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The 2025 JBL Charge 6 is currently on sale for $139.99 on StackSocial, about $30 cheaper than Amazon’s $169.95 listing and at its lowest price ever, according to price trackers. It’s for an open-box model, which means the packaging may carry a few extra stickers or scuffs from store handling, but the unit itself is verified as new and comes with a one-year warranty. Free shipping is included, though only within the contiguous U.S.
The Charge 6 is a rugged, carry-friendly speaker designed to go anywhere—pool, beach, or backyard. JBL added a looped handle that makes it easier to haul around, and the build itself feels sturdy enough to take some knocks. It’s dust-tight and can be submerged in about five feet of water for up to half an hour thanks to its IP68 rating, so you don’t need to worry if it gets splashed or dropped poolside. Inside, a larger woofer and tweeter produce a combined 45 watts of power, with passive radiators on each end adding more thump. The result is a sound that feels loud and punchy for the size, even if the lowest bass notes don’t come through. This PCMag review notes that its clarity and volume stand out in the compact speaker category.
JBL also packed in some useful upgrades. The speaker now supports Auracast, letting you tap into compatible broadcasts, and it delivers lossless audio through the USB-C port if you’re willing to plug in. Bluetooth 5.4 maintains reliability, although codec support is limited to AAC and SBC, which is a disappointment for higher-quality wireless streaming. The JBL companion app also offers a seven-band EQ, several sound presets, and a Playtime Boost option that extends battery life by reducing bass levels. At this price, it’s worth considering if you’re looking for a speaker that’s portable, loud, and durable enough to withstand some rough treatment outdoors.
Australia’s competition regulator sued Microsoft today, accusing it of misleading millions of customers into paying higher prices for its Microsoft 365 software after bundling it with AI tool Copilot. From a report: The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission alleged that from October 2024, the technology giant misled about 2.7 million customers by suggesting they had to move to higher-priced Microsoft 365 personal and family plans that included Copilot.
After the integration of Copilot, the annual subscription price of the Microsoft 365 personal plan increased by 45% to A$159 ($103.32) and the price of the family plan increased by 29% to A$179, the ACCC said. The regulator said Microsoft failed to clearly tell users that a cheaper “classic” plan without Copilot was still available.
A mixture of two types of pigment-producing cells undergoes diffusiophoretic transport to self-assemble into a hexagonal pattern. Credit: Siamak Mirfendereski and Ankur Gupta/CU Boulder
A zebra’s distinctive black-and-white stripes, or a leopard’s spots, are both examples of “Turing patterns,” after mathematician and computer scientist Alan Turing, who proposed an intriguing hypothetical mechanism for how such complex, irregular patterns might emerge in nature. But Turing’s original proposal proved too simplified to fully recreate those natural patterns. Scientists at the University of Colorado at Boulder (UCB) have devised a new modeling approach that achieves much more accurate final patterns by introducing deliberate imperfections, according to a new paper published in the journal Matter.
Turing focused on chemicals known as morphogens in his seminal 1952 paper. He devised a mechanism involving the interaction between an activator chemical that expresses a unique characteristic (like a tiger’s stripe) and an inhibitor chemical that periodically kicks in to shut down the activator’s expression. Both activator and inhibitor diffuse throughout a system, much like gas atoms will do in an enclosed box. It’s a bit like injecting a drop of black ink into a beaker of water. Normally, this would stabilize a system, and the water would gradually turn a uniform gray. But if the inhibitor diffuses at a faster rate than the activator, the process is destabilized. That mechanism will produce spots or stripes.
Scientists have tried to apply this basic concept to many different kinds of systems. For instance, neurons in the brain could serve as activators and inhibitors, depending on whether they amplify or dampen the firing of other nearby neurons—possibly the reason why we see certain patterns when we hallucinate. There is evidence for Turing mechanisms at work in zebra-fish stripes, the spacing between hair follicles in mice, feather buds on a bird’s skin, the ridges on a mouse’s palate, and the digits on a mouse’s paw.
It happened again. Peacock just raised subscription prices for its Premium and Premium Plus plans. This is the third price increase in as many years. If your bank account is feeling the pain, or if you’re just looking to streamline your entertainment options, you may decide it’s time to take a break from NBC’s flagship platform. Here’s everything you need to know about canceling your Peacock subscription.
How to cancel via web
The simplest way to end your Peacock Premium service is if you’re being billed directly by the company. You can follow the same steps in a web or mobile browser.
Log in to your Peacock Premium or Premium Plus account.
Click on the Profile icon.
Select Account or Plans & Payments.
Click on Cancel Plan.
Follow the prompts to confirm the cancellation.
That’s pretty simple, but things get a bit more complicated if you’re not in a direct-billing situation.
How to cancel via third-party provider
Like most modern streaming platforms, Peacock has partnerships with third-party providers like Apple and Amazon. This lets users sign up for the service through an entirely separate platform, like Prime Video. Cancelling has to also go through this third party. The general idea here is to sign into that account and find somewhere to manage billing and subscriptions, looking for Peacock. Here are specific steps for some of the more common providers.
Cancel via Apple
Go to the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
Tap on your name at the top of the screen and tap Subscriptions.
Select your Peacock subscription to manage and make changes.
Cancel via Amazon
Go to Amazon Memberships and Subscriptions using a web browser.
Sign in to your Amazon account.
Navigate to your Peacock subscription and select Cancel Subscription.
Cancel via Google Play
Go to the Google Play store using a web browser.
Confirm that you’re signed in to your Google account.
On the top right, click your Google account icon and select Payment & Subscriptions.
Click the Subscriptions tab and select your Peacock subscription.
Click Manage and select Cancel subscription.
Cancel via Roku
On your Roku TV, highlight Peacock.
Press the star (*) button.
Select Manage Subscriptions.
Look for Peacock and hit Cancel.
How to cancel a promotional subscription
Peacock is often given away by internet providers like Comcast and phone carriers, among others. These plans often start free, but that goes away after a year or so. Check the fine print to see when your gifted subscription will run out, as you’ll begin getting charged the usual rate. The best way to cancel these subscriptions is via the entity that offered it in the first place. This means you’ll have to call up Xfinity or Spectrum directly. A customer representative should be able to handle the cancellation.
Can I pause a Peacock subscription?
No, Peacock doesn’t currently offer the ability to pause a subscription. The best way to effectively “pause” a subscription is to cancel via one of the aforementioned methods and then resubscribe at a later date.
What happens after you cancel?
Cancelling a Peacock subscription doesn’t immediately end your service. There are no partial refunds given, so you’ll have full access to the account until the next payment date. At that point, the service will revert to the free tier. This means that if you change your mind before the next pay period, it’s really easy to get things going again. Just look for a Restart Subscription button somewhere on the Account page.
Like most modern tech services, cancelling doesn’t erase any of your data. The subscription reverts to the free tier and will live on. To permanently close an account, you have to manually fill out a request via the Privacy Web Form in the Account page. This will lead you to a website to close the account.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/how-to-cancel-your-peacock-subscription-160047090.html?src=rss
TikTok and the U.S.’ “will they, won’t they” saga may finally be coming to an end. After nine months of kicking the can down the road, the U.S. has reportedly reached a deal with China to allow TikTok to continue operating in the States, which should come as good news for the estimated one-third of Americans who use the app.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed the development in a Face the Nation appearance on Sunday. Bessent told Margaret Brennan that the U.S. “reached a final deal on TikTok. We reached one in Madrid, and I believe that as of today, all the details are ironed out, and that will be for the two leaders to consummate that transaction on Thursday in Korea.”
The secretary did not share any additional details of the deal, but we do know what the U.S. had in mind heading into the talks. Last month, President Trump signed an executive order outlining what TikTok’s future would look like in the U.S., assuming a deal with its parent company ByteDance and the Chinese government went through.
Per the law signed by President Biden last year, TikTok has to sell to an American company or face a ban in the U.S. According to Trump’s executive order, that represents a joint venture of different investors and American companies, namely Oracle, which will now have a majority stake in the company. ByteDance will continue to have a minority stake, controlling less than 20% of the company.
We also know from past reporting that it’s highly likely that users will need to download a new version of TikTok. This U.S. iteration of the app would look and feel the same, but would eventually ship with a new algorithm “retrained and monitored” by “trusted security partners” of the U.S. Your data would also no longer be collected and stored by companies based in China; rather, your TikTok info will be collected and stored in a cloud environment controlled by an American company.
We won’t know the specifics until the deal is public, but if the secretary is to be believed, the deal is at least official. Soon enough, TikTok will be allowed to operate in the U.S. with zero risk of being banned—though the privacy risks it poses may have just moved from one country to another.
TikTok and the U.S.’ “will they, won’t they” saga may finally be coming to an end. After nine months of kicking the can down the road, the U.S. has reportedly reached a deal with China to allow TikTok to continue operating in the States, which should come as good news for the estimated one-third of Americans who use the app.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed the development in a Face the Nation appearance on Sunday. Bessent told Margaret Brennan that the U.S. “reached a final deal on TikTok. We reached one in Madrid, and I believe that as of today, all the details are ironed out, and that will be for the two leaders to consummate that transaction on Thursday in Korea.”
The secretary did not share any additional details of the deal, but we do know what the U.S. had in mind heading into the talks. Last month, President Trump signed an executive order outlining what TikTok’s future would look like in the U.S., assuming a deal with its parent company ByteDance and the Chinese government went through.
Per the law signed by President Biden last year, TikTok has to sell to an American company or face a ban in the U.S. According to Trump’s executive order, that represents a joint venture of different investors and American companies, namely Oracle, which will now have a majority stake in the company. ByteDance will continue to have a minority stake, controlling less than 20% of the company.
We also know from past reporting that it’s highly likely that users will need to download a new version of TikTok. This U.S. iteration of the app would look and feel the same, but would eventually ship with a new algorithm “retrained and monitored” by “trusted security partners” of the U.S. Your data would also no longer be collected and stored by companies based in China; rather, your TikTok info will be collected and stored in a cloud environment controlled by an American company.
We won’t know the specifics until the deal is public, but if the secretary is to be believed, the deal is at least official. Soon enough, TikTok will be allowed to operate in the U.S. with zero risk of being banned—though the privacy risks it poses may have just moved from one country to another.
Meta’s Threads is getting its own version of ephemeral posting with a new feature the company is calling “ghost posts.” The temporary posts will be published within Threads’ main feed like any other post, but will disappear after 24 hours. And while other users can interact with ghost posts, only the original poster will be able to view likes and replies.
Instead of typical public-facing replies, replies to ghost posts will be routed directly to users’ inboxes, where they can opt to respond privately. In some cases, this could also mean that replies for ghost posts are more limited than replies to normal posts, as Meta’s default messaging settings limit DMs to followed accounts only (these settings can be tweaked in the Threads app).
In some ways, it’s not surprising Meta would add temporary posts to Threads as a way to encourage users there to share more. On Instagram, Stories are used far more than permanent grid posts. In a blog post, Meta describes the new feature as a way for people to “share unfiltered thoughts and fresh takes without the pressure of permanence or polish.”
But ephemeral formats haven’t always been successful on text-based platforms like Threads. Twitter briefly experimented with an ephemeral Stories like format it called “Fleets.” Then-CEO Jack Dorsey reportedly “grew to despise” the feature, and it was killed less than a year after it launched.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/threads-introduces-ghost-posts-that-disappear-after-24-hours-160000228.html?src=rss
A group of Sweden-based researchers proposed a novel e-ink display solution that could make way for super compact, retina-level VR headsets and AR glasses in the future.
The News
Traditional emissive displays are shrinking, but they face physical limits; smaller pixels tend to emit less uniformly and provide less intense light, which is especially noticeable in near-eye applications like virtual and augmented reality headsets.
In a recent research paper published in Nature, a team of researchers presents what a “retinal e-ink display” which hopes to offer a new solution quite unlike displays seen in modern VR headsets today, which are increasingly adopting micro-OLEDs to reduce size and weight.
The paper was authored by researchers affiliated with Uppsala University, Umeå University, University of Gothenburg, and Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg: Ade Satria Saloka Santosa, Yu-Wei Chang, Andreas B. Dahlin, Lars Österlund, Giovanni Volpe, and Kunli Xiong.
While conventional e-paper has struggled to reach the resolution necessary for realistic, high-fidelity images, the team proposes a new form of e-paper featuring electrically tunable “metapixels” only about 560 nanometres wide.
This promises a pixel density of over 25,000 pixels per inch (PPI)—an order of magnitude denser than displays currently used in headsets like Samsung Galaxy XR or Apple Vision Pro. Those headsets have a PPI of around 4,000.
Image courtesy Nature
As the paper describes it, each metapixel is made from tungsten trioxide (WO₃) nanodisks that undergo a reversible insulator-to-metal transition when electrically reduced. This process dynamically changes the material’s refractive index and optical absorption, allowing nanoscale control of brightness and color contrast.
In effect, when lit by ambient light, the display can create bright, saturated colors far thinner than a human hair, as well as deep blacks with reported optical contrast ratios around 50%—a reflective equivalent of high-dynamic range (HDR).
And the team says it could be useful in both AR and VR displays. The figure below shows a conceptual optical stack for both applications, with Figure A representing a VR display, and Figure B showing an AR display.
Image courtesy Nature
Still, there are some noted drawbacks. Beyond sheer resolution, the display delivers full-color video at “more than 25 Hz,” which is significantly lower than what VR users need for comfortable viewing. In addition to a relatively low refresh rate, researchers note the retina e-paper requires further optimization in color gamut, operational stability and lifetime.
“Lowering the operating voltage and exploring alternative electrolytes represent promising engineering routes to extend device durability and reduce energy consumption,” the paper explains. “Moreover, its ultra-high resolution also necessitates the development of ultra-high-resolution TFT arrays for independent pixel control, which will enable fully addressable, large-area displays and is therefore a critical direction for future research and technological development.”
And while the e-paper display itself is remarkably low-powered, packing in the graphical compute to put those metapixels to work will also be a challenge. It’s a good problem to have, but a problem none the less.
My Take
At least as the paper describes it, the underlying tech could produce XR displays approaching the size and pixel density that we’ve never seen before. And reaching the limits of human visual perception is one of those holy grail moments I’ve been waiting for.
Getting that refresh rate up well beyond 25 Hz is going to be extremely important though. As the paper describes it, 25 Hz is good for video playback, but driving an immersive VR environment requires at least 60 Hz refresh to be minimally comfortable. 72 Hz is better, and 90 Hz is the standard nowadays.
I’m also curious to see the e-paper display stacked up against lower resolution micro-OLED contemporaries, if only to see how that proposed ambient lighting can achieve HDR. I have a hard time wrapping my head around it. Essentially, the display’s metapixels absorb and scatter ambient light, much like Vantablack does—probably something that needs to be truly seen in person to be believed.
Healthy skepticism aside, I find it truly amazing we’ve even arrived at the conversation in the first place: we’re at the point where XR displays could recreate reality, at least as far as your eyes are concerned.
The 2025 Fall Classic has already reached Game 3 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays. The tied-up World Series heads to Los Angeles tonight — Monday, Oct. 27 — at 8PM ET/5PM PT, with the Dodgers getting their turn at a home field advantage at Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles. Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers are aiming to win their second consecutive championship, while Vlad Guerrero Jr. and the Blue Jays are eyeing their first ring since 1993. Despite Toronto’s victory over Los Angeles last night, the World Series odds still favor the Dodgers ahead of Game 3. Every 2025 MLB World Series game will air on Fox and Fox Deportes.
Of course, Fox is a “free” over-the-air channel, so any affordable digital antenna will pull in the game if you live close enough to a local affiliate. But if that’s not an option, here’s a full rundown of how to watch the Dodgers vs. Blue Jays World Series, even without cable.
How to watch the L.A. Dodgers vs. Toronto Blue Jays, Game 3
You can stream Fox on any live TV streaming service that airs Fox local stations, including DirecTV, Fubo and Hulu + Live TV. MLB World Series games will also be available on Fox’s new streaming platform, Fox One.
More ways to watch the 2025 World Series
When is the Dodgers vs. Blue Jays game time?
Game 3 of the Dodgers vs. Blue Jays World Series is tonight, Oct. 27 at 8PM ET/5PM PT.
What channel is playing the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Toronto Blue Jays?
Game 3 of the World Series between the Dodgers and Blue Jays is scheduled for Oct. 27, 2025.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Toronto Blue Jays World Series schedule
All times Eastern. Series tied 1-1.
Game 1: Friday, Oct. 24, 8PM ET
Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 25, 8PM ET
Game 3: Monday, Oct. 27, 8PM ET
Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 28, 8PM ET
Game 5*: Wednesday, Oct. 29, 8PM ET
Game 6*: Friday, Oct. 31, 8PM ET
Game 7*: Saturday, Nov. 1, 8PM ET
*if necessary
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/dodgers-vs-blue-jays-game-3-tonight-how-to-watch-the-2025-mlb-world-series-without-cable-153110828.html?src=rss
The Galaxy S25 Edge has impressed since its release, with excellent reviews from many tech sites, including PCMag. The reviews praise its thin design (around 5.84mm), which doesn’t come at the expense of battery life or performance. You can expect over 16 hours of use on a single charge (tests conducted with YouTube videos playing at full brightness), which is the longest of all the latest S Series phones. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip, comes with 12GB of RAM, and starts with 128GB of storage, although this deal is for the 512GB model.
It also has a dual camera setup with a 200 MP wide lens and 12 MP ultra-wide and front lenses, but no telephoto camera. The AI features are what you’d expect from Samsung: enhanced multitasking tools, a desktop mode (Dex), and Galaxy AI. A big plus is Samsung’s promise to give this phone seven generations of OS updates and seven years of security fixes (through May 31, 2032).
If you’re looking for a deal on a thin and lightweight Android phone that excels in battery life, performance, and will be around for many years, consider the Galaxy S25 Edge for $729.99.
Our Best Editor-Vetted Early Black Friday Deals Right Now
The U.S. has formed a $1 billion partnership with AMD to construct two supercomputers that will tackle large scientific problems ranging from nuclear power to cancer treatments to national security, said Energy Secretary Chris Wright and AMD CEO Lisa Su. From a report: The U.S. is building the two machines to ensure the country has enough supercomputers to run increasingly complex experiments that require harnessing enormous amounts of data-crunching capability. The machines can accelerate the process of making scientific discoveries in areas the U.S. is focused on.
Energy Secretary Wright said the systems would “supercharge” advances in nuclear power and fusion energy, technologies for defense and national security, and the development of drugs. Scientists and companies are trying to replicate fusion, the reaction that fuels the sun, by jamming light atoms in a plasma gas under intense heat and pressure to release massive amounts of energy. “We’ve made great progress, but plasmas are unstable, and we need to recreate the center of the sun on Earth,” Wright told Reuters.
As Jamaica braces for what may be the most powerful storm in the island nation’s history, Cuba and the Lucayan Archipelago may face direct hits soon after.
Countries signed their first UN treaty targeting cybercrime in Hanoi on Saturday, despite opposition from an unlikely band of tech companies and rights groups warning of expanded state surveillance. From a report: The new global legal framework aims to strengthen international cooperation to fight digital crimes, from child pornography to transnational cyberscams and money laundering. More than 60 countries were seen to sign the declaration Saturday, which means it will go into force once ratified by those states. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres described the signing as an “important milestone”, but that it was “only the beginning”.
“Every day, sophisticated scams, destroy families, steal migrants and drain billions of dollars from our economy… We need a strong, connected global response,” he said at the opening ceremony in Vietnam’s capital on Saturday. The UN Convention against Cybercrime was first proposed by Russian diplomats in 2017, and approved by consensus last year after lengthy negotiations. Critics say its broad language could lead to abuses of power and enable the cross-border repression of government critics.
Hurricane Melissa will make landfall in southern Jamaica less than 24 hours from now, and it is likely to be the most catastrophic storm in the Caribbean island’s history.
As it crawled across the northern Caribbean Sea on Monday morning, Melissa officially became a Category 5 hurricane with 160 mph winds, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The hurricane will likely fluctuate in intensity over the next day or so, perhaps undergoing an eyewall replacement cycle. But the background conditions, including very warm Caribbean waters and low wind shear, will support a very powerful hurricane and the potential for further strengthening.
Zwift has released its “biggest map expansion in five years” today, with 31km of new virtual roads added to its new New York map.
The New York map is set 100 years into the future with a “futuristic” network of glass sky roads around Central Park. But the expansion also heads out of Manhattan across the Brooklyn Bridge and into Prospect Park.
Zwift says that “in contrast to the challenging climbs of around Central Park, this expansion brings new faster, rolling roads.”
Zwift’s New York map now heads out over Brooklyn Bridge. Zwift
Alongside the expanded map, Zwift has also revealed a new take on its Timed Sprint Segments.
When riding in Zwift’s New York subway, you’ll find Power Segments on the map with a glowing start arch and timer displayed. Once you ride through the arch, the aim is to hold maximum power for the specified duration.
An average wattage display alongside graphics showing your 90-day and one-year power bests will be shown on screen.
There will be six Power Segments to tackle, helping you work on your 5-, 10- and 20-second peak power, according to Zwift.
“Jerseys are on offer for those with the biggest watts but personal improvement is the main aim here, so personal results will take priority when crossing the finish arch,” Zwift says.
There will also be more futuristic parts of Zwift’s New York map. Zwift
The expansion is stage 4 of Zwift Unlocked, a new Zwift Tour that replaces the Tour of Watopia and runs from 6 October to 16 November, and is your first opportunity to ride the expansion.
At launch, Zwift says there will be 12 new rides to explore:
Watts the Limit: 31km; 219m
Double Span Spin: 12.6km; 120m
Prospect Park Loop: 5.5km; 37m
Green to Screen: 28.4km; 207m
Double Parked: 42.4km; 330m
Fuhgeddaboutit: 79km; 838m
Spinfinity: 19.3km; 155m
Spinfinity Ultra: 35km; 291m
The Greenway: 36.8km; 292m
Toefield Tornado: 10.3km; 53m
Avon Flyer: 5.1km; 30m
Issendorf Express: 7.3km; 53m
Zwift says five additional routes will be unlocked in the coming months.
Today, Zwift released the much-anticipated New York map expansion. With ~30km of new roads, this is Zwift’s largest expansion ever of an existing map, more than doubling New York’s existing ~20km.
Zwift has kept the “future NYC” theme, reimagining how New York City may exist 100 years in the future. But they’ve also included many references to present-day NYC, so native New Yorkers should feel right at home. Read on for a tour of the Big Apple’s new tarmac and surrounding sights…
A Tour of the New Roads
Zwift’s expansion adds ~30km of new roads south of the existing Central Park area. Most of the new surface roads are located in the same places as their real-life counterparts, including 6th Avenue exiting Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge, Flatbush Avenue, Grand Army Plaza, and Prospect Park.
The subways and Times Square, on the other hand, take plenty of liberties in their layouts. While they are roughly located in the same place as their present-day counterparts, their layouts don’t match what exists today.
Below you’ll find a “clean” version of Zwift’s updated New York map, and a marked-up version showing each of the new sections:
Subway 1
The first of three subway sections as you travel north to south, this subway feels most like a traditional New York station. Its distinctive visual feature is a plethora of advertising billboards, which include cheeky throwbacks to other Zwift maps and features. You’ll see a sign advertising “Fuego Fizz” soda as well as “Fuego Flat”, a Robopacer (dating?) ad, and more.
You’ll also see the first bits of graffiti, including a “jmX” tag you’ll find elsewhere in this expansion. (It’s a nod to Jon Mayfield, original creator of what would become Zwift, who named his software “jmX Trainer Coach”.)
This subway, like the other two, includes Power Segments in both directions. Traveling south, you’ll hit a 5-second Power Segment, while north contains a 20-second segment. These sections of road are one-way, meaning you cannot u-turn.
To exit this and the other two subways, you’ll ride up a steep ramp. Good news, though: there’s a bit of an “escalator” built into the ramp to help you to the top! Here’s what it looks like:
Escalator photo taken from the third subway, in Brooklyn
Times Square
The Times Square section is a 3.5km glass road circuit with a leaderboard that awards an orange jersey to the current fastest man and woman on course, in both directions. There are also new start pens located on this circuit.
While the idea of more glass roads in New York may strike fear in the heart of non-climbers like myself, in talking to Tony Yruegas, Zwift’s Game Art Director, he explained that they pulled a bit of a visual trick in this section by sinking the ground-level roads so the glass roads could appear elevated without much climbing being needed to reach them. “Overmuscled” cyclists everywhere salute you, Tony and team!
While this section doesn’t have many distinctive visual features beyond the glass roads, Tony tells me it will be the site of future celebrations (parades, confetti, etc.), including a possible NY-style Ball Drop on New Year’s.
Subway 2 (City Hall Station)
Continuing south, we descend into the second subway section, which is a throwback to New York’s City Hall station. This station opened in 1904, but has been closed since 1945, although you can still tour it today. It features distinctive brick archways, which Zwift has replicated in game:
This section includes 10-second Power Segments in both directions:
Manhattan Bridge
Traveling north to south, the first bridge you’ll encounter is the Manhattan Bridge. For non-NYC natives, the Manhattan Bridge is easily distinguished from the Brooklyn Bridge by its ironwork towers and grey steel girders. (The Brooklyn Bridge, in contrast, has stone/concrete towers and horizontal iron beams which block the skyline views.) The Manhattan Bridge also includes a huge stone archway at the entrance to the Manhattan side:
Looking for your best skyline view from a bridge? It’s found on Manhattan Bridge, heading toward Manhattan.
Manhattan Bridge has 250-meter sprint segments in both directions. Both sprints are slightly uphill, since the bridge arches a bit:
A large stone arch marks the bridge’s exit on the Manhattan side, while a corkscrew road is the exit on the Brooklyn side.
Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge includes a KOM section (Brooklyn Bridge KOM, 2km, 1.7%) which runs in only one direction, from the Manhattan side to the center of the bridge. It’s an interesting KOM, too, because it actually begins with a descent! (So don’t let that 1.7% number fool you, as this is really more like 1.5km at 3.6%.)
Subway 3 (Brooklyn)
Almost to Prospect Park! After crossing the East River via the Brooklyn or Manhattan bridges, you’ll descend into the third and final subway section. This is the only one located on the Brooklyn side.
This subway is the “greenest” of the three, with more open skylights and windows to let the sun shine on the trees and plants in the station. This is also the most graffiti-heavy of the three stations, especially as you exit out the Prospect Park side.
The Brooklyn subway includes two Power Segments. Traveling southeast toward Prospect Park you’ll hit a 20-second Power Segment, while northwest includes a 5-second segment.
Prospect Park
Exiting the subway, you’ll travel south down Flatbush Avenue (which is actually a climb), arriving at a ring road that takes you around Grand Army Plaza to the entrance of Prospect Park.
Grand Army PlazaThe BandstandThe Peristyle Sprint
This park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux 8 years after they collaborated to design Central Park. Zwift’s layout matches the IRL park roads, including a 5.5km loop and a central road (aptly named Center Drive) that offers a shortcut to the other side.
Prospect Park includes 2 sprint banners and one KOM:
The Hill KOM Reverse (length and gradient unknown – while it shows on the leaderboard, there is no visible start line on course)
As you make your way around the circuit counterclockwise, you’ll notice various sites: the lap banner, which comes just after the new Prospect Park start pens. The Bandshell, which has received significant upgrades in Zwift’s reimagining. The Peristyle, which hosts the banner for a sprint that runs in both directions. And the Prospect Park Zoo, here much more visible than the real-life zoo, which is hidden behind a high gate!
Lots of dogs, with their humansLap bannerKOM banner
There are lots of nods to real-life Prospect Park layouts and features, too. The Peristyle Sprint is where the original sprint finish of Prospect Park’s IRL bike races was located. You’ll see lots of people chasing their dogs in the northwest portion, because dogs can be walked off-leash before 7am IRL. And you’ll pass Prospect Park Lake and the ballfields, whose real versions I saw when riding through the park with Jon Mayfield a few weeks ago.
Detailed List of New Routes
Here’s a complete list of the new routes Zwift released today, including short descriptions from me:
Avon Flyer (5.1km, 30m)*: named for Greg Avon, level 100 Zwifter and Prospect Park race organizer, this simple loop takes in the southern half of Prospect Park.
Double Parked (42.2km, 330m): begin with an almost complete lap of Prospect Park, then head all the way up to do a lap of Central Park before coming back down to finish that Prospect Park lap.
Double Span Spin (12.6km, 120m): a CCW circuit of the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges.
Fuhgeddaboudit (79km, 838m): the new longest route in NYC, this doozy covers all the roads on the map, including some in both directions!
Green to Screen (28.4km, 207m): perhaps the best route for seeing most of NYC’s new roads within an hourlong ride, as it covers nearly every bit of new tarmac from Times Square south.
Issendorf Express (7.3km, 53m): named for Charlie Issendorf (NYC racer, Prospect Park race organizer, and former head of events at Zwift), this route is a figure 8 of Prospect Park and Center Drive.
Prospect Park Loop (5.5km, 37m)*: a good place to chase the orange jersey, this is a simple CCW loop of the Prospect Park circuit.
Spinfinity (19.3km, 155m): start and finish in Times Square, with a jaunt down to ride across the two bridges.
Spinfinity Ultra (35km, 291m): almost like two laps of Spinfinity, except you cross the bridges in a different direction on the second lap.
Stay Puft Pursuit (31.2km, 416m): starting in Times Square and traveling south to turn around at the bridges, this is the only route in the expansion that takes on the NY KOM in Central Park, both ways.
The Double Borough (17.9km, 147m): starts in Central Park and travels directly south, turning around by way of the Manhattan Bridge after crossing the Brooklyn Bridge.
The Greenway (36.8km, 292m): ride the northern half of Prospect Park, then up to the two bridges. Then do it again, hitting the bridges in the other direction this time.
Toefield Tornado (10.3km, 53m)*: named for legendary Prospect Park race organizer Al Toefield, this route matches Issendorf Express, apart from three cheeky loops of Grand Army Plaza thrown in near the end.
Watts the Limit (31km, 219m): an out-and-back course that begins in Central Park and travels south to loop around Grand Army Plaza and return by the same roads.
* While all 12 routes listed have achievement badges and accompanying bonus XP for riders, only those marked with * have an achievement badge for runners.
How To Experience the New Routes Today
Want to ride the NY expansion today? While New York isn’t featured in the guest map rotation until November 5, getting on the new tarmac is sort of like navigating Manhattan traffic: it’s not too difficult, if you know what you’re doing!
But Zwift tells me that, starting today, Club events and Meetups can be scheduled on any of the routes listed above. So you’ll start seeing events popping up on the expansion roads this week, including Zwift Insider’s 100km Pizza Burner and Tiny Races!
Free Rides and Workouts
If you’re looking to ride the new routes as a free ride or on-demand workout, that’s easy as well. Oddly enough (and this is one of those “if you know what you’re doing” Zwifty things), both activities work the same way, since New York isn’t on the guest map schedule until next month.
To free ride/run one of the new routes, or cover it in a workout, select your workout, then select your desired New York route from the pop-up menu.
If you’re only looking to free ride the route, once your avatar arrives in New York, you can tab through all the workout intervals to quickly skip through the workout and revert to free ride mode. I call it the “fake workout” hack (see three other ways to ride any Zwift route at any time).
Prospect Park entrance, with Grandy Army Plaza in the background
Upcoming Routes Releases
Zwift says, “Over the coming months, an additional five routes will be unlocked, allowing Zwifters to explore more.” I don’t have any further details on these new routes at this time.
I’ll wrap up with a gallery of images Zwift sent over, since these are the only shots available that show multiple riders, giving us a better feel for what things will look like when it all goes live:
The one image still missing? The Statue of Liberty. Or should I say… the Scottie of Liberty. Yup. They did it!
