Apr 3, 2025

<p>Article URL: <a href="https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/papers/2025/Journalists">https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/papers/2025/Journalists</a></p> <p>Comments URL: <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43564788">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43564788</a></p> <p>Points: 4</p> <p># Comments: 2</p>

Apr 3, 2025

<p>Article URL: <a href="https://pilledtexts.com/why-i-use-a-17-year-old-thinkpad/">https://pilledtexts.com/why-i-use-a-17-year-old-thinkpad/</a></p> <p>Comments URL: <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43564111">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43564111</a></p> <p>Points: 72</p> <p># Comments: 45</p>

Apr 3, 2025

<p>Article URL: <a href="https://www.matterrank.ai/mission">https://www.matterrank.ai/mission</a></p> <p>Comments URL: <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43563915">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43563915</a></p> <p>Points: 26</p> <p># Comments: 26</p>

Apr 3, 2025

<p>Article URL: <a href="https://idiallo.com/blog/code-for-hire">https://idiallo.com/blog/code-for-hire</a></p> <p>Comments URL: <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43563533">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43563533</a></p> <p>Points: 61</p> <p># Comments: 45</p>

Apr 3, 2025

<p>Article URL: <a href="https://github.com/juanfont/headscale">https://github.com/juanfont/headscale</a></p> <p>Comments URL: <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43563396">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43563396</a></p> <p>Points: 96</p> <p># Comments: 18</p>

Apr 3, 2025

<p>Article URL: <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.09516">https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.09516</a></p> <p>Comments URL: <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43563265">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43563265</a></p> <p>Points: 25</p> <p># Comments: 0</p>

Apr 2, 2025

<p>Article URL: <a href="https://github.com/luskaner/ageLANServer">https://github.com/luskaner/ageLANServer</a></p> <p>Comments URL: <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43562860">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43562860</a></p> <p>Points: 220</p> <p># Comments: 26</p>

Apr 2, 2025

<p>Article URL: <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.00927">https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.00927</a></p> <p>Comments URL: <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43562384">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43562384</a></p> <p>Points: 78</p> <p># Comments: 26</p>

Apr 2, 2025

<p>Article URL: <a href="https://annehelen.substack.com/p/are-people-bad-at-their-jobsor-are">https://annehelen.substack.com/p/are-people-bad-at-their-jobsor-are</a></p> <p>Comments URL: <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43562119">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43562119</a></p> <p>Points: 170</p> <p># Comments: 191</p>

Apr 2, 2025

<p>Article URL: <a href="https://shd.mit.edu/home/">https://shd.mit.edu/home/</a></p> <p>Comments URL: <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43562109">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43562109</a></p> <p>Points: 90</p> <p># Comments: 3</p>

Apr 2, 2025

<p>Article URL: <a href="https://up.codes/careers?utm_source=HN">https://up.codes/careers?utm_source=HN</a></p> <p>Comments URL: <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43561524">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43561524</a></p> <p>Points: 0</p> <p># Comments: 0</p>

Apr 2, 2025

<p>Article URL: <a href="https://pico.sh/">https://pico.sh/</a></p> <p>Comments URL: <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43560899">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43560899</a></p> <p>Points: 320</p> <p># Comments: 73</p>

Apr 2, 2025

<p>Article URL: <a href="https://www.techradar.com/pro/mozilla-launching-thundermail-email-service-to-take-on-gmail-microsoft-365">https://www.techradar.com/pro/mozilla-launching-thundermail-email-service-to-take-on-gmail-microsoft-365</a></p> <p>Comments URL: <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43560885">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43560885</a></p> <p>Points: 292</p> <p># Comments: 193</p>

Apr 2, 2025

<p>Article URL: <a href="https://automattic.com/2025/04/02/restructuring-announcement/">https://automattic.com/2025/04/02/restructuring-announcement/</a></p> <p>Comments URL: <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43559855">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43559855</a></p> <p>Points: 171</p> <p># Comments: 143</p>

Apr 2, 2025

<p>Article URL: <a href="https://shwin.co/blog/why-i-dont-discuss-politics-with-friends">https://shwin.co/blog/why-i-dont-discuss-politics-with-friends</a></p> <p>Comments URL: <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43559605">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43559605</a></p> <p>Points: 95</p> <p># Comments: 229</p>

Apr 2, 2025

<p>Article URL: <a href="https://resobscura.substack.com/p/when-jorge-luis-borges-met-one-of">https://resobscura.substack.com/p/when-jorge-luis-borges-met-one-of</a></p> <p>Comments URL: <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43559122">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43559122</a></p> <p>Points: 110</p> <p># Comments: 32</p>

Apr 2, 2025

<p>Hi all,<p>Tom Howard is going public as HN moderator today. He has been doing HN moderation work for years already and knows the site and its practices inside-out, so the only new thing you'll see is mod comments from Tom showing up in the threads the way mine do. I'm not going anywhere, so you'll have two of us to put up with going forward :)<p>I've known Tom since he was sctb's and my batchmate back in YC W09. Many of you know him as the kind and thoughtful community member tomhoward (<a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=tomhoward">https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=tomhoward</a>). He's still kind and thoughtful, but he's going to post as tomhow from now on (<a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=tomhow">https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=tomhow</a>), the same way I switched to dang when I went through this rite of passage years ago.<p>Below is a bit from Tom about himself. Please join me in welcoming him to this new status which he was crazy enough to say yes to!<p>---<p><i>YC and HN have been a huge part of my life for nearly two decades. I read pg's essay How to Start a Startup in 2005 after my friend (and later, co-founder) Fenn found it on Slashdot, and it opened our eyes as to how to go about building products and companies. I first signed up in late 2007, and since then HN has been the place I come to find interesting news and discussions.</i><p><i>Hacker News gave me a window into the big wide world of technology and startups, that had previously seemed so remote and opaque from where I lived (and still live) in Australia. We were lucky enough to be accepted into the W09 batch of YC, and since then HN has been a place where we could share announcements about the startup, but also where I could share the challenges and struggles I experienced in the startup journey and other aspects of life, particularly to do with health and wellbeing.</i><p><i>From the discussions that have happened about these topics I've ended up making enduring friendships with people all over the world, and have been able to learn many things that have improved my life in profound ways. I love HN's ethos - of being a place people come to engage their curiosity. That's what it's always been for me and what I hope I can help it to be for everyone!</i><p><i>--Tom</i></p> <hr> <p>Comments URL: <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43558671">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43558671</a></p> <p>Points: 1382</p> <p># Comments: 383</p>

Apr 2, 2025

<p>Article URL: <a href="https://evanconnelly.github.io/post/hacking-call-records/">https://evanconnelly.github.io/post/hacking-call-records/</a></p> <p>Comments URL: <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43558550">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43558550</a></p> <p>Points: 97</p> <p># Comments: 18</p>

Apr 2, 2025

<p>Article URL: <a href="https://docs.mermaidchart.com/blog/posts/mermaid-chart-vs-code-plugin-create-and-edit-mermaid-js-diagrams-in-visual-studio-code">https://docs.mermaidchart.com/blog/posts/mermaid-chart-vs-code-plugin-create-and-edit-mermaid-js-diagrams-in-visual-studio-code</a></p> <p>Comments URL: <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43558517">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43558517</a></p> <p>Points: 93</p> <p># Comments: 34</p>

Apr 2, 2025

<p>Article URL: <a href="https://matrix.org/blog/2025/04/matrix-auth-service/">https://matrix.org/blog/2025/04/matrix-auth-service/</a></p> <p>Comments URL: <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43558464">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43558464</a></p> <p>Points: 157</p> <p># Comments: 95</p>

Apr 2, 2025

All Nintendo titles see an increase from the $60 Switch 1 status quo.

Apr 2, 2025

"Americans will be sicker and face increased health care costs."

Apr 2, 2025

"We want to give audiences a reflection of their own world through the lens of fantasy."

Apr 2, 2025

Alcohol makes male fruit flies sexier by stimulating the production of sex pheromones.

Apr 2, 2025

With fresh leadership, Google aims to create new products based on Gemini.

Apr 2, 2025

A bit of early 2020s triple-A, some neat originals, and two wild arrivals.

Apr 2, 2025

79 arrested after Europol shuts down massive child porn platform.

Apr 2, 2025

More damaging reports for Trump official who invited journalist to Signal chat.

Apr 2, 2025

Automated AI bots seeking training data threaten Wikipedia project stability, foundation says.

Apr 2, 2025

Evidence of DOGE staffer’s proud history of hacking quickly deleted, report says.

Apr 2, 2025

It's slow and inefficient, but the semiconductor is only one molecule thick.

Apr 2, 2025

Some Switch games will get free updates to improve Switch 2 performance.

Apr 2, 2025

The ’80s comedy has stood the test of time, even inspiring a 2009 <em>Mythbusters</em> episode.

Apr 2, 2025

H5N1 influenza’s origins stretch back to the 1990s.

Apr 2, 2025

The numbers are going the wrong way for a company valued on continuing growth.

Apr 2, 2025

Enshittification is not the only option.

Apr 2, 2025

$449 buys easier multiplayer, mouse mode, and a chance to upgrade older titles.

Apr 2, 2025

The refresh looks the same but charges faster, goes faster, and much farther.

Apr 2, 2025

Honda will also find new homes for some heritage IndyCars and MotoGP bikes.

Apr 1, 2025

A tokamak moves forward as two companies advance plans for stellarators.

Apr 3, 2025

Not to be confused with the modern Compute Express Link (CXL) standard, but IBM's Coherent Accelerator Interface "CXL" / Coherent Accelerator Processor Interface "CAPI" support was stripped away today from the mainline Linux kernel...

Apr 2, 2025

Linux power management and ACPI subsystems maintainer Rafael Wysocki last week sent out the assortment of ACPI/PM material for the new Linux 6.15 kernel cycle. The AMD P-State driver continues to be heavy with its code churn and there have been various other optimizations and code clean-ups. The CPUIdle Menu governor also received some performance tuning worth mentioning...

Apr 2, 2025

Back in late February when Framework announced a slew of new hardware products they will be launching next year, they also teased the Framework Laptop 12 as a new, smaller laptop while continuing to be modular/upgradeable. They announced today that Framework Laptop 12 pre-orders will begin next week...

Apr 2, 2025

Last week I posted some initial GNOME 48 and KDE Plasma 6.3 desktop gaming benchmarks on Ubuntu 25.04 beta for looking at the performance of those two leading desktop options for this upcoming Ubuntu Linux release. Both GNOME and KDE under Wayland were outperforming KDE on X11 (and GNOME on X11 wasn't even working due to bugs). Some Phoronix readers questioned though whether the Wayland advantage on GNOME/KDE was due to those desktops losing focus on X11 support or if they are just too bloated. So for adding some additional context, here are some graphics/gaming benchmarks on the same system hardware/software when adding in the Xfce 4.20 and LXQt 2.1 X11 desktops.

Apr 2, 2025

This morning's Intel TDX update reminded me that I still hadn't gotten around to digging into the Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) changes merged last week for the ongoing Linux 6.15 kernel merge window. Here is a look at the KVM changes this cycle that continue to be particularly heavy on Intel and AMD virtualization improvements...

Apr 2, 2025

Intel Trust Domain Extensions (TDX) for providing hardware-backed isolation and confidential computing support for virtual machines (VMs) on modern Xeon processors is about to become more reliable and potentially faster for some workloads...

Apr 2, 2025

Qt 6.9 was just released as the newest version of this open-source, cross-platform graphics toolkit...

Apr 2, 2025

KDE Plasma 6.3.4 shipped this morning as the newest monthly point release for the Plasma 6.3 desktop...

Apr 2, 2025

Intel's original DG1 discrete GPU was principally a development vehicle on the path to DG2/Alchemist. It did appear with the Iris Xe Max laptop dGPU in very few configurations but surprisingly it's taken until now where the Intel Linux graphics driver is set to remove the experimental "force_probe" flag on these pre-Alchemist discrete GPUs...

Apr 2, 2025

Merged last week for the Linux 6.15 merge window were a big set of scheduler updates...

Apr 2, 2025

The Steam Survey results for February showed a 0.61% drop for Linux gaming marketshare following a 20.8% increase to the Chinese use, which was yet another month of such wild swings attributed to a large influx in Simplified Chinese survey respondents. The March results for Steam Survey were published this evening and show the Linux marketshare more than recovering now that the English survey results have shot back up...

Apr 1, 2025

There were 281 original news articles on Phoronix during the month of March along with another 14 Linux hardware reviews / multi-page featured-length articles and benchmarks. Here is a look back at the most exciting Linux and open-source content over the past month, in case you missed any of the interesting hardware launches, open-source software milestones, kernel changes, and other milestones...

Apr 1, 2025

While Fedora 42 isn't being released until later in the month, already a number of new features for Fedora 43 have been granted approval by the Fedora Engineering and Steering Committee...

Apr 1, 2025

All of the FUSE updates have been sent in for the in-development Linux 6.15 kernel for supporting file-systems in user-space...

Apr 1, 2025

No, it's not at all an April Fools' Joke or anything along those lines... An Intel open-source engineer just posted the patch series entitled "hide the disgusting turds" for the Linux kernel...

Apr 1, 2025

For those interested in the Qualcomm Snapdragon X1 powered laptops, there's another option to consider for Linux use soon with pending patches: the ASUS Zenbook A14...

Apr 1, 2025

Merged today for the Mesa 25.1-devel graphics driver code and also marked for back-porting to the Mesa 25.0 OpenGL/Vulkan drivers is another new Intel Battlemage device ID...

Apr 1, 2025

As part of the various areas of the kernel overseen by Greg Kroah-Hartman, on Sunday he sent out the driver core updates for the Linux 6.15 kernel. The driver core changes this cycle aren't too notable except for revising the Rust bindings now that more developers are attempting to use them...

Apr 1, 2025

Merged for the Linux 6.15 kernel last week was the big set of hardware monitoring "HWMON" subsystem updates with new hardware support as well as a few new sensor drivers...

Apr 1, 2025

As the last planned article of the quarter, here is a look back at the most popular Phoronix content from Q1'2025 with 822 original news articles and 40 featured articles / Linux hardware reviews written by your's truly. There were interesting hardware launches from Intel, AMD, and NVIDIA this quarter along with a never-ending pace of new open-source software innovations and the unfortunate ongoing drama within the free software community...

Mar 31, 2025

While the first quarter is coming to an end, there has already been immense progress this year to the Wayland protocols and compositors along with associated Linux desktop software for embracing this alternative to legacy X11/X.Org. From HDR color management seeing much adoption this quarter to Wine Wayland becoming more viable and the large number of Wayland compositors maturing, it was a pretty incredible quarter...

Mar 31, 2025

The perf tools changes were merged today for the Linux 6.15 kernel. Most notable this cycle for the wonderful perf tooling is introducing the notion of latency profiling by leveraging kernel scheduler information. This latency data will be further useful for Linux software engineers working to optimize system latency/performance...

Mar 31, 2025

The wlroots library used by the Sway compositor and other Wayland compositors has merged support for the color-management-v1 protocol that is notable for enabling High Dynamic Range (HDR) display use under Linux...

Mar 31, 2025

The consulting firm 3mdeb's Dasharo open-source firmware distribution derived from Coreboot could soon feature improved integration under Linux thanks to a pending ACPI platform driver...

Mar 31, 2025

It's been just over one year since the Linux Foundation and partners announced Valkey as a fork of Redis. Following the release of Redis 8.0 in September for this in-memory key-value database, Valkey 8.1 is out today...

Mar 31, 2025

For those dealing with exFAT formatted storage devices under Linux, the upcoming Linux 6.15 kernel has a big optimization for yielding much faster delete performance when making use of the "discard" mount option...

Mar 31, 2025

With Q1 drawing to an end, here is a look back at the most popular Linux/open-source news and Linux hardware reviews around AMD during the quarter on Phoronix. With 109 AMD news articles so far this quarter around their Linux software/hardware efforts and another 20 AMD Linux hardware reviews / featured benchmark articles, they continue firing on all cylinders for pushing both their client and server wares forward outside the confines of Windows...

Mar 31, 2025

Over the past number of months there has been an effort underway to improve FreeBSD laptop support with financial backing by Dell, AMD, and Framework among others. This has resulted in power management improvements, increasing the focus on WiFi driver support for FreeBSD, and related areas to make FreeBSD on laptops more appealing and relevant in 2025...

Mar 31, 2025

The Mozilla Firefox 137 release binaries are now available ahead of the official release set for Tuesday...

Mar 31, 2025

Greg Kroah-Hartman on Sunday submitted all of the "char/misc" patches for the Linux 6.15 merge window for this random catch-all area of the kernel with small drivers and other random/obscure hardware support...

Mar 31, 2025

Last week PostgreSQL merged support for IO_uring that can provide for "considerably faster" performance of this popular open-source database server. Over the weekend some additional improvements were merged to the asynchronous I/O "AIO" code to PostgreSQL, including introducing a new batch mode that can also provide a performance win...

Mar 28, 2025

While there were a few graphics benchmarks in yesterday's Ubuntu 25.04 beta benchmarks, today's article is looking more at the Ubuntu 25.04 Linux gaming performance for both the GNOME 48 and KDE Plasma 6.3 desktops that default to the Wayland-based session by default while also trying out the X11 session for both of these desktops.

Apr 2, 2025

Smartphone apps that track our driving behavior may be the key to safer road conditions.&#160; The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety just published a study that found that using smartphone apps to monitor driver behavior, and then providing summaries of that behavior via text message or a data dashboard, leads to safer driving.  Researchers borrowed [&#8230;]

Apr 3, 2025

After years of rumors, Nintendo has finally announced a release date for the Switch 2. The long-awaited successor to the Switch will be available on June 5th for $449.99, bringing a handing of games and accessories along with it. It will be available for preorder in the US from select retailers starting on April 9th, [&#8230;]

Apr 2, 2025

Last week, Apple announced that lossless audio and ultra low latency would be coming to the AirPods Max with USB-C. It was a pleasant surprise for owners of Apple’s over-ear headphones, which have fallen behind the AirPods Pro in recent years when it comes to offering new features. The company briefly hit a snag in [&#8230;]

Apr 2, 2025

Before this morning, I knew I was going to buy the Nintendo Switch 2 but I didn’t know when. After watching Nintendo’s Switch 2 Direct today, in which a purple block traced the GameCube’s stylized “G” logo, followed by high-res footage from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and F-Zero GX and an announcement [&#8230;]

Apr 3, 2025

The Switch 2 is here &#226;&#128;&#148; well, almost. Nintendo took the wraps off its new console during its latest Direct event, providing us with a closer look at the $449.99 console ahead of its release on June 5th. In many ways, the sequel is a generational leap from the original console / handheld hybrid that [&#8230;]

Apr 2, 2025

NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month)is shutting down after more than 20 years of hosting its annual challenge for writers. In a video and an email sent to community members, the nonprofit organization explains that it can no longer continue “after years of financial struggles.”&#160; Before officially becoming a nonprofit in 2006, NaNoWriMo started out with [&#8230;]

Apr 2, 2025

It’s perhaps no surprise that Nintendo opened its Switch 2 Direct with Mario Kart World, a Switch 2-exclusive launch title that’s a sequel to the original Switch’s most popular game. But it was more of a surprise that the Direct’s second segment, instead of focusing on the console’s specs, was all about Nintendo’s Discord-like GameChat [&#8230;]

Apr 2, 2025

At an event in the Rose Garden on Wednesday, Donald Trump unveiled a new set of planned tariffs that are being described as “short-sighted,” and having “no basis in logic,” and being compared to Great Depression-era policies. Holding a giant poster board blowing in the wind, Trump announced staggering new taxes on products coming into [&#8230;]

Apr 2, 2025

Any ebook reader will let you cram a Beauty and the Beast-sized library’s worth of books in your pocket, but so will your phone. An ebook reader offers a more book-like reading experience, with fewer distractions and less eye strain, and many include extra features, like adjustable frontlighting. Some really are pocketable. Others are waterproof [&#8230;]

Apr 2, 2025

Thunderbird’s developers are planning to compete with Gmail and other email providers by offering paid “pro” tier services, including @thundermail.com email addresses and new services such as an appointment scheduler, file sharing tools, and some “Thunderbird Assist” AI features. You can join a beta waitlist by going to thundermail.com, which is the domain for the [&#8230;]

Apr 3, 2025

Apple, Amazon, and other tech companies reliant on global supply chains stand to lose the most from Trump's trade policies, but some software firms expect more demand for their services.

Apr 2, 2025

President Donald Trump says taxing imports will strengthen domestic manufacturing. Hours before announcing new tariffs, his administration cut support for centers that help US firms do just that.

Apr 2, 2025

The Heard and McDonald Islands are among the dozens of targets of President Donald Trump's latest round of tariffs. But they have no exports, because no one lives there.

Apr 2, 2025

Tim Stokely partnered with a crypto company to bid for TikTok as the social media company faces a deadline to either sell or be banned in the US. Amazon also placed a last-minute bid.

Apr 2, 2025

A lawyer for Xiaofeng Wang and his wife says they are “safe” after FBI searches of their homes and Wang’s sudden dismissal from Indiana University, where he taught for over 20 years.

Apr 2, 2025

A new platform from data training company Scale AI will let artificial intelligence developers find their models’ weak spots.

Apr 2, 2025

We went hands-on with Sony’s latest home theater gear, including its fiery new OLED TV.

Apr 2, 2025

Nintendo's next-generation handheld is set to launch June 5 alongside a slew of new games and accessories—including one very cool rebooted GameCube controller.

Apr 2, 2025

“Coffee” made with functional mushrooms like lion's mane and chaga is all the rage—we tried the most popular brands to find which were the most palatable.

Apr 2, 2025

The elective medical industry is cashing in on plastic pollution fears, but the evidence of harm from microplastics is still deeply uncertain.

Apr 2, 2025

Jack Thorne, who cowrote the hit Netflix show about a 13-year-old accused of murder, told WIRED he understands how easily kids can get lured into incel ideology.

Apr 2, 2025

While almost no Chinese EVs are legally sold in the US, these are the workarounds that could allow eager enthusiasts to get them onto American roads—at a price.

Apr 2, 2025

Using environmental DNA analysis and traditional fishing techniques, researchers are seeking answers about the current population of axolotls in their natural habitat. The numbers are alarming.

Apr 2, 2025

Enjoy 15% off with Dell promo code, plus today's deals for up to $400 off laptops, workstations, and all things tech.

Apr 2, 2025

Find great deals and promo codes for Visible at WIRED and save big, whether you're a long-time customer or a newbie.

Apr 2, 2025

Leading scientists at the National Institutes of Health, the US’s leading medical research agency, were swept up Tuesday in the Trump administration’s latest firing blitz.

Apr 1, 2025

It’s the culmination of a weeks-long standoff between Elon Musk’s DOGE team and the United States Institute of Peace.

Apr 1, 2025

Big Boys, A Thousand Blows, and The Handmaid's Tale are just a few of the shows you should be watching on Hulu this month.

Apr 1, 2025

The Institute of Museum and Library Services has long received bipartisan support. But after years of trying, President Donald Trump has delivered it a crushing blow.

Apr 1, 2025

From Apple accessories to wireless chargers, some of our favorite Nomad gear is 15 percent off right now.

Apr 2, 2025

<p>TikTok may be back online and in app stores, but its future in the United States is still far from certain. President Donald Trump’s executive order <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:1;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/trump-delays-tiktok-ban-for-at-least-75-days-via-executive-order-014523110.html">delaying enforcement</a> of the ban was only a temporary reprieve for the company and the clock is once again <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:2;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.engadget.com/social-media/tiktoks-ban-deadline-is-coming-what-happens-next-162420478.html">running out</a> on a potential ban.</p> <p>While ByteDance was once resistant to the idea of selling TikTok’s US business, that seems to have changed since Trump took office. A ByteDance investor <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:3;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/01/22/bytedance-tiktok-ban-deal-china-us-davos">said</a> early this year that striking a deal to keep TikTok in the US is “in everybody's interest." Officials in China also suggested they were “open” to a deal, <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:4;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.wsj.com/tech/china-signals-it-wont-block-a-deal-to-keep-tiktok-in-the-u-s-54c4d1e8">according to</a> <em>The Wall Street Journal</em>.</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><p>A number of people and companies have signaled some interest in TikTok. Trump himself <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:5;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g3z55zz7xo">has said</a> he would like to see a “bidding war” for the app and that the US government should own <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:CNBC;elmt:;cpos:6;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=34e37b9c-8975-48da-aa39-df8bcd5badc3&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=0f967f12-8789-470a-b243-b5d5313dc27c&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=CNBC&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5jbmJjLmNvbS8yMDI1LzAxLzE5L3RydW1wLXNheXMtaGUtd2lsbC1yZXZpdmUtdGlrdG9rLWJ1dC13YW50cy01MHBlcmNlbnQtdXMtb3duZXJzaGlwLmh0bWwiLCJjb250ZW50VXVpZCI6IjBmOTY3ZjEyLTg3ODktNDcwYS1iMjQzLWI1ZDUzMTNkYzI3YyIsIm9yaWdpbmFsVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuY25iYy5jb20vMjAyNS8wMS8xOS90cnVtcC1zYXlzLWhlLXdpbGwtcmV2aXZlLXRpa3Rvay1idXQtd2FudHMtNTBwZXJjZW50LXVzLW93bmVyc2hpcC5odG1sIn0&amp;signature=AQAAAccczjY0KqB_uaso3KYtwba5dbSaVh36FsS6GzN5E033&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnbc.com%2F2025%2F01%2F19%2Ftrump-says-he-will-revive-tiktok-but-wants-50percent-us-ownership.html" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/19/trump-says-he-will-revive-tiktok-but-wants-50percent-us-ownership.html">a stake</a> in the company. What an eventual deal may look like, though, is unclear. These are the offers we currently know about. On March 9, Trump said the administration was "dealing with four different groups" on a potential deal, though he didn't name names.&nbsp;</p> <p>Trump’s executive order gave the company 75 days to come to an agreement, though he has <a data-i13n="cpos:7;pos:1" href="https://thehill.com/policy/technology/5180939-trump-considers-extending-tiktok-ban/">recently said</a> he would "probably" extend the deadline if a deal isn't reached by April 5.</p> <h2 id="jump-link-oracle">Oracle + new US investors</h2> <p>NPR <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:8;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.npr.org/2025/01/25/g-s1-44779/tiktok-ban-deal-trump-oracle">reported</a> in January that Oracle was working with Trump Administration officials on “a plan to save TikTok that involves tapping software company Oracle and a group of outside investors to effectively take control of the app's global operations.” Under this arrangement, ByteDance “would retain a minority stake in the company” but Oracle would oversee “the app's algorithm, data collection and software updates.”</p> <p>Recent reports <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:9;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.engadget.com/social-media/tiktoks-ban-deadline-is-coming-what-happens-next-162420478.html">suggest</a> that a new investors, including Silicon Valley heavyweight Andreesen Horowitz, would join TikTok's existing US investors to form a new entity. It could be called "TikTok America," according to <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:10;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.theinformation.com/articles/trump-outline-tiktok-deal-proposal-bytedance-retaining-stake">a report</a> in <em>The Information. </em>This option is likely appealing because it wouldn't require a new owner to attempt to re-architect the app's algorithm and because TikTok has an existing partnership with Oracle. The cloud company <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:11;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.engadget.com/tiktok-user-data-us-200500287.html">already hosts</a> TikTok’s US user data and the company was <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:12;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.engadget.com/can-tiktok-convince-the-us-its-not-a-national-security-threat-173030115.html">a key part</a> of TikTok’s original negotiations to remain operational in the US under a plan called Project Texas. (Those negotiations abruptly <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:13;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/05/29/tiktok-cfius-proposal-rejected/">fell apart</a> in 2022.)</p> <p>Trump also previously <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:14;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.engadget.com/trump-tentatively-approves-tiktok-oracle-walmart-deal-140805501.html">signed off on a deal</a> for Oracle and Walmart to acquire a 20 percent stake in TikTok in 2020, when the president tried to ban the app during his first term. That deal never materialized.</p> <h2 id="jump-link-microsoft">Microsoft</h2> <p>Microsoft is reportedly also interested in playing a role in TikTok’s future, according to the same NPR story, which said Microsoft was among the “other potential investors” involved in the talks with Oracle. Trump seemingly confirmed this. When asked directly if Microsoft was interested in buying TikTok, Trump <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:15;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jan/28/donald-trump-microsoft-tiktok-purchase-claims">responded</a> “I would say yes.”</p> <p>As with Oracle, this isn’t the first time Microsoft has attempted to acquire the social media company. Microsoft was in talks to buy TikTok <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:16;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-tiktok-acquisition-september-trump-001655945.html">in 2020</a> and take over its US business, but the deal <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:17;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-not-buying-tiktok-233257859.html">abruptly fell apart</a>. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella later <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:18;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/27/microsoft-ceo-calls-trump-tiktok-deal-strangest-thing-worked-on.html">described</a> it as “the strangest thing I’ve ever sort of worked on.”</p> <h2 id="jump-link-perplexity-ai-and-maybe-the-us-government">Perplexity AI&nbsp;</h2> <p>Just before TikTok briefly <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:19;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.engadget.com/social-media/tiktok-is-no-longer-available-in-the-us-040204115.html">went offline</a>, Perplexity AI threw its hat into the ring, offering <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:20;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.engadget.com/social-media/perplexity-ai-has-reportedly-submitted-an-11th-hour-bid-to-save-tiktok-in-the-us-215012514.html">a deal</a> to ByteDance that “would “create a new entity combining Perplexity, TikTok US and New Capital Partners.”</p> <p>Since then, Perplexity has tweaked its proposal. The company put out a <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:21;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.engadget.com/social-media/perplexity-ai-says-it-would-rebuild-tiktoks-algorithm-and-add-community-notes-features-200449390.html">detailed plan</a> outlining how it would rebuild the app's core recommendation algorithm, integrate shortform videos into its search engine and bring a Community Notes-like fact checking feature to the service.&nbsp;</p> <h2 id="jump-link-project-liberty">Project Liberty</h2> <p>Another set of investors that’s proposed a bid to buy TikTok is a group known as <a data-i13n="cpos:22;pos:1" href="https://www.projectliberty.io/peoples-bid-for-tiktok/">Project Liberty</a>. Led by investor Frank McCourt, it includes <a data-i13n="cpos:23;pos:1" href="https://www.projectliberty.io/news/kevin-oleary-joining-the-peoples-bid-for-tiktok/">Kevin O’Leary</a> of <em>Shark Tank</em> fame. The group initially came forward before the ban took effect.</p> <p>In March, Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian <a data-i13n="cpos:24;pos:1" href="https://x.com/alexisohanian/status/1899203761589170198">announced</a> that he was joining the Project Liberty bid to acquire TikTok's assets. "I'd love to see an app where users actually own their data and where creators have real control," he wrote in a short post on X that hinted at a potential tie-in with... the blockchain. "Imagine bringing all those users seamlessly onchain..." An accompanying video referenced the possibility of "decentralized distribution," but didn't offer details.</p> <p>O’Leary previously <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:CNBC;elmt:;cpos:25;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=34e37b9c-8975-48da-aa39-df8bcd5badc3&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=0f967f12-8789-470a-b243-b5d5313dc27c&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=CNBC&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5jbmJjLmNvbS8yMDI1LzAxLzIyL2tldmluLW9sZWFyeS1zYXlzLWhlLXdpbGwtbG92ZS10by1kby1hLXRpa3Rvay1kZWFsLWJ1dC1sYXctcHJldmVudHMtaXRzLWFjcXVpc2l0aW9uLmh0bWwiLCJjb250ZW50VXVpZCI6IjBmOTY3ZjEyLTg3ODktNDcwYS1iMjQzLWI1ZDUzMTNkYzI3YyIsIm9yaWdpbmFsVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuY25iYy5jb20vMjAyNS8wMS8yMi9rZXZpbi1vbGVhcnktc2F5cy1oZS13aWxsLWxvdmUtdG8tZG8tYS10aWt0b2stZGVhbC1idXQtbGF3LXByZXZlbnRzLWl0cy1hY3F1aXNpdGlvbi5odG1sIn0&amp;signature=AQAAAQKINfRiCJCB29cl56S4SPS2SInboy4kiKjWj4Gefend&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnbc.com%2F2025%2F01%2F22%2Fkevin-oleary-says-he-will-love-to-do-a-tiktok-deal-but-law-prevents-its-acquisition.html" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/22/kevin-oleary-says-he-will-love-to-do-a-tiktok-deal-but-law-prevents-its-acquisition.html">told CNBC</a> that deals involving a government stake may not comply with the law. “That 50/50 deal, I would love to work with Trump on, so would every other potential buyer ... But the problem with some of these ideas is they are inconsistent with the ruling of the Supreme Court,” he said. “I would love to do a deal, if the law provided for it, but I don’t have the luxury of breaching the order of Congress.” Later, <a data-i13n="cpos:26;pos:1" href="https://x.com/kevinolearytv/status/1884710008664764806">he said</a> that the deal "changes by the hour," writing on X that "it's clear to me now that we're going to have to do a dance between the original owners, the founders of ByteDance itself, and interpreting the law of what Congress and Supreme Court has upheld."</p> <h2 id="jump-link-mrbeast">MrBeast</h2> <p>YouTuber MrBeast, also known as Jimmy Donaldson, joked <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:27;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://x.com/MrBeast/status/1878995330731299006">on X</a> about buying TikTok ahead of the initial ban. He later <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:28;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://x.com/MrBeast/status/1879224239485808811">said</a> that “so many billionaires” had reached out to him about making an offer that he was going to try to actually pull it off.</p> <div id="6006be01ec7c491db52a777e7eea8d82"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Okay fine, I’ll buy Tik Tok so it doesn’t get banned</p>— MrBeast (@MrBeast) <a href="https://twitter.com/MrBeast/status/1878995330731299006?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2025</a></blockquote> </div> <p>At least one group has already <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:29;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.paulhastings.com/news/paul-hastings-advises-investor-group-on-all-cash-bid-for-tiktoks-u-s-operations">confirmed</a> his involvement, along with other “high-net-worth individuals” looking to make an “all-cash offer.” That group, led by employer.com founder Jesse Tinsley also reportedly includes Roblox CEO David Baszucki. According to <em>Bloomberg</em>, together they have put together “significantly” more than <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:30;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-01-29/tiktok-bidders-to-offer-significantly-more-than-20-billion?sref=10lNAhZ9">$20 billion</a> for a bid, though it’s not clear how seriously their offer is being considered. <em>Bloomberg</em> noted that there’s also a possibility that MrBeast may attach himself to other bids.</p> <h2 id="jump-link-amazon">Amazon</h2> <p>Amazon reportedly made a <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:31;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.engadget.com/social-media/amazon-reportedly-wants-to-buy-tiktok-now-too-173957102.html">last-ditch bid</a> to buy TikTok, according to reports in <em>The New York Times </em>and <em>Wall Street Journal.</em> The online retailer reportedly approached Vice President JD Vance and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick about the offer, which doesn't seem to be under serious consideration. Amazon declined to comment on the reports.</p> <h2 id="jump-link-applovin">AppLovin</h2> <p>Another company to make a last-minute offer is AppLovin, a Silicon Valley company that makes software for app developers. <em>The Wall Street Journal</em> <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:32;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.wsj.com/tech/tiktok-ban-bids-amazon-applovin-62a1d573">reported</a> that the firm also has backing from Steve Wynn, a casino mogul and Trump donor. "AppLovin’s pitch to the Trump administration, which would be funded by Wynn, was that it could solve national security concerns and unleash economic growth as a job creator," <em>The WSJ </em>reported.</p> <h2 id="jump-link-onlyfans-ceo-tim-stokely">OnlyFans CEO Tim Stokely</h2> <p>Yet another eleventh hour bid for TikTok reportedly comes from OnlyFans CEO Tim Stokely. Reuters <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:33;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/onlyfans-founder-crypto-foundation-submit-late-stage-bid-buy-tiktok-2025-04-02/">reports</a> that Stokely (via a startup he runs called Zoop) partnered with the Hbar Foundation, a cryptocurrency firm, to bid on TikTok.&nbsp;</p> <p>"Our bid for TikTok isn't just about changing ownership, it's about creating a new paradigm where both creators and their communities benefit directly from the value they generate," one of Zoop's executives told the publication.</p> <div id="0406cbdc38fe409b983f55b0c68dbc46"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/bQNcWYJ2tD">pic.twitter.com/bQNcWYJ2tD</a></p>— HBAR Foundation (@HBAR_foundation) <a href="https://twitter.com/HBAR_foundation/status/1907502097156755628?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2025</a></blockquote> </div> <h2 id="jump-link-whats-next">What’s next?</h2> <p>So where does all this leave TikTok? For now, the company is still in limbo. Even if a tentative deal is announced ahead of the April 5 deadline, ByteDance and Chinese officials would also need to sign off on any agreement in order for it to move forward.</p> <p><strong>Update, March 10, 2025, 6:55PM ET:</strong> This story has been updated to add new statements from President Trump, as well as to add details about Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian joining the Project Liberty bid.</p> <p><strong>Update, April 2, 2025, 6:47PM ET:</strong> This story has been updated with new information regarding proposals involving Oracle and Perplexity AI. It's also been updated to reflect reported bids from Amazon, AppLovin and OnlyFans CEO Tim Stokely.</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/what-will-happen-to-tiktok-a-look-at-the-potential-buyers-000110723.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>The <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:1;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-everything-announced-including-a-new-mario-kart-game-new-switch-features-and-more-133105264.html">Switch 2</a> is bigger, more powerful and <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:2;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/is-the-450-nintendo-switch-2-too-expensive-195750206.html">more expensive</a> than the original Switch, but the <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:3;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.nintendo.com/us/gaming-systems/switch-2/tech-specs/#nintendoswitch2">tech specs</a> for the new console reveal at least one key way it's worse: The Switch 2's battery life is shorter.</p> <p>Nintendo says that battery life on the Switch 2 varies depending on the game you play, but that it estimates the console should last approximately "2 – 6.5 hours." That's notably shorter than the battery life you'll get out of a current Switch or Switch OLED, <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:4;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Support/Nintendo-Switch/How-Long-Does-the-Battery-Charge-Last-1630015.html#:~:text=Once%20fully%20charged%2C%20the%20battery,approximately%204.5%20to%209%20hours.">based on the company's support page</a>. Nintendo estimates that a Switch OLED "with a serial number that starts with 'XT'" should last around "4.5 to 9 hours." Non-OLED Switch consoles "with a serial number that starts with 'XK'" are expected to last the same amount of time. Even the original Switch, which has "a serial number that starts with 'XA'," gets a minimum of 2.5 hours of battery life. Apparently, the extra power of the Switch 2 comes with a price.</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><p>Nintendo's tech specs confirm a few other notable details. The Switch 2 supports Wi-Fi 6, which should mean you'll get faster internet speeds when the console isn't docked and connected over ethernet. Based on Nintendo's guarantee that the console "supports 120 fps when 1920x1080/2560x1440 resolutions are selected," it seems like the Switch 2 won't support HDMI 2.1.</p> <p>As far as controllers are concerned, Amiibo support remains, but if you have special place in your heart for the Wii-esque motion controls you could use on the original Switch, it looks like you're out of luck on the Switch 2. Neither the left or right Joy-Con 2 controllers have an IR sensor, one of the ways Nintendo tracked motion on the Wii and Switch. That doesn't mean you can't use motion controls on the Switch 2, just that Nintendo isn't using IR to make them work. (At least in <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:5;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/metroid-prime-4-beyond-gameplay-trailer-shows-off-samus-new-psychic-abilities-143326681.html"><em>Metroid Prime 4: Beyond</em></a><em>, </em>it seems like "mouse control" fills the role motion controls used to on older games.)&nbsp;</p> <p>Do any of these changes dramatically alter the calculus on whether the Switch 2 is worth buying? Maybe not, but it is interesting to see some of the compromises and decisions Nintendo made to offer what is effectively "the Switch, but better."</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-switch-2s-battery-life-is-shorter-than-the-current-switch-211753028.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>With <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-everything-announced-including-a-new-mario-kart-game-new-switch-features-and-more-133105264.html">Nintendo&#39;s April 2 Direct showcase</a> over and done, we now know more about the Switch 2 than ever before, including its release date (June 5) and price ($450!).</p> <p>Thanks to<a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-is-official-with-more-details-coming-on-april-2-2025-131325484.html"> Nintendo&#39;s January 16 teaser trailer</a>, we&#39;ve long known what the Switch 2 will look like, and that it will arrive in 2025 —<a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/2017-03-01-nintendo-switch-review.html"> over eight years</a> after its predecessor. The Nintendo Switch 2 looks very similar to the original system, albeit with a larger display, magnetic Joy-Cons and a sleeker design. The company also reaffirmed that the upcoming console will be backwards compatible with Switch games.</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><p>Looking to catch up on everything we know about the Switch 2? Read on.</p> <div id="9bd89bb0ed58480faa224835368b51bb"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9flte56erE8?rel=0" style="top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;border:0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" data-embed-domain="www.youtube.com"></iframe></div> <h2 id="jump-link-what-are-the-key-new-features-of-the-nintendo-switch-2">What are the key new features of the Nintendo Switch 2?</h2> <h3 id="jump-link-display-and-dock">Display and dock</h3> <p>The Nintendo Switch 2 has a 1080p 7.9-inch display with a 120Hz refresh and HDR compatibility. It also supports up to 4K output at 120Hz (with variable refresh rates) when docked.</p> <h3 id="jump-link-joy-con-and-pro-controller">Joy-Con and Pro Controller</h3> <p>The new Joy-Con for Nintendo Switch 2 attaches magnetically with a button to release them. They have larger SL and SR buttons (the ones hidden when the Joy-Con are attached) to make playing multiplayer games on one Joy-Con more feasible. The analog sticks are no longer tiny nubs, and are closer in size to the ones you might find on a PS5 or Xbox controller. They have what Nintendo is calling “HD Rumble 2” built in, which seems to be a refinement of the original (and still very good) vibration function. Finally, <a data-i13n="cpos:4;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-switch-2s-joy-cons-can-double-as-mouse-like-controllers-133355339.html">each Joy-Con has an optical sensor that allows you to use it as a mouse</a>, and a C button, which we’ll get to in a minute.</p> <figure><img src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/66c93d70-0fe4-11f0-bd59-d976f95410c4" data-crop-orig-src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/66c93d70-0fe4-11f0-bd59-d976f95410c4" style="height:1080px;width:1920px;" alt="Nintendo Switch 2" data-uuid="0928bedd-fd25-3222-b7d4-63832e1a2f8a"><figcaption></figcaption><div class="photo-credit">Nintendo</div></figure> <p>The new Pro Controller for the Nintendo Switch 2 comes with everything you’d expect based on the refreshed Joy-Con: Namely HD Rumble 2 and the C button. There are also remappable GL/GR buttons around the back and a standard audio jack for connecting a headset.</p> <p>Both options come with Amiibo support built in. The Switch 2 comes with two Joy-Con as you’d expect, and additional pairs are priced at $90. The Pro Controller will cost $80.</p> <h3 id="jump-link-the-c-button-stands-for-chat">The C button stands for “chat”</h3> <p>The new C button is a dedicated way to enter a chat session with friends. As well as the standard features you’d expect from voice chat, Nintendo has built a Discord-like video-sharing feature, which lets you show your gameplay to others and see other people’s screens while you’re playing.&nbsp;</p> <p>The chat function works with a mic built into the console, though headsets are also supported. Nintendo will also sell a $50 camera that plugs into the USB-C port on the top of the console, which will allow you to stream your face along with your game.</p> <figure><img src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/351f9df0-0fe4-11f0-b7ed-d27e3588aec9" data-crop-orig-src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/351f9df0-0fe4-11f0-b7ed-d27e3588aec9" style="height:1080px;width:1920px;" alt="Nintendo Switch 2" data-uuid="086db316-c682-32b8-b1d9-652447dad73c"><figcaption></figcaption><div class="photo-credit">Nintendo</div></figure> <h3 id="jump-link-gamecube-support">GameCube support</h3> <p>The <a data-i13n="cpos:5;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-nintendo-switch-2-will-play-gamecube-games-141025334.html">Switch 2 will work with GameCube games</a> via the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. The three titles available at launch will be <em>F-Zero GX</em>, <em>The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker</em> and <em>Soul Calibur II</em>.</p> <h3 id="jump-link-improved-specs">Improved specs</h3> <p>Perhaps the biggest feature, though, is one you can’t see: The Switch 2 has an all-new processor and GPU and significantly more storage (256GB vs 64GB in the Switch OLED), along with support for faster and more capacious microSD cards. This will obviously lead to better first-party games and upgraded Switch experiences, but more importantly it will mean multi-platform games that had to skip the original, underpowered Switch will be able to be ported over. With <a data-i13n="cpos:6;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/cyberpunk-2077-and-split-fiction-are-third-party-launch-titles-for-nintendo-switch-2-135648661.html">games like Cyberpunk 2077 coming to the Switch 2 at launch</a>, it seems like far more ports will be feasible than on the original console.</p> <p>Another major improvement comes in the form of networking — the Switch 2 supports WiFi 6, which will improve the original&#39;s often glacial download speeds. Similarly, the new dock sports an ethernet port for a rock-solid connection.</p> <h2 id="jump-link-how-much-will-nintendo-switch-2-cost">How much will the Nintendo Switch 2 cost?</h2> <p>The Nintendo Switch 2 will be available for $450 standalone, or for $500 with a bundled digital copy of the new Mario Kart game, <a data-i13n="cpos:7;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/mario-kart-world-headed-to-switch-2-with-24-player-races-and-an-80-price-tag-134117599.html"><em>Mario Kart World.</em></a> That’s significantly more expensive than the original Switch, which launched at $300, and has remained at that price ever since. It’s also more expensive than the entry-level current-gen consoles from Sony and Microsoft.</p> <p>The comparison looks a little better up against <a data-i13n="cpos:8;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/steam-deck-review-small-hands-180026719-180026139.html">Valve’s Steam Deck</a>, which costs $400 for the LCD model or $550 for the basic OLED model. The Steam Deck is more affordable than most PC handhelds.</p> <h2 id="jump-link-when-will-the-nintendo-switch-2-come-out">When will the Nintendo Switch 2 come out?</h2> <p>June 5, 2025.</p> <h2 id="jump-link-when-do-pre-orders-open-for-nintendo-switch-2">When do pre-orders open for Nintendo Switch 2?</h2> <p><a data-i13n="cpos:9;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/how-to-pre-order-the-nintendo-switch-2-140931639.html">Pre-orders</a> begin on April 9, from a variety of retailers and Nintendo itself.</p> <h2 id="jump-link-how-long-will-the-switch-2s-battery-last">How long will the Switch 2&#39;s battery last?</h2> <p>Nintendo says that the Switch 2 will last between 2 and 6.5 hours. This is similar to the original Switch, which was rated for 2.5-6.5 hours, though later revisions upped that figure significantly. The company cautions that &quot;this time is an estimate ... battery life will depend on the games you play and usage conditions.&quot;</p> <h2 id="jump-link-when-can-i-try-the-nintendo-switch-2"><strong>When can I try the Nintendo Switch 2?</strong></h2> <p>Nintendo is planning a worldwide roadshow to let gamers go hands-on with the console. These events start in New York and Paris on April 4-6, with others taking place throughout the following two months.&nbsp;</p> <p>Ticket registration for many of the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience events has closed, but<a data-i13n="cpos:10;pos:1" href="https://www.nintendo.com/us/nintendo-switch-2-experience/"> waitlists</a><a data-i13n="cpos:11;pos:1" href="https://www.nintendo.com/en-ca/nintendo-switch-2-experience/"> are available</a>. However, given that Nintendo is taking a first come, first served approach, your chances of attending the roadshow if you don&#39;t already have a ticket (or unless you signed up for the waitlist immediately) seem very small at this point.</p> <p>The full list of Nintendo Switch 2 Experience dates is as follows:</p> <p>North America:</p> <ul> <li><p>New York, April 4-6, 2025</p></li> <li><p>Los Angeles, April 11-13, 2025</p></li> <li><p>Dallas, April 25-27, 2025</p></li> <li><p>Toronto, April 25-27, 2025</p></li> </ul> <p>Europe:</p> <ul> <li><p>Paris, April 4-6, 2025</p></li> <li><p>London, April 11-13, 2025</p></li> <li><p>Milan, April 25-27, 2025</p></li> <li><p>Berlin, April 25-27, 2025</p></li> <li><p>Madrid, May 9-11, 2025</p></li> <li><p>Amsterdam, May 9-11, 2025</p></li> </ul> <p>Oceania:</p> <ul> <li><p>Melbourne, May 10-11, 2025</p></li> </ul> <p>Asia:</p> <ul> <li><p>Tokyo (Makuhari), April 26-27, 2025</p></li> <li><p>Seoul, May 31-June 1, 2025</p></li> <li><p>Hong Kong, To be announced</p></li> <li><p>Taipei, To be announced</p></li> </ul> <h2 id="jump-link-is-the-nintendo-switch-2-backwards-compatible"><strong>Is the Nintendo Switch 2 backwards compatible?</strong></h2> <p>Nintendo confirmed in November 2024 that the<a data-i13n="cpos:12;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/youll-be-able-to-play-your-nintendo-switch-games-on-its-successor-045657774.html"> Nintendo Switch 2 will be backwards compatible.</a> It will also feature access to Nintendo Online, so users will be able to play all of those old retro titles.</p> <p>In the initial Nintendo Switch 2 press release, Nintendo reiterated that physical and digital Switch games will work on the new system. However, it noted that &quot;certain Nintendo Switch games may not be supported on or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2.&quot; We now have more information on which games are working thanks to <a data-i13n="cpos:13;pos:1" href="https://www.nintendo.com/us/gaming-systems/switch-2/transfer-guide/compatible-games/">a guide Nintendo put together</a>.</p> <figure><img src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/1ceac240-0fe5-11f0-a76f-8ff6a36796aa" data-crop-orig-src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/1ceac240-0fe5-11f0-a76f-8ff6a36796aa" style="height:884px;width:1800px;" alt="Nintendo Software Compatability Chart" data-uuid="ea684769-2599-3eaa-961e-fb0525b10174"><figcaption>Nintendo&#39;s software compatibility chart on April 2, 2025.</figcaption><div class="photo-credit">Nintendo</div></figure> <p>As of April 1, the vast majority of Switch 2 games are marked as compatible, but many popular games are said to have some issues. Nintendo has marked most of these as “under investigation,” suggesting a fix may be on the way in time for launch. Nintendo says it is manually testing every Switch game for compatibility.</p> <p>Only one title is marked as incompatible: <em>Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 04: VR Kit</em>. This was part of Nintendo’s Labo range of games that worked with Cardboard accessories, and is incompatible as the Switch 2 doesn’t physically fit in the VR headset.</p> <h2 id="jump-link-will-old-games-be-enhanced-in-any-way"><strong>Will old games be enhanced in any way?</strong></h2> <p>The original Switch has, to put it mildly, struggled to run<a data-i13n="cpos:14;pos:1" href="https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/the-legend-of-zelda-echoes-of-wisdom-nintendo-switch-game-frame-rate/"> some of the late-generation software</a> that&#39;s come down the pike. Could these games be enhanced to take advantage of the increased horsepower of the Switch 2? That’s unclear. In an “<a data-i13n="cpos:15;pos:1" href="https://www.nintendo.com/us/whatsnew/ask-the-developer-vol-16-nintendo-switch-2-part-4/">Ask the Developer</a>” page on its site, Nintendo says that old games are working through a real-time translation system, which sounds similar to how Rosetta allows modern Macs to run old software. With that said, the new and old Switch are much closer in hardware than that.</p> <p>In the same developer interview, it’s said that in its testing of old games for compatibility, there were some occasions “where loading times became faster, or game performance became more stable,” but we don’t have any detail beyond that.</p> <div id="5c530a71f54e49998c127a627b0ad6a6"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dmDD7JSfhcE?rel=0" style="top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;border:0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" data-embed-domain="www.youtube.com"></iframe></div> <p>As well as backward compatibility, Nintendo is also offering up premium ‘Switch 2 Edition” upgrades for a select few games, which have improved resolutions and frame rates, and (in some titles) some bonus features and content. What exactly that means will vary, but Nintendo did confirm that <em>Metroid Prime 4: Beyond</em> will have 4K/60 and 1080p/120 options on the Switch 2.</p> <p>In the case of the two mainline Zelda games, those will be free to Switch Online Expansion Pack members, while others will be paid upgrades. Games confirmed to have a Switch 2 Edition to date include:</p> <ul> <li><p><em>Super Mario Party Jamboree</em></p></li> <li><p><em>The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild</em></p></li> <li><p><em>The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom</em></p></li> <li><p><em>Kirby and the Forgotten Land</em></p></li> <li><p><em>Pokémon Legends: Z-A</em></p></li> <li><p><em>Metroid Prime 4: Beyond</em></p></li> </ul> <p>Nintendo has not said how much the paid upgrades will cost.</p> <h2 id="jump-link-what-will-the-cartridges-taste-like"><strong>What will the cartridges taste like?</strong></h2> <p>You may remember that the original Switch cartridges<a data-i13n="cpos:16;pos:1" href="https://www.polygon.com/2017/3/1/14784140/nintendo-switch-cartridges-taste-awful-psa"> taste absolutely awful</a>. This was on purpose, to discourage folks from putting the games in their mouth. Will the successor follow suit and continue to dip cartridges in a foul-tasting bitter coating? Only time will tell.</p> <h2 id="jump-link-what-are-the-launch-games"><strong>What are the launch games?</strong></h2> <p>We expect this list to change substantially over the coming weeks and months, but the titles currently confirmed to be available on day one follow:</p> <ul> <li><p><em>Arcade Archives 2 Ridge Racer</em></p></li> <li><p><em>Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster</em></p></li> <li><p><em>Cyberpunk 2077</em></p></li> <li><p><em>Deltarune</em></p></li> <li><p><em>Fast Fusion</em></p></li> <li><p><em>Fortnite</em></p></li> <li><p><em>Hitman: World of Assassination</em></p></li> <li><p><em>Hogwarts Legacy</em></p></li> <li><p><em>Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess</em></p></li> <li><p><em>Mario Kart World</em></p></li> <li><p><em>Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour</em></p></li> <li><p><em>Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S</em></p></li> <li><p><em>Split Fiction</em></p></li> <li><p><em>Street Fighter 6</em></p></li> <li><p><em>Survival Kids</em></p></li> <li><p><em>Yakuza 0: Director&#39;s Cut</em></p></li> </ul> <hr> <p><em>That&#39;s everything we know about the Nintendo Switch 2 today. We&#39;ll update this article with any information we can gather directly from sources. Any changes made to the article after its initial publishing will be listed below.</em></p> <p><strong>Update, January 24, 2025, 12:36 PM ET: </strong>This story has been updated to include speculation about price, potential game enhancements and the taste of cartridges.</p> <p><strong>Update, February 5, 2025, 9:30AM ET:</strong> This story has been updated to note the time when the April 2 Nintendo Direct starts.</p> <p><strong>Update, February 24, 2025, 12:30 PM ET: </strong>This story has been updated to include speculation about storage and information about the new microSD Express standard.</p> <p><strong>Update, March 6, 2025, 2:30PM ET:</strong> This story has been updated to note recent FCC filings to indicate the presence of Wi-Fi 6 and NFC support.</p> <p><strong>Update, March 14, 2025, 12:15PM ET: </strong>This story has been updated to include pricing and sales speculation from analysts.</p> <p><strong>Update, March 20, 2025, 12:45PM ET: </strong>Updated to include a note about the Seattle Mariners new jersey patches featuring Nintendo and the Switch 2.</p> <p><strong>Update, March 27, 2025, 3:50PM ET:</strong> Updated to add details about the C button, Nintendo Today! and Virtual Game Cards.</p> <p><strong>Update, April 1, 2025, 10:16AM ET: </strong>Updated to add link to livestream and details on its length.</p> <p><strong>Update, April 2, 2025, 4:40PM ET:</strong> Added details from the April 2 Nintendo Direct event, including specifications, price, release date and launch titles.</p> <p><em>Jeff Dunn contributed to this report.</em></p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-everything-we-know-after-the-direct-announcement-195136505.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p></p> <div id="4a7d206667f945a297d7584169dcecfd"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3pE23YTYEZM?rel=0" style="top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;border:0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" data-embed-domain="www.youtube.com"></iframe></div> <p>At last, we have the critical info millions of gamers have awaited for years: the <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/everything-revealed-at-the-switch-2-nintendo-direct-133105950.html">Nintendo Switch 2</a> release date, price and other details about the new system. The console will arrive on June 5 and it costs $450. <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/how-to-pre-order-the-nintendo-switch-2-140931639.html">Pre-orders will open on April 9</a>, so you have a week to break open your piggy bank.</p> <p>The June release date confirms the long-standing rumors that had percolated since Nintendo first revealed the details of the new console in January. As suspected, it dovetails with the series of roadshow events Nintendo is holding around the globe to let folks<a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/how-to-sign-up-for-the-nintendo-switch-2-experience-170052140.html"> try the Switch 2 for the first time</a>. Those wrap up in early June.</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><p>It&#39;s been reported that Nintendo wanted to have as many units of the console ready to sell out of the gate as possible to mitigate shortages. The Switch 2 is likely to be in high demand, even though Nintendo plans to keep<a data-i13n="cpos:4;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/metroid-prime-4-beyond-gameplay-trailer-shows-off-samus-new-psychic-abilities-143326681.html"> releasing new games</a> for the original Switch (which has sold<a data-i13n="cpos:5;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-sees-sales-dip-as-switch-2-debut-looms-130047928.html"> more than 150 million units)</a> into at least 2026. Still, if the demand is robust enough and reports that Nintendo has between 6 million and 8 million units ready to go hold true, the company is poised to smash sales records with the Switch 2.</p> <h2 id="jump-link-nintendo-switch-2-hardware">Nintendo Switch 2 hardware</h2> <div id="356c0b664762403ca16ca9a0c1ded61d"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9flte56erE8?rel=0" style="top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;border:0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" data-embed-domain="www.youtube.com"></iframe></div> <p>Nintendo says it redesigned the system from the ground up. As expected, the Nintendo Switch 2 is larger than its predecessor. It measures 7.9 inches, compared with 6.2 inches for the original system, though no thicker than the previous console. The Switch 2 has around double the pixel density of the original Switch, Nintendo says, as it has a 1080p display. In docked mode, you&#39;ll be able to play at up to 4K on your TV.</p> <p>There&#39;s some great news for frame rate appreciators, as the system will support up to 120Hz gameplay on its own screen. There&#39;s HDR support too. Sadly, it&#39;s an LCD display rather than an OLED.</p> <p>Nintendo says it improved the speakers to deliver clearer audio, while you&#39;ll be able to enjoy 3D audio in select games through compatible surround sound systems or headphones. There&#39;s a built-in mic with voice cancelling tech too (more on that in a moment). Some other hardware features had already been revealed, including the multi-angled kickstand and dual USB-C ports, either of which can be used for charging.&nbsp;</p> <p>Gratefully, Nintendo has given the Switch 2&#39;s internal storage a serious upgrade. At 256GB, it has eight times the built-in storage of the Switch. That was a necessary change, as many games already weighed in at over 32GB and required a microSD card to install locally.&nbsp;</p> <p>To add more storage, you&#39;ll need a microSD Express card, which supports higher-speed data transfers. Regular microSD cards won&#39;t be supported. As for the physical game cards, they&#39;re the same size and shape as the ones for the Nintendo Switch.&nbsp;</p> <p>As is usually the case, Nintendo isn&#39;t saying much about the processor or graphics processing hardware. The company simply notes that the &quot;Nintendo Switch 2 has significantly improved CPU and GPU performance over Nintendo Switch, resulting in faster processing speed and enabling new visually advanced gameplay. It also makes it possible to achieve more detailed graphics and faster loading times.&quot;</p> <p>Unfortunately, battery performance isn&#39;t anything to write home about. Nintendo says the Switch 2 will get between 2 and 6.5 hours of playtime, depending of course on what games you&#39;re using and if you&#39;re using online features. Speaking of online, the Switch 2 has been upgraded to Wi-Fi 6.</p> <p>The new dock has a built-in fan to keep the console cool and maintain stable performance. That&#39;s something that might come in handy if you&#39;re playing, say, <em>Elden Ring</em> on the Switch 2 — which is something you&#39;ll actually be able to do.</p> <p>Nintendo is promising a swatch of new accessibility features on the Switch 2. These include the option to change the font size, a speech-to-text function in GameChat (which we&#39;ll get to momentarily) and a screen reader.</p> <p>To help you get to grips with all of the new features of this console, you&#39;ll be able to check out tech demos, minigames and more in <em>Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour</em>. This will be a day-one paid launch title for the system.</p> <div id="5c462bc23969406c8c9406f81267f4df"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Explore the new system through tech demos, minigames, and quizzes with Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, a paid downloadable launch title for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NintendoSwitch2?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NintendoSwitch2</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NintendoDirect?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NintendoDirect</a> <a href="https://t.co/doZVYS0wjV">pic.twitter.com/doZVYS0wjV</a></p>— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) <a href="https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/1907424168351568146?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2025</a></blockquote> </div> <h2 id="jump-link-joy-con-2">Joy-Con 2</h2> <p>The rumors were true, the <a data-i13n="cpos:6;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-switch-2s-joy-cons-can-double-as-mouse-like-controllers-133355339.html">Joy-Con 2 includes a mouse control feature</a>. Each controller can be used as a mouse, so you can maybe expect more strategy games (oh hi, <a data-i13n="cpos:7;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/prepare-for-world-domination-when-civilization-vii-arrives-in-february-2025-213051202.html"><em>Civilization VII</em></a>) and even first-person shooters — Nintendo is adding this feature just in time for Microsoft to <a data-i13n="cpos:8;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-makes-its-10-year-call-of-duty-pact-with-nintendo-official-091655095.html">start bringing Call of Duty games to its systems</a>. A new 3 vs. 3 sports game called <em>Drag x Drive, </em>which will arrive this summer, uses the mouse controls of both Joy-Cons.</p> <div id="c77945782f1649c4ae4cc4f5e0e56d24"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Hku89o38-hQ?rel=0" style="top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;border:0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" data-embed-domain="www.youtube.com"></iframe></div> <p>The controllers attach to the main unit magnetically. To detach them, you need to press release buttons on the rear. The control sticks are larger, as are the SL and SR buttons. The latter are made of steel, and these are what the magnets built into the system attach to, seemingly electromagnetically.</p> <p>It is not yet clear if the Joy-Cons from the Switch will be compatible with the Switch 2 or, if so, how they&#39;d attach. So if you have a large collection of Joy-Cons, they may soon be gathering dust.</p> <p>Elsewhere, a new Pro controller with rear, assignable buttons will also be available. It has an audio jack and, like the Joy-Con 2, it has a C button. About that...</p> <h2 id="jump-link-c-button-and-gamechat"><strong>C button and GameChat</strong></h2> <div id="06406415710a46629af80e54e5391ba7"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fVjRBTy5irI?rel=0" style="top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;border:0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" data-embed-domain="www.youtube.com"></iframe></div> <p>The much-discussed new C button on the right Joy-Con 2 (and the new Pro controller) can control <a data-i13n="cpos:9;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-nintendo-switch-2-offers-built-in-voice-chat-and-screensharing-133334225.html">a new feature called GameChat</a>. For one thing, it can activate voice chat with up to 12 people.&nbsp;</p> <p>The microphone that&#39;s built into the main Switch 2 unit can pick up your voice from across a room when the console is in docked mode, Nintendo says. Through GameChat, the option to share your gameplay with up to four friends, so you can all see what each other is doing (though these friend streams seemed to be running at a low frame rate in Nintendo&#39;s Switch 2 Direct).</p> <p>A camera accessory will allow you to jump into video chat with up to four buds. You can choose to superimpose your camera feed over your gameplay. The camera will be available on the Switch 2 launch day.</p> <p>GameChat will require a Nintendo Switch Online subscription in the long run, but access will be free until March 31, 2026. Parents and guardians can set GameChat restrictions through the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app. The company says it has safety features in place for GameChat.</p> <h2 id="jump-link-nintendo-switch-2-games"><strong>Nintendo Switch 2 games</strong></h2> <p>Of course, Nintendo unveiled several Switch 2 games, including <a data-i13n="cpos:10;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/mario-kart-world-features-24-player-races-off-roading-and-sick-grinds-134117381.html"><em>Mario Kart World</em></a>, the new title it teased in the console&#39;s announcement video. That will be a Switch 2 launch title. Expect more details about that during a dedicated Direct on April 17.</p> <p>I&#39;m very excited about <a data-i13n="cpos:11;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/donkey-kong-bananza-is-a-brand-new-3d-platformer-for-switch-2-143108835.html"><em>Donkey Kong Bananza</em></a>, a 3D platformer that will hit Switch 2 on July 17. A Donkey Kong game with destructible environments just feels right. On top of that, <em>Kirby Air Riders,</em> a racing game from <em>Super Smash Bros. Ultimate</em> director Masahiro Sakurai, is coming later this year.</p> <p>A wave of major third-party games are <a data-i13n="cpos:12;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/cyberpunk-2077-and-split-fiction-are-third-party-launch-titles-for-nintendo-switch-2-135648661.html">coming to Switch 2 on launch day</a>, including <em>Cyberpunk 2077, Split Fiction, Hitman World of Assassination </em>and<em> Street Fighter 6. </em>Also coming to Switch 2 at some point are<em> Hades II, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, Borderlands 4, Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition</em> (an ironically very funny name for a game that&#39;s being ported to a lass-powerful console), EA Sports FC, Project 007 and <a data-i13n="cpos:13;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/tony-hawks-pro-skater-3--4-arrives-on-july-11-180029571.html"><em>Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4</em></a><em>.</em></p> <div id="0911f0e6ceaf4f05827acdcacc7afed8"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rv0f8mYemL4?rel=0" style="top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;border:0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" data-embed-domain="www.youtube.com"></iframe></div> <p>We got an update on a little game called <em>Hollow Knight: Silksong,</em> which now has <a data-i13n="cpos:14;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/hollow-knight-silksong-purportedly-arrives-this-year-144515332.html">a 2025 release window</a>. <em>Grand Theft Auto 6</em> better watch its back.&nbsp;</p> <p>In a major surprise, Nintendo revealed a brand new FromSoftware game that&#39;s coming exclusively to the Switch 2 in 2026. It&#39;s called <a data-i13n="cpos:15;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/fromsoftware-the-duskbloods-switch-2-2026-release-142025792.html"><em>The Duskbloods</em></a> and it looks very much like a spiritual successor to <em>Bloodborne</em>.</p> <div id="2fbb7202405949958ea8f8188a8ab8c7"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/niKHDEKQ7xA?rel=0" style="top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;border:0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" data-embed-domain="www.youtube.com"></iframe></div> <p>Meanwhile, the Switch 2 version of Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack will include <a data-i13n="cpos:16;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-nintendo-switch-2-will-play-gamecube-games-141025334.html">a library of GameCube games</a>, such as <em>F-Zero GX</em>, <em>The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker</em> and <em>SoulCalibur II. </em>A version of the GameCube controller will soon be available. And yes, it has a C button for GameChat.</p> <p>In addition, several first-party Switch games will be <a data-i13n="cpos:17;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-announces-upgraded-switch-2-editions-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-and-tears-of-the-kingdom-134039778.html">enhanced on the Switch 2</a> — but only if you shell out for a paid upgrade. These include <em>The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, Super Mario Party Jamboree</em> and <em>Kirby and the Forgotten Land, </em>as well as the upcoming <em>Metroid Prime 4: Beyond </em>and <em>Pokémon Legends: Z-A.</em></p> <div id="b9125f5365ff4d6988a26ee8cc181fe3"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dmDD7JSfhcE?rel=0" style="top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;border:0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" data-embed-domain="www.youtube.com"></iframe></div> <h2 id="jump-link-transitioning-from-the-switch"><strong>Transitioning from the Switch</strong></h2> <p>Players will be able to carry over most of their purchased Switch games, Nintendo Switch Online memberships and so on to the new console thanks to the<a data-i13n="cpos:18;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/youll-be-able-to-play-your-nintendo-switch-games-on-its-successor-045657774.html"> Switch 2&#39;s backward compatibility.</a> A new system that will also be available on the upcoming hybrid aims to make it easier for people to lend digital Switch games to friends and family but, as is<a data-i13n="cpos:19;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/2017-09-13-nintendo-switch-voice-chat-app.html"> so often</a> the case with Nintendo, the company made things<a data-i13n="cpos:20;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendos-digital-switch-game-sharing-plan-could-be-so-much-simpler-190353732.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&amp;utm_medium=bluesky"> more complicated than they ought to be</a>.</p> <p>Thankfully, Nintendo is looking to make it easy to transition from a Switch to a Switch 2. You&#39;ll be able to transfer your games, save data and so on directly to the new console.</p> <p>A <a data-i13n="cpos:21;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-lets-switch-2-players-share-their-games-132431186.html">GameShare feature</a> will allow people to play the same Switch 2 game locally on multiple systems without having to purchase it more than once. That&#39;s a really nice quality of life upgrade for families and friends who like to play games together. Switch 2 owners can invite those using a Switch to play GameShare titles with them too. On the downside, GameShare will only be available for select games, including <em>Super Mario Odyssey </em>for those who really want to play as Kappy on their own device. Naturally, it&#39;ll also work on some Switch 2-exclusive games</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-nintendo-switch-2-arrives-on-june-5-at-450-140642208.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>After months of anticipation and years of speculation, Nintendo is finally spilling all the beans about the Switch 2. In a Nintendo Direct presentation, the company is filling in questions we've had about the console since it was first officially revealed in a short teaser <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:1;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-is-official-with-more-details-coming-on-april-2-2025-131325484.html">this past January</a>.</p> <h2 id="jump-link-switch-2-launch-date-and-pricing">Switch 2 launch date and pricing</h2> <p>We finally know when the console will be available: June 5, 2025. It'll cost $450 at launch, and pre-orders start on April 9.</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><figure><img src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/9b12f780-0fc9-11f0-affb-1aa479d1cdab" data-crop-orig-src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/9b12f780-0fc9-11f0-affb-1aa479d1cdab" style="height:1080px;width:1920px;" alt="Switch versus Switch 2" data-uuid="bd3218dc-e89a-37d5-b815-f90f5648b813"><figcaption></figcaption></figure> <h2 id="jump-link-switch-2-hardware">Switch 2 hardware</h2> <p>The Switch 2 console has the same thickness but has a much larger display — 7.9 inches at a 1080p resolution, versus the 6.2-inch 720p screen on the old console. And it runs at up to 120fps. It is an LCD display, rather than OLED, but it supports HDR at least.&nbsp;</p> <p>As expected, the new Joy-Con controllers attach magnetically and have much bigger SL and SR buttons for when you're playing on a single Joy-Con controller. The sticks are also bigger, and each Joy-Con can be used as a mouse on compatible games.&nbsp;</p> <p>The built-in stand looks much better than the ones on older Switch systems, and there are two USB-C ports on the console as well. Nintendo also highlighted 3D audio when using compatible headphones, and the speakers on the console itself should be a lot better as well. The console has 256GB of storage, far surpassing the 32GB on the original model. The Switch 2 dock outputs at up to 4K with compatible games and the dock has a built-in fan to keep things cool when running at higher resolutions.</p> <figure><img src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/f873cd60-0fc8-11f0-bf9e-e35b4afb496c" data-crop-orig-src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/f873cd60-0fc8-11f0-bf9e-e35b4afb496c" style="height:720px;width:1280px;" alt="Switch 2 dock" data-uuid="d54d6391-0712-357e-88f4-922d9e584519"><figcaption></figcaption></figure> <p>Switch 2 is using similar game cards to the original Switch, but Nintendo notes that they're faster; you'll have to use microSD Express cards for extra storage this time though. Standard microSD ones won't be compatible with the new hardware.</p> <p>A new Nintendo Switch 2 Pro controller will also be available with the C button to activate GameChat, and it also has GL and GR buttons on the back that you can assign to any specific actions. There's also a headphone jack, too.</p> <p>One of the most important specs on a portable console is battery life — and unfortunately, the Switch 2 might not be great in that department. Nintendo's spec sheet says it is <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:2;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.nintendo.co.jp/corporate/release/en/2025/250402.html">rated between 2 and 6.5 hours of gameplay</a>, depending of course on the game. Even the original Switch promised a slightly better 2.5 to 6.5 hours of battery life. Either way, it's far beyond what the current Switch models offer. As for networking, the Switch 2 has been upgraded to Wi-Fi 6.</p> <h2 id="jump-link-voice-and-video-chat">Voice and video chat</h2> <p>The first new feature Nintendo highlighted on its updated Joy-Con controllers was the C button. The C button lets you enter the new GameChat features. You can voice chat while playing using a built-in microphone, even when the console is docked. It's the first time that a Nintendo system has had voice chat, and you can also share your game screen with friends as you play as well. For example, in Mario Kart this gives you more of a feel like you're all playing connected to a TV even though you're remote, because you can see everything that your friends are doing as well.&nbsp;</p> <p>And the chat and screen-share features work even if you're all playing different games, so you can just get a group together to hang out while playing different titles. There's also a Switch 2 camera that enables video chat that'll show you on screen while you're playing. These features will require a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, but Nintendo will offer it for free to everyone until March 31, 2026.</p> <figure><img src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/d88a6630-0fc8-11f0-a7ff-68c73caffd1d" data-crop-orig-src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/d88a6630-0fc8-11f0-a7ff-68c73caffd1d" style="height:720px;width:1280px;" alt="Mario Kart World" data-uuid="9c4c38ca-485a-328a-9a02-a912458d379c"><figcaption></figcaption></figure> <h2 id="jump-link-mario-kart-world">Mario Kart World</h2> <p>As expected, we're finally getting a new entry in the venerable Mario Kart series, <em>Mario Kart World.</em> It looks looks familiar while also showing off some wild new tricks, like skateboard-style grinds on rails and wall jumps. The courses also look much larger and wider than any we've ever seen before. For the first time, it looks like there's an open world connecting all the various courses, and weather and time of day will change.</p> <p>Nintendo also says that you can go off-course and drive "virtually everywhere." And fitting those huge tracks, the Grand Prix will have 24 competitors in one race. Overall, it's a massive update which feels appropriate — the last Mario Kart game arrived way back in 2014 for the Wii U and was updated for the original Switch. It'll be out the same day as the Switch 2, June 5.</p> <h2 id="jump-link-other-games-coming-to-switch-2">Other games coming to Switch 2</h2> <p>Nintendo ran down a handful of other games coming to the Switch 2, including <em>Eldin Ring: Tarnished Edition</em>, a new title called <em>Drag x Drive</em> that uses the Switch 2 mouse controls in what looks like an extreme wheelchair sporting event, <em>Hades II, Street Fighter 6, Split Fiction, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 +4, Hitman: World of Assassination </em>and<em> Daemon x Machina.</em></p> <p>Nintendo is also working on <em>Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment</em>, which will be out this winter; it's being developed in with Koei Techmo games and will have the same combat-focused vibes as other Dynasty Warrior-style titles.</p> <p>From Software is also releasing a new game exclusively for the Switch 2 called <em>The Duskbloods</em> in 2026. It feels a <em>lot</em> like <em>Bloodbourne</em> at first glance.</p> <p>Perhaps the biggest first-party game to be revealed today besides <em>Mario Kart World</em> is a new 3D platformer starring Donkey Kong: <em>Donkey Kong Bananza. </em>It definitely has similar vibes to 3D Mario adventures, but in a totally new context.</p> <p>There's a laundry list of games that were mentioned today; Nintendo has helpfully pulled them together in this <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:3;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250402229347/en/Nintendo-Switch-2-Launches-June-5-at-%24449.99-Bringing-New-Forms-of-Game-Communication-to-Life">press release</a>.</p> <p>Finally, Nintendo has announced that the Switch Online service will host another classic console, the GameCube. The initial game library includes <em>The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, F-Zero GX</em> and <em>SOULCALIBUR II</em>. For the first time on Nintendo's classic consoles through the Switch Online service, GameCube games will run at higher resolutions than the original titles.</p> <h2 id="jump-link-nintendo-switch-2-edition-games">Nintendo Switch 2 edition games</h2> <p>In addition to games expressly designed for the Switch 2, Nintendo will also be releasing a "Switch 2 edition" for selected titles, like <em>The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild</em> and <em>Tears of the Kingdom. </em>Those titles will have improved resolutions and frame rates as well as new features that'll show up in a companion smartphone app. Nintendo didn't say how much these upgrades would cost yet.</p> <p><em>Kirby and the Forgotten Land</em> is also getting a Switch 2 edition that adds an additional world to explore, while <em>Metroid Prime 4: Beyond</em> will have both a Switch and Switch 2 edition; the Switch 2 edition can run in 4K at 60fps or up to 120fps at a lower resolution.</p> <p></p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-everything-announced-including-a-new-mario-kart-game-new-switch-features-and-more-133105264.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>In 2002, Microsoft launched Xbox Live with built-in voice chat as one of the main selling points of the then new service. Now, nearly 25 years later, Nintendo is finally giving its fans an easy way to talk to their friends online over a friendly match of <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/mario-kart-world-headed-to-switch-2-with-24-player-races-and-an-80-price-tag-134117599.html"><em>Mario Kart World</em></a>.</p> <p>Considering some of the solutions Nintendo has <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/2017-06-01-nintendo-switch-splatoon-2-chat-headset-dreams-of-wires.html"><ins>offered in the past</ins></a>, GameChat is surprisingly elegant. A tap of the <a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-everything-announced-including-a-new-mario-kart-game-new-switch-features-and-more-133105264.html">Switch 2</a>&#39;s new C button, conveniently located below the Home button on the right Joy-Con, brings up a dedicated interface that allows you to quickly start screensharing, mute and unmute your mic and, if you decide to buy the optional <a data-i13n="cpos:4;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-official-switch-2-accessories-include-a-camera-a-gamecube-controller-and-more-173912613.html"><ins>Switch 2 Camera</ins></a>, enable video.</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><p>What&#39;s more, the Switch 2 has a built-in mic. We&#39;ll need to test the handheld to see how well the microphone performs in a noisy environment; Nintendo touted its noise-reduction features in today&#39;s introduction. But if nothing else, kudos to Nintendo for realizing it couldn&#39;t release a new console in 2025 without voice chat built-in and making that feature standard on all models.</p> <div id="f5aa3e5f69c34aa3a510d80f13af8742"><div style="left:0;width:100%;height:0;position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fVjRBTy5irI?rel=0" style="top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;border:0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" data-embed-domain="www.youtube.com"></iframe></div></div> <p>However, if the demo Nintendo showed off today is any indication of the final product, the company has some work to do. Voice chat looks like it works well enough, with users allowed to invite up to 11 other people to join their conversation. That said, screen sharing and video chat look very rough.&nbsp;</p> <p>When everyone in the video started streaming their gameplay, it looked like the games were running at less than 30 frames per second, making it difficult to see how it would be possible to use the feature to guide a friend through a tricky section, like Nintendo suggested in the demo. Video chat was equally janky, with the footage from the Switch 2 Camera looking like something captured by a webcam from the mid-aughts. Moreover, if you want to see your friend&#39;s screen, there&#39;s an additional tradeoff.&nbsp;</p> <p>Nintendo showed off three different interface options, with two of them devoting a fair amount of screen space to tiles for your friends. I imagine this won&#39;t be a problem if you&#39;re playing on a TV, but even on the Switch 2&#39;s large 7.9-inch screen, the interface looks like it could get cramped fast.</p> <p>To Nintendo&#39;s credit, the company has thought a lot about parental controls, with features that allow parents and guardians to decide who their kids can chat with online and if they can join a session with video. But the thing is none of GameChat’s capabilities are new. They&#39;ve existed in apps like Discord for years, which begs the question why some of them look so rough this close to launch.</p> <p>Nintendo has time between now and June 5 to polish GameChat, but in 2025, making a technically competent chat app shouldn&#39;t be so hard. Of course, I imagine most of the Switch 2&#39;s audience won&#39;t care if some of GameChat&#39;s features are half-baked. For the rest of us, the company plans to offer the feature for free until the end of March 2026. One would hope that&#39;s enough time for the company to catch up on two decades worth of progress in online gaming.</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/gamechat-is-decades-late-and-looks-pretty-janky-202309823.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>Sonos has given two of its audio products price cuts. The Era 100 smart speaker and Ray soundbar now retail for $199. The change offers new customers a $50 savings for the Era 100 and $80 on the Ray. Both speakers would frequently show up on sale, but Sonos has confirmed that this is a permanent pricing change for the products.</p> <p>These items have been available for a few years, so the price drop might signal that a refresh is in store for both. When it <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:1;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.engadget.com/sonos-era-100-review-affordable-multi-room-audio-that-actually-sounds-good-130007717.html"><ins>debuted</ins></a> in 2023, the Era 100 was an upgrade on the Sonos One, bringing overhauled touch controls and even better audio quality to the same cylindrical form factor. At $200, it's now selling for what the Sonos One cost, making it a solid choice for a home speaker. The Ray <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:2;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.engadget.com/sonos-ray-soundbar-review-130050814-130050448.html"><ins>came out</ins></a> in 2022, offering a solid home theater performance without the most high-end audio or accompanying high-end price tag.&nbsp;</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span> <p> <core-commerce id="6d12f8f50733406fab5c46bab64fd7a9" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.sonos.com/en-us/shop/era-100-black"></core-commerce></p> <p> <core-commerce id="e06eb147c1764e729104418807860f3f" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.sonos.com/en-us/shop/ray-black"></core-commerce></p> <p></p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/sonos-cut-retail-prices-for-its-era-100-speaker-and-ray-soundbar-201049055.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>It seems fitting that Nintendo didn’t reveal the <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-everything-announced-including-a-new-mario-kart-game-new-switch-features-and-more-133105264.html">Switch 2’s</a> $450 price during its Direct stream this morning — it would have just bummed everyone out. After <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-direct-live-coverage-all-of-the-details-around-the-companys-latest-console-100044216.html">spending an hour</a> hearing about how the Switch 2 practically fixes almost every problem we had with the original console, and seeing teasers for exciting games like <em>Mario Kart World</em>, why spoil the good vibes with the harsh reality of market economics? Instead, Nintendo revealed the console’s price in the lowliest of media communications: A simple press release.</p> <p>My first reaction was shock. $450 for a mostly portable console? That’s the same retail price as the PlayStation 5, a system that’s also currently on sale for $400 together with <em>Astro-Bot</em>. Sure, the Switch 2 is vastly superior to the original Switch, but it likely doesn’t have PS5-level hardware. The price jump is also surprising since the original Switch launched at $300 in 2017. Can you imagine we thought the <a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/nintendo-switch-oled-review-130025998-130025862.html">$350 Switch OLED </a>was too high-priced?</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><p>Unfortunately, it’s not 2017. NVIDIA now has mid-range GPUs selling for upwards of $600, the cost of almost every product has gone up, and massive companies like Nintendo are bracing for the potential impact of the <a data-i13n="cpos:4;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/trumps-tariffs-on-mexico-canada-and-china-could-drive-up-prices-of-cars-electronics-fuel-food-and-more-172823156.html">Trump administration’s long-threatened tariffs</a>.</p> <p>A $450 Switch 2 is expensive, I’m not denying that. But in the current economic landscape, I would hesitate to call it too expensive.</p> <figure><img src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/233a9740-0f2e-11f0-b5fa-ed287a132d82" data-crop-orig-src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/233a9740-0f2e-11f0-b5fa-ed287a132d82" style="height:1150px;width:2500px;" alt="Nintendo Switch 2" data-uuid="aa777b7a-0832-3866-a6cd-186cf7114493"><figcaption></figcaption><div class="photo-credit">Nintendo</div></figure> <p>Consider this: The Switch 2 is just $50 more than the cheapest Steam Deck, a portable PC gaming handheld with significantly slower hardware, a smaller and lower quality (7-inch, 1280 by 800, 60Hz) screen, and a much bulkier frame. The Switch 2, meanwhile, is just as thin as the original model, it has a 7.9-inch 1080p screen that can run up to 120fps with HDR, and it’s powerful enough to play games at up to 4K/60fps while docked. Based on the games we’ve seen so far, the Switch 2 seems surprisingly powerful for its size.</p> <p>The Switch 2 also improves on its controls with the Joy-Con 2, which now magnetically attach to the consoles, feature larger analog sticks and can also work as mice across a variety of services. You won’t be removing the Steam Deck’s controls without the use of a small saw. And I’ve yet to see a handheld PC maker deliver removable controls that are as comfortable and easy to use as the original Switch (<a data-i13n="cpos:5;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/lenovo-legion-go-review-the-xl-alternative-to-the-steam-deck-141522230.html">that means you, Lenovo</a>). Nintendo’s original Joy-Con were far from perfect, but they did the job, and I’d wager the company has learned enough to make the Joy-Con 2f even better.</p> <figure><img src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/fe5a4ed0-0ff9-11f0-a75b-1d021979f927" data-crop-orig-src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/fe5a4ed0-0ff9-11f0-a75b-1d021979f927" style="height:2160px;width:3840px;" alt="Nintendo Switch 2" data-uuid="1cf9db40-d549-39d9-be66-8f755cb94da5"><figcaption></figcaption><div class="photo-credit">Nintendo</div></figure> <p>And while you can technically dock other PC gaming handhelds, they won’t see the performance upgrade Nintendo is claiming with the Switch 2. The company says its new console can reach up to 4K/60fps for some titles, thanks to an additional fan in the dock. We don’t know exactly what’s powering the Switch 2 yet, so Nintendo could be drastically overselling its capabilities. But given how seamless docking worked on the first Switch (where it also delivered a bit of a performance upgrade, sans an additional fan), it’s also something I think Nintendo has optimized more than PC companies, who are only just now dipping their toes into portable gaming.</p> <p>Maybe I’m just trying to justify my own purchases (I just realized I’ll probably need a second Switch 2 for my kid), but I just can’t get too angry about a $450 Switch 2. If we see many more $80 games like <em>Mario Kart World</em>, though, we should absolutely riot in the streets.</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/is-the-450-nintendo-switch-2-too-expensive-195750206.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>The Nintendo Switch 2 <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-nintendo-switch-2-arrives-on-june-5-at-450-140642208.html">had its big debut</a> on Wednesday, and the new console looks to be a sizable, if mostly straightforward, upgrade over its mega-popular predecessor. Tucked between the <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/donkey-kong-bananza-is-a-brand-new-3d-platformer-for-switch-2-143108835.html">new<em> Donkey Kong</em></a> and (pricier) <a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/mario-kart-world-features-24-player-races-off-roading-and-sick-grinds-134117381.html"><em>Mario Kart </em>games</a>, <a data-i13n="cpos:4;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-switch-2s-joy-cons-can-double-as-mouse-like-controllers-133355339.html">mouse mode</a> and <a data-i13n="cpos:5;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-nintendo-switch-2-offers-built-in-voice-chat-and-screensharing-133334225.html">overhauled party chat</a> features, though, was another significant update: The device supports faster microSD Express cards. This may not be the sexiest feature, but it should bring quicker load times and generally improved storage performance to the upcoming handheld. The company briefly showed new 256GB cards from Samsung and SanDisk during its presentation, complete with Mario logos printed on.</p> <p>However, the news came with a major caveat: The console is <em>only</em> compatible with microSD Express. The cards most people use today — which are based on the older <a data-i13n="cpos:6;pos:1" href="https://www.sdcard.org/developers/sd-standard-overview/bus-speed-default-speed-high-speed-uhs-sd-express/">UHS-I bus interface</a> — will only work for loading videos and screenshots from an original Switch, not playing games, according to <a data-i13n="cpos:7;pos:1" href="https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/68425/kw/switch%202">Nintendo’s support site</a>. Nintendo says this <a data-i13n="cpos:8;pos:1" href="https://www.nintendo.com/us/whatsnew/ask-the-developer-vol-16-nintendo-switch-2-part-2/">restriction is necessary</a> to preserve the Switch 2’s performance upgrades, and it’s worth noting that the console itself comes with a much more generous 256GB of space by default. But if you ever need to expand the device’s storage, this change will likely make doing so cost extra, while drastically shrinking the options you have to choose from.</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span> <figure> <img src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-02/eccbf260-edbf-11ef-affa-6baa4f7c8a62" data-crop-orig-src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-02/eccbf260-edbf-11ef-affa-6baa4f7c8a62" style="height:1125px;width:2000px;" alt="A standard UHS-I microSD card and an SD Express card rest face down on a brown wooden board, showing how the latter includes a second row of pins to improve performance." data-uuid="bbf91fd7-738d-39c7-9fbb-a7fc399ba50e"> <figcaption> Unlike traditional UHS-I cards, a microSD Express card like the SanDisk model on the right comes with a second row of pins on the back. </figcaption> <div class="photo-credit"> Jeff Dunn for Engadget </div> </figure> <h2 id="jump-link-what-are-microsd-express-cards">What are microSD Express cards?</h2> <p>SD Express is a relatively recent but seldom-used standard that lets SD cards take advantage of the NVMe protocol and PCIe interface, which is the underlying tech used by SSDs. A microSD Express card has a second row of “pins” on its back and can utilize a single lane’s worth of PCIe bandwidth. As a result, it can produce dramatically faster read and write speeds than its UHS-I counterparts. Whereas the latter advertise sequential transfer rates up to 104 megabytes per second (MB/s), microSD Express cards have a theoretical maximum of 985 MB/s.</p> <p>That’s far behind the NVMe SSDs used <a data-i13n="cpos:9;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/best-ps5-ssd-expansion-upgrade-150052315.html">by the PlayStation 5</a> and Xbox Series X, but in theory, it makes Express cards faster than some <a data-i13n="cpos:10;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-ssds-140014262.html">older SATA-based SSDs</a> when it comes to loading game levels, retrieving saves or copying games to the external storage. It’s worth noting that many UHS-I microSD cards can exceed the 104 MB/s limit with proprietary card readers, but they still fall well short of microSD Express levels even with those. The same goes for speedier UHS-II cards, which are mostly used by professional types with select cameras and PCs and max out at 312 MB/s. (There’s also a UHS-III interface, but nobody uses it. Getting all of this?)</p> <p>Prior to Wednesday, the only reliably available microSD Express card we could find was <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:SanDisk;elmt:;cpos:11;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=f45797c5-bae4-4ba9-9419-9454e07b099d&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=8d472849-bb33-4495-b377-11b61c366141&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=SanDisk&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3Nob3Auc2FuZGlzay5jb20vcHJvZHVjdHMvbWVtb3J5LWNhcmRzL21pY3Jvc2QtY2FyZHMvc2FuZGlzay1taWNyb3NkLWV4cHJlc3MtbWVtb3J5LWNhcmQ_c2t1PVNEU1FYRk4tMTI4Ry1HTjROTiIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiOGQ0NzI4NDktYmIzMy00NDk1LWIzNzctMTFiNjFjMzY2MTQxIiwib3JpZ2luYWxVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3Nob3Auc2FuZGlzay5jb20vcHJvZHVjdHMvbWVtb3J5LWNhcmRzL21pY3Jvc2QtY2FyZHMvc2FuZGlzay1taWNyb3NkLWV4cHJlc3MtbWVtb3J5LWNhcmQ_c2t1PVNEU1FYRk4tMTI4Ry1HTjROTiJ9&amp;signature=AQAAAcSQaGVVUpqehPxNgidufpEZOr403FJu14shP0GTs0VE&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fshop.sandisk.com%2Fproducts%2Fmemory-cards%2Fmicrosd-cards%2Fsandisk-microsd-express-memory-card%3Fsku%3DSDSQXFN-128G-GN4NN" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://shop.sandisk.com/products/memory-cards/microsd-cards/sandisk-microsd-express-memory-card?sku=SDSQXFN-128G-GN4NN">this model from SanDisk</a>. We recently tested it for our <a data-i13n="cpos:12;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-microsd-card-130038282.html">microSD card buying guide</a>, and the upgrade was pretty dramatic. In the synthetic benchmark <a data-i13n="cpos:13;pos:1" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CrystalDiskMark">CrystalDiskMark</a>, the SanDisk card achieved sequential reads up to 899.12 MB/s and sequential writes up to 650.41 MB/s. For comparison, the absolute fastest UHS-I card we’ve tested (<a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:14;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=8d472849-bb33-4495-b377-11b61c366141&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=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&amp;signature=AQAAASigbOgetQ1TmzbYN1cWu-TBUSlvVBRap6DxXvy3Mmye&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FLexar-Professional-microSDXC-Videographers-LMSSIPL256G-BNANU%2Fdp%2FB0D4CDCVNY%2F" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/Lexar-Professional-microSDXC-Videographers-LMSSIPL256G-BNANU/dp/B0D4CDCVNY/?th=1">Lexar’s Professional Silver Plus</a>) topped out at 209.25 MB/s for reads and 193.93 MB/s for writes — so, three to four times slower.</p> <p>In one of our “real-world” tests, the SanDisk Express card took an average of 20 seconds to move a 12GB folder containing various file types and subfolders to a PC and 52 seconds to write the folder back to the card. The Lexar card averaged 67 and 76 seconds, respectively. The gulf in random speeds — which measure how quickly a card can read and write small bits of data scattered throughout a device and tend to be particularly important for gaming — was similarly large, and in some benchmarks even greater.</p> <figure> <img src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/7fe44350-0ff7-11f0-bde5-33c7b2d2965f" data-crop-orig-src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-02/fd323570-edbe-11ef-bded-fbcd616230e9" style="height:800px;width:1419px;" alt="The SanDisk microSD Express Card rests against a yellow background." data-uuid="86ee1f43-3a2d-3273-b531-6cfb002ad162" data-crop="height:800;width:1419;x:277;y:175"> <figcaption> SanDisk's microSD Express card is one of the (very) few options you can actually buy today. </figcaption> <div class="photo-credit"> Jeff Dunn for Engadget </div> </figure> <p>Nintendo has not provided any official transfer speed ratings for the new console just yet, but all of this suggests that the Switch 2’s storage <em>should be</em> much faster than before, even if it’s not on par with the speeds of a PS5 or Xbox Series X. It’s also possible that, like those other consoles, the Switch 2 has hardware dedicated to decompressing files, which could make the real-world improvements over the original Switch’s storage performance even greater. (We’ve reached out to Nintendo and will update this post if we receive any further details.)</p> <p>The original SD Express standard <a data-i13n="cpos:15;pos:1" href="https://www.sdcard.org/press/thoughtleadership/five-years-of-sd-express-a-milestone-of-innovation/">was released</a> in 2018, but the tech has mostly gone nowhere in the years since. There’s been the SanDisk card noted above, a full-size <a data-i13n="cpos:16;pos:1" href="https://www.adata.com/us/consumer/category/memory-cards/memory-cards-Premier-Extreme-SDXC-SD7-Express/">SD card</a> from ADATA and not much else. Previously, <a data-i13n="cpos:17;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/samsungs-new-microsd-card-is-faster-than-some-ssds-191251687.html">Samsung</a> and <a data-i13n="cpos:18;pos:1" href="https://www.dpreview.com/news/5172631431/lexar-developing-sd-express-microsd-express-format-not-currently-supported-by-any-camera">Lexar</a> announced microSD Express cards that wound up missing their original release windows — though Samsung’s card may just be the same one unveiled today, and Lexar did release a <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:19;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=8d472849-bb33-4495-b377-11b61c366141&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=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&amp;signature=AQAAAfOK3_Kg99Vv0YC2aQ-IbRgHPypr6oRj5lM3TCrgJQfY&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FLexar-microSDXC-Express-Nintendo-Switch-LMSXPS0256G-BNNNU%2Fdp%2FB0DYB7ZGR3%2F" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/Lexar-microSDXC-Express-Nintendo-Switch-LMSXPS0256G-BNNNU/dp/B0DYB7ZGR3/?th=1">new “Play Pro” microSD Express card</a> on Wednesday.</p> <p>Host devices that support the standard, which are required to even see any improved speeds, have been highly uncommon over the same time frame. (If you put a microSD Express card in a device that <em>doesn’t </em>support the underlying tech, such as the original Switch, it’ll be limited to standard UHS-I speeds.) And while <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:SanDisk;elmt:;cpos:20;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=f45797c5-bae4-4ba9-9419-9454e07b099d&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=8d472849-bb33-4495-b377-11b61c366141&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=SanDisk&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3Nob3Auc2FuZGlzay5jb20vcHJvZHVjdHMvYWNjZXNzb3JpZXMvbWVtb3J5LWNhcmQtcmVhZGVycy9zYW5kaXNrLXByby1yZWFkZXItc2QtZXhwcmVzcy1kdWFsLWNhcmQ_c2t1PVNERFItQTQ1MS1HTlBOTiIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiOGQ0NzI4NDktYmIzMy00NDk1LWIzNzctMTFiNjFjMzY2MTQxIiwib3JpZ2luYWxVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3Nob3Auc2FuZGlzay5jb20vcHJvZHVjdHMvYWNjZXNzb3JpZXMvbWVtb3J5LWNhcmQtcmVhZGVycy9zYW5kaXNrLXByby1yZWFkZXItc2QtZXhwcmVzcy1kdWFsLWNhcmQ_c2t1PVNERFItQTQ1MS1HTlBOTiJ9&amp;signature=AQAAARiQ5El4vAxjE7CQ4jeGxKtvFsZhZV0eWmGlA_5bTha4&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fshop.sandisk.com%2Fproducts%2Faccessories%2Fmemory-card-readers%2Fsandisk-pro-reader-sd-express-dual-card%3Fsku%3DSDDR-A451-GNPNN" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://shop.sandisk.com/products/accessories/memory-card-readers/sandisk-pro-reader-sd-express-dual-card?sku=SDDR-A451-GNPNN">compatible card readers</a> can deliver the faster transfer rates on certain PCs, they aren’t cheap, so at that point most people have been better off buying a <a data-i13n="cpos:21;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-portable-ssd-120043652.html">faster external SSD</a>.</p> <p>The <a data-i13n="cpos:22;pos:1" href="https://www.sdcard.org/">SD Association</a> pointed us to a <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:LinkedIn;elmt:;cpos:23;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=6deefbf2-941b-4156-9f41-a61ebb50d13d&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=8d472849-bb33-4495-b377-11b61c366141&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=LinkedIn&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5saW5rZWRpbi5jb20vZmVlZC91cGRhdGUvdXJuOmxpOmFjdGl2aXR5OjcyMjczNTU2NDE1NDYxODI2NTYvIiwiY29udGVudFV1aWQiOiI4ZDQ3Mjg0OS1iYjMzLTQ0OTUtYjM3Ny0xMWI2MWMzNjYxNDEiLCJvcmlnaW5hbFVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmxpbmtlZGluLmNvbS9mZWVkL3VwZGF0ZS91cm46bGk6YWN0aXZpdHk6NzIyNzM1NTY0MTU0NjE4MjY1Ni8ifQ&amp;signature=AQAAAWc-ta3i5uAuc8otW3OZHJ-TE70NoDdsNr0KOqVlthUS&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Ffeed%2Fupdate%2Furn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7227355641546182656%2F" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7227355641546182656/">LinkedIn page</a> (!) with other compatible devices when reached for comment, but the pickings are still slim, and very few of those support <em>microSD</em> Express cards specifically. The Switch 2 is by far the highest-profile device to embrace the standard, so it could be the thing that finally takes these cards from “cool idea” to “useful niche.”</p> <figure> <img src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/a0d185f0-0ff7-11f0-bfce-08c437847cdf" data-crop-orig-src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/a0d185f0-0ff7-11f0-bfce-08c437847cdf" style="height:1080px;width:1920px;" alt="A screenshot of Samsung and SanDisk microSD Express cards advertised by Nintendo during its Switch 2 reveal video." data-uuid="5f926468-895c-3d7c-adf4-d8080c635562"> <figcaption> The Samsung and SanDisk microSD Express cards Nintendo quickly teased during its Switch 2 unveiling on Wednesday. </figcaption> <div class="photo-credit"> Nintendo </div> </figure> <h2 id="jump-link-questions-of-price-and-heat">Questions of price and heat</h2> <p>That said, there are multiple reasons why SD Express has failed to take off before this week, and it remains to be seen whether the Switch 2 will truly fix them. First and foremost is price. We’ve reached out to SanDisk and Samsung for confirmation, but for now we don’t know how much the microSD Express cards that Nintendo has teased will cost. If the couple other Express models available today are any indication, though, they’re likely to be much more expensive than the conventional cards you may have bought for the previous Switch.</p> <p>SanDisk’s Express card, for instance, costs $45 for a 128GB model and $60 for the 256GB version. The 256GB Lexar Play Pro is $10 cheaper, but its 512GB and 1TB versions cost a whopping $100 and $200, respectively. For reference, <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Samsung Electronics;elmt:;cpos:24;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=f85e63cd-e13c-4f9d-991c-9fbaadede3ac&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=8d472849-bb33-4495-b377-11b61c366141&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Samsung+Electronics&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5zYW1zdW5nLmNvbS91cy9jb21wdXRpbmcvbWVtb3J5LXN0b3JhZ2UvbWVtb3J5LWNhcmRzL3Byby1wbHVzLWFkYXB0ZXItbWljcm9zZHhjLTF0Yi1tYi1tZDF0MHNhLWFtLyIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiOGQ0NzI4NDktYmIzMy00NDk1LWIzNzctMTFiNjFjMzY2MTQxIiwib3JpZ2luYWxVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5zYW1zdW5nLmNvbS91cy9jb21wdXRpbmcvbWVtb3J5LXN0b3JhZ2UvbWVtb3J5LWNhcmRzL3Byby1wbHVzLWFkYXB0ZXItbWljcm9zZHhjLTF0Yi1tYi1tZDF0MHNhLWFtLyJ9&amp;signature=AQAAAQCfZnnnw7cq95y3Z2ygH0qddJi1a44GEt60jNK-s_2_&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.samsung.com%2Fus%2Fcomputing%2Fmemory-storage%2Fmemory-cards%2Fpro-plus-adapter-microsdxc-1tb-mb-md1t0sa-am%2F" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.samsung.com/us/computing/memory-storage/memory-cards/pro-plus-adapter-microsdxc-1tb-mb-md1t0sa-am/">Samsung’s Pro Plus</a> — another UHS-I card we recommend in our buying guide — costs $17 for 128GB, $23 for 256GB, $38 for 512GB and $80 for 1TB as of this writing. That’s a huge difference.&nbsp;</p> <p>What’s more, the Play Pro is the only purchasable microSD Express card we’ve seen thus far that even supports capacities greater than 256GB. <a data-i13n="cpos:25;pos:1" href="https://www.nintendo.co.jp/corporate/release/en/2025/250402.html">Nintendo says</a> the console can support up to 2TB of external storage, but no Express card with that capacity appears to exist yet. The Switch 2 will be one of the first mainstream devices to truly push SD Express in earnest, so we’d expect it’ll drive prices down and increase competition over time. But how quickly, and by how much, remains up in the air.</p> <figure> <img src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/f965c320-0ff7-11f0-bfe3-b6773b534a9b" data-crop-orig-src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/f965c320-0ff7-11f0-bfe3-b6773b534a9b" style="height:1080px;width:1920px;" alt="The Nintendo Switch 2 game console being held up in the air, with the Switch 2 logo on its screen." data-uuid="e492e344-3d2b-343c-97a6-23ff36c5ae7e"> <figcaption></figcaption> <div class="photo-credit"> Nintendo </div> </figure> <p>The other concern relates to thermal management. MicroSD Express cards can pump out significantly faster transfer speeds, but they’re still working with tiny little frames that don’t leave much room to dissipate heat. When we tested SanDisk’s microSD Express model for our guide, we noticed that it slowed down under longer, more sustained loads — not enough to fall behind than UHS-I cards, but still below its peak by a few hundred MB/s.</p> <p>The SD Express spec does have mechanisms for keeping heat in check, and manufacturers like SanDisk advertise similar protections. Nintendo presumably has come up with ways to further avoid severe throttling with the Switch 2. (We already know that the new dock comes with a cooling fan built in, for instance.) But it’ll be something to keep an eye on once we can move large game files around the device.</p> <p>In a <a data-i13n="cpos:26;pos:1" href="https://www.nintendo.com/us/whatsnew/ask-the-developer-vol-16-nintendo-switch-2-part-2/">developer Q&amp;A posted</a> to Nintendo’s website on Wednesday, Switch 2 producer Kouichi Kawamoto notes that the move to microSD Express will help the console’s performance hold up better in the long-term. With the new <em>Mario Kart World</em>, for instance, he says the faster transfer speeds will help make far-off destinations in the game’s open world visible faster. He also notes that Switch 2 games will have larger file sizes, but that he “doubt[s] most people will need a microSD Express card immediately after buying the system” thanks to the Switch 2’s larger built-in capacity.</p> <p>Hopefully that’s the case. It’d be unfair to call this a PlayStation Vita situation, as that portable console <a data-i13n="cpos:27;pos:1" href="https://gamerant.com/ps-vita-propietary-memory-why/">relied solely</a> on proprietary memory cards, and the Switch 2 will support options from several third-party manufacturers. But as it stands now, storage upgrades for the new console look like they’ll be much pricier and more limited to start. And just how much of an advantage the new tech provides is something we won’t know until the <a data-i13n="cpos:28;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/how-to-pre-order-the-nintendo-switch-2-140931639.html">console arrives in June</a>.</p> <p> <core-commerce id="63e5bfa4221048ba9537e8954cce9c01" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.nintendo.com/us/gaming-systems/switch-2/how-to-buy/"></core-commerce></p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-nintendo-switch-2-promises-major-storage-upgrades-but-itll-cost-you-193758964.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>Hear me out. I too rolled my eyes when <em>A Minecraft Movie</em> was announced. We&#39;re all tired of seeing Jack Black in video game movies — he was <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/super-mario-bros-movie-review-fun-safe-romp-135146207.html#:~:text=Super%20Mario%20Bros.%20is%20an,comedic%20stylings%20of%20Jack%20Black).">fine in <em>Super Mario Bros.</em></a>, but good god <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-borderlands-movie-is-an-astounding-waste-of-potential-160032875.html"><em>Borderlands</em> was a disaster</a>. And the Minecraft film&#39;s trailers did it no favors, another soulless movie produced on a virtual set about a game that&#39;s completely open-ended and plotless. But it turns out <em>A Minecraft Movie</em> is actually good.</p> <p>Honestly, I&#39;m as surprised as you are.</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><p><em>A Minecraft Movie</em> isn&#39;t exactly groundbreaking, to be clear. It certainly never reaches the heights of <em>The Lego Movie</em>. But it&#39;s surprisingly funny for a children&#39;s movie, and it delivers a decent message about championing creativity in a world that wants to beat down free-thinking non-conformists. And if you were around for the inexplicable <em>Napoleon Dynamite</em> craze of the mid-2000&#39;s, you&#39;ll notice plenty of that film&#39;s quirky sensibility from director Jared Hess.</p> <div id="9a1593f496ce41078999db9678568880"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wJO_vIDZn-I?rel=0" style="top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;border:0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" data-embed-domain="www.youtube.com"></iframe></div> <p>From the beginning, <em>A Minecraft Movie </em>seems well aware of the ridiculousness of its own existence. The story starts off with Jack Black&#39;s Steve (dressed just like the game&#39;s default skin) retelling his obsession with &quot;the mines,&quot; and his inability to go digging while he was a kid. He later grows up, gets a boring office job and remembers his erstwhile calling to make holes in the earth. Once he makes his way into a cave, he stumbles into a portal that brings him to the blocky &quot;Overworld&quot; of the <em>Minecraft</em> universe. It&#39;s classic isekai stuff — the genre of anime where the main character is transported to another (often digital) world.</p> <p>And yes, I know all of this sounds incredibly contrived as I write this, but Black&#39;s zaniness really sells the absurdity of the film. It&#39;s as if he&#39;s saying out loud, &quot;Yes, I know the idea of a <em>Minecraft</em> movie is beyond dumb, but at least you get to spend time with me in classic Jack Black mode!&quot; Now if you&#39;re tired of his schtick, that may be a major knock against the film. But for me, it was a nice reminder of his Tenacious D days.</p> <figure><img src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/1a004520-0fe8-11f0-b9f6-a2b077b3904c" data-crop-orig-src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/1a004520-0fe8-11f0-b9f6-a2b077b3904c" style="height:1024px;width:2000px;" alt="Jack Black in A Minecraft Movie" data-uuid="1af7769b-4050-37c9-8209-5a3e2fde418f"><figcaption></figcaption><div class="photo-credit">Warner Bros.</div></figure> <p>The film eventually focuses on two siblings, Henry (Sebastian Hansen) and Natalie (Emma Myers), who are moving to a small Midwestern town after the death of their mother. Natalie is gearing up for a social media producer role at a local business, while Henry is forced to adapt to a new school. Coincidentally, a former gaming superstar lives in their town, Jason Mamoa&#39;s Garret &quot;The Garbageman&quot; Garrison, who befriends Henry as another outcast. Danielle Brooks&#39; Dawn, a struggling local realtor/mobile zookeeper, ends up taking Natalie under her wing after seeing how much she&#39;s sacrificing for her brother.</p> <p>Inevitably, thanks to a glowing MacGuffin, those four characters also stumble into the same portal that sent Steve to the Overworld. They quickly run into Steve, break their glowing MacGuffin and then head off to find a way to fix it and return home. If any of this sounds boring, don&#39;t worry, it&#39;s not really important. What works best in <em>A Minecraft Movie</em> is the humor and personality Hess stuffs in between the trappings of a big budget Hollywood game adaptation.</p> <figure><img src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/9b20b780-0fe7-11f0-b767-8a1595f64a6c" data-crop-orig-src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/9b20b780-0fe7-11f0-b767-8a1595f64a6c" style="height:787px;width:1400px;" alt="A Minecraft Movie" data-uuid="c4caf9ff-cc47-3767-a162-690ea6158df3"><figcaption></figcaption><div class="photo-credit">Warner Bros.</div></figure> <p>The majority of the film hinges on Jack Black&#39;s persona, but I also enjoyed seeing Jason Mamoa play an egotistical manchild who&#39;s in love with video games. He&#39;s decked out in an absurd wig and hot pink jacket, and Mamoa hams it up just as well as he did <em>Fast X</em>. He&#39;s a jerk at times, but he&#39;s also kind to Henry and clearly doesn&#39;t care what anyone thinks of his personal style. The rest of the cast mostly plays it straight against the force of Black and Mamoa&#39;s personalities, but they each get a few moments to shine.</p> <p>Whenever the core story starts to fall flat, <em>A Minecraft Movie</em> veers into more interesting territory, like a hapless <em>Minecraft </em>villager who stumbles into the real world. For those who don&#39;t play the game, villagers are simple NPC who can&#39;t speak, and often find themselves in danger. I got a kick out of seeing him navigate traffic and have a meet-cute with Jennifer Coolidge&#39;s Vice Principal Marlene, a relationship that gets weirder than you&#39;d think. (Again, it&#39;s like something straight out of <em>Napoleon Dynamite</em>.)</p> <figure><img src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/9b2105a0-0fe7-11f0-ab5b-aa208696e430" data-crop-orig-src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/9b2105a0-0fe7-11f0-ab5b-aa208696e430" style="height:675px;width:1200px;" alt="A Minecraft Movie" data-uuid="39bdd569-6b47-3948-8571-2a0a2cc05394"><figcaption></figcaption><div class="photo-credit">Warner Bros.</div></figure> <p>I’m no <em>Minecraft</em> devotee, but I wish the film’s interpretation of the game’s blocky graphics were a bit more pixelated. While the characters and animals we see resemble their game counterparts, their over-designed look clashes with the beautiful simplicity of <em>Minecraft’s </em>aesthetics. I’m sure it’s tough to unite the low-poly look with live action, while also delivering polished CG that audiences expect, but the path <em>A Minecraft Movie </em>took just feels over-cooked. That being said, the film’s game world seems more alive than the empty virtual sets in <em>Quantumania. </em>There are tons of characters milling about, and the environments all feel distinctly <em>Minecraft</em>.</p> <p>The kids in my press screening didn’t seem to mind the shift in visual language. They loved seeing the game’s creatures in any form — a family of pandas got a theater-wide “awww.” And they also loved seeing in-game <em>Minecraft</em> tricks represented on the big screen, like using a water block to cushion a fall.</p> <p>My daughter Sophia’s verdict? “I liked it, but I don’t think I’d want to see it again,” she said. But I know she’s lying. We’ll likely end up seeing this thing hundreds of times at home, and even more so once her brother jumps aboard the <em>Minecraft</em> bandwagon. I won’t mind, though. As far as kid’s movies go, it’s a world I wouldn’t mind revisiting.</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a-minecraft-movie-review-its-good-actually-190035499.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>Following its big <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:1;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-everything-announced-including-a-new-mario-kart-game-new-switch-features-and-more-133105264.html">Switch 2 presentation</a>, Nintendo revealed <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:2;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.nintendo.com/us/whatsnew/ask-the-developer-vol-16-nintendo-switch-2-part-4/">in an interview</a> with the team behind the console that one of the (arguably better) names the company was considering before it landed on Switch 2 was "Super Nintendo Switch."</p> <p>"There were a lot of ideas for the name, and we really struggled to find the right one," Kouichi Kawamato, the producer on the Switch 2, says. "We even considered ideas like 'Super Nintendo Switch.'" The issue with the name was that even though drawing a parallel to the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) was fun, it was also potentially confusing. The SNES was the successor to the NES, but it couldn't play NES games. "Since Switch 2 can play Switch games, it didn't feel right to use the same naming convention as Super NES."</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><p>Adding a number to the end of the original console's name (the general strategy Nintendo's competitor Sony has taken with the PlayStation) just made things a lot simpler and easier to understand. Nintendo's caution isn't totally unfounded. The <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:3;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.engadget.com/2016-08-26-the-wii-u-revisited-looking-back-on-a-forward-thinking-console.html">Wii U</a> was more powerful than the Wii and featured a unique controller in the Wii U GamePad. Because it's name was so similar to Nintendo's older console, it was backwards compatible with the Wii and it supported pre-existing accessories like Wii Remotes, though, it was viewed as an add-on rather than a new device worth upgrading to.</p> <p>There were other problems that helped do the Wii U in, like a steep decline in support from third-party game developers and a failure on Nintendo's part to explain what made the console distinct, but the name certainly didn't help. The Switch 2 is much better set up for success than the Wii U, but "sticking to what works" seems like the defining idea of the new console, so the name is following suit.</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-switch-2-was-almost-called-the-super-nintendo-switch-184243089.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>The entry-level laptop from <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/framework-nips-and-tucks-its-13-inch-laptop-160053383.html">modular computing company Framework</a>, which we first saw in February, is almost ready to roll. Founder and CEO Nirav Patel <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:2;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://frame.work/blog/framework-laptop-12-pre-orders-open-next-week">said</a> on Wednesday that you can reserve the Framework Laptop 12 on April 9 at 11AM ET.</p> <p>The Framework Laptop 12 is a colorful 12.2-inch notebook with a 360-degree hinge that lets you fold it back into a (chunky) tablet. This zillionth iteration of that form factor stands out because of Framework's ethos of modular repairability. If you decide it's time for an upgrade in a couple of years, there's no need to fork out $1,500 for a new device; you can simply upgrade its modular parts.</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><p>The Framework Laptop 12 has a 12.2-inch, 1,920 x 1,200 touchscreen display that, at 400 nits, gets "much brighter than you typically see from an entry-level or lower-cost laptop." It will be available with a 13th-gen i3 or i5 Core processor and up to 48GB of DDR5 RAM. You can also get up to a 2TB 2 TB M.2 2230 SSD, Wi-Fi 6E and the company's standard choice of Windows 11 or Linux.</p> <figure><img src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/1b58c180-0fee-11f0-b766-004797832ccc" data-crop-orig-src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/1b58c180-0fee-11f0-b766-004797832ccc" style="height:640px;width:960px;" alt="Five Framework Laptop 12 devices in different colors. Overhead view." data-uuid="9322f570-93d1-3e15-bc33-7ba527d0ec73"><figcaption></figcaption><div class="photo-credit">Framework</div></figure> <p>Although it's helpful to have those general spec guidelines, Framework says it won't share the modular machine's full spec breakdown, ship date or pricing until it's available for pre-order. So, you won't know how "entry-level" it is until the clock is ticking to reserve one. Although seeing Big Tech marketers weaponizing FOMO to increase sales numbers isn't exactly a rarity these days, it stands out all the more coming from a startup that, in other ways, is <a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/framework-laptop-review-150001399-150001424.html">among the most consumer-friendly</a>.</p> <p>Patel even cautioned in today's announcement, "We have a hunch that the early batches are going to go very quickly." In other words, you'd better not take too long scanning that spec sheet and weighing it against pricing before the train pulls out of the station.</p> <p>Regardless, you can learn more about the Framework Laptop 12 in the video below before checking out its full specs on April 9 at 11AM ET. Patel advises pre-order customers to create an account on the <a data-i13n="cpos:4;pos:1" href="https://frame.work">company website</a> in advance.</p> <div id="ac77fed678244dd1a39297317cd38d95"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ejl-7X74tgc" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> <p></p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/you-can-pre-order-frameworks-entry-level-2-in-1-touchscreen-laptop-on-april-9-182310021.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>Amazon has reportedly joined the growing list of suitors angling to acquire TikTok as a new ban deadline approaches. According to <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:1;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/02/business/media/amazon-tiktok-bid.html"><em>The New York Times</em></a>, the retailer has made a “last-minute bid” to buy the app, and has approached Vice President JD Vance and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick about the offer.</p> <p>It’s not clear why Amazon is making an offer this late in the process. TikTok is currently facing an <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:2;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.engadget.com/social-media/tiktoks-ban-deadline-is-coming-what-happens-next-162420478.html"><ins>April 5 deadline</ins></a> to strike a deal, though President Donald Trump has said he would likely extend it if necessary. <em>The Times</em> reports that White House officials don’t seem to be “seriously” considering the longshot bid. Amazon declined to comment.</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><p>Amazon joins <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:3;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.engadget.com/social-media/what-will-happen-to-tiktok-a-look-at-the-potential-buyers-000110723.html"><ins>several other</ins></a> companies and investors that have proposed bids. The group includes YouTuber MrBeast (with backing from a group that includes Roblox CEO David Baszucki), Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian (who joined a group of investors known as “Project Liberty”) and Perplexity AI, which has <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:4;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.engadget.com/social-media/perplexity-ai-says-it-would-rebuild-tiktoks-algorithm-and-add-community-notes-features-200449390.html"><ins>proposed</ins></a> integrating the shortform video into its search engine.</p> <p>Even with the deadline just days away, we still don't know exactly when a decision will be made about TikTok’s future. Trump has said he wants to announce a deal before the Saturday deadline.</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/amazon-reportedly-wants-to-buy-tiktok-now-too-173957102.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>Nintendo <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-direct-live-coverage-all-of-the-details-around-the-companys-latest-console-100044216.html">just dropped a boatload</a> of Switch 2 news, including the release date, price and a launch title or two. It also announced a <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://www.nintendo.com/us/gaming-systems/switch-2/accessories/">bevy of accessories</a> that’ll be available for the console on June 5. Let’s go over the most notable of these doodads.</p> <p>For my money, the Nintendo Switch 2 Camera is the highlight here. This was featured heavily in the company’s livestream, as the Switch 2 will allow for <a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-nintendo-switch-2-offers-built-in-voice-chat-and-screensharing-133334225.html">in-game video chat</a>. This is thanks to the magical “C” button on the right Joy-Con controller. The camera will also shrink down your head to use as a live avatar in certain games. It costs $50.</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><div id="f3aa64bd2bbe4ac5bc54d147259e13dd"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fVjRBTy5irI?si=5V0_at9tM41nPbsM" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div> <p>It wouldn’t be a Nintendo console without a pro controller. The Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller will cost $80, but it includes the aforementioned “C” button, a screen capture button, an audio jack and HD rumble 2. It also allows for motion controls and Amiibo functionality. The GL/GR buttons can be mapped to suit different playstyles.</p> <p>The company also announced a dedicated GameCube controller for use with Nintendo Online. It comes in iconic purple and also includes a “C” button. It charges via USB-C so you won’t burn through AA batteries like Wall-E or something. We don’t have a price on this yet, but Nintendo did say it’s launching with the console. We do know, however, that it’s only available to Nintendo Online subscribers.</p> <div id="dfd19482d5a5426084c79a6e2e8dc6c5"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0MvkSVs8f_w?si=uKQrcYBdk-yDIbJY" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div> <p>The Switch 2 is launching <a data-i13n="cpos:4;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/mario-kart-world-headed-to-switch-2-with-24-player-races-and-an-80-price-tag-134117599.html">with a new Mario Kart game</a>, so you know what that means. The Joy-Con wheel controllers are back. The Joy-Con 2 Wheel ships in a two-pack, which costs $20. The set includes one blue wheel and one red wheel.</p> <p>There are two official carrying cases. There’s one just for the console, for handheld mode, that costs $35. There’s also a much larger one that holds everything, including the console, dock, cables and game cards. That one costs $80.</p> <p>Those are the most interesting items, but Nintendo also announced the usual replacement components. An AC adapter costs $30, while a dock set costs $110. A pair of Joy-Cons will set you back $90 and replacement straps cost $13.</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-official-switch-2-accessories-include-a-camera-a-gamecube-controller-and-more-173912613.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>According to a recent <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://campustechnology.com/articles/2024/08/28/survey-86-of-students-already-use-ai-in-their-studies.aspx">Digital Education Council survey</a>, as many as 86 percent of university students globally use artificial intelligence to assist with their coursework. It’s a staggering statistic that’s likely to have far-reaching consequences for years to come. So it’s not surprising to see a company like Anthropic announce <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://www.anthropic.com/news/introducing-claude-for-education">Claude for Education</a>, an initiative it says will equip universities to &quot;play a key role in actively shaping AI&#39;s role in society.&quot;</p> <p>At the heart of Claude for Education is a new Learning mode that changes how Anthropic’s chatbot interacts with users. With the feature engaged, Claude will attempt to guide students to a solution, rather than providing an answer outright, when asked a question. It will also employ the Socratic method in conversations, asking questions like “What evidence supports your conclusion?” as a way to guide users to understanding. All of this is powered by <a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/ai/anthropics-new-claude-model-can-think-both-fast-and-slow-203307140.html">3.7 Sonnet</a>, Anthropic’s new hybrid reasoning model, and tied to Claude’s <a data-i13n="cpos:4;pos:1" href="https://www.anthropic.com/news/projects">Projects feature</a>, which gives you a way to organize your chats around specific topics.</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><p>Claude for Education is available to all Pro users with an .edu email address. Additionally, Anthropic is partnering with Northeastern University, the London School of Economics and Political Science as well as Champlain College to make Claude available to all students at those institutions.&nbsp;</p> <p>At the same time, the company is launching two new programs. The first, <a data-i13n="cpos:5;pos:1" href="https://www.anthropic.com/contact-sales/claude-campus-ambassadors">Claude Campus Ambassadors</a>, gives students the chance to work directly with Anthropic to launch educational initiatives at their school. The second, meanwhile, will see Anthropic <a data-i13n="cpos:6;pos:1" href="https://www.anthropic.com/contact-sales/for-student-builders">award API credits</a> to students working on projects involving Claude. Separately, the company says it will work with <a data-i13n="cpos:7;pos:1" href="https://www.instructure.com/">Instructure</a>, the company behind the Canvas learning software, to increase access to tools universities are using to integrate AI into their teaching.</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/claudes-new-learning-mode-will-prompt-students-to-answer-questions-on-their-own-172057828.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>It's almost time to pre-order the Nintendo Switch 2, now that <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-everything-announced-including-a-new-mario-kart-game-new-switch-features-and-more-133105264.html">we finally know</a> how much it'll cost, when it comes out, some of the games it's getting, and the fact that you can use the new Joy-Con as a mouse, even <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-switch-2s-joy-cons-can-double-as-mouse-like-controllers-133355339.html">on top of your pants</a>. The Nintendo Switch 2 costs $450, it comes out on June 5, and <a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/how-to-pre-order-the-nintendo-switch-2-140931639.html">pre-orders</a> are set to go live on Wednesday, April 9. If you're pre-ordering from a third-party retailer, your best bet is to make an extra cup of coffee that morning and get your clicking fingers ready — an exact time for pre-orders to activate hasn't been announced yet, but it'll likely be around 9AM ET, as these things often are.</p> <p>If you're ordering directly from Nintendo, things will work a little differently.</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span> <p>Nintendo's <a data-i13n="cpos:4;pos:1" href="https://www.nintendo.com/us/gaming-systems/switch-2/how-to-buy/">US and Canada purchasing site</a> asks interested customers to register to receive an emailed invitation to order the Switch 2. These invites will start going out on May 8, giving each recipient 72 hours to complete their purchase. The fine print clarifies that invites will be sent first to people who meet the following criteria as of April 2, 2025:</p> <ul> <li><p>They've purchased any Nintendo Switch Online membership</p></li> <li><p>They've had any paid NSO membership for a minimum of 12 months</p></li> <li><p>They've opted in to share gameplay data and have logged at least 50 hours of total play time</p></li> </ul> <p>Registrants who fit these criteria will be included in the priority group and receive email invites in the initial batches. All other hopeful customers will get in line on a first-come, first-served basis behind them. The <a data-i13n="cpos:5;pos:1" href="https://bsky.app/profile/tomwarren.co.uk/post/3lltnex7hzk23">UK pre-order guidelines</a> are similar.&nbsp;</p> <p>On the negative side, this means folks who have opted out of Nintendo's data-sharing program or never used NSO will be lumped in with the non-priority group, even if they've played their Switch every day for the past eight years. This also makes it harder for non-playing people to pre-order a Switch 2 from Nintendo as a surprise for a friend or family member. That's a bummer.</p> <p>On the positive side, this seems to be Nintendo's attempt to thwart scalpers, and it should be an effective roadblock. It'll simply be harder for profit hunters to receive the initial batch of Switch 2 consoles directly from Nintendo, which should curtail the influx of price-jacked resales — at least a little bit, and at least for a little while.&nbsp;</p> <p>On the <em>most</em> positive side, this is a nice, unexpected benefit for people with a track record of actually playing the Switch. Sure, the benefit is simply enabling them to more easily spend their money on Nintendo products, but as far as capitalistic ploys go, this one's pretty kind.</p> <p>That said, retailers including Gamestop, Walmart and Best Buy won't have these restrictions on pre-orders, so things should operate as usual there. This means you won't have to prove you're a Real Gamer in order to pre-order a Switch 2 from a third-party store, but neither will the scalpers.</p> <p> <core-commerce id="b883a7f0814a4c7a8cff8a6d5d945fb6" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.nintendo.com/us/gaming-systems/switch-2/how-to-buy/"></core-commerce></p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-is-prioritizing-switch-online-subscribers-in-its-switch-2-pre-orders-171645498.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>Last spring, Ooni debuted the dual-zone <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/oonis-larger-dual-zone-koda-2-max-pizza-oven-is-now-available-for-pre-order-183424519.html">Koda 2 Max</a> outdoor oven that can cook lots of things, including pizzas up to 20 inches. Now <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/ooni-volt-12-review-180019262.html">the company</a> is expanding the gas-powered Koda line with the new Koda 2 and Koda 2 Pro. Like the Max, these two models feature Ooni's latest burners, improved heat efficiency, a more resilient stone and compatibility with <a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/home/kitchen-tech/oonis-karu-2-pro-pizza-oven-has-app-connectivity-and-a-bigger-window-174519402.html">the Ooni Connect Digital Temperature Hub</a>.&nbsp;</p> <p>The Koda 2 Pro will be the midrange option in Ooni's revamped gas-burning lineup. The oven can accommodate pizzas up to 18 inches thanks to 30 percent larger capacity than the Koda 16. The Koda 2 Pro offers a temperature range of 320-950 degrees Fahrenheit, which gives you the ability to sear, roast and bake in addition to the intense heat needed for pizzas. Twin gas burners are equipped with Ooni's G2 tech for improved heat distribution thanks to a powerful tapered flame.&nbsp;</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span> <p>While you're cooking, the Koda 2 Pro has a glass visor that helps keep heat inside while also giving you a clear view of your progress. The Ooni Connect Digital Temperature Hub puts a clearly visible display on the front of the oven, and its food probes can keep tabs on things like meat and fish. What's more, this device has Bluetooth connectivity, which can send temperature updates to your phone. Session logs are stored in the Ooni app, where you'll find recipes, tips and other useful info.&nbsp;</p> <figure> <img src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/643ccea0-0f12-11f0-bffb-d6c75d8026b2" data-crop-orig-src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/643ccea0-0f12-11f0-bffb-d6c75d8026b2" style="height:6336px;width:9504px;" alt="Ooni's Koda 2 offers the company's latest tech and design touches in a compact, portable pizza machine. " data-uuid="ac4da1df-6d7e-3cd1-9c1e-bb243af6675b"> <figcaption> Ooni's Koda 2 </figcaption> <div class="photo-credit"> Ooni </div> </figure> <p>The Koda 2 is the smallest option in Ooni's overhauled gas-only line. It's only 33 pounds, which the company says makes it portable enough for camping, tailgates and cookouts. And since the Koda 2 can also hit 950 degrees Fahrenheit, you can cook pro-level pizza in about a minute. This model is also equipped with the newest G2 burners for maximum efficiency and the 14-inch cooking area is larger than that of the previous comparable model, the Koda 12. What's more, the Koda 2 is compatible with the Ooni Connect smart hub, but it doesn't come in the box like the Koda 2 Pro and Koda 2 Max. The extra purchase will cost you $99.</p> <p>The Koda 2 is available now for $449 while the Koda 2 Pro will be available May 1 for $749. Those prices are $150 more than the existing Koda 12 and Koda 16 models. And for the first time, Ooni ovens will be available in something other than the company's trademark Foundry Black. You'll also be able to choose a Slate Blue option with these new models.&nbsp;</p> <p> <core-commerce id="6424704090bd4a4a938922ac005c08c1" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="http://ooni.com/products/ooni-koda-2-pro"></core-commerce></p> <p> <core-commerce id="6af267498cfa4a5d9affbf240e59cf63" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="http://ooni.com/products/ooni-koda-2"></core-commerce></p> <p></p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/kitchen-tech/ooni-debuts-koda-2-and-koda-2-pro-pizza-ovens-with-new-burners-and-bluetooth-smarts-170056892.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>There’s a trailer <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjAWSIJCcmY">for the upcoming third season</a> of <em>Star Trek: Strange New Worlds</em> and it’s absolutely filled with goodies. It looks like there will be an episode soaked in the 1960s retro vibes of the original show, complete with period-accurate costumes and sets.</p> <p>This is an episodic show, meaning that each episode is (more or less) standalone. The trailer shows off a few of the sci-fi concepts that will populate this third season. There’s a clip of the crew trying to connect dial-up phones to the ship (?!) and one that involves a murder mystery.</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><div id="d1dca951368f43698114a33f543afbd9"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PjAWSIJCcmY?si=vww2Z0ybiHSbrBwj" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div> <p>There are also two puzzling <em>TNG</em>-era additions. The famous Holodeck will be incorporated this season, or something that looks a whole lot like it. For the uninitiated, this is like VR but way, way better. Also, the trailer strongly indicates that Rhys Darby (<em>Our Flag Means Death</em>) will be playing a version of the prankster alien Q. It&#39;s the finger snap that gives it away. We knew he was going to be in the show, but didn’t know who he’d be playing.</p> <p>Now for some bad news. There’s no release date, other than summer. That could mean June. It could mean August. We’ll keep you updated when Paramount+ drops some new info.</p> <p><em>Star Trek: Strange New Worlds</em> <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-preview-040051197.html">is a prequel series</a> that follows Christopher Pike, the captain of the Enterprise prior to Kirk. However, the show has begun working in elements of the original iteration. Spock and Uhura have always been in it, but now Kirk, Bones and Scotty are starting to show up.</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-star-trek-strange-new-worlds-season-3-trailer-has-some-serious-retro-vibes-164425733.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>England's top-tier soccer league will soon use optical tracking to automate portions of offside calls. The Premier League <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:1;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.premierleague.com/news/4256036">said</a> on Tuesday it will adopt <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/fifa-approves-semi-automatic-offside-technology-word-cup-qatar-2022-213057911.html">semi-automated offside technology (SAOT)</a> in live matches beginning on April 12. The league said the new tech won't change the accuracy of offside calls, but it will make them 30 seconds faster on average.</p> <p>SAOT uses sensors from up to 30 cameras mounted high above the field in each Premier League stadium. They track the ball's precise location and up to 10,000 surface data points for each player. The sports tech company Genius Sports explains that the tech "provides more efficient placement of the virtual offside line, using optical player tracking, and generates virtual graphics to ensure an enhanced in-stadium and broadcast experience for fans."</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><figure><img src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/994249a0-0fde-11f0-bf9f-9ab499caf484" data-crop-orig-src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/994249a0-0fde-11f0-bf9f-9ab499caf484" style="height:800px;width:1400px;" alt="Render of a Premier League stadium with cameras mounted around the upper bleachers." data-uuid="90a8b903-b9ae-306f-953b-da94baebc761"><figcaption></figcaption><div class="photo-credit">Premier League</div></figure> <p>For the uninitiated, offsides is called in soccer when the attacking team's lead player is closer to the opponent's goal line than both the ball and the second-last defender. (The last defender is <em>usually</em> the goalie.) In recent years, the Premier League defaulted to the offsite <a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/2018-07-17-fifa-world-cup-2018-var-video-assistant-referee.html">Video Assistant Referee (VAR)</a> team, which would determine the kick-point (the moment the lead attacker's teammate passes it) and add calibrated lines with a crosshair for the attacker and defender's locations at that time.</p> <p>SAOT cuts a big chunk out of this (often lengthy) process by suggesting the kick-point and automatically creating offside lines based on the relevant defender and attacker's positions. The VAR team still has a chance to review the algorithm's suggestion before approving it.</p> <p>At that point, a "decision visual" like the one below will roll for the fans in the stadium and those watching the broadcast at home to help clarify the call. The animation shows a white vertical wall representing the offside line, with a red (offside) or green (onside) line indicating whether the player crossed it.</p> <figure><img src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/f06ce4b0-0fde-11f0-bf92-1ac70e0344f3" data-crop-orig-src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/f06ce4b0-0fde-11f0-bf92-1ac70e0344f3" style="height:626px;width:1113px;" alt="Example of a decision visual from the Premier League's SAOT." data-uuid="8faa02b7-4f09-3b3d-ad39-3be1d695c429"><figcaption>This SAOT decision visual shows the attacker's right arm crossing the offside line.</figcaption><div class="photo-credit">Premier League</div></figure> <p>VAR will still be available as a backup for offside calls. "Most offside decisions will be quicker, but VAR will still have the option to draw crosshairs as a backup to the SAOT system if required," the Premier League explained. "This process may be necessary in 'edge cases' where several players block the view of the ball or other players for the system's cameras."</p> <p>This isn't the first use of the tech. The Premier League has tested it in non-live matches and in live FA Cup games. The BBC notes that SAOT was also used in the 2022 World Cup, Serie A, La Liga and the Champions League. The Premier League's version is a custom offshoot that Genius Sports developed with PGMOL (the referees' organization) and the league itself. Unlike <a data-i13n="cpos:4;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/fifa-approves-semi-automatic-offside-technology-word-cup-qatar-2022-213057911.html">previous adaptations</a>, the Premier League's version doesn't put a chip inside the ball.</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/the-premier-league-will-speed-up-offside-calls-with-optical-tracking-tech-starting-next-week-163327195.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p><em>Mario Kart World </em>is arriving exclusively alongside the <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-everything-announced-including-a-new-mario-kart-game-new-switch-features-and-more-133105264.html">Nintendo Switch 2</a> when it hits store shelves on June 5. The day-and-date release of the latest iteration in the series was confirmed in the company's <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-direct-live-coverage-all-of-the-details-around-the-companys-latest-console-100044216.html">Switch 2 Nintendo Direct</a>, along with a totally new feature: off-road driving.&nbsp;</p> <p>That's right, <em>Mario Kart World</em> will allow you to "drive virtually everywhere." That means you can grind down railings, jump off walls and even drive off the race track. You can also enter a mode called Free Roam which let's you simply drive around and enjoy the scenery with friends. Cue me as my forever choice Yoshi excitedly driving across the globe.&nbsp;</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span> <p>Unsurprisingly, with a name like <em>Mario Kart World</em>, the courses will take place in regions around a contiguous game world. You'll also get a bit more of an immersive experience as Nintendo is going to change things up based on the time of day and the weather.</p> <p>When it comes to a four-race Grand Prix, Nintendo is even having you do the legwork and drive between the courses. How you do along the way will impact your standing in the competition. There's also a new mode called Knockout Tour, which takes you from one end of the globe to another — but with elimination checkpoints along the way. You must be above the place listed on the screen, say eighth for example, or you'll get kicked out of the race. Oh and did we mention there's now 24 drivers, upping the competition?&nbsp;</p> <p>A new <em>Mario Kart</em> game for the Switch 2 isn't exactly a surprise. We got a first look at a potential <em>Mario Kart</em> game back in January, when Nintendo released a first-look at the Switch 2. But now we have a bona fide preview on <a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="https://www.nintendo.com/us/gaming-systems/switch-2/featured-games/mario-kart-world/">Nintendo's site</a>, as well as YouTube (below).</p> <div id="91b614aef3a94f10b2f12c04992ffdc8"> <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3pE23YTYEZM?rel=0" style="top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;border:0;" allowfullscreen scrolling="no" data-embed-domain="www.youtube.com"></iframe> </div> <p>Unfortunately, this same info dump confirmed a less exciting development: The game will retail for a whopping $80 when it arrives on June 5. However, you can save $30 by opting for a bundle that packs the title in with the Switch 2 hardware for $500.&nbsp;</p> <p>Nintendo will announce more information about <em>Mario Kart World</em> during another Nintendo Direct on April 17.</p> <p> <core-commerce id="6b9e9b81a2754601aeba4f3ac91dcc64" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.gamestop.com/video-games/products/mario-kart-world/C200314.html"></core-commerce></p> <p><strong>Updated 12:21PM ET</strong> to add details on pricing and bundle.&nbsp;</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/mario-kart-world-headed-to-switch-2-with-24-player-races-and-an-80-price-tag-134117599.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>It’s obvious that Apple products are some of the most sought-after in the tech world — that means sales are fewer and farther between than other gadgets, and they’re often the first things to sell out when discounts do arrive. But it would be a mistake to assume you’re doomed to always pay full price on things like <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/best-ipads-how-to-pick-the-best-apple-tablet-for-you-150054066.html">iPads</a> and <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/wearables/best-apple-watch-160005462.html">Apple Watches</a>. Apple deals to exist, if you know where to look.<br><br>Engadget keeps track of deals like these on a regular basis, so we can help you there. Below, we’ve collected the best Apple deals you can get right now on items like AirPods, MacBooks, iPads and more. Arguably the biggest caveat to note about Apple sales is that you’re almost never going to see discounts directly at Apple.com. Unless you <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Apple;elmt:;cpos:3;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=4130e2f0-a14f-4c5e-bdab-cd52ac7d8e79&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=5c2b9c33-9a87-45ff-b978-e41b8f7a90a2&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Apple&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hcHBsZS5jb20vc2hvcC9yZWZ1cmJpc2hlZCIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiNWMyYjljMzMtOWE4Ny00NWZmLWI5NzgtZTQxYjhmN2E5MGEyIiwib3JpZ2luYWxVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hcHBsZS5jb20vc2hvcC9yZWZ1cmJpc2hlZCJ9&amp;signature=AQAAARztSh07wWJf0f-B78leQECf41yLLBq_1beL6Ssjnhoq&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.apple.com%2Fshop%2Frefurbished" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.apple.com/shop/refurbished">shop refurbished</a>, you’ll always pay top dollar direct at Apple, and for some things (like iPhones), that might be best. But you’ll find more discounts more often if you’re willing to shop at retailers like <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:4;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=5c2b9c33-9a87-45ff-b978-e41b8f7a90a2&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=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&amp;signature=AQAAAWzaE2swSn_roH0mw4jc8XGaDheZSAuQyqQnpZ7Kgju6&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fstores%2FApple%2Fpage%2F77D9E1F7-0337-4282-9DB6-B6B8FB2DC98D" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/stores/Apple/page/77D9E1F7-0337-4282-9DB6-B6B8FB2DC98D?ref_=ast_bln">Amazon</a>, <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Best Buy;elmt:;cpos:5;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=5e0bed65-d2f8-4b34-9b8f-955218c0e37a&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=5c2b9c33-9a87-45ff-b978-e41b8f7a90a2&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Best+Buy&amp;custData=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&amp;signature=AQAAAYNQwCjE9rDbRE7dmLvSlhpkadIJRqcu4y4X_GgLs3oJ&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bestbuy.com%2Fsite%2Fsearchpage.jsp%3F_dyncharset%3DUTF-8%26browsedCategory%3Dpcmcat144700050004%26id%3Dpcat17071%26iht%3Dn%26ks%3D960%26list%3Dy%26qp%3Dbrand_facet%253DBrand%257EApple%26sc%3DGlobal%26st%3Dcategoryid%2524pcmcat144700050004%26type%3Dpage%26usc%3DAll%2BCategories" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.bestbuy.com/site/searchpage.jsp?_dyncharset=UTF-8&amp;browsedCategory=pcmcat144700050004&amp;id=pcat17071&amp;iht=n&amp;ks=960&amp;list=y&amp;qp=brand_facet%3DBrand%7EApple&amp;sc=Global&amp;st=categoryid%24pcmcat144700050004&amp;type=page&amp;usc=All+Categories">Best Buy</a>, <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Walmart;elmt:;cpos:6;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=3719d8d4-5edd-4817-998a-91f3229e7323&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=5c2b9c33-9a87-45ff-b978-e41b8f7a90a2&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Walmart&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy53YWxtYXJ0LmNvbS9zZWFyY2g_cT1BcHBsZSZmYWNldD1icmFuZDpBcHBsZSIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiNWMyYjljMzMtOWE4Ny00NWZmLWI5NzgtZTQxYjhmN2E5MGEyIiwib3JpZ2luYWxVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy53YWxtYXJ0LmNvbS9zZWFyY2g_cT1BcHBsZSZmYWNldD1icmFuZDpBcHBsZSJ9&amp;signature=AQAAAVmeCO9txmCWaGaFryUu8bYRnANxI5hz4_00h6nmvogh&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fsearch%3Fq%3DApple%26facet%3Dbrand%3AApple" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.walmart.com/search?q=Apple&amp;facet=brand:Apple">Walmart</a>, <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Target;elmt:;cpos:7;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=827d7835-78d6-4491-ae04-c042cab1d6e7&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=5c2b9c33-9a87-45ff-b978-e41b8f7a90a2&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Target&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy50YXJnZXQuY29tL2IvYXBwbGUvLS9OLTV5M2VqIiwiY29udGVudFV1aWQiOiI1YzJiOWMzMy05YTg3LTQ1ZmYtYjk3OC1lNDFiOGY3YTkwYTIiLCJvcmlnaW5hbFVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRhcmdldC5jb20vYi9hcHBsZS8tL04tNXkzZWoifQ&amp;signature=AQAAAXpep8eN5QUaQJnbFYul49d3BHdhheHchZ4xxoqXRXFn&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.target.com%2Fb%2Fapple%2F-%2FN-5y3ej" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.target.com/b/apple/-/N-5y3ej">Target</a> and others.&nbsp;</p> <h2 id="jump-link-best-apple-accessories-deals">Best Apple accessories deals</h2> <p> <core-commerce id="d5346074e62846889ca8a8bd07b57ebe" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.amazon.com/Apple-MX542LL-A-AirTag-Pack/dp/B0D54JZTHY/"></core-commerce></p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:8;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=5c2b9c33-9a87-45ff-b978-e41b8f7a90a2&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=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&amp;signature=AQAAAbvqYr13zio71mt9ztV16SemfjD5GEZEKF_P4ZEZMyyn&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FApple-Pencil-Pro-Pixel-Perfect-Industry-Leading%2Fdp%2FB0D3J71RM7%2F" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/Apple-Pencil-Pro-Pixel-Perfect-Industry-Leading/dp/B0D3J71RM7/"><strong>Apple Pencil Pro for $99 ($30 off):</strong></a> The most advanced <a data-i13n="cpos:9;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/the-apple-pencil-lineup-is-a-mess-so-heres-a-guide-to-which-one-you-should-buy-190040913.html">Apple Pencil</a> includes a gyroscope, plus support for the squeeze gesture and Find My. It’s essentially an upgraded version of the second-gen Pencil, complete with pressure support and magnets so it can snap to the side of your iPad for safe keeping. Also at <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Target;elmt:;cpos:10;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=827d7835-78d6-4491-ae04-c042cab1d6e7&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=5c2b9c33-9a87-45ff-b978-e41b8f7a90a2&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Target&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy50YXJnZXQuY29tL3AvYXBwbGUtcGVuY2lsLXByby8tL0EtODk1NjQ0NDIiLCJjb250ZW50VXVpZCI6IjVjMmI5YzMzLTlhODctNDVmZi1iOTc4LWU0MWI4ZjdhOTBhMiIsIm9yaWdpbmFsVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGFyZ2V0LmNvbS9wL2FwcGxlLXBlbmNpbC1wcm8vLS9BLTg5NTY0NDQyIn0&amp;signature=AQAAAVfB0ix7WfI3AUwSTyolGYPmVRnRuY8UkvSXIoR0edU0&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.target.com%2Fp%2Fapple-pencil-pro%2F-%2FA-89564442" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.target.com/p/apple-pencil-pro/-/A-89564442">Target</a> and <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Walmart;elmt:;cpos:11;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=3719d8d4-5edd-4817-998a-91f3229e7323&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=5c2b9c33-9a87-45ff-b978-e41b8f7a90a2&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Walmart&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy53YWxtYXJ0LmNvbS9pcC9BcHBsZS1QZW5jaWwtUHJvLUFkdmFuY2VkLVRvb2xzLVBpeGVsLVBlcmZlY3QtUHJlY2lzaW9uLVRpbHQtUHJlc3N1cmUtU2Vuc2l0aXZpdHktSW5kdXN0cnktTGVhZGluZy1Mb3ctTGF0ZW5jeS1Ob3RlLVRha2luZy1EcmF3aW5nLUFydC1BdHRhY2hlcy1DaGFyZy81NzYyNDE3MDcwIiwiY29udGVudFV1aWQiOiI1YzJiOWMzMy05YTg3LTQ1ZmYtYjk3OC1lNDFiOGY3YTkwYTIiLCJvcmlnaW5hbFVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LndhbG1hcnQuY29tL2lwL0FwcGxlLVBlbmNpbC1Qcm8tQWR2YW5jZWQtVG9vbHMtUGl4ZWwtUGVyZmVjdC1QcmVjaXNpb24tVGlsdC1QcmVzc3VyZS1TZW5zaXRpdml0eS1JbmR1c3RyeS1MZWFkaW5nLUxvdy1MYXRlbmN5LU5vdGUtVGFraW5nLURyYXdpbmctQXJ0LUF0dGFjaGVzLUNoYXJnLzU3NjI0MTcwNzAifQ&amp;signature=AQAAAe_36i0PF0MdvVOFdGsvv3kW4g-wFCi9ka0cgdebTsU8&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fip%2FApple-Pencil-Pro-Advanced-Tools-Pixel-Perfect-Precision-Tilt-Pressure-Sensitivity-Industry-Leading-Low-Latency-Note-Taking-Drawing-Art-Attaches-Charg%2F5762417070" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.walmart.com/ip/Apple-Pencil-Pro-Advanced-Tools-Pixel-Perfect-Precision-Tilt-Pressure-Sensitivity-Industry-Leading-Low-Latency-Note-Taking-Drawing-Art-Attaches-Charg/5762417070">Walmart</a>.</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:12;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=5c2b9c33-9a87-45ff-b978-e41b8f7a90a2&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwQ0w3SjEyWUsvcmVmPWZzX2FfcGVuX3VzMT90YWc9Z2RndDBjLTIwIiwiY29udGVudFV1aWQiOiI1YzJiOWMzMy05YTg3LTQ1ZmYtYjk3OC1lNDFiOGY3YTkwYTIiLCJvcmlnaW5hbFVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFtYXpvbi5jb20vZHAvQjBDTDdKMTJZSy9yZWY9ZnNfYV9wZW5fdXMxIiwiZHluYW1pY0NlbnRyYWxUcmFja2luZ0lkIjp0cnVlLCJzaXRlSWQiOiJ1cy1lbmdhZGdldCIsInBhZ2VJZCI6IjFwLWF1dG9saW5rIiwiZmVhdHVyZUlkIjoidGV4dC1saW5rIn0&amp;signature=AQAAAbxMhIjkynTjY-5AY2TlwAWS77VaSZmXSMIVcVAPW8iI&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0CL7J12YK%2Fref%3Dfs_a_pen_us1" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CL7J12YK/ref=fs_a_pen_us1"><strong>Apple Pencil USB-C for $69 ($10 off):</strong></a> This more affordable Apple Pencil doesn’t support pressure sensitivity, but makes for a good stylus overall. If you’re a casual note-taker and can handle connected charging, you’ll save a few dollars by picking this one up. Also at <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Walmart;elmt:;cpos:13;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=3719d8d4-5edd-4817-998a-91f3229e7323&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=5c2b9c33-9a87-45ff-b978-e41b8f7a90a2&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Walmart&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy53YWxtYXJ0LmNvbS9pcC9BcHBsZS1QZW5jaWwtVVNCLUMvNTEyNzAxNTE0MyIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiNWMyYjljMzMtOWE4Ny00NWZmLWI5NzgtZTQxYjhmN2E5MGEyIiwib3JpZ2luYWxVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy53YWxtYXJ0LmNvbS9pcC9BcHBsZS1QZW5jaWwtVVNCLUMvNTEyNzAxNTE0MyJ9&amp;signature=AQAAAVBTBkYpUU5a_tGJmuw_Va6oHM8MYL-DN2KscZlOg55Y&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fip%2FApple-Pencil-USB-C%2F5127015143" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.walmart.com/ip/Apple-Pencil-USB-C/5127015143">Walmart</a> and <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Target;elmt:;cpos:14;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=827d7835-78d6-4491-ae04-c042cab1d6e7&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=5c2b9c33-9a87-45ff-b978-e41b8f7a90a2&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Target&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy50YXJnZXQuY29tL3AvYXBwbGUtcGVuY2lsLXVzYi1jLy0vQS04OTU2NDM4NCIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiNWMyYjljMzMtOWE4Ny00NWZmLWI5NzgtZTQxYjhmN2E5MGEyIiwib3JpZ2luYWxVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy50YXJnZXQuY29tL3AvYXBwbGUtcGVuY2lsLXVzYi1jLy0vQS04OTU2NDM4NCJ9&amp;signature=AQAAAbYiA5aZtfCja8yp1k3D3BcE37ehPnWxSeayBbCcn9Ij&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.target.com%2Fp%2Fapple-pencil-usb-c%2F-%2FA-89564384" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.target.com/p/apple-pencil-usb-c/-/A-89564384">Target</a>.</p> <h2 id="jump-link-best-airpod-deals">Best AirPod deals</h2> <p> <core-commerce id="2ad13b26259d44309c83d5cd14969b85" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DGHMNQ5Z/ref=fs_a_mdt2_us3?th=1"></core-commerce></p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:15;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=5c2b9c33-9a87-45ff-b978-e41b8f7a90a2&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwRDFYRDFaVjMvcmVmPWZzX2FfbWR0Ml91czE_dGFnPWdkZ3QwYy0yMCIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiNWMyYjljMzMtOWE4Ny00NWZmLWI5NzgtZTQxYjhmN2E5MGEyIiwib3JpZ2luYWxVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwRDFYRDFaVjMvcmVmPWZzX2FfbWR0Ml91czEiLCJkeW5hbWljQ2VudHJhbFRyYWNraW5nSWQiOnRydWUsInNpdGVJZCI6InVzLWVuZ2FkZ2V0IiwicGFnZUlkIjoiMXAtYXV0b2xpbmsiLCJmZWF0dXJlSWQiOiJ0ZXh0LWxpbmsifQ&amp;signature=AQAAASYOIk7jNJ_5Y0yfyR8ECXTxLiWZWcOHuvNdABjozzYA&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0D1XD1ZV3%2Fref%3Dfs_a_mdt2_us1" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D1XD1ZV3/ref=fs_a_mdt2_us1"><strong>Apple AirPods Pro 2 for $199 ($49 off)</strong></a>: These are the <a data-i13n="cpos:16;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/best-wireless-earbuds-120058222.html">best wireless earbuds</a> for Apple users, period. The latest models have improved ANC and transparency mode, along with good battery life, spatial audio and hands-free Siri. They also have MagSafe charging support and work with <a data-i13n="cpos:17;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/how-to-use-apples-airpods-pro-2-as-a-hearing-aid-173049967.html">Apple’s "clinically validated” hearing test</a>. Also at <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Target;elmt:;cpos:18;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=827d7835-78d6-4491-ae04-c042cab1d6e7&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=5c2b9c33-9a87-45ff-b978-e41b8f7a90a2&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Target&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy50YXJnZXQuY29tL3AvYWlycG9kcy1wcm8tMm5kLWdlbmVyYXRpb24td2l0aC1tYWdzYWZlLWNhc2UtdXNiLWMvLS9BLTg1OTc4NjIyIiwiY29udGVudFV1aWQiOiI1YzJiOWMzMy05YTg3LTQ1ZmYtYjk3OC1lNDFiOGY3YTkwYTIiLCJvcmlnaW5hbFVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRhcmdldC5jb20vcC9haXJwb2RzLXByby0ybmQtZ2VuZXJhdGlvbi13aXRoLW1hZ3NhZmUtY2FzZS11c2ItYy8tL0EtODU5Nzg2MjIifQ&amp;signature=AQAAAbp68Fi9Gov6ZB3Csb90-KFx3yzJTRpmXK9892fsUm6L&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.target.com%2Fp%2Fairpods-pro-2nd-generation-with-magsafe-case-usb-c%2F-%2FA-85978622" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.target.com/p/airpods-pro-2nd-generation-with-magsafe-case-usb-c/-/A-85978622">Target</a>.&nbsp;</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:19;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=5c2b9c33-9a87-45ff-b978-e41b8f7a90a2&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwREdKN0hZRzEvcmVmPWZzX2FfbWR0Ml91czM_dGFnPWdkZ3QwYy0yMCIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiNWMyYjljMzMtOWE4Ny00NWZmLWI5NzgtZTQxYjhmN2E5MGEyIiwib3JpZ2luYWxVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwREdKN0hZRzEvcmVmPWZzX2FfbWR0Ml91czMiLCJkeW5hbWljQ2VudHJhbFRyYWNraW5nSWQiOnRydWUsInNpdGVJZCI6InVzLWVuZ2FkZ2V0IiwicGFnZUlkIjoiMXAtYXV0b2xpbmsiLCJmZWF0dXJlSWQiOiJ0ZXh0LWxpbmsifQ&amp;signature=AQAAARVF4V-ueO_atxGSFt8VlP3BlJKNK5f8MsETDARsoJHC&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0DGJ7HYG1%2Fref%3Dfs_a_mdt2_us3" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DGJ7HYG1/ref=fs_a_mdt2_us3?th=1"><strong>AirPods 4 with ANC for $169 ($10 off):</strong></a> <a data-i13n="cpos:20;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/apple-airpods-4-review-pro-features-for-everyone-120032046.html">These buds</a> have ANC, but they don’t have the interchangeable ear tips you’ll find on the AirPods Pro 2. Even so, they have an improved fit over the last version, plus good sound quality and a heap of advanced features. Also at <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:B&amp;H Photo;elmt:;cpos:21;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=95276f3c-7b79-4c1e-803f-981cd9f7a968&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=5c2b9c33-9a87-45ff-b978-e41b8f7a90a2&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=B%26H+Photo&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5iaHBob3RvdmlkZW8uY29tL2MvcHJvZHVjdC8xODUyNDU3LVJFRy9hcHBsZV9teHA5M2xsX2FfYWlycG9kc180X3dpdGhfYWN0aXZlLmh0bWwiLCJjb250ZW50VXVpZCI6IjVjMmI5YzMzLTlhODctNDVmZi1iOTc4LWU0MWI4ZjdhOTBhMiIsIm9yaWdpbmFsVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmhwaG90b3ZpZGVvLmNvbS9jL3Byb2R1Y3QvMTg1MjQ1Ny1SRUcvYXBwbGVfbXhwOTNsbF9hX2FpcnBvZHNfNF93aXRoX2FjdGl2ZS5odG1sIn0&amp;signature=AQAAAVNnBFm0TsyTpYZbqeAXz2YVUMbySwM2XX3J34vBIfjt&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bhphotovideo.com%2Fc%2Fproduct%2F1852457-REG%2Fapple_mxp93ll_a_airpods_4_with_active.html" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1852457-REG/apple_mxp93ll_a_airpods_4_with_active.html">B&amp;H Photo</a>.&nbsp;</p> <h2 id="jump-link-best-ipad-deals">Best iPad deals</h2> <p> <core-commerce id="580e83ecf54249849a5f331ffcc46fe7" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DK3YF38G?th=1"></core-commerce></p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:22;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=5c2b9c33-9a87-45ff-b978-e41b8f7a90a2&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL05ldy1BcHBsZS1pUGFkLTExLWluY2gtRGlzcGxheS9kcC9CMERaNzdENUhMP3RhZz1nZGd0MGMtMjAiLCJjb250ZW50VXVpZCI6IjVjMmI5YzMzLTlhODctNDVmZi1iOTc4LWU0MWI4ZjdhOTBhMiIsIm9yaWdpbmFsVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYW1hem9uLmNvbS9OZXctQXBwbGUtaVBhZC0xMS1pbmNoLURpc3BsYXkvZHAvQjBEWjc3RDVITCIsImR5bmFtaWNDZW50cmFsVHJhY2tpbmdJZCI6dHJ1ZSwic2l0ZUlkIjoidXMtZW5nYWRnZXQiLCJwYWdlSWQiOiIxcC1hdXRvbGluayIsImZlYXR1cmVJZCI6InRleHQtbGluayJ9&amp;signature=AQAAAcIHeJtYXWLm2WjjQMSuV1ERlhmTva6UsZjgSwvWtfYO&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FNew-Apple-iPad-11-inch-Display%2Fdp%2FB0DZ77D5HL" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/New-Apple-iPad-11-inch-Display/dp/B0DZ77D5HL"><strong>Apple iPad (A16) for $329 ($20 off)</strong></a>: The newest entry-level iPad <a data-i13n="cpos:23;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/apple-updates-the-base-ipad-with-an-a16-chip-and-more-storage-141208654.html">only arrived</a> three weeks ago, but it's already seeing a minor discount at a couple retailers. The changes from the previous generation were are relatively minor, but it now comes with a faster A16 chip, more RAM and 128GB of storage as standard. It earned a <a data-i13n="cpos:24;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/ipad-2025-with-a16-review-no-apple-intelligence-no-problem-132641539.html">score of 84</a> in our review — if you only need an iPad for roaming the internet, watching shows and doing some lighter productivity tasks, it's a good starter iPad. Also at <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:B&amp;H Photo;elmt:;cpos:25;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=95276f3c-7b79-4c1e-803f-981cd9f7a968&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=5c2b9c33-9a87-45ff-b978-e41b8f7a90a2&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=B%26H+Photo&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5iaHBob3RvdmlkZW8uY29tL2MvcHJvZHVjdC8xODgzNjI3LVJFRy9hcHBsZV9tZDRkNGxsX2FfMTFfaXBhZF9hMTZfY2hpcC5odG1sIiwiY29udGVudFV1aWQiOiI1YzJiOWMzMy05YTg3LTQ1ZmYtYjk3OC1lNDFiOGY3YTkwYTIiLCJvcmlnaW5hbFVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJocGhvdG92aWRlby5jb20vYy9wcm9kdWN0LzE4ODM2MjctUkVHL2FwcGxlX21kNGQ0bGxfYV8xMV9pcGFkX2ExNl9jaGlwLmh0bWwifQ&amp;signature=AQAAATlTen3tJ8KHZJjO4SzRyrafD-1SU3Ep4ZM2vh1P3axA&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bhphotovideo.com%2Fc%2Fproduct%2F1883627-REG%2Fapple_md4d4ll_a_11_ipad_a16_chip.html" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1883627-REG/apple_md4d4ll_a_11_ipad_a16_chip.html">B&amp;H</a> and <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Best Buy;elmt:;cpos:26;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=5e0bed65-d2f8-4b34-9b8f-955218c0e37a&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=5c2b9c33-9a87-45ff-b978-e41b8f7a90a2&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Best+Buy&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5iZXN0YnV5LmNvbS9zaXRlL2FwcGxlLTExLWluY2gtaXBhZC1hMTYtY2hpcC13aXRoLXdpLWZpLTEyOGdiLWJsdWUvNjU3ODI2OC5wP3NrdUlkPTY1NzgyNjgiLCJjb250ZW50VXVpZCI6IjVjMmI5YzMzLTlhODctNDVmZi1iOTc4LWU0MWI4ZjdhOTBhMiIsIm9yaWdpbmFsVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmVzdGJ1eS5jb20vc2l0ZS9hcHBsZS0xMS1pbmNoLWlwYWQtYTE2LWNoaXAtd2l0aC13aS1maS0xMjhnYi1ibHVlLzY1NzgyNjgucD9za3VJZD02NTc4MjY4In0&amp;signature=AQAAAbrH0JcBehYelDhoB953rHC7BV2uvR561AahA7EmhHfg&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bestbuy.com%2Fsite%2Fapple-11-inch-ipad-a16-chip-with-wi-fi-128gb-blue%2F6578268.p%3FskuId%3D6578268" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.bestbuy.com/site/apple-11-inch-ipad-a16-chip-with-wi-fi-128gb-blue/6578268.p?skuId=6578268">Best Buy</a>.</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:27;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=5c2b9c33-9a87-45ff-b978-e41b8f7a90a2&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=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&amp;signature=AQAAAe7Rb9J5KIPHr8TEZZql7BqKrXlyWjlH9pezr2TdHpOr&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FApple-11-inch-Intelligence-Display-All-Day%2Fdp%2FB0DZ74YQ1V" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/Apple-11-inch-Intelligence-Display-All-Day/dp/B0DZ74YQ1V?th=1"><strong>Apple iPad Air (M3, 11-inch) for $549 ($50 off)</strong></a>: The only major difference between the latest iPad Air and the previous generation is the addition of the faster M3 chip. We awarded the new slab an <a data-i13n="cpos:28;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/ipad-air-m3-review-a-modest-update-thats-still-easy-to-recommend-130045196.html">89 in our review</a>, appreciating the fact that the M3 chip was about 16 percent faster in benchmark tests than the M2. This is the iPad to get if you want a reasonable amount of productivity out of an iPad that's more affordable than the Pro models. Also at <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Best Buy;elmt:;cpos:29;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=5e0bed65-d2f8-4b34-9b8f-955218c0e37a&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=5c2b9c33-9a87-45ff-b978-e41b8f7a90a2&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Best+Buy&amp;custData=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&amp;signature=AQAAAUjEZaCEP8N-vYKXlBuJ9gIQ1DwRvLgR7-AhtmD9Hbrp&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bestbuy.com%2Fsite%2Fapple-11-inch-ipad-air-m3-chip-built-for-apple-intelligence-wi-fi-128gb-space-gray%2F6578280.p%3FskuId%3D6578280" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.bestbuy.com/site/apple-11-inch-ipad-air-m3-chip-built-for-apple-intelligence-wi-fi-128gb-space-gray/6578280.p?skuId=6578280">Best Buy</a>.&nbsp;</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:30;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=5c2b9c33-9a87-45ff-b978-e41b8f7a90a2&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwRDNKOThXNzU_dGFnPWdkZ3QwYy0yMCIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiNWMyYjljMzMtOWE4Ny00NWZmLWI5NzgtZTQxYjhmN2E5MGEyIiwib3JpZ2luYWxVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwRDNKOThXNzUiLCJkeW5hbWljQ2VudHJhbFRyYWNraW5nSWQiOnRydWUsInNpdGVJZCI6InVzLWVuZ2FkZ2V0IiwicGFnZUlkIjoiMXAtYXV0b2xpbmsiLCJmZWF0dXJlSWQiOiJ0ZXh0LWxpbmsifQ&amp;signature=AQAAAW-xxg1ZtwTc8Qr_i-34nRi06KZGSfBdCB5k_rchfZ-X&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0D3J98W75" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D3J98W75"><strong>Apple iPad Pro 13-inch (M4) for $1,193 ($107 off)</strong></a>: The iPad Pro is overkill for any casual user, but if you want the best possible performance out of a tablet, this is the one to get. In <a data-i13n="cpos:31;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/ipad-pro-2024-review-so-very-nice-and-so-very-expensive-210012937.html">our review</a>, we marveled at how thin it is and called the OLED display one of the best we’ve seen. It houses Apple's latest M4 chip — the same slice of silicon as in the MacBook Air — which means it can handle even intense media editing. But the main drawback is price. This discount doesn't eliminate that hitch, but helps a bit.&nbsp;</p> <h2 id="jump-link-best-apple-watch-deals">Best Apple Watch deals</h2> <p> <core-commerce id="767d8d9dfb814822be7e48e3bba1f106" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.amazon.com/Apple-Watch-Smartwatch-Aluminium-Always/dp/B0DGHYQ1VJ/"></core-commerce></p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:32;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=5c2b9c33-9a87-45ff-b978-e41b8f7a90a2&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwREdKNzNDRlMvcmVmPWZzX2Ffd3QyX3VzND90YWc9Z2RndDBjLTIwIiwiY29udGVudFV1aWQiOiI1YzJiOWMzMy05YTg3LTQ1ZmYtYjk3OC1lNDFiOGY3YTkwYTIiLCJvcmlnaW5hbFVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFtYXpvbi5jb20vZHAvQjBER0o3M0NGUy9yZWY9ZnNfYV93dDJfdXM0IiwiZHluYW1pY0NlbnRyYWxUcmFja2luZ0lkIjp0cnVlLCJzaXRlSWQiOiJ1cy1lbmdhZGdldCIsInBhZ2VJZCI6IjFwLWF1dG9saW5rIiwiZmVhdHVyZUlkIjoidGV4dC1saW5rIn0&amp;signature=AQAAAXUI4uh40Kz_c8HmL4AxhZPizyvbBYP80g6iqXt_HBzR&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0DGJ73CFS%2Fref%3Dfs_a_wt2_us4" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DGJ73CFS/ref=fs_a_wt2_us4?th=1"><strong>Apple Watch SE for $199 ($80 off):</strong></a> Those on tighter budgets can opt for the Apple Watch SE and know they’re getting the core Apple wearable experience with few compromises. We consider it to be the best smartwatch for newbies. Also at <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Target;elmt:;cpos:33;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=827d7835-78d6-4491-ae04-c042cab1d6e7&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=5c2b9c33-9a87-45ff-b978-e41b8f7a90a2&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Target&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy50YXJnZXQuY29tL3AvYXBwbGUtd2F0Y2gtc2UtZ3BzLTIwMjQtNDBtbS1zdGFybGlnaHQtYWx1bWludW0tY2FzZS13aXRoLXN0YXJsaWdodC1zcG9ydC1iYW5kLXMtbS8tL0EtOTExMjI2MjIiLCJjb250ZW50VXVpZCI6IjVjMmI5YzMzLTlhODctNDVmZi1iOTc4LWU0MWI4ZjdhOTBhMiIsIm9yaWdpbmFsVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGFyZ2V0LmNvbS9wL2FwcGxlLXdhdGNoLXNlLWdwcy0yMDI0LTQwbW0tc3RhcmxpZ2h0LWFsdW1pbnVtLWNhc2Utd2l0aC1zdGFybGlnaHQtc3BvcnQtYmFuZC1zLW0vLS9BLTkxMTIyNjIyIn0&amp;signature=AQAAAWSW_89vX0eKdZBCRleI4CquSgoF7T86f04hVcAAp8BW&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.target.com%2Fp%2Fapple-watch-se-gps-2024-40mm-starlight-aluminum-case-with-starlight-sport-band-s-m%2F-%2FA-91122622" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.target.com/p/apple-watch-se-gps-2024-40mm-starlight-aluminum-case-with-starlight-sport-band-s-m/-/A-91122622">Target</a>.&nbsp;</p> <h2 id="jump-link-best-macbook-deals-and-mac-discounts">Best MacBook deals and Mac discounts</h2> <p> <core-commerce id="133e1ca56b17461eae2727aaf30ebe28" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DLBTPDCS/ref=fs_a_md_2?th=1"></core-commerce></p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:34;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=5c2b9c33-9a87-45ff-b978-e41b8f7a90a2&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwRExIR1pDQkQvcmVmPWZzX2FfbWJ0Ml91czQ_dGFnPWdkZ3QwYy0yMCIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiNWMyYjljMzMtOWE4Ny00NWZmLWI5NzgtZTQxYjhmN2E5MGEyIiwib3JpZ2luYWxVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwRExIR1pDQkQvcmVmPWZzX2FfbWJ0Ml91czQiLCJkeW5hbWljQ2VudHJhbFRyYWNraW5nSWQiOnRydWUsInNpdGVJZCI6InVzLWVuZ2FkZ2V0IiwicGFnZUlkIjoiMXAtYXV0b2xpbmsiLCJmZWF0dXJlSWQiOiJ0ZXh0LWxpbmsifQ&amp;signature=AQAAAbkVFRsUfaiqlks8AEvcI990EZK7dsLFb7kuwwSZhlvj&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0DLHGZCBD%2Fref%3Dfs_a_mbt2_us4" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DLHGZCBD/ref=fs_a_mbt2_us4?th=1"><strong>MacBook Air (M2, 13-inch) for $749 (25 percent off):</strong></a> With the launch of the M4 MacBook Air, the M2 model feels a little old — even though it's objectively a solid laptop. We called it Apple's "near-perfect" Mac in our <a data-i13n="cpos:35;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/macbook-air-m2-review-2022-130040098-130040785.html">original review</a>, praising it for its excellent performance, gorgeous screen and thinner design.</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:36;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=5c2b9c33-9a87-45ff-b978-e41b8f7a90a2&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwRExIV0xUUU4vcmVmPWZzX2FfbWJ0Ml91czM_dGFnPWdkZ3QwYy0yMCIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiNWMyYjljMzMtOWE4Ny00NWZmLWI5NzgtZTQxYjhmN2E5MGEyIiwib3JpZ2luYWxVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwRExIV0xUUU4vcmVmPWZzX2FfbWJ0Ml91czMiLCJkeW5hbWljQ2VudHJhbFRyYWNraW5nSWQiOnRydWUsInNpdGVJZCI6InVzLWVuZ2FkZ2V0IiwicGFnZUlkIjoiMXAtYXV0b2xpbmsiLCJmZWF0dXJlSWQiOiJ0ZXh0LWxpbmsifQ&amp;signature=AQAAAXDiWFXd1O5JeD8iR_1OqxzWwrJF_wJb1DHCx8huqNQh&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0DLHWLTQN%2Fref%3Dfs_a_mbt2_us3" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DLHWLTQN/ref=fs_a_mbt2_us3?th=1"><strong>MacBook Air (M3, 13-inch) for $889 ($210 off):</strong></a> Now that the M4 MacBook Air is out, the <a data-i13n="cpos:37;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/macbook-air-m3-review-2024-13-15-inch-140053162.html">M3 MacBook Air</a> is no longer the latest edition. But it's still a great computer and our current <a data-i13n="cpos:38;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/best-macbook-140032524.html">budget pick</a> for a MacBook. It builds upon the solid foundation of the M2 model, meaning it’s more than enough computer for most people. It earned a <a data-i13n="cpos:39;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/macbook-air-m3-review-2024-13-15-inch-140053162.html">score of 90</a> in our review thanks to its speedy performance, sturdy yet sleek design, excellent keyboard and trackpad and good speaker system. If you want a slightly larger display, grab the <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:40;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=5c2b9c33-9a87-45ff-b978-e41b8f7a90a2&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwRExKNEo3OEcvcmVmPWZzX2FfbWJ0Ml91czI_dGFnPWdkZ3QwYy0yMCIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiNWMyYjljMzMtOWE4Ny00NWZmLWI5NzgtZTQxYjhmN2E5MGEyIiwib3JpZ2luYWxVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwRExKNEo3OEcvcmVmPWZzX2FfbWJ0Ml91czIiLCJkeW5hbWljQ2VudHJhbFRyYWNraW5nSWQiOnRydWUsInNpdGVJZCI6InVzLWVuZ2FkZ2V0IiwicGFnZUlkIjoiMXAtYXV0b2xpbmsiLCJmZWF0dXJlSWQiOiJ0ZXh0LWxpbmsifQ&amp;signature=AQAAAbBf55mEfuXzlzowX6abk4BIXykE7Wk_tuOQkewZ1qTR&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0DLJ4J78G%2Fref%3Dfs_a_mbt2_us2" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DLJ4J78G/ref=fs_a_mbt2_us2?th=1">15-inch</a> model instead. Also at <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:B&amp;H Photo;elmt:;cpos:41;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=95276f3c-7b79-4c1e-803f-981cd9f7a968&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=5c2b9c33-9a87-45ff-b978-e41b8f7a90a2&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=B%26H+Photo&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5iaHBob3RvdmlkZW8uY29tL2MvcHJvZHVjdC8xODYwMTI2LVJFRy9hcHBsZV9tYzhrNGxsX2FfMTNfbWFjYm9va19haXJfbTMuaHRtbCIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiNWMyYjljMzMtOWE4Ny00NWZmLWI5NzgtZTQxYjhmN2E5MGEyIiwib3JpZ2luYWxVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5iaHBob3RvdmlkZW8uY29tL2MvcHJvZHVjdC8xODYwMTI2LVJFRy9hcHBsZV9tYzhrNGxsX2FfMTNfbWFjYm9va19haXJfbTMuaHRtbCJ9&amp;signature=AQAAAcjibYrx6JGMMv6EFHJMNS9C3wTNV1qyKIzfEyf1kR5w&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bhphotovideo.com%2Fc%2Fproduct%2F1860126-REG%2Fapple_mc8k4ll_a_13_macbook_air_m3.html" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1860126-REG/apple_mc8k4ll_a_13_macbook_air_m3.html">B&amp;H Photo</a>.</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:42;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=5c2b9c33-9a87-45ff-b978-e41b8f7a90a2&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=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&amp;signature=AQAAAfMLTJOngi4vLb3Csdj0EoyxNt3Y8TpnJ2JoycZVusXm&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FApple-2025-MacBook-13-inch-Laptop%2Fdp%2FB0DZDC3WW5" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/Apple-2025-MacBook-13-inch-Laptop/dp/B0DZDC3WW5?ref_=ast_sto_dp&amp;th=1"><strong>MacBook Air (M4, 13-inch) for $949 ($50 off)</strong></a>: Apple's latest MacBook Air only came out earlier this month, but it's already seeing a slight discount at a couple retailers. One of the things we appreciated most <a data-i13n="cpos:43;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/apple-macbook-air-m4-13-inch-and-15-inch-review-minimal-upgrades-at-a-much-better-price-130002570.html">in our review</a> was the slight price drop for the base configuration. Instead of starting at $1,099 like the M3 MacBook Air, the M4 starts at $999. Add in this discount and the fact that the ultraportable packs Apple's latest M-series chip, and you've got yourself a pretty good deal on a capable laptop — one that happens to be our <a data-i13n="cpos:44;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/best-laptops-120008636.html">favorite laptop overall</a>.&nbsp;</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:45;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=5c2b9c33-9a87-45ff-b978-e41b8f7a90a2&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwRExIQllSUFMvcmVmPWZzX2FfbWJ0Ml91czE_dGFnPWdkZ3QwYy0yMCIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiNWMyYjljMzMtOWE4Ny00NWZmLWI5NzgtZTQxYjhmN2E5MGEyIiwib3JpZ2luYWxVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwRExIQllSUFMvcmVmPWZzX2FfbWJ0Ml91czEiLCJkeW5hbWljQ2VudHJhbFRyYWNraW5nSWQiOnRydWUsInNpdGVJZCI6InVzLWVuZ2FkZ2V0IiwicGFnZUlkIjoiMXAtYXV0b2xpbmsiLCJmZWF0dXJlSWQiOiJ0ZXh0LWxpbmsifQ&amp;signature=AQAAAdGDXb3O9zJibrLUbvXQiHZ9TuG74P59ubVpCZPnVnf3&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0DLHBYRPS%2Fref%3Dfs_a_mbt2_us1" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DLHBYRPS/ref=fs_a_mbt2_us1?th=1"><strong>MacBook Pro (M4, 14-inch) for $1,429 (11 percent off):</strong></a> Both the 14- and <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:46;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=5c2b9c33-9a87-45ff-b978-e41b8f7a90a2&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwRExIRENONlAvcmVmPWZzX2FfbWJ0Ml91czA_dGFnPWdkZ3QwYy0yMCIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiNWMyYjljMzMtOWE4Ny00NWZmLWI5NzgtZTQxYjhmN2E5MGEyIiwib3JpZ2luYWxVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwRExIRENONlAvcmVmPWZzX2FfbWJ0Ml91czAiLCJkeW5hbWljQ2VudHJhbFRyYWNraW5nSWQiOnRydWUsInNpdGVJZCI6InVzLWVuZ2FkZ2V0IiwicGFnZUlkIjoiMXAtYXV0b2xpbmsiLCJmZWF0dXJlSWQiOiJ0ZXh0LWxpbmsifQ&amp;signature=AQAAAbfB04dSqG-N1zRcJZhMbAfK1ar86_3LYRQ5mTrJOwqx&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0DLHDCN6P%2Fref%3Dfs_a_mbt2_us0" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DLHDCN6P/ref=fs_a_mbt2_us0?th=1">16-inch</a> <a data-i13n="cpos:47;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/apple-macbook-pro-14-inch-and-16-inch-review-2024-brace-yourself-for-m4-speed-140057584.html">M4 MacBook Pros</a> are some of the fastest laptops you can get right now, ideal for content creators, video editors and anyone who needs a notebook that can handle pretty much anything they throw at it. They have bright, bold displays, improved webcams and long battery lives, plus some models have Thunderbolt 5 ports. Also at <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:B&amp;H Photo;elmt:;cpos:48;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=95276f3c-7b79-4c1e-803f-981cd9f7a968&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=5c2b9c33-9a87-45ff-b978-e41b8f7a90a2&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=B%26H+Photo&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5iaHBob3RvdmlkZW8uY29tL2MvcHJvZHVjdC8xODU5NTYwLVJFRy9hcHBsZV9tdzJ1M2xsX2FfMTRfbWFjYm9va19wcm9fbTQuaHRtbCIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiNWMyYjljMzMtOWE4Ny00NWZmLWI5NzgtZTQxYjhmN2E5MGEyIiwib3JpZ2luYWxVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5iaHBob3RvdmlkZW8uY29tL2MvcHJvZHVjdC8xODU5NTYwLVJFRy9hcHBsZV9tdzJ1M2xsX2FfMTRfbWFjYm9va19wcm9fbTQuaHRtbCJ9&amp;signature=AQAAAQhwwgVZNSBZQkLNDitQwp0bO6-yhCUtn9VK199mt2qh&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bhphotovideo.com%2Fc%2Fproduct%2F1859560-REG%2Fapple_mw2u3ll_a_14_macbook_pro_m4.html" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1859560-REG/apple_mw2u3ll_a_14_macbook_pro_m4.html">B&amp;H Photo</a>.&nbsp;</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:49;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=5c2b9c33-9a87-45ff-b978-e41b8f7a90a2&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwREw3NkJRNU4vcmVmPWZzX2FfbWRfMT90YWc9Z2RndDBjLTIwIiwiY29udGVudFV1aWQiOiI1YzJiOWMzMy05YTg3LTQ1ZmYtYjk3OC1lNDFiOGY3YTkwYTIiLCJvcmlnaW5hbFVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFtYXpvbi5jb20vZHAvQjBETDc2QlE1Ti9yZWY9ZnNfYV9tZF8xIiwiZHluYW1pY0NlbnRyYWxUcmFja2luZ0lkIjp0cnVlLCJzaXRlSWQiOiJ1cy1lbmdhZGdldCIsInBhZ2VJZCI6IjFwLWF1dG9saW5rIiwiZmVhdHVyZUlkIjoidGV4dC1saW5rIn0&amp;signature=AQAAAViQ_LB230mmk58VfFl6m4-I39PnKF0hCPbxgmqhvjoD&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0DL76BQ5N%2Fref%3Dfs_a_md_1" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DL76BQ5N/ref=fs_a_md_1?th=1"><strong>iMac (M4, 24-inch) for $1,204 (15 percent off):</strong></a> For an all-in-one solution, the <a data-i13n="cpos:50;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/computing/apple-m4-imac-review-the-best-all-in-one-gets-a-lot-faster-173055294.html">M4 iMac</a> is a good pick thanks to its powerful performance, standard 16GB of RAM and improved webcam. Just note that it only comes in the 24-inch screen size option.</p> <h3 id="jump-link-read-more-apple-coverage">Read more Apple coverage:</h3> <ul> <li><p><a data-i13n="cpos:51;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/best-airpods-100041810.html">The best AirPods</a></p></li> <li><p><a data-i13n="cpos:52;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/wearables/best-apple-watch-160005462.html">The best Apple Watches</a></p></li> <li><p><a data-i13n="cpos:53;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/best-macbook-140032524.html">The best MacBooks</a></p></li> <li><p><a data-i13n="cpos:54;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/best-iphone-160012979.html">The best iPhones</a></p></li> </ul> <p><em>Follow </em><a data-i13n="cpos:55;pos:1" href="https://twitter.com/EngadgetDeals"><em>@EngadgetDeals</em></a><em> on X for the latest </em><a data-i13n="cpos:56;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/deals/"><em>tech deals</em></a><em> and </em><a data-i13n="cpos:57;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/best-tech/"><em>buying advice</em></a><em>.</em></p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/best-apple-deals-150020110.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p><a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/samsungs-ces-2025-tv-lineup-includes-8k-ai-enhancements-and-a-wireless-connect-box-030058512.html">Samsung</a> and <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/lg-displays-new-oleds-are-even-brighter-and-more-power-efficient-020010221.html#:~:text=The%20LG%20OLED%20evo%20M5,than%20the%20previous%20generation%20panel.">LG</a> got a headstart on Sony when they announced their new 2025 TVs a few months ago at <a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/ces/">CES</a>. But now, the latter is catching up with the pending arrival of three new Bravia sets, including a refreshed flagship QD-OLED, a midrange mini LED option and an updated budget alternative.</p> <p>Before we get into the specific models, it&#39;s important to note that after revamping the naming scheme for all of its <a data-i13n="cpos:4;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/good-riddance-wh-xb910n-sonys-confusing-product-names-are-going-away-161034581.html">home theater gear last year</a>, Sony isn&#39;t doing a full top-to-bottom overhaul of its entire lineup for 2025. Instead, it&#39;s introducing a handful of new TVs that will replace old models or slot into some existing gaps in its current portfolio. That means the Bravia 9 will continue to be the company&#39;s top-tier TV, with everything else falling in line under that.</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><figure><img src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/74de5b40-0f38-11f0-bfff-b40b85217b4b" data-crop-orig-src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/74de5b40-0f38-11f0-bfff-b40b85217b4b" style="height:2000px;width:3333px;" alt="The Bravia 8 II is Sony&#39;s new top-of-the-line QD-OLED TV for 2025." data-uuid="14f93b75-ed57-34a8-9de8-db952cf4ae7e"><figcaption></figcaption><div class="photo-credit">Sam Rutherford for Engadget</div></figure> <p>This brings us to the Bravia 8 II, which as you may have guessed, is the replacement to the Bravia 8 and will be Sony&#39;s most premium QD-OLED TV. Like the Bravia 9, it features the company&#39;s XR processor which supports AI scene recognition tech to help preserve details in tricky scenes. The way it works is that by analyzing your content, the TV can compare what&#39;s being displayed with a reference library of known backgrounds and patterns to help fill in any gaps the source material may not have fully captured.</p> <p>I had a chance to see this AI trick in person and while the effect is subtle, it definitely makes a difference during shots with lots of foliage, rocks or other challenging textures. I also noticed that the Bravia 8 II demonstrated improved tone mapping and much more accurate color gradients, which resulted in more detailed and realistic images, especially in very bright or dark shots. And of course, you get those lovely deep blacks and the excellent contrast that modern QD-OLED panels are known for.</p> <figure><img src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/14be33c0-0f38-11f0-bebd-9da24d45b564" data-crop-orig-src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/14be33c0-0f38-11f0-bebd-9da24d45b564" style="height:2000px;width:3333px;" alt="The 2025 Sony Bravia 5 features a mini-LED panel with improved brightness and contrast. " data-uuid="51b3d3e1-4c77-3581-b439-496bc5dbf5a3"><figcaption></figcaption><div class="photo-credit">Sam Rutherford for Engadget</div></figure> <p>Moving down the line, there&#39;s the Bravia 5, which neatly fills the void between Sony&#39;s existing 7 and 3 series TVs. It features a mini LED panel powered by the company&#39;s Backlight Master Drive tech, which delivers reduced digital noise and improved contrast. The most noticeable example I saw of this was the almost complete lack of halos or light bleed when viewing bright objects on a dark background. Another important spec is that the Bravia 5 is available in sizes of up to 98 inches, which makes it one of Sony&#39;s largest TVs (including the 83-inch flagship Bravia 9).</p> <figure><img src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/41e9ec40-0f38-11f0-bb2f-9475e236f5f0" data-crop-orig-src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/41e9ec40-0f38-11f0-bb2f-9475e236f5f0" style="height:2000px;width:3333px;" alt="The 2025 Sony Bravia 2 II features a new direct lit LED panel instead of the edge-lit display used on the previous model. " data-uuid="2c14e50d-8792-33d3-98f9-3cd8ab43ed17"><figcaption></figcaption><div class="photo-credit">Sam Rutherford for Engadget</div></figure> <p>Finally we come to the Bravia 2 II, where the biggest change is the shift to full direct lit LED instead of an edge lit panel like the previous model. This delivers much more vibrant colors in addition to significantly wider viewing angles on sizes ranging from 43 to 75 inches. Like Sony&#39;s other TVs, its OS is powered by Google TV and it includes an upscaler to bring old content up to 4K. The one major limitation on the Bravia 2 II is that it features a refresh rate of just 60Hz.</p> <p>Unfortunately, official pricing and availability for all of Sony&#39;s new TV&#39;s won&#39;t be available until sometime later this spring. So if you&#39;re currently shopping for a new set, you may want to hold off for another couple of months.</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/sonys-2025-bravia-tv-lineup-includes-a-new-flagship-qd-oled-model-160019669.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>Last spring, Sony debuted its <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/sony-debuts-bravia-theater-line-of-dolby-atmos-soundbars-and-speakers-160034176.html">Bravia Theater line</a> of soundbars and speakers, ditching its <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/good-riddance-wh-xb910n-sonys-confusing-product-names-are-going-away-161034581.html">confusing product names</a> in the process. The initial group consisted of the flagship Bar 9, Bar 8, Bravia Quad speaker set and a Theater U neck speaker. Now the company is looking to offer a more compact midrange option that's still capable of Dolby Atmos and DTS:X audio. With the new Bravia Theater Bar 6, Sony gives users a 3.1.2-channel option, and this time, it comes with a wireless subwoofer in the box.&nbsp;</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Sony Electronics;elmt:;cpos:3;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=15ca523d-d465-4d35-84bc-dfe76350e474&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=c8cc7db7-7fa7-4aee-86b7-073360447616&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Sony+Electronics&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL2VsZWN0cm9uaWNzLnNvbnkuY29tL2F1ZGlvL3NvdW5kYmFycy9hbGwtc291bmRiYXJzL3AvaHRiNjAwIiwiY29udGVudFV1aWQiOiJjOGNjN2RiNy03ZmE3LTRhZWUtODZiNy0wNzMzNjA0NDc2MTYiLCJvcmlnaW5hbFVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vZWxlY3Ryb25pY3Muc29ueS5jb20vYXVkaW8vc291bmRiYXJzL2FsbC1zb3VuZGJhcnMvcC9odGI2MDAifQ&amp;signature=AQAAAU5d-1hs80yESZfHWxjqhMMQY_KL3MzDzYTUQSCCMPVj&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Felectronics.sony.com%2Faudio%2Fsoundbars%2Fall-soundbars%2Fp%2Fhtb600" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://electronics.sony.com/audio/soundbars/all-soundbars/p/htb600">The Bar 6</a> will be the entry-level option in Sony's Bravia Theater soundbar lineup when compared to the more robust Bar 8 and Bar 9. The company says the goal here is to provide both immersive sound and clear dialogue. The soundbar's two up-firing drivers are paired with three more across the front for Dolby Atmos and DTS/X dimensional audio. Sony provides up-mixing tech to transform stereo content to 3D sound when those immersive formats aren't available. For dialogue, Sony utilizes both a dedicated center speaker and so-called Voice Zoom 3. That latter item is an AI-powered tool that recognizes human voices and adjusts their volume as needed to keep speech clear.&nbsp;</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><p>Sony is offering two packages for the Bar 6. First, you can opt for all-in-one setup that comes with rear satellite speakers and a subwoofer for a 5.1.2 surround sound setup. The company calls this the <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Sony Electronics;elmt:;cpos:4;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=15ca523d-d465-4d35-84bc-dfe76350e474&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=c8cc7db7-7fa7-4aee-86b7-073360447616&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Sony+Electronics&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL2VsZWN0cm9uaWNzLnNvbnkuY29tL2F1ZGlvL3NvdW5kYmFycy9hbGwtc291bmRiYXJzL3AvaHRzNjAiLCJjb250ZW50VXVpZCI6ImM4Y2M3ZGI3LTdmYTctNGFlZS04NmI3LTA3MzM2MDQ0NzYxNiIsIm9yaWdpbmFsVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9lbGVjdHJvbmljcy5zb255LmNvbS9hdWRpby9zb3VuZGJhcnMvYWxsLXNvdW5kYmFycy9wL2h0czYwIn0&amp;signature=AQAAAaQcd0XXG2z1udbKjPVDm0eKzlujse_H0tarkN2eF-yV&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Felectronics.sony.com%2Faudio%2Fsoundbars%2Fall-soundbars%2Fp%2Fhts60" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://electronics.sony.com/audio/soundbars/all-soundbars/p/hts60">Bravia Theater System 6</a>. If you don't need the rears, you can get the Bar 6 and a sub. Just note that the two subwoofers in those two configurations are different, and the back speakers with the System 6 don't have up-firing drivers.&nbsp;</p> <figure><img src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/73ec8950-0fc9-11f0-b9e1-87f3dec8c8ed" data-crop-orig-src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/73ec8950-0fc9-11f0-b9e1-87f3dec8c8ed" style="height:1707px;width:2560px;" alt="Sony's Bravia Theater System 6 is an all-in-one setup that centers on the new Bravia Theater Bar 6." data-uuid="fcfb505d-d547-35e8-b4ce-4b5564423b26"><figcaption>Sony's Bravia Theater System 6</figcaption><div class="photo-credit">Sony</div></figure> <p>One item that's notable about the System 6 is Sony's new Multi Stereo Mode. With living room setups that have rear speakers, those satellites sometimes provide awkward audio performance for music. This feature on Sony's new all-inclusive package replicates stereo left/right channels to the center and rear speakers for a more enjoyable audio experience.&nbsp;</p> <p>Lastly, Sony has a new set of rear speakers, dubbed the <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Sony Electronics;elmt:;cpos:5;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=15ca523d-d465-4d35-84bc-dfe76350e474&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=c8cc7db7-7fa7-4aee-86b7-073360447616&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Sony+Electronics&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL2VsZWN0cm9uaWNzLnNvbnkuY29tL2F1ZGlvL3NvdW5kYmFycy9hbGwtc291bmRiYXJzL3Avc2FyczgiLCJjb250ZW50VXVpZCI6ImM4Y2M3ZGI3LTdmYTctNGFlZS04NmI3LTA3MzM2MDQ0NzYxNiIsIm9yaWdpbmFsVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9lbGVjdHJvbmljcy5zb255LmNvbS9hdWRpby9zb3VuZGJhcnMvYWxsLXNvdW5kYmFycy9wL3NhcnM4In0&amp;signature=AQAAAVIJcFSk63e04OkRWEp25MUQt33KNYJbW9P4drzbOIPZ&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Felectronics.sony.com%2Faudio%2Fsoundbars%2Fall-soundbars%2Fp%2Fsars8" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://electronics.sony.com/audio/soundbars/all-soundbars/p/sars8">Bravia Theater Rear 8</a>. These are compatible with the company's soundbars and work with its 360 Spatial Sound Mapping tech to calibrate your system to your living room's acoustics. The Rear 8 are different from the speakers that come with the System 6, so you'll want to consider that when making your buying decision.&nbsp;</p> <p>When paired with a Bravia TV, Sony's soundbars can be controlled with the Bravia Connect app on a phone. Here, you can adjust volume and other settings without a remote or on-screen menu. Both the Bravia TV and Bravia Theater lineups can be controlled via on-screen prompts without having to change remotes. More specifically, a Bravia TV controller can be used to adjust volume, sound field and more on the Bravia Theater soundbars and speakers.&nbsp;</p> <p>There's no word on pricing or availability yet for the Bravia Theater Bar 6, Bravia Theater System 6 or the Bravia Theater Rear 8. All Sony has divulged thus far is that the trio of new products is set to arrive sometime this spring.&nbsp;</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/sony-adds-the-bravia-theater-bar-6-to-its-dolby-atmos-soundbar-lineup-160012544.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>During today's <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/everything-revealed-at-the-switch-2-nintendo-direct-133105950.html">Nintendo Direct</a> all about the <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-direct-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-console-reveal-today-195136387.html">Switch 2</a>, the company shared how and when fans can finally get the handheld into their hands. After a long, long wait, pre-orders for the Switch 2 will begin on April 9 in North America. According to <a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250402229347/en/Nintendo-Switch-2-Launches-June-5-at-%24449.99-Bringing-New-Forms-of-Game-Communication-to-Life">Nintendo's press release</a>, its starting price tag is $450 and the console will be widely available on June 5. The console will be available from the usual lineup of retailers, which we expect to include <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:4;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=615c9f9f-b1ce-4beb-aa21-bab5ea796a29&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL3N0b3Jlcy9OaW50ZW5kby9wYWdlL0JFMEVCNUQwLTBBRDYtNDU2NC04QkM1LTRBMTI5QTNBOUNGRD90YWc9Z2RndDBjLTIwIiwiY29udGVudFV1aWQiOiI2MTVjOWY5Zi1iMWNlLTRiZWItYWEyMS1iYWI1ZWE3OTZhMjkiLCJvcmlnaW5hbFVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFtYXpvbi5jb20vc3RvcmVzL05pbnRlbmRvL3BhZ2UvQkUwRUI1RDAtMEFENi00NTY0LThCQzUtNEExMjlBM0E5Q0ZEIiwiZHluYW1pY0NlbnRyYWxUcmFja2luZ0lkIjp0cnVlLCJzaXRlSWQiOiJ1cy1lbmdhZGdldCIsInBhZ2VJZCI6IjFwLWF1dG9saW5rIiwiZmVhdHVyZUlkIjoidGV4dC1saW5rIn0&amp;signature=AQAAAV1-4zJ6SdqWT6-eWvQfcRtaySiyrEe3zqzmt3h3njux&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fstores%2FNintendo%2Fpage%2FBE0EB5D0-0AD6-4564-8BC5-4A129A3A9CFD" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/stores/Nintendo/page/BE0EB5D0-0AD6-4564-8BC5-4A129A3A9CFD?ref_=ast_bln">Amazon</a>, <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Best Buy;elmt:;cpos:5;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=5e0bed65-d2f8-4b34-9b8f-955218c0e37a&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=615c9f9f-b1ce-4beb-aa21-bab5ea796a29&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Best+Buy&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5iZXN0YnV5LmNvbS9zaXRlL3ZpZGVvLWdhbWVzL25pbnRlbmRvL3BjbWNhdDE3NDI0MDczMDU3MTAuYz9pZD1wY21jYXQxNzQyNDA3MzA1NzEwIiwiY29udGVudFV1aWQiOiI2MTVjOWY5Zi1iMWNlLTRiZWItYWEyMS1iYWI1ZWE3OTZhMjkiLCJvcmlnaW5hbFVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJlc3RidXkuY29tL3NpdGUvdmlkZW8tZ2FtZXMvbmludGVuZG8vcGNtY2F0MTc0MjQwNzMwNTcxMC5jP2lkPXBjbWNhdDE3NDI0MDczMDU3MTAifQ&amp;signature=AQAAARUh5hG4XqDi4mFCyz5mo5EIW7MalDFd2-HrtInFyGBS&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bestbuy.com%2Fsite%2Fvideo-games%2Fnintendo%2Fpcmcat1742407305710.c%3Fid%3Dpcmcat1742407305710" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://sovrn.co/1qu1iuu">Best Buy</a>, <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:GameStop;elmt:;cpos:6;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=ffe106af-8248-4af3-9098-a2d4fd637766&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=615c9f9f-b1ce-4beb-aa21-bab5ea796a29&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=GameStop&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5nYW1lc3RvcC5jb20vcG9wdWxhci1jb25zb2xlcy9uaW50ZW5kby1zd2l0Y2giLCJjb250ZW50VXVpZCI6IjYxNWM5ZjlmLWIxY2UtNGJlYi1hYTIxLWJhYjVlYTc5NmEyOSIsIm9yaWdpbmFsVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ2FtZXN0b3AuY29tL3BvcHVsYXItY29uc29sZXMvbmludGVuZG8tc3dpdGNoIn0&amp;signature=AQAAAUonejCHcLSDitpae8s_wWNi0dXwgY-bF6mV2v-YBDbG&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gamestop.com%2Fpopular-consoles%2Fnintendo-switch" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.gamestop.com/popular-consoles/nintendo-switch">GameStop</a>, <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Walmart;elmt:;cpos:7;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=3719d8d4-5edd-4817-998a-91f3229e7323&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=615c9f9f-b1ce-4beb-aa21-bab5ea796a29&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Walmart&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy53YWxtYXJ0LmNvbS9jcC9uaW50ZW5kby1zd2l0Y2gvNDY0NjUyOT9wb3ZpZD1FVFNfdmdfbmF2cGlsbHNfbmludGVuZG9zZWFyY2hicm93c2Vfc2hvcGFsbG5pbnRlbmRvIiwiY29udGVudFV1aWQiOiI2MTVjOWY5Zi1iMWNlLTRiZWItYWEyMS1iYWI1ZWE3OTZhMjkiLCJvcmlnaW5hbFVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LndhbG1hcnQuY29tL2NwL25pbnRlbmRvLXN3aXRjaC80NjQ2NTI5P3BvdmlkPUVUU192Z19uYXZwaWxsc19uaW50ZW5kb3NlYXJjaGJyb3dzZV9zaG9wYWxsbmludGVuZG8ifQ&amp;signature=AQAAAaPSKvyVhw_lEKf-cSlzZAKB9kujMj7KR__wfW21TS-g&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fcp%2Fnintendo-switch%2F4646529%3Fpovid%3DETS_vg_navpills_nintendosearchbrowse_shopallnintendo" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.walmart.com/cp/nintendo-switch/4646529?povid=ETS_vg_navpills_nintendosearchbrowse_shopallnintendo">Walmart</a> and others.</p> <p>The $450 price tag is for the Switch 2 console alone, but Nintendo said it will also offer a bundle with the Switch 2 and a copy of the new <a data-i13n="cpos:8;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/mario-kart-world-features-24-player-races-off-roading-and-sick-grinds-134117381.html"><em>Mario Kart World</em></a><em>&nbsp;</em>game, a Switch 2 exclusive, for $500.</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span> <p> <core-commerce id="ba1aad5314d2493abbbd6cdd81e4c9bb" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.nintendo.com/us/gaming-systems/switch-2/how-to-buy/"></core-commerce></p> <p>There's some fine-print attached to pre-ordering directly from Nintendo. According to the <a data-i13n="cpos:9;pos:1" href="https://www.nintendo.com/us/gaming-systems/switch-2/how-to-buy/">pre-order page</a> on Nintendo's site, you must be 18 years or older, sign in with your Nintendo account and register your interest in pre-ordering. Then, you'll be sent an invitation email when it's time to play your pre-order, and the invitation will be valid for 72 hours. And then there's this bit of info: "Invitation emails will be prioritized on a first-come, first-served basis to registrants who have purchased a Nintendo Switch Online membership with a minimum of 12 months of paid membership and a minimum of 50 total gameplay hours, as of April 2, 2025."</p> <p>That seems to mean those who have paid for Switch Online in the recent past and those who have spent a good amount of time playing Switch games as of late will get first pick at buying a Switch 2. There's no telling if these same restrictions will apply if you want to pre-order from third-party retailers.</p> <p>We knew from the teaser trailer for the <a data-i13n="cpos:10;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-nintendo-switch-2-arrives-on-june-5-132838214.html">Switch 2</a> that Nintendo's new hardware would be bigger and would have a new approach to the detachable Joy-Cons. The new Joy-Con 2 have a new C button, <a data-i13n="cpos:11;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-switch-2s-joy-cons-can-double-as-mouse-like-controllers-133355339.html">mouse controls</a> and a built in gyroscope for tilt control. The console has a built-in mic to support a new feature called Game Chat that will let you communicate with friends in-game. The device is indeed a bit larger, with a 7.9-inch LCD screen that supports a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR and a 1080p resolution.</p> <p>When docked, you'll be able to play at up to 4K on your TV, and Nintendo says it improved the consoles internal speakers as well. The new dock also has a built-in fan to keep the console cool and help maintain performance during long play sessions. The Switch 2 has dual USB-C ports for charging, and the base storage amount has increased to 256GB. The Switch 2's storage can be expanded like the previous model, but it will only work with newer <a data-i13n="cpos:12;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-microsd-card-130038282.html">microSD</a> Express cards.</p> <p>The Switch 2 has a number of <a data-i13n="cpos:13;pos:1" href="https://www.nintendo.com/us/gaming-systems/switch-2/accessories/">accessories</a> that you'll be able to purchase separately as well, including the <a data-i13n="cpos:14;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-nintendo-switch-2-offers-built-in-voice-chat-and-screensharing-133334225.html">new Switch 2 camera</a> for $50, a new Switch 2 Pro controller for $80, an extra pair of Joy-Con 2 controllers for $90, a Joy-Con 2 charging grip for $35 and more.</p> <h3 id="jump-link-pre-order-the-nintendo-switch-2-starting-april-9-from">Pre-order the Nintendo Switch 2 starting April 9 from:</h3> <ul> <li><p><a data-i13n="cpos:15;pos:1" href="https://www.nintendo.com/us/gaming-systems/switch-2/how-to-buy/">Nintendo</a></p></li> <li><p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:16;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=615c9f9f-b1ce-4beb-aa21-bab5ea796a29&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=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&amp;signature=AQAAAV1-4zJ6SdqWT6-eWvQfcRtaySiyrEe3zqzmt3h3njux&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fstores%2FNintendo%2Fpage%2FBE0EB5D0-0AD6-4564-8BC5-4A129A3A9CFD" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/stores/Nintendo/page/BE0EB5D0-0AD6-4564-8BC5-4A129A3A9CFD?ref_=ast_bln">Amazon</a></p></li> <li><p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Walmart;elmt:;cpos:17;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=3719d8d4-5edd-4817-998a-91f3229e7323&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=615c9f9f-b1ce-4beb-aa21-bab5ea796a29&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Walmart&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy53YWxtYXJ0LmNvbS9jcC9uaW50ZW5kby1zd2l0Y2gvNDY0NjUyOT9wb3ZpZD1FVFNfdmdfbmF2cGlsbHNfbmludGVuZG9zZWFyY2hicm93c2Vfc2hvcGFsbG5pbnRlbmRvIiwiY29udGVudFV1aWQiOiI2MTVjOWY5Zi1iMWNlLTRiZWItYWEyMS1iYWI1ZWE3OTZhMjkiLCJvcmlnaW5hbFVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LndhbG1hcnQuY29tL2NwL25pbnRlbmRvLXN3aXRjaC80NjQ2NTI5P3BvdmlkPUVUU192Z19uYXZwaWxsc19uaW50ZW5kb3NlYXJjaGJyb3dzZV9zaG9wYWxsbmludGVuZG8ifQ&amp;signature=AQAAAaPSKvyVhw_lEKf-cSlzZAKB9kujMj7KR__wfW21TS-g&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fcp%2Fnintendo-switch%2F4646529%3Fpovid%3DETS_vg_navpills_nintendosearchbrowse_shopallnintendo" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.walmart.com/cp/nintendo-switch/4646529?povid=ETS_vg_navpills_nintendosearchbrowse_shopallnintendo">Walmart</a></p></li> <li><p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:GameStop;elmt:;cpos:18;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=ffe106af-8248-4af3-9098-a2d4fd637766&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=615c9f9f-b1ce-4beb-aa21-bab5ea796a29&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=GameStop&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5nYW1lc3RvcC5jb20vcG9wdWxhci1jb25zb2xlcy9uaW50ZW5kby1zd2l0Y2giLCJjb250ZW50VXVpZCI6IjYxNWM5ZjlmLWIxY2UtNGJlYi1hYTIxLWJhYjVlYTc5NmEyOSIsIm9yaWdpbmFsVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ2FtZXN0b3AuY29tL3BvcHVsYXItY29uc29sZXMvbmludGVuZG8tc3dpdGNoIn0&amp;signature=AQAAAUonejCHcLSDitpae8s_wWNi0dXwgY-bF6mV2v-YBDbG&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gamestop.com%2Fpopular-consoles%2Fnintendo-switch" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.gamestop.com/popular-consoles/nintendo-switch">GameStop</a></p></li> <li><p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Best Buy;elmt:;cpos:19;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=5e0bed65-d2f8-4b34-9b8f-955218c0e37a&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=615c9f9f-b1ce-4beb-aa21-bab5ea796a29&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Best+Buy&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5iZXN0YnV5LmNvbS9zaXRlL3ZpZGVvLWdhbWVzL25pbnRlbmRvL3BjbWNhdDE3NDI0MDczMDU3MTAuYz9pZD1wY21jYXQxNzQyNDA3MzA1NzEwIiwiY29udGVudFV1aWQiOiI2MTVjOWY5Zi1iMWNlLTRiZWItYWEyMS1iYWI1ZWE3OTZhMjkiLCJvcmlnaW5hbFVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJlc3RidXkuY29tL3NpdGUvdmlkZW8tZ2FtZXMvbmludGVuZG8vcGNtY2F0MTc0MjQwNzMwNTcxMC5jP2lkPXBjbWNhdDE3NDI0MDczMDU3MTAifQ&amp;signature=AQAAARUh5hG4XqDi4mFCyz5mo5EIW7MalDFd2-HrtInFyGBS&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bestbuy.com%2Fsite%2Fvideo-games%2Fnintendo%2Fpcmcat1742407305710.c%3Fid%3Dpcmcat1742407305710" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://sovrn.co/1qu1iuu">Best Buy</a></p></li> <li><p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Target;elmt:;cpos:20;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=827d7835-78d6-4491-ae04-c042cab1d6e7&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=615c9f9f-b1ce-4beb-aa21-bab5ea796a29&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Target&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy50YXJnZXQuY29tL2MvbmludGVuZG8tc3dpdGNoLXZpZGVvLWdhbWVzLy0vTi00aG55MCIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiNjE1YzlmOWYtYjFjZS00YmViLWFhMjEtYmFiNWVhNzk2YTI5Iiwib3JpZ2luYWxVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy50YXJnZXQuY29tL2MvbmludGVuZG8tc3dpdGNoLXZpZGVvLWdhbWVzLy0vTi00aG55MCJ9&amp;signature=AQAAASh38WLg_WPQhGdwxyXmNC8a1ZK26Gb2P54gU1KYOuXg&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.target.com%2Fc%2Fnintendo-switch-video-games%2F-%2FN-4hny0" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.target.com/c/nintendo-switch-video-games/-/N-4hny0">Target</a></p></li> </ul>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/how-to-pre-order-the-nintendo-switch-2-140931639.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>The <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-everything-announced-including-a-new-mario-kart-game-new-switch-features-and-more-133105264.html">Switch 2 Nintendo Direct</a> has officially come and gone, leaving in its wake some big news about the system and its <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/donkey-kong-bananza-is-a-brand-new-3d-platformer-for-switch-2-143108835.html">upcoming games</a>. One of arguably the cutest announcements came courtesy of <em>Kirby Air Riders</em>, a new game from <em>Super Smash Bros</em>. director Masahiro Sakurai. So, while there's sadly no new <em>Smash</em> game on the horizon, you can glide around with Kirby and friends.&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Kirby Air Riders</em> comes over two decades after Sakurai designed <em>Kirby Air Ride</em> for the GameCube. Yes, you can now take a moment if reading this has made you feel old. After nearly a minute of build-up, the trailer shows Kirby riding along on the Warp Star machine, through a pleasant looking valley. It ends with the "rs" being dramatically attached to the original <em>Kirby Air Ride</em> title.&nbsp;</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span> <div id="620ad59ecb664fa0a34fd3fe7e119eff"> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oJVsNMp_nAU?si=otch_8l973NyoUxl" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div> <p>We don't have an exact release date for Kirby Air Riders yet, but Nintendo says it will be sometime this year. As for the Switch 2, you can pick one up for <a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-nintendo-switch-2-arrives-on-june-5-at-450-140642208.html">$450 on June 5</a>, along with new games like <a data-i13n="cpos:4;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/mario-kart-world-features-24-player-races-off-roading-and-sick-grinds-134117381.html"><em>Mario Kart World</em></a>.</p> <p> <core-commerce id="3372d0b0fd7d4f9eb3e586b5fb3362fc" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.nintendo.com/us/"></core-commerce></p> <p></p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/super-smash-bros-directors-kirby-air-riders-will-come-to-the-switch-2-150234970.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p><em>Silksong</em>, the long-awaited to <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/2019-06-26-hollow-knight-silksong-switch-hands-on.html">sequel to 2017&#39;s Hollow Knight</a>, will arrive later this year, according to a brief sizzle reel Nintendo shared during today&#39;s <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/everything-revealed-at-the-switch-2-nintendo-direct-133105950.html">Switch 2 Direct</a>. In fact, the snippet was so short you might have missed it if you blinked, and featured the same section of gameplay we first saw during the game&#39;s announcement trailer back in 2019.&nbsp;</p> <div id="934cbb303d6b4ce685725718420b13c1"><div style="left:0;width:100%;height:0;position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yQxwbZsL14Y?rel=0" style="top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;border:0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" data-embed-domain="www.youtube.com"></iframe></div></div> <p>Of course this being <em>Silksong </em>we&#39;re talking about, I wouldn&#39;t count on the game&#39;s developer, Team Cherry, sticking to that date until we have the game in our hands. If you recall, back in 2022 there was speculation the game would arrive by June 12, 2023 after Microsoft included it in a <a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/hollow-knight-silksong-xbox-game-pass-171852706.html">Xbox Game Pass trailer</a> and said all the titles featured in said clip would be available within 12 months. Well, June 12, 2023 came and went with no release of <em>Silksong</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><p></p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/hollow-knight-silksong-purportedly-arrives-this-year-144515332.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>Nintendo just held a livestream to drop more details on the forthcoming Switch 2 console. At the very end, it revealed a brand-new 3D platformer starring Donkey Kong. This is the first game of its type since <em>Donkey Kong 64</em> hit the Nintendo 64 all the way back in 1999. It’s called <em>Donkey Kong Bananza</em> and launches exclusively for the Switch 2 on July 17, which is just over a month after the console hits store shelves.</p> <p>It looks cool! Much of the environment is destructible, so DK can get in there and break stuff. It also features sidescrolling segments, sort of like how modern Mario 3D platformers dip into their 2D roots every once in a while.&nbsp;</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><div id="45e4135578e44eaea407341b82738070"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mIddsPkdX9U?si=_1tkwYjherG6k7PE" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div> <p>The whole thing has a funky and cartoonish vibe one would expect from our favorite gorilla. However, I didn’t hear one lick of the <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npuuTBlEb1U"><ins>famous Donkey Kong rap</ins></a> during the trailer but the equally iconic &quot;ooh banana&quot; sound effect from <em>DK64</em> does make a brief cameo.</p> <p>The trailer does show DK climbing up the sides of mountains (getting his <em>BOTW</em>-era Link on) and rollicking through several locations. These include a forest and an ice region, among others. The footage also shows the meanest looking Kong I’ve ever seen.</p> <figure><img src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/800c7de0-0fcd-11f0-bbb6-727db5978f1a" data-crop-orig-src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/800c7de0-0fcd-11f0-bbb6-727db5978f1a" style="height:1067px;width:1892px;" alt="A mean Kong." data-uuid="6c6be6f8-ec13-3ecf-afb4-df53261da464"><figcaption></figcaption><div class="photo-credit">Nintendo</div></figure> <p>We don’t know too much about this game beyond what the trailer shows, but we don’t have that long to wait. Once again, <em>Donkey Kong Bananza</em> comes out on July 17.</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/donkey-kong-bananza-is-a-brand-new-3d-platformer-for-switch-2-143108835.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>If you were hoping for <em>Bloodborne 2</em>, I have good and bad news. This isn&#39;t that, because that&#39; Sony thing. However, FromSoftware&#39;s new game, coming to the Switch 2, looks to borrow a lot of the gothic cues and style of <em>Bloodborne</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p><em>The Duskbloods</em> leans into a slightly more Steampunk style too, with what appears to be steam-powered automatons. There are also vampire shenanigans, a man with an axe in a pyjama onesie, a dinosaur and a rune-covered rodent. In short, there&#39;s lots of mystery, lots of violence and some magic, too.&nbsp;</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><div id="4638d65c9c7945cf80c48abe72a9fb92"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/niKHDEKQ7xA?rel=0" style="top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;border:0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" data-embed-domain="www.youtube.com"></iframe></div> <p>In today&#39;s brief trailer, we saw one of the characters leap into a busy Victorian cityscape, toured some shady churches and got a glimpse of a huge beast that we&#39;ll probably need to slay. We also got teases of several characters wielding different weapons and attack patterns.</p> <p>For now, <em>The Duskbloods</em> doesn&#39;t have a specific release date; it will land on Nintendo&#39;s new console sometime in 2026.</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/fromsoftware-the-duskbloods-switch-2-2026-release-142025792.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>Nintendo Switch Online is getting a Switch 2-exclusive upgrade. On <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-nintendo-switch-2-arrives-on-june-5-132838214.html">June 5</a>, the same day the new console goes on sale, the service&#39;s Expansion Pack service will begin including GameCube games. At launch, Nintendo will offer <em>The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Soulcaliber II </em>and <em>F-Zero GX</em>, with more games to come following the Switch 2&#39;s release.&nbsp;</p> <div id="8204b8407c924e25aed20420e987fb69"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0MvkSVs8f_w?rel=0" style="top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;border:0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" data-embed-domain="www.youtube.com"></iframe></div> <p>Games that support multiplayer, including <em>F-Zero GX</em>, will offer online play, with support for up to four players. Additionally, the Switch 2 will render every GameCube game at a higher resolution for improved image quality. Nintendo will also release a new version of the GameCube&#39;s classic controller that features a USB-C connection, wireless connectivity and a dedicated C button for GameChat functionality.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-nintendo-switch-2-will-play-gamecube-games-141025334.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>Nintendo is today laying out the goodies for the <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-nintendo-switch-2-arrives-on-june-5-132838214.html">Switch 2</a>, which includes the third-party titles available at launch. The roster may be small, but it includes a number of notable titles from the current generation, trimmed and polished to work on the new hardware. That includes <em>Cyberpunk: 2077</em>, <em>Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition, Street Fighter 6, Hitman: World of Assassination and Split Fiction</em>. EA has also committed to putting <del>whatever the hell we pretend to call FIFA these days</del> <em>EA Sports FC</em> as well as this year’s <em>Madden</em>. There’s also a <em>Bravely Default: Flying Fairy</em> HD remaster and <em>Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut</em> plus a tweaked version of <em>Hogwarts: Legacy. Fortnite </em>will also be available on the console on release day.</p> <p>The breadth and depth of titles available on day one is testament both to the fact there are plenty of good titles in the air right now, and that the Switch 2 must be fairly easy for developers to work with.&nbsp;</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/cyberpunk-2077-and-split-fiction-are-third-party-launch-titles-for-nintendo-switch-2-135648661.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>Nintendo won&#39;t let you escape two of its most critically-acclaimed games ever. It&#39;s announced there will be Switch 2 versions of both <em>Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild</em> and <em>Tears of the Kingdom. </em>Both titles will benefit from the next-gen console&#39;s <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-nintendo-switch-2-arrives-on-june-5-132838214.html">increased power,</a> with enhanced framerates and resolution during play, as well as HDR support for deeper colors and contrast. Nintendo wasn&#39;t specific on the difference between handheld and TV play just yet, but we know the new console will feature several resolutions for play, from 1080p through to 4K.&nbsp;</p> <div id="f3097943b24d4f5daccca2eec09e195f"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FiLoePc9tds?rel=0" style="top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;border:0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" data-embed-domain="www.youtube.com"></iframe></div> <p>The Switch 2 is also capable of up to 120 FPS, so you&#39;re likely to see a difference. For reference, <em>Tears of the Kingdom</em> on the original Switch was locked at 30 FPS in both the Switch&#39;s handheld and TV modes.</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><p>Also, the new mobile Switch App will have new Zelda-specific features for these new editions. It can turn your smartphone into a (sort-of) Sheikah Slate. It&#39;ll guide you around maps with voiced directions, and you&#39;ll be able to share your creations with QR codes so that others can create your Mad Max destruction machines in their games.&nbsp;</p> <p>And if you&#39;re a Switch Online subscriber with the Expansion pack, you&#39;ll get both upgraded iterations for <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://www.nintendo.com/us/whatsnew/whats-new-with-nintendo-switch-online-on-nintendo-switch-2/">free</a>, provided you own the originals.&nbsp;</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-announces-upgraded-switch-2-editions-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-and-tears-of-the-kingdom-134039778.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>Nintendo just dropped a boatload of Switch 2 news. We got the release date, which is June 5, and plenty of details. The company also pulled the lid off a mysterious Joy-Con feature. <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-everything-we-know-about-pre-order-plans-specs-pricing-games-and-more-195136485.html">The rumors were right</a>. They can double as mouse-like controllers.&nbsp;</p> <p>One Joy-Con can be used as a traditional controller, held vertically, while the other slides along the table as a mouse. This could allow for near-perfect ports of Wii and Wii U games that relied on motion control, in addition to ports of PC titles. A Joy-Con will also combine with the gyroscope for unique gameplay experiences. Incidentally, this functionally will even work on pants.&nbsp;</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span> <figure> <img src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/ef505a80-0fc5-11f0-96df-f45ee2db0258" data-crop-orig-src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/ef505a80-0fc5-11f0-96df-f45ee2db0258" style="height:840px;width:1494px;" alt="Nintendo." data-uuid="1d487fa1-44b5-3047-aa04-536b9208df39"> <figcaption></figcaption> <div class="photo-credit"> Nintendo </div> </figure> <p>The good use case here should be first-person shooters. Computer mouse controllers offer a level of precision that consoles have typically struggled to match, but this looks like an attempt to address this particular issue. It could even make the Switch 2 a powerhouse for franchises like Civilization. As a matter of fact, the company announced a port of <em>Civilization VII</em>.&nbsp;</p> <p>The company revealed that a Switch 2 version of <em>Metroid Prime 4</em> will use this feature. Nintendo might also release games that make special use of this functionality down the line. It also pulled the lid off a game called <em>Drag x Drive</em> that's controlled via mouse Joy-Con.&nbsp;</p> <figure> <img src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/05a28190-0fc7-11f0-b1fb-230fd77a066c" data-crop-orig-src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/05a28190-0fc7-11f0-b1fb-230fd77a066c" style="height:772px;width:1526px;" alt="a game." data-uuid="02d8b33e-3c4f-39da-beb3-954df05d9239"> <figcaption></figcaption> <div class="photo-credit"> Nintendo </div> </figure> <p>The company even showed off nifty-looking demos, but these look mostly like mini-games. I, for one, would very much like a new <em>Mario Paint</em>.</p> <figure> <img src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/b996d810-0fc5-11f0-b6ae-fe65d3ec564c" data-crop-orig-src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/b996d810-0fc5-11f0-b6ae-fe65d3ec564c" style="height:1071px;width:1895px;" alt="Nintendo" data-uuid="032299ce-bf71-3b05-90e6-7c9690e29808"> <figcaption></figcaption> <div class="photo-credit"> Nintendo </div> </figure> <p>The company also revealed another tool for the Switch 2. This is the mysterious "C" button. The button calls up voice chat. Finally, a Nintendo console with easy voice chat.</p> <p> <core-commerce id="75975284cb504916aa7ba342c7212727" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.nintendo.com/us/"></core-commerce></p> <p></p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-switch-2s-joy-cons-can-double-as-mouse-like-controllers-133355339.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>Voice chat was never easy on the Nintendo Switch. Thankfully, with the Switch 2, Nintendo is making it an essential part of the new console. By pressing the new &quot;C&quot; button, located on the right Joy-Con, players can jump into a GameChat with their friends and family. Nintendo demoed the feature during its recent Switch 2 Direct, alongside a new Switch 2 Camera that will go on sale on <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-nintendo-switch-2-arrives-on-june-5-132838214.html">June 5</a>, the same day as the new handheld.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <div id="2176b9d0a55843e1ae10a96c7ba08570"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0MvkSVs8f_w?rel=0" style="top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;border:0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" data-embed-domain="www.youtube.com"></iframe></div> <p>If you&#39;ve ever watched someone stream on Discord, you&#39;ll have an idea of what to expect from GameChat. Along the bottom of the interface are windows for every chat participant. At any time, up to four of your friends can start sharing their screen, and join with video chat if they own the Switch 2 Camera. Every Switch 2 unit features a microphone along the top of the device to facilitate voice communication, and GameChat allows up to 12 people to converse over voice. In the demo Nintendo showed off, friend streams appeared to run noticeably worse than the main gameplay.&nbsp;</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><p>&quot;Safety features are in place to help players have a safe and secure chat experience, such as the ability to report a person while in a chat session,&quot; says Nintendo. Additionally, children under the age of 16 will need approval from their parent to use GameChat, which they can obtain through an updated version of the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls App.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>Nintendo said a <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-nintendo-switch-2-will-play-gamecube-games-141025334.html">Nintendo Switch Online</a> membership will be required to use GameChat. However, the company will offer a free trial through March 31, 2026.&nbsp;</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-nintendo-switch-2-offers-built-in-voice-chat-and-screensharing-133334225.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>If there’s one thing <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-direct-live-coverage-all-of-the-details-around-the-companys-latest-console-100044216.html">Nintendo has always understood</a>, it’s that everyone may want to play together, but might not all own the same game. With the Switch 2, the company is launching GameShare, enabling local multiplayer on multiple consoles with just one copy of a title. Yes friends, this is the wireless multiplayer feature from the Nintendo DS or, depending on your era, the modern day GameBoy Link Cable.</p> <p>With the first Switch, multiplayer was limited to sharing JoyCons on the same console hardware. But for the successor, if two people each have a Switch 2 but one copy of a compatible game, then they’ll be able to play wirelessly on their own hardware. But that’s not all, as you’ll also be able to do this with four consoles at a time, including original Switch and Switch Lite models.</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span> <p>Unfortunately for now, the list of games compatible with GameShare is pretty thin, but Nintendo says more will be coming in the future. At launch, it'll work with <em>Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Super Mario 3D World / Bowser's Fury, ClubHouse Games </em>(pictured above)<em>, Super Mario Odyssey and Big Brain Academy.</em></p> <p> <core-commerce id="c94c8bf5d46e4d64833e68f509441346" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.nintendo.com/us/"></core-commerce></p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-lets-switch-2-players-share-their-games-132431186.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>The 2025 Audi e-tron GT RS Performance has a special way of welcoming you. As you approach, it does the usual show of blinking headlights and tail lights, plus puddle lamps projecting red RS logos on the ground. That&#39;s nothing special these days. But when you get to the door and reach for the handle the car literally rises to meet you, springing up two full inches to ease your entry into this ultra-low, extremely long sport tourer.</p> <p>At least, it will do that if you spend the extra $11,000 for the new active suspension, a very worthy add-on to this $167,000 sports car and just one of the dozens of upgrades <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/the-audi-q6-e-tron-is-an-oled-dream-machine-140018286.html">Audi</a> made to the big performance machine for 2025. And it&#39;s good that those upgrades are so substantial, because from the outside, the car looks barely different than what came before.</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><p>Audi slightly massaged the front grille, while the diffuser projecting from beneath the rear bumper looks far cleaner than before. Still, you&#39;d be hard-pressed to tell new from old from a distance — or up close, for that matter. The biggest exterior change is probably the roof of the e-tron GT, which is now available in your choice of shiny or matte carbon fiber. Or, if you&#39;re more interested in sunshine than weight savings, you can opt for a new glass roof with nine separate integrated liquid crystal panels that turn opaque at the touch of a button.</p> <p>That makes for a fun talking point if you feel the need to impress your friends, but the 912 horsepower on tap will surely take care of that. Fire up launch control, and even the most jaded motorheads will be left utterly breathless. The e-tron GT RS Performance rockets from zero to 60 mph in just 2.4 seconds, which is a world-class figure, but what&#39;s more impressive is how it just keeps on going. I had a chance to run the car up past 130 mph (on a closed track) and the feeling was right on the border between thrilling and terrifying. The forces squeezing me into the (thankfully quite supportive) sport seat made my animal brain scream for sweet release.</p> <figure><img src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-03/f4967c30-0e54-11f0-9e3f-573c152027d5" data-crop-orig-src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-03/f4967c30-0e54-11f0-9e3f-573c152027d5" style="height:1707px;width:2560px;" alt="2025 Audi RS e-tron GT Performance first drive" data-uuid="b7d95254-9203-33cd-b3c5-26747a3d1659"><figcaption></figcaption><div class="photo-credit">Audi</div></figure> <p>That wasn&#39;t the only mindjob happening here, though. That new active suspension can be set to actually make the car lean into corners while also dipping the nose under acceleration and lowering the tail when you hit the brakes. It&#39;s all in an effort to create a more stable, predictable platform, enabling you to drive the car hard without your passengers losing their patience — or their lunches.</p> <p>The capabilities of the RS e-tron GT Performance are definitely remarkable in any condition. A quick twitch of your right toe is enough to send it leaping forward, and for those special moments, you can get about an extra 94 horsepower by pressing the big red BOOST button on the steering wheel.</p> <p>Unfortunately, that&#39;s about the only thing good about the wheel. For this new e-tron GT, Audi shifted to the type of capacitive touch buttons that everybody hates on the <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/volkswagen-id-4-review-041148248.html">Volkswagen ID.4</a>, which are both challenging to use by touch and yet easy to accidentally trigger. I kept raising the volume on the stereo every time I made a left turn. That&#39;s no good.</p> <p>The rest of the interface is much the same as before, with the 10.1-inch touchscreen angled in the middle of the dashboard. It&#39;s running Audi&#39;s MMI software though, which is a bit sluggish at times. Still, between the touchscreen, the Virtual Cockpit digital gauge cluster behind the wheel and the HUD projected on the windscreen, you have no shortage of displays to admire.</p> <p>The rest of the cabin is largely unchanged as well, which isn&#39;t a bad thing. Seats up front are supportive yet comfortable, power-adjustable in all the right ways, heated and ventilated, and sit low enough in the car to offer plenty of headroom. Seating in the back isn&#39;t bad either, with a bit of extra legroom provided by a division in the battery pack, creating space for rear passenger feet.</p> <core-slideshow data-slideshowid="a9edd530-cf48-45c7-9c8f-9369441410c7"/> <p>That rear-seat layout is the same as before, but while the battery pack shape is the same, crack it open and you&#39;ll find all sorts of newness. Audi changed the chemistry of the cells and that, plus some design revisions, has boosted energy density, which means more capacity in the same space.</p> <p>The battery now offers 105 kWh of total capacity (95 net), which is up from 93.4 before, while other changes have boosted charging speed. The maximum charging current is up to 320 kW from 270 kW before, and the battery can now maintain that speed at a wider range of temperatures. The result is an 80 percent charge in just 18 minutes. That&#39;s about 240 miles worth of range in the time it&#39;ll take to make a pit stop yourself.&nbsp;</p> <p>All those battery upgrades provide up to 300 miles of range on the 670 horsepower S e-tron GT or 278 miles of range on the faster RS e-tron GT Performance. Those figures represent a gain of between 29 and 51 miles over the old car, depending on which spec you choose. That&#39;s a major boost in longevity, and since that new suspension is equally good at being soft and cosseting as it is sharp and exciting, the GT makes for a remarkably good touring car. I spent most of a day idling my way in and out of Las Vegas in one, and I would’ve gladly done many more miles without complaint.</p> <p>But with all that power and handling, the GT is happiest when it’s pushed to its limits. The only challenge is your budget will be pushed, too. The 2025 S e-tron GT costs $125,500, while the faster RS e-tron GT Performance starts at $167,000. That means all the new battery tech and brain-scrambling power have added about $20,000 to the sticker prices of the previous year&#39;s car. And you&#39;ll spend even more if you want all the toys.</p> <p>So, the RS e-tron GT Performance is expensive, but impressive too. We&#39;re still barely a decade into seeing what high-performance EVs can do, an engineering journey that will surely take us to new heights in the years to come. But what this car can do today is remarkable, with acceleration so strong that it&#39;s uncomfortable, suspension so advanced it can dance, and yet all the comfort and poise befitting an Audi.</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/audis-refreshed-rs-e-tron-gt-performance-brings-shocking-speed-for-a-premium-price-130154710.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>The wait is finally over: The appropriately titled "Nintendo Direct: Switch 2" presentation will start today (April 2) at 9AM ET / 6AM PT, and will stream on <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.youtube.com/@NintendoAmerica/featured">Nintendo's YouTube channel</a>. Today's presentation follows a shorter Direct video last week, in which the company teased a <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dvo1V7DWYsA"><em>Tomodachi Life </em>sequel</a> and <a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/watch-todays-nintendo-direct-here-at-10am-et-145809275.html">the last few Switch 1 games</a> (all of which will also run on the new console, thanks to backward compatibility).</p> <p>Because of the <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:4;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itpcsQQvgAQ">short teaser video</a> Nintendo released in January, we already know the basic details of the Switch 2's look and feel — a larger screen, some sort of mouse functionality for the Joy-Con controllers — and we even got a glimpse at what looks like a new Mario Kart game. But the company's April 2 presentation should answer a litany of remaining questions about the Switch successor, including the price and release date.</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><div id="431fb9d3c6c1498b984119a12baa8c29"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DXUmjX7DsP8?si=z-w_QqfGfb71rIm8" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> <p>You can read our article collecting <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:5;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-everything-we-know-about-pre-order-plans-specs-pricing-games-and-more-195136485.html">Switch 2 rumors and reports</a> for a preview of what Nintendo might cover. Particularly pertinent for anyone thinking about buying the new console, recent leaks indicate that Nintendo could open up pre-orders for the Switch 2 <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:6;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.engadget.com/preview-substack-updated-its-app-to-make-it-even-more-like-tiktok-192928425.html?preview=true&amp;feature.preview=1&amp;query_ncp=1">as early as April 9</a>, and ship out the device in June.</p> <p>We'll have to wait for the Nintendo Direct to finalize those details, of course. Nintendo has indicated that the presentation will last about an hour, so that should be enough time to present a longer list of Switch 2 games beyond those initial fleeting seconds of a new Mario Kart. You can watch along on <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:7;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.youtube.com/@NintendoAmerica/featured">Nintendo's YouTube channel</a> or right in this article once the stream goes live. We've also go a <a data-i13n="cpos:8;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-direct-live-coverage-all-of-the-details-around-the-companys-latest-console-100044216.html">Switch 2 liveblog</a> going for real-time commentary. Stay tuned to Engadget in the hours and days that follow for complete coverage.</p> <p></p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/how-to-watch-todays-switch-2-nintendo-direct-210632768.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>Whether you attach it to a dog's collar, put in on a set of keys or throw it in your purse, there's no denying that AirTags save you a lot of hassle. They get rid of the mental stress that is, "Where on Earth did I put that?" Thankfully, Apple's AirTags are not only convenient, but they're currently on sale.&nbsp;</p> <p>Right now, you can get a <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=ab2e018a-90a0-4bad-939a-3ab9a8969bd8&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL0FwcGxlLU1YNTQyTEwtQS1BaXJUYWctUGFjay9kcC9CMEQ1NEpaVEhZLz90YWc9Z2RndDBjLTIwIiwiY29udGVudFV1aWQiOiJhYjJlMDE4YS05MGEwLTRiYWQtOTM5YS0zYWI5YTg5NjliZDgiLCJvcmlnaW5hbFVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFtYXpvbi5jb20vQXBwbGUtTVg1NDJMTC1BLUFpclRhZy1QYWNrL2RwL0IwRDU0SlpUSFkvIiwiZHluYW1pY0NlbnRyYWxUcmFja2luZ0lkIjp0cnVlLCJzaXRlSWQiOiJ1cy1lbmdhZGdldCIsInBhZ2VJZCI6IjFwLWF1dG9saW5rIiwiZmVhdHVyZUlkIjoidGV4dC1saW5rIn0&amp;signature=AQAAAT-35xqeC9kaZj79lpL22UWnsFosxJ247R3sowj2B6JV&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FApple-MX542LL-A-AirTag-Pack%2Fdp%2FB0D54JZTHY%2F" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/Apple-MX542LL-A-AirTag-Pack/dp/B0D54JZTHY/">four-pack of AirTags</a> for just $68, down from $99. For context, a single AirTag normally retails for $29 (<a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=ab2e018a-90a0-4bad-939a-3ab9a8969bd8&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL0FwcGxlLU1YNTMyTEwtQS1BaXJUYWcvZHAvQjBDV1hOUzU1Mi8_dGFnPWdkZ3QwYy0yMCIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiYWIyZTAxOGEtOTBhMC00YmFkLTkzOWEtM2FiOWE4OTY5YmQ4Iiwib3JpZ2luYWxVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL0FwcGxlLU1YNTMyTEwtQS1BaXJUYWcvZHAvQjBDV1hOUzU1Mi8iLCJkeW5hbWljQ2VudHJhbFRyYWNraW5nSWQiOnRydWUsInNpdGVJZCI6InVzLWVuZ2FkZ2V0IiwicGFnZUlkIjoiMXAtYXV0b2xpbmsiLCJmZWF0dXJlSWQiOiJ0ZXh0LWxpbmsifQ&amp;signature=AQAAAf4eOu1eGBiqnkmBlTOxiXyM7EqDuA5tqlQcqRM8ej89&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FApple-MX532LL-A-AirTag%2Fdp%2FB0CWXNS552%2F" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/Apple-MX532LL-A-AirTag/dp/B0CWXNS552/">currently $24 each</a>), so you're getting four for just over the price of two. This 31 percent discount brings the set to just $3 more than its <a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/deals/a-four-pack-of-airtags-is-back-on-sale-for-a-record-low-price-144735100.html">all-time low</a>.&nbsp;</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span> <p> <core-commerce id="7f4e4003087a472f9422640a346b621c" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.amazon.com/Apple-MX542LL-A-AirTag-Pack/dp/B0D54JZTHY/"></core-commerce></p> <p>There's not much to say about AirTags that hasn't already been said. They use the Find My network to locate your missing belongings and can do so with incredible accuracy. Their main fault is the lack of a key hole, but we've rounded up the <a data-i13n="cpos:4;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-apple-airtag-cases-holders-accessories-123036404.html">best Apple AirTag accessories for 2025</a> to fix that problem.&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Follow </em><a data-i13n="cpos:5;pos:1" href="https://twitter.com/EngadgetDeals"><em>@EngadgetDeals</em></a><em> on X for the latest </em><a data-i13n="cpos:6;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/deals/"><em>tech deals</em></a><em> and </em><a data-i13n="cpos:7;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/best-tech/"><em>buying advice</em></a><em>.</em></p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/a-four-pack-of-apple-airtags-is-back-on-sale-for-68-125334495.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>Wikimedia has <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://diff.wikimedia.org/2025/04/01/how-crawlers-impact-the-operations-of-the-wikimedia-projects/">seen a 50 percent increase</a> in bandwidth used for downloading multimedia content since January 2024, the foundation said in an update. But it&#39;s not because human readers have suddenly developed a voracious appetite for consuming Wikipedia articles and for watching videos or downloading files from Wikimedia Commons. No, the spike in usage came from <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/websites-accuse-ai-startup-anthropic-of-bypassing-their-anti-scraping-rules-and-protocol-133022756.html">AI crawlers</a>, or automated programs scraping Wikimedia&#39;s openly licensed images, videos, articles and other files to train generative artificial intelligence models.&nbsp;</p> <p>This sudden increase in traffic from bots could slow down access to Wikimedia&#39;s pages and assets, especially during high-interest events. When Jimmy Carter died in December, for instance, people&#39;s heightened interest in the video of his presidential debate with Ronald Reagan caused slow page load times for some users. Wikimedia is equipped to sustain traffic spikes from human readers during such events, and users watching Carter&#39;s video shouldn&#39;t have caused any issues. But &quot;the amount of traffic generated by scraper bots is unprecedented and presents growing risks and costs,&quot; Wikimedia said.</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><p>The foundation explained that human readers tend to look up specific and often similar topics. For instance, a number of people look up the same thing when it&#39;s trending. Wikimedia creates a cache of a piece of content requested multiple times in the data center closest to the user, enabling it to serve up content faster. But articles and content that haven&#39;t been accessed in a while have to be served from the core data center, which consumes more resources and, hence, costs more money for Wikimedia. Since AI crawlers tend to bulk read pages, they access obscure pages that have to be served from the core data center.&nbsp;</p> <p>Wikimedia said that upon a closer look, 65 percent of the resource-consuming traffic it gets is from bots. It&#39;s already causing constant disruption for its Site Reliability team, which has to block the crawlers all the time before they they significantly slow down page access to actual readers. Now, the real problem, as Wikimedia states, is that the &quot;expansion happened largely without sufficient attribution, which is key to drive new users to participate in the movement.&quot; A foundation that relies on people&#39;s donations to continue running needs to attract new users and get them to care for its cause. &quot;Our content is free, our infrastructure is not,&quot; the foundation said. Wikimedia is now looking to establish sustainable ways for developers and reusers to access its content in the upcoming fiscal year. It has to, because it sees no sign of AI-related traffic slowing down anytime soon.&nbsp;</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/wikipedia-is-struggling-with-voracious-ai-bot-crawlers-121546854.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>Samsung is releasing two Fan Edition models of the <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/samsungs-galaxy-tab-s10-ultra-and-galaxy-tab-s10-are-tablets-built-for-ai-162633747.html">Samsung Galaxy Tab S10</a>, and they're both more affordable than their standard counterparts. The Galaxy Tab S10 FE and the Galaxy Tab S10 FE+ are powered by the Samsung Exynos 1580 chipset instead of MediaTek processors like the standard versions. Samsung's Galaxy Tab S10 FE+ model has a 13.1-inch display, which is bigger than the Tab S10+'s 12.4-inch screen but smaller than the 14.6-inch one on the <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/computing/galaxy-tab-s10-ultra-hands-on-ai-arrives-on-samsungs-premium-android-tablet-171105485.html">Tab S10 Ultra</a>. Take note that both models have a refresh rate of up to 90Hz, which is lower than the standard versions' 120 Hz refresh rate.&nbsp;</p> <p>That means the standard Tab S10 models are still the better options if gaming is your primary use for a tablet. But again, the new Fan Editions cost substantially less than they do. The Galaxy Tab S10 FE's prices start at $500, and it comes with 128GB and 256GB storage options. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Tab S10 FE+ will cost you at least $650 and come with the same storage options. The standard Galaxy Tab S10's prices start $999, while the Tab S10 Ultra will cost you at least $1,200.&nbsp;</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><p>Like the the standard models, the Fan Edition versions come with AI capabilities, including Circle to Search with Google that makes it easy to look for information simply by encircling elements on your device. Their Samsung Note app also features Math Solver, which can do calculations based on handwriting and text, as well as Handwriting Assist, which can help you tidy up handwritten notes. Both Fan Edition devices will be available in the US starting on April 10. You'll get a $50 credit if you <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Samsung Electronics;elmt:;cpos:3;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=f85e63cd-e13c-4f9d-991c-9fbaadede3ac&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=320aada6-a2a9-455d-977f-5c6bd3b02d3a&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Samsung+Electronics&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5zYW1zdW5nLmNvbS91cy90YWJsZXRzL2dhbGF4eS10YWItczEwLWZlL3Jlc2VydmUvIiwiY29udGVudFV1aWQiOiIzMjBhYWRhNi1hMmE5LTQ1NWQtOTc3Zi01YzZiZDNiMDJkM2EiLCJvcmlnaW5hbFVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnNhbXN1bmcuY29tL3VzL3RhYmxldHMvZ2FsYXh5LXRhYi1zMTAtZmUvcmVzZXJ2ZS8ifQ&amp;signature=AQAAAckhqjyd_UK6StBWBeOf0csW5m_xLP3tb9WrGiU8dkJ1&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.samsung.com%2Fus%2Ftablets%2Fgalaxy-tab-s10-fe%2Freserve%2F" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.samsung.com/us/tablets/galaxy-tab-s10-fe/reserve/">reserve a unit</a> now, and you can buy a Book Cover Keyboard Slim for 50 percent off if you purchase one by May 11.&nbsp;</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/samsungs-galaxy-tab-s10-fe-and-galaxy-tab-s10-fe-will-be-available-on-april-10-120019555.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>Roblox is again <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:1;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://corp.roblox.com/newsroom/2025/04/new-parental-controls-on-roblox">updating</a> its parental control features in an effort to give parents more visibility into (and control over) their children’s activities on the platform. The company is updating its in-app “Safety Center” to counter concerns that Roblox, which unlike social media apps allows children under 13, puts its youngest users at risk.</p> <p>The company added the centralized hub for parental controls last year, in an update that also added new restrictions on younger kids’ ability to exchange <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:2;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/roblox-restricts-dms-for-kids-under-13-and-beefs-up-parental-controls-in-safety-push-120031833.html"><ins>private messages</ins></a> with other users. But while that update gave parents the ability to control some of their children’s settings from their own devices, it was missing some key features like blocking.</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><p>With the latest update, parents can now view their child’s friend list and block users on their behalf. Once another user has been blocked, they’ll no longer be able to exchange direct messages with the child and kids will need to get parental approval to unblock the person.</p> <p>Similarly, parents will now be able to block specific experiences within Roblox. Parents have already had the ability to limit in-app content based on its age rating, but parents have still at times complained about inappropriate content surfacing in certain games. Now, parents can block their young kids from participating in certain experiences. (Importantly, Roblox notes that kids will be able to remove apps from the blocked experiences list once they turn 13.)</p> <p>Finally, Roblox is adding more “granular insights” to the in-app screen time metrics that allow parents to see how their kids are spending their time on the platform. The Safety Center will now list “the 20 experiences in which their child has spent the‬ most time over the last week, sorted by total time.” Parents can then opt to block specific games or experiences directly from the screen time menu if something seems off.</p> <p>Roblox’s recent push to beef up safety features for younger users come amid a broader reckoning about the effect that online platforms can have on teens. Platforms have tried to address these concerns by enhancing parental controls and dedicated safety features for teens. But lawmakers are also pushing for change, with multiple states passing measures requiring some form of <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:3;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/utah-just-became-the-first-state-in-the-country-to-pass-an-age-verification-law-for-app-stores-225846117.html"><ins>age verification</ins></a> (some of which have since been <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:4;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.engadget.com/social-media/arkansas-social-media-age-verification-law-blocked-by-federal-judge-194614568.html"><ins>struck down</ins></a>). There’s also a <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:5;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/senators-again-attempt-to-ban-pre-teens-from-social-media-160535890.html"><ins>bipartisan bill</ins></a> in the Senate to ban all preteens from social media entirely.</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/roblox-parental-controls-now-include-a-block-button-120005897.html?src=rss

Apr 2, 2025

<p>There are dozens of excellent Nintendo Switch games available now to the point where you’ll always have something new to play even if you have an extensive library of titles already. Whether you’re playing on the go with a Switch Lite, at home with your family on an OLED Switch or (eventually) on a brand new <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-everything-we-know-about-pre-order-plans-specs-pricing-games-and-more-195136485.html">Switch 2</a>, you’ll be able to play most games on your preferred console. This flexibility makes the Switch lineup ideal for both casual gamers and hardcore fans who love having the ability to access every title, whether they’re at home on the big screen or gaming on the go.<br><br>But where do you go when you want to find a new Switch game to try out? With so many to choose from, it can get overwhelming pretty quickly. Nintendo has something for everyone — from epic action adventures and thrilling multiplayer battles to relaxing life sims and nostalgic platformers that bring back memories of classic gaming days. We’ve gathered our favorite Nintendo Switch games here for anyone curious to try something new and lose a few hours to a new title.</p> <h2 id="jump-link-best-nintendo-switch-games-for-2025">Best Nintendo Switch games for 2025</h2> <p> <core-commerce id="7626f901016044438c92988cdbd6633a" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.amazon.com/COCOON-Nintendo-Switch/dp/B0D4FBD73P?th=1"></core-commerce></p> <p> <core-commerce id="f411d829f5584447ab65743ed6bf5832" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.amazon.com/Pikmin-4-Nintendo-Switch/dp/B0BVKP6TF6/"></core-commerce></p> <p> <core-commerce id="507a12ab64cf4b6bb9af3d3544e933af" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.amazon.com/Kirby-and-the-Forgotten-Land/dp/B09RMMBZBR"></core-commerce></p> <p> <core-commerce id="f9f68be0acb94df195d62edc0abbccd1" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/balatro-switch/"></core-commerce></p> <p> <core-commerce id="e252425d0d8f4e2ab7465bc46c37b889" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.amazon.com/Legend-Zelda-Breath-Wild-Nintendo-Switch/dp/B01MS6MO77/"></core-commerce></p> <p> <core-commerce id="3a86e38b6f014cbaae275034229b64a0" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.amazon.com/Legend-Zelda-Breath-Wild-Nintendo-Switch/dp/B097B2YWFX/"></core-commerce></p> <p> <core-commerce id="413e30e414b24a4696054b4dadc59955" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.amazon.com/Neon-White-Standard-Nintendo-Digital/dp/B0B5RBPZFN/"></core-commerce></p> <p> <core-commerce id="8361a7f46f134267bd4419129b9c3eed" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.amazon.com/Animal-Crossing-New-Horizons-Nintendo-Switch/dp/B07SL6ZXBL/"></core-commerce></p> <p> <core-commerce id="b6b15516ec734d8cab8d2f4a357ecbd1" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C8VHZR14/"></core-commerce></p> <p> <core-commerce id="5739b4bc9255480a95983abe6815034a" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.amazon.com/Super-Mario-Odyssey-US-Version-Switch/dp/B01MY7GHKJ/"></core-commerce></p> <p> <core-commerce id="2642af93071b4037ad942d8add738d88" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.amazon.com/Super-Smash-Bros-Ultimate-Nintendo-Switch/dp/B01N5OKGLH/"></core-commerce></p> <p> <core-commerce id="29c5415c5cf247ad95062c889f9b697a" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.amazon.com/Mario-Kart-8-Deluxe-Nintendo-Switch/dp/B01N1037CV/"></core-commerce></p> <p> <core-commerce id="4dbadf7812464dcbba2aa6c139e51179" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.amazon.com/Super-Mario-3D-World-Bowsers-Fury/dp/B08H9M7LDY/"></core-commerce></p> <p> <core-commerce id="4843091ad812442bb3ee2cd7bf636f62" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.amazon.com/Bayonetta-3-Nintendo-Switch/dp/B072MK1CLN/"></core-commerce></p> <p> <core-commerce id="12f15f71405941a88b356335e880279d" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.amazon.com/Metroid-Prime-Remastered-Nintendo-Switch/dp/B0BVC4HDH8/"></core-commerce></p> <p> <core-commerce id="57cf1e3a8f5d42dfb83f2f83299e92bd" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.amazon.com/Celeste-Nintendo-Switch-Digital-Code/dp/B079Z1LPSP"></core-commerce></p> <p> <core-commerce id="eaaa57b7bc7c41f5a4cc5c9525736c49" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.amazon.com/Hollow-Knight-Nintendo-Switch/dp/B07QHXM3JY"></core-commerce></p> <p> <core-commerce id="c916d0c20b564d9b961f657d9b2bead2" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/paranormasight-the-seven-mysteries-of-honjo-switch/"></core-commerce></p> <p> <core-commerce id="d532dd2dcbf64e8cace66334cbdaabf9" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.amazon.com/Astral-Chain-Nintendo-Switch/dp/B07NQF74M3"></core-commerce></p> <p> <core-commerce id="55e49ecb35cf44a8a53cea800094e4e7" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.amazon.com/Fire-Emblem-Houses-Nintendo-Digital/dp/B07DM7KD4W"></core-commerce></p> <p> <core-commerce id="9746ae0568d94facb80a0eeca6caf058" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/pentiment-switch/"></core-commerce></p> <p> <core-commerce id="b3adac80b0f7409c8eb0d702060692a2" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/dragon-quest-xi-s-echoes-of-an-elusive-age-definitive-edition-switch/"></core-commerce></p> <p> <core-commerce id="00a7ab29ed744d2d953a362013dedb95" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.amazon.com/Hades-Limited-Nintendo-Switch/dp/B08X2K6B1Z"></core-commerce></p> <p> <core-commerce id="64f1e0b138b34f7b805d152637cc06b4" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.amazon.com/Into-Breach-Nintendo-Switch-Digital/dp/B07H2RCLJX"></core-commerce></p> <p> <core-commerce id="27165816738e43e39828b0852bfc046e" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.amazon.com/Disco-Elysium-Final-Cut-Nintendo-Switch/dp/B09P4CH1FB"></core-commerce></p> <p> <core-commerce id="aa3103dc98a544359fdf44c01e791e7d" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.amazon.com/OlliOlli-World-Standard-Nintendo-Digital/dp/B09V2RV7LW"></core-commerce></p> <p><em>Check out our entire </em><a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/tag/best-games/"><em>Best Games series</em></a><em> including the </em><a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/the-21-best-nintendo-switch-games-in-2024-183005073.html"><em>best Nintendo Switch games</em></a><em>, the </em><a data-i13n="cpos:4;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/the-best-ps5-games-for-2024-top-playstation-titles-to-play-right-now-144653417.html"><em>best PS5 games</em></a><em>, the </em><a data-i13n="cpos:5;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/best-xbox-games-140022399.html"><em>best Xbox games</em></a><em>, the </em><a data-i13n="cpos:6;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/the-best-pc-games-150000910.html"><em>best PC games</em></a><em> and the </em><a data-i13n="cpos:7;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/best-free-games-163045609.html"><em>best free games</em></a><em> you can play today.</em></p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/best-nintendo-switch-games-160029843.html?src=rss

Apr 1, 2025

<p><em>The Washington Post</em> <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:1;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/04/01/waltz-national-security-council-signal-gmail/"><ins>reports</ins></a> that members of the White House's National Security Council have used personal Gmail accounts to conduct government business. National security advisor Michael Waltz and a senior aide of his both used their own accounts to discuss sensitive information with colleagues, according to the <em>Post</em>'s review and interviews with government officials who spoke to the newspaper anonymously.</p> <p>Email is not the best approach for sharing information meant to be kept private. That covers sensitive data for individuals such as social security numbers or passwords, much less confidential or classified government documents. It simply has too many potential paths for a bad actor to access information they shouldn't. Government departments typically use business-grade email services, rather than relying on consumer email services. The federal government also has its own internal communications systems with additional layers of security, making it all the more baffling that current officials are being so cavalier with how they handle important information.</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><p>“Unless you are using GPG, email is not end-to-end encrypted, and the contents of a message can be intercepted and read at many points, including on Google’s email servers," Eva Galperin, director of cybersecurity at the Electronic Frontier Foundation told the <em>Post</em>.</p> <p>Additionally, there are regulations requiring that certain official government communications be preserved and archived. Using a personal account could allow some messages to slip through the cracks, accidentally or intentionally.</p> <p>This latest instance of dubious software use from the executive branch follows the discovery that several high-ranking national security leaders used Signal to discuss planned military actions in Yemen, then added a journalist from <em>The Atlantic</em> to the group chat. And while Signal is a more secure option than a public email client, even the encrypted messaging platform can be exploited, as <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:2;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/the-pentagon-warns-government-officials-that-signal-is-being-targeted-by-russian-hackers-203436757.html"><ins>the Pentagon warned</ins></a> its own team last week.</p> <p>As with last week's Signal debacle, there have been no repercussions thus far for any federal employees taking risky data privacy actions. NSC spokesman Brian Hughes told the <em>Post</em> he hasn't seen evidence of Waltz using a personal account for government correspondence.</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/national-security-council-adds-gmail-to-its-list-of-bad-decisions-222648613.html?src=rss

Apr 1, 2025

<p>An Arkansas law requiring social media companies to verify the ages of their users has been <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:1;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://netchoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Court-Permanently-Halts-Arkansas-Age-Verification-Law_NetChoice-v-Griffin_Mar-31-2025.pdf"><ins>struck down</ins></a> by a federal judge who ruled that it was unconstitutional. The decision is a significant victory for the social media companies and digital rights groups that have opposed the law and others like it.</p> <p>Arkansas became the second state (after Utah) to pass an <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:2;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.engadget.com/why-lawmakers-are-pushing-age-verification-requirements-for-social-media-platforms-190037563.html">age verification</a> law for social media <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:3;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.engadget.com/arkansas-passes-social-media-law-requiring-age-verification-230716388.html"><ins>in 2023</ins></a>. The Social Media Safety Act required companies to verify the games of users under 18 and get permission from their parents. The law was challenged by NetChoice, a lobbying group representing the tech industry whose membership includes Meta, Snap, X, Reddit and YouTube. NetChoice has also challenged laws restricting social media access <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:4;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.engadget.com/social-media/utah-judge-blocks-law-preventing-youth-from-accessing-social-media-freely-160008587.html"><ins>in Utah</ins></a>, <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:5;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/social-media-companies-cant-be-forced-to-block-teens-from-seeing-harmful-content-judge-rules-221321184.html"><ins>Texas</ins></a> and <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:6;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://netchoice.org/netchoice-sues-california-again-to-halt-digital-surveillance-information-control-law/"><ins>California</ins></a>.</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><p>In <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:7;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://netchoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Court-Permanently-Halts-Arkansas-Age-Verification-Law_NetChoice-v-Griffin_Mar-31-2025.pdf"><ins>a ruling</ins></a>, Judge Timothy Brooks said that the law, known as Act 689, was overly broad. “Act 689 is a content-based restriction on speech, and it is not targeted to address the harms the State has identified,” Brooks wrote in his decision. “Arkansas takes a hatchet to adults’ and minors’ protected speech alike though the Constitution demands it use a scalpel.” Brooks also highlighted the “unconstitutionally vague” applicability of the law, which seemingly created obligations for some online services, but may have exempted services which had the "predominant or exclusive function [of]... direct messaging" like Snapchat.</p> <p>“The court confirms what we have been arguing from the start: laws restricting access to protected speech violate the First Amendment,” NetChoice’s Chris Marchese said in a statement. “This ruling protects Americans from having to hand over their IDs or biometric data just to access constitutionally protected speech online.”</p> <p>It’s not clear if state officials in Arkansas will appeal the ruling. “I respect the court’s decision, and we are evaluating our options,” Arkansas Attorney general Tim Griffin said in a statement.</p> <p>Even with NetChoice’s latest victory, it seems that age verification laws are unlikely to go away anytime soon. Utah recently passed an age verification requirement <a data-i13n="cpos:8;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/utah-just-became-the-first-state-in-the-country-to-pass-an-age-verification-law-for-app-stores-225846117.html"><ins>for app stores</ins></a>. And <a data-i13n="cpos:9;pos:1" href="https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/01/supreme-court-divided-on-texas-age-verification-law-for-porn-sites/"><ins>a Texas law</ins></a> requiring porn sites to conduct age verification is currently before the Supreme Court.</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/arkansas-social-media-age-verification-law-blocked-by-federal-judge-194614568.html?src=rss

Apr 1, 2025

<p>You could call Shinichiro Watanabe&#39;s <em>Lazarus</em> a retread of his masterpiece, <em>Cowboy Bebop</em>. That’s not to say the show is bad — based on the five episodes I’ve seen so far, <em>Lazarus</em> is still an entertaining and stylish ride. But I’ve just come to expect more from a legendary creator like Watanabe.</p> <p>It’s set in the year 2052, a near-future when a renowned neuroscientist released Hapna, a drug that can erase all pain. If that sounds too good to be true, it is: Hapna’s creator Dr. Skinner reveals to the world that everyone who took the drug will eventually die. And then he disappears. Like an evil Willy Wonka, he announces one hope for survival: Find him in 30 days, or humanity is doomed.</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><p>To help find Skinner, the government sets up a covert group named Lazarus made up of convicted criminals. And that’s where the similarities come in. There’s the lead, Axel Gilberto, a parkour junkie who resembles Bebop’s reckless and carefree Spike Spiegel. Rounding out the team is Christine, a gorgeous femme fatale; Eleina, a bright young hacker; and Doug, a gruff investigator who has little patience for Axel’s shit. Those are all clear analogs to the Bebop crew of Faye, Ed and Jet. The one new element of the team is Leland, a cute college student who takes on various roles during the show (perhaps he’s just an anthropomorphized version of <em>Bebop</em>’s adorable pup Ein).</p> <div id="351739108a7b40c59b69f98eeedfbcac"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LpG8vtFMkD0?rel=0" style="top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;border:0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" data-embed-domain="www.youtube.com"></iframe></div> <p>There’s a bit of <em>Suicide Squad </em>in the idea of using criminals to find humanity’s greatest villain, but <em>Lazarus</em> doesn’t really justify why that’s the case (that may be answered later in the show’s 13-episode run). And you’d think there would be more government efforts beyond a group of misfits to accomplish a humanity-saving mission. The <em>Lazarus</em> crew get a few chances to bond throughout each episode, but their interpersonal dynamics feel less organic than the <em>Bebop</em> characters, whose relationships were enriched by the pressure-cooker environment of an interplanetery spaceship, ever-present economic struggle and compelling backstories. By episode five of <em>Lazarus</em>, I didn&#39;t have any real understanding of these characters, whereas <em>Bebop</em> delivered the seminal episode <em>Ballad of the Fallen Angels</em> by then.</p> <p>Like Watanabe&#39;s <em>Samurai Champloo</em>, <em>Lazarus</em> is best enjoyed if you don’t look too closely at its plot holes or contrivances (Axel’s inhuman parkour abilities make Spike Spiegel’s antics seem tame in comparison). It’s better to sit back and enjoy the incredibly stylish vibes. That includes wonderfully fluid animation by Mappa; a catchy soundtrack by Kamasi Washington, Floating Points and Bonobo (with a great ending theme, “Lazarus” by The Boo Radleys); and bone-crunching action choreography by <em>John Wick</em> director Chad Stahelski. It’s hard not to appreciate all of the talent involved.</p> <figure><img src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/3e190890-0f00-11f0-978a-426940fdf1e2" data-crop-orig-src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/3e190890-0f00-11f0-978a-426940fdf1e2" style="height:810px;width:1440px;" alt="Lazarus on Adult Swim" data-uuid="ce1cb3f8-50c9-31be-b313-b116691a60af"><figcaption></figcaption><div class="photo-credit">Adult Swim</div></figure> <p>But again, I just wish the whole project felt more original. <em>Lazarus’s</em> premise isn’t far off from <em>Cowboy Bebop: The Movie</em>, which involved a terrorist plot to deploy nanomachines that would kill everyone on Mars. It’s also funny to see the show arrive alongside a more inventive show like Max’s <em>Common Side Effects</em>, which deals with the real-world consequences of miracle drugs that could heal any illness or injury. That show’s characters are more grounded and relatable, and it explores why pharmaceutical companies would stop at nothing to kill such a miracle drug.</p> <p>“The story began with Dr. Skinner... Is he a saint or a devil?” Watanabe said on the Engadget podcast via a translator (while he relaxed in shades with a mountain of records behind him, like the absolute boss he is). “Exactly what does he want to do? That was a big initial driving part of the story. ... What you initially thought of Skinner at [the] start may change throughout the 13 episodes.”</p> <figure><img src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/3e190892-0f00-11f0-bfbd-d6d65e59edff" data-crop-orig-src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-04/3e190892-0f00-11f0-bfbd-d6d65e59edff" style="height:1080px;width:1920px;" alt="Lazarus on Adult Swim" data-uuid="538319b6-a646-368b-bdc2-a79ebf733830"><figcaption></figcaption><div class="photo-credit">Adult Swim</div></figure> <p>It’s not a huge spoiler to say that Dr. Skinner isn’t always portrayed as a villain in the show. Before the release of Hapna, he was a famous neuroscientist who pushed humanity to respond to the climate crisis. But instead of listening to him, the world’s countries chose to pursue profit over the future of humanity. With that in mind, it&#39;s no shock Watanabe says the inspiration for Hapna was, in part, the opioid crisis.</p> <p>Throughout flashbacks and short opening monologues, <em>Lazarus</em> gives us glimpses into Hapna’s effect on our main characters, all of which is more compelling than the actual quest to find Dr. Skinner. Did the pill really heal everyone’s pain, or did it just close off their ability to feel true emotions?&nbsp;</p> <div id="fbc2c167ce9d4060a43fe0c74ce05bd1"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/40hxb3yJdUg?rel=0" style="top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;border:0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" data-embed-domain="www.youtube.com"></iframe></div> <p>I’m sure newcomers to Watanabe’s work won’t have the same reservations with <em>Lazarus</em> as I do, I just wish the show had the same distinctive identity as his other series. <em>Cowboy Bebop</em> is a jazz-soaked noir; <em>Space Dandy </em>is a hilarious riff on the space opera genre; and <em>Carol and Tuesday</em> is a touching story of two young girls pursuing a pop music career. <em>Lazarus</em> is basically another action thriller, but this time it’s scored to modern jazz and electronic music.</p> <p>I’m holding out hope that <em>Lazarus</em> matures into a more thoughtful show in its second half. But even if it doesn’t, it’s still worth celebrating anything new from Shinichiro Watanabe. There aren’t many anime directors and writers with his sense of style and excellent taste in music and action cinema. Even if it’s a lesser Watanabe project, it’s still more entertaining and creative than the vast majority of shows bombarding us in the streaming TV era, anime or otherwise.</p> <p><em>Lazarus premieres on April 5 on Adult Swim, and it&#39;ll be available on Max the day after</em>. <em>Subtitled episodes will be available 30 days after their English dubbed versions.</em></p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/lazarus-review-wildly-stylish-but-its-no-cowboy-bebop-170300198.html?src=rss

Apr 1, 2025

<p>TikTok&#39;s deadline to sell off or cede its US operations is once again approaching. The 75-day extension <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/trump-delays-tiktok-ban-for-at-least-75-days-via-executive-order-014523110.html"><ins>delaying</ins></a> the enforcement of a nationwide TikTok ban is set to run out Saturday, April 5, unless the company finally reaches an agreement to find a new owner. Who might buy it, and what happens if no deal is reached? Here&#39;s the shape of things right now:</p> <h2 id="jump-link-potential-buyers">Potential buyers</h2> <p>President Donald Trump has suggested that “a deal” is imminent and could be reached <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://thehill.com/policy/technology/5223341-trump-expects-tiktok-deal-ahead-of-deadline/"><ins>before</ins></a> that deadline. What such an agreement will look like is still extremely unclear. A number of <a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/social-media/what-will-happen-to-tiktok-a-look-at-the-potential-buyers-000110723.html"><ins>interested buyers</ins></a> have come forward, including YouTuber MrBeast, Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian and Perplexity AI. Oracle, which almost bought TikTok <a data-i13n="cpos:4;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-not-buying-tiktok-233257859.html"><ins>in 2020</ins></a> and was a key part of TikTok’s earlier negotiations to address national security concerns, is also in the running.</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><p>Depending on which bid wins out, TikTok could end up looking very different. ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese owner, won’t allow another company to take control of the app’s coveted recommendation algorithm. That means a new owner would have to rebuild TikTok’s central feature. Perplexity AI, for example, has said it would take on this task of reverse-engineering the app&#39;s “For You” feed, making it <a data-i13n="cpos:5;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/social-media/perplexity-ai-says-it-would-rebuild-tiktoks-algorithm-and-add-community-notes-features-200449390.html"><ins>open source</ins></a> and implementing some kind of Community Notes-style fact checking feature. Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian, who joined a group of investors known as “Project Liberty,” has hinted at a vision for TikTok that somehow ties in with blockchain technology.</p> <h2 id="jump-link-option-2">Option 2</h2> <p>There’s also another, potentially less disruptive option on the table. The White House is also considering a deal that would allow TikTok’s existing US investors to “roll over their stakes into a new independent global TikTok company,” <a data-i13n="cpos:6;pos:1" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/28/business/media/blackstone-tiktok-bytedance.html"><ins>according to</ins></a> <em>The New York Times</em>. Under this arrangement, Oracle could also end up overseeing TikTok’s US data while ByteDance hangs onto its algorithm, as the <em>Financial Times</em> <a data-i13n="cpos:7;pos:1" href="https://www.ft.com/content/8611dc56-4333-405c-b8bb-592eb940ba70"><ins>reported</ins></a> in March.</p> <p>This would likely be a smoother transition than a full-on sale that would require a new owner to rebuild a significant part of the app. Aspects of it are also very similar to terms TikTok already agreed to under a previous agreement with Oracle known as <a data-i13n="cpos:8;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/can-tiktok-convince-the-us-its-not-a-national-security-threat-173030115.html"><ins>Project Texas</ins></a>. However, this sort of deal may also not be entirely legal, as <em>Politico</em> recently <a data-i13n="cpos:9;pos:1" href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/21/trumps-tiktok-oracle-deal-could-break-the-law-but-nobody-can-stop-him-00242107"><ins>pointed out</ins></a>. The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, the law passed by Congress and signed by former President Joe Biden last year, calls for a divestment of TikTok and its algorithm.</p> <p>It’s also not clear whether Chinese officials would be willing to sign off on such an arrangement, though Trump has suggested he could use the threat of tariffs as <a data-i13n="cpos:10;pos:1" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/business/trump-tariffs-tiktok-china.html"><ins>negotiating leverage</ins></a>. “We’re dealing with China also on it because they may have something to do with it. And we’ll see how that goes,” Trump <a data-i13n="cpos:11;pos:1" href="https://thehill.com/policy/technology/5223341-trump-expects-tiktok-deal-ahead-of-deadline/"><ins>told reporters</ins></a> over the weekend.</p> <h2 id="jump-link-no-deal">No deal</h2> <p>So what happens if Trump’s “deal” isn’t finalized by Saturday? The answer, it seems, is… probably nothing. Trump has said he would likely extend the deadline again if the clock runs out on the current extension. (Once again, it&#39;s not entirely clear if another extension is legal, but CNN <a data-i13n="cpos:12;pos:1" href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/01/tech/tiktok-ban-deadline-trump-what-to-expect/index.html"><ins>reports</ins></a> that a second extension might be an uphill battle if challenged in court.) In the meantime, TikTok is unlikely to go dark like it (briefly) did in January when the ban law first went into effect.</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/tiktoks-ban-deadline-is-coming-what-happens-next-162420478.html?src=rss

Apr 1, 2025

<p>Whether you’re a true cord-cutter or you just want to watch the next season of Stranger Things when it (eventually? maybe?) drops, everyone’s on the lookout for streaming deals nowadays. Plenty have chosen VOD and<a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/best-live-tv-streaming-service-133000410.html"> live TV streaming services</a> over traditional cable in recent years, but the savings that choice got you just a few years ago have somewhat evaporated now. Companies like Netflix, Disney, Max and others have been<a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/disney-is-increasing-prices-again-for-standalone-streaming-plans-183518837.html"> consistently</a><a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/discovery-is-raising-prices-for-all-customers-160646636.html"> raising</a><a data-i13n="cpos:4;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/netflix-raises-subscription-praises-again-with-its-standard-plan-now-costing-18-per-month-234344714.html"> prices</a> to the point where you may question<a data-i13n="cpos:5;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/is-streaming-video-even-still-worth-it-192651141.html"> if streaming is even worth it anymore</a>.</p> <p>We at Engadget still think so, for many reasons, but you can (and should) be smart with your money at the same time. Streaming deals are an option, even if they don’t come around with the same regularity as discounts on AirPods do. If you’re looking to save money and still stream all of the content you want, Engadget can help by laying out the best streaming deals you can get right now, how you can save with bundles and everything you should know before paying for yet another streaming service.</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span> <h2 id="jump-link-best-streaming-deals">Best streaming deals</h2> <p>True streaming deals can be hard to come by. Most often, they’ll pop up during the Black Friday shopping period. On occasion, we’ll see them sparingly throughout the year and they usually take the form of a discounted monthly or annual rate for a limited period of time. Also, true streaming deals are typically on the ad-supported versions of a service, but once in a while you’ll find a unicorn of a deal on a tier that has ad-free viewing.</p> <p>If you’re able to wait for a deal before subscribing to a streaming service, we recommend doing so. You’ll save money upfront and in the long run, and you also have the option to cancel your subscription before the price goes back up to the normal rate. Maybe you find you like the service so much that you’re fine paying full price for it — that’s the ideal situation. But if you’re not compelled to keep that app on rotation in your smart TV, most streaming services make it easy for you to cancel at any time. With that said, these are the best streaming deals you can snag right now.</p> <p> <core-commerce id="a2bf729fc64941188da3e7607b15c8b7" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.amazon.com/Audible-Books-and-Originals/b/?ie=UTF8&amp;node=18145289011&amp;ref_=nav_cs_audible"></core-commerce></p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:STARZ;elmt:;cpos:6;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=cc213f7f-ca63-4b41-92c9-3fcfeaf9686b&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=026fe1b5-ea22-49f6-8016-fd8686928f5c&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=STARZ&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5zdGFyei5jb20vdXMvZW4vYnV5IiwiY29udGVudFV1aWQiOiIwMjZmZTFiNS1lYTIyLTQ5ZjYtODAxNi1mZDg2ODY5MjhmNWMiLCJvcmlnaW5hbFVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnN0YXJ6LmNvbS91cy9lbi9idXkifQ&amp;signature=AQAAASvBZnmRMUepaJ9V51qB_SFah2VNJT7ZShmZ1jEvguLh&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.starz.com%2Fus%2Fen%2Fbuy" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.starz.com/us/en/buy"><strong>Starz (one year) for $24 ($46 off):</strong></a> <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:STARZ;elmt:;cpos:7;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=cc213f7f-ca63-4b41-92c9-3fcfeaf9686b&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=026fe1b5-ea22-49f6-8016-fd8686928f5c&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=STARZ&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5zdGFyei5jb20vdXMvZW4vYnV5IiwiY29udGVudFV1aWQiOiIwMjZmZTFiNS1lYTIyLTQ5ZjYtODAxNi1mZDg2ODY5MjhmNWMiLCJvcmlnaW5hbFVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnN0YXJ6LmNvbS91cy9lbi9idXkifQ&amp;signature=AQAAASvBZnmRMUepaJ9V51qB_SFah2VNJT7ZShmZ1jEvguLh&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.starz.com%2Fus%2Fen%2Fbuy" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.starz.com/us/en/buy">Starz's</a> latest offer gives you one year of access for only $24, which shakes out to just $2 per month. This represents a 66-percent discount off the standard annual plan. This gives you access to all Starz content, including originals like <em>Power Book III: Raising Kanan</em> and movies like <em>Fast X</em>. If you'd prefer less of a commitment, you can get three months of access for only $9.</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Paramount Plus;elmt:;cpos:8;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=b0d3a482-802c-4eb1-9616-94f7490562f7&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=026fe1b5-ea22-49f6-8016-fd8686928f5c&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Paramount+Plus&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5wYXJhbW91bnRwbHVzLmNvbS8iLCJjb250ZW50VXVpZCI6IjAyNmZlMWI1LWVhMjItNDlmNi04MDE2LWZkODY4NjkyOGY1YyIsIm9yaWdpbmFsVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucGFyYW1vdW50cGx1cy5jb20vIn0&amp;signature=AQAAAV8iOXVl016P3T1Ibx0jMonfg-tZJd-51LFlOrDY5Khd&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.paramountplus.com%2F" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.paramountplus.com/"><strong>Paramount+ student discount - 50 percent off any plan:</strong></a> For <a data-i13n="cpos:9;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/how-to-stream-every-march-madness-2025-game-181552865.html">March Madness</a>, students can get half off any Paramount+ plan through April 8. To get the discount, scroll to the bottom of the Paramount+ homepage and click "Are you a student?" CBS shares broadcast rights with Warner Bros. Discovery this year for the men's tournament, so you'll be able to catch games on Paramount+ if you have the subscription tier that includes Showtime.</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:streamtvdirectv;elmt:;cpos:10;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=23abf927-2e2d-407e-9b56-ba09999b12f8&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=026fe1b5-ea22-49f6-8016-fd8686928f5c&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=streamtvdirectv&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3N0cmVhbXR2LmRpcmVjdHYuY29tL2xpdmUtc3BvcnRzL3Nwb3J0cy1wYWNrLyIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiMDI2ZmUxYjUtZWEyMi00OWY2LTgwMTYtZmQ4Njg2OTI4ZjVjIiwib3JpZ2luYWxVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3N0cmVhbXR2LmRpcmVjdHYuY29tL2xpdmUtc3BvcnRzL3Nwb3J0cy1wYWNrLyJ9&amp;signature=AQAAAah7FspuDZQe3qHmsb1QiLQHqt3eV7iTaG6CRGIpJlYo&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fstreamtv.directv.com%2Flive-sports%2Fsports-pack%2F" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://streamtv.directv.com/live-sports/sports-pack/"><strong>DirecTV Sports Pack - first month free ($15 off):</strong></a> When you sign up for an Entertainment, Choice or Ultimate package, you can get the first month of the DirecTV Sports Pack for free. This gives you access to NFL Network and NFL Red Zone, MLB Network, CBS Sports Network and TUDN and more.</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Sling TV;elmt:;cpos:11;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=34c77505-6db4-4664-9320-2c38b4122d5e&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=026fe1b5-ea22-49f6-8016-fd8686928f5c&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Sling+TV&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5zbGluZy5jb20vcHJvZ3JhbW1pbmcvc3BvcnRzL21sYiIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiMDI2ZmUxYjUtZWEyMi00OWY2LTgwMTYtZmQ4Njg2OTI4ZjVjIiwib3JpZ2luYWxVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5zbGluZy5jb20vcHJvZ3JhbW1pbmcvc3BvcnRzL21sYiJ9&amp;signature=AQAAAcWdNGpWO1LQ1ke7so_lUUQwu3Yt8bvwJBt0hOIIY3nY&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sling.com%2Fprogramming%2Fsports%2Fmlb" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.sling.com/programming/sports/mlb"><strong>Sling TV + MLB.TV for $30 off:</strong></a> New subscribers can get $30 off their first month of Sling TV when they sign up and add MLB.TV to their package. The offer applies to Sling Orange, Sling Blue and Sling Orange &amp; Blue, and <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:MLBshop.com;elmt:;cpos:12;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=4b5774f7-b9f2-4bbb-b1dc-195558aba230&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=026fe1b5-ea22-49f6-8016-fd8686928f5c&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=MLBshop.com&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5tbGIuY29tL2xpdmUtc3RyZWFtLWdhbWVzL3N1YnNjcmliZS8iLCJjb250ZW50VXVpZCI6IjAyNmZlMWI1LWVhMjItNDlmNi04MDE2LWZkODY4NjkyOGY1YyIsIm9yaWdpbmFsVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubWxiLmNvbS9saXZlLXN0cmVhbS1nYW1lcy9zdWJzY3JpYmUvIn0&amp;signature=AQAAAfgbI_tnLsPzGf7C5fW54XkTo-P0FfqWsYn0HtSzctr_&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mlb.com%2Flive-stream-games%2Fsubscribe%2F" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/subscribe/">MLB.TV</a> gives you access to MLB Network along with access to all out-of-market games during the regular season. This offer runs through May 31.</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Sling TV;elmt:;cpos:13;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=34c77505-6db4-4664-9320-2c38b4122d5e&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=026fe1b5-ea22-49f6-8016-fd8686928f5c&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Sling+TV&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5zbGluZy5jb20vIiwiY29udGVudFV1aWQiOiIwMjZmZTFiNS1lYTIyLTQ5ZjYtODAxNi1mZDg2ODY5MjhmNWMiLCJvcmlnaW5hbFVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnNsaW5nLmNvbS8ifQ&amp;signature=AQAAAQfw-Yf92m_e6aRtA2aL1MrguwqpyVySo7MIxY3fYLno&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sling.com%2F" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.sling.com/"><strong>Sling Orange for $23/month for the first month (50 percent off):</strong></a> New customers can get Sling Orange or Sling Blue for half off the usual price for the first month, bringing the final prices to $23/month and $25.50/month, respectively. Orange is likely best for sports fans, with eight exclusive sports and family channels, while Blue includes 19 exclusive news and entertainment channels. You can get both Orange and Blue access also for half off for one month, or $33 total.</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:FuboTV;elmt:;cpos:14;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=9a941868-c063-4b44-9207-896f1fb5891e&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=026fe1b5-ea22-49f6-8016-fd8686928f5c&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=FuboTV&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5mdWJvLnR2L3dlbGNvbWUiLCJjb250ZW50VXVpZCI6IjAyNmZlMWI1LWVhMjItNDlmNi04MDE2LWZkODY4NjkyOGY1YyIsIm9yaWdpbmFsVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnViby50di93ZWxjb21lIn0&amp;signature=AQAAAXqYkMKAUm8799Kqd7h3b8qXj7L_Ft7q4NAGclsLGpGU&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fubo.tv%2Fwelcome" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.fubo.tv/welcome"><strong>Fubo Essential for $55/month for the first month ($30 off): </strong></a>Fubo has introductory discounts on most of its packages, but Essential may be the best for most people. It offers access to 215 channels, unlimited cloud DVR and up to 10 simultaneous streams. Note that regional sports content is not included here; you’ll have to go up to Pro or Elite plans for that.</p> <p><a data-i13n="cpos:15;pos:1" href="https://tv.youtube.com/welcome/"><strong>YouTube TV for $70/month for the first six months ($78 off):</strong></a> New subscribers can save a total of $78 when they sign up for YouTube TV’s base plan, which includes access to over 100 channels, unlimited DVR space and six household accounts with the ability to stream on three devices at once.</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Spotify;elmt:;cpos:16;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=449e2503-c6b5-44c5-bdb8-b3045047b3e5&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=026fe1b5-ea22-49f6-8016-fd8686928f5c&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Spotify&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5zcG90aWZ5LmNvbS91cy9zdHVkZW50LyIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiMDI2ZmUxYjUtZWEyMi00OWY2LTgwMTYtZmQ4Njg2OTI4ZjVjIiwib3JpZ2luYWxVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5zcG90aWZ5LmNvbS91cy9zdHVkZW50LyJ9&amp;signature=AQAAARP4AyvppygFvJ4vrPFGYZ9k2weFDpL_FzdcVGE3uM9X&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.spotify.com%2Fus%2Fstudent%2F" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.spotify.com/us/student/"><strong>Spotify student discount - Premium + Hulu with ads for $6/month (72 percent off):</strong></a> Spotify’s student offer continues to be one of the best around, giving you access to the Premium tier of the music streamer and Hulu’s ad-supported plan for only $6 monthly. Purchased separately, you’d pay $22 per month for both of the services. Plus, the first month is free when you sign up.</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Hulu;elmt:;cpos:17;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=ca19dea0-e7ad-4f54-beed-6302bce56589&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=026fe1b5-ea22-49f6-8016-fd8686928f5c&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Hulu&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5odWx1LmNvbS9zdHVkZW50IiwiY29udGVudFV1aWQiOiIwMjZmZTFiNS1lYTIyLTQ5ZjYtODAxNi1mZDg2ODY5MjhmNWMiLCJvcmlnaW5hbFVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lmh1bHUuY29tL3N0dWRlbnQifQ&amp;signature=AQAAAV4KsYBbX0kLrA2y-GMrG3k9z_PHlyJK2q92V_FBdUqc&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hulu.com%2Fstudent" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.hulu.com/student"><strong>Hulu student discount - subscribe for $2/month (75 percent off):</strong></a> Those with a valid student ID can get Hulu’s ad-supported tier for 75 percent off the typical rate. They’ll keep the same sale price for as long as they’re a student as well.</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:HBO Max;elmt:;cpos:18;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=c7892fca-8328-4299-9c5b-59b5f841f383&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=026fe1b5-ea22-49f6-8016-fd8686928f5c&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=HBO+Max&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5tYXguY29tL3N0dWRlbnQiLCJjb250ZW50VXVpZCI6IjAyNmZlMWI1LWVhMjItNDlmNi04MDE2LWZkODY4NjkyOGY1YyIsIm9yaWdpbmFsVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubWF4LmNvbS9zdHVkZW50In0&amp;signature=AQAAATKMxp1yl1CtHU6i6YQIW6tmEXYt-HWlvvzENQzDdK8Z&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.max.com%2Fstudent" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.max.com/student"><strong>Max student discount - subscribe for $5/month (50 percent off):</strong></a> Max offers their ad-supported tier to students for half off the usual rate. You’ll just have to verify that you’re a student through <a data-i13n="cpos:19;pos:1" href="https://www.myunidays.com/US/en-US">Unidays</a>, and make note that this offer is only good for up to 12 months of service.</p> <h2 id="jump-link-streaming-bundle-discounts">Streaming bundle discounts</h2> <p>There’s more consolidation happening now than ever before in the streaming space, and that means there are more streaming bundle options. These bundles offer you access to more content with one subscription price, but those prices are typically higher than paying for a single service by itself (obviously). It may be tempting to just get the bundle, but if only one of those services in the bundle speaks to you, you’ll spend less overall by just paying for the single service.</p> <p>Speaking of a deep love for a single streaming service: if all of your favorite shows are on Peacock or the latest releases on Max consistently bring you joy, consider paying for one year upfront. Subscribing with an annual plan usually saves you money in the long term over paying on a monthly basis. Unfortunately, not all streaming services (looking at you, Netflix) have an annual subscription option. Here are some of the best streaming bundles you can get right now.</p> <p> <core-commerce id="1df24922c60d4c8797c71e56ab44bf2c" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.disneyplus.com/welcome/disney-hulu-max-bundle"></core-commerce></p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Disney Store;elmt:;cpos:20;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=9c431828-c2cf-402b-a23c-df7fba43d348&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=026fe1b5-ea22-49f6-8016-fd8686928f5c&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Disney+Store&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5kaXNuZXlwbHVzLmNvbS93ZWxjb21lL2Rpc25leS1odWx1LW1heC1idW5kbGUiLCJjb250ZW50VXVpZCI6IjAyNmZlMWI1LWVhMjItNDlmNi04MDE2LWZkODY4NjkyOGY1YyIsIm9yaWdpbmFsVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGlzbmV5cGx1cy5jb20vd2VsY29tZS9kaXNuZXktaHVsdS1tYXgtYnVuZGxlIn0&amp;signature=AQAAAduD_oqRyynLYkzWzDFLK1tpl2rJVpZNu-qVQ1XrfSaQ&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.disneyplus.com%2Fwelcome%2Fdisney-hulu-max-bundle" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.disneyplus.com/welcome/disney-hulu-max-bundle"><strong>Disney+, Hulu, Max bundle with ads for $17/month</strong></a><strong>:</strong> Ad-supported Max is included here, along with full, ad-supported access to Disney+ and Hulu. You’ll save 43 percent with this bundle, as opposed to paying for all three services individually.</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Sling TV;elmt:;cpos:21;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=34c77505-6db4-4664-9320-2c38b4122d5e&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=026fe1b5-ea22-49f6-8016-fd8686928f5c&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Sling+TV&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5zbGluZy5jb20vcHJvZ3JhbW1pbmcvbWF4IiwiY29udGVudFV1aWQiOiIwMjZmZTFiNS1lYTIyLTQ5ZjYtODAxNi1mZDg2ODY5MjhmNWMiLCJvcmlnaW5hbFVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnNsaW5nLmNvbS9wcm9ncmFtbWluZy9tYXgifQ&amp;signature=AQAAATyEE7UlDDC1wlrG2y5A_t2EIt6qCU566bztlvocQWqo&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sling.com%2Fprogramming%2Fmax" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.sling.com/programming/max"><strong>Sling TV + Max starting at $53/month:</strong></a> Sling TV and Max have partnered on a discount that gives new subscribers 50 percent off their first month of Sling TV, plus $5 off monthly when you subscribe to the Sling TV + Max bundle. The standard price for the Sling Blue + Max duo is roughly $58/month, so you'll get a monthly discount of $5 off that. In addition, for the first month only, you'll get half off the price of the bundle. The promotion also applies to the Sling Orange &amp; Blue + Max package, which has a standard price of $73/month.</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Paramount Plus;elmt:;cpos:22;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=b0d3a482-802c-4eb1-9616-94f7490562f7&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=026fe1b5-ea22-49f6-8016-fd8686928f5c&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Paramount+Plus&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5wYXJhbW91bnRwbHVzLmNvbS8iLCJjb250ZW50VXVpZCI6IjAyNmZlMWI1LWVhMjItNDlmNi04MDE2LWZkODY4NjkyOGY1YyIsIm9yaWdpbmFsVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucGFyYW1vdW50cGx1cy5jb20vIn0&amp;signature=AQAAAV8iOXVl016P3T1Ibx0jMonfg-tZJd-51LFlOrDY5Khd&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.paramountplus.com%2F" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.paramountplus.com/"><strong>Paramount+ with Showtime for $13/month or $120/year</strong></a><strong>:</strong> This includes everything in Paramount+’s Essential plan, except the ads, and also provides access to Showtime content, live CBS streams and download features.</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Hulu;elmt:;cpos:23;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=ca19dea0-e7ad-4f54-beed-6302bce56589&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=026fe1b5-ea22-49f6-8016-fd8686928f5c&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Hulu&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5odWx1LmNvbS9saXZlLXR2IiwiY29udGVudFV1aWQiOiIwMjZmZTFiNS1lYTIyLTQ5ZjYtODAxNi1mZDg2ODY5MjhmNWMiLCJvcmlnaW5hbFVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lmh1bHUuY29tL2xpdmUtdHYifQ&amp;signature=AQAAAcqJA3U15Rm-fZoUDBrpnFfOj6R9bPJaLP5OPglFG9Ku&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hulu.com%2Flive-tv" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.hulu.com/live-tv"><strong>Hulu + Live TV with Disney+ and ESPN+ for $96/month:</strong></a> This streaming bundle amalgamation is a bit confusing but it does offer a lot: you get live TV streaming via Hulu’s service plus access to the following VOD services: Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+. Out of those three, only ESPN+ will have ads.</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Disney Store;elmt:;cpos:24;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=9c431828-c2cf-402b-a23c-df7fba43d348&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=026fe1b5-ea22-49f6-8016-fd8686928f5c&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Disney+Store&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5kaXNuZXlwbHVzLmNvbS8iLCJjb250ZW50VXVpZCI6IjAyNmZlMWI1LWVhMjItNDlmNi04MDE2LWZkODY4NjkyOGY1YyIsIm9yaWdpbmFsVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGlzbmV5cGx1cy5jb20vIn0&amp;signature=AQAAAfTrIOOmtx6dAIKCTZ26nxRVnZ6d5zjFO4nGLRZV9o6l&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.disneyplus.com%2F" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.disneyplus.com/"><strong>Disney+ and Hulu Duo Premium for $20/month</strong></a><strong>:</strong> This bundle removes the ads from both Disney+ and Hulu (with the exception of select live and linear content) and allows you to download content for offline viewing. You’ll save 43 percent with this bundle, as opposed to paying for both ad-free tiers individually.</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Disney Store;elmt:;cpos:25;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=9c431828-c2cf-402b-a23c-df7fba43d348&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=026fe1b5-ea22-49f6-8016-fd8686928f5c&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Disney+Store&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5kaXNuZXlwbHVzLmNvbS8iLCJjb250ZW50VXVpZCI6IjAyNmZlMWI1LWVhMjItNDlmNi04MDE2LWZkODY4NjkyOGY1YyIsIm9yaWdpbmFsVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGlzbmV5cGx1cy5jb20vIn0&amp;signature=AQAAAfTrIOOmtx6dAIKCTZ26nxRVnZ6d5zjFO4nGLRZV9o6l&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.disneyplus.com%2F" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.disneyplus.com/"><strong>Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ Trio Basic for $17/month</strong></a><strong>:</strong> You get full access to Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ content with this package, albeit with ads across the board. This bundle price is 47 percent off the total price of all three separate subscriptions.</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Disney Store;elmt:;cpos:26;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=9c431828-c2cf-402b-a23c-df7fba43d348&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=026fe1b5-ea22-49f6-8016-fd8686928f5c&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Disney+Store&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5kaXNuZXlwbHVzLmNvbS8iLCJjb250ZW50VXVpZCI6IjAyNmZlMWI1LWVhMjItNDlmNi04MDE2LWZkODY4NjkyOGY1YyIsIm9yaWdpbmFsVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGlzbmV5cGx1cy5jb20vIn0&amp;signature=AQAAAfTrIOOmtx6dAIKCTZ26nxRVnZ6d5zjFO4nGLRZV9o6l&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.disneyplus.com%2F" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.disneyplus.com/"><strong>Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ Trio Premium for $27/month</strong></a><strong>:</strong> Similarly to the Duo bundles, the Premium version of the Trio removes ads from most content in Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, and you can download content for offline viewing. This price represents a 43-percent savings when compared to paying for all three ad-free tiers separately.</p> <h3 id="jump-link-read-more-streaming-coverage">Read more streaming coverage</h3> <ul> <li><p><a data-i13n="cpos:27;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/best-live-tv-streaming-service-133000410.html">The best live TV streaming services to cut cable</a></p></li> <li><p><a data-i13n="cpos:28;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/best-streaming-services-154527042.html">The best streaming services: Netflix, Hulu, Max and more</a></p></li> <li><p><a data-i13n="cpos:29;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/best-streaming-devices-media-players-123021395.html">The best streaming devices</a></p></li> </ul> <p><em>Follow </em><a data-i13n="cpos:30;pos:1" href="https://twitter.com/EngadgetDeals"><em>@EngadgetDeals</em></a><em> on X for the latest </em><a data-i13n="cpos:31;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/deals/"><em>tech deals</em></a><em> and </em><a data-i13n="cpos:32;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/best-tech/"><em>buying advice</em></a><em>.</em></p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/best-streaming-service-deals-133028980.html?src=rss

Apr 1, 2025

<p>Apple’s Find My feature has finally been enabled in South Korea, <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Apple;elmt:;cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=4130e2f0-a14f-4c5e-bdab-cd52ac7d8e79&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=b19b4ed9-8dad-4c23-998f-648d70558045&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Apple&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hcHBsZS5jb20va3IvbmV3c3Jvb20vMjAyNS8wMy9hcHBsZS1icmluZ3MtYWRkaXRpb25hbC1maW5kLW15LWNhcGFiaWxpdGllcy10by1zb3V0aC1rb3JlYS8iLCJjb250ZW50VXVpZCI6ImIxOWI0ZWQ5LThkYWQtNGMyMy05OThmLTY0OGQ3MDU1ODA0NSIsIm9yaWdpbmFsVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYXBwbGUuY29tL2tyL25ld3Nyb29tLzIwMjUvMDMvYXBwbGUtYnJpbmdzLWFkZGl0aW9uYWwtZmluZC1teS1jYXBhYmlsaXRpZXMtdG8tc291dGgta29yZWEvIn0&amp;signature=AQAAASk2ORaC_fn190ePPuW2BXW1CjnuHLxFYgNSqLtAJbYs&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.apple.com%2Fkr%2Fnewsroom%2F2025%2F03%2Fapple-brings-additional-find-my-capabilities-to-south-korea%2F" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.apple.com/kr/newsroom/2025/03/apple-brings-additional-find-my-capabilities-to-south-korea/"><ins>according to a company announcement</ins></a> translated by<em>&nbsp;</em><a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://appleinsider.com/articles/25/04/01/find-my-finally-works-in-south-korea"><em><ins>Apple Insider</ins></em></a>. This comes after years of public demand in which the finding network tool was absent from the country. The omission was especially odd when you consider that Apple sold AirTags throughout the region. Without Find My, they are basically just puck-shaped paperweights.</p> <p>The company never explicitly stated why it limited access to Find My in South Korea, but it <a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/apples-find-my-finally-comes-to-south-korea-in-2025-185754477.html"><ins>appeared to be related to local laws</ins></a> that could have allowed the government access to the location data. The service first appeared during a beta test of iOS 18.4, but the <a data-i13n="cpos:4;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/ios-18-4-available-now-175358838.html"><ins>official software update</ins></a> makes it available to everyone in the country. Find My has long been functional in South Korea’s outlying territories like Baengnyeongdo and Ulleungdo.</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><p>"Find My is an important tool that allows users to grasp the location of the most precious things to them, such as friends, family and personal items, and I am very happy to be able to introduce this function to Korea," said David Dorn, senior director of Apple's service products, in a statement on the company's local website.</p> <p>The modern iteration of Find My launched in the US in 2019 as part of iOS 13. However, the tool actually dates back to a service called Find My iPhone that started in 2010. Apple <a data-i13n="cpos:5;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-121525242.html"><ins>recently expanded functionality</ins></a> to let users share the location of a lost item with other people on the network. This is helpful when negotiating the return of a lost item with a stranger.</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/apples-find-my-has-finally-launched-in-south-korea-151437244.html?src=rss

Apr 1, 2025

<p>If you ever needed a definitive example of how money doesn’t necessarily buy you success or taste, take a look at Amazon’s studio arm. The mega-retailer’s production division, now known as Amazon-MGM, has been making movies for more than a decade. Very few of the entries in its lineup have been world-beaters, but that hasn’t deterred the outfit from persisting. <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/01/business/media/amazon-movies-theaters.html"><em><ins>The New York Times</ins></em></a> is today reporting that <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/jennifer-salke-steps-down-as-head-of-amazon-mgm-studios-161856700.html"><ins>under its new head</ins></a>, Courtney Valenti, Amazon’s movie division has plans to own the in-person cinema experience.</p> <p>Amazon is apparently gearing up to release “up to 14 big, broad commercial films a year to theaters nationwide and around the world.” Each film would spend 45 days in the theaters before heading to pay-per-view and then to Prime Video at some point after. The move comes in the face of shrinking box office receipts and <a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2025-03-31/box-office-is-bleak-heres-how-local-theaters-are-surviving-the-downturn"><ins>fewer people heading to the cinema in general</ins></a>. Not to mention it’s also planning to produce an equal number of films that’ll go direct to Prime, which seems counter-intuitive given the desire to push people toward theaters.</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><p>That doesn’t recognize the shift in viewing habits, especially among younger people, who’d much rather sit and watch YouTube for hours at a time. Or that the box office took a hit because of COVID-19 that it never really bounced back from. Or that a lot of people would rather wait for a film to become available “for free” on a service they already pay for.</p> <p>It also doesn’t take into account the fact cinemas are becoming increasingly unaffordable, and not that nice a place to sit for multiple hours. Last year, the cinema industry said it would spend <a data-i13n="cpos:4;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/theater-chains-will-spend-22-billlion-to-lure-you-back-to-the-movies-140054935.html"><ins>$2.2 billion renovating their facilities</ins></a> to lure wary customers back. The planned additions included renovations for chairs and carpets, as well as the construction of ziplines and pickleball courts. Nowhere on the list was mentioned “make cinema tickets cheaper” or “don’t make viewers sit through half an hour of TV adverts before the trailers.”</p> <p>At the risk of sounding obvious, that’s one hell of a lot of material for one company to put out in a year. Especially when so many competitors with better track records are putting out far fewer films and seeing success. On paper, 14 movies a year feels like the sort of strategy you could last get away with in the 1980s. After all, people had fewer options, cinemas were busier and studios could rely on the triple-whammy of the box office, rental and VHS markets.</p> <p>It doesn’t help Amazon isn’t pledging to make <em>quality</em> movies, just lots of them, which suggests a mindset that doesn’t value scarcity. After all, there are many instances of things made and sold in small, limited quantities that garner far more attention than something mass-produced. Think about how hard it is for one of those latter-day Marvel movies to stick in the consciousness when you know there’ll be another one along in a month or two.</p> <p>It calls to mind <a data-i13n="cpos:5;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/amazon-will-take-full-creative-control-of-the-james-bond-franchise-174255959.html"><ins>Amazon’s battles with the Broccolis, until recently the custodians of the James Bond franchise.</ins></a> Let’s not overthink this, they are just silly spy movies — but ones made with a level of craft and attention rarely seen in the modern era. The fact there can be a multi year gap between entries in the series means each film gets far more attention. That was in conflict with Amazon’s apparent desire to use the Bond name to push out a thousand different streaming series, game shows and movies on a regular basis.</p> <p>And, at the risk of sounding uncharitable, it’s not as if Amazon’s movie slate has been a hit parade thus far. Many of the studios’ buzzier hits were picked up at film festivals rather than coming from inside, while its homegrown fare has floundered. That’s not to say its rivals are doing any better on this front — just read the reviews of <em>The Electric State</em> to show you how badly Netflix is throwing mad money at C+-tier projects.</p> <p>I often wonder if people look at the success of Disney’s big Marvel tentpoles and assume that it’s easy to replicate. A film like <em>Avengers: Endgame</em> was the payoff to a decade-long plan built from the ground-up on the backs of less successful films. Across 2024, Disney put <a data-i13n="cpos:6;pos:1" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Walt_Disney_Studios_films_(2020%E2%80%932029)"><ins>15 films</ins></a> into cinemas, but even a mega-behemoth like Disney does it across its seven or eight different divisions.</p> <p>In terms of attractive pitches, 14 films a year from the people who spent more than $200 million on <em>Red One</em> isn’t particularly compelling. Amazon’s going to have to give people a reason to get out to the theaters, but that’s going to be a challenge if the emphasis is on putting more raw material into the pipeline rather than making anything halfway considered or compelling.</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/amazons-new-cinema-plan-is-perfect-for-the-80s-150653674.html?src=rss

Apr 1, 2025

<p>This year’s <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/amazon-spring-sale/">Amazon Spring Sale</a> has ended, but there are still some deals floating around that you can take advantage of. While this shopping event focused the discounts on household, outdoor and fashion gear, a number of our favorite gadgets made it into the sale. In line with the "spring" theme, we found great discounts on cordless vacuums, robot vacuums, air purifiers and other smart home tech, along with solid deals on headphones, streaming devices, mesh Wi-Fi systems and more. Here, we've collected the best Amazon Spring Sale deals you can still get today even after the event has ended.</p> <h2 id="jump-link-best-amazon-spring-sale-deals-you-can-still-get">Best Amazon Spring Sale deals you can still get</h2> <p> <core-commerce id="6a345f8d44d54239899c82209bc00918" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CB6B2JWG"></core-commerce></p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=d20b5cfd-e507-4ac8-8ccc-ead49599b5b0&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwQ1FNUktSVjU_dGFnPWdkZ3QwYy0yMCIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiZDIwYjVjZmQtZTUwNy00YWM4LThjY2MtZWFkNDk1OTliNWIwIiwib3JpZ2luYWxVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwQ1FNUktSVjUiLCJkeW5hbWljQ2VudHJhbFRyYWNraW5nSWQiOnRydWUsInNpdGVJZCI6InVzLWVuZ2FkZ2V0IiwicGFnZUlkIjoiMXAtYXV0b2xpbmsiLCJmZWF0dXJlSWQiOiJ0ZXh0LWxpbmsifQ&amp;signature=AQAAAZ6ASARA914a-pXD2SYFxGvm1tMCpXgfe76J34Q7xmua&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0CQMRKRV5" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQMRKRV5?"><strong>Amazon Fire TV Stick HD for $20 ($15 off): </strong></a>Our top pick for the best budget <a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/best-streaming-devices-media-players-123021395.html">streaming device</a> can play content at 1080p/60fps and now its remote can also control your TV's power and volume. There's also Alexa support built into the remote, so you can use voice commands to search for content.</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:4;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=d20b5cfd-e507-4ac8-8ccc-ead49599b5b0&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=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&amp;signature=AQAAAXPkN15l-Dh7WNH19bEkfvZzH_9yGZDdqllPwksGLvJr&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSonos-Essential-Soundbar-Music-Video%2Fdp%2FB0B2KQFTG9" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/Sonos-Essential-Soundbar-Music-Video/dp/B0B2KQFTG9?"><strong>Sonos Ray for $179 ($100 off):</strong></a> This is our favorite <a data-i13n="cpos:5;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/best-soundbars-143041791.html">midrange soundbar</a> thanks to its compact, attractive design and easy setup. It's best for those who have a smaller living room or den they want to outfit with better TV sound. Also available at <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Sonos;elmt:;cpos:6;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=1e71dc69-0ad7-47e7-abf5-dc3926557fa3&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=d20b5cfd-e507-4ac8-8ccc-ead49599b5b0&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Sonos&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5zb25vcy5jb20vZW4tdXMvc2hvcC9yYXktYmxhY2siLCJjb250ZW50VXVpZCI6ImQyMGI1Y2ZkLWU1MDctNGFjOC04Y2NjLWVhZDQ5NTk5YjViMCIsIm9yaWdpbmFsVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc29ub3MuY29tL2VuLXVzL3Nob3AvcmF5LWJsYWNrIn0&amp;signature=AQAAAXGR8njiDACSpoItfpRlAw4Fr7CJ0kkPe_Lc8HSg3NsJ&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sonos.com%2Fen-us%2Fshop%2Fray-black" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.sonos.com/en-us/shop/ray-black">Sonos</a> in their <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Sonos;elmt:;cpos:7;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=1e71dc69-0ad7-47e7-abf5-dc3926557fa3&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=d20b5cfd-e507-4ac8-8ccc-ead49599b5b0&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Sonos&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5zb25vcy5jb20vZW4tdXMvc2hvcC9wcm9tb3Rpb25hbC1vZmZlcnMiLCJjb250ZW50VXVpZCI6ImQyMGI1Y2ZkLWU1MDctNGFjOC04Y2NjLWVhZDQ5NTk5YjViMCIsIm9yaWdpbmFsVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc29ub3MuY29tL2VuLXVzL3Nob3AvcHJvbW90aW9uYWwtb2ZmZXJzIn0&amp;signature=AQAAAVZejb7FJoW8fMdj3ROOoo3-MnGzFsKUpkGR8wb6Xq6O&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sonos.com%2Fen-us%2Fshop%2Fpromotional-offers" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.sonos.com/en-us/shop/promotional-offers">March Madness sale</a>.</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:8;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=d20b5cfd-e507-4ac8-8ccc-ead49599b5b0&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwQ0NaMjZCNVY_dGFnPWdkZ3QwYy0yMCIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiZDIwYjVjZmQtZTUwNy00YWM4LThjY2MtZWFkNDk1OTliNWIwIiwib3JpZ2luYWxVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwQ0NaMjZCNVYiLCJkeW5hbWljQ2VudHJhbFRyYWNraW5nSWQiOnRydWUsInNpdGVJZCI6InVzLWVuZ2FkZ2V0IiwicGFnZUlkIjoiMXAtYXV0b2xpbmsiLCJmZWF0dXJlSWQiOiJ0ZXh0LWxpbmsifQ&amp;signature=AQAAAXRiWWldURUzWrtT4HL-2mu7hUX7YT5UVcjp5WootrUW&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0CCZ26B5V" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CCZ26B5V"><strong>Bose QuietComfort headphones for $249 ($100 off):</strong></a> These Bose over-ear headphones provide excellent noise cancellation, a comfortable fit and up to 24 hours of listening time on a single charge. A quick-charge feature will net you 2.5 hours of battery life in just 15 minutes of charging, so you'll rarely have to go without them, too.</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:9;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=d20b5cfd-e507-4ac8-8ccc-ead49599b5b0&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=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&amp;signature=AQAAARUct9y5iLRFxKyr_Wu0yEPdMwpsWGMmbxH2yq8AwAhq&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FBose-QuietComfort-Wireless-Cancelling-Headphones%2Fdp%2FB0CCZ1L489" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/Bose-QuietComfort-Wireless-Cancelling-Headphones/dp/B0CCZ1L489?"><strong>Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones for $329 ($100 off):</strong></a> These hold the top spot in our <a data-i13n="cpos:10;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/best-headphones-wireless-bluetooth-120543205.html">best wireless headphones</a> guide for excellent noise cancellation. These cans will give you a step up in ANC, blocking out most noise and chatter of those around you. General audio quality has been improved as well, and they have a comfy fit.</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:11;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=d20b5cfd-e507-4ac8-8ccc-ead49599b5b0&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwOUpMNDFOOUM_dGFnPWdkZ3QwYy0yMCIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiZDIwYjVjZmQtZTUwNy00YWM4LThjY2MtZWFkNDk1OTliNWIwIiwib3JpZ2luYWxVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwOUpMNDFOOUMiLCJkeW5hbWljQ2VudHJhbFRyYWNraW5nSWQiOnRydWUsInNpdGVJZCI6InVzLWVuZ2FkZ2V0IiwicGFnZUlkIjoiMXAtYXV0b2xpbmsiLCJmZWF0dXJlSWQiOiJ0ZXh0LWxpbmsifQ&amp;signature=AQAAARly6-YHGtyzFiVRzKhWidETSOpw1do-S9fRImjI8bpn&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB09JL41N9C" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09JL41N9C?th=1"><strong>Beats Fit Pro for $169 (15 percent off):</strong></a> These are the <a data-i13n="cpos:12;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/best-wireless-earbuds-120058222.html">best wireless earbuds</a> for working out thanks to their comfortable, secure fit, good sound quality with thumping bass and handful of convenient features provided by Apple's H1 chipset. It provides quick-pairing and switching between Apple devices (and quick pairing with Android phones), Find My compatibility and hands-free Siri.</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:13;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=d20b5cfd-e507-4ac8-8ccc-ead49599b5b0&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL0R5c29uLUZvY3VzLUhlYXRlci1XaGl0ZS1TaWx2ZXIvZHAvQjAwU01MS0VQQT90YWc9Z2RndDBjLTIwIiwiY29udGVudFV1aWQiOiJkMjBiNWNmZC1lNTA3LTRhYzgtOGNjYy1lYWQ0OTU5OWI1YjAiLCJvcmlnaW5hbFVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFtYXpvbi5jb20vRHlzb24tRm9jdXMtSGVhdGVyLVdoaXRlLVNpbHZlci9kcC9CMDBTTUxLRVBBIiwiZHluYW1pY0NlbnRyYWxUcmFja2luZ0lkIjp0cnVlLCJzaXRlSWQiOiJ1cy1lbmdhZGdldCIsInBhZ2VJZCI6IjFwLWF1dG9saW5rIiwiZmVhdHVyZUlkIjoidGV4dC1saW5rIn0&amp;signature=AQAAAUpSCO1bb1nCFtGnxloKS81FsKvZLehuDYe0gXWc3mdJ&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FDyson-Focus-Heater-White-Silver%2Fdp%2FB00SMLKEPA" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/Dyson-Focus-Heater-White-Silver/dp/B00SMLKEPA?"><strong>Dyson AM09 heater and fan for $408 (13 percent off):</strong></a> The AM09 has been around for ages, and for good reason. It's an <a data-i13n="cpos:14;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/the-best-winter-tech-to-get-you-through-the-coldest-months-130009205.html">excellent heater</a> during cold months and fan during warm months, so you can use it all year round. Jet Focus control lets you choose from Focused or Diffused for personal or whole-room heating or cooling, and the handy sleep timer lets you set when the device turns off in intervals from 15 minutes up to nine hours.</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:15;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=d20b5cfd-e507-4ac8-8ccc-ead49599b5b0&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwOFI3OTRaTVg_dGFnPWdkZ3QwYy0yMCIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiZDIwYjVjZmQtZTUwNy00YWM4LThjY2MtZWFkNDk1OTliNWIwIiwib3JpZ2luYWxVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwOFI3OTRaTVgiLCJkeW5hbWljQ2VudHJhbFRyYWNraW5nSWQiOnRydWUsInNpdGVJZCI6InVzLWVuZ2FkZ2V0IiwicGFnZUlkIjoiMXAtYXV0b2xpbmsiLCJmZWF0dXJlSWQiOiJ0ZXh0LWxpbmsifQ&amp;signature=AQAAAUKWUNHMZUvjEF_fHdb_7o2xaXd6tfy2E73gEyw3XqzJ&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB08R794ZMX" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08R794ZMX?th=1"><strong>Levoit Core 400S air purifier for $187 ($33 off):</strong></a> Our top pick for the <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:16;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=d20b5cfd-e507-4ac8-8ccc-ead49599b5b0&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwOFI3OTRaTVg_dGFnPWdkZ3QwYy0yMCIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiZDIwYjVjZmQtZTUwNy00YWM4LThjY2MtZWFkNDk1OTliNWIwIiwib3JpZ2luYWxVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwOFI3OTRaTVgiLCJkeW5hbWljQ2VudHJhbFRyYWNraW5nSWQiOnRydWUsInNpdGVJZCI6InVzLWVuZ2FkZ2V0IiwicGFnZUlkIjoiMXAtYXV0b2xpbmsiLCJmZWF0dXJlSWQiOiJ0ZXh0LWxpbmsifQ&amp;signature=AQAAAUKWUNHMZUvjEF_fHdb_7o2xaXd6tfy2E73gEyw3XqzJ&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB08R794ZMX" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08R794ZMX?th=1">best air purifier</a> for most people, the Core 400S has easy-to-use onboard controls, powerful filtering technology that isn't too loud and relatively affordable replacement filters. It reliably improved air quality in our testing, and even though its mobile app is a little overstuffed, it gives you another way to control and monitor the device.</p> <p> <core-commerce id="2c0203d9bf9e452190b6e0fdc252a0cb" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085FTBLC6"></core-commerce></p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:17;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=d20b5cfd-e507-4ac8-8ccc-ead49599b5b0&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwODMyWTVERDI_dGFnPWdkZ3QwYy0yMCIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiZDIwYjVjZmQtZTUwNy00YWM4LThjY2MtZWFkNDk1OTliNWIwIiwib3JpZ2luYWxVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwODMyWTVERDIiLCJkeW5hbWljQ2VudHJhbFRyYWNraW5nSWQiOnRydWUsInNpdGVJZCI6InVzLWVuZ2FkZ2V0IiwicGFnZUlkIjoiMXAtYXV0b2xpbmsiLCJmZWF0dXJlSWQiOiJ0ZXh0LWxpbmsifQ&amp;signature=AQAAAUaQUnlUImp2bSe0xNcNtxOhOPMXWGZhsqyzowa_7PRs&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0832Y5DD2" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0832Y5DD2?th=1"><strong>Chipolo One</strong> <strong>for $20 ($5 off)</strong></a>: The Chipolo One is the top overall pick in our guide to the <a data-i13n="cpos:18;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-bluetooth-tracker-140028377.html">best Bluetooth trackers</a>. While Apple’s AirTag can tap into a substantially larger crowd-sourcing network, we’ve found the One to send separation alerts faster when you’ve left an item behind and ring louder when you’re back in its vicinity.</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:19;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=d20b5cfd-e507-4ac8-8ccc-ead49599b5b0&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL0F1ZGlibGUtQm9va3MtYW5kLU9yaWdpbmFscy9iLz9ub2RlPTE4MTQ1Mjg5MDExJnRhZz1nZGd0MGMtMjAiLCJjb250ZW50VXVpZCI6ImQyMGI1Y2ZkLWU1MDctNGFjOC04Y2NjLWVhZDQ5NTk5YjViMCIsIm9yaWdpbmFsVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYW1hem9uLmNvbS9BdWRpYmxlLUJvb2tzLWFuZC1PcmlnaW5hbHMvYi8_bm9kZT0xODE0NTI4OTAxMSIsImR5bmFtaWNDZW50cmFsVHJhY2tpbmdJZCI6dHJ1ZSwic2l0ZUlkIjoidXMtZW5nYWRnZXQiLCJwYWdlSWQiOiIxcC1hdXRvbGluayIsImZlYXR1cmVJZCI6InRleHQtbGluayJ9&amp;signature=AQAAAam0r82O82LjLUY54noNk8vbNp61lza7ySs6cLoH6-uI&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FAudible-Books-and-Originals%2Fb%2F%3Fnode%3D18145289011" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/Audible-Books-and-Originals/b/?ie=UTF8&amp;node=18145289011&amp;ref_=nav_cs_audible"><strong>Audible (three months) for $3 ($42 off):</strong></a> This deal gives you access to Audible Premium Plus, which includes one credit each month that you can spend on any book you'd like, along with listening access to thousands of other books, podcasts and Audible Originals. You also get to take part in Audible's exclusive member sales. Only US customers who are not already subscribed to Audible can take advantage of this deal.</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:20;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=d20b5cfd-e507-4ac8-8ccc-ead49599b5b0&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=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&amp;signature=AQAAAcuPG_D6Y0HGmL1xgAu3DehAnp-N1WE7Lzufrx1atFbs&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FApple-Watch-Smartwatch-Aluminium-Always%2Fdp%2FB0DGJ5KQL7%2F" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/Apple-Watch-Smartwatch-Aluminium-Always/dp/B0DGJ5KQL7/?th=1"><strong>Apple Watch Series 10 for $329 ($70 off):</strong></a> Apple’s flagship wearable is the <a data-i13n="cpos:21;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/wearables/best-smartwatches-153013118.html">best smartwatch</a> you can buy, period. While the Series 10 was an iterative update, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It sports a slightly longer battery life, a slimmer design and wide-angle OLED screen for better viewing angles. It tracks workouts accurately and delivers alerts to your wrist efficiently.</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:22;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=d20b5cfd-e507-4ac8-8ccc-ead49599b5b0&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwREdKNzNDRlMvcmVmPWZzX2Ffd3QyX3VzND90YWc9Z2RndDBjLTIwIiwiY29udGVudFV1aWQiOiJkMjBiNWNmZC1lNTA3LTRhYzgtOGNjYy1lYWQ0OTU5OWI1YjAiLCJvcmlnaW5hbFVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFtYXpvbi5jb20vZHAvQjBER0o3M0NGUy9yZWY9ZnNfYV93dDJfdXM0IiwiZHluYW1pY0NlbnRyYWxUcmFja2luZ0lkIjp0cnVlLCJzaXRlSWQiOiJ1cy1lbmdhZGdldCIsInBhZ2VJZCI6IjFwLWF1dG9saW5rIiwiZmVhdHVyZUlkIjoidGV4dC1saW5rIn0&amp;signature=AQAAAYUpCEJZnObDicV3Ujd_fgMKdWIqVadMxaB4fHpRWmtZ&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0DGJ73CFS%2Fref%3Dfs_a_wt2_us4" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DGJ73CFS/ref=fs_a_wt2_us4?th=1"><strong>Apple Watch SE for $199 (20 percent off):</strong></a> Those on tighter budgets can opt for the Apple Watch SE and know they’re getting the core Apple wearable experience with few compromises. We consider it to be the best smartwatch for newbies.</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:23;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=d20b5cfd-e507-4ac8-8ccc-ead49599b5b0&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwRFo3NFlRMVYvP3RhZz1nZGd0MGMtMjAiLCJjb250ZW50VXVpZCI6ImQyMGI1Y2ZkLWU1MDctNGFjOC04Y2NjLWVhZDQ5NTk5YjViMCIsIm9yaWdpbmFsVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYW1hem9uLmNvbS9kcC9CMERaNzRZUTFWLyIsImR5bmFtaWNDZW50cmFsVHJhY2tpbmdJZCI6dHJ1ZSwic2l0ZUlkIjoidXMtZW5nYWRnZXQiLCJwYWdlSWQiOiIxcC1hdXRvbGluayIsImZlYXR1cmVJZCI6InRleHQtbGluayJ9&amp;signature=AQAAAWq1OOSQwi2rXMFDxRv6mw056rEjSAYAXXaJCu9rJwly&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0DZ74YQ1V%2F" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DZ74YQ1V/?th=1"><strong>iPad Air M3 for $549 ($50 off):</strong></a> The latest version of the iPad Air now runs on the M3 chipset, and it continues to hold the top spot in our <a data-i13n="cpos:24;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/best-ipads-how-to-pick-the-best-apple-tablet-for-you-150054066.html">best iPads</a> guide. It has the best combination of power, design and extra features, so you can use it primarily as a media consumption device if you wish, or you can add <a data-i13n="cpos:25;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-ipad-accessories-130018595.html">iPad accessories</a> like an Apple Pencil or a Magic Keyboard to turn it into a true workhorse.</p> <p> <core-commerce id="5168baeb46904be4875ad19affbaab48" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.amazon.com/Apple-MX542LL-A-AirTag-Pack/dp/B0D54JZTHY/"></core-commerce></p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:26;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=d20b5cfd-e507-4ac8-8ccc-ead49599b5b0&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwQ1ZKM0s4RkY_dGFnPWdkZ3QwYy0yMCIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiZDIwYjVjZmQtZTUwNy00YWM4LThjY2MtZWFkNDk1OTliNWIwIiwib3JpZ2luYWxVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwQ1ZKM0s4RkYiLCJkeW5hbWljQ2VudHJhbFRyYWNraW5nSWQiOnRydWUsInNpdGVJZCI6InVzLWVuZ2FkZ2V0IiwicGFnZUlkIjoiMXAtYXV0b2xpbmsiLCJmZWF0dXJlSWQiOiJ0ZXh0LWxpbmsifQ&amp;signature=AQAAAUyuGj4LtyuNryedCb-cxw1LXPsFbIp3wDbLDmAab5v2&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0CVJ3K8FF" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CVJ3K8FF?th=1"><strong>iRobot Roomba Robot Vacuum and Mop Combo for $149 ($126 off):</strong></a> This "essential" Roomba is relatively no-frills, but it has the added benefit of being a mopping robot in addition to a vacuum. It includes a washable mopping pad and a water reservoir so you can clean hard floors, and it will autonomously vacuum just like all of iRobot's other basic robovacs.</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:27;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=d20b5cfd-e507-4ac8-8ccc-ead49599b5b0&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwRExLMTc0OFk_dGFnPWdkZ3QwYy0yMCIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiZDIwYjVjZmQtZTUwNy00YWM4LThjY2MtZWFkNDk1OTliNWIwIiwib3JpZ2luYWxVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwRExLMTc0OFkiLCJkeW5hbWljQ2VudHJhbFRyYWNraW5nSWQiOnRydWUsInNpdGVJZCI6InVzLWVuZ2FkZ2V0IiwicGFnZUlkIjoiMXAtYXV0b2xpbmsiLCJmZWF0dXJlSWQiOiJ0ZXh0LWxpbmsifQ&amp;signature=AQAAASvX_1QVrD2s2II3UTnyk_84dRlTEslGVrAj1q-DSMwU&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0DLK1748Y" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DLK1748Y?"><strong>Eufy 3-in-1 E20 robot vacuum for $400 ($200 off):</strong></a> If you can’t decide between a robot vacuum or a lightweight stick vac, you don’t have to. The new Eufy E20 combines a robo vac, cordless upright and handheld vacuum in one machine. Plus the automatically emptying base holds a lot of debris for its size. While <a data-i13n="cpos:28;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/anker-eufy-e20-review-a-robot-vacuum-that-transforms-to-do-more-150005198.html">we found</a> the robot performance to be better than the stick vac suction, it’s still impressive and convenient for an all-in-one model.</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:29;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=d20b5cfd-e507-4ac8-8ccc-ead49599b5b0&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwQzMzQ0hHOTk_dGFnPWdkZ3QwYy0yMCIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiZDIwYjVjZmQtZTUwNy00YWM4LThjY2MtZWFkNDk1OTliNWIwIiwib3JpZ2luYWxVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwQzMzQ0hHOTkiLCJkeW5hbWljQ2VudHJhbFRyYWNraW5nSWQiOnRydWUsInNpdGVJZCI6InVzLWVuZ2FkZ2V0IiwicGFnZUlkIjoiMXAtYXV0b2xpbmsiLCJmZWF0dXJlSWQiOiJ0ZXh0LWxpbmsifQ&amp;signature=AQAAAZFjYpqI5U6tK1J5mNIQ0e7bahxX7idxwC4dqv-zm__2&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0C33CHG99" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C33CHG99?th=1"><strong>Cosori 9-in-1 air fryer for $90 ($30 off):</strong></a> One of our favorites in our <a data-i13n="cpos:30;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/home/kitchen-tech/best-air-fryers-133047180.html">best air fryers</a> guide, this Cosori model has nine preset cooking modes and a spacious cooking basket that can handle more food at once than you might expect. It's not too large, so it can sit on your countertop all the time, and the basket has a safety release button that prevents accidental pulls.</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:31;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=d20b5cfd-e507-4ac8-8ccc-ead49599b5b0&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwQjhCOE1DRjE_dGFnPWdkZ3QwYy0yMCIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiZDIwYjVjZmQtZTUwNy00YWM4LThjY2MtZWFkNDk1OTliNWIwIiwib3JpZ2luYWxVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2RwL0IwQjhCOE1DRjEiLCJkeW5hbWljQ2VudHJhbFRyYWNraW5nSWQiOnRydWUsInNpdGVJZCI6InVzLWVuZ2FkZ2V0IiwicGFnZUlkIjoiMXAtYXV0b2xpbmsiLCJmZWF0dXJlSWQiOiJ0ZXh0LWxpbmsifQ&amp;signature=AQAAAQ3VAImA1WXYn9TK1hXQ-T6078bwXMLO6dCq-qVk55Hu&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0B8B8MCF1" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B8B8MCF1?th=1"><strong>TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro mesh Wi-Fi system for $280 (30 percent off):</strong></a> Our current pick for the <a data-i13n="cpos:32;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/best-mesh-wifi-system-130028701.html">best mesh Wi-Fi system</a> you can get, this TP-Link bundle may be no-frills, but it gets the job done nicely. It's easy to set up and provides excellent Wi-Fi 6E performance, plus the three included nodes can cover up to 7,200 square feet.</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:33;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=d20b5cfd-e507-4ac8-8ccc-ead49599b5b0&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL1NBTVNVTkctbWljcm9TRFhDLU5pbnRlbmRvLVN3aXRjaC1NQi1NRTUxMlNBLUFNL2RwL0IwQ1dQUE1EOFc_dGFnPWdkZ3QwYy0yMCIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiZDIwYjVjZmQtZTUwNy00YWM4LThjY2MtZWFkNDk1OTliNWIwIiwib3JpZ2luYWxVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL1NBTVNVTkctbWljcm9TRFhDLU5pbnRlbmRvLVN3aXRjaC1NQi1NRTUxMlNBLUFNL2RwL0IwQ1dQUE1EOFciLCJkeW5hbWljQ2VudHJhbFRyYWNraW5nSWQiOnRydWUsInNpdGVJZCI6InVzLWVuZ2FkZ2V0IiwicGFnZUlkIjoiMXAtYXV0b2xpbmsiLCJmZWF0dXJlSWQiOiJ0ZXh0LWxpbmsifQ&amp;signature=AQAAAV4mPL_80xV6hkWLwVzsfrRUFvPWHiutq8NCtLAx9DrS&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSAMSUNG-microSDXC-Nintendo-Switch-MB-ME512SA-AM%2Fdp%2FB0CWPPMD8W" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/SAMSUNG-microSDXC-Nintendo-Switch-MB-ME512SA-AM/dp/B0CWPPMD8W?th=1"><strong>Samsung Evo Select microSD card (512GB) for $35 ($5 off):</strong></a> A value pick in our <a data-i13n="cpos:34;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-microsd-card-130038282.html">best microSD cards</a> guide, this Evo Select card provides respectable read and write speeds, and it comes with a full-sized adapter.</p> <p><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:35;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=d20b5cfd-e507-4ac8-8ccc-ead49599b5b0&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=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&amp;signature=AQAAAVVpU4qY9btjLXLiDjWCH0hPXSdgn6ktT2YJcq3dwVVX&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSAMSUNG-Portable-SSD-2TB-MU-PC2T0T%2Fdp%2FB0874XWW23" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/SAMSUNG-Portable-SSD-2TB-MU-PC2T0T/dp/B0874XWW23?th=1"><strong>Samsung T7 portable SSD (2TB) for $140 (48 percent off):</strong></a> We're on the T9 series now, but if you're looking to save a bit of cash, the T7 remains a great option for on-the-go storage. It supports read and write speeds up to 1,050/1,000 MB/s and sports a pocket-friendly design.</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-spring-sale-tech-deals-the-best-sales-you-can-still-get-from-apple-bose-irobot-dyson-and-others-130607704.html?src=rss

Apr 1, 2025

<p>The Amazon Spring Sale might be over, but there are still lots of great deals to shop. For instance, there's a 33 percent discount on one of our <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/best-portable-bluetooth-speakers-133004551.html">favorite portable Bluetooth speakers for 2025</a>. The <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:Amazon;elmt:;cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=66ea567a-c987-4c2e-a2ff-02904efde6ea&amp;siteId=us-engadget&amp;pageId=1p-autolink&amp;contentUuid=7407a913-6b14-4222-a99e-203e05295699&amp;featureId=text-link&amp;merchantName=Amazon&amp;custData=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&amp;signature=AQAAAaGYxQZtsJKLpbqTEWzn-70Gn5RyzTxE-PpitRxv-fCF&amp;gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FBeats-Pill-2024-release-Compatible%2Fdp%2FB0D4SX9RC6" class="rapid-with-clickid" data-original-link="https://www.amazon.com/Beats-Pill-2024-release-Compatible/dp/B0D4SX9RC6?th=1">Beats Pill</a> is down to $100 from $150 — a record-low price for the speaker.</p> <p>Let's be honest, that first glimpse of warm weather is here and it's making us dream of sitting by the beach or picnics with friends. The Beats Pill is a solid option to provide the soundtrack to your summer. We gave it in <a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/beats-pill-review-a-revival-worth-the-wait-160056269.html">83 in our review</a> thanks, in part, to its durability. The speaker has an IP67 waterproof rating, so you shouldn't have to worry at all if it gets a bit wet.&nbsp;</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span> <p> <core-commerce id="b9598f3ec9b74f7aa98def2aca7848d6" data-type="product-list" data-original-url="https://www.amazon.com/Beats-Pill-2024-release-Compatible/dp/B0D4SX9RC6?th=1"></core-commerce></p> <p>The Beats Pill also offers 24-hour battery life and improved sound quality from its predecessor. However, we have found that the audio does hurt a bit when at loud volumes and it can have an inconsistent bass tone.&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Follow </em><a data-i13n="cpos:4;pos:1" href="https://twitter.com/EngadgetDeals"><em>@EngadgetDeals</em></a><em> on X for the latest </em><a data-i13n="cpos:5;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/deals/"><em>tech deals</em></a><em> and </em><a data-i13n="cpos:6;pos:1" href="https://www.engadget.com/best-tech/"><em>buying advice</em></a><em>.</em></p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/pick-up-the-beats-pill-speaker-while-its-on-sale-for-a-record-low-price-140306981.html?src=rss

Apr 3, 2025

Inside this week's LWN.net Weekly Edition: <p> <ul> <li> <a href="https://lwn.net/Articles/1015512/">Front</a>: Calibre 8.0; Fedora reproducibility; OpenWrt One; 6.15 Merge Window; LSFMM+BPF coverage including BPF in GCC, Rust merging process, and more. <li> <a href="https://lwn.net/Articles/1015514/">Briefs</a>: Ubuntu namespaces; New FPL; PorteuX 2.0; Firefox 137.0; GCC Rust; Rockbox 4.0; Rust specification; Thundermail; Dave Täht RIP; Quotes; ... <li> <a href="https://lwn.net/Articles/1015515/">Announcements</a>: Newsletters, conferences, security updates, patches, and more. </ul>

Apr 2, 2025

<p>Saying that <a href="https://calibre-ebook.com/">calibre</a> is ebook-management software undersells the application by a fair margin. Calibre is an open-source Swiss Army knife for ebooks that can be used for everything from creating ebooks, converting ebooks from obscure formats to modern formats like EPUB, to serving up an ebook library over the web. The most recent major release, <a href="https://calibre-ebook.com/new-in/seventeen">calibre&#160;8.0</a>, brings a better text-to-speech engine, a tool for creating audio overlays when authoring ebooks, support for profiles in the ebook viewer, and more.</p>

Apr 2, 2025

<p> José Marchesi and David Faust kicked off the BPF track at the 2025 Linux Storage, Filesystem, Memory-Management, and BPF Summit with an extra-long session on what they have been doing to support compiling to BPF in GCC. Overall, the project is slowly working toward full support for BPF, with most of the self-tests now passing using Faust's in-progress patches. However, the progress toward that goal has turned up a number of problems with how Clang supports BPF that needed to be discussed at length to find a path forward for both projects. </p>

Apr 2, 2025

<p>Ryan Sipes has <a href="https://thunderbird.topicbox.com/groups/planning/T437cd854afcb1395">announced</a> efforts to expand Thunderbird's offerings with web services to "<q>enhance the experience of using Thunderbird</q>".</p> <blockquote class="bq"> The Why for offering these services is simple. Thunderbird loses users each day to rich ecosystems that are both clients and services, such as Gmail and Office365. These ecosystems have both hard vendor lock-ins (through interoperability issues with 3rd-pary clients) and soft lock-ins (through convenience and integration between their clients and services). It is our goal to eventually have a similar offering so that a 100% open source, freedom-respecting alternative ecosystem is available for those who want it. </blockquote> <p>The planned services include hosted email, appointment scheduling, a revival of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefox_Send">Firefox Send</a>, and (of course) an AI assistant based on a partnership with <a href="https://flower.ai/">Flower AI</a>. The AI features will "<q>always be optional for use by people who want them</q>". Sipes is managing director of product for Thunderbird's parent organization, <a href="https://blog.thunderbird.net/2020/01/thunderbirds-new-home/">MZLA Technologies Corporation</a>. LWN <a href="https://lwn.net/Articles/982610/">covered</a> his GUADEC&#160;2024 keynote last July.</p> <p></p>

Apr 2, 2025

<p>Outgoing Fedora Project Leader (FPL) Matthew Miller has <a href="https://fedoramagazine.org/introducing-fedora-project-leader-jef-spaleta/">announced</a> his successor, Jef Spaleta.</p> <blockquote class="bq"> <p>Some of you may remember Jef's passionate voice in the early Fedora community. He got involved all the way back in the days of fedora.us, before Red Hat got involved. Jef served on the Fedora Board from July 2007 through the end of 2008. This was the critical time after Fedora Extras and Fedora Core merged into one Fedora Linux where, with the launch of the "Features" process, Fedora became a truly community-led project.</p> </blockquote> <p>Spaleta will be joining Red Hat full time in May and Miller will be formally handing off FPL duties at the <a href="https://fedoraproject.org/flock/2025/">Flock</a> conference in June.</p> <p></p>

Apr 2, 2025

<p><a href="https://github.com/porteux/porteux/releases">Version 2.0</a> of <a href="https://github.com/porteux/porteux?tab=readme-ov-file#about">PorteuX</a>, a distribution based on Slackware Linux, has been released. This release adds the ability to test experimental Wayland sessions for the Cinnamon, LXQt, and Xfce desktops. PorteuX 2.0 updates the Linux kernel to 6.14 and includes many package updates and bug fixes. Users have the choice of PorteuX stable or its rolling release called current. See the <a href="https://github.com/porteux/porteux/blob/main/boot/boot/docs/install.txt"><tt>install.txt</tt></a> for instructions on installing PorteuX to disk.</p> <p></p>

Apr 2, 2025

The CPU's translation lookaside buffer (TLB) caches the results of virtual-address translations, significantly speeding memory accesses. TLB misses are expensive, so a lot of thought goes into using the TLB as efficiently as possible. Reducing pressure on the TLB was the topic of Rik van Riel's memory-management-track session at the 2025 Linux Storage, Filesystem, Memory-Management, and BPF Summit. Some approaches were considered, but the session was short on firm conclusions.

Apr 2, 2025

For those of you who still have dedicated audio players: <a href="https://www.rockbox.org/wiki/ReleaseNotes400">version 4.0</a> of Rockbox, a replacement firmware for many players, has been released. This release brings support for a number of new devices, updated codecs, a number of user-interface improvements, some new games, and more. (LWN last <a href="https://lwn.net/Articles/391982/">reviewed Rockbox</a> in 2010 — and looked at the ill-fated <a href="https://lwn.net/Articles/408626/">Android port</a> that year as well).

Apr 2, 2025

Security updates have been issued by <b>Debian</b> (firefox-esr, jetty9, openjpeg2, and tomcat9), <b>Fedora</b> (dokuwiki, firefox, php-kissifrot-php-ixr, php-phpseclib3, and rust-zincati), <b>Red Hat</b> (kernel and pki-core), <b>Slackware</b> (mozilla), <b>SUSE</b> (apparmor, atop, docker, docker-stable, firefox, govulncheck-vulndb, libmodsecurity3, openvpn, upx, and warewulf4), and <b>Ubuntu</b> (inspircd, linux, linux-aws, linux-gcp, linux-gke, linux-gkeop, linux-ibm, linux-lowlatency, linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.8, linux-oem-6.8, linux-oracle, linux-oracle-6.8, linux-aws, linux-aws-5.4, linux-aws-fips, linux-azure-6.8, linux-hwe-6.8, linux-raspi, linux-realtime, nginx, phpseclib, and vim).

Apr 1, 2025

The kernel's slab allocator is charged with providing small objects on demand; its performance and reliability are crucial for the functioning of the system as a whole. At the 2025 Linux Storage, Filesystem, Memory-Management, and BPF Summit, two adjacent sessions in the memory-management track dug into current work on the slab allocator. The first focused on the new sheaves feature, while the second discussed a set of allocation functions that are safe to call in any context.

Apr 1, 2025

<a href="https://lwn.net/Articles/705884/"><img src="https://lwn.net/images/conf/2016/lpc/DaveTaht-sm.jpg" class="lthumb" alt="[Dave Täht]" title="Dave Täht and Ham the monkey"></a> From the LibreQoS site comes <a href="https://libreqos.io/2025/04/01/in-loving-memory-of-dave/">the sad news</a> that Dave Täht has passed away. Among many other things, he bears a lot of credit for our networks functioning as well as they do. "<q>We're incredibly grateful to have Dave as our friend, mentor, and as someone who continuously inspired us – showing us that we could do better for each other in the world, and leverage technology to make that happen. He will be dearly missed</q>". <p> Searching through LWN's archives will turn up many references to his work <a href="https://lwn.net/Articles/705884/">fixing WiFi</a>, <a href="https://lwn.net/Articles/496509/">improving queue management</a>, <a href="https://lwn.net/Articles/508783/">tackling bufferbloat</a>, and more. Farewell, Dave, we hope the music is good wherever you are. <p> (Thanks to Jon Masters for the heads-up). <br clear="all">

Apr 1, 2025

As he has in some previous editions of the Linux Storage, Filesystem, Memory-Management, and BPF Summit (LSFMM+BPF), Fred Knight gave an update on the status of various storage standards this year. In it, he looked at changes to the <a href="https://nvmexpress.org/">NVM Express</a> (NVMe) standards in some detail. He also updated attendees on the fairly small changes that have come to the SCSI (<a href="https://www.t10.org/">T10</a>) and ATA (<a href="https://www.t13.org/">T13</a>) standards over the last few years.

Apr 1, 2025

The kernel's <a href="https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man8/kexec.8.html">kexec mechanism</a> allows one kernel to directly boot a new one; it can be thought of as a sort of kernel equivalent to the <a href="https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man2/execve.2.html"><tt>execve()</tt></a> system call. Kexec has a number of uses, including booting a special kernel to perform dumps after a crash. Normally, one does not expect user-space processes to survive booting into a new kernel, but that has not stopped developers from trying to implement that ability. Mike Rapoport ran a memory-management-track session at the 2025 Linux Storage, Filesystem, Memory-Management, and BPF Summit to discuss one piece of that problem: enabling the contents of memory to persist across a kexec handover so that the new kernel can pick up where the old one left off.

Apr 1, 2025

<a href="https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/137.0/releasenotes/">Version 137.0</a> of the Firefox browser has been released. Changes include the rollout of <a href="https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/tab-groups">tab groups</a>, a number of search-bar changes, and the ability to add signatures to PDF files.

Apr 1, 2025

Security updates have been issued by <b>AlmaLinux</b> (freetype, grub2, kernel, kernel-rt, and python-jinja2), <b>Debian</b> (freetype, linux-6.1, suricata, tzdata, and varnish), <b>Fedora</b> (mingw-libxslt and qgis), <b>Mageia</b> (elfutils, mercurial, and zvbi), <b>Oracle</b> (grafana, kernel, libxslt, nginx:1.22, and postgresql:12), <b>Red Hat</b> (opentelemetry-collector), <b>SUSE</b> (corosync, opera, and restic), and <b>Ubuntu</b> (aom, libtar, mariadb, ovn, php7.4, php8.1, php8.3, rabbitmq-server, and webkit2gtk).

Apr 2, 2025

Yarn tests fail consistently at the 27-second mark. The usual suspects are swiftly eliminated. A deep dive is taken to comb through traces, only to be derailed into an unexpected crash investigation.

Apr 1, 2025

Following up on having the fastest purge in the industry, we have now increased Instant Purge quotas across all Cloudflare plans.

Mar 27, 2025

Today, after more than 13 years at the company, I am joining Cloudflare’s board of directors and retiring from my full-time position as CTO.

Mar 26, 2025

With Cloudflare’s victory against patent trolls Sable IP and Sable Networks in the books, it’s time to close out the case’s Project Jengo competition.

Mar 25, 2025

You can now build and deploy remote MCP servers to Cloudflare, and we handle the hard parts of building remote MCP servers for you.

Mar 25, 2025

OPKSSH (OpenPubkey SSH) is now open-sourced as part of the OpenPubkey project.

Mar 25, 2025

On March 21, 2025, multiple Cloudflare services, including R2 object storage experienced an elevated rate of error responses. Here’s what caused the incident, the impact, and how we are making sure it

Mar 24, 2025

Security Week 2025 has officially come to a close. Our updates for the week included a deep dive on our AI offering, a unified navigation experience, and an introduction to our AI Agent Cloudy.

Mar 24, 2025

Today we're announcing our latest contribution to Node.js, now available in v23.8.0: URLPattern.

Mar 21, 2025

Using Cloudflare’s CASB, integrate, scan, and detect sensitive data and misconfigurations in your cloud storage accounts.

Mar 21, 2025

Cloudflare now provides clientless, browser-based support for the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). It enables secure, remote Windows server access without VPNs or RDP clients.

Mar 21, 2025

Customers can now easily safeguard sensitive data in Microsoft Outlook with our new DLP Assist feature.

Mar 21, 2025

This post is a beginner's guide to lattices, the math at the heart of the transition to post-quantum (PQ) cryptography. It explains how to do lattice-based encryption and authentication from scratch.

Mar 21, 2025

Cloudflare’s Data Loss Prevention is reducing false positives by using a self-improving AI-powered algorithm, built on Cloudflare’s Developer Platform.

Mar 21, 2025

Cloudflare is now assessed at the IRAP PROTECTED level, bringing our products and services to the Australian Public Sector.

Mar 20, 2025

Forrester Research has recognized Cloudflare as a Leader in its The Forrester Wave™: Web Application Firewall Solutions, Q1 2025 report.

Mar 20, 2025

Cloudflare’s first AI agent, Cloudy, helps make complicated configurations easy to understand for Cloudflare administrators.

Mar 20, 2025

We are closing the cleartext HTTP ports entirely for Cloudflare API traffic. This prevents the risk of clients unintentionally leaking their secret API keys in cleartext during the initial request.

Mar 20, 2025

Cloudflare Aegis provides dedicated egress IPs for Zero Trust origin access strategies, now supporting BYOIP and customer-facing configurability, with observability of Aegis IP utilization soon.

Mar 20, 2025

We’re introducing a new Application Security experience in the Cloudflare dashboard, with a reworked UI organized by use cases, making it easier for customers to navigate and secure their accounts.

Apr 3, 2025

Boeing's CEO admits the company "made serious missteps" that hurt the safety of its planes. But denies the company pressures workers to speed up airplane production.<br>

Apr 2, 2025

A bipartisan group of Senators voted to remove the emergency declaration President Trump used to impose 25 percent tariffs on Canada. The vote was largely symbolic since the House isn't expected to act.

Apr 2, 2025

President Trump and top officials are considering a deal that would create a new U.S. entity and lease TikTok's algorithm to get around China export regulations.

Apr 2, 2025

Freshman Calvin "CJ" Dickey Jr., died after his first practice at the university. His parents are suing the school, also alleging staff neglected to account for his sickle cell trait during training.

Apr 2, 2025

The National Weather Service says a "multi-day catastrophic and potentially historic" storm is expected to impact multiple states beginning on Wednesday.

Apr 2, 2025

The Supreme Court heard arguments on whether South Carolina can remove Planned Parenthood clinics from its state Medicaid program, even though those funds cannot generally be used to fund abortions.

Apr 2, 2025

Sen. Cory Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey, told NPR's Juana Summers he stopped eating and drinking before his record-breaking speech.

Apr 2, 2025

If passed, the package could become a hallmark of President Trump's second term. But a number of obstacles remain ahead.

Apr 2, 2025

Eight-point-seven billion. <br><br>Four-hundred million. <br><br>One-hundred-seventy-five million. <br><br>These are just some examples of the money the federal government has withheld or is threatening to withhold from various colleges and universities, including the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University and Harvard University. <br><br>That $8.7 billion figure was announced earlier this week by the Trump administration, which said that it's reviewing federal grants and contracts awarded to Harvard because Harvard has not done enough to curb antisemitism on campus.<br><br>Some educators say the administration's moves to cut funding at colleges and universities amounts to a war on higher education. But the loss of those funds will be felt far beyond the college campuses. <br><br>For sponsor-free episodes of <em>Consider This,</em> sign up for C<em>onsider This+</em> via Apple Podcasts or at <a href="http://plus.npr.org/">plus.npr.org</a>.<br><br>Email us at<a href="mailto:[email protected]"> [email protected]</a>.<br>

Apr 2, 2025

The new government in Syria, formed after the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad, is working to disband local militias to form one national army. But some groups are refusing to join. We meet one very well armed religious minority called the Druse. They say they're afraid of sectarian attacks from the new government and will not be giving up their weapons.

Apr 2, 2025

<p>The abrupt cancellation of government funding for programs to help food banks distribute healthy, local food is being felt across the country, with some already strapped organizations turning to their local communities for help. What do you think?</p> <p>The post <a href="https://theonion.com/u-s-food-banks-struggle-under-funding-cuts/">U.S. Food Banks Struggle Under Funding Cuts</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theonion.com">The Onion</a>.</p>

Apr 2, 2025

<p>SAN DIEGO—With the spellbound audience in the Marine Trash Experience amphitheater shouting and squealing with excitement, SeaWorld visitors were reportedly delighted Wednesday by a live garbage-patch feeding. “The keepers threw a bunch of plastic bags into the middle of the habitat, and all of a sudden this enormous blob of debris floated up and swallowed [&#8230;]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://theonion.com/seaworld-visitors-delighted-by-live-garbage-patch-feeding/">SeaWorld Visitors Delighted By Live Garbage-Patch Feeding</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theonion.com">The Onion</a>.</p>

Apr 2, 2025

<p>SPRINGFIELD, VA—In a decision meant to crack down on the allegedly dangerous substance and the &#8220;total fucking bitch&#8221; who uses it, the acting head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Derek Maltz, classified red wine as a Schedule I drug Wednesday in order to spite his ex-wife. “We have been far too lenient to the [&#8230;]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://theonion.com/dea-classifies-red-wine-as-schedule-i-drug-to-spite-ex-wife/">DEA Classifies Red Wine As Schedule I Drug To Spite Ex-Wife </a> appeared first on <a href="https://theonion.com">The Onion</a>.</p>

Apr 2, 2025

<p>The post <a href="https://theonion.com/washington-monument-collapses-after-someone-pulls-loose-block/">Washington Monument Collapses After Someone Pulls Loose Block</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theonion.com">The Onion</a>.</p>

Apr 1, 2025

<p>Donald Trump claimed he is not joking about the possibility of seeking a third presidential term despite it being barred by the Constitution, asserting that “there are methods” by which he can circumvent the prohibition. What do you think?</p> <p>The post <a href="https://theonion.com/trump-not-joking-about-seeking-third-term/">Trump ‘Not Joking’ About Seeking Third Term</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theonion.com">The Onion</a>.</p>

Apr 1, 2025

<p>The post <a href="https://theonion.com/attorney-general-seeks-death-penalty-for-all-unitedhealthcare-customers/">Attorney General Seeks Death Penalty For All UnitedHealthcare Customers</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theonion.com">The Onion</a>.</p>

Apr 1, 2025

<p>ITHACA, NY—As nearly a dozen prospective students were forced into the back of a car with tinted windows, a Cornell University campus tour reportedly ended Tuesday inside an unmarked Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicle. &#8220;Over there you can see our student center, which boasts its own bowling alley, and then, if you all will follow [&#8230;]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://theonion.com/college-campus-tour-ends-inside-unmarked-ice-vehicle/">College Campus Tour Ends Inside Unmarked ICE Vehicle</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theonion.com">The Onion</a>.</p>

Apr 1, 2025

<p>MANCHESTER, NH—Saying the option offered an extra safety net to anyone faced with a job loss, administrators at Brentwell Solutions confirmed Wednesday that an extension of benefits through COBRA would allow terminated employees to continue raiding the office fridge for 18 months. “As part of our standard severance offerings, peckish beneficiaries have a period of [&#8230;]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://theonion.com/cobra-extension-lets-terminated-employees-continue-raiding-office-fridge-for-18-months/">COBRA Extension Lets Terminated Employees Continue Raiding Office Fridge For 18 Months</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theonion.com">The Onion</a>.</p>

Apr 1, 2025

<p>ARLINGTON, VA—Saying the defense secretary had recklessly veered out of his lane numerous times, a highway patrol officer reportedly asked Pete Hegseth on Tuesday to carry out drone strikes in a straight line. “Sir, I’m going to need you to step out of the vehicle and demonstrate to me that you can authorize a straight [&#8230;]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://theonion.com/highway-patrol-officer-asks-pete-hegseth-to-carry-out-drone-strikes-in-straight-line/">Highway Patrol Officer Asks Pete Hegseth To Carry Out Drone Strikes In Straight Line</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theonion.com">The Onion</a>.</p>

Apr 1, 2025

<p>LANSING, MI—Expressing dismay at the lack of more subdued options, bereaved nephew Douglas Kerns confirmed Tuesday that the only bag of chips big enough for his uncle’s funeral reception said &#8220;Party Size!&#8221; on it. “We’re going to need refreshments for at least 40 people, but it feels wrong having all these festive colors and exclamation [&#8230;]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://theonion.com/only-bag-of-chips-big-enough-for-funeral-reception-says-party-size-on-it/">Only Bag Of Chips Big Enough For Funeral Reception Says ‘Party Size!’ On It</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theonion.com">The Onion</a>.</p>

Apr 1, 2025

<p>LYNCHBURG, VA—In a move that betrayed no hint of his past behavior or experiences, a guy ordering a nonalcoholic beer Tuesday had reportedly either seen a ton of shit or no shit at all. &#8220;The second this dude bellied up to the bar and put down a tattered $10 for an Athletic Brewing Co. nonalcoholic [&#8230;]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://theonion.com/guy-ordering-nonalcoholic-beer-has-either-seen-a-ton-of-shit-or-no-shit-at-all/">Guy Ordering Nonalcoholic Beer Has Either Seen A Ton Of Shit Or No Shit At All</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theonion.com">The Onion</a>.</p>

Mar 31, 2025

<p>The post <a href="https://theonion.com/trump-says-he-wont-rule-out-third-reich/">Trump Says He Won’t Rule Out Third Reich</a> appeared first on <a href="https://theonion.com">The Onion</a>.</p>

Apr 2, 2025

Nostalgia for video games seems to be strongest for those played during childhood – at least for Nintendo Switch players

Apr 2, 2025

High-speed drones will be put to the test in the extreme Arctic environment as part of a project to assess how quickly glaciers in Greenland are retreating

Apr 2, 2025

For decades, autistic women and girls have had to play "diagnostic bingo" before getting their true diagnosis. As new neuroscience offers a fresh understanding of the condition, the time for change is now

Apr 2, 2025

A more precise definition of the second is crucial to all sorts of physical measurements – but to get there, scientists have to pack up their extraordinarily fragile optical clocks and take them on tour

Apr 2, 2025

A company in the Netherlands says it has perfected a way to create "graft chimeras" with the skin of one plant and the innards of another

Apr 2, 2025

From robot rights to ageing and climate change, this month’s science fiction squares up to the big topics, with new titles from authors including Nick Harkaway and Eve Smith

Apr 2, 2025

Squeezing exercise into one or two days a week seems to have similar health benefits as doing the same amount of physical activity spread out throughout the week

Apr 1, 2025

A termination letter obtained by New Scientist reveals that the Trump administration has gutted the office that runs the country’s only nationwide survey on drug use and mental health

Apr 1, 2025

The concept of nothing once sparked a 1000-year-long war, today it might explain dark energy and nothingness even has the potential to destroy the universe, explains physicist Antonio Padilla

Apr 1, 2025

Under pressure from Elon Musk’s DOGE task force, NASA is cancelling grants and contracts for everything from lunar dust research to educational programmes

Apr 1, 2025

Even animals with very small brains turn out to have cultural traditions, which poses a puzzler for biologists wondering what makes human culture unique

Apr 1, 2025

As semaglutide-based weight loss treatments such as Ozempic and Wegovy become more popular, new side effects are emerging – and one is hair loss

Apr 1, 2025

Urine that has sat in the sun for a while seems to fertilise crops while warding off pests, without affecting the produce's taste

Apr 1, 2025

At the Dakshineswar temple complex in India, Hanuman langurs beg for food by grabbing visitors’ legs or tugging on their clothes – and they don’t stop until they get their favourite snacks

Mar 31, 2025

After a container ship struck and destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, researchers began calculating the risks of similar catastrophic incidents for other US bridges – and they’re surprisingly high

Mar 31, 2025

Cave-dwelling orb spiders have adapted their webs so they act as tripwires for prey that crawl on the walls of the caves

Mar 31, 2025

By studying the brains of autistic girls, we now know the condition presents differently in them than in boys, suggesting that huge numbers of women have gone undiagnosed

Mar 31, 2025

An eavesdropper hiding inside a black hole could still obtain information about quantum objects on its outside, a finding that reveals how effectively black holes destroy the quantum states near their event horizons

Mar 31, 2025

Paranthropus was an ape-like hominin that survived alongside early humans for more than a million years. A fossilised leg belonging to a strikingly small member of the group raises questions about how it did so

Mar 31, 2025

The rate at which the planet is warming has sped up since 2010, and now researchers say that China's efforts to clean up air pollution are inadvertently responsible for the majority of this extra warming

Mar 28, 2025

Astronomers have used the James Webb Space Telescope to observe asteroid 2024 YR4, which earlier this year seemed to be at risk of hitting Earth in 2032. Earth is now safe, but astronomers are cheering on a possible collision with the moon

Mar 31, 2025

Taking aspirin was first linked to a lower risk of colorectal cancer in 1988, but the research into its anti-tumour potential has been full of twists and turns since then

Mar 26, 2025

There are many claims about the benefits of microdosing weight-loss drugs, from anti-inflammatory effects to extending longevity. Do any of them stack up?

Mar 26, 2025

Low-intensity steady-state cardio has been touted as a way to lose weight and put less strain on your body while exercising. Science of exercise columnist Grace Wade looks into whether it works

Mar 26, 2025

Drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy have the power to block the forces driving obesity, but the knock-on societal effects may not necessarily be so positive

Mar 26, 2025

Anecdotal reports suggest drugs like Ozempic may curb not just appetite but also impulsive or addictive behaviour, hinting at links between metabolic health and our brains

Mar 26, 2025

The race is under way to make faster, cheaper and better GLP-1 drugs that will go beyond reducing obesity levels to treating some of our most difficult conditions

Mar 26, 2025

A naturalist finds a hallucinogenic mushroom with the power to cure all ailments in the animated series Common Side Effects. Big Pharma is hot on his trail in this beautifully made show, says Bethan Ackerley

Mar 26, 2025

GLP-1 drugs have revolutionised the treatment of obesity, but the very reason they are effective is also why it's vital to prioritise exercise when taking them

Mar 28, 2025

Since the second world war, US economic prosperity and major technological developments have hinged upon the government’s commitment to funding scientific research. The Trump administration is ending that

Mar 28, 2025

The US has confirmed more than 480 measles cases across 19 states, the highest total since an outbreak in 2019 sickened more than 1200 people

Mar 28, 2025

The long-standing question of how animals came to have an anus may have been solved by studies of which genes are active during development in various animals

Mar 28, 2025

Some researchers propose that countries should start to rack up a carbon debt once they exceed their carbon budget, obliging them to do more to draw down carbon dioxide, but the idea is unlikely to form part of international climate agreements

Mar 26, 2025

A weatherproof box and motion-trigger camera help photographer Will Burrard-Lucas capture images of rarely seen African elephants

Mar 26, 2025

A Climate of Truth is a penetrating and enlightening analysis of the many crises we face. But it demands impossible standards of flawed human beings, finds Graham Lawton

Mar 28, 2025

When researchers asked people to work on a computer with their phones 1.5 metres away, the amount of time they spent on their phone went down – but they just scrolled social media on their laptop instead

Mar 27, 2025

Red specks in the early universe are puzzling astronomers, but a proposed explanation suggests they are the progenitors of supermassive black holes

Mar 27, 2025

Photosynthesising microbes in soil may increase their activity as temperatures rise, offsetting some of the carbon emissions expected to be released from peatland and permafrost

Mar 27, 2025

A quantum algorithm for solving mathematical problems related to knots could give us the first example of a quantum computer tackling a genuinely useful problem that would otherwise be impossible for a classical computer

Mar 26, 2025

From useful nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus to cellulose for construction, there is treasure to be mined in our sewage, says Graham Lawton

Mar 27, 2025

After nearly 36 years of searching, astronomers have finally confirmed Neptune has auroras, thanks to data from the James Webb Space Telescope

Mar 26, 2025

Feedback is pleased to discover the latest research into the wine-identifying abilities of rats, but feels the rodents still have a long way to go before they are truly obnoxious to be around

Mar 27, 2025

The rise of large language models like ChatGPT that can churn out computer code has led to a new term - vibe coding - for people who create software by asking AI to do it for them

Mar 26, 2025

By opening their eyes and hearts to the many distinctive – but overlooked – urban habitats, city dwellers can reconnect with nature, says Menno Schilthuizen

Mar 26, 2025

From race and IQ to sex and gender, Herman Pontzer's new book Adaptable is an ambitious and enjoyable exploration of how understanding ourselves better can help us bridge divides

Mar 27, 2025

Bizarre parasitic wasps preserved in amber about 99 million years ago had trap-like abdomens that they may have used to immobilise other insects

Mar 26, 2025

An "unprecedented view" of how the body changes during and after pregnancy has revealed many long-lasting impacts on the liver, kidneys and more

Mar 26, 2025

In the past year, treatments such as Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound have become household names. But there are many questions left to answer, not least what the future holds for weight-loss medications and society at large

Mar 26, 2025

The size and shape of a giraffe’s spots seem to influence how well the animals survive when temperatures get hotter or colder than normal

Mar 26, 2025

A galaxy inside a bubble may be evidence that the universe was starting to become transparent 330 million years after the big bang

Mar 26, 2025

Masaki Kashiwara has won the 2025 Abel prize, seen by some as the Nobel of mathematics, for his contributions to algebraic analysis and representation theory

Mar 26, 2025

Researchers have identified the border between quantum physics and some as-yet-unknown post-quantum realm by mathematically analysing all possible measurements of simple quantum systems

Mar 26, 2025

Transparent wood, made by stripping organic polymers and replacing them with a mixture of egg whites and rice extract, could be used as windows and smartphone screens

Mar 25, 2025

A species of houndshark called Mustelus lenticulatus makes sharp clicking noises when handled. Until now, sharks as a group were thought to be universally quiet

Mar 25, 2025

Women with premenstrual syndrome reported big improvements in their symptoms after taking placebo pills, despite knowing they did not contain any active ingredients

Mar 25, 2025

A new test of AI capabilities consists of puzzles that humans are able to solve without too much trouble, but which all leading AI models struggle with. To improve and pass the test, AI companies will need to balance problem-solving abilities with cost.

Mar 24, 2025

Floating platforms of wood could draw up seawater and help it to freeze, seeding the formation of new sea ice

Mar 25, 2025

Scientists have replicated the luxurious mouthfeel of foie gras using the liver and fat of ducks reared and slaughtered normally, avoiding the controversial techniques involved in traditional production

Mar 25, 2025

Ciaran Martin, the former head of cyber security at GCHQ, says the UK government was "naive" to expect a request for Apple to weaken its encryption services to remain secret. He thinks governments must come to terms with the fact that uncrackable encryption is here to stay.

Mar 25, 2025

In the ongoing debate over the benefits and harms of smartphone use in children, initial data from a US survey suggests the devices can actually improve well-being and social connections, but social media use may be more harmful

Mar 24, 2025

There's a small chance of very high warming even with moderate future emissions, according to a computer model exploring what could happen in the next thousand years

Mar 24, 2025

We’ve pumped huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere that needs to be paid back. Large animals like wolves, bison and whales may already be tackling the problem

Mar 24, 2025

Simulations suggest that water can become a superacid under extremely high heat and pressure conditions. This may also explain how planets like Uranus and Neptune get diamond rain

Mar 24, 2025

Melting ice is revealing new coastal zones in the Arctic, but while this new landscape might fuel speculation about natural resources, it is vulnerable to rockfalls and landslides that can cause dangerous tsunamis

Mar 21, 2025

Chemical analysis suggests the 400-million-year-old fossil Prototaxites was neither plant, animal or fungus – hinting at a mysterious life form that went extinct long ago

Mar 20, 2025

The hormonal upheaval in the run-up to menopause can cause cognitive difficulties. But researchers are also finding that this can be a critical window for protecting long-term brain health

Mar 19, 2025

Traditional advice tells us to only move growing plants to a pot one size larger. The science shows that you don't need to bother with this slow transition, says James Wong

Mar 19, 2025

String theory may be our best attempt at a theory of everything, except that it can't describe an expanding universe like ours. Now a radical new twist on the idea could finally fix that – but it requires us to completely reimagine reality

Mar 18, 2025

Money is a deeply emotive subject, our attitudes to it vary wildly and we are reluctant to bring it up in conversation. Could new research help us to be less weird about it?

Mar 17, 2025

Birds do it, chimps do it, even monarch butterflies do it – and by paying more attention to how animals self-medicate, we can find new treatments for ourselves

Mar 20, 2025

Weather Girl, a play in London's Soho Theatre about a weather forecaster who finally snaps as the climate apocalypse looms, is frantic and funny

Mar 19, 2025

Abigail is created to replace her owner's dead wife, just as robots are set to gain rights. Emily H. Wilson explores Lucy Lapinska's Some Body Like Me, the latest addition to "robo-rights" literature

Mar 21, 2025

Tutankhamun ruled ancient Egypt shortly after a period of religious instability, and objects from his tomb suggest he took advantage to invent new funerary rituals

Mar 21, 2025

It's not a just a revolutionary and safe vaccine technology – mRNA could help make the best and most expensive drugs in the world affordable for everyone

Mar 21, 2025

The Odysseus spacecraft made a rough landing on the moon last year, toppling over and rendering much of its equipment unusable, but an onboard NASA radio telescope called ROLSES-1  was able to make some observations

Mar 21, 2025

Spending a lot of time outdoors may be the best way to prevent myopia, or delay its progression, but this isn't always practical. Now, research suggests that bringing the outside in may be a valid workaround

Mar 21, 2025

Many of us have a brain that is older than our years. But there are plenty of things you can do to counteract this, says neuroscience columnist Helen Thomson

Mar 21, 2025

Isar Aerospace is preparing to launch its Spectrum rocket from a base in Norway, which would make it the first orbital launch from continental Europe outside Russia

Mar 21, 2025

Stone tools are considered the first form of technology devised by ancient humans – but they might not have been invented from scratch

Mar 20, 2025

While earlier weather-forecasting AIs have replaced some tasks done by traditional models, new research uses machine learning to replace the entire process, making it much faster

Mar 19, 2025

When a vast library of texts amassed by Mesopotamian King Ashurbanipal was burned to the ground about 2700 years ago, the clay tablets were preserved by the heat. Selena Wisnom's new book reveals more

Mar 19, 2025

In the enjoyable and science-backed book Me, But Better, Olga Khazan embarks on a year-long experiment to see if she can really become a more agreeable person

Mar 20, 2025

Young female black-and-white snub-nosed monkeys often want to hold other females’ infants, but mothers are much more permissive of experienced caregivers

Mar 20, 2025

Lithium-6 is a crucial material for nuclear fusion reactors, but isolating it is challenging – now researchers have found a way to do this without using toxic mercury

Mar 20, 2025

A dinosaur fossil discovered in Mongolia boasts the largest ever complete claw, but the herbivorous species only used it to grasp vegetation

Mar 20, 2025

At the largest gathering of physicists in the world, the American Physical Society says it won’t back down in the face of executive orders to limit diversity programmes

Mar 19, 2025

Last month's discovery of the most energetic neutrino yet detected is incredibly exciting for us particle physicists – but it also raises many questions, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

Mar 19, 2025

Feedback, a Lego fan, delves into a new science-related set, and learns that the model of a DNA double helix is the wrong way around. Time for some jokes about mirror organisms...

Mar 19, 2025

Improving our understanding of sudden climate shifts is welcome. But framing this as creating an "early-warning system" is wrong on so many levels it is hard to know where to begin, says Bill McGuire

Mar 20, 2025

Having a tattoo has been linked to a higher risk of conditions like lymphoma and skin cancer, but the situation isn't clear-cut

Mar 19, 2025

Adam Kucharski's new book Proof is a life raft in a sea of fake news and misinformation

Mar 19, 2025

Our current best theories of the universe suggest that dark energy is making it expand faster and faster, but new observations from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument suggest this mysterious force is actually growing weaker

Mar 19, 2025

The top 100 videos about ADHD on TikTok feature many claims that psychologists consider inaccurate, but students often identify misleading videos as helpful

Mar 19, 2025

After weeks of criticism, Microsoft promised to show new data about its Majorana 1 quantum computer at the biggest meeting of the world's physicists. Researchers in the room tell New Scientist they were not impressed with what they saw.

Mar 19, 2025

Recordings of brain activity in budgerigars reveal sets of brain cells that represent different sounds like keys on a keyboard – a structure never seen before in any bird brain

Mar 19, 2025

A record-setting test of quantum communication used a microsatellite to connect ground stations in China and South Africa, bringing a global quantum internet closer to reality

Mar 19, 2025

The first randomised controlled trial of microdosing LSD as a treatment for ADHD found the psychedelic drug wasn’t any more effective than a placebo in alleviating symptoms

Mar 19, 2025

The European Space Agency has released the first batch of large-scale images from the Euclid space telescope, which astronomers have already used to find hundreds of strong gravitational lenses

Mar 19, 2025

A World Meteorological Organization report details a long list of grim records for everything from CO2 levels and temperature to sea ice loss and sea level rise

Mar 18, 2025

A meteorite discovered in north-west Africa in 2023 didn’t come from a large asteroid or any of the known planets of the solar system – but it might have formed on a planet that was destroyed long ago

Apr 3, 2025

Commonly called the "corpse flower," Amorphophallus titanum is endangered for many reasons, including habitat destruction, climate change and encroachment from invasive species.

Apr 2, 2025

A new study has found that the world's finest yodelers aren't from Austria or Switzerland, but the rainforests of Latin America.

Apr 2, 2025

By most accounts, confidence is a prerequisite for workplace success. What if it could be trained, even subtly rewired, using something as simple as a smartphone app?

Apr 2, 2025

Each year, more than 500,000 children and youth are served by the United States foster care system. In Florida, Guardian ad Litems (GALs) are appointed by the court to represent children in cases of abuse, abandonment, or neglect. In 2020, 10,000 GAL volunteers represented 38,000 children in Florida.

Apr 2, 2025

Public campaigns backed by celebrities and politicians have argued that television subtitles may dramatically improve children's reading abilities. However, there has been no convincing research evidence for these claims.

Apr 2, 2025

A black hole is a region of space where gravity is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape. There are two main types of black hole; stellar mass and supermassive black holes, and they differ in size, formation, and impact on their host galaxy. Stellar mass black holes, a few to dozens of times the mass of the sun, form from collapsing massive stars. Supermassive black holes, on the other hand, are millions to billions of times more massive and tend to live in the center of galaxies and grow through accretion and mergers.

Apr 2, 2025

Persistent fatigue caused by insufficient sleep is a common and growing problem among working-age people, but sleep deprivation is rarely discussed in the workplace. According to Jenni Tuomilehto's doctoral dissertation at the University of Vaasa, Finland, workplaces should not only encourage open discussions about sleep but also develop shared strategies to prevent the challenges that chronic fatigue may bring.

Apr 2, 2025

Developing new drugs to treat illnesses has typically been a slow and expensive process. However, a team of researchers at the University of Waterloo uses machine learning to speed up the development time.

Apr 2, 2025

On February 28, consumers across the country took part in an "economic blackout," halting all spending to protest cuts to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Social media backlash from both conservatives and liberals regarding DEI has plagued brands for over a month, prompting the question, "Should companies just stay silent on the topic?"

Apr 2, 2025

Precise information about agricultural soils is key to managing them more efficiently and sustainably. Researchers at the Leibniz institutes FBH and ATB have recently enhanced an existing sensor platform for mobile soil mapping of agricultural fields.

Apr 2, 2025

Hurricanes Helene, Milton and Beryl were so nasty last year that their names are being retired.

Apr 2, 2025

Companies are increasingly making claims of sustainable production part of their public communications. However, the related ratings and seals of approval tend to focus primarily on CO₂ emissions and energy consumption—while ignoring other important aspects.

Apr 2, 2025

Young people's pessimism about their longevity partly explains why they under-save for retirement, new research from Bayes Business School suggests.

Apr 2, 2025

The flowerpot snake, one of the world's smallest snakes, has some unusual distinctions. Also known as the Brahminy blind snake, it's the only known snake species with three sets of chromosomes instead of two—and it can reproduce without a mate.

Apr 2, 2025

Weather forecasters sometimes warn of storms that unleash such unusual rain they are described as 100-year or even 500-year floods.

Apr 2, 2025

Did you know that the camera sensor in your smartphone could help unlock the secrets of antimatter? The AEgIS collaboration, led by Professor Christoph Hugenschmidt's team from the research neutron source FRM II at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), has developed a detector using modified mobile camera sensors to image, in real time, the points where antimatter annihilates with matter.

Apr 2, 2025

Urban trees and plants do more than just beautify city landscapes. They purify the air, reduce urban heat islands, provide recreational spaces, and even boost property values. As essential components of sustainable urban ecosystems, plants silently contribute to our well-being. However, urban trees face many threats, including pests, diseases, and climate change, making it essential to keep their health in check.

Apr 2, 2025

In a novel use of statistics, researchers estimate the number of unattributed paintings, known as "sleepers," by the famous 20th-century Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani to be at between 20 and 120.

Apr 2, 2025

A launch date is set for the first batch of what will be thousands of satellites for Amazon's Project Kuiper as the company looks to play catch-up with SpaceX and its Starlink internet constellation.

Apr 2, 2025

Researchers at Umeå University in Sweden, in collaboration with scientists from Finland, Vietnam, India, and Italy, have developed a catalytic system to convert lignin structures into highly valuable chemicals. This innovative technology offers promising solutions to pressing environmental and energy challenges.

Apr 2, 2025

New research from Monash University has, for the first time, investigated how children living in urban informal settlements in Indonesia and Fiji spend their time on educational, work and leisure activities, and how this may contribute to the growing gender gap in educational outcomes.

Apr 2, 2025

Warm temperatures and erratic rainfall due to climate change are taking a toll on Northern Ireland's health and farming industry, a new study published in Climate Risk Management reveals.

Apr 2, 2025

People living in Bronze Age-era Denmark may have been able to travel to Norway directly over the open sea, according to a study published in PLOS One by Boel Bengtsson from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and colleagues. To complete this study, the research team developed a new computer modeling tool that could help other scientists better understand how ancient peoples traversed the sea.

Apr 2, 2025

A University of Iowa-led study has revealed the unexpected structure adopted by the DNA repair protein RAD52 as it binds and protects replicating DNA in dividing cells. This new structural and mechanistic understanding of the RAD52-DNA complex may help researchers develop new anti-cancer drugs.

Apr 2, 2025

Wine grapes are an important crop in Michigan. According to the National Association of American Wineries, the overall economic impact of Michigan's grape and wine industry is estimated to be more than $6.3 billion annually. This includes the direct impact from vineyard and winery operations, as well as indirect effects such as wine tourism, related retail sales and hospitality services.

Apr 2, 2025

The year may have started with a dry spell, but the end of California's storm season has brought more fresh snow to the Sierra Nevada, pushing the state's snowpack to 96% of average on April 1, when the snow season typically reaches its peak.

Apr 2, 2025

This image of the Helix Nebula, released on March 4, 2025, shows a potentially destructive white dwarf at the nebula's center; this star may have destroyed a planet. This has never been seen before—and could explain a mysterious X-ray signal that astronomers have detected from the nebula for over 40 years.

Apr 2, 2025

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope recently turned its watchful eye toward asteroid 2024 YR4, which we now know poses no significant threat to Earth in 2032 and beyond.

Apr 2, 2025

Single-atom catalysts (SACs), with their excellent metal atom utilization and unique physicochemical properties, hold promise for broad applications, especially in heterogeneous catalysis and energy conversions. Essentially, the activity and stability of SACs are governed by the pair of metal-adsorbate and metal-support interactions. However, the rationale of these interactions with their catalytic performance of SACs in nature and a unified theoretical model to describe both activity and stability remain elusive.

Apr 2, 2025

Diving beetles (Dytiscidae) maintain the balance of pond ecosystems. They feed on other aquatic organisms, such as mosquito larvae, and form part of the diet of larger animals, including fish, amphibians, and birds. Having such a crucial role in the food chain of ponds, they are a good indicator of biodiversity.

Apr 2, 2025

A new suggestion that complexity increases over time, not just in living organisms but in the nonliving world, promises to rewrite notions of time and evolution. <p>The post <a href="https://www.quantamagazine.org/why-everything-in-the-universe-turns-more-complex-20250402/" target="_blank">Why Everything in the Universe Turns More Complex</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.quantamagazine.org" target="_blank">Quanta Magazine</a></p>

Mar 31, 2025

A powerful mathematical technique is used to model melting ice and other phenomena. But it has long been imperiled by certain “nightmare scenarios.” A new proof has removed that obstacle. <p>The post <a href="https://www.quantamagazine.org/a-new-proof-smooths-out-the-math-of-melting-20250331/" target="_blank">A New Proof Smooths Out the Math of Melting</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.quantamagazine.org" target="_blank">Quanta Magazine</a></p>

Mar 28, 2025

Randomness is essential to some research, but it’s always been prohibitively complicated. Now, we can use “pseudorandomness” instead. <p>The post <a href="https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-high-cost-of-quantum-randomness-is-dropping-20250328/" target="_blank">The High Cost of Quantum Randomness Is Dropping</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.quantamagazine.org" target="_blank">Quanta Magazine</a></p>

Mar 26, 2025

A popular hypothesis for how the brain clears molecular waste, which may help explain why sleep feels refreshing, is a subject of debate. <p>The post <a href="https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-mysterious-flow-of-fluid-in-the-brain-20250326/" target="_blank">The Mysterious Flow of Fluid in the Brain</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.quantamagazine.org" target="_blank">Quanta Magazine</a></p>

Mar 24, 2025

A simple, widely used mathematical technique can finally be applied to boundlessly complex problems. <p>The post <a href="https://www.quantamagazine.org/three-hundred-years-later-a-tool-from-isaac-newton-gets-an-update-20250324/" target="_blank">Three Hundred Years Later, a Tool from Isaac Newton Gets an Update</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.quantamagazine.org" target="_blank">Quanta Magazine</a></p>

Apr 3, 2025

Help with today's Wordle if you need it.

Apr 2, 2025

Malys will head to Kickstarter this month, and Summerfall Studios hopes to have it out by the end of 2025.

Apr 2, 2025

Here's when you can get Weaving.

Apr 2, 2025

What is a hunter without sportsmanship?

Apr 2, 2025

Today's Nintendo Direct showcase had some good news for PC gamers too.

Apr 2, 2025

Most critics seem to think Jack Black's blocky blockbuster is a bit mid.

Apr 2, 2025

Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions is set to launch in 2026.

Apr 2, 2025

In the latest Reality Check, psychologist Dr. Audrey Tang grades The Last of Us Part 2's depictions of human behavior.

Apr 2, 2025

"You have to take some swings."

Apr 2, 2025

"Do it just for the sake of being creative."

Apr 2, 2025

I hope no one set any explosive boobytraps up.

Apr 2, 2025

Everything's worth it just to see chicken jockey.

Apr 2, 2025

It's not the same base decay system found in Funcom's other sandy survival game, Conan Exiles.

Apr 2, 2025

Now that everything's sorted, work on the mod that brings Baldur's Gate 3 to Stardew Valley will resume.

Apr 2, 2025

Alpha struck.

Apr 2, 2025

This empire-builder lets everyone do the things they love.

Apr 2, 2025

A well-rounded option but we’d be very tempted to spend a little more.

Apr 2, 2025

This motherboard has stiff competition but for the right price...

Apr 2, 2025

A drool-worthy motherboard, and I don't say that often.

Apr 2, 2025

It's an all-rounder, and available in tons of colours.

Apr 2, 2025

"Full nudity and animated sex scenes," if you're into that kinda stuff.

Apr 2, 2025

There's no actual price yet, but Switch 2 Welcome Tour is definitely a 'paid' game.

Apr 2, 2025

Maximise your profits in the bungalow.

Apr 2, 2025

"Sams from all over the world are still delivering."

Apr 2, 2025

Free up your inventory space.

Apr 2, 2025

You wouldn't expect it to work, but it does.

Apr 2, 2025

My words, not Ubisoft's.

Apr 2, 2025

They don't spark Joy(Con).

Apr 2, 2025

Dammit!

Apr 2, 2025

The specs of the console's new Nvidia chip, however, remain mysterious.

Apr 2, 2025

Futureproof features mean squat here and now.

Apr 2, 2025

AMD CPUs are up and Intel down, too.

Apr 2, 2025

Rattling the bars of my cage. Gnawing them, too.

Apr 2, 2025

But AMD's statement doesn't quite square with Reddit reports...

Apr 2, 2025

"This is an extremely serious mod. Not for the faint of heart."

Apr 2, 2025

Collect Taken Osseous Fragments for the Dyadic Perfection quest to earn Barrow-Dyad's final intrinsic upgrade.

Apr 2, 2025

Thousands of hours of isometric point-and-click action for one ridiculously low price.

Apr 2, 2025

The instant collapse of Sigil is just the latest in a long line of missed opportunities and self-inflicted wounds.

Apr 2, 2025

With powerful Intel® Core™ processors and a thin and light design, the MSI Modern 15 F13M is a PC for everyone to enjoy

Apr 2, 2025

Top bug.

Apr 2, 2025

Production later this year and availability in 2026 makes Panther Lake about a year late.

Apr 2, 2025

OpenAI is being pushed to go for-profit.

Apr 2, 2025

The most useful capture card I've ever had.

Apr 2, 2025

Today's Wordle: Help with the daily puzzle.

Apr 2, 2025

It's not an April Fool's joke, but you'll wish it was.

Apr 1, 2025

A much anticipated puzzle game, a big RPG with a strange premise, a return to the RTS golden age, and more.

Apr 1, 2025

Black Ops 6 Season 3 expands crossplay options to regular unranked multiplayer.

Apr 1, 2025

Not bad for a company that's been that long.

Apr 1, 2025

Fares also doesn't know the status of the movie version of another Hazelight game, It Takes Two.

Apr 1, 2025

It might not even be a Project Rene leak, and that's the most frustrating part.

Apr 2, 2025

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/image.png?id=27601533&width=980"/><br/><br/><p>Learn about carrier aggregation, microcell overlapping, and massive MIMO implementation. Delve into the world of surface acoustic wave (SAW) and bulk acoustic wave (SAW) filters and understand their strengths, limitations, and applications in the evolving 5G/6G landscape.</p><p><strong>Key highlights:</strong></p><ul><li>Uncover the design challenges of new technologies in the mobile ecosystem</li><li>Explore the field of SAW and SAW filters and discover their roles and performance nuances</li><li>Take a look at the impact of temperature on filter technologies and how it shapes their applications</li><li>Learn how simulation technology can bridge the gap between design concepts and real-world implementation</li></ul><p>Stay ahead in 5G/6G innovation and learn how filters shape seamless communication.</p><p><span><a href="https://content.knowledgehub.wiley.com/filter-technologies-for-advanced-communication-systems/" target="_blank">Register now for this free webinar!</a></span></p>

Apr 2, 2025

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/black-graphics-cards-on-a-yellow-background.jpg?id=59778845&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=187%2C0%2C188%2C0"/><br/><br/><p> In the latest round of machine learning benchmark results from MLCommons, computers built around Nvidia’s new Blackwell GPU architecture outperformed all others. But AMD’s latest spin on its Instinct GPUs, the MI325, proved a match for the Nvidia H200, the product it was meant to counter. The comparable results were mostly on tests of one of the smaller-scale large language models, Llama2 70B (for 70 billion parameters). However, in an effort to keep up with a rapidly changing AI landscape, MLPerf added three new benchmarks to better reflect where machine learning is headed. </p><p> MLPerf runs benchmarking for machine learning systems in an effort to provide an apples-to-apples comparison between computer systems. Submitters use their own software and hardware, but the underlying neural networks must be the same. There are a total of 11 benchmarks for servers now, with three added this year. </p><p> <span>It has been “hard to keep up with the rapid development of the field,” says Miro Hodak, the cochair of MLPerf Inference. <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/chatbot-chatgpt-interview" target="_self">ChatGPT</a> appeared only in late 2022, OpenAI unveiled its first large language model (LLM) that can reason through tasks last September, and LLMs have grown exponentially—GPT3 had 175 billion parameters, while GPT4 is thought to have nearly 2 trillion. As a result of the breakneck innovation, “w</span><span>e’ve increased the pace of getting new benchmarks into the field,” says Hodak.</span> </p><p> The new benchmarks include two LLMs. The popular and relatively compact Llama2 70B is already an established MLPerf benchmark, but the consortium wanted something that mimicked the responsiveness people are expecting of chatbots today. So the new benchmark “Llama2-70B Interactive” tightens the requirements. Computers must produce at least 25 tokens per second under any circumstance and cannot take more than 450 milliseconds to begin an answer. </p><p> Seeing the rise of “<a data-linked-post="2669884140" href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/ai-agents" target="_blank">agentic AI</a>”—networks that can reason through complex tasks—MLPerf sought to test an LLM that would have some of the characteristics needed for that. They chose Llama3.1 405B for the job. That LLM has what’s called a wide context window. That’s a measure of how much information—documents, samples of code, et cetera—it can take in at once. For Llama3.1 405B, that’s 128,000 tokens, more than 30 times as much as Llama2 70B. </p><p> <span><span>The final new benchmark, called RGAT, is what’s called a graph attention network. It acts to classify information in a network. For example, the dataset used to test RGAT consists of scientific papers, which all have relationships between authors, institutions, and fields of study, making up 2 terabytes of data. RGAT must classify the papers into just under 3,000 topics.</span></span> </p><h2>Blackwell, Instinct Results</h2><div class="flourish-embed flourish-scatter" data-src="visualisation/22428161?1509099"><script src="https://public.flourish.studio/resources/embed.js"></script><noscript><img alt="”scatter" href="https:=" public.flourish.studio="" src="%E2%80%9D<a" target="_blank" thumbnail="" visualisation="" visualization=""/><a href="https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/22428.." target="_blank">https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/22428..</a>.” width=”100%”></noscript></div><p> <strong>Nvidia</strong> continued its domination of MLPerf benchmarks through its own submissions and those of some 15 partners, such as Dell, Google, and Supermicro. Both its first- and second-generation <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/nvidias-next-gpu-shows-that-transformers-are-transforming-ai" target="_blank">Hopper</a> architecture GPUs—the H100 and the memory-enhanced H200—made strong showings. “We were able to get another 60 percent performance over the last year” from Hopper, which went into production in 2022, says <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/davesalvator/" target="_blank">Dave Salvator</a>, director of accelerated computing products at Nvidia. “It still has some headroom in terms of performance.” </p><p> But it was Nvidia’s <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/nvidia-blackwell" target="_blank">Blackwell</a> architecture GPU, the B200, that really dominated. “The only thing faster than Hopper is Blackwell,” says Salvator. The B200 packs in 36 percent more high-bandwidth memory than the H200, but, even more important, it can perform key machine learning math using numbers with a precision as low as 4 bits instead of the 8 bits Hopper pioneered. Lower-precision compute units are smaller, so more fit on the GPU, which leads to faster AI computing. </p><p> In the Llama3.1 405B benchmark, an eight-B200 system from Supermicro delivered nearly four times the tokens per second of an eight-H200 system by Cisco. And the same Supermicro system was three times as fast as the quickest H200 computer at the interactive version of Llama2 70B. </p><p> Nvidia used its combination of Blackwell GPUs and <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/nvidia-supercomputing-cpu-puts-intel-under-pressure" target="_blank">Grace CPU</a>, called GB200, to demonstrate how well its NVL72 data links can integrate multiple servers in a rack, so they perform as if they were one giant GPU. In an unverified result the company shared with reporters, a full rack of GB200-based computers delivers 869,200 tokens per second on Llama2 70B. The fastest system reported in this round of MLPerf was an Nvidia B200 server that delivered 98,443 tokens per second. </p><p> <span><strong>AMD </strong>is positioning its latest Instinct GPU, the </span><span>MI325X, as providing performance competitive with Nvidia’s H200. MI325X has the same architecture as its predecessor, MI300, but it adds even more high-bandwidth memory and memory bandwidth—256 gigabytes and 6 terabytes per second (a 33 percent and 13 percent boost, respectively).</span> </p><p> <span>Adding more memory is a play to handle larger and larger LLMs. “</span><span>Larger models are able to take advantage of these GPUs because the model can fit in a single GPU or a single server,” says <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mahesh-balas/" target="_blank">Mahesh Balasubramanian</a>, director of data-center GPU marketing at AMD. “So you don’t have to have that communication overhead of going from one GPU to another GPU or one server to another server. When you t</span><span>ake out those communications, your latency improves quite a bit.” AMD was able to take advantage of the extra memory through software optimization to boost the inference speed of DeepSeek-R1 eightfold.</span> </p><p> <span>On the Llama2 70B test, an eight-GPU MI325X computers came within 3 to 7 percent the speed of a similarly tricked-out H200-based system. And on image generation the MI325X system was within 10 percent of the Nvidia H200 computer.</span> </p><p> <span>AMD’s other noteworthy mark this round was from its partner, Mangoboost, which showed nearly fourfold performance on the Llama2 70B test by doing the computation across four computers. </span> </p><p> <strong>Intel</strong> has historically put forth CPU-only systems in the inference competition to show that for some workloads you don’t really need a GPU. This time around saw the first data from Intel’s Xeon 6 chips, which were formerly known as Granite Rapids and are made using <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/intel-foundry-finfet" target="_blank">Intel’s 3-nanometer process</a>. At 40,285 samples per second, the best image-recognition results for a dual-Xeon 6 computer was about one-third the performance of a Cisco computer with two Nvidia H100s. </p><p> Compared with Xeon 5 results from October 2024, the new CPU provides about an 80 percent boost on that benchmark and an even bigger boost on object detection and medical imaging. Since it first started submitting Xeon results in 2021 (the Xeon 3), the company has achieved an elevenfold boost in performance on Resnet. </p><p> For now, it seems Intel has quit the field in the AI accelerator-chip battle. Its alternative to the Nvidia H100, <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/intel-gaudi-3" target="_blank">Gaudi 3</a>, did not make an appearance in the new MLPerf results, nor in version 4.1, released last October. Gaudi 3 got a later-than-planned release because its <a href="https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intelligence/intel-says-it-will-miss-its-ai-goals-with-gaudi-3-unbaked-software-leaves-intels-usd500-million-ai-goal-unachievable-as-competitors-rake-in-billions" target="_blank">software was not ready</a>. In the opening remarks at <a href="https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/events/on-event-series/vision.html" target="_blank">Intel Vision 2025</a>, the company’s invite-only customer conference, newly minted CEO Lip-Bu Tan seemed to apologize for Intel’s AI efforts. “I’m not happy with our current position,” he <a href="https://newsroom.intel.com/corporate/intel-vision-2025-lip-bu-tan-keynote" target="_blank">told attendees</a>. “You’re not happy either. I hear you loud and clear. We are working toward a competitive system. It won’t happen overnight, but we will get there for you.” </p><p> <strong>Google’s</strong> TPU v6e chip also made a showing, though the results were restricted to the image-generation task. At 5.48 queries per second, the 4-TPU system saw a 2.5-times boost over a similar computer using its predecessor TPU v5e in the October 2024 results. Even so, 5.48 queries per second was roughly in line with a similarly sized Lenovo computer using Nvidia H100s. </p><p><br/></p><p><em>This post was corrected on 2 April 2025 to give the right value for high-bandwidth memory in the MI325X.</em></p>

Apr 2, 2025

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/abstract-geometric-design-with-red-spheres-spirals-and-circular-patterns-on-blue-background.png?id=59771869&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=20%2C0%2C21%2C0"/><br/><br/><p> <strong>In particle physics, the</strong> smallest problems often require the biggest solutions. </p><p> Along the border of France and Switzerland, around a hundred meters underneath the countryside, protons <a href="https://home.cern/science/accelerators/large-hadron-collider" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">speed through</a> a 27-kilometer ring—about seven times the length of the Indy 500 circuit—until they crash into protons going in the opposite direction. These particle pileups produce a <a href="https://www.lhc-closer.es/taking_a_closer_look_at_lhc/0.lhc_data_analysis" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">petabyte</a> of data every second, the most interesting of which is poured into data centers, accessible to thousands of physicists worldwide. </p><p> The <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/large-hadron-collider-starts-up" target="_self">Large Hadron Collider</a> (LHC), arguably the largest experiment ever engineered, is needed to probe the universe’s smallest constituents. In 2012, two teams at the LHC <a href="https://home.cern/science/physics/higgs-boson" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">discovered</a> the elusive <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/higgs-boson-unmasked-by-worlds-biggest-test-instruments" target="_self">Higgs boson</a>, the particle whose existence confirmed 50-year-old theories about the origins of mass. It was a scientific triumph that led to a <a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2013/summary/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nobel Prize </a>and worldwide plaudits. </p><p> Since then, experiments at the LHC have focused on better understanding how the newfound Higgs fits into the Standard Model, particle physicists’ best theoretical description of matter and forces—minus gravity. “The Standard Model is beautiful,” says Victoria Martin, an experimental physicist at the University of Edinburgh. “Because it’s so precise, all the little niggles stand out.” </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"> <img alt="Tunnel with cylindrical tube stretching into distance" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b939ee8d476b5b5a503a23bcc6db2370" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="935b8" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/tunnel-with-cylindrical-tube-stretching-into-distance.png?id=59771882&width=980"/> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">The Large Hadron Collider lives in a 27-kilometer tunnel ring, about 100 meters underneath France and Switzerland. It was used to discover the Higgs boson, but further research may require something larger still. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Maximilien Brice/CERN</small> </p><p> The minor quibbles physicists have about the Standard Model could be explained by new particles: Dark matter, the invisible material whose gravity shapes the universe, is thought to be made of heretofore undiscovered particles. But such new particles may be out of reach for the LHC, even after it undergoes upgrades that are set to be completed later this decade. To address these lingering questions, particle physicists have been planning its <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/cern-engineering-future-circular-collider" target="_self">successors</a>. These next-generation colliders will improve on the LHC by smashing protons at higher energies or by making more precise collisions with muons, antimuons, electrons, and positrons. In doing so, they’ll allow researchers to peek into a whole new realm of physics. </p><p> Martin herself is particularly interested in learning more about the Higgs, and learning exactly how the particle responsible for mass behaves. One possible find: Properties of the Higgs suggest that the universe might not be stable in the long, long term. [Editor’s note: About <span>10⁷⁹⁰</span> years. Other problems may be more pressing.] “We don’t really know exactly what we’re going to find,” Martin says. “But that’s okay, because it’s science, it’s research.” </p><p> There are four main proposals for new colliders, and each one comes with its own slew of engineering challenges. To build them, engineers would need to navigate tricky regional geology, design accelerating cavities, handle the excess heat within the cavities, and develop powerful new magnets to whip the particles through these cavities. But perhaps more daunting are the geopolitical obstacles: coordinating multinational funding commitments and slogging through bureaucratic muck. </p><p> Collider projects take years to plan and billions of dollars to finance. The fastest that any of the four machines would come on line is the late 2030s. But <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01018-x" target="_blank">now</a> is when physicists and engineers are making key scientific and engineering decisions about what’s coming next. </p><h3>Supercolliders at a glance</h3><br/><h4><a href="https://home.cern/science/accelerators/large-hadron-collider" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Large Hadron Collider</a></h4><p> <strong>Size (circumference):</strong> 27 kilometers </p><p> <strong>Collision energy:</strong> 13,600 giga-electron volts </p><p> <strong>Colliding particles:</strong> protons and ions </p><p> <strong>Luminosity:</strong> 2 × 10³⁴ collisions per square centimeter per second (5 × 10³⁴ for high-luminosity upgrade) </p><p> <strong>Location:</strong> Switzerland–France border </p><p> <strong>Start date:</strong> 2008–<br/> <br/> </p><div class="horizontal-rule"> </div><h4><a href="https://linearcollider.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">International Linear Collider</a></h4><p> <strong>Size (length):</strong> 31 km </p><p> <strong>Collision energy:</strong> 500 GeV </p><p> <strong>Colliding particles:</strong> electrons and positrons </p><p> <strong>Luminosity (at peak energy):</strong> 3 × 10³⁴ collisions per cm² per second </p><p> <strong>Location:</strong> Iwate, Japan </p><p> <strong>Earliest start date:</strong> 2038 </p><p> <br/> </p><div class="horizontal-rule"> </div><h4><a href="https://www.muoncollider.us/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Muon collider</a></h4><p> <strong>Size (circumference):</strong> 4.5 km (or 10 km) </p><p> <strong>Collision energy:</strong> 3,000 GeV (or 10,000 GeV) </p><p> <strong>Colliding particles:</strong> muons and antimuons </p><p> <strong>Luminosity:</strong> 2 × 10³⁵ collisions per cm² per second </p><p> <strong>Location:</strong> possibly Fermilab </p><p> <strong>Earliest start date:</strong> 2045 (or in the mid-2050s) </p><p> <br/> </p><div class="horizontal-rule"> </div><h4><a href="https://home.cern/science/accelerators/future-circular-collider" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Future Circular Collider-ee</a> | FCC-hh</h4><p> <strong>Size (circumference):</strong> 91 km </p><p> <strong>Collision energy: </strong>240 GeV | 85,000 GeV </p><p> <strong>Colliding particles: </strong>electrons and positrons | protons </p><p> <strong>Luminosity:</strong> 8.5 × 10³⁴ | 30 × 10³⁴ collisions per cm² per second </p><p> <strong>Location:</strong> Switzerland–France border </p><p> <strong>Earliest start date: </strong>2046 | 2070 </p><p> <br/> </p><div class="horizontal-rule"> </div><h4><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circular_Electron_Positron_Collider" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Circular Electron Positron Collider</a> | Super proton–proton Collider (SPPC)</h4><p> <strong>Size (circumference):</strong> 100 km </p><p> <strong>Collision energy:</strong> 240 GeV | 100,000 GeV </p><p> <strong>Colliding particles:</strong> electrons and positrons | protons </p><p> <strong>Luminosity:</strong> 8.3 × 10³⁴ | 13 × 10³⁴ collisions per cm² per second </p><p> <strong>Location:</strong> China </p><p> <strong>Earliest start date:</strong> 2035 | 2060s </p><h2>Possible supercolliders of the future</h2><p> The LHC collides protons and other <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadron" target="_blank">hadrons</a>. Hadrons are like beanbags, full of quarks and gluons, that spray around everywhere upon collision. </p><p> Next-generation colliders have two ways to improve on the LHC: They can go to higher energies or higher precision. Higher energies provide more data by producing more particles—potentially new, heavy ones. Higher-precision collisions give physicists cleaner data with a better signal-to-noise ratio because the particle crash produces less debris. Either approach could reveal new physics beyond the Standard Model. </p><p> Three of the new colliders would improve on the LHC’s precision by colliding electrons and their antimatter counterparts, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positron" target="_blank">positrons</a>, instead of hadrons. These particles are more like individual marbles—much lighter, and not made up of any smaller constituents. Compared with the collisions between messy, beanbag-like hadrons, a collision between electrons and positrons is much cleaner. After taking data for years, some of those colliders could be converted to smash protons as well, though at energies about eight times as high as those of the LHC. </p><p> These new colliders range from technically mature to speculative. One such speculative option is to smash <a href="https://www.energy.gov/science/doe-explainsmuons#:~:text=The%20muon%20is%20one%20of,part%20of%20the%20lepton%20group." target="_blank">muons</a>, electrons’ heavier cousins, which have never been collided before. In 2023, an influential <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Particle_Physics_Project_Prioritization_Panel" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">panel</a> of particle physicists <a href="https://physicsworld.com/a/influential-us-particle-physics-panel-calls-for-muon-collider-development/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">recommended</a> that the US pursue development of such a machine, in a so-called ‘muon shot’. If it is built, a muon collider would likely be based at <a href="https://www.fnal.gov/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Fermilab</a>, the center of particle physics in the United States. </p><p> <span>A muon collider “can bring us outside of the world that we know,” says </span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniele-calzolari-0a85601b0/?originalSubdomain=ch" target="_blank">Daniele Calzolari</a><span>, a physicist working on muon collider design at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research. “We don’t know exactly how everything will look like, but we believe we can make it work.”</span> </p><p> While muon colliders have remained conceptual for more than 50 years, their potential has long excited and intrigued physicists. Muons are heavy compared with electrons, almost as heavy as protons, but they lack the mess of quarks and gluons, so collisions between muons could be both high energy and high precision. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"> <img alt="A shiny metallic machine component set up in a lab setting." class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ba6ba5b94e136288619f1d01b53c3f79" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="90a97" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/a-shiny-metallic-machine-component-set-up-in-a-lab-setting.png?id=59772003&width=980"/> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Superconducting radio-frequency cavities are used in particle colliders to apply electric fields to charged particles, speeding them up toward each other until they smash together. Newer methods of making these cavities are seamless, providing more-precise steering and, presumably, better collisions. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit..."><a href="https://vms.fnal.gov/asset/detail?recid=1932949" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Reidar Hahn/Fermi</a></small> </p><p> <span>The trouble is that muons decay rapidly—in a mere 2.2 microseconds while at rest—so they have to be cooled, accelerated, and collided before they expire. Preliminary studies suggest a muon collider is possible, but key technologies, like powerful high-field solenoid magnets used for cooling, still need to be developed. In March 2025, Calzolari and his colleagues submitted an internal proposal for a preliminary demonstration of the cooling technology, which they hope will happen before the end of the decade.</span> </p><p> The accelerator that could theoretically come on line the soonest, would be the International Linear Collider (ILC) in Iwate, Japan. The ILC would send electrons and positrons down straight tunnels where the particles would collide to produce Higgs bosons that are easier to detect than at the LHC. The collider’s design is technically mature, so if the Japanese government officially approved the project, construction could begin almost immediately. But after multiple <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-00824-4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">delays</a> by the government, the ILC remains in a sort of planning purgatory, looking more and more unlikely. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"> <img alt="Chart of Standard Model particles showing quarks, leptons, gauge bosons, and the Higgs boson." class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1688fe1053b1c46790281f5a3ef68209" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="9e823" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/chart-of-standard-model-particles-showing-quarks-leptons-gauge-bosons-and-the-higgs-boson.png?id=59772010&width=980"/> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">The Standard Model of particle physics is the current best theory of all the understood matter and forces in our universe (except gravity). The model works extremely well, but scientists also know that it is incomplete. The next generation of supercolliders might give a glimpse at what’s beyond the Standard Model. </small> </p><p> So, the two colliders, which are both technically mature, that have perhaps the clearest path to construction are China’s Circular Electron Positron Collider (CEPC) and CERN’s Future Circular Collider (FCC-ee). </p><p> CERN’s FCC-ee would be a 91-km ring, designed to initially collide electrons and positrons to study the parameters of particles like the Higgs in fine detail (the “ee” indicates collisions between electrons and positrons). Compared with the LHC’s collisions of protons or heavy ions, those between electrons and positrons “are much cleaner, so you can have a more precise measurement,” says Michael Benedikt, the head of the FCC-ee effort. After about a decade of operation—enough time to gather data and develop the needed magnets—it would be <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01018-x" target="_blank">upgraded</a> to collide protons and search for new physics at much higher energies (and then become known as the FCC-hh, for hadrons). The FCC-ee’s <a href="https://fcc.web.cern.ch/overview" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">feasibility report</a> just <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01018-x" target="_blank">concluded</a>, and CERN’s member states are now left deciding whether to pursue the project. </p><p> Similarly, China’s CEPC would also be a 100-km ring designed to collide electrons and positrons for the first 18 years or so. And much like the FCC, a proton or other hadron upgrade is in the works after that. Later this year, Chinese researchers plan to submit the CEPC for official approval by the Chinese government as part of the next five-year-plan. As the two colliders (and their proton upgrades) are considered for construction in the next few years, policymakers will be thinking about more than just their potential for discovery. </p><p> CEPC and FCC-ee are, in this sense, less abstract physics experiments and more engineering projects with concrete design challenges. </p><h1>Laying the groundwork</h1><p> When particles zip around the curve of a collider, they lose energy—much like a car braking on a racetrack. The effect is particularly pronounced for lightweight particles like electrons and positrons. To reduce this energy loss from sharp turns, CEPC and FCC-ee are both planned to have enormous tunnels, which, if built, would be among the longest in the world. The construction cost of such an enormous tunnel would be several billion U.S.dollars, roughly one-third of the total collider price. </p><p> Finding a place to bury a 90-km ring is not easy, especially in Switzerland. The proposed path of the FCC-ee has an average depth of 200 meters, with a dip to 500 meters under Lake Geneva, fit snugly between the Jura Mountains to the northwest and the Prealps to the east. The land there was once covered by a sea, which left behind sedimentary rock—a mixture of sandstone and shale known as molasse. “We’ve done so much tunneling at CERN before. We were quite confident about the molasse rock,” says Liam Bromiley, a civil engineer at CERN. </p><p> But the FCC-ee’s path also takes it through deposits of limestone, which is permeable and can hold karsts, or cavities, full of water. “If you hit one of those, you could end up flooding the tunnel,” Bromiley says. During the next two years, if the project is green-lit, engineers will drill boreholes into the limestone to determine whether there are karsts that can be avoided. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"> <img alt="Map showing collider sizes in Geneva, Switzerland, and Qinhuangdao, China." class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3f86ce789481512efa303d18a42fc866" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="98e86" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/map-showing-collider-sizes-in-geneva-switzerland-and-qinhuangdao-china.png?id=59778572&width=980"/> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">FCC-ee would be a 91-km ring spanning underneath Switzerland and France, near the current Large Hadron Collider. One of the proposed locations for the CEPC is near the northern port city of Qinhuangdao, where the 100 km circumference collider would be buried underground.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Chris Philpot</small> </p><p> CEPC, in contrast, has a much looser spatial constraint, and can choose from nearly anywhere in China. Three main sites are being considered: Qinhuangdao (a northern port city), Changsha (a metropolis in central China), and Huzhou (a coastal city near Shanghai). According to Jie Gao, a particle physicist at the Institute of High Energy Physics, in Beijing, the ideal location will have hard rock, like granite, and low seismic activity. Additionally, Gao says, they want a site with good infrastructure to create a “science city” ideal for an international community of physicists. </p><p> The colliders’ carbon footprints are also on the minds of physicists. One potential energy-saving measure: redirecting excess heat from operations. “In the past we used to throw it into the atmosphere,” Benedikt says. In recent years, heated water from one of the LHC’s cooling stations has kept part of the commune of Ferney-Voltaire warm during the winters, and Benedikt says the FCC-ee would expand these environmental efforts. </p><h1>Getting up to speed</h1><p> If the civil-engineering challenges are met, physicists will rely on a spate of technologies to accelerate, focus, and collide electrons and positrons at CEPC and FCC-ee more precisely and efficiently than they could at the LHC. </p><p> When both types of particles are first produced from their sources, they start off at a comparatively low energy, around 4 giga-electron volts. To get them up to speed, electrons and positrons are sent through <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superconducting_radio_frequency" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">superconducting radio-frequency</a> (SRF) cavities—gleaming metal bubbles strung together like beads of a necklace, which apply an electric field that pushes the charged particles forward. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image rm-float-left rm-resized-container rm-resized-container-25" data-rm-resized-container="25%" style="float: left;"> <img alt="Cutaway diagrams of Future Circular Collider and Circular Electron Positron Collider designs." class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="90831c0589b6af161cab0a5b52b62b7e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="1ff49" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/cutaway-diagrams-of-future-circular-collider-and-circular-electron-positron-collider-designs.png?id=59778547&width=980"/> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Both China’s Circular Electron Positron Collider (CEPC) [bottom] and CERN’s Future Circular Collider (FCC-ee) [top] have preliminary designs of the insides of their tunnels, including the collider itself, associated vacuum and control equipment, and detectors.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Chris Philpot</small> </p><p> In the past, SRF cavities were welded together, which inherently left imperfections that led to beam instabilities. “You can never obtain a perfect surface along this weld,” Benedikt says. FCC-ee researchers have explored several techniques to create cavities without seams, including hydroforming, which is widely used for the components of high-end sports cars. A metal tube is placed in a pressurized cell and compressed against a die by liquid. The resulting cavity has no seams and is smooth as blown glass. </p><p> To improve efficiency, engineers focus on the machines that power the SRF cavities, machines called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klystron" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">klystrons</a>. Klystrons have historically had efficiencies that peak around 65 percent, but design advances, such as the machines’ ability to bunch electrons together, are on track to reach efficiencies of 80 percent. “The efficiency of the klystron is becoming very important,” Gao says. Over 10 years of operation, these savings could amount to 1 terawatt hour—about enough electricity to power all of China for an hour. </p><p> Another efficiency boost comes from focusing on the tunnel design. As electrons and positrons follow the curve of the ring, they will lose a considerable amount of energy, so SRF cavities will be placed around the ring to boost particle energies. The lost energy will be emitted as potent <a href="https://www.nist.gov/pml/sensor-science/what-synchrotron-radiation#:~:text=Synchrotron%20radiation%20is%20the%20electromagnetic,is%20also%20called%20Magneto%2DBremsstrahlung." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">synchrotron radiation</a>—about 10,000 times as much radiation as is emitted by protons circling the LHC today. “You do not want to send the synchrotron radiation into the detectors,” Benedikt says. To avoid this fate, neither FCC-ee nor CEPC will be perfectly circular. Shaped a bit like a racetrack, both colliders will have about 1.5-km-long straight sections before an interaction point. Other options are also on the table—in the past, researchers have even used repurposed steel from scrapped World War II battleships to shield particle detectors from radiation. </p><p> Both CEPC and FCC-ee will be massive data-generating machines. Unlike the LHC, which is regularly stopped to insert new particles, the next-generation colliders will be fed with a continuous stream of particles, allowing it to stay in “collision mode” and take more data. </p><p> At a collider, data is a function of ‘luminosity’— the ratio of detected events per square centimeter, per second. The more particle collisions, the “brighter” the collider. Firing particles at each other is a little like trying to get two bullets to collide—they often miss each other, which limits the luminosity. But physicists have a variety of strategies to squeeze more electrons and positrons into smaller areas to achieve more of these unlikely collisions. Compared to the <a href="https://home.cern/science/accelerators/large-electron-positron-collider" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Large Electron-Positron</a> (LEP) collider of the 1990s, the new machines will produce 100,000 times as many Z bosons—particles responsible for radioactive decay. More Z bosons means more data. “The FCC-ee can produce all the data that were accumulated in operation over 10 years of LEP within minutes,” Benedikt says. </p><h1>Back to protons</h1><p> While both the FCC-ee and CEPC would start with electrons and positrons, they are designed to eventually collide protons. These upgrades are called FCC-hh and Super proton-proton Collider (SPPC). Using protons, FCC-hh and SPPC would reach a collision energy of 100,000 GeV, roughly an order of magnitude higher than the LHC’s 13,600 GeV. Though the collisions would be messy, their high energy would allow physicists to “explore fully new territory,” Benedikt says. While there’s no guarantee, physicists hope that territory teems with discoveries-in-waiting, such as dark-matter particles, or strange new collisions where the Higgs recursively interacts with itself many times. </p><p> One pro of protons is that they are over 1,800 times as heavy as electrons, so they emit far less radiation as they follow the curve of the collider ring. But this extra heft comes with a substantial cost: Bending protons’ paths requires even stronger superconducting magnets. </p><p> Magnet development has been the downfall of colliders before. In the early 1980s, a planned collider named <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISABELLE" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Isabelle</a> was scrapped because magnet technology was not far enough along. The LHC’s magnets are made from a strong alloy of niobium-titanium, wound together into a coil that produces magnetic fields when subjected to a current. These coils can produce field strengths over 8 teslas. The strength of the magnet pushes its two halves apart with a force of nearly 600 tons per meter. “If you have an abrupt movement of the turns in the coil by as little as 10 micrometers,” the entire magnet can fail, says Bernhard Auchmann, an expert on magnets at CERN. </p><p class="pull-quote"> <span style=""><span rel="" style=""></span>It is unlikely that any Collider—whether based in China, at CERN, the United States, or Japan—will be able to go it alone.</span> </p><p> Future magnets for FCC-hh and SPPC will need to have at least twice the magnetic field strength, about 16 to 20 T, pushing the limits of materials and physics. Auchmann points to three possible paths forward. The most straightforward option might be “niobium three tin” <span>(Nb₃Sn)</span>. Substituting tin for titanium allows the metal to host magnetic fields up to 16 T but makes it quite brittle, so you can’t “clamp the hell out of it,” Auchmann says. One possible solution involves placing <span>(Nb₃Sn)</span> into a protective steel endoskeleton that prevents it from crushing itself. </p><p> Then there are <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-temperature_superconductivity" target="_blank">high-temperature superconductors</a>. Some magnets made with rare earth metals can exceed 20 T, but they too are fragile and require similar steel supports. Currently, these materials are expensive, but demand from fusion startups, which also require these types of magnets, may push the price down, Auchmann says. </p><p> Finally, there is a class of iron-based high-temperature superconductors that is being championed by physicists in China, thanks to the low price of iron and manufacturing-process improvements. “It’s cheap,” Gao says. “This technology is very promising.” Over the next decade or so, physicists will work on each of these materials, and hope to settle on one direction for next-generation magnets. </p><h1>Time and money</h1><p> While FCC-ee and CEPC (as well as their proton upgrades) share many of the same technical specifications, they differ dramatically in two critical factors: timelines and politics. </p><p> Construction for CEPC could begin in two years; the FCC-ee would need to wait about another decade. The difference comes down largely to the fact that CERN has a planned upgrade to the LHC—enabling it to collect 10 times as much data—which will consume resources until nearly 2040. China, by contrast, is investing heavily in basic research and has the funds immediately at hand. </p><p> The abstruse physics that happens at colliders is never as far from political realities on Earth as it seems. Japan’s ILC is in limbo because of budget issues. The muon collider is subject to the whims of the highly divided 119th U.S. Congress. Last year, a representative for Germany <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01671-8" target="_blank"> criticized the FCC-ee</a> for being unaffordable, and<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02982-6" target="_blank"> CERN continues to struggle</a> with the politics of <a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/banished-world-s-biggest-physics-lab-russian-scientists-look-inward-and-china" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">including Russian scientists</a>. Tensions between China and the United States are similarly on the rise following the Trump administration’s <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/02/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-imposes-tariffs-on-imports-from-canada-mexico-and-china/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tariffs</a>. </p><p> How physicists plan to tackle these practical problems remains to be seen. But it is unlikely that any collider—whether based in China, at CERN, the United States, or Japan—will be able to go it alone. In addition to the tens of billions of dollars for construction and operation of the new facility, the physics expertise needed to run it and perform complex experiments at scale must be global. “By definition, it’s an international project,” Gao says. “The door is wide open.” <span class="ieee-end-mark"></span> </p>

Apr 2, 2025

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/close-up-of-an-index-finger-with-a-miniature-haptic-interface.jpg?id=59764549&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C110%2C0%2C111"/><br/><br/><p>Most haptic interfaces today are limited to simple vibrations. While visual displays and audio systems have continued to progress, those using our sense of touch have largely stagnated. Now, researchers have developed a haptics system that creates more complex <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/touchscreens" target="_self"><u>tactile feedback</u></a>. Beyond just buzzing, the device simulates sensations like pinching, stretching, and tapping for a more realistic experience. </p><p>“The sensation of touch is the most personal connection that you can have with another individual,” says <a href="https://www.mccormick.northwestern.edu/research-faculty/directory/profiles/rogers-john.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>John Rogers</u></a>, a professor at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., who led the project. “It’s really important, but it’s much more difficult than audio or video.”</p><p>Co-led by Rogers and <a href="https://www.mccormick.northwestern.edu/research-faculty/directory/profiles/huang-yonggang.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Yonggang Huang</a>, also a professor at Northwestern,<span> the work </span>is largely geared toward medical applications. But the technology could be used in a wide range of uses, including <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/haptic-vr" target="_self"><u>virtual or augmented reality</u></a> and the ability to feel the texture of clothing fabric or other items while shopping online. The research <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adt2481" target="_blank"><u>was published</u></a> in the journal <em><em>Science</em></em> on 27 March. </p><h2>A Nuanced Sense of Touch</h2><p>Today’s haptic interfaces mostly rely on vibrating <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/tag/actuators" target="_self"><u>actuators</u></a>, which are fairly simple to construct. “It’s a great place to start,” says Rogers. But going beyond vibration could help add the vibrancy of real-world interactions to the technology, he adds. </p><p>These types of interactions require more-sophisticated mechanical forces, which include a combination of both normal forces directed perpendicular to the skin’s surface and shear forces directed parallel to the skin. Whether through vibration or applying pressure, forces directed vertically into the skin have been the main focus of haptic designs, according to Rogers. But these don’t fully engage the many receptors embedded in our skin. </p><p>The researchers aimed to build an actuator that offers full freedom of motion, which they achieved with “very old physics,” Rogers says—namely, <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/tag/electromagnetism" target="_self"><u>electromagnetism</u></a>. The basic design of the device consists of three nested copper coils and a small magnet. Running current through the coils generates a magnetic field that then moves the magnet, which delivers force to the skin. </p><p>“What we’ve put together is an engineering embodiment [of the physics] that provides a very compact force delivery system and offers full programmability in direction, amplitude, and temporal characteristics,” says Rogers. For a more elaborate setup, the researchers also developed a version that uses a collection of four magnets with different orientations of north and south poles. This creates even more complex sensations of pinching, stretching, and twisting. </p><h2>Haptics at Your Fingertips—or Anywhere</h2><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image rm-float-left rm-resized-container rm-resized-container-25" data-rm-resized-container="25%" style="float: left;"> <img alt="Hand wearing finger splints and wrist support against a plain background." class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3b9b054e0ad20097f134bd8d880d7940" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="27275" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/hand-wearing-finger-splints-and-wrist-support-against-a-plain-background.jpg?id=59764550&width=980"/> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Because fingertips are highly sensitive, only small forces are needed for this application. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">John A. Rogers/Northwestern University</small></p><p>Although much of the previous work in haptics has focused on fingertips and the hands, these devices could be placed elsewhere on the body, including the back, chest, or arms. However, these applications may have different requirements. Compared with places like the back, the fingertips are highly sensitive—both in terms of the force needed and the spatial density of receptors. </p><p>“The fingertips are probably the most challenging in terms of density, but they’re easiest in terms of the forces that you need to deliver,” says Rogers. In other use cases, delivering enough power may be a challenge, he acknowledges. </p><p>The force possible may also be limited by the size of the coils, says <a href="https://engineering.virginia.edu/faculty/gregory-j-gerling" target="_blank"><u>Gregory Gerling</u></a>, a systems engineering professor at the University of Virginia and former chair of the IEEE Technical Committee on Haptics. The coil size dictates how much force you can generate, and at a certain point, the device won’t be wearable. However, he believes it is sufficient for VR applications. </p><p>Gerling, an IEEE senior member, finds the use of magnetism in multiple directions interesting. Compared with other approaches that are based on hydraulics or air pressure, this system doesn’t require pumping fluids or gases. “You can be kind of untethered,” Gerling says. “Overall, it’s a very interesting, novel device, and maybe it takes the field in a slightly new direction.”</p><h2>Applications in VR, Neuropathy, and More</h2><p>The clearest application of the device is probably in virtual or augmented reality, says Rogers. These environments now have highly sophisticated audio and video inputs, “but the tactile component of that experience is still a work in progress,” he says. </p><p>Their lab, however, is primarily focused on medical applications, including sensory substitution for patients who have lost sensation in a part of the body. A complex haptics interface could reproduce the sensation in another part of the body. </p><p>For example, nerve damage in people with diabetic neuropathy makes it difficult for them to walk without looking at their feet. The lab is experimenting with placing an array of pressure sensors into the base of these patients’ shoes, then reproducing the pattern of pressure using a haptic array mounted on their upper thighs, where they still have sensation. The researchers are working with <a href="https://www.sralab.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>a rehabilitation facility in Chicago</u></a> to test the approach, mainly with this population. </p><p>Continuing to develop these medical applications will be a focus moving forward, says Rogers. In terms of engineering, he would like to further miniaturize the actuators to make dense arrays possible in regions of the body like the fingertips. </p><h2>Feeling the Music</h2><p>Additionally, the researchers explored the possibility of using the device to increase engagement in musical performances. Apart from perhaps feeling vibrations of the bass line, performances usually rely on sight and sound. Adding a tactile element could make for a more immersive experience, or help people with hearing impairment engage with the music. </p><p>With the current tech, basic vibrating actuators can change the frequency of vibration to match the notes being played. While this can convey a simple melody, it lacks the richness of different instruments and musical components. </p><p>The researchers’ full-freedom-of-motion actuator can convey a more vibrant sound. Voice, guitar, and drums, for instance, can each be converted into a delivery mechanism for a particular force. Like with vibration alone, the frequency of each force can be modulated to match the music. The experiment was exploratory, Rogers says, but it exploits the advanced capabilities of the system. </p>

Apr 1, 2025

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/a-large-red-robot-moves-down-the-aisle-of-a-dairy-barn-dispensing-green-feed-to-cows-lined-up-to-eat.jpg?id=59759623&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C1"/><br/><br/><div class="intro-text"> <p style="font-size: 50px"> <em> “Mooooo.” </em> </p> </div><p class="drop-caps"> <strong>This dairy barn is</strong> full of cows, as you might expect. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-zYshsAg1E" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cows are being milked</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wm_Iul30Sx0" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">cows are being fed</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCJxN_3nnEc" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">cows are being cleaned up after</a>, and a few very happy cows are even getting <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq1j4ImZxcw" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">vigorously scratched behind the ears</a>. “I wonder where the farmer is,” remarks my guide, Jan Jacobs. Jacobs doesn’t seem especially worried, though—the several hundred cows in this barn are being well cared for by a small fleet of fully autonomous robots, and the farmer might not be back for hours. The robots will let him know if anything goes wrong. </p><p> At one of the milking robots, several cows are lined up, nose to tail, politely waiting their turn. The cows can get milked by robot whenever they like, which typically means <a href="https://www.lely.com/us/solutions/organic-grazing/faq/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> more frequently than the twice a day</a> at a traditional dairy farm. Not only is getting milked more often more comfortable for the cows, <a href="https://www.lely.com/us/solutions/organic-grazing/production/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">cows also produce about 10 percent more milk</a> when the milking schedule is completely up to them. </p><p> “There’s a direct correlation between stress and milk production,” Jacobs says. “Which is nice, because robots make cows happier and therefore, they give more milk, which helps us sell more robots.” </p><p> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jan-jacobs-59296828/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jan Jacobs</a> is the human-robot interaction design lead for <a href="https://www.lely.com/us/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lely</a>, a maker of agricultural machinery. Founded in 1948 in Maassluis, Netherlands, Lely deployed its first Astronaut milking robot in the early 1990s. The company has since developed other robotic systems that assist with cleaning, feeding, and cow comfort, and the Astronaut milking robot is on its <a href="https://www.lely.com/media/lely-centers-files/brochures/published/astronaut_a5_brochure_e_en.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">fifth generation</a>. Lely is now focused entirely on robots for dairy farms, with around 135,000 of them deployed around the world. </p><h2>Essential Jobs on Dairy Farms</h2><p> <span>The weather outside the barn is miserable. It’s late fall in the Netherlands, and a cold rain is gusting in from the sea, which is probably why the cows have quite sensibly decided to stay indoors and why the farmer is still nowhere to be found. Lely requires that dairy farmers who adopt its robots commit to letting their cows move freely between milking, feeding, and resting, as well as inside and outside the barn, at their own pace. “We believe that free cow traffic is a core part of the future of farming,” Jacobs says as we watch one cow stroll away from the milking robot while another takes its place. This is possible only when the farm operates on the cows’ schedule rather than a human’s.</span> </p><p> A conventional dairy farm relies heavily on human labor. Lely estimates that repetitive daily tasks represent about a third of the average workday of a dairy farmer. In the morning, the cows are milked for the first time. Most dairy cows must be milked at least twice a day or they’ll become uncomfortable, and so the herd will line up on their own. Traditional milking parlors are designed to maximize human milking efficiency. A milking carousel, for instance, slowly rotates cows as they’re milked so that the dairy worker doesn’t have to move between stalls. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"> <img alt="Cows entering and exiting a Lely Astronaut milking robot in a modern dairy farm setting." class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="c207a725fbda29ab8e49e44a3e9aaf98" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="3fad0" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/cows-entering-and-exiting-a-lely-astronaut-milking-robot-in-a-modern-dairy-farm-setting.jpg?id=59764532&width=980"/> </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"> <img alt="Automated cow milking machine in a dairy farm, cow in position being milked." class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4e3ab2f9a50553c4dad2c678fb747a85" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="fc35f" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/automated-cow-milking-machine-in-a-dairy-farm-cow-in-position-being-milked.jpg?id=59759842&width=980"/> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">“We were spending 6 hours a day milking,” explains dairy farmer Josie Rozum, whose 120-cow herd at Takes Dairy Farm uses a pair of Astronaut A5 milking robots. “Now that the robots are handling all of that, we can focus more on animal care and comfort.”</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Lely</small> </p><p> An experienced human using well-optimized equipment can attach a milking machine to a cow <a href="https://www.vet.cornell.edu/animal-health-diagnostic-center/programs/quality-milk-production-services/services/parlor-efficiency" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">in just 20 to 30 seconds</a>. The actual milking takes only a few minutes, but with the average small dairy farm in North America providing a home for <a href="https://hoards.com/article-34810-familiar-dairy-industry-trends-continue.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">several hundred cows</a>, milking typically represents a time commitment of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022030222003228#fig2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">4 to 6 hours per day</a>. </p><p> There are other jobs that must be done every day at a dairy. <a href="https://www.dairyherd.com/news/education/how-often-should-you-push-feed" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cows are happier with continuous access to food</a>, which means feeding them several times a day. <a href="https://www.americandairy.com/dairy-diary/what-do-dairy-cows-eat/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The feed is a mix of roughage (hay), silage (grass), and grain</a>. The cows will eat all of this, but they prefer the grain, and so it’s common to see cows sorting their food by grabbing a mouthful and throwing it up into the air. The lighter roughage and silage flies farther than the grain does, leaving the cow with a pile of the tastier stuff as the rest gets tossed out of reach. This makes “<a href="https://www.dairyherd.com/news/education/how-often-should-you-push-feed" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">feed pushing</a>” necessary to shove the rest of the feed back within reach of the cow. </p><p> And of course there’s manure. A dairy cow produces an average of <a href="https://thedairylandinitiative.vetmed.wisc.edu/home/housing-module/adult-cow-housing/manure-management/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">68 kilograms of manure a day</a>. All that manure has to be collected and the barn floors regularly cleaned. </p><h2>Dairy Industry 4.0</h2><p> The amount of labor needed to operate a dairy meant that until the early 1900s, <a href="https://youtu.be/sjmflKg-v2o?t=1049" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">most family farms could support only about eight cows</a>. The introduction of the first milking machines, called <a href="https://www.surgemilker.com/history.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">bucket milkers</a>, helped farmers milk 10 cows per hour instead of 4 by the mid-1920s. Rural electrification furthered dairy automation starting in the 1950s, and since then, both farm size and milk production have increased steadily. In the 1930s, a good dairy cow <a href="https://youtu.be/sjmflKg-v2o?t=1631" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">produced 3,600 kilograms of milk per year</a>. <a href="https://downloads.usda.library.cornell.edu/usda-esmis/files/h989r321c/mg74sh83p/nc582h285/mkpr0225.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Today, it’s almost 11,000 kilograms</a>, and Lely believes that robots are what will enable small dairy farms to continue to scale sustainably. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"> <span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3d0c2a865a4f6909e8ce591fab31c88e" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/g-zYshsAg1E?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span> <small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Lely</small> </p><p> <span>But dairy robots are expensive. A milking robot can cost </span><a href="https://dairy.unl.edu/automatic-milking-systems-good-bad-and-unknown/" target="_blank">several hundred thousand dollars</a><span>, plus an additional </span><a href="https://www.lelycentermidatlantic.com/index.php/2022/02/01/how-much-does-it-cost-to-operate-a-lely-robot/" target="_blank">US $5,000 to $10,000 per year in operating costs</a><span>. The Astronaut A5, Lely’s latest milking robot, uses a laser-guided robot arm to clean the cow’s udder before attaching teat cups one at a time. While the cow munches on treats, the Astronaut monitors her milk output, collecting data on 32 parameters, including indicators of the quality of the milk and the health of the cow. When milking is complete, the robot cleans the udder again, and the cow is free to leave as the robot steam cleans itself in preparation for the next cow.</span> </p><p> <a href="https://www.lely.com/gb/centers/midlands/what-cost-milking-robot/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lely argues</a> that although the initial cost is higher than that of a traditional milking parlor, the robots pay for themselves over time through higher milk production (due primarily to increased milking frequency) and lower labor costs. Lely’s other robots can also save on labor. The Vector mobile robot handles continuous feeding and feed pushing, and the Discovery Collector is a robotic manure vacuum that keeps the floors clean. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"> <img alt="Automated feeding robot is loaded with food by a small overhead crane before it leaves to deliver feed to cows inside a modern barn." class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9883c894cc153fca40c2315735e6c5f1" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="eb199" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/automated-feeding-robot-is-loaded-with-food-by-a-small-overhead-crane-before-it-leaves-to-deliver-feed-to-cows-inside-a-modern-b.jpg?id=59764133&width=980"/> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">At Takes Dairy Farm, Rozum and her family used to spend several hours per day managing food for the cows. “The feeding robot is another amazing piece of the puzzle for our farm that allows us to focus on other things.”</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Takes Family Farm</small> </p><p> For most dairy farmers, though, making more money is not the main reason to get a robot, explains <a href="https://ansci.umn.edu/people/marcia-endres" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Marcia Endres</a>, a professor in the department of animal science at the University of Minnesota. Endres specializes in dairy-cattle management, behavior, and welfare, and studies dairy robot adoption. “When we first started doing research on this about 12 years ago, most of the farms that were installing robots were smaller farms that did not want to hire employees,” Endres says. “They wanted to do the work just with family labor, but they also wanted to have more flexibility with their time. They wanted a better lifestyle.” </p><p> Flexibility was key for the Takes family, who <a href="https://youtu.be/vZY8TbBoDd0?t=147" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">added Lely robots to their dairy farm</a> in Ely, Iowa, four years ago. “When we had our old milking parlor, everything that we did as a family was always scheduled around milking,” says Josie Rozum, who manages the farm and a creamery along with her parents—Dan and Debbie Takes—and three brothers. “With the robots, we can prioritize our personal life a little bit more—we can spend time together on Christmas morning and know that the cows are still getting milked.” </p><p> <a href="https://www.dananddebbies.com/about/the-farm/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Takes Family Dairy Farm</a>’s 120-cow herd is milked by a pair of Astronaut A5 robots, with a Vector and three Discovery Collectors for feeding and cleaning. “They’ve become a crucial part of the team,” explains Rozum. “It would be challenging for us to find outside help, and the robots keep things running smoothly.” The robots also add sustainability to small dairy farms, and not just in the short term. “Growing up on the farm, we experienced the hard work, and we saw what that commitment did to our parents,” Rozum explains. “It’s a very tough lifestyle. Having the robots take over a little bit of that has made dairy farming more appealing to our generation.” </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"> <span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="c22f75ac2236f457c18ecd55f872ca53" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vZY8TbBoDd0?rel=0&start=147" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span> <small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Takes Dairy Farm</small> </p><p> Of the 25,000 dairy farms in the United States, Endres estimates about 10 percent have robots. This is <a href="https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/milking-robots-market" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">about a third of the adoption rate in Europe</a>, <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Farms_and_farmland_in_the_European_Union_-_statistics" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">where farms tend to be smaller</a>, so the cost of implementing the robots is lower. Endres says that over the last five years, she’s seen a shift toward robot adoption at larger farms with over 500 cows, due primarily to labor shortages. “These larger dairies are having difficulty finding employees who want to milk cows—it’s a very tedious job. And the robot is always consistent. The farmers tell me, ‘My robot never calls in sick, and never shows up drunk.’ ” </p><p> Endres is skeptical of Lely’s claim that its robots are responsible for increased milk production. “There is no research that proves that cows will be more productive just because of robots,” she says. It may be true that farms that add robots do see increased milk production, she adds, but it’s difficult to measure the direct effect that the robots have. “I have many dairies that I work with where they have both a robotic milking system and a conventional milking system, and if they are managing their cows well, there isn’t a lot of difference in milk production.” </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"> <img alt="Cow using an automated brush for grooming inside a modern barn." class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9106b1e71ad19d377f43b164221e0a40" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="3f0b4" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/cow-using-an-automated-brush-for-grooming-inside-a-modern-barn.jpg?id=59759835&width=980"/> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">The Lely Luna cow brush helps to keep cows’ skin healthy. It’s also relaxing and enjoyable, so cows will brush themselves several times a day.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Lely</small> </p><p> The robots do seem to improve the cows’ lives, however. “Welfare is not just productivity and health—it’s also the affective state, the ability to have a more natural life,” Endres says. “Again, it’s hard to measure, but I think that on most of these robot farms, their affective state is improved.” The cows’ relationship with humans changes too, comments Endres. When the cows no longer associate humans with being told where to go and what to do all the time, they’re <a href="https://youtu.be/sjmflKg-v2o?t=2633" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">much more relaxed and friendly</a> toward people they meet. Rozum agrees. “We’ve noticed a tremendous change in our cows’ demeanor. They’re more calm and relaxed, just doing their thing in the barn. They’re much more comfortable when they can choose what to do.” </p><h2>Cows Versus Robots</h2><p> Cows are curious and clever animals, and have the same instinct that humans have when confronted with a new robot: They want to play with it. Because of this, Lely has had to cow-proof its robots, modifying their design and programming so that the machines can function autonomously around cows. Like many mobile robots, Lely’s dairy robots include contact-sensing bumpers that will pause the robot’s motion if it runs into something. On the Vector feeding robot, Lely product engineer <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/beltman42/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">René Beltman</a> tells me, they had to add a software option to disable the bumper. “The cows learned that, ‘oh, if I just push the bumper, then the robot will stop and put down more feed in my area for me to eat.’ It was a free buffet. So you don’t want the cows to end up controlling the robot.” Emergency stop buttons had to be relocated so that they couldn’t be pressed by questing cow tongues. </p><p> There’s also a social component to cow-robot interaction. Within their herd, cows have a well-established hierarchy, and the robots need to work within this hierarchy to do their jobs. For example, a cow won’t move out of the way if it thinks that another cow is lower in the hierarchy than it is, and it will treat a robot the same way. The engineers had to figure out how the Discovery Collector could drive back and forth to vacuum up manure without getting blocked by cows. “In our early tests, we’d use sensors to have the robot stop to avoid running into any of the cows,” explains Jacobs. “But that meant that the robot became the weakest one in the hierarchy, and it would just end up crying in the corner because the cows wouldn’t move for it. So now, it doesn’t stop.” </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"> <img alt="Cows resting in pens with a robot cleaning the floor in a modern barn setting." class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="270244739bf55a596082710523ed2eed" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="c9d2c" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/cows-resting-in-pens-with-a-robot-cleaning-the-floor-in-a-modern-barn-setting.jpg?id=59759837&width=980"/> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">One of the dirtiest jobs on a dairy farm is handled by the Discovery Collector, an autonomous manure vacuum. The robot relies on wheel odometry and ultrasonic sensors for navigation because it’s usually covered in manure.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Evan Ackerman</small> </p><p> “We make the robot drive slower for the first week, when it’s being introduced to a new herd,” adds Beltman. “That gives the cows time to figure out that the robot is at the top of the hierarchy.” </p><p> Besides maintaining their dominance at the top of the herd, the current generation of Lely robots doesn’t interact much with the cows, but that’s changing, Jacobs tells me. Right now, when a robot is driving through the barn, it makes a beeping sound to let the cows know it’s coming. Lely is looking into how to make these sounds more enjoyable for the cows. “This was a recent revelation for me,” Jacobs says. ”We’re not just designing interactions for humans. The cows are our users, too.” </p><h2>Human-Robot Interaction</h2><p> Last year, Jacobs and researchers from Delft University of Technology, in the Netherlands, <a href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10660792" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">presented a paper</a> at the IEEE Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) Conference exploring this concept of robot behavior development on working dairy farms. The researchers visited robotic dairies, interviewed dairy farmers, and held workshops within Lely to establish a robot code of conduct—a guide that Lely’s designers and engineers use when considering how their robots should look, sound, and act, for the benefit of both humans and cows. On the engineering side, this includes practical things like colors and patterns for lights and different types of sounds so that information is communicated consistently across platforms. </p><p> But there’s much more nuance to making a robot seem “reliable” or “friendly” to the end user, since such things are not only difficult to define but also difficult to implement in a way that’s appropriate for dairy farmers, who prioritize functionality. </p><p> Jacobs doesn’t want his robots to try to be anyone’s friend—not the cow’s, and not the farmer’s. “The robot is an employee, and it should have a professional relationship,” he says. “So the robot might say ‘Hi,’ but it wouldn’t say, ‘How are you feeling today?’ ” What’s more important is that the robots are trustworthy. For Jacobs, instilling trust is simple: “You cannot gain trust by doing tricks. If your robot is reliable and predictable, people will trust it.” </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"> <img alt="Automated milking machine attached to cow's udders, with cow standing on a slotted floor." class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4bec6c118f690770f5c6ecec2f377e4e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="cf5f5" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/automated-milking-machine-attached-to-cow-s-udders-with-cow-standing-on-a-slotted-floor.jpg?id=59759840&width=980"/> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">The electrically driven, pneumatically balanced robotic arm that the Lely Astronaut uses to milk cows is designed to withstand accidental (or intentional) kicks.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Lely</small> </p><p> The real challenge, Jacobs explains, is that Lely is largely on its own when it comes to finding the best way of integrating its robots into the daily lives of people who may have never thought they’d have robot employees. “There’s not that much knowledge in the robot world about how to approach these problems,” Jacobs says. “We’re working with almost 20,000 farmers who have a bigger robot workforce than a human workforce. They’re robot managers. And I don’t know that there necessarily are other companies that have a customer base of normal people who have strategic dependence on robots for their livelihood. That is where we are now.” </p><h2>From Dairy Farmers to Robot Managers</h2><p> <span>With the additional time and flexibility that the robots enable, some dairy farmers have been able to diversify. On our way back to Lely’s headquarters, we stop at </span><a href="https://boerderijhetlansingerland.nl/melkveebedrijf/" target="_blank">Farm Het Lansingerland</a><span>, owned by a Lely customer who has added a small restaurant and farm shop to his dairy. Large windows look into the barn so that restaurant patrons can watch the robots at work, caring for the cows that produce the cheese that’s on the menu. A self-guided tour takes you right up next to an Astronaut A5 milking robot, while signs on the floor warn of Vector feeding robots on the move. “This farmer couldn’t expand—this was as many cows as he’s allowed to have here,” Jacobs explains to me over cheese sandwiches. “So, he needs to have additional income streams. That’s why he started these other things. And the robots were essential for that.”</span> </p><p> The farmer is an early adopter—someone who’s excited about the technology and actively interested in the robots themselves. But most of Lely’s tens of thousands of customers just want a reliable robotic employee, not a science project. “We help the farmer to prepare not just the environment for the robots, but also the mind,” explains Jacobs. “It’s a complete shift in their way of working.” </p><p> Besides managing the robots, the farmer must also learn to manage the massive amount of data that the robots generate about the cows. “The amount of data we get from the robots is a game changer,” says Rozum. “We can track milk production, health, and cow habits in real time. But it’s overwhelming. You could spend all day just sitting at the computer, looking at data and not get anything else done. It took us probably a year to really learn how to use it.” </p><p> The most significant advantages to farmers come from using the data for long-term optimization, says the University of Minnesota’s Endres. “In a conventional barn, the cows are treated as a group,” she says. “But the robots are collecting data about individual animals, which lets us manage them as individuals.” By combining data from a milking robot and a feeding robot, for example, farmers can close the loop, correlating when and how the cows are fed with their milk production. Lely is doing its best to simplify this type of decision making, says Jacobs. “You need to understand what the data means, and then you need to present it to the farmer in an actionable way.” </p><h3>A Robotic Dairy</h3><br/><img alt="Illustration of an automated dairy farm with milking machines, feed dispensers, and cows in various areas." class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="523f4b6812182dc0756edd9f83d8e771" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="15c0e" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/illustration-of-an-automated-dairy-farm-with-milking-machines-feed-dispensers-and-cows-in-various-areas.png?id=59771554&width=980"/><h3 style="font-size: 20px; letter-spacing: -0.25px; line-height: 24px; padding-top: 15px;"> All dairy farms are different, and farms that decide to give robots a try will often start with just one or two. A highly roboticized dairy barn might look something like this illustration, with a team of many different robots working together to keep the cows comfortable and happy. </h3><p class="caption"> A: One Astronaut A5 robot can milk up to 60 cows. After the Astronaut cleans the teats, a laser sensor guides a robotic arm to attach the teat cups. Milking takes just a few minutes. </p><p class="caption"> B: In the feed kitchen, the Vector robot recharges itself while different ingredients are loaded into its hopper and mixed together. Mixtures can be customized for different groups of cows. </p><p class="caption"> C: The Vector robot dispenses freshly mixed food in small batches throughout the day. A laser measures the height of leftover food to make sure that the cows are getting the right amounts. </p><p class="caption"> D: The Discovery Collector is a mop and vacuum for cow manure. It navigates the barn autonomously and returns to its docking station to remove waste, refill water, and wirelessly recharge.</p><p class="caption"> E: As it milks, the Astronaut is collecting a huge amount of data—32 different parameters per teat. If it detects an issue, the farmer is notified, helping to catch health problems early.</p><p class="caption"> F: Automated gates control meadow access and will keep a cow inside if she’s due to be milked soon. Cows are identified using RFID collars, which also track their behavior and health. </p><h2>A Sensible Future for Dairy Robots</h2><p> After lunch, we stop by Lely headquarters, where bright red life-size cow statues guard the entrance and all of the conference rooms are dairy themed. We get comfortable in Butter, and I ask Jacobs and Beltman what the future holds for their dairy robots. </p><p> In the near term, Lely is focused on making its existing robots more capable. Its latest <a href="https://www.lely.com/us/press/2024/09/10/lely-introduces-autonomous-feed-pushing-robot-for/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">feed-pushing robot</a> is equipped with lidar and stereo cameras, which allow it to autonomously navigate around large farms without needing to follow a metal strip bolted to the ground. A new <a href="https://www.lely.com/us/press/2024/09/10/lely-zeta-the-start-of-a-new-chapter-in-dairy-farm/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">overhead camera system</a> will leverage AI to recognize individual cows and track their behavior, while also providing farmers with an enormous new dataset that could allow Lely’s systems to help farmers make more nuanced decisions about cow welfare. The potential of AI is what Jacobs seems most excited about, although he’s cautious as well. “With AI, we’re suddenly going to take away an entirely different level of work. So, we’re thinking about doing research into the meaningfulness of work, to make sure that the things that we do with AI are the things that farmers <em><em>want</em></em> us to do with AI.” </p><p> “The idea of AI is very intriguing,” comments Rozum. “I think AI could help to simplify things for farmers. It would be a tool, a resource. But we know our cows best, and a farmer’s judgment has to be there too. There’s just some component of dairy farming that you cannot take the human out of. Robots are not going to be successful on a farm unless you have good farmers.” </p><p> Lely is aware of this and knows that its robots have to find the right balance between being helpful, and taking over. “We want to make sure not to take away the kinds of interactions that give dairy farmers joy in their work,” says Beltman. “Like feeding calves—every farmer likes to feed the calves.” Lely does sell an <a href="https://www.lely.com/us/solutions/feeding/calm/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">automated calf feeder</a> that many dairy farmers buy, which illustrates the point: What’s the best way of designing robots to give humans the flexibility to do the work that they enjoy? </p><p> “This is where robotics is going,” Jacobs tells me as he gives me a lift to the train station. “As a human, you could have two other humans and six robots, and that’s your company.” Many industries, he says, look to robots with the objective of minimizing human involvement as much as possible so that the robots can generate the maximum amount of value for whoever happens to be in charge. </p><p> Dairy farms are different. Perhaps that’s because the person buying the robot is the person who most directly benefits from it. But I wonder if the concern over automation of jobs would be mitigated if more companies chose to emphasize the sustainability and joy of work equally with profit. Automation doesn’t have to be zero-sum—if implemented thoughtfully, perhaps robots can make work easier, more efficient, and more fun, too. </p><p> Jacobs certainly thinks so. “That’s my utopia,” he says. “And we’re working in the right direction.” </p>

Apr 1, 2025

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/an-illustration-of-a-filing-cabinet-on-a-laptop-screen.png?id=59741556&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C39%2C0%2C40"/><br/><br/><p>In the three decades since <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/brewster-kahle-on-whats-next-for-the-decentralized-web-movement" target="_self">Brewster Kahle</a> spun up the nonprofit Internet Archive’s <a href="https://web.archive.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wayback Machine</a>, it has scaled up to include government websites and datasets—many of which are essential to the engineering and scientific communities. U.S. government agencies like the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, and NASA are critical sources of research data, technical specifications, and standards documentation in pretty much every area where <em><em>IEEE Spectrum</em></em>’s audience works—AI & computer science, biomedical devices, power and energy, semiconductors, telecommunications…the list goes on.</p><p>Access to that governmental data directly affects the reproducibility of experiments, the validation of models, and the integrity of the scholarly record. </p><p>So what happens if an entire dataset vanishes? Among other things, it can invalidate years of research built upon that foundation. </p><p>Until recently, wholesale deletion of data has been rare. In the United States, presidential transitions typically involve some changes to government websites to reflect new policy priorities. And after 9/11, the George W. Bush administration removed “<a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=7496067&page=1#:~:text=Unclassified%20military%20after%2Daction%20reports%2C%20an%20FAA%20database,amid%20fears%20that%20terrorists%20might%20find%20information" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">millions of bytes</a>” of information from government sites for security reasons as well as hundreds of Department of Defense documents and “tens of thousands” of <a href="https://www.ferc.gov/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Federal Energy Regulation Commission</a> files. </p><p>The Obama and Biden administrations likewise made changes to government websites but didn’t engage in large-scale removal of Web pages or datasets. Obama, in fact, expanded public access to government data in 2009 by launching <a href="http://data.gov" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Data.gov</a>, whose stated mission is in part “to unleash the power of government open data to inform decisions by the public and policymakers.”</p><p> During President Donald J. Trump’s first term, researchers at the Environmental Data & Governance Initiative <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0246450" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">found</a> that some government sites became inaccessible, and the phrase “climate change” was purged from several government Web pages.</p><p class="pull-quote">Access to governmental data directly affects the reproducibility of experiments, the validation of models, and the integrity of the scholarly record.</p><p>The second term has been different. In February, a few weeks after Trump was sworn in for his second term, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/02/upshot/trump-government-websites-missing-pages.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em><em>The New York Times</em></em> reported</a> that his administration took down more than 8,000 Web pages and databases. Many of those pages have since reappeared, but some of the restored pages and files have had changes, including the erasure of <a href="https://grist.org/language/trump-delete-climate-change-words-resilience-order/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">terms like “climate change” (again) and “clean energy,”</a> <em><em>Grist</em></em> reports. These moves have faced multiple court challenges; on 11 February, for instance, a federal judge ordered that public access to Web pages and datasets belonging to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration be restored. </p><p>In our April <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/internet-archive-saving-us-data" target="_blank">issue</a>, <em><em>Spectrum</em></em> Assistant Editor Gwendolyn Rak <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/internet-archive-saving-us-data" target="_self">reports</a> on efforts to preserve public access to information. In addition to the ongoing work at the Internet Archive, she describes how archivists at the <a href="https://lil.law.harvard.edu/our-work/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Library Innovation Lab at Harvard Law School</a> amassed a copy of the 16-terabyte <a href="https://lil.law.harvard.edu/blog/2025/02/06/announcing-data-gov-archive/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">archive of Data.gov,</a> which includes more than 311,000 public datasets. That copied archive is being updated daily with new data hoovered up via automated queries to application programming interfaces (APIs). </p><p>Archivists are the guardians of memory. We depend on them to help us stay in touch with our history, maintain our knowledge base, and provide context, allowing us to understand how we came to be where we are and to light the way forward. In the fields of science, engineering, and medicine, where today’s innovations stand on the shoulders of yesterday’s discoveries, these digital preservationists ensure that the circuit of human knowledge remains unbroken.</p><p><em>This article appears in the April 2025 print issue as “Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe.”</em></p><p><em>Editor’s note: This post was revised to match the print version.</em></p>

Apr 1, 2025

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/robotic-arms-assembling-battery-packs-in-a-high-tech-factory.jpg?id=59060715&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=160%2C0%2C160%2C0"/><br/><br/><p><em>This is a sponsored article brought to you by <a href="https://www.fst.com/markets/robotics/cobots/" target="_blank">Freudenberg Sealing Technologies</a>.</em></p><p>The increasing deployment of collaborative robots (cobots) in outdoor environments presents significant engineering challenges, requiring highly advanced sealing solutions to ensure reliability and durability. Unlike industrial robots that operate in controlled indoor environments, outdoor cobots are exposed to extreme weather conditions that can compromise their mechanical integrity. Maintenance robots used in servicing wind turbines, for example, must endure intense temperature fluctuations, high humidity, prolonged UV radiation exposure, and powerful wind loads. Similarly, agricultural robots operate in harsh conditions where they are continuously exposed to abrasive dust, chemically aggressive fertilizers and pesticides, and mechanical stresses from rough terrains.</p><p>To ensure these robotic systems maintain long-term functionality, sealing solutions must offer effective protection against environmental ingress, mechanical wear, corrosion, and chemical degradation. Outdoor robots must perform flawlessly in temperature ranges spanning from scorching heat to freezing cold while withstanding constant exposure to moisture, lubricants, solvents, and other contaminants. In addition, sealing systems must be resilient to continuous vibrations and mechanical shocks, which are inherent to robotic motion and can accelerate material fatigue over time.</p><h2>Comprehensive Technical Requirements for Robotic Sealing Solutions</h2><p>The development of sealing solutions for outdoor robotics demands an intricate balance of durability, flexibility, and resistance to wear. Robotic joints, particularly those in high-mobility systems, experience multidirectional movements within confined installation spaces, making the selection of appropriate sealing materials and geometries crucial. Traditional elastomeric O-rings, widely used in industrial applications, often fail under such extreme conditions. Exposure to high temperatures can cause thermal degradation, while continuous mechanical stress accelerates fatigue, leading to early seal failure. Chemical incompatibility with lubricants, fuels, and cleaning agents further contributes to material degradation, shortening operational lifespans.</p><p>Friction-related wear is another critical concern, especially in robotic joints that operate at high speeds. Excessive friction not only generates heat but can also affect movement precision. In collaborative robotics, where robots work alongside humans, such inefficiencies pose safety risks by delaying response times and reducing motion accuracy. Additionally, prolonged exposure to UV radiation can cause conventional sealing materials to become brittle and crack, further compromising their performance.</p><h2>Advanced IPSR Technology: Tailored for Cobots</h2><p>To address these demanding conditions, Freudenberg Sealing Technologies has developed a specialized sealing solution: <a href="https://www.fst.com/markets/robotics/cobots/" target="_blank">Ingress Protection Seals for Robots (IPSR)</a>. Unlike conventional seals that rely on metallic springs for mechanical support, the IPSR design features an innovative Z-shaped geometry that dynamically adapts to the axial and radial movements typical in robotic joints.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"> <img alt="Diagram of a robotic arm displaying PSS, Simmering, and MSS1 seal locations." class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d38abd82e0542acd543defe66d9509ca" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="d5e27" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/diagram-of-a-robotic-arm-displaying-pss-simmering-and-mss1-seal-locations.jpg?id=59068475&width=980"/> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Numerous seals are required in cobots and these are exposed to high speeds and forces.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Freudenberg Sealing Technologies</small></p><p>This unique structural design distributes mechanical loads more efficiently, significantly reducing friction and wear over time. While traditional spring-supported seals tend to degrade due to mechanical fatigue, the IPSR configuration eliminates this limitation, ensuring long-lasting performance. Additionally, the optimized contact pressure reduces frictional forces in robotic joints, thereby minimizing heat generation and extending component lifespans. This results in lower maintenance requirements, a crucial factor in applications where downtime can lead to significant operational disruptions.</p><h2>Optimized Through Advanced Simulation Techniques</h2><p>The development of IPSR technology relied extensively on Finite Element Analysis (FEA) simulations to optimize seal geometries, material selection, and surface textures before physical prototyping. These advanced computational techniques allowed engineers to predict and enhance seal behavior under real-world operational conditions.</p><p>FEA simulations focused on key performance factors such as frictional forces, contact pressure distribution, deformation under load, and long-term fatigue resistance. By iteratively refining the design based on simulation data, Freudenberg engineers were able to develop a sealing solution that balances minimal friction with maximum durability.</p><p>Furthermore, these simulations provided insights into how IPSR seals would perform under extreme conditions, including exposure to humidity, rapid temperature changes, and prolonged mechanical stress. This predictive approach enabled early detection of potential failure points, allowing for targeted improvements before mass production. By reducing the need for extensive physical testing, Freudenberg was able to accelerate the development cycle while ensuring high-performance reliability.</p><h2>Material Innovations: Superior Resistance and Longevity</h2><p>The effectiveness of a sealing solution is largely determined by its material composition. Freudenberg utilizes advanced elastomeric compounds, including Fluoroprene XP and EPDM, both selected for their exceptional chemical resistance, mechanical strength, and thermal stability.</p><p>Fluoroprene XP, in particular, offers superior resistance to aggressive chemicals, including solvents, lubricants, fuels, and industrial cleaning agents. Additionally, its resilience against ozone and UV radiation makes it an ideal choice for outdoor applications where continuous exposure to sunlight could otherwise lead to material degradation. EPDM, on the other hand, provides outstanding flexibility at low temperatures and excellent aging resistance, making it suitable for applications that require long-term durability under fluctuating environmental conditions.</p><p>To further enhance performance, Freudenberg applies specialized solid-film lubricant coatings to IPSR seals. These coatings significantly reduce friction and eliminate stick-slip effects, ensuring smooth robotic motion and precise movement control. This friction management not only improves energy efficiency but also enhances the overall responsiveness of robotic systems, an essential factor in high-precision automation.</p><h2>Extensive Validation Through Real-World Testing</h2><p>While advanced simulations provide critical insights into seal behavior, empirical testing remains essential for validating real-world performance. Freudenberg subjected IPSR seals to rigorous durability tests, including prolonged exposure to moisture, dust, temperature cycling, chemical immersion, and mechanical vibration.</p><p>Throughout these tests, IPSR seals consistently achieved IP65 certification, demonstrating their ability to effectively prevent environmental contaminants from compromising robotic components. Real-world deployment in maintenance robotics for wind turbines and agricultural automation further confirmed their reliability, with extensive wear analysis showing significantly extended operational lifetimes compared to traditional sealing technologies.</p><h2>Safety Through Advanced Friction Management</h2><p>In collaborative robotics, sealing performance plays a direct role in operational safety. Excessive friction in robotic joints can delay emergency-stop responses and reduce motion precision, posing potential hazards in human-robot interaction. By incorporating low-friction coatings and optimized sealing geometries, Freudenberg ensures that robotic systems respond rapidly and accurately, enhancing workplace safety and efficiency.</p><h2>Tailored Sealing Solutions for Various Robotic Systems</h2><p>Freudenberg Sealing Technologies provides customized sealing solutions across a wide range of robotic applications, ensuring optimal performance in diverse environments.</p><p>Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) operate in industrial settings where they are exposed to abrasive contaminants, mechanical vibrations, and chemical exposure. Freudenberg employs reinforced PTFE composites to enhance durability and protect internal components.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"> <img alt="Diagram showing different sealing technologies in a device: PSS, Simmerring, MSS1, and eCON." class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="c07b32f7cfa28f4ef5224beb006b29df" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="901a7" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/diagram-showing-different-sealing-technologies-in-a-device-pss-simmerring-mss1-and-econ.jpg?id=59068017&width=980"/> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Delta robots can perform complex movements at high speed. This requires seals that meet the high dynamic and acceleration requirements.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Freudenberg Sealing Technologies</small></p><p>Delta robots, commonly used in food processing, pharmaceuticals, and precision electronics, require FDA-compliant materials that withstand rigorous cleaning procedures such as Cleaning-In-Place (CIP) and Sterilization-In-Place (SIP). Freudenberg utilizes advanced fluoropolymers that maintain structural integrity under aggressive sanitation processes.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"> <img alt="A mechanical device with colored dots indicating PSS, Simmering\u00ae, MSS1, and eCON components." class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="43ef9141b9e056ba3ae032f122b3db17" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="5fbb8" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/a-mechanical-device-with-colored-dots-indicating-pss-simmering-u00ae-mss1-and-econ-components.jpg?id=59068943&width=980"/> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Seals for Scara robots must have high chemical resistance, compressive strength and thermal resistance to function reliably in a variety of industrial environments.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Freudenberg Sealing Technologies</small></p><p>SCARA robots benefit from Freudenberg’s Modular Plastic Sealing Concept (MPSC), which integrates sealing, bearing support, and vibration damping within a compact, lightweight design. This innovation optimizes robot weight distribution and extends component service life.</p><p>Six-axis robots used in automotive, aerospace, and electronics manufacturing require sealing solutions capable of withstanding high-speed operations, mechanical stress, and chemical exposure. Freudenberg’s Premium Sine Seal (PSS), featuring reinforced PTFE liners and specialized elastomer compounds, ensures maximum durability and minimal friction losses.</p><h2>Continuous Innovation for Future Robotic Applications</h2><p>Freudenberg Sealing Technologies remains at the forefront of innovation, continuously developing new materials, sealing designs, and validation methods to address evolving challenges in robotics. Through strategic customer collaborations, cutting-edge material science, and state-of-the-art simulation technologies, Freudenberg ensures that its sealing solutions provide unparalleled reliability, efficiency, and safety across all robotic platforms.</p>

Apr 1, 2025

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/a-laptop-screen-displaying-a-figure-dressed-in-a-suit-as-it-removes-a-human-mask-to-reveal-a-face-made-out-of-large-language-mod.jpg?id=59746840&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C230%2C0%2C231"/><br/><br/><p><em>In the past few years, AI has set Silicon Valley on fire. The new book </em><a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/ai-valley-gary-rivlin?variant=42846781964322" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AI Valley: Microsoft, Google, and the Trillion-Dollar Race to Cash in on Artificial Intelligence</a><em> chronicles those blazing high times, telling the stories of the startups, venture capital firms, and legacy tech companies that are burning bright—and those that have already flamed out.</em></p><p><em>In the excerpt below, author <a href="https://garyrivlin.com/" target="_blank">Gary Rivlin</a> tells the inside story of the <span>startup </span><a href="https://inflection.ai/" target="_blank">Inflection</a></em><span><em>, which was established in 2022 by LinkedIn founder <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reid_Hoffman" target="_blank">Reid Hoffman</a> and DeepMind founder <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustafa_Suleyman" target="_blank">Mustafa Suleyman</a>. Inflection hoped to differentiate itself by building a chatbot with a high emotional intelligence, and the company was at one point valued at US $4 billion. But its chatbot, <a href="https://pi.ai/talk" target="_blank">Pi</a>, failed to gain market share and in March 2024 Microsoft acquired most of the company’s workforce, leaving what was left of Pi to be licensed for use as a foundation for customer service bots. </em></span></p><p><span>Pi was not human and therefore could never have a personality. Yet it would fall on Inflection’s “personality team” to imbue Pi with a set of characteristics and traits that might make it seem like it did. The team’s ranks included several engineers, two linguists, and also </span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/rasmtaylor/" target="_blank">Rachel Taylor</a><span>, who had been the creative director of a London-based ad agency prior to going to work for Inflection.</span></p><p>“Mustafa gave me a little bit of an overview of what they were working on, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it,” Taylor said. “I thought maybe it would be the most impactful thing I ever worked on.”</p><p>Humans develop a personality through a complex interplay of genetics and environmental influences, including upbringing, culture, and life experiences. Pi’s personality began with the team listing traits. Some were positives. Be kind, be supportive. Others were negative traits to avoid, like irritability, arrogance, and combativeness.</p><p>“You’re showing the model lots of comparisons that show it the difference between good and bad instances of that behavior,” Mustafa Suleyman said—“<a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/tag/reinforcement-learning" target="_blank">reinforcement learning</a> with human feedback,” in industry parlance, or RLHF. Sometimes teams working on RLHF just label behavior they want a model to avoid (sexual, violent, homophobic). But Inflection had people assigning a numerical score to a machine’s responses. “That way the model basically learns, ‘Oh, this was a really good answer, I’m going to do more of that,’ or ‘That was terrible, I’m going to do less of that,’” said <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/anushabalakrishnan/" target="_blank">Anusha Balakrishnan</a>, an Inflection engineer focused on fine-tuning<span>. The scores were fed into an algorithm that adjusted the weighting of the model accordingly, and the process was repeated.</span></p><h2>Developing Pi’s Personality Traits</h2><p>Unlike many other AI companies, which outsourced reinforcement learning to third parties, Inflection hired and trained its own people. Applicants were put through a battery of tests, starting with a reading comprehension exercise that Suleyman described as “very nuanced and quite difficult.” Then came another set of exams and several rounds of training before they were put to work. The average “teacher” earned between $16 and $25 an hour, Suleyman said, but as much as $50 if someone was an expert in the right domain. “We try to make sure they come from a wide range of backgrounds and represent a wide range of ages,” Suleyman said.</p><p>Inflection had many hundreds of teachers training Pi in the spring of 2023. “In some cases, we paid several hundred dollars an hour for very, very specialist people like behavioral therapists, psychologists, playwrights, and novelists,” Suleyman said. They even hired several comedians at one point, to help give Pi a sense of humor. “Our aim is a much more informal, relaxed, conversational experience,” Suleyman said.</p><p>The company met a self-imposed deadline of March 12, 2023 for a beta version of Pi that they shared with thousands of testers. With its beta release, the company emerged from stealth mode. A press announcement described Pi as “a supportive and compassionate AI that is eager to talk about anything at any time.” The company described Pi a “new kind of AI” different than other chatbots on the market, By May, the app was free and available to anyone willing to register and sign in to use the service.</p><p>The <em>New York Times </em>rarely runs even a short item about the release of a new product, especially one from a small, unknown startup. Yet few companies could boast of founders with the connections and star power of Inflection: Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn, and Suleyman, who was AI royalty as a cofounder of DeepMind. This clout translated into prime real estate on the front page of the <em>Times </em>Business section, including a large, eye-catching illustration and a headline that stretched across multiple columns: “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/03/technology/personaltech/ai-chatbot-pi-emotional-support.html" target="_blank">My New BFF: Pi, an Emotional Support Chatbot</a>.” Reporter Erin Griffith was skeptical of the breathing exercises that Pi suggested to help her relieve the stresses in her life. But the bot did help her develop a plan for managing a particularly hectic day, and it certainly left her feeling seen. Pi reassured Griffith that her feelings were “understandable,” “reasonable,” and “totally normal.”</p><p>Suleyman posted a manifesto on the Inflection website on the day Pi was released. Social media basically had poisoned the world, he began. Outrage and anger drove engagement, and the lure of profits proved too strong. “Imagine an AI that helps you empathize with or even forgive ‘the other side,’ rather than be outraged by and fearful of them,” Suleyman wrote. “Imagine an AI that optimizes for your long-term goals and doesn’t take advantage of your need for distraction when you’re tired at the end of a long day.” He described the AI they were building as a “personal AI companion with the single mission of making you happier, healthier, and more productive.”</p><p>In June 2023, Inflection announced its series A funding round. Suleyman and Hoffman had gone out thinking they would raise between $600 million and $675 million, but after the launch of Pi, Inflection was pegged as one of the hot new startups. A long list of investors wanted a piece. “We were overwhelmed with offers,” Suleyman said. In the end, they raised $1.3 billion on a venture round that valued Inflection at $4 billion.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image rm-float-left rm-resized-container rm-resized-container-25" data-rm-resized-container="25%" style="float: left;"> <img alt="Cover of Gary Rivlin's book called, AI Valley. Microsoft, Google, and the Trillion Dollar Race to Cash in on Artificial Intelligence." class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3adfe4b970a68ecc6a07993f19815419" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="22509" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/cover-of-gary-rivlin-s-book-called-ai-valley-microsoft-google-and-the-trillion-dollar-race-to-cash-in-on-artificial-intellig.jpg?id=59746894&width=980"/> <small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">HarperCollins Publishers</small></p><h2>Inflection’s Technical and Business Challenges</h2><p>Pi’s willingness to tackle virtually any subject was a point of pride inside Inflection. Where other bots shut down users if they stepped anywhere near a sensitive topic, Pi invited a conversation. “It will try to acknowledge that a topic is sensitive or contentious and then be cautious about giving strong judgments and be led by the user,” Suleyman said. Pi corrected statements of fact that were wrong so as not to perpetuate misinformation but rather than outright reject a view, it offered counterevidence.</p><p>Suleyman was particularly proud of Pi in the weeks after Hamas’s attack on Israel and the subsequent bombing campaign Israel waged in Gaza. “It was good in real time while things were unfolding, it’s good now,” he said two months into the hostilities. “It’s very balanced and evenhanded, very respectful.” If it had one bias, it was a deliberate one in favor of “peace and respect for human life,” Suleyman said. A bot that believed at its core in the sanctity of human life did not seem a bad thing.</p><p>Taylor deemed the first version of Pi “acceptable.” “It was very, very polite and very formal,” she said. “But there wasn’t the conversationality we wanted.” Pleasant. Positive. Respectful. Those were all admirable traits but didn’t exactly add up to the “fun” experience they were selling. Yet finding that right balance proved difficult. The personality team would turn the dial up on one trait or another but it was as if they were playing Whac-A-Mole. They would fiddle with the weights and coax the model to use more slang and colloquialisms, but then Pi was “a little bit too friendly and informal in a way people might find rude,” Taylor said.</p><p>The wide range of preferences among users was a consistent topic of conversation inside the company. Pi’s default mode was “friendly” but a short list of alternatives was added for people to choose from: casual, witty, compassionate, devoted. Pi would shift modes if a user told it they were looking for a sympathetic ear and not the friend who tries to fix a problem. But the future Pi, as imagined by Suleyman, was a model that read a person’s <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/building-an-ai-that-feels" target="_blank">emotional tone</a> and quickly adjusted on its own, much as someone might do if greeting a friend with a hearty hello but then switching immediately when learning they’re calling with bad news. But bots were not at the point where they could read a person’s preferences without clear instructions. It took at least ten turns of the conversation, Suleyman said, and as many as thirty to discern a user’s mood.</p><p>“In the future, an AI is going to be many, many things all at once,” Suleyman said. “People ask me, ‘Is it a <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/woebot" target="_blank">therapist</a>?’ Well, it has flavors of therapist. It has flavors of a friend. It has flavors of supernerdy expert. It has flavors of coach and confidant.” Among their lofty goals was a Pi that had multiple personalities, like a cyborg Sybil with a dissociative identity disorder. As they saw it, Pi eventually would be able to assume a near-limitless number of modes able to match the moment.</p><p>By December 2023, Pi was available for Android and its roughly 3 billion worldwide users. But Suleyman and others at Inflection were vague about user numbers—deliberately so. They were a disappointment. That fall, pollsters asked people who used chatbots which one they turned to most often. Fifty-two percent said ChatGPT and another 20 percent named Claude. Perplexity was third with a 10 percent share, followed by Google’s Bard (9 percent) and Bing (7 percent). Pi was lumped in with the 2 percent of users who selected “other.”</p><p>The company had its usual long to-do list. Yet their main challenge was teaching Pi to get better at a wider range of tasks. People thought of Pi as a conversationalist, which was a good thing, but a helper that is good only at talking is limited. “Pi can’t code,” Balakrishnan said that winter. “It needs to get better at reasoning. It can’t take actions. It’s only really useful if you want to talk about your feelings.”</p><p><em>From the book: </em><a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/ai-valley-gary-rivlin?variant=42846781964322" target="_blank">AI Valley: Microsoft, Google, and the Trillion-Dollar Race to Cash In on Artificial Intelligence</a><em> by Gary Rivlin. Copyright © 2025 by Gary Rivlin. Reprinted courtesy of Harper Business, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.</em></p>

Mar 31, 2025

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/students-at-universidad-don-bosco-holding-a-banner-that-reads-ieee-women-in-engineering-universidad-don-bosco-wie-affinity-g.jpg?id=59759028&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C125%2C0%2C125"/><br/><br/><p>It’s been a busy three years since <a href="https://www.ieee.org/membership-catalog/productdetail/showProductDetailPage.html?product=MEMWIE050" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Women in Engineering</a> celebrated its <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/ieee-wie-25-year-anniversary" target="_self">25th anniversary</a> in 2022.</p><p>WIE facilitates the recruitment and retention of women in technical disciplines around the world. It also works to inspire girls to pursue an engineering career. There are student chapters at universities around the globe. Men may join the affinity group as well.</p><p>Women make up less than a third of the world’s workforce in technology-related fields, according to a report by the <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/ext/en/home" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">World Bank Group</a>.</p><p>WIE has introduced several programs focused on increasing the number of women in the science, technology, engineering, and math fields. The new initiatives include grants and leadership programs, and several contests have been launched to encourage and support female students who are considering a STEM career.</p><p>The group’s hard work is paying off. <a href="https://wie.ieee.org/about/wie-committee/members/#toc_Voting_Members" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Winnie Ye</a>, the current WIE chair and an electronics professor at <a href="https://carleton.ca/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Carleton University</a>, which is just south of Ottawa, reports that, as of February, the number of members and student members was up over the same period last year. There are more than 28,800 members, a year-over-year increase greater than 17 percent. Student membership, at nearly 21,000, is up by roughly the same percentage. There are now more than 1,100 affinity groups.</p><p>“Despite this growth, attracting and retaining paying members remains a challenge, particularly as students transition to professional membership,” Ye says. “Ensuring long-term engagement requires demonstrating clear value through career development, networking, and leadership opportunities.”</p><h2>A day of celebration, grants, and leadership training</h2><p>Many of the new programs were launched under <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/celia-shahnaz-888ba6130/?originalSubdomain=bd" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Celia Shahnaz</a>’s leadership. The WIE committee’s first elected chair, Shahnaz served in 2023 and 2024. In 2022 the committee made the chair an elected position.</p><p>Shahnaz has been a WIE volunteer for more than 20 years. She established the first WIE group in the <a href="https://www.ieeebd.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Bangladesh Section</a> in 2010 and became its first chair. The IEEE senior member is a professor of electrical and electronic engineering at the <a href="https://www.buet.ac.bd/web/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology,</a> in Dhaka.</p><p>She says she is most proud of bringing back the annual <a href="https://wie.ieee.org/news-events/conferences/ieee-wie-day/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE WIE Day</a>, held on 29 June, the date the group was formally established in 1997.</p><p>“The day is a member-engaging event targeting membership development and membership retention,” Shahnaz says. Activities include networking events, seminars, and workshops.</p><p>This year’s theme is Pioneering Safe Cyberspace: Bridging Technology and Light for Security.</p><p>For some groups, one day is not enough, so WIE Day events stretch out over several weeks. The inaugural event held in 2023 featured more than 120 activities worldwide. The number nearly doubled last year, with over 230 events. This year’s celebrations are scheduled to kick off on 23 June, to coincide with <a href="https://www.inwed.org.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">International Women in Engineering Day</a>, then end on 7 July. </p><p>The <a href="https://wie.ieee.org/grants-scholarships/family-cares-grant/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE WIE Family Cares grant program</a> was established to financially assist members with caregiving duties so they can attend an IEEE conference. A grant provides up to US $1,000 to cover expenses related to caring for children, senior citizens, and family members who are disabled. The grant is sponsored by the<a href="https://www.ieeefoundation.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> IEEE Foundation</a>.</p><p>To keep its members updated on industry trends, as well as research results and their practical applications, WIE has partnered with several IEEE societies and councils to offer a virtual<a href="https://wie.ieee.org/about/wie-committee/ieee-wie-distinguished-lecturers-program/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Distinguished Lecturers</a> program. More than 20 groups have provided speakers, including the <a href="https://wie.ieee.org/about/wie-committee/ieee-wie-distinguished-lecturers-program/#toc_Computer_Society" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Computer Society</a>, <a href="https://wie.ieee.org/about/wie-committee/ieee-wie-distinguished-lecturers-program/#toc_Power_Electronics_Society" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Power Electronics Society</a>, and <a href="https://wie.ieee.org/about/wie-committee/ieee-wie-distinguished-lecturers-program/#toc_Sensors_Council" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sensors Council</a>.</p><p class="pull-quote"><span>“I want to really strengthen WIE leadership with the local community so that we can provide more targeted resources and support women.” <strong>—Winnie Ye</strong></span></p><p>There’s also the new <a href="https://wie.ieee.org/industry/industry-experts-network/" target="_blank">Industry Experts Network</a>, a global database of industry professionals, researchers, and leaders who can be called upon to participate in an event.</p><p>“For any of our events, we can access this list of amazing people, who we can ask to give talks and offer workshops and seminars,” Ye says. Several WIE programs are focused on providing women with leadership skills. Less than 10 percent of women hold positions such as CIO, CTO, and IT manager, or serve as technical team leaders, according to this year’s <a href="https://www.womentech.net/women-in-tech-stats#:~:text=their%20counterparts%20receive.-,Leadership%20Position%20Gaps%20for%20Women%20in%20Tech,of%20representation%20within%20these%20roles." target="_blank">Women in Tech Stats</a> report.</p><p>The <a href="https://wie.ieee.org/news-events/conferences/international-leadership-summits/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">WIE International Leadership Summits</a>, which are held around the world, provide opportunities for networking, mentorship, and collaboration. Eight were held last year, and seven are scheduled for this year in countries including Jordan, Pakistan, Poland, and the United States.</p><p>The <a href="https://wie.ieee.org/news-events/conferences/east-forum-usa/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">WIE Forum USA East</a> helps its attendees develop and improve their leadership skills through talks by successful leaders. This year’s event is scheduled to be held from 6 to 8 November in Arlington, Va.</p><p>Ye says she is most excited about the return of WIE’s <a href="https://ieee-wie-ilc.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">International Leadership Conference</a>. After a two-year absence, the event is scheduled to be held on 15 and 16 May in San Jose, Calif. The theme is Accelerating Leadership in an AI-Powered World. Registration is now<a href="https://ieee-wie-ilc.org/registration/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> open</a>.</p><h2>STEM-related contests</h2><p>Several contests have been launched to encourage young women to pursue a STEM career, Shahnaz says. Women make up about 35 percent of STEM graduates—a gender disparity that hasn’t changed in the past 10 years, according to <a href="https://www.unesco.org/gem-report/en/2024genderreport" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">UNESCO’s 2024 Global Education Monitoring Report</a>.</p><p>Held for the first time in 2023, the <a href="https://wie.ieee.org/ieee-wie-climate-tech-big-idea-pitch-competition/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">WIE Climate Tech Big Idea Pitch</a> competition encourages female engineering students and researchers to be entrepreneurial and is designed to increase the number of technical startups led by women.</p><p>“I really wanted to inspire women to build their capacity using their technical knowledge and professional skills to be a startup founder,” Shahnaz says. “We wanted them to come up with a solution to climate-change-related problems and showcase their business ideas and models. We also wanted to nurture the talent of women in all membership grades including senior members, Fellows, and life Fellows.”</p><p>In the 2023 contest, a team of engineering students from the <a href="https://www.buet.ac.bd/web/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology</a> won first place in the impact category for its <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/bamboo-carbon-filter-reduce-emissions" target="_self">design of a bamboo filter for diesel engines</a>.</p><p>There were 60 submissions that first year, and the number doubled <a href="https://wie.ieee.org/ieee-wie-climate-tech-big-idea-pitch-competition-2/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">last year</a>. The deadline for submissions for this year’s contest will be announced soon.</p><p>Capitalizing on the popularity of manga comics and graphic novels with young people, WIE <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/manga-spark-interest-in-stem" target="_self">launched a competition</a> in 2023 to find the best-written manga that centered on Riko-chan, a fictional character who is a preuniversity student. Riko-chan uses STEM tools to help solve everyday problems. More than 40 people participated in the 2023 contest, and there were 81 submissions <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/ieee-wie-manga-contest-2024" target="_self">last year</a>. Their stories are available to read online, and many have been translated into nine languages including French, Hindi, and Spanish.</p><p>“We see this contest as an opportunity to showcase the diverse role models in engineering technology,” Ye says. “The goal is to spark curiosity among our younger audience and make STEM fields more relatable and more exciting for them.”</p><p>This year’s manga competition is now accepting submissions. Check out the <a href="https://wie.ieee.org/publications/manga-story-contest/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">rules and deadlines</a> on the WIE website.</p><h2>Mentoring and outreach programs</h2><p>A new mentoring program is in the works, Ye says.</p><p>“We want to really create an active mentor-mentee matching and engagement platform within the WIE community,” she says.</p><p>As part of her vision for a more engaged and inclusive community, she has launched the WIE Ambassador program. The initiative is designed to empower dedicated WIE members to advocate for IEEE’s mission globally. The ambassadors can promote WIE initiatives, organize local events, and inspire more women to pursue STEM careers, Ye says.</p><p>She emphasizes the importance of expanding WIE’s presence in underrepresented regions such as China and South Africa.</p><p>“During my term,” she says, “I’m committed to expanding our presence in these regions. I want to really strengthen WIE leadership with the local community so that we can provide more targeted resources and support women. We want to make sure that they are aware of us and become more active.”</p>

Mar 31, 2025

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/photo-of-an-apparatus-with-a-brown-box-and-a-long-black-cord-ending-in-a-silver-handled-pink-eraser.jpg?id=59702531&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=89%2C0%2C89%2C0"/><br/><br/><p> I’m fascinated with the early 20th-century zeal for electrifying everyday things. Hand tools, toasters, <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/how-the-electric-hot-comb-became-an-entrepreneurial-tool" target="_self">hot combs</a>—they all obviously benefited from the jolt of electrification. But the eraser? What was so problematic about the humble eraser that it needed electrifying? </p><p> A number of things, it turned out. According to Hermann Lukowski in his <a href="https://patents.google.com/patent/US2079356A" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">1935 patent application</a> for an apparatus for erasing, “Hand held rubbers are clumsy and cover a greater area than may be required.” Aye, there’s the rub, as it were. Lukowski’s cone-tipped electric eraser, he argued, could better handle the fine detail. </p><p> An electric eraser could also be a timesaver. In the days before computer-aided drawing and the ease of the delete and undo commands, manually erasing a document could be a delicate operation. </p><p> Consider the careful technique Roscoe C. Sloane and John M. Montz suggest in their 1930 book <a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015006808169&seq=203&q1=%22electric+eraser%22" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em><em>Elements of Topographic Drawing</em></em></a><em><em>. </em></em>To make a correction to a map, these civil engineering professors at <a href="https://www.osu.edu/" target="_blank">Ohio State University</a> recommend the following steps: </p><ol> <li>With a smooth, sharp knife pick the ink from the paper. This can be done without marring the surface.</li> <li>Place a hard, smooth surface, such as a [drafting] triangle, under the erasure before rubbing starts.</li> <li>When practically all the ink has been removed with the knife, rub with a pencil eraser.</li> </ol><p> Erasing was not for the faint of heart! </p><h2>A Brief History of the Eraser</h2><p> Where did the eraser get its start? The British scientist <a href="https://www.lindahall.org/about/news/scientist-of-the-day/joseph-priestley-3/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Joseph Priestley</a> is celebrated for his discovery of oxygen and not at all celebrated for his discovery of the eraser. Around 1766, while working on <a href="https://archive.org/details/historyandprese00priegoog/page/n6/mode/2up" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em><em>The History and Present State of Electricity</em></em></a><em><em>, </em></em>he found himself having to draw his own illustrations. First, though, he had to learn to draw, and because any new artist naturally makes mistakes, he also needed to erase. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image rm-float-left rm-resized-container rm-resized-container-25" data-rm-resized-container="25%" style="float: left;"> <img alt="18th-century portrait of a clean-shaven man wearing a powdered wig, black jacket, and white high-collared shirt." class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3e6e136d36f359dca045936badfc5141" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="d4a32" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/18th-century-portrait-of-a-clean-shaven-man-wearing-a-powdered-wig-black-jacket-and-white-high-collared-shirt.jpg?id=59702533&width=980"/> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">In 1766 or thereabouts, Joseph Priestley discovered the erasing properties of natural rubber.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Alamy</small></p><p> Alas, there weren’t a lot of great options for erasing at the time. For items drawn in ink, he could use a knife to scrape away errors; pumice or other rough stones could also be used to abrade the page and remove the ink. To erase pencil, the customary approach was to use a piece of bread or bread crumbs to gently grind the graphite off the page. All of the methods were problematic. Without extreme care, it was easy to damage the paper. Using bread was also messy, and as the writer and artist John Ruskin allegedly said, a waste of perfectly good bread. </p><p> As the story goes, Priestley one day accidentally grabbed a piece of caoutchouc, or natural rubber, instead of bread and discovered that it could erase his mistakes. </p><p> Priestley may have discovered this attribute of rubber, but <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Nairne" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Edward Nairne</a>, an inventor, optician, and scientific-instrument maker, marketed it for sale. For three shillings (about one day’s wages for a skilled tradesman), you could purchase a half-inch (1.27-cm) cube of the material. Priestley acknowledged Nairne in the preface of his 1770 tutorial on how to draw, <a href="https://archive.org/details/afamiliarintrod00conggoog/page/n6/mode/2up" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em><em>A Familiar Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Perspective</em></em></a><em><em>, </em></em>noting that caoutchouc was “excellently adapted to the purpose of wiping from paper the marks of a black-lead-pencil.” By the late 1770s, cubes of caoutchouc were generally known as rubbers or lead-eaters. </p><p> Natural rubber might be good for erasing, but it isn’t necessarily an item you want sitting on your desk. It is extremely sensitive to temperature, becoming hard and brittle in the cold and soft and gummy in the heat. Over time, it inevitably degrades. And worst of all, it becomes stinky. </p><p class="pull-quote"><span>What was so problematic about the humble eraser that it needed electrifying?</span></p><p> Luckily, there were lots of other people looking for ways to improve natural rubber, and in 1839 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Goodyear" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Charles Goodyear</a> developed the vulcanization process. By adding sulfur to natural rubber and then heating it, Goodyear discovered how to stabilize rubber in a firm state, what we would call today the thermosetting of polymers. In 1844 <a href="https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/1a/13/8e/18751846ded131/US3633.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Goodyear patented</a> a process to create rubber fabric. He went on to make rubber shoes and other products. (The <a href="https://corporate.goodyear.com/us/en/company/history.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tire company</a> that bears his name was founded by the brothers Charles and Frank Seiberling several decades later.) Goodyear unfortunately died penniless, but we did get a better eraser out of his discovery. </p><h2>Who Really Invented the Electric Eraser?</h2><p> Albert Dremel, who opened his <a href="https://www.dremel.com/ap/en/about-us" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">eponymous company </a>in 1932, often gets credit for the invention of the electric eraser, but if that’s true, I can find no definitive proof. Out of more than 50 U.S. patents held by Dremel, none are for an electric eraser. In fact, other inventors may have a better claim, such as Homer G. Coy, who filed a patent for an electrified <a href="https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/9d/82/fc/75d8da04020000/US1661111.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">automatic eraser </a>in 1927, or Ola S. Pugerud, who filed a patent for a <a href="https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/fd/13/e7/058c1d6d2685c3/US853994.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">rotatable electric eraser</a> in 1906. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"> <img alt="Photo of an open wooden carrying case containing a black cylinder instrument with its electric cord wrapped around it and a number of small accessories. " class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="adc1dbb1de4967d532b287a062880f54" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="5f719" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/photo-of-an-open-wooden-carrying-case-containing-a-black-cylinder-instrument-with-its-electric-cord-wrapped-around-it-and-a-numb.jpg?id=59702591&width=980"/> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">The Dremel Moto-Tool, introduced in 1935, came with an array of swappable bits. One version could be used as an electric eraser.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Dremel</small></p><p> In 1935 Dremel did come out with the <a href="https://www.dremel.com/us/en/about-us/a-90-year-tradition-of-excellence" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Moto-Tool</a>, the world’s first handheld, high-speed rotary tool that had interchangeable bits for sanding, engraving, burnishing, and sharpening. <a href="https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/dremel-brand-electric-eraser-129192582" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">One version</a> of the Moto-Tool was sold as an electric eraser, although it was held more like a hammer than a pencil. </p><p> Regardless of who invented the device, electric erasers were definitely on the market by 1929. Some of the earliest adopters were librarians, specifically those who maintained and had to frequently update the card catalog. Margaret Mann, an associate professor of library science at the University of Michigan, listed an electric eraser as recommended equipment in her 1930 book <a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015033895239&seq=9" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em><em>Introduction to Cataloging and the Classification of Books</em></em></a><em><em>. </em></em>She described a flat, round rubber eraser mounted on a motor-driven instrument similar to a dentist’s drill. The eraser could remove typewriting and print from catalog cards without leaving a rough appearance. By 1937, discussions of electric erasers were part of the library science curriculum at Columbia University. Electric erasers had gone mainstream. </p><p class="pull-quote"> <span>To erase pencil, the customary approach was to use a piece of bread to gently grind the graphite off the page. </span></p><p><span></span>In 1930, the Charles Bruning Co.’s general catalog had six pages of erasers and accessories, with two pages devoted to the company’s electric erasing machine. Bruning, which specialized in engineering, drafting, and surveying supplies, also offered a variety of nonelectrified eraser products, including steel erasers (also known as desk knives), eraser shields (used to isolate the area to be erased), and a chisel-shaped eraser to put on the end of a pencil. </p><p> The <a href="https://semlerindustries.com/about/history" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Loren Specialty Manufacturing Co.</a> arrived late to the electric eraser game, introducing its first such product in 1953. Held in the hand like a pen or pencil, the Presto electric eraser would vibrate to abrade a small area in need of correction. The company spun off the Presto brand in 1962, about the time the <a href="https://www.cooperhewitt.org/2019/04/23/presto-erased-in-seconds/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Presto Model 80</a> [shown at top] was produced. This particular unit was used by officer workers at the <a href="https://www.newyorklife.com/" target="_blank">New York Life Insurance Co.</a> and is now housed at the <a href="https://www.si.edu/museums/cooper-hewitt-smithsonian-design-museum" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Smithsonian’s Cooper Hewitt</a>. </p><h2>The Creativity of the Eraser </h2><p> When I was growing up, my dad kept an electric eraser next to his drafting table. I loved playing with it, but it wasn’t until I began researching this article that I realized I had been using it all wrong. The pros know you’re supposed to shape the cylindrical rubber into a point in order to erase fine lines. </p><p> Today almost all draftsmen, librarians, and office workers have gone digital, but some visual artists still use electric erasers. One of them is artist and educator <a href="https://www.fivepencilmethod.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Darrel Tank</a>, who specializes in pencil drawings. I watched several of his surprisingly fascinating <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzFGb5YE3bg" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">videos </a>comparing various models of electric erasers. Seeing Tank use his favorite electric eraser to create texture on clothing or movement in hair made me realize that drawing is not just an additive process. Sometimes it is what’s removed that makes the difference. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"> <span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1081f60bbe39fa389786ab7d66b5772a" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jzFGb5YE3bg?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">- YouTube</small> </p><p> <a href="https://arch.vt.edu/people/waac-faculty/piedmont-palladino-susan.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Susan Piedmont-Palladino</a>, an architect and professor at Virginia Tech’s Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center, has also thought a lot about erasing. She curated the exhibit “Tools of the Imagination: Drawing Tools and Technologies from the Eighteenth Century to the Present” at the <a href="https://nbm.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">National Building Museum</a> in 2005 and authored the companion book of the same title. Piedmont-Palladino describes architectural design as a long process of doing, undoing, and redoing, deciding which ideas can stay and which must go. </p><p> Piedmont-Palladino writes lovingly of a not-too-distant past, where this design process was captured in a building’s plans. When the architect was drafting by hand, the paper itself became a record of distress, showing where it had been scraped, erased, and redrawn. You could see points of uncertainty and points of decisiveness. But today, when almost all architectural drawing is done on a computer, users delete instead of erase. With a few keystrokes, an object can disappear, move to another spot, or miraculously reappear from the trash can. The design process is no longer etched into the page. </p><p> Of course, the pencil, the eraser (electric or not), and the computer are all just tools for transmitting and visualizing ideas. The tools of any age reflect society in ways that aren’t always clear until new tools come to replace them. Both the pencil and the eraser had to be invented, and it is up to historians to make sure they aren’t forgotten. </p><p> <em>Part of a </em><a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/collections/past-forward/" target="_self"><em>continuing series</em></a><em> </em><em>looking at historical artifacts that embrace the boundless potential of technology.</em> </p><p> <em>An abridged version of this article appears in the April 2025 print issue as “When Electrification Came for the Eraser.”</em> </p><h3>References</h3><br/><p>The electric eraser, more than any object I have researched for <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/collections/past-forward/" target="_self">Past Forward</a>, has the most incorrect information about its history on the Internet—wrong names, bad dates, inaccurate assertions—which get repeated over and over again as fact. It’s a great reminder of the need to go back to original sources.</p><p>As always, I enjoyed digging through patents to trace the history of invention and innovation in electric erasers.</p><p>Other primary sources I consulted include Margaret Mann’s <a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015033895239&seq=9" target="_blank"><em>Introduction to Cataloging and the Classification of Books</em></a><em>, </em>a syllabus to Columbia University’s 1937 course on <a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112060712152&seq=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Library Service 201</a>, and the <a href="https://archive.org/details/generalcatalog00char/mode/2up" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Charles Bruning Co.’s 1930 catalog</a>.</p><p>Although Henry Petroski’s <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/130245/the-pencil-by-henry-petroski/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance </em></a>only has a little bit of information on the history of erasers, it’s a great read about the implement that does the writing that needs to be erased.</p>

Mar 30, 2025

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/a-photo-collage-of-a-doctor-looking-at-a-device-with-various-electronic-medical-records-pieced-together-around-him.jpg?id=59680342&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C0"/><br/><br/><p> <strong>Cheryl Conrad no longer </strong>seethes with the frustration that threatened to overwhelm her in 2006. As <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/dying-for-data" target="_self">described</a> in <em><em>IEEE</em></em> <em><em>Spectrum</em></em>, Cheryl’s husband, Tom, has a rare genetic disease that causes ammonia to accumulate in his blood. At an emergency room visit two decades ago, Cheryl told the doctors Tom needed an immediate dose of lactulose to avoid going into a coma, but they refused to medicate him until his primary doctor confirmed his medical condition hours later. </p><p> Making the situation more vexing was that Tom had been treated at that facility for the same problem a few months earlier, and no one could locate his medical records. After Tom’s recovery, Cheryl vowed to always have immediate access to them. </p><p> Today, Cheryl says, “Happily, I’m not involved anymore in lugging Tom’s medical records everywhere.” Tom’s two primary medical facilities use the same electronic health record (EHR) system, allowing doctors at both facilities to access his medical information quickly. </p><p> In 2004, President George W. Bush set an ambitious goal for U.S. health care providers to transition to EHRs by 2014. Electronic health records, he declared, would transform health care by ensuring that a person’s complete medical information was <a href="https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/technology/economic_policy200404/chap3.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">available</a> “at the time and place of care, no matter where it originates.” </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"> <img alt="U.S. President George Bush stands next to a doctor in a white lab coat, as he points at a screen with an electronic health record on it." class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="60d61cc3152e81ecc5a6649c321ba13d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="34430" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/u-s-president-george-bush-stands-next-to-a-doctor-in-a-white-lab-coat-as-he-points-at-a-screen-with-an-electronic-health-recor.jpg?id=59682494&width=980"/> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">President George W. Bush looks at an electronic medical record system during a visit to the Cleveland Clinic on 27 January 2005. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Brooks Kraft/Corbis/Getty Images</small> </p><p> Over the next four years, a bipartisan Congress <a href="https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/regulatory/onc-folo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">approved</a> more than US $150 million in funding aimed at setting up electronic health record demonstration projects and creating the administrative infrastructure needed. </p><p> Then, in 2009, during efforts to mitigate the financial crisis, newly elected President Barack Obama <a href="https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/economy/jobs/recovery-act" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">signed</a> the $787 billion economic stimulus bill. Part of it contained the <a href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R40161/9#:~:text=Lawmakers%20incorporated%20the%20Health%20Information,of%20Health%20and%20Human%20Services" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act</a>, also known as the HITECH Act, which <a href="https://www.loeb.com/en/insights/publications/2010/01/hitech-act-of-2009--certified-electronic-health-__" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">budgeted</a> $49 billion to promote health information technology and EHRs in the United States. </p><p> <span>As a result, Tom, like most Americans, now has an electronic health record. However, many millions of Americans now have multiple electronic health records. On average, patients in the United States </span><a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/survey-patients-see-187-different-doctors-on-average-92171874.html" target="_blank">visit</a><span> 19 different kinds of doctors throughout their lives. Further, many specialists have unique EHR systems that do not automatically communicate medical data between each other, so you must update your medical information for each one. Nevertheless, Tom now has immediate access to all his medical treatment and test information, something not readily available 20 years ago.</span> </p><p> Tom’s situation underlines the paradox of how far the United States has come since 2004 and how far it still must go to achieve President Bush’s vision of a complete, secure, easily accessible, and seamlessly interoperable lifetime EHR. </p><h3></h3><br/><div class="flourish-embed flourish-chart" data-src="visualisation/22205170?602891"><script src="https://public.flourish.studio/resources/embed.js"></script><noscript><img alt="chart visualization" src="https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/22205170/thumbnail" width="100%"/></noscript></div><p class="caption">As of 2021, nearly 80 percent of physicians and almost all nonfederal acute-care hospitals deployed an electronic health record system.</p><h3></h3><br/><p>For many patients in the United States today, instead of fragmented, paper medical record silos, they have a plethora of fragmented, electronic medical record silos. And thousands of health care providers are burdened with costly, poorly designed, and insecure EHR systems that have exacerbated clinician burnout, led to hundreds of millions of medical records lost in data breaches, and created new sources of medical errors.</p><p>EHR’s baseline standardization does help centralize a very fragmented health care system, but in the rush to get EHR systems adopted, key technological and security challenges were overlooked and underappreciated. Subsequently, problems were introduced due to the sheer complexity of the systems being deployed. These still-unresolved issues are now potentially coupled with the unknown consequences of bolting on immature AI-driven technologies. Unless more thought and care are taken now in how to proceed as a fully integrated health care system, we could unintentionally put the entire U.S. health care system in a worse place than when President Bush first declared his EHR goal in 2004.</p><h2>IT to Correct Health Care Inefficiencies Is a Global Project</h2><p>Putting government pressure on the health care industry to adopt EHR systems through various financial incentives made sense by the early 2000s. Health care in the United States was in <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1999/07/11/health-care-growing-as-2000-issue/3cf6b01a-3719-4393-b7d0-0080fb1fb8b7/" target="_blank">deep trouble</a>. Spending increased from $74.1 billion in 1970 <a href="https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/u-s-spending-healthcare-changed-time/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">to more than </a>$1.4 trillion by 2000, <a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w11833" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2.3 times as fast as the U.S. </a>gross domestic product. Health care costs<a href="https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/u-s-spending-healthcare-changed-time/#Total%20national%20health%20expenditures,%20US%20$%20Billions,%201970-2022" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> grew</a> at three times the rate of inflation from 1990 to 2000 alone, surpassing 13 percent of GDP.</p><p>Two major studies conducted by the Institute of Medicine in 2000 and 2001, titled <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK225182/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>To Err Is Human</em></a> and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK222274/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Crossing the Quality Chasm</em></a>, found that health care was deteriorating in terms of accessibility, quality, and safety. Inferior quality and needless medical treatments, including overuse or duplication of diagnostic tests, underuse of effective medical practices, misuse of drug therapies, and poor communication between health care providers emerged as particularly frustrating problems.</p><p>Administrative waste and unnecessary expenditures were substantial cost drivers, from billing to resolving insurance claims to managing patients’ cases. Health care’s administrative side was characterized as a “ <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2690367/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">monstrosity</a>,” showing huge transaction costs associated with an estimated 30 billion communications conducted by mail, fax, or telephone annually at that time.</p><p>Both health care experts and policymakers agreed that reductions in health care delivery and its costs were possible only by deploying health information technology such as electronic prescribing and EHR. Early adopters of EHR systems like the <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/dying-for-data" target="_self">Mayo Clinic</a>,<a href="https://edhub.ama-assn.org/steps-forward/module/2768110#:~:text=Cleveland%20Clinic%20was%20one%20of,to%20implement%20Epic%20in%202001." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Cleveland Clinic,</a> and the <a href="https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/2006-08-5800" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs</a> proved the case. Governments across the European Union and the United Kingdom reached the same conclusion.</p><p>There has been a <a href="https://digitalhealthmonitor.org/stateofdigitalhealth23" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">consistent push</a>, especially in more economically advanced countries, to adopt EHR systems over the past two decades. For example, the E.U. has <a href="https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/digital-decade-2024-ehealth-indicator-study" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">set a goal</a> of providing 100 percent of its citizens across 27 countries access to electronic health records by 2030. Several countries are well on their way to this achievement, including Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, and Poland. Outside the E.U., countries such as Israel and Singapore also have very advanced systems, and after a <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/australians-choosing-to-optout-of-controversial-my-health-record-system" target="_self">rocky start</a>,<a href="https://www.digitalhealth.gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/my-health-record" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Australia’s My Health Record system</a> seems to have found its footing. The United Kingdom was hoping to be a global leader in adopting interoperable health information systems, but a disastrous implementation of its <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/npfit-dismantled-uk-government-announces-end-of-its-127-billion-national-electronic-health-record-program" target="_self">National Programme for IT</a> ended in 2011 after nine years and more than £10 billion. Canada, China, India, and Japan also have <a href="https://digitalhealthmonitor.org/stateofdigitalhealth23" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">EHR system initiatives</a> in place at varying levels of maturity. However, it will likely be years before they achieve the same capabilities found in leading digital-health countries.</p><h2>EHRs Need a Systems-Engineering Approach</h2><p>When it comes to embracing automation, the health care industry has <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/21/business/government-wants-to-bring-health-records-into-computer-age.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">historically moved</a> at a snail’s pace, and when it does move, money goes to IT automation first. Market forces alone were unlikely to speed up EHR adoption.</p><p>Even in the early 2000s, health care experts and government officials were confident that digitalization could reduce total health spending by 10 percent while improving patient care. In a <a href="https://www.rand.org/news/press/2005/09/14.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">highly influential 2005 study</a>, the <a href="https://www.rand.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">RAND Corp</a>. estimated that adopting EHR systems in hospitals and physician offices would cost $98 billion and $17 billion, respectively. The report also estimated that these entities would save at least $77 billion a year after moving to digital records. A <a href="https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.24.5.1127" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">highly cited paper</a> in <em>HealthAffairs</em> from 2005 also claimed that small physician practices could recoup their EHR system investments in 2.5 years and profit handsomely thereafter.</p><p>Moreover, RAND <a href="https://www.rand.org/news/press/2005/09/14.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">claimed</a> that a fully automated health care system could save the United States $346 billion per year. When <a href="https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/government/leavitt-bio.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Michael O. Leavitt</a>, then the Secretary of Health and Human Services, looked at the projected savings, he saw them as “<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2005-10-30/this-man-wants-to-heal-health-care" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a key part of saving Medicare</a>.” As baby boomers began retiring en masse in the early 2010s, cutting health care costs was also a political imperative since Medicare funding was<a href="https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/ReportsTrustFunds/downloads/tr2005.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> projected</a> to run out by 2020.</p><p>Some doubted the EHR revolution’s <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/electronic-health-records-are-worth-it-or-not" target="_self">health care improvement</a> and <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB123681586452302125" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">cost reduction</a> claims or that it could be achieved within 20 years. The Congressional Budget Office <a href="https://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/110th-congress-2007-2008/reports/05-20-healthit.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">argued</a> that the <a href="https://www.rand.org/news/press/2005/09/14.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">RAND report</a> overstated the potential costs and benefits of EHR systems and ignored peer-reviewed studies that contradicted it. The CBO also pointed out that RAND assumed EHR systems would be widely adopted and effectively used, which implies that effective tools already existed, though very few commercially available systems were. There was also <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/dying-for-data" target="_self">skepticism</a> about whether replicating the benefits for early adopters of EHR systems—who spent decades perfecting their systems—<a href="https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.27.5.w383" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">was possible</a> once the five-year period of governmental EHR adoption incentives<a href="https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/hitech-act-overview/2011-03#:~:text=The%20incentive%20payments%20under%20HITECH,for%20the%20fourth%20year%3B%20and" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> ended</a>.</p><p>Even former <a href="https://www.congress.gov/116/meeting/house/110900/witnesses/HHRG-116-HA00-Bio-GingrichN-20200717.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">House Speaker Newt Gingrich</a>, a strong advocate for electronic health record systems, warned that health care was “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/16/business/yourmoney/health-cares-unlikely-surgeon.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">30 times more difficult to fix than national defense</a>.” The extent of the problem was one reason the 2005 National Academy of Sciences report<em>,</em><a href="https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11378/building-a-better-delivery-system-a-new-engineeringhealth-care-partnership" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em> </em><em><em>Building a Better Delivery System: A New Engineering / Health Care Partnership</em></em></a>, forcefully and repeatedly called for innovative systems-engineering approaches to be developed and applied across the entire health care delivery process. The scale, complexity, and extremely short time frame for attempting to transform the totality of the health care environment demanded a robust “system of systems” engineering approach.</p><p>This was especially true because of the potential human impacts of automation on health care professionals and patients. Researchers warned that <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1975796/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ignoring the interplay</a> of computer-mediated work and existing sociotechnical conditions in health care practices would result in unexpected, unintentional, and undesirable consequences.</p><p>Additionally, without standard mechanisms for making EHR systems interoperable, many potential benefits would not materialize. As David Brailer, the first National Health Information Technology Coordinator, <a href="https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/31a8/8ac8c63d3e06aec2e49e786de8693759316b.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">stated</a>, “Unless interoperability is achieved…potential clinical and economic benefits won’t be realized, and we will not move closer to badly needed health care reform in the U.S.”</p><h2>HITECH’s Broken Promises and Unforeseen Consequences</h2><p>A few years later, policymakers in the Obama administration thought it was <a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/death-by-a-thousand-clicks/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">unrealistic</a> to prioritize interoperability. They feared that defining interoperability standards too early would lock the health industry into outdated information-sharing approaches. Further, no existing health care business model supported interoperability, and a strong business model <a href="https://www.hcinnovationgroup.com/interoperability-hie/article/21083651/36-billion-later-the-united-states-is-still-working-on-a-health-data-revolution" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">actively discouraged</a> providers from sharing information. If patient information could easily shift to another provider, for example, what incentive does the provider have to readily share it?</p><p>Instead, policymakers <a href="https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/hitech-act-overview/2011-03" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">decided</a> to have EHR systems adopted as widely and quickly as possible during the five years of HITECH incentives. Tackling interoperability would come later. The government’s <a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/death-by-a-thousand-clicks/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">unofficial operational mantra</a> was that EHR systems<a href="https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/blumenthal-look-stage-1-meaningful-use-upshot-next-winter" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> needed to become operational before they could become interoperable</a>.</p><p>“Researchers have <a href="https://www.dermatologytimes.com/view/physicians-spend-4-5-hours-a-day-on-electronic-health-records" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"></a>found that doctors spend between 3.5 and 6 hours a day (4.5 hours on average) filling out their digital health records.”</p><p>Existing EHR system vendors, making $2 billion annually at the time, <a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/death-by-a-thousand-clicks/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">viewed</a> the HITECH incentive program as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to increase market share and revenue streams. Like fresh chum to hungry sharks, the subsidy money attracted a host of new EHR technology entrants eager for a piece of the action. The resulting feeding frenzy<a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/us-electronic-health-records-rollout-so-far-a-mixed-diagnosis" target="_self"> pitted</a> an IT-naïve health care industry rushing to adopt EHR systems against a horde of vendors willing to<a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/death-by-a-thousand-clicks/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> promise (almost) anything</a> to make a sale.</p><p>A few years into the HITECH program, a 2013 <a href="https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR400/RR439/RAND_RR439.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">report</a> by RAND wryly observed the market distortion caused by what amounted to an EHR adoption mandate: “We found that (EHR system) usability represents a relatively new, unique, and vexing challenge to physician professional satisfaction. Few other service industries are exposed to universal and substantial incentives to adopt such a specific, highly regulated form of technology, which has, as our findings suggest, not yet matured.”</p><p>In addition to forcing health care providers to choose quickly among a host of immature EHR solutions, the HITECH program completely undercut the warnings raised about the need for systems engineering or considering the impact of automation on very human-centered aspects of health care delivery by professionals. Sadly, the lack of attention to these concerns affects current EHR systems.<em><strong><em></em></strong></em></p><p>Today, studies like that conducted by <em>Stanford Medicine</em><a href="https://med.stanford.edu/content/dam/sm/ehr/documents/EHR-Poll-Presentation.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> indicate</a> that nearly 70 percent of health care professionals express some level of satisfaction with their electronic health record system and that more than 60 percent think EHR systems have improved patient care. Electronic prescribing has also been seen as a<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1544319124000736" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> general success</a>, with the risk of medication errors and adverse drug events reduced.</p><p>However, professional satisfaction with EHRs runs shallow. The poor usability of EHR systems <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/us-electronic-health-records-rollout-so-far-a-mixed-diagnosis" target="_self">surfaced early</a> in the HITECH program and continues as a main driver for physician dissatisfaction. The <a href="https://med.stanford.edu/content/dam/sm/ehr/documents/EHR-Poll-Presentation.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em><em>Stanford Medicine</em></em> study</a>, for example, also reported that 54 percent of physicians polled felt their EHR systems detracted from their professional satisfaction, and 59 percent felt it required a complete overhaul.</p><h3></h3><br/><p>“What we’ve essentially done is created 24/7/365 access to clinicians with no economic model for that: The doctors don’t get paid.” <strong>—Robert Wachter, chair of the department of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco</strong></p><h3></h3><br/><p>Poor <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3286113/" target="_blank">EHR system usability</a> results in laborious and low-value data entry, obstacles to face-to-face patient communication, and information overload, where clinicians have to wade through an excess of irrelevant data when treating a patient. A 2019 study in <em>Mayo Clinic Proceedings</em> comparing EHR system usability to other IT products like Google Search, Microsoft Word, and Amazon<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025619619308365" target="_blank"> placed EHR products</a> in the bottom 10 percent.</p><p>Electronic health record systems were supposed to increase provider productivity, but for many clinicians, their EHRs are <a href="https://openurl.ebsco.com/EPDB%3Agcd%3A11%3A22350651/detailv2?sid=ebsco%3Aplink%3Ascholar&id=ebsco%3Agcd%3A142141213&crl=c" target="_blank">productivity vampires</a> instead. Researchers have<a href="https://www.dermatologytimes.com/view/physicians-spend-4-5-hours-a-day-on-electronic-health-records" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> found</a> that doctors spend between 3.5 and 6 hours a day (4.5 hours on average) filling out their patient’s digital health records, with an <em>Annals of Internal Medicine</em><a href="https://www.dotmed.com/news/story/61442" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> study</a> reporting that doctors in outpatient settings spend only 27 percent of their work time face-to-face with their patients.</p><p>In those visits, patients often complain that their doctors spend too much time staring at their computers. They are not likely wrong, as nearly 70 percent of doctors in 2018 <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10134123/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">felt</a> that EHRs took valuable time away from their patients. To address this issue, health care providers<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9860472/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> employ</a> more than 100,000 medical scribes today—or about one for every 10 U.S. physicians—to record documentation during office visits, but this only highlights the unacceptable usability problem.</p><p>Furthermore, physicians are spending more time dealing with their EHRs because the government, health care managers, and insurance companies are requesting more patient information regarding billing, quality measures, and compliance data. Patient notes are <a href="https://hbr.org/2019/01/3-ways-to-make-electronic-health-records-less-time-consuming-for-physicians" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">twice as long</a> as they were 10 years ago. This is not surprising, as EHR systems so far have not complemented clinician work as much as directed it.</p><p>“A phenomenon of the productivity vampire is that the goalposts get moved,” explains University of Michigan professor emeritus John Leslie King, who coined the phrase “productivity vampire.” King, a student of system–human interactions, continues, “With the ability to better track health care activities, more government and insurance companies are going to ask for that information in order for providers to get paid.”</p><h3></h3><br/><img alt="Portrait of a silver-haired bespectacled man in a white Dr. coat" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f0e02610f4475b07c776c699b9a60ba0" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="3e82d" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/portrait-of-a-silver-haired-bespectacled-man-in-a-white-dr-coat.jpg?id=59683642&width=980"/><h3></h3><br/><p><a href="https://profiles.ucsf.edu/robert.wachter" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Robert Wachter</a>, chair of the department of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Doctor-Hope-Medicines-Computer/dp/1260019608" target="_blank"><em>The Digital Doctor: Hope, Hype, and Harm at the Dawn of Medicine’s Computer Age</em></a>, believes that EHRs “became an enabler of corporate control and outside entity control.”</p><p>“It became a way that entities that cared about what the doctor was doing could now look to see in real time what the doctor was doing, and then influence what the doctor was doing and even constrain it,” Wachter says.</p><p>Federal law mandates that patients have access to their medical information contained in EHR systems—which is great, says Wachter, but this also adds to clinician workloads, as patients now feel free to pepper their physicians with emails and messages about the information.</p><p>“What we’ve essentially done is created 24/7/365 access to clinicians with no economic model for that: The doctors don’t get paid,” Wachter says. His doctors’ biggest complaints are that their EHR system has overloaded email inboxes with patient inquiries. Some doctors <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10134123/" target="_blank">report</a> that their in-boxes have become the equivalent of a second set of patients.</p><p>It is not so much a problem with the electronic information system design per se, notes Wachter, but with EHR systems that “meet the payment system and the workflow system in ways that we really did not think about.” EHRs also promised to <a href="https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/physician-health/what-physician-burnout" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reduce stress</a> among health care professionals. Numerous studies have found, however, that EHR systems <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10734365/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">worsen clinician burnout</a>, with <em>Stanford Medicine</em> finding that 71 percent of physicians felt the systems <a href="https://www.chiefhealthcareexecutive.com/view/the-status-quo-with-ehrs-is-ripe-for-disruption-viewpoint" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">contributed</a> to burnout.</p><h3></h3><br/><div class="flourish-embed flourish-pictogram" data-src="visualisation/22306029?602891"><script src="https://public.flourish.studio/resources/embed.js"></script><noscript><img alt="pictogram visualization" src="https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/22306029/thumbnail" width="100%"/></noscript></div><p class="caption">Half of U.S. physicians are experiencing burnout, with 63 percent reporting at least one manifestation in 2022. The average physician works 53 hours weekly (19 hours more than the general population) and spends over 4 hours daily on documentation.</p><h3></h3><br/><p><span style="background-color: initial;">Clinical burnout is</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9422765/" target="_blank"> lowest</a> among clinicians with highly usable EHR systems or in specialties <a href="https://www.tebra.com/theintake/staffing-solutions/independent-practices/physician-burnout-by-specialty" target="_blank">with the least interaction</a> with their EHR systems, such as surgeons and radiologists. Physicians who make, on average, 4,000 EHR system clicks per shift, like emergency room doctors,<a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/death-by-a-thousand-clicks/" target="_blank"> report</a> the highest levels of burnout.</p><p>Aggravating the situation, notes Wachter, was “that decision support is so rudimentary…which means that the doctors feel like they’re spending all this time entering data in the machine, (but) getting relatively little useful intelligence out of it.”</p><p>Poorly designed information systems can also <a href="https://www.hcinnovationgroup.com/clinical-it/electronic-health-record-electronic-medical-record-ehr-emr/news/53072135/study-links-poor-ehr-usability-to-patient-safety-issues" target="_blank">compromise patient safety</a>. Evidence suggests that EHR systems with unacceptable usability contribute to low-quality patient care and reduce the likelihood of catching medical errors. According to a study funded by the <a href="https://www.ahrq.gov/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality</a>, EHR system issues were <a href="https://www.ahrq.gov/news/newsletters/e-newsletter/863.html#:~:text=A%20majority%20of%20diagnostic%20errors,diagnosis%2D%20and%20EHR%2Drelated." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">involved</a> in the majority of malpractice claims over a six-and-a-half-year period of study ending in 2021. Sadly, the situation has <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9983735/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">not changed</a> today.</p><h2>Interoperability, Cybersecurity Bite Back</h2><p>EHR system interoperability closely follows poor EHR system usability as a driver of health care provider dissatisfaction. Recent data from the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy / Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology <a href="https://www.healthit.gov/data/data-briefs/interoperable-exchange-patient-health-information-among-us-hospitals-2023" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">indicates</a> that 70 percent of hospitals sometimes exchange patient data, though only 43 percent <a href="https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-23-105540#:~:text=Survey%20data%20show%20that%20the,than%20that%20of%20other%20hospitals." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">claim</a> they regularly do. System-affiliated hospitals <a href="https://www.healthit.gov/data/data-briefs/interoperable-exchange-patient-health-information-among-us-hospitals-2023#:~:text=Over%20half%20(53%25)%20of,just%2022%25%20of%20independent%20hospitals.&text=Over%20half%20(55%25)%20of,4%20domains%20of%20interoperable%20exchange." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">share</a> the most information, while independent and small hospitals share the least.</p><p>Exchanging information using the same EHR system helps. Wachter observes that interoperability among similar EHR systems is straightforward, but across different EHR systems, he says, “it is still relatively weak.”</p><p>However, even if two hospitals use the same EHR vendor, communicating patient data <a href="https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-19-197" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">can be difficult</a> if each hospital’s system is customized. Studies indicate that patient mismatch rates can be as high as 50 percent, even in practices using the same EHR vendor. This often leads to duplicate patient records that lack vital patient information, which can result in <a href="https://www.chiefhealthcareexecutive.com/view/the-deadly-cost-of-duplicate-patient-records-viewpoint" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">avoidable patient injuries and deaths</a>.</p><p>The ability to share information associated with a unique patient identifier (UPI), like other countries that use advanced EHRs, including Estonia, Israel, and Singapore, makes health information interoperability easier, says <a href="https://himss24.mapyourshow.com/8_0/sessions/speaker-details.cfm;jsessionid=D1783F0A0FA1A1D665EDB3F05AB480A6.vts?speakerid=1193&" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Christina Grimes</a>,<a href="https://www.himss.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> </a>digital health strategist for the <a href="https://www.himss.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society</a> (HIMSS).</p><p>But in the United States, “Congress has forbidden it since 1998” and <a href="https://www.medpagetoday.com/practicemanagement/informationtechnology/102812" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">steadfastly resists</a> allowing for UPIs, she notes.</p><p>Using a single-payer health insurance system, like most other countries with advanced EHR systems, would also make <a href="https://www.apha.org/policies-and-advocacy/public-health-policy-statements/policy-database/2022/01/07/adopting-a-single-payer-health-system#:~:text=This%20approach%20benefits%20public%20health,care%20reimbursed%20equally%20for%20all." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sharing patient information easier</a>, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33315048/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">decrease time spent on EHRs, and reduce clinician burnout</a>, but that is also a <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6775911/#:~:text=Meanwhile%2C%20single%20payer%20remains%20a,in%20opinion%20polls;%20or%20both." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">nonstarter</a> in the United States for the foreseeable future.</p><p>Interoperability is even <a href="https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/why-ehr-data-interoperability-such-mess-3-charts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">more challenging</a> because an average hospital uses 10 different EHR vendors internally to support more than a dozen different health care functions, and an average health system has 16 different EHR vendors when affiliated providers are included. Grimes notes that only a small percentage of health care systems use fully integrated EHR systems that cover all functions.</p><p>EHR systems adoption also promised to bend the national health care cost curve, but these costs continue to rise at the national level. The United States spent an <a href="https://www.ajmc.com/view/us-health-spending-hits-4-8-trillion-insurance-coverage-peaks-in-2023-projections" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">estimated</a> $4.8 trillion on health care in 2023, or 17.6 percent of GDP. While there seems to be general agreement that EHRs<a href="https://www.healthit.gov/topic/health-it-and-health-information-exchange-basics/medical-practice-efficiencies-cost-savings#:~:text=Many%20health%20care%20providers%20have,disease%20management%20and%20patient%20education" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> </a>can help with cost <a href="https://www.healthit.gov/topic/health-it-and-health-information-exchange-basics/medical-practice-efficiencies-cost-savings#:~:text=Many%20health%20care%20providers%20have,disease%20management%20and%20patient%20education" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">savings</a>, no rigorous quantitative studies at the national level show the tens of billions of dollars of promised savings that RAND loudly <a href="https://www.rand.org/news/press/2005/09/14.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">proclaimed</a> in 2005.</p><p>However, studies have shown that health care providers, especially those in rural areas, have had difficulty saving money by using EHR systems. A recent <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9329141/#:~:text=Several%20studies%20have%20explicitly%20noted,on%20the%20adoption%20of%20EHRs." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">study</a>, for example, points out that rural hospitals do not benefit as much from EHR systems as urban hospitals in terms of reducing operating costs. With 700 rural hospitals <a href="https://www.chiefhealthcareexecutive.com/view/more-than-700-rural-hospitals-about-1-in-3-nationwide-could-shut-their-doors" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">at risk of closing</a> due to severe financial pressures, investing in EHR systems has not proved to be the financial panacea they thought it would be.</p><p>Cybersecurity is a major cost not included in the <a href="https://www.rand.org/news/press/2005/09/14.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2005 RAND study</a>. Even though there were <a href="https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/5595/for-the-record-protecting-electronic-health-information" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">warnings that cybersecurity was being given short shrift</a>, vendors, providers, and policymakers paid scant attention to the cybersecurity implications of EHR systems, especially the multitude of new <a href="https://www.kroll.com/-/media/kroll/pdfs/publications/himss-analytics-report-2008.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">cyberthreat access points</a> that would be created and potentially exploited. <a href="https://www.himss.org/who-we-are/executive-leadership/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tom Leary</a>,<a href="https://www.himss.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> </a>senior vice president and head of government relations at HIMSS, points out the painfully obvious fact that “security was an afterthought. You have to make sure that security by design is involved from the beginning, so we’re still paying for the decision not to invest in security.”</p><p>From 2009 to 2023, a total of 5,887 health care breaches of 500 records or more have been <a href="https://www.hipaajournal.com/healthcare-data-breach-statistics/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reported</a> to the <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/ocr/index.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights </a>resulting in some 520 million health care records being exposed. Health care<a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/hospitals-cyberattacks-ascension-patient-care/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> breaches</a> have also led to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/cybersecurity/unitedhealth-says-several-services-handling-medical-claims-unit-change-will-go-2024-03-22/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign=Technology-Roundup&utm_term=032324&user_email=70b23e66dffdc2a2d609263560516f3a43c53b97d2a55135bb6d4816b6229164" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">widespread disruption</a> to medical care in various hospital systems, <a href="https://news.wttw.com/2024/03/05/month-after-cyberattack-chicago-childrens-hospital-says-some-systems-are-back-online" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sometimes</a> for over a month.</p><h3></h3><br/><div class="flourish-embed flourish-chart" data-src="visualisation/22218888?602891"><script src="https://public.flourish.studio/resources/embed.js"></script><noscript><img alt="chart visualization" src="https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/22218888/thumbnail" width="100%"/></noscript></div><p><span>In 2024, the </span><a href="https://www.hipaajournal.com/cost-healthcare-data-breach-2024/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> average cost</a><span> of a health care data breach was $9.97 million. The cost of these breaches will soon surpass the $27 billion ($44.5 billion in 2024 dollars) provided under HITECH to adopt EHRs.</span></p><p> <em><strong> </strong></em>2025 may see the <a href="https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/hhs-releases-notice-hipaa-security-rule-update" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first major revision</a> since 2013 to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security Rule outlining how electronic protected health information will need to be cybersecured. The <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/01/06/2024-30983/hipaa-security-rule-to-strengthen-the-cybersecurity-of-electronic-protected-health-information" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">proposed rule</a> will likely force health care providers and their EHR vendors to make cybersecurity investment a much higher priority. </p><h2>$100 Billion Spent on Health Care IT: Was the Juice Worth the (Mega) Squeeze?</h2><p> The U.S. health care industry has <a href="https://attheu.utah.edu/facultystaff/when-electronic-health-records-are-hard-to-use-patient-safety-may-be-at-risk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">spent</a> more than $100 billion on information technology, but few providers are fully meeting President Bush’s vision of a nation of seamlessly interoperable and secure digital health records. </p><p> Many past government policymakers <a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/death-by-a-thousand-clicks/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">now admit</a> they failed to understand the complex business dynamics, technical scale, complexity, or time needed to create a nationwide system of usable, interoperable EHR systems. The entire process lacked systems-engineering thinking. As <a href="https://blog.ssa.gov/author/851daf1f59de40b09f81e56277dd1d89734ea0ed/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Seema Verma</a>, former administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services,<a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/death-by-a-thousand-clicks/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://fortune.com/2019/03/04/ehr-medicare-medicaid-jared-kushner/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">told</a> <em><em>Fortune</em></em>, “We didn’t think about how all these systems connect with one another. That was the real missing piece.” </p><p> Over the past eight years, successive administrations and congresses have taken actions to try to rectify these early oversights. In 2016, the <a href="https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/selected-amendments-fdc-act/21st-century-cures-act" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> 21st Century Cures Act</a> was passed, which kept EHR system vendors and providers from blocking the sharing of patient data, and spurred them to start working in earnest to create a trusted health information exchange. The Cures Act <a href="https://www.healthit.gov/topic/oncs-cures-act-final-rule" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mandated</a> standardized application programming interfaces (APIs) to promote interoperability. In 2022, the <a href="https://www.healthit.gov/topic/interoperability/policy/trusted-exchange-framework-and-common-agreement-tefca" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement</a> (TEFCA) was published, which aims to facilitate technical principles for securely exchanging health information. </p><p class="pull-quote"> “The EHR venture has proved troublesome thus far. The trouble is far from over.” <strong>—John Leslie King, University of Michigan professor emeritus</strong> </p><p> In late 2023, the first <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2023/12/12/hhs-marks-major-milestone-nationwide-health-data-exchange.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Qualified Health Information Networks</a> (QHINs) were approved to begin supporting the exchange of data governed by TEFCA, and in 2024, <a href="https://www.healthit.gov/test-method/standardized-api-patient-and-population-services" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">updates</a> were made to the APIs to make information interoperability easier. These seven QHINs allow thousands of health providers to more easily exchange information. Combined with the emerging consolidation among hospital systems around three EHR vendors—<a href="https://www.epic.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Epic Systems Corp</a>., <a href="https://www.oracle.com/health/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Oracle Health</a>, and <a href="https://ehr.meditech.com/meditech" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Meditech</a>—<a href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2024/02/12/hhs-expands-tefca-by-adding-two-additional-qhins.html#:~:text=TEFCA%20became%20operational%20in%20December,Gorilla%2C%20KONZA%2C%20and%20MedAllies." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">this should improve interoperability</a> in the next decade. </p><p> These changes, says HIMSS’s Tom Leary, will help give “all patients access to their data in whatever format they want with limited barriers. The health care environment is starting to become patient-centric now. So, as a patient, I should soon be able to go out to any of my healthcare providers to really get that information.” </p><p> HIMSS’s Christina Grimes adds that the patient-centric change is the continuing consolidation of EHR system portals. “Patients really want one portal to interact with instead of the number they have today,” she says. </p><p> In 2024, the <a href="https://www.healthit.gov/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy / Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT</a>, the U.S. government department responsible for overseeing electronic health systems’ adoption and standards, was reorganized to focus more on cybersecurity and advanced technology like AI. In addition to the proposed HIPAA security requirements, Congress is also considering new laws to <a href="https://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2024/09/new-bill-seeks-mandate-healthcare-cybersecurity-standards/399864/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mandate better cybersecurity</a>. There is <a href="https://www.americantelemed.org/resources/using-ai-machine-learning-for-patient-matching-to-support-patient-safety-and-improve-care/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hope</a> that AI can help overcome EHR system usability issues, especially <a href="https://www.aamc.org/news/can-artificial-intelligence-improve-doctor-patient-visits-and-reduce-burnout" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">clinician burnout</a> and <a href="https://news.feinberg.northwestern.edu/2024/08/07/novel-ai-model-may-enhance-health-data-interoperability/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">interoperability issues</a> like patient matching. </p><p> Wachter states that the new AI scribes are showing real promise. “The way it works is that I can now have a conversation with my patient and look the patient in the eye. I’m actually focusing on them and not my keyboard. And then a note, formatted correctly, just magically appears. Almost ironically, this new set of AI technologies may well solve some of the problems that the last technology created.” </p><p> Whether these technologies live up to the hype <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10552880/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">remains to be seen</a>. More concerning is whether AI will exacerbate the rampant feeling among providers that <a href="https://www.alphaomegaalpha.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/2015-1-Ober-Applegate.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">they have become tools of their tools</a> and not masters of them. </p><p> As EHR systems become more usable, interoperable, and patient-friendly, the underlying foundations of medical care can be finally addressed. High-quality evidence <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/around-90-percent-of-your-medical-treatments-isn-t-backed-by-high-quality-evidence" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">backs only about 10 percent</a> of the care patients receive today. One of the great potentials of digitizing health records is to discover what treatments work best and why and then distribute that information to the health care community. While this is an <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6921466/#:~:text=Biobanks%20of%20human%20germline%20DNA,Collins%20and%20Varmus%2C%202015)." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">active research area</a>, more <a href="https://www.va.gov/boston-health-care/stories/research-platform-optimizes-use-of-electronic-health-data/#:~:text=Launched%20in%20June%202023%2C%20the%20public%2Dfacing%20website,or%20EHRs%2C%20for%20research%20and%20clinical%20care.&text=EHR%2Dbased%20phenotypes%20are%20used%20in%20research%2C%20quality%20improvement%20initiatives%2C%20and%20clinical%20care%20for%20patients." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">research</a> and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9295893/#:~:text=Aside%20from%20the%20patient%20care,meaningful%20use%20care%20coordination%20criteria.&text=As%20a%20reaction%20to%20these,that%20could%20affect%20patient%20safety.&text=However%2C%20little%20work%20has%20been,every%20clinical%20or%20research%20contingency.&text=Finally%2C%20the%20EHR%20is%20front,in%20clinical%20and%20research%20domains." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">funding</a> are needed. </p><p> Twenty years ago, Tom Conrad, who himself was a senior computer scientist, <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/picture-of-health" target="_self">told</a> me he was skeptical that having more information necessarily meant that better medical decisions would automatically be made. He pointed out that when doctors’ earnings are related to the number of patients they see, there is a trade-off between the better care that EHR provides and the sheer amount of time required to review a more complete medical record. Today, the trade-off is not in the patients’ or doctors’ favor. Whether it can ever be balanced is one of the great unknowns. </p><p> Obviously, no one wants to go back to paper records. However, as John Leslie King says, “The way forward involves multiple moving targets due to advances in technology, care, and administration. Most EHR vendors are moving as fast as they can.” </p><p> However, it would be foolish to think it will be smooth sailing from here on, King says: “The EHR venture has proved troublesome thus far. The trouble is far from over.” <span class="ieee-end-mark"></span> </p>

Mar 29, 2025

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/person-with-straight-black-hair-wearing-a-black-blazer-over-a-white-button-up-shirt.jpg?id=59035796&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C147%2C0%2C147"/><br/><br/><p>In <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mira-daher-meng-67256b181/?originalSubdomain=lb" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mira Daher</a>’s home country of Lebanon, the national grid provides power for only a few hours a day. The country’s state-owned energy provider, Electricity of Lebanon (EDL), has long struggled to meet demand, and a crippling economic crisis that began in 2019 has worsened the situation. Most residents now rely on privately owned diesel-powered generators for the bulk of their energy needs. </p><p>But in recent years, the <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/china-gridparity" target="_self">rapidly falling cost</a> of solar panels has given Lebanese businesses and families a compelling alternative, and the country has seen a boom in private solar-power installations. Total installed solar capacity jumped nearly eightfold between 2020 and 2022 to <a href="https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230517-how-solar-power-is-keeping-lebanons-lights-on" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">more than 870 megawatts</a>, primarily as a result of off-grid rooftop installations.</p><p>Daher, head of tendering at the renewable-energy company <a href="https://www.earthtechnologies.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Earth Technologies</a>, in Antelias, Lebanon, has played an important part in this ongoing revolution. She is in charge of bidding for new solar projects, drawing up designs, and ensuring that they are correctly implemented on-site. </p><p>“I enjoy the variety and the challenge of managing diverse projects, each with its own unique requirements and technical hurdles,” she says. “And knowing that my efforts also contribute to a sustainable future for Lebanon fills me with pride and motivates me a lot.”</p><h2>An Early Mentor</h2><p>Daher grew up in the southern Lebanese city of Saida (also called Sidon) where her father worked as an electrical engineer in the construction sector. His work helped to inspire her interest in technology at a young age, she says. When she was applying for university, he encouraged her to study electrical engineering too.</p><p>“My first mentor was my father,” says Daher. “He increased my curiosity and passion for technology and engineering, and when I watched him work and solve complex problems, that motivated me to follow in his footsteps.”</p><p>In 2016, she enrolled at <a href="https://www.bau.edu.lb/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Beirut Arab University</a> to study electrical and electronics engineering. When she graduated in 2019, Daher says, the country’s solar boom was just taking off, which prompted her to pursue a master’s degree in power and energy, with a specialization in solar power, at the American University of Beirut.</p><p>“My thesis concentrated on the energy situation in Lebanon and explored potential solutions to increase the reliance on renewable resources,” she says. “Five or six years ago, solar systems had high costs. But today the cost [has] decreased a lot because of new technologies, and because there is a lot of production of solar panels in China.”</p><h2>Entering the Workforce</h2><p>After graduating in 2021, Daher started a job as a solar-energy engineer at the Beirut-based solar-power company <a href="https://mashriqenergy.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mashriq Energy</a>, where she was responsible for developing designs and bids for new solar installations, similar to her current role. It was a steep learning curve, Daher says, because she had to quickly pick up business skills, including financial modeling and contract negotiations. She also learned to deal with the practicalities of building large solar developments, such as site constraints and regulations. In 2022, she joined Earth Technologies as a solar project design engineer. </p><p>Various organizations, including Lebanese government and nongovernmental agencies such as the United Nations, request bids for solar power installations they want to build—a process known as tendering. Daher’s principal responsibility is to prepare and submit bids for these projects, but she also supervises their implementation.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"> <img alt="Person standing on rooftop above parking area with solar panels, ocean and trees in the background." class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="53d563e2360f97495799051740be6cb5" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="434f1" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/person-standing-on-rooftop-above-parking-area-with-solar-panels-ocean-and-trees-in-the-background.jpg?id=59038270&width=980"/> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Daher’s role requires her to maintain a broad base of knowledge about the solar projects she oversees.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Mira Daher</small></p><p>“I oversee the entire project cycle, from identifying and managing tenders to designing, pricing, and implementing solar projects across residential, industrial, commercial, and utility sectors,” she says.</p><p>The first step in the process is to visit the proposed installation site to determine where solar panels should be positioned based on the landscape and local weather conditions. Once this is done, Daher and her team come up with a design for the plant. This involves figuring out what kinds of solar panels, <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/electric-inverter" target="_self">inverters</a>, and batteries will fit the budget and how to wire all the components together.</p><p>The team runs simulations of the proposed plant to ensure that the design meets the client’s needs. Daher is then responsible for negotiating with the client to make sure that the proposal fulfills their technical and budgetary requirements. Once the client has approved the design, other teams oversee construction of the plant, though Daher says she makes occasional site visits to ensure the design is being implemented correctly.</p><p>Daher’s role requires her to have a solid understanding of all the components that go into a solar plant, from the different brands of power electronics to the civil engineering required to build supporting structures for solar panels. “You have to know everything about the project,” she says.</p><h2>Solar Power for Development</h2><p>Earth Technologies operates across the Middle East and Africa, but Daher says most of the solar installations she works on are in Lebanon. Some of the most interesting have been development-focused projects funded by the U.N.</p><p>Daher led the U.N.-funded installation of solar panels at nine hospitals, as well as a project that uses solar power to pump water to people in remote parts of the country. More recently, she has started work on a solar and battery installation for street lighting in the town of Bourj Hammoud, which will allow shops to stay open later and help to boost the local economy. The projects she has overseen generally cost around US $700,000 to $800,000. </p><p>But securing funding for renewable projects is an ongoing challenge in Lebanon, says Daher, given the uncertain economic situation. More recently, the country was also rocked by the conflict between Israel and the Lebanon-based paramilitary group Hezbollah. This resulted in widespread bombing of Beirut, the capital, and the country’s southern regions last October and November.</p><p>“The two months of conflict were incredibly challenging,” says Daher. “The environment was unsafe and filled with uncertainty, leaving us constantly anxious about what the future held.”</p><p>Safety concerns forced her to relocate from her home in Beirut to a village called Ain El Jdideh. This meant she had to drive about an hour and a half on unsafe roads to get to work. Several of the major projects she was working on were also halted as they were in the areas that bore the brunt of the conflict. One U.N.-funded project she worked on in Ansar, in southern Lebanon, was knocked offline when an adjacent building was destroyed.</p><p>“Despite these hardships, we persevered, and I am grateful that the war has ended, allowing us to regain some stability and security,” says Daher.</p><h2>A Challenging But Fulfilling Career</h2><p>Despite these difficulties, Daher remains optimistic about the future of renewable energy in Lebanon, and she says it can be a deeply rewarding career. Breaking into the industry requires a strong educational foundation, though, so she recommends first pursuing a degree focused on power systems and renewable technologies.</p><p>The energy sector is a male-dominated field, says Daher, which can make it difficult for women to find their footing. “I’ve often encountered biases, stereotypes that can make it more difficult to be taken seriously, or to have my voice heard,” she adds. “Overcoming these obstacles requires resilience, confidence, and a commitment to demonstrating my expertise and capabilities.”</p><p>It also requires a commitment to continual learning, due to the continued advances being made in solar-power technology. “It’s very important to stay up to date,” she says. “This field is always evolving. Every day, you can see a lot of new technologies.”</p>

Mar 28, 2025

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/small-robot-with-flexible-legs-on-a-serene-beach-near-a-reflective-tide-pool-at-sunset.png?id=59734669&width=1360&height=1080&coordinates=376%2C0%2C184%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>Your weekly selection of awesome robot videos</p><p>Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your friends at <em>IEEE Spectrum</em> robotics. We also post a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next few months. Please <a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=Robotics%20event%20suggestion%20for%20Video%20Friday">send us your events</a> for inclusion.</p><h5><a href="https://robosoft2025.org/">RoboSoft 2025</a>: 23–26 April 2025, LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND</h5><h5><a href="https://uasconferences.com/2025_icuas/">ICUAS 2025</a>: 14–17 May 2025, CHARLOTTE, NC</h5><h5><a href="https://2025.ieee-icra.org/">ICRA 2025</a>: 19–23 May 2025, ATLANTA, GA</h5><h5><a href="https://humanoidssummit.com/">London Humanoids Summit</a>: 29–30 May 2025, LONDON</h5><h5><a href="https://smartconf.jp/content/rcar2025/">IEEE RCAR 2025</a>: 1–6 June 2025, TOYAMA, JAPAN</h5><h5><a href="https://www.edrcoalition.com/2025-energy-drone-robotics-summit">2025 Energy Drone & Robotics Summit</a>: 16–18 June 2025, HOUSTON, TX</h5><h5><a href="https://roboticsconference.org/">RSS 2025</a>: 21–25 June 2025, LOS ANGELES</h5><h5><a href="https://robotx.ethz.ch/education/summer-school.html">ETH Robotics Summer School</a>: 21–27 June 2025, GENEVA</h5><h5><a href="https://ias-19.org/">IAS 2025</a>: 30 June–4 July 2025, GENOA, ITALY</h5><h5><a href="https://clawar.org/icres2025/">ICRES 2025</a>: 3–4 July 2025, PORTO, PORTUGAL</h5><h5><a href="https://2025.worldhaptics.org/">IEEE World Haptics</a>: 8–11 July 2025, SUWON, KOREA</h5><h5><a href="https://ifac2025-msrob.com/">IFAC Symposium on Robotics</a>: 15–18 July 2025, PARIS</h5><h5><a href="https://2025.robocup.org/">RoboCup 2025</a>: 15–21 July 2025, BAHIA, BRAZIL</h5><h5><a href="https://www.ro-man2025.org/">RO-MAN 2025</a>: 25–29 August 2025, EINDHOVEN, NETHERLANDS</h5><p>Enjoy today’s videos!</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><div style="page-break-after: always"><span style="display:none"> </span></div><blockquote class="rm-anchors" id="f8htk7aabm8"><em>This robot can walk, without electronics, and only with the addition of a cartridge of compressed gas, right off the 3D-printer. It can also be printed in one go, from one material. Researchers from the University of California San Diego and BASF, describe how they developed the robot in an advanced online publication in the journal Advanced Intelligent Systems</em><em>. They used the simplest technology available: a desktop 3D-printer and an off-the-shelf printing material. This design approach is not only robust, it is also cheap—each robot costs about $20 to manufacture.</em></blockquote><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ecd8b7e49fe8fa6c89c07a6171554ee3" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/f8hTK7AabM8?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>And details!</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"> <span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4f7cca30414c7c40c4500b526bea7fa3" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PDoiguTdLXs?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span> </p><p>[ <a href="https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aisy.202400876">Paper</a> ] via [ <a href="https://tolley.eng.ucsd.edu/">University of California San Diego</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><p class="rm-anchors" id="z6kiwxt_yam">Why do you want a <a data-linked-post="2666662286" href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/humanoid-robots" target="_blank">humanoid robot</a> to walk like a human? So that it doesn’t look weird, I guess, but it’s hard to imagine that a system that doesn’t have the same arrangement of joints and muscles that we do will move optimally by just trying to mimic us.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="da6e3eeeb1aae3ce3be6567040824d6e" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z6KiwXT_yAM?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://www.figure.ai/news/reinforcement-learning-walking">Figure</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><p class="rm-anchors" id="b0sfodgbuoa">I don’t know how it manages it, but this little soft <a data-linked-post="2671242927" href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/underground-power-lines-robots" target="_blank">robotic worm</a> somehow moves with an incredible amount of personality.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="854a1ec8897cb53a2fa677b305ba3519" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/b0sfodgbuOA?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><blockquote><em>Soft actuators are critical for enabling soft robots, medical devices, and haptic systems. Many soft actuators, however, require power to hold a configuration and rely on hard circuitry for control, limiting their potential applications. In this work, the first soft electromagnetic system is demonstrated for externally-controlled bistable actuation or self-regulated astable oscillation.</em></blockquote><p>[ <a href="https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/admt.202400982">Paper</a> ] via [ <a href="https://sites.gatech.edu/chen-mazumdar/">Georgia Tech</a> ]</p><p>Thanks, Ellen!</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><p class="rm-anchors" id="omwfooresfi">A 180-degree pelvis rotation would put the “break” in “breakdancing” if this were a human doing it.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="253c6ca5471054caf08a1f9f59e87f68" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/omwFoOReSFI?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://bostondynamics.com/">Boston Dynamics</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><p class="rm-anchors" id="b9vig6kscvs">My colleagues were impressed by this cooking robot, but that may be because journalists are always impressed by free food.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a9f249b4d8f50132fcb053bc6256b634" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/b9vIG6ksCvs?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://www.posha.com/">Posha</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><blockquote class="rm-anchors" id="nusi8h6x1xg"><em>This is our latest work about a hybrid aerial-terrestrial quadruped robot called SPIDAR, which shows unique and complex locomotion styles in both aerial and terrestrial domains including thrust-assisted crawling motion. This work has been presented in the International Symposium of Robotics Research (ISRR) 2024.</em></blockquote><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f8ae93367749c3348cbbd63860568c93" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NUsi8h6X1Xg?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.11551">Paper</a> ] via [ <a href="http://www.dragon.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/">Dragon Lab</a> ]</p><p>Thanks, Moju!</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><blockquote class="rm-anchors" id="nkh6ruocd8c"><em>This fresh, newly captured video from Unitree’s testing grounds showcases the breakneck speed of humanoid intelligence advancement. Every day brings something thrilling!</em></blockquote><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4cbf4f8ac9ccffe22d4f68590f519fb9" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Nkh6RUocD8c?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://www.unitree.com/">Unitree</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><p class="rm-anchors" id="kx36dvv7ymo">There should be more robots that you can ride around on.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="aff1e5eeb17bb23af6b2468049fbe06b" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Kx36DVv7Ymo?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://global.agilex.ai/">AgileX Robotics</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><p class="rm-anchors" id="omjjuj5u5sk">There should be more robots that wear hats at work.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="647da547080588065930ef199219012a" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OMJjUJ5u5sk?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://ugo.plus/security-dx-solution/">Ugo</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><p class="rm-anchors" id="h_dfdoyzers">iRobot, who pioneered giant docks for robot vacuums, is now moving away from giant docks for robot vacuums.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="34c61a29bf430da17c10d905500657e7" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/H_DfdOYzERs?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://www.irobot.com/en_US/roomba-205-dustcompactor-combo-robot/L124020.html">iRobot</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><p class="rm-anchors" id="wlkeinv9cj0">There’s a famous experiment where if you put a dead fish in current, it starts swimming, just because of its biomechanical design. Somehow, you can do the same thing with an unactuated quadruped robot on a treadmill.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5c7658a905de653f26c35f1e351f0c22" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WlkeinV9CJ0?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://www.tudelft.nl/en/2025/me/news/scientists-develop-dog-inspired-robot-that-runs-without-motors">Delft University of Technology</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><p class="rm-anchors" id="gkgldcfqi9k">Mush! Narrowly!</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="01b8a0af2e9d1e59549482003dc03a39" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GkGldcfQi9k?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://hybrid-robotics.berkeley.edu/">Hybrid Robotics</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><p class="rm-anchors" id="a_axrq-6yla">It’s freaking me out a little bit that this couple is apparently wandering around a huge mall that is populated only by robots and zero other humans.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="19e47d7b9b2ab562a6a8a91be7bcd2f6" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a_Axrq-6YLA?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://www.magiclab.top/">MagicLab</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><p class="rm-anchors" id="fqqfo0n3zw0">I’m trying, I really am, but the yellow is just not working for me.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="cada983956a7ec953f38ebb8870c0a34" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FQQFO0n3Zw0?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://www.gotokepler.com/home">Kepler</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><blockquote class="rm-anchors" id="_dhwrydzs9w"><em>By having Stretch take on the physically demanding task of unloading trailers stacked floor to ceiling with boxes, Gap Inc has reduced injuries, lowered turnover, and watched employees get excited about automation intended to keep them safe.</em></blockquote><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a7281995e9574c8d45bfaf5b1a8e9f86" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_dhwRYdZs9w?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://bostondynamics.com/case-studies/stretch-helps-gap-inc-deliver-for-its-customers/">Boston Dynamics</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><blockquote class="rm-anchors" id="wektnjexgks"><em>Since arriving at Mars in 2012, <a data-linked-post="2650269754" href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/curiosity-turns-one-on-mars" target="_blank">NASA’s Curiosity rover</a> has been ingesting samples of Martian rock, soil, and air to better understand the past and present habitability of the Red Planet. Of particular interest to its search are organic molecules: the building blocks of life. Now, Curiosity’s onboard chemistry lab has detected long-chain hydrocarbons in a mudstone called “Cumberland,” the largest organics yet discovered on Mars.</em></blockquote><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="c095b781ce088be5223d75dee6b36150" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wektNJExGks?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/missions/mars-science-laboratory/nasas-curiosity-rover-detects-largest-organic-molecules-found-on-mars/">NASA</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><p class="rm-anchors" id="eyldc3a0nhw">This University of Toronto Robotics Institute Seminar is from Sergey Levine at UC Berkeley, on Robotics Foundation Models.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4a0f44a32839b1939c106a409e9033ec" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EYLdC3a0NHw?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><blockquote><em>General-purpose pretrained models have transformed natural language processing, computer vision, and other fields. In principle, such approaches should be ideal in robotics: since gathering large amounts of data for any given robotic platform and application is likely to be difficult, general pretrained models that provide broad capabilities present an ideal recipe to enable robotic learning at scale for real-world applications.</em><br/><em>From the perspective of general AI research, such approaches also offer a promising and intriguing approach to some of the grandest AI challenges: if large-scale training on embodied experience can provide diverse physical capabilities, this would shed light not only on the practical questions around designing broadly capable robots, but the foundations of situated problem-solving, physical understanding, and decision making. However, realizing this potential requires handling a number of challenging obstacles. What data shall we use to train robotic foundation models? What will be the training objective? How should alignment or post-training be done? In this talk, I will discuss how we can approach some of these challenges.</em></blockquote><p>[ <a href="https://robotics.utoronto.ca/seminar-series/">University of Toronto</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div>

Mar 28, 2025

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/a-satellite-dish-mounted-on-a-portable-mast-on-a-building-roof-in-front-of-the-new-york-city-skyline-a-cable-from-the-dish-conn.png?id=58540271&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C299%2C0%2C300"/><br/><br/><p> The U.S. government recommends that everyone have <a href="https://www.ready.gov/kit" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a disaster kit that includes a weather radio</a>. These radios tune to<a href="https://www.weather.gov/nwr" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> a nationwide network</a> run by the <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration</a> (NOAA) and the <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/emergency-alert-system" target="_blank">Federal Communications Commission</a> that provides alerts about hazardous weather and other major emergencies. Such broadcasts can be a lifeline when other communication systems go out. But what if you could step it up and get not just audio information but also images, charts, and written reports, even while completely off the grid? </p><p> Turns out you can, thanks to modern geosynchronous weather satellites, and it’s never been easier than with KrakenRF’s new<a href="https://www.crowdsupply.com/krakenrf/discovery-dish" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Discovery Dish</a> system. This system involves buying a US $115 70-centimeter-diameter parabolic antenna, and then one of a number of $109 swappable feeds that cover different frequency bands. To try out the system, I got one feed suitable for picking up<a href="https://github.com/krakenrf/discoverydish_docs/wiki/07.-SatDump-L%E2%80%90Band-and-S%E2%80%90Band-Satellite-Setup" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> L-band satellite transmissions</a>, and another tuned for detecting the <a href="https://github.com/krakenrf/discoverydish_docs/wiki/08.-Hydrogen-Line-Setup" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">radio emissions from galactic hydrogen clouds</a>. </p><p> The parabolic antenna comes as three metal petals plus some ancillary bits and pieces for holding the feed and mounting the dish on a support. Everything is held together with nuts and bolts, so it can be dissembled and reassembled, and the petals are light and stack together nicely—you could pack them in a suitcase if you ever wanted to travel and sample a different sky. </p><h3></h3><br/><div class="rblad-ieee_in_content"></div><p> In addition to KrakenRF’s dish and feed, you’ll also need <a href="https://github.com/krakenrf/discoverydish_docs/wiki/03.-Additional-Hardware-Required#sdr-bias-tee" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a software-defined radio (SDR) receiver and a computer</a> with software to decode the signals coming from the feed. Many SDRs can be used, but you’ll need one that comes with what’s known as a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bias_tee" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">bias tee</a> built in, or you’ll need to add a bias tee yourself. The bias tee supplies power to the low-noise amplifiers used in KrakenRF’s feeds. I used the recommended $34 <a href="https://www.rtl-sdr.com/buy-rtl-sdr-dvb-t-dongles/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">RTL-SDR Blog V3</a> (which comes as a USB dongle), with my MacBook, but you can use a PC or Raspberry Pi as a host computer as well. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"> <img alt="Discovery Dish and feed components." class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b631923a7e30368ea9591e4818d08141" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="8bbec" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/discovery-dish-and-feed-components.png?id=58540948&width=980"/> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">The Discovery Dish is formed by three petals [top center] that bolt together with other mounting gear [top left and right]. Feeds are mounted on a pole and adjusted to be level with the dish’s focus [bottom]. Different feeds allow different applications, such as 1680 megahertz for receiving L-band satellite transmissions or 1420 MHz for radio astronomy. A software-defined radio receiver decodes signals.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">James Provost </small> </p><p> <span>After I inserted the L-band feed into the dish, it was time to look for a satellite. Following KrakenRF’s guide, I used Carl Reinemann’s</span><a href="https://usradioguy.com/dishpointer/" target="_blank"> Web app</a><span> to print out a list of azimuths and elevations for geosynchronous weather satellites based on my location. Then I headed up to the roof of my New York City apartment building with </span><a href="https://www.buddipole.com/buddipole.html" target="_blank">the mast from my portable ham radio antenna</a><span> to provide a mount. And then I headed straight back down again when I realized that it was too blustery for a temporary mount. The dish is perforated with holes to reduce air resistance, but there was still a real risk of the wind toppling the portable mast and sweeping it over the side of the building.</span> </p><p> <span></span>A couple of days later, I returned to calmer conditions, and with my iPhone employed as a compass and inclinometer, I pointed the dish at the coordinates for the GOES-East weather satellite. This satellite hangs over the equator at a longitude of 75 degrees west, close to that of New York City. A second satellite, GOES-West, sits at 135 degrees west, over the Pacific Ocean. </p><p> These GOES satellites are fourth-generation spacecraft in a long line of invaluable weather satellites that have been operated by NOAA and the <a href="https://www.weather.gov/" target="_blank">U.S. National Weather Service</a> for <a href="https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/40-years-of-goes-the-anniversary-of-goes-1" target="_blank">50 years</a>. The first of the current generation, known as <a href="https://www.goes-r.gov/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">GOES-R</a>, launched in 2016 and features a number of upgrades. For radio enthusiasts, the most significant of the upgrades are its downlink broadcast capabilities.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image rm-float-left rm-resized-container rm-resized-container-25" data-rm-resized-container="25%" style="float: left;"> <img alt="A satellite view of the East Coast of the USA" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="fcbe530e909a4f8e53129428b31f58b4" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="b8e62" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/a-satellite-view-of-the-east-coast-of-the-usa.jpg?id=58554084&width=980"/> </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image rm-float-left rm-resized-container rm-resized-container-25" data-rm-resized-container="25%" style="float: left;"> <img alt="Satellite images of continents beneath swirls of cloud." class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d1843680712f1a81ebef1b68dda4ae37" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="e4300" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/satellite-images-of-continents-beneath-swirls-of-cloud.jpg?id=58553363&width=980"/> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">The current GOES satellites transmit images taken in multiple wavelengths and scales. A false-color full-disk image [above] is captured in an infrared band that detects moisture and ash; the image at top shows the eastern United States in an approximation of what you would see with the naked eye. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Stephen Cass/NOAA</small> </p><p> The GOES-R satellites transmit data at 400 kilobits per second, versus a maximum of 128 Kb/s for previous generations, allowing<a href="https://www.noaasis.noaa.gov/GOES/HRIT/products.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> more information to be included</a>, such as images from other weather satellites around the globe. The satellites also merge satellite-image data and emergency and weather information into a single link that can be simultaneously picked up by one receiver, instead of needing two as previously.</p><p>For fine dish-pointing adjustments, I was guided by watching the signal in the frequency spectrum analyzer built into <a href="https://www.satdump.org/about/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">SatDump</a>, an open-software package designed for decoding satellite transmissions picked up by SDR receivers. I groaned when no matter how I adjusted the dish, I could barely get the signal above the noise. But much to my surprise, I nonetheless started seeing an image of the Earth begin to form on the display. </p><p> The original GOES-R design specified that receiving ground dishes would have to be <a href="https://www.noaasis.noaa.gov/GOES/HRIT/broadcast.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">at least one meter</a> in diameter, but the folks at KrakenRF have built their feeds around <a href="https://www.mouser.com/datasheet/2/412/QPL9547_Data_Sheet-1854301.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a new ultralow-noise amplifier</a> that can make the weaker signal gathered by their smaller dish usable. Soon I had pictures of the Earth in multiple wavelengths, both raw and in false color, with and without the superimposed outlines of states and countries, plus a wide assortment of other charts plotting rainfall and wind speeds for different areas. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"> <img alt="A line drawing of the Atlantic ocean with a grid of wind-speed markers." class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="01b037d57aeffc147b889d13e1ad88ab" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="e854b" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/a-line-drawing-of-the-atlantic-ocean-with-a-grid-of-wind-speed-markers.png?id=58548735&width=980"/> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">The GOES satellites also broadcast information uploaded from the U.S. National Weather Service, such as this chart of marine wind speeds.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Stephen Cass/National Weather Service</small> </p><p> My next test was to do a spot of radio astronomy, swapping out the L-band feed for the galactic hydrogen emission feed. Getting results was a much longer process: First I had to point the dish at a bit of the sky where I knew the Milky Way <em><em>wasn’t</em></em> to obtain baseline data (done with the help of the <a href="https://stellarium-web.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Stellarium astronomy site</a>). Then I pointed the dish straight up and waited for the rotation of the Earth to bring the Milky Way into view. Pulling the signal out of the noise is a slow process—you have to integrate 5 minutes of data from the receiver—but eventually a nice curve formed that indicated I was still safely within the embrace of the spiral arms of our home galaxy. Much more sophisticated radio astronomy <em><em>can</em></em> be done, especially if you mount the dish on a scanning platform to generate 2D maps. But I swapped back the L-band feed just to marvel at how our planet looks from 36,000 kilometers away! </p>

Mar 27, 2025

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/karen-galuchie-kathleen-kramer-and-marko-delimar-smiling-together-while-holding-ieee-donor-badges.jpg?id=59698583&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C17%2C0%2C18"/><br/><br/><p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/delimar/?originalSubdomain=hr" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Marko Delimar</a> has been a proponent of empowering the next generation of engineers, scientists, and technologists since he was an undergraduate engineering student at the <a href="https://www.unizg.hr/homepage/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">University of Zagreb</a>, in Croatia. The IEEE senior member now mentors undergraduate and graduate students at his alma mater, where he is a professor of electrical engineering and computing.</p><p>IEEE has played a key role in his quest to provide students with the support they need, he says.</p><h3>Marko Delimar</h3><br/><p><strong>Employer:</strong> </p><p>University of Zagreb, in Croatia</p><p><strong>Title: </strong></p><p><strong></strong>Professor of electrical engineering and computing</p><p><strong>Member grade: </strong></p><p><strong></strong>Senior member</p><p><strong>Alma mater: </strong></p><p><strong></strong>University of Zagreb</p><p>Throughout his 30 years of volunteering, Delimar has worked to build a community for students. He founded the University of Zagreb’s <a href="https://www.facebook.com/IEEEStudentBranchZagreb/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE student branch</a> and later became its chair. He went on to become the branch’s counselor and a member of the <a href="https://www.ieee.hr/ieeesection/english" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Croatia Section</a>’s student activities committee. He has held numerous IEEE leadership positions, and he served on the organization’s <a href="https://www.ieee.org/about/corporate/board.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Board of Directors</a>.</p><p>To engage more student members and help connect student branches worldwide, he helped found the <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/main-perk-ieee-xtreme-contest" target="_self">IEEEXtreme programming competition, an </a>annual, 24-hour virtual contest in which teams compete to solve computer coding problems.</p><p>He is continuing his mission as the 2025 president of the <a href="https://www.ieeefoundation.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Foundation,</a> focusing on how the organization’s charitable partner can help students and young professionals prosper. Thanks to donations, the Foundation is able to fund scholarships, research and travel grants, and fellowships in partnership with IEEE societies and sections.</p><p>“Supporting IEEE programs is something that I’m very proud of,” Delimar says. His goals as president, he says, are to increase awareness of the Foundation’s donor-supported programs and to persuade more people to support its causes.</p><h2>Supporting the next generation of engineers</h2><p>After learning about IEEE from several of his professors who were members, Delimar joined the organization in 1994 during his second year at the University of Zagreb. But without a student branch at the school, there was no local community for student members. That year he successfully petitioned IEEE to establish the first student branch in Croatia. He served as its chair until he graduated with his EE bachelor’s degree in 1996.</p><p>Through his involvement, he was simultaneously “learning about the organization and volunteering,” he says, adding that it helped him better understand IEEE.</p><p>After graduating, he joined his alma mater as a teaching assistant and researcher. He was later hired as a faculty member. He also conducted research in power engineering under his former professor, IEEE Senior Member <a href="https://www.olympics.com/en/athletes/zdravko-hebel" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Zdravko Hebel</a>, who is known for his work on the Croatian power transmission network.</p><p>Delimar continued to volunteer, serving as chair of student activities for the IEEE Croatia Section until 2001. He also was the counselor for the student branch.</p><p class="pull-quote">“For me, IEEE Foundation Day highlights how the IEEE Foundation is more than a charitable organization—it is the heart of IEEE’s philanthropic efforts, where generosity meets impact.”</p><p>Within four years of his guidance, “the branch was collaborating with other branches in not only <a href="https://ieeer8.org/" target="_blank">Region 8</a> [Europe, Middle East, and Africa] but also around the world,” he says. He decided it was time to spread his wings, and he began volunteering for the region.</p><p>His first position was as the 2005–2006 vice chair of the <a href="https://r8.ieee.org/sac/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Region 8 student activities committee</a>, which is responsible for student programs and benefits. At the time, IEEE was having trouble retaining student members, he says.</p><p>“Students would graduate and not renew their membership,” he says. “There was also an issue with some of the student branches, as they were not communicating well or collaborating with each other.”</p><p>Delimar and IEEE Member Ricardo Varela, who was also on the committee, brainstormed how to better engage students and increase their participation. The two men wanted to create an event that would allow students across the world to participate at the same time.</p><p>“It sounded like a very crazy idea,” he says, “because it’s nighttime for one half of the world and daytime for the other half. You can’t even hold a meeting at the same time everywhere, let alone an activity.”</p><p>To overcome the time-zone issue, Delimar and Varela devised a 24-hour competition on programming, which was popular among engineering students at the time, Delimar says. Having the contest take place over 24 hours ensured all participants were on equal footing, he says.</p><p>Forty teams participated in the first IEEE Xtreme competition, which was held in October 2006. It has since grown in popularity. Last year nearly 8,800 teams from 75 countries participated.</p><p>Although he’s not involved in the contest anymore, Delimar says he’s proud of its success.</p><p>In 2007 he became vice chair of the <a href="https://ieeer8.org/category/member-activities/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Region 8 membership activities committee</a>, which plans events for members. He was then elected as the 2010–2011 Region 8 director, and in 2013 he became IEEE secretary. Both are <a href="https://www.ieee.org/about/corporate/board.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Board</a>-level positions.</p><p>“Being a part of the IEEE Board of Directors gave me the opportunity to learn about and serve on several interesting committees that were trying to reach particular goals at the time, such as increasing member engagement, improving training for new IEEE officers, and refining IEEE’s ability to quickly adapt to the fast-changing environment,” Delimar says.</p><p>His time on the board inspired him to advocate for the formation of an ad hoc committee on European public policy activities. He served as its chair, and in 2018 it became a permanent committee. Renamed the <a href="https://www.ieee.org/about/ieee-europe/eppi-committee.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE European Public Policy Committee</a>, it supports members of the <a href="https://european-union.europa.eu/index_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">European Union</a> and <a href="http://www.efta.int/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">European Free Trade Association</a> in developing technology-related policies. Delimar was its chair until 2020.</p><p>“IEEE has been able to provide a united, unbiased voice of what is good for technology and what is good for Europe,” he says. “It has been very well received by the <a href="https://commission.europa.eu/index_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">European Commission</a>.”</p><p>In 2016 <a href="https://ethw.org/Pedro_Ray" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Pedro Ray</a>, the 2010 IEEE president, asked Delimar to be a volunteer for the IEEE Foundation, and he joined the board the next year.</p><p>“It’s been a very rewarding experience,” he says.</p><h2>Leading the IEEE Foundation</h2><p>Delimar says that his main goal as president is to increase awareness among IEEE members of the Foundation and its programs.</p><p>“The Foundation supports more than 250 funds and programs, and I want to strengthen its connections and partnerships across IEEE,” he says.</p><p>To accomplish that goal, the Foundation has been raising its visibility. In 2023 it celebrated its <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/ieee-foundation-celebrates-50-years" target="_self">50th anniversary with a reception</a> in New York City. Other celebratory activities were held that year at the <a href="https://corporate-awards.ieee.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Vision, Innovation, and Challenges Summit and Honors Ceremony</a> and the <a href="https://pes-gm.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Power & Energy Society General Meeting</a>.</p><p>Last year the Foundation established 16 February as <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/ieee-foundation-day" target="_self">IEEE Foundation Day</a>. The annual celebration marks the day in 1973 when the philanthropic organization was launched. The inaugural event was designed to reflect the Foundation’s vision of being the heart of IEEE’s charitable giving. This year’s celebration focused on students and young professionals, <a href="https://www.ieeefoundation.org/celebrating-students-young-professionals-this-ieee-foundation-day/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">highlighting beneficiaries</a> of scholarships, grants, and fellowships and the impact they have had on the recipients.</p><p>“For me, IEEE Foundation Day highlights how the IEEE Foundation is more than a charitable organization—it is the heart of IEEE’s philanthropic efforts, where generosity meets impact,” Delimar says. “Our donor-supported programs—like scholarships, travel grants, awards, research grants, and competitions—are more than financial support for our students and young professionals; they are catalysts for making dreams come true.”</p><p>He says he wants to engage members who aren’t typically donors and thus expand the Foundation’s reach.</p><p>“I want to enable people with different professional journeys, economic backgrounds, cultures, and geography to be able to participate as donors for the IEEE Foundation,” he says. “Every donor—whether they are a student, young professional, or IEEE life member—is important.”</p><p>Visit the <a href="https://www.ieeefoundation.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Foundation website</a> to discover upcoming events, learn ways to make a gift, and see how the organization’s charitable efforts are making an impact.</p>

Mar 26, 2025

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/an-illustration-of-stylized-people-wearing-business-casual-clothing.jpg?id=59104110&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C103%2C0%2C104"/><br/><br/><p> IEEE Spectrum <em>is rebooting our careers newsletter! In partnership with tech career development company <a href="https://jointaro.com/" target="_blank">Taro</a>, every issue will be bringing you deeper insight into how to pursue your goals and navigate professional challenges. <a href="https://engage.ieee.org/Career-Alert-Sign-Up.html" target="_blank">Sign up now</a> to get insider tips, expert advice, and practical strategies delivered to your inbox for free.</em> </p><p> One of my close friends is a hiring manager at Google. She recently posted about an open position on her team and was immediately overwhelmed with applications. We’re talking about thousands of applicants within days. </p><p> What surprised me most, however, was the horrendous quality of the average submission. Most applicants were obviously unqualified or had concocted entirely fake profiles. The use of generative AI to automatically fill out (and, in some cases, even submit) applications is harmful to everyone; employers are unable to filter through the noise, and legitimate candidates have a harder time getting noticed—much less advancing to an interview. </p><p> This problem exists even for companies that don’t have the magnetism of the Google brand. Recruiting is a numbers game with slim odds. As AI becomes increasingly mainstream, the job search can feel downright impossible. </p><p> So how can job seekers stand out among the deluge of candidates? When there are hundreds or thousands of applicants, the best way to distinguish yourself is <strong>by leveraging your network</strong>. </p><p> With AI, anyone with a computer can trivially apply to thousands of jobs. On the other hand, people are restricted by Dunbar’s number—the idea that humans can maintain stable social relationships with only about 150 people. Being one of those 150 people is harder, but it also carries more weight than a soulless job application. </p><p> A referral from a trusted connection immediately elevates you as a promising candidate. Your goal, therefore, is to aggressively pursue opportunities based on people you’ve worked with. </p><p> A strong referral has two benefits: </p><ol> <li>Your profile gets increased visibility.</li> <li>You “borrow” the credibility of the person who gave a vote of confidence.</li> </ol><p> So how do you get one of these coveted referrals? Start with groups you’re part of that have a well-defined admission criteria. Most commonly, this will be your university or workplace. Engage with university alumni working in interesting roles, or reconnect with an ex-colleague to see what they’re up to. </p><p> Good luck out there!<br/><span>—Rahul</span></p><h2>ICYMI: Despite 2024 Layoffs, Tech Jobs Expected to Take Off</h2><p> In 2024, the technology sector saw additional cuts after massive layoffs in 2022 and 2023. Despite these numbers, however, engineers seem to be doing just fine. U.S. employment for electrical engineers is expected to grow 9 percent from 2023 to 2033, compared with 4 percent for all occupations. And the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, revealed that technology-related roles are the fastest-growing categories globally, with the most rapid growth in demand anticipated for big data specialists, financial-technology engineers, AI specialists, and software developers. Read more at <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-jobs" target="_self"><u>https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-jobs</u></a> </p><h2>ICYMI: Electric Vehicles Made These Engineers Expendable</h2><p> When veteran <em>Wall Street Journal</em> reporter Mike Colias began writing about the automotive industry in 2010, the internal-combustion engine still served as the beating heart of legacy carmakers. Since then, the hard pivot to electric vehicles has sidelined engine design and upended a century of internal order at these companies. Colias has observed the transformation, and the recent detour back to plug-in hybrids, from a front-row seat in Detroit. <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/ford-electric-vehicle-transition" target="_blank">Read an excerpt from his new book</a> <em>Inevitable: Inside the Messy, Unstoppable Transition to Electric Vehicles</em>, which tells the tale of one power-train engineer at Ford whose internal-combustion-engine expertise slowly became expendable. </p>

Mar 26, 2025

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/a-young-adult-black-woman-wearing-goggles-solders-in-a-makerspace.jpg?id=58138096&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=93%2C0%2C94%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>In my career, I’ve often been the only woman in a room full of men, a situation all too common in tech-related fields. From the start of my engineering journey, I was among a handful of women in my graduate program. This trend continued when I began my first software engineering job as the only woman on my team, and eight years later, I remain a minority in the tech world. </p><p>Women currently constitute about <a href="https://www.womentech.net/women-in-tech-stats#:~:text=What%20percentage%20of%20women%20are,women%20only%20made%20up%209%25." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>35 percent of the technical workforce</u></a>. This statistic highlights the ongoing challenge of gender disparity in tech, where women have historically been underrepresented. And the gap becomes even more pronounced in leadership roles, with women making up only about 25 percent of CEOs in the technology sector, <a href="https://www.grantthornton.global/en/insights/women-in-business/women-in-tech-a-pathway-to-gender-balance-in-top-tech-roles/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>according to one report</u></a>.</p><p>While the <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/tag/gender-gap" target="_self"><u>gender gap</u></a> remains, many women have successful <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/tag/women-in-tech" target="_self"><u>careers in tech</u></a>. With these five actionable tips, women can take charge and own their space in the engineering world.</p><h2>Negotiate Your Compensation with Confidence</h2><p>Women engineers in the United States <a href="https://swe.org/research/2023/earning-gap/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>earn about 10 percent</u></a> less than their male counterparts in similar roles. When I started my career, I believed that as long as I worked on solving the problems I enjoyed, my compensation didn’t really matter. But over time, I realized this mind-set is flawed. Compensation isn’t just about money. It reflects your value and contributions to a company.</p><p>Salary negotiation can feel daunting, especially if you feel uncertain about what’s fair or struggle to articulate your worth. But this is your chance to own your value.</p><p>The first step in negotiating your salary is learning your market value. Websites like <a href="https://www.glassdoor.com/Community/index.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>Glassdoor</u></a> and <a href="https://www.levels.fyi/?compare=Amazon%2CMicrosoft%2CNordstrom&track=Software+Engineer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>Levels.fyi</u></a> provide salary insights based on data from employees in similar roles. They’re excellent starting points to get a sense of base salaries, bonuses, stock options, and other compensation factors.</p><p>Your network can provide another valuable source of information. Ask trusted friends or colleagues working at similar companies what someone with your experience would typically be paid. Phrasing the question as a hypothetical avoids putting anyone on the spot to disclose their salary, while still giving you helpful information. Once you clearly understand your market worth, you are in a solid position to negotiate your compensation, whether switching jobs or discussing a raise with your current employer.</p><p>If you are in the midst of a job switch and have received an offer, you’ve already proven your value to the new company. The hiring team has invested significant time and resources in the interview process and is eager to bring you onboard. They’re often willing to negotiate at this point, but it’s essential to know when you have leverage. One of the best times to negotiate is when you have more than one offer or are approaching the final rounds of interviews with other companies. This creates a healthy competition for your skills.</p><p><span>There are also ways to prepare if you’re approaching a compensation cycle in your current company. Start early: Begin conversations with your boss three to five months before you expect changes, as compensation is often finalized months ahead. You should also know your company’s policies; some employers may increase salary, while others focus on benefits or long-term career growth. Compensation isn’t just salary—stock and bonuses also matter. When you’re ready, talk to your manager confidently and with the right data. A good manager will appreciate your asking for what you deserve</span><span>.</span></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"> <img alt="A young adult white woman with glasses tightening a screw on a customized scanning tunneling microscope in a lab." class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="247dbe7de937b8af524f035d82ba5297" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="7e245" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/a-young-adult-white-woman-with-glasses-tightening-a-screw-on-a-customized-scanning-tunneling-microscope-in-a-lab.jpg?id=58138316&width=980"/> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Postdoctoral researcher Caitlin McCowan adjusts a customized scanning tunneling microscope. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Craig Fritz</small></p><h2>Don’t Attribute Your Success to Gender</h2><p>When organizations are committed to advancing diversity, <a href="https://successinstem.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Suggested-Reading-Kaiser.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>studies</u></a> <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-56829-1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>suggest</u></a> that the public tends to perceive women’s promotions as driven less by their intelligence and effort, and more by their gender. If those perceptions also prevail within their company, women might be told they have an unfair advantage. These types of remarks can make it easy to start questioning, for example, whether you have truly earned a promotion. </p><p>If you’re encountering such attitudes, you can instead embrace your accomplishments and take ownership of the work that led to them. Keeping a “brag list” to record your achievements and strengths can serve as a reminder of your true capabilities. This list can include concrete results or milestones you’ve reached through effort and skill, as well as personal qualities that contribute to your success.</p><p><span>Creating a brag list isn’t about feeding your ego. It’s about reminding yourself of the hard work you’ve put in and acknowledging that you belong because of your talents</span><span>.</span></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"> <img alt="A young adult south asian woman using an isolator machine in a lab." class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a01f585804d8fa62bc708c66fbfcd328" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="38a13" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/a-young-adult-south-asian-woman-using-an-isolator-machine-in-a-lab.jpg?id=58138521&width=980"/> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Nandu Koripally [front] and Lulu Yao work with a structural supercapacitor developed by engineers at the University of California, San Diego.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">David Baillot/UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering</small></p><h2>Open Doors That Are Closed to You</h2><p><span>If a door isn’t open to you, it doesn’t mean you don’t belong on the other side. I’m often surprised by how much women miss out on simply because we don’t ask about the opportunities that interest us. If you think you’re capable of an opportunity, clearly express interest to your manager.</span></p><p><span></span><span>When you approach them, explain the type of opportunity you seek, such as leading a project or transitioning to a new role. Then highlight your strengths by connecting your request to your previous successes. This shows that you’ve delivered in the past and are ready for the next step. Identifying where you can add value will also make your request more compelling. If you see a gap or area for improvement, frame your request around how you can help the team or organization.</span></p><p><span></span><span>If the opportunity isn’t immediately available, ask for feedback on your readiness and how to prepare for future opportunities. This shows you’re eager to learn and improve. Follow up regularly to express your continued interest as well</span><span>.</span></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"> <img alt="A young adult Black woman smiling while holding up an iridescent butterfly wing with tweezers." class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b46ff2c02efc3cedfbe8e0cf970ef897" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="b3352" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/a-young-adult-black-woman-smiling-while-holding-up-an-iridescent-butterfly-wing-with-tweezers.jpg?id=58139124&width=980"/> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Paula Kirya, a mechanical engineering graduate student at the University of California, San Diego, studies light-manipulating micro- and nanostructures on Morpho butterfly wings to assess the level of fibrosis in cancer biopsy samples.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">David Baillot/UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering</small></p><h2>Practice Authentic Leadership</h2><p>As women, we often possess <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/tag/leadership" target="_self"><u>leadership</u></a> traits that differ from what’s expected of men. These are shaped by societal expectations, cultural influences, and workplace dynamics that historically defined leadership in a particular way. The traits that are often associated with women <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8104/3/2/21" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>can be viewed negatively</u></a> in leadership due to gender biases. </p><p>I’ve worked with many highly empathetic women who would make excellent leaders. However, they may be perceived as weak because traditional leadership norms prioritize assertiveness and authority over emotional intelligence. Traits like fostering relationships shouldn’t be seen as weaknesses simply because they don’t fit traditional leadership molds. Rather, these qualities can bring a different approach to leadership. </p><p>It can be helpful to create a Venn diagram highlighting your strengths, improvement areas, and the overlap between them. This process may reveal characteristics that aren’t necessarily flaws but, when harnessed effectively, can become strengths. By recognizing these traits and being intentional in their application, you can transform them into key advantages in your leadership style.</p><p><span>You don’t need to conform to a specific image of what leadership should look like. Instead, practice authentic leadership by providing guidance in a way that’s true to you</span><span>.</span></p><h2>See Yourself as a Leader</h2><p>My final piece of advice is a simple one: Leadership isn’t just for other people—it’s for you, too. <span>When my manager first asked if I would like to take on a new role as the team lead, I was thrilled. But when I went home, self-doubt and anxiety clouded my excitement. The image I had of a technical leader was that of a man, and I couldn’t envision myself in that role at first. Over time, however, I changed that mental image. </span></p><p>Start visualizing yourself as a leader in your organization, regardless of your current position. Leadership is less about title and more about mind-set. Take initiative, lead by example, and make decisions that contribute to your team’s success. When you start thinking and acting like a leader, others will also begin to see you that way.</p><p>Navigating the tech industry as a woman can be challenging, but it’s important to recognize and embrace your value. By confidently negotiating compensation, attributing your success to your skills, asking about new opportunities, embracing authentic leadership, and seeing yourself as a leader, you can carve out your space in the engineering world. These strategies will not only empower you, but contribute to a more inclusive and diverse tech industry.</p>

Mar 25, 2025

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/several-young-adult-men-smiling-together-in-front-of-a-small-greenhouse.jpg?id=58518170&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=90%2C0%2C90%2C0"/><br/><br/><p><a href="https://epics.ieee.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">EPICS in IEEE</a>, an <a href="https://ea.ieee.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Educational Activities</a> program, celebrated its <a href="https://epics.ieee.org/anniversary/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">15th anniversary</a> last year. The <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/epics-in-ieee-anniversary" target="_self">Engineering Projects in Community Service</a> initiative provides nonprofit organizations with technology to improve and deliver services to their community while broadening undergraduate EE students’ hands-on experience with engineering-related topics.</p><p>The program reached new heights last year by distributing more than US $226,000 to 39 projects, engaging more than 900 students and 1,400 volunteers and IEEE members including proposal reviewers, mentors, and project support participants.</p><p>The standout year caps <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-gillespie-536b3522/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Stephanie Gillespie</a>’s three-year term as chair of the EPICS in IEEE committee. An IEEE member, she is an associate dean at the <a href="https://www.newhaven.edu/index.php" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">University of New Haven</a> <a href="https://www.newhaven.edu/engineering/index.php" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">engineering college</a>, in Connecticut. Under her leadership, the EPICS program streamlined processes for collecting data and boosted storytelling efforts to illustrate the impact of its activities. Proposal applications nearly doubled, and approved projects increased by 44 percent.</p><p>“During my three years as committee chair, I’ve loved seeing so many students worldwide have the opportunity to engage with their community and truly consider the needs of their project stakeholders,” Gillespie says. “There are so many ways in which those positive experiences can trickle through their professional and personal lives.</p><p>“New leadership will bring new ideas, and I’m excited for the future of EPICS in IEEE and the continued growth of this outstanding program.”</p><p><a href="https://pure.urosario.edu.co/en/persons/pedro-wightman" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Pedro Wightman</a> is this year’s committee chair. He is an IEEE senior member and an associate professor in the <a href="https://pure.urosario.edu.co/en/organisations/school-of-engineering-science-and-technology" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">engineering school</a> at the <a href="https://urosario.edu.co/en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Universidad del Rosario</a>, in Bogotá. Wightman, who has been an active committee member, helped lead an EPICS project himself.</p><p>“EPICS in IEEE represents a bridge between engineering theory and community needs,” Wightman says. “It brings these two realities together for humanitarian purposes and helps polish an engineering student’s academic experience so that they’re not only technology experts but humans first.</p><p>“I hope the program continues to grow and strengthen, because there’s so much need out there but also so many young engineers around the world willing to put their energy and knowledge toward improving the well-being of people.”</p><p>The following projects, all funded last year, showcase the enthusiasm and dedication of students to create and deploy solutions to help people.</p><h2>Augmented reality system for distance learning</h2><p>A lack of access to trained teachers and quality educational programs threatens students’ development, especially in rural areas with poor infrastructure and limited resources. A team from the <a href="https://www.muet.edu.pk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET)</a> in Jamshoro, Pakistan, addressed such challenges with its <a href="https://epics.ieee.org/blogs/augmented-reality-system-opens-doors-to-distance-learning-in-rural-pakistan/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Augmented Reality 3D System for Interactive Learning in Rural Elementary Schools</a> project. It reached hundreds of pupils in underserved areas with a virtual, sustainable, and hands-on learning platform that engages students and teachers alike. The team received a$4,115 grant to design and deploy their prototype.</p><p>“Many rural areas lack access to qualified educators and modern teaching resources,” says <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sameer-qazi-800b70172/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sameer Qazi</a>, an IEEE student member and a MUET senior. “Our project seeks to bridge that gap by providing an interactive and immersive learning system that delivers an innovative educational experience with a focus on science, art, and history.”</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"> <img alt="Four young men squatting around a large black box that houses a TV monitor. " class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="58ec6c8b726d0e3e088b2389b989ee5d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="d75cc" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/four-young-men-squatting-around-a-large-black-box-that-houses-a-tv-monitor.jpg?id=58518503&width=980"/> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">The team from Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, in Jamshoro, Pakistan, assembles its augmented-reality prototype of its distance learning system. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Mehran University of Engineering and Technology EPICS in IEEE project team</small></p><p>The project involved nine students and two faculty supervisors from the university’s electronic engineering department. Each member contributed to one of the three project modules: content development, <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/topic/energy/" target="_self">power</a> management, and the display system. Qazi was project lead for the display system module.</p><p>The team partnered with the <a href="https://frdp.org.pk/about/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Fast Rural Development Program</a>, an organization dedicated to transforming underprivileged areas and driving sustainable development in rural parts of Pakistan’s Sindh province. The partnership helped ensure the team’s solution was aligned with community needs and could be more seamlessly integrated into the target schools’ curriculum.</p><p class="pull-quote"><span>“I hope the program continues to grow and strengthen, because there’s so much need out there but also so many young engineers around the world willing to put their energy and knowledge toward improving the well-being of people.” <strong>—Pedro Wightman</strong></span></p><p><span></span>“From funding to mentorship, EPICS in IEEE provided us with essential support that allowed us to bring this project from concept to reality,” Qazi says. “I encourage anyone considering an EPICS project to seize the opportunity. It’s a chance to make a tangible impact on society while growing as an engineer and leader.”</p><h2>Solar-powered greenhouse</h2><p>A creative team of students from <a href="https://www.bridgevalley.edu/index.html" target="_blank">BridgeValley Community and Technical College</a> in South Charleston, W.Va., used its $3,200 grant to establish their <a href="https://epics.ieee.org/blogs/epics-in-ieee-students-get-a-green-light-on-their-smart-agriculture-initiative/" target="_blank">Solar PV–Powered Smart Sustainable Greenhouse</a> project. It is designed to optimize plant growth by maintaining ideal conditions and conserving energy through remote monitoring. The team used <a href="https://pure.urosario.edu.co/en/organisations/school-of-engineering-science-and-technology" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Arduino</a> and other technologies, and it partnered with <a href="https://cafeappalachia.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Café Appalachia</a>, an eco-friendly nonprofit with its own farms.</p><p>The group developed a greenhouse system featuring solar-powered <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/lithium-ion-battery-2660020546" target="_self">lithium-ion batteries</a>, smart irrigation, fan control, and IoT integration for real-time data monitoring. Other components included tracking charge controllers, soil-moisture sensors, solenoid valves, flow meters, temperature and humidity sensors, a 356-millimeter fan, and a Wi-Fi module with data logging capabilities.</p><p>“We chose to work with Café Appalachia because they had an interest in sustainable greenhouse practices and offered space for the system,” says team lead <a href="https://www.charlestonsouthern.edu/directory/kim-joshua-youngil/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Joshua “Youngil” Kim</a>, an IEEE member. “Their dedication to giving back to their community and addressing climate change aligned with our goals.” Kim, a former BridgeValley educator, now is an assistant professor of electrical engineering at <a href="https://www.charlestonsouthern.edu/directory/kim-joshua-youngil/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Charleston Southern University</a>, in South Carolina.</p><p>The team expressed gratitude for the funding from the <a href="https://ieeeaps.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society</a>, an EPICS in IEEE partner.</p><p>“EPICS’ support of this greenhouse project has been instrumental in allowing us to contribute to our community and offer educational opportunities to our students,” Kim says. “Thanks to EPICS in IEEE’s generosity and commitment to fostering educational growth, it’s been a valuable experience for everyone involved.”</p><p>To learn more about EPICS projects or to submit a project proposal, join the <a href="https://engage.ieee.org/EPICS-Newsletter-SignUp.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mailing list</a> and receive monthly updates.</p>

Mar 25, 2025

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/nvidia-gpus-on-a-black-background.jpg?id=58558428&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=64%2C0%2C64%2C0"/><br/><br/><p><span style="background-color: initial;">A long-awaited, emerging computer network component may finally be having its moment. At </span><a href="https://www.nvidia.com/gtc/" target="_blank">Nvidia’s GTC</a><span style="background-color: initial;"> event last week in San Jose, the company announced that it will produce an optical network switch designed to drastically cut the power consumption of AI data centers. The system—called a co-packaged optics, or CPO, switch—</span>can route tens of terabits per second from computers in one rack to computers in another<span style="background-color: initial;">. At the same time, startup </span><a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/03/17/3043828/0/en/Micas-Networks-Announces-Industry-s-First-51-2T-Co-Packaged-Optics-Network-Switch-System-Now-in-Volume-Production.html" target="_blank">Micas Networks</a><span style="background-color: initial;">, announced that it is in volume production with a CPO switch based on </span><a href="https://www.broadcom.com/company/news/product-releases/61946" target="_blank">Broadcom’s technology</a><span style="background-color: initial;">.</span></p><p>In data centers today, network switches in a rack of computers consist of specialized chips electrically linked to optical transceivers that plug into the system. (Connections within a rack are electrical, but <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/optical-interconnects" target="_blank">several startups</a> <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/optical-interposers" target="_blank">hope to change this</a>.) The pluggable transceivers combine lasers, optical circuits, digital signal processors, and other electronics. They make an electrical link to the switch and translate data between electronic bits on the switch side and photons that fly through the data center along optical fibers.</p><p>Co-packaged optics is an effort to boost bandwidth and reduce power consumption by moving the optical/electrical data conversion as close as possible to the switch chip. This simplifies the setup and saves power by reducing the number of separate components needed and the distance electronic signals must travel. Advanced packaging technology allows chipmakers to surround the network chip with several silicon optical-transceiver chiplets. Optical fibers attach directly to the package. So all the components are integrated into a single package except for the lasers, which remain external because they are made using nonsilicon materials and technologies. (Even so, CPOs require only one laser for every eight data links in Nvidia’s hardware.)<del></del></p><p class="pull-quote">“An AI supercomputer with 400,000 GPUs is actually a 24-megawatt laser.” <strong>—Ian Buck, Nvidia</strong></p><p>As attractive a technology as that seems, its economics have kept it from deployment. “We’ve been waiting for CPO forever,” says <a href="https://schow.ece.ucsb.edu/people/clint-schow" target="_blank">Clint Schow</a>, a co-packaged optics expert and IEEE Fellow at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who has been <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/get-on-the-optical-bus" target="_blank">researching the technology for 20 years</a>. Speaking of Nvidia’s endorsement of technology, he said the company “wouldn’t do it unless the time was here when [GPU-heavy data centers] can’t afford to spend the power.” The engineering involved is so complex, Schow doesn’t think it’s worthwhile unless “doing things the old way is broken.”</p><p>And indeed, Nvidia pointed to power consumption in upcoming AI data centers as a motivation. Pluggable optics consume “a staggering 10 percent of the total GPU compute power” in an AI data center, says <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-buck-19201315/" target="_blank">Ian Buck</a>, Nvidia’s vice president of hyperscale and high-performance computing. In a 400,000-GPU factory, that would translate to 40 megawatts, and more than half of that goes just to powering the lasers in a pluggable optics transceiver. “An AI supercomputer with 400,000 GPUs is actually a 24-megawatt laser,” he says.</p><h2>Optical Modulators</h2><p>One fundamental difference between Broadcom’s scheme and Nvidia’s is the optical modulator technology that encodes electronic bits onto beams of light. In silicon photonics there are two main types of modulators—<a href="https://www.synopsys.com/glossary/what-is-a-mach-zehnder-modulator.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mach-Zehnder</a>, which Broadcom uses and is the basis for pluggable optics, and microring resonator, which Nvidia chose. In the former, light traveling through a waveguide is split into two parallel arms. Each arm can then be modulated by an applied electric field, which changes the phase of the light passing through. The arms then rejoin to form a single waveguide. Depending on whether the two signals are now in phase or out of phase, they will cancel each other out or combine. And so electronic bits can be encoded onto the light.</p><p>Microring modulators are far more compact. Instead of splitting the light along two parallel paths, a ring-shaped waveguide hangs off the side of the light’s main path. If the light is of a wavelength that can form a standing wave in the ring, it will be siphoned off, filtering that wavelength out of the main waveguide. Exactly which wavelength resonates with the ring depends on the structure’s refractive index, which can be electronically manipulated.</p><p>However, the microring’s compactness comes with a cost. Microring modulators are sensitive to temperature, so each one requires a built-in heating circuit, which must be carefully controlled and consumes power. On the other hand, Mach-Zehnder devices are considerably larger, leading to more lost light and some design issues, says Schow.</p><p>That Nvidia managed to commercialize a microring-based silicon photonics engine is “an amazing engineering feat,” says Schow.</p><h2>Nvidia CPO Switches</h2><p>According to Nvidia, adopting the CPO switches in a new AI data center would lead to one-fourth the number of lasers, boost power efficiency for trafficking data 3.5-fold, improve the on-time reliability of signals traveling from one computer to another by 63 times, make networks tenfold more resilient to disruptions, and allow customers to deploy new data-center hardware 30 percent faster.</p><p><span>“By integrating silicon photonics directly into switches, Nvidia is shattering the old limitation of hyperscale and enterprise networks and opening the gate to million-GPU AI factories,” said Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.</span></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"> <span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8fb0351bc4a8c50252e57e5ce6497085" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kS8r7UcexJU?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">- YouTube</small> <small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit..."> <a href="https://youtu.be/kS8r7UcexJU?si=QpYissLTMobFvRNR" target="_blank">youtu.be</a> </small> </p><p><span>The company plans two classes of switch, Spectrum-X and Quantum-X. Quantum-X, which the company says will be available later this year, is based on </span><a href="https://www.fs.com/blog/infiniband-vs-ethernet-what-are-they-2740.html" target="_blank">InfiniBand</a><span> network technology, a network scheme more oriented to high-performance computing. It delivers 800 gigabits per second from each of 144 ports, and its two CPO chips are liquid-cooled instead of air-cooled, as are an increasing fraction of new AI data centers. The network ASIC includes Nvidia’s </span><a href="https://docs.nvidia.com/networking/display/sharpv300" target="_blank">SHARP FP8</a><span> technology, which allows CPUs and GPUs to offload certain tasks to the network chip.</span></p><p>Spectrum-X is an Ethernet-based switch that can deliver a total bandwidth of about 100 terabits per second from a total of either 128 or 512 ports and 400 Tb/s from 512 or 2,048 ports. Hardware makers are expected to have Spectrum-X switches ready in 2026.</p><p>Nvidia has been working on the fundamental photonics technology for years. But it took collaboration with 11 partners—including <a href="https://www.tsmc.com/english" target="_blank">TSMC</a>, <a href="https://www.corning.com/worldwide/en.html" target="_blank">Corning</a>, and <a href="https://www.foxconn.com/en-us/" target="_blank">Foxconn</a>—to get the switch to a commercial state.</p><p>Ashkan Seyedi, director of optical interconnect products at Nvidia, stressed how important it was that the technologies these partners brought to the table were co-optimized to satisfy AI data-center needs rather than simply assembled from those partners’ existing technologies.</p><p>“The innovations and the power savings enabled by CPO are intimately tied to your packaging scheme, your packaging partners, your packaging flow,” Seyedi says. “The novelty is not just in the optical components directly, it’s in how they are packaged in a high-yield, testable way that you can manage at good cost.”</p><p>Testing is particularly important, because the system is an integration of so many expensive components. For example, there are 18 silicon photonics chiplets in each of the two CPOs in the Quantum-X system. And each of those must connect to two lasers and 16 optical fibers. Seyedi says the team had to develop several new test procedures to get it right and trace where errors were creeping in.</p><h2>Micas Networks Switches</h2><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image rm-float-left rm-resized-container rm-resized-container-25" data-rm-resized-container="25%" style="float: left;"> <img alt="An advanced switch system labeled Micas. " class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a54991e099275b81c653dd1d525cc34e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="14112" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/an-advanced-switch-system-labeled-micas.jpg?id=58558784&width=980"/> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Micas Networks is already in production with a switch based on Broadcom’s CPO technology.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Micas Network</small></p><p>Broadcom chose the more established Mach-Zehnder modulators for its <a href="https://www.broadcom.com/company/news/product-releases/61946" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bailly CPO switch</a>, in part because it is a more standardized technology, potentially making it easier to integrate with existing pluggable transceiver infrastructure, explains <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-hannah-8039163/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Robert Hannah</a>, senior manager of product marketing in Broadcom’s optical systems division.</p><p><a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/03/17/3043828/0/en/Micas-Networks-Announces-Industry-s-First-51-2T-Co-Packaged-Optics-Network-Switch-System-Now-in-Volume-Production.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Micas’s system</a> uses a single CPO component, which is made up of Broadcom’s <a href="https://www.broadcom.com/products/ethernet-connectivity/switching/strataxgs/bcm78900-series" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tomahawk 5</a> Ethernet switch chip surrounded by eight 6.4-Tb/s silicon photonics optical engines. The air-cooled hardware is in full production now, putting it ahead of Nvidia’s CPO switches.</p><p>Hannah calls Nvidia’s involvement an endorsement of Micas’s and Broadcom’s timing. “Several years ago, we made the decision to skate to where the puck was going to be,” says <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitchgalbraith/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mitch Galbraith</a>, Micas’s chief operations officer. With data-center operators scrambling to power their infrastructure, the CPO’s time seems to have come, he says.</p><p>The new switch promises a 40 percent power savings versus systems populated with standard pluggable transceivers. However, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliehou/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Charlie Hou</a>, vice president of corporate strategy at Micas, says CPO’s higher reliability is just as important. “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Link_flap" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Link flap</a>,” the term for transient failure of pluggable optical links, is one of the culprits responsible for lengthening AI training runs that are already very long, he says. CPO is expected to have less link flap because there are fewer components in the signal’s path, among other reasons.</p><h2>CPOs in the Future</h2><p>The big power savings that data centers are looking to get from CPOs are mostly a one-time benefit, Schow suggests. After that, “I think it’s just going to be the new normal.” However, improvements to the electronics’ other features will let CPO makers keep boosting bandwidth—for a time at least.</p><p>Schow doubts that individual silicon modulators—which run at 200 Gb/s in Nvidia’s photonic engines—will be able to go past much more than 400 Gb/s. However, other materials, such as lithium niobate and indium phosphide, should be able to exceed that. The trick will be affordably integrating them with silicon components, something Santa Barbara–based <a href="https://openlightphotonics.com/technology" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">OpenLight</a> is working on, among <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/lasers-on-silicon" target="_blank">other groups</a>.<strong></strong></p><p>In the meantime, pluggable optics are not standing still. This week, Broadcom unveiled a new digital signal processor that could lead to a more than 20 percent power reduction for 1.6 Tb/s transceivers, due in part to a more-advanced silicon process.</p><p>And startups such as <a href="https://avicena.tech/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Avicena</a>, <a href="https://ayarlabs.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ayar Labs</a>, and <a href="https://lightmatter.co/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lightmatter</a> are working to bring optical interconnects all the way to the GPU itself. The first two have developed chiplets meant to go inside the same package as a GPU or other processor. Lightmatter is going a step farther, making the silicon photonics engine the packaging substrate upon which future chips are 3D-stacked.</p>

Mar 25, 2025

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/an-image-of-a-smiling-man-surrounded-by-colorful-geometric-shapes-and-search-bar-overlay-on-a-green-background.png?id=58511175&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C23%2C0%2C23"/><br/><br/><p> There is an inherent tension in the dissemination of research. On one hand, science thrives on openness and communication. On the other, ensuring high-quality scientific work requires peer reviews that are often lengthy and closed. In 1991, physicist <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Ginsparg" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>Paul Ginsparg</u></a> created the arXiv repository to alleviate some of that tension. The idea is that researchers have a place to upload their preprint manuscripts before they are published in a journal. The preprints are free to all but have not undergone peer review (there is some screening). </p><p> However, arXiv doesn’t facilitate open, two-way discussion. Now, two Stanford students have developed an extension of arXiv that creates a centralized public square, of sorts, for researchers to discuss preprints. <em><em>IEEE Spectrum</em></em> spoke with one of the two, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahmadrehaan/" target="_blank">Rehaan Ahmad</a>, about the project. </p><h3>​Rehaan Ahmad</h3><br/><p>Rehaan Ahmad is the cofounder of alphaXiv, which he began as an undergraduate project while at Stanford University, alongside fellow student Raj Palleti.</p><p> <strong>How does alphaXiv work?</strong> </p><p> <strong>Rehaan Ahmad: </strong>You can change the “arXiv” in the URL to “alphaXiv,” and it opens up the paper and there’s comments and discussion. You can highlight sections and leave in-line comments. There’s also a more general home page where you can see what papers other people are reading through the site. It ends up being a nice way to filter for what papers are interesting and what aren’t. </p><p> <strong>What motivated you to create the site? </strong> </p><p> <strong>Ahmad:</strong> My cocreator Raj Palleti and I were undergrads at Stanford doing research in robotics and <a data-linked-post="2671184284" href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/ai-institute" target="_blank">reinforcement learning</a>. We figured a lot of people would have questions on papers, like us. So I put together a little mock-up two or three years ago. It was just sitting on my computer for a while. And then a year afterward I showed it to Raj, and he said we need to make this a public site. We thought of it as a version of Stack Overflow for papers. </p><p> <strong>How difficult was it to build? </strong> </p><p> <strong>Ahmad:</strong> Surprisingly difficult! Our background is in research, and one of the harder lessons for this project is that writing research code versus actual code that works are two different things. For research code, you write something once, you put it on GitHub, no one will use it—and if they do, it’s their problem to figure out. But here, the site has been around for a year and a half, and only recently have a lot of the bugs been kind of hashed out. The project started out on a single AWS server, and anytime someone would post about it, it would go viral, and the server would go down. </p><p> <strong>How do you hope alphaXiv will be used? </strong> </p><p> <strong>Ahmad:</strong> I see alphaXiv as just connecting the world of research in a way that’s more productive than <a data-linked-post="2669181158" href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/fight-misinformation" target="_blank">Twitter</a> [now X]. People find mistakes in papers here; people will read their opinions. I have been seeing more productive discussions with the authors. </p><p> <strong>Your advisors include Udacity cofounder Sebastian Thrun and Meta’s chief AI scientist, <a data-linked-post="2656767047" href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/yann-lecun-ai" target="_blank">Yann LeCun</a>. How have your advisors contributed?</strong> </p><p> <strong>Ahmad:</strong> After the first few months of operating alphaXiv, we circulated a lot within the computer-science community. But after discussing the platform with [University of Maryland physics professor] Victor Galitski, we realized having his voice and opinion to guide decisions that were relevant to the physics community would be incredibly important. Those interested in computer-science papers are usually more interested in the trending/likes/filtering aspect of our site, whereas those interested in physics are usually more discussion-oriented. </p><p><em>This article appears in the April 2025 issue as “5 Questions for Rehaan Ahmad.”</em></p>

Mar 25, 2025

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/an-image-of-a-person-holding-a-piece-of-metal-and-brush-being-applied-to-it.jpg?id=57025573&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=16%2C0%2C16%2C0"/><br/><br/><p><em>This sponsored article is brought to you by <a href="https://www.masterbond.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Master Bond</a>.</em></p><p><em></em><span><a href="https://www.masterbond.com/tds/ep112" target="_blank">Master Bond EP112</a> is an ultra-low-viscosity, electrically insulating, two-component heat curable epoxy system designed for demanding applications requiring optical clarity and resistance to chemicals commonly used in silicon processing. This article introduces a two-part case study involving a microelectronics fabrication, showcasing EP112’s role in bonding a silicon wafer to a glass substrate.</span></p><h2>Part 1: The START Process and EP112’s Role</h2><p>In the first part of this case study, researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) developed an innovative Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) process called START (Silicon Transfer to Arbitrary Substrate). This method enables the transformation of standard bulk silicon wafers with completed circuits into SOI-like configurations without significantly increasing manufacturing costs. By using conventional fabrication techniques, the START process combines the benefits of bulk silicon electronics with those of SOI technology while maintaining cost efficiency.</p><p>A critical step in this process involved bonding a silicon wafer to a glass support substrate. EP112 was selected as the adhesive of choice due to its ultra-low viscosity, strong bonding capabilities, and high chemical resistance. The bonded structure ultimately contributed to the successful development of a prototype liquid crystal display (LCD), demonstrating EP112’s effectiveness in microelectronics fabrication.</p><h2>Part 2: CMOS Wafer Thinning for SEU Resistance</h2><p>In the second part of this study, LLNL researchers applied EP112 in a novel wafer-thinning process to enhance the reliability of CMOS-based integrated circuits (ICs). The objective was to reduce susceptibility to Single Event Upsets (SEUs) by significantly decreasing the charge collection volume within the silicon substrate.</p><p>To achieve this, EP112 was used to bond two substrates together, ensuring a secure attachment throughout the wafer-thinning steps. The process involved a high-temperature alkaline etching step, where EP112’s superior chemical resistance played a crucial role in preventing de-bonding. By maintaining structural integrity under these harsh conditions, EP112 enabled the successful completion of the thinning process, further demonstrating its suitability for advanced semiconductor applications.</p><p>To read more about the key parameters and requirements, and learn about the results, please <a href="https://www.masterbond.com/case-study/ep112-utilized-bond-silicon-wafers-glass-support-substrates-during-microelectronics" target="_blank">download the full case study here</a>.</p>

Mar 24, 2025

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/ansys-logo.png?id=27142736&width=980"/><br/><br/><p>Analog/RF IC design has been traditionally considered an art – sometimes even a “black art” – because, contrary to digital IC design, analog/RF design combines complexity, non-linearity, conflicting design objectives and limited automation in EDA tooling. Analog/RF IC designers rely on a blend of technical expertise, intuition, accumulated experience, and creativity to meet the demanding targets of modern applications like high operating frequencies, low power, miniaturization, and shrinking design cycles. In this webinar you will learn about the revolutionary AI-driven electromagnetic-aware methodology that automates the optimization of the floor plan of analog and RF physical layouts. Join us to discover how Ansys AI solutions can add structure to the “madness” of analog/RF design.</p><p><em>What Attendees will Learn: </em></p><ul><li>How the Ansys AI-driven electromagnetic-aware methodology blends with your existing custom IC design methodology and design flow</li><li><span>How to define goals and constraints to identify the global optimum instead of settling for locally optimal solutions</span></li><li><span>How the Ansys AI-driven optimization methodology will help you shave off several days or weeks from your design cycle</span></li></ul><div><a href="https://www.ansys.com/webinars/physics-based-analog-design-optimization" target="_blank">Register now for this free webinar!</a></div>

Mar 24, 2025

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/a-red-path-drawn-on-a-world-map-with-dots-on-the-united-states-east-coast-brazil-south-africa-india-and-australia.jpg?id=58238968&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=87%2C0%2C88%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>When Meta <a href="https://engineering.fb.com/2025/02/14/connectivity/project-waterworth-ai-subsea-infrastructure/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">announced</a> its plans for a vast new fiber optic network covering 50,000 kilometers and linking five continents last month, the company’s selling point was cutting-edge undersea cable tech. What went unsaid, however, was the geopolitical challenges the project might also face, along with potential insights it could reveal about Meta’s upcoming priorities. </p><p><span>The company is hardly alone as a private player extending long fiber optic routes across oceans. Last year Google, for instance, </span><a href="https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/infrastructure/pacific-connect-initiative-to-expand" target="_blank">announced</a><span> a US $1 billion investment in undersea cables connecting the United States to Japan. Titans like Meta and Google investing heavily in undersea cables represents “a trend we’ve been tracking for over a decade,” says <a href="https://blog.telegeography.com/author/lane-burdette" target="_blank">Lane Burdette</a>, senior analyst at the Washington, D.C.–based firm <a href="https://www2.telegeography.com/" target="_blank">TeleGeography</a>.</span></p><p>The challenge comes in piecing together technical details for each project, given the inevitably sketchy notes a company’s PR team provides. (Contacted by <em>IEEE Spectrum</em><span>, a Meta spokesperson declined to comment.)</span><span></span></p><p>Meta’s new cable will be called Waterworth, after a pioneering Meta engineer who passed away <a href="https://www.capacitymedia.com/article/2d9medouqexyn3re4l6gw/news/obituary-gary-waterworth" target="_blank">last year</a>. </p><p>Waterworth hasn’t yet been added to TeleGeography’s <a href="https://www.submarinecablemap.com/" target="_blank">comprehensive global submarine cable map</a>, Burdette says, because no geographical routing plans for the fiber network have yet been announced. Once added, it would join 81 other currently planned cable routes that TeleGeography does track across the planet, alongside the world’s other 570 <span>undersea fiber optic cables now in service.</span></p><h2>Meta’s Next 24-Fiber-Pair Undersea Line</h2><p>To help contextualize Meta’s news, says <a href="https://www.pioneerconsulting.com/team/howard-kidorf/" target="_blank">Howard Kidorf</a>, managing partner at the Hoboken, N.J.–based analysis firm <a href="https://www.pioneerconsulting.com/" target="_blank">Pioneer Consulting</a>, consider a point of reference: <span>Laying cable from California to Singapore requires some 16,000 km of fiber. But going much beyond 16,000 km, he says, pushes the limits of cable tech today. “You lose capacity on each fiber pair as you go further,” he says. “So I could say 20,000 km, but then you’re running into an economic trade-off—losing total capacity.”</span></p><p><a href="https://hackaday.com/2023/08/08/under-the-sea-optical-repeaters-for-submarine-cables/" target="_blank">Tiny fiber optic amplifiers</a><span style="background-color: initial;"> are typically built into the housings of <a data-linked-post="2670285323" href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/undersea-internet-cables-protection-tech" target="_blank">undersea cables today</a>. And powering that network of amplifiers can represent a real bottleneck constraining the maximum length of any given cable.</span></p><p>“It sounds like not a very challenging thing just to put more fibers in a cable,” Kidorf says. “But it’s also a bigger challenge to be able to put more optical amplifiers in.… And the biggest challenge on top of that is how do you power those optical amplifiers?”</p><p>Every 50 to 80 km, an optical amplifier inside the cable must boost the optical signal, according to Kidorf. Meanwhile, each repeater typically consumes 50 to 100 watts. Do the math, and at minimum a California-to-Singapore line needs at least 10 kilowatts coursing through it just to keep the lights on. (Real-world figures, Kidorf says, come out closer to 15 to 18 kW.) </p><p>“Unrepeatered cables can have over 100 fiber pairs across a single segment,” Burdette says. “But so far, the maximum fiber pairs used in a repeatered system is 24.”</p><p>Waterworth will be using all 24 fiber pairs of that present-day capacity. Which puts it at the forefront of undersea cable tech today—although Waterworth isn’t the first undersea 24-fiber cable Meta has laid down. </p><p>“Meta is expected to activate Anjana, the first 24-pair repeatered system, <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/pending-submarine-cable-applications" target="_blank">this year</a>,” adds Burdette. “Anjana was <a href="https://www.nec.com/en/press/202110/global_20211008_01.html" target="_blank">supplied by NEC.</a>” (Other 24-pair fiber cables with repeaters in them are also under development both <a href="https://www.nec.com/en/press/202103/global_20210319_04.html" target="_blank">by NEC</a> and <a href="https://www.unitirreno.com/" target="_blank">others</a>, Burdette notes, although Meta now appears to be first in line to actually activate such a system.) </p><p>Anjana <a href="https://www.submarinenetworks.com/en/systems/trans-atlantic/anjana/meta-s-anjana-cable-lands-in-santander,-spain" target="_blank">is less than 8,000 km</a>—connecting Myrtle Beach, S.C., to Santander, Spain. It will yield the social media behemoth 480 terabits per second of new bandwidth between the United States and Europe.</p><p>Compared to the hypothetical California-to-Singapore cable, above, whose 16,000-km length would stretch existing fiber-tech capabilities to the extreme, Anjana isn’t setting any underwater distance records. On the other hand,<span> Waterworth’s anticipated 50,000-km span—more than six times that of Anjana—would represent quite a leap forward.</span></p><p>Perhaps that is why both Kidorf and Burdette wanted to clarify something about that 50,000 figure.</p><p>“50,000 is a nice headline number,” Kidorf says. “It is a lot of cable. It’s roughly the output of a single cable factory for an entire year.... But this is not one cable that goes 50,000 kilometers. It’s a cable that lands in a number of places for regeneration.”</p><p>“Waterworth is one project with multiple cable systems,” Burdette says. “This distinction can get kind of muddy as cable systems often have multiple segments that may even enter service at different times. So what makes something ‘one cable’ can come down to an issue of branding.”</p><h2>Where Will Waterworth Make Landfall?</h2><p>One outstanding Waterworth question, Kidorf says, concerns where and why the undersea cable will make landfall at its six or more landing points—according to Meta’s preliminary map (above).</p><p>According to Kidorf, geopolitics and tech collide where international hotspots are concerned. Nobody wants their expensive cable being damaged, either intentionally or accidentally, in a conflict zone.</p><p>“For example, connectivity to get from Asia to North America without going through the Red Sea is a major goal of everybody,” Kidorf says. Another goal, he adds, concerns avoiding the South China Sea.</p><p>In other words, it might be charitable to imagine Meta’s Brazilian, South African, and Indian landing points as a play to bridge the <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/tag/digital-divide" target="_self">digital divide</a>. But it’s probably not coincidence, Kidorf says, that Waterworth’s projected route also neatly circumnavigates the globe while still avoiding both of those two geopolitical tinderboxes.</p><p>What doesn’t yet make sense, he adds, is how Waterworth might “unlock AI innovation” (in the words of Meta’s press release) via these particular landing points. Because AI implies big data centers awaiting the cord coming out of the ocean. </p><p>Yet at least two inferred Waterworth landing points (from the approximate circles on Meta’s map) currently lack major Meta data centers, he says.</p><p>“Building data centers is a more significant investment in capital than building these cables are,” Kidorf says. “So not only do you need to build a data center, you have to find a way to power them. And India is a tough place to get 500 megawatts, which is what data centers are being built out as. Brazil also is not a data center capital.”</p><p>More Waterworth details will clearly be needed, that is, not only to place Waterworth on TeleGeography’s map but also to determine how the cable’s networking potential will be used—as well as how truly cutting edge Waterworth’s tech specs may actually be.</p><p>“They didn’t provide enough detail to really say whether it’s a technological marvel or not, because the issue is how far can you go before you have to hit land?” Kidorf says. And returning to solid ground, he says, is the ultimate technological constraint.</p>

Mar 21, 2025

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/warehouse-robot-with-two-articulated-arms-under-bright-lights-surrounded-by-boxes-and-shelves.png?id=58373789&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=153%2C0%2C154%2C0"/><br/><br/><p><span>Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your friends at </span><em>IEEE Spectrum</em><span> robotics. We also post a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next few months. Please </span><a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=Robotics%20event%20suggestion%20for%20Video%20Friday">send us your events</a><span> for inclusion.</span></p><h5><a href="https://erf2025.eu/">European Robotics Forum</a>: 25–27 March 2025, STUTTGART, GERMANY</h5><h5><a href="https://robosoft2025.org/">RoboSoft 2025</a>: 23–26 April 2025, LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND</h5><h5><a href="https://uasconferences.com/2025_icuas/">ICUAS 2025</a>: 14–17 May 2025, CHARLOTTE, N.C.</h5><h5><a href="https://2025.ieee-icra.org/">ICRA 2025</a>: 19–23 May 2025, ATLANTA</h5><h5><a href="https://humanoidssummit.com/">London Humanoids Summit</a>: 29–30 May 2025, LONDON</h5><h5><a href="https://smartconf.jp/content/rcar2025/">IEEE RCAR 2025</a>: 1–6 June 2025, TOYAMA, JAPAN</h5><h5><a href="https://www.edrcoalition.com/2025-energy-drone-robotics-summit">2025 Energy Drone & Robotics Summit</a>: 16–18 June 2025, HOUSTON</h5><h5><a href="https://roboticsconference.org/">RSS 2025</a>: 21–25 June 2025, LOS ANGELES</h5><h5><a href="https://robotx.ethz.ch/education/summer-school.html">ETH Robotics Summer School</a>: 21–27 June 2025, GENEVA</h5><h5><a href="https://ias-19.org/">IAS 2025</a>: 30 June–4 July 2025, GENOA, ITALY</h5><h5><a href="https://clawar.org/icres2025/">ICRES 2025</a>: 3–4 July 2025, PORTO, PORTUGAL</h5><h5><a href="https://2025.worldhaptics.org/">IEEE World Haptics</a>: 8–11 July 2025, SUWON, KOREA</h5><h5><a href="https://ifac2025-msrob.com/">IFAC Symposium on Robotics</a>: 15–18 July 2025, PARIS</h5><h5><a href="https://2025.robocup.org/">RoboCup 2025</a>: 15–21 July 2025, BAHIA, BRAZIL</h5><p>Enjoy today’s videos!</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><div style="page-break-after: always"><span style="display:none"> </span></div><p class="rm-anchors" id="cnbgmvtkjum">Every time you see a humanoid demo in a warehouse or factory, ask yourself: Would a “superhumanoid” like this actually be a better answer?</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2849c3000253702cc58ec88644cdb0a6" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cNbGmvtKjuM?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://www.dexterity.ai/">Dexterity</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><p class="rm-anchors" id="i44_zbewz_w">The only reason that this is the second video in Video Friday this week, and not the first, is because you’ve almost certainly already seen it.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="022509dfeb90438fb1f44826c5e73d28" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/I44_zbEwz_w?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>This is a collaboration between the <a data-linked-post="2657873445" href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/marc-raibert-boston-dynamics-instutute" target="_blank">Robotics and AI Institute</a> and <a data-linked-post="2654713074" href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/boston-dynamics-parkour" target="_blank">Boston Dynamics</a>, and RAI has its own video, which is slightly different:</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"> <span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b45cb53823c09d6bf0088d9af34f8743" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LQizdUn5Z1k?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">- YouTube</small> </p><p>[ <a href="https://bostondynamics.com/">Boston Dynamics</a> ] via [ <a href="https://rai-inst.com/">RAI</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><p class="rm-anchors" id="mudfz6hfgws">Well this just looks a little bit like magic.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9de6118903f0fc79ee2e353de12d116f" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mUDFZ6hfgWs?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://sung.seas.upenn.edu/">University of Pennsylvania Sung Robotics Lab</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><blockquote class="rm-anchors" id="zvvakdjcm6g"><em>After hours of dance battles with professional choreographers (yes, real human dancers!), PM01 now nails every iconic move from Kung Fu Hustle.</em></blockquote><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3bd4216e3e607bc66f677e2a208c0236" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZVVAKdjCM6g?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://www.engineai.com.cn/">EngineAI</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><blockquote class="rm-anchors" id="2w9gbj2yegc"><em>Sanctuary AI has demonstrated industry-leading sim-to-real transfer of learned dexterous manipulation policies for our unique, high degree-of-freedom, high strength, and high speed hydraulic hands.</em></blockquote><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1229c8c7aeeed7afc24cd7a0d71d4502" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2W9GbJ2yEgc?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://www.sanctuary.ai/blog/sanctuary-ai-leverages-isaac-lab">Sanctuary AI</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><p class="rm-anchors" id="ybglx1ceg14">This video is “introducing BotQ, Figure’s new high-volume manufacturing facility for humanoid robots,” but I just see some injection molding and finishing of a few plastic parts.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="daf9806dcb64aeb9f48cfc8562f90e07" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yBGlX1CEG14?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://www.figure.ai/news/botq">Figure</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><blockquote class="rm-anchors" id="soachoyuwrs"><em>DEEP Robotics recently showcased its “One-Touch Navigation” feature, enhancing the intelligent control experience of its robotic dog. This feature offers two modes: map-based point selection and navigation and video-based point navigation, designed for open terrains and confined spaces respectively. By simply typing on a tablet screen or selecting a point in the video feed, the robotic dog can autonomously navigate to the target point, automatically planning its path and intelligently avoiding obstacles, significantly improving traversal efficiency.</em></blockquote><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="061acf5f3ef49865f2ff4fe5f2cec027" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SoachOyUWrs?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>What’s in the bags, though?</p><p>[ <a href="https://www.deeprobotics.cn/en/index/product3.html">Deep Robotics</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><p class="rm-anchors" id="29xlwhqme2q">This hurts my knees to watch, in a few different ways.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7d3802d7c5b5d3e7e856765265922750" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/29xLWhqME2Q?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://www.unitree.com/g1">Unitree</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><p class="rm-anchors" id="stjm58atwti">Why the recent obsession with two legs when instead robots could have six? So much cuter!</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f5e985390639f6bd65b196f4ac8a4594" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/stJM58ATWTI?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://jizai.ai/Mi-MoEN">Jizai</a> ] via [ <a href="https://robotstart.info/2025/03/17/mimo-spec-released-vsido-install.html">RobotStart</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><p class="rm-anchors" id="iuatpw7amz4">The world must know: who killed Mini-Duck?</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0950e365b751a3f452c83bfc867e35ac" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Iuatpw7aMZ4?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>[ <a href="https://github.com/pollen-robotics">Pollen</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div><p class="rm-anchors" id="cmmttp-a6uo">Seven hours of Digit robots at work at ProMat.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"><span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4a27b6da5c0280d8a532eea808658f09" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cMMTtP-a6uo?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span></p><p>And there are two more days of these livestreams if you need more!</p><p>[ <a href="https://www.agilityrobotics.com/">Agility</a> ]</p><div class="horizontal-rule"></div>

Mar 21, 2025

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/geoffrey-hinton-holds-up-his-boltzmann-machine-s-neural-network-chip-which-is-roughly-the-size-of-a-postage-stamp.jpg?id=58367838&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=140%2C0%2C140%2C0"/><br/><br/><p> <u></u>In partnership with Google, the Computer History Museum (CHM) has released the source code to AlexNet, the neural network that in 2012 kickstarted today’s prevailing approach to AI. The source code is available as open source on <a href="https://github.com/computerhistory/AlexNet-Source-Code" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CHM’s GitHub page</a>. </p><h2>What Is AlexNet?</h2><p> AlexNet is an artificial neural network created to recognize the contents of photographic images. It was developed in 2012 by then–University of Toronto graduate students <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Krizhevsky" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Alex Krizhevsky</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilya_Sutskever" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ilya Sutskever</a> and their faculty advisor, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_Hinton" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Geoffrey Hinton</a>. </p><h2>The Origins of Deep Learning</h2><p> Hinton is regarded as one of the fathers of <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/what-is-deep-learning" target="_self">deep learning</a>, the type of artificial intelligence that uses <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/tag/neural-networks" target="_self">neural networks</a> and is the foundation of today’s mainstream AI. Simple three-layer neural networks with only one layer of adaptive weights were first built in the late 1950s—most notably by Cornell researcher Frank Rosenblatt—but they were found to have limitations. [<a href="https://computerhistory.org/blog/how-do-neural-network-systems-work/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">This explainer</a> gives more details on how neural networks work.] In particular, researchers needed networks with more than one layer of adaptive weights, but there wasn’t a good way to train them. By the early 1970s, neural networks had been <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/history-of-ai" target="_blank">largely rejected</a> by AI researchers. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"> <img alt="Black and white 1950s photo of Doctor Frank Rosenblatt and Charles W. Wightman working on a prototype of an electronic neural network using a screwdriver." class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="17a906e4e8af11800f25572d17f1fa3e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="3a3a8" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/black-and-white-1950s-photo-of-doctor-frank-rosenblatt-and-charles-w-wightman-working-on-a-prototype-of-an-electronic-neural-ne.jpg?id=58367854&width=980"/> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Frank Rosenblatt [left, shown with Charles W. Wightman] developed the first artificial neural network, the perceptron, in 1957.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections/Cornell University Library</small></p><p> In the 1980s, neural network research was revived outside the AI community by cognitive scientists at the University of California, San Diego, under the new name of “connectionism.” After finishing his Ph.D. at the University of Edinburgh in 1978, Hinton had become a postdoctoral fellow at UCSD, where he collaborated with <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/19/health/19rumelhart.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">David Rumelhart</a> and <a href="https://www.khoury.northeastern.edu/a-tribute-to-ron-williams-khoury-professor-and-machine-learning-pioneer/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ronald Williams</a>. The three rediscovered the backpropagation algorithm for training neural networks, and in 1986 they published two papers showing that it enabled neural networks to learn multiple layers of features for language and vision tasks. Backpropagation, which is foundational to deep learning today, uses the difference between the current output and the desired output of the network to adjust the weights in each layer, from the output layer backward to the input layer. </p><p> In 1987, Hinton joined the <a href="https://www.cs.toronto.edu/~hinton/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">University of Toronto</a>. Away from the centers of traditional AI, Hinton’s work and those of his graduate students made Toronto a center of deep learning research over the coming decades. One postdoctoral student of Hinton’s was <a href="http://yann.lecun.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Yann LeCun</a>, now chief scientist at Meta. While working in Toronto, LeCun showed that when backpropagation was used in “convolutional” neural networks, they became very good at recognizing handwritten numbers. </p><h2>ImageNet and GPUs</h2><p> Despite these advances, neural networks could not consistently outperform other types of machine learning algorithms. They needed two developments from outside of AI to pave the way. The first was the emergence of vastly larger amounts of data for training, made available through the Web. The second was enough computational power to perform this training, in the form of 3D graphics chips, known as GPUs. By 2012, the time was ripe for AlexNet. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"> <img alt="Fei Fei Li speaking to Tom Kalil on stage at an event. Both of them are seated in arm chairs." class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4dc49c8c744b9671415ff5c5f0f0b6ec" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="cf969" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/fei-fei-li-speaking-to-tom-kalil-on-stage-at-an-event-both-of-them-are-seated-in-arm-chairs.jpg?id=58367847&width=980"/> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Fei-Fei Li’s ImageNet image dataset, completed in 2009, was pivotal in training AlexNet. Here, Li [right] talks with Tom Kalil at the Computer History Museum.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Douglas Fairbairn/Computer History Museum</small></p><p> The data needed to train AlexNet was found in <a href="https://www.image-net.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ImageNet</a>, a project started and led by Stanford professor <a href="https://profiles.stanford.edu/fei-fei-li" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Fei-Fei Li</a>. Beginning in 2006, and against conventional wisdom, Li envisioned a dataset of images covering every noun in the English language. She and her graduate students began collecting images found on the Internet and classifying them using a taxonomy provided by <a href="https://wordnet.princeton.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">WordNet</a>, a database of words and their relationships to each other. Given the enormity of their task, Li and her collaborators ultimately crowdsourced the task of labeling images to gig workers, using <a href="https://www.mturk.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amazon’s Mechanical Turk platform</a>. </p><p> Completed in 2009, ImageNet was larger than any previous image dataset by several orders of magnitude. Li hoped its availability would spur new breakthroughs, and she started a <a href="https://www.image-net.org/challenges/LSVRC/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">competition</a> in 2010 to encourage research teams to improve their image-recognition algorithms. But over the next two years, the best systems only made marginal improvements. </p><p> The second condition necessary for the success of neural networks was economical access to vast amounts of computation. Neural-network training involves a lot of repeated matrix multiplications, preferably done in parallel, something that GPUs are designed to do. <a href="https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nvidia</a>, cofounded by CEO <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jensen_Huang" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jensen Huang</a>, had led the way in the 2000s in making GPUs more generalizable and programmable for applications beyond 3D graphics, especially with the <a href="https://developer.nvidia.com/cuda-toolkit" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CUDA programming system</a> released in 2007.</p><p><span>Both ImageNet and CUDA were, like neural networks themselves, fairly niche developments that were waiting for the right circumstances to shine. In 2012, AlexNet brought together these elements—deep neural networks, big datasets, and GPUs—for the first time, with pathbreaking results. Each of these needed the other.</span></p><h2>How AlexNet Was Created</h2><p>By the late 2000s, Hinton’s grad students at the University of Toronto were beginning to use GPUs to train neural networks for both image and speech recognition. Their first successes came in speech recognition, but success in image recognition would point to deep learning as a possible general-purpose solution to AI. One student, Ilya Sutskever, believed that the performance of neural networks would scale with the amount of data available, and the arrival of ImageNet provided the opportunity.</p><p>A milestone occurred in 2011, when DanNet, a convolutional neural network trained on GPUs created by Dan <a href="https://arxiv.org/search/cs?searchtype=author&query=Cire%C5%9Fan,+D+C" target="_blank">Cireşan</a> and others at Jürgen Schmidhuber’s lab in Switzerland, won <a href="https://people.idsia.ch/~juergen/computer-vision-contests-won-by-gpu-cnns.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">4 image recognition contests</a>. However, these results were on smaller datasets and weren’t able to move the field of computer vision. ImageNet, which was much larger and more comprehensive, was different. That same year, Sutskever convinced fellow Toronto grad student Alex Krizhevsky, who had a keen ability to wring maximum performance out of GPUs, to train a convolutional neural network for ImageNet, with Hinton serving as principal investigator.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"> <img alt='Jensen Huang speaks behind a podium on an event stage. Behind him is a projector screen showing his name, along with a sentence underneath it that reads, "for visionary leadership in the advancement of devices and systems for computer graphics, accelerated computing and artificial intelligence".' class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="57f12c64f51c516b76113b0b807bfddc" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="7598b" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/jensen-huang-speaks-behind-a-podium-on-an-event-stage-behind-him-is-a-projector-screen-showing-his-name-along-with-a-sentence.jpg?id=58367862&width=980"/> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">AlexNet used Nvidia GPUs running CUDA code trained on the ImageNet dataset. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang was named a 2024 CHM Fellow for his contributions to computer graphics chips and AI.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Douglas Fairbairn/Computer History Museum</small></p><p><span>Krizhevsky had already written CUDA code for a convolutional neural network using Nvidia GPUs, called </span><a href="https://code.google.com/archive/p/cuda-convnet/" target="_blank">cuda-convnet</a><span>, trained on the much smaller </span><a href="https://www.cs.toronto.edu/~kriz/cifar.html" target="_blank">CIFAR-10 image dataset</a><span>. He extended cuda-convnet with support for multiple GPUs and other features and retrained it on ImageNet. The training was done on a computer with two Nvidia cards in Krizhevsky’s bedroom at his parents’ house. Over the course of the next year, he constantly tweaked the network’s parameters and retrained it until it achieved performance superior to its competitors. The network would ultimately be named AlexNet, after Krizhevsky. Geoff Hinton summed up the AlexNet project this way: “Ilya thought we should do it, Alex made it work, and I got the </span><a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/nobel-prize-in-physics" target="_self">Nobel prize</a><span>.”</span></p><p> Krizhevsky, Sutskever, and Hinton wrote a <a href="https://proceedings.neurips.cc/paper_files/paper/2012/file/c399862d3b9d6b76c8436e924a68c45b-Paper.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">paper on AlexNet</a> that was published in the fall of 2012 and presented by Krizhevsky at a computer-vision conference in Florence, Italy, in October. Veteran computer-vision researchers weren’t convinced, but LeCun, who was at the meeting, pronounced it a turning point for AI. He was right. Before AlexNet, almost none of the leading computer-vision papers used neural nets. After it, almost all of them would. </p><p> AlexNet was just the beginning. In the next decade, neural networks would advance to <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/forging-voices-and-faces-the-dangers-of-audio-and-video-fabrication" target="_self">synthesize believable human voices</a>, <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/alphago-wins-game-one-against-world-go-champion" target="_self">beat champion Go players</a>, and <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/openai-dall-e-2" target="_self">generate artwork</a>, culminating with the release of ChatGPT in November 2022 by <a href="https://openai.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">OpenAI</a>, a company cofounded by Sutskever. </p><h2>Releasing the AlexNet Source Code</h2><p> In 2020, I reached out to Krizhevsky to ask about the possibility of allowing CHM to release the AlexNet source code, due to its historical significance. He connected me to Hinton, who was working at Google at the time. Google owned AlexNet, having acquired DNNresearch, the company owned by Hinton, Sutskever, and Krizhevsky. Hinton got the ball rolling by connecting CHM to the right team at Google. CHM worked with the Google team for five years to negotiate the release. The team also helped us identify the specific version of the AlexNet source code to release—there have been many versions of AlexNet over the years. There are other repositories of code called AlexNet on GitHub, but many of these are re-creations based on the famous paper, not the original code. </p><p> CHM is proud to present the source code to the 2012 version of AlexNet, which transformed the field of artificial intelligence. You can access the source code on<a href="https://github.com/computerhistory/AlexNet-Source-Code" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> CHM’s GitHub page</a>.</p><p><em>This post originally appeared on the <a href="https://computerhistory.org/blog/chm-releases-alexnet-source-code/" target="_blank">blog of the Computer History Museum</a>.</em></p><p><em><em>This article was updated on 25 March 2025.</em></em></p><h2>Acknowledgments</h2><p>Special thanks to Geoffrey Hinton for providing his quote and reviewing the text, to Cade Metz and Alex Krizhevsky for additional clarifications, and to David Bieber and the rest of the team at Google for their work in securing the source code release.</p><h3>References</h3><br/><p>Fei-Fei Li, <a href="https://www.momentoflift.com/the-worlds-i-see" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="" target="_blank"><em><em>The Worlds I See: Curiosity, Exploration, and Discovery at the Dawn of AI</em></em></a>. First edition, Flatiron Books, New York, 2023.</p><p>Cade Metz, <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/565698/genius-makers-by-cade-metz/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="" target="_blank"><em><em>Genius Makers: The Mavericks Who Brought AI to Google, Facebook, and the World</em></em></a>. First edition, Penguin Random House, New York, 2022.</p>

Mar 20, 2025

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/silhouettes-of-tourists-looking-at-a-large-hydroelectric-dam-in-the-distance.jpg?id=58367392&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=180%2C0%2C180%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>Technology should benefit humanity. One of the most remarkable examples of technology’s potential to provide enduring benefits is the <a href="https://www.itaipu.gov.br/en/nossahistoria" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Itaipu Hydroelectric Dam</a>, a massive binational energy project between Brazil and Paraguay. Built on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paran%C3%A1_River" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Paraná River</a>, which forms part of the border between the two nations, Itaipu transformed a once-contested hydroelectric resource into a shared engine of economic progress.</p><p>The <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/topic/energy/" target="_self">power plant</a> has held many records. For decades, it was the world’s largest hydroelectric facility; the dam spans the river’s 7.9-kilometer width and reaches a height of 196 meters.<a href="https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/energy-business/energy-finance/itaipu-becomes-first-hydropower-plant-to-break-100-twh-mark/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> </a>Itaipu <a href="https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/energy-business/energy-finance/itaipu-becomes-first-hydropower-plant-to-break-100-twh-mark/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">was also the first hydropower plant to generate more than 100 terawatt hours of electricity</a> in a year.</p><p>To acknowledge Itaipu’s <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/topic/tech-history/" target="_self">monumental engineering achievement</a>, on 27 March the dam will be recognized as an <a href="https://ethw.org/Milestones:List_of_Milestones" target="_blank">IEEE Milestone</a> during a ceremony in Hernandarias, Paraguay. The ceremony will commemorate the project’s impact on engineering and energy production.</p><h2>Itaipu’s massive scale</h2><p>By the late 1960s, Brazil and Paraguay recognized the Paraná River’s untapped hydroelectric potential, according to the <a href="https://www.gihub.org/connectivity-across-borders/case-studies/itaipu-hydroelectric-dam/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Global Infrastructure Hub</a>. Brazil, which was undergoing rapid industrialization, sought a stable, <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/topic/climate-tech/" target="_self">renewable energy source</a> to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels. Meanwhile, Paraguay, lacking the financial resources to construct a gigawatt-scale hydroelectric facility independently, entered into a <a href="https://www.power-technology.com/projects/itaipu-hydroelectric/?cf-view" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">treaty with Brazil</a> in 1973. The agreement granted <a href="https://itaipu.energy/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">both countries equal ownership</a> of the dam and its power generation.</p><p>Construction began in 1975 and was completed in 1984, costing US $19.6 billion. The scale of the project was staggering. Engineers excavated 50 million cubic meters of earth and rock, poured 12.3 million cubic meters of concrete, and used enough iron and steel to construct 380 <a href="https://www.toureiffel.paris/en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Eiffel Towers</a>.</p><p>Itaipu was designed for continuous expansion. It initially launched with two 700-megawatt turbine units, providing 1.4 gigawatts of capacity. By 1991, the power plant reached its planned 12.6 GW capacity. In 2006 and 2007, it was expanded to 14 GW with the addition of two more units, for a total of 20. Although China’s 22.5-GW <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Three-Gorges-Dam" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Three Gorges Dam</a>, on the Yangtze River near the city of Yichang, surpassed Itaipu’s capacity in 2012, the South American dam remains one of the world’s most productive hydroelectric facilities.</p><p>On average, Itaipu generates around 90 terawatt-hours of electricity annually. It set a record by generating 103.1 TWh in 2016 (surpassed in 2020 by Three Gorges’ 111.8-TWh output). To put 100 TWh into perspective, a power plant would need to burn<a href="https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=667&t=6#:~:text=The%20annual%20average%20amounts%20of,power%20producers%20in%202022%20were%3A&text=Coal%E2%80%931.14%20pounds%2FkWh,Petroleum%20liquids%E2%80%930.08%20gallons%2FkWh" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> approximately 50 million tonnes</a> of coal to produce the same amount of energy, according to the U.S. <a href="https://www.eia.gov/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Energy Information Administration</a>.</p><p>By harnessing 62,200 cubic meters of river water per second, Itaipu prevents the release of nearly 100 million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year. During its 40-year lifetime, the dam has generated more than <a href="https://www.ip.gov.py/ip/2024/11/01/itaipu-hydroelectric-receives-the-guinness-world-record-for-the-highest-cumulative-energy-production-in-the-world/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">3,000 TWh</a> of electricity, meeting nearly 90 percent of Paraguay’s energy needs and contributing roughly 10 percent of Brazil’s electricity supply.</p><p>Itaipu’s legacy endures as a testament to the benefits of international cooperation and sustainable energy and to the power of engineering to shape the future.</p><h2>IEEE recognition for Itaipu</h2><p>The IEEE Milestone commemorative plaque, now displayed in the dam’s visitor center, highlights Itaipu’s role as a world leader in hydroelectric power generation. It reads:</p><p>“<em><em>Itaipu power plant construction began in 1975 as a joint Brazil-Paraguay venture. When power generation started in 1984, Itaipu set a world record for the single largest installed hydroelectric capacity (14 GW). For at least three decades, Itaipu produced more electricity annually than any other hydroelectric project. Linking power plants, substations, and transmission lines in both Brazil and Paraguay, Itaipu’s system provided reliable, affordable energy to consumers and industry</em></em>.”</p><p>Administered by the <a href="https://www.ieee.org/about/history-center/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE History Center</a> and supported by donors, the Milestone program recognizes outstanding technical developments worldwide. The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/p/IEEE-Seccion-Paraguay-100064675153306/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IEEE Paraguay Section</a> sponsored the nomination.</p><p><em>This article was updated on 21 March 2025.</em></p>

Mar 20, 2025

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/a-young-adult-white-woman-with-red-hair-and-glasses-poses-with-wooden-mechatronics-engineering-equipment.jpg?id=58147889&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=66%2C0%2C67%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>The rapid development of AI is fueling a data center boom, unlocking billions of dollars in investments to build the infrastructure needed to support data- and energy-hungry models. Amazon, Microsoft, and Google are among the key players backing large-scale AI projects, betting that new data centers will create jobs. In the United States, the Trump administration announced <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/stargate" target="_self">in late January</a> the US $500 billion <a href="https://openai.com/index/announcing-the-stargate-project/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Stargate Project</a>, a partnership with OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank to build data centers nationwide. The project promises more than 100,000 new U.S. jobs over the next four years. Globally, the demand for data centers is projected to rise between 19 and 22 percent from 2023 to 2030, according to <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/technology-media-and-telecommunications/our-insights/ai-power-expanding-data-center-capacity-to-meet-growing-demand" target="_blank">McKinsey & Co.</a>, with operators expanding their facilities into parts of Asia, South America, and the Middle East. </p><p>This surge in construction has created a strong demand for certain electrical engineers, whose expertise in power systems and energy efficiency is essential for designing, building, and maintaining energy-intensive AI infrastructure. The data center industry contributed 4.7 million jobs to the U.S. economy in 2023—a 60 percent increase from 2017, according to a <a href="https://www.centerofyourdigitalworld.org/2025-impact-study" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2025 PwC report</a>. The <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/electrical-and-electronics-engineers.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics</a> projects a 9 percent <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-jobs" target="_blank">growth rate for electrical engineering jobs</a> between 2023 and 2033, more than double the average for all occupations, with a median pay of $109,010 per year. </p><p>But with the uptick in demand, data centers are struggling to find qualified talent. A <a href="https://datacenter.uptimeinstitute.com/rs/711-RIA-145/images/2023StaffingSurvey.Report.12152023.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2023 Uptime Institute report</a> found that 58 percent of global data center operators faced difficulties sourcing talent for open roles. Without enough skilled engineers to manage power-distribution systems, data centers risk increased downtime and potential grid instability, especially as AI-driven workloads demand more energy.</p><h3>Engineers Are Key to AI Infrastructure</h3><p>Big tech companies are increasingly searching for electrical engineers to scale their data infrastructure. As of mid-March, Amazon, Meta, and Google were looking to fill roles for <a href="https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=2da0afea59658246&from=shareddesktop" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">electrical design engineers</a>, <a href="https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=770d47ed5c5132fe&from=shareddesktop" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">research and development engineers</a>, and <a href="https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=2078d27c511b968a&from=shareddesktop" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mechatronics engineers</a> to build robotic systems, with salaries reaching $281,000 a year, according to job listings. Oracle, which operates more than 150 data centers worldwide, has listed <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/search/?currentJobId=4148466539&keywords=oracle%20electrical%20engineer&origin=SWITCH_SEARCH_VERTICAL" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">more than a dozen</a> electrical engineering roles across its data facilities.</p><p>Engineering firms are also seeing a spike in demand. <a href="https://www.pae-engineers.com/about/leadership/karina-hershberg" target="_blank">Karina Hershberg</a>, associate principal at PAE Consulting Engineers, says data center clients in need of her firm’s expertise have drastically increased over the past two years. Many clients require power systems on the scale of a “small town,” Hershberg says, and electrical engineers are expected to meet their demands within tight timelines of a year or two.</p><p>The work involves sourcing power, optimizing energy distribution, designing emergency backup systems, and integrating cooling mechanisms to prevent overheating. As AI advances, engineers must also address new challenges in power stability and energy efficiency.</p><p>“It’s all hands on deck,” Hershberg says. “AI is introducing a whole new set of challenges to power systems, and we need people who really understand the engineering and science behind it.”</p><p><a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/data-center-energy-consumption" target="_blank">Sustainability efforts</a> are further boosting demand for electrical engineers. As data centers explore solar, wind, and <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/amazon-data-center-nuclear-power" target="_blank">nuclear energy, </a>engineers must design power-distribution systems that can efficiently transmit energy from production sites to facilities, according to <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-kozlowski-b532267/" target="_blank">Jim Kozlowski</a>, chief sustainability officer and vice president of global data center operations at <a href="https://www.ensono.com/" target="_blank">Ensono</a>, an IT service management firm. Engineers specializing in renewable energy, he says, will find plenty of opportunities in the data center industry.</p><p>“As an engineer coming into this world, you could focus on renewable energy and develop a great career there, because those opportunities are only going to grow,” Kozlowski says.</p><h3>Competitive Data Center Jobs</h3><p>The hiring landscape for electrical engineers in data centers is fiercely competitive. <span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/grace-meps/" target="_blank">Grace Søhoel-Goldberg</a>, who leads electrical engineering recruitment at <a href="https://www.lviassociates.com/" target="_blank">LVI Associates</a>, a global staffing firm for the infrastructure sector, has seen demand for electrical engineers soar as more companies enter the data center ring. What was once a small group of companies competing for niche talent, she says, has nearly tripled over the past few years.</span></p><p>“It’s very cutthroat,” Søhoel-Goldberg says of the data center job market. <span>Even with high demand, hiring the right people remains a challenge, she </span><span>adds</span><span>. Data center operators and engineering firms compete for the same limited pool of candidates, and large companies with better salaries and perks have the advantage, often poaching talent from smaller firms.</span></p><p>Another barrier is employer expectations. Many companies only want to hire engineers who’ve been working at data centers for years, making it harder to hire qualified candidates from transferable backgrounds such as industrial engineering. Søhoel-Goldberg believes this creates an unnecessary talent bottleneck.</p><p>A lack of awareness about data center careers further widens the talent gap. Electrical engineering roles in data centers require specialized knowledge in power infrastructure, typically learned in the construction industry. But based on conversations with students, PAE Consulting’s Hershberg says that university programs rarely highlight career paths in this sector. As a result, graduates are often steered toward software and high-tech fields, making it harder for them to transition into data centers later in their careers.</p><p>“We’re just not seeing the talent pool at that graduation level,” Hershberg says. </p><h3>Closing the Talent Gap</h3><p>Some universities are stepping up to address the skills shortage. Southern Methodist University in Texas, for example, offers one of the few master’s programs in <a href="https://www.smu.edu/lyle/departments/multidisciplinary-programs/ms-datacenter-systems-eng" target="_blank">data center systems engineering</a> designed for students interested in a data center career. The University of Wisconsin–Madison runs boot camps including <a href="https://interpro.wisc.edu/courses/data-center-mechanical-and-electrical-design-and-operation/" target="_blank">a three-day course</a> on data center design and operation, preparing students for roles such as electrical designers.</p><p>Beyond universities, online platforms like <a href="https://www.udemy.com/?srsltid=AfmBOorULN57GUPrHJwuDsIB24i3dk7ZyIFf6ohfXXdd76xdIR-_qKBT" target="_blank">Udemy</a> offer data center fundamentals courses, and Amazon Web Services and Microsoft run skills training programs for both current employees and aspiring professionals to create a pipeline of entry-level technician talent. </p><p>From a hiring perspective, Søhoel-Goldberg advises engineers without direct data center experience to gain transferable skills in uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems by working in other sectors including health care, wastewater treatment, or manufacturing. She also recommends acquiring certifications such as Engineer-in-Training (EIT) and Professional Engineer (PE) licenses.</p>

Feb 9, 2022

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/andrew-ng-listens-during-the-power-of-data-sooner-than-you-think-global-technology-conference-in-brooklyn-new-york-on-wednes.jpg?id=29206806&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C210"/><br/><br/><p><strong><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Ng" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Andrew Ng</a> has serious street cred</strong> in artificial intelligence. He pioneered the use of graphics processing units (GPUs) to train deep learning models in the late 2000s with his students at <a href="https://stanfordmlgroup.github.io/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Stanford University</a>, cofounded <a href="https://research.google/teams/brain/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Google Brain</a> in 2011, and then served for three years as chief scientist for <a href="https://ir.baidu.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Baidu</a>, where he helped build the Chinese tech giant’s AI group. So when he says he has identified the next big shift in artificial intelligence, people listen. And that’s what he told <em>IEEE Spectrum</em> in an exclusive Q&A.</p><hr/><p> Ng’s current efforts are focused on his company <a href="https://landing.ai/about/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Landing AI</a>, which built a platform called LandingLens to help manufacturers improve visual inspection with computer vision. <a name="top"></a>He has also become something of an evangelist for what he calls the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06-AZXmwHjo" target="_blank">data-centric AI movement</a>, which he says can yield “small data” solutions to big issues in AI, including model efficiency, accuracy, and bias. </p><p> Andrew Ng on... </p><ul> <li><a href="#big">What’s next for really big models</a></li> <li><a href="#career">The career advice he didn’t listen to</a></li> <li><a href="#defining">Defining the data-centric AI movement</a></li> <li><a href="#synthetic">Synthetic data</a></li> <li><a href="#work">Why Landing AI asks its customers to do the work</a></li> </ul><p> <a name="big"></a><strong>The great advances in deep learning over the past decade or so have been powered by ever-bigger models crunching ever-bigger amounts of data. Some people argue that that’s an <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/deep-learning-computational-cost" target="_self">unsustainable trajectory</a>. Do you agree that it can’t go on that way?</strong> </p><p> <strong>Andrew Ng: </strong>This is a big question. We’ve seen foundation models in NLP [natural language processing]. I’m excited about NLP models getting even bigger, and also about the potential of building foundation models in computer vision. I think there’s lots of signal to still be exploited in video: We have not been able to build foundation models yet for video because of compute bandwidth and the cost of processing video, as opposed to tokenized text. So I think that this engine of scaling up deep learning algorithms, which has been running for something like 15 years now, still has steam in it. Having said that, it only applies to certain problems, and there’s a set of other problems that need small data solutions. </p><p> <strong>When you say you want a foundation model for computer vision, what do you mean by that?</strong> </p><p> <strong>Ng:</strong> This is a term coined by <a href="https://cs.stanford.edu/~pliang/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Percy Liang</a> and <a href="https://crfm.stanford.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">some of my friends at Stanford</a> to refer to very large models, trained on very large data sets, that can be tuned for specific applications. For example, <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/open-ais-powerful-text-generating-tool-is-ready-for-business" target="_self">GPT-3</a> is an example of a foundation model [for NLP]. Foundation models offer a lot of promise as a new paradigm in developing machine learning applications, but also challenges in terms of making sure that they’re reasonably fair and free from bias, especially if many of us will be building on top of them. </p><p> <strong>What needs to happen for someone to build a foundation model for video?</strong> </p><p> <strong>Ng:</strong> I think there is a scalability problem. The compute power needed to process the large volume of images for video is significant, and I think that’s why foundation models have arisen first in NLP. Many researchers are working on this, and I think we’re seeing early signs of such models being developed in computer vision. But I’m confident that if a semiconductor maker gave us 10 times more processor power, we could easily find 10 times more video to build such models for vision. </p><p> Having said that, a lot of what’s happened over the past decade is that deep learning has happened in consumer-facing companies that have large user bases, sometimes billions of users, and therefore very large data sets. While that paradigm of machine learning has driven a lot of economic value in consumer software, I find that that recipe of scale doesn’t work for other industries. </p><p> <a href="#top">Back to top</a><a name="career"></a> </p><p> <strong>It’s funny to hear you say that, because your early work was at a consumer-facing company with millions of users.</strong> </p><p> <strong>Ng: </strong>Over a decade ago, when I proposed starting the <a href="https://research.google/teams/brain/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Google Brain</a> project to use Google’s compute infrastructure to build very large neural networks, it was a controversial step. One very senior person pulled me aside and warned me that starting Google Brain would be bad for my career. I think he felt that the action couldn’t just be in scaling up, and that I should instead focus on architecture innovation. </p><p class="pull-quote"> “In many industries where giant data sets simply don’t exist, I think the focus has to shift from big data to good data. Having 50 thoughtfully engineered examples can be sufficient to explain to the neural network what you want it to learn.”<br/> —Andrew Ng, CEO & Founder, Landing AI </p><p> I remember when my students and I published the first <a href="https://nips.cc/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">NeurIPS</a> workshop paper advocating using <a href="https://developer.nvidia.com/cuda-zone" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CUDA</a>, a platform for processing on GPUs, for deep learning—a different senior person in AI sat me down and said, “CUDA is really complicated to program. As a programming paradigm, this seems like too much work.” I did manage to convince him; the other person I did not convince. </p><p> <strong>I expect they’re both convinced now.</strong> </p><p> <strong>Ng:</strong> I think so, yes. </p><p> Over the past year as I’ve been speaking to people about the data-centric AI movement, I’ve been getting flashbacks to when I was speaking to people about deep learning and scalability 10 or 15 years ago. In the past year, I’ve been getting the same mix of “there’s nothing new here” and “this seems like the wrong direction.” </p><p> <a href="#top">Back to top</a><a name="defining"></a> </p><p> <strong>How do you define data-centric AI, and why do you consider it a movement?</strong> </p><p> <strong>Ng:</strong> Data-centric AI is the discipline of systematically engineering the data needed to successfully build an AI system. For an AI system, you have to implement some algorithm, say a neural network, in code and then train it on your data set. The dominant paradigm over the last decade was to download the data set while you focus on improving the code. Thanks to that paradigm, over the last decade deep learning networks have improved significantly, to the point where for a lot of applications the code—the neural network architecture—is basically a solved problem. So for many practical applications, it’s now more productive to hold the neural network architecture fixed, and instead find ways to improve the data. </p><p> When I started speaking about this, there were many practitioners who, completely appropriately, raised their hands and said, “Yes, we’ve been doing this for 20 years.” This is the time to take the things that some individuals have been doing intuitively and make it a systematic engineering discipline. </p><p> The data-centric AI movement is much bigger than one company or group of researchers. My collaborators and I organized a <a href="https://neurips.cc/virtual/2021/workshop/21860" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">data-centric AI workshop at NeurIPS</a>, and I was really delighted at the number of authors and presenters that showed up. </p><p> <strong>You often talk about companies or institutions that have only a small amount of data to work with. How can data-centric AI help them?</strong> </p><p> <strong>Ng: </strong>You hear a lot about vision systems built with millions of images—I once built a face recognition system using 350 million images. Architectures built for hundreds of millions of images don’t work with only 50 images. But it turns out, if you have 50 really good examples, you can build something valuable, like a defect-inspection system. In many industries where giant data sets simply don’t exist, I think the focus has to shift from big data to good data. Having 50 thoughtfully engineered examples can be sufficient to explain to the neural network what you want it to learn. </p><p> <strong>When you talk about training a model with just 50 images, does that really mean you’re taking an existing model that was trained on a very large data set and fine-tuning it? Or do you mean a brand new model that’s designed to learn only from that small data set?</strong> </p><p> <strong>Ng: </strong>Let me describe what Landing AI does. When doing visual inspection for manufacturers, we often use our own flavor of <a href="https://developers.arcgis.com/python/guide/how-retinanet-works/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">RetinaNet</a>. It is a pretrained model. Having said that, the pretraining is a small piece of the puzzle. What’s a bigger piece of the puzzle is providing tools that enable the manufacturer to pick the right set of images [to use for fine-tuning] and label them in a consistent way. There’s a very practical problem we’ve seen spanning vision, NLP, and speech, where even human annotators don’t agree on the appropriate label. For big data applications, the common response has been: If the data is noisy, let’s just get a lot of data and the algorithm will average over it. But if you can develop tools that flag where the data’s inconsistent and give you a very targeted way to improve the consistency of the data, that turns out to be a more efficient way to get a high-performing system. </p><p class="pull-quote"> “Collecting more data often helps, but if you try to collect more data for everything, that can be a very expensive activity.”<br/> —Andrew Ng </p><p> For example, if you have 10,000 images where 30 images are of one class, and those 30 images are labeled inconsistently, one of the things we do is build tools to draw your attention to the subset of data that’s inconsistent. So you can very quickly relabel those images to be more consistent, and this leads to improvement in performance. </p><p> <strong>Could this focus on high-quality data help with bias in data sets? If you’re able to curate the data more before training?</strong> </p><p> <strong>Ng:</strong> Very much so. Many researchers have pointed out that biased data is one factor among many leading to biased systems. There have been many thoughtful efforts to engineer the data. At the NeurIPS workshop, <a href="https://www.cs.princeton.edu/~olgarus/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Olga Russakovsky</a> gave a really nice talk on this. At the main NeurIPS conference, I also really enjoyed <a href="https://neurips.cc/virtual/2021/invited-talk/22281" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mary Gray’s presentation,</a> which touched on how data-centric AI is one piece of the solution, but not the entire solution. New tools like <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/project/datasheets-for-datasets/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Datasheets for Datasets</a> also seem like an important piece of the puzzle. </p><p> One of the powerful tools that data-centric AI gives us is the ability to engineer a subset of the data. Imagine training a machine-learning system and finding that its performance is okay for most of the data set, but its performance is biased for just a subset of the data. If you try to change the whole neural network architecture to improve the performance on just that subset, it’s quite difficult. But if you can engineer a subset of the data you can address the problem in a much more targeted way. </p><p> <strong>When you talk about engineering the data, what do you mean exactly?</strong> </p><p> <strong>Ng: </strong>In AI, data cleaning is important, but the way the data has been cleaned has often been in very manual ways. In computer vision, someone may visualize images through a <a href="https://jupyter.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jupyter notebook</a> and maybe spot the problem, and maybe fix it. But I’m excited about tools that allow you to have a very large data set, tools that draw your attention quickly and efficiently to the subset of data where, say, the labels are noisy. Or to quickly bring your attention to the one class among 100 classes where it would benefit you to collect more data. Collecting more data often helps, but if you try to collect more data for everything, that can be a very expensive activity. </p><p> For example, I once figured out that a speech-recognition system was performing poorly when there was car noise in the background. Knowing that allowed me to collect more data with car noise in the background, rather than trying to collect more data for everything, which would have been expensive and slow. </p><p> <a href="#top">Back to top</a><a name="synthetic"></a> </p><p> <strong>What about using synthetic data, is that often a good solution?</strong> </p><p> <strong>Ng: </strong>I think synthetic data is an important tool in the tool chest of data-centric AI. At the NeurIPS workshop, <a href="https://tensorlab.cms.caltech.edu/users/anima/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Anima Anandkumar</a> gave a great talk that touched on synthetic data. I think there are important uses of synthetic data that go beyond just being a preprocessing step for increasing the data set for a learning algorithm. I’d love to see more tools to let developers use synthetic data generation as part of the closed loop of iterative machine learning development. </p><p> <strong>Do you mean that synthetic data would allow you to try the model on more data sets?</strong> </p><p> <strong>Ng: </strong>Not really. Here’s an example. Let’s say you’re trying to detect defects in a smartphone casing. There are many different types of defects on smartphones. It could be a scratch, a dent, pit marks, discoloration of the material, other types of blemishes. If you train the model and then find through error analysis that it’s doing well overall but it’s performing poorly on pit marks, then synthetic data generation allows you to address the problem in a more targeted way. You could generate more data just for the pit-mark category. </p><p class="pull-quote"> “In the consumer software Internet, we could train a handful of machine-learning models to serve a billion users. In manufacturing, you might have 10,000 manufacturers building 10,000 custom AI models.”<br/> —Andrew Ng </p><p> Synthetic data generation is a very powerful tool, but there are many simpler tools that I will often try first. Such as data augmentation, improving labeling consistency, or just asking a factory to collect more data. </p><p> <a href="#top">Back to top</a><a name="work"></a> </p><p> <strong>To make these issues more concrete, can you walk me through an example? When a company approaches <a href="https://landing.ai/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Landing AI</a> and says it has a problem with visual inspection, how do you onboard them and work toward deployment?</strong> </p><p> <strong>Ng: </strong>When a customer approaches us we usually have a conversation about their inspection problem and look at a few images to verify that the problem is feasible with computer vision. Assuming it is, we ask them to upload the data to the <a href="https://landing.ai/platform/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LandingLens</a> platform. We often advise them on the methodology of data-centric AI and help them label the data. </p><p> One of the foci of Landing AI is to empower manufacturing companies to do the machine learning work themselves. A lot of our work is making sure the software is fast and easy to use. Through the iterative process of machine learning development, we advise customers on things like how to train models on the platform, when and how to improve the labeling of data so the performance of the model improves. Our training and software supports them all the way through deploying the trained model to an edge device in the factory. </p><p> <strong>How do you deal with changing needs? If products change or lighting conditions change in the factory, can the model keep up?</strong> </p><p> <strong>Ng:</strong> It varies by manufacturer. There is data drift in many contexts. But there are some manufacturers that have been running the same manufacturing line for 20 years now with few changes, so they don’t expect changes in the next five years. Those stable environments make things easier. For other manufacturers, we provide tools to flag when there’s a significant data-drift issue. I find it really important to empower manufacturing customers to correct data, retrain, and update the model. Because if something changes and it’s 3 a.m. in the United States, I want them to be able to adapt their learning algorithm right away to maintain operations. </p><p> In the consumer software Internet, we could train a handful of machine-learning models to serve a billion users. In manufacturing, you might have 10,000 manufacturers building 10,000 custom AI models. The challenge is, how do you do that without Landing AI having to hire 10,000 machine learning specialists? </p><p> <strong>So you’re saying that to make it scale, you have to empower customers to do a lot of the training and other work.</strong> </p><p> <strong>Ng: </strong>Yes, exactly! This is an industry-wide problem in AI, not just in manufacturing. Look at health care. Every hospital has its own slightly different format for electronic health records. How can every hospital train its own custom AI model? Expecting every hospital’s IT personnel to invent new neural-network architectures is unrealistic. The only way out of this dilemma is to build tools that empower the customers to build their own models by giving them tools to engineer the data and express their domain knowledge. That’s what Landing AI is executing in computer vision, and the field of AI needs other teams to execute this in other domains. </p><p> <strong>Is there anything else you think it’s important for people to understand about the work you’re doing or the data-centric AI movement?</strong> </p><p> <strong>Ng: </strong>In the last decade, the biggest shift in AI was a shift to deep learning. I think it’s quite possible that in this decade the biggest shift will be to data-centric AI. With the maturity of today’s neural network architectures, I think for a lot of the practical applications the bottleneck will be whether we can efficiently get the data we need to develop systems that work well. The data-centric AI movement has tremendous energy and momentum across the whole community. I hope more researchers and developers will jump in and work on it. </p><p> <a href="#top">Back to top</a> </p><p><em>This article appears in the April 2022 print issue as “Andrew Ng, AI Minimalist</em><em>.”</em></p>

Feb 8, 2022

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/layered-rendering-of-colorful-semiconductor-wafers-with-a-bright-white-light-sitting-on-one.jpg?id=29285079&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>The end of <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/on-beyond-moores-law-4-new-laws-of-computing" target="_self">Moore’s Law</a> is looming. Engineers and designers can do only so much to <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/ibm-introduces-the-worlds-first-2nm-node-chip" target="_self">miniaturize transistors</a> and <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/cerebras-giant-ai-chip-now-has-a-trillions-more-transistors" target="_self">pack as many of them as possible into chips</a>. So they’re turning to other approaches to chip design, incorporating technologies like AI into the process.</p><p>Samsung, for instance, is <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/processing-in-dram-accelerates-ai" target="_self">adding AI to its memory chips</a> to enable processing in memory, thereby saving energy and speeding up machine learning. Speaking of speed, Google’s TPU V4 AI chip has <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/heres-how-googles-tpu-v4-ai-chip-stacked-up-in-training-tests" target="_self">doubled its processing power</a> compared with that of its previous version.</p><p>But AI holds still more promise and potential for the semiconductor industry. To better understand how AI is set to revolutionize chip design, we spoke with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-gorr-phd" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Heather Gorr</a>, senior product manager for <a href="https://www.mathworks.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">MathWorks</a>’ MATLAB platform.</p><p><strong>How is AI currently being used to design the next generation of chips?</strong></p><p><strong>Heather Gorr:</strong> AI is such an important technology because it’s involved in most parts of the cycle, including the design and manufacturing process. There’s a lot of important applications here, even in the general process engineering where we want to optimize things. I think defect detection is a big one at all phases of the process, especially in manufacturing. But even thinking ahead in the design process, [AI now plays a significant role] when you’re designing the light and the sensors and all the different components. There’s a lot of anomaly detection and fault mitigation that you really want to consider.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image rm-resized-container rm-resized-container-25 rm-float-left" data-rm-resized-container="25%" style="float: left;"> <img alt="Portrait of a woman with blonde-red hair smiling at the camera" class="rm-shortcode rm-resized-image" data-rm-shortcode-id="1f18a02ccaf51f5c766af2ebc4af18e1" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="2dc00" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/portrait-of-a-woman-with-blonde-red-hair-smiling-at-the-camera.jpg?id=29288554&width=980" style="max-width: 100%"/> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption..." style="max-width: 100%;">Heather Gorr</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit..." style="max-width: 100%;">MathWorks</small></p><p>Then, thinking about the logistical modeling that you see in any industry, there is always planned downtime that you want to mitigate; but you also end up having unplanned downtime. So, looking back at that historical data of when you’ve had those moments where maybe it took a bit longer than expected to manufacture something, you can take a look at all of that data and use AI to try to identify the proximate cause or to see something that might jump out even in the processing and design phases. We think of AI oftentimes as a predictive tool, or as a robot doing something, but a lot of times you get a lot of insight from the data through AI.</p><p><strong>What are the benefits of using AI for chip design?</strong></p><p><strong>Gorr:</strong> Historically, we’ve seen a lot of physics-based modeling, which is a very intensive process. We want to do a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_order_reduction" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reduced order model</a>, where instead of solving such a computationally expensive and extensive model, we can do something a little cheaper. You could create a surrogate model, so to speak, of that physics-based model, use the data, and then do your <a href="https://institutefordiseasemodeling.github.io/idmtools/parameter-sweeps.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">parameter sweeps</a>, your optimizations, your <a href="https://www.ibm.com/cloud/learn/monte-carlo-simulation" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Monte Carlo simulations</a> using the surrogate model. That takes a lot less time computationally than solving the physics-based equations directly. So, we’re seeing that benefit in many ways, including the efficiency and economy that are the results of iterating quickly on the experiments and the simulations that will really help in the design.</p><p><strong>So it’s like having a digital twin in a sense?</strong></p><p><strong>Gorr:</strong> Exactly. That’s pretty much what people are doing, where you have the physical system model and the experimental data. Then, in conjunction, you have this other model that you could tweak and tune and try different parameters and experiments that let sweep through all of those different situations and come up with a better design in the end.</p><p><strong>So, it’s going to be more efficient and, as you said, cheaper?</strong></p><p><strong>Gorr:</strong> Yeah, definitely. Especially in the experimentation and design phases, where you’re trying different things. That’s obviously going to yield dramatic cost savings if you’re actually manufacturing and producing [the chips]. You want to simulate, test, experiment as much as possible without making something using the actual process engineering.</p><p><strong>We’ve talked about the benefits. How about the drawbacks?</strong></p><p><strong>Gorr: </strong>The [AI-based experimental models] tend to not be as accurate as physics-based models. Of course, that’s why you do many simulations and parameter sweeps. But that’s also the benefit of having that digital twin, where you can keep that in mind—it’s not going to be as accurate as that precise model that we’ve developed over the years.</p><p>Both chip design and manufacturing are system intensive; you have to consider every little part. And that can be really challenging. It’s a case where you might have models to predict something and different parts of it, but you still need to bring it all together.</p><p>One of the other things to think about too is that you need the data to build the models. You have to incorporate data from all sorts of different sensors and different sorts of teams, and so that heightens the challenge.</p><p><strong>How can engineers use AI to better prepare and extract insights from hardware or sensor data?</strong></p><p><strong>Gorr: </strong>We always think about using AI to predict something or do some robot task, but you can use AI to come up with patterns and pick out things you might not have noticed before on your own. People will use AI when they have high-frequency data coming from many different sensors, and a lot of times it’s useful to explore the frequency domain and things like data synchronization or resampling. Those can be really challenging if you’re not sure where to start.</p><p>One of the things I would say is, use the tools that are available. There’s a vast community of people working on these things, and you can find lots of examples [of applications and techniques] on <a href="https://github.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">GitHub</a> or <a href="https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">MATLAB Central</a>, where people have shared nice examples, even little apps they’ve created. I think many of us are buried in data and just not sure what to do with it, so definitely take advantage of what’s already out there in the community. You can explore and see what makes sense to you, and bring in that balance of domain knowledge and the insight you get from the tools and AI.</p><p><strong>What should engineers and designers consider wh</strong><strong>en using AI for chip design?</strong></p><p><strong>Gorr:</strong> Think through what problems you’re trying to solve or what insights you might hope to find, and try to be clear about that. Consider all of the different components, and document and test each of those different parts. Consider all of the people involved, and explain and hand off in a way that is sensible for the whole team.</p><p><strong>How do you think AI will affect chip designers’ jobs?</strong></p><p><strong>Gorr:</strong> It’s going to free up a lot of human capital for more advanced tasks. We can use AI to reduce waste, to optimize the materials, to optimize the design, but then you still have that human involved whenever it comes to decision-making. I think it’s a great example of people and technology working hand in hand. It’s also an industry where all people involved—even on the manufacturing floor—need to have some level of understanding of what’s happening, so this is a great industry for advancing AI because of how we test things and how we think about them before we put them on the chip.</p><p><strong>How do you envision the future of AI and chip design?</strong></p><p><strong>Gorr</strong><strong>:</strong> It’s very much dependent on that human element—involving people in the process and having that interpretable model. We can do many things with the mathematical minutiae of modeling, but it comes down to how people are using it, how everybody in the process is understanding and applying it. Communication and involvement of people of all skill levels in the process are going to be really important. We’re going to see less of those superprecise predictions and more transparency of information, sharing, and that digital twin—not only using AI but also using our human knowledge and all of the work that many people have done over the years.</p>

Feb 7, 2022

<img src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/a-golden-square-package-holds-a-small-processor-sitting-on-top-is-a-metal-square-with-mit-etched-into-it.jpg?id=29281587&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>Quantum computing is a devilishly complex technology, with many technical hurdles impacting its development. Of these challenges two critical issues stand out: miniaturization and qubit quality.</p><p>IBM has adopted the superconducting qubit road map of <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/ibms-envisons-the-road-to-quantum-computing-like-an-apollo-mission" target="_self">reaching a 1,121-qubit processor by 2023</a>, leading to the expectation that 1,000 qubits with today’s qubit form factor is feasible. However, current approaches will require very large chips (50 millimeters on a side, or larger) at the scale of small wafers, or the use of chiplets on multichip modules. While this approach will work, the aim is to attain a better path toward scalability.</p><p>Now researchers at <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41563-021-01187-w" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">MIT have been able to both reduce the size of the qubits</a> and done so in a way that reduces the interference that occurs between neighboring qubits. The MIT researchers have increased the number of superconducting qubits that can be added onto a device by a factor of 100.</p><p>“We are addressing both qubit miniaturization and quality,” said <a href="https://equs.mit.edu/william-d-oliver/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">William Oliver</a>, the director for the <a href="https://cqe.mit.edu/" target="_blank">Center for Quantum Engineering</a> at MIT. “Unlike conventional transistor scaling, where only the number really matters, for qubits, large numbers are not sufficient, they must also be high-performance. Sacrificing performance for qubit number is not a useful trade in quantum computing. They must go hand in hand.”</p><p>The key to this big increase in qubit density and reduction of interference comes down to the use of two-dimensional materials, in particular the 2D insulator hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). The MIT researchers demonstrated that a few atomic monolayers of hBN can be stacked to form the insulator in the capacitors of a superconducting qubit.</p><p>Just like other capacitors, the capacitors in these superconducting circuits take the form of a sandwich in which an insulator material is sandwiched between two metal plates. The big difference for these capacitors is that the superconducting circuits can operate only at extremely low temperatures—less than 0.02 degrees above absolute zero (-273.15 °C).</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image rm-resized-container rm-resized-container-25 rm-float-left" data-rm-resized-container="25%" style="float: left;"> <img alt="Golden dilution refrigerator hanging vertically" class="rm-shortcode rm-resized-image" data-rm-shortcode-id="694399af8a1c345e51a695ff73909eda" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="6c615" loading="lazy" src="https://spectrum.ieee.org/media-library/golden-dilution-refrigerator-hanging-vertically.jpg?id=29281593&width=980" style="max-width: 100%"/> <small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption..." style="max-width: 100%;">Superconducting qubits are measured at temperatures as low as 20 millikelvin in a dilution refrigerator.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit..." style="max-width: 100%;">Nathan Fiske/MIT</small></p><p>In that environment, insulating materials that are available for the job, such as PE-CVD silicon oxide or silicon nitride, have quite a few defects that are too lossy for quantum computing applications. To get around these material shortcomings, most superconducting circuits use what are called coplanar capacitors. In these capacitors, the plates are positioned laterally to one another, rather than on top of one another.</p><p>As a result, the intrinsic silicon substrate below the plates and to a smaller degree the vacuum above the plates serve as the capacitor dielectric. Intrinsic silicon is chemically pure and therefore has few defects, and the large size dilutes the electric field at the plate interfaces, all of which leads to a low-loss capacitor. The lateral size of each plate in this open-face design ends up being quite large (typically 100 by 100 micrometers) in order to achieve the required capacitance.</p><p>In an effort to move away from the large lateral configuration, the MIT researchers embarked on a search for an insulator that has very few defects and is compatible with superconducting capacitor plates.</p><p>“We chose to study hBN because it is the most widely used insulator in 2D material research due to its cleanliness and chemical inertness,” said colead author <a href="https://equs.mit.edu/joel-wang/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Joel Wang</a>, a research scientist in the Engineering Quantum Systems group of the MIT Research Laboratory for Electronics. </p><p>On either side of the hBN, the MIT researchers used the 2D superconducting material, niobium diselenide. One of the trickiest aspects of fabricating the capacitors was working with the niobium diselenide, which oxidizes in seconds when exposed to air, according to Wang. This necessitates that the assembly of the capacitor occur in a glove box filled with argon gas.</p><p>While this would seemingly complicate the scaling up of the production of these capacitors, Wang doesn’t regard this as a limiting factor.</p><p>“What determines the quality factor of the capacitor are the two interfaces between the two materials,” said Wang. “Once the sandwich is made, the two interfaces are “sealed” and we don’t see any noticeable degradation over time when exposed to the atmosphere.”</p><p>This lack of degradation is because around 90 percent of the electric field is contained within the sandwich structure, so the oxidation of the outer surface of the niobium diselenide does not play a significant role anymore. This ultimately makes the capacitor footprint much smaller, and it accounts for the reduction in cross talk between the neighboring qubits.</p><p>“The main challenge for scaling up the fabrication will be the wafer-scale growth of hBN and 2D superconductors like [niobium diselenide], and how one can do wafer-scale stacking of these films,” added Wang.</p><p>Wang believes that this research has shown 2D hBN to be a good insulator candidate for superconducting qubits. He says that the groundwork the MIT team has done will serve as a road map for using other hybrid 2D materials to build superconducting circuits.</p>

Apr 3, 2025

A little humor doesn't hurt, right?

Apr 2, 2025

Love using AppImages but hate the mess? Check out these handy tools that make it super easy to organize, update, and manage AppImages on your Linux system.

Mar 27, 2025

GNU minus Linux?

Mar 25, 2025

Learn to run Ollama in Docker container in this tutorial. Yes, Nvidia GPU can also be used in this setup.

Mar 24, 2025

Unraveling the mysterious Syu in pacman

Mar 20, 2025

Another milestone for It's FOSS. Thank you!

Mar 19, 2025

Quick little tip to set AppImage applications as default.

Mar 17, 2025

Here are the ollama commands you need to know for managing your large language models effectively.

Mar 13, 2025

Go with the flow and open source :)

Mar 11, 2025

Prolong your laptop's battery life in long run by limiting the charging to 80%.

Mar 10, 2025

I used CasaOS for self-hosting popular open source services on a Raspberry Pi. Here's my experience.

Mar 8, 2025

BSD's pledge() system call forces the current process into a restricted-service operating mode. A Linux port is now available..

Mar 6, 2025

Goodbye, Skype! You probably won't be missed.

Mar 6, 2025

Learn how to screen record application windows and selected area with OBS Studio in this tutorial.

Mar 5, 2025

Here's what you can do to use a virtual keyboard on Raspberry Pi OS.

Apr 3, 2025

<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/wattwise-featured.jpg?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/wattwise-featured.jpg 800w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/wattwise-featured.jpg?resize=250,141 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/wattwise-featured.jpg?resize=400,225 400w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="770280" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2025/04/02/monitor-your-smart-plugs-on-the-command-line/wattwise-featured/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/wattwise-featured.jpg" data-orig-size="800,450" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="wattwise-featured" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/wattwise-featured.jpg?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/wattwise-featured.jpg?w=800" /></div>The plethora of smart home devices available today deliver all manner of opportunities, but it&#8217;s fair to say that interfacing with them is more often done in the browser or <a href="https://hackaday.com/2025/04/02/monitor-your-smart-plugs-on-the-command-line/" class="read-more">&#8230;read more</a>

Apr 2, 2025

<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/littleosbook-1200.jpg?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Mockup of a printed copy of the Little OS Book" style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/littleosbook-1200.jpg 1200w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/littleosbook-1200.jpg?resize=250,141 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/littleosbook-1200.jpg?resize=400,225 400w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/littleosbook-1200.jpg?resize=800,450 800w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="770247" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2025/04/02/one-book-to-boot-them-all/littleosbook-1200/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/littleosbook-1200.jpg" data-orig-size="1200,675" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="littleosbook-1200" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/littleosbook-1200.jpg?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/littleosbook-1200.jpg?w=800" /></div>Somewhere in the universe, there&#8217;s a place that lists every x86 operating system from scratch. Not just some bootloaders, or just a kernel stub, but documentation to build a fully <a href="https://hackaday.com/2025/04/02/one-book-to-boot-them-all/" class="read-more">&#8230;read more</a>

Apr 2, 2025

<div><img width="800" height="375" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/progpad_feat.jpg?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/progpad_feat.jpg 1200w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/progpad_feat.jpg?resize=250,117 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/progpad_feat.jpg?resize=400,188 400w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/progpad_feat.jpg?resize=800,375 800w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="770258" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2025/04/02/programmers-macro-pad-bangs-out-whole-functions/progpad_feat/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/progpad_feat.jpg" data-orig-size="1200,563" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="progpad_feat" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/progpad_feat.jpg?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/progpad_feat.jpg?w=800" /></div>Macro pads are handy for opening up your favorite programs or executing commonly used keyboard shortcuts. But why stop there? That&#8217;s what [Jeroen Brinkman] must have been thinking while creating <a href="https://hackaday.com/2025/04/02/programmers-macro-pad-bangs-out-whole-functions/" class="read-more">&#8230;read more</a>

Apr 2, 2025

<div><img width="800" height="484" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Pipewire.jpg?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Pipewire.jpg 3000w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Pipewire.jpg?resize=250,151 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Pipewire.jpg?resize=400,242 400w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Pipewire.jpg?resize=800,484 800w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Pipewire.jpg?resize=1536,929 1536w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Pipewire.jpg?resize=2048,1239 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="483960" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/pipewire-2/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Pipewire.jpg" data-orig-size="3000,1815" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="Pipewire" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Pipewire.jpg?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Pipewire.jpg?w=800" /></div>This week, Jonathan Bennett chats with Bashonly about yt-dlp, the audio/video downloader that carries the torch from youtube-dl! Why is this a hard problem, and what does the future hold <a href="https://hackaday.com/2025/04/02/floss-weekly-episode-827-yt-dlp-sometimes-you-cant-see-the-tail/" class="read-more">&#8230;read more</a>

Apr 2, 2025

<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/connell_feat.png?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/connell_feat.png 1920w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/connell_feat.png?resize=250,141 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/connell_feat.png?resize=400,225 400w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/connell_feat.png?resize=800,450 800w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/connell_feat.png?resize=1536,864 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="769438" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2025/03/27/supercon-2024-yes-you-can-use-the-controller-area-network-outside-of-cars/connell_feat/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/connell_feat.png" data-orig-size="1920,1080" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="connell_feat" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/connell_feat.png?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/connell_feat.png?w=800" /></div>Tattoos. Body paint. Henna. All these are popular kinds of body art with varying histories and cultural connotations, many going back centuries or even longer. They all have something in <a href="https://hackaday.com/2025/04/02/supercon-2024-rethinking-body-art-with-leds/" class="read-more">&#8230;read more</a>

Apr 2, 2025

<div><img width="800" height="398" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/70_synths.png?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/70_synths.png 1382w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/70_synths.png?resize=250,124 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/70_synths.png?resize=400,199 400w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/70_synths.png?resize=800,398 800w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="770230" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2025/04/02/70-diy-synths-on-one-webpage/70_synths/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/70_synths.png" data-orig-size="1382,687" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="70_synths" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/70_synths.png?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/70_synths.png?w=800" /></div>If you want to dip your toes into the deep, deep water of synth DIY but don’t know where to start, [Atarity] has just the resource for you. He’s compiled <a href="https://hackaday.com/2025/04/02/70-diy-synths-on-one-webpage/" class="read-more">&#8230;read more</a>

Apr 2, 2025

<div><img width="800" height="484" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AustraliaSpace.jpg?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AustraliaSpace.jpg 3000w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AustraliaSpace.jpg?resize=250,151 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AustraliaSpace.jpg?resize=400,242 400w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AustraliaSpace.jpg?resize=800,484 800w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AustraliaSpace.jpg?resize=1536,929 1536w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AustraliaSpace.jpg?resize=2048,1239 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="770214" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2025/04/02/australias-steady-march-towards-space/australiaspace/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AustraliaSpace.jpg" data-orig-size="3000,1815" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="AustraliaSpace" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AustraliaSpace.jpg?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AustraliaSpace.jpg?w=800" /></div>The list of countries to achieve their own successful orbital space launch is a short one, almost as small as the exclusive club of states that possess nuclear weapons. The <a href="https://hackaday.com/2025/04/02/australias-steady-march-towards-space/" class="read-more">&#8230;read more</a>

Apr 2, 2025

<p>A neuroscientist uncovers Albert Einstein’s little known spiritual journey</p> <p>The post <a href="https://nautil.us/we-are-a-part-of-infinity-1201438/">We Are a Part of Infinity</a> appeared first on <a href="https://nautil.us">Nautilus</a>.</p>

Apr 1, 2025

<p>What you think you know depends on how you look</p> <p>The post <a href="https://nautil.us/discovering-the-first-intersex-southern-right-whale-1201412/">Discovering the First Intersex Southern Right Whale</a> appeared first on <a href="https://nautil.us">Nautilus</a>.</p>

Mar 31, 2025

<p>It starts with static electricity and dust swirling around young stars</p> <p>The post <a href="https://nautil.us/how-pebbles-form-planets-1201205/">How Pebbles Form Planets</a> appeared first on <a href="https://nautil.us">Nautilus</a>.</p>

Mar 28, 2025

<p>A seismologist walks us through the region’s tectonic history</p> <p>The post <a href="https://nautil.us/what-caused-the-devastating-earthquake-in-myanmar-1200737/">What Caused the Devastating Earthquake in Myanmar?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://nautil.us">Nautilus</a>.</p>

Mar 27, 2025

<p>It started with farm animals—now it's revealing secrets of the cosmos</p> <p>The post <a href="https://nautil.us/the-surprising-history-of-scientific-ballooning-in-11-missions-1200217/">The Surprising History of Scientific Ballooning in 11 Missions</a> appeared first on <a href="https://nautil.us">Nautilus</a>.</p>

Mar 25, 2025

<p>A new AI system alerts ship captains in real-time when a whale is in their path</p> <p>The post <a href="https://nautil.us/ping-youve-got-whale-1199922/">Ping, You’ve Got Whale</a> appeared first on <a href="https://nautil.us">Nautilus</a>.</p>

Mar 21, 2025

<p>Divers find hundreds of normally solitary electric rays snuggled together</p> <p>The post <a href="https://nautil.us/the-mystery-of-the-pregnant-rays-1199278/">The Mystery of the Pregnant Rays</a> appeared first on <a href="https://nautil.us">Nautilus</a>.</p>

Mar 21, 2025

<p>What mangrove migration means in<br /> the era of climate change</p> <p>The post <a href="https://nautil.us/march-of-the-mangroves-1199257/">March of the Mangroves</a> appeared first on <a href="https://nautil.us">Nautilus</a>.</p>

Mar 20, 2025

<p>A conversation with Society of Illustrators executive director Arabelle Liepold</p> <p>The post <a href="https://nautil.us/arabelle-liepold-interview-society-of-illustrators-1197869/">Celebrating the Relationship Between Science and Illustration</a> appeared first on <a href="https://nautil.us">Nautilus</a>.</p>

Mar 19, 2025

<p>Author Jack Lohmann on his new book about phosphorus</p> <p>The post <a href="https://nautil.us/the-deadly-story-of-a-life-giving-element-1198867/">The Deadly Story of a Life-Giving Element</a> appeared first on <a href="https://nautil.us">Nautilus</a>.</p>

Apr 2, 2025

<p>The commercial astronauts onboard SpaceX&rsquo;s <i>Fram2</i> mission are flying closer to Earth&rsquo;s poles than anyone has before, offering an intriguing opportunity for auroral science</p>

Apr 2, 2025

<p>This temporary pacemaker, smaller than a grain of rice, could regulate the heart less invasively</p>

Apr 2, 2025

<p>After a stellar Yankees win on Saturday, torpedo bats are in the spotlight. Is there science behind these baseball bats?</p>

Apr 2, 2025

<p>New Trump administration tariffs on imported goods could exacerbate a shortage of parts used by the energy industry</p>

Apr 2, 2025

<p>A natural experiment in Wales showed that a shingles vaccine might lower the risk of developing dementia</p>

Apr 2, 2025

<p>&ldquo;The risks of remaining silent at this defining time are far greater than the risks of speaking out,&rdquo; says one scientist regarding the Trump administration&rsquo;s attacks on science</p>

Apr 2, 2025

<p>The spins of some early galaxies could be a clue that the entire observable universe exists within a black hole&mdash;except, that is, for all the evidence to the contrary</p>

Apr 2, 2025

<p>A long-simmering disagreement over the universe&rsquo;s present-day expansion rate shows no signs of resolution, leaving experts increasingly vexed</p>

Apr 2, 2025

<p>At the heart of the Trump administration&rsquo;s Signal scandal lies the familiar psychological pitfall of groupthink</p>

Apr 2, 2025

<p>A mysterious and often debated aspect of human sexuality colloquially known as &ldquo;squirting&rdquo; sparks controversy. This episode explores what research reveals.</p>

Apr 1, 2025

<p>The Trump Administration has fired four leaders and thousands of employees at the National Institutes of Health in &ldquo;one of the darkest days&rdquo;</p>

Apr 1, 2025

<p>The privately funded <i>Fram2</i> mission is the first ever to take astronauts into polar orbit&mdash;and the latest sign of a &ldquo;new normal&rdquo; for human spaceflight</p>

Apr 1, 2025

<p>The National Institutes of Health said it pulled the policy because of language on diversity and inclusion, in line with directives from the Trump administration</p>

Apr 1, 2025

<p>Trump administration plans to destroy EPA science will leave the air we breathe and the water we drink more polluted</p>

Apr 1, 2025

<p>Children ages four to seven demonstrate natural fact-checking skills when put to a test with zebras and space aliens</p>

Mar 31, 2025

<p>By burying an assessment with updates and recommendations about the U.S.&rsquo;s current measles outbreaks, the CDC has signaled an alarming shift in its public messaging</p>

Mar 31, 2025

<p>Fram2, a first-of-its-kind private mission to send four astronauts into polar orbit around Earth, is about to launch</p>

Mar 31, 2025

<p>Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan and an international banking group have quietly concluded that climate change will likely exceed the Paris Agreement&rsquo;s 2 degree C goal and are examining how to maintain profits</p>

Mar 31, 2025

<p>Women shoulder most of the work in managing a family and tell us it&rsquo;s exhausting, but some also say it has benefits</p>

Mar 31, 2025

<p>Despite fears that speaking out will make them targets, top researchers warn that the Trump administration&rsquo;s &ldquo;wholesale assault on U.S. science&rdquo; will harm the nation</p>

Mar 31, 2025

<p>There are real, physiological reasons why the same temperature feels different in April and October</p>

Mar 31, 2025

<p>Intermittent fasting has gained a following, in part because of tantalizing hints that it can boost cognition, fend off cancer and even slow aging</p>

Mar 31, 2025

<p>A &ldquo;Goldilocks&rdquo; measure of green space might help stave off dementia, but an excess could lead to cognitive decline</p>

Mar 31, 2025

<p>Cuts to federal health and science agencies continue. Plus, we discuss the sounds of sharks, the meaning of Martian molecules and one big dino claw.</p>

Mar 31, 2025

<p>Researchers put forward a comprehensive model outlining the conditions that may give rise to the vivid mental phenomena that some people experience as they near death</p>

Mar 28, 2025

<p>Studies on COVID, climate change and South Africa are on the latest list of terminated grants by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, according to updated documents obtained by <i>Nature</i></p>

Mar 28, 2025

<p>A magnitude 7.7 earthquake in Myanmar caused widespread shaking and likely considerable damage because of a lack of buildings built to withstand temblors</p>

Mar 28, 2025

<p>Climate experts whose research is funded by federal grants hide, whisper and wait for their jobs to disappear</p>

Mar 28, 2025

<p>New data released by the EPA show that nearly half of people in the U.S. have drinking water contaminated by toxic &ldquo;forever chemicals,&rdquo; or PFAS</p>

Mar 28, 2025

<p>Swarms of satellites launched by SpaceX and other companies are disrupting astronomical observations. Here's how scientists are coping</p>

Mar 28, 2025

<p>In a first, physicists have directly seen Hofstadter&rsquo;s butterfly&mdash;a long-sought-after fractal in the quantum realm</p>

Mar 28, 2025

<p>Data from 300,000 births reveal how essential biological measurements are altered by carrying and delivering a baby</p>

Mar 28, 2025

<p>A bioengineer highlights the potential of low-intensity ultrasound for multiple uses, from enhanced drug delivery to the brain to combating cancer</p>

Mar 28, 2025

<p>By going after Social Security, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Education, Donald Trump is signaling his belief that having &ldquo;good genes&rdquo; means not having a disability</p>

Mar 28, 2025

<p>Evidence of alien worlds goes back farther than you think</p>

Mar 28, 2025

<p>We&rsquo;re taking you inside MIT.nano, a clean laboratory facility that is critical to nanoscale research, from microelectronics to medical nanotechnology.</p>

Mar 28, 2025

<p>As fires burned in Los Angeles this year, newer toxin monitors found contaminants that aren&rsquo;t measured by standard methods. Now scientists and officials are pushing for better detection</p>

Mar 27, 2025

<p>Fat is one of the most active, dynamic organs we have. Why can&rsquo;t we learn to love it?</p>

Mar 27, 2025

<p>The threat from near-Earth asteroid 2024 YR4 may have subsided, but discoveries of other hazardous space rocks are set to soar as new observatories come online</p>

Mar 27, 2025

<p>Revelations that Trump's Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem plans to abolish or shrink the Federal Emergency Management Agency sent shock waves through state and local emergency responders</p>

Mar 27, 2025

<p>Andrea<b> </b>Evangelina Rodr&iacute;guez Perozo started innovative health programs on her return from France in 1925, but her advocacy for sex workers and contraception soon plunged her into controversy</p>

Mar 27, 2025

<p>The European physics laboratory CERN is planning to build a mega collider by 2070. Critics say the plan could lead to ruin</p>

Mar 27, 2025

<p>A long-standing shape mystery has finally been solved</p>

Mar 27, 2025

<p>Left-leaning Americans at peaceful demonstrations are becoming more likely to believe that political violence will be necessary to save America</p>

Mar 27, 2025

<p>A new study finds that when young kids find loopholes, or sneaky work-arounds, for instructions, they must apply advanced social and language skills</p>

Mar 27, 2025

<p>Kitchen items&mdash;sponges, blenders, kettles&mdash;are abundant sources of microplastics that we all consume</p>

Mar 26, 2025

<p>The Office for Long COVID Research and Practice was instrumental in coordinating the U.S. government&rsquo;s initiatives to treat, diagnose and prevent the mysterious postviral condition that affects millions of people today</p>

Mar 26, 2025

<p>One species of tropical tree seems not only to survive lightning strikes but also to thrive because of them</p>

Mar 26, 2025

<p>Some conservative lawmakers are quietly urging the president to restore research funding as cuts threaten academic institutions in their states</p>

Mar 26, 2025

<p>Scientists in China have transmitted encrypted images a record 12,900 kilometers, paving the way for quantum messaging anywhere on Earth</p>