2025-12-30 23:59:41
GameSir is no stranger to experimenting with unique controller features - its Tarantula Pro can automatically swap its face button labels to accommodate alternate layouts, and its Pocket 1 clamps Game Boy controls onto your phone. What sets its new Swift Drive controller apart is a small steering wheel located smack-dab in the middle of the gamepad that's connected to what GameSir calls the "world's smallest direct drive motor" providing force feedback effects for racing games.
Pricing and availability hasn't been announced yet, but GameSir has revealed plenty of details about the Swift Drive's features and functionality. The steering wheel …
2025-12-30 23:47:34
Winter storms across the country are bringing heavy snow, rain, and — in some cases, as this Californian who briefly lost power a few days ago can attest — outages. If you want to prepare, Anker’s 521 PowerHouse can help keep your essential devices running and it’s on sale for $129.99 ($120 off) at Amazon. That is about $2 shy of its all-time low price and the best price we’ve seen since Black Friday.
What’s impressive about the 256Wh power station is the range of devices it can handle. You can charge smaller electronics like phones, tablets, cameras, and laptops multiple times using its two USB-A ports and single USB-C port, but it also features two AC outlets and a car socket. That means it can power low-wattage appliances such as a mini fridge, portable fan or heater (on low), electric blanket, and other gear that draws up to 300 watts. You don’t need to worry it’ll die, either — Anker says the battery is designed to last up to 10 years and offers a five-year warranty.
There are a few thoughtful extras, too. Small and weighing about eight pounds — roughly the same as a gallon of water — it’s relatively easy to carry thanks to its integrated handle. Anker also includes a built-in display for checking remaining battery life at a glance, along with a car charging cable. And if you’re outdoors or dealing with an extended outage, you can even recharge it using compatible solar panels — though you’ll need to buy those separately.
2025-12-30 23:47:09
The US Cyber Trust Mark Program, an Energy Star-style certification for smart home security, could be winding down less than a year after it launched. Safety testing company UL Solutions has announced that it is stepping down as the program's lead administrator, just a few months after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) began investigating it over ties to China.
The Cyber Trust Mark Program hasn't been officially shut down yet, but the loss of its lead administrator leaves it in limbo. It wouldn't be the first security program the FCC axed this year. In November, the FCC rolled back cybersecurity regulations for telecom companies …
2025-12-30 23:00:00
I can't grow anything. Multiple attempts to create a cottage garden, first in Idaho and now in South Carolina, have brought disappointment. Both are challenging climates, but where others have succeeded, I've been left with little more than a pile of cherry tomatoes for my vast efforts (those things are bulletproof).
I'd all but given up on the idea of ever successfully growing my own food - I can't even keep those pots of herbs you buy at the grocery store alive for more than a week - until I met the Gardyn Studio 2.
A smart indoor garden, the Gardyn Studio 2 is an automated growing platform that deploys AI to do what I failed to do: w …
2025-12-30 22:00:00
Canon's new EOS R6 Mark III is an excellent camera. It's not a groundbreaking upgrade to the 3-year-old R6 Mark II, but it takes the same body with great ergonomics and adds more resolution, video that now goes up to 7K with open-gate filming, and improved autofocus performance. If you're in need of an impeccably good all-around camera for anything from wildlife photography to weddings and videography, you can't go wrong. It's an easy recommendation, especially if you already shoot Canon and are due for an upgrade. (But a used R6 Mark II is also very appealing if the higher $2,799.99 price is too lofty.)
But the lens Canon launched alongsid …
2025-12-30 21:00:00
In early December, Joshua Aaron, the developer behind the ICEBlock app - designed to let people alert others about the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents - filed a federal lawsuit alleging his First Amendment rights were violated. The Department of Justice had urged Apple to remove Aaron's app from its App Store, which the suit called unconstitutional. And Apple had complied - in the process, setting its own precedent for suppressing anti-ICE speech.
The year 2025 has marked perhaps the biggest leap back for American free speech in generations. The Trump administration's war on immigrants and civil liberties has le …
