Science/Tech News

NVIDIA can now sell its high-end AI chips to 'approved customers in China,' Trump says

NVIDIA is now allowed to sell its second-best H200 processors to China, rather than just the sanction-approved H20 model that China had previously declined to buy, President Trump wrote on Truth Social . The United States will collect a 25 percent tariff on those sales, the Commerce Department confirmed yesterday. Trump said that he informed China's President Xi Jinping of the decision and that he responded positively. The Commerce Department is finalizing details and the administration will take the same approach with AMD, Intel and other US companies. He added that the administration would protect National Security, so the latest Blackwell and upcoming Rubin chips are not part of the deal. The 25 percent tariff would be higher than the 15 percent the White House suggested in August. Though the administration won't allow NVIDIA to send its latest high-end chips, it was reportedly concerned that the company would lose business to Huawei if it was completely shut out of China's market, according to Reuters . No details about the number of H200 chips or which companies would be eligible to buy them were released. Offering H200 to approved commercial customers, vetted by the Department of Commerce, strikes a thoughtful balance that is great for America, NVIDIA said in a statement. The decision is not without controversy, though. Several Democratic US senators called it a colossal economic and national security failure that will aid China's industry and military. Republican representative John Mollenaar put it in even starker terms. NVIDIA should be under no illusions China will rip off its technology, mass-produce it themselves and seek to end NVIDIA as a competitor, he said. Despite the current restriction on Blackwell B200 processors, $1 billion worth of those and other high-end NVIDIA chips have made their way to China via black market sales, according to previous reports. That model, along with the H100 and H200, is far more capable than the H20 chip, which was designed to comply with export restrictions for sale to China. NVIDIA has said that the B200 chip is almost ten times faster than the H200 for some jobs, and the H200 is six times faster than the H20. Washington's approval doesn't mean that China will purchase NVIDIA's chips, as Beijing has previously told companies not to use US technology. Huawei is currently the most advanced company in that regard and recently unveiled a three-year plan to catch up with NVIDIA and AMD. However, AI chip experts like Richard Windsor have said NVIDIA's tech is still far ahead of anything that Huawei or other Chinese companies can currently produce. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/nvidia-can-now-sell-its-high-end-ai-chips-to-approved-customers-in-china-trump-says-130007458.html?src=rss

iFixit Put a Chatbot Repair Expert in an App

FixBot can check on the health of your devices and talk you through necessary repairs. You can even point your phone's camera at broken gear to get started.

How to Shop for a Mechanical Keyboard (2025): Switches, Materials, and Layouts Explained

Want to wade into the world of mechanical keyboards? We break down the terminology, phrases, and materials to make the experience less overwhelming.

The year age verification laws came for the open internet

When the nonprofit Freedom House recently published its annual report, it noted that 2025 marked the 15th straight year of decline for global internet freedom. The biggest decline, after Georgia and Germany, came within the United States. Among the culprits cited in the report: age verification laws, dozens of which have come into effect over the last year. Online anonymity, an essential enabler for freedom of expression, is entering a period of crisis as policymakers in free and autocratic countries alike mandate the use of identity verification technology for certain websites or platforms, motivated in some cases by the legitimate aim of protecting children, the report warns. Age verification laws are, in some ways, part of a years-long reckoning over child safety online, as tech companies have shown themselves unable to prevent serious harms to their most vulnerable users. Lawmakers, who have failed to pass data privacy regulations, Section 230 reform or any other meaningful legislation that would thoughtfully reimagine what responsibilities tech companies owe their users, have instead turned to the blunt tool of age-based restrictions and with much greater success. Over the last two years, 25 states have passed laws requiring some kind of age verification to access adult content online. This year, the Supreme Court delivered a major victory to backers of age verification standards when it upheld a Texas law requiring sites hosting adult content to check the ages of their users. Age checks have also expanded to social media and online platforms more broadly. Sixteen states now have laws requiring parental controls or other age-based restrictions for social media services. (Six of these measures are currently in limbo due to court challenges.) A federal bill to ban kids younger than 13 from social media has gained bipartisan support in Congress. Utah , Texas and Louisiana passed laws requiring app stores to check the ages of their users, all of which are set to go into effect next year. California plans to enact age-based rules for app stores in 2027 . These laws have started to fragment the internet. Smaller platforms and websites that don't have the resources to pay for third-party verification services may have no choice but to exit markets where age checks are required. Blogging service Dreamwidth pulled out of Mississippi after its age verification laws went into effect, saying that the $10,000 per user fines it could face were an existential threat to the company. Bluesky also opted to go dark in Mississippi rather than comply. (The service has complied with age verification laws in South Dakota and Wyoming, as well as the UK .) Pornhub, which has called existing age verification laws haphazard and dangerous, has blocked access in 23 states . Pornhub is not an outlier in its assessment. Privacy advocates have long warned that age verification laws put everyone's privacy at risk. Practically, there's no way to limit age verification standards only to minors. Confirming the ages of everyone under 18 means you have to confirm the ages of everyone. In practice, this often means submitting a government-issued ID or allowing an app to scan your face. Both are problematic and we don't need to look far to see how these methods can go wrong. Discord recently revealed that around 70,000 users may have had their government IDs leaked due to an incident involving a third-party vendor the company contracts with to provide customer service related to age verification. Last year, another third-party identity provider that had worked with TikTok, Uber and other services exposed drivers' licenses. As a growing number of platforms require us to hand over an ID, these kinds of incidents will likely become even more common. Similar risks exist for face scans. Because most minors don't have official IDs, platforms often rely on AI-based tools that can guess users' ages. A face scan may seem more private than handing over a social security number, but we could be turning over far more information than we realize, according to experts at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). When we submit to a face scan to estimate our age, a less scrupulous company could flip a switch and use the same face scan, plus a slightly different algorithm, to guess our name or other demographics, the organization notes . A poorly designed system might store this personal data, and even correlate it to the online content that we look at. In the hands of an adversary, and cross-referenced to other readily available information, this information can expose intimate details about us. These issues aren't limited to the United States. Australia , Denmark and Malaysia have taken steps to ban younger teens from social media entirely. Officials in France are pushing for a similar ban, as well as a curfew for older teens. These measures would also necessitate some form of age verification in order to block the intended users. In the UK, where the Online Safety Act went into effect earlier this year, we've already seen how well-intentioned efforts to protect teens from supposedly harmful content can end up making large swaths of the internet more difficult to access. The law is ostensibly meant to prevent young people from encountering harmful content relating to suicide, self-harm, eating disorders and pornography, according to the BBC . But the law has also resulted in age checks that reach far beyond porn sites. Age verification is required to access music on Spotify . It will soon be required for Xbox accounts . On X, videos of protests have been blocked. Redditors have reported being blocked from a lengthy number of subreddits that are marked NSFW but don't actually host porn, including those related to menstruation, news and addiction recovery. Wikipedia, which recently lost a challenge to be excluded from the law's strictest requirements, is facing the prospect of being forced to verify the ages of its UK contributors, which the organization has said could have disastrous consequences. The UK law has also shown how ineffective existing age verification methods are. Users have been able to circumvent the checks by using selfies of video game characters , AI-generated images of ID documents and, of course, Virtual Private Networks ( VPNs ). As the EFF notes , VPNs are incredibly widely used. The software allows people to browse the internet while masking their actual location. They're used by activists and students and people who want to get around geoblocks built into streaming services. Many universities and businesses (including Engadget parent company Yahoo) require their students and workers to use VPNs in order to access certain information. Blocking VPNs would have serious repercussions for all of these groups. The makers of several popular VPN services reported major spikes in the UK following the Online Safety Act going into effect this summer, with ProtonVPN reporting a 1,400 percent surge in sign-ups. That's also led to fears of a renewed crackdown on VPNs. Ofcom, the regulator tasked with enforcing the law, told TechRadar it was monitoring VPN usage, which has further fueled speculation it could try to ban or restrict their use. And here in the States, lawmakers in Wisconsin have proposed an age verification law that would require sites that host harmful content to also block VPNs . While restrictions on VPNs are, for now, mostly theoretical, the fact that such measures are even being considered is alarming. Up to now, VPN bans are more closely associated with authoritarian countries without an open internet, like Russia and China. If we continue down a path of trying to put age gates up around every piece of potentially objectionable content, the internet could get a lot worse for everyone. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/the-year-age-verification-laws-came-for-the-open-internet-130000979.html?src=rss

iFixits new app uses AI to help you repair your stuff

Weve all been there: You cant (or wont) get help when something breaks, but the YouTube clip doesnt cover your specific issue. Its what repair gurus at iFixit want to solve with FixBot , an AI-enabled app that talks you through whatever repair youre doing. The chatbot will help you diagnose the problem and then walk you step-by-step through the fix. Plus, its voice-enabled so you wont have to get your phone all smeary when youre elbows-deep in a job. After all, iFixits guides dont just cover fixing your electronics, but everything you might fancy doing yourself, from appliances through to cars and trucks. Unlike traditional AIs, FixBot has been trained on iFixits library of 125,000 guides, its forum and database of repair manuals. The company says theres less risk of hallucination as it pulls from and shows you the schematics its referencing to ensure you dont order the wrong gear. Users can even upload images from their phone, so the app can point out which bit is which. The company is open about its limitations: Its an AI, so its not bulletproof, and its knowledge only runs as far as its library. It can hunt elsewhere for manufacturer data and on other repair forums but youll be warned about the information it pulls from it. In addition, FixBot will keep an eye on your phones battery health in real time to tell you when its time to get a replacement. The tool is, for now, in beta, thanks to the fuzzy way some companies track their battery health, but iFixit is promising greater detail than what you currently get. Plus, when it is time to swap out your battery, you can order the parts and kit all within the app. FixBot is launching for free on both the App Store and Google Play but it wont remain that way forever. At some point, free users will switch to a version with access limits, and will be prompted to upgrade to the paid tier for $4.99 a month or $50 a year. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/ifixits-new-app-uses-ai-to-help-you-repair-your-stuff-130000091.html?src=rss

Build an AI-powered business with 40% off on Salesforces core platforms

Get 40% off Salesforces Sales, Marketing, and Service Cloud to run your business on one AI-driven platform. Automate workflows, turn data into insights, and boost productivity. With fast-track implementation, you can go live in two weeks and scale smarter at lower cost.

The Morning After: Techs biggest winners of 2025

As we wrap up 2025, were looking at the years biggest winners : the people, companies, products and trends that made the most impact over the year. Almost at the top of the pile, of course, are the tech billionaires. According to a recent report by Oxfam, the 10 richest US billionaires (who are all tech leaders, save for Warren Buffet) increased their wealth by $698 billion in 2025. Some of that has been spent treating and lavishing donations on President Trump. Elon Musk reportedly donated nearly $300 million to Trump and Republican allies, and several tech companies have pitched in to build the presidents White House ballroom. ALLISON ROBBERT via Getty Images Thanks to updates from Meta, Google, OpenAI and others, AI video is more realistic and easier to make than ever. AI video is everywhere. Its not only overtaken your Facebook and Instagram recommendations, but Meta created an entirely separate feed just for users AI-generated fever dreams. The numbers are huge: OpenAIs Sora, which lets you make AI videos of real people, was downloaded a million times in just a few days. And Googles Veo generated more than 40 million videos in a few weeks of launching. AI slop is here to stay, and its everywhere. We didnt say the winners would all be positive. But hey, the Switch 2 is great. Mat Smith The other big stories this morning Google and Apple partner on better AndroidiPhone switching Team Cherry is working on more Silksong content but wont say when itll be released How Google is laying the foundation for our mixed reality future Paramount and Netflix both want to spend billions on Warner Bros. Discovery Good news for WBD? The Warner Bros. studios water tower. (Reuters / REUTERS) Paramount wasnt going to let Netflix pick up Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) without a fight. Following the streaming services $82.7 billion deal to buy much of WBD, Paramount is making a hostile takeover bid of $108 billion, pitching directly to WBD shareholders with an all-cash offer of $30 per share, which expires on January 8. Last week, the WBD board unanimously accepted Netflixs offer of $27.75 per share. That breaks down to $23.25 per share in cash and another $4.50 per share in Netflix stock. Paramount, however, wants to pick up the entirety of WBD, while Netflix only wants the studios and streaming businesses. Whoever bought (or buys?) WBD would face government opposition from all sides. Paramount had already sent WBD a letter questioning the fairness and adequacy of the acquisition bidding process before its hostile takeover bid. President Trump warned the Netflix deal could be a problem. According to data from JustWatch, a combined Netflix and HBO would account for 33 percent of the US streaming video market. Continue reading. Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada is leaving Bandai Namco Tekkens leading face and voice for decades. Katsuhiro Harada is departing Bandai Namco at the end of 2025. He announced the news both with a farewell note shared on X and, of course, an hour-long DJ mix. Haradas 30-year career has been most closely involved with Tekken, and hes a familiar face in the fighting game community. Harada wrote on X: To everyone who has supported me, to communities around the world, and to all the colleagues who have walked alongside me for so many years, I offer my deepest gratitude. Continue reading. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-122328464.html?src=rss

The 26 Best Advent Calendars (2025): It's OK if You Start Late

Treat yourself or someone else to days of little gifts, ranging from sweet treats and savory beverages to beauty products and toys. We found a tiny door for everyone.

5 Essential character traits you need to build in 2026

Transform your mindset in 2026 with five traitsdiscipline, maturity, patience, accountability, and couragethat shape who you become.

Namma Yatri wins multi-year contract to power Bharat Taxis tech stack

Bharat Taxi is a new government-backed, cooperative ride-hailing app in India. According to Namma Yatris co-founder and COO, Shan M S, the service is being piloted in Delhi and Gujarat.

Why creators and founders will share the same stage at Rajasthan DigiFest TGS 2026

Rajasthan DigiFest X TiE Global Summit 2026 is building a bridge between technology and creativity through film, gaming, art, and storytelling.

Can Bike Riders and Self-Driving Cars Be Friends?

Some cycling advocates are on board with robotaxis. Others see the self-driving car boom as perpetuating auto dependency.

Americas Biggest Bitcoin Miners Are Pivoting to AI

In the face of a profitability crisis, industrial-scale bitcoin miners are transforming their data centers into AI factories.

The best budgeting apps for 2025

Over a year ago, I was prompted to look for another budgeting app. Intuit, parent company of Mint, the budgeting app I had been using for a long time, shut down the service in March 2024. The company encouraged Mint users to migrate to its other financial app, Credit Karma, but I found it to be a poor Mint replacement after trying it out. That sent me searching elsewhere to find an app to track all of my financial accounts, monitor my credit score, track spending and set goals like building a rainy-day fund and paying down my mortgage faster. If youre looking for a new budgeting app to get your finances straight, allow Engadget to help. I tried out Mint's top competitors in the hopes that I'd be able to find a new budgeting app that could handle all of my financial needs, and to see which are actually worth the money. 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, youll 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 whats left, and thats what youre supposed to be budgeting: your disposable income. Although PocketGuards UI is easy enough to understand, it lacks polish. The accounts tab is a little busy, and doesnt 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 doesnt take advantage of the extra screen real estate. Ultimately, now that the free tier is gone, it just doesnt 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 its 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 dont 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 youre using, youll see a menu of commonly used banks. Theres also a search field you can use to look yours up directly. Once you find yours, youll be prompted to enter your login credentials. If you have two-factor authentication set up, youll 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 didnt 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 Plaids 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 Karmas suite of features, products, tools and services, including some of Mints 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=rss

What one writers Nobel lecture reveals about AI and our future

The question is not whether art or human creativity will survive AI but whether the civilisation that deployed AI still has the imagination and moral vocabulary to make any new meaning at all

Google faces EU antitrust investigation into AI Overviews, YouTube

Google faces an EU antitrust investigation into its use of web publishers online content and YouTube videos for AI, the European Commission said

ChatGPT Enterprise users say they save 40 to 60 minutes per active day: OpenAI survey

The state of enterprise AI report by OpenAI observed that Enterprise users report saving 40 to 60 minutes per day thanks to AI, and being able to carry out new tasks such as data analysis and coding

Northern lights to light up sky on December 9: When, where and how to view the rare celestial event

A powerful solar storm is set to bring the Northern Lights to lower latitudes on December 9th. Skywatchers across many US states could witness vibrant auroral displays, extending far beyond their usual northern zones. Experts advise seeking dark, clear skies for the best chance to see this rare celestial event.

Startup news and updates: Daily roundup (December 9, 2025)

YourStory presents the daily news roundup from the Indian startup ecosystem and beyond. Heres the roundup for Tuesday, December 9, 2025.

Fairphone updates its over ear headphones with better sound

Two years ago, Fairphone launched a pair of modular, fully-repairable headphones called the Fairbuds XL . Now, the Dutch social enterprise is releasing an updated version where the focus isnt just on the quality of its hardware, but on the merits of its raw materials. The 2025 Fairbuds XL ship with new premium 40mm dynamic drivers and stronger N52 rated magnets for more power and enhanced bass response. Listeners should expect to hear improved accuracy in mid and high frequencies thanks to improved audio tuning. And theres a new paper-based speaker membrane thats more refined than what went before. Sound-quality is certainly improved over the predecessor, with cleaner bass and sharper mid and high tones. You can really hear how clean the sound is, especially when youre listening to something lush and orchestral. Going by my memory from two years ago, the ANC seems to be unchanged, able to deal with unwanted sounds like the tapping of my own keyboard with ease. Obviously, you shouldnt go in expecting the same sort of brilliant sound youd get from top tier manufacturers. Although I think Fairphone has likely closed the gap so while youre still a generation or two behind the bleeding edge, its not by a shameful degree. And, if were honest, if youre looking for a pair of cans thatll last you years and years, youre likely able to forgive the absence of the shiniest bells and whistles. Closeup image of the Fairbuds XL (2025) Daniel Cooper for Engadget Its easy to notice the design changes, too, with the more austere Fairphone logo and the use of solid plastic in place of the original speckled pattern. Sadly, that extends to the little pop of copper found on the four way joystick, which is now a different shade of the same colorway. I get it: A lot of people want their consumer electronics to blend in, but the loss of whimsy pains me a little. Theres some fairly minor but welcome quality of life improvements, including adding automatic power off after 30 minutes. Plus, buyers get the benefit of a three year warranty, and can rest assured the XL are Longtime certified. Longtime is a new European labeling standard for gear built to be long-lived, repairable and supported by a robust repair infrastructure. And, if you already own a pair of XLs, you can buy the new drivers and slot them into your existing cans. Side showing logo. Daniel Cooper for Engadget But, in line with Fairphones founding principles, the update is equally focused on the raw materials that have gone into making the 2025 XLs. The PU leather found in the ear cushions hardly a climate friendly material has been ditched in favor of Birds Eye Fabric. Thats a cotton fabric produced with a series of air holes for breathability more commonly found in athleisure products. Similarly the PU found in the headband gets replaced with fabric that reminds me of plenty of other high end sport headphones. Beneath the surface, the new model contains 100 percent fair mined cobalt, copper and silver via mining credits, at least. The rare earth metals used in the speaker magnets are now 100 percent recycled, and they were assembled in a facility using 100 percent renewable energy. Youll also find more than 90 percent recycled aluminum, and 80 percent recycled plastics, with the company pledging to recycle an equal amount of e-waste to every pair sold. Plus, as usual, Fairphone will pay the people who assemble the hardware a living wage bonus to ensure workers can cover their familys needs. Fairbuds XL are available to order today in Europe both from the Fairphone website and select third party retailers. If youre in the US, youll need to wait until later this month, but youll be able to pick them up via Amazon for $229. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/fairphone-updates-its-over-ear-headphones-with-better-sound-080000773.html?src=rss

Swiggy shareholders clear Rs 10,000 Cr fundraise fuelling quick commerce war

With Blinkit parent Eternal sitting on over Rs 18,000 crore in cash, Swiggy moves to bulk up its reserves to stay competitive in the capital-heavy race for speed, scale and customer frequency.

Apple to launch Fitness+ in India on Dec 15, subscription priced at Rs 149 per month

Apples fitness and wellness platform, Fitness+, is set for its biggest global rollout yet, allowing users access to the services 12 workout types.

Govt lost Rs 2.21 lakh crore in FY24 by providing exemptions to individual taxpayers

The revenue foregone from individual tax incentives climbed 42% over four years, from Rs 1.55 lakh crore in FY20 to Rs 2.21 lakh crore in FY24, according to data released by Ministry of Finance.

U.S. startup seeks to reclaim Twitter trademarks 'abandoned' by Musks X

The petition was filed by Stephen Coates, a former trademark lawyer at Twitter who now serves as Operation Bluebird's general counsel and runs a small law firm

U.S. FDA qualifies first AI tool to help speed liver disease drug development

The cloud-based system, called AIM-NASH, analyzes images of liver tissue to help doctors assess signs of diseases such as fat buildup, inflammation, and scarring

SoftBank, Nvidia looking to invest in Skild AI at $14 billion valuation

If successful, the funding will be at nearly triple Skild's valuation from the $4.7 billion it commanded in a $500 million Series B round earlier this year that saw participation from Nvidia, LG's venture capital arm and Samsung, among others, according to PitchBook data

Trump says to sign order blocking AI regulation by states

There must be only One Rulebook if we are going to continue to lead in AI, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform

India's Tata signs up Intel as first major customer for $14 billion chip foray

The electronics-manufacturing arm of the 156-year-old salt-to-software Tata group is investing about $14 billion

How can India benefit from neurotechnology? | Explained

What is a Brain-Computer Interface? Can such technologies be used for human enhancement or military advantage? How can neurotechnology help non-communicable and injury-related neurological disorders? How are other nations advancing?

On zoos and magnets: the physics behind sounds

Sounds are waves disturbances that move by pushing and pulling air molecules. Every sound can be counted by a number measuring how fast your vocal cords need to vibrate to generate it

The great Indian consumer reset; Maha, Karnataka top crypto TDS collections

PW clocked a profit of Rs 69.7 crore, compared with Rs 41.1 crore a year ago. This is particularly surprising, since it clocked a loss of Rs 127 crore in the June quarter.

Centre Court Capital closes maiden fund at Rs 410 Cr to invest in sports, social gaming cos

The firm will look to invest between Rs 8 crore and Rs 24 crore across 15 to 18 companies. It has already invested in six companies, with sports infrastructure company Michezo Sports being one of its most recent bets.

Letterboxd Video Store's first film rentals will be available this week

Letterboxd has introduced its first wave of exclusive digital film rentals for the companys previously announced Letterboxd Video Store. The inaugural collection is themed Unreleased Gems and includes four movies that received awards or acclaim during a film festival. The titles will be available to watch from Letterboxd from December 10 through January 9. Each film is limited to certain geographic markets and the prices will also vary both by title and country. The Unreleased Gems rental titles include It Ends , a mystery-horror that played at SXSW 2025; Sore: A Wife From the Future , which received eight nominations at the 2025 Indonesian Film Festival; Kennedy , a Hindi-language crime-thriller that premiered at Cannes Film Festival in 2023; and The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo , a drama which received the Un Certain Regard prize from this year's Cannes event. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/letterboxd-video-stores-first-film-rentals-will-be-available-this-week-235426596.html?src=rss

Congress removes right to repair language from 2026 defense bill

According to a statement from the Public Interest Research Group, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 has removed language that would have granted the US military the right to repair its own equipment rather than requiring it to use official defense contractors for maintenance. This bill is still being considered by Congress, but it is uncertain whether the right to repair language is likely to be re-introduced once it has been removed. Despite support from Republicans, Democrats, the White House and key military leaders, troops will keep waiting for repairs they could perform themselves, US PIRG Legislative Associate Charlie Schuyler said in a statement from the organization. Taxpayers will keep paying inflated costs. And in some cases, soldiers might not get the equipment they need when they need it most. A bipartisan bill from Senators Elizabeth Warren and Tom Sheedy was introduced earlier this year to allow the military right to repair access. The topic has been a more piecemeal affair for laypeople in the US, with some states enacting their own laws and federal regulators sometimes intervening to offer consumers more choice in how they seek repairs. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/congress-removes-right-to-repair-language-from-2026-defense-bill-231708835.html?src=rss

FTC upholds ban on stalkerware founder Scott Zuckerman

Zuckerman, who used to run the stalkerware apps SpyFone and SpyTrac, claimed the ban is hurting his unrelated business.

Katsuhiro Harada is leaving Bandai Namco after 30 years

Katsuhiro Harada is departing Bandai Namco at the end of 2025. He announced the news both with a farewell note shared on X and, in possibly the coolest exit ever, with an hour-long DJ mix. Harada's 30-year career has most closely been involved with Tekken and he's a familiar face in the fighting game community. He began as a voice actor in the original Tekken game and continued to do so even as he became a director for the series. He has worked on other Bandai Namco titles as a producer, both in and out of the fighting genre. Each project was full of new discoveries and learning, and every one of them became an irreplaceable experience for me, Harada wrote on X. To everyone who has supported me, to communities around the world, and to all the colleagues who have walked alongside me for so many years, I offer my deepest gratitude. He closed by saying that over his career, he never DJed at a tournament event. So to mark his departure, Harada posted a full set titled TEKKEN: A 30-Year Journey Haradas Final Mix to SoundCloud. Which is just the most swag move I can think of and a fun way to close out this chapter for fans of the franchise. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/katsuhiro-harada-is-leaving-bandai-namco-after-30-years-223156258.html?src=rss

SoftBank and Nvidia reportedly in talks to fund Skild AI at $14B, nearly tripling its value

Skild AI is developing a hardware-agnostic foundation model for robots that can be customized for various uses.

An AI copycat of King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard went unnoticed on Spotify for weeks

Despite making some moves to address the proliferation of AI-generated audio on its platform, Spotify failed to catch a copycat making imitations of music by King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. The long-running experimental rock band from Australia, has been a vocal critic of Spotify and was one of several artists that took their music off the platform in the summer. The move was in response to the discovery that outgoing CEO Daniel Ek was a leading investor in an AI-focused weapons and military company. Today, a poster on Reddit was recommended what appeared to be an AI-generated copy of one of the band's songs in Spotifys Release Radar playlist. The phony artist was called King Lizard Wizard and it had an album of tracks all sharing titles with songs by the original band and using their original lyrics. Futurism grabbed screenshots of the imposter, although it appears to have since been taken down; only the band's original page appears in searches for both their name and the AI name. However, the phony King Gizzard band's album went unnoticed by the company for weeks before today's social post surfaced it. The Reddit thread points to several other anecdotal cases where someone attempted to trick listeners with AI-generated versions of popular bands. In September, Spotify unveiled a spam filter for catching AI slop, as well as policies for disclosing AI use in the content it hosts and how it would tackle AI impersonations. An instance like this, particularly when it features an artist that had left the platform in protest, creates a pretty big question mark about how well those policies are working. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/an-ai-copycat-of-king-gizzard--the-lizard-wizard-went-unnoticed-on-spotify-for-weeks-220018144.html?src=rss

ICEBlock lawsuit: Trump admin bragged about demanding App Store removal

ICEBlock creator sues to protect apps that are crowd-sourcing ICE sightings.

Department of Commerce approves Nvidia H200 chip exports to China

This news comes as a bill was introduced in Congress last week to prevent these exact kinds of chip exports.

Googles AI try-on app Doppl adds a shoppable discovery feed

The tech giant says the idea behind the new feed is to display recommendations so users can discover and virtually try on items. Nearly everything in the feed is shoppable, with direct links to merchants.

Google and Apple partner on better Android-iPhone switching

Google and Apple have long existed as polar opposites, each ruling over their tech kingdoms with little interest in cooperation. But the latest build of Android's Canary operating system hints at an unusual instance of collaboration between the brands, with a new feature that seems aimed at making data transfer simpler between Android and iOS mobile device during the setup phase. It is expected to also be available in a future developer beta of iOS 26. A representative for Google confirmed that the report from 9to5Google on this development is accurate, but didn't provide any additional details on how the transfer will work. Each brand already has their own dedicated Switch to Android and Switch to iOS apps for making the swap between ecosystems, but making the transition easier at the operating system level and adding support for moving more types of data certainly sounds promising. That said, features can go through a fair bit of iteration between the dev betas and the final launch, and Android Canary is a very early stage of development, so we'll be curious to see what actually arrives on our smartphones. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/google-and-apple-partner-on-better-android-iphone-switching-204738960.html?src=rss

TikTok announces shared feed and collections features

TikTok just announced a couple of updates that that should make the app a bit more social. There's something called Shared Feed, which is exactly what it sounds like. It's a feed that friends and family can watch together, though at different times. This feed is shared via direct messaging and pulls up relevant content to everyone involved in the chat. TikTok says this is a new way to discover content together. It consists of a daily curated selection of 15 videos that are generated by TikTok activity. These feeds are shared via invitation and the participants can leave the chat at any time. There's also a new dashboard that lets viewers check out their Shared Like history and other metrics. The Shared Feed tool rolls out globally in the coming months. It sounds similar to something Instagram began offering earlier this year . Instagram is typically the one copying TikTok , so this is a nice change of pace. TikTok TikTok has also announced something called Shared Collections. This is like the aforementioned Shared Feed, but for saved content. The tool lets users collect, organize and share groups of videos, with TikTok citing that people could use it to share reading lists, local restaurants to try and, of course, products to buy. All you have to do is save a video, create a Shared Collection and send that list to someone else via direct message. Users must follow one another to access one of these lists. The tool is available globally right now to folks over the age of 16. Finally, TikTok is rolling out themed holiday cards that can be sent in direct messages. They will be available globally later this month. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/tiktok-announces-shared-feed-and-collections-features-193857725.html?src=rss

Claude Code is coming to Slack, and thats a bigger deal than it sounds

Anthropic launches Claude Code in Slack, letting developers delegate coding tasks from chat threads. It's part of a shift toward AI-embedded collaboration that could reshape software workflows.

For the First Time, Mutations in a Single Gene Have Been Linked to Mental Illness

Research links variations in the gene GRIN2A to a higher risk of developing schizophrenia and other forms of mental illness.

Meta will let Facebook and Instagram users in the EU share less data

Meta will soon allow Facebook and Instagram users in the European Union to choose to share less data and see less personalized ads on the platform, the European Commission announced . The change will begin to roll out in January, according to the regulator. This is the first time that such a choice is offered on Meta's social networks, the commission said in a statement. Meta will give users the effective choice between: consenting to share all their data and seeing fully personalised advertising, and opting to share less personal data for an experience with more limited personalised advertising. The move from Meta comes after the European Commission had fined the company 200 million over its ad-free subscription plans in the EU, which the regulator deemed consent or pay . Meta began offering ad-free subscriptions to EU users in 2023 , and later lowered the price of the plans in response to criticism from the commission. Those plans haven't been very popular, however, with one Meta executive admitting earlier this year that there's been very little interest from users. In a statement, a Meta spokesperson said that we acknowledge the European Commission's statement. Personalized ads are vital for Europes economy last year, Metas ads were linked to 213 billion in economic activity and supported 1.44 million jobs across the EU. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-will-let-facebook-and-instagram-users-in-the-eu-share-less-data-183535897.html?src=rss

Here's how Google is laying the foundation for our mixed reality future

Today, during the XR edition of The Android Show , Google showed off a bunch of updates and new features headed to its mixed reality OS. And while most of the news was aimed at developers, I got a chance to demo some of the platform's expanded capabilities on a range of hardware including Samsung's Galaxy XR headset , two different reference designs and an early version of Xreal's Project Aura smart glasses and I came away rather impressed. So here's a rundown of what I saw and how it will impact the rapidly growing ecosystem of head-mounted displays. First up was one of Google's reference design smart glasses with a single waveguide RGB display built into its right lens. I've included a picture of it here, but try not to read too deeply into its design or aesthetics, as this device is meant to be a testbed for Android XR features and not an early look at upcoming models. Try not to read too much into the appearance of Google's reference design smart glasses, as they are explicitly labeled as prototypes meant to test upcoming features in Android XR. Sam Rutherford for Engadget After putting them on, I was able to ask Gemini to play some tunes on YouTube Music before answering a call simply by tapping on the touchpad built into the right side of the frames. And because the reference model also had onboard world-facing cameras, I could easily share my view with the person on the other end of the line. Naturally, I was curious about how glasses had the bandwidth to do all this, because in normal use, they rely on a Bluetooth or Bluetooth LE connection. When asked, Max Spear, Group Product Manager for XR, shared that depending on the situation, the device can seamlessly switch between both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, which was rather impressive because I couldn't even detect when that transition happened. Spear also noted that one of Google's focuses for Android XR is making it easier for developers to port over the apps people already know and love. This means for devices like the reference design I wore that feature a built-in display (or displays), the OS actually uses the same code meant for standard Android notifications (like quick replies) to create a minimalist UI instead of forcing app makers to update each piece of software to be compliant with an ever-increasing number of devices. Alternatively, for models that are super lightweight and rely strictly on speakers (like Bose Frames ), Google has also designed Android XR so that you only need mics and voice controls to access a wide variety of apps without the need for visual menus. This is the picture Google's reference design smart glasses created (via Gemini ) when I asked it to transform a photo I took of some pantry shelves into a sci-fi kitchen. Sam Rutherford for Engadget Meanwhile, if you're hoping to take photos with your smart glasses, there's a surprising amount of capability there, too. Not only was I able to ask Gemini to take a photo, the glasses were also able to send a higher-res version to a connected smartwatch, which is super handy in case you want to review the image before moving on to the next shot. And when you want to inject some creativity, you can ask Gemini to transform pictures into practically anything you can imagine via Nano Banana . In my case, I asked the AI to change a shot of a pantry into a sci-fi kitchen and Gemini delivered with aplomb, including converting the room into a metal-clad setting complete with lots of light strips and a few bursts of steam. However, one of the most impressive demos was when I asked Google's reference glasses to look at some of that same pantry environment and then use the ingredients to create a recipe based on my specifications (no tomatoes please, my wife isn't a fan). Gemini went down an Italian route by picking pasta, jarred banana peppers, bell peppers (which I thought was a somewhat unusual combination) and more, before launching into the first steps of the recipe. Sadly, I didn't have time to actually cook it, but as part of the demo, I learned that Gemini has been trained to understand human-centric gestures like pointing and picking things up. This allows it to better understand context without the need to be super specific, which is one of those little but very impactful tricks that allows AI to feel way less robotic. This is how Google Maps will look on Android XR. Note that this is the flat 2D version instead of the more detailed stereoscopic view available on smart glasses with dual displays. Sam Rutherford for Engadget Then I had a chance to see how Uber and Google Maps ran on the reference glasses, this time using models with both single and dual RGB displays. Surprisingly, even on the monocular version, Maps was able to generate a detailed map with the ability to zoom in and out. But when I switched over to the binocular model, I noticed a significant jump in sharpness and clarity along with a higher-fidelity map with stereoscopic 3D images of buildings. Now, it may be a bit early to call this, and the perception of sharpness varies greatly between people based on their head shape and other factors, but after seeing that, I'm even more convinced that the smart glasses with dual RGB displays are what the industry will settle on in the long term. The second type of device I used was the Samsung Galaxy XR , which I originally tried out when it was announced back in October. However, in the short time since, Google has cooked up a few new features that really help expand the headset's capabilities. By using the goggle's exterior-facing cameras, I was able to play a game of I Spy with Gemini. Admittedly, this might sound like a small addition, but I think it's going to play a big part in how we use devices running Android XR, because it allows the headset (or glasses) to understand better what you're looking at in order to provide more helpful contextual responses. Even though it was announced not long ago in late October, Samsung's Galaxy XR headset is already getting some new features thanks to some updates coming to Android XR. Sam Rutherford for Engadget However, the biggest surprise was when I joined a virtual call with someone using one of Google's new avatars, called Likeness. Instead of the low-polygon cartoony characters we've seen before in places like Meta Horizon, Google's virtual representations of people's faces are almost scary good. So good I had to double-check that they weren't real and from what I've seen they're even a step up from Apple's Personas. Google says that headsets like the Galaxy XR rely on interior sensors to track and respond to facial movements, while users will be able to create and edit their avatars using a standalone app due out sometime next year. The person in the bottom right is using a Likeness, which during my demo looked surprisingly responsive and realistic. Google Next, I got a chance to test out the Android XR's PC connectivity by playing Stray on the Galaxy XR while it was tethered wirelessly to a nearby laptop. Not only did it run almost flawlessly with low latency, I was also able to use a paired controller instead of relying on hand-tracking or the laptop's mouse and keyboard. This is something I've been eagerly waiting to try because it feels like Google has put a lot of work into making Android XR devices play nicely with other devices and OSes. Initially, you'll only be able to connect Windows PCs to the Galaxy XR, but Google says it's looking to support macOS systems as well. Finally, I got to try out Xreal's Project Aura glasses to see how Android XR works on a device primarily designed to give you big virtual displays in a portable form factor. Unfortunately, because this was a pre-production unit, I wasn't able to take photos. That said, as far as the glasses go, I was really impressed with their resolution and sharpness and the inclusion of electrochromic glass is a really nice touch, as it allows users to change how heavily the lenses are tinted with a single touch. Alternatively, the glasses can also adjust the tint automatically based on whatever app you are using to give you a more or less isolated atmosphere, depending on the situation. I also appreciate the Aura's increased 70-degree FOV, but if I'm nitpicking, I wish it were a bit higher, as I occasionally found myself wanting a bit more vertical display area. Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to take photos of Xreal's Project Aura smart glasses, as the model I used was still an early pre-production unit. So here's a shot provided by Google instead. Google / Xreal As a device that's sort of between lightweight smart glasses and a full VR headset, the Aura relies on a wired battery pack that also doubles as a touchpad and a hub for plugging in external devices like your phone, laptop or even game consoles. While using the Aura, I was able to connect to a different PC and multitask in style, as the glasses were able to support multiple virtual displays while running several different apps at the same time. This allowed me to be on a virtual call with someone using a Likeness while I had two other virtual windows open on either side. I also played an AR game ( Demio ) while I moved around in virtual space and used my hands to reposition the battlefield or pick up objects with my hands. Now I will fully admit this is a lot and it took me a bit to process everything. But upon reflection, I have a few takeaways from my time with the various Android XR devices and prototypes. More than any other headset or smart glasses platform out now, it feels like Google is doing a ton to embrace a growing ecosystem of devices. That's really important because we're still so early in the lifecycle for wearable gadgets with displays that no one has really figured out a truly polished design like we have for smartphones and laptops. And until we get there, this means that a highly adaptable OS will go a long way towards supporting OEMs like Samsung, Xreal and others. But that's not all. It's clear Google is focused on making Android XR devices easy to build for. That's because the company knows that without useful software that can highlight the components and features coming on next-gen spectacles, there's a chance that interest will remain rather niche similar to what we've seen when looking at the adoption of VR headsets. So in a way, Google is waging a battle on two fronts, which makes navigating uncharted waters that much more difficult. A major focus for Android XR while people are still figuring out how to make smart glasses is to support a wide variety of designs including those with single displays, dual displays or models without any displays that rely on cameras and speakers. Sam Rutherford for Engadget Google is putting a major emphasis on Android XR's ability to serve as a framework for future gadgets and support and address developer needs. This mirrors the approach the company takes with regular Android and the opposite of Apple's typical MO, because unlike the Vision Pro and visionOS , it appears Google is going to rely heavily on its partners like Xreal, Warby Parker, Gentle Monster and others to create engaging hardware.Furthermore, Google says it plans to support smart glasses that can be tethered to Android and iOS phones, as well as smartwatches from both ecosystems, though there will be some limitations for people using Apple devices due to inherent OS restrictions. That's not to say that there won't be Pixel glasses sometime down the road, but at least for now, I think that's a smart approach and possibly a lesson Google learned after releasing Google Glass over a decade ago. Meanwhile, hi-res and incredibly realistic avatars like Likenesses could be a turning point for virtual collaboration, because, in a first for me, talking to a digital representation of someone else felt kind of natural. After my demos, I had a chance to talk to Senior Director of Product Management for XR Juston Payne , who highlighted the difference between smart glasses and typical gadgets by saying Smart glasses have to be great glasses first. They need to have a good form factor, good lenses with prescription support, they need to look good and they have to be easy to buy. That's no simple task and there's no guarantee that next-gen smart glasses and headsets will be a grand slam. But from what I've seen, Google is building a very compelling foundation with Android XR. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/heres-how-google-is-laying-the-foundation-for-our-mixed-reality-future-180000716.html?src=rss

Tech's biggest winners of 2025

Every December, the Engadget staff compiles a list of the years biggest winners . We scour over articles from the previous 12 months to determine the people, companies, products and trends that made the most impact over the course of the year. Not all of that influence is positive, however, and some selections may also appear on our list of biggest losers. Still, sit back and enjoy our picks for the biggest winners of 2025. Nintendo Switch 2 Playing Mario Kart World on the Switch 2 in handheld mode. Sam Rutherford for Engadget Aside from a big bump in battery life that many were hoping for, Nintendo took just about everything that made its last console such a phenomenon and upgraded it on the Switch 2. A sleeker design with magnetic Joy-Cons that are less likely to break, a larger (albeit LCD) 1080p display with HDR, much stronger performance, mouse controls and a boost to the base storage were all very welcome. Of course, the vast majority of Switch games run on the Switch 2 (often with visual improvements or other upgrades), so the new console had a vast library right from the jump. Nintendo is building out its slate of first-party games with treats like Donkey Kong Bananza and Metroid Prime 4 , and the third-party support is seriously impressive too. Cyberpunk 2077 , Street Fighter 6 and Hitman: World of Assassination are already available, and the likes of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade and FromSoftware's Switch 2 exclusive The Duskbloods are on the way. The Switch 2 is an iteration, not a revolution, but Nintendo didn't need to reinvent the wheel to make another great system. It's little surprise, then, that we gave the Switch 2 a score of 93 in our review. The console is surpassing Nintendo's sales expectations as well. The company said in November that it believes it will sell 19 million units (up from 15 million) by the time its current fiscal year ends in March. Kris Holt, Contributing reporter NVIDIA NVIDIA GeForce 5070 Ti Devindra Hardawar for Engadget Could things be any rosier for NVIDIA? Once just a video card company for gamers, NVIDIA's GPU hardware is now directly tied to the rise of the AI industry . Its stock has jumped a whopping 1,235 percent over the past five years, going from $13.56 per share in 2020 to a peak of $202.49 this past October. NVIDIA's server-grade cards are being used en masse to train AI models, as well as to power AI inferencing. At home, its GeForce GPUs are enabling local AI development and they're still the gaming cards to beat, despite AMD's steadily improving competition. Clearly, the company's bet on parallel processing has paid off enormously. Its GPUs can handle tons of computations simultaneously, making them ideally suited for the demands of the AI industry. They're not exactly efficient that's why neural processing units, or NPUs have sprung up to power consumer AI features but it's hard to deny NVIDIA's raw computational power. NVIDIA's AI success may not last forever, though. Companies like Google and Microsoft are already working on their own AI chips, and it's still unclear if consumers actually want widespread AI features as much as tech companies think. If the AI industry crashes, NVIDIA will be one of the first victims. Devindra Hardawar, Senior reporter Tech billionaires US President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with Elon Musk (L) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 30, 2025. ALLISON ROBBERT via Getty Images There's no doubt that tech billionaires, especially those that lean conservatively, have benefitted tremendously from the Trump administration over the past year. Elon Musk's DOGE team of tech loyalists chainsawed their way through the budgets and staff of several federal agencies, including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which regulates Tesla. (That hasn't stopped the NHTSA from launching a new investigation into Tesla's full self-driving tech, though.) According to a recent report by Oxfam , the 10 richest US billionaires (who are all tech leaders, save for Warren Buffet) increased their wealth by $698 billion of the past year. Of course, it took plenty of wining and dining to get there. Elon Musk reportedly donated nearly $300 million to Trump and Republican allies , and several tech companies have pitched in to build the president's lavish White House ballroom. But the result for the tech elite is increased access to the president, less scrutiny when it comes to acquisitions and other deals , and the potential for massive corporate and elite tax cuts . D.H. AI video A silhouetted individual is seen holding a mobile phone with a Sora of ChatGPT OpenAI logo displayed in the background SOPA Images via Getty Images AI slop didn't start in 2025, but it reached new heights thanks to updates from Meta, Google, OpenAI and others that made it easier than ever to create a real-ish (emphasis on the ish) looking clips from nothing but your most unhinged mad libs. Now, AI-generated videos are just about impossible to avoid. Some platforms, like Pinterest and TikTok , have even begun offering people the ability to ask their algorithms to show less AI content in their feeds. Unfortunately, there's no way to stuff Shrimp Jesus back into the bottle. AI video is everywhere and it's here to stay. It's not only overtaken Facebook and Instagram's recommendations, Meta created an entirely separate feed just for users' AI-generated fever dreams. OpenAI's Sora, which lets you make AI videos of real people, was downloaded a million times in just a few days. Google's Veo, which generated more than 40 million videos in a matter of weeks, is now built-in to YouTube Shorts . It's now trivially easy for creators to churn out fake movie trailers , cute animal videos that never happened or viral clips of made up ICE raids . Hell, the president of the United States regularly shares bizarre, sometimes poop-themed , AI videos on his official social media channels. During the government shutdown, the official X account for Senate Republicans shared a deepfake of Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer. AI video is winning not just because it's everywhere, but because so many are unable, or unwilling, to understand what's real and what isn't. More than half of Americans say they are not confident in their ability to distinguish between human and AI-generated content, according to Pew Research. Similar numbers of people report being more concerned than excited about the increased use of AI in daily life. But those concerns have done little to stop AI slop from dominating all of our feeds, and there's no sign it will ever slow down. Karissa Bell, Senior reporter Galaxy Z Fold 7 Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 Sam Rutherford for Engadget After seven generations, Samsung reached an important milestone this year with its Galaxy Z Fold line: It made a foldable phone thats the same size as a regular handset. In fact, weighing 7.58 ounces and measuring 72.8mm wide, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is actually lighter and narrower than an S25 Ultra , while being practically just as thin at 8.9mm (folded). Its a real marvel of engineering, especially when you consider the phone also features a 200MP main camera, an IPX8 rating for water resistance and a 5,000 mAh battery with 45-watt wired charging. And of course, there's that huge 8-inch main screen hiding inside, which makes the Z Fold 7 both a phone and a tablet in one device. The only thing it's really missing is the improved dust resistance Google gave to the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. But perhaps more importantly, the Z Fold 7's reduced size and weight have created a device with wider appeal. This has propelled sales of Samsung's latest flagship foldable up 50 percent compared to the previous generation while pushing shipments of foldables as a whole to record highs. Who knew that when Samsung focuses on creating world-class hardware instead of overindexing on AI, good things happen? Okay, maybe thats a bit harsh. Regardless, for a phone category that has struggled with excess weight and bulk since its inception, the Z Fold 7 feels like a revelation and the beginning of a new era for handsets with flexible displays. Now, can we just bring their prices down, please? Sam Rutherford, Senior reporter Smart glasses Senior reporter Karissa Bell wearing a pair of Ray Ban Display glasses. Karissa Bell for Engadget Like it or not, smart glasses are having a moment. Propelled by new devices like the Meta Ray-Ban Display and upcoming models like Xreals Project Aura , the idea of wearing specs with built-in screens suddenly became an attractive proposition. And that means a lot for a category of gadgets thats often best remembered by the fashion tragedy that was Google Glass in 2013. However, this development isnt purely by chance. The latest generation of smart glasses has only just now become a reality due to the convergence of several branches of tech including improved optics, lightweight batteries and, of course, AI. Now that last one might sound silly considering how many big companies seem to be betting the farm on machine learning being the next big thing, but AI will be a critical feature for enabling the hands-free experience that you need to make smartglasses work when you cant rely on touch input. While this category is still in its early stages of development, the increased momentum we've seen from smart glasses this year seems poised to carry them towards being a future pillar of people's core tech kits. S.R. Fast charging Fast charging on the Pixel Watch 4 is one implementation that impressed us this year. Cherlynn Low for Engadget Devices like tablets and smartwatches have matured to the point where each generation mostly sees iterative upgrades, making covering them seem boring. But this year, as the hardware review season came to a close, I noticed an interesting trend. One feature, across various product categories, genuinely excited myself and other reviewers at Engadget and around the internet : impressively fast charging. By itself, high-speed charging isnt new. But when I reviewed the Pixel Watch 4 in October, I was shocked that one seemingly little update changed how I went about my day. The new power system on Googles smartwatch was so efficient that after about ten minutes on a cradle, the wearable went from below 20 percent to past 50 percent. With that boost, I stopped having to remind myself to plug the watch in any time I ran low or was about to run out the door, I just plopped it on the charger and would have enough juice for hours. Google wasnt the only company to make fast-charging a meaningful addition to one of its 2025 products. Apples iPad Pro M5 is the first iPad to support the feature, and while in our testing it fell a little short of the 50 percent charge in 30 minutes that the company promised, our reviewer Nate Ingraham still found it a meaningful improvement. Observers of the smartphone industry will likely point out two things. First, battery technology can be volatile, and larger, faster-charging cells might lead to exploding phones. So my optimism about this development is not without caution. Secondly, weve already seen all this come to handsets, especially in phones that launched outside the US first. OnePlus is known for its SUPERVOOC fast charging system, for example, and were seeing even more novel battery tech show up abroad. Calling fast charging a winner of 2025 may feel untimely to some. But when you consider the spread of speedier charging to other types of products, especially in electric vehicles that till now take forever to top up, the benefits are clear. This year, we saw Formula E (finally) debut its fast-charging pit stops , Honda announce its first full-size electric motorcycle with fast charging and Chinese EV maker BYD unveiling new tech that delivers peak EV charging speeds of 1,000 kilowatts . That should about halve the time it currently takes to top up your electric car. Sure, its not the most eye-catching or novel technological development. But when counted in terms of precious time saved, fast charging coming to more types of devices certainly amounts to a greater good in gadgets in 2025. Cherlynn Low, Managing editor Magnets The Pixel 10 Pro Fold and the Pixel Ring Stand Sam Rutherford for Engadget Two years after the announcement of the Qi 2 wireless charging standard and its support of magnetic attachment accessories (a la Apples MagSafe), were finally seeing one of the more mainstream Android devices adopt it. In 2025, Google became the first Android phone maker thats not HMD to do so, bringing such magnetic capabilities to the Pixel 10 series. It also introduced Pixelsnap its own version of a MagSafe accessory ecosystem, including a slim puck with a fold-out kickstand that you can snap onto a phone. I love the Pixel Ring Stand and make sure to bring it with me whenever I can. It works perfectly with my iPhone 17 Pro, and has a compact footprint that makes it easy to take anywhere. Of course, its not the first of its kind Case-Mate and PopSocket, among others, already make similar products but theyre either pricier or rated poorly. But its not just Google that made a magnetic accessory I unexpectedly adored. When reports of Apples Crossbody Strap first trickled out, I was underwhelmed. Who cares about a crossbody strap for an iPhone? But when I was presented with one to try at the iPhone 17 launch event, my cynicism quickly melted into desire. Setting aside the convenience of having your phone on your person when you dont have pockets or a purse, the way magnets play a part here also won me over. To adjust the length of the straps, you just separate the two overlapping pieces that stick together magnetically, move them along each other till youre satisfied with the length and let them snap back in place. Im sure Apple isnt the first to make a crossbody strap accessory for iPhones, nor is it the first to use magnets to adjust such straps. But like many Redditors , Ive slowly come to realize the differences between those products and the Crossbody Strap for iPhone 17. Its far from perfect, but in 2025 it was another implementation of magnets in tech that caught my attention and brought convenience to my life. C.L. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/techs-biggest-winners-of-2025-180000177.html?src=rss

Google details security measures for Chromes agentic features

Google details how it is enacting security guardrails before rolling out agentic capabilities on Chrome.

You can buy your Instacart groceries without leaving ChatGPT

Shoppers will be able to go from recipe planning to checkout within the ChatGPT window.

TikTok adds a space for organizing content with others, teases Shared Feeds

Shared Feeds will surface new content tailored to both users' tastes, such as sports, winter activities, and their favorite creators.

Uber will start selling trip and takeout data to marketers

Uber will begin selling customer data to marketers, according to a report by Business Insider . The company's ad division just launched a new insights platform called Uber Intelligence that's tasked with hoovering up and selling trip and delivery data. The data will technically be anonymous, via the use of a platform called LiveRamp. This will let advertisers securely combine their customer data with Uber's to help surface insights about their audiences, based on what they eat and where they travel. Basically, it'll provide a broad view of local consumer trends based on collected data. Uber gives an example of a hotel brand using the technology to identify which restaurants or venues to partner with according to rideshare information. The company also says it's planning on using this tech to directly advertise to consumers, saying it could be used to identify customers who are heavy business travelers and then plague them with ads in the app or in vehicles during their next trip to the airport. Fun times. That seamlessness is why we're so excited, Edwin Wong, global head of measurement at Uber Advertising, told Business Insider. Uber has stated that its ad business is already on track to generate $1.5 billion in revenue this year, and that's before implementing these changes. As for Uber in totality, the company made $44 billion in 2024 , which was a jump from $37 billion in 2023. It's also notorious for raising fares. Uber has raised prices for consumers by around 18 percent each year since 2018, which has outpaced inflation by up to four times in some markets. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/uber-will-start-selling-trip-and-takeout-data-to-marketers-171011769.html?src=rss

F1 in Abu Dhabi: And thats the championship

A three-way fight down to the wire as the ground effect era comes to a close.

Best Guess Live is Netflix's take on HQ Trivia

Netflix has already committed to reviving Star Search for its streaming service, and now the company is turning its attention to a different type of live show: HQ Trivia . Netflix's Best Guess Live is an attempt to revive the late 2010s app-based show with what the company is calling its first weekday mobile game show. Best Guess Live will be hosted by Howie Mandel ( Deal or No Deal , America's Got Talent ) and Hunter March ( Sugar Rush ) and will broadcast Monday through Friday at 8PM ET / 5PM PT. The game seems like it will lean on multiple choice questions much like HQ Trivia did, and will reward players who answer the fastest and play multiple times per week. Netflix's announcement doesn't have any specifics as to how much money will be up for grabs, but the company does promise to give away thousands of dollars in prize money. HQ Trivia, started by Vine co-founders Rus Yusupov and Colin Kroll, was a surprise hit when it debuted in 2017, thanks in part to its host Scott Rogowsky and the appointment-viewing nature of a daily game show you could watch on your phone. The later slow collapse of HQ was rocky enough to warrant a CNN documentary , but clearly the concept of the app fits nicely with Netflix's growing interest in live shows and casual games. Netflix has experimented with a growing number of live shows, including talk shows and sports programming . The company has also recently abandoned its aspirations to develop AAA games and ambitious indie titles to focus on casual experiences and games based on Netflix IP. Best Guess Live seems like a nice fusion of casual interactive experience and lightweight live content. Many people already open the Netflix app daily to find something to watch. It makes sense they'd be willing to do it for money, too. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/best-guess-live-is-netflixs-take-on-hq-trivia-170000030.html?src=rss

Petcos security lapse affected customers SSNs, drivers licenses and more

Petco said the exposure was due to an error in an application, and that it is notifying victims whose data was affected.

Heat pump startup Quilt raises $20M Series B to expand sales

Quilt has sold nearly 1,000 units in the U.S. and Canada, and the new funding should help expand sales operations to more states and provinces.

The developer behind ICEBlock is suing the federal government

The makers of ICEBlock , the community-based reporting app for ICE sightings and activity, are suing the federal government, alleging unlawful threats made by Trump administration officials led to the app's removal from app stores. The suit centers on free speech violations and accuses the administration of coercing Apple into taking down the app in October. Google began taking down similar apps around the same time. Josh Aaron developed ICEBlock in response to the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration. The app allowed users to pin ICE agent locations on a map as well as add notes such as what agents were wearing or the kind of vehicle they were driving. The app would then alert users within a five-mile radius of the sighting. The White House called the app an incitement of further violence against ICE officers and sought its removal. A lesson we should all take from this is when we see our government is doing something wrong, it is our duty to stand up, Aaron told the New York Times . This isn't the first time Apple has faced controversy for an app takedown. In 2019, the company removed an app that protesters in Hong Kong were using to track police after facing pressure from the Chinese government. Apple, for its part, said it took the app down in response to information we've received from law enforcement about the safety risks associated with ICEBlock. Federal officials said the gunman who attacked an ICE facility in Dallas had used tracking apps, including ICEBlock. Fundamentally, ICEBlock neither enables nor encourages confrontation it simply delivers time-limited location information to help users stay aware of their surroundings in a responsible and nonviolent way, Aaron's suit reads. Engadget has reached out to Apple for comment and will update if we hear back. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-developer-behind-iceblock-is-suing-the-federal-government-165111674.html?src=rss

The 47 Best REI Cyber Week Outdoor Deals (2025)

Today is the final day of REI's sale, and deals are disappearing fast. Grab what you need with these great deals on tents, packs, and merino wool.

Mars largest river systems revealed: Insights into ancient water, sediment deposits, and potential habitability for past life

Ancient Mars once teemed with flowing rivers, forming vast drainage systems. A new study has mapped these large basins, revealing they concentrated nutrients and sediments, making them prime locations for potential past life. These findings are crucial for guiding future missions in the search for evidence of ancient Martian habitability.

ONE RULE: Trump says hell sign an executive order blocking state AI laws despite bipartisan pushback

I will be doing a ONE RULE Executive Order this week, Trump posted on social media. You cant expect a company to get 50 Approvals every time they want to do something.

The 22 best gift ideas for the remote worker in your life

Its 2025, so chances are you have at least one person who works remotely on your gift list. While the work-from-home life has its perks nobody likes a long commute it certainly comes with its own set of challenges, from missing out on pro-level equipment to dealing with annoyances around the house. If youre looking to buy a gift for someone who spends much of their time in their home office, weve rounded up a few techy ideas that should make their days a little more delightful or at least easier to manage. Best gifts for remote workers Check out the rest of our gift ideas here. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/the-22-best-gift-ideas-for-the-remote-worker-in-your-life-140037336.html?src=rss

A big bike on a budget: Lectrics XPress 750

A budget e-bike that offers more than you might expect.

Paramount makes a $108 billion hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery

Paramount has been none too pleased about Netflix striking an $82.7 billion deal to buy much of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). Now, Paramount is making a hostile takeover bid for WBD. It's making its pitch directly to WBD shareholders with an all-cash offer of $30 per share that expires on January 8. Late last week, the WBD board unanimously accepted Netflix's offer of $27.75 per share. That breaks down to $23.25 per share in cash and another $4.50 per share in Netflix stock. Netflix's overall bid is valued at $82.7 billion, while Paramount's totals $108.4 billion. There's a key difference when it comes to the Paramount offer, as its for all of WBD. The latter is scheduled to split into two companies next year . Netflix only wants the Streaming and Studios side of WBD's business, which includes HBO Max and the Warner Bros. film, TV and game studios. Paramount is after the whole shebang, including WBD's cable channels (Global Networks). WBD's Board of Directors recommendation of the Netflix transaction over Paramount's offer is based on an illusory prospective valuation of Global Networks that is unsupported by the business fundamentals and encumbered by high levels of financial leverage assigned to the entity, Paramount said in a press release on Monday . As of the end of September, WBD was carrying $34.5 billion of gross debt. It planned to saddle the Global Networks company (aka Discovery Global ) with most of that. The Paramount offer includes financing from the Ellison family and RedBird Capital, but it would be taking on more debt to secure a deal for WBD. The bid includes $54 billion of debt commitments from Bank of America, Citi and Apollo (Engadget's parent company). In a letter sent to WBD CEO David Zazlav before the company accepted Netflix's offer, Paramount questioned the fairness and adequacy of the sale process. It asked whether WBD was acting in the best interest of shareholders after the management team allegedly appeared to favor the Netflix offer. Despite Paramount submitting six proposals over the course of 12 weeks, WBD never engaged meaningfully with these proposals which we believe deliver the best outcome for WBD shareholders, Paramount said. Paramount has now taken its offer directly to WBD shareholders and its Board of Directors to ensure they have the opportunity to pursue this clearly superior alternative. Paramount which Skydance bought for $8 billion this year also claims that its offer is likely to face less regulatory scrutiny than the Netflix offer, which wouldn't close until sometime after WBD splits in two later in 2026. According to CNBC , Paramount executives believe that the company's smaller size and cozy relationship with the Trump administration will help streamline the regulatory process. Over the weekend, President Donald Trump said that Netflix's bid for WBD has got to go through a process, and well see what happens. But it is a big market share. It could be a problem. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/paramount-makes-a-108-billion-hostile-takeover-bid-for-warner-bros-discovery-152248473.html?src=rss

Tata, Intel sign MoU to build India-centred silicon and compute ecosystem

The partnership between Tata and Intel explores manufacturing, packaging, and AI compute enablement to bolster Indias semiconductor ecosystem

Blink budget security cameras will support AI-powered video descriptions

Amazon's budget Blink smart home brand is adding AI-generated video descriptions as a new benefit for subscribers. Blink Video Descriptions are text descriptions of the motion doorbells and cameras capture, and theyll be available in beta starting today, November 17. Not unlike Ring Video Descriptions , a feature offered on Amazon's other smart home brand, Blink's AI-generated descriptions are supposed to be a concise way to check out what's happening in and around your home. Any kind of motion can produce a video clip and a notification in the Blink app, but video descriptions should help weed out which ones are worth watching and worrying about. Blink says Video Descriptions will be supported on all existing Blink doorbells and cameras, provided you're paying to be a Blink subscriber for at least $4 a month or $40 a year. That means if you've scooped up one of the new Blink 2K+, Blink Outdoor 2K+ or Blink Arc cameras, you'll be able to take advantage of the feature. Blink Video Descriptions start rolling out to subscribers today in beta, though not in Illinois, possibly due to the state's Biometric Information Privacy Act . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/blink-budget-security-cameras-will-support-ai-powered-video-descriptions-143000725.html?src=rss

The Google Pixel Watch 4 is cheaper than ever right now

Cyber Monday has come and gone, but you can still get a great deal on a smartwatch with the Google Pixel Watch 4 marked down to $300 from $350. At almost 15 percent off, this is the lowest we've ever seen it. The Pixel Watch 4 was just released in October and is our smartwatch of choice for users with Pixel phones. In our hands-on review we scored it 86 out of 100, taking note of its fast recharge time, health and fitness tracking, repairable design and gorgeous display. The curved display sits under a domed glass cover and sports an impressive 3,000 nits of peak brightness, well beyond the 2,000 nits max of the Apple Watch Series 11 . This makes the Pixel Watch 4 about 50 percent brighter than the previous generation, and thanks to smaller bezels the display is about 10 percent bigger. The new generation also adds dual-frequency GPS, updated processors and a custom haptic engine. It also boasts a more repairable design thanks to a case that can be easily unscrewed to replace the display or battery. We did find the gesture based raise-to-talk Gemini feature a little gimmicky, and users should note that the watch must be connected to the internet for Gemini to work. Thanks to all this, we named the Pixel Watch 4 the best smartwatch for Android users . It's as good a workout companion as a daily watch and offers peace of mind with emergency SOS via satellite. If you're an Android user in the market for a smartwatch, this is one of the best deals available now. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/the-google-pixel-watch-4-is-cheaper-than-ever-right-now-141715083.html?src=rss

Apple Watch Series 11 drops $100 to an all-time low price

Sure, Black Friday and Cyber Monday have come and gone, but you can still find a last-minute deal on the best tech gifts . Take the Apple Watch Series 11 , which has dropped to an all-time low of $299, from $399. The 25 percent discount is an even better deal than we saw on either of those sale holidays. We gave the Apple Watch Series 11 a score of 90 when it came out in September. That's thanks, in part, to an upgraded 24 hours of battery life which lasted closer to a day and a half compared to the 18 hours promised by the Series 10. It also features a thin, light design and a wrist flick gesture for everything from dismissing a notification to ending calls. Plus, it has Apple's new hypertension tracker and comprehensive health monitoring. This deal is available for the Apple Watch Series 11 with a 42mm case and a small to medium band. It also comes with just GPS capabilities and in three colorways: Jet Black aluminum case with Black sport band, Space Gray aluminum cause with Black sport band and Rose Gold aluminum case with Light Blush sport band. 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/apple-watch-series-11-drops-100-to-an-all-time-low-price-130006591.html?src=rss

Hinges new AI feature helps daters move beyond boring small talk

Hinge launched Convo Starters, a feature powered by AI that provides personalized tips for initiating meaningful conversations.

Startup news and updates: Daily roundup (December 8, 2025)

YourStory presents the daily news roundup from the Indian startup ecosystem and beyond. Here's the roundup for Monday, December 8, 2025.

Trump says if Netflix buys Warner Bros. its market share 'could be a problem'

After Netflix announced that it was acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery last week, observers immediatley wondered when or if the deal could obtain regulatory approval. Now, President Trump has made comments indicating that said approval is likely to take awhile if it happens at all, Bloomberg reported. Well, thats got to go through a process, and well see what happens, Trump told reporters in a recent Q&A scrum. But it is a big market share. It could be a problem. The President added that he will be personally involved in the approval process. As we pointed out last week , Netflix and HBO Max combined would account for around 33 percent of the US streaming video market, ahead of Prime Video's 21 percent share and likely enough to attract the antitrust division of the US Justice Department. For its part, Netflix has said that it will maintain Warner Bros. current businesses, which includes HBO Max and HBO, theatrical releases for films as well as movie and TV studio operations. Headwinds were likely with any deal, so in November Netflix's co-CEO Ted Sarandos reportedly met with Trump at the White House, arguing that the acquisition wouldn't create a monopoly. Trump said that Warner Bros. Discovery should sell to the highest bidder, and Sarandos left the meeting feeling that Netflix wouldn't face White House opposition in the short term. Even before regulators address the acquisition, more drama may ensue. Paramount, which first expressed interested in buying WBD when it wasn't even for sale, may launch a hostile bid. And Hollywood's unions and guilds are up in arms over fears that Netflix may significantly reduce Warner Bros.' theatrical distribution, along with its back end profits and production jobs. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/trump-says-if-netflix-buys-warner-bros-its-market-share-could-be-a-problem-123004774.html?src=rss

OpenAI boasts enterprise win days after internal code red on Google threat

ChatGPT Enterprise usage grew 8x year-over-year as workers report saving an hour daily, but OpenAI faces competitive pressure from Anthropic and questions about cost sustainability.

Harvard professor claims 3I/ATLAS emits a heartbeat-like pulse that could signal alien technology

Comet 3I/ATLAS has already puzzled astronomers with its odd trajectory, twin tails and sudden bursts of activity. Now a rhythmic 16.16-hour heartbeat has become the latest mystery. Most researchers see a rotating, venting comet. Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb argues the pulse points instead to jets driving the brightness like a bloodstream, keeping open, cautiously, the possibility of something more engineered.

Axis Bank expands CSR footprint with FutureTech Initiative at Plaksha University

The new facility will house the Institute for Inventing the Future, the School of AI & Computer Science, and several specialised laboratories.

IndiGo crisis highlights pilot shortfall as Air India leads in staffing

Despite operating a smaller fleet of 198 aircraft as of April 14, 2025, Air India employs a larger pool of 6,350 pilots, representing around 45% of pilots working across major airlines.

The Best Cookbooks of 2025: Soju Party, Fat and Flour, Salsa Daddy, Italo Punk, and More

This year's bumper crop looks at salsa, noodles, drinking culture, and home baking.

Crypto TDS crosses Rs 500 Cr as Maharashtra, Karnataka drive collections

Often called punitive by traders, a 1% TDS is levied on the sale, transfer, and spending of virtual digital assets, applying to all transactions where the income is taxable in India, including those involving offshore platforms.

Apple's AirPods Pro 3 are back to an all-time low price

If you haven't yet upgraded to Apple's AirPods Pro 3 , you can pick up the company's latest model at a discount through a deal on Amazon right now. The AirPods Pro 3, which came out in September, are currently down from $249 to $220 their Cyber Monday all-time low price. 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 AirPods Pro 3 are the best AirPods available today, with Apple's H2 chip, and earned a score of 90 out of 100 in Engadget's review this fall. Active noise cancellation (ANC) is one of the biggest selling points of the AirPods Pro, and Apple has made the experience even better with the AirPods Pro 3. They sport new foam-infused ear tips that create a better seal to improve passive noise isolation, and as Engadget's Billy Steele wrote in his review, Ultra-low-noise microphones combine with advanced computational audio to silence even more background noise. In testing, they had no problem blocking out the chatter of people nearby or otherwise noisy environments. With the AirPods Pro 3, Apple introduced heart-rate sensing, so you'll be able to see your heart rate data from the earbuds in the Fitness app and other workout apps. The AirPods Pro 3 also boast Live Translation, which you can activate via controls on the earbuds themselves. As long as you have an Apple Intelligence-capable device, you'll be able to translate in-person conversations in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish and Chinese (Mandarin). 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-airpods-pro-3-are-back-to-an-all-time-low-price-222806220.html?src=rss

The 5 best Mint alternatives to replace the budgeting app that shut down

It's been over one year since Intuit shut down the popular budgeting app Mint. I was a Mint user for many years; millions of other users like me enjoyed how easily Mint allowed us to track all accounts in one place and monitor credit scores. I also used it regularly to help me track spending, set goals like pay my mortgage down faster and with general money management. Ahead of Mints demise, I gave Credit Karma , Intuits other financial app, a try but found it to be a poor Mint alternative. So I set out to find a true replacement in another budgeting app. The following guide lays out my experience testing some of the most popular Mint replacement apps available today. Our pick for best Mint alternative remains Quicken Simplifi , even this long after Mint being shut down, thanks to its easy to use app, good income and bill detection and its affordable price. But there are plenty of other solid options out there for those with different needs. If youre also on the hunt for a budgeting app to replace Mint, we hope these details can empower you to choose which of the best budgeting apps out there will be right for you. Table of contents Best Mint alternatives in 2025 Other Mint alternatives we tested What is Plaid and how does it work? How to import your financial data from the Mint app How we tested Mint alternatives What about Rocket Money? Best Mint alternatives in 2025 No pun intended, but what I like about Quicken Simplifi is its simplicity. Whereas other budgeting apps try to distinguish themselves with dark themes and customizable emoji, Simplifi has a clean user interface, with a landing page that you just keep scrolling through to get a detailed overview of all your stats. These include your top-line balances; net worth; recent spending; upcoming recurring payments; a snapshot of your spending plan; top spending categories; achievements; and any watchlists youve set up. Another one of the key features I appreciate is the ability to set up savings goals elsewhere in the app. I also appreciate how it offers neat, almost playful visualizations without ever looking cluttered. I felt at home in the mobile and web dashboards after a day or so, which is faster than I adapted to some competing services (Im looking at you, YNAB and Monarch). Getting set up with Simplifi was mostly painless. I was particularly impressed at how easily it connected to Fidelity; not all budget trackers do, for whatever reason. This is also one of the only services I tested that gives you the option of inviting a spouse or financial advisor to co-manage your account. One thing I would add to my initial assessment of the app, having used it for a few months now: I wish Simplifi offered Zillow integration for easily tracking your home value (or at least a rough estimate of it). Various competitors including Monarch Money and Copilot Money work with Zillow, so clearly there's a Zillow API available for use. As it stands, Simplifi users must add real estate manually like any other asset. Dana Wollman / Engadget In practice, Simplifi miscategorized some of my expenses, but nothing out of the ordinary compared to any of these budget trackers. As youre reviewing transactions, you can also mark if youre expecting a refund, which is a unique feature among the services I tested. Simplifi also estimated my regular income better than some other apps I tested. Most of all, I appreciated the option of being able to categorize some, but not all, purchases from a merchant as recurring. For instance, I can add my two Amazon subscribe-and-saves as recurring payments, without having to create a broad-strokes rule for every Amazon purchase. The budgeting feature is also self-explanatory and can likely accommodate your preferred budgeting method. Just check that your regular income is accurate and be sure to set up recurring payments, making note of which are bills and which are subscriptions. This is important because Simplifi shows you your total take-home income as well as an income after bills figure. That number includes, well, bills but not discretionary subscriptions. From there, you can add spending targets by category in the planned spending bucket. Planned spending can also include one-time expenditures, not just monthly budgets. When you create a budget, Simplifi will suggest a number based on a six-month average. Not dealbreakers, but two things to keep in mind as you get started: Simplifi is notable in that you cant set up an account through Apple or Google. There is also no option for a free trial, though Quicken promises a 30-day money back guarantee. Monarch Money grew on me. My first impression of the budgeting app, which was founded by a former Mint product manager, was that it's more difficult to use than others on this list, including Simplifi, NerdWallet and Copilot. And it is. Editing expense categories, adding recurring transactions and creating rules, for example, is a little more complicated than it needs to be, especially in the mobile app. (My advice: Use the web app for fine-tuning details.) Monarch also didnt get my income right; I had to edit it. Once youre set up, though, Monarch offers an impressive level of granularity. In the budgets section, you can see a bona fide balance sheet showing budgets and actuals for each category. You'll also find a forecast, for the year or by month. And recurring expenses can be set not just by merchant, but other parameters as well. For instance, while most Amazon purchases might be marked as shopping, those for the amounts of $54.18 or $34.18 are definitely baby supplies, and can be automatically marked as such each time, not to mention programmed as recurring payments. Weirdly, though, theres no way to mark certain recurring payments as bills, specifically. Dana Wollman / Engadget Not long after I first published this story in December 2023, Monarch introduced a detailed reporting section where you can create on-demand graphs based on things like accounts, categories and tags. That feature is available just on the web version of the app for now. As part of this same update, Monarch added support for an aggregator that makes it possible to automatically update the value of your car. This, combined with the existing Zillow integration for tracking your home value, makes it easy to quickly add a non-liquid asset like a vehicle or real estate, and have it show up in your net worth graph. The mobile app is mostly self-explanatory. The main dashboard shows your net worth; your four most recent transactions; a month-over-month spending comparison; income month-to-date; upcoming bills; an investments snapshot; a list of any goals youve set; and, finally, a link to your month-in-review. That month-in-review is more detailed than most, delving into cash flow; top income and expense categories; cash flow trends; changes to your net worth, assets and liabilities; plus asset and liability breakdowns. In February 2024, Monarch expanded on the net worth graph , so that if you click on the Accounts tab you can see how your net worth changed over different periods of time, including one month, three months, six months, a year or all time. On the main screen, youll also find tabs for savings and checking accounts (and all others as well), transactions, cash flow, budget and recurring. Like many of the other apps featured here, Monarch can auto-detect recurring expenses and income, even if it gets the category wrong. (They all do to an extent.) Expense categories are marked by emoji, which you can customize if youre so inclined. Monarch Money uses a combination of networks to connect with banks, including Plaid, MX and Finicity, a competing network owned by Mastercard. (I have a quick explainer on Plaid, the industry standard in this space, toward the end of this guide.) As part of an update in late December, Monarch has also made it easier to connect through those other two networks, if for some reason Plaid fails. Similar to NerdWallet, I found myself completing two-factor authentication every time I wanted to get past the Plaid screen to add another account. Notably, Monarch is the only other app I tested that allows you to grant access to someone else in your family likely a spouse or financial advisor. Monarch also has a Chrome extension for importing from Mint, though really this is just a shortcut for downloading a CSV file, which youll have to do regardless of where you choose to take your Mint data. Additionally, Monarch just added the ability to track Apple Card, Apple Cash, and Savings accounts, thanks to new functionality brought with the iOS 17.4 update. It's not the only one either; currently, Copilot and YNAB have also added similar functionality that will be available to anyone with the latest versions of their respective apps on a device running iOS 17.4. Instead of manually uploading statements, the new functionality allows apps like Monarch's to automatically pull in transactions and balance history. That should make it easier to account for spending on Apple cards and accounts throughout the month. Monarch also recently launched investment transactions in beta. It also says bill tracking and an overhauled goals system are coming soon. Monarch hasn't provided a timeline for that last one, except to say that the improved goals feature is coming soon. Copilot Money might be the best-looking budgeting app I tested. It also has the distinction of being exclusive to iOS and Macs at least for now. Andres Ugarte, the companys CEO, has publicly promised that Android and web apps are coming soon. But until it follows through, I cant recommend Copilot for most people with so many good competitors out there. Copilot Money for Web and Android! Thanks to the support from our users, and the overwhelming positive reception we're seeing from folks migrating from Mint, we can now say that we'll be building @copilotmoney for Web and Android with a goal to launch in 2024. We'll continue to Andres Ugarte (@chuga) November 15, 2023 There are other features that Copilot is missing, which Ill get into. But it is promising, and one to keep an eye on. Its just a fast, efficient, well designed app, and Android users will be in for a treat when theyll finally be able to download it. It makes good use of colors, emoji and graphs to help you understand at a glance how youre doing on everything from your budgets to your investment performance to your credit card debt over time. In particular, Copilot does a better job than almost any other app of visualizing your recurring monthly expenses. Behind those punchy colors and cutesy emoji, though, is some sophisticated performance. Copilots AI-powered Intelligence gets smarter as you go at categorizing your expenses. (You can also add your own categories, complete with your choice of emoji.) Its not perfect. Copilot miscategorized some purchases (they all do), but it makes it easier to edit than most. On top of that, the internal search feature is very fast; it starts whittling down results in your transaction history as soon as you begin typing. Dana Wollman / Engadget Copilot is also unique in offering Amazon and Venmo integrations, allowing you to see transaction details. With Amazon, this requires just signing into your Amazon account via an in-app browser. For Venmo, you have to set up fwd@copilot.money as a forwarding address and then create a filter, wherein emails from venmo@venmo.com are automatically forwarded to fwd@copilot.money. Like Monarch Money, you can also add any property you own and track its value through Zillow, which is integrated with the app. While the app is heavily automated, I still appreciate that Copilot marks new transactions for review. Its a good way to both weed out fraudulent charges, and also be somewhat intentional about your spending habits. Like Monarch Money, Copilot updated its app to make it easier to connect to banks through networks other than Plaid. As part of the same update, Copilot said it has improved its connections to both American Express and Fidelity which, again, can be a bugbear for some budget tracking apps. In an even more recent update, Copilot added a Mint import option, which other budgeting apps have begun to offer as well. Because the app is relatively new (it launched in early 2020), the company is still catching up to the competition on some table-stakes features. Ugarte told me that his team is almost done building out a detailed cash flow section as well. On its website , Copilot also promises a raft of AI-powered features that build on its current Intelligence platform, the one that powers its smart expense categorization. These include smart financial goals, natural language search, a chat interface, forecasting and benchmarking. That benchmarking, Ugarte tells me, is meant to give people a sense of how theyre doing compared to other Copilot users, on both spending and investment performance. Most of these features should arrive in the new year. Copilot does a couple interesting things for new customers that distinguish it from the competition. Theres a demo mode that feels like a game simulator; no need to add your own accounts. The company is also offering two free months with RIPMINT a more generous introductory offer than most. When it finally does come time to pony up, the $7.92 monthly plan is cheaper than some competing apps, although the $95-a-year-option is in the same ballpark. You may know NerdWallet as a site that offers a mix of personal finance news, explainers and guides. I see it often when I google a financial term I dont know and sure enough, its one of the sites Im most likely to click on. As it happens, NerdWallet also has the distinction of offering one of the only free budgeting apps I tested. In fact, there is no paid version; nothing is locked behind a paywall. The main catch: There are ads everywhere. To be fair, the free version of Mint was like this, too. Even with the inescapable credit card offers, NerdWallet has a clean, easy-to-understand user interface, which includes both a web and a mobile app. The key metrics that it highlights most prominently are your cash flow, net worth and credit score. (Of note, although Mint itself offered credit score monitoring, most of its rivals do not.) I particularly enjoyed the weekly insights, which delve into things like where you spent the most money or how much you paid in fees and how that compares to the previous month. Because this is NerdWallet, an encyclopedia of financial info, you get some particularly specific category options when setting up your accounts (think: a Roth or non-Roth IRA). Dana Wollman / Engadget As a budgeting app, NerdWallet is more than serviceable, if a bit basic. Like other apps I tested, you can set up recurring bills. Importantly, it follows the popular 50/30/20 budgeting rule, which has you putting 50% of your budget toward things you need, 30% toward things you want, and the remaining 20% into savings or debt repayments. If this works for you, great just know that you cant customize your budget to the same degree as some competing apps. You cant currently create custom spending categories, though a note inside the dashboard section of the app says youll be able to customize them in the future. You also cant move items from the wants column to needs or vice versa but In the future, you'll be able to move specific transactions to actively manage what falls into each group. A NerdWallet spokesperson declined to provide an ETA, though. Lastly, its worth noting that NerdWallet had one of the most onerous setup processes of any app I tested. I dont think this is a dealbreaker, as youll only have to do it once and, hopefully, you arent setting up six or seven apps in tandem as I was. What made NerdWallets onboarding especially tedious is that every time I wanted to add an account, I had to go through a two-factor authentication process to even get past the Plaid splash screen, and thats not including the 2FA I had set up at each of my banks. This is a security policy on NerdWallets end, not Plaids, a Plaid spokesperson says. Precisely because NerdWallet is one of the only budget trackers to offer credit score monitoring, it also needs more of your personal info during setup, including your birthday, address, phone number and the last four digits of your social security number. Its the same with Credit Karma, which also does credit score monitoring. Related to the setup process, I found that NerdWallet was less adept than other apps at automatically detecting my regular income. In my case, it counted a large one-time wire transfer as income, at which point my only other option was to enter my income manually (which is slightly annoying because I would have needed my pay stub handy to double-check my take-home pay). YNAB is, by its own admission , different from anything youve tried before. The app, whose name is short for You Need a Budget, promotes a so-called zero-based budgeting system, which forces you to assign a purpose for every dollar you earn. A frequently used analogy is to put each dollar in an envelope; you can always move money from one envelope to another in a pinch. These envelopes can include rent and utilities, along with unforeseen expenses like holiday gifts and the inevitable car repair. The idea is that if you budget a certain amount for the unknowns each month, they wont feel like theyre sneaking up on you. Importantly, YNAB is only concerned with the money you have in your accounts now. The app does not ask you to provide your take-home income or set up recurring income payments (although there is a way to do this). The money you will make later in the month through your salaried job is not relevant, because YNAB does not engage in forecasting. The app is harder to learn than any other here, and it requires more ongoing effort from the user. And YNAB knows that. Inside both the mobile and web apps are links to videos and other tutorials. Although I never quite got comfortable with the user interface, I did come to appreciate YNABs insistence on intentionality. Forcing users to draft a new budget each month and to review each transaction is not necessarily a bad thing. As YNAB says on its website, Sure, youve got pie charts showing that you spent an obscene amount of money in restaurants but youve still spent an obscene amount of money in restaurants. I can see this approach being useful for people who dont tend to have a lot of cash in reserve at a given time, or who have spending habits they want to correct (to riff off of YNABs own example, ordering Seamless four times a week). My colleague Valentina Palladino, knowing I was working on this guide, penned a respectful rebuttal , explaining why shes been using YNAB for years. Perhaps, like her, you have major savings goals you want to achieve, whether its paying for a wedding or buying a house. I suggest you give her column a read. For me, though, YNABs approach feels like overkill. Other Mint alternatives 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, youll 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 whats left, and thats what youre supposed to be budgeting: your disposable income. Although PocketGuards UI is easy enough to understand, it lacks polish. The accounts tab is a little busy, and doesnt 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 doesnt take advantage of the extra screen real estate. Ultimately, now that the free tier is gone, it just doesnt present the same value proposition as it once did. 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 its worth explaining in its own section 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 dont need a dedicated Plaid app to use it; the technology is baked into a wide array of apps, including the budget trackers I tested for this guide. Once you find the add an account option in whichever one youre using, youll see a menu of commonly used banks. Theres also a search field you can use to look yours up directly. Once you find yours, youll be prompted to enter your login credentials. If you have two-factor authentication set up, youll 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 didnt 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 Plaids role in connecting their accounts, and ensuring that our workstreams around data minimization remain on track. How to import your financial data from the Mint app Mint users should consider getting their data ready to migrate to their new budgeting app of choice soon. Unfortunately, importing data from Mint is not as easy as entering your credentials from inside your new app and hitting import. In fact, any app that advertises the ability to port over your stats from Mint is just going to have you upload a CSV file of transactions and other data. To download a CSV file from Mint, do the following: Sign into Mint.com and hit Transactions in the menu on the left side of the screen. Select an account, or all accounts . Scroll down and look for export [number] transactions in smaller print. Your CSV file should begin downloading. Note: Downloading on a per-account basis might seem more annoying, but could help you get set up on the other side, if the app youre using has you importing transactions one-for-one into their corresponding accounts. How we tested Mint alternatives Before I dove into the world of budgeting apps, I had to do some research. To find a list of apps to test, 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 they might be using. Some of the apps I found were free, just like Mint. 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.) Since this guide is meant to help Mint users find a permanent replacement, any 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 (and remember, I really was looking for a Mint alternative myself), 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. 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/the-best-budgeting-apps-to-replace-mint-143047346.html?src=rss

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