The Pixel 9a and Your Non-Private Smart Home: Weekly Roundup

Smart Home Privacy Takes a Blow as Amazon Kills Alexa Local Processing

Alexa devices will no longer offer a "do not send voice recordings" setting after March 28th. Future Alexa recordings must be sent to the Amazon cloud, though you can still ask Amazon to automatically delete voice requests after they're processed. Continue reading...

ReactOS, the Open-Source Windows, Just Got an Update

ReactOS is an open-source recreation of Microsoft Windows, intended to run Windows applications, games, and even drivers in a fully open operating system. More than three years since the last official update, ReactOS 0.4.15 is now available for download. Continue reading...

Google's Pixel 9a Lacks More Features Than You Think

The Google Pixel 9a is finally here as Google's cheapest smartphone. It's pretty nice since it packs most of the punch that the Pixel 9 series has, and it has the same SoC and pretty good cameras. It's increasingly looking like Google might have cut more corners than you'd think, though. Continue reading...

Waymo's Self-Driving Taxis Need a Lesson in Civic Sense

Last year, Waymo paid the city of San Francisco $65,065 in fines. The autonomous taxi company's fleet of over 300 cars accumulated a staggering 589 parking tickets, as reported by The Washington Post. Continue reading...

Xfinity and Spectrum Mobile Plans Gain Emergency Satellite Messaging

Xfinity Mobile and Spectrum Mobile now offer emergency satellite messaging services for select Android smartphones. Non-emergency SMS satellite messaging will arrive at a later date. Continue reading...

Hold On Tight—the Fastest Mustang in History Has Entered Production

After more than 18 months since its debut, the Ford Mustang GTD is officially in production. According to CEO Jim Farley, the first 10 carbon-bodied, record-breaking 'Stangs are being assembled at the same facility that produced the GT supercar, with customer deliveries expected soon. Continue reading...

Volvo is Using Virtual Reality to Save Lives on the Road

Volvo is utilizing AI-generated, life-like virtual worlds to advance the development of its safety software, including driver assistance systems (ADAS), with the goal of making its cars even safer. Continue reading...

The Fedora 42 Beta Is Here, Complete with a COSMIC Spin

Fedora Linux is one of the most popular desktop Linux distributions, and Fedora 42 is now available for beta testing. Fedora Workstation now has GNOME 48 and an updated installer, and there’s now an official version of Fedora with the COSMIC desktop environment. Continue reading...

Google Is Fixing My Biggest Issue With Gmail

Pretty much everyone has a Gmail account, but if you've used it for years, it can be hard to go back tens or even hundreds of thousands of emails to find a specific email, or a specific file within an email. Now, Google is finally putting some care into Gmail's search feature. Continue reading...

Google Made It Easier for Your Kids to Spend Your Money

Google Wallet just got a whole lot more family-friendly. Now, it’s easier to give your kids a little bit of freedom to use digital payments while still keeping a watchful eye on their spending. Continue reading...

Ford Just Announced Five New Recalls—Is Your Vehicle Affected?

Throughout its 120-plus-year history, Ford has rolled out a countless number of taglines, including "The Best Never Rest," "Have you driven a Ford lately?", "Bold Moves," and "Ford Has a Better Idea." About 30 to 40 years ago, the company took pride in its craftsmanship with the slogan "Quality is Job 1." Fast-forward to 2025, and that focus on quality seems to have shifted, as Ford recently announced yet another five recalls. Continue reading...

Huawei Just Made a Weird Flip Phone (And It Doesn't Run Android)

Remember Huawei? The US banned the company from using Google apps and services or collaborating with US companies, but it has made a comeback and has continued selling phones, even without Google services. And it also makes foldable phones, too, even as its latest one might look a bit unique. Continue reading...

It's Not Just You: YouTube's Video Quality Is Broken

YouTube has been a bit broken lately, with countless users complaining about extremely poor video quality. If you've noticed issues with videos on iOS, in YouTube Shorts, or while watching on a smart TV, you're not alone. Thankfully, Google is aware of the problem. Continue reading...

GNOME 48 Has Arrived With New and Improved Desktop Apps

The team behind the GNOME desktop environment has released GNOME 48, sporting the code name "Bengaluru." It brings several new features, including more efficient notifications and a new audio player. Continue reading...

The World's Best Car Won't Be Made in America

The World Car Awards has announced the finalists for each of its six categories for 2025, revealing a mix of EVs and internal combustion engine-powered vehicles. Hyundai Group and Porsche have populated most of the categories, as you'd expect, but there's only one Japanese brand among the finalists. Continue reading...

Mazda Sticks to ICE Tech, Next-Gen CX-5 to Showcase New Skyactiv-Z Four-Cylinder

The next-generation Mazda CX-5 will receive an entirely new four-cylinder gasoline engine, reinforcing the brand's commitment to internal combustion technology. New details about the inline-four, named the Skyactiv-Z, shared via Britain's AutoCar, reveal that it will replace the current Skyactiv-X engine, which has become a staple for the automaker. Continue reading...

ASUS' Latest NUC Mini PC Is Exceptionally Powerful

ASUS just unveiled the NUC 15 Pro , an impressively powerful mini PC that could make for a fantastic home media server, small-footprint gaming PC, or AI testbed. Continue reading...

Verizon Rolls Out Satellite Texting for Android Phones

2025 is shaping up to be the year of satellite-to-phone emergency alerts, text messages, and, eventually, video calls. Verizon announced a big expansion of its satellite texting capabilities, confirming that select Android phones can now send text messages to any other customer via satellite. Continue reading...

Windows 11 Might Passively Remind You Your Computer Sucks

Windows 11 was the first time in a while Microsoft increased the minimum requirements for its OS, but you probably still shouldn't use Windows 11 on a PC that barely meets the requirements. If your computer is slow because of entry-level specs, Windows 11 might soon make sure you're at least aware of the fact. Continue reading...

Windows 11 Is Changing the Way You Type on Handheld Gaming PCs

The latest Windows 11 Release Preview (26100.3613) introduces a new on-screen keyboard layout for gamepads. This layout makes it far easier to type in Windows 11 with an Xbox controller and greatly increases handheld gaming PC usability. Continue reading...

You Can Now Watch an Endless Simpsons Channel on Disney

Disney has added a 24/7 stream of The Simpsons, meaning you never need to ponder which episode you want to watch—simply hit play and let the antics of the iconic yellow family roll. Continue reading...

Home Depot’s New Smart Bulbs Can Fit Almost Anywhere

EcoSmart and Kidde have announced two new smart home products, available through Home Depot. The Universal Select Light Bulb and Kidde Smart Smoke & Smart Combo Alarm will be released very soon, but the Light Bulbs are pretty innovative. Continue reading...

PCI Express 7.0 Is Coming Soon With A Speed Bump We Still Can’t Use

Stuff using PCI Express 5.0 is still coming out, while the PCI Express 6.0 spec is already finalized and will show up in PC parts eventually. But have you thought about what's next after it? The PCI Express 7.0 specification is almost about to be finalized, and we already have a final draft. Continue reading...

New PebbleOS Smartwatches Won't Be Great for iPhone Owners

Pebble is back with a pair of new smartwatches—the $150 Core 2 Duo and $225 Core Time 2. Unfortunately, iPhone owners who buy these smartwatches will miss out on a lot of important functionality. Continue reading...

Vivaldi is Getting A Lot Faster With Version 7.2

As far as third-party browsers go, some people swear by Vivaldi, and with good reason. Now, with version 7.2, it's getting even faster to use—and I'm not just talking about page load times, either. Continue reading...

Roku's Annoying Ads Just Got a Lot Worse

These days, we're all used to dealing with ads while trying to stream YouTube videos and movies, or on all of our streaming devices and services. But how far is too far? Roku has started testing auto-playing video ads before users even get to the home screen before they can even use their TV, and owners are not happy. Continue reading...

Tesla Rival Unveils 'Megawatt' Chargers Capable of Fast-Charging 250 Miles in 5 Minutes

BYD has launched new 10C 'megawatt' EV chargers capable of recharging an EV battery to around 250 miles of range in just five minutes. That's right, the 1,000-volt EV platform can charge as fast—or perhaps faster—than a trip to the gas station. Continue reading...

Windows Paint Is Getting More AI Art Updates

Microsoft is releasing an update for Paint that changes the layout of the Cocreator panel. The new version, 11.2502.121.0, will give you more power over how the AI creates artwork. Continue reading...

Verizon Is Pushing 5G Home Internet with New Mobile Bundles

Verizon has revealed a new bundle deal for subscribers who have a mobile plan and 5G home internet. If you happen to need both, you could save $15 per month on your bill, and potentially get other discounts and credits. Continue reading...

At $299, WiiM's First Standalone Amp Looks Like an Audio Nerd's Dream

WiiM now sells the Vibelink Amplifier, its first standalone amp. It doesn't offer any Wi-Fi streaming or Bluetooth functionality, but it boasts the same components as WiiM's super-high-end audio receivers and costs just $299. Continue reading...

Google Explains Why It Added a Linux VM to Pixel Phones

The Linux Terminal app was an unexpected but welcome addition to Android. Now, a Google developer confirms that the Linux Terminal isn't intended to provide a desktop experience. It simply brings Linux apps into the Android ecosystem. Continue reading...

Gemini's New Canvas Feature is The Ultimate Writing/Coding Buddy

A lot of people have turned to using chatbots to help them code. While you probably don't want a whole program written by AI, it can help you come up with solutions in specific snippets so your code is more efficient and functional. If you're going to do that, though, you might as well use it with Gemini's Canvas—it will make it way easier to check if that code actually works. Continue reading...

Toyota EV Batteries Will Power 400,000 Honda Hybrids in the U.S.

Has Toyota now become a battery supplier? That's certainly the plan, as it's set to supply fellow Japanese automaker Honda with batteries to power up around 400,000 of its hybrid vehicles sold in the U.S. Continue reading...

Ubuntu Linux 25.04 Will Be a Great Upgrade for Games

Windows has typically been the platform of choice for gaming, but Linux is becoming an increasingly useful option for playing games as well. With Ubuntu 25.04, you might be getting a cool feature that will squeeze more performance out of your computer. Continue reading...

Google Is Finally Fixing Chromecasts After a Week of Downtime

After over a week of the Chromecast (2nd Gen) and Chromecast Audio being completely nonfunctional, Google is finally rolling out a fix for the streaming devices. Continue reading...

Gemini's AI Summaries Are Coming to Google Docs

Google Workspace is introducing a new feature for Google Docs that uses AI to summarize documents. This feature is built on Gemini AI technology and allows users to create summaries of their texts. Continue reading...

Shocker: The M4 MacBook Air Is Still Not Super Repairable

The new M4 MacBook Air might be a great upgrade in performance and pricing, but unfortunately, it’s still far from easy to repair. iFixit has released its teardown results for the latest MacBook, calling it “a mix of good intentions and frustrating limitations that continues to fall short of what consumers deserve in a premium laptop.” Continue reading...

Android’s Google Assistant Is Getting Downgraded

Late last week, we learned that Google Assistant is on borrowed time and will soon get replaced by Gemini on Android phones. And while Google said it'll continue to invest in and improve Assistant, we recently learned that it'll slowly start losing several key features. Continue reading...

Microsoft Copilot Disappears After Recent Windows Update

If you noticed Copilot is randomly unpinned from your taskbar and missing from your Windows machine, you're not alone. Microsoft's fancy new Copilot app is being "unintentionally uninstalled" on Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices during this month's latest update. Continue reading...

Discord Will Soon Be Integrated Into More Games

Discord has launched its Social SDK. This is Discord's free toolkit that helps game developers add Discord's social features into their games. Continue reading...

GIMP 3.0 is Finally Out

If you're a GIMP user, you might have wondered for a while when you'd be getting the long-awaited 3.0 update. The last time we've seen a major point upgrade was in 2004, 21 years ago. Now, GIMP 3.0 is finally here after a really long round of testing, and the update is quite packed. Continue reading...

Volkswagen’s New Long-Range Battery Plan Takes Aim Squarely at Tesla

At their recent annual media conference, Volkswagen Group officials unveiled a new battery configuration—not a new battery, but a new way of arranging them. Why does this matter? Continue reading...

This New Open-Source Alternative to Google Docs and Notion Is Backed by France and Germany

Docs is a new open-source collaborative text editor, intended as an alternative to Notion, Google Docs, Outline, and other similar web-based services. Interestingly, the project is being led by the governments of France and Germany. Continue reading...

Americans Are Spending More on a Car Than They Can Afford

Buying a new car can be exciting, but the reality of those monthly payments is a different story. Few people can walk into a dealership and pay cash, irrespective of whether they're eyeing a RAV4 or a CLA. Continue reading...

Qualcomm's New Chips Are for Next-Gen Gaming Handhelds

Qualcomm has revealed three new chipsets that will power new Android-based gaming handhelds. They will be used in new devices from Retroid Pocket, Ayaneo, and other manufacturers. Continue reading...

Toyota Built an SUV That Outshines Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce may be famous for crafting the world's most luxurious cars, but did you know Toyota—usually known for its affordable, reliable vehicles—has a super-luxurious SUV that outshines the Rolls-Royce Cullinan? It's true, but there's a catch: this ultra-luxurious ride is only available in Japan. Continue reading...

Apple Knows That Its Misleading AI Ads Are "Embarrassing" and "Ugly"

Apple reportedly held an all-hands meeting with its Siri team to discuss the "embarrassing" and "ugly" delay of AI-enhanced functionality. Details from the meeting show that this AI voice assistant functionality, which has been heavily advertised through the iPhone 16 marketing campaign, may arrive even later than expected. Continue reading...

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