Author: shubhmkr5@gmail.com

Apple manages to hold onto its recent repairability record with the latest iPhone Air, which maintains a provisional 7 out of 10 in iFixit’s teardown. As seen in the teardown, the iPhone Air can easily swap batteries, has a modular USB-C port and offers day-one repair guides. Even though the iPhone Air represents Apple’s thinnest iPhone ever at 5.6mm, iFixit said the slim design makes repairs “more approachable, not less.” Apple kept the same battery design that was introduced with the iPhone 16 lineup, which switched to an electrically released battery adhesive for more consistent replacements. Similarly, you don’t have to ever risk damaging the OLED display when swapping an iPhone Air battery, since there’s still that dual-entry access allowing you to access it from the back glass. Being a smartphone that emphasizes thinness, Apple had to sacrifice some battery life with the iPhone Air. However, in our review, we found that the iPhone Air was comparable to other models in the iPhone 17 lineup and lasted nearly an entire day in real-world testing. iFixit also discovered that the battery is the same exact one found in the accompanying MagSafe Battery accessory that goes for $99, which iFixit likened to a “spare tire.” On top of that, the included battery is encased in metal, making it easier to replace and offering some protection against bending. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/ifixits-teardown-shows-the-iphone-air-doesnt-sacrifice-repairability-for-thinness-161641244.html?src=rss

A new hypercar has dethroned Bugatti’s record for the fastest production car, and unsurprisingly, it’s an electric vehicle. During a livestream at the Automotive Testing Papenburg testing site in Germany, the YangWang U9 Extreme hit a facemelting top speed of 496.22 kmph, or around 308.33 mph. That metric edges out the previous record from the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+, which achieved 304.77 mph in 2019. Officially, the fastest production car record is factored from the average of runs in both directions, whereas the U9 Extreme only reached its 308 mph top speed one way. That’s not to minimize this achievement, whose pivotal moment from the livestream was highlighted by CarNewsChina, since Bugatti’s record was also a one-way run. Although it’s not surprising that the U9 Extreme was able to push these limits since it’s packed with four motors that produce just under 3,000 horsepower. The electric hypercar also runs on one of the world’s first 1,200V platforms, which offers better performance and efficiency, along with some weight reduction. Like the Chiron Super Sport 300+, the U9 Extreme is going to be extremely limited with production capping at 30 units. There’s no price yet, but looking at those specs, this EV will likely have a high cost to match. However, with this latest achievement, the YangWang U9 Extreme shouldn’t have any trouble selling out quickly. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/byds-all-electric-hypercar-the-yangwang-u9-extreme-hits-a-record-breaking-308mph-180727354.html?src=rss

A few months after the release of Grok 4 and an extremely problematic antisemitic meltdown of its chatbot, xAI is already trying to move on with its latest AI model. Elon Musk’s xAI announced the release of Grok 4 Fast, a faster, more efficient reasoning model compared to its recent predecessor. According to xAI, Grok 4 Fast offers similar performance to Grok 4 while using 40 percent fewer thinking tokens on average. Along with faster results, xAI said Grok 4 Fast “results in a 98% reduction in price to achieve the same performance on frontier benchmarks as Grok 4,” whether it’s handling tasks that involve writing code or just browsing the web for quick responses. Similar to OpenAI’s GPT-5 that alternates between a smart, efficient model and a deeper reasoning model, xAI’s latest update includes a unified architecture that can transition between handling complex requests with its “reasoning” model and quick responses through its “non-reasoning model.” In tests on LMArena, a platform that pits AI models against each other and provides side-by-side comparisons, Grok 4 Fast ranks first in search-related tasks and eighth in text-related tasks. xAI made Grok 4 Fast available for all users, including the free ones, on web, iOS and Android. However, with how competitive the LLM race is getting, it’s only a matter of time before Google releases the next-gen version of Gemini or Anthropic updates the Claude Opus model beyond the recently released 4.1 version. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/xai-debuts-a-faster-and-more-cost-effective-version-of-grok-4-192815570.html?src=rss

According to a report by The Washington Post, scientists with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Water were ordered by “political appointees” to stop work on studies that were headed for publication, as they’ll now be “subject to a new review process.” Staffers were reportedly given the instructions in a town hall meeting this week. The only papers exempt are those for which “scientific journals had already returned proofs — the final step in the academic publication process,” reports The Washington Post, which spoke to two agency employees. Among other things, the role of the Office of Water is to ensure the safety of drinking water.  It’s the latest in a string of changes at the EPA under the Trump administration, and raises yet more concerns for public health. In May, the agency announced plans to roll back limitations for some perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), known as “forever chemicals,” that had been set by the Biden administration, saying it would keep only the limits for the two most common, PFOA and PFOS. In July, the EPA laid off thousands of employees and announced it would shut down its scientific research office. The same month, the EPA proposed rescinding certain greenhouse gas emissions standards, and just last week announced a plan to do away with the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program that requires some of the nation’s biggest polluters to report their emissions. Following the latest orders, staffers with the Office of Water who spoke to The Washington Post said they were not given a reason to provide scientific journals as to why the papers have been halted, and no details on the new review process have been shared. One employee told the publication, “This represents millions of dollars of research, potentially, that’s now being stopped.” This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/epa-scientists-were-reportedly-ordered-to-halt-publication-of-research-papers-183751436.html?src=rss

It’s barely been two weeks since Apple announced the AirPods Pro 3, but you can already find them at a slight discount. The new earbuds are currently listed as $239 on Amazon, which is $10 cheaper than their normal price. The AirPods Pro 3 were introduced at Apple’s “Awe Dropping” iPhone event, boasting Live Translation, heart-rate tracking and significant improvements to sound quality and active noise cancellation (ANC). But, if you’re not looking to shell out that much, the AirPods Pro 2 are on sale right now too for $199. The AirPods Pro 3 are no small upgrade from the previous generation. ANC is twice as effective as that of the AirPods Pro 2, thanks to a combination of ultra-low noise microphones, computational audio and new foam-infused ear tips, which make for both a better fit and improved noise isolation, according to Engadget’s Billy Steele, who spent some hands-on time with the earbuds. The Live Translation feature fared well when tested on Spanish-to-English and French-to-English translations, making the earbuds a potentially handy tool to have for travel. (You’ll need an iPhone with Apple Intelligence in order to use Live Translation, though). The earbuds earned a score of 90 in Engadget’s review, which notes noticeable improvements in sound quality and battery life. Apple says you’ll get up to eight hours on a charge with ANC enabled. With the addition of heart-rate monitoring and support for 50 workouts using Apple’s Fitness app, the AirPods Pro 3 allow you to get heart rate metrics during exercise without wearing an Apple Watch. There’s a lot to like about the latest version of the AirPods Pro, so discount or not, you can’t go wrong if you’ve been holding out for a meaningful upgrade. Per our review, “The AirPods Pro 3 is the biggest update to Apple’s earbuds lineup in years.” Check out our coverage of the best Apple deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-new-airpods-pro-3-are-already-on-sale-220017794.html?src=rss

From a disastrous AMA on Monday to disappointing Legion Go 2 preorder customers on Friday, the Lenovo team is having a hell of a week. To kick things off, the Lenovo Legion team hosted an AMA on Reddit revolving around its gaming handheld launch. The Legion Go 2 generated a ton of hype, being Lenovo’s next-gen gaming handheld with more powerful specs and a higher price tag, but the team only answered 10 questions before abandoning the thread. On Wednesday, Lenovo apologized for not being prepared enough to answer all the questions, but followed it up with a bombshell in an edit posted on Friday, adding that “we will need to cancel some preorders placed directly on Lenovo.com” for the Legion Go 2. According to the Lenovo team, the demand “substantially exceeded our projections” and led to “unforeseen delivery range extensions.” While the orders with Lenovo’s retail partners, like Best Buy, aren’t affected, anyone who preordered the Legion Go 2 directly on the Lenovo website may see some frustrating news in their inboxes. The cancellations might not be a total shocker, since some user reports are circulating that Lenovo already pushed initial ship dates from September to October with “zero communication about the delay.” To try to save face, Lenovo explained that “as soon as our inventory is replenished, Lenovo.com will show updated availability and ordering will reopen.” There’s no indication yet if those with canceled orders will get priority with the next batch of available devices, but the Lenovo team said it would respond to the AMA thread’s questions over the rest of the month. However, if Reddit comments are any indication, there’s a good chance a lot of customers won’t reorder following this catastrophic launch. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/lenovo-abruptly-cancels-some-legion-go-2-preorders-due-to-overwhelming-demand-161250775.html?src=rss

Some of the year’s biggest blockbuster games have just dropped or are coming very soon. But among the likes of Borderlands 4, EA Sports FC 26 and Battlefield 6, there are a ton of neat indie games popping up. We’re here to tell you about some of ’em and what else is going on in the space with our weekly indie games roundup. There were showcases this week from Critical Reflex (which was packed with neat oddities), Game Devs of Color, Six One Indie and Convergence. There’s far too much cool stuff in these for us to highlight everything — during the Six One Indie preshow alone, I added three games to my Steam wishlist. So, if you’re into indie games and have the time, I recommend checking these streams out. If all of that isn’t enough for you, there’s another indie showcase coming next Wednesday called Indie Fan Fest from The Mix and Digital Bandidos. That’s not all: a Capcom stream is taking place on September 24 (not exactly indie, but Pragmata looks interesting) and rumors of a PlayStation event are ramping up ahead of Tokyo Game Show next week. Elsewhere, I’ve been keeping an eye on an Itch.io game jam that’s been running this past week. It’s all about falling block games. I’m really enjoying the updates that a developer named Wallaber is sharing on Bluesky for a project called Jelly Well. A quick note for any indie developers who are joining us before we check out some of this week’s new releases: submissions for the December edition of Day of the Devs are open. Landing a spot in that showcase is one of the highest-profile spotlights an indie developer can get these days, so if you have a cool game to show off, shoot your shot. New releases The team behind Patapon is back with a spiritual successor to that classic rhythm game series. There are strategic and roguelike elements in Ratatan, which is from TVT Co. Ltd., Ratata Arts and publisher Game Source Entertainment. There’s co-op for up to four players as well. You’ll need to match the beat of the soundtrack to defeat enemies, and battles can feature more than 100 characters. It all looks quite charming, though I can’t help but think of that song by Babymetal and Electric Callboy whenever I read the game’s title (the immensely catchy “Ratatata” is rarely far away from my thoughts anyway). Ratatan is out in early access on Steam for $25, but there’s a 10 percent launch discount until September 28. Lego Voyagers is a lovely-looking co-op adventure from Light Brick Studio (Lego Builder’s Journey) and publisher Annapurna Interactive. It’s out now on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, Steam and Epic Games Store. Here, you and a partner (there’s local co-op and online support) will go on a journey to rescue an abandoned spaceship. Your lil’ bricks can snap together and combine with other Lego pieces to solve puzzles as you make your way through this land. It’s said to be a fairly short game, clocking in at between three and five hours, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing given how much bloat there is in many games. I’ve had my eye on Henry Halfhead — from Lululu Entertainment and co-publisher Popagenda — for a while and I’m looking forward to checking out this sandbox adventure. You play as Henry, who is just the top half of a human head. You can transform into any nearby object and play around with things in the environment. A narrator will react to your escapades as you solve challenges and guide Henry through life. There’s a co-op mode too. Henry Halfhead is available on Steam, Switch and PS5. It typically costs $13, but there’s a 25 percent launch discount until September 30. 11 Bit Studios’ Frostpunk 2 has now landed on Xbox Series X/S and PS5 after debuting on PC this time last year. It’s a city-building survival sim that starts 30 years after a blizzard ravaged the planet and caused an eternal winter. I dig the set up and aesthetic here. City builders in this vein aren’t usually my kind of thing, but since Frostpunk 2 is on Game Pass, I might give it a try. Don’t Die, Collect Loot hit early access on Steam this week. This is a vertically scrolling Vampire Survivors-esque roguelite from solo developer Dan Marchand (aka Dan Makes Video Games) and indie.io. If you’ve been looking for a new way to watch numbers go up and live out a power fantasy, this one might be of interest. For what it’s worth, I love the chiptune music in the trailer. Don’t Die, Collect Loot costs $10 and there’s a 10 percent discount until October 3. A trailer for Troleu hooked me in during publisher Critical Reflex’s showcase. At its essence, this is a trolleybus conductor simulator, but it looks like things will get very much out of hand. You’ll get into fist fights with unruly passengers (who may include aliens) and punt them from the vehicle if necessary. There are multiple routes, leaderboards and even a T. rex. It all seems quite chaotic. Troleu, which was made by solo developer andrground, is out now on Steam. You can get it for 20 percent off the regular price of $10 until September 29. Speaking of aliens, here’s a theme park (and zoo?) simulator with a difference: it’s set in the universe of Mars Attacks. In Mars Attracts, you can abduct humans and experiment on the lowly primates for the entertainment of Martians, who come for the cruelty. The Convergence Games showcase featured a short look at the early stages of the game — experimenting on the loely specimens is your path to unlocking upgrades. Outlier’s Mars Attracts is in early access on Steam. The $25 game has a 10 percent discount until September 22, and I might just pick it up. Upcoming Relooted was one of the more exciting games that

Unlike the joy of exploring the underwater world in Subnautica, diving deeper into the Subnautica 2 lawsuit is the furthest thing from rewarding. The latest update in the convoluted lawsuit between Subnautica‘s developer, Unknown Worlds, and its parent company, Krafton, represents a complete 180 with one of the case’s key claims. According to a PC Gamer report, Krafton said that “documents relating to the readiness of the game were irrelevant to the termination” of Unknown Worlds’ leadership, which was one of the main disagreements that led to the legal action in the first place. As a quick recap, Subnautica 2‘s developers felt the game was ready for early access, while Krafton claimed otherwise and instead delayed it to 2026. The lawsuit hinged on this major dispute and included many crucial elements, like a $250 million performance bonus and the leadership team being fired and replaced. This change of heart from Krafton has left Fortis Advisors, who represent the founders of Unknown Worlds, confused and called this “a seismic shift in the case,” according to PC Gamer. Krafton reps didn’t offer clear reasoning as to why they’re not pursuing this argument anymore, but instead want to focus on making the case that Unknown Worlds’ leadership “abandoned their post” and “deceived” Krafton, according to the report. To further complicate things, Fortis claimed that Krafton isn’t cooperating with providing evidence for the lawsuit. As the case moves through the discovery phase, where both sides try to obtain evidence from the other, it’s obvious that thalassophiles will have to wait a little longer for the hotly anticipated sequel. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-complicated-subnautica-2-lawsuit-just-took-a-bizarre-twist-175829731.html?src=rss

Neuralink plans to begin another US clinical trial in October, using the implant to translate thoughts into text. The study will be held through an FDA investigational device exemption. “If you’re imagining saying something, we would be able to pick that up,” Neuralink president DJ Seo said this week. The idea is to help people with speech impairments communicate through thought. Neuralink is among the companies testing implants that help patients control a computer with their minds. That can include using virtual keyboards. Translating thought directly from the patient’s speech cortex could speed things up by cutting the middleman. The company already has five other clinical trials underway. The first was in the US. It has since added studies in Canada, the UK and the United Arab Emirates. Neuralink / Chey Institute for Advanced Studies / YouTube Neuralink’s plans for people with severe impairments sound like utopian sci-fi. Regardless of anything else, success in this field could be beyond life-changing for them. Still, this is a commercial company in which Elon Musk owns a majority share. Neuralink’s long-term plans are where it’s hard not to worry a little. “We’re currently envisioning a world where in about three to four years, there will be someone who’s otherwise healthy who’s going to get a Neuralink,” Seo said. The company president hinted at what that might look like. “We think that it’s actually possible to demonstrate abilities to speak to the latest AI model, or LLM models, at the speed of thought, even faster than how you’re speaking, and being able to potentially get that information back through your AirPods, effectively closing the loop,” he said. Our world today has revealed where things can go wrong when we turn too much of our humanity over to technology. You can start with smartphone addiction and social media algorithms and quickly move on to (alleged) AI-enabled suicide. Consumer brain implants can conjure the darkest images painted by our great sci-fi works. Think Neuromancer, Star Trek’s Borg or Cyberpunk 2077‘s cyberware. Add what we know about Musk’s ideas about politics, and it’s hard not to be at least a little cynical. Is it too much to hope that the technology will advance enough to help those in need, but not so much that it devours humanity? This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/elon-musks-neuralink-plans-a-brain-speech-trial-in-october-194004627.html?src=rss

Starting on October 3, Microsoft says Xbox consoles will be getting yet another price bump, this time ranging anywhere from a $20 increase on the company’s entry-level model to $70 for a special edition model with 2TB of storage. If all of this sounds familiar, there’s a good reason, the last time xbox prices were raised was only a few months ago in May. The price increases breakdown as follows: Xbox Series S (512GB): $400, up $20 from $380 Xbox Series S (1TB): $450 up $20 from $430 Xbox Series X Digital: $600, up $50 from $550 Xbox Series X: $650, up $50 from $600 Xbox Series X 2TB Galaxy Special Edition: $800, up $70 from $730 Those are fairly significant increases, especially when you start comparing Microsoft’s higher-end Xbox Series X consoles to the competition. For example, the Series X Digital (which doesn’t have a disc drive) now costs $50 more than a PS5 Digital Edition. For the $800 Xbox Series X 2TB Galaxy Special Edition, price comparisons are even worse. It’s now more expensive than the $750 PS5 Pro, and at least Sony’s console gets you better performance for its high price. Engadget has reached out to Microsoft for more information on the price changes. We’ll update this article if we hear back. As of right now, Microsoft credits the need to raise prices on “changes in the macroeconomic environment,” which likely has to do with the impact tariffs implemented by the Trump administration are having on importing electronics into the US. It’s worth noting, however, that the company has also been shifting its focus away from home consoles in favor of bringing the “Xbox experience” to other platforms.  Sometimes, that’s just by publishing formerly Xbox exclusive games on the PS5 and Switch, but it also includes creating the first Xbox handheld with ASUS and emphasizing Xbox game streaming wherever it makes sense. Given the frequent sales on the Xbox Series S, there’s a world where Microsoft’s entry-level console might still be worth considering. For anything else, though, streaming or waiting for games to come to other platforms increasingly seems like it makes the most financial sense. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/microsoft-is-making-xbox-consoles-even-more-expensive-in-the-us-192443699.html?src=rss