All the News that Matters

• SUSE 15 SP7 QEMU Advanced Unbounded Resource Risk SUSE-SU-2026-0923-1
  An update that solves one vulnerability and contains one feature can now be installed.

• openSUSE Leap 15.4 libsoup Important HTTP Request Smuggling 2026-0833-1
  An update that solves three vulnerabilities can now be installed.

• Debian Bullseye 11.0 libcurl Significant TLS Security Flaw DSA-4934-1
  An update that solves three vulnerabilities can now be installed.

• Debian DSA-6157-1 Chromium Critical Code Exec DoS Issues CVE-2026-3536
  Security issues were discovered in Chromium which could result in the execution of arbitrary code, denial of service, or information disclosure. For the oldstable distribution (bookworm), these problems have been fixed in version 145.0.7632.159-1~deb12u1.

• Ubuntu Server 22 Postgres 17 Major Technical Issue RLSB-2023-4822
  Important: postgresql16 security update

• Exploring Ubuntu 20 and MySQL 8 Uncovers Serious RLSA-2026-3945 Flaw
  Important: postgresql16 security update

• Linux From Scratch 13.0 Released as First Systemd-Only Version
  The Linux From Scratch project has released LFS 13.0 and BLFS 13.0, featuring updated packages, the 6.18.10 kernel, and a systemd-only build.

• NetBSD 11.0-RC2 Released For Testing
  The big NetBSD 11.0 release continues on approach with NetBSD 11.0-RC2 having been released as the latest test candidate...

• Grinn ReneSOM-V2H module runs Renesas RZ/V2H vision AI processor
  Polish embedded systems company Grinn has introduced the ReneSOM-V2H, described as the world’s smallest SoM based on the Renesas RZ/V2H processor. Measuring 37 × 42.6 mm, the module targets edge AI and vision-based systems such as smart cameras, robotics platforms, and industrial inspection devices. The ReneSOM-V2H integrates the RZ/V2H processor with a heterogeneous architecture featuring […]

• GNOME 50 Release Candidate Brings Last Minute Changes
  GNOME 50.rc was christened today as the release candidate for the GNOME 50 desktop...

• A FRIGHTENING Episode: systemd, Rust, and KDE Plasma Abandoned | Source Code #7
  Too many interesting and relevant issues are touched upon in one short video and in particular the issue related with KaOS decision to transition away from systemd to regain independence and control over the core of its operating system.

• Rocky Linux Becomes a KDE Patron
  Rocky Linux has become a KDE patron, joining organizations like Canonical, Google, and SUSE in supporting the KDE open-source ecosystem.

• Linux 7.0 File-System Benchmarks With XFS Leading The Way
  With a number of file-system improvements in Linux 6.19 and more file-system optimizations in Linux 7.0, it's past due for running some fresh file-system benchmarks. Here is a look at how the prominent file-system contenders are performing on the latest Linux 7.0 development kernel.

• Chardlet dispute shows how AI will kill software licensing, argues Bruce Perens
  Alarm bells are ringing in the open source community, but commercial licensing is also at riskEarlier this week, Dan Blanchard, maintainer of a Python character encoding detection library called chardet, released a new version of the library under a new software license.…

• System76 Comments On Recent Age Verification Laws
  System76 published a statement today regarding the recent laws coming about in California and likely Colorado and New York too around requiring age verification on operating system accounts and ultimately exposing the information (or at least age brackets) to apps and websites. System76's position is interesting given that they sell Linux-loaded desktops, workstations and laptops plus being an operating system vendor with their in-house Pop!_OS distribution and COSMIC desktop environment...

• KDE Gear 25.12.3 Apps Collection Rolls Out, Here’s What’s New
  KDE Gear 25.12.3 apps collection is out with numerous bug fixes across apps including Kdenlive, Kate, KDE Connect, NeoChat, and Okular.

• Linux MAINTAINERS Cleaning For Recently Departed Intel Devs, Altera Drivers Oprhaned
  The layoffs and restructuring at Intel in 2025 caused unfortunate hits to their Linux/open-source engineering including various driver maintainers leaving and even their CPU temperature driver being orphaned for lack of maintainers. Sent out today were a number of additional updates to the MAINTAINERS file for the Linux kernel to reflect other Intel departures in recent months. Plus some of the Altera drivers have also been orphaned now for having no upstream maintainers...

• NVIDIA 595 Linux Graphics Driver Promises Wayland 1.20 Support, Beta Out Now
  NVIDIA released today the beta version of the NVIDIA 595 graphics driver for GNU/Linux, FreeBSD, and Solaris systems, introducing various new features and improvements.

• Debian Still Debating AI Contributions Plus A Need For More Diverse Contributors
  Debian Project Leader "DPL" Andreas Tille provided an update today on various happenings within the project and personal reflections on some recent topics. Among the topics in today's DPL updates were around AI contributions, Debian's need to become more diverse with its contributors, and needing more "thank yous" to show appreciation for contributions...

• Armbian 26.02 Arrives with Linux 6.18 LTS and Expanded Board Support
  The Armbian project has released Armbian 26.02, the latest update to the lightweight Linux distribution designed specifically for ARM and RISC-V single-board computers (SBCs). Known for its stability and hardware optimization, Armbian continues to evolve with improved hardware support, new desktop options, and updated core components in this release.

• FRANK OS 1.0 Launches With a Retro Windows 95-Like Desktop
  FRANK OS 1.0 debuts with a windowed desktop inspired by Windows 95, running on RP2350 microcontrollers using the FreeRTOS kernel.

• KDE Gear 25.12.3 Brings Improvements to Merkuro, Calligra, Kasts, and Other Apps
  Today, the KDE Project released KDE Gear 25.12.3 as the third and final maintenance update to the latest KDE Gear 25.12 series of this collection of open-source applications for the KDE ecosystem and other platforms.

• Age Verification Mandates: The ‘Protect the Kids’ Scam That’s Building a Permanent Surveillance Grid
  California now wants age verification to be at the OS Level (Windows, Android, iOS, Linux).

• Microsofters' SLAPP Censorship - Part 3 Out of 200: A More In-Depth Breakdown
  Over a decade ago a consortium of companies came up with a plan to standardise computing around the dubious but self-serving idea (or topology) wherein, in practice, Microsoft would control which operating systems are permitted to boot on standard, off-the-shelf computer hardware

• What is Bash Shell on Linux?
  Bash, an acronym for “Bourne-Again SHell“, is a superset of the shell (or sh) program written by Brian Fox for the GNU Project as a replacement for the traditional Bourne Shell (or sh).

• AMD EPYC Achieves Performance Leadership In New OCUDU Project For 5G/6G RAN
  Announced this week at Mobile World Congress (MWC) by the Linux Foundation was the establishing of the OCUDU Ecosystem Foundation for advancing open-source AI-RAN (Radio Access Network) innovations. OCUDU is building a reference platform and innovations around 5G and early 6G network solutions. With OCUDU being benchmark-friendly, I have been putting the early code through some performance tests on current AMD EPYC and Intel Xeon server platforms.

• Iran War Provides a Large-Scale Test For AI-Assisted Warfare
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg, written by Katrina Manson: The U.S. strikes on Iran ordered by President Donald Trump mark the arrival on a large scale of a new era of warfare assisted by artificial intelligence. Captain Timothy Hawkins, a Central Command spokesperson, told me last night that the AI tools the U.S. military is using in Iran operations don't make targeting decisions and don't replace humans. But they do help "make smarter decisions faster." That's been the driving ambition of the U.S. military, which has spent years looking at how to develop and deploy AI to the battlefield [...]. Critics, such as Stop Killer Robots, a coalition of 270 human-rights groups, argue that AI-enabled decision-support systems reduce the separation between recommending and executing a strike to a "dangerously thin" line. Hawkins said the military's use of AI assistance follows a rigorous process aligned with U.S. policy, military doctrine and the law. Artificial intelligence helps analysts whittle down what they need to focus on, generating so-called points of interest and helping personnel make "smart" decisions in the Iran operations, he told me. AI is also helping to pull data within systems and organize information to provide clarity. Among the AI tech used in the Iran campaign is Maven Smart System, a digital mission control platform produced by Palantir [...]. That emerged from Project Maven, a project started in 2017 by the Pentagon to develop AI for the battlefield. Among the large language models installed on the system is Anthropic's Claude AI tool, according to the people, who said it has become central to U.S. operations against Iran and to accelerating Maven's development. Claude is also at the center of a row that pits Anthropic against the Department of Defense over limits on the software. Further reading: Hacked Tehran Traffic Cameras Fed Israeli Intelligence Before Strike On Khamenei
  
  
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• Python 'Chardet' Package Replaced With LLM-Generated Clone, Re-Licensed
  Ancient Slashdot reader ewhac writes: The maintainers of the Python package `chardet`, which attempts to automatically detect the character encoding of a string, announced the release of version 7 this week, claiming a speedup factor of 43x over version 6. In the release notes, the maintainers claim that version 7 is, "a ground-up, MIT-licensed rewrite of chardet." Problem: The putative "ground-up rewrite" is actually the result of running the existing copyrighted codebase and test suite through the Claude LLM. In so doing, the maintainers claim that v7 now represents a unique work of authorship, and therefore may be offered under a new license. Version 6 and earlier was licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL). Version 7 claims to be available under the MIT license. The maintainers appear to be claiming that, under the Oracle v. Google decision, which found that cloning public APIs is fair use, their v7 is a fair use re-implementation of the `chardet` public API. However, there is no evidence to suggest their re-write was under "clean room" conditions, which traditionally has shielded cloners from infringement suits. Further, the copyrightability of LLM output has yet to be settled. Recent court decisions seem to favor the view that LLM output is not copyrightable, as the output is not primarily the result of human creative expression -- the endeavor copyright is intended to protect. Spirited discussion has ensued in issue #327 on `chardet`s GitHub repo, raising the question: Can copyrighted source code be laundered through an LLM and come out the other end as a fresh work of authorship, eligible for a new copyright, copyright holder, and license terms? If this is found to be so, it would allow malicious interests to completely strip-mine the Open Source commons, and then sell it back to the users without the community seeing a single dime.
  
  
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• Proton Mail Helped FBI Unmask Anonymous 'Stop Cop City' Protester
  Longtime Slashdot reader AmiMoJo shares a report from 404 Media: Privacy-focused email provider Proton Mail provided Swiss authorities with payment data that the FBI then used to determine who was allegedly behind an anonymous account affiliated with the Stop Cop City movement in Atlanta, according to a court record reviewed by 404 Media. The records provide insight into the sort of data that Proton Mail, which prides itself both on its end-to-end encryption and that it is only governed by Swiss privacy law, can and does provide to third parties. In this case, the Proton Mail account was affiliated with the Defend the Atlanta Forest (DTAF) group and Stop Cop City movement in Atlanta, which authorities were investigating for their connection to arson, vandalism and doxing. Broadly, members were protesting the building of a large police training center next to the Intrenchment Creek Park in Atlanta, and actions also included camping in the forest and lawsuits. Charges against more than 60 people have since been dropped.
  
  
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• AI Startup Sues Ex-CEO Saying He Took 41GB of Email, Lied On Resume
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Hayden AI, a San Francisco startup that makes spatial analytics tools for cities worldwide, has sued its co-founder and former CEO, alleging that he stole a large quantity of proprietary information in the days leading up to his ouster from the company in September 2024. In a lawsuit filed late last month in San Francisco Superior Court but only made public this week, Hayden AI claims that former CEO Chris Carson undertook what it called "numerous fraudulent actions," which include "forged board signatures, unauthorized stock sales, and improper allocation of personal expenses." [...] Hayden AI, which is worth $464 million according to an estimated valuation on PitchBook, has asked the court to impose preliminary injunctive relief, requiring Carson to either return or destroy the data he allegedly stole. Specifically, the lawsuit alleges that Carson secretly sold over $1.2 million in company stock, forged board signatures, and copied 41GB of proprietary company emails before being fired in September 2024. The complaint also claims Carson fabricated key parts of his resume, including a PhD and military service. It's a "carefully constructed fraud," says Hayden AI. "That is a lie," the complaint states. "Carson does not hold a PhD from Waseda or any other university. In 2007, he was not obtaining a PhD but was operating 'Splat Action Sports,' a paintball equipment business in a Florida strip mall."
  
  
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• The National Videogame Museum Acquires the Mythical Nintendo Playstation
  The National Videogame Museum has acquired an extremely rare MSF-1 development kit, believed to be the oldest surviving prototype of the canceled Nintendo PlayStation. Engadget reports: Nicknamed the Nintendo PlayStation, the idea was that a new CD-ROM format backed by Sony would be added to the cartridge-based Super NES, resulting in a hybrid console that could play both. The partnership didn't last long, though, with Nintendo backing out before it ever really got off the ground, announcing that it would instead be working with Philips. Sony decided to make the PlayStation on its own instead, in an act of revenge that you have to say paid off in the long run, and we never did get to see Crash Bandicoot running around the Mushroom Kingdom. Still, the short-lived Nintendo PlayStation remains a fascinating what-if scenario in video game history, and the USA's National Video Museum has acquired the original development kit.
  
  
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• Florida Woman Gets Prison Time For Illegally Selling Microsoft Product Keys
  A Florida woman was sentenced to 22 months in federal prison and fined $50,000 for illegally trafficking thousands of Microsoft certificate-of-authenticity labels used to activate Windows and Office. Prosecutors said she bought genuine labels cheaply from suppliers and resold them without the accompanying licensed software, wiring over $5 million during the scheme. TechRadar reports: The indictment details how [52-year-old Heidi Richards] purchased tens of thousands of genuine COA labels from a Texas-based supplier between 2018 and 2023 for well below the retail value, before reselling them in bulk to customers globally without the licensed software. "COA labels are not to be sold separately from the license and hardware that they are intended to accompany, and they hold no independent commercial value," the US Attorney's Office wrote. Richards was found to have wired $5,148,181.50 to the unnamed Texas company during the scheme's operation. Some examples include the purchase of 800 Windows 10 COA labels in July 2018 for $22,100 (under $28 each) and a further 10,000 Windows 10 Pro COA labels in December 2022 for $200,000 ($20 each). Ultimately fined $50,000 and given a near-two-year sentence, prosecutors had sought to get Richards to pay $242,000, "which represents the proceeds obtained from the offenses."
  
  
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• AI Translations Are Adding 'Hallucinations' To Wikipedia Articles
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from 404 Media: Wikipedia editors have implemented new policies and restricted a number of contributors who were paid to use AI to translate existing Wikipedia articles into other languages after they discovered these AI translations added AI "hallucinations," or errors, to the resulting article. The new restrictions show how Wikipedia editors continue to fight the flood of generative AI across the internet from diminishing the reliability of the world's largest repository of knowledge. The incident also reveals how even well-intentioned efforts to expand Wikipedia are prone to errors when they rely on generative AI, and how they're remedied by Wikipedia's open governance model. The issue centers around a program run by the Open Knowledge Association (OKA), a nonprofit that was found to be "mostly relying on cheap labor from contractors in the Global South" to translate English Wikipedia articles into other languages. Some translators began using tools like Google Gemini and ChatGPT to speed up the process, but editors reviewing the work found numerous hallucinations, including factual errors, missing citations, and references to unrelated sources. "Ultimately the editors decided to implement restrictions against OKA translators who make multiple errors, but not block OKA translation as a rule," reports 404 Media.
  
  
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• IBM Scientists Unveil First-Ever 'Half-Mobius' Molecule
  BrianFagioli shares a report from NERDS.xyz: An international team of scientists has done something chemistry has never seen before. IBM, working alongside researchers from the University of Manchester, Oxford University, ETH Zurich, EPFL, and the University of Regensburg, has created and characterized a molecule whose electrons travel through its structure in a corkscrew-like pattern, fundamentally altering its chemical behavior. The findings were published today in Science. The molecule, known as C13Cl2, is the first experimental observation of what scientists call a half-Mobius electronic topology in a single molecule. To the researchers' knowledge, nothing like it has ever been synthesized, observed, or even formally predicted. And proving why it behaves the way it does required something equally extraordinary -- a quantum computer. The whole thing started at IBM, where the molecule was assembled atom by atom from a custom precursor synthesized at Oxford. Working under ultra-high vacuum at near-absolute-zero temperatures, researchers used precisely calibrated voltage pulses to remove individual atoms one at a time. The result is an electronic structure that undergoes a 90-degree twist with each circuit through the molecule, requiring four complete loops to return to its starting phase. That is a topological property that has no counterpart anywhere in chemistry's existing record. What makes it even more interesting to folks who follow materials science is that this topology can be switched. The molecule can move reversibly between clockwise-twisted, counterclockwise-twisted, and untwisted states. That means electronic topology is not just a curiosity to be stumbled upon in nature -- it can be deliberately engineered. That is a big deal. The quantum computing angle here is not just a supporting role. Electrons within C13Cl2 interact in deeply entangled ways, each influencing the others simultaneously. Modeling that requires tracking every possible configuration of those interactions at once -- something that causes computational demands to grow exponentially and can quickly overwhelm classical machines. A decade ago, researchers could exactly model 16 electrons classically. Today that number has crept to 18. Using IBM's quantum computer, the team was able to explore 32 electrons. Quantum computers can represent these systems directly rather than approximate them, because they operate according to the same quantum mechanical laws that govern electrons in molecules. In this case, that capability helped reveal helical molecular orbitals for electron attachment -- a fingerprint of the half-Mobius topology -- and exposed the mechanism behind the unusual structure: a helical pseudo-Jahn-Teller effect.
  
  
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• Congress Extends ISS, Tells NASA To Get Moving On Private Space Stations
  A recently-revised Senate authorization bill (PDF), co-sponsored by Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz, would extend the International Space Station's lifespan from 2030 to 2032 while pushing NASA to accelerate plans for commercial space stations to replace it. Ars Technica's Eric Berger reports: Regarding NASA's support for the development of commercial space stations, the bill mandates the following, within specified periods, of passage of the law: - Within 60 days, publicly release the requirements for commercial space stations in low-Earth orbit- Within 90 days, release the final "request for proposals" to solicit industry responses- Within 180 days, enter into contracts with "two or more" commercial providers for such stations Cruz is trying to inject urgency into NASA as several private companies -- including Axiom Space, Blue Origin, Vast, and Voyager -- are finalizing designs for space stations. All have expressed a desire for clarity from NASA on how long the space agency would like its astronauts to stay on board, the types of scientific equipment needed, and much more. These are known as "requirements" in NASA parlance. [...] Cruz and other senators on the committee appear to share those concerns, as their legislation extends the International Space Station's lifespan from 2030 to 2032 (an extension must still be approved by international partners, including Russia). Moreover, the authorization bill states, "The Administrator shall not initiate the de-orbit of the ISS until the date on which a commercial low-Earth orbit destination has reached an initial operational capability." With this legislation, the U.S. Senate is making clear that it views a permanent human presence in low-Earth orbit as a high priority. This version of the authorization legislation must still be passed by the full Senate and work its way through the House of Representatives.
  
  
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• Microsoft Confirms 'Project Helix,' a Next-Gen Xbox That Can Run PC Games
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from 80 Level: Microsoft has officially confirmed development of its next-generation Xbox console, currently known internally as Project Helix. While concrete details remain limited, early information suggests the company is positioning the device as a hybrid between a traditional console and a gaming PC, capable of running both Xbox titles and PC games. The codename was revealed recently by new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, who reaffirmed Microsoft's continued commitment to dedicated gaming hardware despite speculation that the company might shift entirely toward cloud or platform-based ecosystems. According to Sharma, Project Helix represents the next step in Xbox's console strategy. Although official specifications have not yet been announced, early reports indicate the system will likely rely on a new AMD system-on-chip combining Xbox hardware with PC-style architecture. The device is expected to emphasize high performance while maintaining compatibility with existing Xbox game libraries. [...] If the concept holds, Project Helix could mark a significant shift in how console ecosystems are structured, moving away from tightly closed hardware platforms toward something closer to a unified PC-console environment. Sharma wrote in a post on X: "Great start to the morning with Team Xbox, where we talked about our commitment to the return of Xbox, including Project Helix, the code name for our next generation console. Project Helix will lead in performance and play your Xbox and PC games. Looking forward to chatting about this more with partners and studios at my first GDC next week!"
  
  
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• Pentagon Formally Designates Anthropic a Supply-Chain Risk
  The Pentagon has formally designated Anthropic as a "supply chain risk," ordering federal agencies and defense contractors to stop using its AI tools after the company sought limits on the military's use of its models. In a written statement, the department said it has "officially informed Anthropic leadership the company and its products are deemed a supply chain risk, effective immediately." Politico reports: The designation, historically reserved for foreign firms with ties to U.S. adversaries, will likely require companies that do business with the U.S. military -- or even the federal government in general -- to cut ties with Anthropic. "From the very beginning, this has been about one fundamental principle: the military being able to use technology for all lawful purposes," the Pentagon said in the statement. "The military will not allow a vendor to insert itself into the chain of command by restricting the lawful use of a critical capability and put our warfighters at risk." A spokesperson for Anthropic did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But the company said last week it would fight a supply-chain risk label in court.
  
  
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• Mac Studio 512GB RAM Option Disappears Amid Global DRAM Shortage
  Apple has removed the 512GB RAM configuration for the Mac Studio, leaving 256GB as the new maximum. The remaining 256GB upgrade has also increased in price and now faces longer shipping delays as demand grows "due to consumers seeking machines suitable for running local AI agents," reports MacRumors. From the report: The Mac Studio starts with 36GB RAM, but there were upgrades ranging from 48GB to 512GB, with the higher tier upgrades limited to the M3 Ultra chip. Now there are options ranging from 48GB to 256GB, with wait times into May for the 256GB upgrade. Apple has also raised the price for the 256GB RAM upgrade option. It used to cost $1,600 to go from 96GB to 256GB on the high-end M3 Ultra machine, but now it costs $2,000. 512GB was $4,000 when it was available.
  
  
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• United Airlines Can Now Boot Passengers Who Refuse To Use Headphones
  United Airlines has updated its contract of carriage to require passengers to use headphones when playing audio or video on personal devices during flights. Travelers who refuse could be removed from the plane or even permanently banned from flying with the airline, reports CBS News. United notes that it will offer customers who forget theirs a free pair of wired earbuds. "Don't worry if you forget your headphones for your flight," the airline states on its website. "If they're available, you can request free earbuds." You'd better hope your device still has a headphone jack... Further reading: Flying Was Already the Worst. Then America Stopped Using Headphones.
  
  
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• Trump's TikTok Deal Benefited Firms That 'Personally Enriched' Him, Lawsuit Says
  An anti-corruption group has filed a lawsuit (PDF) against Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi over the deal that transferred TikTok's U.S. operations to a group of investors tied to the administration. The suit claims the arrangement violates a 2024 law requiring ByteDance to divest and alleges the deal financially benefited Trump allies while leaving the platform's algorithm under Chinese ownership. NBC News reports: The suit, filed by the Public Integrity Project, a law firm that seeks to raise the "reputational cost of corruption in America," argues the deal violates a law intended to prevent the spread of Chinese government propaganda and has enriched Trump's allies. That law, signed by then-President Joe Biden in 2024, said that TikTok couldn't be distributed in the United States unless the Chinese company ByteDance found an American-based corporate home by the day before Donald Trump returned to office. The law was upheld by the Supreme Court. "The law was clear, but it was never enforced," says the lawsuit, filed Thursday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. "Shortly after the deadline to divest passed, President Trump issued an executive order purportedly granting an extension for TikTok to find a domestic owner and directed his Attorney General not to enforce the law." The plaintiffs in the suit are two software engineers from California: One is a shareholder in Alphabet Inc., YouTube's parent company; the other is a shareholder in Meta Platforms, Inc., which is Instagram's parent company. Both say they suffered financially due to the non-enforcement of the law. "The original motivation for this law was to prevent the Chinese government from pushing propaganda onto American audiences," said Brendan Ballou, CEO of the Public Integrity Project and a former Justice Department prosecutor. "The deal that the president approved is the absolute worst of all possible worlds, because right now ByteDance continues to own the algorithm, which means that it can censor the content that it doesn't like, but at the same time Oracle controls the data and it can censor the information that it doesn't like. Really it's a situation that's going to be terrible for users, and terrible for free speech on the platform."
  
  
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• AMD Will Bring Its 'Ryzen AI' Processors To Standard Desktop PCs For First Time
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: AMD has been selling "Ryzen AI"-branded laptop processors for around a year and a half at this point. In addition to including modern CPU and GPU architectures, these are attempting to capitalize on the generative AI craze by offering chips with neural processing units (NPUs) suitable for running language and image-generation models locally, rather than on some company's server. But so far, AMD's desktop chips have lacked both these higher-performance NPUs and the Ryzen AI label. That changes today, at least a little: AMD is announcing its first three Ryzen AI chips for desktops using its AM5 CPU socket. These Ryzen AI 400-series CPUs are direct replacements for the Ryzen 8000G processors, rather than the Ryzen 9000-series, and they combine Zen 5-based CPU cores, RDNA 3.5 GPU cores, and an NPU capable of 50 trillion operations per second (TOPS). This makes them AMD's first desktop chips to qualify for Microsoft's Copilot+ PC label, which enables a handful of unique Windows 11 features like Recall and Click to Do. The six chips AMD is announcing today -- the 65 W Ryzen AI 7 Pro 450G, Ryzen AI 5 Pro 440G, and Ryzen AI 5 Pro 435G, along with low-power 35 W "GE" variants -- all bear AMD's "Ryzen Pro" branding as well, which means they support a handful of device management capabilities that are important for business PCs managed by IT departments. At this point, it doesn't seem as though AMD will be offering boxed versions to regular consumers; the Ryzen AI desktop chips will appear mainly in business PCs that don't need a dedicated graphics card but still benefit from more robust graphics than AMD offers in regular Ryzen desktop CPUs. Like past G-series Ryzen chips, these are essentially laptop silicon repackaged for desktop systems. They share most of their specs in common with Ryzen AI 300 laptop processors, despite their Ryzen AI 400-series branding. The two chip generations are extremely similar overall, but the Ryzen AI 400-series laptop CPUs include slightly faster 55 TOPS NPUs.
  
  
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• Celebrating the Second Year of Linux Man-Pages Maintenance Sponsorship
  Sustaining a Core Part of the Linux Ecosystem The Linux Foundation has announced a second year of sponsorship for the ongoing maintenance of the Linux manual pages (man-pages) project, led by Alejandro (Alex) Colomar. This critical initiative is made possible through the continued support of Google, Hudson River Trading, and Meta, who have renewed their [0]
  
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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
  
  The post Using OpenTelemetry and the OTel Collector for Logs, Metrics, and Traces appeared first on Linux.com.
  

• 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
  
  The post Xen 4.19 is released appeared first on Linux.com.
  

Engadget"Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics"

• Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 and 4 Pro review: Impressive audio, imperfect ANC
  Samsung caught flak for the Galaxy Buds 3. The company’s mimicry of Apple’s AirPods was all too obvious last year when it opted for a stem or “blade” design after several generations of putting touch controls on the main housing of its earbuds. The Galaxy Buds 4 and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro continue that trajectory, as Samsung keeps adding new features with direct parallels to AirPods. The good news is, both models have been improved in various ways, all while  their prices stay the same. 
  
  
  
  
  A refined design that’s still too familiar
  On last year’s Galaxy Buds models, Samsung introduced its “blade” design and overall shapes that clearly took inspiration from Apple’s earbuds. While all of that remains the same on the Galaxy Buds 4 lineup, Samsung made some refinements that at least gives its earbuds a more polished look. 
  
  The angular “blade” is gone from both the open-fit Galaxy Buds 4 and silicone-tipped Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. That stem is now a flat panel with a thin metal cover, but it’s still called the blade (thanks, Samsung). And thank the gods, the gimmicky blade lights on the last Pro model are now gone. The Galaxy Buds 4 and 4 Pro both have an indented area that accepts both swipes and presses for the onboard controls, a design choice that makes that area easy to find by touch alone. Aside from that, the overall shape of both Galaxy Buds 4 models remains mostly the same, and they’re both pretty much the same size too. 
  
  One big change for the Galaxy Buds 4 duo is the charging case. Since the buds now lay flat in there instead of sitting vertically in the case on the previous model, Samsung has gone back to its rounded square shape from older generations. The company did, however, keep the translucent lids, so you can clearly see if the earbuds are in the case without having to open it.  
  
  In addition to their styles (the Buds 4 are open fit while the Pro have ear tips), a notable distinction between the two is their ingress protection (IP) levels. The Galaxy Buds 4 Pro is rated IP57, which is good enough for dust protection and full immersion in up to three feet for 30 minutes, while the Galaxy Buds 4 is IP54. That latter number means you’re only guarded against dust intrusion and water splashes.
  Useful features, if you have a Samsung phone Samsung Buds 4 Pro Billy Steele for Engadget
  A few years ago, Samsung offered iPhone users the same suite of features as those onGalaxy phones. Those days are long gone. Like Apple does with AirPods and Google with Pixel Buds, Samsung requires you to pair a Galaxy phone to get the most out of a pair of Galaxy Buds 4 or 4 Pro. If you opt for the open-fit model though, you’ll have to sacrifice a few features. 
  
  Let’s start with the tools that are available on both versions. You can expect Adaptive EQ 2.0, 360 audio with head tracking, Auracast, automatic switching, head gestures and both touch and swipe controls across the board. Both models also offer AI assistance via either Bixby or Gemini. 
  
  Voice features are where the two models primarily differ. The Galaxy Buds 4 Pro has voice detection that automatically lowers the volume and activates ambient sound mode when you start speaking. The pricier version also offers hands-free access to an AI assistant without having to touch the earbuds or your connected device. 
  
  Pretty much all of this stuff requires a Samsung phone. Sure, you can use the basics — ANC, onboard controls and ambient sound — from the likes of iPhones and Macs. But the more advanced items like voice detection, head gestures and automatic switching won’t be available there. As before, there’s an app for Android users with non-Galaxy phones, but things like UHD audio and higher-quality calls are not available on those devices. If you do have a Galaxy phone, everything is baked into the Bluetooth menu, just like Apple does with AirPods. 
  Shockingly good sound quality Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro (left) and Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 (right) Billy Steele for Engadget
  I’ve come to expect good sound from the Galaxy Buds line. I usually go into any new Samsung audio review knowing I”ll be getting average audio quality at the very least. On last year’s Galaxy Buds 3, the sound performance was well above average for both sets, and that continues on the two latest models. However, if audio is your main priority, the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro is the better pick. 
  
  Like Samsung did with the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, this year’s 4 Pro has a two-way driver setup with an 11mm “super-wide” woofer and a 5.5mm planar tweeter. While the woofer is larger than what’s inside the 3 Pro, the tweeter is smaller. Those components combine for shockingly good sound quality for a pair of Samsung earbuds. I was truly surprised when I put the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro in my ears for the first time and played aya’s electro-tinged hexed! The driving bass line on “off the ESSO” is energetic yet nuanced, vocals are cutting and clear, while the synths and other percussive elements pierce through the mix. The Galaxy Buds 4 Pro deftly handled everything I threw at it, from Spiritbox’s heavy metal to the mellow acoustic tunes on Muscadine Bloodline’s 2025 release. 
  
  The Galaxy Buds 4 aren’t a sonic slouch by any means. It’s true you’ll get deeper bass and more overall clarity and detail from the Pro model, but prospective buyers who desire an open fit don’t have to sacrifice too much in the sound department. There’s still punchy bass and crunchy highs, with enough midrange to fill in the gaps adequately. I noticed the biggest difference on that aya track, where the bass isn’t as deep or detailed and the rest of the mix isn’t quite as dynamic as it is on the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. 
  Active noise cancellation that still needs work Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro (left) and Galaxy Buds 4 (right) Billy Steele for Engadget
  While both Galaxy Buds 4 models offer active noise cancellation (ANC), the Pro version has what Samsung calls Adaptive Active Noise Cancellation 2.0 versus just Adaptive Active Noise Cancellation on the other. The company didn’t go into much detail about the differences, other than to say the ANC performance on the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro is superior. Hence the 2.0, I guess. 
  
  ANC performance was a major issue on the Galaxy Buds 3 and that continues on the Galaxy Buds 4. Samsung just hasn’t managed to crack the noise cancellation code on open-fit earbuds the same way Apple has with its “regular” AirPods. In fact, the ANC on this new model makes such a modest difference, I’d wager most customers would prefer to trade it for longer battery life (or a lower price). I only kept it on in the interest of my battery rundown, otherwise I wouldn’t have used it at all. It’s definitely more like active noise reduction than outright cancellation. 
  
  Thankfully, noise cancellation is a different story on the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. It’s still not going to silence the world like the second-gen Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds can, but Samsung’s tech does just enough to make it useful in most circumstances. I found it particularly adept at blocking moderate levels of constant noise, like a clothes dryer, fan or white noise machine. It’s the sudden jolts of racket where the Pro struggles. The Buds 4 Pro also does a decent job at muffling human voices, which caused my family much frustration. 
  Calls and voice quality Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro (left) and Galaxy Buds 4 (right)
  Every audio company claims its special sauce is the key to the clearest calls, and Samsung is no different. The company boasts that its combo of a 16kHz super wideband mode, DNN noise reduction and personalized beamforming mics offer “calls so clear, it’s stunning.” Of course, that promise requires a Galaxy S26 series phone — not just the earbuds. 
  
  I was shocked to discover how well I sounded in quiet environments as both of these earbuds offer voice quality that’s crisp and clear. If you move to a noisy spot, both models will completely block any background roar, but you will sound slightly digitized on the other end. This was more apparent on the Galaxy Buds 4, but it’s noticeable on both versions. That’s due to all the audio processing Samsung is doing to mute those distractions. 
  
  To top it all off, the ambient sound mode on the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro is very natural, which means you won’t be yelling to hear yourself during calls or meetings. 
  The competition
  If you’re looking for the best earbuds to use with a Samsung phone, the Galaxy Buds 4 and 4 Pro are your best options. Again, like Apple does with the AirPods and Google with the Pixel Buds, Samsung continues to offer the most advanced and most useful features to the Galaxy faithful. If you don’t really care about that synergy, the second-gen Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are currently my top pick. That set won’t wow you with features, but the combination of excellent sound quality and the best ANC performance make them hard to beat. Plus, multipoint Bluetooth connectivity offers easy switching between a Galaxy S26 and a MacBook.  
  Wrap-up
  With each passing year, Samsung draws closer to offering Galaxy phone users a true like-for-like AirPods rival. The company is really only lagging behind Apple in two areas: hearing health and heart-rate tracking. Samsung currently offers the option to amplify voices on its earbuds, but it hasn’t built a hearing test or the hearing protection tools Apple has. The biggest update on the AirPods Pro 3 was the addition of heart-rate tracking last year, which would be a great foundation for a fitness-focused version of the Galaxy Buds. 
  
  Everything else continues to improve on a familiar formula. Samsung has bolstered overall sound quality and ANC performance, even if the noise canceling abilities of the Galaxy Buds 4 remain somewhat lackluster. The design changes offer a more premium look and the gradual addition of modern features like head gestures help the company keep pace with the competition. While the Galaxy Buds 4 and 4 Pro are both good, Samsung really needs to take bigger swings with new features to make its earbuds the must-buy that AirPods are for iPhone users.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/samsung-galaxy-buds-4-and-4-pro-review-impressive-audio-imperfect-anc-190000202.html?src=rss

• Pokémon Pokopia review: Possibly the most charming Pokémon game yet
  One of the biggest issues with mainline Pokémon games is that you9re often so focused on catching, battling and trying to be the very best that you don9t have time to stop and smell the flowers. But in Pokémon Pokopia, you9re rewarded for doing just that while building a loving community of friendly monsters. The game is one part Animal Crossing and one part Dragon Quest Builders sprinkled with a touch of Minecraft and Stardew Valley. he result might be one of the coziest, most wholesome life sims on the market.
  Setup and gameplay
  In Pokopia, you play as a Ditto, who has awakened to a world where all the other humans and Pokémon have mysteriously disappeared. Naturally, the loss of your trainer has inspired you to take the form of a person (well, as best as a Ditto can). You work together with the only other soul around, Professor Tangrowth, to figure out how to revitalize this once thriving town. As you explore, you learn to create habitats from a mix of shrubs, trees and anything else you can scavenge. You can also create new homes for the missing Pokémon and lure them back, slowly converting the wasteland into a bustling place full of life and excitement. It9s a simple but extremely rewarding gameplay loop, and as you make friends with the returning monsters, they help you on your quest by teaching you skills that allow you to continue shaping and manipulating the environment. They also provide handy items and building materials. 
  Some Pokémon like Squirtle can even teach you new moves that you can use to manipulate your environment. Nintendo / Engadget
  This is where the other main gameplay cycle comes in, as the entire world is made up of blocks that you can excavate or rework to your heart9s content. Not only does this let you customize your environment, it also serves as a way to traverse the world. See a shiny treasure on the other side of a river but you can9t swim there? You can simply build a bridge instead. And just like in Minecraft, you can use raw materials to create all sorts of fancy blocks and furniture so your homes look exactly how you want. When compared to games like Animal Crossing, I found I actually prefer Pokopia9s flavor of world-building a touch more, as it relies slightly more on building and exploring and less on decorating. 
  In order to lure Pokémon to your town, first you need to build a home they9ll want to live in. Nintendo / Engadget
  My one small issue with the game is that while I like the real-time building mechanic that lets Pokémon work on stuff while you9re not playing, having to wait a full day for bigger projects to be completed can bog down your progress a bit. With a game that easily provides more than 50 hours of content just for its main story (and that9s not counting all the time you9ll spend customizing and tweaking your town), sometimes things become a slower burn than they ought to be.
  The magic of PokopiaAs befitting a Pokémon game, each monster has skills befitting their type like Charmander being able to light fires. Sam Rutherford for Engadget
  While the success of Pokopia9s core mechanics can be largely attributed to co-developer Bandai Namco borrowing the game9s basic template from the Dragon Quest Builders series, the real magic of the game comes from the Pokémon themselves. When I load into the world and the first thing that happens is one of my townsfolk running up to me to say thanks or give me a present, it just makes me happy. And unlike most other Pokémon games, you can actually have proper conversations with them, instead of just hearing them do their 8-bit cries. Speaking of that, I really think it9s time for Game Freak to archive those Game Boy-inspired sound bites in favor of proper voice acting. We9ve had thirty years of crunchy, low-fi yells, and in an open-world game with adorable polygonal graphics, I think we can finally let the 9mons say their names like they do in the anime. 
  
  Pokopia9s roster of characters is also bigger than expected. That9s because in addition to new faces like Peakychu and Mosslax, there are well over 100 different Pokémon to befriend. And while the game leans a bit more heavily on characters from Kanto and the original 151, there9s solid representation from other generations, including cameos from legendaries. Furthermore, each monster has its own unique habitat, preferences and abilities. I appreciate little details like water-type Pokémon who ask you to make their home a bit more humid or fighting-type monsters who ask for exercise equipment to spruce up theirs. Similarly, when it comes to building out your town, I like that the game makes you turn towards plant-types if you want help with your crops or a fire-type if you need help smelting some iron. 
  Teamwork makes the dream work. Nintendo / Engadget
  However, the most heartwarming thing about Pokopia might not even be how you interact with the other Pokémon, but how they socialize with themselves. Sometimes you9ll run into two mons chasing each other around, working out together or cuddling up for a nap. And thanks to the game9s photo mode, you can capture all these moments when they happen. 
  
  Exploring the world is also quite satisfying, particularly for anyone who has played any of the Pokémon games from gen one. There are a ton of references to memorable people and places from Kanto. Plus, when you9re just out and about or spelunking, you9ll sometimes run into other adventurous mons who need a little help before you can convince them to move into town. It feels like there are fun secrets hiding around every other corner, and even for those that are a bit less obvious, Pokopia drops just enough hints to point you in the right direction. 
  Wrap-upJust look how happy everyone is when we all work together. Nintendo / Engadget
  There9s so much to do in Pokopia that I wouldn9t be surprised if dedicated players could tide themselves over with this game until Pokémon Winds and Waves comes out next year. But more importantly, Bandai Namco and Game Freak have found a perfect balance between the title9s open-world building mechanics and homages to the underlying franchise. Pokopia isn9t just a half-hearted life-sim clone with a thin veneer of monster catching (or in this case, monster community outreach) draped on top; it9s a good game in its own right that just gets better with the addition of neighborly Pokémon. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/pokemon-pokopia-review-possibly-the-most-charming-pokemon-game-yet-183000812.html?src=rss

• COPPA 2.0 passes the Senate again, unanimously this time
  Today the US Senate unanimously passed proposed legislation known as COPPA 2.0. This measure, fully named the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act, aims to create new protections for younger users online, such as blocking platforms from collecting their personal data without consent. 
  
  COPPA 2.0 is a modernized take on the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998, attempting to address recent changes in common online activities, like targeted advertising, that could prove harmful to minors. Lawmakers have made several attempts to get this bipartisan bill through. While it has made varying amounts of headway in the Senate, none of the COPPA 2.0 bills to date have gotten past the House of Representatives. Industry groups such as NetChoice have previously opposed COPPA 2.0 and other measures around minors9 online activity such as KOSA, the Kids Online Safety Act. NetChoice members include Google, YouTube, Meta, Reddit, Discord, TikTok and X. Google specifically has since changed its stance to support COPPA 2.0, however.
  
  "This bill expands the current law protecting our kids online to ensure companies cannot collect personal information from anyone under the age of 17," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said in a statement about the latest result. "This is a big step forward for protecting our kids. We hope the House can join us. They haven’t thus far."
  
  However, there has been a bigger push both domestically and internationally toward restrictions on when and how younger people engage online. Several states — Utah, California and Washington to name a few — have enacted laws requiring some level of age verification, either to access mature content online or to use social media apps at all. Many of these efforts have raised concerns about privacy regarding where and how people9s personal information is stored and protected. COPPA 2.0 might wind up benefitting from the privacy debates since it emphasizes giving teens and parents ways to protect themselves from having their data used against them rather than asking adults to give up data in order to use the internet as usual.
  
  Update, March 6 2026, 11:38AM ET: Article updated with additional context on Google.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/coppa-20-passes-the-senate-again-unanimously-this-time-215044656.html?src=rss

• Capcom's long-delayed Pragmata is now arriving a week earlier
  Capcom revealed during its March 5 Spotlight showcase that Pragmata, its repeatedly delayed dystopian sci-fi adventure game, will release on April 17 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC via Steam. The game had been set for April 24 since its appearance at The Game Awards in December.
  
  The game’s new trailer shows previously unseen locations and gameplay moments, and new elements within the Shelter, the in-game lunar base. Pragmata was first revealed in 2020 with a 2022 release window. Capcom then delayed it to 2023, then went radio silent on the project before resurfacing with a new 2026 date last year.
  
  A free Sketchbook demo is available now on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, Nintendo eShop and Steam. Pre-orders for the game are available now.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/capcoms-long-delayed-pragmata-is-now-arriving-a-week-earlier-160257053.html?src=rss

• Rad Power Bikes gets a new owner, pledge to build bikes in the US
  Life EV has completed a court-approved acquisition of Rad Power Bikes, granting a second life to the troubled e-bike brand.
  
  The Florida-based Life EV now owns Rad’s brand, intellectual property, inventory and certain unspecified operating assets, and will continue to operate as Rad Power Bikes in the US, with plans to expand to "select key markets."
  
  Rad’s new owner has committed to honoring certain warranties and gift cards purchased prior to the acquisition, and says new bikes will be built in the US going forward. Life EV will adopt a Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) structure for its manufacturing operations, allowing it to take advantage of special domestic customs procedures when sourcing parts from global suppliers.
  
  "Rad Power Bikes has helped define the e-bike category in North America with its innovative products and passionate rider community," said Life EV CEO, Rob Provost. "Respecting and preserving that legacy - its brand, vision, and leadership - is foundational to this acquisition. Together, we will build on that trust and create new opportunities for riders nationwide."
  
  The completed acquisition marks the end of a turbulent period for Rad. Back in December, the company was forced to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warned Rad’s customers to "immediately stop using" some of its e-bike batteries due to a serious fire hazard. At the time, Rad said it couldn’t afford to recall the at-risk batteries.
  
  Less than two months later, in what can only be described as a strange twist of fate, a fire broke out at a Rad Power Bikes retail store warehouse in Huntington Beach, California. "We’re working with local authorities to review a thermal incident that occurred at our Huntington Beach store Sunday evening," a Rad Power Bikes spokesperson told Engadget at the time. "The incident was contained and happened while the store was closed. The cause of the fire has not been confirmed."
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/rad-power-bikes-gets-a-new-owner-pledge-to-build-bikes-in-the-us-144641940.html?src=rss

• Engadget Podcast: Is the MacBook Neo the one?
  It9s been a wild week for Apple. After announcing a slew of new hardware, the company capped things off with its cheapest laptop ever: the $599 MacBook Neo. It9s low on specs, but high on character and value. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham dive into the MacBook Neo, as well as the refreshed MacBook Air M5, MacBook Pro M5 Pro/Max, iPad Air M4 and iPhone 17e. 
  
  Also, Devindra chats with Spencer Ackerman, author of Forever Wars and recent Iron Man comics, about the ongoing battle between Anthropic and the Department of Defense. It turns out the DOD still used Claude for attacks on Iran, after banning Anthropic9/s AI last week. And really, what do these AI companies expect to happen when they jump at military contracts?
  Subscribe!
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  Topic
  Apple announces a the MacBook Neo priced at $599 and it’s shockingly great – 0:53
  
  MacBook Air got the M5, MacBook Pro got the M5 Pro and M5 Max, and who needs the new iPad Air now? – 22:31
  
  Anthropic vs. DoD with Spencer Ackerman, author of The Forever Wars – 30:34
  
  Gemini encouraged a man to end his own life to be with his ‘AI wife’ – 58:53
  
  Polymarket nixes bets on nuclear detonation after public outcry – 1:01:55
  
  No Yōtei on PC: Sony closes down first party titles outside of PS5 – 1:03:56
  
  Wildlight Studios’ Highguard shuts down after 46 days live – 1:08:23
  
  Working on: Dell’s XPS 14 will be great when the keyboard fix comes through – 1:15:09
  
  Pop culture picks – 1:15:58
  Credits
  Hosts: Devindra Hardawar and Nathan Ingraham
  Guest: Spencer Ackerman
  Producer: Ben Ellman
  Music: Dale North and Terrence O’Brien
  
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/engadget-podcast-is-the-macbook-neo-the-one-132801575.html?src=rss

• Dell XPS 14 (2026) review: A beautiful laptop that excels at almost everything… except typing
  There is so much to love about Dell9s new XPS 14, it9s hard for me to discuss it without sounding like a total fanboy. Its new design makes it incredibly thin and light. And Intel9s Panther Lake chips give it a ton of power, even when it comes to games. After reviving the XPS brand from last year9s ignominious rebranding, it9s as if Dell was laser-focused on fixing all the issues we9ve had with the XPS 14 so far. 
  
  Unfortunately, a shallow, unresponsive and hilariously error-prone keyboard kept me from truly loving the XPS 14. Simply put, it has trouble recognizing keys if you press them too quickly in succession. And for fast and demanding typists like myself, that leads to countless errors that disrupt your flow. In the last sentence alone, I counted ten times where I had to go back and make sure commas appeared before a space, or tweak simple spelling errors. What good is a fast, light and beautiful machine if I can9t type a sentence in peace?
  
  
  
  It9s not unusual for laptop keyboards to require a bit of user training. But my issues with the XPS 14 aren9t from a lack of practice — it simply doesn9t recognize key presses as quickly as every other laptop I9ve tested. As you can see in the video below, quick key presses are almost always recognized in reverse, or sometimes aren9t recognized at all. Those issues mostly go away if you type more slowly and deliberately, but that seems like a ridiculous compromise for a premium machine in 2026.
  
  Dell engineers are currently testing one of the two review samples I received, both of which exhibited the exact same keyboard issue. Other reviewers have also noted that they need to type more slowly for the keyboard to work best. Gizmodo9s Kyle Barr seems to be just as frustrated with the keyboard as I am, but he thinks it9s due to Dell9s seamless key design, which doesn9t have any spaces between keys. My brother, who is an IT professional, also noticed the input issues when he typed on the XPS 14. 
  
  I9m not crazy, I swear!
  Dell XPS 14 (2026) keyboardDevindra Hardawar for Engadget
  According to Dell, its engineers believe a firmware fix could solve my issues, but it9s unclear when that will actually arrive. Given that these laptops have been out in the wild for weeks, I decided to review the XPS 14 as is. TL;DR, it9s the prettiest machine I9ve ever used that I hate to type on.
  
  Seriously, this thing is gorgeous. Dell9s designers outdid themselves with the machine9s smooth metal case, which is more MacBook-like than its boxy predecessors. It9s astonishing this system weighs just three pounds, putting it right between the 3.4-pound 14-inch MacBook Pro and the 2.7-pound 13.6-inch MacBook Air. It9s also just a third of a pound heavier than the MacBook Neo, Apple9s attempt at an underpowered entry-level laptop.
  
  I9m also glad to see that Dell has heard my complaints about how over-designed the last XPS line was. For example, the company has stuck with its "invisible" trackpad, which sits flush with the laptop9s wrist rest. But now there are two faint lines that designate where, exactly, the trackpad begins and ends. It9s a solution reminiscent of Apple9s MacBooks, which all feature large glass trackpads separated by a light border from their metal cases. Thanks to these two small lines, which don9t detract from XPS 149s minimalist aesthetic, I feel more confident swiping around.
  
  Dell also reversed course on the wonky capacitive function row from the previous models — which again, looked cool, but had some serious usability issues. It was tough to touch type with them, since they didn9t feel as tactile as normal keys. And most crucially, the capacitive function row completely disappeared in direct sunlight. God forbid you were outside and wanted to change the volume level! This XPS 14 brings back a normal keyed function row, which is easier to touch type on and actually works in direct sunlight. (I sometimes wonder if Dell9s designers ever went outside with the last XPS 14.)
  Dell XPS 14 (2026)Devindra Hardawar for Engadget
  Our review model9s 2.8K 14-inch OLED touchscreen looked spectacular, with bold colors and wonderfully deep black levels. But that9s pretty much what I9ve come to expect from OLED by this point. I can9t get enough of the extra eye candy OLED adds to photos and videos, and it makes a huge difference with games as well. But take note that OLED is only available for the priciest XPS 14, all other models get a standard non-touch 2K LCD. 
  
  When it comes to connectivity, three USB-C ports and a headphone jack are all you get with the new XPS 14. The microSD card slot from the previous model is gone, and there9s also no HDMI or USB Type A connections like you9d find on similar systems from ASUS and Acer. Apple9s 14-inch MacBook Pro, notably, features three USB-C ports, a full-sized HDMI slot, a large SD card reader and a headphone jack. 
  Dell XPS 14 (2026)Devindra Hardawar for Engadget
  Beyond Dell9s redesign, the main star of the XPS 14 is Intel9s new Panther Lake Core Ultra X7 358H chip, which offers some serious graphics upgrades over the last generation. Our review unit, which featured 32GB of RAM and Intel9s built-in Arc B390 GPU, was able to reach 130fps in Arc Raiders while playing in 1080p with medium graphics settings, as well as XeSS upscaling and frame generation. I was able to play through a few rounds with no lag — my only distraction was the lingering realization I was playing so smoothly on an ultraportable9s integrated graphics.
  
  I certainly wouldn9t recommend the XPS 14 for heavy gamers. But if you9re forced to choose a new non-gaming system for work or school, it9s certainly nice that it can play some modern titles well. I also saw 63fps while playing Cyberpunk 2077 in 1080p with medium graphics settings and XeSS tech active. Not bad for one of the most demanding PC games in recent memory! 
  
  Computer
  
  PCMark 10
  
  Geekbench 6
  
  Geekbench 6 GPU
  
  Cinebench 2024
  
  Dell XPS 14 (Intel Core Ultra X7 358H)
  
  9,651
  
  2,890/16,745
  
  56,378
  
  125/685
  
  MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ (Intel Core Ultra X7 358H)
  
  10,169
  
  2,864/16,633
  
  56,425
  
  117/719
  
  Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5, 2025)
  
  N/A
  
  4,310/18,003
  
  48,840
  
  197/1,034
  
  Dell 16 Premium (Core Ultra 7 255H, NVIDIA RTX 5070)
  
  7,780
  
  2,711/15,919
  
  109,443
  
  127/1,104
  
  
  
  Benchmarks also point to plenty of power under the hood: The XPS 14 scored similarly to the MSI Prestige 14 AI+, which also has the Ultra X7 358H chip, in PCMark 10 and Geekbench 6. I was also surprised to see that its single-core Geekbench 6 score was higher than ASUS9s ProArt PX13 GoPro Edition, a beastly machine with 128GB of RAM and a powerful AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 chip. The XPS 14 also scored 3,000 points higher than the Acer Predator Triton 14 AI gaming laptop (powered by a last-gen Core Ultra 9 288V chip) in Geekbench9s multi-threaded CPU test. 
  
  Clearly, this was a growth year for Intel9s hardware. Just keep in mind that all of our figures come from Dell9s highest-end XPS 14 configuration, which currently starts at $2,250 with 64GB of RAM on the company9s site. The lowest-end configuration, which starts at $1,450, comes with an Intel Core Ultra 7 355 chip, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. When I briefly tested that system (it had to be sent back to Dell for that keyboard issue), it scored 2,000 points lower than the Ultra X7 model in PCMark 10. I didn9t get to game on the entry-level XPS 14, but I wouldn9t expect much, since Intel9s beefy Arc graphics are reserved for its pricier X7 and X9 CPUs.
  Dell XPS 14 (2026) case logoDevindra Hardawar for Engadget
  I was also surprised to see that the XPS 14 lasted just 10 hours and 21 minutes in PCMark 10’s Modern office battery test. The MSI Prestige 14 went for a whopping 22 hours and 15 minutes — that’s far more in line with Intel’s efficiency claims for Panther Lake systems. I tested both the XPS 14 and MSI Prestige 14 in Window’s “balanced” battery profile, so you may be able to eke out more life with more battery saving features turned on. 
  
  If I were to judge the XPS 14 based purely on its specs and design alone, it would be my favorite Windows laptop available today. But I swear, I can9t live with its keyboard issues. I had to seriously slow down my typing just to get this review written, and even then I still had to back up and make more corrections than usual. Dell is so close to making a PC that’s a true MacBook Pro competitor, it9s a shame a simple keyboard issue holds the XPS 14 back from true greatness.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/dell-xps-14-2026-review-a-beautiful-laptop-that-excels-at-almost-everything-except-typing-130000656.html?src=rss

• The Morning After: Apple takes on cheap Windows laptops and Chromebooks with the $599 MacBook Neo
  Right off the back of the iPhone 17e, new iPads and MacBook Airs, Apple also announced a keenly priced new laptop. The right here. Oh, and for everything Apple announced – we9ve pulled all the news together here.
  
  – Mat Smith
  
  The other big stories this week
  
  Nothing9s Phone 4a Pro has a premium unibody designDesign-wise, it seems a little safer than the company9s usual.Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra reviewThe stealth upgrade.Netflix just bought an AI startup founded by Ben AffleckThe company promises to keep "filmmakers at the center of the process."Engadget
  What could go wrong?
  
  Continue reading.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-121523538.html?src=rss

• UK government delays AI copyright rules amid artist outcry
  The UK government is working on a controversial data bill that would allow AI companies like Google and OpenAI to train their models on copyrighted materials without consent. However, following a two month consultation, it looks like passage of the law will be delayed. "Copyright is going to be kicked down the road," a person with knowledge of the matter told introduced an amendment that would require tech companies to disclose which copyright-protected works were used to train AI models. That addition, however, was blocked by the UK9s House of Commons in May last year.
  
  The UK9s majority Labour government — already under fire for its handling of the economy — has taken hits from publishers, musicians, authors and other creative groups over the proposed law. Elton John called the government "absolute losers" while Paul McCartney said that AI has its uses but "it shouldn9t rip creative people off." McCartney and others artists were part of a "silent album" meant to show the impact of IP theft by AI. 
  
  Baroness Beeban Kidron from the House of Lords has also ripped the government over the AI bill. "Creators do not deny the creative and economic value of AI, but we do deny the assertion that we should have to build AI for free with our work, and then rent it back from those who stole it," she said last year. "It9s astonishing that a Labour government would abandon the labor force of an entire section."
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/uk-government-delays-ai-copyright-rules-amid-artist-outcry-113937154.html?src=rss

• Anthropic says it will challenge Defense Department's supply chain risk designation in court
  In a new blog post, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has admitted that it received a letter from the Defense Department, officially labeling it a supply chain risk. He said he doesn’t “believe this action is legally sound,” and that his company sees “no choice” but to challenge it in court. Hours before Amodei published the post, the Pentagon announced that it notified the company that its “products are deemed a supply chain risk, effective immediately.”
  
  If you’ll recall, the Defense Department (called the Department of War under the current administration) threatened to give the company the designation typically reserved for firms from adversaries like China if it didn’t agree to remove its safeguards over mass surveillance and autonomous weapons. President Trump then ordered federal agencies to stop using Anthropic’s tech.
  
  Amodei explained that the designation has a narrow scope, because it only exists to protect the government. That is why the general public, and even Defense Department contractors, can still use Anthropic’s Claude chatbot and its AI technologies. Microsoft told back in talks with the agency in an effort to reach a new deal. In addition, he apologized for a leaked internal memo, wherein he reportedly said that OpenAI’s messaging about its own deal with the department is “just straight up lies.”
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/anthropic-says-it-will-challenge-defense-departments-supply-chain-risk-designation-in-court-054459618.html?src=rss

• X's Exclusive Threads feature lets creators paywall the end of tweet threads
  Today, X announced some updates to its creator subscriptions platform. The leading change gives participating accounts the option to make part of tweet threads only visible to subscribers. This new Creator Subscriptions feature is called Exclusive Threads, an ironic name choice given X9s main text-based social media posting competitor is called Threads.
  Creator Subscriptions 2.0 is here: powerful new tools to grow your subscribers and earn more.
  
  Introducing Exclusive Threads — lock any post in a thread for subscribers only. Tease in the parent, monetize the rest. Subscribe buttons are now embedded directly in the conversation. pic.twitter.com/j8Bg3bMDiW
  — Creators (@XCreators) March 5, 2026
  The new tool allows a creator to tease paywalled content, rather than keeping all of the material behind a subscribers-only gate. A gif shared both by the X Creators account and by the company9s head of product, Nikita Bier, show how it will look in practice. Buttons to sign up as a subscriber will be embedded into the post chain, with the hope that the need to see the rest of the thread will be a big enough draw for readers to pay up. X has been making a push to draw content creators, offering other recent features like a 9paid partnership9 label for sponsored posts.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/xs-exclusive-threads-feature-lets-creators-paywall-the-end-of-tweet-threads-000246204.html?src=rss

• Amazon.com is on the mend after experiencing technical issues
  Amazon9s website appears to be stabilizing after experiencing technical issues that kept users from logging in and prevented prices from displaying correctly. DownDetector reported a spike of outage reports around 2PM ET, but as of 5:56PM ET, user complaints have fallen significantly.
  
  The Amazon.com homepage currently loads, and Engadgets staff have been able to load product pages and view prices without any problems. During the peak of the site’s issues, neither were loading consistently, and clicking through in some cases showed an error page with text that says "Sorry, something went wrong on our end." Users also reported being unable to log into their accounts.
  
  “We9re sorry that some customers may be experiencing issues while shopping,” Amazon said in a statement to Engadget. “We appreciate customers’ patience as we work to resolve the issue." The company shared a similar sentiment with customers on X, confirming that it’s aware there’s a problem and acknowledging that its working on a fix. Amazon has yet to confirm whether the issue is fully resolved.
  
  As a cloud provider through its Amazon Web Services (AWS) business, Amazon has experienced its fair share of outages, including one in October 2025 that took out services like Snapchat and Amazon9s own Alexa voice assistant for hours. The company9s website experiencing issues without a larger AWS outage seems a bit more unusual, and might suggest the problem lies outside of its cloud infrastructure.
  
  Update, March 5, 5:56PM ET: Updated article to reflect improved performance on Amazon.com.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/amazoncom-is-on-the-mend-after-experiencing-technical-issues-211430657.html?src=rss

• Xbox CEO confirms next-gen 'Project Helix' console will play PC games
  Xbox CEO Asha Sharma is gearing up to spill the beans on Microsoft’s next-generation console. In a post on X today, she revealed that the system is codenamed “Project Helix.” Confirming previous rumors, she says it will “lead in performance” and play both console and PC games. Sharma also notes that she’ll be discussing the system at GDC next week with partners and developers.
  
  The next-gen console tease follows Sharma’s appointment as Xbox CEO a few weeks ago, after former Xbox head Phil Spencer stepped down. Last year, it was clear that things were rocky for Microsoft’s storied gaming brand, and the executive shakeup certainly didn’t help much. But it’ll be interesting to hear more details about Project Helix at GDC — is it simply a PC masquerading as a console? What sort of performance benchmarks is Microsoft trying to reach, and will we get any hints about hardware?
  
  For the first time, in a long time, there’s something intriguing happening in the land of Xbox. Much like the first Xbox, Microsoft could end up cutting this generation short to quickly prep a successor. And if the rumors about a PlayStation 6 delay end up being true, it could give Microsoft a few years with new hardware ahead of Sony.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/xbox-ceo-confirms-next-gen-project-helix-console-will-play-pc-games-204654357.html?src=rss

• How to watch Frost Fatales 2026, kicking off on March 8
  It feels like we could all use a little (or a large) boost of joy and optimism right now, so it9s a perfect coincidence that a Games Done Quick event is on the horizon. Frost Fatales 2026 is running from March 8 through March 14. This week-long livestream will be raising money for the National Women9s Law Center, a nonprofit working toward gender justice for women and girls. 
  
  GDQ events have been branching out with more ways to tune in for the speedrunning fun. Frost Fatales 2026 will be a streaming on the GDQ Twitch channel as usual, but the organization is also now broadcasting on YouTube, and you can watch the live feed there next week as well. Each day’s pre-show kicks off at 12:30PM ET.
  
  Frost Fatales is the winter charity event from the Frame Fatales, a community for women and femmes in speedrunning that operates under the GDQ banner. The group has raised more than $1 million for philanthropic organizations since its first event in 2019. 
  
  The schedule for next week has a mix of speedrun standards (think Super Mario 64 and Super Metroid) alongside and newer releases, plus some more offbeat categories that promise to be a highly entertaining watch. The event kicks off on Sunday with western flair in Red Dead Redemption 2. Horror fans have a good selection on Tuesday night with Silent Hill f, Resident Evil 3 (2020) and Resident Evil Village. The Kirby Air Riders run on Friday night will highlight a bunch of community members for max wholesome vibes. Peak, a notable new game from 2025, is already getting speedruns, which you can watch Saturday afternoon before a bingo race of recent indie hit UFO 50 in the evening and the final run of Titanfall 2 to close the event. Fatales events aren9t a 24/7 affair like Awesome and Summer Games Done Quick, so be sure to check the schedule for all the highlights.
  
  Or, if you simply can’t wait until Sunday to dive into some great speedruns, Games Done Quick recently launched GDQ TV. This dedicated Twitch channel is always on and highlights some notable moments and runs from the entirety of the GDQ archive.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/how-to-watch-frost-fatales-2026-kicking-off-on-march-8-201826864.html?src=rss

• The Playdate Catalog's 3-year anniversary sale is here
  If your Playdate wishlist is anything like mine (endless), here9s a good excuse to actually go ahead and free some of those games from limbo: Panic is running a two-week-long sale on the Playdate Catalog to celebrate its three-year anniversary. Sure, the majority of Playdate games are pretty cheap as is, but they can still add up when you9re on a wild purchasing spree. Ask me how I know! The sale will be running from March 5 until March 19 at 1PM ET (10AM PT), so take advantage of the discounts while you can. 
  
  There are 423 games available in the Catalog now, according to Panic, so if you9re having trouble deciding on which you should go for, I9ve got you covered with a few recommendations right here. 
  Season Two
  
  
  If $39 felt like too much to drop on Season Two when it came out last summer, now9s the time to get it. Playdate9s second season had only half the number of games as its first, but it still felt like a much stronger collection. Each of its 12 games is really solid, and there9s plenty of variety in terms of genre and style, from puzzles and hours-long adventures to fast-paced action games that are great for bursts of intense play. And, it comes with cheese games and best Playdate games, where you9ll find gems like Summit and Bwirds. There are quite a few I9m planning to finally spring from my wishlist too, including The Shape That Waits, Xeno Escape and Loona Landa. 
  
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-playdate-catalogs-3-year-anniversary-sale-is-here-181500105.html?src=rss

• Google reportedly muzzles Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney until 2032
  Epic Games’ courtroom battle with Google is over, but it’s reportedly going to affect how its CEO can speak about the tech giant for years for years to come. According to once called both Apple and Google “gangster-style businesses” that will “always continue” to be engaged in illegal practices and just pay the fine afterwards. Epic Games filed a lawsuit against Google in 2020, accusing it of illegal monopoly on app distribution and in-app billing services for Android devices. In 2023, Google lost the lawsuit. It then lost its appeal two years later, before the companies reached a settlement in November 2025. On March 4 this year, Google officially scrapped the 30 percent cut it takes from Play Store transactions, lowering it to 20 percent and even to 15 percent in some cases.
  
  In response to the Google’s decision, Epic Games is bringing back Fortnite to the Play Store worldwide. “Google is opening up Android all the way with robust support for competing stores, competing payments, and a better deal for all developers. So, we9ve settled all of our disputes worldwide. THANKS GOOGLE!” Sweeney posted on X. Based on the clause in their settlement, future statements from the CEO about Google will need to carry a similar tone, in the next few years at least.
  
  Update, March 5 2026, 2:13PM ET: Epic reached out to Engadget to share an important clarification: “Criticizing Google is fair game on topics not related to app store distribution/ fees,” the company wrote on X, “Epic and Google agreed to not disparage only on topics about the settlement.” We’ve updated the copy of our story to reflect the specificity of the non-disparagement agreement, and look forward to the ways in which Epic will certainly exercise its remaining capacity to be critical of Google.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/google-reportedly-muzzles-epic-games-ceo-tim-sweeney-until-2032-105501644.html?src=rss

• Roku is launching a trivia game called... Roklue?
  Who needs announcement for the ages. Behold: Roklue. Yes, that9s a real name that someone with a job title and (likely high) salary came up with.
  
  Roklue (shudder) will quiz players on "the movies and TV shows that everyone is talking about," along with classic "beloved favorites." When it references a movie or show, it will provide a link for you to tune in on your device. The initial version is an Oscar season tie-in ("Roklue: Awards Season") that debuts on Saturday. This inaugural version is produced by B17 Entertainment, a Sony-owned company.
  
  Roku says it will rotate thematic content throughout the year. Variety reports that those will center around music festivals, the Emmys and holidays.
  
  Apart from that name, which should come with a gag-reflex warning, Roklue sounds harmless enough. You play a trivia game to find new stuff to stream; Roku grows its engagement. Win-win. But with corporate schemes like this, it9s always worth wondering where further monetization might eventually come into play. Think something like linking to series on platforms you don9t yet subscribe to. (Hello, kickback.)
  
  On March 7, you9ll find the free Roklue (ick) game on your Roku home screen, no download required.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/roku-is-launching-a-trivia-game-called-roklue-190000386.html?src=rss

• Netflix just bought an AI startup founded by Ben Affleck
  Netflix has acquired an AI filmmaking startup called InterPositive, according to a report by Variety. This is a company that was founded by actor Ben Affleck back in 2022. Don9t worry if you haven9t heard of it. Affleck has been operating the company in stealth mode for the past few years, so this is pretty much it9s big coming-out party.
  
  The terms of the acquisition haven9t been disclosed, but Affleck will remain on as a senior advisor to Netflix. Additionally, the entire staff will be absorbed into the streaming platform.
  
  Affleck says he started the company after "observing the early rise of AI in production" and realizing how the "models came up short." The company makes tools that generate AI models based on an existing production9s dailies. This lets filmmakers use the model in the post-production process to do stuff like mix and color, relight shots and add visual effects.
  
  Affleck adds that this tech is "not about text-prompting or generating something from nothing." Netflix says the company will keep "filmmakers at the center of the process." The company recently used generative AI tools to whip up a VFX shot in a show called The Eternaut. It9s also been using AI to make ads more intrusive. We9ll have to wait and see if creators do indeed remain at the center of things. Netflix will offer access to InterPositive9s tech to creative partners but has no plans to sell it commercially.
  
  To Affleck9s credit, he seems to have a nuanced understanding of modern AI tools. "We also need to preserve what makes storytelling human, which is judgment," he said. "The kind that takes decades to build, experience to hone and that only people can have. I knew I had a responsibility to my peers and our industry, to protect the power of human creativity and the people behind it." However, it9s worth reiterating that the company is no longer in Affleck9s hands, as he is now just an advisor.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/netflix-just-bought-an-ai-startup-founded-by-ben-affleck-184536640.html?src=rss

• Meta hit with a class action lawsuit over smart glasses' privacy claims
  Meta is facing a class action lawsuit for false advertising related to its AI glasses following reports about the company9s use of human contractors to review footage captured from users9 glasses. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in federal court in San Francisco, alleges that Meta9s claims about the devices9 privacy features have misled users. 
  
  The lawsuit comes after a Swedish newspaper reported that subcontractors in Kenya have raised concerns about viewing footage recorded via Ray-Ban Meta glasses. According to Svenska Dagbladet, workers have reported witnessing "intimate" material, including bathroom visits, sexual encounters and other private details as part of their job labeling objects in videos captured on users9 smart glasses.
  
  "This nationwide class action seeks to hold Meta responsible for its affirmatively false advertising and failure to disclose the true nature of surveillance and its connection to the company’s AI data collection pipeline," the lawsuit, filed by Clarkson Law Firm, states. The filing names two individuals who live in California and New Jersey who purchased Meta9s smart glasses. It says that both "relied" on Meta9s marketing claims about the glasses9 privacy protecting features and that they would not have purchased them if they knew about the company9s use of contractors. The lawsuit seeks monetary damages and injunctive relief.
  
  A spokesperson for Meta confirmed to Engadget that data from its smart glasses can be shared with human contractors in some cases. The company declined to comment on the claims in the lawsuit.
  
  "Ray-Ban Meta glasses help you use AI, hands free, to answer questions about the world around you," the spokesperson said. "Unless users choose to share media they9ve captured with Meta or others, that media stays on the user9s device. When people share content with Meta AI, we sometimes use contractors to review this data for the purpose of improving people9s experience, as many other companies do. We take steps to filter this data to protect people9s privacy and to help prevent identifying information from being reviewed."
  
  What the company doesn9t explicitly say there is that there is no way to use the smart glasses9 "multimodal" features without sharing the captures of your surroundings with the company. As I noted in my review of the second-generation Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses last year: "images of your surroundings processed for the glasses9 multimodal features like Live AI can be used for training purposes (these images aren9t saved to your device9s camera roll)." 
  
  So while Meta claims that users9 own recordings are kept private, footage that is captured but not stored locally for users — like video when Live AI is in use — can be sent to contractors who help train the company9s AI models. Meta9s privacy policy doesn9t specifically mention the use of human contractors, though it states that such data can be used for training purposes. 
  
  "The undisclosed human review pipeline renders the Meta AI Glasses’ privacy features materially misleading, transforms the product from a personal device into a surveillance conduit, and exposes consumers to unreasonable risks of dignitary harm, emotional distress, stalking, extortion, identity theft, and reputational injury," the lawsuit says. "Indeed, Meta employees and contractors have described viewing credit card numbers, nudity, sexual activity, and identifiable faces in the footage they reviewed, and reported that Meta’s purported anonymization safeguards do not reliably function."
  
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-hit-with-a-class-action-lawsuit-over-smart-glasses-privacy-claims-182846817.html?src=rss

• I hope you like spreadsheets, because GPT-5.4 loves them
  OpenAI is releasing a new model today, and like GPT-5.2 before it, GPT-5.4 is all about professional work. OpenAI is calling GPT-5.4 its most capable frontier model for tasks like coding and data analysis. OpenAI claims the new model produced presentations with stronger, more varied aesthetics and made more effective use of its image generation tools.
  
  It9s also the first model from OpenAI built with native computer-use capabilities, making it better at carrying out tasks across several apps at the same time. When it comes to computer use, one noticeable improvement OpenAI has recorded is the way GPT-5.4 issues mouse and keyboard commands. It9s significantly better at navigating a desktop environment than its predecessor.  
  
  When users turn to GPT-5.4 in ChatGPT, where it will now be the default model for the chatbot9s Thinking mode, the system will outline how it plans to tackle a request, giving people the opportunity to tell it to adjust course as it9s generating a response. At the same time, the new model offers better web research capabilities, especially when it comes to "highly specific" queries, according to OpenAI. 
  
  "Together, these improvements mean higher-quality answers that arrive faster and stay relevant to the task at hand," the company states. Separately, OpenAI claims GPT-5.4 is its most factual model yet, noting, relative to GPT-5.2, it9s 18 percent less likely to generate a response with any errors. Here9s hoping it knows not to turn to Grokipedia for information, something its predecessor was known to do.    
  
  As mentioned, GPT-5.4 will be available in ChatGPT when users select the chatbot9s Thinking mode, and as GPT-5.4 Pro from the model picker. As such, this isn9t a release for Free and Go users — or even Plus subscribers, for that matter. It9s more for enterprise customers, and developers who rely on the company9s Codex app. On that note, for API customers, OpenAI claims GPT-5.4 is its most token efficient reasoning model to date, though those tokens will cost more than their GPT-5.2 counterparts. For instance, OpenAI is pricing one million input tokens at $2.50, up from $1.75 with GPT-5.2.   
  
  The fact that OpenAI has increasingly shifted its strategy to focus on professionals shouldn9t be surprising. When Microsoft announced last September it would add Anthropic9s models to Copilot 365 (where previously it depended exclusively on OpenAI9s systems), there were reports that suggested the company made the decision because it found Claude was better at tasks like generating spreadsheets and presentations. Reporting from $1.4 trillion in data center commitments on the books, it9s reliant on funding from investors to keep the lights on. Seen in that context, productivity represents a place where it might have a chance to build a sustainable business. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/i-hope-you-like-spreadsheets-because-gpt-54-loves-them-180000444.html?src=rss

• The National Videogame Museum has acquired the mythical Nintendo Playstation
  It might sound like the stuff of daydreams now, but once upon a time it was briefly the very real intention of Sony and Nintendo to collaborate on a console. Nicknamed the Nintendo PlayStation, the idea was that a new CD-ROM format backed by Sony would be added to the cartridge-based Super NES, resulting in a hybrid console that could play both.
  
  The partnership didn’t last long, though, with Nintendo backing out before it ever really got off the ground, announcing that it would instead be working with Philips. Sony decided to make the PlayStation on its own instead, in an act of revenge that you have to say paid off in the long run, and we never did get to see Crash Bandicoot running around the Mushroom Kingdom. Still, the short-lived Nintendo PlayStation remains a fascinating what-if scenario in video game history, and the USA’s National Video Museum has acquired the original development kit.
  BREAKING: The NVM has acquired the mythical Nintendo Playstation! 🤯
  
  This Sony MSF-1 is the OLDEST known existing Nintendo Playstation hardware artifact, and is the original development system for Sony’s planned Super Nintendo CD attachment. It is the ONLY known unit to exist!… pic.twitter.com/9JQyCsFtxc
  — National Videogame Museum (@nvmusa) March 4, 2026
  Codenamed the MSF-1, the device now in the museum’s possession is the oldest known prototype of the console that never was, and according to the Texas-based NVM, likely the only one that still exists. Being a dev kit, it’s unsurprisingly not the most attractive thing to look at, and definitely not something you would guess is designed to play video games if you didn’t know any better. But it’s still a hell of an artifact for the museum to get its hands on.
  
  Presumably very few people outside of Sony and Nintendo would have had access to the MSF-1, but just over a decade ago Engadget was able to test an ultra-rare prototype of what was going to be the consumer product. The same prototype was later sold for more than $300,000 at an auction.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-national-videogame-museum-has-acquired-the-mythical-nintendo-playstation-173529085.html?src=rss

• Google begins calling out battery-killing Android apps
  Google is living up to its word and posting warning labels for battery-killing apps. 9to5Google spotted Google9s rollout announcement, which the company previously said would arrive on March 1.
  
  The label says, “This app may use more battery than expected due to high background activity.” If you don9t yet see the warnings, they may not have reached you yet. Google says the banners will "roll out gradually to impacted apps" in the coming weeks.
  Play Store battery warningGoogle
  Warning labels aren’t the only stick in Google’s fight against infringing apps. They may also be excluded from discovery services like Play Store recommendations.
  
  Google9s definition of battery-draining apps centers around Android9s "partial wake lock" mechanism. This service allows an app to keep the phone9s processor running even while the screen is off. There are logical exceptions where apps do need this: audio playback, location access, etc. But the company apparently sees too many abusing that API for other reasons. And Google wouldn9t want people to assume the problem is with the hardware and switch to an iPhone — because then we’re talking about money.
  
  If you9re a developer, Google9s technical documentation offers much more detail. For everyone else, keep an eye out for those Play Store labels and consider steering clear of those apps until their devs clean things up.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/google-begins-calling-out-battery-killing-android-apps-170650936.html?src=rss

• Google pledges roughly three hours of its annual profit to fight climate change
  Google has pledged "at least" $50 million through 2030 on "projects designed to eliminate superpollutants." The company will be joined by a handful of other companies including Amazon and Salesforce in the newly formed Superpollutant Action Initiative.
  
  In total, these companies have committed $100 million to the project, hoping to "accelerate the reduction" of superpollutants like methane, black carbon and refrigerant gases. Google says these are responsible for close to half of all planetary warming.
  
  "Superpollutants are a major part of the equation to limit atmospheric warming. Experts agree that eliminating them where we can is one of the most powerful levers we have to deliver near-term impact, playing a vital and complementary role to removing CO2," said Randy Spock, Google9s carbon credits and removals lead. The gases break down faster than CO2 but can trap heat thousands of times more efficiently, and the coalition claims that aggressive action could prevent more than half a degree Celsius of warming by 2050.
  
  Alphabet, Google’s parent company, reported $132 billion in net income in 2025. Google9s five-year, $50 million pledge works out to about three hours of that. The company is also set to spend billions building massive data centers for AI that it claims are more resource conscious than others. So far, Google’s AI infrastructure buildout drove an 11 percent rise in the company9s total emissions last year.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-pledges-roughly-three-hours-of-its-annual-profit-to-fight-climate-change-164808010.html?src=rss

• Canadian government says OpenAI will take further steps to strengthen safety protocols
  The Canadian government says that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has agreed to take steps to immediately strengthen safety protocols, pic.twitter.com/wg24dMGl3r
  — Evan Solomon (@EvanLSolomon) March 5, 2026
  Solomon attended a virtual meeting with Altman to discuss how the company "would include Canadian privacy, mental health and law enforcement experts into the process to identify and review high-risk cases involving Canadian users." He says OpenAI has pledged to provide a report to outline these new protocols.
  
  He also asked Altman to make these changes retroactively and to review previous suspicious incidents on the platform, providing law enforcement with data when necessary. We don9t know if OpenAI has consented to that part.
  
  Engadget has reached out to OpenAI to ask about these changes and if they9ll be exclusive to Canada. We9ll update this post if we hear back.
  
  This isn9t the first step the company has made to make things right with Canada. Ann O’Leary, OpenAI9s VP of global policy, recently suggested that the company would be tweaking its detection systems to better prevent banned users from returning to the platform. The company banned the alleged shooter9s original account due to "potential warnings of committing real-world violence" but he was able to make another one.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/canadian-government-says-openai-will-take-further-steps-to-strengthen-safety-protocols-164151618.html?src=rss

• Oura buys gesture-navigation startup DoublePoint
  Smart ring maker Oura has acquired Doublepoint, a company that specializes in gesture recognition for wearables. The Finnish startup uses smartwatches and wristbands as examples of products that benefit from its technology, but Oura will clearly be looking to incorporate it into its rings, in theory allowing you to control your connected devices with hand movements.
  
  Oura said in a press release that the deal sees it inherit an "exceptional team of AI architects and builders from Doublepoint," including Doublepoint's four founders. The newly-acquired company will remain in its native Helsinki, where it will work with Oura’s international teams.
  
  It added that Doublepoint’s expertise in helping devices register subtle hand movements will be key, as nobody wearing a smart ring is going to engage with gesture control if they have to thrash their hand around like a conductor.
  
  Oura says it believes that the next generation of wearable AI-powered tech will use a combination of gesture and voice control, and Doublepoint’s background in biometric integration with devices will give it an edge in a competitive market.
  
  Oura’s most recent release is the Oura Ring 4, which Engadget’s Daniel Cooper called "the smart ring to beat" in his long-term review last year. He praised the design, improved data collection and app interface, but was disappointed that even using basic hardware features requires a paid subscription.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/oura-buys-gesture-navigation-startup-doublepoint-163758659.html?src=rss

• Everything you need to know about streaming F1 on Apple TV
  We’ve known Apple would follow up its blockbuster film live coverage of F1 races in 2026. Now that we’re approaching the first grand prix weekend of the year, the company has provided details on what fans can expect to see inside the Apple TV app and beyond.
  
  There’s already a dedicated F1 channel in the Apple TV app, which is where you’ll stream races live when the time comes. You can also watch practice sessions, sprint races and both pre- and post-race coverage. Apple offers a number of additional F1 videos there (I’d recommend watching the one on the new rules) and you’ll be able to stream the latest season of Drive To Survive on Apple TV as well.
  
  Apple will offer the F1 TV feed as the main broadcast alongside the Sky Sports feed for all races. If you’ll recall, ESPN used to show the Sky Sports feed with Sky’s commentary team for its coverage of F1. Apple says it’ll broadcast every grand prix in 4K (Dolby Vision) with 5.1 audio (no mention of Dolby Atmos).
  
  As part of Apple’s deal with F1, Apple TV subscribers get F1 TV Premium for the 2026 season. This gives you access to things like onboard cameras, team radios and live telemetry in addition to live coverage of the entire grand prix weekend. So, you can watch races on Apple TV or F1 TV, depending on your app preferences, or use the additional features of F1 TV Premium as a second (or third, etc.) screen setup. Netflix will also broadcast the Canadian Grand Prix in May as part of the deal that brought Drive To Survive to Apple TV.
  Multi-view for F1 on Apple TVApple
  Full replays for all sessions will be available in the Apple TV app as well. Apple will offer a condensed race in 30 minutes replay option too, and the company says it’s working to hide spoilers in case users are watching after the race begins or concludes.
  
  Apple has cooked up some new features for F1 grands prix as it takes over broadcast rights in the US. When you click on the F1 channel in the Apple TV app, the current grand prix week’s content is up top and you have the option to follow F1 so that you get notifications about the various events. Apple will provide a Driver Tracker, Driver Data and dedicated feeds for P1, P2 and P3. You can also watch the driver onboard cameras for each car in the Apple TV app. So, you don’t necessarily have to venture out to F1 TV for those things.
  
  Apple will provide various Multiview options so you can put the main broadcast next to driver cams and race data. The company will offer some preset configurations, but you can make your own Multiview mix too. If you like Mercedes, for example, you can watch the main feed with driver cameras from Russell and Antonelli right beside it. Apple says Multiview will support up to five feeds at once (one main in the middle with two smaller ones on each side).
  The Formula 1 channel on Apple TVBilly Steele for Engadget
  If you can only listen to races, you can hear live coverage and commentary in Apple Music through a dedicated radio streaming channel. There are also updated features for Apple News, Apple Sports and Apple Maps, the latter of which will have detailed info for fans attending in-person so they can hopefully avoid any surprises — like road closures — on race day.
  
  The first race of the season is in Australia (March 6-8). Practice begins Friday with qualifying on Saturday and the grand prix on Sunday. Or if you live in the US, that will be Thursday night through Saturday night (race begins at 11PM ET).
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/everything-you-need-to-know-about-streaming-f1-on-apple-tv-190600771.html?src=rss

• Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review: The stealth upgrade
  You9d be forgiven for thinking that the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra looks a lot like the last four models. That9s because it does, right down to its general design and rear camera layout. But on Samsung9s latest flagship phone, some stealthy upgrades are hidden beneath its classic blocky silhouette that might go unnoticed by the casual observer. Those help make this year9s release feel like a better deal than its most recent predecessor. It remains rather expensive, starting at the same $1,300 as before, but considering the price of RAM these days, that almost feels like a blessing. So while it won9t hit you over the head with monumental changes year over year, it9s subtly one of the best Ultras we9ve gotten in the past half-decade. 
  
  
  Design: Back to aluminum
  After dabbling with titanium frames on the last two Ultras, Samsung returned to aluminum for 2026. The company says this makes it easier to color-match the phone9s chassis to the Corning Gorilla Armor 2 panels on the front and back, though it9s incredibly difficult to see the impact on my black review unit. Elsewhere, the company shaved a few grams off its total weight and a few millimeters off its thickness (7.9mm and 214 grams), but even when directly comparing the new model to last year9s S25 Ultra (8.2mm and 218 grams), that difference is basically imperceptible. I almost think the S26 Ultra9s extra sleekness was just so that people would stop saying the Z Fold 7 is lighter than Samsung9s most premium traditional candybar-style handset. 
  
  As always, there9s a built-in storage slot for Samsung9s S-Pen, which is essentially a carbon copy of what we got last year without any functional changes. However, because the phone9s corners are more rounded than ever, one small peculiarity is that now there9s a right and wrong way to insert it. No matter what you do, the stylus will stay put, but if you don9t align the curve on the end of the S-Pen with the shape of the phone9s corner, it just doesn9t look right. 
  Display: Now with more privacy The Galaxy S26 Ultra9s display has the same specs as the previous model, except now it comes with a built-in Privacy Display. Sam Rutherford for Engadget
  The S26 Ultra9s 6.9-inch screen is easily its most undercover upgrade because it sports essentially the same specs as last year. You still get 2,600 nits of peak brightness with a variable 120Hz refresh rate and a max resolution of 3,120 x 1,440. The secret is that with the touch of a button, you can activate Samsung9s Privacy Display, which effectively stops others from spying on your screen when viewed from acute angles (both from the side and up and down). 
  
  When you turn the Privacy Display on and look at the phone less than head-on, everything sort of fades to black. Depending on the angle, you may still see an outline of UI elements and some bright spots depending on your content, but the wider you go, the fainter things get. The way it works is that the phone has two sets of subpixels, narrow and wide, the latter of which get turned off when the feature is active. And if you9re really concerned about people snooping on you, there9s an extra level called Maximum Privacy Protection that makes almost everything completely go gray, though there are trade-offs for this. 
  Even on maximum protection, you can still make out some faint details. But good luck to anyone trying to glean any usable info while the Galaxy S26 Ultra9s Privacy Display is on. Sam Rutherford for Engadget
  When using the standard Privacy Display mode, there9s very little impact on image quality and brightness, so it9s not that big of a deal to leave it on all the time. If you look closely, you may notice what appears to be a small drop in resolution, though this requires some serious pixel peeping and good eyesight. But with maximum protection on, there9s a noticeable drop in contrast and luminance that, for me, isn9t worth the increased privacy. 
  The effect is more pronounced in person, but in this side-by-side comparison, you can still see how Maximum Protection mode has an impact on the S26 Ultra9s contrast and color saturation. Sam Rutherford for Engadget
  Thankfully, there9s a third option, which is to have the phone selectively activate Privacy Display under certain conditions. You can have it automatically turn on when you get notifications or open selected apps (like for banking or authenticators), which is what I prefer. The phone can also enable the feature when you need to enter a PIN, pattern or password. The caveat is that this only applies to system-level prompts like your lock screen. Theoretically, there9s no reason the S26 Ultra can9t do this anytime you9re presented with a password or PIN prompt, but every app needs to be optimized properly, so that isn9t a thing just yet. Regardless, it9s a powerful tool that can prevent people from gleaning sensitive info while you9re and about and I really hope it becomes standard inclusion on all premium phones going forward.
  Performance and software: More speed and AI Apparently this is what Samsung9s AI thinks a Pikachu sticker should look should look like. Sam Rutherford for Engadget
  The main engine powering the S26 Ultra is Qualcomm9s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip for Galaxy along with 12GB or 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage. Its biggest strength lies in its improved NPU, which is 39 percent more powerful than the previous generation, paving the way for improved AI-based features. That said, the rest of the processor provides some nice but not especially impressive gains in processing speed. Its CPU boasted 19 percent better performance while its GPU is around 24 percent beefier. In Geekbench 6, this translated to a multi-core score of 11,240 for its CPU (up from 9,828 on the S25 Ultra) and a GPU score of 25,403 (up from 19,863). Granted, it9s not like its predecessor ever struggled with performance, but it9s still worth noting that this is essentially as fast as an Android phone can get right now. 
  
  Of course, as we progress deeper into the AI era, Samsung has come up with a boatload of new and improved AI-powered tools as well. The most useful of these is Photo Assist, which serves as a one-stop shop for all your editing and content creation needs. In addition to fixing things like reflections or deleting objects in an image, you can use natural language text prompts to generate completely new elements like hats for your pets or pretty much anything else you can think of. And if that9s not enough, there9s also Samsung9s Creative Studio, which is a playground for making all sorts of fun digital art like wallpapers, stickers and greeting cards. 
  The S26 Ultra9s Now Nudge feature uses AI to find and suggest relevant photos when you use the Samsung Keyboard. Sam Rutherford for Engadget
  Elsewhere, there9s also an improved document scanner and a call screener that9s better at blocking spam and robocalls. All told, they9re welcome upgrades and they work rather well. Samsung even borrowed an idea from Google9s Magic Cue with its Now Nudge feature, which can surface relevant photos based on context anytime you’re using the Samsung keyboard. Unfortunately, what’s arguably the S26 Ultra9s coolest new feature, Automated App Actions, isn9t available for another week. But the bigger issue is that almost all of these features are things we9ve seen before on rival devices like the Pixel 10 Pro. While they9re nice to have, it9s gotten to the point where these tools are more like table stakes for high-end phones nowadays instead of being reasons you might want to upgrade. 
  Cameras: The same sensors with some larger apertures While the S26 Ultra has the same sensors as before, Samsung gave it wider apertures for its main and 5x telephoto cameras. Sam Rutherford for Engadget
  While the sensors on the S26 Ultra haven9t changed since the previous model, Samsung didn9t completely forget about photo upgrades. Alongside its 10-megapixel 3x telephoto, 50MP ultra-wide and 12MP selfie cam, its 200MP main cam and 50MP 5x telephoto camera have larger apertures at f/1.4 and f/2.9, respectively (up from f/1.7 and f/3.4). So on top of already being able to take excellent photos during the day, the UItra9s primary shooter is noticeably better at night. 
  
  In a shot of some Transformers in a dimmed room, the S26 Ultra basically matched what I shot with a Pixel 10 Pro — aside from some minor differences in white balance. Details were sharp and Samsung9s photo was less noisy, which is due in part to a change in the phone9s image processing. But the most impressive example of the Ultra9s improved picture quality was when I took a very challenging backlit shot of a Grogu doll, in which the S26 did a better job of exposing Baby Yoda9s face compared to the P10 Pro. So even without new sensors, Samsung has managed to make an already great main camera just a bit better. 
  Battery life
  The Galaxy S26 Ultra features a 5,000mAh battery, just like what we got on the previous model. That means it9s largely relying on power efficiency gains from its new chip for improved longevity, which it delivers, but it9s not a major leap. On our local video rundown test, the S26 Ultra lasted 30 hours and three minutes, which is only about half an hour longer than before. That said, considering the only phones that have fared better were the OnePlus 15 and 15R, it9s hard to be upset about its overall runtime. 
  
  As for charging, the Ultra has gotten a big leap in speed (assuming you have compatible power adapters) compared to its less expensive siblings. When using a cable, it now supports up to 60 watts versus 45 watts for the S26+ or just 25 watts for the base S26. And it9s a similar story when charging wirelessly, with the Ultra now capable of hitting 25 watts when plopped on a pad compared to 20 watts for the S26+ and 15 watts for the S26. 
  The S26 Ultra has significantly faster wired and wireless charging than its less expensive siblings. Though sadly, it still doesn9t have a built-in ring for magnetic accessories. Sam Rutherford for Engadget
  The major annoyance is that Samsung still hasn9t given any members of the S26 family a built-in magnetic ring for Qi2 charging or other magnetic accessories. The company claims this was done to help keep the phone as thin as possible, but honestly, I thought we had gotten over the desire for needless sleekness long ago. Sure, you can add that functionality back in by choosing the right case, but that9s not a very premium experience and I sincerely hope this is the last time Samsung makes this omission on its flagship phone line. 
  Wrap-up
  There9s a strange feeling I often get when testing phones. After I got everything updated and set up the way I like, I noticed it even more with the S26 Ultra. The issue is that despite using a brand new device with shiny hardware, better performance and a more refined design, I9m still largely doing the same things and using the same apps as I was before (like Google Maps, Gmail and whatever my go-to mobile games are at the moment). This means my daily flow is basically unchanged from device to device. 
  This better be the last time Samsung skips putting a magnetic ring inside the Galaxy S line. Sam Rutherford for Engadget
  However, if you9re paying attention, you9ll notice things like higher framerates while gaming, sharper and more well-exposed photos at night and helpful suggestions like when the phone surfaces relevant photos in the middle of a text conversation. This goes double for the S26 Ultra, whose biggest upgrade — the Privacy Display — is something meant to stop other people from snooping at what you9re doing. When it9s on, you probably won9t even be able to tell, which is kind of the point. 
  
  There’s no doubt that the S26 Ultra is an improvement over last year’s phone. It’s faster, it takes better low-light photos and thanks to all of its new AI features, the handset feels smarter too. But it takes a discerning eye to spot and feel all these differences, particularly if you’re upgrading from a device that’s only a year or two old. So while the S26 Ultra remains the top pick as a phone that can do pretty much everything really well, in the grand scheme of things, it’s more of a stealthy, undercover update than an eye-catching new crown jewel. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/samsung-galaxy-s26-ultra-review-the-stealth-upgrade-140000629.html?src=rss

• Kena: Bridge of Spirits is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 this spring
  One of the big surprises to come out of Sony’s recent announcement of a sequel to 2021’s Kena Bridge of Spirits, the impressive debut from indie studio Ember Lab. If you missed the first game and want to catch up before its successor launches on PC and PS5 later this year, it’s coming to Switch 2 this spring.
  
  The Switch 2 is very much in its port era, owing to publishers seizing the opportunity to take advantage of the new system’s popularity and improved graphical grunt. And while it’s hard to get too excited about a five-year-old game making its way to the latest Nintendo console, Kena’s gorgeous Pixar-lite aesthetic, cute critters and decidedly Zelda-y medley of combat, exploration and puzzle-solving make it a great fit for Switch 2.
  
  If you missed it the first time around, Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a third-person action-adventure game that follows the eponymous Kena, a young spirit guide who helps wayward souls on their journey through to the afterlife. It has PS2 energy in the best possible way, and a deceptively deep combat system that will eventually catch you out if you don’t pay attention to enemy patterns.
  
  While nothing about the game is particularly groundbreaking, Kena is a visual feast, which is unsurprising when you learn about Ember Lab’s roots in film animation. I’m quite looking forward to seeing how it looks running on the Switch 2’s big, bright handheld display.
  
  The Switch 2 version comes with the Anniversary DLC, which features Charmstones, Spirit Guide Trials, new outfits, and various accessibility features. You also get a New Game+ mode with even trickier encounters. It arrives this spring, with Kena: Scars of Kosmora due to launch later in 2026 on PS5 and PC.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/kena-bridge-of-spirits-is-coming-to-nintendo-switch-2-this-spring-132839640.html?src=rss

• BMW’s i3 prototype conquers the ice with power and technology
  For an electric car to survive in this incentive-free, tariff-laden, emissions-loving world, it has to be very, very good. It also helps if it9s priced right, and looking great doesn9t hurt either. 
  
  Unfortunately for BMW9s latest EV, the i3 sedan, we still can9t say much about those last two questions. BMW hasn9t announced pricing yet, and thanks to some eye-crossing camouflage, it9s impossible to know exactly what it looks like, either. But, after a day behind the wheel of a prototype machine sliding it through the Swedish wilds, I can at least confidently confirm that it9s shaping up to be a very good indeed.
  Deja Vu
  If you9re thinking to yourself, "Wait, didn9t BMW already have an i3?" You are absolutely right. Back in 2013, BMW released its first mass-market electric car, a little five-door hatchback called the i3. I drove a few versions of it over the years. It was wonderful and novel and earned itself some ardent fans, but it never quite reshaped the motoring world the way that its creators surely hoped.
  
  A decade later, BMW9s got a new i3 that has the potential to be a far bigger success on the global scale, and it also resets that designation to slot in with the company9s already well-established naming scheme. BMW9s 3 Series is its iconic sedan, and "i" is the designation for its electric vehicles. The i3, then, should be an electric sedan, and so it is going forward.
  BMW9s i3 prototype on a course in SwedenBMW
  This new i3 is built on the Neue Klasse platform, BMW9s "new class" architecture that also underpins the iX3 SUV. In developing Neue Klasse, BMW started almost from scratch, developing a whole new suite of technologies in pursuit of a better-driving, faster-charging and more-affordable next generation of EVs.
  
  There9s a battery pack that9s wholly new compared to the company9s prior efforts, a cell-to-pack architecture that promises more capacity in a smaller, lighter enclosure. There9s a whole new stack of electronics systems offering more power and capability than before. And, there9s a completely new styling design language that not everyone will love. 
  
  The iX3 SUV was the first recipient of all that newness, and the i3 sedan will be the second. Again, we can9t pass judgment on its styling just yet, but you can probably get a bit of an idea of what to expect by looking at 20239s Vision Neue Klasse concept. 
  Heart of Joy
  That new electronics suite running throughout the Neue Klasse is a huge part of the appeal here. Typically, when buying a new car, you don9t worry too much about who did the ABS or the traction control. Those are simply table stakes in modern motoring. 
  
  However, BMW decided to shake up these pedestrian safety features in the i3 by re-thinking everything from the brake actuators to the electric motor controllers and doing it all in-house. Now, fewer, more powerful chips from Qualcomm and others run all of the car9s disparate systems like those together in a system that BMW evocatively calls "Heart of Joy." That makes for a far smoother and more seamless driving experience when the ABS can, for example, talk directly to the stability control.
  BMW9s i3 prototype on a course in SwedenBMW
  That9s the theory, anyway, and in Sweden this week I got a chance to test that out. I got behind the wheel of what will be the first i3. Called the i3 50 xDrive, it9s a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive sedan that produces 463 horsepower and 476 pound-feet of torque. 
  
  All-wheel drive helps with acceleration, but it9s the braking where the Neue Klasse9s technology really shines. Thanks to having more finesse over the control of its two electric motors, the Neue Klasse can rely far more on recuperative braking and far less on using the physical brakes. This makes for ultra-smooth, calm stopping, even when driving on glare ice. 
  
  Accelerating, though, is far more entertaining. Even on extremely low-grip, unpredictable surfaces like a frozen lake, I could just mash my foot to the accelerator and clumsily turn the wheel in the direction I wanted to go. Despite my lack of finesse, the system intelligently applied the brakes on the inside wheel to help get the car to rotate, and automatically cut the power to the electric motors front and rear based on how much grip was available.
  BMW9s i3 prototype on a course in SwedenBMW
  Even with my foot flat on the accelerator, I was able to navigate tight turns on glare surfaces without having to deploy any fancy ice driving techniques. However, as someone who enjoys deploying such techniques, I was also invited to turn off the car9s stability systems and have a little fun.
  
  Like this, the BMW turned into an absolute riot. Let loose, the i3 was a very willing drift partner, letting me slide through the corners with wild abandon. It still used just enough of its smarts and control systems to keep me from spinning out when I got a little too eager on the throttle, but it never ruined the fun. 
  Panoramic Vision
  This prototype drive was also a chance to sample the i39s Panoramic Vision display in a new environment. As debuted formally at CES back in 2025, Panoramic Vision replaces the standard gauge cluster behind the steering wheel with a massive, windshield-spanning display. It9s a little like an ultra-wide heads-up display in that it reflects up from a lengthy display embedded in the dashboard. 
  
  In pictures, this seems like it will be horribly distracting, since you have six customizable sections of information flashing at you in your line of sight. In practice, though, it9s actually quite nice. You can customize those panels to show whatever information you like, from whatever track you9re playing to the current vehicle speed to even a disembodied head representing the car9s integrated voice assistant. Or, if that9s all too much, you can simply disable most of the panels and keep it simple, relying only on the left-most pane to display your speed and other vehicle information. 
  
  I didn9t get to see all of the i39s interior. Since it9s still a prototype, BMW kept much of it covered in black fabric. Still, the Panoramic Vision display and the weird central touchscreen that9s inclined to the left work together to create a great user experience. I will, though, miss the rotary iDrive knob, which is sadly no more.
  Wrap-up
  We have a little while yet to wait until BMW gives us all the details on the new i3 — its debut is set for March 18 — but from what I experienced in Sweden, it9s shaping up extremely well. If BMW gets the pricing right, and if what9s hiding under that vinyl camouflage isn9t too offensive, this thing has all the makings of a hit.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/bmws-i3-prototype-conquers-the-ice-with-power-and-technology-130000610.html?src=rss

• Anthropic is reportedly back in talks with the Defense Department
  Anthropic is reportedly trying to reach a new deal with the US Defense Department, which could prevent the government from labeling it a supply chain risk. According to refused to comply with the Pentagon’s demands. The agency then threatened to cancel its existing contract and to label it a “supply chain risk,” a designation typically reserved for Chinese companies. President Trump ordered government agencies to stop using Anthropic’s technology afterward. However, there’s a “six-month phase-out period” that reportedly allowed the government to use Anthropic’s AI tools to stage an air attack on Iran.
  
  Amodei also said in the memo that the messaging OpenAI has been trying to convey is “just straight up lies,” the Times reports. He hinted, as well, that one of the reasons his company is now on the outs with the government is because he hasn’t “given dictator-style praise to Trump” like OpenAI’s Sam Altman has.
  
  If you’ll recall, OpenAI announced that it reached an agreement shortly after it came out that Anthropic was having issues with the agency. Its CEO, Sam Altman, said on Twitter that he told the government Anthropic shouldn’t be designated as a supply chain risk. He said during an AMA on the social media website that he didn’t know the details of Anthropic’s contract, but if it had been the same with the one OpenAI had signed, he thought Anthropic should have agreed to it. Anthropic’s Claude chatbot rose to the top of Apple’s Top Free Apps leaderboard after OpenAI announced its Defense Department contract, beating out ChatGPT.
  
  Altman later posted on X that OpenAI will amend its deal with language that explicitly prohibits the use of its AI system on mass surveillance against Americans. When it comes to the military’s use of its technology, though, CNBC says that Altman told staffers that the company doesn’t “get to make operational decisions.” In an all-hands meeting, Altman reportedly said: “So maybe you think the Iran strike was good and the Venezuela invasion was bad. You don9t get to weigh in on that.”
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/anthropic-is-reportedly-back-in-talks-with-the-defense-department-125045017.html?src=rss

• Nothing Phone 4a Pro hands-on: A premium design with a price to match the Pixel 10a
  Nothing has announced its latest premium midrange device, the Phone 4a Pro. The company says it's the thinnest full-metal phone on the market, measuring in at 7.95mm. It also looks notably different from the prior A-series phones – and pretty much any of the company's phones to date.
  
  It features an aluminum unibody while retaining Nothing’s retro-clear hardware design touches, with a clear, redesigned camera unit. Yes, the aggressively protruding circular camera unit of the Phone 3a Pro is gone, replaced with an oblong housing that houses the triple-camera array and a tweaked Glyph Matrix, similar to what debuted on last year’s Nothing Phone 3. It also feels incredibly premium – more so than even the company’s flagship phones.
  
  Despite that, Nothing seems to be strikeinga balance between affordability and wow factor with the Phone 4a Pro. It has a slightly higher price tag ($499) than the 4a and alongside a major hardware redesign, a lot of the improvements here make this phone feel “pro” compared to its smaller sibling. This new premium vibe comes at a cost of design excitement, though. 
  
  It also looks a little like another certain smartphone or two. Don’t call it a camera plateau.
  Image by Mat Smith for Engadget
  The Phone 4a Pro has its own take on the Glyph Matrix, composed of 137 mini-LEDs. That’s fewer LEDs than the Nothing Phone 3, but they are 100 percent brighter at around 3000 nits. It supports pretty much all the Glyph toys we enjoyed on last year’s Nothing flagship, although the 4a Pro lacks a dedicated Glyph Button, which is a shame. This means in order to hop between toys and modes, you’ll have to dig into Glyph settings inside the settings menu – not the existing Glyph menu – in order to flit between them. Honestly, may make me less likely to play around with the Glyph, but I’ll have to see after further testing. It’s a little odd when there’s a circular metal detail on the lower left corner that looks like it could have been a Glyph button. Ah well.
  
  The Phone 4a Pro will land in three different colors: silver, black and pink. The pink hue is tastefully subtle. So subtle, in fact, that you'd think it was the silver option. I like the black version. 
  The gigantic camera unit seen on the Phone 3a Pro is no more.Image by Mat Smith for Engadget
  The Phone 4a Pro has a slightly bigger screen than both its predecessor and the 4a, but the real news isn’t just the extra fraction of an inch. The 6.83-inch display can now reach 144Hz refresh rates, while it can also top out at 5,000 nits of brightness with HDR content. That makes it up to 66 percent brighter than its predecessor, and it was noticeably easier to read in Nothing’s harsh spotlights and daylight.
  
  Nothing has further refined the cameras, and the 4a Pro uses the same telephoto sensor as the flagship Phone 3. That’s paired with a new 50-megapixel Sony LYT-700C camera sensor that’s 24 percent bigger than the 50MP sensor inside the 3a Pro. It’s also faster at auto-focus than its predecessor, and seems to more easily lock onto subjects without having to tap on what you want in focus.
  
  There’s also a new triple 12-bit Image Signal Processor (ISP), which enables up to 140x ultra zoom, like we’ve seen on Galaxy phones for the last few years. Don’t expect to be blown away by those zoom extremes: it seems to work well on the easy-to-guess structures of buildings and patterns, but a 70x zoom range and higher aren't settings I'm going to lean into much.
  
  I haven’t had time yet to fully scrutinize the 4a Pro’s camera, but there’s a lot of feature parity with pricier phones. It can capture super-slow 120fps video at full HD, while Action Mode is built directly into the camera app to shoot up to 30 Ultra XDR images in a row. Codeveloped with Google, Ultra XDR images are high-dynamic-range images that capture 13 RAW frames at different exposures and combine them into a single image. In practice, this should offer another way to pull usable shots from challenging low-light or harsh-light environments.
  
  Power users may also like new presets, alongside Nothing’s own collection of camera filters. There are seven new editing options, letting you tweak (and save) contrast levels or even apply a vignette effect. I’m a fan of the built-in presets, but it’s nice to have access to the same camera settings to make and save my own B&W filter.
  
  Nothing says you can expect 30 percent improved graphics performance and 27 percent faster CPU speeds, with “flagship” LPDDR5X memory, which makes it 100 percent faster than last year’s 3a Pro. Improvements to the chipset and memory speed weren’t immediately noticeable during my time seeing the device.
  Image by Mat Smith for Engadget
  Nothing continues to refine its own OS skin, but it’s still a refreshing, different take on the Android interface you’re used to. And if you’re not a fan, you can turn it back to a more stock look. Based on user feedback, there are new size options for the home screen widgets and a new custom lock screen. It may be due to the more powerful processor, but both the 4a Pro and the base 4a seem to have smoother animation flourishes when opening and switching between apps or swiping across content.
  
  New AI software includes a formal launch of Essential Search, able to scour the entire device for information, images, documents, apps and more. The 4a series include the first Nothing devices to include cloud access for the still useful Essential Space app, housing your voice notes, screengrabs, text notes, and more. This means, hopefully, I can transition everything across from my Nothing Phone 3. (Or even between the Phone 4a and 4a Pro.)
  Image by Mat Smith for Engadget
  It’s a different look for Nothing, and the 4a Pro’s price (and timing) will pit it against both the Pixel 10a (priced the same) and base flagship devices from Samsung. The Phone 4a series pre-orders are open now at nothing.techand other retailers, with sales of the Phone 4a Pro starting March 27. Expect our full review in the coming weeks.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/nothing-phone-4a-pro-hands-on-price-launch-date-123053485.html?src=rss

• Apple Music can now flag AI content, but only if distributors elect to label it
  While music streaming apps like Bandcamp, Spotify and Deezer have taken steps to inform users about AI-generated content, we haven9t heard much out of Apple Music in that regard. However, Apple Music has now introduced "Transparency Tags" designed to show listeners if any elements were generated in whole or part by AI. The catch is that Apple is leaving it up to labels and distributors to create those tags, according to an Apple newsletter to industry partners seen by Music Business Worldwide..  
  
  "Proper tagging of content is the first step in giving the music industry the data and tools needed to develop thoughtful policies around AI, and we believe labels and distributors must take an active role in reporting when the content they deliver is created using AI," Apple wrote, calling it a concrete first step toward transparency around artificial intelligence.
  
  Streaming platforms already use metadata tags for things like song and album titles, genre and the name of the artist. The new tags will now identify any artwork, tracks, compositions and music videos created in whole or in part by AI. 
  
  However, Apple9s new system requires labels and distributors to opt in and manually flag their use of AI, a system that9s similar to what Spotify is doing. On top of that, Apple has no apparent enforcement mechanism for AI content. 
  
  By contrast, other music platforms including Deezer and Bandcamp are using in-house AI-detection tools to flag content whether the distributor opts in or not. Deezer disclosed in January 2026 that it receives over 60,000 fully AI-generated tracks every day, double the number it saw in September 2025. Synthetic content, also called "AI slop," has accounted for 13.4 million tracks on its platform, Deezer added.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/apple-music-can-now-flag-ai-content-but-only-if-distributors-elect-to-label-it-121521873.html?src=rss

• Nothing Phone 4a hands-on: A more technically accomplished entry-level smartphone
  Nothing is back with two new smartphones, the entry-level Phone 4a and the mid-range Phone 4a Pro. With the base 4a in particular, there’s no shortage of substantial hardware upgrades since the 3a, even if the design doesn’t quite stand out as much. This year, that’s apparently the role of the Nothing Phone 4a Pro. That said, the base 4a’s two new color options (blue and pink) are gorgeous additions to the usual monochrome duo of white and black.
  
  There have been many upgrades since 2025’s Phone 3a. It comes with IP64 dust and water resistance, and is also physically tougher: Nothing says it has increased bend resistance by 34 percent, but I always considered all of the company’s phones pretty solid. The display also gets Gorilla Glass 7i, something I’ve wanted to see Nothing improve on its cheapest phones. My Phone 2a’s screen got pretty messed up when I tussled with my keys a few years ago. The 6.78-inch display is also 23 percent brighter than its predecessor, reaching 1,600 nits during outdoor viewing.
  
  The main upgrades are centered around the cameras, marking a major improvement over what the Phone 3a last year. A new tetraprism periscope telephoto camera extends to up to 3.5x optical zoom, further than the base Phone 3a.
  Image by Mat Smith for Engadget
  Nothing says the main camera, with a new Samsung GN9 50-megapixel sensor, captures up to 64 percent more light than similarly sized camera sensors. The company has also upgraded its computational photography and tone mapping, which help it deliver on a new 70x ultra zoom mode, which beefs up your images with AI smarts. While it’s unlikely to be a regular feature for me, it’s still an option. It works well with straight lines and architecture, but don’t expect faces and nuanced detail at 70x zoom. But hey, sometimes you want that up-close picture of an iconic landmark. Fortunately, you’ll get up to a 7x lossless zoom by combining the 3.5x optical zoom with sensor cropping, which works well.
  
  I’ve been testing the Phone 4a for a few days – because I can’t get enough phones – and noticed that photo image quality is noticeably better compared to the Phone 3a. Images have less noise and more detail, with the Phone 4a being far more capable in poor lighting conditions.
  Image by Mat Smith for Engadget
  The Phone 4a has a 1.5K (1,224 × 2,720) display, up from the full HD display (1,920 × 1,080) on last generation’s phone. It supports up to 120Hz refresh rates and has a peak brightness of 4,500 nits for HDR content. That resolution boost means Nothing’s meticulously designed UI and icons look sharper and everything is easier to see when using the 4a in the bright spring sunlight.
  
  Nothing says the new Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 processor offers 10 percent better power efficiency, but what will make the Phone 4a go the distance is more likely the 5,080mAh battery – the biggest yet in Nothing’s midrange phones. Even the storage has been upgraded, with 47 percent faster read and 380 percent faster write speeds. I almost immediately clocked the improvement while attempting some light video editing and installing a few games.
  
  This year’s Glyph system has turned into a Glyph Bar. It’s made up of 63 mini-LEDs in seven square lights in a row. These top out at 3500 nits, which is 40 percent brighter than the Phone 3a’s Glyph Interface. Over the years, I go through waves of loving Nothing’s take on notifications through to forgetting they’re there. Nothing is gradually adding more utility each year, and it’ll double as a notification tracker for a few select apps, like Uber, indicating how far away your ride is. The Glyph Bar can apparently double up as a fill light, although I couldn’t get that to work on my pre-release sample. I’ll update this story when I can test it out. Likewise, Nothing’s Playground of fan-made widgets and mini-apps isn’t entirely compatible with the 4a — at least not yet.
  Image by Mat Smith for Engadget
  The Nothing Phone 4a is an upgrade over its predecessor in every way – and the improvements are tangible, and I noticed them almost immediately – something that can be challenging with other phone refreshes. The display is crisper, as are the photos and video it can capture.
  
  Like previous Nothing phones, despite the “global launch,” this phone won’t be headed to the US. However, in the UK, starting at £349 (roughly $467), it’s only marginally more expensive than its predecessor and you get a lot more bang for your buck. It’s also a good chunk of change cheaper than the $500 Pixel 10a. For those looking for an eye-catching, capable phone at a similar price, the Phone 4a’s biggest competition may be its bigger brother, the $499 Phone 4a Pro. Expect our hands-on for Nothing’s other phone very soon. The Phone 4a is open for preorders now at nothing.tech, going on sale starting March 13 next week.
  
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/nothing-phone-4a-hands-on-price-launch-date-111533547.html?src=rss

• Nothing's new over-ear headphones can pump out the jams for five days on a single charge
  Nothing just revealed a new pair of over-ear headphones as a relatively budget-friendly alternative to the pre-existing Headphone 1. The Headphone (a) earphones feature a similar design language to the company9s previous cans, but with more color. As a matter of fact, these will be available in four colors, including yellow, pink, white and black.
  
  Perhaps the most notable feature here, however, is the battery life. Nothing says these headphones will last over five days on a single charge. That9s not five days of regular use, working out to several hours each day or whatever. It claims 135 hours of life per charge. As a comparison, Sony9s WH-CH520 headphones, which are praised for great battery life, last around 50 hours. 
  Nothing
  Nothing boasts that the headphones can get five hours of juice from just five minutes at the outlet. They are also on the lighter side, at 310 grams, with breathable memory foam cushions that promise a "tailored, snug fit and all-day comfort for every user."
  
  This new model includes the same tactile controls of the Headphone 1, with buttons, paddles and a roller. This offers a more sensitive way to adjust the volume and skip tracks. A button even lets users swap through different streaming and podcast apps without having to break out the phone. This button can be programmed to do other stuff like snap a photo or start a video
  Nothing
  Beyond that, the Headphone (a) includes adaptive ANC that makes adjustments depending on ambient noise. This is further assisted by three microphones that monitor for external sounds. They can also approximate spatial audio and integrate with the Nothing X app, which features an equalizer and other goodies.
  
  We don9t yet know how these things sound, which is pretty important, but we also don9t have long to wait. Preorders are open right now, with shipments going out on March 13 for most colorways. The yellow model doesn9t ship until April. They cost $200, which is much cheaper than the $300 price tag accompanying the Headphone 1.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/nothings-new-over-ear-headphones-can-pump-out-the-jams-for-five-days-on-a-single-charge-111515728.html?src=rss

• Nothing's Phone 4a Pro picks up flagship features and an even brighter display for $499
  Back in January, Nothing shared that it wouldn9t be releasing its flagship Nothing Phone 4 in 2026, and instead focusing on follow-ups to its midrange Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro. After some expected teasing, those sequels have arrived: the Phone 4a Pro and Phone 4a. And like Nothing9s previous devices, they seem like meaningful departures from what the company has tried in the past.
  
  The Nothing 4a Pro represents the biggest change. Gone is the translucent back meant to offer a pseudo-glimpse into the internals of the phone, and in its place is a metal unibody design in black, silver or pink, and Nothing9s Glyph Matrix interface, now even larger and brighter than it was on the Phone 3. Nothing describes the Phone 4a Pro as its slimmest phone ever, and on some level its reminiscent of the iPhone 17 Pro, but the changes in design and materials also support improvements to durability (the phone is rated for IP65 water resistance) and cooling.
  Nothing
  In terms of components, the Phone 4a Pro includes a 6.83-inch AMOLED display with 144Hz refresh rate, and a peak brightness of 5000 nits, and a 5,080mAh battery Nothing says should offer up to 17 hours of use. Like the Phone 3a Pro, the phone also includes four cameras, in this case a 50-megapixel wide lens, a 32-megapixel selfie camera, an ultra-wide and 50-megapixel periscope telephoto lens that9s capable of 140x zoom, twice as much as the Phone 4a. While the phone doesn9t include Qualcomm9s flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, Nothing opted to use the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4, which isn9t as powerful, but should be capable of running Nothing9s growing list of AI-powered features.
  
  The Nothing Phone 4a was more heavily teased leading up to today9s announcement, but still includes plenty of nice upgrades over the Phone 3a. The midrange smartphone evolves Nothing9s trademark translucent design with new colors (white, pink, black and blue), IP64 dust and water resistance and an updated "Glyph Bar" that9s brighter and now runs in a straight line next to the 4a9s cameras. The Phone 4a has four cameras, a 50-megapixel wide that takes in 64 percent more light, a 32-megapixel selfie camera, an ultra-wide and a new 50-megapixel tetraprism periscope telephoto lens that9s capable of a 3.5x optical zoom, 7x lossless zoom and up to a 70x ultra zoom.
  Nothing
  Like its more premium sibling, the Phone 4a includes an AMOLED display, though in a smaller 6.78-inch size, with a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 4,500 nits. The display is covered with Gorilla Glass 7i, which is supposed to be twice as scratch-resistant as the previous generation, and even better for placing the phone face down. Internally, the Pro9s Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 chip and 5,080mAh battery also make the jump to the cheaper phone.
  
  Nothing says both phones will ship with Nothing OS 4.1, which includes Essential Search for looking up information across apps, personalized results based on your saved "Memories" in Essential Space and Nothing Playground, an app for using AI to create custom widgets. Nothing OS 4.1 is based on Android 16, and Nothing says Phone 4a and Phone 4a Pro owners are guaranteed three years of Android updates and six years of security patches.
  
  Global pre-orders for the Phone 4a begin today, and the phone is available in three different configurations depending on your region and the amount of RAM and storage you want. The Phone 4a starts at €349 for 8GB and 12GB and can cost as much as €429 for 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. 
  
  While the Phone 4a Pro will be available globally, the fancier of Nothing’s two new phones is the only one coming to the US. The Phone 4a Pro will be available to pre-order starting March 13, and will either cost $499 for 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage or $599 for 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/nothings-phone-4a-pro-picks-up-flagship-features-and-an-even-brighter-display-for-499-111500926.html?src=rss

• Big tech companies agree to not ruin your electric bill with AI data centers
  Today the White House announced that several major players in tech and AI have agreed to steps that will keep electricity costs from rising due to data centers. Under this Ratepayer Protection Pledge, companies are agreeing to practices that are intended to protect residents from seeing higher electricity costs as more and more businesses create power-hungry data centers. Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle and xAI have all apparently signed on. A few of the participants — Amazon, Google and Meta — had conveniently timed press releases patting themselves on the back for their participation and touting whatever other policies they have for mitigating the negative impacts of data center construction.
  
  The main provisions of the federal pledge have tech companies agreeing to "build, bring, or buy the new generation resources and electricity needed to satisfy their new energy demands, paying the full cost of those resources." It also claims they will pay for any needed power infrastructure upgrades and operate under separate rate structures for power that will see payments made whether or not the business uses that electricity.
  
  The pledge doesn9t appear to be any form of binding agreement and there9s no discussion of enforcement or a penalty for companies that don9t honor the stipulated provisions. It also doesn9t address any of the other impacts data centers and AI development might be having, either on local communities, on other utilities and resources, or on access to critical computing elements like RAM.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/big-tech-companies-agree-to-not-ruin-your-electric-bill-with-ai-data-centers-230102956.html?src=rss

• Mark Zuckerberg downplays Meta's own research in New Mexico child safety trial
  Jurors in a New Mexico child safety trial heard testimony from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg today. During pre-recorded testimony, Zuckerberg was repeatedly asked about the company9s understanding of social media addiction and other issues that had been studied by its researchers. 
  
  During the deposition, which was recorded last March, Zuckerberg was asked about numerous findings from researchers at Meta who studied how the company9s apps affect users and teens. The CEO downplayed the significance of many of these documents.
  
  Early in the testimony, which was viewed by Engadget on Courtroom View Network, Zuckerberg was questioned about a document on the effect of feedback on Facebook users. The document stated that "contributors on Facebook are likely to learn to associate the act of posting with feedback" which will "lead contributors to seek rewards by visiting the site more often.” Zuckerberg said he wasn’t “sure if that9s actually how it works in practice, but I agree that you9re summarizing what they appear to be saying.”
  
  Later, the CEO was questioned about a document that graphed the proportion of 11 and 12-year-olds who were monthly active users on Instagram. The chart indicated that at the time, around 20 percent of 11-year-olds were monthly users of the service. "I agree that the graph says that, I am not familiar with what methodology we were using to estimate this," Zuckerberg said. "I assume that if we had direct knowledge that any given person was under the age of 13, that we would have them removed from our services."
  
  New Mexico9s attorney general sued the company in 2023 for alleged lapses in child safety, including facilitating predators9 access to minors and building features it knew were addictive. In court, Meta9s lawyers and executives have disputed the idea that social media should be considered an "addiction." In public statements, the company has said that lawsuits have relied on "cherry-picked quotes and snippets of conversations taken out of context" and that it "has consistently put teen safety ahead of growth for over a decade."
  
  As with his recent testimony in a separate trial over social media addiction in Los Angeles, Zuckerberg repeatedly rejected the "characterization" of questions that were posed to him. And he said that Meta9s goal was to make its apps "useful" rather than to increase the amount of time people spend with them. 
  
  Zuckerberg was also questioned about a document written by a company researcher that stated "there is increasing scientific evidence, particularly in the US, … that the average net effect of Facebook on people9s well being is slightly negative." The CEO said that "my understanding is that the general consensus view is not that."
  
  It9s not the first time a Meta executive has tried to downplay the significance of internal research. The company used a similar strategy in 2021 after former employee turned whistleblower Frances Haugen disclosed documents showing that Facebook9s researchers had found that Instagram made some teen girls feel worse about themselves.
  
  Zuckerberg9s testimony was played one day after jurors heard recorded testimony from Instagram chief Adam Mosseri. The exec was also asked about Haugen9s disclosures and Meta9s response to them. Some of those disclosures were based on "problematic research," he said. "Most research is surveys. We run hundreds of surveys every month."
  
  
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/mark-zuckerberg-downplays-metas-own-research-in-new-mexico-child-safety-trial-222924340.html?src=rss

• Bill Gates-backed TerraPower begins nuclear reactor construction
  The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has granted approval to TerraPower to begin construction of a reactor in Wyoming. The project is the first new US commercial nuclear reactor in about a decade, according to Natrium in its planned reactor. Using this liquid sodium approach rather than a traditional light-water reactor is part of how the company aims to reduce costs and time frames.
  
  Advocates see nuclear reactors as a way to generate power without the climate impact of coal or gas plants. Critics point to the safety risks as a severe downside to this approach, while others question whether the creation and disposal of nuclear waste counter the environmental gains. The Gates-backed operation still isn9t coming in cheap. The proposed facility could cost at least $4 billion and still faces logistical challenges before coming online as planned in 2031.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/bill-gates-backed-terrapower-begins-nuclear-reactor-construction-221132639.html?src=rss

• Assassin's Creed Unity is getting a free 60 fps patch tomorrow
  Ubisoft shared its upcoming plans for the Assassin9s Creed franchise today. Along with the news of a remake for its piratical entry, the game company also announced that a visual upgrade is coming for a title from way back in 2014. Assassin9s Creed Unity will receive a free patch tomorrow to offer 60 fps performance on the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X/S. 
  
  The company bringing a performance upgrade more than a decade after launch feels like a fitting close to Unity9s development. The game suffered from bugs and performance issues from the jump, and while most of those did get addressed, no amount of big fixes or free DLC could fix this howler of a story or make Arno any more compelling as a protagonist. But every fan has their own passionately argued take on which titles are the worst, so just because I found Unity to be a particularly low point in the series doesn9t mean it9s not going to be a fave for somebody else. So if you are someone who, as Ubisoft put it, has been waiting a long time for a chance to dive into Unity on modern hardware, then tomorrow is your lucky day. Amuse-toi bien. 
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/assassins-creed-unity-is-getting-a-free-60-fps-patch-tomorrow-210109721.html?src=rss

• LG reveals pricing for its 2026 OLED TVs
  Now for the news you9ve been waiting with bated breath for: LG9s 2026 TVs from CES finally have prices. (Well, some of them do, anyway.) Surprisingly, the evo G6 and C6 series OLED TVs aren9t increasing in cost from last year9s models. But the bad news is, they’re still expensive as all get-out.
  
  The flagship LG evo G6 series ranges in price from $2,499 to $24,999. (Cue spit take.) Fortunately, that five-figure price only applies to the 97-inch model, which nobody this side of Elon Musk needs. The entry-level price is for a 55-inch OLED. Moving up the ladder, the 65-inch one costs $3,399, the 77-inch model is $4,499 and an 83-incher will set you back $6,499.
  
  The evo G6 line includes all the OLED upgrades from the head-turning LG Wallpaper TV, for which LG hasn9t yet announced pricing. You9ll find the company9s new "Hyper Radiant OLED" panel and optimizations to black and color levels in both lineups.
  
  Meanwhile, the evo C6 line, which sits a notch below, ranges from $1,399 (42-inch) to $5,299 (83-inch). Rounding out the list is a 55-inch model for $1,999, a 65-inch one for $2,699 and a 77-inch model for $3,699. The C6 and G6 lines are powered by LG9s Alpha 11 AI Processor Gen3. Both series support gamer-friendly features such as 4K at 165Hz with VRR, NVIDIA G-SYNC and AMD FreeSync Premium.
  
  The evo G6 and C6 lines are available to order today from LG9s website. Retail availability will follow later this month. Just keep in mind that, if you can hold off a little while, the entire history of TV pricing suggests you9ll soon be able to find them for less than MSRP.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/lg-reveals-pricing-for-its-2026-oled-tvs-203923873.html?src=rss

• Google ends its 30 percent app store fee and welcomes third-party app stores
  Google is officially doing away with its 30 percent cut of Play Store transactions, and rolling out changes to how third-party app stores and alternate billing systems will be handled by Android. Some of these tweaks were proposed as part of the settlement the company reached with Epic in November 2025, but rather than wait for final judicial approval, Google is committing to revamping Android and the Play Store publicly.
  
  The biggest change is to how Google will collect fees from developers publishing apps on Android. Rather than take its standard 30 percent cut of in-app purchases through the Play Store, Google is lowering its cut to 20 percent, and in some cases 15 percent for new installs of apps from developers participating in its new App Experience program or updated Google Play Games Level Up program. Those changes extend to subscriptions, too, where the company’s cut is lowering to 10 percent. For Google’s billing system, the company says developers in the UK, US, or European Economic Area (EEA) will now be charged a five percent fee and "a market-specific rate" in other regions. Of course, for anyone trying to avoid those fees, using alternatives to Google9s billing system is getting easier.
  
  Google says that developers will be able to offer alternative billing systems alongside its own or "guide users outside of their app to their own websites for purchases." The setup, as described by Google, appears to be more permissive than what Apple settled on in 2025. For iOS apps on the App Store, developers interested in avoiding Apple9s fees can only direct customers to alternative payment methods on the web through in-app links. Allowing for these outside transactions is part of what prompted Epic to bring Fortnite back to the App Store in the US in May 2025. The developer added the app back to the Play Store in the US in December of that year, and Epic CEO Tim Sweeney shared alongside today9s changes that Fortnite will soon be available in Google9s app store globally.
  Fortnite will return to Google Play Store worldwide soon. Epic Games Store continues supporting Android worldwide alongside Windows and Mac, and installation on Android will become much easier later in 2026.
  — Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) March 4, 2026
  Epic is ultimately interested in getting people to use the mobile version of its Epic Games Store, and Google’s announcement also includes details on how third-party app stores can come to Android. Third-party app stores will be able to apply to the company9s new "Registered App Stores" program to see if they meet "certain quality and safety benchmarks." If they do, they9ll be able to take advantage of a streamlined installation interface in Android. Participating in the program is optional, and users will still be able to sideload alternative app stores that aren9t part of the program, but Google clearly has a preference.  Changes the company plans to make to sideloading later in 2026 could deliberately make the process more difficult, which might force developers to apply to Google’s program.
  App stores approved by the Registered App Stores program get a simpler installation interface.Google
  Given the scale of the changes, not all of Google9s tweaks will be available everywhere at the same time. Google says that its updated fee structure will come to the EEA, the UK and the US by June 30, Australia by September 30, Korea and Japan by December 31 and the entire world by September 30, 2027. Meanwhile, the company9s updated Google Play Games Level Up program and new App Experience program will launch in the EEA, the UK, the US and Australia on September 30, before hitting the remaining regions alongside the updated fee structure. For any developers interested in offering their own app store, Google says it9ll launch its Registered App Stores program "with a version of a major Android release" before the end of the year. According to the company, the program will be available in other regions first before it comes to the US.
  
  Google has made changes to how it collects app store fees in the past, the most significant being in 2021, when it lowered its cut to 15 percent on the first $1 million developers earn, and 15 percent on subscriptions. The difference here is that the regulatory scrutiny brought about by Epic9s lawsuit against Google and Apple seems to be a key motivator for its changes. Well, that, and an entirely separate business deal the company made with Epic. Google and Epic9s settlement served as the basis for these changes, but The Verge reported in January that the companies also agreed to an $800 million joint partnership around product development and Google using Epic9s "core technology." Letting developers keep more of their money is ultimately good, but it9s a business decision Google felt comfortable making, which likely means it has its own share of upsides. 
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/google-ends-its-30-percent-app-store-fee-and-welcomes-third-party-app-stores-185248647.html?src=rss

• Ooni debuts a rotating stone for its Koda 2 pizza ovens
  When cooking pizza with the high heat of an outdoor oven, you have to rotate your pies to ensure even cooking. That’s usually done by hand, but Ooni’s latest accessory automates the process. The company announced the Rotating Stone for its Koda 2 lineup, which helps distribute heat evenly across the surface of a pizza so that it’s consistently cooked all the way around.
  
  Ooni says its Rotating Stone has a mechanism around its perimeter rather than a central pivot. According to the company, this takes care of any wobbling or stalling that might otherwise occur — even when heavy cookware is used. The new accessory also has two rotation modes, continuous and 90 degrees, so you can conserve battery life if you don’t need the full range of motion.
  
  The Rotating Stone’s external module houses a LIDAR sensor for hands-free control. By simply waving your hand or a pizza peel, you can start or stop the rotation. What’s more, Ooni says the Rotating Stone can be installed in less than 10 minutes.
  
  The Rotating Stone is available for the Koda 2, Koda 2 Pro and Koda 2 Max for $329, $349 and $399 respectively. If you need the oven too, bundles are priced at $799, $1,099 and $1,649.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/kitchen-tech/ooni-debuts-a-rotating-stone-for-its-koda-2-pizza-ovens-200000857.html?src=rss

• OpenAI brings its Codex coding app to Windows
  At the start of February, OpenAI upgraded its Codex coding app to give it the ability to manage multiple AI agents. At the same time, it released a standalone macOS app. If you9ve been patiently waiting for Windows to get that same treatment, OpenAI just released a dedicated Codex app for Microsoft9s operating system. 
  The Codex app is now on Windows.
  
  Get the full Codex app experience on Windows with a native agent sandbox and support for Windows developer environments in PowerShell.https://t.co/Vw0pezFctG pic.twitter.com/gclqeLnFjr
  — OpenAI Developers (@OpenAIDevs) March 4, 2026
  Like its macOS counterpart, the software allows you to coordinate multiple coding agents to work on the same task. There9s also support for automations to streamline repetitive tasks like bug testing. To help users get started, Codex includes a dedicated "Skills" section. Skills bundle together instructions, resources and scripts the software can use to connect agents to specific tools and workflows. OpenAI has also included native sandboxing to help make Windows developers feel at home. 
  
  Codex is available to ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus and Pro users. If you decide to give the app a try, know that your session history is saved to your OpenAI account, meaning you can start coding on Mac and then move to Windows without losing your work.   
  
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-brings-its-codex-coding-app-to-windows-195345429.html?src=rss

• Ubisoft confirms Assassin's Creed: Black Flag remake
  Ubisoft has officially confirmed that it9s working on a remake of Assassin9s Creed: Black Flag. This remake has been rumored for years. After all, the 2013 original is one of the most beloved entries in the franchise.
  
  The official title is Assassin9s Creed: Black Flag Resynced, and that9s about all we know for sure. The company released some concept art but it9s just protagonist Edward Kenway hanging out on a boat.
  
  Reports have suggested that this will be a substantial remake, with visual and gameplay upgrades to make it comparable with last year9s Assassin9s Creed Shadows. It9s also been rumored that this version will cut out all of the modern day gameplay sections, focusing entirely on pirate-themed action.
  
  We don9t know when Ubisoft will release this thing into the world, but the company did recently say that a previously unannounced game would be released by the end of the coming financial year, which happens on March 31, 2027. At that time, Black Flag Resynced had yet to be officially announced. It9s possible we could be playing this thing sooner rather than later, particularly if the company has been working on it for years.
  
  This announcement came as part of a franchise roadmap, which included a slight mention of the next mainline Assassin9s Creed entry. This is being developed under the name Codename Hexe, with Ubisoft promising a "unique, darker, narrative-driven Assassin9s Creed experience set during a pivotal moment in history."
  
  The creative director of that one, Clint Hocking, recently left the company after a 20-year tenure. He9s been replaced by Jean Guedson, who had the same job for the original Black Flag 13 years ago.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ubisoft-confirms-assassins-creed-black-flag-remake-193629862.html?src=rss

• MacBook Neo vs. M5 MacBook Air: All the trade-offs you'll make to save $500
  Apple is looking to gain a foothold in the more budget-friendly end of the laptop market with the MacBook Neo. The system starts at $599, which is darn inexpensive for an Apple laptop — it even has the same starting price as the M4 iPad Air.
  
  As such, the MacBook Neo should help Apple compete with cheap Windows laptops and Chromebooks. Pricing it at $499 for educational use won’t exactly hurt either.
  
  Apple is really lowering the cost of entry for those looking to pick up a new MacBook here. The base MacBook Neo costs $500 less than the cheapest M5 MacBook Air, which is now officially Apple9s midrange laptop.
  
  Of course, there are a lot of tradeoffs you9ll make by opting for a MacBook Neo instead of a MacBook Air. If you’re curious about all the differences between the Neo and the base 13.6-inch Air (and perhaps what you’ll be foregoing if go you with the cheaper option), we9ve got you covered.
  MacBook Neo vs. MacBook Air exteriorsApple
  Let9s start with the things you9ll notice at first glance about the two laptop lines. The Neo has an arguably more eye-catching array of colorways with silver, blush (a light pink), citrus (light yellow) and indigo options. The Air comes in a more muted batch of sky blue, silver, starlight (a sort of champagne) and midnight (a very dark blue).
  
  The weight of the two laptops is identical at 2.7 pounds and the differences in the dimensions are negligible. Blissfully, both laptops have a headphone jack. Please have the courage to keep those around in MacBooks, Apple.
  Apple
  Alas, the Neo does not have a MagSafe port, so you9ll need to use one of its two USB-C ports (it has one USB-C 2 port and a USB-C 3 port) for charging. The MBA has two Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports to go with its MagSafe connector.
  
  While we9re on the subject of charging, the MacBook Neo comes with a 20W power adapter. The MBA includes a 40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max, and it supports fast charging at up to 70W. 
  
  The Neo has a 36.5-watt-hour lithium-ion battery, which Apple claims has enough juice for up to 11 hours of web browsing or 16 hours of video streaming on a single charge. As for the MBA, that has a 53.8-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery. Apple says you9ll be able to use that laptop for 15 hours of web browsing or 18 hours of streaming video before you need to recharge.
  
  Back to the exterior of the laptops and in terms of audio, the Neo has a side-firing dual-speaker system with Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos support. However, unlike with the MBA (which has four built-in speakers), there9s no mention of Spatial Audio support for AirPods. The MBA has one more microphone than the Neo as well, and both laptops support Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum microphone modes.
  MacBook Neo vs. MacBook Air opened upApple
  If you were to place a MacBook Neo and MacBook Air side by side and open them up, you might spot that the former9s screen is a little smaller at 13 inches on the diagonal. While both have Liquid Retina displays with 500 nits of brightness, the Neo9s screen has a lower resolution of 2408 x 1506 vs. the MBA9s 2560 x 1664. The Air also has a P3 wide color gamut and support for Apple9s True Tone feature, which tweaks the screen’s color temperature to better fit your surroundings. The Neo has an sRGB display instead.
  
  While the webcams in both laptops can capture 1080p video, the one in the Neo is lower-specced and has fewer features. It9s a 1080p FaceTime HD camera. The MBA has a 12MP camera that supports Center Stage, a feature that keeps you in the middle of the frame as you9re moving around. It also supports Desk View, which allows you to show your face and what9s on your desk simultaneously. 
  
  The MacBook Neo has a Magic Keyboard and multi-touch trackpad (which we didn9t feel were super sturdy in our initial hands-on time). The MacBook Air, on the other hand, has a backlit Magic Keyboard and a Force Touch trackpad. It also supports Touch ID as standard.
  
  If you want Touch ID on the MacBook Neo, though, you9ll need to pay extra. A version of the laptop with Touch ID costs $699. That upgrade (which is the only one available for the Neo as things stand) also doubles the internal storage to 512GB. And that feels like a smooth segue into comparing the internal specs of each machine.
  MacBook Neo vs. MacBook Air on the inside
  The M5 MacBook Air comes with 512GB of storage as standard and you can equip it with up to a 4TB SSD. The Neo tops out at 512GB.
  
  It9s a little disappointing (though somewhat understandable given the surging costs of RAM) that the Neo only has 8GB of unified memory. That9s half of what you get in a MacBook Air as standard, and you can expand that laptop’s RAM to 32GB. Memory bandwidth is nearly three times faster on the MBA as well at 153GB/s, compared with 60GB/s on the Neo.
  
  The chip that runs the Neo is significantly less powerful than the M5 you9ll find in the MacBook Air too. The Neo uses an A18 Pro, which is the chip that debuted in the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. It has a 6-core CPU (two performance, four efficiency), 5-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine. Measure that against the Air9s M5, the base version of which has a 10-core CPU (four super cores, six efficiency cores) and 8-core GPU, though that too has a 16-core Neural Engine.
  
  We don9t yet have a direct comparison, such as Geekbench 6 scores, to directly measure the performance of each laptop. However, it9s already clear that the MacBook Neo won9t be nearly as powerful as the M5 MacBook Air. You probably won’t be doing heavy-duty video editing on a Neo. That said, Apple says that you will be able to use Apple Intelligence features on the laptop.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/macbook-neo-vs-m5-macbook-air-all-the-trade-offs-youll-make-to-save-500-less-190434959.html?src=rss

• Humble Games' former bosses buy the studio's back catalog
  Humble Games9 library has returned home, so to speak. Indie publisher Good Games Group (GGG), led by former Humble leaders, has acquired the full back catalog of over 50 Humble Games titles from Ziff Davis. Alongside the purchase, GGG has rebranded to Balor Games, positioning itself as a force in "triple-I" gaming.
  
  "For the developers we have worked with over the years, this moment is a reunion," Balor Games CEO Alan Patmore wrote in a statement. "[It has] the same leadership and the same commitment to thoughtful publishing remain in place. What changes is our scale and our focus. Balor Games is built for inventors and backed by believers. To that end, it exists to be a seal of quality for independent games."
  
  The Humble Games lineup includes (among others) Humble Bundle storefront. The latter is still owned by Ziff Davis.
  Alan Patmore (l) and Mark NashBalor Games
  The seemingly happy ending comes after quite the rocky road. In July 2024, Ziff Davis laid off all 36 employees of Humble Games. But later that year, Humble Games9 former leaders (Patmore and Mark Nash) formed GGG and cut a deal to help manage their old studio9s back catalog. Now, with Ziff Davis in a selling mood, that library is back in Patmore and Nash9s hands. Balor Games, it is.
  
  The pair view the newly anointed Balor as a developer-friendly publishing house. As for its name, Balor is a supernatural being in Irish mythology. It9s sometimes depicted as having three eyes. Triple-eye, triple-I… Clever devils!
  
  The triple-I moniker is a more recent addition to the gaming lexicon. It typically means something defined by indie creativity and passion — with a budget far less than AAA but more than a tiny two-person passion project. (Balor says it9s about "high-quality, impactful games.") You wouldn9t be blamed for wondering how that9s different from AA. But the slant here is to define the genre less by budget and more by "indie" intangibles.
  
  Nash detailed the company9s vision in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz (which, curiously, is a Ziff Davis property). "We felt that what9s becoming more and more critical is that as game development becomes more diverse, more complicated, and expectations continue to rise, we feel it9s important that a publisher can match the needs of each individual project," Nash said. "We are spending a considerable amount of time with anyone we are partnering with, figuring out what they need specifically."
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/humble-games-former-bosses-buy-the-studios-back-catalog-183831194.html?src=rss

• Google Pixel 10a review: Small changes, but still great value
  Over the past few years, Google9s A-series Pixel phones have consistently been some of the best midrange phones you can buy. But with the AI boom causing memory shortages and the price of consumer electronics to rise, including smartphones, affordable devices like the Pixel 10a are more important than ever. Thankfully, Google9s new phone still represents great value, even if it doesn9t come with many upgrades. 
  
  
  Design and display As before, the Pixel 10a has a 6.3-inch 120Hz P-OLED display. Igor Bonifacic for Engadget
  The story of the Pixel 10a is one of small changes, so let’s start with the outside. The phone is available in four colors: lavender (pictured), berry, fog and obsidian. Photos don9t do the lavender color justice. In person, the light refracts beautifully off the surface of the aluminum frame and composite back. The back of the phone also has a pleasing matte finish that made the 10a feel secure in my hand. Another nice touch is that Google shaved down the camera module further, so that the 10a can now lie completely flat. As before, the entire phone is rated IP68-certified against dust and water. For DIY enthusiasts, Google has said it redesigned the 10a9s internals to make it easier to repair. Hooray for that.    
  
  Beyond those changes, the 10a has a brighter 120Hz P-OLED screen that offers up to 3,000 nits of brightness, up from 2,700 on the 9a. The display also offers better protection against scratches and drops thanks to Google9s decision to switch to Gorilla Glass 7i for the screen coating. Despite the minimal changes, there9s not much to complain about here. The 10a9s screen is fast, responsive and vibrant. The on-screen fingerprint sensor is also in an easy-to-reach spot toward the middle of the phone. After reviewing several big phones in recent months, it was also nice to go back to a handset with a sensible 6.3-inch footprint. 
  Performance and batteryThe speakers on the Pixel 10a could be stronger and more defined. Igor Bonifacic for Engadget
  I9ve been spoiled recently by phones like the OnePlus 15R, which offers a 7,400mAh battery and 55 watt charging out of the box. By that metric, the Pixel 10a, with its 5,100mAh battery, leaves something to be desired. Putting the phone through Engadget9s video rundown test, it ran for 28 hours before the battery died, which is exactly where the Pixel 9a landed last year. However, that score means the 10a is thoroughly middle of the pack when it comes to battery life. I can also see battery life becoming a concern as the phone ages. While that9s true of every phone, the 10a9s smaller battery makes that more of a pressing concern since you9ll be charging the phone more often and therefore degrading the battery faster. 
  
  Google has improved wired charging speeds, with the new phone capable of charging at 30 watts, up from 23-watts with the 9a. You9ll need to provide a compatible power adapter though; the Pixel 10a doesn9t come with one inside the box. With a 30 watt charger, the 10a9s battery went from dead to about 50 percent in under 45 minutes. A full charge takes approximately an hour and 45 minutes. Again, not great, but serviceable. 
  
  Another disappointment is that the Pixel 10a doesn9t support Google9s new Pixelsnap standard. Wireless charging is faster on the new phone (it9s now rated at 10 watts, up from five), but without a compatible third-party case, a charging puck won9t magnetically align with the back of the 10a. It9s not a dealbreaker, but Pixelsnap would have been a great addition.    
  
  The 10a has the same chipset Google used on the Pixel 9a, the Tensor G4, and the company has once again gone with 8GB of RAM. Other midrange phones like Samsung Galaxy S25 FE offer faster chips, but they also cost more. Moreover, I didn9t feel like the 10a was worse for running on old silicon. The new 120Hz display does a lot to make the new phone feel snappy, and Google9s in-house Android skin feels responsive as ever. 
  
  The 10a also does a commendable job of keeping heat in check. I sat down to play Camera Coach and Auto Best Take, that debuted with the Pixel 10 series. 
  
  Camera Coach, like the name suggests, uses AI to analyze the scene you9re about to capture, and offers tips on how to best compose and light the shot. It will also suggest the best camera mode for the job. While I can see how this tool could be useful, I found the fact it relies on a cloud model made it too slow for some situations. For example, when I used Camera Coach to help me snap a photo of my cat, a sassy tortoiseshell, she walked away by the time the 10a got a response from Google9s servers. In more static scenes, Camera Coach is more useful, but much of photography is about capturing a fleeting moment in time, so its utility is limited. 
  
  Auto Best Take solves a problem I9m sure we9ve all experienced. You go to take a group portrait, and snap multiple frames to ensure everyone looks good, only to end up without a single usable shot. With Auto Best Take, Google promises to combine similar group photos so that everyone looks their best. This feature works as advertised. 
  
  Outside of those features, the 10a offers a predictably great camera experience. The phone consistently produces photos that are sharp with great natural colors. That said, I did miss having a telephoto camera, as you can see from the photos I shot during a recent Cat Power concert in Toronto. Given the 10a only costs $500, it9s hard to fault Google for not including one.  
  SoftwareThe Pixel 10a9s side button can both activate Gemini and the phone9s camera. Igor Bonifacic for Engadget
  Out of the box, the 10a comes with Android 16. Like all of Google9s recent Pixel devices, the company has promised to support the 10a for an industry-leading seven years with software updates and security patches. The company9s pledge includes Pixel Drops, which often bring new software features. One feature Google has brought over from the more expensive Pixel 10 line is Satellite SOS, which allows you to call for help during emergencies, even when your phone can9t connect to a cellular network. Outside of a demo designed to make users  aware of the feature, I wasn9t able to test Satellite SOS (thankfully).   
  
  Notably, the 10a is still missing Google9s Screenshots app. That9s unfortunate since it9s one of the more useful Pixel exclusives, making it easier to organize all your online clippings. Other AI features such as Gemini Live and Circle to Search are accounted for, and as useful ever.   
  Wrap-upOverall, the Pixel 10a is a great phone, though I would have loved to see more year-over-year upgrades. Igor Bonifacic for Engadget
  The Pixel 10a is a tricky phone to grade. On the one hand, part of me wants to dock points because Google has added so few updates. On the other, the 10a is still a great phone for $500, and at a time when consumer electronics are becoming more expensive by the day, the fact it hasn9t gone up in price is a small miracle. Even if Google is partly responsible for the current memory crunch, the company9s hardware division has delivered an affordable device that’s still worth recommending. The Pixel 10a is still the phone to beat in the $500 range.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/google-pixel-10a-review-small-changes-but-still-great-value-173026779.html?src=rss

• Well, there goes any reason to buy an iPad Air
  Apple just announced the MacBook Neo, a 13-inch laptop offering the full macOS experience for just $599. It is the machine, I’m sure, plenty of the company’s fans have been clamoring for since the dawn of the netbook. I’m equally sure its specs have enough drawbacks to ensure there are still plenty of customers for the more expensive Macbooks; the same cannot be said of the iPad Air. 
  
  If you’re looking for a machine that you can actually use meaningfully, the Neo has the Air beat. It has two USB-C ports, 16-hour battery life, a real keyboard, trackpad and the ability to run macOS with proper multitasking. $599 won’t even get you an iPad Air with a keyboard and trackpad, which costs you an extra $270.
  
  Of course, the MacBook Neo is sandbagged in all of the ways Apple will always sandbag a cheaper product. But I do think the company has been smart enough to ensure the base model, which I’m sure will sell a crazy amount, is enough of a computer to matter. The A18 Pro chip will run a lot slower than Apple’s M-Series silicon but raw performance isn’t the big issue. After all, if you9re buying this machine as Apple9s version of a Chromebook, you’re not going to be compressing 55GB Final Cut Pro files here. This is a machine for light work, the sort of stuff the iPad was always meant to enable, but has never quite been able to.
  
  Apple knows how its A-series chip stack up against low-end laptop CPUs. Given the differences in OS, it’s impossible to make a real comparison yet, but in synthetic benchmarks the A18 Pro outperformed the Intel Core i3-1315U found in plenty of low-end laptops, including the Framework 12. And the A18 Pro only needs 8W to run, compared to the 15W Intel requires, which helps maintain that lovely long battery life. Even with just 8GB RAM, if it can run macOS and its applications at an acceptable level, then you know it’ll go down beautifully with its intended audience.
  
  As an aside, it’s worth saying the Neo’s intended audience is decidedly not the sort of folks who will quibble about the limited USB bandwidth the machine offers. As Devindra Hardawar said last week, the target market for this machine is the same people who bought Walmart’s MacBook Air M1. He also made the point — rightly — that macOS remains unburdened with all of the awful AI features which are making Windows use an increasingly less enjoyable experience. Even so, if you are quibbling about such specs, it’s not as if the iPad Air, with its one USB-C port, offers a meaningful improvement.
  
  I9ve always hoped and wished the iPad would mature enough to bridge the gap between the tablet and the laptop, but it never did. What Apple did to solve the issue in the end was to just make a laptop as affordable as a tablet.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/well-there-goes-any-reason-to-buy-an-ipad-air-165754581.html?src=rss

• iPhone 17e hands-on: Pretty in pink, with portraits enabled
  The iPhone 17e was announced on Monday through a press release, so there was no real chance to immediately get a hands-on with it. But at Apple’s event in New York today, the phone was on display alongside the new MacBook Neo, iPad Air M4, MacBook Pro M5 and Studio Display XDR. I managed to take it for a quick spin to see if it is truly as similar to the iPhone 16e as it appeared from pictures. Spoiler: It mostly is.
  
  One of the most noteworthy changes to the iPhone 17e is the addition of MagSafe support, and aside from confirming whether that works, I don’t really have any impressions to add. I also can’t tell you at the moment whether the increased wireless charging speed makes a difference, although mathematically I have to imagine it would.
  
  I did get a chance to try out the new Portrait photography here. I brought my iPhone 16e and tried taking portraits with both devices. I could immediately see that the iPhone 17e allowed me to apply an artificial background blur to pictures I was framing up of the new MacBook Air M5, whereas my iPhone 16e just said “No person detected.” In the Photos app, I was able to adjust the level of blur and adjust the focal point to bring a different group of flowers in focus, too.
  
  The other thing I can tell from seeing the iPhone 17e in person is that this new pink color option is absolutely delightful. I won’t go as far as to call it stunning or vibrant — it’s too subtle to be either of those things. It’s almost the same shade of pink as the Pixel 3, except a bit rosier. I do really like this color, it’s understated and elegant.
  
  Other changes include the stronger Ceramic Shield 2 covering the iPhone 17e’s screen, which is a step up from the Ceramic Shield on the iPhone 16e. Obviously I didn’t attempt to throw the new phone around at this event, and would not have been allowed to, so we’ll have to wait till I spend more time with a unit in the real world to better gauge its durability.
  
  I’ll also work on testing things like battery life, charge time and performance improvements with the A19 chip in my full review. For now, my early look at the iPhone 17e tells me everything I expected is largely true, and that pink is a surprising scene stealer. The iPhone 17e retails for $599 and is available for pre-order now, with in-store and shipping arrivals slated for March 11.
  
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/iphone-17e-hands-on-pretty-in-pink-with-portraits-enabled-163946647.html?src=rss

• MacBook Neo hands-on: Apple's $599 laptop feels shockingly great
  The most interesting product Apple announced this week was its cheapest and least powerful laptop, the MacBook Neo. It’s just fascinating to see the company tackle an entirely new category — it’s not a premium ultraportable like the MacBook Air, and it’s not a computing powerhouse like the MacBook Pro. It’s simply an affordable $599 laptop. And after spending some time with it at Apple’s spring launch event today, I’m convinced it’s going to be a huge hit for the company.
  
  For a $599 system, the MacBook Neo doesn’t look or feel like a budget machine. Its colorful aluminum case looks even more attractive than the MacBook Air and Pro’s, and at 2.7 pounds (the same as the Air), it’s easy to carry. I need to spend more time with its 13-inch screen, but at first glance it looks pretty vibrant as well. In a direct comparison with a similarly-priced HP laptop, the Neo looks far brighter and colorful. HP’s dim budget screen makes daytime photos look dull, whereas the Neo’s screen captures the essence of sunshine.
  
  Similarly, the Neo blew the HP laptop’s speakers away while playing movie trailers. HP’s speakers sound terribly tinny and awful, not the sort of thing you’d ever want to use. The Neo’s speakers made dialog sound crisp and clear, and the rest of the trailer’s audio sounded pretty detailed as well. There’s certainly not as much depth as the MacBook Air and Pro’s upward firing speakers, but the Neo’s setup is certainly better than any budget PC I’ve heard.
  
  As for gaming, the MacBook Neo was able to play the upcoming Oceanhorn 3 smoothly, without any discernible slowdown or stutter. But again, it still looked better than any cheap PC I’ve come across.
  
  It’s a shame Apple didn’t include a MagSafe charging port, but hey, at least the headphone jack is still around. And for many people, two USB-C ports should be plenty. Just keep in mind only one of those is USB-C 3 (DisplayPort, charging and speeds up to 10Gb/s) and the other is USB-C 2 (charging and speeds up to up to 480Mb/s).
  
  The downsides to the MacBook Neo became more apparent as I used it. Its keyboard feels a bit flimsy — it’s almost reminiscent of the old-school butterfly keyboards (though I’m told its mechanism is based on the Air’s). Apple has also color matched the Neo’s keys to its case’s color, though we noticed that doesn’t look as bold in person as it does in Apple’s render. And while the Neo’s touchpad feels smooth and responsive, it lacks the sturdiness from the company’s more expensive haptic touchpads. Apple deserves credit for making a mechanical trackpad that can be clicked anywhere, though, as most budget PC trackpads are only clickable along their lower thirds.
  Apple MacBook Neo from the sideDevindra Hardawar for Engadget
  The starting specs are another issue: For $599, the MacBook Neo comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Bumping up to $699 gets you 512GB of storage and a Touch ID button, but you’re still stuck with 8GB of RAM. For a basic productivity machine, I suppose 8GB of RAM can work. But when coupled with the slower performance of the A18 Pro mobile chip, it’s unclear if the MacBook Neo will hold up over time.
  
  At the very least, the MacBook Neo serves an important role as Apple’s cheapest laptop. It’s an inexpensive way to bring people into the world of macOS, and it could be a great option for schools that want something a bit more sturdy than your average Chromebook.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/macbook-neo-hands-on-apples-599-laptop-feels-shockingly-great-142313318.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