We cover a lot of soundbar deals here at Digital Trends, and every once in a while, we see a promotion that makes us spin our heads! And, as it turns out, we came across one of these delightful surprises earlier today, and its for one of the best soundbars money can buy:For a limited time, when you purchase the Sennheiser Ambeo Max through Amazon, Best Buy, or Crutchfield, youll only pay $1,800. That may not sound like a great deal, but this hulking audio device normally costs $2,500. With the $700 you saved, you can invest in one of the best TV deals of the week for a complete home theater experience!Why you should buy the Sennheiser Ambeo MaxLets not beat around the bush: the Ambeo Max is a monster of a soundbar thats designed to not only enhance TV audio, but to virtualize a complete Dolby Atmos (or DTS:X) surround system. Delivering up to 500 watts at peak power, no one corner of your home theater space is left untouched by the Ambeo Max. And while most folks are going to use this beast for movies, shows, and video games, the Ambeo Max has Chromecast, AirPlay, Spotify Connect, and Tidal Connect built right in. With its five onboard tweeters, deep bass, and optional wired sub connectivity, your favorite tunes will never sound the same!RelatedOne recommendation from your DT pals: unbox this bad boy with a friend. Weighing just over 40 pounds, this soundbar definitely wears on the lower back if youre setting it up alone.Heres hoping this sale sticks around for a while because this is the best price the Sennheiser Ambeo Max has ever been (at least at Amazon)! Get this premium Dolby Atmos soundbar for just $1,800 while this markdown lasts, and be sure to check out our lists of the best Amazon deals and Best Buy deals for even more discounts on top tech!Editors Recommendations

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Defending the open Internet Appeals court blocks FCCs efforts to bring back net neutrality rules A three-judge panel ruled the FCC exceeded its authority reviving net neutrality. Ashley Belanger Jan 2, 2025 4:53 pm | 24 Jessica Rosenworcel, chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), urged Congress to protect net neutrality. Credit: Bloomberg / Contributor | Bloomberg Jessica Rosenworcel, chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), urged Congress to protect net neutrality. Credit: Bloomberg / Contributor | Bloomberg Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreOn Thursday, a three-judge panel struck down net neutrality rules that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had hoped would stop broadband providers from varying speeds for users when connecting to different websites.In his opinion, US circuit judge Richard Allen Griffin wrote that the FCC lacked the authority to impose the net neutrality rules under the "telecommunications service" provision of the Communications Act."The core of the dispute here," Griffin wrote, "is whether Broadband Internet Service Providers" like Xfinity or Spectrum offer a "telecommunications service" or an "information service." Because judges agreed they offer the latter, the court ruled that they could not be subjected to the FCC's net neutrality policies.In the ruling, Griffin explained how the FCC has gone back and forth between considering broadband providers as either a telecommunications or information service, changing its position on net neutrality depending on which party is in office since the Clinton administration. But the 6th Circuit's ruling means "we can end the FCCs vacillations," holding once and for all that "Broadband Internet Service Providers offer an information service and that mobile broadband is a private mobile service," and therefore net neutrality laws apply to neither."The key here is not whether Broadband Internet Service Providers utilize telecommunications; it is instead whether they do so while offering to consumers the capability to do more," Griffin wrote, concluding that "they do.""The FCC exceeded its statutory authority," Griffin wrote, at one point accusing the FCC of arguing for a reading of the statute "that is too sweeping."The three-judge panel ordered a stay of the FCC's order imposing net neutrality rulesknown as the Safeguarding and Securing the Open Internet Order.In a statement, FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel suggested that Congress would likely be the only path to safeguard net neutrality moving forward. In the federal register, experts noted that net neutrality is critical to boosting new applications, services, or content, warning that without clear rules, the next Amazon or YouTube could be throttled before it can get off the ground."Consumers across the country have told us again and again that they want an Internet that is fast, open, and fair," Rosenworcel said. "With this decision it is clear that Congress now needs to heed their call, take up the charge for net neutrality, and put open Internet principles in federal law."Rosenworcel will soon leave the FCC, likely replaced by Trump's incoming FCC chair pick, Brendan Carr.Carr helped to overturn net neutrality in 2017 and is expected to loosen broadband regulations if confirmed. Carr still must be approved by the Senate, but because Republicans hold a majority there, most of Trump's nominations are expected to go through, ABC News reported.Ashley BelangerSenior Policy ReporterAshley BelangerSenior Policy Reporter Ashley is a senior policy reporter for Ars Technica, dedicated to tracking social impacts of emerging policies and new technologies. She is a Chicago-based journalist with 20 years of experience. 24 Comments

I want to believe Why Half-Life 3 speculation is reaching a fever pitch again New leaks and cryptic clues point to active development the long-awaited sequel. Kyle Orland Jan 2, 2025 4:30 pm | 23 The Valve seems to be leaking... Credit: Geoff Keighley The Valve seems to be leaking... Credit: Geoff Keighley Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreThe more than two decades since Half-Life 2's release have been filled with plenty of rumors and hints about Half-Life 3, ranging from the official-ish to the thin to the downright misleading. As we head into 2025, though, we're approaching something close to a critical mass of rumors and leaks suggesting that Half-Life 3 is really in the works this time, and could be officially announced in the coming months.The latest tease came just before the end of 2024 via a New Year's Eve social media video from G-Man voice actor Mike Shapiro. In the voice of the mysterious in-game bureaucrat, Shapiro expresses hopes that "the next quarter century [will] deliver as many unexpected surprises as did the millennium's first (emphasis added)... See you in the new year."The post is all the more notable because it's Shapiro's first in over four years, when he concluded a flurry of promotional posts surrounding the release of Half-Life: Alyx (many of which were in-character as G-Man). And in 2020, just after Alyx's release, Shapiro told USGamer that he had recently worked on a "blast from the past" project that he would "announce... on my Twitter feed when I'm allowed to" (no such announcement has been forthcoming for any other game)."I was working on that game for quite a while before I knew [what it was]," Shapiro said at the time of the unannounced project. "There was a rehearsal and some recordings, and after one of the recording sessions I was having a drink with the director. He told me what the game was, and nobody knows that this is coming."This is going to be such a mindblowing re-up from what people have come to know," Shapiro continued in 2020. "It's going to really... it's going to make people have a complete re-understanding of what they thought they knew about the story in the game prior to it, and I don't even know if people are expecting it."Raised HLX-pectationsOn its own, a single in-character post from a voice actor would probably be a bit too cryptic to excite Half-Life fans who have seen their sequel hopes dashed so often over the last two decades. But the unexpected tease comes amid a wave of leaks and rumors surrounding "HLX," an internal Valve project that has been referenced in a number of other Source 2 engine game files recently.Those HLX references got a lot more attention about five months ago when noted Valve watcher Tyler McVicker posted a video analyzing the Valve code and concluding that the HLX project is "a fully-fledged non-VR Half-Life game." In subsequent videos, McVicker has gone into more detail on datamined code for everything from voxel-based deformation systems to zero-g and underwater navigation systems to "so much flammability stuff," all seemingly in service of "HLX.""It's obvious that Valve wants to be able to push the envelope in the same way that Half-Life 1 and Half-Life 2 did in their day," McVicker said in November in a video bluntly entitled "Valve Isn't Trying to Hide HL3 Anymore." McVicker now believes that "instead of pushing graphical fidelity like everybody else, it seems like Valve is pushing for physical fidelity" with its in-game systems and objects.Beyond those data-mined details, Valve-watching YouTuber "Gabe Follower" said in a video this week that "according to my information, in the last few months Valve has started active HLX playtests, now not only with people from other teams, but also friends and family members." That suggestion gains at least a little bit of extra credence given Gabe Follower's history of leaking early Valve content, including screenshots and information about Deadlock (originally code-named Citadel) well before it was officially revealed."It is a quite important stage for the project," Gabe Follower says of the reported friends and family playtesting. "If it survives the New Year holidays and there are no serious problems during the playtests with a close circle of people, then the development will continue at the right pace and the announcement in 2025 may turn out to be quite possible."Add that to leaks regarding a mysterious "Project White Sands" that Valve seems to be using in public hiring announcements, and you have enough smoke to suggest there might actually be some real Half-Life 3 fire burning at Valve this time around. We know it's easy to be gun-shy after so many years of false starts, but we hope you'll forgive us for still wanting to believe.Kyle OrlandSenior Gaming EditorKyle OrlandSenior Gaming Editor Kyle Orland has been the Senior Gaming Editor at Ars Technica since 2012, writing primarily about the business, tech, and culture behind video games. He has journalism and computer science degrees from University of Maryland. He once wrote a whole book about Minesweeper. 23 Comments

Jade is set to become a solo star following her success with Little Mix.Jade is expected to release her debut solo album in 2025. Courtesy of RCA Records Jade, aka Jade Thirlwall, broke into the music industry in 2011 as one-fourth of the popular British girl group Little Mix.Four became three in 2020, when Jesy Nelson left the group to make reductive hip-hop knock-offs. The remaining trio announced a hiatus in 2021 to focus on solo projects.Superstars have come out of groups in the past Beyonc from Destiny's Child, Justin Timberlake from *NSYNC, Harry Styles from One Direction and if Jade continues down the trail she's been blazing, she very well could be the next name on that list.The now-mononymous artist, 32, released three solo singles in 2024, each as thrilling as the last. The first, "Angel of My Dreams," was widely praised for its avant-garde music video, conceptual lyrics, and experimental structure; it was crowned as the year's No. 1 best pop song by Stereogum and third-best overall by The New York Times.Its follow-up, "Midnight Cowboy," is a bass-heavy banger that features a sexy spoken-word intro by "Barbie" star Ncuti Gatwa, while "Fantasy" is a disco-infused burst of energy that's spurred ahead by a set of remixes with Channel Tres and Alex Chapman.Jade is harnessing her existing star power in all the right ways: to execute outr ideas, bring in the coolest collaborators, and put a fresh spin on existing pop trends.Her debut solo album is expected to arrive this year, but fans won't have to wait long for another delicious breadcrumb; her new single, "It Girl," is already available to pre-save.

Officials believe the driver of the Cybertruck that exploded in Las Vegas was Matthew Alan Livelberger, a US Army soldier who shot himself in the head moments before the blast.Read the original article on Business Insider

Kenyan officials are investigating who owns a mysterious metallic object that fell from the sky.The giant ring fell from space, crash-landing into Mukuku Village in Kenya on Wednesday.No one was hurt, but space debris poses a serious threat to life on Earth and in space.On Wednesday, Mukuku Village in Kenya got an unexpected visitor from space.At about 3 p.m. local time, a large metallic ring weighing about 1,100 pounds and measuring 8 feet in diameter crash-landed in the village, the Kenya Space Agency said in a statement. Space debris like this is designed to burn up in Earth's atmosphere. Citizen TV via Reuters The agency said no one was injured, and that thespace debrisposes no immediate risk.Maj. Alois Were, an officer with the Kenya Space Agency, told Citizen TV, a Kenyan news station, that the ring-like object is "possibly from a rocket separation stage." Kenya officials collected samples of the debris for additional analysis. Citizen TV via Reuters However, it's unclear whose rocket the ring might belong to. Officials said they had collected pieces from the impact site for further analysis to determine its origins. The debris is under KSA custody. Citizen TV via Reuters Were said that once they determine the owner, the space agency will use the "existing legal mechanisms under international law" to hold the person or organization accountable.Space debris is usually designed to either burn up in Earth's atmosphere before reaching the ground or land in unpopulated areas, like the ocean. This doesn't always happen, though.For example, in May 2024, a piece of SpaceX debris as large as a car hood crash-landed on a trail at a mountaintop resort just outside Asheville, North Carolina. Debris from the Dragon Capsule landed in the middle of a trail at the Glamping Collective, a mountaintop resort in North Carolina. Photos by Brett Tingley, courtesy of the Glamping Collective If it had landed on a person hiking the trail that day, it would have certainly killed them, Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard and Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and leading space debris expert, told Business Insider in July.To date, no one has died from space debris raining from the skies. Perhaps the closest call was in March, when a two-pound piece of debris slightly smaller than a soda can fell from the International Space Station, crashing through a family's roof in Florida. The family is suing NASA over the incident.Ever since humans started launching objects into space in the late 1950s, there has been a risk that some might fall back to Earth in an unexpected place. As humans launch more objects into space, however, that risk is growing. Space debris hit the space shuttle Endeavours radiator after one of its missions. The entry hole is about 0.25 inches wide, and the exit hole is twice as large. NASA Between 2008 and 2017, global space organizations launched an average of 82 orbital rockets a year. That number jumped to an average of about 130 launches a year between 2018 and 2022, according to the US International Trade Commission. In 2024, there were about 250 launches a new record.This poses risks on Earth and adds to a long-existing problem in space: space clutter and collisions. There's a lot of trash in space, from dead satellites and astronaut gloves to tiny bits no larger than a grape.These millions of bits of debris are racing around our planet faster than a bullet. It's gotten so bad that1,000 warnings of possible impending collisions are issued daily to satellite operators, physicistBerger said a major collision could generate "an unstoppable chain reaction of further collisions, ultimately resulting in a completely filled-up space environment."If that happens, it could make space unusable.