Designing an efficient and visually appealing iPhone home screen doesn’t have to be a daunting task. By focusing on simplicity, functionality, and personalization, you can create a home screen that enhances productivity while reflecting your unique style. The video below from iReviews provides actionable steps to help you streamline your iPhone setup like a professional. […]
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Sometimes, you just want your dang music streaming app to play music. Spotify, which has increasingly incorporated video features through the years, is finally giving us the option to turn that mess off. Behold: universal video toggles.
Spotify's video settings control several areas. First, the old Canvas toggle (videos on the Now Playing screen) is still there. But now you'll find two additional switches alongside it. One lets you control whether the app plays music videos. The other, "all other videos," covers video podcasts, vertically scrolling videos and artist clips.
You'll find the controls under Settings > Content and display. Once you choose your preferences, they'll apply universally across all platforms. And if you're a family account manager, you can toggle video settings for all members on your plan.
Spotify has increasingly leaned on video in recent years. The Canvas video loops arrived back in 2018. Then came video podcasts in 2020, as the format was enjoying a pandemic-era boom. The platform added music videos in 2024 (though they didn't arrive in the US until late last year). Then there are artist clips, the 30-second vertical videos where creators can send intimate (promotional) messages to their fans.
The company claims that over 70 percent of its users say more video content would enhance their experience. So, don't be surprised if more video features arrive in the future. Fortunately, Spotify recognized that certain (perhaps older?) users don't want or need a TikTok-ified music app.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/spotify-now-lets-you-turn-off-all-video-130000034.html?src=rss
Claude Code’s latest update introduces the ability to directly interact with graphical user interfaces (GUIs), expanding its automation capabilities. As highlighted by World of AI, this feature enables users to perform tasks such as automating spreadsheet workflows, testing application interfaces and debugging visual components. Currently offered as a research preview for Mac OS Pro and […]
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Apple continues to redefine the smartphone landscape with the iPhone 18 Pro Max, a device that blends meticulous design, enhanced performance, and innovative connectivity. The staggered release schedule for the iPhone 18 lineup reflects Apple’s strategic approach to maintaining consumer interest. The Pro models are set to launch in September 2026, followed by the standard […]
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AI agents like OpenClaw are accelerating production by automating tasks at unprecedented speeds, but this rapid output often exposes a critical organizational gap. According to Nate Jones, while these systems can generate work at rates up to 100x, human review processes typically operate at just 3x, creating a significant mismatch. For instance, an AI agent […]
The post AI Produces at 100X. You Review at 3X : This Bottleneck is Ruining Your AI Workflow appeared first on Geeky Gadgets.
Apple is set to redefine its product lineup with the introduction of the highly anticipated M6 chip, a next-generation processor built on an advanced 2nm process. This innovative chip is expected to deliver substantial improvements in performance, energy efficiency, and battery life across devices such as the MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, and Mac Studio. The […]
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JBL introduced two new headphones to its Live series lineup and both are fighting to live up to expectations. Don’t get me wrong, the JBL Live 780NC and 680NC are both a solid set of cans, but in a sea of noise-cancelling headphones, one of them definitely has more appeal. The biggest differences between these two headphones are the over-ear and on-ear cups, and surprisingly, their audio quality. Let’s get into what does and doesn’t make them so special.
Outside of varying colors and cup sizes, the JBL Live 780NC and 680NC look practically identical. They have these hockey puck-looking ear cups that are divided from the leatherette pads. The design looks like someone’s idea of headphones from 10 years ago. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it feels a bit clunky. Despite that, the metal hinge and leatherette band are more pleasantly minimalist. The cups also fold up neatly in a heart shape so you can slot them easily in the included bag.
There’s a dedicated volume rocker on the left ear cup while the right holds room for a USB Type-C port, the active noise cancelling (ANC) button and a combo power/Bluetooth switch (yes, it’s a switch, not a button). Meanwhile, you get all of the touch controls available on the right cup of each set of headphones.
Both headphones felt a little uncomfortable to wear at first, but it usually takes time for me to get used to new cans. After spending several hours each with them, they eventually grew on me. They’re both a bit snug, but neither one left me aching at the end of the day. I felt more relief when taking off the 680NC because of the added pressure of on-ear cups, but I’m also not used to the on-ear design.
Despite the near $100 price gap, you get the same set of features for the JBL Live 780NC and 680NC, all wrapped up in the JBL Headphones app. It’s easy to set up and you don’t even need to make an account.
The first thing you might want to do is hop over to the settings and add the “disable ANC” function to the rotation. Out of the box, you can either switch between ANC or Ambient mode on the headphones, which is super frustrating — I shouldn’t need an app to enable a basic action. Most headphones these days allow you to cycle between ANC, Ambient mode and off (neither).
At the very least, the app offers a thorough suite of features. You can adjust the strength of the ANC and Ambient modes. Enabling Adaptive ANC allows automatic noise cancellation changes based on the surrounding noise level, while Personal Sound Amplification makes everything around you sound louder than normal. The latter was incredibly helpful in writing this very headphone review, ironically, as I had to keep an ear out for my child potentially committing a crime (kidding… mostly).
The JBL Live 780NC and 680NC are packed with the features I’d expect from a pair of premium headphones. They offer 360-degree spatial sound, an adaptive EQ, Auracast, automatic pausing and simultaneous Bluetooth connections with automatic switching.
You can also customize all of the controls, from the ANC Button to the Touch Panel, which includes two call shortcuts and four general shortcuts, one of which is already dedicated to native voice assistants like Bixby and Siri. You do need to put a little more pressure than you might expect in order for the touch controls to activate, though. This is a bit of a learning curve, so it would’ve been nice if it was more sensitive.
The JBL Live 780NC and 680NC both feature 40mm neodymium drivers, but they offer completely different soundstages. With the 680NC, I noticed the bass hit a lot harder during the DanDaDan soundtrack, but vocals and string instruments weren’t as crisp or bright as they were with the 780NC. I had a similar experience while schmoozing my way through everyday objects in Date Everything!, where vocals seemed more distant with the 680NC. However, when playing Helldivers 2, 680NC captured the bassy intensity of an explosive-intergalactic space war.
Continuing to run through tracks like JVKE’s “her” and “Radio” by Bershy, I noticed a common theme amongst the headphones. The 680NC’s soundstage was narrow and bassy, while the 780NC was wide and hollow. Both reproduced one half of a great couple, but unfortunately, they’re currently separated and seeking lives of their own. No, but seriously, the audio quality on both of them is still decent individually. I can distinguish each instrument from each other, so they aren’t getting muddied in the mix. But I don’t think the 780NC is worth the extra $90 on sound quality alone, since you’re trading one issue for another.
The ANC system is slightly different in the JBL Live 780NC and 680NC. The former features six microphones that detect and monitor ambient noise while the latter is outfitted with four microphones.
What difference does that actually make, though? Well… not much, at least not practically. If you stuck them in a lab and crunched the numbers, there might be, but in my testing using the JBL Live 780NC and 680NC as everyday headphones, there’s virtually no difference outside of the passive noise isolation you get from over-ear design.
My dog is quite the yapper, so I happened to test the ANC against her with both headphones, and they managed to block out most of her bark, but not all (she is quite loud). Unless you’re actively listening to something, it won’t kill all the sound around you — when everything was quiet, I still heard my fan running in the background. As a passenger, the car’s road noise and the other cars around me faded mostly into the background, but they were still present (when not actively listening to music).
Ambient modes for both headphones kept me alert while walking outside, and while checking to make sure nothing chaotic was happening in my home. I could clearly hear the ruckus my child and dog were causing in the next room, and I got even more of it when I turned up the Sound Amplification.
As I mentioned above, the most annoying thing about the ANC and Ambient mode systems is that you cannot disable both of them at the same time (out of the box); you need the app in order to make the “off” option available via the ANC button.
JBL wasn’t lying about calls: Both the JBL Live 780NC and 680NC were great at cancelling out the noise from my surroundings, whether it was busy traffic or me blasting music on my desk. The microphone picked up little things here and there, but it blocked out most background distractions. The problem, however, is the overall microphone quality.
Microphones on both sets were pretty rough. My voice sounded like it was underwater or in another room entirely. And while the microphones were able to cancel out the noise in the background, I noticed that it made me a little more muddied, like it was also cancelling out some of my voice as well. This is likely due to the signal processing to block background noise. My friend said, “You sound like you’re fighting an ocean.” If you’re looking for a great caller, these ain’t it.
With a full battery, I didn’t have to charge the JBL Live 780NC or 680NC for the week I tested them. That’s with a combination of ANC on and off, as well as using them to chat with friends. JBL rates both headphones with the same battery life: 80 hours with ANC off (33 hours of talk time) and 50 hours with ANC on (28 hours of talk time). Those numbers lined up with my testing considering how long they lasted. Charging the headphones from empty does take two hours, though.
If you want a solid pair of over-ear ANC headphones in this price range, I’d recommend the Sony WH-CH720N. The ANC struggles a bit, but the headphones are much cheaper than the 780NC and offer great sound quality. It’s the best option if you want to save some money.
However, if you’re looking for alternative on-ear ANC headphones, you’ll be hard pressed to find premium competitors to the JBL 680NC. On-ear headphones tend to land in the mid-range or budget class. The JBL 680NC aren’t the best pair of headphones out there, but they’re good for what they are in those categories.
To bass or not to bass? That’s one of the few questions you’ll need to ask yourself when choosing between the JBL Live 780NC and 680NC. Of course, on-ear and over-ear designs appeal to different consumers, but the fact is that the former sounds hollow and the latter is more bass-heavy. Both headphones are comfortable and offer great ANC and features.
Overall, however, the JBL Live 780NC falls in the middle of the overcrowded market for noise-cancelling wireless headphones, while the 680NC stands just tall enough to make you want to take a closer look. On a sale, I’d say you could grab either of these cans and be satisfied, but at their full price, I’d be wary. If you twist my arm, I could make an argument for the 680NC because there aren’t enough on-ear noise-cancelling headphones available these days.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/jbl-live-780nc-and-680nc-review-great-leaps-greater-missteps-120000508.html?src=rssOpenAI is putting the brakes on Stargate UK, according to Politico and Bloomberg. That’s the company’s AI infrastructure project with NVIDIA that’s meant to help the UK build out its sovereign computing capabilities. The company announced Stargate UK back in September, but it launched a strategic partnership with the UK government months before that. Stargate UK would enable the government to run top AI models locally from data centers inside the region, “particularly for specialist use cases where jurisdiction matters.” But now OpenAI is pausing the project due to high cost of energy and regulatory issues.
In a statement provided to Bloomberg, the company said that it still sees a “huge potential for the UK‘s AI future.” It added that “AI compute is foundational to that goal” and that it continues “to explore Stargate UK and will move forward when the right conditions such as regulation and the cost of energy enable long-term infrastructure investment.”
Upon announcing Stargate UK, OpenAI said that it would offer the same deal to other countries that want to expand their sovereign AI capabilities. It’s unclear if those plans are affected, as well, but it’s worth noting that the initiative, OpenAI for Countries, is also working with Australia, Greece, the UAE, Slovakia, Kazakhstan and other regions.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-pauses-its-stargate-uk-data-center-plan-115626978.html?src=rss
Compact, affordable and equipped with the AMD Ryzen 5 7430U processor, this mini PC offers a practical solution for users seeking a balance between performance and price. As highlighted by ETA Prime, its six-core, twelve-thread CPU and integrated Radeon iGPU provide sufficient power for everyday tasks, light gaming and 4K media streaming. The device also […]
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Gen Z isn’t chasing spec sheets or benchmark scores. They’re chasing objects that fit the way they actually live: portable, intentional, and quietly smart. April 2026 delivered a lineup that genuinely gets that energy. From satellite-connected wearables to battery-free speakers, these ten gadgets are doing something harder than simply being powerful. They’re being useful, and in a market saturated with noise and empty promise, that distinction is becoming genuinely rare.
The gadgets on this list aren’t competing for attention. They’re designed around how people actually behave: working from cafés, traveling between cities, tuning out distractions, or surviving in places where infrastructure doesn’t reach. Some rethink materials, some rethink interfaces, and some rethink habits entirely. What they share is a design sensibility that respects the user’s time and intelligence. That’s the standard Gen Z holds, and this month, these ten deliver.
The O-Boy is built for the places where your phone gives up. Brussels-based studio Futurewave designed this satellite-connected smartwatch for emergencies in environments where mobile networks simply don’t exist: open ocean, mountain terrain, remote job sites. No bars, no Wi-Fi, no backup signal required. The watch transmits an emergency alert directly via satellite, making it one of the few wearables that actually keeps its promise when conditions are worst.
What makes the O-Boy genuinely impressive isn’t just the satellite capability; it’s how it was achieved. Futurewave pulled together product designers, electronics engineers, and antenna specialists and rethought the assembly process from the ground up. Getting satellite hardware into a compact, wearable form factor is not a small engineering feat. The result is a device that pushes the category forward rather than iterating on what already exists, and that distinction matters.
Inspired by the design philosophy of Teenage Engineering, the Minimal Laptop UI concept imagines what a laptop would look like if hardware and software were built around the same principle: less friction, more focus. The interface relies on strong visual hierarchy, generous spacing, and elements that appear only when necessary. Toolbars, panels, and persistent notifications are stripped away entirely, leaving a workspace that feels calm rather than cluttered.
For a generation that grew up multitasking across four open tabs and a split screen, this concept offers something surprisingly radical: a single surface to think on. Typography is clean and deliberate, icons are reduced to their most recognizable forms, and content stays at the center. It’s not about doing less. It’s about designing a machine that doesn’t compete with the work you’re trying to do on it, and that’s a harder problem than it sounds.
No power outlet, no battery, no Bluetooth pairing. Place your phone in the iSpeakers, and the sound amplifies. Built from Duralumin, the aluminum alloy used in aircraft construction, this passive speaker uses the golden ratio in its geometry to enhance resonance naturally. The result is an amplifier that genuinely improves your phone’s audio without asking anything of your power strip or your patience, which is a more elegant solution than most audio hardware manages.
The iSpeakers work anywhere, which makes them useful in a way that over-engineered audio gear often isn’t. A desk speaker that never needs charging is always ready. The aesthetic is understated and precise, the kind of object that improves a space by being in it rather than demanding attention. For anyone tired of hunting for cables and waiting for Bluetooth to pair, this is a refreshingly simple alternative that earns its place on any desk.
Click Here to Buy Now: $179.00
At 6mm thick, the Xiaomi UltraThin Magnetic Power Bank is thinner than any smartphone currently on the market. Using silicon-carbon battery chemistry with 16% silicon content, Xiaomi managed to pack 5,000mAh into something that looks and feels like a metal business card. The aluminum alloy shell has a smooth, understated finish, and a photolithographically etched logo on the back signals a product designed with care rather than simply manufactured to a spec sheet.
Available in Glacier Silver, Graphite Black, and Radiant Orange, this power bank debuted in Japan, expanded across Australia, Singapore, South Korea, and Europe, and made its global appearance at MWC 2026 in Barcelona. European pricing sits around €60, which is reasonable for what it delivers. The phone-facing surface uses fire-resistant fiberglass with an excimer coating for heat management, a detail that matters when you’re charging magnetically and want the hardware to stay cool.
The tinyBook Flip is a foldable phone concept built around a 6.1-inch E Ink display. Closed, it collapses into a near-square form with a matte white finish and rounded corners, closer in proportion to a folded notecard than a smartphone. When shut, the screen disappears entirely. No glowing rectangle sitting face-up on the desk, no ambient reminder that there are things to check. Just a small, quiet object doing nothing at all.
That quietness is the design feature. Opening the phone requires a deliberate physical action, and that two-second pause changes the behavioral math around screen time. A reflexive grab becomes a conscious decision. The concept treats this friction as intentional, a design choice rather than an inconvenience. For anyone who has tried every screen time app and still reaches for their phone without thinking, the tinyBook Flip proposes something more honest: a phone that makes you choose to open it.
The OrigamiSwift is a Bluetooth mouse that folds flat for travel and springs back to full size in under 0.5 seconds. Weighing 40 grams, it’s light enough to forget it’s in your bag until you need it. Inspired by origami, the foldable structure doesn’t sacrifice ergonomics for portability. It’s shaped to fit naturally in the hand during long work sessions, whether at a co-working space, a café, or an airport gate somewhere between time zones.
For digital nomads and students tired of trackpads and bulky peripherals, the OrigamiSwift makes a compelling case for carrying a full-sized experience in a pocket-sized package. The slim profile keeps it flat and unobtrusive in any bag, and the Bluetooth connection removes the need for a dongle. It’s the kind of product that solves a problem you’ve quietly accepted as unsolvable, and does it with a detail-first design sensibility that genuinely earns the attention it’s getting.
The DuRobo Krono puts a 6.13-inch E Ink Carta 1200 display in a form factor that fits a jacket pocket. At 300 PPI with an 18:9 aspect ratio and a weight of 173 grams, it reads more like a physical book than most dedicated e-readers manage. Eight subtle breathing lights run across the back panel, a quiet visual indicator during focused sessions that adds character without becoming a distraction. The matte finish and geometric build keep it composed in any setting.
The Krono’s standout feature is the smart dial on its left side. Press and hold to record voice notes, and the onboard AI transcribes your words into searchable text, generating summaries of longer recordings automatically. For readers who take notes in the margins or thinkers who process ideas out loud, that combination of reading tool and voice capture is genuinely useful. It positions the Krono somewhere between a dedicated e-reader and a thinking device, which is a more interesting category entirely.
StillFrame headphones are built around a quieter philosophy: slow listening, deliberate sound, the kind that rewards attention. The 40mm drivers deliver a wide, open soundstage that turns quiet tracks into something textured and spatial. The form references the geometry of ’80s and ’90s CDs and sits in quiet visual dialogue with the ClearFrame CD Player, a nod to an era when music had physical weight, and the act of listening was its own ritual worth showing up for.
The StillFrame sits between in-ears and over-ears in both feel and philosophy: more open than the former, more relaxed than the latter. Noise-cancelling and transparency mode let you shift between solitude and awareness with a single tap, making them genuinely adaptable across environments. They’re featherlight without feeling hollow, and the overall build is measured and considered. For a generation rediscovering vinyl and physical media, StillFrame offers that same intentional energy in a wireless headphone.
Click Here to Buy Now: $245.00
The HubKey Gen2 solves the dongle problem that every ultrabook user has quietly accepted as part of working life. Eleven connections are consolidated into a palm-sized cube: dual 4K display support, Ethernet, USB-A and USB-C, and power pass-through included. For anyone working across monitors and peripherals from a laptop with two USB-C ports, this is the kind of product that makes the workspace actually functional without turning the desk into a cable graveyard piled with adapters.
Four programmable keys and a central control knob are what separate the HubKey Gen2 from a standard hub. Muting a microphone, adjusting volume, toggling camera privacy: these are actions that get buried in menus and keyboard shortcuts during live calls. The Gen2 makes them physical, tactile, and immediate. For remote workers, creators, and students who live on video calls, having media controls within arm’s reach rather than three clicks deep is a quality-of-life upgrade that’s hard to give back.
The Razer Raiju V3 Pro takes the sensor thinking behind high-performance gaming mice and applies it to a PlayStation-compatible controller. Tunnel Magnetoresistance thumbsticks use weak electromagnetic waves to detect movement with higher resolution than standard Hall Effect sensors. Drift is addressed at the hardware level, not patched in software. Hall Effect triggers cover the remaining high-wear inputs. At 258 grams, it sits lighter than the DualSense Edge without feeling insubstantial in the hand.
Six additional inputs are distributed across the frame: four removable back buttons in the rubberized handles and two claw-grip bumpers flanking the triggers, all fully remappable. Razer’s HyperSpeed 2.4GHz wireless reaches a 2,000Hz polling rate on PC. Battery life is rated at 36 hours, nearly triple the DualSense standard. Officially licensed for PlayStation 5, it requires no adapters and connects as a native peripheral. For competitive players who want every hardware advantage in one place, the Raiju V3 Pro sets the current ceiling.
April 2026’s best gadgets share a common thread: they were designed around how people actually behave, not how manufacturers hope they will. Whether it’s a satellite smartwatch that works when nothing else does or a foldable phone that makes you pause before opening it, the most interesting tech this month isn’t louder or flashier. It’s more considered, and that’s a harder thing to consistently get right.
Gen Z has always been quick to call out products that look useful but don’t deliver. This list holds up to that standard. From a power bank thinner than any phone to an AI e-reader that captures your thoughts out loud, these are gadgets that earn their place on a desk or in a bag, and that’s a harder standard to meet than it might seem to anyone designing in this space.
The post 10 Best Gadgets of April 2026 Every Tech-Savvy Gen Z Is Obsessed With (And We Get Why) first appeared on Yanko Design.