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iRobot, which brought robotic vacuum cleaners to the masses with its iconic Roomba models, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The Massachusetts-based company plans to sell all assets to its primary supplier, a Chinese company known as Picea Robotics. If approved by a bankruptcy court, the move would allow iRobot to "continue operating in the ordinary course, pursue its product development roadmap, and maintain its global footprint," iRobot wrote in a press release.
The company expects the deal to close in February 2026, but says it will continue to operate "with no anticipated disruption to its app functionality, customer programs, global partners, supply chain relationships or ongoing product support." That means your Roomba should continue to clean normally and you'll be able to get consumables and replacement parts.
However, investors of common stock "will experience a total loss and not receive recovery on their investment" if the deal is approved, iRobot stated. The company didn't discuss how the move might affect its employees in the US or elsewhere.
Bankruptcy seemed a likely outcome for iRobot after Amazon dropped its $1.7 billion acquisition of the company last year following a veto threat by European regulators. The company's fortunes continued to decline and it issued a statement to investors in March 2025 that it had "su
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Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Dec. 15, No. 448.
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Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Dec. 15, No. 652.
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Tabletop games are a popular, screen-free activity that brings people together. They also make excellent gifts for anyone on your holiday list.
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In the same month that Grok opted for a second Holocaust over vaporizing Elon Musk's brain, the AI chatbot is on the fritz again. Following the Bondi Beach shooting in Australia during a festival to mark the start of Hanukkah, Grok is responding to user requests with inaccurate or completely unrelated info, as first spotted by Gizmodo.
Grok's confusion seems to be most apparent with a viral video that shows a 43-year-old bystander, identified as Ahmed al Ahmed, wrestling a gun away from an attacker during the incident, which has left at least 16 dead, according to the latest news reports. Grok's responses show it repeatedly misidentifying the individual who stopped one of the gunmen. In other cases,
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NEW RESOURCES Progress and Poverty: Launching CivicMapper: Visualizing Land Values in 3D. "Today, we are thrilled to launch CivicMapper, a new interactive tool that brings cities to life through 3D visualizations…. CivicMapper […]
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The pressure's on coach Xabi Alonso as Los Blancos travel to the Estadio Mendizorrotza.
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 Amazon and Best Buy this weekend have all-time low prices on the Apple Watch Series 11, with $100 discounts across numerous models of the smartwatch. These discounts beat the Black Friday prices we saw last month by about $30, and both retailers have delivery options that provide guaranteed arrival dates before Christmas.
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Die Roten welcome struggling Mainz to the Allianz Arena in their penultimate league fixture before the winter break.
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NEW RESOURCES International Council on Archives: SAHR Announces its New Database "Truth and Reconciliation Mechanisms Archives Locator" (TRMAL) on International Human Rights Day and Discusses Human Rights Archives. "The TRMAL is a […]
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Its cooling vapor chamber is a standout feature for the powerful phone, though its design isn't the best for gaming.
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CNET explored every kind of pet technology to see what we -- and our four-legged friends -- liked the most.
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There's no other handheld offering what the Nintendo Switch 2 does at its price.
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Beep, beep! Pennywise is just getting started.
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It's going to be a very unmerry holiday shopping season if you get a brand-new drone that's unusable.
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If all you know about smart glasses is Meta Ray-Bans, I'm here to open your eyes about what's on the way.
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AI adoption is rapidly expanding across industries, but workers are saving only 40 to 60 minutes per day, on average.
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Cloud gaming remains a pie-in-the-sky idea.
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Wait, is the government actually going to do something about this?
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 Satechi and MacRumors partnered up this week to offer our readers an exclusive 30 percent discount on select products for a limited time. This sale is available only on Satechi's website and is set to end on Monday, December 15, so this weekend is your last chance to take advantage of the deals.
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 After roughly six weeks of beta testing, iOS 26.2 and related updates have finally been released for all users, delivering a number of new features, changes, and bug fixes.
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 Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. ?iOS 26?.2 is compatible with the ?iPhone? 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ??iPhone?? SE.
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Engadget staffers spend the entire year poking, prodding and otherwise testing the latest tech gadgets. So we've got a pretty good handle on what's unique and interesting right now. We put together this list for anyone looking for a good gift for that tech-obsessed person on their gift list. Some of these are devices we've tested for our reviews and guides, others are items we bought for ourselves (or wish someone would buy for us). We've got more than 35 picks here, from nearly every member of the Engadget team. Chances are, you'll find a good gift or two for every tech nerd you know. Here are our favorite tech gifts and gadgets for 2025.
Best tech gifts and gadgets
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Finding the right gifts for everyone on your list this time of year can be a major source of stress. It can be even more daunting if you're trying to stick to a budget all while getting the folks you love things that they will really appreciate. But there's also a good chance you're getting fed bad gift ideas (and just as bad deals) if you're browsing the web frantically searching as we get closer and closer to the holidays.
Allow us at Engadget to help you through it. Here, you'll find all of our holiday gift guides collected in one place, so you can more easily find the best Christmas gifts you need this year. Are you looking for white elephant gift ideas? Are you struggling to come up with a good gift for the father figure in your life? Are you just looking for a good board game to pick up for your own family? We've got you covered with gift ideas for all of those scenarios and more.
Best white elephant gift ideas
According to legend, the King of Siam would give a white elephant to courtiers who had upset them. The recipient had no choice but to simply thank the king for such an opulent gift, knowing that they likely could not afford the upkeep for such an animal. It would inevitably lead them to financial ruin. This story is almost certainly untrue, but it has led to a modern holiday staple: the white elephant gift exchange. These gift ideas will not only get you a few chuckles, but will also make your recipient feel (slightly) burdened.
Read more: The best white elephant gift ideas
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 Apple is working on a smart home hub that will rely heavily on the more capable version of Siri that's coming next year. We've heard quite a bit about the hub over the last two years, but a recent iOS 26 code leak provides additional insight into what we can expect and confirms rumored features.
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It's become cliche to say that we live in a golden age of board games, but to paraphrase the great stoic philosopher Andy Bernard, it's great to know you're in the good old days before you've left them. Great titles are still coming out by the thousands every year, from crowd-pleasing party games to genre-bending, theme-heavy Euros. Whether the gamer in your life is looking for a mind-warping challenge, a fun evening with friends or something in-between, we've got new releases or old favorites they'll love.
The best board games to gift (and play)
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Rockstar Games may have to answer for what appears to be union-busting behavior. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, under pressure from parliament, said the government will "look into" the firing of 31 employees in October.
The sacked workers were all part of a private trade union chat group on Discord. The company claimed the firings were "for gross misconduct" and accused the workers of sharing confidential information outside of the company.
But based on what we know, it's hard to see that characterization as anything but union-busting in search of legal cover. The Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB) described the case as "the most blatant and ruthless act of union busting in the history of the games industry."
In November, IWGB issued legal claims against the Grand Theft Auto developer. The next day, over 200 staff at Rockstar North signed a letter condemning the firings and pressuring management to reinstate the workers. Earlier that month, the fired workers and their supporters protested outside Rockstar North's Edinburgh headquarters. Others picketed in Paris, London and New York.
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NEW RESOURCES Texas State Library and Archives Commission: State Archives Announces Collections Newly Accessible Online. "The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) has announced new and revised finding aids recently made […]
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NEW RESOURCES Divernet: War Log maps out 1,000 Baltic shipwrecks. "A new open-access database called the War Log has been released, recording the many forgotten but often well-preserved historic Swedish warships that […]
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NEW RESOURCES Turkish Historical Society and machine-translated from Turkish: Cemal Pasha Photograph Collection Opened to Remote Access. "Photographs from the Cemal Pasha Collection, held in our institution's archives, are now available for […]
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Network connectivity and security are key areas for IT investment as well as potential barriers to global success, according to new research.
Nearly half of CIOs claim that establishing and managing connectivity in new markets is the single most critical factor when it comes to ensuring successful global expansion, according to Expereo, which surveyed 650 large enterprise and mid-market CIOs across Asia, Europe and North America for its research. In addition, 49% of CIOs report that their board views global connectivity as "a business-critical asset to growth."
To read this article in full, please click here
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