• What to expect when tech’s biggest conference starts on January 4

    January 1, 2026

    The new year is upon us, and that means CES 2026 is imminent. The biggest tech trade show of the calendar comes with a bevy of new and notable announcements that set the tone for trends and expectations for the subsequent 12 months. The CES 2026 show floor is officially open from January 6 through 9, but the fun kicks off with events on Sunday January 4, followed by a host of press conferences on Monday. As always, product demos, announcements and networking will be happening at the Las Vegas Convention Center and other hotels all over the city. As…

  • The dumbest things that happened in tech this year

    January 1, 2026

    The tech industry moves so fast that it’s hard to keep up with just how much has happened this year. We’ve watched as the tech elite enmeshed themselves in the U.S. government, AI companies sparred for dominance, and futuristic tech like smart glasses and robotaxis became a bit more tangible outside of the San Francisco bubble. You know, important stuff that’s going to impact our lives for years to come.  But the tech world is brimming with so many big personalities that there’s always something really dumb going on, which understandably gets overshadowed by “real news” when the entire internet…

  • How to watch the LG press conference at CES 2026

    January 1, 2026

    For years, LG has kicked off CES press day with the first event of the morning — and 2026 will be no different. The Korea-based corporation is theming its presentation as “Innovation in Tune with You,” and — if it follows the template of past presentations — it will highlight both the consumer electronics and large appliance sides of its mammoth global businesses. Like nearly all tech-centric events these days, expect AI to be the binding theme of the LG presentation at CES 2026. Just be aware that, like Apple, LG has its own customized abbreviation for AI: “Affectionate Intelligence.”…

  • The 10 top government, legal startups from Disrupt Startup Battlefield

    January 1, 2026

    Every year, TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield pitch contest draws thousands of applicants. We whittle those applications down to the top 200 contenders, and of them, the top 20 compete on the big stage to become the winner, taking home the Startup Battlefield Cup and a cash prize of $100,000. But the remaining 180 startups all blew us away as well in their respective categories and compete in their own pitch competition. Here is the full list of the government and legal Startup Battlefield 200 selectees, along with a note on why they landed in the competition.  Aparti What it does: Uses AI to automate…

  • Best podcasts for sleep and to help insomnia

    January 1, 2026

    I never thought listening to vivid descriptions of crime, murder, and World War II would be the solution to my chronic insomnia. But, here we are. Nowadays, falling asleep can feel like an unending nightly battle with our phones and always-on culture. Which is why the rise of podcasts designed to help you fall asleep is so unexpected, turning a big source of our insomnia (cellphones) into the tool we need to doze off. The most famous one, Sleep With Me, blew up over the last few years, topping Apple’s podcast charts week after week. It’s success led to a…

  • January’s PS Plus Monthly Games include Need for Speed Unbound and Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed

    January 1, 2026

    Sony of PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for 2026. There are three titles to play this month, all of which drop on January 6. As always, you’ll retain access to these games as long as your subscription remains active. First up, there’s Need For Speed Unbound. This is a racing game that and was the first entry in the franchise for several years before that. It has a unique visual style, thanks to cel-shaded graphics, with all kinds of vehicles to choose from. There are street racing challenges, weekly qualifiers and a minigame that has you outrunning the cops. The rapper…

  • ‘College dropout’ has become the most coveted startup founder credential

    January 1, 2026

    Although iconic founders like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg famously didn’t finish college, multiple studies show that the vast majority of successful startups had founders with bachelor’s or graduate degrees. Despite this data, the appeal of a dropout founder persists, though VC enthusiasm for the ‘un-degreed’ is far from constant. It is a phenomenon that cycles in and out of fashion, and right now it is certainly having a moment amid the AI boom. This trend is particularly evident during Y Combinator Demo Days, where founders are increasingly touting their dropout status in their one-minute pitches. “I don’t believe YC…

  • Insomnia Twitter is a remarkably unhinged yet unifying place

    January 1, 2026

    Having trouble sleeping? Hit Snooze is Mashable’s deep dive into how we cope with our collective insomnia and the many ways we can achieve a more peaceful slumber. From the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. you can almost certainly count on Twitter to be an overwhelming hellscape. During that specific span of time (and a few hours afterwards) nearly everyone you follow is awake, logged on for the day, and ready to tweet into the void until the sun goes down. But when they log off or fall asleep, Twitter transforms into a completely different platform. After midnight…

  • How to watch the Sony Honda Afeela CES 2026 press conference

    January 1, 2026

    Sony’s CES 2026 press conference is just days away, but this year has a twist: Instead of an overview of Sony’s electronics, video game and Hollywood studio plans for the new year, the presser will apparently have a more narrow focus: electric vehicles. That’s because the traditional end-of-press-day slot isn’t just Sony, but rather Sony Honda Mobility — the joint venture responsible for the Afeela 1 electric car that has been showcased at CES for the better part of a decade. This year, however, we’ll also apparently get to see a an all-new concept model at the event, too. How…