Music hardware and software manufacturer Native Instruments has entered into preliminary insolvency proceedings, . This is the company behind iconic software like Massive, Traktor and Kontakt and hardware like Maschine+. Native Instruments also owns the brands iZotope, Brainworx and Plugin Alliance. We don’t have many specifics as to what this entails and what the future of the company will look like. We do know that an administrator has been appointed to handle restructuring and, potentially, to sell off existing assets. Native Instruments employs hundreds of people and their fates also remain uncertain. A private equity firm called Francisco Partners owns…

Gaming peripheral company Razer has the beta release of Synapse Web, a browser-based version of its desktop software. The web app is intended for quick adjustments when away from home, such as LANs or tournaments, where downloading the full desktop version may not be possible or practical. At launch, Synapse Web will only support the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro keyboards, though Razer says more devices will be added down the line. Using any Chromium-based browser, users can make quick changes to key settings, apply Chroma RGB quick effects and manage on-board profiles. These profiles can then be viewed, edited and…

Services have been a huge part of Apple’s business for the past several years — to the tune of tens of billions of dollars in revenue last year alone. Now, with the new Apple Creator Studio bundle, the company is leaning harder into the professional creative software space. Apple Creator Studio packages a bunch of the company’s pro apps into a single subscription service that you can pay monthly or yearly for. It’s officially available starting January 28, and includes a one-month free trial. The key shift is that some of these apps are now subscription-only on iPad, even as…

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…

Anker introduced a nifty little charger at CES 2026, which is a refresh of the pre-existing Nano Charger. It’s already on sale for $30, which is a discount of $10 when you clip the on-page coupon on Amazon. The 45W charger includes a smart display that shows real-time data like power flow, temperature and charging status. It also features “fun animations to keep things cheerful.” Anker says it can recognize what’s being charged and automatically adjust certain metrics to ensure a longer battery lifespan. To that end, it works with just about everything. The company advertises that this charger is…