N e w s C e n t r a l
6 Best Smart Speakers (2025): Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri
Looking to add a smart speaker to your house so Alexa, Siri, or Google can help you out? Here are the best ones to get.
Source: www.wired.com
Reception: Positive
No One Is in Charge at the US Copyright Office
During a wild time for copyright law, the US Copyright Office has no one at the helm—and no one knows when that will change.
Source: www.wired.com
Reception: Positive
The 8 Best Drones (2025): Flight-Tested and Reviewed
Whether you want to battle Star Wars spaceships or shoot a cinematic masterpiece, one of these drones is going to be perfect for you.
Source: www.wired.com
Reception: Positive
12 Best Standing Desks of 2025, Tested and Reviewed
Take your home office to new heights with our favorite motorized standing desks.
Source: www.wired.com
Reception: Positive
Space Elevators Could Totally Work—if Earth Days Were Much Shorter
What would it take to run a cable from the ISS to Earth? Depends how fast you want the Earth to rotate.
Source: www.wired.com
Reception: Positive
The Next Acetaminophen Tablet You Take Could Be Made From PET
This research could represent the first documented case of paracetamol production from plastic waste using E. coli bacteria.
Source: www.wired.com
Reception: Positive
These 7 Automatic Cat Feeders Were the Best We Tested (2025)
We tested some of the most popular automatic dry- and wet-food pet feeders to see which ones are worth the money.
Source: www.wired.com
Reception: Positive
Joybird Eliot Sleeper Sofa Review: Gorgeous and Functional
This customizable sleeper couch makes a comfy statement.
Source: www.wired.com
Reception: Neutral
If you're using Microsoft Authenticator to store your passwords, don't
<p>Microsoft Authenticator is <a class="no-affiliate-link" href="https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/account-billing/changes-to-microsoft-authenticator-autofill-09fd75df-dc04-4477-9619-811510805ab6">sunsetting</a> its ability to store your passwords. This month, the service stopped allowing users to add or import new passwords. Beginning in July 2025, users will no longer be able to use autofill with Authenticator, and in August 2025, passwords will no longer be available at all. Payment information stored in Authenticator will be deleted after July, and after the following month, all unsaved generated passwords will be deleted. Passkeys will still be supported in Authenticator.</p> <p>People who want to stay within the Microsoft ecosystem do have the option to use access their saved passwords when using the Edge browser. But if you're not interested in Edge, that means Authenticator users may want to peruse their options for a different password manager. Fortunately, there are several excellent choices for <a href="https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/best-password-manager-134639599.html"><ins>password managers</ins></a> that aren't tied to a particular hardware provider.</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/if-youre-using-microsoft-authenticator-to-store-your-passwords-dont-225842265.html?src=rss
Source: www.engadget.com
Reception: Positive
Apple iOS 26: Here are all the new features and improvements for the new iPhone operating system
<figure><img alt="new liquid glass display on an iPhone" src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-06/26e13e10-4ba8-11f0-af67-e4739c3bbb12" style="height: 1080px; width: 1920px;" /><figcaption>Liquid Glass is a huge new change coming to iOS 26. (Apple)</figcaption></figure> <p>It's true: Apple's <a href="https://www.engadget.com/apps/ios-26-is-official-apple-changes-from-version-numbers-to-years-for-its-os-names-172129166.html">iOS 26</a> (not iOS 19) is coming your way this fall with some cool new features you'll want to try. For those of us who've been loyal to the iPhone for nearly two decades, we're most excited about the fresh home and lock screen redesign. Dubbed <a href="https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/apples-new-liquid-glass-design-is-its-biggest-visual-update-in-years-172158766.html">Liquid Glass</a>, the new look and feel will extend across all of Apple's upcoming operating systems. The overhaul was one of several big changes coming to iOS, macOS, iPadOS and the rest of Apple's software suite, all of which were showcased during the company's <a href="https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/wwdc-2025-everything-apple-announced-including-ios-26-liquid-glass-design-and-more-171718030.html">WWDC keynote</a> on June 9. If you're a developer, you can check out the <a href="https://www.macrumors.com/2025/06/23/ios-26-beta-2-everything-new/">iOS 26 beta 2</a> now; the public beta coming <a href="https://www.engadget.com/mobile/apples-ios-26-public-beta-release-date-is-planned-for-july-180213011.html">in July</a>. </p> <p>After overpromising on AI plans last year, Apple kept its iOS roadmap focused more on basic quality of life improvements this year. There are multiple useful additions coming to the Phone and Messages apps on your iPhone, for instance: Apple execs outlined the ability to weed out spam texts or other unknown senders and an option to hold your spot on a phone call when you've been waiting for a representative to pick up. Plus, a treasured feature that we took for granted is coming back (hint: it's in the Photos app).</p> <span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><p>Siri, meanwhile, is in a holding pattern. Apple has previously specified that its smarter voice assistant — first promised at WWDC 2024 — is delayed until some point "<a href="https://www.engadget.com/ai/apple-is-delaying-its-smarter-more-personal-siri-183513424.html">in the coming year</a>," so you shouldn't expect any major changes in the current betas. But there are reports that Apple is aiming to give Siri a bigger brain transplant by <a href="https://www.macrumors.com/2025/06/30/apple-chatgpt-claude-siri/">basing it on third-party artificial intelligence models</a> like OpenAI's ChatGPT or Anthropic's Claude, which could make 2026 a pivotal year.</p> <p>Keep reading to check out the most notable features coming to your iPhone this fall, according to Apple. Also, make sure your iPhone is <a href="https://www.engadget.com/mobile/apple-is-releasing-ios-26-this-fall-heres-the-full-list-of-compatible-iphones-191854795.html">eligible to download the iOS 26 update</a> (thankfully, most recent models are).</p> <h2 id="jump-link-what-is-ios-26">What is iOS 26?</h2> <p>While the current iPhone operating system is iOS 18, Apple is skipping the numbering ahead to iOS 26 later this year. The company has decided to line up its iOS version numbers with a year-based system, similar to car model years. So while iOS and its sibling operating systems will be released in late 2025, they're all designated "26" to reflect the year ahead. (Meanwhile, <a href="https://www.macrumors.com/2025/06/30/apple-seeds-ios-18-6-beta-2/">iOS 18 is still getting new versions this summer</a>, too.)</p> <figure><img alt="a list of the new OSes" src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-06/29bbb6f0-4555-11f0-b2de-ada42a83075d" style="height: 1080px; width: 1920px;" /><figcaption>It's official, we're moving to iOS 26. (Apple)</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="jump-link-what-is-liquid-glass-design">What is Liquid Glass design?</h2> <p>Let's be honest. Out of everything announced at WWDC this year, the <a href="https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/apples-new-liquid-glass-design-is-its-biggest-visual-update-in-years-172158766.html">new Liquid Glass design</a> was the star of the show. The iPhone's home and lock screens have looked pretty much the same year after year — the last exciting thing (in my opinion) was the option to add your own aesthetic to your home screen by customizing your apps and widgets. So seeing the home and lock screens' new facelift is refreshing.</p> <p>So what exactly is Liquid Glass? Apple calls it a "<a class="rapid-with-clickid" href="https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=4130e2f0-a14f-4c5e-bdab-cd52ac7d8e79&siteId=us-engadget&pageId=1p-autolink&contentUuid=86b7b54f-7ccd-4fbb-a927-09c327b93cbc&featureId=text-link&merchantName=Apple&linkText=new+translucent+material&custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsImxhbmRpbmdVcmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5hcHBsZS5jb20vbmV3c3Jvb20vMjAyNS8wNi9hcHBsZS1lbGV2YXRlcy10aGUtaXBob25lLWV4cGVyaWVuY2Utd2l0aC1pb3MtMjYvIiwiY29udGVudFV1aWQiOiI4NmI3YjU0Zi03Y2NkLTRmYmItYTkyNy0wOWMzMjdiOTNjYmMiLCJvcmlnaW5hbFVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFwcGxlLmNvbS9uZXdzcm9vbS8yMDI1LzA2L2FwcGxlLWVsZXZhdGVzLXRoZS1pcGhvbmUtZXhwZXJpZW5jZS13aXRoLWlvcy0yNi8ifQ&signature=AQAAAVivyXXsD7DiKwA3X-v-YLSp-mKPz8KpUrb1ctVS4Hji&gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.apple.com%2Fnewsroom%2F2025%2F06%2Fapple-elevates-the-iphone-experience-with-ios-26%2F">new translucent material</a>" since, well, the apps and widgets are clear. However, the screen can still adapt to dark and light modes, depending on surroundings. You'll also notice buttons with a new floating design in several apps, like Phone and Maps. They're designed to be less distracting than the current buttons, but are still easy to see. While the design overhaul has proven to be controversial since its announcement, some — including Engadget's own Devindra Hardawar — like the new direction, even if it's somewhat reminiscent of <a href="https://www.engadget.com/computing/apples-liquid-glass-is-windows-vista-done-well-181954910.html">Microsoft's translucent Windows Vista Aero designs</a> from nearly twenty years ago.</p> <p>That said, as of the newly released iOS 26 beta 2, Apple <a href="https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-read-your-mean-tweets-about-liquid-glass-and-finder-222230726.html">has already incorporated some user feedback</a> into the design, dialing back the transparency in at least some places. And while it will continue to evolve, Apple users won't be able to escape it: Liquid Glass was designed to make all of Apple's OSes more cohesive. Here's a look at how the translucent aesthetic will look with <a href="https://www.engadget.com/computing/macos-tahoe-26-will-bring-apples-new-liquid-glass-ui-to-your-desktop-174149070.html">the new macOS Tahoe 26</a> on your desktop.</p> <h2 id="jump-link-what-are-the-new-and-notable-features-of-ios-26">What are the new and notable features of iOS 26?</h2> <p>iOS 26 has a laundry list of new features. Among the most worthwhile:</p> <p><strong>Phone app redesign:</strong> You'll finally be able to scroll through contacts, recent calls and voicemail messages all on one screen. It also comes with a new feature called Hold Assist that'll notify you when an agent comes to the phone so you can avoid the elevator music and continue on with other tasks.</p> <p><strong>Live Translation in Phone, FaceTime and Messages:</strong> iOS 26 is bringing the ability to have a conversation via phone call or text message with someone who speaks another language. Live Translation will translate your conversation in real time, which results in some stop-and-go interactions in the examples Apple shared during its presentation.</p> <p><strong>Polls in group chats:</strong> Tired of sorting through what seems like hundreds of messages in your group chat? You and your friends will soon be able to create polls in group messages for deciding things like which brunch spot you're eating at or whose car you're taking on a road trip.</p> <p><strong>Filtering unknown senders in Messages:</strong> If you haven't received spam texts about unpaid tolls or other citations, you're lucky. For those of us who have, those annoying messages will soon be filtered away in a separate folder.</p> <p><strong>Visual Intelligence:</strong> Similar to a reverse Google image search, this new feature will allow you to search for anything that's on your iPhone screen. For instance, if you spot a pair of shoes someone is wearing in an Instagram photo, you can screenshot it and use Visual Intelligence to find those shoes (or similar ones) online.</p> <p><strong>Photos tabs are back:</strong> For anyone who's still frustrated with the <a href="https://www.engadget.com/how-apple-redesigned-its-photos-app-around-customization-120038901.html">Photos changes made last year</a>, you'll be happy to know that your tabs are coming back. Library and Collections will have their own separate spaces so you don't have to scroll to infinity to find what you're looking for.</p> <figure><img alt="New Hold Assist being displayed at the wwdc keynote" src="https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-06/a506ddc0-4556-11f0-9d7a-9a93e6a181c1" style="height: 1080px; width: 1920px;" /><figcaption>Apple's Hold Assist will be nifty for those pesky services that put you on hold for 10 or more minutes. (Apple)</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="jump-link-which-iphones-will-be-able-to-upgrade-to-ios-26">Which iPhones will be able to upgrade to iOS 26?</h2> <p>A few iPhone models that run the current version of iOS — iPhone XR, XS and XS Max — won't be compatible with the latest upgrade. But any iPhones released in 2019 or later will be <a href="https://www.engadget.com/mobile/apple-is-releasing-ios-26-this-fall-heres-the-full-list-of-compatible-iphones-191854795.html">eligible for the iOS 26 update</a>.</p> <ul> <li><p>iPhone SE (second generation or later)</p></li> <li><p>iPhone 11</p></li> <li><p>iPhone 11 Pro</p></li> <li><p>iPhone 11 Pro Max</p></li> <li><p>iPhone 12</p></li> <li><p>iPhone 12 mini</p></li> <li><p>iPhone 12 Pro</p></li> <li><p>iPhone 12 Pro Max</p></li> <li><p>iPhone 13</p></li> <li><p>iPhone 13 mini</p></li> <li><p>iPhone 13 Pro</p></li> <li><p>iPhone 13 Pro Max</p></li> <li><p>iPhone 14</p></li> <li><p>iPhone 14 Plus</p></li> <li><p>iPhone 14 Pro</p></li> <li><p>iPhone 14 Pro Max</p></li> <li><p>iPhone 15</p></li> <li><p>iPhone 15 Plus</p></li> <li><p>iPhone 15 Pro</p></li> <li><p>iPhone 15 Pro Max</p></li> <li><p>iPhone 16e</p></li> <li><p>iPhone 16</p></li> <li><p>iPhone 16 Plus</p></li> <li><p>iPhone 16 Pro</p></li> <li><p>iPhone 16 Pro Max</p></li> </ul> <p>Not listed here are the presumed new <a href="https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/iphone-17-pro-max-and-air-everything-we-know-about-apples-new-phones-153024282.html">iPhone 17 models</a> (or maybe iPhone 26?) that are all but certain to be announced and released in September. </p> <h2 id="jump-link-when-will-the-ios-26-beta-be-available">When will the iOS 26 beta be available?</h2> <p>If you're a developer, you can check out the <a href="https://www.macrumors.com/2025/06/23/ios-26-beta-2-everything-new/">iOS 26 beta 2</a> now. The iOS 26 public beta will become <a href="https://www.engadget.com/mobile/apples-ios-26-betas-are-available-next-month-180213420.html">available in July</a> via the <a href="https://beta.apple.com/">Apple Beta Software Program</a>. If you're not already a member, you'll need to sign up to try out all the latest features. Just visit <a href="http://beta.apple.com/">beta.apple.com</a> and sign up with your phone number or email address. It's free.</p> <p>Once you're in and the beta is available, you can install it by going to <strong>Settings</strong> > <strong>General</strong> > <strong>Software Update</strong> and selecting <strong>iOS 26 public beta</strong>.</p> <p>A word of caution: Don't sign up with your main iPhone unless you're OK with any risks that occur with using an OS that isn't finalized.</p> <h2 id="jump-link-when-will-the-final-version-of-ios-26-be-released">When will the final version of iOS 26 be released?</h2> <p>iOS 26 will be released to the public this fall. It usually comes in September, within a week of the Apple iPhone event. Last year, it rolled out to iPhone users on September 16 — exactly one week after the iPhone 16 lineup was announced.</p> <p>If you're more interested in the Apple Intelligence features coming, here's <a href="https://www.engadget.com/ai/apple-intelligence-announcements-at-wwdc-everything-apple-revealed-for-ios-macos-and-more-171133645.html">everything Apple revealed for iOS, macOS and more</a> during WWDC. Also, check out how iOS 26 screenshots could be an <a href="https://www.engadget.com/ai/ios-26-screenshots-could-be-an-intriguing-preview-of-apples-delayed-siri-rework-183005404.html">intriguing preview of Apple's delayed Siri rework</a>.</p> <p><strong>Update, June 30: </strong>Noted ongoing iOS 18 releases, and reports that Apple is considering additional external LLMs for Siri. </p> <p><strong>Update, June 25: </strong>Noted changes added in iOS 26 beta 2. </p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/apple-ios-26-here-are-all-the-new-features-and-improvements-for-the-new-iphone-operating-system-135749944.html?src=rss
Source: www.engadget.com
Reception: Positive