The ultimate stage of smart home engineering isn't writing more complex server scripts. It is distributing your system logic down to the physical endpoints. By migrating device loops to local Zigbee binding clusters and to on-device ESPHome native automation blocks, your home becomes a resilient mesh network. Home Assistant turns a fragile single point of failure into a relaxed high-level coordinator. Home Assistant shouldn't be the mechanical engine that physically connects a light switch to a bulb. It should instead be the data aggregator and dashboard viewer, with low-level, instantaneous automation handled by the on-device microcontrollers and direct radio mesh communications. This creates an air-gapped, zero-latency house that behaves like a real, resilient utility rather than a finicky server project.

Golden Gate’s public beta should be at parity with the third developer beta, which is pretty stable. The macOS 27 Golden Gate public beta is here, and anyone with an M-series Mac now has easier access to test-drive Apple's latest changes - including a more subdued Liquid Glass aesthetic. That's reason enough to be at least a little excited for macOS 27 (particularly if you're on Tahoe and disliking all the transparency). But there are other things that make trying out this beta a little more appealing than usual.There was a rumor earlier this year that this new macOS would focus on performance optimizations, bug fixes, and a bunch of small quality-of-life improvements, rather than being a major overhaul. And aside from dialing down Liquid …Read the full story at The Verge.

VPNs are one of those networking concepts that feel like magic when they work properly. The fact that two systems on different networks can communicate with one another using a totally private tunnel is still something that blows my mind when it works properly. When it doesn't, I want to tear what little hair I still have out of my head.

The Shokz OpenRun Pro are great for outdoor workouts. | Image: Shokz Noise-canceling earbuds are great for flights and focusing, but they're not always ideal for outdoor workouts. The last-gen Shokz OpenRun Pro's open-ear design lets you enjoy music while staying aware of approaching cars, cyclists, and other potential hazards, and right now they're on sale for $109 ($50 off) at Amazon, Walmart, and B&H Photo. That matches their all-time low price, which we haven't seen since January.Shokz OpenRun ProWhere to Buy: $159.95 $109.95 at Amazon $159.95 $109.99 at WalmartUnlike traditional earbuds, the OpenRun Pro rests just outside your ears and uses bone conduction to deliver sound. That means you can listen t …Read the full story at The Verge.

What do all the highly detailed, almost lifelike games like the Forza Horizon series, Black Myth: Wukong, Uncharted, God of War, and Microsoft Flight Simulator have in common? Each game represents one of the most stunning uses of photogrammetry in gaming. It is the only reason why a screenshot from Microsoft Flight Simulator, viewed from a virtual window seat, can look almost indistinguishable from a real photograph taken over the same terrain.

Apple has just released public betas for iOS 27 and other major OS updates that are set to publicly launch this fall. The big new feature this year is Siri AI, the delayed AI-powered revamp to Siri. It actually works - which is big praise! - though it keeps things brief.Other betas available now include iPadOS 27, watchOS 27, and macOS 27 Golden Gate. If you want to test out Apple's upcoming updates, fair warning that you may run into issues like unexpected glitches or a battery that drains faster than you're used to. Use your best judgment on whether you should actually install the beta or wait to install an update until it's officially r …Read the full story at The Verge.

Siri AI in iOS 27. iOS 27 escaped the developer world today with the launch of the first public beta. I've been testing the new operating system since early June, looking for quirks and seeing if it can live up to the hype Apple promised in the keynote.This year's iOS upgrades are what one might call a Snow Leopard update. That means it's light on new features and instead focused on fixing things that were broken and speeding up processes across the OS. App launches, Photos search results, and AirDrop transfers should all be faster. The Messages app now supports in-line replies and end-to-end encryption for RCS messages. Liquid Glass has gotten more refined, …Read the full story at The Verge.

Claude, ChatGPT, and Copilot all promise to save time, sharpen my work, and make everyday tasks feel effortless. But when each one wants a recurring payment, the real question is: which one actually deserves a place on my credit card bill?

When I think of the RX 9070 XT, I see it as the first AMD GPU in a long time that has made me question my decades-old loyalty to Nvidia. I recently spent a few hours with one for a blind upscaler test, and it left me with no doubts about AMD's silicon. The raster performance is excellent to build upon, the efficiency is undeniable, and even at currently inflated market rates, it undercuts its closest Nvidia competitor by a margin that makes you second-guess your conviction at the check-out counter.

A dozen state attorneys general are trying to block the $110 billion merger of Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery they warn would raise movie prices and crush cable TV distributors.The states - California, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Washington - filed suit on Monday, arguing the combination would illegally harm competition and create a "media behemoth." Last month, the Justice Department declined to block the merger in a decision that The Wall Street Journal reported surprised career staff who were leaning toward recommending a lawsuit. In an exit intervi …Read the full story at The Verge.

Siri has been on the Apple Watch since day one, though I'm usually hard-pressed to find people who actually make good use of it. It's kind of just… been there - mostly as a way to set timers when my hands are full. But after playing around with the watchOS 27 developer beta, I get the sense that'll start to change. Not for everyone, and definitely not overnight, but the upgrade from plain ol' Siri to Siri AI feels like a significant shift in how Apple - and other tech companies - think we ought to be using our smartwatches.To be clear: If all you want Siri on the wrist to do is set an alarm or get the weather forecast, by golly, it's still …Read the full story at The Verge.

The purported Pixel 11 in Fuchsia (Hibiscus). | Image: 9to5Google This year's Google Pixel 11 lineup might come in a bunch of funky colors. A series of now-deleted Amazon listings spotted by 9to5Google show what appear to be placeholders for Google's upcoming Pixel 11 in hot pink Fuchsia (Hibiscus), vibrant green Moss (Pistachio), and Midnight (Obsidian) black. We've seen two sets of names for the Pixel 11's rumored colorways so far, and, confusingly, both variations are included in the early Amazon listings, according to 9to5Google. The Pixel 11 Pro listings spotted by 9to5Google reportedly showed the device in a dusky green Pine (Olive), a frosty blue Light Fog (Fog), pastel purple Sterling (Frost), an …Read the full story at The Verge.