The first big outage of 2026 is here, as Verizon customers across the US, including several of our phones, complain that service has been spotty or nonexistent starting at around noon ET, with phones switching to SOS Mode and being unable to connect.This cell service outage follows a "software issue" that cut off service for many people in August for several hours, and while Verizon has acknowledged the issue, there is no word yet on when it will be fixed.Verizon:We are aware of an issue impacting wireless voice and data services for some customers. Our engineers are engaged and are working to identify and solve the issue quickly. We …Read the full story at The Verge.

Back in my day, if you wanted to watch something with a friend remotely, you both had to load it up on your PCs and then do a "3-2-1 play" countdown to ensure you were both seeing the same thing at the same time. Fortunately, tech companies have since respected that people ideally want the app to do the syncing for them, and as such, there are plenty of ways to watch things with your friends with minimal hassle.

No matter how much technology continues to evolve, there's always a community of people who relish holding on to the products of yesteryear. ReactOS wasn't developed with this goal in mind, but that's kind of why it still exists today. It's a project that essentially aims to reverse engineer Windows NT 4.0-based operating systems and create an experience that fully supports the same set of drivers and programs without using any Microsoft code. So, we have an experience that's very close to Windows XP, which some might consider an upgrade from Windows 11.

Following its announcement at CES 2026, Nvidia's DLSS 4.5 Super Resolution is now available to Nvidia app users. The update first released in beta last week.

I’ve spent a lot of time testing the latest "revolutionary" productivity apps. But lately, I’ve realized that the shiniest tools aren't always the best. Instead, I’ve been moving my workflow toward open-source software. There is a huge benefit to using tools that focus on speed and user control rather than monthly subscriptions and forced updates. While everyone else is busy learning complex new interfaces, I’ve stuck to the classic that just works: Notepad++. It’s open-source, lightweight, and surprisingly powerful. Here is why this "old-school" tool still beats the modern competition.

The Stream Deck Plus is on sale for $159.99. If you’re looking for a simple way to streamline your workflow, the Elgato Stream Deck Plus is a handy productivity tool for automating everyday tasks. Right now, it’s on sale for $159.99 ($40 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and B&H Photo, which is its best price to date.Like the standard Stream Deck, the Stream Deck Plus comes with eight programmable keys you can use to automate tasks, such as muting yourself on a video call or turning off smart lights. The Plus, however, adds more customizability with four rotary dials that let you make fine adjustments, like changing the volume for a specific app.Elgato Stream Deck PlusWhere to Buy: $199.99 $159.99 at Amazon (black) $199.99 $159.99 at Best Buy $199.99 $159.99 at B&H PhotoThe dials are especially useful for controlling music. With a single dial, you skip forward or backward through a Spotify playlist, then press it to pause or play. On a standard Stream Deck, you’d need multiple buttons to do the same thing. Elgato also includes “Dial Stacks,” which let each dial handle multiple functions you can cycle through. A slim touchscreen above the dials shows what each control is currently assigned to and lets you swipe between different pages within a profile. And while the touchscreen itself can’t trigger plug-ins like the regular buttons, Elgato’s since released software updates  that let you assign up to three standard button or plugin actions to each dial, making the Stream Deck Plus far more useful than it was at launch.

I’ve written about AFFiNE a lot here at XDA because it’s genuinely one of the best PKM tools I’ve come across. However, I’d only ever used it locally on my PC. I’m still new to self-hosting, and actually used NotebookLM to help me learn the ropes. Ever since, I’ve been willing to experiment more with running my own servers, and since I use AFFiNE often, it was one of the first tools I wanted to switch to a self-hosted setup.

Naya has already shipped one successful Kickstarter for a weird keyboard. The Naya Create was an ergonomic split deck with four swappable controller addons: a touchpad, a trackball, a rotary encoder, or a 6DoF spatial mouse. The Connect takes that modular concept, applies it to a more traditional flat keyboard form factor, and expands the ecosystem to be even more flexible. And clearly, people are into the idea, because it hit its minuscule funding goal in just six minutes.The Naya Connect has four main components: a low-profile 75% mechanical keyboard called the Naya Type, a 24-key multipad, a six-key programmable strip, and a dock. The …Read the full story at The Verge.

Amazon has announced the first cast member of its God of War live-action adaptation on Prime Video. Ryan Hurst, known for his work as Opie in Sons of Anarchy and Beta in The Walking Dead, will play the titular God of War, Kratos. Though the casting might come as a bit of a disappointment to the fans hopeful that Christopher Judge, Kratos' award-winning voice actor in the games, might have been tapped for the role in some fashion, Hurst has familiarity with series. He voiced Thor in God of War: Ragnarok and earned a BAFTA nomination for the performance.Amazon originally announced the God of War series in 2022 in collaboration with PlayStati …Read the full story at The Verge.

If your phone doesn't have a network connection or your home internet isn't working right now, don't worry, you aren't alone.

Thin-and-light laptops sound like a match made in heaven for Linux. They're incredibly efficient already, and when you combine that with an OS that's known to be light on its feet, you can see there's a lot of potential there.

Alienware makes some of the best gaming monitors out right now. So, if you've been looking to pick up something new, you can't really go wrong here. We've reviewed some of Alienware's QD-OLED monitors in the past, and, for the most part, we came away impressed. That's why we think the Alienware AW2725D monitor is a good one to go with, especially at its discounted price.