OnePlus just announced the Nord 5 smartphone, a refresh of its popular mid-range handset line. This one includes a flagship Snapdragon 8S Gen 3 chipset by Qualcomm, which should provide plenty of raw power for gaming, multitasking and general use.

There’s an upgraded cooling system here, along with support for LPDDR5X RAM. It features a dual rear camera system and will be available in a pale blue finish that’s officially called “Dry Ice.”

The company says the upgraded specs allow the Nord 5 to really shine when gaming, touting “unparalleled performance in its class” with “robust support for leading mobile games.” It mentioned that the device can run Call of Duty: Mobile natively at 144FPS, with real-time ray tracing.

OnePlus is also releasing a companion phone called the Nord CE5. We don’t know much about this one, other than it’s likely to be a slightly cheaper version of the standard headset.

OnePlus

Both of these phones will feature the company’s newly-announced Plus Key, which replaced the Alert Slider. Users can customize this button to perform a number of tasks, but it’s better known as an instantaneous way to pull up AI tools. The cute lil AI button first appeared with the OnePlus 13s, which launched in Asia earlier this month.

In addition to the Nord 5, the company also announced the OnePlus Buds 4. These high-end earbuds offer ultra-low latency audio for gamers, with dual drivers, support for Hi-Res audio and other bells and whistles. They will be available in both green and dark gray. It also revealed a new smartwatch and a tablet. 

OnePlus

We don’t have pricing or availability information for any of this stuff just yet. The company has a launch event planned for July 8, which should provide us with all of those relevant details.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/the-oneplus-nord-5-features-a-powerful-snapdragon-8-chip-143206053.html?src=rss

There’s no denying that getting a high-quality computer is going to set your finances back a bit. So, when one of them gets discounted we want to scream it from the rooftops. Such is the case today with a solid sale on Apple’s 2024 Mac mini (M4). 

Right now, the newest Mac mini is available for $499, down from $599 — a 17 percent discount. The deal, which is only $10 more than it’s all-time low price, gets you 16GB RAM and 256GB SSD storage, but no AppleCare+. You can also opt for the 16GB version with 512GB SSD storage for $719, down from $799. Then there’s the top storage option, which has a 10 percent discount. The Mac mini with 24GB RAM and 512GB SSD storage has dropped to $849 from $999. 

We gave the newest Apple Mac mini a 90 in our review thanks to perks like the impressive speed of its chip (though we did test the M4 Pro). It also offers front USB-C and headphone ports for easy use, along with an overall smaller design. Plus, it’s great that even the base version starts at 16GB of RAM. 

Check out our coverage of the best Apple deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-mac-mini-m4-is-back-on-sale-for-499-141523040.html?src=rss

An anonymous reader shares a report: When Facebook bought WhatsApp for $19 billion in 2014, the messaging app had a clear focus. No ads, no games and no gimmicks. For years, that is what WhatsApp’s two billion users — many of them in Brazil, India and other countries around the world — got. They chatted with friends and family unencumbered by advertising and other features found on social media. Now that is set to change.

On Monday, WhatsApp said it would start showing ads inside its app for the first time. The promotions will appear only in an area of the app called Updates, which is used by around 1.5 billion people a day. WhatsApp will collect some data on users to target the ads, such as location and the device’s default language, but it will not touch the contents of messages or whom users speak with. The company added that it had no plans to place ads in chats and personal messages.

[…] In-app ads are a significant change from WhatsApp’s original philosophy. Jan Koum and Brian Acton, who founded WhatsApp in 2009, were committed to building a simple and quick way for friends and family to communicate with end-to-end encryption, a method of keeping texts, photos, videos and phone calls inaccessible by third parties. Both left the company seven years ago. Since then, Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Facebook, now Meta, has focused on WhatsApp’s growth and user privacy while also melding the app into the company’s other products, including Instagram and Messenger.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Anne Wojcicki has been declared the winner of a bankruptcy auction for 23andMe, the genetics testing start-up she founded, prevailing over a rival bid from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.

TTAM Research Institute, a non-profit public benefit company also founded by Wojcicki, won the auction with a $305 million bid for the 23andMe assets, which will not come with any company liabilities attached.

23andMe filed for bankruptcy in March after rejecting several go-private offers from Wojcicki in recent years. Regeneron was declared the winning bidder in May after the company accepted a $256 million bid in a previous auction.

Read full article

Comments

While your phone is usually going to be well protected from thieves thanks to whatever you’ve set up on the lock screen—whether a fingerprint, a face scan, or a PIN—there might still be times when someone else has access to your device, including everything on it you’d rather they not see. But if you have a Samsung Galaxy, there’s a good way to safeguard your most sensitive apps and files, even if the phone itself is unlocked.

Maybe your phone gets stolen by a thief who’s spied on you entering your PIN. Maybe a friend is simply swiping through the photos of your last vacation. Whatever the scenario, Galaxy phones come equipped with a digital vault called the Secure Folder, where you can hide specific programs, photos, and files behind an extra layer of security. This way, anyone who does get into your phone won’t be able to find what you’ve stashed away. All the data inside your Secure Folder is encrypted too, via Samsung’s powerful Knox technology.

With One UI 8, now in beta testing, this Secure Folder is more useful than ever. You can now hide the Secure Folder shortcut itself—so anyone snooping can’t see it’s there, let alone see anything inside it—and protect it with different biometrics from the ones you use to get into your phone.

So, for example, you could let your kids into your phone to play games using a fingerprint scan, but they’d still be barred from the Secure Folder. What’s more, apps can now be completely hidden inside the folder, whereas previously there would be one instance of these apps locked away, and one instance in the regular app drawer.

How to set up the Secure Folder on Samsung Galaxy

To get started with the Secure Folder on your Galaxy phone, you first need to have a Samsung account and be signed into it on your phone. Assuming that’s taken care of, open Settings and then navigate to Security and privacy > More security settings > Secure Folder. Agree to the terms of the feature and the required permissions to proceed.

You’re then asked to choose a lock type for the Secure Folder: PIN, Password, Pattern, or whatever biometric options you have on your handset. Select any of these options and follow the instructions on screen to set them up; this is how the folder will keep out anyone who isn’t you.

You’ve got a few configuration options to work through during setup.
Credit: Lifehacker

The next screen lets you choose whether or not Secure Folder apps can run in the background when the folder is closed. For maximum security, make sure apps are closed when the Secure Folder is, which will prevent them from sending notifications or appearing in share dialogs when you’re not actually in the folder.

With that done, your Secure Folder appears on screen and is ready to go. You’ll see there are some Samsung apps in there right away, like Contacts and Gallery: These are separate from the versions of those apps outside the Secure Folder, so you can use them like an entirely different contacts list and an entirely different gallery of photos and videos.

You’ll find some Samsung apps already in your Secure Folder.
Credit: Lifehacker

Tap the padlock icon to close out of the Secure Folder and go back to the rest of your phone. You can get back in by following the new shortcut that will appear on your home screen and in the app drawer. To make changes to how the Secure Folder is configured, head back to Security and privacy > More security settings > Secure Folder in Settings (accessing this page will now require an identity check, like the folder itself).

With the Secure Folder active, the settings screen changes to let you manage notifications, app options, and even Galaxy AI features. It’s a bit like having a separate, sequestered phone on the same device, with its own selection of settings to match. If you ever want to remove the Secure Folder and its contents, choose More settings > Uninstall.

How to add apps and files to your Secure Folder

Once you’re inside the Secure Folder, you can tap the + (plus) button to add apps to it. Choose an app from your phone or find one on the Play Store or Galaxy Store. If you download a new app, it’ll only show up in the Secure Folder; if you pick an app already on your phone, you’ll get a new instance of it inside the folder.

If you add an app already on your phone to your Secure Folder and no longer want it to appear outside of the Secure Folder, you need to uninstall the original instance. Find it in the app drawer, long press on its icon, then choose Uninstall. You can also do this for some of the Samsung apps that get put in your Secure Folder to begin with.

You can add apps already on your phone or download new ones.
Credit: Lifehacker

Remember that the Secure Folder is a completely separate space, so you’ll need to sign into your various app accounts again from within it—you can even use different accounts for the apps inside the Secure Folder, if you want. The same goes for the Google Play Store: You’ll be asked to sign in with a Google account, which doesn’t have to be the same Google account you’re using for the rest of your phone.

To add files to your Secure Folder, tap the three dots to the top right of the app panel, then pick Add files. You’ll be able to select files, and choose whether to copy them or move them to the Secure Folder: If you choose the copy option, the original versions of the files will stay in place outside of the folder.

The Secure Folder offers a few customization options too.
Credit: Lifehacker

Files that you move or copy over will show up inside the relevant app (Gallery for photos, for example) as well as the My Files app within your Secure Folder. You can manage these files just as you would normally, and you still have all the sharing options available if you need to send them somewhere else.

Tap on the three dots and choose Customize to change the color and icon used for the Secure Folder. If you have upgraded to One UI 8, in the same menu you can find the new Hide Secure Folder option. Enabling this hides the folder from the home screen and app drawer, so the only way to get to it will be via the tile on the Quick Settings panel (swipe down from the top right of the display to find it).

SEOUL, South Korea—Drive enough electric vehicles from enough different manufacturers and something becomes clear: the Korean automakers know what they’re doing. From small cars like the Niro all the way to three-row SUVs, the EVs coming out of Kia (and its sibling Hyundai) are as efficient as anything out there, usually with a distinctive style. It’s fair to say they’re at the front of the pack, at least as far as EVs offered to North America.

And soon, there will be a new one to consider. It’s the Kia EV4, a small electric sedan that uses a new version of the E-GMP platform that has so impressed us in cars like the EV6. Originally designed for midsize and larger vehicles and operating at 800 V, the E-GMP powertrain is very capable but also relatively expensive to make. Now Kia has taken what it learned with the 800 V experience and applied it to the new 400 V version that’s suitable for smaller and cheaper EVs.

One motor, two packs

Kia told Ars that while the development know-how carried over to the new lower-voltage components, the battery, motors, and power electronics are all new. The car arrives in the US in Q4 of this year and will feature a native NACS charging port. There’s only one motor being offered for now, which generates 201 hp (150 kW) and 209 lb-ft (283 Nm) and drives the front wheels. But there are two choices of battery: the standard 58.3 kWh, which Kia reckons should achieve an EPA range of 235 miles (378 km); and an 81.4 kWh long-range pack, that should be sufficient for 330 miles (531 km) on North American roads. In time, expect a twin-motor, all-wheel drive option, as well as a more powerful EV4 GT.

Read full article

Comments

This week’s trip into the cultural subconscious of younger people is bleaker than usual. The memes are more chaotic, the Pokémon cards are harder to get, and the ex-boyfriends are somehow worse than usual. From the unexplainable “Dark Mango psychology” to TikTok’s parade of horribles, this week’s youth culture has the distinct energy of an evil amusement park. Let’s descend into the gloom, together.

What is “Dark Mango psychology?”

To understand Generation Alpha’s “dark mango psychology” memes, you have to go to some weird places and make peace with brain rot: Gen-A’s self-referential, exclusively online style of meme-making resists logical explanation, but I’m going to try to anyway, god help me.

In late May, TikTok user @rip_mango20 posted, “Dark Mango psychology explained,” the first video on the subject. In it, a distorted voice asks “Have you ever played Blox Fruits with your life on the line while having a bunch of mangos in your mouth? Well this is called dark mango psychology…” it goes on like that, but no psychology is ever actually explained. You can watch the video here:

If this clip had a few hundred views, you could dismiss it as a self-conscious, “aren’t I so wacky?’ thing, but it’s been viewed millions of times, so it means something to someone. Anyway, here’s my best stab at an explanation, with help from knowyourmeme.com:

The character featured in the video is a variation of “trollface,” a online icon that’s been around since 2008. Blox Fruit is a mini-game within Gen A’s favorite game/gaming platform Roblox. The line “Have you ever played X with your life on the line,” is a reference to an anime called Blue Lock, in which the question is asked about a game of soccer. “Mango” is a reference to this video, that features a “phonk” song about mango, based on audio ripped from this video. “Phonk” is a musical subgenre featuring heavily distorted, lo-fi instruments playing a slower-tempo variation of EDM music. (It is unlistenable.) For reasons that resist explanation, this video caught on among the brain-rotted, who started remixing the original post, adding other nonsense words like “mustard” and “jellybean” (references to even more obscure brain-rot memes) and using the phrase “dark mango psychology” to describe something like—chaotic energy? It’s hard to tell. I’m sure there are layers of meaning here that are understandable only by people under 15 years old, but I’ve done my level best. Perhaps this is something you and I aren’t meant to understand and we should just wait for it to go away.

What is the “man of the year” trend?

Let’s talk about memes made about people—specifically, memes about toxic men, a reliable source of bitter online comedy. The new trend on TikTok is called “Man of the Year,” and it is not a celebration of men behaving awesomely. Instead, women are sharing evidence of the abuse, manipulation, and general grossness visited upon them by ex-boyfriends, accompanied by a few bars of Lorde’s “Man of the Year.” It’s a simple idea, but these are some powerful videos.

Man of the year candidates include this guy, who remixed his girlfriend crying into a truly terrible EDM song:

Or this young gentleman who abandoned both his girl and his child:

There’s even a famous man of the year, Justin Bieber:

And the number of cruel texts is just way too high.

Sabrina Carpenter’s new album cover causes controversy

In other news from the frontlines of the gender wars, singer Sabrina Carpenter dropped some photos and the name of her upcoming album, and it’s pure provocation. What might be the cover of Man’s Best Friend looks like this:

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

The cover is Carpenter playing against her type, taking her bubblegum pink pop princess image somewhere darker and more provocative. I’m sure causing buzz is the point, and it’s clearly working. Top Instagram comments include: “Sabrina this is not the slay you think it is… :/,” “Love sabrina – but this picture – why is the man in there like that? its not a very empowering image for women. i think its a mistake.” and “Explain to me again how this isn’t centering men? How this isn’t catering to the male gaze?” I think Madonna in her prime would have literally killed these kids.

It’s quaint that anyone can still get worked up over pop stars creating imagery designed to inflame cultural ire and/or sell records, but I think the online critics are wringing their hands for no reason. We won’t really know until the album comes out in August to provide context, but judging by the single, “Manchild,” about idiotic dudes who can’t take care of themselves, and by the fact that Carpenter is a smart person, it seems the intention is to mock the “male gaze,” and the statement is like, “can you believe that these numbskulls see us this way/want us to be this way?”

Also, Spinal Tap did it first:

Gen Z messing up going to bars

Gen Z is bad at going to bars. Apparently, younger people refuse to leave bar tabs open. This could be because they’re more budget-conscious than preceding generations. Or it could be just ignorance. “These kids never learned the proper way to be a barfly,” a bartender told the New York Times.

The bartender has a point, but I do not blame Gen Z for their poor drinking etiquette (if that’s what this is.) If it’s born of money consciousness, I get it: Have you seen how much cocktails cost in 2025? if it’s ignorance, I get that too. Going to bars can be confusing if you’re new to them. They’re loud, busy, chaotic, and ruled by a set of practices and assumptions that no one is taught, and that don’t have any precedent in other kinds of transactions. Particularly the bar tab: It’s not like we hand over our cards and just leave them with any other kinds of shopkeepers.

I love that Gen Z is educating each other, though, and expressing their feelings through TikTok videos like this:

Viral video of the week: Pokemon scalpers

Even this week’s viral video is dark and dystopian, but it’s also educational. Before I saw this week’s viral video I didn’t even know Pokémon scalpers existed.

As you can see, Leo is a little kid who loves Pokémon, and he wants that special edition Pikachu with the kind of pure desire only a pre-teen can have. So he and his mom and dad have spent 151 days trying to beat the scalpers to their local sales kiosks so the little guy can get his packs. But they never beat the scalpers, and Leo never gets his Pikachu.

In economic terms, the scalpers are expending resources (time, money, Red Bull) to gain an uncompensated transfer of wealth from others without creating new value. It’s classic rent-seeking behavior: manipulating a market to extract profits rather than producing anything of value. As Adam Smith, the father of economics, put it, scalpers are trying to “reap where they never sowed”—though Smith probably didn’t foresee a future where the invisible hand of the market would slap a Pikachu card out of a child’s hands and give it to a grown man who smells funny and doesn’t shave. Leo not getting his Pikachu is a negative externality—a cost borne by someone who isn’t party to the transaction. His tears are not priced into the secondary market, which is disturbingly efficient at delivering disappointment.

Look, I get that it’s not the worst thing happening in this wicked world—I hope this is the worst thing that ever happens to Leo, honestly—but maybe capitalism could take some time off for kids who like Pokémon?