Apple is set to introduce a new MacBook Pro with a touchscreen and an updated iPad Mini "on or around" October 27th, Bloomberg reports. If true, that would put the event just two weeks after the October 13th event Apple announced today, which is rumored to focus on smart home products.
Bloomberg says that the late October event will include an "online video presentation" and an "in-person component for the press," which it reports is similar to what Apple is planning for the October 13th event.
At this Mac and iPad event, Bloomberg reports that Apple will announce new MacBook Pros that are lighter than what's available now, have touchscree …
The California State Athletic Commission sent a cease-and-desist letter to a startup that hosted a match between a human and a robot last month, as reported by The New York Times.
The fight, which took place on September 18th, pitted a human, Frankie LaPenna, against a humanoid robot owned by a tech startup, Rek, that was being piloted by a human using what the NYT described as a "remote virtual-reality system." Rek says it is the "the humanoid robot fighting league" on its website, and the robot appears to be one from EngineAI but with a Terminator-like head swapped on top.
Detainees are seen in a yard at the Folkston ICE Processing Center on September 9, 2025, in Folkston, Georgia. (Photo by ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images
Four men detained at an ICE detention center in rural Georgia used the facility's video conferencing software to expose both the conditions inside and President Donald Trump's hostile takeover of the immigration courts. In the five-minute video, the men describe an intentionally dysfunctional legal system designed to keep them trapped in federal custody for months or years - in privately owned facilities that profit from their confinement.
The video cost the men, literally and figuratively. The Folkston ICE Processing Center has a work program for detainees in which they are paid a pittance to cook, do laundry, or clean. These wages allow t …
Windows Search has been one of the most frustrating parts of Windows 11, and now Microsoft is addressing this with a significant overhaul. A new redesigned Windows Search is now in testing that is much faster, more capable, and a lot more modern.
"This new Windows Search experience is built for speed," says Anshul Rawat, corporate vice president of the Windows product team at Microsoft. "It's built on WinUI 3 and is part of our broader investment in modernizing our core Windows experiences."
Microsoft says early testing of this new search has shown "substantial improvements in performance and memory usage," meaning the company isn't adding …
Cyberpunk 2077 is heading to the big screen. Deadlinereports that CD Projekt Red's popular sci-fi video game franchise is being adapted into a live-action film by Paramount Pictures. There's no details just yet on when the film might premiere. But Deadline says that Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who is known for producing the Transformers films, will be a producer on the movie.
"We're excited about Paramount as a future partner who shares our creative ambitions for the Cyberpunk franchise," says CD Projekt Red joint-CEO Michał Nowakowski. "We look forward to sharing more details at the appropriate time."
Tim Cook stepped down as Apple CEO in September, handing over the top job to former hardware chief John Ternus and taking an executive chairman role. Cook's still a visible representative of the company, having been recently photographed attending a state dinner at the White House. But in an interview with The Independent, Cook says he's "not meddling" in Ternus' work.
"First of all, John and I have an incredible level of trust in each other," Cook said. "The relationship must be based on trust, and the communication must be frequent and significant. But other than that, what I'm focused on right now is worldwide policy. And the interface w …
Pokémon trainers gearing up for battle. | Image: Nintendo
After covering Amazon’s October sale for the last few days, only one item found its way into my shopping cart, and, lucky for you, it’s still on sale after the event’s conclusion. Pokémon Legends: Z-A for the Nintendo Switch or Switch 2 is $39.88 (usually $59.99 for Switch or $69.99 for Switch 2) at Amazon. The last Pokémon game I played was Let’s Go Eevee!, and Pokémon Moon prior to that, but the unique Lumiose City setting and real-time battles in the latest game have piqued my interest.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A
Pokémon Legends: Z-A is the first game in the main series with a real-time battling system instead of the traditional turn-based formula. You’re still catching pokémon, leveling up, trading, and battling in the game’s Paris-inspired setting, but themore action-oriented battles and smooth performance (on the Nintendo Switch 2) are very welcome.
We reviewedPokémon Legends: Z-A close to its release last October, and felt like it continued the “Legends” series reputation for overhauling core aspects of the games that many find to be outdated. If you want even more content, Mega Dimension is available as paid DLC (it costs $29.99). A new Switch 2 Edition game bundle that contains the base game and DLC will drop on October 29th, 2026 for $99.99, so I suggest grabbing the game while it’s cheaper.
Playground Games first revealed earlier this year that Forza Horizon 6 would be arriving on PS5 in 2026, but the launch is now being pushed back. I reported last month that there would be a delay to early next year, and Forza Horizon 6 is now officially debuting on January 26th, 2027.
The delay means the PS5 version will now coincides with a new expansion for the game. Playground Games will also sell a Premium Edition of Forza Horizon 6 on PS5 that offers up to five days of early access ahead of January 26th.
Forza Horizon 6 first debuted on Xbox and PC on May 15th, and the new expansion will also be available to these platforms in January …
USA Today Co., along with the several local newspapers it owns, is suing OpenAI over claims that the company copied "hundreds of thousands" of articles to train its AI models, as reported earlier by Reuters. In a filing on Thursday, the publisher asks for damages of more than $250 million, alleging OpenAI's unauthorized use of its content "has done real and continuing" harm to its outlets.
If Elon Musk and SpaceXAI were going to back any Linux distro, it seems obvious they'd back Omarchy. Today it was announced that SpaceXAI would be joining the Omacom Foundation, which oversees Omarchy, as a Founding Corporate Patron and donating $1.5 million worth of Grok tokens to David Heinemeier Hansson's Linux project. According to Hansson's blog post announcing the partnership, the tokens will primarily be used to accelerate development, review code, and patch bugs.
Hansson is the Danish entrepreneur known for creating Ruby on Rails and co-founding the company behind Basecamp. But he's also becoming known for promoting anti-immigration …
Anthropic is making changes to its usage policy for the first time in over a year to reflect new and high-risk cases of misuse - including election interference, weapons development, surveillance, and health and financial uses. But one of the most significant changes prohibits "sustained and needless abusive or cruel behavior" toward Claude.
Last August, the company announced it would allow Claude to end conversations with "persistently harmful or abusive" users as part of its research into "model welfare." The new update says that terminating conversations is still the "primary enforcement mechanism"; Anthropic did not provide a comment o …
The Trump administration is suspending some tech companies, including Microsoft, from an immigration program that lets an employer hire foreign workers that can reside permanently in the US, as reported by Reuters.
In a press conference, Vice President JD Vance claimed the permanent labor certification program - intended for use when there aren't "sufficient" US workers available to do a job - has become "rife" with fraud over the "past several years," and that no company has "abused" the system more than Microsoft. "Our message to Microsoft is: you're a great American company, but you've got to hire great American workers."
New York is alleging that thousands of TikTok users, including kids and teens, were unknowingly given "ghost" versions of the platform's safety features rather than the working versions. Reuters reports the allegation is part of an "updated, sealed version" of New York's 2024 lawsuit against TikTok, which was "later ordered unsealed by a judge."
According to the new allegations, TikTok's "experiment" effectively blocked some users from accessing features like an option to reset your algorithm, which can potentially help users avoid harmful content popping up in their feed. As Reuters notes, users in the experiment "believed they had activa …
Since TikTok burst into mainstream consciousness, many things have been called a "TikTok clone": YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, Snapchat Spotlight, Netflix's Clips, LinkedIn's vertical video feed, and countless other, less recognizable names like Triller, Zynn, and Byte.
For years now, Facebook and Instagram have pumped users' feeds with video as Meta chases TikTok's runaway success. But if tests running abroad are any indication, the TikTok-ification of social media might finally be reaching its fullest form.
TechCrunchreports that some users in India are getting a Facebook test that, upon opening the app, drops them directly into a …
In an interview with Bloomberg, Amazon's head of consumer electronics, Panos Panay, confirmed the company would phase out the Fire brand in favor of Alexa Tablets.
The new lineup runs proper Android, instead of the custom Fire OS, and has full access to the Play Store, which wasn't available on Fire tablets. To make matters worse, Gmail, Google Calendar, YouTube, Google Drive, and other services were only available via the browser on Fire tablets; the official Google apps were not available in the Amazon Appstore.
The Fire tablet line "wasn't giving customers what they were asking for," Panay told Bloomberg, which appears to be access to …
Apple has just announced a new October event, taking place in New York on October 13th at 9AM ET. The company is rumored to be launching smart home-focused products this month, and the event invite hints that'll be the case: Apple is using the tagline "Welcome home."
At the event, Apple is rumored to announce products including a smart home hub with a display, an updated HomePod Mini, a new Apple TV. The company is also reportedly teaming up with LG on new smart home devices that will launch at the event, including a video doorbell, thermostat, …
Similar to AI note-taking apps like Granola and Wispr Flow, Foresight summarizes your meetings while providing a space where you can take your own notes. Google says you can jot down shorthand bullet points during your meeting, and the app will transform them into "polished notes" based on the information in the transcript.
Music is always a major part of a Grand Theft Auto game, and Rockstar Games says GTA VI will have the series' "biggest and widest-ranging selection of in-game radio yet." There will be at least six radio stations players can listen to in vehicles or on foot, ranging from talk radio to classic rock: Cocoteo FM, Back Country Radio, AfroBank FM, The Chamber 106.6, Flash FM, and Dirty South Classics.
You can sample the stations on Rockstar's website, along with six singles from GTA VI's official soundtrack, announced earlier this month, featuring artists like Yung Lean and Travis Scott.
But there's more to listen to than music. Rockstar also …
The Retro Song Bird may look similar to devices like Epilogue's GB Operator with a slot on top for Game Boy cartridges, but it's not designed for playing retro games. The featureless box is instead a media player designed to play through all the music and sound effect files on Game Boy cartridges using a basic set of play controls on board for skipping tracks and adjusting the volume of its built-in speaker. It's like a reimagined Sony Walkman that trades cassette tapes for your childhood game carts you refused to get rid of.
Created by a talented builder simply known as BJ, the Retro Song Bird includes additional functionality. While the b …
It’s always a little awkward when this many deals survive what was supposed to be the “end” of a big Amazon sale. Nevertheless, I’m happy to say that most of the sale’s heaviest-hitting deals are still around — Apple’s discounts on its Mac Mini, MacBook Air, and AirPods Pro 3, plus all of Sony’s current and last-gen flagship headphones, and more. In some cases, prices went up a smidge but are still worth checking out.
Like earlier this week, some of the deals on Amazon require a Prime subscription, while others do not. Many of these deals are available on competing sites, including Best Buy, Walmart, Target, and in some cases from the products’ manufacturer. You can sort the deals below by category.
We’ll be back to our regular deal coverage tomorrow.
The XM5 deliver better audio and noise cancellation than the XM4 (and even the refreshed XM4C that cost more), though they aren’t as compact. Read our review.
Google’s latest smartwatch that launched in August has already had a big price drop. While the fourth iteration is cheaper, this model has superior GPS and gesture controls. Read our review.
The Apple Watch SE 3 is a major glow-up, adding an always-on display, wrist-temperature sensor, a more powerful processor, and fast charging. Read our review.
The AirPods Pro 3 have a new design that improves their fit, superior noise cancellation, better bass, and fairly accurate heart rate sensors. Read our review.
Powered by Apple’s new M5 chip, the latest MacBook Airs are more powerful than prior models and offer double the base storage (512GB). They also support faster wireless standards, specifically Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. Read our review.
If you value better picture quality and trust that Google might improve on the HiLight LED feature, the Pixel 11 Pro is the one to get, and it got a big discount for Prime Day. Read our review.
Apple’s latest Mac Mini is just as small as the last-gen model, but more powerful. The M6 chip is about 20 percent faster than the M4. Read our review.
The iPhone Air is Apple’s thinnest iPhone yet at 5.6mm, featuring a 6.5-inch ProMotion display, a 48MP fusion camera, and an 18MP front camera with Center Stage support. But its single rear camera and “meh” battery life mean it’s not for everyone.
The iPhone 16E is the spiritual successor to the iPhone SE, bringing flagship-level performance for less than the standard 16. We really wish it included MagSafe for $599, but those upgrading from older iPhones will probably be satisfied with what’s included.
While it won’t charge your Switch 2 any faster than the cheaper Belkin option, the clever battery-meets-kickstand with a built-in display simply looks better.
Samsung recently increased the price of all its S26 phones, but you can get the best of the bunch, the S26 Ultra, at one of its best prices of the year. Read our review.
If all you want is great sound, strong noise cancellation, and physical buttons to navigate, you can’t do better than the Bose QC headphones at this price. Read our review.
Anker’s 25,000mAh power bank sports two built-in USB-C cables (one of which is retractable), plus one USB-C and USB-A port. It tops out at 165W when charging two devices simultaneously, or 130W when charging three or four.
The passport-style Z Fold 8 is the closest thing to an iPhone Duo on the Android side, at least in the US. It’s an awesome phone at its biggest discount to date. Read our review.
If you like to yap on the phone, these earbuds yield the best call quality of any we’ve tried (it’s not even close), and they sound great for music, too. Read our review.
While not as head-turning of a foldable as Samsung’s Z Fold 8, the Ultra delivers better camera quality. It’s cheaper than ever right now. Read our review.
Roku’s latest Ultra streamer has built-in ethernet, a rechargeable voice remote with backlit buttons, and AirPlay 2 support. You can also control it with Amazon Alexa through a compatible smart speaker. The Roku Channel app lets you stream over 400 free live TV stations, plus exclusive movies like Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.
Roku’s Streaming Stick Plus supports 4K playback and features a slim design, so it won’t block nearby ports. It plugs straight into your TV’s HDMI port and can be powered by your TV’s USB port, so you don’t need an additional plug. It also comes with Roku’s Voice Remote, giving you hands-free control.
The WiiM Mini makes it easy to wirelessly stream music from your phone, a streaming service, or other local storage to existing speakers you already have. It supports AirPlay 2 and a variety of streaming services.
The Sub 4, while not cheap, is the best sub for your Sonos setup. It can sit upright, or you can lay it down to fit under a couch or entertainment system.
The latest Sonos Beam is a compact soundbar that supports a virtual Dolby Atmos effect and can stream music from a plethora of services. Read our review.
The Omni delivers small, but welcome improvements over the 2022 Nova Pro, most notably a true platform-agnostic design that works with all consoles. Read our hands-on.
While the S26 isn’t particularly impressive in any way, it’s one of the most affordable (yet most powerful) flagship phones you can currently get. Read our review.
The Pixel 11 recently debuted at $899, but it recently got a whopping $150 price cut for the 256GB version. It’s the cheapest way to try Google’s new software features. Read our review.
Apple’s new iteration of its priciest, most powerful headphones deliver minor updates for first-gen owners. But those who are jumping in will especially appreciate their big, bold sound. Read our review.
Roku’s latest Pro 4K TV has a 120Hz refresh rate, four HDMI ports (two of which are 2.1), full-array local dimming for even brightness, and support for both Dolby Vision IQ and HDR 10 Plus for better color accuracy. It also works with Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home, making it easy to integrate into most smart homes.
The Kindle Scribe Colorsoft is Amazon’s first note-taking e-reader with a color screen. It features an 11-inch display, a slimmer design, an improved interface, an updated stylus, and a new AI-powered search feature that can quickly summarize documents.
The third-gen Kindle Scribe 32GB is even bigger than its 10.2-inch predecessor; it offers an 11-inch display with 300ppi resolution and the same great battery life that Kindles are known for.
Amazon’s last-gen Kindle Colorsoft features a color E Ink screen, offering similar performance to the new 2026 model. It also offers eight weeks of battery life and a 7-inch display that’s great for comics and graphic novels. Read our review.
The last-gen Kindle Paperwhite received a nice discount for Prime Day. It has the same screen as the new model, so you aren’t missing out on much. Read our review.
A new version of the Fit Pro wireless earbuds, which are upgraded with a redesigned wing tip that Beats says is 20 percent more flexible, a smaller case, and other advantages.
The latest Powerbeats Pro are a no-brainer for athletes. They pack fantastic sound and thumping bass, along with active noise cancellation, IPX4 water resistance, and heart rate monitoring. Read our review.
Despite the familiar design, there were plenty of upgrades in the latest Studio Pro, including noise cancellation, transparency mode, and lossless USB-C audio. Here’s our review.
For a slightly bigger MacBook Air, the 15-inch version is the one to get. It offers similar performance, but its battery is larger, and it has more speakers.
Bose’s SoundLink Max improves on the smaller Flex with true stereo sound — and very powerful sound at that. It’s got a removable handle for easy transport, and there’s an aux input for playing audio when you want to listen at a higher quality than what Bluetooth can deliver. Read our review.
For something between Bose’s SoundLink Flex and the Max, the Plus strikes a good balance with booming bass, loud volume that doesn’t get distorted, and an easy-to-clean design. Read our review.
The second-gen SoundLink Flex builds on the original with more intuitive controls, including a new play / pause button. It also adds adjustable EQ and support for higher-quality audio via AAC and aptX, while retaining a rugged IP67-rated design and the ability to pair two speakers for stereo sound.
This innovative new smart lock uses the U1 ultra-wideband (UWB) chip in many iPhones and Apple Watches to automatically unlock your door as you approach. It will also work with the new Aliro standard and be compatible with Android phones for hands-free unlocking.
The G400 was the first wired-only video doorbell to work with Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video feature. It has solid specs for the price, and includes a chime to sound indoors.
While not the fastest wireless charger at this price, Anker’s unique, UFO-styled 3-in-1 charging puck unfolds with pads for a phone, AirPods, and an Apple Watch.
Anker’s latest single-port USB-C charger offers up to 45W of power, foldable prongs, and a front-facing “smart display” that lets you see the charge level, power flow, and other useful information at a glance.
The outdoor lamp post light boasts full support for Google Assistant, Alexa, and Matter, so you can easily incorporate the lights into your smart home setup.
The color-changing Govee Table Lamp 2 is an especially great pick for grads looking to make a new space feel like home. With adjustable warmth and brightness, plus lights that sync to music, it’s easy to set the mood for relaxing, focusing, or partying. It can also be controlled with voice assistants or a simple tap for added convenience.
A 2800-lumen light that can illuminate your desk area for video meetings, close work, and other uses. It includes a desk clamp to make it easy to fix to your working surface.
One of the most well-rounded Android gaming handhelds you can buy is the Retroid Pocket 5. It has a gorgeous 5.5-inch OLED screen, a PS Vita-like design, and enough power to play games up to the PS2 era thanks to its Snapdragon 865 processor.
Nothing’s first pair of over-ear headphones feature a retro transparent design and high-end features like active noise cancellation, spatial audio with head tracking, and plush ear pads. They also feature a paddle button that allows you to control music playback. Read our review.
The Xeneon Edge is a multipurpose touchscreen for your PC that gives you easy access to controls, various metrics, and widgets of your choosing through Corsair’s marketplace.
An incredible value if you want one of the most comfortable right-handed wireless mice currently available. This price applies to the black or white versions.
The hourglass-shaped Sonos Era 300 is designed from the ground up for spatial audio and Dolby Atmos. It supports the same Bluetooth and line-in features as the Era 100.
Those in need of a capable, compact, and somewhat affordable Windows laptop should consider the Aspire Lite 14. It’s an ARM-based machine with 16GB of speedy RAM, half a terabyte of storage, and a slick design.
A powerful tablet that can turn into a laptop when you purchase the keyboard+trackpad accessory. This model features an OLED screen, the Snapdragon X2 Elite, 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD. Read our coverage.
Launched in late July, the Sleepbuds 2 have a small design that’s ideal for side sleepers. They can supply audio with 14 hours of battery life, and even a private alarm that’ll wake you (and not others in bed).
Fujifilm’s stylish Instax Mini Evo is the best instant camera overall. With it, you can choose which photos to print, while also boasting good image quality.
While a relatively minor upgrade over the C5 if you’re getting a 65-inch or smaller screen, the 77- and 83-inch C6 utilize an improved Tandem OLED screen with incredible brightness.
Microsoft Surface Pro (13-inch, Snapdragon X2 Elite)
The latest Surface Pro is speedy and elegant, with a 13-inch OLED touchscreen and the Snapdragon X2 Elite processor. It doesn’t include a keyboard, though.
The latest iteration of Apple’s iPad Air features an M4 processor and better connectivity under the hood, resulting in great performance whether you’re gaming or doing AI-related tasks. Read our review.
The Fujifilm Instax Mini 13 is a fun gift for students starting a new chapter. It prints credit card-sized photos in seconds, and the new self-timer makes it easier to snap group photos with friends.
Apple’s entry-level iPad is an excellent tablet for casual use, even if it is getting a little long in the tooth. Its high-res screen is great for watching video, and its A16 processor is still fast enough to handle light games and productivity apps. Read our review.
Sony made subtle improvements to every facet of the WH-1000XM6, from sound quality to ANC performance, while wisely bringing back the foldable, travel-friendly design last seen on the XM4.
The Sony WF-1000XM6 earbuds have top-notch noise-canceling performance with excellent, balanced sound, if you can get a good seal in your ears. Read our review.
Fantastic audio and great design are hallmarks of Nothing earbuds, but the Ear 3 push the boundaries with a case that can record audio. Read our review.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A is the first game in the main series with a real-time battling system instead of the traditional turn-based formula. You’re still catching pokémon, leveling up, trading, and battling in the game’s Paris-inspired setting, but themore action-oriented battles and smooth performance (on the Nintendo Switch 2) are very welcome.
Apple’s AirPods 4 are last-gen wireless earbuds, but they’re still great. The hard, plastic buds feature improved audio over the third-gen model, along with deep iOS integration and spatial audio with head tracking. Read our review.
LG UltraGear Glossy OLED gaming monitor (27-inches)
The 27GX704A-B is a glossy OLED monitor with a 240Hz refresh rate, G-Sync compatibility, HDMI 2.1 ports, a DisplayPort input, and other nice-to-have features.
The Cricut Joy 2 is a compact cutting and drawing machine that can give you craft room an upgrade. It’s great for making bookmarks, cards, and stickers, and it’s easy to use. Read our hands-on.
The discounted Ninja Slushi produces up to 88 ounces of smoothies without using any ice. It can keep drinks cold for up to 12 hours, with five temperature presets for dialing in your experience.
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