Tech

A collection of 4096 posts

Tech

Why phone and laptop batteries can explode and how to stay safe

Rechargeable batteries in everyday devices such as smartphones, laptops and power banks can sometimes explode or catch fire, and ZDNET says they are linked to roughly 1,500 house fires and about 5,000 overheating incidents each year. ZDNET outlines three common causes: manufacturing defects, flawed design or counterfeit products

Tech

Spotify introduces Prompted Playlists beta that builds playlists from natural-language prompts

Spotify has launched a new Prompted Playlist feature that creates playlists from natural-language prompts and personalizes them using a listener's history, the company said. The feature was launched on Thursday and was previously tested in beta in New Zealand in December 2025. Users can describe moods, pop-culture references,

Tech

Sims 4 mod WickedWhims remains widely used, creator says

Kotaku reports that WickedWhims, a fan-made mod for The Sims 4 led by modder Turbodriver, remains widely used. The mod, which adds fully animated and interactive sex along with expanded relationships, menstrual cycles and birth control, has over 16,000 paid supporters on Patreon, and Turbodriver told German site Taz

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Six Samsung TV settings to change to improve picture quality

ZDNET contributor Adam Breeden says changing six settings on Samsung TVs can significantly improve the viewing experience. Breeden’s recommendations are: disable Eco Mode (All Settings > General and Privacy > Power and Energy Saving > Energy Saving Solution) and Brightness Optimization; select a film-focused Picture Mode such as Movie,

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Educators urge social‑emotional learning and judgment training as A.I. enters schools

Letters to The New York Times responding to a recent Business article on A.I. in classrooms argue that schools must pair new technologies with stronger teaching of social and emotional skills and human judgment. Matt Levinson of Seattle, an education leader for more than 30 years, wrote that social

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ZDNET recommends five free terminal-based Linux file managers

ZDNET contributor Jack Wallen highlights five free terminal-based file managers for Linux, recommending them for situations where a graphical interface won’t do — for example, when logged into a remote server, already working in a terminal window, or when a user simply prefers the command line. Wallen says there are

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TikTok alters U.S. terms to expand ad targeting and location tracking

TikTok has updated its terms and privacy policies for users in the United States, expanding its ability to target advertising and to track the location of people who give the app permission to do so. The changes followed ByteDance’s decision to spin out an American TikTok entity on Thursday

Tech

Mass Effect executive seeks production director for next game

Pcgamer reported that Mass Effect executive producer Michael Gamble posted on X seeking a production director for the next game in the series: "Hi, I’m hiring a very important senior leadership role," Gamble wrote. "They’ll report to me and it’s gonna be awesome."

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Fallout co-creator says spaghetti code stems from time pressure, not laziness

Fallout co-creator Timothy Cain said in a new YouTube video that unreadable "spaghetti code" in games happens when developers aren't given enough time, not because they're "stupid, lazy programmers," Gamesradar reported. Cain, a former Interplay developer, illustrated the point with an example

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Local meteorologists recommended over phone weather apps for storm updates

ZDNet says phone weather apps are often unreliable and recommends following a local meteorologist for accurate storm information. The article’s author noted a recent example in the Charlotte, NC area where a phone app briefly predicted more than 13 inches of snow even as the region was preparing for

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Xbox showcase offers rare look inside Game Freak’s Kanda Square office

Kotaku reports that, in an Xbox showcase today, Pokémon developer Game Freak gave a rare look inside its Tokyo office at Kanda Square while showing its upcoming action RPG Beast of Reincarnation. The piece says Game Freak moved to the Kanda Square building in 2020 to be closer to Nintendo.

Tech

Jeff Bezos denies Polymarket claim about advice to young entrepreneurs

Jeff Bezos denied a Polymarket post that said he had told aspiring Gen Z entrepreneurs to work at companies like McDonald’s or Palantir before starting a business, Beincrypto reported. On January 22, 2026 Bezos replied to Polymarket’s post saying he had never made such a claim. A video

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2026 Lucid Air Touring review: a more polished, practical luxury EV

After spending a week with the 2026 Lucid Air Touring, Ars Technica found the sedan to be markedly more polished and more of a finished product than earlier Air models. The Touring starts at $79,900 and is presented as a refined, easy-to-live-with luxury electric sedan. The Touring’s all-wheel-drive

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Just The Browser strips AI from Chrome, Edge and Firefox but some telemetry remains

ZDNET tested Just The Browser, a free and open-source tool that applies configuration files to Chrome, Edge and Firefox to remove unwanted features such as generative AI, telemetry and sponsored integrations. In a macOS test of Edge run from a clean installation, the reviewer enabled Copilot, ran the script and

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SteelSeries Alias Pro microphone hits lowest-ever price

Pcgamer reports the SteelSeries Alias Pro microphone is now at its lowest-ever price, offering streamers a discounted opportunity to upgrade their audio setup. The Alias Pro is a cardioid microphone with two USB Type-C ports on the back, an XLR connection, and multiple included cables, and it ships with a

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Best Buy drops Asus ROG Strix G16 RTX 5070 Ti to $1,599.99 this weekend

According to Gamesradar, Best Buy is offering $400 off the Asus ROG Strix G16 with an RTX 5070 Ti this weekend, cutting the price to $1,599.99 from an MSRP of $1,999.99. The report notes RTX 5070 Ti deals have been scarce and can sit close to

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ChatGPT to add ads on free and low-cost tiers; Anthropic’s Amanda Askell on Claude Constitution

OpenAI is introducing ads to ChatGPT’s free and low-cost subscription tiers, a development discussed on the New York Times technology podcast Hard Fork in an episode published Jan. 23, 2026. The episode explains what the ads will look like, why OpenAI is taking this approach and whether the company

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How people are using Claude Code to build websites, apps and tools

Claude Code, an artificial intelligence tool that generates computer code from text prompts, is experiencing a surge in use, Anthropic said. The company, which introduced Claude Code in May, said the tool had shown record growth over the past two weeks but did not share its data. Anthropic said people

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Four roles identified as leaders of the agentic AI shift, Creatio executive says

ZDNET spoke with Andie Dovgan, chief growth officer at Creatio, who identified four emerging job roles that he says will lead the agentic AI revolution. Dovgan named AI leaders, agent operators, AI no-code creators, and workflow analysts. He said AI leaders are responsible "for turning AI from a technical

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Armored Core: Mobile 3, a 2007 flip‑phone game, is now on Steam for $11

Pcgamer reports that Japanese publisher G-Mode has released Armored Core: Mobile 3 on Steam, offering the mobile-era title for $11. The game was originally released for flip phones in 2007 and was a Japanese exclusive; it takes place between Armored Core Nexus and Armored Core Last Raven, both offshoots of

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ByteDance Agrees to U.S. TikTok Venture with Oracle, MGX and Silver Lake

TikTok said that its Chinese owner, ByteDance, reached a deal with a group of non‑Chinese investors to create a new U.S. TikTok, ending a six‑year legal saga that included a congressional ban and high‑stakes U.S.–China politicking. Investors including Oracle, the Emirati firm MGX and

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Leading researchers depart Thinking Machines for OpenAI after internal dispute

Several high‑profile researchers at the artificial‑intelligence start‑up Thinking Machines Lab left the company for OpenAI after a dispute with Chief Executive Mira Murati, the New York Times reported. On Jan. 12, Sam Schoenholz asked Ms. Murati to join a meeting with founders Barret Zoph and Luke Metz;

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Doogee V Max Play 5G review: rugged phone with massive battery and built-in projector

ZDNET reviewed the Doogee V Max Play 5G, which is available now for $649. The handset stands out for its very large 20,500 mAh battery and an integrated 480p HD projector with autofocus. The V Max Play 5G is physically large — 7.2 x 3.4 x 1.2

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Musk's surprise Davos appearance yields few new announcements

Businessinsider reported that Elon Musk took the stage at Davos for the first time in a surprise appearance on Thursday. He gave a wide-ranging interview but offered few new details. Interviewed by BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, Musk reiterated Tesla's mission of "abundance for all" and predicted

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MSI MAG 345CQR 34-inch 1000R ultrawide monitor priced at $260

Pcgamer reports the MSI MAG 345CQR 34-inch ultra-curved ultrawide monitor is priced at $260. The panel uses a tight 1000R curve, offers a 3440×1440 resolution and a 180 Hz refresh rate. Its pixel count is roughly 34% more than a standard 1440p display and about 40% less than 4K,