Meta is closing down three VR studios as part of its metaverse cuts
Meta is closing down three VR studios as part of its metaverse cuts

Meta is laying off about 10 percent of its Reality Labs metaverse division, and the cuts include closing down some of its VR gaming studios. Twisted Pixel Games, the developer of Marvel’s Deadpool VR, Sanzaru Games, the developer of the Asgard’s Wrath franchise, and Armature Studio, which worked on the Resident Evil 4 VR port, […]

Lego Smart Brick: watch an immersive 15-minute demo like you’re right there with us at CES
Lego Smart Brick: watch an immersive 15-minute demo like you’re right there with us at CES

The Lego Smart Brick won our Best in Show award at CES 2026, and it was no wonder after watching Lego designer Maarten Simons’ expert demo there. So I thought: why not let you virtually attend the same tech demo I did? Before I left Las Vegas, I snuck back into Lego’s suite to film […]

Verizon gets FCC permission to end 60-day phone unlocking rule
Verizon gets FCC permission to end 60-day phone unlocking rule

Verizon can keep phones locked to its network for longer after the Federal Communications Commission agreed to waive the carrier’s 60-day unlocking requirement, as reported by Ars Technica. Following this decision, Verizon must follow a looser set of guidelines set by the CTIA wireless trade group, which says carriers should only unlock a customer’s postpaid […]

Nissan is one of the first carmakers to offer magnetic phone chargers in the US
Nissan is one of the first carmakers to offer magnetic phone chargers in the US

Wireless phone chargers are now common in vehicles, but they’re typically missing one very useful feature. Nissan announced last month that it will be the first automaker in the US to offer wireless chargers with a magnetic mount, ensuring charging coils remain aligned for faster charging of mobile devices, even while a vehicle is in […]

Google’s Veo now turns portrait images into vertical AI videos
Google’s Veo now turns portrait images into vertical AI videos

Google is making its Veo 3.1 AI video model pay closer attention to the reference images you want generated clips to be based on. The company is releasing new visual improvements for the “Ingredients to Video” tool that was introduced last year, alongside expanding native vertical video support and resolution upscaling features. The Ingredients to […]

Meta confirms Reality Labs layoffs and shifts to invest more in wearables
Meta confirms Reality Labs layoffs and shifts to invest more in wearables

Around 10 percent of Meta’s Reality Labs division, which develops its XR products and services, will be laid off beginning on Tuesday, as reported by Bloomberg. Meta spokesperson Tracy Clayton confirmed the layoffs in a statement to The Verge: “We said last month that we were shifting some of our investment from Metaverse toward Wearables. […]

Apple Creator Studio suite is launching to take on Adobe
Apple Creator Studio suite is launching to take on Adobe

Apple has announced Apple Creator Studio, a new software suite for Apple products that bundles popular creative apps into an all-in-one subscription service. Apple Creator Studio will be available on the App Store on January 28th and includes access to Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage – providing a rival […]

Former NYC Mayor Eric Adams accused of $2.5 million crypto ‘rug pull’ as his NYC Token crashes
Former NYC Mayor Eric Adams accused of $2.5 million crypto ‘rug pull’ as his NYC Token crashes

Former NYC Mayor Eric Adams has come under fire after his new cryptocurrency token crashed just hours following its launch on Monday. As reported by CoinDesk, Adams’ “NYC Token” hit a $580 million market capitalization at its peak before plummeting to around $130 million at this time of writing. Data from the blockchain analysis platform, […]

Dreame brings 8K video to compact action cameras
Dreame brings 8K video to compact action cameras

Dreame, a Chinese company known for its unique robot vacuums and floor cleaners, expanded its offerings at CES 2026, such as a $700 floor lamp that doubled as a hair dryer. But more interesting is the debut of the company’s first action camera. The Leaptic Cube features a design similar to the DJI Osmo Nano […]

Microsoft scrambles to quell fury around its new AI data centers
Microsoft scrambles to quell fury around its new AI data centers

It looks like the wave of campaigns against data centers are getting under big tech companies’ skin – and Microsoft is the latest giant to promise to address frustrations on the ground in communities around their data centers. The company announced a five-point plan today that it calls “Community-First AI Infrastructure.” That includes paying more […]