The 8BitDo Ultimate 2 is now up for pre-order at Amazon US.

A new ad from the Coca-Cola Co. opens with a shot of a typewriter clacking out Stephen King’s The Shining. The viewer follows a passage being written in an old-timey typeface until there’s a reference to a bottle of Coke. Suddenly, the type appears as the cola company’s script logo. The ad is part of a new campaign called “Classic” running in Spain and the U.K., in which Coca-Cola highlights instances when its brand name appears in literature by rendering them in the books’ original first-edition typefaces. The passages are printed in black, and references to either “Coke” or “Coca-Cola” in passages from King’s The Shining, J. G. Ballard’s Extreme Metaphors, and V. S. Naipaul’s A House for Mr. Biswas are rendered in logo format. Coke’s red logo pops against the white paper amid the black retro type. [Photo: Courtesy of VML] The approach emphasizes Coke’s legacy and plays on nostalgia in an analog medium and in an analog way. While so much of soda marketing is contemporary and youth-oriented, Coke is doing the opposite. It found a clever way to remind viewers that it’s been part of culture long before e-readers and cellphones by going back to print. It’s anti-trend and purposefully old-school, using the brand’s history and resonance in culture as social proof of its legacy. The campaign will appear on outdoor billboards and signage, streaming radio, online video, print, and cinema. Out-of-home posters show passages printed on paper, complete with page numbers and the books’ author and title. [Photo: Courtesy of VML] The challenge for the creatives behind “Classic” was how to reinforce “the timelessness and authenticity of Coca-Cola in a world where trends reign,” says VML, the marketing agency that worked with Coke’s agency, WPP Open X, to create the campaign. “Coca-Cola has always been more than a beverage—it’s a cultural icon that naturally finds its way into the stories we love,” Rafael Pitanguy, VML’s deputy global chief creative officer, said in a statement. “With ‘Classic,’ we’re honoring that legacy by bringing its literary presence to life in a way that feels both nostalgic and fresh.” Coca-Cola has played with its vintage-style script logo in new and surprising ways recently, like in a 2024 campaign from VML and WPP Open X that used authentic but unauthorized hand-drawn examples of the logo. And to promote recycling last year, Coca-Cola’s campaign with Ogilvy New York used smashed versions of the logo as they appear on crushed cans. With “Classic,” Coca-Cola isn’t so much finding experimental or clever ways to break from its brand guide like in some of last year’s creative. Instead, it’s finding a novel way to impose its brand guide onto culture, showing how Coke is embedded into literary history itself.

We rely too much on our computers these days, both the ones that sit on our desks as well as the ones we put in our pockets. While they have different shapes, sizes, and hardware, one of the things that bind these devices together is their use of screens. For hours a day, our eyes are glued to these bright and colorful displays that convey information and entertain. Unfortunately, that also means our eyes get fatigued more easily because of the strain these light-emitting devices blast at them. E Ink technology or E-Paper Displays (EPDs) in general have long been hailed as eye-friendly compromises between regular paper and screens, but their practical benefits are only applicable to Ebook Readers, including the more recent breed of Android-powered tablets. If you work at a computer most of the day, you won’t really get to enjoy those advertised experiences, especially if you find yourself using your laptop on the go often. Ereader manufacturer Bigme is trying to change that situation with an E Ink display that’s not only large and portable but also colorful in a limited way. Designer: Bigme Unlike typical display technologies like LCDs and OLEDs, E Ink doesn’t emit any light or shine it into your eyes. The effect is almost like that of reading on paper, which relies on ambient light for visibility. That said, E Ink displays have terribly slow refresh rates and couldn’t even display colors until recently, making them unusable for anything but reading books, particularly text-heavy novels and papers. Although not exactly the first portable E Ink monitor in the market, the new Bigme B13 is at least claiming the crown of the first 13.3-inch Color ePaper Monitor. The novelty here is the addition of color capabilities on such a large display, though typical Color E Ink screens can only support a dozen or so hues. So forget about using this for work that needs color accuracy and precision, let alone fast-moving and frequently changing objects. The Bigme B13 does boast a 30Hz refresh rate, which is actually fast for an E Ink screen even if that’s the bare minimum for computer monitors from decades ago. That said, faster refresh rates also mean more ghosting or artifacts as the microscopic beads try to move quickly and catch up with the content. As such, this eye-friendly monitor is still best used only for text-heavy content that doesn’t change so often, and there will admittedly be many use cases where such a portable monitor can be useful. The $499 price tag, however, might be a bit of a deal-breaker, especially once the pre-sale discount ends and the retail price goes back to an eye-watering $679. It isn’t clear if that price includes the adjustable backplate that lets you easily clamp one or even two Bigme B13 monitors to the sides of a laptop. Bigme is just the latest to jump into the fray of this still small but growing niche, and we can definitely expect more eye-friendly E Ink monitors to pop up as the technology improves.The post Another portable Color E Ink monitor joins a growing roster of eye-friendly mobile screens first appeared on Yanko Design.

Seamlessly switching between Joy-Con functions makes this more than just a mouse.

The structural biologist, who has devoted his life to studying the processes behind aging, discusses the surprising things he has learned and the public misunderstandings about longevity.

Libertarians have long looked at ocean living as the next frontier. Some wealthy men are testing the waters.

Macworld At a glanceExpert's Rating Pros 12 top-end ports, including four Thunderbolt 5 Built-in fast M.2 NVMe SSD 2.5Gb Ethernet Fast card readers 140W Power Delivery Cons Premium price Our Verdict Thunderbolt 5 is the future for pro Macs, and this premium docking station boasts four TB5 ports plus a built-in SSD of up to 4TB. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Price When Reviewed629 Euro Best Prices Today: Sonnet Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock Retailer Price Alternate 504,00 € View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Evwr since we tested it, our favorite docking station for Mac has been the the Sonnet Echo 20 Thunderbolt 4 SuperDock. It has just about everything: 19 top-end ports, 2.5Gb Ethernet, and a slot to add your own SSD drive to discreetly boost your MacBook’s internal storage without a big box hanging out the back. Sonnet has now released its super-dock for Thunderbolt 5: The Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock. It has dropped the “SuperDock” moniker but it’s even more super than its predecessor. Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock: Specs and features Any docking station has to be judged first and foremost on the ports and features that it offers the connected laptop/desktop/iPad Prouser. The Sonnet Echo 13 doesn’t have as many ports as the TB4 SuperDock, and, just as the Echo 20 had 19 ports, the Echo 13 has 12 ports, not including the power port. One upstream Thunderbolt 4 port (80Gbps, 140W) Three downstream Thunderbolt 5 ports (80Gbps, 1x 60W, 2x 15W) Two USB-A ports (10Gbps, 7.5W) One USB-A port (5Gbps, 7.5W) Internal M.2 NVMe SSD (1TB / 2TB / 4TB) Ethernet (2.5Gb) UHS-II SD card reader (312MBps) UHS-II microSD card reader (312MBps) 3.5mm combo audio jack (front) 180W power supply Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock: Thunderbolt speeds When Thunderbolt elbowed Thunderbolt 3 out of the way in 2020, Mac users could be forgiven for shrugging their shoulders with its top-end data-transfer speed staying at 40Gbps. In many ways, Thunderbolt 4 was a certification upgrade for Windows computers. Apple’s Intel-certified Thunderbolt 3 had most of what TB4 brought to the party, with a few pro benefits thrown in (i.e., support for dual 4K displays or one 8K display). Thunderbolt 5, on the other hand, is a proper update for all users, boosting data speeds to bi-directional 80Gbps and up to 120Gbps in boost mode for higher display bandwidth. That means much faster data transfers between devices and your Mac compared to Thunderbolt 4. TB5 has a mandated higher power delivery (to a laptop) of at least 140W (up from 100W) with support for up to 240W (vs 140W). The Echo 13 can power your MacBook at 140W (PD 3.1), which is enough to fast-charge the top-end 16-inch MacBook Pro via its upstream host TB5 port. The front-facing downstream Thunderbolt 5 port can charge at a powerful 60W, and the two back-mounted downstream TB5 ports can charge at 15W. Thunderbolt 5 also supports three 4K, 144Hz displays on Mac, compared to TB4’s base two 4K displays at 60Hz. You’ll need a Mac with Thunderbolt 5 to get the best value—available on the M4 Pro/Max MacBook Pro, M4 Pro Mac mini, and Mac Studio—but as it is backward compatible with Thunderbolt 4 and earlier, buying a TB 5 dock now will future-proof you for your next Mac purchase. Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock: Design While made from plastic, the sleek, black horizontal Sonnet Echo 13 looks impressive—maybe not as high-end as docks in metal casings, but still good enough next to your Mac. On the front, there’s a handy power button so you don’t need to yank out the Thunderbolt 5 cable when leaving your laptop overnight. Next to that are indicator lights to show when the dock is linked to a computer and when it is powered. All the ports are clearly labeled, which is appreciated. The upstream Thunderbolt 5 port is on the front, which is not our preference as we like it hidden at the back, but this setup might suit others. A downstream Thunderbolt 5 port—with 60W charging power—sits next to the host port, followed by a 10Gbps USB-A port. The two card readers for portable storage are handily placed on the front, as is the headset jack. Around the back, there is a row of three legacy USB-A ports—one at 5Gbps and two at 10Gbps—and then the 2.5G Ethernet. Two more downstream Thunderbolt 5 ports round off the back panel. There’s also a slot for a Kensington Security Lock on the side and anti-slip rubber feet at the bottom. There are air vents at the top of the dock, which kept it cool during our tests. Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock: USB ports Thunderbolt 5 is more speed than most devices need, which is why the dock comes with a bunch of standard USB ports as well. There aren’t any USB-C ports since the Thunderbolt ports are compatible with all type-C connectors, but there are four legacy USB-A ports, which is plenty in today’s USB-C world. We would have preferred a couple of those USB-A ports to be USB-C, but there are enough data and charging options here to satisfy most setups. Simon Jary / Foundry Power is supplied to the connected laptop at 140W. With a maximum 180W available from the external power supply, you won’t get the full 140W plus the generous 60W from the neighboring downstream TB5 port but potentially both of the other two TB5 ports at 15W each. A higher-powered power supply would have been preferred as no doubt the dock itself including the SSD storage will require some juice itself in normal operation. Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock: Display options You can connect up to two external displays via the Echo 13 Dock. There are no dedicated DisplayPort or HDMI ports, so if your monitor requires either of these two video connectors you’ll need to buy a USB-C adapter cable. If you own a USB-C monitor, you can connect directly with one of the downstream TB ports. On the TB4 Echo 20 Sonnet dropped one of the possible downstream TB4 ports for an HDMI 2.1 port, but keeping the Echo 13 at three downstream TB5 ports gives the user more flexibility. A modern multi-monitor setup requires only one Thunderbolt 5 port, thanks to Thunderbolt 5’s high bandwidth and the ability of modern monitors to daisy chain and connect the additional monitor via a Thunderbolt output on the monitor itself. On the left, Apple’s internal SSD pricing for its MacBook Pro at 2TB and 4TB, compared to 1TB, 2TB and 4TB prices for the Echo 13 Dock with built-in storage.Foundry Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock: Super-fast storage options One of the primary selling points of this Thunderbolt 5 dock is its built-in SSD storage. This is integrated rather than being a slot that you add your own SSD to, as was found in the Echo 20. Sonnet offers SSDs at 1TB, 2TB or 4TB. Being able to fit your own SSD probably would have been a cheaper option but let’s not complain because this internal storage is not just cheaper than buying a Mac with a high-capacity drive from Apple, which would charge you an extra $400 for a 2TB internal SSD or $1,000 for 4TB. The SSD is not formatted, but it’s easy to do this yourself using the Mac’s Disk Utility. If you do desire the extra storage you are in for a treat. The SSD is blindingly fast—much faster than you’d get with an external SSD. My colleague PCWorld’s Mark Hachman tested the Echo 13, and recorded a sequential read performance of 3,977MBps, almost double the read performance of 2,036MBps from his Lexar SL600 external 20Gbps SSD. When copying a folder of raw multimedia files from the SSD to the desktop, he recorded a copying time of just under 14 seconds—78 percent faster than the previous best time he’d seen for this test, which was over a minute. Thomas Berghold from our German Macwelt used Aja System Test Lite to measured an impressive 5,331MBps write and 5,822MBps read in the 4K test. Compared to the speeds we’ve measured for other internal storage devices in docking stations, this class-leading performance. Coupled with its 180W power supply the Echo 13 isn’t particularly portable, so what you store on that SSD isn’t going with you when you disconnect the MacBook from the dock. It’s great for backups, archiving, and for large files you don’t need with you on the road. LaCie With an external Lacie Rugged SSD Pro 5, we measured 6,094MBps read and 4,013MBps write. That’s only slightly slower than the 6,172MBps read and 4,374MBps write directly on the Mac. A test with the OWC Express 1M2, our fastest USB 4 testing drive, yields 3,274MBps read and 3,132MBps write. Directly on the Mac, it’s 3,665MBps read and 3,257MBps write. The Echo 13 features just both SD and microSD card readers for portable storage, an improvement on the SD-only Echo 20. Both are of the fast UHS-II variety. Measured with an OWC Atlas Ultra from our memory card test, the speeds here are also very good, with 292MBps for reading and 275MBps for writing. Simon Jary / Foundry Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock: Network speeds While most networks are still rated at the standard 1Gb (Gigabit) Ethernet, more modern networks are much faster at 2.5Gb, 5Gb or even 10Gb speeds. The Echo 13’s Ethernet port is rated at 2.5Gb, so a big speed jump on most docking stations and hubs, but not the very fastest if your network is at the cutting edge. If you are still on Gigabit Ethernet, fear not as speedier versions are backwards compatible. Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock: Price Sonnet doesn’t offer a model of the Echo 13 without a built-in SSD so if you really don’t need extra storage or prefer a portable solution you may be overpaying for just the dock itself. But who doesn’t need more storage, even if just for multiple backups? The 1TB model costs $400, 2TB is priced at $500, and 4TB at $700. While pricier than docks without an SSD, the extra you pay for such fast storage makes it a great investment. At the time of writing prices in the U.K. were higher. See our price comparison box for the latest live prices. Sonnet’s Echo 20 Thunderbolt 4 docking station is cheaper at $300, but you’ll need to add your own SSD card. The Echo 13 might be less flexible but it is significantly faster. For other alternatives, read our roundup of the best Thunderbolt docks for Mac. Should you buy an Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock: We are delighted that Sonnet followed its great SSD-packing Thunderbolt 4 dock with this pro-level Thunderbolt 5 model. There are plenty of differences but the main benefits remain—including the (very fast) internal storage—and are topped up with the much faster Thunderbolt 5 data speeds and power delivery. Even if you don’t yet own a Thunderbolt 5 computer or many devices, buying this super-speedy premium dock will future-proof you for when you do. Additional testing by Mark Hachman and Thomas Bergbold.

Elon Musk’s X is facing a regulatory probe in Europe over its alleged use of public posts from EU users to train its Grok AI chatbot – an investigation that could set a precedent for how companies use publicly available data under the bloc’s privacy laws. The Irish Data Protection Commission, in a statement, said it is examining whether X Internet Unlimited Company (XIUC), the platform’s newly renamed Irish entity, has complied with key provisions of the GDPR. At the heart of the probe is X’s practice of sharing publicly available user data – such as posts, profiles, and interactions – with its affiliate xAI, which uses the content to train the Grok chatbot. This data-sharing arrangement has drawn concern from regulators and privacy advocates, especially given the lack of explicit user consent. Adding to the concerns, rival Meta announced this week that it would also begin using public posts, comments, and user interactions with its AI tools to train models in the EU—signaling a broader industry trend that may invite further scrutiny. Ongoing regulatory scrutiny Ireland’s probe into X’s use of personal data marks the latest step in the EU’s broader push to hold AI vendors accountable. Many leading AI companies have adopted a “build first, ask later” strategy, often deploying models before fully addressing regulatory compliance. “However, the EU does not look kindly to the approach of opting users into sharing data by default,” said Hyoun Park, CEO and chief analyst at Amalgam Insights. “Data scraping is especially a problem in the EU because of the establishment of GDPR back in 2018. At this point, GDPR is an established law with over 1 billion euro in annual fines consistently being handed out year over year.”  The DPC’s investigation into X could also become a regulatory inflection point for the AI industry. Until now, many AI models have operated in a legal gray area when it comes to scraping publicly available personal data, according to Abhivyakti Sengar, practice director at Everest Group. “If regulators conclude that such data still requires consent under GDPR, it could force a rethink of how models are trained, not just in Europe, but globally,” Sengar said. More pressure on enterprise adoption The probe is likely to impact enterprise adoption of AI models further trained on publicly available personal data, as businesses weigh legal and reputational risks.   “There’s a noticeable chill sweeping across enterprise boardrooms,” said Sanchit Vir Gogia, chief analyst and CEO at Greyhound Research. “With Ireland’s data watchdog now formally probing X over its AI training practices, the lines between ‘publicly available’ and ‘publicly usable’ data are no longer theoretical.” Eighty-two percent of technology leaders in the EU now scrutinize AI model lineage before approving deployment, according to Greyhound Research. In one case, a Nordic bank paused a generative AI pilot mid-rollout after its legal team raised concerns about the source of the model’s training data, Gogia said. “The vendor failed to confirm whether European citizen data had been involved,” Gogia said. “Compliance overruled product leads and the program was ultimately restructured around a Europe-based model with fully disclosed inputs. This decision was driven by regulatory risk, not model performance.” The world is watching Ireland’s move could shape how regulators in other parts of the world rethink consent in the age of AI. “This probe could do for AI what Schrems II did for data transfers: set the tone for global scrutiny,” Gogia said. “It’s not simply about X or one case – it’s about the nature of ‘consent’ and whether it survives machine-scale scraping. Regions like Germany and the Netherlands are unlikely to sit idle, and even outside the EU, countries like Singapore and Canada are known to mirror such precedents. The narrative is shifting from enforcement to example-setting.” Park suggested that enterprise customers should seek indemnity clauses from AI vendors to protect against data compliance risks. These clauses hold vendors legally accountable for regulatory compliance, governance, and intellectual property issues linked to the AI models they provide. “Although most technology companies try to avoid indemnity clauses in most cases because they are so wide-ranging in nature, AI is an exception because AI clients require that level of protection against potential data and intellectual property issues,” Park added.

Last week, I spoke with two US Marines who spent much of last year deployed in the Pacific, conducting training exercises from South Korea to the Philippines. Both were responsible for analyzing surveillance to warn their superiors about possible threats to the unit. But this deployment was unique: For the first time, they were using generative AI to scour intelligence, through a chatbot interface similar to ChatGPT.  As I wrote in my new story, this experiment is the latest evidence of the Pentagon’s push to use generative AI—tools that can engage in humanlike conversation—throughout its ranks, for tasks including surveillance. Consider this phase two of the US military’s AI push, where phase one began back in 2017 with older types of AI, like computer vision to analyze drone imagery. Though this newest phase began under the Biden administration, there’s fresh urgency as Elon Musk’s DOGE and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth push loudly for AI-fueled efficiency.  As I also write in my story, this push raises alarms from some AI safety experts about whether large language models are fit to analyze subtle pieces of intelligence in situations with high geopolitical stakes. It also accelerates the US toward a world where AI is not just analyzing military data but suggesting actions—for example, generating lists of targets. Proponents say this promises greater accuracy and fewer civilian deaths, but many human rights groups argue the opposite.  With that in mind, here are three open questions to keep your eye on as the US military, and others around the world, bring generative AI to more parts of the so-called “kill chain.” What are the limits of “human in the loop”? Talk to as many defense-tech companies as I have and you’ll hear one phrase repeated quite often: “human in the loop.” It means that the AI is responsible for particular tasks, and humans are there to check its work. It’s meant to be a safeguard against the most dismal scenarios—AI wrongfully ordering a deadly strike, for example—but also against more trivial mishaps. Implicit in this idea is an admission that AI will make mistakes, and a promise that humans will catch them. But the complexity of AI systems, which pull from thousands of pieces of data, make that a herculean task for humans, says Heidy Khlaaf, who is chief AI scientist at the AI Now Institute, a research organization, and previously led safety audits for AI-powered systems. “‘Human in the loop’ is not always a meaningful mitigation,” she says. When an AI model relies on thousands of data points to draw conclusions, “it wouldn’t really be possible for a human to sift through that amount of information to determine if the AI output was erroneous.” As AI systems rely on more and more data, this problem scales up.  Is AI making it easier or harder to know what should be classified? In the Cold War era of US military intelligence, information was captured through covert means, written up into reports by experts in Washington, and then stamped “Top Secret,” with access restricted to those with proper clearances. The age of big data, and now the advent of generative AI to analyze that data, is upending the old paradigm in lots of ways. One specific problem is called classification by compilation. Imagine that hundreds of unclassified documents all contain separate details of a military system. Someone who managed to piece those together could reveal important information that on its own would be classified. For years, it was reasonable to assume that no human could connect the dots, but this is exactly the sort of thing that large language models excel at.  With the mountain of data growing each day, and then AI constantly creating new analyses, “I don’t think anyone’s come up with great answers for what the appropriate classification of all these products should be,” says Chris Mouton, a senior engineer for RAND, who recently tested how well suited generative AI is for intelligence and analysis. Underclassifying is a US security concern, but lawmakers have also criticized the Pentagon for overclassifying information.  The defense giant Palantir is positioning itself to help, by offering its AI tools to determine whether a piece of data should be classified or not. It’s also working with Microsoft on AI models that would train on classified data.  How high up the decision chain should AI go? Zooming out for a moment, it’s worth noting that the US military’s adoption of AI has in many ways followed consumer patterns. Back in 2017, when apps on our phones were getting good at recognizing our friends in photos, the Pentagon launched its own computer vision effort, called Project Maven, to analyze drone footage and identify targets. Now, as large language models enter our work and personal lives through interfaces such as ChatGPT, the Pentagon is tapping some of these models to analyze surveillance.  So what’s next? For consumers, it’s agentic AI, or models that can not just converse with you and analyze information but go out onto the internet and perform actions on your behalf. It’s also personalized AI, or models that learn from your private data to be more helpful.  All signs point to the prospect that military AI models will follow this trajectory as well. A report published in March from Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology found a surge in military adoption of AI to assist in decision-making. “Military commanders are interested in AI’s potential to improve decision-making, especially at the operational level of war,” the authors wrote. In October, the Biden administration released its national security memorandum on AI, which provided some safeguards for these scenarios. This memo hasn’t been formally repealed by the Trump administration, but President Trump has indicated that the race for competitive AI in the US needs more innovation and less oversight. Regardless, it’s clear that AI is quickly moving up the chain not just to handle administrative grunt work, but to assist in the most high-stakes, time-sensitive decisions.  I’ll be following these three questions closely. If you have information on how the Pentagon might be handling these questions, please reach out via Signal at jamesodonnell.22.  This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get stories like this in your inbox first, sign up here.

Apple Watch users can earn a limited-edition digital award by completing their Activity rings on April 24 as part of Global Close Your Rings Day.Apple WatchThe one-day challenge is open to anyone using Apple Watch with watchOS 5 or later. Participants who meet their Move, Exercise, and Stand goals will unlock exclusive rewards in the Fitness app, including animated stickers for Messages and a commemorative badge.Select Apple Store locations will also offer limited-edition pins while supplies last. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums