Latest Tech News

Stay updated with the latest in technology, AI, cybersecurity, and more

Filtered by: play Clear Filter

Best Outdoor Games to Play in 2025

Pickleball started to gain attention during the COVID-19 pandemic when people discovered it was a sport that could be played outdoors. Pickleball is a mix of tennis, ping-pong and badminton and is played using a tennis net, wooden paddles and a small ball. It can be played with two people (similar to tennis) or four people with two players making up one team. It's the ideal game to play if you have enough people at your get-together and the best part is it often comes in portable kits. The Fran

Move over, Apple. Spotify's take on AutoMix is more customizable and personalized

Prakhar Khanna/ZDNET ZDNET's key takeaways Spotify's new feature lets you mix songs in your playlist by customizing volume, EQ, and effect curves. You can also create customized covers for these mixed playlists. It is now rolling out in beta to Spotify Premium users. Get more in-depth ZDNET tech coverage: Add us as a preferred Google source on Chrome and Chromium browsers. With iOS 26, Apple introduced an on-command, AI-powered DJ that transitions songs in the Music app. While Spotify offe

Spotify now lets you create seamless transitions between songs on your custom playlists

Spotify routinely debuts new playlist features for its users, but the company's latest update has the potential to dramatically alter custom mixes. Starting today, premium users will have access to a new tool for creating customized transitions within playlists. This will allow seamless progression from one track to the next, with natural-sounding changeovers and no awkward silence. Once you've created a playlist, you'll notice a Mix option on the toolbar. When selected, the tool gives you the

Spotify’s latest feature lets you add your own transitions to playlists

Spotify is introducing a new feature that allows subscribers to create more professional, personalized playlists. On Tuesday, the company launched a custom transitions feature that lets you either automatically add transitions between a playlist’s tracks or customize your own using preset options like fade, rise, or blend, along with other options. To use the feature, open any playlist and select “Mix” from the toolbar to begin editing. While customizing the track with different transition styl

The best gaming handhelds for 2025

Handheld gaming systems are having a moment. While people have been gaming on the go since the halcyon days of the Game Boy, recent years have brought an avalanche of devices that let you play all sorts of games anywhere you want. But new machines seem to arrive every week, and figuring out which ones are actually worth buying can be overwhelming. Depending on your tastes, the right handheld could be a $70 emulator or an $800 portable PC. To help you narrow things down, we’ve spent months resear

Nvidia Will Let You Add Your Own Steam Games to Stream Via GeForce Now

Nvidia's announcements at the 2025 Gamescom show were sprinkled with the usual minor technology refreshes across its software platforms, but the biggest updates are coming to its GeForce Now cloud gaming service. The company upgraded its highest-end GFN server clusters ("pods") used for Ultimate members with its new RTX GeForce 5080-equivalent graphics processors and is in the process of upgrading the network pipeline to deliver faster streams with less latency. In practice, that means a lot of

iOS 26 tweaks iPhone Always On Display in a way you might not like

Apple’s Always On Display has been fairly consistent since it debuted on iPhone 14 Pro. With iOS 26, Apple has quietly changed how it works in a way that may not be obvious. Always On Display modes Instead of simply dimming your Lock Screen wallpaper, the system now blurs it by default. The tweak makes the clock and widgets stand out more, but it also defeats the purpose of displaying a photo if that’s what you like about the feature. Luckily, there’s also a toggle to bring back the original b

Walkie-Textie Wireless Communicator

Walkie-Textie Wireless Communicator The Walkie-Textie is a simple handheld device with a 12-key keypad and OLED display that allows you to send and receive text messages using the LoRa wireless protocol. It's ideal for situations where there's no mobile signal, such as when you're camping or hiking in a remote area, when you don't want the cost of a mobile network, or for children to have fun without running up a bill: The Walkie-Textie is a handheld device that allows you to send text message

Apple's iPad Air M3 is cheaper than ever right now

For a lot of people, the iPad Air is Apple’s goldilocks tablet. It’s more powerful and available in a larger size than the entry-level iPad, but a lot less expensive than the iPad Pro, which can be overkill for some. Right now, there's a great Apple iPad Air M3 price drop on Amazon: you can get one for $150 less than usual. This deal applies to each configuration of the 11-inch and 13-inch versions of the most recent iPad Air. So, the 11-inch model is as low as $449, while the 13-inch model is

The iPhone 17's Screen Could Get a Long-Awaited Feature You'll Notice Every Day

We are likely just weeks away from Apple's iPhone 17 event. While an official release date hasn't been announced, the company typically holds the event in early September. As we get closer to the big day, rumors and leaks about the iPhone 17 are pouring in. We've seen reports of a new selfie camera, faster MagSafe charging and a new purple (or green) color. But when the iPhone 16 debuted, there was criticism aimed at its screen. The phone starts at $829 and still has a 60Hz display, despite mos

The 20 Best Xbox Games Right Now

Over the past two decades, Microsoft has turned the Xbox brand into a veritable juggernaut in the console gaming world. The Xbox Series X and Series S, the combined fourth generation of the Xbox, have sold over 21 million units. The Xbox One, which was still supported until 2023, sold over 58 million units worldwide. As Microsoft shifts its focus toward supporting console and PC gamers alike with the Game Pass subscription service, there's never been a larger ecosystem of Xbox consoles to choos

Timothy Olyphant’s 8 Greatest Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Roles

After Deadwood and Justified, Timothy Olyphant will forever be linked first and foremost to Westerns. And while he’s clearly aware of that—playing off that association in roles that veer into other genres—he’s also a versatile star who’s popped up in comedies and dramas, as well as the sci-fi, horror, and fantasy tales we cover at io9. Here are our eight favorite genre roles so far, starting with his current project… Alien: Earth The newly launched FX sci-fi series is mapping out a fresh small

EA Makes Big Changes to Rush Mode in Battlefield 6 Beta

The Battlefield 6 beta is raging, with players free to jump into the fray now through the end of Sunday, Aug. 17. This is the second weekend of the multiplayer shooter's preview period, and there are a few changes that open up the beta with more modes, maps and play options. Plus, the game's developer DICE has enacted tweaks in response to player feedback. Those enjoying the beta on PS5 have to be subscribed to PS Plus to play online, but for their trouble, they're getting double experience poi

Blurry rendering of games on Mac

Problem I’ve submitted the issue described in this post to Apple as FB13375033. This issue has been open since September of 2023. If you game on a MacBook display – your game is probably rendering wrong unless you’ve adjusted your settings. If you’re a developer building a full screen game in AppKit (or Catalyst) – Apple’s APIs have some issues you need to be aware of. When most games start – they ask the system what resolutions are available for the current display and pick the best one. A M

Your Mac Game Is Probably Rendering Blurry

Problem I’ve submitted the issue described in this post to Apple as FB13375033. This issue has been open since September of 2023. If you game on a MacBook display – your game is probably rendering wrong unless you’ve adjusted your settings. If you’re a developer building a full screen game in AppKit (or Catalyst) – Apple’s APIs have some issues you need to be aware of. When most games start – they ask the system what resolutions are available for the current display and pick the best one. A M

I finally solved the toughest question about buying laptops - here's my expert guide

Kerry Wan/ZDNET Choosing the right laptop can feel overwhelming -- even for someone like me who's lived and breathed laptops for years. You get all these options, configurations, and feature lists that it's impossible not to know up from down. So, to make things easier for you, I'll be breaking down laptops and their essentials using three broad usage categories: school, work, and gaming. Also: The best laptops you can buy: Expert tested Most laptops fall into one of these buckets, and while

Leak reveals new Studio Display might have surprisingly powerful chip

A brand new Studio Display 2 is coming soon, and per a code leak, it looks set to boast a far more powerful chip than you might expect. Here are the details. Studio Display 2 will come with A19 Pro chip, per code leak Over the past day, MacRumors has shared chip details on several forthcoming products. The details are the result of an Apple code leak uncovered by Aaron Perris. Code has revealed that the new Apple TV 4K will have an A17 Pro chip, while Vision Pro 2 gets an M5. Another signifi

These displays are banned in US, and here’s how it affects Pixel 10 and iPhone 17

Joe Maring / Android Authority TL;DR The International Trade Commission has decided to ban BOE’s OLED screens from the US. However, a display expert says companies like Apple and Google can still sell devices with BOE screens in the US. The ruling could adversely affect the repair market, though. The International Trade Commission (ITC) recently ruled that it would ban display maker BOE’s OLED screens from the US market. The ban, which isn’t final, could see BOE banned from the country for a

Co-op puzzle game Lego Voyagers will arrive on September 15

We got our first look at Lego Voyagers back at Summer Game Fest in June. As it turned out, Light Brick Studio ( Lego Builder's Journey ) and publisher Annapurna Interactive weren't kidding about the "coming soon" aspect of the reveal trailer. That's because Lego Voyagers is set to hit PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC (Steam and Epic Games Store) on September 15 . Lego Voyagers is a physics-based, co-op puzzle game for two players. You and a buddy will each control Lego bricks a

I tried Lenovo's $3,000 rollable ThinkBook and can't go back to regular-sized screens

ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable ZDNET's key takeaways The ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 is available now, starting at $3,300. The 120Hz, OLED, portrait-style 16.7-inch display delivers an expansive workspace, supported by a haptic touchpad. It has limited I/O, has some visible creasing on the rollable display, and has a sky-high price. View now at Lenovo Lenovo unveiled its "rollable" laptop at CES two years ago as a wild proof of concept that turned heads, but left consumers skeptical. Well, the compan

Pebble reveals Time 2’s refreshed metal design, shares specifics about the display

Core Devices TL;DR Pebble has revealed the design of its upcoming Time 2 smartwatch. Like the older Pebble Time Steel, the Time 2 also comes with a stainless steel body and metal buttons. It features a 1.5-inch colored e-paper display and is expected to start shipping in January 2026. The beloved barebones Pebble smart fitness trackers are set for a comeback in 2025 after more than eight years of being discontinued. Back in January this year, Pebble’s founder and ex-CEO Eric Migicovsky annou

Evaluating GPT5's reasoning ability using the Only Connect game show

Given the proliferation of reasoning models, we wanted to go beyond knowledge-based benchmarks to test reasoning abilities such as pattern recognition, lateral thinking, abstraction, contextual reasoning (accounting for British cultural references), and multi-step inference. In addition to reasoning, we aimed to assess how effectively models make decisions when presented with judgment calls—such as choosing between making an educated guess based on available clues or calling a function to retri

CarPlay in iOS 26 enables ‘video in the car’, but support may take a while

Apple is making a major U-turn with CarPlay after a decade of not allowing video playback. Starting with iOS 26, Apple will allow apps to display video through the CarPlay screen while parked. Support, however, is a big question mark for now. The new capability falls under the name ‘video in the car’ and is mentioned on Apple’s developer website for CarPlay: AirPlay video in the car enables people to watch their favorite videos from iPhone right on their CarPlay display when they aren’t drivin

The Anti-Pattern Game

The anti-pattern game Håkon Robbestad Gylterud Here is a small game I though of when taking a course on modal logic. It is a bit too tedious to be played by humans, but I had great fun finding a winning stategy for it – and there are still simple questions about this game I cannot answer. The rules The anti-pattern game is a two-player game. It is played using black and white pebbles (like Go). These pebbles are placed in sequence on a line. On their turn the player has a simple choice: to co

Hot sale: Samsung’s new smartwatches still come with freebies!

C. Scott Brown / Android Authority All of these offers come from Amazon. This means the free gift cards are all Amazon ones. Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 + free SmartTag 2 4-Pack Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 + free SmartTag 2 4-Pack Brighter display, better battery life The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 offers a new 'squircle' look, with new band attachments, backed by new software, a 50% brighter display over last year's model, and a slightly larger battery. The watch is available in fou

The 20 Best PS4 Games

It has been more than a decade since Sony released the PlayStation 4, but the console is just as important as ever. Despite being released in November 2013, the PS4 is still in production today, with well over 100 million units being sold over its lifetime and some new games still arriving on it, including Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii. When it launched in 2013, Sony's eighth-gen console arrived with tech upgrades that seem du jour now, but were exciting over a decade ago. For instance

League of Legends is testing a new WASD control scheme, 16 years in

is a news editor covering technology, gaming, and more. He joined The Verge in 2019 after nearly two years at Techmeme. Riot Games is going to slowly introduce a WASD-based control scheme to League of Legends, which previously relied on point and click controls. “We believe that offering WASD controls will provide a fresh yet familiar way to play for both new players and veterans of the Rift without changing what makes League, League,” Riot says. The company notes that WASD is “the most famili

The Samsung Odyssey OLED G6 is the world's first 500Hz OLED gaming monitor

Previously, if you wanted a monitor for competitive gaming, you had to choose between an IPS or VA panel to get something with a super high refresh rate or opt for a slower OLED display with richer colors and better contrast. But today, Samsung is changing that with the Odyssey OLED G6, which is the first 500Hz OLED gaming monitor in the world. Available for $1,000, the Odyssey OLED G6 (G60SF) only comes in one size (27 inches) and features a QHD resolution (2,560 x 1440) with a 16:9 aspect rat

Not everyone is happy about new CarPlay in iOS 26

We’ve covered the new CarPlay experience in iOS 26 a lot over the summer. There’s a lot of excitement for a lot of the changes, but it turns out not everyone loves the complete experience. On 512 Pixels, Stephen Hackett details four issues he has with the new Messages experience in CarPlay with iOS 26. One of his complaints is about name truncation. That’s something I find deeply relatable as I basically have an allergy to unnecessary truncation. The Settings app on my Mac will often truncate “

Modos Paper Monitor – Open-hardware e-paper monitor and dev kit

Back this project to help bring it into existence. Funding ends on Sep 18, 2025 at 04:59 PM PDT. Modos Paper Dev Kit includes nearly everything you need to create an open-hardware e-paper monitor with a fast 75 Hz refresh rate, low latency, various screen-update configurations, multiple image modes, and flexible dithering options. It can be connected through HDMI or USB, and it works on Linux, macOS, and Windows. We are offering 6-inch and 13-inch monochrome kits, but the controller that powers

Topics: 13 display kit paper yes