Author: News Room

Search online for the best Bluetooth speaker and you’ll find plenty of cheap Bluetooth speakers in the list. But how can you tell the bonafide bargains from the low-fi letdowns? We’ve rounded up a range of options that won’t hurt your ears – or your wallet. Decent beats are no longer reserved for premium speakers. Sure, the speakers below are unlikely to satisfy serious audiophiles. And a few favour portability over outright performance. But for the 99% of listeners who don’t have a soundproofed music room, the best cheap Bluetooth speakers make takeaway tunes enjoyable and affordable. From compact music-makers…

“I really do hope someone else makes one so I don’t have to 😂,” writes Migicovsky.I’m now one of a contingent of Samsung Galaxy Z Flip owners who is seriously considering trading in my Flip for a Galaxy S25. It’s not small, but it’s the closest thing we’ve got and my Flip’s battery doesn’t remotely last until bedtime anymore. I ask Migicovsky whether I can safely upgrade without feeling I might miss out on a possible Small Android Phone by, say, mid-2026. He says I can, without commenting on my proposed timeline.At one point the phone project was targeting a…

Introduction Instax Wide might be Fujifilm’s physically largest instant film format, but in a popularity contest it’s a niche within a niche behind the more pocket-sized Instax Mini. New compatible instant cameras don’t come around all that often, then – and the firm has made sure this latest one ticks as many boxes as possible. Essentially a supersized version of the Instax Mini Evo, the Instax Wide Evo fully embraces instant film’s retro charm, but adds a helping of hybrid smarts to please the smartphone generation. This $350/£320 hero can take shots itself, through the widest lens of any Instax…

Google is bringing its upgraded note-taking app to its One AI Premium plan. That means subscribers will now gain access to NotebookLM Plus at no added cost, which offers higher usage limits and premium features, like the ability to customize NotebookLM’s responses.Google launched the NotebookLM Plus plan for businesses, schools, organizations, and enterprise customers in December. In addition to offering five times more Audio Overviews, notebooks, queries, and sources per notebook, NotebookLM Plus also lets you customize how you share your notebooks and see how many people have viewed them per day.Google currently offers its One AI Premium plan for…

President Donald Trump’s 10 percent tariff on goods imported from China has been in effect for nearly a week. Ahead of the tariff going into effect, I wrote that “Big Tech has been silent on Trump’s tariffs” — almost no one in the industry had a public reaction or said how they would respond. A week later, that hasn’t really changed.Myself and my colleagues have contacted a wide range of tech companies multiple times since the tariffs on China (and the now-paused tariffs on Canada and Mexico) were announced at the beginning of the month. Here’s what we’ve heard back…

Valentine’s Day might seem like any other commercial holiday given the abundance of candy and the sheer number of cards lining store shelves, but if you put in a little effort and a lot of heart, it can be about so much more. After all, at its core, February 14th is about celebrating love in all its forms, with or without sweet treats.One way to show your appreciation for your loved one — whether it be your partner, sister, parent, or best friend — is with a gift that speaks to who they are. Luckily, if you need some inspiration,…

In September, Apple launched its latest smartwatch, introducing the Apple Watch Series 10 alongside a black rendition of the Apple Watch Ultra 2. Each wearable has its own pros and cons, as does the second-gen Apple Watch SE, but the recent introduction of the new wearables also means there are now more Apple Watch models on the market than ever before — and a lot more deals to be had.But with all of those options, which one should you pick? Generally speaking, you want to buy the newest watch you can afford so that it continues to receive software updates…

Google Maps now shows the “Gulf of America” in place of the “Gulf of Mexico” for users on both web and mobile in the United States. It made the change after the Trump administration formally changed the name today of the body of water spanning between the eastern coast of Mexico and the Florida panhandle. Google says it follows the GNIS, or Geographic Names Information System, a US database of location information.Users in Mexico will continue to see “Gulf of Mexico,” while the rest of the world will see the original name with “Gulf of America” in parentheses. Google says…

Sleep tech runs the gamut from trackers and apps to expensive smart beds, but it doesn’t all address the same issues. Are you trying to see how your sleep impacts your athletic performance? Hoping to mask the sound of a snoring partner? I’ve tested all sorts of sleep tech and can point you toward the right gadget for your sleep goal.One question to ask yourself is how well a device fits your lifestyle. If you want to monitor your trends, the Oura Ring and Whoop 4.0 have some of the most in-depth sleep and recovery tracking around. But these are…

Hacker Eric Council Jr. pleaded guilty Monday to charges of conspiracy to commit aggravated identity theft and access device fraud after he took over the SEC’s X account in January 2024. Once Council gained access to the account, his unnamed co-conspirators posted a doctored image, message, and fake quote by then SEC Chairman Gary Gensler saying Bitcoin Exchange Traded Funds (ETC) have been approved, which caused the currency’s value to spike more than $1,000.The 25-year-old Alabama resident had used a SIM-swapping attack to move a phone number associated with the @SEC account to the SIM card in an iPhone he…

In July 2021, Valve revealed the Steam Deck, a Switch-like handheld device packed with features including a huge variety of control options, a 7-inch touchscreen, the ability to connect to external displays, and a quick suspend / resume feature. The device began shipping in February 2022, starting at $399.We’ve been keeping a close eye on the Steam Deck and rivals, and you can read all of our coverage here. Read the full article here

In a dramatic escalation of Silicon Valley’s most heated AI rivalry, Elon Musk just announced that he’s leading a $97.4 billion bid to buy OpenAI’s nonprofit arm, according to The Wall Street Journal. The bid was reportedly delivered to the board Monday morning.The offer brings together a powerful coalition of backers, including Musk’s own AI company xAI and venture heavyweights like Valor Equity Partners, Hollywood mogul Ari Emanuel, and Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale’s venture firm 8VC.“It’s time for OpenAI to return to the open-source, safety-focused force for good it once was,” Musk said in a statement provided by his lawyer…