Technology

From Us to Shaun of the Dead to Halloween Kills, the streamer is dropping more than 150 scary titles this season.

The 2024 power source has a hefty discount at Amazon days after preorders went live.

How the iPhone 16 Pro compares with its predecessors in terms of design, cameras and features.

AI can spit out drafts, but can it help write my future? I put ChatGPT through its paces.

Something's different in this iPhone 16 launch. CNET's Bridget Carey talks about Apple's big bet on the button and the mystery around Apple Intelligence. And she delves into the reasons why the Apple Watch 10 and AirPods 4 might be the bigger hits this year.

This LTE security camera's monthly fees are more affordable than the competition, but it has fewer features and monthly download limits.

You might have heard of the bigger names like AT&T and Cox, but this internet service provider deserves some hype.

Stanford computer scientist Fei-Fei Li is unveiling a startup that aims to teach AI systems deep knowledge of physical reality. Investors are throwing money at it.

This is a high price to pay for distraction-free productivity, but perennial notetakers will find it hard not to love the ReMarkable Paper Pro.

The Google Wallet can now store a digital version of your US passport, allowing quicker passage through select TSA checkpoints, though you’ll still need to have the physical passport with you. 

Any Android phone that has the Google Wallet app can take advantage of this new feature, from the Google Pixel 9 to the Samsung Galaxy S24. 

Google calls this passport-based pass a digital ID, and as this name suggests it's not an overall replacement for your passport – the company says you’ll still need to carry the relevant physical ID with you while travelling, at least “for now”.

Users can create a digital ID by scanning the photo-page of their passport, scanning the security chip on the back of the passport, and taking a selfie video. This information is then sent to Google for review.

Once approved the digital ID is stored in an encrypted form, with access kept securely behind your phone’s fingerprint scanner, passcode, or PIN number.

Digital ID comes to Google Wallet as part of a wider expansion for ID support. Support for California IDs was added in August, with state-issued IDs and driver’s licenses for Iowa, New Mexico, and Ohio to follow “in the coming months”. 

Google says it is working with partners to expand the usefulness of digital ID, and lists account recovery, identity verification, and car rentals as examples of potential future use cases. 

More options for commuters

The update to Google Wallet also brings new options for commuters in the US.

In the US, Google has added support for prepaid commuter benefit cards, starting with Edenred and HealthEquity. Additionally, tickets and booking confirmations sent to Gmail will now automatically import to the Google Wallet app.

And new notifications will alert you when a pass is altered, like if your assigned seat changes. Live train status updates, including train times and delays, are also on the way soon. 

Furthermore, you can now access your passes online at wallet.google.com, meaning you don't need your Android device on-hand to check your tickets, passes, and IDs. 

Be sure to keep up with our coverage for the latest Android updates, including the latest Android 15 news.

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Microsoft has revealed plans to revise the Windows operating system to allow security vendors, including CrowdStrike, to operate outside of the Windows kernel.

The news comes after a CrowdStrike update caused a worldwide Windows outage, impacting millions of devices and taking businesses offline.

CrowdStrike’s problematic update, which caused widespread system crashes, sparked several debates about the risks of kernel access, and a recent Microsoft-hosted security summit has now led to the company’s decision to revise its OS.

Microsoft responds to CrowdStrike outage

A core component of the Windows operating system, the kernel has access to system memory and hardware. Even the slightest error can cause widespread chaos, and so Microsoft is planning to move security vendors out of the Windows kernel in order to enhance resiliency and security.

David Weston, VP of Enterprise and OS Security at Microsoft, shared: “Both our customers and ecosystem partners have called on Microsoft to provide additional security capabilities outside of kernel mode which.”

The company is collaborating with a number of major security players, including CrowdStrike, Broadcom, Sophos and Trend Micro, to develop a new platform that meets the security needs of vendors without compromising system performance and threatening future outages.

Drew Bagley, VP & Counsel of Privacy and Cyber Policy at CrowdStrike, commented: “We appreciated the opportunity to join these important discussions with Microsoft and industry peers on how best to collaborate in building a more resilient and open Windows endpoint security ecosystem that strengthens security for our mutual customers.”

Trend Micro COO Kevin Simzer added: “I applaud Microsoft for opening its doors to continue collaborating with leading endpoint security leaders

Although confirmation that Microsoft will close off kernel access isn’t explicit, its engagement in collaboratory discussions with security companies is a promising sign.

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FX's Shōgun and The Bear earned the most nominations, but who will sweep this year?

Easily capture what's on your screen with these steps.

It's perfect for Friday the 13th.

Even if you get 5G on your phone at home, you're not guaranteed to get a 5G home internet service. Let's explore more.

This week, Reddit solved the long-running Celebrity Number Six mystery, but it almost got derailed thanks to accusations that the missing piece was made with AI.

Because, according to sources, they’d plead the Fifth, the witness list is missing key executives and staff with knowledge of the fatal Titanic expedition, raising questions about just how much can be learned from this investigation.

Gaming accessory brand CRKD has announced a range of premium licensed Rocket League controllers that are compatible with the Nintendo Switch. Each product is available to pre-order now and is limited to just 10,000 units.

First is the Nitro Deck Rocket League Silver Edition, a new variant of the Nitro Deck handheld dock for Nintendo Switch. As the name would suggest, this variant boasts a shiny silver pattern that incorporates elements of the Rocket League logo. Like the regular Nitro Deck, this special edition features Hall effect thumbsticks with swappable stick tops, adjustable vibration, a gyroscope, a dedicated turbo mode, remappable rear inputs, and compatibility with the CRKD Companion App.

There’s also the Nitro Deck+ Rocket League Gold Edition with Carry Case. It has a similar overall aesthetic but comes in an even more eye-catching gold. As a Nitro Deck+ model, it has a symmetrical thumbstick layout and an improved ejection system in addition to all of the features of the base model. It also comes bundled with a carrying case.

Both the Nitro Deck and Nitro Deck+ are compatible with the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch OLED but, for those who would prefer a more traditional controller, the NEO S Rocket League Gold Edition with Charging Dock is worth a look. It has a striking gold and black design, with a charming graphic of a Rocket League car on its front. Its charging dock, which provides a useful way to display the controller, also bears a small gold Rocket League logo.

The Neo S works with Nintendo Switch, PC, and compatible Smart TVs. It features Hall effect thumbsticks, motion controls, rumble support, remappable rear inputs, compatibility with the CRKD Companion App, and more.

All three products are currently available for pre-order via the CRKD website and are estimated to ship in November. The Nitro Deck Rocket League Silver Edition costs $59.99 / £59.99 while the Nitro Deck+ Rocket League Gold Edition with Carry Case comes in at a more expensive $89.99 / £89.99. The Neo S Rocket League Gold Edition with Charging Dock then sells for $59.99 / £59.99.

Rocket League is available now as a free-to-play title on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch in addition to PlayStation 5 plus Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S via backwards compatibility.

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We've been hearing for some months now that Sonos is close to releasing a new TV streaming device. Its existence was first reported back in 2022, but that was when the project was still in its very early stages; the actual product launch was tipped for late 2024, or perhaps very early in 2025. And a new report suggests that not only is the device's development well advanced, but that Sonos has made a surprising choice for its streaming OS.

According to the very well-informed Janko Roettgers of Lowpass.cc, who broke the original story about Sonos' streamer, the device isn't going to run Google TV or any of the other smart TV OSes you're familiar with. Instead, it's going to use a brand new streaming OS as the first hardware partner of The Trade Desk. 

The Trade Desk is a really big digital advertising company, and it's reportedly been building its own streaming OS for five years now. That OS is apparently nearly ready to go, and you'll see it on the Sonos streamer first. 

The operating system is apparently based on Android AOSP, the open source offshoot of Android. Android TV is built atop AOSP, but it's owned and certified by Google. Other firms are welcome to use AOSP to create their own operating systems, and it seems that The Trade Desk has done exactly that.

What we know about the Sonos streamer OS

(Image credit: Sonos )

If you're wondering why Sonos didn't just make its own OS for its streamer, the ongoing and damaging debacle over Sonos's app update perhaps suggests that outsourcing this one – Sonos's very first attempt at a TV streamer – was wise. But there are other reasons for the outsourcing, too. 

As Roettgers explains, "One of the biggest challenges for hardware makers is striking agreements with the major streaming services to get access to their apps. Netflix, for instance, won’t even talk to device makers if they can’t convincingly make the case that they’re able to ship a certain number of units." By going for an OS that'll be on multiple firms' devices rather than just its own, Sonos can make itself look like a much safer bet for the big-name streamers – streamers that in many cases The Trade Desk already has strong relationships with.

This appears to be a win-win deal for Sonos and The Trade Desk: the former gets to customize the OS to suit without also having to create it from scratch, while the latter gets Sonos-quality hardware to show off what its system can do. 

And with advertising becoming an increasingly large part of every streaming provider's plans, teaming up with one of the biggest ad providers looks like a particularly smart move – for Sonos, at least. Whether the box itself lives up to its theoretical promise of being a winning mash-up of a Roku and AV receiver remains to be seen.

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Multiple important refinance rates climbed this week, so it might be worth waiting.