• Mercedes-AMG E53 recalled | CarExpert

    January 15, 2026

    Mercedes-Benz Australia is recalling the Mercedes-AMG E53 luxury sports sedan as it could suddenly lose power. “Due to a manufacturing defect, the transmission wiring harness may chafe against the front drive shaft and become damaged,” the company says in its recall notice. “This could lead to a sudden loss of motive power whilst driving without warning. Additionally, the vehicle may experience reduced emissions performance. “A sudden loss of motive power whilst driving could increase the risk of an accident, causing injury or death to vehicle occupants and/or other road users.” CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click…

  • Verizon says its service is back after a 10-hour outage

    January 15, 2026

    Verizon’s network is experiencing technical issues that are impacting calls and wireless data. Verizon customers on X have reported seeing “SOS” rather than the traditional network bars on their smartphones, and even the network provider’s own status page struggled to load, likely due to the number of customers trying to access it. Based on the experience of Verizon users on Engadget’s staff, the services that are impacted appear to be calls and wireless data. Text messages continue to be delivered normally, at least for some users. On DownDetector, reports of a Verizon outage started growing around 12PM ET and numbered…

  • Mira Murati’s startup, Thinking Machines Lab, is losing two of its co-founders to OpenAI

    January 15, 2026

    Former OpenAI exec Mira Murati’s startup, Thinking Machines Lab, is saying goodbye to two of its co-founders, both of whom are headed back to OpenAI. Another former OpenAI staffer who went to work for Murati’s startup is also headed back to the company. On social media on Wednesday, Murati announced the departure of Barret Zoph, the company’s co-founder and CTO. “We have parted ways with Barret,” Murati said in a post on X. “Soumith Chintala will be the new CTO of Thinking Machines. He is a brilliant and seasoned leader who has made important contributions to the AI field for…

  • BYD Seal 6: PHEV Toyota Camry, Skoda Octavia rival one step closer to Australia

    January 15, 2026

    BYD’s relentless model range expansion could include a mid-size sedan and wagon with plug-in hybrid power. The BYD Seal 6 has appeared in Australian Government approval documents, paving the way for its local launch. Four variants appear in the Australian Design Rule certification documents: two sedans and two Touring wagons. The entry-level version of each body style features a 70kW 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine and a 120kW electric motor, for a total system output of 130kW. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. Top-spec Seal 6s use a more powerful 160kW electric…

  • Ryan Hurst cast as Kratos for live-action God of War show

    January 15, 2026

    Amazon’s upcoming God of War live-action TV adaptation has cast Ryan Hurst as its Kratos. Sony announced the casting today on X with a brief post and an image of both Hurst and Kratos in full scowl mode. Hurst is already sporting a very Kratos-style beard, so he’s already got the right vibe going for him. He has past credits on familiar shows such as Sons of Anarchy and The Walking Dead. The upcoming Amazon series also isn’t his first rodeo acting in this universe; Hurst voiced Thor in the video game God of War Ragnarok. But the most important…

  • India’s Emversity doubles valuation as it scales workers AI can’t replace

    January 15, 2026

    As AI automates parts of the workforce, Emversity, an Indian workforce-training startup, is building talent pipelines for roles it sees AI can’t replace, and has raised $30 million in a new round to expand job-ready training in the world’s most populous market. The all-equity Series A round was led by Premji Invest, with participation from Lightspeed Venture Partners and Z47, the Bengaluru-based startup announced on Thursday. The funding values Emversity at around $120 million post-money, sources confirmed to TechCrunch, up from about $60 million in its April 2025 pre-Series A round. Total funding now stands at $46 million. India has…

  • 2026 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio Estrema: Carbon-clad edition priced for Australia

    January 15, 2026

    Alfa Romeo has confirmed the ultra-exclusive Giulia Quadrifoglio Estrema for the Australian market, with just 19 units of the special-edition sports sedan headed Down Under. Prices start from $186,990 plus on-road costs, which is a hefty $30,000 premium over the ‘standard’ Giulia QV, though the Estrema brings a number of enhancements for the spend. Chief among the extras is the Akrapovič titanium performance exhaust, boasting carbon-fibre tailpipe finishers. Not only does it enhance the 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6’s soundtrack, but it also bumps power and torque outputs to 382kW/606Nm compared to the standard car’s 375kW/600Nm. Further, the Estrema gets a full…

  • Netflix will air new video podcasts from Pete Davidson and Michael Irvin this month

    January 15, 2026

    Netflix is continuing to double down on podcasts, with the streaming service’s announcement that it has hired talent to host two original shows for its platform. The first show stars NFL Hall of Famer-turned-analyst Michael Irvin and the second is a talk show for former Saturday Night Live cast member Pete Davidson. The White House with Michael Irvin premieres January 19. The abode in the title refers to a building near the Dallas Cowboys facilities rather than the seat of US presidential power, but the overlap was intentional. “In a crowded media landscape, recognition matters — and few names carry…

  • The FTC’s data-sharing order against GM is finally settled

    January 15, 2026

    The Federal Trade Commission said Wednesday it has finalized an order that bans General Motors and its OnStar telematics service from sharing certain consumer data with consumer reporting agencies. The finalized order, which comes a year after the agency reached a proposed settlement with GM, also requires the automaker to be more transparent with its consumers and obtain their explicit consent on any data collection. The finalized order comes nearly two years after a New York Times report showed how GM and OnStar collected, used, and sold drivers’ precise geolocation data and driving behavior to third parties, including data brokers…

  • 2027 Skoda Peaq: Upcoming flagship EV named

    January 14, 2026

    The 2027 Skoda Peaq will debut later this year, becoming the brand’s new flagship and “in fact the largest Skoda model overall”. Riding on the MEB dedicated electric vehicle (EV) architecture, the Skoda Peaq will take the form of a circa-5.0-metre-long all-electric seven-seat SUV, based on the 2022 Vision 7S concept. The Peaq will be to the Kodiaq what the Elroq is to the Karoq – it’s an EV alternative to a similarly sized combustion-powered model in Skoda’s lineup. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. Skoda Peaq Skoda Vision 7S Skoda Peaq…