A week of hands-on use with the Apple Watch Series 12 highlights improvements in battery life and charging speed, attributed to the new S11 chip. The reviewer notes the watch now lasts through a full day and night of sleep tracking without needing a mid-day charge, and gains 12 hours of use from just 15 minutes of charging, per Apple. A new step-counter complication was also found exclusive to Series 12 despite step data being available on older models.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-09-26
Apple's support guidance explains how MacBook power states differ: a full shutdown closes all apps, clears RAM and stops power draw, while sleep and restart preserve more system state. Shutting down via the Apple menu includes a one-minute cancellable countdown and an option to reopen previous windows, and holding Option skips that countdown. Holding the Touch ID or power button for several seconds forces an unresponsive system to shut down, though this risks losing unsaved work.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-26
Eight Sleep released its Pod 6 smart mattress cooling/heating device with a 50% smaller footprint and a new solo size for single sleepers, priced from $1,999 for solo and $2,699 for standard sizes. The company says the new pod adjusts temperature 20% faster and has 9x more sensors than the prior generation, letting it distinguish between two sleepers or ignore a pet or child on the bed. The device launches today in more than 37 countries and is compatible with existing accessories.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-23
Eight Sleep has released the Pod 6, a redesigned smart sleep system with a smaller hub, temperature control the company says is 20 percent faster than its predecessor, and 18 biometric sensors versus two on the Pod 5. The lineup also adds a smaller single-sleeper size, though it lacks dual-zone temperature control. Prices range from $2,000 to $3,000 depending on size, plus a required $17-$25 monthly Autopilot subscription.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-23
Eight Sleep launched the Pod 6 bed-cooling system, featuring a hub 50% shorter than the Pod 5 with more thermal power, and for the first time offering solo-size options like twin XL and half sizes. Solo configurations start at $1,999, while standard sizes start at $2,699, and the device now includes 80% more sensors per side for sleep tracking.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-23
Sleenova has released the SoundMask, a sleep mask with thin, padded speakers embedded in its sides rather than in-ear buds. A reviewer who tested the device reported it blocked light effectively, stayed in place overnight, and produced no ear pressure even when sleeping on their side, though the speakers required manual repositioning to align with the ears.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-23
Eight Sleep unveiled the Pod 6, an updated version of its temperature-regulating smart mattress system, featuring a redesigned cooling hub small enough to fit under most beds. The system starts at $2,699 for a full-size Standard cover, with a new $1,999 Solo option for single sleepers, and requires an annual subscription of $199 to $399. Eight Sleep says the rebuilt hub is 20 percent faster at adjusting temperature and includes additional biometric sensors compared to last year's Pod 5.
theverge.com
· 2026-09-23
Amazon is currently selling the Oura Ring 4 for $319.99, down 20% from its $399 list price, matching the lowest price seen since Prime Day. The smart ring tracks sleep, recovery, readiness, heart rate, temperature and stress, and offers roughly 5 to 8 days of battery life depending on size and settings.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-22
Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine identified a small population of cortical inhibitory neurons, called Sst-Chodl cells, that make up about one percent of the cortex's inhibitory neurons. Activating these cells in mice was enough to induce sleep, showing the cortex itself can generate slow-wave sleep rhythms rather than merely responding to signals from deeper brain regions. The team spent years developing a genetic labeling method precise enough to isolate this rare cell type from more abundant, similar neurons.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-18
Startup Orion has released a smart mattress pad priced at $2,195 that regulates bed temperature throughout the night via a phone app, cooling users as they fall asleep and warming back to room temperature before wake-up. The device uses sleep data to adjust its settings automatically, aiming to reduce nighttime waking and improve sleep quality. It was created by 26-year-old founder Harry Gestetner, who previously sold his company Fanfix for roughly $65 million and built Orion after suffering health issues from poor sleep habits.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-18
A longtime Oura Ring wearer has stopped using smart rings after about a year, citing fit issues caused by weight loss and temperature swings, the need to remove the ring for weightlifting, and damage from frequent hand washing. The user says two devices broke over the period, partly due to inconsistent removal for water exposure and physical activity.
notesbylex.com
· 2026-09-12
A recent roundup piece touches on several unrelated topics: new expectations for succeeding in modern workplaces, growing concern about worst-case AI scenarios becoming more plausible, an assessment of how accurately consumer sleep-tracking devices perform, and a developing conflict tied to Oktoberfest.
wsj.com
· 2026-09-12
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