BrianFagioli writes: Signal has officially had enough, folks. You see, the privacy-first messaging app is going on the offensive, declaring war on Microsoft’s invasive Recall feature by enabling a new “Screen security” setting by default on Windows 11. This move is designed to block Microsoft’s AI-powered screenshot tool from capturing your private chats.
If you aren’t aware, Recall was first unveiled a year ago as part of Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC push. The feature quietly took screenshots of everything happening on your computer, every few seconds, storing them in a searchable timeline. Microsoft claimed it would help users “remember” what they’ve done. Critics called it creepy. Security experts called it dangerous. The backlash was so fierce that Microsoft pulled the feature before launch.
But now, in a move nobody asked for, Recall is sadly back. And thankfully, Signal isn’t waiting around this time. The team has activated a Windows 11-specific DRM flag that completely blacks out Signal’s chat window when a screenshot is attempted. If you’ve ever tried to screen grab a streaming movie, you’ll know the result: nothing but black.
Bucky, AKA: The Winter Soldier, is one of the most powerful characters in Marvel Rivals, and he gets more powerful the better you play. If you believe in yourself and want to see how far skill can take you, Bucky is an incredible choice. He fits in virtually every team composition and has an incredibly well-rounded…
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If you’ve bounced between gaming on a Switch, a PC, and maybe even your phone, the 8Bitdo Pro 2 makes a pretty solid case for itself, especially now that it’s going for $36.36 on Amazon (down from $49.99). This is the lowest it’s ever been, according to price tracking tools like Keepa.
It’s shaped like an old-school SNES pad but handles like a modern DualShock, complete with a pair of hall effect joysticks, full-sized grips, and back buttons you can customize. It works wirelessly over Bluetooth or via USB, and supports Windows, Switch, Android, and Mac with a physical four-way switch (meaning no weird button combos to remember anymore). For more controller options across major consoles, PCMag has a helpful roundup of alternatives.
Despite the retro aesthetic, this thing is far from basic. The 8Bitdo Pro 2 features dual hall effect joysticks, a responsive D-pad, all the standard face and shoulder buttons, plus programmable P1 and P2 back paddles for added control. For players who like tweaking their setup, 8Bitdo’s Ultimate Software lets you remap nearly every button, fine-tune stick sensitivity, customize vibration intensity, and set macros—all via a wired connection, with the changes saved directly onto the controller. You also get three profile slots per system, letting you flip between layouts on the fly depending on the game.
That said, if you’re using it with a Nintendo Switch, you’ll miss out on Amiibo scanning and wake-from-sleep functionality (the 8Bitdo Pro 2 doesn’t come with Joy-Con-specific perks). But you do get motion controls and a comfortable grip that rivals the official Pro Controller (at a much lower cost, notes this PCMag review). The 1,000mAh battery claims 20 hours of wireless playtime and can be swapped for AA batteries if needed. It won’t please die-hard competitive players looking for ultra-low latency or next-gen haptics, but if you just want an affordable, customizable, cross-platform controller that feels great in-hand, the 8Bitdo Pro 2 at this price is tough to beat.
Games made in the Godot engine can now run in a window on visionOS, with immersive XR support planned for later this year.
If you’re unaware, Godot is a free and open-source alternative to Unity and Unreal Engine. It’s technically controlled by the non-profit Godot Foundation, but all development takes place in the open.
Last month, an Apple employee on the visionOS engineering team created a massive pull request on Godot’s GitHub, meaning thousands of lines of code adding support for visionOS alongside a written request for permission to merge this code into the master Godot branch.
The reaction of Godot contributors was mixed, with one complaining that “hardware to test it is extremely expensive”, while expressing skepticism as to whether anyone in the core Godot team “even has interest to maintain it”, asking for a good reason visionOS support should be a core feature rather than an extension or plugin. Adding new platforms and features to software means continuing to maintain and test those features over time, no small feat.
However, the lead developer of XR support in Godot, Bastiaan Olij, pushed back on those concerns, calling the PR “an amazing milestone” and thanking Apple for it. While acknowledging that it would be “a mammoth task” to review and test, Olij made the technical argument that visionOS support could only reasonably be achieved in the core of the engine, not as a plugin.
Olij’s view won out, and you can see on the PR how Godot’s community worked together to address concerns and get initial visionOS support merged into Godot. This initial visionOS support is limited to games running in a window, and immersive XR support is set to arrive later this year via a plugin.
Even the initial visionOS support is not available in a pre-compiled Godot release yet, to be clear, but the code has been merged into the GitHub master branch, so anyone who compiles the engine from source can already start building for visionOS.
Godot already has full support for a wide range of other XR platforms, thanks to its support for OpenXR, including SteamVR on PC and all major Android standalone headsets. It also implements Meta-specific OpenXR extensions for Quest features like Spatial Anchors and inside-out body tracking.
Bastiaan Olij has previously said that the quality and breadth of Godot’s OpenXR support has “benefited greatly” from financial and technical support from Meta, with the results “improving the experience not just for Meta Quest users, but also for other XR systems”.
Of course, Apple Vision Pro does not support OpenXR, which is making adding support for it significantly more complex than it would have been if it did.
Because who doesn’t want a Nintendo Switch 2 wrapped up like a loaf of ciabatta, this is a line of wrapping paper from Japanese graphic designer Ippei Tsujio that look like fresh baked bread (previously seen: cheeseburger ingredient wrapping paper). Available soon from TOAL in baguette, ciabatta, and classic sandwich bread varieties (no pumpernickel or rye?!), they make the perfect gift wrapping for the carb-lover in your life. “Honey, do you like what I got you?” OMG what did you get me?! “…I left you a present on the kitchen table.” I didn’t see any present, but I did just eat the worst sandwich of all time.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told employees Wednesday the company plans to ship 100 million AI “companion” devices as part of what he called “the chance to do the biggest thing we’ve ever done as a company here,” according to WSJ.
Speaking at an internal meeting, Altman said the $6.5 billion acquisition of former Apple designer Jony Ive’s startup has the potential to add $1 trillion in value to OpenAI. The pocket-sized, screen-free devices will be contextually aware of users’ surroundings and designed to help wean people from traditional screens.
Altman said the device will not be a phone or glasses, but rather a third core device that would sit on a desk alongside a MacBook Pro and iPhone. The company aims to ship the devices “faster than any company has ever shipped 100 million of something new before,” with a target release of late next year.
Developer Mercury Steam is perhaps best known for 2010’s Castlevania: Lords of Shadow and, more recently, Metroid Dread. The studio’s newest game, Blades of Fire, is a tough action-adventure RPG with Soulslike elements and a surprisingly in-depth weapon-forging mini-game.
Orbea claims its new flagship Rallon is not a jack-of-all-trades, but a master of two.
The Rallon is a big-hitting enduro race bike, but the latest generation boasts downhill credentials too, winning a World Cup piloted by Tahneé Seagrave before its official launch.
But can one frame boast the capability to be a world-beating downhill bike and be pedalled uphill as an enduro bike?
Wheel of fortune
The Rallon is a 29er with a mullet option, and adjustable geometry and suspension. Orbea
The first Rallon was introduced in 2013 and it has been revamped numerous times, most recently in 2024.
That iteration could be run as a full 29er or as a mullet setup with mixed wheel sizes, so it’s no surprise to see the latest Rallon enduro bike with 29in wheels fitted. There’s also the option to run a mullet setup by fitting a different shock yoke (which Orbea is calling a Gravity Link).
OOLAB’s swappable Gravity Link is the key to the Rallon’s chimera-like qualities. Orbea
Strangely, though, the DH version is only available with a Gravity link for a 27.5in rear wheel, despite the chainstays and all other architecture being ready to accommodate the larger wheel.
Travel options
The Rallon DH is only available with a 27.5in rear wheel, but there are two chainstay lengths to choose from. Orbea
The new Rallon can run either 170mm travel for enduro and bike-park riding or 200mm for full downhill duties. The travel is changed via the Gravity Link, which is a plate that bolts into the frame to form the lower shock mount.
This plate is the key to the Rallon’s versatility. It’s used to change the geometry, wheel size, suspension travel (with a different shock) and suspension progression.
Enduro riders can choose between two Gravity Links depending on which wheel size they want to run. Orbea
The enduro-specific Gravity Links (providing 170mm travel with a 205×62.5mm shock) have four possible adjustment positions – high/low bottom bracket height, and greater or lesser progressivity in the shock actuation ratio.
The Gravity Link on the DH bike will have settings for either 30 (L) progression in the shock actuation ratio during the bike’s 200mm travel. Orbea
The downhill Gravity Link works with a longer shock to provide the full 200mm (eight inches) of suspension travel we’ve come to expect from a downhill bike. It does not offer adjustable BB height, but the shock actuation can be switched between 30% and 25%
Adjustment
The Rallon’s geometry is adjusted with different shock mounting links, chainstays and angle-adjusting headset cups. Orbea
Orbea says this is the most adjustable bike it has ever made and that there are around 250 setup combinations. In addition to the three Gravity Links on offer (DH 27.5in, Enduro 27.5in and Enduro 29in), there are also multiple headset cups offering 0.75 degrees of head-angle adjustment either side of the straight-cupped middle setting with 63.7 degrees.
Suspended animation
Orbea is proud of the low anti-squat characteristics of the new Rallon, minimising pedal kickback. Orbea
Orbea’s OOLAB technicians have tuned the bike with the help of long-time enduro and downhill team rider Martin Maes and are proud of the results. The Rallon has minimal pedal kickback thanks to low anti-squat numbers, which help the bike in the rough terrain; the anti-rise characteristics are designed to help it remain neutral when braking, just offering enough anti-rise to assist the bike in holding its shape under heavy braking.
Like the outgoing bike, the suspension on the new Rallon sports a single-pivot axle path, defined by the position of the main pivot above the bottom bracket.
The bike sports a concentric pivot on the dropout to help manage the bike’s braking prowess in the rough stuff. A rocker link actuates the shock, providing 170mm travel with the shorter shock on the enduro bike or a DH-capable 200mm with a longer shock.
Weighing in
All Rallons will have three removable weights included, offering riders the chance to add nearly 600g around the bottom bracket of their bike. Orbea
The new Rallon features a shuttle to add weight to your bike, with options for one, two or three weights (395g, 95g, and 93g respectively), which bolt to the Gravity Link where the lower shock mount attaches.
Orbea team riders have seen positive results by increasing the weight of their bikes with these weights. Orbea
We saw Tahnée Seagrave’s race-winning Rallon in downhill guise at the first round of the downhill World Cup in Poland, and it’s suspected that she’s running over half a kilo of ballast in the shuttle.
Increasing the amount of weight low down on your bike can improve stability thanks to lowering the centre of gravity.
Adding weight to the frame also increases the ratio of sprung to unsprung mass, which should in theory reduce the input required from the rider when the bike hits a bump, improving how well the suspension works.
Martin Mae’s testing on a heavily modified Wild eMTB test mule revealed he was fastest with 1kg of weights bolted above the BB.
We don’t know the weights of the new bikes yet, but the 2024 bike weighed 15kg, so we’re expecting it to be heavier but in the same ballpark.
Size matters
Rallon frames come in four sizes, rising in 25mm increments. Orbea
The new Rallon is available in small, medium, large and XL. The large offers 474mm reach in the DH setting and Orbea tells us each size will be larger or smaller in 25mm increments from there.
The downhill setup sees the bike with a 63.7-degree head angle in the middle setting, whereas in enduro guise, with the enduro Gravity Link for either a 27.5in or 29in rear wheel, the Rallon has a 28mm BB drop and a 64.25-degree head angle, with the steepest angle-adjusting headset cups fitted.
Riders can specify the chainstay length they want when they order a Rallon. Orbea
There are two chainstay options, which you can specify when you buy the bike – the shorter and ‘more playful’ 442mm or the 450mm racer option.
Interestingly, these are not specced according to the size of the bike. Instead, the downhill bikes will come with 450mm chainstays and the enduro bikes will ship with 442mm chainstays (unless requested otherwise).
This suggests both chainstay options will fit 27.5in and 29in wheel sizes, because the enduro bike will ship with 29in wheels front and rear as standard, and the downhill bike will only be available with a mixed wheel-size setup, with a 27.5in wheel at the rear.
Orbea’s engineers shared that using flip chips is impossible at the rear (thanks to the concentric pivot) and it would create potential structural issues to attempt this on the front of the chainstay where it bolts to the frame pivot.
Orbea is proud of the Rallon’s low standover height and ‘steep and deep’ seat tube, saying all riders should be able to run a 240mm dropper post using this bike.
The seat tube angle is the only part of the Rallon that looks out of place on a DH bike, with most downhill rigs’ seat tube angles coming in considerably slacker than the Rallon’s 79.1 degrees.
The Rallon also has in-frame storage, which Orbea calls the LOCKR.
Smart shocks
Fox Neo suspension electronically and automatically adjusts the damping to suit the terrain. Scott Windsor / Our Media
Orbea is keen to stress how effective the Fox Neo is when paired with the Rallon on the top spec E-LTD model.
When the Neo shock is activated, sensors in the brake calipers can unlock and open the suspension’s damping in the blink of an eye. Orbea says this enables the Rallon, with its downhill credentials, to ride efficiently on flatter or ascending sections of trail, while meaning it shines on the rough stuff too.
Bonus features
The LOCKR box is found on the DH and enduro Rallons. Orbea
Orbea has incorporated a storage box into the Rallon’s carbon down tube, which is useful for enduro riding but perhaps looks out of place on a downhill bike.
In the enduro guise, a multi-tool with 2, 3, 4 and 5mm Allen keys fits magnetically onto the Gravity Link and there is a 6mm Allen key in the rear axle.
The three weights that bolt onto the Gravity Link are included with all builds (both enduro and DH).
The frame runs on sealed bearings, but Orbea has handily incorporated some tough-looking external rubber seals to provide extra protection from dirt and water. There are smart protective covers over the chainstays and the Gravity Link under the BB shell.
Orbea Rallon spec and pricing details
The Orbea Rallon E-team (shown here with optional mullet wheel setup) includes Fox Factory suspension. Orbea
Four models are available in the new Rallon range: three enduro builds and one downhill spec.
The E-10 is the base-spec enduro build. Orbea
The enduro builds start with the most basic model, the E-10, followed by the E-team and the top-spec E-LTD, which includes the electronic Fox Neo suspension.
The top-spec Rallon enduro bike is the E-LTD, with Fox Neo electronic suspension and the highest price tag. Orbea
Orbea Rallon E-10: £5,399 / $5,699 / €5,399
Orbea Rallon E-Team: £6,899 / $7,199 / €6,999
Orbea Rallon E-LTD: £9,999 / $9,999 / €9,999
Orbea Rallon DH-LTDL: £7,899 / $8,299 / €7,999
There’s only one downhill build on offer: the Rallon D-LTD for €7,999. Orbea
Max still goes by Max for now, but the return to the original HBO Max branding is expected sometime this summer. In the meantime, the third season of HBO Original series The Gilded Age is set to drop in weekly installments starting June 22. The period drama, set in 1880s New York, stars Carrie Coon, Christine Baranski, and Cynthia Nixon, among others.
On the movie slate, there’s A24’s Parthenope (June 6), a Paolo Sorrentino coming-of-age film set in Naples and starring Celeste Dalla Porta and Gary Oldman, and Cleaner (June 13), about radical activists in present-day London who take hostages at an energy company’s annual gala in an attempt to expose corruption.
Max is also getting The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (June 27) and the much-hyped A Minecraft Movie, a fantasy comedy film based on the video game and starring Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Danielle Brooks, Emma Myers, and Jennifer Coolidge. The movie debuted in theaters this spring and is listed as “coming soon” to Max.
HBO Original documentaries coming in June include The Mortician, which will debut June 1—the three-episode run will dive deep into the family behind California’s Lamb Funeral Home and its morally questionable practices. Zackary Drucker’s Enigma (June 24) explores transgender legacy and identity through the stories of April Ashley and Amanda Lear, among others, while My Mom Jayne (June 27) follows actress Mariska Hargitay in her journey to learn more about her mom, who died when Hargitay was three.
Max subscribers will also get a variety of live sports, including NHL playoff games as well as a handful of MLB and U.S. soccer matchups.
Here’s everything else coming to Max in June.
What’s coming to Max in June 2025
Available June 1
A Hologram for the King (2016)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
A Perfect Getaway (2009)
Backtrack (2016)
Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons (2022)
Black Patch (1957)
Blues in the Night (1941)
Casino (1995)
Fight Club (1999)
Gentleman Jim (1942)
Hellboy (2004)
I Am Not Your Negro (2017)
Igor (2008)
Illegal (1955)
In the Good Old Summertime (1949)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Kid Glove Killer (1942)
Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
My Scientology Movie (2017)
Numbered Men (1930)
One Foot in Heaven (1941)
Parasite (2019)
Presenting Lily Mars (1943)
Pride & Prejudice (2005)
Public Enemies (2009)
Reign of the Supermen (2019)
Serenade (1956)
Silver River (1948)
Spaceballs (1987)
Split (2017)
Strike Up the Band (1940)
Summer Stock (1950)
Superman: Man of Tomorrow (2020)
Superman: Red Son (2020)
Superman: Unbound (2013)
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009)
Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943)
The Death of Superman (2018)
The Fighting 69th (1940)
The Harvey Girls (1946)
The Hunger Games (2012)
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (2014)
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 (2015)
The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017)
The Match King (1932)
The Mayor of Hell (1933)
The Mortician (HBO Original)
The Nitwits (1935)
The Prince and the Pauper (1937)
The Sea Chase (1955)
The Sea Hawk (1940)
The Sunlit Night (2019)
The Verdict (1946)
They Made Me a Criminal (1939)
This Side of the Law (1950)
Three Faces East (1930)
Three Strangers (1946)
Total Drama Island, Season 2 (Cartoon Network)
Wagons West (1952)
Words and Music (1948)
You’ll Find Out (1940)
Ziegfeld Follies (1946)
Available June 2
BBQ Brawl, Season 6 (Food Network)
Available June 3
Bullet Train (2022)
Ugliest House in America, Season 6 (HGTV)
Available June 4
1000-lb Roomies, Season 1 (TLC)
Fatal Destination, Season 1 (ID)
Available June 5
Bea’s Block, Season 1C (Max Original)
Chespirito: Not Really on Purpose, Season 1 (Max Original)
Available June 6
House Hunters International: Volume 9, Season 201 (HGTV)
Parthenope (A24)
Available June 10
Virgins, Season 1 (TLC)
Available June 11
Guy’s Grocery Games, Season 38 (Food Network)
Available June 12
Bitchin’ Rides, Season 11
Mini Beat Power Rockers: A Superheroic Night (Discovery International)
Available June 13
Cleaner (2025)
House Hunters: Volume 10, Season 240 (HGTV)
Maine Cabin Masters, Season 10 (Magnolia Network)
Super Sara (Max Original)
Toad & Friends, Season 1B
Available June 16
Hero Ball, Season 3B
Available June 17
Dr. Sanjay Gupta Reports: Animal Pharm (CNN Originals, 2025)
Super Mega Cakes, Season 1 (Food Network)
Available June 19
Expedition Unknown, Season 15 (Discovery)
Mystery At Blind Frog Ranch, Season 5 (Discovery)
Available June 20
House Hunters: Volume 10, Season 241 (HGTV)
Lu & The Bally Bunch, Season 1C (Cartoon Network)
Now or Never: FC Montfermeil (Max Original)
Teen Titans Go!, Season 9B (Cartoon Network)
Available June 21
The Kitchen, Season 38 (Food Network)
The Never Ever Mets, Season 2 (OWN)
Available June 22
The Gilded Age, Season 3 (HBO Original)
Available June 23
Match Me Abroad, Season 2 (TLC)
Available June 24
Enigma (HBO Original)
Mean Girl Murders, Season 3 (ID)
The Invitation (2022)
Available June 25
Rehab Addict, Season 10 (HGTV)
Available June 27
House Hunters: Volume 10, Season 242 (HGTV)
My Mom Jayne (HBO Original)
Pati, Seasons 1&2 (Max Original)
The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (2025)
Zipp’s new 303 SW and 353 NSW wheels blend aero technology, redesigned rims and an electronic tyre pressure sensor, making them the brand’s fastest all-round wheelsets to date.
The 303 SW and 353 NSW replace Zipp’s renowned 303 Firecrest and 353 NSW wheelsets.
With revamped rims that have been made tougher and lighter, plus the new integrated wireless electronic tyre pressure sensor system, are Zipp’s new wheels the sign of tech to come or a step too far in data-driven riding?
That’s something I aim to find out as soon as my test set of the new 303 SWs arrives.
The new AXS tyre pressure sensor inserts into the rim and provides constant pressure monitoring. Zipp
The new 353 NSW comes with an evolution of the undulating ‘sawtooth’ rim shape. It’s the latest iteration of Zipp’s waved inside edge, inspired by the tubercles of a Humpback Whale fin.
Zipp says the rim, which changes from 35mm to 40mm deep, is a shape that brings the aerodynamic benefits of a deeper rim. The effect is increased control in crosswinds, associated with a smaller rim sidewall.
The Zipp 353 NSW provides real-time tyre pressure monitoring. Zipp
The design follows the previous-generation wheels, with a varied dimple surface. Zipp claims these patterned dimples improve performance in crosswinds and straight-line speed.
So far, so similar. It is, however, what’s under the skin that brings the performance improvements, according to Zipp. The 353 NSW comes with a revised carbon layup and design. Zipp claims it has been able to improve the rim impact strength by 16%.
The rim is a hookless, flat-sided shape with a 25mm internal width. Zipp says this is optimised for 30mm road tyres. The 353 NSW has a claimed 1,310g complete weight (including rim tape, sensor unit/valves and lockrings).
The 353 NSWs also get a new ZR1 SL hubset, which is 30g lighter than its predecessor’s hubs, with stainless steel bearings as standard (ceramic is an option).
The wheelset sports a 66-point engagement freehub, along with a new, lighter hub body.
Zipp hubs
Zipp has made the new ZR1 SL hubset available separately. Zipp
For the first time, Zipp is making the ZR1 SL hubset available aftermarket with the ceramic bearing option. Zipp has stuck with J-bend spokes rather than shifting to straight-pull, a decision that should appeal to wheel builders.
The ZR1 hubs are approved for use with light-assist electric bikes for road or gravel, if the motor’s torque does not exceed 60Nm.
The hubs are available with SRAM XDR, Shimano HG11, Shimano Microspline and Campagnolo N3W freehubs, with 20-, 24- and 28-hole options.
Prices are £250 / $250 / €280 / AU$380 for the front hub and £450 / $450 / €500 / AU$680 for the rear hub.
Zipp 303 SW – tech-laden go-anywhere hoops
The new 303 SW has pressure sensors and increased strength thanks to a new carbon layup. Zipp
The 303 SW comes with a new rim profile that follows on from the massively wide 303 XPLR design.
The new rim remains 40mm deep with a broad 25mm internal width. Zipp says this is optimised for 30-35mm road tyres.
Utilising a wide rim design results in high aero efficiency and low rolling resistance on a wider tyre, according to Zipp. It’s designed for modern road riding at lower tyre pressures.
The rim’s profile provides low drag and an improved transition between rim and tyre. Zipp also claims a wide-rim stance means less tyre deflection, helping to reduce rolling resistance.
Zipp tells us the benefits are increased volume and lower pressures to smooth out the ride. That means they absorb the shakes and bumps rather than transmitting them to the rider, resulting in less fatigue.
The 303 SW has also seen improvements to the carbon layup and rim design. Here, it results in a 10 per cent improvement in impact strength. The wheels also have a refined sidewall shape that Zipp claims helps to shield the tyre from impacts that would otherwise cause a pinch flat.
The 303 SW has an updated ZR1 hubset with an all-new stainless steel bearing set for improved durability. The claimed weight for the 303SW, including tubeless tape, sensors and valves, is 1,440g.
Sensors built in
The new AXS tyre pressure sensor inserts into the rim and provides constant pressure monitoring. Zipp
Both the road-specific rim of the 353 NSW and the all-road-ready 303 SW are equipped with a Zipp AXS wheel sensor, a development from the original Quarq TyreWiz.
Rather than the sensor being attached to the valve, however, here it’s housed in the rim itself via a pocket. As the name suggests, the Zipp AXS sensor integrates seamlessly into the AXS ecosystem.
However, because it has a Bluetooth transmitter, it can transmit to any Garmin, Wahoo or Hammerhead head unit. Hammerhead, like Zipp, also comes under the SRAM umbrella, which means the Hammerhead Karoo gets a native-specific screen. This shows independent tyre pressures, with graphic depictions alongside the key data.
Data analysis
This system enables you to both monitor and record tyre pressures over a ride. This means you’ll get fair warning if something isn’t right, a slow puncture, for instance. Or, if you hit a pothole hard, you’ll be able to tell instantly whether you’ve lost pressure.
It will also enable riders to experiment with and fine-tune pressures on their setup, with post-ride analysis comparing speeds and pressures, for instance. It will be great for cobbled courses and gravel routes.
The sensor unit also has an LED light built in, so you can tell the status of your tyres in an instant. If the LED is green, it’s at the pressure you set, and you’re good to go. If it lights up red, you’re too low. It also means you don’t need a pump with a gauge. The sensor light will simply turn green when it gets to your optimal pressure.
The sensor is powered by a CR2032 coin cell, the same as AXS shifters. The battery has a larger capacity than the original TyreWiz. Zipp claims more than 400 days of use thanks to a larger battery size and firmware upgrades to the original TyreWiz program.
The valve is specific to the sensor because it features a small cross-drilled port from which the sensor takes its readings.
Not tubeless-only
The 353 NSW has a new lightweight ZR1 SL hubset. Zipp
Although the wheels come set up for tubeless with these valves, if you aren’t a tubeless fan, both the 353 NSWs and 303 SWs can be run with tubes.
You will need Zipp’s TPU smart tube, which comes with the same cross-drilled valve. A single tube is included with the wheels, plus a sealant syringe with a needle adaptor that helps the sealant bypass the valve and go straight into the tyre.
Zipp says the valve won’t get blocked up and doesn’t need cleaning because of the Venturi effect created by the valve design.
The 353 NSW comes with a 114kg/250lb maximum system weight (rider and bicycle). The 303 SW has a 120kg/265lb maximum system weight.
Prices
The wheels are available with XDR or Shimano freehubs as standard, with a Campagnolo driver body sold separately.
The 353 NSW wheels are priced at:
Front wheel, including sensor – £1,550 / $1,950 / €1,750 / AU$3,350
Zipp’s 858 NSW wheelset gets an upgraded hubset and ceramic bearings. Zipp
Zipp’s aero-optimised deep-section wheelsets, the sawtooth-profile 454 NSW and 858 NSW, have both received upgrades to the new ZR1 SL hubset with ceramic bearings as standard.
The remaining specification and pricing remain the same, while the upgrade to the wheelsets sees a 30g reduction in overall weight across both models.
The Zipp 454 NSW has lost 30g thanks to its new hubs and ceramic bearings. Zipp
Lifetime warranty
Zipp’s lifetime warranty covers you against impact damage under normal use. So, the 353 NSWs, as purely road wheels, are fully covered – provided you don’t head for your local trail centre or skatepark and start launching them skywards.
The 303 SW is classified as a road/all-round/gravel wheelset, so in theory it’s covered for more rugged riding.
Zipp’s latest collaboration with Goodyear sees the introduction of a pair of new models, including a 40mm slick road tyre in line with the recent trend for wider rubber.
The Indiana-based wheel specialist has announced the new tyres alongside the arrival of Zipp’s new 353 NSW and 303 SW wheels.
The Goodyear Vector R XPLR is a new wide road option, while the Eagle F1 Z29 Aero is an aerodynamic racing tyre. There are also more size options for Goodyear’s existing gravel tyres.
Zipp and Goodyear have collaborated on multiple new tyres. Zipp
The new Vector R XPLR is aerodynamically optimised for Zipp’s super-wide 303 XPLR wheels with their 32mm internal rim width. However, Zipp says the Vector R XPLR is compatible with the 25mm internal width.
The new Vector R XPLR tyre is a 40mm road slick. Zipp
It’s a lightly textured slick race tyre based on the Vector R but expanded to a 40mm width. The tyre uses a supple 120 TPI casing, and lightweight R: Shield and M: Wall protection layers, with the surface made using Goodyear’s Dynamic: UHP compound.
The Vector R XPLR has a claimed weight of 440g and a price of $90 / $90 / €100 / AU$155.
The Vector R XPLR tyre is designed to optimise aerodynamics when paired with the 303 XPLR. Zipp
Zipp says it’s the ideal fast tyre for cobbles and demanding road surfaces. Could Zipp athletes choose this option over standard road tyres in next year’s classics?
Goodyear Eagle F1 R Z29 Aero
The Goodyear F1 R Z29 Aero has an Aero Lip to smooth the interface with the 454/404 rim. Zipp
The all-new F1 R Z29 Aero, as the name suggests, is 29mm wide and aerodynamically designed. The tyre has been produced exclusively for the 23mm internal-width TSS rim, as found on the 404 Firecrest and 454 NSW wheelsets.
The tyre is designed to integrate seamlessly with this rim profile. It features a first for Goodyear and Zipp’s tyre ranges, with an aerodynamically optimised shape where the tyre meets the rim.
Aero Lip
The new aerodynamic tyre is designed to work with Zipp’s 454 NSW and 404 Firecrest wheels. Zipp
Zipp claims this smoothed-out shape eliminates the depression usually found on the tyre and rim interface, greatly reducing aero-drag. It’s an idea we saw on Mavic’s CXR 80 in 2012, although Zipp and Goodyear’s design is an integral part of the tyre design rather than a clip-in insert.
Zipp claims the Aero Lip technology not only improves the aerodynamics, it also enhances the durability, providing a buffer to protect the supple sidewalls from pinch punctures.
Like all of Zipp’s tubeless tyres, the Eagle F1 R Z29 Aero also features the dual-angle bead to make tubeless setup easier and improve pressure retention.
The tyre construction includes a new short-ply 180 TPI (threads per inch) casing that’s claimed to make for a much more compliant tyre. The tyre is protected by an R: Shield anti-puncture belt and uses the Dynamic: UHP compound for a tyre that weighs 270g and measures up exactly 29mm wide on the 404/454 wheelset.
Zipp claims that under its testing with the 454 wheels, the Eagle F1 R Z29 Aero measured lower rolling resistance than a 28mm Schwalbe Pro One, Pirelli P Zero and Vittoria Corsa R between 60 and 70psi.
The tyres are available in 29mm only and priced at £90 / $90 / €100 / AU$155 each.
New gravel tyre options
The XPLR Slick gains larger 40 and 45mm options. Zipp
In response to the trend towards wider tyres for gravel racing, Zipp has added more sizes to the XPLR range. The Zipp Goodyear XPLR Slick now comes in 40 and 45mm options, with the more all-rounder focused XPLR Inter gaining 45mm and 50mm options.
The XPLR Inter is now available in a large 50mm option. Zipp
We’re a collective sucker for a good deal around these parts, and we often pass along ones that we find interesting or particularly intriguing. Some deals are better than others, naturally, and driving that point home is an absolutely bonkers offer by LG. Not only is it discounting its awesome 27-inch Ultragear OLED monitor to an all-time
The extent of Tesla’s meteoric decline in popularity is on vivid display in the latest new car registration numbers coming out of Europe. New car sales were essentially flat in the region last month, with just under 1,400 more cars sold this year than last. But the market is far from static; plug-in sales are booming, with battery electric vehicle registrations up by 28 percent according to the analysts at JATO Dynamics, and plug-in hybrid EV sales increased by 31 percent. Almost every automaker has capitalized on this growth, with a few exceptions—Tesla being the most significant.
As the first mainstream BEV-only brand, Tesla led the way in European EV sales and made much of the fact that its Model Y crossover was the best-selling car in Europe for some time. Those days are long gone. Model Y registrations fell by 53 percent last month to just 4,495 units, dropping it to 9th on the list of most-registered BEVs. First place went to the Skoda Elroq, followed by VW’s ID.3, ID.7, ID.4, and the new Kia EV3.
When you look at sales at the brand level, things get a little worse for the American automaker. Volkswagen sold more EVs than anyone else in Europe last month, increasing by 61 percent to 23,514 units. As for Tesla? It fell to 11th place, with just 7,165 sales in total, a 49 percent decrease year on year.
At I/O 2025, nothing Google showed off felt new. Instead, we got a retread of the company’s familiar obsession with its own AI prowess. For the better part of two hours, Google spent playing up products like AI Mode, generative AI apps like Jules and Flow, and a bewildering new $250 per month AI Ultra plan.
During Tuesday’s keynote, I thought a lot about my first visit to Mountain View in 2018. I/O 2018 was different. Between Digital Wellbeing for Android, an entirely redesigned Maps app and even Duplex, Google felt like a company that had its pulse on what people wanted from technology. In fact, later that same year, my co-worker Cherlynn Low penned a story titled How Google won software in 2018. “Companies don’t often make features that are truly helpful, but in 2018, Google proved its software can change your life,” she wrote at the time, referencing the Pixel 3’s Call Screening and “magical” Night Sight features.
What announcement from Google I/O 2025 comes even close to Night Sight, Google Photos, or, if you’re being more generous to the company, Call Screening or Duplex? The only one that comes to my mind is the fact that Google is bringing live language translation to Google Meet. That’s a feature that many will find useful, and Google spent all of approximately a minute talking about it.
I’m sure there are people who are excited to use Jules to vibe code or Veo 3 to generate video clips, but are either of those products truly transformational? Some “AI filmmakers” may argue otherwise, but when’s the last time you thought your life would be dramatically better if you could only get a computer to make you a silly, 30-second clip.
By contrast, consider the impact Night Sight has had. With one feature, Google revolutionized phones by showing that software, with the help of AI, could overcome the physical limits of minuscule camera hardware. More importantly, Night Sight was a response to a real problem people had in the real world. It spurred companies like Samsung and Apple to catch up, and now any smartphone worth buying has serious low light capabilities. Night Sight changed the industry, for the better.
The fact you have to pay $250 per month to use Veo 3 and Google’s other frontier models as much as you want should tell everything you need to know about who the company thinks these tools are for: they’re not for you and I. I/O is primarily an event for developers, but the past several I/O conferences have felt like Google flexing its AI muscles rather than using those muscles to do something useful. In the past, the company had a knack for contextualizing what it was showing off in a way that would resonate with the broader public.
By 2018, machine learning was already at the forefront of nearly everything Google was doing, and, more so than any other big tech company at the time, Google was on the bleeding edge of that revolution. And yet the difference between now and then was that in 2018 it felt like much of Google’s AI might was directed in the service of tools and features that would actually be useful to people. Since then, for Google, AI has gone from a means to an end to an end in and of itself, and we’re all the worse for it.
Even less dubious features like AI Mode offer questionable usefulness. Google debuted the chatbot earlier this year, and has since then has been making it available to more and more people. The problem with AI Mode is that it’s designed to solve a problem of the company’s own making. We all know the quality of Google Search results has declined dramatically over the last few years. Rather than fixing what’s broken and making its system harder to game by SEO farms, Google tells us AI Mode represents the future of its search engine.
The thing is, a chat bot is not a replacement for a proper search engine. I frequently use ChatGPT Search to research things I’m interested in. However, as great as it is to get a detailed and articulate response to a question, ChatGPT can and will often get things wrong. We’re all familiar with the errors AI Overviews produced when Google first started rolling out the feature. AI Overviews might not be in the news anymore, but they’re still prone to producing embarrassing mistakes. Just take a look at the screenshot my co-worker Kris Holt sent to me recently.
Kris Holt for Engadget
I don’t think it’s an accident I/O 2025 ended with a showcase of Android XR, a platform that sees the company revisiting a failed concept. Let’s also not forget that Android, an operating system billions of people interact with every day, was relegated to a pre-taped livestream the week before. Right now, Google feels like it’s a company eager to repeat the mistakes of Google Glass. Rather than trying to meet people where they need it, Google is creating products few are actually asking for. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t make me excited for the company’s future.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/googles-most-powerful-ai-tools-arent-for-us-134657007.html?src=rss
A day of shark fishing at Pensacola Beach turned into an extraordinary tale of heroism when a local angler, Andrew Smith, leveraged an unlikely piece of tech to save a teenage girl from a perilous rip current. Smith, known for his unique approach to fishing with drones, is now being hailed as a lifesaver after his quick thinking and aerial
Welcome to “Cookbook of the Week.” This is a series where I highlight cookbooks that are unique, easy to use, or just special to me. While finding a particular recipe online serves a quick purpose, flipping through a truly excellent cookbook has a magic all its own.
I’m nearly positive the first biscuit iteration I ever ate was a Bisquick drop biscuit. While my mom was a well-practiced savory cook, she usually baked from boxes. That was just fine by me and my brothers. But as I grew fond of baking myself, I was pretty surprised when I learned that baking biscuits from scratch was not quite like Bisquick. Simple? Sure. But only where the ingredient list is concerned. In fact, the simpler the ingredient list, the more difficult some types of foods are to make. Biscuits are a great example of the illusion of ease in baking.
There’s a balance to strike between shortening gluten and strengthening gluten, adding richness and maximizing lift, and then there’s the question of what to eat it with. This week’s cookbook spotlight shines onto Still We Rise, a cookbook that contains every type of biscuit—from those that can suffice as a butter-slathered side dish to others that are a vital source of comfort.
A bit about the book
Still We Rise dropped in 2023 from the owner and chef of Bomb Biscuit Company, Erika Council. You might think to yourself: How many recipes for biscuits could there possibly be? A lot, in fact. There are over 70 recipes in this book—yes, for different types of biscuits, but also for jams and spreads, as well as recipes for savory, stacked biscuit sandwiches.
Aside from serving as a collection of easy-to-follow biscuit recipes for you to enjoy, you’ll find anecdotes and one-page personal stories related to the recipes that follow. Council uses this cookbook as a place to tell the stories of accomplished female chefs, of her family, their experiences as Black people living in America in the 1940s and onward, and how the food cooked and shared by Council’s family members has played a crucial role in how she connects to her past and present.
The recipe I made this week
When I first chose the recipe I wanted to make this week, I was expecting a routine biscuit preparation. I chose the Sour Cream and Onion Biscuits, so I made sure to have flour ready, sour cream, green onions, and plenty of cold butter. I stretched my hands and prepared myself for several minutes of “cutting in” butter. That’s a process where you break cold butter into tiny pieces to eventually flatten them so they bake into flaky layers. You’ll see it often in pie crusts too. It’s like a hyper-lazy version of laminating dough, which you see in croissants and puff pastry. To put it bluntly, it’s pretty annoying, but biscuits taste good, so it’s worth it.
Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
I started mixing the dry ingredients in a bowl and scanned the page for the butter sequence. I scanned again. Where was the butter? Oh, there’s no butter—there’s no butter? (Well there was, but only a couple tablespoons for brushing on at the end.) This recipe uses sour cream and a splash of full-fat buttermilk to lend richness to the dough, and that’s it. No breaking up butter or shredding it with a grater? For those who don’t know off-hand what this news means in a practical sense, this recipe would potentially only take about 10 minutes to prepare.
And it did. It was so easy to make. Too easy to make? I was suspicious at first, but the smell wafting from the oven dispelled my fears. The first thing I noticed when I bit into one was the hydration. This biscuit wasn’t your typical towering, flaky specimen, but instead a fluffed and tender oniony morsel. It wasn’t wet or cake-y by any means, but it was nowhere near in danger of being a dry biscuit. I should have made a double batch because the sour cream prevented the biscuits from becoming hard or stale even after they had been sitting out for a day.
A great cookbook for biscuits that fit your situation
It’s obvious that this is a biscuit cookbook; don’t come here looking for a pizza recipe (though there are pancakes in here). What’s special about this book is that there seems to be a biscuit for every possible need, limitation, or random craving. It speaks to more than simply a variety of toppings or mix-ins.
There are recipes that don’t have butter in them, ones that use alternative fats like duck fat, biscuits with regular milk and some with buttermilk, recipes for sweet occasions, savory needs, quick and low-lift recipes, and more complex ones. I can easily see myself thinking, today I don’t have buttermilk and I need savory biscuits ready in 1 hour, so what can I make?—and finding a biscuit that matches my current pantry inventory and time needs.
How to buy it
I always recommend a jaunt to the local bookstore, but seeing as I couldn’t do it this week, I can’t blame you for ordering online either. I selected the hardcover this week, but if your cookbook bookshelf is getting tight, you can download the ebook for a steal. I’ll be keeping my copy right in the kitchen for strawberry and peach season. (There’s a Honey Roasted Peach Biscuit recipe in here that I have my eye on.)
If you’re planning a summer vacation and intend on booking a flight with Southwest Airlines, take heed of a new rule involving portable chargers. In an update to its policy, Southwest Airlines requires that any portable charger or power bank be out in the open and “remain in plain sight” while in use. So, no more charging your smartphone inside
The first device OpenAI is putting out with Jony Ive won’t be a phone or a wearable and may not even have a screen at all, according to The Wall Street Journal. OpenAI chief Sam Altman reportedly talked about the company’s plans to employees after announcing that it has purchased Ive’s startup called io. The Journal said Altman told employees that they have “the chance to do the biggest thing [they’ve] ever done as a company.”
Altman and Ive gave out clues for what the company’s first device could be: They said it will be fully aware of its environment and the user’s activities, that it will unobtrusive and could either be carried around in one’s pocket or placed on a desk. The executives also believe that it’s bound to become one of people’s “core” devices after a laptop and a phone. According to the Journal, it won’t be a phone and that one of Ive’s and Altman’s goals is to wean people off screens, which means it most likely wouldn’t come with a display. Altman reportedly said that it won’t be a pair of glasses, and Ive wasn’t keen on building a product users can wear in the first place.
Whatever the device is, they intend on guarding specifics until it’s time to release it in order to prevent their competitors from copying it. They’re hoping to launch their new AI device late next year and are hoping to ship 100 million units “faster than any company has ever shipped 100 million of something new before.” Ive’s team, the Journal said, has been talking to vendors that can mass produce the device over the past four months.
OpenAI apparently started working with Ive’s startup a year-and-a-half ago. The original plan was to have Ive’s company build a product that uses OpenAI’s technology, but they realized that it could become the primary way users will interact with OpenAI’s generative AI models. And that is why OpenAI ended up acquiring the startup founded by Apple’s former chief design officer for $6.5 billion. We’ll have to wait and see whether the combination of Ive’s design and OpenAI’s tech is compelling enough to convince people to buy yet another device from a new category. A company called Humane, for instance, tried and failed to get people to purchase the Ai Pin, which it marketed “as a tiny replacement for smartphones.” In February, the company disconnected all the Pins it had sold, leaving customers without access to all of its features.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openais-first-device-with-jony-ive-reportedly-wont-be-a-phone-or-a-wearable-130024787.html?src=rss
For a property owner, paint is an incredibly powerful tool. It’s a cheap and effective renovation in a can, a fun way to add some personality to your home, and a project that can be wrapped up in a weekend. Best of all, if you mess up your paint job, you can just paint over your mistakes.
But the power of paint goes way beyond aesthetics. Paint can be formulated in different ways, with different effects, making it an easy, low-cost solution to a host of problems you might experience in your home—and I’m not talking about covering them up to pretend they aren’t there. Choosing the right kind of paint can often be the most affordable solution, and is worth considering before you start taking out home equity loans to pay for a more invasive, disruptive fix. Here are eight problems that you might be able to take care of with the right paint.
Slippery floors and stairs
When I first moved into my current home, I slipped on our narrow, steep old stairs. I didn’t get seriously hurt, unless humiliation and emotional damage counts—but I could easily imagine a different outcome. Since changing the rise of the stairs was out of the question and my wife and I weren’t into carpeting, we decided to paint them with anti-slip paint.
The stairs that tried to kill me, now coated in anti-slip paint. Credit: Jeff Somers
It worked perfectly. Not only did the paint job turn out great, making the stairs look new, the slight grit the paint added to the surface means I haven’t slipped on those stairs in years. Anti-slip paint can be used indoors or outdoors (on slippery deck planks, for example), and on just about any surface—companies even make additives you can mix into any exterior or interior paint to transform it into anti-slip paint. If there are places in your home where you constantly worry about slipping and falling, a coat of anti-slip paint can take care of them.
Cosmetic imperfections
You might think that covering imperfections like minor scratches, stains, or that hideous green color the previous owner used is the whole point of paint, and you would be right. But if the wall in question is especially problematic and you want to avoid re-doing the drywall or plaster or the tedious work of adding a skim coat, you might be able to hide those imperfections with a high-opacity trade paint. A trade paint is a professional formulation of paint that’s designed to be thicker and more opaque while offering better coverage and durability (you might see this referred to as “obliterating paint,” especially outside the U.S.). The paint you buy in the store is retail paint, and it’s usually formulated to keep costs down. Trade paint is for the professionals, and it costs more, but will do a much better job of covering up the sins on your walls because of its thickness, matte finish, and opacity.
Noise
If the problem in your house is noise—whether from inconsiderate neighbors or roommates from hell—a sound-deadening acoustic paint will definitely help. These paints are formulated to be thick and spongy when they cure, absorbing sound and reducing echo—no need to attach all kinds of foam baffles to every surface.
Sound deadening paint won’t block all sound, especially if it’s only applied on one side of a wall. But it will reduce the level of noise that makes it through, and if you apply it to both sides of shared walls in sufficient thickness (you usually need at least three coats for maximum effectiveness) it will make an audible difference.
Fire risk
Your house burning down would definitely fall under the category of a “house problem.” Believe it or not, paint can help with that. Choosing a fire-retardant paint for your next interior paint project can turn your walls into firebreaks that will slow down a house fire. When these paints encounter fire, they quickly char over, forming a protective layer that resists the flames. It won’t completely stop the spread of a fire in your house, but it will buy you time to get your family to safety and call in the firefighters—and in a house fire, time is the most important factor.
High utility bills
If your house is crazy expensive to heat or cool (or, if you’re really lucky, crazy expensive to heat and cool), you can make the situation a little better with paint in two ways:
Paint your roof. Painting your flat roof with an appropriate roof coating can not only extend the lifespan of your roof, it can help bounce the sun’s rays away, lowering the temperature of your roof and reducing the heat that’s transferred to your home as a result. (Choosing a white paint for this job will be the most effective in cooling things down.)
Use an insulating interior paint. Insulating paint is designed to augment existing insulation in your home—you can’t just slap a coat of it on an uninsulated wall or ceiling and get results. But it can help reduce temperature transfer and fluctuation inside your home if it’s applied correctly and in multiple coats (the more coats, the better it will work). If you’ve tried everything else to get your utility bills under control, throwing some insulating paint on the walls might help.
Too-small rooms
It happens: You buy a house with loads of charm, and once you’re living in it you realize that the rooms are actually small and dark, because the people who built it were short and afraid of the Sun. Or something. If that’s your problem, you can try a bunch of different strategies to get more natural light into a room (or fake it), and one of the tricks you can try is paint: By choosing the right color intensity, saturation, and finish for your walls and ceilings, you can turn a small, dark space into a brighter one that at least seems larger. No, paint won’t suddenly make that huge armoire fit into your tiny bedroom, but it will at least make it feel possible.
Moisture and mold
If you’re worried about a damp room and mold, or have a bathroom that isn’t well-ventilated and is thus susceptible to mold infestations, paint can help you out in two ways:
Waterproofing paint or primer can help block moisture from seeping into the room in the first place. This isn’t magic—it’s not going to stop flowing water, and if you don’t take steps to mitigate flooding or poor drainage in or around your house no amount of waterproofing paint is going to help. But it can be very effective at reducing moisture in a room if applied correctly.
Mold-resistant paint in damp areas like bathrooms, basements, or any room where the humidity is a concern can then help prevent mold from taking root. These paints have antimicrobial properties, so if you start off with a mold-free room and take steps to reduce moisture, using a mold-resistant paint will make a huge difference going forward.
