• 2026 Toyota bZ4X review | CarExpert

    January 27, 2026

    Toyota Australia is starting to get serious about electric vehicles (EVs) in this market. Up against an onslaught of electric offerings from China and elsewhere, the Japanese auto giant has upped the ante with an updated and upgraded version of its first EV, the bZ4X mid-size electric SUV. Toyota has slashed pricing, added buyer incentives, improved the standard spec, given it more EV driving range, and a slight styling upgrade, too. And for the entry-level 2WD variant tested here, the brand has pushed particularly hard. So, is the bZ4X finally the EV with which the world’s biggest automaker can compete…

  • Lego has a new round of Star Wars sets that work with the Smart Brick

    January 27, 2026

    Lego unveiled its Smart Play system at CES 2026 earlier this month, with a selection of sets designed for the engaging feature. Now, the toy company has announced five new compatible sets — all Stars Wars themed — available now for pre-order. Anthony Daniels, the original C-3PO, shared the news during the Nuremberg Toy Fair. The Smart Play system, Lego’s newest venture, involves a Smart Brick, Smart Tags and Smart Minifigures. Each Smart Brick has proximity sensors, an accelerometer, a speaker and more. The Smart Tags and Smart Minifigures relay what’s happening to the Brick. For example, if you whoosh…

  • Uber launches an ‘AV Labs’ division to gather driving data for robotaxi partners

    January 27, 2026

    Uber has more than 20 autonomous vehicle partners, and they all want one thing: data. So the company says it’s going to make that available through a new division called Uber AV Labs. Despite the name, Uber is not returning to developing its own robotaxis, which it stopped doing after one of its test vehicles killed a pedestrian in 2018. (Uber ultimately sold off the division in 2020 in a complex deal with Aurora.) But it will send its own cars out into cities adorned with sensors to collect data for partners like Waymo, Waabi, Lucid Motors, and others —…

  • Apple’s new louder, high-precision AirTag

    January 27, 2026

    Between the new Macs, iPhones and rumored AI gadgets, Apple surprised us with an upgraded, second-generation AirTag. It has Apple’s latest Ultra Wideband chip — the same one used in the iPhone 17 lineup and the Apple Watch Ultra 3. It also uses Precision Finding to reach items up to 50 percent further away than the previous AirTag model. This feature will now work with any Apple Watch Series 9, Ultra 2 or newer. TMA (Apple) Apple says the new tag is 50 percent louder and features a “distinctive new chime.” So you can show off that you’ve got the…

  • Obvious Ventures lands fund five with a 360-degree view of planetary, human, economic health

    January 27, 2026

    Obvious Ventures, the firm co-founded by Twitter’s Evan Williams, has raised a fifth fund, and this one, just like its predecessors, comes with a “fun” number: $360,360,360. “We invest in the frontiers of math and science and physics, and we like to celebrate math in our fund numbers as well,” James Joaquin (pictured far right), the firm’s co-founder and managing director, told TechCrunch. The firm’s first fund was $123,456,789, and the second was $191,919,191 (a palindromic number that reads the same forward and backwards). The third was $271,828,182 (which mathematicians and engineers instantly recognize as e, or Euler’s number), while…

  • TurboTax Deluxe has been discounted to $45 ahead of tax season

    January 27, 2026

    Tax season is fast approaching, and unfortunately for 2026, Direct File isn’t an option anymore. The free, government-provided service was shut down, so you’ll need to look to other federal programs, including IRS Free File, to file your paperwork. If you don’t qualify for Free File, TurboTax might be your best bet for a relatively cheap, efficient way to file your taxes. While it pains us to suggest you give money to a company that has spent decades lobbying to ensure America’s tax system remains a nightmare, we can at least help you save a bit of cash if you’ve…

  • Northwood Space secures a $100M Series B and a $50M Space Force contract

    January 27, 2026

    Space is an increasingly crowded place thanks to the constant influx of new satellites and it’s only to get more cramped as the cost to get to orbit falls. Those dynamics have brought attention to startup Northwood Space, which has spent the last few years developing more modern and efficient ground-based communications infrastructure. The startup capitalized on that interest in two ways this week. The El Segundo, California-based company announced on Tuesday it has closed a $100 million Series B funding round, led by Washington D.C.-based firm Washington Harbour Partners (which has been on a run of space investments) and…

  • The best Apple Watch accessories for 2026

    January 27, 2026

    UGreen’s MagFlow Qi2 3-in-1 charger station offers a ton of value for $140. The company managed to build a trio charger that works well as a permanent fixture on your bedside table or desk, as well as a compact portable charging station. As the former, it takes up very little space when fully setup, and the magnetic phone charger can be tilt-adjusted up to 70 degrees so you can get the right viewing angle if you’re watching videos on your iPhone while charging. The Apple Watch charging pad is similarly adjustable, and the space that wirelessly powers up AirPods or…

  • ‘Among the worst we’ve seen’: report slams xAI’s Grok over child safety failures

    January 27, 2026

    A new risk assessment has found that xAI’s chatbot Grok has inadequate identification of users under 18, weak safety guardrails, and frequently generates sexual, violent, and inappropriate material. In other words, Grok is not safe for kids or teens.  The damning report from Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that provides age-based ratings and reviews of media and tech for families, comes as xAI faces criticism and an investigation into how Grok was used to create and spread nonconsensual explicit AI-generated images of women and children on the X platform.  “We assess a lot of AI chatbots at Common Sense Media,…

  • The best wireless earbuds for 2026

    January 27, 2026

    Wireless earbuds are now the default option for everyday listening, whether you’re heading out for a commute, fitting in a workout or just watching videos at home. The best wireless earbuds combine reliable connectivity, comfortable fits and sound quality that holds up across music, calls and podcasts, all without the hassle of cables. Most are small enough to disappear into a pocket and pair quickly with phones, tablets and laptops. What sets one pair apart from another often comes down to priorities. Some earbuds lean heavily on active noise cancellation, while others focus on long battery life, compact charging cases…