If you are tired of wrestling with expensive, subscription-based PDF editors or constantly uploading sensitive documents to online tools with questionable privacy policies, you are not alone. That’s why I decided to find a better way, and what I discovered has completely transformed my workflow. My month-long search led me to Stirling PDF, an all-in-one powerhouse that gives me the freedom to manipulate my documents on my terms, completely free of charge.

Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski has already used AI to replace himself during earnings reports, and now Klarna is using AI to clone him another way: through an AI-powered phone hotline.The hotline is now open for users to provide feedback to an interactive AI version of Siemiatkowski that’s trained on his “real voice, insights, and experiences,” according to a press release. “Customers, including consumers and merchants alike, can speak to it about product features, issues and suggestions for improvements,” Klarna says. “‘AI Sebastian’ can also answer questions about Klarna’s vision and mission, and speak about its founding story and journey so far, based on learnings from ‘real life Sebastian.’”After the hotline takes a call, a transcript and summary are generated that are “automatically analyzed by a large language model (LLM), populating an internal live feed and innovation dashboard.” Klarna says its product and engineering teams will then review the “actionable insights immediately” and assign “priority tasks.” The company claims that issues raised today could “translate into tangible product improvements already the following day.”Phone numbers for the hotline are available now in the US, +14246675385, and Sweden, +46852512594. I called the US hotline just to see what the experience was like. After a brief message telling me the call may be recorded, the AI version of Siemiatkowski prompted me to share feedback about using Klarna. No matter what I asked AI Siemiatkowski, even sillier questions, the AI generally tried to push me back to sharing feedback.When I asked if it had talked to Fortnite’s AI Darth Vader, for example, here’s what it said:That’s an interesting question. My focus is entirely on Klarna and gathering feedback to improve our services. I don’t have information or conversations with characters from games like Fortnite. I’m here to hear your thoughts on Klarna. Is there anything else about your experience with Klarna that you’d like to share, or any ideas you have for how we could make things even better?OpenAI also has a hotline to talk with an AI chatbot. You can call ChatGPT at 1-800-CHATGPT.

Earlier this year, Google shipped a Pixel 4A update to some owners that lowered battery life to mitigate overheating risk, and soon, it’s going to do the same for the Pixel 6A. “A subset of Pixel 6A phones will require a mandatory software update to reduce the risk of potential battery overheating,” Google’s Alex Moriconi says in a statement to The Verge. “The update will enable battery management features that will reduce capacity and charging performance after the battery reaches 400 charge cycles. We’ll contact impacted customers next month, with all the information they need to address the issue.”As reported by Android Authority, at least two users have reported instances of their Pixel 6A phones catching fire, with one person on Reddit saying their Pixel 6A “spontaneously combusted in the middle of the night.” Android Authority also spotted code strings in the Android 16 QPR1 Beta 2 release alerting Pixel 6A users to “a potential battery overheating issue” and pointing toward a support page at g.co/pixel/6abattery that currently isn’t live.In April, Google also announced an extended repair program for battery swelling issues with the Pixel 7A.

It's a lot of fun to revisit classic games from your childhood, especially when they're incredibly fun to play. This is very easy to do via emulation using RetroArch. The emulation tool has received a lot of praise from those who love playing older games on their various devices, especially ones they have fond memories of. Luckily, RetroArch has occasionally received updates to the program and gained new features to help make revisiting classic games even better, often adding things that make games run or look better overall. However, one feature takes things a step further by allowing retro games to be played online.

I've been looking into new ways to build out my Home Assistant set-up to make use of the various bits of tech that I have lying around, and I recently came across the GoXLR HACS integration. This integration can link up with the third-party GoXLR Utility (which is still updated, unlike the official GoXLR App, which is in a state of purgatory), so that you can control your audio interface through Home Assistant.

Most teams use a patchwork of tools to get through the day. Slack for chat, Trello or Notion for tasks and docs, Zoom for calls, and Google Drive for everything else —these tools work, but there's barely any interconnect between them. It’s chaotic, scattered, and full of distractions. I’ve lived that mess for years, hoping something better would come along. Huly might actually be it.

Over the years, Rufus has been an excellent tool for Windows users who want to make quick and easy bootable USB media. It then gained another feature: installing Windows 11 on unsupported hardware. This allowed people to sneak past the TPM 2.0 CPU requirement, and even as Microsoft tries to close off the other loopholes that people are using to get Windows 11 on unsupported systems, the Rufus method has always worked.

You can never have enough storage. And if you're looking for something compact, sleek, and relatively fast, then a portable SSD is going to be the way to go. Of course, you're going to be paying a lot more when compared to a standard external HDD, but it's well worth it if you're looking to get the best possible experience.

The Nintendo Switch 2 launched just last week, and it seems, by all metrics, to be an initial success. While we've seen this in the past with the Nintendo 3DS, famously having a very strong launch only for sales figures to drop off within months, the follow-up to the wildly successful Switch has been phenomenal so far. It's actually had me thinking about past launches, most notably Nvidia's RTX 50 series, and Nvidia should be taking notes. Love or hate Nintendo, getting consoles into the hands of practically every gamer who wanted one on launch day is an impressive feat.

The Apple AirTag and Moto Tag next to one another. | Image: MotorolaPromised way back in June 2024, the Moto Tag location tracker is finally rolling out UWB support via a firmware update. That makes it the first tracker on Google’s Find Hub network to support ultra-wideband tracking, which is superior to Bluetooth since it uses distance and directional arrows to guide owners with compatible phones to their lost tags.To update your Moto Tag you’ll need the 01.00.073.10-release of the Moto Tag app from the Play Store. You can then apply the 2.0.93 firmware with UWB support. You’ll also need a modern Android phone that supports UWB, which includes newer Galaxy and Pixel flagships.We can’t blame Motorola for the delay here, since Google’s Find Hub location app (previously called Find My Device) only recently lit up with UWB support. Samsung’s network for its SmartTags has supported UWB since launch in 2020, while Apple’s network for AirTags has supported it since launch in 2021. View LinkMy colleague Dom recently put Google’s location tracking network to the test, pitting a number of trackers, including the Moto Tag and Apple AirTag, against each other. It’s worth a read to understand the tradeoffs in privacy and precision.

A screenshot of the Apple Home Energy tab.Apple’s smart home didn’t get a single nod during the WWDC keynote, but it turns out there are some interesting developments coming to the Home app around energy management. In a video posted to the Apple developer site this week, the company outlined its new EnergyKit framework, which allows developers to integrate energy data from Apple Home in iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 to reduce or shift the electricity usage of their devices to prioritize cleaner and/or less expensive energy. So, for example, your thermostat can reduce its energy use when prices are higher, and your EV can generate a charging schedule based on forecasted prices to save you money. The Home app can already display your electricity usage and electricity rate, plus the availability of clean energy via the Grid Forecast widget, when connected to your utility provider. (Currently, PG&E is the only supported utility company.) With EnergyKit, developers can use a feature called EnergyKit Guidance that uses these data points to create actions for their devices to reduce or shift energy use.Apple’s documentation says EnergyKit is currently designed to work with EV chargers and smart thermostat apps. Today, several individual products offer these features. Ecobee and Google Nest thermostats can shift their energy use based on factors such as clean energy availability and rates, and work with demand response programs, and most EV chargers have apps that can create schedules based on energy data. While EnergyKit is designed to bring data securely from Apple Home into the manufacturer’s app, you can see the potential here to one day manage all of these devices and functions from within Apple Home. It could be laying the groundwork for Apple Home to eventually become a home energy management system (HEMS): a system that can monitor, control, and optimize your energy usage. We’re already seeing this implemented in smart home platforms like Samsung SmartThings with its AI Energy Mode, Homey (owned by LG), and others. Apple has a lot of catching up to do, as its platform doesn’t currently support energy monitoring from connected devices. This could lay the groundwork for Apple Home to eventually become a home energy management systemThis is likely why EnergyKit is focused on allowing developers to integrate the data from Apple Home into their own apps, as Apple Home doesn’t support EV chargers or energy monitoring of thermostats. However, with Apple’s deep involvement in the Matter smart home standard, it’s possible that support for these devices might come to Apple Home. Matter recently added support for most major appliance types as well as energy-intensive devices like heat pumps and electric water heaters, all of which could now more easily be integrated into Apple Home via Matter. The standard also supports battery energy storage systems and solar power devices such as inverters, panels, and hybrid solar / battery systems. When you connect the dots, it seems that this could be a natural next step for Apple’s smart home ambitions.

The Switch 2 is taking the world by storm, with the console finally getting into the hands of eager Nintendo fans, becoming the fastest-selling console so far with 3.5 million units sold over the four days. Of course, not everyone is looking to spend big money to upgrade to Nintendo's latest console, and will instead stick with their current Switch for the time being.