Entry-level smart displays: Google Nest Hub and Amazon Echo Show 5

TheGoogle Nest HubandAmazon Echo Show 5are the entry-levelsmart displaysfor their respectivesmart home platforms. Both smart displays enrich and enliven user interaction. No one is likely to switch between Alexa and Google Assistant because of a single device, but the differences between the Nest Hub and the Show 5 bear scrutiny. Most initial smart home experiences are voice-centered. Say the appropriate wake word, usually “Alexa” or “OK, Google,” and follow up with a question, request, or command....

June 22, 2025 · 6 min · 1243 words · Kristin Pham

Fortnite players finally receiving refunds two years after Epic’s FTC settlement

Fortnite players finally receiving refunds two years after Epic’s FTC settlement As part of a 2022 settlement with Epic Games, Fortnite players have started receiving refunds from the FTC. The US Federal Trade Commission filed a pair of complaints against Epic Games in 2022, alleging the developer had violated online privacy protection laws for children under 13 and tricked players into making in-game purchases by accident. Epic and the FTC reached a $520 million settlementthat December....

June 22, 2025 · 2 min · 362 words · Kimberly Allen

Fubo free trial: Stream live sports for free for a week

There are so many options forTV streaming servicesavailable, and of the best ones is Fubo — especially if you’re a sports fan. The service hosts a wide range of sports channels and offers exclusive streaming access to international sports events, alongside a lot of other channels with shows in various genres. This makes Fubo a bit more expensive than its competitors, and this is why there’s always a lot of interest in a Fubo free trial....

June 22, 2025 · 2 min · 305 words · Ryan Frederick

Google Pixel 9 review: better than ever

“Why you’re able to trust Digital Trends – We have a 20-year history of testing, reviewing, and rating products, services and apps to help you make a sound buying decision. Find out we test and score products.“ Google made a mistake with the Pixel 9 during its launch event. It said barely anything at all about the hardware, yet when you finally get hold of the phone, you instantly find it borders on the exquisite....

June 22, 2025 · 15 min · 3044 words · Alyssa Dyer

Google’s Jacquard fabric tech now comes in two Levi’s jacket styles, costs less

Invisible. That’s what consumer technology is striving to be these days, whether it’s aNest Hub Minimade of fabric that’s meant to look like something ordinary on your shelf, or Amazon’sEcho Frames, which hide Alexa in a pair of normal-looking glasses. It’s entirely the goal of Google’s Jacquard technology, which is woven into the fabric of clothes to trigger specific functions on a smartphone. I’veused Jacquard, which was announced in 2015, extensively on the originalLevi’s Commuter Jacketthat was released in 2017, but the technology is getting an upgrade and a fresh look....

June 22, 2025 · 10 min · 2126 words · Holly Leblanc

Happy 20th birthday, Windows 98! Here’s why we loved you

Some of our favorite Windows 10 features of today were born 20 years ago. Exactly two decades ago, Microsoft debuted Windows 98 to the world, and the operating system showed off Microsoft’s vision for what a computer could do. However, at the time, early reviewers knocked the OS for being a minor update from Windows 95, as it shared a similar interface to its predecessor. Thankfully, as we celebrate the twentieth birthday of Windows 98, we now have a clearer picture of the lasting legacy of the OS, as some of the features that debuted on Windows 98 are still found on Windows 10 twenty years later....

June 22, 2025 · 4 min · 688 words · David Schwartz

Historic Polaris Dawn mission begins final preparations for Tuesday’s launch

SpaceX has completed the final preparations for Tuesday’s historic Polaris Dawn mission that will see four non-professional astronauts take a Crew Dragon spacecraft further from Earth than ever before and also conduct the first-ever commercial spacewalk. Sunday’s work included test firing the engines on the Falcon 9 rocket that will carry the Crew Dragon to orbit, while the four-person crew donned their spacesuits and entered the spacecraft atop the rocket stationed on the launchpad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida....

June 22, 2025 · 2 min · 409 words · Mark Stephens

How to trade with other trainers in Pokémon Go

Two years after the release ofPokémon Go, the game finally added one of the features fans have been waiting for since the beginning — the ability totrade Pokémon with friends. Trading has been part of the Pokémon games since Red and Blue were released in 1995, but it had been sorely lacking inPokémon Go. If you’ve been wondering how to trade in the popular mobile game, we have you covered....

June 22, 2025 · 6 min · 1109 words · Kara Gross

How to update Google Pixel Buds Pro firmware

One of the coolest things about thePixel Buds Pro(and most newish earbuds in general) is that they actually have the ability to get better over time thanks to firmware updates. (Think of “firmware” as the software that runs on hardware. Get it?) That allows manufacturers not just to fix bugs that inevitably creep in, but to also continue to fine-tune things throughout a product’s lifetime. And that’s true for the Google Pixel Buds Pro, which already have found a home on our list of the best wireless earbuds you can buy....

June 22, 2025 · 3 min · 467 words · Joseph Bond

How to watch Creator Clash 3: All influencers, where to stream & more

How to watch Creator Clash 3: All influencers, where to stream & more Creator Clash is making its grand return in 2025 after a year-long hiatus, featuring another star-studded lineup of the net’s biggest creators duking it out in the boxing ring for charity. Creator Clashmade itsdebut in 2022as a refreshing alternative to the influencer-boxingcraze, pittingYouTubers,TikTokersandTwitchstreamers against each other toraise money for charity. The eventreturned in 2023, but sufferedgrievous financial lossesdue to production costs and piracy....

June 22, 2025 · 3 min · 631 words · Alexander Rogers

How to watch SpaceX launch Crew-11 to the ISS

SpaceX and NASA are making final preparations for the next crewed launch to the International Space Station (ISS). NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, along with Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, will head to the space station on July 31 aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket. This will be the first spaceflight for Cardman and Platonov, and the second spaceflight for Yui, while Fincke will be on his fourth voyage to space....

June 22, 2025 · 2 min · 352 words · Manuel Ayala

I used the ROG Phone 6’s two wild gaming accessories — here’s which you should buy

TheAsus ROG Phone 6is the best smartphone made specifically for gaming you can get, but if you’re really keen to make the most of it — and make games even more satisfying to play — then Asus has a pair of accessories to tempt you. The newAsus AeroActive Cooler 6joins an updated version of theKunai 3 gamepad, and both perform quite different tasks. Are either worth getting? What are these ROG Phone 6 accessories?...

June 22, 2025 · 8 min · 1662 words · Jacqueline Newton

Increasingly, States Push for E-waste Recycling

Frustrated by inaction in Congress, a growing number of states are trying to reduce the rising tide of junked TVs, computers and other electronics that have become one of the nation’s fastest-growing waste streams. Nineteen states have passed laws requiring the recycling of old electronics, which contain both precious metals and toxic pollutants and are piling up in garages and closets — or worse, getting dumped overseas. Thirteen other states are considering laws....

June 22, 2025 · 5 min · 919 words · Joshua Sandoval