Author: News Room

Volkswagen‘s latest hybrid car is impressive on paper, but the real shocker is its price tag. SAIC Volkswagen has opened preorders for the ID. Era 5S in China with a limited-time starting price of 115,900 yuan, or roughly $17,175. Its regular Pure trim costs around $17,770, while even the range-topping Max comes in at just $22,215. To put that into perspective, Chevrolet lists the 2027 Bolt at an MSRP of $28,995, making it America’s cheapest EV. Nissan’s 2026 Leaf starts at $29,990 before destination charges. So the cheapest Bolt is around $11,820 above Volkswagen’s introductory ID. Era 5S price. $17,000…

Ever wonder if a research paper is destined to be a big deal long before it actually becomes one? Researchers at Cornell University think they have figured out how to tell, and it comes down to something as simple as downloads. The team published new datasets pulled from arXiv, the go-to repository for unreviewed research papers, and GitHub, the platform coders use to store and share their projects. The goal is to test “lead-lag forecasting,” a method that uses early engagement, including views, downloads, and likes, to predict which papers or projects will matter years down the line. Why does…

Kia has finally put a price on the EV3, and the number might actually surprise you. The entry-level trim starts at $31,385 in the US, including a $1,495 destination charge, making it the cheapest EV Kia sells here and one of the more wallet-friendly electric vehicle options you can buy right now. Why did it take so long to get here? The EV3 has quietly been selling well in Europe and other overseas markets for almost two years now. But getting it to American driveways wasn’t so simple. Tariffs and the rollback of the federal EV tax credit threw a…

Whether it’s through tapping-to-pay, swiping a card through a reader, or inserting a chip, card-based payment methods have become a staple of making everyday purchases. For years, it seemed as if such payment methods, which have largely replaced cash, could go no further; from a layperson’s point of view, what could be more convenient than paying for groceries or gas by simply tapping their card on a screen? Mobile wallets represent a notable development in this regard, taking the interaction further by maintaining the motion but replacing the object through digitization. Today, people are able to load multiple debit, credit,…

Tineco Pure ONE Station 5 Pro MSRP $599.00 “An almost perfect combination vaccum” Pros Powerful cleaning across multiple floor types Lightweight and easy to maneuver No trigger to hold while cleaning Excellent precision around edges Helpful wide-angle LED headlight Bagless self-emptying station Convenient attachment storage Extremely easy physical assembly Cons App pairing may be difficult with combined-band Wi-Fi networks No precise estimate of remaining battery minutes With two young children and two dogs, my floors put vacuums through a real-world stress test every day. Between constant crumbs, pet hair, tracked-in dirt, and everything in between, there’s always something waiting to…

Meta’s smart glasses have run into a place where hands-free cameras are not particularly welcome: the courtroom. According to a report by The Guardian, courts across England and Wales are banning Meta’s smart glasses from entering judicial buildings, with the HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) confirming that anyone arriving with the glasses will have them confiscated and returned when they leave. The decision comes amid growing concerns that smart glasses could be used to secretly record court proceedings. The rule applies specifically to smart glasses capable of recording images or video. HMCTS said there are clear restrictions on taking…

iOS 27’s fifth beta quietly shows something Apple only hinted at during its last earnings call: paying for a higher iCloud+ tier unlocks more access to Apple Intelligence features, starting with your smart home cameras. So how is this actually showing up right now? Tech journalist Stephen Robles notes that using the Home app in the fifth developer beta of iOS 27 now displays exactly how many HomeKit Secure Video cameras qualify for AI-generated video summaries based on your specific iCloud+ tier (via MacRumors). iOS 27 Beta 5 in the Home App tells you how many cameras get Apple Intelligence…

Sonos is preparing to launch a new pair of wireless headphones called the Sonos Ace Ultra, and this time the company appears to be taking a much more serious swing at AI. The headphones were revealed through an FCC filing, first reported by Lowpass, with much of the filing redacted. The documents nevertheless confirm the Ace Ultra name and indicate that the headphones could be offered in up to five colours, a notable change from the original Ace, which launched in 2024 only in black and white. The timing also lines up with Sonos’ plans for a September product launch.…

Perhaps all those hours spent playing Counter-Strike 2, Valorant, or StarCraft II could finally prove useful outside your gaming setup. The U.S. Department of Transportation has been recruiting gamers to become air traffic controllers, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says the unusual approach is already helping the Federal Aviation Administration make progress toward its hiring target. The FAA says its gamer recruitment push is working The campaign kicked off in April, targeting young gamers who may already have some of the skills required to become successful air traffic controllers. At the time, Duffy said the gaming focus offered a way…

Finding a mobile plan used to be simple. Today, it’s easy to be drawn in by a low advertised monthly price, only to discover additional costs once it’s time to check out. Activation fees, taxes, device payments, and fluctuating monthly bills can quickly turn what looked like a bargain into a much more expensive commitment. That shift in consumer expectations has changed how people shop for wireless services. Instead of chasing the lowest number on a billboard, more customers are looking for something equally important: transparency. They want to know exactly what they’ll pay each month, what they’re getting in…