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There's no denying the allure of shiny new tech (I mean, have you seen the smartphone images Engadget's Sam Rutherford takes?). But you don't always have to shell out for the latest model to get a good gadget. Buying refurbished will be much easier on your wallet, sometimes saving you hundreds of dollars over buying new. And with tariffs threatening to increase the costs of all goods — tech included — going the refurbished route might become the more popular option in the near future. And let's not forget, buying refurbished is far easier on the environment, since the majority of a device's environmental impact happens in the manufacturing process and, as a bonus, it keeps old tech out of the e-waste stream for a little longer.
There's no regulation for what constitutes "refurbished" tech, but it's often a level or two above "used" items you'd buy off a guy on the street. Refurbished usually means the device has undergone some combination of testing, cleaning and repair — often all three — and it should perform as if it were new, with only minor scuffs to indicate its past life. But some outlets aren't as trustworthy as others when it comes to refurbished options. We have a few recommendations for places to find refurbished tech that all have documented processes for how they handle the process. We also point out what to look for when you're shopping for such tech, so you get something as close to
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What does that mean? In short, these AI models can use an image—such as a photograph or a sketch—as part of an analysis. The models can also adjust, zoom in on, and rotate an image during reasoning.
For the first time, our reasoning models can agentically use and combine every tool within ChatGPT, including web search, Python, image analysis, file interpretation, and image generation. pic.twitter.com/rDaqV0x0wE
— OpenAI (@OpenAI) April 16, 2025
Both o3 and o4-mini can do a lot more than that, too. "For the first time, our reasoning models can agentically use and combine every tool within ChatGPT, including web search, Python, image analysis, file interpretation, and image generation," tweeted OpenAI.
Both o3 and o4-mini AI models have been made available to paying ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Team users, while the old o1, o3-mini, and o3-mini-high AI models have been removed. OpenAI plans to release the
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That's the end of a class-action lawsuit that started over four years ago, when two American plaintiffs complained that HP displayed "strike-through prices" on its store that weren't actually real, thus inflating the discount that it looked like they were receiving. According to the report on Ars Technica, the plaintiffs allege that HP lied about how much quantity was available, in the familiar "only one left at this price" sense.
I say allegedly, because this is a civil suit, not a criminal case of false advertising, and HP has admitted no wrongdoing or liability as a condition of the settlement. It's basically a $4 million "leave me alone" check. Though the plaintiffs did accuse HP of violating the US FTC's deceptive pricing laws, it doesn't appear that any actual law enforcement is involved. And it's not as if these practices are isolated. The "FOMO" and time pressure sales tactic is omnipresent online, new variations of sales techniques that I remember from the infomercial days and before.
One personal bugbear of mine is a little company called Lenovo, the largest seller of laptops on the planet by volume. Whenever it announces a new ThinkPad model I truly, genuinely don't know how much it costs, despite covering its products for over
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Amazon's $200 off sale on the 13-inch 256GB Wi-Fi model of their elite tablet creates an all-time low price of $1,099.
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We've featured the Dell G2724D before, and even at its regular price it's one of the best values out there for gaming monitors. Matt Smith gave it an Editors' Choice award when he reviewed it, noting its great combination of a high-quality IPS screen with 2560×1440 resolution, 165Hz for fast multiplayer gaming, and support for Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync. It's light on extras—like USB connections—but that just means it's about as cheap as it gets for a proper gaming display. Fortunately, it has a VESA mount, so it's great if you want to clear up space with a monitor arm or just add it to an existing multi-monitor setup.
Dell doesn't have a time limit on this sale, but since it's a refurbished model, there's probably some kind of limit on stock availability. I can't find specific warranty info on this model, but Dell Refurbished says it covers all equipment with a 100-day policy, which is pretty standard. The price is right, so get one while you still can!
See our roundup of the
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 Apple's flavor of generative artificial intelligence, called Apple Intelligence, was laced throughout its latest watch, AirPods, and phone offerings, announced at its "Glowtime" event on Monday. The post Apple Weaves AI Into Latest Watch, AirPods, iPhone Models appeared first on TechNewsWorld.
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