Gadgets
Key Takeaways: * eSIMs are soldered, programmable SIMs introduced in 2016 that let manufacturers remove physical SIM slots. * Major phones (Apple iPhone 14 onward; Google Pixel 10 US models) have moved to eSIM-only in some regions. * eSIM transfers can fail and carriers relying on SMS for verification can lock you out—
Games
• Key Takeaways: * Ubisoft reopened Rainbow Six Siege servers after a Marketplace-related breach that awarded some players billions in credits and rare skins. * The company says the transaction rollback is complete, but the in-game Marketplace remains closed while checks continue. * Ubisoft confirmed no automatic bans for players who spent hacked credits,
Gadgets
* Key Takeaways: * Waze, Simple Radio, GasBuddy, SpotHero and Weather on the Way all extend CarPlay with real-world benefits: navigation, radio, fuel prices, parking, and route weather. * Waze’s crowdsourced alerts and Simple Radio’s 90,000+ stations beat many defaults; GasBuddy and SpotHero save money and time; Weather on the
Chips
* Key Takeaways: * Samsung’s Exynos 2600 is built on its 2nm GAA process and initially reported ~50% yields. * Qualcomm supplies ~75% of Galaxy S26 chips (Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5); Exynos occupies the remaining 25%. * Analyst Samir Khazaka says Samsung won’t invest heavily in custom CPU/GPU designs unless
Gadgets
* Built a working Apple Watch replica in one week in Shenzhen’s electronics market. * Creator Strange Parts teamed with Nest Works, using 3D printing, off-the-shelf parts and a sourced logic board. * Final assembly and software configuration were completed back in the U.S.; apps including heart-rate monitoring worked. * Project aimed
AI
* Perplexity AI is integrated into Samsung’s Bixby in One UI 8.5, enabling web-search–based replies for complex queries. * The feature is appearing in One UI 8.5 beta builds (Galaxy S25 series) and is expected to ship stable with Galaxy S26 in early 2026. * One UI 8.5
Gadgets
• Key takeaways: * Samsung will integrate Google Photos into its AI TV lineup, starting with the "Memories" experience in early 2026. * Memories will be exclusive to Samsung TVs for six months; Create with AI and Personalized Results follow in the second half of 2026. * Integration works via Google Account
Software
* Key Takeaways: * KDE says the Plasma desktop’s move to Wayland “nears completion” after major 2025 work. * Plasma 6.8 is planned to drop X11 session support (keeping XWayland) as part of a Wayland-only push toward 2027. * 2025 improvements included HDR/color fixes, new Wayland protocols, better tablet support, overlay
Security
* Key Takeaways: * MongoBleed (CVE-2025-14847) is an unauthenticated information-leak in MongoDB’s zlib decompression that can return uninitialized heap memory to attackers. * A public proof-of-concept appeared on Dec 26, 2025, and researchers report active exploitation; Censys and Wiz estimate tens of thousands of vulnerable, Internet-exposed instances. * Fixed releases are available for
Security
• Key Takeaways: * A public PoC called “mongobleed” exploits CVE-2025-14847, a memory-leak in MongoDB’s zlib decompression. * Attackers can extract uninitialized server memory without authentication, exposing logs, /proc data, connection UUIDs and client IPs. * Affected branches include MongoDB 5.0–8.2; fixes are available (see versions 5.0.32, 6.
Gadgets
* LG is bringing Micro RGB evo (MRGB95) to more practical screen sizes (75", 86", 100"). * Samsung will expand Micro RGB into smaller, mainstream sizes and add Eclipsa Audio and an updated AI platform. * Sony plans “True RGB” Bravia models (50"–115") and may use MediaTek’
Games
* Key Takeaways: * Rock Paper Shotgun hardware editor James Archer shared a short list of 2025 "bonus" picks that missed the main Advent Calendar votes. * It Has My Face (NightByte Games/Behaviour Interactive) gets singled out for its tense, player-vs-crowd stealth and oddball assassination hooks. * Other honorable mentions include