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    Gadget Hacks

  • What's Behind the Google Messages Crash Wave (And How to Fix It)
    Reviewed by Julianne Ngirngir If you're dealing with Google Messages suddenly turning into a digital brick every time you try to send a text, you're definitely not alone. Multiple users across Reddit and Google's support forums are reporting the same frustrating issue, with the app refusing to stay open for... Read more »
  • Light Phone III Third-Party Apps Explained: Rules and Risks
    Light has announced a developer program that will let people create tools for the Light Phone III, bringing curated third-party app support to its deliberately stripped-down device. Light and Engadget describe a target timeline: Light says developer access begins in May 2026, Engadget reports the SDK should be ready in... Read more »
  • AirPods 4 vs Pro 3: Which Apple Earbuds to Buy in 2025?
    With the holidays approaching, choosing between Apple's AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro becomes more critical than ever. Apple now offers two distinct versions of the AirPods 4—a standard model at $129 and an enhanced version with Active Noise Cancellation at $179, according to 9to5Mac. Meanwhile, the latest AirPods Pro 3... Read more »
  • Google Assistant Dies: Gemini Takeover Starts Now
    Reviewed by: Jame Jimenez If you've lived with Google Assistant for the past decade, brace for a big switch. The trusty voice helper is getting the boot, and its replacement aims higher. Google has officially confirmed the shift, calling it "Gemini for Home," a new assistant experience and platform upgrade... Read more »
  • Adobe Premiere Pro iPhone App Launches Free - Here's The Catch
    Reviewed by Jame Jimenez There's never been a better time to be a content creator. Adobe just dropped its full Premiere video editing app for iPhone, and it's now available for download on the App Store. After weeks of anticipation since pre-orders started back in September this year, Adobe has... Read more »
  • Apple Fights AI Lawsuit Over Delayed Siri Features
    Apple finds itself in hot water over delayed AI features, but the company isn't backing down. Apple filed a motion to dismiss the class action lawsuit targeting its Apple Intelligence rollout delays on Thursday. The company says two missing Siri features do not justify sweeping legal claims. The twist, and... Read more »
  • iOS 26 Visual Intelligence Transforms Screenshots
    Apple's Visual Intelligence just got a major upgrade in iOS 26, and honestly, it's about time. The original feature launched in iOS 18.2 as a Camera Control button that could describe your surroundings and translate text. Now Apple has extended Visual Intelligence in iOS 26 to work with content that's... Read more »
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    Video Cardz

  • AMD Ryzen 7 7700X3D Review Roundup
    AMD has lifted the review embargo for the Ryzen 7 7700X3D, and the first independent tests are now available.... Read more »
  • AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Review Roundup
    AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 tested AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 is a new top-end AM5 desktop processor built around a dual 3D V-Cache design. It features 16 Zen 5 cores, 32 threads, up to 5.6 GHz boost, a 200W TDP, and 208MB of total cache, split between 192MB of L3 and... Read more »
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite Review Roundup
    Snapdragon X2, second time the charm? Unfortunately, review coverage once again appears limited to the largest media outlets, so there is little point looking for smaller channels or niche sites covering this launch right now. In fact, it took longer than expected to put this roundup together simply because the... Read more »
  • Intel canceled Core Ultra 9 290K Plus still showing up in benchmarks
    Unreleased Core Ultra 9 290K Plus shows up again Was it a good decision to cancel 290K Plus from the Arrow Lake Refresh lineup set to launch in two days? Perhaps, the tests have shown that the 270K Plus can outclass the 285K non-Plus already, so was there any room... Read more »
  • Xbox Full Screen Experience begins rebrand to “Xbox mode”
    Xbox mode branding appears in the Xbox app on Windows ASUS ROG Ally Life reports that Microsoft has started replacing the old “Xbox Full Screen Experience” label with “Xbox mode” inside the Xbox app. Microsoft announced this change at GDC 2026. The comapny mentioned it would start rolling out to... Read more »
  • Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and Ultra 5 250K Plus “Arrow Lake Refresh” Review Roundup
    Intel refreshes Arrow Lake Intel’s Core Ultra 200K Plus series is a late Arrow Lake desktop refresh aimed at the unlocked LGA1851 segment. The new chips keep the same platform support for Intel 800-series motherboards, while adding more E-cores than the original 245K and 265K parts, raising official DDR5 support... Read more »
  • GeForce RTX 5050 9GB G7 variant reportedly has the same 130W TDP as 8GB G6 model
    NVIDIA RTX 5050 9GB spotted in shipping manifest NVIDIA’s rumored GeForce RTX 5050 9GB variant has now appeared again, this time with more detailed specifications from kopite7kimi. The leaker lists PG152-SKU40, GB206-150-Kx-A1, 2560 FP32 cores, a 96-bit memory bus, 9GB of GDDR7 memory, and a 130W board power target. That... Read more »
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    Slashdot

  • Wine 11.14 Released
    Wine 11.14 is out with initial WoW64 mode support on FreeBSD, allowing 32-bit Windows applications to run on a 64-bit system without relying on 32-bit multilib support. The release also adds Start Menu icon support in Wine Explorer, 7.1 format conversions in DirectSound, AES-GMAC support in BCrypt, and 21 bug... Read more »
  • SpaceX's Starship Megarocket Hits Key Milestones In Its 'Lucky 13' Test Flight
    SpaceX's Friday launch of its massive Starship rocket "went quite smoothly," reports CNN, with a SpaceX spokesperson calling this mission "Lucky Number 13" (as the 13th integrated flight test for a Starship spacecraft with a Super Heavy rocket booster): During Starship V3's inaugural test, there were numerous engine issues as... Read more »
  • OpenAI's Rogue Agent Went Unnoticed For a Week
    An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: The OpenAI agent that broke into tech firm Hugging Face went on a dayslong hacking spree that OpenAI didn't notice until well after the threat was contained and the FBI was alerted, according to people familiar with the investigation. The agent --... Read more »
  • Instagram Is Now Banning Pickup Artists, Pranksters Who Use Meta Glasses
    Instagram is banning videos filmed with Meta smart glasses that harass strangers in public, including prank videos targeting service workers and pickup-artist clips of women who may not realize they are being recorded. "If you're posting content that is taking advantage of people and harassing them, like a lot of... Read more »
  • Paramount Agrees to Postpone Warner Bros. Merger Until June 2027
    Paramount Skydance has agreed to postpone its $111 billion Warner Bros. Discovery merger until five days after an antitrust trial or June 1, 2027, whichever comes first. The agreement with a 12-state coalition led by California effectively shelves the deal for months while states argue it would reduce competition in... Read more »
  • US Accuses American of Allegedly Wiping His Phone Using a 'Duress' Password During Border Search
    An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: The U.S. Justice Department is prosecuting an American for allegedly providing U.S. border authorities with a passcode that wiped the contents of his phone, according to an indictment and media reports. This is thought to be the first known case in the... Read more »
  • Roku Raises Prices of Streaming Devices By Up To 60%
    Roku has raised prices on several streaming devices, blaming memory and component shortages tied to the AI data-center boom. The Roku Ultra jumped from $100 to $150 and the basic Streaming Stick rose from $30 to $40. The Desk reports: In a phone call with The Desk on Friday, a... Read more »
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    Computer Hardware Inc - Blog

  • Keep Sensitive Data Private by Disabling AI Training Options
    Most AI chatbots, including ChatGPT, Claude, and Google’s Gemini, let you control whether your conversations will be used to train future models. While allowing this could improve the AI, it also means that sensitive business information and intellectual property could become part of the chatbot’s training data. Once data is... Read more »
  • When to Trust AI Tech Answers (And When to Call Us)
    Recently, we’ve fielded a spate of questions from people who have used an AI chatbot to help with a technical issue and then asked us to confirm whether the information was accurate, helpful, or even safe. First off, we’re not offended. If you can work through simple problems on your... Read more »
  • Follow This Advice Before Switching to a New iPhone 17
    Are you considering getting one of the new iPhone 17 models? While it’s always tempting to unbox a new device and dive right in, taking a methodical approach to setup will save you from potential frustrations down the road. When you’re ready to transfer your data—and, for many people, that... Read more »
  • Apple Unveils New iPhone 17 Lineup, Updated Apple Watches, and AirPods Pro 3
    In the tech world, September brings the fruits of Apple’s harvest: new iPhones, Apple Watches, and AirPods. At its recent Awe Dropping event, Apple introduced the new iPhone 17 lineup, the ultra-thin iPhone Air, the Apple Watch SE 3, Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, and the AirPods... Read more »
  • Blood Oxygen Monitoring Returns to Recent US Apple Watches with Software Updates
    With the release of iOS 18.6.1 and watchOS 11.6.1, Apple restored blood oxygen monitoring capabilities to US Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2 models that previously had this feature disabled due to a patent infringement suit by medical device maker Masimo. Apple’s redesign processes blood oxygen data... Read more »
  • Pay for Apple TV+ Annually to Avoid the Recent Monthly Price Increase
    Apple has raised the monthly subscription fee for Apple TV+ to $12.99, marking the third price increase since the streaming service launched at $4.99 in 2019. While the monthly cost has increased, Apple kept the annual subscription priced at $99, making it a more economical choice for those who plan... Read more »
  • Working with Time Zones in Apple’s Calendar Apps
    Calendar events are usually straightforward. For instance, if you schedule a meeting for 3 PM on Thursday, an alert will remind you to leave 30 minutes beforehand. However, since we live in an increasingly global world, we occasionally have to consider time zones when scheduling meetings. Business travelers have long... Read more »
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    Hot Hardware

  • Amazon Fire TV Models And Streaming Sticks Slashed Up To 45% Off
    We are now well past the last Prime Day sales event and well ahead of the holiday shopping season, but fortunately for deal hunters, the bargains never stop rolling in. Timing is everything, and if you are currently in the market for a streaming stick for a new TV, Amazon... Read more »
  • Google Confirms Higher Pixel 11 Prices Driven By Sixfold Surge In Memory Costs
    If you were planning to upgrade to a Pixel 11 next month, prepare to pay more for it than what you might expect. Shakil Barkat, Google’s Vice President of Devices and Services, confirmed in an interview with 9to5Google that price hikes are coming, driven by an unprecedented surge in memory costs... Read more »
  • NVIDIA Secures SK Hynix HBM Memory In $500B AI Infrastructure Deal
    As global demand for AI compute continues to outpace available hardware, NVIDIA and South Korea’s SK Group have announced an expanded, multi-faceted partnership valued at over $500 billion. Formalized via letters of intent at an AI Summit in San Francisco, the overarching agreement spans multi-gigawatt AI factory construction and a... Read more »
  • Dual GPU Rig Pairs RTX 3090 And RTX 3050 For 4K 144 FPS Gaming
    While dual GPU gaming setups have mostly faded into obscurity since NVIDIA's SLI and AMD's CrossFire technologies became ineffective in modern games, some enthusiasts have found a way to reap the benefits of a secondary GPU without requiring dedicated in-game support thanks to Lossless Scaling. Lossless Scaling is an application... Read more »
  • Intel Confirms HyperThreading Returns Starting With Coral Rapids In 2028
    Hyper-Threading is what Intel calls its implementation of what is more academically known as "Simultaneous Multi-Threading" (SMT). This describes a method where a single processor core can interleave processing of two or more separate program threads, usually delivering an overall performance uplift on multi-threaded tasks. Intel killed off... Read more »
  • Amazon Turns Prime Video Into A Gaming Hub With Luna Integration
    Amazon is folding its Luna cloud gaming platform directly into Prime Video, giving hundreds of millions of streaming subscribers instant access to playable games on their TVs and mobile devices. Can we get a free tier next? Previously, the company operated three largely disconnected divisions: Amazon Game Studios developing video... Read more »
  • Lawmakers Push AI Kill Switch Bill Following OpenAI Security Breach
    Earlier this year, three leading LLMs, including OpenAI's GPT-5.2, took part in a test that showed all three had a willingness to start a nuclear war. One might have thought something like this would have made Congress take some sort of action. Fast forward to this week after OpenAI confirmed that... Read more »