Gadgets
Key Takeaways: * Samsung is offering significant holiday discounts on the Galaxy Z Fold 7, including instant savings and trade-in promotions. * With a maxed trade-in, you can save $1,120 on the 512GB model, bringing the price down to $999. * Without a trade-in, Samsung provides $600 in instant savings plus a
Games
* Key Takeaways: * Wing Commander: Privateer (1993) taught the author to prefer open-world, player-driven experiences over tightly authored stories. * The game combined Elite-style sandbox mechanics with Wing Commander flight and a richly hand-crafted setting. * Privateer influenced later space sandboxes — Freelancer, the X series, EVE Online, Elite Dangerous, No Man’s Sky,
Games
* A mix of high-profile sequels and unexpected indie hits made Ars Technica’s 2025 top-20 list. * Franchise entries like Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Avowed, and Civilization VII anchored the year, while GTA VI slipped into 2026. * Indie standouts — Blue Prince, Baby Steps, Ball x Pit, and Dragonsweeper — proved small teams
Games
• A wide slate of indie and mid-tier releases in 2025 delivered standout experiences across roguelikes, platformers, puzzles, and party games. • Notable picks: Monster Train 2 (deckbuilder roguelike), Shotgun Cop Man (physics platformer), Abandoned Archive (spell‑based roguelike), Promise Mascot Agency (open‑world collectathon). • Many titles are available across PC and
Reviews
* Key Takeaways: * Consumer Reports highlights five 2025 electric vehicles with trims under $50,000 that balance reliability, range and features. * Standouts include the Hyundai Ioniq 6 for range, the Mustang Mach‑E for performance, and the Nissan Ariya for safety. * Practical choices like the Kia Niro EV and Audi Q4
Games
• Free upgrade: Stardew Valley — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is now available to existing Switch owners. • New features: Mouse controls, four‑player split‑screen, eight‑player online, and GameShare support are included. • Rollout: Update is live on the US eShop; regional availability may follow. • Ongoing content: Creator Eric "ConcernedApe"
Enterprise
* Key Takeaways: * CachyOS, an Arch Linux–based distribution known for desktop performance, is developing a dedicated Server Edition for NAS, workstations and hosting providers. * The Server Edition will ship as a verified image with hardened configurations, pre-tuned settings, and performance-optimized packages for web servers and databases. * Ongoing compiler work (PGO
Games
• Fortnite and PlayStation Network saw major login spikes on Christmas Day, briefly stressing servers. • Epic Games CTO Tim Sweeney acknowledged issues as "the servers are melting down, sorry fam." • Fortnite Status later reported logins were recovering; PSN experienced limited, intermittent problems. • Engineers responded quickly; most players were able
Gadgets
* JerryRigEverything’s durability test shows the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold’s hinge and display fail under reverse pressure. * Dirt (pocket sand) and hinge grinding were evident, and foldable glass still scratches easily. * The device survives extreme fold-cycle claims but fails when folded the wrong way, risking costly repairs. * Samsung plans
Software
* Key Takeaways: * Google is rolling out a feature that lets users replace their @gmail.com primary address without creating a new account. * The old address becomes an alias; messages to both addresses land in the same inbox and stored data (Drive, Google Photos, purchases) remains intact. * You can sign in
Software
* You may soon be able to change an existing @gmail.com address to a different @gmail.com without creating a new Google Account. * Google’s Hindi support page, cited by 9to5Google, says the original Gmail handle will remain active and both addresses will point to the same account. * Data (emails,
Reviews
• RADV (Mesa) now competes with — and often matches or exceeds — AMDVLK across tested Vulkan workloads. • AMD ended AMDVLK development in 2025, consolidating Vulkan support around RADV. • Benchmarks used AMDVLK 2025.Q2.1 vs RADV from Mesa 26.0-devel on Radeon RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT. • Test platform: Ryzen 9