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.
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
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
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 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 variousretailers 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
If you’re an Xbox-only player who’s been waiting patiently for the arrival of Bloober Team’s superb Silent Hill 2remake 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 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."
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
The possible reasons behind Ubisoft delaying the earnings report it was expected to release last week were the subject of much discussion, especially given the company’s well-documented issues in recent times. But we now know that the delay was forced by an accounting issue relating to its soon-to-be finalized transaction with Tencent.
As detailed in Ubisoft’s now-published first-half 2025-26 earnings figures, the company was required to restate its FY2024-25 accounts, concerning revenue for this period attributed to sales from a partnership. "This position now applied by the Group going forward has also resulted in a partnership signed in Q2 FY2025-26 not being recognized in IFRS15 revenues," the company said. "The above results in the Company not complying with its leverage covenant ratio under certain existing financing agreements at September 30, 2025. However, this is being addressed by the aforementioned actions relating to the concerned debt instruments."
With the report now published, Ubisoft has asked Euronext to resume trading its shares. And while the accounting snag led to the week-long delay, the French company said that its deal with Tencent is set to close in "the coming days," with the imminent €1.16 billion ($1.36 billion) investment expected to help the company pay off outstanding debt. Once finalized, the partnership will also "enable the acceleration" of Vantage Studios, the new Ubisoft subsidiary in which Tencent will own a 25 percent stake. The new studio will be responsible for Ubisoft’s three biggest IPs: Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry and Rainbow Six.
Ubisoft reported net bookings of €491 million ($564 million) this quarter, which it said was a 39 percent year-on-year increase. The company said that Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which is getting a Switch 2 port next month, had overperformed this quarter, likely helped by arrival of its New Game+ mode in the summer.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ubisoft-delayed-its-latest-earnings-report-due-to-an-accounting-issue-152017119.html?src=rss
DJI may be the big dog in drones, but it plays third fiddle to GoPro and Insta360 in the action cam market. To better stand out, the company has launched the Osmo Action 6 with a pair of innovative features. The first is a big, square sensor that boosts video quality in low light, while making it easy to output both horizontal and vertical video. The second is a variable aperture for flexible shooting in both bright and dark conditions.
As DJI’s new flagship non-360 action cam, the Action 6 goes up against GoPro’s Hero 13 and the Insta360 Ace Pro 2. Both of those can capture higher resolution footage, so they’re better for most users in daylight conditions. However, if you shoot a lot in dim or contrasty light, DJI’s Action 6 may be your best option.
Variable aperture
I’ve already gone through the Osmo Action 6’s specs in my earlier news post, so check that to see the full details. As for what’s new, the first key feature is the variable f/2.0-f/4.0 aperture — the first ever in an action cam. This allows for brighter video and improved stabilization when shooting at night compared to the fixed f/2.8 aperture on the Action 5 Pro. It also offers shallower depth of field and more flexibility on sunny days.
The first thing I noticed with this feature was the lack of full manual control. You can only set it to fixed f/2.6, f/2.8 and f/4.0 “starburst” modes, or automatic settings ranging from f/2.0-f/4.0 up to f/2.8-f/4.0. That means f/2.0 isn’t available as a fixed aperture, which is too bad as that would be ideal for portraits.
Still, variable aperture is a highly useful feature. In auto mode, it ramps from one setting to another in fine steps (f/2.1 to f/2.2, for example), so I never saw any exposure jumps. In low light, I could dial the ISO range down to avoid excessive noise, giving me higher video quality. However, I’d love to see full manual control in a future update.
New square sensor
Another key feature is the new 1/1.1-inch (0.56 inch diagonal) square sensor that allows a wide range of resolutions and aspect ratios. The Action 6 supports vertical and horizontal resolutions up to 4K, in either 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratios for the latter orientation. The best new setting, though, is Custom, which lets you shoot 3,840 x 3,840 square video.
At 60 fps (a standard frame rate for action videos), GoPro’s Hero 13 maxes out at 5,312 x 2,988 pixels, while the Insta360 Ace Pro 2 can hit 3,840 x 2,880 pixels. That makes the Osmo Action 6 the only current action cam with 4K vertical resolution at 60 fps.
The benefit is that you can film for both horizontal and vertical video platforms like YouTube and TikTok, respectively, with no need to rotate the camera and no loss in resolution. If that sounds familiar, it’s the same reason Apple adopted a square sensor on the iPhone 17’s front camera.
I tested the Custom aspect ratio in DaVinci Resolve Studio and it made exports a breeze. First, I created and exported a standard 4K horizontal timeline, then simply copied the contents to a vertical timeline. After reframing a few shots to keep the action centered, I was able to immediately export a 4K TikTok video. That’s a big time saver for busy editors.
Video quality
Sample image from the DJI Osmo Action 6 in "Custom" mode
Steve Dent for Engadget
With a 30 percent larger sensor, the Action 6 is better for night or interior shooting using 6,400 ISO and up. Compared to the Action 5 Pro, I found nighttime video from the Action 6 to be considerably cleaner. DJI also improved the Night setting itself: video is cleaner, noise reduction is applied less aggressively and everything looks more natural.
The new sensor and variable aperture also help DJI’s Rocksteady 3.0 digital stabilization in low light. If you’re filming from a bicycle at night, for instance, the Action 6 will use a higher shutter speed than the Action 5, so video will be sharper. That helps the stabilization algorithm produce a better result with less pixelation and tearing.
In daylight conditions, the Action 6 delivers sharp, color-accurate video that can be used straight out of the camera — just like the Action 5. However, in contrasty scenarios like a sun-dappled forest trail, the Action 6 has a slight advantage. When I engaged the 10-bit D-LogM setting to boost dynamic range, I noticed that dark shadow areas had more detail and less noise than they did in footage from the Action 5 Pro or GoPro Hero 13.
However, the GoPro Hero 13’s extra resolution is an advantage if you mostly use YouTube and other horizontal formats. With up to 5,312 x 2,988 pixels at 60 fps, it offers sharper 4K video after supersampling and more room to reframe shots in post production without any loss in quality.
DJI Osmo Action 6's "Custom" square format shown with gridlines enabled
Steve Dent for Engadget
If you like shooting wide but hate the distortion, DJI’s Natural Wide field of view is a nice addition. The regular Wide setting tends to distort vertical lines, but Natural Wide keeps everything nice and straight while providing a greater field of view.
Finally, I tested the Action 6’s new Film Tone feature that borrows a trick from Fujifilm’s simulations. It’s a way to get some fun looks straight out of the camera, like “pristine and cool tones” or “classic negative film type.”. The results are great for anyone who doesn’t want to fiddle with color in post-production, though DJI needs to add a few more options like black and white or sepia.
Other updates
With its bigger sensor the Osmo Action 6 is slightly larger than the Action 5 Pro in all dimensions, but around the same weight at 5.26 ounces. As before, it can connect to up to two DJI wireless microphones at once, including the Mic 2, Mic 3 and Mic Mini. And it comes with DJI’s new dual-latch Quick-Release Adapter Mount that can be attached in either direction, but supports all of DJI’s past accessories.
Unlike its competition, the Osmo Action 6 comes with 50GB of internal memory (up from 47GB before) along with a microSD card slot. That means you won’t be screwed if you forget a memory card, as most of us have done at one point or another. DJI also doubled the Wi-Fi transfer speeds to 80MB/s and boosted USB-C transfer rates to 800MB/s.
Steve Dent for Engadget
As before, the Action 6 is waterproof to 20 meters (66 feet) by itself, or nearly 200 feet with DJI's waterproof case. And on top of voice control, the Action 6 supports gestures as well, so you can now wave at the camera to start and stop video (like you can with the new Neo 2 drone). With the same 1,950mAh Extreme Battery Plus as before, shooting time between charges is four hours at 1080p and two hours at 4K.
Finally, DJI has introduced two removable lenses for the Action 6, given DJI some competition in that regard. The first is a macro lens with a minimum focal distance of just 4.3 inches, making it ideal for closeup work and portraits. The other is an FOV expansion lens that boosts the field of view from 155 to 182 degrees.
Wrap-up
With a bigger sensor and larger aperture than the competition, DJI’s Action 6 is now the best action cam on the market for night shooting, delivering clean, sharp video with better stabilization than rivals. It’s also ideal for users who output to both YouTube and TikTok.
For regular daytime shooting, though, the extra resolution offered on GoPro’s Hero 13 might be preferable for some users. All that aside, it may come down simply to the price. DJI’s Action 6 starts at $369 ($439 with extra batteries and a charger), compared to $309 for the Hero 13 Black and $420 for Insta360’s Ace Pro 2. These are all great choices, but if low-light capability is more important than resolution, choose the Osmo Action 6.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/dji-osmo-action-6-review-an-action-camera-that-excels-in-low-light-143027343.html?src=rss
Black Friday deals are officially upon us. We've seen loads of great deals popping up around the Internet, including some serious discounts on headphones. The Beats Studio Pro set is available for a whopping 51 percent off on Amazon. That means you can grab the high-end Beats model for just $170 instead of its usual $350 price tag. This matches the cost we've seen for the Studio Pro headphones during other peak shopping times earlier this year, so this might be your last chance to pick them up for this price.
The Beats brand last updated this wireless over-ear headset in 2023, but it's still a solid choice for a workhorse pair of headphones. The current model improved audio quality and added a useful Transparency mode, so that you can listen to your tunes and still be aware of the world around you, which is great for settings such as public transit and the gym. The other option is a more immersive active noise-canceling mode. Beats Studio Pro also support lossless audio when wired on a USB-C cable. The official specs say the battery life for the headphones lasts up to 40 hours, or 24 hours when the active noise canceling mode is engaged. If you need to eke more life out of these Beats, they do offer a fast-charging mode that promises four hours of activity from just ten minutes of recharge.
There are several color options for the Beats Studio Pro, so if there's a particular hue you want to be sporting, this might be a deal to hop on quickly before the supplies run out or the deal expires. Also on sale in the Beats realm for Black Friday is the Beats Solo 4, which is 35 percent off and down to $130.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/the-beats-studio-pro-headphones-are-more-than-half-off-for-black-friday-140335170.html?src=rss
So it turns out Meta isn't a monopoly, at least according to a federal judge. In this episode, we dive into Meta's victory in the FTC's antitrust case, which it seems to have won mainly thanks to TikTok's existence. Also, we chat about the Cloudflare issue that took down a huge portion of the web this week, as well as Roblox's plan to collect kids' selfies for age verification. We also carve out some time to chat with the audience and answer your pressing tech questions.
Meta won its antitrust case, will keep control of Instagram and WhatsApp – 2:30
Chat with the Livestream: Flickr’s repository of aughts memories and who uses Facebook anymore – 23:59
The Cloudflare issue that took down a lot of the web? It was a database error – 32:49
Google’s new Gemini 3 model is now available – 34:57
Roblox wants tens of millions of kids to send them a selfie for age verification – 38:27
TikTok’s screen time management function now includes an…affirmation journal? – 41:30
Around Engadget – 43:47
Working on – 50:36
Pop culture picks – 52:27
Credits
Host: Devindra Hardawar Producer: Ben Ellman Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/engadget-podcast-meta-wins-its-massive-antitrust-case-140000660.html?src=rss
