Since its app fiasco last year, Sonos has been busy slowly rebuilding its reputation with customers. This latest sale, which is exclusive to existing customers, seems to be a part of that strategy — and we’re not complaining, because the deals are solid. Through March 2nd, Sonos is taking 25 percent off one select Sonos product up to $2,500, though you’ll have to sign in (or create an account) to see the discounted prices. To qualify, you must have registered a Sonos product by February 19th, 2025.

The Sonos sale includes a wide range of audio gear, many of which are down to new all-time low prices. For example, the Sonos Ace is cheaper than ever at $336.75 ($112.25 off). Along with delivering good sound and noise cancellation, the Ace supports TV Audio Swap so you can pair it with Sonos soundbars for private listening. That includes the latest Sonos Beam and Sonos Ray, both of which are also on sale for some of their best prices at $374.25 ($124.75 off) and $209.25 ($69.75 off), respectively. The Beam is the larger, more capable of the two, with support for Dolby Atmos as well an eARC HDMI port. That said, the entry-level Sonos Ray also produces balanced, dynamic sound for its size, even if it’s not on the same level.

Alternatively, if you’re looking for a powerful yet portable speaker, the Sonos Move 2 is down to $336.75 ($112.25 off). The six-pound speaker features stereo sound that can fill up any outdoor patio or room, and also comes with a built-in handle for greater portability. If you prioritize portability over power, though, the smaller and waterproof Sonos Roam 2 is also on sale for $134.25 ($44.75 off).

Last but not least, the Sonos sale also includes its newest smart speakers. You can, for example, buy the Sonos Era 100 and Sonos Era 300 for an all-time low of $186.75 ($62 off) and $336.75 ($112.25 off), respectively. Both speakers offer support for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth audio, and line-in playback via an optional 3.5mm to USB-C adapter. The Sonos Era 300, however, is designed to deliver an excellent spatial audio experience with Dolby Atmos support.

As part of its February Xbox update, Microsoft is making it easier to invite your friends to an Xbox Cloud Gaming session by letting you generate shareable links. You can send the link through an Xbox message or by copying it to your clipboard for pasting into any messaging app you want. Players can accept the invite on a supported PC or mobile web browser and jump in right away or receive a code to enter on any TVs or streaming devices with Xbox gaming features.

Willing participants must have an Xbox account, with some games requiring an active Game Pass Ultimate subscription. It also requires each player to have an “entitlement” to the game, presumably by owning it outright or having access through Game Pass or a free-play period. You can invite as many friends as the game allows and revoke access to the link at any time. Some games will also allow you to remove unwanted players from your session.

This new feature arrives as part of the continued expansion of Xbox Cloud Gaming, which recently added the ability to stream your own games on your Xbox console or on mobile, PC, and TVs. (Previously, you could only stream select Game Pass titles.) That feature launched with 50 supported titles, but Microsoft recently expanded it with about half a dozen, including notable additions like Blasphemous II, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, and Subnautica.

It’s time to put all the lessons I’ve learned about Infinity Nikki’s gacha system to the test. There’s a new event coming to the game and with that comes a new outfit I actually want this time. 

After the game taught me an unfortunate lesson on the gacha economy, I’ve kinda taken it easy with Infinity Nikki, and have found myself enjoying it way more at a slower pace.

Updates come about once a month, and when I first started playing, I’d blaze through all the new and shiny quests within days only to spin my wheels at the tail end of the month desperate for something new to do. With that in mind, I slowly worked my way through all the Lunar New Year content, completing everything I wanted mere hours before the event was due to wrap up. It feels like I’ve finally gotten into a steady rhythm with the game. I know how to play and how to spend and I’m happy again enjoying the game for what it is.

With the flashy fireworks in the distance, I took a look ahead to the next event, Eerie Season, due to start February 26th. It’s an oddly themed update. Typically games save their spooky events for October not March. But the community has been clamoring for more darker themed clothing since the overwhelming majority of the game’s items are pink and pastel so this seems like a response to that. The update will also flesh out the Queen’s Palace Ruins, an area of the game that’s visually interesting with its dilapidated and haunted castle vibe but devoid of any story or quest content. I am interested in poking at the darker bits of Infinity Nikki’s story and the overall lore of the world and Eerie Season seems poised to give me just what I’m looking for.

One of the things that’s helped me stick to my guns about not spending any extra money is the fact that premium outfits have never really moved me at all. Everything’s cute, of course, but nothing’s made me sit up and go “I must have this!” However, that apathy disappeared the moment I took a look at the premium outfits for Eerie Season.

I saw that cowboy outfit and audibly cursed. I’m from the midwest, we don’t have cowboys here. I don’t even like cowboys like that but … I must have this. So I’ve decided to apply all the tricks and tips I’ve learned about gacha game to acquiring this one outfit without spending any extra money. I think I’ll be able to do it, too.  

After that rather frustrating lesson on exactly how gacha games can fleece even the most clear-eyed players, I haven’t spent any more money and have ignored the game’s clothing slot machine. As a result, I’ve amassed a small but tidy sum of premium currency, although not enough to get the cowboy outfit outright. After some light mathing, I’ve determined that I’ll need another 4,000 or so of the premium currency (or roughly $15). Thankfully, with what the battle pass and the new event quests will provide, I’m reasonably confident that I’ll have more than enough to get the entire outfit without any extra spending.

Weirdly enough, I’m excited about it. Not just because I’ll have an outfit that I truly want but also because there’s a thrill to making, executing, and succeeding with a plan. We’ll see how that goes when the new event starts February 26th.

8BitDo has released an upgraded version of its Ultimate controller now available to preorder through Amazon for $59.99 in purple, black, and white color options. The new 8BitDo Ultimate 2 features a similar asymmetrical stick layout to 8BitDo’s original Ultimate controller that launched in 2022, but adds additional buttons, interactive LED lighting, and tunneling magneto-resistance (TMR) joysticks that are even more durable than Hall effect sticks.

We still don’t know if Nintendo will switch to Hall effect joysticks for the Switch 2, but companies like GuliKit have already moved away from them in favor of TMR. The technology has already long been used in hard drives to boost storage capacities. For controllers, it allows for joysticks that draw less power, which can improve battery life while nearly eliminating the risk of joystick drift that plagued the Nintendo Switch and other modern controllers before magnetic Hall effect technology was adopted.

8BitDo is also bringing over the RGB Fire Ring lighting effects first introduced on its smaller-sized Ultimate C wired Xbox controller. As the branding implies, both joysticks feature a ring of color-changing LEDs around their base with several lighting modes that react to button presses (including the triggers) or the direction the joysticks are being pushed.

The Ultimate 2’s triggers still use Hall effect sensors for improved accuracy and reliability, but 8BitDo has introduced a switch that lets you swap their behavior between longer draw triggers ideal for racing games and short pull tactile triggers for quicker responses while playing first-person shooters. And like the budget-minded 8BitDo Ultimate 2c, the Ultimate 2 has an extra pair of customizable shoulder buttons on the back.

The controller connects to 8BitDo’s Ultimate Software V2, which is also available as a mobile app, allowing buttons to be remapped and the sensitivity of joysticks and triggers to be adjusted. The controller has support for motion controls for games that support it, and a charging dock is still included.

Connectivity options include Bluetooth, a wired USB-C connection, or a low-lag 2.4GHz wireless connection using an included USB-C dongle. But like the cheaper Ultimate 2C, 8BitDo has only made its new Ultimate 2 controller compatible with PCs running Windows 10 and later or Android devices running Android 9.0 and newer.

Versions of the new Ultimate 2 compatible with the Xbox, iOS, or Nintendo Switch (and presumably the Switch 2) haven’t been announced yet, but 8BitDo previously released additional versions of the original Ultimate controller with alternate compatibility.

Technicolor Group, the French VFX giant that owns some of Hollywood’s most in-demand post-production houses, appears to be on the brink of collapse — putting thousands of jobs at risk.

Variety reports that Technicolor has begun winding down operations after failing to secure a new round of investment necessary to keep the entire international outfit running. In a message sent to employees on Monday, Technicolor CEO Caroline Parot claimed that COVID-19 era setbacks and the 2023 writers strike were two sources of the “severe cash flow pressures” the company has been struggling to deal with.

Parot also said Technicolor — which operates in the U.S., Canada, Europe, India, and Australia — “must face reality,” and explained that the company has petitioned the Paris Commercial Court to initiate receivership proceedings.

“In each country, the appropriate framework for orderly protection and way forward is currently being put in place to allow, when possible, to remain in business continuity,” Parrot said. “This decision was not taken lightly; every possible path to preserve our legacy and secure the future of our teams will be thoroughly explored to offer a chance to each of its activity to be pursued with new investors.”

Parot’s latest message to employees came days after workers in the US received WARN notices informing them of the potential for imminent mass layoffs, and Technicolor’s pivot to receivership in France gelled with the company’s recent move in the UK to file for administration.

Technicolor Group, which owns Moving Picture Company (Dune, Spider-Man: No Way Home), The Mill (Detective Pikachu, Severance), Mikros Animation (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Orion and the Dark), and Technicolor Games (Mass Effect: Legendary Edition), is no stranger to financial woes. The company was spun-off from Vantiva SA (formerly known as Technicolor SA) in 2020 after the latter filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy and underwent a large-scale restructuring. Parot also pointed to Technicolor’s separation from Vantiva as a factor that contributed to its current “difficult operational situation.”

Warner Bros. Discovery is making even more big changes to its troubled gaming efforts. As reported by Bloomberg, the company’s gaming division is canceling the Wonder Woman game announced in 2021 and shutting down three studios: Wonder Woman developer Monolith Productions, MultiVersus developer Player First Games, and Warner Bros. Games San Diego.

WBD confirmed the changes in a statement to Kotaku’s Ethan Gach. “We have had to make some very difficult decisions to structure our development studios and investments around building the best games possible with our key franchises — Harry Potter, Mortal Kombat, DC and Game of Thrones,” according to the statement. “After careful consideration, we are closing three of our development studios Monolith Productions, Player First Games and Warner Bros. Games San Diego. This is a strategic change in direction and not a reflection of these teams or the talent that consists within them.”

As for why Wonder Woman is being canceled, “our hope was to give players and fans the highest quality experience possible for the iconic character, and unfortunately this is no longer possible within our strategic priorities,” the statement says. “This is another tough decision, as we recognize Monolith’s storied history of delivering epic fan experiences through amazing games.”

Warner Bros. Discovery says in the statement that it remains “focused on and excited about getting back to producing high-quality games for our passionate fans and developed by our world class studios and getting our Games business back to profitability and growth in 2025 and beyond.”

The cancellation and shutdowns are yet another rough spot in Warner Bros.’ gaming efforts. Player First Games recently announced that MultiVersus will be taken offline, ending a development period that has already included a long hiatus and a relaunch. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was a flop, with that game receiving its last season less than a year after launch. A previous report from Bloomberg said that WB’s gaming division suffered $300 million in losses last year.

2023’s Hogwarts Legacy has been a success for WB, and the company is reportedly working on a definitive edition for the game with more content.

Framework, the modular computer company, has just announced its first desktop PC, which is something it absolutely did not need to do — but I’m glad it did.

Partly because the world needs more tiny 4.5-liter mini-ITX PCs, partly because it uses AMD’s most powerful APU ever (Strix Halo) with some actual gaming chops and up to 128GB of unified LPDDR5x memory… and partly because it looks like this.

Yes, you can create your own front panel out of 21 interchangeable (and freely 3D printable) tiles, pick your own two front I/O ports, and yes, that’s a standard-size mini-ITX motherboard below, along with a custom thermal system co-developed by Cooler Master and Noctua with standard 120mm fans, a semi-custom 400W Flex ATX power supply co-developed by FSP, a whole lot of seemingly perfect-length cables for a relatively cable-light system, your choice of black or translucent side panels… and, at left, an optional LAN party carry handle!

Just don’t look for any memory slots — it’s soldered. “We spent months working with AMD to explore ways around this but ultimately determined that it wasn’t technically feasible to land modular memory at high throughput with the 256-bit memory bus,” writes Framework.

Below, find a closer look at Framework’s desktop motherboard and cooling; you only get a PCIe x4 port, not PCIe x8 or x16, and no legacy connectors like SATA, but it’s more loaded than the image lets on: Framework says it’s got onboard 5Gbps Ethernet, two USB4, two DisplayPort, one HDMI, not one but two M.2 2280 NVMe SSD slots for up to 16TB of storage, and a Wi-Fi 7 module, plus what appear to be two full-size USB-A ports and a headphone jack (at the rear).

Here’s a little bit of the build process, as told by the images Framework sent us:

And here are some better images of the Framework Desktop mainboard’s I/O, in a rack-mounted, daisy-chained configuration that the company expects some AI enthusiasts might snap up — thanks to the local AI chops and 128GB of memory on the highest-end Ryzen AI Max Plus 395 Plus config.

“With Framework Desktop, you can run giant, capable models like Llama 3.3 70B Q6 at real-time conversational speed right on your desk,” the company claims, adding, “With USB4 and 5Gbit Ethernet networking, you can connect multiple systems or Mainboards to run even larger models like the full DeepSeek R1 671B.”

Framework CEO Nirav Patel says it was also designed with LANs in mind — though with a bit less bulk than the massive CRT moniotrs and desktops of old.

What kind of gaming chops might it really have? My colleague Antonio has seen in his time with the Asus Z13 gaming tablet that Strix Halo is roughly around the performance of an Nvidia RTX 4060 mobile chip. AMD gaming architect boss Frank Azor was also here with some 1080p benchmarks at high settings; it apparently can’t quite play the most demanding games (like Black Myth Wukong and Starfield) at over 60fps at native resolution with everything turned up, but the claim is that even 1440p at 60fps is possible with AMD’s FSR upscaling.

Even if you’re not getting your money’s worth out of AI, though, the prices on these desktops don’t seem all that outlandish. While a desktop with 16 CPU cores, 40 graphics cores, 80MB of cache of the 395 Plus chip, and 128GB of memory will cost $1,999 — not including bring-your-own storage and OS — you can pick one with 8 CPU cores, 32 graphics cores, 40MB of cache and 32GB of memory for $1,099. There’s also a 395 Plus with just 64GB of RAM for $1,599. Or, you can buy a mainboard alone for $799 if you provide your own mini-ITX case and power supply, too.

If you are looking for the most powerful mini-PC, Patel suggested the $1,999 model compares favorably to an Apple Mac Studio, which can cost over twice as much for the same 128GB of RAM.

Framework says these desktops and mainboard should be available to preorder today, with plans to ship in Q3. If you’re reading these words shortly after they were published, I’m currently at a Framework event in San Francisco, where the company also just introduced a new AMD-powered version of its Framework Laptop 13 and the new Framework Laptop 12: its first budget laptop, its first touchscreen, and its first convertible.

Framework, the modular repairable computer company, says budget laptops generally suck — and it plans to fix that this year. Today, it’s previewing a computer called the Framework Laptop 12 that’ll be its smallest laptop yet, its first with a touchscreen, its first with a 2-in-1 convertible hinge, and its first with a rubber-esque shock absorbing TPU outer edge to make it more suitable for kids and students, too.

“We build products to fix what we see as a broken industry, and few categories are as emblematic of the problems with consumer electronics as entry-level laptops,” writes Framework CEO Nirav Patel, continuing:

They tend to be janky, locked-down, disposable, underpowered, and frankly, boring machines.  Shamefully, these are the products that PC brands market for use by students and young people around the world.  Instead, we believe these are the people who most need thoughtfully designed, long-lasting computers.

Patel says the Framework Laptop 12 “is in many ways the product I started the company to create,” and that it will be “our easiest product ever to repair.” It will come with a 13th Gen Intel Core i3 or i5 chip (circa 2023), a 1920×1200 screen at over 400 nits of brightness with both touch and stylus support, up to 48GB of RAM and up to 2TB of NVMe storage, and Wi-Fi 6E.

Based on the image below, it would appear that the Framework Laptop 12 will also have four of Framework’s Expansion Card slots, which is how Framework lets you pick your own ports.

Despite the claim that the Framework Laptop 12 is designed to fix entry-level laptops, Framework isn’t sharing any idea of pricing today, beyond that it will be “lower cost” compared to the Framework Laptop 13, which typically starts at around $750 for a DIY model with previous-gen chips or $1,100 for a prebuilt with the latest ones.

But while Framework products often cost more than you’d pay for the same specs with Dell, HP, or Lenovo, it is the first and only company that has repeatedly delivered on the promise of modular upgrades, letting you easily swap out the entire motherboard and processor as a single module for a new one down the road. For example, Framework is also announcing a new AMD mainboard for its Framework Laptop 13 today, one that can breathe new life into any previous iteration of that laptop, even the original Intel version it released in 2021.

Framework says it’ll open preorders in April and ship in “mid-2025.”

If you’re reading this soon after it was published, I’m probably still at Framework’s event in San Francisco, looking for both this laptop and the just-announced Framework Desktop.

Framework has done it again — it’s built a new AMD-powered modular computer that fits into any previous version of its 13-inch laptop for $449, or that you can buy as a brand-new laptop starting at $899 for DIY or $1,099 entirely prebuilt for you. If you’re reading these words, I’m currently at Framework’s event, where I’m checking it out alongside the just-announced tiny Framework Desktop and possibly the new budget touchscreen convertible Framework Laptop 12.

This 13-inch machine is the company’s second with AMD processors, this time featuring the new-ish Ryzen AI 300 “Strix Point” chips in Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7, all the way up to the Ryzen 9 HX 370 with 12 CPU cores, half-decent portable gaming chops and 50 TOPS of AI performance. And yes, that makes this Framework’s first Copilot Plus PC.

The changes don’t stop there: Framework says its second AMD laptop gets all the big upgrades of last year’s Intel Core Ultra model, including the optional 2.8K 120Hz screen and presumably the better webcam.

While you don’t get four fully functional Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 ports like you do on Intel models, you can now power four external displays from each of its four ports, up from three on the last AMD, in addition to new Wi-Fi 7, a new cooling system with a single larger 10mm heatpipe like last year’s Core Ultra model (up from twin 5mm heatpipes) with Honeywell PTM7958 phase change thermal interface material, and “a new key structure on the wide keys (e.g. spacebar and shift) that reduces buzzing when your speakers are cranked up.”

They’ve got a plastic structure that spans the full width of the key instead of metal linkages, and says they’ve been thoroughly tested, joking that there’d be no Apple Butterfly Keyboard issues in Framework’s future.

Speaking of the keyboard, it does have Microsoft’s mandatory Copilot key if you buy it as a prebuilt Windows 11 laptop — but you can ditch that if you buy DIY! (Which I’d recommend unless you really need a preinstalled copy of Windows or are quite squeamish, as even Framework’s DIY machines are mostly prebuilt anyhow.)

Lastly, Framework’s now offering translucent bezels, including new colors purple, green, and black, and matching translucent USB-C expansion cards too.

The new Framework Laptop 13 boards and laptops should be available to order today, shipping in April, and Framework says it’s reducing the price of its previous-gen AMD notebooks, as usual, as these new machines roll out.

At the beginning of today’s Framework event in San Francisco, CEO Nirav Patel says he believes Framework is now the fastest growing laptop brand, and “probably the only company that can announce a product that looks the same four years in a row and get cheers.”

“We’re proving it’s possible to build a company around product longevity by actually doing it,” he says.

The US Department of Agriculture’s decision to purge information about climate change from its websites harms organic farmers and threatens their livelihoods, a new lawsuit alleges.

Since President Donald Trump stepped into office, the USDA has removed “scores of vitally important webpages” that mention climate change, the suit says. The administration has been racing to destroy public resources that address climate change and civil rights, sparking legal battles to bring those webpages back.

Trump has repeatedly called climate change a “hoax” and has abandoned US efforts to limit the greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels that are causing climate change. There is overwhelming scientific consensus that pollution from fossil fuels are raising global average temperatures and driving more extreme weather.

Plaintiffs in the suit, filed on behalf of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York (NOFA-NY) and two environmental groups, say they’ve already seen those effects on their farms. They previously relied on information on USDA websites to prepare for those consequences, helping them make decisions about planting crops and managing their land.

“We have been reacting to extreme weather and making choices to protect our businesses and our food system for years. Climate change is not a hoax. Farmers, fisherman, and foresters know from experience, that we need every piece of science and intergenerational knowledge to adjust to this new reality,” Wes Gillingham, Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York (NOFA-NY) board president, said in a press release.

An online tool called the “Climate Risk Viewer,” for example, used to show the impacts of climate change on rivers and water sheds, and how that might affect future water supplies. It vanished along with other webpages shortly after USDA Director of Digital Communications Peter Rhee sent an email to staff on January on 30th directing them to “identify and archive or unpublish any landing pages focused on climate change,” according to the lawsuit.

The administration also removed information about how to access funding for “climate-smart farming,” including a webpage for a loan program that supports “sustainable agricultural practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions … and enhance the resilience of farming operations to climate change.” NOFA-NY used those federal webpages to help farmers find funding and share advice through its free “farmer helpline.“

Taking down policy information also makes it harder for farmers to hold the Trump administration accountable for distributing funds they’d been promised. The administration’s funding freeze, and Trump’s threat to claw back Biden-era climate funding, have faced separate legal challenges. NOFA-NY’s new lawsuit alleges that the Trump administration has violated court orders by stopping payments to farmers under USDA conservation and ‘climate-smart agriculture’ programs.

The Natural Resources Defense Council and Environmental Working Group are also plaintiffs in the suit. They say they relied on the previously publicly available information for their research and advocacy.

The USDA’s removal of all these resources violate three federal laws, the complaint alleges. That includes the the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) that gives the public the right to access key records from any federal agency, the Paperwork Reduction Act that stipulates adequate notice before changing access to information, and the Administrative Procedure Act that governs the way federal agencies develop regulations.

The USDA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from The Verge, and the Department of Justice declined to comment.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration brought some federal webpages back online to comply with a court order after Doctors for America (DFA), which represents physicians and medical students, similarly filed suit over health data taken off government websites.

Anker has released a new HDMI to USB-C cable that allows you to connect a mobile device to an external display without draining its battery. The Anker Nano USB-C to HDMI Cable Adapter, now available through Amazon for $28.99, is Thunderbolt 5 compatible and includes a USB-C port on the HDMI connector so you can charge your device at up to 140W speeds using a power adapter.

USB-C to HDMI cables are common, but most don’t incorporate power delivery. That’s not an issue when using them with devices like laptops that have multiple USB-C ports, but devices like smartphones, tablets, and handheld consoles with a single USB-C port won’t be able to charge while connected to a display. You can also use USB-C HDMI hubs or an HDMI adapter like the one Apple sells for $69.99, but then you’ll need to supply your own HDMI cable.

Anker’s solution simplifies things, and while the version currently offered is only three feet long, a six foot version will eventually be introduced.

Companies like Ugreen already offer similar solutions that also support 4K displays at up 60Hz, but are limited to 100W of power delivery. If you need more than that, Anker’s got you covered.

Unfortunately, while Anker says there’s a long list of devices compatible with the cable, including iPads, iPhones, ThinkPads, Chromebooks, Google Pixels, Samsung Galaxy phones, and handhelds like the Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally, it can’t serve as a portable docking solution for the Nintendo Switch. And because of the size of the HDMI connector on the end of the cable, it’s also not compatible with various monitors from Dell, LG, and Samsung because of where their HDMI ports are located.

The Dark Horse Digital service is being shut down, and as part of that, the Dark Horse Comics iOS app will no longer be supported, according to an announcement. Dark Horse Comics says people should download comics they’ve purchased by March 30th, as it will end support for its iOS app and the standalone Plants vs. Zombies comics app the following day.

You can still visit the Dark Horse Digital website if you make an account before the deadline to read the comics you’ve bought — but only through “at least” summer 2025, the company says in a FAQ. You can also sync your website account with the app to download issues, according to the announcement. 

This isn’t totally the end for Dark Horse’s ebook comics; the company says its books will continue being available “on numerous digital reading platforms.” But it says it decided to stop its own direct-to-reader sales because “consumer reading preferences have evolved in different directions.”

According to Dark Horse’s FAQ, you can get a refund for comics you’ve bought this year from its website. But refunds for purchases from the iOS apps “have to be discussed with Apple,” the company says says. 

While it’s nice that Dark Horse gave buyers a heads-up so they can download their purchases and potentially get refunds, it points out in its FAQ that you don’t own digital books themselves, only the license to them. That’s the peril of buying digital, and something Senator Ron Wyden called out today in a letter to the FTC.

Microsoft made OpenAI’s o1 reasoning model free for all Copilot users last month, and now it’s providing unlimited use of this model and Copilot’s voice capabilities to everyone. Previously, both Think Deeper (powered by o1) and Voice in Copilot had limits for free users, but Microsoft is removing these today to allow Copilot users to have extended conversations with the company’s AI assistant.

“We are working hard to scale unlimited access to advanced features to as many people as possible, as quickly as possible, starting today with Voice and Think Deeper,” says the Copilot team. “It’s worth noting you may experience delays or interruptions during periods of high demand or if we detect security concerns, misuse or other violations of the Copilot Terms.“

The unlimited use of Copilot Voice and Think Deeper comes two years after Microsoft first launched Copilot inside its Bing search engine, and just a month after the software maker revamped its Copilot Pro subscription and bundled Office AI features into Microsoft 365.

Microsoft is continuing to sell its $20 per month Copilot Pro subscription, and says users “will retain preferred access to our latest models during peak usage, early access to experimental AI features (more on that coming soon), and additional use of Copilot in select Microsoft 365 apps like Word, Excel and PowerPoint.”

Online education company Chegg filed a lawsuit on February 24th against Google claiming that the company’s AI-generated summaries of search results have hurt its traffic and revenue, Reuters reports. It’s believed to be the first antitrust lawsuit filed by a single company over the AI Overviews feature, Reuters says.

Chegg claims Google uses its power as a monopoly to coerce companies into using their content for AI Overviews, “reaping the financial benefits of Chegg’s content without having to spend a dime,” CEO Nathan Schultz says in prepared remarks for investors. Chegg, which offers textbook rentals and homework help, is now considering getting acquired and going private as a result.

“Our lawsuit is about more than Chegg – it’s about the digital publishing industry, the future of internet search, and about students losing access to quality, step-by-step learning in favor of low-quality, unverified AI summaries,” Schultz says.

“Every day, Google sends billions of clicks to sites across the web, and AI Overviews send traffic to a greater diversity of sites,” says Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda in a statement to Reuters.

The lawsuit comes as a number of media outlets have expressed concern over how Google’s AI summaries have impacted traffic. Last year, the News/Media Alliance — an organization that represents over 2,000 news publishers — published a press release saying its impact will be “catastrophic.”

Tesla is starting to push a software update to its customers in China that appears to fulfill a long-gestating goal for the company to offer its controversial Full Self-Driving features in its largest car market. Or does it?

According to Not a Tesla App, it’s unclear whether the version of FSD that Tesla is offering in China is the same as the one available in North America. For one thing, it’s not even called FSD, but rather, “Urban Road Autopilot Assistance” (URAA). According to the website:

On controlled-access highways and urban roads, URAA guides vehicles according to navigation routes, assisting with entering and exiting highways, navigating intersections, and recognizing traffic lights to perform actions like going straight, turning left or right, or making U-turns. 

That sounds like FSD, which is a semiautonomous driver-assist system that responds to traffic lights and stop signs, performs lane changes, and includes a self-parking feature. Not a Tesla App also found a video on X that appears to show a Tesla owner using URAA in China. On the surface, it looks a lot like FSD, including a visualization on the central touchscreen with the familiar blue line emanating from the vehicle to indicate the driving path.

But Reuters reports that the Chinese version of FSD will be “less capable” than the North American version “due to insufficient data training on Chinese roads and traffic rules,” citing unnamed sources. The software update is being pushed out in batches, so it’s unlikely that everyone who paid for the feature — which reportedly costs 64,000 yuan (about $8,800) — will receive it right away. Bloomberg says the update will only be available to vehicles with “HW 4.0,” which includes most Model Y and Model 3 vehicles built in China last year.

Elon Musk has long sought approval for FSD from Chinese regulators, even flying to Beijing last year to meet with government officials about deploying the semiautonomous feature. But he acknowledged that the company was running into obstacles, including a lack of usable training data, and that Tesla engineers were trying to resolve those issues by using videos of driving in China that were found on the internet. Reuters reports that Musk is considering building a local data center in China to process data.

The delays have hurt Tesla’s ability to compete with Chinese EV makers, including BYD, which recently rolled out its own advanced driver-assist system called God’s Eye. China is an enormously important market for Tesla, which reported its first year-over-year sales decline in 2024. Xiaomi’s SU7, which sells for less than $30,000, with the company offering a smart city driving feature in its cars for free, has outsold the Model 3 on a monthly basis, according to Reuters. Chinese law requires driver supervision for its Level 2 assist features.

Tesla has said repeatedly that FSD will ultimately lead to fully driverless cars — though Musk recently admitted that most Tesla vehicles will need a significant hardware update in order to achieve unsupervised driving. Tesla’s approach to autonomy has also been criticized for lacking redundant sensors like lidar and for falling short of the capabilities of companies like Waymo.

In its 2024 roadmap, Tesla said it would launch FSD in China and Europe in the first quarter of 2025. The company has yet to receive regulatory approval in Europe for the driver-assist feature.

The BlackBerry might be dead, but one of its best ideas — a tiny thumb-friendly keyboard for phones — lives on in the Clicks keyboard case, which will soon be available for several Android devices.

Over 100,000 of the original Clicks keyboard cases have been sold around the world, the company says in a press release, but since launching in January 2024, it’s only been compatible with iPhone 14, 15, and 16 models. Starting in April, the cases will be available for several Motorola, Google Pixel, and Samsung Galaxy devices and will work with a new Android version of the Clicks Keyboard mobile app, allowing the keyboard’s functionality to be customized, including how the caps lock, return, and Clicks keys work.

Preorders for all of the Android Clicks keyboard cases start today through the company’s website, but availability varies by device. The Google Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro (not the XL) version, expected to ship at the end of April, will sell for $99 until March 21st and then increase in price to $139. Color options include surge — described as a “high-vis yellow-green” — and black.

The Motorola Razr Plus (2024) and Razr (2024) version of the Clicks case, available in electric blue or black, can be preordered for $49 to lock in a price of $99. After March 21st, preorders will still be $49, but pricing for the case, which is expected to ship in late May, will jump to $139. It’s the same story for the Samsung Galaxy S25 version of the case, although it’s not expected to ship until June and will be available in red and black.

The Android version of the Clicks case carries over the same keyboard design as the iPhone version, including the use of round keys that are slightly angled to improve the typing experience. (Instead of copying the more ergonomic design of the BlackBerry’s keys — an approach that didn’t end well for the Ryan Seacrest-backed Typo case.)

Some of the key labels are slightly different, but like the original iPhone version, the Android Clicks case still allows keyboard shortcuts to be used for launching apps or quickly navigating Android, including a dedicated key for accessing Google Gemini. It also features backlighting, and instead of a battery, it draws all the power it needs from each Android device’s USB-C port.

The physical design of the case is also similar, although the version for the Motorola Razr Plus and Razr (2024) is split into two halves, allowing both devices to still fold. Clicks is also adding a “strong magnetic array” to the two Pixel cases — a feature the company introduced with the iPhone 16 version to improve MagSafe compatibility — making it a bit easier to use wireless chargers with Google’s latest smartphones.

Automattic-owned Beeper has announced a new beta update to its desktop and iOS apps to finally merge its service with Texts, which Automattic acquired in 2023. You can download the desktop version or see instructions for using the iOS beta in TestFlight by going to this page.

Beeper says the new desktop version is built “on the foundations of the Texts desktop app,” while it built the iOS app “from scratch.” In a post on X, Texts.com founder Kishan Bagaria called it “the next-gen texts app, now rebranded as beeper.” Both are universal messaging services that can connect to and let you message people from several platforms, including WhatsApp, Instagram, Slack, and others. 

Things have been quiet for Beeper since it gave up its fight to make iMessage work on Android phones and sold to Automattic, which also owns platforms like WordPress.com and Tumblr. 

Beeper isn’t done with iMessage, as Bagaria also says the company plans to support Apple’s protocol in the desktop version of the app. Beeper promises other future updates, including messages being encrypted on your device instead of Beeper’s servers, and support for “multiple accounts for a single network.”

Apple AirTags can help you find your lost items, but what if you need to keep track of more than one or two items, or you want to equip the whole family? The occasional deal on a four-pack can help a ton, especially when it’s down to $67.99 (about $31 off) Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart. That’s less expensive than it was on Black Friday, and at $17 per unit, you’re saving a lot compared to buying them individually. However, if you only need one, a single AirTag is on sale for $22.99 (about $6 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart right now.

AirTags are our favorite Bluetooth trackers and remain the first option iPhone owners should consider. That’s because they work with the ultra wideband radios insider newer iPhones, enabling pinpoint precision finding when you’re within Bluetooth range. They also work on the wide and secure Find My network, which uses nearby iPhones to quietly report your item’s last known approximate location so you can easily find it on a map from virtually anywhere.

AirTags can’t be recharged, but they’re some of the only trackers with user-replaceable batteries. They’re also water-resistant and surprisingly sturdy against the occasional drop. Apple continues to enhance their capabilities over time, too, most recently allowing you to share AirTag locations with family and friends, or even with business entities like airlines to help you more easily find lost luggage.

Read our Apple AirTag review.

Other deals worth a shout

• The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE with 128GB of storage is starting at $279.72 (about $170 off) at Amazon in select colors, which is an all-time low price. You can also get it in other colors for around $299.99 (about $150 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart. The mid-range tablet has a 10.9-inch LCD display with a 90Hz refresh rate and runs on the Exynos 1380, offering a good base for light gaming, entertainment, productivity, and browsing. It ships with an S Pen, too, which makes it an even better value over competing starter tablets like the iPad. You can use the S Pen to initiate Google’s Circle to Search, and enjoy other features that Samsung bakes into its Android-based One UI experience.
• If you want a solid robot vacuum that can mop, the first-gen Dreame L10s Ultra is down to $399.99 ($500 off) at Amazon, matching its all-time low price. That price puts it well under the average price of Dreame’s lineup, but the robovac still offers good cleaning performance with 5,300Pa suction. It also uses dual oscillating mops, which it washes and dries at the base before emptying and refilling itself for up to 60 days without your help. It uses AI navigation with a camera and Lidar, allowing it to automatically detect carpets and objects to adjust its cleaning properties accordingly. You can set routines and zones in the smartphone app and control it with your voice using Alexa commands. The app even lets you view the robovac’s camera feed remotely, allowing it to double as a roaming security cam or pet cam.
• The latest Nothing Ear wireless earbuds are starting at $114 ($45 off) at Amazon, which matches their best price to date. The translucent IP54-rated earbuds offer very good sound quality from their 11mm drivers, plus solid active noise cancellation performance with automatic optimizations based on your ear shape. With all of those tricks enabled, the battery lasts up to five hours, but you can go up to eight hours with ANC disabled. The Nothing Ear also support Android Fast Pair, Microsoft Swift Pair, and Bluetooth multipoint, and even have ChatGPT baked in for your AI assistant needs. Read our hands-on.

Major newspapers across the UK today are all on the same page for once. Specifically, their front covers, which feature the same campaign imagery protesting government proposals that could eviscerate copyright protections against artificial intelligence. Brits popping into their local store or newsagents will be greeted by a spread of bright blue pages demanding the same thing: MAKE IT FAIR.

Creative and media industries have teamed up on this “Make It Fair” initiative, calling for readers to help protect British creative industries. The campaign was created to fight government proposals that would allow artificial intelligence companies to train their models on copyright-protected work without permission.

The stunt appears to be carefully timed. A public consultation period — in which anyone can submit their opinions to the UK government — closed today following its launch on December 17th, proposing that exceptions be made to copyright law regarding AI training “for any purpose,” including commercial. Creatives would be able to opt out of the new “text and data mining” process via a so-called “rights reservation” process, but that places greater responsibility and labor requirements on individuals to ensure their works are protected.

“Tech companies use creative content, such as news articles, books, music, film, photography, visual art, and all kinds of creative work, to train their generative AI models,” reads the campaign website hosted by the News Media Association (NMA). “Publishers and creators say that doing this without proper controls, transparency or fair payment is unfair and threatens their livelihoods.”

Members of the NMA trade body include The Sun, Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, and the Guardian, alongside regional print and digital outlets across the UK. The Make It Right campaign is also backed by the Creative Rights in AI Coalition, described as a “broad group of rights holders, AI businesses, and organizations” seeking to ensure that creatives are protected and fairly compensated under generative AI regulations.

The government’s proposals have been widely criticized over concerns that weakening copyright protections and letting AI companies gobble up whatever data they please could have a devastating impact on the UK’s $152 billion creative industry. The Make It Fair campaign is one of several pushbacks that have rolled out today in protest, including a silent album called “Is This What We Want?” released by more than 1,000 musicians, including Kate Bush and Damon Albarn.

“The ‘Make It Fair’ campaign opposes the government’s proposal in its consultation to weaken copyright law and allow tech firms to run rampant over creative content,” NMA CEO Owen Meredith told The Verge. “This extraordinary show of unity from the news media industry shows the time has come for the government to wake up and recognise the existential threat posed by unchecked exploitation of our creative industries.”

During its consultation period, the UK government invited “anyone with an interest in these issues” to share views and evidence regarding the potential economic impact the copyright protection changes may have. There’s no clear timeline for what will happen next, but the UK government said it will use the consultation responses to “help design the best possible policy” to achieve its objectives around expanding AI — suggesting that at least some changes will be on the horizon.

“We see AI as a powerful tool and a partner to creativity, but a partnership should be on fair and equal terms,” Meredith said. “Tech firms need creative content, and up-to-date professional journalism, to power AI — if they want to use our content, they must also be willing to compensate creators fairly, just as any responsible business would.”

The BBC, Britain’s publicly funded media service, also issued its own statement today saying that the proposal “is currently unworkable.”

“To be clear, we support the Government’s ambition to grow the creative and AI sectors,” said Rhodri Talfan Davies, Director of Nations at the BBC. “But we do not believe securing these goals requires changes that weaken how content is protected under the UK’s Intellectual Property regime.”

Microsoft has decided to delay the release window of its upcoming Fable game to 2026. The Xbox maker originally said last year that Fable would arrive at some point in 2025, but now Xbox Game Studios chief Craig Duncan has provided an update on the game during an appearance on the official Xbox podcast.

“We previously announced the date for Fable as 2025, we are actually going to give Fable more time and it’s going to ship in 2026 now,” says Duncan. “While I know that’s not maybe the news people want to hear, what I want to assure people of is that it’s definitely worth the wait. I have unequivocable confidence in the Playground team.”

We got to see some early gameplay footage of Fable at last year’s Xbox summer showcase, which was largely focused on the characters and story of the fantasy game. Fable will be centered on a hero named Humphry, who “will be forced out of retirement when a mysterious figure from his past threatens Albion’s very existence.” Microsoft provided a little more gameplay footage today, too.

Playground Games is the developer behind this latest Fable installment, best-known for their work on the Forza Horizon series. “What they’re bringing to the Fable franchise, just think of the visuals of what you expect from Playground Games, plus amazing gameplay, British humor, and Playground’s take… in quite frankly the most beautifully realized version of Albion that you’ve ever seen,” says Duncan.

Microsoft still has a busy year of Xbox games ahead, including South of Midnight, id Software’s Doom: The Dark Ages, The Outer Worlds 2, and potentially even Gears of War: E-Day.