FTC drops case against Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard deal

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has officially dropped its case against Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The FTC filed an order to dismiss its complaint on Thursday, just days after it lost an appeal for a preliminary injunction to prevent Microsoft from finalizing its acquisition. “The Commission has determined that the public interest is best … Read more

Warhammer’s free new game makes typing grimdark

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun – Words of Vengeance is a new typing game based on Warhammer 40,000 and it’s available now for free on PC via Steam. The dark sci-fi spin on a typing teacher was shadow-dropped during a series of announcements made during the latest Warhammer Skulls Showcase. Also shown was a trailer for Boltgun … Read more

Apple’s first smart glasses could arrive next year

A source tells Bloomberg that Apple’s glasses will be similar to Meta’s but “better made.” Apple is planning to debut its first pair of smart glasses next year, according to a report from Bloomberg. The upcoming glasses will reportedly come with cameras, microphones, and speakers, “allowing them to analyze the external world and take requests … Read more

Pro-AI, pro-pollution, pro-surveillance: what you should know about Trump’s budget

The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” that House Republicans narrowly passed early Thursday would strip state legislatures of AI oversight and scale back consumer protection and climate initiatives while funding border surveillance, among many other provisions. The budget reconciliation bill still needs to be approved by the Senate, where some Republicans have voiced concerns with … Read more

Senate Republicans vote to revoke California’s right to set its own tailpipe pollution rules

The US Senate voted today to strip California of its authority to enact state limits on tailpipe pollution that are tougher than national standards. Opponents called it an illegal move by Republican lawmakers that flies in the face of Senate rules and norms. Senate Republicans went forward with the vote today anyway, revoking waivers that … Read more

So long, EV tax credits

Once Donald Trump won office for a second time, the writing was on the wall. Trump ran on many messages, most of them confusing and contradictory, but one of his loudest and clearest messages was to end President Joe Biden’s “EV mandate.” It made no difference there never was a mandate, just a series of … Read more

House GOP moves to slash renewable energy tax breaks

House Republicans advanced a sweeping spending package that would roll back Biden-era tax credits for renewable energy projects. If the bill passes the Senate and makes it to President Donald Trump’s desk to sign, it could deal a serious blow to renewables, new nuclear technologies, and clean energy manufacturing across the US.  The rollbacks would … Read more

Mozilla is shutting down Pocket

Mozilla is shutting down Pocket, the handy bookmarking tool used to save articles and webpages for later. The organization announced that Pocket will stop working on July 8th, 2025, as Mozilla begins concentrating its “resources into projects that better match their browsing habits and online needs.” Following the shutdown, you’ll only be able to export … Read more

The new Mission: Impossible is a comedy wearing a convincing disguise

What Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One lacked in narrative cohesion, it made up for by leaning into the reality that larger-than-life spectacle and Tom Cruise’s enthusiasm for doing his own stunt work have always been the franchise’s main draw. Even though the film’s artificial intelligence-focused plot felt a little shaky, its action was … Read more

Nvidia’s RTX 5060 review debacle should be a wake-up call for gamers and reviewers

Nvidia has gone too far. This week, the company reportedly attempted to delay, derail, and manipulate reviews of its $299 GeForce RTX 5060 graphics card, which would normally be its bestselling GPU of the generation. Nvidia has repeatedly and publicly said the budget 60-series cards are its most popular, and this year it reportedly tried … Read more

Rode’s tiny wireless mic can now connect directly to your iPhone without a dongle

You don’t need to use the Rode Wireless Micro’s wireless receiver any more, if you’re ok with the limitations of Bluetooth. | Image: Rode Rode has announced a firmware update for its Wireless Micro microphone system introducing a new feature called Direct Connect that allows the mic to directly connect to iOS devices over Bluetooth. … Read more

Google’s Home APIs are gaining Gemini intelligence

With access to Gemini-powered features on Nest Cams like this one, app developers could tap into more advanced automations. Google is bringing Gemini intelligence to its Home APIs, allowing smart home developers and manufacturers to tap into Gemini’s AI-powered features and potentially making your smart home a lot, well, smarter. The company announced the news … Read more

Grid’s framed retro gadgets are up to 40 percent off for Father’s Day

Grid’s framed deconstructed gadgets make for unique gifts. Whether you’re hunting for a last-minute graduation gift or an early Father’s Day present, Grid Studio’s deconstructed gadgets are worth a look. The company transforms old-school electronics into collages in shadowbox-style frames, which make for truly memorable gifts. And now through May 27th, many are currently steeply … Read more

Verizon wants to wait longer before unlocking your phone

Verizon has asked the Federal Communications Commission to get rid of the rule requiring it to unlock phones after 60 days. In a letter to the FCC spotted by LightReading, Verizon claims the current unlocking requirement “benefits bad actors and fraudsters.” The FCC first imposed an unlocking requirement following Verizon’s purchase of C-Block spectrum in … Read more

Nvidia GeForce Now six-month subs are 40 percent off

If you’ve been wanting to grab a subscription to Nvidia’s GeForce Now cloud game streaming service, now’s a good time to commit. That’s because six-month subs to its mid-tier Performance subscription — which offers ad-free 1440p gameplay, short queue times, plus ray-tracing on supported games — is 40 percent off. Instead of $49.99, you’ll pay … Read more