Author: Press Room
For the first time ever, Rakuten Kobo has launched its award-winning line of eReader in over 500 Best Buy stores across the United States. Previously, U.S. customers could purchase Kobo eReaders online through kobo.com, or in person at Staples, and Target. Now, book lovers can visit their local Best Buy to see and try out Kobo’s latest devices, including the waterproof Kobo Clara Colour and Kobo Clara BW, as well as the feature-rich Kobo Libra Colour. Related This is the better Kindle alternative that most people don’t consider Kobo beats Kindle on library books, format flexibility, and physical buttons Here’s…
Apple’s September invite has landed, and while the tagline “Surprise and Shine” doesn’t confirm that the company will introduce its first folding phone – especially given the long-rumoured device will hardly be a surprise (we’ve had longer-running theories about it than some conspiracy podcasts) – we at least now know the official date it is expected to appear. The “surprise” element could be anything from the long-rumoured HomePod Display to AirPods with built-in cameras, but while unlikely to shock, the folding iPhone is expected to steal the show. After waiting eight years for Apple to catch up with Samsung on…
My aging 2015 car has one big problem: it doesn’t have Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. I didn’t really mind, as I could always connect my smartphone to the in-car audio using a cheap USB-C to 3.5mm adapter to keep the music playing, no matter what. That is, until I noticed that more and more of my smartphones were failing to work with my good old adapter. Everything worked fine when I used a Nothing Phone 1, but with the Samsung Z Fold 8? It doesn’t want to know. A $20 adapter solved my problems overnight, and my wonderful Car…
It’s practically common knowledge within the tech world that Samsung is supplying Apple with flexible OLED screens for its debut foldable smartphone. The iPhone Ultra is widely expected to make its debut on September 9 alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, but I already feel like I’ve had a sneak peek. That’s because I’ve just finished testing the Galaxy Z Fold8. Samsung’s first wide book-style foldable uses the same passport-sized outer screen and 4:3 aspect ratio inner display that Apple is believed to have gone for; the upcoming iPhone is also predicted to have a dual camera array at the rear…
The Note series has long been Redmi’s affordable phone standout in Europe. Diluting parent company Xiaomi’s bigger hitters down to a more attainable price point was a mostly winning formula, even if successive generations did start to feel a little iterative. The Redmi Note 17 Pro Max takes a different approach, dialling back some hardware but going big in others – namely the absurdly big battery. The whopping 9210mAh cell is almost a third more than what you got inside the outgoing Redmi Note 15 Pro Plus – and that’s if you buy the global variant. Asian markets get a…
The latest generation of open-weight large language models have been absurd. We’re now getting what people have started calling “Mythos-class” models: enormous, extremely capable models that are increasingly difficult to distinguish from the frontier stuff in actual use. Moonshot AI dropped its latest Kimi models with fantastic benchmark results (so good that Anthropic panicked and gave everyone $100 of free Fable credit), then came DeepSeek with V4 Pro, and Alibaba with Qwen 3.8. Qwen 3.8 is the one I’m most excited about, though, because unlike the other new Mythos-class models, it comes with an official 27B weight. That’s small enough…
Summary Triply-twinned lattice: three mirror planes make struts stretch, not bend, boosting stiffness. Up to 380% stiffer and 279% stronger than cubic lattices while using the same material. Less sensitive to micro-defects; changing print orientation can halve defect failures. A team of researchers from University College London (UCL) have developed a new 3D-printable structure called a “triply-twinned” lattice that is up to 380% stiffer and 279% stronger than ordinary cubic designs. Best of all, it uses the same amount of material! This could have major implications for many 3D‑printed components and applications — particularly where lightweight stiffness and strength matter…
Predictions about the smart homes of the future tend to age badly. We were supposed to have robot butlers, holographic TVs, and appliances that prepped and cooked dinner for us by now. Instead, many of us are still arguing with Alexa. But your house in 2030 could look very different, with all manner of useful tech waiting to make your life that little bit easier. In fact, we’ve done our best to make some sensible (read: no hoverboards) predictions below, with the disclaimer that there are absolutely no guarantees. Don’t blame us when the second Tamagotchi uprising kicks off. With…
I subscribed to ChatGPT Plus for a simple reason: ChatGPT is the AI tool I use more than anything else. I turn to it for research, to make sense of things that completely go over my head, and even to create images. But surprisingly, the feature I use most has almost nothing to do with chatting with an AI. And that’s where things get a little strange. I’m not a web developer. I’ve never wanted to become one, and I certainly didn’t expect ChatGPT to change that. Yet somehow, one ChatGPT feature has me building things I never thought I…
I always keep my phone face down, whether it’s on a table or a sofa. That’s partly because I can’t deal with the wobbling caused by the camera bump (it’s like watching a toddler operate a see-saw), and partly to stop me from looking at it without physically picking it up. It’s always on silent, too. But before you nominate me for ‘Screen Time Saint of the Year’, I should confess I also have an Apple Watch that buzzes on my wrist like a wasp trapped in a jam jar every time a notification arrives. I should also confess that…