• Pebble reboots its thinnest smartwatch with the Pebble Round 2

    January 2, 2026

    Shortly after bringing back the Pebble smart watch and launching a low-cost AI smart ring, Pebble is readying yet another new product: the Pebble Round 2. As the name suggests, this latest device is another version of the Pebble smartwatch, but with a rounded screen, giving it a more upscale look. But like other Pebble devices, the new watch is still an affordable purchase at $199. Pebble keeps its smartwatches’ cost down by limiting what they can do. In the case of the new Pebble Round 2, the device offers basic health and activity tracking, like steps and sleep, but…

  • 2026 Alpine A390 GT review: Quick drive

    January 2, 2026

    And so, Alpine crosses a boundary. Until now, the revived French sports car maker – long since part of the Renault Group – has been playing on a familiar pitch, making the delectable A110 mid-engined sports car and a heated-up version of Renault’s 5 E-Tech electric hatchback called the A290.  Both of these cars are well inside Alpine’s traditional wheelhouse. The brand got its start making sportier, modified versions of Renault’s 4CV, the French automaker’s rival for the Volkswagen Beetle. Later it produced the hopelessly pretty original A110, which became a rallying superstar, and then spent the 1970s, 1980s and…

  • Fender Audio will introduce a new line of Bluetooth speakers and headphones at CES

    January 2, 2026

    Fender Audio, the consumer electronics arm of the instrument maker, will introduce two flagship audio products at this year’s CES in Las Vegas. These products were made under a licensing agreement with Singapore-based company RiffSound. First up is a line of Bluetooth speakers dubbed the ELIE (Extremely Loud Infinitely Expressive). The lineup includes two models, the E6 and E12. The speakers leverage a combination of DSP and system-on-a-chip processing, which Fender says can deliver more volume while maintaining greater power efficiency. Each speaker can handle up to four audio channels at once, including a Bluetooth source, a wired XLR or…

  • Clicks debuts its own take on the BlackBerry smartphone, plus a $79 snap-on mobile keyboard

    January 2, 2026

    Clicks Technology, a company known for making physical keyboards for smartphones, is launching two new devices ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week. In addition to a new, $79 slide-out keyboard for smart devices, the company is also unveiling its first smartphone: the Communicator, a smartphone with a physical keyboard, designed to be carried as your second device. Yes, it looks a lot like a BlackBerry. (Quick, someone tell Kim Kardashian, famous BlackBerry hoarder.) The $499 smartphone is described as being “purpose-built” for people who carry two phones — one for work and one for personal…

  • Instagram boss says ‘more practical to fingerprint real media than fake media’

    January 2, 2026

    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…

  • The best rice cooker for 2026

    January 2, 2026

    Capacity (cups): 6 cups (uncooked) / 12 cups (cooked) | Features: Twin pressure cooking (high and soft); 14 menu options including GABA rice, porridge, and scorched rice; nonstick inner pot; auto-clean function; voice navigation in English, Korean, and Chinese | Warranty: 1 year limited | Weight: 12.6 pounds This higher-end Cuckoo model delivered the best batches for all three grains of rice. Not only did it make damn good rice, it delivered in record time thanks to its pressurized cooking option. The Japanese-style white rice took a mere 29 minutes. The brown rice had a perfectly firm texture, a beautifully…

  • The best laptops for gaming and schoolwork in 2026

    January 2, 2026

    A good laptop for both gaming and schoolwork strikes a balance that goes beyond raw power. It should handle essays and research during the day, then jump into your favorite games when you are ready to take a break. That mix is easier to find now, with more laptops offering capable GPUs, solid battery life and designs that do not look out of place in a classroom. Whether you want a budget gaming laptop for lighter titles or a more powerful system that can run demanding games, there is something that fits just about every schedule and workload. We rounded…

  • What we listened to in 2025

    January 2, 2026

    If streaming services’ year-in-review campaigns have shown us anything, it’s that we’ve spent a staggering amount of time drowning out the hum of everyday life with music, podcasts and audio series. And with some incredible new releases this year, we were really eatin’ good. Here are some of the Engadget team’s favorite things we listened to in 2025. Spiritbox – Tsunami Sea I became aware of Spiritbox in late 2024 shortly before the band dropped its latest album, Tsunami Sea. At the time, I was in a deep Sleep Token phase, and I don’t remember how I stumbled upon Spiritbox,…

  • Even as global crop prices fall, India’s Arya.ag is attracting investors — and staying profitable

    January 2, 2026

    Arya.ag, an Indian agritech company offering storage facilities near farms and offering lending services to hundreds of thousands of farmers, has drawn investor interest and remained profitable even as global crop prices continue to fall in a volatile commodities market. The investor interest has taken shape in the latest all-equity Series D round from GEF Capital Partners, totaling $81 million, of which more than 70% was primary capital and the rest secondary share sales, according to the company. Globally, agricultural commodity prices are falling. Risks from extreme weather, input costs, trade disruptions, and biofuel policy shifts continue to weigh on…

  • New York State will require warning labels on social media platforms

    January 2, 2026

    The State of New York will social media platforms to display warning labels similar to those found on cigarettes. was passed by the and signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday. It will apply to any platforms that feature infinite scrolling, auto-play, like counts or algorithmic feeds. The labels will caution those on the platform about potential harm to young users’ mental health. Social media companies will be required to display these warning labels when a user first interacts with any of the features the state considers predatory. The warning will also be displayed periodically after that interaction.…