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Google might have been officially ruled to have a monopoly, but we're still a long way from figuring out exactly what that determination will change at the tech company. Today, the US Department of Justice filed notice of a plan to cross-appeal the decision last fall that Google would not be required to sell off the its Chrome browser. The agency's Antitrust Division posted about the action on X. According to Bloomberg , a group of states is also joining the appeal filing. At the time of the 202

If you had trouble using ChatGPT today, you aren't alone. The AI chatbot experienced a partial outage for many users this afternoon, with Down Detector saw reports reaching more than 12,000 reports around the peak point of the issue today.. OpenAI issued a status update shortly after noting that elevated error rates were occurring for ChatGPT and Platform users. That problem was marked as resolved at 5:14PM ET. While the initial outage may be repaired, OpenAI does still have an active status ale

2K owner Take-Two has paused development on Borderlands 4 for the Nintendo Switch 2, the company shared during its Q3 2026 earnings presentation . The Switch 2 port was originally planned to be released on October 3, 2025, a few weeks after the game's September 12 launch on all other platforms, but was indefinitely delayed on September 23. We made the difficult decision to pause development on that SKU, Take-Two told Variety . Our focus continues to be delivering quality post-launch content for

If you've had trouble using ChatGPT today, you aren't alone. The AI chatbot is experiencing a partial outage for many users this afternoon. Down Detector reports of issues with the service leapt from almost nothing to more than 12,000 around 3PM ET. Down Detector OpenAI issued a status update noting that elevated error rates are occurring for ChatGPT and Platform users. All 13 components of ChatGPT are marked as having degraded performance on the OpenAI status page. We are working on implementin

Apple has just released Xcode 26.3 , and it's a big step forward in terms of the company's support of coding agents. The new release expands on the AI features the company introduced with Xcode 26 at WWDC 2025 to give systems like Claude and ChatGPT more robust access to its in-house IDE. With the update, Apple says Claude and OpenAI's Codex can search documentation, explore file structures, update project settings, and verify their work visually by capturing Xcode Previews and iterating through

Fitbit's founders have a new startup. Two years after leaving Google , James Park and Eric Friedman announced a new platform that shifts the focus from the individual to the family. They say the Luffu mobile app uses AI quietly in the background to collect and organize family health information. At Fitbit, we focused on personal health but after Fitbit, health for me became bigger than just thinking about myself, Park said in a press release. The app is particularly focused on the CEO of the fa

Sony's wireless WH-1000XM6 headphones are on sale for $398 via Amazon . This is a record-low price, as it drops $62 from the price tag. The sale applies to all three colorways. These easily topped our list of the best wireless headphones . They are, in a word, fantastic. The headphones are packed with premium features , like advanced ANC. There are a whopping 12 ANC microphones throughout and a brand-new chip to power the feature. The end result? It successfully blocks background noise at medium

When it comes to making a great cup at home, us coffee nerds are constantly learning and love to try new things. Whether the person youre shopping for is a newly indoctrinated pour over lover or obsessive over every brewing parameter, weve compiled a list of the best gear for coffee geeks that you can get. Spanning brewing, grinding and, of course, drinking, weve got a range of options that can help the java geek in your life expand their at-home setup or just try something new. And for the pers

So you've decided you need a virtual private network to hide your browsing activity from your ISP, change your virtual location, stay safe on public Wi-Fi and enjoy all the other benefits . The inevitable next question is: Should I pay for one? If so, how much? All the best VPNs cost money, but it can be hard to tell an overpriced service apart from one that's priced according to its value. On this page, I'll share the costs for top VPN services, calculate the industry average and explain what m

Stop me if you've heard this one before. Disney has announced a successor to outgoing CEO Bob Iger, effective in March. Josh DAmaro, current chairman of Disney Experiences, was tapped for the role in a unanimous vote by the company's board of directors. DAmaro has been at Disney for 28 years, where he oversaw theme parks, cruises and consumer products including video games. The company had previously appointed Bob Chapek, the Disney Parks chairman at the time, as successor to Bob Iger in 2020. A

Microsoft has revealed the first wave of Xbox Game Pass additions for February, and it feels like there's a bit of something for everyone this time around. Two of the titles land on the service today across the Game Pass Ultimate, Premium and PC Game Pass tiers: Final Fantasy II (cloud, Xbox Series X/S and PC) and Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii (cloud, console, handheld and PC). Final Fantasy II is a remodeled 2D take on the classic 1988 RPG, while Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a wild-looki

Samsungs 2025 was filled with new foldables , an ultra-thin new form factor and the launch of Google's XR platform . After making some announcements at CES 2026 , the company is expected to host its first Galaxy Unpacked of the year in February to introduce the Galaxy S26 lineup. Official invites have yet to be shared, but the date is widely expected to be near the end of the month. Whenever it does happen, Engadget will be covering Galaxy Unpacked live, and we'll most likely have hands-on cover

The Dyson PencilVac stick vacuum is finally available for purchase in the US after being revealed . It costs $600. The company says this is the world's slimmest vacuum cleaner. We haven't broken out any rulers to confirm that statement, but it's certainly a ridiculously thin stick vac. It achieves this thinness by using a motor inspired by the company's . This is a small motor that can actually rest in the shaft, so there's not a noticeable bulge where the components have been placed. This stick

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ is a surprisingly powerful ultraportable held back by a clunky trackpad. It's a shame, really, because it's very well-designed and thanks to Intels Panther Lake CPU , it can even run games like Arc Raiders without breaking a sweat. It also has more ports than most thin and light machines, its OLED screen is great for productivity work and at three pounds it's easy to carry around all day. But curse its mechanical trackpad why does it even exist when Apple, Microsoft and

Netflix is back with another livestream production guaranteed to excite K-POP fans worldwide. The streamer has announced that BTS will be performing live on Netflix . It marks the band's first performance after almost four years the members took a hiatus to complete South Korea's mandatory military service. The live concert will air on Saturday, March 21, one day after BTS releases their new album Arirang and will be aptly titled BTS The Comeback Live | Arirang . The show will physically take p

Spain will join the growing list of countries banning access to social media for children, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced Tuesday. The law will apply to users under 16 years of age amidst a broader push to hold social media companies accountable for hate speech, social division and illegal content. Speaking at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, Prime Minister Sanchez excoriated social media, calling it a failed state where laws are ignored and crime is endured. He spoke to the import

Amazon is running a sale on two of its newest devices. First, there's the Echo Show 8 , which is down to $150 from $180 a 17 percent discount. Next up is the Echo Show 11 , which is more or less the same device, just bigger. This model has dropped 18 percent to $180 from $220. Both deals bring the Echo Shows down to new all-time low prices. The Echo Show 8 and 11 came out in mid-November with the main difference being screen size. The Echo Show 8 has an 8.7-inch HD screen that Amazon claims is

Even in 2026, VR still feels like tech that isn't quite ready for prime time. When Nintendo released the original Virtual Boy way back in 1995, it was hard for my 10-year-old brain to comprehend a 3D console with a bipod, a facemask and a monochrome red display. Then, when you factor in weak sales that led to the system being discontinued after only a year, you end up with a gadget that felt more like a mythical creature than something you could actually buy. But that's changing later this month

New Mario sports games typically only come around once in a generation. So to get a fresh installment of tennis featuring a deep roster of characters this early in the Switch 2's lifecycle is rather exciting. And after getting a chance to play Mario Tennis Fever prior to its official release on February 12, the best entry to the franchise yet might only be a couple of weeks away. Once again, Mario Tennis Fever relies on the series' familiar mix of topspin, slice and flat (power) shots used in pr

NASA started making the final preparations for the Artemis 2 mission in early January, with the hopes of opening its launch window as soon as February 6. After issues showed up during the missions wet dress rehearsal in the early hours of February 3, however, the agency had to push back its earliest launch opportunity to March. With more than three years between SLS launches, we fully anticipated encountering challenges. That is precisely why we conduct a wet dress rehearsal. These tests are des

Tax season is fast approaching, and unfortunately for 2026, Direct File isn't an option anymore . The free, government-provided service was shut down, so you'll need to look to other federal programs, including IRS Free File , to file your paperwork. If you don't qualify for Free File , TurboTax might be your best bet for a relatively cheap, efficient way to file your taxes. While it pains us to suggest you give money to a company that has spent decades lobbying to ensure America's tax system re

If you've been inside all winter gaming then it might be time to upgrade your gear . Right now, the 8Bitdo Pro 3 Bluetooth Controller is available for just over $48, down from $70. The 31 percent discount is the lowest price we've seen yet for the controller. Notably, the sale is only available on the Gray model. The new 8Bitdo Pro 3 came out in August and offers TMR Joysticks with a 12-bit ADC sampling chip. It also has a Trigger Mode Switch, 2 Pro paddle buttons and swappable magnetic ABXY but

The peak time for deals on streaming services the holiday shopping season has come and gone, but Disney is back with a fresh offer for the new year. New and eligible returning subscribers can get one month of the ad-supported Disney+ Hulu bundle for just $10. That's $3 off the usual monthly rate for the bundle, and more than 58 percent off if you consider the prices for each service individually (Disney+ at $12 per month and, separately, Hulu also at $12 per month). We'd be remiss if we didn't

Proton VPN is running a solid deal right now, dropping its two-year Proton VPN Plus plan to $2.99 per month. That works out to $72 billed upfront for the first 24 months, which represents a 70 percent discount compared to its regular pricing. Weve rated Proton VPN highly thanks to its strong privacy credentials, transparent nonprofit backing and consistently fast performance. Its one of the services we recommend in our guide to the best VPNs , and this deal also shows up alongside other standout

Like some sort of corporate Russian doll, SpaceX has announced its acquisition of xAI. The merger will form the most ambitious, vertically integrated innovation engine on (and off) Earth, according to, well, owner Elon Musk. The AI company, arguably best known for its ongoing CSAM-generating chatbot controversy, might seem like a strange fit for a rocket company. But SpaceX is apparently key to Musks latest scheme to build AI data centers in space. There might be an argument for moving the resou

Paris prosecutors announced that a search was underway at offices belong to Elon Musks X platform as part of an ongoing investigation first launched in January 2025 . The raid is being conducted by Paris and national cybercrime units, with support from Interpol, according to post from Paris prosecutors on X. Officials from X have yet to comment on the matter. At the same time, Paris prosecutors issued summonses to Elon Musk and Linda Yaccarino for voluntary interviews on April 20, 2026 in Paris.

Finding the best iPhone 17 case or the best iPhone 17 Pro cases is about more than basic drop protection. The best iPhone cases add useful features like MagSafe compatibility, grippy finishes and protection for camera lenses, all without adding unnecessary bulk to your new iPhone. Whether you prefer slim, scratch resistant designs, matte finishes or leather cases that feel a bit more premium, there are plenty of strong top picks to choose from. Weve rounded up the best picks for both the iPhone

The original Switch just became Nintendos best-selling console ever with 155.37 million units as of December 31, 2025, overtaking the DS which sold 154.02 million units from 2004-2011. It was part of a holiday surge that saw the company move 7.01 million Switch 2s (and 17.37 million through Q3 of its fiscal year), making it the fastest-selling dedicated video platform released by Nintendo to date, the company said in its earnings report . Despite being supplanted by the Switch 2, the Switch keep

Most people think of AirTags when they picture a Bluetooth tracker. And indeed, Apples little white discs were once the only capable option, relying on a vast finding network of nearby iPhones to pinpoint lost tags. But now Google has a finding network of its own, and third party brands like Chipolo, Hyper and Pebblebee have trackers that pair with your choice of Google or Apples network. That means youve got a lot of options for tagging and tracking your keys, backpacks, luggage and more. We te

Anime fans won't be getting any respite from the streaming service price hikes that now feel inevitable on every platform every couple of years. Crunchyroll announced today that it will be increasing the monthly costs for all its plans by $2. That means the Fan tier will now run you $10 a month, the Mega Fan Tier is $14 a month and the Ultimate Fan Tier is $18 a month. The platform introduced its Mega Fan and Ultimate Fan options in 2020, with both at long last giving viewers an option to watch

Moltbook bills itself as a social network for AI agents. That's a wacky enough concept in the first place, but the site apparently exposed the credentials for thousands of its human users. The flaw was discovered by cybersecurity firm Wiz, and its team assisted Moltbook with addressing the vulnerability. The issue appears to be the result of the entire Reddit-style forum being vibe-coded; Moltbook's human founder posted a few days ago on X that he didn't write one line of code for the platform a

Elon Musks SpaceX has acquired Musks xAI, the companies announced . The merger will form the most ambitious, vertically-integrated innovation engine on (and off) Earth, with AI, rockets, space-based internet, direct-to-mobile device communications and the worlds foremost real-time information and free speech platform, Musk wrote in an update. The AI company that right now is best known for its CSAM-generating chatbot might seem like a strange fit for a rocket company. But SpaceX is key to Musks

Ubisoft continues to raise eyebrows around how it is treating employees as it attempts a business overhaul. David Michaud-Cromp, a level design team lead at Ubisoft Montreal, said last week that he was suspended for three days without pay after voicing opposition to the company's return to office mandate. Today, Michaud-Cromp posted on LinkedIn that he has been fired. I was terminated by Ubisoft, effective immediately, he wrote. This was not my decision. A spokesperson for Ubisoft gave Kotaku th

France may take additional steps to prevent minors from accessing social media platforms. As its government advances a proposed ban on social media use for anyone under age 15, some leaders are already looking to add further restrictions. During an appearance on public broadcast service Franceinfo, Minister Delegate for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Affairs Anne Le Hnanff said VPNs might be the next target. If [this legislation] allows us to protect a very large majority of children, we wi

Like practically every other tech company under the sun, Mozilla has been jamming generative AI features into its products . The organization has now acknowledged that not everyone wants things like plagiarism machines chatbots in the Firefox sidebar , so its giving you the option to turn off all of that. On February 24 (or earlier in Firefox Nightly builds), Mozilla will roll out Firefox 148 , which will include an AI controls section in the desktop browser settings. From here, youll be able to

Sony's long-anticipated flagship WF-1000XM6 earbuds have leaked online, according to a report by The Walkman Blog and posts on Reddit . The retailer Power Buy posted a listing for the earbuds, complete with multiple photos and some specs. Let's get to the specs. We don't know a lot, but the listing does suggest the earbuds will boast an IPX4 water-resistance rating and ANC/transparency modes. None of this is all that surprising, though we don't have any details regarding the audio drivers or any

Buying a good budget phone can be a challenge. High-end handsets continue to get more features, but on the other end of the spectrum, there are only so many things you can skimp on before a device becomes too compromised. With the Galaxy A17, Samsung is trying to balance both sides of that equation with something that sports a solid design, a bright screen, decent cameras and respectable battery life for just $200. And despite some flaws, the company has succeeded at making a capable phone that

ASUS ROG just announced the Kithara gaming headset , which is a device intended to bring audiophile-grade sound to gaming. It was developed in conjunction with manufacturer HiFiMan , a company that specializes in high-end audio devices . The Kithara is the company's first open-back planar magnetic gaming headset. ROG says it was designed to please gamers who demand absolute clarity, precision and realism. The headphones feature 100mm planar magnetic drivers that have been tuned specifically for

Since last spring, OpenAI has offered Codex . What started life as the company's response to Claude Code is becoming something more sophisticated with the release of a new dedicated macOS app. At its most basic form, Codex is a programming agent capable of writing code for users, but now it can also manage multiple AI assistants that can work together to complete more complex tasks. OpenAI gives an example of how this could work in practice. The company used Codex to create a Mario Kart-like rac

While it's important to stay informed about what's going on in the world, endlessly scrolling through your social media feeds and absorbing what's likely to be a largely negative influx of information can't be great for your mental wellbeing. Perhaps with an eye on stopping you from doomscrolling, developer Lyra Rebane created Xikipedia , a social media-style feed of Wikipedia entries. The web app algorithmically displays info from Simple Wikipedia. It is made as a demonstration of how even a ba

It looks like Grok is still being gross. Elon Musk says his chatbot stopped making sexualized images without a person's consent, but The Verge recently discovered this is not entirely true. It maybe (and I say maybe) stopped undressing women without their consent, but this doesn't seem to apply to men. A reporter with the organization ran some tests with Grok and found that the bot readily undresses men and is still churning out intimate images on demand. He confirmed this with images of himself

It's become cliche to say that we live in a golden age of board games, but to paraphrase the great stoic philosopher Andy Bernard, it's great to know you're in the good old days before you've left them. Great titles are still coming out by the thousands every year, from crowd-pleasing party games to genre-bending, theme-heavy Euros. Whether the gamer in your life is looking for a mind-warping challenge, a fun evening with friends or something in-between, we've got new releases or old favorites t

The New England Patriots are headed to the 2026 Super Bowl. (Lauren Leigh Bacho via Getty Images) Lauren Leigh Bacho via Getty Images MVP candidate Drake Maye and the New England Patriots face Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks at Super Bowl LX , which will be held at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA this year. It's hard to believe we're less than a week away from the championship game, which will be held this Sunday, Feb. 8 with kickoff scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET. But before we can get to al

Almost three years after starting the bargaining process with Microsoft, quality assurance workers at two Blizzard locations have ratified a union contract . The agreement covers 60 workers at Blizzard Albany and Blizzard Austin. The agreement includes guaranteed pay increases across the three years of the contract, assurances that workers will be given fair credits and recognition on games that ship, discrimination-free disability accommodations, restrictions on crunch (i.e. mandatory overtime)

ExpressVPN is back on sale again, and its two-year plans are up to 81 percent off right now. You can get the Advanced tier for $88 for 28 months. This is marked down from the $392 that this time frame normally costs. On a per-month basis, it works out to roughly $3.14 for the promo period. Weve consistently liked ExpressVPN because its fast, easy to use and widely available across a large global server network. In fact, it's our current pick for best premium VPN . One of the biggest drawbacks ha

The big game is one of the few instances now in the US where most people gather around the TV to watch the live event together. While the teams playing in Super Bowl 2026 are the true stars of the show (and Bad Bunny , of course), your TV is a pretty important part of the puzzle of putting together an excellent Super Bowl party. Maybe youve been thinking about replacing an aging set, or youre itching for a full refresh of your home theater setup either way, youll want to try to get a good deal

Whether you're one of the few people still keeping up with New Year's resolutions or just want an upgraded smartwatch, now is a good time to get an Apple Watch. Currently, the Apple Watch Series 11 is on sale for $299, down from $399. The 25 percent discount brings the 2025 model back down to its record-low price. We named the Apple Watch Series 11 as our choice for best smartwatch overall . It scored a 90 in our review thanks to its 24 hours-plus of battery life and a thin, light design that's

While the main series might be over , Netflix is far from done with Stranger Things . The first spin-off to hit the streaming service will be Stranger Things: Tales From 85 . The company had said that the animated show would arrive sometime this year and now, alongside a new trailer, it confirmed a release date of April 23. The trailer is a bit of an odd watch given that Stranger Things wrapped up only a month ago. Going from that to this animated style with a whole new voice cast is jarring, bu

We've finally made it to February, but, with the ongoing long nights, you might want a pick-me-up to get you through the rest of winter. Take the Apple iPad mini with the A17 Pro chip , which is on sale for $400, down from $500. Its small size is perfect for cozying up on the couch or to use on your daily commute. Apple released this iPad mini in late 2024 and it was a solid update. We gave it an 83 in our review thanks to the power of its A17 Pro chip and that it comes with a minimum of 128GB o

It's big-game season, which means it's a good time to look for home theater gear on sale ahead of Super Bowl 2026. There are plenty of Super Bowl TV deals to consider, but if you have arguably the most important piece of the puzzle down, you may want to upgrade your sound system instead. Sonos' latest sale may have just what you need; a bunch of the company's home theater gear is up to 20 percent off right now. You can save $130 on the Beam (Gen 2) soundbar , bringing its price down to $369, and