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The best mobile microphones for 2025
There’s nothing more frustrating than shooting the perfect reel only to realize that the audio sounds like garbage. For budding creators, it’s a frustration; for those looking to make more professional content, it’s a dealbreaker. Fortunately, the world of mobile-specific (or phone-friendly) microphones has exploded with great options in the last few years. Whether you’ve been tasked with recording candid moments at a relative’s wedding, shooting a friend’s dance moves or are a journalist out in the field traveling light — there’s an option out there that will be perfect for you.
We’ve tested a wide range of popular microphones with a mobile focus so that you don’t have to. Below is our hand-picked list of the very best options for a variety of use cases. Some microphones — the wireless lavalier kind, for example — will be more versatile and convenient, useful for a number of different applications. Others, such as our musician or field-recording picks, are where we explore more exotic form factors such as shotgun mics and mobile-friendly desktop options. As always, above everything else is sound quality and general performance. The good news for you is that we’ve done all the hard work for you. Happy recording!
Best phone mics for 2025: Best wireless mics for creators
“Creator” is a broad term, but for the purposes of this guide, it’s anyone that wants to make videos or recordings to share on the internet. This is possibly the most exciting category right now with excellent options from brands such as Rode and DJI, but also some compelling budget options too. Once the domain of TV and pro productions, wireless lavalier mics are now the go-to choice for anyone creating in front of (or even behind) the camera. They usually sound great, offer hands-free flexibility and premium models come with extra features that will streamline your creative process.
The best smartwatches for 2025
Smartwatches do more than just track your steps and deliver phone alerts to your wrist. The best smartwatches go even further, giving you the ability to pay for a cup of coffee, take calls and connect to apps like Spotify all without whipping out your smartphone.
Chances are, if you’re reading this, you already know all of the benefits of a smartwatch. You’re ready to invest, or upgrade from an aging accessory, but we wouldn’t blame you if you if you didn’t know where to start. There are dozens of smartwatches available now, including GPS running watches, fitness trackers that look like smartwatches and multi-purpose devices. Plus, you’ll want to consider factors like durability, battery life and operating system before you spend a lot of money on a new wearable. We’ve tested and reviewed most major smartwatches available today and these are our top picks.
Table of contents
Best smartwatches of 2025
Stylish smartwatches: Fossil and more
Yes, there are still companies out there trying to make “fashionable” hybrid smartwatches. Back when wearables were novel and generally ugly, brands like Fossil, Michael Kors and Skagen found their niche in stylish smartwatches that took cues from analog timepieces. You also have the option to pick up a “hybrid” smartwatch from companies like Withings and Garmin – these devices look like classic wrist watches but incorporate some limited functionality like activity tracking and heart rate monitoring. They remain good options if you prefer that look, but thankfully, wearables made by Apple, Samsung, Fitbit and others have gotten much more attractive over the past few years.
Ultimately, the only thing you can’t change after you buy a smartwatch is its case design. If you’re not into the Apple Watch’s squared-off corners, all of Samsung’s smartwatches have round cases that look a little more like a traditional watch. Most wearables are offered in a choice of colors and you can pay extra for premium materials like stainless steel for extra durability. Once you decide on a case, your band options are endless – there are dozens of first- and third-party watch straps available for most major smartwatches, and for both larger and smaller wrists, allowing you to change up your look whenever you please.
Factors to consider before buying a smartwatch
Compatibility
Apple Watches only work with iPhones, while Wear OS devices play nice with both iOS and Android phones. Smartwatches made by Samsung, Garmin, Fitbit and others are also compatible with Android and iOS, but you’ll need to install a companion app on your smartphone.
The smartwatch OS will also dictate the type and number of third-party apps you’ll have access to. Many of these aren’t useful, though, making this factor a fairly minor one in the grand scheme of things.
Price
The best smartwatches generally cost between $300 and $400. Compared to budget smartwatches, which cost between $100 and $250, these pricier devices have advanced operating systems, communications, music and fitness features. They also often include perks like onboard GPS tracking, music storage and NFC, AMOLED displays, and long battery life, things that budget devices generally don’t have.
Some companies make specialized fitness watches: Those can easily run north of $500, and we’d only recommend them to serious athletes. Luxury smartwatches from brands like TAG Heuer and Hublot can also reach sky-high prices, but we wouldn’t endorse any of them. These devices can cost more than $1,000, and you’re usually paying for little more than a brand name and some needlessly exotic selection of build materials.
Battery life
Battery life remains one of our biggest complaints about smartwatches, but there’s hope as of late. You can expect two full days from Apple Watches and most Wear OS devices. Watches using the Snapdragon Wear 3100 processor support extended battery modes that promise up to five days of battery life on a charge — if you’re willing to shut off most features aside from, you know, displaying the time. Other models can last five to seven days, but they usually have fewer features and lower-quality displays. Meanwhile, some fitness watches can last weeks on a single charge. If long battery life is a priority for you, it’s worth checking out the watch’s specs beforehand to see what the manufacturer estimates.
Communication
Any smartwatch worth considering delivers call, text and app notifications to your wrist. Call and text alerts are self explanatory, but if those mean a lot to you, consider a watch with LTE. They’re more expensive than their WiFi-only counterparts, but cellular connectivity allows the smartwatch to take and receive phone calls, and do the same with text messages, without your device nearby. As far as app alerts go, getting them delivered to your wrist will let you glance down to the watch face and see if you absolutely need to check your phone right now.
Fitness tracking
Activity tracking is a big reason why people turn to smartwatches. An all-purpose timepiece should function as a fitness tracker, logging your steps, calories and workouts, and most of today’s wearables have a heart rate monitor as well.
Many smartwatches' fitness features include a built-in GPS, which is useful for tracking distance for runs and bike rides. Swimmers will want something water resistant, and thankfully most all-purpose devices now can withstand at least a dunk in the pool. Some smartwatches from companies like Garmin are more fitness focused than others and tend to offer more advanced features like heart-rate-variance tracking, recovery time estimation, onboard maps and more.
Health tracking on smartwatches has also seen advances over the years. Both Apple and Fitbit devices can estimate blood oxygen levels and measure ECGs. But the more affordable the smartwatch, the less likely it is that it has these kinds of advanced health tracking features; if collecting those kinds of wellness metrics is important to you, you’ll have to pay for the privilege.
Music
Your watch can not only track your morning runs but also play music while you’re exercising. Many smartwatches let you save your music locally, so you can connect wireless earbuds via Bluetooth and listen to tunes without bringing your phone. Those that don’t have onboard storage for music usually have on-watch music controls, so you can control playback without whipping out your phone. And if your watch has LTE, local saving isn’t required — you’ll be able to stream music directly from the watch to your paired earbuds.
Displays
Most wearables have touchscreens and we recommend getting one that has a full-color touchscreen. Some flagships like the Apple Watch have LTPO displays, which stands for low-temperature polycrystalline oxide. These panels have faster response times and are more power efficient, resulting in a smoother experience when one interacts with the touchscreen and, in some cases, longer battery lives.
You won’t see significant gains with the latter, though, because the extra battery essentially gets used up when these devices have always-on displays, as most flagship wearables do today. Some smartwatches have this feature on by default while others let you enable it via tweaked settings. This smart feature allows you to glance down at your watch to check the time, health stats or any other information you’ve set it to show on its watchface without lifting your wrist. This will no doubt affect your device’s battery life, but thankfully most always-on modes dim the display’s brightness so it’s not running at its peak unnecessarily. Cheaper devices won’t have this feature; instead, their touchscreens will automatically turn off to conserve battery life and you’ll have to intentionally check your watch to turn on the display again.
NFC
Many new smartwatches have NFC, letting you pay for things without your wallet using contactless payments. After saving your credit or debit card information, you can hold your smartwatch up to an NFC reader to pay for a cup of coffee on your way home from a run. Keep in mind that different watches use different payment systems: Apple Watches use Apple Pay, Wear OS devices use Google Pay, Samsung devices use Samsung Pay and so forth.
Apple Pay is one of the most popular NFC payment systems, with support for multiple banks and credit cards in 72 different countries, while Samsung and Google Pay work in fewer regions. It’s also important to note that both NFC payment support varies by device as well for both Samsung and Google’s systems.
Other smartwatches our experts tested
Apple Watch Ultra 2
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is probably overkill for most people, but it has a ton of extra features like extra waterproofing to track diving, an even more accurate GPS and the biggest battery of any Apple Watch to date. Apple designed it for the most rugged among us, but for your average person, it likely has more features than they'd ever need. If you’re particularly clumsy, however, its high level of durability could be a great reason to consider the Apple Watch Ultra 2.
Apple Watch SE
The Apple Watch SE is less feature-rich than the flagship model, but it will probably suffice for most people. We actually regard the Watch SE as the best smartwatch option for first-time buyers, or people on stricter budgets. You’ll get all the core Apple Watch features as well as things like fall and crash detection, noise monitoring and Emergency SOS, but you’ll have to do without more advanced hardware perks like an always-on display, a blood oxygen sensor, an ECG monitor and a skin temperature sensor.
Garmin Forerunner 745
Garmin watches in general can be great options for the most active among us. The Garmin Forerunner 745 is an excellent GPS running watch for serious athletes or those who prize battery life above all else. When we tested it, we found it to provide accurate distance tracking, a killer 16-hour battery life with GPS turned on (up to seven days without it) and support for onboard music storage and Garmin Pay.
Amazfit Bip 6
The Amazfit Bip 6, an $80 smartwatch from Zepp Health, didn’t quite make the cut. As a fitness tracker, it’s decent, but it’s a frustrating smartwatch. For workouts, the built-in GPS tracks runs and rides without your phone and, combined with the heart rate and blood oxygen sensors, collects a good amount of data to create accurate pictures of your exertion levels, cadence and pace. It’s remarkably lightweight but doesn’t feel cheap and the AMOLED screen is bright and sharp. It’s not an always-on display, but lifting your wrist wakes it reliably.
The sleep tracking data is on par with what we measured on other smartwatches and there’s even a daily readiness score that compares your sleep quality and the previous day’s exertion to estimate how physically prepared you are for the day ahead — similar to what Pixel Watches, Fitbit devices and Garmin watches offer. And since the watch battery lasts for over a week on a charge, you may be a lot more apt to wear it to bed than a watch you have to charge daily.
We weren’t expecting an $80 device to be a serious Apple Watch challenger, but the Bip 6’s glitches and overly complicated interface (both on the app and on the watch itself) were disappointing. During a week of testing, I got multiple repeated notifications, even after they were deleted, along with suggestions to stand when I was actively doing chores around the house. The watch faces are not customizable, so it was hard to get the info I needed at a glance (the Zepp app has lots of paid watch faces that may have what I wanted, but I didn’t want to pay $3 for something that’s free elsewhere).
Marketing details state that the Bip 6 can auto-detect workouts, including walking and bike riding. During testing, I walked once or twice per day for over one mile and went on two bike rides, but no workout was ever detected. The watch integrates with Apple Health, so I was able to see how it compares to the data my Apple Watch gathers. After a week of wearing the Bip 6, with no changes to my daily routine, I averaged 400 fewer calories burned and 2.4 fewer miles tracked each day. That was possibly the biggest disappointment of all. — Amy Skorheim, Senior Reporter
Smartwatch FAQs
Is there a difference between a smartwatch and a fitness tracker?
While smartwatches and fitness trackers share some similarities, they’re designed for slightly different purposes.
A fitness tracker is primarily focused on health and activity tracking. It keeps tabs on your steps, heart rate, sleep and workouts, and some even offer advanced metrics like blood oxygen levels and stress tracking. Fitness trackers are generally more compact, have longer battery life and are built with activity in mind.
A smartwatch, on the other hand, is like a mini smartphone on your wrist. It offers fitness tracking features, but also lets you do things like reply to texts, take calls, use apps and control smart home devices. Many smartwatches support voice assistants, mobile payments and even LTE connectivity, so you can leave your phone behind in some cases.
If you mainly want health and activity tracking with long battery life, a fitness tracker is the way to go. If you want a more connected experience with extra features, a smartwatch is the better choice.
How long do smartwatches last?
How long a smartwatch lasts mostly depends on two things: battery life and overall durability.
Smartwatch battery life varies a lot depending on the brand, features and how you use it. Basic models with e-ink displays or monochrome screens can last a week or more, while full-featured smartwatches like the Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy Watch usually need a charge every day or two. If you're using features like always-on display, GPS tracking or LTE connectivity, expect the battery to drain faster.
Physically, a good smartwatch should last several years before you need to upgrade. Premium models with scratch-resistant glass, water resistance and strong build materials tend to hold up well over time. However, software support matters too — brands like Apple and Samsung typically provide updates for at least a few years, while some budget smartwatches may not get long-term software support.
You can expect to charge most smartwatches daily or every few days, and if you take care of them, they should last 3-5 years before an upgrade is necessary.
How much should you spend on a smartwatch?
How much you should spend on a smartwatch depends on what features you need and how often you plan to use it.
If you just want the basics — step tracking, notifications, heart rate monitoring and basic fitness tracking — you can find some solid budget-friendly options from brands like Amazfit, Fitbit and some Wear OS models. These usually have decent battery life but may lack premium features like LTE, advanced health tracking or third-party apps.
In the mid-range smartwatch price bracket, you’ll find popular models like the Apple Watch SE and Fitbit Versa series. These offer a good mix of fitness tracking, smart features and design quality. You’ll get better build materials, more accurate sensors and app support, but battery life might still be limited to a day or two.
High-end smartwatches like the Apple Watch Ultra, Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra and Garmin Fenix/Epix series offer advanced health tracking, rugged designs, LTE connectivity and longer software support. These are great for serious athletes, outdoor adventurers, or anyone who wants the latest and greatest features.
If you just want a simple smartwatch for notifications and fitness tracking, a budget or mid-range model will do the job. But if you want a premium feel, advanced health tracking or LTE connectivity, it’s worth spending a bit more. For most people, $200 - $350 hits the best balance of features and value.
Do all smartwatches have GPS?
Not all smartwatches have built-in GPS. Some rely on your phone’s GPS, while others have it built-in for independent tracking.
High-end and fitness-focused smartwatches, like the Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy Watch and Garmin models have their own built-in GPS. This means they can track your runs, walks, bike rides and hikes without needing to be connected to your phone. It’s a must-have for serious athletes or anyone who wants accurate location tracking without carrying a phone.
Some budget and mid-range smartwatches (like some Fitbit and Amazfit models) don’t have built-in GPS but can use your phone’s GPS when connected via Bluetooth. This works fine if you usually carry your phone while working out, but it’s less convenient if you prefer to leave it behind.
Some very basic or budget smartwatches skip GPS entirely and rely solely on step tracking or motion sensors. These are fine for casual users who don’t need location tracking.
Can you leave your phone at home and still use a smartwatch?
Yes, but it depends on the smartwatch and what you want to do without your phone.
If your smartwatch has LTE or cellular connectivity , you can make calls, send texts, stream music, use maps and even access apps without your phone nearby. However, you’ll need a separate data plan from your carrier, which usually comes with an extra monthly cost.
Even without LTE, some smartwatches can still do plenty on their own, including track workouts and GPS routes (if they have built-in GPS), play music offline (if they support downloads from Spotify or Apple Music), may contactless payments with features like Apple Pay and Google Wallet and control smart home devices.
If going phone-free is important to you, look for a smartwatch with LTE and built-in GPS for the best experience.
Can a smartwatch make calls without a phone?
Yes, a smartwatch can make calls without a phone — but only if it has the right features.
Some smartwatches have built-in LTE connectivity, meaning they can work independently from your phone. You can make and receive calls, send texts, stream music and use apps as long as you have a mobile data plan for the watch. However, you’ll need to pay for a separate cellular plan and battery life drains faster when using LTE.
If your smartwatch doesn’t have LTE, it can still make calls, but only when connected to your phone via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. It essentially acts as a remote speaker and microphone for your phone’s calls. Watches like the standard Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy Watch (Wi-Fi versions) can do this. However, if your phone isn’t nearby or connected to Wi-Fi, calling won’t work.
Some fitness-focused smartwatches (like certain Garmin, Fitbit and Amazfit models) don’t have a built-in speaker or microphone, so they can’t make or receive calls at all — only show notifications.
If calling without a phone is a must, make sure to choose an LTE model with a built-in mic and speaker.
What's the difference between an Android and Apple smartwatch?
The biggest difference between Android and Apple smartwatches comes down to compatibility, features and ecosystem integration.
Apple smartwatches (Apple Watch) only work with iPhones. If you have an Android phone, you can’t use an Apple Watch at all. Android smartwatches (Wear OS, Samsung Galaxy, Garmin etc.) mostly work with Android phones, but some also support iPhones with limited features. If you have an iPhone, the Apple Watch is the best choice. If you have an Android phone, go for a Wear OS or Samsung Galaxy Watch.
Apple Watch (watchOS) has the best app support with seamless integration into Apple’s ecosystem (iMessage, FaceTime, Apple Pay, Apple Fitness+, Siri etc.). Android smartwatches offer more variety, with access to Google services (Google Assistant, Google Wallet and Google Maps), and some support Amazon Alexa or Samsung’s Bixby.
In terms of design, Apple Watch has a single design but comes in different sizes and materials. It’s sleek, but your only real customization comes from bands and watch faces. Android smartwatches, on the other hand, come in tons of styles and brands (Samsung, Google Pixel Watch, Garmin, Fossil etc.), meaning you can pick a round watch, a rugged design or a luxury-looking model.
If battery life is important to you, the Apple Watch lasts about a day or two per charge, depending on usage and model. Many Android smartwatches (especially Garmin, Amazfit or Mobvoi TicWatch) last multiple days or even weeks on a single charge.
Georgie Peru contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/best-smartwatches-153013118.html?src=rssOpera takes its browser beef with Microsoft to Brazil in antitrust complaint
Opera is filing an antitrust complaint against Microsoft in Brazil, alleging it creates an unfair environment for alternate browsers to compete with Edge. The Norway-based company claims Microsoft's deals to make Edge the exclusive pre-installed browser on Windows machines creates an unfair environment for alternate browsers to compete. Opera also argued that Microsoft uses design tactics and dark patterns to further discourage people from downloading and using rival products. It is asking Brazil's Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) to pursue remedies against Microsoft.
"Microsoft thwarts browser competition on Windows at every turn. First, browsers like Opera are locked out of important pre-installation opportunities," Aaron McParlan, general counsel for Opera, said in a statement. "And then Microsoft frustrates users' ability to download and use alternative browsers."
This isn't the first time these two companies have clashed. Opera sued Microsoft in the EU all the way back in 2007 with a similar argument that bundling Internet Explorer was anticompetitive. Last year, it also argued (albeit unsuccessfully) that Microsoft should have gatekeeper designation for the Edge browser under the EU's Digital Markets Act.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/opera-takes-its-browser-beef-with-microsoft-to-brazil-in-antitrust-complaint-214105355.html?src=rssYouTube is turning over age verification to AI
YouTube will start using machine learning to determine whether viewers should be on a teen account. The company said it plans to start using this AI application on a subset of US users in the coming weeks for a trial before rolling it out to the rest of the market. The tool will assess user behaviors including the types of videos being searched for, the categories of videos watched and how long the account has existed. When an account is deemed by machine learning to belong to a teen, YouTube will disable personalized advertising, activate digital wellbeing tools and add other safeguards for its younger users.
Since introducing supervised teen accounts in 2021, YouTube has continued to add protections aimed at its younger users. The company noted that it has been using this machine learning approach "in other markets for some time, where it is working well."
YouTube isn't the only service to leverage an AI tool to catch users who might be lying about their age. However, it's putting the burden of correcting false positives on its users: "If the system incorrectly estimates a user to be under 18, they will have the option to verify that they are 18 or over, such as using a credit card or a government ID." Meta has a similar tool it began rolling out across Facebook, Instagram and Messenger earlier this year, but it lets people simply change their settings if the AI tool incorrectly guesses their age.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/youtube/youtube-is-turning-over-age-verification-to-ai-185634150.html?src=rssGoogle adds Video Overviews to NotebookLM
NotebookLM, the Google research tool that gained notoriety for its AI-generated podcasts, is introducing a feature called Video Overviews. As the name suggests, this tool automatically creates videos on requested topics and pulls data from a user's uploaded images, diagrams, quotes and documents.
It's rolling out right now, but there are some caveats. These overviews are only available in English, though Google says more languages are on the way. Also, the tool doesn't make videos in a conventional sense. It creates slideshows with narration.
Despite this limitation, the company says the feature is "uniquely effective for explaining data, demonstrating processes and making abstract concepts more tangible." Google also says it'll be expanding the toolset in the future, so it won't always be just a slideshow machine.
Video Overviews do currently offer some handy playback options. There's the ability to skip back and forth by 10 seconds and adjust the playback speed. The company is also updating NotebookLM's Studio tab. It's getting a visual refresh, which rolls out "over the next few weeks" to all users.
Google has certainly been busy iterating on the platform these past few months. It released an official NotebookLM app back in May and began offering curated "featured notebooks" earlier this month. This lets users experiment with the platform with pre-approved topics like William Shakespeare, so newbies won't have to actually upload anything. Audio-only overviews are also now available in over 50 languages.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-adds-video-overviews-to-notebooklm-181524866.html?src=rssChatGPT's Study Mode will guide students to an answer stey by step
OpenAI is rolling out a new Study Mode the company says is designed to give students a better understanding of complex topics. Like Claude's Learning Mode, which Anthropic introduced in April, Study Mode will see ChatGPT adopt a Socratic approach to conversations. Rather than answer a question outright, the chatbot will attempt to guide the user to their own solution, starting with questions that allow the system to calibrate its responses to their objective and understanding. Conversations then unfold using a "scaffold" structure, which means ChatGPT will slowly roll out information so as not to overwhelm the user with more information than they're ready to digest.
OpenAI says it developed Study Mode in collaboration with teachers, scientists and pedagogy experts. Rather than running on an entirely new model, the tool is powered by a series of custom system instructions.
"We chose this approach because it lets us quickly learn from real student feedback and improve the experience — even if it results in some inconsistent behavior and mistakes across conversations," said OpenAI. "We plan on training this behavior directly into our main models once we’ve learned what works best through iteration and student feedback."
Notably, OpenAI isn't making Study Mode available only to ChatGPT Edu users. Instead, the company is first rolling out the feature to logged in Free, Plus, Pro and Team users. Edu subscribers will gain access in the "next few weeks."
It will be interesting to find out how many students end up actually using Study Mode, as a toggle allows you to easily turn the feature on and off. And as a recent New York Magazine article vividly detailed, AI cheating is a major problem at US colleges. For its part, OpenAI says it plans to work on making Study Mode more engaging and useful to students. The company is exploring how to offer deeper personalization through the tool, as well as ways to offer goal setting and progress tracking across conversations.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/chatgpts-study-mode-will-guide-students-to-an-answer-stey-by-step-180614172.html?src=rssHome Depot has a new animatronic version of Skelly the skeleton
The Home Depot is well on its way to becoming a Spirit Halloween that also sells weed whackers. Here we are in July, and the retailer is already rolling out its Halloween product lineup. The centerpiece is the latest version of Skelly, the hardware store's viral skeleton. Meet the $279 animatronic Ultra Skelly.
Given its name, you might think Ultra Skelly is even bigger than the standard 12-ft. model. But the new model is only 6.5 ft. tall. The "Ultra" part comes from app control and animatronic movements.
The app lets you control its head, torso and arm movements. It includes five pre-loaded voice phrases. But the real fun comes in recording your own or speaking live through the app. (It includes voice-altering effects.) Your recordings can be up to 30 seconds long.
It also has the famously creepy LED eyes that made the original a viral hit. (You can choose from 18 eyes in the app). Its chest and mouth have lights, too. Ultra Skelly's fingers are posable but not animated. Home Depot says it takes around 45 minutes to assemble.
The OG 12-ft. Skelly is returning, too, for $299. And like any centerpiece of an expanding franchise, he now has an entourage. The (standing, 7-ft.) Skelly's Dog is back for $199. It's joined by the new (5-ft.) Skelly's Sitting Dog for $249 and the (5-ft.) Skelly's Cat for $199.
You can order Home Depot's Halloween collection from its website on August 4. Skelly has sold out quickly in the past. So, consider setting a reminder if you want the talking skeleton to spook your trick-or-treaters this October.
Data breach at Tea reportedly contains images and DMs from last week
Last week, social network Tea experienced a data breach that exposed personal information for its users. The dating safety app for women said at the time that "there is no evidence to suggest that current or additional user data was affected." However, 404 Media reports that the problem is bigger than originally stated. The site credits independent security researcher Kasra Rahjerdi, who found that content from the platform as recent as last week has been exposed.
Additionally, this source claims that the compromised information could allow hackers to view messages between Tea users. DMs might include other sensitive information, such as personal phone numbers, discussions of cheating and experience obtaining abortions.
"As part of our ongoing investigation into the cybersecurity incident involving the Tea App, we have recently learned that some direct messages (DMs) were accessed as part of the initial incident," a spokesperson for the company told Engadget. "Out of an abundance of caution, we have taken the affected system offline. At this time, we have found no evidence of access to other parts of our environment." In addition, Tea said it will offer them free identity protection to users whose personal information was involved in the breach.
Tea's security issues come during a surge in popularity. The app allows women to anonymously share personal stories about their dating experience, with the intended goal of letting others know if the men they are meeting might be a risk to their personal safety, were engaged in catfishing, or were already in a relationship.
Update, July 29, 2025, 1:08PM ET: Added statement from Tea.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/data-breach-at-tea-reportedly-contains-images-and-dms-from-last-week-224823984.html?src=rssLies of P leads August’s lineup of PS Plus games
After kicking off its PS Plus 15th anniversary celebrations last month, Sony has announced the PS Plus Monthly games for August. From August 5, members of all of the service’s tiers will be able to add Lies of P (PS5, PS4), DayZ (PS4) and My Hero One’s Justice 2 (PS4) to their libraries.
The headliner is undoubtedly Lies of P, the surprisingly great Pinocchio-flavored soulslike from 2023. South Korea-based studio Neowiz’s twisted take on the oft-reimagined children’s novel stood out in what is now an overwhelmingly crowded genre, thanks to its stylish Belle Epoque-era setting and slick combat. There aren’t many better FromSoft tribute acts around. The post-apocalyptic survival game DayZ launched on PS4 with not-exactly-glowing reviews in 2019, but is still getting fairly regular updates in 2025. Meanwhile, 3D arena fighter My Hero One’s Justice 2 is worth checking out for fans of the My Hero Academia manga on which it’s based.
As it continues to mark 15 years of its Game Pass-rivalling subscription service, Sony has announced that from August 5, members can download a set of anniversary avatars. Themed around the likes of Cyberpunk 2077, Hogwarts Legacy, Diablo IV and God of War Ragnarok, as well as cult retro favorite Twisted Metal, these are also available to subscribers on all tiers.
As for last month’s games, you have until August 4 to add Diablo IV, The King of Fighters XV and Jusant to your game library.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/lies-of-p-leads-augusts-lineup-of-ps-plus-games-165600067.html?src=rssElgato's new webcam can mount lens filters
Elgato just introduced a novel new webcam with a pro-grade feature. The Facecam 4K allows users to mount lens filters for unique effects. This is the first time a webcam has offered this functionality.
The camera integrates with any 49mm lens filter, which opens up a world of potential. Folks could attach, say, a circular polarizing (CPL) filter to reduce reflections from glasses or go crazy with cinematic effects like diffusion. The unit ships with a free CPL filter to get started, as long as you buy the camera from the official Elgato store.
As for traditional specs, it records in 4K at up to 60 FPS and uses Sony’s Starvis 2 CMOS sensor with a f/4.0 aperture and fixed focus. It connects over USB-C and weighs just 0.26 pounds.
The Facecam 4K pairs with Elgato's Camera Hub software, which offers manual control over a variety of settings. These include ISO, exposure, shutter speed, pan, tilt and zoom. It also works with the company's Prompter hardware, though that requires a replacement backplate. The company is throwing in the dedicated backplate with new Prompter purchases. For the uninitiated, the Elgato Prompter is a nifty teleprompter designed for streamers.
The Facecam 4K even pairs with the Switch 2, which could make for some truly cinematic Mario Kart World reaction shots. Just update the firmware to version 2.32 or later and connect directly to the console.
Elgato's latest webcam is available right now and costs $200. This unit is similar in features to the pre-existing Facecam Pro webcam, but that one costs $300 and doesn't let people swap out lenses. It does, however, include a better sensor.
Netgear launches its most affordable Wi-Fi 7 mesh system
Netgear has launched its most affordable Wi‑Fi 7 mesh system yet, the Orbi 370. The headline price is $350 for a router and two satellites, which is extremely competitive. A quick look at the specs, however, reveals several trade‑offs that make the lower cost possible.
The company says the Orbi 370 is “designed for customers with moderately demanding Wi‑Fi needs,” claiming the system’s total bandwidth is 5 Gbps. However, since it carries only a 2.5‑gigabit internet port, the maximum speed to a single device is limited to 2.5 Gbps.
The Orbi 370 is strictly dual‑band, with only 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radios — there's no 320 MHz or 6 GHz band options. This means the Orbi 370 is missing one of Wi-Fi 7's biggest advantages in most setups.
Households with a two‑gig connection or less likely won't miss the extra headroom, and a mesh Wi‑Fi system remains one of the best ways to solve dead spots around your home. Netgear’s flagship model, the Orbi 970, offers 27 Gbps total bandwidth, with a 10‑gig internet port and a quad‑band setup. That model comes with a price tag of roughly $2,000 for a router and two satellites and would likely be overkill for most households.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/netgear-launches-its-most-affordable-wi-fi-7-mesh-system-163234180.html?src=rssGoogle is bringing image and PDF uploads to AI Mode
Google is updating AI Mode on desktop this week with the ability to process images, so you can ask it detailed questions about the pictures like you already can on mobile. In the coming weeks, the company is also adding support for PDF uploads on desktop, which could help you digest lengthy course or work materials. You can ask AI Mode to summarize the documents for you and ask follow-up questions that it will then answer by cross-referencing the materials you uploaded with information available on the web. Google says AI Mode's responses will also include links to its references that you can visit in order to dig deeper. AI Mode will support additional file types for upload, including ones straight from your Google Drive, in the coming months as well.
In addition to PDF upload support, Google is also rolling out a new Canvas feature that you can access if you're enrolled in the AI Mode Labs experiment in the US. You can use Canvas to consolidate all relevant information about a specific topic or for a specific purpose in a side panel that updates as you ask AI Mode more follow-up questions. If you're traveling, for instance, you can ask AI Mode to make you an itinerary and click the Create Canvas button. You'll be able to keep refining the itinerary with more questions, and you can always leave it alone for a while and come back to it later.
AI Mode's Search Live is also getting video input on mobile this week, a feature Google announced at I/O 2025, after voice input arrived in June. To be able to access video input, you'll have to open Lens in the Google app and tap the Live icon before asking questions on what the camera sees. When Google revealed the feature during its annual developers' event, it said you could point the camera at a math problem, for example, and ask Search to help you solve it or to explain a concept you're having trouble understanding.
Finally, with Lens in Chrome, you'll be able to ask AI Mode what's on your desktop screen. The company will roll out an "Ask Google about this page" dropdown option in the address bar "soon." When you click on it, AI Mode will create an overview with key information on what's being shown on your screen, whether it's a web page or a PDF.
Update, July 29 2025, 12:29PM ET: This story has been updated, as Google shared after the article was published that the image and PDF upload features will be available wherever AI Mode is available, not just in the US. That means those uploads will come to the US, India and the UK.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-is-bringing-image-and-pdf-uploads-to-ai-mode-160050646.html?src=rssA Lovense security flaw may be letting people take over accounts without a password
Sex toy company Lovense is leaking the email addresses of its app users and allowing account takeovers without asking for a password, according to a security researcher. As reported by TechCrunch, BobDaHacker, who describes themself as an ethical hacker committed to exposing and reporting security vulnerabilities, published an extensive report in which they accuse Lovense of failing to fix a serious bug it was first made aware of in 2023.
According to the hacker (and later verified by TechCrunch), Lovense allows any username to be turned into their email address with the right know-how, a flaw they initially discovered after muting someone on the app. With their access to Lovense’s API, they were able to obtain the emails associated with any public username in less than a second when running the modified request process through an automated script. They noted that the vulnerable nature of these accounts is "especially bad for cam models" who use the Lovense platform for work, and may share their usernames for these purposes.
The researcher also realized that with a user’s email address (either one you already know or one obtained using the aforementioned disclosure bug), they could generate auth tokens that allowed them to take over the associated account without a password. This allegedly worked for the Lovense Chrome Extension and Lovense Connect app, as well as the company’s Cam101 and StreamMaster software — and even admin accounts.
BobDaHacker said they initially reported the bugs to Lovense with assistance from the sex tech hacking project The Internet Of Dongs in March 2025, and received $3,000 in total for flagging them via the HackerOne security platform. After a series of interactions with Lovense representatives, they were told in early June that the account takeover bug had been fixed during the previous month, which the researcher claims is not true. Regarding the email disclosure flaw, Lovense said in a statement printed by BobDaHacker that it could take up to 14 months to fix the issue, as a faster one-month fix would "require forcing all users to upgrade immediately," which it said would "disrupt support for legacy versions."
The researcher went on to say that they were contacted by a Twitter user who claimed to have found the same account takeover bug as far back as 2023, and were told shortly after reporting it to Lovense that the bug had been resolved, which wasn’t the case. They said a patch eventually fixed their method, which used an HTTP endpoint to convert a username into an email address, but that it wasn’t rolled out until early 2025. BobDaHacker said they had requested comment from Lovense but at the time of writing had not received one.
This isn’t the first time Lovense users have stumbled upon privacy concern bugs. In 2017, a Redditor discovered that the Lovense app, which allows users to control their sex toys remotely, was recording audio without their consent and saving it to their phone. A commenter on the Reddit post, who claimed to be a Lovense representative, called the recordings a "minor software bug" that affected the Android version of the app and said at the time that it had been fixed in an update.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/a-lovense-security-flaw-may-be-letting-people-take-over-accounts-without-a-password-160528730.html?src=rssCash App opens up to Apple Pay and Google Pay with a group payment option
Cash App has debuted a new group payment feature that allows folks who don't even use the app to contribute to a kitty. Pools enables Cash App users to invite folks to chip in for a large purchase (such as a group vacation) via Apple Pay and Google Pay. A small number of users have access to Pools at the jump, though Cash App owner Block expects to offer it to all of the service's customers in the coming months. Block told CNBC this is the first time that Cash App is opening up to external payments from Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Through Pools, users can collect and track contributions from others via $Cashtags (for other Cash App users), or shareable links for Apple Pay and Google Pay. Users can start a pool through the Cash App, and set up a name and target amount. The organizer can close the pool whenever they like, move the money to their Cash balance and then use that to pay for whatever the group is planning to buy.
Pools is a seemingly handy feature that could assist Cash App in competing with Venmo by helping Block expand the app's user base. It might help iOS and Android users who haven't tried it out learn more about the app and decide to check it out. However, it's perhaps worth bearing in mind that Cash App was subject to data breaches within the last few years. Block has also been fined over its handling of fraud on the platform.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/cash-app-opens-up-to-apple-pay-and-google-pay-with-a-group-payment-option-154019254.html?src=rssOur favorite Logitech mouse is $40 off right now
If you're in the market for a new mouse that won't totally break the bank then today is your lucky day. Right now, our favorite mouse for productivity is down to a record-low price. You can pick up the Logitech MX Master 3S wireless mouse for $80, down from $120 — 33 percent discount.
Logitech released the MX Master 3S in 2022, but it's still a great option. This model comes with a USB receiver, quiet clicks and lots of customization options. It also has an 8K DPI optical sensor that performs well on all surfaces.
The MX Master 3S wireless mouse further benefits from its ergonomic design. It has a platform for your thumb and places controls within easy reach. Plus, Logitech claims it has 70 days worth of battery life.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/our-favorite-logitech-mouse-is-40-off-right-now-151158249.html?src=rssPrime members can get the DJI Mini 4K drone on sale for $249
Amazon is selling the DJI Mini 4K drone for just $249, which is a discount of $50. The deal is only for Prime members. This is the lowest price we've seen for this particular model since early in the year.
The Mini 4K is a beginner-friendly drone, but it's still got plenty of nifty features. As the name suggests, it can capture 4K video at up to 30 FPS. It can also record 2.7K footage at 60 FPS. There's 2x digital zoom, a 3-axis gimbal and electrical image stabilization. The drone can transmit 1080p video from up to 10km away.
It offers level-5 wind resistance, which is nice, and can fly for up to 31 minutes per charge. The drone allows for one-tap movements and comes with a dedicated remote. Users can also access the companion app for additional controls and to access flight tutorials.
Perhaps the coolest feature here is the size and form factor. The Mini 4K is small enough that it doesn't require FAA registration, so you can take it out immediately after unboxing. It's also foldable, making it easy to store when not in use. This particular model didn't make our list of the best drones, but its more expensive sibling, the Mini 4 Pro, was our very favorite.
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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/prime-members-can-get-the-dji-mini-4k-drone-on-sale-for-249-150201768.html?src=rssMario Paint comes to Nintendo Switch Online and, yes, it has mouse controls
I’ve been wondering for a while what the killer app for Joy-Con mouse controls on the Nintendo Switch 2 might be. Sure, Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is fine as a tech demo (one that should have been a pack-in rather than costing $10) and Drag x Drive looks pretty interesting. Civilization VII has its fans as well. But the best use case for the feature yet could be a 33-year-old game that just hit Nintendo Switch Online.
That’s right, the all-time SNES classic Mario Paint just joined the service. The game only works with mouse controls, but original Switch users won’t be left out here, as they have the option to plug a compatible USB mouse into the console’s dock and create some art that way.
Mario Paint allows you to color in existing designs (of, say, Mario and Yoshi) or fill the segments with patterns. You'll be able to create original art and animations too. There's also a mini-game in which you can test your mouse-pointing accuracy by swatting bugs. Perhaps most importantly for many Mario Paint fans, the music creator is present. A few Mario Paint tracks have joined the library in the Nintendo Music app as well.
But that's not all. The Nintendo Switch Online SNES app now offers control remapping, which is a welcome accessibility update.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/mario-paint-comes-to-nintendo-switch-online-and-yes-it-has-mouse-controls-140724048.html?src=rssPhotoshop's newest AI tool makes it easy to upscale old photos
Adobe is rolling out a series of new Photoshop tools in beta that it claims will eliminate "tedious steps, reduce friction, and make precision editing faster and more intuitive."
The new features include Generative Upscale for desktop and web, allowing you to enhance images by up to 8 megapixels before losing quality. This tool can be used for things such as improving photos you want to print or updating older files. According to Adobe, this feature has been one of the most requested among its users.
Then there's the updated Remove tool, courtesy of the new Adobe Firefly Image Model. It does all the tidying and erasing you would expect, but also should provide a more realistic image. As Adobe puts it, there should be "fewer artifacts" left of the thumb, background people or whatever else you removed from the photo. It's also available in beta on desktop and web.
Adobe is also rolling out the Harmonize feature, first discussed as Project Perfect Blend during the company's October 2024 Max conference. Powered by the Adobe firefly Image Model, Harmonize "intelligently analyzes the surrounding context, automatically adjusting color, lighting, shadows, and visual tone to create seamless, cohesive composites." Adobe claims this will reduce the time needed for manual adjustments. On top of trying out the beta on desktop or web, it's also available in Early Access for mobile iOS users.
You can now use the Gen AI Model Picker to move between the different Firefly Image Models, as they each offer something a bit different when using the tools. Plus, Photoshop is rolling out something else in beta called Projects which, well, manages your projects. It should keep all your files in one place and let you send out entire collections, rather than one version at a time.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/photoshops-newest-ai-tool-makes-it-easy-to-upscale-old-photos-135942810.html?src=rssThe Apple Watch Ultra 2 is $150 off right now
Rugged and regal, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is on sale for a record‑low price of $650 right now. Built for endurance athletes and outdoor adventurers, the Ultra 2 pairs a rugged 49‑millimeter titanium case with 100‑meter water resistance and dive support to 40 meters. If you're a fitness enthusiast and haven't yet taken the plunge on an Apple Watch, this sale might be the perfect opportunity to pick one up for $150 off.
Its Retina display peaks at 3,000 nits, which is 50 percent brighter than the Apple Watch Series 10, and its battery lasts twice as long at up to 36 hours. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 features all the same health technology as the Series 10, like the ECG app, sleep tracking, the Vitals app and more.
We named the Apple Watch Ultra 2 our best Apple Watch for adventurers thanks to its precision dual‑frequency GPS, aerospace‑grade titanium case and water resistance to 100 meters. Apple even says the Ultra 2 is rated for high‑speed water sports.
The sale includes only the natural‑colored case in three band styles: Alpine Loop, Trail Loop and Ocean Band. Each band is available in a variety of colors to match your taste or wardrobe.
It's rumored that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 will be announced this fall, so aggressive sales like this may crop up again between now and then.
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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-apple-watch-ultra-2-is-150-off-right-now-134631017.html?src=rssApple's 14-inch MacBook Pro with M4 drops to a record-low price
Apparently it's the season for great deals on Apple's MacBooks with M4 chips. First, the 13-inch MacBook Air M4 dropped to an all-time low of $799 (it's still on sale here). Now, the 14-inch MacBook Pro M4 has followed in its footsteps, going on sale for its own record-low price of $1,299.
The 19 percent discount means $300 in savings, compared to the model's usual $1,599 price tag. That deal will get you 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD. Though, if you're willing to spend another $200, you can get 1TB of SSD.
We gave the 14-inch MacBook Pro M4 a 92 in our review thanks, in large part, to the M4 chip's speed. We also named it our best MacBook for creatives due to factors like speed, brighter screens and an upgraded webcam (12MP instead of 1080p). It also has a very long battery life, lasting for over 34 hours while playing HD video.
Are you looking for something a bit bigger and faster? The 16-inch Apple MacBook Pro model is also on sale, albeit less significantly. You can get 24GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD for $2,235, down from $2,499 — an 11 percent discount. It's only available with Apple's M4 Pro chip and 24GB of RAM. The M4 Pro chip can support Thunderbolt 5, allowing you to transfer files at 120GB per second, compared to 40GB per second in the fourth generation.
Check out our coverage of the best Apple deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-14-inch-macbook-pro-with-m4-drops-to-a-record-low-price-130007054.html?src=rssPick up this Anker power bank that can charge a laptop while it's 30 percent off
Prime Day has come and gone, but power bank stalwart Anker still has some compelling deals to keep your devices charged while on the go. Among these is the Anker Laptop Power Bank, which carries 25,000mAh of portable power. It features three 100W USB‑C ports, two of which have retractable USB‑C cables built in so you don't have to remember your own in order to charge your compatible devices.
This particular model was our top pick for best premium power bank, but it's on sale for 30 percent off. At $95 during the sale, it's still a premium product, but this is near the lowest price we've ever seen.
Anker carries a vast catalog of products, and several others are on sale right now. Among them is this high‑powered 140W Anker Laptop Charger, which currently has a $20 clippable coupon on Amazon. It sports four different USB ports all with their own power outputs for different device classes, and all four can be used at once. A handy touch display shows total power output, output per port and features temperature monitoring to ensure ideal charging conditions.
There's also this MagGo 3-in-1 charging station for $77, or 30 percent off its regular price. It'll be particularly handy for folks who travel often, or someone who wants a svelte place to charge their phone, watch and pair of earbuds all at once. It folds down to roughly the size of a deck of cards, and it comes with a power adapter to boot.
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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/pick-up-this-anker-power-bank-that-can-charge-a-laptop-while-its-30-percent-off-142805754.html?src=rssOakley Meta glasses review: A familiar formula with some upgrades
If you're at all familiar with Meta's Ray-Ban-branded smart glasses, there won't be many surprises when it comes to its latest Oakley frames. The Oakley Meta glasses rely heavily on what's already been a successful playbook for the company: the style of a popular eyewear brand mixed with juuust enough tech to let you keep your phone in your pocket a little longer.
But the Oakley Meta glasses are also the social media company's first collaboration with a non-Ray-Ban brand (though both share a parent company in EssilorLuxottica). And while Meta stays pretty close to the strategy it's used for the last four years, its latest frames offer some hints about its longterm ambitions in the space.
Meta has described its Oakley-branded frames as "performance glasses," which isn't entirely surprising given Oakley's longtime association with athletes. But there are only a few actual upgrades compared to the Ray-Ban lineup. The Oakley Meta glasses have a notably longer battery life, both for the glasses themselves and the charging case. They are also able to capture higher quality video than previous versions.
With a starting price of nearly $400, though, I'm not sure those upgrades are worth an extra $100 - $200.
Why do they look like that?
Meta's debut pair of Oakley-branded glasses are based on the brand's HSTN (pronounced how-stuhn) frames and there's really nothing subtle about the design. The first of these is a limited edition version with shiny gold lenses and bright white frames (which Meta inexplicably calls "warm grey").
Like previous Ray-Ban models, they don't look overtly techy, but I still wasn't a big fan of the design. The glasses felt just a little oversized for my face and something about the bright white paired with gold lenses reminded me a little too much of a bug. The color combo also accentuates just how thick the frames are, particularly around the awkwardly wide nosepiece.
I posted a selfie on my Instagram Story and polled my friends on what they thought. And while a few politely said they thought I was "pulling them off," the majority said they looked too big for my face. A few told me they looked straight-up weird, and one summed up my feelings pretty well with "something looks off about them." Style is subjective, of course. And depending on your face shape and tolerance for contrasting colors, I could see others enjoying the design. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the HSTN collection, which is coming later this summer, and will hopefully have some more flattering color variations.
Looks aside, the glasses function almost identically to the Ray-Ban glasses Meta introduced in 2023. There's a 12-megapixel POV camera over the left eye, and an indicator light over the right that lights up when you snap a photo or start recording a video via the capture button. There are open-ear speakers in the arms so you can listen to music and hear notifications. Much like the Ray-Ban glasses, the speakers here are pretty good at containing the sound so others can't hear when you're listening at lower volumes, but it's definitely noticeable at higher levels. You can control music playback and volume pretty easily, though, with a touchpad on the right side of the glasses.
"Performance" upgrades
The most important upgrade that comes with the Oakley glasses is the battery. Meta claims the glasses can last up to eight hours with "typical" (non-constant) use and up to 19 on standby. I was able to squeeze a little over five hours of continuous music playback out of the battery in one sitting, which is about an hour better than the Ray-Ban frames. The charging case can provide up to 48 hours of additional runtime, according to Meta. It's been well over a week and I haven't yet had to plug in the case.
The charging case is, however, noticeably bigger and heavier than the Ray-Ban case. It's not a dealbreaker, but the case is too big for any of my pockets and just barely fits into my small sling bag. My other gripe with the charging case is the same complaint I had about the Ray-Ban case: there's no way to see the charge level of the case itself. There's a small LED in the front that will change from green to yellow to red based on the battery level, but it's hardly a precise indicator.
The other major upgrade is the 12MP camera, which can now shoot in 3K compared to 1080p on previous models. The higher resolution video is, notably, not the default setting, but I appreciated having the option. I could see it being especially useful for creators looking to shoot POV footage, but I mostly use the glasses for still shots rather than video.
San Francisco is currently having a record-breaking cold summer so most of my testing has been in fairly overcast conditions. It might be a product of the gray weather, but I found the photos I've shot with the glasses a bit overly saturated for my taste. They looked fine on an Instagram Story, though. The camera has a bit of a wide angle with a 100-degree field of view, so there's still a bit of a learning curve in terms of figuring out how best to frame the shots.
Another issue is that it's very easy for a hat or a piece of hair to make it into your photos without realizing. My previous experience with the Ray-Ban Meta glasses meant I was careful to pull my hair back before snapping a picture, but I was bummed to realize after a long bike ride that the visor on my helmet was visible in the frame of every photo and video. It seems like Meta may have a plan to address this: I noticed a setting called "media quality" that's meant to alert you when something is partially obstructing the camera. The feature is apparently still testing, though, and it wasn't functional. A Meta spokesperson did confirm it would be added in a future update, though. "Media Quality Check is a feature we're working to bring to our AI glasses collection in the future that will alert users when photos are blurry or if something like your hair or a hat blocks what you capture," Meta said.
The Meta AI app (formerly known as Meta View) can help fix other issues, though. It has a "smart crop" feature that can automatically straighten your pics to correct for any head tilt. It also has built in AI-powered edits for photos and video so you can restyle your clips directly in the app. And while the functionality isn't limited to clips shot with the glasses, the possibility of adding AI edits after the fact makes shooting otherwise mundane clips a bit more appealing. The ability to restyle video, however, is only "free for a limited time," according to the Meta AI app.
Meta AI
While the core features of Meta's smart glasses have largely stayed the same since it first introduced the Ray-Ban Stories in 2021, one of the more interesting changes is how Mark Zuckerberg and other execs have shifted from calling them "smart glasses" to "AI glasses." As the company has shifted away from the metaverse and made AI a central focus, it's not surprising those themes would play out in its wearables too.
And while none of the Meta AI features are unique to the Oakley frames, Meta has added a couple of abilities since my last review that are worth mentioning. The first is live translation. The feature, which you have to enable in the Meta AI app, allows the onboard assistant to translate speech as you hear it. If both sides of a conversation have a pair of Meta glasses, then you can carry on a full conversation even if you don't speak the same language. The feature currently supports Spanish, French, Italian and English.
I tried it out with my husband — a native Spanish speaker who was also wearing a pair of Meta glasses — and we were both fairly impressed. I would say something in English and Meta AI on his glasses would relay it to him in Spanish. He would then respond in Spanish and Meta AI would translate the words into English.
It's not the most natural way to speak because you have to pause and wait for a translation, but it was mostly effective. There were a few bugs, though. Because we were sitting close to each other, sometimes Meta AI would overhear the translated audio from the other person's glasses and translate it back, which made the whole thing feel like a bizarre game of telephone.
And over the course of a several-minute conversation, there were a handful of times when Meta AI wouldn't pick up on what was said at all, or would only begin translating halfway through a statement. We also encountered some issues with Meta AI's translations when it came to slang or regional variations of certain words. While it wasn't perfect, I could see it being useful while traveling since it's much smoother than using Google Translate. There was also something endlessly amusing about hearing my husband's words relayed back to me by the voice of AI Judi Dench (Meta tapped a bunch of celebrities last year to help voice its AI).
The other major AI addition is something called "Live AI," which is essentially a real-time version of the glasses' multimodal powers. Once you start a Live AI session, Meta's assistant is able to "see" everything you're looking at and you can ask it questions without having to repeatedly say "hey Meta." For example, you can look at plants and ask it to identify them, or ask about landmarks or your surroundings.
The feature can feel a bit gimmicky and it doesn't always work the way you want it to. For example, Meta AI can identify landmarks but it can't help you find them. While on a bike ride, I asked if it could help me navigate somewhere based on the intersection I was at and Meta AI responded that it was unable to help with navigation. It also didn't correctly identify some (admittedly exotic) plants during a walk through San Francisco's botanical gardens. But it did helpfully let me know that I may want to keep my distance from a pack of geese on the path.
I'm still not entirely sure what problems these types of multimodal features are meant to solve, but I think it offers an interesting window into how Meta is positioning its smart glasses as an AI-first product. It also opens up some intriguing possibilities whenever we get a version of Meta glasses with an actual display, which the rumor mill suggests could come as soon as this year.
Wrap-up
While I don't love the style of the Oakley Meta HSTN frames, Meta has shown that it's been consistently able to improve its glasses. The upgrades that come with the new Oakley frames aren't major leaps, but they deliver improvements to core features. Whether those upgrades justify the price, though, depends a lot on how you plan to use the glasses.
The special edition HSTN frames I tested are $499 and the other versions coming later this year will start at $399. Considering you can get several models of Meta's Ray-Ban glasses for just $299, I'm not sure the upgrades justify the added cost for most people. That's probably why Meta has positioned these as a "performance" model better suited to athletes and Oakley loyalists.
But the glasses do offer a clearer picture of where Meta is going with its smart glasses. We know the company is planning to add displays and, eventually, full augmented reality capabilities — both of which will benefit from better battery life and cameras. Both are also likely to cost a whole lot more than any of the frames we've seen so far. But, if you don't want to wait, the Oakley Meta glasses are the closest you can get to that right now.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/oakley-meta-glasses-review-a-familiar-formula-with-some-upgrades-120026844.html?src=rssThe Morning After: You need to take an age verification selfie to watch adult content online in the UK
Anyone trying to watch porn online in the UK will need to take a selfie first – or share a photo ID. (Yes, both of those might ruin the ‘mood.’) The UK government began checking compliance with its Online Safety Act last Friday, which requires any website that publishes or displays pornographic content to implement a system for "highly effective age checks."
Popular porn sites, including the country's most-visited site, PornHub, have agreed to the new regulations. The rules also apply to platforms like X and dating apps, where adult images may be shared. Social media sites like Reddit and Bluesky have already implemented an age verification system. Some of these age checks can be sidestepped by assigning a new location to profiles or, your friend and mine, using a VPN.
In response, downloads of VPN apps have exploded.
— Mat Smith
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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 review
More screen, more battery but something's missing.
Rounding out our barrage of Samsung reviews, I tested out the Galaxy Z Flip 7. It has a slimmer design and significantly improved battery life. With a larger, brighter front display, it’s easier to use and the hinge mechanism has also been strengthened for a more solid feel. Despite it being the smaller model of Samsung’s foldable family, the company made the primary display even bigger. It’s also closer to the traditional aspect ratios of most smartphones. It’s another smart improvement that makes the Flip 7 easier to use than its predecessors.
A larger battery has substantially extended the runtime of Samsung’s latest Flip, but the cameras remain largely unchanged from the previous model, featuring a 50MP primary and 12MP ultrawide lens. Sadly, there’s still no dedicated telephoto lens, making it less useful in some shooting situations. I also wish Samsung pushed the Flex Window software a little further.
Sony sues Tencent over its Horizon Zero Dawn clone
Horiz-off.
Sony is suing Tencent for copying pretty much every part of its Horizon games in the upcoming Light of Motiram, an open-world hunting game that, well, copies pretty much every design touch and world of the post-apocalyptic robot-hunting series.
The lawsuit points to the basic setup of the game, the visual appearance of Light of Motiram's characters and more. The funniest part, however, is that Sony's suit claims that Tencent tried to license the Horizon IP from the PlayStation maker before it even announced Light of Motiram.
Sony’s wireless arcade-style fight stick is called the Flexstrike
But be prepared to wait for it.
Sony has added more details to its incoming fight stick controller, including a cute lil’ backpack for it. This is the first fight stick controller designed by Sony Interactive and is compatible with both PS5 and PC, supporting either wired or wireless connections.
If you’re concerned about latency, FlexStrike utilizes PlayStation Link technology to provide "ultra-low latency wireless" connections. This requires the included PS Link USB adapter. The FlexStrike controller is expected to launch sometime in 2026.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-111526136.html?src=rssGoogle Search's AI Mode is rolling out in the UK
Earlier this year, Google rolled out AI Mode to Search users in the US. Now, the notoriously inaccurate "tool" is coming to the UK. While Google's AI overviews have been available in the UK since last summer, AI Mode provides more conversational responses and fewer links to other pages.
Google touts AI Mode as a more intuitive method for asking multi-part questions or follow-ups. It uses Google's Gemini 2.5 model to detail how-tos, compare products or plan a trip. Instead of searching for something under the "All" tab, users activate it by clicking "AI Mode" and issuing a prompt with text, voice or a photo.
AI Mode uses something called a "query fan-out" technique, meaning it does "multiple related searches concurrently across subtopics and multiple data sources and then brings those results together." However, there's two issues: The possibility of hallucinations — which Google admits to — and a reduction in click through rates. Both have occurred with AI Overviews on Google Search.
A new Pew Research Center report found that users who receive an AI summary after their search click on a traditional result almost 50 percent less (8 percent of the time, compared to 15 percent). On top of that, only one percent of users clicked on the link provided within the AI summary. This pattern can cause problems both for website traffic and for ensuring that AI-generation information is accurate.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-searchs-ai-mode-is-rolling-out-in-the-uk-110011893.html?src=rssThe best smartphones to buy in 2025
You might already have a good idea of which smartphone you want to be your next one. But there are more solid options available now than ever before, making the decision not as cut-and-dry as it used to be. While the decision is a bit easier if you know you want an iPhone, there's even enough variation between those new models that you may have to think about it longer than you anticipated. If you’re an Android person, you have even more options to choose from — including foldables — and more questions to answer before you spend any money.
At Engadget, we review phones regularly and have tested dozens over the years. Whether you’ve had your eye on one of our current top picks, one of Samsung's Galaxy S25 phones, a cheap phone or another device, we’re here to help you decide which is the best phone to buy this year.
Android or iOS?
When you're searching for the best smartphone, it becomes clear that each OS has its pros and cons. Apple’s tight-knit ecosystem makes it super easy to share data between iPhones, iPads and Macs or seamlessly hand-off phone calls or music from one device to another. At the same time, you’re effectively locked in, as services like Apple Messages aren’t available on other platforms.
As for Android, there’s a much wider range of handsets from companies like Google, Samsung, Sony and more. However, Android phones don’t enjoy that same length of software support and often have lower trade-in values. In short, there’s no wrong answer. However, you will want to consider how your phone will fit in with the rest of your devices. So unless you’re really fed up with one OS and willing to learn another, it probably doesn’t make a lot of sense to switch from an iPhone to an Android phone (or vice versa) – especially if everyone else in your household is using the same platform.
Cameras
Since your cell phone often pulls double duty as your primary camera, figuring out what kind of photo tools you want is key. Nowadays, practically every mobile phone can take a great picture in bright light. But if you want a long optical zoom, you’ll probably have to upgrade to a more expensive device.
Mid-range phones often only have two rear cameras (a primary wide-angle lens and a secondary ultra-wide camera) and can sometimes struggle in low-light situations. Each phone maker also has various features that might be a better fit for your style, with Apple offering four different color presets on the latest iPhones, while Google’s Pixel 9 Pro comes with neat tools like dedicated long exposure and Action Pan modes.
Will you get mmWave 5G or Wi-Fi 7?
The good news is that in 2025, most phones have at least Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6e and support for some kind of 5G connectivity. However, if you want the fastest wireless speeds possible, it’s going to cost you a little extra. For example, on certain networks, mmWave 5G offers up to gigabit download speeds, less latency and better bandwidth. But mmWave 5G also requires more sophisticated (and pricier) modems, which means support for it is often missing on less expensive devices.
On the bright side, mmWave 5G isn’t as widely available as other versions of 5G, so depending on where you live and what network you’re on, you may not be missing out on much right now if you buy a phone that doesn’t support it. It’s a similar situation for Wi-Fi 7, which is available on some high-end handsets like the Galaxy S25, but harder to find on cheaper devices. Wi-Fi 7 also requires you to have a compatible router, so unless you know you need it or have a specific use case in mind, the lack of support for mmWave 5G or Wi-Fi 7 shouldn’t be a dealbreaker when looking for a new phone.
Other features to consider
Because not everyone agrees on what makes the best phone, you should think about any other specs that might be extra important for you. Mobile gamers will almost certainly appreciate the 120Hz refresh rates you get on phones like the Samsung Galaxy S25 or the Apple iPhone 16 Pro. Alternatively, if long battery life is important, you’ll probably want to go with a larger iPhone or an Android phone with a battery that’s between 4,000 and 5,000 mAh in size. Meanwhile, if you find yourself juggling a lot of devices, it can be really nice to have a phone that supports reverse wireless charging, which on Samsung phones even lets you recharge the company’s Galaxy Watches.
Other smartphones we've tested
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Like its predecessor, the S25 Ultra is an incredibly versatile phone. It’s one of the few handsets that come with an included stylus and premium features like a gorgeous 6.9-inch AMOLED display, titanium frame and a 5x telephoto camera. It also has excellent performance and strong battery life. The issue is that, aside from improved AI, this year’s phone doesn’t offer that much more than the previous model (or the one before that), and with prices starting at $1,300, we feel it needs to do more to earn a top pick spot.
OnePlus 13
While the OnePlus 13 features some basic AI features like Google’s Circle to Search and Gemini assistant, it’s really just an old-fashioned flagship in all the best ways. That’s because instead of focusing on machine learning, OnePlus crammed the phone with tons of top-notch hardware. It sports a 6.8-inch OLED display with an incredible peak brightness of up to 4,500 nits. The OP13 also offers excellent performance thanks to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, along with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. There are also three 50-MP rear cameras including one with a 3x telephoto zoom and a massive 6,000 mAh battery that’s bigger than what you get in practically all of its competitors.
OnePlus didn’t skimp on the phone’s design either, as the OP13 still comes with the company’s signature Alert Slider. Plus, if you opt for the blue or white variants, you’ll get a durable and very touchable vegan leather back that helps the phone stand out among all its glass brick rivals. But the best part is that starting at $900, it costs less than an equivalent Galaxy S25+ too.
FAQs
How do I know which smartphone is the best for me?
While choosing the best smartphone can be challenging, it mostly comes down to how you plan on using the device. All of the best phones available now get the basics right — you’ll be able to make calls, text and access the internet without many hiccups. If your smartphone is your most used gadget, you may want to consider paying for a device on the higher end of the price spectrum. That will get you better overall performance, higher-quality cameras and a phone that will last for many years. If you don’t use your phone for everything, you may be able to compromise on performance and extra perks and spend less on a still-capable handset.
How much is a smartphone?
Smartphones range in price from $300 to over $1,500. The best budget phones available now will usually compromise on overall performance, design, camera prowess and extra features to keep costs down. On the flip side, the most expensive phones will have powerful processors, triple-camera arrays and even flip or fold designs. Most people will find a phone that fits their needs somewhere in the middle of that wide price range — we’ve found that most of the best smartphones available right now cost between $500 and $1,000.
What can you do on a smartphone?
Smartphones are essentially small, portable computers that let you do things like check email, browse social media, follow map directions, make contactless payments and more. This is all on top of the basics like making phone calls and texting, which we’ve come to expect in all modern cell phones. Smartphones have also mostly replaced compact cameras thanks to their high-quality, built-in shooters, and the fact that most smartphones today as just as portable, if not more so, as compact cameras.
How long do smartphones last?
Smartphones can last years and people are holding on to their phones longer now than ever before. Software updates and battery life are two of the biggest factors that can affect phone longevity. Apple promises five years worth of software updates for its latest iPhones, and Google promises the same for its Pixel phones. Samsung phones will get four years worth of Android updates from the time they launch. As for charging speeds and battery life, your phone can deteriorate over time as you use and recharge your phone on a regular basis.
Recent updates
July 2025: Updated to include the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7.
April 2025: Updated to include the Google Pixel 9a.
February 2025: Updated to include the iPhone 16e.
January 2025: Updated to include details about Samsung's latest Galaxy S-series phones.
September 2024: Updated to include the latest iPhone 16 models and a new midrange iPhone top pick.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/best-smartphones-140004900.html?src=rssThe best budgeting apps for 2025
Managing your finances doesn’t have to be complicated, and there are so many tools available now that can make things easier (and even partially automated) for you. I was a Mint user for many years, but I was forced to find a new budgeting app after the service shut down in March 2024. Mint’s parent company, Intuit, prompted folks to try their other financial app, Credit Karma. However, after testing Credit Karma myself, I found it to be a poor Mint replacement. So I set out to try all of the best budgeting apps available today to find a new home for all of my financial tracking and goal-setting. Hopefully my journey can help you find the best budgeting app for you and your money as well.
Best budget apps of 2025
Other budgeting apps we tested
PocketGuard
PocketGuard used to be a solid free budget tracker, but the company has since limited its “free” version to just a free seven-day trial. Now, you’ll have to choose between two plans once the trial is over: a $13 monthly plan or a $75 annual plan. When I first tested it, I found it to be more restricted than NerdWallet, but still a decent option. The main overview screen shows you your net worth, total assets and debts; net income and total spending for the month; upcoming bills; a handy reminder of when your next paycheck lands; any debt payoff plan you have; and any goals. Like some other apps, including Quicken Simplifi, PocketGuard promotes an “after bills” approach, where you enter all of your recurring bills, and then PocketGuard shows you what’s left, and that’s what you’re supposed to be budgeting: your disposable income.
Although PocketGuard’s UI is easy enough to understand, it lacks polish. The “accounts” tab is a little busy, and doesn’t show totals for categories like cash or investments. Seemingly small details like weirdly phrased or punctuated copy occasionally make the app feel janky. More than once, it prompted me to update the app when no updates were available. The web version, meanwhile, feels like the mobile app blown up to a larger format and doesn’t take advantage of the extra screen real estate. Ultimately, now that the free tier is gone, it just doesn’t present the same value proposition as it once did.
How we test budgeting apps
Before I dove in and started testing out budgeting apps, I had to do some research. To find a list of apps to try out, I consulted trusty ol’ Google (and even trustier Reddit); read reviews of popular apps on the App Store; and also asked friends and colleagues what budget tracking apps (or other budgeting methods) they might be using for money management. Some of the apps I found were free and these, of course, show loads of ads (excuse me, “offers”) to stay in business. But most of the available apps require paid subscriptions, with prices typically topping out around $100 a year, or $15 a month. (Spoiler: My top pick is cheaper than that.)
All of the services I chose to test needed to do several things: import all of your account data into one place; offer budgeting tools; and track your spending, net worth and credit score. Except where noted, all of these apps are available for iOS, Android and on the web.
Once I had my shortlist of six apps, I got to work setting them up. For the sake of thoroughly testing these apps, I made a point of adding every account to every budgeting app, no matter how small or immaterial the balance. What ensued was a veritable Groundhog Day of two-factor authentication. Just hours of entering passwords and one-time passcodes, for the same banks half a dozen times over. Hopefully, you only have to do this once.
Budgeting app FAQs
What is Plaid and how does it work?
Each of the apps I tested uses the same underlying network, called Plaid, to pull in financial data, so it’s worth explaining what it is and how it works. Plaid was founded as a fintech startup in 2013 and is today the industry standard in connecting banks with third-party apps. Plaid works with over 12,000 financial institutions across the US, Canada and Europe. Additionally, more than 8,000 third-party apps and services rely on Plaid, the company claims.
To be clear, you don’t need a dedicated Plaid app to use it; the technology is baked into a wide array of apps, including all of the budgeting apps listed in this guide. Once you find the “add an account” option in whichever one you’re using, you’ll see a menu of commonly used banks. There’s also a search field you can use to look yours up directly. Once you find yours, you’ll be prompted to enter your login credentials. If you have two-factor authentication set up, you’ll need to enter a one-time passcode as well.
As the middleman, Plaid is a passthrough for information that may include your account balances, transaction history, account type and routing or account number. Plaid uses encryption, and says it has a policy of not selling or renting customer data to other companies. However, I would not be doing my job if I didn’t note that in 2022 Plaid was forced to pay $58 million to consumers in a class action suit for collecting “more financial data than was needed.” As part of the settlement, Plaid was compelled to change some of its business practices.
In a statement provided to Engadget, a Plaid spokesperson said the company continues to deny the allegations underpinning the lawsuit and that “the crux of the non-financial terms in the settlement are focused on us accelerating workstreams already underway related to giving people more transparency into Plaid’s role in connecting their accounts, and ensuring that our workstreams around data minimization remain on track.”
Why did Mint shut down?
When parent company Intuit announced in December 2023 that it would shut down Mint, it did not provide a reason why it made the decision to do so. It did say that Mint's millions of users would be funneled over to its other finance app, Credit Karma. "Credit Karma is thrilled to invite all Minters to continue their financial journey on Credit Karma, where they will have access to Credit Karma’s suite of features, products, tools and services, including some of Mint’s most popular features," Mint wrote on its product blog. In our testing, we found that Credit Karma isn't an exact replacement for Mint — so if you're still looking for a Mint alternative, you have some decent options.
What about Rocket Money?
Rocket Money is another free financial app that tracks spending and supports things like balance alerts and account linking. If you pay for the premium tier, the service can also help you cancel unwanted subscriptions. We did not test it for this guide, but we'll consider it in future updates.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/best-budgeting-apps-120036303.html?src=rssVPNs are booming in the UK after age restriction laws, but free options carry big risks
The United Kingdom's Online Safety Act took effect on July 25th. Among other provisions, the new law makes websites responsible for protecting UK children from content deemed harmful, like pornography or the promotion of eating disorders. This has resulted in many of the most-used websites, including Pornhub, X and Reddit, either putting up or planning to put up age verification barriers to restrict access by minors.
Age-restricting laws put broadly popular websites in a difficult position. Sites like Reddit that rely on user-generated content have no good way of making sure nobody under 18 ever sees restricted material anywhere on the platform, so it's usually simpler to just ban minors altogether. But this creates a knock-on problem: underage users relying on unvetted free virtual private networks (VPNs) to get back on their favorite platforms.
UK residents are using VPNs to change their apparent locations to other countries and circumvent the Online Safety Act. In the few days since the law went into force, five of the 10 most-downloaded free apps in the UK have been VPNs. We like two of the five, Proton VPN and NordVPN, but NordVPN does not have a free plan — just a seven-day free trial, after which you have to pay. The other three are unvetted, untested and suspiciously generic (VPN Super Unlimited Proxy, FreeVPN.org and Unlimited VPN Proxy).
When you use a VPN, all your web traffic goes through one of the VPN's servers before moving on to its ultimate destination. Every time you connect, you're trusting the VPN not to abuse its access to your information, and some VPNs unfortunately abuse that trust. A free VPN is generally safe if it's supported by paid subscriptions, like Proton is. If there is no paid tier, or the free tier comes with no restrictions, you have to ask yourself where the money is coming from.
The saying that "if the product is free, then the real product is you" holds true here. For example, Hola VPN admits in its terms of service that its sister company Bright Data can sell free users' residential IPs as proxy servers, and Hotspot Shield was the subject of an FTC complaint in 2017 that charged it with providing personally identifiable information to advertisers. And one of the services on the UK's top 10 list, FreeVPN.org, has no address on its website and a frighteningly sparse privacy policy.
Malware is the other significant risk. A 2016 study analyzed 283 Android apps with VPN capability, and found malware in 38% of them. Nor has the threat diminished in the 10 years since — just this year, threat analysts at CYFIRMA reported on a free VPN shared on GitHub being used as a malware vector.
In the end, a fully free VPN has no real reason to protect you or your rights, and every incentive to milk you for profit. Whatever you choose to do with a VPN, make sure you're picking one that will keep you save without exploiting you. Green flags include a clear pricing structure, audits from independent firms in the last three years, a specific physical location on the VPN's website and a thorough privacy policy. Some trustworthy free VPNs include the aforementioned Proton VPN, plus hide.me, TunnelBear and Windscribe.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/vpn/vpns-are-booming-in-the-uk-after-age-restriction-laws-but-free-options-carry-big-risks-060036636.html?src=rssWhistle pet trackers are shutting down next month
Whistle, a subsidiary of Mars that makes pet trackers, has announced that it's being acquired by Tractive. As part of the acquisition, Whistle trackers will stop working, but Tractive is offering to replace those trackers for free for a limited time.
The official shutdown date for Whistle's pet trackers is August 31, 2025. Users will be able to request a replacement tracker until September 30, 2025 by providing their tracker's serial number and then choosing a new Tractive tracker. Tractive will also credit pre-paid Whistle subscriptions to new Tractive accounts, and give anyone with a Whistle tracker without an active subscription two months of a Tractive subscription for free.
Whistle's devices, like the Whistle Go Explore or Whistle Fit, focused on using GPS, Wi-Fi, and AT&T's network to keep tabs on the whereabouts of your dogs and cats. Tractive goes further by offering similar tracking features alongside wearable-style health monitoring. If you pay for the company's subscription — a Basic plan gets you all the most important features for $108 per year — you'll be able to see your dog's heart rate, respiratory rate and track if it's barking more than usual.
If you're willing to pay even more, Tractive offers a Premium plan for $120 per year that unlocks things like "worldwide coverage" for its trackers and the ability export the GPS data your tracker collects. It's annoying to have to claim a new tracker and transfer accounts, but as far as acquisitions go, this seems like a best-case scenario.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/whistle-pet-trackers-are-shutting-down-next-month-212828325.html?src=rssAnthropic is rate limiting Claude Code, blaming some users for never turning it off
Anthropic has introduced new weekly rate limits on its Claude Code tool for AI assistance with coding tasks. The move comes shortly after the AI company quietly began implementing rate limits on the Claude Code service, which is an agentic side of the AI chatbot that is capable of reading code, editing files, performing tests and pushing GitHub commits.
According to a series of posts from Anthropic on X, these changes are in response to some users who have been running Claude Code "continuously in the background, 24/7." Not only does that add up to a hefty environmental toll, the instances of non-stop use are also financially expensive for Anthropic. The company additionally questioned whether some users were violating terms of service by sharing or reselling accounts.
Claude Code is only available on Anthropic's Pro and Max plans, the most expensive of which is $200 a month. Those subscriptions which will start seeing the weekly rate limits beginning in August. "We estimate they’ll apply to less than 5% of subscribers based on current usage," the company said. For those people who do run up against the limits on the Max plan, there will be an option to purchase extra usage at standard API rates.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/anthropic-is-rate-limiting-claude-code-blaming-some-users-for-never-turning-it-off-211134730.html?src=rssMicrosoft plans to bring Xbox age verification to countries outside of the UK
Microsoft is implementing an age verification system on Xbox accounts to comply with the UK's Online Safety Act, and in a new blog post announcing the move, the company suggests it'll come to other countries, too.
Players in the UK who indicate on their account that they're 18 years or older will now "begin seeing notifications encouraging them to verify their age," Microsoft says. The process is optional for now, and players will be able to enjoy playing Xbox games until "early 2026," when verification will become mandatory to "retain full access to social features on Xbox, such as voice or text communication and game invites." If you don't verify, you'll still be able to make purchases, play games and earn achievements, but social features will be limited to your friends.
Microsoft says its hopes to learn from its UK program, and "roll out age verification processes to more regions in the future." The company cautions that the version it introduces in other regions might look different than the "proof of government-issued ID, age estimation, mobile provider check and credit card check" options it's offering in the UK, but age verification will be the norm.
The UK's Online Safety Act was signed in to law in 2023 to ban nonconsensual deepfake porn and create rules preventing children from being exposed to adult content. As regulators have defined ways companies can comply with the law, implementing an age verification system has become the solution most platforms that host adult content have settled on. That's why Microsoft, Bluesky, Reddit, Discord and others have announced age-verification programs in the last few months.
The problem is, no age verification system is foolproof, and in some cases all they take is a photo to circumvent. The Verge reports you can fool Reddit's age gate with the photo mode in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, for example. Using a VPN has also proven to be a way to get around age verification tools. If companies take Microsoft's approach and introduce age verification in more regions, it might get harder to avoid, but widespread adoption has privacy and security implications of its own.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/microsoft-plans-to-bring-xbox-age-verification-to-countries-outside-of-the-uk-201953614.html?src=rssMicrosoft trials Copilot Mode in Edge
Microsoft has debuted a Copilot Mode for its Edge web browser. When enabled, this experimental feature can search across multiple open browser tabs and analyze the information on each page. An example posted on X by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella shows Copilot Mode examining several papers published by the company's researchers and assessing if they make any similar points.
Today we’re introducing Copilot Mode in Edge, our first step in reinventing the browser for the AI age.
— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) July 28, 2025
My favorite feature is multi-tab RAG. You can use Copilot to analyze your open tabs, like I do here with papers our team has published in @Nature journals over the last year.… pic.twitter.com/iF0gmbqTSW
This feature will also support natural voice navigation and adds a dynamic pane for Copilot to be available wherever you're browsing. The company is working on more advanced options as well. For instance, if you grant it permission to access your web history and credentials, Copilot Mode will "soon" be able to execute actions such as booking a reservation or suggesting whatever the chatbot deems as relevant information to a query. Copilot Mode will be available for a limited time for users with Edge on Windows or Mac machines to try out. If those people prefer, they can also turn Copilot Mode off in their browser settings.
Many tech companies have set their sights winning the race to have an AI-equipped browser. Perplexity, OpenAI, Opera, and The Browser Company have been pushing to get their products in front of users. Although Microsoft has been putting Copilot in both hardware and software, the business may have a ways to go to become a frontrunner in adoption of its AI tools.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/microsoft-trials-copilot-mode-in-edge-201851903.html?src=rssApple iOS 26 public beta is live, here's everything you need to know about the new iPhone features and how to use them
The wait for accessing all the new Apple iOS 26 features is still a couple months away. However, you can now download and install the public beta if you're itching to see what's coming this fall. Prefer more of a guided tour? Check out our preview of the iOS 26 public beta release, which includes the fresh home and lock screen redesign we've been asking to see for years. Dubbed Liquid Glass, the new look and feel will extend across all of Apple's upcoming operating systems. The overhaul was one of several big changes coming to iOS, macOS, iPadOS and the rest of Apple's software suite, all of which were showcased during the company's WWDC keynote on June 9.
After overpromising on AI plans last year, Apple kept its iOS roadmap focused more on basic quality of life improvements this year. There are multiple useful additions coming to the Phone and Messages apps on your iPhone, for instance: Apple execs outlined the ability to weed out spam texts or other unknown senders and an option to hold your spot on a phone call when you've been waiting for a representative to pick up. Plus, a treasured feature that we took for granted is coming back (hint: it's in the Photos app).
Siri, meanwhile, is in a holding pattern. Apple has previously specified that its smarter voice assistant — first promised at WWDC 2024 — is delayed until some point "in the coming year," so you shouldn't expect any major changes in the current betas. But there are reports that Apple is aiming to give Siri a bigger brain transplant by basing it on third-party artificial intelligence models like OpenAI's ChatGPT or Anthropic's Claude, which could make 2026 a pivotal year.
With each beta, it seems like additional new improvements are popping up, like a newly discovered FaceTime feature that'll freeze your video if it detects nudity. Most newer iPhone models are eligible to download iOS 26 (both the betas and final version). Want to see the full list of new features coming this fall? Read on.
What is iOS 26?
While the current iPhone operating system is iOS 18, Apple is skipping the numbering ahead to iOS 26 later this year. The company has decided to line up its iOS version numbers with a year-based system, similar to car model years. So while iOS and its sibling operating systems will be released in late 2025, they're all designated "26" to reflect the year ahead. (Meanwhile, iOS 18 is still getting new versions this summer, too.)
What is Liquid Glass design?
Let's be honest. Out of everything announced at WWDC this year, the new Liquid Glass design was the star of the show. The iPhone's home and lock screens have looked pretty much the same year after year — the last exciting thing (in my opinion) was the option to add your own aesthetic to your home screen by customizing your apps and widgets. So seeing the home and lock screens' new facelift is refreshing.
So what exactly is Liquid Glass? Apple calls it a "new translucent material" since, well, the apps and widgets are clear. However, the screen can still adapt to dark and light modes, depending on surroundings. You'll also notice buttons with a new floating design in several apps, like Phone and Maps. They're designed to be less distracting than the current buttons, but are still easy to see. While the design overhaul has proven to be controversial since its announcement, some — including Engadget's own Devindra Hardawar — like the new direction, even if it's somewhat reminiscent of Microsoft's translucent Windows Vista Aero designs from nearly twenty years ago.
That said, as of the release of the iOS 26 beta 2, Apple has already incorporated some user feedback into the design, dialing back the transparency in at least some places. And while it will continue to evolve, Apple users won't be able to escape it: Liquid Glass was designed to make all of Apple's OSes more cohesive. Here's a look at how the translucent aesthetic will look with the new macOS Tahoe 26 on your desktop.
What are the new and notable features of iOS 26?
iOS 26 has a laundry list of new features. Among the most worthwhile:
Phone app redesign: You'll finally be able to scroll through contacts, recent calls and voicemail messages all on one screen. It also comes with a new feature called Hold Assist that'll notify you when an agent comes to the phone so you can avoid the elevator music and continue on with other tasks.
Live Translation in Phone, FaceTime and Messages: iOS 26 is bringing the ability to have a conversation via phone call or text message with someone who speaks another language. Live Translation will translate your conversation in real time, which results in some stop-and-go interactions in the examples Apple shared during its presentation.
Polls in group chats: Tired of sorting through what seems like hundreds of messages in your group chat? You and your friends will soon be able to create polls in group messages for deciding things like which brunch spot you're eating at or whose car you're taking on a road trip.
Filtering unknown senders in Messages: If you haven't received spam texts about unpaid tolls or other citations, you're lucky. For those of us who have, those annoying messages will soon be filtered away in a separate folder.
Visual Intelligence: Similar to a reverse Google image search, this new feature will allow you to search for anything that's on your iPhone screen. For instance, if you spot a pair of shoes someone is wearing in an Instagram photo, you can screenshot it and use Visual Intelligence to find those shoes (or similar ones) online.
Photos tabs are back: For anyone who's still frustrated with the Photos changes made last year, you'll be happy to know that your tabs are coming back. Library and Collections will have their own separate spaces so you don't have to scroll to infinity to find what you're looking for.
FaceTime "Communication Safety" feature: A newer addition to iOS 26 appears to be the FaceTime "Communication Safety" feature that pauses communications if and when nudity is detected. The feature appears to be a child safety feature that uses on-device detection, thus obviating any cloud-based privacy issues.
Which iPhones will be able to upgrade to iOS 26?
A few iPhone models that run the current version of iOS — iPhone XR, XS and XS Max — won't be compatible with the latest upgrade. But any iPhones released in 2019 or later will be eligible for the iOS 26 update.
iPhone SE (second generation or later)
iPhone 11
iPhone 11 Pro
iPhone 11 Pro Max
iPhone 12
iPhone 12 mini
iPhone 12 Pro
iPhone 12 Pro Max
iPhone 13
iPhone 13 mini
iPhone 13 Pro
iPhone 13 Pro Max
iPhone 14
iPhone 14 Plus
iPhone 14 Pro
iPhone 14 Pro Max
iPhone 15
iPhone 15 Plus
iPhone 15 Pro
iPhone 15 Pro Max
iPhone 16e
iPhone 16
iPhone 16 Plus
iPhone 16 Pro
iPhone 16 Pro Max
Not listed here are the presumed new iPhone 17 models (or maybe iPhone 26?) that are all but certain to be announced and released in September.
When will the iOS 26 beta be available?
As of July 24, the iOS 26 public beta is available to download via the Apple Beta Software Program. If you're not already a member, you'll need to sign up to try out all the latest features. Just visit beta.apple.com and sign up with your phone number or email address. It's free.
Once you're in, you can install it by going to Settings > General > Software Update and selecting iOS 26 public beta.
A word of caution: Don't sign up with your main iPhone unless you're OK with any risks that occur with using an OS that isn't finalized.
When will the final version of iOS 26 be released?
iOS 26 will be released to the public this fall. It usually comes in September, within a week of the Apple iPhone event. Last year, it rolled out to iPhone users on September 16 — exactly one week after the iPhone 16 lineup was announced.
If you're more interested in the Apple Intelligence features coming, here's everything Apple revealed for iOS, macOS and more during WWDC. Also, check out how iOS 26 screenshots could be an intriguing preview of Apple's delayed Siri rework.
Update, July 24: Noted the iOS 26 public beta is now available.
Update, July 3: Noted new FaceTime feature found in the developer beta.
Update, June 30: Noted ongoing iOS 18 releases, and reports that Apple is considering additional external LLMs for Siri.
Update, June 25: Noted changes added in iOS 26 beta 2.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/apple-ios-26-public-beta-is-live-heres-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-iphone-features-and-how-to-use-them-135749325.html?src=rssApple released iOS 26 public beta: Here’s the list of compatible iPhones that can download it today
If you've been ready to see a significant change come to your iPhone's OS, then get ready because a slew of new updates are coming to Apple's operating system this fall. But don't expect to see iOS 19 — it'll be called iOS 26 instead. Included in the list is the new Liquid Glass design (think Windows Vista, but arguably more thoughtful), which looks to be Apple's largest visual update in years. We spent two weeks test-driving it — you can check out our detailed hands-on iOS 26 preview, or you can try it out yourself by downloading and installing the public beta, which became available last week. But first, the biggest question you're probably wondering: Will my iPhone be able to run iOS 26?
Last year, Apple didn't nix any iPhones from its eligibility list, but that's not the case for 2025 — a few models are getting cut this time. All iPhone 8 models and the iPhone X were the last to get the boot in 2023, and this year the 2018 models are getting left behind. If you have an ineligible device, you won't be able to download iOS 26 when it becomes available this fall.
We'll get to the bottom of which iPhones will support iOS 26 this year. To see what's coming with the latest OS and more, check out everything announced at Apple's WWDC June 9 event.
These three iPhones won't be compatible with iOS 26
Unlike last year, several iPhone models won't be eligible to download the newest iOS when it makes its debut this fall. This trio of models first released in 2018 won't be coming to the iOS 26 party:
iPhone XR
iPhone XS
iPhone XS Max
iPhones compatible with iOS 26
While we don't yet know the new iPhones Apple will be dropping this fall — though there are iPhone 17 rumors — we do know, per Apple's site, that the phones listed below will be compatible with iOS 26. Basically, if you have an iPhone that was announced in 2019 or later, you're in the clear:
iPhone SE (second generation or later)
iPhone 11
iPhone 11 Pro
iPhone 11 Pro Max
iPhone 12
iPhone 12 mini
iPhone 12 Pro
iPhone 12 Pro Max
iPhone 13
iPhone 13 mini
iPhone 13 Pro
iPhone 13 Pro Max
iPhone 14
iPhone 14 Plus
iPhone 14 Pro
iPhone 14 Pro Max
iPhone 15
iPhone 15 Plus
iPhone 15 Pro
iPhone 15 Pro Max
iPhone 16e
iPhone 16
iPhone 16 Plus
iPhone 16 Pro
iPhone 16 Pro Max
What if I don't want to buy a new iPhone?
If you want to continue using your older iPhone that isn't supported by iOS 26, that's fine. However, you'll miss out on security updates which could potentially put your phone at risk for malware and other threats. Additionally, some apps may stop working if they require a certain version of iOS or later. And of course, you won't be able to access the latest features iOS 26 offers.
When will iOS 26 become available?
Apple usually rolls out its latest iOS in mid-September, just a few days before the new iPhones hit store shelves. Last year, it released iOS 18 on Monday, Sept. 16. Expect a confirmation of the release date at that iPhone 17 event, expected in early September.
iOS 26 features we're excited about
Liquid Glass design: Your home screen is getting revamped with new app icons, including dark mode and all-clear options. You'll also notice buttons with a new floating design. Liquid Glass was designed to make all of Apple's OSes more cohesive.
Phone app redesign: You'll finally be able to scroll through contacts, recent calls and voicemail messages all on one screen. It also comes with a new feature called Hold Assist that'll notify you when an agent comes to the phone so you can avoid the elevator music.
Live Translate: iOS 26 is bringing the ability to have a conversation via phone call or text message with someone who speaks another language. Live Translate will translate your conversation in real time.
Polls feature: Coming to group messages in the Messages app, chat members will be able to create polls. This can help prevent the unwanted 30+ messages when it comes to deciding which restaurant you're meeting at this weekend.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/apple-released-ios-26-public-beta-heres-the-list-of-compatible-iphones-that-can-download-it-today-191854620.html?src=rssSony sues Tencent over its Horizon Zero Dawn clone
Sony is suing Tencent for copying nearly every aspect of its Horizon games for the upcoming Light of Motiram, an open-world hunting game with some obvious similarities to Sony's franchise, as first reported by Reuters. Tencent first announced the new game in November 2024.
The lawsuit goes into detail on the various ways Tencent's new game appears to be unlawfully copying memorable aspects of Horizon Zero Dawn, Horizon Forbidden West and Lego Horizon Adventures. That include the basic setup of the game (a post-apocalyptic setting where tribes of humans coexist with machines), the visual appearance of Light of Motiram's characters and even how Sony presents the franchise online. It all adds up to what Sony describes as a "slavish clone" of the Horizon franchise, something Engadget and other publications easily clocked when Tencent first announced the game.
The most damning part of Sony's lawsuit is its claim that Tencent tried to license the Horizon IP before it even announced Light of Motiram. The company wanted to "develop its own Horizon game in collaboration with SIE (Sony Interactive Entertainment)," Sony claims, and proposed licensing the Horizon IP to create a mobile game that introduced "Eastern aesthetics" and elements like "survival and crafting, pet taming, [multiplayer game modes], etc." After Sony rejected the offer, Tencent announced Light of Motiram anyway, with many of the mechanics it pitched and using many recognizable visual elements of the Horizon franchise.
In response to the damage and customer confusion caused by Tencent making Light of Motiram, Sony wants an injunction that prevents Tencent from continuing to develop or release the game, along with money and the destruction of anything related to Light of Motiram. The ball is in Tencent's court to argue otherwise, which seems like it might be difficult.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/sony-sues-tencent-over-its-horizon-zero-dawn-clone-191009077.html?src=rssChrome will now display AI reviews of online stores
Google just announced a neat little feature for its Chrome web browser. It'll now show AI-generated reviews of online stores, to make buying stuff "safer and more efficient."
The feature is available by clicking an icon just to the left of the web address in the browser. This creates a pop-up that spills the tea about the store's overall reputation, with information on stuff like product quality, pricing, customer service and return policy. The AI creates these pop-ups by scanning user reviews from various partners, including Reputation.com, Reseller Ratings, ScamAdviser, Trustpilot and several others.
It's only for US shoppers at the moment, with English being the only language available. It's also currently tied to the desktop browser. We've reached out to Google to ask if and when the feature will come to mobile. The company didn't confirm anything when asked a similar question by TechCrunch.
This could help Google compete with Amazon, which already uses AI to summarize product ratings and the like. This is just the latest move the company has made to cram AI into the shopping experience. Google recently introduced the ability to virtually try on clothing and makeup and it has been developing tools to provide personalized product recommendations and improved price tracking.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/chrome-will-now-display-ai-reviews-of-online-stores-190032205.html?src=rssJack Dorsey's Bluetooth messaging app is now on the App Store
Earlier this month, Block CEO and Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey unveiled a peer-to-peer, Bluetooth-based messaging app he put together. Now, anyone with a compatible iPhone, Mac or iPad (or even Apple Vision Pro) can try Bitchat as it's available on the App Store.
Dorsey created Bitchat under the auspices of "and Other Stuff," an open-source development collective he has backed financially. Per the free app's description, it allows users to chat with others who are physically close to them without needing to have their email address or phone number, which could make Bitchat handy for in-person events. Messages are private and encrypted, while the Panic Mode function allows you to delete all your Bitchat data with a triple tap.
Dorsey said he built Bitchat as an experiment in "Bluetooth mesh networks, relays and store and forward models, message encryption models and a few other things." The app doesn't need internet access to function, making it a useful option in situations in which authorities block mobile data and Wi-Fi connectivity. Other apps that offer Bluetooth mesh messaging first started appearing over a decade ago.
bitchat?
— jack (@jack) July 28, 2025
now on the App Store: https://t.co/uzB0uqRJGy
The new Warner Bros. and Discovery Global would like you to forget Warner Bros. Discovery
Earlier this summer Engadget covered the news that Warner Bros. Discovery would split into two giant media companies. Today the conglomerate announced the names for the restructured entities.
The company retaining Warner Bros. film, television and game studios, along with New Line Cinema, DC Studios, HBO and HBO Max, will be called Warner Bros. Meanwhile, the other entity, which holds the original company’s full portfolio of live cable channels, including CNN, HGTV, Cartoon Network, Discovery and TLC, will be called Discovery Global.
These companies have a storied history of creative naming schemes, such as when WarnerMedia merged with Discovery to form Warner Bros. Discovery. It was also this parent company that brought us the saga of HBO Go being renamed HBO Max, which was then renamed Max, only to revert back to HBO Max this year.
The announcement also confirmed that David Zaslav, the current president and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, will serve as president and CEO of the newly formed Warner Bros. Meanwhile, current Warner Bros. Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels will serve as president and CEO of Discovery Global.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/the-new-warner-bros-and-discovery-global-would-like-you-to-forget-warner-bros-discovery-183951865.html?src=rssSony's wireless fight stick is now called FlexStrike and it features mechanical switch buttons
Sony just dropped some more details about its upcoming wireless fight stick, including the real name. During development, it was known as Project Defiant but it's officially called the FlexStrike.
This is the very first fight stick controller designed by Sony Interactive and it's compatible with both PS5 and PC via either a wired or wireless connection. It's also extremely easy on the eyes, as you can see below.
Fighting games require precise inputs with no lag, and wireless controllers aren't typically the preferred option. However, FlexStrike capitalizes on the PlayStation Link technology to deliver "ultra-low latency wireless" gameplay. This requires the included PS Link USB adapter, which is compatible with USB-C ports.
The controller features angled surfaces and a non-slip base so it shouldn't move around during frantic play sessions. It also includes a custom-designed digital stick and mechanical switch buttons. It even features a touchpad, so it boasts just about every input found on a traditional DualSense.
The aforementioned adapter can be used to connect two FlexStrike controllers at once, or to pair a single controller with Sony's Pulse Elite headset or Pulse Explore earbuds. A standard DualSense can also remain connected to a PS5 at the same time, for menu-diving and the like.
The FlexStrike controller will be available sometime in 2026. We don't have a price yet, but we do know that it ships with a nifty carrying case.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/sonys-wireless-fight-stick-is-now-called-flexstrike-and-it-features-mechanical-switch-buttons-180517208.html?src=rssThe best deals on AirPods, iPads, MacBooks and other Apple gear you can get right now
Apple devices currently hold the top honor in our guide to the best laptops, smartwatches and tablets. But the company’s gear isn’t cheap — and you won’t find sales at Apple’s own website either. But that doesn’t mean you can only get a new iPad or MacBook at full price. Other retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Target and B&H Photo often host considerable discounts, sometimes on the order of a few hundred dollars in savings.
At Engadget, we’ve tested and reviewed every major device Apple has released — including the brand new MacBook Air M4, the Mac Studio M4 Max, a new iPad Air M3, and of course the iPhone 16. One thing to note is that it’s harder to find unlocked current-model iPhones on sale — for those you’ll need to go directly to Apple’s site or buy through a wireless carrier. But deals on new AirPods, Apple Watches, iPads and Macs pop up nearly every week. We diligently track what’s out there and put the best Apple deals right here. We update this guide regularly with the latest prices, so if you’re thinking of buying an Apple product, check here first to see if you can save some cash.
Best MacBook deals
Apple MacBook Air (15-inch, M4) for $999 ($200 off): The 15-inch MacBook Air is nearly identical to the smaller version but features more robust speakers and a more spacious trackpad alongside its roomier display. $999 is the lowest price we've tracked.
Apple MacBook Air (15-inch, M3, 24GB RAM) for $1,299 ($400 off): The last-gen M3 MacBook Air has officially been discontinued, but it remains a superb laptop while the last bits of stock remain available. We gave this 15-inch model a score of 90 in our review — outside of its slower chip (which is still plenty fast for everyday use), marginally improved camera and inability to power two external displays with the lid open, it's virtually identical to the newer version. This deal applies to the model with the larger 24GB of memory in the Starlight colorway.
Apple iMac 24-inch (M4) for $1,149 ($150 off): For an all-in-one solution, the M4 iMac is a good pick thanks to its powerful performance, standard 16GB of RAM and improved webcam. Just note that it only comes in the 24-inch screen size option. $1,149 is the lowest price we've tracked, but note that the deal only applies to the Pink model. Other colors are also on sale, but more expensive.
Best Apple Watch deals
Apple Watch Ultra 2 for $650 ($149 off): Apple’s most premium smartwatch, the Ultra 2 has a killer 36-hour battery life, a handy Low Power mode for extended use and cellular connectivity by default. It also has a compass app, water temperature gauge and a loud onboard siren that you can trigger in emergencies. This deal applies to the watch with the orange band. $650 is the lowest price we've tracked.
Apple Watch SE for $169 (32 percent off) at Walmart: We wouldn’t be surprised to see an update to Apple’s budget smartwatch sometime soon (and we have a few suggestions on the matter). But thanks to some serious discounts, the Apple Watch SE has turned out to be the most affordable way to get an iPhone companion for your wrist. Despite the lackluster screen and limited extra features, it handles the basics well.
Best AirPods deals
AirPods Max (USB-C) for $450 ($99 off): If you’re looking for over-ear headphones with all of the conveniences of in-ear AirPods, the AirPods Max are one of your only options (with the others being Beats devices). The latest models have the same design as the originals, but now charge up via USB-C instead of Lightning. They went as low as $430 for Amazon's Prime Day.
AirPods 4 without ANC for $99 ($30 off): If you don't need active noise cancellation, you can grab Apple's most affordable earbuds, the AirPods 4 without ANC. These came out last September at the same time as the latest iPhone. Engadget's Billy Steele reviewed them and appreciated their comfort, improved sound quality and advanced features like voice isolation for calls and Personalized Spatial Audio. Also at Walmart. They went as low as $89 for Amazon's Prime Day.
Best iPad deals
iPad Pro (M4, 11-inch) for $899 ($100 off): The most powerful iPad is the iPad Pro, and it’s the one to get if you’re even toying with the idea of using your new slab as a laptop replacement. Both the 11- and 13-inch models have gorgeous displays, thinner and lighter designs, a repositioned front camera and the excessively powerful M4 chip inside. Also at B&H Photo.
Best Apple accessories deals
Apple Pencil (USB-C) for $69 ($10 off): This more affordable Apple Pencil doesn’t support pressure sensitivity, but it still makes for a useful stylus for the basics. If you’re a casual note-taker and can live without wireless charging, you’ll save a few bucks by picking this one up. Also available at Walmart.
Apple Pencil (2nd gen) for $99 ($30 off): The Second gen Pencil both attaches and charges magnetically, supports tilt and pressure sensitivity and allows for tool changes with a tap of the flat edge. It’s an older pencil and isn’t compatible with the latest iPad models. This is the lowest price we’ve tracked this year, but it went as low as $80 for last year’s Black Friday sales.
Read more Apple coverage:
Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/best-apple-deals-150020110.html?src=rssThe first Star Trek: Starfleet Academy trailer is filled with Easter eggs
We've known Star Trek: Starfleet Academy was coming for a while now, but we finally have some real footage. Paramount just dropped a trailer, in addition to an official announcement that the show will premiere in "early 2026."
For the uninitiated, the show is set at the titular Starfleet Academy in future San Francisco and follows a group of cadets and their instructors. The trailer introduces us to all of the major characters, more or less, all while chancellor Holly Hunter does her best space Dumbledore and delivers a rousing speech.
Eagle-eyed fans, however, will notice an abundance of Easter eggs in this footage. Starfleet Academy is where nearly every major Star Trek character in franchise history went to school, and they've all left their footprints here. There are shoutouts to James Kirk, Wesley Crusher, Tom Paris and, most interestingly, a class that examines the ultimate fate of Deep Space Nine head honcho Benjamin Sisko.
The trailer also re-introduces two fan-favorite characters from previous installments. Robert Picardo returns as the holographic doctor from Star Trek: Voyager and the one-and-only Tig Notaro returns as snark-mouthed engineer Jett Reno from Star Trek: Discovery. Holograms don't age, but people do, so I wonder what kind of sci-fi gobbleygook they'll come up with as to why Picardo now looks older.
Speaking of the passage of time, there's the Discovery-sized elephant in the room. Starfleet Academy is set in the 32nd century, after the crew of the Discovery accidentally ended up there at the end of season two. This is 800 years after the 90s shows like The Next Generation and 900 years after the original series. So this means any and all connections between planets and species are likely to be radically different, as eight centuries is a really, really long time. Just think about how different the year 1225 was from today.
The show premieres in six or seven months on Paramount+. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy stars the aforementioned Holly Hunter, Sandro Rosta, Karim Diané, Kerrice Brooks and Paul Giamatti as the half-Klingon antagonist.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-first-star-trek-starfleet-academy-trailer-is-filled-with-easter-eggs-164554379.html?src=rssEveryone's a loser in Trump's AI Action Plan
On July 23, the Trump Administration released its long-awaited AI Action Plan. Short of copyright exemptions for model training, the administration appears ready to give OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and other major players nearly everything they asked of the White House during public consultation. However, according to Travis Hall, the director of state engagement at the Center for Democracy and Technology, Trump's policy vision would put states, and tech companies themselves, in a position of "extraordinary regulatory uncertainty."
It starts with Trump's attempt to prevent states from regulating AI systems. In the original draft of his recently passed tax megabill, the president included an amendment that would have imposed a 10-year moratorium on any state-level AI regulation. Eventually, that clause was removed from the legislation in a decisive 99-1 vote by the Senate.
It appears Trump didn't get the message. In his Action Plan, the president signals he will order federal agencies to only award "AI-related" funding to states without "burdensome" AI regulations.
"It is not really clear which discretionary funds will be deemed to be 'AI-related', and it's also not clear which current state laws — and which future proposals — will be deemed 'burdensome' or as 'hinder[ing] the effectiveness' of federal funds. This leaves state legislators, governors, and other state-level leaders in a tight spot," said Grace Gedye, policy analyst for Consumer Reports. "It is extremely vague, and I think that is by design," adds Hall.
The issue with the proposal is nearly any discretionary funding could be deemed AI-related. Hall suggests a scenario where a law like the Colorado Artificial Intelligence Act (CAIA), which is designed to protect people against algorithmic discrimination, could be seen as hindering funding meant to provide schools with technology enrichment because they plan to teach their students about AI.
The potential for a "generous" reading of "AI-related" is far-reaching. Everything from broadband to highway infrastructure funding could be put at risk because machine learning technologies have begun to touch every part of modern life.
On its own, that would be bad enough, but the president also wants the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to evaluate whether state AI regulations interfere with its "ability to carry out its obligations and authorities under the Communications Act of 1934." If Trump were to somehow enact this part of this plan, it would transform the FCC into something very different from what it is today.
"The idea that the FCC has authority over artificial intelligence is really extending the Communications Act beyond all recognition," said Cody Venzke, senior policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union. "It traditionally has not had jurisdiction over things like websites or social media. It's not a privacy agency, and so given the fact that the FCC is not a full-service technology regulator, it's really hard to see how it has authority over AI."
Hall notes this part of Trump's plan is particularly worrisome in light of how the president has limited the agency's independence. In March, Trump illegally fired two of the FCC's Democratic commissioners. In July, the Commission's sole remaining Democrat, Anna Gomez, accused Republican Chair Brendan Carr of "weaponizing" the agency "to silence critics."
"It's baffling that the president is choosing to go it alone and unilaterally try to impose a backdoor state moratorium through the FCC, distorting their own statute beyond recognition by finding federal funds that might be tangentially related to AI and imposing new conditions on them," said Venzke.
On Wednesday, the president also signed three executive orders to kick off his AI agenda. One of those, titled "Preventing Woke AI in the Federal Government," limits federal agencies to only obtaining those AI systems that are "truth-seeking," and free of ideology. "LLMs shall be neutral, nonpartisan tools that do not manipulate responses in favor of ideological dogmas such as DEI," the order states. "LLMs shall prioritize historical accuracy, scientific inquiry, and objectivity, and shall acknowledge uncertainty where reliable information is incomplete or contradictory."
The pitfalls of such a policy should be obvious. "The project of determining what is absolute truth and ideological neutrality is a hopeless task," said Venzke. "Obviously you don't want government services to be politicized, but the mandates and executive order are not workable and leave serious questions."
"It's very apparent that their goal is not neutrality," adds Hall. "What they're putting forward is, in fact, a requirement for ideological bias, which is theirs, and which they're calling neutral. With that in mind, what they're actually requiring is that LLMs procured by the federal government include their own ideological bias and slant."
Trump's executive order creates an arbitrary political test that companies like OpenAI must pass or risk losing government contracts — something AI firms are actively courting. At the start of the year, OpenAI debuted ChatGPT Gov, a version of its chatbot designed for government agency use. xAI announced Grok for Government last week. "If you're building LLMs to satisfy government procurement requirements, there's a real concern that it's going to carry over to wider private uses," said Venzke.
There's a greater likelihood of consumer-facing AI products conforming to these same reactionary parameters if the Trump administration should somehow find a way to empower the FCC to regulate AI. Under Brendan Carr, the Commission has already used its regulatory power to strongarm companies to align with the president's stance on diversity, equity and inclusion. In May, Verizon won FCC approval for its $20 billion merger with Frontier after promising to end all DEI-related practices. Skydance made a similar commitment to close its $8 billion acquisition of Paramount Global.
Even without direct government pressure to do so, Elon Musk's Grok chatbot has demonstrated twice this year what a "maximally truth-seeking" outcome can look like. First, in mid-May it made unprompted claims about "white genocide" in South Africa; more recently it went full "MechaHitler" and took a hard turn toward anti-semitism.
According to Venzke, Trump's entire plan to preempt states from regulating AI is "probably illegal," but that's a small comfort when the president has actively flouted the law far too many times to count less than a year into his second term, and the courts haven't always ruled against his behavior.
"It is possible that the administration will read the directives from the AI Action Plan narrowly and proceed in a thoughtful way about the FCC jurisdiction, about when federal programs actually create a conflict with state laws, and that is a very different conversation. But right now, the administration has opened the door to broad, sort of reckless preemption of state laws, and that is simply going to pave the way for harmful, not effective, AI."
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/everyones-a-loser-in-trumps-ai-action-plan-160023247.html?src=rssDell's back to school sale includes up to $350 off Premium laptops
Dell is holding a back to school sale on all kinds of laptops and accessories, and there are some significant discounts on offer. The company's newly-released line of Premium laptops is up to $350 off, depending on the screen size and overall specs.
A solid starter computer for students is the Dell Premium 14 base model, which is down to $1,500 from $1,650. It boasts an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. The RAM can be increased to 32GB and the hard drive to 1TB, but that costs extra. The standard monitor is a 14.5-inch 2K panel, but that can also be upgraded to an OLED touchscreen.
The larger Premium 16 is a better bet for students looking for something a bit beefier. The specced out version is down to $2,350, which is $350 off the usual price. This one includes an Intel Core Ultra 9 CPU, a GeForce 5060 GPU, 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. The monitor can be upgraded to a 4K touchscreen, but that increases the price tag.
For the uninitiated, Dell's Premium line of laptops basically replaced the XPS line. These computers keep the elegant wedge-like form factor and feature bezel-free displays coated in Gorilla Glass 3. There's also a newly-designed thermal system that should allow maximal airflow and offer minimal noise.
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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/dells-back-to-school-sale-includes-up-to-350-off-premium-laptops-153204107.html?src=rssRoku streaming sticks are up to 37 percent off right now
Roku’s latest streaming sticks are both on sale with steep discounts. The Roku Streaming Stick Plus, which supports 4K and HDR10+, is on sale for $29, a discount of 27 percent. If your television only supports HD, pick up the Roku Streaming Stick HD, which is on sale for $19. That’s 37 percent off its retail price.
Both the Plus and HD versions of the Roku Streaming Stick offer more than 500 free channels through Roku Live TV, which is why we called the Plus the best streaming device for free and live content. Both versions work with virtual assistants including Siri, Alexa and Hey Google, and both are Wi‑Fi only.
The Roku interface is uncluttered and easy to use, with a simple remote that features shortcuts to various streaming services. Both sticks support Apple AirPlay for streaming from your Apple device.
In our hands‑on review of the Streaming Stick Plus, we noted that this is Roku’s first 4K streaming stick that doesn’t require a wall adapter for power. Instead, the stick can be powered by your TV’s USB port, adding flexibility for TV placement and neater cable management. While the Streaming Stick Plus has a shorter Wi‑Fi range and slightly slower performance than more expensive streaming devices, we still felt it offered a solid value and gave it a score of 85 out of 100.
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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/roku-streaming-sticks-are-up-to-37-percent-off-right-now-135013886.html?src=rssInsta360 spin-off Antigravity is making a drone that can record 360-degree video
Insta360 has decided to spin out its own drone company, Antigravity, allowing it to operate independently. The new sub-brand is now developing an as-yet-unnamed drone that can record 360-degree video, similar to Insta360's X camera series.
Details are currently limited, as the company finalizes its first product. However, Insta360’s Antigravity says its drones will be aimed at existing drone owners, looking for more creative video options as well as beginners “intimidated by the learning curve of flying a drone”. If the company’s drones can utilize the 360-degree camera sensors that made it famous, you’d likely be able to reframe and curate angles and views as you flew, given the sensors would capture everything. Antigravity said: “If you’re looking to capture moments without missing the shot,” – this is for you.
It isn’t the first time that Insta360 has dabbled with drones. A few years ago, it introduced the $430 Sphere, which attaches the company’s 360-degree cameras to a chassis that can be mounted on the DJI Mavic 2. Using its own algorithms and technology, the sphere could capture 360-video footage, stitched together from the camera sensors, making the drone ‘invisible’ in the resulting footage. The device is currently out of stock.
The company is launching its own drone, accompanied by a dedicated development team. Insta360 says this was due to the additional complications of making drones, with far more challenges, specialized technical knowledge and (of course) regulatory compliance. It’s a lot more than an action cam. The Antigravity team said this would help keep development agile, and that we can expect to see new product lines and even accessory ecosystems “in the near future.”
It plans to reveal the drone in August 2025.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/insta360-spin-off-antigravity-360-degree-video-drone-130048742.html?src=rssBowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 review: A sonic powerhouse only slightly improved
When it comes to audio performance, Bowers & Wilkins is on a hot streak. The company manages to consistently offer balanced and detailed sound across its line of headphones and earbuds. The Px7 and Px8 lines have been mainstays on our best headphones list for a while now, primarily for their outstanding audio quality. With the Px7 S3 ($449), the company updated a previous model with changes to its sound platform and some subtle design tweaks. And that combination continues an upward trajectory that shows no signs of slowing down.
What’s good about the Px7 S3?
Bowers & Wilkins has been crafting a superb mix of sound and design for a while now. That run of form continues on the Px7 S3 with an audio platform that’s powered by 40mm bio cellulose drivers, discrete headphone amplifiers and a 24-bit audio connection. There’s also support for the full suite of aptX codecs (Lossless, Adaptive, HD and Classic) as well as TrueSound mode. That latter item is a dedicated audio profile that the company says “allows you to hear music and movies with the striking accuracy and realism of the original recording, with nothing added and nothing taken away.”
All of that combines for some truly stellar audio performance on the Px7 S3. The sound is crisp and detailed, even offering nuance to more bass-heavy and chaotic genres. I heard some particular elements in the percussion on Turnstile’s “DULL” that I hadn’t noticed before on other headphones or earbuds. You can also hear the band’s use of guitar effects to a greater degree on this model (hello reverb and chorus). Plus, even at their most raucous, tracks have nice separation so that all of the instruments gain an airy, atmospheric quality rather than sounding compressed.
I honestly couldn’t tell much of a difference between the stock tuning and the TrueSound mode. I think that’s a testament to the device’s sonic prowess out of the box. But, if you find that you do need to make a change, there’s a full 5-band EQ available for that.
Bowers & Wilkins says it “greatly upgraded” its active noise cancellation (ANC) setup on the Px7 S3. It added two more microphones on this model, so there are now eight total units with an even split on each ear cup. ANC has always been… fine on the company’s headphones, but it never came close to the supreme world-blocking capabilities of Bose or Sony. Here, there is noticeable improvement, but TV sounds, human voices and constant noise from planes, fans and sound machines still cut through.
Other improvements on the Px7 S3 include slight changes to the design of the headphones. Bowers & Wilkins slimmed down the ear cups and refined the headband, and these two updates offer a sleeker silhouette and improve overall comfort. There’s still the mix of metal, leather and textured fabric from the Px7 S2 and Px7 S2e, with the only obvious aesthetic change being a new ridged ring around the earcups. There’s no doubt the company has created a sophisticated look, but it would be nice to see some bigger design changes now that three consecutive models have looked nearly identical.
Bowers & Wilkins claims you’ll get 30 hours of battery life on a charge with the Px7 S3. As it has in the past, the company doesn’t specify if this is with ANC on or off. The company has a habit of understating its runtime stats though, and the Px7 S3 continues that trend. After 15 hours of what I’d consider “normal” use — mostly with ANC active, but several times with ambient sound on for calls — I had over 60 percent left in the tank. Better-than-stated battery life is never a bad thing, so just know you’ll probably outlast the company’s numbers in that regard.
What’s not so good about the Px7 S3?
The first strike against the Px7 S3 is its price. At $449, this model is $50 more than its predecessors in the Px7 line. Sure, everything is more expensive these days with the constant churn that is tariffs and other financial uncertainties, but it’s still worth considering that Bowers & Wilkins is asking you to pay more for its upgrades this time around.
The next issue I have with the Px7 S3 is the location of its controls. On the Px7 S2e, the buttons were on the edge of the ear cups — a positioning that’s common among the competition. For this model though, Bowers & Wilkins moved the controls to the edge of the smaller panels where the headband connects to the ear cups. As such, the ledge or lip there is skinnier, so the buttons are more cumbersome to find with your thumb. This may seem like nitpicking, but it’s a change that impacted the overall experience for me as someone who is constantly testing headphones.
Bowers & Wilkins typically focuses on the basics when it comes to its headphones. This means you’ll get excellent sound quality, capable ANC and some audio customizability, but that’s about it. The same holds true for the Px7 S3, as you won’t find any advanced features here that companies like Sony and others may tack on for your convenience. There’s no automatic pausing when you start to speak or sound profiles that can be set to change based on location. It also lacks voice detection for your phone’s assistant and doesn’t offer advertised support for spatial audio. While any number of these could help soften the blow of that $449 price tag, I’d argue the sound is so good you’ll likely be satisfied despite the limited set of features.
Final verdict on the Px7 S3
Bowers & Wilkins has been taking an “if it ain’t broke, slightly tweak it” approach to its Px7 line for a while now, but the S3 version is a more robust upgrade than the previous release. However, the company’s updates are mostly on the inside, with further enhancements to an already stellar sound profile and slight ANC improvements. There are some changes on the outside too, but I’d like to see the company make some bigger strides there the next time it sees fit to “slightly tweak” this model.
Samsung wins $16.5 billion deal to make Tesla's A16 chips
Samsung will make Tesla's A16 chip in a deal worth 22.8 trillion won ($16.5 billion). The chip manufacturer had filed a regulatory contract with an unnamed entity, but Elon Musk announced Tesla as the other party on X (formerly Twitter).
The deal will run through 2033 and utilize an upcoming plant in Taylor, Texas. Musk stated, "Samsung’s giant new Texas fab will be dedicated to making Tesla’s next-generation AI6 chip. The strategic importance of this is hard to overstate." This agreement marks a significant turnaround for Samsung, which, earlier this month, pushed back opening the Texas factory until 2026 due to a lack of customers.
Samsung’s giant new Texas fab will be dedicated to making Tesla’s next-generation AI6 chip. The strategic importance of this is hard to overstate.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 28, 2025
Samsung currently makes AI4.
TSMC will make AI5, which just finished design, initially in Taiwan and then Arizona.
Samsung currently produces the A14 chips that power Tesla's Full Self-Driving platform. However, the A15 contract went to one of its biggest competitors, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). According to Musk, that design has just been completed.
The new deal doesn't come without strings — namely a lot of Musk breathing over the manufacturer's shoulder. "Samsung agreed to allow Tesla to assist in maximizing manufacturing efficiency," Musk stated in a subsequent X post. "This is a critical point, as I will walk the line personally to accelerate the pace of progress." He went so far as to point out that the fabrication facility isn't far from his Austin, Texas home.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/samsung-wins-165-billion-deal-to-make-teslas-a16-chips-130015982.html?src=rssApple's MacBook Air M4 is on sale for a record-low price
If you've put off getting a new MacBook then today is your lucky day. Right now, the 2025 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air M4 are available on Amazon for record-low prices. The 13-inch model is our pick for best MacBook to buy this year.
You can pick up the 13-inch MacBook Air M4 for $799, down from $999 — a 20 percent discount. This model comes with 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. You can upgrade to 512GB SSD for $999, down from $1,199, another all-time low price, or 24GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD for $1,199, down from $1,399.
Then there's the 15-inch MacBook Air M4, whose cheapest model is on sale for $999, dropping from $1,199. The 17 percent discount is the best deal we've seen since the pair debuted in March. As with the 13-inch model, the 16GB and 512GB SSD option is also a record-low price, dropping to $1,199 from $1,399. Then there's the 24GB upgrade, which is $1,399, down from $1,599.
We're big fans of the MacBook Air M4, giving it a 92 in our review. Part of that comes from an already lower starting price for the MacBooks than their predecessors. The 2025 models also get a speed boost thanks to the M4 chip and are very thin with a 0.44-inch thickness. Neither the 13- or 15-inch will drag you down, weighing 2.7 pounds and 3.2 pounds, respectively. Plus, they both have excellent battery life, lasting over 18 hours while playing an HD video.
The big differences in the 15-inch model mostly come down to size. The screen is obviously bigger, as is its trackpad. Other than that, it offers better speakers than its 13-inch sibling.
Check out our coverage of the best Apple deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-macbook-air-m4-is-on-sale-for-a-record-low-price-123031171.html?src=rssThe best streaming deals: Get three months of Audible for only $3, plus save on Disney+, YouTube TV and others
Streaming services keep raising prices. At this point, if you subscribe to all the major services out there, you're basically paying the same price as cable — those antiquated local monopolies that streaming was supposed to save us from. But streaming still has one big advantage over the old ways: no contracts. That means you can grab a good streaming deal and then cancel without penalty.
Our advice is to sign up for a service when you see a good streaming deal (or the latest season of, say, Doctor Who, Severance, Andor and/or The Last of Us). Then, when the deal ends or you've binged whatever it is you want to watch, cancel as needed. But streaming deals don't come around all that often and, when they do, it's easy to miss them thanks to...everything. So we're keeping eyes out for the best streaming deals out there and we update this guide often — so check it out the next time you have a hankering to watch something new.
Best streaming deals
True streaming deals can be hard to come by. Most often, they’ll pop up during the Black Friday shopping period. On occasion, we’ll see them sparingly throughout the year and they usually take the form of a discounted monthly or annual rate for a limited period of time. Also, true streaming deals are typically on the ad-supported versions of a service, but once in a while you’ll find a unicorn of a deal on a tier that has ad-free viewing.
If you’re able to wait for a deal before subscribing to a streaming service, we recommend doing so. You’ll save money upfront and in the long run, and you also have the option to cancel your subscription before the price goes back up to the normal rate. Maybe you find you like the service so much that you’re fine paying full price for it — that’s the ideal situation. But if you’re not compelled to keep that app on rotation in your smart TV, most streaming services make it easy for you to cancel at any time. With that said, these are the best streaming deals you can snag right now.
Sling Orange for $23/month for the first month (50 percent off): New customers can get Sling Orange or Sling Blue for half off the usual price for the first month, bringing the final prices to $23/month and $25.50/month, respectively. Orange is likely best for sports fans, with eight exclusive sports and family channels, while Blue includes 19 exclusive news and entertainment channels. You can get both Orange and Blue access also for half off for one month, or $33 total.
YouTube TV (two months) for $120 ($46 off): You can get two months of our favorite live TV streaming service for $60 per month which works out to $46 less than paying the full $83 each month. And right now, the service is free for the first 21 days. That should give you a decent chunk of time to see if the service is right for you. The discount and trial are only open to new subscribers to YouTube TV’s base plan, which includes access to over 100 channels, unlimited DVR space and six household accounts with the ability to stream on three devices at once. The deal ends July 31.
Fubo Pro for $65/month for the first month ($20 off): Fubo has introductory discounts on most of its packages, and the Pro package is the least expensive plan currently listed. It offers access to 224 channels, unlimited cloud DVR and up to 10 simultaneous streams. It even includes regional sports content from the NHL, MLB and NBA.
Sling TV + MLB.TV for $30 off: New subscribers can get $30 off their first month of Sling TV when they sign up and add MLB.TV to their package. The offer applies to Sling Orange, Sling Blue and Sling Orange & Blue, and MLB.TV gives you access to MLB Network along with access to all out-of-market games during the regular season. This offer runs through May 31.
Spotify Premium Individual (1 month) for $0 ($12 off): This is our favorite music streaming service for podcasts and social features. Right now, users who have not signed up for Spotify's Premium service before are eligible to get one month for free. The Premium Individual plan lets you listen ad-free and skip songs at will. You can also organize your listening queue and download content for offline listening. Just be aware, your subscription will auto-renew at the end of the trial period. So if you don't want to be on the hook for the $12 monthly fee, set a reminder to cancel and go back to the free version.
HBO Max student discount — subscribe for $5/month (50 percent off): HBO Max offers their ad-supported tier to students for half off the usual rate. You’ll just have to verify that you’re a student through Unidays, and make note that this offer is only good for up to 12 months of service.
Hulu student discount — subscribe for $2/month (75 percent off): Those with a valid student ID can get Hulu’s ad-supported tier for 75 percent off the typical rate. They’ll keep the same sale price for as long as they’re a student as well.
Spotify student discount — Premium + Hulu with ads for $6/month (72 percent off): Spotify’s student offer continues to be one of the best around, giving you access to the Premium tier of the music streamer and Hulu’s ad-supported plan for only $6 monthly. Purchased separately, you’d pay $22 per month for both of the services. Plus, the first month is free when you sign up.
NBA League Pass student discount — one year for $120 (40 percent off): Students can get one year of League Pass for only $10 per month, which includes access to NBA TV and the ability to watch classic and archive games on-demand. On the NBA League Pass website, look for the student discount banner at the top and follow the instructions to verify your student status.
Peacock first responders discount — one year for $48 (50 percent off): Medical professionals and first responders can save 50 percent each year of Peacock. The deal requires annual verification and is open to those who work for either private or public institutions. Peacock has some great stuff to watch, including Poker Face and Killing It and more.
Streaming bundle discounts
There’s more consolidation happening now than ever before in the streaming space, and that means there are more streaming bundle options. These bundles offer you access to more content with one subscription price, but those prices are typically higher than paying for a single service by itself (obviously). It may be tempting to just get the bundle, but if only one of those services in the bundle speaks to you, you’ll spend less overall by just paying for the single service.
Speaking of a deep love for a single streaming service: if all of your favorite shows are on Peacock or the latest releases on HBO Max consistently bring you joy, consider paying for one year upfront. Subscribing with an annual plan usually saves you money in the long term over paying on a monthly basis. Unfortunately, not all streaming services (looking at you, Netflix) have an annual subscription option. Here are some of the best streaming bundles you can get right now.
Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max bundle with ads for $17/month: Ad-supported HBO Max is included here, along with full, ad-supported access to Disney+ and Hulu. You’ll save 43 percent with this bundle, as opposed to paying for all three services individually.
Disney+ and Hulu Bundle Premium for $20/month: Disney and Hulu offer a few different bundles, which you can view in the drop-down lists under Choose Your Plan. This bundle removes the ads from both Disney+ and Hulu (with the exception of select live and linear content) and allows you to download content for offline viewing. You’ll save 42 percent with this bundle, as opposed to paying for both ad-free tiers individually.
Paramount+ with Showtime for $13/month or $120/year: This includes everything in Paramount+’s Essential plan, except the ads, and also provides access to Showtime content, live CBS streams and download features.
Sling TV + HBO Max starting at $53/month: Sling TV and HBO Max have partnered on a discount that gives new subscribers 50 percent off their first month of Sling TV, plus $5 off monthly when you subscribe to the Sling TV + HBO Max bundle. The standard price for the Sling Blue + HBO Max duo is roughly $58/month, so you'll get a monthly discount of $5 off that. In addition, for the first month only, you'll get half off the price of the bundle. The promotion also applies to the Sling Orange & Blue + HBO Max package, which has a standard price of $73/month.
Hulu + Live TV with Disney+ and ESPN+ for $96/month: This streaming bundle amalgamation is a bit confusing but it does offer a lot: you get live TV streaming via Hulu’s service plus access to the following VOD services: Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+. Out of those three, only ESPN+ will have ads.
Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ Bundle Basic for $17/month: You get full access to Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ content with this package, albeit with ads across the board. This bundle price is 46 percent off the total price of all three separate subscriptions.
Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ Bundle Premium for $27/month: Similarly to the Duo bundles, the Premium version of the Trio removes ads from most content in Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, and you can download content for offline viewing. This price represents a 43-percent savings when compared to paying for all three ad-free tiers separately.
Read more streaming coverage
Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/best-streaming-service-deals-133028980.html?src=rssTrump temporarily drops export controls to smooth negotiations with China
After previously saying that the US would block exports of key AI chips to China, Donald Trump's administration may have backtracked. The US will now temporarily block restriction on exports of chips and other technology to China, the Financial Times reported. The aim is to help Trump book a meeting with China President Xi Jinping later this year in order to strike a trade deal, according to people familiar with the matter.
Export controls are dictated by the US Commerce Department, which was reportedly told to avoid tough moves on China, according to eight people including current and former US officials. Trump is said to have wanted to avoid angering Xi due to the risk of China retaliating further on the export of crucial rare earths and magnets.
Last week, NVIDIA said it would be able to resume selling key AI chips to China after being blocked earlier by the Department of Commerce. "The US government has assured NVIDIA that licenses will be granted and NVIDIA hopes to start deliveries soon," the company stated in a blog post. Today's news of frozen export controls effectively backs up that statement.
However, 20 people including security experts and former US officials, including from Trump's previous administration, wrote the Department of Commerce saying it was a bad idea to give China access to advanced AI chips. "This move represents a strategic mis-step that endangers the United States’ economic and military edge in artificial intelligence," they said in a letter. "By supplying China with these chips, we are fueling the very infrastructure that will be used to modernize and expand the Chinese military."
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/trump-temporarily-drops-export-controls-to-smooth-negotiations-with-china-120021499.html?src=rssThe 26 best Nintendo Switch games in 2025
There are dozens of excellent Nintendo Switch games available now to the point where you’ll always have something new to play even if you have an extensive library of titles already. Whether you’re playing on the go with a Switch Lite, at home with your friends on an OLED Switch or now on a brand new Switch 2, you’ll be able to play most games on your preferred console. This flexibility makes the Switch lineup ideal for both casual gamers and hardcore fans who love having the ability to access every title, whether they’re at home on the big screen or gaming on the go.
If you're lucky enough to have gotten a Switch 2, it's important to note that most Switch games are compatible with the new console. Nintendo has a page you can visit to check out the state of compatible games, and it includes lists of games with known compatibility issues (most of which are currently being investigated). Nintendo also has a transfer guide that can help you move all of your old Switch data to your new Switch 2. In the coming weeks, we'll have a brand new list of what we consider to be the best Nintendo Switch 2 games after we've been able to spend some time with the new console and some of the latest releases.
Best Nintendo Switch games for 2025
Check out our entire Best Games series including the best Nintendo Switch games, the best PS5 games, the best Xbox games, the best PC games and the best free games you can play today.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/best-nintendo-switch-games-160029843.html?src=rss