Gadgets

Bitcoin biopic starring Casey Affleck to use AI to generate locations and tweak performances

Killing Satoshi , an upcoming biopic about the elusive creator of Bitcoin, will reportedly rely heavily on artificial intelligence to generate locations and adjust actors' performances, Variety reports . The film was announced in 2025 as being directed by Doug Liman ( The Bourne Identity , The Edge of Tomorrow ) and starring Casey Affleck and Pete Davidson in undisclosed roles, but its connection to overhyped technology was previously understood to begin and end with cryptocurrency. According to a UK casting notice viewed by Variety , the producers of Killing Satoshi reserve the right to change, add to, take from, translate, reformat or reprocess actors' performances, using generative artificial intelligence (GAI) and/or machine learning technologies. No digital replicas will be created of performers, but it sounds like plenty of other AI-driven tweaks are on the table. The production's use of AI will also extend to the setting of its shoots, per Variety's source. Killing Satoshi will be shot on a markerless performative capture stage and things like backgrounds and locations will be entirely generated by AI. You guess is as good as mine as to why a film about blockchain technology needs to be filmed this way, but Doug Liman has been connected with plenty of unusual projects in the past, including a rumored Tom Cruise film that was supposed to film on the International Space Station. Killing Satoshi will be far less practical in comparison, and walking a much finer line of what's acceptable in the entertainment industry. A major sticking point in SAG-AFTRA's 2023 contract negotiations was guaranteeing protections for actors who could be replaced by AI. Equity, the union representing actors in the UK, is currently negotiating protections for members that are concerned that AI could be used to reproduce their likenesses and voices and let studios use them without their consent. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/bitcoin-biopic-starring-casey-affleck-to-use-ai-to-generate-locations-and-tweak-performances-210657775.html?src=rss

Two years of the NordVPN Complete plan is 70 percent off

NordVPN is having a big sale on its two-year plans right now. The Complete tier, for example is 70 percent off, bringing the price of 24 months down to just $130. NordVPN regularly appears on Engadgets list of the best VPN services thanks to its wide server network, strong security tools and consistent performance across devices. NordVPNs latest promotion puts one of its most comprehensive plans at a price that undercuts many competing premium VPN subscriptions. The Complete tier includes full access to NordVPNs core VPN service, which encrypts internet traffic and masks a users IP address to help protect online activity on public Wi-Fi networks and at home. Subscribers can use the service on multiple devices, including phones, tablets, laptops and smart TVs, with apps available for major operating systems. It also includes access to NordPass (more on that below), an ad blocker and 1TB of cloud storage. Youll find similar discounts on all of NordVPNs other plans: Basic, Plus and Prime. Beyond the basics, NordVPN offers features like threat protection to help block malicious websites and trackers, as well as specialty servers designed for added privacy or faster performance in specific scenarios. In our NordVPN review , the service was praised for its evolving feature set and overall reliability, even as the VPN market becomes increasingly competitive. Engadget regularly tracks VPN pricing trends and this offer compares favorably with other current promotions. It also appears alongside NordVPN deals featured in Engadgets ongoing roundup of the best VPN discounts available right now, which compares offers from multiple major providers. Those looking for additional security tools may also want to note that NordVPNs Complete plan bundles in extra services beyond the VPN itself. One of those is NordPass, the companys password management app. NordPass is also discounted as part of a separate promotion, if youre primarily looking for a password manager rather than a VPN. The Premium tier is currently 50 percent off, bringing the price down to $36 for two years. NordPass Premium adds features such as cross-device password syncing, secure password sharing and breach monitoring, which alerts users if stored credentials appear in known data leaks. Both offers are available for a limited time, though Nord has not specified an end date for the promotion. If youre still unsure whether NordVPN is right for you, it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee , so you can change your mind and get a full refund. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/two-years-of-the-nordvpn-complete-plan-is-70-percent-off-123000349.html?src=rss

Valve's latest Steam beta lets you add your PC's specs to game reviews

An upcoming update to Steam includes a helpful improvement to game reviews. As part of the Steam Client Beta update Valve released on February 12, users will now be able to attach information about their hardware specifications when they post a new game review or update an old one. It's not uncommon to find negative reviews that complain about a game's performance, information that's hard to draw a conclusion from without knowing what kind of hardware the reviewer is using. With specs attached, the usefulness of complaints becomes a little bit easier to gauge. A game's sales performance and discoverability on Steam is heavily influenced by its review average, a data point Steam users sometimes manipulate for reasons unconnected to the quality of a game. Provided reviewers actually attach their specs at least in the beta, the feature is entirely optional Valve's mercurial reviews ecosystem could end up becoming more nuanced overall. Alongside the new option in reviews, Valve is also experimenting with a way for users to share anonymized framerate data with the company. When framerate sharing is enabled, Steam will collect gameplay framerate data, stored without connection to your Steam account but identified with the kind of hardware you are playing on, Valve says. The feature is specifically focused on devices running SteamOS, Valve's Linux-based operating system for the Steam Deck and some third-party handhelds . The extra information could help the company's attempts to improve game compatibility using software like Proton . The beta update also includes bug fixes, and a tweak to how Valve collects feedback about whether a game should be Deck Verified . Now when Steam prompts you to confirm whether you agree with a game's rating, if you disagree, you can provide a reason as to why. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/valves-latest-steam-beta-lets-you-add-your-pcs-specs-to-game-reviews-195038078.html?src=rss

Apple's Magic Mouse is down to $68 right now

Apple's USB-C Magic Mouse is back on sale for about $11 off its usual retail price of $79. At $68, that's a savings of 14 percent for one of Apple's best accessories from a company that does not often run sales. The multi-touch mouse was first released in 2009 with a modest refresh released in 2015 and the addition of a USB-C port in 2024. The rechargeable mouse features gesture controls and automatically pairs with your Mac when connected via USB. The Magic Mouse can also be used with an iPad via Bluetooth, or with a Windows PC, though in that case, functionality would be limited. Famously, Jony Ive's design of the Magic Mouse sees its charge port on the underside of the body, rendering it unusable while charging. In 2024 there were rumors of a more comprehensive redesign coming but nothing has materialized since. 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-magic-mouse-is-down-to-68-right-now-152708925.html?src=rss

Nintendos Virtual Boy accessory lets you play VR Mario and Zelda on Switch 2

The forthcoming Nintendo Virtual Boy accessory for Switch and Switch 2 can play VR-supported games, as reported by Video Games Chronicle . There are four available games to play, including Super Mario Odyssey , Super Smash Bros Ultimate , The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker . These aren't new VR builds of the games, rather they are the versions previously released for the Nintendo Labo VR set. This was a kit for the original Switch that allowed users to build a cardboard VR headset, among other items. However, this is very good news for Switch 2 owners as Labo creations generally don't work with Nintendo's shiny new console. So this is the only way to experience the VR versions of the aforementioned four games. It's also worth noting that the Switch 2 upgrade for Breath of the Wild still includes the VR mode. There are some caveats. The Virtual Boy accessory is available to purchase as a hardware unit or in cardboard. The cardboard version is much cheaper, at $25, and is actually the preferred method for playing these games in VR. That's because the hardware version sits on a stand, like the original Virtual Boy, making it harder to move one's head around. The cardboard headset is free from those constraints. The hardware also includes red filters over the lenses, to better mimic the original experience, but these can be removed. However, the hardware version is better for playing actual Virtual Boy games, as they were designed for a static headset resting on a table. You'll have to decide if that trade-off is worth $100. It's also worth noting that Virtual Boy games will not work with the original Labo VR headset , which is a bummer for OG Switch fans. Both versions of the Virtual Boy accessories will be available on February 17 , which is the same day several of the retro console's games head to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription service. They can be purchased at the My Nintendo Store . We got a chance to try the headset and came away fairly impressed, though noted that the revamped accessory is just as eccentric and ungainly as the original was three decades ago. For those wondering what all the fuss is about, the Virtual Boy was an actual console released by Nintendo all the way back in 1995. It was one of the first mass-market VR devices and, as such, was decades ahead of the curve. It was cumbersome, the games were only in red and there was nothing by way of motion control. Americans only got 14 games before the console was discontinued. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendos-virtual-boy-accessory-lets-you-play-vr-mario-and-zelda-on-switch-2-172138483.html?src=rss

The best power banks and portable chargers for every device in 2026

Finding yourself far from a wall socket when your phone hits five percent is positively nervewracking. If you stash a portable battery in your bag, you can avoid that feeling altogether. But there are thousands of power banks out there and it can be tough to pick the right one for what you need. Ive spent a few years testing dozens of batteries and found the best power banks for different scenarios. Whether you need a quick reup for your phone or a huge brick to keep your laptop alive, youll find something fitting here. Best power banks for 2026 What to look for in a portable battery pack Battery type Nearly every rechargeable power bank you can buy (and most portable devices) contain a lithium-ion battery. These beat other current battery types in terms of size-to-charge capacity, and have even increased in energy density by eight fold in the past 14 years. They also dont suffer from a memory effect (where a battery's lifespan deteriorates due to partial charges). Flying with portable batteries You may have heard about lithium ion batteries overheating and catching fire a recent Hong Kong flight was grounded after just such a thing happened in an overhead bin. Current restrictions implemented by the TSA still allow external batteries rated at 100Wh or less (which all of our recommendations are) to fly with you, but only in your carry-on luggage they cant be checked. Recently, Southwest Airlines was the first in the industry to take that rule one step further. Now, flyers on that airline must keep power banks in clear view when using them to recharge a device. If the portable charger isnt actively in use, however, it can stay in your carry-on bag in the overhead bin. Capacity Power bank manufacturers almost always list a batterys capacity in milliamp hours, or mAh. Smaller batteries with a 5,000mAh capacity make good phone chargers and can fill a smartphone to between 50 and 75 percent. Larger batteries that can recharge laptops and tablets, or give phones multiple charges, can exceed 25,000mAh and we have a separate guide that covers that entire category. Unsurprisingly, the prices on most batteries goes up as mAh capacity increases, and since batteries are physical storage units, size and weight go up with capacity as well. If you want more power, be prepared to spend more and carry around a heavier brick. You might think that a 10,000mAh power bank could charge a 5,000mAh phone to 100 percent twice, but thats not the case. In addition to simple energy loss through heat dissipation, factors like voltage conversion also bring down the amount of juice that makes it into your phone. Most manufacturers list how many charges a battery can give a certain smartphone. In our tests, 10,000mAh of battery pack capacity translated to roughly 5,800mAh of device charge. 20,000mAh chargers delivered around 11,250mAh to a device, and 25,000mAh banks translated to about 16,200mAh of charge. Thats an average efficiency rate of around 60 percent. Wireless Wireless charging, whether through a bank or a plugged-in charging pad, is less efficient than wired connections. But it is convenient and in most cases, you can carry around and use your phone as it refills with a magnetically attached power bank. Power banks with wireless charging are far better than they once were. Just a couple years ago, the ones I tested were too inefficient to recommend in this guide. When batteries adhering to the Qi2 wireless charging standard started arriving in 2023, performance markedly improved. To gain Qi2-certification, a device has to support speeds of up to 15 watts and include magnetic attachment points. The MagSafe technology on iPhones were once the only handsets that were Qi2-compatible, but now Googles Pixelsnap tech brings both the higher speed and magnetic grip to Pixel 10 phones. Samsung may follow up with its own version in future releases. The latest wireless charging standard, Q12 25W , is supported by the new iPhone 17 phones as well as the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL. Battery packs that are Qi2 25W-enabled are starting to hit the market as well, and the Ugreen MagFlow was the first on the scene. Ports USB-C ports can deliver faster charges than USB-A ports, and most of the portable chargers we recommend here have Type-C connections. But Type-A jacks are still handy if you need to use a specialized cable for a certain device (my cameras USB-A to micro USB cable comes to mind). Theres also variation among USB-C ports. Larger banks with more than one port will sometimes list different wattages for each. For example, a bank with three ports may have two 65W ports and one 100W port. There will also be at least one in/out port on the bank, which can be used to charge the battery itself or to deliver a charge to your device. Wattages and in/out labels are printed right next to the port and always in the tiniest font possible (remember, your phone is an excellent magnifying glass if you ever have trouble reading them). As with standard wall chargers, the ports wattage will determine what you can charge. A phone will happily charge off a 100W connection, but a 15W plug wont do much for your laptop. And remember, the cable has to match the maximum wattage. A cable rated for 60W wont deliver 100W speeds. Luckily, some of the best power banks include a built-in USB-C cable. Thatll not only ensure you have the right cord, its one less thing you have to remember to bring along. Design Once, most rechargeable batteries were black with a squared-off, brick-like design, but now they come in different colors and shapes with attractive finishes and detailing. While that doesnt affect how they perform, its a consideration for something youll interact with regularly. Some portable power banks include extra features like MagSafe compatibility, a built-in wall plug or even a kickstand. Nearly all have some sort of indicator to let you know how much available charge your power bank has left, usually expressed with lighted pips near the power button. Some of the newer banks take that a step further with an LED display indicating remaining battery percentage. How we test best power banks First, I considered brands Engadget reviewers and staff have tried over the years and checked out customer ratings on retail sites like Amazon and Best Buy. Then, I acquired the most promising candidates and tested them in my home office. Amy Skorheim for Engadget For testing, I used each battery to charge both an iPhone and an Android phone, as well as an iPad and a MacBook Pro for the larger portable chargers. I let the devices get down to between zero and five percent and charged them until the devices were full or the power bank died. For reference, here are the battery capacities of the device I've used for testing over the years: iPhone 11: 3,110 mAh iPhone 14 Plus: 4,325 mAh iPhone 15 : 3,349 mAh iPhone 16: 3,561* Galaxy S22 Ultra : 4,855mAh iPad Air : 7,729mAh 16-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro: 27,027mAh *The iPhone 17 has a slightly larger battery at 3,692mAh I continuously update this guide as companies release new products. Other power banks we tested Here are a few picks that didn't quite make the cut, but are worth mentioning. Belkin Stage PowerGrip If youre into iPhonography, this clever accessory could be worth a look. Belkins Stage PowerGrip is a 9,300mAh power bank that has both a wireless charging pad and built-in cable. But its also a Bluetooth shutter with a quarter-inch tripod thread. The design resembles a standard digital camera and provides a sturdy grip once you magnetically attach your phone (make sure youre either using a MagSafe case or no case to ensure a solid connection). The shutter is conveniently placed and the remote speed was quick enough to capture the cute things my cat was doing. The accessory can even act as a stand while it charges in either landscape or portrait orientation. As a power bank, its slow, taking about two hours to get my iPhone 16 from three to 98 percent, but it has enough juice for a full refill plus a little more, which could help if youre out taking pictures all day. Anker MagGo for Apple Watch power bank The Anker MagGo for Apple Watch power bank combines a 10K battery with a built-in USB-C cable and a pop-up Apple Watch charger. I didnt formally test it as its a little too niche, but it deserves a mention for saving my keister on two occasions. Driving to a hike, my watch told me it was down to 10 percent. Thankfully, I had this and could refill the watch before I got to the trailhead. Later, on an interstate trip, I realized the travel charging station Id brought was a dud. This kept my watch alive for the week I was away. It does a good job simply charging a phone via the handy on-board cable, too. But for those with an Apple Watch, its extra useful. HyperJuice 245W Hypers massive-but-sleek brick is one nice looking power bank. The HyperJuice 245W packs a hefty 27,000mAh capacity, enough to refill my tester phone about four times and get a MacBook Pro from near-dead to 75 percent. It only has USB-C ports, but you at least get four of them. USB-C only is probably fine for most situations, but a USB-A port would be nice for charging the occasional older peripheral. The 245 wattage is pretty high for a power bank and it was indeed speedy. It filled a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra in just over an hour. But its the same price and capacity as our Mophie Powerstation pick for laptop banks, and that one has a better variety of ports. Hypers battery is also comparable to Ankers laptop battery , which is cheaper, has built-in cables and has nearly the same capacity. Plus, that bank is just as swanky looking. EcoFlow Rapid magnetic power bank I was curious to try out the first power bank from EcoFlow, a company that primarily makes larger power stations and whole-home backup batteries . The first offering in the brands Rapid series is a Qi2-enabled magnetic charger with a 5,000mAh capacity . It looks quite nice with shiny silver accents and soft-touch grey plastic on the MagSafe-compatible front. Theres a little pull-out leg that sturdily displays your phone as it charges and the attached USB-C cable lets you refill devices directly, then tucks out of the way when its not in use. But it didnt outperform our top pick in the MagSafe category, in terms of both charging speeds and the amount of charge delivered. Mophie Snap+ Powerstation Mini The Mophie snap+ Powerstation Mini is terribly well-built. It feels premium with a rubberized contact point for the MagSafe charging pad and a stand that runs the entire width of the bank itself, making it extra sturdy. Its compact, too, but only carries a 5,000mAh capacity, which gets you a partial charge on most newer or larger phones. Our current MagSafe/iPhone pick has double the capacity, a stand and a digital display for just $20 more than the Powerstation Mini. Power bank FAQs What's the difference between a portable power bank and a portable charger? A slew of terms are used to describe power banks, including portable batteries, portable chargers, external battery packs and even, somewhat confusingly, USB chargers, which is what wall chargers are often called. They all mean the same thing: a lithium ion battery that stores a charge so you can refill a smartphone, tablet, earbuds, console controller, ereader, laptop, or just about any other device with its own built-in, rechargeable battery. Theres little difference between the terms, so the specs youll want to pay attention to are capacity (expressed in mAh), size and weight so you can find the right balance between recharging what you need and portability. Power stations, on the other hand, are distinct. These are bigger units (often around the size of a car battery) that can be used to charge multiple devices multiple times, but notably, they cant be taken on airplanes. Does fast charging actually ruin your battery? Not exactly. The real enemy of a batterys longevity is heat. The faster you charge a battery, the more heat is generated. Modern phones have features that keep the battery cool while charging, like physical heat shields and heat sinks, as well as software features that slow down processes that generate too much heat. Phone manufacturers are keen to promote a phones fast-charging abilities, so they had to figure out ways to make faster charging work. While there arent long-term studies on what fast charging does to a phone, a study on EV batteries (which use the same general concept of charged lithium ions flowing from one side of the battery to the other, absorbing or releasing a usable charge) showed a very slight decrease in capacity over time with only fast charging though what actually made a larger difference was how hot the battery itself was, due to ambient temperatures, when it was charged. In short, fast charging could be slightly harder on your battery than normal charging. But the safeguards most smartphones have make that difference fairly negligible. To really ensure youre optimizing charging capabilities, limit your phone's heat exposure overall. Can you use a power bank for all your devices? That depends on the size of the bank and the size of your devices battery. A small 5,000mAh battery isnt strong enough to charge laptops, but a portable charger with a 20,000mAh capacity will give your computer a partial refill. You also have to consider port compatibility. If your device has a USB port, youll be able to easily find a cable to connect it to a battery. If your device has a more unique port, such as a DC port, you wont be able to use a battery. Devices with an AC cable and plug can be charged, and sometimes powered (such as in the case of a printer or speaker), by larger laptop batteries with AC ports. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-power-bank-143048526.html?src=rss

Pick up Apple's iPhone Air MagSafe battery pack while it's down to a record-low price

Despite its supremely sleek design, the iPhone Air actually has a pretty respectable battery life, lasting for somewhere in the region of 27 hours if youre continuously streaming video. But youre still going to be wary of it dying on you if youre on a trip or just having a particularly screen-heavy day. Thats where Apples iPhone Air MagSafe battery pack comes in, and its currently on sale for $79. This accessory only works with the iPhone Air, but much like the phone it attaches to, its extremely slim at 7.5mmm, so crucially doesnt add so much bulk when attached that it defeats the point of having a thin phone in the first place. The MagSafe Battery isnt enormous at 3,149mAh (enough to add an extra 65 percent of charge to the Air), but it can wirelessly charge the AirPods Pro 3 as well, making it an even more useful travel companion. You can also charge your iPhone while charging the battery pack. At its regular price of $99, the MagSafe battery pack is an admittedly pricey add-on to what is already an expensive phone, but for $20 off its well worth considering what Engadgets Sam Rutherford called an essential accessory for some users in his iPhone Air review. Many Apple loyalists will always insist on having first-party accessories for their iPhone, but there are plenty of third-party MagSafe chargers out there too, a lot of them considerably cheaper than Apples lineup. Be sure to check out our guide for those. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/pick-up-apples-iphone-air-magsafe-battery-pack-while-its-down-to-a-record-low-price-144516992.html?src=rss

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die rails against AI in style

You've seen this movie before: A disheveled man (Sam Rockwell) busts into a restaurant, threatening to blow up the joint unless a crew of people joins him. Like Groundhog Day , he's been through this countless times before, and he immediately starts recounting otherwise unknowable details to convince the diner patrons. Like 12 Monkeys , he's from the future the timely twist in Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die is that, rather than a world-ending virus, he needs help preventing a humanity-ending AI from being born. Good Luck is more of a primal scream than a thoughtful articulation about where everything went wrong. There's a bit of old man yells at cloud energy here (director Gore Verbinski is 61, and screenwriter Matthew Robinson is 47), but it fits the film's satirical tone. Looking around at the world today, who doesn't wish they could warn their past selves about the tech industry and the new ruling class it helped breed. Rockwell's character eventually wrangles a ragtag crew of future saviors: Mark and Janet (Michael Pena and Zazie Beetz), a married couple of high school teachers; Susan (Juno Temple), a distraught mother; and Ingrid (Haley Lu Richardson), a sad woman wearing a princess dress. There's also Asim Chaudhry's Scott, who mostly serves as comic relief, but doesn't get any real backstory like the others. Good Luck wastes no time fleshing out its present near-dystopia in episodic chapters. It turns out Mark and Janet are also on the run from smartphone-obsessed high schoolers, who spend their days scrolling through endless TikTok-like feeds. Susan is forced to confront a horrific situation around her son (I won't get into specifics here, but it's a distinctly American phenomenon). And Ingrid is literally allergic to Wi-Fi and smart devices, which makes it hard to fit into the modern world. Each of these scenarios play out like mini Black Mirror episodes . Everything is heightened to the absurd, and all the problems can be traced back to unchecked technological encroachment and capitalism. Nothing subtle there. The glimpses of an apocalyptic future are even less so all we see are destroyed cities, people trapped in VR headsets (which place them in an AI-generated reality) and robots hunting down anti-AI humans. Sam Rockwell in Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die. Briarcliff Entertainment Good Luck is at its best when it's simply having fun. As Rockwell and crew make their way to their final destination a child who is about to invent true AI they encounter pig-faced assassins, Stepford-esque parents and an adorably horrific kaiju. Even when faced with half-baked scripts, Verbinski always manages to impress visually (think back to the creepiness of The Ring , or the wildly entertaining set pieces in Pirates of the Caribbean ). That's as true as ever here, where the final scene evokes the hyper-tech chaos of Akira . As much as Good Luck, Have Fun, Dont Die , evokes classic sci-fi, it still cant hold a candle to the sheer terror of seeing AI unleash a nuclear bomb in Terminator 2 . And despite its zanines, it doesnt reach the madcap heights of Gilliams Brazil or 12 Monkeys . But if youre sick of having AI products shoved down your throat, and you think the notion of true AI is a farce, its a fun way to channel your rage. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/good-luck-have-fun-dont-die-rails-against-ai-in-style-154437854.html?src=rss

The latest 45W Anker Nano charger with smart display is $10 off right now

Anker introduced a nifty little charger at CES 2026 , which is a refresh of the pre-existing Nano Charger . It's already on sale for $30, which is a discount of $10 or 25 percent. The 45W charger includes a smart display that shows real-time data like power flow, temperature and charging status. It also features fun animations to keep things cheerful. Anker says it can recognize what's being charged and automatically adjust certain metrics to ensure a longer battery lifespan. To that end, it works with just about everything. The company advertises that this charger is a good fit for the iPhone, Apple Watch, AirPods and Samsung devices, among others. The new Nano Charger is on the smaller side, with dual folding prongs that rotate to fit most outlets. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-latest-45w-anker-nano-charger-with-smart-display-is-10-off-right-now-160707685.html?src=rss

Meta is reportedly working to bring facial recognition to its smart glasses

Meta has backed away from highly controversial facial recognition tech in its products and services before, but seemingly not so far that it isnt willing to have another crack at it. A new report from The New York Times claims Mark Zuckerbergs company wants to add facial recognition to its lineup of branded smart glasses at some point this year. The NYT spoke to four anonymous people with knowledge of Metas plans, who told the publication that the feature is codenamed Name Tag internally. As youd expect, it would let people wearing Meta-powered Oakley or Ray-Ban glasses identify people and get information about them using AI. Such technology naturally carries huge privacy and ethical risks, which is reportedly why Meta was hesitant to unveil Name Tag at a conference for the blind last year. It also may have shelved plans to include facial recognition in the first version of its smart glasses, which launched in 2023. In an internal memo from Metas Reality Labs viewed by the NYT , Meta said that the current political instability in the US presents a good opportunity for it to push ahead with its plans. We will launch during a dynamic political environment where many civil society groups that we would expect to attack us would have their resources focused on other concerns, it said. With the smart glasses market expected to become more competitive in the coming years, Meta seemingly believes facial recognition would give it an edge on rival products from the likes of OpenAI. As for how it would work, the company is considering its options. It could recognize people the wearer is already connected to via one of Metas apps, or potentially display information from public Instagram accounts. The NYT s sources said that universal facial recognition, effectively allowing you to look up the identity of anyone you walked past, would not be possible. Meta shut down Facebooks Face Recognition system, used when tagging people in photos, in 2021, following widespread public backlash over privacy concerns. Three years later, it brought it back, this time as a tool for Instagram and Facebook designed to detect scam ads that use the faces of celebrities and other public figures. Last year Meta rolled out the feature beyond the US, so Facebook and later Instagram users in the UK, Europe and South Korea could also use it on their accounts. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/meta-is-reportedly-working-to-bring-facial-recognition-to-its-smart-glasses-144721330.html?src=rss

Apple's first-gen AirTags are on sale for $64 for a four-pack

At this point, you can find discounts on AirTags fairly often but if you want to spend as little as possible, it's worth waiting for a discount like this. A four-pack of the first-gen Bluetooth trackers is on sale for $64, which is just about a record-low price (only $1 more). That's a 35 percent discount on the pack. Bear in mind that this deal brings the price per AirTag down to about $16 if you were to buy them individually, and when not on sale they usually cost $29. If you use Apple devices and consider yourself to be a serial thing-misplacer, AirTags are extremely useful. Adding one to your account takes a single tap, and with Apples Find My network so well established, locating missing items has never been easier. Using your iPhone you can trigger a sound from the AirTags built-in speaker, or alternatively Precision Finding can be used to pinpoint its location via Find My. You just follow the instructions on your iPhone, paying attention to the vibrations that signal youre getting closer. A reminder again that the above deals apply to the first-generation AirTag only. Apple introduced a refreshed tracker with greater range and a louder speaker last month, which retail s at the same price as its predecessor. For deals on the new AirTag, you may have to wait a bit. 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-first-gen-airtags-are-on-sale-for-64-for-a-four-pack-163619918.html?src=rss

The ridiculously tiny Kodak Charmera captured our hearts (and lots of shoddy pictures)

Every once in a while, a product comes along that sparks a bit of joy in our jaded hearts. This is what happened with the Kodak Charmera , a $30 tiny toy camera that was nearly impossible to get ahold of in the first couple of months after its release, selling out immediately over waves of blind box restocks. Despite the gimmick of it all, the Charmera was just too cute for some of us to resist, and we sprang when they finally started becoming more readily available. A few of us on the Engadget team have one now, and even with all of its shortcomings, we kind of love this thing. Here's what two of our writers think about it. Lately, it feels like a chore to carry around a full-frame mirrorless camera. My Nikon definitely feels like the right tool to precisely capture a moment in time with fast autofocus and plenty of image resolution. Other times, that perfect moment is more casual, like catching up with friends over dim sum or killing time while you're snowed in at a cabin in Vermont. In these cases, there's no reason to carry around a hulking camera and lens to snap a flawless photo that I have to edit later. Instead, something light, discreet and playful feels like the right tool for the occasion. Jackson Chen for Engadget That's where the Kodak Charmera comes in. It's a toy camera with a 35mm lens with a fixed f/2.4 aperture and a 1/4-inch sensor. In other words, the photos this thing takes are about equivalent to what you would get with a crappy flip phone from the 2000s that also plays Snake . Kodak is clearly trying to wring out the longing for nostalgia within all of us, and has nailed it with the Charmera, which is even inspired by its old-school disposable Fling cameras. It's definitely not as good as the smartphone in your pocket, but there's something disarming about snapping a quick shot with a tiny block of plastic that's lighter than your keys. Playing around with the Charmera for a few weeks gave me a healthy reminder that the sillier and more transient parts of life don't need the technical prowess of an expensive camera. Obviously, the Chamera produces photos of terrible quality at 1.6 megapixels and can't really capture anything fast-moving or in low light, but it's undeniably fun and hard to resist shooting with. And sometimes, you and your friends are just doing wildly unserious things and you want a camera that matches that energy. Jackson Chen, Contributing Reporter Every time I pull out the Kodak Charmera in public to snap a few pictures, I'm immediately met with a barrage of questions and squeals of delight from full-grown adults: What is that?; Is that a camera?; Does it really take pictures?; Can I see it? It is the kind of accessory that doubles as a conversation starter, an effect that's turned out to be as joyous as taking pictures with the camera itself. I've been trying really hard to spend less time on social media and my phone in general lately, and having a two-inch camera clipped to me has made for a pretty fun shift in how I document the day-to-day. As the resurgence of compact digital cameras has shown us, a lot of people are yearning for a time of simpler tech when we had personal devices that could do useful things, like take decent photos and connect us to our friends, but didn't consume our lives entirely. Companies like Camp Snap have shaped their entire brands around recapturing that magic, and some consumers have shown that they're willing to sacrifice in areas like image quality in exchange for a taste of it, too. The Kodak Charmera isn't the kind of product you go into purchasing with high expectations. It is clearly a toy that is only going to be capable of so much. Cheyenne MacDonald for Engadget As Jackson noted, the low-resolution 1,440 x 1,080 pictures look about on par with those you'd have taken on a flip phone 15 or 20 years ago. In the right lighting conditions with a clearly defined subject, they're not so bad. But selfies, portraits and nature photos will generally look washed out. It can record videos too and you should set similarly low expectations for these. Despite all that, I've been pleasantly surprised by how much I'm enjoying the Charmera experience. Its crunchy photos are just good enough to feel like they're successfully preserving a moment in time. And being so tiny, it's really convenient to bring everywhere. It even came with me to CES. The Charmera takes a microSD card (sold separately), allowing for tons of storage and easy transferring. There are a bunch of built-in filters you can apply, too, which have been fun to play around with. If I want high-quality photos, this isn't the camera I'm going to reach for. But it's great for low-stakes situations when all I care about is taking some pictures I can look back on fondly later. Consider me charmed . Cheyenne MacDonald, Weekend Editor This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/the-ridiculously-tiny-kodak-charmera-captured-our-hearts-and-lots-of-shoddy-pictures-140000245.html?src=rss

Why does my VPN keep disconnecting?

One good thing about virtual private networks (VPNs) is that when they don't work, the problem is almost always solvable without technical training. Although it's aggravating when your VPN randomly drops your connection, the chances are good that you can handle the issue yourself without getting tech support involved. If your VPN is repeatedly disconnecting from the server, I recommend dealing with the problem immediately. When you have your kill switch on as good cybersecurity habits dictate, VPN drops will kick you off the internet. Without that feature enabled, it'll expose your real identity and location online. Thats not a big deal if youre just aiming to, say, stream an international sporting event, but it could be an existential issue if youre using the VPN as a workaround against government censorship. Either way, you can address the issue by working through the eight troubleshooting steps below and checking whether they've solved your problem. 8 reasons your VPN keeps disconnecting I've organized these root causes in ascending order of how much effort the solution takes. Try the easier fixes before moving on to the more complex or expensive ones. 1. You're using the VPN on too many devices at once Most VPNs limit the number of devices you can connect at the same time on a single subscription. Some services, like Surfshark , claim to offer unlimited simultaneous connections, but they'll still cut you off if they see signs of abuse. Generally, you can install the VPN on as many devices as you like; it just can't be actively running on more than the limit. If you're trying to connect to the VPN on a new device and it repeatedly disconnects, check how many other phones, computers or smart TVs it's already running on. Pay attention to devices where you have the VPN set to auto-connect on startup, as you may have missed that it's running. Disconnect from the VPN on one of those devices and try again on the new one. 2. Your VPN server is slow or overloaded The problem often rests with the VPN server you're trying to connect to. Providers regularly shut down servers for routine maintenance. Sometimes, a server is technically online, but it's under such a heavy user load that it can't maintain a connection. It's also possible that the server is so physically far away from you that the connection keeps timing out. In cases like these, the answer is simple: use another server. Pick a different server by disconnecting the VPN and reconnecting to the same location. If the new server has the same problems, try another location, assuming you don't need an IP address in a specific country. 3. You're using an unstable VPN protocol As I explained in my article on how a VPN works , a VPN protocol is the set of instructions at the heart of everything a VPN does. Not all protocols are the same. For example, OpenVPN over TCP prioritizes speed over connection stability, causing more frequent disconnections. It's also possible for certain networks to block some VPN protocols but not others (see #8). If changing servers didn't help your unstable connection, try switching protocols. WireGuard, OpenVPN over UDP and IKEv2 are best for stability. You can almost always find the protocol options in the Settings page of your VPN app. 4. Power-save settings are interfering A VPN almost always runs in the background. In some cases, a device's battery saver settings might shut down the VPN to stop the battery from draining. See if turning off power-save mode stops your VPN from disconnecting randomly (and maybe plug in your device while you're at it). 5. Your internet connection isn't stable Your VPN needs to pass traffic through an ISP like any other online app it just encrypts that traffic first. If you don't have a good internet connection, you won't have a good VPN connection. When you notice your VPN randomly disconnecting, check whether you have problems with your home internet connection. Resetting your modem by turning it off for at least 10 seconds may solve the problem, but you can also just wait for your internet to improve with time. 6. Another program is interfering with the VPN Other security programs are a frequent cause of VPN disruptions. If you connect to an office VPN, for example, you likely won't be able to have a personal VPN running at the same time. Likewise, if you use an antivirus program or have a firewall on your device, it may be blocking your VPN from connecting. See if you can configure the firewall to allow traffic through a port used by a VPN protocol. 7. Your software is out of date If none of the fixes have worked so far, you can often solve your connection problems by updating all the software involved. For optimal security, you should be installing updates the moment they're available anyway, so this will protect you even if it doesn't directly solve your VPN problem. Update your VPN client and your operating system, then try connecting again. If you're still having problems, try updating your router. You can reach its control panel by entering its default IP address into the URL bar of your browser. Update it as well, then try once more. 8. Your network or ISP is blocking VPN traffic There's a chance that your problem originates with your network or ISP, not on the VPN or any device you own. Some networks, especially at offices and schools, automatically block any VPN traffic they detect. These restrictions can even be imposed by entire countries, most infamously in China. Should this turn out to be your problem, turn on any obfuscation features that may be built into your VPN. Using an obfuscated protocol, connect to a server outside the location being censored, then use the internet as normal. This will be much more difficult if you're in a country where VPNs are illegal or restricted , but there's still hope if you can safely send an email, contact a VPN provider and ask if they'll send you a configuration directly. Proton VPN is one company that's officially willing to do that. If you still find your VPN disconnecting mid-session, you may have a rare problem that doesn't show up on this list. Contact your VPN's support staff and do what they recommend. If possible, chat with a live support technician so you can tell them what you've already tried. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/vpn/why-does-my-vpn-keep-disconnecting-130000620.html?src=rss

Meta really wants you to believe social media addiction is 'not a real thing'

Meta went to court this week in two major trials over alleged harms facilitated by its platform. In New Mexico, the state's attorney general has accused the company of facilitating child exploitation and harming children through addictive features. In a separate case in Los Angeles, a California woman sued the company over mental health harms she says she suffered as the result of addictive design choices from Meta and others. In both cases, Meta has disputed the idea that social media should be considered an addiction. On the stand this week, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri said that social media isn't clinically addictive , comparing it to being addicted to a Netflix show . In opening statements in the New Mexico trial, Meta's lawyer Kevin Huff went further. He told the jury that social media addiction is not a thing because it's not in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the handbook used by mental health professionals in the US. According to the American Psychiatric Association, they don't recognize the concept of social media addiction in the same way as addiction to drugs and alcohol, Huff said during opening arguments that were broadcast by Courtroom View Network. What you see on the screen is what's called the DSM, which is basically the official manual for recognized mental disorders. The American Psychiatric Association studied this and decided that social media addiction is not a thing. But the American Psychiatric Association (APA) has never said that social media addiction doesn't exist. The organization provides information and resources about social media addiction on its website . Social media addiction is not currently listed as a diagnosis in the DSM-5-TRbut that does not mean it doesnt exist, the APA said in a statement to Engadget. Dr. Tania Moretta, a clinical pyschophysiology researcher who has studied social media addiction, agrees. The absence of a DSM classification does not mean that a behavior cannot be addictive, maladaptive or clinically significant, she told Engadget. That argument, she said, reflects a misunderstanding of how psychiatry professionals define and classify conditions. Diagnostic manuals formalize scientific consensus; they do not define the boundaries of legitimate scientific inquiry. Many maladaptive behaviors and clinically significant symptom patterns are studied and treated well before receiving official classification. Meta's critics have long claimed that the company has profited from addictive features that hook children and teens. The trials in Los Angeles and New Mexico are just the start of several court battles over the issue. The social media company is also facing a high-profile trial with school districts in June, and lawsuits from 41 state attorneys general . Moretta said that social media addiction is a field that requires more study, but that there is already evidence that it can have harmful effects on some people. At present, from a scientific perspective, there is documented evidence that social media use disorder is associated with both psychophysiological alterations, including changes in reward/motivational and inhibitory/regulatory systems, and clinically significant negative impacts on functioning (e.g., sleep disturbances, psychological distress, impairment in social, academic, or occupational domains), she said. The key question is not whether all social media use is addictive, but whether a subset of users exhibits patterns consistent with behavioral addiction models and whether specific platform design features may exacerbate vulnerability in predisposed individuals. Both trials are ongoing and expected to last the next several weeks. In New Mexico, jurors have already heard from former employee turned whistleblower Arturo Bejar and former exec Brian Boland , both of whom have publicly criticized the company for not prioritizing safety. In Los Angeles, Mosseri's testimony has wrapped up, but Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify next week. The trials will also feature extensive internal documents from Meta, including details about the company's own research into the mental health impacts of its platform on young people. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-really-wants-you-to-believe-social-media-addiction-is-not-a-real-thing-130000257.html?src=rss

The Morning After: Meta turned Threads algorithm complaints into an official feature

Threads users have complained about its recommendation algorithm since the dawn of time 2023. Users even started writing posts addressed to the algorithm, specifying the topics they wanted to see more of. Now, thats part of the system: Users can write a post that begins with dear algo to adjust their preferences , officially. For example, you could write: Dear algo, show me more posts about sous vide recipes. You can also ask to see fewer posts about topics you dont want to see, like Dear algo, stop showing me posts about air fryers. You can even retweet other users dear algo posts to have those topics reflected in your feed. Dear algo posts will work for Threads users in the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand, with more countries coming soon. Mat Smith The biggest stories in tech you might have missed. The first Control Resonant gameplay trailer shows a sideways NYC Apples Siri relaunch is reportedly behind schedule The next Metal Gear Solid remaster collection arrives this summer Elon Musks latest scheme is a satellite catapult on the Moon I think thats a Drag Race song. With a bigger focus on the Moon, Elon Musk is making some wild new plans. According to audio heard by The New York Times , Musk said xAI needed to build an AI satellite factory on the Moon with a gigantic catapult to launch the satellites into space. Sometimes you just want to be the Bond villain. You have to go to the Moon to build the required AI capabilities, Musk told employees. Its difficult to imagine what an intelligence of that scale would think about, but its going to be incredibly exciting to see it happen. Such a catapult would certainly need to be powerful though the Moon has only one-sixth Earths gravity, the minimum escape velocity required for orbit is still around 3,800 mph, or five times the speed of sound. Thats currently possible with electromagnetic railguns, but the satellites would have to withstand that force. Continue reading. Pokmon Pokopia is cosy AF Stardew Valley + Animal Crossing X Pokmon. TMA Nintendo In a bid to distract from a lot of things, Nintendos new Pokmon game is a gently paced game where, instead of playing as a generic trainer, you take control of a sole Ditto. As a Ditto, you can transform into other Pokmon, though the process is sort of incomplete, meaning you can only learn one skill from the monsters you befriend. Instead of using tools, you can transform into other Pokmon (like Lapras or Dragonite) to use their abilities to traverse obstacles or shape the world around you. Continue reading. Sony WF-1000XM6 headphones review Facing tougher competition. TMA Engadget Sony unveiled the latest entry in its best wireless earbud series, the WF-1000XM6, featuring yet another redesign, both inside and out. Once again, strong features and audio performance remain, but competition from all sides is tougher than ever. As Billy Steele explains in his review, if you want the strongest active noise cancellation, that will be Boses QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. If the best sound quality is your goal, the Technics AZ100 is your best bet in this price range. Ill also mention Sennheisers Momentum True Wireless 4, which offers great sound quality, respectable ANC and a comfier fit than the M6. The WF-1000XM6 is available now for $330. Continue reading. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-meta-turned-threads-algorithm-complaints-into-an-official-feature-121500663.html?src=rss

There's a new John Wick game on the way

There's a new AAA John Wick game coming with Keanu Reaves portraying the main character both in voice and likeness, Lionsgate and Saber Interactive announced . Currently untitled, it's in development for PS5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC, and will be a single-player third-person experience designed for mature audiences. So far, there's no release date. The new single-player third-person action game will combine John Wick s unparalleled, adrenaline-fueled 'gun-fu' fighting style with Sabers proven reputation for creating thrilling gaming experiences that leave players craving more, the companies said in an announcement post. They added that franchise director Chad Stahelski and star Keanu Reeves are both involved in the games production, with Reeves reprising his character's look, voice and more. The story is original and addresses a significant time in John Wick's life, according to the game's director Jesus Iglesias. It will include both familiar film characters and new ones created for the game. As for gameplay, it will offer a hard-hitting gun-fu combat system, jaw-dropping camerawork, intense driving experiences, cinematic storytelling, and a bold range of atmospherically immersive environments, the team said. Saber Interactive is the developer behind Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 and is also developing the upcoming titles Jurassic Park: Survival and John Carpenter's Toxic Commando . It will be the first John Wick game since John Wick Hex , which came out in 2019 but was recently delisted . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/theres-a-new-john-wick-game-on-the-way-103900064.html?src=rss

The best iPhone accessories for 2026

The right accessories can make your iPhone feel more capable and more personal. Whether you want to protect your phone, improve your photos or stay powered during a long day out, there are plenty of accessories that can make a real difference. MagSafe gear has opened the door for new chargers, stands and mounts, while portable batteries and compact lenses can upgrade your everyday routine. We tested a range of products to find the best iPhone accessories that offer practical benefits for both new and older models. Best iPhone accessories This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-iphone-accessories-140022449.html?src=rss

Marvel Tkon: Fighting Souls lands on PS5 and PC August 6 with X-Men in tow

Marvel Tkon: Fighting Souls was first announced last year as a tag fighting game feature superheroes including Captain America, Ms Marvel and Spider-Man, with a launch sometime in 2026. We expected more details to be revealed at Sony's State of Play yesterday and indeed they were. The game will arrive August 6 on PS5 and PC and include the Unbreakable X-Men's Storm, Magik, Wolverine, and Danger. The trailer teases each character's fighting style, with Magik and Wolverine using a more in-your-face melee fighting style. Storm and Danger, meanwhile, offer more diverse attack abilities, with Storm manipulating wind and lightning and Magik deploying sorcery skills. We also saw a team-based finisher attack with all four characters joining forces to unleash a flurry of attacks. The trailer also revealed that Marvel Tkon: Fighting Souls will offer an Episode Mode with a new form of storytelling adapted for a modern video game format that marries Manga with American comics. MARVEL Tkon: Fighting Souls launches on August 6, 2026 for PS5 and PC. Pre-orders open February 19, 2026 at the PlayStation Store and PC storefronts. It will be sold in three versions: the $60 Standard Edition, $85 Digital Deluxe Edition (includes the full game, all pre-order incentives, a Year 1 Characters and Stage Pass) and Howard the Duck and Cosmo. Finally, the $100 Ultimate Edition includes all the preceding, plus costumes for Storm, Captain America, Doctor Doom, Iron Man, and Spider-Man, along with an Animated Chromatic color unlock for all 20 launch characters. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/marvel-tokon-fighting-souls-lands-on-ps5-and-pc-august-6-with-x-men-in-tow-095235773.html?src=rss

Death Stranding 2 for PC arrives on March 19

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will be available on PC starting on March 19, Kojima Productions has announced at State of Play. The studio worked with Dutch video game developer Nixxes Software, which Sony acquired in 2021 to help bring PlayStation games to PCs. The sequel to the first Death Stranding is set in Australia almost a year after the events of the original game. It still features a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by strange creatures, and youll still control Sam Porter Bridges to connect survivors in the continent to the chiral network communications system. Kojima Production says the PC version of the game will come with a bunch of improvements, will work with NVIDIA, AMD and Intel Upscaler and FrameGen, and will have uncapped framerates. It will support 4K gaming and will come with support for ultrawide monitors with 21:9 aspect ratio, as well as for super ultrawidescreen monitors with 32:9 aspect ratio for PC. When it comes to audio, the PC version of the game supports 3D audio via Dolby Access and DTS Sound Unbound, as well as Windows Sonic for headphones. You can play using a mouse and a keyboard if you wish, but you can also play with a DualSense controller. Youll be able to pre-purchase Death Stranding 2: On the Beach starting today for $70 on Steam or Epic Games and receive extra in-game items. The Digital Deluxe edition, which comes with more in-game extras, will set you back $10 more. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/death-stranding-2-for-pc-arrives-on-march-19-095157946.html?src=rss

A Neva prequel is arriving next week

At Sony's State of Play yesterday, developer Nomada Studio revealed a DLC prequel to its gorgeous and award-winning puzzle platformer Neva . Entitled simply Neva: Prologue , it tells the story of how Alba and her wolf companion Neva met, while introducing new gameplay mechanics, locales and challenges. In Neva: Prologue , players follow Alba as she chases a trail of white butterflies deep into the corrupted swamps, only to discover a frightened wolf cub, lost and alone, Nomada writes. To survive, Alba must earn the cubs trust and guide them both through the blighted wetlands and the dark forces that stalk them. The developer adds that Neva: Prologue is designed to be experienced after completing the main game. It adds three new locations, each featuring unique gameplay mechanics, alongside new enemies and intense boss encounters. Completionists will also get five hidden challenge flowers. In her review of the original game, Engadget's Jessica Conditt found Neva faultless thanks to the exquisite swordplay and intuitive platforming action, along with the stunning world composed of lush forests, sun-drenched valleys, soaring mountains and twisting cave systems. Neva: Prologue will released as a standalone DLC on February 19. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/a-neva-prequel-is-arriving-next-week-081239628.html?src=rss

The 7 best air fryers for 2026, tested and reviewed

Air fryers have gone from novelty appliances to everyday kitchen staples surprisingly fast. Theyre quick to heat up, easy to use and well suited to everything from frozen snacks to roasted vegetables and simple desserts. For many people, theyve replaced the oven for smaller meals, cutting down on cook time without adding extra cleanup. The category has also expanded well beyond basic basket-style models. Some air fryers are designed for small kitchens or single servings, while others offer larger capacities and preset cooking modes for roasting, reheating or dehydrating. After testing a wide range of machines, the Instant Vortex Plus continues to stand out for its reliable performance, straightforward controls and consistently good results. Below, weve gathered the best air fryers you can buy right now across different sizes and price points. Whether youre replacing an older unit or trying one for the first time, these picks focus on appliances that are easy to live with and deliver crisp food without the need for deep frying. Best air fryers for 2026 What does an air fryer do? Lets clear one thing up first: its not frying. Not really. Air fryers are more like smaller convection bake ovens, ones that are often pod-shaped. Most work by combining a heating element and fan, which means the hot air can usually better crisp the outside of food than other methods. They often reach higher top temperatures than toaster ovens which is part of the appeal. For most recipes, a thin layer of oil (usually sprayed) helps to replicate that fried look and feel better. However, it will rarely taste precisely like the deep-fried or pan frying version when it comes out of the air fryer basket. Dont let that put you off, though, because the air fryer, in its many forms, combines some of the best parts of other cooking processes and brings them together into an energy-efficient way of air fryer cooking dinner. Or breakfast. Or lunch. Buying guide for air fryers Convection ovens You can separate most of these machines into two types of air fryers, and each has different pros and cons. Convection ovens are usually ovens with air fryer functions and features. They might have higher temperature settings to ensure that food crisps and cooks more like actually fried food. Most convection ovens are larger than dedicated air fryers, defeating some of the purpose of those looking to shrink cooking appliance surface area. Still, they are often more versatile with multiple cooking functions, and most have finer controls for temperatures, timings and even fan speed. You may never need a built-in oven if you have a decent convection oven. They often have the volume to handle roasts, entire chickens or tray bakes, and simply cook more, capacity-wise, making them more versatile than the pod-shaped competition. The flip side of that is that youll need counter space in the kitchen to house them. It also means you can use traditional oven accessories, like baking trays or cake tins, that you might already own. Pod-shaped air fryers Pod-shaped air fryers are what you imagine when you think air fryer. They look like a cool, space-age kitchen gadget, bigger than a kettle but smaller than a toaster oven. Many use a drawer to hold ingredients while cooking, usually a mesh sheet or a more solid, non-stick tray with holes to allow the hot air to circulate. With a few exceptions, most require you to open the drawer while things cook and flip or shake half-cooked items to ensure the even distribution of heat and airflow to everything. Thats one of a few caveats. This type of air fryer typically doesn't have a window to see how things are cooking (with only a few exceptions), so youll need to closely scrutinize things as they cook, opening the device to check progress. Basket-style air fryers also generally use less energy theres less space to heat and many have parts that can be put directly into a dishwasher. Some of the larger pod-shaped air fryers offer two separate compartments, which is especially useful for anyone planning to cook an entire meal with the appliance. You could cook a couple of tasty chicken wings or tenders while simultaneously rustling up enough frozen fries or veggies for everyone. Naturally, those options take up more space, and theyre usually heavy enough to stop you from storing them in cupboards or shelves elsewhere. As mentioned earlier, you might have to buy extra things to make these pod fryers work the way you want them to. Some of the bigger manufacturers, like Philips and Ninja, offer convenient additions, but youll have to pay for them. Air fryer pros and cons Beyond the strengths and weaknesses of individual models, air fryers are pretty easy to use from the outset. Most models come with a convenient cooking time booklet covering most of the major foods youll be air frying, so even beginners can master these machines. One of the early selling points is the ability to cook fries, wings, frozen foods and other delights with less fat than other methods like deep frying, which gets foods the crispiest. As air fryers work by circulating heated air, the trays and cooking plates have holes that can also let oil and fat drain out of meats, meaning less fat and crisper food when you finally plate things up. For most cooking situations, you will likely need to lightly spray food with vegetable oil. If you dont, theres the chance that things will burn or char. The oil will keep things moist on the surface, and we advise refreshing things with a dash of oil spray when you turn items during cooking. Most air fryers are easy to clean especially in comparison to a shallow or deep fryer. Well get into cleaning guidance a little later. With a smaller space to heat, air fryers are generally more energy-efficient for cooking food than larger appliances like ovens. And if you dont have an oven, air fryers are much more affordable especially the pod options. There are, however, some drawbacks. While air fryers are easy enough to use, they take time to master. You will adjust cooking times for even the simplest types of food like chicken nuggets, frozen French fries or brussels sprouts. If youre the kind of person that loves to find inspiration from the internet, in our experience, you can pretty much throw their timings out of the window. There are a lot of air fryer options, and factors like how fast they heat and how well distributed that heat is can and will affect cooking. Theres also a space limitation to air fryers. This is not a TARDIS theres simply less space than most traditional ovens and many deep fat fryers. If you have a bigger family, youll probably want to go for a large capacity air fryer possibly one that has multiple cooking areas. You also might want to consider a different kitchen appliance, like a multicooker, sous vide or slow cooker to meet your specific cooking needs. You may also struggle to cook many items through as the heat settings will cook the surface of dishes long before its cooked right through. If youre planning to cook a whole chicken or a roast, please get a meat thermometer! Best air fryer accessories Beyond official accessories from the manufacturer, try to pick up silicone-tipped tools. Tongs are ideal, as is a silicon spatula to gently loosen food that might get stuck on the sides of the air fryer. These silicone mats will also help stop things from sticking to the wire racks on some air fryers. They have holes to ensure the heated air is still able to circulate around the food. Silicone trivets are also useful for resting any cooked food on while you sort out the rest of the meal. And if you find yourself needing oil spray, but dont feel like repeatedly buying tiny bottles, you can decant your favorite vegetable oil into a permanent mister like this. How to clean an air fryer Were keeping clean up simple here. Yes, you could use power cleaners from the grocery store, they could damage the surface of your air fryer. Likewise, metal scourers or brushes could strip away the non-stick coating. Remember to unplug the device and let it cool completely. Remove the trays, baskets and everything else from inside. If the manufacturer says the parts are dishwasher safe and you have a dishwasher the job is pretty much done. Otherwise, hand wash each part in a mixture of warm water, with a splash of Dawn or another strong dish soap. Use a soft-bristled brush to pull away any crumbs, greasy deposits or bits of food stuck to any surfaces. Remember to rinse everything. Otherwise, your next batch of wings could have a mild Dawn aftertaste. Trust us. Take a microfiber cloth and tackle the outer parts and handles that might also get a little messy after repeated uses. This is especially useful for oven-style air fryers use the cloth to wipe down the inner sides. If Dawn isnt shifting oily stains, try mixing a small amount of baking soda with enough water to make a paste, and apply that so that it doesnt seep into any electrical parts or the heating element. Leave it to work for a few seconds before using a damp cloth to pull any greasy spots away. Rinse out the cloth and wipe everything down again, and you should be ready for the next time you need to air fry. How to find air fryer recipes Beyond fries, nuggets and a revelation frozen gyoza, there are a few ways to find recipes for air-fried foods. First, we found that the air fryer instruction manuals often have cooking guides and recipe suggestions for you to test out in your new kitchen gadget. The good thing with these is that they were made for your air fryer model, meaning success should be all but guaranteed. They are often a little unimaginative, however. Many of the top recipe sites and portals have no shortage of air fryer recipes, and theres no harm in googling your favorite cuisine and adding the words air fryer on the end of the search string. Weve picked up some reliable options from Delish , which also has a handy air fryer time converter for changing oven and traditional fryer recipes. BBC Good Food is also worth browsing for some simple ideas, as is NYT Cooking , with the ability to directly search for air fryer suggestions. Aside from that, you can also grab plenty of cookbooks from your local bookshop with lots of recipes that you can use in your favorite air fryer. And if you have a killer recipe or unique use for your air fryer, let us know in the comments. Whats the air fryer equivalent of the Instant Pot cheesecake? Were ready to try it. How we test air fryers We put each air fryer we test through its paces by cooking a variety of foods in it including raw proteins like fish and chicken, raw vegetables like potatoes and cauliflower and frozen snacks like mozzarella sticks. We attempt to use each cooking method that the machine has pre-programmed, and when possible, follow a couple of recipes in any provided recipe booklets that come with the air fryer. We also clean the cooking basket and all other removable components as many times as possible, and will put those components into a dishwasher if they claim to be dishwasher-safe. We also make note of how loud the machine is when using different cooking settings and how warm the surrounding area becomes. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/kitchen-tech/best-air-fryers-133047180.html?src=rss

Ring calls off partnership with police surveillance provider Flock Safety

Ring has canceled its partnership with Flock Safety, after receiving backlash for running a Super Bowl ad touting its Search Party feature. If youll recall, Ring revealed back in October 2025 that it was entering a partnership with the surveillance company, which would make it possible for law enforcement to ask smart doorbell owners for videos captured by their devices. In its announcement , the company said that the planned Flock Safety integration would require significantly more time and resources than anticipated. The decision to call off the partnership was mutual, Ring added, and Flock Safetys integration was never launched. Apparently, no Ring customer footage was ever sent to Flock. Under the partnership, law enforcement agencies using Flock's Nova platform or FlockOS would have been able to use Rings Community Requests to ask for doorbell videos from users. They would have been asked to specify the location and timeframe of the incident, as well as provide a unique investigation code and the details about what is being investigated. Their requests would then be forwarded to relevant users, who could choose to share footage from their doorbell. Ring said the whole process would have been anonymous and optional. Ring was known to have shared security cam videos to law enforcement without a court order or the device owners consent at least 11 times in the past. In 2024, however, it seemed to have walked back its police-friendly stance and said that it would stop sharing videos with the police without a warrant. This alliance with Flock would have marked a return to police collaboration after the company distanced itself from law enforcement. Flock is known for its automatic license plate readers and for centralizing the information it collects into a database that police can search without a warrant. While law enforcement says the system can help them solve crimes like kidnapping. 404Media reported last year that ICE has been using the database, citing immigration-related reasons. While Rings official reason was that the Flock partnership would need more resources than expected, its worth noting that the company recently got flak for its Super Bowl Search Party ad. Ring touted it as a way to find lost dogs by using its cameras AI to identify pets running across their field of vision and then pooling feeds together to identify missing pets. While Search Party isnt new and was announced last year, the ad sparked concerns about surveillance and how the tech could be misused, leading users to disable the feature for their cameras altogether. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/ring-calls-off-partnership-with-police-surveillance-provider-flock-safety-031717605.html?src=rss

Silent Hill: Townfall takes the series' trademark fog to an eerie coastal community

Coming off the success of Slient Hill f , which moved the series psychological horror to the Japanese countryside, Konami, Annapurna Interactive and developer Screen Burn Interactive have chosen a foggy island as the setting for Silent Hill: Townfall . The first gameplay trailer for Townfall , introduced during Sonys latest State of Play, follows Simon Ordell, a man who keeps mysteriously waking up in the water off the coast of the empty island town of St. Amelia. In the trailer, Simon hides from monsters, peers at a portable television, swings a fire axe, and deals with the psychological turmoil typical of a Silent Hill protagonist, all in first person, one of the unique twists of this new game. Silent Hill: Townfall was originally announced alongside Silent Hill f and the remake of Silent Hill 2 in 2022. The game is developed by Screen Burn Interactive (formerly known as No Code), the creators of Observation and Stories Untold . Konami will share more details about Townfall s gameplay and story in an upcoming Silent Hill Transmission presentation later today. Silent Hill: Townfall is coming to PlayStation 5 in 2026. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/silent-hill-townfall-takes-the-series-trademark-fog-to-an-eerie-coastal-community-233324897.html?src=rss

The PS Plus Game Catalog additions for February include Marvels Spider-Man 2

During its State of Play livestream on Thursday, Sony revealed the first PlayStation Plus Game Catalog addition for February and it's a doozy. Marvels Spider-Man 2 will finally websling its way onto the Game Catalog on February 17. Marvels Spider-Man 2 was released in October 2023, and Insomniac's third Spidey game is the the best of the bunch. You can play as both Peter Parker and his protg Miles Morales. Each Spidey has his own skill tree and moveset to master. Traversing New York (with a lot more of it explorable than in previous entries) has never felt better thanks to the addition of the wingsuit, while the set pieces are frequently breathtaking. Marvels Spider-Man 2 remains one of the PS5s flagship games, and with Marvels Spider-Man: Remastered and Miles Morales already on the Game Catalog, Extra and Premium subscribers can now play the whole series while they wait for Insomniac's Wolverine game to arrive later this year. Looking further ahead, Tekken Dark Resurrection will be available to Premium subscribers in March. Premium members will be able to play the original Time Crisis on their PS5 with gyro controls in May, which sounds fun. Also, Big Walk , a multiplayer game from Untitled Goose Game developer House House, will be available on all three PS Plus tiers when it debuts later this year. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/the-ps-plus-game-catalog-additions-for-february-include-marvels-spider-man-2-232459779.html?src=rss

The next Metal Gear Solid remaster collection arrives this summer

Volume two of the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection will arrive on August 27, publisher Konami announced today during Sonys latest State of Play presentation. The bundle will feature 2008s Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, the HD remaster of 2010s Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker and a selection of bonus content, including Metal Gear: Ghost Babel , which was originally released for Game Boy Color in 2000. All told, thats a smaller selection of games than Konami made available with Vol. 1 of the Master Collection, but Metal Gear fans will be excited nonetheless, if only for the fact it will mark the first time MGS4 will be officially playable on a platform other than the PlayStation 3. That it has taken Konami nearly two decades to release the conclusion of Solid Snakes story on more systems has to do with the nature of the game as a PS3 exclusive. MGS4 took extensive advantage of the consoles unique Cell architecture, a fact that made it difficult (and expensive) proposition to port to more recent x86-based systems. In recent years, its been possible to emulate the game on a powerful PC , but not everyone has that kind of hardware. Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol.2 will be available on PS5. For now, Konami has not announced other platform availability, but the previous instalment was also available on PC, Nintendo Switch and Xbox. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/the-next-metal-gear-solid-remaster-collection-arrives-this-summer-231711005.html?src=rss

The first Control Resonant gameplay trailer shows Dylan defying physics in a sideways NYC

Its been less than three months since we got our first look at Control Resonant , the sequel to Remedys mind-bending, third-person adventure that introduced us to Jesse Faden and the Federal Bureau of Control. At todays State of Play event, we got to see the first extended bit of gameplay from Control Resonant and the combat looks as inspired as ever, though the setting is completely new. As we learned in December, the next Control games doesnt focus on Jesse Faden; instead, youll primarily play as her brother Dylan who Jesse was trying to find for much of the first game. Dylans out in a warped version of New York City trying to track the games Resonant creatures that are responsible for whatever calamity has taken place. We knew this already, but the change of setting from the Bureau of Control building into the more open city setting should go a long way towards making this game feel fresh. Dylans capabilities are also completely different than what we saw from Jesse in the original. Theres a much bigger emphasis on melee combat, as Dylan has a shapeshifting weapon called the Aberrant. You can switch from hammer to blades to other various forms, much in the way that Jesses firearm in the first game could morph between different types of guns. But the thing that stood out the most to me in the brief preview was the way that NYC completely disobeyed the laws of physics. Buildings and streets would just head into the sky at 90-degree angles and Dylans powers let him completely which surface is the ground for him. Theres still no firm release date for Control Resonant , but thats not unreasonable the game was only announced a few months ago. Remedy says theyre still on target to launch in 2026. And, at the end of todays PlayStation blog post, they promise that things are going to get weirder. Just what I was hoping for! This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/the-first-control-resonant-gameplay-trailer-shows-dylan-defying-physics-in-a-sideways-nyc-224746545.html?src=rss

Mina the Hollower resurfaces with a spring 2026 release window

Sonys first State of Play stream of the year included an update on Mina the Hollower, the latest title from Shovel Knight studio Yacht Club Games. Its now slated to arrive sometime this spring. The developer initially planned to release the retro-style action-adventure platformer on Halloween last year , but delayed it to to apply some final polish and balancing to make the game truly shine. While Mina the Hollower didnt make its original Halloween release date, at least the new demo, which will be available for a limited time, is getting a eerily timed debut. Itll hit PS5 tomorrow i.e. Friday, February 13. Yknow Friday the 13th? This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/mina-the-hollower-resurfaces-with-a-spring-2026-release-window-224327165.html?src=rss

Kena: Scars of Kosmora is coming out later this year

When it launched in 2021, Kena: Bridge of Spirits was an early example of the graphical power of the PS5 thanks to its Pixar-adjacent animation and over-the-top effects. Based on a surprise trailer at Sony's latest State of Play , it seems like its sequel, Kena: Scars of Kosmora , could up the ante when it launches later this year. Scars of Kosmora follows spirit guide Kena to a mysterious island called Kosmora, where a powerful spirit breaks her staff and forces her to embrace a new style of spirit guiding (and presumably a collection of new game mechanics). Like the first game, Scars of Kosmora looks to be filled with lush visuals and cute Spirit Companions, but also a surprising amount of boss battles. Developer Ember Lab's new trailer heavily emphasizes the game's updated combat, which seems like it'll play a big role in the sequel. According to a post on the PlayStation Blog , it sounds like manipulating the elements will also be a major focus. Weve added new elemental gameplay to bring strategy and depth when facing the threats of Kosmora, developer Ember Lab says. These new combat skills, elemental infusions and use of your Spirit Companions will be key to overcoming challenging encounters and epic boss fights. Kena: Scars of Kosmora is coming to PlayStation 5 and PC in 2026. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/kena-scars-of-kosmora-is-coming-out-later-this-year-224006963.html?src=rss

Ghost of Yotei's multiplayer expansion arrives March 10

Ghost of Yoteis forthcoming Legends multiplayer expansion will arrive early next month, Sony announced today during its latest State of Play presentation. As in Ghost of Tsushima , youll be able to play the mode with up to three other people online. Players can each choose from one of four classes samurai, archer, mercenary and shinobi who excel in different combat scenarios. All four classes can wield a katana and bow, but then they also have access to special weapons and skills. For example, the samurai can wield the odachi, giving them a sweeping move set against groups of enemies. Youll need to use teamwork and your classs abilities to take down demonic versions of the Yotei Six. The mode will arrive alongside the games 1.5 patch, and will be free for all Ghost of Yotei owners . At launch, players can look forward to three different mission types. In survival, youll be tasked with fighting off increasingly difficult enemies. In story mode, meanwhile, you and one other player will need to complete a series of 12 missions to unlock the expansions incursion mode, which will see you siege a fortress belonging to a member of Yotei Six. At first, there will be four strongholds for players to conquer, with a later April patch adding the final bosses. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/ghost-of-yoteis-multiplayer-expansion-arrives-march-10-223842684.html?src=rss

The best wireless earbuds for 2026

Wireless earbuds are now the default option for everyday listening, whether youre heading out for a commute, fitting in a workout or just watching videos at home. The best wireless earbuds combine reliable connectivity, comfortable fits and sound quality that holds up across music, calls and podcasts, all without the hassle of cables. Most are small enough to disappear into a pocket and pair quickly with phones, tablets and laptops. What sets one pair apart from another often comes down to priorities. Some earbuds lean heavily on active noise cancellation, while others focus on long battery life, compact charging cases or lower prices. Features like water resistance, customizable controls and app support can also make a real difference day to day. This guide breaks down the best wireless earbuds available now to help you find the right match for how you listen. Best wireless earbuds of 2026 What to look for in the best wireless earbuds When it comes to shopping for earphones, the first thing to consider is design or wear style. Do you prefer a semi-open fit like AirPods or do you want something that completely closes off your ears? If youre shopping for earbuds with active noise cancellation, you'll want the latter, but a case can be made for the former if you want to wear them all day or frequent places where you need to be tuned in to the ambient sounds. The overall shape of earbuds can determine whether you get a comfortable fit, so can the size and weight, so youll want to consider all that before deciding. And remember: audio companies arent perfect, so despite lots of research, the earbud shape they decided on may not fit you well. Dont be afraid to return ill-fitting earbuds for something thats more comfortable. As wireless earbuds have become the norm, theyre now more reliable for basic things like consistent Bluetooth connectivity. Companies are still in a race to pack as much as they can into increasingly smaller designs. This typically means a longer list of features on the more premium sets of earbuds with basic functionality on the cheapest models. Carefully consider what you cant live without when selecting your next earbuds, and make sure key items like automatic pausing and multipoint connectivity are on the spec sheet. Youll also want to investigate the volume and touch controls as youll often have to sacrifice access to something else to make that adjustment via on-board taps or swipes. Some earbuds even offer app settings to tweak the audio profiles or firmware updates to improve performance over time. For those in the Apple ecosystem, features like auto-pairing with devices, especially with AirPods Pro 3, can be an added advantage, while Android users may want to look for models that offer similar cross-device functionality. When it comes to battery life, the average set of earbuds lasts about five hours on a single charge. You can find sets that last longer, but this is likely enough to get you through a work day if youre docking the buds during lunch or the occasional meeting. Youll want to check on how many extra charges are available via the case and if it supports wireless charging. Companies will also make lofty claims about call quality on wireless earbuds. Despite lots of promises, the reality is most earbuds still leave you sounding like youre on speakerphone. There are some sets that deliver, but dont get your hopes up unless reviews confirm the claims. Sound can be subjective, so we recommend trying before you buy if at all possible. This is especially true if you're an audiophile. We understand this isnt easy when most of us do a lot of shopping online, but trying on a set of earbuds and listening to them for a few minutes can save you from an expensive case of buyer's remorse. If a store doesnt allow a quick demo, most retailers have return policies that will let you take earbuds back you dont like. Of course, you have to be willing to temporarily part with funds in order to do this. We also recommend paying attention to things like Spatial Audio , Dolby Atmos, 360 Reality Audio and other immersive formats. Not all earbuds support them, so youll want to make sure a perspective pair does if that sort of thing excites you, especially if you plan to use them for playback of high-quality audio. How we test wireless earbuds The primary way we test earbuds is to wear them as much as possible. We prefer to do this over a one- to two-week period, but sometimes embargoes dont allow it. During this time, we listen to a mix of music and podcasts, while also using the earbuds to take both voice and video calls. Since battery life for earbuds is typically less than a full day, we drain the battery with looping music and the volume set at a comfortable level (usually around 75 percent). To judge audio quality, we listen to a range of genres, noting any differences in the sound profile across the styles. We also test at both low and high volumes to check for consistency in the tuning. To assess call quality, well record audio samples with the earbuds microphones as well as have third parties call us. When it comes to features, we do a thorough review of companion apps, testing each feature as we work through the software. Any holdovers from previous models are double checked for improvements or regression. If the earbuds were testing are an updated version of a previous model, well spend time getting reacquainted with the older buds. Ditto for the closest competition for each new set of earbuds that we review. Other wireless Bluetooth earbuds we tested Sony WF-1000XM6 Since we established this best wireless earbuds guide, Sonys current 1000X model has consistently been the top pick. However, with the WF-1000XM6 , there are two key areas where the companys latest flagship set doesnt measure up well versus the competition. Overall ANC performance lags behind Bose, and even Sonys own WF-1000XM5. Speaking of the M5, the company did well there to address the issues I had with fit when it switched to foam ear tips on the WF-1000XM4, but it regressed in that area on the M6. Theres still plenty to like in terms of features and sound quality, but there are also caveats to consider now that could be dealbreakers. Sony WF-C710N The WF-C710N is a set of compact and comfy earbuds that offer several of Sonys best features. While the ANC performance is above average for this price ($120), sound quality isnt as good as the companys slightly more expensive options. Battery life fell below stated figures and call performance isnt good enough to use these buds for work. Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 The newest version of the Powerbeats Pro have an improved, comfortable design, balanced bass and new H2 chips and a heart rate sensor inside. But heart rate support is currently limited on iOS. Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 The Galaxy Buds 3 combine ANC with an open-type design, which renders the noise-blocking abilities of the earbuds mostly useless. Still, theres great low-end tone with ample bass when a track demands it. There are also lots of handy features, most of which require a Samsung phone. But at this price, there are better options from Google, Beats and Sony Sennheiser Momentum Sport I really like the overall shape of the Momentum Sport earbuds. Theyre more comfortable than the Momentum True Wireless 4 and fit in my ears better. Whats more, the body temperature and heart rate sensors work well, sending those stats to a variety of apps. However, that sport-tracking feature works best with Polars app and devices, so theres that consideration. Also, the audio quality and ANC performance isnt as good as the MTW4, and these earbuds are pricey. Beats Solo Buds Theres a lot to like about the Solo Buds for $80. For me, the primary perk is theyre very comfortable to wear for long periods of time thanks to some thoughtful design considerations. You only get the basics here in terms of features and, as expected, the overall sound quality isnt as good as the pricier models in the Beats lineup. You will get 18 hours of battery life though, since the company nixed the battery in the case and beefed up the listening time in the buds themselves. Bose Ultra Open Earbuds Bose created something very unique for this set of earbuds that allows you to stay in-tune with the world while listening to audio content. The clip-on design is very comfortable, but sound quality suffers due to the open-type fit, especially when it comes to bass and spatial audio. Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7 These stick buds have a compact design thats comfortable to wear and the warm sound profile is great at times. However, overall audio performance is inconsistent and theres no automatic pausing. Master & Dynamic MW09 Retooled audio, better ambient sound mode and reliable multipoint Bluetooth are the best things the MW09 has to offer. Theyre expensive though, and you can find better ANC performance elsewhere. Wireless earbud FAQs What is considered good battery life for true wireless earbuds? Most wireless earbuds will last five hours on a single charge, at the least. You can find some pairs that have even better battery life, lasting between six and eight hours before they need more juice. All of the best wireless earbuds come with a charging case, which will provide additional hours of battery life but you'll have to return each bud to the case in order to charge them up. Is sound quality better on headphones or earbuds? Comparing sound quality on earbuds and headphones is a bit like comparing apples and oranges. There are a lot of variables to consider and the differences in components make a direct comparison difficult. Personally, I prefer the audio quality from over-ear headphones, but I can tell you the sound from earbuds like Sennheisers Momentum True Wireless 3 is also outstanding. Which wireless earbuds have the longest battery life? With new models coming out all the time, tracking the hours of battery life for each this can be difficult to keep tabs on. The longest-lasting earbuds weve reviewed are Audio-Technicas ATH-CKS5TW . The company states they last 15 hours, but the app was still showing 40 percent at that mark during our tests. The only downside is these earbuds debuted in 2019 and both technology and features have improved since. In terms of current models, Master & Dynamics MW08 offers 12 hours of use on a charge with ANC off (10 with ANC on) and JBL has multiple options with 10-hour batteries. What wireless earbuds are waterproof? There are plenty of options these days when it comes to increased water resistance. To determine the level of protection, youll want to look for an IP (ingress protection) rating. The first number indicates intrusion protection from things like dust. The second number is the level of moisture protection and youll want to make sure that figure is 7 or higher. At this water-resistance rating, earbuds can withstand full immersion for up to 30 minutes in depths up to one meter (3.28 feet). If either of the IP numbers is an X, that means it doesnt have any special protection. For example, a pair of wireless earbuds that are IPX7 wouldnt be built to avoid dust intrusion, but they would be ok if you dropped them in shallow water. Which earbuds stay in ears the best? A secure fit can vary wildly from person to person. All of our ears are different, so audio companies are designing their products to fit the most people they can with a single shape. This is why AirPods will easily fall out for some but stay put for others. Design touches like wing tips or fins typically come on fitness models and those elements can help keep things in place. Youll likely just have to try earbuds on, and if they dont fit well return them. What wireless earbuds work with PS5? PlayStation 5 doesnt support Bluetooth audio without an adapter or dongle. Even Sonys own gaming headsets come with a transmitter that connects to the console. There are universal options that allow you to use any headphones, headset or earbuds with a PS5. Once you have one, plug it into a USB port on the console and pair your earbuds with it. Recent updates February 2026: Updated to include new top picks. January 2026: Updated to ensure our top picks have remained the same. September 2025: Updated to add AirPods Pro 3 to our top picks. May 2025: Updated to ensure top picks and buying advice remain accurate. March 2025: Updated the top pick for the best sounding wireless earbuds - runner up. January 2025: Updated the top pick for best sounding wireless earbuds. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/best-wireless-earbuds-120058222.html?src=rss

Surfshark VPN is offering up to 87 percent off two-year plans

Surfsharks One plan is heavily discounted right now, with an 87-percent discount on the two-year package, plus three extra months. The promo price comes out to $2.29 per month, or $62 for the first 27 months. Weve generally liked Surfshark as a straightforward, speedy service for everyday use, and its one of the picks in our guide to the best VPNs . In our Surfshark review , we found it delivered excellent speeds overall and reliably unblocked Netflix across most of our test servers, which makes this long-term deal worth a look if you want a VPN deal that also includes extras like antivirus, breach alerts and private search. In our Surfshark review , the VPN stood out for its excellent performance and approachable design, especially for people who want strong protection without constantly tweaking settings. During testing, it delivered some of the fastest speeds weve seen from a major VPN, with average download speeds dropping by just over five percent worldwide. Upload speeds also held up well, making it a solid option for streaming, browsing and everyday use. We gave Surfshark an overall score of 87 out of 100 and called it one of the best VPNs for casual users. This deal focuses on the Surfshark One plan, which bundles the VPN with a suite of extra security tools. In addition to the VPN itself, you get Alternative ID for masking your email and personal details, antivirus protection, breach monitoring through Surfshark Alert and a private search engine. It also supports unlimited simultaneous device connections, so you can protect all of your devices with a single subscription. Right now, the Surfshark One plan is discounted by 86 percent, bringing the price down to $67 total for two years plus three extra months. That works out to $2.49 per month for the first 27 months, billed upfront, with a 30-day money-back guarantee if you change your mind. If you want to compare it against other top services before committing, you can also check out our full Surfshark VPN review and our best VPN guide to see how it stacks up. Well be keeping our best VPN deals roundup updated regularly, too. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/surfshark-vpn-is-offering-up-to-87-percent-off-two-year-plans-123000279.html?src=rss

How to get F1TV with your Apple TV subscription

Last year Apple secured the exclusive rights to broadcast Formula 1 racing in the United States from 2026 to 2030. Apple TV subscribers can now watch every practice and qualifying session as well as every sprint and Grand Prix of a race weekend on the F1TV app by linking their Apple account. Right now, those with an existing F1TV subscription will still see an active status in their my subscription page on desktop that shows the plan's renewal date. However, after logging in via Apple with an Apple TV subscription, a second active F1TV subscription appears with an Apple TV logo and the label Official U.S. broadcaster of Formula 1. Users are advised to cancel the duplicate subscription they had directly with F1TV, which can be done in the F1TV app. For those that don't have an existing F1TV account, simply create one and activate it using your Apple account. Users who don't pay for Apple TV can still view select races and practice sessions throughout the season. Apple has yet to release precise details on what content will be viewable from within the Apple TV app compared to the F1TV app, where users are accustomed to features like multi-view, onboard cameras, live team radios and live timing and telemetry. With the first race of the F1 season kicking off March 7 in Australia, we should have these answers soon. Fans can currently check out preseason testing taking place in Bahrain this week and next through the F1TV app. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/how-to-get-f1tv-with-your-apple-tv-subscription-171534300.html?src=rss

Apple Vision Pro finally gets a YouTube app today

Apples Vision Pro is a curious product it initially wowed me two years ago, but it was hard to ignore that the visionOS platform felt incomplete without dedicated apps for YouTube and Netflix. Well, it seems that Google has finally decided to take the Vision Pro seriously, as its launching a YouTube app on the platform today . Previously, you could only view YouTube videos via Safari, or through third-party apps like Tubular Pro . According to an Apple representative, the YouTube Vision Pro app features every video on on the service, including shorts, 360, 3D and VR 180 content. I havent tried it myself yet, but it certainly couldnt be worse than trying to navigate through YouTubes desktop app via finger gestures. Now that Google is spinning up its Android XR ecosystem , the company probably couldnt avoid the Vision Pro for long. And dont forget, we may also see a cheaper Vision Air next year . Your move, Netflix. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/apple-vision-pro-finally-gets-a-youtube-app-today-170000886.html?src=rss

Highguard studio lays off 'most' of its team just weeks after the game went live

Wildlight Entertainment, the studio behind Highguard , has laid off many staffers. Level designer Alex Graner wrote in a LinkedIn post that the layoffs impacted most of the team. The company says it's keeping a core group of developers to continue innovating on and supporting the game. That sounds like a skeleton crew. Today we made an incredibly difficult decision to part ways with a number of our team members while keeping a core group of developers to continue innovating on and supporting the game. We're proud of the team, talent, and the product we've created together. We're also grateful Wildlight Entertainment (@WildlightEnt) February 12, 2026 Highguard is an arena shooter with an impressive pedigree . The team included many Apex Legends and Titanfall developers. The title was first announced as a one more thing surprise during the 2025 Game Awards , which was met with a lukewarm response by those looking for something a bit more exciting to close out the show. The game was released at the end of January, but the response to the final game was also a bit tepid . However, Wildlight proved quick to make adjustments based on player feedback . That's not always the case. Despite the company's efforts, the concurrent player count on Steam quickly dropped from around 100,000 to under 3,000 (where it sits right now.) It looks like that dwindling player count has now translated to massive layoffs just weeks after the initial release. Wildlight says it's grateful for players who gave the game a shot, and those who continue to be a part of our community. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/highguard-studio-lays-off-most-of-its-team-just-weeks-after-the-game-went-live-165919815.html?src=rss

1,200 Ubisoft workers went on strike in response to company restructuring and mandatory return-to-work policy

At the end of last month, Ubisoft workers in the publishers native France threatened to strike in the wake of sweeping layoffs and cost-cutting measures. This week, they made good on those threats. According to GamesIndustry.biz , union members confirmed that at least 1,200 staff participated in the three-day strike, which was due to run from February 10 to February 12. While the strike action primarily took place in France, GamesIndustry.biz was told that Ubisofts Milan office also took part. The union Solidaires Informatique, which represents French workers from a number of companies in the video game sector, including Blizzard and Ubisoft, had previously called for strikes to take place on January 27. Their demands included a 10 percent increase on all salaries and the implementation of a 4-day work week. Some striking employees held up signs outside Ubisofts Paris headquarters, with one (pictured) wearing a Rabbids mask to hide their face. Their grievances are wide-ranging. As well as reportedly laying off hundreds of employees already in 2026, Ubisoft also introduced a mandate for its staff to return to work on site for five days a week. One employee who publicly voiced their disapproval of the new policy was reportedly fired for doing so. Ubisoft has had a rocky start to 2026 on the software side too. The long-awaited Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake was among six games canceled by the struggling publisher last month, when it also confirmed several studio closures as part of the companys organizational restructuring. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/1200-ubisoft-workers-went-on-strike-in-response-to-company-restructuring-and-mandatory-return-to-work-policy-163714986.html?src=rss

How to watch PlayStation's hour-long State of Play and what to expect

PlayStations first State of Play of the year is shaping up to be quite newsworthy. While Sony hasnt revealed too much about what it will show off (with one notable exception), the stream is slated to last for over an hour, so there should be at least some interesting stuff. The showcase will get underway at 5PM ET on February 12. You can click the play button on the YouTube video above to watch the State of Play in English when the time is right. The PlayStation YouTube channel is hosting alternative versions of the stream. One has English subtitles and the other is in Japanese . Otherwise, you can react to all the reveals live in Twitch chat. The showcase will include news, gameplay updates and announcements from game studios across the globe, Sony said. It will spotlight eye-catching third-party and indie games headed to PS5, along with the latest from teams at PlayStation Studios. Sonys slate of first-party games has been relatively slim over the last few years, but the company is preparing to release a trio of them over the next couple of months. Its likely that all three of those ( Saros , Marathon and MLB The Show 26 ) will make appearances during the State of Play. Bungie has confirmed that Marathon will definitely be in the mix, though it dispelled rumors that another playtest for the extraction shooter will take place this weekend. There are positive signs for news on the Silent Hill front as well. Konami has scheduled a Silent Hill Transmission presentation for 7PM on Thursday, which is soon after the State of Play wraps up. That stream will include new information about Silent Hill: Townfall, which was announced all the way back in 2022, but we could get a peek at that game during the State of Play too. Elsewhere, we may get an update on Marvel Tkon: Fighting Souls , a nifty looking tag-fighting game from Arc System Works that Sony is publishing. Thats slated to arrive this year on PS5 and PC (Steam and Epic Games Store). A recent update to the games Steam page which was quickly reverted revealed that the game will have 20 fighters at the outset, with more to come. The timing of the leak suggests that Marvel Tkon: Fighting Souls may well show up during the State of Play. However, Marvels Wolverine , which is set to arrive this fall , may not be featured during this particular State of Play. Developer Insomniac Games indicated on X that it would reveal more details about the game this spring. However, that doesnt entirely preclude Sony from featuring the game at Thursdays showcase. Perhaps well get even a release date, given that GTA VI (a game that most publishers will want to stay very far away from) now actually seems to be on track to arrive in November . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/how-to-watch-playstations-hour-long-state-of-play-and-what-to-expect-162128585.html?src=rss

Get two years of Proton VPN for 70 percent off right now

Proton VPN is offering a steep discount on its Proton VPN Plus subscription, with the two-year plan currently priced at $2.99 per month. Youll pay $72 upfront for 24 months of service, which amounts to 70 percent off the usual monthly rate and brings the long-term cost well below what many premium VPNs typically charge. Weve consistently been impressed by Proton VPNs focus on privacy, its nonprofit ownership structure and the way it balances security features with strong real-world speeds. Its a top pick in our best VPN guide , and this promotion also appears in our running list of the best VPN deals . If youre planning to commit to a VPN for the long haul, this pricing makes Proton VPN Plus one of the more compelling options available right now. In our Proton VPN review , the service impressed us with consistently fast performance and strong privacy protections. We measured average download speeds at 88 percent of our unprotected connection and upload speeds at 98 percent, which is more than enough for 4K streaming, gaming and torrenting. It also unblocked Netflix in every region we tested, and while its Mac and iOS apps arent quite as polished as the Windows and Android versions, the service is still easy to install and largely set-it-and-forget-it across platforms. We gave Proton VPN a score of 90 out of 100. Proton VPN Plus is the companys premium tier and includes access to its full server network, which now spans more than 15,000 servers across 120-plus countries. A single subscription covers up to 10 devices at once and unlocks features like NetShield ad and malware blocking, Secure Core double hop connections, split tunneling, custom DNS controls and priority customer support. Proton VPN Plus also supports fast P2P traffic on nearly all paid servers and includes VPN Accelerator, which helps maintain high speeds over long-distance connections. Right now, Proton VPN Plus is discounted to $2.99 per month when you commit to two years, billed as $72 upfront for the first 24 months. After that, the plan renews annually at $83.88. Thats a 70 percent discount compared to the standard monthly rate. As with Protons other paid plans, the subscription comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee , so you can try it risk-free if youre not ready to lock in long term. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/get-two-years-of-proton-vpn-for-70-percent-off-right-now-123000652.html?src=rss

Sony WF-1000XM6 review: Facing tougher competition

Sonys 1000X earbuds have been at the top of Engadgets best wireless earbuds list since we first published it. With each new generation, the company managed to retain its crown, primarily thanks to a massive collection of features and an effective mix of sound quality and active noise cancellation (ANC) performance. Today, Sony revealed the latest entry in the series, the WF-1000XM6 , delivering yet another redesign both inside and out. The companys tried and true formula of features and audio performance remains, but it may no longer be enough to elevate the M6 above the competition. Design For the third time in a row, Sony overhauled the 1000X earbuds design. While the WF-1000XM5 was a clear revision of the WF-1000XM4 , the M6 is a departure from both of them. The company managed to reduce overall size even further by using a rounder, pill-shaped enclosure for the earbuds main housing. I certainly applaud Sony for making these as tiny as possible, but Im still not a fan of the companys foam ear tips. Sony introduced foam ear tips on the 1000XM4 earbuds and that led to an unstable fit during my testing. In fact, I ended up switching to the silicone M3 tips for a better feel. Things were slightly better on the M5, but the company regressed here on the M6. I tried every size of ear tips in the box and the fit test in the Sound Connect app only ever confirmed an air-tight seal in my right ear. This can impact sound quality and ANC performance, and the earbuds dont feel like theyre sitting far enough inside my ears. I never got used to the fit in my three weeks of testing. The exterior panel of the WF-1000XM6 is still touch sensitive, accepting a variety of taps for playback controls, calls, noise settings and more. Sony also included a repeated tapping gesture thats used for volume control. Keep tapping on the right earbud to raise the volume and do so on the left to lower it. My disdain for touch controls is well-documented at this point, but the M6 reliably and quickly responded without me having to repeat a tap sequence. WF-1000XM6 features The WF-1000XM6 accepts taps for touch-based controls. As is typically the case with its 1000X earbuds, Sony has loaded the M6 with features. Nearly all of these are holdovers from previous models, including Adaptive Sound Control that can automatically adjust settings based on your activity or location. Speak-to-Chat still pauses audio and activates ambient sound when you start talking, but its also still easily duped by coughs or clearing your throat. A quick access feature can put Amazon Music, Apple Music, Endel, Spotify and YouTube Music two or three taps away, depending on how you configure it. The M6 earbuds also allow you to accept and reject calls with head gestures and youll have the option to pipe in your own voice during a call. Sony retained its existing option of operating the earbuds with voice commands: If you say Assistant, you can then ask it to play, pause, skip and replay songs. It will also adjust the volume for you, but thats the extent of its abilities. Sony included some handy power management features as well. First, theres an Auto Power Save mode that will disable any custom EQ settings, DSEE Extreme upscaling, Speak-to-Chat and voice control/voice assistant to reduce power consumption when the M6 hits 20 percent battery remaining. A Battery Care tool will extend the life of the earbuds battery by stopping charging before it reaches 100 percent. Lastly, Automatic Power Off will turn the earbuds off when theyre outside of the case and havent been worn for some time. Basic conveniences like multipoint Bluetooth, wireless charging and IPX4 water resistance are also here. Wear detection is onboard and you can use Sonys EQ presets to alter the sound profile, or make your own and save them for future use. The Sound Connect app puts the battery levels of the individual earbuds and the case front and center, and you can edit the main screen to hide the features displayed there if you dont need them. Sound quality and ANC performance Sound quality is one of Sony's strengths and that continues on the M6. Billy Steele for Engadget If Sonys long list of features is its top advantage over the competition, overall sound quality is number two. For the WF-1000XM6, the company built new drivers with soft edges for deeper bass and a more rigid, lightweight dome for clearer treble. There are also notches around the edges for clearer and smoother sound quality overall, according to Sony. And of course, DSEE Extreme upscaling helps to recover details lost to compression while 360 Reality Audio and Spatial Sound Optimization are available for more immersive listening. I found the M6 earbuds at their best with the stock EQ and DSEE Extreme active, much like I have on previous 1000X models. The sound is deep and warm, with thick bass thats adequate without ever overpowering the mix. Highs cut through and theres ample midrange, keeping those finer details from getting lost. Erika de Casiers atmospheric Lifetime is a great example of what the WF-1000XM6 can do . Vocals seem to float over the top of the bassline and drums, with percussive piano chopping though and subtle synth details popping up throughout. When strings arrive on Seasons, the M6 ushers them into a prominent position rather than relegating them behind the beat. On the WF-1000XM6, the chaos of Spiritboxs Holy Roller doesnt get condensed to a messy heavy metal roar either. And theres plenty of texture in the synth-driven noise of Nine Inch Nails As Alive As You Need Me To Be. Even more straightforward rock tracks like Jimmy Eat Worlds Bleed American have ample punch, with a wide soundstage that never feels claustrophobic or sounds compressed. Overall, the WF-1000XM6 holds its own against the best-sounding earbuds you can buy right now, though some of the competition, like Technics, have an edge in the way they handle the subtlest of nuances in songs. If you were hoping for knock-out ANC abilities, I must report that the WF-1000XM6 isnt the noise-canceling powerhouse that is Boses QC Ultra Earbuds. The M6 struggles mightily with human voices. While thats the downfall of many ANC earbuds, youll want to keep it in mind if you plan to wear these in the office. I found I could also still hear constant noise sources like fans and white noise machines when wearing the M6 items that the QC Ultra Earbuds combat effectively. Using the WF-1000XM6 for calls The WF-1000XM6 isn't as adept at calls as Sony advertises. Billy Steele for Engadget For calls, Sony says the M6 uses AI for both background noise reduction and voice capture with the beamforming microphones. Whats more, the earbuds are equipped with eight total mics for ANC and calls, plus bone conduction tech for improved voice pickup. Unfortunately, all of that doesnt lead to stellar performance during calls. While the WF-1000XM6 is perfectly usable for voice and video calls, the overall quality is far from pristine. To make matters worse, the earbuds make you sound overly processed when you encounter significant background noise. Since the company prided itself on the upgrades here, the results are disappointing. Battery life Sony says the WF-1000XM6 will last up to eight hours on a charge or 24 hours when you factor in the full longevity of the charging case. During a battery test that I mostly ran with ANC active, I had no trouble hitting that single-charge figure. Thats with the volume around 75-80 percent and includes calls and virtual meetings where I switched over to ambient sound mode. Its worth noting that I had DSEE Extreme upscaling active the entire time, which can impact battery life. Plus, if you use the aforementioned Auto Power Save mode, you can extend play time when you have about a quarter of a tank left. Going without some of the M6s best features in the interest of having tunes for a workout or commute is a fair trade in my book. The competition The WF-1000XM6 is still a compelling option, but it's not the clear favorite anymore. Billy Steele for Engadget When sizing up the competition for the WF-1000XM6, you have to choose your priorities. Simply put, no other company offers the comprehensive suite of features that Sony does. Thats been true for a while now and it continues with this model. If you want the strongest active noise cancellation, that will be Boses second-generation QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds . If the best sound quality is your goal, the Technics AZ100 is your best bet in this price range. Ill also mention Sennheisers Momentum True Wireless 4 which offers great sound quality, respectable ANC and a comfier fit than the M6, but that set is almost two years old at this point. Wrap-up Sony continues its run of great earbuds with the WF-1000XM6, but this model isnt the polished package that some of its predecessors were. The two most obvious places the company is lagging behind the competition is ANC performance and overall voice quality, not to mention my continued dissatisfaction with the fit that Sonys foam tips provide. The M6 is also more expensive than the previous version was at launch, which makes it even harder to overlook any flaws. What you will get on the WF-1000XM6 is a ton of features, great sound quality and reliable touch controls in a smaller package. And for some, that might be enough to make you forget about the rest. The WF-1000XM6 is available today in silver and black for $330. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/sony-wf-1000xm6-review-facing-tougher-competition-160000652.html?src=rss

Apple Presidents' Day sales: Get the Apple Watch Series 11 for $299, plus more deals

If you need a little help with your New Year's resolution to be more active, you can save on the latest Apple Watch right now. The Apple Watch Series 11 is on sale for $299 for Presidents' Day , which is $100 off and the lowest price we've seen. A number of other Apple devices are on sale for the holiday as well. We named the Apple Watch Series 11 as our choice for best smartwatch overall . It scored a 90 in our review thanks to its 24 hours-plus of battery life and a thin, light design that's easy to wear. It also offers new health metrics, including Apple's hypertension alerts system and Sleep Score. The Apple Watch Series 11 deal is available on the 42mm case with a small/medium band. It also only includes GPS and four colorways: the Jet Black and Space Gray aluminum cases with a Black sport band, the Rose Gold aluminum case with a Light Blush sport band and the Silver aluminum case with a Purple Fog sport band. Among the other Presidents' Day Apple deals are mostly accessories: there are solid deals on AirPods, AirTags (the first-gen trackers, not the new, second-gen ones), the iPhone Air battery pack and even Apple's new crossbody straps that attach to the company's iPhone cases so you can essentially wear your iPhone like a bag. As with most Apple first-party accessories, you can find plenty of more affordable, third-party versions of them as alternatives. But if you're keen on outfitting your phone with Apple's own gear, it's best to wait for discounts like these. We've collected the best Presidents' Day sales on Apple gear below so you don't have to go searching for them. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apple-presidents-day-sales-get-the-apple-watch-series-11-for-299-plus-more-deals-151616971.html?src=rss

Our favorite wireless headphones are down to a record-low price

Now's a great time to consider upgrading your wireless headphones since you can get our favorites at their best price yet. The Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones are down to $398, which is $62 off and the best discount we've seen since their debut. The sale applies to all three colorways. These easily topped our list of the best wireless headphones . They are, in a word, fantastic. The headphones are packed with premium features , like advanced ANC. There are a whopping 12 ANC microphones throughout and a brand-new chip to power the feature. The end result? It successfully blocks background noise at medium and high frequencies, including the human voice. The sound quality is extremely pleasing to the ears, thanks to new audio drivers and a team of mastering engineers that assisted with tuning. There are perforations in the driver's voice coil, which extends high frequency reproduction. The design has been upgraded from the previous iteration and we found them extremely comfortable to wear for long periods of time, which is important with headphones. The battery gets around 30 hours, which is a fairly standard metric for this type of thing. The only real major nitpick here is the original asking price. It's tough to recommend any pair of headphones for $460, but a bit easier at under $400. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/our-favorite-wireless-headphones-are-down-to-a-record-low-price-175038190.html?src=rss

Presidents' Day sales 2026: The best early tech deals to shop this week from Apple, Sony, Samsung and others

You can find a lot of good deals for Presidents Day, but to say its a tech-deal boon would be an overstatement. The best Presidents Day deals are usually on mattresses, appliances and furniture, but you can find some decent tech sales thrown in as well. This year, Presidents Day comes right after Valentines Day and Super Bowl 2026, which means there are even more chances to save as sales and discounts overlap. If youre looking for a new streaming device, a fresh iPad or an upgraded vacuum so you can enter the spring-cleaning season properly, we have you covered. These are the best President Day sales on tech we could find this year. Presidents Day deals under $50 Disney+ and Hulu bundle (one month) for $10 ($3 off) : You can get one month of Disney+ and Hulu access for only $10 right now. That represents a small savings over the standard $13-per-month price for the bundle, but a 58-percent discount when you compare it to the price of paying for both services separately. Its a good way to test out the bundle without paying too much before you decide if you want to subscribe for the long haul. Anker Nano 45W USB-C charger for $30 ($10 off) : Ankers latest 45W charger has a small smart display on it that can show you real-time charging stats. Its compact design is great for travel, as are its foldable prongs. Blink Mini 2K+ 2 cameras for $45 (50 percent off) : Blinks latest plug-in security cameras support 2K video and improved audio quality. Like previous versions, these cameras have two-way talk, motion alerts and support for Alexa voice commands. Anker Nano 5K ultra-slim magnetic power bank for $46 (16 percent off) : This Qi2 power bank measures less than a half inch thick and snaps onto the backs of the latest iPhones for wireless charging. Its 5K capacity will be enough to top up your phone when its close to empty, preventing you from searching for a charger or outlet. Presidents Day deals on Apple devices Apple iPhone Air MagSafe battery pack for $79 (20 percent off) : This magnetic power bank will add up to 65 percent additional battery charge to the iPhone Air, but note that it only works with Apples new, ultra-slim smartphone. Weve tested plenty of others that also work with other iPhone and smartphone models. Apple Magic Mouse for $68 (14 percent off) : Apples sleek wireless mouse has a multi-touch surface that supports gesture control, and its battery should last about a month in between charges. And yes, it has a USB-C port. Apple Watch Series 11 for $299 ($100 off) : The latest flagship Apple Watch has excellent performance, a boosted battery life and a lightweight design that you can comfortably wear all day long and even into the night to track sleep. iPad mini (A17 Pro ) for $399 ($100 off) : The updated iPad mini runs on the A17 Pro chip for improved performance, plus it has an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display, a 12MP ultra wide camera with Center Stage, USB-C charging and compatibility with the Apple Pencil Pro. Beats Studio Pro for $170 (51 percent off) : Beats updated these cans to have improved sound quality, and you can really hear the difference from models that came before it. These headphones also have solid Transparency mode, good voice performance and USB-C audio. Beats Solo 4 headphones for $130 (35 percent off) : These on-ear headphones support spatial audio and dynamic head tracking, and they have up to 50 hours of battery life. The fast fuel feature allows them to get up to five hours of playback time with just a quick 10-minute power-up. Beats Studio Buds+ for $100 (41 percent off) : These tiny buds have both active noise cancellation and transparency mode, and theyll work just as well with either Apple or Android devices. More Presidents Day deals on tech Waterpik cordless rechargeable water flosser for $40 (20 percent off) Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max for $40 ($20 off) Ring Battery Doorbell for $60 (40 percent off) Logitech MX Master 3S for $80 (20 percent off) Levoit Core 300-P air purifier for $85 (15 percent off) Shark Steam & Scrub steam mop for $125 (22 percent off) Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 earbuds for $179 (22 percent off) Sonos Beam Gen 2 soundbar for $369 ($130 off) Hisense 75-inch QD7 Mini-LED 4K smart TV for $548 (16 percent off) DJI Mini 3 Fly More Combo drone bundle for $575 (20 percent off) Breville Barista Touch espresso machine for $800 ($200 off) Motorola Razer Ultra (2025) for $800 (38 percent off) Google Pixel 10 Pro for $849 (23 percent off) This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/presidents-day-sales-2026-the-best-early-tech-deals-to-shop-this-week-from-apple-sony-samsung-and-others-163000257.html?src=rss

The Disney+ Hulu bundle is down to only $10 for one month

You have the best chance to save on streaming services during the holiday shopping season, but throughout the year, the occasional deal pops up that's worth considering. Case in point: this new Disney+ deal. New and eligible returning subscribers can sign up for the Disney+ Hulu bundle (with ads) for $10 for one month of access. That's $3 off the usual price of the bundle for one month, and more than 58 percent off if you consider the cost of each service individually (Disney+ at $12 per month and, separately, Hulu also at $12 per month). We'd be remiss if we didn't mention that this isn't quite as good as the Black Friday deal we saw last year, which offered the same bundle for $5 per month for one year. However, if you missed that offer or just want to try out Disney+ and Hulu for a brief period of time, this is a good way to do so. Disney+ and Hulu make one of the most balanced streaming pairs available, blending family-friendly favorites with acclaimed originals and network TV staples. Disney+ brings a vast library of animated classics, blockbuster franchises and exclusive content from Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars and National Geographic. Its the place to stream nearly every Star Wars film and series, plus the full Marvel Cinematic Universe lineup and Disneys most recent theatrical releases. Hulu balances things out with a more adult-oriented lineup of current TV shows, next-day network episodes and a growing roster of award-winning originals. The platform hosts series like The Bear, The Handmaids Tale and Only Murders in the Building , alongside comedies, thrillers and documentaries that regularly feature in awards conversations. Its also the home for next-day streaming of ABC and FX shows, making it especially useful if youve already cut the cable cord but still want to keep up with primetime TV. The Duo Basic bundle ties these two services together under a single subscription, offering a simple way to expand your library without juggling multiple accounts. This tier includes ads on both platforms, but the trade-off is significant savings compared with paying for each service separately. For many households, thats an acceptable compromise when it means access to such a wide range of content. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-disney-hulu-bundle-is-down-to-only-10-for-one-month-192814350.html?src=rss

NVIDIA's GeForce Now app lands on Amazon Fire TV sticks

NVIDIA's cloud gaming service, GeForce Now , has expanded to another platform. Starting today, folks with select Amazon Fire TV sticks can install a native GeForce Now app . While it was already possible to access GeForce Now through the Fire TV platform, you won't necessarily need to sideload an Android app to do so anymore. At the outset, the new app is compatible with the second-gen Fire TV Stick 4K Plus and second-gen Fire TV Stick 4K Max (running Fire OS 8.1.6.0 and later). It also works with the original Fire TV Stick 4K Max if you're running Fire OS 7.7.1.1 or later. On the Fire TV platform, GeForce Now streaming quality tops out at a resolution of 1080p and a frame rate of 60 fps, with SDR visuals, H.264 video encoding and stereo audio. So you won't necessarily get the best GeForce Now experience here as the service has support for up to 5K resolution and up to 360 fps , along with HDR10 and 7.1 audio at the highest tier. But it's not a bad option if you already have the right hardware. You'll need a controller too, of course. NVIDIA announced the GeForce Now app for Fire TV during CES last month. It joins other cloud gaming services on the Fire TV platform, including Xbox Cloud Gaming ( PC Game Pass titles are available on GeForce Now as well) and Amazon's own Luna . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nvidias-geforce-now-app-lands-on-amazon-fire-tv-sticks-140000516.html?src=rss

Amazon's Send to Alexa+ feature arrives on Kindle Scribe and Scribe Colorsoft

Amazon is launching a feature that will add a new artificial intelligence layer to its writing tablets. Send to Alexa+ is rolling out to the current generation of Kindle Scribe and Kindle Scribe Colorsoft devices. This concept was announced when Amazon first debuted the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft last fall, but the company said that the feature wouldn't be available until this year. As the name implies, Send to Alexa+ lets users share their notebooks and documents from their supported Kindle with the Alexa+ AI assistant , making their information accessible on other Amazon platforms, including Alexa.com and the Alexa app. Prime members and Alexa+ subscribers will also be able to reach their Kindle documents on Echo and Fire TV devices. Alexa+ will be able to perform additional tasks such as summarizing notes, creating to-do lists and adding either calendar items or reminders. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/amazons-send-to-alexa-feature-arrives-on-kindle-scribe-and-scribe-colorsoft-140000093.html?src=rss

Get Elevation Lab's 10-year extended battery case for AirTag for only $16 for Presidents' Day

AirTags are basically an essential accessory for iPhone users who want to keep track of things like their keys, wallet and backpack. While it's easy enough to replace the battery in both versions of the AirTag, you may not want to have to rush to do so at the end of the battery's roughly two-year lifespan. That's where Elevation Lab's extended battery case for the AirTag comes in, and it's heavily discounted right now: it's 30 percent off and down to $16. The case usually sells for $23, so that's a 30 percent discount. It's not the first time we've seen this deal , but it's a pretty decent one all the same. This is arguably one of the more useful AirTag accessories around for certain use cases. It won't exactly be helpful for an AirTag that you put in a wallet or attach to your keys, as it's too bulky for such a purpose and it doesn't have a hole for a keyring anyway. Still, if you're looking for an AirTag case that you can place in a suitcase or backpack and not have to touch for years, this could be the ticket. Elevation Lab says that, when you place a couple of AA batteries in the case, it can extend the tracker's battery life to as much as 10 years (the brand recommends using Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries for best results). The AirTag is slated to run for over a year on its standard CR2032 button cell. The case gives the AirTag more protection as well. It's sealed with four screws and it has a IP69 waterproof rating. What's more, it doesn't ostensibly look like an AirTag case, so someone who steals an item with one inside is perhaps less likely to realize that the object they pilfered is being tracked. There are some other downsides, though. Since the AirTag is locked inside a case, the sound it emits will be muffled. Elevation Lab says the device's volume will be about two-thirds the level of a case-free AirTag. However, the second-gen AirTag is louder than its predecessor, which should mitigate that issue somewhat. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/get-elevation-labs-10-year-extended-battery-case-for-airtag-for-only-16-for-presidents-day-151215232.html?src=rss

WhatsApp is now fully blocked in Russia

After warnings from lawmakers last year, WhatsApp has been blocked in Russia for as many as 100 million users, the Financial Times reported. Russian authorities removed the app from an online directory, effectively wiping it from Russia's internet. The government has previously said that it wants users to switch to an app called Max, an unencrypted WeChat clone. Today the Russian government has attempted to fully block WhatsApp in an effort to drive users to a state-owned surveillance app, Meta told the FT in a statement. Trying to isolate over 100 million people from private and secure communication is a backwards step and can only lead to less safety for people in Russia. The Russian government deleted WhatsApp rival Telegram yesterday, while also erasing Meta apps Facebook and Instagram. YouTube access was also reportedly degraded, though it's not clear if the app has been completely removed. In July 2025, a Russian lawmaker who regulates the IT industry said it's very likely that WhatsApp would be placed on a list of restricted software. Parent Meta has been designated as an extremist organization in Russia, and last year Vladimir Putin issued a directive for the nation to further restrict communication apps originating from unfriendly countries that have sanctioned Russia. The state has said that an in-house app would protect citizens from fraud and terrorism, given the large number of scammers on WhatsApp in the nation. However, restrictions on Telegram haven't gone over well domestically, even among Putin's allies, as residents along Ukraine's borders have relied on it for drone and missile alerts. I am concerned that slowing Telegram could affect the flow ofinformation, if the situation deteriorates, said the governor of one of those regions. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/whatsapp-is-now-fully-blocked-in-russia-110953485.html?src=rss

Apple acquires Severance and will produce future seasons in-house

Apples in-house studio will be producing the future seasons of Severance , according to Deadline . The company has reportedly acquired the shows IP and all rights from its original studio, Fifth Season, back in December in a deal that was worth approximately $70 million. Fifth Season will remain as an executive producer, but Apple Studios will now be in charge of the show. Severance will be one of Apples marquee titles, alongside other shows like Owen Wilsons Stick and Kristen Wiigs Palm Royale . Apple also previously acquired sci-fi dystopian series Silo after its first season. Deadline reports that the shows production costs were going beyond what Fifth Season could afford. The studio had already asked Apple for advances in the past and was considering moving the production from New York to Canada for bigger tax rebates. Apple has also apparently been helping Fifth Season not just with its budget, but also with securing advertisers. Seeing as the second season of Severance became the streamers most watched series , and Apple definitely has the money to keep the show going, the company decided to take over the series completely. It will allow Severances production to stay in New York without having to worry about budget constraints. Deadline says the series is expected to have four seasons, with the spinoffs showrunner Dan Erickson and director Ben Stiller are open to now being in the realm of possibility. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/apple-acquires-severance-and-will-produce-future-seasons-in-house-092405747.html?src=rss

The best budgeting apps for 2026

As a former Mint user, I had to find a new budgeting app not too long ago. Intuit, parent company of Mint, shut down the service in March 2024, and prompted users to transition to its other financial app, Credit Karma. However, after testing Credit Karma myself, I found it to be a poor Mint replacement that meant I needed to branch out and look elsewhere for a trusted app to track all of my financial accounts, monitor my credit score, follow a monthly spending plan and set goals like building a rainy-day fund and paying down my mortgage faster. I tried out Mint's top competitors in the hopes that I'd be able to find a new budgeting app that could handle all of my financial needs. Hopefully my journey can help you find the best budgeting app for you and your money as well. Best budget apps of 2026 Other budgeting apps we tested PocketGuard PocketGuard used to be a solid free budget tracker, but the company has since limited its free version to just a free seven-day trial. Now, youll have to choose between two plans once the trial is over: a $13 monthly plan or a $75 annual plan. When I first tested it, I found it to be more restricted than NerdWallet, but still a decent option. The main overview screen shows you your net worth, total assets and debts; net income and total spending for the month; upcoming bills; a handy reminder of when your next paycheck lands; any debt payoff plan you have; and any goals. Like some other apps, including Quicken Simplifi, PocketGuard promotes an after bills approach, where you enter all of your recurring bills, and then PocketGuard shows you whats left, and thats what youre supposed to be budgeting: your disposable income. Although PocketGuards UI is easy enough to understand, it lacks polish. The accounts tab is a little busy, and doesnt show totals for categories like cash or investments. Seemingly small details like weirdly phrased or punctuated copy occasionally make the app feel janky. More than once, it prompted me to update the app when no updates were available. The web version, meanwhile, feels like the mobile app blown up to a larger format and doesnt take advantage of the extra screen real estate. Ultimately, now that the free tier is gone, it just doesnt present the same value proposition as it once did. How we test budgeting apps Before I dove in and started testing out budgeting apps, I had to do some research. To find a list of apps to try out, I consulted trusty ol Google (and even trustier Reddit); read reviews of popular apps on the App Store; and also asked friends and colleagues what budget tracking apps (or other budgeting methods) they might be using for money management. Some of the apps I found were free and these, of course, show loads of ads (excuse me, offers) to stay in business. But most of the available apps require paid subscriptions, with prices typically topping out around $100 a year, or $15 a month. (Spoiler: My top pick is cheaper than that.) All of the services I chose to test needed to do several things: import all of your account data into one place; offer budgeting tools; and track your spending, net worth and credit score. Except where noted, all of these apps are available for iOS, Android and on the web. Once I had my shortlist of six apps, I got to work setting them up. For the sake of thoroughly testing these apps, I made a point of adding every account to every budgeting app, no matter how small or immaterial the balance. What ensued was a veritable Groundhog Day of two-factor authentication. Just hours of entering passwords and one-time passcodes, for the same banks half a dozen times over. Hopefully, you only have to do this once. Budgeting app FAQs What is Plaid and how does it work? Each of the apps I tested uses the same underlying network, called Plaid, to pull in financial data, so its worth explaining what it is and how it works. Plaid was founded as a fintech startup in 2013 and is today the industry standard in connecting banks with third-party apps. Plaid works with over 12,000 financial institutions across the US, Canada and Europe. Additionally, more than 8,000 third-party apps and services rely on Plaid, the company claims . To be clear, you dont need a dedicated Plaid app to use it; the technology is baked into a wide array of apps, including all of the budgeting apps listed in this guide. Once you find the add an account option in whichever one youre using, youll see a menu of commonly used banks. Theres also a search field you can use to look yours up directly. Once you find yours, youll be prompted to enter your login credentials. If you have two-factor authentication set up, youll need to enter a one-time passcode as well. As the middleman, Plaid is a passthrough for information that may include your account balances, transaction history, account type and routing or account number. Plaid uses encryption, and says it has a policy of not selling or renting customer data to other companies. However, I would not be doing my job if I didnt note that in 2022 Plaid was forced to pay $58 million to consumers in a class action suit for collecting more financial data than was needed. As part of the settlement, Plaid was compelled to change some of its business practices. In a statement provided to Engadget, a Plaid spokesperson said the company continues to deny the allegations underpinning the lawsuit and that the crux of the non-financial terms in the settlement are focused on us accelerating workstreams already underway related to giving people more transparency into Plaids role in connecting their accounts, and ensuring that our workstreams around data minimization remain on track. Why did Mint shut down? When parent company Intuit announced in December 2023 that it would shut down Mint, it did not provide a reason why it made the decision to do so. It did say that Mint's millions of users would be funneled over to its other finance app, Credit Karma. Credit Karma is thrilled to invite all Minters to continue their financial journey on Credit Karma, where they will have access to Credit Karmas suite of features, products, tools and services, including some of Mints most popular features, Mint wrote on its product blog . In our testing, we found that Credit Karma isn't an exact replacement for Mint so if you're still looking for a Mint alternative , you have some decent options. What about Rocket Money? Rocket Money is another free financial app that tracks spending and supports things like balance alerts and account linking. If you pay for the premium tier, the service can also help you cancel unwanted subscriptions. We did not test it for this guide, but we'll consider it in future updates. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/best-budgeting-apps-120036303.html?src=rss

Diablo II: Resurrected is adding warlock as a brand new player class

Blizzard announced today that it is introducing the Warlock as a playable character to Diablo II: Resurrected . It brings the first new class in 25 years to this remaster of the original RPG. Its part of the Reign of the Warlock DLC, which is available today and will run you $25. It also includes some other updates to the base game, including new items and a new pinnacle boss encounter against the Colossal Ancients. For those players who dont already own the base game, you can also pick up the Infernal Edition of D2R for $40, which includes the new content. When D2R launched in 2021, it was an impressively faithful recreation of the game that so many Blizzard fans continued to adore over the years. Bringing in a whole new player class is a big win for those players who have stuck with the game in its contemporary era. If D2R isn't your jam, though, Warlock is also being added to both Diablo 4 in its upcoming Lord of Hatred expansion this April and to Diablo Immortal . So aside from Diablo 3 not getting much love, just about all fans of the franchise will have a chance to get into the demon-summoning groove. Blizzard's 30th anniversary showcase video has all the details about what the other Diablo titles have in store during this year. Blizzard has been keeping the news and updates rolling over the past few weeks in honor of the company's 35th anniversary . One of the more notable updates came for team hero shooter Overwatch , which lost the 2 in its name, but gained five more heroes in its big update yesterday. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/diablo-ii-resurrected-is-adding-warlock-as-a-brand-new-player-class-000130003.html?src=rss

The great RAMaggedon of 2026 might have just claimed the Steam Deck

Less than a week after Valve admitted that the current shortage (and growing prices ) of RAM were affecting its hardware plans, the Steam Deck is completely sold out. The Steam Deck has gone in and out of stock in the past, but as Kotaku notes , the timing does raise the question whether Valve's RAM issues could also be impacting its Linux handheld. The 256GB Steam Deck LCD, and both the 512GB and 1TB models of the Steam Deck OLED, are completely sold out on Steam. Valve announced that it was discontinuing the LCD versions of its handheld and selling through its remaining inventory in December 2025, so the fact that the 256GB Steam Deck model is currently sold out isn't surprising. That both OLED versions are also unavailable at the same time, though, is a bit more unusual. Engadget has contacted Valve for more information about the availability of the Steam Deck. We'll update this article if we hear back. When Valve announced the Steam Machine, Steam Controller and Steam Frame , the company notably left pricing and availability off the table, presumably because tariffs and access to RAM were leaving those details in flux. The company's announcement last week that the memory and storage shortage had pushed back its plans and would likely impact prices more or less confirmed that. At no point did Valve mention that the Steam Deck would be similarly affected, but maybe it should have. The rising cost of RAM has already forced other PC makers to adjust the pricing of their computers. Framework announced in January that it was raising the price of its Framework Desktop by as much as $460. Some analysts assume that the memory shortage driven by the AI industry could lead to higher prices and even an economic downturn in the wider PC industry. Ideally, the Steam Deck being out of stock is a temporary issue rather than a sign that Valve is doing something drastic. If things continue as they are, however, changes to the Steam Deck likely won't be off the table. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/the-great-ramaggedon-of-2026-might-have-just-claimed-the-steam-deck-211958306.html?src=rss

Get up to 81 percent off ExpressVPN two-year plans

ExpressVPN is back on sale again, and its two-year plans are up to 81 percent off right now. You can get the Advanced tier for $88 for 28 months. This is marked down from the $392 that this time frame normally costs. On a per-month basis, it works out to roughly $3.14 for the promo period. Weve consistently liked ExpressVPN because its fast, easy to use and widely available across a large global server network. In fact, it's our current pick for best premium VPN . One of the biggest drawbacks has always been its high cost, and this deal temporarily solves that issue. In our review we were able to get fast download and upload speeds, losing only 7 percent in the former and 2 percent in the latter worldwide. We found that it could unblock Netflix anywhere, and its mobile and desktop apps were simple to operate. We gave ExpressVPN an overall score of 85 out of 100. The virtual private network service now has three tiers. Basic is cheaper with fewer features, while Pro costs more and adds extra perks like support for 14 simultaneous devices and a password manager. Advanced sits in the middle and includes the password manager but only supports 12 devices. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/get-up-to-81-percent-off-expressvpn-two-year-plans-180602916.html?src=rss

How to cancel Mullvad VPN

This is going to be one of the shortest articles in my series on how to cancel your subscriptions to the best VPNs . Unlike most providers, Mullvad VPN does not automatically renew an expired subscription unless you tell it to. Thanks to its unique pricing approach, cancelling Mullvad is the default option. When you sign up for Mullvad, you pay for as many months upfront as you want at the constant rate of 5 Euro per month (varying with exchange rates). Each month, Mullvad takes 5 Euro out of your account until there's nothing left. If you're no longer satisfied with Mullvad, all you have to do is stop putting money in. The Mullvad account dashboard. Sam Chapman for Engadget If you happen to have originally signed up for Mullvad earlier than the middle of 2022, you may have an auto-renewal account grandfathered in. Mid-2022 is when Mullvad stopped auto-renewing subscriptions and got rid of PayPal integration altogether, but people who had signed up before then had the option to leave auto-renewal on. If you're in this group, cancelling is simple. Just sign into your account page, click on the word Subscriptions, then click Unsubscribe. How to cancel Mullvad if you subscribed through an app store There's one more exception to the usual method of cancelling Mullvad. If you got your subscription through an app store instead of Mullvad's website or app, the app store is the one processing your money. You'll need to cancel through them instead. On an iPhone or iPad, open the Settings app, whose icon shows gray gears. Tap your name at the top of the screen to reach your Apple ID page, then tab Subscriptions. Scroll down until you find your Mullvad subscription, tap it, then hit Cancel Subscription. On an Android phone, open the Google Play Store , whose icon is a triangle in the Google colors. At the top-right, tap the circle with the first letter of your username in it. Hit Payments & Subscriptions , scroll down to find Mullvad, then tap it and hit Cancel Subscription. How to delete your Mullvad account You can go the extra mile and delete your account if you're sure you'll never want to use Mullvad again. Send an email to support@mullvadvpn.net, provide your account number and request that the account be terminated. You'll get a reply confirming deletion. How to get a refund from Mullvad Mullvad offers refunds on any purchase within 14 days. To start a refund request, send an email to support@mullvadvpn.net, including your Mullvad account number and your payment token. If you aren't sure what your payment token is, find the charge for Mullvad on your bank statement and look for something in the format VPN*(10-digit number). Payments made in cash can't be refunded, apparently because that's considered a form of money laundering in Sweden. If you got Mullvad through a voucher, request your refund through the store the voucher came from. Best Mullvad alternatives Mullvad is one of the best VPNs, especially in terms of privacy. However, I've found it to be a bit slow at times, with a somewhat limited server network. Luckily, Proton VPN is almost as private as Mullvad the only thing it's missing is the ability to sign up without an email. It's also got a larger server network and better overall download speeds. Windscribe is another privacy-optimized VPN with a better record than Mullvad in my unblocking tests. Surfshark is the fastest VPN of them all, while ExpressVPN is ideal for beginners. If you liked Mullvad's cheap pricing, CyberGhost is a highly affordable alternative. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/vpn/how-to-cancel-mullvad-vpn-200000516.html?src=rss

Anthropic beefs up Claude's free tier as OpenAI prepares to stuff ads into ChatGPT's

Anthropic is upgrading Claude's free tier, apparently to capitalize on OpenAI's planned integration of ads into ChatGPT . On Wednesday, Anthropic said free Claude users can now create files, connect to external services, use skills and more. Anthropic added the ability for paid users to create files in September. Starting today, free users of the chatbot can also create and edit Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, Word docs and PDFs. Claude's file creation abilities are powered by Sonnet 4.5. Free users can now create and edit Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, Word docs, and PDFs. Anthropic Meanwhile, Connectors allow free users to link Claude to third-party services. There's a long list of available ones, including Canva, Slack, Notion, Zapier and PayPal. Skills, on the other hand, let you teach Claude to complete specific tasks in repeatable ways. In short, the chatbot loads folders of instructions, scripts and other resources when performing relevant tasks. Other upgrades to the free tier include longer conversations, interactive responses and improved voice and image search. Claude's free-tier upgrades appear to be a direct response to ChatGPT's planned introduction of ads for its free users. Anthropic's announcement today ended with the tag line, No ads in sight. This follows the company's promise last week that Claude will remain ad-free . Anthropic even poked fun at OpenAI's cash-seeking move in a Super Bowl ad (below), which also took a swipe at GPT-4o's penchant for kissing ass . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/anthropic-beefs-up-claudes-free-tier-as-openai-prepares-to-stuff-ads-into-chatgpts-194100939.html?src=rss

Apple just released iOS 26.3 alongside updates for the Mac, iPad and Apple Watch

Apple has released the software update 26.3 for its various platforms. This includes the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch. In other words, don't be surprised when your iPhone notifies you of a pending update. Unfortunately, there isn't all that much to talk about here. Consider this a minor update that focuses primarily on bug fixes, which is important but not exactly fun. It is worth noting that the new iOS and iPadOS has an especially long list of fixes. There are 37 security issues addressed by the update, according to a report by 9to5Mac . iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3 do include a new tool for transitioning from an Apple device to an Android device, which is handy. It transfers photos, notes, messages, apps and other data to an Android phone but doesn't do anything with health data, protected notes or photos. There's also a new option to forward notifications from an iPhone or iPad to another device, but only for users in the EU . The update to macOS Tahoe 26.3 is just bug fixes and security enhancements . The same goes for watchOS 26.3 . Why the small fries update? Rumors have been swirling that Apple is saving the big guns for the next release. Insiders have suggested that software update 26.4 will include the long-awaited Siri refresh and new emoji functionality. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/apple-just-released-ios-263-alongside-updates-for-the-mac-ipad-and-apple-watch-193532483.html?src=rss

The Helldivers movie will star Jason Momoa and hits theaters on November 10, 2027

Jason Momoa will be playing the lead in the forthcoming film adaptation of the Helldivers gaming franchise, according to a report by Variety . The games don't have a story-driven protagonist, so Momoa is likely to play a currently unnamed soldier. We also have a release date for the Helldivers film. It comes out on November 10, 2027. That's a while from now, but at least it gives fans something to look forward to. The movie is being directed by Justin Lin , who is best known for helming several entries in the Fast & Furious franchise. However, he also directed Star Trek Beyond , proving he can do sci-fi. Gary Dauberman is penning the script. He wrote both It and It Chapter Two , in addition to the horror film Annabelle and its follow-ups. Dauberman is mostly a horror guy, so we'll have to see how he handles high-octane science fiction. For the uninitiated, Helldivers is a co-op shooter franchise that's heavily inspired by the movie Starship Troopers . The games are set in a hyper-patriotic dystopia called Super Earth. Helldivers 2 dropped back in 2024, though was recently released for Xbox . Sony hasn't announced any other actors who will be joining Momoa. We'll keep you updated when more casting news drops. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-helldivers-movie-will-star-jason-momoa-and-hits-theaters-on-november-10-2027-183445038.html?src=rss

Meta turned Threads algorithm complaints into an official feature

Threads users have been complaining about its recommendation algorithm pretty much since the beginning of the platform. At some point, this turned into a meme, with users writing posts jokingly addressed to the algorithm in which they requested to see more posts about the topics they're actually interested in. Now, Meta is turning those Dear algorithm posts into an official feature that it says will allow Threads users to tune their recommendations in real time. With the change, users can write a post that begins with dear algo to adjust their preferences. For example, you could write dear algo, show me more posts about cute cats. You can also ask to see fewer posts about topics you don't want to see, like dear algo, stop showing me posts about sick pets. You can track your requests to the algorithm in the app's settings in order to revisit them or remove them. You can also retweet other users' dear algo posts to have those topics reflected in your feed. Importantly, dear algo requests are temporary and only last for three days at a time, which Meta says is meant to keep the algorithm feel fresher and more flexible. The rollout of the feature follows a limited test late last year. Now, dear algo posts will work for Threads users in the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand with more countries coming soon. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-turned-threads-algorithm-complaints-into-an-official-feature-180000236.html?src=rss

NordVPN deal: Get two years of the Complete plan for 70 percent off

NordVPN is offering a significant discount on its two-year plans, with 70 percent off its Complete tier and up to 78 percent off overall. For the Complete tier, the deal brings the total cost down to $130 for 24 months. NordVPN regularly appears on Engadgets list of the best VPN services thanks to its wide server network, strong security tools and consistent performance across devices. NordVPNs latest promotion puts one of its most comprehensive plans at a price that undercuts many competing premium VPN subscriptions. The Complete tier includes full access to NordVPNs core VPN service, which encrypts internet traffic and masks a users IP address to help protect online activity on public Wi-Fi networks and at home. Subscribers can use the service on multiple devices, including phones, tablets, laptops and smart TVs, with apps available for major operating systems. It also includes access to NordPass (more on that below), an ad blocker and 1TB of cloud storage. Youll find similar discounts on all of NordVPNs other plans: Basic, Plus and Prime. Beyond the basics, NordVPN offers features like threat protection to help block malicious websites and trackers, as well as specialty servers designed for added privacy or faster performance in specific scenarios. In our NordVPN review , the service was praised for its evolving feature set and overall reliability, even as the VPN market becomes increasingly competitive. Engadget regularly tracks VPN pricing trends and this offer compares favorably with other current promotions. It also appears alongside NordVPN deals featured in Engadgets ongoing roundup of the best VPN discounts available right now, which compares offers from multiple major providers. Those looking for additional security tools may also want to note that NordVPNs Complete plan bundles in extra services beyond the VPN itself. One of those is NordPass, the companys password management app. NordPass is also discounted as part of a separate promotion, if youre primarily looking for a password manager rather than a VPN. The Premium tier is currently 50 percent off, bringing the price down to $36 for two years. NordPass Premium adds features such as cross-device password syncing, secure password sharing and breach monitoring, which alerts users if stored credentials appear in known data leaks. Both offers are available for a limited time, though Nord has not specified an end date for the promotion. If youre still unsure whether NordVPN is right for you, it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee , so you can change your mind and get a full refund. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/nordvpn-deal-get-two-years-of-the-complete-plan-for-70-percent-off-123000517.html?src=rss

TikTok US launches a local feed that leverages a user's exact location

TikTok US just launched a local feed for users to get the inside scoop on must-try restaurants, shops, museums and events. This is done by leveraging the exact location of people that are using the app and comes after a change in the platform's terms of service that says the app can do just that . The platform's terms of service used to note that it could collect approximate locations, but the sale to US investors looks to have changed that to precise locations. This is an opt-in feature, despite the app potentially collecting this data whether the feed is activated or not. The feed is set to off by default, but can be changed via a trip to settings. The local feed doesn't show your neighbors or people you might vibe with to help solve that pesky loneliness epidemic. Instead, it prioritizes local businesses and will highlight nearby events, shopping suggestions and restaurants to try. TikTok This looks to be part of a broader push to attract small businesses to the app, both as content producers and as advertisers. As TechCrunch notes , this could also help insulate the company from future regulation and increased scrutiny, as it could point to the many small businesses that rely on its services. TikTok states that over 7.5 million businesses use the platform in the US to reach customers. However, this data is sourced from an Oxford Economics report from before a group of investors finalized a deal for the US version of the app . Supporting local businesses is a noble goal, but users will have to consider whether or not the value of a dedicated feed is worth the privacy risk. Oracle is a prominent investor in the new American TikTok, and company founder Larry Ellison once said citizens will be on their best behavior when they are being constantly surveilled . This local feed isn't exactly a new idea. TikTok has been trying something similar in Europe since the tail-end of last year. It has shown up in the UK, France, Italy and Germany. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/tiktok-us-launches-a-local-feed-that-leverages-a-users-exact-location-170651916.html?src=rss

Netflix is reportedly filming the Stranger Things Broadway show this week

Though the original series is very much done , Netflix is going to squeeze as much juice out of Stranger Things as it can. The company is said to be filming the Broadway production of Stranger Things: The First Shadow so it can offer up a recording on its streaming service. Several public performances were canceled this week to accommodate filming, according to The Hollywood Reporter . They'll recommence on February 15. Filming is taking place before the original Broadway cast leaves the production next month. Stranger Things: The First Shadow opened in New York City last year after debuting in London in 2023 . Its been a critical and commercial success, and it has won multiple Tony Awards. The play is a canonical prequel to Stranger Things and it fills in more of the backstory of Henry Creel, who becomes Vecna. The show's final season digs into his past too. Netflix hasn't indicated when it will start streaming a recording of the play. This was inevitably going to happen at some point, though. Netflix has been busy expanding the Stranger Things universe with spin-off shows, such as the animated series Stranger Things: Tales From 85 (which will start streaming on April 23 ). A documentary that shows how Stranger Things: The First Shadow came together hit the streaming service last year. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/netflix-is-reportedly-filming-the-stranger-things-broadway-show-this-week-165243046.html?src=rss

The best VPN service for 2026

As frustrating as it is that governments and businesses are running roughshod over our online freedoms, at least we have plenty of good VPNs to keep us protected online. There are so many fast, intelligently designed, full-featured and affordable services on the market that the biggest problem is picking one. For any use case, you can bet at least two providers will be neck-and-neck for first place. On the other hand, the VPN world is still the Wild West in some ways. It's easy enough to slap a cheap VPN together that the market is flooded with low-quality apps that put more money into advertising than infrastructure. They may look good, but it's all styrofoam under the hood. I built this list of the best VPNs after intensive testing to help you reorient your focus on the providers that actually deserve your time and money. Which one truly fits your needs is dependent on who you are and what you do online, but if you pick any of my seven recommendations, you can't go too far wrong. If you're interested in a service you can use without paying, head over to my list of the best free VPNs and if you're willing to pay but want to save money, I keep a list of the best VPN deals updated weekly. For each VPN on this list, I've shared which platforms it works on, how much it cuts into your download speed, where it offers servers, what other features are included and how much the best available deal costs. At the end, I'll list some honorable and dishonorable mentions, then answer some of the most common questions I hear about VPNs. Editor's note: This list is up-to-date as of February 2026. We intend to revisit this list every three months at a minimum, at which time our picks may be adjusted based on changes in pricing, features, testing results and other factors. Table of contents Best VPNs for 2026 Other VPNs we tested What to look for in a VPN VPN FAQs Best VPNs for 2026 Other VPNs we tested The VPNs in this section didn't crack our top list above, but we're summarizing them here so you can see their positives and negatives as of the time of our evaluation. Windscribe Windscribe is another well-known free VPN supported by paid subscriptions. In many ways, it takes the best from both Mullvad and Proton VPN, with the former's no-nonsense privacy and the latter's healthy free plan. Without paying, you can connect to 10 of Windscribe's server locations on an unlimited number of devices at once. We've just published a full Windscribe review that can tell you more. Unfortunately, Windscribe didn't copy the most important part of Proton VPN's free plan the unlimited data. You're only allowed to use 10GB per month, which isn't enough for regular streaming. It's also committed to a cramped and headache-inducing user interface that stands out from the crowd in all the worst ways. Private Internet Access Private Internet Access (PIA VPN) has a deeply annoying name I assume whoever invented it also likes to hop in their Toyota Forward Motion to grab a gallon of Sustaining Cow Extract from the grocery store but it's a worthwhile VPN whose pricing provides incredible value. Its monthly and yearly plans are good enough, but its three-year plan is the clincher. Not only is it longer than average, but you can continue to renew at the three-year level, so you won't see an unpleasant price jump the first time you re-up. PIA's apps have a dark UI reminiscent of Proton VPN, which is always a good thing. It also supports port forwarding, custom DNS and the use of a SOCKS5 or Shadowsocks proxy as a second step in the VPN connection. You can even set the maximum data packet size to help out a struggling connection, as I cover in my full PIA VPN review . The downside is that your connection will struggle a lot. While well-designed, PIA's apps have a tendency to lag. In my most recent battery of tests, it dragged oddly on my internet in ways that weren't directly reflected in the speed tests. It's also not always capable of unblocking streaming services in other countries, and while its server network offers 152 IP address options in 84 countries, it's heavily bulked out by virtual locations. TunnelBear TunnelBear has a decent interface, which its target audience of VPN beginners will find very easy to use. Its speeds are perfectly good too, and I appreciate the depth and breadth of its transparency reports. But it's far too limited overall, with few extra features, less than 50 server locations and a free plan that caps data at 2GB per month. VyprVPN VyprVPN often flies under the radar, but it has some of the best apps in the business and a very good security record (there was a breach in 2023, but it didn't crack the VPN encryption itself). It's also got a verified privacy policy, a solid jurisdiction and runs every connection through an in-house DNS to prevent leaks. Despite all that, it didn't make the top seven because its connection speeds aren't up to scratch you'll likely notice a bigger slowdown than average. It also has a troubling history of wild, seemingly experimental swings in its pricing and simultaneous connection limits. Norton VPN Norton VPN is part of the Norton 360 package that includes the well-known antivirus software and other security apps. It's a nice bonus if you use Norton already, but as a standalone VPN, it falls short. My tests repeatedly showed it dropping encryption and revealing my IP address whenever I switched servers, and not all of its locations managed to unblock Netflix. This isn't to say Norton VPN is terrible. It has a fairly large server network, user-friendly apps and some cool features like an IP rotator. It also recently revamped its OpenVPN infrastructure to improve speeds on Windows. But you probably won't find those things sufficient to balance out significant speed drops on other platforms or poorly written FAQs. I especially advise against Norton VPN for Apple users, as its Mac and iPhone apps are much more limited than their Windows and Android counterparts. What to look for in a VPN Choosing a VPN can quickly get you mired in analysis paralysis. We're here to help, but since only you know your particular needs, you should know the major red and green flags so you can make the final call yourself. Every reputable VPN provider offers a free trial or refund guarantee you can use to run the tests below. For more advice and dangers to look for, check out my article on how to tell if your VPN is working . Compatibility: First, make sure your VPN works on all the platforms you plan to use it on. Most VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, Android and iOS, but those apps aren't always created equal check that the app for your chosen OS is user-friendly and has all the features you need. Speed: Use a speed testing app to see how fast your internet is before and after connecting to the VPN (I use Ookla's speedtest.net ). To check security, look up your IP address while connected to a VPN server and see if it's actually changed your virtual location. Be sure it's using expert-vetted protocols like OpenVPN, WireGuard and IKEv2. Try connecting to streaming services and seeing whether the VPN changes the available content. Background: Do some outside research into the VPN's origins, especially its parent company, privacy policy and any past incidents. It's a dealbreaker if you can't figure out where the VPN is headquartered (which indicates a lax approach to transparency) or if it seems to have never passed a real third-party audit. Server network: Look at the server network to make sure the VPN has locations near you and in any countries where you'll want an IP address e.g. if you need a VPN to unblock Canadian Netflix, look for multiple server locations in Canada. Customer Service: I also advise testing the customer support options by looking for the answer to a straightforward question. If phone support (versus email and chat) is important to you, make sure to prioritize that and make sure it's available at convenient times in your timezone. Pricing: Finally, check prices. See if the VPN is affordable and decide whether you're comfortable taking a long-term subscription for better savings. If you do get a multi-year plan, check what price it will renew at, since many of the cheapest subscriptions are only introductory deals. VPN FAQs To wrap up, let's answer some of the most common questions we get about VPNs. Feel free to get in touch if you have a query I don't cover here. What is a VPN? VPN stands for virtual private network. There are a few different types of VPNs, including corporate VPNs like Cisco AnyConnect, Perimeter81 and NordLayer, which are used to access a single network securely. For this list, though, we're talking about commercial services that let individual users access the internet with an assumed identity. Whenever you get online, you're assigned an IP address a digital nametag that tells websites where to send the information you request. For an IP address to work, it needs to be unique, which means it's possible to create a record of what an individual does online. When you use a VPN, all the data you send to the internet goes through one of the VPN's servers before heading to its final destination. The VPN encrypts the connection between your computer and its server so the data won't trace back to you. Any website, ISP or third party that cares to look will only see the VPN's IP address, not yours. If you're interested in more detail, I've written a whole article on how a VPN works . What are some things VPNs are used for? The three main use cases for a commercial VPN are security, privacy and entertainment. Using a VPN conceals your real IP address from anyone who might want to use it for nefarious purposes like cyberstalking, DDoS attacks or deducing your real location. It also keeps your ISP from profiling you for ads based on where you live or what you do online. One side effect of borrowing a VPN's IP address is that you can make it appear as though your connection is coming from another country. You can use this to access streaming content and platforms that are only available in certain regions due to copyright. Changing your location can even get you better prices when shopping online. Location spoofing can also be used to get online in countries that censor internet access, like China and Russia, as well as certain US states or countries like the UK that are adding barriers like age-gating to previously unfettered online access. All you have to do is connect to a neighboring country (or locality) where the internet isn't blocked. If you plan to do this while traveling, make sure you have the VPN downloaded before you go, as some nations prevent you from even loading a VPN's homepage. Make sure you check with local laws regarding the legality of VPN use as well just because your VPN traffic is encrypted doesn't mean that authorities can't detect that it's being used in a given location. Are VPNs worth it? Whether a VPN is worth the price depends on how much you value those three use cases above. It's no secret that your personal information is profitable for a lot of people, from illicit hackers to corporations to law enforcement. A VPN will not make you completely anonymous, nor is it a license to commit crimes (see the next question) but it will give you a lot more control over what you transmit to the world. With entertainment, the value is even clearer. You can use a VPN to fight back against streaming balkanization by getting more shows and movies out of a single platform for example, a lot of shows that have been kicked off American Netflix are still on Netflix in other countries. What information does a VPN hide? A VPN does not make it impossible for you to be unmasked or taken advantage of online. It prevents you from passively leaking information, keeps your IP address undiscoverable on public wi-fi networks and gets you around online censorship. However, if you share personal information of your own volition, there's nothing the VPN can do. If you reveal your password in a social media post or click a link in a phishing email, that information bypasses the VPN. Likewise, if you do anything sensitive while logged into an account, the account holder will have that information even if you're using a VPN. A VPN is a critical part of your online security, but it can't do the whole job by itself. Healthy passwords, malware scanners, private search engines and common sense all have roles to play. Never forget, too, that using a VPN means trusting the VPN provider with access to information that's concealed from everyone else make sure you trust the privacy policy before signing up. Are VPNs safe? As far as we can determine, all the VPNs recommended in this story are safe to use. As with anything you subscribe to online, due diligence is important, but there's very little inherent risk; generally, the worst thing a bad VPN will do is fail to work, leaving you no worse off than before. All that said, there are some VPNs (usually offered for free) that transmit malware, and others that pretend to be independent services while all secretly working off the same backend . Always make sure to look up any complaints or warnings about a service before you download it. Can you get a VPN on your phone? Absolutely almost every VPN has apps for both desktop and mobile devices . A good VPN will redesign its app to be mobile-friendly without dropping too many features. Both iOS and Android natively support VPN connections, so you're free to choose whichever provider you like. What about Google's One VPN? Google One VPN was, as you might expect, a VPN provided by Google. It was launched in 2020 for Google One subscribers and discontinued in 2024 due to lack of use. If you really want a Google VPN, you can still get one if you have certain Pixel models or if you're a Google Fi subscriber. That said, I don't recommend using a VPN from Google even if you do still have access to one. Google is one of the worst big tech companies at protecting user privacy . While its VPN might not leak, I wouldn't trust it to guard your sensitive information. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/vpn/best-vpn-130004396.html?src=rss

A four-pack of Apple's first-gen AirTags is on sale for $64

Good deals on Apple products arent as frequent as wed like them to be, but if theres one of the companys products that does seem to enjoy pretty regular price cuts, its the AirTag . Right now you can pick up a four-pack of Apples diminutive first-generation Bluetooth trackers for $64, which translates to 35 percent off and a near record low price. Bear in mind that this deal brings the price per AirTag down to about $16 if you were to buy them individually, and when not on sale they usually cost $29. If you use Apple devices and consider yourself to be a serial thing-misplacer, AirTags are extremely useful. Adding one to your account takes a single tap, and with Apples Find My network so well established, locating missing items has never been easier. Using your iPhone you can trigger a sound from the AirTags built-in speaker, or alternatively Precision Finding can be used to pinpoint its location via Find My. You just follow the instructions on your iPhone, paying attention to the vibrations that signal youre getting closer. A reminder again that the above deals apply to the first-generation AirTag only. Apple introduced a refreshed tracker with greater range and a louder speaker last month, which retail s at the same price as its predecessor. For deals on the new AirTag, you may have to wait a bit. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/a-four-pack-of-apples-first-gen-airtags-is-on-sale-for-64-163619222.html?src=rss

The best VPN deals: Up to 87 percent off ProtonVPN, Surfshark, ExpressVPN, NordVPN and more

Whether it's the Seahawks' commanding Super Bowl victory or the fast-paced action of the Milan Winter Olympics, there's a lot of sportsball happening right now. It's a great time to get ahold of a virtual private network (VPN) and enjoy worldwide streaming adventures while improving your cybersecurity . By connecting to a VPN every time you get online, you can keep your activity hidden from your ISP and anyone to whom it may sell that data while streaming sporting events and TV dramas from across the globe. We strongly recommend using a VPN , but shopping for one takes some care. If you jump on the very first deal you see, you might get stuck with a substandard app. It's also easy to end up paying more than you meant to, since otherwise respectable VPNs sometimes frame their prices in misleading ways, with advertised deals not always as available as they seem to be. Even with all those conditions, there are some great bargains on the table. Many of the best VPNs including our top pick, Proton VPN have deals that save you anywhere from 70 to 87 percent on annual subscriptions. If you can believe it, there are even Valentine's Day sales running right now, because nothing is more romantic than taking care of your online privacy. Best VPN deals ExpressVPN Basic $68.40 for a two-year subscription with four months free (81 percent off): This is one of the best VPNs, especially for new users, who will find its apps and website headache-free on all platforms. In tests for my ExpressVPN review , it dropped my download speeds by less than 7 percent and successfully changed my virtual location 14 out of 15 times. In short, it's an all-around excellent service that only suffers from being a little overpriced which is why I'm so excited whenever I find it offering a decent deal. This discount, which gets you 28 months of ExpressVPN service, represents a 81 percent savings. Be aware, though, that it'll renew at the $99.95 per year price. ExpressVPN Advanced $88.00 for a two-year subscription with four months free (77 percent off): ExpressVPN recently split its pricing into multiple tiers , but they all still come with similar discounts for going long. In addition to top-tier VPN service, advanced users get two additional simultaneous connections (for a total of 12), the ExpressVPN Keys password manager, advanced ad and tracker blocking, ID protection features and a 50 percent discount on an AirCove router. As above, note that it renews at $119.95 annually. NordVPN Basic $81.36 for a two-year subscription (70 percent off): NordVPN gets the most important parts of a VPN right. It's fast, it doesn't leak any of your data and it's great at changing your virtual location. I noted in my NordVPN review that it always connects quickly and includes a support page that makes it easy to get live help. NordVPN includes a lot of cool features, like servers that instantly connect you to Tor. This deal gives you 70 percent off the two-year plan, but note that it renews at $139.08 per year. NordVPN Plus $93.36 for a two-year subscription (74 percent off): NordVPN has taken 74 percent off its Plus subscription. For only a little more, you get a powerful ad and tracker blocker that can also catch malware downloads, plus access to the NordPass password manager. A Plus plan also adds a data breach scanner that checks the dark web for your sensitive information. When this plan renews, you'll be paying $179.88 per year. Surfshark Starter $53.73 for a two-year subscription with three months free (87 percent off): This is the asic level of Surfshark , but it includes the entire VPN; everything on Surfshark One is an extra perk. With this subscription, you'll get some of the most envelope-pushing features in the VPN world right now. Surfshark can rotate your IP constantly to help you evade detection it even lets you choose your own entry and exit nodes for a double-hop connection. That all comes with a near-invisible impact on download speeds. With this year-round deal, you can save 87 percent on 27 months of Surfshark. Surfshark One $61.83 for a two-year subscription with three months free (87 percent off): A VPN is great, but it's not enough to protect your data all on its own. Surfshark One adds several apps that boost your security beyond just VPN service, including Surfshark Antivirus (scans devices and downloads for malware) and Surfshark Alert (alerts you whenever your sensitive information shows up in a data breach), plus Surfshark Search and Alternative ID from the tier below. This extra-low deal gives you 88 percent off all those features. If you bump up to Surfshark One+, you'll also get data removal through Incogni, but the price jumps enough that it's not quite worthwhile in my eyes. CyberGhost $56.94 for a two-year subscription with four months free (84 percent off): CyberGhost has some of the best automation you'll see on any VPN. With its Smart Rules system, you can determine how its apps respond to different types of Wi-Fi networks, with exceptions for specific networks you know by name. Typically, you can set it to auto-connect, disconnect or send you a message asking what to do. CyberGhost's other best feature is its streaming servers I've found both better video quality and more consistent unblocking when I use them on streaming sites. Currently, you can get 28 months of CyberGhost for 79 percent off the usual price, but it'll renew at $56.94 per year. hide.me $69.99 for a two-year subscription with four months free (75 percent off): Hide.me is an excellent free VPN in fact, it's my favorite on the market, even with EventVPN and the free version of Proton VPN as competition. If you do want to upgrade to its paid plan, though, the two-year subscription offers great savings. Hide.me works well as a no-frills beginner VPN, with apps and a server network it should frankly be charging more for. It also comes with a guarantee that it'll renew at exactly the same length and pricing. Windscribe $69 for a one-year subscription (32 percent off): It's not nearly as steep a discount as some of the others on this list, but Windscribe was cheap to begin with, so 32 percent off its monthly price is a bigger savings than it might seem. As I just covered in a detailed Windscribe review , it's worth upgrading from the free service to get full access to Windscribe's all-real server network (and remove the free plan's data cap). Private Internet Access $79 for a three-year subscription with four months free (83 percent off): With this deal, you can get 40 months of Private Internet Access (PIA) for a little bit under $2 per month an 83 percent discount on its monthly price. You can also get a shorter one-year subscription for $40 ($3.33 per month). Despite being so cheap, PIA has plenty of features, coming with its own DNS servers, a built-in ad blocker and automation powers to rival CyberGhost. However, internet speeds can fluctuate while you're connected. What makes a good VPN deal Practically every VPN heavily discounts its long-term subscriptions year-round, with even sharper discounts around occasions like the holidays. The only noteworthy exception is Mullvad, the Costco hot dog of VPNs (that's a compliment, to be clear). When there's constantly a huge discount going on, it can be hard to tell when you're actually getting a good deal. The best way to squeeze out more savings is to look for seasonal deals, student discounts or exclusive sales like Proton VPN's coupon for Engadget readers . One trick VPNs often use is to add extra months onto an introductory deal, pushing the average monthly price even lower. When it comes time to renew, you usually can't get these extra months again. You often can't even renew for the same basic period of time for example, you may only be able to renew a two-year subscription for one year. If you're planning to hold onto a VPN indefinitely, check the fine print to see how much it will cost per month after the first renewal, and ensure that fits into your budget. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-best-vpn-deals-up-to-87-percent-off-protonvpn-surfshark-expressvpn-nordvpn-and-more-120056484.html?src=rss

Uber Eats new Cart Assistant feature is an AI hack for your grocery shopping

If theres any area of your life that you might be willing to introduce more AI into, its likely something as mundane as grocery shopping. Thats what Uber is betting on with its new AI-powered feature in the Uber Eats app. Cart Assistant lets you build grocery baskets faster and with less effort by using AI to automatically fill your basket with items included on your shopping list. To use it, you search for a supported grocery store on the home screen of the app and tap the new Cart Assistant icon that appears at the top of the screen. From there, you can either manually type out a shopping list or upload a photo of a handwritten one, and Cart Assistant will fetch your requested items and add them to your basket. A screenshot of ingredients needed for a recipe will also suffice. Uber says its AI assistant will factor in availability before selecting an item and will also display prices and any available promotions. If you dont want something it recommends, you can delete or swap it for something else. Anything you forgot to add in the original list can be added later, and if youve purchased something in the past, these familiar items will be prioritized so youre less likely to need to make changes. Uber advises users that the new shopping feature is in beta right now, so might not perform perfectly. Cart Assistant is the latest development in the gradual AI-ification of Uber Eats. Last summer, Uber added a suite of new features to the app, including AI-enhanced food images, AI menu descriptions and AI summaries or restaurant reviews. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/uber-eats-new-cart-assistant-feature-is-an-ai-hack-for-your-grocery-shopping-145733478.html?src=rss

Anker's new 45W Nano charger with smart display is on sale for $10 off

Anker rolled out a bunch of new chargers and other gear at CES 2026 , including a cute one that's already on sale. The new Nano charger with smart display, which is an upgrade to the existing Nano charger in Anker's lineup, is on sale for $30 right now when you clip an on-page coupon on Amazon. That's $10 off the regular price. The 45W charger includes a smart display that shows real-time data like power flow, temperature and charging status. It also features fun animations to keep things cheerful. Anker says it can recognize what's being charged and automatically adjust certain metrics to ensure a longer battery lifespan. To that end, it works with just about everything. The company advertises that this charger is a good fit for the iPhone, Apple Watch, AirPods and Samsung devices, among others. The new Nano Charger is on the smaller side, with dual folding prongs that rotate to fit most outlets. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/ankers-new-45w-nano-charger-with-smart-display-is-on-sale-for-10-off-160707585.html?src=rss

The iPhone Air MagSafe battery is cheaper than ever right now

We found the iPhone Air to have a pretty decent battery life for such a thin-and-light phone, somewhere in the region of 27 hours if youre continuously streaming video. But it's still a phone, arguably your most used device on a daily basis, so you may need to top it up during the day if you're using it constantly. Thats where Apples iPhone Air MagSafe battery pack comes in, and its currently on sale for $79. This accessory only works with the iPhone Air, but much like the phone it attaches to, its extremely slim at 7.5mmm, so crucially doesnt add so much bulk when attached that it defeats the point of having a thin phone in the first place. The MagSafe Battery isnt enormous at 3,149mAh (enough to add an extra 65 percent of charge to the Air), but it can wirelessly charge the AirPods Pro 3 as well, making it an even more useful travel companion. You can also charge your iPhone while charging the battery pack. At its regular price of $99, the MagSafe battery pack is an admittedly pricey add-on to what is already an expensive phone, but for $20 off its well worth considering what Engadgets Sam Rutherford called an essential accessory for some users in his iPhone Air review. Many Apple loyalists will always insist on having first-party accessories for their iPhone, but there are plenty of third-party MagSafe chargers out there too, a lot of them considerably cheaper than Apples lineup. Be sure to check out our guide for those. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-iphone-air-magsafe-battery-is-cheaper-than-ever-right-now-144516705.html?src=rss

Pokemon Pokopia is so damn cozy

Pokmon Pokopia can be described as a pocket monster-themed take on Animal Crossing with a hint of Stardew Valley thrown in for good measure. And if you're like me, that alone is probably enough to sell you on the game. However, after getting a chance to play a preview of it for around half an hour, it became immediately clear that the game's coziness levels are off the charts, but it also offers some fun twists on the genre. Co-developed by The Pokmon Company, GAME FREAK and KOEI TECMO, instead of playing as a generic trainer, you take control of a lonely Ditto who wakes up in a cave only to be greeted by Professor Tangrowth , the last surviving inhabitant of what used to be a bustling town. While the professor might look like an extra-large version of the original pokmon with glasses, its role is to guide you as you rebuild and hopefully repopulate the surrounding area. One of the best things about Pokopia is actually being able to talk to the other 'mons. Nintendo As a Ditto, you naturally have the ability to transform into other Pokmon, though the process is sort of incomplete, meaning you can only learn one skill from the monsters you befriend instead of their entire moveset like in the mainline games. This is where the first twist on the traditional life sim comes in. Instead of crafting them or earning money to buy tools, you can transform into other Pokmon (like Lapras or Dragonite) to use their abilities to traverse obstacles or shape the world around you. For example, turning into a Squirtle lets you shoot a water gun that will revitalize dry patches or thirsty plants, while transforming into a Scyther lets you slice through objects similar to the HM Cut. From there, you can use these skills to do things like create clusters of shrubs that will serve as homes for other Pokmon, allowing you to entice fellow creatures to return to the once desolate landscape. Another twist I really appreciate is that after appearing, new monsters will give you quests or just hang out. They will even talk and respond, and I don't mean like the 8-bit cries from other Pokmon games. They speak in full sentences, which is a wonderful departure from previous titles that really gives you the feeling that you're making friends and rebuilding a community instead of just being on a crusade to catch them all. The Stardew Valley part of the equation comes into play after you leave the first tutorial area and you come upon an abandoned Pokmon Center that's in dire need of a renovation. You can do things like collect materials and do more quests to clean up the area to eventually turn the building in the heart of the town. Unfortunately, that's where my preview ended, aside from quickly hopping into a multiplayer session where I was able to see a much more developed village, complete with multiple buildings, roads and benches. You know, all the sorts of things you used to furnish and decorate your island with in Animal Crossing. This gave me a nice glimpse at just how many things you can build in Pokopia and how easy it is to visit other people's towns. However, it didn't answer some of my bigger questions about the game, like what's the deal with Peakychu and Mosslax , whom we've seen before in previous trailers . Are they just one-off versions of existing mons with unusual typings (i.e. ghost and grass) only for this game, or are they going to be a bigger part of the Pokmon world going forward? Perhaps more importantly, it was hard to tell if there will be any sort of PVE content like The Mines or Skull Cavern in Stardew Valley . I'm really hoping there is because it seems like Ditto's abilities could translate quite seamlessly to spelunking or battling your way through dungeons in search of rare items or building materials. I love how derpy Ditto looks when it transforms into other Pokmon. Nintendo That said, just being able to build a community of friendly monsters while injecting life back into a forgotten town has good vibes radiating from every corner. So if you need a super cozy game to keep you busy this winter/spring, Pokmon Pokopia is shaping up to be the digital version of a fluffy blanket and a cup of hot chocolate filled to the brim with all of your favorite 'mons. Pokmon Pokopia is available for pre-order now , with official sales slated for March 5. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/pokemon-pokopia-is-so-damn-cozy-140000954.html?src=rss

The 512GB Samsung P9 microSD Express card is 33 percent off

MicroSD Express cards are still a little hard to find, considering they're pretty new and only really started becoming popular last year once the Switch 2 came out. These upgraded versions of microSD cards are the only ones compatible with the Switch 2 for expanding its storage, os if you're already starting to feel the crunch on your console, it's worth picking one up. Samsung's P9 microSD Express card is on sale right now you can grab the 512GB version of $80, which is 33 percent off and one of the best prices we've seen. The P9 boasts transfer speeds of up to 800MB/s, making moving games to the card that much faster. As for load times, in our testing we found that any microSD Express, the standard the Switch 2 requires, will offer roughly the same performance. This format is pretty new, so there aren't a ton of cards on the market. As such, the P9 makes our list of best microSD cards for the Nintendo Switch 2. The P9 microSD Express is also compatible with the Steam Deck or any other gaming console that accepts the format, as well as cameras and more. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-512gb-samsung-p9-microsd-express-card-is-33-percent-off-143849572.html?src=rss

The Apple Watch Series 11 drops to $299 ahead of Presidents' Day

Whether you're one of the few people still keeping up with New Year's resolutions or just want an upgraded smartwatch, now is a good time to get an Apple Watch now that you can save with Presidents' Day deals . Currently, the Apple Watch Series 11 is on sale for $299, down from $399. The 25 percent discount brings the 2025 model back down to its record-low price. We named the Apple Watch Series 11 as our choice for best smartwatch overall . It scored a 90 in our review thanks to its 24 hours-plus of battery life and a thin, light design that's easy to wear. It also offers new health metrics, including Apple's hypertension alerts system and Sleep Score. The Apple Watch Series 11 deal is available on the 42mm case with a small/medium band. It also only includes GPS and four colorways: the Jet Black and Space Gray aluminum cases with a Black sport band, the Rose Gold aluminum case with a Light Blush sport band and the Silver aluminum case with a Purple Fog sport band. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-apple-watch-series-11-drops-to-299-ahead-of-presidents-day-151616891.html?src=rss

Mullvad VPN review: Near-total privacy with a few sacrifices

Mullvad, a virtual private network (VPN) named after the Swedish word for mole, is often recognized as one of the best VPNs for privacy. I put it on my best VPN list for exactly that reason. I've got huge respect for the extra lengths Mullvad goes to in order to ensure its user's privacy. To give you a preview, Mullvad is one of the few VPNs other than my normal privacy recommendation, Proton VPN that lets users pay entirely in cash. But even Proton VPN asks for an email address to make an account and uses a few marketing cookies on its own website. Mullvad represents every account as a randomly generated 16-digit code and uses no marketing cookies whatsoever. That's just one example of how Mullvad goes beyond the call of duty to keep users private. But while privacy is the most important aspect of a VPN alongside security, it's not the only thing that matters. For this review, I set out to investigate whether Mullvad pairs its rights-protecting bonafides with versatile, convenient and enjoyable VPN apps. Using our rigorous VPN testing procedure , I'll rate Mullvad in 11 areas. You can find a summary of my results in the table below, skip to the sections that matter most to you or just read my final advice in the conclusion. Editor's note (2/11/26): We've overhauled our VPN coverage to provide more detailed, actionable buying advice. Going forward, we'll continue to update both our best VPN list and individual reviews (like this one) as circumstances change. Most recently, we added official scores to all of our VPN reviews. Check out how we test VPNs to learn more about the new standards we're using. Findings at a glance Category Notes Installation and UI All apps share roughly the same user interface Apps are responsive and easy to navigate, with no design choices that would threaten beginners Lack of fastest server button is an issue Browser extension is only available on Firefox and still in beta Speed Reasonably good average latency Reduces download speeds by 26 percent and upload speeds by 17 percent Speed declines are consistent and chartable All speed metrics are quite good on nearby servers Security Only uses WireGuard protocol No IP address leaks, even when switching servers Packet test showed successful encryption Pricing Always costs 5 Euro per month, though prices outside Europe depend on exchange rates No auto-renewal membership lasts until money runs out Can pay using cash or by purchasing scratch-off vouchers on Amazon 14 day money-back guarantee, except on cash payments Bundles Only app besides the VPN is the free Mullvad Browser, which removes the tracking habits of typical web browsers Allows several smaller VPNs to use its servers in their networks Privacy policy No vague lines or loopholes in privacy policy Only saves account numbers and expiration dates for each user Uses an extremely limited range of cookies with no marketing trackers Has undergone a total of 17 audits of different aspects of its service Swedish police demanded customer information in 2023; Mullvad couldn't comply because the data wasn't logged Virtual location change Unblocked Netflix 13 out of 15 times When it failed, virtual location was still changed Server network 90 locations in 50 countries, majority in North America and Europe No virtual servers whatsoever Features DAITA conceals traffic patterns that might let an AI identify what sites you visit Uses quantum-resistant encryption on WireGuard Can choose your own multihop entry and exit points Several options for getting around nation-level firewalls Can block ads, trackers, malware and other unwanted content using predetermined DNS block lists Supports IPv6 traffic Kill switch and stronger lockdown mode Split tunneling by app Customer support Help center includes useful filters to find the topic Well-written articles with good internal linking No live chat support, but staff answers emails quickly Can view app logs at any time Background check Founded in 2009 in Sweden; still owned and operated by initial founders User account numbers were exposed in a 2023 incident, but Mullvad quickly closed the leak Installing, configuring and using Mullvad Let's start by examining how Mullvad feels as a piece of software. In this section, I'll be testing its desktop apps for Windows and Mac, its mobile apps for Android and iOS and its browser extension for Firefox. To start with the installation process, Mullvad downloads and installs in a snap on mobile. On desktop, installation requires a few more steps than is typical, but the app guides you quickly through everything. Across the board, my only serious complaint is that there's no option for automatically choosing the fastest server. You can usually assume that the nearest one to you will be the fastest, but there's always the chance of an unusual server overload. It's a bizarre oversight for an app that otherwise goes out of its way to be usable. Windows Mullvad's Windows app has a slim UI that uses space efficiently without being too cramped. It doesn't give you a lot of information, such as live speed tests or data in transit, but I've mostly found that to be needless filler on VPN apps. Mullvad on Windows. Sam Chapman for Engadget Speaking of needless filler, the map may be a little bigger than it needs to be, but maps on VPN clients aren't just about teaching you geography they do a lot to make the apps more welcoming to casual users who might not otherwise fire up security software. In fact, Mullvad's UI is admirably beginner-friendly, befitting its focus on privacy for everybody rather than just the tech-savvy. All the settings are accessed by clicking the gear in the top-right. Here, you can turn on DAITA (Mullvad's defense against AI traffic scanning), activate multihop and control Mullvad's other features. There are also some quality-of-life features for the UI itself, such as whether it remains pinned to the taskbar or operates as a standalone window. Some options, especially under the VPN settings tab, are a bit technical, but don't need to be touched for a good experience. Mac Mullvad's macOS app is quite similar to its Windows app, both in terms of the interface and the features offered. The big difference used to be that macOS lacked split tunneling, but that's been added in a recent update. The only serious distinction now is that the Mac client can't be unpinned from the taskbar, which is just a little bothersome. Mullvad on Mac. Sam Chapman for Engadget Other than that, you'll find every setting you need under the gear, just like on Windows. Similarly, connections to VPN servers happen quickly, and selecting locations from the menu is very straightforward. While connected on either app, you can click the circular arrow by your location to swap to another server in the same location highly convenient if you're trying to unblock Netflix. Android Mullvad's Android app has the same nearly-perfect design approach as all its other apps. The main page has nothing on it but the connect/disconnect button, the choice of server locations, a map and the buttons for your account information and preferences. Those preferences are a manageable set of options that are almost all managed with simple on-off switches. It's all highly responsive and annoyance-free. Mullvad on Android. Sam Chapman for Engadget iOS Mullvad's iOS app looks very similar to its apps on every other platform. The front page is kept simple, with large controls in the foreground and a map taking up most of the space. Everything else is located in the menu accessed through the gear icon at top right. Neither mobile app has the options for toggling the UI itself that the desktop apps have, but it's mostly free of quality-of-life problems to start with. Mullvad on iPhone. Sam Chapman for Engadget Browser extensions Mullvad's browser extension is only compatible with Firefox. You can't actually connect to the VPN through this extension. Its main functions are to tell you whether you're connected to a Mullvad server and to connect to a SOCKS5 proxy in a Mullvad location. If you do this while connected to Mullvad through the desktop app, you'll get a second layer of protection, similar to the multi-hop feature. The Firefox extension is a rare misfire for Mullvad perhaps fair, since it's still in beta. Its only real feature is something that the desktop app already does perfectly well, and it looks like a software malfunction to boot. However, given Mullvad's track record, I'm confident they'll figure out what to do with it in time. Mullvad speed test A VPN almost always slows browsing speeds and increases latencies. It's unavoidable, given the extra steps a VPN protocol adds to the process of getting online. The trick is to find VPNs that keep the slowdown to a minimum, using a combination of regular maintenance, good planning and smart load balancing. For this test, I used speedtest.net to check how six of Mullvad's server locations influenced three key speed metrics. Ping measures latency, the time in milliseconds (ms) that one data packet needs to travel between a client device and an ISP. Download speed measures the amount of data in Megabits that a web browser can download in one second. Upload speed tracks how much data can be uploaded in a second. We're looking for low latencies and high download and upload speeds. Server location Ping (ms) Increase factor Download speed (Mbps) Percentage drop Upload speed (Mbps) Percentage drop Portland, USA (unprotected) 15 58.96 5.85 Seattle, USA (fastest location) 23 1.5x 55.07 6.6 5.51 5.8 Montreal, Canada 165 11.0x 44.28 24.9 4.62 21.0 Fortaleza, Brazil 307 20.5x 40.96 30.5 4.65 20.5 Prague, Czechia 368 24.5x 43.17 26.8 5.47 6.5 Lagos, Nigeria 528 35.2x 37.41 36.6 4.61 21.2 Bangkok, Thailand 473 31.5x 39.76 32.6 4.13 29.4 Average 311 20.7x 43.44 26.3 4.83 17.4 I'll start with the bad news: the tests didn't exactly make Mullvad look like a speed demon. Its speeds have gone up and down in the years I've been using it, and right now they appear to be on the downswing. If you use locations all around Mullvad's server network, you can expect your download speeds to decrease by about 26 percent and your upload speeds to decline by 17 percent. However, it's important to put those numbers in perspective. First, Mullvad's numbers aren't markedly worse than the ones I got when testing CyberGhost . Its speeds are average, but by definition, most things are average. Its average worldwide latency is actually better than Surfshark , the current champion of download and upload speeds. Speed-testing a Mullvad server in Los Angeles. Sam Chapman for Engadget It's also nice that Mullvad's speed drops follow a predictable curve. Lots of VPNs have unexpectedly sharp declines in certain locations, frequently in Africa. By contrast, Mullvad's speed decreases pretty much as a direct function of how far from the server you are. This not only makes speed drops easier to plan around, but also means you can expect very good speeds on nearby servers. This property of being fastest on servers near the user is another sign of Mullvad's focus on its core privacy mission. If anonymity is your main reason for using a VPN, it doesn't matter what your IP address is, so long as it's not your real one. Using a nearby Mullvad server should guarantee you an internet connection that's both fast and private. Mullvad security test To be secure, a VPN has to check two critical boxes. It must provide you with a secondary IP address without leaking your real one, and it must encrypt your communications with its servers so your activity can't be traced. In the sections below, I'll see whether Mullvad meets those requirements. VPN protocols VPNs use protocols to mediate between end devices, ISPs and their own servers. The first step is to ensure that the service you're considering uses protocols that have expert confidence. Mullvad has kindly made this step easy for me by using only WireGuard on all its apps, with no OpenVPN, IKEv2 or in-house unique protocols. There's no question that WireGuard is a solid protocol. It uses the ChaCha20 stream cipher for symmetric encryption and Poly1305 for authentication, both uncrackable with current technology. Mullvad has even added its own fix for WireGuard's one flaw, its need to save static IP addresses the Mullvad implementation is set up to delete the IP address if it goes 10 minutes without being used. Even so, it's unfortunate to lose the ability to change protocols, which is one of the most common steps for troubleshooting a VPN connection. I understand Mullvad's reasoning for cutting out OpenVPN ( it claims the cryptography isn't strong enough ) but don't agree. It's one of this provider's few unforced errors. Leak test There's a straightforward test to determine if your VPN is leaking . Load up any website that shows your IP address I personally use ipleak.net and see what IP and location it reveals without your VPN active. Then activate the VPN and refresh the page. If you see your real IP address anywhere, your VPN is leaking. Testing Mullvad for IP leaks. Sam Chapman for Engadget I ran that test on five Mullvad servers. Each time, the website showed me the IP address of the VPN server, concealing my real one. To keep things simple, I ran the initial tests with IPv6 blocked via the Mullvad client. When I turned it on and tried again, the IPv6 traffic didn't leak any more than the IPv4 did. I also saw no signs of WebRTC leaks. Unless you set up a custom DNS server, Mullvad also uses its own DNS, which remains entirely within the VPN tunnel. I had one more leak test to try. Frequently, VPNs are leak-proof when maintaining a connection to one server but drop encryption when switching between servers. That problem is why I ultimately couldn't recommend Norton VPN . Luckily for me, Mullvad has a button that lets you shuffle to another server in the same location, so I used that to see if it stayed leak-proof. Mullvad doesn't leak your IP even while changing servers. Sam Chapman for Engadget As you can see in the screenshot, Mullvad jumped seamlessly from one server to another without showing my real location in-between. On a practical level, that's enough for me to declare Mullvad leak-proof. Encryption test For one final experiment, I used the WireShark packet sniffer to see whether the data Mullvad sent from my computer to my ISP was encrypted. After capturing a few packets, I was gratified to see that they were totally unreadable to interlopers. Most established VPNs pass this test, but it's still important for due diligence. How much does Mullvad cost? Mullvad's pricing structure is one of the most unusual things about it. This is normally the section where I untangle 47 different Pro+ and Business- accounts that are all sold at three different durations. Mullvad couldn't be further from that. It costs 5 Euro a month thats it. Each 5-Euro subscription can be used on five devices at once. It manages payments through a system inspired by parking meters. When you sign up for Mullvad, you'll buy as much time as you want. That time will count down until it expires, unless you top it up with more 5-Euro payments. If you run out of money, Mullvad won't charge you a new subscription fee because you didn't tell it not to. It'll just stop working until you pay again. Every payment also comes with a 14-day money-back guarantee, except for payments made in cash. The Mullvad account dashboard. Sam Chapman for Engadget The only real complexity in the process is that Mullvad always figures out its prices in Euro, so outside the EU, the cost per month is affected by exchange rates. If you happen to live in a country where the government's economic policy shuttles between capricious and arbitrary , you might want to grab a few months in advance. The other most interesting thing about Mullvad's pricing is the options you can use to pay. For maximum privacy, you can pay with cash using the payment token you'll find on your account page. Note that this is not the same as your account number. To find it, log into your dashboard on Mullvad.net, click Add time to your account in the left-hand bar, then click the button labeled Cash and scroll down. Make your cash payment by writing the token on an envelope and mailing it to Sweden ( full instructions here ). Unredacted, in case any hackers out there want to buy me some more time. Sam Chapman for Engadget You can also get untraceable Mullvad vouchers by paying cash at participating retail locations . Most of them are in Europe, but you can order them from Amazon . While your payment to Amazon won't be private, the voucher can't be linked directly to your VPN account, since the actual number is hidden behind a scratch-off panel. It's actually pretty ingenious. Of course, you can also pay using any of the normal methods, including credit cards, cryptocurrency and bank wires (though not PayPal). But the more private methods are always there for people who need them. Mullvad side apps and bundles Mullvad is that rare VPN that's still content to be a VPN and not an all-inclusive security suite . No shade to NordVPN or Surfshark, whose extra features are generally quite good, but it's nice to see at least one of the top providers staying focused. Although Mullvad doesn't have any partners that sell their products alongside its VPN, it does have several partnerships with other VPNs who use its network as the basis for their own products. MalwareBytes Privacy VPN, Mozilla VPN, Tailscale and Obscura can all be considered Mullvad side apps if you squint. Mullvad Browser Mullvad's only product other than the VPN is Mullvad Browser, which is free to download and works on Windows, macOS and Linux. Mullvad Browser works in the background, blocking common methods of browser fingerprinting that can be used to deduce your identity even when you have a VPN running. For example, it automatically reports your time zone as UTC, disguises personal preferences like font and window size, scrambles information sent by APIs and conceals your browser version and computer operating system. It's also in private mode by default, which doesn't hide what your ISP sees but is useful for concealing your activity from other people that might use your computer. Close-reading Mullvad's privacy policy Since privacy is Mullvad's main selling point, this section is even more important than usual. Loopholes in the privacy policy of the privacy VPN would be deeply ironic. Fortunately, Mullvad's privacy policy backs up its high-flying rhetoric. It's a short, pointed and readable document with no problems I could discern. Mullvad has no parent company or subsidiary it might use as a loophole, and no clauses in its policy are left open to interpretation. It's a masterpiece of the privacy-policy genre. The document is actually three policies: a privacy policy , a no-logging policy and a cookie policy . The privacy policy lists all the times Mullvad might collect data about a user. That's exactly two situations using financial information to process payments (which will be entirely anonymous if you use cash or a voucher) and using your email address to track support tickets you open. That's it. The no-logging policy is a bit longer, but mostly because it's explaining exactly how Mullvad manages to run a VPN service with so little information on individual users. For each account, it stores a number and an expiration date, plus public keys and tunnel addresses if you're using WireGuard (deleted at most 10 minutes after your session ends). Everything else is completely anonymized. Mullvad even claims that its 500,000 or so user accounts could have been created by the same user 500,000 times, which I suppose is one way to spend 2.5 million Euro. The cookie policy is the shortest because Mullvad uses exactly five cookies. One saves your login status in your browser, one saves your language preferences, one protects its site from being used in a specific kind of forgery hack and the other two are for handling Stripe payments. Independent privacy audits Mullvad corroborates its privacy policy with regular audits of various aspects of its service. Currently, there are 17 audits listed on its website , including four infrastructure audits by Cure53. All of its apps have been separately audited and found to be solid. It has been a couple of years since the last full infrastructure audit in 2024 , but given how many other targeted reviews Mullvad has gone through since then, it's hard to be too upset about the pause. In 2023, Mullvad achieved the holy grail of VPN privacy: being ordered by subpoena to turn over customer information and not being able to comply because that information didn't exist. Nothing compares to a VPN's privacy being tested in the wild like this. Can Mullvad change your virtual location? Sometimes, a VPN appears to be working, but still reveals your real location to websites. Netflix is a useful proxy for this. To unblock a streaming site like Netflix, a VPN needs to change your virtual location while not appearing to do so if Netflix sees any hint of VPN traffic, you'll get blocked with the hated proxy error. I used five different locations to check whether Mullvad is up to the streaming task. Server location Unblocked Netflix? Changed content? Vancouver, Canada 3/3 3/3 Gothenberg, Sweden 2/3 2/3 Istanbul, Turkey 3/3 3/3 Johannesburg, South Africa 3/3 3/3 Singapore, Singapore 2/3 2/3 Mullvad did well for streaming, but it didn't manage a perfect score like its fellow anti-establishment VPN Windscribe did. Two of the 15 servers I tested failed to unblock Netflix, one in Singapore and one in Mullvad's hometown of Gothenburg. I also had trouble logging into Netflix while connected to a Vancouver server, though that server did unblock the site consistently once I got inside. Mullvad's servers all tricked Netflix into believing my new location. Sam Chapman for Engadget In Mullvad's defense, no location failed more than once. It's completely possible to get good streaming performance out of this VPN; you just have to be willing to click the server refresh button a few times. Privacy is still the main use case for Mullvad, but it's fine for streaming too. Investigating Mullvad's server network Mullvad has 90 server locations in 50 countries and territories. Unusually for a VPN, users can choose between all 590 of its total servers, including several in each location. There's even a list on its website that shows you the status of every server. Mullvad does not use virtual server locations, so every server is physically located in the place where it claims to be. Here's how they're distributed. Region Countries with servers Total server locations North America 3 25 South America 5 6 Europe 29 41 Africa 2 2 Middle East 2 2 Asia 7 8 Oceania 2 6 Total 50 90 Over half the countries with servers are in Europe and over two-thirds of the cities with servers are in either Europe or North America. That lopsided network is a limitation of Mullvad's refusal to use virtual server locations, since its real servers have to be concentrated in nations developed enough to host data centers. With an all-real network, it's easier to tell which servers will give you the fastest performance, but you can't simulate as much of the world as you can with larger services like ExpressVPN . The good news is that there's at least two real server locations on every continent. Mullvad has a surprisingly robust presence in South America and two bare-metal servers in Africa, which is more than some other VPNs have. In the end, though, the best application of Mullvad is to protect the online privacy of users in North America, Europe and eastern Asia. Extra features of Mullvad Most of Mullvad's features are augmentations to the VPN itself, rather than side options that do other things. Some of them are bread-and-butter, like the kill switch and split tunneling, but a few you won't find anywhere else. Note beforehand that Mullvad does not support port forwarding, so if you depend on that for your torrenting, try another VPN. DAITA AI defenses Mullvad's most novel feature is a recent one. DAITA, which stands for D efense against AI -guided T raffic A nalysis, can be toggled on and off in the Mullvad app. According to Mullvad, certain patterns in how browsers communicate with websites can be analyzed by AI to reveal the truth behind encrypted internet history. DAITA hides those packets by filling communications with background noise so the AI won't know what's real. Mullvad's anti-AI settings. Sam Chapman for Engadget DAITA is a laudably forward-looking feature, but as Mullvad itself admits, it will make your browsing speeds slower and drain your battery. I recommend only using it for activities you really want to hide. Quantum resistance Mullvad's desktop apps establish quantum-proof WireGuard tunnels by default. Quantum computing isn't yet a threat to WireGuard, but it may become dangerous in the future, so Mullvad is getting ahead of the problem (along with a few other services like NordVPN ). When quantum resistance is active, Mullvad encapsulates its keys using the current standard mechanism, ML-KEM. Anti-censorship If you find yourself in a country where government censorship makes it hard to access the internet, Mullvad has options that might help. These anti-censorship features can be used to get around firewalls that block visible VPN traffic. You have several options, including changing your WireGuard port, randomizing your port number, disguising your VPN traffic as an ordinary HTTPS connection or using an obfuscated Shadowsocks proxy. Mullvad's anti-censorship involves more features than most VPNs have in this area. This makes it a bit less user-friendly, but a lot more likely to work. If you're new to getting around censorship, Mullvad's help center has a helpful page about using its anti-censor settings. Multihop Many VPNs offer a double-hop connection that routes your traffic through two servers instead of one, adding a redundant layer of encryption in case one server malfunctions. Mullvad pulls ahead of the competition (except Surfshark, which also does this) by allowing you to choose your entry and exit servers. When you activate the multihop option and open the server list, you'll be prompted to pick two locations instead of one. Mullvad's server list with multihop enabled. Sam Chapman for Engadget This means you can select an entry server that's close to you and an exit server in any country whose location you want to spoof, letting you fine-tune your own performance. It's way nicer than being railroaded into certain paths. DNS content blockers Mullvad includes six blocklists that can keep you or your family members from looking at unwanted content: ads, trackers, malware, gambling, adult content and social media. These lists can't be customized like Windscribe's R.O.B.E.R.T. blocks can, so you're limited to just turning them on and off. IPv6 support The internet is gradually transitioning from the old IPv4 standard over to IPv6, which will allow many more addresses to be shared out. Mullvad is one of a few VPNs looking ahead to the IPv6 era. You can leave it to block all IPv6 traffic, but if you do need IPv6 for any reason, you can enable it while still being connected to a Mullvad server. Kill switch and lockdown mode Mullvad comes with two features that protect against unexpectedly losing your VPN defenses. The first is a kill switch, a common VPN option that cuts off internet access if the VPN tunnel ever fails. This simple measure helps guard against accidental leaks. Lockdown mode is the stronger option. While it's active, you will be unable to get on the internet unless you connect to a Mullvad server first. This will remain true if you turn the connection off yourself and even if you quit the app. Split tunneling Split tunneling is available on Mullvad's apps for every system except iOS. It lets you send some apps outside the VPN tunnel so they get online with your normal IP address. It's helpful if you have some apps that don't work with the VPN active this is common with online banking, as an example. Another common application is to protect a torrenting client in the background while using your browser unprotected for better speeds. Mullvad customer support options Mullvad makes two forms of support available in the app. You can report a problem by going to Settings -> Support -> Report a problem, typing your question (requested to be in either English or Swedish, though they'd probably be able to read a question run through Google Translate) and optionally providing your email. You can also view the app's logs at any time, which can be useful to help a technician diagnose your problem. If you'd rather search for a solution at your own pace, you can go to that same page and click FAQs and Guides instead. This opens the help center in a browser. Mullvad's help center, including the dropdown filter menus. Sam Chapman for Engadget I love Mullvad's approach to laying out its FAQs. Instead of crowding topics into five or six categories and making you guess whether your problem falls under setup, usage or troubleshooting, Mullvad gives you a set of dropdown filters to narrow down the articles which might relate to your problem. By the time you've named which device, OS and protocol you're dealing with, you wont have many articles left to sift through. There is an annoying tendency for certain sets of filters to reduce the number of surfaced links to zero, but for those cases, there's a search bar that also works well. The articles themselves are good enough that I referred to them several times while writing this review. Some of them are a bit overlong, but they're diligent about including both internal and external links to get you where you're going fast. Live support experience This is normally where I cover how it feels to get live chat support from the VPN I'm reviewing. However, Mullvad doesn't have live chat support. That's unfortunate, although it's still better than Windscribe's approach of forcing you to banter with a sarcastic robot. Instead, I sent a question via email to Mullvad's support team, and got a response within 24 hours. Mullvad background check Mullvad was founded in 2009 in Sweden. It's still owned and operated by its original founders. According to a detailed timeline on its website, its 16-year history has been as uneventful as any user could ask for, with not much changing except updates to stay on the technological leading edge. The only controversy mentioned in Mullvad's own materials is the 2023 police raid of its headquarters, which (as I covered in the privacy section) only makes them look better. So as not to take Mullvad at its word, I scoured the last 16 years of news items and user reports to search for any other blemishes on its record. Based on that research, I found no reason to doubt Mullvad's honesty about its location, owners or team. I found just one leak that wasn't noted on Mullvad's own site. In 2023, a security research group called ZATAZ alleged that it found anonymized information on Mullvad users saved on an Internet Archive page, including account numbers (linked article is in French). According to ZATAZ, Mullvad contacted the Archive and got the page deleted. To my mind, the only mistake Mullvad made in response to the ZATAZ allegations was not making a public statement about the incident. I can see why they didn't think it was a big deal, since even logging into someone else's Mullvad account wouldn't show you their browsing history, but it's always better to communicate about these things. Final verdict Mullvad is a VPN that knows what it wants to be and achieves that goal with flying colors. It's not trying to be an everything app it does privacy and does it well. That's not to say it has nothing going on outside the VPN itself, as its DNS blockers, AI defenses and split tunneling all work smoothly. But if you want a VPN that's not ashamed to be a VPN, Mullvad is the right choice. Of course, it has its own compromises. It's solidly in the middle of the speed pack and occasionally trips up when unblocking streaming sites. The lack of any protocols other than WireGuard grates on me a bit, since it reduces the user's options for troubleshooting. With all that said, those are minor hiccups on a VPN that does such a thorough job keeping you anonymous online. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/vpn/mullvad-vpn-review-near-total-privacy-with-a-few-sacrifices-130000056.html?src=rss

The 2027 Toyota Highlander is fully electric and has a 320-mile range

Toyota has unveiled the 2027 Highlander, the first fully electric version of the vehicle and the automakers fourth EV in the US. Its also the companys first EV assembled in the country and the first electric model with three rows of seats. The automaker already sells the electric C-HR crossover and the electric bZ SUV in the US. While the 2027 Highlander resembles its predecessors, its lines look sharper and it has broader fenders. In addition, it features flush door handles similar to Teslas, which were designed for aerodynamics but which China recently banned out of safety concerns. The new Highlander will be available in several varieties, specifically in Limited and XLE (Executive Luxury Edition) grades with either front-wheel or all-wheel drive configuration. If you get the Limited edition all-wheel drive with a 95.8 kWh battery, you can get a range of 320 miles on a single charge, based on Toyotas estimates. Take note that range estimates by manufacturers and the EPA could be different from each other. It would be more accurate to compare EPA ranges between vehicles across brands, because they were determined using the agencys testing methodologies. The 2027 Highlander in XLE front wheel drive configuration with a 77 kWh battery has a manufacturer-estimated range of 287 miles. Meanwhile, the all-wheel drive XLE variant comes with either a 77 kWh battery that can power it for 270 miles or a 95.8 kWh battery that has an estimated range of 320 miles, similar to the Limited edition vehicle. The all-wheel drive variants have a total maximum power output of 338 horsepower, whereas the front-wheel models have a power output of 221 hp. All the EVs versions can seat seven, with the third row being able to fold flat if you need it for cargo. They come with heated front seats, but you can also get ventilated and heated second row seats for an additional fee. Toyota will start selling the 2027 Highlander in late 2026, with some regions getting it early next year. The automaker says it will announce pricing for the EV model closer to its release date. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/the-2027-toyota-highlander-is-fully-electric-and-has-a-320-mile-range-115828463.html?src=rss

The best MacBook accessories for 2026

Apples MacBooks dont need much help out of the box, but the right accessories can make a noticeable difference in how you use them day to day. Whether that means adding more ports, creating a cleaner desk setup or making your laptop easier to travel with, theres a growing ecosystem of gear designed to fill in the gaps Apple leaves behind. A good accessory should feel like an extension of your MacBook, not a workaround. The picks below are meant to work smoothly with macOS and todays USB-C-only reality, whether youre using a lightweight MacBook Air or a higher-end MacBook Pro. From practical essentials to quality-of-life upgrades, these accessories are meant to help you get more done without adding unnecessary bulk or friction. Best MacBook accessories for 2026 Best MacBook webcam accessories Best MacBook docking stations and hubs Best MacBook charging gear Best MacBook keyboards and mice Best MacBook stands This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-macbook-accessories-150014737.html?src=rss

The best smart plugs in 2026

Smart plugs arent the most complicated smart home device they really just turn stuff off and on but they do make life a little easier. Since using smart plugs, Ive grown accustomed to having the living room lamps click on just before sunset and go off when I say goodnight to Alexa or the Google Assistant/Gemini (Siri can turn off a few of my lights, but isnt compatible with all of them). Most smart home device makers have a plug or two in their lineups, but finding one thats compatible with your chosen ecosystem, thats easy to set up and reliably connects can involve a little trial and error. Thats why we tried more than a dozen models to find the best smart plugs you can buy right now.. Best smart plugs for 2026 The best outdoor smart plugs for 2026 Most people will likely use outdoor plugs for two things: patio lighting and holiday string lights. The devices are designed for the outdoors with a weatherproof protection rating of IP64 or higher, which means theyre impervious to dust and can handle splashing water from rain and sprinklers. They have a longer Wi-Fi range than indoor plugs, for obvious reasons, and many have dual outlets, with individual control over each one. Setup is the same as for indoor plugs: youll use your phone to help the plug find your Wi-Fi using its companion app. The only tricky part is getting your phone within Bluetooth range of the plug (which it uses to initialize setup) and in Wi-Fi range at the same time. I had to awkwardly stand at a triangulated point in the middle of my driveway to get things communicating properly. Once set up, the plugs will communicate using your router for voice and app control and your phone neednt be anywhere near the plug. Best uses for a smart plug Before you buy one, it helps to know how a smart plug works best. They are designed for things that have an on/off switch, making them great for doing things like turning regular ol lamps into smart lights. If you want a fan to move some air around before you get home, a smart plug can help. You can load a basic coffee maker with grounds and water the night before and wake up to a fresh pot in the morning. And instead of an air purifier running all day, you could set it to just run when youre away. But gadgets that need to be programmed further, or require a stand-by mode, aren't ideal. If you want to control built-in lights, youll need a smart light switch, which are more involved than smart plugs as they can involve in-wall installation. Smart bulbs are also an option for automation, and we have an entire guide devoted to those . Some smart plugs can even monitor how much energy they use and display those figures within their companion app. That might not be much use on its own, as lamps with LED light bulbs consume very little energy, but it could help you keep tabs on your overall energy consumption. What to consider when buying a smart plug Setup and use Adding a smart plug to your home is relatively simple. Youll use the manufacturers app to initially connect, after which you can add the plug to a compatible smart home ecosystem so you can use voice control and other features. Both the brands app and your smart home app will let you name the plug, set schedules and program routines which provide automation for multiple smart devices at once. But as you can guess, a manufacturers app only lets you control products from that brand. If you want whole-home automation, operating, say, a plug from TP-Links Kasa, a smart bulb from Philips Hue, a smart thermostat from Honeywell and a camera from Arlo without switching apps, youll need to use a smart home platform, which means youll need to consider compatibility. Compatibility Smart home devices connect through wireless protocols, often using more than one to communicate with your phone, smart speaker, router and in some cases, one another. The majority of smart plugs use Wi-Fi, but some have recently incorporated Matter , a relatively new wireless standard intended to solve integration issues between different brands and manufacturers, while also improving security and reliability. More of these smart plugs are coming to market and, for now, most Matter devices work via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a low-power mesh network called Thread. Matter requires a controller that stays at home, like a hub or smart speaker, to manage things when youre out and about. As for Bluetooth, most plugs, including all Matter plugs, use the short-range protocol to get the device set up for the first time. Some can continue to run on Bluetooth in the absence of another option, but the connection isnt as reliable and you wont be able to control the plug when youre away from home, or perhaps even just on the other side of the apartment. Because Matter is relatively new, it may be easier to consider the manufacturers system youd use the most. There are four major branded smart home platforms: Amazons Alexa, Google Home, Apples HomeKit and Samsungs SmartThings. The first two work with the widest range of brands and are compatible with both iOS and Android devices. HomeKit not only limits app access to Apple devices, but its also compatible with fewer plugs. You can also turn to open-source software like Home Assistant or go with the larger functionality of IFTTT if you want to, say, have your lights turn off when your Uber arrives. For the purposes of our testing, we stuck with the four big players. Nearly every plug we looked at clearly stated which platforms it works with, both on the packaging and retail product pages. Of course, theres no rule that says you have to stick with one home assistant. You might have an Echo Dot in the basement, a HomePod in the living room and a Google Nest Mini in the kitchen, each controlling any compatible devices. My kid has a great time telling Alexa to turn on a light then asking Google's Gemini to turn it back off. Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget Hubs and smart plugs All of our top picks recommended here dont require a hub and connect directly to your homes Wi-Fi router. That means if you already have wireless internet and a smartphone or tablet, you can quite literally plug and play. The exception is Apples HomeKit. If you want to pair up a compatible plug with that platform, youll need a HomePod speaker, Apple TV or an iPad that stays in your home to enable remote control when youre away. Some smart plugs require a hub regardless of which platform you use. For our guide, we focused on the simplicity (and lower cost) of options that work on their own, but hub-dependent devices may make sense in certain situations. Some companies, like Aqara and Lutron for example, make a vast range of smart home products, adding automatic shades, window sensors, smart locks and air quality monitors to the more traditional cameras and plugs. If youre going all-in on one brand and plan to get a plethora of connected devices, a hub can keep your Wi-Fi network from getting too crowded and provide a more seamless setup with reliable connectivity. Zigbee devices use their own protocol (different from Wi-Fi or Bluetooth) and also requires a hub. Sharing Once a plug is set up with your platform and voice assistant of choice, anyone can control the plug just by talking. If someone else wants to control things with their phone, things get more complicated. Google makes it easiest, allowing you to invite another person just by tapping the + button within the Home app. Whomever you invite will have full access to your connected devices including cameras so this is only for people you trust the most. HomeKit makes it similarly easy to grant app access to someone else, but as with most things Apple, it only works for other iOS users. Amazon only allows you to share access to your Echo, not your connected home devices. Many smart plug manufacturers allow you to share control through their app by inviting another person via email. But this only grants access to devices of that brand. Hopefully as Matter expands, multi-admin features will become more widespread. If you get a new Wi-Fi network Most people will wirelessly connect their smart plugs to their homes Wi-Fi router. Matter, Z-Wave, Thread and other smart home protocols can work over local networks, but for most setups, the signals telling your plugs what to do will be dispatched through your router. If you happen to get a new one (like I did when it became clear my very basic gateway could not handle the number of smart home devices being tested) youll need to take a few steps to get everything reconnected. Depending on the brand, the steps may simply involve using the plugs companion app to update your credentials (network name and password). Or it will require deleting the device in the companion app, doing a factory reset (typically by pressing the onboard button for 10 seconds) and setting up the plug like it's brand new. GE Sync and Emporia plugs allow for a credentials update via their apps, others, like TP-Link Kasa and Meross plugs require deletion and a factory reset to get along with your new network. Amazons smart plug updates automatically after updating the associated Echo device. How we tested the best smart plugs Before I decided which smart plugs to test, we considered brands Engadget staffers have had the best experiences with, both in review capacity and personally. We also checked out other online reviews. I then looked at factors like price, compatibility and relative popularity. Then, I tested about a dozen plugs using their companion apps and the four major smart home ecosystems. With lamps, lights, heaters, fans and more plugged into them, I set schedules, create routines, use voice control and generally live with the devices to evaluate them. I and continue to test good candidates as new models hit the market. Other smart plugs we tested Eve Energy Strip The Eve Energy Strip only works with HomeKit and its a bit more expensive than our pick for a smart strip. But its an exceedingly attractive device complete with an aluminum frame and easy-to-read LED buttons. Those act as both indicators and manual switches for each of the three, individually controlled and nicely spaced plugs. Setup happens through the HomeKit app but after that, you can control the plug (and curiously, many other smart home devices active in your HomeKit profile) through the Eve Energy app. Here, youll be able to create schedules and automations as well as monitor the plugs energy usage. Meross Matter plug (MSS115) I wasnt able to test the Meross Matter plug fully. It requires Wi-Fi splitting, a process thats certainly possible for the average consumer, but more involved than it should be, considering the more than dozen other plugs Ive tested dont require such a step. The plug itself also blocked the other outlet. Meross has an updated version of the Matter device on the way, one that looks to solve both issues and well update this guide accordingly once weve had a chance to test it. Roku Smart Plug Rokus smart home gear is basically Wyze equipment with an app and packaging that are more purple. The Roku smart plug performed just fine with both compatible voice assistants (Alexa and Gemini). The companion app doesnt offer scheduling that revolves around the timing of the sunset in your area, but the plugs go for less than $10 each and if youve got a Roku TV or streaming device set up and want to keep everything on-brand, it could be a fit. Aquara Smart Plug The Aqara plug requires an Aqara hub . In tests, the connectivity was solid and the companion app allowed for useful if/then automations that can rope in other Aqara devices like locks, window shades, cameras and more. The plug also worked well with voice assistants from Amazon, Google and Apple. As a stand-alone plug, however, its tough to recommend the nearly $100 combo to anyone who isnt planning to get a complete Aqara smart home setup. Smart plug FAQs What are the disadvantages of a smart plug? While theyre great when everything is working properly, smart plugs can be frustrating, adding a layer of complication to the simple act of turning on a light, if something goes wrong. For example: If your Wi-Fi goes out, your smart plug wont work. If the smart plug loses its connection to your router, it wont work. If you change your Wi-Fi password or provider, youll have to re-program your smart plugs. If you forget what you named a particular plug during setup, you may be faced with an irritating conversation with your voice assistant. The best way to avoid some of those problems is to get a plug that works reliably, which is one of the features we considered for this guide. How much power does a smart plug draw? Smart plugs dont draw much more power than whatever youre plugging into them. True, they remain on standby to await instructions from your smart assistant or other controller, so theyre always using a small amount of power. But if, for example, you set a light to automatically turn off at night, and that light would otherwise stay on unnecessarily, the smart plug will save far more energy than the watt or two extra that it draws. Do smart plugs use Bluetooth? Some smart plugs use Bluetooth to connect to your phone during setup. After that, most connect to your homes Wi-Fi network. What appliances should not be plugged into a smart plug? Common sense will help you determine what not to plug in. Obviously anything dangerous like power tools should not be plugged into a smart plug. Appliances that require supervision, such as space heaters and curling irons, shouldnt be set to turn on automatically if no one will be around. You also shouldnt bother with anything that needs further programming. Simple on/off appliances like lamps and fans work best. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/best-smart-plug-131542429.html?src=rss

Samsung announces Galaxy S26 series launch: Expected features and price

The South Korean electronics major will focus heavily on Galaxy AI integration to next level in the Galaxy S26 series

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2026: Everything we're expecting from the S26 launch on February 25

Samsungs 2025 was filled with new foldables , an ultra-thin new form factor and the launch of Google's XR platform . After making some announcements at CES 2026 , the company has just announced its first Galaxy Unpacked of the year will take place on February 25, where it is expected to introduce the Galaxy S26 lineup. Official invites have just been shared, but actual information on what devices are arriving then is still unknown. But as usual, we know a lot about whats expected at Unpacked. Engadget will be covering Galaxy Unpacked live, and we'll most likely have hands-on coverage of Samsung's new smartphones soon after they're announced. While we wait for the full details, here's everything we expect Samsung will introduce at the first Galaxy Unpacked event of 2026. When is Unpacked 2026 taking place? According to the official invite that Samsung shared on February 10, Unpacked will happen on February 25, 2026 in San Francisco. The keynote will start at 10AM PT (1PM ET) and be livestreamed on Samsung.com, as well as the companys newsroom and YouTube channel. The announcement on February 10 also said this launch will mark a new phase in the era of AI as intelligence becomes truly personal and adaptive. Its not a lot to go on, since weve heard a version of this from various companies over the last few years, but at least we wont be shocked when we hear more about AI in just about two weeks. Galaxy S26, S26+ and S26 Ultra Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra hands-on photo Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget Samsung's restrained approach to updating its phones will likely continue with the Galaxy S26. Based on leaked images of the new lineup, the company is not expected to radically reinvent the look of the Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26+ or Galaxy S26 Ultra, and instead will stick with a similar design to what it used on the Galaxy S25. The phones will have a flat front screen and frame, with rounded corners and cameras housed in a vertical pill-shaped plateau on the back. Unlike Apple's move from the iPhone 16 Pro to the iPhone 17 Pro , the biggest difference here will likely be internal components like the screens, chips and camera sensors Samsung uses. Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip is expected to be in all Samsung Galaxy S26 phones, though Korean news site Yonhap News reports Samsung's relatively new Exynos 2600 chip could be used in some phones in the lineup depending on the region, a strategy Samsung has deployed in the past. Either way the new phones should be more performant than the previous generation, and in the case of the models with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, particularly good at on-device AI processing. I have compiled the most accurate comprehensive parameter comparison of Galaxy S25, S25+ and Galaxy S26 S26+. Which one do you want to buy? pic.twitter.com/aQpoSvYjOz Ice Universe (@UniverseIce) November 29, 2025 One notable difference between the Galaxy S26 and the Galaxy S25 could be the phone's screen. The new phone will reportedly feature a 6.3-inch FHD+ display according to specs shared by leaker Ice Universe , which makes it ever so slightly larger than the 6.2-inch display used on the Galaxy S25. The S26 will also allegedly come with 12GB of RAM, either 256GB or 512GB of storage and a slightly larger 4,300mAh battery. Samsung isn't changing the cameras on the entry-level phone, though: leaks suggest it'll feature the same 50-megapixel main camera, 12-megapixel ultrawide, 10-megapixel 3x telephoto and 12-megapixel selfie camera as the previous generation. Changes appear to be even more minor on the Galaxy S26+. Other than the new Snapdragon chip, the phone will reportedly feature the same 6.7-inch FHD+ screen, 4,900mAh battery, 12GB of RAM and the same camera array used on the base Galaxy S26. The difference between the Galaxy S26 Ultra and Galaxy S25 Ultra is reportedly a bit clearer. According to Android Headlines , the new phone's cameras will be slightly more raised, and stand out thanks to a new metallic finish. Samsung may also switch back to using an aluminum frame on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, after using titanium frames on both the Galaxy S24 and S25 Ultras. Most importantly, to make the phone actually support Qi2 rather than only technically work with the standard when a case is attached, rumors suggest Samsung will remove the S Pen digitizer layer in the phone and adopt a new method for accepting stylus input. It's not clear what that new method will actually be, but it could let the Galaxy S26 Ultra more easily work with Qi2 accessories without losing its stylus. Android Headlines also recently shared what appear to be full image renders of the S26 series, and they generally line up with what has already been rumored, leaked and reported so far. If these pictures are accurate, they give us a clearer look at the camera bump and two color variants of the S26 Ultra. Fans of magnets may continue to be disappointed by Samsung if the latest rumors are accurate. Despite the launch of the Qi 2 wireless charging standard adding support for convenient magnetic alignment years ago, Samsung has yet to bring that feature to its phones. Though the S-series have the higher speed charging rates that the spec enables, Nieuwemobiel.nl is reporting that, due to images it received of cases with magnetic rings, the S26 series likely wont have built-in magnets. Samsung has made these cases to add the magnetic capability to its S-series in the past, and the existence of the images of these accessories lends weight to the idea that the company will continue this approach. Galaxy Buds 4 Galaxy Buds 3 Pro in case. Engadget Samsung released the Galaxy Buds 3 and 3 Pro in 2024, with a major redesign that brought them much more in line with Apple's AirPods. The Galaxy Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro Samsung is rumored to be announcing soon won't necessarily change that, though they will feature a more compact case and less angular stems, according to leaked images from the Samsung Tips app. Support for head gestures to accept and decline calls, a feature Apple includes on the AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods 4, is also rumored to work on both versions of the new Galaxy Buds. SamMobile reports the Galaxy Buds 4 and 4 Pro may also ship with a new Ultra Wideband chip that will make them easier to find with Google's Find Hub network. Galaxy Z Trifold Yes, the TriFold has a crease, two in fact. But they still don't ruin the experience. Sam Rutherford for Engadget Samsung announced the Galaxy Z TriFold in late 2025 without firm details of when the new smartphone-that-folds-into-a-tablet would be available in North America. That info came on January 27, when the company announced the TriFold would be available in the US on January 30, for a whopping $2,900. Considering weve already seen the device in person at CES 2026 and people are most likely to have had a chance to look at, if not buy the foldable for themselves by the time Unpacked rolls around, we dont expect Samsung to spend too much time dwelling on it, if at all. Galaxy S26 Edge At just 5.8mm thick, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is one of the thinnest smartphones ever made. Sam Rutherford for Engadget When the Galaxy S25 Edge was announced in 2025, it seemed possible that Samsung could replace its Plus smartphone with a unique form factor, just like Apple has opted to do with the iPhone Air . There have been conflicting reports on the matter, but it seems like Samsung will not be doing that with the Galaxy S26 Edge. Instead, the smartphone will reportedly remain another option, much like foldables are for customers not swayed by Samsung's traditional smartphones. The Galaxy S26 Edge is rumored to feature a slightly different design than last year's model, according to Android Headlines , with a large rectangular camera plateau that's reminiscent of Google's Pixel phones, and the raised oval Apple used on the iPhone Air. Beyond that, the phone is also expected to be ever so slightly thinner at 5.5mm than the 5.8mm Galaxy S25 Edge. Bixby and other AI features Samsung already acts as a first place Google can show off new AI features for Android, but the company is reportedly exploring other AI partnerships, too. In June 2025, Bloomberg reported that Samsung was nearing a deal with Perplexity to integrate its AI-powered search engine across OneUI and its homegrown mobile browser. Perplexity already has a deal with Motorola on its Razr phones, so the only thing that would make a deal with Samsung unusual is the close relationship the company already has with Google. The company also accidentally announced a new version of its Bixby AI assistant , which will likely also be integrated with Perplexity and could serve as an alternative to Google Gemini. Both a new Bixby and a deeper integration with Perplexity seem like natural new software features to show off at Galaxy Unpacked. Update, January 27 2026, 11:55AM ET: This story has been updated to reflect the latest news around the Galaxy Z TriFolds price and availability in the US. Update, January 30 2026, 12:45PM ET: This story has been updated to include the latest leaks on the possible dates for Unpacked 2026. Update, February 02 2026, 11:30AM ET: This story has been updated to include the latest leaks with full image renders of the S26 trio of devices. Update, February 03 2026, 11:00AM ET: This story has been updated to include the latest leaks about the possible lack of magnetic support on the S26 series. Update, February 10 2026, 7:15PM ET: This story has been updated to include the official date of Galaxy Unpacked as Samsung announced it today. The intro was also edited to reflect that detail. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/samsung-galaxy-unpacked-2026-everything-were-expecting-from-the-s26-launch-on-february-25-130000524.html?src=rss

Samsung's Galaxy S26 Unpacked event is on February 25

After kicking off CES 2026 with its First Look event , Samsung is ready to announce the first of what should be several new Galaxy smartphones this year. The company is officially hosting a Galaxy Unpacked event on February 25 at 1PM ET, where it'll introduce the Galaxy S26 series and updates to Galaxy AI. Leaks that have trickled out ahead of the event suggest that the Galaxy S26, S26+ and S26 Ultra will feature a new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, and could come with more RAM and storage . Only the Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to include major hardware changes, though, with an updated camera system, and possibly proper support for Qi2 charging. Alongside new smartphones, Samsung is also expected to introduce the Galaxy Buds 4 and 4 Pro , which will reportedly feature a new design, support for head gestures and an Ultra Wideband chip so they're easier to find using Google Find Hub. As in previous years, Samsung has an optional deal for anyone who wants to lock in a discount before the company's new smartphones and accessories are announced. If you reserve Samsung's new devices now , you can receive a $30 credit and be entered to win a $5,000 Samsung.com gift card. When you do pre-order, the company also claims that it'll offer up to an additional $900 in savings if you trade-in a device or $150 off even without a trade-in if you pre-order through Samsung.com. Engadget will have coverage of everything Samsung announces at Galaxy Unpacked right here, but if you want to watch along, you can catch the company's livestream of the event on Samsung's YouTube channel , the Samsung Newsroom page or at Samsung.com . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/samsungs-galaxy-s26-unpacked-event-is-on-february-25-230000375.html?src=rss

The NLRB just gave up on SpaceX workers who claim they were illegally fired

The National Labor Review Board (NLRB) has dropped a case accusing SpaceX of illegally firing eight employees who criticized the company's CEO Elon Musk, The New York Times . The employees were originally fired in 2022 after circulating a letter that referenced reports of Musk's sexual misconduct and called the executive a frequent source of distraction and embarrassment. The NLRB filed a complaint claiming the firing was illegal in 2024. Originally, SpaceX's opposition to the NLRB's case was that the agency is unconstitutional, The New York Times writes. Complaints about the NLRB's independence and power are not uncommon. Amazon has previously claimed that the board's structure violates the separation of powers, a critique the company has made even more recently about the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The NLRB dismissed its SpaceX case following an even more unusual line of argument, though: that regulating SpaceX actually fell under the jurisdiction of the National Mediation Board , the government agency that handles mediation in the airline and railway industries. Because the company will technically let anyone book a space flight with it, and it operates under a license from the Federal Aviation Administration, SpaceX's lawyers argue it should be treated like an airline. According to The New York Times , the National Mediation Board issued a decision affirming that logic in January, and not long after, the NLRB dismissed its SpaceX case using the same line of thinking. Elon Musk and his companies maintain a close relationship with the Trump administration. Musk spent over $250 million to help re-elect President Donald Trump, and he briefly served as a special government employee overseeing budget cuts and layoffs across various government bodies as part of the Department of Government Efficiency. The NLRB gave up its own authority to regulate, rather than it being stripped of funding or employees, but the decision still fits a larger pattern of independent agencies being disempowered during the second Trump administration. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/the-nlrb-just-gave-up-on-spacex-workers-who-claim-they-were-illegally-fired-215332847.html?src=rss

Facebook is offering Meta AI-powered animations for profile photos

Meta has been going all in on AI, whether people want it or not, and now it's bringing more features in that vein to Facebook. The network's latest move is to let people use Meta AI to animate their profile photos. Because what better way to express your individuality than to use a pre-canned AI-generated animation on your own face? Meta AI is also coming for your Facebook Stories and Memories. The network's Restyle lets you use gen-AI to change up the aesthetic of your posts. You can once again use pre-canned stylings or give the AI assistant your own prompt. In the company's own words, the new tools that will create share-worthy moments that spark meaningful interactions and conversations with friends. I guess meaning is in the eye of the beholder. If you're desperate to behold even more AI slop, Meta recently said its Vibes feed of exactly that content will be getting a standalone app . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/facebook-is-offering-meta-ai-powered-animations-for-profile-photos-201022506.html?src=rss

Get two years of Surfshark VPN for up to 87 percent off

If youve been thinking about signing up for a VPN, Surfshark has solid deals on its two-year plans right now. Surfsharks One plan is 87 percent off right now when you pay for two years upfront, plus youll get three extra months free. That comes out to a total of $62 for the first 27 months of access. Weve generally liked Surfshark as a straightforward, speedy service for everyday use, and its one of the picks in our guide to the best VPNs . In our Surfshark review , we found it delivered excellent speeds overall and reliably unblocked Netflix across most of our test servers, which makes this long-term deal worth a look if you want a VPN deal that also includes extras like antivirus, breach alerts and private search. In our Surfshark review , the VPN stood out for its excellent performance and approachable design, especially for people who want strong protection without constantly tweaking settings. During testing, it delivered some of the fastest speeds weve seen from a major VPN, with average download speeds dropping by just over five percent worldwide. Upload speeds also held up well, making it a solid option for streaming, browsing and everyday use. We gave Surfshark an overall score of 87 out of 100 and called it one of the best VPNs for casual users. This deal focuses on the Surfshark One plan, which bundles the VPN with a suite of extra security tools. In addition to the VPN itself, you get Alternative ID for masking your email and personal details, antivirus protection, breach monitoring through Surfshark Alert and a private search engine. It also supports unlimited simultaneous device connections, so you can protect all of your devices with a single subscription. Right now, the Surfshark One plan is discounted by 86 percent, bringing the price down to $67 total for two years plus three extra months. That works out to $2.49 per month for the first 27 months, billed upfront, with a 30-day money-back guarantee if you change your mind. If you want to compare it against other top services before committing, you can also check out our full Surfshark VPN review and our best VPN guide to see how it stacks up. Well be keeping our best VPN deals roundup updated regularly, too. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/get-two-years-of-surfshark-vpn-for-up-to-87-percent-off-123000309.html?src=rss

Sam Bankman-Fried wants a re-trial for fraud charges

Former cryptocurrency poster boy Sam Bankman-Fried is trying to get another chance in court. He has filed a request that for a new trial on claims that new witness testimony could alter the case made against him by prosecutors, according to Bloomberg . His odds for getting the re-trial, where he'd be representing himself, seem pretty slim. This is a separate motion from a formal appeal of his previous conviction. Bankman-Fried is one of many cryptocurrency leaders who have since been prosecuted for fraud. After being jailed for witness tampering , he was found guilty of seven charges of fraud and conspiracy in 2023. Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison for his actions as CEO and co-founder of crypto exchange FTX. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/sam-bankman-fried-wants-a-re-trial-for-fraud-charges-185910093.html?src=rss

Hubble showcases the Egg Nebula in all its dying-star glory

Hubble may no longer be the gold standard , but it can still capture some impressive images. The telescope's latest snapshot is our clearest view yet of the Egg Nebula. Roughly 3,000 light-years away from Earth, the nebula's name is derived from its dense layer of gas and dust cloaking a central star. The new image shows the nebula's four beams of starlight (from that central star) escaping from its gas-and-dust shell. On either side of the disc-like cloud are fast-moving outflows of hot molecular hydrogen. The orange highlights in this image indicate the glow of infrared light. As the beams of starlight stretch out from the center, they illuminate concentric rings of gas. The gass ripple-like pattern suggests it was created by successive bursts from the star, with a little more ejecting every few hundred years. Hubble image of the Egg Nebula. A disc of gas and dust surrounded by beams of light and concentric rings of dust. SA / Hubble & NASA, B. Balick (University of Washington) The Egg Nebula, found in the constellation Cygnus, was first discovered in 1975. Nebulae in this preplanetary phase are rare finds. Since the stage only lasts a few thousand years (and because they're often faint), they're relatively difficult for astronomers to spot. By comparing this new image with previous Hubble snapshots of the Egg Nebula, astronomers can learn more about it and shed more light on its processes. But for the rest of us, it makes for some pretty sweet eye candy, right? This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/hubble-showcases-the-egg-nebula-in-all-its-dying-star-glory-174239769.html?src=rss

Microsoft will start refreshing Secure Boot certificates in March for Windows 11 and Windows 10 ESU users

Get ye to Windows Update, because there's a good chance you've got new Secure Boot certificates to install. Microsoft just announced that it will be refreshing those certificates, which were originally introduced when Secure Boot debuted in 2011, as a security precaution. Secure Boot was a way for Microsoft to protect systems from running unsigned and potentially malicious code before Windows launched. It went on to be an installation requirement for Windows 11 , as well as anti-cheat software used in Valorant, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6/7 and Battlefield 6 . Without the new Secure Boot certificates, Microsoft says your system will still function normally, but it will enter a degraded security state that limits its ability to receive future boot-level protections. Basically, you won't be protected from malware and viruses targeting vulnerabilities in older versions of Windows. As expected, Microsoft also notes that unsupported versions of Windows won't be receiving the new Secure Boot certificates. They're only coming to Windows 11 systems, as well as Windows 10 PCs subscribed to Microsoft's Extended Security Updates . Microsoft says many users will be able to pick up the updated Secure Boot certificates by visiting Windows Update, but a few may need additional firmware updates from their system (or motherboards) OEM. Youll also be able to track the status of your security certificates in the Windows Security app in the coming months. As cryptographic security evolves, certificates and keys must be periodically refreshed to maintain strong protection, Nuno Costa, Partner Director of Windows Servicing and Delivery, wrote in a blog post today . Retiring old certificates and introducing new ones is a standard industry practice that helps prevent aging credentials from becoming a weak point and keeps platforms aligned with modern security expectations. Costa says Microsoft has been working with OEMs like Dell and HP to ensure a smooth transition to the new Secure Boot certificates. Many new systems built in 2024 already have the updated certs, while almost all devices shipped last year have them as well. Microsoft has also been alerting IT customers to this transition since last year. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/microsoft-will-start-refreshing-secure-boot-certificates-in-march-for-windows-11-and-windows-10-esu-users-170000777.html?src=rss

Ayaneo's massive Next 2 handheld has a similarly massive price tag

There appears to be no limit to how chonky and eye-wateringly expensive PC gaming handhelds can get, with the latest behemoth being the Ayaneo Next 2. First announced back in November, the latest Windows handheld in Ayaneos Next lineup is now up for pre-order, with a spec sheet that makes some of its rivals look modest. If you missed the announcement at the end of last year, the Next 2 is packing a 9-inch OLED display with a 2,400 x 1,504 resolution and a maximum refresh rate of 165Hz (adjustable down to 60Hz). The Next 2 is powered by an AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 chip and has a massive 115Mh battery under the hood. To put all of that into perspective, the Next 2s display is more than 1.5 inches larger than the Steam Deck OLEDs , and goes bigger than even the Lenovo Legion Go 2 s 8.8-inch panel. Its battery is the largest of the three by some margin too, and according to Ars Technica it weighs in at around 3.14 pounds (around 1424g), making it more than twice as heavy as the very heavy Xbox ROG Ally X . Get those wrists to the gym if youre considering picking one of these up. Ayaneo is ticking all the boxes where inputs are concerned too. Its latest handheld has dual touchpads (a feature ASUS left out on the ROG Xbox Ally X), Hall Effect sticks, an 8-way D-Pad and four customizable rear buttons. All of this tech inevitably comes at a high price, with the entry-level model that ships with 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage coming in at $1,999, or $1,799 if you take advantage of early bird pricing. This model is equipped with the slightly less capable Ryzen AI Max 385 CPU. If you want the more powerful AI+ 395 chip you have a few options. A variant of the Next II with 64GB of RAM and 1TB of storage costs $2,699, but you can order now at the early bird price of $2,299. For 128GB of RAM and 2TB of storage youll be handing over a slightly hilarious $4,299 at full price. Early birds can order now for $3,499. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/the-ayaneo-next-2-is-a-massive-pc-handheld-with-a-price-tag-to-match-165326534.html?src=rss

US judicial body removes climate research paper after complaints from Republicans

A US judicial body has revised an internal document to remove climate research . The Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence is a document used by judges when they have to oversee cases involving complex scientific matters. The climate science chapter has now been deleted, so they'll be on their own with climate-related cases. This move came after a group of Republican state attorneys wrote a letter to complain about the chapter on climate change. The language in the document, which was authored by researchers from Columbia University, suggests that climate change is driven by the actions of humans. This was a no-go to those state attorneys, despite being an established fact . Nothing is 'independent' or 'impartial' in issuing a document on behalf of Americas judges declaring that only one preferred view is 'within the boundaries of scientifically sound knowledge,' the letter states. It's worth noting that the document is nearly 2,000 pages long and declares preferred views on numerous subjects, though the state attorneys only have an issue with the one. The Republicans also complained that the report called the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change an authoritative science body. The grounds for this complaint seem to derive from a short paper from a Canadian conservative think tank . US court agency pulls climate change from science advisory document https://t.co/2ornJlJN1X Ars Technica (@arstechnica) February 10, 2026 The letter's authors would not settle for any revisions, according to a report by Ars Technica . Rather, they demanded the entire chapter be removed. So it was removed and now judges can rule on climate cases using the tried and true method known as vibes. Interestingly, the introduction of the document by Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan still mentions the climate chapter. They had better break out some correction tape. The full text of the now-deleted chapter has been posted by RealClimate , if you want to give it a gander. More than 99.9 percent of peer-reviewed scientific papers agree that climate change is real and caused by humans . It looks like some segments of society want a judicial system ruled by that remaining 0.01 percent. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/us-judicial-body-removes-climate-research-paper-after-complaints-from-republicans-164829295.html?src=rss

Directive 8020 brings sci-fi survival horror to PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC on May 12

Supermassive Games has announced a new release date for the next entry in the Dark Pictures Anthology series. Directive 8020 is coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Steam on May 12. The studio behind Until Dawn and The Quarry revealed the news with the help of a fresh trailer for the sci-fi survival horror game. The story focuses on the crew of a spaceship that has crash landed onto another world. The survivors have to contend with an alien lifeform that's hunting them and can mimic its prey (no prizes for guessing that Supermassive took inspiration from The Thing here). If these astronauts want to stay alive, though, they'll put the lives of everyone on a dying Earth at risk. As with Supermassive's previous games, Directive 8020 is largely driven by the narrative choices players make at key moments, such as whether to save a crewmate and put the character you're currently controlling at risk, or to abandon them. You might also have to pick between two seemingly identical versions of the same person and let one of them back into the crew. The game has segments in which you'll have to fight or stealthily avoid enemies as well. This time around, Supermassive is introducing a feature called Turning Points, through which you can go back to previous decisions and opt for another path (perhaps to see different endings more easily, keep certain characters alive or make sure you get all the achievements or trophies). A permadeath mode does away with that option for a more traditional survival horror experience. You can go it alone or get some friends to join you for five-player local co-op action the studio's games have long been good fodder for pass-the-controller couch co-op. Supermassive will add online multiplayer support down the line. The developer originally planned to release Directive 8020 in October 2025. However, Supermassive announced last July that it was delaying the game amid its latest round of layoffs. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/directive-8020-brings-sci-fi-survival-horror-to-ps5-xbox-series-xs-and-pc-on-may-12-163358560.html?src=rss

Meta, TikTok and Snap are participating in an online safety ratings system

Numerous major social platforms including Meta, YouTube, TikTok and Snap say they will submit to a new external grading process that scores social platforms on how well they protect adolescent mental health. The program comes from the Mental Health Coalitions Safe Online Standards (SOS) initiative , which comprises about two dozen standards covering areas like platform policy, functionality, governance and transparency, content oversight and more. The SOS initiative is led by Dr. Dan Reidenberg, Managing Director of the National Council for Suicide Prevention. In announcing these companies' participation, the Mental Health Coalition writes SOS establishes clear, user-informed data for how social media, gaming, and digital platforms design products, protect users ages 1319, and address exposure to suicide and self-harm content. Participating companies will voluntarily submit documentation on their policies, tools, and product features, which will be evaluated by an independent panel of global experts. After evaluation, the platforms will be given one of three ratings . The highest achievable safety rating is use carefully, which comes with a blue badge that compliant platforms can display. Despite being the highest rating, the requirements seem fairly run-of-the-mill. The description includes things like reporting tools are accessible and easy to use, and privacy, default and safety functions are clear and easy to set for parents. As for what actions the standards ask of the companies being rated, the use carefully rating says platforms and filters help reduce exposure to harmful or inappropriate content. The other ratings include partial protection which is described in part as some safety tools exist on the platforms, but can be hard to find or use, and does not meet standards which would be given if filters and content moderation do not reliably block harmful or unsafe content. The Mental Health Coalition, founded in 2020, has mentioned Facebook and Meta as partners since the early days of the organization. In 2021 the organization said it would bring together leading mental health experts partner with Facebook and Instagram to destigmatize mental health and connect people to resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022 the nonprofit published a case study with support from Meta that found mental health content on social media can reduce stigma while increasing individuals likelihood to seek resources, therefore positively impacting mental health. In 2024, the MHC in partnership with Meta launched a campaign called the Time Well Spent Challenge . In it, the group urged parents to have meaningful conversations with teens about healthy social media use, focusing less on whether teens should be on these apps at all and more on keeping them on-platform in a time well spent way, from reduced screen time to using social media for good and reviewing their feeds together. That same year it partnered with Meta again to establish Thrive , a program that allows tech companies to share data regarding materials that violate self-harm or suicide content guidelines. The Mental Health Coalition lists Meta as a creative partner on its website. Last year it was alleged that Meta buried internal data showing the ill effects of its products on users' mental health. The internal research, dubbed Project Mercury, began in 2020. Since then the company has introduced some bare-minimum attempts at addressing mental health concerns, such as Instagram teen accounts . Meta is now on trial in California facing allegations over child harm from addictive products, the first in a series of upcoming lawsuits against the social media giant. Other companies participating in the rating program include Roblox, which has recently faced stiff accusations over the wellbeing of children on the platform, and Discord which has beefed up its age-verification processes in response to its own serious child endangerment concerns . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-tiktok-and-snap-are-participating-in-an-online-safety-ratings-system-162921333.html?src=rss

Google's new tool helps you remove non-consensual explicit images from Search

The internet is ripe with horrible violations of people's privacy, including non-consensual explicit images . A new tool from Google won't do much in the way of prevention, but can help you remove this media from Search. Now, you can choose an image and quickly request its deletion. Just click on the three dots that appear on the image. From there, choose remove result and then It shows a sexual image of me. Other choices include the picture shows a person under 18 and that it has your personal information. If you choose the initial option then you will also be asked whether it contains a real image or deepfake . There's also an option to submit multiple photos at once. Google claims that, upon submitting your request, you will immediately see links to emotional and legal support organizations. Plus, you can opt-in to safeguards that filter out similar results in Search though it seems these unreported images will still be available for other users to see. This feature should be available in most countries over the coming days. You can go on Google's Results about you hub to track your request. To use the tool, you will have to add in your personal contact information and government ID numbers. Google already had the hub to track if any of that information appears on Search, but now it will also look for your social security number, drivers license and passport information. The company should notify you if any of that information comes up in Search results and allow you to take removal steps. Results about you's updates should roll out to US users in the coming days. Notably, it arrives as Google shutters its dark web reports . They would alert you if your name, number, or email address appeared on the internet typically because of a data breach. However, Google found it didn't help users take next steps to fix the problem, something these new features will hopefully do. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/googles-new-tool-helps-you-remove-non-consensual-explicit-images-from-search-155352248.html?src=rss

Proton VPN deal: Get up to 70 percent off two-year plans

Proton VPN is running a solid deal right now, dropping its two-year Proton VPN Plus plan to $2.99 per month. That works out to $72 billed upfront for the first 24 months, which represents a 70 percent discount compared to its regular pricing. Weve rated Proton VPN highly thanks to its strong privacy credentials, transparent nonprofit backing and consistently fast performance. Its one of the services we recommend in our guide to the best VPNs , and this deal also shows up alongside other standout offers in our ongoing roundup of the best VPN deals . Its a good option if youre looking to lock in long-term protection at a lower monthly cost. In our Proton VPN review , the service impressed us with consistently fast performance and strong privacy protections. We measured average download speeds at 88 percent of our unprotected connection and upload speeds at 98 percent, which is more than enough for 4K streaming, gaming and torrenting. It also unblocked Netflix in every region we tested, and while its Mac and iOS apps arent quite as polished as the Windows and Android versions, the service is still easy to install and largely set-it-and-forget-it across platforms. We gave Proton VPN a score of 90 out of 100. Proton VPN Plus is the companys premium tier and includes access to its full server network, which now spans more than 15,000 servers across 120-plus countries. A single subscription covers up to 10 devices at once and unlocks features like NetShield ad and malware blocking, Secure Core double hop connections, split tunneling, custom DNS controls and priority customer support. Proton VPN Plus also supports fast P2P traffic on nearly all paid servers and includes VPN Accelerator, which helps maintain high speeds over long-distance connections. Right now, Proton VPN Plus is discounted to $2.99 per month when you commit to two years, billed as $72 upfront for the first 24 months. After that, the plan renews annually at $83.88. Thats a 70 percent discount compared to the standard monthly rate. As with Protons other paid plans, the subscription comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee , so you can try it risk-free if youre not ready to lock in long term. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/proton-vpn-deal-get-up-to-70-percent-off-two-year-plans-123000585.html?src=rss

Elevation Lab's 10-year extended battery case for AirTag is back on sale for $16

If you're an iPhone user who likes to keep tabs on where your stuff is, you can't go far wrong with an AirTag . The second-gen model that Apple just released outpaces the original in every way (aside from the galling lack of a keyring hole, that is). While it's easy enough to replace the battery in both versions of the AirTag, you might not want to have to worry about the device's battery life for a very long time. Enter Elevation Lab's extended battery case for the AirTag, which is currently on sale at Amazon for $16 . The case usually sells for $23, so that's a 30 percent discount. It's not the first time we've seen this deal , but it's a pretty decent one all the same. This is arguably one of the more useful AirTag accessories around for certain use cases. It won't exactly be helpful for an AirTag that you put in a wallet or attach to your keys, as it's too bulky for such a purpose and it doesn't have a hole for a keyring anyway. Still, if you're looking for an AirTag case that you can place in a suitcase or backpack and not have to touch for years, this could be the ticket. Elevation Lab says that, when you place a couple of AA batteries in the case, it can extend the tracker's battery life to as much as 10 years (the brand recommends using Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries for best results). The AirTag is slated to run for over a year on its standard CR2032 button cell. The case gives the AirTag more protection as well. It's sealed with four screws and it has a IP69 waterproof rating. What's more, it doesn't ostensibly look like an AirTag case, so someone who steals an item with one inside is perhaps less likely to realize that the object they pilfered is being tracked. There are some other downsides, though. Since the AirTag is locked inside a case, the sound it emits will be muffled. Elevation Lab says the device's volume will be about two-thirds the level of a case-free AirTag. However, the second-gen AirTag is louder than its predecessor, which should mitigate that issue somewhat. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/elevation-labs-10-year-extended-battery-case-for-airtag-is-back-on-sale-for-16-151215952.html?src=rss

Presidents' Day sales 2026: The best tech deals to shop early from Apple, Sony, Samsung and others

You can find a lot of good deals for Presidents Day, but to say its a tech-deal boon would be an overstatement. The best Presidents Day deals are usually on mattresses, appliances and furniture, but you can find some decent tech sales thrown in as well. This year, Presidents Day comes right after Valentines Day and Super Bowl 2026, which means there are even more chances to save as sales and discounts overlap. If youre looking for a new streaming device, a fresh iPad or an upgraded vacuum so you can enter the spring-cleaning season properly, we have you covered. These are the best President Day sales on tech we could find this year. Presidents Day deals under $50 Disney+ and Hulu bundle (one month) for $10 ($3 off) : You can get one month of Disney+ and Hulu access for only $10 right now. That represents a small savings over the standard $13-per-month price for the bundle, but a 58-percent discount when you compare it to the price of paying for both services separately. Its a good way to test out the bundle without paying too much before you decide if you want to subscribe for the long haul. Elevation Lab 10-year extended battery case for AirTag for $16 (30 percent off) : This handy AirTag holder uses two AA batteries to extend the lifetime of Apples Bluetooth tracker to a whopping 10 years, so you dont have to bother with replacing its built-in battery for a long time. It works with both first- and second-gen AirTags . Anker Nano 45W USB-C charger for $30 ($10 off) : Ankers latest 45W charger has a small smart display on it that can show you real-time charging stats. Its compact design is great for travel, as are its foldable prongs. Blink Mini 2K+ 2 cameras for $45 (50 percent off) : Blinks latest plug-in security cameras support 2K video and improved audio quality. Like previous versions, these cameras have two-way talk, motion alerts and support for Alexa voice commands. Anker Nano 5K ultra-slim magnetic power bank for $46 (16 percent off) : This Qi2 power bank measures less than a half inch thick and snaps onto the backs of the latest iPhones for wireless charging. Its 5K capacity will be enough to top up your phone when its close to empty, preventing you from searching for a charger or outlet. Presidents Day deals on Apple devices Apple iPhone Air MagSafe battery pack for $79 (20 percent off) : This magnetic power bank will add up to 65 percent additional battery charge to the iPhone Air, but note that it only works with Apples new, ultra-slim smartphone. Weve tested plenty of others that also work with other iPhone and smartphone models. Apple Magic Mouse for $68 (14 percent off) : Apples sleek wireless mouse has a multi-touch surface that supports gesture control, and its battery should last about a month in between charges. And yes, it has a USB-C port. Apple Watch Series 11 for $299 ($100 off) : The latest flagship Apple Watch has excellent performance, a boosted battery life and a lightweight design that you can comfortably wear all day long and even into the night to track sleep. iPad mini (A17 Pro ) for $399 ($100 off) : The updated iPad mini runs on the A17 Pro chip for improved performance, plus it has an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display, a 12MP ultra wide camera with Center Stage, USB-C charging and compatibility with the Apple Pencil Pro. Beats Studio Pro for $170 (51 percent off) : Beats updated these cans to have improved sound quality, and you can really hear the difference from models that came before it. These headphones also have solid Transparency mode, good voice performance and USB-C audio. Beats Solo 4 headphones for $130 (35 percent off) : These on-ear headphones support spatial audio and dynamic head tracking, and they have up to 50 hours of battery life. The fast fuel feature allows them to get up to five hours of playback time with just a quick 10-minute power-up. Beats Studio Buds+ for $100 (41 percent off) : These tiny buds have both active noise cancellation and transparency mode, and theyll work just as well with either Apple or Android devices. More Presidents Day deals on tech Waterpik cordless rechargeable water flosser for $40 (20 percent off) Ring Battery Doorbell for $60 (40 percent off) Logitech MX Master 3S for $80 (20 percent off) Levoit Core 300-P air purifier for $85 (15 percent off) Shark Steam & Scrub steam mop for $125 (22 percent off) Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 earbuds for $179 (22 percent off) Sonos Beam Gen 2 soundbar for $369 ($130 off) Hisense 75-inch QD7 Mini-LED 4K smart TV for $548 (16 percent off) DJI Mini 3 Fly More Combo drone bundle for $575 (20 percent off) Google Pixel 10 Pro for $899 (18 percent off) Sony 55-inch Bravia XR8B 4K smart TV for $998 (9 percent off) This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/presidents-day-sales-2026-the-best-tech-deals-to-shop-early-from-apple-sony-samsung-and-others-163000034.html?src=rss

ASUS Zenbook Duo (2026) review: Two screens really are better than one

It takes time for novel designs to catch on. But even so, I am still wondering why the Zenbook Duo hasn't had a bigger impact on the market after ASUS released its first true dual-screen laptop two years ago . Notebooks like these provide the kind of screen space you'd typically only get from a dual monitor setup, but in a much more compact form factor that you can easily take on the road. It could be that people were wary of an unfamiliar design, shorter battery life or buying a first-gen product all of which are understandable concerns. However, now that ASUS has given the ZenBook Duo a total redesign for 2026, the company has addressed practically all of those barriers to entry while making it an even more convincing machine for anyone who could use more display space. Which, in my experience, is pretty much everyone. Editors note: The 2026 ASUS Zenbook Duo is expected to be available for pre-order sometime in late February, with general availability slated for March. Design For the new model, ASUS didn't mess with the laptop's basic layout too much. Instead, the company polished and tightened everything up, resulting in a system that weighs about the same (3.6 pounds) while reducing its overall size (12.1 x 8.2 x 0.77 to 0.92 inches) by five percent. Critically, you still get a built-in kickstand on the bottom and a detachable keyboard that you move wherever you want. Theres also a decent number of ports, including two USB-C with Thunderbolt 4, one USB-A 3.2 jack, HDMI 2.1 and a combo audio port. That said, I do wish ASUS had found room for an SD card reader of some kind, though given the Zenbook Duo's unique design, I get why that didn't make it. The Zenbook Duo's detachable keyboard gives users a ton of flexibility when it comes to utilizing both of the laptop's displays. Sam Rutherford for Engadget One of the Zenbook Duo's most important design upgrades is a new hideaway hinge that reduces the gap between the laptop's two screens. Not only does this make the laptop easier and more pleasant to use in dual-screen mode, it also allows the entire system to lay flat on a table, which is nice for drawing or sharing your screen with someone sitting opposite you. Unfortunately, while my review unit didnt come with one, ASUS says its forthcoming Pen 3.0 will come bundled with the Zenbook Duo in the US, so you wont need to pay extra for it. Another small but appreciated improvement is the new pogo pins below the lower display, which provides a more secure and reliable way of keeping the laptop's detachable keyboard topped up. In my experience, even after running multiple rundown tests that completely drained the Duo's battery, I never had to charge up the keyboard on its own. It was always smart enough to sip electricity from the main system in the background, though it also has a built-in USB-C port for power just in case. On the flipside, if you're not scared of typing on glass, you can still use the lower screen as a keyboard and touchpad, or as a place to display widgets for news, the weather, performance and more. Displays As someone who loves a desktop with dual monitors, I can't overstate how nice it is to have similar built-in functionality on a laptop. Sam Rutherford for Engadget The standout feature on the Zenbook Duo continues to be its dual displays, and now for 2026, they look better than ever. Both OLED panels have a 144Hz refresh rate with a 2,880 x 1,800 resolution while also covering 100 percent of the DCI-P3 spectrum. And while its nominal brightness of 500 nits for SDR content is just OK, ASUS makes up for that with peaks of up to 1,000 nits in HDR. And to make both screens even more enjoyable, ASUS managed to shrink the size of their bezels down to just 8.28mm. That's a reduction of 70 percent compared to the previous model, so now there's even less getting in the way of you utilizing these screens to their fullest. Performance The Zenbook Duo can be configured with a range of new Intel Core Ultra 7 and Core Ultra 9 processors, including the X9 388H chip used on our review unit. For general use and productivity, the laptop is super smooth and responsive, though that shouldn't be a surprise coming from Intel's latest top-of-the-line mobile CPU. However, for those seeking max performance, some of the benchmark numbers aren't quite as impressive as you might expect. Thats because ASUS has limited the Duo's TDP (thermal design power) to 45 watts which is shy of the chip's 80-watt turbo power limit. The kickstand in back adds a bit a bulk, but it's better than not having one at all like with Lenovo's Yoga Book. Sam Rutherford for Engadget In PCMark 10, the Zenbook Duo only managed a score of 7,153 compared to 9,651 from a Dell XPS 14, despite the latter having a lower-tier Intel Core Ultra X7 358H processor. That said, in other tests like Geekbench 6, the Duo had no trouble staying on top with a multicore score of 17,095 versus 9,651 for the Dell. Another pleasant surprise is that because the Duo's chip comes with Intel's upgraded Arc B390 integrated GPU, this thing has plenty of oomph to game on, let alone edit videos or other similar tasks. In Elden Ring at 1,920 x 1,200, the Zenbook maintained a relatively stable framerate between 55 and 60 fps on high settings, which is great considering this thing doesn't have discrete graphics. This means as long as you don't mind fiddling with game options a bit, you should be able to play newer AAA games without too much trouble. Battery life The left side of the Zenbook Duo features a full-size HDMI connector along with a USB-C port, plus a backup USB-C jack for charging the detachable keyboard. Sam Rutherford for Engadget You'd think a laptop with two displays would be super power hungry. However, by increasing the capacity of its cell from 75WHrs to 99WHrs, ASUS has made the Zenbook Duo's endurance (or lack thereof) a complete non-issue. On PCMark 10's Modern Office rundown test, the laptop lasted 18 hours and 33 minutes in single-screen mode. Granted, that's nearly four hours less than what we got from MSI's Prestige 14 Flip AI+ , but considering that's the longest-lasting notebook we've ever tested, I'm not bothered. When compared to ASUS' own Zenbook A14 (18:16), things are basically a wash, which I think is a win for the Duo, as the A14 is meant to be an ultralight system with an emphasis on portability and longevity. Obviously, battery life takes a hit when you're using both displays. However, when I re-ran our battery test with its two displays turned on, the Duo still impressed with a time of 14:23. This is more than enough to give you the confidence to set this thing up in dual-screen mode even when an outlet isn't close at hand. Thankfully, for times when you do need a power adapter, the charging brick on ASUS' cable is rather compact, so it's not a chore to lug it around. Wrap-up The Zenbook Duo's battery life is good enough you won't always need its power brick. Thankfully, when you do, ASUS' 100-watt adapter is relatively compact. Sam Rutherford for Engadget I'm a believer that one day people will eventually embrace typing on screens with laptops just like they have for smartphones. However, even if you're not willing to make that jump just yet, the Zenbook Duo still has all of its bases covered. Its detachable keyboard gives you a pleasant experience while freeing up the bottom of the notebook to be a second display. This allows you to have something similar to a traditional dual-monitor desktop but in a chassis that you can easily take on the road without any major compromises. The 2026 Zenbook Duo combines a compact design with strong performance, plenty of ports and surprisingly good battery life. Sure, it's a touch heavier than a typical 14-inch laptop, but its two screens more than make up for a little added weight and thickness. That leaves price as the Duo's remaining drawback, and starting at $2,100 (or $2,300 as reviewed), it certainly isn't cheap. However, when you consider that a similarly equipped rival like a Dell XPS 14 costs just $50 less for a single screen, that price difference is rather negligible. Alternatively, if you opt for a more affordable ultraportable and then tack on a decent third-party portable monitor , you're still likely looking at a package that costs between $1,500 and $1,800. Plus, that setup is significantly bulkier and more annoying to carry around. So while the Zenbook Duo might be an unconventional pick right now, it has all the tools to deliver unmatched portable productivity and I dont think it will be too much longer until the masses catch on. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/asus-zenbook-duo-2026-review-two-screens-really-are-better-than-one-140000982.html?src=rss