A comparative review tested six coffee grinders using particle analysis and taste testing across espresso and drip brewing methods. The Baratza Encore ESP ($200) and Fellow Opus 2 ($200) were rated top overall performers for versatility, while the Kingrinder K6 manual grinder ($109) was named best budget option, rivaling pricier electric models in precision. The $1,595 Mazzer Philos scored highest for espresso clarity but lagged on drip coffee.
Channel TrashBench tested alternate component layouts in a dual-chamber PC case using an Asus ROG Strix RTX 3080, moving the GPU via PCIe riser cables to various positions while keeping case fans fixed. Placing the card directly against the side-intake fans produced the biggest gains: GPU core temperatures fell 16.7°C, hotspot dropped 19.3°C, VRAM cooled 14°C, and motherboard VRMs dropped about 8°C, with only a 1.1°C rise in CPU temperature.
Microsoft President Brad Smith said on a BBC podcast that AI companies face less oversight than everyday products like milk or washing machines, and called for urgent global safety regulation. He argued the UK, through its AI Security Institute, is better positioned than the US or EU to lead that effort, even as the Trump administration has reportedly pressured Anthropic and OpenAI to limit British access to new models.
8BitDo has released the Ultimate 2, a $70 wireless controller for Switch 2 that includes a charging dock, a 2.4G USB-C dongle and spare key caps. The gamepad features TMR joysticks, Hall effect triggers with six total shoulder inputs, adjustable haptics, three custom button profiles and full remapping support.
Sony's PlayStation Pulse Explore wireless earbuds, designed for PS5 and PS5 Pro, are on sale for $149 instead of their usual $200 price, matching their lowest price to date. The discount applies to both black and white colorways, though the reduced price only appears after adding them to an Amazon cart.
A reviewer testing new Android-powered Googlebooks from Asus and HP describes setup as fast and simple, taking just minutes to register biometrics, sign into a Google account, and import apps from a phone. But after setup, connecting the laptop to a phone for features like file sharing and app casting proved unreliable, often requiring repeated toggling of settings, restarts, and reconnecting after switching Wi-Fi networks.
WIRED compiled a list of 13 recommended gifts for travelers, including a Quince expandable carry-on and checked-bag luggage set priced at $270, and Amazon's 12th-generation Kindle Paperwhite and Paperwhite Signature Edition, priced at $200 and $250 respectively. The guide also points readers toward related WIRED roundups on travel tote bags, gifts for women, and stocking stuffers.
A personal blog post recounts several public figures who recently announced stepping back from online life: Salma left DevRel and social media entirely for an individual-contributor role, Chad Whitacre retired to rural Pennsylvania to make a zine about religion, and Brett Codes publicly declared he is done using AI tools and video. The author frames these as a pattern of people opting out of digital-industry pressures.
Engadget's 2026 review roundup revisits its testing of Dell's XPS 13, noting that the entry-level 8GB RAM configuration struggled with Windows 11. Reviewer Sam tested a midrange model with more memory and found it performed significantly better, concluding the extra cost was worthwhile despite the base model's shortcomings.
An Entrepreneur contributor argues that traditional workplaces have long rewarded people who can package ideas into tidy, linear output rather than those who generate the most original thinking. The author, a software company builder, cites a UCSF study finding 29% of surveyed entrepreneurs reported ADHD, versus a CDC estimate of 6% among US adults, to argue many fast, associative thinkers gravitated to founding companies because traditional corporate structures penalized their style of thinking. The piece contends AI tools that handle structuring, summarizing and formatting could now let these people's ideas be recognized without needing to master conventional presentation skills.
Walmart is offering steep discounts on several gaming laptops, including the Asus TUF Gaming A16 with an RTX 5050 (now $1,099), the TUF Gaming F16 with an RTX 5060 (now $1,199), and the MSI Cyborg A15 AI with an RTX 5070 priced at $1,299 after an $800 cut. All three include 16GB of memory and fast PCIe 4.0 SSDs, with the Cyborg model offering a larger 1TB drive.
At a Royal Canin research facility in France, roughly 160 cats and dogs sample pet food formulas while nutritionists track their preferences, behavior and stool quality to refine recipes. The work comes as U.S. cat food spending topped $17 billion over the past year, up 14% from two years prior, according to The New York Times.
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