• A beginner’s guide to Mastodon, the open source Twitter alternative

    January 1, 2026

    Unless if you’re really in the know about nascent platforms, you probably didn’t know what Mastodon was until Elon Musk bought Twitter and renamed it X. In the initial aftermath of the acquisition, as users fretted over what direction Twitter would take, millions of users hopped over to Mastodon, a fellow microblogging site. As time went on, users would also try out Bluesky, or Instagram’s Threads app — but because Mastodon was founded in 2016, it had years to develop its own identity as more than just an alternate Twitter. What is Mastodon? Mastodon was founded in 2016 by German…

  • How to watch Hyundai’s CES 2026 presentation live

    January 1, 2026

    While it often feels like a full-on auto show, the car vibes feel somewhat lessened at . Yes, the from the will be back on the floor, but with the Trump administration from the market, the industry isn’t offering a full-court press of new vehicles in Las Vegas this year. That said, there’s still plenty of in-cabin car tech on display, including Hyundai’s . Indeed, the company’s will present “more than 30 mobility convergence technologies” during CES. And we’ll also get to see Hyundai’s , which will showcase its new Atlas robot fresh out of the lab. How to watch…

  • OpenAI bets big on audio as Silicon Valley declares war on screens

    January 1, 2026

    OpenAI is betting big on audio AI, and it’s not just about making ChatGPT sound better. According to new reporting from The Information, the company has unified several engineering, product, and research teams over the past two months to overhaul its audio models, all in preparation for an audio-first personal device expected to launch in about a year. The move reflects where the entire tech industry is headed — toward a future where screens become background noise and audio takes center stage. Smart speakers have already made voice assistants a fixture in more than a third of U.S. homes. Meta…

  • How to watch the Hisense CES 2026 presentation live

    January 1, 2026

    Hisense is generally best known for its budget-friendly electronics and appliances, like TVs and refrigerators. However, at CES 2025, the China-based company showcased its high-end capabilities with a massive 136-inch micro LED TV, which has recently become available for a staggering $100,000. So what’s on deck for this year’s show? New leadership, for starters. The company has two new hires, including Chief Marketing Officer Sarah Larsen and Chief Commercial Officer James Fishler. In a press release, Hisense said Fishler’s experience in home entertainment, appliances and HVAC is important as the company “builds toward a milestone 2026 and its presence at…

  • Pick up a four-pack of AirTags for only $65 right now

    January 1, 2026

    Most Apple products are pretty expensive, but some of the most affordable (and useful) ones are AirTags. The Bluetooth trackers are priced pretty reasonably even when not on sale, but they can be a steal if you can get them on a discount — like right now. A four pack of AirTags is on sale for $65 at Amazon, which is only a few dollars more than the record-low price we saw during Black Friday a couple of months ago. Apple That’s a near-record low price on the Bluetooth trackers.  $65 at Amazon AirTags can be useful for people who…

  • The top 6 media/entertainment 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 media/entertainment Startup Battlefield 200 selectees, along with a note on why they landed in the competition.  Alltroo  What it does: Helps celebrities manage their charity giveaways and…

  • How to watch the NVIDIA CES 2026 presentation live

    January 1, 2026

    During CES 2025, we watched NVIDIA tout its leading position in the artificial intelligence arena for the bulk of the presentation. But it did reveal some new hardware, including its RTX 5000-series GPUs and Project Digits desktop supercomputer (later redubbed Spark). This year, the company’s website says it’s “lighting up CES 2026 with the power of AI.” To that end, NVIDIA is pulling out all the stops at its Vegas installation, promising hands-on demos in its booth at the Fontainebleau, replete with the “latest NVIDIA solutions driving innovation and productivity across industries.” But don’t worry if you’re not on the…

  • The CarExpert team’s predictions for 2026

    January 1, 2026

    This year has been unprecedented in many ways, not least because Australia’s first mandatory new-vehicle CO2 emissions legislation came into effect, and at least half a dozen new Chinese auto brands were launched locally. But the full effects of both those major developments are yet to be felt, so 2026 will be a litmus test for the automotive industry, for those and a variety of other reasons. However, there are many more issues facing the Australian new-vehicle market than just fresh Chinese brands and the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard, and there are always a few surprises. We don’t have a…

  • 2026 Jeep Avenger review | CarExpert

    January 1, 2026

    Jeep tiptoed into uncharted territory just over a year ago when it launched the pint-size Avenger – Australia’s first battery-electric light SUV – but it hasn’t quite been able to lay claim to the land. The Avenger was Jeep’s first-ever fully electric vehicle (EV) and narrowly beat the Hyundai Inster on sale here (but not the Mini Aceman, which is officially classed as a light car anyway), and it’s fair to say it looks more like an SUV than a hatchback than both of those tiny EVs. But with modest dimensions similar to those of the garden-variety Mazda CX-3, it’s…

  • How to watch the Bosch CES 2026 press conference live

    January 1, 2026

    You may know Bosch as a home appliance brand (via its partnership with Siemens), but the German multinational is generally more focused on providing underlying technology and engineering solutions to auto, home and manufacturing partners across the globe. It’s fitting, then, that much of what it’s showing off at is more intended to be licensed to other companies versus Bosch-branded products you’ll be seeing on store shelves. Case in point is Bosch’s automotive plans at CES. The company will present “AI in the car,” or more specifically, in the cockpit of the car. “Bosch’s AI-powered cockpit makes driving more comfortable,…