All the News that Matters

• Ubuntu 23: golang-github-google-wire Critical Patch CVE-2025-47906
  Rebuilt for CVE-2025-47906

• Fedora 42: Cloud SQL Proxy Security Fix RDY 2025-582e97b7b4
  Rebuilt for CVEs

• Fedora 42: delve Critical Memory Exhaustion Fixes FEDORA-2025-6d4139dafe
  Support for Go 1.26 and security fixes. Upstream release notes.

• Fedora 43: Cloud SQL Proxy Critical Security Notices for 2025-5906618a59
  Rebuilt for CVEs

• Fedora 43: Investigating Critical CVE-2025-47906 Denial of Service Risk
  Support for Go 1.26 and security fixes. Upstream release notes.

• SUSE: python3 Moderate Denial of Service Fix Advisory 2025:4538-1
  An update that solves three vulnerabilities can now be installed.

• My Five Linux and Open Source 2026 Resolutions (Oh… and BSD)
  After a rough 2025, Jack Wallen maps out five practical resolutions for 2026, from covering BSD more seriously to actually speaking up when people complain about Windows.

• Intel Meteor Lake On Linux Two Years Post-Launch: 93% The Original Performance
  As part of the various end-of-year annual benchmarking comparisons and the like on Phoronix, today is a look at how the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H "Meteor Lake" performance has evolved under Ubuntu Linux in the two years since launching. Plus with next-gen Intel Panther Lake laptops expected to be showcased next week at CES, it's a good time for revisiting the Meteor Lake performance to see the difference two years have made for Intel Meteor Lake laptops on Linux.

• Arch Linux Installer Archinstall 3.0.15 Adds Support for the rEFInd Boot Manager
  Archinstall 3.0.15 has been released today as the latest stable version of Arch Linux’s menu-based installer, adding a couple of new features and fixing various bugs and other issues.

• Linux 6.19 Closing Out 2025 With Several Laptop Additions
  A New Year's Eve pull request is ready with several Intel/AMD laptop improvements for the ongoing Linux 6.19 kernel cycle. An x86 platform drivers pull request sent to Linus Torvalds today brings several notable driver enhancements with expanding the range of supported laptops...

• Orange Pi Unveils AI Station with Ascend 310 and 176 TOPS Compute
  Orange Pi closes the year by unveiling new details about the Orange Pi AI Station, a compact board-level edge computing platform built around the Ascend 310 series processor. The system targets high-density inference workloads with large memory options, NVMe storage support, and extensive I/O in a small footprint. The AI Station is powered by an […]

• Flathub Sees Over 435 Million Downloads in 2025
  Flathub recorded more than 435 million app downloads in 2025, with Firefox, Chrome, and Discord ranking among the platform’s most downloaded apps.

• Introducing the new bootc kickstart command in Anaconda
  Anaconda installer now supports installation of bootc based bootable container images using the new bootc command. It has supported several types of payload to populate the root file system during installation. These include RPM packages (likely the most widely used option), tarball images you may know from Fedora Workstation, ostree, and rpm-ostree containers. The newest […]

• The January 2026 Issue of the PCLinuxOS Magazine
  The PCLinuxOS Magazine staff is pleased to announce the release of the January 2026 issue.

• OpenCV 4.13 Brings More AVX-512 Usage, CUDA 13 Support, Many Other New Features
  OpenCV 4.13 is out this New Year's Eve in providing the latest open-source computer vision (CV) capabilities. OpenCV 4.13 brings a wide variety of enhancements to this widely-used computer vision library...

• Linux Head Command: View Top of Files & Command Output
  In this article, you will learn how to use the head command to view files or command output with a specific number of lines in Linux.

• Shotcut 25.12 Adds NVIDIA NVENC Encoder Support to Screen Recording on Linux/X11
  Shotcut 25.12 has been released today as the latest stable version of this open-source, free, and cross-platform video editing software written in Qt for GNU/Linux, macOS, and Windows systems.

• GNU Wget 2.2.1 Released with New Options, Improvements, and Bug Fixes
  GNU Wget 2.2.1 was released today as the latest stable version of this open-source command-line software for retrieving files using the most widely used Internet protocols, including HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, and FTPS.

• Shotcut 25.12 Released With 10-bit Video CPU Pipeline, Linear Color Processing
  December happens to be a busy month for video editor releases in the open-source world. This month there's been the release of Flowblade 2.24, OpenShot 3.4, Kdenlive 25.12, and now there is Shotcut 25.12 before closing out the month and year...

• Super Easy KDE Plasma Customization | Layan Purple Treehouse
  In this video, I share my super easy KDE Plasma customization using a calm and cozy purple treehouse vibe.This setup focuses on simplicity, comfort, and a clean workflow without heavy tweaks.

• Unexpected Surprise: Windows 11 Outperforming Linux On An Intel Arrow Lake H Laptop
  Typically when receiving any review hardware preloaded with Microsoft Windows I tend to run some Windows vs. Linux benchmarks just as a sanity test plus it still seems to generate a fair amount of interest even though the outcome is almost always the same: Linux having a hefty performance advantage over Windows especially in the more demanding creator-type workloads. As an unexpected twist and time consuming puzzle the past two months, when recently testing out the Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 8 it's faster for numerous workloads now on Microsoft Windows 11 than Ubuntu Linux.

• 2025’s Linux and Open-Source Moments That Shaped the Year
  A look back at the Linux and open-source moments of 2025 that influenced development and shaped the direction of the ecosystem.

• (Updated) Orange Pi Previews Compact SBC with Eight-Core Allwinner A733 SoC
  Orange Pi has unveiled the Orange Pi 4 Pro, a compact single-board computer designed for high-performance edge applications. It integrates an octa-core Allwinner A733 processor, a 3 TOPS NPU, and supports up to 16 GB of LPDDR5 memory, combining AI acceleration with a wide range of expansion interfaces. This SBC features the same SoC found […]

• The Open-Source OpenGL & Vulkan Drivers Enjoyed A Rather Remarkable 2025
  The open-source OpenGL and Vulkan drivers making up Mesa had another very successful year. Even with all the years being invested into Mesa largely by Intel, AMD, Valve, Red Hat, and others, the upward trajectory continues for Mesa on expanding the hardware support, punctually adding new Vulkan extensions, and racking up other wins...

• DietPi December 2025 Update Adds RustDesk Server, Improves SBC Support, and Fixes Storage Issues
  The December 14, 2025 release of DietPi v9.20 introduces a new remote desktop server option, continued improvements for popular Arm-based single-board computers, and a broad set of fixes across DietPi tools and software packages. The update focuses on usability, stability, and hardware compatibility, particularly around USB, storage, and backup handling.   DietPi: DietPi is a […]

• How to Control Hidden Background Apps in Linux
  Background running apps could be the cause for the high CPU usage and system unresponsiveness. Learn how to control hidden background apps in Linux.

• You Can't Trust Your Eyes To Tell You What's Real Anymore, Says Instagram Head
  Instagram head Adam Mosseri closed out 2025 by acknowledging what many have long suspected: the era of trusting photographs as accurate records of reality is over, and the platform he runs will need to fundamentally adapt to an age of "infinite synthetic content." In a slideshow posted to Instagram, Mosseri wrote that for most of his life he could safely assume photographs or videos were largely accurate captures of moments that happened, adding that this is clearly no longer the case. He predicted a shift from assuming what we see is real by default to starting with skepticism and paying attention to who is sharing something and why.
  
  
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• Waymos Are Now Coming For Your Coveted San Francisco Parking Spots
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from the San Francisco Chronicle: A long stretch of curb in San Francisco's Mission District might contain a whole menagerie of parked vehicles: hatchbacks, SUVs, dusty pick-ups, chic Teslas. And recently, Waymo robotaxis. That's what Kyle Grochmal saw walking through the northeast Mission District on Monday afternoon. Cutting down York Street, he glimpsed a tell-tale white electric Jaguar in one of the coveted one-hour spots, its sensors spinning. The Waymo sat there for at least 20 minutes, Grochmal said. He whipped out his cell phone and started recording. After the Waymo drove off, another one showed up within an hour and took the same spot. "This is something I started to notice about six months ago," Grochmal said, recalling how disorienting it was to be strolling down a largely deserted sidewalk, and suddenly hear the purring motor and soft click of autonomous vehicle cameras. He'd look up to see a Waymo "just sitting there, not loading anyone." But Waymo's use of public curb space raised questions for Grochmal, who wonders whether San Franciscans are prepared to have their infrastructure dominated by autonomous vehicles. "Say Tesla gets to self-driving, so people have personal AVs," he said. "So then do people from Palo Alto get dropped off in San Francisco and let their cars drive around all day searching for free parking?" Such a future seems particularly unsettling in the northeast Mission, where snug streets couldn't handle much traffic, and competition for parking is already fierce. A recent influx of Artificial Intelligence companies brought many more workers and cars, as well as robotaxis that trawl the blocks, waiting for fares. It makes sense, to Grochmal, that some of them wind up squatting in one-hour spaces. [...] Still, it's conceivable that residents will lose patience with Waymo, and other AV companies, as the fleets scale up and the vehicles compete more aggressively with humans for parking.
  
  
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• UK Company Sends Factory With 1,000C Furnace Into Space
  A UK-based company has successfully powered up a microwave-sized space factory in orbit, proving it can run a 1,000C furnace to manufacture ultra-pure semiconductor materials in microgravity. "The work that we're doing now is allowing us to create semiconductors up to 4,000 times purer in space than we can currently make here today," says Josh Western, CEO of Space Forge. "This sort of semiconductor would go on to be in the 5G tower in which you get your mobile phone signal, it's going to be in the car charger you plug an EV into, it's going to be in the latest planes." The BBC reports: Conditions in space are ideal for making semiconductors, which have the atoms they're made of arranged in a highly ordered 3D structure. When they are being manufactured in a weightless environment, those atoms line up absolutely perfectly. The vacuum of space also means that contaminants can't sneak in. The purer and more ordered a semiconductor is, the better it works. [...] The company's mini-factory launched on a SpaceX rocket in the summer. Since then the team has been testing its systems from their mission control in Cardiff. Veronica Viera, the company's payload operations lead, shows us an image that the satellite beamed back from space. It's taken from the inside of the furnace, and shows plasma - gas heated to about 1,000C -- glowing brightly. [...] The team is now planning to build a bigger space factory -- one that could make semiconductor material for 10,000 chips. They also need to test the technology to bring the material back to Earth. On a future mission, a heat shield named Pridwen after the legendary shield of King Arthur will be deployed to protect the spacecraft from the intense temperatures it will experience as it re-enters the Earth's atmosphere.
  
  
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• NASA's Largest Library Is Closing Amid Staff and Lab Cuts
  NASA is closing its largest research library at the Goddard Space Flight Center amid budget cuts and campus consolidation, putting tens of thousands of largely non-digitized historical and scientific documents at risk of being warehoused or discarded. The New York Times reports: Jacob Richmond, a NASA spokesman, said the agency would review the library holdings over the next 60 days and some material would be stored in a government warehouse while the rest would be tossed away. "This process is an established method that is used by federal agencies to properly dispose of federally owned property," Mr. Richmond said. The shutdown of the library at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., is part of a larger reorganization under the Trump administration that includes the closure of 13 buildings and more than 100 science and engineering laboratories on the 1,270-acre campus by March 2026. "This is a consolidation not a closure," said NASA spokeswoman Bethany Stevens. The changes were part of a long-planned reorganization that began before the Trump administration took office, she said. She said that shutting down the facilities would save $10 million a year and avoid another $63.8 million in deferred maintenance. Goddard is the nation's premiere spaceflight complex. Its website calls it "the largest organization of scientists, engineers, and technologists who build spacecraft, instruments, and new technology to study Earth, the Sun, our solar system, and the universe." [...] The library closure on Friday follows the shutdown of seven other NASA libraries around the country since 2022, and included three libraries this year. As of next week, only three -- at the Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, the Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif., and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. -- will remain open.
  
  
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• Heart Association Revives Theory That Light Drinking May Be Good For You
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from the New York Times: For a while, it seemed the notion that light drinking was good for the heart had gone by the wayside, debunked by new studies and overshadowed by warnings that alcohol causes cancer. Now the American Heart Association has revived the idea in a scientific review that is drawing intense criticism, setting off a new round of debate about alcohol consumption. The paper, which sought to summarize the latest research and was aimed at practicing cardiologists, concluded that light drinking -- one to two drinks a day -- posed no risk for coronary disease, stroke, sudden death and possibly heart failure, and may even reduce the risk of developing these conditions. Controversy over the influential organization's review has been simmering since it was published in the association's journal Circulation in July. Public health groups and many doctors have warned on the basis of recent studies that alcohol can be harmful even in small amounts. Groups like the European Heart Network and the World Heart Federation have stressed that even modest drinking increases the odds of cardiovascular disease. "It says in all our guidelines right now, 'If you don't drink, don't start.' There's not enough evidence to suggest conclusively that it prevents heart disease," said Dr. Mariell Jessup, the chief science and medical officer at the heart association, adding that the review was not meant to serve as a guideline and that the group's advice to patients has not changed. Critics argue that suggesting any heart-health benefits from alcohol is dangerous given its well-documented risks, and they accuse the heart association of selectively weighing studies. They also say a past tie to the alcohol industry by one author should have disqualified him from participating. "The cardiovascular benefits of moderate drinking are questionable at best," said Dr. Elizabeth Farkouh, an internist and alcohol researcher. "But even if there was a benefit, there are so many other ways to reduce cardiovascular risk that don't come with an associated cancer risk." The new review's conclusion is also at odds with the CDC's guidance on alcohol, which notes that "even moderate drinking may increase your risk of death and other alcohol-related harms, compared to not drinking." It also seems to diverge from the heart association's diet and lifestyle recommendation to consume "limited or preferably no alcohol," along with its 2023 statement that recent research suggests there is "no safe level of alcohol use."
  
  
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• Warren Buffett Retires As Berkshire Hathaway CEO After 55 Years
  Warren Buffett is retiring as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway at age 95, ending a 55-year run that reshaped how generations of Americans think about investing. "The 95-year-old, often referred to as the 'Oracle of Omaha' and the 'billionaire next door,' will relinquish the title after a career that saw him turn a failing textile firm into one of the most successful asset managers in the world," reports NBC News. From the report: Greg Abel, the 63-year-old lesser-known CEO of Berkshire's energy business, will take the helm of the conglomerate on Thursday. Buffett will remain its chairman. Under Buffett's leadership, Nebraska-based Berkshire has thrived at the intersection of Wall Street and Main Street, with investments in industries ranging from railroads and insurance to candy and ice cream. Along the way, while living in the same house he bought for just over $30,000 in the late 1950s, he redefined investing for the American public with his folksy and practical advice, became one of the wealthiest people on Earth and dedicated much of that fortune to philanthropy. Berkshire's most significant tech bet was initiated in 2016 when it invested $1 billion. Apple has since become Berkshire Hathaway's largest single holding, representing over 20% of the portfolio and valued at more than $65 billion. While Buffett largely avoided pure tech for decades, Buffett long considered technology a blind spot, famously saying "I wish I had" bought Apple earlier. Throughout the years, Buffett expressed his disinterest in cryptocurrency and said he would "never own bitcoin," referring to it as "probably rat poison squared" and a "gambling token."
  
  
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• Stewart Cheifet, Computer Chronicles Host, Dies At 87
  Pibroch(CiH) writes: According to the obituary linked, Stewart Cheifet of Computer Chronicles fame has died. The obituary states he passed Dec 28, 2025. Cheifet and Digital Research founder Gary Kildall hosted the public television show The Computer Chronicles starting in 1984, and Stewart continued to host the show well into the 1990s. He was well-known for his affable presence and adeptness at interviewing guests and finding out the straight dope about their products. He had recently undergone spinal surgery and had somewhat disappeared from public view after the death of his wife Peta in 2024.
  
  
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• Tech Startups Are Handing Out Free Nicotine Pouches to Boost Productivity
  The Wall Street Journal reports that a growing number of tech startups are stocking offices with free nicotine pouches as founders and employees chase sharper focus and stamina in hyper-competitive AI-era work environments. The Wall Street Journal reports: Earlier this year, two nicotine startups -- Lucy Nicotine and Sesh -- made branded vending machines filled with flavored products for analytics company Palantir Technologies. Both machines are in the company's Washington, D.C., offices. The pouches are free for employees and guests over the age of 21, a spokeswoman for Palantir said. Palantir pays to stock the nicotine products. Alex Cohen, a startup founder based in Austin, Texas, said he was first exposed to nicotine pouches in the workplace after seeing tins of Zyns on the desks of his software engineers. His company, Hello Patient, makes AI-powered healthcare-communication software. "They were very productive, so I thought maybe there's something here," he said. Those engineers soon asked him if he could buy it for the office. Cohen said he initially bought the nicotine pouches as a joke for social media. He posted a picture of a drawer in his startup's office filled with nicotine pouches made by different brands with the caption, "We're hiring." "Then, I accidentally got addicted," said Cohen. He said he uses around two to three pouches a day. His go-to flavors are mango or minty. Cohen said he has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, and he has found that the pouches can provide a quick productivity boost. "It helps with reining in my focus because it is a stimulant," he said. Today, Hello Patient has a nicotine-pouch fridge in its office kitchen.
  
  
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• DarkSpectre Hackers Spread Malware To 8.8 Million Chrome, Edge, and Firefox Users
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Cyber Press: A newly uncovered Chinese threat group, DarkSpectre, has been linked to one of the most widespread browser-extension malware operations to date, compromising more than 8.8 million users of Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Opera over the past seven years. According to research by Koi.ai, the group operates three interconnected campaigns: ShadyPanda, GhostPoster, and a newly identified one named The Zoom Stealer, forming a single, strategically organized operation. DarkSpectre's structure differs from that of ordinary cybercrime operations. The group runs separate but interconnected malware clusters, each with distinct goals. The ShadyPanda campaign, responsible for 5.6 million infections, focuses on long-term user surveillance and e-commerce affiliate fraud. Its extensions have appeared legitimate for years, offering new tab pages and translation utilities, before secretly downloading malicious configurations from command-and-control servers such as jt2x.com and infinitynewtab.com. Once activated, they inject remote scripts, hijack search results, and track browsing activity. The second campaign, GhostPoster, spreads via Firefox and Opera extensions that conceal malicious payloads in PNG images via steganography. After lying dormant for several days, the extensions extract and execute JavaScript hidden within images, enabling stealthy remote code execution. This campaign has affected over one million users and relies on domains like gmzdaily.com and mitarchive.info for payload delivery. The most recent discovery, The Zoom Stealer, exposes around 2.2 million users to corporate espionage. These extensions masquerade as productivity tools or video downloaders while secretly harvesting corporate meeting links, credentials, and speaker profiles from more than 28 video conferencing platforms, including Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet. The extensions use real-time WebSocket connections to exfiltrate data to Firebase databases, such as zoocorder.firebaseio.com, and to Google Cloud functions, such as webinarstvus.cloudfunctions.net.
  
  
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• OpenAI Is Paying Employees More Than Any Major Tech Startup in History
  OpenAI is paying employees more than any major tech startup in history, with average stock-based compensation hitting roughly $1.5 million per worker in 2025. "That is more than seven times higher than the stock-based pay Google disclosed in 2003, before it filed for an initial public offering in 2004," reports the Wall Street Journal. "The $1.5 million is about 34 times the average employee compensation of 18 other large tech companies in the year before they went public." From the report: To keep its lead in the AI race, OpenAI is doling out massive stock compensation packages to top researchers and engineers, making them some of the richest employees in Silicon Valley. The equity awards are inflating the company's heavy operating losses and diluting existing shareholders at a rapid clip. As an AI arms race intensified this summer, frontier labs such as OpenAI faced pressure to increase employee pay after Meta Platforms Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg began offering pay packages worth hundreds of millions of dollars -- and in some rare cases $1 billion -- to top executives and researchers at rival companies. Zuckerberg's recruiting blitz swept up 20-plus OpenAI personnel, including ChatGPT co-creator Shengjia Zhao. In August, OpenAI gave some of its research and engineering staff a one-time bonus, with some employees receiving millions of dollars, The Wall Street Journal previously reported. The financial data, shared with investors over the summer, shows that OpenAI's stock-based compensation was expected to increase by about $3 billion annually through 2030. The company recently told staff it would discontinue a policy that required employees to work at OpenAI for at least six months before their equity vests. That development could lead to further compensation increases. OpenAI's compensation as a percentage of revenue was set to reach 46% in 2025, the highest of any of the 18 companies except for Rivian, which didn't generate revenue the year before its IPO. Palantir's stock-based compensation equaled 33% of its revenue the year before its IPO in 2020, Google's was 15% and Facebook's was 6%, the analysis shows. On average, each company's stock-based compensation made up about 6% of revenue among tech companies the Journal analyzed in the year before their IPOs, according to the Equilar data.
  
  
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• Trump Administration Removes Three Spyware-Linked Execs From Sanctions List
  Reuters reports that the United States Department of the Treasury under the Donald Trump administration has lifted sanctions on three executives linked to the spyware firm Intellexa. Reuters reports: The move partially reverses the imposition of sanctions last year by then-President Joe Biden's administration on seven people tied to Intellexa. The Treasury Department at the time described the consortium, opens new tab, launched by former Israeli intelligence official Tal Dilian, as "a complex international web of decentralized companies that built and commercialized a comprehensive suite of highly invasive spyware products." Treasury said in an email that the removal "was done as part of the normal administrative process in response to a petition request for reconsideration." It added that each of the individuals had "demonstrated measures to separate themselves from the Intellexa Consortium." The notice said sanctions were lifted on Sara Hamou, whom the U.S. government accused of providing managerial services to Intellexa, Andrea Gambazzi, whose company was alleged by the U.S. government to have held the distribution rights to the Predator spyware, and Merom Harpaz, described by U.S. officials as a top executive in the consortium.
  
  
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• France Targets Australia-Style Social Media Ban For Children Next Year
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Guardian: France intends to follow Australia and ban social media platforms for children from the start of the 2026 academic year. A draft bill preventing under-15s from using social media will be submitted for legal checks and is expected to be debated in parliament early in the new year. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has made it clear in recent weeks that he wants France to swiftly follow Australia's world-first ban on social media platforms for under-16s, which came into force in December. It includes Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube. Le Monde and France Info reported on Wednesday that a draft bill was now complete and contained two measures: a ban on social media for under-15s and a ban on mobile phones in high schools, where 15- to 18-year-olds study. Phones have already been banned in primary and middle schools. The bill will be submitted to France's Conseil d'Etat for legal review in the coming days. Education unions will also look at the proposed high-school ban on phones. The government wants the social media ban to come into force from September 2026. Le Monde reported the text of the draft bill cited "the risks of excessive screen use by teenagers," including the dangers of being exposed to inappropriate social media content, online bullying, and altered sleep patterns. The bill states the need to "protect future generations" from dangers that threaten their ability to thrive and live together in a society with shared values. Earlier this month, Macron confirmed at a public debate in Saint Malo that he wanted a social media ban for young teenagers. He said there was "consensus being shaped" on the issue after Australia introduced its ban. "The more screen time there is, the more school achievement drops the more screen time there is, the more mental health problems go up," he said. He used the analogy of a teenager getting into a Formula One racing car before they had learned to drive. "If a child is in a Formula One car and they turn on the engine, I don't want them to win the race, I just want them to get out of the car. I want them to learn the highway code first, and to ensure the car works, and to teach them to drive in a different car."
  
  
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• NJ's Answer To Flooding: It Has Bought Out and Demolished 1,200 Properties
  New Jersey has found its answer to the relentless flooding that has plagued the state's coastal and inland communities for decades: buy the homes, demolish them and turn the land back into open space permanently. The state's Blue Acres program has acquired some 1,200 properties since 1995, spending more than $234 million in federal and state funds to pay fair market value to homeowners exhausted by repeated floods from tropical storms, nor'easters, and heavy rain. A Georgetown Climate Center report this month called the program a national model, crediting its success to faster processing than federal buyout programs, stable state funding and case managers who guide each homeowner through the process. The demolished homes become grass lots that absorb rainwater far better than concrete and asphalt. Manville, a borough of 11,000 at the confluence of two rivers about 25 miles southwest of Newark, has sold 120 homes to the state for roughly $22 million between 2015 and 2024. Another 53 buyouts are underway there. The need for such programs is only growing. Sea levels along the New Jersey coast rose about 1.5 feet over the past century -- more than double the global rate -- and a Rutgers study predicts a further increase of 2.2 to 3.8 feet by 2100. A November report from the Natural Resources Defense Council noted that billions in previously approved FEMA resilience grants have already been cancelled, making state-run initiatives like Blue Acres increasingly essential.
  
  
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• NASA Craft To Face Heat-Shield Test on Its First Astronaut Flight Next Year
  An anonymous reader shares a report: Getting to space is hard. In many ways, getting back is even harder. NASA soon aims to pull off the kind of re-entry it last conducted more than 50 years ago: safely returning astronauts to Earth after they fly to the moon and back. The mission is a big moment for NASA, which will put a crew on its Orion ship for the first time. The flight will test the spacecraft's heat shield, designed to protect the astronauts on board. Re-entries of vehicles from orbit remain one of the high-stakes parts of any human spaceflight, given the stress they put on spacecraft. In 2003, NASA's Columbia Space Shuttle broke apart as it came back from low-Earth orbit due to a breach on the vehicle that occurred during launch. All seven astronauts on board were killed. Orion will be coming back to Earth from much further away than low-Earth orbit, where all recent human spaceflights have been conducted. That means its velocity and the energy it needs to disperse will be greater, putting even more stress on the heat shield. During a test flight in 2022 that didn't include astronauts, Orion's heat shield didn't perform as expected. That sparked worries about crew safety on future missions, prompting NASA to investigate and address what happened. NASA will launch Orion with the astronauts on board as soon as February. [...] When the vehicle initially re-enters the Earth's atmosphere, it will be traveling around 25,000 miles an hour and face temperatures of 5,000 degrees as it slows down. The Orion craft, developed by Lockheed Martin for NASA, has a shield that is almost 17 feet in diameter. Installed on the vehicle's underside, the shield is covered in what is called an "ablative" material, which is designed to shift heat away from the craft during re-entry by burning off in a controlled manner.
  
  
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• JPMorgan Says Javice Firms Billed Millions Just for 'Attendance'
  JPMorgan Chase is now fighting to avoid paying $10.2 million in disputed legal charges racked up by Charlie Javice, the convicted founder of student-finance startup Frank, after court filings revealed her defense team billed more than $5 million simply for attending her fraud trial -- including on days when court wasn't even in session. A previously sealed Delaware court filing [PDF] released Monday showed that Javice's total legal tab has reached $74 million, far exceeding the $30 million Elizabeth Holmes spent defending herself in the Theranos case. JPMorgan claims the five law firms representing Javice operated under the mindset that "someone else is paying her bills." The bank's filing focused on Quinn Emanuel and Mintz Levin, the two largest firms on Javice's defense. JPMorgan said Javice had between 16 and 29 lawyers and legal staff present every day of her six-week trial, billing an average of $360,000 daily. No more than four lawyers had speaking roles. Among the 2,377 pages of receipts submitted for March: a Cookie Monster toddler's toy, lavender and jasmine sachets, 57 hotel room upgrades at $300 per night, and a $900 meal at Koloman, a highly rated New York restaurant. A New York jury found Javice guilty in March of misleading JPMorgan into acquiring Frank for $175 million by fabricating millions of fake users. She was sentenced in September to seven years in prison but remains free on bail pending her appeal.
  
  
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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]
  
  The post How to Deploy Lightweight Language Models on Embedded Linux with LiteLLM appeared first on Linux.com.
  

• 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]
  
  The post Automating Compliance Management with UTMStacks Open Source SIEM & XDR appeared first on Linux.com.
  

• 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]
  
  The post A Simple Way to Install Talos Linux on Any Machine, with Any Provider appeared first on Linux.com.
  

• 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.
  

• Advancing Xen on RISC-V: key updates
  At Vates, we are heavily invested in the advancement of Xen and the RISC-V architecture. RISC-V, a rapidly emerging open-source hardware architecture, is gaining traction due to its flexibility, scalability and openness, which align perfectly with our ethos of fostering open development ecosystems. Although the upstream version of Xen for RISC-V is not yet fully [0]
  
  The post Advancing Xen on RISC-V: key updates appeared first on Linux.com.
  

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• How to watch the NVIDIA CES 2026 presentation live
  CFOTO via Getty Images
  During CES 2025, we watched NVIDIA tout its leading position in the artificial intelligence arena for the bulk of the presentation. But it did reveal some new hardware, including its RTX 5000-series GPUs and Project Digits desktop supercomputer (later redubbed Spark). This year, the company9s website says it9s "lighting up CES 2026 with the power of AI." To that end, NVIDIA is pulling out all the stops at its Vegas installation, promising hands-on demos in its booth at the Fontainebleau, replete with the "latest NVIDIA solutions driving innovation and productivity across industries."
  
  But don9t worry if you9re not on the ground in Vegas. Here9s how you can watch the livestream of the company9s January 5 press conference, and what to expect from NVIDIA at CES this year.
  How to watch the NVIDIA CES 2026 keynote
  NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang will deliver a 90-minute keynote at CES 2026. The event will be livestreamed on January 5 at 4PM ET via NVIDIA9s website (and likely on YouTube as well). We9ll embed the link here once it9s available.
  What to expect
  NVIDIA9s game plan for CES is suitably vague so far, including "cutting-edge AI, robotics, simulation, gaming and content creation at the NVIDIA Showcase." It also notes there will be more than 20 demos. Although we9re unsure if all of these will be shown during the keynote, we can at least expect to see them throughout the week of CES.
  
  Given NVIDIA9s sky-high valuation and the fact that the health of the US and global economy seems increasingly linked to infrastructure spending on AI data centers – largely powered by chips from NVIDIA and its competitors — expect Huang9s remarks to be as closely followed by Wall Street investors as technology acolytes, if not more so. Will we get any insight on a successor to the company9s Blackwell chip? A more detailed look at how NVIDIA9s partners are applying AI to real-world robotics? Time will tell, but you might want to keep your stock portfolio in a split screen while taking in Huang9s presentation.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/how-to-watch-the-nvidia-ces-2026-press-conference-live-130028668.html?src=rss

• In 2025, quitting social media felt easier than ever
  For a tech writer, being very offline is sort of like being a marathon coach who doesn’t run. So in 2025, I tried to reverse years of studied avoidance towards the most ubiquitous technological phenomenon on earth — I got back on social media. The change was short-lived. 
  
  My first exodus from the feeds took some work — disabling notifications, removing apps from my homescreen and then deleting accounts entirely. This time, the phone put itself down. The whole thing has simply lost its luster.
  
  I started with Instagram. Every experience went like this: I’d see a single post from one of the rare family members or IRL friends who are active on the platform. Next, I was fed a sponsored post, followed by suggestions to follow randos. After that, a series of influencer videos that, admittedly, appeal to my taste (funny/absurdist women and dissertations on urban planning). That was followed up with more sponsored posts, mostly from brands I’d looked up for work. Then it’d circle back to the influencers. My eyes glazed over and I tossed the phone aside.  
  
  Years back, the platform gave off a jolt of quasi-social connection that I’d spend hours sucking up. I fed on pointless thoughts from an ex-coworker, vacation reels from a college roommate, a half-baked loaf of bread that an old friend dropped on the floor but took a picture of anyway. Now it’s a bare sliver of that stuff, shoehorned between towers of sponsored content and posts from people who make or promote their living on Instagram. The real people have left. The connection is gone. The FOMO is no more.   
  
  I experienced some variation of the same disappointment on every platform I rejoined. When I got back on TikTok a few months after the ban, it felt like a frenzied shopping mall. Every video seems to be about four seconds long and most are promotional and/or shoppable. YouTube Shorts is drowning in AI-generated videos, and I don’t hit up social media to watch fake footage of desperate wild animal babies clambering onto the boats of helpful humans. My life has no need for simulated toddlers admonishing their pets. Occasionally, I’d hit on something compelling: a clip from late night TV, a stupidly decadent dessert recipe, people from other countries explaining cultural subtleties. 
  
  But for me, these social media platforms are no longer velcro for the eyes. I remember losing focus, spending long hours on YouTube Shorts and IG. I’d look up bleary-eyed and shame-faced after hours scrolling TikTok’s For You Page. Now, after a few minutes, a bored ickiness sets in. I feel like I’m trapped in a carnival of bots hawking shampoo at me and I just want to go home. 
  
  It’s not a mystery how or why things feel different; The answer is always money. These billion- and trillion-dollar companies have shareholders who prize year-over-year performance over anything else. So we get more sponsored posts on Instagram. TikTok purposefully, enthusiastically overloads itself with shoppable content (which isn’t going to change no matter who owns it). YouTube is obsessed with engagement so it ends up rewarding people who flood the platform with AI slop. These platforms aren’t about human connections and the spread of creativity — the stuff that used to draw me in — they’re thinly varnished ecommerce sites sprinkled with brute-forced AI oddities.   
  
  I’d be sadder about the whole thing if I thought it could be any different. These companies are among the most valuable in the world. The fact that I can’t connect with my fellow common people using their services is not surprising. The change isn’t even driving everyone away. Instagram reported more users than ever this year, to the tune of 35 percent of the planet. Billions of users still scroll TikTok and watch YouTube Shorts. So maybe it’s just a me thing.  
  
  And I have options. Over-monetization may have made me not want to engage with a few social media behemoths, but things aren’t so dire everywhere. Bluesky reminds me of Twitter before X. I take comfort in seeing posts that prove most people are as dismayed as I am over a government and wider economic system that are nakedly uninterested in serving the public. The hot takes aren’t quite as funny as they were on Twitter years back — maybe it’s just all been said before or perhaps things have gotten too dire for levity. I still don’t end up spending a lot of time on the platform, however. It’s not as weird as it was before the defection and I get tired of the stream of news headlines contextualized with tut-tutting and handwringing — I’m perfectly capable of doing that myself.  
  
  It’d be easy to say that social media just isn’t my thing, but that’s not true because I can’t quit Reddit — the shining exception to my social media ennui. It feels filled with actual people. Ads exist, but in a subdued, manageable way. And every contributor, commenter and moderator I’ve come across on the app is militantly vigilant against the onslaught of artificially generated content. I also like the organizational structure. I know my Home tab will only expose me to my chosen subs and I derive great joy from happy cows, greeble-chasing cats, enigmatic night feelings and freaky abandoned spaces. I use my local subreddit r/Albuquerque daily to answer questions and keep tabs on the world (directly) around me. 
  
  Sadly, Reddit is an outlier, a misfit exception to the rule, and now that it’s gone public, it may follow a similar monetization push. Bluesky is tiny, new and not yet profitable, so who knows where its financial journey will lead it (though the “world without Caesars��� shirt gives us some hope). 
  
  There’s something lamentable about the loss of the connections we gleaned from platforms that were once compelling, engrossing and rife with the creativity of our fellow humans. Ultimately, any public-facing company that prioritizes profits over everything else has no incentive to look out for its users. So I don’t expect any of the larger social platforms to pull back on their monetization marches. For now, I’ve decided I’m comfortable with my admittedly narrow interaction with the world of social media. As a Gen-Xer, online-first wasn’t how my relationship to the world started out. And I’m pretty confident I know enough about other tech-related stuff to be useful to my editors and readers without a black belt in social. (Ed. note: She is.) Besides, Karissa’s got us covered. 
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/in-2025-quitting-social-media-felt-easier-than-ever-140000374.html?src=rss

• How to watch the Bosch CES 2026 press conference live
  You may know Bosch as a home appliance brand (via its partnership with Siemens), but the German multinational is generally more focused on providing underlying technology and engineering solutions to auto, home and manufacturing partners across the globe. It9s fitting, then, that much of what it9s showing off at CES 2026 is more intended to be licensed to other companies versus Bosch-branded products you9ll be seeing on store shelves.
  
  Case in point is Bosch9s automotive plans at CES. The company will present "AI in the car," or more specifically, in the cockpit of the car. "Bosch9s AI-powered cockpit makes driving more comfortable, intuitive, and safer for all occupants," Bosch board member Markus Heyn said in a press release. We9ll get into all the details below, as well as how to tune in to the press conference on Monday.
  How to watch Bosch9s CES 2026 presentation
  You can livestream the event on Monday, January 5 at 12PM ET via the Bosch press page. (If the stream is embeddable, we9ll also include it here.)
  What to expect
  Bosch will be setting up shop in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center (booth 16203), where the company will be focusing on its three big themes — mobility, smart home integrations and manufacturing — all of which will include hardware, software and AI solutions.
  
  Like many other CES 2026 exhibitors, look for Bosch to emphasize its partnerships with the big dogs of the AI space at the show. For instance, that AI-powered car cockpit mentioned above will feature integrations with both Microsoft and NVIDIA. For instance, Bosch is touting the ability to use voice commands to join a Teams call, while the car9s system will automatically activate adaptive cruise control. And it9s noting that NVIDIA9s software suites will help manage "real-time sensor processing and vision-language models."
  
  Here9s a glimpse of what the booth will look like:
  
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/how-to-watch-the-bosch-ces-2026-press-conference-live-130020898.html?src=rss

• The best gear to help you stick to your New Year's resolutions
  The start of a new year always feels like a reset button. Everyone’s talking about moving more, eating better, sleeping longer or finally taming their digital chaos. But resolutions rarely survive on willpower alone. The right tools or piece of tech can make those goals easier to keep by turning motivation into a habit. Whether you’re trying to close your rings, track your progress or just build better routines, these smart picks make self-improvement feel a little more achievable, and a lot more enjoyable.
  Gear that can help you stick to your New Year9s resolutions
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-best-gear-to-help-you-stick-to-your-new-years-resolutions-130000389.html?src=rss

• The best smart scales for 2026
  If you are trying to stay on top of your health this year, a smart scale can make the process feel more manageable. These devices log details like body fat, muscle mass and water levels, then sync everything to your phone so you can see patterns instead of guessing. It is an easy way to track changes and stay motivated between workouts or check-ins with your doctor.
  
  Some smart scales keep things simple and focus on just your data, while others tie into big fitness platforms or support multiple users under one roof. With so many choices, we pulled together the best smart scales to help you find one that fits your goals and your budget.
  Table of contents
  Smart scale safety?
  
  Best smart scales for 2026?
  
  What to look for in a smart scale?
  
  How we tested and which smart scales we tested?
  
  Smart scales FAQs?
  Smart scale safety
  There are valid reasons to weigh yourself but your self-worth shouldn’t be defined by what number shows up between your feet. If you’re looking to alter your body shape, that figure could go up as your waistline goes down since muscle weighs more than fat.
  
  Some scales go further by providing additional metrics like visceral fat levels, giving you a more comprehensive picture of your health. Dr. Anne Swift, Director of Public Health teaching at the University of Cambridge, said “weighing yourself too often can result in [you] becoming fixated on small fluctuations day-to-day rather than the overall trend over time.” Swift added “it’s sometimes better to focus on how clothes fit, or how you feel, rather than your weight.”
  
  A meta-analysis from 2016 found there may be some negative psychological impact from self weighing. A 2018 study, however, said there may be a positive correlation between regular weigh-ins and accelerated weight loss. It can be a minefield and I’d urge you to take real care of yourself and remember success won’t happen overnight.
  Best smart scales for 2026
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  What to look for in a smart scale Weight
  A scale that measures weight is probably the top requirement, right? Whether you9re after a basic weight scale or a full-featured body fat scale, bear in mind, with all these measurements, the readings won’t be as accurate as a calibrated clinical scale. It’s better to focus on the overall trend, up or down over time, rather than a single measurement in isolation. Scales offering high-precision measurements can help, especially if you’re looking at the data to inform a specific health or fitness goal.
  Connectivity
  Before you buy your scale, work out how you’re planning on weighing yourself and when, as it is an issue. Some lower-end smart bathroom scales connect via Bluetooth and have no internal storage, so if you don’t have your phone to hand, it won’t record your weight. If your scale has Wi-Fi, then your scale can post the data to a server, letting you access them from any compatible device. Also, you should be mindful that some smart scales aren’t built with security in mind, so there’s a small risk to your privacy should your scale be compromised.
  Bone density
  The stronger your bones are, the less risk you have of breaks and osteoporosis — common concerns as you get older. Clinical bone density tests use low-power x-rays and some scales can offer you an at-home approximation. These bone mass tests pass a small electrical current through your feet, measuring the resistance as it completes its journey. The resistance offered by bones, fat and muscle are all different, letting your scale identify the difference. A body composition monitor often includes this feature, too, providing a detailed breakdown of bone density, fat and muscle mass.
  Body fat percentage and muscle mass
  Fat and muscle are necessary parts of our makeup, but too much of either can be problematic. Much like bone density, a body composition measurement feature can monitor your body fat and muscle mass percentages using Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA). This measurement tests how well your body resists an electrical signal passing through your body. (It’s a rough rule of thumb you should have a 30/70 percent split between fat and muscle, but please consult a medical professional for figures specific to your own body and medical needs.) For those with specific athletic goals, smart scales offer an athlete mode to better tailor readings for accuracy. If body fat monitoring is a priority, look for a model marketed as a body fat scale.
  BMI
  A lot of scales offer a BMI calculation, and it’s easy to do since you just plot height and weight on a set graph line. Body Mass Index is, however, a problematic measurement that its critics say is both overly simplistic and often greatly misleading. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the most common clinical body metrics and medical professionals will use it to make judgements about your care.
  Pulse Wave Velocity
  French health-tech company Withings has offered Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV) on its flagship scale for some time, although regulatory concerns meant it was withdrawn for a period. It’s a measurement of arterial stiffness, which acts as a marker both of cardiovascular risk and other health conditions. For those looking for an even deeper understanding of their health, some scales now offer a body scan, which provides more advanced metrics such as segmental body composition and vascular health insights.
  Wearables and integration
  Pairing your smart scale with wearables like fitness trackers or smartwatches can further enhance your health-tracking ecosystem. Many smart scales sync directly with platforms like Fitbit or Apple Health, making it easier to track trends and analyze your data in one place.
  Display
  Less a specification and more a note: Smart bathroom scales have displays ranging from pre-printed LCDs or digital dot matrix layouts through to color display screens. On the high end, your scale display can show you trending charts for your weight and other vital statistics, and can even tell you the day’s weather. If you are short-sighted, and plan on weighing yourself first thing in the morning, before you’ve found your glasses or contacts, opt for a big, clear, high-contrast display.
  App and subscriptions
  You’ll spend most of your time looking at your health data through its companion scales app, and it’s vital you get a good one. This includes a clear, clean layout with powerful tools to visualize your progress and analyze your data to look for places you can improve. Given that you often don’t need to buy anything before trying the app, it’s worth testing one or two to see if you vibe with it. It’s also important you check app compatibility before making your purchase. Some health apps will only work with iOS or Android — not both. Apple Watch connectivity can also be a bonus for tracking workouts and health metrics seamlessly. Several companies also offer premium subscriptions, unlocking other features – including insights and coaching – to go along with your hardware.
  Data portability
  Using the same scale or app platform for years at a time means you’ll build up a massive trove of personal data. And it is (or should be), your right to take that data to another provider if you choose to move platforms in the future. Data portability is, however, a minefield, with different platforms offering wildly different options, making it easy (or hard) to go elsewhere.
  
  All of the devices in this round-up will allow you to export your data to a .CSV file, which you can then do with as you wish. Importing this information is trickier, with Withings and Garmin allowing it, and Omron, Xiaomi, Eufy and Fitbit not making it that easy. (Apps that engage with Apple Health, meanwhile, can output all of your health data in a .XML file.)
  Power
  It’s not a huge issue but one worth bearing in mind that each scale will either run disposable batteries (most commonly 4xAAA) or with its own, built-in battery pack. Either choice adds an environmental and financial cost to your scale’s life — either with regular purchases of fresh cells or the potential for the whole unit to become waste when the battery pack fails.
  How we tested and which smart scales we tested
  For this guide, I tested six scales from major manufacturers:
  Mi (Xiaomi) Body Composition Scale 2
  Our cheapest model, Xiaomi / Mi’s Body Composition Scale 2 is as bare-bones as you can get, and it shows. It often takes a long while to lock on to get your body weight, and when it does you’ll have to delve into the Zepp Life-branded scales app in order to look at your extra data. But you can’t fault it for the basics, offering limited (but accurate) weight measurements and body composition for less than the price of a McDonald’s for four.
  Fitbit Aira Air
  Fitbit, now part of Google, is the household name for fitness trackers and smartwatches in the US, right? If not, then it must be at least halfway synonymous with it. The Aria Air is the company’s stripped-to-the-bare bones scale, offering your weight and a few other health metrics, but you can trust that Fitbit got the basics right. Not to mention that most of the reason for buying a Fitbit product is to leverage its fitness app anyway.
  Anker Eufy Smart Scale P2 Pro
  Eufy’s Smart Scale P2 Pro has plenty of things to commend it – the price, the overall look and feel (it’s a snazzy piece of kit) and what it offers. It offers a whole host of in-depth functionality, including Body Fat, Muscle Mass, Water Weight, Body Fat Mass and Bone Mass measurements, as well as calculating things like your Heart Rate and Basal Metabolic Rate (the amount of calories you need to eat a day to not change weight at all) all from inside its app. In fact, buried beneath the friendly graphic, the scale offers a big pile of stats and data that should, I think, give you more than a little coaching on how to improve your overall health.
  
  It’s worth noting that Anker – Eufy’s parent company – was identified as having misled users, and the media, about the security of its products a few years back. Its Eufy-branded security cameras, which the company says does not broadcast video outside of your local network, was found to be allowing third parties to access streams online. Consequently, while we have praised the Eufy Smart Scale for its own features, we cannot recommend it without a big caveat.
  Omron BCM-500 Body Composition and Scale with Bluetooth
  Given its role in making actual medical devices, you know what you’re getting with an Omron product. A solid, reliable, sturdy, strong (checks the dictionary for more synonyms) dependable piece of kit. There’s no romance or excitement on show, but you can trust that however joyless it may be, it’ll do the job in question and will be user-friendly. The hardware is limited, the app is limited, but it certainly (checks synonyms again) is steady.
  
  Joking aside, Omron’s Connect app is as bare-bones as you can get, since it acts as an interface for so many of its products. Scroll over to the Weight page, and you’ll get your weight and BMI reading, and if you’ve set a fitness goal, you can see how far you’ve got to go to reach it. You can also switch to seeing a trend graph which, again, offers the most basic visualization of your workouts and progress.
  Garmin Index S2
  Garmin’s got a pretty massive fitness ecosystem of its own, so if you’re already part of that world, its smart scale is a no-brainer. On one hand, the scale is one of the easiest to use, and most luxurious of the bunch, with its color screen and sleek design. I’m also a big fan of the wealth of data and different metrics the scale throws at you – you can see a full color graph charting your weight measurements and goal progress, and the various metrics it tracks in good detail. If there’s a downside, it’s that Garmin’s setup won’t hold your hand, since it’s for serious fitness people, not newbies.
  Withings Body Comp
  At the highest end, Withings’ flagship Body Comp is luxurious, and luxuriously priced, a figure I’d consider to be “too much” to spend on a bathroom scale. For your money, however, you’ll get a fairly comprehensive rundown of body composition metrics including your weight, body fat percentage, vascular age, pulse wave velocity and electrodermal activity. Its monochrome dot matrix display may not be as swish as the Garmin’s, but it refreshes pretty quickly and feels very in-keeping with the hardware’s overall sleek look.
  Withings Body Scan
  If you want to flaunt your cash, you don’t buy a car, you buy a supercar, or a hypercar if you’re flush enough. What then, do we call Withings’ $400 Body Scan if not a super-smart scale, or a hyper-smart scale? As well as doing everything the Body Comp does, plus running a six-lead ECG, segmented body composition, and will even check for neuropathy in your feet. It is the best scale I’ve ever used, it is also the most expensive, and I suspect it’s too much device for almost everyone who’d consider buying one.
  Smart scales FAQs What9s the difference between a smart scale and a regular scale?
  A regular scale is pretty straightforward — it tells you how much you weigh, and that’s usually it. A smart scale, on the other hand, does much more. Not only does it give you your weight measurements, but it can also track things like your body fat percentage, muscle mass, and even your BMI. Some smart scales even monitor more advanced metrics like bone density, depending on the model.
  
  What’s even better is that smart scales sync with scales apps on your phone using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, so you can see all your health data in one place. This lets you monitor trends over time, like if your muscle mass is increasing or your body fat percentage decreasing.
  How do smart scales work with more than one person using it?
  When more than one person in a household uses the smart scale, it usually recognizes each person by their weight range and other body measurements (like body fat percentage). Most smart scales allow you to set up individual profiles in the companion app, and once your profile is linked, the scale can automatically figure out who’s standing on it.
  
  Let’s say you and a family member have fairly different weights — the scale will easily know who’s who based on that. But if you and someone else have similar weights, it might ask you to confirm the profile on your phone after the weigh-in. Some scales even let you assign a profile manually in the scales app if it’s not sure.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/best-smart-scale-160033523.html?src=rss

• Instagram chief: AI is so ubiquitous 'it will be more practical to fingerprint real media than fake media'
  It9s no secret that AI-generated content took over our social media feeds in 2025. Now, Instagram9s top exec Adam Mosseri has made it clear that he expects AI content to overtake non-AI imagery and the significant implications that shift has for its creators and photographers.
  
  Mosseri shared the thoughts in a lengthy post about the broader trends he expects to shape Instagram in 2026. And he offered a notably candid assessment on how AI is upending the platform. "Everything that made creators matter—the ability to be real, to connect, to have a voice that couldn’t be faked—is now suddenly accessible to anyone with the right tools," he wrote. "The feeds are starting to fill up with synthetic everything."
  
  But Mosseri doesn9t seem particularly concerned by this shift. He says that there is "a lot of amazing AI content" and that the platform may need to rethink its approach to labeling such imagery by "fingerprinting real media, not just chasing fake."
  
  From Mosseri (emphasis his):
  
  Social media platforms are going to come under increasing pressure to identify and label AI-generated content as such. All the major platforms will do good work identifying AI content, but they will get worse at it over time as AI gets better at imitating reality. There is already a growing number of people who believe, as I do, that it will be more practical to fingerprint real media than fake media. Camera manufacturers could cryptographically sign images at capture, creating a chain of custody.
  
  On some level, it9s easy to understand how this seems like a more practical approach for Meta. As we9ve previously reported, technologies that are meant to identify AI content, like watermarks, have proved unreliable at best. They are easy to remove and even easier to ignore altogether. Meta9s own labels are far from clear and the company, which has spent tens of billions of dollars on AI this year alone, has admitted it can9t reliably detect AI-generated or manipulated content on its platform.
  
  That Mosseri is so readily admitting defeat on this issue, though, is telling. AI slop has won. And when it comes to helping Instagram9s 3 billion users understand what is real, that should largely be someone else9s problem, not Meta9s. Camera makers — presumably phone makers and actual camera manufacturers — should come up with their own system that sure sounds a lot like watermarking to "to verify authenticity at capture." Mosseri offers few details about how this would work or be implemented at the scale required to make it feasible.
  
  Mosseri also doesn9t really address the fact that this is likely to alienate the many photographers and other Instagram creators who have already grown frustrated with the app. The exec regularly fields complaints from the group who want to know why Instagram9s algorithm doesn9t consistently surface their posts to their on followers.
  
  But Mosseri suggests those complaints stem from an outdated vision of what Instagram even is. The feed of "polished" square images, he says, "is dead." Camera companies, in his estimation, are "are betting on the wrong aesthetic" by trying to "make everyone look like a professional photographer from the past." Instead, he says that more "raw" and "unflattering" images will be how creators can prove they are real, and not AI. In a world where Instagram has more AI content than not, creators should prioritize images and videos that intentionally make them look bad. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/instagram-chief-ai-is-so-ubiquitous-it-will-be-more-practical-to-fingerprint-real-media-than-fake-media-202620080.html?src=rss

• How to watch Samsung's "First Look" CES 2026 presentation
  NurPhoto via Getty Images
  Samsung is arguably the 800-pound gorilla of CES, with a full spectrum of products that range from phones and computers to refrigerators to AI assistants and rolling robots. But for CES 2026, the company is shaking up the schedule a bit: Instead of its longtime midday Monday press conference position, the Korean giant will front-run the entire show with a Sunday night presentation.
  
  Samsung has already given a few hints as to what9s on the agenda, but what we9re really hoping to see is an update on the Ballie robot — a star of previous CES presentations that ostensibly missed its previously promised 2025 release date.
  How to watch Samsung9s "The First Look" presentation at CES 2026
  The event will stream live from the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas on Sunday, January 4 at 10PM ET. There are several ways to tune in: you can watch via the Samsung Newsroom, Samsung Electronics’ official YouTube channel or via Samsung TV Plus. (We9ll embed the stream here once it appears on the channel.)
  What to expect from Samsung at CES 2026
  Keynote speaker TM Roh, the CEO of Samsung9s Device eXperience (DX) Division, will discuss the company9s plans for the new year and beyond, which will (of course) include "new AI-driven customer experiences," the company said in a press release. In addition, we9ll hear from the President and Head of the Visual Display Business, SW Yong and Executive Vice President and Head of Digital Appliances Business, Cheolgi Kim. Those two will "share their respective business directions for the upcoming year."
  
  But if you9re looking for more specifics, Samsung is following its "Advent calendar" approach to early CES announcements, with new press releases dropping nearly each day. So far, we know that — like competitors LG and Hisense — the company will be offering details on a line of micro RGB TVs (replete with confirmed screen sizes of 55 to 115 inches). Also confirmed: a full line of appliances infused with what Samsung calls Bespoke AI.
  
  It9s likely Samsung will map out its CES plans in greater detail as the January 4 event approaches, so we9ll update this story accordingly when it does.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/how-to-watch-samsungs-first-look-ces-2026-presentation-190027604.html?src=rss

• How to watch the Sony Honda Afeela CES 2026 press conference
  
  Sony9s CES 2026 press conference is just days away, but this year has a twist: Instead of an overview of Sony9s electronics, video game and Hollywood studio plans for the new year, the presser will apparently have a more narrow focus: electric vehicles. That9s because the traditional end-of-press-day slot isn9t just Sony, but rather Sony Honda Mobility — the joint venture responsible for the Afeela 1 electric car that has been showcased at CES for the better part of a decade. This year, however, we9ll also apparently get to see a an all-new concept model at the event, too. 
  How to watch the Sony Afeela CES 2026 press conference
  The event will be streamed live from Las Vegas on Monday, January 5 at 8PM ET via the Afeela official YouTube channel. (We9ll embed the stream here once it appears on the channel.)
  What to expect from Sony Afeela at CES
  What9s now the Afeela 1 has been shown in various incarnations since CES 2020, where it was originally announced as Vision-S. But so many more important details were confirmed in the past couple of years, including the price, which starts at a staggering $89,900. However, the earlier impressions were less than impressive, and as of CES 2025, that thought remains the same. Engadget9s automotive expert Tim Stevens said earlier this year that the EV "feels like a PlayStation 4 in the PS5 era," and that "the car lost what little interesting styling it had while sticking true to some specifications that sounded good five years ago." Ouch.
  
  But the Afeela 1 won9t be the only vehicle on display. Its CES booth will showcase "several Afeela 1 pre-production vehicles in multiple color variations, alongside a new Afeela concept model," Sony Honda Mobility said in a press release.
  
  We9re hoping to hear about what9s new and improved at CES 2026, and we9re also excited to see its newest concept model. And between booth displays and press releases, we9re hoping we9ll get to see at least a few new Sony Electronics products on the docket for 2026, too.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/how-to-watch-the-sony-honda-afeela-ces-2026-press-conference-130048622.html?src=rss

• January's PS Plus Monthly Games include Need for Speed Unbound and Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed
  Sony has revealed the first batch of PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for 2026. There are three titles to play this month, all of which drop on January 6. As always, you’ll retain access to these games as long as your subscription remains active.
  
  First up, there9s Need For Speed Unbound. This is a racing game that came out at the tail-end of 2022 and was the first entry in the franchise for several years before that. It has a unique visual style, thanks to cel-shaded graphics, with all kinds of vehicles to choose from. There are street racing challenges, weekly qualifiers and a minigame that has you outrunning the cops. The rapper A$AP Rocky also plays a prominent role in the narrative. It9ll only available for PS5.
  
  Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is a recently-released remake of a 2010 Wii game, but there9s no Wiimote waggle here. This is just a great platformer with plenty of fan service for long-time Disney fans. Warren Spector, the lead designer of Deus Ex, was heavily involved in the making of this one. It9ll be playable on both PS4 and PS5.
  
  Core Keeper is a remarkable indie that has been floating around in early access for several years. The mining sim is now finished and offers an emphasis on crafting, base-building and, of course, exploration. While the game is playable solo, it9s primarily intended as a multiplayer experience for up to eight people.
  
  As the year ends, so does access to December9s PS Plus Monthly titles. Subscribers have until January 5 to download Lego Horizon Adventures, Killing Floor 3, The Outlast Trials, Synduality Echo of Ada and Neon White.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/januarys-ps-plus-monthly-games-include-need-for-speed-unbound-and-disney-epic-mickey-rebrushed-182335673.html?src=rss

• How to watch the LG press conference at CES 2026
  LG
  For years, LG has kicked off CES press day with the first event of the morning — and 2026 will be no different. The Korea-based corporation is theming its presentation as "Innovation in Tune with You," and — if it follows the template of past presentations — it will highlight both the consumer electronics and large appliance sides of its mammoth global businesses.
  
  Like nearly all tech-centric events these days, expect AI to be the binding theme of the LG presentation at CES 2026. Just be aware that, like Apple, LG has its own customized abbreviation for AI: "Affectionate Intelligence." The company will share "its vision for elevating daily life through Affectionate Intelligence — delivering harmonized and seamlessly connected customer experiences." In other words, the company is aiming for its devices to become more connected and self-automated than ever. Here's how you can stream it and what you can expect.
  How to watch LG's CES 2026 presentation
  The event will stream live from Las Vegas on Monday, January 5 at 11AM ET. You've got a few options for tuning in — watch the livestream on the LG website, the LG Global X channel or the LG Global YouTube channel (embedded below).
  
  
  What to expect
  Here's what LG has already confirmed it will be showcasing at CES 2026: 
  
  LG will debut its first Micro RGB TV, a display with a cutting-edge screen technology with multicolor backlights that should one-up mini LED displays. The size options are 100 inches, 86 inches and 75 inches.
  
  The company is countering Samsung's Frame TVs with its new LG Gallery TV, arriving in 55- and 65-inch screen sizes.
  
  Look for a new LG humanoid home automation robot named CLOiD to take the stage. 
  
  In the audio realm, the Korean multinational will also introduce a Dolby-powered modular home audio system and a new line of its xboom speakers (developed with musician will.i.am). 
  
  Does that leave any surprises for the CES press conference? We'll find out on January 5. 
  
  Update, December 31 2025, 12:36PM ET: This story has been updated to include more LG CES pre-announcements, and to embed the YouTube stream. 
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/how-to-watch-the-lg-press-conference-at-ces-2026-190159474.html?src=rss

• CES 2026: What to expect when tech's biggest conference starts on January 4
  The new year is upon us, and that means CES 2026 is imminent. The biggest tech trade show of the calendar comes with a bevy of new and notable announcements that set the tone for trends and expectations for the subsequent 12 months. The CES 2026 show floor is officially open from January 6 through 9, but the fun kicks off with events on Sunday January 4, followed by a host of press conferences on Monday. As always, product demos, announcements and networking will be happening at the Las Vegas Convention Center and other hotels all over the city. As usual, Engadget will be covering the event in-person and remotely, bringing you news and hands-ons straight from the show floor.
  
  More specific details and pre-announcements are already trickling out as CES approaches, and thanks to the schedule of the Consumer Technology Association (the trade organization that runs the show) we have a full itinerary of press conferences. We’re also using our experience and expertise to predict what tech trends could rear their heads at the show.
  The CES 2026 schedule
  Press conferences and show floor booths are the bread and butter of CES. The CTA has already published a searchable directory of who will have an official presence at the show, along with a schedule of every official panel and presentation. However, the press conference schedule gives us a more digestible rundown of the first 48 hours of big events.
  
  On Sunday, January 4, Samsung will kick-off CES with "The First Look," a presentation hosted by TM Roh, the CEO of Samsung's DX Division, on the company's "vision for the DX (Device eXperience) Division in 2026, along with new AI-driven customer experiences." Ahead of that, though, Samsung has already outlined a variety of more specifics (scroll down for details). Concurrent with the Samsung presentation will be the official CES Unveiled mini-show, which is generally comprised of smaller and start-up vendors.
  
  That'll be followed by multiple press conferences throughout Monday, January 5. The LG CES 2026 press conference, titled "Innovation in Tune with You," is ostensibly to share "its vision for elevating daily life through Affectionate Intelligence." But, like Samsung, this fellow Korean giant has already spent the three weeks leading up to CES pre-announcing many of its new products, so this may be more of a summary than breaking news.
  
  Following LG, we’ll also see press conferences from Bosch and Hisense, as well as the first-ever CES appearance from Lego. As the Las Vegas afternoon rolls around, we get the first of three chip giants: NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang takes the stage on January 5 at 1PM PT (4PM ET) and, according to the website, his presentation will last about 90 minutes. Based on the description on the listing, the presentation will “showcase the latest NVIDIA solutions driving innovation and productivity across industries.” NVIDIA’s presser is concurrent with one from Hyundai, where the Korean automotive company will focus on in-cabin car tech and robotics.
  
  Later in the day, we get to hear from NVIDIA frenemies Intel and AMD. Intel’s 3PM PT (6PM PT) event will ostensibly feature its new Core Ultra Series 3 processors, and AMD CEO Lisa Su will cover AMD's upcoming chip announcements at a keynote address that closes out the day. But expect both of them to be very heavy on AI applications, of course. Sandwiched in between those chip manufacturers will be Sony Honda Mobility. The joint venture will be offering yet more details on its Afeela EV.
  
  Finally, on Tuesday, January 6, Lenovo CEO Yuanqing Yang will host Lenovo's Tech World Conference at the Las Vegas Sphere, using the large and decidedly curved screen to share the company's "commitment to delivering smarter AI for all by constantly redefining how technology can engage, inspire, and empower." It’s worth noting that Lenovo is the parent company of Motorola, which still makes phones and foldables that feature AI tools, so it’s possible those devices feature in the presentation as well.
  Samsung and LG vie for pre-show publicity
  As noted above, both Samsung and LG have continued their recent trend of spoiling nearly all of their respective CES announcements in the days and weeks before the show. LG, for example, has said it will debut its first Micro RGB television at CES. While details are scarce, the company’s press release for the LG Micro RGB evo did confirm it has received certifications by Intertek for 100 percent color gamut coverage in DCI-P3 an Adobe RGB, and that it has more than a thousand dimming zones for brightness control.
  
  Elsewhere in the TV space, LG is throwing its hat into the “art TV” ring that Samsung pioneered with its Frame TVs: The LG Gallery TV will debut in 55- and 65-inch screen sizes, and it will of course show off various artwork when it’s not otherwise in use. And if PC gaming displays are more your speed, LG will have that covered, too, with a new line of 5K-capable gaming monitors on deck with built-in AI upscaling.
  
  But LG’s not just showing off displays. The Korean multinational will also introduce a Dolby-powered modular home audio system, a new line of its xboom speakers (developed with will.i.am) and the company will flex its automation muscles with a humanoid home automation robot named CLOiD.
  
  Of course, Samsung refuses to be outdone by its hometown rival, and has also released a pre-CES press release document dump. Samsung will be launching its own lineup of Micro RGB TVs at CES, for starters. The company already introduced its first Micro RGB TV at CES 2025, which was a 115-inch model available for a cool $30,000. Next year, Samsung is expanding the range with 55-, 65-, 75-, 85-, 100- and 115-inch models that use the next evolution of the company’s Micro RGB technology.
  
  Samsung is also countering LG’s 5K monitors with a 6K model that aims to deliver glasses-free 3D (another long-time CES staple). It’ll be one of several new displays in the company’s Odyssey gaming line.
  
  And on the audio front, Samsung has teased several new soundbars and speakers, including Sonos-style Wi-Fi streaming models call the Music Studio 5 and Studio 7.
  
  Outside of the formal introduction of new products and initiatives, reading the tea leaves of what was announced last year and what companies are reportedly working on, we can make some educated guesses at what we could see at CES 2026.
  New chips from AMD, Intel and Qualcomm
  CES is frequently the start of a cascade of new chip announcements for a given year, and one of the first places new silicon appears in real consumer products. AMD will likely use its keynote to introduce new versions of its Ryzen chips, including the recently spotted Ryzen 7 9850X3D, which is expected to offer better single-threaded performance, and the Ryzen 9000G series, which could be built with AMD's Zen 5 architecture. The company might also use its CES stage to go over its new FSR Redstone AI upscaling tech.
  
  Intel has already publicly announced that it'll launch its Panther Lake chips at CES 2026. The officially titled Intel Core Ultra Series 3 chips fit into Intel's overall "AI PC" push, but are specifically meant for premium laptops. Based on a preview from October 2025, Intel says the first chip made with its 2-nanometer 18A process will offer 50 percent more processing performance than previous generations and for the chip's Arc GPU, a 50 percent performance bump from last generation.
  
  Qualcomm is also rumored to be targeting laptops at the show, building on the work it's done moving its Snapdragon chips out of phones and tablets and into other types of computers. The company's Snapdragon X2 Elite and X2 Elite Premium chips should start appearing in laptops at CES 2026, offering a look at the improved speed and AI performance the company promised in 2025.
  Brighter, "truer" screens
  As noted above, Samsung and LG appear to be going all-in on Micro RGB display tech for TVs. Expect that to be a huge buzzword at CES, with Hisense and Sony debuting new models, too.
  
  Sony announced a collection of new Bravia TVs in April 2025, replacing the company's flagship, filling in its midrange options and adding a new budget model to the mix. The star of this updated Bravia lineup is the Bravia 9, which features a QD-OLED panel, but Sony appears to be prepping entirely new display tech for 2026. In March 2025, Sony introduced a new RGB LED panel that uses individual Mini LED backlights colored in red, green and blue to produce even brighter, more accurate colors. In contrast to a QD-OLED, which filters a layer of blue organic light emitting diodes through quantum dots that change color, Sony's "General RGB LED Backlight Technology" can get as bright as a Mini LED panel without needing an extra filter layer or worrying about OLED's problems with burn-in. 
  
  The company has already trademarked the name "True RGB," which could end up being what Sony calls this new flavor of display if it decides to show them off at CES. It seems entirely likely, because CES is nothing if not a TV show — it’s a sure bet that we’ll see new TVs from the likes of LG and Samsung in addition to Sony. If the company doesn't introduce new display tech for its TVs, it does have a new 240Hz PlayStation monitor coming in 2026 that it could show off at CES instead.
  
  Sony isn't the only company hyped on bright screens. Samsung is reportedly pushing an updated version of the HDR10 and HDR10+ standards that could be ready to demo at CES 2026. The new HDR10+ Advanced standard would be Samsung's answer to Dolby Vision 2, which includes support for things bi-directional tone mapping and intelligent features that automatically adapt sports and gaming content. Samsung's take will reportedly offer improved brightness, genre-based tone mapping and intelligent motion smoothing options, among other improvements.
  
  And maybe your future TV won’t need a power cord, either: Displace will be showing off a mounting option that includes a 15,000mAh battery to juice up whatever giant TV screen you choose to attach.
  Ballie Watch 2026
  The ball-shaped yellow robot lovingly known as "Ballie" has been announced twice, first in 2020 and then again in 2024 with a projector in tow. Samsung said Ballie would go on sale in 2025 at CES last year and then shared in April 2025 that Ballie would ship this summer with Google's Gemini onboard. But it's nearly 2026, and Ballie is nowhere to be seen. It's possible Samsung could make a third attempt at announcing its robot at CES 2026, but whether or not it does, robotics will still be a big part of the show.
  
  Robot vacuums and mops were a major highlight of CES 2025, and it's safe to expect notable improvements from the new models that are announced at CES 2026. Not every company will adopt the retractable arm of the Roborock Saros Z70, but robot vacuums with legs for rising over small ledges like the Dreame X50 seem like they could become the norm. Roborock could also show off its new Roborock Qrevo Curv 2 Flow, the first of its robot vacuums to feature a retractable roller mop.
  
  Beyond just traversing spaces more efficiently, improving robots' navigation could also be a major concern at the show. Prominent members of the AI industry are turning their attention from large language models to world models, which aim to give AI a deep understanding of physical space. Those world models could be the key to making robots — like LG’s aforementioned CLOiD — competent at navigating homes and workplaces, and will likely be a significant talking point at CES 2026.
  
  We’ll be updating this article throughout the month as more rumors surface and new products are confirmed — stay tuned for future updates!
  
  Update, December 11 2025, 11:03AM ET: This story has been updated to include detail on Lenovo being Motorola’s parent company and how the latter might have a part in the Tuesday presentation.
  
  Update, December 16 2025, 1:33PM ET: This story has been updated to include the NVIDIA press conference, which was added to the CTA schedule within the last two days.
  
  Update, December 23 2025, 7:28AM ET: This story has been updated to include LG and Samsung’s Micro RGB TV announcements, which were made public in the past seven days. The intro was also tweaked to reflect how soon CES is at this point.
  
  Update, December 29 2025, 11:03AM ET: This story has been updated to include additional details on pre-announcements from Samsung, LG and Displace.
  
  Update, December 31 2025, 12:05PM ET: This story has been updated to include yet more early LG announcements.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/ces-2026-what-to-expect-when-techs-biggest-conference-starts-on-january-4-120000189.html?src=rss

• How to use a VPN
  Chances are that if a VPN is marketed to everyday users, it more or less runs itself. As long as you go with one of the best VPNs instead of setting up your own manual connection, the interface is likely built so you have to engage with it as little as possible. Generally, if you find yourself constantly thinking about your VPN while using it — as happened to me with Norton VPN — that9s a bad thing and you should change providers.
  
  That said, it9s still useful to get a high-level view of how to use a VPN, especially if you9ve never used one before. In this article, I9ll walk you through how to download, install and configure a VPN on any platform and how to choose servers for specific situations. I9ll also discuss specific steps for desktop and laptop computers, phones, tablets, smart TVs, game consoles and routers.
  How to download and install a VPN
  There are over 100 VPNs available on the internet and the two big mobile app stores, but most of them follow a similar approach to download and installation. Except for certain free VPNs, you9ll need to create an account on the VPN provider9s website, install the VPN client, then use your account to log in. Here are the steps.
  
  In a web browser, navigate to a VPN provider9s website. For suggestions on where to start, check out our list of the best VPN deals. Click any link that mentions getting the VPN or claiming the deal — as a rule, they aren9t hard to find.
  
  Select a plan based on the length of time you need the VPN for, the features you want and the number of devices you9d like to use the VPN on simultaneously. Add a payment method. You9ll be prompted to create the username and password for a new account.
  
  On desktop, you can start with the Mac or Windows app store, though some VPNs require a download directly from their respective website. That’s generally the way to get the most feature-rich version of the VPN, but just make sure you’re downloading from the provider’s website to ensure you don’t get a malicious copycat. On mobile, the app store is your only choice, but don9t forget to check the reviews and make sure you9re getting the service you paid for — unfortunately, rival (and sometimes less scrupulous) VPN brands can use paid placements to appear higher on search results, even for a rival product.
  
  Follow the pre-programmed installation flow. Again, don9t let a VPN make any changes to your system if you haven9t thoroughly vetted the provider (or gone with one of our recommendations). If it9s safe, allow the VPN all the setup permissions it needs.
  
  Finally, open the VPN client and sign in with the credentials you created in step two. You9re now ready to start using your new VPN.
  Surfshark in Mac downloads folderSam Chapman for Engadget
  With so many VPNs on the market, this process won9t always be the same. Sometimes you9ll have to make the account before paying, and some mobile VPNs let you handle the whole process in-app. What9s always true, though, is that a good VPN will make the signup flow as easy as possible. If you have trouble before you even log in, that9s a red flag.
  How to configure a VPN app
  Most VPNs are ready to go out of the box. However, even if you don9t think you9re a power user, it9s a good idea to go through the settings and make sure they match what you need. Here are a few steps I recommend taking.
  
  Activate the kill switch. This feature monitors your connection to the VPN server. If it ever drops — either from problems in the server, your client or somewhere in between — the kill switch instantly cuts off your internet until your VPN connection is restored. This saves you from accidentally broadcasting anything sensitive while also ensuring you only connect to legitimate VPN servers (avoiding the Tunnelvision bug).
  
  Set up favorites and profiles. VPNs usually let you select servers you9ll use regularly, websites you9ll often connect to through the VPN and other preferences that will appear immediately when you open the app. Some go further, like Proton VPN, which lets you create user profiles that bundle several preferences together.
  
  Decide if you want the VPN to automatically launch and connect when you start up your computer.
  
  Check on split tunneling. There may be cases where you want a certain app or site to work outside the VPN, or where you want everything to go unencrypted except one site or app. You can set up a split tunnel when you need it, but if there9s one you know you9ll use regularly, it helps to build it early.
  
  Activate or deactivate any content blockers the VPN comes with, including ad blockers, malware detectors and parental controls, as you see fit.
  
  Decide whether you want the VPN to send you notifications, and how.
  
  Select a VPN protocol. It9s almost always best to let the VPN choose for itself, but it9s helpful to at least know where the protocol-switching option is. Occasionally, if one protocol isn9t working, you can troubleshoot by selecting another.
  
  You can do all this by digging into your VPN9s preferences control panel. A gear seems to be the universal icon for that, but Mac users may also find it by picking "preferences" or "settings" from the menu bar. When you find the preferences menu, go through each tab in turn and make sure everything is the way you like it.
  How to choose a VPN server
  Picking a server location is the final box to check before connecting. You nearly always have the option of letting the VPN pick the best server. Most apps tend to determine the best server with a latency test, so it will almost always be a node very close to your physical location.
  
  If you just want anonymity online, that9s fine — it doesn9t matter which IP address you use as long as it9s not your real one. But several VPN use cases do require a specific server location. For those, follow one simple rule: Pick a server in the place you want your signal to come from.
  Choosing locations on SurfsharkSam Chapman for Engadget
  For example, let9s say you want to watch The Office, but you9re only subscribed to Netflix and not Peacock. Luckily, Netflix is licensed to show The Office in the U.K. If you connect to a British server location before opening Netflix, you9ll be able to access the show without paying for an extra subscription. (Of course, make sure VPNs aren’t expressly banned by the streaming service’s terms of service before accessing it while using one.)
  
  Other than streaming, the most common reason you9ll need a specific VPN server is to get around firewalls that block websites. Whether it9s your school doing the censorship, your workplace or your entire state, the solution is the same: Pick a VPN server outside the restricted region. Censorship systems filter by location — they can9t block where they don9t have jurisdiction. Get a new virtual location and you should be free and clear. (Always be cognizant of the laws on VPN usage in your location before activating them.)
  When to use a VPN (and when not to)
  It9s good to get into the habit of connecting to your VPN whenever you get online. You can never be sure what information your ISP is gathering on you. If you9re using unprotected Wi-Fi, or a public network with a clearly visible password, anybody might be listening in. Even if you don9t need a particular location, always be using your VPN.
  
  The only reason you might want to be online without a VPN is that certain websites, especially online banks, get suspicious if they note repeated logins to the same account from too many different IP addresses. For those cases, you can either set up a split tunnel to exclude the website from encryption, or temporarily turn your VPN off altogether.
  Instructions for specific devices
  Although most VPNs try to keep their apps similar on every platform, the strictures of differing hardware and software lead them to install and operate differently. In case you still have questions after reading the general guide above, this section goes into detail on every platform where you might use a VPN.
  How to use a VPN on desktop
  After subscribing to a VPN on Windows, you should be directed to download an EXE file — if this doesn9t happen, log into your account on the website and find the downloads center. Find the folder where the EXE is saved, double-click it and follow the onscreen instructions.
  
  On Mac, the process is more or less the same, except you9ll usually get a PKG file instead of an EXE. Go to your downloads folder (either in Finder or through your web browser) and double-click the PKG file. Grant the VPN whatever permissions it needs. (Again, this is why it’s important to only use a legitimate vendor, such as the ones we recommend.)
  
  Once installed, you can open the VPN client at any time by double-clicking the icon again. Some VPNs open as separate windows, while others will add icons to your toolbar. This often varies by platform; if you9re concerned that your VPN doesn9t look like a screenshot you9ve seen, check which operating system the image comes from.
  How to use a VPN on mobile
  On Android and iOS, you9ll download your VPN app through the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, respectively. Even if you get started through a mobile browser, it will probably redirect you to the app store for the actual download and installation.
  
  Follow the usual step for downloading an app: search for its name in the app store, click "Get" or "Install," then let your phone cook. As always, so long as it9s a vetted VPN, grant it the permissions it needs. You may be able to download and install the VPN first, then create your account and submit payment through the app afterward.
  
  One final note: several leading VPNs offer free trials for mobile users. If you see a button that says something like "get free trial," you may be able to use the VPN for several days without paying. Just be warned that if the trial lapses, you might get automatically signed up for a plan that9s longer than you9d like.
  How to use a VPN browser extension
  VPNs offer browser extensions as lightweight versions of their main clients. While a desktop or mobile VPN reroutes everything that device sends to the internet, a browser extension only protects traffic through your web browser. You can use one as a primitive form of split tunneling, but they9re mainly for basic convenience — most of what you do online goes through a browser, so it9s nice to be able to protect your connection without opening a separate app.
  NordVPN browser extension on ChromeSam Chapman for Engadget
  To use a VPN browser extension, just create your account as normal, then download the extension from your VPN9s website. You can manage it from your browser9s extensions center. That9s a jigsaw piece at the top-right corner on most browsers, including Chrome, Edge and Firefox.
  How to use a VPN on a smart TV
  You can use a VPN to change your location and stream international content directly to a smart TV. The catch is that not all smart TV brands support VPN apps. For those that don9t, you9ll have to find a workaround.
  
  The good news is that a ton of the best smart TVs can natively host VPNs, including Google TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV (though only tvOS 17 and above). To use a VPN on Android TV or Apple TV, go through the device9s app store. On Fire TV, simply type the name of your chosen VPN provider into the search bar.
  
  On smart TVs that don9t have native VPN, like LG, Roku and Samsung, you have a few options. You can use a smart DNS feature like ExpressVPN9s MediaStreamer to reroute smart TV traffic without full VPN encryption; the steps for this are different for every VPN, so check the provider9s website. You can also install a VPN on your router (see below) so your smart TV automatically uses the router9s location.
  
  Finally, you can get a temporary fix by using your computer as a Wi-Fi hotspot while it has a VPN active. Follow the steps for your operating system.
  
  On Windows:
  
  In your system settings, go to "Network & Internet" and turn on the mobile hotspot.
  
  Go to "Network & Sharing Center" and click "Change adapter settings."
  
  Right-click the name of your VPN provider and go to "Properties," then "Sharing."
  
  Check the boxes next to "Allow other network users to connect through this computer9s internet connection" and "Allow other network users to control or disable the shared internet connection."
  
  Click the "Home networking connection" dropdown and select "Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter."
  
  Open your VPN client and connect to a server in your desired location.
  
  On your smart TV, open the internet connections menu and select the name of your PC. Your TV is now online through the VPN server.
  
  On Mac:
  
  Open system settings and go to the "General" tab. Scroll down and click "Sharing."
  
  Toggle "Internet Sharing" on, then click on "Configure."
  
  Click the "Share your connection from" dropdown, then choose the VPN installed on the Mac. Under "To computers using," select "Wi-Fi."
  
  Click on "Wi-Fi options" and enter a name and password for your hotspot network.
  
  On your smart TV, connect to the network you just created.
  How to use a VPN on a game console
  Right now, there9s no such thing as a game console with native VPN support. If you want to use a VPN while gaming — and I recommend that for safety if you9re planning to play online — you can use two of the same methods that work for a smart TV: install a VPN on your router, or get your console online through a Mac or PC hotspot.
  How to install a VPN on a router
  When you install a router VPN, anything that gets online through your home network will be protected, including game consoles, TVs and smart devices that don9t support VPNs natively. It9s not a process for the faint of heart, though. You9ll need to get a new router and potentially install VPN firmware on it yourself. If you want to go this route, the easiest option is to get an ExpressVPN Aircove router — not only does it come with all the settings done for you, but it can be managed through the same clean interface as ExpressVPN9s other apps.
  
  We don9t have space here to go through the entire process, but here9s a general overview. First, get a router with firmware that supports VPN configurations — most ISP default routers don9t, so you9ll have to go third-party.
  
  Next, go to the downloads center of your VPN9s website and look for the section with VPN configurations. A "configuration" is a complete set of the information needed to access a certain VPN server through a certain protocol — say, a Proton VPN server in Arizona through OpenVPN. Download a configuration file for the protocol and location you want all your home devices to connect through.
  
  Finally, open your router control panel by entering your router9s IP address into a web browser address bar, then log in with your router credentials (these should be marked on the router itself unless you9ve changed them). Go to the VPN tab — which should be there if it9s a router with VPN firmware — and upload the profile you downloaded from the VPN website. Use the same router control panel to activate and deactivate the router VPN connection.
  
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/vpn/how-to-use-a-vpn-140000564.html?src=rss

• The best winter tech for 2026 to get you through the coldest months
  The festive lights, time off and cute scarfs can only conceal the truth for so long: Winter can be pretty bleak. I don9t mean to be a downer, but it9s cold all of the time, dark most of the time and this lasts far beyond the most wonderful time of the year. Here at Engadget, we9ve tried so many tools and products to make winter more bearable from therapy lamps to heaters. We9ve invested in tea sets, wrapped ourselves in heated blankets and learned to grow herbs indoors — really, anything that will make these three-plus months more bearable, we9ve tried.
  
  Here, you9ll find some of the best winter tech getting us at Engadget through the coldest months, plus a number of recommendations from our other gift guides that will get anyone through the winter warm, comfortable and content.
  Best winter tech and gear
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/the-best-winter-tech-to-get-you-through-the-coldest-months-130009205.html?src=rss

• How to watch the first-ever Lego CES 2026 press conference live
  picture alliance via Getty Images
  The Lego Group is hosting its first-ever press conference at CES 2026 – but what the company is going to announce remains a mystery. While the huge toy brick creators haven9t given any hints as to what they9ll be showcasing, the possibilities run the gamut from new video games to Formula 1 race cars.
  
  Here9s how you can watch Lego9s presentation at CES, and what we might expect to see.
  How to watch The Lego Group9s CES 2026 press conference
  The Lego CES press conference is scheduled for Monday, January 5 at 1PM ET. While Lego and the Consumer Technology Association haven9t yet provided the details, we expect that the press conference will be available as a livestream. Once the details are confirmed, we9ll update this post to confirm them. But if a livestream isn9t immediately available, the Engadget team will be liveblogging the Lego presser and posting timely details.
  What to expect
  Thus far, Lego hasn9t shared any public info about its CES plans, so we9re largely in the dark as to what to expect. At CES 2025, for instance, the toy production giant partnered with Sony to announce the animated Lego Horizon Adventures online game. As such, Lego may spend some time talking up its new 2026 game, Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight. The company may also give some stage time to its Lego Group F1 Academy racing car, though that too would be more about brand building than consumer products.
  
  And given Lego9s focus on the environment, the company may discuss its efforts to reach its 2032 ecological goals, including making its Lego bricks more sustainable and reducing carbon emissions by 37%.
  
  While there are plenty of new Lego sets for 2026, however, this is CES, not Toy Fair. So we9re assuming that the company will be showcasing something that9s more tech-centric. Stay tuned.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/how-to-watch-the-first-ever-lego-ces-2026-press-conference-live-130005307.html?src=rss

• From 'Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve' to 'Nashville's Big Bash,' here's how to watch this year's biggest New Year's Eve TV specials
  Here are some of this year9s biggest, most star-studded TV specials you can watch to help you ring in 2026. (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP via Getty Images) CHARLY TRIBALLEAU via Getty Images
  This year, it seems like there are more ways than ever to celebrate New Year9s Eve... from the comfort of your couch, that is. Whether you want to catch the enduring Dick Clark9s New Year9s Rockin9 Eve hosted by Ryan Seacrest and filmed live out of Times Square in New York City, or check out of one the many other live specials filled with music performances, comedy and celebrity guests, you9ve got options.
  
  Thursday night9s TV schedule also includes New Year9s Eve Live: Nashville9s Big Bash, a star-studded celebration of country music featuring five hours of performances from some of Nashville9s most beloved stars, airing on CBS and Paramount+, plus CNN’s New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen, and a livestream of the Times Square ball drop, too.
  
  Here9s everything you need to know about some of this year9s biggest New Year9s Eve TV specials, including channels, streaming info, and more.
  How to watch New Year9s Eve Live: Nashville9s Big Bash
  
  
  
  
  Date: Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025
  
  Time: 8 p.m.-1:30 a.m. ET
  
  Channel: CBS
  
  Streaming: Paramount+, DirecTV + more
  What time is New Year9s Eve Live: Nashville9s Big Bash on?
  New Year9s Eve Live: Nashville9s Big Bash starts at 8:00 p.m. ET. The event will be broadcast live in two segments, from 8:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT and 10:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. ET/PT on CBS streaming on Paramount+.
  Who is appearing at New Year9s Eve Live: Nashville9s Big Bash?
  Nashville9s Big Bash includes performances from, headliners Jason Aldean, Lainey Wilson and Bailey Zimmerman, and special guests CeCe Winans and the Fisk Jubilee Singers who will all perform live from Nashville9s Bicentennial Park. Additionally, the five-hour special will feature performances by Dierks Bentley, Brooks & Dunn, Rascal Flatts, Riley Green, Marcus King, Megan Moroney, Zach Top, Keith Urban, Gretchen Wilson and Stephen Wilson Jr. from various venues across the city. The night will be hosted by comedian Bert Kreischer and country star HARDY, who will also perform. You can also expect additional appearances throughout the night by comedian Dusty Slay, TV host Cassie DiLaura, Sirius XM host Buzz Brainard and UFC champion Kayla Harrison.
  How to watch Dick Clark9s New Year9s Rockin9 Eve
  
  
  
  
  Date: Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025
  
  Time: 8 p.m.- 4 a.m. ET
  
  Channel: ABC
  
  Streaming: Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV + more
  What time is Dick Clark9s New Year9s Rockin9 Eve?
  Dick Clark9s New Year9s Rockin9 Eve hosted by Ryan Seacrest begins at 8 p.m. ET and runs all the way until 4 a.m. ET, marking its longest New Year9s Eve broadcast ever. You can tune in live on ABC, or stream it on DirecTV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo and more. 
  Who is appearing at Dick Clark9s New Year9s Rockin9 Eve?
  This year9s New Year9s Eve celebration won9t just be taking place in Times Square, the show will span multiple time zones, including hosts and performers stationed in Las Vegas, Chicago, Puerto Rico and beyond. In Chicago, Chance the Rapper is co-hosting the broadcast to help welcome in the new year from the Midwest and lead the live Central Time Zone countdown. Rob Gronkowski and Julianne Hough will be co-hosting the Las Vegas broadcast, and in New York, Ryan Seacrest will be joined by co-host Rita Ora. 
  
  The 2026 NYRE broadcast will feature 42 superstar performers across New York, Las Vegas, Chicago, Puerto Rico and beyond. Diana Ross will headline the evening with a midnight performance.
  
  Ciara, LE SSERAFIM, Little Big Town, and Maren Morris will perform in Times Square. On the West Coast, there will be performances from 4 Non Blondes, 50 Cent, 6lack, AJR, The All-American Rejects, BigXthaPlug, Charlie Puth, Demi Lovato, DJ Cassidy’s Pass the Mic Live! featuring Busta Rhymes, T.I., and Wyclef Jean, Goo Goo Dolls, Jess Glynne, Jessie Murph, Jordan Davis, KPop Demon Hunters: The Singing Voices of HUNTR/X (EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and REI AMI), Leon Thomas, Mariah Carey, Madison Beer, New Kids on the Block, OneRepublic, Pitbull joined by Lil Jon and Filmore, Rick Springfield, Russell Dickerson, Tucker Wetmore, and Zara Larsson. Daddy Yankee will perform from Puerto Rico, Chappell Roan will perform from Kansas City and Post Malone will play from Nashville.
  How to watch CNN’s New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen
  
  
  
  
  Date: Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025
  
  Time: 8 p.m. ET
  
  Channel: ABC
  
  Streaming: Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV + more
  Who is appearing on CNN9s New Year9s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen?
  CNN9s New Year9s Eve special will feature performances by Robyn, performing live from Times Square, Shakira performing from Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, FL, Brandy and Monica from The Boy Is Mine Tour presented by BPC, Bryan Adams from Madison Square Garden, Florence + The Machine, RAYE, mentalist Oz Perlman, plus appearances from Amy Sedaris, Brandi Carlile, Aloe Blacc, Patti LaBelle, singer Michelle Williams, Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O’Connell, comedians B.J. Novak, Leanne Morgan, Sarah Sherman, Stephen Colbert and more.
  NYC Times Square Ball Drop New Year’s Eve free livestream:
  There will be a free livestream of the Ball Drop on Timessquarenyc.org, offering commercial-free, webcast coverage of the Times Square festivities leading up to the Ball Drop at midnight. There will also be a livestream with open captions and American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation available on YouTube. Both livestreams begin at 6 p.m. ET.
  Watch free livestream More ways to watch this year9s New Year9s Eve specials
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/from-dick-clarks-new-years-rockin-eve-to-nashvilles-big-bash-heres-how-to-watch-this-years-biggest-new-years-eve-tv-specials-120016871.html?src=rss

• The best cameras for 2026
  Choosing a camera is not just about resolution or price. It is about finding something that matches how you like to shoot. Some photographers want a compact mirrorless camera that travels easily. Others want an action cam that can handle rough hikes, or a full-frame system that delivers the best possible image quality. With so many options today, there is a camera built for almost every creative style.
  
  We tested the top models across categories to help you decide which one fits your needs. Whether you are filming your first vlog, shooting portraits or capturing fast-moving action, these are the best cameras to help you grow your skills.
  Best cameras for 2026 Best mirrorless cameras
  Mirrorless is the largest camera category in terms of models available, so it’s the best way to go if you’re looking for something with the most advanced features. Canon and Nikon recently announced they’re discontinuing development of new DSLRs, simply because most of the advantages of that category are gone, as I detailed in a video. The biggest selling feature of a mirrorless camera is the ability to change lenses depending on the type of shooting you want to do.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Best action camera or gimbal camera
  The most important features to look for in an action cam are image quality, stabilization and battery life. GoPro has easily been beating all rivals recently in all those areas, but DJI has taken a lot of its business with the Osmo Pocket 3 gimbal camera.
  
  
  
  
  Best compact camera
  This category has fewer cameras than it did even a few years ago and many models are older, as manufacturers focus instead on mirrorless models. However, I’m still a big believer in compact cameras. They’re a noticeable step up from smartphones quality-wise, and a lot of people will take a compact traveling or to events when they’d never bother with the hassle of a DSLR or mirrorless camera.
  
  Compacts largely have type 1-inch sensors, but a few offer larger options, particularly Fujifilm’s XF-100V. Another popular model, Sony’s XV-1, is primarily aimed at content creators looking to step up. In any case, desirable qualities include image quality, a fast lens, relatively long zoom, flip-out display, good battery life, a high quality EVF, decent video and good pocketability.
  
  
  
  
  What to consider before choosing a camera
  Though smartphones get better for video and photos every year, full cameras still have an edge in many ways. The larger sensors in mirrorless cameras let more light in, and you have a wide choice of lenses with far superior optics. Dedicated cameras are also faster for shooting things like sports or wildlife, offer superior video for content creators and create more professional results.
  Sensor size
  There are a few key things to consider to get the most out of a camera. The first is sensor size: in general, the larger the sensor, the better (and usually more expensive) the camera.
  
  Full frame is the largest sensor size for mainstream cameras, and it’s available on models like the new Panasonic S9, the Nikon Z III and Canon EOS R5 II. At a size equivalent to 35mm film (36 x 24mm), it offers the best performance in terms of image quality, low-light capability and depth of field. But it’s also very expensive and finicky. While bokeh looks incredible at an aperture of f/1.4, the depth of field is so razor thin that your subject9s eyebrow might be in focus but not their eye. This can also make shooting video difficult.
  
  The next size category is APS-C (around 23.5 x 15.6mm for most models and 22.2 x 14.8mm for Canon), offered on Fujifilm9s X Series lineup, the Canon R10, the Sony ZV-E10 II and the Nikon Z50. It9s cheaper than full frame, both for the camera body and lenses, but still brings most of the advantages like decent bokeh, high ISOs for low-light shooting and relatively high resolution. With a sensor size the same as movie cameras, it9s ideal for shooting video, and it’s easier to hold focus than with full-frame cameras.
  
  Micro Four Thirds (17.3 x 13mm), a format shared by Panasonic and Olympus, is the next step down in sensor size. It offers less bokeh and light-gathering capability than APS-C and full frame, but allows for smaller and lighter cameras and lenses. For video, you can still get reasonably tight depth of field with good prime lenses, but focus is easier to control.
  
  The other common sensor size is Type 1 (1 inch), which is actually smaller than one inch at 12.7 x 9.5mm. That9s used mostly by compact models like Sony’s ZV-1 vlogging camera. Finally, action cameras like the GoPro Hero 11 and DJI’s Osmo 3 have even smaller sensors (1/1.9 and 1/1.7 inches, respectively).
  Autofocus
  For photographers, another key factor is autofocus (AF) speed and accuracy. Most modern mirrorless cameras have hybrid phase-detect AF systems that allow for rapid focus and fast burst speeds. The majority also offer AI features like eye-detect AF for people and animals, which locks in on the subject’s eyes, face or body to keep them in focus. However, some models are faster and more reactive than others.
  Displays
  The electronic viewfinder (EVF) and rear display are also crucial. The best models have the sharpest and brightest EVFs that help you judge a shot before taking it. For things like street photography, it’s best to have as bright and sharp a rear display as possible, so it’s easy to see your subject and check focus in all manner of lighting conditions. You may also want a screen that flips out rather than just tilting, too.
  Lenses
  DSLRs and mirrorless cameras let you change lenses, but you9re stuck with what9s built into a compact camera. While that9s great for portability, a single lens means you9re going to sacrifice something along the way. The Fujifilm X100V, for instance, has a fast but fixed 35mm-equivalent f/2.0 lens and no zoom. The Sony RX100 V has a 24-70mm zoom, but it9s slower at the telephoto end (f/2.8) and less sharp than a fixed focal (prime) lens.
  
  When choosing a lens for a mirrorless camera, you’ll need to consider the focal or zoom length, along with the minimum aperture. Smaller numbers like f/1.4 for a prime lens or f/2.8 for a zoom are best, as they let you work in darker environments and maximize background blur to isolate your subject. However, those lenses are more complex and thus more expensive.
  Video recording
  When it comes to video, there are other factors to consider. Some cameras combine or skip over pixels (line skipping or pixel binning) for video recording, which is not ideal because it can reduce sharpness. Better cameras tend to read out the entire sensor and then “downsample” to improve video sharpness (camera manufacturers don’t often say if video is pixel binned, but will say if it’s downsampled). Another important factor is sensor speed, as slower sensors tend to have more rolling shutter that can create a “jello” effect that skews video.
  
  In addition, how’s the battery life? How do you like the handling and feel? How long can you shoot before the camera heats up or stops? Does it support 10-bit HDR video? Is there a microphone and/or a headphone jack? (If you record a lot of interviews, it9s preferable to have both.) How9s the video autofocus? All of these things play a part in your decision.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/best-cameras-151524327.html?src=rss

• LG announces new line of xboom speakers ahead of CES
  LG just revealed several new speakers in the xboom line ahead of CES 2026. These speakers are part of an ongoing collaboration with will.i.am from Black Eyed Peas, who is on board as the "experimental architect" involved with "development, design and brand marketing."
  
  These speakers are fairly different from one another, but they all have AI in common. Each speaker includes an algorithm that automatically adjusts the EQ after analyzing the audio content and the listening space. Many also feature an AI algorithm for ambient lighting, which will adjust the lights to match the song being played.
  
  The xboom Stage 501 is intended for parties and karaoke sessions. It features additional AI that can remove vocals from "virtually any song" and even adjust the pitch. The battery lasts for around 25 hours and can operate while plugged in. The speaker delivers up to 220W of power, with dual woofers and full-range drivers. It boasts a five-sided cabinet design that allows for vertical and horizontal placement.
  LG
  The xboom Blast is a boombox with a 99Wh battery that allows for up to 35 hours of continuous playback. That9s a mighty fine metric. This is a modern boombox, so it9s designed for durability. There are edge bumpers and a side rope handle for carrying.
  LG
  The Mini is a tiny doodad that can be placed just about anywhere. It offers ten hours of battery life per charge and a strap for easy placement. The speaker also includes a built-in tripod mount.
  LG
  The Rock is a, well, rock-shaped speaker that9s larger than the Mini but can still be held in the palm of the hand. The battery lasts for ten hours and the design is focused on durability. It has been tested to "seven military standards" to ensure reliability in "challenging outdoor environments." This is an upgrade of the pre-existing XG2 model.
  
  We don9t have pricing or exact availability on this stuff yet, though the speakers will be on display at LG9s booth at CES. The company has said that all four of these gadgets will come out in 2026.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/lg-announces-new-line-of-xboom-speakers-ahead-of-ces-010052598.html?src=rss

• The OneXSugar Wallet is an upcoming retro handheld with a 4:3 foldable screen
  OneXPlayer is quickly establishing itself as a company that isn9t afraid to get weird as hell. (Take, for example, its transforming dual-screen gaming portable.) Its latest venture is another retro gaming handheld that, at first glance, looks like a standard dual-screen model. But the Android-powered OneXSugar Wallet uses a single foldable screen instead.
  
  The device was teased via a 54-second video on the Chinese video-sharing platform Bilibili. Retro Handhelds reports that the Wallet uses an 8.01-inch OLED with a 2,480 x 1,860 resolution. (That9s a 4:3 aspect ratio when unfolded.) The video also shows an asymmetrical analog stick layout with a D-pad and four action buttons.
  OneXSugar FoldOneXPlayer / Bilibi
  Given foldable phones’ long-term durability concerns, we aren9t necessarily betting on the OneXSugar Wallet being a wise purchase. We also don9t know how much it will cost. (The aforementioned weird dual-screen device retails for a whopping $799.) But at the very least, don9t be shocked if the novel form factor ends up sparking a few copycats in the competitive retro gaming industry.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-onexsugar-wallet-is-an-upcoming-retro-handheld-with-a-43-foldable-screen-215528433.html?src=rss

• IDC warns of major PC market downturn due to memory crunch
  The demand building out AI infrastructure has placed on PC component makers has already led to the death of one consumer-facing RAM brand, but a new report from the International Data Corporation (IDC) suggests it could have an even worse impact on the PC industry at large. In its worst-case-scenario model, the IDC predicts PC shipments could shrink by up to 8.9 percent in 2026 because of the high cost of memory.
  
  "Instead of expanding conventional DRAM and NAND used in smartphones, PCs and other consumer electronics, major memory makers have shifted production toward memory used in AI data centers, such as high-bandwidth (HBM) and high-capacity DDR5," IDC writes. That9s continued to drive up the price of the RAM that is available for PC makers, which has naturally led to them to raise the price of their own products to stay above water. For example, modular PC maker Framework has already had to raise prices on some of its laptops and parts, and says "further cost and price increases are highly likely over the next months." The IDC says prices could rise by 6 to 8 percent in 2026 if its most pessimistic scenario comes true.
  
  The timing of this RAM crunch is particularly ironic because selling "AI PCs" — computers with neural processing units that can run AI models locally — were supposed to be one of the things pulling the PC industry out of its post-pandemic slump. Instead, those computers9 larger RAM needs leave them more vulnerable to the effects of the AI industry itself. Computers aren9t the only electronics impacted, either. The IDC says the average selling price of a smartphone could grow by 6 to 8 percent in its most pessimistic scenario, and smartphone shipments could shrink by as much as 5.2 percent. 
  
  Companies like Apple and Samsung, with cash to spare and long-term supply agreements, could weather these higher RAM prices and keep things consistent for a year or two, according to the IDC. For everyone else, though, the near-term is looking much more expensive, and by necessity, much less adventurous.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/idc-warns-of-major-pc-market-downturn-due-to-memory-crunch-214510197.html?src=rss

• How to watch the Hisense CES 2026 presentation live
  Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images
  Hisense is perhaps best known for its budget-friendly electronics and appliances, like TVs and refrigerators. But at CES 2025, the China-based company showed its high-end chops with a massive its website. We9ll embed the link here once it9s available.
  What to expect
  With its new hires in place, Hisense is clearly aiming to further polish its brand. Between Fishler and Larsen, the new front office is bringing to bear their experience from such high-powered competitors as LG, Samsung and Beats. And in a recent interview with Tom9s Guide, Larsen emphasized a continued focus on the company9s fast turnaround time from concept to market as a key differentiator for Hisense.
  
  As for actual announcements, while you can expect Hisense to tout its strength in appliances and HVAC systems (really), Larsen9s aforementioned interview specifically calls out the emerging RGB TV space as a focus. We expect this year9s show will be all about explaining the shades of difference between mini and micro LED display technologies, as both Samsung and LG have already thrown down pre-announcement gauntlets on the latter. Will any of them cost less than six figures? Let9s hope Hisense has some good news to share on that front.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/how-to-watch-the-hisense-ces-2026-presentation-live-190040090.html?src=rss

• Samsung unveils its new $200 Galaxy A17 5G smartphone, arriving in January
  Samsung will have two new inexpensive mobile devices arriving on the US market next month. The Galaxy A17 5G starts at $199 and will be available on January 7. Arriving on January 8, the Galaxy Tab A11+ will retail for $250. 
  
  The Galaxy A17 5G has a 6.7” FHD+ Super AMOLED display and is powered by the same Exynos 1330 chip found in the Galaxy A16 5G. The photography setup is also unchanged from last year9s model, with a 50MP main camera, 5MP ultrawide, 2MP macro and 13MP selfie lenses. The base model has 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, but can be upgraded with up to 2TB of additional storage via microSD. Its 5,000mAh battery also supports fast-charging, a feature we9re happy to see becoming more of an industry standard this year. Essentially, this is more of the same from Samsung, but this product line has a solid legacy of decent smartphones that don9t break the bank. Don9t be surprised if this joins our lineup of best budget Android phones come 2026.
  
  The other new entry-level device is the Galaxy Tab A11+, which boasts an 11-inch LCD display. The rear camera is 8MP and the front one is 5MP. It has an option for 6GB of RAM with 128GB in storage, or for 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Like with the Galaxy A17 5G, the tablet can also be juiced up with additional microSD storage. Performance-wise, you9ll top out at 15 hours of video playback on the battery, but fast-charging is also supported here. There are many swankier tablets on the market these days, but if you9re looking for a bare-bones option, this Samsung offering is a solid consideration.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/samsung-unveils-its-new-200-galaxy-a17-5g-smartphone-arriving-in-january-184846560.html?src=rss

• Netflix has released a trailer for the Stranger Things finale
  Tomorrow9s the big day, and I don9t just mean New Year9s Eve. The series finale of Stranger Things airs tomorrow, and Netflix has released a trailer for the last episode. We9re given only flashes of the final episode, along with a voiceover of an emotional Jim Hopper telling Eleven he needs her to fight one last time.
  
  It9s just over 1 minute and 30 seconds long, with what appears to be only about 30 seconds of new footage. There isn9t much to go on here, as most of the footage features emotional moments from seasons past. Netflix no doubt is hoping to keep much of the excitement under wraps until tomorrow9s premiere.
  
  Warning: Some spoilers ahead for Stranger Things season 5.
  
  Among the new images we briefly see Vecna, hooked up to the ceiling in his gross cave of power on his other world. There9s also an explosion at what looks like a military site, plus a few more out-of-context flashes of our heroes.
  
  One particularly ominous moment shows Hopper walking around a smoke-filled room with almost zero visibility, gun drawn, when we see what looks to be Vecna appear behind him. We also see Eleven climb back into the sensory-deprivation tank in the Upside Down, presumably to take the fight to the show’s big bad.
  
  The only continuous scene in the trailer shows most of the gang standing atop a radio tower as Vecna9s world moves close enough to collide with the tower9s tip. Dustin lets out a "mother of God" as the so-crazy-it-just-might-work scheme the group cooked up in Chapter Seven appears to be well underway.
  
  After nine years and five seasons, we will finally reach a conclusion for the heroes of Hawkins. The episode premieres at 8PM ET (5PM PT). For those still craving more from the world of Hawkins after the finale, Netflix is releasing a Stranger Things animated series in 2026.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/netflix-has-released-a-trailer-for-the-stranger-things-finale-171204480.html?src=rss

• 1Password deal: Last chance to save 50 percent on our favorite password manager
  If cleaning up your digital life is on your New Year's resolution list, we've got good news: 1Password is offering half off its subscription plans (both the Individual and Families plans). That brings the price of the Individual plan down to $24 for a year and the Families plan down to $36 for a year. 
  
  The plans are nearly identical, but the Families plan accommodates five additional people. These discounts are only available to new customers and the prices expire after the year, so set a reminder to cancel or reassess. And you'll need to act fast, because the offer expires today — Tuesday, December 30.
  
  
  
  This provider topped our list of the best password managers, and for good reason. We appreciated the intuitive interface and the fact that it's available on most platforms, so you'll never be left out in the cold. These include Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, macOS, iOS, Windows, Android and more.
  
  Subscriptions include industry standard encryption and a "secret key" that only you know on top of a master password. There's also two-factor authentication and the platform issues alerts when credentials have potentially been compromised.
  
  1Password recently raised prices across the board, but this is still looking to be the best deal for our favorite password manager going into the new year. The only downside here is the one that accompanies many password managers: There is no free version. 
  
  Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
  
  Update, December 30 2025, 11:43AM ET: This story has been updated to fix broken links, and to note that this is the final day of the sale.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/1password-deal-last-chance-to-save-50-percent-on-our-favorite-password-manager-162844256.html?src=rss

• Meta buys startup known for its AI task automation agents
  Meta has acquired an AI startup called Manus — known for its custom research and website-building agents — in a deal valued at more than $2 billion, according toDeepSeek appeared on the scene. The company (called Butterfly Effect at the time) originally described it as "the first general AI agent" to perform complex tasks autonomously, rather than just generating ideas. It draws from several third-party models, particularly Anthropic9s Claude 3.5 Sonnet and versions of Alibaba9s Qwen. 
  
  Manus is designed to automate certain tasks, like market research, coding, sales data analysis and website cloning and creation. (However, one skeptic called it "a product devilishly optimized for influencers, which is why it exploded so much.") The company claims that Manu is "already serving the daily needs of millions of users and businesses" and has an annualized average revenue of more than $100 million only eight months after launch. 
  
  Manus laid off most of its Beijing employees this summer before moving its headquarters to Singapore in an effort to expand globally.The company was reportedly seeking a funding round that would have valued it at $2 billion when it was approached by Meta. "Joining Meta allows us to build on a stronger, more sustainable foundation without changing how Manus works or how decisions are made," said Manus CEO Xiao Hong in a company news release.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/meta-buys-startup-known-for-its-ai-task-automation-agents-140045275.html?src=rss

• TCL introduces its own take on a color Kindle Scribe
  Hot on the tail of Amazon9s Kindle Scribe Colorosoft, TCL is introducing its own take on a distraction-free note-taking and reading device. Unlike the new Scribe, however, it doesn9t use E Ink. The TCL Note A1 NXTPAPER is the company9s latest device to use NXTPAPER, TCL9s custom paper-like LCD screen, which offers some of the qualities of E Ink without the limitations.
  
  TCL says the 11.5-inch color "NXTPAPER Pure" display on the Note A1 has a 2,200 x 1,440 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate, which should mean it looks clearer and feels much smoother to interact with than the color E Ink screen used on something like the reMarkable Paper Pro. The tablet supports TCL9s T-Pen Pro for taking notes and drawing on the screen, but also features eight built-in microphones for recording and transcribing audio. The Note A1 also has a 13-megapixel camera for scanning documents, an 8,000mAh battery and 256GB of storage, with the option to access cloud services like Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive if you want it. 
  A diagram of different Note A1 NXTPAPER features arranged in a grid.TCL
  Unlike TCL9s past NXTPAPER tablets, the Note A1 doesn9t prioritize media consumption — it9s a productivity tool first and foremost. TCL says the device runs Android, but hasn9t shared whether it9ll have access to the Play Store. All the features the company has announced focus on taking notes and using AI to process and organize whatever you9ve written down. The device will also support real-time translation and "handwriting beautification," among a collection of other AI-powered features.
  
  Engadget has reached out to TCL for more information on the Note A1 NXTPAPER9s software. We9ll update this article if we hear back.
  
  There will likely never be one “Goldilocks” version of these note-taking devices, but the Note A1 NXTPAPER9s combination of display and microphones does make it an intriguing, if limited, alternative to Boox9s E Ink tablets. Anyone interested in TCL9s new device won9t have to wait long to try it, either. 
  
  The TCL Note A1 NXTPAPER is available to order now through Kickstarter (with additional bonuses and discounts) and will officially go on sale for $549 at the end of February.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/tcl-introduces-its-own-take-on-a-color-kindle-scribe-140000207.html?src=rss

• The Morning After: What to expect at CES 2026
  CES 2026 is right around the corner, and the pre-show hype cycle/ early reveals suggest, yes, there’s going to be an awful lot of AI-powered insert-product-category-here alongside, thankfully, some major announcements from the likes of Intel, Sony and NVIDIA.
  
  Intel is finally unveiling its Panther Lake (Core Ultra Series 3) chips. The first chips built on Intel’s 2nm process could offer a 50 percent performance boost, which is sorely needed amid intense competition. NVIDIA’s Jensen Huang is taking the stage for a keynote expected to feature a lot of AI hype, while AMD’s Lisa Su will likely counter with new Ryzen 9000-series chips and the latest on AI upscaling tech.
  Samsung’s two new speakers will deliver crisp audio while blending into your decorThe Music Studio 5 and 7 will be on display at CES 2026.Xiaomi’s 17 Ultra Leica Edition smartphone has a manual zoom ringAnd a 1-inch sensor, 200MP telephoto camera and 3,500 nit display.You may soon be able to change your Gmail addressA Google support page in Hindi says the feature is ‘gradually rolling out to all users.’
  A Google support page in Hindi indicates the ability to change your Gmail address might be coming. The feature would allow you to replace your current @gmail.com address with another. Your old address would remain active as an alias on the account, and all your data would stick around, unaffected. The support page (translated) says “the ability to change your Google Account email address is gradually rolling out to all users.”
  
  Continue reading.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-121511445.html?src=rss

• The best iPad cases for 2026
  An iPad is a great all-purpose device, but it also needs protection if you want it to last. A good case can guard against drops, add a stand for videos or sketching sessions and even make your iPad feel more like a lightweight laptop. Whether you prefer something slim, rugged or packed with useful features, there is a case that fits the way you use your tablet.
  
  From keyboard folios to minimalist covers with room for your Apple Pencil, we rounded up the best iPad cases that keep your tablet safe without weighing it down.
  Best iPad cases for 2026
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Why do I need an iPad case?
  It’s almost always a good idea to keep your iPad in a case so it’s protected against hazards and accidents. The best iPads are expensive — even the most affordable model will set you back at least $300 — so you’ll want to safeguard your gear as much as possible.
  iPad case FAQs What is the difference between an iPad case and an iPad cover?
  All iPad covers are cases, but not all iPad cases are covers — yes, it’s a bit confusing, but allow us to explain. Most iPad covers are cases that surround the back of your tablet and have a flap that covers the screen, so it provides protection for the body as well as its display. Plenty of iPad cases also have screen covers, but you don’t have to get one with that feature. Instead, you could just get a case that hugs the back of the tablet and nothing else. Those accessories will be marginally thinner and lighter than their cover-toting counterparts, and give your iPad a more svelte profile.
  How often should I charge my iPad?
  How often you charge your iPad will depend on how often you use it. Most iPads will last at least a regular work day with frequent usage, which is one of the reasons why many have opted to use their iPads as laptop replacements. But with heavy usage, like constant video streaming or gaming, will come more rapid battery drain. A good rule of thumb is to charge your iPad when you go to sleep each night, that way you’ll have a topped-up device waiting for you in the morning.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-ipad-cases-to-protect-your-tablet-130033533.html?src=rss

• LG to unveil a canvas-style TV at CES 2026
  LG will unveil a canvas-style art TV, dubbed the LG Gallery TV, at CES 2026. The new model will be offered in 55-inch and 65-inch variants, and sports a flush-mount design along with customizable magnetic frames.
  
  The Gallery TV uses a Mini LED display and the company9s Alpha 7 AI processor and offers 4K resolution. The new model will also leverage the LG Gallery+ service, a paid subscription with a library of over 4,500 works that users can display on the TV. Users will also be able to create custom images using generative AI or display images from personal photo libraries.
  
  LG says the TV was developed with museum curators, and will feature a Gallery Mode that optimizes brightness and color to show off the texture of displayed artwork. The display will have some degree of reflection handling and glare reduction, though precise details were not shared. The TV will automatically adjust picture settings to maintain an optimal image in response to changing ambient light throughout the day.
  
  This isn9t the first time LG has released an art-inspired TV. It released an ultra-thin OLED model called the LG GX Gallery TV in 2020. It has also released other "Gallery Design" TVs that offer wall-flush mounting in the past, but the new LG Gallery TV with dedicated art-focused features seems like a more direct competitor to Samsung9s "The Frame" or the Hisense CanvasTV.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/lg-to-unveil-a-canvas-style-tv-at-ces-2026-010024691.html?src=rss

• Apple AirTag four-packs are on sale for $65 right now
  Apple keeps most of its product pricing on a tight leash, but we do see the company9s AirTags go on sale pretty frequently. Another cost cut has come around for this item just in time for the new year. Amazon is currently selling a four-pack of AirTags for $65. At a third off the regular cost, that price is pretty close to the record low discount of $63 we9ve seen for these Bluetooth trackers.
  
  
  
  AirTags can be useful for people who travel frequently, helping you to keep track of essentials like your passport as well as a way to keep tabs on luggage while you9re on the go. If you do purchase some AirTags, we have some recommendations for useful accessories to go along with them, such as different styles of cases to best attach the trackers to different types of items. These are worth looking over and adding to your shopping cart in order to make the most of the product. 
  
  AirTags have an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance and their replaceable batteries should last for about a year. They can also support Precision Finding, which gives more exact directions to a lost item, when paired with most models after the iPhone 11. Up to five people can share an AirTag9s location, which is helpful for families or large travel groups. 
  
  Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apple-airtag-four-packs-are-on-sale-for-65-right-now-202333053.html?src=rss

• NASA finally has a leader, but its future is no more certain
  After a rudderless year and an exodus of around 4,000 employees due to Trump administration cuts, NASA got what may be its first piece of good news recently. On December 17, the Senate confirmed billionaire Jared Isaacman as the agency9s new administrator. He now holds the power to rehabilitate a battered engine of scientific research, or steer it towards even more disruption. 
  
  Considering the caliber of President Trump9s other appointees, Isaacman is probably the best candidate for the job. Outside of being a successful entrepreneur, he has flown fighter jets and been to space twice as part of the Inspiration4 and Polaris Dawn private missions. One of those flights saw him complete the first commercial space walk, and travel farther from Earth than any human since the end of the Apollo program.   
  
  "Perfect is the enemy of the good. Isaacman checks a lot of boxes," says Keith Cowing, a former NASA employee and the founder of NASA Watch, a blog dedicated to the agency. "He9s passed every requirement to fly in a spacecraft that American astronauts at NASA are required to pass. He also went out of his way to have a diverse crew, and shove as much science as he could in those missions." 
  
  And yet if you9re a NASA employee or just someone who cares about the agency9s work, there are still plenty of reasons to be concerned for its future. When Trump first nominated Isaacman in the spring, the billionaire wrote a 62-page document detailing his vision for NASA. In November, Politico obtained a copy of that plan, titled Project Athena.
  
  To some insiders, Project Athena painted a picture of someone who, at least at the time when it was written, fundamentally misunderstood how NASA works and how scientific discovery is funded in the US and elsewhere. It also suggests Isaacman may be more open to Trump9s NASA agenda than would appear at first glance.   
  
  When asked about the plan by Politico, one former NASA official characterized it as "bizarre and careless." Another called it “presumptuous," given many of the proposed changes to the agency9s structure would require Congressional approval. In one section, Isaacman recommended taking “NASA out of the taxpayer funded climate science business and [leaving] it for academia to determine.” In another section, he promised to evaluate the “relevance and ongoing necessity” of every agency center, particularly NASA9s iconic Jet Propulsion Laboratory, saying the facility and others must increase the “output and time to science KPI.” 
  
  A lot has changed since Isaacman first wrote that document. It came before the workforce cuts, before the future of Goddard Space Flight Center became uncertain and before Trump surprised everyone by renominating Isaacman. But during his Senate testimony earlier this month, the billionaire said “I do stand behind everything in the document, even though it was written seven months ago. I think it was all directionally correct.”  
  
  He did appear to distance himself from some viewpoints expressed in or inferred by Project Athena, however. Isaacman stated that “anything suggesting that I am anti-science or want to outsource that responsibility is simply untrue.” He also came out against the administration9s plan to cut NASA9s science budget nearly in half, claiming the proposals would not lead to "an optimal outcome."
  
  One thing is clear, Isaacman is not your typical bureaucrat. "One of the pitfalls of some prior NASA administrators has been that they9ve shown too much reverence for the internal processes and bureaucratic structure of the agency to the detriment of decision-making and performance," said Casey Drier, chief of space policy at The Planetary Society, a nonprofit that advocates for the exploration and study of space. "Isaacman has positioned himself as the opposite of that. Clearly, that9s something that could lead to a lot of political and congressional challenges if taken too far."   
  
  Even if Isaacman doesn9t follow through on any of the proposals made in Project Athena, there9s only so much a NASA administrator — even one sympathetic to civil servants working under them — can do. 
  
  "Once a budget request goes out publicly, everyone in the administration has to defend it. Anything he does will have to be internal and private," Drier explains. "He never explicitly criticized the administration during his hearing. He9s also coming relatively late in the budget process."    
  
  A lot of NASA9s future will depend on the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which is responsible for implementing the president9s agenda across the executive branch. As a direct result of guidance the OMB issued over the summer, NASA awarded 25 percent fewer new grants in 2025 than it did on average between 2020 and 2024.   
  
  "The OMB has added layers of requirements that scientists now have to go through to spend the money they9ve already been allocated. The administration has worked against its own stated goals of efficiency," Drier said. "Isaacman can9t solve that himself. He can9t tell the OMB what to do. That9s going to be a serious challenge." 
  
  Looming over everything is the fact NASA still does not have a full-year budget for 2026. Congress has until January 30 to fund NASA and the rest of the federal government before the short-term funding bill it passed on November 12 runs out. "On paper, the official policy of the administration is still to terminate a third of NASA9s scientific capability," Drier points out.
  
  There are reasons to be cautiously optimistic. Publicly, both the House and Senate have come out against Trump9s funding cuts. And some science missions that were slated to be cancelled, such as OSIRIS-APEX, have been approved for another full year of operations.   
  
  What NASA needs now is someone who will, as Drier puts it, "vigorously advocate" for the agency in whatever way they can. It remains to be seen if that9s Jared Isaacman.
  
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/nasa-finally-has-a-leader-but-its-future-is-no-more-certain-201109072.html?src=rss

• Co-founder of CD Projekt Michał Kiciński has acquired GOG, the company's game storefront
  Michał Kiciński, co-founder of CD Projekt, has acquired total ownership of the DRM-free video game storefront GOG. The digital video game platform was started by CD Projekt in 2008 with a stated mission to preserve "Good Old Games" (hence the GOG acronym). CD Projekt is known for its game studio CD Projekt Red, the developers The Witcher series and Cyberpunk 2077.
  
  GOG said Kiciński bought 100 percent of its shares for PLN 90.7 million ($25 million). The acquisition was fully financed through committed funding secured at the sale’s closing and did not involve the sale of any of Kiciński’s CD Projekt shares.
  
  The storefront will continue to operate independently under its new owner, sticking with its DRM-free philosophy and ongoing work to keep classic titles playable on modern PCs. After the sale, CD Projekt and GOG signed a distribution agreement that will see CD Projekt Red games continue to be listed on GOG.
  
  While the press release for the sale did not list a reason, a report posted Monday under the Regulatory Announcements section of the CD Projekt website states "the sale of shares in GOG is consistent with the CD PROJEKT Group growth strategy, which assumes focusing on the core business of the Company, i.e., developing and publishing video games and related projects based on the owned and new franchises." The report also describes a "competitive sale process," implying that Kiciński may not have been the only bidder.
  
  While it seems Kiciński will have a hands-on role in GOG after its acquisition, his current involvement at CD Projekt is less clear. He remains a significant shareholder but is not listed on the company9s Management board or its Supervisory board.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/co-founder-of-cd-projekt-micha%C5%82-kicinski-has-acquired-gog-the-companys-game-storefront-174853415.html?src=rss

• Rainbow Six Siege servers are back online after shutting down in response to Marketplace hacks
  Ubisoft had to shut down Rainbow Six Siege's servers and roll back transactions, a situation that came from a widespread breach that left various players with billions of in-game credits, ultra-rare skins of weapons, and banned accounts. As of Sunday, December 28, the status page on Rainbow Six Siege's website still shows "unplanned outage" on all servers across PC, PlayStation and Xbox.
  
  Later that evening, though, the company confirmed that it was done testing on the update it pushed out and was opening the severs back up to players. It also said that the transaction rollback was complete, but that the Marketplace would remain closed for the time being.
  ➡️ Our live tests are now complete and we are opening the game to all players. Please note that you may experience a queue when connecting, as our services ramp up.
  
  ➡️ The rollback is also complete.
  🔸 Players who did not log in between December 27th 10:49 UTC and December 29th… https://t.co/mfaAVnvK5G
  — Rainbow Six Siege X (@Rainbow6Game) December 29, 2025
  The fiasco began Saturday morning when Ubisoft said on X that they were "aware of an incident currently affecting Rainbow Six Siege" and "working on a resolution." A couple of hours later, the Rainbow Six Siege servers were shut down, following plenty of user reports showing either zero or billions in R6 credits, rare skins in their lockers and either account bans or unbans. Ubisoft later clarified Saturday afternoon on X that nobody would be banned if they spent their ill-gotten credits, but that a rollback of all transactions starting from Saturday, 6AM ET would soon be underway.
  
  On Sunday afternoon, Ubisoft informed the playerbase that they're currently performing a rollback, but that "extensive quality control tests will be executed to ensure the integrity of accounts and effectiveness of changes." The company added that "this matter is being handled with extreme care and therefore, timing cannot be guaranteed" and didn't provide an estimate for when servers would be back online.
  
  Update, December 29, 2025, 10:22AM ET: This story and its headline have been updated with the details about Ubisoft re-opening the game’s servers.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/rainbow-six-siege-servers-are-back-online-after-shutting-down-in-response-to-marketplace-hacks-191049079.html?src=rss

• Samsung plans to integrate Google Photos into its TVs
  Samsung has announced that it "aims to be the first" to natively integrate Google Photos into TVs. The aim is for Google Photos to work seamlessly with Vision AI Companion, Samsung9s souped-up version of Bixby. This would help to make user photos part of the day-to-day TV experience, with photos appearing while navigating the TV9s OS during "contextual and convenient moments."
  
  The company says users will be able to explore their Google Photos libraries in three new experiences. The first is called Memories, and will show curated stories based on "people, locations and meaningful moments." This has a planned launch in March 2026 and will be exclusive to Samsung TVs for six months.
  
  Create with AI will use Google DeepMind9s image generation and editing model, enabling users to transform their photos using AI using themed templates. Users will also be able to turn any still image into a short video using the tool. Create with AI has a planned launch in the second half of 2026.
  
  Finally, Personalized Results will create themed slideshows of users9 photos based on particular topics or the content of an image. Examples given by Samsung include the ocean, hiking and Paris. This also has a planned launch in the latter part of 2026.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/samsung-plans-to-integrate-google-photos-into-its-tvs-132739713.html?src=rss

• The best iPhone accessories for 2026
  The right accessories can make your iPhone feel more capable and more personal. Whether you want to protect your phone, improve your photos or stay powered during a long day out, there are plenty of accessories that can make a real difference. MagSafe gear has opened the door for new chargers, stands and mounts, while portable batteries and compact lenses can upgrade your everyday routine.
  
  We tested a range of products to find the best iPhone accessories that offer practical benefits for both new and older models.
  Best iPhone accessories
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-iphone-accessories-140022449.html?src=rss

• The best wireless chargers for 2026
  Imagine never having to fumble with a charging cable again. That9s the magic of a wireless charger. Not only does going wireless clear up your space and make charging as simple as setting your phone down, but it’s also surprisingly versatile. Whether you’re looking for a sleek charging pad for your nightstand, a stand that keeps your phone propped up on your desk or even a foldable charger for convenient travel, there9s a wireless charger designed to fit your lifestyle. Some can even double as a car charger, keeping your phone powered up on the go without the hassle of cables to plug in. With so many convenient options, it9s easy to see why more people are ditching their wired chargers and embracing the effortlessness of wireless. These are the best wireless chargers we9ve tested so far.
  Table of contents
  Best wireless chargers for 2026?
  
  What to look for in a wireless charger?
  
  Where and how will you use your charger??
  
  Wireless charging performance?
  
  Quality and box contents?
  
  Wireless chargers FAQs?
  Best wireless chargers for 2026
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  What to look for in a wireless charger
  While it’s tempting to buy a wireless charging pad optimized for the specific phone you have now, resist that urge. Instead, think about the types of devices (phones included) that you could see yourself using in the near future. If you’re sure you’ll use iPhones for a long time, an Apple MagSafe-compatible magnetic wireless charger will be faster and more convenient. If you use Android phones or think you might switch sides, however, you’ll want a more universal design. If you have other accessories like wireless earbuds or a smartwatch that supports wireless charging, maybe you’d be better off with a 3-in-1 wireless charger or full wireless charging station.
  Where and how will you use your charger?
  Odds are that you have a specific use case in mind for your charger. You may want it by your bedside on your nightstand for a quick charge in the morning, or on your desk for at-a-glance notifications. You might even keep it in your bag for convenient travel charging instead of bulky portable chargers or power banks. Think about where you want to use this accessory and what you want to do with the device(s) it charges while it’s powering up. For example, a wireless charging pad might be better for bedside use if you just want to be able to drop your phone down at the end of a long day and know it’ll be powered up in the morning. However, a stand will be better if you have an iPhone and want to make use of the Standby feature during the nighttime hours.
  
  For a desk wireless charger, a stand lets you more easily glance at phone notifications throughout the day. For traveling, undoubtedly, a puck-style charging pad is best since it will take up much less space in your bag than a stand would. Many power banks also include wireless charging pads built in, so one of those might make even more sense for those who are always on the go. Some foldable chargers are also designed for travel, collapsing flat to take up less space.
  Wireless charging performance
  Although wireless charging is usually slower than its wired equivalent, speed and wattage are still important considerations. A fast charger can supply enough power for a long night out in the time it takes to change outfits. Look for options that promise faster charging and support standards like Qi2 certified charging for the best balance of efficiency and compatibility.
  
  In general, a 15W charger is more than quick enough for most situations, and you’ll need a MagSafe-compatible charger to extract that level of performance from an iPhone. With that said, even the slower 7.5W and 10W chargers are fast enough for an overnight power-up. If anything, you’ll want to worry more about support for cases. While many models can deliver power through a reasonably thick case (typically 3mm to 5mm), you’ll occasionally run into examples that only work with naked phones.
  
  There are some proprietary chargers that smash the 15W barrier if you have the right phone. Apple’s latest MagSafe charging pad can provide up to 25W of wireless power to compatible iPhones when paired with a 30W or 35W adapter — the latter being another component you’ll have to get right to make sure the whole equation works as fast as it possibly can.
  Quality and box contents
  Pay attention to what’s included in the box. Some wireless chargers don’t include power adapters, and others may even ask you to reuse your phone’s USB-C charging cable. What may seem to be a bargain may prove expensive if you have to buy extras just to use it properly. As mentioned above, you’ll want to make sure all of the components needed to use the wireless charger can provide the level of power you need — you’re only as strong (or in this case, fast) as your weakest link.
  
  Fit and finish is also worth considering. You’re likely going to use your wireless charger every day, so even small differences in build quality could make the difference between joy and frustration. If your charger doesn’t use MagSafe-compatible tech, textured surfaces like fabric or rubberized plastic are more likely to keep your phone in place. The base should be grippy or weighty enough that the charger won’t slide around. Also double check that the wireless charger you’re considering can support phones outfitted with cases — the specifications are usually listed in the charger’s description or specs.
  
  You’ll also want to think about the minor conveniences. Status lights are useful for indicating correct phone placement, but an overly bright light can be distracting. Ideally, the light dims or shuts off after a certain period of time. And while we caution against lips and trays that limit compatibility, you may still want some barriers to prevent your device falling off its perch on the charging station.
  Wireless chargers FAQs Do wireless chargers work if you have a phone case?
  Many wireless chargers do work if you leave the case on your phone. Generally, a case up to 3mm thick should be compatible with most wireless chargers. However, you should check the manufacturer’s guide to ensure a case is supported.
  How do I know if my phone supports wireless charging?
  Checking the phone’s specification should tell you if your phone is compatible with wireless charging. You might see words like “Qi wireless charging” or “wireless charging compatible.”
  Do cords charge your phone faster?
  Most often, wired charging will be faster than wireless charging. However, wired charging also depends on what the charging cable’s speed is and how much power it’s designed to carry. A quick-charging cable that can transmit up to 120W of power is going to be faster than a wireless charger.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-wireless-charger-140036359.html?src=rss

• Apple escalates its appeal of a $2 billion fine from a UK antitrust lawsuit
  Apple isn9t ready to pay a several billion-dollar fine to UK App Store users and is filing an appeal over a major antitrust lawsuit. As first reported by October decision from the CAT, where the court found that Apple engaged in anticompetitive practices by exploiting its dominant market position with the App Store to charge higher fees. The CAT9s ruling established a £1.5 billion, or roughly $2 billion, fine, but Apple said it planned to appeal and that the court "takes a flawed view of the thriving and competitive app economy." The CAT didn9t grant Apple the appeal, leading the iPhone maker to seek a higher court to overturn the ruling.
  
  Apple hasn9t made any official statements about its latest appeal application, but it9s likely that it will argue against the CAT9s proposed App Store developer fee rate of between 15 and 20 percent, which it reached through "informed guesswork," instead of the existing 30 percent. If the fine does ultimately stick, the $2 billion fine would be split amongst any App Store user in the UK who made purchases between 2015 and 2024, according to The Guardian.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-escalates-its-appeal-of-a-2-billion-fine-from-a-uk-antitrust-lawsuit-201922558.html?src=rss

• Ayaneo's latest Game Boy remake will have an early bird starting price of $269
  After the high price tag of the Ayaneo Pocket DMG turned some retro handheld fans away, Ayaneo is working on another remake of the classic Game Boy with a slightly more affordable cost. Ayaneo revealed the pricing for the Pocket Vert, which starts at $269 for early bird orders.
  
  Compared to the Pocket DMG that retails for $449, Ayaneo skipped the OLED and configurations that go up to 16GB of memory and 1TB of storage for the Pocket Vert. Instead, the handheld maker went with a fully metal CNC body and an ultra-minimalist design with engraving-free buttons that resemble the Analogue Pocket9s look. Ayaneo built the Pocket Vert with a smaller 3.5-inch LCD screen that has a 1,600 x 1,440 resolution and a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip that should allow the handheld to handle anything up to PS2 and some Nintendo Switch games.
  Ayaneo
  To play more modern games, the Pocket Vert has a hidden touch pad below the buttons that acts as a makeshift joystick. Ayaneo also hid a fingerprint sensor in the power button and included a USB-C port, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a microSD slot for more storage capacity. The Indiegogo campaign for the Pocket Vert isn9t open yet, but it will be the only place to snag the latest vertical handheld from Ayaneo at its lowest price before it reverts to the retail price of $339. You can even opt for the fully specced-out version that9s only available in Lava Red and has 12GB of memory and 256GB of storage for an early bird price of $369 and a later standard price of $439.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ayaneos-latest-game-boy-remake-will-have-an-early-bird-starting-price-of-269-174553644.html?src=rss

• Stardew Valley players on the Nintendo Switch 2 get a free upgrade
  free upgrade that introduces new features and multiplayer modes.
  
  If you have Stardew Valley on the Switch 2, you can download the Upgrade Pack that introduces mouse controls to make it easier to place furniture and organize your inventory. The upgrade also adds local split-screen co-op for up to four players and online multiplayer that maxes out at eight players. On top of the co-op modes, the free content pack includes Game Share compatibility, meaning only one player needs a copy of Stardew Valley to share it with three others.
  
  This Upgrade Pack may not have as much content as a numbered update, but some players are already reporting bugs. According to user accounts, the online multiplayer mode isn9t working, while other reports noted that some crafting recipes had inaccurate material requirements or quantities. In a post on X, Eric Barone, the game9s developer who9s better known as ConcernedApe, said that he9s taking "full responsibility for this mistake" and that the development team "will fix this as soon as possible." Later that day, Barone posted that online co-op should be fixed on both the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 versions, adding that "we are investigating and will follow up with patches as needed" for the remaining issues.
  
  On top of addressing the bugs from the latest Upgrade Pack, Barone and the rest of the development team are also working on the upcoming 1.7 update for Stardew Valley, while Haunted Chocolatier is still under development.
  
  Update, December 28 2025, 10:45AM ET: This story has been updated to reflect Barone9s latest update that online co-op has been fixed.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/stardew-valley-players-on-the-nintendo-switch-2-get-a-free-upgrade-174849697.html?src=rss

• Samsung's two new speakers will deliver crisp audio while blending into your decor
  Samsung is adding two brand new speakers to its audio lineup, along with updated soundbars boosted with AI features. While not as inconspicuous as the Samsung Frame, the new WiFi speakers, called the Music Studio 5 and 7, were designed to blend into your living room9s atmosphere with their minimalist design. However, if you9re looking for a more convenient option, Samsung also updated its flagship HW-Q990H soundbar, while also introducing the more affordable choice of the HW-QS90H.
  
  Samsung built the Music Studio 5 with a four-inch woofer and dual tweeters, pairing them with a built-in waveguide to deliver better sound. To customize the sound, Samsung added its new AI Dynamic Bass Control that can make bass sound better without any distortion. You can even control the "gallery-inspired" speaker via voice or Bluetooth and it9s compatible with WiFi casting and streaming services.
  Samsung
  For an upgraded option, the Music Studio 7 comes with a 3.1.1-channel spatial audio that has top-, front-, left- and right-firing speakers to give a more immersive 3D audio experience. You can calibrate the sound even further with the Samsung Audio Lab Pattern Control Technology and the same AI Dynamic Bass Control feature seen with the Music Studio 5. Samsung says the Music Studio 7 can play Hi-Resolution Audio with up to 24-bit/96kHz audio processing and can either be used as a standalone speaker or paired with other Samsung audio devices.
  Samsung
  To round out its new audio offerings, Samsung debuted the HW-QS90H, or its All-in-One Soundbar, with a 7.1.2.-channel system that features 13 drivers, nine of which are wide-range speakers. The new soundbar9s built-in Quad Bass Woofer system means you can achieve deeper bass without a separate subwoofer. The All-in-One Soundbar even features Samsung9s Convertible Fit design that can handle being mounted on a wall or placed on a table, and a gyro sensor that can automatically adapt channel distribution depending on its orientation, like we saw with the QS700F.
  
  Samsung even refreshed its flagship HW-Q990H soundbar this year and introduced to it the Sound Elevation feature that makes dialogue sound more natural and Auto Volume, which regulates a consistent volume across its channels for a more balanced sound. All of Samsung9s latest soundbars and speakers will be on display at CES 2026.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/samsungs-two-new-speakers-will-deliver-crisp-audio-while-blending-into-your-decor-230053770.html?src=rss

• OpenAI is hiring a new Head of Preparedness to try to predict and mitigate AI's harms
  OpenAI is looking for a new Head of Preparedness who can help it anticipate the potential harms of its models and how they can be abused, in order to guide the company9s safety strategy. It comes at the end of a year that9s seen OpenAI hit with numerous accusations about ChatGPT9s impacts on users9 mental health, including a few wrongful death lawsuits. In a post on X about the position, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledged that the "potential impact of models on mental health was something we saw a preview of in 2025," along with other "real challenges" that have arisen alongside models9 capabilities. The Head of Preparedness "is a critical role at an important time," he said.
  
  Per the job listing, the Head of Preparedness (who will make $555K, plus equity), "will lead the technical strategy and execution of OpenAI’s Preparedness framework, our framework explaining OpenAI’s approach to tracking and preparing for frontier capabilities that create new risks of severe harm." It is, according to Altman, "a stressful job and you9ll jump into the deep end pretty much immediately."
  
  Over the last couple of years, OpenAI9s safety teams have undergone a lot of changes. The company9s former Head of Preparedness, Aleksander Madry, was reassigned back in July 2024, and Altman said at the time that the role would be taken over by execs Joaquin Quinonero Candela and Lilian Weng. Weng left the company a few months later, and in July 2025, Quinonero Candela announced his move away from the preparedness team to lead recruiting at OpenAI. 
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-is-hiring-a-new-head-of-preparedness-to-try-to-predict-and-mitigate-ais-harms-220330486.html?src=rss

• Here’s the first real look at the Retroid Pocket 6 running PS2 games
  The Retroid Pocket 6 may have gotten off to a rocky start, but the gaming handheld is officially completed and going to see its first shipments soon. The handheld maker revealed the final product shots of the Retroid Pocket 6 in black and orange on X. Along with in-person product pics, Retroid revealed gameplay videos of its handheld, running emulation of PlayStation 2 games.
  
  For those looking to relive some classic Nintendo or PlayStation titles, the Retroid Pocket 6 offers a great entry point into the retro handheld world since it can emulate games up to Nintendo Switch and PS2. However, Retroid did have some initial blowback about its design and decided to go back to the drawing board. Following the early criticisms, Retroid decided to add an option for customers to choose between having the D-pad or a thumbstick at the top of the handheld9s left side.
  Retroid
  The problems persisted for Retroid, as the handheld maker had to then cut short the early bird pricing thanks to the widespread memory shortage. Instead of offering the handheld for $209 until January, Retroid removed the discount in late December, leaving new buyers paying the full retail price of $229. However, the internal specs remained the same, with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, up to 12GB of memory and up to 256GB of storage that9s expandable with a TF card slot.
  
  Despite the hiccups, Retroid looks ready to start shipments of its latest retro gaming handheld as evidenced by the new photos and videos. According to the website, the first batch of Retroid Pocket 6 preorders are due to start shipping in January. Second bath preoders are still available on Retroid9s website, which are expected to get to customers in March.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/heres-the-first-real-look-at-the-retroid-pocket-6-running-ps2-games-193624145.html?src=rss

• New York State will require warning labels on social media platforms
  The State of New York will signed two bills into law last year aimed at protecting kids from social media.
  
  Concerns over the mental health effects of social media platforms on younger users have been mounting and government bodies have been increasingly taking action. A bill similar to the one in New York has been proposed in California. This year Australia became the first nation to ban social media for children, with Denmark soon to follow.
  
  Last year the US surgeon general said social media should come with warning labels and highlighted data associating social media use with increased anxiety and depression in youth. The risks of social media use on children9s mental health are multifactorial and are still being studied.
  
  We9ve reached out to Meta, Snap and TikTok for comment and will update if we hear back. 
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/new-york-state-will-require-warning-labels-on-social-media-platforms-210306716.html?src=rss

• What we listened to in 2025
  If streaming services’ year-in-review campaigns have shown us anything, it’s that we’ve spent a staggering amount of time drowning out the hum of everyday life with music, podcasts and audio series. And with some incredible new releases this year, we were really eatin’ good. Here are some of the Engadget team’s favorite things we listened to in 2025.
  Spiritbox - Tsunami Sea
  I became aware of Spiritbox in late 2024 shortly before the band dropped its latest album, Tsunami Sea. At the time, I was in a deep Sleep Token phase, and I don’t remember how I stumbled upon Spiritbox, but I’m sure glad I did. Not knowing anything about the band, I initially thought it had two singers: one for clean vocals and another for the harsh, guttural screams. 
  
  Well, I was wrong. Vocalist Courtney LaPlante handles it all, and she is a force of nature. After learning of a new band, I do what any self-respecting music nerd does: I looked up live videos of them on YouTube. The way LaPlante seamlessly transitions from airy, ambient singing to some of the best growls you’ll hear in metal music is effortless. And after seeing Spiritbox live in person earlier in December, I can attest to her ability to consistently nail both vocal styles for the entirety of an hour-long set. 
  
  My infatuation with Spiritbox isn’t just with the vocalist though. Guitarist Mike Stringer, LaPlante’s husband, also has a lot of unique abilities to offer. Stringer’s use of noise and whammy effects in his riffs create a signature style, not to mention his mix of nu-metal, djent and metalcore sensibilities. He also has some of the thickest guitar tones I’ve ever heard live, and I was mesmerized for the full set. Stringer’s guitar work on Tsunami Sea is a prime example of a  unique musician at the height of his powers. 
  
  Tsunami Sea takes you on a ride. The first two tracks are all-out ragers, and after a slight respite in “Perfect Soul” and “Keep Sweet,” the album’s best song comes fifth. I’ve heard LaPlante dedicate it to “all the people I love to fucking hate,” and it’s clearly written about her enemies. It’s also the perfect example of what this band is capable of. It’s three minutes of LaPlante’s screams interlaced with plenty of Stringer’s trademark guitar work. 
  
  The rest of the album showcases the band’s ability to blend dynamics, with “No Loss, No Love” and “Ride The Wave” providing the highlights on the back half of the record. The album’s title track is a great vehicle for LaPlante’s clean vocals, serving as the introduction to the album’s second act. If you’ve been enamored with Sleep Token this year like I have, give Spiritbox a go — you won’t be sorry you did. — Billy Steele, Deputy Editor, Reviews
  Bandsplain
  I didn’t discover Bandsplain in 2025, but I definitely listened to it more than any other podcast in terms of total time spent. Sure, that’s because most episodes are over three hours long, but I digress. Host Yasi Salek does a deep dive on “cult bands and iconic artists” to… ahem, bandsplain why people love them. There’s a deep catalog of back episodes, so there’s sure to be an in-depth analysis of a band you’re familiar with. But even if you think you know an artist, I’m willing to bet Salek will divulge parts of the story you weren’t aware of. 
  
  Jimmy Eat World’s Clarity is a top 5 all-timer for me, and Salek had plenty to offer about the narrative around that album I didn’t know. Her grunge series from 2024 was a history lesson I wish I’d had in middle school when I first discovered Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains and the rest of the lot. An older episode about Nine Inch Nails served as the primer for me seeing the band live for the first time in September. And that’s the thing about the show: the back catalog holds up. If you’re waiting for the next installment to drop, there’s certainly something in the archives you’ll enjoy. 
  
  No shade to Salek’s colleagues at The Ringer, but the best episodes of Bandsplain are when the guest is a musician. Thursday front man Geoff Rickly was excellent on that Nine Inch Nails episode, and Death Cab for Cutie singer Ben Gibbard had me on the edge of my seat when he was on to discuss The La’s — a band I’d never heard of before. I’d also highly recommend the episodes on Oasis and the more recent one on Alanis Morissette. But, really, you can’t go wrong starting from anywhere on the episode list. — B.S.
  Lucy Dacus - Forever is a Feeling 
  I remember being a teenager and hearing from an adult that they did not religiously seek out, research, evaluate and introduce new bands and songs into their lives as if all existence would cease without the life-sustaining energy of new music. I was confused, concerned and damn sure that wouldn’t happen to me. 
  
  You know where this story goes: Job. Kid. House. Spouse. Pets that will die if I don’t feed, walk, play with and/or medicate them. I allow the algorithm to feed me new songs but rarely does something stick, so I end up listening to tracks I bonded with in my teens and twenties. 
  
  This year, Blossom & Bones, a three-day music festival in Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, managed to push through the churn and lodge new music into my brain. Along with my kid and some friends, I camped among some of the most beautiful landscapes imaginable and ambled over to the stage each evening for performances by Santigold, Ani DiFranco and about a dozen more. 
  
  Lucy Dacus, one third of the indie group Boygenius, did a one-hour set with plenty of songs from her latest album Forever is a Feeling. Hearing the songs for the first time, I felt like I’d been listening to them for years. Lilting harmonies and layered strings create a lovely backdrop for Dacus’s velvet voice, but there’s a sharpness to her observations about relationships, rejection and sex. I’ve been looping the album ever since. — Amy Skorheim, Senior Reporter, Buying Advice
  Blanco White - “So Certain” (single)
  Early on the last concert of the day at that same festival, Blanco White took the stage. People were aimlessly milling about and the sun hadn’t yet set. Kids were playing on the lawn and the smell from the food trucks was intense, but I was enrapt by the four people on stage. The sad violin and strummy guitars floated with the hand-beat drum out into the red hills. The music sounded like I felt: rooted and wrapped in the harsh beauty of the desert and I was really glad to take that home with me. — A.S.
  Martian Revolution 
  If you9re as big a nerd as I am, you might know that Leo Tolstoy didn9t consider War and Peace to be a novel. The story is what most people read for, but in the author9s mind, all the drama was a parable to illustrate his grand theory of history.
  
  Over the last year, history podcaster Mike Duncan has accomplished a similar feat using a medium Tolstoy never imagined. Duncan9s Revolutions podcast has covered ten different revolutionary upheavals across history, starting with the English Civil War and ending with the Russian Revolution. After wrapping up the Bolsheviks, Duncan took a few episodes to suggest a grand theory of how revolutions unfold. For a while, it seemed like that was all we9d get. Then, in the middle of 2024, he started posting original sci-fi — without any indication that this tale, which followed future Martians revolting against their corporate overlords on Earth, was in any way different from the previous ten seasons.
  
  Part of what makes the Martian Revolution so excellent is Duncan9s deadpan delivery. He never once breaks character. He rattles off lists of fictional sources, apologizes for inaccuracies in prior episodes, and introduces made-up historical figures with the same gravity he once used to mention George Washington or Simon Bolivar. If you9re a fan of Revolutions, you9ll have a blast recognizing character archetypes. (Mabel Dore is the Liberal Noble! Timothy Werner is the Man of Blood!)
  
  But the podcast is great even if you9ve never listened to an episode of Revolutions. It has an excellent grasp of character and a sense of inevitable tragedy, but with moments of joy leavened throughout. I certainly hope we don9t wind up in the megacorp-ruled future of the podcast, but if we do, it9ll be a great consolation if it eventually turns out the way Duncan imagines. — Sam Chapman, Senior Writer
  Ron Gallo - Checkmate 
  My favorite artists are ones that surprise me, and Ron Gallo is a master of reinvention. He9s dabbled in absurdist punk, psychedelia, garage rock, Beatles-tinged pop and, now, stripped-down acoustic music. This is not a genre I am typically a fan of, Elliott Smith withstanding, but Checkmate is something special. His lyrical prowess is off the charts here, trading his usual wordplay for simple and emotionally-gutting truisms about life, love and, well, the end of the world. 
  
  Of course, the lyrics wouldn9t work if the songs weren9t good. The songs are very good. The title track is just about the perfect love song, with a primary hook that gets lost in your head for weeks. Other tracks offer hints of Mac DeMarco, Dan Fogelberg, Kevin Morby and just about everyone else who has crafted great songs on an acoustic guitar. It9s fitting that Gallo has found a home on the label Kill Rock Stars, which released so much of Elliott Smith9s work back in the day. As an aside, Gallo regularly posts songs about current events on TikTok and other social media platforms, which are worth checking out if you like stuff like Jesse Welles. — Lawrence Bonk, Contributing Reporter
  De La Soul - Cabin in the Sky
  There have been hip-hop albums that explored the finality and tragedy of death, but not many that truly tackled spirituality and long-term grief. De La Soul has done just that, following the passing of founding member Trugoy the Dove. This album serves as a final testament of sorts for Trugoy, as he9s heavily featured throughout. In that way, Cabin in the Sky is reminiscent of A Tribe Called Quest9s 2016 masterpiece We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service, which followed the death of rapper Phife Dawg. 
  
  Like Tribe9s modern classic, Cabin in the Sky is filled with absolute bangers. It features standout beats by DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Trugoy, Jake One and others. The rhymes are great and all three primary De La members are given time to shine. Guest rappers like Common and Nas got the memo, delivering some of their most memorable verses in years. Heck, even Giancarlo Esposito is on board as the narrator. Some reviewers have dinged this album for being too long but, come on, that9s like complaining there9s too much pizza. It9s De La Soul. — L.B.
  FKA twigs - Eusexua
  This was a really good year for new music IMO, so much that I9ve been finding it pretty difficult to think back and settle on my favorite releases. But, FKA twigs9 Eusexua undeniably did some heavy lifting for me, pretty much carrying me through the first six or so months of the year without much competition, and I9ve circled right back to it as the year closes. It9s an album that somehow seems to meet every vibe. It9ll have you in club mode and ready for a night of sweaty, filthy dancing in under three minutes, or feeling bright and upbeat like a midday walk on the first day of spring — yet it still hits when you9re having a good ol9 car cry. 
  
  "Girl Feels Good" is for sure one of my most-played songs of the year, followed closely by "Eusexua," "Perfect Stranger," "Keep It, Hold It" and "Striptease." If ever I can9t decide what I9m in the mood to listen to, I throw this album on and it doesn9t disappoint. — Cheyenne MacDonald, Weekend Editor
  Faetooth - Labyrinthine 
  Faetooth9s sophomore album, Labyrinthine, is face-melting, melancholic perfection. The band describes its sound as "fairy doom," but don9t let that first word fool you into thinking it isn9t heavy as hell. Labyrinthine goes unbelievably hard, and will have you feeling like you9re eternally wandering a cursed bog, surrounded by the wailing of the unfortunate souls who came before you. Don9t believe me? Put on "White Noise." This is really an album that should be enjoyed in its entirety, though, and I can9t individually name half the songs on it because I tend to just keep the whole thing playing on rotation. — C.M. 
  Orville Peck - Appaloosa 
  This EP is truly a testament to my ability to run my obsessions into the ground, because it only came out in mid-November and somehow landed on my most-listened wrapup for the end of the year… which was released some two weeks later. It9s front-loaded with its strongest songs, a powerful and kind of haunting trio that just flows beautifully from one into the other: "Dreaded Sundown," to "Drift Away" into "Atchafalaya" (ft. Noah Cyrus). As a fan of musicals, I also loved the inclusion of "Maybe This Time," a cover from Cabaret, especially since I was pretty bummed to have missed Peck9s stint as the Emcee in Cabaret on Broadway this summer. — C.M.
  Case 63 
  I got into an audio series kick this year, and dove into shows like Unicorn Girl, Stalked! and more. But none of the dramatized fiction I listened to in 2025 had me hooked like Case 63. Setting aside that it’s voice-acted by A-listers Julianne Moore and Oscar Isaac, which is a phenomenal pairing that won me over on star power alone. The best thing about Case 63 is its storytelling. 
  
  Moore stars as a psychologist, meeting Isaac for the first time in a prison interview. Isaac has been claiming to be a traveler of sorts, and through recorded sessions and voice notes, we hear his side of the story, as well as her reactions and ultimate involvement in the adventures. Every step of the way, particularly in the beginning, there is clear explanation as to why the exchange is being recorded. It isn’t necessary, but it’s helpful in my buying into the realism of the story. 
  
  It isn’t just the method and technical aspects of the storytelling, of course. Narratively, Case 63 is a gripping ride, and thanks to its short episodes, it’s easy to binge really quickly. There is certainly a generous use of cliffhangers to help speed things along, but I found myself eager to devour the entire series in one commute. The story continued to linger in my mind days after I finished both existing seasons, and I’m hoping the new one drops soon. If you’re looking for a quick and easy sci-fi audio series, do not miss Case 63. — Cherlynn Low, Managing Editor
  Secure Love 
  I spent a lot of time this year trying to learn more about my attachment style and how it shows up in all the relationships in my life. Between Stephanie Rigg’s On Attachment podcast, the TV show Couples Therapy and all the books on the topic of attachment styles, trauma and more, I’ve consumed them all. And while they’ve all been helpful in different ways, one podcast stuck out to me this year. It’s hosted by Julie Menanno, MA, LMFT, LCPC, creator of the @TheSecureRelationship account on Instagram and the author of Secure Love: Create a relationship that lasts a lifetime. 
  
  You can probably tell from that introduction what Menanno’s work is all about. Relationships, from the lens of attachment styles. The Secure Love Podcast doesn’t just re-deliver the same information we’ve seen published across various media and platforms, though. Each season of the podcast (it’s partway through the second as of this writing) sees Menanno work with one couple through their negative cycles, using somatic practices to help each partner understand their emotions, triggers and reactions. Because we’re listening to real people talk about real-life happenings, it’s not only easy to relate, but listeners often see themselves in these scenarios. At the start of each episode, too, Menanno reads out or plays notes from the audience, and you can see how fellow listeners have reacted. 
  
  This season, for example, my friend and some other listeners seemed to really dislike Brian, the anxious male partner in this season’s pair. While I’ve certainly found some of Brian’s ways of speaking borderline offensive, I had a lot more sympathy for him as I started seeing his traits in my loved ones. I also started to identify with his partner Bethany, who Menanno typed as having an avoidant attachment style. 
  
  As I listened to Bethany and Brian describe the reasons they got into fights and explain where they were coming from, suddenly it felt like the world made sense. I saw similar patterns and reasonings in my own relationship, as well as those of my parents, relatives and friends. 
  
  It is slightly voyeuristic to listen to something so intimate, of course, but Menanno makes it all educational rather than just entertaining. She gently interrupts parts of each episode to tell the audience why she asks certain questions or what she’s attempting to achieve by asking Brian or Bethany to sit with their difficult feelings. 
  
  I found her method familiar, as I recently started working with a somatic coach whose approach is similar to Menanno’s, which is rooted in emotion-focused therapy (EFT). Staying with uncomfortable feelings makes me want to jump out of my skin, but being able to endure them, question why they arise and then understand where they come from is crucial to helping uncover the thinking that causes them. Sometimes they’re the result of flawed logic, catastrophic thinking or a simple lack of context, but often they’re very reasonable reactions. 
  
  If you’re looking to understand yourself and your emotions a bit better, or just want to get an idea of what EFT or couples therapy sounds like, I can’t recommend The Secure Love Podcast highly enough. — C.L.
  
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/what-we-listened-to-in-2025-201308584.html?src=rss

• The best iPad accessories for 2026
  The best iPad accessories can make an aging tablet feel like new again, or give you additional ways to use that new slab you just bought. Whether it9s a slim folio case, an Apple Pencil, a docking station or a paper-like screen protector, there are so many iPad accessories out there that can transform how you use your tablet on a regular basis — and make your iPad last longer, too. We9ve tested a plethora of accessories over the years, and these are the best iPad accessories you can get right now.
  Table of contents
  Which iPad generation do you own??
  
  iPad cases?
  
  iPad stands and docks?
  
  iPad keyboards and mice?
  
  iPad stylus?
  
  iPad chargers?
  
  iPad screen protectors?
  Which iPad generation do you own?
  Before you splurge on a bunch of accessories, you should double check which iPad generation you own. There are a couple of ways to do this: first, you can check the back of your tablet for its model number, which will start with an “A” and end with a series of numbers. You can also go into Settings on your iPad, then General and look up the model number in the top section. If you see a series of letters and numbers with a slash (“/“) in it, just tap that to reveal the iPad’s true model number.
  
  The most important iPad details to consider before buying accessories are the charging port, screen size and Apple Pencil compatibility. Most iPads now have USB-C charging, save for the now discontinued 9th-gen iPad that still requires a Lightning cable. Make sure to double check your iPad’s screen size before buying a folio for iPad or a screen protector — especially if you have the new iPad Air 11-inch. As for the Apple Pencil, check out this guide to how to choose the right Apple Pencil (and even replacement pencil tips) to make sure you9re getting the right one for the tablet you have.
  Best iPad accessories for 2026 iPad cases
  
  
  
  iPad stands and docks
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  iPad keyboards and mice
  
  
  
  iPad stylus
  
  
  
  iPad chargers
  
  
  
  iPad screen protectors
  If you’re a heavy user of the Apple Pencil or some other stylus, you should consider getting a screen protector for your new iPad. They pull double-duty: Not only do they act as a first line of defense if your iPad goes careening onto concrete, but they can also enhance the digital drawing and writing experience. Using a stylus on an iPad is strange at first because gliding the stylus nib over a glass surface feels nothing like “normal” writing. Matte screen protectors can get closer to replicating the pen-on-paper experience, and they also prevent the stylus nib from wearing down as quickly.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-ipad-accessories-130018595.html?src=rss

• You may soon be able to change your Gmail address
  A Google support page in Hindi says the ability to change your Gmail address is on the way. The feature would allow you to replace your current @support page (translated) says that "the ability to change your Google Account email address is gradually rolling out to all users." The change was first spotted on a Google Pixel forum on Telegram and was first reported in the press by 9to5Google.
  
  Google hasn9t made a formal announcement about the change. The English version of the support page still says you usually can9t change your @gmail.com address. Up to this point, Google has only allowed address changes for non-gmail.com addresses.
  
  Engadget reached out to Google for confirmation. We9ll update this story if we hear back.
  
  When the feature (presumably) rolls out broadly, you9ll change it through your account settings. Sign in to your Google account, then go to Manage your Google account > Personal info > Google Account email. If you don9t see the option to change it, then you9ll have to wait.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/you-may-soon-be-able-to-change-your-gmail-address-165633905.html?src=rss

• LG announces line of premium gaming monitors that offer 5K visuals
  LG has revealed a new lineup of gaming monitors just ahead of CES. The UltraGear evo displays offer 5K visuals. Many incorporate on-device AI upscaling, taking some of the burden away from the GPU. 
  
  LG says the tech will let consumers skip out on some card upgrades. This could end up being extremely beneficial because the AI boom has been impacting GPU prices.
  LG
  There are three displays in the lineup so far, with more to come down the line. There9s a 39-inch OLED (39GX950B) that includes the aforementioned AI upscaling to 5K, but also algorithms for scene optimization and sound. The company says this will "refine images and audio performance for a more immersive audiovisual experience."
  
  This monitor can easily switch from the standard resolution with a refresh rate of 165Hz to a much zippier WFHD resolution with a refresh rate of 330Hz. This is supported by a 0.03ms response time. It9s curved with a 21:9 aspect ratio.
  LG
  There9s also a 27-inch MiniLED (27GM950B) in the lineup. This display has been "designed to dramatically improve blooming control", which is done by minimizing halo effects and stuffing in 2,304 local dimming zones. LG promises it "preserves fine details across bright and dark scenes alike."
  
  This one features AI algorithms for upscaling to 5K, scene optimization and sound. It can also switch between 165Hz at 5K and 330Hz at QHD, with a 1ms response time. The screen boasts a peak brightness of 1,250 nits.
  LG
  Finally, there9s the beastly 52-inch (52G930B) large-format gaming display. You didn9t read that wrong. This is a 52-inch gaming monitor. This 5K display offers a speedy 240Hz refresh rate. The 1000R curvature wraps around the peripheral, which should be great for flying sims and stuff like that.
  
  LG hasn9t released any information as to when we9ll be able to get our mitts on these displays, or how much they will cost. With all the tech on offer, it9s likely they9ll cost a pretty penny.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/lg-announces-line-of-premium-gaming-monitors-that-offer-5k-visuals-165224945.html?src=rss

• Our favorite books we read in 2025
  This was the kind of year that felt 100 years long, so who could blame us for leaning into a bit of escapism? Some of us buried our noses in books in 2025, and thankfully, there were plenty of good reads to get lost in. Here are some of the Engadget team’s top picks from the year.
  Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
  formulas, but mon dieu, I was not prepared for how rough things would be for Marguerite. 
  
  Her troubles began long before she found herself fighting for survival on a wild uninhabited island with brutal winters. From birth, nearly every happiness was undercut by more dominant forces, yet the woman never stopped moving forward. Thankfully, Goodman draws Marguerite’s character not as some tired brand of plucky heroine with grit and a wink, but as a perceptive, pragmatic being who also gives in to impulse and doesn’t have everything figured out. 
  
  Isola is beautifully rendered, from the stone chateaus to creaking ships and rough abundance of the island. Despite being set over 400 years ago, nothing feels dated. Human versus universe is an unfair battle, but I rooted for Marguerite on every page — and those pages turned quickly. — Amy Skorheim, Senior Reporter, Buying Advice
  Old Soul by Susan Barker
  This was one of the first books I read this year, and it's really stuck with me. Old Soul travels through time and all over the world, across multiple storylines to trace the devastating impact of one mysterious woman who seems to defy the rules of mortality and always leave tragedy in her wake. Barker's writing in Old Soul pulls the reader in and doesn't let go. It's an unsettling slow burn that did a great job of getting under my skin.  — C.M.
  Meet Me at the Crossroads by Megan Giddings
  If a door appeared out of nowhere, would you go through it not knowing what lies beyond or if you'd be able to return? In Meet Me at the Crossroads, seven doors pop up one day around the world, and people are unsurprisingly captivated by them. Regular people tempt fate, the ultra-wealthy plan exclusive excursions through them, religions form around their mystique. Ayanna is a teenager who was brought up in one of these religions. She's also a twin, with a sister named Olivia who she's been separated from after their parents' split. When it comes time for Ayanna to go through one of the doors as part of a ceremony, Olivia makes a last-second decision to go with her. What follows is the aftermath of that decision. Meet Me at the Crossroads is a haunting and emotional journey.  — C.M.
  Woodworking by Emily St. James
  I am a cisgender, white middle-aged man, so the experience of learning and accepting a different gender identity is something I will never fully understand. But Woodworking, the debut novel by Emily St. James, is a hilarious, tragic and ultimately hopeful look at two trans women navigating different moments of acceptance in their lives. Erica is a mid-30s high school teacher who is recently divorced and just figuring out that she’s trans, something no one else knows about her at the start. Her student, 17-year-old Abigail, is her opposite: proudly out about her identity in a way that’s uncommon and dangerous in her small, conversative town in South Dakota.
  
  Their paths intersect, and Abigail ends up in the uncomfortable and somewhat unethical role of helping Erica find herself. After all she’s confident and not afraid of who she is — but she’s also still a teenager, one dealing with massive trauma of her own. The dual look into these two protagonists, each with sections of the book narrated from their own points of view, gave me a vivid picture of the different challenges, emotions and dangers trans people face. But the unexpected community that develops around both characters plainly shows the value of living as your true self in a way that (hopefully) anyone should be able to relate to. — N.I.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/our-favorite-books-we-read-in-2025-160000704.html?src=rss

• LG will show off a humanoid robot for household chores at CES 2026
  LG will present a home robot named CLOiD at CES 2026 in Las Vegas. With humanoid robotics sure to feature heavily at this year9s tech conference, LG has teased its home assistant before a full unveiling in January.
  
  The company says CLOiD9s two articulated arms with five individually actuated fingers are designed to help with a variety of household tasks. However, LG has not yet given a specific example of a task CLOiD can handle. We9re also not sure what it looks like, because aside from a couple of very close-up images of CLOiD9s hands, LG is keeping what the robot looks like under wraps until the show. 
  
  LG said CLOiD is part of the company9s vision that “Zero Labor Home, Makes Quality Time.” It said its robot is a step toward a company goal of "freeing customers from the time-consuming demands of housework." 
  
  CLOiD9s chipset is housed in its head, which also sports a display, speaker, camera and a bevy of sensors meant to enable expressive communication. LG says its new robot is powered by its "Affectionate Intelligence" technology and is designed to interact in a neutral, user-friendly way. It9s also designed to refine its responses through repeated interactions with a user.
  
  CES often plays host to proof-of-concept products that offer a window into the future but may not make it to market. It remains to be seen if CLOiD is simply a booth-side attention-getter or something with real potential. Visitors can see CLOiD handle some real-life scenarios at LG9s booth in the Las Vegas Convention Center.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/lg-will-show-off-a-humanoid-robot-for-household-chores-at-ces-2026-145411218.html?src=rss

• Apple will allow third-party app stores and payment processing in Brazil
  Brazilian regulators have reached a settlement with Apple after a yearslong investigation into the company9s App Store fee practices as well as its policies against third-party app stores. As first reported by Brazilian tech site tecnoblog, the nation9s Administrative Council of Economic Defense (CADE) said it has accepted Apple9s proposed agreement that will address claims of anticompetitive practices.
  
  The agreement will allow for third-party payment processing methods for in-app purchases and reins in Apple9s anti-steering efforts by allowing links to external websites for transactions. The settlement requires that these payment options be shown next to Apple9s own. Apple must also allow third-party app stores to be installed on its devices, though the company is allowed to display warnings to users if they are written in a neutral and objective way.
  
  A new fee structure has also been agreed to, with Apple applying no fee if users are directed to outside payment methods in a text-only way. The use of a clickable link or button for an external payment option will incur a 15 percent fee. Purchases made within Apple9s App Store will still be subject to a 10 percent or 20 percent commission. Developers using Apple’s payment system would also be subject to a 5 percent transaction fee.
  
  Additionally a 5 percent "Core Technology Fee" would be levied against all app downloads from third-party app stores. This new structure bears similarities to policy and fee changes made after the EU passed its Digital Markets Act, with Apple allowing third-party app stores and external purchases subject to varying fees.
  
  Apple will have 105 days to comply under the new agreement and could face fines of up to $27 million for failure to implement the changes. The iPhone maker has been facing mounting pressure from regulators worldwide over its anti-steering practices and was recently handed a $587 million fine by the EU for violating its Digital Markets Act. Apple is appealing the fine. In the US, Apple has been embroiled in a court battle with Fortnite maker Epic Games over commissions on purchases that take place on third-party payment platforms.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-will-allow-third-party-app-stores-and-payment-processing-in-brazil-135114824.html?src=rss

• How to find lost AirPods
  Losing AirPods happens to the best of us. They’re small, they slide into couch cushions and they love disappearing into bags or pockets when you least expect it. Luckily, Apple’s Find My system makes it easy to track down misplaced AirPods, whether you dropped the case somewhere or can’t find one of the individual earbuds. With the right settings enabled, your iPhone can show the last place they were connected, play a sound to help you hunt them down or even guide you with on-screen directions. Here’s how to use Find My to locate lost AirPods and how to track down the left or right earbud if only one has gone missing.
  How to use Find My to locate AirPods
  If your AirPods are paired with an Apple device linked to your Apple ID, they automatically appear in the Find My app. You don’t need to enable this manually, but you do need Bluetooth turned on during regular use so the system can refresh their location.
  
  Open the Find My app on your iPhone, iPad or Mac and go to the Devices tab. Your AirPods should appear in the list. If they’re online or recently connected to your device, Find My will show their current location on a map. If they’re offline, the app will show the last place they were detected, which can help narrow down where to start searching.
  
  For many people, this alone is enough to jog a memory. Find My might show your gym, a friend’s house or the bus stop where they slipped out of your pocket. If the location seems familiar, head there first and refresh the app once you arrive so it can update if the AirPods reconnect.
  
  If Find My says your AirPods are nearby but you still can’t see them, you can make them play a locating sound. Tap Play Sound in the device menu and the earbuds will emit a rising chirp that gets louder over a few seconds. This is especially helpful for finding AirPods hiding under blankets, inside bags or behind furniture.
  
  Keep in mind that AirPods need enough battery to make noise, and the charging case itself cannot play sound unless you have AirPods 4 (ANC), AirPods Pro 2, or AirPods Pro 3 that support that feature. If nothing plays, try refreshing the app or checking the last location again.
  
  AirPods models, like the AirPods Pro (2nd gen) and AirPods Pro (3rd gen) with MagSafe charging cases support Precision Finding. This feature uses the U1 chip inside your iPhone to show a directional arrow, distance estimate and haptic feedback as you get closer. Not all models have this feature, but if yours do, the Find My app will display a Find Nearby button.
  
  Follow the on-screen prompts and slowly rotate your phone. The iPhone will show when you’re walking in the right direction and tell you when you’re close enough to start looking under cushions or inside drawers.
  How to locate individual AirPods
  AirPods have a habit of separating from each other, and losing only the left or right earbud may happen as frequently as misplacing the entire case. One of the most useful features in Find My is the ability to track each earbud individually. Here’s how to do it:
  
  Locate your AirPods in the Find My app and select the option to locate the Left or Right earbud.
  
  Select the earbud that’s missing. The map will update to show its location. 
  
  If the missing bud has nearby location support, you can use Find Nearby to get directional guidance. If not, you can still use Play Sound, as long as it has enough battery.
  
  If Find My shows your lost earbud as Offline, you’ll still see its last known location. This can be enough to help you retrace your steps. Once you get within Bluetooth range again, the status may change to Online and let you use Play Sound.
  
  If you think the earbud is still somewhere in your home, try refreshing Find My while walking slowly from room to room. The device may reconnect once you get close enough.
  How to find a missing AirPods case
  Finding the AirPods case is a little trickier because only newer models have support for sound playback or Precision Finding. If your case supports Find My, you’ll see options similar to locating the earbuds themselves. If it doesn’t, the app will only show the last place the case was connected.
  
  If your earbuds are in the case but the case is not supported by Find My, you may not be able to play sound until you open it or pull one of the earbuds out.
  
  Find My is a powerful tool for tracking down misplaced AirPods, and knowing how to use all of its features makes the search much easier. Whether you’re trying to find the entire set, one stray earbud or a case that wandered off, the app can lead you back to them with sound alerts, location markers and even directional guidance on supported models. With a few minutes of searching, you’ll usually have your AirPods back in your ears and your music playing again.
  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/how-to-find-lost-airpods-120000144.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