Technology

While the excitement around 2-in-1 systems has cooled a bit over the years, they’re still useful solutions for anyone who wants a device that can act as both a tablet and a traditional laptop. In tablet mode, they’re handy for jotting down notes and drawing pictures, and in their full laptop configurations, they can let you manage e-mail and write as you would with a traditional notebook. Whether you’re a student, creative or just want a more flexible setup, a 2-in-1 solution gives you the best of both worlds without having to carry multiple devices.

We've tested and reviewed some of the top 2-in-1 options out there from brands like HP, Microsoft, Samsung and Apple. Whether you’re looking for a Windows PC that can occasionally act like a tablet, or traditional slates that can be empowered with keyboard accessories, we’ve rounded up the best models to consider.

Factors to consider before buying a 2-in-1 laptop

When you’re shopping for a 2-in-1 system, there are some basic criteria to keep in mind. First off, consider the type of machine you’re looking for. Do you want something that can look like a traditional Windows laptop, but also has a screen that can twist into different orientations? (We often call these convertibles.) Or do you want a standalone tablet that works with a separate keyboard attachment? Tablet setups are typically lighter, but they’re often harder to use on your lap since they rely on kickstands or awkward cases.

Also, while some 2-in-1s offer built-in LTE or 5G connectivity, not everyone will want to pay the premium for it. An integrated cellular radio makes checking emails or replying to messages on the go far more convenient. But it also often costs more — and that’s on top of what you’ll pay for data. And as for 5G, you can hold off on it unless you live within range of a mmWave beacon. Coverage is still spotty and existing nationwide networks use the slower sub-6 technology that’s barely faster than LTE. For now, tethering a PC to your phone is still the best way to get online.

When it comes to tablet keyboards, you’ll also have to make peace with the fact that they’ll never feel as responsive as full-fledged laptop options. Their keys are shallower, and their layouts are often a bit different than typical PCs. Again, there’s a cost for portability.

See Also:

• Best Laptops for 2025

• Best Gaming Laptops

• Best Cheap Windows Laptops for 2025

• Best Chromebooks

• Best Laptops for College Students

Sometimes, getting a third-party tablet keyboard might be just as good, and they’re often cheaper than first-party offerings. If you’re looking to save some money, Logitech’s Slim Folio is an affordable option for iPads, and if you don’t need your keyboard to attach to your tablet, Logitech’s K780 Multi-Device wireless keyboard is also a good pick.

While we’ve typically made sure to include a budget 2-in-1 in previous years, this time there isn’t a great choice. We would usually pick a Surface Go, but the latest model is still too expensive. Other alternatives, like cheaper Android tablets, are underpowered and don’t offer a great multitasking interface. If you want something around $500 that’s thin, lightweight and long-lasting, you’re better off this year looking at a traditional laptop (like those on our best budget PCs list). Alternatively, you might consider one of our top picks for the best Chromebooks, either as a back-to-school option or for basic tasks.

Best 2-in-1 laptops

Recent updates

February 2025: We’ve retitled this guide to “Best 2-in-1 laptops and tablets” to be more accurate, and we’ve also updated the introduction and “Factors to consider” section to refer to convertible laptops and detachable tablet options.

June 2024: We updated our top picks to include the Microsoft Surface Pro Copilot+ edition.

Nathan Ingraham contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/best-2-in-1-laptops-173038508.html?src=rss

The second lunar lander by Intuitive Machines has made its way to the Moon, but not without incident. The Athena vehicle may not be upright, which is what happened to the company’s Odysseus lander upon touchdown back in February. CEO Steve Altemus said during the post-landing news conference that he doesn’t believe that Athena is “in the correct attitude on the surface of the Moon yet again.”

Altemus said that the company will know for sure in the coming days once the team gets “a picture from the lunar reconnaissance orbital camera from above.” Data from the lander’s inertial measurement unit does seem to indicate a sideways orientation. We do know that Athena has touched down approximately 100 miles from the lunar south pole, which is where it's supposed to be.

Athena is part of the company’s IM-2 mission, which is a partnership with NASA to (finally) bring crewed missions back to the Moon. The lander also carries a bevy of payloads and scientific instruments designed to look for evidence of water on the lunar surface.

The company’s previous lander Odysseus was the first privately owned spacecraft to reach the Moon’s surface, though it toppled over. Rival company Firefly Aerospace successfully landed its own Blue Ghost spacecraft onto the lunar surface earlier this week, and this one landed upright.

As for Athena, it’s currently charging on the surface and is communicating with the mission team here on Earth. However, performance seems to be sub-optimal. “We’re not getting everything that we had asked for in terms of power generation and communications,” Altemus said. This could impact the lifespan of the lander’s ten-day mission, though the company has “done some power conservation steps as prudent measures to see how long and what objectives we can accomplish in the mission going forward.”

The New York Times has now confirmed that the battery is dead and won't recharge, which means the many payloads and instruments are rendered unusable. These included a drill that searches for ice and a hopping drone vehicle that the company has scheduled to explore a permanently shadowed crater.

Update, March 6, 2025, 2:25PM ET: This story has been updated to include new reporting regarding the operational status of Athena. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/intuitive-machines-second-moon-mission-seems-to-have-gone-as-well-as-the-first-162637189.html?src=rss

Apple announced upgrades to its devices this week, and one of the best things about that is you can find better deals on older, still very capable models. Just days after the company announced the M4-powered MacBook Air, a version of the laptop with the M2 chipset has dropped to a new record low of $699. That’s $300 off the regular price.

This is a variant with 16GB of RAM rather than the base model’s 8GB. That's really the bare minimum of RAM you should be looking for these days (and we were pleased to see Apple start giving the MBA 16GB of RAM as standard). You'll also get 256GB of SSD storage in this system.

This discount is quite transparently an effort to clear out M2 MBA stock ahead of the M4-powered model’s impending arrival. And while we currently rank the M3 MBA as the best MacBook and best laptop overall, the M2 version isn’t anything to sniff at — especially at this price.

In our 2022 review, we called the M2 MBA “a near-perfect Mac” and awarded it a score of 96. We liked the performance (which of course has been surpassed by the M3 system), thin form factor and terrific display and audio.

The M2 MBA should still be more than capable of handling most everyday tasks. It also supports Apple Intelligence features, for those who are interested in that sort of thing. So this is a great deal on a killer, if a little older, laptop.

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-m2-macbook-air-with-16gb-of-ram-drops-to-a-new-low-of-699-154743334.html?src=rss

It’s obvious that Apple products are some of the most sought-after in the tech world — that means sales are fewer and farther between than other gadgets, and they’re often the first things to sell out when discounts do arrive. But it would be a mistake to assume you’re doomed to always pay full price on things like iPads and Apple Watches. Apple deals do exist, if you know where to look.

Engadget keeps track of deals like these on a regular basis, so we can help you there. Below, we’ve collected the best Apple deals you can get right now on items like AirPods, MacBooks, iPads and more. Arguably the biggest caveat to note about Apple sales is that you’re almost never going to see discounts directly at Apple.com. Unless you shop refurbished, you’ll always pay top dollar direct at Apple, and for some things (like iPhones), that might be best. But you’ll find more discounts more often if you’re willing to shop at retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Target and others.

Before we get to the deals, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention the new devices Apple launched recently. There are two new iPads, a new entry-level iPad with the A16 chip and 128GB of base storage, and a new iPad Air powered by the M3 chipset. You can order those now starting at $349 and $599, respectively. On the Mac side of things, the MacBook Air got an upgrade to include the latest M4 processor. That's also available to order now starting at $999.

Best AirPod deals

AirPods 4 with ANC for $169 ($10 off): These buds have ANC, but they don’t have the interchangeable ear tips you’ll find on the AirPods Pro 2. Even so, they have an improved fit over the last version, plus good sound quality and a heap of advanced features.

AirPods 4 without ANC for $117 ($12 off): Skip ANC to get the AirPods 4 for a bit less. These have the same design as the models with ANC along with the same advanced features and solid sound quality.

Best Apple accessories deals

Apple Pencil Pro for $99 ($30 off): The most advanced Apple Pencil includes a gyroscope, plus support for the squeeze gesture and Find My. It’s essentially an upgraded version of the second-gen Pencil, complete with pressure support and magnets so it can snap to the side of your iPad for safe keeping.

Apple Pencil USB-C for $69 ($10 off): This more affordable Apple Pencil doesn’t support pressure sensitivity, but makes for a good stylus overall. If you’re a casual note-taker and can handle connected charging, you’ll save a few dollars by picking this one up.

Best iPad deals

iPad mini (A17 Pro) for $399 ($100 off): This is the iPad to get if you prefer small tablets, akin to ereaders. The latest mini is equipped with an A17 Pro chipset, an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display and Apple Intelligence. We consider it to be the best small tablet, period, and we appreciate its Apple Pencil Pro support, 128GB of storage on the base model and compact design.

iPad Pro (M4, 11-inch) for $850 ($150 off): The most powerful iPad is the iPad Pro, and it’s the one to get if you’re even toying with the idea of using your new slab as a laptop replacement. Both the 11- and 13-inch models have gorgeous displays, thinner and lighter designs, a repositioned front camera and the excessively powerful M4 chip inside.

Best Apple Watch deals

Apple Watch SE for $169 ($80 off): Those on tighter budgets can opt for the Apple Watch SE and know they’re getting the core Apple wearable experience with few compromises. We consider it to be the best smartwatch for newbies

Apple Watch Ultra 2 for $769 ($30 off): Apple’s most premium smartwatch, the Ultra 2 has a killer 36-hour battery life, a handy Low Power mode for extended use and cellular connectivity by default. It also has a compass app, water temperature gauge and a loud onboard siren that you can trigger in emergencies.

Best MacBook deals and Mac discounts

MacBook Air (M3, 13-inch) for $899 ($200 off): The M3 MacBook Air builds upon the solid foundation of the M2 model, meaning it’s more than enough computer for most people. It earned a score of 90 in our review thanks to its speedy performance, sturdy yet sleek design, excellent keyboard and trackpad and good speaker system. If you want a slightly larger display, grab the 15-inch model instead

MacBook Pro (M4, 14-inch) for $1,399 ($200 off): Both the 14- and 16-inch M4 MacBook Pros are some of the fastest laptops you can get right now, ideal for content creators, video editors and anyone who needs a notebook that can handle pretty much anything they throw at it. They have bright, bold displays, improved webcams and long battery lives, plus some models have Thunderbolt 5 ports.

Mac mini M4 for $529 ($70 off): If you prefer desktops, the upgraded M4 Mac mini is one that won’t take up too much space, but will provide a ton of power at the same time. Not only does it come with an M4 chipset, but it also includes 16GB of RAM in the base model, plus front-facing USB-C and headphone ports for easier access.

iMac (M4, 24-inch) for $1,179 ($120 off): For an all-in-one solution, the M4 iMac is a good pick thanks to its powerful performance, standard 16GB of RAM and improved webcam. Just note that it only comes in the 24-inch screen size option.

Read more Apple coverage:

• The best AirPods

• The best Apple Watches

• The best MacBooks

• The best iPhones

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/best-apple-deals-150020110.html?src=rss

It turns out everyone likes to share their music suggestions, even monarchs. Apple Music has announced a new show called The King's Music Room, hosted by King Charles III at Buckingham Palace. Yes, we know you've been dying to discover the getting ready playlist he made for the coronation that cost taxpayers £72 million ($93 million). 

The show's March 10 release coincides with Commonwealth Day and the playlist reportedly features artists from across continents — the release calls out artists such as Bob Marley, Kylie Minogue and Davido. "Throughout my life, music has meant a great deal to me," King CharIes III states during the introduction. "It has that remarkable ability to bring happy memories flooding back from the deepest recesses of our memory, to comfort us in times of sadness, and to take us to distant places. But perhaps, above all, it can lift our spirits to such a degree, and all the more so when it brings us together in celebration. In other words, it brings us joy." He'll also share his, sure to be fascinating, encounters with some of the musicians. 

If you're dying to know what Britain's longest heir apparent listened to over the years while waiting his turn then tune in to The King's Music Room on Monday, March 10 at 6AM GMT. It will also air at additional times on Apple Music 1 and Apple Music Hits throughout music and Tuesday. Those looks into the King's soul are free, though Apple Music subscribers can access it at anytime. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/apple-music-gives-britains-monarch-the-aux-143036505.html?src=rss

It's your lucky day if you've been looking for a good deal on a power bank or charging station. A sale on many Anker products is taking place at Amazon. One power bank, the Anker 621, is 35 percent off. That discount brings it down to $26, which is almost a record low. The device typically costs $40.

This model is MagSafe-compatible, meaning it'll attach magnetically to an iPhone 12 and above (but, annoyingly, not the new iPhone 16e unless you resort to a workaround) and charge your phone wirelessly. However, if you plug a cable into the Anker 621's USB-C port, you can top up your phone's battery a little faster — at a rate of 12W vs. 7.5W for wireless charging. The power bank has a capacity of 5,000mAh, which Anker says is enough to charge an iPhone 15 to 85 percent of its capacity from zero and an iPhone 14 to 80 percent.

Anker makes some of the best power banks and best portable chargers around, in our opinion. There are lots of options to consider as part of this sale.

A new power bank that Anker introduced at CES has a large enough capacity to top up an M3-powered MacBook Air's battery approximately 1.3 times, per the brand. This model has dropped by 18 percent from $110 to $90. This particular power bank can charge four devices simultaneously — it has two built-in USB-C cables, another USB-C port and a USB-A port. It supports fast charging at up to 100W as well.

Elsewhere, a 3-in-1 charging cube is down to $104, which marks a 31 percent discount given that it usually costs $150. This compact device can charge your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods at the same time.

There are a few other deals that caught our eye. An Anker Zolo power bank with a built-in USB-C cable is just $13, which is half off. It has a capacity of 10,000mAh, which Anker says is enough to fully charge an iPhone 15 Pro twice over. Meanwhile, Prime members can pick up a travel-friendly 3-in-1 charging station (that can top up your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods batteries simultaneously) for $88, which is a $21 discount.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/grab-anker-power-banks-and-wireless-chargers-while-they-are-up-to-35-percent-off-155626756.html?src=rss

SpaceX has lost another Starship, as the vehicle's eighth test flight ended in an explosion just like its seventh. The first few minutes of the flight went according to plan: SpaceX launched the Starship rocket from its Starbase facility in Texas at 6:30PM Eastern time on March 6, and its first stage Super Heavy booster flew back down and was successfully captured by the launch tower's "chopstick" arms. The event marked the third time SpaceX was able to capture the booster with the tower's mechanical appendages. 

The vehicle's upper stage called the "Ship" was supposed to deploy four dummy Starship satellites as part of the test run before splashing down into the Indian Ocean around 50 minutes later. But eight minutes into the flight, the Ship lost multiple Raptor engines, causing it to lose altitude until it ultimately exploded over the Caribbean. Several people who witnessed the event posted videos of the Ship's debris streaking across the sky. 

Just saw Starship 8 blow up in the Bahamas @SpaceX @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/rTMJu23oVx

— Jonathon Norcross (@NorcrossUSA) March 6, 2025

As TechCrunch notes, SpaceX revealed in February that the seventh Starship test flight exploded because it suffered from propellant leaks that resulted in fires. The company took several measures to prevent the same thing from happening, such as adding vents and a new purge system to make the ship resistant to leaks. SpaceX also conducted a longer static fire test to make sure its changes and adjustments were working properly. 

The company posted on X that the Starship's eighth test flight "experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly" during its ascent burn. However, it it still has to review data from the flight to be able to determine the root cause of the issue. In another statement posted on its website, the company said that "an energetic event in the aft portion of Starship" prior to the ascent burn led to the loss of the engines. SpaceX lost contact with the Ship completely at around nine minutes and 30 seconds after liftoff. The Federal Aviation Administration temporarily halted flights departing from and into some of Florida's busiest airports due to "space launch debris." It also told TechCrunch that it's requiring SpaceX to conduct a "mishap investigation" to determine the cause of the failure, so we'll likely get a more detailed report from the company in the future. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/spacexs-starship-explodes-again-during-its-eighth-test-flight-140018375.html?src=rss

With the Zenbook A14, ASUS has reached a new milestone of portability. It's a 14-inch laptop that weighs just 2.2 pounds, making it feel more like a tablet than a computer when you pick it up. And with its unique Ceraluminum case, which feels like a cross between ceramic and metal, the Zenbook A14 is a more viable premium notebook than LG's chintzy ultra-light Gram lineup. But there's always a tradeoff between size and power, and in this case ASUS has delivered the slowest Copilot+ PC we've seen yet. But I suppose that just makes it a true lightweight.

Now to be clear, the Zenbook A14 is a serviceable laptop for light productivity work. Since it's a Copilot+ AI PC, it comes with at least 16GB of RAM, so it can easily deal with juggling dozens of browser tabs and your typical office and photo editing apps. But the A14's Snapdragon X X1 chip limits its ability to do anything truly demanding, so don't expect it to be playing many games or rendering video. And since it's powered by that Arm chip, the Zenbook also has to run apps designed for Intel and AMD CPUs in a slower emulation. Some software won't work at all, including very old apps, and games like Fortnite that use anti-cheat software.

So while the Zenbook A14 may seem like a MacBook Air killer at first glance, it's more of a reminder of how well Apple has balanced that laptop. Sure, it's half a pound heavier, but the MacBook Air can also edit videos, render 3D and play games in a pinch. You won't feel the same sort of performance limitations you'll undoubtedly encounter on the Zenbook A14.

That being said, there's still an audience for an ultra-light, under-powered laptop. The A14 is an ideal machine for writing on the go, since you can travel with it effortlessly and it offers a whopping 18 hours and 16 minutes of battery life (according to the PCMark 10 benchmark). And let's face it, the Zenbook's sluggish gaming chops may actually boost your productivity.

I could see it being a perfect secondary computing device if you've already got a desktop or heftier laptop setup at home. And if you really just need to browse the web, reply to emails and watch the occasional video, you probably won't notice its performance issues.

Devindra Hardawar for Engadget Hardware

The Zenbook A14 makes a startling first impression long before you see it in action. Its retail box feels alarmingly weightless, as if it only contains air and some cardboard cushioning. And once you open it up, it's hard to comprehend how a 14-inch laptop can weigh a mere 2.2-pounds. It also feels as well balanced as an artisanal chef's knife, making it easy to hold. As impressed as I was by the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 and G16 last year, the Zenbook A14 feels like a stronger example of how far the company has come from producing cheap MacBook clones.

Also adding to the Zenbook A14's overall polish is that aforementioned Ceraluminum case, which simply feels nice to hold. It's warm and inviting to touch, whereas Apple's MacBooks and most other all-metal laptops almost always feel cold (especially in heavily-chilled offices). As we've seen on other recent ASUS notebooks, Ceraluminum also feels sturdy, as there's no flex on the A14's slight frame.

The company clearly spent time fine-tuning the usability of such a light machine. Opening it up with one hand is effortless, thanks to a new hinge design that keeps the A14 from tilting backwards as you raise the screen. I've tested other light notebooks, including earlier Zenbook models, that required two hands: one to hold the computer's keyboard section down, and another to lift the display. I can tell you from experience that it's helpful to be able to flip open your computer with one hand while holding a crying kid in the other.

Devindra Hardawar for Engadget

The Zenbook A14 sports an impressively thin profile when it's open, but it's also well-built enough to keep its screen steady when typing on your lap. That may seem like a niche point, but I've grown to despise unstable displays on lesser thin notebooks. It's yet another sign of ASUS getting the little things right in the A14.

And speaking of getting things right, I appreciated that ASUS was able to squeeze in a ton of ports: two USB-C connections, one USB Type A, a full-sized HDMI connection and a headphone jack. Apple, meanwhile, only includes two USB-C ports, a MagSafe charging connection and a headphone jack on the MacBook Air.

Devindra Hardawar for Engadget In use: A serviceable Arm-based Windows laptop

It's a shame that all of ASUS' thoughtful hardware design is held back by the Snapdragon X X1, an eight-core system on a chip (SOC) meant for ultra-slim and low-power devices. In benchmarks and general usage, it's clearly a much slower solution than the X Elite and X Plus chips that graced the Surface Pro and other Copilot+ systems. As I mentioned up top, that's the major compromise ASUS had to make to deliver such a slim notebook, and for some, it may be a complete dealbreaker.

The Zenbook A14 handled my basic productivity workflow just fine: browsing on Chrome and Edge with dozens of tabs, while also running Slack, Spotify and occasional photo editing apps. But in comparison to the Surface Pro and Laptop, it's like driving an entry-level car instead of a true luxury offering. And that's a shame since it's priced similarly to those PCs. Best Buy currently lists our review unit, which includes 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, for $1,100. If those specs were paired with a better processor, I'd consider the A14 a smart purchase. Instead, it feels like a machine that should clearly be under $1,000 with 16GB of RAM and a smaller SSD.

On Edge and Chrome, I noticed slight hiccups when I was jumping between tabs and multiple windows. And those were native apps developed for Arm processors! Snapdragon chips need to emulate older x64 and x86 Windows apps, which introduces even more slowdown. While writing this review in Evernote (an x64 app), the A14 would often have trouble smoothly scrolling down long notes, and it would sometimes take a few seconds to load older notes. (Evernote owner Notion says it "does not officially support ARM processors at this time," which means users are out of luck if they encounter more significant issues.)

Devindra Hardawar for Engadget

One upside to running a fairly slow processor? Excellent battery life. In the PCMark 10 battery benchmark, the Zenbook A14 lasted 18 hours and 16 minutes. That's around 30 minutes more than Dell's Copilot+ XPS 13 with a Snapdragon X Elite, and it's also two and a half hours longer than last year's Intel Core Ultra-powered Zenbook S14.

I appreciated the Zenbook A14 the most when I wasn't trying to benchmark it or search for its occasional slowdowns. It's a wonderful machine to grab when you just want to focus on writing, clearing out e-mail or finalizing accursed corporate training. Its keyboard is responsive and comfortable to type on, though I wish its touchpad measured clicks more accurately.

The Zenbook A14 is also great for catching up on Netflix shows in bed, since it feels practically weightless and video looks tremendous on its 14-inch OLED screen. Its speakers sound terribly tinny, though, so I'd use headphones for any serious binge-watching sessions. I was also surprised that its 1080p webcam actually produced decent footage, and it also lets you log into the A14 easily with Windows Hello IR support.

Devindra Hardawar for Engadget Should you buy the Zenbook A14?

Given the combined issues of Arm compatibility and a slow processor, I wouldn't recommend the Zenbook A14 as a primary computer for most people, even though it's priced like a true MacBook Air competitor. If anything, it's a bit of an experiment by ASUS to see what compromises consumers will tolerate to get such a lightweight laptop. Instead of an impossibly light and underpowered notebook, most people would be better off with something like the Zenbook 14 OLED, which currently sells for $1,050 with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. Sure, it weighs 2.8 pounds instead of 2.2, but it's still pretty portable.

Apple's 13-inch MacBook Air, which starts at $999 with an M4 chip, is a half pound heavier than the Zenbook A14, but far more capable overall. Even the older M2 chip is faster than the Snapdragon X, and macOS has a wider selection of Arm-compatible apps, as well as faster emulation than Windows.

Devindra Hardawar for Engadget Wrap-up

If ASUS’ goal was to make an impressively premium ultra-light laptop, it almost got there with the Zenbook A14. While it outdoes the MacBook Air in weight and value, its slow processor makes it far less capable than Apple’s ultraportable. Perhaps one day, with future revisions and more capable hardware, ASUS could finally deliver a powerful near-two-pound laptop. For now, though, you’re better off waiting for a discount so the A14 can serve as a secondary PC.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/asus-zenbook-a14-review-a-lightweight-in-every-sense-133013668.html?src=rss

Brazil has ordered Apple to allow users to bypass the App Store and sideload apps within 90 days, according a report in Valor Econômico seen by 9to5Mac. The new ruling follows similar orders issued in Europe and elsewhere that were referenced by the Brazilian court. "[Apple] has already complied with similar obligations in other countries, without demonstrating a significant impact or irreparable damage to its business model," wrote judge Pablo Zuniga.

Late last year, Brazil's antitrust regulator CADE ordered Apple to allow users to download apps and make purchases from outside its App Store, with a 20-day deadline and fines for not complying. However, Apple appealed that ruling on the grounds that the changes would be too difficult to implement within the time frame. The court agreed, calling the injunction "disproportionate and unnecessary," buying Apple more time but forcing it to face a public hearing in Brazil.

Following another appeal, this time by CADE, the court ordered Apple to allow sideloading and third-party app stores within the next three months or face fines. 

The litigation was launched by the Latin American e-commerce firm Mercado Libre, which complained about developers being forced to pay hefty commissions through Apple's App Store. That was followed later by other developers including Match and Epic Games.

An Apple spokesperson told Valor Econômico that it “believes in vibrant and competitive markets," but said that the changes will "harm the privacy and security" of iOS users. Apple plans to appeal the decision.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/apple-must-allow-app-sideloading-in-brazil-within-90-days-judge-orders-130037196.html?src=rss

We all want to protect our phones from the inevitable drops, scratches and tumbles of daily life, but what if your phone case could protect more than just your device? The best eco-friendly phone cases offer a great blend of durability and sustainability, helping to reduce plastic waste and better the planet.

Made from natural materials like biodegradable plastics, recycled ocean waste or even sustainable bamboo, eco-friendly and compostable phone cases prove that you don’t have to sacrifice style or protection to go green. They’re designed to safeguard your device while actively combating plastic pollution, making them a win-win for both you and Mother Earth.

Whether you’re looking for something sleek and minimal or bold and artistic, there’s an eco-friendly option out there that will fit your style. Instead of a standard plastic case, you can choose one that’s both practical and planet-friendly.

Eco-friendly phone case FAQs What makes a phone case eco-friendly?

A phone case can be considered eco-friendly when it’s designed to protect not just your phone but also the planet. What sets these cases apart is the use of sustainable materials like biodegradable plastics, recycled plastic waste or even natural materials like bamboo or flax straw. Instead of contributing to plastic pollution, these materials break down naturally over time, or are made from recycled content that reduces waste.

Eco-friendly cases can also go a step further by being compostable, meaning you can toss them in a compost bin at the end of their life and they’ll decompose into the earth without leaving harmful residues. Plus, many brands behind these cases focus on sustainable practices, like reducing carbon emissions during production or offering recycling programs for old cases.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-eco-friendly-phone-cases-150016494.html?src=rss

The Disney+ Hulu Duo Basic plan usually costs $11 a month, but the companies are giving a big discount this spring. You can secure four months of the joint Disney+ and Hulu streaming subscription for just $3 a month. That comes out to just $12 in total and a savings of $32 for the whole offer period. The deal is for new and returning subscribers and is only for the basic tier, which includes advertisements on both Disney+ and Hulu content. You can sign up for the sale price from today through March 30.

At a time when it feels like every streaming service, audio and video, is pushing their subscription costs ever-higher, it's a treat to get any amount of entertainment access for a discount. That's why we're big fans of the Disney+ Hulu Duo plans; even at the normal rate, it unites two of our favorite standalone content libraries in a single package that's a solid deal at its normal rates. 

Snagging the basic tier for an even lower cost feels like a no-brainer, especially if you're invested in any facet of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, if you're counting the days until the second season of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives or if you just like to hum along with Encanto in the background while you work. 

Keep in mind that the ad-free Duo Premium plan isn't covered in this promotion, nor is the option that also bundles ESPN into the package. Access to Duo Premium will still run you $20 a month, while the Trio bundles begin at $17 a month.

Check out our coverage of the best streaming 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/four-months-of-the-disney-hulu-duo-basic-streaming-plan-is-on-sale-for-only-12-right-now-123511911.html?src=rss

Apple finally dropped some long-awaited updates this week: An M4 MacBook Air (now starting at $999!), M3 iPad Air, as well as a refreshed Mac Studio with M3 Ultra and M4 Max chips. In this episode, Cherlynn, Devindra and Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham chat about all of Apple's new hardware, as well as some interesting tidbits from Mobile World Congress 2025. Devindra also dives into his reviews of NVIDIA's RTX 5070 and AMD's Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT. It turns out AMD has finally delivered some killer GPUs to counter NVIDIA's dominance.

Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcast, Engadget News!

Subscribe!

• iTunes

• Spotify

• Pocket Casts

• Stitcher

• Google Podcasts

Topics

• MacBook Air refresh announced with an M4 chip and a slight price drop – 2:04

• What’s hot at Mobile World Congress 2025 – 23:10

• Lenovo’s Solar PC – 35:20

• Xiaomi 15 Ultra (with a fancy Leica camera) – 37:53

• New releases from Nothing – 39:16

• Samsung releases a trio of A series devices – 40:35

• NVIDIA vs. AMD part ∞: AMD’s Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT edge out the GeForce RTX 5070 – 46:20

• Pop culture picks – 54:11

Credits 

Hosts: Devindra Hardawar and Cherlynn Low
Guest: Nathan Ingraham
Producer: Ben Ellman
Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien

Transcript

Devindra: What's up, Internet, and welcome back to the Engadget Podcast. I'm Senior Editor Devindra Hardawar.

Cherlynn: I'm Managing Editor Cherlynn Low.

Devindra: This week, we're also joined by Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham. Hey, Nate. Good morning, everyone. Good morning. Full house this morning, so it's good to see everybody. We're going to be talking about the Basically all the new Apple hardware that just dropped by press release this week the M4 MacBook Air, the new iPad Air and the base iPad, which is kind of interesting too.

There's a new Mac studio out there with a really intriguing chip selection and some stuff from Mobile World Congress. And I've been crazy reviewing the AMD and NVIDIA GPU. So I've got thoughts on that as always folks. If you're enjoying the show, please be sure to subscribe to us on iTunes or your podcaster of choice.

Drop us an email at podcast@engadget.Com and join us Thursday mornings around 11 a. m. Eastern on our YouTube channel for our live stream. I think we're good. I think we're good to keep doing these as long as like I'm around and not sick or something. So join us then, folks. And hello. Hello, everybody.

Sherilyn, how are you doing with the news with everything happening right now?

Cherlynn: Surprisingly, I'm doing okay. Thanks. Because I have gotten most of the work out of the way, I'm having a chill Thursday, but definitely not an easy start to the week for us, right? I mean, I don't know if you know Devon Jivey, obviously you know, but you were working on a couple of super high priority reviews for us.

And then we had Sam and like other people on the team filing a lot of embargo hands on pieces over the weekend. And then to start the week, Tuesday and Wednesday, we had all kinds of Apple news that Nate. Who's joining us today is all on top of Nate. How was this week for you?

Nathan: It's been a little crazy.

Especially cause I have to carve out a couple hours to talk to everyone today, but that's cool. No, it's useful time. But yeah, Tuesday morning was, we had stuff prepped or at least we knew like it was going to come probably. So I had some posts ready to go and just to throw those up and fill out the details and.

Devindra: It was about what we expected. Let's well, let's go down the list. I think from priority and the one everybody was excited about is the new MacBook Air. We've been waiting for them to throw an M four chip in there. Apple reduced didn't in last, in the fall, they made 16, 16 gigabytes of ram, the base level of ram.

I ended up buying my wife an M three MacBook Air because of that, and it totally worth it for that price. And we've been waiting for the new chip. It is here. No Hardaware changes beyond that, except they reduced price by 100. And now it starts at nine 99. I, this is such a no brainer computer. If anybody, if you're familiar with max, right, this is just a one to recommend to most people.

Right. Did it

Nathan: also not

Devindra: get the

Nathan: webcam upgrade? I think,

Devindra: Oh yeah, it got the center stage webcam. Yeah. Yeah. 12 megapixel.

Nathan: So that's something that'll be nice. I think. But yeah, like they, you know, previously 999 got you an M2. Now it gets you an M4. So that's kind of a, yeah, no brainer when it is now easy to recommend the base model for most people, I think.

Devindra: Yeah. I mean, I could have seen Apple just keeping 1, 100, right. And not giving us a discount or anything. Yeah.

Cherlynn: Everyone in the chat's like excited, right? I mean, we have people going, This is the GOAT! And I'm like, okay. I don't know if I would call it a GOAT, but there's setting aside my personal struggles with macOS.

It is the GOAT ultra

Nathan: portable. Yeah, so, I don't know. Sherilyn and I have been, like, going back and forth about Mac stuff lately because our corporate overlords are forcing us to use our work issued Macs, so all of our Windows fans are struggling with the transition. It's it's struggling.

Devindra: You know what?

I'm not, nobody from corporate is listening to this, but I'm still okay on my window. Some people have been on our

Cherlynn: team. I don't want to, I don't want to give it all of it away. Cause I don't want to affect all of you, but when it does happen, cause it's a when, not an if y'all are, I'm sorry.

I'm a PC girl having to switch has been. Theory infuriating,

Devindra: I know this, but you know what, Sherilyn, like when you started doing more iPhone stuff, I remember you're an Android, you were an Android girl mainly too, and you're like, you slowly got it, you slowly got the appeal of

Cherlynn: I wouldn't say I got it because I still long for Androids cameras, but that's a topic for another day.

I'm sure. MacBook Air. Okay. So, I mean, I, look I, setting aside my issues with the Mac OS, I can respect that it is a very good laptop, frequently just has like longest lasting batteries in the industry, at least does all of the ARM emulation, well, not emulation anymore, just supports ARM natively now, if I'm not wrong, and just does it really well.

Good job, Apple. Good for you, but okay.

Devindra: Doesn't have a fan, which is both a blessing and a curse. It depends there's no fan noise, but also don't take that sucker outside in the sun because it will just sit there and roast and never eject any hot air, as I learned one time. But yeah, it's, this is the good computer for everybody.

I don't know what else to say beyond that. The Max Studio also got an upgrade, and I know the the more power hungry folks were waiting for this, and this one's coming with the M4 Max, same price starting in 1999, but also the N3 Ultra, which is a chip people were waiting for a long time. Really weird to see a last generation like chip design being pushed in a new product, but I'm hearing from some people that apparently these ultra chips just take forever for to like design and test and implement because they're essentially two max chips like squished together, you know, connected by some sort of bridge.

So it took a while to test. And from what I hear, the M3 Ultra is twice as fast as the M4 Max in like really heavy duty data processing work. So the number

Nathan: doesn't ultimately matter at the end of the day. It is

Devindra: confusing though. Yeah, it is.

Nathan: It's definitely weird, but I think for the people who are going to spend that much money and

Devindra: need

Nathan: that kind of power, they know.

Right? What they're getting into. They're not going to get confused by like marketing semantics.

Devindra: Is anybody excited about the iPad air with an M3 chip? So

Nathan: it's good. Fine. Yeah. So it's very much like the MacBook update, but I think, you know, after mowing this over a bit, I think what has happened, all these releases concurrently is basically them getting off of, I think, five nanometer.

Processors. Sure.

Devindra: Sure.

Nathan: So like they no longer have to support them to on the air or on the iPad. So I think that's a sense of they were doing is like them three is like way into production. They probably like we have so many of these, like there's no reason not to put them into the new, they're swimming in them three chips at this.

Right. So let's just do it. Right. And that's fine. I think for both the air, the MacBook air and the iPad, they're both like such mature products at this point that like, yeah. You're going to get just spec bumps and like I'm writing, I'm working on, or thinking about like how I'm going to review the iPad.

It's basically like everything I said a year ago. It's good. It still applies. Plus one.

Devindra: Yeah.

Nathan: Plus one. Right. So if you were going to buy one, you should still buy one. And same token goes for the air. Like we said, like for the same price, you're now getting an M4 instead of an M2. That's a big win.

Devindra: I think when, especially these products that are so mature, it's is the decision, should you buy the new one or should you like.

If the old one was so good, like it's probably a couple of hundred dollars less now. Maybe you should just look for that. And that is something I always kind of think about in my reviews, but then they drop the price. So it's I don't think you're going to find an M3 MacBook Air for a lot less, maybe 800 again, as they like clear out some of the, some stuff, maybe you'll find some M2s below 800 and that'll be an insanely good deal.

Cause that's still a very good computer, right?

Nathan: I would agree. Yeah. That's like a. Like, if you need a budget Mac there you go. You just gotta keep an eye on Amazon and whatnot and see what they've got. The other thing that's kind of funny about the Air Is that I was thinking about like right now, the way I'm thinking about it is what's the differences between the pro and the air and they always have to have things to differentiate and you know, every so often you kind of say well, what does it make sense?

What are you giving up for this money? And the pros still is like crazy expensive, but with the air, this is the generation where I'm starting to feel like, okay, like it's had the same screen for five years. It's had, you know, I mean, that's the big one for me is the same screen. And no face ID. And I understand that five years ago, those were smart ways to differentiate the product lineups, but now it's starting to feel a little, you know, miserly and you really want face

Devindra: IDs, the thing you're waiting for,

Nathan: I'm not waiting for it, but having used an iPad pro, I Way prefer it than having to keep on reaching up to authenticate sign in to things etc.

I feel that for

Devindra: me But that's I think again, it depends on how

Nathan: you use it Yeah, it's like I'm using it literally to do my whole job today except for this podcast You could have done a podcast on it. I think I could have tried but I don't want to cause problems Yeah, but I think that if you're like a more slightly more casual using it.

It's not gonna bother you as much I was thinking about the fact that you could go out there and probably find a refurbished M2 iPad Pro from a couple years ago and get a better screen and get, you know, the same, essentially the same performance that sort of thing.

Devindra: It's mainly the screen I don't know if they'll ever bring a fast refresh rate screen down to the iPad Air.

We're also still waiting for that on the base level iPhone. To me, that is such a qualitative leap in quality because all we do all day is scroll folks. If you just make the scrolling better, that's all I need and cheap Android phones and tablets are doing that. So why can't Apple? To me, that seems like the big annoyance, even 90 Hertz, give me 90 Hertz.

And even that will reduce eye strain a little bit. That's just a shame, but Hey, I've had air.

Nathan: Yeah. As I'm looking at the screen or you know, when I've looked, I'm thinking about the The M2 model, which I reviewed less than a year ago, like the screen itself looks very lovely. It's just a basic LEDs or LCD, but it looks still, it's very nice, but yeah, you definitely notice the stuttering compared to the higher refresh rate.

And then the other thing that I think about a lot is at one point, Apple had the mini LED screens, the iPad pro. So they've got the tech, you know, they could have this middle ground where the basic iPad is just like an LCD. This one's got The mini LED and then they've got the OLED for the pro.

So I'm like, that feels like it would be a good update.

Devindra: It's a, it's yeah, I guess they know who will buy their products, right? The techies who really want this stuff. We'll just bump up to the pro and then the people who want not just the base iPad. We'll go for the air. I feel like the air is just like in a weird space.

Cause it doesn't look that much different. It doesn't feel that much different. And I'm, I have always been a fan of the base model iPad because you get so much bang for your buck. And this year you're getting still once again, a pretty decent. amount of bang for your buck, right? This is coming in at the reduced price that the last base iPad was brought down to last year.

349. That thing launched originally over for at over 400. And we were really annoyed about that.

Nathan: So I think it was 430 or 450 even possibly.

Devindra: So I love this like price range because it's such a, it's just such a throwaway thing, right? Like, why not? Just get another base iPad. Your kid needs like a thing to do stuff on.

That is such a decent price. And if they destroy it, you know, it'll run for a couple of years. I'll crack the screen, but in a couple of years you may replace it or something. Like to me, that is, that's just like a really good, useful thing. My daughter started messing around with like art stuff on the the last.

The 10th gen iPad air or iPad base iPad. And now she's playing Minecraft on it and she's playing in big worlds with lots of textures and stuff like it's running really well. So that is such a good computer basically to scale with people. So shout out to the base iPad, which is better now too. Yeah, they added the

Nathan: A16, which is smart.

Interesting that it doesn't run Apple intelligence because my assumption was it was going to, because you know, they've tried to get that on almost every product they sell, but not this one. I mean,

Cherlynn: That, to me, was the most interesting thing out of all the news we've been talking so far. Yeah,

Speaker 4: yeah.

Cherlynn: I mean, iPad Air, cool.

MacBook Air, great value. Cool also, but incremental. No huge change to chassis design. I do want to point out Wes Jackson in the chat has been talking about the colors should be nicer on the MacBook Air. I don't know about the iPads. I mean, that led me to think I haven't really seen a very colorful laptop in a while.

There

Devindra: is a blue MacBook Air now, which is pretty Right. Right. But that but what, but West

Cherlynn: Jackson was saying is he wants it to be very saturated.

Nathan: If it's anything like the iPads, it's like the suggestion of blue it, it's like it's gonna look silver's, like sky

Devindra: blue. I remember, remember like the Surfaces had it's blue. You want blue. This is the bluest blue your eyes have ever seen. You know, you look at it too hard and all you see is blue for a second. That's how basic

Nathan: iPads also have great colors. Bright

Devindra: yellow. Bright. Yeah,

Cherlynn: they

Devindra: do. So I can't go ahead. Go ahead.

Cherlynn: I mean, Wes Jackson also pointed out and I wanted to ask the two of you what you thought on this really is that like, why is Apple so behind with screen refresh rates, right?

We understand they are behind. We've known this for a while. Why? What is holding them up?

Devindra: I think, well, they tend to value other things, right? They do put good screens in their devices. Like the base I've had is excellent. Yeah. The quality is excellent. Like this is the problem I have with the the Apple.

What's the, like the display, the monitor, that's 1, 500. Is it the studio display now? Studio display, but I know you're talking about, it doesn't have. High refresh rates either, right? That is, you have to go up to the pro monitor for that. But it looks good and people keep those things for years and years.

So it's they value other things in addition to refresh rate. But I'm just saying like where the market is now, like refresh rate, like it makes such a huge difference. I was thinking the base iPad is this thing where they're like. We can't make this too good. We're Apple, actually. And if we allow ourselves, this will be too good.

So the last time they're like, it has to be more expensive because we put a better chip in there. So that's kind of how you're doing it. And now it's well, it doesn't have Apple intelligence. So if you really want that, you need an iPad Air. Sorry. It just

Cherlynn: seems so ridiculous to me. I'm like, you just went all in.

It does because it's ridiculous

Nathan: because you get the sense that they want to be able to tell adoption numbers like this. Many people are using Apple intelligence. It's a win for us. And they've also said in the past that the best. I'm selling iPad is no surprise the cheap one. So you'd think there'd be a natural way to be like, okay, like we can, you know, again, like juice our Apple intelligence adoption here.

It's really telling, right? So surprising

Devindra: the cheapest chip that can run Apple intelligence is the a 17 pro, which was in the iPhone 15 pro series. So that would have cost more money to jump back up to that chip. The A16 is probably something they can put out cheaply, but I do think it ultimately comes down to sort of like the iPhone SE.

Does Apple want more people to buy the base iPad? I kind of don't think so. Actually, I think they want people to buy the thing with a higher per average, you know, price, so they'll get a higher return from it. It is this weird balance. Apple never wants people to just go straight to the cheap device, even though that is the one I think most consumers will consider first, you know.

Nathan: Well, and to your point about how much you like the base iPad, like everything you said is absolutely true. But then I think about somebody like myself. Where I, so last year when I reviewed the Air, I was like, this is the one to get because it has enough improvements, better screen better multitasking, you know, Apple intelligence now is a thing if you care about it, better processor, obviously I believe it's the only one, or I don't think the base I've had supports the Apple pencil pro.

So if you're really into visual arts, that's a win for you also. So they do all that without making it too expensive. Like it's not cheap. It's not cheap, but the price is, I think, reasonably fair for what you get, as is the price for the basic iPad. But, you know, like I, when I reviewed the basic one, I was like, I, it would feel like too constraining for me compared to what I want to do with it.

So I'm an air guy, but like other publications, I remember said the same thing about the air being in kind of a weird place. Like you could either just have this, like cheap basic iPad or. You could go the other way, but they've bumped up the price on the pro last year when they redesigned it. So now the cheapest one is a grand, which is bonkers.

The

Devindra: only smart decision for an expensive iPad is a used iPad pro. I think that's kind of the only way to go yes, you could buy the air and then you have this year's chip, but last year's M2 chip or whatever would still be. Yeah. Pretty freaking powerful. Yeah. And

Nathan: they've got good, you know, Apple is really good about having like quality refurbished stuff on their store pretty often.

Yeah. You'd save some cash get the one from a couple of years ago. That's a good call off to consider that. It's

Devindra: iSmart folks. Yeah.

Cherlynn: If you think about it, we've just been talking about how incremental everything has been like over the last few years. So definitely let the last two year models, the Hardaware wise, they basically feel the same, I think, and the processors.

Even if there have been like leaps in performance, it also wouldn't translate to much real world difference. I don't think you can tell me that the A17 is so much different than the A18, other than supporting Apple Intelligence a bit more natively slash better.

Nathan: I could see why they have updated the, you know, the base one, like A14 is probably starting to get old.

And again, I think it's also a matter of them moving away from Like producing things at like the certain you know, I'm not a huge chip guy, but I was talking to Aaron about this yesterday and it's okay, this they've cut their, they've removed all the products using, I think, five nanometer chips from their lineup at this point.

And that was probably like a weird strategic part of the decision that consumers aren't really privy to. Right.

Devindra: I see a comment here. Moe Esquire says from the chat, Apple stays asking for 2025 money for 2011 screen technology. It's wild. I wouldn't say that. Like the numbers are the same, but the actual technology behind the screens are, they do get better.

It's a better LCD. It's brighter than before, you know, in many respects, like It is getting incrementally better. Nate, like, how do you feel about the iPad air screen at this point? Is it a decent value?

Nathan: Yeah, so again, I haven't reviewed the new one, but it's the same as last year's And you know, if I sit there, like I said, if I look at the screen i'm like it's reasonably bright.

The colors are nice. It's great to watch movies on play games. Like it's a very quality display, but the thing where you start to feel it not being as good is when you compare it to the iPad pro and specifically again, as you're saying, the refresh rate, right? Like it feels. You know, I can feel the stuttering of the screen more and that makes it feel like it's on as fast, even if that's not the case, right?

It's how our eyes perceive speed, basically, yeah.

Cherlynn: I will say that at 350, the base iPad is a really decent purchase, like people in the chat, Declan, Deepro are saying that it's used in schools and hospitals, for example. Battery strength appears to be something you will notice in an older model, you know, falter faster, I guess.

And then I want to point out, we had this chat in our team Slack yesterday. But Paradise and Wes Jackson are both like we love the iPad mini. And I'm like, me too. I would adore the iPad mini seven myself. But we seem to notice a bit of like loss of love for many things from Apple's end, right Nate?

We were like, I mean, I was like, should we write about the iPad mini graveyard? What happened to all the minis? The phones are getting

Devindra: too big. I think that's something like. When I get a Pro Max phone, I'm like, it's just a couple more inches to the mini. At that point, I should probably, I gotta differentiate more.

I gotta get like a full iPad, basically, you know?

Cherlynn: Yeah, I guess the pricing would also be confusing. I mean, if you're going to stuff like proper power into a mini device, then would you charge more or charge less? I, hard to say. Yeah,

Nathan: no. So yeah, the mini is definitely a step up over the basic one in almost every regard.

It's smaller, but then again, that's not like a. A downside the people buying it. I don't think you buy it because you want it to be small. And like I reviewed the latest mini last fall, I guess it was. And I hadn't used one for an extended amount of time in a long time. And I was like, this thing is so much fun.

It's just like a cute little iPad. You can like almost put in your pocket and you can use the stylus to take notes. And again, I wish I had some visual art skill. I don't, but it would be a great little drawing canvas. It's a perfect size to read things on. It was my Bellatro machine perfect size for just playing that game relentlessly.

Devindra: What if you could have something that size and then you unfold it? Make it fold,

Cherlynn: Apple!

Devindra: Make it fold, but fold it to be bigger, not to be smaller, is what I'm saying. Give me an iPad mini that, then you just get a phone! I don't know. Just get to me the big thing, giving you something that you could slip into your pocket, like the iPad mini, but also Bang that out to the full 10 inch iPad or something, that would be really cool.

Cherlynn: So are you saying, DaVinder, are you saying you're for foldables?

Devindra: I'm for that idea of a foldable. To me that is more interesting than than the smaller phone things. But hey, we'll see. I kind of, I do want to buy a foldable at some point to just get that, you know, experience. Live the life, yeah.

Live the life just a bit. Okay. Anything else we want to say about these Apple devices? Cause we've got a lot to go through here. I feel like that kind of

Nathan: covers it. I mean, we made the joke yesterday, like this could have been an email. I'm like, I guess it was an email, right? It was

Cherlynn: an email.

Devindra: The iPad stuff was, didn't that just drop?

I don't know. It just dropped it. I can't reveal it or whatever. There was a

Cherlynn: video for iPhone 16e last time last couple of weeks ago, but yeah.

Devindra: I can reveal that, you know, Apple talked to me and a few journalists about the air and stuff like, so that was more important to them than I think the iPad.

So, oh, whatever.

Cherlynn: Well, no Nate did chat with people too, I think. So they didn't do the little briefing thing. They just didn't make a big deal of it. I think.

Nathan: It's primarily focused on the air. Like the base iPad is really just we put a new chip in it. Oh, I will say one other thing about the Air before we move on is that they improved the keyboard accessory, which I like it does both.

It's a little thinner and lighter. It has the function row, which is great and it's shockingly cheaper. It's still super expensive. Don't get me wrong, but you know, they cut 30 bucks. It starts at two 70. That's so

Devindra: that's almost a full

Nathan: base iPad. It's bonkers. I know, but it's cheaper. 'cause it used to be, it's cheaper.

2 99 and 3 49.

Cherlynn: Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. I have a question. Can I use the magic, this is a dumb question coming from someone who's never tried this before. Okay. Can I use magic keyboard with an iPhone? Dang it. So I've been the tool before. You get, get the little log

Nathan: text. Yeah.

Cherlynn: Yeah. I know. I'm gonna get one of those, but I've been a

Nathan: little mini Bluetooth.

Yeah.

Cherlynn: There's this threads account that's been posting these renders of a keyboard case for iPhones that they're making iPhones and other phones. And it just looks super good. So I, this is my workaround for my IT problems. I think,

Devindra: I don't know. I think it's actually all around. I'm looking at Tik TOK.

I keep getting ads for this, trifold pocket phone, like pocketable keyboard that actually it's pretty good. I've seen that one. They exist. They exist.

Cherlynn: No, I'm talking about another one. I'll send you a link. I'm talking about this thing called Amber from a company that is right. Like they make AI writing tools.

Anyway.

Devindra: Okay. Let's move on to Mobile World Congress 2025. And I remember when people used to be really excited about this thing. And now it's I don't know. Do general chat. Do you guys care when we see Mobile World Congress? Do you

Cherlynn: care about NWC? As much as

Devindra: you care, maybe about CES or something. I don't know.

I feel like that era has passed.

Nathan: I think Covid really kind of killed it. That was the final blow. Although

Devindra: it seems like it's hopping this year. There's a lot of news and a lot of people went,

Cherlynn: I, I don't know if it's necessarily hopping or popping this year. I mean, look. I'm friends with a lot of people in the industry, not to flex or anything,

Speaker 4: but

Cherlynn: I don't know about y'all, but I got friends in the real world.

CFI 42 and was Jackson in our chat, by the way, echo this sort of sentiment, CFI 42, MWC was Jackson's. I used to care, but then everyone has their own conferences now. And that is the thing, right? That is the thing we've seen, the trend we've seen in the last few years of these sort of grouped events don't.

happen as much anymore because companies do their own things more frequently. I think that was a result of COVID, like Nate said, and it both like made MWC less important, but still somewhat important as well as it made our lives harder in this space because we now have to cover everything every week instead of like once a month we cover one conference or something.

So the cadence has changed. And I mentioned my friends as mostly because. you know, there's a few of them that went to Barcelona and I've been like, what is the point? I, first of all,

Nathan: think about

Cherlynn: it. I mean, they, I think I, I hate to throw shade on people, but I'm like, I think people enjoy traveling to Europe.

Sure. When they don't have to pay. Yeah. Yeah. When they

Nathan: don't

Cherlynn: have to pay for it. I would

Nathan: have loved to have gone to MWC. I think the great escape to go to Barcelona that

Cherlynn: y'all are not picking up that I might be throwing is that it I'm, I don't want to suggest that they didn't have professional reasons to be there, but it, when I say that they want to travel to Europe, it is a side benefit, a pretty major one that makes it more alluring to go to a show that maybe you didn't need to go to.

I think that for us at Engadget at least, we definitely didn't send a team. Not because none of us wanted to go to Europe. All of us wanted to go to Europe, but,

Devindra: but we even have people closer to there. Yeah. A,

Cherlynn: have people closer. We have people based in the UK and Europe, but B, like we would need to justify the expenses.

And it's super expensive to go. Like our team covers our own travel and accommodation. So like we would have to pay the flight. We would have to pay for the hotels to go. It's not and also we all, we tend to get briefed ahead of time and see all the interesting things, even in America. So we're.

And I don't think that the amount of news that came out of it this time from what I'm seeing really would have justified traveling there from America as well. So

Devindra: it's more of a nice to have thing. And also like folks, if you're seeing influencers and other folks out there, a lot of folks. A lot of folks get sent out there by companies who want them.

Yeah, there's a lot of sponsored travel,

Cherlynn: which by the way, as a rule, Engadget doesn't do. Like we just don't accept sponsored travel in case it was never clear before. Now it is clear. We just don't. So is there actually

Devindra: news from this thing? I know, right? After all that

Cherlynn: crapping on shitting on it.

Nathan: Lenovo did a bunch.

Cherlynn: Yeah, but it's mostly

Nathan: weird concept stuff, right?

Cherlynn: Yeah, I mean, I really got a hats off to Lenovo always coming with this sort of like weird experimental energy and I love it. We, they were the ones that we were able to see ahead of time in New York. So Sam went and Sam saw a few things.

There was a codename flip foldable laptop that like is an another take on it's like rollable laptop that we saw at CES. We, this thing like it flips out the screen, like kind of like trifolds flips. It's very weird. I don't even know how to describe it. So I'll use Sam's words.

Nathan: It

Cherlynn: is, sorry, that was your, those were your words, right?

Nathan: Oh,

Cherlynn: it's him. Lanky lad. This thing, basically imagine your laptop and you open it up and then you open it up twice more on top of his screen. That's kind of what we're talking about. This. It can, it's a normally a 13 inch panel and then it can unfold vertically to 18. 1 inches. And I guess the benefit of this is, I mean, yeah, I know the quote benefit of this is that like you can.

Get that extra space. And you don't have to wait around as long as you'd have to wait for Lenovo's like rollable you know, that one we saw at CES, if y'all haven't seen it yet, for everybody who really wanted the rollable

Devindra: 18. Yeah, the rollable. This will get to it. First of all, that

Cherlynn: screen's definitely not going to be as good.

Cause it's rolling into the hinge, but it's going to come up. Super slow. I got to tell you, I was shooting the video for this and I was like, God damn, how long do I had to hold this?

Devindra: This feels like a typical thing. Like actually, I remember going back to some MWC, like a quote unquote innovations. No, nobody needs this.

It's cool. You can do it, bro, but nobody needs this. Like you look at this and be like are you overcompensating much? And also it looks ridiculous. It looks ridiculous. Yeah, it's just really awkward. It'll never, you can't use this anywhere, really. You can use this in a cafe in an airplane.

Something I've noticed and people don't think about a lot is that if you're working outside and it's windy, your laptop is in danger. And this has happened to me several times. Like I was once at a bar in I don't know, San Francisco doing some work and. Group of people needed a picture. I was like, okay, I'll help you take a picture.

My Mac book air was just sitting there doing nothing. Augusta wind came and flew it off the table.

Cherlynn: Oh, it

Devindra: goes with the air because it was also so light. But like the having a laptop open is an error like pocket. So air hits that it can go flying. And I never, I don't know if y'all look.

Cherlynn: I don't know if I want to show for the live stream what we're talking about.

And I know it's tricky for us to do a screen share right now, but basically it is to Sam's point in his hands on. He also says that it's hinge wasn't fully up to the task of keeping everything stable as even a light tap would cause the whole panel to sway back and forth in a disconcerting

Nathan: way.

Let's be clear. This is a concept, right? It's a concept. I

Cherlynn: was going to get. Oh, thank you. But yeah, I was like no one's gonna sell this thing because it clearly isn't ready for prime time. I do want to add to if we scroll slightly down that article, you'll see a picture of the touch pad. Lenovo also included in this thing, what it's calling a smart force pad.

There's a three layer illuminated dashboard. Cause those are great words. Someone in our chat dropped a not safe for work comment. So I'm not going to say a thing, but

Devindra: Your screen does not need to extend so much. At some point you're overcompensating for something. I will say that for

Nathan: our conversation about Apple, we're like, this is the most incremental of incremental.

And then we go to the other side of the equation here, which is these like ridiculous concepts like We can't be like, Oh, this is too Borg and incremental make, Oh, this is too weird. Like I'm not that way. I know. But it's just fun to be like, I like seeing companies. I

Cherlynn: like seeing the experimental and again, to be like you said, Nate, like Lenovo is not doing anything with this yet.

Right. The rollable is going to be available for sale at some point, but not this one. So, okay, we, I don't want to spend too long on this because Lenovo had a few other things that we should talk about. Another one being a external display concept which I'm actually very intrigued by.

And then I'll get to the last one, which is this actually seems

Devindra: useful. Yeah.

Cherlynn: Yeah. So this I don't know if there's a name, but basically it's a set of accessories or a family or ecosystem of accessories that can attach to a 16 inch think book, the think book 16 P and I mean, the base machine itself is pretty standard.

It's a 16 inch machine with Intel Core PC CPU NVIDIA GPU the 5070, in fact good displays and whatever. But then when you get to the attachment or the attachable accessories, you start with Lenovo's so called Magic Bay docking system. That allows you to add either the second display concept, which is a small 8 inch screen that you can Snap on magnetically as an external monitor or whatever, or you can use the second What is it called?

The second display, like basically a dual screen so you can snap it onto the back of your lid And then you get wings, right? Two screens that seem like wings, so you have a triple display set up

Nathan: Lenovo gives you wings

Cherlynn: Lenovo gives you, oh boy. And no, this is the Tico Pro, I believe. No, the Tico Pro.

I'm so confused with all these names, by the way, because there's. This name is Tico out of nowhere from Lenovo. Basically this is a much slimmer thin display that you snap on top of the lid of the laptop and it adds like a, like an eight inch tall sort of extra row to the top of your. to function as like a spare screen where you can see all your like, it's like a running ticker, I guess, of yeah, like a touch bar, but on top of your laptop screen.

And then finally I think there was just the Tico, which I told like, Sam, when I saw it, I was like, I want this. It's a circular screen that can again, snap on top of the laptop lid. And it's like an AI companion and can react with emoji to like throughout the day. So it's kind of like a Tamagotchi just sitting on top of your screen.

I think that's cute as heck. So. If you scroll all the way to the bottom of this article, by the way, Devinder, you can see this Tico Tamagotchi staring at you,

Devindra: it's kind of weird. Is it in it's in the roundup? I don't see it in the doc here, so drop me a link. Oh,

Cherlynn: I'm sorry, it's at the bottom of this thing that you're sharing your screen on right now.

Let

Devindra: me find that. Do you see it? Oh yeah, that whole

Cherlynn: thing. Yeah just for the, oh, look at that thing.

Devindra: Ben, please you can share the entire, all the things cause I'm sharing. We'll share

Cherlynn: the links to the show notes in the episode wherever it goes up on the audio podcast. But please go to Engadget.

com and look at our MWC coverage. So yeah, a lot of really wild ideas from Lenovo and not all of them dumb.

Devindra: I think here's the thing. Like they're kind of cool. You'd be like, huh, kind of interesting concept. So many things here. The external display wings looks really annoying to put together.

To be honest, like it looks super annoying. You know, what's great. Just have another little external display, have a tablet. This is unfortunately have an iPad. I have an iPad. If you have a Mac, your iPad is an external display. Sorry, Cherlynn. But then it's you're walking with a screen and a laptop.

Anyway, you know, that's how. That makes sense. Also, I must say, in this economy,

Cherlynn: yeah in this economy,

Nathan: becoming the running joke. But yeah, it

Cherlynn: is this economy as well. But the, some of these screen attachment type things, I believe I read that Sam wrote some of them have kickstands built in to improve the stability, which we said was a problem with the previous one.

Look, I, we can talk. ad nauseum about these accessories, but I believe not all of them are actually coming to market. In fact, it's a start the magic bay. Yeah. The most, they're probably all concepts at this point. And I think Lenovo needs to spend more time testing it out, but they're also doing this as to as a way to gauge our reactions, right?

They're like, Oh, do people like this? So if you like it, you know, I guess. Tell us, you

Devindra: know, what's useful though. They did have a solar PC concept with just like solar panels on the back. That's cool. This is my

Cherlynn: favorite one as much as I like that. Silly little AI companion. This is the Lenovo. Yeah.

Solar PC concept. Basically it's a, the so called it's a laptop with a built in solar panel into the lid and you can use it to charge the laptop. Basically. I mean, it's going to take a while to do, but the technology has improved so much lately that it doesn't take as long as you would think.

So, 20 minutes in the sun gets

Devindra: you an hour worth of video watching. That's pretty good. Actually, that's not bad at all.

Cherlynn: It's used is using a back contact cell technology on the back of the laptop lid. So you can get that amount of power conversion that you just said. So I think this is the neatest idea I've seen.

I'm here for anything that improves sustainability. But of course, I am no expert on solar technology or solar power. So anyone out there listening or watching, tell me if this sounds like a good or a bad idea.

Devindra: We kind of need solar stuff everywhere is the thing. Like not everyone's going to get solar panels on their roofs to make their entire house solary, but you could get like little external solar batteries.

I have one one of my house cameras that's upfront, has a separate solar thing. And I just never have to touch that camera. I never have to change the batteries. I never have to do anything. So these little, like It's like when Samsung

Cherlynn: did it for the remote control.

Devindra: Yeah, sort of, sort of.

I mean, we've had solar remote controls for a while or like solar calculators. Like we've had that stuff forever, but that was cool. But this is like a whole laptop and we, you work outside, keep your laptop charged. That is, this is a cool concept or maybe give me like a little. Give me like a little solar tent that I plug into USB C and that is just trickling energy into whatever device I have plugged in.

I think I just made a new startup, folks, and nobody steal that idea. There

Cherlynn: you go. Yeah, that's your backup career plan. Wes, people in the chat are like, Wes Jackson's would that be in danger of overheating? CF540 is a two bit, you can't charge it well with the lid open. So those are good questions.

I will ask Lenovo. I know Lenovo sometimes listens. It's

Devindra: the angle. If you have a laptop open, it's still getting some on the back. And trust me when I learned from that MacBook Air, your laptop will still get cooked, even if you have it open, like this is actually good to use for that heat, maybe.

Cherlynn: Yeah. There you go. And Sam saw

Devindra: this,

Nathan: right? We can ask him like what the,

Cherlynn: yeah, Sam did see it. I mean, I would have loved for Sam to be able to join us today but our team is so, it's just, we can't have so many people on the podcast at once.

Devindra: Do we care about the Xiaomi 15 Ultra?

Cherlynn: So, I mean, I will point out that Xiaomi 15 Ultra, I mean, it's not probably coming to the U.

S., but it is one of those phones that, We have, we see elsewhere that like people lost after, yeah. Is it 6. 7 inch phone with a really bright screen gets up to 120 Hertz, but the, yeah, it got, it has that like a camera built in, but there is this little attachment that adds a grip and some, I believe lens cappy things or lens cap.

Devindra: I see. So you can add like maybe filters and stuff. Like UV filters? Exactly.

Cherlynn: And Sammy collaborated with Leica to make this, so, I mean, check out Sam's hands on. One of his 17 hands ons that he filed late Friday, basically.

Devindra: Poor Sam. Poor Sam. Poor one out for Sam. I saw something wasn't there one with a big lens or something that was like attachable?

To a phone.

Cherlynn: Yeah, that's the Xiaomi. I believe that's the Xiaomi 15 Ultra or are you talking about something else?

Devindra: It looked like the Xiaomi but this one is not quite it. I don't know. Maybe it was that I was thinking of. Yeah

Cherlynn: If you're remembering it from this week It was probably the Xiaomi unless you might be thinking the HMD had some other attachment that was not a camera

Devindra: But anyway anything else i'll do.

Yeah, let's look at the rest of the news from

Cherlynn: yeah I there's some other stuff. I mean, the nothing phone 3a and 3a pro were released or unveiled as well and they look really cool. I mean, I was just talking to someone who doesn't know tech at all. So, you know, real life friends and the You remember like 10 or 6 years ago, there was this obsession with the transparent iPhone?

Yeah, people are obsessed with devices that are transparent and nothing continues to feed on that obsession. They look cool! Yep.

Nathan: Yeah,

Cherlynn: it Bring us back to 1999. It looks so good. These are a pair of I think mid range phones. They're going to cost around 379 and 459 for the 3a and 3m pro respectively.

Matt Smith on our team wrote a pretty in depth hands on with these devices. He's come away pretty impressed. We're going to have a review up shortly. They're going to be available in the U S through the nothing beta program. So I think it's worth. Checking out. It's not like you can't get this phone at all.

In america The

Nathan: first thing we've talked about that anybody can buy right or all the lenovo stuff with concept, right?

Cherlynn: Yeah, the lenovo stuff other than the thinkbook 16p which attaches to those accessories Which you do we are able to buy but yes exactly to your point. This is something you can actually buy Hey speaking of something you can actually buy samsung.

Yes Yeah, launched this week, a pair of galaxy or trio of galaxy a series devices, which by the way, I'm so glad they don't do that awesome squad event anymore for the a series Nate, this is back when Christopher Lasko was with us and we used to like, I think right during the pandemic or right after we used to live stream alongside these live events that companies would have and Samsung had an event for a Galaxy A70 something or something like that?

80, 90? I don't know. And it would not stop with the cringe millennial slash Gen Z speak. It was very much a take your squad and viva! Yeah,

Nathan: it's coming back to me a little bit.

Cherlynn: I will force you to re watch it later today.

Nathan: Please do.

Cherlynn: Anyway, so this is the main news, the Galaxy A series basically the A56, 36, and 26 were released this week or announced this week.

And if you're in the UK, you'll be able to buy, or in Europe, you'll be able to buy any of them. The A56 in particular is a very interesting one. However, the A56 doesn't seem to be coming to the US just yet. I mean, Samsung says later this year. No actual other date. And they also don't want to give us a pre order like link or whatever.

Like where can we find more info? There is

Devindra: some sort of A50 already available in the U. S. Right? Is it the 55? Yes,

Cherlynn: A55.

Devindra: Yeah.

Cherlynn: But I believe it was also kind of touch and go in terms of the availability there. I believe when it comes to the U. S. and A series, Samsung's more focused on the 70 something series than it is the A and also the FE, the fan edition.

I wonder what that says of, you know, Right. I wonder what y'all are thinking about those other regions that you sell the Zay series in, huh? But you know, but Samsung didn't just bring devices that you can buy. They also brought devices you cannot buy. And this is one of those things we didn't get to see in person because we never went to Barcelona, but the Samsung display department slash section of the company came through with a few concepts as well.

You'll see at our, like everything announced at MWC sort of roundup piece while I'm talking about, it's a bunch of folding display concept devices, including a, Briefcase display, which is so silly to me. It's like this metal briefcase you see in movies and TVs, like very silver and whatever. And then you can unfold it into like this, I don't know, like 27 inch TV type of thing.

Then you can, you will also see they brought a flex gaming concept. That's kind of a switch that can fold in half, right, basically. It's a 7. 2 inch OLED screen, folds horizontally in half. And then they have kind of like controllers along the sides of the screen. Very interesting, we saw that from Android Police.

And then Allison Johnson at The Verge posted some videos on social media of this thing that basically looks like a Galaxy Z Flip. However, instead of folding in half, It has two hinges along the top and bottom, so it folds inwards two ways. So it's like a tri fold, but covers most of the screen.

It's like when you're wrapping a gift and you don't want to fold it in half. You wrap and you just can't finish wrapping it. And you have to stick one more span of

Nathan: wrapping paper. I take back what I said earlier. I'm really happy about Apple's iterative updates

Cherlynn: because

Nathan: this crap

Devindra: makes no sense.

This is definitely yeah, what you need more in a device that can break with movable parts, like a device with hinges is more hinges. That's, that makes sense. So that's

Cherlynn: why it's a concept, right? So, so this is what we missed by not going to Barcelona and spending a ton of money to see these concept folding phones or gaming handhelds.

And to be clear, like Samsung did show some of the other concepts they brought to Barcelona at. CES this year too. So we've seen some of these things. I do want to point out Mike Jones in our chat reminds us that the A55 actually was not sold in the U. S. So that's a good point. Like I said, I think I saw it at some retailers,

Devindra: but okay.

Okay. It was something. It might be like, maybe it's a 54. I don't know. Someone personally, privately imported it. There's no, I hate the A series phones because yes, you can, you can't really keep up with anything. It's a super pain. And then to be

Cherlynn: clear, Yeah, I mean, I think in the U. S. you still have other options, like the Fan Edition S whatever, S24FE the A70 something, whatever.

And also, the Pixel, maybe, just dominates in the U. S.? Maybe that's why it's not I mean, in that space I think

Nathan: just the basic S24 S series their flagships are the ones that I don't know. I will say that this conversation has made it really feel like I went to Barcelona though. So, aside

Devindra: from other things.

No. Aside from the tapas? Yeah, aside from the tapas and the beer and the nice paella I don't know, we're missing a little bit. No, we don't talk about the microwaves. I got to keep you away from microwaves. Apparently

Cherlynn: we will talk about that in another episode, but I mean, look, there's other stuff.

I mean, Meadow was there, Google was there, but we've seen their Android updates. We reported it. We didn't need to be there to cover like Android updates, that sort of stuff. So if you want all the full details again, like I said, just check out Our roundup on Engadget. com or check out our individual pieces there as well.

And yeah, I mean, maybe today you just go get yourself some tapas to feel like you went to MWC, you know?

Devindra: Get some tapas, get some good food, folks. Or

Cherlynn: paella.

Or

Devindra: Good paella.

Cherlynn: Kimi, I mean, pintos, I don't know, man. I am hungry.

Devindra: Alright, let's move on to some other news and hey, I've been heads down reviewing video cards for the past two weeks, actually for several weeks cause Nvidia threw all their new cards at me and then AMD announced the new RTX 50 what was it? Not the RTX, the RX 9070 cards. And I have just been fully on those things and I'll tell you, I was I was most excited about it.

About doing the 5070 because that thing was 550. I'm looking at the 9070 right now But that thing was 550 is supposed to have the power of you know Nvidia supposedly said of the you know, was it the 4090 or something like AMD

Cherlynn: said right?

Devindra: Nvidia said like that one was supposed to have a power of a much older card and

Cherlynn: videos.

Devindra: Yeah That thing was supposed to be And I found the, you know, 5070 to be just kind of mid, that's ultimately where it was. Like I found it to be not as fast as some of the other ones. It wasn't much of an upgrade over the 4070. It was practically the same as the 4070 TI, which is, I think that one came out last year or two years ago.

There just wasn't. Much going on there. And yeah, I just, I feel like all of Nvidia's marketing claims around the 50, 70, just really made it clear. Like they're leaning so much on AI and frame generation to get you higher frame rates. Not cool. Then an AMD comes out and they announced the Radeon RX 9070 and the 9070 XT.

And these things are 549 and 599 and the 599 card, the 9070 XT is actually meant to compete with the 750 5070 TI. So that is, that was like gauntlet throw down by AMD. We have this card that is much cheaper. Almost as comparable and in my review like I think they're both really good cards. I really like the 9070 XT because it comes in a hundred fifty dollars less than the 4070 Ti it is in many respects many benchmarks many games like just as fast and AMD is also doing a better job of getting into their AI upscaling stuff.

So they've announced FSR for Fidelity FX super resolution for Which will do some of the stuff that DLSS has been doing with NVIDIA's cards. So AMD is catching up. These aren't perfect cards, but I think they're like, they're really compelling, especially for that price. The other thing is you can't find the AMD, the NVIDIA cards anywhere.

All the 50s, all the 50 series cards have been jacked up in price. If you do find them at all, they're out of stock everywhere. And from what I'm seeing, people are finding the Radeon cards. They're in stock at a lot of stores. Easy to get easy to buy at the base price. Some are, some manufacturers are putting more tech in there to like.

Make them price higher, but hey, this seems like a pretty clear win for AMD in the mid range arena. So if you've been waiting for a new video card, now's the time to probably jump in, or just wait a little bit and see how these prices go. We have not really talked about like the crazy tariff stuff that the Trump administration has been talking about and they're like, they're trying to go gung ho with it.

That will lead to a lot of things being more expensive. And that includes video cards, everything food. So many things are going to be more expensive. So we're not even like talking to that level of it. But if you find, I think if you find a 90, 70 or 90, 70 XT, you're in the market for mid range card, you've got a card that's four or five years old.

These are going to be good upgrades for most people. So, Hey, check it out now, grab it now. If you can, yeah. Before the prices get up and good luck out there. Happy hunting folks.

Nathan: DaVindra, what's your like workflow for

Devindra: reviewing a graphics card like? Crying. I mean, it's mainly

Cherlynn: crying. The fans are crying.

The fans are

Devindra: crying because, you know, I got to rip out the old car. I have to uninstall all the driver stuff of my current car. I have to rip out the old car to plug in the new car, reinstall this set of drivers and hope windows plays nicely. And then weird shit just happens. Sometimes like my video, my webcams just start getting wonky.

And I don't windows like. Something got corrupted. I don't know somewhere along the line, but that's basically it. I do that and then I start benchmarking. I start playing games. I see how they feel. I see, I run some stress tests because 3DMark has some of those and if the system crashes, that's like Hardaware issue, driver issue, something's not up to snuff.

I will say these Radeon cards are the best AMD cards I've had for a while when it comes to stability. I've Had so much trouble with a MD drivers in the past a MD Hardaware in general. When I did the R nine Fury X, which was like many years ago, that was like pre covid. That thing wouldn't even boot in my computer.

Like my computer just was just incompatible with it for no reason, even though it was running high end in video cards at the time. So a MD has come a long way and they're definitely the underdog in this scenario because Nvidia is now this big titan. Their power, like all the AI stuff has made them one of the most valuable companies in the world.

And I think AMD deserves, you know, some of that love and they're treating the GPU market a little better, I think. So that's my main thing.

Cherlynn: I do want to point out to people listening and watching that like port of Indra, you had to like that workflow you just described. You had to switch over in two days, like this week, because Nvidia.

The NVIDIA 5070 review was like, what, Tuesday that it went up and then Wednesday was the next one or something like that. Wednesday was

Devindra: the two AMD cards. So I had to benchmark those two cards and have thoughts. At least we were able to combine them into one review. But, you know, that's a lot of stuff.

And also I don't have a test system. You were

Cherlynn: also dealing with Apple's MacBook News and like M4 and M3 Ultra, I guess. But it was not easy. Thankfully, other people were able to write those.

Devindra: Yeah. Other people were able to write those and that helped out. But yeah, I had to talk to Apple. I have to do a lot of stuff.

It's a busy time for all of us. Sam did all those MWC embargoes. It's crazy out there, folks. It's crazy. Anyway, that is the AMD and video war. Go check out our reviews and you know, and

Nathan: check out Igor wrote about why the GPU market is kind of such a mess right now in terms of there's like systemic problems that have led to this point where it's impossible to find these things.

They cost too much. Yeah, it's a great piece. I think it's really hit a chord with people who've read it. The timing of it couldn't be better, right? Coming alongside these new reviews you put together. The

Devindra: title is the GP Mark is built on a broken foundation by Igor Bonaparte. And I think yeah good points. If I had time to sit and breathe and get these out there outside of all the reviews, like this, yours pretty much saying everything I'm thinking. So I love

Cherlynn: that. I mean, you agree. Yeah,

Devindra: I agree. Our recommendation for video cards for the longest time has been do not buy because the prices got crazy.

Stock is wild. Don't pay scalper prices. You don't. Unless you are like some sort of like massive influencer or a streamer or something, you don't need a 1590. I see people out there convincing themselves. They need 2, 000 GPUs. And I'm like, that's, you could get a whole ass, like really good gaming computer for 1, 500 for less.

That I'm seeing on sale like I'm such a deal hound like I cannot stomach that whole thing So the 1590s it is and it flexed by nvidia, but it's not for anybody. It's these mid range card It's going to be the cheaper cards coming in that are going to be really good We review the intel arc b. What is it the 580 570 and those like those are Budget cards that are actually pretty decent too.

So to me, that's where the market is and where it's more interesting. You're a

Nathan: capital D dad though. So of course you're searching for budgets.

Devindra: I mean, I, that's just how I roll. Like I listen I'm from an immigrant family coming to the U S like everything was so like, that is how I had one video game per year.

Growing up, like it was so hard to be surrounded by all the stuff, all of this pop culture and abundance and whatever. Anyway, that's my mentality, but also i'm pro consumer, right? I'm consumer first and i'm not going to make excuses for nvidia and how they're pricing these cards or how things are getting expensive Enough of that folks.

Let's have a little fun. Let's move on to our pop culture picks for the week date Go ahead. What do you got? All right. I have two things. One is

Nathan: The pit on max. So good is basically A sequel to ER, but it's not, and I the

Devindra: Michael Crichton estate would do not want you to call it the ER, but I think

Nathan: that was the, yeah, that sounds like for sure.

It's been reported that was the plane was to literally do it as if no, a while as John Carter again, which I would have been absolutely all for. But what they came up with is still also really good. And I like that they're doing the 24 trick of doing it an hour at a time. Like every episode I watch when it's over, I'm like, wait, it's over.

It's an hour of real time. So you're there for a day every time you're there for an eight hour

Devindra: shift. I believe that's a

Nathan: 15. Okay. Yeah. I think it's a 15 episode. Yes.

Devindra: Yes. You're right. Yeah.

Nathan: But like the actors are great. The stories are compelling. It feels, it definitely feels like a little bit of a throwback.

But also with enough like modern, you know, storytelling sensibility, it doesn't feel too like overly dramatic or soapy. Right? It's just like a good, solid, normal TV drama. The

Devindra: mid season episode, I think it was like number 7 or 8, was like, it was one of those where a lot of things come to pass all at the same time.

It was like, devastating. That is just a devastating hour of television for Good reasons and like sad things happen. And it's just like all over the place, but that was incredible. It sets up

Nathan: what the back half of the season will have to do. Yeah. But yeah, it's just like enjoyable.

And then the other thing I'm keeping an eye on obviously is Last of Us season two comes out on April 13th. There's a South by Southwest panel this weekend with the showrunners and a bunch of the actors that I'm looking forward to. And Variety also had a great. Interview with some photos from the sets and one of them is great.

It was a shot of Joel his workshop and his house in Jackson from a time when he was like, happy for a few years and relatively peaceful and it was a picture of Pedro Pascal with Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann. I was just thinking how cool it must be to be Neil Druckmann I made this game.

Or, you know, we, his huge team made this game and you see it on your screen and then you get to walk into it like it's wild, like the amount of detail they've put into these sets and making it feel authentic is great. I'm excited about seeing the new cast members. It's going to be so devastating for people who've played the second game.

I don't know how the reactions online are gonna

Devindra: be something. It's gonna be crazy. Shely, did you ever end up watching that first season?

Cherlynn: I finished Last of Us. I loved it. Yeah. Okay. But you don't know what happened in the last of us

Devindra: too. Game. Avoid spoilers. I cannot remember it. Okay. Avoid spoilers because they're, I will the entire plot it that has been out there, so it's gonna be interesting to see if they do like original episodes or like dive into search.

They are characters from that game. That I'm more variety. They

Nathan: mentioned that they're working on an episode that's similar to the Bill and Frank episode from season one, where it takes a character who you don't meet and it's just mentioned off screen and you get, I don't know, I'm already starting to see how it can fill in.

I will, I won't say who it is for spoilers and people who are going

Devindra: fresh, but the characters in the it's after he goes through the skyscraper thing, but the characters who are like the bow and arrow folks, like it was the Sarah fights, like they'll be in the, they may have some good backstory.

Like I would love to spend some time there.

Nathan: I think it might come next season, just based on like how they're going to, I actually guess I have no idea how they're going to plot this thing out. Oh yeah, it's going to be two seasons,

Devindra: right? For Last of Us 2? Yep,

Nathan: for sure.

Devindra: Oh boy. Okay.

Nathan: All right. So we're entering the hype cycle for this.

I'm really interested in seeing what the what the panel's like on Sunday afternoon.

Devindra: Awesome. Well, Nate, I know you have a hard out, so let's wrap you and then we will continue with the rest of this. All right. So where can people find you online, Nate?

Nathan: Yeah, I am occasionally online on threads and blue sky at Nate Ingraham.

And then obviously you can find all my

Devindra: stuff on Engadget. Check out Nate's iPad reviews. Like I'm sure things will be coming up and yeah, feel free to shout at him about how you feel about iPads on socials. Yes.

Nathan: Yell at me about iPads. I love it. All right. Thanks for joining us. Thank you, Nate.

Thanks everyone. What do you got, Shirlen?

Cherlynn: Okay, I've been excited all week to share my pick this week. Kind of wish Nate was here for it, but I'll just tell him directly afterwards. So I, I was watching this show on Netflix and it's got me gripped. I've been like rewatching it again cause I'm like, Whoa, I really love the world they built.

Kind of, kind of, it's bodies on Netflix. Have you heard of it?

Devindra: I've heard of it. Yeah. It's based on a,

Cherlynn: you've seen it. Okay, good. It's based on this graphic novel loosely of the same name by Cy Spencer, I believe. I don't know if it's, I look at that name and I go C cause it's S I. I'm like C.

But it's, I think Cy, like short for Simon, maybe. And it's about time travel. It's about you're

Devindra: talking about the show. I watched this entire show and my memory of it is just because it's such a Netflix show, but I love it. I loved

Cherlynn: it. I've, okay. So what happens is basically, I think we start in more modern times, 2023, and a naked corpse appears in an alleyway, just out of nowhere.

It just appears. And what happens is we find out the same corpse appears across. four total different time zones, the time eras. So in 1890, in 1941, and then in 2053 as well. So there's all of the usual time travel tropes of you know, lubes and Conflicts and whatever but like this. I don't know.

I just really enjoyed this story I don't know why I think it deals with a lot of very interesting themes as well There's some hint at like racial sort of conflict in the 2023 timeline then there's some hint at like homosexuality being a scene in the 1890 timeline and then there's like World War two in the 1941 timeline 2053 is just And then the combination of a whole bunch of different things.

Devindra: I was, I remember, the one thing I remember about this show is that, Oh man, you had no money for 2053. You had, you have really crummy, like you have Sort of future looking cars, but you're just, It's just like neighborhoods in London, man. Like you're not doing anything. They ran out of budget for the CGI.

They have no money to make it look like the future. It's kind of hilarious. Yeah.

Cherlynn: I really enjoyed it. I mean, so, so I've been seeing. watching some other stuff. I'm trying to not give all of my recommendations away at once, just in case I run out of things to recommend eventually. But this one was really gripping.

It's a limited series. There's only one season so far. And I really enjoy it. Of course, I've been catching up on White Lotus and Severance as well. I almost said White Severance. I would love, I

Devindra: mean. I would actually love to know, do you have initial thoughts on White Lotus this season? Because I'm like, I'm tired.

I'm a little tired of the the drama of what White Lotus does. But it's more, it's set in, you know, Southeast Asia now. So

Cherlynn: a little closer for you. It's set in Thailand and obviously like it resonates a bit more. With me than the previous seasons have just because of the setting but then in another way there's like different sets of people always in every season of white lotus this season We've got a trio of girlfriends in their like I want to say 40s I'm, not sure but like they're later in life than a an average 20 something year old, right?

This one has michelle monaghan money I don't know how to pronounce her last name. Monahan. Leslie Bibb, I believe is also one of the people in this little scenario. And they're just three friends who like backstab each other whenever they can, but then they also are very nice to each other in front of each other.

So it's like a really interesting study of that dynamic. I really like it because it's. So it's actually super realistic. I can't, I have to ask Mike Wyatt for understanding this dynamic so well. There's this family.

Devindra: Friends and she is one of the greatest living actresses right now. So I hope this shows her more.

Cherlynn: I hope it does for her. What like this show has done for Jennifer.

Devindra: I mean, she's she has been a big. Actors for a while. She's been doing a lot of stuff. I feel this show is actually a step down for Carrie Coon, to be honest.

Cherlynn: But anyway I another group that this season of white lotus looks at is this family.

With parker posey as the mom Three kids patrick schrodinger is one of them I can't remember all the actor names right now But I know the dad's played by the same actor that played lucius malfoy in the harry potter series and I think what people are talking about in the subreddits is how realistic or not this portrayal of a family from North Carolina is.

It is a rich,

Devindra: white family from North Carolina. Let me tell ya, down here in Georgia, I am surrounded by a lot of those folks. That does feel real. That does feel real. I

Cherlynn: keep, it feels very accurate, especially from my only person I know that's from North Carolina, which is our Billy Steele. And he, I've been asking him to watch it.

He hasn't seen it yet, but he does. He reminded me that he really wanted to watch it because his favorite, one of his favorite actors is in it. Walter Goggins.

Devindra: Walton

Cherlynn: Goggins. Walton Goggins might be is also in this and just. does his usual thing of playing these characters extremely well because I viscerally react whenever he's on screen.

Well, he's

Devindra: as an actor. He's great because he can be silly. If you watch The Righteous Gemstones, like he can be silly as hell, like in a comedy, he can also be. Like what we know him mainly for is being kind of a scoundrel, kind of a badass guy at times to you especially from the shield.

But yeah, so you're liking this, Cherlynn?

Cherlynn: I am enjoying it. Lucky Dog Podcast adds that as someone from NC, it's too relatable. So yeah, so, so basically I like it. It feels very real. It feels very relatable because these vignettes of people we're seeing seem really realistic. So that's what I'm really enjoying so far.

There's some mystery some connection to the previous season. I'll

Devindra: So I, I like Mike White a lot. I've loved his movies. He's done TV shows before too, as a creator. I think he's a really empathetic guy and he's really smart about relationships and stuff. White Lotus season one and two. Really good stuff.

This one. I'm just getting really tired of the shtick because a lot of the shtick is basically White people problems man. Yeah, like that's kind of what I'm like, man we could do more we could do more. I understand. He's writing what he knows and everything So I would love for this show to get A better, like a bigger writing crew and more people involved to like

Cherlynn: a bit more diversity in it.

Devindra: We'll just have like different perspectives. That's all like I

Cherlynn: diversity. The whole

Devindra: thing about White Lotus is what is it like for white people to come in basically into these exotic environments? And the second one was in Italy, right? Or Sicily, I think. So like it was, yeah, it was like a very specific thing to where it's still people coming in being outsiders in this environment.

And if you just feel like they're saying the same things over again. But I hope I like these actors. I hope Walton Goggins gets his chance to shine. And I love that he kind of messes around with the HBO slash max formula of well, we've got to start this show with a murder or something to like really keep people hooked.

And HBO was doing that for a while, for years. So that's cool. Glad you're digging it, Cherlynn.

Cherlynn: What's yours? What's your tip for or recommendation for everyone?

Devindra: My tip. And actually I think it's, yeah, it starts somebody who was in bodies. It's star Steven Graham, who played Mannix in bodies.

Speaker 4: Yes.

Devindra: Now take that guy, the older Mannix, I think, but take that guy and imagine if he was buff as hell. Had rippling biceps. Like no way. Yes. Go look at the trailer for a thousand blows, which is the new show on Hulu right now. That guy is so

Cherlynn: out of shape in body. Well, he's

Devindra: big, right? He's just a big dude.

But in this show, I didn't mean to body

Cherlynn: shame anybody.

Devindra: In this one, he's well, also, you know, he's one of those guys is he's post 50 now, like your chance to do like big action. Rules. Now's your chance. Like your body can take some of it. Now, once you hit 60, it gets much tougher. This is a new show from the guy who did Peaky Blinders.

It is a period piece. It a really cool period too, because it's set in I don't know if it's like technically Victorian London, but it follows, it's essentially about. Several different characters. One character is a Jamaican immigrant who's new to the country and thinks he's going to go work at a zombie lion tamer doesn't really work out that way.

Other characters who are in the underground, including a woman played by, I think Aaron Doherty, who was in the crown and she is like the head of this group of lady thieves. That's super cool. And Steven Graham plays this guy. Who's basically the head of a boxing ring, the head of this, I don't know, like criminal underworld thing too.

And it's cool. It's fun. Like it's all those characters coming in. It is the character, you know, the perspective of an immigrant trying to survive in London in a not very welcoming time for them, but also women fighting for their own to make money and have their own place in a society that doesn't want them there.

And Steven Graham, like it's really just about Steven Graham being buff as hell. In a boxing ring, and you don't believe me, Shillen, go look at the trailer for this thing. I linked it in our show notes.

Cherlynn: I will. It is

Devindra: Wild 2C. I think he's also been one of my favorite actors for a while. He's been a character actor.

He was really

Cherlynn: good in bodies. He was good in bodies.

Devindra: He's been a lot of, in a lot of Guy Ritchie stuff. I think originally Snatch and his, or Lockstock too, maybe. I've always loved him. This show's a lot of fun. People in chat

Cherlynn: love him too. If

Devindra: you like Peaky Blinders, and you will not believe. The idea of Stephen Graham as Superbuff as a boxer man if you do not think that sounds real, go just go look, go watch A Thousand Blows.

It's on Hulu right now.

Cherlynn: Well, that's it for the episode this week, everyone. Thank you, as always, for listening. Our theme music is by game composer Dale North. Our outro music is by our former managing editor, Terrence O'Brien. The podcast is produced by Ben Elman. You can find Davindra online at

Devindra: at Davindra on Blue Sky and Masked Dawn, a podcast about movies and TV at the Filmcast.

Cherlynn: If you want to tell me how you would use an iPad mini that folds, you can tell me on, I guess, threads at Cherlynn T H E R A M or bluesky, Cherlynn at dot b sky dot social. Email us your thoughts at podcast at engadget. com. Leave us a review wherever you're listening or consuming this podcast and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/engadget-podcast-the-m4-macbook-air-and-mobile-world-congress-2025-123012794.html?src=rss

It’s been a weird time to dip into graphics cards, GPUs and… another synonym for the GeForces and Radeons of this world.

AMD has tried for a while to undercut NVIDIA with slightly cheaper but less capable video cards — but this time, with the Radeon 9070 and 9070 XT, it might have got the recipe right, especially in 4K and ray tracing performance.

Devindra Hardawar says the $599 Radeon 9070 XT, in particular, is a solid midrange GPU with excellent support for 1440p gaming and a bit of 4K. It has better ray tracing support than before, it’s faster than the plain Radeon 9070 and it finally has AI upscaling built in too. Not to mention, NVIDIA’s similarly priced GPUs landed around the same time.

It’s a good strategy — better than fighting with NVIDIA at the extreme high end of GPUs. It makes more sense for AMD to focus on cards people can actually buy — if you can.

It’s a good time to look closer at that too. “Buy.” Hah! The gaming PC makers and people who need high-powered machines for their work know this already — it’s a mess.

Not only is it impossible to find NVIDIA’s 50 series GPU in stock, but as Igor Bonifacic noted, nearly every single model is way above NVIDIA’s suggested price. This isn’t a pandemic thing anymore, this isn’t a crypto thing anymore (although that’s stoked demand, of course).

It’s like Taylor Swift tickets or a PS5 disc drive when the PS5 Pro broke cover — it’s scalpers and opportunism from the middle-man companies that make the majority of GPUs out there.

— Mat Smith

• AMD Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT review

• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 review

• The GPU market has broken foundations

Get this delivered direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!

The biggest tech stories you missed

• Sorry We’re Closed review

• Volkswagen previews its €20,000 EV for everyone

• MSI Claw 8 AI+ review: This cat got its bite back

• House Republicans subpoena Google over alleged censorship

• Technics AZ100 review: Supreme sound quality and a unique Bluetooth tool

The Return of... Ask Engadget!  Engadget

Is there a robot vacuum that won’t destroy phone cables? How is US trade policy going to affect the price of my next phone? Do I need another phone? Ask Engadget returns, with an entirely new email address: askmat(AT)engadget.com.

Ask me something!

Nothing’s Phone 3a Pro is cheap, capable and looks stylish Only $459. Engadget

A sub-$500 smartphone that Engadget can endorse is a rare feat, but Nothing might have nailed it. Despite a premium Nothing Phone 3 not even existing, the company’s see-thru phone series shoots straight for the cheap midrange. Many of the specs, like periscope zoom, a 120Hz 6.77-inch screen and a huge 5,000mah battery are typically in phones that are several hundred dollars more. It’s all wrapped in a design full of character too. Check out my first impressions and expect a full review very soon.

Continue reading.

Apple unveils the M4 MacBook Air, with a price drop It starts at $999.

An upgraded laptop with a price drop? In this economy? The new MacBook Air, with an M4 chip, will retail at $999, down $100 from the previous starting price. There are still two size choices: 13-inch and 15-inch. RAM for the M2 and M3 laptops is 16GB by default, and the M4 model matches that standard. Apple is promising up to 18 hours of battery life, and the Airs will have support for Apple Intelligence. There’s also a new look in the lineup, with a sky blue color adding a new option beside the usual shades of gray.

Continue reading.

The best action cameras for 2025 All the top models from GoPro, DJI and Insta360.

Engadget has been testing action cameras for more than 16 years and with that experience, we can help you find the right model for your budget and needs. In the past, GoPro was the go-to choice for first-person action filming, whether it’s surfing, rock climbing or offroading. But now, you have more choice, with models also available from DJI and Insta360. We break down all the different form factors — and our best choices.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-121555319.html?src=rss

It's an exciting day if you're a fan of the BBC and the Google TV Streamer. BBC iPlayer is finally available on the streaming platform almost six months after Google launched it, 9to5Google reports. Google certified its TV Streamer for use with BBC iPlayer back in November 2024. 

BBC One and BBC Two are now under the TV streamer's Channels tab, while BBC iPlayer appears on the Google Play Store with a new download option. BBC iPlayer allows anyone to pays for a TV license in the UK to watch their favorite shows and movies live, on-demand or downloaded to their device. It has already been available for use on Google TV and Android TV.

Google launched its TV Streamer in September as a replacement for the Chromecast line. It retails for $100 and features a smart home panel that allows users to see and control devices like lights, thermostats and doorbell cameras. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/bbc-iplayer-is-now-available-on-googles-tv-streamer-110029855.html?src=rss

Recently, we saw all the ways reused passwords can harm your security posture. The 23andMe attack comes to mind, but generally credential stuffing has been on the rise. Hackers can buy or find your reused passwords to access some of your most sensitive accounts. To prevent yourself from falling victim, password managers can help. They encourage you to have a unique, strong password for each account by removing the burden of memorizing all sorts of different login combinations.

But there are dozens of password managers available now — that’s why we tested out nine of the best services available now to help you choose the right one for your needs. 1Password remains our top pick for the best password manager, thanks to its zero-knowledge policy, numerous security features and general ease of use, but there are other top password managers out there to consider as well.

Table of contents

• Best password managers for 2025

• Are password managers safe?

• Are password managers worth it?

• How we tested password managers

• Other password managers we tested

• Password manager FAQs

Best password managers for 2025

Are password managers safe?

It seems counterintuitive to store all your sensitive information in one place. One hack could mean you lose it all to an attacker and struggle for months or even years to rebuild your online presence, not to mention you may have to cancel credit cards and other accounts. But most experts in the field agree that password managers are a generally secure and safe way to keep track of your personal data, and the benefits of strong, complex passwords outweigh the possible risks.

The mechanics of keeping those passwords safe differs slightly from provider to provider. Generally, you have a lengthy, complex “master password” that safeguards the rest of your information. In some cases, you might also get a “security key” to enter when you log in to new devices. This is a random string of letters, numbers and symbols that the company will send you at sign up. Only you know this key, and because it’s stored locally on your device or printed out on paper, it’s harder for hackers to find.

These multiple layers of security make it difficult for an attacker to get into your vault even if your password manager provider experiences a breach. But the company should also follow a few security basics. A “zero-knowledge” policy means that the company keeps none of your data on file, so in the event of an attack, there’s nothing for hackers to find. Regular health reports like pentests and security audits are essential for keeping companies up to par on best practices, and other efforts like bug bounty programs or hosting on an open source website encourage constant vigilance for security flaws. Most password managers now also offer some level of encryption falling under the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). AES 256-bit is the strongest, because there are the most number of possible combinations, but AES 128-bit or 192-bit are still good.

Are password managers worth it?

You likely already use a password manager, even if you wouldn’t think to call it that. Most phones and web browsers include a log of saved credentials on the device, like the “passwords” keychain in the settings of an iPhone. That means you’ve probably seen the benefits of not having to memorize a large number of passwords or even type them out already.

While that’s a great way in, the downfall of these built-in options are that they tend to be device specific. If you rely on an Apple password manager, for example, that works if you’re totally in the Apple ecosystem — but you become limited once you get an Android tablet, Lujo Bauer, professor of electrical and computer engineering, and of computer science, at Carnegie Mellon University, said. If you use different devices for work and personal use and want a secure option for sharing passwords with others, or just don’t want to be tied to one brand forever, a third-party password manager is usually worth it.

How we tested password managers

We tested password managers by downloading the apps for each of the nine contenders on iPhone, Android, Safari, Chrome and Firefox. That helped us better understand what platforms each manager was available on, and see how support differs across operating systems and browsers.

As we got set up with each, we took note of ease of use and how they iterated on the basic features of autofill and password generators. Nearly all password managers have these features, but some place limits on how much you can store while others give more control over creating easy-to-type yet complex passwords. From there, we looked at extra features like data-breach monitoring to understand which managers offered the most for your money.

Finally, we reviewed publicly available information about security specs for each. This includes LastPass, which more experts are shying away from recommending after the recent breach. For the sake of this review, we’ve decided not to recommend LastPass at this time as fallout from the breach still comes to light (The company disclosed a second incident earlier in 2024 where an unauthorized attack accessed the company’s cloud storage, including sensitive data. Since then, hackers have stolen more than $4.4 million in cryptocurrency using private keys and other information stored in LastPass vaults.)

These are the password managers we tested:

• 1Password

• LastPass

• Bitwarden

• Dashlane

• Keeper

• NordPass

• Enpass

• Norton password manager

• LogMeOnce

Other password managers we tested LastPass

For a while, security experts considered LastPass a solid choice for a password manager. It’s easy to use, has a slew of helpful extra features and its free version gives you a lot. But we decided not to include LastPass in our top picks because of the high profile data breaches it has experienced over the past couple of years.

Keeper

Keeper met a lot of the basic criteria we tested for, like autofill options and cross-platform availability. We liked its family plan options, too, that can keep your whole household secure. There's even a self-destruct feature that deletes local data after five incorrect login attempts, should your device be lost or stolen (the cloud-based data remains untouched). But we didn’t think its extra features, like the encrypted messaging app, added much value.

Enpass

Enpass works well as an affordable password manager. That includes an inflation-beating “lifetime” access pass instead of a monthly payment for users really committed to the service. Still, it was confusing to set up across devices and because Enpass stores data locally, as opposed to in the cloud, we struggled to get started with it on mobile.

Norton

A familiar name in security, we were excited to test out Norton’s password manager. While it’s free, its features seem underdeveloped. It lacked password sharing, account recovery and complex form-filing tools that come standard in many of the other password managers we tested.

LogMeOnce

LogMeOnce comes with a wide range of premium tiers, from professional to family, that include different levels of storage and features. But when we tested, it lacked some basic cross-platform availability that other password managers had already, like compatibility with Mac and Safari.

Password manager FAQs Why use a password manager?

Using a password manager can enhance your online security. They store all of your complex passwords and autofill them as needed, so that you can have unique, good passwords across the web without remembering each of them yourself. In many cases, unique passwords are your first defense against attack, and a reliable manager makes it easier to keep track of them all.

Are password managers 100 percent safe?

Password managers are a secure way to store your credentials. Experts in the field generally agree that the benefits of accessibility when storing complex passwords outweigh the possibility of attack, like what happened with LastPass. But with any service, it can vary from provider to provider. You should look out for zero-knowledge policies, regular security audits, pentests, bug bounty programs and encryption when choosing the right secure password manager for you.

How do password managers work?

Think of password managers like virtual safe deposit boxes. They hold your valuables, in this case usually online credentials, in a section of the vault only accessible to you by security key or a master password. Most of these services have autofill features that make it convenient to log in to any site without needing to remember every password you have, and they keep your credit card information close for impulse purchases.

But given that passwords are one of the top ways to keep your online identity secure, the real value of password managers is staying safe online. “It's just not possible without a password manager to have unique, long and hard-to-guess passwords,” Florian Schaub, an associate professor of information and of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Michigan, said.

Common guidance states that secure passwords should be unique, with the longest number of characters allowed and uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers and special characters. This is the exact opposite of using one password everywhere, with minor variations depending on a site’s requirements. Think of how many online accounts and sites you have credentials for — it’s an impossible task to remember it all without somewhere to store passwords safely (especially in instances when you need to create a new password for any given account). Password managers are more readily accessible and offer the benefit of filling in those long passwords for you.

Who are password managers for?

Given their universal benefit, pretty much everyone could use a password manager. They’re not just for the tech-savvy people or businesses anymore because so much sensitive information ends up online behind passwords, from our bank accounts to our Netflix watch history.

That’s the other perk of password managers: safe password sharing. Families, friends or roommates can use them to safely access joint accounts. Texting a password to someone isn’t secure, and you can help your family break the habit by starting to use one yourself, Lisa Plaggemier, executive director at National Cyber Security Alliance, said. Streaming is the obvious use case, but consider the shared bills, file storage and other sites you share access with the people around you as well.

What if I forget my master password?

Forgetting a master password won’t necessarily lock you out for good, but the recovery process varies from provider to provider. Some services give you a “security key” at sign up to enter when you log into new devices. It can also be used to securely recover your account because it’s a random string of keys stored locally that only you have access to. Other services, however, have no way to recover your vault. So creating a master password that you won’t forget is important.

How can I make a good master password?

A good master password should be unique, with the longest number of characters allowed and uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers and special characters. Experts often recommended thinking of it like a “passphrase” instead of a “password” to make it easier to remember. For example, you can take a sentence like “My name is Bob Smith” and change it to “Myn@m3isB0b5m!th” to turn it into a secure master password that you won’t forget.

What are passkeys?

A passkey is a sort of digital identification that's interlocked to your account on a given app or website. While that sounds like a password, there’s an important distinction: Passkeys are bilateral authenticators that have two separate components: a private key stored locally on your device and a public key belonging to the website or application. When logging in with a passkey, these two keys pair and give you access to your account. You can read more about passwords versus passkeys here.

Update, October 28 2024, 5:15PM ET: This story has been updated to note that Keeper's "self-destruct" security feature only deletes local content when engaged, but maintains data on a subscriber's cloud-based account. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/best-password-manager-134639599.html?src=rss

It's the second anniversary of the Playdate's Catalog game store and to celebrate, you can get a bunch of great Playdate games and apps at a healthy discount — in many cases for 50 percent off or more.

The sale starts today, March 6, and ends on March 20 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. Over 150 Playdate games are on sale, but if you're looking for a good place to start, 13 titles from our list of the best Playdate games are currently discounted:

• Echo: The Oracle's Scroll for $6, down from $8.

• Angel Pop for $4, down from $6.

• Mars After Midnight for $3, down from $6.

• Summit for $4, down from $6.

• Reel-istic Fishing for $5, down from $8.

• Under the Castle for $6, down from $10.

• Core Fault for $3, down from $6.

• You're Gonna Miss the Bus! for $3, down from $6.

• The Keyper for $1, down from $3.

• You Cannot Go Back! for $1, down from $3.

• Penrose for $1, down from $2.

• Four Corners for $3, down from $6.

• The Botanist for $6, down from $9.

That's on top of other great options you can buy, like the fast-paced puzzle game XTRIS for $3, historical RPG Quest for X for $1 or roguelite mining game SpaceRat Miner for $6. Panic, the creators of the Playdate, introduced Catalog as a supplement to the Playdate's first "Season" of games when it was still uncertain if another one was going to happen. The tiny handheld supports sideloading games from third-party stores like Itch, but Catalog offers a more curated selection if you don't want to spend time finding something good. 

Now that Panic's confirmed that a second season of Playdate games is on the way in 2025, this Catalog sale is a perfect opportunity to stock up on anything you might have missed before the new season launches.

Correction 3/9 12:37PM ET: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the sale ends on March 10 when it actually ends on March 20. We regret the error.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/a-big-playdate-sale-discounts-13-of-our-favorite-games-000040558.html?src=rss

It seems that Instagram is working on a “community chat” feature that allows people to organize groups of up to 250 people in the app. The so-far unreleased feature was spotted by developer Alessandro Paluzzi, who has a solid track record of uncovering new features within Meta’s apps.

According to screenshots shared by Paluzzi, it seems that community chats will function similarly to Discord. Individual users can form the chats around specific topics and control who can join, though there’s apparently a limit of 250 people per community.

Unlike Instagram’s broadcast channels, which allow creators to blast out messages to their followers, anyone who is in the community chat can participate in the conversation. There are also built-in moderation features. “Admins can remove messages and members to keep the channel safe,” the screenshot says. “We also review Community Chat against our Community Standards.”

It’s not clear when, or if, the feature may launch. An Instagram spokesperson described it as an internal prototype that’s not being tested outside the company. But Meta has previously released similar features in its other apps. WhatsApp began experimenting with a “Communities” feature in 2022, and brought “Community Chats” to Facebook and Messenger later that same year. Mark Zuckerberg said at the time it was meant to help people find “a new way to connect with people who share your interests.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/instagram-is-experimenting-with-a-discord-like-community-chat-feature-234832236.html?src=rss

It was a swing and a miss for the first private attempt at an asteroid mission, but the company is still chalking it up as a win. California startup AstroForge launched a spacecraft dubbed Odin on February 26, but the team lost communication with it shortly after its launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

"The chance of talking with Odin is minimal, as at this point, the accuracy of its position is becoming an issue," the company said in its extensive debrief of the mission. Technical issues occurred at its primary ground station in Australia, but AstroForge said that other problems also could have occurred on Odin to further prevent establishing contact.

Although the launch was a bust, AstroForge maintained optimism about the project as a valuable learning experience for its eventual goal of creating and operating an asteroid mining vehicle. The company is targeting the asteroid 2022 OB5, with the aim of eventually landing on its surface and extracting potentially valuable resources. Odin was built in 10 months for $3.5 million, a sliver of the money and time federal space projects have taken to complete.

AstroForge CEO Matt Gialich had several quotes in the debrief, all peppered with expletives, and he summed up the company ethos as, "At the end of the day, like, you got to fucking show up and take a shot, right? You have to try."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/the-first-private-asteroid-mission-probe-is-probably-lost-in-deep-space-224803775.html?src=rss

Google is once again in the crosshairs of Republicans in Congress because of alleged censorship, Bloomberg writes. The House Judiciary Committee has subpoenaed Google's parent company Alphabet and CEO Sundar Pichai for evidence of communication between the tech company and the Biden administration.

The subpoena specifically asks for documents covering communications between Alphabet and the executive branch, along with discussions Alphabet might have had internally or with third-parties about those communications. The Committee hopes to snowball the discovery that the Biden administration made requests to Meta to remove COVID-19 misinformation into a case for "new statutory limits on the executive branch’s ability to work with Big Tech to restrict the circulation of content and deplatform users," the subpoena says. 

None of these concerns are particularly new. Pichai and other tech CEOs have been brought in front of Congress to explain things like content moderation, censorship and bias before. In the past, it's mostly seemed like a way for members of Congress to get sound bites, but the aggressive, retaliatory nature of the Trump administration might give these new demands more teeth. Helping to pay for Trump's inauguration and showing up for photos didn't get Google protection in the end, assuming it doesn't manage to wriggle out of the ongoing antitrust case against it.

Tech companies might be getting attention from Congress, but the idea that the current administration might want to make censorship demands doesn't appear to be a concern. President Trump has expressed interest in using the Take It Down Act, a bill designed to hold websites liable for hosting and not removing Non-Consensual Intimate Imagery (NCII), to eliminate any kind of speech he dislikes. The disastrous potential misuses of the law have been outlined by activists before, but the bill passed in the Senate and is now waiting to be taken up by the House.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/house-republicans-subpoena-google-over-alleged-censorship-212115140.html?src=rss

ChatGPT on macOS is about to become more useful for coding. With the latest update for the app (version 1.2025.057), ChatGPT can now edit code directly within an integrated development environment — no need to copy and paste. You can find the full list of supported IDEs on OpenAI's website, but some of the more notable inclusions are Apple's own Xcode, Visual Studio Code and offshoots of Jetbrains like Android Studio and PyCharm.       

According to OpenAI, IDE integration has been one of the most-requested features from macOS users since the company released its "works with app" framework back in November. If you're a Plus, Pro or Team subscriber, you can start using the integration today. As for Enterprise, Edu and Free users, look for the updated app to arrive next week. 

ChatGPT for macOS can now edit code directly in IDEs. Available to Plus, Pro, and Team users. pic.twitter.com/WPB2RMP0tj

— OpenAI Developers (@OpenAIDevs) March 6, 2025

Perhaps unsurprisingly this feature arrives just as "vibecoding" enters the popular lexicon. For the uninitiated, vibecoding is a form of coding that involves using AI tools like ChatGPT (and the power of vibes, of course) to program apps and games. While it might seem like a meme, vibecoding is very much a real thing. In a video titled "Vibe Coding is the Future," Jared Friedman, a managing partner at Y Combinator, said a quarter of the startup accelerator's W25 cohort have a code base that was 95 percent generated by AI. 

"This isn't a fad. This isn't going away. This is the dominant way to code. And if you are not doing it, you might just be left behind," Garry Tan, the CEO of Y Combinator, added in the same video. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/chatgpt-for-macos-can-now-directly-edit-xcode-projects-201904659.html?src=rss