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Get a free Amazon gift card when you sign up for a discounted NordVPN plan

Engadget has been testing and reviewing consumer tech since 2004. Our stories may include affiliate links; if you buy something through a link, we may earn a commission. Read more about how we evaluate products . While it didn’t quite make the cut in our guide to the best virtual private networks (VPNs), NordVPN remains one of the more popular providers out there for a reason, and right now you can save up to 76 percent on its two-year plans, with an Amazon gift card thrown in as a sweetener. W

The Claude Bliss Attractor

This is a reported phenomenon where if two copies of Claude talk to each other, they end up spiraling into rapturous discussion of spiritual bliss, Buddhism, and the nature of consciousness. From the system card: Anthropic swears they didn’t do this on purpose; when they ask Claude why this keeps happening, Claude can’t explain. Needless to say, this has made lots of people freak out / speculate wildly. I think there are already a few good partial explanations of this (especially Nostalgebrais

Topics: ai ais bias bliss claude

AT&T's Cheaper Mobile Plan Creates a New Deal for Seniors. (Yes, That's Anyone 55 or Older)

Senior mobile customers have another quality choice for discount cellphone service, as AT&T's new 55 Plus plan is now available to almost anyone in the US who's older than 55. The new plan focuses on the essentials -- unlimited voice calls, texting and data in the US, Canada and Mexico -- while dropping more advanced features, but it's also cheaper. Carriers typically offer several plans to satisfy a range of customers, from the frugal to those that are willing to pay for every perk and bundled

Will People Care About the ‘Minecraft’ Chicken Jockey From the Comfort of Their Homes?

A Minecraft Movie already had a towering built-in fan base thanks to its source material being the best-selling video game of all time. But few could have predicted that the movie—a goofy comedy starring Jack Black and Jason Momoa as human characters who get pulled into the chaotic cubic world—would become a Rocky Horror-style interactive sensation, with wild antics in theaters going viral almost overnight. Director Jared Hess found the “chicken jockey” frenzy to be hilarious; star Black took a

AT&T Cheaper Mobile Plan Creates a New Deal for Seniors. (Yes, That's Anyone 55 or Older)

Senior mobile customers have another quality choice for discount cellphone service, as AT&T's new 55 Plus plan is now available to almost anyone in the US who's older than 55. The new plan focuses on the essentials -- unlimited voice calls, texting and data in the US, Canada and Mexico -- while dropping more advanced features, but it's also cheaper. Carriers typically offer several plans to satisfy a range of customers, from the frugal to those that are willing to pay for every perk and bundled

The 10 Best Steam Next Fest Games You Need to Wishlist

It's nearly time for the Steam summer sale, which is one of the biggest retail events for patient PC gamers. It's also the perfect time to find new and innovative indie games to add to your wishlist: Before each big Steam sale, Valve runs a Next Fest event to let developers show off their projects, get feedback and build hype before their big release. Summer 2025's Next Fest has been chock full of Hades-likes, co-op hack-and-slash adventures and other reliably entertaining games but some of th

Play FBC: Firebreak, Deus Ex and More on PlayStation Plus Soon

Remedy Entertainment released the mind-bending action game Control in 2019. And on June 17, PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscribers can return to the Federal Bureau of Control in the wacky, first-person co-op shooter FBC: Firebreak. PlayStation Plus is Sony's version of Xbox Game Pass, and it offers subscribers a large and constantly expanding library of games. There are three PlayStation Plus tiers -- Essential ($10 a month), Extra ($15 a month) and Premium ($18 a month) -- and each giv

The Switch 2 gives Splatoon 3 a fantastically fresh coat of paint

Splatoon 3 already looked phenomenal on the original Switch, in a way that seemed to defy the console’s hardware limitations. The game’s paint-slicked visuals were gorgeous, and its chaotic battles were a testament to how well the Switch could run software that was fine-tuned to make the best of its specs. What was most impressive, though, was the way Splatoon 3 kept refreshing itself for years after its initial 2022 release with a steady stream of new clothes, weapons, stages, and a nifty DLC e

Apple’s Liquid Glass design is paving the way for AR glasses

At Apple’s WWDC 2025 event, the company announced its most dramatic software design change in over a decade: Liquid Glass. This visual overhaul gives us a glimpse into what might be coming in Apple’s rumored AR glasses, which will reportedly debut next year. Users are connecting Liquid Glass to potential AR glasses because the new design draws strong inspiration from that of Apple’s Vision Pro VR headset. Liquid Glass is named with the idea that each window on a phone is like a pane of glass,

Epic Games sues Fortnite cheat developer for selling wallhack and auto-aim tools

Editor's take: Multiplayer gaming is about fair fights, not shortcuts. But cheaters keep buying their wins, ruining it for everyone else. Epic Games is cracking down hard because cheating isn't just unfair – it's a threat to the whole game. Sorry, losers. Cheating doesn't pay. Epic Games recently announced a new lawsuit targeting developers of Fortnite cheating tools. The company is going after an individual who created software that lets players see through walls and use auto-aim. Epic shared

Google links massive cloud outage to API management issue

Google says an API management issue is behind Thursday's massive Google Cloud outage, which disrupted or brought down its services and many other online platforms. Google says the cloud outage started around 10:49 ET and ended at 3:49 ET, after causing issues for millions of users worldwide for over three hours. Besides Google Cloud, the incident also impacted Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Chat, Google Cloud Search, Google Docs, Google Drive, Google Meet, Google Tasks, Google Voice, Google Le

Subtype Inference by Example

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in tools and programming languages that can automatically detect common types of bugs, in order to improve product quality and programmer productivity. Most commonly, this is done via static type systems, but traditional static type systems require large amounts of manual annotation by programmers, making them difficult to work with. Therefore, modern programming languages make increasing use of type inference, which provides the same benefits

Best Buy’s Giving You $1,000 Off Refurbished Microsoft Surface Touchscreen Laptop, Nearly Free Right Now

Looking to replace you laptop but don’t feel like shelling out thousands for the latest MacBook? Well you don’t need to sweat. You can grab yourself something perfectly capable of meeting your everyday needs. New is overrated. Like-new is good enough for just about anything and is a great way to save yourself hundreds and hundreds of dollars. What happens to new products anyway? Well I’ll tell you. They become old. It happens to us all. Stop trying to fight the entropy of the universe and just a

Solar Orbiter sends back first live observations from the Sun's south pole

Starry Poles: Launched from Cape Canaveral five years ago, the Solar Orbiter has steadily delivered stunning insights about our star. Its latest achievement – a first-ever glimpse of the Sun's polar region – marks another leap forward, and researchers believe the most important discoveries are still to come. The Solar Orbiter (SolO) recently captured the first direct observations of the Sun's south pole – a region long shrouded in mystery. These unprecedented glimpses are crucial to understandi

CarPlay in iOS 26 adds new ‘Smart Display Zoom’ feature [Gallery]

iOS 26 is crammed full of upgrades for CarPlay users, including a refreshed Liquid Glass design, support for widgets, and more. There’s even support for a new “AirPlay video in the car” feature that developers and automakers can adopt if they so choose. CarPlay in iOS 26 One change that is flying under the radar, however, is a new Smart Display Zoom feature. Apple says that this new Smart Display Zoom option is designed to help CarPlay better adapt to the various shapes and sizes of in-car scr

Spotify is adding the ability to remotely download playlists to secondary devices

Spotify is rolling out a new feature that lets Premium subscribers remotely download playlists to additional devices. For instance, a user could initiate a download on an iPhone for an iPad or for a backup phone ahead of a trip. That's all fine and good, and useful in limited circumstances. The big news here, however, is that this functionality also works with smartwatches, with integration for Wear OS devices and Apple Watch models. Nothing ruins a good walk or run like forgetting to download

The cloud broke Thursday and it'll happen again - how to protect your business before then

Akaradech Pramoonsin/Getty Images After a rocky Thursday afternoon on the internet, both Google and Cloudflare services appear to be operating normally as of Friday morning. When trouble started, the question wasn't what's wrong with what cloud service; it was, what service isn't down? Also: The best cloud storage services of 2025: Expert tested What happened on Thursday? First, this was not just an American problem. Google Cloud reported that it was a global problem. Google stated that mult

Another one for the graveyard: Google to kill Instant Apps in December

Apps used to be the measure of a mobile platform's worth, with Apple and Google dueling over who could list the most items in their respective stores. Today, the numbers don't matter as much—there are enough apps, and Google's attempt to replace parts of the web with apps is going away. Instant Apps, a feature that debuted in 2017, will reportedly be scrapped in December 2025. In its place, you'll just have to use the Internet. Developer Leon Omelan spotted this news buried in the latest Canary

Your iPhone’s alarm will gain new snooze options in iOS 26

Millions of people wake up to their iPhone’s alarm every day, and have learned to live with the built-in 9-minute snooze duration. But in iOS 26, you’ll finally be able to choose exactly how long you want to snooze alarms for. Alarms can have custom snooze durations in iOS 26 Apple’s built-in Clock app is where most iPhone users turn for setting their daily alarms. It’s the default method. But despite that, there’s been one glaring missing feature for years: the ability to set custom snooze d

You can win a free Samsung tablet when you buy these new smart monitors for $100 off

Samsung has announced its latest lineup of AI-assisted smart monitors with 4K resolution, active voice amplifier technology for cleaner audio, and a new QD-OLED option for high-end workstations. Right now, when you reserve a new AI smart monitor at Samsung, you'll get an exclusive $100 discount as well as the chance to win a Samsung Galaxy AI Ecosystem bundle that includes a Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra, Galaxy Watch Ultra, and Galaxy Ring. Also: The Samsung Galaxy Ring comes with a free $100 gift card

Why I'm leaving Firefox for good - here's the browser I'm using now instead

ZDNET I've been using Firefox, on and off, for a very long time. After all, it's been the default web browser for Linux for as long as I can remember. But I'm finally moving on from Firefox and all of its clones. Also: Love Arc browser? You can get early access to its new AI-powered replacement This time it feels permanent. Every other time I migrated away from Firefox (or a Firefox fork), it felt temporary, like I'd soon return, after using whatever browser I adopted, because Firefox was alw

I replaced my ThinkPad with a Lenovo Legion laptop for work, and didn't regret it

ZDNET's key takeaways Lenovo's Legion Pro 7i is a top-tier gaming laptop, on sale now for $3,099. It effortlessly runs the latest gaming titles, exudes premium power, and features a 16-inch OLED display that demands your attention. Besides the high starting price, all that hardware runs hot, it's extremely power-hungry, and it has a big, bulky power supply. $3,099 at B&H Photo-Video The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i is the latest gaming laptop in the Legion series, sticking to an accessible 16-inch si

Alaska Just Issued Its First-Ever Heat Advisory—and It Won’t Be the Last

The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Fairbanks, Alaska, issued a heat advisory on Thursday, June 12. It’s never had to do that before. Heat advisories are new to both the Fairbanks and Juneau NWS offices, which implemented the use of these notices on June 2. Until now, Alaska weather officials exclusively issued Special Weather Statements to notify the public of potentially hazardous heat. The change comes as Alaska continues to warm at nearly twice the rate of the lower 48 states, with

Anker 5-in-1 USB-C Hub Just Dropped to Almost Free, Limited Stock Available on Amazon

If you’ve ever found yourself flipping your laptop over and over looking for a USB port that just doesn’t exist anymore, you’re not alone. Laptops keep getting thinner, and ports keep disappearing. But that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to use them at all anymore. You just need to get smarter about it. And luckily, there are products out there meant to help you do this so you can take full advantage of all the connections your laptop or Chromebook can support. And there’s a deal on one right no

Topics: hub just laptop right usb

Don't Have Vision Insurance? This Is Where You Can Get Low-Cost Eye Exams, Glasses and Contacts

Even though 93 million American adults are at high risk for serious vision loss, only half of them have visited an eye doctor's office in the last 12 months, according to the CDC. This makes more sense once you consider a 2022 study that found 63% of Americans don't have vision insurance, as an eye exam, glasses and contact lenses can add up without it. Fortunately, there are companies and programs out there that can help you get more affordable or free eye care without vision insurance. Where

9 Best 2-in-1 Laptops (2025), Tested and Reviewed

A 2-in-1 is a laptop that can go from a standard clamshell laptop configuration to a tablet setup. Over the years, there are really two types of designs that fall into this category: the convertible 2-in-1 laptop and the detachable tablet. Laptops with rotating displays—also called convertibles—use a 360-degree hinge that can position the screen flat, in “tent” mode, or flush against the underside of the laptop. Think of this as a touchscreen clamshell laptop with a fancy hinge. The flexibility

Sony teases PlayStation 6, says consoles aren't going anywhere despite cloud gaming rise

Why it matters: Sony has given some scraps of information about the PlayStation 6, droping its first hints that the console is in early stages of development. The company said the future of the platform is "top of mind," and it is exploring a "new and enhanced way for players" to engage with games. The news comes from Sony Interactive Entertainment's new president and CEO, Hideaki Nishino, who took part in an investor-focused interview published on Sony's corporate website. Nishino was asked a

What Is Cellular Internet And Is It A Reliable Broadband Connection?

The latest report from the American Customer Satisfaction Index highlights that for the first time ever, a non-fiber internet provider, T-Mobile 5G Home Internet, matched in score with AT&T Fiber. In other words, customers are just as happy with a cellular internet service over a wired one through fiber. Cellular internet doesn't deliver fast speeds in comparison to fiber. However, it could still be a lifeline for disconnected communities in rural areas. According to the latest Pew Research Cent

Sony teases PlayStation 6, says console hardware has strong future despite cloud challenge

Why it matters: Sony has given some scraps of information about the PlayStation 6, droping its first hints that the console is in early stages of development. The company said the future of the platform is "top of mind," and it is exploring a "new and enhanced way for players" to engage with games. The news comes from Sony Interactive Entertainment's new president and CEO, Hideaki Nishino, who took part in an investor-focused interview published on Sony's corporate website. Nishino was asked a