Author: Press Room

Nintendo has experimented with plenty of Mario-related spinoffs over the years, most of them extremely successful. Hand him a football, a tennis racket or even a stethoscope, and the world’s most multi-talented plumber will be in his element. But he’s never happier than when he’s in a go-kart.  The Mario Kart series has been going since 1992, and what might have looked like a shameless cash-grab at first has evolved over time to become one of Nintendo’s most popular series. Nearly every Nintendo console to date has a Mario Kart entry in its library, and while advances in technology have…

Got a 4K TV and a streaming subscription? Then treat your eyes to some eye-popping UHD entertainment There was a time when 4K Ultra HD TVs were rare. No longer: 4K TVs are now in millions of living rooms nationwide, and and there’s a very good chance you’ve already got one (and if not, check out our guide to the best 4K TV to buy today). But finding things to watch on it in that lovely 4K resolution (you can call it UHD or Ultra HD if you prefer) can still be somewhat tricky. There are plenty of the best 4K…

We’re in a dumb phone boom again. People are realising they’re spending too much time glued to their smartphone, and want to cut down. In an era of constant connectivity, sometimes less is more. Dumb phones offer a refreshing break from the endless notifications and distractions you get from the smartphone in your pocket. I’ve even tried swapping my iPhone for an e-ink dumbphone. But what is exactly is a dumb phone? Just how dumb is it, and what can it still do? If you’re looking to swap your smartphone for something not quite so modern, here’s everything you need…

High dynamic range (HDR) isn’t a single, uniform standard, and when you’re shopping on a tighter budget, the label can mean wildly different things. So, before you take that sticker at face value, it’s worth understanding what that “HDR Ready” or “HDR10+” label really means. The Term “HDR” Might Mean Less Than You Think Artur Riabets/Stockelements/Shutterstock When you see “HDR” slapped on the side of a cheap TV or monitor packaging, don’t get too excited. It is often more of a marketing catchline than a meaningful feature. Technically, the box might support HDR10 or even Dolby Vision on paper, but…

Search online for the best Bluetooth speaker and you’ll find plenty of cheap Bluetooth speakers in the list. But how can you tell the bonafide bargains from the low-fi letdowns? We’ve rounded up a range of options that won’t hurt your ears – or your wallet. Decent beats are no longer reserved for premium speakers. Sure, the speakers below are unlikely to satisfy serious audiophiles. And a few favour portability over outright performance. But for the 99% of listeners who don’t have a soundproofed music room, the best cheap Bluetooth speakers make takeaway tunes enjoyable and affordable. From compact music-makers…

Mere moments before I started hammering out this week’s column, I received an alert on my iPhone. From Photoshop. You might think that’s an odd app to send an alert, and you’d be right. It’s not like I have chats with Photoshop and had a reply waiting. Nor was it warning me about an open window or informing me that the UK had committed another crime against music at Eurovision. Instead, it suggested I “Get rid of distractions”. By distracting me. It helpfully added that I should “Select what you want gone” while advertising its features. So I decided what…

Looking for the best mesh Wi-Fi system? Want to speed up your internet? Tired of your smart speaker not working? You’re in the right place. Mesh networks are smart home devices designed to eliminate Wi-Fi black spots by placing a network of range-extending nodes around the home, giving your signal a more even spread and greater stability. If your router is already reaching parts other broadband routers can’t, you’re fine as you are, no real need to read on, see ya. Some providers like BT and Virgin offer their own mesh network add-ons with select packages that work specifically with…

The best bit of travel tech I’ve used in years is this MagSafe iPhone accessory. It’s a translator puck that sits on the back of your iPhone to help you communicate like a local. I know what you’re thinking: “It’s 2025, why is a tech magazine praising a translator?” Trust me, I also had my doubts when this thing first turned up. But trust me when I say it got my out of a fair few jams. This year, I’ve spent some time in China, among other places. Having struggled to learn much Mandarin, communicating can be quite hard. But…

ChatGPT does a pretty good job of generating code from text prompts and breaking it down. Now, OpenAI has added a new coding agent to ChatGPT, and it’s not just programmers who should be excited ChatGPT’s Codex Takes AI Programming to the Next Level OpenAI is launching a research preview of Codex, a “cloud-based software engineering agent.” The feature is powered by codex-1, a version of the OpenAI o3 model optimized for coding and software engineering tasks. Codex-1 is also trained to align its output closely with “human coding preferences and standards.” You can find the feature in the ChatGPT…

I really enjoy the aesthetics of old shows like The Twilight Zone or Batman, but can’t always find ways to watch them on major networks. While this is frustrating, I’ve found a few handy ways I can watch older shows and movies that aren’t on the big streaming platforms—with one or two exceptions. YouTube YouTube can be an excellent tool for finding obscure episodes on any old show or, in some cases, a much better version. It’s how I finished the rest of The Twilight Zone after it was removed from Netflix. However, there is just one itty-bitty problem. On…