Tag Archives: provider_name|Engadget

Hollow Knight: Silksong’s upcoming DLC pack will be free for all players

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One of 2025's splashiest games, Hollow Knight: Silksong, is getting its first major DLC expansion, developer Team Cherry announced in a blog post. The nautically-themed Sea of Sorrow update will come to the moody Metroidvania some time in 2026, and better still, it will be free for all players. 

The DLC will include "new areas, bosses, tools and more," the developer wrote. There aren't a lot of clues to the gameplay in the short trailer below, but the four shots definitely relay the vibe. The first shows what looks like fishing tackle, then we see something (or someone) on a tomb-like wooden platform tied under a canvas sheet. Next an orb-like structure crackling with electricity looms and finally the game's protagonist, Hornet, appears. 

In related news, Team Cherry gave updates on its Nintendo Switch 2 version of the original Hollow Knight that will bring it up to visual parity with the the Hollow Knight: Silksong Switch 2 edition. As part of that, the studio also released a beta update to the Steam and GOG PC versions of the original Hollow Knight. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/hollow-knight-silksongs-upcoming-dlc-pack-will-be-free-for-all-players-123055729.html?src=rss

The Anker Laptop Power Bank soothed my (self-inflicted) battery anxiety

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For the longest time, I refused to upgrade my work-issued MacBook. I was leery of the hassle, and would much rather hang on to an aging Intel-powered laptop than have to transfer files, set up apps and sign in to accounts all over again. What did it matter if my notebook barely lasted long enough to cover an iPhone launch? My petty brain blamed it all on external factors (like being forced to use a MacBook instead of a PC), and left me dripping in stress as I watched the power levels dip down to zero at many of the live events I attend every year. So when I saw the Anker Laptop Power Bank was one of the items in our Labor Day deals roundup this year, I decided to get one to alleviate my battery anxiety (instead of, you know, doing the sane thing and agreeing to a new laptop).

When I unboxed my new Laptop Power Bank the night before the iPhone 17 Pro launch, I wasn’t expecting to be so taken by its features. All I knew before then was that this was a solid, beefy laptop battery pack, squeezing 25,000mAh in a compact package that would save me from having to worry too much about finding an outlet. But when I saw the screen light up with details on the amount of energy left (to two decimal places!) and the real-time charge data when I plugged it in, I was impressed. How modern!

Then I noticed the built-in cables — one retractable and neatly tucked inside the charger and the other artfully curved into a groove and doubling as a handle. Both wires were braided and felt like they’d be resistant to fraying and destroying themselves over time. Altogether, the general build quality and functionality of all the components made it clear this was a thoughtfully designed product worthy of all the praise and money we’ve hurled at it since my colleagues first tested it. 

But what truly made me smile (and giggle, honestly) was a naughty little Easter egg. I saw posts on Threads indicating that if you tugged on that retractable cable and let it go in and out a few times, the screen would show a smiley face. I didn’t believe this was true until I saw it for myself. Sure, it felt a little bit odd, but I told myself I was revving a chainsaw, and doing legitimate testing for professional reasons, not jerking off a device. And when I saw the funny face appear, I felt the effect was humorous rather than pervy. The good news for the more staid readers is that if you don’t want to ever see that face, you never have to. And if you like cheeky little touches in your tech products, the Anker Laptop Battery Charger will delight. 

Regardless of how I felt about having pleasured a laptop battery charger, it doesn’t take away from the fact that this is a well-made, well-rounded product. It managed to get my MacBook a few extra hours, so I made it all the way to the end of a multi-hour keynote, though it did run completely empty so I couldn’t recharge my phone after. Blast Apple Park and its utter lack of available power outlets!

Anker’s Laptop Battery Pack effectively allayed my battery anxiety, brought me some mirth and won me over with its thoughtful design. And because I got it on sale, it was $90 well spent.


This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/the-anker-laptop-power-bank-soothed-my-self-inflicted-battery-anxiety-123000024.html?src=rss

The Morning After: Roomba maker iRobot files for bankruptcy

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iRobot, the company that brought robotic vacuum cleaners to homes and popular culture, has filed for bankruptcy. It plans to sell all assets to its primary supplier, the Chinese company Picea Robotics. Investors “will experience a total loss and not receive recovery on their investment” if the deal is approved, iRobot said. The company didn’t discuss how the move might affect its employees in the US or elsewhere.

Amazon dropped its $1.7 billion acquisition of the company last year after a veto threat from European regulators, leaving the Roomba maker with no other option. Political scrutiny came on two fronts: The company was also reportedly hit hard by Trump’s tariffs in Vietnam, where it manufactures products for the US market.

iRobot launched its first Roomba in 2002, arguably inventing the world of robot vacuums — and the first robots to enter many of our homes. Competition from rivals has chipped away at its dominance, with other companies coming in at both lower and higher prices, like Roborock, Dyson and Anker’s Eufy.

— Mat Smith

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IKEA

IKEA’s revamp of its smart home products doesn’t end with Matter support. It also has some new Qi wireless chargers. First up, the $10 VÄSTMÄRKE combines a PopSockets-style phone grip with cable storage in a donut-shaped package.

It can magnetically attach to iPhones with MagSafe or Pixel phones with Google’s Pixelsnap magnets. Then there’s the $25 VÄSTMÄRKE wireless charger with lighting, a bowl-shaped charging pad in the center for your smartphone or wireless earbuds.

Continue reading.

LG says it will unveil its LG Micro RGB evo TV at CES 2026, but ahead of that, it shared some preliminary information about the screen. Instead of just white lights, Micro RGB means the backlight can be any hue, thanks to individually controlled red, green and blue Micro LEDs, offering a wider color array. This approach is midway between OLED’s individual-pixel lighting and TVs that use typical mini-LEDs.

Continue reading.

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OpenAI

Merriam-Webster has selected “slop” for its 2025 word of the year. It’s defined as “digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence.” We’ve seen an absolute deluge of AI slop this year, from fake movie trailers on YouTube to AI-generated bands on Spotify. It was (unfortunately) one of our winners of 2025.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-121547853.html?src=rss

The best mobile microphones for 2026

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There’s nothing more frustrating than shooting the perfect reel only to realize that the audio sounds like garbage. For budding creators, it’s a frustration; for those looking to make more professional content, it’s a dealbreaker. Fortunately, the world of mobile-specific (or phone-friendly) microphones has exploded with great options in the last few years. Whether you’ve been tasked with recording candid moments at a relative’s wedding, shooting a friend’s dance moves or are a journalist out in the field traveling light — there’s an option out there that will be perfect for you.

We’ve tested a wide range of popular microphones with a mobile focus so that you don’t have to. Below is our hand-picked list of the very best options for a variety of use cases. Some microphones — the wireless lavalier kind, for example — will be more versatile and convenient, useful for a number of different applications. Others, such as our musician or field-recording picks, are where we explore more exotic form factors such as shotgun mics and mobile-friendly desktop options. As always, above everything else is sound quality and general performance. The good news for you is that we’ve done all the hard work for you. Happy recording!

“Creator” is a broad term, but for the purposes of this guide, it’s anyone that wants to make videos or recordings to share on the internet. This is possibly the most exciting category right now with excellent options from brands such as Rode and DJI, but also some compelling budget options too. Once the domain of TV and pro productions, wireless lavalier mics are now the go-to choice for anyone creating in front of (or even behind) the camera. They usually sound great, offer hands-free flexibility and premium models come with extra features that will streamline your creative process.

The world of mobile microphones has exploded in recent years thanks to affordable, high-quality wireless systems, the popularity of social media and content creation and, of course, Apple’s reluctant switch to USB-C on the iPhone which has removed connectivity complications for manufacturers.

When it comes to testing, my experience as a journalist, podcast producer, YouTuber and (failing) music producer has given me a lot of real-world experience with a wide variety of products all aimed at different jobs. When compiling this guide for Engadget, I filter that experience down to a few simple criteria that allows us to focus on what’s important to you, the reader and whatever it is you’re trying to record.

The main criteria for mobile microphones are simple: Does it sound great? Does it connect to a phone directly and reliably? And, is it good value for its intended purpose? A hobbyist and a professional have different budgets after all.

What every microphone endures is repeated recording in treated, non-treated and outdoor environments. I’ll also A/B test each one against its rivals and usually a suitable reference microphone — Shure’s SM7b for podcasting microphones or Rode’s NTG 5 for shotgun/video mics, for example.

Some sub-categories of microphone require a slightly different approach. For wireless systems, I test how far I can walk from the receiver before recordings degrade, along with a standard battery life test by setting them to record until they power off. For podcast and vocal-focused microphones, I record in different spaces to see how they cope with different environments and measure self noise (recording “silence”). Lastly, I test how they sound when recording at different distances from the microphone.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-mobile-microphones-for-recording-with-a-phone-154536629.html?src=rss

Google is retiring its free dark web monitoring tool next year

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Google will stop sending out dark web reports starting early next year, as it shuts down the free tool that can tell you if your personal information has appeared on the seedy underbelly of the internet. The tool used to be exclusively available to Google One subscribers until the company opened it up to everyone in mid-2024. If you switch it on, you’ll receive a notification whenever your name, email address and phone number leak on the internet, typically due to data breaches.

In Google’s email announcement, however, it said it was discontinuing dark web reports because “feedback showed that it did not provide helpful next steps.” A report just lets you know that your information has appeared on the dark web. You can also see a list of all the hits you get on your Google account, along with what data breach leaked that particular detail. However, it doesn’t give you guidance on what to do afterwards.

The company explained that it will focus on tools that can give you clear, actionable step to take instead. Google will stop monitoring for new dark web results on January 15, 2026 and will remove access to the report from your account on February 16. You can also remove your monitoring profile right now by going to the “results with your info” section on the tool’s official page.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/google-is-retiring-its-free-dark-web-monitoring-tool-next-year-023103252.html?src=rss

LG will debut its first Micro RGB television at CES

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LG is getting in on one of the newest trends for televisions with the introduction of Micro RGB. The company will unveil the LG Micro RGB evo at CES 2026, but it shared some preliminary information about the screen today.

Micro RGB is a newer screen technology where rather than white lights, the backlight can be any hue thanks to individually controlled red, green and blue Micro LEDs, offering a wider color array. This approach is a mid-way point between the precision of OLED with its individual pixel lighting, but it offers an upgrade over screens only using mini LEDs.

The television is also equipped with an upgraded engine for AI upscaling. According to the company's press release, the LG Micro RGB evo is certified by Intertek for 100 percent color gamut coverage in BT.2020, DCI-P3, and Adobe RGB. The TV has more than a thousand dimming zones for brightness control.

The few other brands currently using micro RGB are charging a pretty penny for it; the one announced by Samsung earlier this year costs $29,999. At 115 inches, the Samsung version is also much larger than LG's offerings, which include options at 100 inches, 86 inches and 75 inches. Although the size is reduced, expect the eventual prices for the LG Micro RGB evo to also be very expensive.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/lg-will-debut-its-first-micro-rgb-television-at-ces-010037923.html?src=rss

Judge blocks Louisiana’s social media age verification law

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A Louisiana law that would have required social media platforms to verify the ages of their users has been blocked by a judge. The law, known as the Secure Online Child Interaction and Age Limitation, was passed in 2023 and required Meta, Reddit, Snap, YouTube Discord and others to implement age verification and parental control features.

The ruling came just days before the law, which technically took effect over the summer, would have started to be enforced. In his ruling, Judge John W. deGravelles wrote that the law's "age-verification and parental-consent requirements are both over- and under-inclusive," and that its definition of "social media platform" was "nebulous."

The ruling was a victory for NetChoice, a lobbying group that represents the tech industry and has challenged the growing number of age verification laws around the world. The group had argued that the law was unconstitutional and posed a safety and security risk.

In a statement following the ruling, the group pointed to the "massive privacy risk" posed by the Louisiana law and others like it. "Louisiana’s law would have done more than chill speech," Paul Taske, the co-director of NetChoice’s Litigation Center said. "It would have created a massive privacy risk for Louisianans like those playing out in real time in countries without a First Amendment, like the UK."

In a statement, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said she would appeal the ruling. “The assault on children by online predators is an all-hands-on-deck problem,” Murrill said. “It’s unfortunate that the court chose to protect huge corporations that facilitate child exploitation over the legislative policy to require simple age verification mechanisms.”

Update, December 16, 11:50AM PT: This story has been updated to add a statement from the Louisiana Attorney General’s office.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/judge-blocks-louisianas-social-media-age-verification-law-001212758.html?src=rss

LG quietly added an unremovable Microsoft Copilot app to TVs

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Microsoft made a big punt this year with Copilot. The company put its AI chatbot into a special line of laptops and has also tried to integrate it into other tech products. The latest place you may find Copilot is on your LG smart television, whether you want it or not.

Several LG smart TV owners have taken to Reddit over the past few days to complain that they suddenly have a Copilot app on the device and cannot uninstall it. Two Engadget staffers discovered the app on a 2022 LG OLED and a 2023 UA8000. They confirmed that the app can't be removed, although they were able to hide it from the home screen. One other person from our team also has a 2022 LG OLED but isn't seeing Copilot, so your mileage may vary based on what permissions and privacy settings you already have set up with LG.

Photo of the undeleteable Copilot app on an LG smart TV
Karissa Bell for Engadget

LG said during the 2025 CES season that it would have a Copilot-powered AI Search in its next wave of TV models, but putting in a permanent AI fixture is sure to leave a bad taste in many customers' mouths, particularly since Copilot hasn't been particularly popular among people using AI assistants.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/lg-quietly-added-an-unremovable-microsoft-copilot-app-to-tvs-235923754.html?src=rss

Ford is rebooting the F-150 Lightning as an EREV with a gas generator

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Just last month, Ford seemed to be on the brink of sunsetting the F-150 Lightning. Today, the vehicle manufacturer announced plans to reboot the truck as a hybrid. This next generation of the F-150 Lightning will contain Extended Range Electric Vehicle. An EREV is similar in concept to a plug-in hybrid but with a larger battery that's topped up by a gas generator — the powertrain itself is all electric. This next generation of the F-150 Lightning will offer an estimated range of more than 700 miles. Production will end this year on the current F-150 Lightning models.

This revamp of the F-150 Lightning is part of Ford's latest approach to electric vehicles. The company projected that by 2030, half of its global volume will be comprised of hybrids, extended-range EVs and electric vehicles, compared with 17 percent today. "As part of these actions, Ford no longer plans to produce select larger electric vehicles where the business case has eroded due to lower-than-expected demand, high costs and regulatory changes," the company's press release states. Ford will also swap its planned electric commercial van for North America with a new, affordable commercial van that has both gas and hybrid options. The company anticipates seeing a $19.5 billion negative impact for this pivot away from EVs.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/ford-is-rebooting-the-f-150-lightning-as-an-erev-with-a-gas-generator-222529768.html?src=rss

Apple TV app for Android now supports Google Cast

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Apple TV is adding Google Cast support to its native Android app. This update allows subscribers to stream Apple TV shows from their smartphones to their televisions. Apple's streaming service only just released the dedicated app for the Android operating system in February 2025. Adding in Google Cast support helps fully integrate the app into the experience for people whose gear is part of the Android ecosystem.

The addition should make it easier for viewers to shift between screens, even mid-episode. It's a very different approach than Netflix, which recently ended Google Cast support for its streaming platform in most use cases.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/apple-tv-app-for-android-now-supports-google-cast-205642324.html?src=rss