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Cable giants Cox and Charter agree to $34 billion merger

Two of the largest cable companies in the US are intent on merging. Charter Communications’ proposed acquisition of Cox Communications — the largest division of Cox Enterprises — will value the former at over $34 billion inclusive of debt.
In Cox Communications, the Cox family, which acquired its first cable business in 1962, already operates the largest private broadband company in America, supplying homes in more than 30 states, and it will be the majority shareholder in the acquisition with a stake of around 23 percent. In a press release, Charter said it will inherit Cox Communications’ commercial fiber and managed IT and cloud businesses, while Cox Communications' residential cable business will move to Charter’s Charter Holdings subsidiary.
"Cox and Charter have been innovators in connectivity and entertainment services – with decades of work and hundreds of billions of dollars invested to build, upgrade, and expand our complementary regional networks to provide high-quality internet, video, voice and mobile services," said Chris Winfrey, President and CEO of Charter. "This combination will augment our ability to innovate and provide high-quality, competitively priced products, delivered with outstanding customer service, to millions of homes and businesses."
The new combined company will continue to operate its cable, broadband and mobile consumer businesses under Charter’s Spectrum brand, and said it will offer existing customers the choice to stick with their current plans or pay less for new bundled services it intends to offer.
Of course, such mega-mergers are rarely cut and dried. Rivals, like Comcast, might attempt to scuttle the deal, while government antitrust enforcers may also not allow the transaction to go through.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/cable-giants-cox-and-charter-agree-to-34-billion-merger-140652859.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/cable-giants-cox-and-charter-agree-to-34-billion-merger-140652859.html?src=rss

Remastered Eldritch terror, a fantasy life sim and other new indie games worth checking out

Indie games! They're rad, aren't they? We're keeping closer tabs on what's going on in that scene with our new weekly roundup. We've got a jam-packed edition for you this time with a little something for everyone, from lo-fi horror and Eldritch terror to cosy train dioramas and a vaporwave driving game. 
Before we get started, a quick word on a recent game I enjoyed. Idle games aren't usually my kind of thing — I'd rather be actively doing things — but one I spotted on Itch.io offered some temporary respite from a virus I was dealing with. The DvD idle game from Cybo3D is all about watching a version of the classic DVD logo bouncing around your screen, buying upgrades and seeing numbers go up. Pleasantly relaxing stuff. I swear I even saw the logo go exactly into the corner a few times.
New releases

The Sinking City has a history that's even odder than some of the Eldritch horrors that lie within. Now, developer Frogwares has remastered its self-published detective thriller in Unreal Engine 5 for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Existing owners get a free upgrade to The Sinking City Remastered, which Frogwares shadow dropped this week. Along with 4K textures, lighting upgrades and support for upscaling tech, there are quality-of-life enhancements, accessibility improvements and a photo mode.

Free-to-play fantasy adventure life sim Palia (which is what you might get if you smushed together Animal Crossing and World of Warcraft) landed on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S this week. It's been out on PC and Switch since 2023. There's a new free expansion for all platforms too.

If you've ever looked at a Grand Theft Auto game and been mildly interested before deciding a life of virtual crime is not for you, then The Precinct might be up your alley. In this action sandbox title from developer Fallen Tree Games and publisher Kwalee, you'll play as a rookie officer who tries to restore order in his city while trying to solve his father’s murder. How very '80s!
Reviews have been mixed, but the art style is compelling and the isometric perspective with twin-stick controls make for an intriguing wrinkle. The Precinct is out now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
Upcoming

Copycat, the debut game from the small team at Spoonful of Wonder, is another strong entry in the cat game canon. You play as a kitty who an elderly lady adopts from a shelter. Needless to say, things don't entirely go smoothly. 
I enjoyed Copycat — which debuted on PC last year — and its short but affecting story. The game has already sold over 50,000 copies and it's now set to find a new audience. Copycat is coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on May 29 for $15.

Folks who like last year's very good and creepy walking sim Pools but yearn for more intensity from their liminal space horror might be interested in Backrooms Level X. This one is a mazy first-person survival game that has puzzles, "oppressive soundscapes" and things watching from the shadows. Backrooms Level X, from publisher Firenut Games and solo developer José Manuel Conesa Hernández, will hit Steam on May 29 and consoles at a later date.

Okay, maybe horror's not your thing. Totally understandable. Perhaps what you'd rather do is chill out and build little railway dioramas without being beholden to timers or rules. 
You can do just that in Islands & Trains, from developers Akos Makovics and Fabi Smith and publisher Future Friends Games. It's rolling onto Steam on May 29.

It's probably a little (okay, a lot) because of the laidback synthwave tune that soundtracks the trailer, but I'm into the whole aesthetic of Adrift. This is a "chill, offroad driving game" and it's the first title from both car mechanic turned game developer Stefan Kwak and co-publisher Secret Sauce. 
Your goal is to transport a fragile energy core across an '80s-inspired, vaporwave landscape. Adrift is coming to Steam later this year and you can check out a demo now.

How about another Steam demo? One just dropped for Flick Shot Rogues from three-person studio Butter by the Fish and publisher Noodlecake. Turn-based tactics games usually aren't my cup of tea, but the gameplay here reminds me a bit of Subpar Pool, a game I love very much. 
In this roguelike, you flick your character across the screen to damage opponents (or evade their attacks) and try to pull off combo moves. Getting the angles just right is as important as piecing together effective builds.
I fired up the demo and suddenly 50 minutes had vanished as my first run ended. Yep, I'm liking what Flick Shot Rogues is putting down. I can see myself sinking dozens of hours into this one after it lands on Steam later this year.

An open beta for Splitgate 2, the followup to the Portal-with-guns multiplayer arena shooter, starts on May 22. You'll be able to hop in on Steam, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. 
A new trailer shows off the map creator tool, The Lab. You can build maps with up to 15 of your friends in real-time collaboration.

I'm sure plenty of folks who are into miniature wargaming and other types of tabletop games have wondered what it might be like to run their own store that sells such wares. And hey, guess what? You'll be able to get a taste of that in Tabletop Game Shop Sim from Knight Fever Games. 
You'll do everything from deciding on the layout and managing finances to hosting game nights and playing with customers. This one's coming to Steam in 2025.

Let's close things out on another cozy note. We love a chill puzzle game around here and Umami might just fit the bill. The idea here is to fit wooden blocks together to create dioramas of food towers. This 3D puzzler from Mimmox will hit Steam later this year. A demo will be available during the Steam Next Fest in mid-June.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/remastered-eldritch-terror-a-fantasy-life-sim-and-other-new-indie-games-worth-checking-out-110015794.html?src=rss

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How to watch Google I/O 2025

It's still May, which means it's still Google time. After showing off Android's new look at The Android Show, the company still has its developer conference to check off the list. Google I/O 2025 is scheduled to start on May 20 at 1PM ET / 10AM PT, and Engadget will be covering it live, via a liveblog and on-the-ground reporting from our very own Karissa Bell.
Google included some Gemini news in The Android Show — the AI is coming to Wear OS, Android Auto and Google TV — but artificial intelligence should still be the focus of the company's upcoming keynote. too. Expect news about how Google is using AI in search to be featured prominently, along with some other surprises, like the possible debut of an AI-powered Pinterest alternative.

The company made it clear during its Android showcase that Android XR, its mixed reality platform, will also be featured during I/O. That could include the mixed reality headset Google and Samsung are collaborating on, or, as teased at the end of The Android Show, smart glasses with Google's Project Astra built-in.
To find out for yourself, you can watch Google's keynote in the embedded livestream above or on the company's YouTube channel. The event starts at 1PM ET on May 20 and the company plans to hold breakout sessions through May 21 on a variety of different topics relevant to developers. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/how-to-watch-google-io-2025-214622457.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/how-to-watch-google-io-2025-214622457.html?src=rss

Bungie admits its Marathon alpha included stolen artwork

The bright, glitched-out, typography-forward look of Bungie's upcoming extraction shooter Marathon is one of its defining features. As it turns out, it's also partially plagiarized, according to posts shared on the official Marathon X account. The announcement comes after artist Fern Hook, who goes by @4nt1r34l on X, initially accused Bungie of using in-game textures that looked similar to her original artwork on May 15.
"Bungie is of course not obligated to hire me when making a game that draws overwhelmingly from the same design language I have refined for the last decade," Hook wrote on X, "but clearly my work was good enough to pillage for ideas and plaster all over their game without pay or attribution." 
the Marathon alpha released recently and its environments are covered with assets lifted from poster designs i made in 2017.@Bungie @josephacross pic.twitter.com/0Csbo48Jgb— N² (@4nt1r34l) May 15, 2025

Hook's posts are fairly damning, identifying obvious areas in Marathon's alpha map that feature only lightly altered versions of her original work. She became aware of the issue when the alpha originally launched in April 2025, according to The Washington Post, but kept quiet until now because she was advised to seek legal action. Hook ultimately decided to post about the issue because she doesn't "have enough time or money to fly out to the US to pursue an unwinnable court case against Sony."
Bungie's statement claims that "a former Bungie artist" included Hook's art in a texture sheet without the rest of the art team's knowledge. The company is "conducting a thorough review of [its] in-game assets" and has also reached out to Hook to "discuss the issue" further.
As Eurogamer notes, this isn't the first time Bungie has been accused of lifting the work of other artists. The developer was accused of doing the same thing multiple times during the development of Destiny 2 and its various expansions.
Since the game is still in development, it's not clear how or if Bungie will change Marathon to address Hook's complaint, but the developer has until September 23 to do it. That's when Marathon is supposed to launch on PlayStation 5, PC and Xbox Series X/S.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/bungie-admits-its-marathon-alpha-included-stolen-artwork-210006323.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/bungie-admits-its-marathon-alpha-included-stolen-artwork-210006323.html?src=rss

Meta is trying to get its antitrust case thrown out in the middle of the trial

The FTC just rested its case following weeks of testimony in a landmark antitrust case against Meta. But before Meta can begin its defense, the company's lawyers have opted for another move: asking the judge to throw out the case entirely.
The company filed a motion on Thursday asking US District judge James Boasberg to toss out the FTC's case, arguing that the regulator has not proved that Meta acted anticompetitively. "Meta has made two promising mobile apps with uncertain prospect: two of the most successful apps in the world, enjoyed by approximately half of the planet's population (including hundreds of millions of U.S. consumers) on demand, in unlimited quantities, all for free," the filing says, "The FTC has not carried its burden to prove that Meta 'is currently violating the antitrust laws.'"
The company's reasoning is similar to past arguments it's made about the FTC's case. Meta has said that Instagram and WhatsApp were able to grow to one-billion-user services because of the company's investments. The company also takes issue with the FTC's claim that there is a lack of competition for "personal social networking services." (The FTC has argued that Meta's only competitors for social networking are Snapchat and MeWe, a small privacy-focused social app that runs on decentralized protocols.)
So far, the month-long trial has seen a number of prominent current and former Meta executives take the stand, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg, former COO Sheryl Sandberg and Instagram cofounder Kevin Systrom. Their testimony has revealed new details about the inner workings of the social media company and its tactics to stay ahead of potential competitors.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/meta-is-trying-to-get-its-antitrust-case-thrown-out-in-the-middle-of-the-trial-204656979.html?src=rss

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Computex 2025: How to watch NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang deliver the opening keynote

Computex 2025 is kicking off in a few days, and it’s sure to bring a ton of announcements about the latest chips, laptops, gaming devices and more from leading brands. The event in Taipei will kick off on Monday, May 19 with a keynote at the Taipei Music Center from NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang. There will be a livestream for anyone not attending in person, so you can watch along right here (see NVIDIA YouTube stream embedded below). 

Huang’s keynote is scheduled for 11PM ET/ 8PM PT on May 18 (11AM on May 19 in Taiwan Time), and we can expect to hear all about the company's developments in the AI space. It’ll be followed that same day by a keynote from Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon. Computex this year will, perhaps unsurprisingly, focus heavily on AI, with the overall theme being "AI Next." It’ll also highlight products in three categories: AI & Robotics, Next-Gen Tech and Future Mobility. 
Huang's appearance in Taipei comes on the heels of participating in President Trump's tour of Middle East nations, during which NVIDIA inked deals with Saudi and UAE-linked tech firms to sell its AI chips.  
An estimated 1,400 exhibitors will be in attendance at Computex, including ASUS, Acer and AMD, all of which have previously made big announcements at the annual expo. In fact, as of Friday (May 16), Acer has already gotten a jump on the others by making some announcements for the show, including the new Swift Edge AI laptop and five gaming monitors. Our senior reviewer Sam Rutherford has also managed to get his hands on the new Acer Predator Triton 14 AI, and he liked it so much he called it his new "most anticipated gaming laptop of the year."
Computex 2025 will run from May 20 to May 23, and we expect even more PC news in the next few days.
Update, May 15, 1:50PM ET: Added YouTube embed, and details on Jensen Huang's recent travels. 
Update, May 16, 4:45PM ET: Added details on Acer's Computex announcements, which were unveiled today. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/computex-2025-how-to-watch-nvidia-ceo-jensen-huang-deliver-the-opening-keynote-205326621.html?src=rss

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The FDA clears the first blood test for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease

There's a new way to screen for early detection of Alzheimer's disease. On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared the first blood test for the disorder. Fujirebio Diagnostics' Lumipulse measures the ratio of two proteins that correlate with the presence or absence of Alzheimer's. Previously, patients being screened for Alzheimer's were limited to more invasive options: a PET Scan or spinal tap.
Lumipulse is intended for use in clinical settings with patients exhibiting signs of cognitive decline. At least in its current form, it isn't something the general population can ask for as a standard screening.
The test works by measuring two proteins: pTau217 and β-amyloid 1-42. The blood test calculates their ratio, which correlates with the buildup of amyloid plaques in the brain. People with Alzheimer's have elevated pTau217 and lower β-amyloid 1-42.
In a clinical study, the test performed better with negative results than positive ones. As such, Reuters reports that the test will likely be used initially to rule out Alzheimer's. Over 97 percent of negative results corresponded with a negative PET scan or CSF test result. Results for positives were a bit lower: a 91.7 percent correlation. So, positive results will need to be confirmed with more advanced diagnostic tests.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/the-fda-clears-the-first-blood-test-for-diagnosing-alzheimers-disease-201209676.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/science/the-fda-clears-the-first-blood-test-for-diagnosing-alzheimers-disease-201209676.html?src=rss

Ask Engadget: How do I answer calls on my iPhone with only my voice?

Last August, my best friend asked me how she could help her neighbor set her iPhone so she could answer it without picking it up. The neighbor had Multiple Sclerosis (MS), and had lost dexterity in both hands over time. Some Google searches revealed I was far from alone in my confusion. So I asked Apple for some advice. Here’s what I said:
Q: “My friend has advanced MS and has some (very little) control of one of her hands. She can't really swipe a screen or tap buttons. She wants it so that when she receives a call, she can just ask Siri or tell her iPhone to answer or reject it. But based on my research, the only way that's possible is if a user has AirPods or Apple Watch connected, so Siri can announce incoming calls and listen for commands like "Answer" or "Dismiss."
I also looked in the accessibility settings for Voice Control and there's a way to answer all incoming calls after a set amount of time. But due to privacy concerns and spam calls, that's not an ideal solution.
I was wondering if you knew any way for incoming calls to be answered with a voice command?”
A: Apple did respond, but unfortunately the solution is… complicated. I’ll lay out the steps on how to use your iPhone with Voice Control first, since that does provide a somewhat effective workaround. But you should read past the steps for some of the caveats.

How to use Voice Control on iPhone to answer calls
Before we get started, make sure your phone is running iOS 13 or later. You can also use Voice Control on iPads or iPod Touch (if you still have one). When setting up Voice Control, make sure you’re connected to the internet to download the necessary files, and Apple recommends you connect to Wi-Fi before you turn on Voice Control to use it for the first time. When all that is done, proceed with the following steps.

Open the Settings app and find the Accessibility settings. This is in the second group of options just below “General.” You can also just search for “Accessibility.”
Select “Voice Control,” which is listed in the “Physical and motion” section.
Turn on Voice Control by tapping or sliding the toggle next to it, and, in some cases, wait for the download to finish. If you’ve enabled Voice Control before, you can also just ask Siri to “Turn on voice control.”
Once the feature is on, you’ll see little numbers floating around your screen, next to key elements. Your microphone is now on and your iPhone is listening for your commands.
Read out the number next to what you want to trigger. If you’ve been following this guide, you can say “one” to go back to the Accessibility settings menu.
Say “Show me what to say” for a detailed list of things you can do. You can use commands like “Swipe down” or “Move down” to scroll through pages. Just remember that “Swipe up” will scroll down and “Swipe down” will scroll up. The system will continue to recognize your touch inputs, too.
When a call comes in, read out the number next to the answer option. From the lock screen, that was the number “five” in my experience. When my phone was unlocked, the number to accept the call was “six,” while “five” would decline it.

Voice Control isn't perfect
As you can see from that seventh step, Voice Control is complicated. You’ll need to be within view of your screen to see the labels, and saying the wrong number can cause you to hang up a call by accident. You can say "Show Names" to display words instead of numbers in the labels, but know that in this case you'll need to add "Tap" before each label to press it. That means when a call comes in, you can say "Tap Answer" or the label corresponding to the action you want. 
I want to point out that the numerical labels don’t consistently appear in all apps (the search bar at the top of chats in WhatsApp, for example, doesn’t have a number attached to it in my experience). Occasionally, the names in the labels are also oddly chosen, like how the word attached to my widget for my self-care app was just "Image." It also takes time to build familiarity with Voice Control and learn all the available actions. 
I also found the system to be sluggish, and it sometimes took a noticeable delay before a command like "Swipe left" was registered and carried out. On my first few attempts, I thought my iPhone didn't hear me and repeated the instruction, only for it to swipe through two pages instead. I'm using an iPhone 16 Pro, which is Apple's latest flagship, so it's not like I'm on an older, slower device, either.
While we were able to achieve a semi-effective approach with the Voice Control workaround, it didn’t really solve my friend’s neighbor’s problem.
How to answer or decline calls with Siri
In researching this guide, I've found that either there is now a way to answer calls with Siri or there was always one that I had missed in August of 2024. Regardless, I was able to test it today in a few different scenarios and while it's certainly more convenient, it's not without its limitations. 

Go to Siri Settings in your phone. You can find this by searching for "Siri" in your Settings app or just scrolling till you see "Siri" or "Apple Intelligence & Siri."
Make sure the setting to allow your iPhone to listen for "Siri" or "Hey Siri" is on. If you're running the latest version of iOS on an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro, this would be Talk & Type to Siri > "Hey Siri" or "Siri" or "Hey Siri" (whichever you prefer, as long as it's not "Off"). On older iPhones or versions of iOS, it would be Talk to Siri > "Hey Siri" or "Siri" or "Hey Siri"
Turn on "Call Hang Up" if you want to be able to end a call with a voice command during the conversation. Otherwise, you'll have to wait for the other party to hang up. Note: Call hang up only works on phone and FaceTime calls, not on those via third-party apps like WhatsApp or Telegram.
When a call comes in, say "Siri, answer" or "Hey Siri, answer" to accept. Say "Siri, decline the call" to reject it. In my testing, "Siri, decline" did not work, but "Siri, decline the call" did. 

I was able to use this method to answer calls not only through phone or FaceTime, but via third-party apps too. I enabled "Announce calls," setting it to do so "Always" rather than only when headphones or CarPlay were connected. But I never saw or heard alerts when a call came, besides the actual ringing. When I asked my friend about using this method with their neighbor, they mentioned that her speech was so affected at that point that Siri wouldn't always recognize what she was saying.
Accessibility in tech has improved, but needs to get even better
Sadly, that neighbor had passed away before we were able to resolve the issue. Though I wasn't able to solve her problem, I'm putting the limited guidance I’ve been able to compile here in the hope that it might be useful to someone in a substantially similar situation. 
I have yet to properly test the offerings on Android, but on that platform there are settings for Voice Access to be enabled for incoming calls and to remain active during calls, indicating there are options to use voice commands there.
My friend's neighbor's challenges are shared by countless people who are still struggling with consumer technology tools that rarely meet their full needs — whether they're temporary limitations from injuries or longterm issues resulting from disability or age. Voice-based interactions that are meant to help those with physical disabilities need to better recognize speech impediments at a wider level, and both Google and Apple, along with other major tech companies, have taken steps toward building better models in those respects. 
The memory of our frustration with voice control felt all the more timely this week, which marked the 14th annual Global Accessibility Awareness Day (the third Thursday of each May). We saw Apple and Google announce new accessibility features, while companies like Amazon, Netflix and Microsoft reminded us of the assistive tools they recently released. 
It’s heartening to see increased development in inclusively designed tech, but it’s also worth considering how complete and useful some of these "solutions" are. Many of us will either need some form of assistive technology at some point in our lives or know someone who does and would. In spite of the continued improvements, there’s still plenty to do to ensure tech is accessible to all.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/ask-engadget-how-do-i-answer-calls-on-my-iphone-with-only-my-voice-193707009.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/ask-engadget-how-do-i-answer-calls-on-my-iphone-with-only-my-voice-193707009.html?src=rss

The 14 best portable Bluetooth speakers for 2025

Whether you're jamming out at the beach, setting up a backyard movie night or just want some tunes while you work, a great portable Bluetooth speaker is a must-have. The best options today go beyond just playing music — they deliver punchy bass, crisp vocals and even customizable sound modes to match whatever you're listening to. Some models even pack extras like a built-in LED light for a cool light show, making them perfect for parties or late-night hangs.The best portable Bluetooth speaker isn’t just about sound — it’s about convenience, too. Some speakers come in a tiny size that slips easily into a bag, while others have rugged, waterproof designs built for adventure. If you’re looking for a mini Bluetooth option for travel or a bigger speaker that fills a room with sound, there’s something out there for everyone.With so many choices, finding the best Bluetooth speaker for your needs can feel overwhelming. We’ve rounded up the top picks that balance great audio, portability and extra features to keep the music going wherever you are.
Table of contents

Best portable Bluetooth speakers: $50 to $200
Best portable Bluetooth speakers: $200 to $450
Best portable Bluetooth speakers: $450 and higher
Factors to consider in a portable Bluetooth speaker
Other portable Bluetooth speakers we tested
Bluetooth speaker FAQs

Best portable Bluetooth speakers: $50 to $200


















Best portable Bluetooth speakers: $200 to $450








Best portable Bluetooth speakers: $450 and higher




Factors to consider in a portable Bluetooth speaker
Weather-proofing
IP ratings (Ingress Protection) are the alphanumeric indicators you often see in a product’s spec sheet that define water and dust resistance. It’s usually a combo of two numbers with the first indicating solid object ingress and the second being water. The former goes from 0 (no protection) to 6 (dustproof). The water-resistance rating goes from 0 (no protection) to 9 (protected against immersion and high pressure jets). When an X is used instead of a number, that means the product wasn’t tested for resistance. If it’s a waterproof speaker, it may have some innate resistance to solids, but there’s no guarantee.
IP67 is a common rating these days indicating highly resistant and potentially rugged speakers often featured in audio products like outdoor speakers. These are safe for quick dunks in the pool or tub and should be more than OK in the rain or in the shower. They’re also good options for the beach, playground and other rough environs.
Additionally, speakers with ports and a high rating will often include a tight-fitting cover over the charging or auxiliary ports. If you plan on using the ports, that may limit the product's rated ability to fend off the elements.
When looking for the best portable Bluetooth speaker, consider the IP rating and also how you plan to use your Bluetooth speaker when making your decision. It may be worth splurging on a better sounding model with a lower IP rating if you’ll mostly be using it indoors, for instance.
Battery life
The focus of this guide is on the best. portable Bluetooth speakers, and while “portable” can be a relative term, these devices are generally for people who are likely to find themselves far from a power outlet. These days, around 12 hours of playtime seems to be the baseline but obviously, the more battery life you can get out of a speaker, the better, especially if you plan to listen to podcasts or music on the go.
That said, be careful when looking at battery specs, as they frequently list a maximum runtime (“up to” x amount of hours). This usually means they tested at a low to mid volume. If you like your tunes loud with punchy bass, it can often end up cutting the expected usage time in half or more. Luckily, some manufacturers also list the expected hours of battery life when used at full volume and that transparency is appreciated. Bear in mind, however, that not all of the best Bluetooth speakers use the same charging port. Some support USB-C charging, while others use micro-USB, and some may even come with an adapter for added convenience.
Additionally, if your audio system or mini Bluetooth speaker also happens to have Wi-Fi connectivity, they're usually designed for always-on functionality. Unlike normal Bluetooth speakers that go to sleep after a short period without use, these will usually stay awake (to listen for your commands) and slowly run down the battery. If you're out and about, you'll want to remember to turn these speakers off manually when not in use to maximize battery life.
Range
Bluetooth 5 offers better range and more reliable connectivity than its predecessors, making it a great feature to look for in the best Bluetooth speaker. That said, Bluetooth range can still be tricky. Some companies list their product’s longest possible range, usually outdoors and in an unobstructed line-of-sight test environment. Other companies stick with a 30-foot range on the spec sheet and leave it at that, even though they may be running Bluetooth 4.x or 5.x. That’s likely underselling the speaker's potential, but unpredictable environments can affect range and there’s little point in promising the moon only to get complaints.
I’ve seen signal drop issues when crouching down, with my phone in the front pocket of my jeans, and barely 30 feet away from a speaker inside my apartment. I ran into this issue across several devices regardless of their listed Bluetooth connectivity range.
If you’re hosting a patio party and duck inside, it’s wise to keep any wireless Bluetooth speakers relatively close by just in case. It’s hard to gauge what aspects of any environment may interfere with a Bluetooth signal. In general, take range specs around 100 feet or more as a perfect-world scenario.
Latency
This is a minor mention for those out there who use a speaker for their computer output, or as a mini Bluetooth soundbar solution for setups like a monitor and streaming box. It’s annoying to find that your speaker’s latency isn’t low enough to avoid lip sync issues. Luckily, it seems that most speakers these days don’t often have these problems. Only a handful of the few dozen speakers I tried had persistent, noticeable lip-sync issues. Aside from occasional blips, all of our picks worked well in this regard.
If you plan to frequently use a speaker for video playback, look for devices with the most recent Bluetooth 5 technology and lower latency codecs like aptX. Also make sure the speaker is close to the source device as distance can be a factor. To avoid the issue altogether, though, consider getting one with a wired auxiliary input.
Extra features
Some speakers don’t just play music — they bring the party to life with built-in LED light effects and a full-on light show that syncs to your music. If you love a bit of visual flair with your tunes, it’s worth checking out models that offer LED light customization options.
Sound quality also plays a huge role in picking the right speaker. The best Bluetooth speaker should deliver a balanced mix of punchy bass, clear highs and strong vocals. Many models also include customizable sound modes that let you tweak the EQ to better suit different genres — whether you’re blasting EDM, listening to a podcast, or just want a more immersive experience.
If aesthetics matter, many models come in a tiny size that makes them extra portable, with plenty of color options to match your personal style. Whether you want a sleek black speaker or a vibrant eye-catching design, there are plenty of choices to fit your vibe.
Other portable Bluetooth speakers we tested
Sonos Roam
While there's a lot to like about the Sonos Roam, there are plenty of other Bluetooth speakers with more features and better battery life. In our review, we gave the Roam a score of 87, praising it for its good sound quality, durable waterproof design and ability to work well within an existing Sonos speaker ecosystem. But the price is just fine at $180, and we found Bluetooth speakers that offer more at lower price points. Plus, the Roam taps out at 10 hours of battery life, and all of our top picks can run for longer than that on a single charge.
Monoprice Soundstage3
The Monoprice Soundstage3 offers relatively big sound at a midrange $250 price, with a variety of inputs rarely found on a portable Bluetooth speaker. The boxy, minimalist design is no nonsense, even if it's more of a less-rugged, bookshelf-styled homebody. While the speaker puts out crisp highs alongside booming lows, we found the bass can overpower the rest of the output, so it's not for everyone. And after using the speaker for many months, we also found the low-slung, poorly labeled button panel along the top can be a bit annoying to use. If you want a speaker for road trips, favor mids and highs, and plan on using physical buttons for volume control and input selections, there are better options out there.
JBL Boombox 3
Fans of JBL’s bluetooth speaker sound profile who want to crank up the volume, but also want a rugged and portable option, may enjoy the JBL Boombox 3. It’s a decent grab-and-go speaker with a very loud output, although it's not as good as some of the loud-speaker styled options for long-throw sound and big outdoor areas. However, the price for this speaker line remains prohibitively expensive compared to other options with big sound that cover a bit more ground. If the JBL brand is your thing and you like the rugged, portable form factor, we recommend looking for discounts, or shopping around and exploring the available options including the (less portable) JBL PartyBox series.
Soundcore Motion X500
Soundcore speakers have generally been good and often reasonably priced. The Motion X500 loosely falls into that category. It has a tall, metallic lunchbox vibe with a fixed handle and pumps out a respectable 40 watts of crisp, clear sound for its size. It can get pretty loud and serves up a good dose of bass, although its primarily a front-facing speaker.
There’s LDAC hi-res audio support for Android users, but the main selling point on this is spatial audio. This is done through an EQ change and the activation of a small, up-firing driver. There’s a slight benefit from this if you’re up close and directly in front of it, but it’s not a total game changer for your listening experience. The original pre-order price of $130 made it a decent option in terms of bang for your buck. But it went up to $170 at launch, making it less appealing even if it’s still a good middle-of-the-road option if you want small-ish, clear and loud. If you can find one on sale for the lower price, it’s definitely worth considering. There’s also the larger and louder X600 ($200) if the overall concept is working for you.
Portable Bluetooth speaker FAQs
How does a Bluetooth speaker work?
Bluetooth technology lets devices connect and exchange data over short distances using ultra high frequency (UHF) radio waves. It’s the frequency range that’s carved out for industrial, scientific and medical purposes, called the 2.4GHz ISM spectrum band. This range is available worldwide, making it easy for companies to use with devices for global markets.
Bluetooth speakers include this tech, which lets them communicate with source devices like smartphones, tablets or computers in order to exchange data. The two devices pair by sharing a unique code and will work within the proscribed range for the device and Bluetooth version. 
Ever since Bluetooth 4.0 was released over a decade ago, new iterations usually improve on range, use less power and offer expanded connectivity with features like multipoint (allowing more than one device to be connected at the same time, for instance).
Who should buy a Portable Bluetooth speaker?
If you want to play music while you’re out-and-about on something other than headphones, a portable Bluetooth speaker is probably what you want. There’s a broad range of devices for all types of circumstances. Many adventurous people will want a relatively lightweight portable that’s rugged enough to handle the elements while also packing enough charge to play for hours on end. Others may simply need a speaker they can move around the house or use in the backyard. In this case, you can choose larger less rugged models that may offer better sound. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/best-portable-bluetooth-speakers-133004551.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/best-portable-bluetooth-speakers-133004551.html?src=rss

Kojima is leaving behind a USB stick with game ideas for after he dies

Iconic video game maker Hideo Kojima has left behind a USB stick filled with game ideas in the case of his death, as indicated in an interview with Edge Magazine that VGC reported on. Kojima says it's "kind of like a will" and that he hopes that his staff will continue to make games after he passes.
Don't worry. He isn't going anywhere anytime soon. This was spurred on by the pandemic. "Until then, I didn’t think I was old, you know? I just didn’t feel my age, and I assumed I would be able to create for as long as I live," he told the magazine. Kojima is 61 years old, which is a spring chicken when compared to luminaries like Shigeru Miyamoto (72) and Sid Meier (71.)
Death Stranding 2 covers the next issue of EDGE Magazine with exclusive artwork from Yoji Shinkawa.Releasing June 26th on PS5. pic.twitter.com/27bL9cZgHx— KAMI (@Okami13_) May 15, 2025

While Kojima isn't planning on leaving this mortal coil in the near future, he does say that he only has so much time left for active game development. He gives himself around ten years before he reaches an age in which his creative energy could be depleted.
So, the idea of a USB stick was born. He hopes it will allow Kojima Productions to carry on as an entity after he passes or retires. "This is a fear for me: what happens to Kojima Productions after I’m gone? I don’t want them to just manage our existing IP."
While we don't know what type of ideas are on the USB stick, Kojima did recently introduce a few off-the-wall game concepts regarding the passage of time. He discussed a concept involving memory, in which the main character gradually forgets important information and abilities if someone takes too long of a break from playing. Kojima also discussed a game that encompassed an entire life and another one that would involve the real-time creation of wine or cheese.

The designer also planned on a mechanic that made Sam's beard grow over time in the forthcoming Death Stranding 2. However, he scrapped it because "Norman Reedus is a big star" and he didn't "want to make him look uncool."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/kojima-is-leaving-behind-a-usb-stick-with-game-ideas-for-after-he-dies-184029255.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/gaming/kojima-is-leaving-behind-a-usb-stick-with-game-ideas-for-after-he-dies-184029255.html?src=rss

More Switch games are getting Switch 2 upgrades

More original Switch games are getting the Switch 2 treatment. Although their enhancements are subtler than the Switch 2 editions of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, at least these will be free updates.
On Friday, Nintendo detailed the legacy Switch titles that will receive upgrades for the Switch 2. They include some of the console's best games from the company's biggest franchises.
Most of the platform's big Mario games are included: Super Mario Odyssey, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury and New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe. You'll also find the platform's top-down Zelda titles: Echoes of Wisdom and Link's Awakening. A pair of Pokémon games makes the cut: Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet. Even Captain Toad's Treasure Tracker gets in on the action.
The enhancements vary by title. They range from various visual upgrades to multiplayer GameShare functionality.
Here's the complete list:

ARMS – visual upgrades (resolution, frame rates and HDR)  
Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain – GameShare (up to four players, local / online GameChat sharing)  
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker – visual upgrades (resolution and HDR) and GameShare (two players in all courses, local / online GameChat sharing)  
Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics – GameShare (up to four players can play 34 games, local / online GameChat sharing)  
Game Builder Garage – visual upgrades (resolution), Joy-Con 2 mouse control  
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe – visual upgrades (resolution)  
Pokémon Scarlet – visual upgrades (resolution, frame rates)  
Pokémon Violet – visual upgrades (resolution, frame rates)  
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury – visual upgrades (resolution, frame rates and HDR), GameShare (up to four players in Super Mario 3D World, two players in Bowser's Fury and local / online GameChat sharing)  
Super Mario Odyssey – visual upgrades (resolution, frame rates), GameShare (two players, local / online GameChat sharing)  
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom – visual upgrades (resolution, HDR)  
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening – visual upgrades (resolution, HDR)

All of the free updates will be available on the Switch 2's June 5 launch date. You'll first need to install a system update for the new console.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/more-switch-games-are-getting-switch-2-upgrades-182647659.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/more-switch-games-are-getting-switch-2-upgrades-182647659.html?src=rss

FCC approves Verizon's $20 billion merger with Frontier

The FCC has announced its approval of the merger between communications giants Verizon and Frontier, after a deal was made last year. Verizon will acquire Frontier Communications for $9.6 billion in cash, in addition to absorbing $10 billion of debt.
Key to earning approval from the FCC was Verizon's commitment to ending all DEI-related practices, in line with the Trump administration’s aim to dismantle all diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives from both public organizations and private companies.
The statement from the FCC said the approval "ensures that discriminatory DEI policies end," and that Verizon "has reaffirmed the merged entity’s commitment to equal opportunity and nondiscrimination."
"By approving this deal, the FCC ensures that Americans will benefit from a series of good and commonsense wins. The transaction will unleash billions of dollars in new infrastructure builds in communities across the country—including rural America. This investment will accelerate the transition away from old, copper line networks to modern, high-speed ones. And it delivers for America’s tower and telecom crews who do the hard, often gritty work needed to build high-speed networks," said Brendan Carr, FCC chairman.
Verizon plans to upgrade and expand Frontier's existing network across 25 states and expects to deploy fiber to more than one million American homes annually.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/fcc-approves-verizons-20-billion-merger-with-frontier-181434890.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/fcc-approves-verizons-20-billion-merger-with-frontier-181434890.html?src=rss

Apple claims it's not blocking Epic from offering Fortnite in the EU

After claiming that Apple was blocking Epic from offering Fortnite in both the US App Store and the Epic Games Store in the European Union, Apple now says it wasn't, according to a report from Bloomberg.
A spokesperson told Bloomberg that Apple "did not take any action to remove the live version of Fortnite from alternative distribution marketplaces," and that the company wants Epic's European branch to resubmit the latest game update for publishing, "without including the US storefront of the App Store so as not to impact Fortnite in other geographies."
Apple has blocked our Fortnite submission so we cannot release to the US App Store or to the Epic Games Store for iOS in the European Union. Now, sadly, Fortnite on iOS will be offline worldwide until Apple unblocks it.— Fortnite (@Fortnite) May 16, 2025

While that sounds like a denial of wrongdoing, it does imply Apple specifically doesn't want Epic to relaunch Fortnite on the US App Store. The company submitted Fortnite for publishing on May 9 following a victory in court that forced Apple to allow developers to support alternative payment methods for apps on the web. At the time, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney was hoping to use the change as justification to bring Fortnite back entirely, after only offering the game through streaming platforms on mobile.
Fortnite was originally removed from the App Store because Epic started directing players to circumvent Apple's in-app payment system to buy in-game currency. The move was part of a larger plan from Epic to push back on Apple and Google's tight control over their respective platforms and storefronts. That plan has partially worked. Thanks to Epic's court win, multiple app developers are now offering alternative payment methods in their apps, but it obviously hasn't changed how Apple feels about the game developer.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/apple-claims-its-not-blocking-epic-from-offering-fortnite-in-the-eu-175423021.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/apps/apple-claims-its-not-blocking-epic-from-offering-fortnite-in-the-eu-175423021.html?src=rss

Microsoft attemps to avoid EU fines by further decoupling Teams and Office

The European Commission (EC) has been firing on all cylinders in holding big tech to account through various fines and enforcement actions, attempting to create a more competitive landscape in a space that has become increasingly monopolized.
Microsoft has been in a years-long dispute with the EC, which opened an antitrust probe in 2023 after Slack filed a complaint in 2020 alleging that Microsoft’s bundling of Teams and Microsoft 365 was anticompetitive.
The company unbundled the two products in the EU shortly thereafter in a bid to avoid antitrust fines, but it wasn’t enough to appease the EC. In 2024, the Commission found that Microsoft did not go far enough and was still in violation of antitrust laws, risking massive fines.
This week, Microsoft responded with a more robust set of commitments. Its productivity software suites will continue to be offered without Teams in the European Economic Area (EEA) for at least seven years. Minimum price deltas will be set between versions of the suites that include Teams and those which do not.
Microsoft has also offered to align these options and pricing structures for its suites and Teams globally should the EC accept its proposal. Interoperability enhancements that make it easier to use third-party competitors to Teams were also included in the proposal.
"The proposed commitments are the result of constructive, good-faith discussions with the European Commission over several months. We believe that they represent a clear and complete resolution to the concerns raised by our competitors and will provide European customers with more choices," said Nanna-Louise Linde, Microsoft's VP of European Government Affairs.
The EC has begun an open feedback period, seeking comments from competitors and citizens on whether the proposed commitments by Microsoft are adequate and place the company back within the bounds of the EU's antitrust regulations.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/microsoft-attemps-to-avoid-eu-fines-by-further-decoupling-teams-and-office-170519085.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/microsoft-attemps-to-avoid-eu-fines-by-further-decoupling-teams-and-office-170519085.html?src=rss

Red Dead Redemption 2 could be coming to Switch 2 this year

Third-party support was a big theme of the Switch 2 reveal earlier this year, with many publishers seemingly keen to capitalize on both the popularity of the outgoing Switch and the significantly increased horsepower of its imminent successor. And if you’re looking to get third-party games on your new system, they don’t come much much bigger than Red Dead Redemption 2, which could be making its way to Nintendo’s new console later this year.
Gamereactor says it has heard from sources close to Rockstar (which it then corroborated with other sources) that the enormous open-world Western that first released in 2018 is bound for Switch 2, and could arrive either at the same time, or after, a long-rumored next-gen update for the PS5 and Xbox Series X. Red Dead Redemption 2 is of course currently playable on both of those platforms, but unlike GTA 5, it’s never been patched to support the higher frame rates and fidelity afforded by the newer hardware.
This should by no means be taken as an official announcement, but Rockstar has supported the current Switch pretty well throughout its life cycle, releasing ports of L.A. Noire, the original 3D Grand Theft Auto trilogy, and most recently the first Red Dead Redemption. If the Switch 2 can run its sequel, it’s a pretty safe bet to assume that Rockstar would want to do it, and the console is likely to be roughly equivalent in power to the base model PS4, according to Digital Foundry. It goes without saying that we'll know a lot more about how the Switch 2 performs when the console is in the wild and put through its paces. 
Both a Nintendo Switch 2 port and current-gen patch for Red Dead Redemption 2 would be a good way for Rockstar to bridge the gap between now and the release of GTA 6, which was recently delayed until May 2026. With a 97 percent score on Metacritic, RDR2 is one of the developer’s most acclaimed titles to date, and you can be sure that a lot of people would happily hop back into the cowboy boots of Arthur Morgan while they wait to return to Vice City.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/red-dead-redemption-2-could-be-coming-to-switch-2-this-year-161043422.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/gaming/red-dead-redemption-2-could-be-coming-to-switch-2-this-year-161043422.html?src=rss

Two Blink Mini 2 security cameras are on sale for $38

You can pick up a pair of Blink Mini 2 security cameras for just $38. This is a discount of 46 percent, as the typical price is $70. The discount is available for both the black and white models. This deal is part of an early Memorial Day sale.
The Blink Mini 2 made our list of the best security cameras, and we gave it kudos for being a great option for the budget-conscious. These are small cameras that are easy to place just about anywhere. You can adjust the head to accommodate a wide variety of angles and we found the setup to be painless and quick.


The image quality is decent, though not astounding. The bright spots can get a bit blown out, but the camera gets the job done. We found that it was particularly useful at night, thanks to the infrared view and the spotlight. This model also offers the ability to set privacy zones and it can double as a doorbell chime if you happen to have a Blink Video Doorbell installed.
The camera is weather resistant, so it works outside. It also integrates with Alexa, which makes sense as Amazon owns Blink. Alexa can be used to adjust settings, arm the camera and more.
There's no location detection here, so it can't automatically arm the device when you leave the house. This has to be done manually. Also, it doesn't offer any cloud storage unless you pony up for a Blink subscription. A basic subscription for one camera costs $3 per month.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/two-blink-mini-2-security-cameras-are-on-sale-for-38-152339616.html?src=rss

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The best Memorial Day tech deals on gear from Apple, Amazon, Dyson and others

It might surprise you, but Memorial Day can be a great time to shop for tech. In years past, we've seen solid Memorial Day deals on all manner of gadgets including many of our favorite tablets, headphones, charging accessories, robot vacuums and more. That's on top of all the seasonal items that usually gets discounted at this time like smart grills and grilling gear, pizza ovens and outdoor tech.If you're on the market for any of those things, now's a good time to shop. And like most seasonal holidays as of late, you don't have to rush to make your purchase. Memorial Day deals are live now, and there's a good chance they'll be available until the holiday weekend has passed. Below, we've collected all of the best Memorial Day tech deals we could find for 2025, and we'll continue to update this post with the latest offers.We'd be remiss if we didn't mention Amazon Prime Day, though. The biggest iteration of the online retailer's annual shopping event typically happens in July, and Amazon confirmed it will be back again this year (although official dates remain unknown). Tech is usually heavily discounted on Prime Day for Prime members, so if you're unsure about a purchase, you could take the chance and wait a little while longer to see if that pair of earbuds you've been eyeing drops even further in price during Prime Day. If not, Memorial Day offers the next best opportunity this time of year to save on gadgets and gear.
Best Memorial Day tech sales: Top deals






Best Memorial Day tech deals
Peacock Premium (one year) for $25 ($55 off): The latest Peacock deal gives you one year of the Premium membership for only $25 when you use the code SPRINGSAVINGS at checkout. This ad-supported tier gives you access to some live sports content and more than 50 always-on channels, as well as the whole library of on-demand TV shows and movies Peacock has to offer. The deal runs through May 30.
ProtonVPN (two years) for $81 (66 percent off): ProtonVPN two-year plans are 66 percent off and down to only $81 right now. You'll save more than $150 on the total cost of the subscription with this deal, and in addition to VPN coverage for all your devices, you also get access to features that let you block ads, malware and other trackers.
Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 for $200 (20 percent off): The new Powerbeats Pro 2 have a comfortable design, improved sound quality and bass performance and heart rate sensors on board that make them good workout companions. However, you'll only be able to get that heart rate data if you have these buds paired to an iOS device.
Beats Pill for $100 ($50 off): This IP67-rated Bluetooth speaker is one of our favorites thanks to its improved bass performance, over 24 hours of battery life and lossless audio via USB-C. Plus, if you have two Pills, you can pair them together for stereo sound.
Anker Nano Fusion 3-in-1 10K portable charger for $35 (20 percent off, Prime exclusive): We named this brick the best low-capacity option in our best power banks guide thanks in part to its built-in USB-C cable and wall prongs. The former means you don't have to remember to bring a cable with you to power up your phone or other USB-C gadget, and the latter lets you recharge the brick itself via an AC outlet without the need for an additional adapter. We also like the handy display that shows the battery's remaining charge while it's working its magic. Also available at Anker.
Anker Soundcore Space A40 earbuds for $45 ($35 off, Prime exclusive): Our top pick for the best budget wireless earbuds, the Space A40 punch above their weight in almost every way. They have excellent ANC, a good sound profile overall, a comfortable fit, multi-device connectivity and wireless charging support.
Ooni Memorial Day sale — 20 percent off almost everything: Most of Ooni's pizza ovens are on sale for Memorial Day, including the recently launched Koda 2 in its Essential bundle, which has been discounted from $489 to $391. The company's indoor electric pizza oven, the Volt 12, is also included in the sale: you can grab it for $629 instead of the usual $899.
Ninja Artisan 5-in-1 outdoor electric pizza oven for $230 (23 percent off): This model from Ninja can create 12-inch pies in as little as three minutes, and it also has other cooking modes like bake, proof, broil and warm. You can choose from five unique pizza settings (Neapolitan, Thin Crust, Pan, New York, and Custom) and you can take control of cooking by adjusting the temperature from 90 to 700 degrees Fahrenheit. Also available at Amazon.
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Kids for $140 (22 percent off): This is the same, latest Kindle Paperwhite, just customized a bit for kids. You'll get the waterproof ereader in this bundle along with a protective case, a two-year warranty and six months of Amazon Kids+ for free.
Blink Mini 2 (two-pack) for $38 (46 percent off): These are some of the best security cameras if you're looking for something cheap and only need basic functionality. They record 1080p video and send motion alerts to your phone, plus they work with Alexa voice commands. Blink Mini 2 cams are wired, but they can be placed outside with the right weather-resistant power adapter.
Blink Outdoor 4 security cameras, 5 camera system for $200 (50 percent off): This pack-up includes give weather-resistant Blink Outdoor 4 cameras plus a Sync Module 2 to connect them all. These are some of our favorite security cameras thanks to their wireless design, accurate and speedy motion alerts and the ability to save footage locally when you use a thumb drive with the Sync Module 2.
Google Nest (wired) security camera for $70 (30 percent off): One of our favorite security cameras, the wired Nest cam has an attractive design and a super simple setup process — both experienced and new security camera owners will be able to get it up and running in minutes. It'll send motion alerts to your phone, and pet/person detection is a standard feature — most other security cams make you pay for that. 
Samsung 24-inch Essential monitor S30GD for $100 (23 percent off): This 1080p IPS display has a 100Hz refresh rate and can be adjusted via tilting. Its design is pretty slim with thin bezels, and it connect to your computer via HDMI port.
Lenovo ThinkVision 23.8-inch Monitor T24i-30 for $183 (46 percent off): This FHD IPS panel has a three-side, NearEdgeless bezel design and can be adjusted via tilt, lift, swivel and pivot. In addition to four USB-A ports for connecting peripherals, it also supports a number of display connections including HDMI, DP and VGA.
Withings Thermo smart thermometer for $86 ($14 off): This FDA cleared, FSA/HSA/HRA eligible thermometer can take no-contact temperature readings in just a few seconds with a simple swipe across the forehead. It uses 16 infrared sensors to take over 4,000 measurements for the most accurate readings, and the built-in LED screen will show you color-coded results.
Dyson Supersonic hair dryer for $330 ($100 off): This is the original Dyson Supersonic hair dryer that has been super popular since its debut. It includes five attachments for drying and styling, and it's billed as a fast dryer that protects hair from heat damage.
Dyson V8 Plus cordless vacuum for $350 (26 percent off): The V8 is a great entry-level Dyson that boasts 40 minutes of runtime, two power modes, a motorbar cleaner head that works on all kinds of flooring and four additional cleaning attachments. Also available at Dyson in the Absolute model.
iRobot Combo Essential robot vacuum for $150 ($125 off): This is a great entry-level robot vacuum that has the added convenience of being a mopping machine, too. It'll suck up dirt, debris and pet hair while it vacuums, and you can use the included water reservoir when you want to mop hard floors.
Tineco Pure ONE S11 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner for $140 ($60 off with coupon): Our top budget pick among the best cordless vacuums, this Tineco machine offers good suction and a relatively lightweight design at a great price. It also includes the company's iLoop smart sensor, which will auto-adjust suction power as you clean.
Shark Clean & Empty Cordless Stick Vacuum for $280 (20 percent off): This is a slightly cheaper version of one of our favorite cordless stick vacuums and it comes with a self-emptying base. This Shark stick vacuum has good suction power, can easily convert to a hand vacuum and it docks neatly on its auto-empty base station that traps over 99 percent of dust and allergens.
Shark PowerDetect NeverTouch Robot Vacuum and Mop for $700 (30 percent off): A version of one of our favorite robot vacuums, this Shark machine can vacuum and mop floors for you. Its self-emptying base station holds up to 30 days worth of debris, and it has a refill tank for the mopping reservoir as well.
EcoFlow Delta 2 1024Wh power station with waterproof bag for $449 (36 percent off): This EcoFlow power station provides 15 connectors to power up multiple devices at once — those include six AC outlets, two USB-C ports and four USB-A ports. It's versatile enough to take it camping or on a road trip, but it can also act as a home backup battery, powering a refrigerator, lights, CPAP machines and more.
EcoFlow Delta 2 Max 2048Wh power station for $999 (41 percent off): This is a higher-capacity version of the Delta 2, so it'll last longer and power gadgets and appliances for a longer period of time on a full charge. It also has 15 connectors and you can optionally add on solar panels for easy powering-up on the go.
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-memorial-day-tech-deals-on-gear-from-apple-amazon-dyson-and-others-144526041.html?src=rss

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Sigma BF hands-on: Minimal to a fault

In February, Sigma announced the Sigma BF. It's a full-frame, interchangeable lens camera with just a shutter release, a dial and three buttons. That minimalism speaks to me, and I felt the BF was potentially transformative. Photography is one of my favorite hobbies, and I've always felt modern cameras are too complicated. When I received a unit of the Sigma BF to test, I wanted to love it. Unfortunately, it might be too simple.
It all starts with the design. The Sigma BF is one of the industry's few unibody cameras. It's carved from a single slab of aluminum, a process Sigma says takes seven hours to complete. The result is a camera unlike any I've used before, with build quality that surpasses either of my current Fujifilm models, the X-E3 and X-S20. Now, I know what you're thinking: The BF looks like an ergonomic nightmare. Surprisingly, it's not too bad, thanks to the inclusion of two beveled edges where your hands meet the bottom of the camera body.
Igor Bonifacic for Engadget
Still, it's missing a few features that would have made it more comfortable to use, likely due to the limitations of its unibody design. For one, a proper grip would have been nice, especially when you're using a heavy 50mm lens like the one Sigma sent me for testing. The BF is also missing a hot shoe mount, so third-party thumb grips are off the table. Most annoying of all, it only has a single strap eyelet, so if you don't want to use a neck strap, you'll need one that attaches to the camera's tripod mount. I don't own one of those, so I had to carry around the $2,000 BF in my hand the entire time I was using it. You can imagine how that felt.
The BF offers a very different shooting experience from your typical digital camera. As I mentioned, it has only a shutter release, a single dial and three buttons (one for powering the camera on and off, one for reviewing your photos and footage and one for accessing the overflow menu). There's also a touchscreen, but you wouldn't know it at first, because other than when selecting a focus point and toggling some options, you won't be using it much while shooting.
The BF's one dial is the primary way to interact with the camera. To adjust your exposure, you first press left or right on the dial to cycle to a specific setting, and then spin it to tweak the levels as desired. A second smaller screen above the dial allows you to adjust those parameters without interacting with the main display.
Igor Bonifacic for Engadget
Alternatively, you can press down on the center of the dial to open the BF's "dual layer" menu system. As the name suggests, Sigma has organized most of what you might need across two levels of menus. For example, say you want to switch the camera from matrix to spot metering. That involves pressing down on the dial, scrolling over to one of the exposure settings, tapping the center of the dial again, and then using your thumb to press the touchscreen and enable spot metering. Accessing most of the settings you'll need won't be as tedious, but this worst case scenario demonstrates where the experience of shooting with the Sigma BF falls short.
The BF isn't great for capturing fleeting moments. In ditching most of the physical controls modern cameras are known for, the Sigma BF makes it difficult to change multiple settings simultaneously. I was most annoyed by the BF whenever I wanted to shoot a fast-moving scene.
On one of my photo walks with the Sigma BF, I saw a father riding a bike with his son in the seat behind him. With my X-E3 or nearly any other camera, capturing that moment would have been simple. I could have changed the drive mode, focus system and shutter speed independently of one another. On the BF, I had to adjust each setting consecutively. By the time I was done, the father and son were long gone.
Some of the BF's shortcomings could be addressed if Sigma at least allowed you to edit the quick settings screen to show fewer options. I don't need easy access to change things like the aspect ratio, for example. In 2025, every new camera ships with an overly bloated menu system, and in that regard the Sigma BF is a breath of fresh air. However, allowing the user to make their own tweaks would have made for a much better experience.
And that’s the thing: With the BF, Sigma breaks camera interface conventions that are conventions for good reason. Let me give you one of the more frustrating examples: The camera inexplicably doesn't offer an easy way to measure the exposure of a scene. There was no meter to indicate whether I was about to under- or overexpose a shot, and I couldn't add one to the main screen.
Igor Bonifacic for Engadget
The only way I could see a histogram, my preferred method for nailing exposure, was to access the second layer of the interface from one of the capture settings. This is an especially confounding decision because you can half press the shutter to make quick exposure compensation adjustments with the control dial, but as soon as you do, the BF jumps out of whatever menu you were looking at. If digging through menus isn't your thing, there are two live view overlays you can enable to see if you've clipped your shadows or highlights. The first is your usual zebra pattern. The second, which Sigma calls False Color, turns most of the screen grayscale and uses warning colors. Neither felt as precise as a proper exposure meter or histogram.
On paper, the BF is a decent camera for video, with support for 6K recording, HEVC encoding and L-Log. Unfortunately, the BF's minimalism is a weakness here too. To start, framing a shot is a challenge since the camera has a fixed screen. Getting usable footage is also tricky. The BF doesn't offer in-body image stabilization, and while there are a few L-mount lenses with built-in stabilization, most wouldn't be practical to use with the BF due to their size and weight.
Igor Bonifacic for Engadget
If you've gotten this far, you're probably wondering if I have something positive to say about the BF. Well, the best thing about the camera is that it takes genuinely great photos, which is what makes all its shortcomings all the more frustrating. The 24-megapixel, backside illuminated sensor and Sigma's lenses capture and render detail beautifully without being clinical. The BF also has great subject detection autofocus that makes shooting portraits of people and pets easy.
The Sigma BF has some interesting ideas about what a camera can look like in 2025, but those ideas are often marred by poor execution. As a first stab at a minimalist camera, the BF has enough going for it, and with refinement, I could see future versions evolving into something special. For example, I’d love to see Sigma find a way to include a flip-out screen in the BF's unibody frame. Until then, $2,000 is a lot to ask for a camera that could be so much more.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/sigma-bf-hands-on-minimal-to-a-fault-144024445.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/cameras/sigma-bf-hands-on-minimal-to-a-fault-144024445.html?src=rss

Peacock Premium is only $25 for one year right now

A full year of Peacock Premium is on sale right now for $25 as part of a Memorial Day promotion. This is $55 off the typical price of $80. Just enter SPRINGSAVINGS at checkout. The promotion is live until May 30. This is the ad-supported version.
Peacock is a decent platform and made our list of the best streaming services. It doesn't get the attention of Netflix or Disney+, but it's home to several nifty original shows. There's the AI-adjacent tomfoolery of Mrs. Davis and the Rian Johnson-made whodunnit Poker Face. It also airs several video game adaptations, like Knuckles and the surprisingly-decent Twisted Metal.

The big draw here, however, is likely the long-awaited spinoff of The Office, which is called The Paper. That one premieres in September and is a Peacock exclusive. The platform also signed an 11-year agreement with the NBA and that goes into effect this fall. The mobile app could be getting minigames and short-form vertical videos (like TikTok) in the near future.
There's one caveat. This subscription will automatically renew for $80 after the year runs out. Stay on top of scheduling if you want to cancel before then.


The Scranton documentary crew is heading to Toledo. #ThePaper arrives this September on Peacock. pic.twitter.com/Mzmbw7TBzF— Peacock (@peacock) May 12, 2025


Check out our coverage of the best streaming deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/peacock-premium-is-only-25-for-one-year-right-now-163231072.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/deals/peacock-premium-is-only-25-for-one-year-right-now-163231072.html?src=rss

How Murderbot’s Chris and Paul Weitz adapted All Systems Red for TV

For Paul and Chris Weirtz, Murderbot — the upcoming TV adaptation of Martha Wells' sci-fi novella All Systems Red — was an experiment: Can you have a hero who tries to do nothing?
The 10-episode sci-fi series, which debuts May 16 on Apple TV+, follows an anxious security robot (Alexander Skarsgård) assigned to protect a survey group on a planetary mission. As the mission progresses and deadly surprises emerge, Murderbot grapples with concealing its capacity for free will — an ability enabled when it hacked its governor module — and its insecurities around humans, all while navigating existential questions about its purpose in the universe. Above all, though, Murderbot wishes it could spend its days simply viewing the 7,532 hours of video content it secretly squirreled away in its system for entertainment — a true media junkie, like most of the show's viewers.
Apple
Bringing All Systems Red to TV took years, delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Writers Guild of America strike in 2023. But with support from Apple TV+’s head of worldwide video Jamie Erlicht, a fan of Wells’ work, Paul and Chris chipped away at the show’s scripts, sending every version to Wells for feedback. (Wells, as a consulting producer, ultimately weighed in on other aspects of the project, including design and casting.)
The series stays faithful to All Systems Red — the first of several books and short stories comprising The Murderbot Diaries — in most of the ways that count. The plot largely follows that of the novella, but also makes substantial additions. Members of the PresAux survey group which Murderbot protects, including Dr. Mensah (Noma Dumezweni), Gurathin (David Dastmalchian), Pin-lee (Sabrina Wu), Ratthi (Akshay Khanna), Arada (Tattiawna Jones) and Bharadwaj (Tamara Pdoemski), now have more nuance and deeper backstories. 
The Preservation Alliance, an independent group of planets which the PresAux survey group hails from, is now eccentric, even downright bohemian. During Murderbot’s season premiere, PresAux holds hands in a meditative circle, eyes closed, deliberating over whether to rent the refurbished Murderbot for their mission. Soon after landing on the planet, they dance in the desert, their bodies heaving, arms waving to the music’s beat — little touches inspired by aspects of Chris’s two decades of experience with Burning Man. (Several members of the mission also find themselves navigating the particular dramas of polyamory.)
“We also wanted a sense of these people being out of their element and out of their social setting,” Chris told Engadget. “They’re in the corporation rim, which is a really brutal, extractive capitalist world, but these people are egalitarians from outside of that system. They are [seen as] freaks not just to Murderbot, but to the corporation flunkies who are upselling them.”
While Murderbot’s favorite TV series, The Rise & Fall of Sanctuary Moon, is referenced in Wells’ novel, in Murderbot, the futuristic soap opera is its own fleshed out universe – a bonafide show-within-a-show. Intended as a parody of classic sci-fi, most obviously the original Star Trek series, Sanctuary Moon’s scenes are rife with heavily saturated sets and gaudy costumes. John Cho, as the captain of a starship, falls madly in love with a navigation systems robot (DeWanda Wise); Jack McBrayer portrays a navigation officer out of his depth. Their performances are comically over-the-top, but that’s the point.
“I have a theory that people think of good acting as being very restrained, and that is the case often, but my theory is that humans are emoting maniacs all the time. They're hamming it up in front of the mirror, in their bathroom,” Paul said. “There was something great about being able to enter a David Lynch-like telenovela world and do the sci-fi version of those things.”
Casting the droll but irreverent character of Murderbot took time. Part-human, it experiences a full range of emotions but struggles with deep-seated social anxiety, and detests showing its face to humans — which may help explain why the character has become popular with members of the neurodivergent community. Skarsgård, whose diverse acting resume includes a Viking prince in The Northman, a ruthless tech CEO in Succession, the titular character in The Legend of Tarzan and a physically abusive husband on Big Little Lies, had traits and experiences Paul and Chris felt were essential for effectively playing the show’s central character.
As one might expect for a security robot, Paul Weisz noted Skarsgård is "physically imposing.” "You get the sense maybe he could kill somebody," said Paul. But much like the titular character Paul felt this sometimes terrifying exterior belied something much more nuanced. "Alexander also has a really quirky sense of humor. His mind is very different from his body. He’s really unique.”
Bringing in Cho and McBrayer for their roles in the Sanctuary Moon scenes wasn’t nearly as intensive a search; Cho and the Weitz brothers had worked on several projects together over the years.
“It's like a Faustian bargain when you work with us once, that we're probably going to get your home cellphone,” Paul mused. “Jack McBrayer is best friends with Alexander, so that was the route to [him]. In terms of John, we worked with him first on American Pie, and I think we've done 12 things in different ways with him over the years. So it's a little like The Godfather where it's like, someday, I'm going to ask you for a favor.”
Apple
Filmed in Ontario, production started in 2024, lasting six months. Shooting the show’s planetary scenes meant scouring for locations like mining quarries, slag heaps and abandoned factories. Interior shots for scenes at Port Freecommerce, a vast star base, in the season premiere were filmed on soundstages in Toronto.
All along, Paul and Chris set out to present a far-flung universe seen less often on screen in recent years. Shirking the dark, grim aesthetic heavily favored in many more recent sci-fi TV and film projects, they worked with production designer Sue Chan to create a universe dominated by bright lighting, white and gray sets, light-colored fabrics and colorful patterns.
“We drew on the wellspring of science fiction we read when we were kids and on science fiction paperback covers of the 1980s, which always seemed to have such great concept design and a bright, interesting world in which to lose yourself,” Paul recalled. “Specifically, it seemed like since this was a world that was dominated by corporations, there'd be a lot of logos everywhere. There'd be a cheapness to a lot of what was manufactured. Also, if you look around, there are a lot of things that seem to have been extruded by giant 3-D printers. Even the food is extruded by 3-D printers.”
Designing Murderbot’s armor was a collaborative process with the costume department, led by costume designer Carrie Grace and specialty costume designer Laura Jean Shannon. To start, they looked at helmets from virtually every well-known robot depicted in military and sci-fi movies from the last 50 years. Initial designs resembled Star Wars stormtroopers, but Skarsgård “really pushed” for the robot’s look to be “something unique,” according to Paul. Drawing inspiration from The Little Rascals’ Petey, who had a large black circle around one of his eyes, the team built a large, distinctive black eye piece into Murderbot’s helmet visor.
Apple
Murderbot spends much of its time clad in armor, but it also has downtime when the armor comes off, revealing an impossibly smooth humanoid form resembling Mattel’s Ken dolls. To achieve that look, Skarsgård regularly waxed his entire body during filming.
“Alexander actually volunteered to have his body waxed, because he thought it was what would be best for the character,” Chris recalled. “I remember discussing it with him, and I said, ‘Listen, man, I don't know if people are even going to notice, but it might make just a tiny bit of difference in terms of the believability of the character.’"
“[Alexander’s] like, ‘Yeah, I should wax myself,’” Chris continued. “Then for the next five, six months, he had to do that every week until he realized eventually that his next role was to play a hairy biker [in the romance drama Pillion].”
In Murderbot, Paul and Chris saw more than a quirky sci-fi novella — they saw a deeply human story wrapped in armor and deadpan humor. Their TV adaptation doesn’t just bring Wells’ world to screen with panache, it leans into the quiet radicalism of a character who resists heroism, craves isolation and struggles to navigate the messiness of human connection.
That emotional core — unexpected, thoughtful, and entirely sincere — is what makes Murderbot more than just another sci-fi romp. It's a mirror for our most vulnerable selves, disguised as a robot who’d really rather be watching TV.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/how-murderbots-chris-and-paul-weitz-adapted-all-systems-red-for-tv-130034113.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/how-murderbots-chris-and-paul-weitz-adapted-all-systems-red-for-tv-130034113.html?src=rss

'Fortnite' is offline on iOS around the world

After winning a court case pretty decisively against Apple, developer Epic submitted Fortnite to the US App Store and suggested it would soon be back on iOS. However, according to the Fortnite team, Apple has blocked the game on both the US App Store and the EU's iOS version of its own Epic Games Store.
Fortnite had been available on iPhones in Europe since August last year due to EU rules that allow third-party iOS stores.
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney suggested that Apple didn't have any particular reason to refuse the application. "Apple’s App Review team should be free to review all submitted apps promptly and accept or reject according to the plain language of their guidelines," he tweeted. "App Review shouldn’t be weaponized by senior management as a tool to delay or obstruct competition, due process, or free speech." Apple has yet to comment on the matter. 
To recap: this entire kerfuffle between Apple and Epic has been over, essentially, rent-seeking, and who gets to profit from it. Apple thinks it should keep getting a cut of sales through its App Store; Epic, naturally, would like to keep lining its own pockets. This fight initially opened up the option for developers to use third-party app stores for iOS apps, though a portion of their sales were still flowing back to Apple's coffers. The most recent court ruling attempted to close that apparent loophole.
The latest Fortnite version submitted by Epic included payment systems for Apple along with external payment via Epic's own store. Fortnite was originally banned from the App Store in 2020 after it submitted a version that included an external payment system that violated Apple's rules at the time — a decision subsequently backed by a court decision in 2021. To that end, Apple may not be legally obligated to reinstate Epic, despite the fact that the rule originally broken by the developer no longer existed.
This fight is, of course, ongoing. Apple appealed the most recent ruling and asked the court to halt App Store changes until a final decision is made.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/fortnite-is-offline-on-ios-around-the-world-131535163.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/gaming/fortnite-is-offline-on-ios-around-the-world-131535163.html?src=rss

Acer introduces five new gaming monitors

Acer has unveiled a group of new gaming monitors, including a pair of 26.5-inch QD-OLED screens under its Predator label. The Predator X27U F5 has peak refresh rate of 500Hz and a resolution of 2560x1440, while the Predator X27 X has a 4K screen and a 240Hz refresh rate. Both monitors offer AMD FreeSync Premium Pro technology to prevent screen tearing and support true 10Bit color. They are slated to be available in the third quarter for the EMEA region and China. The X27U F5 will start at €899 and the X27 X starts at €1,099.
The high refresh rate on the Predator X27U F5 is particularly notable. Samsung just opened limited pre-orders of its own 500Hz monitor over the weekend, which the company claimed was the first product to pair that refresh rate with OLED visuals in a gaming monitor.
Other Acer monitors in the lineup are part of its line of Nitro Google Smart TV monitors. The Acer Nitro GA321QK P is a 31.5-inch 4K screen with a 165Hz refresh rate, while the Acer Nitro GA341CUR W0 has a 34-inchultra-wide QHD curved display that refreshes at 240Hz. There's also a portable option in the lightweight Acer Nitro PG271K, which has an adjustable kickstand. This 27-inch monitor can be a 4K display with a 72Hz refresh rate or a full HD one with a 144Hz refresh rate thanks to Dynamic Frequency and Resolution technology. No prices or timeline has been shared yet for the first two Nitro monitors, but the PG271K is projected to cost €499 when it arrives in the EMEA region.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/acer-introduces-five-new-gaming-monitors-130041537.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/acer-introduces-five-new-gaming-monitors-130041537.html?src=rss

Google's latest Nest Learning Thermostat is $50 off ahead of Memorial Day

Summer is right around the corner, and while it is the perfect season for being outside in the sunshine, there's nothing quite like returning home to a perfectly climate controlled space to cool off. The fourth generation Nest Learning Thermostat from Google can help you beat the heat with even more efficient air conditioning, and it's on sale right now ahead of the Memorial Day holiday.
You can snag this smart home gadget for $50 off with the code ENGAD50 at Wellbots. That means you'll pay just $230 for this tool to control the temperature in your house, because the deal also includes free shipping.


Google did an update to its Nest thermostat last August that increased the LCD display size of the gadget by about 60 percent. You can also customize the display with this version so that it will blend in with your own home decor, and the chassis is available in black, silver or gold options. 
As with so many Google products these days, the Nest uses AI to help take more accurate readings and make predictions to increase your energy savings. It can automatically adjust to your individual habits to create a temperature schedule if you don't want to program it all manually. This version of the gadget is a particularly good option if your home has issues with cold spots, because the Nest Learning Thermostat comes with a wireless temperature sensor that you can place in that hard-to-heat area. If you need more, you can separately buy additional sensors for monitoring those hot or cold pockets of your house. 
Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/googles-latest-nest-learning-thermostat-is-50-off-ahead-of-memorial-day-130027461.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/deals/googles-latest-nest-learning-thermostat-is-50-off-ahead-of-memorial-day-130027461.html?src=rss

Acer's new Swift Edge 14 AI laptop packs in a matte display and AI features

Acer is updating its lineup of Swift Edge, Go and X laptops at Computex with the latest Intel chips, and in of one of these Copilot+ PCs, a unique matte display treatment developed by Corning, the glass manufacturer behind the Gorilla Glass covering millions of smartphones.
The beneficiary of that new display is the Swift Edge 14 AI. The laptop's display has an anti-glare Gorilla Matte Pro finish that's the first of its kind on a laptop, and is supposed to "reduce screen reflection by 95 percent" compared to alternative anti-glare glass. Acer introduced the original Swift Edge 14 AI alongside the parade of Copilot+ PCs that accompanied Microsoft's big push into AI last year. The new Swift Edge 14 AI benefits from those same AI features like Recall or Click to Do thanks to its updated internals. You can spec the Swift Edge 14 AI with up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 processor with Intel Arc graphics, up to 32GB LPDDR5X RAM and up to 1TB of storage. All of this components are packed into a white and relatively light (2.18 lbs) magnesium-aluminum alloy body, with a 14-inch OLED screen and a "soft-touch" stain-resistant keyboard.


For the new Swift Go 14 AI and Swift Go 16 AI, Acer lets you build the laptop with up to an Intel Core Ultra 7, up to 32 GBLPDDR5X RAM and up to 2TB of storage. On the Swift Go 14 AI you can opt for a 16:10, 1,920 x 1,200 resolution OLED and a similarly laid out 2,048 x 1,280 resolution OLED on the Swift Go 16 AI. Neither laptop is as sleek as the Swift Edge 14 AI — in terms of appearance, the Swift Go laptops seem like the kind you'd be assigned for work. Case in point, both Go models have 1080p, Windows Hello-compatible webcams and touchpads with built-in video conferencing controls.

Acer is also updating its Swift X laptops, the company's go-to option if you're looking for more graphical oomph. Both the Swift X 14 AI and the plain Swift X 14 include a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 laptop GPU, which should power you through all sort of video editing and 3D rendering tasks. You can pair the GPU with up to an AMD Ryzen AI 9 on the Swift X 14 AI or up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 on on the Swift X 14. Both laptops can include up to 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 2TB of storage. This year's Swift laptops also feature a 14.5-inch 3K OLED displays and larger haptic touchpads that support tilt-enabled styluses for drawing and photo retouching.
Likely due to the unpredictable nature of global trade, none of Acer's new Swift laptops have finalized pricing or availability in the US, though we can share the info Acer has for Europe. The Swift Edge 14 AI is expected to be available in June for €1,599, the Swift Go 14 AI a little bit later in July for €1,199 and the Swift Go 16 AI in August for €1,299.
The story is the same for Acer's Swift X laptops. Both the Swift X 14 AI and Swift X 14 will be available in July for €1,799.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/acers-new-swift-edge-14-ai-laptop-packs-in-a-matte-display-and-ai-features-130010112.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/acers-new-swift-edge-14-ai-laptop-packs-in-a-matte-display-and-ai-features-130010112.html?src=rss

The Acer Predator Triton 14 AI is now my most anticipated gaming laptop of the year

Acer is announcing a boatload of PCs and gadgets for Computex 2025. But among the sea of new tablets, monitors, productivity machines and more is the Predator Triton 14 AI, which just became my most anticipated laptop of the year.
The Predator Triton 14 AI tops out with an RTX 5070 GPU, but that's understandable given its compact size (3.5 pounds and 0.68 inches thick). Aside from that limitation, this thing has practically everything I look for in a premium notebook. It sports a slick design, a bunch of fancy features and a gorgeous display — all in a surprisingly portable chassis. In some ways, calling it a gaming laptop is kind of a disservice, because it's clear Acer designed this thing to do a whole lot more.
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
For performance, the Predator Triton 14 AI features up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 288V chip, 32GB of RAM and 2TB of SSD storage. Acer then turned things up a notch by equipping it with its latest sixth-gen AeroBlade fans (which are made of metal instead of plastic) and a vapor chamber. But the potential cherry on top is that Acer says the Triton is the world's first laptop to use graphene thermal interface materials. The company claims this increases thermal capacity by as much as 14.5 percent over more traditional pastes.
Meanwhile, the Triton 14 AI also comes with a 2,880 x 1,800 OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and Calman Verified certification. So not only is it accurate, it also has a wide gamut that covers 100 percent of the DCI-P3 color spectrum. And unlike a lot of rival gaming machines, the Predator's display is touch-enabled. For content creators, the laptop comes with a new haptic touchpad covered by Gorilla Glass with native stylus support (and the pen comes included). This means artists can use the track area as a mini Wacom pad (with 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity) while traveling.
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
Honestly, the closer you look, the more impressive this laptop gets, because it feels like Acer paid attention to every little detail. Thanks to some help from AI, the Triton's 1080p IR webcam offers human presence detection, which allows it to automatically lock itself when you walk away or dim the display when you're looking elsewhere to prevent Peeping Toms from spying on your work. Acer even coated both the screen and the laptop's deck with an anti-fingerprint finish to prevent it from looking greasy.
Despite its slim dimensions, the Triton also has great connectivity. There’s support for Wi-Fi 7 along with two USB-C ports (one of which is Thunderbolt 4), two Type-A jacks, 3.5mm audio, a microSD card reader and a full-size HDMI 2.1 connector. And because it's a gaming laptop, it naturally comes with per-key RGB lighting.
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
Unfortunately, Acer has yet to release official US pricing for the Predator Triton 14 AI, which is almost certainly due to the ever-shifting tariff situation. But if European info is anything to go by, this thing won't be cheap with a listed starting price of 2,999 euros. That's steep, but it makes sense given the laptop's impressive specs.
On the bright side, if you like the Predator Triton 14 AI, Acer is also making a more affordable sibling in the Predator Helios Neo 14 AI. It features the same display, a similar Intel Core Ultra 9 285H chip and up to an RTX 5070, but with a different (and less elegant) chassis, Wi-Fi 6E and older fifth-gen AeroBlade fans. Like the Triton, there isn't official pricing for this one yet either, but with it starting at 1,699 euros overseas, it doesn't present nearly as big of a hit on your wallet.
The biggest change for the Helios Neo 14 AI compared to the Predator Triton 14 AI aside from price is that it has a bulkier chassis with a large thermal shelf in back. Sam Rutherford for Engadget
Besides gaming, the Triton 14 AI looks like it could be a great video editing station, featuring enough performance to blast through practically everything else you can throw at it. I'm going to be eagerly awaiting its release (along with the Helios Neo) sometime later this summer.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/the-acer-predator-triton-14-ai-is-now-my-most-anticipated-gaming-laptop-of-the-year-130007910.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/the-acer-predator-triton-14-ai-is-now-my-most-anticipated-gaming-laptop-of-the-year-130007910.html?src=rss

The Morning After: Sony’s best headphones keep getting better

When it comes to headphones, we can’t shut up about Sony’s top-tier buds and over-the-head options. In each iteration, the company adds new features, develops better technology and hones its strengths in portable audio, and three years on from the WH-1000XM5, the sixth-gen model does it yet again.
Sony’s overhauled its flagship headphones in all the right ways. The WH-1000XM6 sound better, with improved active noise cancellation and convenient features that match the best-sounding and the most feature-packed rivals.
You should definitely check out Billy Steele's full review. The headphones' only major challenge remains a non-clunky naming convention.
— Mat Smith
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Android gets a young, vibrant makeover
It’s bright, it’s brash, it’s… bouncy? It’s Android 16.
Google
As spoiled by Google itself, Android is getting a major visual refresh. Dubbed Material 3 Expressive, it’s the latest evolution of the Material You design, adding customizable color swatches and, I guess, spicier fonts.
Google says the Quick Settings menu can now fit more actions, and there is an addition of live-updating notifications, similar to Apple’s Live Activities.
In Android 16 (and even Wear OS 6), expect more animation between menus and items, while notifications will jiggle and offer haptic responses to your touch.
Google is basing a lot of these tweaks on research: The company claims up to 87 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds prefer expressive design — a term hard to define. There’s a lengthy post on Google’s design blog if you want to get into all that.
Continue reading.

The Xperia 1 VII is here, with some Walkman inspiration
Sony still makes phones!
Sony
Sony has now folded in Hi-Fi sound from its Walkman series, as well as the company’s Bravia screen tech and Alpha camera smarts. The Xperia 1 VII has launched quietly with an array of new audio features, including high-end Walkman components. Unlike other smartphone makers, Sony has kept its headphone jack and improved wired sound via a premium-grade integrated circuit. The Xperia 1 VII supports Sony’s DSEE Ultimate AI sound upscaling technology, along with 360 Reality audio or Dolby Atmos formats.
The latest Xperia also features a new 48-megapixel ultrawide camera with a good-sized 1/1.56-inch sensor, significantly improving the specs of the Xperia 1 VI’s ultrawide. That’s on top of the main 48MP 1/1.35-inch 24mm camera and a 12MP telephoto zoom.
Sony is also trying to differentiate its smartphones through camera features, with improved Bokeh mode, real-time tracking, and even real-time eye autofocus. It claims low-light shooting is “in line with full-frame cameras, " which is bold!
I’m wondering what other parts of Sony’s corporate machinery it will integrate next. Maybe Aibo dog ears?
Continue reading.

One year of Peacock Premium is on sale for only $25
The Memorial Day deal knocks off $55.

Want a cheaper sub for Peacock? You’ll need a code, but if you input SPRINGSAVINGS at checkout you’ll get $55 off the standard annual price of the Premium plan. It does include ads, however. The big draw for this particular streaming service is likely the long-awaited spinoff of The Office, called The Paper. That premieres in September, so you’ll be primed and ready to watch (and rewatch).
Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-123515822.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-123515822.html?src=rss

ProtonVPN deal: Get 66 percent off two-year subscriptions

Those keen on trying out a VPN to protect their online activity can get a great deal on ProtonVPN thanks to an Engadget-exclusive offer. Two-year plans are on sale for $81 right now, which represents a whopping $158.40 discount and comes out to $3.39 per month. If you'd prefer to try out ProtonVPN for a shorter amount of time first, you can get a one-year plan for just $48, or about $4 per month.
Proton topped our list of the best VPN services, and with good reason. It's incredibly powerful and easy to use, which is a boon for those new to the space. The end-to-end encryption is solid and everything's based on an open-source framework. This lets the company offer an official vulnerability disclosure program.

A subscription includes an IP-masker, so websites can't track you online, and a built-in ad blocker. We found in our tests that browsing the web and watching streaming content were both speedy while using this VPN, which isn't always the case with this type of service.
The only caveat? The company will automatically bill you at the normal price when the discounted subscription runs out. Be sure to cancel before that if you aren't vibing with the platform.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/protonvpn-deal-get-66-percent-off-two-year-subscriptions-191045133.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/deals/protonvpn-deal-get-66-percent-off-two-year-subscriptions-191045133.html?src=rss

Grok kept talking about 'white genocide' due to an 'unauthorized modification'

In the early hours of May 14, xAI's chatbot Grok repeatedly gave X users responses that referred to claims about a "white genocide" in South Africa even if their inquiries had nothing to do about the subject. Now, in a statement posted on the social network, Elon Musk's AI company has explained that "an unauthorized modification" to Grok's prompt on X caused it to "provide a specific response on a political topic." It didn't say what had happened to the personnel involved in rolling out the rogue update. But it added that the modification violated its "internal policies and core values" and that it has conducted a thorough investigation about the incident. 
The website's various users had posted several instances wherein Grok included references to the controversial claims that white South African farmers are facing racial discrimination and land seizures in their country. Their questions? Well, in one tweet, someone asked how many times HBO has changed its streaming service's name. In another, the user asked a baseball player's salary history. In yet another one, someone asked for more information about a WWE match. CNBC was able to replicate the chatbot's responses with white genocide references. When the news website asked if it was specifically programmed to promote "white genocide," Grok said that it wasn't and that its "purpose is to provide factual, helpful, and safe responses based on reason and evidence."
Before xAI issued a response, OpenAI chief Sam Altman posted a snarky response on X. "I’m sure xAI will provide a full and transparent explanation soon," he wrote, and then mimicked Grok's responses by segueing into talking about white genocide. xAI said that from now on, it will be publishing its system prompts on GitHub so that the public can give feedback on every alteration. The company also said that it will put additional checks and measures to ensure xAI employees can't modify Grok's prompt without a review. Whoever edited it recently was able to circumvent its current review process in this case. In addition, the company said it's putting together a team that can monitor incidents related to Grok's answers not caught by automated systems 24/7.
As TechCrunch has noted, this isn't the first time xAI had blamed a contentious Grok behavior to an unauthorized change. Back in February, the chatbot briefly censored sources that talked about how Musk and President Donald Trump are spreading misinformation. xAI co-founder Igor Babuschkin said at the time that a rogue employee had pushed an unapproved modification to Grok's prompt.
We want to update you on an incident that happened with our Grok response bot on X yesterday.What happened:On May 14 at approximately 3:15 AM PST, an unauthorized modification was made to the Grok response bot's prompt on X. This change, which directed Grok to provide a…— xAI (@xai) May 16, 2025

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/grok-kept-talking-about-white-genocide-due-to-an-unauthorized-modification-120044119.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/ai/grok-kept-talking-about-white-genocide-due-to-an-unauthorized-modification-120044119.html?src=rss

The best noise-canceling headphones for 2025

If you’re looking for the best noise-canceling headphones, you’re in for a treat — there have never been more great options to block out the world and dive into your music, podcasts or just pure silence. Whether you need peace and quiet while traveling, working from home or during daily commutes, the right pair of noise-canceling headphones can make all the difference in your day.Many noise-canceling headphones deliver incredible sound quality, all-day comfort, smart features like adaptive ANC and seamless connectivity to your devices. Some even let you customize how much outside sound you want to let in, so you can stay aware of your surroundings when you need to.No matter if you're prioritizing battery life, sound performance, travel-friendly design or just finding the most comfortable set for long listening sessions, we’re here to help you pick the perfect pair to suit your needs.
Table of contents

Best noise-canceling headphones for 2025
How to choose the best noise-canceling headphones for you
How we test noise-canceling headphones
Other noise-canceling headphones we tested
Noise-canceling headphones FAQs

Best noise-canceling headphones of 2025





How to choose the best noise-canceling headphones for you
Design
When you’re shopping for the best wireless headphones, the first thing you’ll need to decide on is wear style. Do you prefer on-ear or over-ear headphones? For the purposes of this guide, I focus on the over-ear style as that’s what most noise-canceling headphones are nowadays. Sure, you can find on-ear models with ANC, but over-ear, active noise-canceling headphones are much more effective at blocking outside sounds since your ears are completely covered.
For gamers, there are also gaming headsets that feature noise cancellation — some even have detachable microphones, so they can double as over-ear headphones. However, for the purpose of this article, we’re only going to be focusing on noise-canceling headphones rather than headsets. Look for models with a comfortable headband and memory foam ear cups to ensure you can wear them for long periods without discomfort.
Many headphones also come with a range of color options, so if aesthetics matter to you, you’ll find plenty of choices beyond just black or white. Whether you’re looking for something neutral or a bold pop of color, brands now offer a variety of styles to match your personal taste.
Finally, if you’re planning to wear your headphones for long periods of time, it’s important to pick a model with a comfortable fit. Memory foam ear cups, an adjustable headband, and lightweight materials can make all the difference during extended listening sessions. After all, great sound is only part of the equation; comfort matters just as much.
Type of noise cancellation
Next, you’ll want to look at the type of ANC a set of headphones offers. You’ll come across terms like “hybrid active noise cancellation” or “hybrid adaptive active noise cancellation,” and there are key differences between the two. A hybrid ANC setup uses microphones on the inside and on the outside of the device to detect outside noise and cancel it out. By analyzing input from both mics, a hybrid system can combat more sounds than “regular” ANC, but it does so at a constant level that doesn’t change.
Adaptive ANC takes the hybrid configuration a step further by continuously adjusting the noise cancellation for changes in your environment and any leakage around the padding of the ear cups. Adaptive noise-canceling also does a better job with wind noise, which can really kill your vibe while using headphones outdoors. Some high-end headphones also support Dolby Atmos, which enhances spatial audio and makes everything from music to movies sound more immersive. For the purposes of this best headphones list, I’m only considering products with hybrid ANC or adaptive ANC setups because those are the most effective at blocking noise and improving your overall listening experience.
Customization
You’ll also want to check to see if the ANC system on a prospective set of headphones offers adjustable levels of noise cancellation or presets. These can help you dial in the amount of ANC you need for various environments, but it can also help you save battery life. Master & Dynamic, for example, has ANC presets that provide both maximum noise blocking and more efficient cancellation that is more energy efficient. Other companies may include a slider in their companion apps that let you adjust the ANC level to your liking. Some high-end models even allow you to fine-tune the ANC for specific types of environments.
How we test noise-canceling headphones
The primary way we test headphones is to wear them as much as possible. I prefer to do this over a one-to-two-week period, but sometimes deadlines don’t allow it. During this time, I listen to a mix of music and podcasts, while also using the headphones to take both voice and video calls.
Since battery life for headphones can be 30 hours or more, I drain the battery with looping music and the volume set at a comfortable level (usually around 75 percent). Due to the longer battery estimates, I’ll typically power the headphones off several times and leave them that way during a review. This simulates real-world use and keeps me from having to constantly monitor the process for over 24 straight hours.
To test ANC performance specifically, I use headphones in a variety of environments, from noisy coffee shops to quiet home offices. When my schedule allows, I use them during air travel since plane noise is a massive distraction to both work and relaxation. Even if I can’t hop on a flight, I’ll simulate a constant roar with white noise machines, bathroom fans, vacuums and more. I also make note of how well each device blocks human voices, which are a key stumbling block for a lot of ANC headphones.
ANC-related features are something else to consider. Here, I do a thorough review of companion apps, testing each feature as I work through the software. Any holdovers from previous models are double checked for improvements or regression. If the headphones I’m testing are an updated version of a previous model, I’ll spend time getting reacquainted with the older set. Ditto for the closest competition for each new set of headphones that I review.
Other noise-canceling headphones we tested
AirPods Max
Apple’s AirPods Max are premium, well-designed headphones that incorporate all of the best features you find on standard AirPods: solid noise cancelation, spatial audio and easy Siri access. However, their $550 starting price makes them almost prohibitively expensive, even for those with Apple devices. There are better options available at lower prices.
Sonos Ace
The Sonos Ace is an excellent debut for the company’s first headphones. The combination of refined design, great sound quality and home theater tricks creates a unique formula. However, ANC performance is just okay and key functionality is still in the works for many users.
Beats Studio Pro
The Studio Pro lacks basic features like automatic pausing, and multipoint connectivity is only available on Android. Moreover, they’re not very comfortable for people with larger heads. Overall sound quality is improved, though, and voice performance on calls is well above average.
Noise-canceling headphones FAQs
Does noise cancellation block all noise?
Noise cancellation doesn’t block out all noise, though it does drastically reduce the volume of most external sounds.
Is there a difference between wired vs wireless noise-canceling headphones?
In terms of sound quality, if you have two headphones — one wired and one wireless — with similar specs, the difference is going to be very minimal. However, wireless headphones offer more convenience, allowing you to move around more freely with your headphones on, which is why they often feature noise cancellation to minimize external sounds.
Does noise cancellation impact sound quality?
ANC does bear some weight on sound quality, but the impact of this often doesn’t outweigh the benefits. Noise cancellation reduces ambient noise, allowing a greater focus on audio detail. For audiophiles, however, there may be a small difference in sound fidelity when ANC is turned on.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/best-noise-canceling-headphones-130029881.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/best-noise-canceling-headphones-130029881.html?src=rss

Engadget Podcast: Who needs Samsung's super-thin Galaxy S25 Edge?

It looks like we're entering the era of crazy-thin phones. This week, Samsung finally announced the Galaxy S25 Edge, its slimmest smartphone yet. Is there actually a point to it, or is Samsung just trying to beat Apple to its rumored super-thin iPhone? Engadget's Sam Rutherford joins us to dive into the S25 Edge, as well as some pre-Google I/O news from the Android Show.

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Topics

Surface Pro 12-inch review: less weight, less power? – 2:04
ASUS’ Xbox handheld photos leak in FCC filing – 21:39
OpenAI restructures business, announces plan for hostile takeover-proof public benefit corp – 26:14
The EPA announces plans to shut down the Energy Star Program – 31:16
Telemessage, a Signal clone favored by Trump administration officials has been hacked – 34:44
Samsung subsidiary buys Masimo and now it owns all the fancy speakers – 36:35
Half-Life 3 is fully formed and playable?! – 40:59
Around Engadget – 49:53
Pop culture picks – 51:42

Credits 
Hosts: Devindra Hardawar and Cherlynn LowGuest: Sam RutherfordProducer: Ben EllmanMusic: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/engadget-podcast-who-needs-samsungs-super-thin-galaxy-s25-edge-113049744.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/engadget-podcast-who-needs-samsungs-super-thin-galaxy-s25-edge-113049744.html?src=rss

How to cancel subscriptions on iPhone

Managing subscriptions directly from your iPhone is one of the simplest ways to prevent unwanted charges and keep track of active services. Whether you're looking to cancel a streaming platform, cloud storage plan or any other recurring charge that you signed up for through Apple, doing so only takes a few steps.
If you download an app from the App Store, you may find the app unlocks additional features through a subscription. It’s easy to manage your subscription and app directly through your iPhone, allowing you to keep an eye on what you’re paying out. Some apps might tempt you with a free trial, so if you don’t want to pay a monthly subscription fee or you’ve had enough of your subscription, you can cancel or renew on your iPhone. Here’s how to find and cancel your subscriptions on iPhone.
How to cancel a subscription using your iPhone
Apple allows you to manage and cancel App Store subscriptions pretty easily. Subscriptions tied to your Apple ID include services such as Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, iCloud+ and third-party offerings purchased through the App Store.
To cancel a subscription:

Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
Tap your Apple ID name at the top of the screen.
Select Subscriptions.
Scroll through your list of active subscriptions.
Tap the subscription you want to cancel.
Tap Cancel Subscription, then confirm.

If the subscription is already marked as “Canceled” or shows an expiration date, no further action is needed.
Keep in mind that when you cancel a subscription, it typically remains active until the end of the current billing cycle(since you’ve already paid for it). You won’t be charged again, but you’ll still be able to use the service until the subscription officially ends.
Rob Webb for Engadget
How to cancel a subscription through the App Store
In addition to the Settings app, you can also access subscription details from within the App Store.

Open the App Store.
Tap your profile icon in the upper-right corner.
Tap Subscriptions.
Select the subscription you want to cancel.
Tap Cancel Subscription and follow the confirmation prompts.

This method leads to the same subscription menu found in the Settings app, so it’s simply a different way to get there. Both approaches work equally well, as they require the same number of taps.
What to do if you don’t see the subscription listed
If a subscription you want to cancel isn’t listed in the Subscriptions section, it may not be billed through Apple. Some services, such as Spotify, Netflix or Hulu, often require you to manage your subscription directly through their website or billing provider.
To check if a subscription is handled outside of Apple:

Look at or search for the confirmation emails you received when signing up.
Check your bank or credit card statement for the company name.
Open the app and look under its account or settings section for billing info.

If the subscription isn’t associated with your Apple ID, canceling it will require visiting the provider’s website or app, or contacting its customer support directly.
How to cancel Apple One
If you’re subscribed to Apple One, which bundles several Apple services into one plan, you can cancel the entire bundle or individual services to stop using them.
To cancel Apple One:

Go to Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions.
Tap Apple One.
Tap Cancel Apple One to remove the bundle.
If you only want to cancel one service within the bundle, tap Choose Individual Services and turn off the specific one you no longer want.

Canceling Apple One may remove access to multiple services, including Apple Music, iCloud+, and Apple Arcade, depending on your plan.
How to cancel a free trial
If you signed up for a free trial, be sure to cancel before the trial period ends to avoid charges. Apple will begin billing you automatically once the trial converts to a paid subscription.
Free trials follow the same cancellation process:

Go to Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions.
Select the trial you want to cancel.
Tap Cancel Subscription.

The trial will end immediately if canceled, and you may lose access to premium features.
How to resubscribe after canceling
If you change your mind and want to restart a canceled subscription, you can do so from the same Subscriptions menu, as long as the service is still available.

Open Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions.
Scroll down to the Inactive section.
Tap the service you want to reactivate.
Select a plan and confirm your payment method.

Your subscription will resume under the current terms, and the billing cycle starts from the date you resubscribe.
To downgrade or cancel iCloud+:

Go to Settings > Apple ID > iCloud > Manage Storage or iCloud Storage.
Tap Change Storage Plan > Downgrade Options.
Sign in if prompted.
Select the Free 5GB plan to cancel your paid plan.

Changes take effect at the end of your current billing period.
How to check for hidden or expired subscriptions
To view old subscriptions:

Go to Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions.
Scroll to the Inactive or Expired section at the bottom of the screen.

These entries can’t be canceled again and are listed for reference only. If a subscription you no longer use is listed under “Active,” it’s still billing and needs to be manually canceled.
More tips for subscription management

Use reminders: Set calendar reminders to review subscriptions before trials or renewals occur.
Review billing statements: Check your monthly charges for unexpected renewals.
Enable purchase sharing: If you're in a Family Sharing group, know that some subscriptions can be shared or managed by the organizer.
Consider using Apple’s Report a Problem page if you were charged for a subscription you didn’t authorize: reportaproblem.apple.com
If a subscription doesn’t have a cancel option or is listed as “renewing soon,” you may not be able to cancel it from the iPhone directly. In this case:
Double-check for another Apple ID you may have used to subscribe.
Try restarting your iPhone and checking the Subscriptions list again.
If it’s an Apple service like iCloud+ and the cancel button isn’t visible, you may need to change your iCloud storage plan instead.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/how-to-cancel-subscriptions-on-iphone-110015175.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/how-to-cancel-subscriptions-on-iphone-110015175.html?src=rss

The best USB-C hub for 2025

If you want to get the most out of your tablet or laptop, a USB-C hub can help. Using a single USB-C slot on your portable computer, a hub gives you back missing connections like HDMI, USB Type A and C, Ethernet, memory card slots and more. After testing more than a dozen models, we think the UGreen Revodok Pro 109 is the best USB-C hub for most people. But we have a recommended budget model and a premium pick to give you more options. We also break down port types, power delivery capabilities and design considerations to help you make the right choice before you buy.
Table of contents

Best USB-C hubs for 2025
What to look for in a USB-C hub
How we test USB-C hubs
Other hubs we tested 
Recent updates

Best USB-C hubs for 2025




What to look for in a USB-C hub
Hub vs docking station
The first thing to decide is whether you need a USB-C hub or a USB-C docking station. There’s no set standard for what differentiates the two, but docking stations tend to have more ports, offer a separate DC power adapter and cost more, with some reaching upwards of $400. We have a separate guide to the best docking stations to check out if you’re looking for something bigger than what we’re discussing here. USB-C hubs, in contrast, have between four and 10 ports, can support pass-through charging and typically cost between $30 and $150.
Hubs, sometimes also called dongles or even multiport adapters, make more sense for smaller setups with just a few peripherals, such as a monitor, a wired keyboard and mouse, and the occasional external drive. They’re also more portable, since they’re small and require no dedicated power. That could be useful if you change work locations but want to bring your accessories with you, or if you want to replace your laptop with a more powerful tablet. A docking station or thunderbolt dock makes more sense for someone who needs a robust setup for their laptop, including multiple external monitors, webcams, stream decks, microphones and so on.
Both docks and hubs make it easy to grab your laptop off your desk for a meeting or other brief relocation and when you get back, you only need to plug in one cable to get all your accessories reconnected.
Ports
For a USB-C hub to work, it needs to connect to a port on your laptop or tablet that supports video, data and power — all of which is covered by anything listed as USB 3.0 or better, including USB4 and Thunderbolt 3 and 4. The port, of course, needs to be Type-C as well. The sea of laptops out there is vast, so it’s hard to make generalizations, but modern laptops, including Windows and Apple models, should have at least one USB-C port that will suffice, and indeed, every one of our top picks for the best laptops do.
Next, it’s a matter of finding a good USB-C hub that has the right connections for your needs. Most hubs offer some combo of HDMI, USB, SD card reader, Ethernet and 3.5 mm ports. If you have a 4K monitor and would like at least a 60Hz refresh rate, you’ll need a hub with an HDMI 2.0 port — HDMI 1.4 only goes up to 30Hz. HDMI 2.1 will handle 4K at up to 120Hz, but hubs that have adopted that standard aren’t as common just yet. Keep in mind that a low refresh rate can cause your screen to feel laggy, making your mouse appear glitchy and your webcam movements to look delayed.
Additional USB ports on these accessories are usually Type-A or Type-C. They can support data with different transfer rates, typically 5Gbps or 10Gbps. Some ports only handle passthrough power and no data, and some can do data, power and video, so it’s best to check the spec list to make sure you’re getting the support you need. Keep in mind that a hub may bill itself as a 7-in-1, but one of those ports may not be usable for anything other than charging.
Standard SD and microSD slots are useful for transferring data from cameras and the like or for offloading files from your hard drive. Ethernet ports may deliver faster internet speeds than your Wi-Fi and a hub with a 3.5mm jack can bring back the wired headphone connection that some laptops have ditched.




Power delivery
Nearly all of the USB-C hubs I tested support passthrough charging. That means if your laptop or tablet only charges via USB, you don’t have to take up another port on your laptop to keep everything topped up. Unlike a docking station, powering a hub is optional. The one exception is if you want to close the lid on your laptop while you work on an external monitor. Most computers will go into sleep mode if the lid is closed without power, so either the laptop or the hub will need to be plugged into the wall to prevent that from happening.
Many of the newer hubs include a 100W USB-C power delivery (PD) port, with a healthy 80 to 85 watts going to your Mac, PC or tablet (the hubs take a little of the juice for themselves, hence the 15-watt or so difference). In my tests, a powered USB hub ran hotter than when it wasn't passing the charge through, so I prefer to power the computer directly using its own charger. But for tablets or other devices with no extra ports, that PD option is important.
Some PD ports are also data ports — which is both good and bad. On one hand, it feels wasteful to use a perfectly good data port just for boring old electricity. But on the other hand, USB-C connections that only carry a charge are less versatile, and it makes it seem like it has more accessory hookups than it actually does.
Design
There’s surprisingly little design variation among hubs. Most look like a flat slab, a little smaller than a smartphone, and have an attached Type-C host cable. The hues range from a silvery black to a silvery gray. Some are thinner than others, some have all ports on one edge and some have ports on both sides. All of this is just to say that aesthetics probably won’t make or break your buying decision.
One variation that could tip the scales is the length of the cable. A longer one will give you more freedom as you arrange the hub on your desk, potentially even letting you hide it behind your laptop. Or you may prefer a shorter one to keep the hub neatly set beside your laptop.
How we test USB-C hubs
Before we test anything, we take a look at what’s available and how they’ve been received by shoppers, forum-goers and other publications. I became familiar with a few reputable brands when I was testing docking stations, so I looked into hubs from those companies as well. I focused on items that would help with an average day of productivity — not high-end setups or demanding gaming situations. Once I settled on a dozen or so that would make good candidates, I had them shipped to my humble office in the desert and started testing them out over the course of a few weeks.
I used an M1 MacBook Pro running MacOS Sonoma as the host computer and plugged in accessories that include a 4K Dell monitor, a ZSA USB-C ergo keyboard, a Logitech USB-A gaming mouse, an Elgato USB-C 4K webcam, a Logitech streaming light, a USB-A 3.0 Sandisk thumb drive, a USB-C Samsung T7 Shield external drive and a pair of wired headphones I got for free on an airplane (I should probably invest in some wired headphones, but the cord dangling on my chest drives me nutty so all my earbuds are wireless). I used high-end HDMI and USB-C cables to ensure that any data or connectivity issues weren’t related to my equipment.
Then I put each USB-C hub through a gamut of basic tests. I looked at what could be plugged in at once, the resolution on the monitor, data transfer speeds, the overall build quality of the hub and general usability factors, like the placement of the ports and the length of the cords. And, finally, the price-to-value ratio helped determine the best ones for a few different use cases.
Other hubs we tested
HyperDrive Next 10 Port USB-C Hub
There’s a lot to like about HyperDrive’s Next 10 Port USB-C Hub. The tethered cable is a lavish 13 inches long, the HDMI 2.0 port outputs clear and crisp 4K visuals at 60Hz and the data transfers are screaming fast. It has the coveted two USB-C data ports plus a PD port, and there’s even a headphone jack. The only thing that holds back a full-throated endorsement is the way our unit handled a streaming light. Having it on at full brightness made the webcam flicker every time. The issue went away at 75 percent brightness, but the same problem didn’t happen on any other hub I tested.
Anker 341 USB-C Hub (7-in-1)
There’s nothing wrong with the Anker 341 USB-C hub. In fact it’s a current recommendation in our iPad accessories guide and it comes at a great $35 price. It gives you two USB-A ports as well as SD slots. But at this point, a 1.4 HDMI connection, which only supports 4K resolution at 30Hz feels a little retro. There’s also just a single USB-C downstream port and the data transfer tests proved to be a touch slower than the other hubs. But if you’ve got a lower resolution monitor and don’t need more than one USB-C, you won’t be disappointed with it.
Anker 555 8-in-1
It was a tough call between the UGreen Revodoc Pro 109 and the Anker 555 8-in-1 for our top recommendation. Both have a similar port array with an HDMI, Ethernet, two USB Type A, a PD USB-C and a USB-C 3.2 on the 555. And the Anker USB-C hub is $15 cheaper. We went with the UGreen hub for its more premium build, extra USB-A port and longer cord that gives you two extra inches to work with. But if you want to save a few bucks this hub is a worthwhile pick. 
Startech 4-Port USB-C Hub (data only)
I only became aware of Startech when I started researching for this guide. The quality is decent and the yellow accents are a welcome bit of color in the otherwise very gray world of hubs. The performance is solid, with no hiccups that I encountered. The brand’s 4-Port USB-C Hub has a long cord that wraps around the hub itself, which is unique. It doesn’t bother with power delivery, which isn’t an issue if you can power your computer directly. But the four USB ports (three Type-A and one Type-C) max out at 5Gbps and there’s no HDMI connector. It goes for $46, and unfortunately for it, there are cheaper ways to get a few more USB ports for your setup.
Recent updates
April 2025: Added our experience with the Anker 555 8-in-1 hub to the Other hubs we tested section.  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-usb-c-hub-120051833.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-usb-c-hub-120051833.html?src=rss

The best Apple deals you can get right now: Save on iPads, MacBooks, AirPods and more

It’s obvious that Apple products are some of the most sought-after in the tech world — that means sales are fewer and farther between than other gadgets, and they’re often the first things to sell out when discounts do arrive. But it would be a mistake to assume you’re doomed to always pay full price on things like iPads and Apple Watches. Apple deals to exist, if you know where to look.Engadget keeps track of deals like these on a regular basis, so we can help you there. Below, we’ve collected the best Apple deals you can get right now on items like AirPods, MacBooks, iPads and more. Arguably the biggest caveat to note about Apple sales is that you’re almost never going to see discounts directly at Apple.com. Unless you shop refurbished, you’ll always pay top dollar direct at Apple, and for some things (like iPhones), that might be best. But you’ll find more discounts more often if you’re willing to shop at retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Target and others.
Best iPad deals

Apple iPad (A16) for $299 (14 percent off): The updates from the previous generation are relatively minor, but this new model comes with a faster A16 chip, 2GB more RAM and 128GB of storage as standard. It earned a score of 84 in our review — if you only need an iPad for roaming the internet, watching shows and doing some lighter productivity tasks, it's a good starter tablet.
Apple iPad Air 11-inch (M3) for $529 ($70 off): The new iPad Air was released on the same day as the iPad (A16) and is a similarly minor update; the only big addition is a more powerful M3 chip. However, we still recommend the Air over the base model in our iPad buying guide: Its display is more color-rich and better at fending off glare, its speakers are more robust, it works with Apple’s best accessories and its performance should hold up better in the years ahead.
Apple iPad Air 13-inch (M3) for $729 ($70 off): We gave the 13-inch iPad Air a review score of 89 when it was released in March. It has a bigger and slightly brighter display than its 11-inch counterpart; otherwise, the two slates are the same. If you plan to keep your iPad hooked up to a keyboard, the extra screen space is lovely for taking in movies and multitasking for work.
Apple iPad Pro 11-inch (M4) for $899 ($100 off): The iPad Pro is more tablet than most people need, but it’s the ultimate Apple slate for those who can stomach its price tag. It’s wonderfully thin, its OLED display is one of the best we’ve seen on a consumer device and its M4 chip can handle virtually anything you’d ever do on an iPad. It’s also the only Apple tablet with Face ID, plus it has a better speaker setup than the iPad Air. We gave it a score of 84 in our review, with the only real drawback being how expensive it all is.
Apple iPad Pro 13-inch (M4) for $1,099 ($200 off): The 13-inch iPad Pro has all the same specs as the 11-inch model, only it's bigger and more expensive. It may be worth the extra cost if you plan to multitask regularly or just want more screen space for enjoying movies. This is the largest discount we've seen the M4 model. Also available at Target.
Best Apple AirPod deals

Apple AirPods 4 for $119 ($10 off ): Apple’s wireless earbuds aren't the richest-sounding or longest-lasting pair out there, and this entry-level model lacks wireless charging, Find My tracking and onboard volume controls. But it still gets you tons of Apple-friendly features — from fast pairing with iCloud devices to spatial audio to hands-free Siri — and its lightweight design should fit most ears better than past AirPods. If you truly hate the feeling of headphones that jut into your ear canal, they sound a bit cleaner and more balanced than most open-back alternatives as well. Just keep in mind that this design won’t block much outside noise.
Apple AirPods Pro 2 for $188 (24 percent off): The AirPods Pro 2 remain Apple’s best set of wireless earbuds, as they offer the full set of Apple-focused features, strong ANC, onboard volume controls, a comfy in-ear design and a warm sound profile that most should find agreeable. They can even work as a hearing aid, though their six-hour battery life isn’t the best, and you should only get them if you’re all-in on Apple hardware. If that’s the case, though, we consider them the best wireless earbuds for iPhone owners.
Best MacBook deals and Mac discounts

Apple Mac mini (M4) for $529 ($70 off): The newest version of Apple’s tiny desktop PC has a smaller overall footprint, a faster M4 chip, 16GB of RAM as standard (finally), two front-facing USB-C ports (finally!), an extra Thunderbolt 4 port and the ability to drive three external displays. It does lack USB-A ports, however. We gave the M4 Pro model a review score of 90 earlier this year.
Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) for $1,049 ($150 off): The 15-inch MacBook Air is nearly identical to the smaller version but features more robust speakers and a more spacious trackpad alongside its roomier display. This is another record low for the base model, and again, other configs are similarly discounted if you need more power. Also available at B&H.
Best Apple Watch deals

Apple Watch SE for $189 ($60 off): Those on tighter budgets can opt for the Apple Watch SE and know they’re getting the core Apple wearable experience with few compromises. We consider it to be the best smartwatch for newbies.
Best Apple accessories deals
Apple Pencil Pro for $99 ($30 off): The highest-end option in Apple’s confusing stylus lineup, the Pencil Pro supports pressure sensitivity, wireless charging, tilt detection, haptic feedback and support for Apple’s double tap and squeeze gestures, among other perks. It’s a lovely tool for more intricate sketching and note-taking, but the catch is that it’s only compatible with the M4 iPad Pro, M2 and M3 iPad Air and most recent iPad mini. Also available at Walmart.
Apple Pencil USB-C for $69 ($10 off): This more affordable Apple Pencil doesn’t support pressure sensitivity, but makes for a good stylus overall. If you’re a casual note-taker and can handle connected charging, you’ll save a few dollars by picking this one up. Also available at Walmart.
Read more Apple coverage:

The best AirPods
The best Apple Watches
The best MacBooks
The best iPhones
The best iPads

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/best-apple-deals-150020110.html?src=rss

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TikTok will try to force teens to meditate after 10PM

TikTok recently began experimenting with an in-app meditation feature that encouraged teens to "wind down" after 10PM. Now, the company is making the feature official for all users and turning it on by default for all teens under the age of 18.
With the change, teens will hit a full-screen "guided meditation exercise" when attempting to scroll after 10PM. The prompt is apparently something you can opt to ignore, but teens who do will encounter a second "harder to dismiss" prompt. TikTok's adult users will also be able to access the in-app meditations via the app's screen time controls (the feature will not be on by default for adults).
The company notes that its initial tests of "Sleep Hours" were successful, with 98 percent of teens opting to keep the late-night meditation settings on. Previous attempts by TikTok to limit screen time have a somewhat different track record. Documents that surfaced as part of a lawsuit against the company showed that teens were spending about 107 minutes a day in the app even when screen time was set to a 60-minute limit.
Since then, TikTok has beefed up some of its safety features, including its parental controls, amid increasing scrutiny of the company. TikTok's fate in the US is still, officially, in limbo as President Donald Trump signed off on another extension of a deadline to ban the app last month. Terms of a final deal that will allow it to remain in the country permanently have yet to be announced, though there are a number of interested buyers.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/tiktok-will-try-to-force-teens-to-meditate-after-10pm-231118942.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/social-media/tiktok-will-try-to-force-teens-to-meditate-after-10pm-231118942.html?src=rss

Meta's 'Behemoth' Llama 4 model might still be months away

Last month, Meta hosted LlamaCon, its first ever generative AI conference. But while the event delivered some notable improvements for developers, it also felt a bit underwhelming considering how important AI is to the company. Now, we know a bit more about why, thanks to a new report in The Wall Street Journal.
According to the report, Meta had originally intended to release its "Behemoth" Llama 4 model at the April developer event, but later delayed its release to June. Now, it's apparently been pushed back again, potentially until "fall or later." Meta engineers are reportedly "struggling to significantly improve the capabilities" of the model that Mark Zuckerberg has called “the highest performing base model in the world.”
Meta has already released two smaller Llama 4 models, Scout and Maverick, and has also teased a fourth lightweight model that's apparently nicknamed "Little Llama." Meanwhile, the "Behemoth" model will have 288 billion active parameters and "outperforms GPT-4.5, Claude Sonnet 3.7, and Gemini 2.0 Pro on several STEM benchmarks," the company said last month.
Meta has never given a firm timeline of when to expect the model. The company said last month that it was "still training." And while Behemoth got a few nods during the LlamaCon keynote, there were no updates on when it might actually be ready. That's probably because it could still be several months. Inside Meta there are apparently questions "about whether improvements over prior versions are significant enough to justify public release."
Meta didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. As the report notes, it wouldn't be the first company to run into snags as it races to release new models and outpace competitors. But the delay is still notable given the Meta's lofty ambitions when it comes to AI. Zuckerberg has made AI a top priority with Meta planning to spend as much as $72 billion on its AI infrastructure this year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/metas-behemoth-llama-4-model-might-still-be-months-away-221240585.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/ai/metas-behemoth-llama-4-model-might-still-be-months-away-221240585.html?src=rss

Doctors successfully treated a baby with the first ever personalized gene-editing therapy

A team of doctors and scientists have successfully treated a rare genetic condition with the first-ever personalized gene-editing therapy. Results of the groundbreaking treatment have been published in The New England Journal of Medicine, with an accompanying editorial by a doctor who had previously overseen the FDA's gene-therapy regulation efforts.
The patient in this historic case was KJ, an infant born with CPS1 deficiency, which has about a 50 percent mortality rate within the first week. Patients that do survive can experience severe brain disease, mental and developmental delays, and potential liver transplants. His care team developed a personalized gene-editing treatment based on CRISPR, a technology for modifying human DNA.
The successful gene repair for KJ combined years' worth of previous federally-funded medical research, including the discovery of CRISPR and human genome sequencing that allowed the mutation to be identified.
This approach to gene editing could potentially be used in the future to aid patients with other genetic disorders, such as sickle cell disease, cystic fibrosis, Huntington’s disease and muscular dystrophy. A pair of CRISPR-based drugs have already received FDA approval for sickle cell disease treatments, but there is still a lot to potentially be explored in this field.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/doctors-successfully-treated-a-baby-with-the-first-ever-personalized-gene-editing-therapy-202307902.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/science/doctors-successfully-treated-a-baby-with-the-first-ever-personalized-gene-editing-therapy-202307902.html?src=rss

X is once again selling checkmarks to US sanctioned groups, report says

X has once again been accepting payments from people associated with terrorist groups and other entities subject to US sanctions, according to a new report from the Tech Transparency Project (TTP). According to the report, X has not only accepted payments in exchange for its premium service, but in some cases has provided an "ID verified" badge.
The report once again questions whether X is complying with US sanctions that restrict companies' ability to do business with individuals and entities that have been deemed a security threat. Last year, the TTP published a similar report that identified more than two dozen verified accounts that were affiliated with sanctioned groups, including leaders of Hezbollah and accounts associated with Houthis in Yemen. Many of those checkmarks were subsequently revoked, with X promising to "maintain a safe, secure and compliant platform."
But some of those accounts simply "resubscribed" to X's premium service or created fresh accounts, according to the report, which is based on research between November 2024 and April 2025. "TTP’s new investigation found an array of blue checkmark accounts for U.S.-sanctioned individuals and organizations, including several that appeared to simply re-subscribe to premium service or create new accounts after their old ones were restricted or removed by X," the report says. "Moreover, some of the accounts were 'ID verified,' meaning X conducted an additional review to confirm their identity."
The report once again highlights verified accounts associated with members of Hezbollah, including one of its founders, as well as Houthi officials who "are making heavy use of X for messaging and propaganda." The son of Libyan dictator Muammar Gadhafi, whose account was previously suspended, also currently has a blue check, as does Raghad Saddam Hussein al-Tikriti, one of Saddam Hussein's daughters. Both have been under sanctions for more than a decade.
X didn't respond to a request for comment on the report. In response to last year's report, the company said it would "take action if necessary." However, it's unclear if the company changed any of its practices regarding who can pay for premium subscriptions.
“If a small team can use X’s public facing search tools to identify these accounts, it’s unclear why a multi-billion-dollar company cannot do the same,” Michelle Kuppersmith, the executive director for Campaign for Accountability, the watchdog group that runs TTP said in a statement. “It’s one thing to allow terrorists to have a voice on the platform; it’s another entirely to allow them to pay for a more effective megaphone.”This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/x-is-once-again-selling-checkmarks-to-us-sanctioned-groups-report-says-194352896.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/social-media/x-is-once-again-selling-checkmarks-to-us-sanctioned-groups-report-says-194352896.html?src=rss

Here's how the Sony WH-1000XM6 compare to the WH-1000XM5 and AirPods Max

It's been over two years since Sony had a new pair of headphones in its 1000X lineup, but the newly announced WH-1000XM6 seem worth the wait. From the outside, the new ANC headphones look similar to the streamlined WH-1000XM5 from 2022, with the only major change being the return of ear cups that rotate and fold flat. Inside, though, Sony's packed in improvements that put the WH-1000XM6 ahead of the competition in terms of both sound quality and active noise cancellation.
That's mostly thanks to the new QN3 processor on the inside, the addition of four new built-in microphones (from eight on the 1000XM5 to 12 on the 1000XM6) and an updated system for adapting ANC performance around fit and pressure. All three combine for noticeably better ANC. Those changes haven't led to shorter battery life either — you'll get the same 30 hours with ANC activated on the WH-1000XM6 that you were able to get on the WH-1000XM5.
The WH-1000XM6 is not only able to play spatial audio tracks like the WH-100XM5 and AirPods Max can, the headphones can also convert any stereo track you throw at it into 360-degree audio. For most people, though, the more immediately useful new feature will be the ability to keep using the headphones while you charge them, something oddly missing from previous models.
At $450, the WH-100XM6 are a good $50 more expensive than WH-1000XM5 and tiptoeing closer to the exorbitantly priced AirPods Max. The best way to know if Sony's new headphones are right for you is to read Engadget's review and ideally, try them for yourself. Until then, we've put together an overview of how the WH-1000XM6 compare to the WH-1000XM5 and the AirPods Max.
WH-1000MX6
WH-1000MX5
AirPods Max
Pricing (MSRP)
$450
$400
$549
Active noise cancellation
Yes
Yes
Yes
Transparency mode
Yes
Yes
Yes
Adaptive audio
Yes
Yes
Yes
Multipoint connectivity
Yes
Can switch between 2 Bluetooth connections
Fast Pair with Android devices 
Swift Pair with Windows 11 and Windows 10 devices
Yes
Can switch between 2 Bluetooth connections
Fast Pair with Android devices
Swift Pair with Windows 11 and Windows 10 devices
No
Automatic device switching between Apple devices only
Battery life (rated)
Up to 30 hours with ANC on
Up to 40 hours with ANC off
Up to 30 hours with ANC on
Up to 40 hours with ANC off
Up to 20 hours with ANC on
Up to 20 hours with ANC and Spatial Audio on
Up to 20 hours of talk time
Wired charging
USB-C
USB-C
USB-C
Water & dust resistance
No
No
No
Size & weight
8.96 oz
8.82 oz
13.6 oz
Chip(s)
Sony QN3
Sony QN1 + V1
Apple H1
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 5.3
Bluetooth 5.2
Bluetooth 5.0
Bluetooth codecs
SBC, AAC, LDAC, LC3
SBC, AAC, LDAC
AAC, SBC
Spatial audio
Yes
360 Audio
360 Spatial Sound Upmix for converting stereo audio
Yes
360 Audio
Yes
Control type
Touch controls for playback and volume
NC/AMB button for ANC
Touch controls for playback and volume
NC/AMB button
Digital Crown dial for playback and volume
Noise control button for ANC
Mics & sensors
12 microphones total: six microphones for calls
Touch sensors
Accelerometer
Gyroscope
Eight microphones total: four microphones for calls
Touch sensors
Accelerometer
Gyroscope
Nine microphones total: eight ANC mics, three mics for voice pickup (two shared for ANC)
Optical sensor
Position sensor
Case-detect sensor
Accelerometer
Gyroscope

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/heres-how-the-sony-wh-1000xm6-compare-to-the-wh-1000xm5-and-airpods-max-193706730.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/heres-how-the-sony-wh-1000xm6-compare-to-the-wh-1000xm5-and-airpods-max-193706730.html?src=rss

The best wireless headphones for 2025: Bluetooth options for every budget

Whether you're listening to playlists on your daily commute or zoning out with a podcast at home, wireless headphones can make your audio experience much more comfortable. With no cords to untangle or get caught on your bag, they’re a great pick for anyone who wants convenience without compromising on sound quality. If comfort and immersive audio are high on your priority list, over-ear wireless headphones are often the way to go — they wrap around your ears to help block out the world and deliver rich detailed sound that earbuds can sometimes miss.There’s a wide range of over-ear wireless headphones to choose from, whether you want active noise cancellation, long battery life or a comfy fit for marathon listening sessions. Of course, if you're after something a little more compact or tailored to a specific use case, we also have you covered with our buying guides for the best earbuds, the best gaming headsets and the best budget earbuds. But if wireless headphones with top-tier sound and a comfortable, over-ear design are what you're after, read on — we’ve tested the top options to help you find the right pair.
Table of contents

Best wireless headphones for 2025
How to choose the best wireless headphones for you
How we test over-ear headphones
Other wireless headphones we tested
Wireless headphones FAQs

Best wireless headphones for 2025








How to choose the best wireless headphones for you
When it comes to shopping for a good pair of wireless headphones, the first thing you’ll need to decide on is wear style. Do you prefer on-ear or over-ear headphones? For the purposes of our buyer’s guide, we focus on the over-ear style as that’s what most noise-canceling headphones are nowadays. Sure, you can find on-ear models with ANC, but over-ear designs are much more effective at blocking sound. Speaking of noise cancellation, you’ll want to determine early on if you even want that. If you frequently crank up the beats in noisy environments, you’ll want to not only make sure it’s there, but also make sure it’s good, preferably with adaptive ANC. If you plan to use your new headphones in quieter spaces, skipping ANC can save you some money.
The next area to consider is features. We recommend trying to get the most bang for your buck, but as you’re shopping around you should determine which items are must-haves and what you can live without. And don’t take basic things like automatic pausing and Bluetooth multipoint connectivity for granted, as not all companies include them. We also suggest reading reviews to see how well a company’s more advanced features work. This will help you decide if those are something you’re willing to (likely) pay extra for. Keep an eye on better battery life estimates to avoid disappointment, as some manufacturers promise more hours than real-world testing delivers. And don’t be easily swayed by lofty promises about call quality without verifying them.
Sound can be subjective, so we recommend trying before you buy if at all possible. We understand this isn’t easy at a time when we’re doing most of our shopping online. But trying on a set of headphones and listening to them for a few minutes can save you from an expensive case of buyer’s remorse. We also recommend paying attention to things like Spatial Audio, Dolby Atmos, 360 Reality Audio and other immersive formats. Not all headphones support them, so you’ll want to make sure a perspective pair does if that sort of thing excites you. If you plan to use your headphones for other media besides music, checking for latency is also a must — some delay can impact playback for things like movies or games, even if most true wireless headphones now offer minimal lag.
How we test over-ear headphones
The primary way we test wireless headphones is to wear them as much as possible. We prefer to do this over a one- to two-week period, but sometimes embargoes don’t 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 headphones can be 30 hours or more, we drain the battery with looping music and the volume set at a comfortable level (usually around 75 percent). Due to the longer battery estimates, we’ll typically power the headphones off several times and leave them during a review. This simulates real-world use and keeps us from having to constantly monitor the process for over 24 straight hours.
To judge the best Bluetooth headphones, we focus on higher-quality audio by listening to a variety of genres and paying close attention to how each style sounds. We also test at both low and high volumes to check for consistency in the tuning. To assess the quality of phone calls, we’ll record audio samples with the headphones’ 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 headphones we’re testing are an updated version of a previous model, we’ll spend time getting reacquainted with the older set. Ditto for the closest competition for each new set of headphones that we review.
Other wireless headphones we tested
AirPods Max
Apple’s AirPods Max are premium, well-designed over-ear headphones that incorporate all of the best features you find on standard AirPods: solid noise cancelation, spatial audio and easy Siri access. However, their $550 starting price makes them almost prohibitively expensive, even for Apple users. There are better options available at lower prices, but if you can pick up the AirPods Max at a steep discount, they might be worthwhile for the biggest Apple fans among us.
Dyson On-Trac
The On-Trac headphones have an almost infinitely customizable design, and that’s what’s most unique about them. The sound profile offers some nice detail, but lacks dynamic range overall. ANC is average at best and there aren’t any advanced features that will make your life easier. Well, except for the hearing health monitor which is actually handy. All told, that’s not a lot in a set of $500 headphones.
Sonos Ace
The Sonos Ace is an excellent debut for the company’s first headphones. The combination of refined design, great sound quality and home theater tricks creates a unique formula. However, ANC performance is just okay and key functionality is still in the works for many users.
Sony ULT Wear
If most headphones don’t have the level of bass you desire, the ULT Wear is an option to consider. The low-end thump isn’t for everyone, but there are also plenty of handy features and a refined look to make the $200 set more compelling than many in this price range.
Sony WH-CH720N
While the WH-CH720N are a great affordable option, we prefer the Audio-Technica in the budget category. Sony’s cans are lightweight with good sound quality, but ANC struggles at times and they’re made with a lot of plastic.
Beats Studio Pro
The Studio Pro lacks basic features like automatic pausing, and multipoint connectivity is only available on Android. Moreover, they’re not very comfortable for people with larger heads. Overall sound quality is improved, though, and voice performance on calls is well above average.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones
Bose’s latest flagship model has a lot to offer, but its trademark Immersive Audio feature can be inconsistent across different types of music. There’s still world-class ANC, excellent comfort and a clearer transparency mode, but for the price, the non-Ultra model is a better choice right now.
Master & Dynamic MH40 (2nd gen)
The MH40 are a great set of headphones if you favor crisp, clear and natural sound that isn’t overly tuned. This pair showcases the company’s affinity for leather and metal too, but limited customization and short battery life for non-ANC cans kept this set from making the cut.
Bowers & Wilkins Px8
The company’s trademark pristine sound is on display here, but the Px8 are more expensive and not nearly as comfortable as the Px7 S2.
Wireless headphones FAQs
How can you tell the quality of wireless headphones?
I typically look at three factors: design, sound quality and features. In terms of design, I’m usually looking to see if the build quality of the headphones feels cheap and plasticky. Plenty of companies use plastic, but they can do so in a way that doesn’t look or feel like budget models. For sound quality, I want to hear a nice, even tuning where highs, mids and lows are all well represented. No overly boomy bass or scooped out mids. I also want good clarity where you can pick up fine details and an open, immersive soundstage. Features is typically a distant third, but if a company doesn’t cover basic functionality (automatic pausing, transparency mode, multipoint Bluetooth, etc.) it can be an indication of overall quality. 
How do I choose the best quality wireless headphones?
“Best” can be pretty subjective, but I always recommend going to a place where you can listen to the headphones you’re thinking about buying before you commit. Sometimes this isn’t possible, so you’ll want to check return policies. I also recommend doing some research to determine what your priorities are in a new set. Are you an audiophile who wants the best sound quality? Is powerful active noise cancellation (ANC) the most important? Would you rather have conveniences like automatic pausing?
Which brand has the best wireless headphones?
Sony consistently tops our list with its 1000X line. This is mostly due to the combination of sound quality, ANC performance and the truckload of features these headphones pack in. I’ll be the first to tell you that there are better sounding options and other companies, like Bose, offer more effective noise cancellation. But when you add everything up, no one comes close to the full slate of tools Sony puts in its premium headphone line.
Do expensive wireless headphones sound better?
Exorbitant price tags don’t mean better audio quality. Bowers & Wilkins’ headphones are on the high end for wireless noise-canceling models and they sound amazing. However, Audio-Technica’s M50xBT2 is much more affordable and doesn’t have ANC, but these headphones have a warm, natural sound profile that I find very inviting. At the end of the day, it will come down to personal preference, but you don’t need to spend a lot to find great headphones.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/best-headphones-wireless-bluetooth-120543205.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/best-headphones-wireless-bluetooth-120543205.html?src=rss

Stellar Blade heads to PC on June 11

The well-reviewed Stellar Blade will be available for PC players on June 11, after launching for PS5 in April of last year. This release coincides with a system update that brings new outfits and "exciting additional content." The update will be available for both PC and PS5.
The PC version of the game includes some graphical upgrades. It supports NVIDIA DLSS 4 resolution scaling and frame generation, NVIDIA DLAA image enhancement and NVIDIA Reflex latency reduction. It also supports AMD FSR 3 and offers the ability to unlock the frame rate to better suit the needs of a particular PC. It can handle both 21:9 and 32:9 ultrawide resolutions.

Stellar Blade was formerly a PS5 exclusive, so the PC version works with the iconic the DualSense controller. This allows for haptic feedback and adaptive trigger features. For everyone else, the game offers customization options for gamepads, keyboards and mice.
As for specs, Sony recommends at least 16GB of RAM, an Intel Core i5 processor and a GeForce GTX 1060. However, that's for playing on the lowest setting.
We now live in a post-exclusive world. Sony has been releasing tons of its first-party games for PC. These include Marvel's Spider-Man and the sequel, God of War Ragnarök and Horizon Zero Dawn, to name a few.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/stellar-blade-heads-to-pc-on-june-11-185536164.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/stellar-blade-heads-to-pc-on-june-11-185536164.html?src=rss

EU tech chiefs believe TikTok is breaking ad transparency rules

TikTok may have run afoul of European regulators over advertising transparency, in the latest bout between EU regulators and big tech companies. The European Commission has formally warned TikTok that its advertising transparency tools don’t go far enough, falling short of EU rules requiring online platforms to maintain a publicly available repository of all paid ads being shown to users.
Regulators are taking issue with the data, or lack thereof, being provided in the repository that TikTok has curated. They claim that TikTok has failed to provide information on who paid for ads, what audiences they are targeting and the precise product or service those ads are promoting.
This information is all used by regulators and researchers to help weed out harmful content like scams, disinformation or coordinated influence campaigns. These rules fall under the Digital Services Act (DSA), an EU regulation adopted in 2022 that governs illegal content, transparent advertising and disinformation. Enforcement for Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) like TikTok began in the summer of 2023, and the Commission opened formal proceedings to assess whether TikTok had violated the DSA in February of 2024.
In a statement, European Commission Tech VP Henna Virkkunen said, “Transparency in online advertising — who pays and how audiences are targeted — is essential to safeguarding the public interest.Whether we are defending the integrity of our democratic elections, protecting public health or protecting consumers from scam ads, citizens have a right to know who is behind the messages they see.”
In a statement to the press, a TikTok spokesperson disagreed with the findings, saying "While we support the goals of the regulation and continue to improve our ad transparency tools, we disagree with some of the Commission's interpretations and note that guidance is being delivered via preliminary findings rather than clear, public guidelines." This isn't the first time that TikTok has found itself in hot water with internet safety regulators in Europe.
Under the rules of the DSA, TikTok parent company ByteDance could be fined as much as 6 percent of its total worldwide revenue and be subjected to an enhanced supervision period where regulators ensure that any required changes are being made.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/eu-tech-chiefs-believe-tiktok-is-breaking-ad-transparency-rules-181706441.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/eu-tech-chiefs-believe-tiktok-is-breaking-ad-transparency-rules-181706441.html?src=rss

UK Parliament opts not to hold AI companies accountable over copyright material

Ministers in the UK House of Commons have blocked an amendment to a data bill that would require AI companies to disclose their use of copyrighted materials, according to The Guardian. This transparency amendment was stripped out of the text by invoking something called financial privilege, an arcane parliamentary procedure that suggests that any new regulations would require a new budget.
The official site of the UK parliament says this procedure "may be used by the Commons as grounds for overruling any House of Lords proposal that has cost implications." It looks like that's exactly what happened here, with those in favor of removing the amendment bringing up the cost of a potential regulatory body. There were 297 MPs who voted in favor of removing the amendment, with 168 opposing.
Chris Bryant, data protection minister, said that he recognized that this could feel like an "apocalyptic moment" for the creative industries, but that he thinks the transparency amendment requires changes "in the round and not just piecemeal."
The amendment was passed in the House of Lords earlier this week. Baroness Beeban Kidron of the Lords responded to today's move by saying that "the government failed to answer its own backbenchers who repeatedly asked ‘if not now then when?’" She also said it was "astonishing that a Labour government would abandon the labor force of an entire section," referring to the plight of creative workers whose jobs have been or at risk of being replaced by AI. Lady Kidron went on to accuse the government of allowing "theft at scale" and cozying up "to those who are thieving."
“Across the creative and business community, across parliament, people are gobsmacked that the government is playing parliamentary chess with their livelihoods," she concluded.
As expected, Kidron will introduce a rephrased amendment before the bill's return to the Lords next week. This sets up yet another showdown when the bill returns to the Commons for another pass.
Owen Meredith, the chief executive of the News Media Association, told The Guardian that it's "extremely disappointing that the government has failed to listen to the deep concerns of the creative industries, including news publishers who are so fundamental to uploading our democratic values." He accused the government of using parliamentary procedure to "dismiss industry concerns, rather than taking this timely opportunity to introduce the transparency that will drive a dynamic licensing market for the UK’s immensely valuable creative content."
The government's preferred plan includes the reliance on an opt-out clause. This would give AI companies free rein over any and all content, except in the cases when a creator has explicitly opted out.
Yesterday, the Lords asked the government to think again on the #DataBill, voting through changes on processing personal data, AI models, and the collection of sex data.⬇️ Find out more https://t.co/5T0A3BvCe6— House of Lords (@UKHouseofLords) May 13, 2025

Last week, hundreds of artists and organizations banded together to urge the government not to "give our work away at the behest of a handful of powerful overseas tech companies." The artists involved in this campaign included Paul McCartney, Elton John and Dua Lipa, among others.
America is set to host its own version of the "give everything to AI companies" game show. Republicans have snuck in a provision to the budget bill that would ban regulation on the AI industry for ten years. That'll end well.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/uk-parliament-opts-not-to-hold-ai-companies-accountable-over-copyright-material-180234550.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/uk-parliament-opts-not-to-hold-ai-companies-accountable-over-copyright-material-180234550.html?src=rss

Extortionists bribed Coinbase employees to give them customer data

Coinbase has been betrayed from within. The cryptocurrency exchange said that cyber criminals bribed some of its support agents to share personal information about Coinbase customers. Attackers acquired data such as names, addresses, emails, phone numbers, images of government IDs, masked bank account numbers and masked sections of social security numbers. The perpetrators tricked some Coinbase users into sending them money and also demanded $20 million from the company to not publicly disclose the ill-gotten information.
Coinbase has not paid the ransom and is cooperating with law enforcement to press charges. In the blog post, the company said it would offer a $20 million reward for information that could lead to arresting and convicting the remaining attackers. It also said that users' login credentials, two-factor authentication codes and private keys are still secure. It will reimburse customers who sent funds to the extortionists and will place additional safeguards on vulnerable accounts. According to an SEC filing, the incident is projected to cost Coinbase $180 million to $400 million.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/extortionists-bribed-coinbase-employees-to-give-them-customer-data-174713732.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/extortionists-bribed-coinbase-employees-to-give-them-customer-data-174713732.html?src=rss

Persona 5: The Phantom X is coming to PC and mobile next month

There’s a new Persona game coming very soon, but sadly it isn’t time for the next mainline entry just yet. Rather, Persona 5: The Phantom X is a spinoff in a similar vein to Persona 5 Strikers. Like that game, The Phantom X is set in the same universe as Atlus’ incredibly successful RPG, Persona 5, but unlike Strikers, this one features a new cast of characters, including a talking owl named Lufel that presumably takes the place of Morgana.
First announced in 2023, Persona 5: The Phantom X is a free-to-play live service game from Chinese publisher Perfect World, which released the game in open beta in its native country in April last year. It introduces a fresh team of Phantom Thieves and seems to be aiming for the classic Persona blend of high school drama, social interaction and dungeon crawling with impossibly stylish turn-based battles. There’s a new “Synergy” system that develops as you form bonds with NPCs, new mini-games and a PvE mode called The Velvet Trials.

Underpinning the whole experience will be a free-to-play model, the exact nature of which is not yet clear. Time will tell if gacha tactics will get in the way of a good time, and how well the familiar Persona gameplay loop translates to your phone, but the game’s official website says it’s intended for both Persona 5 fans and newcomers.
Atlus will be hoping that P5X tides fans over until it has any news on Persona 6. Its most recent release was last year’s Metaphor: ReFantazio, and the studio is currently saying nothing about the follow-up to Persona 5, which launched in its original pre-Royal state way back in 2016. Persona 5: The Phantom X launches June 26 on PC, iOS and Android.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/persona-5-the-phantom-x-is-coming-to-pc-and-mobile-next-month-170837106.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/gaming/persona-5-the-phantom-x-is-coming-to-pc-and-mobile-next-month-170837106.html?src=rss

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds returns on July 17

The third season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds finally drops on July 17. It's been around two years since the Paramount+ exclusive was last on the air. It's a two-episode premiere, so that's something.
We've already gotten a juicy trailer for the upcoming season and Paramount+ just unveiled a cool poster to advertise the release date. It shows all of the main characters wandering through, well, a strange new world.
July 17th… #startrek #strangenewworlds pic.twitter.com/7VAYXgWqNt— Christina Chong (@christinachongx) May 15, 2025

For the uninitiated, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds follows Captain Christopher Pike and the crew of the USS Enterprise. This is the very same Enterprise that will one day be captained by James Kirk. It's a prequel, so there are new actors playing franchise legends like Spock, Uhura and Nurse Chapel.
Of course, as the show gets closer to the events of The Original Series, more familiar characters have been popping up. Kirk has been all over the place and the same goes for Scotty. We've even gotten Sybok, Spock's half-brother who will one day lead the crew on a search to find God in the critically-reviled Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.

It's a neat show, with a mystery-of-the-week format that recalls classic Trek. Season two ended on a cliffhanger, so it'll be interesting to see how that shakes out. Season three of Strange New Worlds looks to include a visit to the 1960s version of Star Trek, complete with period-accurate costumes and sets, and a murder-mystery set in the Holodeck (or something similar.)This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-returns-on-july-17-162935572.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-returns-on-july-17-162935572.html?src=rss

Toyota announces the bZ Woodland, a rugged all-terrain electric SUV

Toyota is on a tear unveiling new EVs for the American market, announcing a new model for the third day in a row. After debuting the bZ SUV and the C-HR crossover, Toyota is adding the bZ Woodland SUV to the lineup, yet another fully electric vehicle built on the company’s e-TNGA platform. This more rugged version of the bZ is aimed at adventurous drivers, akin to the Subaru Outback, with marketing images depicting the electric SUV over rocky terrain.
The bZ Woodland will feature all-wheel drive as a standard option and boasts 375 combined horsepower from its dual-motor setup. At 260 miles of estimated range, this model has the lowest range of the three new electric models announced so far. Like the other models, it comes equipped with the North American Charging Standard (NACS) outlet as standard and supports DC fast charging, which can take it from 10 percent to 80 percent charge in around 30 minutes.
While the two models share “bZ” in the name, the bZ Woodland is not just a different trim of the bZ. The body of the Woodland is 6 inches longer and about 1 inch higher in the back. This gives it more than 30 cubic feet of rear cargo space.
Toyota has designed the bZ Woodland to be off-road and all-terrain friendly with details like 8.3-inch ground clearance, standard roof rails, a Panoramic View Monitor with Multi-Terrain Monitor and a 3,500-pound towing capacity. All-terrain tires are also available as an option when buying the Woodland. The AWD SUV also has the Toyota X-Mode system, which modulates the power delivered to each motor to improve grip when off-road.
Toyota expects the bZ Woodland to arrive in early 2026. Pricing has not yet been announced.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/toyota-announces-the-bz-woodland-a-rugged-all-terrain-electric-suv-161925373.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/toyota-announces-the-bz-woodland-a-rugged-all-terrain-electric-suv-161925373.html?src=rss

Sony WH-1000XM6 review: The best headphones just keep on getting better

To say I’m familiar with Sony’s 1000X line of headphones would be an understatement. I’ve tested every pair thus far, except the OG: the MDR-1000X. With each successive model, the company managed to add new features, develop better technology and expand the sonic capabilities of its flagship headphones. And with each new release, Sony kept its spot atop our best wireless headphones list.
This time around, Sony made us wait longer than usual. The first three sets of 1000X headphones each arrived a year apart. Then it was two years between the WH-1000XM3 and WH-1000XM4, perhaps delayed in part by the COVID pandemic, and then nearly two more before the redesigned WH-1000XM5 debuted. We’re three years out from that last model and today Sony is finally revealing the follow-up: the WH-1000XM6 ($450).
The extended interval is understandable once you consider the number of updates Sony has included to overhaul its pride and joy. There’s a new processor, more microphones, improved active noise cancellation (ANC), refined design and a retuned sound platform. Those changes join the long list of features Sony has amassed on the 1000X line over the years, a number of which automatically adapt when enabled, and many that provide great convenience in daily use. Other companies may have surpassed Sony in audio quality (at least until now), but none of the competition offers a collection of tools that even comes close to the WH-1000XM6.


Design updates
At first glance, the WH-1000XM6 might not look much different from the M5, but there are some notable tweaks that improve comfort and storage. First, there’s a wider, asymmetrical headband that makes these headphones even easier to wear for long periods of time. The previous model was already lightweight, and that continues here. Together with the new headband, it provides a comfy fit that beats every other wireless headphone.
Next, Sony returned to its folding design that older 1000X models used to have. With recent models, the company opted to just let the ear cups rotate before the headphones went in the case. They still do that, but they also fold in for easier storage. Due to this change, the company designed a smaller case, and instead of a zipper, Sony chose a magnetic closure.
One complaint I have about the design is how the ear cups rotate. When you take the WH-1000XM6 off, the cups rotate inside up to lay flat. To me, it should be the opposite, with the ear pads flipping down, because that’s how you’re going to put them in the case. This is a change from the M5, where the ear cups turn in what I’d consider the correct way, which makes this switch an even more confounding choice for this new model.
Sony mostly kept the controls on the WH-1000XM6 the same, save for a couple of small revisions. First, the company still uses a mix of physical buttons and touch panels on the outside of each ear cup. With the former, the only two options there are power (which doubles as Bluetooth pairing) and the noise control button that cycles through ANC, ambient sound and off.
That power button was redesigned so it’s now larger, round and concave. This makes it easier to find by touch and differentiates it from the noise control button. What’s more, Sony has added the ability for users to mute/unmute the microphones on the M6 during calls by double pressing the noise control button. This is handy when you don’t want to reach for your phone or keyboard during a voice or video chat.
Improved sound quality




Billy Steele for Engadget


The 1000X line has never been a slouch when it comes to sound quality, and Sony has made strides to continually improve audio performance over the years. With the WH-1000XM6, the company made changes in three areas to further boost the sound profile. First, Sony developed new drivers for the M6, which it says deliver “richer details and clearer vocals.” That’s due to what the company describes as smoother, extended high frequency reproduction created by perforations in the driver’s voice coil. And there’s better overall balance in the sound too, thanks to a more rigid dome for these components.
The company also enlisted mastering engineers from three recording studios to help tune the sound profile of the 1000XM6. They all contributed various quotes praising the audio quality of these headphones, but the general goal here was to deliver results that were closer to the artist’s intention. That includes more immersive sound and finer details. To further aid this, Sony also added 360 Spatial Sound upmixing for stereo content on the M6. Essentially, this feature can turn regular content into spatial audio. It’s something similar to what Bose does on its QuietComfort Ultra headphones, and it’s separate from both 360 Reality Audio support and DSEE Extreme compression upscaling.
On Sleep Token’s Even In Arcadia, the WH-1000XM6 provides boomy bass when tracks call for it, like the loud, crunchy guitars and thundering drums in “Look To Windward.” Throughout the album, treble and mid-range cut through cleanly, providing ample separation so you can hear all of the elements clearly. And that’s no easy feat, given the genre-bending production the band employs. Plus, the big, soaring, loud parts of these songs seem to completely surround you with sound.
The recently remastered The Musings of Miles by Miles Davis exhibits a different side of the M6. Here, the textures of the instruments are what stand out, where you can hear the subtle nuances of the trumpet, piano, bass and drums. I’m not sure there would be much more clarity if you time-traveled back to Rudy Van Gelder's home studio in 1955. The audio is pristine here. There’s a similar vibe given to Billy Strings & Bryan Sutton’s Live At The Legion, where the two bluegrass virtuosos lend only two acoustic guitars and their voices to the show. Listening to this album with the M6, I might as well be sitting between them.
New chip, more mics and a dash of AI




Billy Steele for Engadget


Inside the WH-1000XM6, the star of the show is the new QN3 processor. Sony says it’s seven times faster than the QN1 used in the M5, a chip that first debuted on the WH-1000XM3 in 2018. Given that’s the main power behind noise cancellation, it was definitely time for an update.
With the QN3, Sony was able to add four additional microphones for its ANC setup, bringing the total on the 1000XM6 to 12. More mics means the company can more effectively detect and block noise. Alongside the new hardware, Sony upgraded the Auto NC Optimizer on the M5 to what it now calls the Adaptive NC Optimizer on the M6. This technology accounts for changes in fit and air pressure, automatically adapting the ANC coverage as needed. What’s more, the company says the M6 can block more mid-to-high-range frequencies than the M5, putting all of that power to good use.
There’s a noticeable improvement in ANC performance on the M6 — it’s not just marketing hype. I can easily tell the headphones are blocking more background noise than their predecessor, which isn’t always the case across 1000X generations. Particularly with human voices, this model does a better job of reducing the sound of chatty neighbors in the office than much of the competition. Even though it doesn’t entirely silence them, this still constitutes an upgrade in performance. The company has been giving Bose a run for its money for a while now, and the M6 further cements the fact the noise-cancelling arms race is closer than ever.
Like it did on the M5, Sony employs AI-based noise reduction on the M6 to reduce background noise during calls. The company says it trained its model on 500 million voice samples so the system can properly extract the user’s voice. What’s more, Sony now utilizes two additional microphones for voice performance (with a smidge more AI on them) that are better positioned for speech pickup.
In practice, call performance is a mixed bag. First, the M6 does an excellent job of blocking background noise. It rendered a loud fan completely silent during one of my tests. However, that processing impacts overall clarity, so you won’t sound nearly as good as you do in quieter locations. Plus, the results in noiseless conditions aren't pristine, but it’s good enough to get the job done for most call scenarios.
Sony brought back the convenient automation features that have made its flagship headphones the best option for years. Adaptive Sound Control can automatically adjust settings based on activity or location, like when you arrive at the office or when you’re out for a walk. Ambient sound still has pleasant, natural quality and is helpful to have on during calls. Speak-to-Chat continues to reduce the volume and activates that transparency mode when it detects your voice, though it’s still far too easily duped by coughs and when you clear your throat. You can also use head gestures to accept (nod) or reject calls (shake). There’s plenty more, but suffice it to say Sony is still ahead of the pack for the sheer volume of features it packs into its 1000X headphones.
Battery life




Billy Steele for Engadget


One of the few things that’s unchanged on the WH-1000XM6 is battery life. Just like the M5, this model offers up to 30 hours of use with ANC on or up to 40 hours with it off. The quick charge function is also the same: three minutes gives you three hours. I had no problem hitting these stated figures during my tests, which were primarily conducted with ANC on as well as Sony’s DSEE Extreme audio upscaling enabled. I would occasionally switch to transparency mode for calls, but 80 percent of the time I was in noise-blocking mode. After 25 hours of use, I still have 50 percent left in the tank.
There is one item Sony tweaked when it comes to battery and charging performance. On the M6, you’ll be able to listen to music while the headphones are charging. This functionality wasn’t available previously, and it’s sure to provide some added convenience in a pinch — like when you’re waiting for your flight in a raucous airport terminal.
The competition
Whether it’s Bose, Bowers & Wilkins or Sennheiser, there are a number of companies that inch closer to Sony’s crown with each product cycle. I’m convinced Sony has surpassed Bose in terms of pure noise-cancelling performance, but the QuietComfort Ultra headphones are still plenty good and can regularly be found for less than their $449 suggested retail price. I don’t care for the design of Sennheiser’s Momentum Wireless 4, but the headphones have nearly double the battery life of the M6 with plenty of audio and ANC performance to boot. And they do so for less money than the WH-1000XM6.
This leads me to the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3. The company’s Px7 S2e had been my pick for best sounding headphones for a while, and were only recently bested by Noble Audio’s pricey FoKus Apollo ($649). The S3 edition supposedly offers improvements to sound and ANC performance, but I haven’t tested them yet and there’s no clear indication how much they’ll cost or when they’ll arrive. Still, if you’re not in a hurry, the Px7 S3 may be worth waiting on as they should be slightly more affordable than the M6 and Bowers & Wilkins has a strong track record for sound quality.
Wrap-up
With the WH-1000XM6, the three-year-long wait was well worth it. The company has made significant gains in both sound quality and noise-canceling performance, thanks in part to a powerful new chip. Subtle, but impactful design tweaks increase comfort, while spatial audio upmixing further expands the sonic abilities of the 1000X line. The only real downside is the price continues to go up: the M6 is $50 more than the M5 was at launch. When you combine their performance with Sony’s ever-growing list of features, the 1000XM6 are the best headphones you can buy right now.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/sony-wh-1000xm6-review-the-best-headphones-just-keep-on-getting-better-160058170.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/sony-wh-1000xm6-review-the-best-headphones-just-keep-on-getting-better-160058170.html?src=rss

Android's screen reader can now answer questions about images

Today is Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), and, as in years past, many tech companies are marking the occasion with the announcement of new assistive features for their ecosystems. Apple got things rolling on Tuesday, and now Google is joining in on the parade. To start, the company has made TalkBack, Android's built-in screen reader, more useful. With the help of one of Google's Gemini models, TalkBack can now answer questions about images displayed on your phone, even they don't have any alt text describing them.
"That means the next time a friend texts you a photo of their new guitar, you can get a description and ask follow-up questions about the make and color, or even what else is in the image," explains Google. The fact Gemini can see and understand the image is thanks to the multi-modal capabilities Google built into the model. Additionally, the Q&A functionality works across the entire screen. So, for example, say you're doing some online shopping, you can first ask your phone to describe the color of the piece of clothing you're interested in and then ask if it's on sale.
Separately, Google is rolling out a new version of its Expressive Captions. First announced at the end of last year, the feature generates subtitles that attempt to capture the emotion of what’s being said. For instance, if you're video chatting with some friends and one of them groans after you make a lame joke, your phone will not only subtitle what they said but it will also include "[groaning]" in the transcription. With the new version of Expressive Captions, the resulting subtitles will reflect when someone drags out the sound of their words. That means the next time you're watching a live soccer match and the announcer yells "goallllllll," their excitement will be properly transcribed. Plus, there will be more labels now for sounds like when someone is clearing their throat.
The new version of Expressive Captions is rolling out to English-speaking users in the US, UK, Canada and Australia running Android 15 and above on their phones.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/androids-screen-reader-can-now-answer-questions-about-images-160032185.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/androids-screen-reader-can-now-answer-questions-about-images-160032185.html?src=rss

Sony's flagship WH-1000XM6 headphones arrive with updated sound and more robust ANC

Following a series of leaks, Sony's much anticipated WH-1000XM6 wireless headphones have officially arrived. The new model has to follow the WH-1000XM5 that was among the best-sounding we've ever tested. To that end, Sony has updated them in nearly every way, from sound to noise cancellation to call quality. 
The WH-1000XM6 has largely the same design as the previous model, but there are subtle tweaks. The case is smaller and now has a magnetic lock, while the headphones have a new asymmetric headband that's wider than the one on the XM5 for increased comfort. The power and mute buttons were also redesigned for improved usability. 
Sony was able to make some major updates in the noise cancellation (ANC) thanks to the new QN3 chip that's seven times faster than the QN1 from the XM5. It now carries 12 ANC microphones instead of eight to better detect surrounding noise and uses adaptive ANC optimization rather than auto optimization before. The latter allows the XM6 headphones to push noise levels down across a wider range of frequencies. 




Sony


On the sound quality side, Sony worked with "world-renowned mastering engineers" to tune audio for improved realism and deeper bass. New driver units supposedly allow for "richer details, clearer vocals [and] improved balance thanks to more rigid dome," along with smoother and more extended high frequency reproduction via a new voice coil design. And a new feature can upmix regular stereo to spatial audio using Sony's 360 Spatial Sound technology for a surround sound effect with any music or audio. 
Finally, Sony improved call quality with updated noise reduction that uses "AI beamforming" and six mics instead of four as before. Battery life is the same at 30 hours with ANC on and 40 hours with it disabled, and you can still get up to three hours of life with just three minutes of charging. 
All of this new tech comes at a price, as the WH-1000XM6 costs $450, a price that's $50 higher than the XM5 was at launch. Still, if it lives up to Sony's claims and follows the footsteps of other WH-1000 models, it's bound to be among the best wireless ANC headphones you can get at any price. 
Read our full review of the WH-1000M6.


This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/sonys-flagship-wh-1000xm6-headphones-arrive-with-updated-sound-and-more-robust-anc-160005817.html?src=rss

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Meta's smart glasses will soon provide detailed information regarding visual stimuli

The Ray-Ban Meta glasses are getting an upgrade to better help the blind and low vision community. The AI assistant will now provide "detailed responses" regarding what's in front of users. Meta says it'll kick in "when people ask about their environment." To get started, users just have to opt-in via the Device Settings section in the Meta AI app.
The company shared a video of the tool in action in which a blind user asked Meta AI to describe a grassy area in a park. It quickly hopped into action and correctly pointed out a path, trees and a body of water in the distance. The AI assistant was also shown describing the contents of a kitchen. 

I could see this being a fun add-on even for those without any visual impairment. In any event, it begins rolling out to all users in the US and Canada in the coming weeks. Meta plans on expanding to additional markets in the near future.
It's Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), so that's not the only accessibility-minded tool that Meta announced today. There's the nifty Call a Volunteer, a tool that automatically connects blind or low vision people to a "network of sighted volunteers in real-time" to help complete everyday tasks. The volunteers come from the Be My Eyes foundation and the platform launches later this month in 18 countries.
The company recently announced a more refined system for live captions in all of its extended reality products, like the Quest line of VR headsets. This converts spoken words into text in real-time, so users can "read content as it's being delivered." The feature is already available for Quest headsets and within Meta Horizon Worlds.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/metas-smart-glasses-will-soon-provide-detailed-information-regarding-visual-stimuli-153046605.html?src=rss

https://www.engadget.com/ai/metas-smart-glasses-will-soon-provide-detailed-information-regarding-visual-stimuli-153046605.html?src=rss