Author: News Room
Solid-state batteries have long been promised as the holy grail of energy storage. They promise to double energy density compared to traditional options, slash charging times, and eliminate the risk of thermal fires. Despite that, the technology has yet to achieve widespread commercial adoption, and the main culprit is dendrites. These microscopic, needle-like structures form inside solid-state batteries during charging, bore through the solid ceramic electrolyte, and bridge the electrodes, causing a short circuit. Now, researchers from SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University have discovered a surprisingly simple fix for this persistent problem. According to a paper published in…
We have entered the age of biohacking now. And no, I am not talking about the extreme cases like Bryan Johnson, who is spending millions of dollars on ambitious health and de-aging goals. The average audience for wearables is now asking for more. They are feeding the sensing data collected by smartwatches, bands, and rings to AI agents, and pulling in more insights about their bodies. I created one such dashboard for myself using Claude in less than 10 minutes to make sense of the data collected by my smart ring. But there is only so much you can do…
Meta’s smart glasses have already started facing restrictions in pubs, restaurants, theaters, and courtrooms across the UK. Now, one of New York City’s better-known nightclubs is bringing the same privacy fight to the US. Basement has announced that smart glasses are not allowed inside the venue because of its existing no-photo and no-video policy (via Futurism). Anyone who brings them in, whether they are wearing the glasses or simply carrying them in a bag, will be asked to leave and could even be permanently banned. People generally do not like being filmed by strangers. Being recorded without realizing it is…
Apple takes its sweet time adopting a new trend or technology, but when it does, it delivers one of the best implementations ever. That’s exactly what everyone is expecting from the company’s first foldable. Call it the iPhone Fold or the iPhone Ultra, the Cupertino giant has more riding on this launch than perhaps any product launched in the last few years, and it could break cover later this year. Apple has since confirmed its September 9, 2026 event date, with the tagline “Surprise and shine,” and sent invitations on August 26. The ‘surprise’ in the tagline could be a…
Smartphone cameras have become remarkably good at squeezing detail out of difficult scenes, but there is still one familiar enemy: darkness. When the light disappears, even expensive phones can produce grainy images, muddy shadows and smeared fine details. A new AI-based image enhancement technique could offer a different way forward. Researchers from Wuhan University in China have developed LL-Refiner, a two-stage machine-learning system designed to improve ultra-high-definition low-light images without sacrificing the small details that make photographs look natural. The work was reported by Tech Xplore and published in the IEEE/CAA Journal of Automatica Sinica on July 3, 2026. Instead…
There’s a specific kind of dread that comes with posting something small and watching it explode to a million strangers who missed all the context. Thankfully, Bluesky just built an escape hatch to avoid this horror. The platform now lets you opt out of its algorithmic Discover feed, meaning your posts stop getting pushed to people who don’t already follow you. How Bluesky’s algorithmic opt-out feature works Even Bluesky’s announcement states not everyone wants to go viral; sometimes you’re just posting for your people. To be clear, this option doesn’t make your account private. Anyone can still visit your profile…
I am relieved that it’s finally time for the weekend, because I desperately need to unwind on the couch with some video games. It’s been an exciting (but very busy) week over here at Game Informer. We finally launched international print subscriptions, meaning you can get physical issues of our magazine in 40 new countries. We also launched a Game Informer app on iOS and Android, and we’ve got plans for updates over the coming weeks to add new features and smooth out any rough edges. Yesterday, Rockstar revealed the first official look at Grand Theft Auto VI, and it’s…
Apple’s iPhone is a product that the world, including potential buyers, critics, and competitors, watches obsessively. Over the years, the Cupertino giant has repeatedly shown up every September, with the best iteration of their smartphone technology, spread across multiple Pro and non-Pro models. However, the iPhone 18 series could change that tradition. This year could be the first time the company splits its massive September event into two, focusing on different categories of the upcoming iPhones. The premium ones, including the Pro models and the purported Apple foldable, could arrive this fall (the date is finally out), while the more…
Drive down almost any main street in the US, and chances are an AI-powered camera is taking notice. Over the past few years, police departments across the country have quietly installed thousands of automated license plate readers to monitor daily traffic. But while law enforcement pitched these as simple crime-fighting upgrades, growing fears over constant location tracking and unauthorized police misuse have triggered a massive backlash. At the center of the conflict is Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based company whose roadside units scan and log billions of vehicle details every month. Police departments argue these automatic license plate readers are vital…
In 2008, Kojima Productions released what was billed as the swan song for Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear series: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. The game had the staggering task of tying up decades of storytelling by bringing together Solid Snake, Ocelot, Otacon, Raiden, and many more characters for one explosive finale. The adventure centers on a rapidly aging Solid Snake racing against the clock to stop his twin and nemesis, Liquid Snake, one last time. Of course, there are far more bizarre shenanigans at play. Guns of the Patriots was acclaimed for its storytelling, cinematic presentation, and evolution…