• China introduces “no fire, no explosion” EV battery standards

    December 30, 2025

    New laws introduced in China aim to improve the safety of electric vehicle (EV) battery packs, including a “no fire, no explosion” requirement focusing on eliminating battery fires and subsequent hazards. The regulations will bring global benefits given the dominance of China in the EV battery supply chains and their proliferation across auto brands, including Tesla, BYD and Toyota. According to CarNewsChina, the new rules come into effect on January 1, 2026, and they “will require automakers to optimise battery structures and thermal management systems to improve the overall safety of new energy vehicles”. ‘New energy vehicles’ is a term…

  • How to watch the LG CES 2026 press conference

    December 30, 2025

    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.”…

  • 2025 was the year AI got a vibe check

    December 30, 2025

    Money was no object for the AI industry in early 2025. A vibe check crept in the second half of the year.  OpenAI raised $40 billion at a $300 billion valuation. Safe Superintelligence and Thinking Machine Labs raised individual $2 billion seed rounds before shipping a single product. Even first-time founders were raising at a scale that once belonged only to Big Tech.  Such astronomical investments were followed by equally incredible spends. Meta shelled out nearly $15 billion to lock up Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang and spent countless more millions to poach talent from other AI labs. Meanwhile, AI’s…

  • The cars revealed in 2025 we wish would come to Australia

    December 29, 2025

    Ever have that feeling after you’ve unwrapped all your presents that something was missing? We feel a little bit like that at the end of 2025. The Australian auto market received plenty of presents in the shape of new vehicles from a raft of brands, but some exciting vehicles weren’t sent our way wrapped with a big bow. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. Exeed ES GT Jeep Cherokee Nissan Elgrand Yangwang U9 Track Edition Some examples include: Acura RSX BYD Racco EV Cadillac Escalade iQL Cadillac Optiq-V Deepal L06…

  • NASA finally has a leader, but its future is no more certain

    December 29, 2025

    After a rudderless year and an exodus of around 4,000 employees due to Trump administration cuts, NASA got what may be its first piece of good news recently. On December 17, the Senate confirmed billionaire Jared Isaacman as the agency’s new administrator. He now holds the power to rehabilitate a battered engine of scientific research, or steer it towards even more disruption. Considering the caliber of President Trump’s other appointees, Isaacman is probably the best candidate for the job. Outside of being a successful entrepreneur, he has flown fighter jets and been to space twice as part of the Inspiration4…

  • How to make your startup stand out in a crowded market, according to investors

    December 29, 2025

    At TechCrunch Disrupt, three investors took the stage to dissect what makes — and breaks — a pitch deck. Jyoti Bansal, a founder-turned-investor; Medha Agarwal of Defy; and Jennifer Neundorfer of January Ventures shared with the crowd their candid views on what works in a pitch deck — and what doesn’t. Their biggest pet peeve? Buzzword overload. The more a founder says AI in the pitch, Agarwal said, the less AI the company likely uses. “The people who are doing things that are really innovative, they’ll talk about it, and it’s built in, but it’s not the core of their pitch,” she told the audience.   Bansal, who built and sold multiple companies…

  • 2026 Skoda Fabia 130 review: Quick drive

    December 29, 2025

    Skoda’s RS performance badging has built up a dedicated following over the decades, with the two-letter moniker widely used in the current model portfolio. But one line it has been conspicuously absent from for many a year (in fact, more than a decade now) is the Fabia hatch. Not since the Mk2-based RS 132TSI bit the dust in 2013 have we had a ‘hot’ Fabia. Until now. Yet this is not the return of the RS. Instead, it’s a new halo model called the Fabia 130. That name fulfils a three-pronged brief, by the way: because it’s 130 years since…

  • Apple AirTag four-packs are on sale for $65 right now

    December 29, 2025

    Apple keeps most of its product pricing on a tight leash, but we do see the company’s AirTags go on sale pretty frequently. Another cost cut has come around for this item just in time for the new year. Amazon is currently selling a four-pack of AirTags for $65. At a third off the regular cost, that price is pretty close to the record low discount of $63 we’ve seen for these Bluetooth trackers. Apple That’s a near-record low price on the Bluetooth trackers.  $65 at Amazon AirTags can be useful for people who travel frequently, helping you to keep…

  • Social media follower counts have never mattered less, creator economy execs say

    December 29, 2025

    As social media becomes increasingly reliant on algorithmic feeds, creators are navigating a new normal: Just because you post something doesn’t mean your followers will see it. “I think that 2025 was the year where the algorithm completely took over, so followings stopped mattering entirely,” LTK CEO Amber Venz Box told TechCrunch. This isn’t news to creators – Patreon CEO Jack Conte has ardently banged this drum for years – but throughout the year, the industry at large has reacted to this phenomenon in different ways, from the influencers to the streamers. According to the executives that TechCrunch spoke to…

  • Lexus RZ600e: New EV flagship boasts more power, plenty of wings

    December 29, 2025

    The updated Lexus RZ range has yet to make it to Australian showrooms, but there’s now a new, outlandishly styled flagship version in Japan: the RZ600e F Sport Performance. Based on the RZ550e, the RZ600e F Sport Performance has a total system output of 313kW. According to Lexus the 13kW bump up from RZ550e is thanks purely to “reassessing battery output limits”. Despite the extra power, the claimed 0-100km/h time for the top-shelf mid-size electric SUV is unchanged at 4.4 seconds. Both front and rear motors are rated at 167kW and 268Nm. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new…