All the News that Matters

• SUSE: QEMU Important Security Update Due to Buffer Overflows 2026:0043-1
  An update that solves three vulnerabilities and has two security fixes can now be installed.

• openSUSE: QEMU Important Buffer Overflow Crashes SUSE-SU-2026:0043-1
  An update that solves three vulnerabilities and has two security fixes can now be installed.

• SUSE: mozjs60 Important Security Update Addressing Embedded Expat Issues
  An update that solves four vulnerabilities can now be installed.

• openSUSE: mozjs60 Moderate Security Fix CVE-2024-45490 2026:0044-1
  An update that solves four vulnerabilities can now be installed.

• Mageia 9: isodumper Important Bugfix Issues MGAA-2026-0003
  MGAA-2026-0003 - Updated isodumper packages fix bugs

• Mageia 9: sddm-theme-sunset Horizon Update MGAA-2026-0003
  MGAA-2026-0002 - Updated sddm-theme-coffee-ng packages fix bug

• StarBook Horizon Linux Laptop Now on Sale with 32GB RAM, Wi-Fi 6E, and Coreboot
  Linux hardware vendor StarLabs announced today that its StarBook Horizon Linux-powered laptop is now on sale as a 13-inch Coreboot notebook designed for privacy and as a daily driver.

• ADLINK Express-PTL and COM-HPC-mPTL pair Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors with Arc Xe3 graphics
  ADLINK Technology has introduced the Express-PTL and COM-HPC-mPTL modules, built on Intel Core Ultra Processor Series 3 (Panther Lake-H), targeting edge AI, graphics-intensive, and general embedded systems that require high compute density, standards-based form factors, and long-term availability. Both modules are based on Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors featuring a hybrid CPU architecture with […]

• AMD Announces Ryzen 7 9850X3D, New Strix Halo SKUs & Ryzen AI 400 Series
  Lisa Su's keynote just wrapped up at CES 2026 and in turn the embargo regarding AMD's first consumer product announcements for 2026. The AMD Ryzen AI 400 series and new Ryzen 7 9850X3D 3D V-Cache processors are what's in focus for CES this year.

• AAEON Reveals BOXER-8742AI Embedded AI Box PC Based on NVIDIA Jetson T4000
  AAEON has outlined plans for the BOXER-8742AI, a fanless embedded AI box PC built around the NVIDIA Jetson T4000 module for edge AI deployments requiring high compute density and multi-sensor connectivity. The BOXER-8742AI is based on the NVIDIA Jetson T4000 module, which combines a 12-core Arm Neoverse-V3AE CPU with a Blackwell-architecture GPU featuring 1,536 CUDA […]

• Ubuntu Now Officially Supports NVIDIA Rubin AI Systems
  NVIDIA Rubin AI platforms are now officially supported on Ubuntu, unifying CPU, GPU, and DPU components for scalable AI workloads.

• What if Linux ran Windows and meant it? Meet Loss32
  It's crazy, a million-to-one shot, but it might just workWhat if, rather than make a Linux distro that can run Windows apps, you built the whole distro around Windows binaries instead?…

• First Look at Devuan GNU+Linux 6 “Excalibur” on Raspberry Pi 5
  The community behind the Devuan GNU+Linux project has published Raspberry Pi images of the latest release, Devuan 6.1 (codename Excalibur), so I took it for a test drive on my Raspberry Pi 5 to give you guys a first look at what Devuan can do on the tiny single-board computer.

• EU Digital Laws Spark FOSS Liability Fears: The GNOPPIX Case and Wider Impacts
  The European Union's ambitious digital regulatory agenda has positioned the bloc as a global leader in technology governance. From data protection to platform accountability, EU lawmakers have enacted sweeping legislation designed to make the digital ecosystem safer, more transparent, and more accountable. Yet for the free and open-source software (FOSS) community, these well-intentioned regulations have created an unexpected crisis of confidence, with volunteer developers and small projects increasingly questioning whether they can safely operate within EU jurisdiction. At the heart of this tension lies a fundamental mismatch: regulations designed to rein in Big Tech giants are being applied, or could be applied, to volunteer-driven projects with no legal departments, no compliance budgets, and no ability to absorb the risks that come with regulatory uncertainty. The result is a growing chorus of concern from open-source advocates who warn that the EU's regulatory framework could inadvertently chill the very innovation it seeks to protect.

• Ubuntu 25.04 (Plucky Puffin) Officially Nears End of Life
  Ubuntu 25.04 (Plucky Puffin) will reach end of life on January 15, 2026, after which security updates and official support will end. Users should upgrade promptly.

• Transparent Hugepage Performance On Linux 6.18 LTS: Madvise vs. Always
  With some Linux distributions like Fedora Workstation and Ubuntu defaulting to "madvise" Transparent Hugepages (THP) while others like CachyOS and openSUSE defaulting to "always", you may be curious about the madvise vs. always THP difference in modern Linux environments. If so this round of benchmarking is for you in looking at the performance impact of madvise vs. always THP.

• Polymarket Refuses To Pay Bets That US Would 'Invade' Venezuela
  Polymarket is disputing that the mission to capture Nicolas Maduro constituted an invasion and said it will only settle a prediction contract if the US military takes control of Venezuelan territory. From a report: The decision by the prediction market has angered gamblers and added to the controversy surrounding a successful wager on the timing of Maduro's capture that netted more than $400,000 in winnings for a mystery trader. The dispute over the definition of "invade" highlights just one of the controversies faced by the mostly unregulated industry. Polymarket -- which only recently gained regulatory approval to operate legally in the US -- says on its website that it will resolve the "Will the US invade Venezuela by ... ?" contract if the US "commences a military offensive intended to establish control over any portion of Venezuela" by one of three dates. "The resolution source for this market will be a consensus of credible sources," it adds. Prediction platforms such as Polymarket do not typically make directional wagers in their own markets. Rather, they act as an intermediary matching long and short positions and adjudicating the outcome of events, collecting a fee in the process.
  
  
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• South Korea's President Identifies a New Enemy: Baldness
  South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung asked at a televised policy meeting last month whether the country's state-run healthcare plan could cover hair-loss treatment, framing it as a question about whether hair loss qualifies as a disease. The health minister told Lee that baldness is generally considered an aesthetic problem and therefore covered out-of-pocket, but the 61-year-old president -- who himself has a full head of hair -- pushed back, arguing that young people experiencing thinning hair view their situation as a "matter of survival." The proposal has divided the country. South Korea is known for a cultural phenomenon called "lookism," where physical appearance carries significant weight in professional and social settings. The expression "your appearance is also a credential" is common, and nearly all job applications require a photograph, including those for part-time barista positions. Lee first made the pledge to cover hair-loss treatment during his unsuccessful 2022 presidential campaign but dropped it when he ran again. He won a snap election in June and has now resurrected the idea as a way to appeal to younger voters who have grown more dissatisfied with him. The Korean Medical Association has called the proposal "questionable" given the health system's stretched finances. The health ministry is currently reviewing whether the treatments are appropriate for coverage. More than three in four South Koreans believe everyone has concerns about hair loss, according to a recent Embrain Trend Monitor poll.
  
  
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• Founder of Spyware Maker PcTattletale Pleads Guilty To Hacking, Advertising Surveillance Software
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: The founder of a U.S.-based spyware company, whose surveillance products allowed customers to spy on the phones and computers of unsuspecting victims, pleaded guilty to federal charges linked to his long-running operation. pcTattletale founder Bryan Fleming entered a guilty plea in a San Diego federal court on Tuesday to charges of computer hacking, the sale and advertising of surveillance software for unlawful uses, and conspiracy. The plea follows a multi-year investigation by agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), a unit within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. HSI began investigating pcTattletale in mid-2021 as part of a wider probe into the industry of consumer-grade surveillance software, also known as "stalkerware." This is the first successful U.S. federal prosecution of a stalkerware operator in more than a decade, following the 2014 indictment and subsequent guilty plea of the creator of a phone surveillance app called StealthGenie. Fleming's conviction could pave the way for further federal investigations and prosecutions against those operating spyware, but also those who simply advertise and sell covert surveillance software. HSI said that pcTattletale is one of several stalkerware websites under investigation.
  
  
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• Congressman Introduces Legislation To Criminalize Insider Trading On Prediction Markets
  Ritchie Torres has introduced a bill to ban government officials from using insider information to trade on political prediction markets like Polymarket. The bill was prompted by reports that traders on Polymarket made large profits betting on Nicolas Maduro's removal, raising suspicions that some wagers were placed using material non-public information. "While such insider trading in capital markets is already illegal and often prosecuted by the Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission, online prediction markets are far less regulated," notes Axios. From the report: Rep. Ritchie Torres' (D-N.Y.) three-page bill, a copy of which was obtained by Axios, is called the Public Integrity in Financial Prediction Markets Act of 2026. It would ban federal elected officials, political appointees and bureaucrats from making insider trades on prediction sites sites such as Polymarket. Specifically, the bill prohibits such government officials from trading based on information that is not publicly available and that "a reasonable investor would consider important in making an investment decision." [...] It's not clear if House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) would put Torres' bill to a vote in the House or if President Trump would sign it. "We're looking at the specifics of the bill, but we already ban the activity it cites and are in support of means to prevent this type of activity," said Elisabeth Diana, a spokesperson for the prediction website Kalshi. Diana added that the "activity from the past few days" did not occur on their platform.
  
  
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• An AI-Generated NWS Map Invented Fake Towns In Idaho
  National Weather Service pulled an AI-generated forecast graphic after it hallucinated fake town names in Idaho. "The blunder -- not the first of its kind to be posted by the NWS in the past year -- comes as the agency experiments with a wide range of AI uses, from advanced forecasting to graphic design," reports the Washington Post. "Experts worry that without properly trained officials, mistakes could erode trust in the agency and the technology." From the report: At first glance, there was nothing out of the ordinary about Saturday's wind forecast for Camas Prairie, Idaho. "Hold onto your hats!" said a social media post from the local weather office in Missoula, Montana. "Orangeotild" had a 10 percent chance of high winds, while just south, "Whata Bod" would be spared larger gusts. The problem? Neither of those places exist. Nor do a handful of the other spots marked on the National Weather Service's forecast graphic, riddled with spelling and geographical errors that the agency confirmed were linked to the use of generative AI. NWS said AI is not commonly used for public-facing content, nor is its use prohibited. The agency said it is exploring ways to employ AI to inform the public and acknowledged mistakes have been made. "Recently, a local office used AI to create a base map to display forecast information, however the map inadvertently displayed illegible city names," said NWS spokeswoman Erica Grow Cei. "The map was quickly corrected and updated social media posts were distributed." A post with the inaccurate map was deleted Monday, the same day The Washington Post contacted officials with questions about the image.Cei added that "NWS is exploring strategic ways to continue optimizing our service delivery for Americans, including the implementation of AI where it makes sense. NWS will continue to carefully evaluate results in cases where AI is implemented to ensure accuracy and efficiency, and will discontinue use in scenarios where AI is not effective." A Nov. 25 tweet out of the Rapid City, South Dakota, office also had misspelled locations and the Google Gemini logo in its forecast. NWS did not confirm whether the Rapid City image was made with generative AI.
  
  
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• Creator of Claude Code Reveals His Workflow
  Boris Cherny, the creator of Claude Code at Anthropic, revealed a deceptively simple workflow that uses parallel AI agents, verification loops, and shared memory to let one developer operate with the output of an entire engineering team. "I run 5 Claudes in parallel in my terminal," Cherny wrote. "I number my tabs 1-5, and use system notifications to know when a Claude needs input." He also runs "5-10 Claudes on claude.ai" in his browser, using a "teleport" command to hand off work between the web and his local machine. This validates the "do more with less" strategy Anthropic's President Daniela Amodei recently pitched during an interview with CNBC. VentureBeat reports: For the past week, the engineering community has been dissecting a thread on X from Boris Cherny, the creator and head of Claude Code at Anthropic. What began as a casual sharing of his personal terminal setup has spiraled into a viral manifesto on the future of software development, with industry insiders calling it a watershed moment for the startup. "If you're not reading the Claude Code best practices straight from its creator, you're behind as a programmer," wrote Jeff Tang, a prominent voice in the developer community. Kyle McNease, another industry observer, went further, declaring that with Cherny's "game-changing updates," Anthropic is "on fire," potentially facing "their ChatGPT moment." The excitement stems from a paradox: Cherny's workflow is surprisingly simple, yet it allows a single human to operate with the output capacity of a small engineering department. As one user noted on X after implementing Cherny's setup, the experience "feels more like Starcraft" than traditional coding -- a shift from typing syntax to commanding autonomous units.
  
  
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• Discord Files Confidentially For IPO
  According to Bloomberg, Discord has confidentially filed for a U.S. IPO. Reuters reports: The U.S. IPO market regained momentum in 2025 after nearly three years of sluggish activity, but hopes for a stronger rebound were tempered by tariff-driven volatility, a prolonged government shutdown and a late-year selloff in artificial intelligence stocks. Discord, which was founded in 2015, offers voice, video and text chatting capabilities aimed at gamers and streamers. According to a statement in December, the platform has more than 200 million monthly users.
  
  
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• NYC Wegmans Is Storing Biometric Data On Shoppers' Eyes, Voices and Faces
  schwit1 shares a report from Gothamist: Wegmans in New York City has begun collecting biometric data from anyone who enters its supermarkets, according to new signage posted at the chain's Manhattan and Brooklyn locations earlier this month. Anyone entering the store could have data on their face, eyes and voices collected and stored by the Rochester-headquartered supermarket chain. The information is used to "protect the safety and security of our patrons and employees," according to the signage. The new scanning policy is an expansion of a 2024 pilot. The chain had initially said that the scanning system was only for a small group of employees and promised to delete any biometric data it collected from shoppers during the pilot rollout. The new notice makes no such assurances. Wegmans representatives did not reply to questions about how the data would be stored, why it changed its policy or if it would share the data with law enforcement.
  
  
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• Utah Allows AI To Renew Medical Prescriptions
  sinij shares a news release from the Utah Department of Commerce: The state of Utah, through the Utah Department of Commerce's Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy, today announced a first-of-its-kind partnership with Doctronic, the AI-native health platform, to give patients with chronic conditions a faster, automated way to renew medications. This agreement marks the first state-approved program in the country that allows an AI system to legally participate in medical decision-making for prescription renewals, an emerging model that could reshape access to care and ultimately improve care outcomes. Politico provides additional context in its reporting: In data shared with Utah regulators, Doctronic compared its AI system with human clinicians across 500 urgent care cases. The results showed the AI's treatment plan matched the physicians' 99.2 percent of the time, according to the company. "The AI is actually better than doctors at doing this," said Dr. Adam Oskowitz, Doctronic co-founder and an associate professor of surgery at the University of California San Francisco. "When you go see a doctor, it's not going to do all the checks that the AI is doing." Oskowitz said the AI is designed to err on the side of safety, automatically escalating cases to a physician if there's any uncertainty. Human doctors will also review the first 250 prescriptions issued in each medication class to validate the AI's performance. Once that threshold is met, subsequent renewals in that class will be handled autonomously. The company has also secured a one-of-a-kind malpractice insurance policy covering an AI system, which means the system is insured and held to the same level of responsibility as a doctor would be. Doctronic also runs a nationwide telehealth practice that directs patients to doctors after an AI consultation. In Utah, patients who use the system will visit a webpage that verifies they are physically in the state. Then the system will pull the patient's prescription history and offer a list of medications eligible for renewal. The AI walks the patient through the same clinical questions a physician would ask to determine whether a refill is appropriate. If the system clears the renewal, the prescription is sent directly to a pharmacy. The program is limited to 190 commonly prescribed medications. Some medications -- including pain management and ADHD drugs as well as injectables -- are excluded for safety reasons.
  
  
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• Nvidia Details New AI Chips and Autonomous Car Project With Mercedes
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from the New York Times: On Monday, [Jensen Huang, the chief executive of the chip-making giant Nvidia] said the company would begin shipping a new A.I. chip later this year, one that can do more computing with less power than previous generations of chips could. Known as the Vera Rubin, the chip has been in development for three years and is designed to fulfill A.I. requests more quickly and cheaply than its predecessors. Mr. Huang, who spoke during CES, an annual tech conference in Las Vegas, also discussed Nvidia's surprisingly ambitious work around autonomous vehicles. This year, Mercedes-Benz will begin shipping cars equipped with Nvidia self-driving technology comparable to Tesla's Autopilot. Nvidia's new Rubin chips are being manufactured and will be shipped to customers, including Microsoft and Amazon, in the second half of the year, fulfilling a promise Mr. Huang made last March when he first described the chip at the company's annual conference in San Jose, Calif. Companies will be able to train A.I. models with one-quarter as many Rubin chips as its predecessor, the Blackwell. It can provide information for chatbots and other A.I. products for one-tenth of the cost. They will also be able to install the chips in data centers more quickly, courtesy of redesigned supercomputers that feature fewer cables. If the new chips live up to their promise, they could allow companies to develop A.I. at a lower cost and at least begin to respond to the soaring electrical demands of data centers being built around the world. [...] On Monday, he said Nvidia had developed new A.I. software that would allow customers like Uber and Lucid to develop cars that navigate roads autonomously. It will share the system, called Alpamayo, to spread its influence and the appeal of Nvidia's chip technology. Since 2020, Nvidia has been working with Mercedes to develop a class of self-driving cars. They will begin shipping an early example of their collaboration when Mercedes CLA cars become available in the first half of the year in Europe and the United States. Mr. Huang said the company started working on self-driving technology eight years ago. It has more than a thousand people working on the project. "Our vision is that someday, every single car, every single truck, will be autonomous," Mr. Huang said. The Rubin chips are named for the astronomer Vera Rubin, a pioneering astronomer who helped find powerful evidence of dark matter.
  
  
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• Disaggregated Routing with SONiC and VPP: Lab Demo and Performance Insights  Part Two
  In Part One of this series, we examined how the SONiC control plane and the VPP data plane form a cohesive, software-defined routing stack through the Switch Abstraction Interface.` We outlined how SONiC’s Redis-based orchestration and VPP’s user-space packet engine come together to create a high-performance, open router architecture. In this second part, we’ll turn [0]
  
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• Disaggregated Routing with SONiC and VPP: Architecture and Integration  Part One
  The networking industry is undergoing a fundamental architectural transformation, driven by the relentless demands of cloud-scale data centers and the rise of software-defined infrastructure. At the heart of this evolution is the principle of disaggregation: the systematic unbundling of components that were once tightly integrated within proprietary, monolithic systems.` This movement began with the separation [0]
  
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• Kubernetes on Bare Metal for Maximum Performance
  When teams consider deploying Kubernetes, one of the first questions that arises is: where should it run? The default answer is often the public cloud, thanks to its flexibility and ease of use. However, a growing number of organizations are revisiting the advantages of running Kubernetes directly on bare metal servers. For workloads that demand [0]
  
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• How to Deploy Lightweight Language Models on Embedded Linux with LiteLLM
  This article was contributed by Vedrana Vidulin, Head of Responsible AI Unit at Intellias (LinkedIn). As AI becomes central to smart devices, embedded systems, and edge computing, the ability to run language models locally — without relying on the cloud — is essential. Whether its for reducing latency, improving data privacy, or enabling offline functionality, local AI [0]
  
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• Automating Compliance Management with UTMStacks Open Source SIEM 8 XDR
  Achieving and maintaining compliance with regulatory frameworks can be challenging for many organizations. Managing security controls manually often leads to excessive use of time and resources, leaving less available for strategic initiatives and business growth. Standards such as CMMC, HIPAA, PCI DSS, SOC2 and GDPR demand ongoing monitoring, detailed documentation, and rigorous evidence collection. Solutions [0]
  
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• A Simple Way to Install Talos Linux on Any Machine, with Any Provider
  Talos Linux is a specialized operating system designed for running Kubernetes. First and foremost it handles full lifecycle management for Kubernetes control-plane components. On the other hand, Talos Linux focuses on security, minimizing the user’s ability to influence the system. A distinctive feature of this OS is the near-complete absence of executables, including the absence [0]
  
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• Using OpenTelemetry and the OTel Collector for Logs, Metrics, and Traces
  OpenTelemetry (fondly known as OTel) is an open-source project that provides a unified set of APIs, libraries, agents, and instrumentation to capture and export logs, metrics, and traces from applications. The project’s goal is to standardize observability across various services and applications, enabling better monitoring and troubleshooting. Read More at Causely
  
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• Project Tazama, A Project Hosted by LF Charities With Support From the Gates Foundation, Receives Digital Public Good Designation.
  Exciting news! The Tazama project is officially a Digital Public Good having met the criteria to be accepted to the Digital Public Goods Alliance ! Tazama is a groundbreaking open source software solution for real-time fraud prevention, and offers the first-ever open source platform dedicated to enhancing fraud management in digital payments. Historically, the financial [0]
  
  The post Project Tazama, A Project Hosted by LF Charities With Support From the Gates Foundation, Receives Digital Public Good Designation. appeared first on Linux.com.
  

• Xen 4.19 is released
  Xen Project 4.19 has been officially out since July 31st, 2024, and it brings significant updates. With enhancements in performance, security, and versatility across various architectures like Arm, PPC, RISC-V, and x86, this release is an important milestone for the Xen community. Read more at XCP-ng Blog
  
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• Advancing Xen on RISC-V: key updates
  At Vates, we are heavily invested in the advancement of Xen and the RISC-V architecture. RISC-V, a rapidly emerging open-source hardware architecture, is gaining traction due to its flexibility, scalability and openness, which align perfectly with our ethos of fostering open development ecosystems. Although the upstream version of Xen for RISC-V is not yet fully [0]
  
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Engadget"Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics"

• Boston Dynamics unveils production-ready version of Atlas robot at CES 2026
  Boston Dynamics9 Atlas is finally entering production. After years of testing this humanoid robot (andforcing it to dance), the robotics company announced at CES 2026 that the final version of the machine is being built now. The first companies to receive deployments will be Hyundai, Boston Dynamics9 majority shareholder, and Google DeepMind, the firm’s new AI partner.
  
  This final enterprise version of Atlas "can perform a wide array of industrial tasks," according to Boston Dynamics, and is specifically designed with consistency and reliability in mind. Atlas can work autonomously, via a teleoperator or with "a tablet steering interface," and the robot is both strong and durable. Boston Dynamics says Atlas has a reach of up to 7.5 feet, the ability to lift 110 pounds and can operate at temperatures ranging from minus 4 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. "This is the best robot we have ever built," Boston Dynamics CEO Robert Playter said in the Atlas announcement. "Atlas is going to revolutionize the way industry works, and it marks the first step toward a long-term goal we have dreamed about since we were children." 
  
  Boston Dynamics has been publicly demoing its work on humanoid robots since at least 2011, when it first debuted Atlas as a DARPA project. Since then, the robot has gone through multiple prototypes and revisions, most notably switching from a hydraulic design to an all-electric design in 2024. Later that year, Boston Dynamics demonstrated the robot9s ability to manipulate car parts, which appears to be one of the first ways Atlas will be put to work.
  
  Hyundai plans to use Atlas in its car plants in 2028, focused on tasks like parts sequencing. In 2030, the car maker hopes to have the robot9s responsibilities "extend to component assembly, and over time, Atlas will also take on tasks involving repetitive motions, heavy loads, and other complex operations," Hyundai says. Google DeepMind, meanwhile, is receiving Atlas robots so it can work on integrating its Gemini Robotics AI foundation models into Boston Dynamics9 system.
  
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/boston-dynamics-unveils-production-ready-version-of-atlas-robot-at-ces-2026-234047882.html?src=rss

• Apple's latest 25W MagSafe charger drops to only $30
  One way you can reduce the number of cables you have to deal with on the regular is by investing in a few wireless chargers. Those with iPhones should consider Apple9s own MagSafe charger not only because of its sleek and effective design, but also because it9s on sale right now at Amazon. The Qi2.2-rated MagSafe charger is down to $30 for the one-meter version, or $40 for the two-meter version. 
  
  
  
  If you have an iPhone 16, iPhone 17 or iPhone Air, this cable can charge your device at 25W as long as it9s connected to a 30W power adapter on the other end. While you9ll need a more recent iPhone to get the fastest MagSafe charging speeds, the charger can wirelessly top up the battery of any iPhone from the last eight years (iPhone 8 and later). With older iPhones, the charging speed tops out at 15W. The cable works with AirPods wireless charging cases too — it9s certified for Qi2.2 and Qi charging.
  
  The MagSafe charger is one of our favorite iPhone accessories, and would pair quite nicely with your new iPhone if you9re picking up one of the latest models. If you9re on the fence about that, be sure to check out our reviews of the iPhone 17, iPhone Pro/Pro Max and iPhone Air.
  
  Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-latest-25w-magsafe-charger-drops-to-only-30-141707024.html?src=rss

• CES 2026 Day 1: The biggest tech news and gadgets you missed from the first official day of the show
  CES 2026’s first official show day kept the pace up with a mix of near-term gaming upgrades, ambitious new form factors and a few reminders that not every gadget needs to do everything. NVIDIA announced important gaming news, we caught up with Samsung’s tri-fold phone and Lenovo marched out an army of impressive looking gaming laptops and concept tech. Here are the biggest stories from January 6.
  NVIDIANVIDIA9s G-Sync Pulsar is the next evolution of its VRR technology.NVIDIA
  NVIDIA’s gaming updates focused on making motion look cleaner and boosting performance without forcing developers to rebuild everything from scratch.
  
  The company introduced G-Sync Pulsar, a new display tech designed to reduce monitor-based motion blur by pulsing a screen’s backlight in sections rather than leaving it on continuously. NVIDIA says the approach gives pixels time to stabilize before they’re illuminated, which should make fast movement easier to track, particularly in esports.
  
  The first Pulsar monitors are expected to come out starting January 7 from Acer, AOC, ASUS and MSI, all which are 27-inch 1440p IPS panels with a 360Hz refresh rate and up to 500 nits peak HDR brightness. Pulsar models also support Ambient Adaptive Technology for automatic color temperature and brightness adjustment based on room lighting.
  
  On the software side, NVIDIA announced DLSS 4.5, which adds a second-generation Transformer-based Super Resolution model the company says improves temporal stability, reduces ghosting and improves anti-aliasing. DLSS 4.5 also introduces Dynamic Multi Frame Generation, intended to push performance toward your display’s refresh rate, with NVIDIA positioning it around high-end targets like 4K 240Hz path tracing. The 2nd Gen Super Resolution Transformer model is available now for RTX GPUs, while Dynamic 6x Frame Generation is expected in spring 2026 for RTX 50-series cards, with support rolling out across hundreds of games via the NVIDIA app.
  SamsungThe Galaxy Z TriFold is the latest evolution in Samsung9s growing lineup of fancy foldable phones.Sam Rutherford for Engadget
  Samsung’s Galaxy Z TriFold was unveiled in Asia before the show, but this was our first opportunity to see the superphone in person. It looked, at first glance, like the kind of idea that comes with obvious compromises: more weight, more thickness and a bigger price tag. In person, the pitch becomes easier to understand.
  
  The main draw is the 10-inch AMOLED display, which is a meaningful leap from the 8-inch inner screen on Samsung’s current book-style foldables. That extra real estate makes multitasking feel less cramped, and when paired with DeX, it starts to resemble a travel-friendly laptop alternative if you’re comfortable carrying a small keyboard and mouse. The TriFold’s 4:3 aspect ratio also helps for video and general productivity, with fewer awkward tradeoffs than the squarer inner screens Samsung has leaned on in recent generations.
  
  Samsung appears to have put real effort into the mechanics, too. The device uses two hinges and a magnet system designed to make opening and closing feel intuitive, with built-in warnings if you try to unfold it the wrong way. The obvious downsides are still there, including the bulk and cost, and it’s not clear how much thinner future versions can get when the USB-C port is effectively the limiting factor. For now, the TriFold is on sale in South Korea, with US and broader North American availability and pricing still pending.
  LenovoWhile it normally has a 16-inch display, the Lenovo Legion Pro Rollable concept9s screen can expand up to 23.8 inches across.Sam Rutherford for Engadget
  Lenovo arrived with a stack of concepts and a few more concrete products, making it clear that the company is still treating CES as its main playground for experimental form factors.
  
  The most striking concept was the Legion Pro Rollable, a gaming laptop built around a flexible OLED panel that expands sideways from a standard 16-inch footprint to 21.5 inches or 23.8 inches, shifting aspect ratios from 16:10 to 21:9 or even 24:9. It’s the kind of idea that makes immediate sense for flight sims, racing games and open-world titles that benefit from ultrawide views, even if the mechanics felt a bit prototype-like up close.
  
  Lenovo also showed the XD Rollable concept, which takes a more familiar rollable approach, expanding a 13.3-inch OLED screen to 16 inches at the push of a button. The twist is that the “extra” display wraps around the back of the lid to create a world-facing surface for mirrored content or a secondary view. It’s a clever way to avoid hiding unused panel real estate, even if the practical use cases still feel limited (maybe point-of-sale terminals?).
  
  On the handheld front, Lenovo confirmed the Legion Go 2, which will be powered by SteamOS and will arrive in June starting at $1,199. It keeps the same core hardware, including an 8.8-inch OLED 144Hz VRR display, detachable controllers, a kickstand and two configuration tiers based on Ryzen Z2 chips. The big change is swapping SteamOS in place of Windows, which should appeal to anyone who wants a more console-like experience, even if it remains a large device at 2.2 pounds.
  
  For laptops headed to market, Lenovo introduced the ThinkBook Plus Gen 7 Auto Twist, a notebook with a motorized display that can follow you during calls and presentations using a 10MP webcam and onboard AI. It also supports Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors, up to 32GB RAM and 2TB storage, plus a strong port selection, and Lenovo says it starts at $1,649 with availability planned for June.
  
  Finally, Lenovo teased an AI smart glasses concept that looks more like normal eyewear than most show-floor prototypes. Lenovo says the glasses are designed for live translation, image recognition and notification summaries, with an eight-hour battery claim. As with many Lenovo concepts, there’s no firm timeline for a retail release.
  PebbleThe Pebble Round 2 reboots a smartwatch classic.Daniel Cooper for Engadget
  Pebble’s presence at CES this year felt like a counterpoint to the “more features, more sensors, more subscriptions” direction of other wearables.
  
  The Pebble Round 2 aims to revive the brand’s original appeal: a lightweight watch that supplements your phone rather than trying to replace it. The new model uses a 1.3-inch color e-paper touchscreen that runs to the edge of the case, with Pebble claiming two weeks of battery life in the 8.1mm-thick watch. It also makes deliberate tradeoffs, skipping GPS, a speaker and an optical heart rate sensor to keep the device thin and focused.
  
  Then there’s the Pebble Index 01, a simple AI ring built around a physical button you press to activate voice commands that you can use to ask questions, set reminders and the like. The pitch is reducing friction: no wake words, no gestures you have to get right every time. Pebble says the ring is water resistant and not rechargeable, instead using a sealed battery designed to last years depending on usage, with replacement handled when the battery is nearing the end of its life. It’s available for pre-order at an early bird price of $75, with shipping planned for May.
  Segway
  Segway expanded its presence well beyond scooters with two very different pitches: smarter yard care and more tech-forward e-bikes.
  
  Under its Navimow brand, Segway introduced a new lineup of robotic lawn mowers spanning multiple tiers, including the X4 Series for large yards up to 1.5 acres with AWD and dual cutting motors, plus the more mainstream i2 Series with AWD and LiDAR options. Segway says pre-orders for the i2 AWD and X4 models begin January 16, with pricing ranging from around $1,000 to $3,000 depending on configuration.
  
  On the mobility side, Segway announced two new e-bikes, the Myon and Muxi, along with an electric dirt bike called the Xaber 300. The headline is the company’s focus on sensor-driven ride smoothing, smart features like Find My integration and app-based controls, and tech meant to make starts, hills and traction feel more predictable. The Myon is available now for $2,000, while the Muxi is expected in March for $1,700.
  MetaMeta9s neural band in Garmin9s Unified Cabin at CES 2026.Karissa Bell for Engadget
  Meta’s EMG wristband (that’s short for “electromyography,” the ability to recognize and translate small finger and wrist gestures) is starting to look like more than a companion accessory for smart glasses. Meta showed how its wrist-based neural controller could be used beyond its own eyewear, including an early demo with Garmin inside a concept car cockpit. The interaction was still basic — swipe and pinch gestures to navigate apps on an infotainment screen — but the larger idea is hands-free control of vehicle functions over time.
  
  Meta also highlighted research work exploring how EMG control could help people with conditions that limit hand mobility interact with smart home devices like speakers, blinds and thermostats. If day one of the show had a theme beyond AI, it was that companies are still willing to gamble on new shapes and inputs, and they can work as long as they feel practical and immediately useful.
  RazerRazer9s concept immersive gaming chair with light strips along the head cushions is pictured in front of a desk in a rocky outdoor environment between large puddlesRazer
  Razer’s day-one news was split between a full-blown immersion concept and a more grounded chair refresh.
  
  The company’s Project Madison concept is a gaming chair designed as a multisensory rig, combining reactive lighting, spatial audio and multi-zone haptics to match on-screen action. It’s not a product you can buy, but it’s a clear statement about where Razer thinks the “setup” category could go.
  
  Razer also showed Project Motoko, a concept headset meant to blur the line between gaming gear and an AI wearable. It includes cameras for real-time object and text recognition and is designed to work with multiple AI assistants, with Razer positioning it as a platform that could eventually ship first as a developer kit and later as a retail product.
  BirdbuddyTwo new Birdbuddy smart bird feeders displayed at CES.Amy Skorheim for Engadget
  Birdbuddy added a feature that makes its smart feeders feel closer to a true nature companion: birdsong identification. The Birdbuddy 2 and Birdbuddy 2 Mini both add microphones that help the system identify species by sound, alongside the usual camera-based detection. Birdbuddy also says the new models improve camera wake-up speed, use a more modular design for easier cleaning and protect the lens with Gorilla Glass since birds have a habit of pecking at it.
  
  The Birdbuddy 2 is priced at $199 and is expected to ship pre-orders in February, with wider availability mid-2026, while the Birdbuddy 2 Mini costs $129 with pre-orders planned for summer.
  Agibot
  Humanoid robots are having another moment at CES this year, and Agibot’s demos leaned into movement, personality and practical service roles.
  
  The company brought two robots, the larger A2 and smaller X2, both capable of walking around the floor, waving to attendees and dancing with surprising confidence. Agibot described the A2 as a potential hospitality helper for places like museums or conferences, while the X2 is framed more as an educational platform with slightly more human-like movement. Agibot also says its robots can learn actions from video, including training dance routines from TikTok clips, and the company plans to make its robots available in the US this year, though pricing and broader availability details weren’t shared.
  
  Day one is in the books, but CES 2026 is far from over. With the show floor now fully open, expect more hands-ons, deeper dives and plenty of unexpected demos as the week continues, especially across laptops, wearables, mobility and smart home tech. We’ll be updating our CES coverage daily, with liveblogs, reviews and show-floor impressions throughout the week. You can follow along on Engadget for the latest news as it happens.
  
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/ces-2026-day-1-the-biggest-tech-news-and-gadgets-you-missed-from-the-first-official-day-of-the-show-144040174.html?src=rss

• Everything announced at CES 2026
  It9s the first week of a new year and there9s no time for the tech world to slowly ease back into things following the holidays. That9s because CES 2026 is in full swing, with all manner of companies descending on Las Vegas to reveal their latest innovations and what they9re planning to bring your way in the near future. 
  
  Many of the Engadget crew are on the ground to check out as much of the new tech as possible. Of course, we9re keeping tabs on all of the major CES press conferences too. Samsung held its First Look presentation, which focuses on home products, while LG has shown off a wide array of TVs and Lego unveiled its new Smart Brick technology. We’ve heard from the major chipmakers, gone hands-on with Samsung’s trifold phone, checked out some funky laptops and seen some cute robots. There’s some hot gaming tech at the show too.
  
  You can catch up on all of the big CES 2026 announcements (and some of the more offbeat gizmos we’ve seen) right here. We9ll be keeping this story updated throughout the week. 
  Micro RGB TVs Samsung9s 130-inch Micro RGB TV. Devindra Hardawar for Engadget
  Micro RGB is a term you can expect to hear about quite a bit in the coming months and years, especially when you9re shopping for your next TV. Micro RGB is a new tech that9s similar to Mini LED, though it uses red, green and blue LEDs instead of white backlights. Contrast ratios aren9t quite as high as those on Micro LED and OLED displays, since the pixels can9t be turned on and off individually. However, Micro RGB units are said to be brighter and more color accurate than TVs that use other display tech, in part because the LEDs in these screens offer smaller, more customizable dimming zones. Read reporter Steve Dent’s explainer for a deeper dive into how Micro RGB differs from other types of display tech.
  
  We9re seeing more of these TVs pop up at CES 2026, including a mammoth 130-inch concept model that Samsung brought to Las Vegas. The company unveiled its first Micro RGB TV in August, — that’s a 115-inch, $29,999 model. This year, you can expect it to start offering Micro RGB TVs in 55-, 65- and 75-inch sizes. There are also 85-, 100- and 115-inch models on the way.
  
  LG revealed its first Micro RGB set at CES as well. The largest variant is 100 inches, but there are 86- and 75-inch models too. Elsewhere, LG showed off its latest Wallpaper TV, which is a 100-inch OLED display. We also got a look at LG9s new Gallery TV — The Gallery is the company9s take on Samsung9s Frame TV format.
  Other new TVs and OS updatesEmber Artline TV.Amazon
  We’ve got another competitor to The Frame, as Amazon has entered that scene with the Ember Artline TV. The 4K OLED model has Amazon Photos integration and you can choose from 2,000 pieces of free art to show on the screen. The Ember Artline can switch on or off automatically when someone enters or leaves the room.
  
  It runs on the Fire TV platform and (of course) there’s Alexa+ integration, along with support for Dolby Vision, HDR10+ and Wi-Fi 6. The Ember Artline is expected to start shipping this spring. It starts at $899 for the 55-inch model.
  The rounder redesigned Fire TV UI.Amazon
  Speaking of Fire TV, Amazon has revamped the platform’s user interface with rounded corners for show, movie and app tiles; a little more space for said tiles; and typography and color gradient changes. The company has reworked the platform’s codebase as well, and it says the Fire TV OS will deliver speed boosts of up to 20 to 30 percent. Amazon will start rolling out the updated UI next month.
  
  On the Google side of TV land, you can expect more Gemini-powered features. The company is bringing the ability to search Google Photos for certain moments and people to Google TV, along with the options to remix photos into different styles and create slideshows on the fly. The Veo and Nano Banana AI video and photo generation models are coming to Google TV as well. You can also expect the ability to adjust TV settings using your voice. These Gemini features are coming to Google TV-powered TCL models first, then other devices in the following months. In the meantime, you can check out senior reporter Amy Skorheim’s hands-on impressions of the Gemini updates.
  
  Also in TV-related news, Peacock and Dolby have expanded their partnership. Currently, Peacock’s Sunday Night Football streams have Dolby Atmos support. You’ll soon be able to watch more live sports on Peacock with Dolby Vision and Atmos, as support for NBA and MLB events are on the way. Dolby Vision is coming to Sunday Night Football on Peacock too.
  Monitors and projectors
  Let9s keep the focus on display tech for a bit with a look at some of the monitors and projectors we9ve seen at CES this year. Dell revealed a 52-inch ultrawide curved 6K monitor (the first of those on the planet, according to the company). The UltraSharp 52 Thunderbolt Hub Monitor has a nifty feature in that it9s possible to hook up four PCs simultaneously and give each a dedicated section of the display — that could make co-op games pretty fun if you9re dedicated enough to try that set up. It9s possible to control all four connected PCs with a single mouse and keyboard too. This monitor is available now for $2,900 with a stand and $2,800 without.
  
  Dell also showed off a new 32-inch 4K QD-OLED monitor with Dolby Vision and True Black 500 HDR support. The Dell UltraSharp 32 4K QD-OLED Monitor can be all yours for $2,600 as of February 24.
  
  Samsung and LG revealed some new gaming monitors ahead of CES. Samsung’s 32-inch Odyssey 3D is a model that offers glasses-free 3D on a 6K display, while LG has a new bunch of 5K monitors. During CES , though, the latter also pulled back the curtain on the 27-inch UltraGear GX7, a $1,000 QHD OLED display with a 540Hz refresh rate.
  
  Samsung brought the latest version of its FreeStyle+ projector to the show. Engadget’s UK bureau chief Mat Smith checked out the new model in person and reckoned that Samsung has given the projector a serious upgrade over previous iteration. The FreeStyle+ is now much brighter, while the updated keystone correction feature seems very useful.
  
  Elsewhere, Anker’s Soundcore announced the Nebula P1i, a 1080p portable projector with speakers that you can fold out and tilt. At $369, that seems like a pretty decent option if you’re looking for an entry-level projector you can take anywhere. The P1i should arrive in time for camping trips too, since Soundcore says it’ll be available in the early part of this year. The brand also said its higher-end Nebula X1 Pro, a version of its 4K Nebula X1 that includes a 160W surround sound system, will be available this month for $4,999.
  SamsungSamsung9s Music Studio 5 speakers at CES 2026.Billy Steele for Engadget
  Samsung being Samsung, the company had a lot more up its sleeve at CES than just TVs. In the leadup to the event, it announced its two new soundbars (we9re had some hands-on time with one of those) and the stylish Music Studio speakers (we9ve got some IRL impressions of those). It also announced plans to bring Google Photos to TVs.
  
  At the First Look showcase on Sunday, Samsung talked up "AI experiences everywhere. For everyone" (sigh). Here, we saw more TVs, such as the thin S95H OLED, which has a zero-gap mount that allows you to position the unit flush against a wall. 
  
  First Look has long been focused on home products. Naturally, Samsung execs discussed some features for the company9s fridges, such as ​​recipe selection updates, AI cooling tech and Google Gemini-powered AI Vision that9s said to be able to recognize more items and help you figure out what you need to buy without having to manually take inventory. FoodNote, meanwhile, is a weekly summary that breaks down what has gone in and out of your fridge.
  
  Moreover, Samsung highlighted the Samsung Bespoke AI Laundry Combo and its new AI wash cycle. With the new Air Dresser — which has an Auto Wrinkle Care feature — Samsung aims to do away with irons (thank you, Samsung). As for the Bespoke AI smart vacuum and mop, that can apparently keep an eye on your pets when you9re not home.
  LGLG9s CLOiD robot.LG
  Likewise, LG brought other non-TV tech to CES. The company is shining the spotlight on its CLOiD robot. Like the far creepier-looking 1X Neo, the CLOiD is designed to help with household tasks such as starting laundry cycles, folding clothes, unloading the dishwasher and serving food. This appears to be more of a concept than something you9ll be able to buy anytime soon, but we should get a closer look at the CLOiD in person this week.
  
  The company also debuted the LG Sound Suite, a modular home audio system it developed in conjunction with Dolby to take on the likes of Sonos. Just ahead of CES, LG pulled back the curtain on a new batch of xboom speakers as well as some monitors and ultralight Gram laptops that are made with a material it9s calling Aerominum. 
  LegoLego introduced the Smart Brick at CES 2026.Lego
  In its first CES appearance, Lego announced the Smart Brick, a standard-sized brick with a 4.1mm ASIC chip inside that’s designed to respond in different ways depending on what set you’re building and how you’re building it. Using what Lego calls the “Play Engine” and integrated copper coils, each brick can sense things like motion, orientation and magnetic fields, plus its own distance, direction and orientation in relation to other Smart Bricks. Each brick also has a teeny tiny speaker built in that will play audio “tied to live play actions” rather than only pre-recorded clips.
  
  Accompanying Smart Bricks are Smart Tags and Smart Minifigures, which have their own capabilities — one of which is letting Smart Bricks know what context they are being used in. All of these pieces tie together via a local wireless layer dubbed BrickNet that, in part, lets Smart Bricks know where they are placed in relation to other smart components.
  
  The first “Smart Play��� partner is, unsurprisingly, Star Wars, which will launch three “all-in-one” sets using Smart Bricks, Smart Tags and Smart Minifigures. The 473-piece Darth Vader TIE Fighter set will cost $70; the 584-piece Luke’s Red Five X-Wing set comes in at $100 and the 962-piece Throne Room Duel & A-wing set will set you back $160. The speakers in these sets can emit lightsaber swooshes, fighter sounds and The Imperial March.
  
  Engadget deputy editor Nathan Ingraham got to check out Lego’s Smart Play system in person and I’ve never been more envious of him. One of the Star Wars sets allows you to have an interactive lightsaber duel between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. Not only does the Vader minifigure have his signature heavy breathing sound, the speaker emits the Sith Lord’s “nooooo” yell if he loses the duel.
  
  All of this seems extremely cool. I9m looking forward to seeing what else Lego and fans can do with the Smart Play tech.
  The chipmakersNVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang presents at CES 2026, wearing a black snakeskin-like jacket.NVIDIA
  It9s CES, so of course we9re going to see a bunch of laptops and desktops, along with announcements about the tech that powers the new models. That means NVIDIA, Intel, AMD and Qualcomm are all in town to talk up their latest chips and other innovations.
  
  Given its lofty position in the industry (and the economy) NVIDIA’s CES press conference is always one to keep an eye on. This year’s edition was laregly a recap of the company’s recent moves, but it did have some news to share.
  
  NVIDIA announced Alpamayo, which is a group of open-source reasoning models designed to help autonomous vehicles handle difficult driving scenarios. The company also revealed that a super computer built on the Vera Rubin GPU architecture NVIDIA unveiled in 2024 is in production.
  Intel at CES 2026Sam Chapman for Engadget
  Things haven’t exactly been going great for Intel for a while, but the company is surely hoping that its Core Ultra Series 3 chips can help it right the ship. These are the first chips to be built using Intel’s 18A (18 angstroms, which is just under 2nm) process. The company says they offer improved performance — 60 percent more than the previous-gen Lunar Lake processors — and battery life improvements for laptops.
  
  The Ultra Series 3 includes a new Arc B390 integrated GPU, with 50 percent more graphics cores, double the cache and 120 GPU TOPS of performance. Put all that together and these chips should deliver up to 77 percent faster gaming performance than Lunar Lake models, Intel said. To that end, the company teased a Ultra Series 3-powered gaming handheld for later this year.
  
  Engadget senior editor Devindra Hardawar played some Battlefield 6 on a Core Ultra Series 3-powered Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5 (an ultraportable) and came away impressed. The game ran at up to 190 fps in 1080p with the graphics settings on high, even without a dedicated GPU. That’s a promising sign for the embedded Arc graphics on Intel’s chips, as well as the company’s upscaling and frame generation tech.
  A screenshot from AMD9s CES 2026 press conference showing a hellish vision of the future of gaming.AMD
  Of course, AMD wasn’t going to be left out of the CES party. The company announced several CPUs for laptops and desktops, while chillingly declaring that “AI is everywhere” and “changing the face of gaming.” Ick. There was a lot of AI chat during the two-hour(!) keynote, along with a “a jet-powered flying robot.”
  Illustration showing the Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus on a stylized red circuit board.Qualcomm
  And then there’s Qualcomm. The company revealed the Snapdragon X2 Plus chip at the show. It’s more of a mid-range chip that isn’t quite as powerful as the higher end Snapdragon X2 Elite — it doesn’t have as many CPU cores, for one thing. Still, Qualcomm claims the X2 Plus offers as much as 35 percent faster single-core performance over the previous gen. The company also says the Adreno GPU offers a performance boost of up to 29 percent compared with the last generation.
  Laptops Samsung Galaxy Book 6 seriesMat Smith for Engadget
  What would CES be without some new hardware that makes use of those new chips? As ever, laptop and desktop makers were at the show to offer up their latest models for your consideration. (Be sure to check out our dedicated roundup of all the laptops that grabbed our attention at this year’s show.)
  
  Samsung’s Galaxy Book 6 Ultra, Galaxy Book 6 Pro and Galaxy Book 6 boast Intel’s Core Ultra Series 3 chips and revamped designs that are said to improve heat management. You can read our story on the Galaxy Book 6 series for the specs of these laptops, though we don’t have pricing or a release window as yet.
  
  Dell realized it messed up by killing off the XPS name as part of a broader rebranding effort and we’re glad to see that the company is making a U-turn on that front. A full lineup of XPS laptops is coming this year, including an all-new XPS 13 (a long-time Engadget fave on the Windows ultraportable front). Dell also has 14- and 16-inch XPS models in the hopper, along with others it’s keeping under wraps for now.
  On top of having two displays, the Zephyrus Duo9s screens also feature excellent brightness at up to 1,100 nits.
  We love an odd laptop and ASUS didn’t disappoint by bringing the ROG Zephyrus Duo to CES. This is a dual-screen gaming laptop with two 16-inch OLED panels, one of Intel’s new CPUs and up to an NVIDIA RTX 5090 GPU. The keyboard is detachable and can work wirelessly. A kickstand can help you set up the Zephyrus Duo in all kinds of orientations. You can even position the dual screens in an upside-down “V” tent mode. We don’t know the price of the Zephyrus Duo as yet, but it surely won’t be inexpensive.
  Marketing photo of a Kojima-inspired ROG Flow Z13 tabletASUS
  That’s not all ASUS brought to the dance. The company made a special edition of the ROG Flow Z13 some that’s styled after the works of the famed game designer Hideo Kojima. The ROG Flow Z13-KJP has visual flair that’s draws from the likes of Death Stranding and Metal Gear. Kojima’s Ludens mascot is here too. There’s no pricing or release date for this variant or its matching accessories just yet.
  L9OrealA pair of transparent eye masks with wires and bulbs inside them.L9Oréal
  L9Oreal often brings some interesting beauty tech to CES and the company did so again this year with a trio of gadgets. The LED Eye Mask uses red light and near-infrared light to address the likes of puffiness, discoloration and fine lines.
  
  The LED Face Mask seems to be a more pliable version of masks that we9ve seen from the likes of Dr. Dennis Gross, Omnilux, Therabody and Shark in recent years. However, it9s only in prototype form for now and it isn9t expected to hit the market until next year. 
  
  The Light Straight + Multi-styler uses infrared light to help dry and style hair in similar fashion to L9Oreal9s AirLight Pro. It9s said to have sensors that employ "built-in proprietary algorithms and machine learning" so they can adapt to your gestures and "maximize individual experience." L9Oreal claims that while traditional straighteners can operate at 400°F or higher (temperatures that can damage hair), its latest innovation "effectively straightens hair while never exceeding 320°F." You can expect the Light Straight to arrive in 2027 as well.
  MobileSamsung Galaxy Z TriFold Engadget
  At CES 2026, we had our first chance to go hands on with the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold, which the company officially announced last month. Senior writer Sam Rutherford had qualms about the price (not confirmed yet for North America, but it costs around $2,500 in Korea) and bulkiness.
  
  However, after Sam opened it up, “my concerns were quickly pushed aside because suddenly you’re greeted with 10 inches of vivid AMOLED goodness.” That extra real estate could come in very useful for many folks. Combined with a keyboard and perhaps a mouse, it could well be the laptop/tablet replacement many have been waiting for. Be sure to read Sam’s hands-on for his full initial impressions.
  
  Back at CES 2024, we got to try out a physical keyboard phone accessory from Clicks. Fast forward two years, and the brand is making its own Blackberry-esque phones, as well as a new physical phone keyboard accessory. The Android 16-based Clicks Communicator has a tactile keyboard with a fingerprint sensor in the spacebar, a 4-inch OLED display, a 3.5mm headphone jack (hooray!) and expandable microSD storage up to 2TB. You can reserve one now for $399 — the price will increase to $499 on February 27.
  
  As for the new accessory, Clicks is calling that the Power Keyboard. It connects to an iOS or Android phone via MagSafe or Qi2, and it can operate as a power bank in a pinch thanks to the 2,150 mAh battery. The Power Keyboard has Bluetooth functionality as well, so you can use it with devices like tablets, smart TVs and virtual reality headsets. Pre-orders are open now and the Power Keyboard is expected to ship in the spring. Early adopters can lock in a pre-order for $79 before the retail price jumps to $110.
  The Punkt MC03 phone.Punkt
  Those who prefer their mobile phones to have fewer bells and whistles might be interested in the latest model from Punkt. The MC03 is a nifty-looking touchscreen model that runs on the privacy- and security-centric AphyOS, which is based on the Android Open Source Project. It has a UI that borrows a page out of the Light Phone9s playbook, though you can still install any Android app.
  
  The MC03 will hit European markets this month for €699 / CHF699 / £610. There9s a mandatory subscription, however. You get a year of access included with a phone purchase, then it9s a €10 / CHF10 / £9 monthly fee (paying for a long-term plan up front can reduce the cost by up to 60 percent).
  Charging tech
  Anker and Belkin feel like CES mainstays at this point. They each had some interesting charging gear to show off this year. Belkin offered up a refreshed Nintendo Switch 2 case that recharges the console via its 10,000mAh power bank (which delivers up to 30W of fast charging). The case has an LCD screen on the outside to show you at a glance how much juice it has left and there’s a built-in kickstand for you to prop the console up on.
  
  Belkin’s new Switch 2 charging case costs $100 and it’s available now. The company’s new $100 UltraCharge Pro Power Bank can recharge two devices simultaneously. You can get your hands on that next month. There’s also a very slim BoostCharge power bank that can fit into your pocket. That will run you $60 and it will ship later this year.
  Anker Nano Charger (45W, Smart Display, 180° Foldable)Anker
  Anker unveiled its neat Nano Charger, which can seemingly identify the iPhone model you hook up to it and provide the appropriate level of charging power. This plug will arrive later this month for $40.
  
  The company announced a string of other products that can charge multiple devices at the same time. The $150 foldable Prime Wireless Charging Station can juice up your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods simultaneously, with up to 25W of Qi2 wireless power. That’ll arrive by the end of March.
  
  There’s also a 10-in-1 Nano Power Strip ($70, late January release) with 70W of output, surge protection and multiple USB-C ports, USB-A ports and AC outlets. Anker also showed off a 13-in-1 Nano Docking Station that you can snag right now for $150. Among other things, this supports up to three 4K displays, as much as 100W of upstream charging and 10 Gbps of data transfer between devices that are hooked up to it. Handy!
  AI Amazon introduced Alexa.com to Alexa+ Early Access customers.Amazon
  No prizes for guessing that there9s going to be a ton of AI-related news at CES this year. Amazon, for one, announced that it9s rolling out a web-based version of Alexa+. That means you won9t necessarily need to have an Amazon device to try out the generative AI-powered assistant. However, Alexa+ Early Access customers are getting first dibs on the web version.
  Two Sweekar devices are pictured on a table, one wearing a pink and blue snowboarder outfit and the other (behind it) wearing a cowboy hat and outfitKarissa Bell for Engadget
  There are a boatload of AI-powered devices on the CES show floor too. One that we saw early on is a Tamagotchi-style virtual pet from a startup called Takway. The Sweekar will remember your interactions with it (you9ll need to feed and play with the pet to keep it healthy and happy). Once it9s all grown up, the Sweekar will head off on virtual adventures and tell you about its exploits when it "returns." Takway will soon start a Kickstarter campaign for the  Sweekar, which will likely cost between $100 and $150.
  Ludens AI's Cocomo robot,Cheyenne MacDonald for Engadget
  Ludens AI, meanwhile, showed off a pair of AI companion robots that are admittedly pretty cute. Cocomo can react to your voice and touch interactions, follow you around your home and learn about you over time. It stays close to human body temps, so it feels cozy if you hug it. Inu, on the other hand, stays on your desktop. It, too, responds to your voice and touch.
  The Fraimic art display at CESAmy Skorheim for Engadget
  We also saw the Fraimic, an E Ink display that can tap into OpenAI to generate images. There9s no subscription for the Fraimic (which costs $399 for the standard size, which has a 13-inch display) and you get 100 AI-generated images per year included with your purchase. Pre-orders are open now and the Fraimic is expected to start shipping in this spring.
  MindClip held in a hand.Daniel Cooper for Engadget
  Some companies are still trying to make wearable AI devices happen. SwitchBot has a wearable mic called the AI MindClip, which can seemingly record and transcribe everything you say (no, thank you!). Anker’s Soundcore division got in on the mix too with its Work voice recorder.
  
  Plaid, meanwhile, brought its NotePin follow up to the dance. This time around, the NotePin S has a button that you can push to record conversations. You can also press the button to flag key moments for an AI-generated summary to focus on. The NotePin S is available now for $179, should you be enticed to buy such a thing.
  
  On a similar note, Bee provided an update on what it’s bee-n up to since Amazon bought the company last year. It has developed four features that it’s rolling out to its existing AI voice recording wearable devices, including one that draft an email when you say you need to send one, and another that highlights trends in what you say over a period of weeks or months. There’s also a voice notes feature, because that’s something you can’t do with your phone already.
  RobotsThe product version of Boston Dynamics9 Atlas.Boston Dynamics
  Boston Dynamics’ Atlas robot is ready to roll. We’ve seen a few iterations of this machine over the last few years and now the company’s latest model is set to go into production. In addition, Boston Dynamics has teamed up with Google DeepMind to fuse Gemini Robotics AI foundation models into Atlas robots. 
  
  Per a press release, the partnership "will focus on enabling humanoids to complete a wide variety of industrial tasks and is expected to become a driving force of manufacturing transformation, beginning in the automotive industry." As it happens, Hyundai (Boston Dynamics’ majority shareholder) and DeepMind will be among the first to receive Atlas robots.
  TransportationSony Honda Mobility Afeela Press Conference at CES 2026Afeela
  Sony and Honda brought the latest revision of their first Afeela EV to CES 2026. We already knew that you’d be able to play your PS5 remotely while the vehicle is parked, though we learned some new details from the companies’ presentation. The Afeela 1 will debut with an advanced hands-off, eyes-on driver assistance system. The aim is to eventually offer Level 4 autonomy via over-the-air updates. Sony and Honda to plan to start shipments at the tail end of 2026, first in California, then in Arizona.
  
  We also got our first look at a model that’s a further down the pike. The Afeela Prototype 2026 is a taller version of the first EV. Just don’t expect to be able to try it yourself until at least 2028.
  MuxiSegway
  Segway is expanding its e-bike lineup with two new models that have a heap of smart features, from Apple Find My integration and GPS tracking to remote locking and health app functions. The Muxi (above) looks quite pretty and has a cup holder(!), while the $2,000 Myon has a chunkier frame and features such as electronic gear shifting. Both are cargo-centric step-through models. You can buy the Myon now, and the $1,700 Muxi will be available in March, just in time for spring.
  
  Along with those e-bikes, Segway had a new electric dirt bike to tell us about. The Xaber 300 was created with off-roading in mind. There are three power modes, offering the equivalent of 150cc, 200cc and 300cc engines. Segway hasn’t revealed pricing for the Xaber 300, which should be available this spring or summer.
  Gaming Slide from NVIDIA9s CES 2026 presentation about DLSS 4.5NVIDIA
  NVIDIA announced the latest version of its DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) upscaling tech. DLSS 4.5 is said to offer sharper visuals thanks to the 2nd Generation Super Resolution Transformer, which is available now for all RTX GPUs. NVIDIA says this offers better temporal stability, reduced ghosting and improved anti-aliasing.
  
  On GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs, DLSS 4.5 will be able to generate up to five extra frames for each traditionally rendered one and deliver up to 4K 240Hz path traced performance, NVIDIA says. The Dynamic 6x Frame Generation feature will be available for those graphics cards sometime this spring.
  
  NVIDIA also detailed a new version of its G-Sync variable refresh rate tech. It says that G-Sync Pulsar can minimize motion blur by effectively quadrupling your refresh rate. So 250 Hz gameplay will seemingly offer up a perceived effective motion clarity of over 1,000 Hz with G-Sync Pulsar enabled.
  
  You’ll need a G-Sync Pulsar-compatible display to use this feature. Most displays have a backlight that’s always on, so images fade from one frame to the next. On G-Sync Pulsar displays, there are several horizontal backlight sections. The backlights pulse from top to bottom. This is said to help the pixels in each frame stabilize before they’re backlit, resulting in lower motion blur.
  
  It’s interesting stuff. Acer, AOC, ASUS and MSI are each releasing a G-Sync Pulsar-compatible 27-inch monitor this week.
  8BitDo FlipPad8BitDo
  The FlipPad is one of my favorite things I’ve seen coming out of CES this year. It’s an 8BitDo mobile game controller that’s designed for vertical use. There are a bunch of neat physical controllers for phones that are built for landscape mode. But many mobile games are played with the phone oriented to the vertical position. And that’s not to mention emulators that allow you to play the likes of Game Boy titles while your phone stands tall. So it’s neat to see 8BitDo offering a physical controller that’ll do the trick. The company also unveiled a new Xbox controller with swappable joysticks and button modules.
  A keyboard thing.Corsair
  Why have a numpad on the side of your keyboard when you can have a highly customizable controller instead? Corsair slapped a Stream Deck into a keyboard and it looks absolutely rad. I’ve yet to take the plunge on a Stream Deck-style controller and since I’d rather not have an extra device on my desk, I’m very tempted to pick up the $350 Galleon 100 SD, which is available now.
  
  It has 12 programmable keys that you can use for gaming (give me that Helldivers 2 profile so I don’t have to keep punching in stratagem codes) or livestreaming, but there are plenty of other applications too. They can help with video editing, controlling smart home devices or simply adjusting media playback. There’s a five-inch screen and two dials for fine control too. Oh, and it’s a full-sized mechanical keyboard to boot.
  
  GameSir had a couple of interesting controllers to tell us about. The Swift Drive (which seems to be a working name) has a steering wheel with force feedback in the middle of a regular gamepad. It’s a cool idea and it seems to work pretty well. The Swift Drive should hit the market later this year.
  
  In addition, GameSir teamed up with Hyperkin to make a modular controller that works with phones, tablets and Nintendo Switch consoles. You’ll be able to slot those devices into the X5 Alteron’s grip (as you might with a Backbone or Razer Kishi controller) though there’s a Bluetooth option for PC gaming too. The magnetic modules include ones styled after the GameCube and Nintendo 64, and there’ll be one with a trackpad that’s made with first-person shooters in mind. There’s no pricing or release date for the X5 Alteron yet, but I’m eager to try it.
  
  Elsewhere on the gaming front, Lenovo revealed a SteamOS-powered version of the Legion Go 2. That variant of the handheld is heading your way in June for $1,199. Razer had some concept gear to show off, including an AI-driven headset with built-in cameras that can recognize objects and text, and a gaming chair with haptic feedback and spatial audio built in.
  AudioA speaker and a turntable.Victrola
  Victrola announced a pretty Bluetooth speaker that sits neatly underneath its turntables. You can use a cable to connect the two as well. Of course, you can play audio from other devices, including phones and tablets. I’ve had my eye on a Victrola turntable for a while thanks to its Sonos integration, and the Soundstage speaker is tempting too. The Soundstage will be available this summer for $350.
  The three sizes from the Cambridge Audio L/R speaker series. Green speakers in three sizes.Cambridge Audio
  Speaking of pretty speakers, I really like the aesthetic of these three wireless bookshelf options from Cambridge Audio. The classy-lookin’ L/R Series speakers start at $549 for a 100W model with a 21mm hard-dome tweeter with a 3-inch long-throw woofer hut no support for Wi-Fi streaming (there is Bluetooth aptX HD, though).
  
  At the top end is the $2,299 L/R X, a 800W speaker that has a a 2.5-way acoustic design with a 28mm Torus tweeter and dual five-inch woofers. There’s even a touch of LED underlighting on this model and the $1,599 L/R M, which has 300W of power, smaller four-inch dual woofers and the same 28mm tweeter. All three speakers will be available later this year.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/everything-announced-at-ces-2026-130124802.html?src=rss

• WheelMove gives manual wheelchairs the power and height to handle rough terrain
  French startup WheelMove demonstrated a compact motorized wheelchair add-on at CES 2026 that not only acts as a power-assist device, but can also lift up a chair9s small front wheels so it can ride over rough terrain. The accessory upgrades a manual wheelchair with a 10-inch extra wheel and a 250W motor that can drive at up to six miles per hour (10 kilometers per hour) and handle slopes up to 10 percent, with a range of 15.5 miles (25km). The battery is swappable, too, so a person could pack an extra for a longer outing to avoid having to stop and recharge. 
  
  As the WheelMove team showed at its booth, the accessory can be attached to a wheelchair in a matter of seconds while seated, and its control panel can be strapped onto an armrest or even a bodypart. There are five speed options, which also work to keep the speed consistent when a person is traveling on a downslope. With the WheelMove attached, its creators say a manual wheelchair user can traverse rough and uneven surfaces — like cobblestones, grass and dirt paths — as well as ramps with far less effort than would normally be required. In some cases, it could open up travel in places that would otherwise be completely inaccessible. 
  
  The startup says it9s worked with wheelchair users who have field tested the device for months ahead of its launch. It weighs less than eight kilograms (17.6 lbs) and packs up in a backpack. Pre-orders for the WheelMove have opened for buyers in France, where it9s expected to ship later this year before expanding internationally. It costs roughly $6,000. 
  
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/wheelmove-gives-manual-wheelchairs-the-power-and-height-to-handle-rough-terrain-143000560.html?src=rss

• Get a four-pack of AirTags for only $65 right now
  Most Apple products are pretty expensive, but some of the most affordable (and useful) ones are AirTags. The Bluetooth trackers are priced pretty reasonably even when not on sale, but they can be a steal if you can get them on a discount — like right now. A four pack of AirTags is on sale for $65 at Amazon, which is only a few dollars more than the record-low price we saw during Black Friday this year.
  
  
  
  AirTags can be useful for people who travel frequently, helping you to keep track of essentials like your passport as well as a way to keep tabs on luggage while you9re on the go. If you do purchase some AirTags, we have some recommendations for useful accessories to go along with them, such as different styles of cases to best attach the trackers to different types of items. These are worth looking over and adding to your shopping cart in order to make the most of the product. 
  
  AirTags have an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance and their replaceable batteries should last for about a year. They can also support Precision Finding, which gives more exact directions to a lost item, when paired with most models after the iPhone 11. Up to five people can share an AirTag9s location, which is helpful for families or large travel groups. 
  
  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-a-four-pack-of-airtags-for-only-65-right-now-202333162.html?src=rss

• Warners Bros. Discovery board urges shareholders to reject amended Paramount bid
  In a unanimous written determination, the Warner Bros. Discovery9s board is advising shareholders to once again reject Paramount Skydance9s "inadequate" hostile takeover bid. The letter to shareholders cites a number of concerns with the offer and reiterates its position that Netflix9s offer remains superior. Netflix and WBD have entered into a merger agreement in early December after the WBD board selected its offer over other bidders.
  
  There are two key differences between the two options: Netflix is willing to pay $82 billion, but only for the Warner Bros., HBO and HBO Max divisions; Paramount Skydance9s latest offer came in at $108 billion and is for all of WBD9s assets, including CNN, HGTV, Food Network and many more. The Netflix deal leaves those assets in the hands of WBD shareholders, to be spun off as Discovery Global.
  
  Paramount Skydance made three separate attempts to scoop up WBD before the company even opened the process up to other bidders. The third of those early offers was reportedly in the neighborhood of $24 per share, while this most recent hostile takeover stands at $30 per share.
  
  But the WBD board has concerns. Among them, the extraordinary amount of debt required for Paramount, a studio with a market capitalization of just $14 billion, to take on an acquisition of this size. (Netflix9s market cap is over $400 billion.) This comes despite Larry Ellison, the father of Paramount CEO David Ellison, stepping in to guarantee $40 billion worth of the needed financing. The board also points out that Netflix9s offer is partially paid in the streaming giant9s shares, which it says have the potential to provide further value in the future.
  
  At this stage in negotiations, the board also claims opting to go with Paramount Skydance9s offer would also result in WBD paying over $4 billion in termination fees.
  
  "Your Board negotiated a merger with Netflix that maximizes value while mitigating downside risks, and we unanimously believe the Netflix merger is in your best interest," the letter states. The merger with Netflix will still have to go before regulatory bodies in the United States and Europe.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/warners-bros-discovery-board-urges-shareholders-to-reject-amended-paramount-bid-141513357.html?src=rss

• Clear Drop is trying to do something about all those plastic bags under your sink
  Even if you bring home as few bags as possible — using reusable bags, carrying purchases home with your own two hands — soft plastics sill accumulate. I certainly have a collection with one flimsy plastic sack filled with dozens or hundreds of others. I plan to do something with it… eventually.
  
  Unfortunately, there aren’t a ton of options for what to do with those soft plastics, as most recycling facilities can’t accept them. But no one likes seeing them end up in oceans and rivers and stuck up in trees. So I was excited to see the Clear Drop Soft Plastic Compactor (CPC) at CES. It’s a pre-recycler for your home that turns hundreds of bags into a solid brick that’s easier to transport. Certain facilities can accept the bricks for recycling.
  
  Clear Drop works with 95 percent of soft plastics, sucking up bags, bubble wrap, ziplocks, package wrap and cling film into its maw. It then compresses and heats the plastic to form a compact eight by twelve by four inch brick. I asked Matt Daly, Clear Drop’s head of product, what the compactor can’t take and I was told you can’t add ping pong balls, IV bags and camera film. Easy enough.
  A compacted brick the Clear Drop CPC produced. Amy Skorheim for Engadget
  It was satisfying to see the little slot on the top gobble up the plastic bags Daly fed it. The Clear Drop wasn’t set to smash and heat at the show, but I was assured by another Clear Drop rep that any plastic smell produced during operation was minimal and the company performed safety tests to ensure the machine didn’t create any harmful emissions.
  
  Daly said it would take about a month for most households to create a brick, which translates to around a 30 gallon trash bag full of other bags. Once that brick is created, it can be shipped to one of Clear Drop’s partner facilities and pre-paid USPS shipping envelops are included. They work with multiple US-based recycling facilities and do audits to ensure the bricks are actually being recycled.
  
  Of course, I was a little disappointed the bricks couldn’t be tossed in my blue curbside bin, but Daly said they’re working to bring more recycling partners on board and the ultimate goal is to create an infrastructure that would eventually include municipal recycling. Shipping the bricks somewhere feels a little counterproductive, eco-wise. And the machine itself is not cheap. The price is split up over the course of two years, but it adds up to $1,400.
  
  I’m happy to see someone somewhere is doing something to address a pretty clear problem. While it’s not perfect, this is probably the best household-level solution I’ve seen to that can ensure your bags don’t go down some sea turtle’s throat.
  
  
  
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/clear-drop-is-trying-to-do-something-about-all-those-plastic-bags-under-your-sink-140000254.html?src=rss

• The base Kindle is on sale for $20 off right now
  The latest entry-level Kindle ereader is on sale for $90 via Amazon. This is a nice discount of $20. It9s not a record-low price, but it9s certainly a budget-friendly way to keep that New Year9s resolution to read more.
  
  This made our list of the best ereaders, and for good reason. It9s an iconic device that gets the job done. It doesn9t have much by way of modern bells and whistles, but it ships with 16GB of storage and comes in two snazzy colorways.
  
  
  
  The build is compact and durable. It9s also light, which makes it easy to pack and easy to hold up with one hand. It allows access to the vast Kindle library and this deal comes with three months of Kindle Unlimited. That9s sort of like Netflix, but for books. The selection isn9t comprehensive, but I9ve always found something to read when in a pinch.
  
  This is an entry-level device. There9s no color screen and no option to use a stylus. The battery, however, does last around six weeks with regular use. This is a metric I can personally confirm. It seems like I barely charge mine and it9s always ready to go.
  
  The only major downside here is that this is one of those Amazon devices that forces ads on you. There is a version without lockscreen ads, but it costs more. I never really found them to be all that intrusive, given that they are tethered to the lockscreen and mostly advertise books.
  
  Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-base-kindle-is-on-sale-for-20-off-right-now-183302578.html?src=rss

• Anker's new 45W Nano charger with smart display from CES is already $10 off
  Anker introduced a nifty little charger at CES 2026, which is a refresh of the pre-existing Nano Charger. It's already on sale for $30, which is a discount of $10. These are preorders, however, with shipments officially going out on January 20.
  
  The 45W charger includes a smart display that shows real-time data like power flow, temperature and charging status. It also features "fun animations to keep things cheerful." Anker says it can recognize what's being charged and automatically adjust certain metrics to ensure a longer battery lifespan.
  
  
  
  To that end, it works with just about everything. The company advertises that this charger is a good fit for the iPhone, Apple Watch, AirPods and Samsung devices, among others. The new Nano Charger is on the smaller side, with dual folding prongs that rotate to fit most outlets.
  
  The deal does require a coupon code, but it's auto-applied at checkout. If that doesn't work, it's WS24D5XT3DV9. We haven't gotten a chance to try this one yet, but it looks promising.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/ankers-new-45w-nano-charger-with-smart-display-from-ces-is-already-10-off-160707191.html?src=rss

• EU OS: A Bold Step Toward Digital Sovereignty for Europe
  Image
  A new initiative, called "EU OS," has been launched to develop a Linux-based operating system tailored specifically for the public sector organizations of the European Union (EU). This community-driven project aims to address the EU's unique needs and challenges, focusing on fostering digital sovereignty, reducing dependency on external vendors, and building a secure, self-sufficient digital ecosystem.
  What Is EU OS?
  EU OS is not an entirely novel operating system. Instead, it builds upon a Linux foundation derived from Fedora, with the KDE Plasma desktop environment. It draws inspiration from previous efforts such as France's GendBuntu and Munich's LiMux, which aimed to provide Linux-based systems for public sector use. The goal remains the same: to create a standardized Linux distribution that can be adapted to different regional, national, and sector-specific needs within the EU.
  
  Rather than reinventing the wheel, EU OS focuses on standardization, offering a solid Linux foundation that can be customized according to the unique requirements of various organizations. This approach makes EU OS a practical choice for the public sector, ensuring broad compatibility and ease of implementation across diverse environments.
  The Vision Behind EU OS
  The guiding principle of EU OS is the concept of "public money – public code," ensuring that taxpayer money is used transparently and effectively. By adopting an open-source model, EU OS eliminates licensing fees, which not only lowers costs but also reduces the dependency on a select group of software vendors. This provides the EU’s public sector organizations with greater flexibility and control over their IT infrastructure, free from the constraints of vendor lock-in.
  
  Additionally, EU OS offers flexibility in terms of software migration and hardware upgrades. Organizations can adapt to new technologies and manage their IT evolution at a manageable cost, both in terms of finances and time.
  
  However, there are some concerns about the choice of Fedora as the base for EU OS. While Fedora is a solid and reliable distribution, it is backed by the United States-based Red Hat. Some argue that using European-backed projects such as openSUSE or KDE's upcoming distribution might have aligned better with the EU's goal of strengthening digital sovereignty.
  Conclusion
  EU OS marks a significant step towards Europe's digital independence by providing a robust, standardized Linux distribution for the public sector. By reducing reliance on proprietary software and vendors, it paves the way for a more flexible, cost-effective, and secure digital ecosystem. While the choice of Fedora as the base for the project has raised some questions, the overall vision of EU OS offers a promising future for Europe's public sector in the digital age.
  
  Source: It's FOSS
  European Union

• Linus Torvalds Acknowledges Missed Release of Linux 6.14 Due to Oversight
  
  Linus Torvalds Acknowledges Missed Release of Linux 6.14 Due to Oversight
  
  Linux kernel lead developer Linus Torvalds has admitted to forgetting to release version 6.14, attributing the oversight to his own lapse in memory. Torvalds is known for releasing new Linux kernel candidates and final versions on Sunday afternoons, typically accompanied by a post detailing the release. If he is unavailable due to travel or other commitments, he usually informs the community ahead of time, so users don’t worry if there’s a delay.
  
  In his post on March 16, Torvalds gave no indication that the release might be delayed, instead stating, “I expect to release the final 6.14 next weekend unless something very surprising happens.” However, Sunday, March 23rd passed without any announcement.
  
  On March 24th, Torvalds wrote in a follow-up message, “I’d love to have some good excuse for why I didn’t do the 6.14 release yesterday on my regular Sunday afternoon schedule,” adding, “But no. It’s just pure incompetence.” He further explained that while he had been clearing up unrelated tasks, he simply forgot to finalize the release. “D'oh,” he joked.
  
  Despite this minor delay, Torvalds’ track record of successfully managing the Linux kernel’s development process over the years remains strong. A single day’s delay is not critical, especially since most Linux users don't urgently need the very latest version.
  
  The new 6.14 release introduces several important features, including enhanced support for writing drivers in Rust—an ongoing topic of discussion among developers—support for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite mobile chip, a fix for the GhostWrite vulnerability in certain RISC-V processors from Alibaba’s T-Head Semiconductor, and a completed NTSYNC driver update that improves the WINE emulator’s ability to run Windows applications, particularly games, on Linux.
  
  Although the 6.14 release went smoothly aside from the delay, Torvalds expressed that version 6.15 may present more challenges due to the volume of pending pull requests. “Judging by my pending pile of pull requests, 6.15 will be much busier,” he noted.
  
  You can download the latest kernel here.
  Linus Torvalds kernel

• AerynOS 2025.03 Alpha Released with GNOME 48, Mesa 25, and Linux Kernel 6.13.8
  Image
  AerynOS 2025.03 has officially been released, introducing a variety of exciting features for Linux users. The release includes the highly anticipated GNOME 48 desktop environment, which comes with significant improvements like HDR support, dynamic triple buffering, and a Wayland color management protocol. Other updates include a battery charge limiting feature and a Wellbeing option aimed at improving user experience.
  
  This release, while still in alpha, incorporates Linux kernel 6.13.8 and the updated Mesa 25.0.2 graphics stack, alongside tools like LLVM 19.1.7 and Vulkan SDK 1.4.309.0. Additionally, the Moss package manager now integrates os-info to generate more detailed OS metadata via a JSON file.
  
  Future plans for AerynOS include automated package updates, easier rollback management, improved disk handling with Rust, and fractional scaling enabled by default. The installer has also been revamped to support full disk wipes and dynamic partitioning.
  
  Although still considered an alpha release, AerynOS 2025.03 can be downloaded and tested right now from its official website.
  
  Source: 9to5Linux
  AerynOS

• Xojo 2025r1: Big Updates for Developers with Linux ARM Support, Web Drag and Drop, and Direct App Store Publishing
  Image
  Xojo has just rolled out its latest release, Xojo 2025 Release 1, and it’s packed with features that developers have been eagerly waiting for. This major update introduces support for running Xojo on Linux ARM, including Raspberry Pi, brings drag-and-drop functionality to the Web framework, and simplifies app deployment with the ability to directly submit apps to the macOS and iOS App Stores.
  
  Here’s a quick overview of what’s new in Xojo 2025r1:
  1. Linux ARM IDE Support
  Xojo 2025r1 now allows developers to run the Xojo IDE on Linux ARM devices, including popular platforms like Raspberry Pi. This opens up a whole new world of possibilities for developers who want to create apps for ARM-based devices without the usual complexity. Whether you’re building for a Raspberry Pi or other ARM devices, this update makes it easier than ever to get started.
  2. Web Drag and Drop
  One of the standout features in this release is the addition of drag-and-drop support for web applications. Now, developers can easily drag and drop visual controls in their web projects, making it simpler to create interactive, user-friendly web applications. Plus, the WebListBox has been enhanced with support for editable cells, checkboxes, and row reordering via dragging. No JavaScript required!
  3. Direct App Store Publishing
  Xojo has also streamlined the process of publishing apps. With this update, developers can now directly submit macOS and iOS apps to App Store Connect right from the Xojo IDE. This eliminates the need for multiple steps and makes it much easier to get apps into the App Store, saving valuable time during the development process.
  4. New Desktop and Mobile Features
  This release isn’t just about web and Linux updates. Xojo 2025r1 brings some great improvements for desktop and mobile apps as well. On the desktop side, all projects now include a default window menu for macOS apps. On the mobile side, Xojo has introduced new features for Android and iOS, including support for ColorGroup and Dark Mode on Android, and a new MobileColorPicker for iOS to simplify color selection.
  5. Performance and IDE Enhancements
  Xojo’s IDE has also been improved in several key areas. There’s now an option to hide toolbar captions, and the toolbar has been made smaller on Windows. The IDE on Windows and Linux now features modern Bootstrap icons, and the Documentation window toolbar is more compact. In the code editor, developers can now quickly navigate to variable declarations with a simple Cmd/Ctrl + Double-click. Plus, performance for complex container layouts in the Layout Editor has been enhanced.
  What Does This Mean for Developers?
  Xojo 2025r1 brings significant improvements across all the platforms that Xojo supports, from desktop and mobile to web and Linux. The added Linux ARM support opens up new opportunities for Raspberry Pi and ARM-based device development, while the drag-and-drop functionality for web projects will make it easier to create modern, interactive web apps. The ability to publish directly to the App Store is a game-changer for macOS and iOS developers, reducing the friction of app distribution.
  How to Get Started
  Xojo is free for learning and development, as well as for building apps for Linux and Raspberry Pi. If you’re ready to dive into cross-platform development, paid licenses start at $99 for a single-platform desktop license, and $399 for cross-platform desktop, mobile, or web development. For professional developers who need additional resources and support, Xojo Pro and Pro Plus licenses start at $799. You can also find special pricing for educators and students.
  
  Download Xojo 2025r1 today at xojo.com.
  Final Thoughts
  With each new release, Xojo continues to make cross-platform development more accessible and efficient. The 2025r1 release is no exception, delivering key updates that simplify the development process and open up new possibilities for developers working on a variety of platforms. Whether you’re a Raspberry Pi enthusiast or a mobile app developer, Xojo 2025r1 has something for you.
  Xojo ARM

• New 'Mirrored' Network Mode Introduced in Windows Subsystem for Linux
  
  Microsoft's Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) continues to evolve with the release of WSL 2 version 0.0.2. This update introduces a set of opt-in preview features designed to enhance performance and compatibility.
  
  Key additions include "Automatic memory reclaim" which dynamically optimizes WSL's memory footprint, and "Sparse VHD" to shrink the size of the virtual hard disk file. These improvements aim to streamline resource usage.
  
  Additionally, a new "mirrored networking mode" brings expanded networking capabilities like IPv6 and multicast support. Microsoft claims this will improve VPN and LAN connectivity from both the Windows host and Linux guest. 
  
  Complementing this is a new "DNS Tunneling" feature that changes how DNS queries are resolved to avoid compatibility issues with certain network setups. According to Microsoft, this should reduce problems connecting to the internet or local network resources within WSL.
  
  Advanced firewall configuration options are also now available through Hyper-V integration. The new "autoProxy" feature ensures WSL seamlessly utilizes the Windows system proxy configuration.
  
  Microsoft states these features are currently rolling out to Windows Insiders running Windows 11 22H2 Build 22621.2359 or later. They remain opt-in previews to allow testing before final integration into WSL.
  
  By expanding WSL 2 with compelling new capabilities in areas like resource efficiency, networking, and security, Microsoft aims to make Linux on Windows more performant and compatible. This evolutionary approach based on user feedback highlights Microsoft's commitment to WSL as a key part of the Windows ecosystem.
  Windows

• Linux Threat Report: Earth Lusca Deploys Novel SprySOCKS Backdoor in Attacks on Government Entities
  
  The threat actor Earth Lusca, linked to Chinese state-sponsored hacking groups, has been observed utilizing a new Linux backdoor dubbed SprySOCKS to target government organizations globally. 
  
  As initially reported in January 2022 by Trend Micro, Earth Lusca has been active since at least 2021 conducting cyber espionage campaigns against public and private sector targets in Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America. Their tactics include spear-phishing and watering hole attacks to gain initial access. Some of Earth Lusca's activities overlap with another Chinese threat cluster known as RedHotel.
  
  In new research, Trend Micro reveals Earth Lusca remains highly active, even expanding operations in the first half of 2023. Primary victims are government departments focused on foreign affairs, technology, and telecommunications. Attacks concentrate in Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and the Balkans regions. 
  
  After breaching internet-facing systems by exploiting flaws in Fortinet, GitLab, Microsoft Exchange, Telerik UI, and Zimbra software, Earth Lusca uses web shells and Cobalt Strike to move laterally. Their goal is exfiltrating documents and credentials, while also installing additional backdoors like ShadowPad and Winnti for long-term spying.
  
  The Command and Control server delivering Cobalt Strike was also found hosting SprySOCKS - an advanced backdoor not previously publicly reported. With roots in the Windows malware Trochilus, SprySOCKS contains reconnaissance, remote shell, proxy, and file operation capabilities. It communicates over TCP mimicking patterns used by a Windows trojan called RedLeaves, itself built on Trochilus.
  
  At least two SprySOCKS versions have been identified, indicating ongoing development. This novel Linux backdoor deployed by Earth Lusca highlights the increasing sophistication of Chinese state-sponsored threats. Robust patching, access controls, monitoring for unusual activities, and other proactive defenses remain essential to counter this advanced malware.
  
  The Trend Micro researchers emphasize that organizations must minimize attack surfaces, regularly update systems, and ensure robust security hygiene to interrupt the tactics, techniques, and procedures of relentless threat groups like Earth Lusca.
  Security

• Linux Kernel Faces Reduction in Long-Term Support Due to Maintenance Challenges
  
  The Linux kernel is undergoing major changes that will shape its future development and adoption, according to Jonathan Corbet, Linux kernel developer and executive editor of Linux Weekly News. Speaking at the Open Source Summit Europe, Corbet provided an update on the latest Linux kernel developments and a glimpse of what's to come.
  
  A major change on the horizon is a reduction in long-term support (LTS) for kernel versions from six years to just two years. Corbet explained that maintaining old kernel branches indefinitely is unsustainable and most users have migrated to newer versions, so there's little point in continuing six years of support. While some may grumble about shortened support lifecycles, the reality is that constantly backporting fixes to ancient kernels strains maintainers.
  
  This maintainer burnout poses a serious threat, as Corbet highlighted. Maintaining Linux is largely a volunteer effort, with only about 200 of the 2,000+ developers paid for their contributions. The endless demands on maintainers' time from fuzz testing, fixing minor bugs, and reviewing contributions takes a toll. Prominent maintainers have warned they need help to avoid collapse. Companies relying on Linux must realize giving back financially is in their interest to sustain this vital ecosystem. 
  
  The Linux kernel is also wading into waters new with the introduction of Rust code. While Rust solves many problems, it also introduces new complexities around language integration, evolving standards, and maintainer expertise. Corbet believes Rust will pass the point of no return when core features depend on it, which may occur soon with additions like Apple M1 GPU drivers. Despite skepticism in some corners, Rust's benefits likely outweigh any transition costs.
  
  On the distro front, Red Hat's decision to restrict RHEL cloning sparked community backlash. While business considerations were at play, Corbet noted technical factors too. Using older kernels with backported fixes, as RHEL does, risks creating divergent, vendor-specific branches. The Android model of tracking mainline kernel dev more closely has shown security benefits. Ultimately, Linux works best when aligned with the broader community.
  
  In closing, Corbet recalled the saying "Linux is free like a puppy is free." Using open source seems easy at first, but sustaining it long-term requires significant care and feeding. As Linux is incorporated into more critical systems, that maintenance becomes ever more crucial. The kernel changes ahead are aimed at keeping Linux healthy and vibrant for the next generation of users, businesses, and developers.
  kernel

• Linux Celebrates 32 Years with the Release of 6.6-rc2 Version
  
  Today marks the 32nd anniversary of Linus Torvalds introducing the inaugural Linux 0.01 kernel version, and celebrating this milestone, Torvalds has launched the Linux 6.6-rc2. Among the noteworthy updates are the inclusion of a feature catering to the ASUS ROG Flow X16 tablet's mode handling and the renaming of the new GenPD subsystem to pmdomain.
  
  The Linux 6.6 edition is progressing well, brimming with exciting new features that promise to enhance user experience. Early benchmarks are indicating promising results, especially on high-core-count servers, pointing to a potentially robust and efficient update in the Linux series.
  
  Here is what Linus Torvalds had to say in today's announcement:
  Another week, another -rc.I think the most notable thing about 6.6-rc2 is simply that it'sexactly 32 years to the day since the 0.01 release. And that's a roundnumber if you are a computer person.Because other than the random date, I don't see anything that reallystands out here. We've got random fixes all over, and none of it looksparticularly strange. The genpd -> pmdomain rename shows up in thediffstat, but there's no actual code changes involved (make sure touse "git diff -M" to see them as zero-line renames).And other than that, things look very normal. Sure, the architecturefixes happen to be mostly parisc this week, which isn't exactly theusual pattern, but it's also not exactly a huge amount of changes.Most of the (small) changes here are in drivers, with some tracingfixes and just random things. The shortlog below is short enough toscroll through and get a taste of what's been going on. Linus Torvalds

• Introducing Bavarder: A User-Friendly Linux Desktop App for Quick ChatGPT Interaction
  
  Want to interact with ChatGPT from your Linux desktop without using a web browser?
  
  Bavarder, a new app, allows you to do just that.
  
  Developed with Python and GTK4/libadwaita, Bavarder offers a simple concept: pose a question to ChatGPT, receive a response, and promptly copy the answer (or your inquiry) to the clipboard for pasting elsewhere.
  
  With an incredibly user-friendly interface, you won't require AI expertise (or a novice blogger) to comprehend it. Type your question in the top box, click the blue send button, and wait for a generated response to appear at the bottom. You can edit or modify your message and repeat the process as needed.
  
  During our evaluation, Bavarder employed BAI Chat, a GPT-3.5/ChatGPT API-based chatbot that's free and doesn't require signups or API keys. Future app versions will incorporate support for alternative backends, such as ChatGPT 4 and Hugging Chat, and allow users to input an API key to utilize ChatGPT3.
  
  At present, there's no option to regenerate a response (though you can resend the same question for a potentially different answer). Due to the lack of a "conversation" view, tracking a dialogue or following up on answers can be challenging — but Bavarder excels for rapid-fire questions.
  
  As with any AI, standard disclaimers apply. Responses might seem plausible but could contain inaccurate or false information. Additionally, it's relatively easy to lead these models into irrational loops, like convincing them that 2 + 2 equals 106 — so stay alert!
  
  Overall, Bavarder is an attractive app with a well-defined purpose. If you enjoy ChatGPT and similar technologies, it's worth exploring.
  ChatGPT AI

• LibreOffice 7.5.3 Released: Third Maintenance Update Brings 119 Bug Fixes to Popular Open-Source Office Suite
  
  Today, The Document Foundation unveiled the release and widespread availability of LibreOffice 7.5.3, which serves as the third maintenance update to the current LibreOffice 7.5 open-source and complimentary office suite series.
  
  Approximately five weeks after the launch of LibreOffice 7.5.2, LibreOffice 7.5.3 arrives with a new set of bug fixes for those who have successfully updated their GNU/Linux system to the LibreOffice 7.5 series.
  
  LibreOffice 7.5.3 addresses a total of 119 bugs identified by users or uncovered by LibreOffice developers. For a more comprehensive understanding of these bug fixes, consult the RC1 and RC2 changelogs.
  
  You can download LibreOffice 7.5.3 directly from the LibreOffice website��or from SourceForge as binary installers for DEB or RPM-based GNU/Linux distributions. A source tarball is also accessible for individuals who prefer to compile the software from sources or for system integrators.
  
  All users operating the LibreOffice 7.5 office suite series should promptly update their installations to the new point release, which will soon appear in the stable software repositories of your GNU/Linux distributions.
  
  In early February 2023, LibreOffice 7.5 debuted as a substantial upgrade to the widely-used open-source office suite, introducing numerous features and improvements. These enhancements encompass major upgrades to dark mode support, new application and MIME-type icons, a refined Single Toolbar UI, enhanced PDF Export, and more.
  
  Seven maintenance updates will support LibreOffice 7.5 until November 30th, 2023. The next point release, LibreOffice 7.5.4, is scheduled for early June and will include additional bug fixes.
  
  The Document Foundation once again emphasizes that the LibreOffice office suite's "Community" edition is maintained by volunteers and members of the Open Source community. For enterprise implementations, they suggest using the LibreOffice Enterprise family of applications from ecosystem partners.
  LibreOffice