Author: News Room
As good as the best Bluetooth speakers are, I can’t say that they always survive for very long. And while there are rugged options to pick from, they often cost a fair bit more. But Tribit’s dinky new StormBox Mini Plus Bluetooth speaker promises to survive most things you could throw at it for less than $40/£40. The StormBox Mini Plus offers a fair bit of kick to this pint-sized package. You get 360-degree surround sound through a pair of 48mm full-range drivers and a passive radiator. The 12W output won’t shake the walls, but for a speaker that weighs about the…
Nintendo is home to some of the most iconic and beloved characters to have graced a games console, but its first ever mascot, Donkey Kong, is long overdue some proper respect. That may seem a tricky proposition when the gorilla was originally designed as oafish and dumb, but he’s come a long way since debuting more than 40 years ago. He’s gone from titular antagonist to beat at the arcade, to a playable platforming hero in his own right from the SNES onwards. And while he’s had fewer headline outings than Mario, every time he’s come back it’s always with…
Google is rolling out AI-generated summaries directly within Discover, its personalized news feed nestled within the Google Search app. TechCrunch reports that some users in the US are seeing Discover cards on iOS and Android that provide the new summaries in place of a headline and logo from a single publisher, similar to how AI Overviews appear at the top of results in Search. It acts to further obscure news sources at a time when search traffic to publishers is disappearing.The AI summaries in Discover display overlapping icons in the top-left corner, indicating the number of cited stories. Tapping the…
Ulysse Nardin has just revealed one of its most spectacular horological feats to date: the BLAST [Free Wheel Maillechort]. A limited edition of just 50 pieces, this technical marvel blends visual wizardry with mechanical mastery, featuring a gravity-defying dial that seems to suspend time itself. At first glance, the BLAST [Free Wheel Maillechort] looks like a concept watch (nothing like any of the entries in our best watch list). Under a sculpted sapphire glass box – cut from a single block – its dial floats in three-dimensional space, revealing a cluster of flying components that appear to hover without support.…
If you’re considering a phone upgrade, you’re in the right place. With so many options available, it can be overwhelming to choose the right one, but our comprehensive guide is here to help. We’ve carefully ranked our favourites below, focusing on the key aspects that matter most to users. Whether you’re eyeing a large-screen Android device or the latest iPhone flagship, we’ve rigorously reviewed the top smartphones on the market. Our evaluation process is hands-on. We test every smartphone in real-world conditions to ensure it performs well in everyday life. This includes binge-watching series to assess battery life and capturing…
Cyberpunk 2077 is launching on macOS tomorrow, and CD Projekt Red is now sharing details on exactly what Mac you’ll need to get the most out of the game. While Cyberpunk 2077 has been optimized for a variety of Macs, from early M1 models up, if you want the top “very high fidelity” config then you’ll need an M3 Ultra or M4 Max machine with 36GB of unified memory.CD Projekt Red is using dynamic “for this Mac” presets that will assign settings and resolutions based on your Mac’s hardware. M1 Macs will be able to run Cyberpunk 2077, as long…
Smartphones that transform into sizeable tablets used to be pure sci-fi… but now bendable screens are our tech reality. Besides the obvious wow factor, these book-style foldables offer innovative flexibility that could change the way you use your mobile – while also packing in hardware to rival the best phones with more traditional form factors. Think folding phones are just a hinged gimmick? Think again. The best foldable phones are about as versatile as handsets get, even if they almost exclusively come at prices that make regular flagships look cheap. We’ve tested them all to work out which is best,…
The Sportage has gone gangbusters for Kia over its many generations; I liked earlier editions of the family-focused SUV and so did plenty of others based on the large numbers of them I see being driven around. It’s no surprise, then, to see the Korean carmaker stick to the format – albeit in a much fresher incarnation here. The new edition is a much stronger package, with lots of in-car tech complimenting those already solid practical foundations.There’s lots of strong competition in the family SUV arena, with the likes of the Nissan Qashqai, Ford Kuga and fellow Korean brand Hyundai…
Microsoft is rolling out an update to Copilot Vision for Windows Insiders that lets the AI tool see everything that’s on your screen. Previously, the tool was able to look at two apps at a time and connect the dots between the two, but with this change, it can look at your whole desktop or “any specific browser or app window,” Microsoft says.Unlike Recall, which can automatically take regular snapshots of what’s on your computer screen, using Copilot Vision is more like screen sharing during a video call: you can activate the feature by clicking the glasses icon in the…
Ugreen has announced what it claims is the “world’s first Qi2.2-certified power bank” that can wireless charge devices at speeds of up to 25W. Most wireless chargers in the US currently max out at just 15W of power delivery, but the Ugreen MagFlow Magnetic Power Bank will push that to 25W, matching the speed of the updated MagSafe charger Apple introduced alongside its iPhone 16 lineup last September.The 10,000mAh MagFlow Magnetic Power Bank features a built-in USB-C charging cable that doubles as a lanyard when not in use instead of retracting, an additional USB-C port for charging multiple devices at…
It used to be easy to pick an Apple Watch. All you had to do was choose whether you wanted the larger model or the smaller one. Then Apple added optional cellular connectivity. Then, a more affordable Watch SE (now in its second generation) and, in 2022, the rugged Apple Watch Ultra (also now in its second generation). Suddenly, there are lots of options.Now that the Series 10 has been out for nearly a year, perfectly good older versions of the Apple Watch are regularly getting discounted as retailers try to empty their inventory. You may also see more refurbished…
Xbox is bringing its “stream your own game” feature to PC. On Tuesday, the company announced that Xbox Insiders with a Game Pass Ultimate subscription can try streaming the Xbox games they own, including some that are available on console only, directly from the Xbox PC app.Bringing the feature to PC is especially helpful, as it will help users conserve storage when playing games with massive file sizes like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, which requires 128GB of free SSD space. Xbox currently lets users stream more than 250 games from their libraries, in addition to the ones they…