What the hell is going on with Subnautica 2?

If I had to describe the status of Subnautica 2 in just three words, it would be these: messy, messy, messy. Thats not to say the game itself is in terrible shape this is actually a pivotal claim in the whole situation but the relationship between Subnautica series developer Unknown Worlds and its parent company, Krafton, is in shreds. This month alone, Krafton fired the founders and CEO of Unknown Worlds, Subnautica 2 was delayed until 2026 and the ousted leaders filed a lawsuit against Krafton, looking to regain creative control of the game and the studio. At the center of the conflict is a bonus payment worth up to $250 million. Heres a rundown of how we got here and what in the devil is going on with Subnautica 2 , Krafton and Unknown Worlds. Krafton Charlie Cleveland accidentally started Unknown Worlds in 2001 while building the popular Half-Life mods Natural Selection and Natural Selection 2 , and technical director Max McGuire came on as an official studio co-founder in 2006. Inspired by Minecraft and burned out on mods, Unknown Worlds began working on the undersea, open-world exploration game Subnautica and released it in early access on Steam in 2014. With years of community feedback, the game evolved into a singularly tense and rich survival experience, and version 1.0 officially landed in 2018. This is also when Ted Gill joined the studios executive team, freeing up Cleveland to focus on creative direction. Subnautica and its spin-off, Subnautica: Below Zero , attracted millions of players and established Unknown Worlds as a successful independent team. So, the larger studios came sniffing. PUBG publisher Krafton, which operates with billions of dollars annually, purchased Unknown Worlds in 2021 for $500 million. The acquisition came with the promise of an additional payout worth up to $250 million if Unknown Worlds hit certain performance goals by the end of 2025. This bonus is a critical piece of the chaos today. We know more about the details of this deal thanks to recent reporting by Bloomberg . In addition to the leadership positions, which were filled by Cleveland, Gill and McGuire, Unknown Worlds had about 40 employees at the time of the Krafton sale, and they received payouts totaling $50 million at closing and over the following two years. This larger group was poised to receive as much as $25 million in the 2025 performance-based earnout, with each person expecting a different amount, but most estimating six or seven figures. The remaining $225 million was reserved for the Unknown Worlds leadership, but they said they intended to share a portion of their windfall with employees who werent included in the bonus, covering the full studio headcount of about 100 people. Krafton The leadership of Unknown Worlds repeated this promise in a lawsuit filed against Krafton on July 10, 2025. But were getting ahead of ourselves. After the acquisition, Unknown Worlds continued updating Subnautica and Below Zero . In February 2024, the studio released Moonbreaker , a turn-based strategy game that never really took off, partially because of its initial microtransaction system . Since then, the studio has been focused on Subnautica 2 . The game was officially announced in October 2024 with a prospective early access launch window of 2025. Its currently the second-most wishlisted game on Steam, after Hollow Knight: Silksong . The first public notion that something was rotten between Unknown Worlds and Krafton came on July 2, when Cleveland, Gill and McGuire were fired and replaced by former Callisto Protocol studio head Steve Papoutsis. Krafton didnt provide a reason for the switch-up in its press release , instead offering the following nearly complete thought: While Krafton sought to keep the Unknown Worlds co-founders and original creators of the Subnautica series involved in the games development, the company wishes them well on their next endeavors. Krafton didnt mention delaying the early access launch at this time, but it implemented a review process that it said would be essential to delivering the right game at the right time. The publisher suggested the ousted leaders had been uncooperative in this aspect. Unknown Worlds new leadership fully supports this process and is committed to meeting player expectations, its press release said. Cleveland published a blog post on July 4 reflecting on his time in game development, and sharing his disappointment at Kraftons handling of Unknown Worlds and Subnautica 2 . He also referenced Kraftons intent to delay the launch. You can see why for Max, Ted, myself, the Unknown Worlds team, and for our community, the events of this week have been quite a shock, Cleveland wrote. We know that the game is ready for early access release and we know youre ready to play it. And while we thought this was going to be our decision to make, at least for now, that decision is in Kraftons hands. And after all these years, to find that Im no longer able to work at the company I started stings. On July 9, Krafton officially delayed the early access launch of Subnautica 2 to 2026. That same day, Bloomberg published a report outlining the performance-based bonus agreement and implicitly questioning how the timing of the delay would make it difficult for the studio to hit its goals, putting the payout in jeopardy. This was the first time the details of the bonus became public. Krafton shared a statement with Engadget and in a pop-up on its own homepage on July 10 that straight-up accused the fired leaders of abandoning the studio in favor of personal creative pursuits, specifically calling out Clevelands film production company . It also threw shade at Moonbreaker and claimed the former bosses wanted the bonus payment for themselves. Krafton Krafton made multiple requests to Charlie and Max to resume their roles as Game Director and Technical Director, respectively, but both declined to do so, the statement said. In particular, following the failure of Moonbreaker , Krafton asked Charlie to devote himself to the development of Subnautica 2 . However, instead of participating in the game development, he chose to focus on a personal film project. Krafton believes that the absence of core leadership has resulted in repeated confusion in direction and significant delays in the overall project schedule. The current Early Access version also falls short in terms of content volume. That same day, Cleveland announced that he and the other ousted studio heads had filed a lawsuit against Krafton. Suing a multibillion dollar company in a painful, public and possibly protracted way was certainly not on my bucket list, Cleveland wrote. But this needs to be made right. Subnautica has been my lifes work and I would never willingly abandon it or the amazing team that has poured their hearts into it. As for the earnout, the idea that Max, Ted and I wanted to keep it all for ourselves is totally untrue. The lawsuit wasnt unsealed until July 16. But on July 15, Bloomberg reported that Krafton now planned to extend the window for the bonus payment by an additional year, giving the studio more time to hit its goals. The publisher will also reportedly advance a portion of a separate profit-sharing bonus pool to all Unknown Worlds employees in 2025. These moves seem designed to moot the core issues raised in the breach of contract complaint that Cleveland and other Unknown Worlds leaders filed against Krafton in Delaware Chancery Court. The lawsuit, unsealed on July 16 , claims Krafton illegally fired the studio heads and delayed Subnautica 2 in order to avoid the bonus payments. It also provides a timeline of growing tensions between the founders and Krafton this year, accusing the publisher of intentional sabotage. The lawsuit claims that Krafton and Unknown Worlds had a respectful relationship until April 2025, when Gill presented Krafton executives with the studios positive revenue projections, which were made with the assumption that Subnautica 2 would hit early access in 2025. He also outlined the expected bonus payout under the agreement. When that happened, everything changed, the lawsuit reads. The complaint alleges that at this point, Krafton began looking for ways to force out the leaders of Unknown Worlds and delay the launch of Subnautica 2 , with a goal of circumventing the bonus payment. Cleveland, Gill and McGuire argued back and forth with Krafton executives over whether the game was ready for early access, and Krafton eventually pulled all of its resources from the studio. Krafton issued a stop order on Subnautica 2 development, took over Unknown Worlds communications channels and in June it started laying an internal paper trail accusing the founders of abandoning their fiduciary duties, according to the complaint. Cleveland, Gill and McGuire were fired and removed from the Unknown Worlds board of directors on July 1. This is where the rest of us entered the story. The main conflict here is over whether Subnautica 2 is really ready for an early access launch, and that matters because of a potential $250 million bonus payment thats jeopardized by a delay. Not only is this a large sum for Krafton to lose, but its also a massive amount of money for Cleveland, Gill and McGuire to miss out on, especially now that theyve lost their studio and tentpole IP. The ousted leaders reiterated in their lawsuit that they planned to share even more of the earnout with their dedicated team than they were contractually obligated to. In the complaint, theyre looking for Krafton to pay out the full bonus as projected without a delay, fulfill its obligations as a publisher and reinstate them as the heads of Unknown Worlds. Every party in this situation claims they want whats best for Subnautica 2 and its players. Its possible that theyre all telling the truth and this is a simple disagreement over artistic integrity. Its also possible that theyre all lying and everyone is looking to make (or keep) a quick buck but man, thats bleak. The truth, as usual, likely lies somewhere in between and, chances are, well never know it. At least the court system will eventually be able to determine the second-best thing, which is whos at fault. Have a tip for Jessica? You can reach her by email , Bluesky or send a message to @jesscon.96 to chat confidentially on Signal. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/what-the-hell-is-going-on-with-subnautica-2-212928022.html?src=rss

Netflix is already using generative AI in its original shows

Netflix admitted during its earnings call on Thursday that it used generative AI to create VFX in The Eternaut , a Netflix original from Argentina that was released in April 2025. The company's co-CEO Ted Sarandos said that generative AI was specifically used for a VFX shot in the post-apocalyptic drama, but the move is one of several ways Netflix is embracing AI. According to Sarandos, the creators of The Eternaut wanted to include a shot of building collapsing in Buenos Aires, and rather than contract a studio of visual effects artists to create the footage, Netflix used generative AI to create it. Using AI powered tools, they were able to achieve an amazing result with remarkable speed, Sarandos shared during the earnings call. In fact, that VFX sequence was completed 10 times faster than it could have been completed with... traditional VFX tools and workflows. The shot just wouldn't have been feasible for a show on that budget, Sarandos says, as someone with some input on the show's budget. The executive says that The Eternaut features he very first Gen AI final footage to appear on screen in a Netflix original series or film. Clearly, the show is also a prototype for how Netflix can avoid costs it doesn't want to swallow in the future. Workers in the entertainment industry have not taken kindly to the use of generative AI. Labor strikes including the recently resolved SAG-AFTRA video game strike have made securing protections against AI a central issue. The Oscar-nominated film The Brutalist came under fire in 2024 for using AI tools during production. Beyond that, whether generative AI models were illegally trained on copyrighted material is still an open question. Netflix plans to use generative AI to create ads for its ad-support Netflix subscription, and the company is reportedly testing a new search feature powered by OpenAI models. Using generative AI in production might seem par for the course for a company that's already invested, but it could help to normalize a technology that many creatives remain actively against. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/netflix-is-already-using-generative-ai-in-its-original-shows-201209502.html?src=rss

Garmins Mini 3 ultra-compact dash cam provides 1080p recordings at a $115 low (Reg. $150)

Amazon is now offering the Garmin Mini 3 Dash Cam down at $114.99 shipped. This newer model hit the scene back in September 2024 and normally goes for $150 at full price, with the discounts weve tracked until now mostly dropping costs between $125 and $130, though there have been a few falls lower to the $115 low, with it last appearing back at the top of April. You can pick it up here today at the best price we can find, equipping your vehicle with extra eyes while saving $35 off the tag. more

Cursor snaps up enterprise startup Koala in challenge to GitHub Copilot

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What is Mistral AI? Everything to know about the OpenAI competitor

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Samsungs new mid-range Galaxy A56 smartphone launches stateside today with a FREE $100 Amazon credit

While the Galaxy world is squarely focused on the launch of the Z Fold 7 , Z Flip 7 , and the new series 8 Galaxy watches , today Samsung has quietly unleashed its new mid-range and far more affordable Galaxy A56 smartphone to the U.S. market. As you mightve seen from our launch coverage over at 9to5Google , this model sits on the higher-end of Samsungs more budget-friendly handsets and you can now score notable FREE credit along with your purchase a FREE $50 gift card at Best Buy and Amazonor a $100 credit on the Amazon exclusive Olive colorway. Details below. more

Phishers have found a way to downgradenot bypassFIDO MFA

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Meta says it won't sign the EU's AI code of practice

Meta said on Friday that it won't sign the European Union's new AI code of practice. The guidelines provide a framework for the EU's AI Act , which regulates companies operating in the European Union. The EU's code of practice is voluntary, so Meta was under no legal obligation to sign it. Yet Meta's Chief Global Affairs Officer, Joel Kaplan, made a point to publicly knock the guidelines on Friday. He described the code as over-reach. Europe is heading down the wrong path on AI, Kaplan posted in a statement. We have carefully reviewed the European Commissions Code of Practice for general-purpose AI (GPAI) models and Meta wont be signing it. This Code introduces a number of legal uncertainties for model developers, as well as measures which go far beyond the scope of the AI Act. So, why kick up a (public) fuss about not signing something Meta was under no obligation to sign? Well, this isn't the first time the company has waged a PR battle against Europe's AI regulations. It previously called the AI Act unpredictable, claiming it goes too far and is hampering innovation and holding back developers. In February, Meta's public policy director said, The net result of all of that is that products get delayed or get watered down and European citizens and consumers suffer. Outmuscling the EU may seem like a more attainable goal to Meta, given that it has an anti-regulation ally in the White House. In April, President Trump pressured the EU to abandon the AI Act. He described the rules as a form of taxation. Mark Zuckerberg at Trump's inauguration in January Pool via Getty Images The EU published its code of practice on July 10. It includes tangible guidelines to help companies follow the AI Act. Among other things, the code bans companies from training AI on pirated materials and requires them to respect requests from writers and artists to omit their work from training data. It also requires developers to provide regularly updated documentation describing their AI features. Although signing the code of practice is voluntary, doing so has its perks. Agreeing to it can give companies more legal protection against future accusations of breaching the AI Act. Thomas Regnier, the European Commission's spokesperson for digital matters, added more color in a statement to Bloomberg . He said that AI providers who don't sign it will have to demonstrate other means of compliance. As a consequence, they may be exposed to more regulatory scrutiny. Companies that violate the AI Act can face hefty penalties. The European Commission can impose fines of up to seven percent of a company's annual sales. The penalties are a lower three percent for those developing advanced AI models. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/meta-says-it-wont-sign-the-eus-ai-code-of-practice-190132690.html?src=rss

Would you feel safe sharing the road with this self-driving scooter?

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A surveillance vendor was caught exploiting a new SS7 attack to track peoples phone locations

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Affordably refresh your wardrobe with these button down shirts from $17.50 Prime shipped (24% off)

Alimens & Gentle Plaid Button Down Shirt Buy from $17.50 (Reg. $23) What we love For a large portion of the year, you can find me wearing a button down shirt like this. I like this sort of style because it can look dressed up or casual depending on what you pair it with. I personally think these offer a timeless design that always looks sharp. more

Plane makes emergency landing after passenger tries to open door

Cedar Rapids: A regional airline flight heading to Detroit had to make an emergency landing in eastern Iowa after a passenger fought with a flight attendant and tried to open an exit door midair, according to the pilots communication with air traffic controllers. The pilot of the SkyWest Airlines Flight 3612 contacted the tower at Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .

Remedy lays out its plan to fix FBC: Firebreak, which includes improved onboarding

Remedy has announced plans to fix FBC: Firebreak and restore the good will of consumers after a rough launch earlier this year . Many of the issues surrounding the launch were regarding the onboarding process, which the company acknowledges by saying that many players come into the game and leave within the first hour. Remedy is trying to make that opening hour more welcoming to new players, so they don't feel ineffective and confused as to what to do. It has already placed an introductory video in the game with a narrative to explain the world and how it relates to the developer's hit game Control , as FBC: Firebreak is set in the same universe. Remedy promises more of this type of narrative onboarding will come to the game later this year. It's building a playable tutorial level, as the developer acknowledges it needs to do a better job teaching new players the core mechanics and features. It's also taking a page out of Nintendo's playbook and introducing more pop up tips that will appear at relevant times throughout the first couple of hours. The forthcoming updates aren't just about onboarding. Remedy will be adding three new heavy guns to the arsenal and introducing a modding system for weapons. The company will share more about this system before September. It's also introducing big changes to the way players access missions and beefing up the missions themselves. The developer says it's refining several elements to increase the fun factor, going on to say that it will be weeding out our least fun experience and focusing on our best experiences. There will even be new game modes and missions down the line. Much of this is coming in the game's first major update, with a planned winter launch. For the uninitiated, FBC: Firebreak is a multiplayer FPS that places an emphasis on cooperative action . It's available on Game Pass and PlayStation Plus, so it could technically be free to check out any progress the dev has made since launch. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/remedy-lays-out-its-plan-to-fix-fbc-firebreak-which-includes-improved-onboarding-182301518.html?src=rss

Todays Android app deals and freebies: Bendy and the Ink Machine, Exolotl Zian, more

Before we all head off into the weekend, lets take a rundown of the best deals courtesy of the Google Play store. Joining the Android app discounts, we are also tracking a chance to land Galaxy Watch 7from $160 or Galaxy Watch 8 up to $250 off (FREE with Galaxy Z Fold 7), as well as Pixel Watch 3 as low as $217 , up to $500 off Copilot+ PCs at Best Buy, and an ongoing Prime Day price on Google TV Streamer 4K . As for the apps, everything awaits below. more

Xiaomi Adds Automatic Crash Detection And Emergency SOS To Smartphones

Xiaomi has released an update to its Security app that introduces automatic car crash detection and emergency SOS features to its smartphones. This functionality, already available in devices from other brands for some time, is designed to enhance user safety and potentially save lives in critical situations. The updated app, version 10.9.6-250710.0.1 , uses real-time data from the smartphones accelerometer, analyzed by AI algorithms, to detect possible car accidents. When a crash is suspected, the system activates a 20-second countdown , during which the phone emits loud audio signals and strong vibrations to draw attention and allow users a chance to cancel the alert if needed. If the alert is not dismissed within the countdown period, the smartphone will automatically contact pre-set emergency numbers . Along with the call, it also sends a text message containing the users real-time location , enabling quicker response by emergency services. To access the new feature, users must update the Security app by navigating to Settings > App Updates on their Xiaomi device and installing the latest version. This move positions Xiaomi among manufacturers leveraging smartphone sensors and AI to improve personal safety, particularly in situations where the user might be incapacitated or unable to call for help. The system is particularly useful in regions where emergency response time is critical and compliance with traditional safety alerts, like manual calls or messages, may be delayed. In summary, Xiaomis new feature combines crash detection with automatic emergency communication, providing a valuable tool for improving user safety during road accidents. Xiaomi Adds Automatic Crash Detection And Emergency SOS To Smartphones , original content from Ubergizmo . Read our Copyrights and terms of use .

This 3-piece patio set was already affordable, but now its even less at $70 shipped

Greesum 3-piece Patio Set Buy for $70 (Reg. $80) What we love Ive got some seating like this set up on both my front porch and patio. Its nice to have a dedicated place to relax and get some fresh air, and you can get in on that action with this affordable patio set. Todays offer wont break the bank and still offers up two chairs and a tempered-glass table. more

After 5 years in development, the Assassins Creed TV series is happening

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Netflixs first show with generative AI is a sign of whats to come in TV, film

The Eternaut debuted on Netflix with a generative AI-assisted scene.

Best in class floating Bose Ultra Open earbuds undercut Prime Day at $100 off today (7 colors at $199)

For many, myself included, the Bose Ultra Open set the standard when it comes to clip-on open buds that float outside of your ears instead of getting jammed right up in there. And now, over at Amazon youll find just about all of the colors it offers at $100 off the regular list price. more

Value-packed SKIL PWR CORE bundle delivers string trimmer, 400 CFM blower, and 4Ah battery for $129 (Reg. $179)

Amazon is offering the SKIL PWR CORE 20 13-inch String Trimmer and 400 CFM Leaf Blower Combo Kit at $129 shipped. This budget-friendly kit would cost you $179 at full price, but things are even better thanks to the $50 markdown were seeing here, which certainly drops it among some of the cheapest options for homeowners to reliably tackle trimming and blowing jobs around their yard. Youll be getting $50 in savings while this deal lasts, dropping costs to the second-lowest rate we have tracked that lands $30 above the all-time low we spotted at the top of the year. more

Microsoft unceremoniously kills off the Xbox Movies & TV store

Microsoft has rather abruptly closed down its Movies & TV app, which is accessible on Xbox and Windows PCs via the Microsoft Store. This allowed people to rent or buy movies or TV shows natively through their console or computers storefront, but in a newly updated support page Microsoft said the service has ended. Microsoft no longer offers new entertainment content for purchase, including movies and TV shows, on Microsoft.com, Microsoft Store on Windows, and the Microsoft Store on Xbox the statement reads. However, you can continue to access your purchased content in the Movies & TV app on Xbox or Windows device. Microsoft added that downloaded movies and shows will remain in your account and continue to play in their maximum supported resolution, but theres no way of moving your purchased content to another service. However, you can sign up for Movies Anywhere , a service that lets you register movies that you purchased on different storefronts and sync them to other ones so you arent locked into one platform. According to the Microsoft support page, its still possible to do this with your Movies & TV purchases if youre in the US. You can also continue to install other third-party video streaming and purchasing apps on both the Xbox and Windows stores, including Prime Video and Apple TV, and right now nothing is changing with those. The company does not offer refunds on previous purchases. Microsoft Movies & TV was first introduced as Xbox Video in 2012, which replaced the Zune Video Marketplace it had been operating since 2006. It was Microsofts answer to the likes of Apples iTunes Store and Amazons various on-demand offerings. Microsoft also made a concerted effort to position the ill-fated Xbox One, which first launched in 2013, as an all-in-one multimedia box, but todays closure of the Movies & TV app is yet another sign that it has now completely moved on from that era. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/microsoft-unceremoniously-kills-off-the-xbox-movies-tv-store-171554115.html?src=rss

AirPods 4s lowest price ever is backwith or without ANC

Macworld During last weeks four-day Prime Day event, we saw AirPods 4 on sale for the lowest price ever. As expected, those prices went back up when the event endedbut they just dropped again, matching those steep Prime Day discounts. You can get the AirPods 4 without active noise cancelling for only $89 , a 30 percent discount off its $129 MSRP and the lowest price weve seen. We think the AirPods 4 with ANC for only $119 is an even better buy, though. Thats 33 percent off, and again, the lowest price weve ever seen for these. The AirPods 4 with ANC earned our Editors Choice rating with a 4.5-star score when we reviewed them . We loved everything about them, chiefly the superb audio quality and excellent noise canceling without silicone tips. In our testing, the AirPods 4s noise cancellation also delivered great clarity and volume when talking, while the Conversation Awareness feature works great to automatically lower the volume of what youre listening to when someone strikes up a conversation. If you want to step up to Apples premium earbuds, AirPods Pro 2 are $169 now (32 percent off). Its not the stellar price of $150 we saw during Prime Day, but its a good sale price we only see a few times a year. Apple AirPods 4 (with ANC) Read our review Price When Reviewed: $179 with Active Noice Cancelation Best Prices Today: $119.99 at Amazon | $119.99 at Walmart | $149.99 at Target

Experts lay into Tesla safety in federal autopilot trial

In 2019, a speeding Tesla using Autopilot ran a stop sign and hit two stargazers.

Trump admin squanders nearly 800,000 vaccines meant for Africa: Report

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Swallow this pill to learn about your gut and health

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Here are the biggest Nintendo Switch 2 games still set for release this summer and beyond [Updated]

The new Donkey Kong Bananza just released to rave reviews, with game of the year already being thrown around, and terms like Switch 2s killer app. And as fun as Mario Kart World has been its going to need a ton of updates to reach the heights of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for me, we would have to agree. But its only going to be a matter of time before you make it to the center of the earth to get your wish granted in Bananza, so lets take look at the best Switch 2 games releasing this summer and beyond. more

Tested: This SUPCASE 5-card MagSafe wallet with metal lock cover doubles up as versatile phone stand [Deal]

MagSafe wallets are a great alternative to traditional wallets, especially if you prefer to travel light with just a couple of cards and little to no cash. I personally love the convenience they let me leave my regular wallet behind and carry one less item every time I step out. Having said that, Im yet to find the one that checks all the right boxes for me. Most MagSafe wallets Ive tried either dont have enough space and barely fit one or two cards, or they dont feel sturdy enough to keep my cards securely in place. The one were checking out here from SUPCASE seem to get a lot of things right while also adding some notable extras. Lets dive in and see what its like to use one of these every day. more

This 20V Worx PowerShare cordless vacuum covers at-home messes with several attachments at $79

Worx 20V PowerShare Cordless Cube Vacuum Buy for $79 (Reg. $100) What we love When your shop, car, or other spaces around your home need cleaning, this Worx cube vac is ready to help. It comes with a 20V rechargeable battery that can be switched out with other 20V and 40V tools in the brands PowerShare ecosystem, and brings a 10kPa suction to the table, which is impressive for its size. Theres also some bonus attachments joining the package to round out its functionality, as well as a charger for the battery. more

DEWALT levels up your wrench game with its 8-piece Tough Box ratcheting set, now $39 (Reg. $48)

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For $45, you can get Windows 11 Pro and a Microsoft Office Lifetime License (Reg. up to $419)

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Centre creates fake Supreme Court of Karnataka account to demonstrate ease of social media misuse

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Score three pairs of modern sport sunglasses for only $9 Prime shipped ($3 each, 59% off)

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The best live TV streaming services to cut cable in 2025

We tested all the major live TV streaming services and, after comparing the features and costs, we still think they are a better deal than paying for cable or satellite but the gulf between the options is narrowing. Now that most subscriptions go for more than $80 per month, live TV streaming is not the amazing deal it once was. Still, theres no contract, the pricing is simpler and you dont need any special equipment beyond a smart TV and an internet connection. Our current top choice is YouTube TV ; Its the most well-rounded option that should please anyone looking for live sports, linear cable-style channels and/or local networks. But other services have their advantages, too, depending on what you want to watch. Here are the best live TV streaming services according to our tests. Table of contents Best live TV streaming services for 2025 Best free live TV streaming services for 2025 What to look for in a live TV streaming service How we tested Live TV Streaming FAQs Recent updates Best live TV streaming services for 2025 Back to top Best free live TV streaming services for 2025 There are plenty of ways to get free TV these days. To start, many standard streaming apps have added live components to their lineups. Youre paying for the service, so its not technically free, but you can get a dose of live TV without spending more than necessary. Peacock includes some regional NBC stations, and notably access to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games . Paramount+ subscribers can watch on-air CBS programming. The standard Hulu app has a live ABC news channel and Max now includes a live CNN outlet with its service, along with cable-like linear channels . The smart TV operating system (OS) you use likely provides free live content too: Amazons Fire TV interface has a live tab and Rokus built-in Roku Channel includes hundreds of live channels at no extra cost. The same goes for Samsung TV Plus , which added a trove of K-dramas to its free live and on-demand lineup in 2024. The PBS app offers local live streams of its channels even NASA has a free streaming service with live coverage. But for a full suite of live TV networks, and dont want to sign up for any paid service, there are a number of free ad-supported TV services that have live TV. Even cable company DirecTV has joined the crowd with MyFree , and Fubo Free lets customers with a lapsed subscription keep watching some content. Here's the best of the live TV streaming services we tried: Back to top What to look for in a live TV streaming service How to stream live TV Streaming live TV is a lot like using Netflix. You get access through apps on your phone, tablet, smart TV or streaming device and the signal arrives over the internet. A faster and more stable connection tends to give you a better experience. Most live TV apps require you to sign up and pay via a web browser. After that, you can activate the app on all of your devices. Monthly Price When I started testing these cord-cutting alternatives, I was struck by the price difference between live TV and a standard video streaming app . Where the latter cost between $5 and $20 per month, most live TV services hit the $80 mark and can go higher than $200 with additional perks, channel packages and premium extras. The higher starting price is mostly due to the cost of providing multiple networks particularly sports and local stations. And, in the past year or so, every service except Sling has raised base plan prices. Local channels Only two of the services I tried dont include full local channel coverage for subscribers and one of those makes no effort to carry sports at all. That would be Philo and, as you might guess, its the cheapest. The next most affordable option, Sling, only carries three local stations and only in larger markets but it still manages to include some of the top sports channels. When you sign up with any provider that handles local TV, youll enter your zip code, ensuring you get your areas broadcast affiliates for ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC. Of course, you can also get those stations for free. Nearly all modern television sets support a radio frequency (RF) connection, also known as the coaxial port, which means if you buy an HD antenna , youll receive locally broadcast stations like ABC, CBS, PBS, FOX and NBC. And since the signal is digital, reception is much improved over the staticky rabbit-ears era. But local channel access is another area where traditional streaming services, like Netflix, are bleeding into broadcast territory. For example, you can watch your local NBC station with a Peacock subscription and you can tune into your areas CBS station through your Paramount+ subscription. Netflix is even getting into the mix with a recently announced deal with one of Frances broadcast companies, TF1. The streaming service will now air TF1's live TV channels and on-demand content inside the Netflix app. No word if the concept will expand to other regions, but its an interesting move to anyone interested in the future of streaming. Live sports coverage One reality that spun my head was the sheer number and iterations of sports networks in existence. Trying to figure out which network will carry the match-up you want to see can be tricky. I found that Google makes it a little easier for sports fans by listing out upcoming games (just swap in NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL and so on in the search bar). When you click an event, the TV & streaming button will tell you which network is covering it. That just leaves figuring out if your chosen service carries the RSNs (regional sports networks) you want. Unfortunately, even with add-ons and extra packages, some providers simply dont have certain channels in their lineups. It would take a lawyer to understand the ins and outs of streaming rights negotiations , and networks leave and return to live TV carriers all the time. That said, most major sporting events in the US are covered by ESPN, Fox Sports, TNT, USA and local affiliates. I should also point out that traditional streaming services have started adding live sports to their lineups. Peacock carries live Premier League matches, Sunday Night Football games and aired the 2024 Olympic Games from Paris. Thursday Night Football as well as NBA and WNBA games are on Amazon Prime and Christmas Day Football aired on Netflix. Max ( formerly HBO Max) now airs select, regular season games from the NHL, MLB, NCAA and NBA with a $10-per-month add-on . You can watch MLS games with an add-on through the Apple TV app, and Apple TV+ includes some MLB games . Roku users can watch the just-added free sports channel and those who subscribe to Paramount Plus can see many of the matches aired on CBS Sports, including live NFL games. This year, even the Super Bowl was live-streamed for free on Tubi . While all of these alternatives may not cover as much ground as live TV streamers, they could end up being cheaper avenues to the sports you want. And if sports is all youre after, there are sports-only plans that are a touch cheaper, too. The promised sports streaming service from ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. called Venu was cancelled early this year. But in May, ESPN confirmed it will launch its own streaming service that will include all ESPN channels , though a start date hasnt been confirmed. DirecTV recently announced a $70-per-month, sports-only streaming package called MySports and Comcast now has a sports and news bundle for the same price (as long as you're an Xfinity customer with auto-pay, otherwise it's more expensive). Traditional cable networks Dozens of linear programming networks were once only available with cable TV, like Bravo, BET, Food Network, HGTV, CNN, Lifetime, SYFY and MTV. If you only subscribe to, say, Netflix or Apple TV+, you wont have access to those. But as with sports, standard streamers are starting to incorporate this content into their offerings. After the Warner Bros. merger, Max incorporated some content from HGTV, Discovery and TLC. Peacock has Bravo and Hallmark shows, and Paramount+ has material from Nickelodeon, MTV and Comedy Central. Other channels like AMC+ have stand-alone apps. The Discovery+ app gives you 15 channels ad-free for $9 per month (or with ads for $5 monthly). And a service called Frndly TV starts at a mere $7 per month and streams A&E, Lifetime, Game Show Network, Outdoor Channel and about 35 others. Of course, most live TV streaming options will deliver more sizable lists of cable networks, but just note that you may already be paying for some of them and if all you need is a certain channel, you could get it cheaper by subscribing directly. On-demand streaming Most live TV subscriptions include access to a selection of video-on-demand (VOD) content, like you would get with a traditional streaming service. Much of this content is made up of the movies and TV series that have recently aired on your subscribed networks. This typically doesnt cover live events and news programming, but I was able to watch specific episodes of ongoing shows like Top Chef or BETs Diarra from Detroit. Just search the on-demand library for the program, pick an episode and hit play. Partnerships, like Hulus relationship with Disney, and add-ons, such as bundling Max with your YouTube TV subscription or Starz with your Sling plan, will let you watch even larger libraries of on-demand content. But again, if VOD is all youre after, paying for those networks directly instead of through a live TV plan will be far cheaper. Digital video recordings (DVR) limits Every option I tried offers some cloud DVR storage without needing a separate physical device. Youll either get unlimited storage for recordings that expires after nine months or a year, or youll get a set number of hours (between 50 and 1,000) that you can keep indefinitely. Typically, all you need to do is designate what ongoing TV series you want to record and the DVR component will do all the hard work of saving subsequent episodes for you to watch later. You can do the same thing with sports events. Aside from being able to watch whenever its most convenient, you can also fast-forward through commercials in recorded content. In contrast, you cant skip them on live TV or VOD. Simultaneous streams and profiles per account Each plan gives you a certain number of simultaneous streams, aka how many screens can play content at the same time. And while most providers will let you travel with your subscription, there are usually location restrictions that require you to sign in from your home IP address periodically. Stream allowances range from one at a time to unlimited screens (or as many as your ISPs bandwidth can handle). Some plans require add-ons to get more screens. Most services also let you set up a few profiles so I was able to give different people in my family the ability to build their own watch histories and libraries, set their favorite channels and get individual recommendations. Picture-in-picture mode and multiview Picture-in-picture (PiP) usually refers to shrinking a video window on a mobile device or computer browser so you can watch it while using other apps. Sling, YouTube TV, FuboTV, Philo, DirecTV Stream and Hulu + Live TV all have PiP modes on computers and mobile devices. Another feature, multiview, lets you view multiple live sports games at once on your TV screen. YouTube TV and FuboTV are the only live TV streamers that let you do this. With YouTube TV, you can select up to four views from a few preset selection of streams. FuboTV offers the same feature, but only if you're using an Apple TV or Roku streaming device. 4K live streams Right now, just FuboTV, YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream offer 4K live streams but with caveats. YouTube TV requires a $20-per-month add-on , after which youll only be able to watch certain live content in 4K. DirecTV Stream has three channels that show live 4K content one with shows and original series, and two with occasional sporting events. You dont have to pay extra for these but you do need to have either DirecTVs Gemini receiver, or a device from Fire TV, Apple TV or Roku. Youll need those same streaming devices to watch the select 4K programming on Sling as well. FuboTV shows certain live events in 4K but access is limited to the Elite and Premier packages, not the base-level Pro plan. Of course, watching any 4K content also requires equipment that can handle it: a 4K smart TV or 4K streaming device paired with a cord and screen that can handle 4K resolution. Tiers, packages and add-ons Comparing price-to-offering ratios is a task for a spreadsheet. I made three. The base plans range from $28 to $85 per month. From there, you can add packages, which are usually groups of live TV channels bundled by themes like news, sports, entertainment or international content. Premium VOD extras like Max, AMC+ and Starz are also available. Add-ons cost an extra $5 to $20 each per month and simply show up in the guide where you find the rest of your live TV. This is where streaming can quickly get expensive, pushing an $80 subscription to $200 monthly, depending on what you choose. How to stream live TV for free I also downloaded and tried out a few apps that offer free ad-supported TV ( FAST ) including Freevee , Tubi , PlutoTV and Sling Freestream . These let you drop in and watch a more limited selection of live networks at zero cost. Most dont even require an email address, let alone a credit card. And if you have a Roku device, an Amazon Fire TV or Stick, a Samsung TV, a Chromecast device or a Google TV, you already have access to hundreds of live channels via the Roku Channel , the live tab in Fire TV, through the Samsung TV Plus app or through Google TV . Back to top How we tested When I begin testing for a guide, I research the most popular and well-reviewed players in the category and narrow down which are worth trying. For the paid plans, just six services dominate so I tried them all. There are considerably more free live TV contenders so I tested the four most popular. After getting accounts set up using my laptop, I downloaded the apps on a Samsung smart TV running the latest version of Tizen OS. I counted the local stations and regional sports coverage, and noted how many of the top cable networks were available. I then weighed the prices, base packages and available add-ons. I then looked at how the programming was organized in each apps UI and judged how easy everything was to navigate, from the top navigation to the settings. To test the search function, I searched for the same few TV shows on BET, Food Network, HGTV and Comedy Central, since all six providers carry those channels. I noted how helpful the searches were and how quickly they got me to season 6, episode 13 of Home Town . I used DVR to record entire series and single movies and watched VOD shows, making sure to test the pause and scan functions. On each service with sports, I searched for the same four upcoming NHL, NBA, MLS and NCAA basketball matches and used the record option to save the games and play them back a day or two later. Finally, I noted any extra perks or irritating quirks. All live TV streaming services weve tested: Philo Sling YouTube TV Hulu + Live TV DirecTV Stream FuboTV Freevee Tubi PlutoTV Sling Freestream Plex Back to top Live TV Streaming FAQs What is live streaming? Streaming simply refers to video content that is delivered to your screen over the internet. Live streaming can be split into two categories: linear programming and simultaneous transmission. That first one is similar to what you get with cable or broadcast TV, with channels that play a constant flow of movies and shows (sort of what TV looked like before Netflix). Simultaneous streaming lets you watch live events (like a basketball game) or a program (like the evening news) as they happen. What is the difference between streaming and live streaming? Standard streaming, the most popular example being Netflix, lets you pick what you want to watch from a menu of choices. Its also referred to as video on demand. Live streaming refers to sports and news events that you can stream as they happen in real time. It also refers to channels that show a continuous, linear flow of programming. What streaming service is best for live TV? FuboTV does the best job of letting you organize live channels to help you find just what you want to watch. The interface is uncluttered and when you search for something, the UI clearly tells you whether something is live now or on-demand. YouTube TV also does a good job making that info clear. Both have just over 100 live channels on offer. What is the most cost effective TV streaming service? Free TV streaming services like PlutoTV, Plex, Tubi and FreeVee show plenty of ad-supported TV shows and movies without charging you anything. Of course, they wont have the same channels or content that more premium subscriptions have. Ultimately it depends on what you want to watch and finding the service that can supply that to you in the most streamlined form so youre not paying for stuff you dont need. Is it cheaper to have cable or streaming? A basic cable package used to be more expensive than the base-level live TV streaming service. But now that nearly all major providers have raised their prices to over $75 per month, thats no longer the case. And with add-ons and other premiums, you can easily pay over $200 a month for either cable or a live TV streaming service. What streaming service has all the TV channels? No service that we tested had every available channel. Hulu + Live TV and DirecTV Stream carry the the highest number of the top rated channels, according to Neilsen . Hulus service also gets you Disney+ fare, which you cant get elsewhere. FuboTV has the most sports channels and YouTube TV gives you the widest selection of add-ons. What is the most popular live TV streaming platform? YouTube TV has the most paying customers. According to 2024's letter from the CEO, the service has over eight million subscribers. Disneys 2024 third quarter earnings put the Hulu + Live TV viewer count at 4.6 million. Slings customer count dipped from two million to about 1.9 million in 2024 and FuboTV grew its subscriber list to 1.6 million . How safe are free streaming services and websites? You may have heard certain sites that provide free content can be dangerous, leading to stolen info and/or exposing you to malware. Thats likely in reference to certain peer-to-peer (P2P) networks and file-sharing sites that let people download free movies and series which can come bundled with malicious code. But if youre talking about the free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) services listed here, from providers like PlutoTV, Tubi and Freevee, they are just as safe as any other streaming service. Since you sometimes dont even have to provide your email address or credit card info, they can even be more anonymous than apps that require login credentials. Back to top Recent updates January 31, 2025 : Added information about which streaming service would live-stream the Super Bowl, including Tubis free option. Updated Fubos pricing. Added details about DirectTV Streams sports-only package and Comcasts sports and news bundle. January 16, 2025 : Included higher prices for Slings Orange and Blue plans. Noted the demise of the never-launched Venu sports streaming service and mentioned the inclusion of DirecTVs new sports package. December 31, 2024 : Noted increased pricing for YouTube TV, Hulu+ Live TV and DirecTV. Updated information for 4K streaming capabilities and requirements for multiple services. Reported on the upcoming shut down of Amazons Freevee service and the addition of DirecTVs free service. August 6, 2024 : Updated with the addition of Plex as a free live TV streaming recommendation and mentioned the additional free channels Philo is now including with the free version of its service. Added pricing information for ESPN's new sports-only streaming service, Venu. June 12, 2024 : Updated with more information about 4K live streaming, picture-in-picture and multiview modes, as well as video on-demand options. We expanded our recommendations around free live TV streaming services and added a FAQ query about the safety of free streaming services and clarified the difference between standard and live streaming. More traditional streaming services have added live and sports components, so we revised that section accordingly. Back to top This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/best-live-tv-streaming-service-133000410.html?src=rss

Galaxy Watch 8: My first days with Samsung's smartwatch have been promising

Samsung announced its newest devices during its Galaxy Unpacked event on July 9 . That happened to fall on the second day of Amazons Prime Day event. Do big tech companies not know what the others are doing? Do they care? Do they like making the lives of tech reporters difficult? I didnt have time to consider. Only when I was done covering Amazon did I have time to begin properly testing Samsungs latest wearable. That means Ive been living with the Galaxy Watch 8 for four days now. While thats not enough time to complete a comprehensive review and tally a fair score, I was able to gather a good amount of first impressions and let me tell you, they are nearly all positive. Ill continue to evaluate the watch over the next few weeks or so and return for a final assessment. In the meantime, theres a lot to say about the experience so far. Samsung packed a lot of updates into its latest smartwatch, in terms of both hardware and software. But I put extra effort into testing one feature in particular and its one of the more interesting. Antioxidant tests and my persimmon intake The Galaxy Watch 8 has the same processor and sensors as the previous generation, but its using those to detect a new metric: antioxidant levels. You have to take the watch off and hold your thumb on the sensor node for five seconds to get a reading and youll need to refer to the Health app in your phone for detailed results. The first time I tested, I got a score of 60, which falls right in the middle of the low segment of the scale. The only other results are very low and adequate, which will surely be a disappointment to the over-achievers out there. The Health app suggested I try eating one (100g) persimmon today. When my grandmother was alive, she made persimmon cookies every Christmas and the last time she did so was also the last time I thought about that fruit. Considering South Korea is one of the worlds largest persimmon producers , it might make sense that a Samsung device suggested them. The produce guy at my local grocery store said they only carry them around the holidays (no doubt because grandmas insist, plus thats when theyre in season). Turns out persimmons are high in antioxidants such as Vitamin C and beta-carotine (Vitamin A). Cantaloupe also has those nutrients plus its orange like persimmons so I bought one. In fact, I went hard on the antioxidants and did everything I could to see if I could get a better score. I ate a bunch of cherries and a little dark chocolate. For breakfast, I had half a cantaloupe instead of the very tasty-smelling breakfast hash my husband made, and I drank plain green tea instead of my usual oat matcha latte. I did yoga and went to my monthly medical massage appointment (stress is said to increase oxidant levels). I got eight hours of sleep and drank my weight in water. I felt ready. So I took the test again and my antioxidant levels were two points lower. Sigh. I wasnt expecting overnight transformation, but Id hoped for a little improvement. Next time, Im eating the hash. Finally, a new design! Since its fourth generation , the Galaxy Watch has looked pretty much the same: a round glass screen set in a round metal case with large prongs popping out of the top and bottom to hold the band. While there was nothing wrong with sticking with a good design, giving a device a refreshed look lends the yearly update cycle some meaning instead of feeling like an obligatory move to appease stockholders. With 3,000 nits of peak brightness, the watch is easy to read even in the bright Albuquerque sun. Amy Skorheim for Engadget This time around, the Galaxy Watch 8 looks markedly different thanks to a shape borrowed from last years Ultra model . Samsung calls it a cushion design a circular glass display set atop an aluminum case that looks like a roundish square (or squircle as our own Cherlynn Low calls it). The Sport band on my review model curves to meet the width of the case, creating a smooth arch that I think is more refined than the clunkier pronged configuration. In fact, the entire look is classy much more so than the Apple Watch, which looks like a miniaturized iPhone 11 glued to a silicone strap. The cushion design is great in one way, but also worrisome. Because the glass display stands proud of the case by at least two millimeters, my first thought was: Im going to trash this screen. Immediately after taking the watch out of the box, I ordered screen shields and, during the short course of this review, managed to crack one. Thats possibly because I was cheap and ordered off-brand screen protectors, or perhaps the protruding glass cushion is simply begging for misfortune. However, the raised glass solves one complaint I had with the Galaxy Watch 7 . One way to scroll is by running your finger along the outer edge of the screen. In fact, on-screen cues suggest that gesture when theres more content to view. On the Watch 7, my finger was always getting in the way of the text I wanted to read. Now that the display is elevated, theres room for my finger to travel further out along the outer edge and stay out of the way. Appearance aside, my favorite hardware update is how much more comfortable the watch is. The Watch 7s underside had a sizable sensor node, and it took me a week to get used to the feel. Even then, I hated sleeping with it. The Watch 8, however, felt good the first time I put it on. Gemini on your wrist and Wear OS 6 The Galaxy Watch 8 is the first smartwatch to ship with Googles Wear OS 6, though Samsung overlays it with its own One UI interface. The headline feature for the new software is Gemini integration. Now, most things you can do with the Gemini app on your phone can be done through your watch. Just note that youll need to have your Gemini-compatible phone nearby to use it. Amy Skorheim for Engadget Googles AI was pretty snappy at basic tasks like setting reminders and timers. Requests that required more thought took only marginally longer (and completed more quickly when I was using my home Wi-Fi versus relying on cell signals out in the world). I asked for the best record stores in my city and a good place to eat lunch. I was pleasantly surprised to hear of a new-to-me answer for each category. The record store turned out to be two bins of LPs inside a book shop, but still, I hadnt heard of it before. I asked why my eight-year-old talked about lava chicken all the time and was correctly informed about Jack Black and A Minecraft Movie . The assistant displays answers in text form on the watch screen and also reads out every word. That can turn into a lot of talking, but tapping the screen stops the chatter if you prefer to read. Gemini can handle follow-up questions and tasks, but since it doesnt usually keep listening after it speaks, you have to tap the mic icon to make your next request. I reached out to Samsung to ask if I could change a setting to make Gemini keep listening, but there isn't one at this time. For now, you'll need to tap or say OK Google again for followups like, Add that to my Google Keep or Remind me about that. If Gemini asks you a question, however, such as verifying a text its about to send, it does keep listening for the answer. You can also combine commands at the outset, such as asking to look up an address and text it to someone. I requested some fairly specific tasks and didnt hit any snags. I asked it to text the address of a local restaurant to my husband and it verified which location I wanted then sent the message. I asked when the Albuquerque Isotopes were playing the Sacramento River Cats and it gave me the upcoming dates. I tapped the mic and said, add that to my calendar, which it did. It only let me down twice. When I asked whether it was going to rain, it just read me the general weather forecast instead of answering the question. All the other assistants in my life (Alexa and Siri) can answer those questions though technically thats a Gemini problem, not the watch's fault. The other disappointment is a matter of proper integration. I was out on a walk and I asked for directions to a nearby grocery store. Gemini told me the address and the distance, but pointed me to look at my phone for the actual directions. When I asked Siri the same thing on the same walk, directions simply showed up on my Apple Watch. (Yes, Ive been wearing two watches and carrying around two activated phones like a double agent, just much less cool.) Tiles on the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic Amy Skorheim for Engadget In addition to Gemini, Wear OS 6 introduces updated and larger tiles which organize and display information on your watch. By default, the tiles are separated into categories: Health, Fitness and Basic (weather, media playback, calendar) with each box displaying a bit of pertinent info activity metrics, current temp, your next event and so on. If the limited info isnt enough, tapping a tile opens the respective app. You can categorize, rearrange, swap out and add as many pages of these cards as you want in the Wear app on your phone. I didnt have time to get the defaults tweaked exactly how I wanted, but it already feels like a much smarter way of interacting with a watch. Now you can glean key information from the apps that are important to you just by browsing your tiles. The running coach believes in you The Galaxy Watch 8 now comes with built-in, AI-fueled running guidance. This sounds a bit like the upcoming Workout Buddy that Apple announced for watchOS 26 , so it will be interesting to compare the two. Google Pixel watches and Fitbits currently have the option of an AI-powered running coach, but its limited to Premium subscribers. Garmin offers an adaptive training program called Run Coach as well, so this isnt an entirely novel idea. Samsungs running coach begins with an assessment: Run as fast as you can maintain for twelve minutes. Youll then be awarded a performance level ranging from one to ten. Each level comes with a tailored, four-week plan with four workouts per week intended to get you ready to complete a 5K, 10K, half or full marathon. My 12-minute, 22-second per-mile pace put me at a level three. My plan was geared towards getting me to run a 5K at the end of four weeks. Samsung/Engadget The first workout was low-intensity interval running with four segments of running hard, interspersed with cool-down walks. As I ran, the AI coach told me when and what to expect on the next segment and what my goals were for each. It spouted occasional words of encouragement and let me know when my pace started to lag. The guidance wasnt intrusive and I appreciated the preview of and expectations for the next segment. I tried it relying just on the watch's speakers, and I could hear OK as long as the streets were quiet, but I definitely recommend using earbuds. I found myself running faster than I would have without a coach and now Im honestly wondering whether I, a person my athlete sister describes as not an athlete, could actually complete a 5K. Maybe theres some value in this concept after all. In any case, I find myself looking forward to taking it further. My next workout is a straight up, 30-minute jog. Ive never continuously run for a half an hour in my life, so well see how that goes. Vascular load, bedtime reminders and battery life The quick turnaround on this article means I didnt get to properly test some of the new features. Vascular load takes readings while you sleep to evaluate the health of your circulatory system, then tells you when your load is higher or lower than normal and offers recommendations. It requires three nights of data to set a baseline, but after the third night of wearing the watch to bed, it said I still needed one more. Three nights of sleep should also trigger a Bedtime Guidance feature, but I didn't see an notification letting me know the guidance had begun. After asking Samsung why, I was told I needed to turn it on in the Health app (Health > Sleep > tap three dots icon > Bedtime guidance). So I'll report back on the experience after using it for a few days. One of the prior models shortcomings was battery life. The always-on display (AOD) tanked the charge, so I kept it off. The Galaxy Watch 8 has a bigger 325mAh battery, compared to the 300mAh one on the Watch 7. Twenty-five milliamp hours isnt a huge jump, but bigger is always better. Because I was testing every possible feature (sleeping, running, workouts, antioxidants, Gemini and more), I was constantly dropping the watch on the charger for partial refills in between tests. That meant I didnt have the opportunity to methodically test the batterys runtime just yet. I did note what I could. The first day of testing, the battery was at 100 percent at 4PM. The next day at 4PM it still had 17 percent remaining. That 24-hour period included driving directions, three workouts, lots of Gemini requests, watch face changes and a full night of sleep. Id toggled the AOD on and off throughout that time, but the results were still better than what I tracked on the Watch 7. The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is super swank I didnt have a ton of time to spend with the Classic version of the Watch 8, but its obviously aimed at the luxury watch-hound crowd. The knurled spinning bezel, inset diving bezel replica and the default chronograph watch face gives off serious Rolex Daytona/Omega Speedmaster wannabe vibes. It ships with a stitched leather-look band and the steel case has the heft and stature of an automatic mechanical timepiece. The always-on display and chunky buttons only add to the effect. Amy Skorheim for Engadget For me, the main advantage it has over the standard Galaxy Watch 8 is the protection the spinning bezel offers the raised display. The glass is shielded at the edges and its even inset slightly which will ward off scratches. Its a bit chonky for my taste, but its surprisingly comfortable for its size and is extremely attractive. I could see this appealing to style enthusiasts who want a smartwatch but dont want to look like theyre wearing a wrist gadget. Pricing and the competition Samsung added $50 to the price tag on the 40mm Galaxy Watch 8, bringing it to $350. The larger 44mm model is now $380 (versus $330 last year) and the Classic variant is $500 for the single 46mm size. For reference, there was no Galaxy Watch 7 Classic and the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic sold for $400 for the 43mm size and $430 for the 47mm. At $350, the base model Galaxy Watch 8 costs the same as Googles Pixel Watch 3 (though the Pixel Watch 4 is almost certainly on the way and could be more expensive.) The Apple Watch Series 10 starts at $399, but it went as low as $279 during Prime Day. And, of course, a new Apple wearable is likely coming this September with a potential price bump as well. So Samsungs Galaxy Watch 8 could end up being the most affordable of the major smartwatch releases once the dust settles from 2025s launches. And if youre a Samsung smartphone user, its easily your best bet. Amy Skorheim for Engadget Everything else and an eventual score The core functions of the Galaxy Watch 8 havent changed all that much. We went in-depth on the fitness and health features for our review of the Galaxy Watch 6 and covered the notable perks of Samsungs wearable in our Galaxy Watch 7 review and our Galaxy Watch 5 review . So Ill just point out that the workout tracking is still accurate and its faster to suss out when Im on a walk than my Apple Watch. The companion Health app, where you view all the data your watch gathers, is helpful and a delight to use with its common-sense suggestions and friendly animations. And the daily Energy Score is a useful indicator of how Im doing with my sleep and movement goals. The Watch 8 covers the basics well, acting as an industrious accessory for a Galaxy phone. Although, as with the Watch 7, I wish the notifications were more intrusive as theyre easy to miss. The double tap feature is great a pinch gesture that dismisses or triggers actions without you having to touch the screen. I use it often and the watch almost always registers the motion. And finally, I love how customizable the watch faces are. When you combine all that with a substantially refreshed look, some capable Gemini integration, a few new health features and a more navigable interface, Samsungs latest wearable becomes a very capable wrist companion. I still need to live with it a while longer (with a new screen protector firmly in place) to assign a review score, but so far, Im impressed. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/galaxy-watch-8-my-first-days-with-samsungs-smartwatch-have-been-promising-155857718.html?src=rss

Inflating pool toys is a pain, make this $23 rechargeable USB-C pump do it instead (Reg. $40)

JOYROOM Portable Air Pump Buy for $23 (Reg. $40) What we love Ready to fill everything from pool floats to air mattesses, this pump aims to make quick work of airing your gear up. I recently needed to pump up a pool float by hand, and somehow the process was even worse than I remembered. This unit can do the heavy lifting for you and boasts an integrated 3,600mAh battery thats refueled over USB-C. more

Xi Jinping warns against China's overinvestment in EVs and AI

Chinese President Xi Jinping has bluntly questioned a nationwide rush of investment into the AI and EV industries. As deflation anxiety grows and Trumps trade war with China ramps up, the worlds second largest economy is turning to fast-growth tech industries to remain competitive. But Xi appears to think that the strategy is flawed. As reported by the Financial Times , China's President sent out a pointed message about over-investment at the two-day Central Urban Work Conference in Beijing. When it comes to projects, there are a few things artificial intelligence, computing power and new energy vehicles, he said in a speech that made the front page of the Peoples Daily , the official newspaper of the Communist Party. Do all provinces in the country have to develop industries in these directions? The Financial Times reports that Xi went on to criticise officials who encourage hasty development but dont hang around to face the consequences. We should not only focus on how much GDP has grown and how many major projects have been built, but also on how much debt is owed, Xi told conference attendees. We should not let some people pass the buck and leave problems to future generations. For now though, theres no suggestion that China is shifting its focus away from the sectors Xi directly referenced. This week, NVIDIA was granted permission by the US government to resume selling its AI chips to China, with the company reportedly holding $8 billion in unshipped orders. It was initially blocked from selling the H20 AI GPU to China over concerns it could aid the nations military. China is the global leader of the EV industry, and the country is taking on the US in the robotaxi race too. It was announced this week that Uber is partnering with Baidu to bring thousands of the Chinese companys Apollo Go autonomous vehicles onto the Uber network in mainland China and other non-US markets. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/xi-jinping-warns-against-chinas-overinvestment-in-evs-and-ai-154054773.html?src=rss

Grow your favorite herbs within reach with AeroGardens Harvest 2.0 indoor hydroponic system at $30

Amazon is now offering the AeroGarden Harvest 2.0 Indoor Hydroponic System down at $30.39 shipped. While it carries a $100 MSRP direct from the brands website , where it is current priced, weve been seeing it keep between $34 and $40 at Amazon, with the deal here taking things back down among the lowest rates we have tracked. Youre looking at saving $70 through Amazon off its full MSRP, which gives you the means to start your own personal indoor garden at the second-best price we have tracked, coming in just $0.15 within the all-time low we spotted back in April. more

Accurately balance temps throughout your home with two Govee E-Ink smart hygrometers at $9 each (40% off)

2-pack of GoveeLife E-Ink Smart Hygrometers Buy for $18 (Reg. $30) What we love In my home, its easy for heat or air conditioning to be disproportionate throughout. Thats why I finally added some sensors throughout my home so I could quickly see how much of a variance there is between rooms. From there I can tweak how much a vent is open or closed to balance things out more accurately. These will help with that and you can pull up current and historic readings using the Govee app. more

Save 40% and get FREE MagSafe mount with Baseus new 163W 4-in-1 retractable car charger at $30 ($80 in value)

Courtesy of Baseus official Amazon storefront, Prime members can now score its new 163W USB-C car charger with retractable cables for $29.99 shipped. It also comes with the brands latest MagSafe car mount for FREE today head to the promotion page right here and add both the 163W charger and the car mount from the Qualifying and Benefit sections to your cart and checkout to secure the mount for free. You are looking at a fairly new charger that recently hit the scene carrying a $50 price tag. It dropped to $30 earlier this month during the Prime Day sale, but todays deal steps it up with a free mount, essentially getting you $80 worth of gear for just $30. Head below for more details. more

Apples 24GB 15-inch M4 MacBook Air now up to $179 off, more from $849

Update: While the silver 24GB model below has jumped up a touch in price now, youll find an updated list of discounts across the lineup that include the 15-inch 16GB/512GB silver model back at the lowest price ever and undercutting the Prime Day price from last week, as well as the 15-inch 24GB Starlight at $179 off . 13-inch M4 MacBook Air 16GB/256GBfrom$849(Reg. $999) 13-inch M4 MacBook Air 16GB/512GB from $1,049 (Reg. $1,199) 13-inch M4 MacBook Air 24GB/512GBfrom$1,239(Reg. $1,399) 15-inch M4 MacBook Air 16GB/256GB from $1,049 (Reg. $1,199) 15-inch M4 MacBook Air 16GB/512GBfrom$1,245(Reg. $1,399) 15-inch M4 MacBook Air 24GB/512GB from $1,420 (Reg. $1,599) While there are still some colorways starting down at $849 with $150 in savings, folks looking for that 24GB upgraded M4 MacBook Air will find the silver variant sitting down at the lowest we have tracked on Amazon. Regularly $1,399, you can now pick up the 13-inch M4 MacBook Air with 24GB of RAM and the 512GB SSD down at $1,233.50 shipped . Details below. more

Engadget Podcast: Ancestra director Eliza McNitt defends AI as a creative tool

Eliza McNitt is no stranger to new media. Her 2017 project, Fistful of Stars , was a fascinating look at stellar birth in virtual reality, while her follow-up Spheres explored black holes and the death of stars. Now with her short film Ancestra , McNitt has tapped into Google's AI tools to tell a deeply personal story. Working with Google Deepmind and director Darren Aronofsky's studio Primordial Soup, McNitt used a combination of live-action footage and AI-generated media to tell the story of her own traumatic birth. The result is an uncanny dramatic short where the genuine emotion of the live-action performance wrestles agains the artificiality of AI imagery. The film begins when the lead's (Audrey Corsa, playing McNitt's mother) routine natal care appointment turns into an emergency delivery. From that point on we hear her opine on how her child and all living things in the universe are connected evoking the poetic nature of Terrence Malick's films. We jump between Corsa's performance, AI footage and macro- and micro-photography. In the end, Corsa holds a baby that was inserted by Google's AI, using prompts that make it look like McNitt as an infant. There's no escaping the looming shadow of Google's AI ambitions. This isn't just an art film it's an attempt at legitimizing the use of AI tools through McNitt's voice. That remains a problem when Google's models, including Veo and other technology from DeepMind, have been trained on pre-existing content and copyrighted works . A prestigious short coming from Darren Aronofsky's production studio isn't enough to erase that original sin. I was challenged to create an idea that could incorporate AI, McNitt said in an interview on the Engadget Podcast . And so for me, I wanted to tell a really deeply personal story in a way that I had not been able to before... AI really offered this opportunity to access these worlds where a camera cannot go, from the cosmos to the inner world of being within the mother's womb. When it comes to justifying the use of AI tools, which at the moment can credibly be described as plagiaristic technology, McNitt says that's a decision every artist will have to make for themselves. In the case of Ancestra , she wanted to use AI to accomplish difficult work, like creating a computer generated infant that looked like her, based on photos taken by her father. She found that to be more ethical than bringing in a real newborn, and the results more convincing than a doll or something animated by a CG artist. I felt the use of AI was really important for this story, and I think it's up to every artist to decide how they wanna use these tools and define that, she said. That was something else for me in this project where I had to define a really strong boundary where I did not want actors to be AI actors, [they] had to be humans with a soul. I do not feel that an performance can be recreated by a machine. I do deeply and strongly believe that humanity can only be captured through human beings. And so I do think it's really important to have humans at the center of the stories. To that end, McNitt also worked with dozens of artists create the sound, imagery and AI media in Ancestra . There's a worry that AI video tools will let anyone plug in a few prompts and build projects out of low-effort footage, but McNitt says she closely collaborated with a team of DeepMind engineers who crafted prompts and sifted through the results to find the footage she was looking for. (We ran out of time before I could ask her about the environmental concerns from using generative AI, but at this point we know it requires a significant amount of electricity and water . That includes demands for training models as well as running them in cloud.) I do think, as [generative AI] evolves, it's the responsibility of companies to not be taking copyrighted materials and to respect artists and to set those boundaries, so that artists don't get taken advantage of, McNitt said, when asked about her thoughts on future AI models that compensate artists and aren't built on stolen copyrighted works. I think that that's a really important part of our role as humans going forward. Because ultimately, These are human stories for other human beings. And so it's, you know, important that we are at the center of that. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/engadget-podcast-ancestra-director-eliza-mcnitt-defends-ai-as-a-creative-tool-150042942.html?src=rss

Put an old iPad to use with this car mount at $14.50 Prime shipped (20% off)

Tryone iPad Car Mount Buy for $14.50 (Reg. $18) What we love It doesnt matter if youll have little ones or adults in the backseat on your next road trip, the time will go by faster for them when they can watch a movie, TV show, or just binge YouTube with this iPad mount. It attaches to the back of a headrest and supports tablets up to 13 inches in size. This means that just about every iPad should work, even if you have an older one that is sitting around collecting dust. more

NIUs KQi 100P e-scooter comes with remote locking and regenerative braking at $333 for today only (Reg. up to $499)

As part of its Deals of the Day , Best Buy is offering the NIU KQi 100P Electric Kick Scooter for $333.44 shipped , with the deal matching directly from the brands website and coming in $17 under Amazons current pricing. While it carries a $429 MSRP, can fetch as much as $499 at Best Buy, and regularly sells for $399 at Amazon, we are looking at the best price of the year here today. Weve seen it go as low as $250 in the past, however, that rate hasnt reappeared since Christmas sales, but youre still looking at a solid $166 markdown that lands it at the third-lowest price we have tracked. more

No in-ground sprinkler system? No problem, this Apple Home-ready hose timer gets the job done at $61.50 (Reg. $80+)

meross Apple Home Hose Timer with Wi-Fi Hub Buy for $61.50 (Reg. $80+) What we love If you dont want to spend big on an in-ground sprinkling system, you can still automate watering with this smart hose timer from meross. While I have not personally used this model, I have been using hose timers to water my lawn for a couple of years now and love how hassle free the experience has been. If my timers need to be replaced, this one is at the top of my list since it works with Apple Home, Google, Alexa, and more. more

DuckDuckGo now allows you to filter out AI images in search results

DuckDuckGo is making it easier to wade through some of the AI slop that has taken over the internet in recent months. This week, the company introduced a new filter for removing AI-generated images from search results. The next time you use the browser, you'll see a new dropdown menu titled AI images. From there, you can set whether you want to see AI content or not. New setting: hide AI-generated images in DuckDuckGo Our philosophy about AI features is private, useful, and optional. Our goal is to help you find what youre looking for. You should decide for yourself how much AI you want in your life or if you want any at all. (1/4) pic.twitter.com/pTolmsEQlQ DuckDuckGo (@DuckDuckGo) July 14, 2025 The filter relies on manually curated open-source block lists maintained by uBlockOrigin and others . According to DuckDuckGo, the filter won't catch every AI-generated image out on the internet, but it will greatly reduce how many you see. The company says it's working on additional filters. You'll notice the example DuckDuckGo uses to demo the feature in the GIF it provided involves a search for images of a baby peacock. That's not by accident. People first started noticing how much Google Search results had been overrun by AI slop about a year ago, and one of the worst examples was any query involving the showy birds. Google has since addressed the situation somewhat, but AI slop in search results remain a problem on the platform. So it's good to see DuckDuckGo adopt a simple but effective solution to the issue. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/duckduckgo-now-allows-you-to-filter-out-ai-images-in-search-results-144326213.html?src=rss

Galaxy Watch 7 Prime Day deals return from $160, or Galaxy Watch 8 up to $250 off

This years Galaxy Watch 7 Prime Day deals were twofold we saw deep $100+ discounts on the now previous-generation series 7 models and some notable offers on the brand new Galaxy Watch 8 that launched right in the middle of it all. Some of the more affordable Galaxy Watch 7 Prime Day deals are now back in stock and we are still offering a bonus exclusive $50 off the Galaxy Watch 8 alongside $50 in FREE Samsung credit as well just note that you can score the Galaxy Watch 8 for FREE with a Galaxy Z Fold 7 pre-order still. Either way, and whichever youre after, the details await below. more

Today only: Prime Day deal on Lenovos 2025 IdeaPad Slim 3x touchscreen Snapdragon X Copilot+ PC is back at $300 off

As part of its Deals of the Day offers , Best Buy is offering Lenovos latest 2025 IdeaPad Slim 3x Snapdragon X Copilot+ PC for $449.99 shipped . This is regularly a $750 notebook with 16GB RAM and 256GB SSD, so youre looking at a solid $300 discount on it right now. It dropped to this price for the first time earlier this month during the Prime Day sale, and todays offer marks the return of that price with a 40% markdown. Head below for more details. more

Scoop up Native Unions Active Apple Watch Band with magnetic design down at $25 (Reg. $50)

Native Union Active Magnetic Apple Watch Band Buy for $25 (Reg. $50) What we love We feature a lot of notable Apple Watch band discounts around here, but todays markdown steps things up with Native Union branding in tow. To us here at 9to5Toys , Native Union is certainly among a running list of our favorite Apple accessory makers. This band features a vibrant Lemon colorway and it features a magnetic design that enable[s] extremely easy attachment without any clasps. more

WhatsApp should prepare to stop operating in Russia, official says

A Russian lawmaker who regulates the IT industry said WhatsApp should prepare to stop offering its services in the country. Anton Gorelkin, the deputy head of the lower house of parliament's IT committee, said that it's very likely that WhatsApp will be placed on a list of restricted software, as Reuters reports. WhatsApp owner Meta is designated as an extremist organisation in Russia, which has banned Facebook and Instagram since 2022. This week, President Vladimir Putin issued a directive for the nation to further restrict software (including communication apps) stemming from unfriendly countries that have sanctioned Russia, with a deadline of September 1. Gorelkin said WhatsApp will probably be one such service. In June, Putin signed a law to create a state-affiliated messaging app that will tie into government services as part of a long-standing effort to rely more on Russian services and less on foreign tech companies some of which withdrew from the country or scaled down operations there after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Gorelkin suggested that forcing WhatsApp to stop operating in Russia could help the state-backed app gain more market share. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/whatsapp-should-prepare-to-stop-operating-in-russia-official-says-140044721.html?src=rss

Get up to 60 miles of PAS support on Aventons Level 2 commuter e-bike at $1,399 (Reg. $1,899), more from $1,199

While Aventons July 4th Sale has officially ended, were still seeing some e-bikes retain their previous annual low prices including the new Pace 4 Smart Cruiser e-bike . One of the legacy models keeping to its best 2025 pricing is the Level 2 Commuter e-bike down at $1,399 shipped . While it carries an $1,899 MSRP, weve mostly seen this model keep between $1,699 and $1,599 over the last year until it fell to $1,499 in March (most likely in response to the release of the new upgraded Level 3 model ). It held out at that price until the end of June when we first saw it fall to $1,399, which is only beaten out by a one-day-only fall to $1,299 we spotted at Best Buy over a year ago. You can hop on your own here with a $500 markdown at the best price we have tracked over the last year. Head below to learn more about this model and the others retaining their annual lows. more

Apple's AirPods 4 are up to 33 percent off right now

If you're on the market for a new pair of AirPods, you're in luck. The latest AirPods 4 are down to some of the best prices we've seen. You can pick up the standard AirPods 4 for $90, a 30-percent discount, or the AirPods 4 with ANC for $120, a 33 percent discount. While neither deal is quite as good as the ones we saw during the Prime day sale that just passed, youre only going to be an extra dollar down regardless of which model you go for. The non-ANC AirPods 4 were $89 for Prime Day (a record low), while the noise-cancelling buds could be snagged for $119. If you missed out then, these deals are virtually the same. You really cant go wrong with the AirPods 4. While the AirPods Pro 2 remain our number one pick for the entire product category, we think the former are the best choice if youre on a budget. Apples regular earbuds were given a long overdue spruce-up in 2024, offering the option of ANC on the non-Pro AirPods for the first time, as well as an improved design and better sound quality. Whether you go for the ANC or entry level model, youll benefit from the various features afforded by the H2 audio chip. These include Voice Isolation, Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking, Personalized Volume and Adaptive EQ. The AirPods 4 with ANC add Conversation Awareness, Adaptive Audio and a Transparency mode to the spec sheet. Downsides? You still cant change the volume using onboard controls, and the cheaper AirPods 4 dont come with a case that supports wireless charging via MagSage or Qi, which is a disappointment. The AirPods Pro 4 with ANC do a pretty good job of banishing low-frequency background noise, but the noise-canceling capabilities aren't quite as strong as what you get with the AirPods Pro 2. Check out our coverage of the best Apple deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-airpods-4-are-up-to-33-percent-off-right-now-141631725.html?src=rss

Todays best iOS app deals and freebies: Old Mans Journey, Temporal War, Omega 13, more

Your Friday morning edition of the best iOS game and app deals is now ready to go. Joining todays $200 price drop on Apples most affordable 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro , we also have up to $449 in savings on iPhone 15 units, a particularly deep 59% price drop on Twelve Souths 15W Butterfly 2-in-1 MagSafe charger , and the return of Prime Day pricing on Apples 24GB M4 Mac mini today . As for the apps, everything awaits for you down below. more

Nintendo launches another Switch Online test program for 40,000 players

Nintendo has posted a call for participants for another Playtest Program, and this time, it's looking for 40,000 testers and not just 10,000 like in the first one. If you'll recall, Nintendo looked for 10,000 participants for the first Playtest event last year to test an unnamed, mysterious Switch Online feature. The new program still only welcomes active Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack members, but as you'd expect, it now supports both the original Switch and the Switch 2 . Interested participants must be at least 18 years old, and their Nintendo accounts must be registered in one of these regions: Japan, United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Canada, Brazil and Mexico. They can sign up individually or in groups of up to four people, whose data will be partially shared between each other. Nintendo will choose participants in Japan through a raffle and will accept testers from other regions on a first come first serve basis. The company will take applications from July 18 at 6PM Eastern until July 21 at 11AM Eastern time. While Nintendo didn't say what the participants will be doing, it noted in the announcement that it will be a test of the same service that was also tested in October 2024. The company has yet to formally announce that service, but previous participants had revealed that Nintendo had them play a Minecraft-like game that involves using blocks to build structures. Users could play with other people in the game's shared world if they want, which is probably why interested players can apply as a group. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-launches-another-switch-online-test-program-for-40000-players-133053714.html?src=rss

Super Mario Party Jamboree launches on Switch 2 next week, heres how to score a deal on it

Donkey Kong Bananza is out in the wild now, and we already featured a short-lived Amazon all-time low price on it this morning, but the next major Switch 2 release is coming next week in the form of Super Mario Party Jamboree Nintendo Switch 2 Edition. The $79 upgraded version includes the Jamboree TV expansion and is still readily available at retailers like Walmart. That said, we wanted to highlight the $44.99 deal you can score on the Switch 1 version of the game at Woot too you can grab the Switch 1 version for $45, add the $20 upgrade pack for the Switch 2 update, and still come away saving some cash over paying $79 in the new package. more

Engadget review recap: Galaxy Z Fold 7, Panasonic S1 II, Samsung QS700F and more

We've been busy in the Engadget reviews department over the last few weeks, keeping up with Prime Day, product launches and the accumulating stack of devices on our desks. If you missed any of our in-depth testing recently, you can quickly catch up on the latest camera, laptop, phone and soundbar reviews in the list below. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 Samsung made notable design changes on its latest flagship foldable phone, finally giving the masses a significant update after a series of iterative models. Senior reviews writer Sam Rutherford argued the company has finally achieved foldable phone nirvana thanks to the reductions in overall size and thickness on the Z Fold 7, making the niche handset appeal to more users. With its latest flagship foldable, Samsung has removed one of the remaining barriers preventing people from trying out the new breed of phones: excessive size and weight, he said . Canon R50 V Content creators who are just getting into vlogging will soon realize they need a camera more robust than their phone for better quality footage. Reporter Steve Dent explained that Canon's EOS R50 V excels at video, thanks in part to its quick autofocus, but the camera lacks the performance and features of its rivals. Canons R50 V is a pretty good first try for a vlogging camera, hitting the mark in key areas like video quality and usability, he wrote . However, its rival, Sonys ZV-E10 II, beats it in nearly every area, offering even better video quality, higher photo resolution, faster autofocus, smoother electronic stabilization and neat features missing on the R50 V like the product showcase. Samsung HW-QS700F Like the Z Fold line, Samsung has been on a streak of iterative updates for its flagship soundbars. For 2025 though, the company debuted an all-new model that automatically detects how you're using it and adjusts the speaker output appropriately. It's that trick, along with crisp sound, that makes the QS700F a contender even with its constrained 3.1.2-channel audio. Caveats aside, the best thing about the soundbar is its automatic orientation adjustment, I noted . The QS700F is easy on the eyes too, which isnt always the case with these devices. Panasonic S1 II The S1 II may be Panasonic's best camera for content creators, but there's one major downside: the price. Steve's assessment of this model's features, which include 6K RAW video and best-in-class stabilization, will help you weigh the potential $3,200 investment. Panasonics S1 II is a powerful hybrid camera, and if it wasnt so expensive, it would be a no-brainer for creators, he said . However, Nikons Z6 III has nearly the same video capabilities, is a better camera for photography and costs at least $600 less, so Im inclined to recommend that model for most users. Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 The Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 is the company's first consumer laptop to feature its recently updated naming scheme, and the change in moniker is accompanied by refreshed styling. Sam explained that while the machine is perfectly capable, especially with the optional LED display, it's lacking personality. It's a totally serviceable machine, but it doesn't have a single trait or feature that endears itself to its user, he wrote. Same goes for its name. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/engadget-review-recap-galaxy-z-fold-7-panasonic-s1-ii-samsung-qs700f-and-more-123027122.html?src=rss

This is the daftest e-scooter in the world

The minds behind Bos sublime e-scooter met each other while working for the advanced engineering arm at (F1 team) Williams. Their mission was to take their knowledge of designing and building some of the worlds fastest cars to build a better e-scooter . But while they no longer work for a Formula One team, they cant quite shake that desire to build vehicles that travel at preposterously daft speed. Which is why the company has today unveiled The Turbo , a souped-up version of the standard Bo e-scooter with a potential top speed of more than 100 miles per hour and a range of up to 150 miles. Bo Mobility The Turbo (surely, the TurBo, non? ) is equipped with a 24,000W dual-motor engine, and a 1,800Wh battery. Naturally, given Bos focus on safety and balance, the scooter has F1-style air intakes to keep both the electronics and brakes nicely cool. Given the scooters light weight, Bo claims it has a higher power to weight ratio than a hypercar like the Bugatti Veyron. Its already been tested by former professional BMX rider Tre Whyte. Although he hasnt quite yet been able to breach the 100mph barrier the company thinks that isnt far off. Of course, the Turbo is one way to pull the worlds eyeballs to a product, especially as its announcing the US availability of its scooters. Customers in the US can now order a Bo M , with vehicles available at some point in August 2025. If you want the standard Bo M, with a range of 25 miles, will set you back $1,990 while the M2, with a range pushing 40 miles, will cost $2,490. And, if youre the sort of person who thinks that owning a scooter that can go at road car speeds is a good idea, youll actually be able to buy a Turbo: Itll cost you at least $29,500, with the first delivery going to a collector in Madrid next year ahead of that city's inaugural grand prix. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/this-is-the-daftest-e-scooter-in-the-world-131341641.html?src=rss

Subaru's third EV is the Uncharted (yep) with 300 miles of range and 338 horsepower

Subaru just screwed up our SEO with the launch of the Uncharted , an electric crossover with up to 300 miles of range that probably has nothing to do with the video game . It uses the same E-TNGA platform as Toyota's CH-R EV and strongly resembles that model. Due to arrive next year, the 2026 Uncharted will come in two versions, both with 74.7kWh batteries. The first is a front-wheel drive version with 228 horsepower and 300 miles of range, while the second is a much grunt-ier dual-motor four wheel drive version with 338 horsepower and a sub-five-second 0-60mph time in either Sport or GT trims, but slightly less range (290 miles). The latter specs are identical to the CH-R EV, by the way. Subaru The Uncharted will come standard with a Tesla-style NACS charging port to give drivers Supercharger access. Fast charging speeds are limited to 150kW but Subaru claims it'll charge from 10-80 percent in under 30 minutes with the use of battery preconditioning. It's definitely a spitting image of the CH-R EV right down to the side cladding, though it has slightly different headlights and a restyled front end. Even the interior has a substantially similar center console that can wirelessly charge two phones plus the same 14-inch infotainment screen with Android Auto/CarPlay support. It has a generous complement of manual controls, unlike Tesla's EVs. Subaru Subaru hasn't released pricing yet for the 2026 Uncharted, but it might be similar to the CH-R EV which starts at $35,000. It's just the company's third electric vehicle, following the three-year-old Solterra and Outback-like Trailseeker , also set to arrive next year. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/subarus-third-ev-is-the-uncharted-yep-with-300-miles-of-range-and-338-horsepower-130015496.html?src=rss

Grab a Pixel Watch 3 as low as $217 today open-box units undercutting Prime Day ($133 off)

The 2025 Prime Day event delivered some notable deals on the latest Pixel Watch 3. First we saw all models drop $100 only to have Amazon get more aggressive with $115 savings and then a touch lower again on select models by weeks end. While the 41mm Google Pixel Watch 3 LTE model has indeed dropped back down to the $334.99 shipped Prime Day price at $115 off the regular $450 list price, we also have a chance to save even more than we did last week on the most affordable model in the lineup. Details below. more

This aluminum 5K MagSafe power bank is among the thinnest weve ever seen, now nearly 50% off at $19 low

As part of its wider sale on Baseus gear , Woot is offering the brands ultra-slim 5,000mAh MagSafe power bank for $18.99 Prime shipped (a $6 delivery fee will apply otherwise). This charging unit debuted earlier this year with a $40 price tag and has recently been selling for around $36 at Amazon, where its currently going for $26.99 shipped. Todays 47% discount shaves $17 off its usual going rate, landing it $1 below its previous all-time low that we tracked earlier this month. This is the lowest we have seen this slim aluminum power bank fetch to date, and you can learn more about it below. more

Apple sues leaker Jon Prosser for allegedly stealing iOS 26 info from an employee

Apple is suing leaker Jon Prosser and a codefendant for misappropriation of trade secrets related to YouTube videos from earlier this year that depicted mockups of iOS 26 (which was, at the time, expected to be called iOS 19 ). In the suit, which Apple filed at a district court in the Northern District of California, the company claims Prosser and Michael Ramacciotti conspired to break into an Apple employees development iPhone to take Apples trade secrets. Per the filing , which was obtained by MacRumors , Prosser had promised to find out a way for [Ramacciotti] to get payment if his codefendant was able to access the development iPhone of his friend Ethan Lipnik, who worked on software designs at Apple. Apple claims Ramacciotti was staying with Lipnik and waited until he left for an extended period of time, using a location-tracking tool to make sure of that. Ramacciotti is said to have gained access to the iPhone and made a FaceTime call to Prosser to show features and designs from iOS 26. Prosser allegedly used a screen capturing tool to record the video call and then shared the footage with others in order to create mockups he used in his videos (Prosser has said that Apple uses identifiers in in-development versions of its software to help it pinpoint leakers, and recreating the renders is intended to protect them). One of those people who saw the footage is said to have recognized Lipniks apartment and to have informed him of that. In January, Prosser published a video on his Front Page Tech YouTube channel depicting a render of an iOS 26 Camera app redesign that looked relatively close to the real deal. He later showed off mockups of the redesigned Messages app and the Liquid Glass design language Apple is switching to this year . Apple terminated Lipniks employment for failing to protect confidential information. Per the suit, Lipnik said that Ramacciotti often spent time at his home, sometimes staying for the weekend, and observing his patterns and security protocols for his devices. Apple says it discovered the alleged trade secret theft from an anonymous tip and that it also has a voice note that Ramacciotti sent to Lipnik to apologize and claim that Prosser was behind the scheme. The company claims the development iPhone in question hosted a significant amount of additional Apple trade secret information that has not yet been publicly disclosed. It added that it does not know how much of this information Prosser and Ramacciotti obtained. Apple is seeking an injunction directing Prosser and Ramacciotti ot to make use of or disclose Apples confidential, proprietary and trade secret information to third parties without its written consent and to destroy any such material they possess. The company is also seeking damages and is requesting a jury trial. Prosser responded to the lawsuit on X , claiming that This is not how things went down on my end. Looking forward to being able to speak to Apple about it. Prosser followed up by saying, For the record: I certainly did not 'plot' to access anyones phone and was unaware of the situation playing out. For the record: I certainly did not plot to access anyones phone and was unaware of the situation playing out. jon prosser (@jon_prosser) July 18, 2025 This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-sues-leaker-jon-prosser-for-allegedly-stealing-ios-26-info-from-an-employee-123019259.html?src=rss

Amazon brings back the $110 Prime Day price drop on Apples 24GB M4 Mac mini today

If you happen to miss out on the Prime Day deal for Apples upgraded 24GB M4 Mac mini, its back. Amazon is now once again offering the same $110 price drop we tracked last week for Prime day on the M4 Mac mini with the 24GB RAM upgrade and the 512GB internal SSD down at $889 shipped.Details below. more

Save up to $500 on Copilot+ PCs today at Best Buy with Snapdragon notebooks, 2-in-1s, more starting at $530

Best Buy is currently dishing out some huge discounts on Copilot+ PC with up to $500 in savings . A bunch of different Windows laptops from various manufacturers like Lenovo, ASUS, HP, and Dell are on sale right now, with prices starting at $529.99 shipped . All of these notebooks are in brand-new condition, and many are currently available at some of the lowest prices weve tracked for them to date. Head below for more details. more

Trump's firing of Democratic FTC commissioner was unlawful, judge rules

Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, one of the Democratic FTC Commissioners President Trump had fired back in March , said she looks forward to getting back to work. US District Judge Loren AliKhan has just ruled that her removal from the agency was unlawful and without legal effect and that she was still a rightful member of the commission. The judge explained that the firings violated protections that prevent a president from unilaterally removing officials at independent agencies. In her statement after the ruling was handed down, Slaughter said the for-cause removal protections that apply to [her] colleagues and her at the FTC also protect other independent economic regulators like the SEC, the FDIC, and the Federal Reserve. Slaughter was one of the two Democratic members of the Federal Trade Commission that Trump had removed from their position, leaving only three Republican commissioners in charge. Historically, the FTC had five members: Three from the same party as the president and two from the opposite party. At the moment, FTC's website only lists the three current Republican commissioners, including Chairman Andrew Ferguson. The chairman previously said that he had no doubts about [Trump's] constitutional authority to remove Commissioners, which is necessary to ensure democratic accountability for [the] government. The other fired Democratic commissioner, Alvaro Bedoya, was originally part of the lawsuit. However, his claims had been dismissed since he resigned from the agency completely and took on a private-sector job since then, explaining that he couldn't afford to have no income while the case was in court. White House spokesperson Kush Desai told The New York Times that the administration would appeal AliKhan's decision. The Supreme Court has repeatedly upheld the presidents constitutional authority to fire and remove executive officers who exercise his authority, he added. The judge expected as such and noted in her ruling that the case would likely reach the Supreme Court. As Politico has noted, the Supreme Court previously refused to reinstate the members of the National Labor Relations Board and the Merit Systems Protection Board that Trump had fired. Those personnel were also supposed to be protected by the federal law the restricts the president's ability to remove government agency officials. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/trumps-firing-of-democratic-ftc-commissioner-was-unlawful-judge-rules-120029367.html?src=rss

Donkey Kong Bananza just dropped to the $63 Amazon all-time low Switch 2s best game is already on sale

Donkey Kong Bananza released to near-perfect review scores yesterday, and Amazon is already offering it on sale down at $62.99 shipped if youre quick (theres now telling how long this deal might last). Regularly $70, and likely in response to Costco offering it to its members at the same price yesterday, this is the lowest price we have ever tracked that anyone can take advantage of. If you havent scored Switch 2s best game yet, go grab Donkey Kong Bananza now while its on sale at Amazon. more

Wild deal drops Twelve Souths 15W Butterfly 2-in-1 MagSafe charger down to the $41 Amazon all-time low (Reg. $100)

We just featured some notable deals on a wide range of Twelve South gear, not the least of which was the best price ever on its wonderful HiRise 3-in-1 MagSafe stand (this deal is still live by the way), but Amazon is now offering an insanely low price on the Butterfly SE 2-in-1. Youll now find Twelve Souths latest Butterfly SE 2-in-1 MagSafe charger with 15W output down at $40.99 shipped. This is a regularly $100 travel-ready charger at the best price we have ever tracked on Amazon. more

The Morning After: The next Google Pixel event kicks off on August 20

What can you expect from Googles Made By Pixel event ? Well, according to the media invite we got (brag), its promising new Pixel phones, watches, buds and more. Last year, that was true. The same event gave us the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Pixel Watch 3 and Pixel Buds Pro 2. I think that was everything? As for that and more part, recent rumors suggest Google is working on Pixelsnap, a proper response to Apples MagSafe tech. Android phones have been slow to adopt the Qi2 wireless charging standard I mean, check out all of Samsungs recent phones. But wireless charging? I hope Google has something more exciting planned. Mat Smith Get Engadget's newsletter delivered direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here! The news you might have missed Another big car company gives up on hydrogen The live-action Legend of Zelda movie has cast its princess and hero Trumps defunding of NASA would be catastrophic Sonys new $5,000 compact camera Sorry, I meant $5,100. Sony The death of compact cameras has been exaggerated. If its not the viral Fujifilm X100 series, its Sonys vlogging cameras and now an update to its RX1R fixed-lens compact. Coming nearly 10 years after the RX1R II, it features a 61MP Exmor R sensor, along with Sonys latest image processing advancements and top-notch object tracking, supported by 693 phase-detection AF points. Why not 694, eh? It wont match Sonys A7 full-frame cameras, but video-wise, it can capture 10-bit 4K video at up to 30 fps. The kicker, though, is the price. While the Mark II was a heady $3,300, the RX1R III is a bank balance-shaking $5,100. And if you want a thumb grip? 300 bucks. Thanks! Continue reading. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review Foldable phone nirvana (for a price). Engadget Samsung has taken its premier foldable to the next level. With the Galaxy Z Fold 7, its improved the size (thinner), battery life (longer) and camera (sharper, higher resolution) and thats without talking about the improved, bigger displays and even tougher build. According to Sam Rutherfords review, its foldable phone nirvana. The price of folding enlightenment is still $2,000. Continue reading. Quicken Simplifi, our favorite budgeting app, is 50 percent off Under $40 for the year. You can subscribe to Quicken Simplifi for only $3 per month, which is half off its usual $6-per-month price. Notably, you pay for the whole year, instead of month to month. When we tested out several budgeting services and apps, Quicken Simplifi was our choice for best budget app overall. With its easy-to-use interface, it excels at tracking regular income and bills. Just dont overthink the whole spending money to save money thing. Continue reading. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-111554654.html?src=rss

Unlocked iPhone 15 in pristine condition now up to $449 off the original list prices from Apple

For those not bothered with the pricey current-generation iPhone 16 lineup, Woot is bringing back its deals on iPhone 15 in various storage capacities today. Now starting down at $549.99 with free shipping for Prime members (a $6 delivery fee will apply otherwise), these units have never been in customer hands and come with 100% battery life. Additional details await below. more

Cyberpunk 2077 finally lands on Mac but youll probably still want to play it on a PC

Macworld The Mac just got one of the best games of the last decade. Cyberpunk: 2077 may have had a lot of technical issues when it was first released 4.5 years ago, but the ambitious open city, memorable story, and high production values helped gamers hang in there. Their patience was rewarded with a slew of patches to fix problems, re-balance game systems, add quality-of-life features, and more. Now, coinciding with patch 2.3, Cyberpunk: 2077 is finally available for the Macon the App Store , Steam , and Epic Games Store . So how well does it run? Is the game worth your time and money? Performance is just OK First, if youre running the macOS 26 beta , you might as well not bother with Cyberpunk: 2077 right now. The menus load fine, but the game runs in a garbled broken state. The game will get an update to support new Metal 4 features (MetalFX Frame Interpolation and Denoising) to go along with macOS 26 later this year. On macOS Sequoia 15.5 I tested the game on a Mac Studio with an M1 Max and 32GB of RAM, and a high-end Mac mini with the 14/20 core M4 Pro, 48GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. Thats a $2,200 configuration. I also have an aging Windows gaming PC with a Ryzen 9 5950X, GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super, and 32GB of RAM; a system with similar specs today would also cost around $2,200 with a newer and faster CPU. Cyberpunk on the Mac includes a helpful For This Mac graphics preset that has optimized settings for every Apple Silicon configuration. On the Mac Studio with M1 Max, that meant mostly Medium graphics settings, with 1080p resolution and MetalFX dynamic resolution scaling set to a target of 60 frames per second. Turning off vsync, the built-in benchmark produced an average of 73 frames per second, but the game looked pretty bad. Bumping up the resolution to 1440p helped a lot and bumped the average to about 58fps, but I still wouldnt want to play it this way. Dont expect this level of visual fidelity at a decent frame rate unless you have a Mac with an M3 Ultra or M4 Max. CD Projekt Red Its pretty hard to wind up with settings that look good on a desktop monitor and run at around 60 frames per second on this older Mac. So what about the M4 Pro Mac mini? The For This Mac settings on the M4 Pro bumps everything up to high quality settings with medium crowd density, no ray tracing, and a 1080p 60fps target. It looks a lot cleaner, and runs at 69fps. I could even increase the resolution up to 1440p, which sharpens the image up quite a bit, and get 63fps. That still leaves a lot of visual quality on the table, but it looks and runs well enough to provide a good overall experience. Turning on ray tracing, even the RT Medium preset (which is high detail settings and just a few added ray tracing options) slows things to a crawl. At 1440p the benchmark ran at 29fps. At 4K resolution and Ultra settings (no ray tracing), I got 18fps. Its a choppy unplayable mess. If youre wondering how a similarly priced PC runs the game, my GeForce 4070Ti Super-equipped system ran over 88fps at 1440p with the RT Medium preset. I can run the Ultra preset at 4K, with no ray tracing, at 82fps, while the souped-up M4 Pro Mac mini chugged along at 18fps. Apple is at least three times slower than a similarly priced Windows box, and sometimes worse. Its still a great game Its a tale we end up telling every time a big game comes to the Mac: Windows PCs have had this game for years and run it several times faster than a Mac of the same price. If your iPhone got the latest hot game six months after all the Android phones, while running it 30 percent slower, youd call Apple a failure. When it comes to gaming on the Mac, a six-month delay and 30 percent performance penalty would be a massive improvement over where things are today. Keanu Reeves is great as Johnny Silverhand, a punk rock a-hole whose consciousness is stuck in your head. CD Projekt Red Still, if you havent played Cyberpunk: 2077 yet and you have a modern, high-power Mac (an M3 Max or M4 Pro at least), it is well worth your time. Its an incredible world and unforgettable story, with deep, varied, polished gameplay that affords you lots of freedom. With stellar art design and years of graphics updates and tweaks, it looks fantastic. It just takes a powerful and expensive Mac to run it smoothly enough, with high enough settings, for all of that to shine through. Well have a closer look at Cyberpunk: 2077 performance on the Mac later this year after the release of macOS 26 and the patch that adds support for Metal 4 features, hopefully with some new Mac hardware.

FixMyTax simplifies tax compliance with secure, user-friendly solutions

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Deshpande Startups: Empowering Bharats Entrepreneurial Heartland

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Amazons rare Prime Day discount on the latest Google TV Streamer 4K is still live

After a serious run of big-time notable deals on the latest Google Pixel gear for Prime Day that have now come and gone, one of the relatively rare price drops on current-generation Google tech is still live. Over at Amazon you will find the Google TV Streamer 4K still sitting down at its $84 shipped Prime Day price this deal is indeed live for anyone though. more

Apples most affordable 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro now $200 off via Amazon at $1,399 + more up to $339 off

Deals on the latest MacBook Pro lineup for Prime day last week were nearly nonexistent. We did catch some of the higher-end upgraded models at notable prices, but when it came to the more affordable end of the lineup, Amazon essentially passed them over in favor of particularly notable iPad and AirPods deals. Today however, it is has now knocked $200 off the most affordable model in the lineup. more

25 years later, Apples most infamous Mac can teach some valuable lessons

Macworld Apple is famous for its design sense, having produced a bewildering array of gorgeous gadgets over the years. But perhaps no device has embodied that sense as truly as the Power Mac G4 Cube , a sleek block of aluminum and plastic that turned heads and wowed onlookers when it launched in July 2000. Unfortunately, it was also a commercial flop, lasting just one year until it was discontinued forever. Steve Jobs later admitted that it was overdesigned and overpriced , and while it stands a perhaps the purest expression of Apples design sensibilities, its also a cautionary tale of what can go wrong in the world of computer design. Now, 25 years to the day since it was released, we can look back and realize there are plenty of lessons we can learn from this stunning, divisive machine. Looks arent enough If youre pitching a high-end device to demanding power users, you need to make sure its plenty powerful. That might seem obvious, but this was perhaps the Power Mac G4 Cubes biggest stumbling block: it didnt offer enough bang for the buck. The Power Mac G4 Cube had a large external power supply (gray box on the right) and included a pair of Harman Kardon speakers . Computer History Museum Priced at $1,799 (roughly $3,350 today) for the base model, the Power Mac G4 Cube landed squarely at the top end of the market. Yet despite that, it had to make sacrifices to prevent the price from spiraling upwards even further. You couldnt expand its storage or capabilities, for example, something many pros saw as essential. But at the same time, the device also proved that professional computers could be elegant. With the iMac, the traditional PC design playbook had been ripped apart, but the power-user end of the spectrum was relatively untouched by this idea until the Power Mac G4 Cube came along. With its tiny frame and innovative use of materials, it was a miniature artwork for your desk and showed that you didnt need a huge machine to get performant components. Thats a concept you can see today in the Mac mini and the Mac Studio, the latter of which especially feels like the spiritual successor of the Power Mac G4 Cube. Its a lesson that Apple has learned well. Speedy storage matters These days, Macs come with some of the fastest storage drives on the market, but it wasnt always this way. For far too long, entry-level Macs were equipped with painfully slow hard disk drives (HDDs) that were notably more sluggish than the upgraded versions you could get if you forked out extra. Apple used 5400 rpm hard drives in the G4 Cube. That was a mistake. Christopher Phin/Foundry Thats exactly what happened with the Power Mac G4 Cube, where entry-level models packed in a ponderous 5400 rpm HDD. It was immediately obvious that this was far inferior to the 7200 rpm drives that were available at the time, yet Apple continued to use the slower drives, despite the Macs high price. While this helped to keep costs down, it was a poor introduction to the Mac for anyone who didnt have the cash to splash on upgrades. Considering most people arent power users, thats a lot of users to bog down with slow storage. Thankfully, the age of blazing-fast SSDs means that all of Apples Macs now come with storage thats suitably up to speed. Risks are good When it launched, many members of the public saw the Power Mac G4 Cube as a thing of beauty, equal parts sculpture and computer. But they werent the only ones with strong opinions on its design. While the Power Mac G4 Cube was released 25 years ago, the philosophy behind its design lives on. Willis Lai/Foundry At the same time as it was receiving this effusive praise, the device was the butt of jokes among many punters for its usual design, with some saying it looked eerily like a tub for a box of tissues. Even Jony Ive and his team could see the funny side, and they started using old G4 Cube chassis as tissue boxes. But Apple has never been fussed about this sort of thing. Its long pushed the boundaries of what computers should look like and what features they should have. Just look at the trash can Mac Pro (which could be argued is derived from the Cube) and the MacBook Pros Touch Bar to see evidence of that. Apple is still taking this approach todaylook at the M4 Mac minis hidden power button . A divisive design gets people talking, and as they say, theres no such thing as bad press. Complexity comes at a cost Speaking of the M4 Mac mini , theres another Power Mac G4 Cube lesson to be found: it should be easy to use your device. The ports for the G4 Cube were difficult to access, but its retractable handle was magical. Binarysequence/Wikimedia You had to tip the Power Mac G4 Cube to reach essential componentsin this case, its ports. Not only did that risk people scratching or tipping over the device, but it created friction for users who have to perform an inconvenient task to be able to do something frequent and routine. Forcing that in the name of beauty is not something that most people will be particularly fond of, no matter how good the device looks. In the case of the Power Mac G4 Cube, that was evidently a sacrifice that Apple felt was worth making. With the Mac mini, Apple provides two USB-C ports on the front, making it easy to plug in devices. Lesson learned. The future can wait One of my first smartphones was a slide-up Samsung device that came with touch-sensitive buttons. At first, my young brain thought this was the coolest thing in the world. But I soon realized that it was an incredible pain. Id keep accidentally brushing the buttons with my fingers, which would delete texts I was writing or abruptly send me back to the home screen. It was a nuisance implemented in the name of cool. The Power Mac G4 Cube suffered from a similar problem thanks to its touch-sensitive power button. It could be activated with the merest glancing touch, sending your Mac to sleep midway through your work. I do not doubt that Jony Ive and friends thought it was incredibly cool, but the Power Mac G4 Cubes collision with reality proved otherwise. Thankfully, thats one lesson Apple has learned well. Apple has strayed from the four-quadrant philosophy that Steve Jobs came up with over 25 years ago. Apple Stay focused on what users want Upon his return to Apple, Steve Jobs implemented his famous product quadrant , which stated that the firm should produce four kinds of Macs: desktops and laptops for consumers and professionals. The Power Mac G4 Cube fit into none of these categories. It cost the same as a Power Mac but lacked its expandability. At the same time, it was much more expensive than even an upgraded iMac. In other words, both consumers and professionals lost out compared to Apples other devices. The question on everyones lips was who was going to buy the Power Mac G4 Cube. Ultimately, the answer could be found in its sales figures. In the years since Steve Jobs died, Apple has strayed further and further from the quadrant. While laptops have stayed tight and focused (Apple sells just the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, for now at least), Apples desktop roster has been ever-expanding. You can now choose from the iMac, the Mac mini, the Mac Studio, and the Mac Pro. And there are rumors that the iMac Pro could even make a return , too. The quadrant was an attempt to get Apple focused again, and its not a strict necessity these daysApple is in a very different place now and can afford a little bloat. But the Power Mac G4 Cube shows the risks you take when that quadrant isnt at least a consideration. Without a core audience, no product can hope to sell well.

Bring home a Ninja CREAMi Deluxe 11-in-1 ice cream maker for the summer down at $180 today

As part of Woots ongoing Prime-exclusive deals , and right when the heat is in full force across the country, it is now offering the Ninja CREAMi Deluxe 11-in-1 Ice Cream and Frozen Treat Maker for $179.99 shipped . The CREAMi Deluxe carries a $280 list price on Amazon where it is currently selling for $250 with $12.50 in Amazon credit attached. more

Solar Eclipse August 2 will bring 6 minutes of total darkness; Check, date, time, and visibility areas for a once-in-100-years phenomenon

Get ready for a celestial spectacle. On August 2, 2027, a total solar eclipse will grace Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. The Moon will completely block the Sun for up to six minutes. This event is the longest total solar eclipse visible from land in over a century. Prime viewing spots include Libya and Egypt.

Stop stalling: Break free from productive procrastination

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Lelo Ora 3 Review: A Tongue Stimulator

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5 Non-fiction books that will put your screen time on hold

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One billion Africans being harmed by cooking pollution

One billion Africans have to cook on open fires or with fuel that is hazardous to their health and the environment, the International Energy Agency said Friday. Two billion people across the world still cook on open fires or with rudimentary stoves fed by wood, charcoal, agricultural waste or manure, the IEA report found.

Starry nights ahead: Celestial spectacle to light up skies through August - check details

The Perseid meteor shower, active from July 17 to August 23, peaks on August 12-13, potentially offering 50-75 meteors per hour. Caused by Earth traversing Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle's debris, optimal viewing requires dark locations away from city lights, focusing on the Perseus constellation. While UK visibility may be affected by cloud cover, clearer skies are anticipated the following week.

The best foldable phones for 2025

Foldable phones have gone from futuristic novelties to genuinely useful devices that blend portability with big-screen versatility. Whether you're into multitasking, mobile gaming or just love having a phone that turns heads, the best foldable phones you can buy offer powerful performance, durable designs and impressive displays that unfold to reveal more room for apps, videos and productivity. From book-style designs to flip-style clamshells, the best foldable phone for you depends on how you like to use your device. Some models focus on flagship-level power and multitasking features, while others aim to keep things compact and stylish. Either way, these folding handsets are pushing the boundaries of what smartphones can do. Note: For this guide, were focusing on devices that are widely available in North America and Europe. Thats because while there are even more options for people who live in Asia (especially China), they are often difficult to buy from abroad and may not support your local carriers. Table of contents Best foldable phones for 2025 How we test foldable phones Are foldable phones worth it? A note on durability Foldable phone FAQs Best foldable phones for 2025 How we test foldable phones When evaluating new foldable phones, we consider the same general criteria as we do when were judging the best smartphones . Devices need to have good battery life (at least a full days use), bright inner displays (peaks of at least 1,000 nits), sharp cameras and responsive performance. That said, foldable phones come in different shapes (and sizes); there are varying designs that may appeal to different types of people. For those who prefer more compact and stylish devices, flip phone-style foldables resemble old-school namesakes but with flexible interior displays (typically six to seven inches diagonally) and smaller outer screens, often referred to as the cover display. Alternatively, for power users and people who want to maximize mobile productivity, there are larger book-style foldables (with seven to eight-inch main displays) that can transform from a candy bar-style phone to essentially a small tablet when opened. Are foldable phones worth it? A note on durability Aside from their displays, the biggest difference between foldable phones and more traditional handsets is durability. Thats because while some models like the Pixel 9 Pro Fold and Samsungs foldables offer IPX8 water resistance (which is good for submersions of up to five feet for 30 minutes), their flexible screens which are largely made from plastic present some unique challenges. Most foldables come with factory-installed screen protectors. However, unlike regular phones, users are instructed not to remove them without assistance from approved service centers. Thankfully, Samsung phones do offer one free screen protector replacement for its foldables, while Google charges between $29 and $129 depending on the warranty status of your device. That said, while we cant do long-term testing for every new foldable phone on the market, after personally using the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Fold 4 each for a year, Ive found that Samsungs pre-installed screen protector tends to start bubbling nine to 12 months after purchase. So youll probably want to factor in that your foldable may need some sort of servicing after about a year unless you plan on removing the screen protector entirely (which is possible, but goes against most manufacturers' instructions). Furthermore, foldable phone owners need to be mindful about keeping sharp objects away from their flexible displays, as rocks, keys or even pressing down very hard with a fingernail can leave permanent marks. In the event that you need to get a flexible screen serviced, youre potentially facing a much higher repair bill when compared to a typical phone (up to $500 or more depending on the model and the severity of the damage). In short, while the ruggedness of foldable phones has improved a lot, they're still more delicate than traditional handsets, which is something you need to account for. However, foldables continue to evolve, with better AI features, improved specs and a more refined form factors that makes them even more practical. Whether youre after a flip phone for nostalgia or a big screen device for multitasking, todays foldable phones offer exciting possibilities you just have to decide if theyre the right fit for you. Foldable phone FAQs What is the difference between a foldable phone and a flip phone? Foldable and flip phones both use flexible displays, but the way they fold and what that means for usability is different. A foldable phone typically opens like a book, giving you a larger tablet-like screen inside, which is great for multitasking or media. A flip phone, on the other hand, folds vertically to become more compact, kind of like the classic clamshell phones of the early 2000s. Flip phones are more pocket-friendly, while foldables offer more screen real estate when open. What is the disadvantage of a foldable phone? The biggest trade-offs with foldable phones are price and durability. They're often more expensive than traditional smartphones, thanks to the complex hinge mechanisms and flexible displays. Battery life can sometimes take a hit too, especially with larger screens. And while the tech has come a long way, foldables can still be a bit bulkier and not quite as seamless as regular slab phones when it comes to everyday use. Are foldable phones less durable than other phones? Generally, yes at least for now. Foldable phones use flexible displays and intricate hinges, which can be more prone to wear and tear over time compared to standard phones with solid glass screens. That said, newer models have gotten tougher with improved hinge designs, water resistance and stronger ultra-thin glass. They're definitely more durable than they used to be, but they still require a bit more care than your average smartphone. Georgie Peru contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/best-foldable-phones-160030013.html?src=rss

Startup news and updates: daily roundup (July 18, 2025)

YourStory presents the daily news roundup from the Indian startup ecosystem and beyond. Here's the roundup for Friday, July 18, 2025.

Netflix says it used Generative AI in Argentine TV series

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Tecno unveils its tri-fold smartphone Phantom Ultimate G Fold Concept

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Solar Eclipse on August 2 will bring 6 minutes of total darkness; check, date, time, and visibility areas for a once-in-100-years phenomenon

On August 2, 2027, a remarkable total solar eclipse will grace Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, plunging regions into darkness for up to 6 minutes and 23 seconds. Dubbed the Great North African Eclipse, this celestial event promises an extended period of totality, making it a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle for millions, with ideal viewing conditions expected in North Africa.

Discover Shukan: Japans secret to calm, daily balance

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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg settles lawsuit over Cambridge Analytica scandal

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Perplexity sees India as a shortcut in its race against OpenAI

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New gravitational waves reveal black hole with forbidden mass | Explained

The mass of a heavier black hole that collided with a lighter one 2 billion lightyears away was found to be right inside, or just above, the pair instability mass gap