Android 16 starts rolling out to Nothing Phones

Posted on by

Nothing Phone 3 owners, your Android 16 update is here. Owners of other models? Well, you’ll have to wait a bit longer. Regardless, the company's Nothing OS 4.0 update brings Google's newest mobile software, along with a bunch of UI tweaks.

In addition to Android 16, Nothing OS 4.0 should deliver a smoother, zippier experience. The company promises "faster responses, cleaner visuals, smoother interactions" and more. Along those lines, app transitions, the notification shade and gestures have been redesigned to respond "with sharper tactility and depth."

Nothing also redesigned its first-party icons, with cleaner, more minimal styling. "The home screen feels balanced, modern and comfortable to use," the company claims. Status bar icons have been refined, drawing inspiration from Android 16’s stylings. There are also new lock-screen clocks to choose from, and an "extra dark mode" (in addition to standard dark mode), designed for nighttime reading.

A marketing grid, showcasing Nothing OS 4.0's new features.
A marketing grid, showcasing Nothing OS 4.0's new features.
Nothing

The Glyph Interface has always been one of Nothing's most unique features, and it gets some updates, too. Glyph Progress integrates with Android 16's Live Updates. "Rides, deliveries, and timers now sync across your screen and the Glyph Interface," as the company describes it.

You can read up on all the changes on the release page. Nothing OS 4.0 is rolling out now to the Nothing Phone 3. Most other devices will start seeing it "over the coming weeks." The company's (recently spun off) CMF brand devices will receive the update by the end of 2025. Finally, Phone 3a Lite owners have to wait until "early next year."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/android-16-starts-rolling-out-to-nothing-phones-182637951.html?src=rss

TWIST Bends One Metal Sheet Into Table, Storage, and Handle

Posted on by

Side tables usually end up as simple flat discs on legs, doing little more than holding a drink or a phone you keep checking when you should be reading. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it also means they contribute almost nothing else to a room beyond a horizontal surface. The growing interest in compact, multi-functional furniture has designers rethinking how small pieces like side tables can quietly add storage and flexibility without cluttering a space.

The TWIST side table uses a single sheet of metal looping in a circular motion to form a tabletop, support, and storage all at once. It integrates a carry handle and a book compartment, with a wooden base adding warmth to balance the cool metal. The whole piece reads like a ribbon frozen mid-twist rather than a collection of separate parts, giving it a sculptural quality that works even when it’s not holding anything.

Designer: Joao Teixeira

The geometry is surprisingly simple once you trace it. The metal rises from the floor as a vertical panel, bends into a round tabletop with a large central cut-out, then drops down and curls into an oval storage bin at the base. The tabletop forms a ring that frames whatever you place on it, while the circular void in the center lightens the visual mass and makes room for the handle element to pass through.

That handle emerges from the tabletop as a vertical fin aligned with the central opening. It’s wrapped with a soft material shown in a contrasting orange, making it comfortable to grip and visually highlighting the interaction point. The handle turns the table into something you can easily pick up and move around a room, reinforcing its role as a portable companion rather than a piece anchored permanently to one spot.

The lower section functions as an open-topped storage bin sized for books and magazines. The metal walls curve smoothly into rounded corners that echo the tabletop’s circular geometry, while a wooden base panel inside the bin adds warmth and keeps stored items stable. That wooden surface also grounds the piece visually, preventing the lower section from feeling too light compared to the tall vertical panel rising above it.

The material palette visible in the renders keeps everything calm and neutral. A matte, light beige metal body pairs with a pale wood base and a small orange accent in the handle. The orange gives the eye a focal point without dominating the design, while the wood base balances the cool metal and helps the table feel at home in living spaces rather than purely industrial settings.

TWIST works well next to a sofa or lounge chair, holding a glass on its circular top while a few favorite books rest in the lower bin. It functions as both a sculptural object and a practical helper, offering storage, surface, and a built-in way to move it wherever you need. It’s a small reminder that even a side table can be drawn as one thoughtful line.

The post TWIST Bends One Metal Sheet Into Table, Storage, and Handle first appeared on Yanko Design.

The booster for SpaceX’s Starship V3 suffered a gas system failure during testing

Posted on by

SpaceX has confirmed that its third-gen Super Heavy Booster, the first stage of the two-stage Starship system, suffered an explosive gas failure of sorts during testing on Thursday morning. In a post on X, the aerospace company said, "Booster 18 suffered an anomaly during gas system pressure testing that we were conducting in advance of structural proof testing."

There was no propellant inside the booster as the engines were not installed at that point. No injuries were reported and the company shared that personnel are always kept at a safe distance during these types of tests. The company said it will "need time to investigate before we are confident of the cause."

The explosive release of gas, or whatever it was, seems to have blown out the side of the bottom half of the booster. Pictures taken by SpaceX content creators show this in detail. Clips of the livestream show the incident in question at around 4AM on Friday.

The booster is part of the third generation of Starship, SpaceX's enormous and fully reusable rocket designed for high payload capacity. The ship weighs 5,000 tons and towers over 400 feet in height (taller than a 30-story building).

So far, Starship has had 11 successful launches at a cost of over $100 million per launch, and five explosions during testing. While this most recent explosion was fairly benign, previous incidents have seen fiery debris rain down from the sky. SpaceX's ultimate plan for Starship is delivering payloads to the moon and Mars. Most recently, the last iteration of the second-gen Starship had a successful test flight in October. This came after its first ever payload deployment in August.

86 percent of global payload mass sent to space has been carried by SpaceX since 2024, though companies like Blue Origin are investing heavily to compete. According to NASA, the cost per kilogram to launch into space has seen a 95 percent reduction from its shuttle days. The SpaceX Falcon 9 costs 20 times less per kilogram to launch than NASA's space shuttle.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/the-booster-for-spacexs-starship-v3-suffered-a-gas-system-failure-during-testing-181459063.html?src=rss

Favor AR Pen Lets You Draw Messages in Air, Print as Photo Cards

Posted on by

Most of our gifts to friends now are quick messages, emojis, or mobile vouchers that arrive instantly and disappear just as fast. They’re convenient but rarely feel as meaningful as a handwritten note or a physical card you can pin to a wall. Favor AR Message is a concept that tries to bring some of that effort and ceremony back into how Gen Z says thank you, sorry, or congratulations, without abandoning phones entirely.

Favor is a speculative system built around three parts: an AR pen, a tiny photo printer, and a mobile app. You use the pen to draw messages in augmented reality, the app to decorate and package them, and the printer to turn them into physical photo cards. The recipient scans the card with their phone to see the hidden AR message floating above it, like a secret that only appears when you know where to look.

Designers: Junseo Oh, Seungyeon Hong, Yoojin Lee, Youn Taejune

The AR pen, called LIT, is a slim wand that the phone’s camera tracks while you draw in the air. In the app, your strokes become floating 3D text and graphics, animated with light and particles. The designers call this process “LITing,” and it turns writing a message into a small performance, closer to painting with light than typing into a chat window or firing off another text you’ll forget about ten minutes later.

The printer is a compact, pastel-colored box that takes your AR composition and links it to a printed photo card. You can choose selfies, pet photos, or travel shots, then layer stickers and assets on top. On the surface, the card looks like a cute mini print, but when the recipient scans it with the app, the hidden AR message appears in space above the card, like a secret only they can unlock.

The app’s flow is straightforward. You pick a friend, choose a template, LIT your message with the pen, and send or print the card. When your friend receives it, they scan to reveal the AR content, then record a reaction video and send it back. The concept even imagines smart lights in the room reacting when a new Favor is opened, turning the exchange into a tiny event.

The visual language is deliberately playful. The hardware uses soft rectangles, rounded corners, and gentle gradients in lilac and mint, while the app leans into bold purple, bubbly 3D type, and oversized icons. Everything is designed to feel approachable and fun, more like a toy or cosmetic gadget than a piece of serious tech that takes itself too seriously.

Favor AR Message is a thought experiment about how we might make digital communication feel more like a ritual again. By asking you to stand up, wave a pen, design a card, and wait for a reaction, it slows the process down just enough to feel intentional. Whether or not something like this ever ships, the idea of turning AR into something you can hold and revisit is an appealing twist on how we say “this is for you.”

The post Favor AR Pen Lets You Draw Messages in Air, Print as Photo Cards first appeared on Yanko Design.

The Analogue 3D will be restocked on November 24, but it’ll cost $20 more

Posted on by

After several delays, Analogue finally started shipping its 4K remake of the Nintendo 64 this week. That was great news for those lucky enough to have pre-orders secured, but the console was firmly sold out beyond that first wave of shipments. However, the company has now announced that it will have new stock of the Analogue 3D ready to go from November 24.

You’ll be able to order from 8am PST on the day, with orders set to start shipping on December 2, once Analogue has honored all of its original pre-orders. This batch will likely go very quickly too, and if you do manage to get one, you’ll have to accept a (seemingly tariff-related) price $20 hike, with the Analogue 3D now costing $270.

As with previous Analogue systems, the reimagined N64 uses an FPGA (field programmable gate array) chip to emulate Nintendo’s original hardware. FPGA-based systems are more accurate than software emulation options and deliver reduced input lag.

Every N64 cartridge is supported, according to Analogue, including both PAL and NTSC variants, and the 3D is capable of 4K output with variable refresh rate. You also get an "original display mode" filter to faithfully recreate the look of gaming on your dusty old CRT.

A word of warning, though: while our review of the Analogue 3D praised the hardware design and strength of the emulation, our reviewer's biggest mark against the console is that a lot of N64 games just aren’t very fun to play in 2025. Still, if you still have the likes of Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time lying around in a cupboard, you’ll no doubt have an enjoyably nostalgic holiday season with the Analogue 3D, should you successfully get hold of one next week.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-analogue-3d-will-be-restocked-on-november-24-but-itll-cost-20-more-173615217.html?src=rss

The Future of Retail Fits in This 3D-Printed Suitcase

Posted on by

Imagine packing the future into a suitcase. Not your clothes or toiletries, but ideas about how we’ll shop, connect, and experience retail spaces in the years to come. That’s exactly what Valencia-based design studio Cul De Sac has done with their latest project, and honestly, it’s one of the coolest design concepts I’ve seen in a while.

The piece is part of Gerflor’s “Portable Architecture” initiative, a traveling exhibition that challenges three international design studios to literally pack their visions of tomorrow into custom suitcases. Think of it as a design thought experiment meets art installation, inspired by Marcel Duchamp’s famous “Box in a Valise” concept where he miniaturized his entire body of work into a portable case.

Designer: Cul De Sac

What makes Cul De Sac’s contribution so compelling is its radical optimism about retail’s future. While many of us have grown accustomed to sterile, product-focused shopping environments, architect and creative director Borja Berna offers a completely different vision. “The future of retail will be human,” he explains. “We come from a past where the product was the center, but the spaces of the future will put the person at the center. They will be places of community, connection, where things happen beyond the purchase.”

That philosophy isn’t just talk. It’s physically manifested in the suitcase’s 3D-printed design, which looks like something between a neural network and organic coral. The structure breathes with these flowing, interconnected forms that evoke energy pathways and human connections. It’s deliberately designed to feel alive, like it’s constantly evolving and adapting, much like the retail spaces Berna imagines for our future.

The choice of 3D printing feels particularly intentional here. This technology allows for organic, impossible-to-manufacture-otherwise shapes that traditional fabrication methods simply can’t achieve. The result is a sculptural piece that captures fluidity and movement in a way that feels almost biological. You can see why they chose this approach when you look at the images: those undulating surfaces and cellular patterns really do suggest something living rather than static.

But here’s where it gets really interesting. The suitcase doesn’t just contain samples of Gerflor’s flooring materials as a reference library. The container itself becomes the statement. As Berna puts it, they wanted “the design itself to summarize our vision of the future of retail.” The piece integrates materials from Gerflor’s Creation range not as mere swatches but as part of the identity itself. In a market saturated with brands competing for attention, materials become the language through which spaces communicate with people and create memorable experiences.

Berna describes the biggest challenge as “condensing usually conceptual ideas into a tangible piece.” And you can feel that tension in the final work, in the best possible way. It’s both abstract and concrete, theoretical and physical. The suitcase manages to be a manifesto, a prototype, and an art object all at once.

This project sits alongside equally intriguing contributions from Studio Banana, who tackled the future of office spaces, and Nini Andrade Silva from Madeira, who explored hotels as experiential gathering places. Together, these three suitcases form a traveling exhibition that will move through seven cities across the Iberian Peninsula, sparking conversations about how we want to inhabit tomorrow’s spaces.

There’s something wonderfully democratic about packaging big architectural ideas into portable, approachable formats. Rather than presenting a massive installation or dense white paper, these studios offer something you can literally walk around, something that invites curiosity and conversation. As Juan Segura, Marketing Manager of Gerflor Iberia, notes, “More than showing product, we want to generate dialogue.”

What I love most about this project is how it reframes retail from transactional to transformational. In an era where online shopping dominates and physical stores struggle to justify their existence, Cul De Sac suggests that the answer isn’t better product displays or flashier signage. It’s about creating spaces where human connection happens, where community forms, where something meaningful occurs beyond the exchange of goods for money.

That 3D-printed suitcase, with its neural-network-like structure, becomes a perfect metaphor: retail spaces as living organisms that facilitate connections between people, emotions, and yes, brands, but in ways that feel organic rather than forced. It’s a vision of shopping as something closer to a social experience than a chore. And really, isn’t that the kind of future we’d all want to pack our bags for?

The post The Future of Retail Fits in This 3D-Printed Suitcase first appeared on Yanko Design.

In a rare deal, my favorite gaming headset is 28 percent off for Black Friday

Posted on by

The truth is, most gaming headsets aren’t great values. I’ve tested a ton of them for our buying guide, and while the space has improved over time, it remains far too centered on branding and marketing. Too much of what passes by my desk comes off as overpriced compared to a good set of “normal” headphones in the same range, both in audio and build quality. If you have a pair you love, more power to you. But generally speaking, these things tax you for the perception of being specialized for gaming. In reality, most are just OK headphones with a mic, a logo and maybe some fancy RGB lighting attached.

All that said, there are always exceptions to the rule, and a few headsets have stood out as actually being worth the money. My current favorite is the Turtle Beach Atlas Air, which is currently on sale for $130 at various retailers as part of a Black Friday deal. That’s the cheapest it’s been since February, $50 off its MSRP and $20 below its street price over the last month. When it’s discounted to this extent, it’s the rare gaming headset I’d call a solid bargain.

The hook with the Atlas Air is that it’s one of the few wireless headphones (let alone headsets) with an open-back design, meaning its ear cups don’t completely seal off your ears from air and outside noise. Pairs like this aren’t for everyone: They both let in and leak lots of ambient sound, so if you don’t use them in a quiet room, you and anyone nearby will probably be distracted. On the flipside, this can be a positive if you don’t want to be completely shut off from your surroundings. More notably, they can produce a far more spacious and natural sound than closed-back models. Games feel more like they’re happening around you instead of being confined to a space in your head.

All of this holds true with the Atlas Air. Going from this pair to a traditional headset often makes it feel like a chunk of the world has been lopped off — giant boss fights in games like Elden Ring or Final Fantasy XVI sound more narrow, and it becomes harder to gauge where exactly an opponent is coming from in a competitive shooter like Counter-Strike 2. It helps that the Atlas Air is also tuned well. It’s not as dynamic as the best non-gaming open headphones, and like most open-backs it doesn’t get super deep bass, so explosions and gunfire lack a little boom. But it’s balanced and easygoing, with a jump in the treble that helps dialogue and footsteps sound clearer.

The headset itself is exceptionally comfortable beyond that. It’s lightweight at 0.66 pounds, and the big memory foam earcups clamp down gently without trapping much heat. The battery lasts a solid 50-60 hours on a charge, and while the mic isn’t the absolute best I’ve tested, it still lets you come through clearly. It all works with PC and PS5 by default, and you can pair with a Switch or Switch 2 over Bluetooth. There’s no Xbox wireless support, unfortunately, though you can at least use an included 3.5mm cable. And though the plastic design isn’t exactly “premium,” it hasn’t developed any sort of cracks or creakiness in the months I’ve used it. For $130, it’s totally fine.

There are other things to nitpick: You can’t listen to two devices connected over the USB dongle and Bluetooth simultaneously; you want to ignore Turtle Beach’s companion software as soon as you update the firmware; and there isn’t much room to adjust the headband, so certain heads may struggle to find the best fit. The design is also kind of ugly, if I’m being honest. Still, in an samey market, the Atlas Air stands out. If you know you can live with the trade-offs that come with any open-back headset, it’s a unique value at this price.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/in-a-rare-deal-my-favorite-gaming-headset-is-28-percent-off-for-black-friday-165029987.html?src=rss

Silent Hill 2 is now available on Xbox

Posted on by

If you’re an Xbox-only player who’s been waiting patiently for the arrival of Bloober Team’s superb Silent Hill 2 remake on Microsoft consoles, now’s your time. While the ideal release window would have been last month to coincide with spooky season (PS Plus subscribers got lucky here), there’s never a bad time to play Silent Hill 2.

A full remake of the seminal 2001 survival horror game, Silent Hill 2 has you play as widower James Sunderland, who’s summoned to the eponymous rural town after receiving a letter from his deceased wife, where all manner of psychological horrors await him. Slightly controversially, the 2024 game ditched the fixed camera angles of the original in favor of a more modern over-the-shoulder perspective. Fortunately, this transition sacrifices none of the game’s signature oppressive atmosphere, with the foggy streets of Silent Hill being as creepy as ever to tentatively explore.

To celebrate the release of Silent Hill 2 on Xbox Series X|S, Konami has slashed the price of the Xbox and PC versions by 50 percent. You can also grab this year’s brand new entry, Silent Hill f, for 30 percent off for Black Friday.

It’s been a pretty good week for long-awaited Xbox ports. Engadget 2023 game of the year award winner Dave the Diver finally arrived on all Xbox consoles (including Xbox One), while the excellent horror-themed roguelite Clover Pit also surprise dropped this week. That one’s on Game Pass too.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/silent-hill-2-is-now-available-on-xbox-164052884.html?src=rss

Apple teamed up with another artist to make this iPhone grip and stand

Posted on by

Apple has teamed up with an artist named Bailey Hikawa to make an iPhone grip and stand thingamajig. The appropriately-named Hikawa Phone Grip & Stand is a MagSafe compatible device that snaps onto an iPhone. The grip can be "removed with ease" and also doubles as a stand.

To that end, it supports two different viewing angles, both vertical and horizontal. Apple says the ergonomic form factor was "designed with accessibility in mind from the ground up" and that Hikawa was given "direct input from individuals with disabilities affecting muscle strength, dexterity and hand control."

A grip.
Bailey Hikawa/Apple

It's also intended to be a work of art, as it was "inspired by modern sculpture." This is what likely ticks the price up. The grip is available in two colorways, both of which cost $70. Generic grips cost around $10 on Amazon or big-box retailers, but Hikawa has been making noteworthy phone cases for years. She also makes eye-catching toilet seats.

That leads us to the knitted elephant in the room. Apple introduced a bizarre knitted sleeve last week intended to hold iPhones. This, uh, phone sock starts at a whopping $150 and goes all the way up to $230. The idea of spending $150 on a little knitted bag for a smartphone has, quite obviously, irked some consumers and sparked internet outrage.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/apple-teamed-up-with-another-artist-to-make-this-iphone-grip-and-stand-163508039.html?src=rss

JVC’s Victor WOOD Master earbuds boast self-healing exterior, authentic wooden drivers for pristine sound

Posted on by

Options for true wireless earbuds have exploded in the last couple of years owing to technological innovations and the affordability of owning them. The marketplace is flooded with so many TWS earbuds that you, as a buyer, find it hard to decide which one fits your set of priorities. For a manufacturer, the ideal strategy is to come up with a pair that is distinct from the other available options.

In the audio world dominated by the likes of Sony, Bose, Sennheiser, Technics, and many more, JVC has revealed its pair of earbuds that are unlike any one of them, at least in form. The unique distinction that the company is pitching these earbuds is their ability to self-heal from minor scratches. Meaning, they’ll look in pristine condition even if you are one of those users who stashes earbuds and keychains in the same pocket.

Designer: JVC Kenwood

Meet the Victor WOOD Master earbuds by the Japanese audio pioneer, which have a self-healing paint coated on the exterior of the shell. Whenever there are hairline scratches on the earbuds, they self-heal over time when exposed to heat from sunlight or other sources. This is the same technology that’s used in car paints, employing a polymer structure for the pristine magic. The USP extends to the interior as well, where the use of exclusive materials for the drivers promises an ear-pleasing sound signature. They get the industry’s first hybrid WOOD Driver that has pulp and African rosewood in the diaphragm of the 10mm drivers.

The result, pristine vocals and studio-like sound across all the frequencies. All the audiophiles out there will have keen ears on these ones, I’m sure, especially if looking for an audio profile that is distinct from any other pair out there. JVC also promises the highest noise cancellation levels in the world, courtesy of the dedicated high-performance IC and Knowles microphones. Now, that’s a claim we’ll have to test, and if true, Bose and Apple better watch out.

The buds are accompanied by the oval-shaped Spiral Dot Pro SF ear tips, which improve the reproduction of high-frequency sounds without any bloating. Their oval shape ensures a snug fit and reduced pressure with long-term use. To make the audio sound as good as it is perceived, the Personalized Sound system scans the user’s ears to toggle the audible output. Spatial Audio is another great feature that’ll make these buds appeal to users who want bang for their buck.

Apart from the self-healing paint, the Hi-Res Audio earbuds boast an IP55 rating for dust and water resistance. Three-year warranty by the maker reflects the trust they have in their product, which is another assuring point.  Support for SBC, AAC, and LDAC codecs over Bluetooth 6.0 is good news for users who like to own their pair of earbuds for more than a couple of years. Another compelling reason for advanced listeners to consider these is the two-device multipoint connectivity and low-latency gaming mode.

Victor WOOD Master earbuds have a battery life of around 10 hours on a single charge, which extends to 31 hours in the case. With ANC on, these numbers slip down to 7 hours on the buds and 14 hours in the case, respectively. The case is Qi wireless charge compatible, and a quick charge of 15 minutes will be good for over one and a half hours of listening time. The earbuds are slated for late November release in two color options: Sunburst Brown and Piano Black, for a price of around $270 in Japan.

The post JVC’s Victor WOOD Master earbuds boast self-healing exterior, authentic wooden drivers for pristine sound first appeared on Yanko Design.