Smart lighting is one of the most useful and enjoyable smart home upgrades you can make. The convenience of turning lights on and off with a voice command or having them come on at precisely the right brightness when you walk into a room, adjusted for the time of day, is a huge quality-of-life upgrade that you can't truly appreciate until you try it. The good news is that now is a great time to consider adding smart lights to your home. The costs of smart LED bulbs, fixtures, and accessories, such as switches, are starting to come down, just as compatibility across smart home platforms and smartphones is going up - thanks to the Matter s …Read the full story at The Verge.

Volvo’s EX90 SUV was supposed to usher in a new era of electrified dominance for the Chinese-owned, Swedish designed automaker. Instead, the three-row SUV has been plagued by problems from the very start, including blank infotainment screens, faulty climate controls, driver assist failures, and the noticeable lack of a working lidar sensors. Now, the EX90 is getting a fresh coat of paint, and the automaker is promising a much improved experience. In addition to a new 800-volt architecture for improved charging, the EX90 now sports a computer powered by Nvidia’s Drive AGX Orin system-on-a-chip. This computer upgrade will enable “new and improved safety, collision avoidance, and driver support features,” Volvo now claims. Volvo is also bringing a host of new features to the EX90 centered around safety. Chief among them is Emergency Stop Assist, in which the car will come to a controlled stop in its lane if the driver fails to respond to a series of warnings. Volvo envisions this working in situations where a driver has a medical emergency and can no longer control the vehicle. The news of the upgraded EX90 comes as Volvo is staking its future on a 50 percent volume increase over the next five years, anchored by a $1.3 billion investment in its factory in Charleston, South Carolina. Volvo plans on producing its XC60 mild and plug-in hybrids at the factory, as well as a new, unnamed “next-generation hybrid model” by 2030. (No word on the upcoming all-electric EX60 mid-sized electric crossover, which will be formally revealed on January 21, 2026.) Volvo will have its work cut out for it. In August, the automaker only sold 49,273 cars globally, a 14 percent drop year-over-year and the lowest volume so far in 2025.

Though a new AI tool seems to launch almost every day, the truth is most of them aren’t all that impressive. I’ve been testing as many as I can, both for work and in my personal life, and only one has really stood out: NotebookLM. I probably open it more often than any other app, and it’s become an essential part of my workflow. It’s packed with genuinely useful features that I could rave about all day.

Uber is still trying to chip away at the perception that its ridehailing service is too expensive by launching a new feature aimed at helping customers save money on frequently traveled routes. Today, the company is launching prepaid passes, in which customers can pay a discounted price in advance on frequently taken trips. Passes will be offered in bundles of 5, 10, 15, or 20 rides, with the bigger bundle earning the bigger discount. Discounts range from 5-20 percent off the average cost of the ride, depending on the number of prepaid passes that are being purchased in advance. Uber will market the passes to customers by comparing the single ride fare to a discounted fare when purchased in bulk. For example, a ride from Lower Manhattan to Midtown might cost around $19, but Uber will note that it can be as high as $30 with surge pricing. Customers who purchase passes in bulk won’t have to pay the inflated price, Uber says. When buying prepaid basses, customers select a 1-hour request window in which they typically hail a ride. Uber will then display a countdown so customers know how many passes they have left. Uber is kicking things off by launching the new feature in 75 cities, including Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Orlando, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Seattle, St. Louis, and Tampa Bay. Uber is also expanding its new price-lock feature, in which a customer can lock in a certain price for up to 10 routes for a monthly fee of $2.99. If the upfront price is lower than the locked-in price, customers will get that lower price. Kansal says the feature is for customers who use Uber frequently to make the same trip and would like some predictability in what they pay. After offering it in a few select cities, Uber is now making it available in every major US city, as well as in Brazil. Taken together, prepaid passes and price locks are aimed at encouraging loyalty and more frequent trips with certain customers. If you’re the type of person who would consider using Uber more than twice a week for a commute, then Uber wants to draw you further into its ecosystem by throwing discounts and other incentives at you. The company has a few more announcements today, including ride passes for teen accounts, and Meal Deals, in which Uber Eats is offering bulk orders of popular meals from restaurants for $15 or less. The price is kept low by incentivizing restaurants to prepare these meals in batches — but expect longer delivery times when using.

Raspberry Pi Picos are one of the best ways to bring old handheld consoles back to life. Not only are they small enough to fit nicely within a portable enclosure, but they're powerful enough to emulate retro games. As such, it's not uncommon to see a Pico or two pop up in retro projects.

Microsoft is starting to test experimental AI-powered features through a new Windows AI Labs program. Some Windows testers spotted references to the Windows AI Labs program in pre-release updates to Microsoft Paint last week, and Microsoft has now confirmed to The Verge that the program is designed to provide early access to new AI features across Windows.“The Windows AI Lab is a pilot acceleration program for validating novel AI feature ideas in Windows,” says Mike Harsh, partner director of product management at Microsoft, in a statement to The Verge. “The program focuses on rapid customer feedback on feature usability, customer interest, and market fit.“While the prompt to access Windows AI Labs features has appeared in some versions of Paint, it’s not yet clear what Paint features Microsoft plans to test initially. Microsoft has been adding Photoshop-like features to Paint recently, including transparency, layers, and even .paint project files. I wouldn’t be surprised to see AI tools inside Paint that are similar to some of the work Adobe is doing in Photoshop.Microsoft has also been updating a variety of Windows apps with AI-powered features, including free AI features for Notepad, image generation capabilities in Paint, and AI actions in File Explorer.

Tado’s Auto Assist gets an AI update. Smart thermostat company Tado is launching new AI-powered features that aim to help users heat their homes more efficiently. Tado says the AI Assist update builds on the company’s existing Auto Assist options by introducing “advanced machine-learning” that “learns, predicts, and optimizes” heating in real time.AI Assist is available in Europe and the UK today for all Tado X owners at the same price as the company’s existing subscription (£29.99 a year or £3.99 per month). Existing Auto Assist subscribers will be upgraded automatically, though owners of older Tado hardware won’t get the extra AI. According to Tado’s press release, AI Assist includes:Adaptive Heating: Learns the unique heat-up and cool-down characteristics of each room with Tado AI. It fine-tunes the control of your Smart Radiator Thermostats to optimize comfort and energy efficiency.Preheat Before Arrival: Tado AI uses advanced machine learning to predict when you’ll return home and preheats your home in time for your arrival.Energy IQ : Uses AI-powered insights that reveal exactly where and how you’re using energy, enabling smarter decisions and bigger savings.Holiday Mode: Lets you set your heating to match your time away, so you return to a comfortable home while avoiding unnecessary energy use.Features like Energy IQ and an Away Mode for vacations were already included as part of Tado’s existing Auto Assist service, so this update doesn’t sound like a giant technological leap forward. Other smart home companies like Nest have offered similar features without labelling them as “AI” innovations, so it’s unclear if Tado’s use of AI has substance, or is just a buzzword-heavy rebrand.

Hideo Kojima first announced he was teaming up with Xbox for a new game in 2022, before a teaser revealed the OD name and some cast last year. We’re now getting a better look at exactly what OD is, in a new three-minute teaser trailer that holds true to Kojima’s promise that the game will be unique and immersive.The trailer begins with Sophia Lillis’ character opening a red door, and then lighting candles — some of which look like Death Stranding babies. With rain pouring down outside and mysterious knocking sounds, it’s clear OD will very much lean into horror for its gameplay as Lillis’ character shakes in fear.The trailer also shows off some of the early Unreal Engine work that Kojima Productions is undertaking for OD, alongside Microsoft’s assistance. Xbox chief Phil Spencer confirmed on stage at Kojima Productions’ 10th Anniversary livestream that development of the game is “well underway,” and that Microsoft is helping with the visuals and technical work.“OD is bold, it’s unique, and it’s unmistakably from this studio,“ says Spencer. ”We’re deeply supporting the production, it’s our technical work on Unreal that we’re doing with the team, both with the flashy [elements] you see on the screen, but also a lot of the behind the scenes work.”OD is billed as something of a cross between a game and a movie, with a promise of exploring concepts that test “your fear threshold.” Unreal Engine will drive the experience of OD, instead of the Sony-owned Decima engine that powers both Death Stranding titles. Kojima had high praise for Unreal Engine at the 10th anniversary event, saying “the technology is one step higher than Death Stranding 2.”While we know Jordan Peele is somehow involved in OD, Kojima did note today that the filmmaker is working on another part of the overall OD experience. That might be why the game is subtitled OD Knock, to differentiate it from whatever Peele is working on.We still don’t know exactly when OD will arrive, despite promises that development is well underway. “Kojima is innovating in gameplay, story, and player engagement,” says Spencer. “We’re collaborating closely, and we’re very excited for what’s next.”

Undervolting versus overclocking might sound like two sides of the same coin, but the benefits they bring are very different. While overclocking chases raw speed at the cost of heat and power draw, undervolting prioritizes efficiency and stability. For most users, that trade-off makes undervolting the far more practical choice, and here are six reasons why.

Even when connected to its touchscreen dock the DJI Osmo Nano is lighter than the Osmo Action 5 Pro. | Image: DJI Following recent leaks, DJI has announced its new compact and lightweight Osmo Nano. It’s DJI’s smallest action camera to date but features the same 1 / 1.3-inch sensor with 13.5 stops of dynamic range and 4K / 120fps recording capabilities as the company’s flagship Osmo Action 5 Pro DJI, which launched a year ago. As with competitor products like the Insta360 Go Ultra, you’ll need to pair the Osmo Nano with its included modular accessory, called the Multifunctional Vision Dock, if you want a screen or want to boost its battery life.Like other products that DJI introduced this year, including the Mini 5 Pro drone and the wireless Mic 3, the company isn’t planning to immediately release the Osmo Nano in the US. “The Osmo Nano will not be available officially in the U.S. market on official websites upon its global launch on September 23,” according to DJI spokesperson Daisy Kong. “DJI remains committed to the U.S. market and is optimizing our strategy to best serve our customers amidst evolving local conditions.”It’s launching today in other regions including Canada, where the Osmo Nano with 64GB of built-in storage starts at $309 USD, although that pricing doesn’t necessarily reflect how much it will cost in the US. In the UK, it will start at £239, while in France, Germany, and Spain it will be €279. A version with 128GB of storage is $339 USD, £259, and €309, respectively.The Osmo Nano is much smaller than DJI’s previous attempt at miniaturizing its action camera. The square-shaped Action 2 launched in 2021 with a similar modular design but featured more accessories that could be magnetically attached to the camera to expand its functionality and battery life. The new Nano is pill-shaped, 57mm long, and weighs 52 grams, making it a full gram lighter than the Action 2 and the recently launched Insta360 Go Ultra. It’s also much lighter than the 146-gram Osmo Action 5 Pro — even with the touchscreen dock attached, which bumps the Osmo Nano’s total weight to 124 grams.Battery life is rated at 55 to 60 minutes of 4K / 30fps recording, or up to 90 minutes of 1080p / 24fps recording. That increases to 125 to 135 minutes at 4K / 30fps while the Nano is connected to the dock, or up to 200 minutes at 1080p / 24fps. The Nano is waterproof to depths of up to 10 meters, but the dock, which can also function as a wireless remote with live video previews, has a limited IPX4 splash resistance rating.Two wireless microphones can be directly connected to the Nano without the need for a receiver, and for those times when you’re wearing gloves or don’t have the dexterity to hit a small button, you can start recording by gently patting the camera or simply nodding your head if you’re wearing it on a hat or helmet. There’s also a pre-record option that can save footage captured just before you start a recording, but that could come with an additional hit to battery life.

Spotify is good, but the free version has ads, and the premium subscription keeps getting more expensive. On top of that, you have no control over your privacy, and there’s almost no customization. I recently started using an alternative to Spotify called Funkwhale, which you can host yourself, customize, and share on your own terms. This free and open-source audio platform is built by a passionate community, and it lets you stream music and podcasts from anywhere.

Wallpaper Engine is my favorite program when it comes to enhancing the look of my desktop. I have over 1,800 hours of usage on it, according to Steam, and I'm still in awe of how much value I'm getting out of it for a one-time fee of $4. After I got my first OLED monitor this month, I wanted some new wallpapers that would look especially cool on an OLED display. If you're in the same boat, the following wallpapers should be enough to get you started.