The U.S. government has not yet made its official recommendations for who should be able to get COVID booster shots this fall, but FDA officials published a policy position in the New England Journal of Medicine announcing that it intends to make some drastic policy changes. The changes could result in healthy people under age 65 losing access to COVID vaccines, according to vaccine experts who have spoken about the policies. Here’s what we know so far, and why the announced policy could be a problem.
How COVID vaccines are currently approved
Scientists have changed the formulation of COVID vaccines a few times over the years, because the COVID virus itself tends to mutate. Vaccines are updated to better match the strains that are circulating, and this has happened roughly once a year—similar to how flu shots are updated each year.
Instead of designing new vaccine trials from scratch for each small change in the COVID vaccine, manufacturers conduct studies to show that the immunity people get from the new vaccine is equivalent to what people got from the old vaccine.
The new policy, according to the NEJM article, would be to accept those immunobridging studies only to approve vaccines for people aged 65 and up, and people above the age of 6 months who have one of the high-risk conditions on a list maintained by the CDC.
For healthy people under 65, the FDA’s policy wouldn’t approve new COVID vaccines unless they were tested against a placebo. (The type of placebo is phrased vaguely: “The control group could receive a saline placebo,” the authors write.)
The FDA doesn’t have the authority to change the recommendations on who should get vaccines that are already approved (that’s the CDC’s purview), but it is in charge of approving vaccines and can approve them only for specific populations.
Why placebo-controlled trials are an absolutely wild idea for COVID vaccines
Public health experts are, to put it mildly, not happy with this plan. That’s because we already have COVID vaccines that work. Doing a placebo-controlled trial would require withholding COVID vaccines from people in the control group; they would get saline instead of a functional vaccine.
The normal way to do this type of trial (if you do one at all, rather than relying on immunobridging) is to compare the new vaccine or medication against one that is already considered effective. To use an extreme analogy, you wouldn’t test a new design of seatbelt by randomizing people to ride around without using any seatbelts at all.
Vaccine scientist Peter Hotez told CNN that the FDA’s announced approach “essentially denies access to vaccines,” since such trials are not practical for companies to do. In a post on Bluesky, toxicologist Ryan Marino said that it amounts to “scientific misconduct.” Vaccine expert Paul Offit told NPR “I don’t think it’s ethical, given that we have a vaccine that works, given that we know that SARS-CoV2 [the COVID virus] continues to circulate and cause hospitalizations and death, and there’s no group that has no risk.”
More vaccine chaos may be coming
The new policy isn’t official yet, but it’s hard to imagine the FDA and CDC being allowed to approve and recommend vaccines the way it always has in the current political climate. Biologics director Vinay Prasad and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, whose names appear on the FDA’s policy statement, have a history of arguing against COVID vaccine access for children.
And both agencies are under the umbrella of HHS, the department of Health and Human Services, which is headed by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr—the same person whose anti-vaccine organization financed the movie Plandemic. If you don’t recall the details of that movie circulating in the early pandemic days, it implied both that COVID wasn’t real and that it was a bioweapon created by the government; the logic didn’t hold together but ultimately the point was that we should be suspicious of vaccines. (I have more on Plandemic here.)
RFK, Jr has said a lot of bananas stuff about vaccines. He has compared childhood vaccines to the holocaust, claimed that Bill Gates put microchips in vaccines, and loudly questioned whether vaccines cause autism. How this man got put in charge of a health agency, I will never understand.
Recent and future vaccine approvals may be at risk in this environment. Moderna had planned to submit a combined flu/COVID vaccine for approval; it has since withdrawn its application. (It’s not clear whether recent FDA policy announcements are directly related.) Novavax’s recent vaccine was approved recently, but only after a delay and only for older adults and for people with high-risk health conditions. Kennedy released a report today that questions the childhood vaccine schedule and implies that vaccines are part of the “stark reality of American children’s declining health.”
If you use the internet, you’ve probably had at least some personal information go missing. It’s just the nature of the web. But this latest discovery, as reported by Wired, is something different.
Security researcher Jeremiah Fowler found a public online database housing over 180 million records (184,162,718 to be exact) which amounted to more than 47GB of data. There were no indications about who owned the data or who placed it there, which Fowler says is atypical for these types of online databases. Fowler saw emails, usernames, passwords, and URLs linking to the sites where those credentials belonged. These accounts included major platforms like Microsoft, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Roblox, Apple, Discord, Nintendo, Spotify, Twitter, WordPress, Yahoo, and Amazon, as well as bank and financial accounts, health companies, and government accounts from at least 29 countries. That includes the U.S., Australia, Canada, China, India, Israel, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, and the UK.
Fowler sent a responsible disclosure notice to the hosting provider of the database, World Host Group. Fowler was able to detect signs that the credentials here were stolen with infostealer malware, which bad actors use to harvest sensitive information from a variety of platforms—think web browsers, email services, and chat apps.
Following Fowler’s notice, World Host Group restricted the database from public access. The provider told Wired that the database was operated by a customer, a “fraudulent user” who uploaded illegal information to the server.
In order to ensure these credentials were real, and not just a bunch of bogus data, Fowler actually contacted some of the email addresses he found in the database. He got some bites, and those users were able to confirm the records that he found associated with their emails. That’s no guarantee that all 184,162,718 records are accurate, but it’s a good sign that most are. As such, it’s entirely possible you and I both had credentials exposed in this database. What’s worse, Fowler says there’s no telling how long the database was open to the public before his notice shut it down.
There’s a lot bad actors and hackers can do with this type of information. If they know the username and password combo to one of your accounts, they’ll not only see if they can use it to break into that account, but they’ll use it on other accounts of yours as well. If you reuse passwords, as many do, you could be facing a mass breach. It’s bad enough when that concerns Facebook and Roblox accounts, but seeing as there were financial, health, and even government accounts here, the implications are huge.
How to protect yourself
If you don’t have access to the database, you can’t say for sure whether your credentials are listed there, or which credentials they have.
Still, if you haven’t changed the passwords for your accounts in some time, now might be a good time to do so. You don’t need to change your passwords as frequently as traditional security advice has taught us, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to give your accounts a quick security audit.
Make sure you’re using a strong and unique password for each and every one of your accounts. If you repeat passwords, you run the risk of credential stuffing (hackers trying the same stolen password on multiple accounts). In order to keep tabs on those passwords, use a secure password manager.
Make sure you’re using two-factor authentication (2FA) on all of the accounts that allow it. That way, even if a password is exposed, hackers won’t be able to break into your account without the device containing the 2FA code. To boost your security, avoid SMS-based 2FA when possible, and opt for more secure 2FA options, like an authenticator app or physical security key. If your account offers it, try a passkey to combine the convenience of a password with the security of 2FA.
Microsoft is testing AI-powered text generation in Notepad for Windows 11 Insiders with Copilot Plus PCs, allowing users to draft content from prompts or build on existing text through a right-click menu. The update also introduces Paint’s AI sticker generator and Snipping Tool enhancements including automatic screenshot cropping. The Write feature requires Microsoft account sign-in and uses the same credit system as other Windows 11 AI features.
If you were worried that Warhammer’s crossover into gaming may have peaked, I’ve got good news. The Warhammer Skulls 2025 video game showcase was full of teases, trailers, and announcements for tons of new stuff. The tabletop miniatures franchise and its deep, bloody universe of sci-fi and fantasy storytelling…
An outdated Meta AI model was apparently at the center of the Department of Government Efficiency’s initial ploy to purge parts of the federal government.
Wired reviewed materials showing that affiliates of Elon Musk’s DOGE working in the Office of Personnel Management “tested and used Meta’s Llama 2 model to review and classify responses from federal workers to the infamous ‘Fork in the Road’ email that was sent across the government in late January.”
The “Fork in the Road” memo seemed to copy a memo that Musk sent to Twitter employees, giving federal workers the choice to be “loyal”—and accept the government’s return-to-office policy—or else resign. At the time, it was rumored that DOGE was feeding government employee data into AI, and Wired confirmed that records indicate Llama 2 was used to sort through responses and see how many employees had resigned.
Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman reports that Apple aims to release smart glasses by the end of 2026. This product would be equipped with cameras, microphones and speakers so that a wearer could interact with the Siri voice assistant. The glasses would also support activities such as listening to music, taking phone calls or hearing step-by-step directions to a location.
Apple has long been working toward an end goal of true augmented reality glasses, but it has faced several hurdles in getting its AI endeavors to parity with other rivals. We’re expecting a lot of AI announcements during WWDC 2025 in a few weeks, but some of them may be met with skepticism after the slow and sometimes rocky rollout of its Apple Intelligence suite.
Meanwhile, other companies have already made waves with AI-enabled smart glasses. Meta has seen a fair amount of success from its partnership with Ray-Ban. Google recently unveiled new plans for its Android XR mixed reality glasses with a demo during its I/O showcase earlier this week. And OpenAI is getting in on the hardware game thanks to its acquisition of Jony Ive’s io design startup, although it hasn’t offered details yet on planned projects. Apple’s project sounds more akin to the Meta option than to the display-equipped model Google showed off, but we’ll likely hear more specifics soon.
While Apple pushes to ready smart glasses for next year, it has abandoned some other wearables projects. According to Gurman’s sources, the company has left the idea of a camera-equipped Apple Watch and Apple Watch Ultra by the wayside. However, AirPods with cameras appear to still be in development.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/apple-will-reportedly-release-smart-glasses-next-year-211050767.html?src=rss
Today’s report by security expert Jeremiah Fowler of a massive unsecured database full of usernames and passwords shouldn’t necessarily frighten you, but it should spur you to action. If you have any weak passwords protecting accounts with sensitive information, or if you’ve reused the same password — however strong — on multiple accounts, now would be an excellent time to change them and set up two-factor authentication.
Fowler reported on Website Planet that the database, which he found unlocked and without any encryption on an anonymously registered server, contained a little over 184 million records. These included usernames, emails, passwords, and direct links to the URLs for logging into the relevant accounts. While Fowler was able to get the hosting provider to lock the server, he couldn’t find any hard evidence about who compiled the database, nor whether they had used or shared the information.
There are a couple of reasons not to panic here. 184 million records exposed doesn’t mean 184 million people exposed — it’s just the number of rows in the database. If the info was gathered through malware, as Fowler believes, it’s likely to have gathered multiple records from every infected device. That’s obviously still bad, but fewer people have been affected than it may seem from the number alone.
The database also contained no information that could be used for two-factor authentication, so anyone with a second factor set up has much less reason to worry. Don’t forget, though, that one weakly secured account is a liability to the others. For example, a hacker could gain access to your email, then use that access to break through 2FA on your bank account.
The potential consequences of having your password stolen are severe enough that it’s worth taking common-sense steps. Since the database wasn’t leaked on any of the usual dark web sources, its data likely won’t show up on breach checkers like HaveIBeenPwned. However, Fowler did share with Wired reporters that he tested a sample of 10,000 fields in the database, and found passwords to the following platforms:
If you have an account on any of those platforms without two-factor authentication, we recommend changing your password and setting up 2FA as soon as possible. Pay special attention to platforms like Roblox and Nintendo where your kids might have set up their own accounts and not bothered with 2FA. As Fowler points out in his blog post, even seemingly innocuous accounts might have personal information lying around.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/a-huge-unsecured-credential-database-discovery-is-a-great-reminder-to-change-your-passwords-210537400.html?src=rss
Apple‘s big 2025 software reveal is nearly upon us. On June 9, the Worldwide Developers’ Conference (WWDC) keynote will showcase the changes coming with — deep breath — iOS 19, iPadOS 19, macOS 16, watchOS 12, tvOS 19 and visionOS 3.
Leaks suggest this year will be a biggie. In addition to the requisite Craig Federighi gags, expect a significant visual overhaul — one of Apple’s biggest ever — and (shocker) new Apple Intelligence features.
According to Front Page Tech’s Jon Prosser, that may even include (nearly) round icons on the home screen and in Control Center. He also noted subtler changes, like a redesigned tab view within apps and the search box in Messages being moved to the bottom of the screen.
One of Apple’s core goals with the new software is to unify the design language of its operating systems. The idea is to make it less visually jarring to hop between devices. If executed well, jumping from iPhone to iPad to Mac (and so on) will feel like touring different flavors of the same OS.
Apple’s last big macOS makeover was with 2020’s Big Sur. For the iPhone’s software, you have to go all the wayback to 2013. That’s when iOS 7 kicked skeuomorphic design to the curb, replacing it with the flat, minimalistic look that (minus some iterative changes) the company’s software still uses today.
The iPad goes to work
Nathan Ingraham for Engadget
Could 2025 be the year the iPad Pro starts to feel… Pro? The high-end versions of Apple’s tablet have been more than capable on a hardware level for generations (especially when they switched to M-series chips). But the software has held it back. That’s presumably because the company doesn’t want to cannibalize Mac sales. After all, if the iPad Pro can truly replace a laptop, then fewer people would buy both.
The bad news for those wanting a full-on Mac experience: The iPad won’t switch to macOS. The good news: iPadOS may get much more Mac-like. This year’s update will reportedly focus on productivity, featuring improved multitasking and app window management.
It’s not that Apple hasn’t inched the iPad’s software in that direction. It incrementally did so with Stage Manager in iPadOS 16. The year before, it added the multitasking menu at the top of app windows. But for many, those tweaks fell far short of the full-on productivity overhaul they craved. Will it be enough this time? Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman thinks it will “likely go far enough” for most power users. (Is that a “Hallelujah!” I hear?)
Apple Intelligence
Apple
Even if leaks hadn’t already suggested as much, this one would be a no-brainer. After all, AI has been every tech company’s obsession since ChatGPT took the world by storm over two years ago. Expect a healthy portion of the keynote to be devoted to Apple’s AI advances. These will reportedly include improvements to existing features and a few new ones.
Siri
Remember when Apple promised a more personalized, Apple Intelligence-infused Siri at last year’s conference? The one that many of us wish would come ahead of the visual overhaul? Well, we’re still waiting on that. The last official update we heard was in March, when the company toldDaring Fireball, “It’s going to take us longer than we thought.” (Oops!) Apple expects the new Siri features to arrive “in the coming year,” a clear-as-mud description if ever there was one.
A report last month from The Information hinted that the upgraded Siri may not have been as far along internally as Apple’s 2024 presentation suggested. The demo, where Siri used Apple Intelligence to condense minutes of multi-app planning into mere seconds, reportedly came as something of a surprise to team members working on Siri. (Never an encouraging sign.)
Apple
Separate reporting this month from Bloomberg sheds a bit more light, adding that we probably won’t hear much about those Siri upgrades at WWDC 2025. The publication described those updates as being months away from shipping. The company is also reportedly separating its Apple Intelligence and Siri marketing. The logic behind this is that users are so fed up with Apple’s assistant that it’s hurting Apple’s AI push.
The company’s 2024 presentation was undoubtedly impressive. It showed a more context-sensitive Siri that better understands what you’re doing and can take appropriate actions. It pulled info from various apps and spliced them together in striking, multi-step requests. It responded to requests like recording a specific video in a third-party app, sharing a meeting summary in an email draft to a teammate or locating missing information you remember reading somewhere. It could even control system settings or spit out support documents explaining how they work.
The bottom line: If or when Apple pulls off what it promised last year, that’s big news for Siri. But don’t hold your breath for it to show up at WWDC 2025.
According to Bloomberg, the Siri updates we do see will be much subtler. These would include adding the option to use Gemini instead of ChatGPT with the assistant.
AI battery management
Apple
Another iOS 19 scoop points to an Apple Intelligence feature that’s easy to get behind. A new AI-powered battery management mode will reportedly analyze how you use your phone and make power-saving adjustments on the fly.
The feature would analyze your data to predict when to lower the power draw from apps or device features. If it works well, that could be pretty nifty.
It may also be a key ingredient to a new device: the “iPhone Air.” Whatever Apple calls it, the rumored ultra-slim handset is expected to join Apple’s lineup this year. Without this feature, the phone’s smaller battery might struggle to make it through a typical day. (According to Gurman, it would last several hours less than Apple’s other iPhones.) But with the AI battery feature activated, the svelte iPhone could become more practical.
Will we see this slim-jim iPhone at WWDC? Well, let’s say you have as good a chance of Valve randomly showing up to announce Half Life 3 at Apple’s conference. First, the svelte handset is expected to be part of the iPhone 17 lineup, which typically arrives around September. Second, Apple hasn’t unveiled a new iPhone at WWDC since Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone 4 in 2010. So, in short, nope.
Virtual health coach
Apple
Apple is reportedly working on a virtual health coach. Allegedly codenamed Project Mulberry, the AI feature would pair a refreshed Health app with an AI-powered coach. Bloomberg says the feature would, to some degree, give you advice you’d usually seek from a doctor.
The virtual coach would collect data from your Apple devices and use AI to provide personalized health advice, chatbot-style. Apple is reportedly training the AI agent with data from company physicians. Meanwhile, outside experts would shoot educational videos.
In March, Bloomberg‘s Gurman said the virtual coach could arrive as early as iOS 19.4, which wouldn’t likely come until early to mid-2026. But a quick aside in a report this month from Gurman and Drake Bennett mentioned that it could be a point of focus at WWDC.
Hair Force One
Apple
It wouldn’t be an Apple keynote without some wacky Craig Federighi hijinks. Last year, Apple’s software lead strapped on a hair-shaped helmet and skydived into Apple Park. At previous events, he showed off his parkour skills, summoned an iPad like he’s a Jedi and jammed out on a three-necked guitar.
Say what you will about “Hair Force One.” Federighi knows how to sell a sight gag. (With maybe just a teensy bit of help from Apple’s visual effects artists.)
Betas and release dates
Following Apple’s typical schedule, you can expect the first developer betas for the new software to become available after the conference ends. (Likely the same day!) Public betas would follow early this summer. And you can expect the final versions of iOS 19, iPadOS 19, macOS 16 and so on to arrive alongside new iPhones this fall.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/what-to-expect-at-wwdc-2025-a-new-look-apple-intelligence-and-more-210051144.html?src=rss
The PipeWire project released PipeWire 1.4.3 today as yet another minor update to the latest PipeWire 1.4 series for this popular open-source server for handling audio/video streams and hardware on Linux systems.
If you had trouble using X today, you’re not alone. DownDetector reports that over 5,000 people have reported issues accessing the social media platform as of 4PM ET. X’s official Engineering account claims the issue is due to a data center outage.
“X is aware some of our users are experiencing performance issues on the platform today,” X’s Engineering account writes. “We are experiencing a data center outage and the team is actively working to remediate the issue.” The platform last experienced a major outage in March 2025, which X CEO Elon Musk blamed on a “massive cyberattack” at the time. Security researchers who looked into the issue later said it was poor security on X’s part that left the company’s servers vulnerable to attack.
X is aware some of our users are experiencing performance issues on the platform today. We are experiencing a data center outage and the team is actively working to remediate the issue.
Broadcom has upped VMware licensing costs by between eight to 15 times since it took over the organization, and a lack of alternatives in the tech industry means trade and end customers have no choice but to play ball. From a report: This is the according to the European Cloud Competition Observatory (ECCO), an independent body formed by customer organizations, and CISPE — a trade association of 37 cloud providers in the region — to monitor the behavior of software vendors accused of abusing their monopoly position. The report also calls for regulatory intervention. The current subscription model “creates a material risk for the company and their shareholders should Regulators investigate and challenge the legality of such model,” the report adds.
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
There are certain limitations that I tolerate with apartment living. One of these that I begrudgingly accept is the lack of an outdoor grill set up. Apparently building owners don’t want flames spitting and embers glowing within 10 feet of their precious buildings—fine. But what if I could smoke meat with real wood pellets and also not set my apartment on fire? Well the Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Grill and Smoker is offering this opportunity. I’ve had my eye on it for a while now, and it’s finally on sale for Memorial Day.
The Ninja Woodfire Grill and Smoker is an electric grill. I know, I know, many electric grills are basically glorified waffle irons, but the Ninja uses a combination of convection fan heating and an attached pellet smoke box to give you a lot more flavor than what a Foreman might. Unlike other air fryers masquerading as grills or smokers, the Woodfire Grill and Smoker is made to be used outdoors. It’s weather resistant, so you can build a permanent grill set-up with a stand and cover to keep it in tip-top shape.
The regular Ninja Woodfire Grill and Smoker is on sale for $249.99, 32% off of its normal retail price of $369.99—this is the one I’ve been looking at because it has the smoke box, and that’s all I’ve coveted this whole time. However, the Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect Premium XL is also on sale right now for $399.99, 20% off its usual retail price of $499.99. This one has two attached probe thermometers and Bluetooth connectivity so you can monitor your smoked duck from the living room with the Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect app.
It’s a question of whether you’d like a few more inches of real estate and app monitoring. If you are cooking for a smaller household and you don’t mind checking the temperature yourself, go for the original. Bigger households or those hosting frequent backyard barbecue parties might get better usage out of the Pro Connect Premium XL model. Either choice is a great one for this weekend’s festivities, not to mention the entire summer ahead.
Apparently there’s a new Mission: Impossible movie coming out soon. But what there isn’t is a new Mission: Impossible video game, and we’d like to hear someone explain why not. It’s outrageous. The 1960s TV show has games. The first of Cruise’s movies, 1996’s Mission: Impossible, has a game. (No Tom Cruise likeness in …
E-bike batteries are, for the most part, a collection of 18650 batteries, packaged together and welded in series and parallel, attached to a battery management system (BMS). A “dead” e-bike battery may only have two or three truly dead cells inside, while the remainder work fine. This is useful knowledge that, for the most part, very few e-bike owners can really use. Arc welders are not a common tool to own, and most e-bike batteries are not designed to be opened, safely or otherwise.
French firm Gouach, essentially a three-person company, is pitching its Infinite Battery as the opposite of this status quo. It’s a durable, fireproof casing into which you can place and replace 18650 batteries using only a screwdriver. It keeps you updated on the status of cell performance and heat through a Bluetooth-connected app. And it’s designed for compatibility with “90% of existing e-bike brands,” or you can upgrade an existing “acoustic” model.
Nintendo has shaken up how it treats your digital game purchases. It’s now calling those virtual game cards, and it hopes to make it easier for you to share your games across multiple Switch systems. You can even let friends and family members borrow a game you’ve purchased from the eShop so they can play it on their own Switch. Getting things set up is a slightly complex process, but in most cases, you’ll only need to do the tricky stuff once. In any case, we’re here to help.
The virtual game card system went live on the console on April 30 when Nintendo rolled out a major update. The Nintendo Switch 2 (which arrives on June 5) will support virtual game card lending and borrowing as well. Virtual game cards also include any of a game’s associated DLC (i.e. extra downloadable content) that you’ve acquired.
If you haven’t tried out this way of letting your kid, partner or roommate jump into a Switch game you’re not currently playing, sharing a virtual game card is a pretty simple process. We’ll break down how to do that before explaining how to use virtual game cards across two of your own Switch consoles.
When it comes to lending and borrowing virtual game cards, there are a number of caveats you’ll need to be aware of. Sadly, a casual internet acquaintance who lives on the other side of the country won’t be able to borrow a game from your Switch. The virtual game card system is designed for sharing games between friends and family — you’ll need to be on the same Wi-Fi network to make the transfer.
To wit, you can only lend out a virtual game card to another member of your Nintendo Account family group. Both Switch systems will also need to be connected to the same wireless network at the time a game is lent and borrowed.
You can lend out a game for 14 days at a time. While a game of yours is loaned out, you won’t be able to play it on your own Switch. However, if you do decide you want to hop back into that title, you can recall it at any time (which is, perhaps, a way to show a misbehaving child the consequences of their actions). Let’s run through the other key virtual game card lending provisos in bullet points:
You can lend out as many as three virtual game cards at a time.
A borrower can only take one game at a time, and they can’t borrow from multiple users simultaneously.
Similarly, you can only lend out one virtual game card to a given console at any time.
If a Switch has users that belong to different family groups, it won’t be able to borrow any virtual game cards.
Got all of that? Cool. Let’s jam through how to actually lend and borrow virtual game cards on the Nintendo Switch.
How to set up Switch systems to share virtual game cards
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
Before you actually get started with lending and borrowing virtual game cards, there are a few things you’ll have to do. First, make sure your system software is up to date. You can check that’s the case by going to the Switch home screen, then System Settings > System > System Update. If your Switch isn’t running the latest system software, it will start the update process. Otherwise, you’re golden.
Next, as mentioned, you’ll need to make sure the Switch systems that are going to exchange virtual game cards are on the same wireless network. Once you’ve taken care of that, it’s time to ensure the consoles are in the same Nintendo Account family group, if you haven’t already done so. (A family group can include up to eight account holders, and a role-based system allows for parental controls.)
First, sign in to the Nintendo Account that will be the admin for the family group (only one account can be an admin per family group). From there, select “Family group” then either “Add a member” or, if you haven’t set up a family group yet, “Create family group.”
To invite an existing Nintendo Account holder to a family group, first click the “Invite someone to your family group” option (or go through the process of setting one up for a child aged 12 or younger, if that’s who you’re adding). Of course, if the person you want to invite to a family group doesn’t yet have a Nintendo Account, they’ll need to set one up.
Next, you’ll need to read a disclaimer about only adding people you know to a family group and then what will happen if either your account or theirs is banned (spoiler, it won’t be a good thing!). After you’ve agreed to the disclaimer and clicked Confirm, you’ll be prompted to enter the email address linked to the Nintendo Account you want to add to the family group. Click Submit when you’re done.
The person you’re inviting to the family group will receive an email. They’ll need to click the verification link, sign into their Nintendo Account if necessary and click “Join family group.” After that person has joined the family group, the admin can assign them a role.
Phew, okay. All of the hard/annoying stuff is out of the way. Save for connecting to the same wireless network, you should only have to do all of that stuff once to make sure a pair of Switch consoles is ready to use virtual game cards. Now for the fun part.
How to lend and borrow virtual game cards on Nintendo Switch
Nintendo
For the sake of clarity, let’s call the system that’s lending a virtual game card Switch A. We’ll refer to the device that’s borrowing a game as Switch B (calling them Switch 1 and Switch 2 would have made things more confusing!).
Go to the Virtual Game Cards option on the Switch A home screen, then select the user that’s linked to your Nintendo Account. At this point, you’ll need to enter your password or a PIN if you’ve enabled the user verification setting.
Pick the game you want to lend out from your library of virtual game cards then to go Lend to Family Group Member > Select Select a User to Lend To. Select the person you’d like to receive the game, and then click on Lend.
After that, it’s the recipient’s turn to act. On the Switch B, access Virtual Game Cards from the home screen. Choose the user profile for the person that’s receiving the game, and enter the PIN or password if necessary. Then choose the Borrow option. After that, the virtual game card should start downloading, then you’ll be able to play!
You only need to be connected to the same wireless network when you’re actively lending and borrowing (“loading” or “ejecting” to use Nintendo’s terms for it) a virtual game card. You don’t necessarily have to be online to play a game once it’s on your Switch. Nintendo has a help article that should help you address any error messages you encounter as part of the process.
Returning a virtual game card (perhaps so you can borrow a different one from Switch A) is straightforward too. Go to Virtual Game Cards from the home screen, select the relevant user profile, enter the password or PIN if need be. Go to the game, select Return to Family Group Member and then click Return.
This is all perhaps a little more complicated than it has to be. It probably would have been easier for the Switch B user to receive a notification when Switch A lends a game out to them. Still, the process should be simple enough to run through, especially after you get the hang of it.
How to use virtual game cards across two Switch units
Nintendo
One other thing you can do with virtual game cards is freely swap them between two of your own Switch consoles, even if one is in sleep mode. Maybe you have a Switch docked in your living room and a Switch Lite you take on the go. This system could be useful in that case. As ever, other users of a Switch console can play any game or DLC that’s installed on the system through their own profile.
To swap virtual game cards from one Switch to another, you first need to link them. First, bring the system that you can already install virtual game cards on (Switch A, we’ll call it) and the other one (Switch B) in close proximity to one another and connect them to the internet. Make sure your Nintendo Account is linked to a user on Switch B as well.
On Switch B, choose Virtual Game Cards from the home screen, then the user that’s linked to your Nintendo Account (again, you’ll need to enter a password or PIN if you have user verification on). Choose a virtual game card that you’d like to add to the Switch B, then go to Load on This System > Next > Systems Are Close Enough (once you’ve ensured both consoles are within close proximity).
Next, return to Switch A. Again, do the virtual game cards > user linked to the same Nintendo Account > password/PIN (if necessary) deal. You’ll then see a message about linking to another console. Select the Link option to enable this. After the linking process is wrapped up, click the OK button. You’ll also need to click on Load on This System if such a prompt pops up to load the virtual game card you picked earlier onto Switch B.
And that’s it! After that, you don’t need to keep the consoles in close proximity to each other to load virtual game cards onto either system.
Bear in mind that only two consoles can be linked at a time for this purpose. To set up another console as a new Switch B (we’re still calling it that for the sake of clarity), go through the same setup process again on that device.
Partway through, you’ll see a message on the new Switch B telling you that you already linked two consoles for the purpose of loading virtual game cards. After you read the information about that (and assuming that linking a different Switch is what you want to do), select Unlink next to the console that you want to unlink. Click this button again to confirm.
If you want to play digital Switch games across more than two consoles (perhaps you have one in your den, another in the bedroom and a third at a vacation home?), you may need to use a different method called the online license feature. Nintendo has a help article that’ll walk you through how to set that up.
With either method, there is a significant factor you’ll need to take into account. Save data isn’t automatically shared across each system, so you can’t simply start playing a game on one Switch and continue where you left off on another. To do that, you’ll need to transfer the data manually, either by having the two consoles in close proximity to each other or viathe cloud if you’re a Nintendo Switch Online subscriber.
How to hide virtual game cards on your Nintendo Switch
The Nintendo Switch has been around for over eight years. That’s a long time! Over that period, you may have amassed a large collection of digital games, perhaps making it increasingly difficult to find what you’re looking for. Thankfully, there’s an option to hide (and unhide) virtual game cards in your collection.
To hide one, go to Virtual Game Cards on the Switch home screen and choose the user that’s linked to your Nintendo Account. Highlight the game or DLC you’d like to hide, select Options and then Hide twice to mask that title from your library.
To view a hidden virtual game card, repeat those first two steps, then scroll down and choose the Can’t Find Software? option. From here, you’ll see a prompt to View Hidden Virtual Game Cards. Pick this and you’ll see the full list of hidden game cards.
You can unhide a virtual game card from this section too. Select the particular game, then choose Options and Unhide. It will then appear back alongside your regular library of virtual game cards.
A game card isn’t exactly useless while it’s hidden. You can still download the associated game onto your Switch while a card is hidden or lend it out to others in your family group.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/how-to-use-nintendo-switch-virtual-game-cards-201046520.html?src=rss
The beloved read-it-later app Pocket is shutting down, and Mozilla is giving current users until Oct. 8 to download saved items from their lists, archives, favorites, notes, and highlights.
As of today, Pocket is no longer available in app stores or as a browser add-on, and all sign-ups and renewals have been disabled. The app will shut down for good on July 8, and transition to export-only mode. Users will have until Oct. 8 to export their saves, after which all accounts and data will be deleted.
How to export your saved items from Pocket
To initiate an export from Pocket, go to https://getpocket.com/export. You’ll first want to ensure your account is connected to a valid email address—shown at the top left of the page when logged in—you can access, as your saves will be sent to your inbox. (If needed, you can change the primary address on your Mozilla account.)
Next, click the Export HTML file button. You’ll see a message confirming your request and will receive a link via email to download a CSV with URLs of your saves.
Mozilla says this can take 24 hours and up to 7 days in some cases. The link expires after 48 hours, so check your spam if you don’t see an export email. You can request a new link by repeating the same steps.
You don’t need to delete your account or data, as Mozilla will do so after October 8. You will, however, have to manually remove the app and browser extension once you’ve exported your saves. Monthly renewals for Pocket Premium are ceasing immediately, and annual subscribers will automatically receive a prorated refund after July 8.
While Pocket is one of the most popular read-it-later apps, it isn’t the only one. We’ve compiled a list of alternatives you can switch to.
China has achieved substantial technological advances across robotics, AI, and semiconductor manufacturing as part of a seven-year self-reliance campaign that has tripled the country’s research and development spending to $500 billion annually.
Chinese robot manufacturers captured nearly half of their domestic market by 2023, up from a quarter of installations just years earlier, while AI startups now rival OpenAI and Google in capabilities. The progress extends to semiconductors, where Huawei released a high-end smartphone powered by what industry analysts believe was a locally-produced advanced processor, despite U.S. export controls targeting China’s chip access.
Morgan Stanley projects China’s self-sufficiency in graphics processing units will jump from 11% in 2021 to 82% by 2027. Chinese companies have been purchasing as many industrial robots as the rest of the world combined, enabling highly automated factories that can operate in darkness. In space technology, Chinese firms won five of 11 gold medals when U.S. think tanks ranked the world’s best commercial satellite systems last year, compared to four for American companies.
If you have a workshop in your house or enjoy doing DIY projects, you probably know that tools were already expensive way before tariffs entered the picture. Anyone who works with tools on a regular basis is generally happy to pay a bit more for something that doesn’t fall apart after a few uses, so defaulting to a major brand that’s still in the low- to mid-budget range like Black and Decker (Stanley Black and Decker also owns the Craftsman and DeWalt brands) always made sense.
As predicted, the company just announced higher prices in response to the tariff situation, which means buying tools from Stanley Black and Decker may now be beyond a lot of people’s budgets. If that’s you, it’s time to investigate some of the more affordable tool brands that can still get the job done for you.
It’s important to note that almost all the major tool brands manufacture most, if not all, of their tools overseas, and so will be subject to some amount of tariffs—but if you’re starting at a lower price point to begin with, an additional tax in the form of a tariff may not price you out. Here are your best affordable alternatives to Black and Decker tools.
Bauer
If you buy tools regularly, you know that Harbor Freight is a company known for tools that are often suspiciously cheap. The mystery of Harbor Freight is that sometimes its tools seem to turn into their component atoms right before your eyes the moment you use them, but sometimes its tools are surprisingly robust.
Bauer is one of Harbor Freight’s in-house tool brands that gets decent reviews for longevity and usefulness, but Bauer tools are almost always much cheaper than Black and Decker tools and other competing brands. For example, as of this writing I found this 6-amp B&D Hammer Drill for $85, whereas a slightly more powerful one from Bauer is just $45.
Ridgid
Ridgid tools are exclusively sold at physical Home Depot stores, though you can buy them online from a variety of places. It’s long been considered a solid mid-tier brand—you’re not passing a Rigid tool down to your children, maybe, but you’re probably going to get a lot of use out of them, and they’re generally good enough for most jobs. Plus, they’re significantly cheaper than most Stanley Black and Decker brands. Rigid and Black and Decker tools have generally been in the same price category, but with Stanley Black and Decker raising prices, Rigid might be a cheaper buy—for now.
Skil
Skill is the budget-friendly offshoot of the more professional-oriented Skilsaw brand. Most of its tools have solid reputations for quality, but are typically cheaper than Black & Decker tools. A 15-amp, 7-1/4 inch circular saw like this one, for example, goes for about $70, whereas a comparable Black and Decker version was listed for about $80. That’s not a huge difference, but with tariff price increases, you can expect that gap to widen a bit.
Hart
Hart is Walmart’s exclusive power tool brand—and as you might imagine, anything sold in Walmart is going to be relatively affordable. You can pick up this cordless 4.5-inch angle grinder for just $50, for example—about half the price of this DeWalt version. One thing to consider when buying Hart power tools is that most of its tools don’t come with batteries, so that’s an added cost—and they aren’t compatible with any other brand’s batteries, so you’re not going to be able to use them interchangeably. But Hart’s quality and performance are pretty decent for the price, making them a great alternative to Black and Decker.
WEN
This brand always comes up in conversations about affordable tools (it’s normal to have those conversations frequently, yes?). If you’re finding Black and Decker tools to no longer be the budget win they once were, WEN is a solid alternative. Its tools are considered well-built, with acceptable performance for the price—and they tend to be cheaper than comparable B&D products. For example, this variable speed jigsaw from WEN will get the job done for less money than this Black and Decker offering.
If your main consideration when buying tools is price, tariffs are going to cause some chaos—but if Black and Decker is pricing you out, you have a few options to look into.
