit that I didn't find the previous Beats Fit Pro uncomfortable to wear when not at the gym or on the trail. Yes, the Powerbeats Fit are marginally more comfortable now and the wingtips are more supple, but the change is subtle. If you jibe with the wingtip design to begin with, you'll safely be able to use the Powerbeats Fit as daily drivers in addition to workout companions. Notably, the Powerbeats Fit come with one extra pair of eartips in the box (four instead of the previous three), so once you find the eartips that are your best fit, you'll be off to the races. There are also two new bold colors to choose from, orange and pink, in addition to gray and black. Valentina Palladino for Engadget What's the same Thankfully, Beats didn't mess with all of the good things about the Fit Pro when developing the Powerbeats Fit. The new buds have an IPX4 water resistance rating, which isn't the highest level of protection out there, but more than enough to withstand your sweatiest training sessions. Onboard controls in the form of physical buttons remain the same, although I didn't accidentally trigger the buttons on the Powerbeats Fit nearly as much as I did with the Fit Pro. That might be because all the small changes Beats made in the design paid off - I didn't fuss with the new buds in my ears as much as before, therefore I didn't accidentally press the buttons as much. The Powerbeats Fit also have Apple's H1 chip inside, which enables features like hands-free Siri, automatic switching between devices, Adaptive EQ, Audio Sharing and Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking. Transparency mode returns here as well, and it remains one of the standout features of any Apple-associated wireless earbuds. And if you do decide to wear the Powerbeats Fit all day long, you'll likely make even more use of transparency mode as you need to jump in and out of conversations happening around you. In addition, you can keep track of the new earbuds in Apple's Find My app. Beats didn't bill any improvements in sound quality on the Powerbeats Fit, and after listening to them alongside the Beats Fit Pro, I can say they sound almost identical. While listening to some tracks with the Powerbeats Fit, I noticed an almost imperceptible increase in the clarity of vocals, but that's about it. Bass remains punchy and strong, and the buds get decently loud. Active noise cancellation (ANC) is also the same on the new buds: strong enough to block out ambient noise around you and people's voices. While running outside, I still heard the loudest disturbances like passing trucks and oddly sonorous cackling of nearby wildlife, but that's arguably for the best. If you're exercising outside, be it in a park or on city streets, you should be at least somewhat aware of your surroundings. Valentina Palladino for Engadget Battery life is consistent here as well, with Beats promising up to seven hours on a single charge (or six with ANC turned on) and up to 30 hours total when employing the Powerbeats Fit charging case. Anecdotally, after a week of using the Powerbeats Fit for an average of one hour each day, the charging case still had 75 percent battery left. If you're using these all day, every day, you'll obviously need to power it up more frequently. But if these are primarily your workout companions, you could get a week or two before needing to plug them in. Wrap-up The Powerbeats Fit are a fitting update to the Beats Fit Pro. The latter was one of the best devices in the Beats lineup to begin with, and the latest model only improves upon the winning formula. They offer a solid balance of a comfortable, secure design, good sound quality and ANC and handy additional features at a decent price. The latter is arguably just as important as the buds' ability to withstand a sweaty training session: folks looking for many of the conveniences found in AirPods will find them here in an alternative design, and in a pair of buds that also works just as well with Android devices. If you're willing to pay more, you could shell out $250 for either the Powerbeats Pro 2 to get that full over-ear hook style, or AirPods Pro 3 - both of which have built-in heart rate tracking But that feature in particular will be more of a nice-to-have than a necessity for most.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/beats-powerbeats-fit-review-deja-vu-in-a-good-way-120058332.html?src=rss

Why settle for tiny pieces of chocolate when you could unwrap a Pokemon card, a Funko Pop or a Star Wars Lego ship instead? Advent calendars have gone full geek mode, with options for fans of movies, comics, games and even science. They're the perfect way to add some holiday cheer to your desk, game shelf or living room. Consider this your guide to the best geeky countdowns for 2025. Best advent calendars for 2025 Check out the rest of our gift ideas here. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/advent-calendars-for-2025-our-favorites-from-lego-pokemon-funko-pop-magna-tiles-and-more-120042745.html?src=rss

You might already have a good idea of which smartphone you want to be your next one. But there are more solid options available now than ever before, making the decision not as cut-and-dry as it used to be. While the decision is a bit easier if you know you want an iPhone, there's even enough variation between those new models that you may have to think about it longer than you anticipated. If you're an Android person, you have even more options to choose from - including foldables - and more questions to answer before you spend any money.

Links have proven to be a tricky thing when it comes to social media engagement. On platforms like Threads, data suggests that people often don't click the links in posts, and creators on X have complained that posts including links don't get as much visibility. X is now trying to solve that. Head of product Nikita Bier shared that the platform is "testing a new link experience" that lets people open a link without leaving the original post entirely, so they can still view the Like, Repost and other buttons. The test is rolling out to iOS users first.

As political tensions between the two global superpowers grow, China's State Security Ministry accused the US' National Security Agency of a cyberattack operation that took place between 2023 and 2024. As first reported by Reuters, the Chinese agency posted on WeChat that the NSA targeted the country's National Time Service Center. As part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the center is tasked with generating, maintaining and transmitting its national standard of time, which is provided to important sectors across the country, including communications, defense and finance.The state ministry said the operation used around 42 types of "special cyberattack weapons" to infiltrate the National Time Service Center which could have led to the disruption of network communications, financial systems and power supply. The WeChat post also claimed that the NSA exploited vulnerabilities in a foreign mobile phone brand's messaging system to steal sensitive info from staff devices, without naming the brand.The NSA has yet to respond to the accusation. On the other hand, the US Treasury Department said it was targeted by a "China state-sponsored actor" in a December cyberattack.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/china-claims-the-nsa-conducted-cyberattacks-on-its-national-time-center-201852066.html?src=rss

We still have a few months to wait before the next Cult of the Lamb DLC, Woolhaven, arrives, but the Massive Monster team just shared a closer look at one of the new experiences the expansion will bring and, oh boy, I cannot wait to play this. In addition to adding a new mountain area with two new dungeons, Woolhaven will introduce ranching, so you can raise animals - the regular, non-anthropomorphic kind - to keep as pets, shear for wool or slaughter for meat (you know, if you have no heart).Based on the overview video, we'll get to raise cows(ish), goats and sheep as well as some more unexpected critters like crabs, snails, spiders and turtles. I, personally, am very excited about the snails. You'll be able to form bonds with and name the animals, and you'll have to tend to their wellbeing, feeding them healthy foods and cleaning them. Followers will also be able to bond with the animals and have their own pets. As wholesome as that all sounds, this is Cult of the Lamb we're talking about, so I'm already bracing myself for the inevitable heartbreak of when some unruly follower kills my favorite animals at some point. The video notes that you'll have to keep them safe from predators.Woolhaven will be a paid expansion, but we don't know yet how much it will cost or when exactly it drops. The team has so far only said early 2026.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/this-is-how-the-new-ranching-system-will-work-in-cult-of-the-lamb-woolhaven-194324041.html?src=rss

Violent video games have found themselves in the crosshairs of politicians yet again, but this time with Mexico's government. Earlier this week, Mexico's Chamber of Deputies approved a comprehensive financial package that includes an eight percent tax on video games with mature content. As first reported by Insider Gaming, the proposed tax covers games that have a C or D rating under Mexico's video game age classification system, which is similar to ESRB in the US. The C rating is for players who are at least 18 years old and allows for extreme violence, bloodshed and moderate graphic sexual content, while the D rating is reserved for adults only and allows for prolonged scenes that include similar content.The proposed law was first introduced in September, when the country's Treasury Department claimed that "recent studies have found a relationship between the use of violent video games and higher levels of aggression among adolescents, as well as negative social and psychological effects such as isolation and anxiety." The report cited a study from 2012 in a footnote, which also observed some positive associations with video games, including motor learning and building resilience.The current interpretation of the proposal that's been approved by the Chamber of Deputies would apply to digital and physical copies of affected games, as well as any in-game purchases or microtransactions. The proposal still has to go through Mexico's other congressional chamber, the Senate, where it will be debated before a November 15 deadline to submit a budget proposal.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/mexico-is-considering-slapping-an-eight-percent-tax-on-violent-video-games-184101628.html?src=rss

Nearly four years after the release of Halo: Infinite, the sixth installment in the franchise has failed to live up to its name. Instead, the studio behind the sci-fi series may be working on a "live service, long-term updating multiplayer" Halo game that could do just that. According to YouTuber Rebs Gaming, a source claimed that Halo Studios, previously known as 343 Industries, is working on a multiplayer Halo title that could borrow Fortnite's model of constantly pushing out content updates. The report also noted that there aren't any mentions of Fortnite's battle royale style for the upcoming game.While live service games are becoming the norm, veterans of the Halo franchise may not have much faith in Halo Studios after failing to deliver on Halo: Infinite's longevity. Back in March, another report revealed that Halo: Infinite was meant to be supported with a 10-year plan of consistent updates, but this roadmap was scrapped following leadership issues and a switch to Unreal Engine. While Halo: Infinite's multiplayer mode has received notable updates since its initial release, the game still sits at a Mixed rating on Steam.Along with this upcoming live service Halo title, the report claimed that the studio is working on a remake of the first game in the series, Halo: Combat Evolved. According to John Junyszek, the senior community manager at Halo Studios, we could hear more about either project during the Halo World Championship that takes place from October 24 to 26.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/the-next-game-in-the-halo-franchise-could-be-live-service-multiplayer-171036206.html?src=rss

Techtober is a busy time for our reviews team as a deluge of new devices arrive before the holiday season. We've been hard at work conducting our in-depth testing, but it's understandable if you missed a review or two over the last few weeks. Read on to catch up all the reviews you might've missed, including the latest trio of Google Pixel devices. Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold, Pixel Watch 4 and Pixel Buds 2a Earlier this month, a trio of new Pixel devices arrived for us to put through their paces. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold headlines the group, but the Pixel Watch 4 and Pixel Buds 2a are also highly capable devices in their own categories. Senior reviews writer Sam Rutherford wrote that Google has removed one of the last remaining issues with foldable phones: durability. The addition of proper dust and water resistance on the Pixel 10 Pro Fold has removed one of the last two shortcomings of modern foldables, which is no mean feat," he said. However, at $1,799, the price barrier is still hard to overcome for most folks." Meta Ray-Ban Display The second-gen Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses may be the best option for most people right now, but the Meta Ray-Ban Display is the more exciting product for many. If you can get past the chunky look and in-progress features, you still have to contend with limited availability and a $800 price tag. The Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, on the other hand, still look very much like a first-gen product," senior reporter Karissa Bell wrote. There are some really compelling use cases for the display, but its functionality is limited." ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X Microsoft's collaboration with ASUS has produced a compelling gaming handheld that's decidedly Xbox. The combination of familiar controls and a full-screen Xbox experience give this device an advantage over its Windows-based competition. While Microsoft's first real foray into PC gaming handhelds isn't upending the status quo and it's way too early to say if this gadget will save Xbox as a whole, it is bringing some notable advancements," Sam said. The new full-screen experience makes launching and playing games on Windows-based devices so much more seamless that it's kind of wild it took so long to get here." Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd gen) Bose never leave the top few spots on our best noise canceling headphones list, but its refresh of the QC Ultra Headphones put the company firmly back in first place. Updates to active noise cancellation, sound performance, battery life and power management are enough to recommend this model over the previous version and the Sony WH-1000XM6. Similar to the second-gen QC Ultra Earbuds over the summer, Bose didn't make huge upgrades for the updated version of the QC Ultra Headphones," I explained. But what you do get here is a decent improvement over its predecessor." Razer Blade 18 (2025) Razer's massive 18-inch gaming laptop has impressive performance, but it's size and limited battery life don't offer a lot of convenience. Personally, if I had to choose between Razer's current lineup, I'd go with the Blade 16 so that I could actually carry it around and occasionally use it as a productivity machine," senior reviews editor Devindra Hardawar wrote. Not so with the Blade 18 - its short two hour and 17 minute battery life (in PCMark 10's battery benchmark) means you'll always need to lug around its beefy power adapter."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/engadget-review-recap-new-pixel-devices-meta-ray-ban-display-asus-rog-xbox-ally-x-and-more-130000215.html?src=rss

Here are some recently released titles to add to your reading list. This week, we read Near Flesh, a collection of short stories by the late Katherine Dunn, and 30 Days of Night: Falling Sun, the revival of the hit horror series. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/what-to-read-this-weekend-near-flesh-and-the-return-of-30-days-of-night-215141747.html?src=rss

NVIDIA has taken a big step towards strengthening its domestic chip manufacturing, revealing the first Blackwell wafer made in the US. The hardware company assembled the wafer, which is the base material for NVIDIA's AI chips, in TSMC's semiconductor manufacturing facility in Phoenix, Arizona.NVIDIA revealed its Blackwell platform last year, boasting a goal of revolutionizing the AI industry through tech giants like Amazon, Google, OpenAI and others who already committed to adopting the next-gen architecture. NVIDIA said the latest platform was more powerful and translated to 25x less cost and energy consumption compared to its predecessor. Now that Blackwell wafers can be made at the TSMC plant, NVIDIA can better insulate itself from the ever-evolving tariff situation and geopolitical tensions."It's the very first time in recent American history that the single most important chip is being manufactured here in the United States by the most advanced fab, by TSMC, here in the United States," Jensen Huang, NVIDIA's founder and CEO, said at the celebration event.With NVIDIA's Blackwell architecture ready for the volume production stage, the company is still working on expanding its manufacturing footprint across the US. Earlier this year, NVIDIA said it had plans to funnel half a trillion dollars towards building AI infrastructure in the US through partnerships with TSMC, Foxconn and other companies.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/nvidia-shows-off-its-first-blackwell-wafer-manufactured-in-the-us-192836249.html?src=rss

It's been 40 years to the day since the Nintendo Entertainment System made its US debut, and to celebrate, gaming accessory maker 8BitDo has unveiled a line of NES-themed products. The NES40 collection includes a limited edition version of the company's Ultimate 2 controller that comes with an NES Retro Receiver, so it can be used with the classic console. There's also the NES-inspired Retro Cube 2 speaker and Retro 68 Keyboard, the latter of which sports a full aluminum alloy build and an eye-watering $500 price tag. All are available for pre-order now. The Ultimate 2 controller is one of our favorite controllers for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, and the NES40 version comes with all the same features, including TMR joysticks, Hall Effect triggers with mode switching and lots of customization options. But with this one, you also get the NES Retro Receiver (a transparent black version that's exclusive to this drop), four custom joystick caps and a robot keychain that pays homage to Nintendo's R.O.B. toy robot. The controller set costs $80 and will ship November 18. It's compatible with Switch 1, 2 and Windows, as well as the original NES using the receiver accessory. The Retro 68 Keyboard is 8BitDo's first 68-key keyboard, and it's made entirely of aluminum alloy. That includes the shell, keycaps and buttons, according to the company. It uses Kailh Box Ice Cream Pro Max switches. The keyboard features the NES colorway (like its similar, much less expensive Retro Mechanical Keyboard) and comes with programmable wireless dual Super Buttons. 8BitDo says it gets up to 300 usage hours on a charge thanks to its 6500mAh battery. It's compatible with Windows and Android, and is expected to ship in January 2026. The Retro Cube 2 speaker isn't just a cosmetic update to the original Cube Speaker, but brings some improvements in battery life and functionality too. The dual-speaker system has three connection modes - Bluetooth, 2.4G wireless and wired USB - and comes with a charging dock. It has a 2000mAh battery that gets up to 30 hours of use between charges. Like the earlier version, it has D-pad controls for volume, playback and pairing. The $50 speaker ships on December 12. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/8bitdo-drops-an-nes-inspired-collection-for-the-consoles-40th-anniversary-183932844.html?src=rss

To meet its massive energy demand for its AI and cloud services, Amazon is investing in nuclear power as a cleaner option. After signing agreements to help build nuclear energy projects last year, the tech giant revealed plans for an upcoming small modular reactor, or SMR, in Richland, Washington. Amazon is working with Energy Northwest, Washington state's utilities agency, and X-energy, an SMR developer, to build the Cascade Advanced Energy Facility.The SMR has a smaller footprint than traditional nuclear reactors, but will still offer a modular design that can pump out up to 960 megawatts of power. Amazon is planning to help develop four SMRs in the first phase of the Cascade facility that will provide an initial power capacity of 320 megawatts. After that, the facility has the option to expand to 12 units for the maximum energy output. According to Amazon, construction on the project will start sometime before the end of the decade, while operations are expected to start in the 2030s.Amazon isn't the only big tech company to lean into nuclear energy to power its AI operations. In October of last year, Google partnered with a nuclear energy company called Kairos Power to construct seven SMRs across the US. A month later, Meta was also looking to build an AI data center powered by nuclear energy, but reportedly ran into a discovery of a rare bee species that held up plans.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/amazon-reveals-what-one-of-the-us-first-modular-nuclear-reactors-will-look-like-180721637.html?src=rss

Texas could have a serious legal battle on its hands thanks to an age verification law for app stores that it recently enacted. In response to the Texas App Store Accountability Act, the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) filed a lawsuit that argues the new order goes against First Amendment rights. The not-for-profit trade association has Amazon, Apple and Google amongst its members.The law goes into effect on New Year's Day and requires app store users to verify their age before downloading apps or making in-app purchases. If underage, users have to get parental consent each time they want to download an app or make another in-app purchase. Along with those stipulations, the suit claims that there's an additional burden on developers, who have to "age-rate" their apps for different age groups."This Texas law violates the First Amendment by restricting app stores from offering lawful content, preventing users from seeing that content, and compelling app developers to speak of their offerings in a way pleasing to the state," Stephanie Joyce, senior vice president and chief of staff for the CCIA, said in a press release.Along with CCIA, a student advocacy group called Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT) filed a similar lawsuit objecting to Texas' upcoming app store requirements. Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, the firm representing SEAT and the two high school students named in the lawsuit, said the law "violates the First Amendment by imposing sweeping restrictions on access to protected speech and information." The law firm also noted the potential dangers associated with collecting personal information, like government IDs, when it comes to verifying identity.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/texas-hit-with-a-pair-of-lawsuits-for-its-app-store-age-verification-requirements-164940290.html?src=rss

US District Judge Phyllis Hamilton has reduced the damages Meta is getting from the NSO Group from $167 million to $4 million, but she has also ordered the Israeli spyware maker to stop targeting WhatsApp. If you'll recall, Meta sued the NSO Group in 2019 over its Pegasus spyware, which it said was used to spy on 1,400 people from 20 countries, including journalists and human rights activists. Meta said at the time that Pegasus can infect targets' devices even without their participation by sending text messages with malicious codes to WhatsApp. Even a missed call is enough to infect somebody's device.According to Courthouse News Service, Hamilton reduced the damages because they would need to follow a legal framework designed to proportionate damages. However, she has also handed down a permanent injunction on the NSO Group's efforts to break into WhatsApp. In her decision, she took note of statements made by NSO's lawyers and its own CEO revealing that it hasn't stopped collecting WhatsApp messages and trying to get around the messaging app's security measures. The defendants previously said that the injunction Meta was requesting would "put NSO's entire enterprise at risk" and "force NSO out of business," since WhatsApp is one of the Pegasus spyware's main ways to infect targets' devices."Today's ruling bans spyware maker NSO from ever targeting WhatsApp and our global users again," said Will Cathcart, Head of WhatsApp. "We applaud this decision that comes after six years of litigation to hold NSO accountable for targeting members of civil society. It sets an important precedent that there are serious consequences to attacking an American company."Hamilton wrote that the proposed injunction requires the Israeli company to delete and destroy computer code related to Meta's platforms, and that she concluded that the provision is "necessary to prevent future violations, especially given the undetectable nature of defendants' technology." It's not quite clear how Meta will ensure that the NSO Group doesn't use WhatsApp to infect its users' devices again. Notably, the NSO Group was recently acquired by an American investment group that invested tens of millions of dollars into it to take controlling ownership.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/court-reduces-damages-meta-will-get-from-spyware-maker-nso-group-but-bans-it-from-whatsapp-163016648.html?src=rss

Google's Privacy Sandbox is officially dead. In an update on the project's website, Google Vice President Anthony Chavez has announced that the company was sunsetting the remaining technologies developed for Sandbox due to their "low levels of adoption." A spokesperson has confirmed to AdWeek that Google isn't just killing those technologies, it's retiring the whole initiative altogether. "We will be continuing our work to improve privacy across Chrome, Android and the web, but moving away from the Privacy Sandbox branding," the spokesperson said. "We're grateful to everyone who contributed to this initiative, and will continue to collaborate with the industry to develop and advance platform technologies that help support a healthy and thriving web."The company launched Privacy Sandbox in 2019 as a future replacement to third-party cookies. It's a set of open standards that are supposed to enable personalized ads without divulging identifying data. Over the years, Google's plans to deprecate third-party cookies got pushed back again and again due to a series of delays and regulatory hurdles. Specifically, both the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and the US Department of Justice looked into the Privacy Sandbox out of concerns that it could harm smaller advertisers.In 2024, Google ultimately decided not to kill third-party cookies in Chrome and instead chose to roll out "a new experience in Chrome that lets people make an informed choice that applies across their web browsing." Just this April, Google announced that it wasn't going to make any to changes to how third-party cookies work on the Chrome browser at all, and that it was going to "maintain [its] current approach to offering users third-party cookie choice in Chrome." At the time, the company said that it was going to keep the Privacy Sandbox initiative alive, but things have clearly changed since then. Chavez wrote in the latest update that Google will "continue to utilize learnings from the retired Privacy Sandbox technologies."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/google-has-killed-privacy-sandbox-130029899.html?src=rss

Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. I've reluctantly paused Ball x Pit for long enough to share some neat new releases and more details on upcoming games - some of which are arriving very soon. We've got a notable update for a classic as well.Steam Next Fest is taking place at the minute, and you still have until Monday to join in by checking out some of the many, many demos that have gone live for the event. Thanks partially (okay, almost entirely) to being unable to escape Ball x Pit, I've only tried a fewm Next Fest demos so far.I'm a fan of Aerial_Knight's Never Yield and after last year's sequel, it's cool to see solo developer Neil Jones (aka Aerial_Knight) trying something totally different. Aerial_Knight's DropShot is a skydiving first-person shooter with finger guns and dragons. It's a single-player game in which the aim is to take out your opponents and reach the ground first. Like Jones' previous games, it's stylish and fast-paced. I'm planning to check out the full game when it arrives down the line.It certainly helps to be a fast, accurate typer when you put words together for a living, but I wasn't quick or precise enough to win any rounds in the Final Sentence demo. This is a battle royale for up to 100 players in which you're at a typewriter and have to bash out sentences (or other strings of letters, numbers and symbols) in a race to the finish. If you run out of time, make too many mistakes or don't win, it's lights out, courtesy of the masked figure with a revolver who's standing in front of you.There are some nice touches here. Having to type out the rules in the first few rounds is a clever idea on the part of developer Button Mash. I haven't won a round myself yet (I finished in second place a couple of times), but watched some streamers play. It's very funny when the winning player flips the bird at the guy holding a revolver in front of them.Final Sentence is coming to Steam later this year. Maybe I'll have learned how to spell "sphinx" by then.There are a few other Next Fest demos I'd like to try this weekend, namely:

SpaceX may be violating international telecommunication standards by allowing its Starshield satellites to transmit to Earth on frequencies it's not supposed to use, NPR reports. Starshield is a classified version of SpaceX's Starlink satellite network offered on contract to government agencies "to support national security efforts," according to the company's website.The report is based on findings from amateur satellite tracker Scott Tilley, who observed what appeared to be Starshield satellites broadcasting on frequencies normally dedicated to "uplink" transmissions from the Earth to satellites in orbit. Using the frequencies that way violates standards set by the International Telecommunication Union, a United Nations agency dedicated to coordinating the use of radio spectrum across the world.Standards around which frequencies are used for uplink and downlink broadcasts to satellites were created to avoid interference, among other technical issues. "Nearby satellites could receive radio-frequency interference and could perhaps not respond properly to commands - or ignore commands - from Earth," Tilley told NPR. It's not clear yet whether SpaceX ignoring these rules is causing any issues with satellite communication, but should problems arise, there's now a possible cause.SpaceX's first major Starshield project was a $70 million contract with US Space Force in 2023. More recently in 2024, there were reports that SpaceX's Starshield division had been tasked with building out a network of spy satellites to gather imagery of Earth for the Department of Defense's National Reconnaissance Office.

A Facebook feature that scans your phone's photo library to make AI collages and edits is now available in North America. Meta tested it earlier this year. It's an opt-in feature, but the company may train its models on your media if you use its AI editing or share the results.From a user experience perspective, the idea is to help you find "hidden gems" in your library and turn them into something shareable. After scanning your photo library (with your permission), it will cough up suggestions. For example, it might recommend a collage based on a vacation, a recap of a graduation party or simply spruce up some photos with AI. For better or worse, it's another step in the direction of automating creativity and skill.Zooming out to Meta's business motives, it's easy to imagine this is a move for more AI training data. The company says it won't train its AI on your camera roll "unless you choose to edit this media with our AI tools, or share." If you find it useful enough to use, your media may help train Meta's AI models.The company says the feature's suggestions are private to you until you choose to share them. Its permissions state, "To create ideas for you, we'll select media from your camera roll and upload it to our cloud on an ongoing basis, based on info like time, location or themes." However, Meta says your media won't be used for ad targeting.Fortunately, it's opt-in, so you can safely ignore this altogether without privacy worries. If you grant it permission, you'll see its suggestions (visible only to you) in Stories and Feed. And should you activate it but change your mind later, you can turn it back off through Facebook's camera roll settings.The feature is available now in the US and Canada. Meta says it will soon begin testing it in other countries.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/facebooks-latest-ai-feature-can-scan-your-phones-camera-roll-200056906.html?src=rss

Amazon's Ring brand is entering into a new partnership with surveillance company Flock Safety to make it possible for law enforcement to request footage from smart doorbell owners. The move is part of a pivot back to collaborating with police, after Ring spent several years distancing itself and its products from law enforcement agencies.As part of the partnership, "public safety agencies" using Flock's Nova platform or FlockOS will be able to use Ring's previously announced "Community Requests" program to receive footage captured by the camera of a Ring customer. Agencies investigating an event that might have been captured on camera will have to provide details like the "specific location and timeframe of the incident, a unique investigation code, and details about what is being investigated" before the request is passed on to relevant users. Throughout the process, the identity of Ring users is kept anonymous, as is whether they agree to share footage. The entire process is also entirely optional.Amazon and Ring's approach to working with law enforcement has varied over the years. While Ring reportedly removed the ability for police to make warrantless video requests in 2024, there were documented cases of the company providing access to law enforcement in years prior. This pivot back towards a more police-friendly stance might have been prompted by Ring founder Jamie Siminoff returning to the Amazon-subsidiary in April 2025. Now Amazon is reportedly pitching its cloud and AI services to law enforcement agencies and Ring is looking to work with Flock and other surveillance companies.That might not bother the average Ring customer who already planned to opt out of sharing, but there's reasons to be concerned that Amazon is budding up with Flock. 404 Media reports the company's surveillance tools have been used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to find and detain people, without a formal contract. Navy and Secret Service employees also reportedly had access to Flock's network. That doesn't implicate Ring in anything, but it does make the connection between the two camera networks feel more fraught.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/rings-latest-partnership-allows-police-to-access-camera-footage-through-flock-194609879.html?src=rss

I've been wearing the $800 Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses daily for ten days and I'm still a bit conflicted. On one hand, I'm still not entirely comfortable with how they look. I've worn them on the bus, at the office, on walks around my neighborhood and during hangouts with friends. Each time, I'm very aware that I probably look a bit strange.On the other hand, there's a lot I really like about using these glasses. The built-in display has helped me look at my phone less throughout the day. The neural band feels more innovative than any wrist-based device I've tried. Together, it feels like a significant milestone for smart glasses overall. But it's also very much a first-generation device with some issues that still need to be worked out.Chunky statement glasses or hideously nerdy?To once again state the obvious: The frames are extremely chunky and too wide for my face. The dark black frames I tried for this review unfortunately accentuate the extra thickness. I won't pretend it's my best look and I did feel a bit self-conscious at times wearing these in public. Meta also makes a light brown "sand" color that I tried at the Connect event, and I think that color is a bit more flattering, even if the frames are just as oversized. (Sidenote: Smart glasses companies, please, please make your frames available in something other than black!)But, everyone has a different face shape, skin tone and general ability to "pull off" what one of my friends charitably described as "chunky statement glasses." What looks not-great on my face, may look good on someone else. I really wish Meta could have squeezed this tech into slightly smaller frames, but I did get more used to the look the more I wore them. Overall, I do think the size is a reasonable tradeoff for a first-generation product that's pretty clearly aimed at early adopters. Here's how they look in the lighter "sand" color. Karissa Bell for Engadget The reason the glasses are so thick compared with Meta's other frames is because there are a lot of extra components to power the display, including a mini projector and waveguide. And, at 69 grams, the display glasses are noticeably heavier. I didn't find it particularly uncomfortable at first, but there is a noticeable pressure after six or seven hours of wear. Plus, the extra weight and width also made them consistently slide down my nose. I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable wearing these on a bike ride or a jog as I'd worry about them falling off.While I tested these, I was very interested to get reactions from friends and family. I didn't get many positive comments about how they looked on my face, though a few particularly generous colleagues assured me I was "pulling them off." But seeing people's reactions as soon as the display activated was another matter. Almost everyone has had the same initial reaction: "whoa."Quality display with some limitationsAs I discussed in my initial impressions, these glasses have a monocular display on the right side, so it doesn't offer the kind of immersive AR I experienced with the Orion prototype last year. You have to look slightly up and to the right to focus on the full-color display. It's impressively bright and clear, but doesn't overtake your vision.At 20 degrees, the field of view is small, but it never felt like a limitation. Because the content you see isn't meant to be immersive, it never feels like what's on the display is being cut off or like you have to adjust where you're looking to properly see it. The display itself has three main menus: an app launcher, a kind of home screen where you can access Meta AI and view notifications and a settings page for adjusting brightness, volume and other preferences. The display is in the right lens. Karissa Bell for Engadget For now, there are only a handful of Meta-created "apps" available. You can check your Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger inboxes and chat with Meta AI. There's also a simple maps app for walking navigation, a music/audio player, camera and live translation and captioning features. There's also a mini puzzle game called "Hypertrail."One of my favorite integrations was the ability to check Instagram DMs. Not only can you quickly read and respond to messages, you can watch Reels sent by your friends. While the video quality isn't as high as what you'd see on your phone, there's something very cool about quickly watching a clip without having to pull out your phone. Meta is also working on a standalone Reels experience that I'm very much looking forward to.I also enjoyed being able to view media sent in my family group chats on WhatsApp. I often would end up revisiting the photos on videos once I pulled out my phone, but being able to instantly see these messages as they came in tickled whatever part of my brain responds to instant gratification. There's some impressive tech inside those thick frames. Karissa Bell for Engadget The display also solves one of my biggest complaints with Meta's other smart glasses: that it's really difficult to frame photos. When you open the camera app on the display model, you can see a preview of the photo and even use a gesture to zoom in to properly frame your shot. Similarly, if you're on a WhatsApp video call you can see both the other person's video as well as a small preview of your own like you would on your phone's screen. It's a cool trick but the small display felt too cramped for a proper video call. People I used this with also told me that my video feed had some quality issues despite being on Wi-Fi.The glasses' live captioning and translation features are probably the best examples of Meta bringing its existing AI features into the display. I've written before about how Meta AI's translation abilities are one of my favorite features of the Ray-Ban smart glasses. Live translation on the display is even better, because it delivers a real-time text feed of what the person in front of you is saying. I tried it out with my husband, a native Spanish speaker, and it was even more natural than the non-display glasses because I didn't have to pause and wait for the audio to relay what he was saying. It still wasn't an exactly perfect translation, and there were still a few occasions when it didn't catch everything he said, but it made the process so much simpler overall.Likewise, live captions transcribes conversations in real-time into a similar text feed. I've found that it's a cool way to demo these glasses' capabilities, but I haven't yet found an occasion to use this in anything other than a demo. However, I still think it could be useful as an accessibility aid for anyone who has trouble hearing or processing audio.Another feature that's useful for travel is walking navigation. Dictate an address or location (you can say something like "take me to the closest Starbucks") and the glasses' display will guide you on your route. The first time I tried this was the roughly 10-minute walk from my bus stop to Yahoo's San Francisco office. The route only required two turns, but it didn't quite work. My glasses confidently navigated me to an alleyway behind the office building rather than the entrance. These kinds of mishaps happen with lots of mapping tools - Meta's maps rely on data from OpenStreetMap and Overture - but it was a good reminder that it's still early days for this product.I don't use Meta AI a ton on any of my smart glasses, but having a bit of visual feedback for these interactions was a nice change. I retain information much better from reading than listening, so seeing text-based output to my queries felt a lot more helpful. It's also nice that for longer responses from the assistant, you can stop the audio playback and swipe through informational cards instead. Meta AI on the glasses' display delivers information in a card-like interface. Meta While cooking dinner one night, I asked for a quick recipe for teriyaki salmon and Meta AI supplied what seemed like a passable recipe onto the display. The only drawback was the display goes to sleep pretty quickly unless you continue to interact with the content you're seeing, so the recipe I liked disappeared before I could actually attempt it. (You can view your Meta AI history in the Meta AI app if you really want to revisit something.)My main complaint is that I want to be able to do much more with the display. Messaging app integrations are nice, but I wish the display worked with more of the apps on my phone. When it worked best, I was happy to be able to view and dismiss messaging notifications without having to touch my phone; I just wish it worked with all my phone's notifications.There are also some frustrating limitations on sending and receiving texts. For example, there's no simple way to take a photo on your glasses and text it to a friend with the glasses. You have to wait for the glasses to send a "preview" of your message to your phone and then manually send the text. Or, you can opt in to Meta's cloud services and send the photo immediately as a link, but I'm not sure many of my friends would readily open a "media.meta.com" URL.The glasses also don't really support non-WhatsApp group chats, at least on iOS. You can receive messages sent in group chats, but there's no indication the message originated in a group thread. And, it's impossible to reply in the same thread; instead, replies are sent directly to the person who texted, which can get confusing if you're not checking your phone. It was also a little annoying that reading and even replying to texts from my glasses wouldn't mark the text as read in my phone's inbox. Meta blames all this on Apple's iOS restrictions, and says it's hoping to work with the company to improve the experience.The company tells me that group messaging should work normally for people with Android devices and that there is also a dedicated inbox for checking texts on the glasses. I haven't tested this out yet.The band + battery lifeThe glasses are controlled using Meta's Neural Band, which can translate subtle gestures like finger taps into actions on the display. Because the band relies on electromyography (EMG), you do need a fairly snug fit for it to work properly. I didn't find it uncomfortable, but, like the glasses, I don't love how it looks as a daily accessory. It also requires daily charging if you wear the glasses all day.But the band does work surprisingly well. In more than a week, it almost never missed a gesture, and it never falsely registered a gesture, despite my efforts to confuse it by fidgeting or rubbing my fingers together. The gestures themselves are also pretty intuitive and don't take long to get used to: double tapping your thumb and middle fingers wakes up or puts the display to sleep, single taps of your index and middle fingers allow you to select an item or go back, and swiping your thumb along the side of your index finger lets you navigate around the display. There are a few others, but those are the ones I used most often. The Meta Neural Band requires a snug fit to work properly. Karissa Bell for Engadget Each time you make a gesture, the band emits a small vibration so you get a bit of haptic feedback letting you know it registered. I've used hand tracking-based navigation in various VR, AR and mixed reality devices and I've always felt a bit goofy waving my hands around. But the neural band gestures work when your hand is by your side or in your pocket.The other major drawback of these glasses is that heavy use of the display drains the battery pretty quickly. Meta says the Ray-Ban Display's battery can go about six hours on a single charge, but it really depends on how much you're using the display. With very limited use, l was able to stretch the battery to about seven hours, but if you're doing display-intensive tasks like video calling or live translation, it will die much, much more quickly. The Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, charging case and neural band. Karissa Bell for Engadget The glasses do come with a charging case that can deliver a few extra charges on-the-go, but I was a bit surprised at how often I had to recharge the case. With my normal Ray-Ban Meta glasses I can go several days without topping up the charging case, but with the Meta Ray-Ban Display case, I'm charging it at least every other day.Privacy and safetyWhenever I write or post on social media about a pair of Meta-branded glasses, I inevitably hear from people concerned about the privacy implications of these devices. As I wrote in my recent review of Meta's second-gen Ray-Ban glasses, I share a lot of these concerns. Meta has made subtle but meaningful changes to its glasses' privacy policy over the last year, and its track record suggests these devices will inevitably scoop up more of our data over time.In terms of privacy implications of the display-enabled glasses, there isn't a meaningful difference compared to their counterparts. Meta's policies are the same for all its wearables. I suppose you could use live translation to surreptitiously eavesdrop on a conversation you wouldn't typically understand, though that's technically possible with Meta's other glasses too. And the addition of a wrist-based controller means taking photos is a bit less obvious, but there's still an LED indicator that lights up when the camera is on. The neural band allows you to snap photos without touching the capture button or using a voice command. Karissa Bell for Engadget I have been surprised at how many people have asked me if these glasses have some kind of facial recognition abilities. I'm not sure if that's a sign of people's general distrust of Meta, or an assumption based on seeing similar glasses in sci-fi flicks, but I do think it's telling. (They don't, to be clear. Meta currently only uses facial recognition for two safety-related features on Facebook and Instagram.) Meta hasn't done much to earn people's trust when it comes to privacy, and I wish the company would use its growing wearables business to try to prove otherwise.On a more practical level, I have some safety concerns. The display didn't hinder my situational awareness while walking, but I could see how it might for others. And I'm definitely not comfortable using the display while driving. Meta does have an audio-only "driving detection" setting that can automatically kick in when you're traveling in a car, but the feature is optional, which seems potentially problematic.Should you buy these?In short: probably not. As much as I've been genuinely impressed with Meta's display tech, I don't think these glasses make sense for most people right now. And, at $800, the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses are more than twice as much as the company's very good second-generation Ray-Ban glasses, which come in a wide range of much more normal-looking frame styles and colors.The Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, on the other hand, still look very much like a first-gen product. There are some really compelling use cases for the display, but its functionality is limited. The glasses are also too thick and bulky for what's meant to be an everyday accessory. At the end of the day, most people want glasses that make them look good. There's also the fact that right now, these glasses are somewhat difficult to actually buy. They are only available at a handful of physical retailers, which currently have a very limited supply, Meta is also requiring would-be buyers to schedule demo appointments in order to buy, though some stores - like the LensCrafters where I bought my pair - aren't enforcing this.Still, there's a lot to be excited about. Watching people's reactions to trying these has been almost as much fun as using them myself. Meta also has a solid lineup of new features already in the works, including a standalone Reels app, a teleprompter and gesture-based handwriting for message replies. If you're already all-in on smart glasses or, like me, you've been patiently waiting for glasses with a high quality, usable display, then the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses are worth the investment now - as long as you can accept the thick frames.Update, October 17, 2025, 3:42PM PT: Added more information about group text functionality on Android.

The US and Saudi Arabia have managed to derail negotiations regarding a landmark deal to cut global shipping emissions, according to a report by the BBC. The deal had already been approved and would have made shipping the world's first industry to adopt internationally mandated emissions guidelines.Representatives from more than 100 countries had gathered in London to formally approve the so-called global carbon tax, after nearly ten years of negotiations. However, the US government had been pressuring countries to vote "no" on the measure, threatening tariffs if met with noncompliance.The US also threatened other sanctions, including blocking vessels from ports and visa restrictions. President Trump has called it a "global green new scam." The country withdrew from talks back in April, just before the plan was approved.Saudi Arabia instituted a plan to derail negotiations. The country tabled a motion to adjourn talks for a year, at a time when most countries were set to vote on it. That passed by just a handful of votes, with approving votes coming from both the US and Russia.This essentially destroys the plan, despite technically being just a delay, as timelines will have to be renegotiated. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared the outcome a "huge win" for Trump.Even the shipping industry was on-board with the plan, as it offered consistent global standards that don't currently exist. Industries like certainty. Thomas Kazakos, secretary-general of the International Chamber of Shipping, said that the organization is "disappointed that member states have not been able to agree a way forward at this meeting." He also said that the "industry needs clarity to be able to make the investments."

The 10th TwitchCon is underway. The weekend's opening keynote covered new features for streamers and some enforcement changes. As for the latter, Twitch is, in most cases, moving away from blanket bans and toward targeted enforcement. So, a chat violation may not affect an account's ability to stream, or vice versa.Dual-format streaming, which lets you go live in vertical and horizontal views at once, is getting a beta rollout. Twitch tested the feature with a small number of accounts beginning in August. The wider beta kicks off next week.Of course, AI made an appearance at the keynote. First, Auto Clips is a new feature that automates highlight creation for streamers. Twitch also mentioned that Meta's AI glasses will soon support Twitch live-streaming. (We first learned that feature was coming at Meta Connect in September.) An update to the Twitch mobile app will add that support within "the next few months."Streamers will be happy to learn that Twitch is adding ways for them to make money. It plans to increase the number of sponsorship deals on the platform. The company said this was due to growing advertiser enthusiasm for Twitch streamers. Twitch will begin rolling out the new offers to all monetizing streamers (including affiliates) in the coming months.TwitchCon runs through this Sunday in San Diego.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/twitch-rule-breakers-rejoice-targeted-enforcement-will-replace-blanket-bans-183046229.html?src=rss

Blizzard developers working on Hearthstone and Warcraft Rumble have formed a new union, the latest in a series of labor wins at the Microsoft-owned studio. The over 100-person unit is represented by the Communication Workers of America (CWA), and counts "software engineers, designers, artists, quality assurance testers and producers" among its members.Inspiration to form the new union came from the successful organizing efforts of Blizzard's World of Warcraft workers last year. The staff behind the classic MMO formed the Warcraft Gamemakers Guild last year, and were followed by similar unions representing developers working on Diablo and Overwatch earlier in 2025. According to the CWA, over 1,900 workers at Blizzard are now represented by the organization.The new union is arriving at a critical time. Blizzard's parent company Microsoft made major cuts across its gaming division this summer, including layoffs that reportedly led to Blizzard winding down development on Warcraft Rumble. Union membership has flourished across Microsoft's studios because of neutrality agreements the company signed with CWA respecting its workers' right to organize at Activision Blizzard in 2022 and ZeniMax in 2024, but the environment is on the brink of possible change.Aftermath reports that the neutrality agreement covering Activision Blizzard workers expires in October 2025, which could make forming future unions more difficult. Microsoft signed its first neutrality agreement to reassure regulators about its $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, but now that the deal is done and dusted, the company has less of a reason to play nice.

WhatsApp is taking a new anti-spam feature for a spin. On Friday, TechCrunch reported that the trial limits the number of messages accounts can send without a reply from the recipient. The company is currently experimenting with different limits. But it's aiming for a number that only targets high-volume senders and spammers.All messages from individuals and businesses are said to count toward this cap. That includes multiple unread ones sent to the same recipient. But if the person replies, those messages are removed from the monthly tally. WhatsApp will show a warning to accounts nearing the limit.The company told TechCrunch that average users won't likely reach the limit. It's generally good form for individuals not to keep messaging people who don't reply anyway. So, the test indeed sounds tailor-made for businesses and spammers. The test will roll out in multiple countries over the coming weeks.The trial is the Meta-owned company's latest attempt to fend off its festering spam and scam problem. Last year, it added the ability to unsubscribe from businesses' marketing messages. This August, it began notifying users when someone not in their contacts adds them to a group. Alongside that announcement, WhatsApp said it banned over 6.8 million accounts linked to scam centers in the first half of 2025.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/whatsapp-will-test-a-monthly-cap-on-messages-ignored-by-recipients-164024928.html?src=rss

Atari just revealed the Intellivision Spirit, a modern refresh of the classic Intellivision gaming console from 1980. The new console certainly looks like the original. You can practically smell the cigarette-soaked carpeting from here.Beyond aesthetics, this console includes plenty of newfangled bells and whistles. The controllers are wireless, which is a technology that didn't quite exist in the 1980s, and it connects to TVs via HDMI.It also includes 45 built-in games, reminding me of stuff like the NES Classic and the Atari 2600+. The library includes plenty of sports and strategy titles, because those genres were considered the console's biggest strength way back when. Other games include the puzzler Boulder Dash and a riff on Space Invaders called Space Armada. Each title comes with a unique overlay that gets placed on the gamepad, showing off the controls.This is an interesting bit of tech because Intellivision was once Atari's greatest rival, which was sort of like a proto-version of the classic Nintendo/Sega rivalry. Atari actually bought Intellivision last year, officially putting the decades-long struggle to bed.The Intellivision Spirit costs $150. Preorders are available right now and shipments start going out on December 5. It's good to know that this thing isn't vaporware, like Intellivision's long-gestating Amico console.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/atari-just-announced-the-intellivision-spirit-a-revamp-of-the-iconic-1980s-gaming-console-163210832.html?src=rss

Samsung's 2025 The Frame Pro QLED Mini LED Smart TV is on sale for a record-low price. The 65-inch model that normally retails for $2,200 is on sale for $1,760, which is the lowest we've ever seen it. The 1-inch-thick "art" TV uses Samsung's impressive 4K Neo QLED panel, which is a quantum dot LCD panel with a Mini LED backlight array. The Frame Pro can display lifelike art pieces when the TV isn't in use, while its sleek design means it also looks great when turned off. The Frame Pro comes with Samsung's new Wireless One Connect Box, which is supposed to help with cable management by putting the TV's inputs in a separate box that then wirelessly transmits the feed from your external device to the TV. It does require its own power supply, though, so that's one more plug needed if you are connecting a console or a streaming device. The TV also carries the NQ4 AI Gen3 Processor, which imbues the Frame Pro with AI-enhanced picture and sound. This model also comes with Samsung Vision AI, which works to upscale the image on screen, create personalized experiences and more. This 2025 model was just made available to order earlier this year, and the current sale price is surprisingly lower than it was during last week's Prime Day event, proving sometimes good things come to those who wait.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/samsungs-2025-frame-pro-qled-tv-is-on-sale-for-a-record-low-price-155913911.html?src=rss

Newegg is selling three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $52, which is a fantastic deal. The list price is $60, but drops down to $52 by entering the code SSE2589 at checkout. The sale ends soon, so don't dilly-dally. This is a discount of $38, thanks to Microsoft mandating a price hike that brought a single month of Game Pass Ultimate up to $30. That controversial move has irked fans of the subscription service. In other words, make sure to cancel at the end of the three months to avoid getting slammed in the bank account. Despite the absolutely bonkers move to raise the price by 50 percent in one fell swoop, Game Pass Ultimate is still a fantastic service with over 400 games to choose from. It's home to plenty of standout titles, including recent hits like Clair Obscur Expedition 33 and the indie darling that's currently wrecking productivity across the world, Ball x Pit. The platform recently integrated with Ubisoft+, which offers access to dozens more games in franchises like Far Cry and Assassin's Creed. A subscription also signs up users with Fortnite Crew, which gives access to the game's battle pass, 1,000 V-Bucks each month and other perks. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/get-three-months-of-xbox-game-pass-ultimate-for-only-52-right-now-152331537.html?src=rss

Bose took a different approach with its new products in 2025. Instead of entirely redesigning its QuietComfort Ultra lineup, the company unveiled upgraded second-generation models of the flagship-level earbuds and headphones. Like the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds that debuted earlier this year, the new Quiet Comfort Ultra headphones ($449) don't offer a comprehensive overhaul. However, the changes provide enough performance improvements to further cement these as the best noise-canceling headphones that you can buy right now. Trust me, we're much better off with this revamped version than we would be with a year (or longer) wait for something brand new with the 2023 model. What's new on the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones? Bose debuted a few new features on the second-gen QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds in August that it carried over to these new headphones. First, the company improved its already stellar active noise cancelation (ANC) with tweaks to its ActiveSense technology. Specifically, the system can respond to sudden spikes in environmental noise by adapting more precisely. It's not something you'll notice all the time, but when you need it, you'll be glad it's there. Otherwise, the excellent ANC performance here is just as effective as it was on the previous model. More on that in a bit. The immersive Cinema Mode that Bose added to the QC Ultra Earbuds is also available on these headphones. It's a sound profile that enhances dialogue clarity while keeping the rest of the soundstage as wide and enveloping as possible. I like it best for movies and TV, as the name suggests, but per Bose's suggestion I also tried it with podcasts and audiobooks. Cinema Mode is probably overkill for those types of content, unless you're listening to shows or titles with lots of background effects. One of the biggest changes on the second-gen QC Ultra Headphones is how Bose decided to handle power management. Most importantly, the company extended battery life in all use cases. With ANC on (and Immersive Audio off), you'll get up to 30 hours of listening time. Turn off ANC and that jumps to 45 hours. When you decide to enable both ANC and Bose's spatial Immersive Audio, you can expect up to 23 hours on a charge. Compared to those on the first-generation model, all of these numbers are up by at least five hours, which is a significant boost. These headphones rotate flat and fold in for compact transport. Billy Steele for Engadget Like the previous QC Ultra Headphones, this model has an automatic disconnection feature after 10 minutes of standby . But the company went a step further on this version by adding a low-power mode that the headphones enter after 30 minutes of idle time. And if you want to disconnect them quickly, you can rotate the earcups and lay them on a flat surface. That'll make them go into a deeper standby mode that Bose says can run for months." All of this means you can effectively turn the new QuietComfort Ultra Headphones on and off by putting them on and taking them off. If you're using them regularly, you'll never have to press the power button. Sound-wise, the big upgrade on these headphones is the addition of lossless audio over USB-C. Like the AirPods Max, this model can be connected with a cable to your phone, tablet, laptop or desktop to stream or play higher-quality tunes from compatible services or your library. Bose says you can expect 16-bit 44.1kHz or 48kHz audio depending on your source. It's yet another nice-to-have feature that's becoming standard fare on premium wireless headphones. What else is good about the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones? Like most Bose over-ear headphones, the second-gen QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are supremely comfortable. Even for long periods of time, they never become a burden, and that's thanks in large part to the soft, pillowy ear pads. I could easily wear these for an entire trans-Atlantic flight with minimal discomfort and I've been wearing them for entire workdays at home. As I already mentioned, the ANC performance here is still top-tier. In fact, these QC Ultra Headphones will soon replace the first-gen model on our best noise-canceling headphones list. Both the Immersion (ANC + spatial audio) and Quiet (just ANC) modes provide robust noise blocking that surpasses those by Sony, Sennheiser and others. If you're making your buying decision based solely on ANC performance, this is the best option. You'll enjoy relief from constant ambient noise sources like fans and sound machines, plus the QC Ultra Headphones do a respectable job with human voices. Heck, I couldn't even hear my dog barking at the imminent threat from falling leaves outside. Lastly, Bose's take on spatial audio is still quite good. The company calls it Immersive Audio and the feature doesn't rely on specialized content like other headphones. Music sounds obviously fuller and slightly louder when the sound profile is active thanks to Bose's method for upscaling stereo content. There's also enhanced vocal clarity and elements like percussion and synths are less compressed than usual. The headphones lend a particularly airy feel to the tracks of Ruston Kelly's Pale, Through the Window, an acoustic-driven collection of soulful, country-tinged tunes. His vocals float atop enveloping acoustic guitars and tight, punchy drums. What's not so good about the QC Ultra Headphones? The Bose app gives you access to controls and customization. Billy Steele for Engadget The biggest issue with the second-gen QuietComfort Ultra Headphones is the price. To be clear, the likes of Sony, Apple and others charge around the same amount for their top-of-the-line models, but $449 is still a significant investment. If that's too steep for you, Bose has the highly capable QuietComfort Headphones in its arsenal for a slightly more palatable $359. My other gripe is that the only real design change Bose made for the updated QC Ultra Headphones is that the metal headband yokes now have a gloss finish. Depending on your personal preference, this might be a dealbreaker for you. It's least noticeable on the black and violet colorways, since these have a tone-on-tone look. After a few weeks with the bronze and tan Driftwood Sand hue, I'm not a fan of the more stylized aesthetic. It's flashy, for sure, but it's a tweak I could've done without. Wrap-up Similar to the second-gen QC Ultra Earbuds over the summer, Bose didn't make huge upgrades for the updated version of the QC Ultra Headphones. But what you do get here is a decent improvement over its predecessor. The company devised an intuitive setup for power management and even addressed one of my main gripes with the original by adding support for lossless audio over USB-C. Plus, the extended battery life is significant in all sound modes, and not just by an hour or two here or there. To top it all off, the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones remain the best option for pure noise-blocking ability, and that's not likely to change any time soon.

Apple has secured an exclusive deal for the US broadcast rights to Formula 1 racing. Under the terms of a five-year pact with F1 parent company Liberty Media, Apple TV will air every F1 race starting in 2026.The company says subscribers to the newly rebranded Apple TV will be able to watch every Grand Prix, along with each practice, qualifying and sprint session. Non-subscribers will be able to watch "select races" for free in the Apple TV app. You won't have to pony up to watch practice sessions.Through the Apple Sports app, F1 fans can get live updates on qualifying and sprint sessions as well as Grands Prix. Expect real-time leaderboards (including for the driver and constructor championships), along with an iPhone home screen widget and Live Activities on the lock screen.Apple will bring F1-related features to its News, Music, Maps and Fitness+ apps as well. The company will reveal more about "production details, product enhancements and all the ways fans will be able to enjoy F1 content across Apple products and services" in the lead up to the 2026 season, which starts with the Australian Grand Prix in March.Formula 1 has its own dedicated streaming service and that's not going away entirely in the US, but F1 TV Premium will be exclusively available through Apple TV. In fact, F1 TV Premium (which currently costs $130 per year) will be a free perk for Apple TV subscribers in the US. You'll just need to link your F1 TV account to an Apple Account that has an active Apple TV subscription.F1 TV Premium includes access to features like multiview, driver cams and team radio chatter, along with live telemetry and tire usage data. Live F2, F3, F1 Academy and Porsche Supercup coverage is included too.The F1 deal will diversify Apple's sports offerings. The company already has a long-term pact with MLS for exclusive rights to air games from North America's top soccer league. However, the future of baseball on Apple TV is murky, with reports suggesting that Apple is set to cut ties with MLB.It was rumored in July that Apple might be looking to add the driving event to its sports programming. The company allegedly bid between $120 million and $150 million a year for access to F1, which lapped the $90 million a year offered by ESPN, which previously had the US rights. The company may also be looking to capitalize on the success of its F1 the Movie project, which Engadget's Devindra Hardawar found to be an excellent racing film, a flashy summer blockbuster and an ostentatious commercial for Apple in his review.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/apple-is-the-new-home-for-f1-racing-in-the-us-starting-in-2026-133619412.html?src=rss

Wikimedia is sounding the alarm on the impact AI is having on reliable knowledge and information on the internet. In a blog post, Wikimedia's senior director of product, Marshall Miller, lays out the impact on page views that the foundation attributes to the rise of LLM chatbots and AI-generated summaries in search results."We believe that these declines reflect the impact of generative AI and social media on how people seek information, especially with search engines providing answers directly to searchers, often based on Wikipedia content," said Miller.The foundation has increasingly faced AI bot crawlers whose sophistication has made it difficult to parse human traffic from bots. After improving bot detection to yield more accurate metrics, Wikipedia's data shows an 8 percent drop in page views year over year.Miller paints a picture of an existential risk greater than that of a website's page views. He posits that if Wikipedia's traffic continues to decline, it could threaten what he calls "the only site of its scale with standards of verifiability, neutrality and transparency powering information all over the internet." He warns that fewer visits to Wikipedia would lead to fewer volunteers, less funding and ultimately less reliable content.The solution he offers is for LLMs and search results to be more intentional in giving users the opportunity to interact directly with the source for the information being presented. "For people to trust information shared on the internet, platforms should make it clear where the information is sourced from and elevate opportunities to visit and participate in those sources," Miller writes.Earlier this summer, Wikipedia floated the idea of AI-generated summaries that would appear at the top of articles. The project was ultimately dropped before it began after fierce backlash from the site's volunteer editors.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/wikimedia-says-ai-bots-and-summaries-are-hurting-wikipedias-traffic-134331033.html?src=rss

AT&T has been sending out emails to its home internet subscribers, notifying them that their plans will cost $5 more a month starting on December 1. The company has confirmed the price hike to The Verge, who noted that it already raised its prices by $5 a month in November 2024 and that it's raising prices again despite earning $4.9 billion in profit last quarter. AT&T wrote in its email that it's charging $5 more for its its home internet plans "[t]o ensure [it continues] providing the quality service and support [customers] deserve.""As we work to meet the evolving needs of our business and manage increasing operational costs, we're adjusting our internet plan rates to help maintain the high-quality service our customers expect," AT&T spokesperson Jim Kimberly told The Verge. The company is providing customers the chance to offset the additional charges, however, by giving them a $10 monthly discount if they enroll an eligible bank account in Autopay and Paperless Billing if they haven't yet. If they enroll a debit card, they will get a discount of $5 a month.It's not quite clear how long the discounts will last. And for customers who've enabled Autopay in the past, well, tough luck. The price hike will not apply to new customers who've only signed up over the past year, though, and those under AT&T's Access program for qualifying low-income households.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/atts-home-internet-is-getting-a-5-price-hike-130010486.html?src=rss

We generally think Apple's iPads are the best tablets for most people, but they usually don't come cheap. To help those looking to grab one today get the most value possible, we're keeping an eye on sale prices and rounding up the best iPad deals we can find each week.

Nintendo has asked suppliers to build 25 million Switch 2 console by the end of March 2026, Bloomberg reported. According to people familiar with the matter, the company has requested the boost because it believes the console will continue its torrid sales pace through the holiday season. Nintendo could easily exceed its own forecast of 15 million Switch 2 units sold within its first fiscal year (ending March 30, 2026) and beat first year sales of the original Switch, which was the fastest selling console of all time. If sales pan out as it expects, Nintendo could sell around 20 million Switch 2 units this fiscal year, according to the report. The 25 million production goal would allow it to satisfy sales demand and have enough in inventory to start the next fiscal year. The original Switch sold 17.79 million units in its first 13 months, so the Switch 2 could exceed that over a considerably shorter time frame. As a reminder, Switch 2 pre-orders started in April 2025 and the global release was on June 5, so it only started shipping four and a half months ago. Despite fears over tariffs, Switch 2 sales in the US are way ahead of the original Switch at the same time frame, according to market researcher Circana. During its last earnings report, the company said it had also sold 8.67 million Switch 2 games along with 24.4 million games designed for the original Switch, thanks in part to the new console's backward compatibility. Game sales should get a further boost with the launch of Pokemon Legends: Z-Acoming later this month. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-reportedly-wants-to-build-25-million-switch-2s-by-march-2026-120006050.html?src=rss

OpenAI has paused video generations of Martin Luther King Jr. on Sora at the request of King Inc., the estate that manages his legacy. The company said in an announcement on X that it worked with the estate to address how his "likeness is represented in Sora generations" after people used the app to create disrespectful depictions of the American civil rights leader. It's not quite clear if OpenAI intends to restore Sora's ability to generate videos with MLK in the future, but it's wording implies it does and that it has only suspended the capability as it "strengthens guardrails for historical figures."After OpenAI launched the Sora app, users generated videos with likenesses of dead public figures, including Michael Jackson, Robin Williams and MLK. Williams' daughter, Zelda Williams, had to beg people to stop sending her AI videos of her father. "To watch the legacies of real people be condensed down to this vaguely looks and sounds like them so that's enough', just so other people can churn out horrible TikTok slop puppeteering them is maddening," she wrote on Instagram. MLK's daughter, Bernice A. King, wrote on Threads that she agreed and also asked people to stop sending her videos of her father.According to a report by The Washington Post, the Sora-made videos that were posted online included King making monkey noises while he was giving his "I Have a Dream" speech. Another video showed King wrestling with Malcolm X, whose daughter, Ilyasah Shabazz, questioned why AI developers weren't acting "with the same morality, conscience, and care... that they'd want for their own families" in a statement made to The Post.OpenAI said that while there are "strong free speech interests in depicting historical figures," it believes "public figures and their families should ultimately have control over how their likeness is used." It also said that the estate owners of other historical figures and their representatives can ask the company for their likenesses not to be used in Sora videos, as well.

This week, Apple announced fall hardware updates across multiple devices - pretty much every major category, besides iPhones and AirPods. Don't get too excited: It's not a redesign reveal, but we're expecting a tangible performance jump for both the iPad Pro and MacBook Pro.With the new M5 chip (no Pro or Max versions so far), Apple used the same 3-nanometer fabrication process for the M5 as it did for the M4. The new chip has 10 GPU cores and 10 CPU cores, along with a 16-core Neural Engine. Apple claims the M5 has the world's fastest CPU core" with up to 20 percent faster multithreaded performance compared to the M4 chip of the previous MacBook Pro. Graphics performance also gets a significant boost too. The M5 MacBook Pro ($1,599), otherwise, has identical specs to its M4 predecessor, right down to the same dimensions, weight and 70-watt power adapter.Meanwhile, inside the iPad Pro, Apple claims it has more than four times the peak GPU compute performance of the M4. If you're looking to use the new iPad Pro for video tasks, Apple says that video transcoding is six times faster than the old M1 iPad Pro from 2021. The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $999 for the 11-inch model and $1,299 for the 13-inch model.And it seems to have a lot of M5 chips to use: The Vision Pro gets one and a seemingly more comfortable Dual Knit Band. The M5 Vision Pro should last half an hour longer than the original model, as well, according to Apple.- Mat SmithGet Engadget's newsletter delivered direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!The news you might have missed

As expected, CNN has unveiled its new All Access subscription streaming service that will cost $6.99 per month or $69.99 annually. The new tier will include a "selection" of CNN's live programming along with originals and more - but it doesn't appear to offer a live CNN feed."No one covers the world like CNN," said VP of digital products Alex MacCallum. "This is an essential step in CNN's evolution, providing a comprehensive experience that meets how audiences consume news today."Along with the selection of live programming, the All Access tier will open up 1,000 hours of programming from CNN's Originals library, access to the latest CNN Original Series and CNN Films a day after they air on TV, video-on-demand programming, special features, exclusive live events and all CNN.com articles and subscriber-only content.CNN recently announced that its CNN Max 24/7 live news stream would removed from HBO Max in the United States due to the planned launch of the All Access product. It has now rebranded its existing $3.99 digital subscription as the Basic tier, which provides unlimited access to CNN.com articles and select subscriber features while excluding video content.CNN likely doesn't include the live feed in order not to upset cable TV providers, but the lack of that may deter some users from purchasing the $6.99 subscription. CNN+ was $5.99 per month and didn't include CNN live either, though it also lacked the digital content available on All Access. It was pulled just 32 days after it launched.CNN All Access launches on October 28. If you're interested, you'll pay just $41.99 for the first year provided you sign up before January 5th, 2026. The service will be free for existing pay TV subscribers, CNN said, but those users won't get the digital content (CNN.com articles and interactive features) available to All Access subscribers.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/cnns-new-all-access-streaming-service-still-doesnt-seem-to-include-cnn-110013821.html?src=rss

Meta is working on new supervision controls that will allow parents to cut off their teens' access to AI chatbots on its platforms completely. While the tools can remove teens' ability to engage AI characters on one-on-one chats, they'll still be able to access the general Meta AI chatbot. If parents don't want to block their teens from being able to access AI bots altogether, they can also just block specific AI characters. In addition, parents will be able to get insights into the topics their children are discussing with Meta's AI bots. The company is currently building these controls and will start rolling them out on Instagram early next year in English in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. Take note that the images above are just illustrations, and the tools' interfaces could still change.The company has been under fire since an internal Meta document was leaked a few months ago, showing that it allowed its chatbots to have "sensual" conversations with children. In one example, a Meta chatbot told a shirtless eight-year-old that "every inch of you is a masterpiece - a treasure I cherish deeply." The US Attorneys General of 44 jurisdictions urged companies to protect children "from exploitation by predatory artificial intelligence products" after that information came out. The Senate Committee Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, chaired by Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), will investigate the company, as well.Shortly after the internal documents leaked, Meta started retraining its AI and added new protections to prevent younger users from accessing user-made AI characters that might engage in inappropriate conversations. It also introduced age-appropriate protections so that its AIs will give teens responses guided by PG-13 movie ratings. Plus, it now only allows teens to interact with a limited group of AI characters, focused on age-appropriate topics.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/meta-is-adding-ai-chatbot-focused-parental-controls-to-instagram-100027229.html?src=rss

We've seen artificial intelligence give some pretty bizarre responses to queries as chatbots become more common. Today, Reddit Answers is in the spotlight after a moderator flagged the AI tool for providing dangerous medical advice that they were unable to disable or hide from view.The mod saw Reddit Answers suggest that people experiencing chronic pain stop taking their current prescriptions and take high-dose kratom, which is an unregulated substance that is illegal in some states. The user said they then asked Reddit Answers about other medical questions. They received potentially dangerous advice for treating neo-natal fever alongside some accurate actions as well as suggestions that heroin could be used for chronic pain relief. Several other mods, particularly from health-focused subreddits, replied to the original post adding their concerns that they have no way to turn off or flag a problem when Reddit Answers has provided inaccurate or dangerous information in their communities.A representative from Reddit told 404 Media that Reddit Answers had been updated to address some of the mods' concerns. "This update ensures that Related Answers' to sensitive topics, which may have been previously visible on the post detail page (also known as the conversation page), will no longer be displayed," the spokesperson told the publication. "This change has been implemented to enhance user experience and maintain appropriate content visibility within the platform." We've reached out to Reddit for additional comment about what topics are being excluded but have not received a reply at this time.While the rep told 404 Media that Reddit Answers "excludes content from private, quarantined and NSFW communities, as well as some mature topics," the AI tool clearly doesn't seem equipped to properly deliver medical information, much less to handle the snark, sarcasm or potential bad advice that may be given by other Redditors. Aside from the latest move to not appear on sensitive topics," it doesn't seem like Reddit plans to provide any tools to control how or when AI is being shown in subreddits, which could make the already-challenging task of moderation nearly impossible.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/moderators-call-for-ai-controls-after-reddit-answers-suggests-heroin-for-pain-relief-230749515.html?src=rss

Waymo has announced a new partnership with DoorDash that will make the company's self-driving cars a delivery option for users in Phoenix, Arizona. You can already hail a ride in Waymo's Arizona service area, but this new partnership will give the company's cars something to do when they're not transporting human cargo.To start, Waymo says that deliveries will be limited to things you can order through DashMart, DoorDash's storefront for convenience and grocery stores. Eventually, though, deliveries will "include more local Phoenix merchants and a wider variety of offerings."

The Crew 2 was updated today to include Hybrid Mode, adding an offline mode to the driving game. Online and offline modes are separate saves, so if you snag a sweet ride while playing offline, it won't be available the next time you join an online session. Players will have the option to re-export their online save to the offline one, but it will overwrite and erase all offline-only progress. Multiplayer content, user-generated content, LIVE Summits and Crew Credits purchases will not be available in the offline mode.It's a bare-bones option, but the addition of offline mode is a welcome move from Ubisoft. The company's decision to delete The Crew from players' libraries after servers for the online game shut down sparked some big debates about ownership and preservation. One of the notable voices emerging from that conversation was the Stop Killing Games movement, which is pushing for EU legislation to ensure access to games even after their devs stop supporting a project.Having a way to continue accessing The Crew 2 even if (or more likely when) the game loses online support was something the developer had promised, so it's nice to have Ubisoft follow through. "Whether you're looking to preserve your progression for the future or simply enjoy the freedom of playing without a connection, Hybrid Mode ensures The Crew 2 remains accessible for years to come," the company said in the blog post.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-crew-2-is-now-playable-offline-211629508.html?src=rss

Apple insiders are pointing to a tactile new future for the company's laptops. Last month, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested that Apple would incorporate touchscreens into MacBooks some time in the next few years, "further blurring the line with the iPad." Today, Mark Gurman at Bloomberg confirmed that prediction, sharing even more specifics about the touchscreen approach for a MacBook Pro that is currently projected for release in late 2026 or early 2027.Gurman reports that the touchscreen laptops are internally known as K114 and K116, and will run on M6 chips; Apple just introduced the M5 generation of its silicon for this year's iteration of the MacBook Pro and iPad Pro. His sources also say that the laptops will have OLED screens and will boast "a reinforced hinge and screen hardware" so that the display portion doesn't move when being used. The laptops will still have a trackpad and keyboard for non-touchscreen control, and will be housed in "thinner and lighter frames." Finally, this laptop will reportedly abandon the notch housing for the MacBook Pro's camera in favor of a hole-punch design that leaves a display area around that sensor.Longtime Apple leader Steve Jobs was adamantly opposed to touchscreen computers. But most other computer companies have had touchscreen models available for about a decade, so Apple did adhere to that philosophy for a really long time. Rather than bring touch to a laptop, for a while Apple was trying to position the iPad as being capable of doing all the tasks you'd use a laptop for, as epitomized in the notorious "what's a computer?" ad. It should be interesting to see how touch MacBooks and iPads will coexist.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/apples-m6-macbook-pro-generation-will-reportedly-offer-touchscreens-203029809.html?src=rss