Tech

A collection of 1931 posts

Tech

Doom runs on PineBuds Pro earbuds and is playable remotely in a browser

Pcgamer reports that Sydney-based web developer Arin Sarkisian has ported Doom to a pair of PineBuds Pro earbuds and made the game playable remotely in a browser on his own pair. Sarkisian’s site says the PineBuds Pro are "the only earbuds with open source firmware." The site

Tech

BMX SolidSafe 5K reviewed: a 5,000mAh solid‑state wireless power bank focused on safety

ZDNET tested BMX's SolidSafe 5K, a 5,000mAh solid‑state wireless power bank designed to reduce the fire risk associated with conventional lithium‑ion packs. The review highlights that solid‑state cells ditch the flammable electrolyte found in lithium‑ion batteries and are far less likely to catch

Tech

Anker iPhone 17 three-port USB-C car charger discounted to $34

Kotaku reports the Anker iPhone 17 USB-C Car Charger is on Amazon today for $34, a $20 discount from its $54 retail price. The compact three-port unit plugs into a 12V outlet and uses an ultra-compact metal case meant to fit without obstructing other controls. It has two USB-C ports

Tech

Helicopter camera test finds Samsung S25 Ultra most versatile, Honor close behind

ZDNET's Adam Doud tested the cameras of the Honor Magic 8 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and Google Pixel 10 Pro XL on a helicopter tour that included the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam during CES, flying with Maverick Helicopter Tours. All three phones performed well in different

Tech

Microlandia 1.5 deepens crime simulation and adds police HQ

Pcgamer reports that Information Superhighway Games' city-builder Microlandia received update 1.5, which makes crime in the game vastly more complicated and, the outlet says, vastly more challenging. The update breaks crime into seven categories—armed robbery, break-in, larceny, destruction, grand theft auto, violence, and major crime—and says

Tech

Disable TV motion smoothing — why experts usually recommend turning it off

ZDNET advises that the default motion-smoothing setting on many smart TVs produces the so-called "soap opera effect" and that experts generally recommend turning it off for most movies and shows. The outlet says motion smoothing, also called motion interpolation, can make films look artificial or hyper-realistic and may

Tech

Sony and TCL agree joint venture giving TCL 51% of home entertainment unit

Sony has announced a strategic partnership with TCL under which TCL would take a 51% stake in Sony’s home entertainment division, the companies said in a press release and memorandum of understanding. The agreement covers TVs and home audio and, according to Sony, aims to combine Sony’s picture

Tech

Star Birds early access adds bakeries, restaurants and alien-feeding mechanics

Pcgamer reports that Star Birds' latest early access update adds bakeries and restaurants to Toukana Interactive's factory management sim. The update brings new mechanics and content: Volt Shrooms can be used as an alternative power source, tentacular creatures in asteroid craters can be coaxed back into their

Tech

Six Linux distributions Jack Wallen says could rise in 2026

Jack Wallen, writing for ZDNet, highlights six Linux distributions he expects to stand out in 2026, saying Linux is set for a big year and that the end of Windows 10 has helped drive interest in alternatives. Wallen praises AerynOS for being fully atomic (but not immutable) with a vanilla

Tech

UK judge rules Old School RuneScape gold counts in theft judgment

Pcgamer reports a UK judge ruled that stealing gold pieces in Old School RuneScape counted for the purposes of at least one judgment made on Jan. 14. The case involves an ex-employee of RuneScape developer Jagex who is accused of hacking 68 player accounts and seizing hundreds of billions of

Tech

Revive shelved game franchises by licensing them to mid‑size AA studios

Kotaku reports that many major, beloved game franchises are being shelved because publishers view nine‑figure budgets as too risky, and argues these series could be revived by licensing them to proven mid‑size “AA” teams and letting those teams work without interference. The article lists several examples: Dead Space

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Plugin uses Wikipedia's AI-writing rules to make Claude write plainer prose

The Humanizer skill tells the Claude model to replace inflated language with plainer facts by following AI-writing rules compiled by Wikipedia editors, offering an explicit example transformation. The piece gives this example: Before: “The Statistical Institute of Catalonia was officially established in 1989, marking a pivotal moment in the evolution

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Study finds SMS sign-in links expose users’ personal data at scale

Recently published research by teams from the universities of New Mexico, Arizona, Louisiana, and the firm Circle found that websites using sign‑in links and codes sent by SMS are imperiling the privacy of millions of people and leaving them vulnerable to scams, identity theft, and other crimes. The researchers

Tech

eBay updates terms to bar unauthorized AI shopping agents

eBay updated its User Agreement to explicitly ban third-party “buy for me” agents and AI chatbots from interacting with its platform without permission, a change first spotted by Value Added Resource. The one-line update, which goes into effect on February 20, 2026, specifically prohibits users from employing “buy-for-me agents, LLM-driven

Tech

Anbernic's RG GO1 controller includes heartbeat sensors and built-in display

Kotaku reports Anbernic has announced the RG GO1, a wireless controller for PC, mobile phones and the Nintendo Switch that features a central 2.5-inch IPS LCD and heartbeat sensors in the grips. The company says the screen can be used for tasks such as reprogramming buttons and turning on

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cURL ends bug bounty program after surge of low-quality, AI-generated reports

The developer of the cURL networking tool is scrapping its vulnerability reward program after being overrun by a spike in low-quality submissions, much of it AI-generated slop, Daniel Stenberg, the project's founder and lead developer, said Thursday. Stenberg said the project is small with a limited number of

Tech

Sony includes removable fitting cushions with LinkBuds Clip to improve fit

Sony's LinkBuds Clip come with removable ear-fitting cushions that address common fit and stability issues with clip-on open-ear earbuds, ZDNET reviewer Jada Jones wrote. Jones said the cushions dramatically change how the earbuds fit and perform, closing the gap between the earbuds' hooks and the ear so

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Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 discounted to $169.99 at Amazon

Kotaku reports the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 is available at Amazon for $169.99, down from $249.99, a savings of $80 and approximately 32% off the retail price. The write-up highlights the watch’s fitness and health features, including step and heart-rate tracking, workout monitoring, and sleep tracking, plus

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FTC warns of texts and emails impersonating the IRS claiming tax refunds

The Federal Trade Commission has issued an advisory warning taxpayers about text and email scams that impersonate the IRS or state tax offices and claim recipients are due a tax refund. According to the advisory, these scams typically begin with a message saying your refund claim has been processed or

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Prince of Persia Sands of Time remake said to be near completion before cancellation

Pcgamer reports Ubisoft cancelled its remake of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time as one of six projects included in a "major reset" of the company. One day after the announcement — which also included a promise of more "player-facing generative AI" — Ubisoft shares dropped to

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GoveeLife Smart Nugget Ice Maker Pro produces fast nugget ice but costs $500

ZDNET reviewed the GoveeLife Smart Nugget Ice Maker Pro, a countertop machine that produces soft nugget ice, can make up to 2.5 pounds per hour, and is priced at $500; ZDNET also notes the bucket stores and keeps ice cool for hours. The unit measures 16 inches deep, 17

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Linux developer ports Windows 8–style desktop to Linux with Win8DE

A Linux developer who goes by er-bharat on GitHub has created Win8DE, a desktop environment for Linux that closely resembles the Windows 8 user interface. The project is in alpha and the latest release is v0.5.0. ZDNet's author said they spent roughly two hours trying to

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Afghan start-up HesabPay uses blockchain to send aid to Syria and Afghanistan

An Afghan start-up, HesabPay, is using a blockchain-based system to deliver humanitarian cash assistance abroad, allowing a farmer in Halfaya, northwestern Syria, to receive $500 on a plastic card to help restart her farm. HesabPay was developed in Afghanistan and has been used by the U.N. refugee agency to

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Turn an iPad or Android tablet into a dedicated e-reader

ZDNet writer Kerry Wan outlines how any iPad or Android tablet can be made to feel like an e-reader, saying tablets already do what e-readers do and that turning one into a reading device is easier than it might seem. The article notes common reasons people choose dedicated e-readers—eye

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January Windows update patched vulnerabilities but caused multiple new bugs

Microsoft's January Patch Tuesday update, released on Jan. 13, addressed 114 security vulnerabilities but has also triggered several new bugs affecting Windows users. The update fixed critical vulnerabilities and one that had been exploited in the wild, yet introduced issues including Remote Desktop sign-in failures for Cloud PC