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Vehicle dealers are pushing back on rules that would increase the number of electric trucks sold in New Jersey. It could be a preview of a brewing fight over state rules about cars.

(Image credit: Spencer Platt)

Caregiving responsibilities can cut young people off from peers and interrupt their emerging life story. And there's been little research or support directed at this group. That's starting to change.

(Image credit: Annie Rice for NPR)

• Google has laid off 10% of managers, directors, VPs
• More than 1,300 Googlers have already lost their jobs in 2024
• The company is facing threats from rivals and regulatory bodies

Google has reportedly cut 10% of its manager, director and VP roles in an ongoing effort to boost efficiency and improve the running costs of the company.

The news (via Business Insider) comes at the end of a troubling year for the company – although layoffs have been nowhere near the 13,000+ plus seen during 2023, hundreds have lost their jobs at the company as part of several rounds of layoffs, including 1,000 at the start of 2024 and a further 300 in May (via layoffs.fyi).

The most recent change, announced by Google CEO Sundar Pichai in a recent all-hands meeting, is hoped to simplify the organizational structure.

Google is laying off its own managers

Employees familiar with the matter shared some managerial roles were being cut altogether, while others would transform into non-managerial roles. This commonly used technique is designed to reduce layers in a company’s organizational structure in an effort to boost efficiency.

The reality is that this is just another move forming part of the company’s overall ambition to be more efficient. Pichai set a goal in September 2022 to become 20% more efficient – his next major round of layoffs, affecting 12,000 in one fell swoop, likely addressed a big portion of that.

However, this may not be enough for Google, which has come under threat in more than one area. Its artificial intelligence efforts have already been dampened by OpenAI’s immeasurable success with ChatGPT, and now, that tool is threatening the market dominance of Google.com. Separately, Google’s search market dominance has recently come under fire, with other areas of the business also open to potential regulatory action.

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President Biden commuted 37 of the 40 men on federal death row to life without parole this morning. Here are the factors that drove his decision. And, a push to better understand long COVID.

(Image credit: Jim Watson)

• Apple has multiple teams working on AirPods health monitoring
• Heart-rate tracking is already close to Apple Watch accuracy
• Most features may not be ready for AirPods Pro 3

If you thought Apple's AirPods business was pretty sweet – last year it made more money than all of Nintendo from its headphones and earbuds alone – then you ain't seen nothing yet: Apple is reportedly pushing the best AirPods further into the healthcare business, a business that Morgan Stanley claims could be worth over $313 billion to Apple by 2027.

The latest report, from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, says that Apple has multiple teams working on bringing multiple forms of Apple Watch-style health tracking to its earbuds, and the next big one could arrive with the AirPods Pro 3.

Why your ears could be good for your health

Apple has already taken its AirPods into the healthcare market with the addition of hearing aid features in the AirPods Pro 2. But their potential isn't limited to audio. Those little buds in your ears, it turns out, are also well placed to monitor your heart rate, your body temperature and other vitals.

According to Bloomberg, the tech isn't quite there yet – the most progress so far has been on heart-rate tracking, but the accuracy isn't quite up there with the Apple Watch – but Apple is very keen to make your buds into health devices as well as music and speech ones.

Apple isn't the first firm to think of this, of course. We covered a lot of the contenders for health-tracking earbuds several years ago; for example, the Amazfit Powerbuds Pro were sold on the basis of health tracking features back in 2021, but as we found in our tests, the heart-rate results were consistently wrong. That said, Amazfit doesn't exactly have Apple's R&D budget or teams of experts; if any firm can get the tech right, it's likely to be Apple.

And there are some good reasons to put your health tracker in your ear. As our very own Cat Ellis wrote back in 2021, in some circumstances your ear's a better place for a tracker than your wrist. "For example, working out in cold weather can result in reduced blood flow to your hands and fingers, which affects the accuracy of smartwatches and devices like the Oura smart ring. The darkness of your ear canal helps as well, as it means there's no ambient light to interfere with the LED light being reflected back from your skin and detected by the optical heart rate sensor."

Cat continues: "Your ears are supplied by the same artery as your brain too, which results in a consistent blood flow and a strong signal for the sensor to detect. The data from an earbud is also likely to contain less 'noise' than that from a watch or ring".

The most likely scenario for health tracking in the future is to have a range of devices for different types of people and different use cases: smart watches, smart rings and soon, smart earbuds too. Apple already offers the first, and we know it's at least experimenting with the second and third.

If you already have a pair of the fantastic AirPods Pro 2, would the addition of health sensors persuade you to upgrade? Maybe not for most people, but perhaps Apple is banking on the same question it's created for the best Apple Watches compared to other smart watches: if the AirPods could detect heart problems and dangerous falls and who knows what else… would you be mad not to buy them?

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One of modern history's worst natural disasters, the tsunami left about 230,000 dead across a dozen countries.

(Image credit: Sakchai Lalit)

Apple Braided Solo Loop review

I've been putting the Apple Braided Solo Loop through its paces to see how well it compared to the Sport Band that came with my Apple Watch. Everything was rosy at first (helped along by the gorgeous magenta color), and I was feeling set to give the Apple Braided Solo Loop a blinding review. But then I saw the price.

The Apple Braided Solo Loop has a list price of $99 / £99 / AU$149 on the official Apple website. I understand that large brands such as Apple sell a high enough volume of products to allow them access to higher-quality materials and more sustainable production processes, which warrants them charging a premium, but £99 for, in my case at least, a teeny-tiny Watch band feels somewhat far-fetched. My mind was made up further when I found that the 80% recycled stainless steel Apple Milanese Loop strap is the same price, despite using what I would imagine to be more expensive materials.

I liked the nifty tool on the Apple website that gave me step-by-step instructions to measure my wrist to ensure I ordered the correct Watch band size. I can confirm that the size of the Apple Braided Solo Loop I received was a good fit, sitting comfortably tight on my wrist. However, this tightness and lack of adjustability brought with it one slight issue, this being the squeezing caused a slight bulging of skin on either side, which isn’t the most attractive of looks.

As the name suggests, the Apple Braided Solo Loop consists of one continuous braided strap made from weaving 16,000 recycled polyester yarn filaments around ultra-thin silicone threads, which made this Watch strap stretchy enough to get over my hand without losing its structure once in place around my slimmer-than-average wrists. Despite my beef with the cost, I must applaud Apple for their sustainable practice here, with this strap stated to be carbon-neutral, with the 100 percent post-consumer recycled polyester yarn and 80% recycled stainless steel manufactured using clean energy.

The Apple Braided Solo Loop is compatible with 40, 41, and 42mm Apple Watch models and there are ten watch band lengths to choose from. It’s water and sweat-resistant and so far has proven to be adequately breathable, unlike my previous silicone strap, which I would have to remove and dry off after every skincare routine as it would never dry on its own.

In a nutshell, I am a big fan of the Apple Braided Solo Loop, and I support Apple’s sustainable approach, but the cost has proven a major turn-off for me – especially considering this is a quarter of the price of an Apple Watch Series 10 with a silicone strap included. That being said, if you’re looking into this before purchasing an Apple Watch, there is a saving to be made if you select an Apple Braided Solo Loop as part of the initial Apple Watch purchase, which at the time of writing is around fifty percent, so that’s definitely something to keep in mind.

If you’d like to see what other Apple Watch band options are out there, we’ve got a broad range of options over in our guide to the best Apple Watch bands.

(Image credit: Cesci Angell / Future) Apple Braided Solo Loop review: Price & specs

(Image credit: Cesci Angell / Future) Should I buy the Apple Braided Solo Loop? Buy it if…

You want a guaranteed fit
With its stretchy nature and the help of the Apple sizing guide, getting a good fit is super easy.

You want something breathable
If you're not a fan of water-trapping silicone Watch bands, then this woven polyester alternative should prove more suitable.

Don't buy it if…

You're on a budget
The cost will be fine for some who expect to pay sky-high prices for Apple quality, but for most of us mere mortals, this cost is bonkers for an unessential purchase.

You want a smooth silhouette
One issue with close-fitting, stretchable Watch bands such as the Apple Braided Solo Loop is that it reduces its size to fit, inevitably leaving a little overhang above and below the band. This may not be bothersome for some, but it's worth considering before you buy.

Apple Braided Solo Loop review: Also consider

Apple Solo Loop
Again, this is a continuous band with no closure, made from liquid silicone rubber, so it's a simple case of pulling it on and off. The upside of the silicone material is that it's perfect for swimming, so if you're someone who likes to take a dip in the pool on the reg, this would be the best alternative.View Deal

The incoming Trump administration has signaled its hostility toward EVs. Will the red-state/blue-state divide come for public charging?

Christmas and Hanukkah rarely fall on the same date, but this year they do. One mixed-faith family in Oakland, Calif., doubles down for double whammy holiday.

(Image credit: Chloe Veltman)

North Las Vegas has a bunch of great internet providers. CNET's internet experts have found the best internet plans in the area, including the cheapest and fastest ones.

• Kaspersky recently discovered new additions to the Lazarus DreamJob campaign
• The criminalss targeted two people working in the same nuclear-related firm
• In the attack, they used updated malware to try and gain access

The infamous Lazarus Group, a threat actor linked to the North Korean government, was recently observed targeting IT professionals within the same nuclear-related organization with new malware strains.

These attacks seem to be a continuation of a campaign first kicked off in 2020, called Operation DreamJob (AKA Deathnote), were the attackers would create fake jobs and offer these dreamy positions to people working in defense, aerospace, cryptocurrency, and other global sectors, around the world.

They would reach out via social media such as LinkedIn or X, and run multiple rounds of “interviews”. At any point during these interviews, the victims would be either dropped a piece of malware, or trojanized remote access tools.

CookieTime and CookiePlus

The end goal of this campaign is to either steal sensitive information, or cryptocurrency. Lazarus has, among other things, managed to steal roughly $600 million from a crypto company back in 2022.

As Kaspersky explained in its latest writeup, in this case, Lazarus targeted two individuals with malicious remote access tools. They then used the tools to drop a piece of malware called CookieTime, which acted as a backdoor, allowing the attackers to run different commands on the compromised endpoint.

This gave them the ability to move laterally across the network and download several additional malware strains, such as LPEClient, Charamel Loader, ServiceChanger, and an updated version of CookiePlus.

Kaspersky says CookiePlus is particularly interesting, since it is a new plugin-based malicious program, discovered during the most recent investigation. It was loaded by both ServiceChanger and Charamel Loader, with variants being executed differently, depending on the loader. Since CookiePlus acts as a downloader, its functionality is limited, and it transmits minimal information.

The attacks took place in January 2024, meaning Lazarus remains a major threat coming out of North Korea.

Via The Hacker News

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The first medical treatment to use Crispr gene editing has been on the market for a year. Its complexity means few patients in the US have received it yet.

• A researcher found a flaw in a McDonalds API which allowed them to hijack orders
• The bug also leaked sensitive information
• It was fixed in September 2024, but users should still be careful

A delivery system for McDonalds in India was flawed in a way that exposed sensitive customer information, and allowed people to make fraudulent orders, experts hae claimed.

Cybersecurity researcher Eaton Zveare from Traceable AI, who found a bug in the API of the delivery system in McDonalds India (West & South).

The delivery system, which is apparently owned by a company called Hardcastle Restaurants, had a vulnerability which exposed delivery customer names, email addresses, and phone numbers. For the drivers, it exposed vehicle numbers, profile pictures, and tracked real-time location of their deliveries. Besides, the bug allowed people to access, hijack, redirect, or track orders in real-time. They could also make orders for as little as $0.01.

No data breach recorded

Zveare found the vulnerabilities in June 2024, and McDonalds fixed it in September. Allegedly, no threat actors stumbled upon this bug, and no customers were actually exposed.

McDonald’s India said a “thorough verification of systems and logs” showed the flaws did not result in a breach of its customer data.

“We conduct regular audits and assessments to continuously strengthen our security measures, and have all the necessary enhancements implemented, ensuring all our systems are up to date and secure,” Sulakshna Mukherjee, a spokesperson at McDonald’s India (West & South), said in a statement emailed to TechCrunch.

While we don’t know exactly how many people were put at risk through the bug, TechCrunch was told “hundreds of millions” of orders were exposed.

“The McDelivery (West & South) mobile app uses the same exact back-end APIs as the website. As a result, both were vulnerable to the same exploits,” the researcher told the publication.

Since the delivery system for India North & East is different, these parts of the country were not affected, and other countries are safe, too.

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• The Nintendo Switch 2 is likely to be a huge success
• DFC Intelligence claims that there is only room for one Nintendo competitor in the next console generation
• It's unclear whether this will be Sony or Microsoft

With the Nintendo Switch 2 looming ever closer, everyone is wondering whether Sony or Microsoft will be the Japanese giant’s biggest competitor in the next console generation.

According to industry analysts at market research firm DFC Intelligence, it’s still too early to tell though Sony hardware currently has a “slight edge” thanks to its strong following and compelling IP catalog.

The information comes from the firm’s recent 2024 video game market report and forecast, which details the trajectory of the gaming industry over the past year and predicts where it might go next. Importantly, the report does not consider the mobile gaming market which is estimated to bring in roughly $75 billion revenue.

The report suggests that we’re on the cusp of record growth in the rest of the gaming industry, driven largely by the launch of "two of the biggest products ever” - the Nintendo Switch 2 and Grand Theft Auto 6. According to the report, the Nintendo Switch 2 could have "significantly stronger launch sales” than its predecessor, though it will be difficult to beat the record 27 million Nintendo Switch sales back in 2020.

It goes on to question which company will be Nintendo’s biggest competitor, suggesting that “it is likely only one system will be successful” in addition to the Nintendo Switch 2. Sony and Microsoft are both predicted to release new consoles between 2026 and 2028.

The firm states that is “too early to know which other system will succeed” though claims that Sony has a “slight edge” thanks to its “loyal base and strong Sony IP”.

That said, Microsoft is still reportedly in a strong position thanks to its status as a software publisher. It may have “failed” with the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, but a series of "major acquisitions”, such as the Activision Blizzard acquisition completed in 2023, mean that it now has the option of focusing on software distribution rather than hardware.

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• Assassin's Creed Shadows protagonist Naoe will be the 'fastest Assassin' in series history
• She'll also have a Naturo-esque run animation when traveling across rooftops
• The game is currently slated to launch on February 14, 2025

Yes, Naoe can seemingly do the Naruto run in Assassin's Creed Shadows, as the game's creative director describes her as being the fastest playable character the series has seen yet.

That's per an Entertainment Weekly interview with Shadows creative director Jonathan Dumont (via PC Gamer). Dumont describes the shinobi as "the fastest Assassin we ever made." He adds: “She runs super fast, she has a lot of gadgets to keep her stealth so that she doesn't have to fight often. We wanted to satisfy that for players that come in for that ninja-Assassin game.”

Dumont also explains that she'll also have a 'Naruto run' of sorts - an iconic sprint from the popular anime series that sees the characters leaning forward while running with their arms fully behind them. "We do have a run on top of buildings that has a little bit of a wink-wink to it," he says.

As a big fan of the Tenchu series and stealth games in general, I'm happy to see the Assassin's Creed series attempt to fully embrace a more shadowy playstyle once again. While I've enjoyed recent entries like Odyssey and Valhalla, it was all too easy to overpower most enemies with their protagonists' aggressive combat abilities.

Assassin's Creed Shadows is currently scheduled to launch on February 14, 2025 after a delay. It's coming to PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC and Amazon Luna.

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• More details of the Galaxy S25 have leaked
• The phones may go on sale on February 7, 2025
• Pricing is rumored to go up this time

As the big Samsung Galaxy S25 launch day gets closer – which is rumored to be January 22, 2025 – we're hearing some more rumored details about the specs and pricing to expect, as well as a leak about a potential on-sale date for these handsets.

A new report from ET News (via @Jukanlosreve) backs up some of the rumors we've previously heard: including that the standard Galaxy S25, the Galaxy S25 Plus, and the Galaxy S25 Ultra will start with 12GB of RAM this time around.

In addition, there will be a 16GB of RAM option for the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, and the 128GB storage configuration will be removed for that model – so it's going to start with 256GB of storage space. This fits in nicely with what we've previously heard.

However, the same report predicts a price increase for the series, in part due to the increased cost of the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor.

For reference, the Galaxy S24 started at $799 / £799 / AU$1,399, the Galaxy S24 Plus at $999 / £999 / AU$1,699, and the Galaxy S24 Ultra started at $1,299.99 / £1,249 / AU$2,199.

Mark your calendars

Samsung is officially launching the S25 series in Korea on February 7. Also, it has been confirmed that the Slim model will be revealed at the Unpacked event.The article once again mentions that the S25 Ultra will feature 16GB of RAM in the 512GB and 1TB variants, just as I…December 23, 2024

There's another report out of South Korea to talk about too, this time from Financial News (via @Jukanlosreve). We have got some overlap here with previous rumors, including the prediction that the phone series announcement will be on January 23 in Korea (so January 22 in the US, matching what we've already heard).

The report does add some detail on scheduling though: pre-orders will run to Monday, February 3, with the phone finally going on sale in stores on Friday, February 7 (again, those are the dates for Korea).

According to this report, the Galaxy S25 Slim model we're expecting to be added to the range this year will indeed be unveiled with the other handsets. Whether it goes on sale at the same time or later in the year, however, remains to be seen.

There are more mentions of 16GB of RAM for the Ultra model in this article, and of an increase in prices. No doubt we'll get a few more leaks between now and launch day, but we already have a pretty comprehensive picture of what's coming.

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Dealing with neck pain? You might have tech neck. Here's what experts have to say about it.

In a remote corner of southeastern Syria near the border with Jordan, some 7,000 people have been trapped in a refugee camp for more than nine years. They had fled Syrian regime forces and ISIS attacks and had nowhere else they could go. Our reporter is the first person to visit the camp and learns what the future of the residents looks like now that the regime has fallen.

Support our non-profit journalism by joining NPR+

When I happened across the Govee Table Lamp 2 while looking for exciting new products to review, I can’t say that I didn’t initially scoff at the price. “$69.99 / £69.99?” I thought. “Who would want to pay that much for some ambient lighting?”. Well, I’m certainly eating my words now.

Anyone who knows me knows I’m all for anything remotely eye-catching and colorful, and the Govee Table Lamp 2 has gifted me with all the uplifting color and distraction I’ve needed, whether I’m working away at my desk, or chilling during an evening.

(Image credit: Future)

Despite my penny-pinching ways, the Govee smart lighting system has often attracted me thanks to the potential price savings when compared to higher-priced brand options, such as the Philips Hue range. Cost saving aside, to date I’ve not seen anything available from Philips that delivers as much whimsical playfulness as is packed into the Govee Table Lamp 2, with Philips offerings tending to focus more on singular colors and gradients, rather than developing products with the extra novelty that some of Govee’s lighting provides.

I quickly fell head over heels when I began reviewing the Govee Table Lamp 2, continuing to use it daily even after my work was completed, and I’ve become so fond of it that I would consider purchasing one myself despite my initial reaction to the price. It’s been so easy to set scenes or colors to match my mood whether I need a brighter light to help me through my work tasks in the daytime, or soft and calmingly colorful visuals to help me wind down in the evening.

I found the Govee Table Lamp 2 to be fantastic sensory stimulation, bringing me calmness or a little hit of dopamine depending on which scene I settle on. The Govee Home companion app has been effortless to use, making it easy to change things up, and the programmable onboard buttons have meant that I’ve been able to set off my favorite scenes without needing to pick up my phone, making it a cherished companion during an evening of self-care.

(Image credit: Future) Why do I love the Govee Tale Lamp 2 so much? Here are my top three reasons:

It boosts my mood

Whether I’m feeling low or a little stressed, I’ve found the Govee Table Lamp 2 to be an essential sensory tool to help me take the focus away from negative thoughts or emotions. I’ve found it hard not to become captivated by the pretty, swirling scenes available, and I’ve loved the added value of being able to create my own.

It’s a great prop to use in content creation

Whether I’m perfecting photos or recording Reels for work or leisure, the Govee Table Lamp 2 is a fun and versatile feature that can add visual interest to a scene in seconds. It’s quick and easy to switch between scenes using the Govee Home app, and it’s Matter compatible too, so it’s possible to go completely hands-free, which has been a game changer for me.

I can choose a scene to get me energized or to help me wind down

Different lighting can have different effects on many of us, and this effect can be even more prominent in darker winter months. I personally enjoy utilizing the brighter whites, or bright and colorful static scenes to help buoy me up during the working day, switching to slow, gentle swirls of pastel colors to help me achieve a sense of calm in the evenings.

While I say that I’d be happy to spend on the Govee Table Lamp 2, in honesty I’m keeping my fingers crossed that someone is kind enough to add it to their Christmas shopping list. But even if my luck doesn’t stretch that far, at least it’s a good time to buy, as there are some savings to be had from the likes of Govee in the US and the UK, as well as Target, and Currys, so that’s worth keeping in mind whether you’re shopping for yourself, or you’re adding last-minute ideas to your own Christmas wish list.