Cozy games are having their day right now, and 2025 seems primed to continue that trend. Fans of farming and life simulator classics Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing have plenty of games to look forward to in the new year. There are games that stick to the classic formula, games that offer something new and innovative, new entries in beloved series, and brand-new IPs that promise to make their mark on the cozy genre. Those looking to add some cozy games to their 2025 list and hoping for something that will recapture the magic of Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley should check out the following games:

As befits the RPG genre, Roblox's Jujutsu Infinite has many items, resources, and weapons that players need to collect in pursuit of creating a strong character, and they are not always easy to obtain. Even some resources that may have simpler uses can be difficult to find at times. In this guide, we will tell you how to get Frost Petals in Jujutsu Infinite.

The most downloaded podcast on Spotify is no longer The Joe Rogan Experience. Rogans long-running show has been overtaken by The Telepathy Tapes, a new, 10-part documentary series that aims to explore the supernatural abilities of non-speakers with autisma subject a lot of people are getting very wrong.Created and hosted by mainstream documentarian Ty Dickens, The Telepathy Tapes is a professionally produced, serious-seeming podcast that claims non-verbal people with autism are telepathic, can see the future, and can talk to the dead. They all meet each other in a telepathic chat room called The Hill, too. Basically, ifThe Telepathy Tapes is correct, everything we know about the mind and reality itself is incorrect.Im the opposite of convinced. Despite its captivating production, sincere interviews, and experts with advanced degrees, everything presented in The Telepathy Tapes has a non-supernatural explanation. Nothing here is even new: its all slightly spun versions of claims that were debunked over 100 years ago.Explaining the extraordinary claims of The Telepathy TapesThe structure of The Telepathy Tapes is telling. It begins with the relatively "modest" claim that non speakers with autism can tell what people are thinking, even if they can't communicate it in traditional ways. The podcast seems to honor listener skepticism by acknowledging how "out there" its claims are, and it saves its more esoteric claimsa "telepathic chat room" where non speakers gather, communication through lucid dreaming, etc.for later episodes, when presumably a baseline of belief has been established in listeners. Much of episode one, "Unveiling the Hidden World of Telepathic Communication in a Silenced Community," consists of descriptions and recording of scientific-seeming tests where non speakers seemingly read the minds of others, and the podcast's more extreme claims are built on these foundations. It feels designed to convincethere's a skeptical member of the podcast crew whose mind is changed, and there's even video evidence on the podcast's site (behind a paywall) so you can judge for yourself. But The Telepathy Tapes leaves an important piece of information out of its first, trust-establishing, episode: all of the non speakers' communications are being facilitated, usually by the person whose mind is supposedly being read. A brief history of facilitated communicationFacilitated communication (FC), also known as supported typing, is a technique which claims to allow non-verbal people to communicate. The theory is that non speakers lack the fine motor skills to speak, write, or point, but if they are supported by another person who steadies their hands or holds their elbows, they can point at or type, the letters they want and thus communicate. Proponents liken the technique to a person with wobbly ankles using a cane to help them walk. Something like facilitated communication began in Europe in the 1960s and Australia in the 1970s, but it wasn't until 1989 that educator Douglas Biklen brought FC into the United States. Biklen and other early FC researchers tried the techniques with people with cerebral palsy, head injuries, Down syndrome, and autism, and reported extraordinary results: people previously thought of as unable to communicate at all were able to speak to their parents for the first time. Some wrote poetry, went to college, and gave TedX Talks. The scientific community was dubious, but not the mass media, which aired pieces like this: But along with these uplifting stories came numerous allegations of sexual abuse, and the thus the necessity to prove the veracity of Facilitated Communications in court. The first such case was heard in 1990 in Australia and involved a 28-year-old woman who had severe disabilities. "Carla" was removed from her home by state authorities after messages obtained through FC indicated she was being sexually abused. Carla's parents' defense team conducted double-blind tests that demonstrated that the only meaningful responses obtained through FC were when the facilitator knew the questions being asked of Carla, ending the case. The rest of the FC abuse cases resolved in much the same way. The scientific community thoroughly debunked the claims of FC proponents, and FC disappeared from mainstream view. Until The Telepathy Tapes. The videos provided by The Telepathy Tapes demonstrate the shortcomings of facilitated communication. Below is an image of a non speaker and guide using Spelling to Communicate, aka The Rapid Prompting Method or Spelling, a more recent variation of FC where the facilitators don't touch the subject. Many of the subjects in The Telepathy Tapes are spellers. Credit: The Telepathy Tapes - Fair Use RPM involves pointing to letters "to form words on a letter board, typing device, and/or by handwriting." One of its prime rules is the facilitator doesn't touch the non verbal person. But as you can see in the image above, the communicator holds the letter board, which allows the facilitator to move to the board to provide the "communication," but that's only one way facilitators could be guiding their partners' responses.To be fair, in episode 8 of The Telepathy Tapes, Dickens discusses the controversy around FC, but frames it in terms of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association suppressing spelling because of "outdated research, stigmas, and the long held belief that non speakers just aren't competent," leaving out the fact that no scientific study of spelling (or any other FC technique) has ever passed a double-blind study, a bar you have to clear long before you start talking about telepathy. As the ASHA puts it: "There is no research showing that RPM is effective in producing independent communication. Indeed, there is active resistance by RPM proponents to conducting research on the technique."The ideomotor reflex and Facilitated CommunicationMost claims of paranormal or psychic abilities are spread by conmen or magicians, but this doesn't seem to be the case for Facilitated Communications and spelling. I don't doubt that proponents of spelling believe it's real. I don't think facilitators are consciously guiding their subjects, and I don't think the parents are trying to trick anyone. But there's an explanation for all of this that doesn't involve the supernatural: the ideomotor reflex.The ideomotor reflex describes involuntary physical movements in response to ideas, thoughts, or expectations. Thinking about something can unconsciously trigger a physical action. This is why Ouija boards produce conversations with ghosts and how water dowsers can find underground springs. In Facilitated Communication, the facilitator is guiding the subject towards a specific response, even though they're not aware they're doing it. Anyone can be fooled by ideomotor effectintelligence and training doesn't make you immuneand realizing that you have been mistaken can be devastating. Watch this interview from 60 Minutes with a couple of smart, well-meaning facilitators to see what I mean: The kind of unconscious "cueing" that seems to explain FC can work even if the facilitator isn't guiding the subject's hands or touching them at all. People can pick up on subtle movements and give a desired response. So can horses. The strange case of Clever Hans, the horse who did mathIn the early twentieth century, mathematics teacher and amateur horse trainer Wilhelm von Osten announced that his horse, Hans, could do math. To demonstrate, Von Osten would ask things like, "If the eighth day of the month comes on a Tuesday, what is the date of the following Friday?" and Hans would answer by tapping his hoof eleven times. Clever Hans, the intelligent horse, drew crowds, but also skepticism, so a panel of professionals consisting of a veterinarian, a circus manager, a cavalry officer, a number of schoolteachers, and the director of the Berlin zoological gardens was convened to test the claims. The panel separated Hans from its trainer to ensure he wasn't cueing the animal. They performed tests without any spectators to make sure no one else was helping the horse cheat. They wrote the questions themselves, and made sure Hans couldn't see the answers, but even under these conditions, Hans could still correctly answer math questions. The panel initially concluded the that there was no trickery involved, but they passed the investigation on to psychologist Oskar Pfungst, who looked deeper. Pfungst's more rigorous tests showed Hans could only give correct answers when the questioner knew the answer and the horse could see the questioner. Clever Hans was a smart horse, but its seeming ability to do math was actually the result of reading the ideomotor movements of the questioner, whose body language would change unconsciously when the right answer was arrived at. (Unrelated sidenote: After Wilhelm von Osten died, Hans was drafted into World War I as a military horse and "killed in action in 1916 or was consumed by hungry soldiers.")I'm not comparing non speakers with autism to horses, but Facilitated Communications and Clever Hans' math skills fall apart at the same point: If the subject can't see, hear, or touch the facilitator, or the facilitator doesn't know the "correct answer," there is no meaningful result. In many cases in The Telepathy Tapes, the facilitator is the parent of a non speaking child, and unspoken communication between thema subtle guiding of the hand, a small change in posture, a change in breathing, etc.seems a more likely explanation than mind reading.The problem of testing for telepathy"Traditional" Facilitated Communication can be disproved relatively easily by showing the non speaker an image, then showing the facilitator a different image, as you can see here: But telepathy, as presented in The Telepathy Tapes, is "protected" from this kind of scrutiny. Because the mind that is supposedly being read is that of the facilitator, there's no way of presenting information that the facilitator doesn't know, and no way of separating the non speaker from the facilitator. The podcast even flips things upside down in a segment involving Uno cards. In this test, only the facilitator knows what Uno card has been chosen, but the subject guesses the right answer again and again. Instead of being seen as evidence that the communication must be from the facilitator because the subject hasn't seen the card, it's presented as evidence that the non-verbal subject is telepathic. In later episodes of the podcast, the claim is made that some of subjects can read everyone's mind. This should make it easy to test telepathic powershave a third party write down a number without showing it to anyone, then have the non speaker read their mind and facilitate the resultbut tests of this type aren't conducted in The Telepathy Tapes. Nor are there any test involving subjects who have more than one facilitator. I suspect this is because those tests would fail.The Telepathy Tapes does offer a preemptive explanation for tests of telepathy that don't work. It's a familiar argument for why supernatural effects can't be demonstrated in a laboratory: psychic abilities, by their nature, resist scientific experimentation. The vibe of skepticism upsets the psychic balance, or the disbelief of the experimenters is too upsetting to the psychic, so the power can only be demonstrated to people who believe in them. And no one can prove that isn't true, but it highlights the difference between an invisible force that is supported by research, like electricity, and one that isn't, like telepathy: Electricity doesn't care if you don't believe in it: Flip the switch and the lights will come on, whether you think they will or not.The problem with The Telepathy TapesPart of the argument of The Telepathy Tapes is that scientific skepticism is silencing the voices of non-verbal people. "Why should anyone deny the lived experience of parents who have found a connection to their children?" the podcast seems to ask. "These assertions carry the serious danger of undermining more empirically grounded modes of communication," explains Dr. Sham Singh, a psychiatrist at WINIT Clinic. "There are scientifically validated tools and techniques that let non speakers express their thoughts and emotions. These include augmentative and alternative communication devices and interventions based on behavioral science. To dismiss these in favor of unproven methods of telepathic communication risks undermining the progress that many individuals and their families have made with established methods."That's not the only problem with the podcast. Mainstream society is denying or discounting the abilities of handicapped people is nothing new, and some autistic people really do demonstrate remarkable talents in different areas, but imagining non-verbal people have mystical powers distorts their lived experiences too. "The deeper question such claims raise touches on how society perceives neurodiversity," explains Dr. Singh. "This fascination with telepathy can reflect a desire to ascribe unique, even mystical abilities to people with autism, which, though well-intentioned, may belittle their experiences. Rather than superpowers, we should focus efforts on supporting non speakers through accessible, evidence-based resources that help them interact with the world on their own terms."

VLC media player is among the surprise entrants at CES 2025, and the company is demoing a feature that automatically generates subtitles for you. When I see companies launching new AI features, I'm usually skeptical because it has become an overused buzzwordbut in this case, it does seem useful.VideoLAN, the parent organization of VLC media player, says it uses open-source AI models to introduce automatic subtitling to its media player. There are two layers to this: The first is generating subtitles itself, and the second one is translation. In the CES demo, VLC media player can be seen playing a video with subtitles in multiple different languages. At the moment, there is no word on when this feature will be available, but I really like the fact that translation is supported because it'll make videos more accessible to people who don't speak English.In a video uploaded to X, VideoLAN president Jean-Baptiste Kempf said the AI subtitle generation feature works completely offline. This is heartening to hear because AI tools have often been criticized for violating your privacy by using your data without consent and for extremely high energy usage at data centers.Even though the world has largely adopted streaming services to play videos, there is still a big market for media player apps like VLC media player. VLC media player has crossed 6 billion downloads, according to Kempf. His LinkedIn post reads, "The number of active users of VLC is actually growing, even in this age of streaming services. Well see how much it will continue to grow!" There are better-designed alternatives, but VLC media player has retained its place on every computer I've used. It still plays practically any video file I throw at it, and it has lots of hidden features for those who want to dig deeper.

We may earn a commission from links on this page.I write about cleaning and organizing, yes, but in real life, I also actually have to clean my home. Sometimes, that does mean using techniques and hacks, but other times, it just means rolling up my sleeves and getting to work. After three decades of life and bonus experience actually having to test and review products, I have some strong opinions. Here's what I swear by when I clean my kitchen. Update your sponge for maximum kitchen cleaningIt's easy to snap up a plain old sponge at the corner store, so I'll never turn my nose up at something available and cheapbut if you have the option, you should upgrade your sponge. As I've mentioned before, I've been obsessed with my Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Ultra Foamy since I upgraded to this heavier-duty melamine sponge a few months ago. Melamine sponges like the Magic Eraser are, on their own, a superior alternative to any other kind of sponge for cleaning, since they tackle stains, scuffs, and sticky stuff with an ease no other sponge can match. With its built-in suds pod, though, the Ultra Foamy, is a true beast among beasts. Every time I use one, I'm reminded how impressive it is. Kitchen messes stand absolutely no chance. Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Ultra Foamy, 5-Pack $8.94 at Amazon Learn More Learn More $8.94 at Amazon What makes these great are the little pods of foaming cleaner that are inserted in the sponge. Look at those suds pods! Credit: Lindsey Ellefson For dishes and other general cleaning, I am also a big proponent of silicone sponges. They feel a little weird in the hand, yes, but their tendrils scrub gunk off things easily, plus they don't get all gross after being wet repeatedly like normal sponges do. It's also more eco-friendly, since they last forever. I've had mine for about five years. I installed a little hook in my kitchen and just hang it up to dry when I'm done with it. The best cleaning products for your kitchenGenerally, you don't need to be told that you should buy floor cleaner, but it's still helpful to get someone's opinion on the best one, so that's what I'm here to provide. As I've discussed, I have been impressed by the new PineSol formulation, which is twice as concentrated as the original version. Not only do I notice this cutting through messes on the floor and flat surfaces a little easier than the PineSol I grew up with, but the scent is stronger, too, and for about $13, you can't beat it. I use it about once a week, but don't need to use as much, so I'm saving money by not having to re-up, as well. The bottle below has been in my rotation for about two months and still has plenty left. Twice as concentrated! Credit: Lindsey Ellefson I also recommend a bottle of Brasso for all your metal needs. Yes, there are great hacks out there to spruce up your fixtures, but this seven-in-one polish is worth a pickup on your next shopping trip because it's so easy to use. For under $5, it's not a major splurge, but the impact it has on stainless steel, bronze, brass, copper, and more is invaluable. Just use a little bit to start. You can always add more if you're not getting your preferred result. I also use this in the bathroom, making it an economical buy.Because I am as interested in aesthetics as I am cleanliness, I've also been really fond of Biom all-purpose wipes. For about $45, you get a starter kit with an unobtrusive dispenser that looks more like decor than a cleaning product. You can refill it with the wipes, which come in hand sanitizing and all-purpose cleaning versions in scents like grapefruit and lavender. It's a more sustainable option than continuing to buy packs of wipes, since the wipes are compostable and refills come in eco-friendly packaging, and while I love that, I'm especially keen on the part where I can have them out on display on my counter without making my space ugly. The wipes are powerful and bust through grime well, so keeping them within arm's reach is helpful. How convenient! Credit: Lindsey Ellefson Fun and easy kitchen-cleaning gadgetsA few weeks ago, I picked up some silicone liners for my refrigerator. It didn't seem like a big deal at the time, but they've had an outsized impact on the cleanliness of my fridge just because they're so much easier to clean than the shelves themselves. I can simply remove my silicone sheets, let them hit room temp, and then much more easily get the spills off them in the sink. I got ones like these: Washable Refrigerator Mats $6.99 at Amazon Learn More Learn More $6.99 at Amazon There are also some viral cleaning products out there that can make you feel like a CleanTok star. For instance, if you want a chuckle while you clean your microwave, the Angry Mama microwave steam cleaner ($5.88) is a social media favorite that can be filled with vinegar and water, then nuked for five to seven minutes to create a steam that removes caked-on gunk and water stains from inside your machine. Its funny little face is just a bonus. For more hands-on cleaning, the Rubbermaid Reveal power scrubber ($19.98) is a scaled-down version of those viral electric scrubbing brushes you see all over social media, making it just right for cleaning sinks, tile grout, microwaves, and small spaces around the kitchen.Finally, you obviously need a mop for your kitchen and although there are a lot of heavy-duty mop-and-bucket options out there, it's a lot easier to go for a Swiffer. The PowerMop and WetJet are both great options here, since they have their cleaning solutions built in and dispense them from a nozzle at the push of a button on the handle, but there are some differences between the two. Here's my full breakdown and comparison.

CES 2025 has come to a close Friday was the final day of the show and team Engadget has departed Las Vegas. Our reporters and editors spent the week scouring endless carpeted convention halls of the CES show floor, braving lines of chain smokers, overcoming nasty colds and sore ankles and fielding thousands of emails a day to find the best and most credible products at the show.It was quite the challenge, as the landscape was dotted with countless contenders. As expected, the vast majority of things we saw this CES had an AI component, with a noticeable uptick in AR glasses, hearing aid earbuds, solar-powered tech, robot vacuums and even emotional support robots. (Apparently people really like robovacs that can pick up socks.) Our team was encouraged to see more growth in tech built to improve the lives of those with disabilities and mobility issues, too.For all the new iterations we saw on traditional tech like laptops, TVs and soundbars, we saw a bevy of wonderfully weird off-beat tech at the show, too. And we were pleasantly surprised to see more than a few of these just-announced CES 2025 products actually available for sale or preorder already.But there was a small group of new products that rose above the rest. Our list of CES 2025 winners covers a variety of categories, ranging from typical areas like home entertainment, transportation and smart home to theme-based topics like sustainability and accessibility. After our team shortlisted nominees and voted on the best for various categories, we then conducted another round of voting to decide on the best product of the show.That said, heres the full list of our picks for the Best of CES 2025.ASUS Zenbook A14ASUSThe ASUS Zenbook A14 feels impossibly light, weighing between 2.2 and 2.4 pounds, and it has a gorgeous 14-inch OLED screen and a decent array of ports (USB-C, USB-A and HDMI)! What else ccould you want in a MacBook Air competitor? After years of basically copying Apples MacBooks, ASUS proves it can out-innovate Apple without resorting to gimmicks like dual screens or flashy lights. The Zenbook A14 is simply a tiny laptop that feels great in your hands, thanks in large part to ASUSs unique Ceraluminum case material. ASUS claims it can last up to 32 hours while playing video, well above the 18 hours Apple estimates for the MacBook Air. It may seem odd that the least flashy laptop of CES 2025 is one of our favorites, but sometimes pure practicality is undeniable. Devindra Hardawar, Senior reporter, reviewsBioLite BackupBioliteWere always looking for brand new, never-seen-before stuff at CES, but sometimes its the clever reinterpretation of existing tech that catches our attention. Thats the case with Backup by Biolite. Its essentially a cross between a universal power supply (UPS) and a whole-home backup battery, but improves on both.The thin, 40-pound 1.5 kWh battery lives between a wall outlet and your fridge (or any other plug-in device) and keeps those things running in the event of a power outage. It doesnt require professional installation, just a user-installed wall mount, and its thin enough to hide behind your fridge or tuck under a counter. Though if it were on display, the matte-silver finish wouldnt spoil any aesthetic.The Backup Complete includes two units that supply up to 3 kWh, which is enough to power a fridge, microwave, lights, as well as refill phones and a laptop. The 3 kWh capacity and the fact that its an installed battery currently qualifies it for a 30 percent federal tax credit, which would bring the cost down to $2,100 for the Complete. The single-unit Backup Core packs 1.5 kWh and goes for $2,000. Both are available for pre-order now and should ship this summer. Amy Skorheim, Reporter, buying adviceJackery Solar RoofJackeryJackery is already an established name in domestic solar generator systems, and its latest product fills a wavy gap in its product lineup. Jackerys XBC curved solar roof shingles mimic some of the most common house styles in the country, and they come in terracotta or obsidian colorways for optimum HOA appeasement. These are the first curved solar tiles to hit the United States market and they deliver a cell conversion efficiency of more than 25 percent. They can withstand extreme weather conditions, including temperatures between -40 degrees F and 185 degrees F, and theyre designed in line with traditional roofing installation practices, featuring a modular setup that allows for flexible maintenance. Jackerys new wavy solar tiles connect with the companys existing solar generation and storage products, making them an accessible and attractive option for whole-home sustainability. Jessica Conditt, Senior reporterLenovo Legion Go SLenovoThe plight of the modern handheld-PC gamer is trying to decide which OS to use. There are a ton of Windows 11-based devices that offer unparalleled compatibility and strong graphics support. But all that comes on a platform that isnt optimized for smaller gadgets with attached controllers. Alternatively, SteamOS offers a much more cohesive experience with a better UI and less performance overhead. The problem is that Valves operating system was basically only available on a single device the Steam Deck. That changes now with the Lenovo Legion Go S, which will be available in two flavors: a Windows version and for the first time on any handheld not made by Valve, a model powered by SteamOS.Aside from the choice of platforms and different colored shells, we appreciate that the two variants feature almost identical specs including an AMD Ryzen Z2 Go processor, up to 32GB of RAM, 1TB of storage and a decently large 55.5Whr battery. Its 8-inch touchscreen looks great too, as it offers a 120Hz refresh rate with support for VRR, 500 nits of brightness and a 1,920 x 1,200 resolution. And with prices starting at $600 (or $500 for the SteamOS model), its rather affordable too. Perhaps the biggest downside is that while the Windows model will be out later this month, were going to have to wait until May for the one powered by SteamOS. But with the latter sort of finally making good on the nearly decade-old promise of Valves Steam Machines, holding out for a few extra months doesnt seem so long. Sam Rutherford, Senior reporter, reviewsLG OLED evo M5LGLGs Best of CES crown is safe for another year. The company is consistently at the top of the best TVs we see each year in Las Vegas, and it frequently comes out the winner. For this years OLED evo M5, the company managed to further improve its most premium displays, adding the latest (Alpha) 11 AI processor Gen2 to improve the look of lower-resolution content and power advanced features.For gamers, theres a 165Hz refresh rate, alongside both NVIDIA G-SYNC and AMD FreeSync Premium certifications. This should smooth things out and keep lag to a minimum. The companys new Brightness Booster Ultimate can achieve levels that are three times brighter than conventional OLED models, according to the company. Plus, the feature contributes to a UL Solutions' "Perfect Black" and "Perfect Color" verification on the M5. Its truly stunning picture quality.Lastly, LGs Zero Connect Box thats been available on the M-series for a while now is finally available on screens below 77 inches. This device allows you to connect all of your consoles and streaming gear without running multiple HDMI cables to the TV. LG now says it doesnt need line-of-sight clearance either, and that it can be hidden in a wooden cabinet near the M5. Billy Steele, Senior reporter, reviewsMoonbird MoonbuddyMoonbirdGadgets made for relaxation shouldnt be complicated. Moonbuddy has one purpose to make guided breathwork accessible and appealing to children and it nails the execution with no unnecessary frills. The company behind it first made a similar stress relief device for adults, and Moonbuddy simplifies that experience and puts it into a cuter package. Moonbuddy is an egg-shaped device with a soft area that expands and contracts in set rhythms, so kids can follow along and sync up their own breathing. It fits into an animal themed sleeve, so it looks like a toy. There are four different breathing modes, each lasting a few minutes and designed to promote a state of calmness.The whole thing is tactile and screen-free, which is especially good considering many parents may want to incorporate it into the nighttime routine. And as much as I love the little animal outfits as a person who gravitates toward cute things, I also like that if your kid gets to that stage where they reject everything babyish, they can take the sleeve off and keep using it in its more nondescript form. Cheyenne MacDonald, Weekend editorOhSnap MCONOhSnapThe MCON by OhSnap basically transforms any smartphone into a modern Xperia Play, complete with modern conveniences like Hall effect analog sticks, silent buttons, flip-out grips, and a full bumper and trigger layout. Its a mobile gamepad that can slide into your pocket without the sticks or handles getting caught on anything, and it works with pretty much every smartphone on the market today. The MCON uses MagSafe to snap onto the back of any recent iPhone and it comes with an adapter for Android devices to join in on the fun. It even works with the Galaxy Z Fold, and its creator, Josh King, is working on a solution for the Z Flip, too.The mockup that King brought to CES 2025 felt lightweight yet solid and comfortable to hold, and the phone-snapping action was supremely satisfying. After gaining a bit of viral fame with his idea, King partnered with established MagSafe accessory manufacturer OhSnap to push the MCON into full production, and its due to hit the market in August for $150. Jessica Conditt, Senior reporterRoborock Saros Z70RoborockRobot vacuums got a bunch of new and sometimes strange powers at CES 2025. But none made a bigger impression than Roborocks Saros Z70, which comes with a mechanical arm that can pick up socks, lift cords and grab other objects.The OmniGrip arm can pick up objects up to 300 grams (a little more than half a pound) in order to clean under them or deposit them in the location of your choice. Functionality of the arm is controlled via Roborocks app and is extremely customizable so you can program it to pick up loose trash and cat toys, but lift up cords to clean underneath.When we saw it in action at CES, it deftly picked up socks and placed them in a basket. But Roborock promises it can do much more. The vacuum will automatically recognize 108 different objects yes, like seemingly every other gadget we saw at CES, it uses AI but you can also teach it to detect up to 50 additional items so it will know how to handle obstacles its most likely to encounter in your home.Surprisingly, the Saros Z70 wasnt the only robot vacuum with an arm we saw at CES, but it will be the first that you can actually buy. Karissa Bell, Senior reporterTechnics EAH-AZ100 earbudsTechnicsTechnics new Magnetic Fluid drivers have garnered a lot of headlines this week, but all you really need to know about the EAH-AZ100 earbuds is that the sound quality is massively improved. Powered by those new components, theres more clarity, detail and bass, all of which are upgrades from the already impressive AZ80. Technics revised its earbud shape for the AZ100 in the name of comfort and fit, while also making the buds smaller and lighter. Features like touch controls, multipoint connectivity for three devices, spatial Dolby Atmos audio and LDAC support are here as well. And unlike most of what we see at CES, these new earbuds are already available to purchase. Billy Steele, Senior reporter, reviewsUrtopia Titanium ZeroUrtopiaSince the pandemic, e-bikes, not electric cars, have been at the forefront of the EV revolution, and its easy to see why: Electric bikes are a lot more affordable than their four-wheeled counterparts. Plus, here at Engadget, were all for devices that promote healthier living, and for many, getting an e-bike can be transformational.So when Urtopia showed up at CES 2025 with a concept e-bike that features a novel motor design, I was excited. As my colleague Daniel Cooper notes in his writeup, e-bike motors have traditionally come in two form factors, each with their own set of considerations. The custom-designed Quark DMI.2 mid-drive motor Urtopia showed off alongside its Titanium Zero e-bike offers a third path. Its not as powerful as traditional mid-drive motors, but it still features more power output than even the best hub motors. Best of all, the motor is small enough to fit inside a bottom bracket and weighs just 2.6 pounds.Urtopia hasnt said when it will start manufacturing the Titanium Zero, but its easy to see a scenario where the design of the Quark DMI.2 inspires other bike makers and pushes the industry forward. Igor Bonifacic, Senior reporterWeWalk Smart Cane 2WeWalkOf all the products at CES 2025 that had AI stuffed into them, WeWalks Smart Cane 2 stood out. The smart cane for people with visual impairments got an update this year that not only adds AI, but also addresses the originals shortcomings. It brings more advanced sensors, and best of all, still works as a conventional folding cane when these technological features arent engaged. The Smart Cane 2 can detect obstacles and offer turn-by-turn navigation, and it has a ChatGPT-powered assistant that can provide answers to questions while someone is walking, without the need to reach for a smartphone. WeWalk also refined the actual cane by making its handle slimmer, replacing the originals touchpad with tactile buttons and shaving a bit of weight off.Sure, you might not be able to trust ChatGPT to give you correct answers to every question imaginable yet, but at least in this implementation, the product isnt likely to harm users even if the AI fails. Plus, it has useful hardware, including time-of-flight and motion sensors to improve navigation, speakers to provide answers and feedback, as well as a flashlight to make the visually impaired more noticeable at night. And again, if the battery dies, you can still use this as a traditional, albeit pricier, cane. Cherlynn Low, Deputy editor, reviewsYukai Engineering MirumiYukai EngineeringOne of the most memorable robots at CES this year was the one that arguably does the least. We found ourselves powerless against the heart-melting charm of Mirumi, a tiny, fluffy robot made by Yukai Engineering that literally just stares at people and looks around like a baby discovering the outside world. Its small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, but even better than that, it has long posable arms that allow it to hang onto objects. So if you put it on your bag strap, it will stare down everyone you encounter, and maybe become a little shy when they return the attention.Mirumi has no purpose other than to spread joy, and I love it for that. Yukai previously brought us the weird Qoobo pillow (the one with the tail) and the cat that nibbles your finger, and this is another case in which it did not miss with one of its odd creations. Cheyenne MacDonald, Weekend editorBest in show: WeWalk Smart Cane 2WeWalkAt CES this year, AI was unsurprisingly everywhere, often in places it didnt really seem like it needed to be. But the WeWalk Smart Cane 2, a high-tech version of the mobility cane for people who are blind, struck me as an application where it could actually be really helpful. With a new voice assistant thats powered by GPT, users can speak directly to the cane to get detailed navigation guidance and on-demand information, like public transportation options and menu items. The smart cane is also packed with sensors that allow it to alert the users of upcoming obstacles. It does this with haptic feedback in the handle and by calling out a verbal warning.WeWalk co-founder Kursat Ceylan, who is blind, gave a demonstration of the cane in the chaotic environment of the Las Vegas Convention Center, and it was impressive. The voice assistant responded quickly and accurately to his prompts, and the obstacle detection alert was loud enough to be heard over the buzz of the CES crowd. It can also pair with headphones or earbuds via Bluetooth. Since the cane can handle things like turn-by-turn navigation, users dont have to worry about also holding a smartphone while theyre trying to get around.The smart cane takes an existing tool that people are already familiar with and enhances it. Importantly, it also seems like the company heard the feedback of users who had the first version of the cane and improved the design to better meet their needs. It has a slimmer handle than the first model and tactile buttons, and weighs about the same as a traditional white cane. Cheyenne MacDonald, Weekend editorThis article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ces-2025-the-best-tech-and-gadgets-we-saw-in-las-vegas-211535722.html?src=rss

Fortnite Festival will support local multiplayer starting Tuesday January 14, meaning youll be able to sit down in a room with your friends and jam out on plastic guitar controllers together just like the good ol days. Of course, most of us probably dont have those plastic guitars anymore, but regular controllers will work just fine too. The feature is coming to Xbox and PlayStation, and up to four local players will be supported at a time for the Festival Main Stage mode. Maybe its the nostalgia talking, but this kind of rules?GET THE BAND BACK TOGETHER Local multiplayer is coming to Fortnite Festival on Xbox and PlayStation January 14! Stay *tuned* for more details pic.twitter.com/m5hzBmbCtw Fortnite Festival (@FNFestival) January 10, 2025 For those who arent aware, Fortnite Festival is a rhythm game developed for Epic by Harmonix (best known for Rock Band and the early Guitar Hero titles). It was first released at the end of 2023. In addition to normal controllers, the game also supports Rock Band 4 guitar controllers on Xbox, PlayStation and PC, as well as the recently released PDP Riffmaster.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/fortnite-festival-adds-local-co-op-so-you-can-relive-the-glory-days-of-rock-band-and-guitar-hero-190528448.html?src=rss

Samsungs big Galaxy S25 launch is right around the corner. The first Galaxy Unpacked event of 2025 is confirmed for January 22 at 1PM ET in San Jose, CA, where Samsungs Next Big Thing (to borrow a 14-year-old marketing slogan) will be revealed. What exactly will be on tap? Well, apart from a few sure bets and some likely leaks, only those sworn to a blood oath under an NDA know for certain. But here are the most likely products and features well see.Galaxy S25, S25+ and S25 UltraGalaxy S24 UltraSam Rutherford for EngadgetMuch like Apple reveals its latest iPhones at its first fall event, Samsung typically launches its mainline Galaxy S flagships at its first Unpacked shindig of the year. You can bet the farm that there will be Galaxy S25 phones at this event. And given Samsungs recent trend of launching three tiers of flagships standard, Plus and Ultra you can bet well see that again. (Samsung could technically change the brand names, but the three-layered lineup is practically guaranteed.) Theres even an FCC certification (first spotted by 91Mobiles) to dispel any doubts.The degree of certainty falls sharply once we dig into the phones features. A subtle redesign with rounded corners, flatter edges and thinner bezels appears likely based on a leaked video posted to Reddit and images from reputable tipster Ice Universe. But this isnt expected to be the generation where Samsungs hiring of a former Mercedes-Benz designer will lead to drastic aesthetic changes.QualcommAt least in the US, the phone is practically guaranteed to use Qualcomms Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, which the chip-maker revealed in October. (Qualcomm even listed Samsung among the companies launching devices with that processor in the coming weeks.) Like just about every flagship processor these days, the Snapdragon 8 Elite is built for on-device generative AI, which aligns with Samsungs Galaxy AI blitz in recent models.We dont know whether the company will split its S25 processors between Snapdragon (US and other markets) and Exynos (everywhere else), but Ice Universe has claimed it will be all Snapdragon this generation. That would be a good thing, given whats often a glaring performance and battery life disparity favoring Qualcomm.The phone will run Samsungs One UI 7 on top of Android 15. We know this because Samsung said in October that its user experience (based on Android 15) will launch on the next Galaxy S flagships. Its already available in beta for Galaxy S24 phones.SamsungSamsung is rumored to stick with last-generation OLED displays (made with M13 organic materials) instead of the brighter and more efficient M14 OLED panels used in the iPhone 16 Pro and Google Pixel 9. Logic suggests Samsung would want its best homemade screen in its best phones especially when its competitors are already using it. But it could stick with the cheaper panels to keep the bill of materials down. Perhaps it calculated that better displays dont make for better generative AI (the obsession of nearly every tech company right now), while the latest Qualcomm chip does.Speaking of AI, expect Samsung to devote a perhaps agonizingly long portion of the event to generative AI features. The hit-or-miss DigiTimes reported last month that the Galaxy S25 series will include an AI Agent that provides personalized clothing suggestions and transport information. What that would look like in practice is anyones guess, but Im not sure I want to know.Galaxy S24 UltraSam Rutherford for EngadgetOn the camera front, Ice Universe claims (via Android Headlines) its confirmed that only the ultra-wide sensor will see an upgrade in the Galaxy S25 Ultra to 50MP from 12MP in last years model. The leaker says the S25 Ultra will stick with a 200MP main sensor, 10MP 3x zoom and 50MP 5x zoom.Samsung will add the Qi2 wireless charging standard to its new flagships and that comes straight from the horses (aka, the Wireless Power Consortiums) mouth. However, leaker chunvn8888 (aka yawn) says Samsungs phones wont have built-in magnets for Qi2s native MagSafe in everything but name charging. Instead, the leaker says Samsung will sell a first-party case with a Qi2 magnetic ring to enable that. (Gotta move those accessories, baby!)Rumors have buzzed about an alleged Galaxy S25 Slim with a you guessed it slimmer design joining the trio at some point this year. Thats something Apple is also rumored to be working on. However, given the FCC certifications only appear to cover the familiar trio of flagships, that phone (if its in the pipeline at all) may not arrive until later in the year.Galaxy Ring 2, Samsung XR and AR glassesGalaxy RingSam Rutherford for EngadgetDigiTimes reported in December that Samsung would show off (or maybe just tease) the Galaxy Ring 2 and augmented reality (AR) glasses during its January Unpacked event.The Taiwanese publication says the Galaxy Ring 2 will add two more sizes to the nine from the original model, which only launched in July. The second-gen wearable health tracker is said to add new AI features (surprise!) and updated sensors for more accurate measurements. The Galaxy Ring 2 is also rumored to last longer than the current models maximum of seven days.GoogleDigiTimes also claims Samsungs AR glasses which the company has confirmed its working on will look like regular prescription glasses and weigh around 50g. It says the futuristic glasses would use Googles Gemini AI, which aligns with what we already know about Samsungs partnership with Google and Qualcomm on Android XR. But given the lack of supply chain rumors surrounding the glasses, its likely that any mention at the event would amount to little more than a teaser, a la its grand reveal of... a stinkin render for the first Galaxy Ring at Unpacked 2024.We also know Samsung is co-developing an Android XR (extended reality) headset codenamed Project Moohan alongside Google and Qualcomm. The lightweight and ergonomically designed headset will have a state-of-the-art display, passthrough video and natural multi-modal input. Googles renderings show a wearable reminiscent of Apples $3,500 Vision Pro.Project MoohanGoogle / SamsungSince Google only recently began offering a developer kit and API for the platform, any glimpse of it at Unpacked wouldnt likely include an imminent release or deep dive into its hardware.Engadget will have full coverage of Samsungs first Unpacked event of 2025. More to come on January 22!This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/what-to-expect-at-samsungs-galaxy-s25-unpacked-event-182028420.html?src=rss

TEAMGROUP introduces the worlds first 8TB PCIe 5.0 SSD, delivering speeds of 13,500 MB/s and advanced cooling for sustained peak performance.

The larger Cubi NUC AI+ 2M comes with a dedicated Copilot button.