Apple announced a ton of new features and changes across its products during the company’s big WWDC 2025 event. iOS 26, in particular, is chock full of updates, with a long list of iPhones that support the newest update. However, some of these new features will only run on newer iPhones. Even if your iPhone can update to iOS 26, you might be missing out on the full experience.

Most of the features on this list are powered by Apple Intelligence, Apple’s suite of generative AI features. As it happens, Apple Intelligence requires an iPhone 15 Pro or newer to work. That includes, of course, iPhone 15 Pro Max, but also iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, and 16 Pro Max. If you don’t have one of those six phones, you can’t use any Apple Intelligence features—both the existing ones released throughout the iOS 18 era, as well as any of the new features in iOS 26. It’s a little confusing, since there are a lot of iPhones that can run iOS 26 that aren’t these iPhones—basically iPhone 11 and newer—but that’s the way Apple wants it, unfortunately.

Here’s what you’re missing out on if you don’t have a newer iPhone:

Live Translation

Apple’s Live Translation features for iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe seem great. Live Translation uses AI to translate both text and audio in real time across various apps and services. So, you might see translations appear next to messages sent in a language you can’t read, or hear translations when on a call with someone who speaks a language you don’t understand.

Visual Intelligence

Visual Intelligence itself isn’t new this year. The Apple Intelligence feature debuted with iOS 18.2, and lets Apple’s AI analyze anything in your camera feed. The feature started as an iPhone 16 exclusive, but Apple did bring it to 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max models as well.

With iOS 26, Visual Intelligence is now able to analyze the contents of your iPhone’s screen as well, via screenshots. In addition to pointing your camera at something for Visual Intelligence to analyze, you can take a screenshot, and the AI will be able to process its contents.

Lens cleaning alert

It’s always a bummer when you spend the day taking photos on your phone, only to notice when you’re home that those photos came out smudgy—all because your camera was dirty.

iOS 26 has a (presumably AI-powered) feature to fix that. Apple didn’t announce this one, but beta testers discovered that when the camera is dirty, the new Camera app now warns you to clean the lens before taking a photo.

Genmoji and Image Playground

Genmoji and Image Playground are getting updates with iOS 26—the AI features rolled out last year, allowing you to generate emojis and images with text-based prompts.

This year, Apple is adding the ability to mix together different Genmoji and emoji to create brand new icons, which introduces an Emoji Kitchen-like feature to the iPhone. In addition, Image Playground now lets you add ChatGPT styles, like anime, oil painting, and watercolor, to your generations.

AI-integrated Shortcuts

Shortcuts has been available on all iPhones since iOS 12, but with iOS 26, Apple is integrating AI features to the automation tool. These shortcuts will let you summarize text, generate images, or utilize Apple Intelligence models to power your shortcuts.

If your iPhone can’t access AI tools at all, you probably won’t feel the absence of these upgrades much anyway.

Messages features

Messages is getting some useful new features this year. Two key features are polls and backgrounds: You’ll be able to make polls for your friends and family to answer, and choose from a set selection of backgrounds for your chats. Other chat apps have had these features for years, of course, but it’s cool they’re finally in the Messages app—and both are compatible with all iPhones running iOS 26.

That said, each feature has AI integrations that will only work on iPhone 15 Pro and newer. First, polls: In addition to choosing your own poll questions, newer iPhone owners will also see AI-generated poll suggestions. (I’m not entirely sure why you’d want this, but it’s there.) In my opinion, Backgrounds’ AI feature is more useful, since you can use Apple Intelligence to generate a background for your chats. I’d prefer to choose my own image to set as a background, but this at least opens up the background possibilities.

Reminders

If you have one of these iPhones compatible with Apple Intelligence, you’ll notice iOS 26 suggests new reminders based on the contents of your messages and emails. If you’re chatting with your roommate about needing to buy more coffee, for example, you might see a suggested reminder to add it to your grocery list.

Plus, iOS 26 will categorize task lists for you using Apple Intelligence. There’s a new “Auto-Categorize” setting, complete with an Apple Intelligence logo, if you want to outsource that task to Apple’s AI.

Apple Wallet

On iPhone 15 Pro and newer, iOS 26 will use AI to automatically pull data from your emails to show you up-to-date order tracking in Wallet. The app already has non-AI support for order tracking, but it’s not particularly used by stores and merchants.

Lock Screen

iOS 26 has exactly one non-AI feature that isn’t supported on all compatible devices: The Lock Screen has a new 3D effect that automatically adjusts the size and position of the time depending on the the photo you choose, prioritizing the subject of the photo. It’s neat, and only works on iPhone 12 or newer. If you have an iPhone 11, you’re out of luck.

An anonymous reader shares a report: Slack, an instant-messaging service popular with businesses, recently blocked other software firms from searching or storing Slack messages even if their customers permit them to do so, according to a public disclosure from Slack’s owner, Salesforce.

The move, which hasn’t previously been reported, could hamper fast-growing artificial intelligence startups that have used such access to power their services, such as Glean. Since the Salesforce change, Glean and other applications can no longer index, copy or store the data they access via the Slack application programming interface on a long-term basis, according to the disclosure. Salesforce will continue allowing such firms to temporarily use and store their customers’ Slack data, but they must delete the data, the company said.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Meta has invested $15 billion into data-labeling startup Scale AI and hired its co-founder, Alexandr Wang, as part of its bid to attract talent from rivals in a fiercely competitive market.

The deal values Scale at $29 billion, double its valuation last year. Scale said it would “substantially expand” its commercial relationship with Meta “to accelerate deployment of Scale’s data solutions,” without giving further details. Scale helps companies improve their artificial intelligence models by providing labeled training data.

Scale will distribute proceeds from Meta’s investment to shareholders, and Meta will own 49 percent of Scale’s equity following the transaction.

Read full article

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Google will discontinue its Android Instant Apps feature in December 2025, ending a nearly decade-long experiment that allowed users to try portions of mobile apps without installing them. The feature, rolled out in early 2017, enabled developers to create lightweight app versions under 15 megabytes that could run temporarily on users’ devices when they tapped specific links.

The feature struggled with low developer uptake due to the technical complexity of creating these stripped-down app versions.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Tesla has officially launched new versions of the Model S and the Model X in the US. As Electrek notes, however, the upgrades may not be quite as big or compelling as one could hope when the vehicles now cost $5,000 more. The automaker has posted a list of updates for the vehicles on X, including a new Frost Blue paint color option and a range of up to 410 miles for the Model S Long Range version, which is Tesla’s longest range yet. Getting the Frost Blue paint will cost buyers $2,500 more, however, and the new range is only 5 miles longer than the previous versions. 

The company said the vehicles are now quieter inside, thanks to a more effective Active Noise Cancellation feature, and that their interiors now come with dynamic ambient lighting with unique animations. They can run more smoothly due to their new bushings and suspension design, and their new wheel designs enable the longer range. In addition, the models now have a new front bumper camera for better visibility, as well as adaptive driving beams. Model S Plaid’s new exterior styling was apparently optimized for high-speed stability. Meanwhile, Model X now has more space for third row passengers and cargo. Take note that the base vehicles come with 19-inch wheels, but customers can upgrade with 20-to-22-inch wheels for $4,500 more. 

Tesla only sold approximately 50,000 Model S and X vehicles around the world last year, whereas it delivered over 1.7 million Model 3 and Model Y vehicles. Whether these changes can convince people to buy the Models S and X remains to be seen. The Model S will now cost customers at least $84,990, while the Model Y will set them back at least $89,990.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/teslas-new-model-s-and-x-vehicles-are-now-available-in-the-us-133020684.html?src=rss

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I love my Peloton Bike—which I got directly from the at-home fitness giant in 2021—and anyone who knows me will tell you that. As of today, I’m on an 89-day streak of consistent, daily use (though a small portion of that streak is made up of other Peloton offerings, like walking, stretching, and meditation classes).

But just because I’m into it doesn’t mean everyone is. I am, after all, an actual spin teacher, so I’m always trying to take classes, learn new techniques, and stay on top of my game for my own unique reasons. My Peloton, honestly, is just one of many different bikes I use in a given week and have used over the past decade of being dedicated to spinning. Unlike me, many people are looking to get rid of their bikes, treadmills, row machines, and more—whether because they’re back in a gym, they’re upgrading to something better, or they just don’t have the time or desire to work out as much anymore. If you want to get into at-home fitness, let their loss be your gain.

Why fitness equipment resale is a good idea

While we were discussing this post, Lifehacker’s senior health editor Beth Skwarecki made an excellent point: There are simply fewer to buy new Pelotons, given how many are out on the market now and the fact that the Peloton Bike itself hasn’t changed much since its debut. Many of the company’s newer innovations are software-focused, not hardware-focused. You can upgrade your operating system, download Peloton’s apps, and continue to engage with the content, games, and classes it’s still continually rolling out—all with machines that already exist.

If you’re looking for non-Peloton equipment, the argument still stands. Some spin bikes and treadmills have better features than others, but they’re all basically doing the same thing at the end of the day. As long as the thing’s been maintained well, a 15-year-old bike still does exactly what a bike that was built yesterday does. You don’t need a new one to get a good workout.

You can save a lot of money, fight consumerism, and still access a great product by buying used, provided you use a safe, trusted platform to do it. And Peloton agrees: The company announced recently that it’s launching its own resale platform.

Even prior to that, people were buying, selling, and trading not only Peloton equipment, but other at-home fitness machines as well. Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and other platforms have been awash in these kinds of listings for years.

I’m a proponent of buying used stuff: I love saving money, renewing my wardrobe, and selling my own things to get money to get new—or new-to-me—things. Still, I understand that some people have hangups about owning, wearing, or using items that once belonged to someone else. Break free of the limiting mindset of capitalism, my friend. Save your coins. You can absolutely obtain a quality piece of used equipment that looks and functions similarly a new one.

How to find good used at-home workout equipment

As mentioned, Peloton is getting into the resale game, but the company’s platform is in its nascent stages: Right now, you can only list your own pre-owned Bike, Tread, Row, or branded accessories. In the coming weeks, you’ll be able to buy, but first the marketplace needs to gather inventory.

I don’t recommend using Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist if you’re specifically buying Peloton equipment. There are too many horror stories out there of buyers not being able to log into the devices with their own accounts because the machines are registered to someone else. Some people even report that there are fake bikes and machines on the market.

For equipment that doesn’t require a complex software component, like a regular old spin bike, go ahead and use a person-to-person marketplace if you’re comfortable—provided the seller is communicative, is willing to answer your questions or provide more photos, and, ideally, lets you examine the equipment before you take it home. Use common sense. Bring someone with you, meet in a public place if possible, and be prepared to back out if anything feels off.

If you’re looking for a more formal, managed experience or seeking a Peloton instrument, use a trusted platform that can act as an intermediary and keep everything on the up-and-up. Try Trade My Stuff, an online marketplace at the forefront of at-home gym equipment resale. There, you can get a Peloton, a Bowflex, or even a sauna. The platform offers some security, providing delivery and working with you on the transaction.

With Trade My Stuff, the seller pays a fee—between 10% and 20%, depending on the category of item sold—and the delivery contractor inspects the product at pickup before bringing it to you. You can even ask the delivery team to video call you so you can participate in the inspection before telling them to go ahead and bring it.

Shayne Boyle, a Peloton Bike user who purchased a used treadmill, tells me that his experience was surprisingly robust: The delivery driver traveled hours with the treadmill, even toggling on his location so Boyle could track the machine’s progress to his house. Trade My Stuff offers an optional 12-month warranty to protect the equipment. If anything goes wrong, you’ll get a replacement machine within a week. Yes, you’re paying a delivery fee, but it beats being ghosted by a scammy Craigslist seller.

What to keep in mind when buying used fitness equipment

When you’re buying something used, you have to keep two things in mind: condition and price. Boyle was looking for a Tread, but he wanted it to be near-perfect. He only searched for ones that had been originally purchased in the last year or two, so he was prepared to spend a little more. “For us, price was a big factor, sure, and how old and how used the machine was,” he says.

When I’m using resale apps to shop for a specific accessory or clothing item, I play a bit of a waiting game. I know its retail value, what I’m willing to spend, and the condition the item will likely be in if it aligns with my personal budgeting goals, but I also know there are people out there who just want to get rid of something as fast as they can and may be willing to sell me a piece in great condition for a low price if I just wait it out.

If you want your item to be in top condition, it’ll likely cost you more. If you don’t mind a little wear and tear, you’ll spend less. That’s fine for me when I buy clothes—I’m a savvy stain remover and seamstress—but when you’re considering fitness equipment, exercise caution. A device that doesn’t run right can pose a safety issue for you. The continued function of your knees is worth the extra few hundred dollars you may have to spend to get a spin bike with pedals that don’t jam up.

Don’t forget that Peloton charges $95 to activate used bikes and other equipment. That price is coming down to $45 soon, but it’s still a factor you need to budget for. (On Trade My Stuff, you can use discount code ACTIVATE4FREE to trigger a $95 rebate that will cover the fee.)

No matter what, communicate extensively with your seller. In my experience, if someone is unwilling to send more photos or answer questions, they’re hiding something or otherwise just aren’t great at customer service. Even though you’re paying less than retail, you’re still paying, so you have the right to deal only with sellers who are willing to play ball. Ask for videos, details, and pictures. If you’re getting slow responses or a weird vibe, move on to the next. There are thousands of listings out there.

Meta has finalized its $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI, which now values the startup that provides other companies with data labeling and model evaluation services for AI training at $29 billion. As part of the deal, Scale AI’s founder and CEO Alexandr Wang will be joining Meta. According to The New York Times, Wang will lead Meta’s fledgling “Superintelligence lab.” A few days ago, several reports came out that Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg has been personally overseeing the recruitment for a team he’s assembling to achieve AI superintelligence. 

Zuckerberg, who was reportedly frustrated by the quality of Meta’s Llama 4 LLM, has been inviting potential recruits to his home and offering them compensation packages worth seven to nine figures. Wang said in his note to Scale employees that he’s taking a few other people from the startup with him to Meta to work on artificial intelligence. Meta has yet to formally announce the team and to reveal what their role will be, but their ultimate goal based on the name “Superintelligence lab” is to develop AI with intellectual powers far beyond any human’s.

This investment is Meta’s second largest after its $19 billion Whatsapp acquisition. With its $14.3 billion investment, Meta will have a 49 percent stake on Scale but will have little control over its operations. The Times said the companies decided on that structure to avoid being scrutinized by regulators. Both Amazon’s $4 billion investment in Anthropic and Microsoft’s close ties to OpenAI were probed by regulators, after all. Meta itself is still battling the FTC in an antitrust case over its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp. 

In his note to employees, Wang wrote that “opportunities of this magnitude,” pertaining to Meta’s investment, “come at a cost.” That cost, he said, was his departure. Wang will still serve on Scale’s Board of Directors, but his position as CEO will be taken over by Jason Droege, the startup’s current Chief Strategy Officer. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/meta-invests-148-billion-in-scale-ai-and-recruits-its-ceo-130029612.html?src=rss

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Register: US Navy Secretary John Phelan has told the Senate the service needs the right to repair its own gear, and will rethink how it writes contracts to keep control of intellectual property and ensure sailors can fix hardware, especially in a fight. Speaking to the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, Phelan cited the case of the USS Gerald R. Ford, America’s largest and most expensive nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, which carried a price tag of $13 billion. The ship was struggling to feed its crew of over 4,500 because six of its eight ovens were out of action, and sailors were barred by contract from fixing them themselves.

“I am a huge supporter of right to repair,” Phelan told the politicians. “I went on the carrier; they had eight ovens — this is a ship that serves 15,300 meals a day. Only two were working. Six were out.” He pointed out the Navy personnel are capable of fixing their own gear but are blocked by contracts that reserve repairs for vendors, often due to IP restrictions. That drives up costs and slows down basic fixes. According to the Government Accountability Office, about 70 percent [PDF] of a weapon system’s life-cycle cost goes to operations and support. A similar issue plagued the USS Gerald Ford’s weapons elevators, which move bombs from deep storage to the flight deck. They reportedly took more than four years after delivery to become fully operational, delaying the carrier’s first proper deployment. “They have to come out and diagnose the problem, and then they’ll fix it,” Phelan said. “It is crazy. We should be able to fix this.” “Our soldiers are immensely smart and capable and should not need to rely on a third party contractor to maintain their equipment. Oven repair is not rocket science: of course sailors should be able to repair their ovens,” Kyle Wiens, CEO of repair specialists iFixit told The Register.

“It’s gratifying to see Secretary Phelan echoing our work. The Navy bought it, the Navy should be able to fix it. Ownership is universal, and the same principles apply to an iPhone or a radar. Of course, the devil is in the details: the military needs service documentation, detailed schematics, 3D models of parts so they can be manufactured in the field, and so on. We’re excited that the military is joining us on this journey to reclaim ownership.”

Further reading: Army Will Seek Right To Repair Clauses In All Its Contracts

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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The Skullcandy Crusher Evo headphones are down to $117.99 on Amazon right now—nearly $80 off their usual price.

Skullcandy Crusher Evo Wireless Bluetooth Headphones with Multi-Sensory Bass and Charging Cable

$103.99
at Amazon

$199.99
Save $96.00

$103.99
at Amazon

$199.99
Save $96.00

They’re not going to win any awards for subtlety, but if you like your bass deep enough to make your molars vibrate, these are built for you. The main draw here is the adjustable haptic bass slider, which literally shakes your head at higher settings. You can dial it down, of course, but even at its lowest, you’re getting a sound that leans heavily into low-end punch. That makes them especially fun for EDM, hip-hop, and action-heavy games or movies. (For more over-ear headphones options, check out this roundup.)

That being said, they’re not for everyone. The Crusher Evo doesn’t offer active noise cancellation, so you’re still going to hear a bit of the world around you—commuters coughing, dogs barking, the works. Passive isolation helps a little, but it’s not the same. If you’re hoping for a more immersive or quiet experience, especially while traveling, this might not cut it. The soundstage also feels a bit closed in, so things don’t exactly feel surround sound. Still, the midrange is decently clear, vocals hold up well in the mix, and the built-in mic and Tile tracking are nice bonuses. Battery life is excellent too—reportedly around 30+ hours in real-world use—and they charge via USB-C.

Design-wise, they look pretty standard, which isn’t a bad thing. The matte plastic body is solid, with cushy padding on the headband and earcups that helps them stay comfortable over long listening sessions. They fold down and come with a carry pouch, though it won’t protect them from drops. The onboard buttons are easy to use, and there’s no touchscreen gimmickry to deal with. Just keep in mind there’s no custom EQ beyond the presets in the Skullcandy app, and the sound tuning is bass-heavy by default. If you’re OK with that, the Crusher Evo is fun and very battery-friendly. At this price, it’s a worthwhile pick for bass lovers who don’t care about noise cancellation but do want their headphones to have presence.

iOS 26 has introduced a new feature that will help CarPlay take better advantage of the shape of your vehicle’s display, Apple announced at WWDC 2025. When enabled, the new Smart Display Zoom will shrink down elements on the screen to fit an extra row of app icons. 

“Vehicle screens come in many shapes and sizes,” CarPlay engineer Olivia Hess explained in a developer video spotted by MacRumors. “In iOS 26, some screen configurations allow drivers to adjust their display scale with Smart Display Zoom configurable within Settings in CarPlay. When Smart Display Zoom is enabled, your CarPlay app will be automatically resized to the new display scale.”

Apple

Though the change is relatively small, it should make CarPlay less of a hassle to use if you have a lot of apps. The feature is only available in a developer beta for now, but will appear in a public beta next month and in the final iOS 26 release by September this year. 

CarPlay is receiving other updates as part of the iOS 26 update. It will feature a more compact view for incoming calls so the display doesn’t obfuscate directions. Tapbacks (i.e. emoji responses) and pinned conversations are coming to Messages in CarPlay, and widgets and Live Activities can be reflected on the infotainment system. These updates will be present in CarPlay Ultra too.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/ios-26-will-fit-carplay-to-better-match-the-shape-of-your-cars-screen-120036182.html?src=rss

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There isn’t one ideal way to lay out your garden. Gardeners can opt for a chaos garden, where everything grows wildly together, or a companion-planted garden, where many different kinds of vegetables and flowers intersperse. Some people, though, want a perfectly laid out, symmetrical garden, with straight lines of vegetables spaced perfectly in rows. For those people, here are two ways to achieve that.  

Seeding using a seed square

Seeding Square

$29.95
at Amazon

$29.95
at Amazon

Planting from seed is the most efficient way to grow many vegetables, like radishes, beets, kohlrabi and turnips, but seeds are hard to space perfectly. Enter a seed square. A plastic grid with holes perfectly spaced in a variety of patterns, the square is placed in your garden bed, and you push seeds into the holes in the pattern you wish to achieve. These should correspond to the recommended spacing on the seed packet, but most of the vegetables I just named have the same recommended spacing: two to three inches between seeds. Make sure you place two to three seeds in each hole, in hopes that at least one germinates. You can always trim back the seedlings to one later. 

A seeding square.
Credit: Amazon

Seed squares aren’t expensive, but you can make your own using a piece of cardboard. Draw a grid on a one foot by one foot piece of cardboard. Use a hole punch or awl to make holes in symmetrical patterns on the cardboard. You can paint the square to help you easily note the patterns while out in the garden planting. 

If you are gardening by the foot, you can use the seed square to plant multiple different vegetables in each square foot of space in your garden. By laying them out with the seed square, even different vegetables will grow in a structured pattern.

You don’t have to repeat the same pattern throughout a garden bed, either. You can dedicate a portion of the whole bed to pattern seeding, or mix up the pattern from square foot to square foot.

Planting in a grid using seedlings

Corn planted on the grid, perfectly spaced.
Credit: Amanda Blum

If you’re buying starts or growing your own, it’s easier to keep your plants in a tight grid. All you have to do is plonk the starts in the soil where you want them— you can see the pattern as you plant. With seedlings, a seed square won’t help— the holes aren’t big enough—so it’s best to use a tool like a piece of PVC or a yardstick to lay out where plants will go. Use the PVC or yardstick to draw lines in the topsoil to divide the garden bed into a grid. 

A layout sketch for garden spacing.
Credit: Amanda Blum

As with the seed square, you can sketch the layout ahead of time, but generally, you want to keep blocks of rows—a block for each vegetable. The blocks don’t have to all have the same spacing, or even go in the same direction. By maintaining the grid, your garden will still look clean and professional when everything grows in.  

It’s been a busy week! In this episode, Devindra and Senior Editor Jessica Conditt dive into their final thoughts on the Switch 2, as well as Jess’s time covering Summer Game Fest. We also put a bow on WWDC 2025 and explore what works and doesn’t with Apple’s Liquid Glass redesign.

Subscribe!

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Topics

• Summer Games Fest 2025: Sword of the Sea, Mouse: PI for Hire, Big Walk and a ton more indies – 1:17

• Nintendo Switch 2 review: more polish on the Switch form factor with scant new releases – 22:09

• WWDC 2025 wrap up: what will users think of liquid glass? – 38:11

• Air Traffic Control audio reveals Predator drones flew over LA protests – 53:31

• Meta announces large investment in Scale AI and a new AI Superintelligence initiative – 54:24

• Warner Bros. Discovery to split into two devisions along old company lines – 59:12

• Pop culture picks – 1:00:34

Credits 

Host: Devindra Hardawar
Guests: Jessica Conditt
Producer: Ben Ellman
Music: Dale North and Terrence O’Brien

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/engadget-podcast-switch-2-review-summer-game-fest-and-wwdc-2025-113008170.html?src=rss

Greetings Arsians! It’s time—at least in some parts of the world—to celebrate dads. Father’s Day is nearly here, and as there’s a custom of gift-giving, many of us will have to choose something. Below, various Ars editors have identified a few things they’ve bought recently that they think could be great gifts for dads—with the caveat that there are an indefinably large spectrum of variations of what dads are like. Still, we did our best to include a few things that are pretty general, and a few that are weirdly specific. In any case, want to show some appreciation for your dad? Here are some options you can throw some money at.

Under $100

86Lux Book Light – $15

Unless your father has light dimmers or has jumped onboard the small-lights-not-big-ones interior design trend, chances are there are two environments available to him for reading: one, giant, bright ceiling light that is great for reading but not so great for setting an immersive and relaxing mood, or well, darkness. Enter the clip book light, a good way to light up the page at a brightness suitable for not-so-new eyes without harshing the reading vibes. The 86Lux Book Light is one of many offerings, but we like its simple design. It has multiple temperature and brightness levels, and it’s adjustable, so it can reliably clip onto most books.

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You forget how much of a hit, how much of a turnaround, the Nintendo Switch turned out to be. After the major wobble (and baffling form factor) of the Wii U, Nintendo came back with a hybrid console that would replace and fuse its handheld and home console lineages. The console had no right being as playable (and enjoyable) as it was.

Now, finally, its successor has landed. And for once, Nintendo’s calling its new console a sequel. Nintendo took the best features from the original and upgraded nearly all of them.

The major upgrades in hardware include a bigger 7.9-inch LCD screen, a more mature design that feels more solid and significantly upgraded performance and power. The only major drawback is battery life. Nintendo says it should provide between 2 and 6.5 hours of runtime on a single charge, but that depends on how resource-intensive your games are.

Engadget

According to Sam Rutherford’s review testing: “In Mario Kart World, the Switch 2 lasted two hours and 23 minutes, which is on the lower end of Nintendo’s official estimate. Meanwhile, in the NS2 edition of Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the console fared a bit better with a time of 2:56.” Compared to the OLED Switch’s battery life, it’s a reduction, but it’s also equivalent to other high-powered handhelds, like the ROG Ally X and Steam Deck.

Check out our full review (and perhaps our guide to the best games on the original Switch — because backward compatibility).,

— Mat Smith

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The news you might have missed

• Proton VPN review: A non-profit service with premium performance

• Apple’s Liquid Glass is Windows Vista done well

• Apple’s AI-infused Siri may not show up until spring 2026

Get up to 50 percent off MasterClass subscriptions for Father’s Day

It’s a solid discount.

If you’re struggling to find a good present for Father’s Day, MasterClass has discounted its subscriptions by up to 50 percent. I grabbed a similar deal for myself, unfortunately only 40 percent off, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the solid interface and how many courses are available. Many course videos can even be downloaded for viewing offline.

Continue reading.

Nothing’s Phone 3 will go on sale on Amazon

Best Buy is picking up the handset for Canada.

Engadget

Nothing CEO Carl Pei has been teasing this news since April, but now it’s official: You might actually be able to buy the company’s next flagship phone. The Nothing Phone 3 will be available to purchase from Amazon or directly from the company. Until now, only the Phone 2 has made it to general sale in the US. For the other models (including the very impressive Phone 3a), users would have to buy a unit via a beta program, which has no after-sale support. Any caveats? Well, there will be no carrier discount. The Phone 3 will support 4G and 5G with AT&T and T-Mobile. While there’s no explicit support for Verizon, the Phone 2 worked well with its network, so that’ll probably be the case with the third phone.

How much? There’s no official US price yet. Pei recently said it would cost £800 in the UK at launch, which would translate to around $1,080 in US dollars.

Continue reading.

An e-bicycle made for two

The Olto has a removable battery.

Infinite Machine

Infinite Machine made waves with its retro-futuristic P1 electric bike, and now it’s back with the Olto. Its new e-bike boasts 40 miles of range and a top speed of 33 mph, with a 20 mph limit while riding in the bike lane.

Just like the P1, the Olto e-bike looks both futuristic and retro, (like a transformer that turns into a vape.) What’s notable is it can carry two riders at the same time, and you can add accessories, like child carriers.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-111554900.html?src=rss

As artificial intelligence has advanced, AI tools have emerged to make it possible to easily create digital replicas of lost loved ones, which can be generated without the knowledge or consent of the person who died.

Trained on the data of the dead, these tools, sometimes called grief bots or AI ghosts, may be text-, audio-, or even video-based. Chatting provides what some mourners feel is a close approximation to ongoing interactions with the people they love most. But the tech remains controversial, perhaps complicating the grieving process while threatening to infringe upon the privacy of the deceased, whose data could still be vulnerable to manipulation or identity theft.

Because of suspected harms and perhaps a general repulsion to the idea of it, not everybody wants to become an AI ghost.

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Welcome to Edition 7.48 of the Rocket Report! The shock of last week’s public spat between President Donald Trump and SpaceX founder Elon Musk has worn off, and Musk expressed regret for some of his comments going after Trump on social media. Musk also backtracked from his threat to begin decommissioning the Dragon spacecraft, currently the only way for the US government to send people to the International Space Station. Nevertheless, there are many people who think Musk’s attachment to Trump could end up putting the US space program at risk, and I’m not convinced that danger has passed.

As always, we welcome reader submissions. If you don’t want to miss an issue, please subscribe using the box below (the form will not appear on AMP-enabled versions of the site). Each report will include information on small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets, as well as a quick look ahead at the next three launches on the calendar.

Quebec invests in small launch company. The government of Quebec will invest $10 million Canadian dollars ($7.3 million) into a Montreal-area company that is developing a system to launch small satellites into space, The Canadian Press reports. Quebec premier François Legault announced the investment into Reaction Dynamics at the company’s facility in Longueuil, a Montreal suburb. The province’s economy minister, Christine Fréchette, said the investment will allow the company to begin launching microsatellites into orbit from Canada as early as 2027.

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