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Tech News
WIRED's latest buying guide picks IQAir's AirVisual Pro, priced around $330, as the best overall air quality monitor for tracking indoor and outdoor conditions. The device measures PM2.5, AQI, temperature, humidity and other pollutants on an easy-to-read display, while the $28 Temptop S1 is recommended as a reliable budget alternative.
A new analysis argues that Google's Pixel phones have plateaued, with yearly hardware and software updates offering little meaningful improvement over previous generations. The piece contends that fragmented AI features, scattered branding, and incremental design changes are making Pixels feel unexciting compared to rivals.
Newly released emails obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request show DOGE affiliate Christopher Sweet, an undergraduate at the University of Chicago, worked with colleague Scott Langmack to seek academic credit for his work at HUD. The pair drafted a framework describing his time building an AI tool called SweetRex — designed to flag agency rules for rescission — as graduate-level research spanning AI, data science, and regulatory law, rather than a standard internship.
Microsoft has identified a malware campaign named TerminalFix that mimics Cloudflare and other trusted verification pages to trick Windows users into pasting commands into PowerShell or Command Prompt. Unlike earlier ClickFix attacks that used the Run dialog for simpler commands, TerminalFix's terminal-based approach lets attackers run longer, multi-stage scripts that establish persistent proxy access into a victim's machine and network.
The fire department in Kanazawa, Japan has released an Instagram video asking people to leave paramedics' removed shoes exactly where they were placed, rather than tidying them as is customary. Officials explained that crews position their footwear deliberately so three stretcher bearers can step in quickly without jostling a patient or dislodging an oxygen mask, and rearranging them can cost about 30 seconds during an emergency.
Google is rolling out the ability to upload files directly into the Gemini side panel in Chrome, through a new Add attachments option. Users can attach a document, such as a PDF, and ask Gemini to summarize it, extract details, or clarify sections without leaving the browser. The feature was first spotted by an X user and confirmed working in Chrome by Android Authority.
A group of climbers attempting Mount Shasta in Siskiyou County, California used Google's Gemini chatbot to plan their route, food and water needs, and were told the climb would take eight hours and that they should pack simple carbs instead of fats. The estimate proved drastically wrong: the ascent alone took 16 hours, leaving them descending in darkness, off-route, and with a dead phone after their AllTrails navigation app failed, ultimately requiring a nearly 24-hour rescue operation by search and rescue teams.
New research examining phone-free classroom policies, now adopted by a growing number of states, finds essentially no measurable improvement in student test scores and only marginal shifts in other outcomes like behavior. Cell phone restrictions in schools aren't a new phenomenon either—Maryland first banned phones and pagers in classrooms back in 1989 to curb communication tied to illegal activity.
A beta build of iOS 27 reveals a feature called iPhone Handoff, spotted by a MacRumors forum member, that lets a primary iPhone and a secondary companion iPhone share a single cellular plan and phone number using dual eSIMs. Unlike existing Continuity tools that rely on Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, this setup appears to work at the network level, so the companion device stays connected even if the main iPhone is off. The option is expected to appear under Settings > Cellular once it launches.
A community poll of over 2,100 respondents found that more than 70% of Kindle users have either already moved to rivals like Kobo or Boox, or plan to switch on their next upgrade, following Amazon's August update that closed a Libby lending loophole and tightened DRM restrictions on the Kindle Oasis. About 33% said they've already switched, while 37.7% said they intend to leave Amazon's ecosystem for a future device.
An Android Authority writer describes switching from Samsung's built-in Edge Panels to a free third-party app called Panels, which adds a customizable sidebar launcher accessible via a swipe from the screen's edge. The sidebar includes three swipeable sections for apps, shortcuts like contacts and quick settings, and interactive widgets, with the option to add more pages as needed.
At IFA, SwitchBot introduced the Lock Ultra Max Vision Pro Combo, a retrofit smart lock bundle for European doors priced at €339.99/£339.99. The package bundles the Keypad Vision Pro, Hub Mini Matter, and the new Lock Ultra Max, offering entry via fingerprint, passcode, NFC card, facial or palm vein recognition, plus remote, voice, smartwatch, and app widget controls. SwitchBot says the hardware fits roughly 99 percent of European lock types, including EU profile, knob, Swiss round, and UK oval cylinders, with adapters for rarer setups.