|
Feb 14, 2026
Airbnb plans to double down on artificial intelligence to improve its user experience for both guests and hosts. During a fourth-quarter earnings call, Airbnb's CEO, Brian Chesky, said the company is building an "AI-native experience" aimed at helping guests book trips, assisting hosts with their listings, and running the company more efficiently. According to Chesky, there's an AI search tool to help guests book trips that's live for a small percentage of users right now.
In a shareholder letter posted on Airbnb's website, the company said it's conducting early testing with an AI-powered search that is "focused on giving guests a more natural way to describe what they're looking for, and ask questions about the listing and location." The letter added that the AI search tool will become "a more comprehensive and intuitive search experience that extends through the trip," but the company didn't offer a definitive date on when it would be available to the public.
While it may feel like Airbnb is late to incorporating AI into its ecosystem, it introduced an AI chatbot that handles customer service requests last year. While the AI agent is only available to users in North America currently, Airbnb said that it already handles a third of customer requests without the need for human intervention, as reported by
|
|
Feb 14, 2026
Disney is going after another generative AI tool, accusing ByteDance and its recently released Seedance 2.0 of using its copyrighted material without permission. As first reported on by Axios, the Walt Disney Company sent a cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance, claiming the Chinese company developed its Seedance tool "with a pirated library of Disney's copyrighted characters from Star Wars, Marvel, and other Disney franchises, as if Disney's coveted intellectual property were free public domain clip art."
The letter, which was obtained by Axios, included examples of Seedance videos featuring copyrighted Disney characters, including Spider-Man, Darth Vader, Peter Griffin and more. Even though ByteDance just released Seedance 2.0 on Thursday, it's already earned praise, but also indignation from Hollywood studios, when it comes to its AI-generating capabilities.
With the strong early momentum, Seedance has already found itself in hot water with one of the largest media companies in the world. However, it's not the first time that Disney has threatened legal action against an AI company, since
|
|
Feb 14, 2026
Need something new for your reading list? Here are two titles we think are worth checking out. This week, we read Aoife Josie Clements' deeply unsettling Persona, and the first issue of Bleeding Hearts, from the relaunch of the DC imprint, Vertigo.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/what-to-read-this-weekend-the-unsettling-new-horror-novel-persona-185152256.html?src=rss
|
|
Feb 14, 2026
OpenAI's GPT-4o may have survived its first brush with going offline, but it won't be as lucky this time. OpenAI has officially retired GPT-4o, the ChatGPT model that was seen as more conversational and notoriously sycophantic, on February 13. The news of GPT-4o's end was first announced in a post on the OpenAI website in January, but the discontinuation also included GPT-5, GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, and OpenAI o4-mini from ChatGPT.
It's not the first time that OpenAI has delisted GPT-4o as an option for ChatGPT. In August, the AI giant sunsetted the GPT-4o model in favor of rolling out and prioritizing the latest GPT-5 model at the time. However, a wave of user complaints led OpenAI to restore access to GPT-4o but with no guarantee that it'll be around forever.
This time around, OpenAI doesn't seem very open to preserving access to GPT-4o, especially since it'll serve only a small portion of the user base. The company wrote on its website that "the vast majority of usage has shifted to GPT-5.2, with only 0.1 percent of users still choosing GPT-4o each day." On top of that, OpenAI is facing several
|
|
Feb 14, 2026
The Crew-12 mission, SpaceX's 20th human spaceflight, launched at 5:15 AM Eastern on February 13 from Cape Canaveral in Florida. It's expected to dock with the International Space Station today, February 14, at 3:15 PM, and you can watch the event below as it happens. By the time the mission's Dragon capsule docks with the ISS, it will have traveled approximately 34 hours since lift off. Inside are NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency's Sophie Adenot and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.
The four spacefarers are joining the three remaining passengers onboard the ISS after Crew-11 flew back to Earth a month earlier than planned. If you'll recall, NASA made the decision to cut their mission short after one of the crew members had a medical issue that instruments on the ISS aren't capable of diagnosing. While the crew member was stable, the agency decided to bring the whole mission home out of an abundance of caution.
Crew-12 will be staying on the ISS for eight months and will
|
|
Feb 14, 2026
MasterClass has dropped the price of its annual memberships by 50 percent, making it a more affordable way to explore its full library of courses across cooking, business, photography, writing and more. With the discount applied, you'll spend $10 per month when billed annually for the Premium tier, with lower-cost Standard and Plus options available depending on how many devices you want to use at once and whether you need offline viewing.
There are more than 200 classes on
|
|
Feb 14, 2026
The peak time for deals on streaming services — the holiday shopping season — has come and gone, but Disney is back with a fresh offer for the new year. New and eligible returning subscribers can get one month of the ad-supported Disney Hulu bundle for just $10. That's $3 off the usual monthly rate for the bundle, and more than 58 percent off if you consider the prices for each service individually (Disney at $12 per month and, separately, Hulu also at $12 per month).
We'd be remiss if we didn't mention that this isn't quite as good as the Black Friday deal we saw last year, which offered the same bundle for $5 per month for one year. However, if you missed that offer or just want to try out Disney and Hulu for a brief period of time, this is a good way to do so.
Disney and Hulu make one of the most balanced streaming pairs available, blending family-friendly favorites with
|
|
Feb 14, 2026
Sony's wireless WH-1000XM6 headphones are on sale for $398 via Amazon. This is a record-low price, as it drops $62 from the price tag. The sale applies to all three colorways.
These easily topped our list of the best wireless headphones. They are, in a word, fantastic. The headphones are packed with premium features, like advanced ANC. There are a whopping 12 ANC microphones throughout and a brand-new chip to power the fea
|
|
Feb 14, 2026
If you're an iPhone user who likes to keep tabs on where your stuff is, you can't go far wrong with an AirTag. The second-gen model that Apple just released outpaces the original in every way (aside from the galling lack of a keyring hole, that is). While it's easy enough to replace the battery in both versions of the AirTag, you might not want to have to worry about the device's battery life for a very long time. Enter Elevation Lab's extended battery case for the AirTag, which is currently on sale at Amazon for $16.
The case usually sells for $23, so that's a 30 percent discount. It's no
|
|
Feb 14, 2026
Presidents' Day is a great time to buy appliances, mattresses and furniture as they are often on sale for the holiday. Tech also gets discounted around this time, but you have to do a bit more digging to find actually good deals. And this year, Presidents' Day comes right after Valentine's Day and Super Bowl 2026, which means there are some overlapping sales to consider. If you don't want to sort through the mess of bad deals out there, Engadget has you covered. We're curating the best President Day sales on tech we can find right here. We'll update this post through the holiday as more deals become available.
Presidents' Day deals under $50
Disney and Hulu bundle (one month) for $10 ($3 off): You can get one month of Disney and Hulu access for only $10 right now. That represents a small savings over the standard $13-per-month price for the bundle, but a 58-percent dis
|
|
Feb 14, 2026
If you need a little help with your New Year's resolution to be more active, you can save on the latest Apple Watch right now. The Apple Watch Series 11 is on sale for $299 for Presidents' Day, which is $100 off and the lowest price we've seen. A number of other Apple devices are on sale for the holiday as well.
We named the Apple Watch Series 11 as our choice for best smartwatch overall. It scored a
|
|
Feb 14, 2026
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has reportedly been asking tech companies for information on accounts posting anti-ICE sentiments. According to The New York Times, DHS has sent hundreds of administrative subpoenas to Google, Reddit, Discord and Meta over the past few months. Homeland Security asked the companies for names, email addresses, telephone numbers and any other identifying detail for accounts that have criticized the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency or have reported the location of its agents. Google, Meta and Reddit have complied with some of the requests
Administrative subpoenas are different from warrants and are issued by the DHS. The Times says they were rarely used in the past and were mostly sent to companies for the investigation of serious crimes, such as child trafficking. Apparently, though, the government has ramped up its use in the past year. "It's a whole other level o
|
|
Feb 14, 2026
Apple has steadily expanded home screen customization on the iPhone over the past few years, and iOS 26 continues that trend with more visual control over app icons. Building on the changes introduced in iOS 18, the latest update lets you resize icons, remove app labels, apply system-wide color tints and make icons translucent using Apple's new Liquid Glass design language.
Most of these options live in one place: the Customize menu, which appears after entering edit mode on the home screen. While iOS still doesn't allow total freeform icon placement or third-party icon packs without shortcuts, the tools Apple provides are now flexible enough to dramatically change how an iPhone looks and feels. This guide walks through how to customize app icons and layouts using the options available in iOS 26, with a focus on icon size, color, appearance and arrangement.
How to customize your iPhone home screenAll home screen customization starts the same way.
Go to the Home Screen.
Touch and hold an empty area of the Home Screen background until the apps begin to jiggle.
Tap Edit in the top left corner, then select Customize from the menu.
A customization panel appears along the bottom of the screen. Changes made here apply across all home screen pages at once, rather than on a per-page basis.
From the Customize menu, you can:
Adjust icon size
Change appearance (e.g., Dark)
Make icons translucent with a clear look
Add a color tint to icons and widgets
How
|
|
Feb 14, 2026
Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. A whole bunch of compelling games arrived this week, and Sony dropped some news about more that are on the way to PS5 and other platforms during its State of Play stream on Thursday.
For one thing, I didn't have a prequel for Neva, one of my favorite games of the last few years on my bingo card. I'm very much looking forward to checking out that DLC next week.
It's really neat that Motion Twin and Evil Empire — the studios behind Dead Cells and its expansions, respectively — are getting to make a proper Castlevania game. While it might not be developing many games in-house anymore, giving external studios the chance to run with its franchises is a very smart move on Konami's part. Not least because we're getting a Silent Hill game set in Scotland as well.
|
|
Feb 13, 2026
Killing Satoshi, an upcoming biopic about the elusive creator of Bitcoin, will reportedly rely heavily on artificial intelligence to generate locations and adjust actors' performances, Variety reports. The film was announced in 2025 as being directed by Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, The Edge of Tomorrow) and starring Casey Affleck and Pete Davidson in undisclosed roles, but its connection to overhyped technology was previously understood to begin and end with cryptocurrency.
According to a UK casting notice viewed by Variety, the producers of Killing Satoshi reserve the right to "change, add to, take from, translate, reformat or reprocess" actors' performances, using "generative artificial intelligence (GAI) and/or machine learning technologies." No digital replicas will be created of performers, but it sounds like plenty of other AI-driven tweaks are on the table. The production's use of AI will also extend to the setting of its shoots, per Variety's source. Killing Satoshi will be shot on a "markerless performative capture stage" and things like backgrounds and locations will be entirely generated by AI.
You guess is as good as mine as to why a film about blockchain technology needs to be filmed this way, but Doug Liman has been connected with plenty of unusual projects in the past, including a rumored Tom Cruise film that was supposed to film on the International
|
|
Feb 13, 2026
NordVPN is having a big sale on its two-year plans right now. The Complete tier, for example is 70 percent off, bringing the price of 24 months down to just $130.
NordVPN regularly appears on Engadget's list of the best VPN services thanks to its wide server network, strong security tools and consistent performance across devices. NordVPN's latest promotion puts one of its most comprehensive plans at a price that undercuts many competing premium VPN subscriptions.
The Complete tier includes full access to NordVPN's core VPN service, which encrypts internet traffic and masks a user's IP address to help protect online activity on public Wi-Fi networks and at home. Subscribers can use the service on multiple devices, including phones, tablets, laptops and smart TVs, with apps available for major operating systems
|
|
Feb 13, 2026
An upcoming update to Steam includes a helpful improvement to game reviews. As part of the Steam Client Beta update Valve released on February 12, users will now be able to attach information about their hardware specifications when they post a new game review or update an old one.
It's not uncommon to find negative reviews that complain about a game's performance, information that's hard to draw a conclusion from without knowing what kind of hardware the reviewer is using. With specs attached, the usefulness of complaints becomes a little bit easier to gauge. A game's sales performance and discoverability on Steam is heavily influenced by its review average, a data point Steam users sometimes manipulate for reasons unconnected to the quality of a game. Provided reviewers actually attach their specs — at least in the beta, the feature is entirely optional — Valve's mercurial reviews ecosystem could end up becoming more nuanced overall.
Alongside the new option in reviews, Valve is also experimenting with a way for users to share "anonymized framerate data" with the company. When framerate sharing is enabled, "Steam will collect gameplay framerate data, stored without connection to your Steam account but identified with the kind of hardware you are playing on," Valve says. The feature is specifically focused on devices running SteamOS, Valve's Linux-based operating system for the Steam Deck and some third-party handhelds. The extr
|
|
Feb 13, 2026
Apple's USB-C Magic Mouse is back on sale for about $11 off its usual retail price of $79. At $68, that's a savings of 14 percent for one of Apple's best accessories from a company that does not often run sales.
The multi-touch mouse was first released in 2009 with a modest refresh released in 2015 and the addition of a USB-C port in 2024. The rechargeable mouse features gesture controls and automatically pairs with your Mac when connected via USB. The Magic Mouse can also be used with an iPad via Bluetooth, or with a Windows PC, though in that case, functionality would be limited.
Famously, Jony Ive's design of the Magic Mouse sees its charge port on the underside of the body
|
|
Feb 13, 2026
The forthcoming Nintendo Virtual Boy accessory for Switch and Switch 2 can play VR-supported games, as reported by Video Games Chronicle. There are four available games to play, including Super Mario Odyssey, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker.
These aren't new VR builds of the games, rather they are the versions previously released for the Nintendo Labo VR set. This was a kit for the original Switch that allowed users to build a cardboard VR headset, among other items.
However, this is very good news for Switch 2 owners as Labo creations generally don't work with Nintendo's shiny new console. So this is the only way to experience the VR versions of the aforementioned four games. It's also worth noting that the Switch 2 upgrade for Breath of the Wild still includes the VR mode.
There are some caveats. The Virtual Boy accessory is available to purchase as a hardware unit or in cardboard. The cardboard version is much cheaper, at $25, and is actually the preferred method for playing these games in VR.
That's because the hardware version sits on a stand, like the original Virtual Boy, making it harder to move one's head around. The cardboard headset is free from those constraints. The hardware also includes red filters over the lenses, t
|
|
Feb 13, 2026
Finding yourself far from a wall socket when your phone hits five percent is positively nervewracking. If you stash a portable battery in your bag, you can avoid that feeling altogether. But there are thousands of power banks out there and it can be tough to pick the right one for what you need. I've spent a few years testing dozens of batteries and found the best power banks for different scenarios. Whether you need a quick reup for your phone or a huge brick to keep your laptop alive, you'll find something fitting here.
Best power banks for 2026
|
|
Feb 13, 2026
If you're looking to up your privacy game on the internet in the new year, you can do so for a little less than usual thanks to ExpressVPN's latest deal. Its two-year plans are up to 81 percent off right now: the Advanced tier is on sale for $88 for two years, plus four additional free months. The Basic plan is where you'll see the biggest discount: it's $68 for two years, plus the same four additional free months.
We've consistently liked ExpressVPN because it's fast, easy to use and widely available across a large global server network. In fact, it's our current pick for best premium VPN. One of the biggest drawbacks has always been its high cost, and this deal temporarily solves that issue.
In our review we were able to get fast download and upload speeds, losing only 7 percent in the former and 2 percent in the latter worldwide. We found that it could unblock Netflix anywhere, and its mobile and desktop apps were simple to operate. We gave ExpressVPN an overall score of 85 out of 100.
The virtual private network service now has three tiers. Basic is cheaper with fewer features, while Pro costs more and adds extra perks like support for 14 simultaneous devices and a password manager. Advanced sits in the middle and includes the password manager but only supports 12 devices.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/expressvpn-deal-two-year-plans-are-up-to-81-percent-
|
|
Feb 13, 2026
Despite its supremely sleek design, the iPhone Air actually has a pretty respectable battery life, lasting for somewhere in the region of 27 hours if you're continuously streaming video. But you're still going to be wary of it dying on you if you're on a trip or just having a particularly screen-heavy day. That's where Apple's iPhone Air MagSafe battery pack comes in, and it's currently on sale for $79.
This accessory only works with the iPhone Air, but much like the phone it attaches to, it's extremely slim at 7.5mmm, so crucially doesn't add so much bulk when attached that it defeats the point of having a thin phone in the first place. The MagSafe Battery isn't en
|
|
Feb 13, 2026
You've seen this movie before: A disheveled man (Sam Rockwell) busts into a restaurant, threatening to blow up the joint unless a crew of people joins him. Like Groundhog Day, he's been through this countless times before, and he immediately starts recounting otherwise unknowable details to convince the diner patrons. Like 12 Monkeys, he's from the future — the timely twist in Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die is that, rather than a world-ending virus, he needs help preventing a humanity-ending AI from being born.
Good Luck is more of a primal scream than a thoughtful articulation about where everything went wrong. There's a bit of "old man yells at cloud" energy here (director Gore Verbinski is 61, and screenwriter Matthew Robinson is 47), but it fits the film's satirical tone. Looking around at the world today, who doesn't wish they could warn their past selves about the tech industry and the new ruling class it helped breed.
Rockwell's character eventually wrangles a ragtag crew of future saviors: Mark and Janet (Michael Pena and Zazie Beetz), a married couple of high school teachers; Susan (Juno Temple), a distraught mother; and Ingrid (Haley Lu Richardson), a sad woman wearing a princess dress. There's also Asim Chaudhry's Scott, who mostly serves as comic relief, but doesn't get any real backstory like the others.
Good Luck wastes no time fleshing out its present near-dystopia in episodic chapters. It turns out Mark and Janet are also on the run from smartphone-obsessed high schoolers, who spend their days scrolling through endless TikTok-like feeds. Susan is forced to
|
|
Feb 13, 2026
If you're looking to expand the storage on your Switch 2, the 512GB Samsung P9 microSD Express card is on sale right now for 33 percent off, marked down to $80 from $120. With component prices skyrocketing these days, it's getting increasingly rare to see good storage on sale, and 512GB for $80 is a much better deal than you'll currently find directly from Nintendo.
The P9 boasts transfer speeds of up to 800MB/s, making moving games to the card that much faster. As for load
|
|
Feb 13, 2026
Anker introduced a nifty little charger at CES 2026, which is a refresh of the pre-existing Nano Charger. It's already on sale for $30, which is a discount of $10 or 25 percent.
The 45W charger includes a smart display that shows real-time data like power flow, temperature and charging status. It also features "fun animations to keep things cheerful." Anker says it can recognize what's being charged and automatically adjust certain metrics to ensure a longer battery lifespan.
To that end, it works with just about everything. The company advertises that this charger is a good fit for the iPhone, Apple Watch, AirPods and Samsung devices, among others. The new Nano Charger is on the s
|
|
Feb 13, 2026
Meta has backed away from highly controversial facial recognition tech in its products and services before, but seemingly not so far that it isn't willing to have another crack at it. A new report from The New York Times claims Mark Zuckerberg's company wants to add facial recognition to its lineup of branded smart glasses at some point this year.
The NYT spoke to four anonymous people with knowledge of Meta's plans, who told the publication that the feature is codenamed "Name Tag" internally. As you'd expect, it would let people wearing Meta-powered Oakley or Ray-Ban glasses identify people and "get information about them" using AI.
Such technology naturally carries huge privacy and ethical risks, which is reportedly why Meta was hesitant to unveil Name Tag at a conference for the blind last year. It also may have
|
|
Feb 13, 2026
At this point, you can find discounts on AirTags fairly often but if you want to spend as little as possible, it's worth waiting for a discount like this. A four-pack of the first-gen Bluetooth trackers is on sale for $64, which is just about a record-low price (only $1 more). That's a 35 percent discount on the pack.
Bear in mind that this deal brings the price per AirTag down to about $16 if you were to buy them individually, and when not on sale they usually cost $29.
If you use Apple devices and consider yourself to be a serial thing-misplacer, AirTags are extremely useful. Adding one to your account takes a single tap, and with Apple's Fin
|
|
Feb 13, 2026
Every once in a while, a product comes along that sparks a bit of joy in our jaded hearts. This is what happened with the Kodak Charmera, a $30 tiny toy camera that was nearly impossible to get ahold of in the first couple of months after its release, selling out immediately over waves of blind box restocks. Despite the gimmick of it all, the Charmera was just too cute for some of us to resist, and we sprang when they finally started becoming more readily available.
A few of us on the Engadget team have one now, and even with all of its shortcomings, we kind of love this thing. Here's what two of our writers think about it.
|
|
Feb 13, 2026
One good thing about virtual private networks (VPNs) is that when they don't work, the problem is almost always solvable without technical training. Although it's aggravating when your VPN randomly drops your connection, the chances are good that you can handle the issue yourself without getting tech support involved.
If your VPN is repeatedly disconnecting from the server, I recommend dealing with the problem immediately. When you have your kill switch on as good cybersecurity habits dictate, VPN drops will kick you off the internet. Without that feature enabled, it'll expose your real identity and location online. That's not a big deal if you're just aiming to, say, stream an international sporting event, but it could be an existential issue if you're using the VPN as a workaround against government censorship. Either way, you can address the issue by working through the eight troubleshooting steps below and checking whether they've solved your problem.
8 reasons your VPN keeps disconnectingI've organized these root causes in ascending order of how much effort the solution takes. Try the easier fixes before moving on to the more complex or expensive ones.
1. You're using the VPN on too many devices at onceMost VPNs limit the number of devices you can connect at the same time on a single subscription. Some services, like
|
|
Feb 13, 2026
Meta went to court this week in two major trials over alleged harms facilitated by its platform. In New Mexico, the state's attorney general has accused the company of facilitating child exploitation and harming children through addictive features. In a separate case in Los Angeles, a California woman sued the company over mental health harms she says she suffered as the result of addictive design choices from Meta and others.
In both cases, Meta has disputed the idea that social media should be considered an "addiction." On the stand this week, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri said that social media isn't "clinically addictive," comparing it to being "addicted" to a Netflix show.
In opening statements in the New Mexico trial, Meta's lawyer Kevin Huff went further. He told the jury that "social media addiction is not a thing" because it's not in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the handbook used by mental health professionals in the US.
"According to the American Psychiatric Association, they don't recognize the concept of social media addiction in the same way as addiction to drugs and alcohol," Huff said during opening arguments that were broadcast by Court
|
|
Feb 13, 2026
A few days ago, a Redditor posted in the community for DoorDash drivers that they received an offer to close a Waymo vehicle's door. The job paid a guaranteed fee of $6.25 with a $5 extra on top of it after the DoorDasher verifies that it has been completed. Waymo has confirmed to 404Media and TechCrunch that, yes, it is indeed paying Dashers to shut the doors of its self-driving cars. And it makes sense because, well, there's nobody to do it otherwise if a passenger accidentally leaves it open.
The Alphabet subsidiary and DoorDash told the publications that it's currently running a pilot program in Atlanta, wherein if one of its vehicle's doors is left ajar, nearby Dashers are notified. Waymo's self-driving vehicles can't leave if one of its doors remains open, so the company is framing the program as a way to enhance its fleet's efficiency. Waymo told 404Media that the program started earlier this year and that payments are structured to ensure "competitive and fair compensation for Dashers."
To note, this isn't the first time the two companies have teamed up. In October 2025, Waymo's self-driving cars
|
|
Feb 13, 2026
Threads users have complained about its recommendation algorithm since the dawn of time 2023. Users even started writing posts addressed to the algorithm, specifying the topics they wanted to see more of. Now, that's part of the system: Users can write a post that begins with "dear algo" to adjust their preferences, officially.
For example, you could write: "Dear algo, show me more posts about sous vide recipes." You can also ask to see fewer posts about topics you don't want to see, like "Dear algo, stop showing me posts about air fryers." You can even retweet other users' "dear algo" posts to have those topics reflected in your feed. "Dear algo" posts will work for Threads users in the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand, with more countries coming "soon."
— Mat Smith
The biggest stories in tech you might have missed.
The first Control Resonant gameplay trailer shows a sideways NYC
Apple's Siri relaunch is reportedly behind schedule
The next
|
|
Feb 13, 2026
There's a new AAA John Wick game coming with Keanu Reaves portraying the main character both in voice and likeness, Lionsgate and Saber Interactive announced. Currently untitled, it's in development for PS5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC, and will be a single-player third-person experience designed for "mature" audiences. So far, there's no release date.
"The new single-player third-person action game will combine John Wick's unparalleled, adrenaline-fueled 'gun-fu' fighting style with Saber's proven reputation for creating thrilling gaming experiences that leave players craving more," the companies said in an announcement post. They added that franchise director Chad Stahelski and star Keanu Reeves are both involved in the game's production, with Reeves reprising his character's look, voice and more.
The story is original and "addresses a significant time in John Wick's life," according to the game's director Jesus Iglesias. It will include both familiar film characters and new ones created for the game. As for gameplay, it will offer "a hard-hitting gun-fu combat system, jaw-dropping camerawork, intense driving experiences, cinematic storytelling, and a bold range of atmospherically immersive environments," the team said.
Saber Interactive is the developer behind Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 and is also developing the upcoming titles Jurassic Park: Survival and John Carpenter's Toxic Commando. It will be the first John Wick game si
|
|
Feb 13, 2026
The right accessories can make your iPhone feel more capable and more personal. Whether you want to protect your phone, improve your photos or stay powered during a long day out, there are plenty of accessories that can make a real difference. MagSafe gear has opened the door for new chargers, stands and mounts, while portable batteries and compact lenses can upgrade your everyday routine.
We tested a range of products to find the best iPhone accessories that offer practical benefits for both new and older models.
Best iPhone accessories
|
|
Feb 13, 2026
Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls was first announced last year as a tag fighting game feature superheroes including Captain America, Ms Marvel and Spider-Man, with a launch sometime in 2026. We expected more details to be revealed at Sony's State of Play yesterday and indeed they were. The game will arrive August 6 on PS5 and PC and include the Unbreakable X-Men's Storm, Magik, Wolverine, and Danger.
The trailer teases each character's fighting style, with Magik and Wolverine using a more in-your-face melee fighting style. Storm and Danger, meanwhile, offer more diverse attack abilities, with Storm manipulating wind and lightning and Magik deploying sorcery skills. We also saw a team-based finisher attack with all four characters joining forces to unleash a flurry of attacks. The trailer also revealed that Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls will offer an Episode Mode with a "new form of storytelling adapted for a modern video game format" that marries Manga with American comics.
MARVEL Tokon: Fighting Souls launches on August 6, 2026 for PS5 and PC. Pre-orders open February 19, 2026 at the PlayStation Store and PC storefronts. It will be sold in three versions: the $60 Standard Edition, $85 Digital Deluxe Edition (includes the full game, all pre-order in
|
|
Feb 13, 2026
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will be available on PC starting on March 19, Kojima Productions has announced at State of Play. The studio worked with Dutch video game developer Nixxes Software, which Sony acquired in 2021 to help bring PlayStation games to PCs. The sequel to the first Death Stranding is set in Australia almost a year after the events of the original game. It still features a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by strange creatures, and you'll still control Sam Porter Bridges to connect survivors in the continent to the chiral network communications system.
Kojima Production says the PC version of the game will come with a bunch of improvements, will work with NVIDIA, AMD and Intel Upscaler and FrameGen, and will have uncapped framerates. It will support 4K gaming and will come with support for ultrawide monitors with 21:9 aspect ratio, as well as for super ultrawidescreen monitors with 32:9 aspect ratio for PC. When it comes to audio, the PC version of the game supports 3D audio via Dolby Access and DTS Sound Unbound, as well as Windows Sonic for headphones. You can play using a mouse and a keyboard if you wish, but you can also play with a DualSense controller.
You'll be able to pre-purchase Death Stranding 2: On the Beach starting today for $70 on Steam or Ep
|
|
Feb 13, 2026
At Sony's State of Play yesterday, developer Nomada Studio revealed a DLC prequel to its gorgeous and award-winning puzzle platformer Neva. Entitled simply Neva: Prologue, it tells the story of how Alba and her wolf companion Neva met, while introducing new gameplay mechanics, locales and challenges.
"In Neva: Prologue, players follow Alba as she chases a trail of white butterflies deep into the corrupted swamps, only to discover a frightened wolf cub, lost and alone," Nomada writes. "To survive, Alba must earn the cub's trust and guide them both through the blighted wetlands and the dark forces that stalk them."
The developer adds that Neva: Prologue is designed to be experienced after completing the main game. It adds three new locations, "each featuring unique gameplay mechanics, alongside new enemies and intense boss encounters." Completionists will also get five hidden challenge flowers.
In her review of the original game, Engadget's Jessica Conditt found Neva "faultless" thanks to the exquisite swordplay and intuitive platforming action, along with the "stunning" world composed of "lush forests, sun-drenched valleys, soaring mountains a
|
|
Feb 13, 2026
Air fryers have gone from novelty appliances to everyday kitchen staples surprisingly fast. They're quick to heat up, easy to use and well suited to everything from frozen snacks to roasted vegetables and simple desserts. For many people, they've replaced the oven for smaller meals, cutting down on cook time without adding extra cleanup.
The category has also expanded well beyond basic basket-style models. Some air fryers are designed for small kitchens or single servings, while others offer larger capacities and preset cooking modes for roasting, reheating or dehydrating. After testing a wide range of machines, the
|
|
Feb 12, 2026
Ring has canceled its partnership with Flock Safety, after receiving backlash for running a Super Bowl ad touting its Search Party feature. If you'll recall, Ring revealed back in October 2025 that it was entering a partnership with the surveillance company, which would make it possible for law enforcement to ask smart doorbell owners for videos captured by their devices. In its announcement, the company said that the "planned Flock Safety integration would require significantly more time and resources than anticipated." The decision to call off the partnership was mutual, Ring added, and Flock Safety's integration was never launched. Apparently, no Ring customer footage was ever sent to Flock.
Under the partnership, law enforcement agencies using Flock's Nova platform or FlockOS would have been able to use Ring's Community Requests to ask for doorbell videos from users. They would have been asked to specify the location and timeframe of the incident, as well as provide a unique investigation code and the details about what is being investigated. Their requests would then be forwarded to relevant users, who could choose to share footage from their doorbell. Ring said the whole process would have been anonymous and optional.
Ring was known to have shared security cam videos to law enforcement without a court order or the device owner's consent at least 11 times in the past. In 2024, however, it seemed to have
|
|
Feb 12, 2026
During its State of Play livestream on Thursday, Sony revealed the first PlayStation Plus Game Catalog addition for February and it's a doozy. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (PS5) will finally websling its way onto the Game Catalog on February 17.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 was released in October 2023, and Insomniac's third Spidey game is the the best of the bunch. You can play as both Peter Parker and his protégé Miles Morales. Each Spidey has his own skill tree and moveset to master.
Traversing New York (with a lot more of it explorable than in previous entries) has never felt better thanks to the addition of the wingsuit, while the set pieces are frequently breathtaking. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 remains one of the PS5's flagship games, and with Marvel's Spider-Man: Remastered and Miles Morales already on the Game Catalog, Extra and Premium subscribers can now play the whole series while they wait for Insomniac's Wolverine game to arrive later this year.
Sony later revealed the full PS Plus Game Catalog lineup for February on the PlayStation Blog. It includes Neva
|
|
Feb 12, 2026
Last year marked 20 years since God of War hit the PlayStation 2 and kicked off one of gaming biggest franchises. Now, at the tail end of that 20th anniversary celebration, Sony's Santa Monica Studio has announced two new project. First, and most significantly, the original God of War trilogy from the PS2 and PS3 is being remade for the modern era.
There's no footage of it yet — the developer says that they're "very early in development," so we likely won't see or hear much about this for a while. But given renewed interest in God of War thanks to the excellent two Norse games from 2018 and 2022 (not to mention the upcoming Amazon series), it makes sense to revisit these classics.
God of War and God of War II were released for Playstation 2 in 2005 and 2007, respectively, while the third of the Greek trilogy hit PlayStation 3 in 2010. The third game was also remastered for the PS4. But it's safe to say that while the first two games are classics for their era, they also really show their age in some gameplay spots. Hopefully the remake will smooth out those rough edges. (Who else has nightmares in the Hades level near the end of the first game? Not just me, right?)
While we won't see the remakes for a while, there is a new God of War-inspired game out right now: God of War Sons of Sparta. It was developed by Mega Cat Studios, a developer known for its love of retro games — it even still
|
|
Feb 12, 2026
Coming off the success of Slient Hill f, which moved the series' psychological horror to the Japanese countryside, Konami, Annapurna Interactive and developer Screen Burn Interactive have chosen a foggy island as the setting for Silent Hill: Townfall.
The first gameplay trailer for Townfall, introduced during Sony's latest State of Play, follows Simon Ordell, a man who keeps mysteriously waking up in the water off the coast of the empty island town of St. Amelia. In the trailer, Simon hides from monsters, peers at a portable television, swings a fire axe, and deals with the psychological turmoil typical of a Silent Hill protagonist, all in first person, one of the unique twists of this new game.
Silent Hill: Townfall was originally announced alongside Silent Hill f and the remake of Silent Hill 2 in 2022. The game is developed by Screen Burn Interactive (formerly known as No Code), the creators of
|
|
Feb 12, 2026
Volume two of the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection will arrive on August 27, publisher Konami announced today during Sony's latest State of Play presentation. The bundle will feature 2008's Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, the HD remaster of 2010's Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker and a selection of bonus content, including Metal Gear: Ghost Babel, which was originally released for Game Boy Color in 2000. All told, that's a smaller selection of games than Konami made available with Vol. 1 of the Master Collection, but Metal Gear fans will be excited nonetheless, if only for the fact it will mark the first time MGS4 will be officially playable on a platform other than the PlayStation 3.
That it has taken Konami nearly two decades to release the conclusion of Solid Snake's story on more systems has to do with the nature of the game as a PS3 exclusive. MGS4 took extensive advantage of the console's unique Cell architecture, a fact that made it difficult (and expensive) proposition to port to more recent x86-based systems. In recent years, it's been possible to emulate the game on a powerful PC, but
|
|
Feb 12, 2026
It's been less than three months since we got our first look at Control Resonant, the sequel to Remedy's mind-bending, third-person adventure that introduced us to Jesse Faden and the Federal Bureau of Control. At today's State of Play event, we got to see the first extended bit of gameplay from Control Resonant — and the combat looks as inspired as ever, though the setting is completely new.
As we learned in December, the next Control games doesn't focus on Jesse Faden; instead, you'll primarily play as her brother Dylan who Jesse was trying to find for much of the first game. Dylan's out in a warped version of New York City trying to track the game's Resonant creatures that are responsible for whatever calamity has taken place. We knew this already, but the change of setting from the Bureau of Control building into the more open city setting should go a long way towards making this game feel fresh.
Dylan's capabilities are also completely different than what we saw from Jesse in the original. There's a much bigger emphasis on melee combat, as Dylan has a shapeshifting weapon called the Aberrant. You can switch from hammer to blades to other various forms, much in the way that Jesse's firearm in the first game could morph between different types of guns.
But the thing that stood out the most to me in the brief preview was the way that NYC completely disobeyed the laws of physics. Buildings and streets would just head into
|
|
Feb 12, 2026
Sony's first State of Play stream of the year included an update on Mina the Hollower, the latest title from Shovel Knight studio Yacht Club Games. It's now slated to arrive sometime this spring. The developer initially planned to release the retro-style action-adventure platformer on Halloween last year, but delayed it to "to apply some final polish and balancing to make the game truly shine."
While Mina the Hollower didn't make its original Halloween release date, at least the new demo, which will be available for a limited time, is getting a eerily timed debut. It'll hit PS5 tomorrow i.e. Friday, February 13. Y'know… Friday the 13th?
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/mina-the-hollower-resurfaces-with-a-spring-2026-release-window-224327165.html?src=rss
|
|
Feb 12, 2026
When it launched in 2021, Kena: Bridge of Spirits was an early example of the graphical power of the PS5 thanks to its Pixar-adjacent animation and over-the-top effects. Based on a surprise trailer at Sony's latest State of Play, it seems like its sequel, Kena: Scars of Kosmora, could up the ante when it launches later this year.
Scars of Kosmora follows spirit guide Kena to a mysterious island called Kosmora, where a powerful spirit breaks her staff and forces her to embrace a new style of spirit guiding (and presumably a collection of new game mechanics). Like the first game, Scars of Kosmora looks to be filled with lush visuals and cute Spirit Companions, but also a surprising amount of boss battles. Developer Ember Lab's new trailer heavily emphasizes the game's updated combat, which seems like it'll play a big role in the sequel.
According to a post on the PlayStation Blog, it sounds like manipulating the elements will also be a major focus. "We've added new element
|
|
Feb 12, 2026
Ghost of Yotei's forthcoming Legends multiplayer expansion will arrive early next month, Sony announced today during its latest State of Play presentation. As in Ghost of Tsushima, you'll be able to play the mode with up to three other people online. Players can each choose from one of four classes — samurai, archer, mercenary and shinobi — who excel in different combat scenarios. All four classes can wield a katana and bow, but then they also have access to special weapons and skills. For example, the samurai can wield the odachi, giving them a sweeping move set against groups of enemies. You'll need to use teamwork and your class's abilities to take down demonic versions of the Yotei Six.
The mode will arrive alongside the game's 1.5 patch, and will be free for all Ghost of Yotei owners. At launch, players can look forward to three different mission types. In survival, you'll be tasked with fighting off increasingly difficult enemies. In story mode, meanwhile, you and one other player will need to complete a series of 12 missions to unlock the expansion's incursion mode, which will see you siege a fortress belonging to a member of Yotei Six. At first, there will be four strongholds for players to conquer, with a
|
|
Feb 12, 2026
Wireless earbuds are now the default option for everyday listening, whether you're heading out for a commute, fitting in a workout or just watching videos at home. The best wireless earbuds combine reliable connectivity, comfortable fits and sound quality that holds up across music, calls and podcasts, all without the hassle of cables. Most are small enough to disappear into a pocket and pair quickly with phones, tablets and laptops.
What sets one pair apart from another often comes down to priorities. Some earbuds lean heavily on active noise cancellation, while others focus on long battery life, compact charging cases or lower prices. Features like water resistance, customizable controls and app support can also make a real difference day to day. This guide breaks down the best wireless earbuds available now to help you find the right match for how you listen.
Best wireless earbuds of 2026
|
|
Feb 12, 2026
The European Commission has opened a new probe into Google, this time focused on the company's massive online advertising business, Bloomberg reports. European Union regulators have already fined Google billions for violating the Digital Markets Act, and being found guilty of anticompetitive behavior in online advertising could add to that total.
While the Commission has yet to announce a formal investigation, Bloomberg writes that it has started contacting Google's customers and competitors for information about its dominance across multiple online advertising markets. Regulators are particularly concerned that Google could be "artificially increasing the clearing price" of ad auctions "to the detriment of advertisers." If the company is found to be violating the EU's competition rules, Google could be fined 10 percent of its global annual sales.
Google's approach to advertising to minors was reportedly already under investigation by the EU as of December 2024, and besides fines, regulators have ordered the company to open up Android to competing AI assistants and share search data with rivals. In the US, there's also precedent for finding Google's approach to online advertising anticompetitive
|
|
Feb 12, 2026
The head of the antitrust division is out at the US Department of Justice. Gail Slater, a former JD Vance adviser and Fox Corp VP, reportedly clashed with Attorney General Pam Bondi. Their longstanding feud is said to have centered around Slater's skepticism of corporate mergers.
"It is with great sadness and abiding hope that I leave my role as [Assistant Attorney General] for Antitrust today," Slater posted on X. "It was indeed the honor of a lifetime to serve in this role."
Although Slater technically resigned, The Guardian reports that she was forced out. The fallout was said to be over her differences with Bondi (who just yesterday yelled, insulted and deflected her way through a hearing over the DOJ's stonewalling of the Epstein files). In recent weeks, Bondi reportedly reiterated to the White House that Slater's views on the antitrust division's direction made the pair's relationship irreconcilable.
|
|
Feb 12, 2026
Surfshark's One plan is heavily discounted right now, with an 87-percent discount on the two-year package, plus three extra months. The promo price comes out to $2.29 per month, or $62 for the first 27 months.
We've generally liked Surfshark as a straightforward, speedy service for everyday use, and it's one of the picks in our guide to the best VPNs. In our Surfshark review, we found it delivered excellent speeds overall and reliably unblocked Netflix across most of our test servers, which makes this long-term deal worth a look if you want a VPN deal that also includes extras like antivirus, breach alerts and private search.
|
|
Feb 12, 2026
At the end of last month, Ubisoft workers in the publisher's native France threatened to strike in the wake of sweeping layoffs and cost-cutting measures. This week, they made good on those threats. According to GamesIndustry.biz, union members confirmed that at least 1,200 staff participated in the three-day strike, which was due to run from February 10 to February 12.
While the strike action primarily took place in France, GamesIndustry.biz was told that Ubisoft's Milan office also took part. The union Solidaires Informatique, which represents French workers from a number of companies in the video game sector, including Blizzard and Ubisoft, had previously called for strikes to take place on January 27. Their demands included a 10 percent increase on all salaries and the implementation of a 4-day work week.
Some striking employees held up signs outside Ubisoft's Paris headquarters, with one (pictured) wearing a Rabbids mask to hide their face. Their grievances are wide-ranging. As well as reportedly laying off hundreds of employees already in 2026, Ubisoft also introduced a
|
|
Feb 12, 2026
Last year Apple secured the exclusive rights to broadcast Formula 1 racing in the United States from 2026 to 2030. Apple TV subscribers can now watch every practice and qualifying session as well as every sprint and Grand Prix of a race weekend on the F1TV app by linking their Apple account.
Right now, those with an existing F1TV subscription will still see an active status in their "my subscription" page on desktop that shows the plan's renewal date. However, after logging in via Apple with an Apple TV subscription, a second active F1TV subscription appears with an Apple TV logo and the label "Official U.S. broadcaster of Formula 1." Users are advised to cancel the duplicate subscription they had directly with F1TV, which can be done in the F1TV app.
For those that don't have an existing F1TV account, simply create one and activate it using your Apple ac
|
|
Feb 12, 2026
Apple's Vision Pro is a curious product — it initially wowed me two years ago, but it was hard to ignore that the visionOS platform felt incomplete without dedicated apps for YouTube and Netflix. Well, it seems that Google has finally decided to take the Vision Pro seriously, as it's launching a YouTube app on the platform today. Previously, you could only view YouTube videos via Safari, or through
|
|
Feb 12, 2026
Wildlight Entertainment, the studio behind Highguard, has laid off many staffers. Level designer Alex Graner wrote in a LinkedIn post that the layoffs impacted "most of the team." The company says it's keeping a "core group of developers to continue innovating on and supporting the game." That sounds like a skeleton crew.
We're proud of the team, talent, and the product we've created together. We're also grateful…
— Wildlight Entertainment (@WildlightEnt) February 12, 2026
|
|
Feb 12, 2026
PlayStation's first State of Play of the year is shaping up to be quite newsworthy. While Sony hasn't revealed too much about what it will show off (with one notable exception), the stream is slated to last for over an hour, so there should be at least some interesting stuff. The showcase will get underway at 5PM ET on February 12. You can click the play button on the YouTube video above to watch the State of Play in English when the time is right.
The PlayStation YouTube channel is hosting alternative versions of the stream. One has English subtitles and the other is in Japanese. Otherwise, you can react to all the reveals live in Twitch chat.
The showcase will include "news, gameplay updates and announcements from game studios across the globe," Sony said. It will "spotlight eye-catching third-party and indie games headed to PS5, along with the latest from teams at PlayStation Studios."
Sony's slate of first-party games has been relatively slim over the last few years, but the company is preparin
|
|
Feb 12, 2026
Proton VPN is offering a steep discount on its Proton VPN Plus subscription, with the two-year plan currently priced at $2.99 per month. You'll pay $72 upfront for 24 months of service, which amounts to 70 percent off the usual monthly rate and brings the long-term cost well below what many premium VPNs typically charge.
We've consistently been impressed by Proton VPN's focus on privacy, its nonprofit ownership structure and the way it balances security features with strong real-world speeds. It's a top pick in our best VPN guide, and this promotion also appears in our running list of the best VPN deals. If you're planning to commit to a VPN for the long haul, this pricing makes Proton VPN Plus one of the more compelling options available right now.
In our Proton VPN review, the service impressed us with consistently fast performance and strong privacy protections. We measured average download speeds at 88 percent of our unprotected connection and upload speeds at 98 percent, wh
|
|
Feb 12, 2026
Sony's 1000X earbuds have been at the top of Engadget's best wireless earbuds list since we first published it. With each new generation, the company managed to retain its crown, primarily thanks to a massive collection of features and an effective mix of sound quality and active noise cancellation (ANC) performance. Today, Sony revealed the latest entry in the series, the
|
|
Feb 12, 2026
Presidents' Day is a great time to buy appliances, mattresses and furniture as they are often on sale for the holiday. Tech also gets discounted around this time, but you have to do a bit more digging to find actually good deals. And this year, Presidents' Day comes right after Valentine's Day and Super Bowl 2026, which means there are some overlapping sales to consider. If you don't want to sort through the mess of bad deals out there, Engadget has you covered. We're curating the best President Day sales on tech we can find right here. We'll update this post through the holiday as more deals become available.
Presidents' Day deals under $50
Disney and Hulu bundle (one month) for $10 ($3 off): You can get one month of Disney and Hulu access for only $10 right now. That represents a small savings over the standard $13-per-month price for the bundle, but a 58-percent dis
|
|
Feb 12, 2026
If you need a little help with your New Year's resolution to be more active, you can save on the latest Apple Watch right now. The Apple Watch Series 11 is on sale for $299 for Presidents' Day, which is $100 off and the lowest price we've seen. A number of other Apple devices are on sale for the holiday as well.
We named the Apple Watch Series 11 as our choice for best smartwatch overall. It scored a
|
|
Feb 12, 2026
Now's a great time to consider upgrading your wireless headphones since you can get our favorites at their best price yet. The Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones are down to $398, which is $62 off and the best discount we've seen since their debut. The sale applies to all three colorways.
These easily topped our list of the best wireless headphones. They are, in a word, fantastic. The headphones are packed with premium features, like a
|
|
Feb 12, 2026
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 didn't mention that this isn't quite as good as the Black Friday deal we saw last year, which offered the same bundle for $5 per month for one year. However, if you missed that offer or just want to try out Disney and Hulu for a brief period of time, this is a good way to do so.
Disney and Hulu make one of the most balanc
|
|
Feb 12, 2026
NVIDIA's cloud gaming service, GeForce Now, has expanded to another platform. Starting today, folks with select Amazon Fire TV sticks can install a native GeForce Now app. While it was already possible to access GeForce Now through the Fire TV platform, you won't necessarily need to sideload an Android app to do so anymore.
At the outset, the new app is compatible with the second-gen Fire TV Stick 4K Plus and second-gen Fire TV Stick 4K Max (running Fire OS 8.1.6.0 and later). It also works with the original Fire TV Stick 4K Max if you're running Fire OS 7.7.1.1 or later.
On the Fire TV platform, GeForce Now streaming quality tops out at a resolution of 1080p and a frame rate of 60 fps, with SDR visuals, H.264 video encoding and stereo audio. So you won't necessarily get the best GeForce Now experience here as the service has support for
|
|
Feb 12, 2026
Amazon is launching a feature that will add a new artificial intelligence layer to its writing tablets. "Send to Alexa " is rolling out to the current generation of Kindle Scribe and Kindle Scribe Colorsoft devices. This concept was announced when Amazon first debuted the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft last fall, but the company said that the feature wouldn't be available until this year.
As the name implies, "Send to Alexa " lets users share their notebooks and documents from their supported Kindle with the Alexa AI assistant, making their information accessible on other Amazon platforms, including Alexa.com and the Alexa app. Prime members and Alexa subscribers will also be able to reach their Kindle documents on Echo and Fire TV devices. Alexa will be able to perform additional tasks such as summarizing notes, creating to-do lists and adding either calendar items or reminders.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/amazons-send-to-alexa-feature-arrives-on-kindle-scribe-and-scribe-colorsoft-140000093.html?src=rss
|
|
Feb 12, 2026
AirTags are basically an essential accessory for iPhone users who want to keep track of things like their keys, wallet and backpack. While it's easy enough to replace the battery in both versions of the AirTag, you may not want to have to rush to do so at the end of the battery's roughly two-year lifespan. That's where Elevation Lab's extended battery case for the AirTag comes in, and it's heavily discounted right now: it's 30 percent off and down to $16.
The case usually sells for $23, so that's a 30 percent discount. It's not the first time we've seen this deal, but it's a pretty decent one all the same.
|
|
Feb 12, 2026
MasterClass is offering 50 percent off its annual memberships right now, cutting the cost of its plans in half for a limited time. That brings the Premium tier down to $10 per month when billed yearly, while the Plus and Standard plans are also discounted to $8 monthly and $5 monthly, respectively. Each tier unlocks the full catalog of classes, with the main differences coming down to how many devices can stream at once and whether offline viewing is included.
There are more than 200 classes on
|
|
Feb 12, 2026
Apple's long-delayed AI-powered Siri redesign may not be rolling out this year, at least in the way the company had planned. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple found problems with its software upon testing, such as the virtual assistant taking too long to accomplish tasks or even not processing queries properly altogether. Siri's new version was also reportedly so sluggish during testing that its developers believed Apple would have to push back its launch by months. Instead of releasing the redesigned assistant in March as was previously reported, Gurman says Apple will roll out its capabilities piecemeal over future software updates.
The company originally unveiled the redesigned Siri back in 2024, promising an AI-powered assistant that can do tasks for you, such as finding specific photos or tracking details, adding information to contact cards, editing photos and sharing note summaries to be sent as emails. It was slated to make its way to iOS users in 2025, but Apple announced that year that it was going to be delayed. "It's going to take us longer than we thought to deliver on these features and we anticipate rolling them out in the coming year," the company said. Bloomberg reported back then that the new AI-infused Siri was going to be included
|
|
Feb 12, 2026
After warnings from lawmakers last year, WhatsApp has been blocked in Russia for as many as 100 million users, the Financial Times reported. Russian authorities removed the app from an online directory, effectively wiping it from Russia's internet. The government has previously said that it wants users to switch to an app called Max, an unencrypted WeChat clone.
"Today the Russian government has attempted to fully block WhatsApp in an effort to drive users to a state-owned surveillance app," Meta told the FT in a statement. "Trying to isolate over 100 million people from private and secure communication is a backwards step and can only lead to less safety for people in Russia."
The Russian government deleted WhatsApp rival Telegram yesterday, while also erasing Meta apps Facebook and Instagram. YouTube access was also reportedly degraded, though it's not clear if the app has been completely removed.
In July 2025, a Russian lawmaker who regulates the IT industry said it's very likely that WhatsApp would be placed on a list of restricted software. Parent Meta has been designated as an extremist organization in Russia, and last year Vladimir Putin issued a directive for the nation to further restrict communication apps originating from "unfriendly countries" that have sanctioned Russia.
The state has said that an in-house app would protect citizens from fraud and terrorism, given the large number of scammers on WhatsApp in the nation. However, restrictions on Telegram haven't gone ov
|
|
Feb 12, 2026
Vinyl records are firmly back in rotation, but getting started does not have to mean spending a fortune or building a complicated hi-fi stack from day one. Whether you want a simple, all-in-one setup with built-in speakers or you are piecing together a more traditional system with a separate amplifier, the best record player is the one that fits how you listen at home.
For this guide, we focused on high-quality turntables under $600 that deliver a satisfying listening experience without unnecessary complexity. These picks cover everything from beginner-friendly automatic models to more audiophile-leaning decks that prioritize sound quality and upgrade potential, proving you do not need to jump into the high-end to enjoy vinyl properly.
Best record players for 2026
|
|
Feb 12, 2026
Apple's in-house studio will be producing the future seasons of Severance, according to Deadline. The company has reportedly acquired the show's IP and all rights from its original studio, Fifth Season, back in December in a deal that was worth approximately $70 million. Fifth Season will remain as an executive producer, but Apple Studios will now be in charge of the show. Severance will be one of Apple's marquee titles, alongside other shows like Owen Wilson's Stick and Kristen Wiig's Palm Royale. Apple also previously acquired sci-fi dystopian series Silo after its first season.
Deadline reports that the show's production costs were going beyond what Fifth Season could afford. The studio had already asked Apple for advances in the past and was considering moving the production from New York to Canada for bigger tax rebates. Apple has also apparently been helping Fifth Season not just with its budget, but also with securing advertisers.
Seeing as the second season of Severance became the streamer's most watched series, and Apple definitely has the money to keep the show going, the company decided to take over the series completely. It will allow Severance's production to stay in New York without having to worry about budget constraints. Deadline says the series is expected to have four seasons, with the spinoffs showrunner Dan Erickson and director Ben Stiller are open to now being in the realm of possibilit
|
|
Feb 12, 2026
As a former Mint user, I had to find a new budgeting app not too long ago. Intuit, parent company of Mint, shut down the service in March 2024, and prompted users to transition to its other financial app, Credit Karma. However, after testing Credit Karma myself, I found it to be a poor Mint replacement — that meant I needed to branch out and look elsewhere for a trusted app to track all of my financial accounts, monitor my credit score, follow a monthly spending plan and set goals like building a rainy-day fund and paying down my mortgage faster.
I tried out Mint's top competitors in the hopes that I'd be able to find a new budgeting app that could handle all of my financial needs. Hopefully my journey can help you find the best budgeting app for you and your money as well.
Best budget apps of 2026
Other budgeting apps we tested
PocketGuard
PocketGuard used to be a so
|
|
Feb 11, 2026
Blizzard announced today that it is introducing the Warlock as a playable character to Diablo II: Resurrected. It brings the first new class in 25 years to this remaster of the original RPG. It's part of the Reign of the Warlock DLC, which is available today and will run you $25. It also includes some other updates to the base game, including new items and a new pinnacle boss encounter against the Colossal Ancients. For those players who don't already own the base game, you can also pick up the Infernal Edition of D2R for $40, which includes the new content.
When D2R launched in 2021, it was an impressively faithful recreation of the game that so many Blizzard fans continued to adore over the years. Bringing in a whole new player class is a big win for those players who have stuck with the game in its contemporary era.
If D2R isn't your jam, though, Warlock is also being added to both Diablo 4 in its upcoming Lord of Hatred expansion this April and to Diablo Immortal. So aside from Diablo 3 not getting much love, just about all fans of the franchise will have a chance to get into the demon-summoning groove. Blizzard's 30th anniversary showcase video has all the details about what the other Diablo titles have in store during this year.
Blizzard has been keeping the news and updates rolling over the past few weeks in honor of the company's
|
|
Feb 11, 2026
Less than a week after Valve admitted that the current shortage (and growing prices) of RAM were affecting its hardware plans, the Steam Deck is completely sold out. The Steam Deck has gone in and out of stock in the past, but as Kotaku notes, the timing does raise the question whether Valve's RAM issues could also be impacting its Linux handheld.
The 256GB Steam Deck LCD, and both the 512GB and 1TB models of the Steam Deck OLED, are completely sold out on Steam. Valve announced that it was discontinuing the LCD versions of its handheld and selling through its remaining inventory in December 2025, so the fact that the 256GB Steam Deck model is currently sold out isn't surprising. That both OLED versions are also unavailable at the same time, though, is a bit more unusual.
Engadget has contacted Valve for more information about the availability of the Steam Deck. We'll update this article if we hear back.
When Valve announced the
|
|
Feb 11, 2026
ExpressVPN is back on sale again, and its two-year plans are up to 81 percent off right now. You can get the Advanced tier for $88 for 28 months. This is marked down from the $392 that this time frame normally costs. On a per-month basis, it works out to roughly $3.14 for the promo period.
We've consistently liked ExpressVPN because it's fast, easy to use and widely available across a large global server network. In fact, it's our current pick for best premium VPN. One of the biggest drawbacks has always been its high cost, and this deal temporarily solves that issue.
In our review we were able to get fast download and upload speeds, losing only 7 percent in the former and 2 percent in the latter worldwide. We found that it could unblock Netflix anywhere, and its mobile and desktop apps were simple to operate. We gave ExpressVPN an overall score of 85 out of 100.
The virtual private network service now has three tiers. Basic is cheaper with fewer features, while Pro costs more and adds extra perks like support for 14 simultaneous devices and a password manager. Advanced sits in the middle and includes the password manager but only supports 12 devices.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/get-up-to-81-percent-off-expressvpn-two-year-plans-180602916.html?src=rss
|
|
Feb 11, 2026
This is going to be one of the shortest articles in my series on how to cancel your subscriptions to the best VPNs. Unlike most providers, Mullvad VPN does not automatically renew an expired subscription unless you tell it to. Thanks to its unique pricing approach, cancelling Mullvad is the default option.
When you sign up for Mullvad, you pay for as many months upfront as you want at the constant rate of 5 Euro per month (varying with exchange rates). Each month, Mullvad takes 5 Euro out of your account until there's nothing left. If you're no longer satisfied with Mullvad, all you have to do is stop putting money in.
The Mullvad account dashboard.Sam Chapman for EngadgetIf you happen to have originally signed up for Mullvad earlier than the middle of 2022, you may have an auto-renewal account grandfathered in. Mid-2022 is when Mullvad stopped auto-renewing subscriptions and got rid of PayPal integration altogether, but people who had signed up before then had the option to leave auto-renewal on.
If you're in this group, cancelling is simple. Just sign into your account page, click on the word Subscriptions, then click Unsubscribe.
How to cancel Mullvad if you subscribed through an app storeThere's one more exception to the usual method of cancelling Mullvad. If you got your subscription thr
|
|
Feb 11, 2026
Anthropic is upgrading Claude's free tier, apparently to capitalize on OpenAI's planned integration of ads into ChatGPT. On Wednesday, Anthropic said free Claude users can now create files, connect to external services, use skills and more.
Anthropic added the ability for paid users to create files in September. Starting today, free users of the chatbot can also create and edit Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, Word docs and PDFs. Claude's file creation abilities are powered by Sonnet 4.5.
Free users can now create and edit Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, Word docs, and PDFs.AnthropicMeanwhile, Connectors allow free users to link Claude to third-party services. There's a long list of available ones, including Canva, Slack, Notion, Zapier and PayPal.
Skills, on the other hand, let you teach Claude to "complete specific tasks in repeatable ways." In short, the chatbot loads folders of instructions, scripts and other resources when performing relevant tasks. Other upgrades to the free tier include longer conversations, interactive responses and improved voice and image search.
Claude's free-tie
|
|
Feb 11, 2026
Apple has released the software update 26.3 for its various platforms. This includes the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch. In other words, don't be surprised when your iPhone notifies you of a pending update.
Unfortunately, there isn't all that much to talk about here. Consider this a minor update that focuses primarily on bug fixes, which is important but not exactly fun. It is worth noting that the new iOS and iPadOS has an especially long list of fixes. There are 37 security issues addressed by the update, according to a report by 9to5Mac.
iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3 do include a new tool for transitioning from an Apple device to an Android device, which is handy. It transfers photos, notes, messages, apps and other data to an Android phone but doesn't do anything with health data, protected notes or photos. There's also a new option to forward notifications from an iPhone or iPad to another device, but only for users in the EU.
The update to macOS Tahoe 26.3 is just bug fixes and security enhancements. The same goes for watchOS 26.3.
Why the small fries update? Rumors have been swirling that Apple is saving the big guns for the next release. Insiders have suggested that software update 26.4
|
|
Feb 11, 2026
Amazon has announced that it will bring its same-day prescription delivery service to 4,500 new cities and towns by the end of 2026. The company originally launched Amazon Pharmacy in 2020 with a two-day delivery option, and has continued to increase the availability and delivery speed of the service in the years that followed, including expanding access to nearly half of all US residents in 2024.
The company's announcement doesn't break down all the new cities same-day deliveries will be available in, but does note that the delivery option is coming to Idaho and Massachusetts for the first time. In the past, access to same-day deliveries has been determined by where Amazon has fulfillment centers that it can open pharmacies in. Amazon Pharmacy also offers next-day delivery and in some cities, the ability to pick up prescriptions from Amazon's OneMedical offices.
Amazon reportedly applied for Amazon Pharmacy trademarks in the UK, Canada and Australia in 2020, but has yet to expand its prescription delivery service to those regions. In 2023, Amazon launched
|
|
Feb 11, 2026
Jason Momoa will be playing the lead in the forthcoming film adaptation of the Helldivers gaming franchise, according to a report by Variety. The games don't have a story-driven protagonist, so Momoa is likely to play a currently unnamed soldier.
We also have a release date for the Helldivers film. It comes out on November 10, 2027. That's a while from now, but at least it gives fans something to look forward to. The movie is being directed by Justin Lin, who is best known for helming several entries in the Fast & Furious franchise. However, he also directed Star Trek Beyond, proving he can do sci-fi.
Gary Dauberman is penning the script. He wrote both It and It Chapter Two, in addition to the horror film Annabelle and its follow-ups. Dauberman is mostly a horror guy, so we'll have to see how he handles high-octane science fiction.
For the uninitiated, Helldivers is a co-op shooter franchise that's heavily inspired by the movie Starship Troopers. The games are set in a hyper-patriotic dystopia called Super Earth. Helldivers 2 dropped back in 2024,
|
|
Feb 11, 2026
Threads users have been complaining about its recommendation algorithm pretty much since the beginning of the platform. At some point, this turned into a meme, with users writing posts jokingly addressed to the algorithm in which they requested to see more posts about the topics they're actually interested in.
Now, Meta is turning those "Dear algorithm" posts into an official feature that it says will allow Threads users to tune their recommendations in real time. With the change, users can write a post that begins with "dear algo" to adjust their preferences. For example, you could write "dear algo, show me more posts about cute cats." You can also ask to see fewer posts about topics you don't want to see, like "dear algo, stop showing me posts about sick pets."
You can track your requests to the algorithm in the app's settings in order to revisit them or remove them. You can also retweet other users' "dear algo" posts to have those topics reflected in your feed. Importantly, "dear algo" requests are temporary and only last for three days at a time, which Meta says is meant to keep the algorithm feel fresher and more flexible.
The rollout of the feature follows a limited test late last year. Now, "dear algo" posts will work for Threads users in the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand with more countries coming "soon."
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-turned-threads-algorithm-complaints-into-an-official-feature-180000236.html?src=rss
|
|
Feb 11, 2026
NordVPN is offering a significant discount on its two-year plans, with 70 percent off its Complete tier and up to 78 percent off overall. For the Complete tier, the deal brings the total cost down to $130 for 24 months.
NordVPN regularly appears on Engadget's list of the best VPN services thanks to its wide server network, strong security tools and consistent performance across devices. NordVPN's latest promotion puts one of its most comprehensive plans at a price that undercuts many competing premium VPN subscriptions.
The Complete tier includes full access to NordVPN's core VPN service, which encrypts internet traffic and masks a user's IP address to help protect online activity on public Wi-Fi networks and at home. Subscribers can use the service on multiple devices, including phones, tablets, laptops and s
|
|
Feb 11, 2026
TikTok US just launched a local feed for users to "get the inside scoop on must-try restaurants, shops, museums and events." This is done by leveraging the exact location of people that are using the app and comes after a change in the platform's terms of service that says the app can do just that. The platform's terms of service used to note that it could collect approximate locations, but the sale to US investors looks to have changed that to precise locations.
This is an opt-in feature, despite the app potentially collecting this data whether the feed is activated or not. The feed is set to "off" by default, but can be changed via a trip to settings.
The local feed doesn't show your neighbors or people you might vibe with to help solve that pesky loneliness epidemic. Instead, it prioritizes local businesses and will highlight nearby events, shopping suggestions and restaurants to try.
TikTok
This looks to be part of a broader push to attract small businesses to the app, both as content producers and as advertisers. As Tec
|
|
Feb 11, 2026
Though the original series is very much done, Netflix is going to squeeze as much juice out of Stranger Things as it can. The company is said to be filming the Broadway production of Stranger Things: The First Shadow so it can offer up a recording on its streaming service.
Several public performances were canceled this week to accommodate filming, according to The Hollywood Reporter. They'll recommence on February 15. Filming is taking place before the original Broadway cast leaves the production next month.
Stranger Things: The First Shadow opened in New York City last year after debuting in London in 2023. It's been a critical and commercial success, and it has won multiple Tony Awards. The play is a canonical prequel to Stranger Things and it fills in more of the backstory of Henry Creel, who becomes Vecna. The show's final season digs into his past to
|
|
Feb 11, 2026
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 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 apps that put more money into advertising than infrastructure. They may look good, but it's all styrofoam under the hood.
I built this list of the best VPNs after intensive testing to help you reorient your focus on the providers that actually deserve your time and money. Which one truly fits your needs is dependent on who you are and what you do online, but if you pick any of my seven recommendations, you can't go too far wrong. If you're interested in a service you can use without paying, head over to my list of the best free VPNs — and if you're willing to pay but want to save money, I keep a list of the best VPN deals updated weekly.
For each VPN on this list, I've shared which platforms it works on, how much it cuts into your download speed, where it offers servers, what other features are included and how much the best available deal costs. At the end, I'll list some honorable and dishonorable mentions, then answer some of the most common questions I hea
|
|
Feb 11, 2026
Good deals on Apple products aren't as frequent as we'd like them to be, but if there's one of the company's products that does seem to enjoy pretty regular price cuts, it's the AirTag. Right now you can pick up a four-pack of Apple's diminutive first-generation Bluetooth trackers for $64, which translates to 35 percent off and a near record low price.
Bear in mind that this deal brings the price per AirTag down to about $16 if you were to buy them individually, and when not on sale they usually cost $29.
|
|
Feb 11, 2026
Whether it's the Seahawks' commanding Super Bowl victory or the fast-paced action of the Milan Winter Olympics, there's a lot of sportsball happening right now. It's a great time to get ahold of a virtual private network (VPN) and enjoy worldwide streaming adventures while improving your cybersecurity. By connecting to a VPN every time you get online, you can keep your activity hidden from your ISP and anyone to whom it may sell that data — while streaming sporting events and TV dramas from across the globe.
We strongly recommend using a VPN, but shopping for one takes some care. If you jump on the very first deal you see, you might get stuck with a substandard app. It's also easy to end up paying more than you meant to, since otherwise respectable VPNs sometimes frame their prices in misleading ways, with advertised deals not always as available as they seem to be.
Even with all those conditions, there are some great bargains on the table. Many of the best VPNs — including our top pick, Proton VPN — have deals that save you anywhere from 70 to 87 percent on annual subscriptions. If you can believe it, there are even Valentine's Day sales running right now, because nothing is more romantic than taking care of your online privacy.
Best VPN deals
|
|
Feb 11, 2026
Amazon has a rare discount on Apple's USB-C Magic Mouse right now. You can grab the white version for $68, which is 14 percent off its usual price.
The multi-touch mouse was first released in 2009 with a modest refresh released in 2015 and the addition of a USB-C port in 2024. The rechargeable mouse features gesture controls and automatically pairs with your Mac when connected via USB. The Magic Mouse can also be used with an iPad via Bluetooth, or with a Windows PC, though in that case, functionality would be limited.
Famously, Jony Ive's design of the Magic Mouse sees its charge port on the underside of the body, rendering it unusable while charging. In 2024 the
|
|
Feb 11, 2026
Presidents' Day is a great time to buy appliances, mattresses and furniture as they are often on sale for the holiday. Tech also gets discounted around this time, but you have to do a bit more digging to find actually good deals. And this year, Presidents' Day comes right after Valentine's Day and Super Bowl 2026, which means there are some overlapping sales to consider. If you don't want to sort through the mess of bad deals out there, Engadget has you covered. We're curating the best President Day sales on tech we can find right here. We'll update this post through the holiday as more deals become available.
Presidents' Day deals under $50
Disney and Hulu bundle (one month) for $10 ($3 off): You can get one month of Disney and Hulu access for only $10 right now. That represents a small savings over the standard $13-per-month price for the bundle, but a 58-percent dis
|
|
Feb 11, 2026
If there's any area of your life that you might be willing to introduce more AI into, it's likely something as mundane as grocery shopping. That's what Uber is betting on with its new AI-powered feature in the Uber Eats app.
Cart Assistant lets you "build grocery baskets faster and with less effort" by using AI to automatically fill your basket with items included on your shopping list. To use it, you search for a supported grocery store on the home screen of the app and tap the new Cart Assistant icon that appears at the top of the screen.
From there, you can either manually type out a shopping list or upload a photo of a handwritten one, and Cart Assistant will fetch your requested items and add them to your basket. A screenshot of ingredients needed for a recipe will also suffice.
Uber says its AI assistant will factor in availability before selecting an item and will also display prices and any available promotions. If you don't want something it recommends, you can delete or swap it for something else. Anything you forgot to add in the original list can be added later, and if you've purchased something in the past, these familiar items will be prioritized so you're less likely to need to make changes. Uber advises users that the new shopping feature is in beta right now, so might not perform perfectly.
Cart Assistant is the latest development in the gradual AI-ification of Uber Eats. Last summer, Uber added a suite of new features to the app, including AI-enhanced food images, AI menu descriptions and AI summaries or restaurant reviews.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/uber-eats
|
|
Feb 11, 2026
Anker rolled out a bunch of new chargers and other gear at CES 2026, including a cute one that's already on sale. The new Nano charger with smart display, which is an upgrade to the existing Nano charger in Anker's lineup, is on sale for $30 right now when you clip an on-page coupon on Amazon. That's $10 off the regular price.
The 45W charger includes a smart display that shows real-time data like power flow, temperature and charging status. It also features "fun animations to keep things cheerful." Anker says it can recognize what's being charged and automatically adjust certain metrics to ensure a longer battery lifespan.
To that end, it works with just about everything. The company advertises that this charger is a good fit for the iPhone, Apple Watch, AirPods and Samsung devices, among others. The new Nano Charger is on the smaller side, with dual folding prongs that rotate to fit most outlets.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/ankers-new-45w-nano-charger-with-smart-display-is-on-sale-for-10-off-160707585.html?src=rss
|
|
Feb 11, 2026
We found the iPhone Air to have a pretty decent battery life for such a thin-and-light phone, somewhere in the region of 27 hours if you're continuously streaming video. But it's still a phone, arguably your most used device on a daily basis, so you may need to top it up during the day if you're using it constantly. That's where Apple's iPhone Air MagSafe battery pack comes in, and it's currently on sale for $79.
This accessory only works with the iPhone Air, but much like the phone it attaches to, it's extremely slim at 7.5mmm, so crucially doesn't add so much bulk when attached that it defeats the point of having a thin phone in the first place. The MagSafe Battery isn't enormous a
|
|
Feb 11, 2026
Pokémon Pokopia can be described as a pocket monster-themed take on Animal Crossing with a hint of Stardew Valley thrown in for good measure. And if you're like me, that alone is probably enough to sell you on the game. However, after getting a chance to play a preview of it for around half an hour, it became immediately clear that the game's coziness levels are off the charts, but it also offers some fun twists on the genre.
Co-developed by The Pokémon Company, GAME FREAK and KOEI TECMO, instead of playing as a generic trainer, you take control of a lonely Ditto who wakes up in a cave only to be greeted by Professor Tangrowth, the last surviving inhabitant of what used to be a bustling town. While the professor might look like an extra-large version of the original pokémon with glasses, its role is to guide you as you rebuild and hopefully repopulate the surrounding area.
One of the best things about Pokopia is actu
|
|
Feb 11, 2026
MicroSD Express cards are still a little hard to find, considering they're pretty new and only really started becoming popular last year once the Switch 2 came out. These upgraded versions of microSD cards are the only ones compatible with the Switch 2 for expanding its storage, os if you're already starting to feel the crunch on your console, it's worth picking one up. Samsung's P9 microSD Express card is on sale right now — you can grab the 512GB version of $80, which is 33 percent off and one of the best prices we've seen.
The P9 boasts transfer speeds of up to 800MB/s, making moving games to the card that much faster. As for load times, in our testing we found that any microSD Express, the standard the
|
|
Feb 11, 2026
Whether you're one of the few people still keeping up with New Year's resolutions or just want an upgraded smartwatch, now is a good time to get an Apple Watch now that you can save with Presidents' Day deals. Currently, the Apple Watch Series 11 is on sale for $299, down from $399. The 25 percent discount brings the 2025 model back down to its record-low price.
We named the Apple Watch Series 11 as our choice for best smartwatch overall. It scored a
|
|
Feb 11, 2026
Mullvad, a virtual private network (VPN) named after the Swedish word for "mole," is often recognized as one of the best VPNs for privacy. I put it on my best VPN list for exactly that reason. I've got huge respect for the extra lengths Mullvad goes to in order to ensure its user's privacy.
To give you a preview, Mullvad is one of the few VPNs — other than my normal privacy recommendation, Proton VPN — that lets users pay entirely in cash. But even Proton VPN asks for an email address to make an account and uses a few marketing cookies on its own website. Mullvad represents every account as a randomly generated 16-digit code and uses no marketing cookies whatsoever.
That's just one example of how Mullvad goes beyond the call of duty to keep users private. But while privacy is the most important aspect of a VPN alongside security, it's not the only thing that matters. For this review, I set out to investigate whether Mullvad pairs its rights-protecting bonafides with versatile, convenient and enjoyable VPN apps. Using our rigorous VPN testing procedure, I'll rate Mullvad in 11 areas. You can find a summary of my results in the table below, skip to the sections that matter most to you or just read my final advice in the conclusion.
Editor's note (2/11/26): We've overhauled our VPN coverage to provide more detailed, actionable buying advice. Going forward, we'll continue to update both our
|
|
Feb 11, 2026
Toyota has unveiled the 2027 Highlander, the first fully electric version of the vehicle and the automaker's fourth EV in the US. It's also the company's first EV assembled in the country and the first electric model with three rows of seats. The automaker already sells the electric C-HR crossover and the electric bZ SUV in the US. While the 2027 Highlander resembles its predecessors, its lines look sharper and it has broader fenders. In addition, it features flush door handles similar to Tesla's, which were designed for aerodynamics but which China recently banned out of safety concerns.
The new Highlander will be available in several varieties, specifically in Limited and XLE (Executive Luxury Edition) grades with either front-wheel or all-wheel drive configuration. If you get the Limited edition all-wheel drive with a 95.8 kWh battery, you can get a range of 320 miles on a single charge, based on Toyota's estimates. Take note that range estimates by manufacturers and the EPA could be different from each other. It would be more accurate to compare EPA ranges between vehicles across brands, because they were determined using the agency's testing methodologies.
The 2027 Highlander in XLE front wheel drive configuration with a 77 kWh battery has a manufacturer-estimated range of 287 miles. Meanwhile, the all-wheel drive XLE variant comes with either a 77 kWh battery that can power it for 270 miles or a 95.8 kWh batte
|
|
Feb 11, 2026
With his newfound focus on the Moon, Elon musk is making some wild new plans. In an xAI meeting with employees, Musk said the company needed to build an AI satellite factory on the moon with a gigantic catapult to launch them into space, according to audio heard by The New York Times.
All of that would be part of the billionaire's plans to create a massive orbiting AI "data center" that uses satellites powered by the sun and kept cool by the vacuum of space (a bad plan,
|
|
Feb 11, 2026
Apple's MacBooks don't need much help out of the box, but the right accessories can make a noticeable difference in how you use them day to day. Whether that means adding more ports, creating a cleaner desk setup or making your laptop easier to travel with, there's a growing ecosystem of gear designed to fill in the gaps Apple leaves behind. A good accessory should feel like an extension of your MacBook, not a workaround.
The picks below are meant to work smoothly with macOS and today's USB-C-only reality, whether you're using a lightweight MacBook Air or a higher-end MacBook Pro. From practical essentials to quality-of-life upgrades, these accessories are meant to help you get more done without adding unnecessary bulk or friction.
Best MacBook accessories for 2026
Best MacBook webcam accessories
Best MacBook docking stations and hubs
Best MacBook charging gear
|
|
Feb 11, 2026
Smart plugs aren't the most complicated smart home device — they really just turn stuff off and on — but they do make life a little easier. Since using smart plugs, I've grown accustomed to having the living room lamps click on just before sunset and go off when I say goodnight to Alexa or the Google Assistant/Gemini (Siri can turn off a few of my lights, but isn't compatible with all of them). Most smart home device makers have a plug or two in their lineups, but finding one that's compatible with your chosen ecosystem, that's easy to set up and reliably connects can involve a little trial and error. That's why we tried more than a dozen models to find the best smart plugs you can buy right now..
Best smart plugs for 2026
|
|
Feb 10, 2026
Samsung's 2025 was filled with new foldables, an ultra-thin new form factor and the launch of Google's XR platform. After making some announcements at CES 2026, the company has just announced its first Galaxy Unpacked of the year will take place on February 25, where it is expected to introduce the Galaxy S26 lineup. Official invites have just been shared, but actual information on what devices are arriving then is still unknown. But as usual, we know a lot about what's expected at Unpacked.
Engadget will be covering Galaxy Unpacked live, and we'll most likely have hands-on coverage of Samsung's new smartphones soon after they're announced. While we wait for the full details, here's everything we expect Samsung will introduce at the first Galaxy Unpacked event of 2026.
|
|
