The Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus 5G launches in lavender purple, frost blue, and midnight black. | Image: Redmi Today Xiaomi’s subsidiary Redmi brings its affordable Note 14 series to Europe, along with the Western debut of the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3. After launching in August 2024, the Qualcomm chip had to sit and watch while the flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite came along two months later, drew more attention, and even launched in a Western phone first in the form of this week’s OnePlus 13. But the more affordable Snapdragon chip is now getting its dues.There are five phones in the Note 14 line, ranging from the 4G-only Note 14 up to the Note 14 Pro Plus 5G, the only phone in the series powered by the Snapdragon silicon. The entry-level chip in Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7 series, the 7s Gen 3 is a 4nm chipset that’s most notable for making the jump to Arm’s v9 CPU architecture, with a 2.5GHz Cortex-A720 core at the heart of the processor. The other four phones use a variety of MediaTek chipsets. Image: Redmi The Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 powers the Note 14 Pro Plus 5G. Starting at £399/€499.90 (about $500), the Pro Plus is positioned as a natural competitor to Google’s $499 Pixel 8A, but outpaces it comfortably in most hardware specs, with improved IP68 water-resistance; up to 12GB RAM and 512GB storage; and a larger, brighter OLED display protected by Corning’s flagship-grade Gorilla Glass Victus 2. The big trade-off is on the software side, especially given that Google has guaranteed Android updates for the Pixel 8A until 2031.The other Note 14 phones offer a gradual drop-off in specs and connectivity. The Note 14 Pro 5G shares the Pro Plus model’s display, 200-megapixel camera, and IP68 rating, but drops to a cheaper MediaTek 7300-Ultra chipset and slower charging. The regular Redmi Note 14 Pro is similar, but ditches 5G for 4G connectivity and is only IP64-rated. The Note 14 and Note 14 5G have reduced specs across the board — though the 4G model’s IP54 water-resistance still impresses for a phone that costs less than half of a Pixel 8A. Image: Redmi The Redmi Note 14 4G is the cheapest model in the new series. All four phones launched in China and then India late last year, but today go on sale in ten European countries, including the UK and Germany. Somewhat confusingly, the European models have altered specs from their Asian counterparts — the Pro Plus 5G has completely different cameras and battery, for example — which isn’t uncommon for Redmi.The Redmi Note 14 series already has stiff competition from within the Xiaomi family, after the similarly priced Poco X7 and X7 Pro launched globally yesterday. Those phones lean on IP68 ratings and big batteries — 6,000mAh in the Pro — in the effort to draw budget buyers away from Google and Samsung.

This is the alert that inadvertently went out to everyone in LA County. | Image: The Verge After two days of dealing with wildfires that have burned thousands of acres, residents across Los Angeles County received a wildfire evacuation alert on Thursday afternoon that was a mistake. Shortly after, officials sent a follow-up alert saying that the notice was intended only for people near the Kenneth Fire in Woodland Hills.Los Angeles County shared a message on X explaining what happened: “An evacuation order for residents near the Kenneth Fire currently burning in West Hills was mistakenly issued Countywide. This alert was only intended for residents of Calabasas and Agoura Hills.”CBS News quotes a local official who said that the alert, which included a broken URL, was sent “due to a technical error.” Image: The Verge This is the alert to disregard the other evacuation warning. Many wildfires are burning in the LA area, and officials have confirmed at least six deaths, CNN reports. LA County has a population of nearly 10 million people, which is the “largest population of any county in the nation,” according to the county’s website.An evacuation order for residents near the Kenneth Fire currently burning in West Hills was mistakenly issued Countywide. For updates on wildfires currently burning in LA County, including evacuation information please visit https://t.co/p46PbDz31o. pic.twitter.com/JRQhOCBx3j— Los Angeles County (@CountyofLA) January 10, 2025

Until last November, Windows was all I ever used on my computers. I've been a Windows user my entire life, and while I very briefly dabbled in Linux, I had no interest in staying there. When I chose to review the M4 Mac Mini, I thought I'd feel the same way about macOS.

Joplin is a popular open-source note-taking app loved by privacy-minded folks and productivity gurus. It’s easy to sync your notes across devices, but if you want to keep your data totally safe and in your hands, you can set up your own Joplin server.

Personally, I find it hard to use a PC unless it has two monitors. It's just nice to have something on the side while I'm working away on the main monitor. Some people have a need for five monitors, and I can't even wrap my head around how I'd even begin to use that number of screens, but I respect (and fear) the people who do. If you're one who enjoys multiple monitors, you'll like this new Plugable dock announced at CES 2025 that can handle your love for a huge array of screens.

If you're running a home server, you probably already have your devices backing up their data to your storage pools. But that's not the only place you should be storing backups, as the 3-2-1 backup rule means you should have one copy of your data at an offsite location. That could be a cloud storage service or a physical machine that's further away than your garage, but for any truly important data, it's a necessary cost to keep it safe.

This is one of the best SSDs that you can buy right now. Not only are you getting a proven track record and reliability that comes with the Samsung name, but this M.2 SSD offers excellent performance for a Gen 4 drive that sits above most in its class.

Illustration: The Verge Google is partnering with The Linux Foundation to launch an initiative meant to “fund open development and enhance projects” in the Chromium ecosystem, according to an announcement on Thursday. The fund, called Supporters of Chromium-Based Browsers, is billed as a “neutral” space to support Chromium projects.Google launched Chromium alongside its Chrome web browser in 2008. It’s the open-source infrastructure that powers Chrome and many other browsers built on it, including Microsoft Edge, Opera, and Brave.In addition to Google, there are already several notable companies on board with the initiative, including Meta, Microsoft, and Opera. Microsoft said joining will help “provide clear and open governance that directs funds towards community-driven needs.” Image: Google Google’s contributions to Chromium. Google also highlighted the more than 100,000 commits it made to Chromium last year, as well as its efforts to “invest heavily” into the open-source project:Google also continues to invest heavily in the shared infrastructure of the Open Source project to ‘keep the lights on’, including having thousands of servers endlessly running millions of tests, responding to hundreds of incoming bugs per day, ensuring the important ones get fixed, and constantly investing in code health to keep the whole project maintainable.The creation of the Supporters of Chromium-Based Browsers initiative comes months after the US Department of Justice demanded that Google sell Chrome as part of its proposed remedies following the ruling that Google is a monopolist. In response, Google proposed eliminating exclusive deals that make Google the default search engine on web browsers like Safari and Mozilla for three years. Even if Google is attempting to show the DOJ how much it contributes to Chromium, the creation of the Supporters of Chromium-Based Browsers suggests the open-source project would still have backing without the company’s involvement.

Image: Satechi Apple acknowledged issues with the reliability of the iPhone’s built-in alarm feature last April after a report by NBC’s Today morning show and said it was working on a fix, but some people are still having trouble. Android Authority points out this Reddit post by bryanlolwut in the r/iPhone subreddit from Wednesday with a picture of an iPhone with an Alarm set for 10:30, but the alarm goes off at 12:42 instead — the time displayed on an Apple Watch.Late into Thursday, many Reddit users are still commenting on the thread, saying they’re having similar issues.“My morning alarm was displaying as going off while making no sound and no haptics for 40 minutes,” said Slawek_Zupa. Another post says their alarm went off at 5PM when it was supposed to go off at 7AM.The reports in the thread today include people still using iOS 17 and others who have updated to iOS 18 with Apple Intelligence.Some say they’ve tried turning off Apple’s Attention Awareness Features, which can reduce the alarm volume when it goes off if the iPhone detects your face. However, it hasn’t solved the problem for many, and you lose out on features like seeing full notifications on your lock screen.We’ve asked Apple if they’re still looking into this problem, but we have not received a response yet. Personally, I’ve also noticed my iPhone sometimes doesn’t make sounds or vibrate in the morning, but it does drop down a lifeless notification as if it did. Luckily, I’ve got a Google Pixel 8 Pro as a backup that usually gets me going, and I’m trying the Nintendo Alarmo, too, but my wife has had enough of Zelda yelling at Link to wake up.

Image: Tesla Tesla has officially revealed the latest version of its Model Y crossover following images leaking online that teased the EV’s redesign. Codenamed “Juniper,” the Model Y 2025 refresh is now live on Tesla’s website in China and other Asia-Pacific markets with deliveries expected to begin in March.It’s the most significant update to the Model Y design since it first launched in 2020, which became the first EV to top global car sales last year. Notably, the new variant launching in Australia clearly shows a physical turn signal stalk, which had otherwise been replaced by capacitive buttons on recent Teslas. The refresh comes after Tesla experienced its first year-over-year drop in sales since the company started mass-producing cars in 2012 — with CEO Elon Musk’s antagonistic behavior suspected to have contributed to the decline. Image: Tesla Blessed be, is that a turn stalk I see inside the updated cabin? Good news for capacitive-button haters. There are two specifications of the Model Y available at launch according to the Chinese website listing. The 263,500 Chinese yuan (about $35,935) rear-wheel drive edition features an estimated range of up to 593 kilometers (about 368 miles), while the 303,500 Chinese yuan (about $41,390) long-range version can supposedly reach 719 kilometers (about 446 miles). These are “estimated” ranges based on China’s CLTC driving cycle standard, however, which Electrek notes isn’t as strict as the US EPA system.New @Tesla Model Y official video from Tesla China. pic.twitter.com/3711QX6VkQ— Jay in Shanghai 电动 Jay (@JayinShanghai) January 10, 2025Both specs have a top speed of 201 kilometers per hour (about 124 mph), and peak charging speeds remain at 250kW. Tesla says that the tires, wheels, and suspension have been updated to provide a smoother, quieter ride, with 19- and 20-inch wheel options available on both models. The estimated vehicle ranges have been calculated using the smaller 19-inch wheel configurations. A performance version has yet to be announced.The new Model Y otherwise features many of the same improvements as the 2023 Model 3 sedan update, including higher efficiency and performance, an eight-inch touchscreen display for rear passengers, and a quieter cabin with an ambient lighting strip running throughout. The back seats can be folded down electrically to expand the total storage capacity to 2,138 liters, and there’s a front-view camera to provide a wider field of view when using assisted driving features.The exterior design doesn’t look terribly different from its predecessor, save for a few changes like switching the headlights and tail lights for slimmer light bars that stretch across the front and rear of the vehicle. The front and back ends have also been slightly reshaped, which “effectively improves the vehicle’s endurance, performance, and service life,” according to Tesla.It’s unclear when we can expect the redesigned Model Y to launch in other markets like the US and Europe. Mass production of the vehicles is expected to start in Shanghai this month though, and we know that it took the Model 3 update around four months to reach the US last year.

Hot dog and eagle, sold separately. | Image: Micro Micro — maker of those electric bubble cars found in some European cities — has a new Microlino especially for Americans. The all-electric Microlino Spider is dubbed the “anti-pickup truck” and is meant to be a golf cart replacement. No, not for use on fairways, but at expansive resorts and so-called golf cart communities where well-heeled urbanites can retire in the relative safety of walkable villages with low-speed roads.“Americans don’t just drive large cars. In fact, the US is the world’s biggest market for golf carts, where they’re often used for personal transport within neighborhoods,” says Wim Ouboter, founder and chair of Switzerland-based Micro. “That’s exactly why we created the Microlino Spider.”“Consider it the antithesis to massive electric pickup trucks — not built for the 5 percent of trips where you need to haul a lot,” says Ouboter, “but for the 95 percent of trips where you are alone.”The Microlino Spider features an open-door and roof design to make it easy to jump in and out from the sides. That’s a marked departure from the highway-legal Microlino Dolce I reviewed last year, or the slower Lite version that only requires a moped license — both of which you enter through the vehicle’s hinged face to the delight of onlookers. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Verge (@verge)For the moment, Micro is calling the Microlino Spider a “concept,” but says it’s intent on bringing the micro car to the US “as a more stylish and safer alternative to golf carts, ideal for personal errands or commuting.” It’s now gauging interest from partners such as “dealer groups, leasing companies, and other entrepreneurs interested in bringing this new vehicle category to the country.”Unfortunately for Micro, Americans are increasingly drawn to larger and more dangerous vehicles. Just about every truck and SUV sold today is bigger than they were 20 years ago. And those behemoths make up about 80 percent of vehicles sold in the US. Experts have warned that the bigger the vehicle, the bigger the risk to pedestrians and cyclists of injury or death. Micro’s anti-pickup truck may not solve this particular problem. But more small car options is undeniably a good thing in a society overrun by rolling land yachts.

For years now, the king of the graphics card castle has been obvious. NVIDIA is and continues to be the gold standard for graphics cards, and AMD’s Radeon cards could just never quite stack up. The bad news doesn’t end there; Intel’s recent launch of their B580 GPU makes matters much worse. In only their second launch, Intel has done what AMD hasn’t been able to do for generations: create a graphics card that will fly off the shelves. The B580, despite its continued teething issues, is out of stock basically everywhere and shows exactly how AMD can’t keep pointing the finger elsewhere for its poor management of the Radeon division.