This Free Script Disables Every AI Feature in Windows 11

Some people love AI. If you’re not one of them (or if you have a favorite AI tool that isn’t baked into it), using Windows 11 can feel increasingly hostile. It seems like every part of it now exists to push you into using Copilot—even notepad.exe has a prominent AI button in the user interface at this point.

If you’d like your operating system to go back to being an operating system, check out
RemoveWindowsAI. This free script changes various registry keys to disable AI features including Copilot, Recall, and the Copilot integrations in applications including Edge, Paint, and Notepad. Using various workarounds , it then configures Windows Update to not install those updates again (the documentation breaks the process down, if you’re interested).

How to run RemoveWindowsAI on your machine

To get started you need to open Microsoft PowerShell on your computer. Make sure you’re using Windows PowerShell 5.1, and not the updated PowerShell 7 (this only really applies if you’ve intentionally installed PowerShell 7, so don’t worry about this step if you didn’t actively do that).

To start the script you will need to copy a command from the Github page for RemoveWindowsAI and paste it into your PowerShell window (I’m not including the command directly here in case it changes in the future). Once you do, the user interface will show up, allowing you to choose which AI features you want to disable. Make your choices and watch the changes take place in the PowerShell window.

A screenshot of the script running in PowerShell.

Credit: Justin Pot

I tried this out, removing everything. I then opened Notepad—no Copilot icon in sight. The Copilot application was also gone, along with all reference to AI in the Settings application. It would be nice if Microsoft offered a way to do this without resorting to this sort of unofficial workaround, but that isn’t the world we live in.

This haptic wristband pairs with Meta smart glasses to decode facial expressions

It’s only been a few months since Meta announced that it would open its smart glasses platform to third-party developers. But one startup at CES is already showing off how the glasses can help power an intriguing set of accessibility features.

Hapware has created Aleye, a haptic wristband that, when paired with Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, can help people understand the facial expressions and other nonverbal cues of the people they are talking to. The company says the device could help people who are blind, low vision or neurodivergent unlock a type of communication that otherwise wouldn’t be available.

Aleye is a somewhat chunky wristband that can vibrate in specific patterns on your wrist to correspond to the facial expressions and gestures of the person you’re talking to. It uses the Meta Ray-Ban glasses’s computer vision abilities to stream video of your conversation to the accompanying app, which uses an algorithm to detect facial expressions and gestures.

The bumps on the underside of the Aleye vibrate to form unique patterns.
The bumps on the underside of the Aleye vibrate to form unique patterns.
Karissa Bell for Engadget

Users can customize which expressions and gestures they want to detect in the app, which also provides a way for people to learn to distinguish between the different patterns. Hapware CEO Jack Walters said in their early testing people have been able to learn a handful of patterns within a few minutes. The company has also tried to make them intuitive. “Jaw drop might feel like a jaw drop, a wave feels more like a side to side haptics,” he explains.

The app is also able to use Meta AI to give vocal cues about people’s expressions, though Hapware’s CTO Dr. Bryan Duarte told me it can get a bit distracting to talk to people while the assistant is babbling in your ear. Duarte, who has been blind since a motorcycle accident at the age of 18, told me he prefers Aleye to Meta AI’s other accessibility features like Live AI. “It will only tell me there’s a person in front of me,” he explains. “It won’t tell me if you’re smiling. You have to prompt it every time, it won’t just tell you stuff.”

Hapware has started taking pre-orders for the Aleye, which starts at $359 for the wristband or $637 for the wristband plus a year subscription to the app (a subscription is required and otherwise will cost $29 a month). A pair of Ray-Ban Meta glasses is also not included, though Meta has also been building a number of its own accessibility features for the device.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/this-haptic-wristband-pairs-with-meta-smart-glasses-to-decode-facial-expressions-214305431.html?src=rss

Warner Bros Rejects Revised Paramount Bid, Sticks With Netflix

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: Warner Bros Discovery’s board unanimously turned down Paramount Skydance’s latest attempt to acquire the studio, saying its revised $108.4 billion hostile bid amounted to a risky leveraged buyout that investors should reject. In a letter to shareholders on Wednesday, Warner Bros’ board said Paramount’s offer hinges on “an extraordinary amount of debt financing” that heightens the risk of closing. It reaffirmed its commitment to streaming giant Netflix’s $82.7 billion deal for the film and television studio and other assets.

Their assessment comes even after Paramount, which has a market value of around $14 billion, proposed to use $40 billion in equity personally guaranteed by Oracle billionaire co-founder Larry Ellison — father of Paramount CEO David Ellison — and $54 billion in debt to finance the deal. The decision keeps Warner Bros on track for its deal with Netflix, even after Paramount amended its bid on December 22 to address the earlier concerns about the lack of a personal guarantee from Larry Ellison. Netflix co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters welcomed Warner Bros’ decision on Wednesday, saying it recognizes the streaming giant’s deal “as the superior proposal that will deliver the greatest value to its stockholders, as well as consumers, creators and the broader entertainment industry.”


Read more of this story at Slashdot.

ChatGPT is launching a new dedicated Health portal

OpenAI is launching a new facet for its AI chatbot called ChatGPT Health. This new feature will allow users to connect medical records and wellness apps to ChatGPT in order to get more tailored responses to queries about their health. The company noted that there will be additional privacy safeguards for this separate space within ChatGPT, and said that it will not use conversations held in Health for training foundational models. ChatGPT Health is currently in a testing stage, and there are some regional restrictions on which health apps can be connected to the AI company’s platform.

The announcement from OpenAI acknowledges that this new development “is not intended for diagnosis or treatment,” but it’s worth repeating. No part of ChatGPT, or any other artificial intelligence chatbot, is qualified to provide any kind of medial advice. Not only are these platforms capable of making dangerously incorrect statements, but feeding such personal and private information into a chatbot is generally not a recommended practice. It seems especially unwise to share with a company that only bothered paying even cursory lip service to the psychological impacts of its product after at least one teenager used the chatbot to plan suicide.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/chatgpt-is-launching-a-new-dedicated-health-portal-210150083.html?src=rss

You Can Get the CMF Nothing Headphone Pros for $79 Right Now

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Nothing, an upstart tech brand from the U.K. that makes products like phones, smartwatches, and headphones, has quickly become one of my favorites lately. Its products offer unique features and designs, and the prices are competitive. Right now, Nothing’s latest budget over-ear headphones, which were released in October, the CMF Headphone Pros, are just $79 (originally $99), the product’s lowest price ever, according to price-tracking tools. This is a great option for anyone looking to get budget over-the-ear headphones that punch above their weight.

Very much like Nothing’s CMF Buds Pro 2 earbuds, the CMF Headphone Pros are budget headphones that punch above their weight. They are an affordable alternative to the popular Headphone 1 (which will cost you $299), and are the first to seamlessly integrate into the Nothing/CMF ecosystem, including smartphones, watches, and other audio products. There is a companion Nothing X app that allows you to customize action buttons, among other things, but the cool thing about these headphones is the control you get without needing the app.

There is a multi-function roller on one side of the headphone that you can roll to adjust volume or press to control the ANC modes, which include adaptive ANC (adjusting cancellation/transparency in real-time) and Spatial Audio (creates an immersive, 3D soundstage for music/movies). On the other side, you’ll find an “Energy Slider,” which tunes your sound in real-time, instantly adjusting the treble and bass balance. You get an impressive 100 hours of playback on a single charge (reduced to up to 50 hours with ANC turned on) as well as AAC, SBC, and LDAC support. They have an IPX2 rating for resistance against sweat, and there is a 3.5mm audio jack for wired listening.

Nothing is well known for its minimalistic design, but these headphones go a bit further by allowing you to mix and match the earcups with different colors (they sell for $25). These are a good option for those looking for a bold style budget over-ear headphones that have great battery life and punch above their price point.

Power Bank Feature Creep is Out of Control

The humble power bank has transformed from a simple pocket-sized battery into a feature-laden gadget that now sometimes includes screensavers, Bluetooth connectivity and built-in Wi-Fi hotspots. The Verge’s Thomas Ricker highlighted the $270 EcoFlow Rapid Pro X Power Bank 27k at CES 2026 as a prime offender — a device he declared “too expensive, too big, too slow, and too heavy.” Its giant display takes 30 seconds to wake from sleep, plays swirly graphics and blinking eyeballs, and requires a screensaver while slowly draining the battery it’s meant to preserve.

The feature creep is industry-wide. Anker no longer lists a display-less model in its 20,000mAh range, and both companies sell proprietary desk chargers. Basic alternatives exist — Anker’s PowerCore 10k runs $26 — but they’re becoming harder to find.


Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Turn on ‘App Pinning’ Before Letting Someone Else Use Your Android

There are likely occasions in your day-to-day life in which you allow someone else to use your phone, whether it’s letting your kid play a game or sharing content with a friend. You may do this without thinking about the privacy implications and what might happen if another person has access to everything on your device and—accidentally or on purpose—uses it to view your search history, scroll through your photos, or send messages to your contacts.

If you’re an Android user, you should enable app pinning to keep others from snooping around your device. This feature keeps the user in the pinned app until you enter your PIN, pattern, or password. (On iOS, you can achieve a similar effect with Guided Access, which also allows you to set time limits and disable the keyboard and touch input.)

Enable app pinning on Android

To pin apps, you’ll need to enable the feature in your phone’s Settings app. To do so, go to Security or Security & location > Advanced > App pinning and toggle on Use app pinning and Ask for PIN before unpinning.

Before handing your phone over, open to the app screen you want to pin, then swipe up to the middle of the screen and hold to open your Overview. Tap the app’s icon, then tap Pin. This will keep the user locked into that app until you unpin (using your PIN, pattern, or password).

Depending on your device navigation settings, there are a few ways to unpin an app:

  • Gesture navigation: Swipe up and hold

  • 2-button navigation: Touch and hold Back + Home

  • 3-button navigation: Touch and hold Back + Overview

Note that pinning won’t prevent someone from using the app fully, such as swiping through your photos or typing in the search bar, as Android doesn’t have the option to disable touch. Pinned apps can also open other apps. At the very least, though, it keeps someone from having access to anything and everything on your device.

How to use a VPN on iPhone

Installing a virtual private network (VPN) on an iPhone or iPad is easy. The days are gone when Apple users had to be content with the leavings from the Windows ecosystem — in 2026, all the best VPN services have secure, user-friendly iOS apps on par with every other platform. If you’ve decided to add a VPN to your iPhone to stay anonymous online and change your virtual location, you’ve got plenty of great choices.

Since you’re here, chances are you’re familiar with the benefits of using a VPN, including security on public Wi-Fi and the ability to explore streaming libraries in other countries. But you may still be daunted by the process of actually choosing, installing and configuring a VPN on your iPhone.

In this article, I’ll walk you through the steps, including how to configure a VPN manually without going through a service. Check out my how to use a VPN piece for more general information.

How to choose an iPhone VPN

One of the trickiest parts of installing an iPhone VPN is picking the right service. That brings us to our first pro tip: Don’t just go to the App Store and search on “VPN.” That will simply front-load whichever vendor(s) are paying for top placement (note the little “Ad” icon) as well as a laundry list of free services that come with big caveats. There are dozens of mobile VPNs out there, and many of them don’t put the user first (for example, I reported last year on popular VPNs that failed to disclose shared security flaws). Choosing hastily can leave you stuck with an iOS VPN that’s either mediocre or actively harmful.

Before downloading an iPhone VPN, do some research into the provider’s background. A dependable VPN should have a well-written customer support page, a clear timeline of its history and a way to tell at a glance who actually owns and operates it. Check the reviews on the app store — it should have at least several hundred, almost all 4s and 5s.

iPhone users have a particular advantage here: several VPNs let you download their iOS app and start using it without paying. You can use this free trial period to put the VPN through its paces. Start by testing its speed using Ookla speedtest or a similar app. You should also use an IP address checker to make sure it isn’t leaking; to confirm this, just check your phone’s IP address before and after connecting to the VPN and make sure it’s different the second time.

To keep things simple, my top recommendation for all platforms is Proton VPN. Out of all VPNs, it strikes the best balance of solid security, fast performance, useful features and a commitment to user privacy. Other iPhone VPNs I love include ExpressVPN, Surfshark and NordVPN.

How to install a VPN on your iPhone

Installing an iPhone VPN is like installing any other app. Just go to the App Store, find the VPN you’ve chosen and download it onto your phone. When it finishes downloading, open the app to grant permissions and finish setup. However, since there are a couple of potential sticking points, I’ll run through the steps in more detail.

Proton VPN on the iOS app store.
Proton VPN on the iOS app store.
Sam Chapman for Engadget
  1. Open the App Store.

  2. Tap the search bar and type in the name of your chosen VPN. Hit Search and look through the list of results. Be careful to pick the right one — there are some “mockbuster” VPNs that try to snare people looking for well-known names. As a rule, the one with the most reviews is the service worth using.

  3. On the page for the VPN app, tap Get. Enter your Apple ID and password to begin the installation.

  4. Once installation is complete, either tap Open in the App Store or find the new VPN icon on your home screen.

  5. Create a VPN account with a username and password. Most services let you do this within the app, but you may have to shift temporarily to a browser, so make sure you’ve got internet access.

  6. Choose a subscription. If there’s a free trial, grab it and use it to test the VPN. If not, or if it’s already expired, choose a plan that fits your budget and needs. Longer-term plans tend to save you money on average, but cost more at the start.

  7. On the VPN app, log in with your new credentials. You’re now ready to get started.

If you aren’t interested in paying for software right now, you can still get an iOS VPN. Check out my list of the best free VPNs, which all have iPhone apps. We also constantly update a curated list of the best VPN deals for bargain hunters.

How to configure and use a VPN on your iPhone

An iOS VPN is generally usable with the default settings. Even so, it’s a good idea to look through the options — you may not end up using all of them, but many of them are vital security checks or important quality-of-life boosters.

Proton VPN's NetShield content blocker on iOS.
Proton VPN’s NetShield content blocker on iOS.
Sam Chapman for Engadget

Here are some quick steps to make sure you’re getting the best performance. These settings are in different places on each VPN, but most can be found by clicking a button with a gear icon, or any page labeled “settings” or “preferences.”

  1. Turn on the kill switch. This will protect you from broadcasting any data the VPN hasn’t encrypted. In the event the VPN suddenly disconnects, the kill switch also cuts off your internet connection.

  2. Set the VPN to always reconnect automatically if it disconnects. The method for doing this varies between services, so check the VPN’s help page. Some (like Proton VPN) have an always-on VPN setting in the app itself, while others (like ExpressVPN) handle it through iOS settings.

  3. Configure split tunneling. Not many iPhone VPNs have this option, but if yours does, you can use it to let certain apps or websites skip the VPN tunnel. Make sure to only bypass the VPN on sites and apps that share no sensitive information, or that refuse to work with a VPN active (some banks are like this).

  4. If your VPN has a feature for blocking ads and malware domains, I recommend using it — the worst it can do is not work. Some also include parental controls, in case you’re setting up the VPN on your child’s phone.

  5. Create shortcuts. Sometimes called Profiles, this relatively common feature lets you connect to the VPN and open a certain website with one tap.

  6. Decide when and how you want the VPN to send you notifications.

  7. Check available protocols. It’s almost always best to let the VPN pick for you, but if you want to choose for yourself, IKEv2 is generally the fastest.

  8. Look over the server list to see what choices are available.

When choosing a VPN server, think about what you need the VPN for. If you’re just using it for privacy, pick the fastest server (or let the VPN app choose it for you). On the other hand, if you want to watch a movie or TV show that’s only on streaming in another country, choose the fastest server in that country. If you’re on a good VPN, it still shouldn’t slow you down too much.

If you have the address of a VPN server and the necessary credentials, iOS lets you set up your own VPN and connect directly. This is less convenient than using a provider app, since you need to know the details about every server you connect to, but it’s nice if you’re worried about trusting your privacy to a third party. It can also be convenient for quickly accessing a work or school VPN from your phone. Here’s how to do it.

Manually setting up a VPN connection on iOS.
Manually setting up a VPN connection on iOS.
Sam Chapman for Engadget
  1. Open the Settings app. Scroll down and tap General.

  2. Scroll down again and tap VPN & Device Management. Tap the word VPN on the new page, then tap Add VPN Configuration. You should reach the screen shown above.

  3. Make sure Type is set to IKEv2, then enter the Description, Server and Remote ID for the server you’re connecting to (plus the Local ID if there is one).

  4. Your source for the server information should also have told you if it authenticates access with a username/password or certificate. Pick the correct option, then enter the credentials required.

  5. Tap the Done button or the blue checkmark at the top-right of the screen.

  6. You’ll arrive back on the previous menu with your new VPN option available. Toggle it on to connect. To turn it off, return to the same menu and deactivate the switch.

Do you need an iPhone VPN?

Whenever you get online, your internet service provider (ISP) assigns an IP address to your device — a unique fingerprint that follows you throughout the session. Your ISP may sell this knowledge to marketers to target ads at you, or in worse cases, collaborate with governments willing to violate their citizens’ rights to privacy.

When you use a VPN, though, your real IP address is hidden behind that of the VPN server, so nothing you do on the internet connects back to you. That’s why I always advise using a VPN on any device, including iPhones, that connects to the internet. It’s even more important on the unprotected public networks you sometimes find in cafes and hotels. On the fun side, you can also use a VPN to change your virtual location to show you different content libraries on Netflix and other streaming platforms.

One more thing: I often hear iPhone users ask whether they need a VPN, since iCloud Private Relay comes standard on iOS devices. Just to clear this up, iCloud Private Relay is not a VPN. As you can see from this support page, your ISP can still see your real IP address when it’s active.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/vpn/how-to-use-a-vpn-on-iphone-201743118.html?src=rss

Warner Bros. sticks with Netflix merger, calls Paramount’s $108B bid “illusory”

The Warner Bros. Discovery board has unanimously voted to rebuff Paramount’s $108.4 billion offer and urged shareholders to reject the hostile takeover bid. The board is continuing to support Netflix’s pending $82.7 billion purchase of its streaming and movie studios businesses along with a separate spinoff of the Warner Bros. cable TV division.

Warner Bros. called the Paramount bid “illusory” in a presentation for shareholders today, saying the offer requires an “extraordinary amount of debt financing” and other terms that make it less likely to be completed than a Netflix merger. It would be the largest leveraged buyout ever, “with $87B of total pro forma gross debt,” and is “effectively a one-sided option for PSKY [Paramount Skydance] as the offer can be terminated or amended by PSKY at any time,” Warner Bros. said.

The Warner Bros. presentation touted Netflix’s financial strength while saying that Paramount “is a $14B market cap company with a ‘junk’ credit rating, negative free cash flows, significant fixed financial obligations, and a high degree of dependency on its linear business.” The Paramount “offer is illusory as it cannot be completed before it is currently scheduled to expire,” Warner Bros. said.

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Character.AI and Google settle with families in teen suicide and self-harm lawsuits

Character.AI and Google have reportedly agreed to settle multiple lawsuits regarding teen suicide and self-harm. According to The Wall Street Journal, the victims’ families and the companies are working to finalize the settlement terms.

The families of several teens sued the companies in Florida, Colorado, Texas and New York. The Orlando, FL, lawsuit was filed by the mother of 14-year-old Sewell Setzer III, who used a Character.AI chatbot tailored after Game of Thrones’ Daenerys Targaryen. The teen reportedly exchanged sexualized messages with the chatbot and occasionally referred to it as “his baby sister.” He eventually talked about joining “Daenerys” in a deeper way before taking his own life.

The Texas suit accused a Character.AI model of encouraging a teen to cut his arms. It also allegedly suggested that murdering his parents was a reasonable option. After the lawsuits were filed, the startup changed its policies and banned users under 18.

Character.AI is a role-playing chatbot platform that allows you to create custom characters and share them with other users. Many are based on celebrities or fictional pop culture figures. The company was founded in 2021 by two Google engineers, Noam Shazeer and Daniel de Freitas. In 2024, Google rehired the co-founders and struck a $2.7 billion deal to license the startup’s technology.

On one hand, the settlements will likely compensate the victims’ families handsomely. On the other hand, not going to trial means key details of the cases may never be made public. It’s easy to imagine other AI companies facing similar suits, including OpenAI and Meta, viewing the settlements as a welcome development.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/characterai-and-google-settle-with-families-in-teen-suicide-and-self-harm-lawsuits-201059912.html?src=rss

Intel And Samsung Team Up On SmartPower HDR To Slash Battery Hit On OLED Laptops

Intel And Samsung Team Up On SmartPower HDR To Slash Battery Hit On OLED Laptops
OLED screens that deliver vibrant HDR are becoming more common in laptops, with a strong contingent of entries at CES 2026 from Dell’s Alienware lineup, Lenovo’s newest ThinkPads and HP’s latest OMEN models. It’s a meaningful development that users can easily appreciate thanks to rich colors and unbeatable contrast, but an OLED, and particularly

New Dietary Guidelines Abandon Longstanding Advice on Alcohol

An anonymous reader shares a report: Ever since the federal government began issuing the Dietary Guidelines in 1980, it has told Americans to limit themselves to one or two standard alcoholic drinks a day. Over time, the official advice morphed to no more than two drinks a day for men, and no more than one for women. No longer [non-paywalled source].

The updated guidelines issued on Wednesday say instead that people should consume less alcohol “for better overall health” and “limit alcohol beverages,” but they do not recommend clear limits. The guidelines also no longer warn that alcohol may heighten the risk of breast cancer and other malignancies. It is the first time in decades that the government has omitted the daily caps on drinking that define moderate consumption — standards that are used as benchmarks in clinical studies, to steer medical advice, and to distinguish moderate from heavy drinking, which is unquestionably harmful.

The new guidance advises Americans who are pregnant, struggle with alcohol use disorder or take medications that interact with alcohol to avoid drinking altogether. The guidelines also warn people with alcoholism in the family to “be mindful of alcohol consumption and associated addictive behaviors.” They do not, however, distinguish between men and women, who metabolize alcohol differently, nor do they caution against underage drinking. The guidelines also no longer include a warning that was in the last set issued in 2020: that even moderate drinking may increase the risk of cancer and some forms of cardiovascular disease, as well as the overall risk of dying.


Read more of this story at Slashdot.

How ‘Cognitive Overload’ Might Be Hampering Your Productivity

I write a lot about productivity, which means I also read a lot about it. Over the last few months, I’ve noticed an uptick in people discussing something called “cognitive overload,” citing it as a potential reason for a decline in output. The phrase stuck out to me as one of those buzzy terms that has the potential to be overused until it’s meaningless—but at its core, it certainly has a real, clear definition that can be helpful tool in maximizing productivity.

Basically, cognitive overload is what happens when you’re inundated with more information than your brain can process, so your brain just gives up altogether, making hard to focus on anything at all. Here’s what to know about it and what to do once you identify it.

What causes cognitive overload?

You know all those jokes on social media about how a single news item or food product from modern times would kill a person born just a few centuries ago? They’re funny and hyperbolic, but they’re grounded in the fact that while the ways in which we produce things and share information have advanced wildly, the human brain has basically remained the same. We say it all the time but it bears repeating: We’re just not cut out to handle the onslaught of stimuli we get on a daily basis.

Think of how many times your phone lights up on a given day. I just checked my screentime app and discovered that though it’s only early afternoon, I’ve gotten 150 notifications straight to my lock screen already today. It’s only Wednesday, so I’m averaging 213 a day, which my phone assures me is down 20% from last week and I’m quite sure I’ll pick back up by the time Sunday rolls around. Considering that a few months ago, I redid all my phone settings so not all of my notifications got blasted to my lock screen, this is concerning. That’s just a lot of information to constantly see.

As it turns out, text-based info is the main cause of cognitive overload, at least according to one study. Emails, Slack and Teams messages, texts, calendar notifications—the never-ending stream of these bad boys is a major contributor to the overall feeling of being unable to process or do anything. If you think about an average day when you’ve felt too zapped to work, it probably included plenty of those. Audio-visual stimuli are less debilitating, according to the study, so a Zoom or phone call or a manager stopping by your desk may not trip you up as badly.

Beyond feeling like you can’t even think straight or like you’re too overwhelmed to take action on any one task, you may be able to recognize cognitive overload from other signs. If incoming messages make you feel frustrated or detached, for instance, no matter what they say, this could be happening to you. That’s actually the symptom I experience most often, for what it’s worth. When I’m overwhelmed by too much information, I find myself thinking, “What do you want?!” every time my phone lights up, before I even see who is reaching out. (Sorry, Mom.)

How I’m battling cognitive overload

As I was going through the study and thinking over cognitive overload, I realized I’ve already been implementing a few tricks that may have been helping me avoid it. As mentioned above, I banned my least-used apps from sending me notifications a few months ago. For years, I’ve also tinkered with my MacBook settings so I don’t get any form of push notification on my computer. My phone is next to me at all times; there’s no good reason for the top right corner of my laptop screen to be whacking me with the same notifications the phone is already showing me.

A few other tried-and-true productivity approaches came to mind for me once I got a good grasp of what cognitive overload actually is. The one-touch rule of inbox management could be useful for you if you find that messages get you worked up. With that, you open each message as you get it and make an instant decision about what to do with the contents. It might seem counterintuitive to face each incoming message head-on if you’re trying to avoid feeling burned out by the sheer volume of them, but I’ve found that when I see a message preview at the top of my screen and do nothing about it, it nags at me all day. Addressing it instantly helps me clear my mind and keep working.

Otherwise, the way you go about battling this is going to be pretty subjective, although I do have one more recommendation: If you’re not familiar with the Pomodoro technique, get familiar now. With it, you work for a set amount of time (usually 25 minutes) before taking a small break (usually five). When you’re in those focus sessions, you should be completely distraction-free, putting your devices in Do Not Disturb mode or even using specialized apps to block other, distracting apps. Knowing you have to work seriously for a certain amount of time can help get you in the zone and push you away from information and decision paralysis while knowing you eventually get a break can help you stay relaxed as you go.

Fujifilm’s latest Instax camera looks like a vintage Super 8

Fujifilm just revealed the Instax mini Evo Cinema camera, which looks suspiciously like a vintage Super 8. More specifically, it was designed to mimic the Single-8 from 1965, which was a rival unit to the Super 8. Fujifilm’s latest device captures video, just like its retro inspiration.

Wow, the new FUJIFILM Instax Mini EVO Cinema camera looks nuts.. esp the decade slider thing for the looks. If the cost isn’t nuts this could be a must have… Needs to be around $249/299ish to be a hit https://t.co/6w8JPsBxIg pic.twitter.com/plcmNhfyT7

— derek morleY (@derekmorley) January 7, 2026

However, this is an Instax and the line has primarily been dedicated to snapping and printing out still images on the fly. The Evo Cinema can still do that, albeit in a slightly different way. Users shoot a video and the camera can convert a shot from the footage into an Instax print. That’s pretty cool. The bad news? It requires some kind of QR code tomfoolery.

The camera also comes equipped with something called the Eras Dial, which has nothing to do with Taylor Swift and everything to do with adjusting various effects and filters to create footage “inspired by different eras.” There are ten “eras” to choose from, including a 1960s vibe. The filter levels here are adjustable. We’ll have to take a look at some footage to see how everything translates.

The Eras Dial.
Fujifilm

Fujifilm is dropping the Instax Evo Cinema on January 30, but only in Japan for now. We don’t have a price yet.

This is just the latest nifty camera gizmo the company has thrust upon the world. It recently released an Instax model that has a secondary camera for selfies.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/fujifilms-latest-instax-camera-looks-like-a-vintage-super-8-194537863.html?src=rss