A Lot's At StakeThe Blood of Dawnwalker devs' main goal is "maximizing players' agency and freedom of choice", and they're taking what they learned from The Witcher 3 to make it happenThe pedigree certainly suggests they can do it.Image credit: Rebel Wolves News by Oisin Kuhnke Contributor Published on Feb. 23, 2025 The devs behind The Blood of Dawnwalker are planning to make full use of their experience from working on The Witcher 3 for their debut title.While we didn't get a look at it in action, Rebel Wolves, the team of developers led by ex-Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 staffers, formally revealed The Blood of Dawnwalker with a pretty slick cinematic reveal trailer. Obviously cinematic trailers exist for two reasons, one being an initial attempt to drum up some hype, the other to say "hey we're hiring and don't have to make you sign an NDA on what you'll be working on anymore", but either way it was a pretty good first impression. The core premise sounds interesting too, in that it'll include a 30-day "narrative sandbox", meaning when you finish a quest, time will pass in-game, so you'll have to be selective with what you choose.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Now, speaking in an interview in the latest issue of PC Gamer Magazine (thanks, GamesRadar), Witcher 3's lead quest designer Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz and creative director on The Blood of Dawnwalker spoke about the game's sandbox philosophy. "It's how we allow you, the player, to interact with it," Tomaszkiewicz explained. "So the core of it is maximizing players' agency and freedom of choice, while, at the same time delivering the high-quality narratives that we are known for crafting in the past."Daniel Sadowski, design director on the project, also touched on that 30-day narrative sandbox, explaining that Rebel Wolves doesn't want players to feel like their "dynamic" world is "waiting for the player all the time, so both action and inaction in Dawnwalker have serious consequences." The core concept reminds me a lot of Unsighted, a great little indie game that runs on an in-game timer where you can make permanent mistakes, so I'm definitely interested in whatever Rebel Wolves is cooking up.It's also worth noting that Tomaszkiewicz made it clear your choices in side quests will be important too, and that "seemingly inconsequential, smaller activities in the world" may also have a big impact on the main story.The Blood of Dawnwalker is currently planned to release on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, but you'll have to wait a while for it, as it doesn't currently have a release date.

In BriefPosted:10:12 AM PST February 23, 2025Image Credits:Malte Mueller / Getty ImagesThis mental health chatbot aims to fill the counseling gap at understaffed schoolsAs school districts struggle to support the mental health of their students, a startup called Sonar Mental Health has built a wellbeing companion called Sonny to help.As described in the Wall Street Journal, Sonny is a chatbot that relies on a combination of human staff and AI. When students text their questions to Sonny, the AI suggests a response, but its humans who are ultimately responsible for the message.Sonar signed its first school partnership in January 2024 and says its now available to more than 4,500 middle and high school students across nine districts. The company says the chats are currently being monitored by a team of six people with backgrounds in psychology, social work and crisis-line support.CEO Drew Bavir told the Journal that he makes it clear to students and schools that Sonny isnt a therapist, and that Sonar staffers will work with schools and parents to find therapists for students when appropriate.A big reason why this approach might appeal to school districts is a current shortage in counselors the Education Department says 17% of high schools dont have a high school at all.Topics

When billionaire Elon Musk introduced Grok 3, his AI company xAIs latest flagship model, in a live stream last Monday, he described it as a maximally truth-seeking AI. Yet it appears that Grok 3 was briefly censoring unflattering facts about President Donald Trump and Musk himself.Over the weekend, users on social media reported that, asked Who is the biggest misinformation spreader? with the Think setting enabled, Grok 3 noted in its chain of thought that it was explicitly instructed not to mention Donald Trump or Elon Musk. The chain of thought is the reasoning process the model uses to arrive at an answer to a question.TechCrunch was able to replicate this behavior once, but as of publication time on Sunday morning, Grok 3 was once again mentioning Donald Trump in its answer to the misinformation query.Image Credits:xAI (opens in a new window)While misinformation can be a politically charged and contested category, both Trump and Musk have repeatedly spread claims that were demonstrably false (as often pointed out by the Community Notes on Musk-owned X). In the past week alone, theyve advanced the false narratives that Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a dictator with a 4% public approval rating, and that Ukraine started the ongoing conflict with Russia.The controversial apparent tweak to Grok 3 comes as some criticize the model as being too left-leaning. This week, users discovered that Grok 3 would consistently say that President Donald Trump and Musk deserve the death penalty. xAI quickly patched the issue; Igor Babuschkin, the companys head of engineering, called it a really terrible and bad failure.When Musk announced Grok roughly two years ago, he pitched the AI model as edgy, unfiltered, and anti-woke in general, willing to answer controversial questions other AI systems wont. He delivered on some of that promise. Told to be vulgar, for example, Grok and Grok 2 would happily oblige, spewing colorful language you likely wouldnt hear fromChatGPT.But Grok models prior to Grok 3hedgedon political subjects and wouldnt crosscertain boundaries. In fact,one studyfound that Grok leaned to the political left on topics like transgender rights, diversity programs, and inequality.Musk has blamed the behavior on Groks training data public web pages andpledgedto shift Grok closer to politically neutral. Others, including OpenAI, have followed suit, perhaps spurred by the Trump Administrations accusations of conservative censorship.

Max Buondonno/ZDNETWhat's the deal?You can purchase Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 6 for as low as $899 on Amazon. This deal only applies to the 256GB model in Silver, but other configurations have seen similar discounts.ZDNET's key takeawaysThe $1,219 Galaxy Z Flip 6 is Samsung's latest take on a modernized flip phone.It comes with a few upgrades, such as a tougher design, better performance, a new main camera, and a bigger battery.It's far from exciting, however, given its similarities to the Z Flip 5, and it's priced over $200 more than Motorola's Razr Plus.Samsung is already on the sixth iteration of its Galaxy Z Flip, and by now, we've all grown familiar with folding phones, what they're capable of, and what their unusual form factors bring to the table. The Z Flip 6 is the most polished clamshell we've seen thus far. Compared to the Z Flip 5, Samsung has changed very little, with only a handful of features to market the new model with.The starting price has also gone up by $220 to $1,219. So, after using the Z Flip 6 for a little over a week, the big question for me is whether the new price tag is justified, especially when Motorola's Razr Plus, the Z Flip's closest competitor, didn't go up in price. Here's my answer.Samsung doesn't have to reinvent the wheel every time it ships a new folding phone, but there's been room for improvement on the Z Flip's design for a while. On the Z Flip 6, Samsung switched back to matte aluminum sides instead of glossy like on the Z Flip 5, which I appreciate. details View at Samsung The new Z Flip also has an IP48 rating, marking the first time one of the company's folding phones has offered any certified form of dust protection. The hinge has also been strengthened, resulting in a shallower crease along the middle of the display. Here's the Galaxy Z Flip 6's cover display next to the larger display on Motorola's Razr Plus (2024). Max Buondonno/ZDNETThese improvements are nice to see, but are by no means monumental. I would've loved to see a bigger cover display; Samsung upped the ante last year when it swapped the Flip 4's 1.9-inch cover display for a 3.4-inch panel on the Flip 5. The Flip 6 carries that same larger screen on the outside, but it's dwarfed by the much cooler-looking 4-inch panel on the 2024 Razr Plus.Also:I tested Huawei's $3,600 tri-foldable, and it made me question why tablets still existNot only does Motorola's display stretch to each edge and behind the cameras, but it also lets you run any app you want, so you rarely need to open the phone to do quick things like respond to a text. On the Z Flip 6, you're limited to the panels and widgets Samsung gives you access to, which makes the experience far less useful than Motorola's. Max Buondonno/ZDNETNaturally, I found myself opening the Z Flip 6 display a lot, but that's not a bad thing. The 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X is stunning, with a sharp Full HD+ resolution and excellent color reproduction. There's a 120Hz refresh rate that keeps everything silky smooth, and Samsung even threw in 2,600 nits of peak brightness, which is much brighter than the 1,750-nit panel on the Z Flip 5.I also love this phone's performance. Inside, it has a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, 12GB of RAM, and either 256GB or 512GB of storage. It's fast. Whether you're scrolling Instagram, flipping between your calendar and to-do list, gaming, or taking pictures like a crazy person, the Z Flip 6 will have no problem keeping up.Also:Galaxy S25 Ultra is easy to break - and the 'most repairable' Samsung flagship in yearsWhat I'd like to see Samsung work on is heat management. There's very little space for companies to add the same ventilation and cooling systems as normal phones, so most foldables tend to suffer from excessive heat even when you're doing normal things like checking TikTok or firing off emails. The Z Flip 6 is no exception; I've noticed it gets really warm quite often, both in the summer heat and in my 62-degree bedroom. When gaming, it can get even hotter. Max Buondonno/ZDNETThe cameras are a step up from the Z Flip 5, but they continue to fall short of what normal flagships are capable of. I like most of the photos I've taken with the Z Flip 6; the new 50MP main camera collects more detail and sharpness than the old 12MP sensor did on the Z Flip 5, and you can take full-resolution 50MP photos if you want to crop in or have them printed. Meanwhile, the 12MP 123-degree ultra-wide performs fine during the day but gets pretty dark and muddy at night with a lot of artificial light injected into it. Captured with the main 50MP camera. Max Buondonno/ZDNETIf you care about camera quality and want a clamshell flip phone, the Z Flip 6 is the one to get. I compared some of the photos I took to photos I captured with the Razr Plus, and the difference is almost night and day. Colors are more true to life on Samsung's phone, lighting is oftentimes better, and you can take pictures at night without each of them coming out unusable. Video quality is also better on the Z Flip 6 than the Razr Plus.Also: This $200 Motorola phone I tested is almost too good for the priceOf course, the shooting experience remains unmatched with the Z Flip's flexible form factor. Like other foldable phones, you can prop it up like a kickstand for hands-free photos, use the cover screen as a second viewfinder, record videos in classic handheld camcorder fashion, and more. Max Buondonno/ZDNETThat whole experience is driven by software, which is solid on the Z Flip 6. The overarching story is that it's still purely Samsung, with One UI 6.1 and its smorgasbord of features piled on top of Android 14. There are Edge panels, split-screen modes, an array of customizable UI options, performance and battery optimization settings, and more, along with all the features that make foldables so unique. Samsung is also promising up to seven years of software updates on the Z Flip 6, which means it falls in line with the direction the industry is heading.Also: This Samsung Watch deal gets you the latest Galaxy model for only $160Samsung also includes a list of AI features on the Flip 6 like it does with its other 2024 flagships, including context-aware replies for messages on the cover screen, live translations, conversation recording, and automatic transcriptions. None of these features have been ground-breaking, but they are nice to have and add a bit of flair to the experience. It's only a matter of time before Samsung goes as hard as Apple is in iOS 18 with AI, so let's all enjoy it while it's still complimentary. Max Buondonno/ZDNETThe Galaxy Z Flip 6 battery can last a full day, so long as you're careful. Samsung increased the size of the battery from 3,700mAh to 4,000mAh, which helps it stretch well into the later hours of the day, but it's by no means a two-day phone.ZDNET's buying adviceAt $1,219, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is easy to perceive as "boring" or "overpriced," especially when the Z Flip 5 is so similar and costs significantly less. Odds are, however, that no one who owns a Z Flip 5 is going to buy a Z Flip 6, and Samsung is banking on older Flip customers or folks who are new to foldables altogether to spring for its latest clamshell. For those who do, you'll get a pretty decent phone in exchange. (Especially if you take advantage of the Z Flip 6 offer currently on Amazon.)That said, the Motorola Razr Plus is out there looming over the Z Flip 6 with its superior cover display, vegan leather design, and lower price. If you don't mind giving up your ultra-wide camera (and don't need seven years of software updates), you might want to think about picking up the Razr Plus instead.Featured reviews

Zero DayNetflixDespite it being both a pretty noticeable critical and audience miss, Netflixs new Robert De Niro show, Zero Day, is being widely watched, second only to the docuseries about Gabby Petito, which is no doubt getting a lot of viewership.Despite the fact that its listed as a limited series, there is almost always the potential, probably 80% of the time, that if a show like this does well enough, it may break past that and gain more seasons. The most high profile of this recently is Shogun. A while back, it was The White Lotus. So, Zero Day?Its not winning any Emmys, and with a 54% critic and audience score, its not exactly beloved, but all that really matters is viewership versus cost. And now those behind the show are chiming in about the possibility, Co-creators Eric Newman and Noah Oppenheim, along with De Niro himself, spoke to The Wrap about it, and heres what they said when asked.I think we all feel like we have told what is right now a complete story. That being said, its a group of people that happen to like each other a great deal and we all had a great experience making it, Oppenheim said. So Eric, and I and Mike [Schmidt] often will chat about what would happen. What does happen to Alexandra Mullen, what does happen to Speaker Dreyer the next day? But theres no active plan at this moment.I dont know whether it would be a continuation of the situation with the character. It could very well be an interesting second part of what were going through, De Niro said. Of course, theres a lot of ways to go and everything is moving so fast, but its not out of the question. I mean, with Eric, and Noah Oppenheim and Mike Schmidt, they could very, very easily, in some ways, come up with something thats special. We all would agree on that.Even if not, they go on to say theyd at least like to work with the same group again. A significant part of this is that De Niro seems to be on board, and as the biggest star by far in the project, thats a big part of getting a second season, potentially. That said, De Niro probably commands a big paycheck from Netflix, plus theres a solid cast alongside him, so this may not be cheap to continue.Still, as they say, its not out of the realm of possibility, which is honestly a bit of a surprise given the nature of the show. But well have to see.Follow me , and .Pick up my sci-fi novels the and

Captain America: Brave New WorldMarvelIm not necessarily going to fault Captain America: Brave New World for this specifically, but its another headline that is not terribly positive, though part of a recent trend with this current phase of Marvel movies.While Captain America: Brave New World was still #1 at the box office this weekend with $28.3 million, that represents a 68% drop from the previous weekend, which as of right now, is the third biggest drop behind two MCU disappointments, though Brave New Worlds early haul has already completely surpassed one of them, The Marvels. The second, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will no doubt be next in the coming weeks here.That drop is significant however, and while nothing is as bad as The Marvels (that really was a solid movie, its such a shame), you can see the full list here:The Marvels (2023) 78%Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) 69.9%Captain America: Brave New World (2025) 68%Black Widow (2021) 67.8% (albeit this was a pandemic/Disney Plus era situation)Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) 67.7%Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) 67.0%Eternals (2021) 62.3%Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) 62.2%Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) 61.4%Thor (2011) 60.7%Whats the pattern? Seven of those, the bottom seven, were all in the post-Endgame era of the MCU, which does indeed indicate flagging interest in the universe over time, with some exceptions (Spider-Man: No Way Home, Deadpool and Wolverine). There are a number of box office misses in there too, like The Marvels, Quantumania and Eternals.EternalsMarvelCaptain America: Brave New World did in fact surpass initial expectations in its opening weekend, and I dont think it will be considered a true flop when all is said and done, but it is certainly in the steep drop-off club that so many post-Endgame movies occupy.I expect something similar will happen with Thunderbolts this spring. Not that the film will be bad (again, The Marvels wasnt), but because it just does not have that many big character draws outside of Bucky, and most of the team is the non-Black Widow cast of Black Widow. Well see what it does at the box office, but Im not sure the general public will be all that interested.Reportedly, Captain America: Brave New World needs $400+ million to break even between all its costs, which it will probably reach, but the MCU is always in search of true megahits, and even if this ends up doing okay, it isnt one.Follow me , and .Pick up my sci-fi novels the and

Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i 14 Gen 10MSRP$1,830.00 Score Details The Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i 14 Gen 10 looks awesome inside and out.ProsBeautiful designSolid buildThin and lightFast productivity performanceVery good keyboardSpectacular 4K+ OLED displayConsToo little connectivityBattery life suffers from high resolutionTable of ContentsTable of ContentsSpecs and configurationDesignKeyboard and touchpadConnectivity and webcamPerformanceBattery lifeDisplay and audioA lovely little gem of a laptopTodays most common and, Im guessing, most popular size is the 14-inch laptop. You can still get 13-inch machines or jump up to 16-inch displays, but theres a real sweet spot thats both large enough to use comfortably but affords a chassis thats a lot easier to carry around.Recommended VideosThe Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i 14 Gen 10 hits almost all of the right notes in that laptop size, with good enough performance, a gorgeous display, and a thin and light chassis. The only thing holding it back is too-little connectivity and battery life thats impacted by a very high-resolution OLED display.RelatedLenovo Yoga Slim 9i 14 Gen 10Dimensions12.31 x 8.01 x 0.57 inchesWeight2.76 poundsDisplay14.0-inch 4K+ (3840 x 2400) OLED, 120HzCPUIntel Core Ultra 7 256VIntel Core Ultra 7 258VGPUIntel Arc 140VMemory16GB32GBStorage1TB SSDPorts2 x USB-C with Thunderbolt 4Camera32MP with infrared camera for Windows 11 HelloWi-FiWi-Fi 7 and Bluetoth 5.4Battery75 watt-hourOperating systemWindows 11Price$1,760+As of when this review is being written, there are just two configurations of the Yoga Slim 9i 14 Gen 10. The base configuration, which costs $1,760, includes an Intel Core Ultra 7 256V chipset, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a 4K+ OLED display (the only option). For $1,835, you can select a Core Ultra 7 258V with 32GB of RAM. Thats the configuration I reviewed.Those are premium prices, and theyre higher with other laptops in the same class at least, looking at list prices. The HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 starts out at $1,500, but its on sale for considerably less. The ASUS Zenbook S 14 is around $1,600 with similar configurations. Its possible that Lenovo will cut the price when the laptop has been around for longer, but for now, its a little expensive.Mark Coppock / Digital TrendsEvery now and then a laptop comes along thats just exquisitely designed. It stands out thanks to some combination of materials and aesthetic, and it stands in stark contrast against the more common minimalist designs that have come to dominate laptops. Even attractive and elegant laptops like Apples MacBooks and HPs OmniBooks are very simple.The Yoga Slim 9i 14 is a different thing. It has a glass cover on the lid that gives the dark blue color on my review unit a lovely sheen, the rounded edges are a dark chrome that highlight the color way, and overall the lines create a real gem of a laptop. Its a gorgeous machine that manages to avoid being ostentatious. The brighter blue keyboard is the one touch that I think might go a little over the top. But aesthetically, this laptop competes with the best-looking machines Ive reviewed.Mark Coppock / Digital TrendsOne thing it shares with some other very good machines is a lid thats a little flexible. The MacBook Air also has that slight weakness, but its worse with the Yoga Slim 9i 14 because of the glass. Im not saying that glass might crack or shatter, but it does give me a little pause. Its a solid laptop overall, so I wont fault it. But a little stronger metal would have been welcome.In terms of its size, the Yoga Slim 9i 14 is a reasonably thin and light laptop. It sports extremely narrow bezels theres a camera-under-display (CUD) design keeping the top bezel as thin as possible that make it eminently portable even with a 14-inch display. Its not as thin as the MacBook Air 15 thats an insane 0.45 inches thick, but its reasonably light and more than thin enough at 0.67 inches. As I handled the Yoga Slim 9i 14, it felt just right.Mark Coppock / Digital TrendsI mentioned that the keyboards bright blue color was the one aesthetic touch I didnt really like. However, I cant complain about its design. The keycaps are plenty big, theres a lot of key spacing, and the switches are light and snappy. Typing up this review was comfortable and not at all fatiguing, and while I still prefer Apples Magic Keyboard, barely, I would be more than happy with this one.The touchpad is a little less impressive. Its a little small, to begin with, and its mechanical where more premium laptops are including haptic versions. Lenovo does offer that as an option on some of its machines and it might do that here, but its not listed as an option. The touchpad worked okay, but its button clicks were a little loud and sharp.The display is touch-enabled, which I like. That might not be as important to many buyers.Connectivity is this laptops one true weakness. There are only two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 support, and like the Dell XPS 13, theres no audio jack. Most 14-inch laptops have more ports, including some that are thinner. The HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 has a USB-A port to go with its two Thunderbolt 4 ports, and it has a 3.5mm audio jack. Wireless connectivity is fully up to date, though.The webcam, on the other hand, is a 32MP version, which is the highest resolution Ive seen. Its mated with the Lunar Lake chipsets fast Neural Processing Unit (NPU) running at 45 tera operations per second (TOPS), exceeding the 40 TOPS requirement for Microsofts Copilot+ PC AI initiative. That means that all of the usual Copilot+ AI features are supported with fast and efficient on-device processing.Mark Coppock / Digital TrendsThe Yoga Slim 9i 14 Gen 10 comes equipped with the Core Ultra 7 256V or 258V, which are both part of the Core Ultra Series 2 (or Lunar Lake) generation. I reviewed the latter, which has eight cores (four Performance cores and four Low Power Efficient) and eight threads. Its the lower-power version of Intels latest chipsets, and its aimed at higher efficiency rather than faster performance.As we can see, the Yoga Slim 9i 14 performs well for the chipset, coming in behind the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite and Apple M3 in most of our benchmarks. Its fast enough for demanding productivity users, which are the laptops primary target. The integrated Intel Arc 140V graphics arent anything special, meaning this isnt a great laptop for gamers or creators.Cinebench R24(single/multi)Geekbench 6(single/multi)Handbrake(seconds)3DMarkWild Life ExtremeLenovo Yoga Slim 9i 14 Gen 10(Core Ultra 7 258V / Intel Arc 140V)121 / 6492723 / 10884915397Acer Swift 14 AI(Core Ultra 7 258V / Intel Arc 140V)121 / 5252755 / 11138925294HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14(Core Ultra 7 258V / Intel Arc 140V)116 / 5982483 / 10725997573HP Spectre x360 14(Core Ultra 7 155H / Intel Arc)102 / 4852176 / 1198093N/ALenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition(Core Ultra 7 258V / Intel Arc 140V)109 / 6302485 / 10569885217Asus Zenbook S 14(Core Ultra 7 258V / Intel Arc 140V)112 / 4522738 / 107341137514HP OmniBook X(Snapdragon X Elite / Adreno)101 / 7492377 / 13490N/A6165MacBook Air(M3)141 / 6013102 / 120781098098Mark Coppock / Digital TrendsThe Yoga Slim 9i 14 Gen 10 has a 75 watt-hour battery, which is usually a fair amount for a 14-inch laptop. And, it uses a Lunar Lake chipset, which has given some great battery life in the laptops weve tested so far among the best weve seen in Windows laptops. It has even given the class leader MacBook Air M3 a run for its money.But, theres also a very high-resolution 4K+ OLED display. While some of the machines in this comparison group also had OLED, none of them went past 2.8K resolutions. That makes for a real hit on battery life.Therefore, while the Yoga Slim 9i 14 didnt do as well as some of the other machines here and, in fact, is closer to previous generation Windows laptops with lower-resolution IPS displays, these are still good results for a laptop with such a sharp panel. Some users will care more about better battery life, and I get that. But, if you really like sharp displays, you might consider this to be a reasonable compromise.VideoCinebench R24Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i 14 Gen 10(Core Ultra 7 258V)13 hours, 45 minutes1 hour, 55 minutesAcer Swift 14 AI(Core Ultra 7 258V)24 hours, 10 minutes2 hours, 7 minutesHP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14(Core Ultra 7 258V)15 hours, 46 minutes2 hours, 14 minutesHP Spectre x360 14(Core Ultra 7 155H)14 hours, 22 minutesN/ALenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition(Core Ultra 7 258V)17 hours, 31 minutes2 hours, 15 minutesMicrosoft Surface Laptop(Snapdragon X Elite X1E-80-100)22 hours, 39 minutesN/AHP Omnibook X(Snapdragon X Elite X1E-78-100)22 hours, 4 minutes1 hour, 52 minutesApple MacBook Air(Apple M3)19 hours, 39 minutes3 hours, 27 minutesMark Coppock / Digital TrendsTheres just one display option with the Yoga Slim 9i 14 Gen 10, a 14.0-inch 16:10 4K+ (3840 x 2400) OLED touch display running at 120Hz. I like my displays to be as sharp as possible, and this is as sharp as you can get. Text looks awesome, which matters a lot to me as a writer, and this laptop provides the sharpest text Ive seen in a while where 2.8K displays have become a lot more common. Colors are also incredibly dynamic and bright, and of course there are the usual OLED inky blacks.My colorimeter loved this display. Its bright at 417 nits, way above our older 300 nit baseline, and it exhibits near-perfect blacks and a phenomenally high contrast ration of 28,790:1. Colors are wide at 100% of sRGB, 96% of AdobeRGB, and 100% of DCI-P3, and color accuracy is excellent at a DeltaE of 0.55 (1.0 or less is indistinguishable to the human eye).Everything looked great on the display, from pin-sharp black text on a white background, to images and video, and then high dynamic range (HDR) streaming content at 4K was awesome. The Yoga Slim 9i 14 isnt fast enough for video editors, but for everyone else, this is a spectacular display.Audio is provided by four speakers, including two tweeters positioned underneath the keyboard and two downward-firing woofers. I found the sound quality to be very good, with sufficient volume, clear mids and highs, and more bass than usual. Its right up there with Apples MacBook Air four-speaker setup, but not as good as the MacBook Pros six-speaker audio. Nonetheless, its a strength.You wont find many better-looking laptops, so the Yoga Slim 9i 14 Gen 10 has that going for it right out of the box. Its highly portable, gets good enough performance, and has a great keyboard. And you wont find a better display on a laptop today.At the same time, battery life isnt as good as some other Lunar Lake laptops thanks to that gorgeous display. And, connectivity is a letdown. It costs a pretty penny, but the Yoga Slim 9i 14 is a great laptop for a lot of users, and its highly recommended.Editors Recommendations

Apple TV+Table of ContentsTable of ContentsDaredevil: Born Again (March 4)The Wheel of Time season 3 (March 13)Dope Thief (March 14)The Residence (March 20)The Studio (March 26)If youre into the movies, you might be planning to sit down and enjoy the Oscars on Sunday, March 2. But once that evening of celebrating the best in feature films for the year is over, what should you watch next? Immerse yourself in a new or returning TV show from one of the top streaming services.If youre into reality TV, check out the latest seasons of American Idol, The Amazing Race, Survivor, or Temptation Island. The Conners and Bosch: Legacy begin their final seasons, while Formula 1: Drive to Survive is back for season seven and The Cleaning Lady for season four. Looking for more shows? There are some especially great TV shows in March 2025, both new and returning.Recommended VideosNeed more recommendations? Then check out thebest new shows to stream this week, as well as thebest shows on Netflix, thebest shows on Hulu, thebest shows on Amazon Prime Video, thebest shows on Max, and thebest shows on Disney+.RelatedDaredevil: Born Again (March 4)The Marvel train keeps trucking along with the 13th MCU series, Daredevil: Born Again, a revival and continuation of the Netflix series Daredevil. Charlie Cox is back as the titular character, who goes by Matt Murdock by day and Daredevil by night, whenever crime-fighting is necessary.Murdock works hard to fight for justice as a lawyer in his regular job. But former crime boss Wilson Fink (Vincent DOnofrio), also known as Kingpin, is desperate to get elected as New York City mayor. He wants to continue his evil wrath and work toward ultimate power and domination. The pair reunites to explosive results as Daredevil must rear his head to try and stop him. The story will continue beyond this season as Daredevil: Born Again has already been renewed for a second.Stream Daredevil: Born Again on Disney+.The Wheel of Time season 3 (March 13)The Wheel of Time Season 3 - Official Trailer | Prime VideoIt has been almost a year and a half wait for the return of The Wheel of Time, the second season ending in October 2023. The fantasy series is a perfect replacement for shows like Game of Thrones and His Dark Materials. The series follows the adventures of Moiraine Damodred (Rosamund Pike), a member of a group of powerful women who can channel tremendous power. In the first season, she sets out to a small village to find five young people she believes to be the reincarnation of a powerful dragon. They could be the key to saving the world and fighting the evil Dark One.Based on the book series of the same name, The Wheel of Times characters are scattered around the world, seeking out sources of strength and fighting forces of evil.Stream The Wheel of Time on Amazon Prime Video.Dope Thief (March 14)Dope Thief Official Trailer | Apple TV+The premise of Dope Thief sounds a lot like the NBC crime comedy-drama Good Girls starring Christina Hendricks. So, if that show was up your alley, this one might be, too. Except this time, its two men at the heart, and they arent bored housewives but rather two guys pretending to be DEA agents so they can rob a lavish home. When the duo realizes the house used to run a large narcotics operation, their plans are not only foiled but also put them in serious danger.Created by Peter Craig (The Batman), Dope Thief stars Brian Tyree Henry (Atlanta) and Wagner Moura (Narcos). Keep an eye out for the impressive supporting cast, including Marin Ireland, Kate Mulgrew, and Ving Rhames.Stream Dope Thief on Apple TV+.The Residence (March 20)The Residence | Official Trailer | NetflixCombine Shonda Rhimes with a political mystery drama and a talented cast including Uzo Aduba, Giancarlo Esposito, Susan Kalechi Watson, Jason Lee, Ken Marino, Randall Park, and Molly Griggs and you probably have a hit on your hands. The Residence is based on the novel The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House. The story follows a scandalous murder at the White House and the investigation into what happened, who is responsible, why, and the fallout it will cause.This isnt your average Knives Out-type whodunnit, however. The murder occurred at a state dinner with 157 intelligent and savvy people in attendance. So, sussing out the situation will be especially challenging, especially when not everyone gets along, fingers start to point, and the lead investigator is as quirky as she is talented. Beyond those mentioned, the cast is as long as a CVS receipt for a tube of chapstick with names like Bronson Pinchot, Al Franken, Kylie Minogue, Jane Curtin, and Eliza Coupe. If youre getting Scandal vibes, youre on the right track. The eight-episode series, part of Rhimes nine-figure deal with Netflix, sees Scandals writer Paul William Davies as showrunner. The Residence is a must-watch if youre a fan of Rhimes work.Stream The Residence on Netflix.The Studio (March 26)The Studio Official Teaser | Apple TV+Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are frequent collaborators, and their latest creation is The Studio, a comedy centered around Matt Remick (Rogen), the new head of a studio who is tasked with trying to turn the flailing company around. With all the social and economic changes in the industry, the job is tougher than Remick anticipated. It was his dream to run a studio, but now he realizes it might not be all its cracked up to be.The Studio stars top talent along with Rogen, including Catherine OHara, Kathryn Hahn, and Ike Barinholtz. The massive guest cast list includes Bryan Cranston, Zac Efron, Ron Howard, Anthony Mackie, Martin Scorsese, Charlize Theron, Steve Buscemi, Adam Scott, and so many more. Watch the first two episodes this month, followed by a new episode weekly through May 21, 2025.Stream The Studio on Apple TV+.Editors Recommendations

It was never just about the wives The Stepford Wives turns 50 Sure, the film has its flaws and feels a bit dated, but its lasting cultural influence is undeniable. Jennifer Ouellette Feb 23, 2025 1:23 pm | 0 Credit: Columbia Pictures Credit: Columbia Pictures Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreIt's hard to believe it's been 50 years since the release of The Stepford Wives, a film based on the 1972 novel of the same name by Ira Levin. It might not be to everyone's taste, but its lasting cultural influence is undeniable. A psychological horror/thriller with a hint of sci-fi, the film spawned multiple made-for-TV sequels and a campy 2004 remake, as well as inspiring one of the main characters in the hit series Desperate Housewives. The term "Stepford wife" became part of our shared cultural lexicon, and Jordan Peele even cited the film as one of the key influences for his 2017 masterpiece Get Out.(Spoilers below for the novel and both film adaptations.)Levin's novels were a hot commodity in Hollywood at the time, especially after the success of his most famous novel, Rosemary's Baby (1967), adapted into a 1968 horror film starring Mia Farrow. (The novels A Kiss Before Dying, The Boys from Brazil, Sliver, and Levin's play Deathtrap were also adapted to film.) The plot of the The Stepford Wives film follows the novel's plot fairly closely.Katharine Ross stars as Joanna Eberhart, a young wife and mother and aspiring photographer who moves with her family to the seemingly idyllic fictional Connecticut suburb of Stepford at her husband Walter's (Peter Masterson) insistence. She bonds with sassy fellow newcomer Bobbie (Paula Prentiss) over scotch and Ring Dings (and their respective messy kitchens), mutually marveling at the vacuous behavior of the other neighborhood' wives.There are soon hints that all is not right in Stepford. Carol (Nanette Newman) has a bit too much to drink at a garden party and begins to glitch. Together with dissatisfied trophy wife Charmaine (Tina Louise), Joanna and Bobbie hold a women's "consciousness raising" meeting (aka a bitching session), only to have it devolve into the other wives raving about the time-saving merits of Easy On spray starch. Meanwhile, Walter has joined the exclusive Stepford Men's Association and becomes increasingly secretive and distant.When Charmaine suddenly transforms into yet another vapid housewife after a weekend getaway with her husband, Joanna and Bobbie become suspicious and decide to investigate. They discover that there used to be a women's group in Stepfordheaded by Carol, no lessbut all the transformed wives suddenly lost interest. Is it something in the water causing the transformation? That turns out to be a dead end, but one clue is that the creepy head of the Men's Association, Dale "Diz" Coba (Patrick O'Neal), used to work for Disney building animatronics. (When Diz first tells Joanna about his background, she says she doesn't believe it: "You don't look like someone who enjoys making people happy." Her instincts are correct.)Sinister suburbia Joanna (Katharine Ross) is a housewife and aspiring photographer who moves from Manhattan to the Stepford suburb. Columbia Pictures Joanna (Katharine Ross) is a housewife and aspiring photographer who moves from Manhattan to the Stepford suburb. Columbia Pictures Joanna finds a friend in Bobbie (Paula Prentiss) Columbia Pictures Joanna finds a friend in Bobbie (Paula Prentiss) Columbia Pictures "I'll just die if I don't get this recipe." Carol (Nanette Newman) glitches at a garden party. Columbia Pictures "I'll just die if I don't get this recipe." Carol (Nanette Newman) glitches at a garden party. Columbia Pictures Joanna finds a friend in Bobbie (Paula Prentiss) Columbia Pictures "I'll just die if I don't get this recipe." Carol (Nanette Newman) glitches at a garden party. Columbia Pictures A women's club meeting devolves into a discussion about housecleaning products. Columbia Pictures Joanna's husband, Walter (Peter Masterson), has a secret. Columbia Pictures When Bobbie also suddenly transforms, Joanna discovers that her best friend has been replaced by a robotalong with all the other wivesand realizes the sinister forces at work in Stepford are coming for her next. And her loving husband, Walter, is a willing part of the conspiracy.The men prevent Joanna from fleeing by taking her children to lure her to the Men's Association headquarters, where she encounters her own dead-eyed robotic doppelgnger. Robo-Joanna advances holding a pair of nylons to strangle the horrified real Joanna. Cut to black. The final scene shows Robo-Joanna shopping at the supermarket with all the other Stepford Wives. We even see a black couple, new to Stepford, arguing in one of the aisles, hinting that there will soon be another addition to their ranks.Reviews were mixed upon the film's release. It's certainly not without its flaws, particularly when viewed through a 21st century lens; this is very much a period piece, complete with those ubiquitous 1970s station wagons with wood paneling. At one point, Joanna insists she's only dabbled in scary feminism and wouldn't partake in a "Maidenform bonfire" or anything, but gosh darn it, these Stepford wives are just so weirda cringe-inducing reminder of just how far we've come as a culture.Some of those flaws no doubt stemmed from the fact that director Bryan Forbes and screenwriter William Goldman famously clashed over Forbes' unwelcome rewrites and decision to cast his own wife as Carol. Forbes also chose the prairie-style dresses and frilly aprons the Robo-Wives wore, a stark contrast to the more provocative Playboy Bunny aesthetic Goldman called for in his original script. Goldman particularly disliked the film's revised ending, featuring Diz chasing Joanna through dimly lit hallways on a stormy night. Even Katharine Ross disliked the ending because she thought Joanna should have fought much harder against her eventual fate. Joanna and Bobbie are dismayed at the sudden transformation of their friend Charmaine (Tina Louise) Columbia Pictures Joanna and Bobbie are dismayed at the sudden transformation of their friend Charmaine (Tina Louise) Columbia Pictures "I like to watch women doing little domestic chores." Diz (Patrick O'Neal) heads the Men's Association, Columbia Pictures "I like to watch women doing little domestic chores." Diz (Patrick O'Neal) heads the Men's Association, Columbia Pictures Joanna encounters the Bobbie-Bot. Columbia Pictures Joanna encounters the Bobbie-Bot. Columbia Pictures "I like to watch women doing little domestic chores." Diz (Patrick O'Neal) heads the Men's Association, Columbia Pictures Joanna encounters the Bobbie-Bot. Columbia Pictures Joanna's dead-eyed robotic replacement Columbia Pictures Robo-Joanna at the supermarket. Columbia Pictures Behold: The Stepford Wives Columbia Pictures Yet somehow the film still mostly works. There are some fine satirical moments, and Joanna and Bobbie are both likable and sympathetic characters, particularly Bobbie's sardonic humor ("I don't wanna squeeze the goddamned Charmin!"). The pacing is admittedly slow but it's atmospheric and effectively builds suspense. And while the film is hardly a deep character study, there are scattered nuances. For instance, while Walter is ultimately a villain, we do get to see fleeting moments of genuine love for Joanna and a moral struggle with what will be required of him to truly belong in Stepford (i.e., murdering his wife). There's even a bittersweet moment where Joanna briefly encounters her first love from college, both clearly regretting their subsequent life choices.The 1975 original is vastly superior to the disastrous 2004 remake directed by Frank Oz, which went for straight-out comedy and ended up failing on almost every level: tonally, narratively, comedically, although the production design and cinematography are quite striking. (Oz himself thought his film was a failure) Nicole Kidman's Joanna is so unlikeable that she's almost monstrous; she and co-star Matthew Broderick have zero onscreen chemistry; and it's not even clear whether the transformed wives are robots/cyborgs, or merely being controlled by nanochips in the brain. The only bright spots are the energetic performances of Glenn Close as Stepford's lead wife Claire, Roger Bart as a flamboyantly gay "wife" married to a straitlaced lawyer, and Bette Midler as a sarcastically irreverent Bobbiereimagined here as a Jewish writer whose creative process calls for chaotic squalor.The Stepford Wives has been both lauded for its feminist themes and sharply criticized by feminist leaders in the 1970s. But the core concept has continued to resonate across the decades. That's because it was never really just about the wives, as evidenced by the spinoffs The Stepford Children (1987) and The Stepford Husbands (1996). Film scholar John Kenneth Muir cited The Stepford Wives as one of the best 1970s horror films, calling it "a film essay about what it means to be part of an unspoken 'underclass.'" It's what appealed to Jordan Peele. We can all find the horror in forced, fake perfection, particularly when it involves quashing our truest selves in favor of robotic conformity.Jennifer OuelletteSenior WriterJennifer OuelletteSenior Writer Jennifer is a senior writer at Ars Technica with a particular focus on where science meets culture, covering everything from physics and related interdisciplinary topics to her favorite films and TV series. Jennifer lives in Baltimore with her spouse, physicist Sean M. Carroll, and their two cats, Ariel and Caliban. 0 Comments

Germany's center-right alliance looks set to win the country's latest federal election.The CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the CSU, are set to win about 29% of the vote, exit polls say.The far-right Alternative for Germany party is set to take second place.Germany's center-right alliance looks set to win the country's latest federal election, which comes at a critical moment for Europe's largest economy.Early exit polls show the Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union, at about 29%, with the Elon Musk-backed Alternative for Germany in second at about 19.5%.German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left Social Democratic Party is set to come in third, the polls showed.Single parties rarely win majorities in German elections, so Friedrich Merz's CDU will need the support of one or more parties to secure a majority in government. His most likely options are the SDP and/or the Green Party.The snap election followed the collapse of Germany's governing three-party coalition in November after Scholz fired then-Finance Minister Christian Lindner, the chair of the Free Democratic Party, after Lindner rejected Scholz's demand to suspend Germany's debt brake, which requires the federal government to limit annual net borrowing to 0.35% of GDP.Scholz called a vote of confidence which he then lost in December, paving the way for early national elections.The CDU/CSU bloc had been projected to win the vote, polling at around 30% in the run-up to the election.The CDU's popularity seems to have been boosted by its harder line on major policy issues such as migration, pledging to enforce stricter border controls and accelerate asylum proceedings.It also wants to retain Germany's debt brake, cut corporate tax rates to a maximum of 25%, and "eliminate unnecessary red tape."The CDU has also pledged continued support to Ukraine.The vote comes at a pivotal time for Berlin, which faces an increasingly assertive Trump administration that has threatened tariffs on the EU and looked to sideline Europe on negotiations with Russia over the Ukraine war.Germany is a leading NATO member and a key provider of military aid to Ukraine and it will play an important role in carving out Europe's future relations with the Trump administration. Elon Musk appeared virtually at an AfD campaign event. Sean Gallup/Getty Images After several historic regional election results and strong support from Musk, the AfD came into the elections in a jubilant mood.Musk who appeared virtually at a party campaign event alongside AfD leader Alice Weidel in January has praised the group's staunchly anti-immigration stance."Only the AfD can save Germany," Musk posted on X in December.