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Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Jan. 2.
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 Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle.
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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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The new year is always a wild time for Lego releases, and 2026 is certainly no exception.
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ETA sharing on Apple Maps and Google Maps keeps contacts updated automatically while you drive safely. Learn step-by-step instructions for iPhone and Android.
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Find great deals and promo codes for Visible at WIRED and save big, whether you're a long-time customer or a newbie.
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For a tech writer, being very offline is sort of like being a marathon coach who doesn't run. So in 2025, I tried to reverse years of studied avoidance towards the most ubiquitous technological phenomenon on earth — I got back on social media. The change was short-lived.
My first exodus from the feeds took some work — disabling notifications, removing apps from my homescreen and then deleting accounts entirely. This time, the phone put itself down. The whole thing has simply lost its luster.
I started with Instagram. Every experience went like this: I'd see a single post from one of the rare family members or IRL friends who are active on the platform. Next, I was fed a sponsored post, followed by suggestions to follow randos. After that, a series of influencer videos that, admittedly, appeal to my taste (funny/absurdist women and dissertations on urban planning). That was followed up with more sponsored posts, mostly from brands I'd looked up for work. Then it'd circle back to the influencers. My eyes glazed over and I tossed the phone aside.
Years back, the platform gave off a jolt of quasi-social connection that I'd spend hours sucking up. I fed on pointless thoughts from an ex-coworker, vacation reels from a college roommate, a half-baked loaf of bread that an old friend dropped on the floor but took a picture of anyway. Now it's a bare sliver of that stuff, shoehorned between towers of sponsored content and posts from people who make or promote their living on Instagram. The real people have left. The connection is gone. The FOMO is no more.
I experienced some variation of the same disappointment on every platform I rejoined. When I got back on TikTok a few months after the ban, it felt like a frenzied shopping mall. Every video seems to be about four seconds long
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 picture alliance via Getty Images
The Lego Group is hosting its first-ever press conference at CES 2026 - but what the company is going to announce remains a mystery. While the huge toy brick creators haven't given any hints as to what they'll be showcasing, the possibilities run the gamut from new video games to Formula 1 race cars.
Here's how you can watch Lego's presentation at CES, and what we might expect to see.
How to watch The Lego Group's CES 2026 press conference
The Lego CES press conference is scheduled for Monday, January 5 at 1PM ET. While Lego and the Consumer Technology Association haven't yet provided the details, we expect that the press conference will be available as a livestream. Once the details are confirmed, we'll update this post to confirm them. But if a livestream isn't immediately available, the Engadget team will be liveblogging the Lego presser and posting timely details.
What to expect
Thus far, Lego hasn't shared any public info about its CES plans, so we're largely in the dark as to what to expect. At CES 2025, for instance, the toy production giant
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Three weeks ago, I tested something that completely changed how I think about organic traffic. I opened ChatGPT and asked a simple question: "What's the best course on building SaaS with WordPress?" The answer that appeared stopped me cold. My course showed up as the first result, recommended directly by the AI with specific reasons why it was valuable.
I hadn't paid for advertising. I hadn't done any special promotion. The AI simply decided my content was the best answer to that question and served it to the user. This wasn't luck or a fluke. When I tested the same query in Perplexity, the same thing happened. My website ranked at the top of AI-generated responses, pulling in free traffic directly from AI models that millions of people now use as their primary search tool.
This represents a fundamental shift in how people discover content online. For years, we've optimized for Google's algorithm, carefully crafting meta descriptions and building backlinks to climb traditional search rankings. That work still matters, but a massive new traffic source has emerged that most content creators are completely ignoring. While everyone focuses exclusively on traditional SEO, AI Optimization is quietly becoming one of the most valuable skills for anyone who publishes content online.
The opportunity is enormous right now precisely because it's so new. Early adopters are claiming top positions in AI responses while their competitors remain oblivious to this emerging channel. But this window won't stay open forever. As more people recognize the value of appearing in AI results, competition will increase and optimization will become more sophisticated. The time to understand and implement AIO strategies is now, while the landscape is still relatively uncrowded.
In this comprehensive guide, I'll show you exactly how AI Optimization works, how it differs from traditional SEO, what specific tactics ac
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Want to see even more? Take a peek at PCWorld's list of the top laptops you can get right now.
Why you should trust us: It's in our name! PCWorld prides itself on laptop experience and expertise. We've been covering PCs since 1983, and we now review more than 70 laptops every year. All of the picks below have been personally tested and vetted by our experts, who've applied not only performance benchmarks but rigorous usability standards. We're also committed to reviewing PC laptops at every price point to help you find a machine that matches your budget.
Best budget laptop deals under $500
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