The new mood boarding tool is more powerful than I expected.

This premium gimbal shoots and tracks smooth, steady footage even with the most unwieldy of smartphones.

Through the use of assistive equipment and the guidance of trained instructors, skiers with disabilities can storm the slopes. Here's where to find adaptive skiing programs around the United States.

With the new year in full swing, there's a wide variety of exciting upcoming and ongoing architecture and design exhibitions, festivals, and showcases to keep you busy throughout February.From the roster of current and upcoming eventslisted on Bustler, here is a brief curated selection of recommendations worth seeing this month.UPCOMING EVENTS

In case you haven't checked outArchinect's Pinterestboards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various ArchinectFirmandPeopleprofiles.Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the boardLearning Spaces.Tip:use the handyFOLLOW featureto easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles.Les Coteaux Fleuris school inHeudebouville, France byHEMAA; Photo:Sergio Grazia John Adams Middle School inSanta Monica, CA byKoning Eizenberg Architecture; Photo:Eric Staudenmeir Saugus Middle/High School inSaugus, MA byHMFH Architects Inc.; Photo:Robert Benson PhotographySandi Simon Center for Dance, Chapman University inOrange, CA byLorcan O'Herlihy Architects [LOHA]; Interiors:Dotrio, Inc.; Photo:Eric Staudenmaier Ledding Library inMilwaukie, OR byHacker Architects; Photo:Jeremy Bittermann Public Safety & Allied Health Building, Crafton Hills College inYucaipa, CA bySteinberg Hart...

The second storey of the open office space provides views into a canopy of trees at the rear of the site. Exposed mass timber columns, beams and ceilings contribute to the warmth of the space.PROJECT Cunard Street Live/Work/Grow, Halifax, Nova ScotiaARCHITECT FBM Architecture Interior Design PlanningPHOTOS Doublespace Photography, unless otherwise notedModern mass timber has made inroads throughout Canada, including, most recently, the Atlantic provinces. At the vanguard of this movement is a recently completed project led by Susan Fitzgerald, principal at Halifax firm Fowler Bauld & Mitchell (FBM).FBM had long wanted to do a project using mass timber, but clients were hesitant to be among the first in the region to construct a multi-storey building from the material. So, FBM bravely decided to become its own client. In 2019, the firm was operating from a typical 1970s office tower downtown. A new mass timber workplace would accommodate their growing staff, at the same time demystifying and de-risking this construction method in the region. FBM committed, with Woodworks Atlantic, to documenting the process and costs as a test case.The lot is sandwiched between an older multi-unit building and a daily meals and shelter charity.Dream big, but researchAs local modern mass timber examples were, at the time, few and far between, all involved knew there would be a steep learning curve. Fitzgerald sums it up: We didnt know any of this before, so, we really had to go through it ourselves. The design teamwhich also included structural engineer Gilles Comeau, and Fitzgeralds husband, Brainard, in the lead for contractor Aitcheson Fitzgerald Buildersfirst refined the program and concept in animated, sometimes intense, discussions. With the support of Ontario supplier Timber Systems, they toured a certified sustainable forest, the production mill, and several completed projects to absorb first-hand both the challenges and rewards of mass timber. As Comeau learned, any engineering calculations are impacted by the dimensions of product available, the species used, and how the members are glued, nailed or bolted together.The mass timber infill building includes a multi-level office space, topped by a half-dozen residential units.Office, residence and gardenThe new building began with a three-storey office program. Given the tight housing situation in Halifax, seven residential units were integrated into the program on the fourth and fifth floors. Tenants and staff share the elevator and stairwells, fostering a diverse and congenial micro-community. This extends outside to the roof, too, conceived as an outdoor oasis for both the staff and residents. Vegetables and flowers are thoughtfully arranged in raised beds and nurtured by a professional gardener. Fitzgerald points out that some people, who never brought lunches to work downtown, do nowoutside, on the roof. In addition to the outdoor space being a visual respite from computer screens for the staff, it is also a valuable amenity for the residential tenants. A panoramic view of the blue Halifax Harbour to the east and comfortable outdoor furniture facilitate conversation.The offices lower-level kitchen and staff dining area opens onto a sunken patio.Site logisticsThe site itself is a 15-by-30-metre lot sandwiched between Souls Harbour Rescue Mission, a daily meals and shelter charity, and a older multi-unit apartment building. The FBM office takes up the entire width, but pulls back from the rear boundary to permit a sunken patio which, besides being accessed from the staff kitchen, allows ample light into the lower level. An overhang at the street articulates the glass faade, and sometimes even provides shelter for patrons of Souls Harbour as they line up for lunch. As contractor Brainard Fitzgerald notes, the construction was slowed by the Covid pandemics arrival shortly after construction began, disrupting suppliers and personnel, and making costs unpredictable. The construction process was also complicated by building with zero-side yard setbacks, and little room at the front or back of the site. There was not a conventional lay-down area for materials: concrete formwork for the core circulation areas had to be disassembled and stored off-site, only to be brought back for each of the five levels. But he was pleasantly surprised by how robust and resilient the mass timber components were when assembled on siteprotection from mold, moisture and damage were manageable, and did not add significantly to the budget.Because of very limited exposure at the sides, most natural light is harvested from the front north-facing and rear south-facing elevations. Full-height glazing provides abundant light to the three office floors, while bright interior walls and blond wood ceilings enhance the effect. Southern glare and heat gain are mitigated by blinds. The service and circulation functions are located along the two sides, keeping the plumbing, power and IT runs short and practical. Each conduit, light fixture and sprinkler location was detailed precisely to eliminate visual clutter on the walls and exposed glulam ceilings. With this keen attention to placement, the electrical and mechanical trades were alerted at the outset that the project was not business-as-usual. They responded with a hearty can do! attitude which elicited a heightened sense of pride in the work. The outcome is a work environment which is welcoming, light-filled, tidy and, indeed, inspirational to the firms designers. A rooftop garden is an amenity for residential tenants, as well as providing a verdant refuge for staff at FBMs offices. Photo by Matt ReynoldsScreenshotVersatile workspaceDuring Schematic and Design Development stages, FBM employees had the opportunity for input, as they would be the eventual users. As a result, the workplace offers a diversity of options, with closed and open breakout rooms on each floor, and sit-stand desks throughout. The kitchens long table, sunken patio, and rooftop all provide informal spaces for dialogue and collegial brainstorming.A decision was made early on to forego any parking places for staff and tenants, leaving only one spot for garbage pick-up, and one for visitors. Many of the residents walk or cycle to work, and there are multiple city transit stops nearby. FBM architect Greg Fry says: The office has bike storage, a staff shower, and a plethora of great coffee shops in the neighbourhood. The new generation of talent demands an exceptional workplace experience, and the new FBM office helps us exceed those expectations. Post-pandemic, several employees work from home, but the office is so inviting that it remains the preferred hub of activity for the firm.The new office is a mass timber showcase visible from the street and also a showroom demonstrating its capability. Since occupancy, both new and former clients have been truly impressed by the value-add of capital-A architecture on display in this bright, well-appointed atelier. The high-quality construction provides proof-of-concept for the viability of mass timber in Atlantic Canada, and points to possibilities for mixed-use, residential, and infill applications.Lessons learnedSpeed of construction is one of the clear advantages of mass timber, but this was negatively affected by the concrete elevator shaft and fire exit stairwells. As each floor went up, the concrete formwork, rebar placement and careful maneuvering so close to the neighbouring buildings delayed the other trades. The thick glulam floors were topped with concrete to meet fire-separation requirements, but Fitzgerald has since researched thinner solutions.The final cost analysis showed that, for this project, mass timber compares well with concrete construction, and is more economical than a similar steel structure. With a new mass timber factory coming to the region in 2026, the team is hopeful that this construction method will gain momentum in Atlantic Canada. Presently, Fitzgerald is researching the use of mass timber in building affordable housing with the Dalhousie School of Architecture. Betting on mass timber, it appears, will be a winning proposition (knock on wood!).T. E. Smith-Lamothe is an architect-artist whose firm, Architech, Ltd., is located in Halifax.CLIENT Craig Davidson | ARCHITECT TEAM Susan Fitzgerald, Alicia McDowell, Danny Goodz, Ben Griffiths, Peter Kolodziej, Amber Kilborn, Stavros Kondeas, Rita Wang | STRUCTURAL Campbell Comeau Engineering | MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL CBCL Limited | CONTRACTOR Aitchison Fitzgerald Builders | GEOTECHNICAL/ENVIRONMENTAL Stantec | CIVIL Servant Dunbrack McKenzie & MacDonald Ltd.| AREA 1,770 M2 | BUDGET Withheld | COMPLETION February 2024As appeared in theFebruary 2025issue of Canadian Architect magazine The post Knocking on Wood: Cunard Street Live/Work/Grow, Halifax, Nova Scotia appeared first on Canadian Architect.

The houses slightly canted form, clay shingle cladding, and abundant landscaping with native plants nod to the neighbourhood context of century-old brick homes.PROJECT Ulster House, Toronto, OntarioARCHITECT LGA Architectural PartnersPHOTOS Doublespace PhotographyWalking past the corner of Ulster and Lippincott, you might mistake the building tucked behind a mature, blue spruce for a thoughtfully designed three-storey single-family house in the neighbourhood. A relaxed garden spills over the edges of the property, alive with pollinators, giving the impression that its been there for yearsrooted and full of character. The house itself is contemporary yet quiet in its presence, woven into the Harbord Village fabric like a good neighbour: calm, gentle, and human.Despite its appearance, Ulster House is not a single-family homeits a five-plex, with two units sharing the upper floors, a ground floor unit, a laneway dwelling, and a basement apartment. It is the result of years of advocacy and experimentation, rethinking Torontos most ubiquitous housing typologythe single-family infill homeas a multi-unit urban dwelling. This small condominium is architects Janna Levitt and Dean Goodmans prototype for dense housing, done differently.Each unit in the development has its own front door. The two upper units, entered from Ulster Street, include private, open-air patios that are framed into the top level of the building.The imperative of good designUrban densification is no longer a choice, but a necessity. With rising populations, housing shortages, and our intensifying climate crisis, how we design our homes and communities is increasingly critical. Buildings account for over 40% of global carbon emissions, positioning architecture as both a major contributor to the problemand potential part of the solution.Designed by Levitt and Goodman, founding principals of LGA Architectural Partners, Ulster House is an example of this pursuit by individual architects to make a tangible impact. The project pioneers sustainable ways of living and sets a precedent for buildings to contribute positively at scales larger than their own footprint.PlansBuilding the missing middleAs a five-unit condominium, Ulster House addresses Torontos missing middlethe critical range of housing types between single-family homes and high-rises. This category, defined in the citys 2030 Housing Action Plan, is crucial for alleviating both the current housing crisis and the climate crisis. Its the middle ground where affordability and sustainability intersect, where families are not priced out. Ulster House revives the kind of multi-family housing that once defined this neighbourhood, where immigrant families would share homes and multi-generational living was the norm, creating a sense of belonging in the urban sprawl. Today, however, restrictive zoning laws and smaller family sizes dominate. Low-density single-family zoning covers 70% of Torontos buildable land. Ulster House disrupts that norm while continuing to offer an adaptable structure through simple stick-frame construction that allows renovation, change, and growth. It shows how families may stay rooted in their neighbourhood, even as their needs evolve.Architects Janna Levitt and Dean Goodman occupy the main floor unit and laneway suite as their residence.Serving as both their own home and a demonstration project, Ulster House builds on lessons from Levitt and Goodmans former residence. Their Euclid House (2006) tested compact footprints and flexible living options, and introduced Torontos first residential green roof. All architecture must contribute to good city-building, says Levitt. What youre doing has to add up to be bigger than the project itself. Goodman and Levitt are not only the designers, owners, and residents of Ulster Housethey are also the developers, shifting the paradigm of a ruthless profit-maximizing profession to one where the design decisions are driven by the ambitions of the owners as citizens.Ulster House harmonizes with the neighbourhoods existing scale while introducing density that feels human and livable. The handmade, electric-fired clay shingle cladding, warm to the eye, recalls the textures and tones of the surrounding brick. Sloped roofsdesigned to house photo-voltaics for an all-electric HVAC systemecho the homes around it, subtly reinforcing the communitys character. A layered landscaping of native plants and deadwood logs, designed by Lorraine Johnson and selected in accordance with permaculture principles, creates a biodiverse retreat amidst the urban fabric. A sumach screen offers a verdant alternative to the ubiquitous wood fence, softly defining private outdoor space.Each unit features a dedicated ground-floor entrance, connecting directly to the street. Large glass entry doors with transom windows, framed by vertical stained cedar planks, are sheltered by overhangs. This transparency fosters a sense of trust with the surrounding context, striking a delicate balance between privacy and connection.A trellis-covered courtyard with a sauna made from a reclaimed shipping container serves as a three-season outdoor extension of their living space.A courtyard at the heartThe architects currently occupy two of the unitsthe ground floor of the main home, which houses their kitchen and living spaces, and the laneway unit, almost bunkie-like, across a courtyard. Clad in Yakisugi (charred) cedar, the laneway house contains a bedroom, a bathroom, and a home studio that also functions as the library and guest room. Goodman and Levitts daily routine involves traversing the courtyard that connects their sleeping spaces with their living spacesa continual communion with the seasons. This experimental design tests the limits and possibilities of outdoor living in Torontos climate, where such a routine is otherwise uncommon. The stone walkway, nominally heat traced for winter, is sheltered by a wood trellis and clear acrylic covering, providing partial protection from the elements.An outdoor dining area connects the ground floor and laneway suite.In a recent interview, Egyptian architect Abdelwahed El-Wakil describes the courtyard as the open living room, and the soul of the house. He speaks of the courtyard as a kind of aperture, a soft-edged threshold that draws us back toward the natural world we have so distanced ourselves from. Reflecting on his own home in Agami, Egypt, centered around a courtyard with a small fountain and windcatcher, El-Wakil highlights the timeless principles of daylight, passive ventilation, and harmony with the sun we all share.The laneway suites bedroom adjoins the ground-floor courtyard.Despite the cold Canadian winters, Goodman and Levitt have always embraced these same principles. Walking through the courtyard, or looking out from the living and dining rooms in the main house immediately connects us to the seasons, the weather, and a landscape, shares Goodman, attributing their enhanced quality of life to a deepened relationship with nature. Its centering, and is the reciprocal element to the constructed world.The path between the two also serves as a three-season exterior workshop area and is lined on one side with a cedar storage wall containing, in part, Goodmans woodworking tools. A 10-foot shipping container, converted by Goodman into a sauna, provides warmth and purpose during colder months. The natural ventilation is luxurious, notes Levitt, when describing the sensation of air and light flowing through the home from the courtyard. Yet the integration of the courtyard offers more than such comforts. It embodies a philosophical shift: that our response to climate change must include a rethinking of human comfort, and of our relationship to nature.Meticulous detailing characterizes the project, including in the wood cladding throughout the laneway suite.The craft of compact livingFor the two upper units, open-to-sky outdoor terraces extend the buildings living areas, offloading interior functions while maintaining a sense of openness. These areas ease the compact footprints of the leasable units, inviting natural light and ventilation and reducing reliance on conditioned spaces. The buildings cohesive massing, unbroken by projecting balconies or expansive glass, maintains a robust enclosure, and retains its intimate residential character.The project as a whole is anchored by passive design principles and detailed studies of embodied and operational carbon emissions. The architects evaluated the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of the development against the Architecture2030 challenge, which calls for a 40% reduction in carbon emissions compared to industry standards. This analysis prompted key adjustments, including replacing steel framing with wood and decreasing the quantity of cement in concrete components. Such decisions reduced the buildings GWP by almost half, surpassing their targeted benchmark. For the architects, these results reinforced the value of integrating carbon accounting early in the design process.Perhaps most impactful is the overall concept of designing livable, efficient spaces within a compact footprint, reducing overall building materials and ongoing operational energy needs. Compact spaces require thoughtful design. The architects describe their material choices as elevated but pleasant to the touch, as is evident in the kitchen, where stainless steel countertops provide a tactile contrast to warm wood finishes that replace drywall to further reduce embodied emissions. The bunkie follows the same philosophy: wood throughout, with the exception of an elegantly crafted bathroom wrapped seamlessly with sea-green mosaic tiles.The tile-clad bathroom opens on to a pocket garden.Walking the walk: a precedent for urban livingMany of the outcomes of the Ulster House were hard-won, requiring the creation of a typology, advocacy for zoning variances, and adaptation to permitting requirements. The bunkies narrow pocket gardenthe result of laneway setback requirementsis just one example of how Levitt and Goodmans thoughtful design maximized even the most constrained possibilities.Aligning authorities and consultants with the vision took time, and delays were frequent. But each challenge only reinforced the architects belief that a different kind of housing was not only possible, but long overdue. Since the project was first proposed, changes to as of right conditions for small multi-unit buildings, development charges, and financing options (such as loans and lines of credit) have made buildings like Ulster House more feasible. However, legislation such as Bill 212, the removal of bike lanes, and the extended delays of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, puts into question the provincial governments position on good city-building.Ulster House offers an exciting glimpse of what gentle densification might look like in our cities: an urban future that embraces creativity, sustainability, and a redefined connection to the natural world. For architects who continually push the boundaries of whats possible, a project like this becomes a living testament, showing skeptical clients an alternative, improved way of living. Ulster House sets a high bar, asking architects, city planners, and community members alike to think beyond their projects immediate footprints, and challenging us all to become better city builders.Jaliya Fonseka is the principal of Fonseka Studio and an Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, at the University of Waterloo, where he teaches in the architecture and architectural engineering programs. He leads with community-oriented scholarship, investigating topics of home, belonging, and climate.CLIENTJanna Levitt and Dean Goodman | ARCHITECT TEAM Dean Goodman (MRAIC), Kara Burman, Andria Fong, Megan Cassidy, Joshua Giovinazzo | STRUCTURAL Blackwell Engineering | MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL RDZ Engineers | LANDSCAPE Lorraine Johnson, Native Plant Consultant | INTERIORS LGA Architectural Partners | CIVIL Blue Grove Engineering Group Inc. | BUILDING ENVELOPE RDH | ACOUSTICS Thornton Tomasetti | CONTRACTOR Desar Construction Studio inc. | AREA 322 m2 (Condos) + 56 m2 (Laneway suite) | BUDGET $4 M | COMPLETION 2023As appeared in theFebruary 2025issue of Canadian Architect magazine The post Building in the Missing Middle: Ulster House, Toronto, Ontario appeared first on Canadian Architect.

When you yell Can you just Google it? at your AI assistant, its fair to say that the AI assistant is not doing its job.I was browning some beef on the stove and trying to determine when my husbands flight was landing. I didnt have the flight number, but there are only so many direct flights between Detroit and Seattle in a day. So I long-pressed the power button on the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and asked Googles Gemini assistant to find the information for me. It said it couldnt. So I insisted loudly to just Google it, plus or minus an expletive. It couldnt even do that, so I went to Google myself and had the answer in seconds. AI, everybody.8Verge ScoreSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra$1299$1299The GoodExcellent screenImproved ultrawide cameraRounded corners are comfierThe BadExpensiveBulkyAI is (still) hit or missHow we rate and review productsThis wouldnt matter except AI smarts are supposed to be the big deal with this phone. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is a barely warmed-over version of last years device, with some lightly bumped specs and ever-so-slight design changes. Thats fine! The S24 Ultra was a great piece of hardware, and the S23 Ultra was, too. Samsung didnt need to reinvent the wheel. But it means the company is relying on these Galaxy AI features plus some help from Gemini to give the S25 Ultra that new-phone zhuzh. And despite all its sparkle, Galaxy AI isnt up to the task.More than anything, Samsung has lost the plot on what makes this Ultra phone ultra. The Ultra used to and kind of still is the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink phone. It has the stylus, the big screen, all the cameras, and just about every other souped-up spec you could think of. But over the past few years, Samsung just hasnt found a way to make this phone any more special. In fact, its gotten just a little bit less special, if anything. The S24 Ultra downgraded the 10x zoom to a 5x, which is just okay at 10x, despite Samsungs claims its just as good. The S25 Ultra downgrades the smart stylus into a dumb one without Bluetooth connectivity and air control features. I wouldnt have a problem with that if those things had been sacrificed for some other compelling feature. But I cant see whats been added, and at $1,299, this is one of the most expensive phones you can buy that doesnt fold in half. Dont get me wrong, its a damn good phone. But I think at that price, its fair to ask for just a little more.Software and AISamsung introduced us to the concept of Galaxy AI last year, which includes some proprietary features like writing tools, note summarization, call translation, and wacky photo editing tools. This year, it places a new assistant front and center: Googles Gemini. Bixby is still around in a supporting role, but Gemini is the default helper youll get when you long-press the wake button. With the S25 series, Gemini can take action across multiple apps for you including in Gmail and Calendar and a bunch of Samsungs native apps. This was the function I was most excited to try on the S25 Ultra, but its an Android feature coming to many other phones, too.RIP, Bixby.The results were mixed. I asked it to put an event on my calendar based on what was on my phone screen, and it did it. Date, time, location were all correct. It felt kind of magical, which I realize is a very low bar for magic. Other results were less impressive. If I asked it to generate a list of five videos to watch on a particular topic and add them to a note, it only added the headline text even when I prompted it to add them as hyperlinks. The other problem is, AI makes shit up a lot. I asked it to find a specific recipe for an espresso martini on YouTube and add the ingredients to a note. It appeared to follow directions by pulling up the video I referenced, and the ingredients seemed like they might be in an espresso martini. But they were totally different from what was featured in the video. I tried to ask it about details of a flight leaving from San Francisco, and even though I had it reference my confirmation email, it kept insisting that my flight was leaving from San Jose. It makes you think twice about relying on AI for anything but the lowest of low-stakes tasks!Samsung has also integrated AI features here and there across the OS. A prominent AI feature called Now Brief offers summaries of your activities throughout the day and supposedly surfaces relevant information based on your calendar and location. Its on the homescreen by default and pops up on the lockscreen when a new one is available. I find it to be mostly useless. It kept showing political news headlines that I dont want to be bombarded with in the middle of the day, so I turned those off. Gemini kept insisting that my flight was leaving from San JoseNone of this is unique to the Galaxy S25 Ultra or even the S25 series. These AI features which occupied most of Samsungs Unpacked presentation introducing these phones will very likely come to previous Galaxy phones later this year. I love to see older phones get new features. But it also makes it very hard to see what sets the S25 Ultra apart from the rest of the S25 series or even the other Android competition. Theres also a strong possibility that Samsung will start charging for these features at the end of 2025; Samsungs fine print only guarantees that theyll be free through the end of 2025. Dont be surprised if your AI phone suddenly comes with an AI subscription fee.The S25 series ships with One UI 7.0, a significant update to Samsungs Android skin. Its also a particularly iOS-y update, most notably with split quick settings and notification shades and a Dynamic Island-like Now Bar with time-sensitive information. I dont think its a particularly bad influence, and you can undo or tweak many of these changes. I appreciate the ability to put all my apps on one page in the app tray so I dont have to scroll between multiple pages, like on other Android phones. Theres a time to do your own thing and theres a time to just follow the crowd.Hardware and cameraSamsung took another good cue from Apple with the S25 Ultras new shape. The previous couple of Ultra phones had a boxy shape that paid tribute to the Note series. But those pointed corners were sharp and made the phone uncomfortable to hold. This year, Samsung ditched what was left of the Note styling and adopted curved corners like the rest of the S series.The S25 Ultra is less Note-like, but its also less painful to hold.The Ultra also loses what was left of its curved edges in favor of straight sides that make it easier to pick up. Theyre subtle changes, but they do make the S25 Ultra more comfortable to hold and use, at the expense of looking like every other modern smartphone from the front. I think its a net positive. Id rather have a comfortable phone than a unique-looking one that digs into my palm. The Ultra uses an updated Gorilla Armor 2 protective layer on its screen. Its supposed to withstand drops onto concrete better than the previous version, which I didnt test in my time with the phone. But I can say its scratch-resistance has held up well to a week of abuse, and the screens antireflective coating makes it one of the easiest phones to use in direct sunlight. But that was also true of the S24 Ultra. The S25 Ultra, like the S25 and S25 Plus, uses a version of Qualcomms Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset thats specially tuned for Galaxy phones. I used the 8 Elite in the OnePlus 13 and couldnt tell you any notable difference in performance between the two. Everyday tasks ran smoothly on the 8 Elite. The phone crashed and restarted itself in one instance, which was a little unusual, but I havent seen anything else like that in the week Ive been using it. This years S Pen loses its Bluetooth functionality.Battery life is about par for a flagship smartphone in 2025. I usually got through an average day with 60 percent or so left over. Good, but not amazing. The S25 series is Qi2 Ready, which means it supports the latest wireless charging standard but only with a special magnetic case it doesnt have magnets built into the phone. Its a fair compromise since most people will put their phone in a case and never take it off, but its a bummer for the case-averse like me.The S25 Ultra still has an S Pen, but Samsung removed Bluetooth features that allowed you to use the stylus like a magic wand. Samsung says few people used those features, and on balance, its no great loss. But its the principle more than anything that stings.Samsungs portrait mode is still one of the best out there.The cameras on the S25 Ultra are unchanged with one exception: a new 50-megapixel ultrawide. Samsungs claim that it performs better in low light seems to hold up I can see more fine detail in shots from the new camera compared to the ultrawide on the S24 Ultra. Likewise, the new ultrawide probably helped by a wider f/1.9 aperture allows the system to use lower ISOs to get the same level of brightness in a shot, which helps keep noise down, too. Its definitely an upgrade; is it one that Ultra owners were clamoring for? Im less sure about that.A video still from the S24 Ultra shows less fine detail.This still from the S25 Ultra shows much better detail in the subjects sweatshirt and face.Samsungs other notable claim is that its low-light video processing has been improved to better distinguish between moving and static subjects, in theory allowing for smarter application of noise reduction. I cant say this is anything Ive had a particular complaint about on past Galaxy phones, but low-light video is still a challenge for any mobile camera.And it appears to be working: in side-by-side video clips with the S24 Ultra, I can clearly see more fine detail from the S25 Ultra, particularly in dim indoor lighting. It isnt a paradigm shift, but progress is progress. Otherwise, the S25 Ultras images look very much like what Ive come to expect from Samsung. This camera loves its vibrant reds and blues, and portrait mode segmentation is still some of the best in the game. Still something special for now.The Galaxy S25 Ultra remains one of the best phones you can buy. The screen is excellent, the cameras are some of the best in the game, and youll have a hard time finding any workload tough enough to challenge it. Thats all been true of the last few Ultra phones, and its true of this one. But I think theres something intangible that the Ultra has been losing over the past couple of generations. You can buy the Galaxy S25 Plus or the Pixel 9 Pro if you just want a good Android phone. The reason to buy a Galaxy S-series Ultra is because you dont want something thats just good; you want something thats special. This phone feels a little less special than the S24 Ultra did, which felt a little less special than the S23 Ultra. Complaining about the specialness of a phone would be silly for any other phone. But this is the Ultra! Doesnt that mean something? It used to come with a 10x telephoto camera and a stylus that worked like a magic wand. It used to look strikingly different from the rest of the S series, or any other phone, for that matter. Some of these changes have been for the better, but Samsung hasnt made up for what its cutting. For now, the S25 Ultra still feels like something special. But if the trend continues, then the Ultra could become just another big phone.Photography by Allison Johnson / The VergeAgree to Continue: Samsung Galaxy S25 UltraEvery smart device now requires you to agree to a series of terms and conditions before you can use it contracts that no one actually reads. Its impossible for us to read and analyze every single one of these agreements. But we started counting exactly how many times you have to hit agree to use devices when we review them since these are agreements most people dont read and definitely cant negotiate.To use the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, you must agree to:Samsungs Terms and ConditionsSamsungs Privacy PolicyGoogles Terms of Service (including Privacy Policy)Google Plays Terms of ServiceAutomatic installs (including from Google, Samsung, and your carrier)There are many optional agreements. If you use a carrier-specific version, there will be more of them. Here are just a few:Sending diagnostic data to SamsungSamsung services, including auto blocker, customization service, continuity service, nearby device scanning, personal data intelligence, and smart suggestionsGoogle Drive backup, location services, Wi-Fi scanning, diagnostic dataBixby privacy policy (required to use Bixby), plus optional for Bixby options like personalized content, data access, and audio recording reviewThere may be more. For example, Samsungs Weather app also has its own privacy policy that may include sharing information with Weather.com.Final tally: there are five mandatory agreements and at least 10 optional ones.See More:

Key resources for environmental data and public health have already been taken down from federal websites, and more could soon vanish as the Trump administration works to scrap anything that has to do with climate change, racial equity, or gender identity.Warnings floated on social media Friday about an impending purge at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), spurring calls to save as much data as soon as possible. The CDC shares data on a wide range of topics, from chronic diseases to traffic injuries, tobacco use, vaccinations, and pregnancies in the US and its just one of the agencies in the crosshairs. The CDCs main data portal, which housed much of those datasets, was offline by Friday night. Data.CDC.gov is temporarily offline in order to comply with Executive Order 14168 Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government a notice on the webpage says, adding that it will become available again once its in compliance with the executive order.Researchers have been archiving government websites for monthsFortunately, researchers have been archiving government websites for months. This is typical with every change in administration, but there was even more imperative with the return of Donald Trump to office. Access to as much as 20 percent of the Environmental Protection Agencys website was removed during the first round of Trumps deregulatory spree. And now, it seems, similar moves are happening fast.The CDCs social vulnerability index and environmental justice index tools that could show whether particular populations might face disproportionate health risks have both been taken offline within the past week. In 2007, during the Bush administration, social scientists, geographers, and statisticians started developing the social vulnerability index (SVI), which incorporated demographic and socioeconomic factors including poverty, race, and ethnicity over the years. The Biden administration launched the environmental justice index (EJI) in 2022. Too many communities across our nation, particularly low-income communities and communities of color, continue to bear the brunt of pollution. Meeting the needs of these communities requires our focused attention and we will use the Environmental Justice Index to do just that, then Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a press release at the time.Since stepping into office, Trump has tried to undo previous administrations work to address health disparities when it comes to race and gender. In an executive order Trump signed to undo Biden-era policies, the president wrote that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has corrupted government institutions. He also claimed that climate extremism has exploded inflation and overburdened businesses with regulation. During his first term in office, there was a near 40 percent decline in the term climate change across websites for federal environmental agencies. Its too soon to know what the damage might be this time around, but some webpages have already vanished. The US Department of Transportations priorities website has removed pages on both climate and sustainability and equity. It follows an internal memo sent this week instructing USDOT operating administrations to identify and ultimately terminate Biden-era activities relating to climate change and DEI.Donald Trumps efforts to limit foreign aid seem to have also led to information being taken down on HIV and AIDS. The data webpage for the US Presidents Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) was taken down this week. PEPFAR has been around since 2003 and helped more than 20.6 million people get access to antiretroviral therapy in 2024 alone, according to a snapshot of the website taken by the Wayback Machine on January 26th, before it was taken down.The End of Term Web Archive project has saved content on federal government websites during every presidential transition since 2008. The Environmental Data and Governance Initiative (EDGI) that formed after Trump was first elected also documents changes to government websites and works to make archived datasets available elsewhere. It has backed up data from the CDCs Social Vulnerability Index and Environmental Justice Index and shared it on a webpage for The Public Environmental Data Project.Yet even if these datasets have been archived, they arent as helpful when they arent updated. Any dataset has a lifespan of utility, says Dan Pisut, senior principal engineer at GIS software company Esri. Aging datasets might not fully represent whats actually happening on the ground, so people have to be careful about how they use them, Pisut points out. It could be risky, he says, but better than nothing.Update, February 1st: This post has been updated with information about data.cdc.gov going offline.See More:

The Nintendo Switch 2 is right around the corner, and after eight years on the market, its hard to call the first Nintendo Switch anything else but a massive success. Sure, it might lack the horsepower of a new Xbox or PlayStation, but the hybrid functionality, innovative feedback of the Joy-Con controllers, and massive library of Nintendo classics and third-party ports has made it the preferred console for millions of people around the world.Theres a little something for everyone in the Nintendo Switch library, especially if youre looking for a challenge. Between new games with cranked up difficulty, and old favorites known for their high difficulty that have been ported to the system, these are the 15 hardest Nintendo Switch games.15. IkarugaOriginally released for arcades in 2001, time has not made Ikaruga any easier, and the Switch port doesnt include any modern additions to reduce the difficulty. This is pure bullet hell with a still-innovative polarity system. At any time, you can change the polarity of your ship to white or black and absorb bullets of that color to power up a special attack. But get hit by a bullet of the wrong color, and youll lose a ship.It sounds like a simple concept, but when the bullets start flying, Ikaruga can be frustratingly difficult until you learn all of its patterns. Beating its five stages is still an impressive accomplishment for any gamer, especially if you can do it without losing a life.14. Super Mario Maker 2There are really two games in Super Mario Maker 2. The first is story mode, a challenging, but not terribly difficult collection of levels developed by Nintendo that most Mario veterans will be able to beat after a few days with a fairbut not terribly excessivenumber of deaths.Then theres the online mode where sadists have gone out of their way to create the most ridiculously difficult platforming levels ever devised, and that less than one percent of players can actually beat in some cases. May God have mercy on your soul if you decide to venture into this mode and actually try to complete some of these levels.13. HadesLike any roguelike, difficulty in Hades largely comes down to a combination of practice and luck, but Hades also introduces some quirks that make it one of the more difficult titles in the genre. First, to truly beat the game and see the credits, youll have to defeat the final boss not once, not twice, but a whopping 10 times, a feat that will take most players dozens of hours.But after defeating Hades the first time, you can manually increase the difficulty for extra rewards. Some of these modifiers increase the number of enemies or how bosses attack to the point that initially the developers thought the hardest difficulty was impossible to beat until one player finally managed to pull it off and posted it online.12. Dark Souls: RemasteredWhere would a list about hard games be without an appearance from Dark Souls? The Switch version isnt drastically different from any of the other versions released since 2011, except you can now die a lot while on the go. This is essentially the same game weve been playing since the PS3 era, with all of its sometimes cheap enemies and occasionally confusing level design meant to beat you down.The only reason Dark Souls ranks low on the list is that by now there are also plenty of guides online that will tell you how to cheese it to power up early and easily beat the most difficult bosses. But if you go into it blind, this is still one of the most difficult games around.11. Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD RemasterLongtime Shin Megami Tensei players will tell you that the games actually arent that difficult. The problem is, that view really only comes from experience. If you go into Shin Megami Tensei III blind, you will almost definitely die a lot, even on normal difficulty.Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!Kind of like Dark Souls, theres just a lot here the game doesnt tell you about fusing demons and shoring up your partys weaknesses. Once you get a grasp on the games mechanics and are able to properly prepare for battles, its not too bad, but most gamers will tell you their first encounter with the series was anything but easy.Another beloved roguelike, Dead Cells took a lot of cues from Dark Souls, but just moved the action to 2D. With that kind of inspiration, you have a pretty good idea of what the difficulty is going to be like. While its an overall fantastic game, what gets frustrating about Dead Cells is just how random and downright unfair it can be.Youll get a good run going, and some strong equipment so you can start dominating everything in your path. Then the game will randomly throw out a brand new boss youve never seen before who crushes you in about 10 seconds, promptly ending your run.9. Darkest DungeonYou know how we said above that Shin Megami Tensei III can at least be beaten with proper planning? Darkest Dungeon takes that one advantage away with its procedurally-generated dungeons. You might think your party is ready for whats ahead, but if the game throws something way overpowered at you, youre going to be dead, or maybe worse, insane.Darkest Dungeons most unique feature is its stress level. If your party is stressed by too much darkness, lack of food, or blights from enemies, theyll stop listening to you, or they might even have a heart attack. Having to deal with the effects of stress makes Darkest Dungeon much more difficult than the typical RPG.8. ThumperThe developers of Thumper describe it as a rhythm violence game. A few minutes of gameplay make it clear what exactly that means. You play as a space beetle flying along a track, trying to keep rhythm with the music, while also dodging obstacles and defeating enemies.Like many great rhythm games, Thumpers difficulty starts out reasonably paced, but each level number corresponds with a time signature, and the later levels get so extreme that even the most seasoned veterans of other rhythm titles will have trouble keeping up.7. Baba is YouBaba is You remains a wholly unique puzzle game that will make you question your intelligence over the course of more than 400 levels. In each one screen stage, youre confronted with several word tiles you need to arrange in order to reach the goal. That can start off as simple as arranging the term flag is win, but the difficulty quickly spirals.Once you dive further into the game, its easy to fall into terms that will quickly break a level by changing the nature of your character, or the world itself. And the purpose of words in later levels gets much vaguer, resulting in an experience that can be more frustrating than fun.6. Donkey Kong Country Returns HDDonkey Kong Country Returns HD is technically the newest release to make it onto the list since it just came out in January of this year, but its also a port of a 2010 Wii game, making it one of the older games on this list. The difficulty also depends quite a bit on which mode you choose to play. Modern mode allows for Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong to share six hearts between them, and there are plenty of power ups available, making it a challenging, but not impossible game to get through.But if you play in classic mode, youre in for a rough time. With only four hearts between the Kongs, and fewer power ups, Donkey Kong Country Returns numerous mine cart and barrel levels will test all of your platforming skills, and not everyone will make it to the credits.5. Metroid DreadWhile Metroid Dread received an update with an easier difficulty mode after release, it initially shipped with only a normal and hard difficulty selectable, and even normal difficulty was pretty damn hard. Much of the challenge comes from the changes to the classic Metroid formula. In tense stealth sections, Samus faces the new EMMI robot enemies, initially with no way of defeating them, and only a brief window to escape when they catch her. Those parts of the game, which sometimes involve complex control combinations, can be tough, even when you acquire a weapon to take down these deadly enemies.Then there are the tricky boss fights, which forced many gamers to give up before the final cutscene. In particular, the final boss, a demanding three-stage fight that requires almost perfect timing to overcome, may be the most difficult in the entire franchise.4. Super Meat BoySuper Meat Boy is another title that was originally released elsewhere long before its Switch debut, but that still hasnt been watered down for casual tastes. Super Meat Boy has some of the tightest platforming controls around, but that doesnt do anything to ease the difficulty.In each of its more than 300 levels, there are just so many obstacles that need to be so precisely evaded, it takes real skills to see the game through to the end. While the game gets really freaking hard in the later levels, its just addicting enough that youll likely do everything you can to see the finale.3. CelesteCeleste is another ultra-difficult platform in the same vein as Super Meat Boy. The game requires absolute mastery of its jumping, dashing, and climbing mechanics if you plan to see it to the end, but dont expect that to be a quick journey. Its not uncommon to see posts on forums about players dying hundreds of times on a single level.Celeste does feature a highly customizable assist mode that can provide you with lowered game speed, unlimited dashes, or even invincibility, but without that its a real chore to get through the challenging B-side and C-side levels, or gather all the games collectibles.2. Hollow KnightHollow Knight has a wonderfully weird graphical style illustrating its subterranean insectoid world that no doubt lured many unsuspecting gamers in. While a traditional Metroidvania at its core, every part of this games difficulty is cranked up to the max. The dozens of tough bosses can end you quickly, and even a tough run in with a group of regular enemies might take you out.The most frustrating thing about Hollow Knight (though admittedly this feature has its fans as well) is that theres so little direction about where to go next, its very easy to go down a path youre not yet equipped to handle, and have all of your progress wiped out in an instant.First off, let us just say that we absolutely love Cupheads aesthetic. The game is a beautifully animated love letter to cartoons of the 1930s, with a jazz soundtrack youll be humming well after youve put the controller down. The run-and-gun gameplay is solid, too. Its just so damn hard.There are no real shortcuts to get past the numerous difficult bosses of Cuphead. You just need to learn their patterns, but then on top of that, develop the muscle memory to perfectly time parries and attacks. Theres a great feeling of accomplishment here if you actually do manage to beat the Devil, but not every gamer will be willing to put in the time to get there.