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There's a fundamental question you can ask of both the internet and real life: "How do I enjoy my time here without taking unnecessary risks?" In grass-touching meatspace, you can cut out processed foods, carry pepper spray and avoid skydiving without a partner.

But the best methods for staying safe online aren't as intuitive. The internet is a massive town square where people are constantly bellowing deeply personal facts about themselves. It's no surprise that it's become a breeding ground for scams, theft and other criminal activity.

Given the breadth of dangers, it may feel easier to throw up your hands and say that whatever happens will happen. I'm here to tell you, though, that cybersecurity doesn't have to be complex, difficult or time-consuming. You don't need to be a hacker to foil a hacker — you only have to take advantage of simple tips and free apps designed to make you safer online. Whether you commit to all 12 detailed here or only focus on one, you'll be much more secure for it.

1. Install security updates immediately

One of the most important things you can do to ensure your digital security is to install all software updates as soon as they become available on your devices. When you see the notification, don't wait — train yourself to download the update immediately.

Not all software updates are about security, but the ones that are form your best line of defense against technical hacks. When developers discover a flaw that can be exploited, they ship an update to fix it. By the time the flaw gets patched, chances are very high that hackers also know about it, so any time lost means you could be the next to get exploited.

As you go down this list, you'll learn that cybersecurity threats are less technical than you think. To counter the ones that are, however, there's nothing more important you can do than install security updates.

2. Use strong passwords

Weak, easily guessed passwords are one of the most frequent causes of data breaches and malware attacks. If a password is one of the ten or so most common, an attacker may be able to guess it with no other information. If it's connected to you — your birthday, say, or mother's maiden name — it may be guessable from information anyone can look up online.

Even if your password is a random string of characters, it might still be guessable if it's too short. Hackers can use programs to guess all possible combinations and try each one on a target account. The longer a password is, the more exponentially difficult it is to guess.

SEAN GLADWELL via Getty Images

That means you need passwords that are both long and meaningless to you. You might rightly complain that these are bastards to remember, but you're in luck: password managers can do that for you. A password manager app or browser extension can create passwords when you need them, store them securely and fill them in automatically. All you have to remember is the one master password that unlocks all the others.

3. Set up two-factor authentication

Even the strongest password might get revealed through no fault of your own, like if it's stored without encryption and leaked in a data breach. That's why it helps to have two-factor authentication (2FA), also known as multi-factor authentication (MFA), as a second secure layer on every account.

You probably already know 2FA as the irritating extra step that makes you go get your phone — but that's not the only way to do it. Many apps, including Google and Apple, now let you log in through passkeys. These not only don't require you to enter a code or password, but use asymmetric encryption, sharing credentials between your device and the service that runs the passkeys. It's a lot quicker for you, and leaves nothing to steal.

4. Back everything up

Ransomware and its cousins are a growth industry within the cybercrime economy. These attacks corrupt your files or lock you out of them until you pay a fee to get them back. The easiest way to foil a ransomware attack, or to clear any other kind of malware off a device, is to restore the entire system from the most recent backup.

To make sure you actually have a backup, experts recommend the 3-2-1 rule: three different backups, on two different types of storage, with at least one physically distant from the main system. For example, you could have one backup on another device in your house, one in the cloud and one on a portable hard drive. Automatic backup services can save disk images for you at set intervals so you don't have to remember to do it yourself.

5. Learn to spot social engineering

Despite all the technobabble flying around the cybersecurity world, a great many scams and hacks are accomplished through methods a 19th-century con artist would recognize. Scammers pose as experts or authority figures to gain your trust, and use frightening language to bypass your critical thinking. Ticking clocks, emotional manipulation and fake identities are all in the toolbox.

Alex Cristi via Getty Images

Take phishing, in which hackers trick you into giving up your information willingly. A typical phishing email might pose as a bank, credit bureau or other authoritative service. In red letters, it may demand your bank password or social security number to immediately fix an irregularity with your account. Other common approaches include warning you about speeding tickets you never incurred or sending receipts for subscriptions you never bought.

Social engineering attacks are constantly evolving, but they often fall back on the same strategies. The best way to foil them is to take a deep breath every time you receive a frightening email or text message, then research it in detail: look up the email address, check the visual design to make sure the sender is who they claim to be, and ask yourself if there's any way the message could be true. I highly recommend working through this phishing quiz — it's tough, but fair, and extremely educational.

6. Always check links before clicking

This is a companion to the previous tip. Social engineering scams don't always try to get you to give up information yourself. They also get you to click on links that put secret malware on your device — like keyloggers that watch you type your passwords or ransomware programs that corrupt your files.

If you're ever not sure about an email attachment or a link you're being asked to click, copy the link (without opening it) and paste it into a URL checker like this one from NordVPN. These free tools can tell you if a link is associated with any known malware domains.

Sam Chapman for Engadget

You can also mouse over any link, then look at the bottom-left of your browser to see what URL it will take you to. If an email is from your bank, any links within it should go to your bank's website. If it's going anywhere else, especially to an unidentifiable string of characters, be suspicious.

7. Don't overshare

Over the last two decades, lots of us have gotten into the habit of dumping all sorts of personal information on social media. This trend has supercharged the scam economy. It may seem harmless to broadcast the names of your kids or the dates you'll be on vacation, but every piece of data you put into the world makes it easier for a stranger to get hooks into you.

For example, "grandparent scams" are on the rise right now. Grifters contact a target, usually a senior, pretending to be their grandchild. They'll claim to be in a crisis and need money fast. The more information they have on their target, the more convincing their tale of woe will be. Social media is a prime place to study a potential victim.

Oversharing can also be a compounding problem. If you use weak passwords, your public information can be used to guess your credentials or answer your security questions. So, if you don't have a password manager yet, think twice before you engage with that quiz post on Facebook that asks for the name of your childhood pet.

8. Use a VPN

I'm a big booster of virtual private networks (VPNs), but it's important to be realistic about what they can and can't do. Even the best VPNs aren't total cybersecurity solutions — you can't just set one and assume you're safe forever. A VPN can't protect you if you use easily guessed passwords, for example, or click on a malware link. It's about hiding your identity, not making you invulnerable.

So what can a VPN do? In short, it replaces your IP address (a fingerprint that identifies you online) with another IP address, belonging to a server owned by the VPN. The VPN server does business with the internet on your behalf, while its conversations with your device are encrypted so it can't be traced back to you.

Sam Chapman for Engadget

This means no third party can connect your online actions with your real-world identity. Nobody will be harvesting data on the websites you visit to sell to advertisers, nor building a file on you that an unscrupulous government might misuse. VPNs also protect you from fake public Wi-Fi networks set up by cybercriminals — even if a hacker tricks you with a man-in-the-middle attack, they can't do much without your real IP address.

Many top VPNs, including my top pick Proton VPN, include ad blockers that can also keep cookies and tracking pixels from latching onto you. So, even if a VPN can't do everything, you'll be far safer and more private with one than without one. If you don’t want to pay for a new subscription right now, I've also compiled a list of the best free VPNs that are actually safe to use.

9. Run regular virus scans

The most important time to look for malware is when you're downloading a file from the internet. Not only can unwanted apps hitch rides on seemingly safe files, but links can start downloads in secret, even if you don't think they're meant to be downloading anything. A solid antivirus program can catch malware as it arrives on your system, and if it's uncertain, can lock suspicious files in quarantine until it knows whether they're safe or not.

Dedicated antivirus apps are sometimes even capable of catching malware that hasn't been seen or used yet. AV software uses machine learning to identify the common patterns of malware, filtering out new viruses that behave like old ones.

But what about malware that's already gotten through the perimeter? An antivirus app can also check your computer at set intervals in search of unwanted apps, including those that might be masquerading as system files. Windows computers now come pre-installed with Windows Defender, which is enough to handle most of these tasks, but I recommend at least one anti-malware program on any device.

10. Use email maskers and private search engines

If you're concerned about your information being misused or mishandled, remember that the less you put out into the world, the less danger you're in. Keeping your private data off social media is one important step, but there are other ways your data gets disseminated — and other options for responding.

For example, you often need an email address to sign up for an online account. If you use your real email, your contact information is now floating around online, increasing the chance of someone using it to scam you (or at least adding you to mailing lists you never signed up for). To stay safe, use an email masker. These services give you a fake email address you can use to create accounts, which automatically forwards messages to your real address.

Sam Chapman for Engadget

Search engines, especially Google, are also notorious for building profiles on users by watching the terms they search for. You can dodge that by switching to a private search engine like DuckDuckGo, which doesn't track anything you do — it's funded by non-targeted ad sales on its search results pages, not by selling your data to brokers.

11. Use a data removal service

Speaking of data brokers: unfortunately, if you've been on the internet at any point in the last 10 years without taking intense precautions, your data is probably in the hands of at least one business that makes money by hoarding and selling it. These data brokers range from public-facing, people-search sites to private backend dealers.

Data brokers are poorly regulated and lax about safety. The longer one has your personal information, the more likely it is to leak. The good news is that most brokers (though not all of them) are legally required to delete your data if you ask them to.

However, there are a lot of data brokers out there, and they really want to keep your data. Each one makes opting out harder than uninstalling a Norton product — and hundreds of them may have files on you. To make the process easier, you can use a data removal service like DeleteMe or Surfshark VPN's partner service Incogni.

12. Practice physical security

Let's close out the list by getting a little old school. I've already discussed how many online scams depend on classic con artistry to work. By the same token, physical infiltration and smash-and-grab tactics still pose a threat to cybersecurity.

It doesn't take too much imagination to see how this could work. If you leave your laptop or phone unattended in public, for example, someone might insert a flash drive that loads malware onto the system. In one illustrative case, a thief in the Minneapolis area would loiter in bars, watch people unlock their phones, then steal those phones and unlock them himself.

I'm not saying you need to be paranoid every second you're in public. Just use the same level of caution you'd use to protect your car. Lock your phone with a biometric key so only you can open it, and make sure not to leave any device lying around if it can access your online accounts. And at work, be careful not to let anyone into a secure area if they don't have the proper credentials.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/12-steps-you-can-take-right-now-to-be-safer-online-130008335.html?src=rss

The next major update for Halo Infinite will also be its last. Halo Studios, which is part of Microsoft’s Xbox Game Studios, has announced that it’s rolling out Operation: Infinite on November 18. It’s going to be the last major update for the first-person shooter, because the whole team will now be focusing on the “multiple Halo titles” under development.

Xbox previously announced that it’s releasing Halo: Campaign Evolved, a remake of the first game in the franchise, Halo: Combat Evolved, sometime in 2026. It will be available for the Xbox, PC and PS5. According to unverified reports, Halo Studios is also working on a new multiplayer live service project similar to Fortnite.

Operation: Infinite will double the earning rate for Career Rank and Spartan Points. The final free Operation Pass will have no expiration date and will unlock three new armor sets. Upgrading to the 100-tier Premium Pass will give players the chance to unlock “five more unique armor sets, six weapon models and over 30 exclusive Spartan customizations.” The last major update will also add a new asymmetrical map for select Ranked modes.

While Operation: Infinite is the game’s last major update, Halo Infinite will still have a rotating selection of daily and weekly challenges, as well as a new slate of Ranked Seasons for those who want to keep playing it.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/halo-infinite-will-get-its-last-major-content-update-on-november-18-130000955.html?src=rss

Nothing brings people together in uncertain times quite like food. Get to talking and laughing and reminiscing over a meal, and suddenly things don't seem so bleak anymore, even if only temporarily. A Pizza Delivery is all about rediscovering the spark through these little moments of human connection — just strangers bonding over a slice of pizza, and regaining a bit of hope in the process. It's wistful and heartfelt in a kind of vague, nonspecific way, with some beautiful scenery and an atmospheric soundtrack to really hammer home the vibes. 

Still, while A Pizza Delivery feels close to achieving its goals, it could use more polishing to fully get there. It's not a bad way to spend a couple of hours on a cozy evening in, but you'll have to look past the parts where it's a little broken. 

A Pizza Delivery begins with its main character, B, delivering a pizza to an apartment in a strange building in the middle of nowhere. Then a pay phone outside rings, and B's boss tells her there's just one last delivery she has to make. But, there's a spare pizza pie in her scooter's cargo box too, to share slices with anyone else she comes across during the journey.

The place B has found herself in is not normal reality, but "a space where people go when they are stuck in life, feeling empty and unfulfilled." Each area seems its own wholly distinct little world: an empty city, a broken down factory that sits beneath dancing auroras, a prairie where a sole cottage stands among a smattering of sunflowers. You must explore the ins and outs of each area to help get B to her final destination and piece together her story, collecting items and solving some light puzzles to unlock whatever comes next. 

What this game really has going for it is the mood. There's a kind of Wristcutters: A Love Story feeling to the whole thing that I couldn't help but latch onto. The offbeat, crestfallen characters you encounter each have their own sad story to tell, but after a bit of conversation and a slice of pizza, they're off to (hopefully) make a fresh start and reclaim their lives. The general sense is that B will have the same opportunity if she can push through and complete her mission.

And we did get there in the end, but there were some serious hiccups along the way. Controlling B's scooter is a somewhat clunky experience, and if you make the mistake of dismounting while it's still moving, B will end up stuck in a cursed, floating arabesque that won't let up for an indeterminable amount of time. I found myself repeatedly trapped in this broken position when trying to switch from riding the scooter to walking. The alternative is to come to a full stop and wait out the subsequent animation, which involves B very slowly parking and engaging the kickstand. 

A still from A Pizza Delivery showing a blizzard scene, with the character seen trudging through low visibility toward the red light of a pay phoneDolores Entertainment

Most of the puzzles were fairly easy to figure out, but one in which B has to trudge through a blizzard seemed to have no rhyme or reason behind it and almost made me rage-quit the game. Instead, I stepped away for a few hours and came back to it later, and only made it out after an extremely frustrating 45 minutes or so of wandering aimlessly, repeatedly going out of bounds and getting kicked back to the start of the area. Early in the game, you pick up a compass that would seem to be the solution to this puzzle, as the instructions are all direction-based. But, you can't actually use the compass, and trying to navigate based on the way it's oriented in your inventory doesn't help. 

B's story didn't entirely come together for me like I hoped either. Even after collecting all of the memory items, her background felt incomplete. I found myself wishing I knew more about her and what got her to this place once she was finally on her way to leaving it. But I don't regret sticking it out. The ending was ultimately a touching reward and pretty darn uplifting. 

A Pizza Delivery is available now for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/a-pizza-delivery-is-a-dreamy-indie-adventure-that-tests-your-will-to-press-on-130000842.html?src=rss

Welcome to our latest roundup of what's going on in the indie game space. This week saw the arrival of some fairly high-profile ports, a relaxing garden creation game and much more. I've even managed to tear myself away from Football Manager 26 for long enough to tell you about some of them.

Barely a week goes by without a fun theme event taking place on Steam and one that runs until November 10 is also going down on the Nintendo eShop. The Metroidvania Fusion Festival is a celebration of — what else? — the broad spectrum of Metroidvania games. It features 245 projects, including upcoming games and demos, and a sale with discounts of up to 90 percent. 

I've grabbed a few demos to check out this weekend, including Key Fairy (a pacifist bullet-hell game that sees you grappling and dancing your way around enemies), Echo Weaver (a time-loop puzzler that I've mentioned before) and 2D platformer Little Ghost, in which you explore a mixed media world as a cute specter.

In terms of deals, Blasphemous is 75 percent off, Blasphemous II is half off, 2D action game Gunbrella (which I've had on my wishlist for years) is 65 percent off and body horror delight Carrion is 22 percent off. I can wholeheartedly recommend Turbo Kid, a quasi-sequel to one of my favorite films of the same name. That's 35 percent off in this sale.

Elsewhere this week, I read a solid profile of developer Lente Cuenen in the The New York Times. Cuenen is the developer of Spilled!, a relaxing waterway cleanup game I've been meaning to check out for a while. The piece is an intriguing look into the life of Cuenen, who makes games about boats while living on her boat in the Netherlands.

New releases

A couple of notable indies made the leap onto Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 this week, including 1000xResist. This narrative-driven sci-fi adventure from Sunset Visitor and publisher Fellow Traveller Games earned widespread acclaim when it debuted on Steam and Nintendo Switch last year, particularly for its storytelling, visuals and how it explores various themes. It won a Peabody Award too.

I have yet to dive into 1000xResist, even though it's been on my PC and Steam Deck for months. PS5 and Xbox Series X/S players now have the chance to jump in as well. What's more, 1000xResist is on Game Pass Premium, Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

A little over a year after releasing the full version of the Satisfactory on PC, Coffee Stain Studios and Coffee Stain Publishing have brought the multi-million-selling factory builder to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. You can play solo or with friends as you construct factories on an alien planet. You'll explore the planet to find resources and maybe even engage in a little combat.

In general, both critics and players have rated Satisfactory highly. Some might say it’s more than satisfactory.

Pools was one of my favorite games of last year. It's a disquieting walking simulator, an eerie journey through a liminal space. I could almost smell the chlorine as I explored the mazy swimming pool-inspired environments. It's more eerie than downright scary. Developer Tensori brought the experience to iPhone, iPad and Mac this week. The iPad version also works on Apple Vision Pro. 

To that end, a virtual reality version of Pools is coming to PS VR2 on November 25. You'll be able to check it out in flatscreen on PS5 on the same day.

Thrasher is the latest title from Brian Gibson, the artist and composer of the intense rhythm game Thumper (and also the bassist for the noise rock band Lightning Bolt). The arcade action game debuted on Meta Quest and Apple Vision Pro last year. It made the leap to Steam (and SteamVR) this week, so you can now play it on a flatscreen for the first time.

Thrasher is a very trippy-looking game from developer Puddle and publisher Creature Label. It seems like quite the wild ride and it was named Apple's Vision Pro game of the year for 2024. For what it’s worth. the team behind Thrasher says that the game runs at 90 fps on Steam Deck.

Here's a completely different change of pace. Dream Garden is all about creating a relaxing garden space for yourself. You can use hills, rivers, ponds and pebbles to shape the landscape, then add decorations. With the rake tool, you can trace patterns in the sand. 

There are no limits or timers in this Japanese-inspired game from the duo at Campfire Studio. Dream Garden is out now on Steam.

The Falconeer first took flight five years ago — it was an Xbox Series X/S launch title, fact fans. A new edition for Steam called The Falconeer: Revolution Remaster is a complete rework, as solo developer Tomas Sala rebuilt the game from the ground up. It features new tech, overhauled and expanded environments, gameplay upgrades and all of the previous DLC.

I'm glad to hear that Sala has improved the flight mechanics. I found it a bit tough to get to grips with the aerial combat when I played The Falconeer back in 2020, but I enjoyed it otherwise. 

The remastered version (which looks much grander in scope than the original game) is available as a free upgrade for existing owners on Steam. Everyone else can hop in for free until 1PM ET on November 10. While the remaster is now the default option, you'll still be able to access the original version of The Falconeer via a dedicated Steam branch, Hooray for game preservation!

Upcoming 

It wouldn't be an edition of our weekly indie roundup without a dog game, would it? You can play Sheepherds! solo, but Ultimo Disco primarily designed it as a party game for couch co-op or online multiplayer. 

It is, as the name suggests, a sheepherding game in which you'll corral flocks of sheep to shear their wool. You can earn cosmetic items and outfits for your pooch, and bump up the difficulty with optional challenges if you like. Sheepherds! is coming to Steam on November 17.

We're big fans of the Playdate around these parts and it's always fun to learn about new games that are coming to the wonderful little handheld. Panic held a showcase this week to shine a spotlight on some upcoming games, as well as others included in the fall sale that runs until November 13.

Fauna is Cadin Batrack's follow up to Playdate comics The Botanist and To Dust. It's choose-your-own-adventure visual novel with a branching narrative, this time set in a near future in which large language models have advanced to the point where humans can talk to animals. The animals use their newfound communication skills to seek equal rights. Fauna seems pretty interesting! It's coming to Playdate soon.

Zachary Snyder's Diora is a puzzle adventure that tasks you with discovering a "mysterious force that is manipulating structures and the people around them." At first glance, it reminds me a bit of Fez and the Monument Valley series. Diora will hit Playdate on December 16.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ports-a-plenty-a-zen-garden-creator-and-other-new-indie-games-worth-checking-out-120000091.html?src=rss

Startup founders and government officials have been confronted with a unique flavor of first-world problem at this year's Web Summit, Financial Times reports. The Lisbon Airport has been forced to turn some private jets away, sending flights to seek runway space at airports as far away as Badajoz, a Spanish city two hours away from Lisbon.

The issue might come with the territory. Web Summit is a technology business conference that tends to attract investors, startups and high-profile keynote speakers — this year's conference features talks from the CEO of Qualcomm and the President of Microsoft, for example — many of whom prefer to fly private. That poses a problem for the Lisbon Airport. 

"Please be advised that there is currently a shortage of private jet slots during Web Summit at Lisbon Airport (LIS) and surrounding smaller airports," Web Summit organizers reportedly told attendees. "Lisbon Airport is experiencing difficulty managing the volume of traffic, resulting in a lack of available take-off and landing slots for all operations."

FT writes that this kind of airport bottleneck is a first for the conference, and likely caused as much by a growing predilection for private jets as it is the larger number of attendees at this year's Web Summit. Setting aside the environmental impact of flying private, you'd think all those brilliant minds could come up with some kind of solution beyond flying further away and driving into Portugal. Maybe a jet that hundreds of people can charter at once?

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/the-lisbon-airport-is-turning-away-private-jets-inbound-for-the-web-summit-222136161.html?src=rss

IKEA has officially announced its range of Matter-compatible smart home products. The Swedish furniture store is releasing 21 new items under the tentpoles of lighting, sensors and control. IKEA teased these releases back in July. 

Part of the roll out will include updates to existing categories in order to work with Matter, an open source smart home standard. "We're upgrading our most-appreciated products while also adding new ones to solve even more everyday challenges," Stjepan Begic, product developer at IKEA. "Our focus has been on keeping things simple from setup to daily use, so it’s easy for people to start, use and grow a smart home."

As for the products themselves, 11 come as part of the KAJPLATS smart bulb range. They will have a mix of shapes and sizes, along with dimming functionality. Then there's the five smart sensors., starting with an indoor and outdoor motion sensor called MYGGSPRAY, which automatically turns on lights. Similarly, there's MYGGBETT, which sends a notification when a door or window gets opened or closed. 

On the more technical safety side are sensors like TIMMERFLOTTE, which monitors temerature and humidity. Then there's ALPSTUGA, an air quality sensor and KLIPPBOK, a water leakage sensor. 

Finishing the lineup is a range of remote controls and one smart plug, GRILLPLATS, which works with regular lamps and appliances to turn them on and off, along with tracking energy use. Then there's the four BILRESA products, starting with a dual button remote control that can turn lights on and off, adjust the brightness, and create a preset scene. Meanwhile, the remote control with a scroll wheel does similar functions, along with dimming. Two kits of three controls each are available for each type. 

IKEA doesn't include exact pricing or release dates, noting that it might vary market to market. In its July teaser, the company said these products would be available come January next year. 

The new products will further bolster IKEA's smart home lineup, which often alternates between hot and cold. For instance, the company's DIRIGERA smart hub debuted as far back as 2022, but the Swedish furnishing giant and Sonos dissolved their partnership earlier this year, despite the fact that many users (including us) found them to be an affordable alternative to more pricey Sonos-branded options. 

Update Nov. 7 2025, 3:56PM ET: Added more context, including links to coverage of IKEA's earlier forays into the smart home market.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/ikea-announces-new-matter-compatible-smart-home-products-120013040.html?src=rss

Disney is rolling out its redesigned interface for Disney+ to more users in the US today. The redesign brings the streaming service in line with the loud, key art-forward approach of Netflix, and follows a price increase for both tiers of Disney+ that the company introduced in October.

The biggest change in the new Disney+ is the addition of a horizontal navigation bar with separate tabs for recommendations (For You), Disney+, Hulu and ESPN. Disney is leaning on a new algorithm that better uses your viewing history to make recommendations, and it now also integrates live TV streams via a dedicated tab in its vertical menu. Outside of the US, the new interface is also being paired with the rebranding of Disney's Star streaming service to Hulu.

The new interface is the latest step in Disney's plan to eventually completely fold Hulu into Disney+ in 2026. The Hulu has a dedicated tab in the app, but eventually it'll just be one of the many sources of content Disney+ collects. Meanwhile, the live TV component of Hulu + Live TV will eventually be merged with Fubo, creating an even larger YouTube TV competitor that Disney will have 70 percent stake in. The growing competition between Google and Disney could be one of several reasons the companies have yet to settle the carriage dispute that's currently blocked channels like ABC and ESPN on YouTube TV.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/the-redesigned-disney-app-is-rolling-out-to-more-users-in-the-us-204759533.html?src=rss

Development on the next Mass Effect is still underway, Mass Effect executive producer Mike Gamble confirmed in a blog post celebrating the series' "N7 Day" fan holiday. Bioware shared that it had started work on the new game in 2020, but Electronic Arts' decision to go private have naturally called the future of the series into question.

Gamble's blog post doesn't share many details about the new game beyond the fact that Bioware "is heads-down and focused exclusively on Mass Effect." What does seem more clear is that the game could have some kind of connection to the Mass Effect TV show currently in development at Amazon. "The writers room is going strong, and we’ve got a lot figured out about how it fits within the Mass Effect canon, and where it sits in respect to the new game," Gamble says. Notably, the series is set after the events of the original trilogy of games, and follows a new story in the universe's timeline. "It won’t be a retread of Commander Shepard’s story." 

Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Bioware's last game, was not the smash hit EA apparently wanted it to be, and Bioware has appeared to go through a period of contraction in response. High-profile senior staff were let go in January 2025, and even before the game was released, EA began moving Bioware developers to other studios. EA itself may also be adjusting its larger game development strategy. Following its proposed acquisition, the publisher announced a partnership with Stability AI in October to create new AI-powered tools to better streamline its development process.

The Mass Effect series is beloved, and Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, the 2021 remaster that packaged all the trilogy's DLC and games into a single package, was a great reminder. With a new entry and a TV show in the works, Bioware seems poised for a comeback. It just needs to survive EA until then.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/bioware-says-next-mass-effect-is-still-in-development-despite-turmoil-at-ea-200000050.html?src=rss

Meta said on Friday that it's investing $600 billion in US infrastructure and jobs by 2028. Although the announcement is light on specifics (and heavy on standard Big Tech self-congratulation), it sounds like much of it will go toward AI data centers.

"At Meta, we're focused on creating the next generation of AI products and building personal superintelligence for everyone," the company wrote. "Data centers are crucial to reaching these goals and helping America maintain its technological edge."

If you feel like this isn't the first you've heard of Meta and $600 billion in US spending, you're right. That's the figure Mark Zuckerberg gave during a September White House dinner with Big Tech CEOs. But more memorable was the hot-mic moment later captured between Zuckerberg and President Trump. "Sorry, I wasn't ready," the Meta CEO said to the president, referring to his $600 billion pledge. "I wasn't sure what number you wanted to go with."

Meta's announcement today includes figures intended to bolster its claim to be a champion of US infrastructure. The company says that, since 2010, its data centers have "supported over 30,000 skilled trade jobs and 5,000 operational jobs." Meta adds that it's currently bringing over $20 billion to US subcontractors.

As for the "superintelligence" mention, it also surfaced when Zuckerberg announced data center investments in July. That term typically refers to a hypothetical point at which AI surpasses human cognitive abilities. (Steve Wozniak, Geoffrey Hinton and others want it banned until it’s proven safe and controllable.) The company views its AI glasses as a central part of that future. Zuckerberg said in July that anyone without them may eventually suffer from a "pretty significant cognitive disadvantage."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/meta-says-it-will-invest-600-billion-in-the-us-with-ai-data-centers-front-and-center-195000377.html?src=rss

There’s a fine line between luxurious and ludicrous. When you’re talking about a pair of $799 headphones, that line begins to blur. Bowers & Wilkins has been on an excellent run of form over the past few years, consistently offering some of the best sound quality you’ll find on any headphones. It doesn’t load its models down with features — sometimes it could use a few more — but there’s always a great blend of design, audio performance and capable active noise cancellation (ANC) that make for well-rounded products. 

And then there’s the Px8 S2. At $799, it’s $100 more expensive than its predecessor (the Px8) was at launch, which puts them even further out of reach for most. Bowers & Wilkins did change up its familiar design slightly, and there’s a big improvement to audio performance, the addition of high-res music over USB-C and improved call quality. There’s no doubt the Px8 S2 is beyond premium, but did the company go too far?

What’s new on the Px8 S2?

After several generations of the Px7 and Px8 that had pretty much the same design, Bowers & Wilkins changed things up a bit with the Px8 S2. There isn't a comprehensive redesign here, but the slimmer ear cup silhouette and the exposed cabling on the headband yokes are notable improvements to the overall look. Once again, the company opted for a mix of soft leather and die-cast aluminum, both of which give the Px8 S2 a decidedly high-end aesthetic. 

Inside, new 40mm carbon cone dynamic drivers were updated with a new chassis and motor. Those components are powered by 24-bit DSP (digital signal processing) with a dedicated amplifier and digital-to-analog converter (DAC). There’s also a more robust five-band EQ with True Sound bypass, which allows you to disable any equalizer tweaks to quickly return to Bowers & Wilkins’ stock tuning. The company added aptX Lossless support on top of the existing aptX Adaptive availability, and you can get “true” lossless — 24-bit/96kHz — sound quality over USB-C. 

Compared to the previous model, the Px8 S2 has two more microphones, bringing the total to eight. Six of those are used for external monitoring for ANC while two keep tabs on noise inside the headphones. All eight are used during calls, in addition to an upgraded “pure voice” algorithm to improve performance there. You can also hear yourself better in transparency mode, which is the biggest boost to calls. 

What’s still good on the Px8 S2? The Px8 S2 has some subtle, but welcome design changes. Billy Steele for Engadget

Bowers & Wilkins has excelled at crafting a warm, inviting and immersive sound profile across its headphones for a while now. That’s still the case on the Px8 S2 as the audio quality is rich and detailed, with a wide soundstage that envelops you — almost to the point of bombarding your ears. While I don’t think the bass tuning is well-suited for mellow genres, there’s plenty to like here. On albums like Jason Isbell’s Foxes in the Snow, for example, the amount of texture and subtle nuance where the only instruments are the singer’s voice and a single acoustic guitar is incredible. 

Reliable battery life has been a strong point for the company in the past, and that remains true on the Px8 S2. The 30-hour battery figure (ANC on) is the same as the previous model, and I was able to easily achieve that longevity during my testing. With a mix of active noise cancellation, high-res tunes and transparency mode for work calls, the headphones easily kept up with Bowers & Wilkins’ promised numbers. 

What’s not so good about the Px8 S2? The Px8 S2's controls are tiny buttons in awkward locations. Billy Steele for Engadget

The biggest knock against the Px8 S2 is the price. These headphones are way more expensive than what most companies charge for their top-of-the-line models, which is around $500 these days. Sure, $799 is only $50 more than the tariff-adjusted rate for the Px8 (which was originally $699), and there are several upgrades here, but that price will be prohibitively expensive for many, thus making the S2 harder to recommend despite their strengths. 

Even with the upgraded sound, I feel like Bowers & Wilkins may have gone too far with the bass tuning. There is some absolutely booming low-end tone on display here, especially for bass-heavy genres like rock, metal, EDM and hip-hop. On Spiritbox’s “Perfect Soul,” as one example, the kick drum edges dangerously close to drowning out the lead and bass guitars. A bit more restraint here would’ve provided ample thump and depth that isn’t almost exhausting to listen to. At times, the enhanced bass is great, but at others, like on Ruston Kelly’s Pale, Through the Window, it can really be too much for the style of music. 

On its recent headphones, Bowers & Wilkins relocated the physical controls from sitting on the edge of their ear cups to a ridge on the outside. In the process, the company also made the buttons much smaller. As I said when I reviewed the Px7 S3, this makes the controls harder to find with your thumbs, and you also have to be more accurate with your presses. That’s especially true for the three-button array on the right side that handles volume changes and playback controls. 

Like it did with its previous headphone models, Bowers & Wilkins hasn’t packed the Px8 S2’s spec sheet with advanced features. You do get a couple of basic items — multipoint Bluetooth and wear detection/automatic pausing — but things like speech recognition, hands-free assistants or automatic sound profiles aren’t here. This is an area where the likes of Sony, Bose and Sennheiser surpass Bowers & Wilkins, even though products like the Px8 S2 typically offer superior sound quality. 

Wrap-up The Px8 S2 offers a few notable upgrades over the Px8. Billy Steele for Engadget

So how well does Bowers & Wilkins straddle that line between luxury and ludicrousness? I’d say the Px8 S2 is a luxurious set of headphones with a ludicrous price. I fully understand that Bowers & Wilkins is a high-end audio brand and that its products typically demand a premium over most of the competition. But like I already said, the price puts these excellent headphones out of reach. When you consider the price tag alongside the lack of advanced features, the Px8 S2 becomes hard to recommend. But for those who can afford them, a tantalizing symphony of sound awaits.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/bowers--wilkins-px8-s2-review-headphone-extravagance-193000794.html?src=rss

Data can paint a much starker contrast than words alone, and US Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) appears to get that. On Friday, her office published numbers on Big Tech's tax breaks in Republicans' "Big Beautiful Bill." When compared with the benefits those sums could have provided for working families, it helps to fortify what some might otherwise dismiss as run-of-the-mill rhetoric.

According to Sen. Warren, the bill's tax breaks for Microsoft alone will total $12.5 billion in 2026. When compared with the average cost of SNAP benefits, that sum could have provided food assistance to 5.2 million people. Or, it could have covered Medicaid for 1.6 million adults (or 3.8 million children), or lowered Affordable Care Act (ACA) premiums for 1.9 million Americans.

Meanwhile, Warren says Amazon is set to score a $16 billion tax break this year. That's the equivalent of Medicaid for 2 million adults (or 5.4 million children), lower ACA payments for 2.4 million Americans or SNAP benefits for 6.6 million people.

What about the tax breaks Alphabet gets? Warren says Google's parent company is looking at a $17.9 billion tax cut this year. That could pay for Medicaid for 2.3 million adults (or 5.4 million kids), lower ACA premiums for 2.8 million people or food assistance for 7.5 million people.

If you’re confused about why Big Tech is helping to pay for a lavish White House ballroom, look no further. Regardless, Warren’s analysis goes on to break down the $137 billion in tax breaks for all corporations in 2026, the $132 billion routed to the wealthiest one percent in 2027 and more. You can read the senator's full report for more details.

"Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress are knocking millions of Americans off their health insurance and ripping away food assistance from families — all so they can fund giant tax cuts for billionaires and giant corporations," Warren said in a statement. "This is a matter of priorities: Trump and Republicans are fighting for their billionaire buddies, while Democrats are fighting for American families."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/sen-warren-big-techs-tax-breaks-could-have-covered-benefits-for-millions-of-americans-174831791.html?src=rss

Fitbit is mostly associated with tracking your steps, workouts and sleep, but also among its arsenal of overall health features is the ability to track your food intake. You can use it to see how many calories you’ve consumed versus how many you’ve burned, and even scan the barcode of pre-made food items to add them to your daily log. But the food log feature in the Fitbit app currently appears to be broken, or at least not working as it’s supposed to.

As spotted by 9to5Google, various problems have been reported during the last 24 hours, and while the page still loads as it should, adding items is proving difficult. Attempting to search for a meal or food pulls up a blank page, while the barcode scanner seems to be completely broken, returning a maintenance error message when you try to use it.

A number of Fitbit users are reporting similar issues, with only the custom food creation function working properly. Some have also said that they tried updating the app to fix it, but with no success. One user who deleted and re-installed the Fitbit app said that didn’t work either, while another said they “really rely on the calorie count feature,” which obviously won’t be accurate if you can’t log every meal you eat.

Google, Fitbit's parent company, has not officially commented on the matter at the time of writing, and we’ll update this article if it responds to our request for one.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/fitbit-appears-to-be-experiencing-a-partial-outage-174249152.html?src=rss

We generally think Apple’s iPads are the best tablets for most people, but they don’t come cheap. To help those looking to grab one today get the most value possible, we’re keeping an eye on sale prices and rounding up the best iPad deals we can find each week.

This week’s selection includes the return of a $100 price drop for the iPad mini, along with a $50 discount for the entry-level iPad and early discounts on the recently updated iPad Pro. Beyond tablets, the MacBook Air, Apple Watch SE 3 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 have all dropped to new all-time lows, while a four-pack of AirTags is also steeply discounted at $65. It’s worth remembering that official Black Friday sales are just around the corner, so we expect to see more deals in the days and weeks ahead. But if you can’t hold out a little longer, here are all the top deals on Apple gear that we could find this week.

Best iPad deals

Apple iPad (A16) for $299 ($50 off): The entry-level iPad comes with a faster A16 chip, 2GB more RAM and 128GB of storage by default. It earned a score of 84 in our review — if you only need a tablet for roaming the internet, watching shows and doing some lighter productivity tasks, it should do the job. With the new iPadOS 26 update, it also has most of the same multitasking features available with the more expensive models. We've seen this price for much of the past several months — it's $20 above the tablet's all-time low, but it's still a bit cheaper than buying direct from Apple. Also at Walmart, Best Buy and Target.

Apple iPad Pro (11-inch, M5) for $945 ($54 off): Apple's newest iPad only came out less than a month ago, but it's already $50 or so off at various retailers. At Amazon, the base model with an M5 chip and 256GB of storage is down to a slightly less pricey $945. We gave this iPad Pro a score of 85 in our review. It has a class-leading OLED display and an impressively thin design, while the new M5 chip is more than powerful enough to do just about anything you'd want to do with an iPad. It's the only Apple tablet to support fast charging, too. That said, it's still far more iPad than casual buyers ever need, so it's best suited for hardcore iPad users and those with cash to burn. Also at Best Buy and B&H for $949.

Apple iPad Pro (13-inch, M5) for $1,247 ($52 off): The 13-inch iPad Pro is virtually the same as the 11-inch version, only it's bigger. It's also more expensive, but the extra screen space might be worth it if you're committed to using the Pro as your main computer. Amazon isn't listing this as a discount, but rest assured it's still about $50 off Apple's MSRP. Again, given that these tablets were just launched, any sort of price drop is worth noting. Also at Best Buy and B&H for $1,249.

Best Apple deals

Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M4) for $750 ($250 off): Apple's latest MacBook Air is the top pick in our guide to the best laptops, and it earned a score of 92 in our review. It's not a major overhaul, but the design is still exceptionally thin, light and well-built, with long battery life and a top-notch keyboard and trackpad. Now it's a bit faster. (Though we'd still love more ports and a refresh rate higher than 60Hz.) This is a new all-time low for the base model with 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, but higher-end configurations are also $250 off.

Apple MacBook Air (15-inch, M4) for $950 ($250 off): The 15-inch MacBook Air is nearly identical to the smaller version; apart from its roomier display, it adds better speakers and a more spacious trackpad. This deal marks another all-time low, and other configs are similarly discounted. Also at Walmart.

Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS) for $199 ($50 off): This is the first major discount we've seen for the third-gen version of Apple's entry-level smartwatch, which was released in September. The big upgrade here is the always-on display, which means you no longer have to wake the watch to check the time or your notifications. (This tech was previously limited to the more expensive Apple Watch models.) The watch now runs on the same S10 chip as its higher-end siblings as well, plus it still covers the essential health and fitness features. If you’re in the market for your first smartwatch, or if you only want a watch for step counting, sleep tracking and notifications, it's a strong value. Just note that this deal only applies to the Starlight finish as of this writing.

Apple Watch Series 10 (42mm, GPS) for $280 ($119 off): As a general rule, most people should buy the newest version of whatever Apple product they want. That said, the new Apple Watch Series 11 is only a minor upgrade over the Series 10: The battery lasts a little longer, the glass is more scratch-resistant, the cellular model has 5G support and that’s about it. If you’re mostly worried about saving cash and still need the more advanced health features the SE lacks — such as an ECG app and hypertension alerts — this is the best discount we've seen for last year’s model.

Apple Watch Ultra 3 (49mm) for $700 ($100 off): The Ultra 3 is a much more niche device than Apple's other wearables, aimed at serious athletes and adventurers more than the typical gym-goer. It's the biggest and most rugged Apple Watch, with the brightest display (up to 3,000 nits), longest battery life (up to 42 hours) and most advanced components. It also supports satellite communications. This discount doesn't make it cheap by any means, but it does represent a new low. 

Apple Mac mini (M4) for $499 ($100 off): The newest version of Apple’s tiny desktop PC has a smaller overall footprint, a faster M4 chip, 16GB of RAM as standard (finally), two front-facing USB-C ports, an extra Thunderbolt 4 port and the ability to drive three external displays. It doesn't have any USB-A ports, however. We gave the M4 Pro model a review score of 90. This deal is for the entry-level version with a base M4 chip, 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD — we’ve seen it fall as low as $469 before, but this is still a decent savings. Also at Best Buy, Walmart and B&H.

Apple Pencil Pro for $99 ($30 off): The top-end option in Apple’s confusing stylus lineup, the Pencil Pro supports pressure sensitivity, wireless charging, tilt detection, haptic feedback and Apple’s double tap and squeeze gestures, among other perks. It’s a lovely tool for more intricate sketching and note-taking, but the catch is that it’s only compatible with the M4 iPad Pro, M2 and M3 iPad Air and most recent iPad mini. We've seen this deal fairly often over the course of the year, but it's a fine discount compared to buying from Apple directly. Also at Best Buy, Walmart and Target.

Read more Apple coverage:

• The best AirPods

• The best Apple Watches

• The best MacBooks

• The best iPhones

• The best iPads

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/todays-best-ipad-deals-include-100-off-the-ipad-mini-150020786.html?src=rss

The government of Denmark said on Friday that lawmakers from its political right, left and center have reached an agreement to ban social media for anyone under 15, as reported by The Associated Press. If enacted, the move would be one of the most ambitious attempts globally to keep children off social media. Momentum has been building in recent years around concerns that social media is harming its younger users.

The country’s Digitalization Ministry would set the minimum age at 15 for certain social media platforms but has not clarified which ones would be affected. The government also did not share specifics on how enforcement would work.

A statement from the Digitalization Ministry reads, in part, “Children and young people have their sleep disrupted, lose their peace and concentration, and experience increasing pressure from digital relationships where adults are not always present,” as reported by The Associated Press. Digitalization Minister Caroline Stage said Danish authorities are “finally drawing a line in the sand and setting a clear direction.”

In December, the world’s first country-wide social media ban for children will go into effect in Australia, banning children under 16 from major social media platforms. Platforms that want to operate in the country must employ age-verification technology and would face fines if they fail to enforce the nation’s age limits.

Some age-verification methods, particularly facial recognition and showing of ID, have faced heavy skepticism as they have been implemented around the world. In the UK and Italy anyone wanting to watch porn online must now upload a selfie or provide ID to verify they are above age limits. If the same methods are employed to verify teenagers' ages, questions will undoubtedly arise about data safety and privacy involving minors' data.

Texas recently came close to enacting a similar ban, though it ultimately didn't pass. Utah passed laws in 2023 that require parental consent before teens can create social media accounts. Florida passed a social media ban for children that is currently held up in court.

This move will undoubtedly spark more conversation around the potential harms of social media on adolescents, as well as whether social media access will be perceived as personal parenting decisions that should remain free from government intervention.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/denmark-set-to-ban-social-media-for-users-under-15-years-of-age-171602408.html?src=rss

2025 is almost over (gasp!), so it's time to look back at all of the best devices we've seen so far. In this episode, Engadget Deputy Editor Billy Steele joins Devindra to talk about the highlights of the year, which range from the usual suspects (like Google's Pixel and the iPhone 17 Pro), to surprises like the Ninja Swirl. Also, we chat about yet another super-thin phone and the latest sampler from Teenage Engineering.

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Topics

• Engadget’s Best of 2025: phones, tablets, cameras, even EVs! – 1:40

• Reuters reports Meta projected 10% of its revenue ($16B) came from ads for scams this year – 32:20

• Moto Edge 70 is another super thin smartphone, but who wants it? – 41:43

• Netflix is going big on video podcasts in 2026 – 42:56

• You can now stream PS5 games you own to the PS Portal via the cloud – 48:23

• Around Engadget: Why DJI drones may be banned in the U.S. – 52:27

• Pop culture picks – 56:05

Credits

Host: Devindra Hardawar
Guest: Billy Steele
Producer: Ben Ellman
Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/engadget-podcast-our-favorite-gadgets-of-2025-143000733.html?src=rss

Back in 2019, Form made — and you’re going to have to forgive me for the most inevitable pun in history — a big splash with its first smart swimming goggles. The company has released several upgrades since, and it just announced the latest version of its HeadCoach software, which is designed to deliver personalized swim coaching using AI.

Available through Form Premium, HeadCoach 2.0 effectively functions like a virtual coach, analyzing each swim and providing immediate feedback in the Form app. It’ll highlight both your strengths and areas of improvement, reminding you what to focus on via the goggles’ augmented reality display.

HeadCoach 2.0 analyzes metrics like distance per stroke (DPS), stroke rate, pace and heart rate, as well as your personal Form Score and existing app data. Insights can be tailored to an objective you set, such as improving your technique or preparing for a race, with HeadCoach zoning in on what you should be trying to achieve in your next session to achieve your goals.

HeadCoach 2.0’s insights are based on data from millions of swims, with input from professional coaches and Olympic swimmers. The idea appears to be data-led virtual guidance informed by humans, so you can trust the feedback you get in the app.

HeadCoach 2.0 is available now to all Form Premium subscribers, which costs $10 per month after a free one-month trial.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/form-brings-better-ai-enabled-swim-coaching-to-its-smart-goggles-140655591.html?src=rss

While Black Friday can be a great opportunity to score deals on your Christmas shopping, sometimes it's just a way to get the things you need at better prices. Take the iRobot Roomba Max 705 Combo Robot Vacuum & Mop, which is down to $869 from $1,300 at Wellbots. This practical purchase is available for a Black Friday discount by using the code ENGABF430 at checkout. 

We're big fans of iRobot, with the company making two of our favorite robot vacuums for 2025. Its Roomba Max 705 Combo offers both a vacuum and a mop to, hopefully, get out any messes this holiday season. The device also comes with an AutoWash Dock, which empties the robovac, washes the mop, dries it with heat and then charges its battery. 

The robot vacuum has dual rubber brushes for cleaning up any debris, while the PowerSpin roller mop gets rid of extra grime and streaks. The company uses PrecisionVision AI and ClearView Pro LiDAR to make a 3D map of all rooms and to avoid obstacles like dogs and their toys. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/get-430-off-this-roomba-robot-vacuum-and-mop-with-an-autowash-dock-140023379.html?src=rss

Ahead of its 21st anniversary, World of Warcraft is dealing with some controversy around its latest update. Developer Blizzard has confirmed that WoW is introducing a new "Hearthsteel" housing-related virtual currency with its upcoming Midnight expansion, and users are worried that it could become a microtransaction trap on a game that already costs $15 a month to play. 

In its post, Blizzard said the aim of the new currency is to allow players to purchase "multiple items at once" while offering "financial protections" for the parties involved. "You may want a full set of chairs to place around a dining table, multiple place settings for your invited guest [or]... many candles," the company wrote. "Using an in-game currency can help make the process of obtaining many of these types of inexpensive items more efficient."

Blizzard clarified that players will be able to buy Hearthsteel with their Battle.net balance and in-game gold via WoW tokens. It will also keep the catalog of Hearthsteel items small relative to what you can earn through gameplay. "Housing items tied to core fantasies of a player's race or class, or that already exist in Azeroth, won't be sold in the shop," the blog post states. "Thematically important decor that players know and love will also not appear in the shop."

The Hearthsteel currency was first uncovered by dataminers, and now that Blizzard has confirmed it, players are concerned. "It's not even about the currency," said one WoW Reddit user. "It's about a large, dedicated portion of the player base crying out for years that we don't want the game to head this direction and here it is."

It's hard to look at the new currency and not think of Microsoft's recent edict to its Xbox division. Last month, the software giant reportedly implemented an "across-the-board goal" of 30 percent profit margins for its gaming division, which it internally called "accountability margins." That's a huge amount above Xbox’s own average in the last six years of between 10 and 20 percent.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/blizzard-confirms-its-adding-a-virtual-currency-for-world-of-warcraft-133007304.html?src=rss

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Roblox, accusing it of ignoring state and federal safety laws. In his announcement on X, Paxton said the children have been “repeatedly exposed to sexually explicit content, exploitation and grooming” on the online game platform, because it chose to prioritize “pixel pedophiles and corporate profit” over the safety of children. “Thank you,” Schlep posted in the comments of his announcement. Schlep was a popular Roblox user who was known for staging sting operations à la To Catch a Predator on the platform, which had led to multiple arrests. He was controversially banned from Roblox in August, because he violated the company’s new rule that prohibits “vigilante behavior.”

“We share Attorney General Paxton's commitment to keeping kids and teens safe online," the company said in a statement. "We are disappointed that, rather than working collaboratively with Roblox on this industry-wide challenge and seeking real solutions, the AG has chosen to file a lawsuit based on misrepresentations and sensationalized claims.”

BREAKING: I'm suing Roblox for putting pixel pedophiles and profits over the safety of Texas children.

We cannot allow platforms like Roblox to continue operating as digital playgrounds for predators where the well-being of our kids is sacrificed on the altar of corporate greed. pic.twitter.com/Jj2kHEJM75

— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) November 6, 2025

Roblox has implemented several measures meant to protect children over the past few years. It blocked any user under 13 from being able to play, search or discover any unrated experiences on the platform, and it restricted DMs for that segment of users, as well. It also added an age estimation feature that requires a video selfie for a user to be able to prove that they’re 13 or older. The company intends to roll it out to everyone by the end of this year.

Texas isn’t the only state suing Roblox and accusing it of failing to protect children from predators, though: Kentucky and Louisiana had previously filed their own lawsuits against the company. Louisiana argued that the platform contains user-created experiences with troubling themes, such as “Escape to Epstein Island” and “Diddy Party,” despite the majority of its users being under 16. It also pointed out that it was possible to initiate voice chats within Roblox’s experiences, even between users who weren’t friends, until November 2024. In one instance, a man who was arrested for possession of child sexual abuse materials was discovered to have used voice altering software to pretend to be a young girl in order to exploit children on the platform.

“Roblox must do more to protect kids from sick and twisted freaks hiding behind a screen,” Paxton wrote. “Any corporation that enables child abuse will face the full and unrelenting force of the law.” To note, the Texas AG also previously sued TikTok, alleging that it has insufficient parental controls, as well as Meta and Character.AI for potentially misusing data collected from underage users.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/texas-ag-ken-paxton-sues-roblox-over-alleged-child-safety-lapses-131500288.html?src=rss

Over the past couple years, I’ve tested around 60 different power banks for Engadget. In that time, battery manufacturers have given their products features with varying degrees of usefulness, ranging from smart (straps and built-in cables) to handy (displays and wireless charging pads) to really not necessary (Bluetooth connectivity, specialized recharging bases).

Anker’s Laptop Power Bank (25K, 165W) manages to combine all the cleverest new features into one sleek-looking charging brick — and it costs less than some other banks in its class. There’s a built-in display that not only lets you know how much charge the bank has left, it also tells you how many watts are flowing through each port to your devices. Pressing the button on the side cycles through the battery’s current temperature and the overall health of the bank, including how many charge cycles it’s gone through. All of those bits of info should help prolong and gauge the bank’s longevity.

Big capacity in a tidy package

The 25,000 mAh capacity puts it well within the TSA’s 100Wh capacity limit and I have taken this battery on two flights in my carry-on with no issue. The capacity is enough to fill my tester smartphones (an iPhone 15 and a Galaxy S23 Ultra) around four times each. Separately, it pushed my aging 16-inch MacBook Pro from 10 percent to 78 percent. That translates to around nine additional hours of use for my typical workload (Wi-Fi, VPN, too many Chrome tabs and other basic productivity apps).

My only gripe with the design is that the very shiny screen has become slightly dull with use. It doesn’t look bad, just not as mint-fresh as when it was unboxed. That’s to be expected, and I’ll take the luxe finish over some ruggedized enclosure any day.

Two built-in cables and a big capacity let you charge two devices at once. Amy Skorheim for Engadget Sure, forget your cables at home

Possibly the power bank’s most useful features are the two built-in USB-C cables, and one even loops around to create a handy carry strap. It feels robust and well-anchored enough that I don’t fear lugging it around like that. The other cable retracts into the unit and extends up to two feet when needed. The end stays neatly tucked into a well in the body and stays magnetically in place. The cords not only look tidy, their inclusion means you’ll never find yourself in the ironic position of having a dead device and a full battery pack, but no way to connect the two.

Both cables serve in-out functions so you can easily plug them into any USB-C power adapter for a refill. There are also two additional USB (one Type-A and one Type-C) ports, so if you’ve got a specialized cable, such as Lightning, smartwatch or microUSB connector, you’ll be able to charge those devices too.

Admirable speeds

The 165-watt rating, as with any power bank, doesn't mean you’ll get that power out of a single port. The rating is a combined, almost theoretical total, achieved with all four ports engaged. The three USB-C outlets are rated at a max of 100W, but to get to that speed, you’ll need a device capable of taking it — my biggest energy hog is my laptop and it maxed out at around 90 watts using the power bank. But for all but the most extreme cases, that’s plenty fast.

My tester iPhone 15 went from near-dead to 70 percent refilled in around 40 minutes. The Galaxy S23 Ultra powered up from five to 100 percent in under an hour, and my 16-inch MacBook got a 68 percent refill in just over 50 minutes. That’s not the fastest performance I’ve tested, but it’s better than most other banks and plenty quick enough to get you back in action in a decent amount of time.

Amy Skorheim for Engadget Wrap-up

It’s gratifying when, after years of testing one type of product, you get one that is, more or less, an ideal example of the category. This is the battery I grab when I’m heading to get some work done at the coffee shop. I’ve taken it with me on road trips and on flights, and it hasn’t let me down once. The fact that you don’t need to remember to grab a cable takes away an extra bit of stress, and the accurate display means you know just about how much more you can squeeze out of the bank's rather sizable depths.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/anker-laptop-power-bank-review-all-my-favorite-battery-features-together-at-last-130036854.html?src=rss