GoKawiil
Tech News
Apple's Background App Refresh feature, found in Settings > General, lets iPhone users control which apps can update content while running in the background. Users can toggle it for Wi-Fi only, Wi-Fi and cellular, or turn it off entirely, and can also customize it on a per-app basis. Importantly, disabling this setting does not stop an app from sending notifications.
The FBI has charged Terry "Jiajia" Liu, a Customs and Border Protection IT supervisor in Calais, Maine, with stealing processors, memory, and hard drives from at least 46 Homeland Security computers across three border facilities. Liu allegedly replaced the components with cheaper, often outdated parts and traded the originals to Newegg's trade-in program for store credit, causing an estimated $105,800 in damage.
HP is discounting its HyperX Omen Max 16 gaming laptop by $1,000, bringing the price down to $3,699.99. The machine pairs a mobile Nvidia RTX 5090 GPU with a 16-inch 1600p OLED display running at 240Hz, an Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus processor, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 2TB SSD.
Nintendo has enabled variable refresh rate output for Switch 2's TV mode through a new firmware update, requiring an updated dock to work. The feature was originally promised at launch, then quietly removed, before a job listing hinted Nintendo was still developing it for TV play. The same update also adds a handheld boost toggle, Mii editor changes, and full system transfer between Switch 2 consoles.
An analysis breaks down why cheap and expensive smart TVs differ mainly in their system-on-a-chip, which handles video decoding, upscaling, and app performance. Budget TVs often lack AI-assisted upscaling, are capped at 60Hz refresh rates, and tend to run menus and apps more slowly, while pricier models handle 120Hz output and sharper image reconstruction.
At IFA 2026 in Berlin, JMGO introduced its Iris line of gimbal projectors, featuring a new light engine and DLP chip capable of running full 4K resolution at a 120Hz refresh rate. The lineup includes the flagship Iris Ultra Max, rated at 6,500 lumens with a motorized gimbal, and the cheaper Iris Ultra, offering 4,500 lumens with manual adjustments; both include optical zoom, image shift, and a dual iris system for contrast control.
Sony is releasing the WH-CH730N this month for $180, replacing the WH-CH720N in its midrange lineup. The new model features redesigned ear cups, a folding headband, improved active noise cancellation, AI-enhanced call quality, and a 10-band EQ. Battery life jumps significantly to 50 hours with ANC on, up from 35 hours on the previous model.
Tom's Hardware ran Capcom's new RE Engine title Onimusha: Way of the Sword through its built-in benchmark across 31 CPUs, from Intel's newly released Core Ultra 7 270K Plus down to AMD's decade-old Ryzen 7 2700X. AMD's X3D chips outperformed flagship processors by roughly 10%, while the 270K Plus underperformed compared to Intel's older Raptor Lake Refresh parts, and AMD's newer 12-core Ryzen 9 chips also lagged unexpectedly.
Range Rover has revealed its long-awaited fully electric SUV, the Range Rover Electric, which closely mirrors the look of its gas-powered siblings rather than adopting a futuristic design. The vehicle uses twin 260kW motors and a 118.5 kWh battery for an estimated 330 miles of range, with 542 horsepower and 800-volt architecture allowing rapid charging. Orders are now open starting at £154,070 (about $140,450), years after the EV was first announced and previewed for preorder.
A developer created a browser-based animation, hosted on his 'random tools' PWA collection, that lets users rev virtual engines up to 9000 RPM by holding the spacebar or gas pedal. The tool models four engine layouts—an inline-4, 60-degree V6, boxer-6, and flat-plane V8—each with accurate crankshaft geometry and firing order, and includes a slow-motion control to observe piston movement at 1/50th speed.
Sonos unveiled its Sonos 27 software platform alongside new hardware, introducing annual OS version numbers and a redesigned app interface. The update lets external AI assistants like ChatGPT control Sonos systems through a public MCP server, enabling voice or text commands to play music, move audio between rooms, and adjust volume without a dedicated app.
An analysis compares using televisions versus dedicated monitors for computer use, focusing on refresh rates, input latency, and color depth. It finds monitors generally offer higher refresh rates, lower latency (1-4ms vs 9-12ms on TVs), and better color support at lower price points than comparable TVs.