Handheld gaming consoles are about to see a wave of exciting developments, with the imminent arrival of the Switch 2 in June and rumors of the Steam Deck 2 coming in 2026. Right now, chip giant AMD is considered the pack leader, with its graphics chips used in handhelds from the ASUS ROG Ally to the Steam Deck and the Lenovo Legion Go. Nvidia, on the other hand, dominates the cloud gaming market, with Nvidia GeForce Now available on handhelds like the Razer Edge and Logitech G Cloud. PC players also tend to gravitate towards Nvidia, and it’s ahead in aspects like neutral rendering. With Nvidia’s T239 chip expected to appear in the Nintendo Switch 2, could AMD’s hold on the market falter? Nintendo Switch 2: Tech Specs and Nvidia’s T239 Chip Nintendo has always played its cards close to its chest when it comes to its tech specs, but we do know a bit about the hardware for the upcoming Switch 2: The handheld will feature an Nvidia SoC, with hardware-accelerated ray tracing and machine learning capabilities (DLSS). That chip is the T239, according to reputable PC leaker kopite7kimi (h/t Eurogamer) and may share the same GPU architecture as the T234 processor used in Nintendo’s Nanodev kit — the Ampere architecture in RTX 30-series cards. We can also expect a 128-bit memory interface, 1536 CUDA CoreGPU, and the processor to measure 200mm² — though that’s still bigger than the Steam Deck SoC. Nvidia claims the T239 chip provides “up to 10x the graphics performance of the Nintendo Switch”. That means 3.9 teraflops of performance in docked mode and 1.5 teraflops in handheld mode, compared to 4 teraflops in the Xbox Series X and 1.6 teraflops in the Steam Deck. Teraflops (TFLOPs) are a unit of one trillion floating-point operations per second, and are a critical measurement in graphics rendering for games. Generally speaking, more teraflops mean faster performance and improved graphics. The T239 chip is built on Samsung 8nm technology, compared to the Steam Deck’s 162mm² processor’s 7nm process, also used in PS5 and Xbox Series consoles dating back to 2020. Image Credit – Samsing Electronics It will pack RT cores for real-time ray tracing, a variable 120Hz refresh rate via Nvidia G-Sync, and Tensor cores to power DLSS, Nvidia’s AI-based frame generation and resolution scaling. These are nothing new to PC gamers, but seeing them appear in the Switch 2 is still thrilling. AAA titles like Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, Street Fighter 6, and Elden Ring have already been confirmed for the Switch 2. Tom’s Guide says the handheld’s “gameplay response times are snappy and tearing is non-existent,” with only the smallest signs of ghosting visible around characters and objects. The Switch 2 will also run at a higher power level, delivering up to 4K resolution when docked, thanks to the dock’s built-in fan. In contrast, the Steam Deck is limited to its maximum wattage in handheld mode, though there are workarounds. AMD Boosts Visuals and Performance with FSR 4 While Nvidia focuses on raw performance claims, AMD prioritizes visual enhancement and performance optimization with its FSR 4 technology. Launched on March 6, 2025, FSR 4 is an upscaling technology that improves frame rate for smoother gameplay on less powerful hardware or at higher resolutions. Perfect for handhelds, then. Image Credit: Carota Design According to Digital Foundry, AMD’s FSR 4 is a major improvement over FSR 3 on the OG Steam Deck and Nvidia’s DLSS 4. The problem is, you can only get it on RDNA 4 desktop GPUs. However, if rumors are true, we could soon see it on the Steam Deck 2. The rumored AMD Ryzen AI Z2 chip could bring better frame generation with its NPU through its AI capabilities. According to leaker Hoang Anh Phu on X, the chip will reportedly use RDNA 3.5. If FSR 4 is ported to RDNA 3.5, that could lay the grounds for better image quality and performance on the Steam Deck 2. Valve has confirmed there will be no Z2 Steam Deck, and the company isn’t thinking about new hardware until 2026 at least. Is Nvidia on the Road to its Own Handheld? AMD rivalry aside, Nvidia’s sidestep into handhelds could pave the way for the graphics giant to launch its own portable gaming device A 2024 leak from YouTuber Moore’s Law is Dead (h/t Gamesradar) revealed that the company was “getting serious about making more handheld gaming devices with their graphics IP”. We’ve heard rumors that Nvidia could partner with Intel to make a premium gaming handheld. We could even see a streaming device linked to GeForce Now, or Nvidia could make a version of the T239 for inclusion in PC handhelds. As for whether Nvidia has the goods to go head to head with AMD, we’ll need to wait and see what Valve has in store when the Steam Deck 2 lands next year. Paula has been a writer for over a decade, starting off in the travel industry for brands like Skyscanner and Thomas Cook. She’s written everything from a guide to visiting Lithuania’s top restaurants to how to survive a zombie apocalypse and also worked as an editor/proofreader for indie authors and publishing houses, focusing on mystery, gothic, and crime fiction. She made the move to tech writing in 2019 and has worked as a writer and editor for websites such as Android Authority, Android Central, XDA, Megagames, Online Tech Tips, and Xbox Advisor. These days as well as contributing articles on all-things-tech for Techreport, you’ll find her writing about mobile tech over at Digital Trends. She’s obsessed with gaming, PC hardware, AI, and the latest and greatest gadgets and is never far from a screen of some sort.Her attention to detail, ability to get lost in a rabbit hole of research, and obsessive need to know every fact ensures that the news stories she covers and features she writes are (hopefully) as interesting and engaging to read as they are to write. When she’s not working, you’ll usually find her gaming on her Xbox Series X or PS5. As well as story-driven games like The Last of Us, Firewatch, and South of Midnight she loves anything with a post-apocalyptic setting. She’s also not averse to being absolutely terrified watching the latest horror films, when she feels brave enough! View all articles by Paula Beaton Our editorial process The Tech Report editorial policy is centered on providing helpful, accurate content that offers real value to our readers. We only work with experienced writers who have specific knowledge in the topics they cover, including latest developments in technology, online privacy, cryptocurrencies, software, and more. Our editorial policy ensures that each topic is researched and curated by our in-house editors. We maintain rigorous journalistic standards, and every article is 100% written by real authors.

In a nutshell: Apple released iOS 18.4.1 this week with patches for two critical iPhone security flaws, both of which were being exploited in the wild. The update also contains important bug fixes, including one for an annoying CarPlay glitch that caused random connection issues and other problems. The first security vulnerability addressed in the latest update is in CoreAudio, tracked as CVE-2025-31200. According to Apple's security bulletin, it allowed for malicious code execution when processing an audio stream from an infected media file. The vulnerability is described as a memory corruption issue that was fixed with improved bounds checking. Apple says it has received reports that this bug was exploited in an "extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals on iOS," but did not divulge further details or how it was exploited to target unsuspecting users. The vulnerability was detected by Apple and the Google Threat Analysis Group. The second security flaw, tracked as CVE-2025-31201, is in RPAC and reported by Apple. The bug could allow an attacker with arbitrary read and write capability to bypass Pointer Authentication in some cases. Like the first bug, this vulnerability was also exploited in targeted attacks against specific iPhone users. It was fixed by removing the faulty code. Devices impacted by these two vulnerabilities include iPhone XS and later, iPad Pro 13-inch, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 7th generation and later, iPad mini 5th generation and later, Mac models running macOS Sequoia, Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K (all models), and Apple Vision Pro. The bugs were fixed in iOS 18.4.1, iPadOS 18.4.1, tvOS 18.4.1, macOS Sequoia 15.4.1, and visionOS 2.4.1. Apple is advising all users to install the latest updates on their devices as soon as possible to protect themselves from potential attacks. // Related Stories Apart from the security patches, iOS 18.4.1 also includes a fix for a CarPlay bug that resulted in random connection problems. Some users claimed that their CarPlay connection suddenly became unstable following the iOS 18.4 update, resulting in frequent disconnections. Others reported that they were getting a blank CarPlay screen and were unable to use the software at all. Apple says it has now fixed the issue for good, so users will hopefully be able to use CarPlay seamlessly in their vehicles once again.

Need a budget vacuum? You may want to turn your attention to vacuum deals. Some offers are still pretty expensive, but certainly not this one — the PrettyCare W200 cordless stick vacuum for a very affordable $80, following a $320 discount from Walmart on its original price of $400. That original MSRP sticker price seems a bit too high, but in any case, you’ll still be getting a cordless vacuum for under $100 — that’s a steal no matter how you look at it. Take advantage of this offer today as it may already be gone by tomorrow! For cordless vacuums, PrettyCare isn’t one of the popular brands, but the PrettyCare W200 cordless stick vacuum is a solid budget-friendly option. It’s equipped with a 180W motor with your choice between 15 kPa suction, which will allow its battery to last up to 48 minutes on a single charge, or 28 kPa suction, for extra power at the trade-off of lasting just 20 minutes. The cordless vacuum also features a six-stage HEPA filtration system that will allow it to expel nothing but clean air back into your home. The PrettyCare W200 cordless stick vacuum comes with various attachments and accessories to make cleaning more efficient. The floor brush attachment has four LED headlights to make it easy to see where you’re cleaning; a crevice nozzle lets you pick up dirt and debris from tight spaces; and a 2-in-1 brush lets you sweep dust before having them picked up by the cordless vacuum. Everything goes into its 1.3-liter dust collection cup, which you can empty with a simple press of a button. Related The PrettyCare W200 cordless stick vacuum’s original price of $400 at Walmart appears to be overestimated, but that doesn’t matter since a $320 discount brings it all the way down to only $80. We’re not sure how much time is remaining before stocks of this cordless vacuum sell out though, so you’re going to have to hurry if you don’t want to miss out on this chance to buy the PrettyCare W200 cordless stick vacuum for less than $100. However, if you want a cleaning companion that’s more hands-off, take a look at our favorite robot vacuum deals. Editors’ Recommendations

During World War II, the writer Nan Shepard captured the sublime beauty of Scotland’s Cairngorm mountains.

going far Tesla odometer uses “predictive algorithms” to void warranty, lawsuit claims This is a separate case to the lawsuits alleging Tesla misleads about range. Jonathan M. Gitlin – Apr 17, 2025 10:15 am | 27 Credit: Getty Images Credit: Getty Images Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more Tesla is facing a new scandal that once again sees the electric automaker accused of misleading customers. In the past, it has been caught making "misleading statements" about the safety of its electric vehicles, and more recently, an investigation by Reuters found Tesla EVs exaggerated their efficiency. Now, a lawsuit filed in California alleges that the cars are also falsely exaggerating odometer readings to make warranties expire prematurely. The lead plaintiff in the case, Nyree Hinton, bought a used Model Y with less than 37,000 miles (59,546 km) on the odometer. Within six months, it had pushed past the 50,000-mile (80,467 km) mark, at which point the car's bumper-to-bumper warranty expired. (Like virtually all EVs, Tesla powertrains have a separate warranty that lasts much longer.) For this six-month period, Hinton says his Model Y odometer gained 13,228 miles (21,288 km). By comparison, averages of his three previous vehicles showed that with the same commute, he was only driving 6,086 miles (9,794 km) per 6 months. The following year, Hinton's commute got longer, but he claims his car actually recorded 800 fewer miles per month once it was no longer under warranty. During the first six months of ownership, Hinton says the car displayed an average of 2,217 miles (3,568 km) a month; for the 12 months following the expiration of the warranty (and with a longer commute), the Model Y displayed an average of just 1,415 miles (2,277 km) a month. Hinton's lawsuit alleges that Tesla "employs an odometer system that utilizes predictive algorithms, energy consumption metrics, and driver behavior multipliers that manipulate and misrepresent the actual mileage traveled by Tesla Vehicles" and that his car "consistently exhibited accelerated mileage accumulations of varying percentages ranging from 15 percent to 117 percent higher than plaintiff's other vehicles and his driving history." There are claims of similar experiences by Tesla owners on Reddit, and Hinton is bringing the lawsuit on behalf of all Californian Tesla customers. That may well be unsuccessful, though. In the exaggerated range case a US district judge found that individual owners had to engage in arbitration with Tesla and could not form a class. Jonathan M. Gitlin Automotive Editor Jonathan M. Gitlin Automotive Editor Jonathan is the Automotive Editor at Ars Technica. He has a BSc and PhD in Pharmacology. In 2014 he decided to indulge his lifelong passion for the car by leaving the National Human Genome Research Institute and launching Ars Technica's automotive coverage. He lives in Washington, DC. 27 Comments

John Edwards, Technology Journalist & AuthorApril 17, 20255 Min ReadTanapong Sungkaew via Alamy Stock PhotoDisinformation is on the rise as various media platforms make it easy for anyone to smear an enterprise for fun, strategic advantage, political gain, or even outright blackmail. Coping with this trend is proving to be both challenging and expensive. Disinformation is the deliberate spreading of false information with the intent to deceive or manipulate a target audience, often for political, economic or social gain, states Craig Watt, a threat intelligence consultant with cybersecurity firm Quorum Cyber. "This is different from misinformation, which is the sharing of false information without ill intent," he observes in an online interview. Disinformation can arrive in various forms, including propaganda, industrial sabotage, and conspiracy theories, says George Vlasto, head of trust and safety at Resolver, a unit of Kroll, a risk and financial advisory services firm. "The common theme is a narrative-based attack on a specific issue, entity or person," he notes via email. Disinformation Damage Disinformation can hurt an enterprise in several ways. Perhaps the most pernicious harm is reputational damage resulting from the spread of false information. "This can lead to a loss of trust among clients and partners," Watt says. "Erosion of trust can also manifest within the organization itself, affecting employee morale and productivity." Related:Direct financial losses can occur if false information is spread about a company’s financial stability, resulting in plummeting stock prices, Watt says. "Disinformation can also disrupt business operations if false information is disseminated regarding things such as supply chain issues." Specific disinformation can quickly metastasize into widespread misinformation, Vlasto warns. "If a particular piece of disinformation is widely shared by unwitting Internet users, it can rapidly become difficult to contain and may have a significant impact on brand reputation," he says. "Widely shared false allegations, even when disproved, can linger in the public imagination for a long time." A Growing Threat Disinformation is definitely on the rise, Watt says. "Technology advancements within social media and other digital platforms have made it easier to spread disinformation quickly and to a widespread demographic," he explains. "Additionally, advancements in artificial intelligence have enabled the creation of more sophisticated and convincing false content." Most ominously, disinformation is increasingly being weaponized as a tool for political and social manipulation, often by state-sponsored campaigns that aim to influence elections, destabilize societies, and undermine democratic institutions, Watt warns. Related:Protection Strategies The most effective way to protect against disinformation is to own the narrative, Vlasto states. "Monitor disinformation trends relevant to your sector and preempt these [falsehoods] with clear factual updates about your business," he says. Having a well-understood playbook in place to counter false narratives is also important, especially during significant political or business events, Vlasto says. "For example, if you're engaged in a sensitive M&A process, consider how you would respond to false information about the potential transaction," he explains. Protecting against disinformation involves a combination of awareness, critical thinking, and proactive measures, Watt says. Verify sources by checking their credibility and reputation before believing or sharing information, he suggests. "Information should also be cross-referenced across multiple reliable sources to ensure its accuracy." "Verify, verify, verify, and make sure the information is coming from the best and highest source," recommends Lisa Silverman, a senior managing director at risk and financial crimes advisory firm K2 Integrity. "If someone sends you something, ask where they got their information and, ideally, verify it through another -- hopefully an unbiased and trusted -- source." Related:If information seems truly wacky, double- and triple-check it, Silverman suggests. Yet also understand that seemingly preposterous information can sometimes be true. "We recently had a situation where a retired and very senior military officer had been reporting a piece of information about his career for about 10 years," she says. "When we undertook what we thought would be a routine verification as part of a larger project, that information turned out to be completely inaccurate." This revelation caused significant concern for the client, Silverman says, "yet the matter was eventually addressed without the public scandal that would have occurred if the facts had come out in a different way." Critical Thinking Watt advises individuals and teams to embrace critical thinking and to always be skeptical of sensational claims and clickbait headlines. "Before sharing any information, take a moment to verify its authenticity," he recommends. Sharing false information, even unintentionally, can contribute to the problem. Watt also recommends disinformation targets to report the fabrication to the operator of the platform where it was found. Vlasto believes that maintaining situational awareness is essential for spotting the migration of a narrative from the margins to the mainstream. "Like any risk mitigation strategy, the best way to deal with disinformation is at the greatest distance from your core interests," he suggests. "Don't wait until the digital barbarians are at the gate -- plan your response options in advance and ensure you have early visibility of emerging risks." Looking Forward "We can't control the intent of disinformation actors or the capabilities at their disposal," Watt acknowledges. "However, by gaining awareness of how disinformation tactics are employed, we can begin to halt the progress of these campaigns and contribute to the free sharing of legitimate content." About the AuthorJohn EdwardsTechnology Journalist & AuthorJohn Edwards is a veteran business technology journalist. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and numerous business and technology publications, including Computerworld, CFO Magazine, IBM Data Management Magazine, RFID Journal, and Electronic Design. He has also written columns for The Economist's Business Intelligence Unit and PricewaterhouseCoopers' Communications Direct. John has authored several books on business technology topics. His work began appearing online as early as 1983. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, he wrote daily news and feature articles for both the CompuServe and Prodigy online services. His "Behind the Screens" commentaries made him the world's first known professional blogger.See more from John EdwardsWebinarsMore WebinarsReportsMore ReportsNever Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.SIGN-UPYou May Also Like

The cyclesyncing trend involves changing what you eat and how you workout throughout your menstrual cycleNensuria/Getty Images For several days a month, my appetite knows no bounds – then my period arrives. The relentless hunger is as reliable an indicator that it is approaching as any menstrual tracking app I’ve tried. Despite eating more at this time, I had never considered whether I should be swapping foods in and out, or changing my exercise routine, to support my body on its menstrual journey. That was until I came across the concept of #cyclesyncing on social media – but is there any evidence that we really…

As a child of an electronic engineer, I spent a lot of time in our local Radio Shack as a kid. While my dad was locating capacitors and resistors, I was in the toy section. It was there, in 1984, that I discovered the best toy of my childhood: the Armatron robotic arm.  A drawing from the patent application for the Armatron robotic arm.COURTESY OF TAKARA TOMY Described as a “robot-like arm to aid young masterminds in scientific and laboratory experiments,” it was the rare toy that lived up to the hype printed on the front of the box. This was a legit robotic arm. You could rotate the arm to spin around its base, tilt it up and down, bend it at the “elbow” joint, rotate the “wrist,” and open and close the bright-­orange articulated hand in elegant chords of movement, all using only the twistable twin joysticks.  Anyone who played with this toy will also remember the sound it made. Once you slid the power button to the On position, you heard a constant whirring sound of plastic gears turning and twisting. And if you tried to push it past its boundaries, it twitched and protested with a jarring “CLICK … CLICK … CLICK.” It wasn’t just kids who found the Armatron so special. It was featured on the cover of the November/December 1982 issue of Robotics Age magazine, which noted that the $31.95 toy (about $96 today) had “capabilities usually found only in much more expensive experimental arms.” JIM GOLDEN A few years ago I found my Armatron, and when I opened the case to get it working again, I was startled to find that other than the compartment for the pair of D-cell batteries, a switch, and a tiny three-volt DC motor, this thing was totally devoid of any electronic components. It was purely mechanical. Later, I found the patent drawings for the Armatron online and saw how incredibly complex the schematics of the gearbox were. This design was the work of a genius—or a madman. The man behind the arm I needed to know the story of this toy. I reached out to the manufacturer, Tomy (now known as Takara Tomy), which has been in business in Japan for over 100 years. It put me in touch with Hiroyuki Watanabe, a 69-year-old engineer and toy designer living in Tokyo. He’s retired now, but he worked at Tomy for 49 years, building many classic handheld electronic toys of the ’80s, including Blip, Digital Diamond, Digital Derby, and Missile Strike. Watanabe’s name can be found on 44 patents, and he was involved in bringing between 50 and 60 products to market. Watanabe answered emailed questions via video, and his responses were translated from Japanese. “I didn’t have a period where I studied engineering professionally. Instead, I enrolled in what Japan would call a technical high school that trains technical engineers, and I actually [entered] the electrical department there,” he told me.  Afterward, he worked at Komatsu Manufacturing—because, he said, he liked bulldozers. But in 1974, he saw that Tomy was hiring, and he wanted to make toys. “I was told that it was the No. 1 toy company in Japan, so I decided [it was worth a look],” he said. “I took a night train from Tohoku to Tokyo to take a job exam, and that’s how I ended up joining the company.” The inspiration for the Armatron came from a newspaper clipping that Watanabe’s boss brought to him one day. “It showed an image of a [mechanical arm] holding an egg with three fingers. I think we started out thinking, ‘This is where things are heading these days, so let’s make this,’” he recalled.  As the lead of a small team, Watanabe briefly turned his attention to another project, and by the time he returned to the robotic arm, the team had a prototype. But it was quite different from the Armatron’s final form. “The hand stuck out from the main body to the side and could only move about 90 degrees. The control panel also had six movement positions, and they were switched using six switches. I personally didn’t like that,” said Watanabe. So he went back to work. The Armatron’s inventor, Hiroyuki Watanabe, in Tokyo in 2025COURTESY OF TAKARA TOMY Watanabe’s breakthrough was inspired by the radio-controlled helicopters he operated as a hobby. Holding up a radio remote controller with dual joystick controls, he told me, “This stick operation allows you to perform four movements with two arms, but I thought that if you twist this part, you can use six movements.” Watanabe at work at Tomy in Tokyo in 1982.COURTESY OF HIROYUKI WATANABE “I had always wanted to create a system that could rotate 360 degrees, so I thought about how to make that system work,” he added. Watanabe stressed that while he is listed as the Armatron’s primary inventor, it was a team effort. A designer created the case, colors, and logo, adding touches to mimic features seen on industrial robots of the time, such as the rubber tubes (which are just for looks).  When the Armatron first came out, in 1981, robotics engineers started contacting Watanabe. “I wasn’t so much hearing from people at toy stores, but rather from researchers at university laboratories, factories, and companies that were making industrial robots,” he said. “They were quite encouraging, and we often talked together.” The long reach of the robot at Radio Shack The bold look and function of Armatron made quite an impression on many young kids who would one day have a career in robotics. One of them was Adam Burrell, a mechanical design engineer who has been building robots for 15 years at Boston Dynamics, including Petman, the YouTube-famous Atlas, and the dog-size quadruped called Spot.  Burrell grew up a few blocks away from a Radio Shack in New York City. “If I was going to the subway station, we would walk right by Radio Shack. I would stop in and play with it and set the timer, do the challenges,” he says. “I know it was a toy, but that was a real robot.” The Armatron was the hook that lured him into Radio Shack and then sparked his lifelong interest in engineering: “I would roll pennies and use them to buy soldering irons and solder at Radio Shack.”  “There’s research to this day using AI to try to figure out optimal ways to grab objects that [a robot] sees in a bin or out in the world.” Burrell had a fateful reunion with the toy while in grad school for engineering. “One of my office mates had an Armatron at his desk,” he recalls, “and it was broken. We took it apart together, and that was the first time I had seen the guts of it.  “It had this fantastic mechanical gear train to just engage and disengage this one motor in a bunch of different ways. And it was really fascinating that it had done so much—the one little motor. And that sort of got me back thinking about industrial robot arms again.”  Eric Paulos, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of California, Berkeley, recalls nagging his parents about what an educational gift Armatron would make. Ultimately, he succeeded in his lobbying.  “It was just endless exploration of picking stuff up and moving it around and even just watching it move. It was mesmerizing to me. I felt like I really owned my own little robot,” he recalls. “I cherish this thing. I still have it to this day, and it’s still working.”  The Armatron on the cover of the November/December 1982 issue of Robotics Age magazine.PUBLIC DOMAIN Today, Paulos builds robots and teaches his students how to build their own. He challenges them to solve problems within constraints, such as building with cardboard or Play-Doh; he believes the restrictions facing Watanabe and his team ultimately forced them to be more creative in their engineering. It’s not very hard to draw connections between the Armatron—an impossibly analog robot—and highly advanced machines that are today learning to move in incredible new ways, powered by AI advancements like computer vision and reinforcement learning. Paulos sees parallels between the problems he tackled as a kid with his Armatron and those that researchers are still trying to deal with today: “What happens when you pick things up and they’re too heavy, but you can sort of pick it up if you approach it from different angles? Or how do you grip things? There’s research to this day using AI to try to figure out optimal ways to grab objects that [a robot] sees in a bin or out in the world.” While AI may be taking over the world of robotics, the field still requires engineers—builders and tinkerers who can problem-solve in the physical world.  A page from the 1984 Radio Shack catalogue, featuring the Armatron for $31.95.COURTESY OF RADIOSHACKCATALOGS.COM The Armatron encouraged kids to explore these analog mechanics, a reminder that not all breakthroughs happen on a computer screen. And that hands-on curiosity hasn’t faded. Today, a new generation of fans are rediscovering the Armatron through online communities and DIY modifications. Dozens of Armatron videos are on YouTube, including one where the arm has been modified to run on steam power.  “I’m very happy to see people who love mechanisms are amazed,” Watanabe told me. “I’m really happy that there are still people out there who love our products in this way.”  Jon Keegan writes about technology and AI and publishes Beautiful Public Data, a curated collection of government data sets (beautifulpublicdata.com).

The RFDEW was tested successfully in Wales, the UK Ministry of Defence said. UK Defense Ministry 2025-04-17T14:28:31Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? The UK's MOD said it used a radiowave-based weapon to shoot down a drone swarm. This would be a first for the cutting-edge weaponry in the UK. The RF-DEW disrupts drones with high-frequency radio waves and costs 13 cents a shot. The British Army says it shot down a drone swarm using a radiowave-based directed energy weapon, in a first for the technology in the UK.At an undisclosed weapons range in Wales, the Radiofrequency Directed Energy Weapon, or RF-DEW, tracked and took down the swarm during the trial, and worked with "near-instant effect," the Ministry of Defence said on Thursday.RF-DEW has been shown in previous trials to be effective from over 1,000 yards.But — as the largest such trial in the UK to date — this was the first time it took down a whole swarm of drones.RF-DEW is being developed by a consortium led by French manufacturer Thales, which dubbed the tech "RapidDestroyer" during trials.Thales also collaborated with both the French and British defense ministries on the MMCM naval mine countermeasures system that is being rolled out this year.RF-DEW uses high-frequency radio waves to disrupt or damage electronic components inside drones, in what Thales described as a "hard-kill" mechanism. This is in contrast to existing systems that jam, or confuse drones, Thales said.The technology is considered to be a low-cost partner to larger-scale, missile-based air defense systems, and costs just 13 cents a shot, according to the MOD.The British Army conducted the trials against 100 small quadcopter drones, of two types: The Boresight Raider, a drone with swarming capabilities designed specifically for use in counter-drone tech trials, and the Parrot Anafi, a commercial off-the-shelf drone camera.Sgt Mayers, the British officer who brought down the drones, said that the system was "quick to learn and easy to use.""With improvements on range and power, which could come with further development, this would be a great asset to Layered Air Defence," Mayers added.This comes against a backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has seen major advancements in the use of drones in combat.Drone swarms — where groups of drones act autonomously or semi-autonomously and in concert with each other — are still in their infancy, with Ukrainian companies trialing swarms designed to resist Russian electronic warfare.The RF-DEW trial is part of a push to increase new technologies in British defense capabilities. There are currently no plans to deploy the system in Ukraine, the MOD said.In early April, the UK government announced a £400 million, or $530 million, fund for defense innovation, with 10% of the MOD's equipment budget to be ringfenced for new tech. Recommended video

Less than six months ago, after an inappropriate amount of research, I bought a new toaster for $30. My old toaster had died, as old toasters do, and I wanted to buy one cheap enough that I wouldn’t be mad when I had to replace it. If President Donald Trump’s current 145 percent tariff on Chinese imports remains in effect, the same toaster could cost me about $45 when that time comes.You’ve probably seen a lot of these Trump tariff calculations for consumer products lately — especially those for goods made in China, from iPhones to baby products. In many instances, it’s hard to even guess how much things will cost because the tariff structure has become so complicated and is constantly changing. Tariffs on consumer technology products are particularly tricky. China supplies the vast majority of electronics to the United States. In fact, smartphones and laptops alone accounted for over 16 percent of all US imports from China. That’s part of the reason the Trump administration recently added exemptions for a number of electronics, including smartphones and laptops, which were also exempt from the tariffs imposed by the first Trump administration. But this week, Trump clarified that those products could face an entirely new tariff targeting products with semiconductors on national security grounds. The fate of other electronics, like toasters, is even more unclear.“Assuming all goes in the direction this is headed, it may cause shortages, and likely price hikes on some goods,” said Ben Bajarin, CEO and principal analyst at Creative Strategies. “But all of that is very difficult to know right now.”That means we currently have no idea what will happen to our gadgets. Higher prices for some items seem inevitable and that might actually be the best case scenario for some electronics. Smartphone manufacturing has been expanding beyond China’s borders for years. (Apple actually airlifted 600 tons of iPhones from factories in India to get ahead of tariffs.) Some lower-priced goods might simply stop getting shipped to the US, if factory owners decide it’s not worth the effort. And certain things aren’t made anywhere else. Exactly 100 percent of US imports for some very common household items — including hair curlers, ultrasonic humidifiers, alarm clocks, and yes, electric toasters — come from China, according to data from the US Census Bureau. Over 90 percent of imports of microwave ovens, LED bulbs, keyboards, electric fans, battery-powered massagers, vapes, and baby strollers come from China. You can find a full list of imports that shows how reliant we are on China in this spreadsheet with data compiled by Jason Miller, interim chair of the supply chain management program at Michigan State University. Meanwhile, it’s hard to imagine some American factory owner is getting excited about firing up a new toaster factory, in part, because all the parts needed to make those toasters also come from China.“The entire ecosystem exists in China to support the assembly of these products,” Miller told me. That ecosystem includes everyone from the company that produces tiny screws to the factory that makes the plastic pieces to the firm that makes the molds. “It would take years to replicate that anywhere else in the world.”It’s hard to imagine some American factory owner is getting excited about firing up a new toaster factory, in part, because all the parts needed to make those toasters also come from China.And certainly not in the US. “Knowing the incredibly sharp drop of small electric appliance production we have experienced in the United States over the past 35 or 40 years, there’s just no simple way to bring products like this back,” Miller added.There is some hope, albeit misguided, that smartphone production can happen in the US. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has pushed the fantasy of an American-made iPhone, recently saying that an “army of millions and millions of human beings screwing in little screws to make iPhones…is going to come to America.” There’s overwhelming evidence that the US couldn’t manufacture these things even if it wanted to. Many of the parts needed to build smartphones and laptops come almost exclusively from China and other countries in Asia that now face steep tariffs.Again, we don’t know what will happen in the weeks and months to come. But based on what we learned in the pandemic, shortages and inflation seem likely.The flip side of that is that the secondary market is bracing for a big boost in demand. Places like Back Market and Gazelle, as well as big retailers like Amazon, Walmart, eBay, and Best Buy have seen the market for refurbished products explode in recent years, as inflation and fewer new must-have features have kept people from upgrading to the latest generation of phones and laptops. You can even expect carriers to ratchet up their trade-in programs since they’re major players in the secondary market now, too. If you trade in your old phone for a discount on a new one, the carrier can make money selling that phone to a refurbisher, which is good for the customer, the carrier, and the planet.The catch with these secondhand devices, though, is that a lot of the refurbishing happens overseas, including in China. It’s not clear what the tariffs on those transactions would be, but it might not matter. While we can’t build iPhones in the US very easily, we’re already refurbishing them stateside, and there’s a good chance we can expand those operations.“We have to do some of this work here, and the labor is there, the facilities are there,” said Sean Cleland, vice president of mobility at the marketplace B-Stock Solutions. “I think that’s an easy transition. What’s tricky is the parts.”The vast majority of the components that go into iPhones, other smartphones, tablets, and laptops come from China and will face tariffs. Labor is also more expensive in the US than China so the cost of actually doing the work might go up as well. So it’s possible that, because of indirect effects of the tariffs, refurbished gadgets also get more expensive. Nevertheless, Cleland assured me that even when the prices of new devices have gone up in the past, prices on the secondary market have remained stable. Prices for products without bustling secondary markets are already rising on everything from coffee machines to sex toys. Those prices won’t necessarily come back down if the tariffs ever go away. Cleland told me he expects modest price increases, “20 percent or less,” will stick if manufacturers don’t see declining sales.The shortage situation is a bit scarier — and not just for the toaster market. This week, the Trump administration also opened an investigation into pharmaceuticals manufacturing in China, raising fears that new tariffs could lead to drug shortages. Meanwhile, as people struggle with tariff uncertainty, they’re already panic buying everything from clothes to umbrellas. Because 80 percent of toys are made in China, leaders in the industry are already warning of imminent shortages and that “Christmas is at risk.” For those products that are 90 or 100 percent imported from China, you can also expect to see fewer options available as companies streamline their operations in order to save money. There’s a good chance they only carry the bestselling items. That means if you know you need something new, buy it now, but if you can wait a year or two, there’s a chance things will settle down.“The more uncertainty there is, the more there’s value in waiting,” said Miller, the Michigan State supply chain expert.That’s how I’m feeling about the phone question. I had been planning on upgrading my iPhone later this year, but I’ll probably just replace the battery so it feels new again. At that point, it will probably be time to buy another new toaster and I will be absolutely devastated if the Pioneer Woman digital two-slicer with the folksy flower design is no longer available.A version of this story was also published in the User Friendly newsletter. Sign up here so you don’t miss the next one!See More: