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Bose refreshes its Ultra Open Earbuds and adds a new sport model to the lineup
Bose has unveiled two new open-ear earbud models launching on 1 October: the second-generation Ultra Open Earbuds and a new Sport model designed for fitness use. The Ultra Open Earbuds represent an updated flagship product with improvements to sound quality, battery life and design, whilst the Sport model targets active users requiring durability and physical…
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Apple Watch Series 12 review: Catching up and catching heat
The Apple Watch Series 12 launch was overshadowed by controversy surrounding two unreleased audio features—Siri Recaps and Live Rewind—that use the device’s microphone to capture environmental sound and deliver transcripts or summaries. Despite worthwhile upgrades including redesigned health sensing, new gesture controls, a revived Ceramic case option and improved battery life, these features captured the…
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Expensive flash drives: When and why it’s worth paying more
Premium flash drives can be worth the extra cost, but faster transfers are only one reason to pay more. Higher-priced models may offer stronger security, greater durability or USB-A and USB-C compatibility, while inexpensive drives can still be adequate for small everyday files. USB labels are confusing: USB 3.2 may support 5, 10 or 20…
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The Apple Watch Series 12 is the start of a new wearable era
The Apple Watch Series 12 looks much like earlier models, but introduces major internal changes intended to support more advanced health tracking and AI-powered wearable features. Apple is catching up with competitors’ use of AI to interpret health data, while also positioning the watch to make sense of information gathered throughout the day. The new…
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An iOS 27 bug can temporarily freeze your iPhone
An iOS 27 bug can temporarily freeze an iPhone when users swipe down to open Notification Centre and Control Centre in quick succession. The issue does not permanently damage the device, but it prevents taps and swipes from registering, requiring a force restart. Users should quickly press and release the volume-up button, then the volume-down…
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Snap Specs hands on: Standalone AR glasses are here
Snap’s $2,195 Specs are its first consumer-ready standalone augmented-reality glasses, representing the company’s biggest AR push after a decade of experimentation. They offer mixed-reality-style functionality without a separate puck, controller or tether, though their capabilities require larger frames and leave questions about their target audience and everyday practicality. The glasses weigh 132 grams and come…
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Reform in freefall, British mother missing in Malawi, Saudi-Houthi clashes escalate
Sixteen Durham councillors have now quit Reform UK amid its Welsh leader’s arrest, while Leicester mother Nusrat Osman remains missing in Malawi and Saudi Arabia says it downed a Houthi drone near Mecca; also: the EPA scraps power-plant pollution limits and Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro draws a muted reception.
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Hyper Light Drifter dev at risk of closing after laying off ‘nearly everyone’
Heart Machine, the studio behind Hyper Light Drifter, has laid off nearly all its staff after a publisher cancelled an unannounced game that had been funding the company. Founder Alx Preston said the decision leaves the studio at risk of closing, highlighting the financial instability facing game developers. The studio launched the critically acclaimed Hyper…
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Valve extends SteamOS to Arm hardware and Android applications
Valve is expanding beyond its well-known Proton compatibility layer with two new system-level tools for SteamOS, designed to bring more games to its upcoming Steam Frame headset. The additions—FEX and Lepton—extend SteamOS’s reach into Arm-based hardware and Android software, addressing gaps that Proton alone cannot cover and signalling Valve’s ambitions for SteamOS beyond traditional PC-style…
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Google Smart Home Platform Opens to Third-Party AI Agents Via Industry Protocol Standard
Google Home is adding support for the Model Context Protocol (MCP) standard, enabling users to employ various third-party AI agents to manage their smart home tasks. This development matters because it opens the Google Home ecosystem to external AI agents like Claude, Hermes and Open Claw, allowing them to interact securely with connected devices and…