The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, anticipated to debut in 2026, are set to push the boundaries of smartphone technology. By blending familiar design elements with innovative advancements, Apple aims to enhance performance, connectivity, and user experience. These flagship devices promise to deliver a seamless combination of style, functionality, and innovation. Below […]
What if you could design a stunning website or build a fully functional app in just minutes, without writing a single line of code? Sounds impossible, right? Enter Gemini 3.0, Google’s new AI-powered platform that’s turning the no-code dream into reality. With its ability to handle everything from front-end design to back-end workflows, Gemini 3.0 […]
Have you ever wondered what’s really in the air you breathe? From invisible pollutants to subtle environmental shifts, the quality of our air impacts everything from our health to our productivity. Enter the Air Lab, a device that’s being hailed as the “Flipper Zero of air quality monitors” for its bold, open-access approach to environmental […]
Forgetting your iPad passcode can be a frustrating experience, but Apple provides a secure and straightforward method to regain access without the need for a computer. This official process works across all iPad models and ensures your device remains protected. However, it involves erasing your iPad and restoring it to factory settings. By following the […]
Apple and Google have taken a significant step toward bridging the gap between their ecosystems. For the first time, Apple’s AirDrop and Android’s Quick Share are compatible, allowing seamless file transfers between iPhones and Google’s Pixel 10 series devices. This collaboration represents a major milestone in enhancing interoperability between the two leading mobile platforms, though […]
President Donald Trump has issued a new Executive Order that launches the “Genesis Mission,” an AI-focused initiative that will be led by the Department of Energy. It will “harness the current AI and advanced computing revolution to double the productivity and impact of American science and engineering within a decade,” the DOE explained. One of the mission’s main goals is to build a centralized platform that will house a huge collection of datasets collected “over decades of federal investments,” as well as datasets from academic institutions and partners from the private sector.
Those datasets will then be used to train scientific foundation models and to create AI agents, automate research workflows and accelerate scientific breakthroughs, the administration said in its announcement. “The platform will connect the world’s best supercomputers, AI systems, and next-generation quantum systems with the most advanced scientific instruments in the nation,” the Energy department said.
Based on that statement, the platform will be linked to the two sovereign AI supercomputers the agency is building at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, its famous research and development center. The machines, to be built by Hewlett Packard Enterprises, are meant to be the Trump AI Action Plan’s flagship supercomputers. The DOE previously revealed that the machines will be powered by AMD chips and will help tackle the biggest challenges in energy, medicine, health and national security.
“The Genesis Mission marks a defining moment for the next era of American science. We are linking the nation’s most advanced facilities, data, and computing into one closed-loop system to create a scientific instrument for the ages, an engine for discovery that doubles R&D productivity and solves challenges once thought impossible,” said Dr. Darío Gil, the Under Secretary for Science and Genesis Mission Director.
In the next four months, the Energy department must identify its initial set of data and model assets for the Genesis platform. The department must be able to demonstrate “an initial operating capability of the platform for at least one of the national science and technology challenges” the government has identified within nine months. While the list of challenges is pretty long, the Genesis Mission will focus on addressing three key challenges overall. First, it aims to accelerate nuclear and fusion energy, as well as to modernize the energy grid using AI. It also aims to power scientific discoveries for decades to come. Finally, it aims to create advanced AI technologies for the purpose of national security, such as systems that can ensure the reliability of America’s nuclear weapons and can accelerate the development of materials for defense.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/trumps-genesis-mission-aims-to-build-a-centralized-ai-platform-to-power-scientific-breakthroughs-043506089.html?src=rss
Small kitchen counters have a way of accumulating appliances. You start with a toaster, then add an air fryer for crispy fries without the oil. A countertop pizza oven shows up because takeout is expensive, and before you know it, there’s a slow cooker tucked in the corner. Pretty soon, you’re playing appliance Tetris just to clear enough space to chop vegetables, and half the devices spend most of their time unplugged and shoved into cabinets.
The Midea Flexify French Door Air Fryer Oven tries to solve this by replacing that entire lineup with one countertop oven. It’s a BEST OF KBIS 2024 winner built around a simple idea: combine ten cooking modes into one appliance without making it too complicated or too big. The oven handles air frying, baking, broiling, roasting, toasting, pizza, reheating, slow cooking, dehydrating, and warming. Midea is running a Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotion on it, which makes it worth considering if you’ve been thinking about clearing out your countertop.
The first thing you notice is the French doors. Instead of a single drop-down door that forces you to lean over a hot cavity, the Flexify uses dual doors that swing open with one pull. They’re made from stainless steel with wide glass windows, so you can check on your food without letting heat escape. There’s an anti-scald handle to keep your fingers safe, and the doors save space in front of the oven.
Inside sits a 26.4-quart cavity with generous vertical space. You can fit a whole chicken or turkey breast on one rack and vegetables on another, or stack a multi-layer lasagna without worrying about clearance. The oven also handles a twelve-inch pizza, six slices of toast, or fourteen chicken wings comfortably. Four rack positions let you adjust the height depending on what you’re cooking.
The Cyclone Air Fry system is what lets the Flexify work as both an air fryer and a conventional oven. It uses a convection fan and six heating tubes to circulate air quickly and evenly, cooking up to 25 percent faster than traditional frying while using up to 90 percent less oil. The oven heats up fast enough that you can skip preheating when air frying, so you just toss frozen food into the basket and start.
What sets the Flexify apart from most countertop ovens is the VDE-certified evenness. That certification means the oven’s heat distribution has been independently tested and proven consistent, so your toast browns evenly and cookies on different racks bake at the same rate. It’s the kind of reliability that matters when you’re making dinner for a family or hosting a gathering and can’t afford uneven results.
The oven settles into daily routines naturally. In the morning, it toasts bread and reheats pastries. At lunch, it warms leftovers without drying them out. In the afternoon, it dehydrates fruit snacks or slow-cooks a stew that finishes by dinnertime. At night, it air-fries vegetables or broils salmon. The digital LED display makes it easy to adjust temperature and time precisely without navigating complicated menus.
What makes the Flexify feel like a smart upgrade is how it cleans up both the physical and mental clutter of a crowded kitchen. Instead of remembering which appliance does what and where you stored it, you just open the French doors and pick a mode. The stainless body and clean lines also look better than a collection of mismatched plastic gadgets.
The Midea Flexify French Door Air Fryer Oven fits the category of appliances that earn their counter space by doing more than one job well. For anyone tired of juggling multiple devices, it consolidates without sacrificing functionality. The Black Friday and Cyber Monday window brings it down 18 percent from November 20 to December 1, which is worth considering if you’ve been eyeing a countertop upgrade.
Let’s be real…your shiny new iPhone 17 is incredible straight out of the box, but it’s not reaching its full potential. With camera upgrades that rival professional equipment and processing power that surpasses laptops, you need accessories that can keep pace. Lucky for you, Black Friday is just around the corner, and we’ve found some seriously impressive deals that won’t break the bank.
This year’s accessory game has undergone a complete transformation. Gone are the days of choosing between a pretty case and actual functionality. The best manufacturers have figured out how to pack serious features into designs that actually make your daily life easier. We’ve spent weeks testing, going through game-changing cases to professional-grade tools, and these five accessories genuinely earned their spot on our desks (and in our pockets).
1. TORRAS Ostand Q3 Air Case
The Q3 Air is straight-up engineering wizardry. This case takes everything great about its sibling (Q3 Silicone) and adds some seriously clever protection technology that makes it perfect for people who are hard on their phones. The big innovation here is TORRAS’ AirMax airbag system, which uses aerospace-grade technology for incredible drop protection. The dual airbag system runs along the top and bottom of the case, covering all four corners to deliver true 360° drop protection for your iPhone. The result is superior protection that doesn’t feel like you’re carrying a brick. The surface has this clever dot-matrix pattern that isn’t just for looks – it actually improves grip significantly. We tested this by having people hold both cases while walking, and the difference was noticeable. The textured surface gives your fingers something to grab onto without feeling rough or cheap.
Like the silicone version, you get that fantastic 360° spinning stand, but this one’s made from aluminum alloy, so it’s even more durable. Whether you’re presenting to colleagues, binge-watching shows, or on endless video calls, the stand adapts to whatever you need. The adjustment is smooth and precise, and it locks securely at any angle. All the protection specs match the silicone case – 8-foot drop rating, perfectly calculated raised edges, and those powerful N52 magnets for rock-solid MagSafe compatibility. But the airbag technology and anti-slip design make this the better choice if you’re active, clumsy, or just want the absolute best protection available. What distinguishes the Q3 Air is its focus on active users who demand maximum protection without sacrificing everyday usability. The airbag technology provides enhanced impact resistance for users with active lifestyles, while the anti-slip design offers additional security during dynamic use situations, representing months of testing and refinement to create the optimal balance between protection, functionality, and daily usability.
The airbag technology isn’t marketing fluff – it genuinely works better than traditional case materials. Combined with the anti-slip surface, you’re significantly less likely to drop your phone in the first place. The aluminum stand feels more premium and durable than plastic alternatives, and the MagSafe magnets are strong enough to trust with your expensive phone. What makes this even better is that you can use code Q3AIR7799 to get 10% OFF – though you’ll want to act fast since it’s limited to the first 80 customers only, making this already impressive protection solution an even smarter investment.
2. Akko MetaKey
Remember when phones had keyboards? Before we all resigned ourselves to autocorrect failures and fat-finger typos? Akko remembers, and they’ve done something pretty brilliant about it. The MetaKey brings back physical keys for your iPhone 17 Pro Max, and honestly, once you try it, touchscreen typing feels primitive. This isn’t some cheap knockoff – Akko makes some of the best mechanical keyboards in the business, and that expertise shows.
The keys have real tactile feedback, they’re backlit for low-light typing, and the layout is surprisingly intuitive despite being compact. The connection is USB-C with a passthrough port, so you’re not giving up charging to use it. That’s crucial because this keyboard is addictive once you get used to it. The shortcuts for common iPhone functions (Siri, dictation, number input) are actually useful, and there’s this “scroll mode” that turns the top rows into navigation controls. Scrolling through Twitter or long documents becomes way more precise than finger-swiping.
Why You Should Buy It
If you type more than a few words a day on your phone, this changes everything. Your accuracy and speed will improve dramatically, and the tactile feedback makes typing enjoyable again instead of frustrating. The backlit keys work in any lighting, and the passthrough charging means you never have to choose between productivity and power. It’s perfect for anyone who uses their phone for serious work or just wants their typing to not suck.
3. TORRAS Ostand Q3 Silicone Case
Here’s the thing about phone cases – most of them are boring. They protect your phone, sure, but they don’t actually make your life better. The TORRAS Q3 Silicone is different. It’s like someone finally asked, “What if a phone case could do more than just sit there?” The standout feature is this brilliant 360° spinning stand that’s built right into the back. It’s not some flimsy afterthought – this thing is solid. You can prop your phone up for video calls (finally, no more holding your arm up for 30 minutes), watch Netflix in bed without weird neck angles, or follow recipes in the kitchen without getting flour all over your screen. The stand adjusts from 30° to 90° vertically and 15° to 165° horizontally, which sounds technical but basically means you’ll always find the perfect angle. What really impressed us was the attention to detail. The case uses food-grade liquid silicone that feels amazing in your hand – none of that cheap, sticky stuff that attracts every piece of lint in your pocket. Inside, there’s this soft velvet lining that cradles your phone like it’s precious cargo, preventing those tiny scratches that somehow always appear despite your best efforts.
Protection-wise, it’s serious business. This case can handle 8-foot drops, which we unfortunately tested more than we’d like to admit. The edges are raised just enough around the camera (1.2mm) and screen (1.2mm) to keep everything safe when you place it face-down, but not so much that it feels bulky. At only 3.35mm thick, it barely adds any bulk to your phone. The MagSafe magnets are impressively strong – 18N magnetic strength with N52 magnets, if you’re into specs. What that means in real life is your wireless chargers, car mounts, and other MagSafe accessories work perfectly. No sliding, no repositioning, just a solid magnetic grip every time. Despite its comprehensive protection, the case maintains an impressively slim profile, adding minimal bulk while delivering maximum functionality that transforms how you interact with your iPhone throughout your daily routine.
This case solves multiple problems you didn’t even realize were annoying you. No more propping your phone against random objects or holding it during long video calls. The food-grade silicone feels premium and safe, while the velvet interior keeps your phone pristine. Plus, you never have to choose between protection and MagSafe functionality. With the expected Black Friday price of $39.99, it’s honestly a steal for what you’re getting.
Content creators, this one’s for you. The MagHub Go solves the storage problem that’s been plaguing iPhone videographers since ProRes recording became a thing. This tiny device packs up to 4TB of blazing-fast NVMe storage, connects via MagSafe, and includes fingerprint security that actually works.
The fingerprint unlock isn’t just a gimmick – it’s enterprise-grade security that responds instantly. One touch and your drive is accessible, but it stays locked tight otherwise. For anyone handling client work or sensitive content, this peace of mind is worth the price alone. The device accepts M.2 NVMe drives in 2230 format, so you can start small and upgrade the storage as your needs grow.
Why You Should Buy It
This eliminates the storage anxiety that kills creative momentum. Record as much ProRes 4K as you want, knowing it’s going straight to fast, secure storage. The fingerprint security protects your work, the MagSafe attachment is seamless, and the charging passthrough means your phone never dies mid-shoot. For serious content creators, this transforms the iPhone 17 from a capable camera into a complete professional video rig.
5. Sandmarc Telephoto 6x Lens
Here’s something most people don’t realize: the iPhone 17 Pro’s built-in telephoto lens, while impressive, uses a smaller sensor that limits image quality at high magnification. The Sandmarc 6x lens takes a smarter approach by working with the main 48MP camera, giving you better zoom with superior image quality.
The difference is immediately obvious in your photos. Colors are richer, details are sharper, and you get much more flexibility in post-processing because you’re working with the full 48MP resolution instead of a cropped sensor. The lens itself uses premium multi-coated glass elements that minimize flare and maximize light transmission, so your photos look professional even in challenging conditions.
Why You Should Buy It
This lens unlocks zoom capabilities that genuinely rival dedicated cameras while maintaining the convenience of your iPhone. The image quality advantage over built-in telephoto is significant, and the manual focus control opens creative possibilities that aren’t possible with software alone. For photographers who want professional results without carrying additional gear, this lens delivers exactly what you need in an incredibly portable package.
Level Up Your iPhone 17 Game
These five accessories aren’t just add-ons – they’re genuine improvements to how your iPhone 17 works in real life. The cases make daily tasks easier while protecting your investment. The keyboard brings back the joy of accurate typing. The storage hub removes creative limitations. The lens expands photographic possibilities. Each one solves actual problems you face every day.
The best part is that you don’t need all five to see a difference. Pick the one that matches your biggest pain point – whether that’s protection, productivity, storage, or photography – and see how much better your iPhone experience becomes. Sometimes the right accessory doesn’t just protect your phone; it transforms how you use it entirely.
Most luxury watches treat time adjustment like an afterthought. You twist a tiny crown, feel the mechanical resistance, and hope you land on the right minute. Vanguart looked at this centuries-old interface and asked a simple question: what if setting time could be as engaging as reading it?
Designer: Vanguart
The Black Hole Tourbillon answers with a joystick. Not a crown dressed up to look modern, but an actual ergonomic joystick system that lets you push time forward or pull it backward with the slightest pressure. It’s the kind of design choice that makes you wonder why every other watchmaker is still using miniature knobs.
The Levitating Tourbillon That Defines the Dial
The center of the Black Hole dial presents what appears to be a floating tourbillon, hovering above three concentric tiers of titanium. Vanguart calls it a “levitating flying tourbillon,” and the visual effect lives up to that description. The caliber T-1701 mechanism creates the illusion of weightlessness while maintaining the precision you’d expect from 775 hand-assembled components.
Time displays through a linear system where hours and minutes each occupy their own concentric ring, bordering the tourbillon rather than competing with it. The dial doesn’t just show time. It orchestrates a three-tier mechanical ballet where every element serves both function and visual narrative.
What makes this approach work is the restraint. Instead of packing the dial with complications and sub-dials, Vanguart gave the tourbillon space to breathe. The titanium tiers create depth without clutter, and the hand-painted indications provide just enough contrast to remain legible without disrupting the futuristic aesthetic.
Design Without Visible Fasteners
The case architecture follows a principle rarely executed this cleanly: no visible screws, no exposed pins, nothing that breaks the flowing geometry. The exoskeleton and fuselage are microblasted with polished bevels that catch light across complex curves. Grade 5 titanium in the base model keeps the weight at 80 grams. The rose and white gold versions climb to 173 grams, but the visual language remains identical across all three limited editions.
This seamless approach extends to how the case integrates with the joystick system. Traditional crown guards would have interrupted the organic lines. Instead, the joystick emerges as part of the case architecture, positioned where your fingers naturally rest. The design team coordinated every surface element with the mechanical layout inside, treating the case as an extension of the movement rather than a container for it.
The Interaction Design Philosophy
Vanguart positions this as “emotional engineering,” which sounds like marketing speak until you consider what they’re actually doing. The joystick time-setting system changes how you physically interact with the watch. Push forward to advance time, pull back to reverse it. The resistance feels deliberate, the feedback immediate. It transforms a functional task into something tactile and engaging.
This matters because luxury watchmaking often prioritizes technical complexity over user experience. You get incredible movements trapped behind interfaces designed 300 years ago. The Black Hole Tourbillon rethinks that equation. The 42-hour power reserve indicator runs vertically along the case, giving you an instant visual gauge without adding dial clutter. Every interaction point receives the same consideration.
The result is a watch that respects your time while asking you to slow down and appreciate the mechanics. You’re not just checking the hour. You’re engaging with 775 components working in coordination, visible through the architectural dial design.
Limited Production and Material Choices
Eight pieces per material configuration. Titanium for the weight-conscious, rose gold for warmth, white gold for understated luxury. Each version uses the same titanium dial with silver or anthracite PVD coating, maintaining visual consistency across the collection. The movements receive gold or silver PVD treatment depending on the case material, creating subtle coordination between exterior and interior finishes.
The rubber straps make sense for watches this technically focused. Leather would feel too traditional, metal bracelets would add weight and cost. The anthracite strap on titanium and white versions on gold cases complement without competing. These are considered design decisions, not default choices.
What This Watch Represents for Independent Watchmaking
Vanguart launched in 2017 with serious credentials. CEO Axel Leuenberger came from APRP’s R&D department, Chief Technical Officer Jeremy Frelechox spent 15 years at APRP, Chief Creative Officer Thierry Fischer designed for major established brands. They’re not outsiders disrupting tradition. They’re insiders asking what tradition might look like if you started fresh.
The Black Hole Tourbillon demonstrates this approach. It uses high-complication watchmaking techniques in service of an interface philosophy borrowed from product design and user experience. The joystick isn’t a gimmick. It’s a genuine rethinking of how we interact with mechanical time.
Whether this approach influences broader watchmaking remains to be seen. But for now, the Black Hole Tourbillon stands as evidence that even centuries-old categories can evolve when designers ask fundamental questions about form, function, and human interaction.
Limited to 8 pieces per configuration (titanium, rose gold, white gold). Available through Vanguart at info@vanguart.com.