Meta is reportedly gearing up to enter another segment of the wearables market. According to The Information, the company is planning to release its first smartwatch sometime this year. Meta has revived its smartwatch initiative internally called Malibu 2, The Information says, which will come with Meta AI and health tracking.The same publication reported back in 2021 that Meta was working on a smartwatch powered by an open-source version of Android. Over the next year, more details of its possible features emerged, including reports that it had a detachable camera and that Meta was developing a model with up to three cameras. But in 2022, the company was believed to have put the project on hold to focus on other wearable devices. The Information says the decision to pause its smartwatch project was made as part of a broader cut in spending in the Reality Labs division. If youll recall, Meta laid off more than 1,000 employees from Reality Labs in January, because the division was hemorrhaging money. Mark Zuckerberg said during an earnings call after the layoffs started that when it comes to Reality Labs, the company was focusing most of its investment towards glasses and wearables going forward. At the moment, Metas wearable products are comprised of virtual reality headsets and smartglasses. They include the Meta Ray-Bans, which are a hit in the US. Meta reportedly has four augmented reality and mixed-reality glasses in development, but itll take some time until we see them. Based on previous reports, it pushed back the unveiling of its next mixed reality headset model codenamed Phoenix to early 2027.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/meta-reportedly-plans-to-release-a-smartwatch-this-year-121247838.html?src=rss
The average smartphone lasts about two years before it's replaced. Vignette Tech wants to flip the script on how people feel about holding onto their devices. The concept is simple: colorful stickers that users stick on the back of their phones, tablets or laptops one for each year of use. Instead of looking outdated, a phone sporting stickers reading '22, '23, '24 and '25 signals longevity. Anyone who's driven through Switzerland will recognize the inspiration: the colorful annual toll stickers that accumulate on car windshields year after year. Vignette Tech transplants that familiar visual logic onto personal electronics.The stickers are sold in sets covering different time ranges, with the latest edition running from 2026 through 2031, and are priced at EUR 4 or 5 per sheet. There's even a "Highlander" edition, for those rocking phones or laptops from the mid-2010s. Sales proceeds from the initiative, created by French design agency Machin Bidule, also support La Collecte Tech and Emmaüs Connect, organizations working on digital inclusion and electronic waste reduction in France.TREND BITEWith manufacturers like Google and Samsung now offering seven-plus years of software support, the technical case for holding on to a phone has never been stronger but the pressure to upgrade remains relentless. Vignette Tech is interesting because it addresses the problem at an identity level rather than at a guilt level. Instead of lecturing people about e-waste, it makes longevity a flex. That cultural reframing aligns with a broader pattern worth replicating: brands and creators finding ways to make sustainable behavior socially desirable rather than morally obligatory.
Mark Zuckerberg took the stand Wednesday in a high-profile jury trial over social media addiction. In an appearance that was described by NBC News as "combative," the Facebook founder reportedly said that Meta's goal was to make Instagram "useful" not increase the time users are spending in the app. On the stand, Zuckerberg was questioned about a company document that said improving engagement was among "company goals," according to CNBC. But Zuckerberg claimed that the company had "made the conscious decision to move away from those goals, focusing instead on utility," according to The Associated Press. "If something is valuable, people will use it more because its useful to them, he said. The trial stems from a lawsuit brought by a California woman identified as "KGM" in court documents. The now 20-year-old alleges that she was harmed as a child by addictive features in Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and TikTok. TikTok and Snap opted to settle before the case went to trial. Zuckerberg was also asked about previous public statements, including his remarks on Joe Rogan's podcast last year that he can't be fired by Meta's board because he controls a majority of the voting power. According to The New York Times, Zuckerberg accused the plaintiffs' lawyer of "mischaracterizing" his past comments more than a dozen times. Zuckerberg's appearance in court also apparently prompted the judge to warn people in the courtroom not to record the proceedings using AI glasses. As CNBC notes, members of Zuckerberg's entourage were spotted wearing Meta's smart glasses as the CEO was escorted into the courthouse. It's unclear if anyone was actually using the glasses in court, but legal affairs journalist Meghann Cuniff reported that the judge was particularly concerned about the possibility of jurors being recorded or subjected to facial recognition. (Meta's smart glasses do not currently have native facial recognition abilities, but recent reports suggest the company is considering adding such features.)The Los Angeles trial has been closely watched not just because it marked a rare in-court appearance for Zuckerberg. It's among the first of several cases where Meta will face allegations that its platforms have harmed children. In this case and in a separate proceeding in New Mexico, Meta's lawyers have cast doubt on the idea that social media should be considered a real addiction. Instagram chief Adam Mosseri previously testified in the same Los Angeles trial that Instagram isn't "clinically addictive."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/mark-zuckerberg-testifies-in-social-media-addiction-trial-that-meta-just-wants-instagram-to-be-useful-234332316.html?src=rss
Last year Dyson introduced the PencilVac, which it immediately declared the "worlds slimmest vacuum cleaner." Presumably, then, the title of worlds slimmest wet floor cleaner goes to the newly unveiled PencilWash.
Promising a "lighter, slimmer and smaller solution to wet cleaning without compromising on hygiene," the PencilWash is designed to let you clean everywhere you need to with minimal hassle. Like the vacuum cleaner with which it shares the first part of its name, the handle measures just 1.5 inches in diameter from top to bottom, and the whole thing weighs little more than 2kg.
The ultra-thin design allows the cleaner to lie almost completely flat, allowing you to get into tight corners or under low furniture, where more traditionally bulky devices might struggle. Its slender proportions also make it easier to store if your home is on the smaller side.
Dyson says the PencilWash only applies fresh water to floors, and after swiftly eliminating spills and stains it should dry up pretty quickly. Its high-density microfiber roller is designed to tackle both wet and dry debris in one pass, and because it doesnt have a traditional filter, you wont have to worry about trapped dirt or lingering smells.
Above the power buttons theres a screen displaying remaining battery level, and the handle can be slotted into a charging dock when not in use.
The Dyson PencilVac will cost $349, with a release date yet to be announced.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/dyson-announces-the-pencilwash-wet-floor-cleaner-230152299.html?src=rss
Google has announced that using its newly incorporated Lyria 3 model, Gemini users will be able to generate 30-second music tracks based on a prompt, or remix an existing track to their liking. The new model builds on Gemini's pre-existing ability to generate text, images and video, and will also be available in YouTube's "Dream Track" feature, where it can be used to generate detailed backing tracks for Shorts.Like some other music generation tools, prompting Gemini doesn't require a lot of detail to produce serviceable results. Google's example prompt is "a comical R&B slow jam about a sock finding their match," but after playing with Lyria 3, you can definitely get more granular about individual elements of a track changing the tempo or the style of drumming, for example if you want to. Outside of text, Gemini can also generate music based on a photo or video, and tracks can be paired with album art created by Google's Nano Banana image model.Google says that Lyria 3 improves on its previous audio generation models in its ability to create more "realistic and musically complex" tracks, give prompters more control over individual components of a song and automatically generate lyrics. Gemini's outputs are limited to 30-second clips for now, but given how Google's promotional video shows off the feature, it's not hard to imagine those clips getting longer or the model getting incorporated into other apps, like Google Messages.Like Gemini's other AI-generated outputs, songs made with Lyria 3 are also watermarked with Google's SynthID, so a Gemini clip can't as easily be passed off as a human one. Google started rolling out its SynthID Detector for identifying AI-generated content at Google I/O 2025. The sample tracks Google included alongside its announcement are convincing, but you might not need the company's tool to notice their machine-made qualities. The instrumental parts of Geminis clips often sound great, but the composition of the lyrics Lyria 3 produces sounds alternately corny and strange.If you're curious to try Lyria 3 for yourself, Google says you can prompt tracks in Gemini starting today, provided you're 18 years or older and speak English, Spanish, German, French, Hindi, Japanese, Korean or Portuguese.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/gemini-can-now-generate-a-30-second-approximation-of-what-real-music-sounds-like-204445903.html?src=rss
The long-awaited cyberpunk platformer Replaced just got hit with a short delay. The pixel-art game was supposed to come out on March 12, but will now be released on April 14. That's just a month, which isn't that big of a deal considering this game has been on our radar for five years.
Why the delay? Developer Sad Cat Studios notes that the game is "technically finished" but the team needs a few more weeks for polish. The company says it wants the day-one release to be "polished, stable and true to the vision" of the original concept. This is something to be commended, in my opinion, given the sad state of many game launches in recent years.
pic.twitter.com/8BbiNxRqUb REPLACED (@REPLACEDGame) February 18, 2026
This is just the latest delay for the game. However, previous delays have been for a very good reason. The development team had to relocate from Belarus to Cyprus after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Replaced is an absolutely gorgeous-looking 2.5D platformer set in a dystopian alternative 1980s America. You play as an AI unwillingly trapped in a human body. There looks to be plenty of cinematic action, with a blurb promising a combination of "precise melee strikes with satisfying ranged attacks."
The game will be available for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG and the Microsoft Store. It'll also be a day-one Xbox Game Pass release.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/cyberpunk-platformer-replaced-has-once-again-been-delayed-190621246.html?src=rss
Nevada is taking action against the rapidly growing Wild West of prediction markets. The state's gambling regulators and attorney general sued Kalshi on Tuesday. They accuse the company of bypassing Nevada law by operating a sports gambling market without proper licenses. In addition, they say Kalshi provides services to individuals under 21, which violates state law.The lawsuit follows a federal appeals courts rejection of Kalshi's request to prevent the state from pursuing legal action. And it comes a day after the Trump administration claimed that only the federal government has the right to enforce the industry.Prediction markets, which allow users to bet on events such as sports, political outcomes and wars, have exploded in popularity. Business Insider reports that Kalshi did 27 times as much business during this year's Super Bowl as last year's. Some of that growth has been at the expense of regulated gambling; Nevada's gambling operations did less business during this year's game."Kalshi has continued to dramatically expand its business, rather than attempting to maintain any kind of status quo," Nevada regulators wrote in a letter this month.Kalshi and rival Polymarket insist that their businesses are "event contracts" and should be regulated as financial investments rather than gambling. The Trump administration, rife with conflicts of interest in this area, agrees. The Chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) filed an amicus brief on Tuesday, claiming that it alone has the authority to enforce the prediction market."The CFTC will no longer sit idly by while overzealous state governments undermine the agency's exclusive jurisdiction over these markets by seeking to establish statewide prohibitions on these exciting products," CFTC Chair Michael Selig wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed.Donald Trump Jr. (Photo by Olivier Touron / AFP via Getty Images)OLIVIER TOURON via Getty ImagesNot coincidentally, prediction markets are a growing part of the Trump family business. Donald Trump Jr. is a paid adviser to Kalshi. He's also an investor in and unpaid adviser to Polymarket. In January, his family's social media business said it would launch its own prediction market platform.Prediction markets have the potential to be a hotbed of insider trading. According to blockchain analyst DeFi Oasis, fewer than 0.04 percent of Polymarket accounts have captured over 70 percent of the platform's total profits, totaling over $3.7 billion.Last month, The Guardian highlighted the case of a Polymarket user who bet tens of thousands of dollars on "yes" to the question, "Israel's military action against Iran by Friday?" Within 24 hours, Israel bombed Iran, leaving hundreds dead. The user made $128,000 on that bet. The Guardian traced the blockchain data to a wallet associated with an X account. Its location on the social platform was set to Beit Ha'shita, a northern Israeli settlement. The user later transferred their bets to two other accounts, apparently to avoid detection. In January, the accounts held 10 live bets n Israeli military strategy.Another anonymous user made over $400,000 by betting that Nicolás Maduro would be ousted by the end of January. The bets were placed in the hours and days leading up to the US strikes on Venezuela. In another case, eight jointly owned accounts collectively generated over $161,000 by betting on the country's María Corina Machado Parisca winning the Nobel Peace Prize. The accounts' handles used names such as "fmaduro," "madurowilllose," "striketheboats" and "trumpdeservesit".This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/nevada-sues-kalshi-for-operating-a-sports-gambling-market-without-a-license-175721982.html?src=rss
Apple has scheduled a product launch event, dubbed an "Apple Experience", for March 4 at 9AM ET. The company is reportedly holding this event in NYC, London and Shanghai.
Everyone loves shiny new products, so what can we expect to see at Apple's first launch event of 2026? We don't know anything for certain, but we have plenty of educated guesses that have been sourced from industry reports and speculation from analysts.
Budget-Friendly MacBook
There have been rumors swirling that Apple is preparing to launch a cheaper alternative to the MacBook Air. Bloomberg reported on this all the way back in November. Industry rumors indicate that Apple will be stuffing this laptop with an iPhone processor, the A18 Pro, to keep the price down.
Worth pointing out the three colors from the invite are light green, blue and yellow -- which just so happen to be the colors Apple has tested the low-cost MacBook with, as I wrote yesterday. Coincidence? We shall see. https://t.co/1FFVkfw9JZ pic.twitter.com/ssKDDzdJsw Mark Gurman (@markgurman) February 16, 2026
It's also been suggested that this laptop will only include 8GB of RAM, which kind of flies against the company's recent stance to outfit all Macs with at least 16GB of RAM. However, that would certainly help with the cost. You might have heard about a little thing called AI that chomp chomps on all RAM it can find.
TechRadar has reported that this could be Apple's biggest laptop launch in years, with potential initial shipments hitting 8 million units. The price is likely to be somewhere in the $699 to $799 range, which is pretty nifty. However, I'd still go for an Air at $999. They are absolute workhorses.
MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and Max chips
It's likely that Apple will release more powerful MacBook Pro models this year and the timing seems to match up. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has suggested a March launch and the event is on March 4.
The company has already released a MacBook Pro with an M5 chip, but both the M5 Pro and Max are likely on the horizon. We could be getting new laptops outfitted with these chips in various display sizes.
Devindra Hardawar for Engadget
There have also been reports that both of the higher-end M5 chips are getting a redesign to help improve heat dissipation and reduce defective chip rates. Additionally, the new chiplet design would allow the M5 Pro and Max to raise the total number of CPU and GPU cores. The Max is expected to have more cores than the Pro.
This idea is helped along by the fact that MacBook Pro M4 Max orders are currently delayed. This is typically the case with an outgoing model as stock dries up to make room for new releases. Also, the Pro and Max variants typically get announced in the Fall, so we are due.
New iPads
Rumors have been circulating that we are about to get new iPads, including an update to the base model and the Air. The standard model, which would be the 12th-gen release, is expected to upgrade the A16 chip to an A18. This should also allow for the integration of Apple Intelligence tools, if that's your bag.
Nathan Ingraham for Engadget
As for that iPad Air, rumors suggest an upgrade to the M4 chip from the M3. An extremely light tablet with an M4 would be fairly notable in my estimation, as only the newest iPad Pro has that chip.
iPhone 17e
It was almost exactly a year ago that Apple announced the iPhone 16e, so you know what that means. It's time for a refresh. Recent reports have suggested that an announcement regarding the iPhone 17e is imminent, so this launch event seems like as good a place as any to reveal the latest "budget-friendly" smartphone.
As for specs, Mark Gurman has suggested that it'll be getting an upgrade to the A19 chip, which is nice. Also, it could be getting MagSafe support. That sounds like an iterative upgrade, but the price is expected to remain steady at $599.
Other Possibilities
The following stuff is less likely, though certainly possible. There have been rumors that Apple is currently preparing a revamped Studio Display and Mac Studio desktop. The reports suggest a release sometime in the first half of the year, and March is right in the middle of that timeframe.
It's also possible that the company will reveal an upgrade to the MacBook Air with the M5 chip. Reports indicate that this is unlikely to happen during this event, but it is worth noting that the M4 Air came out in March of last year. In other words, it's a toss up.
The inclusion of Shanghai essentially rules out Siri, as expected, given the delays. https://t.co/mgNLR4qCYy Mark Gurman (@markgurman) February 16, 2026
What's not a toss up? You shouldn't expect anything regarding the long-anticipated Siri refresh. This looks to be a hardware event, so any software updates will likely have to wait until WWDC this summer. In any event, Engadget will be on hand to report on all of Apple's new products. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/heres-what-to-expect-at-apples-product-launch-event-on-march-4-173612772.html?src=rss
Ticketing marketplace SeatGeek has announced a partnership with Spotify that will direct an artist's fans to its platform from the Spotify app. The integration is currently limited to a few participating venues for which SeatGeek is the primary ticket seller.
While SeatGeek is one of the largest online marketplaces for the secondary ticketing market, the company's announcement makes clear that this Spotify integration only applies to venues where it's the primary ticketing company. For now, that's just 15 US partner venues, primarily professional sports arenas like AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Spotify has experimented with direct ticket sales in the past, but now focuses on signing on partners to integrate into the streaming experience. The company currently lists 46 ticketing partners, including Ticketmaster, AXS and others. The app also allows users to follow specific venues to be notified about upcoming concerts and events.
The world's largest music streaming service has added a glut of new features recently. One helps listeners learn more about a song, while another new addition finally added group messaging. The platform, which now boasts some 750 million monthly users, has also been trying to address AI slop in its library, although not very hard by the looks of it.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/spotify-debuts-seatgeek-integration-for-concert-ticket-sales-162248870.html?src=rss
Now that pre-orders are open for the Google Pixel 10a, its time to see how it stacks up against last years Pixel 9a. At first glance, the two phones look very similar, and thats not a bad thing. Google hasnt tried to reinvent its budget-friendly formula this year, sticking to the same compact design, clean software experience and camera-first approach that made the 9a such a good value.Both phones share a lot in common, including 120Hz OLED displays, Googles Tensor G4 chip, strong computational photography and seven years of OS and security updates. The actual differences are more incremental, including a moderately brighter, tougher display, improved Extreme Battery Saver longevity, slightly faster wireless charging and the addition of Satellite SOS. Importantly, Google is keeping the starting price the same as before, with both phones coming in at $499.On paper, the Pixel 10a doesnt dramatically rethink what an affordable Pixel should be, but it does offer meaningful upgrades for the same price. While we wait for a review unit to evaluate the Pixel 10a's day-to-day performance, here's a quick comparison of the spec sheets of the two devices to see what the new model brings.Pixel 10a vs Pixel 9a: Design and displayTheres very little separating these two on performance. Both the Pixel 9a and Pixel 10a run Googles Tensor G4 chip with 8GB of RAM and the same storage options, so day-to-day speed should feel virtually identical. The Pixel 10a ships with Android 16 out of the box, though the 9a can be updated to the same version.Off the bat, the Pixel 10a doesnt look dramatically different from the Pixel 9a, and that appears to be intentional. Google is sticking with the same compact, no-frills approach from the last few A-series Pixels, so youre still getting a 6.3-inch OLED panel with a smooth 60120Hz refresh rate and a clean, understated aesthetic. The meaningful changes show up once you dig into the display specs. The Pixel 10a upgrades the cover glass from Corning Gorilla Glass 3 to Gorilla Glass 7i, which should offer better durability against drops and scratches over time. Brightness also gets a noticeable bump. The 9a topped out at 1,800 nits for HDR content and 2,700 nits at peak, while the 10a pushes that to 2,000 nits for HDR and up to 3,000 nits at peak brightness. In practice, that should make the Pixel 10a easier to read outdoors and a bit punchier when watching HDR video.Contrast is improved as well. The Pixel 10as panel is rated at a contrast ratio of more than 2,000,000:1, doubling the already respectable figure on the Pixel 9a. That wont radically change how the phone looks day to day, but it should translate to deeper blacks and slightly more depth in darker scenes, especially when streaming video or browsing photos at night.Pixel 10a vs Pixel 9a: CamerasOn paper, the Pixel 10as camera hardware looks very familiar. Like the Pixel 9a, it uses a 48-megapixel main camera paired with a 13MP ultra-wide, and theres no dedicated telephoto lens. Image quality, color science and low-light performance should therefore be similar between the two.Where the Pixel 10a pulls ahead is in software features. Google has added a few camera tools that arent available on the Pixel 9a, even though the underlying hardware hasnt changed much. One of those is Camera Coach, which debuted on last years Pixel 10 series and offers on-screen tips to help you frame shots better or adjust how youre holding the phone. The Pixel 10a also gains Macro Focus, allowing you to get much closer to small subjects like plants or textures. In our Pixel 9a review, we found the phone could capture solid close-up detail, but locking focus could be finicky at times, so a more dedicated macro mode should make those shots easier to nail.Finally, theres Auto Best Take, which automatically picks the best expressions from a burst of photos and combines them into a single image. The feature debuted on Googles Pixel 10 lineup last year, and its especially handy for group shots where someone always seems to blink at the wrong moment. By bringing it to the 10a, Google is extending one of its more genuinely practical AI camera tricks to a cheaper phone.Battery life and chargingBoth the Pixel 9a and Pixel 10a use a 5,100mAh battery and support the same 23W wired charging speeds. Where the Pixel 10a does pull ahead slightly is wireless charging. The Pixel 9a tops out at 7.5W, while the Pixel 10a supports wireless charging at up to 10W when used with Qi-certified Extended Power Profile (EPP) chargers, which are designed to deliver faster wireless power than basic Qi pads. The difference isnt dramatic, but the Pixel 10a should charge a bit quicker on a compatible wireless stand when youre in a pinch.Youll also get some extra hours in dire situations. When you activate Extreme Battery Saver, the Pixel 9a is rated for up to 100 hours, while the Pixel 10a extends that to up to 120 hours. The Pixel 10a gets Satellite SOSThe biggest safety-related upgrade on the Pixel 10a is the addition of Satellite SOS. Because it uses a newer modem compared to the Pixel 9as Exynos Modem 5300, it is capable of tapping satellite networks when necessary. This allows the phone to contact emergency services when youre outside of cellular or Wi-Fi coverage, which can be genuinely useful if you spend time hiking, traveling or driving in remote areas.If you already own a Pixel 9a, there doesnt appear to be a huge reason to upgrade. Day-to-day performance may feel almost identical, since both phones use the same Tensor G4 chip, the same amount of RAM and very similar camera hardware.That said, the Pixel 10a does make a stronger case for first-time buyers or anyone upgrading from an older Pixel. The biggest differentiator, though, is Satellite SOS its the one feature the Pixel 9a simply cant match due to hardware limitations. At the same $499 starting price, the Pixel 10a is, on paper, the better long-term buy if youre choosing between the two today. Google Pixel 10a vs. Google Pixel 9a: Specs at a glanceSpecGoogle Pixel 10aGoogle Pixel 9aPrice$499$499ProcessorGoogle Tensor G4, Titan M2 coprocessorGoogle Tensor G4, Titan M2 coprocessorDisplay6.3-inch Actua display, 1080 x 2424 pOLED at 422.2 PPI, Gorilla Glass 7i6.3-inch Actua display, 1080 x 2424 pOLED at 422.2 PPI, Corning Gorilla Glass 3RAM8GB8GBStorage128GB, 256GB128GB, 256GBBattery5,100mAh5,100mAhWireless chargingUp to 10WUp to 7.5WRear camera48MP wide, 13MP ultrawide, Super Res Zoom up to 8x48MP wide, 13MP ultrawide, Super Res Zoom up to 8xFront camera13MP selfie cam13MP selfie camSIMDual SIM (single nano SIM, eSIM)Dual SIM (single nano SIM, eSIM)ConnectivityWi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth v6, NFCWi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth v5.3, NFCOSLaunch with Android 16Launch with Android 15This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/google-pixel-10a-vs-pixel-9a-whats-changed-and-which-one-should-you-buy-150000786.html?src=rss
