|
The Earfun Air Pro 4 passive noise-canceling earbuds offer everything I need in headphones, and with a limited-time deal, they're down to $56.
|
|
 Apple previously announced that a public beta of iOS 26 would be available in July, and now a more specific timeframe has surfaced.
|
RELATED ARTICLES | | |
|
 Apple is bringing the AirPods Pro 2 Hearing Tests and Hearing Aid functionality to multiple new countries in Europe, Asia, and South America.
|
|
In a nation where the average salary is around $4,200 a year, the all-electric carmaker is launching a $70,000 vehicle. The question is why.
|
|
 Apple today announced a $500 million multi-year commitment to buying American-made rare earth magnets developed by MP Materials, at a state-of-the-art factory in Fort Worth, Texas. Apple said the commitment is part of its overall pledge to spend more than $500 billion in the U.S. within the next four years, which it announced in February.
|
|
That's around 350,000 times faster than the average US fixed broadband internet connection, which was around 289 Mbps according to Speedtest as of May 2025. At this new record-breaking speed, you could download the entire Netflix library in under a second.
Fiber optics with 19 cores
The key to the record is a new optical fiber with 19 cores, which are installed in a cable with a diameter of just 0.125 millimeters (the standard size for existing networks). Compared to conventional cables with one core, this fiber transmits 19 times more data with minimal data loss due to uniform light conduction. For transmission over the 1,120-mile distance—comparable to New York to Chicago—the signal was amplified 21 times.
The new record more than doubles the previous year's figure of 50,250 GB/s. In 2023, the NICT team achieved similar speeds but only over a third of the distance. Advances in signal amplification and reduction of data loss are what made this new range possible.
Compatible with existing fiber optic cables
The technology could meet the growing demand for data worldwide, as data volumes have been increasing by about 50 percent annually according
|
|
The Nvidia CEO has been criss-crossing the globe to shake the right hands.
|
|
Grok's new "Companions" feature taps into waifu culture, emotional dependency, and viral fandom.
|
RELATED ARTICLES | | |
|
The MX Keys Mini is essentially the PC equivalent of Apple's Magic Keyboard, but it's better because almost anything is better than the Magic Keyboard. It's a 60% super-slim keyboard with both 2.4GHz and Bluetooth wireless, multi-device pairing, and some options for layout customization via Logitech's desktop software. You can read my full review of the MX Keys Mini for more details.
This isn't the absolute most recent model of the MX Keys design, but the only real difference is that the newer MX Keys S is a little quieter. That said, the MX Keys isn't exactly a noisy mechanical design in the first place, so if you want to save a lot of money on a stylish keyboard, this is a perfect way to do so. Oh, and apparently there isn't an S variant of the mini version of the keyboard… so there ya go.
This is one of Woot's old-fashioned daily deals, and it's a new (not refurbished) model. It'll only be on sale today only, July 15th, until midnight US Central time. And it might go out of stock well before then, s
|
|
So, what does Mint Mobile have planned? First of all, you can save up to $440 on one of the best smartphones out there. All these phones have amazing screens, great battery life, are blazing fast, and have cameras that will capture jaw-dropping photos.
Second of all, Mint Mobile is offering 50% off two years of Unlimited. Basically, you're going to use the service for free for a full year. In total, you'll pay a mere $360 for the whole thing which is impressively low.
So what phones can you get with $440 off? The very best, of course. The Samsung Galaxy S25 is usually available for $800, but you can get it for a mere $360 right now. Next one up, the Samsung Galaxy S25 usually costs a round $1,000, but you can get it for $560 at Mint Mobile.
Samsung's $1,100 Galaxy S25 Edge can now be purchased for $660, while the absolutely impressive S25 Ultra is down to $860 from its $1,300 MSRP.
If you'd rather get the Google Pixel 9 and the clean Android, know that this $800 phone is also available for $360. That's a really low price for such a stellar phone.
So there you go, the best chance to get a fantastic new phone and two years of Mint Mobile Unlimited for the price of one. This deal lasts through August 28th or while supplies last, so hurry up!
|
|
 Apple's forthcoming iPhone 17 models are likely to support up to 25W wireless charging using a variety of third-party MagSafe charging accessories, thanks to compatibility with the next-generation Qi 2.2 wireless charging standard.
|
RELATED ARTICLES | | |
|
You might scoff at the potential of mini PCs given how small they are, but that's far from the truth. At least with the UM870 Slim, you're getting a brilliant device that packs great performance between its AMD Ryzen 7 8745H CPU, chunky 32GB of fast DDR5 RAM, and fast 1TB SSD for quick file transfers and app loads. That's more than enough for a responsive Windows 11 experience through work and leisure tasks.
And while the UM870 Slim lacks a dedicated graphics card, it does have AMD Radeon 680M integrated graphics, which is good enough for some light gaming. (I have the same in my own mini PC and it works just fine for World of Warcraft!) It's also able to power up to three high-def monitors: two 8K@60Hz via HDMI 2.1 and USB4, one 4K@60Hz via DisplayPort 1.4. There are plenty of other ports too, including high-speed USB-A ports, a 2.5G LAN port, and a 3.5mm audio jack.
Don't miss out on the Minisforum UM870 Slim for $479.90 on Amazon! This rare 20% discount won't stick around forever.
Save 20% on this powerful mini PC from a premium brandBuy now at Amazon
|
|
In a deeper dive via this Windows IT Pro blog post, we're told that Administrator Protection kicks in whenever you want to do anything that requires administrator privileges, such as install software, change system settings, or access sensitive data. To do any of that, you'll need to authenticate via Windows Hello on demand (which means setting up and using your fingerprint, face scan, or PIN code).
|
RELATED ARTICLES | | |
|
The service was based in Estonia and had been in operation since 2015. Up until last month, it had been offering lifetime VPN subscriptions to users for only $39. However, in a message on its homepage titled, "BulletVPN End of Life," the company announced that the VPN service would no longer be available.
This adds to a growing number of controversies surrounding lifetime subscriptions in the ever-changing VPN market. Just in May of this year, VPNSecure suddenly cut all lifetime subscriptions after being sold to new owners.
To stand out in a crowded market, many smaller VPN providers, such as BulletVPN, offer lifetime subscriptions with cheap prices in order to attract new customers. Unfortunately, these deals can often turn sour if the VPN service goes out of business—which is often the case for smaller VPN providers in the cut-throat industry.
In a statement on its website the company wrote, "This decision was made after careful consideration of various factors, including shifts in market demand, evolving technology requirements, and sustainability of operations."
|
|
The deep-space optical communication link could revolutionize how scientists communicate with spacecraft as they explore the solar system.
|
|
If you're brimming with nostalgia for those C64 days, or if you've never used one but always wished you could've, then here's some good news for you: the Commodore 64 is being remade and re-released later this year, reports Techspot. The new model is based on the AMD Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA processor and supports modern tech like HDMI, USB, and Wi-Fi.
According to Techspot, the remade Commodore 64 promises 99 percent software compatibility with its hardware emulation, which means you'll be able to play more than 10,000 C64 games if desired.
If you want one, you can pre-order now via Commodore with a "no quibble money-back guarantee" for a full refund if you ever change your mind. The standard price is $349, but there's an early bird special that lets you snag one for $299 if you're quick—and if you buy two, you can g
|
|
Screen mass production is supposed to begin in the fourth quarter of this year, so the foldable iPhone can go on sale in 2026.
|
|
If you've had it for years, like I've had my trusty Razer Cobra Pro, there's a familiar safe feeling you get from it in games that's hard to let go of, too. A new mouse can feel awkward and put you off your best game.
While that may be so, a gaming mouse is meant to be a precision tool, and if your old familiar mouse isn't living up to expectations you're also not going to perform at your best. But how can you tell if it's time for an upgrade? These five signs will tell you.
1. It has button issues
You'll know your buttons aren't working properly if they're unresponsive or slower to actuate than normal, or if the clicks aren't smooth like they used to be (i.e. the buttons feel hard to press), or you experience double-clicking that happens unintentionally, or your macros don't work.
If those things are hard to pinpoint, you can take
|
|
 The European Commission appears to have reversed its plans to impose a significant digital tax on large technology companies, including Apple.
|
|
Gardenia (genipin) blue is the fourth natural food color additive the FDA has approved this year, but how is it made?
|
RELATED ARTICLES | | |
|
A little known crypto platform just made history raising $600 million in minutes with a bold plan to dethrone social media titans.
|
|
The eventual unification should help Google-based devices run more in concert with each other
|
|
 In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start compatible vehicles with select iPhone and Apple Watch models. The feature is based on the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC)'s Digital Key specification, which will be receiving an upgrade soon, according to an announcement today.
|
|
 A new Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device.
|
|
 Meta offered one of Apple's top artificial intelligence executives over $200 million to lure him away from the company, Bloomberg reports.
|
|
Linda Yaccarino, whom Elon Musk hired to run X in 2023, grappled with the challenges the company faced after Mr. Musk took over.
|
|
Happy Memorial Day, Short Wavers! This holiday, we bring you a meditation on time ... and clocks. There are hundreds of atomic clocks in orbit right now, perched on satellites all over Earth. We depend on them for GPS location, Internet timing, stock trading and even space navigation. In today's encore episode, hosts Emily Kwong and Regina G. Barber learn how to build a better clock. In order to do that, they ask: How do atomic clocks really work, anyway? What makes a clock precise? And how could that process be improved for even greater accuracy?
- For more about Holly's Optical Atomic Strontium Ion Clock, check out the OASIC project on NASA's website.
- For more about the Longitude Problem, check out Dava Sobel's book, Longitude.
Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave at plus.npr.org/shortwave.
Have questions or story ideas? Let us know by emailing shortwave@npr.org!
|
|
Yet another high-profile Xbox franchise is making the leap to PlayStation. While Halo isn't yet making the transition, Gears of War is about to join the likes of Forza Horizon 5 in crossing the divide. Gears of War: Reloaded, a remaster of the first game in the series from 2006, is coming to PS5, PC (on the Xbox PC app and Steam) and, naturally, Xbox Series X/S on August 26. However, it's not making its way to Nintendo Switch 2, at least for the time being.
The game costs $40, though it will also be on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on day one. Those who bought the digital version of Gears of War: Ultimate Edition before the remaster announcement will get a free upgrade. Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will also be able to play the third-person shooter on Xbox Cloud Gaming.
The Coalition, an Xbox studio that focuses on Gears of War, worked on the remaster with Sumo Interactive and Disbelief. The game includes all of the Gears of War DLC at no extra cost, including a bonus act for the campaign and all multiplayer features. There will be some characters and cosmetic items that you unlock through progression.
As ever, you can play through the campaign with a friend either online or in classic split-screen co-op. There's cross-play for all platforms with support for up to eight players in the versus multiplayer mode. If you sign in with a Microsoft account (which isn't required), you can enable cr
|
|
