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 It's 2026, and we're kicking off the New Year with all of the best Apple-related discounts you can find online this week. Many of these are matching the low prices we saw over the holidays, including AirTags, Apple Pencil Pro, and Apple Watch Series 11.
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 With CES 2026 slated to officially start next week, the focus is understandably on all the new products that will be announced at this year's event. But before diving into what's new, we thought it was a good idea to revisit our best of show winners from last year to see where they're at. After all, CES is synonymous with vaporware. The good news is the Engadget team has a keen sense for BS. Of the ones we awarded at CES 2025 that haven't been released, most are coming this year. For the remaining few, we'll be hunting them down this CES.
ASUS Zenbook A14An Asus Zenbook A14 sits out a patio table. Devindra Hardawar for EngadgetWhen we saw the ASUS Zenbook A14 at CES 2025, it left us impressed with its lightweight but well-made chassis, beautiful OLED screen and excellent mix of ports. After spending more time with it, the A14's shortcomings became more apparent. In his
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If you just got a new iPhone, be sure to turn off this setting if you don't want apps to track you.
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 Apple plans to introduce a 12.9-inch MacBook in spring 2026, according to TrendForce.
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 The company behind the BlackBerry-like Clicks Keyboard accessory for the iPhone today unveiled a new Android 16 smartphone called the Clicks Communicator.
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See which teams are playing on Saturday, the full TV schedule for the final weekend of the regular season and the best ways to watch or stream any of the games.
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Apple's last two models seem awfully similar, but real differences lurk in the details. We compare the specs.
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The Hisense S6 FollowMe is a smart display that can automatically accompany users around the home. But why?
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As the largest maker of electric vehicles in the United States, Tesla suffered more than other carmakers from the elimination of federal incentives.
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If you loved the old Pebble Time Round, the new Round 2 smartwatch is better in every way.
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We spoke with experts to learn more about apple cider vinegar's benefits and whether you should be adding it to your water.
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China's BYD is breathing down Elon Musk's neck.
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We need a whole new approach to "credibility signals" so we know who to trust, says Adam Mosseri.
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The Pebble Round is back for a decade-later sequel with a two week battery life and hook-in possibilities for AI agents onboard.
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You've probably heard people say it's impossible to go back and correct some error from the past. To those people, you should raise a middle finger in defiance (they are miserable, after all), and then point them to the tale of Pebble's unlikely revival. The smartwatch pioneer's return was a surprise of 2025, and now the company has resurrected one of its last great triumphs. It's announcing the Pebble Round 2, and company founder Eric Migicovsky is looking to put right what once went wrong.
The Pebble Round 2 is the successor to the Pebble Time Round, which debuted in 2015 to what can only be described as frustrated reviews. It was a truly thin smartwatch, with a glorious round display, but that came at the cost of battery life and durability. The fancier components also added to the cost which pushed it to an unreasonable-for-the-time $249. It's these flaws which the company has sought to address with the Round 2, as well as some of the issues that weren't deal breakers at the time, but certainly weren't ideal.
For instance, the massive bezel around the display is now a thing of the past, with the Round 2's 1.3-inch color e-paper touchscreen now stretching to the edge of its case. The viewing angles have also been dramatically improved, enabling you to check the time without having to move your wrist. The display has also been bonded to the glass crystal, reducing reflectivity and glare which was another downside for the original model.
Better still, the battery life is now more than two weeks on a single charge, giving it the sort of Pebble-esque longevity its users demand. And it's retained that th
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 Apple's Vision Pro headset is still failing to see appeal among consumers, according to a new report from the Financial Times.
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Deleting your Facebook doesn't require jumping through hoops, but you don't want to leave your data behind when you log out for the last time.
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We clocked thousands of test miles to bring you the best running shoes for every pace, ability, and running goal.
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Clicks is bringing its physical keyboard products to CES yet again, and these are chock full of nostalgia. The company has also unveiled its first smartphone, aimed at "communication, not consumption," that it says will function as a second phone used mostly for messaging.
The phone is dubbed the Clicks Communicator and features a tactile keyboard, a 4-inch OLED display, a 3.5mm headphone jack and expandable microSD storage up to 2TB. The interface is built on Android 16 and supports hardware-level encryption.
Even though Clicks says it wants to leave "content capture" to a users' primary device, the Communicator still sports a 50MP main camera and 24MP front camera. The phone also has NFC to support Google Pay, along with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capability. Its 4,000 mAh battery can be charged via USB-C or wireless charging.
While the Communicator may look like a Blackberry or Palm device from days gone by, it carries modern features like a fingerprint sensor in the spacebar. It also has what Clicks calls a Signal LED, which is a customizable alert light that lets users know when specific people or apps are causing notifications.
As much as Clicks talks about its new phone as a secondary device, it follows the trend of minimalist or "dumb" phones as more users pull away from an overexposure to technology, social media and notifications. Some might even find it compelling as a primary device. But the secondary device idea feels unproven: having two phones would mean two phone plans with two phone numbers, which could be impractical for many use
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‘The Rightside Up' brought the Netflix blockbuster to its end with a blend of action and agony—plus an epilogue stuffed with hazy happiness.
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 It's time for more speedrunning (and other shenanigans) with the Games Done Quick (GDQ) crew. The first event of the year, Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ), kicks off on Sunday, January 4, with Super Mario Sunshine. Donations for this year's shindig will benefit the Prevent Cancer Foundation.
AGDQ 2026 has a whole week of 24/7 speedruns on tap. You'll see slots for some of 2025's biggest games: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Hollow Knight: Silksong and Hades II are part of the festivities. Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater gets both a standard run and a "versus" showdown. There's also plenty of classic Nintendo fare, including (among others) Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Mario Kart World, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD and Super Mario 64.
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How to delete your data in one easy step — if, that is, you live in California.
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You don't have to be a professor of archaeology to become the victim of a rolling boulder trap these days.
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Or, if you just want another BlackBerry, Clicks is also making a phone.
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The spread of generative AI has become background radiation, pitting players against studios and leaving its role uncertain.
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Instagram's top exec Adam Mosseri expects AI content to overtake non-AI imagery and discussed the implications for the platform and users.
Mosseri shared his thoughts on broader trends he expects to shape Instagram in 2026. "Everything that made creators matter — the ability to be real, to connect, to have a voice that couldn't be faked — is now suddenly accessible to anyone with the right tools," he wrote. "The feeds are starting to fill up with synthetic everything." He added: "There is already a growing number of people who believe, as I do, that it will be more practical to fingerprint real media than fake media."
Mosseri doesn't address the risk that this will alienate many photographers and other creators who have already grown frustrated with the app — it looks like Instagram is leaning into the AI firehose. And hey: whatever keeps its users using it.
Mosseri suggests many complaints stem from an outdated vision of what Instagram even is. The feed of "polished" square images, he says, "is dead." Instead of trying to "make everyone look like a professional photographer," Mosseri says that more "raw" and "unflattering" images will be how creators can prove they are real — not AI.
Or you could leave Instagram?
— Mat Smith
The other big stories (and deals) this morning
Netflix releases finale trailer for Stranger Things
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Fight monsters and solve mysteries with this excellent fantasy roundup.
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The Apple Watch lineup seems somewhat interchangeable, but there are some real differences among the three watches.
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Whether you're undertaking a digital detox or a social media detox, here's how to achieve success and reap all the benefits.
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This lovely dual-screen device has everything you need, and maybe even more.
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If you're ready to start tracking your weight, BMI, and other health data on your phone, we've weighed in on some great options.
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The No. 9 Crimson Tide and No. 1 Hoosiers meet in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day. See the best options for watching the game.
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Keyboard Sounds enhances the auditory experience of any keyboard by emulating the sounds of a mechanical keyboard. This software features 16 pre-configured profiles, a customizable profile editor, and application-specific rules, allowing you to tailor your sound preference. [License: Open Source | Requires:
11|10|Linux | Size: 113-124 MB ]
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Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Jan. 2.
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 A look at Hyundai's Holographic Windshield Display. (Hyundai)
While it often feels like a full-on auto show, the car vibes feel somewhat lessened at CES 2026. Yes, the Afeela electric vehicle from the Sony-Honda joint venture will be back on the floor, but with the Trump administration yanking most EV incentives from the market, the industry isn't offering a full-court press of new vehicles in Las Vegas this year. That said, there's still plenty of in-cabin car tech on display, including Hyundai's Holographic Windshield Display.
Indeed, the company's
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Here are some highly rated series to check out, plus a look at what's new in January.
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You may know Bosch as a home appliance brand (via its partnership with Siemens), but the German multinational is generally more focused on providing underlying technology and engineering solutions to auto, home and manufacturing partners across the globe. It's fitting, then, that much of what it's showing off at CES 2026 is more intended to be licensed to other companies versus Bosch-branded products you'll be seeing on store shelves.
Case in point is Bosch's automotive plans at CES. The company will present "AI in the car," or more specifically, in the cockpit of the car. "Bosch's AI-powered cockpit makes driving more comfortable, intuitive, and safer for all occupants," Bosch board member Markus Heyn said in a press release. We'll get into all the details below, as well as how to tune in to the press conference on Monday.
How to watch Bosch's CES 2026 presentation
You can livestream the event on Monday, January 5 at 12PM ET via the Bosch press page. (If the stream is embeddable, we'll also include it here.)
What to expect
Bosch will be setting up shop in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center (booth 16203), where the company will be focusing on its three big themes — mobility, smart home integrations and manufacturing — all of
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Keep the Upside Down vibes going with this cult classic.
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What happened in the Abyss—and how are Hawkins' heroes and villains faring in the aftermath of their greatest battle?
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It's no secret that AI-generated content took over our social media feeds in 2025. Now, Instagram's top exec Adam Mosseri has made it clear that he expects AI content to overtake non-AI imagery and the significant implications that shift has for its creators and photographers.
Mosseri shared the thoughts in a lengthy post about the broader trends he expects to shape Instagram in 2026. And he offered a notably candid assessment on how AI is upending the platform. "Everything that made creators matter—the ability to be real, to connect, to have a voice that couldn't be faked—is now suddenly accessible to anyone with the right tools," he wrote. "The feeds are starting to fill up with synthetic everything."
But Mosseri doesn't seem particularly concerned by this shift. He says that there is "a lot of amazing AI content" and that the platform may need to rethink its approach to labeling such imagery by "fingerprinting real media, not just chasing fake."
From Mosseri (emphasis his):
On some level, it's easy to understand how this seems like a more practical approach for Meta. As we've previously reported, technologies that are meant to identify AI
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An internal ICE document shared among immigration officials details plans to use influencers and geo-targeted ads to rapidly hire thousands of deportation officers.
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OpenAI opens ChatGPT to real apps. Developers can now submit MCP-powered tools for shopping, productivity, and more inside chat.
The post ChatGPT Just Became an App Store. Here's What You Need to Know appeared first on eWEEK.
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 In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps.
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Amazon is in early talks with OpenAI on a potential investment exceeding $10 billion, a deal that could push the AI company's valuation past $500 billion.
The post Amazon Discussions Could Push OpenAI Valuation Past $500 Billion appeared first on eWEEK.
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OpenAI rebuilds ChatGPT Images to challenge Google's Nano Banana, bringing faster image generation, editing, and conversational iteration into one creative workflow.
The post Nano Banana Faces New Rival as OpenAI Rolls Out ChatGPT Images Overhaul appeared first on eWEEK.
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OpenAI announced upgrades for its ChatGPT Images platform on Tuesday, saying the program can now make more precise edits and produce images more quickly.
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iPhone and Android users can reduce battery drain and data usage by restricting Background App Refresh to Wi-Fi connections instead of mobile networks.
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Human oversight was supposed to prevent artificial intelligence from warping job applicant selection processes, but a new study says it's not enough to mitigate bias.
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Fresh security research from Jamf Threat Labs may not reflect an active attack, but it does illustrate the layered complexity of today's threat environment.
When Airplane mode isn't Airplane mode
In brief, the researchers have figured out a proof of concept attack that tricks victims into thinking they are using Airplane Mode. However, in reality the attacker has put in place a fake version of that mode that looks normal but lets the attacker maintain access to the device.
This is by no means a straightforward attack and hasn't been seen in the wild. The exploit is complex and would require an attacker to successfully take control of the target device through a series of exploits, the research claims.
To read this article in full, please click here
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