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At the start of the month, Elon Musk announced that two of his companies SpaceX and xAI were merging , and would jointly launch a constellation of 1 million satellites to operate as orbital data centers. Musk's reputation might suggest otherwise, but according to experts, such a plan isn't a complete fantasy. However, if executed at the scale suggested, some of them believe it would have devastating effects on the environment and the sustainability of low Earth Earth orbit. Musk and others arg

The office of the Attorney General for West Virginia announced Thursday that it has filed a lawsuit against Apple alleging that the company had knowingly allowed its iCloud platform to be used as a vehicle for distributing and storing child sexual abuse material. The state alleges this went on for years but drew no action from the tech giant under the guise of user privacy. In the lawsuit, the state repeatedly cites a text from Apple executive Eric Friedman, in which he calls iCloud the greatest

Last years Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition was significant for a few reasons. It was the final major first-party Switch game ahead of the Switch 2s arrival in June, and the last doomed Wii U game to be granted a second life on Nintendos infinitely more successful console. Nearly a year on, a Switch 2 update for one of the most technically impressive games Nintendo has ever published has finally arrived. Somewhat hilariously titled Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition - Nintendo

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

We found the iPhone Air to have a pretty decent battery life for such a thin-and-light phone, somewhere in the region of 27 hours if youre continuously streaming video. But it's still a phone, arguably your most used device on a daily basis, so you may need to top it up during the day if you're using it constantly. Thats where Apples iPhone Air MagSafe battery pack comes in, and its currently on sale for $79. This accessory only works with the iPhone Air, but much like the phone it attaches to,

Anker rolled out a bunch of new chargers and other gear at CES 2026 , including a cute one that's already on sale. The new Nano charger with smart display, which is an upgrade to the existing Nano charger in Anker's lineup, is on sale for $30 right now for Prime members. That's $10 off the regular price. The 45W charger includes a smart display that shows real-time data like power flow, temperature and charging status. It also features fun animations to keep things cheerful. Anker says it can re

A decision to ban Telegram on home soil may have backfired on the Kremlin. Last week, Russia went on a blocking spree , banning a number of Western apps in an effort to push domestic users towards Max, an unencrypted state-owned app. One of the restricted apps was WhatsApp (which was also blocked) rival Telegram, a move that drew rare internal criticism from soldiers and pro-war bloggers, with the army being heavily reliant on the cloud-based messaging service for communications. As reported by

Good deals on Apple products arent as frequent as wed like them to be, but if theres one of the companys products that does seem to enjoy pretty regular price cuts, its the AirTag . Right now you can pick up a four-pack of Apples diminutive first-generation Bluetooth trackers for $64, which translates to 35 percent off and a near record low price. Bear in mind that this deal brings the price per AirTag down to about $16 if you were to buy them individually, and when not on sale they usually cost

If you're an iPhone user who likes to keep tabs on where your stuff is, you can't go far wrong with an AirTag . The second-gen model that Apple just released outpaces the original in every way (aside from the galling lack of a keyring hole, that is). While it's easy enough to replace the battery in both versions of the AirTag, you might not want to have to worry about the device's battery life for a very long time. Enter Elevation Lab's extended battery case for the AirTag, which is currently on

Meta is reportedly gearing up to enter another segment of the wearables market. According to The Information , the company is planning to release its first smartwatch sometime this year. Meta has revived its smartwatch initiative internally called Malibu 2, The Information says, which will come with Meta AI and health tracking. The same publication reported back in 2021 that Meta was working on a smartwatch powered by an open-source version of Android. Over the next year, more details of its pos

Portable Bluetooth speakers have become an easy default for listening away from your desk or living room. Theyre the kind of tech you grab without thinking, whether youre heading outside, cleaning the house or packing for a weekend away. The best portable options manage to sound bigger than they look, delivering clear audio without weighing down your bag. Battery life and durability matter just as much as sound quality now. Many modern speakers are built to survive splashes, dust and the occasio

Mark Zuckerberg took the stand Wednesday in a high-profile jury trial over social media addiction. In an appearance that was described by NBC News as combative, the Facebook founder reportedly said that Meta's goal was to make Instagram useful not increase the time users are spending in the app. On the stand, Zuckerberg was questioned about a company document that said improving engagement was among company goals, according to CNBC . But Zuckerberg claimed that the company had made the conscious

Last year Dyson introduced the PencilVac , which it immediately declared the worlds slimmest vacuum cleaner. Presumably, then, the title of worlds slimmest wet floor cleaner goes to the newly unveiled PencilWash. Promising a lighter, slimmer and smaller solution to wet cleaning without compromising on hygiene, the PencilWash is designed to let you clean everywhere you need to with minimal hassle. Like the vacuum cleaner with which it shares the first part of its name, the handle measures just 1.

Google has announced that using its newly incorporated Lyria 3 model, Gemini users will be able to generate 30-second music tracks based on a prompt, or remix an existing track to their liking. The new model builds on Gemini's pre-existing ability to generate text, images and video, and will also be available in YouTube's Dream Track feature, where it can be used to generate detailed backing tracks for Shorts. Like some other music generation tools, prompting Gemini doesn't require a lot of deta

The long-awaited cyberpunk platformer Replaced just got hit with a short delay . The pixel-art game was supposed to come out on March 12 , but will now be released on April 14. That's just a month, which isn't that big of a deal considering this game has been on our radar for five years . Why the delay? Developer Sad Cat Studios notes that the game is technically finished but the team needs a few more weeks for polish. The company says it wants the day-one release to be polished, stable and true

The Winter Olympics have been a blast so far, and there are still four days left. It's the perfect time to get ahold of a virtual private network (VPN) and check out how the games are broadcast in other countries all while improving your cybersecurity . By connecting to a VPN every time you get online, you can keep your activity hidden from your ISP and anyone to whom it may sell that data, while streaming sports and TV from across the globe. We strongly recommend using a VPN , but shopping for

Nevada is taking action against the rapidly growing Wild West of prediction markets. The state's gambling regulators and attorney general sued Kalshi on Tuesday. They accuse the company of bypassing Nevada law by operating a sports gambling market without proper licenses. In addition, they say Kalshi provides services to individuals under 21, which violates state law. The lawsuit follows a federal appeals courts rejection of Kalshi's request to prevent the state from pursuing legal action. And i

Apple has scheduled a product launch event, dubbed an Apple Experience, for March 4 at 9AM ET . The company is reportedly holding this event in NYC, London and Shanghai . Everyone loves shiny new products, so what can we expect to see at Apple's first launch event of 2026? We don't know anything for certain, but we have plenty of educated guesses that have been sourced from industry reports and speculation from analysts. Budget-Friendly MacBook There have been rumors swirling that Apple is prepa

Ticketing marketplace SeatGeek has announced a partnership with Spotify that will direct an artist's fans to its platform from the Spotify app. The integration is currently limited to a few participating venues for which SeatGeek is the primary ticket seller. While SeatGeek is one of the largest online marketplaces for the secondary ticketing market, the company's announcement makes clear that this Spotify integration only applies to venues where it's the primary ticketing company. For now, that

Now that pre-orders are open for the Google Pixel 10a, its time to see how it stacks up against last years Pixel 9a . At first glance, the two phones look very similar, and thats not a bad thing. Google hasnt tried to reinvent its budget-friendly formula this year, sticking to the same compact design, clean software experience and camera-first approach that made the 9a such a good value. Both phones share a lot in common, including 120Hz OLED displays, Googles Tensor G4 chip, strong computationa

Google debuted the Pixel 10a phone today. Pre-orders are open now and the smartphone will be available starting March 5. Although it's the new 2026 addition to the A series lineup, the Pixel 10a invites many comparisons with last year's Pixel 9a . For starters, the price is identical at $499. Design-wise, not much as changed. The back of the phone can lay flat, which has become a hallmark of the Pixel A collection, rather than wobbling around on a bulky camera housing. The screen is still 6.3 in

Google's A-series phones have offered some of the best value among midrange handsets for years, and after checking out the new Pixel 10a , I don't see that trend stopping anytime soon. Let's start with the specs. Starting at just $499, you get a vivid 6.3-inch OLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and 3,000 nits of peak brightness, 8GB of RAM and either 128GB or 256GB of onboard storage. The phone also features a durable aluminum frame along with a stronger Corning Gorilla Glass 7i panel in fron

Polestar is gearing up to launch three new models in the next two years, including a station wagon (estate or shooting brake) version of the Polestar 4 that harkens back to the company's Volvo roots. The Geely-owned Swedish company sold a record 61,000 EVs in 2025, but hopes that the new models will help it take an even bigger bite out of the market. We want to get more volume out of a bigger cake, CEO Michael Lohscheller said. Polestar currently offers two models in the US, the Polestar 3 and P

NordVPN is offering a significant discount on its two-year plans, with 70 percent off its Complete tier and up to 74 percent off overall. For the Complete tier, the deal brings the total cost down to $130 for 24 months. NordVPN regularly appears on Engadgets list of the best VPN services thanks to its wide server network, strong security tools and consistent performance across devices. NordVPNs latest promotion puts one of its most comprehensive plans at a price that undercuts many competing pre

Cameo, the platform where celebrities sell short, personalized videos, has scored a preliminary win in a trademark lawsuit against OpenAI. A California judge has ruled that the AI company's video generation tool Sora cannot use the term 'cameo' or any variation likely to cause confusion. A temporary restraining order in the case was originally granted in November of last year. The suit was first brought in response to a feature available within the Sora app at launch called 'Cameo' that allowed

Tesla has stopped using the term Autopilot to sell its cars in California, thereby avoiding a 30-day sales and manufacturing ban in the state. If youll recall, a California administrative law judge ruled in December that the automaker misled consumers by using the terms Autopilot and Full Self-Driving. The judge recommended the suspension, but the California DMV gave Tesla 60 days to remove any untrue and misleading language in its marketing materials. In its announcement, the DMV said Tesla has

Meta just announced a deal to buy millions of NVIDIA Blackwell and Rubin GPUs in a new long-term partnership. As part of that, the social media giant will deploy NVIDIA's Confidential Computing for WhatsApp, enabling AI-powered capabilities across the messaging platform while ensuring user data confidentiality and integrity. As part of the deal, Meta committed to using NVIDIA's Confidential Computing for WhatsApp messaging to allow AI inside the app while guaranteeing user data confidentiality.

Whether youre lifting, running or squeezing in a quick session between errands, the last thing you want is a cable getting in the way or earbuds that wont stay put. The best wireless headphones make it easier to focus on your workout, but not every pair is built to handle sweat, motion and long sessions. Fitness-focused headphones put different demands on design and performance. Secure fit, water resistance and dependable battery life matter just as much as sound quality, especially if you plan

Drones are no longer just niche toys for enthusiasts. Todays models are compact, increasingly affordable and capable of capturing sharp aerial photos and video with minimal effort. Whether youre curious about flying for the first time or looking to upgrade to a more advanced camera drone, the options available in 2026 are broader and more approachable than ever. Entry-level drones now offer features like GPS-assisted flight, return-to-home safety systems and automated shooting modes that take mu

YouTube is experiencing an outage across the United States, with users in other countries like Canada, India, the Philippines, Australia and Russia also having problems with accessing the website. The issue seems to have started at around 8 PM Eastern time and reached 338,000 reports on Downdetector before starting to taper down. More users reported having issues accessing the app, but I personally lost access to the web homepage first. As of 9:22 PM, users are still reporting being unable to ac

Texas is suing Wi-Fi router maker TP-Link for deceptively marketing the security of its products and allowing Chinese hacking groups to access Americans' devices, Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced . Paxton originally started looking into TP-Link in October 2025. Texas Governor Greg Abbott later prohibited state employees from using TP-Link products in January of this year. TP-Link is no longer owned by a Chinese company and its products are assembled in Vietnam, but Paxton's lawsuit clai

Well soon get a closer look at a bunch of features and updates Google has planned for Android and its other services. The company has confirmed that Google I/O 2026 will take place on May 19 and 20 . As always, Google will stream some of the keynotes and sessions for free, including the opening keynote (during which the company makes the bulk of its major I/O announcements). Although I/O is primarily a conference for developers, its typically where we first learn about major upcoming Android cha

Netflix has been in the game adaptation business for a while now, but until recently most of its attention had been on adapting video games. Thats still very much happening , but the streaming giant is also now buying up rights for board game IP too, with the latest being Asmodees Ticket to Ride . Netflix will look to greenlight a number of projects spanning TV, film and additional formats, it wrote in a press release. The first of these will be a feature film written by Ben Mekler and Chris Ami

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

Web designers of the world: The Automattic-owned WordPress.com is further embracing AI on its platform. On Tuesday, it expanded its one-off AI site builder into a persistent AI assistant for editing and media creation. In the site editor, the AI assistant can help with site-wide structure and design choices. For example, you can ask the chatbot to give me more font options that feel clean and professional or change my site colors to be brighter and bolder. It also includes image generation and w

Netflix is streaming its very first live MMA fight on May 16 . The combatants are one-time phenom Ronda Rousey and one-time actor Gina Carano. Both women have retired from the sport. Rousey left in 2016 and Carano left all the way back in 2009. In any event, they are both back for one night only. The featherweight bout will take place inside a hexagon cage and will stream globally. It's likely Netflix had to choose two retired fighters because current stars are under contracts with various promo

Fans of The Mandalorian and his tiny green apprentice Grogu are getting their best look yet at the duo's upcoming theatrical adventure, set for release this spring. Its hard to believe that it's been just over six years since the last Star Wars movie was released in theaters, followed by wall-to-wall coverage of so-called Star Wars Fatigue . The newest trailer, released today, clocks in at just over two minutes long and offers some new footage and details to sink our teeth into. Picking up after

Xbox has revealed the second batch of Game Pass additions for February. There are quite a few heavyweights in the mix this time, including Kingdom Come: Deliverance II and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Lets start with whats available today, though. Xbox previously said Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on Cloud, Xbox Series X/S, handheld and PC) would arrive today, while Avowed joins the Game Pass Premium library on Cloud, Xbox Series X/S and PC on the same day it hit

Snapchat is taking a page out of Meta's handbook. The social media platform has announced it will launch creator subscriptions for users. Meta-owned Instagram and Facebook currently offer a similar feature . On Snapchat , creator subscriptions will give users access to exclusive content across Snaps and Stories. They will also get priority replies and go ad-free on stories. Snapchat pitches the new feature as great way to give creators freedom to experiment and build a recurring income stream a

Nintendos Virtual Boy app is now available to download on Switch and Switch 2 as part of its Nintendo Classics offering. Youll need to have a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership to access the launch titles, and unlike Nintendos other retro emulators, this one also requires a dedicated accessory. As a reminder, the Virtual Boy was a portable tabletop system released in 1995, and the first console capable of rendering stereoscopic 3D graphics. It had a facemask with a monochrome red

During the flurry of CES 2026 news at the start of the year, it might have been easy to overlook Amazon's announcement that the Fire TV user interface is getting a revamp. But that redesign is rolling out starting today for US viewers. It will be available to users as a free update. The main visual updates for the streaming device's UI are a lot of rounded corners. But Amazon is also emphasizing speed in this new look, claiming that the improvements will offer 20 to 30 percent faster interaction

Despite its supremely sleek design, the iPhone Air actually has a pretty respectable battery life, lasting for somewhere in the region of 27 hours if youre continuously streaming video. But youre still going to be wary of it dying on you if youre on a trip or just having a particularly screen-heavy day. Thats where Apples iPhone Air MagSafe battery pack comes in, and its currently on sale for $79. This accessory only works with the iPhone Air, but much like the phone it attaches to, its extremel

Anker introduced a nifty little charger at CES 2026 , which is a refresh of the pre-existing Nano Charger . It's already on sale for $30 for Prime members, or $10 off its regular price. The 45W charger includes a smart display that shows real-time data like power flow, temperature and charging status. It also features fun animations to keep things cheerful. Anker says it can recognize what's being charged and automatically adjust certain metrics to ensure a longer battery lifespan. To that end,

AirTags are basically an essential accessory for iPhone users who want to keep track of things like their keys, wallet and backpack. While it's easy enough to replace the battery in both versions of the AirTag, you may not want to have to rush to do so at the end of the battery's roughly two-year lifespan. That's where Elevation Lab's extended battery case for the AirTag comes in, and it's heavily discounted right now: it's 30 percent off and down to $16. The case usually sells for $23, so that'

If you're looking to expand the storage on your Switch 2, the 512GB Samsung P9 microSD Express card is on sale right now for 33 percent off, marked down to $80 from $120. With component prices skyrocketing these days, it's getting increasingly rare to see good storage on sale, and 512GB for $80 is a much better deal than you'll currently find directly from Nintendo . The P9 boasts transfer speeds of up to 800MB/s, making moving games to the card that much faster. As for load times, in our testin

Apple released its new 14-inch MacBook Pro M5 in October with little fanfare. But, despite the underselling, we found the device to be a great upgrade to its predecessor and the best MacBook for creatives . Now, you can find out for yourself with less of a strain on your wallet, thanks to a big sale. Currently, B&H has discounts available for a variety of configurations. The cheapest option is the MacBook Pro M5 with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD. It's available in Space Black and Silver for $1,4

At this point, you can find discounts on AirTags fairly often but if you want to spend as little as possible, it's worth waiting for a discount like this. A four-pack of the first-gen Bluetooth trackers is on sale for $64, which is just about a record-low price (only $1 more). That's a 35 percent discount on the pack. Bear in mind that this deal brings the price per AirTag down to about $16 if you were to buy them individually, and when not on sale they usually cost $29. If you use Apple devices

The European Commission (EC) has opened an investigation into low-cost fast fashion retailer Shein. EC officials are concerned about the sale of illegal products, including child sexual abuse material , as well as the potentially addictive design of its shopping experience. The Commission found fellow low-cost retailer Temu in violation of the Digital Services Act after a similar investigation last year. The probe is being opened under the Digital Services Act , a set of EU rules governing onlin

X is facing yet another investigation into Grok's reported creation of nonconsensual sexual images on the platform. Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) has announced an inquiry into X regarding the harmful, intimate images and processing of EU and EEA individuals' personal data including children. In an 11-day period, X generated about three million sexualized images , an estimated 23,000 of which were of children. British nonprofit, the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) announce

Dont expect the Steam Deck to be easier to get anytime soon. Valve has posted a notice on the Steam Deck page with a warning that the handheld gaming console may be out of stock intermittently in certain regions due to memory and storage shortages. The company also reiterated that the more affordable Steam Deck LCD is no longer in production and will no longer be available once stocks run out. Valve started phasing out the LCD console back in December, which means the OLED handhelds are now the