Engadget - Technology News & Expert Reviews

NYC bans the use of generative AI tools in public schools for students through eighth grade

staff@engadget.com (Lawrence Bonk) — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 18:50:09 +0000

NYC Bans The Use Of Generative AI Tools In Public Schools For Students Through Eighth Grade

By By

Some high schoolers will be given access to several pilot programs, along with twice-yearly lessons on critical thinking in the modern age.

New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani just announced a one-year ban of generative AI tools in public schools for students up to eighth grade. The legislation takes effect during the 2026-2027 school year and will impact around 600,000 students.

"This moratorium is a commitment to getting the future right," Mayor Mamdani said. "We will embrace new technology, but only when it serves our students." New York Governor Kathy Hochul added that the state "has been leading the way in our efforts to keep kids focused on learning and growing — not clicking and scrolling."

Mayor Mamdani said this move was made to protect "human connection" in classrooms, suggesting that kids should develop problem-solving and social skills via teachers and peers instead of chatbots.

Throughout the one-year ban, studies will be conducted to analyze the technology's impact on children. This coalition of educators, parents and elected officials will recommend next steps after that.

This doesn't impact high schools, and a number of those classrooms will be allowed to participate in various AI pilot programs, though they will be closely monitored. All high school students will receive twice-yearly lessons "designed to help them think critically about AI before they begin to rely on it."

Teachers will be able to use gen AI for lesson planning and administrative work, as long as the tools comply with public school safety standards. Additionally, there will be exceptions made for assistive technology usage by kids with disabilities, multilingual learners and students participating in career readiness programs, including computer science. 

Today's policy also introduces new screen time guidelines for children. This includes daily caps of 30 minutes for many elementary school students and 45 minutes for middle schoolers. It's worth noting that these are just guidelines. Households can do whatever they want.

This crackdown comes as NYC parents grow increasingly concerned about the impact AI is having on their kids. Advocacy groups have pushed for this moratorium and more than half of City Council members signed a letter urging the Mayor and the Department of Education to stop expanded AI use in classrooms.

United Federation of Teachers (UFT) President Michael Mulgrew recently told ABC News that AI was a "dangerous thing" and that "parents are getting very, very upset with AI because all they hear are these horror stories" and "they're rightfully protective of their children."

To that end, NYC isn't the only place instituting these kinds of bans. Norway did something similar and Italy passed legislation that requires parental consent in order for kids under 14 to use the tech. The American Senate and House have been discussing a bill that would require AI companies to implement an age-verification process and ban them from providing chatbots to minors. We'll have to see what happens there, though the industry has spent a whopping $41.8 million on lobbying in just the first half of 2026 alone.

"The tech industry wants us to believe that AI-powered early education is not only inevitable, but necessary. We do not see it that way," Mayor Mamdani said in a statement ahead of today's announcement.

Generated by Readability.php.

Modding platform Nexus Mods now owns SteamDB

staff@engadget.com (Matt Tate) — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 17:07:41 +0000

Modding Platform Nexus Mods Now Owns SteamDB

By By

Nexus Mods said the community-led site will operate as it always has, while becoming stronger and better resourced.

SteamDB

In today's slightly unexpected acquisition news, the world's largest mod-sharing platform just bought SteamDB. Nexus Mods announced that it had acquired the Steam-focused independent database in a news post on its website, where it called SteamDB "one of the most trusted resources in PC gaming."

SteamDB was launched in 2013 by two people who go by the names of Marlamin and xPaw as little more than a hobby, but as it grew in size it became more difficult to maintain. Nexus Mods said it started talking to xPaw when the programmer — who had eventually assumed sole responsibility of managing the site — started looking for someone who could give it "the resources, development capacity, and long-term stability" he was struggling to provide alone.

Nexus Mods says it shares a lot of the same values as SteamDB, both of which were primarily built to serve a large community of hardcore PC gamers. SteamDB logs player charts, price history, updates and other data for the entire Steam catalog, and the ability to better track which version of a particular game players are installing mods into was especially appealing to Nexus Mods. Updates are notorious game-breakers when mods are involved and SteamDB's enormous amount of historical data should prove beneficial for ongoing development.

SteamDB will keep its current name and won't change much in the short-term, so you can continue to use it as you do now. The main changes, Nexus Mods says, will be behind the scenes, as a dedicated team will eventually transition into managing the database, improving its "infrastructure, security, and scalability." SteamDB has also traditionally relied on donated Steam keys for tracking game files, and while it will still lean heavily on its community going forward, Nexus Mods will also start funding keys itself.

In his own separate statement on SteamDB, xPaw reassured the community that it was in good hands with Nexus Mods, and said the aim was to invest in and help it survive rather than "change what makes the project special." He also pointed to the rise of AI in a post-COVID world contributing to the end of "the internet we once loved", and with it his own passion for continuing.

"I have full confidence the team will be able to continue improving the project for gamers, developers and publishers alike," xPaw said in a statement. "I will be helping the team ensure a smooth transition in the coming months. This project has occupied my whole adult life. Thank you to everyone who has used SteamDB, contributed to it, reported bugs, shared it with others, or simply found it useful."

Generated by Readability.php.

Google won't be forced to sell its ad exchange following antitrust ruling

staff@engadget.com (Kris Holt) — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 17:04:00 +0000

Google Won't Be Forced To Sell Its Ad Exchange Following Antitrust Ruling

By By

A judge previously determined that Google illegally monopolized a pair of ad tech markets.

Samuel Regan-Asante/Unsplash

Google can hang onto its AdX ad exchange but it will have to make some changes to the business, per a federal judge's ruling. The Department of Justice (DOJ) asked Judge Leonie Brinkema to force the company to sell AdX after she ruled last year that Google broke the law to monopolize two ad tech markets. Brinkema rejected that request in a ruling on Wednesday.

The judge did accept undisclosed "behavioral remedies" that the parties offered. According to Bloomberg, that involves Google having to open up its ad tech tools to rivals. Brinkema's decision was issued under seal to allow the parties time to review it and request any necessary reactions.

"We're very pleased the Court rejected the DOJ's proposal to break apart tools that help small businesses reach new customers and grow," Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google's vice president of regulatory affairs, said in a statement.

Publishers use AdX to sell unused ad space to advertisers in real time, right as a user loads a web page. They pay Google a 20 percent fee to do so.

The DOJ and eight states sued Google in 2023, claiming the company used its monopoly position to charge higher fees and facilitate a higher proportion of ad sales. The government asserted that Google held an 87 percent share of the ad-sales tech market. Brinkema ruled in April last year that Google violated antitrust law by forcing publishers that host ads on the company's servers to use AdX.

Google has faced scrutiny elsewhere over AdX and other ad-sales tools. Last September, the European Union's executive arm fined it $3.5 billion after determining it gave its ad tech products preferential treatment. That same month, a district judge ruled that Google would not have to sell Chrome after previously determining the company held a monopoly in online search.

Generated by Readability.php.

Rare, working Apple I computer heads to auction

staff@engadget.com (Will Shanklin) — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 16:54:59 +0000

Rare, Working Apple I Computer Heads To Auction

By By

The same model sold for over $671,000 in 2013.

A piece of Apple history is headed to auction... again. The "Hatfield" Apple I computer, which sold for $671,400 in 2013, will be back on the block this fall. This time, auction house Bonhams expects it to sell for between $500,000 and $800,000 — just slightly higher than its original retail price of $666.66.

This particular Apple I is nicknamed for its original owner, Fred Hatfield, who bought it during Apple's inaugural year. The still-working machine is listed at No. 48 on the Apple I Registry. There are reportedly fewer than 75 surviving Apple I computers today, and even fewer that are still operational. The motherboard is signed by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, who designed the computer.

Apple's debut product

Apple-1 Registry

It's hard to see the Apple I as a consumer-friendly product by today's standards. After all, buyers had to supply their own power supply, keyboard and monitor. It had a whopping 4KB of RAM. But in the mid-1970s, a machine that came with a fully assembled motherboard and built-in video output was as approachable as a computer got. Only around 200 Apple I computers were produced.

Today, the Apple I is valued more for its historical significance and scarcity than its status as a world-changing product. It wasn't until the Apple II that the company broke away from the hobbyist market to become the household name it is today.

'Steven Jobs - Vice President, Operations'

Auction Team Breker Köln / YouTube

Alongside the autographed Apple I, the well-heeled buyer will also receive a letter signed by Steve Jobs. In addition to being a grade-A collector's item in its own right, the letter illustrates that, in the '70s, Jobs apparently handled at least some of the company's customer service.

Hatfield had contacted Apple to complain about the lack of software for the first-generation computer. In the 1978 letter, Jobs responded with a trade-in offer. "This letter is confirm our conversation of January 16th," Jobs wrote. "You are hereby authorized to send to Apple Computer Inc. your Apple I (without memory) and a check for $400.00 and in return are to be sent an Apple Il 4K board. We hope to be hearing from you soon."

Hatfield declined and later sold the Apple I to a collector for $40,000. That's a fraction of what it's worth today, but at least the original owner used the money to pay for good dinners and nights of music in New Orleans.

Bonhams plans to take the Apple I on a tour before the October 14 auction. The auction house will showcase it in Los Angeles from September 9 to 11, Boston from September 21 to 23, San Francisco from September 30 to October 1, and finally New York during its October sale.

Generated by Readability.php.

Digital scans of more than 153 million driver's licenses leaked to the dark web

staff@engadget.com (Lawrence Bonk) — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 15:45:14 +0000

Digital Scans Of More Than 153 Million Driver's Licenses Leaked To The Dark Web

By By

The source could be an ID verification service in Louisiana, though the FBI has opened an investigation.

More than 153 million scans of US and Canadian driver's licenses went on sale recently on the dark web, according to cybersecurity journalist Brian Krebs. A service called Nexus went live to sell these documents and many others, which included medical cards, employment records and residence cards.

Krebs confirmed the authenticity of these documents by interacting with the cybercriminals, who provided him with a scan of his own license. Other victims have confirmed their scans were correct. Incidentally, the hackers also showed Krebs a scan of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's driver's license, which seems like another concerning breach for someone so high up the governmental totem pole.

even the cybersecurity journalist reporting this found his own drivers license listed for sale. brian krebs learned about the database because someone tipped him off that his id was being used as the free sample to advertise it. https://t.co/CPq4ykFKRO pic.twitter.com/amSVLQiVVQ

— Michael Rusch (@weeddude) September 2, 2026

The FBI has launched an investigation, but Krebs has identified a hack of a Louisiana-based identification verification company called IDScan as the likely source of the breach. Many of the victims have one thing in common. They rented a car from Hertz, which uses IDScan for verification purposes.

The company's client list also includes Target, FedEx, Motorola and Jack Henry. The FBI seems to confirm Krebs' claims, as the New Orleans field office launched the investigation.

The Nexus "service" was originally advertised on a Russian cybercrime forum called Exploit which used Krebs' license as a free sample to lure in customers. Nexus has since shuttered and the login page announces that the platform is no longer available.

It's good news that these documents aren't currently for sale on the dark web, but they're still floating around out there. A similar data breach impacted Discord after its third-party service provider was hacked. This led to the exposure of more than 70,000 government IDs.

Generated by Readability.php.

Uber is cutting around 3,000 jobs in the name of efficiency

staff@engadget.com (Kris Holt) — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 15:11:20 +0000

Uber Is Cutting Around 3,000 Jobs In The Name Of Efficiency

By By

The company is also asking almost all remote employees to move to an office.

Erik Mclean/Unsplash

Uber is restructuring its organization, which includes laying off around 10 percent of its employees. As CNBC notes, it had a headcount of about 34,000 as of the end of 2025. The company has already notified affected workers, except those in locations where it has to follow other processes.

In a memo to staff, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said Uber is simplifying its teams and removing management layers in service of becoming "simpler and faster" while giving it more bandwidth to make investments. "A leaner organization will mean clearer ownership, faster decisions and more time spent building rather than coordinating," Khosrowshahi wrote. "It will also generate savings that we intend to reinvest in growth, innovation and the capabilities that will matter most over the coming years." Of note, the company last month pledged to invest $10 billion in getting back into autonomous vehicles — it sold its previous self-driving division in 2020.

Khosrowshahi said "Uber has grown by orders of magnitude, with our top line nearly tripling" over the last five years or so. The growth has added more complexity to the company, he noted, with employees suggesting in surveys they spend too much time on discussing issues and coordinating across teams. To address that, the company has cut many roles that focused on coordination, reduced the number of management layers and merged teams "where fragmentation was creating duplication and slowing decisions." The result of this, according to Khosrowshahi, "is a simpler org chart geared toward building versus managing."

Uber is also concentrating more of its teams in a smaller number of key locations. Its global teams will be based in New York and San Francisco, and it will still have tech hubs as well as regional and country-based teams. In addition, it is "asking the vast majority of remote employees to move to an office" and enforcing its hybrid work policy that requires employees to spend three days a week in the office. Khosrowshahi said that only around one percent of Uber employees will be working remotely in the future. "The benefits of sitting together, collaborating in person and solving problems as a team are clearer than ever in our post-COVID world," he claimed.

"I realize this is a lot of change, but we decided it was better to make one big shift rather than multiple small ones," Khosrowshahi added. "We have tremendous momentum, significant financial capacity and opportunities in front of us that are larger than at any point since I joined the company. The decisions we're making today are difficult, but they will help us build an even stronger Uber for the years ahead."

Generated by Readability.php.

Nintendo's surprise free update for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Switch 2 includes eight-player split-screen

staff@engadget.com (Matt Tate) — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 13:33:58 +0000

Nintendo's Surprise Free Update For Mario Kart 8 Deluxe On Switch 2 Includes Eight-Player Split-Screen

By By

The nine-year-old game that keeps giving.

Nintendo

You'd be forgiven for thinking Nintendo had already squeezed every remaining drop of juice out of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. After starting its life as a Wii U title in 2014, the already expanded Switch version of Mario Kart 8 that arrived three years later went on to receive even more new tracks and features, keeping it in the US sales charts for almost the entirety of the console's lifespan.

The Switch 2 launched last year with Mario Kart World, which looked like the end of the (Rainbow) road for its staggeringly successful predecessor, but Nintendo apparently isn't done just yet. Completely out of the blue (shell — OK I promise to stop now), the company has just rolled out a meaty new free update for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe specifically aimed at Switch 2 players.

You can now play with up to eight players in split-screen in local multiplayer, provided you have enough controllers to go around (original Switch controllers are also supported). Nintendo has also added CameraPlay support, so if you have an official Switch 2 camera or compatible USB-C camera connected to your console, you can see your friends' very own Luigi death stares when you overtake them. You can also use CameraPlay online via GameChat, just like in Mario Kart World.

Loading times are also now shorter, and you'll be getting "enhanced visuals" when playing in docked mode. Obviously this assumes you have a 4K TV that can take advantage of the Switch 2's improved output. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe could already output at 1080p in handheld mode via 'Handheld Mode Boost' but can presumably now do so natively thanks to the new update.

Exactly why Nintendo is adding all these features to an old game instead of pushing even more people towards Mario Kart World is anyone's guess. The company has also been gradually improving the Switch 2-exclusive entry through updates, but by now a lot of people were hoping to have heard about DLC plans, given how many new tracks we got over the years in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

Mario Kart World is still included in one of the recently revamped Switch 2 bundles, which costs $50 more than the same bundle did at launch but now also comes with a three-month Nintendo Switch Online membership.

Generated by Readability.php.

Star Wars Zero Company is a great game that's busted and may never be fixed

staff@engadget.com (Igor Bonifacic) — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Star Wars Zero Company Is A Great Game That's Busted And May Never Be Fixed

By By

It's hard to be confident about the game's future after the studio that made it furloughed most of its staff.

Bit Reactor

If you're on the fence about Star Wars Zero Company, you should know what you might be getting into. The game currently has an aggregate critic score of 85 on Metacritic, making it one of the best reviewed Star Wars games in recent memory. When it comes to story and gameplay, it's a masterfully executed tactics game in the style of X-COM with memorable characters. What none of the reviews I read or watched mentioned is that Zero Company is also something of a technical mess.

On PC, the game has all the trademarks of a janky Unreal Engine 5 release. I'm running a system with a Ryzen 7 5800X3D, RTX 5060 Ti and 16GB of RAM, and I'm getting constant traversal stutter and input lag when I try to play the game with a mouse and keyboard. I've also encountered a bug that forced me to restart the same mission twice. Yes, you might say I'm running the game on a glorified RTX 3070, but even those with more powerful GPUs like the RTX 5090 are complaining of poor performance. On Steam, the game has a "mostly positive" rating across nearly 9,000 reviews, and yet almost every one of those reviews mentions stuttering, game-breaking bugs and crashes.

"Started off having a great time," one negative review starts. "Then came the crashes. Crashed almost every hour, so needed to save every few minutes. On the times I forgot to save, I had to replay the entire section again. Of course it only ever crashed as I was about to complete a mission." Over on Reddit, console players are complaining of their own set of issues. YouTuber Daniel Owen has also made a video about the game's PC issues. While I haven't played the Xbox Series or PlayStation 5 ports, there are similar reports of crashes and stutters floating around the internet for each.

The experience of playing Zero Company is frustratingly similar to that of another recent UE5 Star Wars game, Jedi: Survivor. As I wrote about in 2023, that game was broken on release. It suffered from constant traversal and shader compilation stutter on PC, meaning the game would constantly hitch even on high-end systems. For NVIDIA users, the game also shipped without DLSS support. Even after nearly a dozen major patches, Jedi: Survivor still stutters on PC. At this point, I've given up hope that the game will ever play smoothly; Respawn Entertainment, Jedi: Survivor's developer, hasn't released a new patch in nearly two years.

Unfortunately, I can't confidently say Zero Company will receive even a fraction of the post-release support that Jedi: Survivor got from Respawn. That's because while Electronic Arts published both games, the new one was made by an independent studio named Bit Reactor, not a direct subsidiary, and its future depends on whether Zero Company sells enough copies.

On Monday, Game File's Stephen Totilo reported that Bit Reactor had furloughed the majority of its staff just weeks before Zero Company's release on August 27. One source told Totilo that as much as 80 percent of the studio's employees aren't being paid right now. Another source told him that only a skeleton crew remains, "ready to address any of Zero Company's post-launch bugs." A spokesperson for Bit Reactor told Totilo that the studio hopes to bring the furloughed workers back with restored pay, a promise the employees he spoke to said they weren't confident it would be able to deliver on, even if the game is a commercial success. The studio is also embroiled in a legal dispute between its co-founders that won't go to trial until early 2027.

If what remains of Bit Reactor is working to address Zero Company's many bugs and performance issues, the one public statement the studio has made on the subject isn't reassuring. On the day of the game's release, it simply said on Steam's Community forums it was aware of "emerging issues (crashes and CPU threading)," and that it was working on implementing fixes. "We'll let you know when we're able to provide an update," it added.

On the face of it, that's a fine enough statement, but it was issued before the news about its staffing levels came out, and it hasn't said anything since. EA and Bit Reactor did not immediately respond to Engadget's comment request, asking what, if any, post-release support the game will receive.

If you're thinking about buying Zero Company, just know that it might not get to a better state than it is right now. You might think I'm being overly pessimistic, but I'll point out it took Respawn, a studio with the full financial backing of EA, a year-and-a-half to get Jedi: Survivor to its current state. Another comparison here is just as illustrative. Cold Symmetry, the indie studio behind Mortal Shell II this past Saturday announced a hefty "Week One" update for its new game, which it released just seven days before Zero Company. Those two comparisons give a sense of the potential difficult road ahead for Bit Reactor, but also what an indie studio can do when it's fully staffed. Right now, Zero Company doesn't that have going for it.

Generated by Readability.php.

How to reset an Apple TV remote

staff@engadget.com (Christine Persaud) — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000

How To Reset An Apple TV Remote

By By

Tips for fixing connection issues with the remote for Apple's streaming box.

Hadrian/Shutterstock

If you have an Apple TV, one of our picks for the best streaming devices, you are probably using the dedicated Apple TV remote to control it. This sleek and slim remote is super easy to use, ultra-small (so it's easy to lose as well!), and has only the key buttons you need without other complicated options to confuse grandma when she's housesitting and wants to watch her daytime soaps.

Sometimes, the remote can lose its connection or become unresponsive. Maybe it's technically working but cuts in and out or some buttons don't work. Another reason you might want to reset the remote is if you're selling the Apple TV or giving it to a friend or family member. Don't worry, it's probably easy to get it working again. First, you can troubleshoot some common problems. If none of those methods work, you can reset the remote to get it working once again or revert to original settings for a new user.

How to do a quick reset of the remote

Hadrian/Shutterstock

If you own a first-gen or later Siri Remote, unplug the Apple TV for at least six seconds, press the TV/Control Center and Volume Down buttons for five seconds and wait for a disconnect message to pop up. From there, press and hold Back or Menu and Volume Up at the same time for five seconds to re-pair the remote with the Apple TV. For aluminum or white Apple TV remotes, point it at the TV and press Menu and Home for six seconds. When the status light starts to blink, press and hold Menu and Right for six seconds to reset. This should fully kickstart the system and the remote's connection.

You can also restart the remote itself by pressing and holding the TV/Control Center and Volume Down buttons for about five seconds, until the Apple TV status light flickers off and on. Release the buttons and wait up to 10 seconds, then press any button. If you see "Remote Connected" pop up on screen, you have fixed the issue. If not, you can try to re-pair the remote.

To re-pair the remote, point it at the Apple TV, about three inches away from the device. Press and hold the Back button or Menu alongside Volume Up for five seconds. You may be asked to position the remote atop the Apple TV to complete the pairing process, so make sure there's space to do so. You can unplug, wait up to 10 seconds, and plug the Apple TV back in then try again if this doesn't work the first time.

Other troubleshooting tips

Masarik/Shutterstock

There are many reasons your Apple TV remote might not be responsive, like lack of power, signal loss, or Bluetooth pairing issues. Before you move forward with a reset, rule these issues out first. Go to Settings, Remote and Devices, Remote, and Battery Level to check the remote's battery. If you have an older Apple TV remote and the battery needs to be replaced, remove the battery cover with a coin (aluminum models) or paperclip (white models) and insert a new one. If you have a newer remote with a built-in rechargeable battery, recharge it. Even if the battery is fine, go to Settings, System, Restart and restart the entire system to fix a potential signal loss or Bluetooth pairing issue.

If you try to re-pair noting the aforementioned instructions and it doesn't work, it could be that signal strength is the issue. Go to Settings and select Remotes and Devices, then Remote from your Apple TV. This method, it should be noted, works on Apple TVs with tvOS 18.0 or later. On this page, you can see the Bluetooth RSSI signal strength indicating if it's weak or strong. You may need to move closer to the Apple TV to amplify the signal and remove anything that might be blocking the path between the remote and media streamer. If you find the signal gets stronger, you might need to reposition the Apple TV.

A last resort if the remote still isn't working is to try a full-on factory reset. This will wipe all your settings, content, downloaded apps, and personal account information. It's like starting all over again with a new product. You could also consider using a mobile device like your iPhone or iPad as a remote for the Apple TV. In fact, this is a good way to repurpose an old iPhone, using it as a dedicated Apple TV remote. Pull down from the top, right of the mobile device screen to open Control Center and you'll see a tiny remote icon for controlling a connected Apple TV.

Otherwise, look into warranty coverage or repairs if you think the remote has malfunctioned or no longer works. You can also connect with Apple support for additional help. Don't forget to make sure the Apple TV software is update to the latest tvOS as well, or upgrade to a newer model like the Apple TV 4K if you think it's time.

Generated by Readability.php.

United Airlines will deliver food and other essentials to your gate

staff@engadget.com (Mariella Moon) — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000

United Airlines Will Deliver Food And Other Essentials To Your Gate

By By

It’s testing out the new offering at Newark Liberty International's Terminal C.

United Airlines

United Airlines is testing a new service that will give you the the ability to order food, medicine and travel essentials through its app and then have them delivered straight to your gate. At the moment, the company is running a pilot only for select flights departing from or connecting through nine designated gates at Newark Liberty International's Terminal C. If you're flying through that terminal, you may soon receive a pre-departure push notification via the United app or an email.

From there, you can choose from a selection of salads, sandwiches, chips, candies and kids meals, as well from a selection of drinks. You'll also be able to purchase over-the-counter medicine, travel pillows and charging cords. United will place pickup shelves at your gate, where you'll be able to claim your purchases.

The pilot program will be available for both domestic and international flights departing from the select gates. United is teaming up with OTG, the company managing the dining and shopping experiences at Newark's Terminal C, for this preliminary testing period. It's planning to expand its pilot to Houston later this year before making it widely available, if it passes muster. United says it will integrate the service into its in-flight entertainment systems in the future if it decides on a wide rollout so that transit passengers can order items before they even land.

In addition to this new service, United also recently launched a new feature that will let you join standby lists through its app in case of disruptions. If you're ever rebooked to a later flight, the new feature will let you sign up for standby on up to three earlier flights and then rebook your reservation quickly once a seat becomes available.

Generated by Readability.php.

iRobot's new $1,199 Roomba Max 875 Combo is its most powerful robot yet

staff@engadget.com (Mariella Moon) — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 11:34:36 +0000

iRobot's New $1,199 Roomba Max 875 Combo Is Its Most Powerful Robot Yet

By By

The Roomba Max 875 and the Plus 678 Combo introduce iRobot’s new technology that seals the machines to your carpet.

iRobot

iRobot has launched two new Roombas at IFA 2026 in Berlin, including what it calls its "most powerful robot ever." The $1,199 Roomba Max 875 Combo, which the company says delivers its best floor cleaning performance to date, and the $899 Roomba Plus 678 Combo both come with AutoWash Dock. They also serve as the launching ground for iRobot's new SealForce Vacuuming Technology, which works by lowering a skirt hidden inside the machines' chassis and forming a tight seal against the carpets fibers. That gives the robots a suction force of 35,000 Pascals, iRobot's highest yet, enough to pull embedded dirt and debris in carpets.

The Max 875 Combo also features the company's ultrasonic ThermaMist Technology that sprays heated mist continuously while it's mopping in order to soften dried stains and dirt. Its PowerSpin Max Roller Mop uses the heated water to scrub the floor with a roller speed of 300RPM and 18 Newtons of downward pressure. This model can automatically detect carpet, raise its mop and then lower a protective shield to keep the rug dry. Meanwhile, the Roomba Plus 678 Combo comes with Roomba's SprayForce AI pre-treatment that uses high-pressure spray to break down dirt before mopping it up.

Both models are now available on iRobot's website, with shipping slated to begin in two weeks. Later this month, you'll also be able to buy them from retail stores across North America.

Generated by Readability.php.

Acer's Predator Atlas 7 is the brand's smaller handheld gaming flagship model

staff@engadget.com (Mariella Moon) — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 09:30:00 +0000

Acer's Predator Atlas 7 Is The Brand's Smaller Handheld Gaming Flagship Model

By By

It puts the Predator Atlas 8's features in a smaller form factor.

Acer

Acer has unveiled the Predator Atlas 7 as part of its announcements for this year's IFA conference in Berlin. It says the Atlas 7 offers the same flagship performance as the bigger Atlas 8 gaming handheld device, which it launched back in March, in a smaller form factor. While an inch in difference doesn't sound like much, Acer designed the Atlas 7 to be easier to hold. It has more contoured grips, an enlarged palm rest area, recessed keys and an anti-slip texture.

Like the Atlas 8, it's powered by up to an Intel Arc G3 Extreme processor, which supports up to Intel Arc B390 graphics. It has a 7-inch 16:9 FHD touchscreen display with a 120 Hz refresh rate and 500 nits of peak brightness, protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus to prevent scratches and cracks when dropped. Like the Atlas 8, it has an 80Wh battery capacity and can have up to 1TB in storage, as well as up to 24GB in memory. With an 80Wh battery, the Atlas 7 weighs under 750 grams. There's also an option with a 60Wh battery that weighs under 700 grams. And like its bigger sibling, it features a dual-fan cooling system.

The device also has dual Thunderbolt 4 ports and a microSD card reader, along with support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. It comes with two months of Xbox Game Pass and two months of PC Game Pass, after which you'll have to pay if you want to continue streaming games through the services on your handheld. Acer has yet to reveal how much the handheld costs, but you can get the Predator Atlas 7 in North America sometime in the fourth quarter of 2026 and in EMEA starting in November.

In addition to the Atlas 7, Acer has also presented the 8-inch Project DualPlay Mini concept at IFA. It's supposed to function as a handheld gaming device and a laptop-like mobile productivity station.

Acer

Generated by Readability.php.

Acer's new monitors include a 24-inch, 1,000Hz screen for esports sickos

staff@engadget.com (Ian Carlos Campbell) — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 09:30:00 +0000

Acer's New Monitors Include A 24-Inch, 1,000Hz Screen For Esports Sickos

By By

The company is also introducing a new 34-inch ultrawide and several models with dynamic refresh rates.

Acer

Acer is introducing eight new monitors at IFA 2026, including its first 1080p monitor with a 1,000Hz refresh rate. The company's updates to its Predator, Acer Nitro and Acer ProDesigner monitors continue the company's focus on OLED panels, Mini LED backlighting and the ability to switch between multiple different refresh rates and resolutions depending on your needs.

While Acer technically introduced the 1,000Hz Predator XB273U F6 at CES earlier this year, that monitor was limited to a 720p resolution at its max refresh rate. The 24-inch Predator XB253Q U1 bumps things up to 1080p, while also supporting Acer's Visual Response Boost Pro tech, which the company claims reduces motion blur and ghosting during fast-paced games. The monitor also includes a "Circular Polarizer" to reduce glare and eye strain and comes with AMD FreeSync Premium and NVIDIA G-Sync to prevent screen tearing.

Acer

The Acer Nitro XZ340CKR P is another standout. The curved 34-inch monitor shares similarities to the Acer Nitro XV345CKR P the company announced in May in terms of offering a 5,120 x 2,160 resolution at 180Hz and a max of 360Hz at WFHD resolution, but doesn't include Mini LED backlighting. That makes the monitor still large and capable of displaying demanding games, but also cheaper than Acer's earlier $900 curved screen.

The rest of Acer's Predator lineup includes the Predator XB273K V7, a 27-inch display with a max refresh rate of 500Hz, and the Predator X32 V3, a 31.5-inch display with a QD-OLED Penta Tandem panel, 180Hz refresh rate and support for AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and NVIDIA G-Sync. For the rest of the more affordable Nitro line, the company also has the new 27-inch Acer Nitro XV275X P, which features Mini LED backlighting, a 5K resolution and up to a 330Hz refresh rate at QHD resolution; the 27-inch Acer Nitro XV275U Z2, which can switch between 275Hz, 360Hz and 520Hz refresh rates; and the Acer Nitro XV270U Z3, a 27-inch display that also supports three different refresh rates and has HDR10 certification. Wrapping up the collection of new monitors is the Acer ProDesigner PE270X P, a 5K, 27-inch display with Mini LED backlighting, a dynamic refresh rate and USB-C port with 90W power delivery.

Acer says the Predator XB253Q U1 will go on sale in Q1 2027 for $1,099, while the Acer Nitro XZ340CKR P goes on sale in Q4 2026 for $1,199. The rest of the monitors break down as follows:

The Predator XB273K V7 starts at $499 and ships in Q4 2026.
The Predator X32 V3 starts at $899 and ships in Q1 2027.
The Acer Nitro XV275U Z2 starts at $329 and ships in Q4 2026.
The Acer Nitro XV270U Z3 starts at $299 and ships in Q1 2027.
The Acer Nitro XV275X P starts at $1,199 and ships in Q1 2027.
The Acer ProDesigner PE270X P starts at $1,299 and ships in Q1 2027.

Generated by Readability.php.

Acer's Vero 16 laptop is built to be easily repaired

staff@engadget.com (Lawrence Bonk) — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 09:30:00 +0000

Acer's Vero 16 Laptop Is Built To Be Easily Repaired

By By

It includes removable port covers, a detachable external hinge and a latch on the bottom that doesn't require tools to open.

Acer just announced the Vero 16 laptop, which has been designed with repairability in mind. To that end, the computer features removable port covers, a detachable external hinge and a latch on the bottom that can be opened without tools. There's even an engraving on the exterior that shows the location of the battery and motherboard. All of this combined should make service calls and installing upgrades much simpler than usual.

It's also built for longevity, with a MIL-STD-810H certified chassis that's made primarily from low-carbon aluminum. The battery and SSD are user-replaceable, which should increase the lifespan of the unit. The company promises that users will be able to upgrade with new processors "for at least two generations."

This looks to be an extremely capable laptop, beyond repairability. It can be outfitted with up to the Intel Core Ultra X9 processor 388H, 32GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage. The computer ships with up to a 16-inch 3K OLED display and comes with a nice 71Wh battery. There's a 5MP IR camera with a built-in privacy shutter, an SD card reader, an HDMI 2.1 port and a pair of Thunderbolt 4-rated USB-C ports.

It's also billed as a Copilot+ PC, so it has all of those AI tools that nobody really uses. This includes stuff like Windows Studio Effects, Cocreator and the Click to Do platform.

The Vero 16 will be available early next year, but only in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at launch. We don't know the price just yet, or when it's slated to come to America.

This isn't the only big Acer news of the day. The company also just refreshed its Swift series of laptops. The new Swift Air 16 is still thin, but is a bit heavier than the previous generation. It's powered by up to an Intel Core 7 processor 350 and will be available in most territories by early 2027.

The new Swift Blade 14 is an extremely light and thin laptop, clocking in at 1.76 pounds and just a half-inch thick when closed. It can also be outfitted with up to an Intel Core 7 processor 350. It'll be available for purchase in December but, again, only in EMEA.

Generated by Readability.php.

Acer shows off its AI desktop future with the RTX Spark design

staff@engadget.com (Anna Washenko) — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 09:30:00 +0000

Acer Shows Off Its AI Desktop Future With The RTX Spark Design

By By

It’s a showcase of NVIDIA’s latest chip tech.

Acer

Acer introduced a pair of petite PCs today. First up is the Acer SFF RTX Spark, a compact desktop designed for running AI agents. The company hasn't revealed many details, including price or availability, but it is the first look at how Acer will integrate some of the latest developments from NVIDIA.

It's equipped with the NVIDIA RTX Spark, the "superchip" unveiled earlier this summer that boasts up to a petaflop of computing power. The Acer desktop can be equipped with up to a 6,144-core Blackwell RTX GPU, up to a 20-core NVIDIA Grace CPU and up to 128 GB of memory.

The other product announcement is also AI-centric, but this one is powered by Intel. The Acer Veriton RI110 AI Mini Workstation has an Intel Core Ultra X7 processor 358H and an Intel Arc B390 graphics card. It's designed to support third-party agentic AI use, and it's also part of the Copilot+ PC program that has Microsoft's chatbot baked in. Acer didn't provide pricing, but the mini desktop should be available in North America in the final quarter of 2026.

Generated by Readability.php.

Acer's Project DualPlay Mini is a gaming handheld that becomes a tiny laptop

staff@engadget.com (Matt Tate) — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 09:30:00 +0000

Acer's Project DualPlay Mini Is A Gaming Handheld That Becomes A Tiny Laptop

By By

We don’t know how much it weighs, which is probably for the best.

Acer

It wouldn't be a tech show in 2026 without a beefy gaming handheld concept or two. Acer has dutifully obliged at IFA with its Project DualPlay Mini, a handheld that converts into a mini laptop.

The Predator-branded concept is designed to "move fluidly between gaming and productivity without requiring a separate device for each," Acer wrote in a press release. It would theoretically offer the best of PC and handheld console gaming, with a traditional controller setup in its handheld configuration, and a backlit keyboard and mouse option reserved for first-person shooters and strategy games.

Acer

If you want, you can also treat the DualPlay Mini as a regular laptop to get work done, and Acer says you'll be able to connect it to an external display. It features the same dual-fan cooling architecture as the brand's Predator Atlas 8, and if you look closely at the back panel you'll see the words "Acer 50 since 1976" embedded, in celebration of Acer's 50th anniversary.

Acer doesn't offer much in the way of specs (including weight), which isn't hugely surprising given the DualPlay Mini is a concept device and may never come to market. But the "flip-and-swivel design" does look pretty neat. Maybe one day...

Generated by Readability.php.

The Dell 14S is yet another cheap laptop chasing the MacBook Neo

staff@engadget.com (Lawrence Bonk) — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 07:00:00 +0000

The Dell 14S Is Yet Another Cheap Laptop Chasing The MacBook Neo

By By

Wait, didn't the new XPS 13 already do that?

Dell just introduced the 14S, a new laptop that could take some attention away from the red-hot MacBook Neo. In other words, this is a mid-grade computer that should be relatively budget-friendly.

It's available in four colors, just like the Neo, and has been designed squarely for mainstream appeal. There's a beefy battery that Dell says will last all day and into the night. It's a 61.2 Whr battery, so that tracks as long as the processor is energy-efficient.

To that end, the Dell 14S ships with up to an Intel Core 7 processor. That's a pretty energy-efficient and speedy processor.

There are two 14-inch display options, with one offering FHD and the other offering a 2.8K resolution. RAM goes up to 16GB, which we tend to recommend if you can afford it, and storage is available up to 1TB. All in all, this looks like a solid little computer. It even weighs a bit less than the Neo, at just over 2.5 pounds.

We don't have a price on this one yet. Dell says that information will be released closer to launch this fall. It needs to come close to $700 to really be a rival to Apple's entry-level computer.

This isn't even the company's first laptop this year that looks to capture some of Apple's new-found market share. Dell recently refreshed the XPS 13, which is another MacBook Neo alternative. We really liked this laptop, though strongly recommend getting the option with 16GB of RAM.

Generated by Readability.php.

GTA VI extended look got 31 million views on Netflix despite six-hour exclusivity window

staff@engadget.com (Mariella Moon) — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 06:16:37 +0000

GTA VI Extended Look Got 31 Million Views On Netflix Despite Six-Hour Exclusivity Window

By By

It was the top movie on Netflix for the last week of August.

Netflix

Netflix has updated its top 10 movies for August 24 until August 30 on Tudum, and you know what took top spot? The extended look at Grand Theft Auto VI, which gives you an almost-30-minute video of the much-awaited game that's coming out in November. Netflix's deal with Rockstar only gave it a six-hour exclusivity period on August 27, before the developer uploaded the extended trailer to its YouTube account. And yet despite the small exclusivity window, it still got 31.1 million views on Netflix and took the top spot in its movie rankings in 58 countries.

After Netflix's exclusivity ended, Rockstar uploaded GTA VI's extended look to its YouTube account. There, it has garnered over 17.7 million views, so far. As Variety notes, the two platforms count views differently. YouTube adds to its view count as soon as a video is played, whereas Netflix counts one complete viewing of a movie as one view, no matter how many times it's played in one household. By that measure, an impressive number of people watched the extended trailer as soon as it came out on Netflix, showing just how much fans are anticipating the game's release.

The extended look into GTA VI features in-game footage from the PlayStation 5 version of the title. It shows you combat changes, how the new installment in the series expands on its universe, how you can swap between the main characters, as well as the side activities you can do. GTA VI will be available starting on November 19, and take note that it could take you up to or more than 80 hours to finish its main story.

Generated by Readability.php.

This is the best setting and placement for your Dolby Atmos soundbar

staff@engadget.com (Yoni Yardeni) — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This Is The Best Setting And Placement For Your Dolby Atmos Soundbar

By By

Take the proper steps to fully experience Dolby Atmos sound.

Simpson33/Getty Images

Dolby Atmos soundbars changed the home audio game for good, but enjoying one isn't as simple as plugging in and pressing play. Mimicking the immersive experience from your local theater and translating it to living rooms around the world sounds simple on paper, but you have to make sure you're using it properly.

Unlike your typical soundbar, which fires audio straight at your couch, Atmos-enabled options paved a new way and operate differently. To mirror overhead speakers, these setups often rely on upward-firing — and occasional side-firing — drivers that reflect sound off your ceiling and back down to your ears. Meanwhile, some compatible soundbars don't feature up-firing drivers, instead using digital signal processing to deliver a virtualized three-dimensional soundscape, but they undeniably pale in comparison.

Dolby's proprietary spatial audio tech depends heavily on acoustics and room reflections; simply shoving it on your media stand won't do the trick. So, to get the actual sound you paid top dollar for, you should learn the best setting and placement for your Dolby Atmos soundbar.

How to properly set up Dolby Atmos

marekfromrzeszow/Shutterstock

Before diving into speaker placement, make sure your go-to apps and devices are actually outputting a real Atmos signal to the bar.

If you're looking to binge-watch a new show or revisit your favorite movie, you'll need a premium subscription tier on supported platforms like Netflix or HBO Max, as content must be specifically encoded in Dolby's spatial format to create genuine height channels. On the other hand, physical media enthusiasts can rest assured knowing select Blu-ray players are also Atmos-compatible.

Whether it's your TV, a streaming device, or an Xbox One, your source of choice must be connected directly to the soundbar via eARC to experience Dolby Atmos to its full potential. After connecting your Dolby Atmos soundbar, go to your TV's advanced audio settings and set it to audio Bitstream out; that way, your soundbar handles all the decoding and delivers maximized audio.

Where to place a Dolby Atmos soundbar

Artphoto21/Getty Images

In some cases, confusion about where to place a Dolby Atmos soundbar causes many setups to fall short. You shouldn't have it tucked away under your TV or a shelf, but rather positioned slightly in front of your TV to avoid dampening its effects.

Since they use at least two upward-firing elements to generate audio above the listener, there should be an unobstructed path for those drivers to hit your ceiling and bounce straight back down. That means you should have a flat ceiling with no light fixtures or fans, as these could easily deter sound waves, or, even worse, block the audio path entirely.

For added optimization, your Atmos-enabled soundbar should be placed no more than halfway up the wall, right between the floor and ceiling.

You should also ensure the soundbar is parallel with your couch, as the results are best when it sits as close to ear level as possible. Dolby asserts that if you mount a soundbar off-center, too high, or too low, dialogue and sound effects will feel as though they're arriving from a whole other room, rather than your movie or show.

If you upped the ante and bought an Atmos-enabled soundbar with side-firing drivers, rearrange your decor as needed so the sound from those speakers and their first reflection off the wall have a clear pathway to your seat, ensuring that no furniture, shelving arrangement, or sound-absorbing materials get in the way.

In contrast, if you live in a smaller space that won't fully accommodate these arrangements, some compact options, like the Sonos Beam, don't rely on up-firing drivers, which allows for more seamless placement. These tend to function well in modest apartments or studios, as the sound-coding tech behind virtual Dolby Atmos still delivers a solid three-dimensional listening experience, but bear in mind that they cannot fully mirror the immersion of up-firing drivers.

Generated by Readability.php.

Are all TVs at risk from burn-in? Here's how to avoid the problem altogether

staff@engadget.com (Calvin Wankhede) — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 23:30:00 +0000

Are All TVs At Risk From Burn-In? Here's How To Avoid The Problem Altogether

By By

OLED screens run the biggest risk, but with a little common sense you can mitigate the issue.

David Becker/Getty Images

If you're shopping for a new TV or monitor, you may have heard that OLED offers some of the best picture quality available today. While OLED TVs often cost a premium compared to budget and even mid-range LCDs, you get excellent contrast, vivid colors and deep blacks in return. However, there can be one major caveat to the display technology: the possibility of permanent image retention or burn-in.

While the term burn-in may sound alarming, especially if you're on the verge of spending hundreds or thousands of dollars, it's not something you need to worry about immediately. And even though it's inevitable, burn-in remains unnoticeable in many cases and takes years to appear even if it does. Better yet, you can take some simple precautions to significantly reduce the risk and extend the lifespan of an OLED display to keep burn-in at bay until it's time to upgrade.

So, what exactly is burn-in, what causes it on modern TVs and how can you minimize the risk? Here's a quick rundown.

What is burn-in and what causes it?

An OLED display is made up of millions of tiny organic light-emitting diodes — hence the name OLED. This is unlike an LCD, which relies on a backlight to illuminate its pixels. This means that each pixel in an OLED generates its own light and can be dimmed or turned off independently. But while this granular control provides excellent contrast and deep blacks, it also means that individual pixels can wear out independently of each other.

Each time you use an OLED display, these individual pixels undergo some infinitesimal amount of degradation. In the real-world, this wear translates to a dimmer light output. To further complicate matters, each pixel is actually made up of several smaller sub-pixels that produce different colors, typically red, green and blue. These sub-pixels don't necessarily age at the same rate, either.

Backiris/Getty

Practically speaking, the OLED display is continuously varying the brightness of each pixel and sub-pixel to reproduce the colors you see on the screen. Over time, though, this can cause some pixels can experience more wear than others and become dimmer. Eventually, the difference in brightness can become noticeable enough to our eyes.

Put simply, burn-in occurs when some pixels appear brighter than those that have experienced greater wear, creating a persistent outline or ghosting of previously displayed content.

Static elements like channel logos have a higher potential to cause OLED burn-in, since the sub-pixels in that region wear out unevenly. This is why OLED displays aren't the best choice if you exclusively watch news or sports channels for several hours each day. Playing the same game for hundreds of hours can also have the same effect, as on-screen text and other fixed elements can accelerate burn-in in certain localized spots.

Is burn-in still a risk for modern OLED TVs?

If you end up buying an OLED TV, you can still take several steps to prevent rapid burn-in. Besides turning off the display when you're not actively watching content, one of the most consequential accelerators for burn-in is brightness. High brightness levels place greater strain on the LEDs that make up the display, which can cause premature wear. The organic material used in an OLED panel also degrades faster when exposed to heat, with higher brightness levels exacerbating this effect. This is one reason OLED manufacturers have historically been more conservative with sustained brightness, although newer generations have pushed the envelope in this area.

Still, running an OLED display at maximum brightness for extended periods of time can result in noticeable burn-in. The solution is simple: head into the TV or monitor's settings menu and lower the brightness setting. This will lengthen the lifespan of each pixel, which should keep burn-in at bay for a long time.

Having said that, I wouldn't worry about image retention if you only use your OLED display for a few hours each day, especially if it's mostly to watch varied content with no static elements like channel logos. Modern OLED displays have plenty of burn-in mitigation features, ranging from pixel shifting and refreshing to automatic dimming in bright scenes. I've owned the same OLED TV for five years and haven't noticed any burn-in even though I frequently watch HDR or high-brightness content.

Do LCD TVs suffer from burn-in?

If you'd like to avoid the risk of permanent burn-in altogether, a modern LCD TV can be a great alternative to OLED. Since LCD panels don't use self-emissive pixels, they don't suffer from OLED-style burn-in caused by uneven pixel degradation. While LCD backlights can and do sometimes fail with age, you can watch content with static elements like news channels without worrying about wearing out specific areas of the display.

Having said that, LCD panels can also exhibit temporary image retention after displaying static content for long periods of time. This is less of a concern for LCD than OLED, as the image retention typically recedes on its own as you switch over to more varied content.

Modern LCD TVs with Mini LED backlighting technology can offer excellent black levels and contrast, although they cannot match OLED's perfect pixel-level control. High-end models can also get significantly brighter than OLED since they don't rely on organic light-emitting material. This makes high-end LCD TVs a perfect choice for bright, sun-filled rooms or if you don't want to think about the risk of image retention at all.

Generated by Readability.php.