Skip to content
Tech News
clear
Topics: Today This Week This Month This Year

Study finds 440 diamond open-access journals dropped free model since 2009

A preprint led by Lisa Matthias at Humboldt University of Berlin tracked 440 academic journals that began as diamond open-access, meaning free for both authors and readers, but later shifted to charging fees between 2009 and 2026. Most of these titles, 369, moved to gold open access with article-processing charges, 52 adopted hybrid models, and 19 became fully paywalled, with fees ranging from $8 to $5,300 depending on publisher type.

Hyundai's Ioniq 5 still impresses in 2026, but rivals have caught up

Ars Technica revisited the 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 5, testing an AWD Limited trim with an 84 kWh battery, NACS charging port, and 320 hp output following the car's early 2025 refresh. The reviewer found the retro styling and fast-charging capability still hold up well five years after launch, though the AWD version's range drops to 269 miles compared to 318 miles for the rear-wheel-drive model.

Supreme Court orders TV stations to extend ad discounts to party committees

The Supreme Court ruled on September 4 that broadcast TV stations must sell election ads to political parties and joint fundraising committees at the same lowest unit charge rates required for individual candidates. The order came after the National Republican Congressional and Senatorial Committees petitioned the court, overturning a Fourth Circuit ruling that had sided with Democratic candidates who challenged an FCC notice mandating the discount.

Microsoft's Play and Charge Kit offers alternative to disposable AA batteries in Xbox controllers

Xbox controllers can be powered by more than disposable AA batteries, with Microsoft's official Play and Charge Kit swapping them for a $24.99 lithium-ion pack that charges via USB-C and lasts up to 30 hours. Third-party options include swappable dual-battery docks and rechargeable AA batteries, while players can also simply keep their controller plugged in during play for continuous power.

Republican committees to appeal FCC ad-pricing ruling to Supreme Court

After the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down an FCC order that extended discounted 'lowest unit charge' TV ad rates to political parties and joint fundraising committees, the National Republican Congressional and Senatorial Committees said they will petition the Supreme Court. The 4th Circuit denied their request for an emergency stay but issued the mandate immediately, clearing the way for a Supreme Court appeal.

Nokia 300 Charge turns a feature phone into a 10W powerbank

Nokia's new 300 Charge dumb phone packs a 3,700mAh battery capable of 37 hours of talk time, but its standout feature is a reverse-charging 'powerbank mode' that outputs 10W via a bundled 4-in-1 cable with Micro USB, USB-C and USB-A adapters. The phone also includes a bright LED flashlight, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and basic specs like a Unisoc SC6531E chipset, 4GB RAM/storage, a QVGA camera and a 2.4-inch display.

Quantinuum unveils 98-qubit Helios trapped-ion quantum processor

Quantinuum has introduced Helios, a 98-qubit trapped-ion quantum computer that uses a four-way junction to shuttle ions between memory and processing zones, alongside new control software called Helios runtime that schedules ion movement and laser operations. It surpasses the company's earlier machines, which had 32 qubits in 2023 and 56 qubits in 2025, making it the largest trapped-ion system built so far.

USB Power Delivery emerges as the common thread across phone fast-charging systems

USB PD, especially its PPS feature, now underpins fast charging on most major phones, including Apple's iPhone 17 and Android flagships like Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra and Google's Pixel 11 series. Qualcomm Quick Charge, once dominant, has largely folded into USB PD compatibility, while brands like OnePlus, Oppo and Xiaomi still rely on proprietary systems such as SuperVOOC and HyperCharge for their fastest speeds.

Today's top topics: openai anthropic apple ai safety iphone 18 pro dario amodei ios 27 artificial intelligence google nvidia
View all today's topics →