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Meta's Oversight Board is looking into transparency around disabling accounts
5 hours ago
by Sarah Fielding
Racism, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Sarah Fielding
Meta has a lot of work to do when it comes to limiting hate speech on its platforms. Now, its Oversight Board is looking into the company's decision to ban an account for, among other things, posting visual violent threats and harassment against a journalist — and it wants the public's advice.
In the year prior to the ban, Meta referred five posts due to violations of its hateful conduct, bullying and harassment, violence and incitement and adult nudity and sexual activity community standards. In addition to the posts harassing the woman journalist, the user also shared "anti-gay slurs against prominent
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This Audible deal ends soon: Get three months of access for only $3
5 hours ago
by Lawrence Bonk
Books & Publishing, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Lawrence Bonk
One way to read more in the new year is to incorporate audiobooks as part of your reading habit. Audible is having a sale right now that makes that easier and cheaper to do: you can get three months of access for only $1 per month, or a total of $3. The promotion runs through January 21.
An Audible subscription grants one audiobook per month to keep. This can be selected from a massive catalog of new releases and bestsellers. The collection here has just about everything.
However, it's easy to plow through a single book in a month. Users also get
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Adobe unveils new AI-powered video editing tools for Premiere
6 hours ago
by Mariella Moon
Software, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Mariella Moon
Adobe has announced updates for Premiere and After Effects, including new AI-powered tools that are meant to speed up your video editing tasks. In Premiere, the company’s video-editing software, it has unveiled a new AI-powered Object Mask feature that lets you easily pick and track persons or objects moving through your video clips. You simply have to hover over that object and click to generate a mask overlay in seconds. While the mask is supposed to be accurate from the start, you can adjust and resize it as needed. Adobe says the feature uses its own AI model for the
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One year of access to Monarch Money's budgeting app is down to $50 right now
6 hours ago
by Ian Carlos Campbell
Software, Mobile Apps, Personal Budgeting, Technology & Electronics, Banking & Budgeting, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell
The start of the new year is a great time to get your finances in order, and a good budgeting app can help with that. Instead of laboring over a spreadsheet, you can try one of our favorite budgeting apps for less than usual. Monarch Money is running a sale that gives new users 50 percent off one year of the service, bringing the final cost down to just $50. Just use the code NEWYEAR2026 at checkout to get the discount.
Monarch Money makes for a capable and detailed budgeting companion. You can use the service via apps for iOS, Android,
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The Disney+ and Hulu bundle is on sale for $10 for one month
7 hours ago
by Valentina Palladino,Georgie Peru
Media, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Valentina Palladino
You have the best chance to save on streaming services during the holiday shopping season, but throughout the year, the occasional deal pops up that's worth considering. Case in point: this new Disney+ deal. New and eligible returning subscribers can sign up for the Disney+ Hulu bundle (with ads) for $10 for one month of access. That's $3 off the usual price of the bundle for one month, and more than 58 percent off if you consider the cost of each service individually (Disney+ at $12 per month and, separately, Hulu also at $12 per month).
We'd be remiss if we
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The UK is mulling an Australia-like social media ban for users under 16
7 hours ago
by Mariella Moon
Media, Arts & Entertainment, Social & Online Media, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Mariella Moon
The UK government has announced a consultation, asking people for their feedback on whether to introduce a social media ban for children under 16 years old. It would also explore how to enforce that limit, how to limit tech companies from being able to access children’s data and how to limit “infinite scrolling,” as well as access to addictive online tools. In addition to seeking feedback from parents and young people themselves, the country’s ministers are going to visit Australia to see the effects of the country’s social media ban for kids, according to Financial Times.
Australia's minimum age social media
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The Morning After: Elon Musk wants a $134 billion payout from OpenAI and Microsoft
7 hours ago
by Mat Smith
Business, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Mat Smith
Part of a lawsuit accusing OpenAI of abandoning its non-profit status claims Musk is owed anywhere from $79 billion to $134 billion in damages for the “wrongful gains” of OpenAI and Microsoft.
Musk claims in the filing that he’s entitled to a chunk of the company’s recent $500 billion valuation, after contributing $38 million in “seed funding” during the AI company’s early years. It wasn’t just money — according to the filing, Musk helped advise on key employee recruitment, introductions with business contacts and startup advice.
If this sounds familiar, it’s because the lawsuit dates back to March 2024. It’s still going.
—
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Sony is handing control of its Bravia TV business to China's TCL
7 hours ago
by Steve Dent
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Steve Dent
Sony is ceding control of its Bravia TV brand to China's TCL as part of a new "strategic partnership," the companies announced in a joint press release. The Japanese electronics giant plans to sell a majority 51 percent stake in its home entertainment arm to TCL, while retaining a 49 percent share. The joint venture is set to start operations in April 2027, pending regulatory and other approvals.
The new combined business will sell TVs carrying Sony and Bravia branding while using TCL's display technology. The partnership will also leverage Sony's picture and audio expertise, supply chain management and other areas
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The best wireless chargers for 2026
10 hours ago
by Jon Fingas,Valentina Palladino
Telecommunication, Technology & Electronics, Handheld & Connected Devices, Consumer Discretionary, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jon Fingas
If you’ve upgraded your phone recently, there’s a good chance it supports wireless charging. Battery life can be one of the first things to deteriorate as your phone ages, so you’ll need quick and easy ways to power up wherever you are. You may not always be able to have a cable on your person, but investing in a wireless phone charger (or a few) can make it more convenient to plop your phone down and know it’ll have more juice when you pick it back up again.
While you’re not going to get the same charging speed with a wireless
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Dr. Gladys West, whose mathematical models inspired GPS, dies at 95
20 hours ago
by Anna Washenko
Education, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko
Pioneering mathematician Dr. Gladys West has passed away at the age of 95. Her name may not be familiar to you, but her contributions certainly are; West's work laid the foundation for the global positioning system. As you likely know from experience, GPS is now an essential component of industries ranging from aviation and emergency response, as well as ensuring that you get to that dinner date or job interview on time.
> This morning the world lost a pioneer in Dr Gladys West, she passed peacefully alongside her family and friends and is now in heaven with her loved ones.
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ASUS will not release any new smartphones this year
a day ago
by Anna Washenko
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko
ASUS appears to be shifting its business operations away from smartphones. According to translations of recent quotes from Chairman Jonney Shih, the company does not plan to release new phone models in the future. The chairman did not confirm whether smartphones would be completely phased out, but he did acknowledge that possibility. Whatever direction ASUS takes, its existing phones will continue to receive software updates and warranty assistance. Shih suggested that its future plans may include a shift into AI-related projects such as robotics or smartglasses.
Previous reports hinted that ASUS would not introduce any smartphones in 2026, but Shih's recent
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UK agency questions Meta's policies for illegal gambling site ads
a day ago
by Anna Washenko
Gaming & Lottery, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko
The UK Gambling Commission has raised concerns that Meta is ignoring advertisements by illegal gambling websites on its platforms. At a conference in Barcelona, the commission's Executive Director Tim Miller criticized Meta's behavior towards advertisements for online gambling on its Facebook and Instagram social networks.
"Companies like Meta will tell you that they don’t tolerate the advertising of illegal sites and will remove them if they are notified about them," Miller's speech transcript reads. "But that approach suggests that they don’t know about those ads unless alerted. That is simply false."
Meta's internal policy is that gambling sites must be licensed in
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TurboTax Deluxe is on sale for $45 ahead of tax season
a day ago
by Igor Bonifacic
Software, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Igor Bonifacic
With the spring approaching, it's time to start thinking about how you'll file your taxes. Unfortunately, with the recent demise of Direct File, there isn't a free, government-provided alternative to TurboTax in 2026, and you'll need to look to other federal programs, including IRS Free File, to file your paperwork. If you don't qualify for Free File, chances are you'll need to dish out cash for Intuit's software. And while we hate to suggest you give money to a company that has spent decades lobbying to ensure America's tax system remains a nightmare, we can at least save you some
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Bungie's Marathon arrives on March 5
a day ago
by Igor Bonifacic
Video Games, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Igor Bonifacic
Marathon, Bungie's long-awaited extraction shooter, will arrive on March 5, the studio announced today. Alongside a definitive release date, Bungie shared a new gameplay trailer, in addition to details about the game's forthcoming deluxe edition, which fans can pre-order today on Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. All versions of the game will support crossplay, meaning you'll be able to play with your friends, no matter where they decide to buy Marathon.
Sony, Bungie's parent company, had previously committed to a March release for Marathon, but stopped short of sharing an exact date. News of that date leaked early Monday
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Musk claims Tesla will restart work on its Dojo supercomputer
a day ago
by Andre Revilla
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Andre Revilla
Elon Musk posted on X that Tesla will be restarting work on Dojo3, the third generation of its in-house supercomputer project. The Dojo team had been disbanded last year as the company prioritized the AI chips that run on board Tesla vehicles. Musk said the company is returning to the project "now that the AI5 chip design is in good shape."
The purpose of the Dojo project is to process video recordings and other data from Tesla vehicles and use that to train the "neural net" behind the company's Full Self-Driving software. Last year, however, Musk posted on X that "It
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NBA League Pass deal: Get access for the rest of the season for up to 55 percent off
a day ago
by Andre Revilla
National Basketball Association, Basketball, Sports & Recreation, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Andre Revilla
Basketball fans can save on NBA League Pass right now, which lets you catch a bunch of out-of-market NBA games via streaming. The League Pass Premium subscription is on sale for $75, down from the usual $160, and League Pass Standard is marked down to $50 from $110. Considering we're almost halfway though the season, the discount makes sense and is a good deal for anyone who wants to keep a close eye on the rest of the games to be played this year.
The Standard plan includes commercials and support for only one device at a time, while the Premium
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AirTag deal: Get four of the Bluetooth trackers for $65
a day ago
by Anna Washenko
Shopping, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko
Apple keeps most of its product pricing on a tight leash, but we do see the company's AirTags go on sale pretty frequently. Another cost cut has come around for this item just in time for the holidays. Amazon is currently selling a four-pack of AirTags for $65. At a third off the regular cost, that price is pretty close to the record low discount of $63 we've seen for these Bluetooth trackers.
AirTags can be useful for people who travel frequently, helping you to keep track of essentials like your passport as well as a way to keep tabs on
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Threads has more global daily users than X on mobile for the first time
a day ago
by Andre Revilla
Social & Online Media, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Andre Revilla
Meta’s Threads is pulling further ahead of Elon Musk’s X on mobile, based on recent estimates from analytics firm Similarweb, Forbes reports. In the first stretch of January, Threads averaged roughly 143 million daily active users worldwide on mobile devices, compared with about 126 million for X.
Similarweb’s year-over-year snapshot shows Threads growing sharply, up 37.8 percent year-over-year, while X’s daily mobile audience fell 11.9 percent across the same period. The picture is more mixed in the US, where X still holds a narrow edge on mobile. Similarweb data puts X at about 21.2 million daily active US mobile users in
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The best instant cameras for 2026
a day ago
by Steve Dent
Cameras & Photography, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Steve Dent
Instant cameras have become a popular category for one simple reason: they’re fun. You can whip one out at a party or event and take a snap, then a couple of minutes later you have a real, physical, instant photo that everyone can touch, feel and enjoy instead of staring at a screen. It’s also a lot cooler than a smartphone shot thanks to the retro, nostalgic vibes of analog photography.
Given the large number of camera brands on the market, choosing one can be tricky. That’s why we’ve put together this buying guide that will help you choose the best
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Microsoft issues emergency fix after a security update left some Windows 11 devices unable to shut down
2 days ago
by Jackson Chen
Software, Computing, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen
If you weren't able to shut down your Windows 11 device recently, Microsoft has rolled out an emergency fix addressing a couple of critical bugs that popped up with its latest January 2026 Windows security update. The latest "out-of-band" update repairs an issue for some Windows 11 devices that would only restart when users tried to shut down or hibernate. The same update restores the ability for Windows 10 and Windows 11 users to log into their devices via remote connection apps.
Microsoft said the inability to shut down or hibernate affected Windows 11 devices using Secure Launch, a security feature
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This UGreen 3-in-1 wireless charger is 32 percent off right now
2 days ago
by Anna Washenko
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko
You can easily spruce up your nightstand or desk by decluttering a bit, replacing some of those annoying charging cables with a good wireless charging setup. One of our favorites that can handle three devices at once is the UGREEN MagFlow Qi2 3-in-1 Charger Station 25W. Normally $140, it's on sale right now for $95; that's 32 percent off and only about $5 more than its record-low price.
This is our top pick for a 3-in-1 charging pad thanks to its versatility. The UGREEN can work equally well as a permanent fixture in your home or act as a portable charging
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Washington is the latest state pursuing an age verification law for porn sites
2 days ago
by Jackson Chen
Politics & Government, Government, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen
Washington state residents may soon be forced to produce IDs before getting onto websites with pornographic content. Within the state's House of Representatives, Rep. Mari Leavitt introduced House Bill 2112, which is informally known as the Keep Our Children Safe Act. Similar to the initiatives seen in other states, the bill proposes to restrict access to "online sexual material harmful" to anyone under 18.
In practical terms, those living in Washington state could see websites asking for digital identification or demanding the user go through an age verification system that requests a government-issued ID. If a website that has more than
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Apple's latest 25W MagSafe charger is on sale for $30
2 days ago
by Steve Dent
Technology & Electronics, Handheld & Connected Devices, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Steve Dent
If you want a wireless charger for your iPhone and prefer to stick with Apple, Amazon has a sale that may pique your interest. The retailer is selling the one meter Apple Magsafe charger for $30, saving you $10 off the regular price, while also selling the two meter model for $40 ($10 off).
If you have an iPhone 16, iPhone 17 or iPhone Air, this cable can charge your device at 25W as long as it's connected to a 30W power adapter on the other end. While you'll need a more recent iPhone to get the fastest MagSafe charging speeds,
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The plan for a gaming-themed Atari hotel in Las Vegas has reportedly been scrapped
3 days ago
by Cheyenne MacDonald
Travel & Tourism, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Cheyenne MacDonald
Six years after the announcement of plans to build Atari Hotels in eight cities across the US, including Las Vegas, only one now seems to be moving forward, in Phoenix, Arizona. The Las Vegas deal ultimately "didn't come to fruition," spokesperson Sara Collins told Las Vegas Sun this week, and Atari Hotels is putting its focus into the Phoenix site "for the time being."
Phoenix was always meant to be the first site, followed by other hotels in Austin, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, San Francisco, San Jose and Seattle. But Las Vegas is now apparently off the table, and there haven't
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Amazon's live-action God of War adaptation adds Teresa Palmer
3 days ago
by Jackson Chen
Media, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen
Amazon is reportedly adding Teresa Palmer (The Fall Guy, Warm Bodies, Hacksaw Ridge) to its pantheon of Norse gods for its God of War TV show adaptation. As first reported by Deadline, Palmer will play Sif, Thor's wife and eventual leader of the Aesir, in the live-action adaptation. It may not carry as much weight as the casting of the video game's protagonist that was revealed earlier this week to be Ryan Hurst, but it could hint at the direction the TV show may take.
> View this post on Instagram
While Sif plays a minor role in the God of War
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TikTok's latest spinoff app feels a lot like Quibi, but with shorter and cornier content
3 days ago
by Jackson Chen
Software, Media, Technology & Electronics, Arts & Entertainment, Television, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen
In another attempt to reduce our attention spans to mush, TikTok has released the PineDrama app, which offers serialized drama series that are roughly a minute per episode. As first spotted by Business Insider, the app is designed exactly like TikTok, but instead of trendy dance videos, you can scroll through and watch "micro dramas."
For those new to the category, micro dramas are bite-sized TV shows shot in vertical video and available in minute-long episodes. Don't expect any nominations for Best Original Screenplay with series like The Officer Fell For Me or Married to my past life's nemesis, since they
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It's the last day to get up to $90 off reMarkable E Ink tablet bundles
3 days ago
by Andre Revilla
Tablets, Technology & Electronics, Handheld & Connected Devices, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Andre Revilla
E Ink tablet maker reMarkable is running a bundle deal right now that can save you between $80 and $90 when buying a reMarkable 2 along with a Marker stylus and a folio case. The savings vary depending on the bundle you configure, but this can bring your out-the-door cost down to $449 from $529 for the tablet, Marker stylus and polymer weave book folio. The offer runs through January 17.
The company also sells a newer stylus called Marker Plus that lets you erase by flipping it around just like a real pencil, but that will cost you an extra
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Elon Musk is looking for a $134 billion payout from OpenAI and Microsoft
3 days ago
by Jackson Chen
Business, Company Legal & Law Matters, Finance, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen
We now have some idea of what's at stake in the longstanding feud between Elon Musk and OpenAI. As first reported by Bloomberg, the latest filing, as part of a lawsuit that accuses the AI giant of abandoning its non-profit status, claims that Musk is owed anywhere between $79 billion and $134 billion in damages from the "wrongful gains" of OpenAI and Microsoft.
Musk claimed in the filing that he's entitled to a portion of OpenAI's recent valuation at $500 billion, after contributing $38 million in "seed funding" during the AI company's startup years. Along with providing "roughly 60 percent of
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California AG sends cease and desist to xAI over Grok's explicit deepfakes
3 days ago
by Mariella Moon
Society & Culture, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Mariella Moon
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has sent a cease and desist letter to xAI, days after his office launched an official investigation into the company over reports that Grok was generating nonconsensual
If you’ll recall, xAI and Grok have been under fire for taking images of real individuals and putting them in revealing clothing like bikinis upon random users’ requests.
Bonta’s office demands that xAI immediately cease and desist from creating “digitized sexually explicit material” when the depicted individual didn’t consent to it or if the individual is a minor. It also demanded that xAI stop “facilitating or aiding and abetting the
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How to pair AirPods with any device
3 days ago
by Rob Webb
Technology & Electronics, Handheld & Connected Devices, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Rob Webb
AirPods work most smoothly with Apple hardware, but they also connect reliably to Android phones, Windows laptops and other Bluetooth devices. The pairing process depends on the platform in use although the basics remain the same. Once the AirPods are placed in pairing mode, most devices detect them quickly and handle the remaining steps in the background. The guide below explains how to pair AirPods with Apple products, how the process differs on newer iPhones that support H2 features and how to connect them to non-Apple devices.
HOW TO PAIR AIRPODS WITH APPLE DEVICES
Apple builds AirPods to pair almost instantly with
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How to cancel CyberGhost and get a refund
3 days ago
by Sam Chapman
Software, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Sam Chapman
I came out of my CyberGhost review with a positive opinion, feeling it had earned its spot in my best VPN roundup. However, even an expert review is subjective, and there's a chance CyberGhost will not work for you. If that’s the case, here's how to cancel your subscription.
HOW TO STOP YOUR CYBERGHOST SUBSCRIPTION RENEWING
Cancelling your CyberGhost subscription won't end it right away, unless you delete your account or get the refund (I'll explain how to do both of those later). Instead, the way to cancel CyberGhost is to stop your subscription from renewing at the end of each billing
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Papers Please but with zombies, a farming-based shoot-'em-up and other new indie games worth checking out
3 days ago
by Kris Holt
Media, Video Games, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Kris Holt
Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. Several neat-looking games arrived this week, we got release dates for several others that I'm really looking forward to and a brand-new Steam festival was announced.
The Love, Romance, and Heartbreak Debutante Ball is said to be the first Valentine's Day-themed Steam festival. It'll run from February 13 to 20 and feature more than 100 games, including discounts and demos. A showcase will take place on February 13 at 1PM ET on the Sunny Demeanor Games YouTube channel too.
Organizers say the festival includes a wide variety of
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The best VPN service for 2026
4 days ago
by Sam Chapman
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Sam Chapman
As frustrating as it is that governments and businesses are running roughshod over our online freedoms, at least we have plenty of good VPNs to choose from to keep us protected online. There are so many fast, intelligently designed, full-featured and affordable services on the market that the biggest problem is picking one. For any use case, you can bet at least two providers will be neck-and-neck for first place.
On the other hand, the VPN world is still the Wild West in some ways. It's easy enough to slap a cheap VPN together that the market is flooded with low-quality
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X is fully online after going down for most of the morning
4 days ago
by Karissa Bell
Media, Arts & Entertainment, Social & Online Media, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Karissa Bell
X seems to be working again after struggling with an outage that took the service offline and made it slow to load for much of the morning. According to X’s developer platform page, there is an ongoing incident related to streaming endpoints that’s caused increased errors. The incident started at 7:39AM PT, according to the page.
That roughly coincides with a spike in reports at Down Detector. The issues seemed to be somewhat intermittent. At some points, X’s website loaded partially and only showed older posts. At other times, the app and website failed to load at all.
As of 9:30AM PT,
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Google is appealing the ruling from its search antitrust case to avoid sharing data with rivals
4 days ago
by Ian Carlos Campbell
Company Legal & Law Matters, Business, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell
Google has filed its appeal to the Department of Justice’s antitrust case that ended with a federal judge ruling that the company was maintaining a monopoly with its search business. While the company goes through the appeals process, it’s also asking that implementation of the remedies from the case, which include a requirement that Google share search data with its competitors, also be paused.
“As we have long said, the Court’s August 2024 ruling ignored the reality that people use Google because they want to, not because they’re forced to,” Google said in a statement. “The decision failed to account for
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CyberGhost VPN review: Despite its flaws, the value is hard to beat
4 days ago
by Sam Chapman
Internet & Networking Technology, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Sam Chapman
CyberGhost is the middle child of the Kape Technologies VPN portfolio, but in quality, it's much closer to ExpressVPN than Private Internet Access. I mainly put it on my best VPN list because it's so cheap, but I wouldn't have done that if it didn't earn its place in other ways — affordable crap is still crap, after all.
My universal impression of CyberGhost is a VPN that's not perfect but is always genuinely working to make itself better. It makes decisions based on what will help its users, not to set itself apart in a crowded market. This makes it
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Anthropic opens up its Claude Cowork feature to anyone with a $20 subscription
4 days ago
by Ian Carlos Campbell
Software, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell
Claude Cowork, Anthropic's AI assistant for taking care of simple tasks on your computer, is now available for anyone with a $20 per month Pro subscription to try. Anthropic launched Cowork as an exclusive feature for its Max subscribers, who pay a minimum of $100 per month for more uses of Claude's expensive reasoning models and early access to experimental features. Now Claude Cowork is available at a cheaper price, though Anthropic notes "Pro users may hit their usage limits earlier" than Max users do.
Like other AI agents, the novelty of Claude Cowork is its ability to work on its
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Anthropic launches Claude Cowork, a version of its coding AI for regular people
4 days ago
by Igor Bonifacic
Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Igor Bonifacic
If you follow Anthropic, you're probably familiar with Claude Code. Since the fall of 2024, the company has been training its AI models to use and navigate computers like a human would, and the coding agent has been the most practical expression of that work, giving developers a way to automate rote programming tasks. Starting today, Anthropic is giving regular people a way to take advantage of those capabilities, with the release of a new preview feature called Claude Cowork.
The company is billing Cowork as "a simpler way for anyone — not just developers — to work with Claude." After
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OpenAI is bringing ads to ChatGPT
4 days ago
by Igor Bonifacic
Social & Online Media, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Igor Bonifacic
OpenAI plans to start testing ads inside of ChatGPT "in the coming weeks." In a blog post published Friday, the company said adult users in the US of its free and Go tiers (more on the latter in a moment) would start seeing sponsored products and services appear below their conversations with its chatbot. "Ads will be clearly labeled and separated from the organic answer," OpenAI said, adding any sponsored spots would not influence the answers ChatGPT generates. "Answers are optimized based on what's most helpful to you."
OpenAI says people won't see ads appear when they're talking to ChatGPT about
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The mother of one of Elon Musk's children is suing xAI over nonconsensual deepfake images
4 days ago
by Will Shanklin
Social & Online Media, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Will Shanklin
Although X removed Grok’s ability to create nonconsensual digitally undressed images on the social platform, the standalone Grok app is another story. It reportedly continues to produce “nudified” deepfakes of real people. And now, Ashley St. Clair, a conservative political strategist and mother of one of Elon Musk’s 14 children, has sued xAI for nonconsensual sexualized images of her that Grok allegedly produced.
In the court filing, St. Clair accused xAI’s Grok chatbot of creating and disseminating deepfakes of her “as a child stripped down to a string bikini, and as an adult in sexually explicit poses, covered in semen, or
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Lego's latest educational kit seeks to teach AI as part of computer science, not to build a chatbot
4 days ago
by Nathan Ingraham
Education, Teaching & Learning, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Nathan Ingraham
Last week at CES, Lego introduced its new Smart Play system, with a tech-packed Smart Brick that can recognize and interact with sets and minifigures. It was unexpected and delightful to see Lego come up with a way to modernize its bricks without the need for apps, screens or AI.
So I was a little surprised this week when the Lego Education group announced its latest initiative is the Computer Science and AI Learning Solution. After all, generative AI feels like the antithesis of Lego’s creative values. But Andrew Silwinski, Lego Education’s head of product experience, was quick to defend Lego’s
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Canada cuts tariffs on Chinese EVs as part of new deal
4 days ago
by Andre Revilla
Politics & Government, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Andre Revilla
Canada has agreed to drastically reduce its tariffs on imported Chinese EVs from 100 percent to 6.1 percent as part of a
between the two countries. In return, China will be reducing tariffs on Canadian canola seeds from 84 percent to about 15 percent.
The move is a break from the United States, which maintains a 100 percent tariff on EVs from China, effectively banning them in the country. Mexico currently tariffs the vehicles at 50 percent after
last year.
Under the agreement, which Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney
"preliminary," Canada will allow up to 49,000 Chinese EVs into the country, with that number rising
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The latest Legend of Zelda Lego set pays tribute to Ocarina of Time's final battle
4 days ago
by Matt Tate
Video Games, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Matt Tate
We already knew something Ocarina of Time-related was coming from Nintendo and Lego in 2026, and now we know exactly what that set will look like. Weighing in at a surprisingly modest 1,003 pieces, the typically word salad-y Lego The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - The Final Battle is the second Lego Zelda set, following the 2,500-piece Great Deku Tree set in 2024.
While the latter lets you choose between building either a Breath of the Wild or OoT-themed replica of the wise old guardian of the forest, the upcoming set is aimed squarely at fans of the series’
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TikTok sued by former workers over alleged union-busting
4 days ago
by Will Shanklin
Labor Issues, Society & Culture, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Will Shanklin
You know things are messed up when a Big Tech company fights accusations of union-busting by insisting it was only AI layoffs. That's where things stand after a group of fired TikTok moderators in the UK filed a legal claim with an employment tribunal. The Guardian reported on Friday that around 400 TikTok content moderators who were unionizing were laid off before Christmas.
The workers were sacked a week before a vote was scheduled to establish a collective bargaining unit. The moderators said they wanted better protection against the personal toll of processing traumatic content at a high speed. They accused
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How to claim Verizon's $20 credit for Wednesday's service outage
4 days ago
by Andre Revilla,Billy Steele
Technology & Electronics, Finance, Handheld & Connected Devices, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Andre Revilla
Verizon is offering a very small mea culpa after Wednesday's massive outage, which drew more than 1.5 million reports on Downdetector and lasted hours. Initially, the carrier posted on X that it will offer a $20 credit, but customers must redeem it in the myVerizon app. The company then said the credit could be claimed though customer service (via phone or chat), but our editors’ attempts to do so via chat were met with a message to wait for a text with further instructions.
Engadget editors began receiving the texts this morning (Jan 16) with a link to redeem. From there,