Minimalist News

Coinbase is exploring expansion into India with a staggered relaunch and hiring for different roles.

While OpenAI continues to insist that there are currently no ads — or tests for advertising — live in ChatGPT, the company’s chief research officer also acknowledged that the company “fell short” with recent promotional messages.

The company is aiming to produce its first silicon wafers by 2028 and have its first commercial system online by 2029.

aMeta lready sells VR headsets and Ray-Ban smart glasses, but these new glasses sound a bit different. Their format factor would reportedly be similar to the Apple Vision Pro, with a puck-like power source.

Sometimes, founding a startup just once isn’t enough.

It’s only been a day since Netflix announced an $82.7 billion deal to acquire Warner Bros., and the acquisition has already been described as sending Hollywood into “full-blown panic mode,” “possibly a death blow to theatrical filmmaking,” and maybe even “the end of Hollywood” itself.

Creator IShowSpeed sued after punching, choking viral humanoid Rizzbot.

Spotify’s annual Wrapped feature just dropped, giving listeners a fun, personalized summary of their listening habits. It has gained immense popularity over the years, and as a result, many companies have seized the opportunity to create similar year-in-review experiences, offering users a recap of their habits, preferences, or interactions from the past year. Here are […]

The project marks at least the second time Winkelmann has become the art world's main character.

Yoodli counts Google, Snowflake, and Databricks among its customers.

The one-year-old startup, which does market research on simulated populations, had a multi-tier valuation round, sources tell TechCrunch.

The voluntary recall comes as scrutiny by federal regulators and local school district officials increases.

AWS announced a wave of new AI agent tools at re:Invent 2025, but can Amazon actually catch up to the AI leaders? While the cloud giant is betting big on enterprise AI with its third-gen chip and database discounts that got developers cheering, it’s still fighting to prove it can compete beyond infrastructure.  This week […]

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has identified at least 80 incidents.

Forenza collaborated with data scientists and biomedical engineers to develop Awear, a small device worn behind the ear for continuous brainwave monitoring. The device transmits results to an app, which provides information about the wearer’s mood and offers AI-powered coaching advice for managing stress and improving emotional resilience.

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One does not simply spend more than 11 hours watching The Lord of the Rings trilogy in a single weekend at home when the opportunity to do so in theaters arises. As The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring turns 25, Fathom Entertainment and Warner Bros. announced theatrical screenings of the Peter Jackson trilogy in their extended editions, according to an exclusive report from Variety. The re-releases will be available in DBOX presentations from January 16 to 19, complete with movements and vibrations to make you feel like you're making the journey to Mordor with Frodo and his

Those might not exactly be ads you're seeing on ChatGPT, at least according to OpenAI. Nick Turley, OpenAI's head of ChatGPT, clarified the confusion around potential ads appearing with the AI chatbot. In a post on X, Turley said "there are no live tests for ads" and that "any screenshots you've seen are either not real or not ads." The OpenAI exec's explanation comes after another post from former xAI employee Benjamin De Kraker on X that has gained traction, which featured a screenshot showing an option to shop at Target within a ChatGPT conversation. OpenAI's Daniel McAuley responded to the

Just a day after receiving a roughly $140 million fine, X has terminated the ad account of the European Commission. Nikita Bier, X's head of product, accused the European Commission of using an exploit to artificially boost the reach of its post announcing the major fine. In the post, Bier said that the commission "logged into [their] dormant ad account to take advantage of an exploit in our Ad Composer" and posted "a link that deceives users into thinking it’s a video and to artificially increase its reach." Bier explained in a separate post that the exploit has "never been abused

If you're a Fubo subscriber, you've certainly noticed that NBC and all NBCUniversal-owned channels have gone dark on the platform. For over a week, customers have gone without NBC programming like the Today Show and The Voice, and for the second week in a row, customers will have to find alternate methods of watching this week's Sunday Night Football game, too. It's all because Fubo and NBCUniversal are having a contract dispute, so channels like NBC, USA Network, Telemundo, and Bravo have been unavailable on Fubo since Nov. 21, and as of now, there's no projected date for their return.  A

A federal judge has expanded on the remedies decided for the Department of Justice's antitrust case against Google, ruling in favor of putting a one-year limit on the contracts that make Google's search and AI services the default on devices, Bloomberg reports. Judge Amit Mehta's ruling on Friday means Google will have to renegotiate these contacts every year, which would create a fairer playing field for its competitors. The new details come after Mehta ruled in September that Google would not have to sell off Chrome, as the DOJ proposed at the end of 2024.  This all follows the ruling last

Apple's Johny Srouji may be the latest company executive to seek greener pastures, according to a report from Bloomberg. The report said that Srouji, Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies, told Tim Cook that he is "seriously considering leaving in the near future." While the report didn't mention if Srouji has another job lined up, Bloomberg's sources claimed that he wants to join another company if he leaves Apple. Srouji joined the company in 2008 to develop Apple's first in-house system-on-a-chip and eventually led the transition to Apple silicon. If Srouji leaves Apple, he would be the latest in a string

To prevent its robotaxi fleet from passing stopped school buses, Waymo is issuing another software recall in 2025. While it's not a traditional recall that pulls vehicles from the road, Waymo is voluntarily updating software for its autonomous fleet in response to an investigation from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. According to Waymo, the recall will be filed with the federal agency early next week. Mauricio Peña, Waymo's chief safety officer, said in a statement that Waymo sees far fewer crashes involving pedestrians than human drivers, but that the company knows when "our behavior should be better." "As a result, we

The big reveal for Meta's next mixed reality glasses is being postponed until the first half of 2027, according to a report from Business Insider. Based on an internal memo from Maher Saba, the vice president of Meta's Reality Labs Foundation, the report said that the company's project, which is codenamed "Phoenix," will no longer be scheduled for a 2026 debut. In a separate memo, Meta execs explained that the delay would help deliver a more "polished and reliable experience." According to BI, a memo from Meta's Gabriel Aul and Ryan Cairns said this new release window is "going to give

We’ve slept off our collective turkey coma and returned to the review lab here at Engadget. Our team may also be in full CES prep mode, but we’ve got a few more devices to get off or our desks before 2025 is over. Catch up on all of the reviews you might have missed over the last few weeks — a perfect activity for a lazy December weekend. DELL 16 PREMIUM There’s no denying the design of the Dell 16 Premium makes the laptop live up to its name. Unfortunately, all of that polish leads to some issues: a high price and

Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. A bunch of titles that are arriving very late to make it into game of the year conversations debuted this week, and we learned some new details about upcoming projects, such as a release date for a rad-looking arena shooter called Don't Stop, Girlypop. Marvel Cosmic Invasion is one of the higher-profile indies to hit consoles and PC this week. It's from Tribute Games and publisher Dotemu, the same pair that brought us Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge. Cosmic Invasion largely draws from the same playbook:

Here's some good news for the "Han shot first" crowd. The original cut of Star Wars (1977), the film known today as A New Hope, is coming back to theaters. We first learned in August that some version of the film would be screened again in 2027 for its 50th anniversary. But we know now this will indeed be the version everyone saw before George Lucas made those questionable, CGI-heavy changes in the 1997 Special Editions. The re-release arrives in theaters on February 19, 2027. In a short update posted Friday on the official Star Wars website, Lucasfilm all but clarified

Meta has acquired Limitless, the maker of an AI-powered "Pendant," to work on building consumer hardware for the company, the startup announced via a YouTube video and blog post. So far, Meta has focused on selling VR headsets and AI smart glasses. Now the company seems interested in branching out. "Meta recently announced a new vision to bring personal superintelligence to everyone and a key part of that vision is building incredible AI-enabled wearables. We share this vision and we'll be joining Meta to help bring our shared vision to life," Limitless CEO Dan Siroker said in the post announcing the

The Switch 2's lack of a built-in camera means you need an external one for GameChat video calls. But now, if your phone is a Google Pixel, you don't even need one of those. Android Authority reported on Friday that the two now work nicely together (without needing third-party apps), and our tests confirm that. Google has technically supported the use of Android devices as external webcams for two years: The company added it in a quarterly update for Android 14. (Specifically, it added the ability for devices to use USB Video Class mode, or UVC.) But that functionality didn't work

The debut game from Liquid Swords will arrive in early 2026, it was announced at today's PC Gaming Show. Samson: A Tyndalston Story is billed as "a consequence-heavy noir action game" by its developer, and focuses on the eponymous Samson McCray, a man who's got himself into serious debt in a city that doesn’t seem particularly forgiving.  The debut trailer doesn’t give too much away in terms of story, but I’m getting gritty Max Payne-y vibes. Combat looks crunchy and visceral, and it sounds like Liquid Swords is going for an oppressive atmosphere. "Samson is built on a simple, brutal truth:

Shortly after rumors of a deal between the two media giants broke, Netflix has announced it is buying Warner Bros., HBO and HBO Max for approximately $82.7 billion. If approved, the deal will take place after Warner Bros. has disentangled itself from both its legacy cable and Discovery assets as part of the already-announced de-merger. That's likely to take place in the third quarter of 2026, with this new tie-up taking place at some point after that. In a statement, Netflix said it expects to "maintain" Warner Bros. current operations, as well as its policy of theatrical releases for its films.

Netflix's $82.7 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. is, in many ways, the last thing a weakened Hollywood needs right now. The industry is still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, where theaters were forced to close and audiences became even more comfortable with streaming films at home. The WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023, which were driven by legitimate concerns around studio interest in generative AI, delayed production and promotion of many film and TV projects. And the rise of streaming content pushed many media companies towards taking on debt and unwise mergers (see: Warner Bros. Discovery), which led to higher

Looking to switch music streaming platforms for no real reason? Apple Music is holding one heck of a sale right now. You can get three months of use for just $1. There are some caveats, as this is only for new users on the individual plan. Students and family plans don't count for this. Also, this has to be redeemed on iPhone, iPad or Mac. When you click the link it'll open up the Apple Music app, so click it from an Apple product to get the deal. Finally, it auto-renews after 90 days at $11 per month. Make sure to

IMAX and animation distributor GKids are bringing more 4K Studio Ghibli restorations to the largest screens in 2026. The announcement follows the IMAX release of Princess Mononoke this year, with the ongoing restorations being directly supervised by Studio Ghibli’s Atsushi Okui, who’s been with the company since 1993. Okui was the Director of Digital Imaging on 2023’s The Boy and the Heron, which was also the first Ghibli picture to get the IMAX treatment. The likes of My Neighbour Totoro and Spirited Away have also had theatrical re-releases in recent years. GKids heads up distribution in North America for the Japanese

You know what they say: If at first you don't succeed at mass government surveillance, try, try again. Only two days after India backpedaled on its plan to force smartphone makers to preinstall a state-run "cybersecurity" app, Reuters reports that the country is back at it. It’s said to be considering a telecom industry proposal with another draconian requirement. This one would require smartphone makers to enable always-on satellite-based location tracking (Assisted GPS). The measure would require location services to remain on at all times, with no option to switch them off. The telecom industry also wants phone makers to disable

Philo has a decent discount for newcomers who are looking for a solid bundle of live TV channels and on-demand streaming services. New subscribers can get their first month of access to the Core plan for $25. That's a discount of $8. For your 25 bucks, you'll gain access to more than 70 channels, including AMC, BBC America, Comedy Central, Food Network, Hallmark Channel, several MTV stations, Nickelodeon and TLC. AMC+, HBO Max basic with ads and Discovery+ are included at no extra cost. Philo is our pick for the best cheap live TV streaming service. Having unlimited DVR is welcome and

We generally think iPads are the best tablets for most people, but they usually don’t come cheap. To help those looking to grab one today get the most value possible, we’re keeping an eye on sale prices and rounding up the best iPad deals we can find each week. Hopefully you were able to snag whatever iPad you’ve been eyeing at some point in the last couple of weeks, as most of the all-time lows we saw during Black Friday and Cyber Monday have expired. If you were late to the party, though, there are still some savings to be had,

Meta has cut several deals with news publishers to help provide real-time data for its AI chatbot services, as reported by Axios. The commercial agreements will allow its Meta AI chatbots to better answer user queries about news and current events. These are multiyear deals where publishers will be compensated for the use of their content, but we don't have any monetary specifics. The contracts do stipulate that Meta's chatbots will link out to articles when answering news queries, potentially offering a slight traffic boost to publishers. The news partners include USA Today, People, Le Monde and CNN. However, there are also

The European Commission has fined Elon Musk’s X €120 million (around $140 million) for breaching its transparency rules under the Digital Services Act. The European Union’s executive arm announced that it was investigating the social media company’s blue checkmarking verification system — first introduced when it was still known as Twitter — last year, along with other alleged DSA violations. Today’s verdict concerns the "deceptive design" of the checkmark, as well as "the lack of transparency of [X's] advertising repository, and the failure to provide access to public data for researchers." The Commission's issue with X’s verification system is that where

The 2026 FIFA World Cup draw is this Friday. (Hector Vivas - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images) Hector Vivas - FIFA via Getty Images The draw for the 2026 World Cup is this Friday at 12 PM ET, where we’ll learn which group the 39 qualified countries and three host nations will land in for the international soccer tournament. The 2026 World Cup draw will air live on Fox. Pre-show coverage of the draw begins at 11:30 a.m. The venues and kickoff times for the World Cup group stage games be announced the following day. Tickets for the World Cup are already available. Here's

The big ticket tech gifts may get the lion's share of attention during the holidays, but it's surprising how much people appreciate small and thoughtful accessories and gadgets. We picked out a dozen such stocking stuffers for under $50 — perfect for a little something extra for a loved one or a welcome gift for a coworker. Just be sure to check the shipping windows to make sure these handy gizmos will arrive in time. Here are some of our favorite techie gift ideas that come in at $50 or less. BEST STOCKING STUFFERS FOR $50 OR LESS Check out the rest

The New York Times and the Chicago Tribune have filed separate lawsuits against Perplexity over alleged copyright infringement. The Times said it had sent Perplexity several cease-and-desist demands to stop using its content until the two reached an agreement, but the AI company persisted in doing so.  In the lawsuit [PDF], the Times accused Perplexity of infringing on its copyrights at two main stages. First, by scraping its website (including in real time) to train AI models and feed content into the likes of the Claude chatbot and Comet browser. Second, in the output of Perplexity's products, with the Times accusing

Another CES is nearly upon us, another year where we’ll see new gadgets aplenty from giant companies and tiny ones you’ve never heard of. And the not-so-secret secret of CES is that many of these things never make it to market — but usually it isn’t things companies like Samsung show off. But here we are, nearly six years since Samsung first showed off its Ballie personal robot and it is nowhere to be found. For those who may not recall, Ballie is an adorable circular robot that can putter around your house and project things onto the floor and wall.

RAM prices have gone wild, mostly thanks to AI. In this episode, Devindra chats with Will Smith (Brad and Will Made a Tech Pod) about the state of the RAM industry, as well as other hardware we expect to get more expensive. (SSD prices are definitely creeping up too!). Also, we discuss Meta poaching Alan Dye, one of Apple's design executives, and what this could mean for Meta's upcoming devices. And yes, whatever they have next will likely revolve around AI. SUBSCRIBE! * iTunes * Spotify * Pocket Casts * Stitcher * Google Podcasts TOPICS * Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, plans

Hackers with links to China reportedly successfully infiltrated a number of unnamed government and tech entities using advanced malware. As reported by Reuters, cybersecurity agencies from the US and Canada confirmed the attack, which used a backdoor known as “Brickstorm” to target organizations using the VMware vSphere cloud computing platform. As detailed in a report published by the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security on December 4, PRC state-sponsored hackers maintained "long-term persistent access" to an unnamed victim’s internal network. After compromising the affected platform, the cybercriminals were able to steal credentials, manipulate sensitive files and create "rogue, hidden VMs" (virtual machines),

Portal shooter Splitgate 2 is coming back with a new name and rebuilt experience after being pulled back to beta earlier this year, developer 1047 Games announced. The free-to-play Splitgate: Arena Reloaded will relaunch on December 17th across platforms including Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5 and PC.  "After months of community feedback, testing and rebuilding the entire experience, this is Splitgate refocused on what made it special in the first place: classic arena combat without factions, abilities, or extra noise," the developer shared in a blog post, along with a gameplay video.  Splitgate 2 originally launched in June, but 1047 Games pulled

Microsoft's Copilot+ initiative launched last year with a clear goal: To produce capable laptops for people eagerly anticipating AI-powered features. Read that sentence again, and it's glaringly obvious that Microsoft's plan was flawed from the start. Most consumers aren't nearly as hyped for AI features as the companies eager to foist artificial intelligence upon us. And those features aren't exactly compelling, either. Microsoft's Recall — which snaps screenshots of your PC to create a database of everything you’ve done– was dogged by privacy concerns from the start. And to be honest, I haven't found its ability to remember the files

Spinning off from the action-camera company Insta360, Antigravity now has its debut drone on sale. With 360-degree cameras that capture 8K and offer you a truly unconstrained view of the skies, the A1 is a different drone from everything else out there. Sorry, DJI. Instead of typical drone joysticks, you get a motion controller that lets you point and shoot like video game gesture controls, while crisp FPV goggles put you right inside the cockpit. Engadget It’s easy to fly after takeoff, but the A1’s myriad parts are often tricky to sync together — and pulling video down to the companion app is

CES doesn't start until January, but whispers of the products and announcements that could be in store for tech's biggest annual conference have already started to take shape. The CES 2026 show floor is officially open from January 6 through 9, although the show kicks off with events on Sunday January 4 and a host of press conferences on Monday. As always, product demos, announcements and networking happening at the Las Vegas Convention Center and surrounding hotels all over the city. As usual, Engadget will be covering the event in-person and remotely, bringing you news and hands-ons straight from the

Balancing schoolwork with gaming usually means finding a laptop that can do a little bit of everything. The best gaming laptops aren’t just built for high frame rates. They also need to handle long days of writing papers, running productivity apps and streaming lectures without slowing down. A good machine should feel reliable during class and powerful enough to jump into your favorite games once homework is out of the way. There’s a wide range of options depending on how much performance you need. Some students prefer a slim, lightweight model that’s easy to carry to school, while others want a

Netflix is in exclusive talks to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery's film and TV studios and HBO Max streaming service, according to sources from Bloomberg. That suggests Netflix submitted a superior offer to rivals including Paramount Skydance Corp (owned by billionaire Larry Ellison) and Comcast, which owns NBCUniversal. The deal could be consummated within days and, if approved, would change the landscape of Hollywood and the streaming market.  Warner Bros. Discovery's cable channels including CNN, TBS and TNT, valued at more than $60 billion, would not be part of the deal and spun off prior to the closing. However, Netflix would become

Skybound Game Studios is being sued by indie outfit iam8bit over fraud and breach of contract, including the theft of original designs. Skybound Entertainment, the parent company of Skybound Game Studios, is chaired by Robert Kirkman, who may be best known for creating the original comic book of The Walking Dead. We've reached out to Skybound for comment on the lawsuit but have not received a response as of publication. iam8bit is a video game producer as well as a merchandise operation selling vinyl soundtracks and other geek gear. The company entered into a partnership with Skybound Game Studios in April

We've been monitoring the upcoming rock climbing game Cairn for several months, as have the many folks who've already enjoyed the demo — which has an impressive 99 percent rating on Steam. In September, developer The Game Bakers pushed back the game's planned 2025 debut to give some extra time for polish. Today, the team dropped a fresh trailer announcing the revised launch date for the project. Cairn will be available on January 29, 2026 for Steam and PlayStation 5 for $30. The Game Bakers have a solid track record of indie gems, often with a strong, unique sense of place

Roskomnadzor, Russia's federal agency for monitoring and censoring mass media, has blocked access to Snapchat and FaceTime in the country, Bloomberg reports, citing Russian news service Interfax. The bans were reportedly put in place because the platforms were used "to organize and carry out terrorist acts,” and commit fraud. It's not clear if either service is still accessible by using a VPN, but banning Snapchat and FaceTime fits with Russia’s crackdown on communication and social platforms that started after the country’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Facebook and X were blocked in March of that year, and Instagram was added to

Amazon is reportedly considering discontinuing use of the US Postal Service and building out its own shipping network to rival it, according to The Washington Post. The e-commerce behemoth spends more than $6 billion a year on the public mail carrier, representing just shy of 8 percent of the service's total revenues. That's up from just shy of $4 billion in 2019, and Amazon continues to grow. However, it sounds like that split might be due to a breakdown in negotiations between Amazon and the USPS rather than Amazon proactively pullings its business. Amazon provided Engadget with the following statement regarding

If you've ever had something go wrong with your Facebook or Instagram account, then you probably have a good idea of just how frustrating the support process can be. The company's automated processes are so broken that some people have found that suing Meta in small claims court can be a more reliable way of getting help from the company. Now, Meta says it's trying to address some of these longstanding issues. In an update, the company acknowledged that its "support hasn’t always met expectations" but that a series of AI-powered updates should make it easier for people to get help.  The

Cyber Monday may be long gone, but there are still some deals floating around on the internet today. One deal that wasn't available on Black Friday but made an appearance on Cyber Monday was a discount on the Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle. It's back again today at both Amazon and Walmart — you can get the bundle for $50 off, bringing the final price down to $449. For Amazon, you have to add the bundle to your cart to see the discounted price. For Walmart, you'll need to be signed in to a Walmart account (which is

Amazon Luna’s December lineup of games has been announced, and there are plenty of early Christmas presents to sink your teeth into. For those unaware, Prime members automatically qualify for Luna standard, the entry-level tier of Amazon’s cloud gaming service, and each month the company also hands out a number of codes for PC games that permanently join in your library once redeemed. Among those claim-and-keep-forever games this month are the underrated open-world Lego racing game, Lego 2K Drive, the very pretty Metroidvania, Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus, and a couple of retro Fallout games, just in time for the

Based on what we've seen, Replaced is a gaming art director's dream. The long-delayed indie title has lush pixel-art environments, set in a cyberpunk fever dream. And now we finally know when it's arriving. Mark your calendar for March 12, 2026. If you've been following Replaced's journey, you'll know that's four years after its original release date. Shit happens! In this case, that included having to relocate from Belarus to Cyprus after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. It will be the first game from developer Sad Cat Studios. Thunderful Games is publishing. Gaming still from Replaced. "Pit's Diner," set in a dystopian

When it announced the latest series of Kindle Scribe writing tablets in October, Amazon didn’t have a specific release date to share beyond “later this year.” And now that we’re approaching the final weeks of 2025, the company is meeting its own deadline by sharing that it will be available on December 10. That detail is now posted on the Amazon product page for the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, if you’d like to see the date for yourself. As a refresher, this is the third generation of the Kindle Scribe line of E Ink writing tablets. This year was the first time

Meta is reportedly planning steep cuts to its metaverse division, according to Bloomberg. This is happening just a few years after the company changed its name from Facebook to reflect its renewed interest in that same metaverse. Bloomberg notes that the metaverse department could get hit with significant budget cuts in the near future, with layoffs potentially occurring early next year. The budget cuts could go as high as 30 percent and will likely impact the virtual worlds product Meta Horizon Worlds and the Quest virtual reality headset. The publication did note that this isn't a done deal just yet. Company insiders

It's easy to think about AI as a sort of existential battle between human and machine. Maybe it will be, someday, in a Skynet sort of way. But there are also lots of people trying to figure out how to use AI not as a replacement for human creativity and thinking but as a tool meant to augment those things. Sari Azout is one of those people. She's the founder of Sublime, a platform dedicated to curation, creativity, and ideas. Sublime is all about taste, which makes it slightly surprising that there's a huge amount of AI powering the way it

Google didn't invent the concept of smart glasses, but it did help make them mainstream. In retrospect, 13 years after their launch, this is both a good and bad thing. Glass made a lot of people dream about new ways to use computers without staring down at screens all day. Glass also made a lot of people realize just how bad it might feel to have a world full of face computers. Which is more predictive: Glass, or Glassholes? And can you even have one without the other? For this episode of Version History, we go back in time and tell

Year Walk. | Image: Simogo It may be hard to believe now, but the App Store was once a thriving place for inventive indie games. The ubiquity of the iPhone coupled with the relative ease of development for the platform meant that smaller studios were able to get their games in front of huge audiences, leading to a great time of experimentation that unfortunately didn't last. But if you want to relive those better days, Simogo's new collection is just the thing. You might recognize the name Simogo from more recent titles, like the noir mystery Lorelei and the Laser Eyes or

This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on how to work anywhere, follow Thomas Ricker. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers' inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here. HOW IT STARTED I've worked from home for 20 years. In that time, I've seen technologies supporting remote work advance considerably. But nothing has been as transformative as the arrival of Starlink, SpaceX's internet service that lets me "work from home" anywhere I choose, be it from the open road, forest, or desolate beach. SpaceX began launching Starlink satellites in 2019

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 108, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you're new here, welcome, hope your holiday shopping is going well, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) This week, I've been reading about Ariana Grande and pelvic floors and Josh Shapiro and Las Vegas, finishing and then immediately rewatching The Chair Company, working by the light of this extremely rad MoMA lamp, installing a bunch of Hue Dimmer Switches around my house, trying desperately to hide the giant box that came with my new Frame

Any one of these gift ideas will make your favorite bookworm very happy, from e-readers and accessories to cozy reading essentials.

This new-ish hybrid between trail runners and road runners is designed for less technical terrain and the occasional road run.

With “hardware guy” John Ternus as frontrunner for the next CEO, can Apple overtake its ex-employees at OpenAI and Meta?

The V-JEPA system uses ordinary videos to understand the physics of the real world.

Frankenstein, Troll 2, and A House of Dynamite are just a few of the movies you should watch on Netflix this month.

Stranger Things, The Beast in Me, and Last Samurai Standing are just a few of the shows you need to watch on Netflix this month.

This premium gaming handheld loads up with features, but Windows still holds it back from being the easy option.

Because of shifting storms and sweltering summers, Iran’s capital faces a future “Day Zero” when the taps run dry.

Canyon’s latest off-road helmet is the first bike helmet in the United States to feature RLS’s game-changing safety tech.

Plus: The Trump administration declines to issue sanctions over Salt Typhoon’s hacking spree, officials warn of a disturbingly stealthy Chinese malware specimen, and more.

This no-frills device is good, but chintzy accessories and a borderline dangerous frother keep it from being great.

Plus: Samsung’s trifolding phone unfurls to the size of a tablet, and Kobo has a new remote page-turner.

Enjoy 25% off a membership, 40% off, plus an additional 10% off annual plans, and more deals to save at Vimeo.

In this episode of Uncanny Valley, we bring you the news of the week, then dive into how some DOGE operatives are still at work in the federal government—despite reports claiming otherwise.

First it was banned. Then its sales blew up. But Horses fails to meet the lofty goals of its own ideas.

The $83 billion deal gives the streamer a century’s worth of prestige television and movies, from Batman movies to Game of Thrones. It also ends the streaming wars.

For a few more days, you can save on mattresses and bed frames from one of our favorite makers.

For the most sensitive parts of the human body, friction is the enemy. Here’s how to keep it at bay with our favorite lubes made of water, silicone, or natural oil.

AI startups say the promise of turning dazzling models into useful products is harder than anyone expected. Three founders discuss what it takes.

This nimble, compact ebike packs plenty of punch, but doesn’t offer a wide range of sizes.

Solve the problem of cooking and chewing food with these full-meal replacement drinks.

Reddit is considered one of the most human spaces left on the internet, but mods and users are overwhelmed with slop posts in the most popular subreddits.

Optimize your sauna session by listening to the experts and, more importantly, your body.

An AI image generator startup’s database was left accessible to the open internet, revealing more than 1 million images and videos, including photos of real people who had been “nudified.”

Get an exclusive discount of $25 off $200+ this holiday season when you sign up for Logitech emails.

Save on Naturepedic’s line of organic, thoughtfully crafted mattresses and bedding with our coupon codes for this month.

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On December 4, WIRED sat down with some of the biggest names in tech, culture, business, and science for a day full of in-depth interviews.

George Foote, who served as the outside general counsel to the US Institute of Peace, said at WIRED’s Big Interview event that DOGE operatives arrived like a “strike team.”

At WIRED’s Big Interview event, the activist and organizer said he doesn’t “think the Chuck Schumers of the world understand” what’s coming for the party.

Big Tech has lost its way. At WIRED’s Big Interview event, Techdirt editor Mike Masnick and Common Tools CEO Alex Komoroske announced a manifesto designed to help the industry get back on track.

Meta wants to make its AI hardware slicker and more fashion-forward. It also needs to make its software more usable. The way to do all that appears to be hiring design maestros away from Apple.

The cofounder and CEO of Circle says “money as an app platform” is the next step in a digital-based global economic system that’s right around the corner.

Sahil Lavingia, previously a DOGE operative at the Department of Veterans Affairs, is now a career employee at the IRS. He said at WIRED’s Big Interview event that he expects to work there 10 years.

The United States Inspector General report reviewing Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s text messaging mess recommends a single change to keep classified material secure.

People like to rag on the Bay Area, but mayor Daniel Lurie believes there’s no better place in the world than San Francisco.

By rolling back auto industry fuel efficiency goals, US president Donald Trump hopes to make new cars cheaper. But prices won’t drop for years, and consumers will spend more on gas in the meantime.

The author of Super Agers believes AI could bring big changes to the world of medicine.

Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince claims the internet infrastructure company’s efforts to block AI crawlers are already seeing big results.

The Trump administration might think regulation is killing the AI industry, but Anthropic president Daniela Amodei disagrees.

In this episode of Uncanny Valley, we talk to writer Evan Ratliff about how he created a small startup made entirely of AI employees—and what his findings reveal about the reality of an agentic future.

The Wicked: For Good director says being able to improvise on set allows for the kind of moments that are hard for machines to make.

Madame Web, Love+War, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps are just a few of the movies you should be watching on Disney+ this month.

The 30-year-old Virginia resident evaded capture for years after authorities discovered pipe bombs planted near buildings in Washington, DC, the day before the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.