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Netflix is acquiring Estonian startup Ready Player Me , a company creating cross-game avatar tech that allows players to bring their digital personas with them to different games, the company's CEO Timmu Tke shared in a LinkedIn post . The acquisition is part of Netflix's new games strategy, which puts an emphasis on approachable multiplayer titles and adaptations of the streaming service's IP. Ready Player Me's team of around 20 employees will be incorporated into Netflix's staff, TechCrunch wr

It looks like the holidays aren't a bad time to shop for a VPN subscription. ExpressVPN , Engadget's pick for the best premium provider , currently has a less premium price. This deal gives you two years of the Advanced plan (with a bonus of four free months) for only $101. When it isn't on sale, the same subscription would cost $392. Engadget's VPN guru, Sam Chapman, praised ExpressVPN's service. He described it as high-performing and having very few flaws. The service received high marks for i

The iPad, of course, isn't the only tablet computer out there it wasn't even the first but Apple's version redefined the category . In our opinion , it's the best tablet you can buy and these slates consistently earn high scores in our reviews . That doesn't mean you should have to pay full price for your next iPad. We are continually on the hunt for good deals on iPads (and other Apple gear while we're at it) and each week, we round them up right there. Current discounts include the iPad mini

Behold Mark Zuckerberg: man of principle. Witness the Meta CEO's dedication to the most high-minded of causes: currying favor with whoever's in charge. In 2013, when Barack Obama was president, Zuckerberg co-founded FWD.us , a pro-immigration advocacy group. For years, he vocally supported providing paths to citizenship for he most talented and hardest-working people, no matter where they were born. Now, in 2025, with Donald Trump back in power and pushing draconian immigration policies, Zucker

Amazon is selling Apple's USB-C Magic Mouse for $68 , which is a discount of 14 percent. This isn't a record-low price, but it's darned close. The mouse typically sells for $79, though today's sale only applies to the white model. It's rare for official Apple accessories to go on sale, and the USB-C Magic Mouse is pretty much a must-have for those working on desktop computers. It's also fairly handy when combined with a laptop, letting folks avoid the trackpad. As the name suggests, this mouse c

Secret Santa gift exchanges can be chaotic in the best way. One minute youre drawing a name from a hat, the next youre scrambling to figure out what theyd actually like. The trick is finding something thats thoughtful, gets a laugh or feels useful without going over budget. Luckily there are plenty of gifts that do exactly that, whether youre shopping for the office exchange, a family swap or a friend group tradition. From clever gadgets to playful desk toys and little luxuries, these ideas prov

TikTok has signed a deal to spin off its American business, according to reporting from Associated Press and others. This should keep the popular social media app available in the US for good, capping off years of drama. We now have some new data as to the specifics of the deal. Nearly 50 percent of assets will be split between three companies. Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX will each control around 15 percent of the newly-formed entity. It's worth noting that MGX isn't an American company at all,

If you have a resolution in the new year to get more acquainted with your finances, a good budgeting app can help with that. One of our favorites is a bit cheaper to sign up for right now: Monarch Money is offering 50 percent off annual subscriptions for new users. Use the code MONARCHVIP at checkout to get half off, so you'll pay just $50 for one year of access. Monarch Money was the runner-up in our guide to the best budgeting apps in 2025, and it was definitely a grower. Initially we found th

This week, Engadget Managing Editor Cherlynn Low joins us to look back at some of the highlights (and lowlights) of 2025. We dive into our favorite gadgets of the year, the many ways Big Tech bowed to Trump, the disappointment of AI PCs and the rise of smart glasses. We also learn way too much about our skincare routines. Subscribe! iTunes Spotify Pocket Casts Stitcher Google Podcasts Topics Our favorite gadgets of 2025: Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, Airpods Pro 3, bluetooth lav mics and more 2:26 F

If learning a new skill is one of your New Year's resolutions, then you might want to know that MasterClass subscriptions are currently 50 percent off. This brings the top-tier subscription with offline mode and use on up to six devices down from $240 annually to $120. The entry-level plan, which supports just one device and doesn't offer offline viewing, is marked down to $60 from $120. Over the past few years, MasterClass has grown to over 200 classes, sessions and original series. You can lea

Riot Games has confirmed that its working on a massive update for League of Legends after Bloomberg published a report saying that the company has plans to remake the game. Back in November, a Chinese esports insider also reported that a League of Legends 2 is in development and is coming as early as the second half of 2026. In a video announcement discussing Riots plans for League after 2026, executive producer Paul Belleza denied that the developer is working on League 2 like rumors have been

It was a big day in gaming history when Nintendo finally released its Switch sequel. But the Nintendo Switch 2 lacked many options for microSD Express cards. Samsung helped change that this fall, with the release of its P9 Express series of microSD Express cards, and now one of them is on sale. Currently, you can pick up the 256GB Samsung P9 Express microSD Express Card for $33, down from $55. The 40 percent discount brings the microSD down to a new all-time low price. That means your new Ninten

The best phone of 2025: The iPhone 17 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro? Perhaps the Galaxy Z Fold 7? All three rank as some of the best tech we reviewed in 2025. Engadget We have compiled all the best gear with our highest review scores in each category, after thousands of hours of testing. Weve got the Switch 2, AirPods Pro 3 and DJIs top drone for most of you. Anecdotally, Ankers Laptop Power Bank, with two built-in charging cables, has been the sleeper hit of the Engadget team, with four editors making it t

SpaceX said it experienced an anomaly with one if its Starlink satellites that was likely caused by a small explosion. The anomaly led to venting of the propulsion tank, a rapid decay in semi-major axis by about 4 km [2.5 miles] and the release of a small number of trackable low relatively velocity objects, Starlink wrote in a post on X . Orbital tracking company LeoLabs assessed that the issue was caused by an internal energetic source rather than a collision with space debris or another object

If you want to hear Apple Musics lossless catalog the way it was meant to sound, you will need a little extra hardware. iPhones and most wireless headphones still have limitations when it comes to high-resolution audio, which means a good DAC can make a real difference in clarity and detail. Whether you listen through wired earbuds, studio headphones or a home speaker setup, the right DAC can bring out far more texture in your music. Lossless audio can be confusing at first, especially with diff

Sony is paying approximately $460 milliion to purchase Peanuts [PDF] and its characters, including Snoopy and Charlie Brown, created by Charles M. Schulz. Thats a 41 percent stake Sony is buying from Canadian firm WildBrain. Since Sony bought 39 percent of the franchise back in 2018, this will give the company an 80 percent stake. The deal is still subject to regulatory approvals, but Peanuts will become Sonys consolidated subsidiary once its closed. Schulzs family still owns the remaining 20 pe

Remember back in September when President Donald Trump signed an executive order that seemingly finalized some of the terms of a deal to spin off TikTok's US business? Three months later, that same deal is apparently one step closer to being official. According to Bloomberg , TikTok CEO Shou Chew told employees that TikTok and ByteDance had signed off the agreement for control of TikTok's US business. It sounds like terms of the deal are roughly the same as what Trump announced earlier this year

Holiday shopping is in full swing, which means it's about time for the Steam Winter Sale . This go-around, Valves sale runs from December 18, 2025 through January 5, 2026, and includes discounts on some of this year's hit games, like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 , Silent Hill f and Assassin's Creed Shadows . Clair Obscur is available for $40, down from its normal $50, Silent Hill f is 40 percent off, bringing its price down to $42, and the normally $70 Assassin's Creed Shadows is selling for $35,

Google's latest addition to its NotebookLM artificial intelligence research platform is a feature called Data Tables . The tool can collect and synthesize information across multiple sources into a chart that can be exported to Google Sheets. All Pro and Ultra users will have access to the feature today, and Data Tables will roll out to all users over the coming weeks. In practice, Google suggested that Data Tables can be used to organize scattered notes, create price comparison charts or aggreg

Several LG smart TV owners, including some Engadget staff, were surprised to find what looked like an unremovable Microsoft Copilot app suddenly installed on their devices earlier this week. After all the raised eyebrows, a representative from LG has reached out to say that the company will take steps to allow users to delete the shortcut icon if they wish. According to the spokesperson, the Copilot icon is a shortcut for launching the AI chatbot in the TV's web browser rather than an applicatio

Apple keeps most of its product pricing on a tight leash, but we do see the company's AirTags go on sale pretty frequently. Another cost cut has come around for this item just in time for the holidays. Amazon is currently selling a four-pack of AirTags for $65. At a third off the regular cost, that price is pretty close to the record low discount of $63 we've seen for these Bluetooth trackers. If you place an order quickly, the AirTags should arrive in time for Christmas, making this a solid cho

The ripples of the auto industry's chip shortage are still being felt, as evidenced by Honda. Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that the automaker will suspend production in Japan on January 5 and 6. (Honda didn't specify the affected factories.) In addition, all three of the automaker's Guangqi Honda Automobile plants in China will shut down from December 29 to January 2. The halt is an outgrowth of a chip shortage stemming from a recent geopolitical proxy war in the Netherlands, of all places. I

Displace first tried its hand at reimagining the TV in 2023, with a wireless screen that suctions onto walls and features built-in rechargeable batteries. At CES 2026, the company is not only introducing new versions of its own TVs, it's also showing off the Displace Hub , an accessory that can make other TVs wireless. The Displace Hub is a wall-mounting system with some extra bells and whistles. It combines the active-loop suction of Displaces TVs, with a rechargeable battery that can power wha

Apple just announced it will be integrating more ads into the App Store because our poor eyeballs must be assaulted at all times. The company plans on littering search results with advertisements beginning next year . Currently, the App Store only has one ad spot. That's at the very top of search results. If you search for something like Instagram it's likely that top spot will be filled with an ad for a rival social media platform. The new ads will appear further down the actual search results.

The T1 smartphone from Trump Mobile remains non-existent vaporware , but the company is still finding new ways to take people's money. Anyone who desperately wants to fund this sham can now buy a refurbished phone from the company. The business's website has listings for Renewed models of the Samsung S24 and S23 and the iPhone 15 and 14. Gizmodo noticed that Trump Mobile is selling these other brands' phones for the same cost, or sometimes more, than the same refurbs from other retailers.Seems p

Trump media, the company behind the president's personal social media platform Truth Social, is inexplicably merging with a Google-backed fusion energy company called TAE Technologies. The deal is worth $6 billion, according to reporting by Financial Times . Why is an entity known for publishing frenzied hot takes by the president at 3AM combining with a fusion energy company? Who the heck really knows, but a statement says the two organizations will join together to build the world's first util

You can add Japan to the list of regions where Apple has been forced to do something it would rather not: open up the App Store. On Thursday, the company announced changes to iOS in Japan to comply with the nation's Mobile Software Competition Act (MSCA). The tighter regulations for Apple and Google, which overlap with Europe's , took effect today. Users in the US and elsewhere won't see any of these changes. Apple's changes in iOS 26.2 in Japan revolve around alternative app stores, payments ou

If you're struggling to find your next binge-watch, you can't go wrong with anime. For the holidays, you can save on a Crunchyroll subscription, giving you access to its vast library of anime series to watch. Through December 29, you can sign up for an annual Fan subscription for $67, down from the usual $80, or a Mega Fan subscription for $100, down from $120. While both the Fan and Mega Fan plans are ad-free, you do get some different benefits depending on which you decide to pay for. Fan subs

Amazon just introduced a new feature for Alexa+ called Greetings . This lets Alexa+ answer the doorbell and converse with visitors, which certainly sounds futuristic in a gated community as dystopia kind of way. There are several caveats here. First of all, it only works with certain newer Ring video doorbell models. Customers also have to pony up for a Ring Premium Plan and have access to the Alexa+ early access build. It's available in the US and Canada and only in English. If you meet those c

No need to fret if you missed out on some of the best Black Friday deals this year some of them have returned already. Case in point: Apple's AirPods Pro 3 , which came out in September this year, are back down to $199. That's an all-time-low price and better than the price it was during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. With the new AirPods Pro, Apple made some big improvements, including better battery life and sound quality, and introduced useful new features, such as Live Translation. The AirP

The Ultrahuman Ring Air now has the capacity to track snoring and general respiratory health. This is thanks to proprietary technology called Respiratory Health PowerPlug, which is basically a suite of audio analysis tools along with some advanced biomarker tracking and AI tomfoolery. All of this results in one of the most comprehensive consumer tools ever built for understanding nighttime respiratory stability. It details snoring sessions, of course, but also delivers a holistic and actionable

The Federal Trade Commission has sent Instacart a civil investigative demand, seeking information about its AI-powered pricing tool, according to Reuters . This comes after a recently published pricing experiment study showed that the online grocery delivery app gave different users different prices for the same items from the same store location at the exact same time. Some of the testers saw prices up to 23 percent higher than what the other testers saw, though the average difference for the s

Earlier this year Sony sued Tencent for copyright infringement over its Light of Motiram game, calling it a slavish clone of Horizon Zero Dawn. Then, earlier this month, Tencent agreed to stop promoting and publicly testing the game. Now, the two companies have reached a confidential settlement and the case has been dismissed, according to court documents seen by The Verge . Light of Motiram has also disappeared from Steam and Epic's game stores. SIE and Tencent are pleased to have reached a con

Apples AirPods have become the default choice for many people, whether you want simple wireless earbuds that work without fuss or premium options with features like noise cancellation and spatial audio. The lineup has grown over the years, so there is now a model for almost every type of listener. Some pairs are built for all-day comfort, others focus on isolation and richer sound, and Apples over-ear option offers a more immersive experience for movies and music. If you spend most of your time

Whether youre a true cord-cutter or you just want to watch the next season of Stranger Things when it drops, everyones on the lookout for streaming deals nowadays. Plenty have chosen VOD and live TV streaming services over traditional cable in recent years, but the savings that choice got you just a few years ago have somewhat evaporated now. Companies like Netflix, Disney, Max and others have been consistently raising prices to the point where you may question if streaming is even worth it anym

Theres a good chance you own a couple of gadgets that support wireless charging now, be it your iPhone or Android phone, wireless earbuds or smartwatch. Multi-device wireless chargers can help power them all up in one place, without the need for a bunch of cords messing up your space. There are dozens of these accessories out there today, and weve tested a bunch of the most popular models. Youll find out top picks below for the best wireless charging pads, plus some advice on how to choose the r

LG is teaming up with Dolby for a new collection of speakers that the companies are unveiling ahead of CES 2026. The LG Sound Suite features a modular lineup the H7 soundbar, M7 and M5 wireless surround speakers and the W7 subwoofer. The speakers can be combined in more than two dozen different configurations, from a pair to a full 13.1.7 channel surround sound home theater setup. The main pitch of the LG Sound Suite is its application of Dolby Atmos FlexConnect. This is the audio brand's tech f

A report from Reuters claims that scientists in China have created a prototype of a machine that could eventually be used to produce semiconductor chips capable of powering artificial intelligence. Sources told the publication that a team in Shenzhen completed the prototype of an extreme ultraviolet lithography machine earlier this year and it is allegedly now undergoing testing. The EUV machine was reportedly made by former engineers from Dutch semiconductor supplier ASML. Reuters states that C

Creators and publishers have long worried about Meta's ability to throttle links to outside content. Now, the company is testing out a new scheme that effectively puts link-sharing behind a paywall for creators on Facebook. Under the test, a Meta Verified subscription will determine how many links a creator can share another profile per month. According to a screenshot shared by social meda consultant Matt Navarra, creators in the test recently received a notification from Meta informing them th

Space is full of unsolved mysteries, and a team using NASAs James Webb Space Telescope have recently turned up a doozy. I remember after we got the data down, our collective reaction was 'What the heck is this?' It's extremely different from what we expected, said Peter Gao of the Carnegie Earth and Planets Laboratory in Washington, a co-author on the study. The researchers found an exoplanet dubbed PSR J2322-2650b that orbits a small, dense star emitting electromagnetic radiation known as a pul

NASA has a leader again. On Wednesday, the US Senate confirmed Jared Isaacman as the agency's administrator, with a 67-30 vote. The billionaire entrepreneur (and Elon Musk ally) will have his hands full navigating political waters while managing a severely downsized workforce . You might recall that this wasn't Isaacman's first shot at the job. He was nominated to the post earlier this year. But days before he was scheduled for a confirmation vote, President Donald Trump withdrew his nomination

YouTube announced that it will no longer share data with Billboard for the creation of the Billboard Hot 100 and other charts because the video platform doesn't believe they're calculated fairly. The issue lies, per YouTube, with how Billboard weighs on-demand streams in its rankings: The publication weighs streams from paid music streaming services over ad-supported streams, and YouTube just so happens to run an ad-supported streaming service. Much like getting a book on The New York Times Best

With a good virtual private network (VPN) , you can stream TV shows and events from all over the world, protect your information from hackers and thwart those online trackers that watch you sleep and show you weird personalized ads. Although we strongly recommend using a VPN , jumping on the first deal that comes along might get you stuck with a substandard app. Beyond that, even otherwise respectable VPNs sometimes frame their prices in misleading ways, with advertised deals not always as avail

Behringer is no stranger to remaking classic synthesizers and selling them at much cheaper price points . However, this latest release may just take the budget-friendly cake. The company just introduced the UB-1 Micro , previously called the Spirit, a portable analog synth inspired by the Oberheim Matrix line that costs just $49. Despite the price tag, this thing still manages to sound extremely beefy. It features a pair of digitally controlled oscillators (DCOs) based on the Oberheim Matrix 6 a

The big ticket tech gifts may get the lion's share of attention during the holidays, but it's surprising how much people appreciate small and thoughtful accessories and gadgets. We picked out a dozen such stocking stuffers for under $50 perfect for a little something extra for a loved one or a welcome gift for a coworker. Just be sure to check the shipping windows to make sure these handy gizmos will arrive in time. Here are some of our favorite techie gift ideas that come in at $50 or less. Be

The entertainment industrys most well-known awards show is heading to streaming. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has announced that the Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, will exclusively air on YouTube starting in 2029. The new deal means the awards show is abandoning its long-time partnership with ABC (owned by frequent Oscars heavyweight, The Walt Disney Company), though the Oscars will continue to air on the network through its 100th anniversary in 2028. T

For many folks, working from home is simply the new normal. If youre looking to treat someone who spends most of their time in the home office, this holiday season is as good a time as any to make their daily routine a little more convenient. As a collection of remote workers ourselves, we at Engadget have rounded up a few gift ideas that should add a bit more delight to the WFH life. Best gifts for remote workers Check out the rest of our gift ideas here. This article originally appeared on Eng

The creators of the Hitman series have honed their style of- open-ended and spectacle-driven sandboxes across several games, and now they're taking their signature immersive gameplay to the world of James Bond. With 0 07 First Light , developer IO Interactive is crafting an origin story for the globetrotting British spy, showing how he undertook daring missions at the start of his career to eventually become the world's most infamous agent. Before the reveal at The Game Awards of 007 First Light

With a new year just around the corner, now is the perfect time to take stock of your finances. A budgeting app can help with that, and right now you can get 50 percent off your first year of a Monarch Money plan. All you need to do is enter the code MONARCHVIP at checkout and youll pay $50 for the initial 12 months instead of the regular price of $100. Note that the offer only applies to new users. Monarch Money was the runner-up in our guide to the best budgeting apps in 2025, and it was defin

Uber and DoorDash are challenging a forthcoming NYC law that encourages tipping on food-delivery apps, as reported by The New York Times . The two entities have filed a joint federal lawsuit just ahead of the ruling going into effect next month. Back in 2023, many food delivery apps in the city moved the tip suggestion box to after purchases had been completed. This is sort of how rideshare apps work. It followed NYC mandating a minimum pay rate for food delivery workers , the first in the count