We love our mini PCs here at XDA. In fact, one of our editors, Joao, never wants to go back after getting into mini PCs (although he really wishes companies didn't make bad ones). And while they come in all shapes and sizes (well, as long as they're mini sizes), it's not often that you can call one "cute."

Two AI-generated  figures from the production of Critterz. OpenAI is on a mission to show Hollywood that generative artificial intelligence can deliver results and is throwing its weight behind an animated feature film it hopes will stand toe-to-toe with much costlier productions, according to the Wall Street Journal.The film, called “Critterz,” is expected to hit theaters worldwide in 2026 after a planned debut at the Cannes Film Festival, the Journal reported. It will be made primarily with the company’s AI tools, including GPT-5, its flagship model that landed with a thud last month. “Critterz” is reportedly being made on a budget of less than $30 million in just nine months, fractions of what is normally required for animated features. OpenAI, alongside LA- and London-based partners Native Foreign and Vertigo Films, will be hoping the flick can convince wary Hollywood executives to bet big on AI, a tall order as the industry wrestles with slow uptake, resistance from talent and audiences and concerns over intellectual property and creative agency.

Although I know my way around shooting photos on my Sony A7 II, the art of videos has always eluded me. Still, with the fall colors soon to grace Ontario, I thought I’d take up shooting videos for once. This means I’ll need a new set of editing tools besides Adobe Lightroom. While the clear default options are Adobe Premier and Davinci Resolve, I wanted to learn FFmpeg as a complementary post-production for its incredible versatility.

Uber and one of its many robotaxi partners, Momenta, will test fully driverless cars in Germany next year. The news comes as Europe continues to lag behind the US and China in the number of commercially operational robotaxi services. The companies say they will test Level 4 autonomous vehicles in Munich starting in 2026. (Level 4 describes fully driverless vehicles, without safety drivers, that can operate anywhere within a defined geographic area.) If everything goes according to plan in Munich, Uber says that Momenta robotaxis could be coming to additional European cities in the years to come. Momenta is based in Shanghai, where it is currently operating its own robotaxi service. Earlier this year, Uber said it would allow the company to add its robotaxis to its ridehailing platform, though it would be cities outside the US and China. Uber also said that Momenta’s robotaxis would feature safety monitors behind the wheel at launch, before eventually transitioning to fully driverless vehicles. Momenta, which has received funding from China’s state-owned SAIC Motor, GM, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, and Bosch, currently supplies driver assist software to a number of automakers, including Mercedes and BMW. Though it currently lags behind the US and China, Europe is starting to see more robotaxi action that signals the floodgates could soon be open. In addition to Uber and Momenta, China’s Baidu and Lyft plan on bringing driverless taxis to the UK and Germany in 2026. Volkswagen has also been testing autonomous vehicles in Germany for several years, and recently said it would launch its own robotaxi service with — you guessed it — Uber in Los Angeles in 2026.

Fans of Metal Gear Solid are getting the chance to dive back into the world of Metal Gear Solid 3:Snake Eater with the release of Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater on current-day consoles. The game keeps the same story as the original Hideo Kojima game, but presents it with a completely new coat of paint, rendering every character and environment in stunning detail. For many, this is the best way to experience the story of the first chronological entry of the series. Big Boss and his allies have never looked this good before.

Steam is a great service to download and play games on most computer builds. There are a ton of great games to dive into, and new ones to discover when browsing through the Steam store to see what has been newly added. Because of this, many people like to have access to their Steam library of games on multiple devices, such as another laptop or other device capable of running the Steam application. This is why one may think it's a smart idea to install Steam onto a MacBook laptop you may have just purchased, especially a new model with current hardware updates. But it may not be the smartest move, especially when you realize how Steam is on the Mac operating system.

It hasn’t been the greatest year for the Ford F-150 Lightning, with sales so far this year down nearly 10 percent as compared to last year. In the hopes of boosting interest in the battery-powered truck, Ford today announced a new appearance package called STX, which the company says is in direct response to customer feedback. The STX, which replaces the XLT in the Lightning lineup, comes equipped with dual motors and an extended range battery that targets an EPA-estimated 290 miles of range. It also will be no slouch on the straightaway, with 536 horsepower and 775 lb.-ft. of torque, as well as a standard rear e-locking differential.Ford also “raided the F-150 parts bin” to add a bunch of rugged features, including off-road running boards from the F-150 Tremor and new wheels and all-terrain tires that are new to Ford’s electric truck. There’s a new grille, blue accent lines, and “STX” badging throughout. Truck owners who like to do actual truck stuff with their big electric truck can option up with a black vinyl floor for extra protection. In addition to the regular range of paint options, the STX will also come in two new colors: Argon Blue and Marsh Gray. “Customers have been asking for a rugged F-150 Lightning with more range than the standard range XLT,” Will Marchand, product and consumer marketing manager for the Lightning, said in a release. “Until now, if these owners wanted a rugged F-150 Lightning, they had to turn to the aftermarket to build the truck they wanted. We wanted to meet them where they were, which is why we’re so excited about the new F-150 Lightning STX.”The STX arrives at dealers in early 2026, and starts at $63,345. Ford says it expects it to be a top-seller based on internal projections.

It's kind of weird that puzzle games aren't inherently chill, isn't it? I mean, in real life, doing a crossword or solving a jigsaw is pretty easy-going, but I wouldn't say that Portal 2 is a particularly "chill game." In fact, some moments can be downright stressful.

SSDs are supposed to be fast. They're supposed to provide rapid access to your files in a snap of your fingers, transfer files in a flash, and provide great workstation and gaming performance. However, sometimes real-world performance doesn’t match the numbers on the box. If your SSD feels sluggish, it’s not always a sign of failure. Not every explanation is one that can be easily remedied, but these five are common sticking points for SSD performance.

I'm currently a student majoring in Computer Science, and as much as I love learning new stuff, one thing you'll never catch me agreeing to is that studying is easy or fun. Ninety-nine percent of the time, it’s chugging endless cups of coffee, scrolling through pages and pages of PDFs, lecture slides, and research papers, and pulling endless all-nighters.

When was the last time you heard Microsoft compliment Apple? Given how the pair of them have been bitter rivals for decades now, I wouldn't be surprised if you can't remember the last time you saw Microsoft pass a nice word over to its biggest competitor. I can't even remember a single time.

Anyone familiar with the AI slop on Pinterest should recognize how unnatural that hair is. I opened TikTok while visiting Germany last week and stumbled across a Vodafone ad being presented by a woman who probably doesn’t exist. The ad includes several “tells” that suggest the presenter was artificially created using generative AI — the unnatural style and movement of her hair, the way her moles disappear, and the uncanny valley vibe of her facial expressions — and Vodafone confirmed my suspicions in its video comments.In response to a commenter asking why Vodafone couldn’t put “a real person in front of the camera,” the company said it was “testing different styles of advertising — this time with AI,” according to machine translation of the German text. In another comment, Vodafone said that “AI is so much a part of everyday life these days that we also try it out in advertising.” As an ad, it certainly captured my attention, but only because my brain registered that there was something “off.” @vodafonedeutschland Jetzt Internet mit bis zu 1000 Mbit/s im Download für Dein Zuhause. ♬ Originalton – vodafone_de – vodafone_de This isn’t the first time that Vodafone has embraced generative AI in its ads, having released a commercial last year in which every shot was AI-generated. Fake influencers created using artificial intelligence are also rising in popularity, according to a New York Times report, with notable examples like Lil’ Miquela — a creation of tech company Dapper Labs — having already appeared in campaigns for Calvin Klein, Prada, and BMW.