There's momentum building behind smart glasses right nowas these gadgets gradually get more useful and less uglyand the Halliday Glasses are the latest pair to arrive, launching at CES 2025 (and yes, the company is named after the inventor of the virtual world in Ready Player One).The lightweight specs tip the scales at just 35 grams (1.2 ounces) and come with a couple of interesting features: The first is a small built-in monochrome green display, which projects information right on to your eyeball. This can be used to show anything from incoming messages to responses to web searches.Secondly, there's an optional smart ring available that lets you control the glasses using gestures: It seems to work a bit like a miniature trackpad. You don't have to use the ring, though, because you can also tap on the side of the specs or use voice commands to navigate through the interface.There's some artificial intelligence here too, of coursewhich appears to be powered by Proactiva.AI, at least in part (Halliday hasn't said too much about AI models or how they work). The AI assistant runs from a connected smartphone, and offers real-time translation, document summaries, notification management, and the usual AI chatbot responses to any questions you've got about life, the universe, and everything.The promotional materials for Halliday also mention step-by-step navigation right in your eyeline via the integrated display, though as with the AI, there isn't much in the way of detail about how this works or what's powering it. Music playback is mentioned as well, while the maximum battery life is said to be around the 12-hour mark."AI glasses shouldn't make you look like a weirdo or frustrate you with annoying display issues," says Halliday, addressing one of my key goals in lifeto not look like a weirdo. "Halliday adopts an everyday style design, powered by the world's smallest optical module, eliminating light leakage and rainbow effects while offering practical features for daily use."The obvious comparison here are the Ray-Ban Meta Glasses, which we reviewed last year and have been largely impressed by. As with the Halliday Glasses, they look like a normal pair of spectacles, which is the crucial first step in putting together a product that people are actually going to want to wear on their faces.Meta's smart specs don't come with a display like the Halliday Glasses do, relying instead on integrated speakers to feed information back to you. They're voice- and gesture-operated, and also come with built-in AI to answer your pressing questions about sports scores or the address of a restaurant. A tiny integrated display is included. Credit: Halliday What Meta's glasses do have is a built-in camera for taking photos and videos on the go, which the Halliday specs lack. The Ray-Ban Meta Glasses are a touch heavier at 49 grams (1.7 ounces), give you somewhere in the region of four hours of battery life, and start at $329 for the most basic pair. Both the Halliday and the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses support prescription lenses, if needed.Halliday is bringing these to market through a crowdsourcing campaign, and a Kickstarter is launching later this month. Right now there's an early bird offer on the Halliday website where you can put down $10 to get the Halliday Glasses for $370 (with a free prescription lens upgrade). By the time the crowdfunding is up and running, they're expected to retail for $490.More smart glasses are expected later this year, but as both the Halliday Glasses and the Ray-Ban Meta Glasses show, some compromises are still required: Adding a camera means adding extra weight and reducing battery life, for example. The success or failure of this particular pair may depend on how well that integrated display works, and how useful the attached AI assistant proves to be.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.The Razer Barracuda X, named one of the best budget-friendly wireless gaming headsets by PCMag, is currently down to $69.99 on Amazon, its lowest price ever according to price trackers (it's usually $99.99). Razer Barracuda X $69.00 at Amazon $99.99 Save $30.99 Get Deal Get Deal $69.00 at Amazon $99.99 Save $30.99 Available in black or white, this headset keeps things simple and understated with flat earcups and a subtle embossed Razer logo thats easy to miss. If youre someone who prefers minimalist aesthetics, this one ticks that box. Plus, all the controls and connections are neatly built into the left earcup, from the USB-C charging port to a 3.5mm jack for the detachable boom mic. Theres also a power button to toggle between 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth modes, a volume wheel, and a mic mute switch. Its functional, streamlined, and easy to navigate.Comfort is a priority with the Barracuda Xits memory foam earcups are wrapped in breathable fabric to keep things cool during long gaming sessions, and its padded faux-leather headband reportedly sits lightly on your head without feeling tight. As for connectivity, it comes with a USB-C wireless dongle that ensures compatibility with PCs, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4/5, and Bluetooth-equipped devices. And, if you prefer a wired setup, a 3.5mm jack allows for that option as well. Audio-wise (with its 40mm drivers and a frequency range of up to 20kHz), it delivers solid performance for the price. The bass reportedly packs a punch, and directional imaging works well, even if its not as precise as higher-end headsets. Additionally, its noise-canceling microphone makes for clear communication without background distractions.That said, there are a few trade-offs to consider. This headset doesnt integrate with Razers Synapse software on PC, meaning you wont get an equalizer or the same spatial audio precision as Razers pricier models. And, while you can enable 7.1 surround sound through a separate app, the setup involves creating a Razer account and registering the device. For mobile users, the Razer Audio app offers a basic EQ but skips simulated surround sound, according to this PCMag review. If wireless isnt a must, the Astro Gaming A10 at $59 is another great budget pick with excellent sound.

Meta is expanding Facebook Marketplace to include eBay listings. A test will launch in the US, France and Germany, allowing users to browse eBay offerings on Marketplace. Sellers on eBay can list products as usual and "as long as your account is in good standing, your listings could appear on any of these partners, including Facebook Marketplace, based on user interest, shopping trends, and listing quality," eBay states. The company will continue to handle all product inquiries and transactions.The decision by Meta comes as an attempt to placate the European Union, which fined the tech company 797.12 million ($821 million) last November. The European Commission charged Meta with violating antitrust regulations as "Meta tied its online classified ads service Facebook Marketplace to its personal social network Facebook and imposed unfair trading conditions on other online classified ads service providers," Margrethe Vestager, then European Commission's executive vice-president in charge of competition policy, said at the time. "It did so to benefit its own service Facebook Marketplace, thereby giving it advantages that other online classified ads service providers could not match."Meta's decision to showcase eBay listings on Facebook Marketplace is far from an admission of guilt. "While we disagree with and continue to appeal the European Commissions decision on Facebook Marketplace, we are working quickly and constructively to build a solution which addresses the points raised," Meta stated in its announcement.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/meta-test-will-bring-ebay-listings-to-facebook-marketplace-153958205.html?src=rss

T-Mobile is once again being sued by Washington state over the 2021 data breach which exposed sensitive information for over 79 million people, The Verge reports. The lawsuit filed on Monday alleges that T-Mobile had been aware of various security loopholes in its systems for years but didnt take any action. As a result, a hacker managed to breach T-Mobile in March 2021 and was undetected until August of the same year when an anonymous cybersecurity threat intelligence firm told T-Mobile what was happening.Beyond alleging that T-Mobile knew about these flaws and took inadequate action to fix them, Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson also claims T-Mobiles notifications to customers affected by the breach were inadequate and misleading. The text messages were brief and didnt reveal the full scope of the breach, only telling customers that debit and credit card information wasnt exposed while failing to mention their social security numbers and other personally identifiable information were compromised.The breach's victims included two million Washington residents. Information from T-Mobile's databases was later on the dark web for sale to the highest bidder. T-Mobile even supposedly hired a third party to buy exclusive access to the data.In more than one sense, this isnt T-Mobiles first rodeo. The company was already sued by AG Ferguson over a decade ago over "deceptive" ads. It has also been the target of a breach since 2021 specifically 2024 Salt Typhoon attacks on commercial telecommunications companies. T-Mobile claims that its systems and data werent impacted significantly.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/t-mobile-is-under-fire-again-over-its-2021-data-breach-143007400.html?src=rss

NASA will analyze and explore two different landing options for its Mars Sample Return program, though it will take almost two years to do so and is expected to announce its decision in late 2026. The agency had to temporarily hit pause on the program after an independent review found that it could cost between $8 billion and $11 billion, which is way above budget.The first method NASA is evaluating is called the "sky crane," in which a vehicle will head to Mars, get close to the surface with the help of a parachute, pick up the samples the Perseverance rover had collected using cables or other mechanisms and then fly away. NASA previously used this method to place the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers on the planet.Meanwhile, the second option requires the help of commercial space companies. Last year, the agency asked SpaceX, Blue Origin, Lockheed Martin and other companies to submit proposals on how to get the collected Martian samples back to Earth. Whichever option the agency chooses will carry a smaller version of the Mars Ascent Vehicle than originally planned. The Mars Ascent Vehicle is a lightweight rocket that will take the samples from the planet's surface into Martian orbit. It will also have to be capable of transporting a container that can fit 30 sample tubes. Once the sample container is in orbit, a European Space Agency orbiter will capture it and bring it back home.Early last year, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory had to lay off 530 employees and cut off 100 contract workers mainly due to budget issues related to this mission. NASA requested $950 million for the program, but only $300 million was allocated for it. The independent review that found that the mission would cost above budget also found that it might not be able to bring the samples back to Earth by 2040. According to a previous report by The Washington Post, the US government found the return date "unacceptable."In a teleconference, NASA administrator Bill Nelson revealed either of the two methods the agency is now considering would cost a lot less than what it would originally spend. The sky crane would reportedly cost NASA between $6.6 billion and $7.7 billion, while working with a private space company would cost between $5.8 billion and $7.1 billion. Either option would also be able to retrieve the samples and bring them back sometime between 2035 and 2039. Scientists believe the samples Perseverance has been collecting could help us determine whether there was life on Mars and whether its soil contains chemicals and substances that could be harmful to future human spacefarers.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/nasa-will-decide-how-to-bring-soil-samples-back-from-mars-in-2026-141519710.html?src=rss

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