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  31. <title>Grab the Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet for the best price this year ahead of Prime Big Deal Days</title>
  32. <link>https://geekblog.net/tech-news/grab-the-amazon-fire-hd-10-tablet-for-the-best-price-this-year-ahead-of-prime-big-deal-days/</link>
  33. <comments>https://geekblog.net/tech-news/grab-the-amazon-fire-hd-10-tablet-for-the-best-price-this-year-ahead-of-prime-big-deal-days/#respond</comments>
  35. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Michael Comaous]]></dc:creator>
  36. <pubDate>Tue, 16 Sep 2025 20:23:01 +0000</pubDate>
  37. <category><![CDATA[Tech News]]></category>
  38. <category><![CDATA[Ahead]]></category>
  39. <category><![CDATA[Amazon]]></category>
  40. <category><![CDATA[big]]></category>
  41. <category><![CDATA[days]]></category>
  42. <category><![CDATA[Deal]]></category>
  43. <category><![CDATA[fire]]></category>
  44. <category><![CDATA[Grab]]></category>
  45. <category><![CDATA[price]]></category>
  46. <category><![CDATA[Prime]]></category>
  47. <category><![CDATA[tablet]]></category>
  48. <category><![CDATA[Year]]></category>
  49. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://geekblog.net/tech-news/grab-the-amazon-fire-hd-10-tablet-for-the-best-price-this-year-ahead-of-prime-big-deal-days/</guid>
  50.  
  51. <description><![CDATA[With the recent announcement of the Prime Big Deal Days sale in October, Amazon has already begun discounting some of its own best-selling devices. That includes the Amazon Fire HD 10, which is now on sale for $89.99 (was $139.99). This $50 discount isn&#8217;t the biggest price drop we&#8217;ve seen on this affordable tablet, but [...]]]></description>
  52. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="article-body">
  53. <p id="4a5f115e-d80e-4bed-b4a2-8248bd8d149d">With the recent announcement of the Prime Big Deal Days sale in October, Amazon has already begun discounting some of its own best-selling devices. That includes the <a rel="sponsored noopener" target="_blank" data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8428&amp;GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2FAmazon_Fire_HD_10%2Fdp%2FB0BHZT5S12%3Fth%3D1%26tag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dtrd-us-2829692870371380836-20" data-url="https://www.amazon.com/Amazon_Fire_HD_10/dp/B0BHZT5S12?th=1" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" data-hl-processed="hawklinks" data-placeholder-url="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8428&amp;GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2FAmazon_Fire_HD_10%2Fdp%2FB0BHZT5S12%3Fth%3D1%26tag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-20" data-google-interstitial="false" data-merchant-name="Amazon US" data-merchant-id="1471" data-merchant-network="Amazonus" data-merchant-url="amazon.com">Amazon Fire HD 10, which is now on sale for $89.99 (was $139.99)</a>.</p>
  54. <p>This $50 discount isn&#8217;t the biggest price drop we&#8217;ve seen on this affordable tablet, but it is the cheapest it&#8217;s been this year and one of the lowest prices for non-Prime members outside of Black Friday.</p>
  55. <p>Here at TechRadar, we love spotting the best tablet deals. Sometimes those deals are for premium models that are discounted by hundreds of dollars. At other times, it&#8217;s money-off products that are already friendly on the wallet. So, if you&#8217;re looking for one of the best cheap tablets around that&#8217;s ideal for casual streaming, light gaming, or web browsing, it looks like your search could be over.</p>
  56. <h2 id="today-s-best-amazon-fire-tablet-deal-3">Today’s best Amazon Fire tablet deal</h2>
  57. <p><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" id="elk-718bf86c-97c4-47f4-b03b-a0ed49242aba" data-url="" href="" data-hl-processed="none"/></p>
  58. <p id="720308b2-57d0-4cb7-a1ae-7663bbe16646">Our <a rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.techradar.com/tablets/amazon-fire-hd-10-2023-review-only-smouldering" data-before-rewrite-localise="https://www.techradar.com/tablets/amazon-fire-hd-10-2023-review-only-smouldering">Amazon Fire HD 10 review covers all the bases, should you be interested in finding out what we thought of the tablet when we had our hands on it. Just don&#8217;t let the rating put you off because our main issue was with the high retail price. Now discounted, that&#8217;s no longer an issue.</p>
  59. <p>That&#8217;s not to say that there are no limitations with this tablet, but at well under $100, you can stomach almost all of them. More positively, we found the tablet to be dependable and perfect for Alexa integration. It’s also lightweight and surprisingly durable, so it can handle the rough-and-tumble life that may happen when your kids grab it.</p>
  60. <p id="ab8252ad-9a6f-4caa-ab5b-47ade8de0ec8">We&#8217;ve got a range of other tablet deals for you to enjoy at the moment, especially if you&#8217;d like something with more power. If you&#8217;d like to explore Apple alternatives, then you&#8217;ll want our dedicated iPad deals page instead.</p>
  61. </div>
  62. ]]></content:encoded>
  64. <wfw:commentRss>https://geekblog.net/tech-news/grab-the-amazon-fire-hd-10-tablet-for-the-best-price-this-year-ahead-of-prime-big-deal-days/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  65. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  68. </item>
  69. <item>
  70. <title>Charlie Kirk Shooting Suspect Charged as Prosecutor Seeks Death Penalty</title>
  71. <link>https://geekblog.net/tech-news/charlie-kirk-shooting-suspect-charged-as-prosecutor-seeks-death-penalty/</link>
  72. <comments>https://geekblog.net/tech-news/charlie-kirk-shooting-suspect-charged-as-prosecutor-seeks-death-penalty/#respond</comments>
  74. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Michael Comaous]]></dc:creator>
  75. <pubDate>Tue, 16 Sep 2025 19:22:12 +0000</pubDate>
  76. <category><![CDATA[Tech News]]></category>
  77. <category><![CDATA[charged]]></category>
  78. <category><![CDATA[Charlie]]></category>
  79. <category><![CDATA[Death]]></category>
  80. <category><![CDATA[Kirk]]></category>
  81. <category><![CDATA[Penalty]]></category>
  82. <category><![CDATA[Prosecutor]]></category>
  83. <category><![CDATA[seeks]]></category>
  84. <category><![CDATA[Shooting]]></category>
  85. <category><![CDATA[Suspect]]></category>
  86. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://geekblog.net/tech-news/charlie-kirk-shooting-suspect-charged-as-prosecutor-seeks-death-penalty/</guid>
  87.  
  88. <description><![CDATA[Utah County prosecutors on Tuesday charged Tyler Robinson in the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, a murder officials say was politically motivated. They intend to seek the death penalty. Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray announced the indictment at a midday news conference, listing charges of aggravated murder, felony discharge [...]]]></description>
  89. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p>
  90. <div>
  91. <p>Utah County prosecutors on Tuesday charged Tyler Robinson in the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, a murder officials say was politically motivated. They intend to seek the death penalty.</p>
  92. <p class="paywall">Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray announced <a rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-offer-url="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26098852-tyler-robinson-indictment/" class="external-link text link" data-event-click="{&quot;element&quot;:&quot;ExternalLink&quot;,&quot;outgoingURL&quot;:&quot;https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26098852-tyler-robinson-indictment/&quot;}" href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26098852-tyler-robinson-indictment/">the indictment</a> at a midday news conference, listing charges of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, and commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child. Robinson, 22, is also charged with two counts of obstruction and two counts of witness tampering.</p>
  93. <p class="paywall">“Charlie Kirk was murdered while engaging in one of our most sacred and cherished American rights,” Gray said. “The bedrock of our democratic republic is the free exchange of ideas in a search for truth, understanding, and a more perfect union.”</p>
  94. <p class="paywall">Gray said that the murder was considered an aggravated offense because it was believed to be motivated by the victim’s political expression. On the matter of the death penalty, he added: “I do not take this decision lightly, and it is a decision I have made independently as county attorney based solely on the available evidence and circumstances and nature of the crime.”</p>
  95. <p class="paywall">Robinson will make his first court appearance at 3 pm MST on Tuesday.</p>
  96. <p class="paywall">Kirk, 31, was fatally shot on September 10 while taking questions from students. The cofounder of Turning Point USA, he was credited with galvanizing young conservatives and playing a pivotal role in Donald Trump’s 2024 White House return.</p>
  97. <p class="paywall">The shooting sparked <a rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-offer-url="https://www.sltrib.com/news/2025/09/16/charlie-kirk-shooting-uvu-alerts/" class="external-link text link" data-event-click="{&quot;element&quot;:&quot;ExternalLink&quot;,&quot;outgoingURL&quot;:&quot;https://www.sltrib.com/news/2025/09/16/charlie-kirk-shooting-uvu-alerts/&quot;}" href="https://www.sltrib.com/news/2025/09/16/charlie-kirk-shooting-uvu-alerts/">chaos on campus</a>, where delayed and contradictory emergency alerts left many students and faculty scrambling in confusion. Vigils for Kirk have since been held in Arizona, New York, and Washington, among other states. Across the US, Kirk’s murder has become both a rallying cry for far-right retribution and fuel for an <a rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/after-charlie-kirks-death-trump-team-calls-dismantling-leftist-groups-2025-09-16/" class="text link">assault on civil society</a>.</p>
  98. <p class="paywall">Investigators claim forensic evidence links Robinson to the shooting, with FBI director Kash Patel telling <em>Fox &amp; Friends</em> that matching DNA was found on a towel wrapped around the rifle and on a screwdriver recovered from the rooftop where the fatal shot was fired. Patel also said investigators believe Robinson wrote a note of his alleged intent to kill Kirk, bolstering claims the attack was premeditated.</p>
  99. <p class="paywall">An indictment <a rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-offer-url="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/26098838/tyler-robinson-indictment.pdf" class="external-link text link" data-event-click="{&quot;element&quot;:&quot;ExternalLink&quot;,&quot;outgoingURL&quot;:&quot;https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/26098838/tyler-robinson-indictment.pdf&quot;}" href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/26098838/tyler-robinson-indictment.pdf">released Tuesday</a> adds vivid details to the allegations. Prosecutors say surveillance footage captured Robinson climbing onto a campus rooftop, lying prone in a “sniper position,” and firing from nearly 160 yards away. Investigators recovered cartridges at the scene with hand-engraved messages, which prosecutors argue points to premeditation and motive.</p>
  100. <p class="paywall">Prosecutors also cited interviews with Robinson’s parents and roommate, who said he expressed anger that Kirk “spreads too much hate” and admitted he had “enough of his hatred.” The filing further alleges that Robinson told his roommate to stay silent if approached by police and that children were visible near the stage when Kirk was shot—factors prosecutors say aggravated the seriousness of the crime.</p>
  101. <p class="paywall">The indictment recounts an interview with Robinson&#8217;s mother, who told investigators her son had grown more political in the past year &#8220;and had started to lean more to the left,&#8221; the indictment claims, citing &#8220;pro-gay&#8221; and &#8220;trans-rights&#8221; views. She described him as becoming increasingly consumed by online debates and grievances, noting his fixation with political topics seemed to intensify in the weeks leading up to the shooting, the indictment says. She added that Robinson had also begun to date his roommate, a transgender woman, adding that his father has “very different political views.” The roommate is said to be fully cooperating with the government.</p>
  102. </div>
  103. ]]></content:encoded>
  105. <wfw:commentRss>https://geekblog.net/tech-news/charlie-kirk-shooting-suspect-charged-as-prosecutor-seeks-death-penalty/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  106. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  109. </item>
  110. <item>
  111. <title>A new report finds China’s space program will soon equal that of the US</title>
  112. <link>https://geekblog.net/tech-news/a-new-report-finds-chinas-space-program-will-soon-equal-that-of-the-us/</link>
  113. <comments>https://geekblog.net/tech-news/a-new-report-finds-chinas-space-program-will-soon-equal-that-of-the-us/#respond</comments>
  115. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Michael Comaous]]></dc:creator>
  116. <pubDate>Tue, 16 Sep 2025 18:21:33 +0000</pubDate>
  117. <category><![CDATA[Tech News]]></category>
  118. <category><![CDATA[Chinas]]></category>
  119. <category><![CDATA[equal]]></category>
  120. <category><![CDATA[Finds]]></category>
  121. <category><![CDATA[program]]></category>
  122. <category><![CDATA[Report]]></category>
  123. <category><![CDATA[Space]]></category>
  124. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://geekblog.net/tech-news/a-new-report-finds-chinas-space-program-will-soon-equal-that-of-the-us/</guid>
  125.  
  126. <description><![CDATA[As Jonathan Roll neared completion of a master&#8217;s degree in science and technology policy at Arizona State University three years ago, he did some research into recent developments by China&#8217;s ascendant space program. He came away impressed by the country&#8217;s growing ambitions. Now a full-time research analyst at the university, Roll was recently asked to [...]]]></description>
  127. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>
  128. <p>As Jonathan Roll neared completion of a master&#8217;s degree in science and technology policy at Arizona State University three years ago, he did some research into recent developments by China&#8217;s ascendant space program. He came away impressed by the country&#8217;s growing ambitions.</p>
  129. <p>Now a full-time research analyst at the university, Roll was recently asked to take a deeper dive into Chinese space plans.</p>
  130. <p>&#8220;I thought I had a pretty good read on this when I was finishing grad school,&#8221; Roll told Ars. &#8220;That almost everything needed to be updated, or had changed three years later, was pretty scary. On all these fronts, they&#8217;ve made pretty significant progress. They are taking all of the cues from our Western system about what&#8217;s really galvanized innovation, and they are off to the races with it.&#8221;</p>
  131. <p>Roll is the co-author of a new report, <a rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" href="https://commercialspace.org/news_events/redshift/">titled &#8220;Redshift</a>,&#8221; on the acceleration of China&#8217;s commercial and civil space activities and the threat these pose to similar efforts in the United States. Published on Tuesday, the report was sponsored by the US-based Commercial Space Federation, which advocates for the country&#8217;s commercial space industry. It is a sobering read and comes as China not only projects to land humans on the lunar surface before the US can return, but also is advancing across several spaceflight fronts to challenge America.</p>
  132. <p>&#8220;The trend line is unmistakable,&#8221; the report states. &#8220;China is not only racing to catch up—it is setting pace, deregulating, and, at times, redefining what leadership looks like on and above Earth. This new space race will not be won with a single breakthrough or headline achievement, but with sustained commitment, clear-eyed vigilance, and a willingness to adapt over decades.&#8221;</p>
  133. </p></div>
  134. ]]></content:encoded>
  136. <wfw:commentRss>https://geekblog.net/tech-news/a-new-report-finds-chinas-space-program-will-soon-equal-that-of-the-us/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  137. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  140. </item>
  141. <item>
  142. <title>Viking survival sim Valheim will finally come to the PS5 in 2026</title>
  143. <link>https://geekblog.net/tech-news/viking-survival-sim-valheim-will-finally-come-to-the-ps5-in-2026/</link>
  144. <comments>https://geekblog.net/tech-news/viking-survival-sim-valheim-will-finally-come-to-the-ps5-in-2026/#respond</comments>
  146. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Michael Comaous]]></dc:creator>
  147. <pubDate>Tue, 16 Sep 2025 17:20:29 +0000</pubDate>
  148. <category><![CDATA[Tech News]]></category>
  149. <category><![CDATA[Finally]]></category>
  150. <category><![CDATA[PS5]]></category>
  151. <category><![CDATA[SIM]]></category>
  152. <category><![CDATA[survival]]></category>
  153. <category><![CDATA[Valheim]]></category>
  154. <category><![CDATA[Viking]]></category>
  155. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://geekblog.net/tech-news/viking-survival-sim-valheim-will-finally-come-to-the-ps5-in-2026/</guid>
  156.  
  157. <description><![CDATA[The hit survival sim Valheim will be , ending years of speculation. The year is all we got, as developer Iron Gate AB didn&#8217;t announce an actual release date. Still, it&#8217;s better than nothing. We do know that the PS5 version will feature full crossplay with all other platforms, so that&#8217;s good. Piktiv, a company [...]]]></description>
  158. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p>
  159. <div data-article-body="true">
  160. <p class="col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 engadget-charcoal">The hit survival sim <em>Valheim</em> will be <a rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="https://valheim.com/news/valheim-is-coming-to-playstation-/" data-ylk="slk:released for the PS5 in 2026;cpos:1;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link "></a>, ending years of speculation. The year is all we got, as developer Iron Gate AB didn&#8217;t announce an actual release date. Still, it&#8217;s better than nothing.</p>
  161. <p class="col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 engadget-charcoal">We do know that the PS5 version will feature full crossplay with all other platforms, so that&#8217;s good. Piktiv, a company that regularly assists Iron Gate with <em>Valheim</em> stuff, is working on the port so the main development team can focus its efforts on updates and DLC drops. To that end, there&#8217;s a massive expansion coming called <a rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="https://valheim.fandom.com/wiki/Deep_North" data-ylk="slk:Deep North;cpos:2;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link "><em></em></a> that introduces a new biome.</p>
  162. <p class="col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 engadget-charcoal">For the uninitiated, <em>Valheim</em> is a popular survival sim based on Norse mythology with a strong emphasis on cooperative play. Players team up to hunt, build bases, explore and take down bosses.</p>
  163. <p class="col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 engadget-charcoal">It first popped up on Steam as an early access title at the beginning of 2021, where it . The game was released for . There are no current plans for a Switch 2 version.</p>
  164. </div>
  165. ]]></content:encoded>
  167. <wfw:commentRss>https://geekblog.net/tech-news/viking-survival-sim-valheim-will-finally-come-to-the-ps5-in-2026/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  168. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  171. </item>
  172. <item>
  173. <title>Fourth Power’s sci-fi thermal batteries could be cheaper than pricey natural gas power plants</title>
  174. <link>https://geekblog.net/tech-news/fourth-powers-sci-fi-thermal-batteries-could-be-cheaper-than-pricey-natural-gas-power-plants/</link>
  175. <comments>https://geekblog.net/tech-news/fourth-powers-sci-fi-thermal-batteries-could-be-cheaper-than-pricey-natural-gas-power-plants/#respond</comments>
  177. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Michael Comaous]]></dc:creator>
  178. <pubDate>Tue, 16 Sep 2025 16:18:59 +0000</pubDate>
  179. <category><![CDATA[Tech News]]></category>
  180. <category><![CDATA[batteries]]></category>
  181. <category><![CDATA[Cheaper]]></category>
  182. <category><![CDATA[Fourth]]></category>
  183. <category><![CDATA[gas]]></category>
  184. <category><![CDATA[natural]]></category>
  185. <category><![CDATA[plants]]></category>
  186. <category><![CDATA[power]]></category>
  187. <category><![CDATA[Powers]]></category>
  188. <category><![CDATA[pricey]]></category>
  189. <category><![CDATA[scifi]]></category>
  190. <category><![CDATA[Thermal]]></category>
  191. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://geekblog.net/tech-news/fourth-powers-sci-fi-thermal-batteries-could-be-cheaper-than-pricey-natural-gas-power-plants/</guid>
  192.  
  193. <description><![CDATA[Fourth Power’s take on long-duration energy storage sounds like something out of a James Bond film. The thermal batteries come complete with superheated liquid tin and argon-filled hermetically sealed chambers. The company’s goal, though, is far more prosaic — to store electricity cheap enough to make solar and wind an obvious choice for 24/7 power. [...]]]></description>
  194. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p>
  195. <div>
  196. <p id="speakable-summary" class="wp-block-paragraph"><a rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" href="https://gofourth.com/">Fourth Power</a>’s take on long-duration energy storage sounds like something out of a James Bond film. The thermal batteries come complete with superheated liquid tin and argon-filled hermetically sealed chambers. The company’s goal, though, is far more prosaic —  to store electricity cheap enough to make solar and wind an obvious choice for 24/7 power.</p>
  197. <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Here’s how the technology works: To store energy, electricity from the grid heats blocks of carbon inside insulated chambers filled with argon gas. When power is needed, the system pumps molten tin heated to a scorching 2,400°C (4,352°F) through graphite pipes — the only cost-effective material that can withstand those temperatures. Special solar panel-like devices called thermophotovoltaic cells then convert the heat back into electricity by capturing the white-hot tin’s infrared light.</p>
  198. <p class="wp-block-paragraph">The four-year-old, Cambridge, Massachusetts, startup has been refining the technology for the last two years, and it’s now preparing to build its first full-scale battery, molten tin and all. If all goes to plan, <a rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" href="https://gofourth.com">Fourth Power</a> plans to deliver commercial-scale batteries to customers in 2028 at a cost that could undercut both lithium-ion batteries and peaking natural-gas plants.</p>
  199. <p class="wp-block-paragraph">“Our projections are for the first-of-a-kind — the first ones to market — that they’ll be cost competitive,” Arvin Ganesan, Fourth Power’s co-founder and CEO, told TechCrunch. “Our comps for these markets are very high.”</p>
  200. <p class="wp-block-paragraph">In normal operation, Fourth Power envisions charging and discharging daily, providing continuous electricity for around eight hours or more. That’s twice as long as most grid-scale lithium-ion batteries are designed for. The insulation system, made from petroleum coke (a waste product from oil refining), keeps temperatures remarkably stable, losing only 1% of stored energy per day.</p>
  201. <p class="wp-block-paragraph">The company is currently running extensive testing on smaller versions of the system. “We’re now running cycles to make sure that we’re getting the expected amount of power out and to ensure the system is durable,” Ganesan said. </p>
  202. <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Alongside those tests, the company is designing a 1-megawatt-hour demonstration battery. To build that project, Fourth Power has raised $20 million in a round it’s calling a Series A Plus, the company exclusively told TechCrunch. The round was led by Munich Re Ventures with participation from Breakthrough Energy Ventures and DCVC. The startup previously raised a $19 million Series A in 2023.</p>
  203. <div class="wp-block-techcrunch-inline-cta">
  204. <div class="inline-cta__wrapper">
  205. <p>Techcrunch event</p>
  206. <div class="inline-cta__content">
  207. <p>
  208. <span class="inline-cta__location">San Francisco</span><br />
  209. <span class="inline-cta__separator">|</span><br />
  210. <span class="inline-cta__date">October 27-29, 2025</span>
  211. </p>
  212. </p></div>
  213. </p></div>
  214. </div>
  215. <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Ultimately, Fourth Power hopes that once it hits large-scale production, the cost of storing electricity using its thermal batteries will fall to $25 per kilowatt-hour, one-tenth the cost of lithium-ion batteries. </p>
  216. <p class="wp-block-paragraph">“There’s not a lot of moving pieces. There’s not a lot of players in the supply chain, which means that you can get to cost targets in a fairly straightforward way,” Ganesan said. “We feel the $25 target is fairly straightforward to achieve.”</p>
  217. </div>
  218. ]]></content:encoded>
  220. <wfw:commentRss>https://geekblog.net/tech-news/fourth-powers-sci-fi-thermal-batteries-could-be-cheaper-than-pricey-natural-gas-power-plants/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  221. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  224. </item>
  225. <item>
  226. <title>Meta created its own super PAC to politically kneecap its AI rivals</title>
  227. <link>https://geekblog.net/tech-news/meta-created-its-own-super-pac-to-politically-kneecap-its-ai-rivals/</link>
  228. <comments>https://geekblog.net/tech-news/meta-created-its-own-super-pac-to-politically-kneecap-its-ai-rivals/#respond</comments>
  230. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Michael Comaous]]></dc:creator>
  231. <pubDate>Tue, 16 Sep 2025 15:18:06 +0000</pubDate>
  232. <category><![CDATA[Tech News]]></category>
  233. <category><![CDATA[created]]></category>
  234. <category><![CDATA[kneecap]]></category>
  235. <category><![CDATA[Meta]]></category>
  236. <category><![CDATA[PAC]]></category>
  237. <category><![CDATA[politically]]></category>
  238. <category><![CDATA[rivals]]></category>
  239. <category><![CDATA[Super]]></category>
  240. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://geekblog.net/tech-news/meta-created-its-own-super-pac-to-politically-kneecap-its-ai-rivals/</guid>
  241.  
  242. <description><![CDATA[In late August, two pro-AI super PACs were announced on the same day, intent on shaping the upcoming midterm elections. One was a fairly traditional super PAC, announced via a splashy press release, with multiple major industry players planning to donate over $100 million to boost AI-friendly candidates across the country. The other was far [...]]]></description>
  243. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p>
  244. <div id="zephr-anchor">
  245. <div class="duet--article--article-body-component">
  246. <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">In late August, two pro-AI super PACs were announced on the same day, intent on shaping the upcoming midterm elections. One was a fairly traditional super PAC, announced via a splashy press release, with multiple major industry players planning to donate over $100 million to boost AI-friendly candidates across the country.</p>
  247. </div>
  248. <div class="duet--article--article-body-component">
  249. <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">The other was far more unusual. <a rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/26/exclusive-meta-to-launch-california-super-pac-focused-on-ai-00524989">Meta had quietly filed</a> to create the Mobilizing Economic Transformation Across (Meta) California, a state-only super PAC that would allow Meta to spend its own money to run political ads on behalf of their AI interests — and only <em>their</em> interests.</p>
  250. </div>
  251. <div class="duet--article--article-body-component">
  252. <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">After the Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in <em>Citizens United </em>loosened campaign finance restrictions, corporations and the super-wealthy have poured billions into super PACs: political action committees that can accept unlimited amounts of corporate money to spend on ads, advocacy, and voter turnout during elections. (The only requirement is that they cannot directly coordinate with candidates or campaigns, or directly donate to them.)</p>
  253. </div>
  254. <div class="duet--article--article-body-component">
  255. <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">But while corporations and individual billionaires have donated <em>to </em>super PACs, campaign finance experts tell <em>The Verge </em>that to their knowledge, it is exceedingly rare for a company to create its own super PAC — especially a company controlled by one person.</p>
  256. </div>
  257. <div class="duet--article--article-body-component">
  258. <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">Thanks to a unique corporate ownership structure that gives him complete control of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg has essentially created his own personal California super PAC, allowing him to spend Meta’s money on politically protecting his priorities in the heart of the tech industry — and, possibly, against the interests of his corporate rivals. Meta confirmed that the company plans to spend tens of millions of dollars as part of the initial investment and said that it would figure out who had ultimate decision-making power over candidates to back, and whether Meta’s own social media products were used to promote those candidates, once the super PAC was up and running.</p>
  259. </div>
  260. <div class="duet--article--article-body-component">
  261. <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">“It’s essentially a way for [Zuckerberg] to spend the company’s money on his political choices, whereas at a company like Google, there’s not a single person who’s a majority shareholder who can dictate what the company does,” Rick Hasen, a UCLA law professor specializing in election law, told <em>The Verge</em>. “It’s interesting, because Zuckerberg could just spend his own personal money to do this. But instead, he’s doing it through the company.”</p>
  262. </div>
  263. <div class="duet--article--article-body-component">
  264. <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">In a statement to <em>The Verge</em>, Meta’s VP of public policy, Brian Rice, said that Meta launched the super PAC in order to back “candidates regardless of party who recognize California’s vital role in AI development and embrace policies that will keep the state at the forefront of the global tech ecosystem.”</p>
  265. </div>
  266. <div class="duet--article--article-body-component">
  267. <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">”As home to many of the world’s leading AI companies, California’s innovation economy has an outsized impact on America’s economic growth, job creation, and global competitiveness,” Rice said. “But Sacramento’s regulatory environment could stifle innovation, block AI progress, and put California’s technology leadership at risk.”</p>
  268. </div>
  269. <div class="duet--article--article-body-component">
  270. <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">Certain aspects of the Meta super PAC are not unprecedented. In 2024, the crypto industry launched several super PACs to push anti-crypto elected officials out of office and replace them with allies. Nor is it unprecedented for an individual billionaire to fund a super PAC: in the same election <a rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" href="https://www.politico.com/elon-musk-trump-donations-super-pac">Elon Musk spent over $235 million to boost Republican candidates</a> via his own personal super PACs.</p>
  271. </div>
  272. <div class="duet--article--article-body-component">
  273. <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">But Musk used his own personal funds for those super PACs, giving him the freedom to back his candidates without answering to shareholders. The crypto super PACs were coalitions, and all the participating companies would benefit as a whole industry.</p>
  274. </div>
  275. <div class="duet--article--article-body-component">
  276. <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">Individual tech companies have entered the super PAC game occasionally. Earlier this year, <a rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/09/airbnb-attacks-new-york-mayoral-candidates-in-1m-ad-spend-00395669">Airbnb established one in New York City</a> to influence the heated mayoral election. And Uber has several super PACs across the country, including California. But neither company was operating in a landscape so full of other potential competitors, and neither has remotely the same financial clout.</p>
  277. </div>
  278. <div class="duet--article--article-body-component">
  279. <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">Leading the Future, the other AI super PAC, is running the crypto playbook. On launch day, LTF announced that it had already brought several AI heavy hitters on board — Andreessen Horowitz, Perplexity AI, Ron Conway, and Joe Lonsdale, to name a few — and planned to bring in more. They also planned to launch committees both on the state and federal level, leaving open the possibility that they could launch a California super PAC. (Leading the Future did not respond to a request asking if Meta had been invited to participate, or if they planned to file in California.)</p>
  280. </div>
  281. <div class="duet--article--article-body-component">
  282. <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">But why, then, would Zuckerberg go it alone? “There’s nothing preventing this Meta super PAC from adding new partners,” Saurav Ghosh, the director of federal campaign finance reform at the Campaign Legal Center, told <em>The Verge</em>. “But I think what they would give up in that situation is the control that you have when [the super PAC] is entirely funded by one company.”</p>
  283. </div>
  284. <div class="duet--article--article-body-component">
  285. <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">In other words, Meta’s first priority is not to convince the public to come to their side, since holding Big Tech accountable is often a bipartisan issue — especially during a time when Meta is being lambasted over <a rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2025/09/08/meta-research-child-safety-virtual-reality/">reports of suppressing research</a> on child online safety. Instead it’s about convincing politicians to vote Meta’s way, and for that matter, Zuckerberg’s way.</p>
  286. </div>
  287. <div class="duet--article--article-body-component">
  288. <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">That means Meta’s strategy could be the same as that of the crypto super PACs, with one twist. Though they often disagreed on whom to back, the crypto PACs ultimately had the shared goal of ousting politicians threatening to crack down on the industry. But Meta could run attack ads against candidates that don’t support their interests — even <em>if </em>they’re pro-AI, but in a way that favors Meta’s competition.</p>
  289. </div>
  290. <div class="duet--article--article-body-component">
  291. <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">“The threat of a super PAC is not that, <em>Oh, Big Tech is going to be running pro-Facebook messaging in my race and a voter might come to me and say, ‘Now, why aren’t you standing up for Facebook?’</em> No, the threat is that a big tech company is going to give hundreds of millions of dollars to help your opponent win,” Sacha Haworth, executive director of the nonprofit Tech Oversight Project, told <em>The Verge</em>.</p>
  292. </div>
  293. <div class="duet--article--article-body-component">
  294. <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">It makes sense for Meta to focus its fire specifically on California. Although the AI industry and lawmakers fully agree that there should be a nationwide law regulating the use of artificial intelligence, it’s highly unlikely that Congress will pass any comprehensive AI regulatory bill anytime soon. Their last attempt to vote on a major AI-related bill — a 10-year moratorium on states writing their own AI laws — died in the Senate, 99 to 1, during the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill earlier this year.</p>
  295. </div>
  296. <div class="duet--article--article-body-component">
  297. <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">California, meanwhile, has passed some of the strongest AI laws in the US and is now proposing what would be the most stringent standards in the country. SB 53, for instance, would compel AI companies to disclose and publicly adhere to their safety protocols; its critics claim that the regulations would stifle the industry’s growth and drive companies out of state.</p>
  298. </div>
  299. <div class="duet--article--article-body-component">
  300. <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">In the absence of Congress, California’s proposed laws would effectively set the standards for the entire AI industry. The industry is largely based in California, and so are nearly 40 million residents those companies are competing to serve.</p>
  301. </div>
  302. <div class="duet--article--article-body-component">
  303. <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">As such, the timing of Meta’s and LTF’s announcements was not lost on Sacramento’s lawmakers. Just as the California state legislature is wrapping up its yearly session — just before Gov. Gavin Newsom enters a 30-day decision period to sign or veto bills — they received an announcement that “there are two new AI super PACs focusing on California coming after them,” Haworth said. “It was designed for maximum intimidation.” The timing could be aimed at Newsom himself; there’s a governor’s race next year, after all, and the 2028 presidential election after that.</p>
  304. </div>
  305. <div class="duet--article--article-body-component">
  306. <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">“Don’t forget, every politician, especially the governor of California — people have larger ambitions,” Haworth said. “What happens now will follow them. There are all kinds of implied threats here.”</p>
  307. </div>
  308. <div class="duet--article--article-body-component">
  309. <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">Even before August, lobbying was ramping up in California. According to data from the state of California, Big Tech companies spent about $2.5 million on lobbying in the state during the first half of this year. For reference, in 2024, Google, Amazon, Waymo, Meta, and the Computer &amp; Communications Industry Association were all among the top 100 lobbying expenditures in California. Those specific companies spent a combined $22.5 million for the whole year. Barring the fact we don’t have public third-quarter data available yet, there’s a good chance we’re likely to see tens of millions spent for the rest of 2025.</p>
  310. </div>
  311. <div class="duet--article--article-body-component">
  312. <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">“They have oodles and oodles of lobbyists, and this is when they’re meeting with lawmakers multiple times a day — and all of this is happening at the same time members in California wake up in the morning and they see an announcement [about the super PAC],” Haworth said. “They’re trying to do at the ballot box what they can’t do legally. They’re going to try to buy off politicians.”</p>
  313. </div>
  314. <div class="duet--article--article-body-component">
  315. <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">The fact that LTF and Meta are running two separate pressure campaigns, however, is telling.</p>
  316. </div>
  317. <div class="duet--article--article-body-component">
  318. <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">“I just don’t think Meta was invited to the other AI party,” Haworth said, adding, “Look, you have Mark Zuckerberg trying to poach employees from every other AI company, from OpenAI especially, offering them packages in the hundreds of millions of dollars, and failing in a lot of cases.”</p>
  319. </div>
  320. <div class="duet--article--article-body-component">
  321. <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">Dave Kasten, head of policy at Palisade Research, made a similar point — that at their core, people are people, and Zuckerberg may have ruffled too many feathers in his quest to poach top-tier research talent. “If I were listing hypotheses, that’s probably pretty high on my list of why this is happening,” he said.</p>
  322. </div>
  323. <div class="duet--article--article-body-component">
  324. <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">On the other hand, Zuckerberg’s decision to fly solo, at least when it comes to protecting Meta’s own political interests, is not completely unprecedented. In 2022, during Big Tech’s fight against proposed bipartisan antitrust laws, Meta primarily funded its own tech industry advocacy group, the American Edge Project, to further its agenda. And more than 10 years ago, Zuckerberg spearheaded the launch of FWD.us, an immigration reform nonprofit, with <a rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" href="https://scottpeters.house.gov/2015/4/mark-zuckerberg-s-immigration-hustle">tens of millions</a> pooled from himself and others in the tech industry looking to champion white-collar tech talent.</p>
  325. </div>
  326. <div class="duet--article--article-body-component">
  327. <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">“I think part of it might just be that, attitudinally, that’s how he rolls,” Kasten said, adding that Meta’s past posture on open-source AI may also set its strategy apart if it chooses to continue on that route — meaning Meta may want to advocate for things that uniquely benefit its own AI strategy.</p>
  328. </div>
  329. <div class="duet--article--article-body-component">
  330. <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">And it might not stop there. Hasen, the UCLA election law professor, told <em>The Verge </em>that there was nothing preventing Zuckerberg from using the Meta super PAC on issues beyond supporting pro-AI candidates.</p>
  331. </div>
  332. <div class="duet--article--article-body-component">
  333. <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">In California alone, Meta could weigh in on tech-related ballot initiatives, which allow citizens to pass laws with a majority vote without going through the legislative process. There is some precedent for industry influence: in 2020, Uber, DoorDash, Postmates, Instacart, and Lyft spent<a rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" href="https://news.ballotpedia.org/2020/09/09/with-funding-from-uber-lyft-and-doordash-campaign-behind-california-proposition-22-tops-180-million/"> over $180 million to pass Proposition 22</a>, which would let rideshare companies classify their drivers as “independent contractors” and not employees. However, Yes on 22 was a political alliance between several direct competitors donating to one campaign.</p>
  334. </div>
  335. <div class="duet--article--article-body-component">
  336. <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">But Zuckerberg could also play a role in state elections with implications far beyond tech. In November, Californians will vote on whether to redraw California’s congressional map to add five more Democrat districts — a direct response to Texas Republicans redrawing their own map to gain a five-vote advantage in the House of Representatives. And next year, with Newsom ineligible to run for reelection due to term limits, Californians will have to vote for a new governor — a person that any tech corporation, Meta included, would love to directly influence.</p>
  337. </div>
  338. <div class="duet--article--article-body-component">
  339. <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">“It doesn’t mean [Zuckerberg has] made the choice” to do that, Hasen added. “But since he controls the company, if [a super PAC] is something he didn’t want to do, I’m sure they wouldn’t be doing it.”</p>
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  359. <h2 class="_1wu3rm5 _1bw37380">Tina Nguyen</h2>
  360. <div class="_1bw37381">
  361. <p>Senior Reporter, Washington</p>
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  434. <wfw:commentRss>https://geekblog.net/tech-news/meta-created-its-own-super-pac-to-politically-kneecap-its-ai-rivals/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  435. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  438. </item>
  439. <item>
  440. <title>The Casting Rumors for the &#8216;Gundam&#8217; Movie Are Only Getting Weirder</title>
  441. <link>https://geekblog.net/tech-news/the-casting-rumors-for-the-gundam-movie-are-only-getting-weirder/</link>
  442. <comments>https://geekblog.net/tech-news/the-casting-rumors-for-the-gundam-movie-are-only-getting-weirder/#respond</comments>
  444. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Michael Comaous]]></dc:creator>
  445. <pubDate>Tue, 16 Sep 2025 14:17:10 +0000</pubDate>
  446. <category><![CDATA[Tech News]]></category>
  447. <category><![CDATA[Casting]]></category>
  448. <category><![CDATA[Gundam]]></category>
  449. <category><![CDATA[Movie]]></category>
  450. <category><![CDATA[rumors]]></category>
  451. <category><![CDATA[Weirder]]></category>
  452. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://geekblog.net/tech-news/the-casting-rumors-for-the-gundam-movie-are-only-getting-weirder/</guid>
  453.  
  454. <description><![CDATA[Greg Nicotero teases a Jason Voorhees-inspired zombie on The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. Na Hong-jin’s alien invasion movie gets a poster, and Matt Reeves teases new ground for Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight in The Batman, Part II. Spoilers, away! Mobile Suit Gundam The latest edition of Jeff Sneider’s newsletter, the InSneider, alleges that Legendary is eyeing [...]]]></description>
  455. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p>
  456. <div>
  457. <p>Greg Nicotero teases a Jason Voorhees-inspired zombie on <em>The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon</em>. Na Hong-jin’s alien invasion movie gets a poster, and Matt Reeves teases new ground for Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight in <em>The Batman, Part II</em>. Spoilers, away!</p>
  458. </p>
  459. <h2>Mobile Suit Gundam</h2>
  460. <p>The latest edition of <a rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" href="https://www.theinsneider.com/p/benson-boone-gundam-movie-sydney-sweeney-christy-trailer-emmy-recap-leo-dicaprio-heat-2?utm_source=www.theinsneider.com&amp;utm_medium=newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=hot-rumor-singer-benson-boone-eyed-to-join-sydney-sweeney-in-legendary-s-live-action-gundam-movie&amp;_bhlid=ad76f88ee36d38970e1863b60c33caa730624bca&amp;last_resource_guid=Post%3A0ef19a67-f816-4f77-a0a4-897dbe5b41b0">Jeff Sneider’s newsletter</a>, the InSneider, alleges that Legendary is eyeing singer Benson Boone to join the cast of its adaptation of the mecha anime legend, in an undisclosed role alongside the previously rumored Sydney Sweeney. It would mark Boone’s feature debut.</p>
  461. <hr/>
  462. <h2>The Batman, Part II</h2>
  463. <p>Speaking with <a rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rQ4lJyVB1E&amp;ab_channel=TheHollywoodReporter">THR</a>, Matt Reeves stated <em>The Batman, Part II,</em> is “so much a detective story” and does “things” for the character that have “never been done this way before.”</p>
  464. <blockquote>
  465. <p>Because of what the first movie was and what [<em>The Batman: Part 2</em>] is, which is so much a detective story, the idea of trying to protect the secrets of the movie is super important because it’s a mystery. That would be an extra level of heartbreak if that part of it started getting out.</p>
  466. <p>You wanna keep the surprise so the fans can have the fun experience that I always love going to the movies, which was to go and be surprised. He’s Batman, so if he [Robert Pattinson] doesn’t like it, not good. So, I was super excited because I thought that he really would [like it] because the things that it does for his character, for Batman, and for Bruce has never been done before in this way.</p>
  467. <p>And I had a feeling he would respond in this way, the fact that he did was incredibly encouraging. And of course, I’m nervous every time anyone reads it because we put all this passion into it but you hope people connect to what you’re trying to do.</p>
  468. </blockquote>
  469. <hr/>
  470. <h2>The Astronaut</h2>
  471. <p><a rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" href="https://deadline.com/2025/09/kate-mara-laurence-fishburne-the-astronaut-us-deal-1236531507/">Deadline</a> reports Vertical has acquired the U.S. rights to <em>The Astronaut</em>, a sci-fi/thriller starring Kate Mara, Laurence Fishburne, Gabriel Luna, Ivana Milicevic, and singer-actress Macy Gray. The story concerns astronaut Sam Walker (Mara) as she’s “found miraculously alive in a punctured capsule floating deep off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. General William Harris (Fishburne) arranges for her to be placed under intense NASA surveillance in a high-security house for rehabilitation and medical testing. However, when disturbing occurrences begin happening around the property, she fears that something extraterrestrial has followed her back to Earth.”</p>
  472. <hr/>
  473. <h2>Hatchet 5</h2>
  474. <p>According to Kane Hodder at Silver Scream Con, there’s a “decent chance” a fifth <em>Hatchet</em> movie will happen, as director Adam Green has an “amazing” idea for a new installment.</p>
  475. <blockquote>
  476. <p>I think there’s a decent chance it happens, but nothing’s planned yet. All I know is that Adam has an idea, if it ever happens, of the setting, and I think it would be amazing if we did that. And it’s not space!</p>
  477. </blockquote>
  478. <p>[<a rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" href="https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3901172/kane-hodder-on-hatchet-5-setting-it-would-be-amazing/">Bloody-Disgusting</a>]</p>
  479. <hr/>
  480. <h2>Hope</h2>
  481. <p><a rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" href="https://deadline.com/2025/09/hope-na-hong-jin-hwang-hoyeon-michael-fassbender-poster-1236544319/">Deadline</a> has a poster for <em>Hope</em>, the new alien invasion thriller from <em>The Wailing</em> director, Na Hong-jin.</p>
  482. <figure id="attachment_2000659221" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2000659221" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-2000659221" src="https://gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2025/09/Hope-poster.jpg" alt="Hope Poster" width="640" height="445" srcset="https://gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2025/09/Hope-poster.jpg 640w, https://gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2025/09/Hope-poster-336x234.jpg 336w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 100vw, (max-width: 1023px) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 1258px) calc((100vw - 3.68rem) * 2 / 3), 800px"/><figcaption id="caption-attachment-2000659221" class="wp-caption-text">© Forged Films</figcaption></figure>
  483. <hr/>
  484. <h2>She Loved Blossoms More</h2>
  485. <p>Three brothers “descend into a psychedelic hellscape” after building their own TARDIS in the trailer for <em>She Loved Blossoms More</em>.</p>
  486. <div class="not-prose video-container"><noscript><iframe title="She Loved Blossoms More | Official Trailer HD | October 3" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/zSlK0r8tDRg?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></noscript></div>
  487. <hr/>
  488. <p> </p>
  489. <h2>The Penguin</h2>
  490. <p>Matt Reeves also confirmed “discussions” are underway for a potential second season of <em>The Penguin</em>.</p>
  491. <blockquote>
  492. <p>We’re in discussions. [Showrunner] Lauren [Lefranc] is thinking hard and we’re talking, so we’ll see. We love the show, and we think our cast is so incredible. The work that Lauren and the writers did was incredible. Our passion was in it, but never in our wildest dreams could we imagine it would have been received in the way that it was.</p>
  493. </blockquote>
  494. <p>[<a rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" href="https://variety.com/2025/film/news/robert-pattinson-batman-2-script-penguin-season-2-1236518305/">Variety</a>]</p>
  495. <hr/>
  496. <h2>The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon</h2>
  497. <p>According to <a rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" href="https://bloody-disgusting.com/tv/3901002/a-jason-voorhees-zombie-will-appear-in-daryl-dixon-season-3/">Bloody-Disgusting</a>, Greg Nicotero revealed the third season of <em>The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon</em> will include a zombie inspired by Jason Voorhees at Silver Scream Con.</p>
  498. <hr/>
  499. <p> </p>
  500. <p> </p>
  501. <blockquote>
  502. <p>Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.</p>
  503. </blockquote></div>
  504. ]]></content:encoded>
  506. <wfw:commentRss>https://geekblog.net/tech-news/the-casting-rumors-for-the-gundam-movie-are-only-getting-weirder/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  507. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  510. </item>
  511. <item>
  512. <title>Before You Buy the Apple Watch 11, Enjoy These 9 Hidden Features in Your Current Apple Watch</title>
  513. <link>https://geekblog.net/tech-news/before-you-buy-the-apple-watch-11-enjoy-these-9-hidden-features-in-your-current-apple-watch/</link>
  514. <comments>https://geekblog.net/tech-news/before-you-buy-the-apple-watch-11-enjoy-these-9-hidden-features-in-your-current-apple-watch/#respond</comments>
  516. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Michael Comaous]]></dc:creator>
  517. <pubDate>Tue, 16 Sep 2025 13:16:24 +0000</pubDate>
  518. <category><![CDATA[Tech News]]></category>
  519. <category><![CDATA[Apple]]></category>
  520. <category><![CDATA[Buy]]></category>
  521. <category><![CDATA[current]]></category>
  522. <category><![CDATA[Enjoy]]></category>
  523. <category><![CDATA[features]]></category>
  524. <category><![CDATA[hidden]]></category>
  525. <category><![CDATA[Watch]]></category>
  526. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://geekblog.net/tech-news/before-you-buy-the-apple-watch-11-enjoy-these-9-hidden-features-in-your-current-apple-watch/</guid>
  527.  
  528. <description><![CDATA[Prior to the latest Apple Watch Series 11 launch, Apple brought back the blood oxygen feature to its Series 6 watch and later versions, as well as for the Apple Ultra watches. This tool lets you check how much oxygen your red blood cells are carrying from your lungs throughout your body, something many users don&#8217;t even realize [...]]]></description>
  529. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p>
  530. <div id="">
  531. <p class="u-speakableText-p1">Prior to the latest Apple Watch Series 11 launch, Apple brought back the blood oxygen feature to its Series 6 watch and later versions, as well as for the Apple Ultra watches. This tool lets you check how much oxygen your red blood cells are carrying from your lungs throughout your body, something many users don&#8217;t even realize their watch can do.</p>
  532. <p><!----></p>
  533. <p class="u-speakableText-p2">Whether you have the newest version or not, the Apple Watch is packed with health-focused features that often fly under the radar. Beyond tracking steps or calories, it can monitor your heart,  sleep and fitness routines.</p>
  534. <p>To break down what these hidden features can actually do for your health, we spoke with a doctor at Apple. Here&#8217;s what you should know if you want to get the most out of your watch and use it as more than just a fitness tracker.</p>
  535. <p><em>Don&#8217;t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. </em><a rel="nofollow noopener" target="_self" data-id="e3d3f3d8-8d62-4303-84f5-bd36f7149457" href="https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=cnet.com"><em>Add CNET</em></a><em> as a preferred Google source.</em></p>
  536. <h2 id="01d6e73b-2dcc-4742-b093-3088c6e16bf0" data-ng-block="{">1. The Vitals app metrics</h2>
  537. <p>Using overnight health metrics, the Vitals app can reveal much about your health and how it changes daily. From heart rate and wrist temperature (available on Apple Watch Series 8 or later and any Apple Watch Ultra model) to respiratory rate and sleep duration, you can get a thorough picture of your health from just one glance at your watch. If you purchased an Apple Watch sold in the US before Jan. 18, 2024, you may also be able to measure your blood oxygen. </p>
  538. <p>&#8220;When two or more of your metrics are out of range, we will notify you with information about why that might be,&#8221; Dr. Lauren Cheung, a clinician at Apple, told CNET in an email. &#8220;How it works is just after you wake up, you might see a notification from the Vitals app. For example, maybe your heart rate and wrist temperature were high &#8212; this could be due to illness or alcohol consumption.&#8221;</p>
  539. <p>With the health information provided by the Vitals app, you can make informed decisions about your body. If specific metrics are outside your normal range, you can choose to get extra rest that day or visit your doctor if you have particular symptoms. </p>
  540. <h3 id="b16c70d4-e86d-43f8-9768-fb3dc0d0eac1" data-ng-block="{">How to set up the Vitals app on the Apple Watch</h3>
  541. <p>To set up your typical range, you must wear your Apple Watch for at least seven days. Ensure your watch is not loose on your wrist; otherwise, it might not capture accurate readings. </p>
  542. <p>To set up notifications, go to Settings on your Apple Watch, tap Vitals and turn on notifications. </p>
  543. <p>For sleep specifically, make sure Track Sleep with Apple Watch is set up and Sleep Focus is enabled. To do so, open your iPhone&#8217;s Health app, tap Get Started under Set Up Sleep, tap Next and then follow the on-screen prompts. You can also use your Apple Watch&#8217;s Sleep app and follow the on-screen instructions. </p>
  544. <h2 id="2f2bf2c0-3873-4ee8-b3f1-54d9348bd310" data-ng-block="{">2. Noise notifications </h2>
  545. <figure class="c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large">
  546. <div class="c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer"><!----> </p>
  547. <div class="c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image"><picture class="c-cmsImage_image"><source media="(max-width: 767px)" srcset="https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/e51421719efdaf8387ecd31b3a5aa56e60ecacbf/hub/2023/04/28/017b5928-39c8-440f-9926-216d6637802b/noise-app-notification.png?auto=webp&amp;width=768" alt="An Apple Watch screen showing a loud noise exposure notification"><source media="(max-width: 1023px)" srcset="https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/bb5304967ac39c447e076421924a48e12cb4696f/hub/2023/04/28/017b5928-39c8-440f-9926-216d6637802b/noise-app-notification.png?auto=webp&amp;width=1024" alt="An Apple Watch screen showing a loud noise exposure notification"><source media="(max-width: 1440px)" srcset="https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/9bb5ae43082dd303f1f0fd105fbc7e153608dc1b/hub/2023/04/28/017b5928-39c8-440f-9926-216d6637802b/noise-app-notification.png?auto=webp&amp;width=1200" alt="An Apple Watch screen showing a loud noise exposure notification"><img decoding="async" src="" alt="An Apple Watch screen showing a loud noise exposure notification" height="1232.8502415458936" width="1200" loading="lazy"/></source></source></source></picture></div>
  548. <p> <!----> <!----></div><figcaption><!----> <span class="c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall">Apple</span></figcaption></figure>
  549. <p>You can use the Noise app on your Apple Watch to measure the sound levels in your environment. You can also enable noise notifications so your watch can tell you when you&#8217;re exposed to dangerously loud sounds. </p>
  550. <p>When asked why noise notifications were added to the Apple Watch, Cheung said, &#8220;The world can be loud, and we believe it&#8217;s important for you to be educated and empowered about how your environment, and the noise around you, can impact your hearing health over time. That way, you can take action; whether that&#8217;s moving to a quieter space or popping in AirPods Pro 2 with Hearing Protection.&#8221;</p>
  551. <p>With the AirPods Pro 2, Apple also offers a Hearing Test that can give you a baseline for your hearing health and help you adjust accordingly. Or you can even use your AirPods Pro 2 as a hearing aid. </p>
  552. <h3 id="226b4d05-ffc7-447b-85ae-6d41d2f02984" data-ng-block="{">How to set up Noise notifications on the Apple Watch</h3>
  553. <p>Simply go to the Watch app on your iPhone, tap My Watch, tap Noise, tap Noise Threshold and then pick a decibel level. Different limits are listed based on World Health Organization recommendations. </p>
  554. <h2 id="68ff62cf-a30c-462e-9be9-3370b0c00c30" data-ng-block="{">3. Ovulation estimates </h2>
  555. <p>&#8220;The technology is pretty remarkable,&#8221; Cheung said. &#8220;We created new temperature-sensing capabilities on Apple Watch that help you understand nightly changes from your baseline temperature, which can be caused by exercise, jet lag or even illness. The unique two-sensor design improves accuracy by reducing bias from the outside environment, detecting changes as small as 0.1 degrees Celsius.&#8221;</p>
  556. <p>With the Apple Watch Series 8 or later and all Apple Watch Ultra models, this technology allows the Cycle Tracking app to estimate when ovulation occurs. &#8220;The reason we can do that is because after you ovulate, there is a biphasic shift, or in other words, an increase in temperature in response to changing hormones,&#8221; Cheung said. This can also help improve the Cycle Tracking app&#8217;s period predictions.</p>
  557. <h3 id="68df5e53-d35a-4a0b-8dd0-a2e7bed8618d" data-ng-block="{">How to set up ovulation estimates on the Apple Watch </h3>
  558. <p>First, set up Cycle Tracking with fertility predictions enabled and no ongoing cycle factors logged. To do so, open your iPhone or iPad&#8217;s Health app, tap Browse on the iPhone or open the iPad&#8217;s sidebar, tap Cycle Tracking, tap Get Started and follow the on-screen instructions. </p>
  559. <p>You will also want to ensure you set up Track Sleep with your Apple Watch and have Sleep Focus enabled for at least 4 hours per night for five nights. To set up Sleep, follow the instructions in your Apple Watch&#8217;s Sleep app. </p>
  560. <h2 id="3b50571a-24b8-4a5d-8a9a-80f0523247db" data-ng-block="{">4. Fall detection </h2>
  561. <figure class="c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large">
  562. <div class="c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer"><!----> </p>
  563. <div class="c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image"><picture class="c-cmsImage_image"><source media="(max-width: 767px)" srcset="https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/0a732bc9fa69801d3398e8fda3d68d94f92d858b/hub/2024/03/22/e74808a5-37b2-4de3-bce2-e34252395cac/screenshot-2024-03-22-at-5-36-42pm.png?auto=webp&amp;width=768" alt="fall detection feature on apple watch"><source media="(max-width: 1023px)" srcset="https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/72af09d98c046b2cb669866b8722df13c61e6b09/hub/2024/03/22/e74808a5-37b2-4de3-bce2-e34252395cac/screenshot-2024-03-22-at-5-36-42pm.png?auto=webp&amp;width=1024" alt="fall detection feature on apple watch"><source media="(max-width: 1440px)" srcset="https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/1772a1dbf7d590fa4070ea1f6a555aaa52f405ae/hub/2024/03/22/e74808a5-37b2-4de3-bce2-e34252395cac/screenshot-2024-03-22-at-5-36-42pm.png?auto=webp&amp;width=1200" alt="fall detection feature on apple watch"><img decoding="async" src="" alt="fall detection feature on apple watch" height="570.9515859766277" width="1200" loading="lazy"/></source></source></source></picture></div>
  564. <p> <!----> <!----></div><figcaption><!----> <span class="c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall">Apple/Screenshot by CNET</span></figcaption></figure>
  565. <p>According to Cheung, many Apple Watch users have reported the benefits of fall detection. &#8220;For those who have an active lifestyle, they can choose to enable it during workouts &#8212; the feature is able to recognize the unique motion and impact of falls from a bike and other workout types,&#8221; Cheung said.</p>
  566. <p>If your watch detects a hard fall, it will sound an alarm, display an alert and tap you on the wrist. With the alert, you can either dismiss it by tapping &#8220;I&#8217;m OK&#8221; or contact emergency services. The watch automatically calls if you&#8217;ve been immobile for around a minute. After, it will message your emergency contacts with your location. If you don&#8217;t have cellular or Wi-Fi coverage, Fall Detection may reach emergency services via the Emergency SOS via satellite system (if available). </p>
  567. <p>Note that Apple Watch can&#8217;t detect all falls and may mistake a high-impact activity as a fall. </p>
  568. <h3 id="bdb0d4c2-755e-42a4-b8eb-215d2bccfe5f" data-ng-block="{">How to set up fall detection on the Apple Watch </h3>
  569. <p>To enable it, on your iPhone, open the Watch app, tap My Watch, tap Emergency SOS and turn Fall Detection on or off. If enabled, you can choose whether you want it to always be on or only during workouts. This works for Apple Watch SE, Apple Watch Series 4 or later and Apple Watch Ultra or later, and if you inputted your age when you set up your Apple Watch or in the Health app, the Fall Detection feature turns on automatically if you&#8217;re 55 or older.</p>
  570. <h2 id="09a8cdd1-2d98-4c9c-a459-b4555fc0597e" data-ng-block="{">5. Heart health notifications </h2>
  571. <p>For those with Apple Watch Series 1 or later and people aged 13 and over, you can have your Apple Watch alert you if your heart rate is high or low or has an irregular rhythm. &#8220;For the most part, you don&#8217;t have to do anything besides turn them on,&#8221; Cheung said. &#8220;They work passively in the background as you live your day. If your heart rate is unusually high or low, you can get a notification, so you can take action. And if your heart rhythm shows signs of atrial fibrillation &#8212; an irregular heart rhythm &#8212; you&#8217;ll receive a notification.&#8221;</p>
  572. <figure class="c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-small c-shortcodeImage-pullRight"><!----> </p>
  573. <div class="c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image"><picture class="c-cmsImage_image"><source media="(max-width: 767px)" srcset="https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/2c59619f89750c2846f0b87c4e539e277b9f2501/hub/2024/11/11/b13aba55-d2dd-4738-9ce8-9f3b981dea53/tips-health.png?auto=webp&amp;width=768" alt="Health Tips"><source media="(max-width: 1023px)" srcset="https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/2c59619f89750c2846f0b87c4e539e277b9f2501/hub/2024/11/11/b13aba55-d2dd-4738-9ce8-9f3b981dea53/tips-health.png?auto=webp&amp;width=768" alt="Health Tips"><source media="(max-width: 1440px)" srcset="https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/2c59619f89750c2846f0b87c4e539e277b9f2501/hub/2024/11/11/b13aba55-d2dd-4738-9ce8-9f3b981dea53/tips-health.png?auto=webp&amp;width=768" alt="Health Tips"><img decoding="async" src="" alt="Health Tips" height="617.3049645390072" width="768" loading="lazy"/></source></source></source></picture></div>
  574. <p> <!----> <!----> <!----></figure>
  575. <p>Cheung said atrial fibrillation as the most common type of arrhythmia among adults, which can have serious side effects on your health if not treated. &#8220;For instance, it&#8217;s the leading cause of stroke,&#8221; Cheung said. &#8220;And some people with AFib can have little to no symptoms, so they may not even realize they&#8217;re experiencing episodes and ultimately may not seek attention.&#8221;</p>
  576. <p>If you get an irregular rhythm notification, you can speak with your doctor and even share a PDF that includes information about your heart health notifications and, if you take one, your electrocardiogram. Available on Apple Watch Series 4 or later and all Apple Watch Ultra models, the ECG app allows you to take a test that records the timing and strength of the electrical signals that make your heartbeat.</p>
  577. <h3 id="a0ec4aad-6cbc-44b3-95cd-ddc5f3ff0c50" data-ng-block="{">How to set up heart health notifications on the Apple Watch </h3>
  578. <p>To set up heart rate notifications, go to the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, tap My Watch, tap Heart, tap High Heart Rate and choose Beats Per Minute, tap Low Heart Rate and choose a BPM. For irregular rhythm notifications, open your iPhone&#8217;s Health app, tap Browse, tap Heart, tap Irregular Rhythm Notifications and enable them. </p>
  579. <h2 id="f8601a64-fb93-4dc5-8a35-06dad02b080a" data-ng-block="{">6. Time in daylight</h2>
  580. <figure class="c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large">
  581. <div class="c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer"><!----> </p>
  582. <div class="c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image"><picture class="c-cmsImage_image"><source media="(max-width: 767px)" srcset="https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/3f8efa7698d4d554a1a81aa8dd745f3437773d70/hub/2023/06/05/5d1d32f1-0ccb-4436-bed0-d6ecfd61dedb/apple-wwdc23-health-insights-vision-health-time-in-daylight-230605-inline-jpg-large-2x.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768" alt="An iPhone screen showing time spent in the sun light"><source media="(max-width: 1023px)" srcset="https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/5b26e5a8bde06fb97b70a0c93b403b280b619a5a/hub/2023/06/05/5d1d32f1-0ccb-4436-bed0-d6ecfd61dedb/apple-wwdc23-health-insights-vision-health-time-in-daylight-230605-inline-jpg-large-2x.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=1024" alt="An iPhone screen showing time spent in the sun light"><source media="(max-width: 1440px)" srcset="https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/cd3661eaf26d6ce6497c15470ff9a3b64ef1224e/hub/2023/06/05/5d1d32f1-0ccb-4436-bed0-d6ecfd61dedb/apple-wwdc23-health-insights-vision-health-time-in-daylight-230605-inline-jpg-large-2x.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=1200" alt="An iPhone screen showing time spent in the sun light"><img decoding="async" src="" alt="An iPhone screen showing time spent in the sun light" height="1679.632465543645" width="1200" loading="lazy"/></source></source></source></picture></div>
  583. <p> <!----> <!----></div><figcaption><!----> <span class="c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall">Apple</span></figcaption></figure>
  584. <p>Your Apple Watch&#8217;s ambient light sensor can automatically estimate your time in daylight. If you manage a family member&#8217;s Apple Watch, you can also see how much time they spend in daylight. </p>
  585. <p>&#8220;There are a few reasons it&#8217;s important to be aware of how much time in daylight you&#8217;re getting,&#8221; Cheung said. &#8220;For adults, research shows that spending around 20 minutes outdoors every day has both physical and mental health benefits, including providing essential vitamin D and even boosting your mood.&#8221;</p>
  586. <p>Time in daylight is crucial for kids&#8217; vision health. &#8220;The International Myopia Institute recommends children spend 80-120 minutes outside each day to help lower their risk of myopia, or nearsightedness,&#8221; Cheung said. </p>
  587. <h3 id="ede0024b-2516-4974-a4ad-060e004913a7" data-ng-block="{">How to set up time in daylight on the Apple Watch </h3>
  588. <p>Start by making sure that Motion Calibration &amp; Distance is turned on. You can do so in the iPhone&#8217;s Settings app. Tap Privacy &amp; Security, tap Location Services, turn on Location Services, tap System Services and ensure that Motion Calibration &amp; Distance is on. </p>
  589. <p>To view your time in daylight, go to your iPhone&#8217;s Health app, tap Browse, tap Other Data and then tap Time in Daylight. </p>
  590. <h2 id="a9e602f4-ec60-4066-812c-cf2f48be4d5a" data-ng-block="{">7. State of mind</h2>
  591. <p>You can log your emotions and daily moods in the Mindfulness app on your Apple Watch, which can help you identify your feelings and notice patterns in your mental health. From the app, you can also take time for a Reflect or Breathe session, which can tell you more about your heart rate once complete. </p>
  592. <p>&#8220;Emotional awareness and regulation is an important element of mental health and we&#8217;re happy to be introducing tools and resources for our users across the world,&#8221; Cheung said. &#8220;One of the tools we introduced is State of Mind, which can help tremendously in a few ways. First, the act of using it can create benefits for your mental well-being in and of itself. Second, it can help you identify important insights and trends on what might be contributing to your state of mind so you can take action. And third, it can encourage you to check in with yourself using depression or anxiety assessments in the Health app.&#8221;</p>
  593. <p>Cheung added that taking the time to identify our feelings can help us control how we respond to our moods and emotions. This can positively affect our health and, over time, allow us to build resilience. </p>
  594. <h3 id="7d978a39-f54c-4150-a4f3-160509fbf2b9" data-ng-block="{">How to set up State of Mind on the Apple Watch </h3>
  595. <p>In your Apple Watch&#8217;s Mindfulness app, tap State of Mind and then tap Get Started if it&#8217;s your first time using it. From here, you can log how you feel in the moment or how you&#8217;ve felt overall that day. To see your history and patterns over time, open your iPhone&#8217;s Health app, tap Browse, tap Mental Wellbeing, tap State of Mind and tap Show in Charts. From there, you can also view how your State of Mind relates to your sleep, exercise, time spent in daylight and mindful minutes.</p>
  596. <h2 id="93599ab5-3bee-4bb7-8d62-49f1fe261f4e" data-ng-block="{">8. Sleep apnea notifications </h2>
  597. <figure class="c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large">
  598. <div class="c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer"><!----> </p>
  599. <div class="c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image"><picture class="c-cmsImage_image"><source media="(max-width: 767px)" srcset="https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/0343c6dd68a307f77cdbb60ece74b5a55bb08da7/hub/2024/09/09/1a196689-8c1b-4171-93c3-ffe772f9fce4/screenshot-2024-09-09-at-10-16-38am.png?auto=webp&amp;width=768" alt="An Apple Watch showing a sleep apnea notification"><source media="(max-width: 1023px)" srcset="https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/5310732bc51872232c93f9c32a505393e0f1bfe5/hub/2024/09/09/1a196689-8c1b-4171-93c3-ffe772f9fce4/screenshot-2024-09-09-at-10-16-38am.png?auto=webp&amp;width=1024" alt="An Apple Watch showing a sleep apnea notification"><source media="(max-width: 1440px)" srcset="https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/04bdca3bd42c106a9ca887364979776b55fa2c8b/hub/2024/09/09/1a196689-8c1b-4171-93c3-ffe772f9fce4/screenshot-2024-09-09-at-10-16-38am.png?auto=webp&amp;width=1200" alt="An Apple Watch showing a sleep apnea notification"><img decoding="async" src="" alt="An Apple Watch showing a sleep apnea notification" height="666.4412510566357" width="1200" loading="lazy"/></source></source></source></picture></div>
  600. <p> <!----> <!----></div><figcaption><!----> <span class="c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall">Apple</span></figcaption></figure>
  601. <p>&#8220;Sleep apnea is a prevalent disorder where breathing momentarily stops during sleep, preventing the body from getting enough oxygen,&#8221; Cheung said. &#8220;It&#8217;s estimated that sleep apnea impacts more than 1 billion people worldwide and, in most cases, goes undiagnosed. If left untreated, it can have important health consequences over time, including increased risk of hypertension, type 2 diabetes and cardiac issues.&#8221;</p>
  602. <p>If your Apple Watch detects elevated breathing disturbances while you sleep over 30 days, you will receive a sleep apnea notification. From there, you can create a PDF showing when sleep apnea may have occurred, three months of breathing disturbance data and more, which you can then share with your doctor to discuss the next steps. </p>
  603. <p>This feature is available on the Apple Watch Series 9 or later or Apple Watch Ultra 2. Just make sure you have the latest version of WatchOS and iOS. Note that this feature is intended for people aged 18 or older who have not already been diagnosed with sleep apnea. </p>
  604. <h3 id="f4fac05d-8957-411f-b9bd-97d4f7cbe31c" data-ng-block="{">How to set up sleep apnea notifications on the Apple Watch </h3>
  605. <p>Make sure Sleep is set up. On your iPhone, open the Health app, tap Get Started under Set Up Sleep, tap Next and follow the on-screen steps. Then, wear your Apple Watch to bed for at least 10 nights over 30 days. </p>
  606. <p>To turn on sleep apnea notifications, open the Health app on your iPhone, tap Browse, tap Respiratory, tap Set Up under Sleep Apnea Notifications, tap Next and then follow the on-screen instructions. Under Respiratory, you can also view your sleep apnea notifications and breathing disturbances.</p>
  607. <h2 id="1bc6f684-25f1-4f12-a039-8584820afdc0" data-ng-block="{">9. Handwashing </h2>
  608. <p>With Handwashing, the Apple Watch Series 4 and later can detect when you begin washing your hands and time you until you reach the recommended time of 20 seconds. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recommends this as the <a rel="nofollow noopener" target="_self" data-id="1728e4d6-4960-4ba3-84ac-f5c11d0786e5" href="https://www.cdc.gov/clean-hands/data-research/facts-stats/index.html">minimum amount of time</a>. If you stop washing your hands before 20 seconds, your watch will encourage you to keep going. It can even remind you to wash your hands whenever you return home. </p>
  609. <p>&#8220;We wanted to find a way to help our users of all ages track their time spent washing their hands, especially during a time when it was particularly important early in the pandemic, so we introduced the feature in 2020,&#8221; Cheung said. &#8220;The approach uses machine learning models to determine motion which appears to be handwashing, and then uses audio to confirm the sound of running water or squishing soap on your hands.&#8221;</p>
  610. <h3 id="4c1862d4-4f8d-408a-96f7-0df062f597a7" data-ng-block="{">How to set up handwashing on the Apple Watch </h3>
  611. <p>On your Apple Watch, open Settings, tap Handwashing and turn on the Handwashing Timer. You can do the same on a managed Apple Watch and set up handwashing reminders. </p>
  612. </div>
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  633. <wfw:commentRss>https://geekblog.net/tech-news/before-you-buy-the-apple-watch-11-enjoy-these-9-hidden-features-in-your-current-apple-watch/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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  637. </item>
  638. <item>
  639. <title>Apple Watch Series 11 review: I tracked my health for a week, and the battery life blew me away</title>
  640. <link>https://geekblog.net/tech-news/apple-watch-series-11-review-i-tracked-my-health-for-a-week-and-the-battery-life-blew-me-away/</link>
  641. <comments>https://geekblog.net/tech-news/apple-watch-series-11-review-i-tracked-my-health-for-a-week-and-the-battery-life-blew-me-away/#respond</comments>
  643. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Michael Comaous]]></dc:creator>
  644. <pubDate>Tue, 16 Sep 2025 12:15:28 +0000</pubDate>
  645. <category><![CDATA[Tech News]]></category>
  646. <category><![CDATA[Apple]]></category>
  647. <category><![CDATA[battery]]></category>
  648. <category><![CDATA[blew]]></category>
  649. <category><![CDATA[health]]></category>
  650. <category><![CDATA[Life]]></category>
  651. <category><![CDATA[review]]></category>
  652. <category><![CDATA[Series]]></category>
  653. <category><![CDATA[tracked]]></category>
  654. <category><![CDATA[Watch]]></category>
  655. <category><![CDATA[Week]]></category>
  656. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://geekblog.net/tech-news/apple-watch-series-11-review-i-tracked-my-health-for-a-week-and-the-battery-life-blew-me-away/</guid>
  657.  
  658. <description><![CDATA[ZDNET&#8217;s key takeaways Apple&#8217;s baseline smartwatch offers upgraded health features and additional battery life. The smartwatch&#8217;s only weakness is that it&#8217;s trumped by the value of its younger sibling, the SE 3. The Series 11 is available to preorder now and ships on Sept 19. sep / 2025 Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on [...]]]></description>
  659. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p>
  660. <div>
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  663. <div class="u-flexbox u-flexbox-column"><a rel="noopener nofollow sponsored" target="_blank" href="https://apple.sjv.io/c/159047/435031/7613?&amp;sharedid=zdnet&amp;partnerpropertyid=1980086&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.apple.com%2Fshop%2Fbuy-watch%2Fapple-watch&amp;subId1=subid_value" class="c-reviewCard_topButton"></p>
  664. <div class="c-reviewCard_head g-outer-spacing-bottom-small">
  665. <figure class="c-globalImage" style="padding-bottom:calc(9/16* 100%);">
  666. <div><picture class="c-cmsImage c-cmsImage_loaded" style="aspect-ratio:456/306;"> </picture></div>
  667. <p> <!----></figure>
  668. </p></div>
  669. <p></a> <!----> </p>
  670. <div class="c-reviewCard_lists g-text-xsmall">
  671. <h3 class="g-text-large g-text-large-bold g-outer-spacing-bottom-xsmall">ZDNET&#8217;s key takeaways</h3>
  672. <div class="c-keyTakeaways g-text-small">
  673. <div class="c-keyTakeaways_list">
  674. <ul class="c-keyTakeaways_listElement">
  675. <li><span>Apple&#8217;s baseline smartwatch offers upgraded health features and additional battery life.</span></li>
  676. <li><span> The smartwatch&#8217;s only weakness is that it&#8217;s trumped by the value of its younger sibling, the SE 3.</span></li>
  677. <li><span> The Series 11 is available to preorder now and ships on Sept 19.</span></li>
  678. </ul>
  679. </div>
  680. </div>
  681. </div>
  682. <p>  <!----></div>
  683. </div>
  684. </div>
  685. <p><svg aria-hidden="true" class="c-globalSvgIcon c-globalEditorsChoiceBadge_vertical"><!----> <use xlink:href="#editors-choice-vertical"/></svg> <span class="c-globalEditorsChoiceBadge_date">sep / 2025</span></p>
  686. <p><em>Follow ZDNET: </em><span class="c-commerceLink"><a rel="noopener nofollow sponsored" target="_blank" href="https://cc.zdnet.com/v1/otc/00hQi47eqnEWQ6T9d4QLBUc?element=BODY&amp;element_label=Add+us+as+a+preferred+Google+source&amp;module=LINK&amp;object_type=text-link&amp;object_uuid=5e5d2e64-4b30-43e6-8555-26eac7e449f3&amp;position=1&amp;template=article&amp;track_code=__COM_CLICK_ID__&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fpreferences%2Fsource%3Fq%3Dzdnet.com&amp;view_instance_uuid=379e95d2-6b56-476b-a90b-043a8dd63bd3"><span>Add us as a preferred source</span><!----></a></span><em> on Google.</em></p>
  687. <hr/>
  688. <p>People wear Apple Watches for all sorts of reasons. There are the health and sleep tracking functions, which Apple has heavily invested in over the past few years. There&#8217;s the second-screen aspect &#8211; some jobs prohibit workers from using their phones on the clock. And then there are the phone-free perks of disconnecting, albeit with some safeguards for contacting friends, listening to music, or getting directions. </p>
  689. <p>Apple rolled out three new Apple Watches at its September iPhone event this year (the Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, and the Apple Watch SE 3), and I have been testing all three for the past week. Now I&#8217;m ready to share pros, cons, use cases, and buying advice for each one.</p>
  690. <p><strong>Also: </strong><strong>AirPods review: Apple pulled off something I thought was impossible </strong></p>
  691. <p>In this review, I&#8217;m going to focus on the <span class="c-commerceLink"><a rel="noopener nofollow sponsored" target="_blank" href="https://apple.sjv.io/c/159047/435031/7613?&amp;sharedid=zdnet&amp;partnerpropertyid=1980086&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.apple.com%2Fshop%2Fbuy-watch%2Fapple-watch&amp;subId1=subid_value"><span>Apple Watch Series 11</span><!----></a></span>, which I used to track workouts at my Brooklyn gym, monitor my sleep, and receive Apple&#8217;s brand-new Sleep Scores, and do a whole lot more. So, is this a smartwatch to buy or upgrade to? Let&#8217;s get into it. </p>
  692. <p>Some features stay the same from Series 10 to Series 11. The biggest is Apple&#8217;s chipset. Normally, it updates its chips every year, but the Series 11 keeps the S10 processor, the same chip as 2024&#8217;s Series 10. Apple says that in adding more battery life through an internal design change that replaced its jelly roll cells with a metal can design, it was able to keep the form factor of the watch the same and use 2024&#8217;s chip to process the new device. This means that the build of the watch is identical to the Series 10. </p>
  693. <p>The screen brightness also remains the same at 2,000 nits, despite its competition, the Pixel Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 8, amping theirs up to 3,000 nits. You have to upgrade to the Apple Watch Ultra 3 to get a 3,000 nit screen in the Apple ecosystem. </p>
  694. <p><strong>Also: The ten features that made me switch to the Apple Watch full-time </strong></p>
  695. <p>The new watches come in four colorways: Jet Black, Rose Gold, Silver, and a new Space Gray. My band of choice is the Sport Loop, which I tested in a striking Neon Yellow. I wasn&#8217;t expecting to love as much as I did: It&#8217;s lightweight on the wrist, easy to sleep with, and water-wicking (especially if you shower with your watch, which I do). Apple also improved the Sport Loop band for added reflectivity around the edges for those nighttime runners and outdoor exercisers. </p>
  696. <figure class="c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large">
  697. <div class="c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer">
  698. <div class="c-shortcodeImage_image"><picture class="c-cmsImage" style="aspect-ratio:1280/719.047619047619;"><!----> <img decoding="async" src="" alt="Apple Watch Series 11" width="1280" height="719.047619047619" fetchpriority="low"/></picture></div>
  699. </p></div><figcaption> <span class="c-shortcodeImage_credit g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall u-block">Nina Raemont/ZDNET</span></figcaption></figure>
  700. <p>Sleeping, working, and exercising with the watch is a lightweight and comfortable experience. The display is vivid, notifications pop up quickly, and the watch outlasts a day of regular use. If you haven&#8217;t slept with a watch before, it might take a few nights to get used to it. But the thin build of the Series 11 and the sleep mode, which blackens the screen and dismisses interruptions, make it easier than other watches to drift away. </p>
  701. <h2>The upgrades you should know about</h2>
  702. <p>Apple made several upgrades to the Series 11 that its predecessor, the Series 10, misses out on. The most desired update is six additional hours of battery life. The battery boost brings the overall capacity to 24 hours for all-day communication, activity tracking, and sleep tracking. </p>
  703. <p>The FDA-cleared Hypertension Detection feature is another big one, not just for those who want to further understand their blood pressure without needing a blood-pressure cuff but also for Apple&#8217;s long-term mission to use technology to proactively improve health and wellness. </p>
  704. <p><strong>Also: </strong><strong>Avoid buying these 4 Apple products this week</strong><strong> <br /></strong></p>
  705. <p>The new hypertension feature doesn&#8217;t provide by-the-minute readings on blood pressure. Instead, it uses Apple&#8217;s PPG heart sensor to take a 30-day average reading that its algorithm determines is either above or below the hypertension threshold. Because I had only a few days with the watch, I wasn&#8217;t able to use the feature yet as it requires 30 days of monitoring, but I&#8217;ll report back in a month once I have further experience with it. </p>
  706. <p>Still, hypertension impacts over 1 billion people and is the <span class="c-commerceLink"><a rel="noopener nofollow sponsored" target="_blank" href="https://www.who.int/news/item/25-08-2021-more-than-700-million-people-with-untreated-hypertension"><span>world&#8217;s most undiagnosed disease</span><!----></a></span>. Apple&#8217;s first-of-its-kind, FDA-cleared hypertension detection will not only encourage proactive monitoring but also spread awareness of the condition&#8217;s ubiquity. Apple forecasts that its new hypertension feature will notify over a million people of their undiagnosed high blood pressure during its first 12 months on the market.  </p>
  707. <figure class="c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large">
  708. <div class="c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer">
  709. <div class="c-shortcodeImage_image"><picture class="c-cmsImage" style="aspect-ratio:1280/720;"><!----> <img decoding="async" src="" alt="Apple Watch Series 11" width="1280" height="720" fetchpriority="low"/></picture></div>
  710. </p></div><figcaption> <span class="c-shortcodeImage_credit g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall u-block">Nina Raemont/ZDNET</span></figcaption></figure>
  711. <p>Apple adds 5G to Series 11 for efficient connectivity, Ion-X glass for durability, and a wrist-flicking gesture to dismiss messages or calls. The new glass could help close the durability gap between the Series 11 and Ultra 3 and make the cheaper smartwatch even more appealing to those stuck between the two. </p>
  712. <p>Interestingly enough, this year, several upgrades are not exclusive to the three new Apple Watches&#8217; new hardware. The software upgrades in WatchOS 26 extend beyond the Series 11, Ultra 3, and SE 3 to the Series 9 and later and Ultra 2. </p>
  713. <h2>What I&#8217;d like to see on the Series 12 </h2>
  714. <p>I found that Apple&#8217;s new Sleep Score tended to inflate my quality of sleep. I tested the watch against my Oura Ring, which delivers sleep and readiness scores every morning. My Apple Watch regularly delivered scores in the high 90s when my Oura Ring offered up scores in the 80s, even on days when I felt sluggish and needed a nap. Apple says it bases the three factors that make up your Sleep Score on guidelines from three leading sleep foundations. </p>
  715. <p><strong>Also: The Apple Watch Series 11 is one feature away from making me ditch my Oura Ring</strong></p>
  716. <p>In general, sleep scores are a fairly subjective metric that tech brands generate to visualize sleep health easily. Throughout my testing of sleep trackers, I&#8217;ve found that a sleep score reflects the brand&#8217;s priorities more than it is an objective measure of sleep tracking. </p>
  717. <p>If most Americans aren&#8217;t getting good sleep, according to <span class="c-commerceLink"><a rel="noopener nofollow sponsored" target="_blank" href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/642704/americans-sleeping-less-stressed.aspx"><span>recent stats</span><!----></a></span>, and Apple is appealing to a general American consumership, its sleep score metrics might be generous to assuage the user. Any consistent, seven-hour slumber with few interruptions could still land you an 80 or 90-something sleep score. </p>
  718. <figure class="c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large">
  719. <div class="c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer">
  720. <div class="c-shortcodeImage_image"><picture class="c-cmsImage" style="aspect-ratio:1280/719.2295569952722;"><!----> <img decoding="async" src="" alt="img-9713" width="1280" height="719.2295569952722" fetchpriority="low"/></picture></div>
  721. </p></div><figcaption> <span class="c-shortcodeImage_credit g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall u-block">Nina Raemont/ZDNET</span></figcaption></figure>
  722. <p>Despite their subjectivity, sleep scores convey sleep information in an easily digestible way, much to the dismay of poor sleepers. Many people have stopped using sleep trackers because of sleep scores that grade them poorly. It&#8217;s in a brand&#8217;s best interest to make products that don&#8217;t alienate the user while also delivering useful, accurate information. Apple says it is doing so by only grading a user on their bedtime consistency, interruptions, and sleep duration. </p>
  723. <p>Additionally, Apple is already capturing a wearer&#8217;s Training Load, and I&#8217;d love to see Apple add some sort of Recovery score that takes a user&#8217;s activity data into account and optimizes their Training Load metric each day. </p>
  724. <h2>ZDNET&#8217;s buying advice</h2>
  725. <p>When comparing the <span class="c-commerceLink"><a rel="noopener nofollow sponsored" target="_blank" href="https://apple.sjv.io/c/159047/435031/7613?&amp;sharedid=zdnet&amp;partnerpropertyid=1980086&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.apple.com%2Fshop%2Fbuy-watch%2Fapple-watch&amp;subId1=subid_value"><span>Apple Watch Series 11</span><!----></a></span> to the Ultra 3 or SE 3, there are a few qualities that distinguish the watches. Every smartwatch, for example, now includes the Sleep Score, but the SE 3 gets 18 hours of normal use battery life, while the Series 11 gets 24, and the Ultra 3 gets 42. </p>
  726. <p>The Ultra 3, like the Series 11, includes Hypertension Detection while also adding Emergency SOS via Satellite. Emergency SOS and 42 hours of battery life would serve hikers and people who work in rugged professions. First-time smartwatch users looking to record a workout or discreetly respond to texts on the job would probably get the most out of Apple&#8217;s affordable SE 3. So, where does that leave the Apple Watch Series 11? </p>
  727. <p><strong>Also: I compared Apple and Samsung&#8217;s best smartwatches &#8211; here&#8217;s who wins for now</strong></p>
  728. <p>The Series 11 is ideal for you if you have already used a smartwatch regularly and are ready for an upgrade. You might be using it for exercise and for closing your daily activity rings, and you want to further understand your health through Apple&#8217;s Sleep Score, Hypertension Detection, the Vitals app, and advanced exercise features like Training Load. You have used a previous smartwatch regularly enough to know you need more battery out of your next one, which makes the Series 11&#8217;s 24-hour capacity a key upgrade. </p>
  729. <p>WatchOS 26 brings Sleep Score and Hypertension Detection to earlier watches, including the Series 9 and later, and the Ultra 2. It skips the SE and SE 2. </p>
  730. <p>So the bigger question is whether Series 11 shoppers should consider the Series 10 instead? If you don&#8217;t need the extra six hours of battery life and want to maximize your savings, then the Series 10 is still a great choice. You can even <span class="c-commerceLink"><a rel="noopener nofollow sponsored" target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/Apple-Watch-10-GPS-46mm/dp/B0DHYDP9HJ/ref=sr_1_5?th=1&amp;tag=zdnet-buy-button-20" data-aps-asin="B0DHYDP9HJ" data-aps-asc-tag="zd-buy-button-20" data-aps-asc-subtag="__COM_CLICK_ID__|null|dtp"><span>find a refurbished one for under $300 on Amazon and other retailers</span><!----></a></span>. </p>
  731. <p>Keep in mind that whichever Apple Watch you choose, there are usually excellent discounts around Black Friday, and ZDNET will always keep you updated on the best deals. For more on those two products, take a look at my reviews of the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3. </p>
  732. </div>
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  753. <wfw:commentRss>https://geekblog.net/tech-news/apple-watch-series-11-review-i-tracked-my-health-for-a-week-and-the-battery-life-blew-me-away/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  754. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  757. </item>
  758. <item>
  759. <title>Sony reveals that physical software only accounted for 3% of PlayStation sales in the last year, only further fuelling the fire that the PS6 will continue the embrace of digital gaming</title>
  760. <link>https://geekblog.net/tech-news/sony-reveals-that-physical-software-only-accounted-for-3-of-playstation-sales-in-the-last-year-only-further-fuelling-the-fire-that-the-ps6-will-continue-the-embrace-of-digital-gaming/</link>
  761. <comments>https://geekblog.net/tech-news/sony-reveals-that-physical-software-only-accounted-for-3-of-playstation-sales-in-the-last-year-only-further-fuelling-the-fire-that-the-ps6-will-continue-the-embrace-of-digital-gaming/#respond</comments>
  763. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Michael Comaous]]></dc:creator>
  764. <pubDate>Tue, 16 Sep 2025 11:14:25 +0000</pubDate>
  765. <category><![CDATA[Tech News]]></category>
  766. <category><![CDATA[accounted]]></category>
  767. <category><![CDATA[continue]]></category>
  768. <category><![CDATA[digital]]></category>
  769. <category><![CDATA[embrace]]></category>
  770. <category><![CDATA[fire]]></category>
  771. <category><![CDATA[fuelling]]></category>
  772. <category><![CDATA[Gaming]]></category>
  773. <category><![CDATA[Physical]]></category>
  774. <category><![CDATA[PlayStation]]></category>
  775. <category><![CDATA[PS6]]></category>
  776. <category><![CDATA[reveals]]></category>
  777. <category><![CDATA[sales]]></category>
  778. <category><![CDATA[Software]]></category>
  779. <category><![CDATA[Sony]]></category>
  780. <category><![CDATA[Year]]></category>
  781. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://geekblog.net/tech-news/sony-reveals-that-physical-software-only-accounted-for-3-of-playstation-sales-in-the-last-year-only-further-fuelling-the-fire-that-the-ps6-will-continue-the-embrace-of-digital-gaming/</guid>
  782.  
  783. <description><![CDATA[PlayStation maker Sony has confirmed that physical media makes up just 3% of its gaming revenue PS5 models no longer launch with a disc drive PlayStation 6 has been rumored to be all digital when it launches The subject of game preservation has been at the forefront of people&#8217;s minds with the advent of Nintendo [...]]]></description>
  784. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="article-body">
  785. <hr id="0d3c6e65-a76b-422a-9c1e-c8005e9907ed"/>
  786. <ul id="8c2831f4-deed-4f2f-b364-c28c2c4dd6c0">
  787. <li><strong>PlayStation maker Sony has confirmed that physical media makes up just 3% of its gaming revenue</strong></li>
  788. <li><strong>PS5 models no longer launch with a disc drive</strong></li>
  789. <li><strong>PlayStation 6 has been rumored to be all digital when it launches</strong></li>
  790. </ul>
  791. <hr id="20d83f0b-06cf-4fe3-a286-e871394195cc"/>
  792. <p id="2a3295b3-47bd-4279-a92a-7248525cf049">The subject of game preservation has been at the forefront of people&#8217;s minds with the advent of Nintendo Switch 2 Game Key Cards, following on from digital-only Xbox and PC releases. However, to its credit, Sony has tried to keep physical <u>PS5</u> games on store shelves.</p>
  793. <p>Still, that could be set to change with <a rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/IR/library/corporatereport/CorporateReport2025_E.pdf" data-url="https://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/IR/library/corporatereport/CorporateReport2025_E.pdf" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" data-hl-processed="none"><u>the company’s latest corporate report</u></a> suggesting that PS5 disc sales make up just 3% of Sony’s overall gaming revenue.</p>
  794. <p><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" id="elk-seasonal" data-url="" href="" data-hl-processed="none"/></p>
  795. <aside data-block-type="embed" data-render-type="fte" data-skip="dealsy" data-widget-type="seasonal" class="hawk-base"/>
  796. <p id="b6729cd4-7424-4a56-9ef5-c4b3609c8167-0">As reported by <a rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.eurogamer.net/as-playstation-physical-game-sales-drop-its-no-wonder-sony-is-pushing-digital-only-consoles" data-url="https://www.eurogamer.net/as-playstation-physical-game-sales-drop-its-no-wonder-sony-is-pushing-digital-only-consoles" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" data-hl-processed="none"><u>Eurogamer</u></a>, that figure was twice as much (6%) in 2020 &#8211; the same year the PS5 arrived, with a disc drive included.</p>
  797. <aside data-component-name="Recirculation:ArticleRiver" data-nosnippet="" class="clear-both pt-3 pb-4 mb-4 border-solid border-y border-neutral-300">
  798. <span class="font-article-heading block pb-3 !text-base font-bold uppercase sm:text-sm text-[#333]"><br />
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  800. </span></p>
  801. </aside>
  802. <p>In the years since, Sony has not only slimmed down the <u>PS5</u> by removing the disc drive, but has released the <u>PS5 Pro</u> <em>sans </em>disc drive, too.</p>
  803. <p>It’s a little ‘chicken and egg’, then &#8211; did the PS5 getting slimmer stop players buying physical games, or did they stop buying them before Sony removed the disc drive?</p>
  804. <p>In any case, the end result is the same, with the sale of physical media making up a very small proportion of its revenue. Given rumors that the <u>PlayStation 6</u> could arrive without a disc drive, it doesn’t appear that Sony is ready to change that narrative, either.</p>
  805. <p>Digital software accounts for 20% of Sony’s gaming revenue, and it’s not hard to imagine the other major console manufacturers are seeing similar patterns.</p>
  806. <div id="slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-ZA2uCCTiamFMduETGDGnMi" class="slice-container newsletter-inbodyContent-slice newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-ZA2uCCTiamFMduETGDGnMi slice-container-newsletterForm">
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  808. <div class="newsletter-form__container">
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  810. <section class="newsletter-form__main-section">
  811. <p class="newsletter-form__strapline">Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.</p>
  812. </section>
  813. </div>
  814. </div>
  815. </div>
  816. <p><u>We reported yesterday</u> that another big third-party title was making its way to Switch 2 on a Game Key card because its cartridges cap out at 64GB capacity, while Microsoft has long been putting digital codes in boxes, even for its first-party titles.</p>
  817. <p>While having a digital version of a game might not seem like a huge difference at present, by the time newer consoles are here, it’ll likely be harder to access games you purchased on PS5. We’re already seeing the challenges of live service games shutting down and even their disc versions being rendered useless, and some of those kicked off just last generation.</p>
  818. <p><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" id="elk-you-might-also-like" data-url="" href="" data-hl-processed="none"/></p>
  819. <h3 class="article-body__section" id="section-you-might-also-like"><span>You might also like&#8230;</span></h3>
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