Monthly Archives: March 2025

Linux from Scratch version 12.3 released

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Version
12.3 of Linux From
Scratch (LFS) has been released, along with Beyond Linux
From Scratch (BLFS) 12.3. LFS provides step-by-step instructions
on building a customized Linux system entirely from source, and BLFS
helps to extend an LFS installation into a more usable system. Notable
changes in this release include toolchain updates to GNU Binutils
2.44, GNU C Library (glibc) 2.41, and Linux 6.13.2. The Changelog
has a full list of changes since the previous stable release.

Marvel Rivals Company Has A Second Hero Shooter Coming Out, Gives Fans Free Stuff After Last-Minute Console Delay

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FragPunk is a first-person hero shooter where you use deckbuilding card mechanics to augment your characters’ strengths and weaknesses. It’s the next free-to-play game from NetEase, which also produced Marvel Rivals, and it’s coming out this week, just not on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S where it was suddenly…

Read more…

YouTube’s new Premium Lite offers ad-free viewing on most videos for $8 per month

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YouTube has introduced a new subscription option for viewing with reduced ads compared with its pricey but ad-free Premium plans. This Premium Lite plan is rolling out in the US starting today. It costs $8 per month, compared with $14 per month for Premium. All users in YouTube’s pilot markets of Australia, Germany and Thailand will gain access to Premium Lite in the coming weeks. 

Most videos will be available without ads under this subscription, such as podcasts, gaming, fashion, beauty and news content. But the company is treating music content differently since its YouTube Music service is baked into the full YouTube Premium offering. There will still be ads on music and music videos, as well as on Shorts. 

“When we talk to our users what we found is there’s a whole swath of people who want an ad-free, uninterrupted streaming service but they don’t necessarily want a music service. That’s where we got the idea of Premium Lite,” YouTube’s chief product officer, Johanna Voolich, said in a video regarding the news. “It’s really cool because it allows us to give these kinds of viewers more choice, but it also unlocks a new revenue stream for our creators.”

You’ll likely see ads as you browse and search YouTube as well. Downloads and background play, two other key features of the Premium plan, won’t be available to Premium Lite subscribers.

YouTube began testing a lower-cost subscription plan in several markets in October 2024. Similarly, during that trial, the company offered users most content without advertisements, although it did show “video ads on music content and Shorts, and non-interruptive ads when you search and browse.”

The platform is still treating Premium Lite as a pilot. YouTube plans to expand the tier to more countries later this year. It will also “introduce more ways for our users to get the most from their subscriptions.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/youtubes-new-premium-lite-offers-ad-free-viewing-on-most-videos-for-8-per-month-153142844.html?src=rss

Facebook scammers want you to think Elon Musk can cure diabetes

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Elon Musk discovered a simple 30-second “fridge trick” that can reverse diabetes, but the discovery has spooked pharmaceutical companies so much they put a $78 million bounty on his head, forcing the Tesla CEO to flee the country. At least, that’s what a collection of AI-generated Facebook ads claim.

Facebook ads depicting deepfakes of Elon Musk and Fox News personalities claiming that the Tesla CEO has discovered the cure for diabetes have been circulating on the platform for weeks. The ads seem to be part of a wider scam that uses the deepfakes to sell unproven supplements.

Engadget has identified scores of pages running versions of these ads since early February. Though many of the ads don’t stay up for very long, the same pages have repeatedly run dozens or even hundreds of versions of the videos, all of which follow a similar format. The vast majority feature Elon Musk and Fox News hosts, but there are also versions with other notable figures, including Oprah Winfrey, former Utah Senator Mitt Romney and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Using social media to hawk sketchy supplements isn’t exactly new. AFP Fact Check detailed a similar ring of scammy Facebook ads promoting supplements that purported to cure high blood pressure last year. But the addition of AI-manipulated video and deepfaked audio of Musk adds a new layer to such scams.

While this particular scam has apparently gone largely undetected by Meta, the company is well aware that fraudsters often use celebrities and other public figures to lure in unsuspecting users. A Polish billionaire recently won a legal battle with the company over deepfake ads that used his likeness. Last fall, the company announced that it would bring back facial recognition technology in an effort to fight “celeb bait” scams.

Musk, of course, is no stranger to impersonation scams. Crypto scammers have impersonated him across social media for years. His new position as a close lieutenant of President Donald Trump and head of the “Department of Government Efficiency,” however, makes him an even more attractive target to fraudsters hoping to capitalize on his newfound authority. Several of the ads identified by Engadget feature video clips of Musk’s recent public appearances and speeches. These include ads with AI-generated audio overlaid onto video from an onstage interview this month at the Conservative Political Action Conference, known as CPAC, and a photo opp in the Oval Office.

“There are a lot of different ‘blood sugar support,’ type 2 diabetes, reverse diabetes, sort of scams out there these days,” says Jordan Liles, a senior reporter at Snopes who has debunked some of these videos on his YouTube channel. “It’s the same sort of process you might see with other scams in that they start with an ad, they go to a long video on a website, and then they want you to order the product. And they want you to believe everything that you just saw is real.”

These ads seem to violate multiple policies of Meta, including its rules around medical misinformation and requirements for advertisers to disclose the use of AI-manipulated media. And many of the ads identified by Engadget appear to have been removed within a day or two. But many of the Facebook pages behind these ads, which have names like “Mindful Medicine,” “Your health compass” and “The Wellbeing Spot” remain active. Several pages repeatedly ran dozens of new ads with similar content shortly after the old ones were removed. 

Because ads that are taken down are removed from Meta’s Ad Library along with their associated analytics, it’s hard to know just how many accounts they are reaching. But the few that remain viewable offer some clues. One such ad, from a page called “Healthy Style,” was active on Facebook, Instagram and Messenger for three days, according to the company’s Ad Library. The advertiser paid Meta between $300 and $399 for the ad, which generated 5,000 – 6,000 impressions. At one point in February, the page was running 177 versions of a similar ad. Another, from a page called “Hydromeduoside” also ran for two days, generating between 10,000 and 15,000 impressions across Facebook, Instagram and Messenger. It cost between $400 and $499, according to the Ad Library. Both ads were removed by Meta because they “ran without the required disclaimer” for ads about social and political issues, according to a notice in the Ad Library, despite likely breaking other rules and having no particular relation to politics.

Meta removed the “Healthy Style” page after an inquiry from Engadget. The company said in a statement it was investigating the ads and taking action on other pages. “The ad review system reviews ads for violations of our policies,” a spokesperson said. “This review process may include the specific components of an ad, such as images, video, text and targeting information, as well as an ad’s associated landing page or other destinations, among other information.”

The ads follow a similar script. They often open with deepfakes of Fox News personalities discussing how Musk recently “blew up the internet” with his discovery that “big pharma” doesn’t want you to see. The ads then cut to an AI-manipulated video clip of him from a podcast or other public appearance. Many of the ads refer to the “MAHA” website, an apparent reference to Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement.

The ads never disclose the actual “trick” for reversing diabetes. In one version, Musk says all you need is a “common fruit.” In another, Kennedy says it requires a “frozen lemon.” Another suggests that all you need is “a lemon and a pair of socks.” The ads urge viewers to visit a linked website to find a guide “before it’s wiped from the internet.” Bizarrely, the videos end with several minutes of silence that show a still image of a random object like a clock, calculator or blood pressure cuff.

Most of these ads link to websites that attempt to spoof mainstream news sites like Fox News, CNN or Yahoo (Engadget’s parent company). These websites typically don’t have obvious links to supplements, but feature additional lengthy videos with AI-manipulated clips of cable news personalities. These videos, which can run upward of 20 minutes, often feature old video clips with AI-generated audio of Barbra O’Neill, an Australian naturopath who was permanently banned from offering health-related services in her home country after claiming that cancer could be cured with baking soda.

(There’s no evidence that O’Neill, who has emerged as a popular wellness influencer in the US in recent years, is actually associated with these websites. As The Guardian reported last year, O’Neill is often impersonated by scammers using AI-generated content to sell unproven remedies on Facebook and TikTok. Her official Facebook page often warns followers about scammers who impersonate her on and off Facebook. A representative for O’Neill didn’t respond to a request for comment.)

Once you make it to the end of the video, a link appears offering a time-limited “deal” on a supplement called “Gluco Revive.” The supplement, which is also available from third-party sellers on Amazon and walmart.com, doesn’t actually claim to treat any condition related to diabetes in its marketing. Instead, it suggests it offers “blood support” that “boosts energy levels” and “supports healthy weight.” According to its label, it has a “proprietary blend” of ingredients like juniper berry powder and bitter melon extract.

An example of one of the websites linked from a Facebook ad that attempts to spoof Fox News.
An example of one of the websites linked from a Facebook ad that attempts to spoof Fox News.

The FDA has previously warned consumers about companies selling over the counter diabetes treatments and supplements. “There are no dietary supplements that treat or cure diabetes,” the agency wrote in a warning published in December. “Some ‘all-natural’ diabetes products contain hidden active ingredients found in approved prescription drugs used to treat diabetes … these products may interact in dangerous ways with other medications.”

While it’s impossible to know just how many people have been duped by these ads, there are dozens of listings for Gluco Revive on Amazon, some of which indicate there have been thousands of sales in the last month. The reviews on Amazon, where it’s sold for anywhere from $22 – $70, suggest that some people may have purchased the supplements after seeing one of the ads described above. “It’s not working. I thought someone from the company was going to call me on what to do. Dr. O’Neil [sic] said that we might feel a change in about 17 hours. It’s been 7 days and I feel no difference.”

“This does not work and in fact raised my blood sugar,” another reviewer reports, noting they found the product via Facebook. “When contacting the suppler [sic] they did send me a Return authorization number and address to send the unused bottles …I boxed them up [and] sent priority shipping and it’s being returned as no such address. I called USPS and they let me know that it was a scam and they have had 100s of returns to that address [and] that they do not exist.”

Though Gluco Revive appears to be the most prevalent supplement sold via this scam, some linked pages from the Facebook ads sell similar products, like “Gluco Control,” which purports to be a “a 100% natural, safe, and effective blood sugar management product.” The website says it’s made up of gymnema sylvestre, grape seed extract, green tea extract and “African mango extract.” The website features a list of scientific references and media endorsements that appear to be entirely made up. Another page promotes something called “Gluco Freedom,” which has a similar ingredient list, and offers a 180-day supply for $294.

Liles, the Snopes reporter who identified the Gluco Revive ads on Facebook in early February, and has researched many similar scams on social media, suspects the ads are having some success. “If the same product gets weeks and weeks, or months or longer of advertising, that means that it’s something that they’re seeing results with,” he says.

Have a tip? Get in touch with the author at karissa.bell [at] engadget.com or message securely on Signal: karissabe.51

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/facebook-scammers-want-you-to-think-elon-musk-can-cure-diabetes-153042842.html?src=rss

What to Start Seeding and Planting in March

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After a long winter of planning, strategizing, and buying seeds, you can finally start to plant this month. Most of that planting will happen inside, beginning the seedlings that will eventually move into your spring and summer garden. All the seeding tools like trays and heat mats come out of storage for a cleaning. As excited as you may be, it’s important to exercise some restraint: You don’t want to start all your seedlings at once. This is a game of timing. March only sees us starting a few spring seedings, as well as some seeds that take a long time. Everything else will get started next month.

Once you start seeding for yourself, you can also lean into succession planting, which means that instead of planting everything at once—and then being done at the end of the summer—you plant throughout the spring and summer, and your harvests are staggered. For instance, it would be nice to have radishes ready to eat for a number of weeks, not a flush of them all at once. You can do this with lettuce and beans and flowers and all kinds of “short” crops (so called because they can be grown in less than 90 days).

Onions, potatoes, and asparagus

While it might not feel like these items are related, they are in the simplest way: You won’t be putting seeds in the ground. Onions you’ll purchase from a nursery in a bundle of 25 or so five-inch starts, ready to go into the ground. (These are keeping onions, not scallions.) They go into the ground in long troughs you dig in the dirt.

Potatoes will look like, well, potatoes, but you can cut each potato into many pieces, so long as each piece has at least one eye. Cut them the night before planting, and then allow them to heal over by leaving them out on a tray in the open air. These pieces get planted in your potato bed about a foot apart, then covered with compost and mulch.

Asparagus come as crowns from your nursery, which look like sad desiccated roots when you buy them. But rest assured, these roots, once planted, produce actual asparagus. You plant them in a trench, not unlike roses, and they will make a perennial bed, coming back spring after spring. Asparagus needs three years of growth before you can harvest any spears, so while you could grow this plant from seed, buying these two- or three-year-old crowns gives you a jump start.

Every kind of pea

If you do one thing this month, it should be getting peas into the soil. The best news is that peas are incredibly hard to screw up. You stick the seeds (which are large and easy to work with) in the soil. There are two kinds of peas to consider. Sweet peas, which are inedible and toxic but gorgeous and sweet-smelling, and their edible brethren can all be directly seeded outside right now. Plant both, but keep them separate, so you can tell them apart. For edible peas, make sure to plant shelling peas, snap peas, and sugar peas. You can, if you want, give them a head start by growing starts inside, and they’ll generally be ready to plant out in two weeks. Plant a second bunch of peas two weeks after the first so you have a spring succession. Peas need a structure to climb, so plant them on an arch or trellis. Best of all, both edible and sweet peas give your garden early color. 

Fast-rotation crops

There are certain crops I have going constantly all season, like lettuces, radishes, scallions, and carrots. I make sure that as soon as the ground is workable, I am putting out a short row of radishes and scallions. I seed a few lettuces each week at this point, and all of this can take place outside. Carrots aren’t fast, but you can get a number of successions in during the summer, and they’ll germinate easier while you have a lot of rain. Get a row of them in every few weeks, starting now. 

Strawberries

Heed my cry: You never, ever need to buy strawberry plants. They multiply like tribbles, and you likely have enough from last year to relocate to anyplace you need them this year. You need to thin them yearly anyway so that each has at least six to eight inches around it. Even if you somehow do not have the supply, someone in your neighborhood does. Remember you want both June-bearing, which produces the sweetest berries but only for a short time, and ever-bearing, which produces bigger berries for the whole summer.

Short spring crops

Inside, I’m seeding cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, spinach, kohlrabi, and chard to go outside as soon as they’re ready, since they’re all cold-hardy. Spinach, in particular, loves the cold. Outside, I’m seeding beets and more kohlrabi into the ground. (The kohlrabi I’m seeding inside will go out in a few weeks, and have a later harvest date. This is a great example of succession planting.)

Long summer crops

Two crops that don’t get enough attention this time of year—but must be planted now in order to have enough time to mature by winter—are parsnips and Brussels sprouts. Both of these crops take the entire spring and summer to grow enough to be ready by fall. Plant parsnip seeds directly in the soil outside now, and pick up Brussels sprout starts at the nursery.

Summer crops

Some summer specialties require a longer nurturing stage, like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. But you absolutely cannot put them outside without protection like Agribon or a greenhouse until temperatures are 50 degrees at night, and that can be a long time from now. Your planting date will be determined by your growing zone and last frost date—all things you can easily google. You’ll have to house, feed, and water these babies until then. Every moment they’re in your care, they are susceptible to pests, virus, fungus, and interference from family pets. You may see professionals getting their seeds in now—I’ll start mine in late March—but I have a greenhouse to move them to. Many people wait until April, and you shouldn’t feel anxious about doing so.

Peppers first, then tomatoes, and finally eggplants. They’ll go into 50-cell trays to start, two seeds per cell. Within the first few weeks, I’ll have ruthlessly cut the weaker seedling from each cell so the stronger seedling can thrive (do not try to separate them to save them both; learn to let go) and will be up-potting them into four-inch pots by the time they’re six weeks old. I don’t seed other summer crops like pumpkins, corn, or beans until late April or May. 

Flowers

What I do try to get an early start on now is flowers. I want as many as possible, and as big and healthy as possible before I put them in the ground. I start with the earliest flowers now—snapdragons, poppies, Bells of Ireland, larkspur, dianthus, bachelor buttons, Love-in-a-Mist, and celosia. These are the most stubborn to grow and are spring-hardy, so the early start is warranted. You’ll be able to move them out relatively early in the season to make room for zinnias and sunflowers, which will be seeded later in the season. I plant these in trays of 72 or 128 cells.

No matter how eager you are to plant all winter, when March hits, it often feels like you’re behind. I assure you, you have time. It’s still early, and if you don’t have time to seed, you’ll still be able to purchase starts at the nursery.

Apple Unveils M3 Ultra: Up To 32 Cores, 512GB Unified Memory, Monster Gains

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Apple Unveils M3 Ultra: Up To 32 Cores, 512GB Unified Memory, Monster Gains
After rolling out a couple of new iPad tablets yesterday (iPad Air with M3 and a new entry-level iPad with an A16 Bionic), Apple today followed suit with some more (and bigger) announcements, including a new MacBook Air powered by its M4 silicon, a retooled Mac Studio, and its most performant chip to date, the new M3 Ultra with twice the Neural

Technics AZ100 review: Supreme sound quality and a unique Bluetooth tool

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I wasn’t impressed by the last pair of Technics earbuds I reviewed. The AZ70W was the first set to carry the iconic turntable brand’s logo after Panasonic relaunched it in 2014. The 2020 model did some things well for $250, but inconsistent audio performance kept them from being a serious contender. The company followed up in 2021 with two more wireless earbud options, and 2023’s AZ80 was well-regarded by many reviewers for its sound quality.

For its 2025 model, Technics dug into its bag of tricks to improve the already mighty AZ80, resulting in the AZ100 ($300). These flagship earbuds offer all-new drivers, adaptive active noise cancellation (ANC), AI-tinged voice tools, Dolby Atmos spatial sound and one neat tool none of the competition does. And thankfully, the AZ100 makes good on the promise of “epic, reference-quality high-resolution audio.”

I’m well aware that I’m skipping a few generations of Technics earbuds since the AZ70W, but that also means I have a much clearer picture of how much the company has improved since the beginning. The AZ100 is a sonic marvel compared to that first model, offering some of the best sound quality in any of the hundreds of earbuds I’ve tested over the years.

The technology behind the audio boost is new magnetic fluid drivers. Technics says they offer “low distortion, accurate bass and high resolution.” These parts were developed with the company’s know-how from its $1,200 EAH-TZ700 in-ear monitors (IEMs), which also pack in 10mm magnetic fluid drivers. The fluid is integrated into the voice coil of the driver to ensure precise movement of the diaphragm, leading to minimal distortion and excellent clarity across the soundstage.

Technics also took care to improve bass performance on the AZ100. Those drivers help with that, but the earbuds also have a new acoustic control chamber and harmonizer to expand the low-end capabilities. It also doesn’t hurt that the AZ100 supports both Dolby Atmos for spatial audio and Sony’s LDAC high-res wireless audio codec. While the former is common on flagship sets, the latter is rare outside of Sony’s own earbuds and headphones.

The AZ100 is at its best with high-res tunes like Apple Music’s Dolby Atmos catalog. With L.S. Dunes’ alt-rock/post-hardcore Violet, the earbuds deliver big, punchy bass that remains tight and detailed. The kick drum, for example, has a thunderous cadence and serves as a prime canvas for the refinements Technics made to the audio platform on the AZ100. Even older albums from the early aughts, like The Appleseed Cast’s Mare Vitalis, envelop you with drums, dueling guitars and the atmosphere of a live performance rather than a recorded album. That’s impressive when you consider this is streaming lossless on Apple Music, not Dolby Atmos.

Speaking of spatial audio, that’s the one area where the AZ100 stumbles in terms of sound quality. That immersive mode is available with or without Dolby dynamic head tracking, and when it’s toggled on, the sound gets too thin for my liking. The energy that the improved bass brings to the stock tuning is gone, leaving a more sterile audio profile that’s a bit boring.

The star of the show is the new magnetic fluid drivers inside the AZ100.
Billy Steele for Engadget

Despite Technics’ use of its “most advanced” noise-canceling tech, the AZ100 lags behind the best in that regard. These earbuds do employ adaptive ANC that automatically adjusts to your environment, but it’s not as good as what Bose offers on the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. The AZ100 will serve you well in some situations, but like much of the competition, they don’t handle chatty neighbors in the office well and don’t silence constant noise sources like fans and white noise machines.

Every earbud company offers a companion app nowadays, although their utility can vary greatly. Technics has packed a lot into its software, and most of what you need frequently is right on the home screen. Once the AZ100 is paired with your phone, the app shows battery life for the earbuds individually and the case up top. You then get a usage guide, noise cancelling controls, EQ presets and a Voice Focus AI Test. Along the bottom, there’s quick access to ambient sound, EQ and the more detailed settings menu.

That settings menu is where things start to get confusing. Simply put, there are so many options here that it can all be overwhelming. And in some cases, items that should be higher up are closer to the bottom — like customizing the touch controls. Spatial audio can only be activated from this menu, which I’d argue should be an item on the home screen. There’s a lot here to help you configure the AZ100 to your liking, but it will take some time to find everything you need.

One unique feature that Technics offers is multipoint Bluetooth connectivity for up to three devices. I haven’t experienced this on any other earbuds, but the feature isn’t without caveats. First, LDAC audio can’t be used when three devices are connected, most likely due to the constraints of Bluetooth. In fact, Technics recommends disabling multipoint if you want to listen to LDAC-quality tunes. With the app, the company allows you to select whether multipoint will switch devices during media playback or when a call comes in. I mostly used multipoint with just my phone and laptop, but if a tablet is also part of your daily workflow, or you have a dedicated work phone, I can see the utility of a triple threat.

The outside panels of the AZ100 reliably accept tap commands.
Billy Steele for Engadget

The Voice Focus AI Test is a tool that allows you to hear what you’ll sound like on calls using the AZ100. It’s a nice feature to have so you can determine if the earbuds are good enough for important calls or virtual presentations. And to that end, the AZ100 sounds clear and somewhat natural when you’re in a quiet spot. When you move to a louder location and the Voice Focus AI kicks in, you’re going to sound more robotic and processed. The folks on the other side will hear you and none of the background noise, but voice quality noticeably suffers.

There are two options for ambient sound — Transparent and Attention — but neither assist much with voice and video calls. The AZ100 doesn’t pipe your voice back through the earbuds, so you do have to speak up to hear yourself. When in ambient mode, Transparent allows all sound through the earbuds with no changes while Attention focuses more on voices. I actually found Transparent to be the better of the two in all instances, even when I was trying to listen to someone talking.

Technics promises up to 10 hours of battery life with ANC enabled, plus another 18 hours when you factor in the wireless charging case. If you opt for LDAC audio, those figures drop to seven hours and 11 hours respectively. After 10 hours of use with noise cancellation turned on, the AZ100 still had 20 percent battery left. Based on the rate of depletion I experienced, that would be enough for about two more hours. And when you find yourself in a pinch, a 15-minute charge will give you up to 90 minutes of use.

Those magnetic fluid drivers give the AZ100 improved bass performance.
Billy Steele for Engadget

You have to get pretty far down the spec sheet on the AZ100 for a discussion of the design updates. That’s because the sound and tech upgrades are the real story here. But, Technics did make some changes to the look of these earbuds compared to the AZ80, including reducing the size and weight. The company says a revised shape allows the IPX4-rated AZ100 to better hug the curves of your ears for increased comfort and stability. That holds true as the earbuds always stayed in place and I never felt any irritation, even after hours of use.

Both the earbuds’ touch panel and the lid of the case are emblazoned with the iconic Technics logo in gold on textured metal (on both the black and silver color options). This definitely gives the whole set a premium look, although I’m sure not everyone will be thrilled with the gold. None of the design changes are a huge departure from the AZ100’s predecessor, but the thoughtful refinements, especially to the shape and fit, are notable.

Before the AZ100 arrived, Bowers & Wilkins stood atop Engadget’s best wireless earbuds list in the best sound category for a long time. Recently, the company was relegated to number two at the hands of the incredible but pricey FoKus Rex5 from Noble Audio. Neither Bowers & Wilkins nor Technics can compete with the five-driver setup that Noble offers, but the two companies offer excellent audio quality for less than the $449 price tag on the FoKus Rex5.

Since the competition is now for second place, I give the edge to the AZ100. There’s a lot to like about Bowers & Wilkins’ Pi8, and if you prefer a more natural sound with less boomy low-end tone, they’re probably the pick for you. For me, I like the added bass the new Technics drivers provide and there’s a longer list of features for the AZ100. In terms of ANC performance, I also give the nod to Technics, plus the AZ100 is $100 less than the Pi8.

It’s hard to follow a highly regarded product with another great one. Perhaps that’s why a lot of audio companies rarely make huge changes to earbuds and headphones for new models, choosing instead to keep sound quality and ANC performance consistent. “If it ain’t broke…” and all that.

Technics thought it could make its well-reviewed AZ80 even better by borrowing tech from another entry in its portfolio and the gamble has definitively paid off. Sure, you can find better noise-canceling performance with Bose and more modern features with Sony, but Technics has formulated excellent sound quality that few can challenge. I’d say that Best of CES award was well-earned.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/technics-az100-review-supreme-sound-quality-and-a-unique-bluetooth-tool-150038587.html?src=rss

Here’s How Samsung’s Galaxy A Series Compares to the iPhone 16e

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Less than a month after Apple released its own “budget” iPhone, the iPhone 16e, Samsung is out with a new midrange Galaxy A series update for 2025. And unlike Apple’s $599 phone, the Galaxy A26, an admittedly more budget-friendly device, starts at just $300. The Galaxy A56 on the other hand, a more direct iPhone 16e competitor, will be $500 when it launches later this year, yet nets you double the storage as the 16e.

If you’re thinking about picking up any of these phones, you might be curious about how they all compare on paper. While we’ll need to wait for reviewers to get their hands on these devices before we truly know how they stack up, it’s helpful to see the specs and price points side-by-side.

iPhone 16e

iPhone 16e

Credit: Apple

What was once the iPhone SE is now called the iPhone 16e, and at a $599 starting price for the 128GB model, it’s expensive for a midrange phone. But if you can stretch your budget, you do get a lot for that money.

Yes, it has a notch and not a Dynamic Island, but you get a 6.1-inch screen, Apple’s latest and greatest A18 chip (that’s only missing one GPU core when compared to the iPhone 16 model), 8GB of RAM, Apple Intelligence, a 48MP single camera setup, and a long battery life.

That said, since you’re paying less than you would for the standard iPhone 16 or any of its upgrades, you do miss out on some bonuses. The screen is still only 60Hz; there’s no always-on display; and you lose an ultra-wide lens, in addition to camera features like Cinematic mode and the new Photographic Styles. Apple even took out MagSafe.

At its core, though, it’s a solid iPhone. Apple is known for supporting its devices for years, and the fact that this has 8GB of RAM and the A18 chip means that the iPhone 16e will continue to stay fast and fresh for a good while.

Samsung Galaxy A26, A36, and A56

Samsung A series devices.

Credit: Samsung

There are three new phones to talk about here. The A26, starting at $300, the A36, starting at $400, and the A56, starting at $500. For the sake of this comparison, I will mostly focus on the A56, as it’s the closest in scope to the 16e, but there are reasons to consider the other options, especially the $400 A36.

All three phones run One UI 7.0, which includes new software features like the Now Bar and a redesigned interface that looks quite a bit like iOS. And while the complete Galaxy AI suite is reserved for Samsung’s flagship phones, the A series devices do get Google’s Circle-to-Search, Filters, Best Face, Auto Trim, and Samsung’s AI Object Eraser tools. Samsung is calling this suite of features “Awesome Intelligence,” which I’m sure won’t be confusing to anyone. Samsung is also promising six generations of OS upgrades, and six years of security updates, which is up there with Google’s seven-year updates promise for Pixel devices.

As specs, go, all three phones get a 5,000 mAh battery, but the 45-watt fast wired charging is only available for the A36 and the A56. It’s a similar story with the display too: the A36 and A56 both feature a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a 1080 x 2340 resolution, and Corning Gorilla Victus+ Glass protection (not present on the iPhone 16e). The A26, though gets a smaller 6.5-inch screen, featuring the same 120Hz refresh rate, and the FHD+ display. The screen goes up to 1,200 nits when you’re outside, and can push to 1,900 nits using the Vision Booster feature. The iPhone 16e, meanwhile, is locked to 800 nits.

All three devices feature different processors and RAM configurations, with the best chip saved for the A56. The A26 features Samsung’s Exynos 1380 chipset, 6GB RAM, and 128GB storage, while the A36 uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Gen 3 processor, 6GB RAM, and 128GB storage. The A56 comes with the Exynos 1580 chip, 8 or 12GB RAM (depending on the configuration), and 128 or 256GB storage.

When it comes to raw performance, however, the iPhone 16e easily beats out the A56. Based on early (leaked) testing data compiled by ZoneofTech, the Exynos 1580 in the Galaxy A56 scores 1353 in single-core and 3832 in multi-core performance. The A18 chip, on the other hand, scores 3317 in single-core, and a whopping 8165 in multi-core performance. That’s more than double the raw performance on the 16e.

iPhone 16e Benchmarks ZoneofTech.

Credit: ZoneofTech

The body shape differs slightly between the three devices. The A26 has a plastic frame and body, compared to the more “premium” metals found on the other two devices. All three phones feature thin bezels around, but a prominent chin, so the bottom bezel is slightly thicker than the other three sides.

There’s a triple camera setup on every A series phone, compared to Apple’s single 48 MP unit. All three Samsung units get the same 50 MP wide-angle lens. The A56 gets a 12 MP ultra-wide, and a 5 MP macro lens, while the A36 gets a 8 MP ultra-wide, and a 5 MP macro lens. The cheaper A26 gets 8MP ultra-wide and a 2 MP macro lens. All A series phones can take advantage of AI photography features like Best Take, which merges faces from different photos to create a better single image. There’s also Samsung’s Object Eraser tool which is better than Apple’s Cleanup utility. The A56 and A36 can also record content in HDR from the main sensor.

The 5,000 mAh battery in the A series devices is rated for 29 hours of video playback, while the iPhone 16e manages 26 hours on a single charge. Those might not reflect real-life battery tests, however, so we’ll need to watch for reviewers before we know how these batteries really compare.

In fact, that’s true for a lot of features across these devices. We’ll simply need to see how the A series’ cameras and chips stack up against the iPhone 16e in real-world use before we can make any definitive calls here. But, for now, it’s helpful to compare the specs and data we do have.

The Galaxy A36 5G will be available March 26th in Black and Lavender, and an exclusive Lime color at Best Buy. While the A26 goes on sale March 27th and is only available in a Black color. But the A56 will be out in the US later this year, no details on the color options yet.

It’s GeForce RTX 5070 Launch Day But The Founders Edition Will Arrive Late

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It's GeForce RTX 5070 Launch Day But The Founders Edition Will Arrive Late
NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 5070 officially launches today in its various guises and custom third party models. However, the Founders Edition variant, which comes directly from NVIDIA, will be missing at launch. This is notable because the Founders Edition is sold at MSRP, the lowest price for the GPU. In this case, that’s $549, with custom third

Google Urges DOJ To Reverse Course on Breaking Up Company

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Google is urging officials at President Donald Trump’s Justice Department to back away from a push to break up the search engine company, citing national security concerns, Bloomberg reported Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the discussions. From the report: Representatives for the Alphabet unit asked the government in a meeting last week to take a less aggressive stance as the US looks to end what a judge ruled to be an illegal online search monopoly, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing the private deliberations. The Biden administration in November had called for Google to sell its Chrome web browser and make other changes to its business including an end to billions of dollars in exclusivity payments to companies including Apple.

Although Google has previously pushed back on the Biden-era plan, the recent discussions may preview aspects of the company’s approach to the case as it continues under the Trump administration. A federal judge is set to rule on how Google must change its practices following hearings scheduled for next month. Both sides are due to file their final proposals to the judge on Friday.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

NASA just lost yet another one of its low-cost planetary missions

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Since the Lunar Trailblazer spacecraft launched in late February as a rideshare spacecraft along with a Falcon 9 launch, NASA has been providing a series of increasingly worrisome updates about the health of the small orbiter. Trailblazer appears to be spinning and out of contact with engineers back on Earth.

In an update published on Tuesday evening, the space agency acknowledged that a mission operations team at the California Institute of Technology is continuing its efforts to reestablish contact with the 200-kg spacecraft intended to orbit the Moon.

“Based on telemetry before the loss of signal last week and ground-based radar data collected March 2, the team believes the spacecraft is spinning slowly in a low-power state,” the space agency said. “They will continue to monitor for signals should the spacecraft orientation change to where the solar panels receive more sunlight, increasing their output to support higher-power operations and communication.”

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