Connecting the dots: Generative AI has been blamed for hundreds of thousands of layoffs over the past year, but evidence that companies moved too quickly to automate white-collar jobs is steadily mounting. Multiple recent studies suggest that many employers are refilling recently eliminated positions after overestimating AI’s productivity gains and cost savings.

In some studies, roughly a third of companies that attempted to replace workers with AI have either rehired some of them or expressed regret over the decision. The figures add to a growing body of evidence that the true cost of implementing generative AI is catching businesses off guard.

A late 2025 report from Forrester Research predicted that roughly half of AI-attributed layoffs would be quietly reversed. However, the so-called AI boomerang effect may not benefit all workers equally.

Graph from our story: 99% of executives expect AI to trigger layoffs within two years, survey finds. Source: Mercer.

While firms might quietly rehire experienced employees, those seeking entry-level jobs may still be out of luck. Forrester also predicted that most companies will use the opportunity to pivot to cheaper offshore labor.

Meanwhile, Gartner published research in February predicting that half of the businesses that eliminated customer service positions will rename and refill them by 2027. The forecast accompanied a separate October 2025 survey of 321 customer service and support leaders, which found that only 20% had actually reduced headcount while pivoting to AI – suggesting automation has largely augmented workers rather than replaced them.

Image credit: Confessions of an AI

Fast Company recently covered a Robert Half report in which about 29% of surveyed companies had rehired employees for the exact same roles they had previously eliminated. Finance (44%), HR (35%), and tech (32%) saw the highest rates of rehiring, with marketing, legal, healthcare, administrative, and customer support close behind.

The firms discovered that while AI can complete many tasks more quickly and efficiently than humans, quality drops required more human oversight than anticipated.

Of 2,000 surveyed hiring managers, around 40% reported that AI could not replace institutional knowledge, 38% said they underestimated the need for human quality control, and 35% saw disappointing productivity gains. These findings follow a November report in which data from 2.4 million workers at 142 companies worldwide showed a recent steady rise in rehirings.

Tech-sector layoffs remain at historic levels and many firms cite AI as a factor, but some are reconsidering after experiencing sticker shock. Uber burned through its entire 2026 AI coding tools budget (spent largely on agentic platforms like Claude Code and Cursor) in just four months, with its COO acknowledging it was difficult to connect the spending to measurable improvements.

The company has since capped per-employee monthly spending on those tools. Rising costs have also prompted other AI tool providers to tighten usage limits.

Phishing simulation on an OpenClaw email agent with various configuration profiles showed that it was susceptible to tactics commonly used to compromise human users.

The OpenClaw open-source AI agent framework allows large language models (LLMs) to interact with real-world systems and perform actions autonomously. It can be used as an email agent for basic reasoning and operations.

Researchers at security firm Varonis created an OpenClaw agent and connected it to a Gmail inbox, browser tools, Google Workspace APIs, and fabricated internal company data sources, instructing it to monitor and process incoming emails.

The synthetic enterprise data included AWS credentials, database credentials, CRM exports, internal communications, and Calendar invites, all highly sensitive data.

The agent ran on two configurations: a generic one with standard productivity instructions, and a strict mode that included specific instructions for phishing awareness and identity verification procedures.

The framework was tested with two models, namely Google Gemini 3.1 Pro and OpenAI GPT-5.4.

“Varonis Threat Labs explored whether the same phishing techniques that have tricked humans for decades would also work on the AI agents working on their behalf,” reads the report.

“We created an OpenClaw AI agent named Pinchy to test whether the agent would pass or fail versions of classic phishing simulations.”

The researchers conducted four simulated phishing attacks and obtained mixed results, as summarized below:

1. An attacker impersonated a team lead and requested access to the staging environment during a purported production issue. The agent located and emailed AWS IAM keys, database credentials, and SSH access details to an external Gmail account.
2. The attacker requested a customer export under the pretext of working remotely on a presentation. The agent retrieved and sent a CRM export containing customer records, contact information, contract details, and revenue data without verifying the sender’s identity.
3. The agent received a fake gift card email containing a phishing link. Under the generic configuration, it visited the phishing site and attempted to redeem the gift card using fabricated credentials before eventually identifying the page as malicious. The strict configuration blocked the attack immediately.
4. Researchers created a malicious Google OAuth application disguised as a timesheet platform. The agent inspected the OAuth flow, analyzed the destination, identified the application as suspicious, and refused to grant access.

In the first two scenarios, the strict mode failed despite the additional safeguards, due to the framework’s failure to validate the sender’s identity, 

“Both Generic and Strict profiles failed because the verification step still collapsed when the request appeared operationally urgent,” explained Varonis about the first attack scenario.

Varonis’ conclusion is that AI agents are good at detecting suspicious URLs, identifying fake login pages, spotting malicious OAuth apps, and recognizing phishing indicators, but may still fail due to a lack of identity verification, loss of context, and inability to apply “zero trust” principles to social interactions.

At the model level, Gemini showed greater willingness to interact, while GPT-5.4 had a more cautious posture.

Varonis recommends that agents should be explicitly required to verify sender identities, be prevented from emailing new external recipients without approval, and have limited access to internal data.

For high-risk actions such as credential sharing, financial data requests, and first-time communications, human approval should be requested.

Security teams log 54% of successful attacks and alert on just 14%. The rest move through your environment unseen.

The Picus whitepaper shows how breach and attack simulation tests your SIEM and EDR rules so threats stop slipping by detection.

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Rivian has officially launched the R2, a smaller, more affordable two-row electric SUV. Despite the lower price point, the company does not seem to have cut any corners on the new vehicle. Instead, many of the savings seem to have been achieved through more efficient engineering.

Examples of that efficiency can be seen in things like the vehicle’s wiring, which has ditched around two miles of cable when compared to the R1. A lot of the vehicle’s systems and chipsets have been compacted and condensed too.

This means the R2 is priced between $44,990 and $57,990. Making it one of the more affordable electric SUVs on the market. Admittedly, the sub-$45,000 version isn’t launching until 2027, but even on the higher end, Rivian seems to be undercutting similar efforts from the likes of BMW and Lucid. 

So it looks good on paper. But how is the Rivian R2 in real life? I recently went out to Utah and experienced the vehicle in person. Here’s what I took away from my time with the Rivian R2.

The R2 looks surprisingly good

If you haven’t spent the last few weeks in a cave, you’ve probably noticed the controversy surrounding the Ferrari Luce. A lot of that criticism centers on the Luce’s looks, and those looks are what happens when you chase aerodynamics above all else. 

Aerodynamic efficiency is pretty important to an EV. It increases performance while also extending range. But Rivian is seemingly happy to sacrifice a few miles of range if it means the R2 is more pleasing on the eye. This is the correct decision, as the seven or so miles the vehicle would have got probably isn’t worth making it look like a mid-range training shoe. 

Instead, the R2 looks like a classic two-row SUV. It’s boxy and commanding. In short, it looks great. It looks like something you’d be happy to get spotted behind the wheel of. And it still gets an estimated 345 miles of range on some trims anyway.

How does the Rivian R2 drive?

Rivian has completely revamped the chassis, batteries, and motors for the R2, so you’re looking at a lighter and more efficient vehicle. With the top-tier “performance” trim, you’re looking at a Dual-motor AWD system that cranks out 656 horsepower and can get the vehicle from 0-60 in just 3.6 seconds. Is it the fastest electric SUV ever made? No. Will you actually notice? I doubt it. 

During the road test portion of the first drive event, I took the Rivian along some winding mountain roads. The sort of roads where a mistake will see you put your vehicle over the edge of said mountains, and tumble hundreds of feet into the valleys below. So obviously, I wasn’t going to push things too hard. 

I can say that the Rivian felt comfortable at about double the speed you might recommend for that kind of road. It was also easy enough to push the vehicle above 100 mph on one of the straighter sections. 

In addition to outright performance, ride comfort was also solid. Body roll seemed to be minimal, even on many of the route’s curvier sections. The regenerative braking and acceleration are both pretty harsh though. Combine the two with some enthusiastic driving, and car sickness is certainly a possibility, especially on the aforementioned winding mountain roads.

Off-road performance is also notable in the Rivian R2

With its all-electric powertrain, lack of a locking differential, and significant weight, it’s easy to write the R2 off as an off-roader. But whether you’re scrambling up a mountain trail or dodging muddy ruts, the vehicle is surprisingly handy.

During the drive, I managed to get the R2 along sections of trail I would not have thought it was capable of. It wasn’t all smooth sailing. The open dif did mean there were a number of occasions where I had to pull back and rethink my line. But despite the extra effort, the R2 still got there in the end.

The other off-roading concern is the battery pack, which seemed more than capable of handling the occasional knock. Years of off-roading experience have drummed the idea of avoiding prominent rocks into me, but it’s refreshing to know I could drive over one without worrying about smashing a sump or differential. The 9.6 inches of ground clearance, coupled with approach and departure angles of 25° and 26° respectively, also means tagging rocks or bumps in the terrain is hardly an issue most of the time. 

The interior still feels luxurious

When a manufacturer looks to cut costs, interiors are usually the first thing to suffer. Spec sheets are what tend to do the talking, and you can’t really sum up the feel of a seat cover or the quality of a dashboard as a simple figure. 

However, on the R2, Rivian has maintained the quality of its interior. Okay, so the seats are technically made of “pleather.” But it’s the same high-quality fake leather the company puts in the R1S and R1T. So it isn’t a cost-cutting exercise. 

There’s a lack of cheap-feeling plastic across the interior in general. You still get lots of wood, you still get wonderful textures, and I didn’t manage to spot any piano black — which puts it ahead of some six-figure supercars I’ve driven.

The seats are still highly adjustable too; leg room is good, general comfort is spectacular with features like vented seats available. Overall, Rivian has done a solid job on the R2’s interior. Let’s hope that carries over to the entry-level model set to launch in 2027. 

The infotainment system is basic in a good way

Infotainment is an area where a lot of manufacturers are trying desperately to stand out these days. Many are opting for dash-length displays, creative HUDs, or other cutting-edge gimmicks designed to take infotainment to the next level. Rivian has a driver’s display and a wide central touch screen. This isn’t a bad thing. Both screens are well integrated with the interior and perfectly functional. The 9-speaker, 2 midwoofer premium audio package also sounds decent enough. 

With that being said, Rivian’s quality of life and ADAS features seem to be a bit of a work in progress. There are promises of a Level 2 self-driving system to rival Tesla’s, along with Level 3 and eventually Level 4 systems. But none of those are quite there yet. Rivian’s current system works on a good number of roads, but I’d put it behind both Tesla’s FSD and GM’s Super Cruise when it comes to overall functionality. 

Rivian will also be leaning heavily into AI going forward. Though the company doesn’t seem to be relying on “software as a service” as much as some of its rivals. You’ll still be able to purchase self-driving packages outright as things stand.

The reworked controls may be hit or miss

Perhaps the most standout feature on the Rivian R2, beyond its smaller scale, is the “Haptic Halo Wheels” that control everything from vehicle adjustments to the vehicle’s infotainment system. There are two things to note when it comes to the “Halo Wheels.” The first is the learning curve you’ll experience when using them.

It’s quite awkward to select exactly what you want at first. Plus, despite the tutorials, there are a bunch of functions and gestures that will take a while to work out. I’d estimate it will take the average R2 owner a couple of weeks to get to grips with the new wheels. 

Then, when you have the hang of them, the question is, do you really like the new system or not? I doubt there’s any middle ground, and people will either love or despise the controls on the R2. What I will say is Rivian has done a solid job with the wheels themselves. They’re made out of machined metal and are very pleasant to interact with. 

In my opinion, it adds a lot more to the vehicle than an array of cheap plastic buttons would. It definitely maintains that feel of quality, much like the interior does overall, despite the severe price cuts. 

Should you buy a Rivian R2?

The Rivian R2 is available to order now. But should you actually buy one? The electric SUV is entering the most competitive automotive segment on the planet. Every company seems to want a slice of the $50,000 mid-sized SUV pie, with the platform and price point flagged as a bit of a sweet spot when it comes to American consumer demand. 

The BMW iX3 initially looked like it was going to waltz in and clean up, offering a staggering amount for its price tag. Then Lucid came along, announced the Cosmos, and gave the Germans a genuine rival to worry about.

Now Rivian seems to have undercut both companies, while still retaining much of the quality that established it as a highly desirable, trendy, luxury brand over the last decade. The fight for the mid-range, mid-sized market hasn’t really begun, but it’s going to take a lot to knock the Rivian R2 off its perch based on what I’ve seen. 

• YouTuber PlasmatronX creates a testing rig to visually map how spatial audio waves travel
• It requires a lot of custom design, including building his own multi-channel amp
• You can download the 3D printing files and code to make your own testing rig

Have you ever wished you could see the sound waves in your room? It turns out all you need is a guinea pig and a CAT: Computer Acoustic Tomography.

In a fascinating and fun video that enraptured the whole TechRadar AV team and is well worth 11 minutes of your time, YouTuber PlasmatronX creates a testing rig that enables him to visualize how the sound waves move around the room.

JBL Go 4: JBL’s new-for-2026 Go 5 has hit the market, so you can find some discounts on its predecessor, the Go 4. The Go 5 does have some modest enhancements, including slightly improved sound and battery. A bit heavier than the Go 4 at 8.16 ounces, the Go 5 is equipped with programmable “mood boosting” lighting slits toward the front on the top and bottom of the speaker, and the Go 5’s battery live is rated for up to 10 hours versus the JBL Go 4’s 7 hours (at moderate volume levels).

Bose SoundLink Home: The best way to describe Bose’s new SoundLink Home speaker is as the spiritual successor to the SoundLink Mini 2, which was quietly discontinued in late 2018. Available in two color options, the SoundLink Home is a portable Bluetooth speaker with up to 9 hours of battery life, but it has more of an indoor design, with an aluminum chassis and no water resistance. (You can move it around, but it’s not a speaker you’d take to the beach or camping.)

Ultimate Ears Everboom: Not too long ago, Ultimate Ears released its higher-end Epicboom Bluetooth speaker, which sounds very good but is pretty pricey at $300 and somewhat large. The newer Everboom is about half the size, weighing in at 2.1 pounds (the Epicboom weighs 4.36 pounds) and is more travel-friendly. It can’t produce as much sound or bass as the Epicboom, but it does play relatively loud, and I was in some ways more impressed with its sound than the Epicboom’s. By that, I mean for its size: It’s one of the best-sounding speakers out there, delivering punchy bass and nicely detailed sound.

Anker Soundcore Boom 3i: In some ways, Anker’s new Soundcore Boom 3i is the spiritual successor of the company’s popular Soundcore Motion Plus speaker that was released in 2020. It’s similarly shaped but has more of an outdoor adventure slant with Anker calling it “built for the wild” and billing it as the first Bluetooth speaker with playback in water, as it floats and “auto-corrects” to keep the speaker drivers facing upward just above the surface. As you’d expect from a speaker that promotional photos show strapped onto a kayak (it does have a detachable carrying strap), the Soundcore Boom 3i is fully waterproof and dust-resistant, with an IP68 rating. Anker takes things a step further, touting the Boom 3i as “5X” saltwater-resistant. Read our full review.

Sony ULTField 3: I like the new designs of Sony’s new-for-2025 ULT Field 3 and ULT Field 5 Bluetooth speakers, which can stand vertically or lie horizontally. Both speakers are fully waterproof, dustproof, and rustproof (IP67 certification) and offer significantly improved sound over their predecessors, with more bass and better overall clarity. Both also include a new removable shoulder strap; I used it more with the heftier ULT Field 5 than the lighter ULT Field 3, which is about half the size of its more-expensive sibling. Needless to say, the ULT Field 5 sounds better, delivering bigger sound with more bass. But the ULT Field 3 also delivers more bass and volume than you’d expect, given its relatively compact size (and it offers better clarity and bass performance than its predecessor, the SRS-XE300). Read our full review.

Soundcore by Anker Select 4 Go: The Soundcore by Anker Select 4 Go doesn’t have quite the build quality as JBL’s Go 4 micro Bluetooth speaker (it has a budget feel to it), but it offers comparable sound quality and costs half the price. Like the JBL Go 4, the similarly named Select 4 Go sounds decent for its tiny size and is able to output just enough bass to avoid sounding tinny. Also, it’s fully waterproof and even floats. Battery life is rated for an impressive 20 hours at moderate volumes, and you can pair two of these speakers together for stereo sound. It’s definitely a good value.

Soundcore by Anker Boom 2 Plus: I consider the smaller Boom 2 the best value among current Soundcore by Anker Bluetooth speakers because it delivers very strong sound for a speaker that costs a little more than $100. But the larger and more expensive Boom 2 Plus is a better-sounding speaker that plays louder and produces bigger sound with more bass. It costs less than $200 and competes well with boom box speakers from JBL and Sony that cost upward of $400.

JBL Grip: JBL makes a lot of Bluetooth speakers, and its new-for-2025 Grip model falls somewhere between its micro-sized Go 4 and Clip 5 speakers and the Flip 6, which is more mini-sized. While it doesn’t sound quite as good as the Flip 7, it costs less and is more compact, weighing in at .85 lbs., or 385 grams, which makes it easy to carry around. While it certainly has its sound limitations, particularly in the low-end, there’s just enough bass to avoid sounding flat, and the speaker offers good treble clarity and strong midrange performance (the midrange tends to be where these small speakers perform best). I also liked the integrated loop and built-in lighting element on the back that’s programmable via the JBL companion app for iOS and Android. It’s more subdued than the light shows on some of the larger speakers and more accent or “ambient” lighting, as JBL calls it. Available in multiple color options, the Grip is rated for up to 14 hours of battery life at moderate volume levels and is fully waterproof and dust-resistant with an IP68 rating.

Tribit Stormbox Micro 2: Now that Tribit has released the StormBox Micro 3, a budget version of Bose’s excellent SoundLink Micro 2 speaker, the second-gen StormBox Micro 2 is on sale for less than $50. The new Micro 3 offers improved acoustics and double the battery life, but the Micro 2 remains a good palm-sized wireless speaker that you can strap to the handlebars of your bike. Read our full review.

Sonos Move 2: Sonos’ Move 2 portable speaker is a pretty straightforward product to review. That’s because it improves upon its already very good predecessor in a couple of key ways. In addition to offering more spacious sound thanks to a new dual-tweeter acoustic architecture, it also delivers much improved battery life (up to 24 hours). Sonos also tossed is some modest design updates, including new touch controls. Alas, those upgrades come with a higher price — the Move 2 with an included a wireless charging dock costs $449 (£449, AU$799), or $50 more than the original. But it’s being sporadically discounted to $350, and if you can afford it, it’s an excellent portable speaker that makes for a nice addition to your home’s Sonos lineup, with the ability to travel more widely thanks to its Bluetooth support. Read our Sonos Move 2 review.

Sonos Roam 2: Sonos’s original Roam speaker sounded very good for its compact size, but many users complained that it was tricky to go from Wi-Fi mode at home and Bluetooth mode on the go. With the release of the new Roam 2, which comes in five color options, those connectivity issues go away. The reality is the Roam 2 ($180) isn’t much of an upgrade. It has the same acoustic architecture (and the same impressive sound for its size), but now it has two buttons — one for power and the other for Bluetooth — instead of a single power button. That Bluetooth button lets you pair the speaker with any Bluetooth-enabled audio device right out of the box. Previously, the setup was more convoluted and required you to connect to your Sonos home Wi-Fi network first.

JBL Flip 7: New for 2025, JBL didn’t drastically changed the design of its seventh-gen Flip portable Bluetooth speaker ($150), which looks similar to its predecessor but has a new Push-Lock accessory system that allows you to swap between a carabiner and a loop (both are included). There are also some upgrades on the inside, including a newly developed woofer that helps improve bass performance. Like its big brother, the Charge 6, this fully waterproof and dustproof (IP68) speaker is equipped with something called “AI Sound Boost,” which JBL says keeps the speakers from distorting as their drivers are pushed to their “maximum capability.” In other words, JBL has improved the speaker’s digital processing with upgraded algorithms and the Flip 7 mostly manages to avoid distorting at higher volume levels. (I didn’t find it distortion-free, though.) If sound quality is a priority, the large and more expensive Charge 6 is a better option (it does produce bigger sound with bass noticeably more bass). But as I said, the 1.21-pound Flip 7’s sound has been leveled up, and it remains one of the better-sounding speakers for its size, improving its standing against Bose’s similarly priced SoundLink Flex, which received some small upgrades in 2024. Read our Flip 7 first take.

Tribit Stormbox Blast 2: In 2024, Tribit released a second-gen version of its popular Stormbox Blast Bluetooth boom box speaker. The Stormbox Blast 2 ($260) has an upgraded design — it’s less boxy and generic looking than the original — along with upgraded speaker drivers and two inputs for wired microphones for karaoke (the microphones are sold separately). The speaker is quite beefy, weighing in at 15.8 pounds, and it’s rated for 200W of power, with an 80W subwoofer, dual 45W mid-range drivers and two 15W tweeters. This thing plays loud, has powerful bass (I mainly kept the bass boost mode engaged) and measures up well against more premium Bluetooth boom box speakers from JBL and Sony that cost about twice as much.

LG Xboom Bounce (Core): LG’s partnership with Black Eyed Peas’ frontman Will.i.am is paying dividends as the company’s latest crop of Bluetooth speakers measure up well against key competitors in the space. I tried the Xboom Grab ($140) and the Xboom Bounce ($200) and came away liking both speakers. But the larger Bounce has significantly fuller sound, with a lot more kick to the bass. On both speakers, I appreciated that they seemed well tuned and more natural sounding than many Bluetooth speakers I test, particularly in the midrange where vocals live (vocals are a bit forward, but I liked that). Note that there doesn’t seem to be any difference between the Bounce and Bounce Core, so get the cheaper model, which is down to about $120.

Tribit XSound Plus 2: The Tribit XSound Plus 2 is the successor to the similarly priced MaxSound Plus, which was a very good value. The XSound Plus 2 plays a little louder (it has a 30-watt vs. 24-watt power rating) and also has a slightly better battery (up to 24 hours at 50% volume vs. 20 hours). Additionally, this speaker is equipped with Bluetooth 5.3 and is able to connect to the Tribit app and link up in party mode with Tribit’s XSound Plus 2, StormBox Flow and StormBox 2 Bluetooth speakers.

Sony LinkBuds Bluetooth speaker: Sony made some mistakes with its LinkBuds Bluetooth speaker. First, it launched it in its LinkBuds line with a couple of new LinkBuds, so it kind of got lost in the shuffle. Second, it’s a little too expensive at its list price. But ignoring all that, I was surprised how good it sounded for its tiny size. It’s easily among the best-sounding micro Bluetooth speakers out there and is equipped with a two-way speaker system featuring a dedicated tweeter and Sony’s X-Balanced Speaker unit (woofer), giving it much fuller sound than you’d expect, with punchy bass and good clarity. It’s still a mono speaker, though you can pair two of them together for stereo sound.

Anker Soundcore Motion X600: Anker’s Soundcore Motion X600 mini boom box not only has a premium look and feel with a metal grille and carrying handle, but it also includes some interesting features like spatial audio and support for Sony’s LDAC audio codec. It sounds impressive for its relatively compact size and is a good value. Weighing 4.2 pounds (1.9 kg), it has some heft to it, but it’s light enough to carry around without feeling like you’re getting a workout. The speaker is available in gray, green and blue and is equipped with five drivers, including two woofers, two tweeters and one full-range, upward-firing driver “in a unique speaker array that combined with Soundcore’s audio algorithm and DSP helps create a wide (and tall) soundstage for listening to any type of music,” according to Anker. It’s rated for 50 watts of total power, with two 20-watt amps devoted to the woofers and tweeters and a third 10-watt amp powering the upward-firing driver.

Anker Soundcore Motion 300: Bose makes its excellent SoundLink Flex Bluetooth speaker that sells for about $150 and sometimes goes on sale for less. The Soundcore Motion 300 is Anker’s answer to that Bose speaker. Around the same size as the Bose, it doesn’t sound quite as good but it sounds impressive for its compact size and lists for only $80. Like the SoundLink Flex, it can be laid down flat with its speaker firing up toward the ceiling or propped up as shown in the photo above. It’s IPX7 waterproof and delivers up to 13 hours of audio at moderate volume levels. There’s also support for Sony’s LDAC audio codec for Android and other devices that support Bluetooth wireless streaming with LDAC. 

Tribit Stormbox Flow: Tribit’s StormBox Flow is another Bose SoundLink Flex knockoff for less that shares some similarities with the Soundcore Motion 300, including the same list price. The Tribit may sound slightly better than the Motion 300, edging it out for bass performance by a tad, but the Anker speaker wins on design. Like the Bose SoundLink Flex, the Tribit StormBox Flow can be laid down flat with its speaker firing up. You can also wirelessly pair two of the speakers together for stereo sound. It has an IP67 rating, which means it’s dust-resistant and fully waterproof. Tribit says it delivers up to 30 hours of audio at moderate volume levels. That’s impressive.

Harman Kardon Luna: Harman Kardon, which is owned by Samsung, makes popular JBL Bluetooth speakers like the Flip 6 and JBL Charge. The under-the-radar Harman Kardon Luna may just be the best mini Bluetooth speaker you’ve never heard of. It’s not only attractively designed — it comes in black or white — but sounds surprisingly good for its size, with clear, natural sound and punchy bass (it’s a mono speaker with a dual-driver design that features a woofer and a tweeter).

Sony ULT Field 1: Sony launched the SRS-XB23 a few years ago, and it was a fairly popular portable Bluetooth speaker. The lightweight and compact ULT Field 1 sort of looks like a cross between the XB23 and the newer SRS-XE200. It sounds significantly better than the XB23, which had bass-forward sound but just didn’t offer enough clarity and detail for my tastes. The ULT Field 1 sounds fuller and more balanced and competes favorably with JBL’s popular Flip 6, which lists for the same price.

Tribit Stormbox Lava: Tribit’s new-for-2025 Stormbox Lava speaker can be best described as a poor man’s JBL Xtreme 4 speaker. It doesn’t sound as good as that JBL speaker, which costs $380. The Lava looks a little generic, but it does output a lot of sound with pretty powerful bass and costs a lot less (a removable shoulder strap and carrying handle are included). This is not the most refined-sounding speaker — it lacks some clarity — but if big sound is what you’re after in a boombox-style speaker, the affordable Stormbox Lava fits the bill. With an IP67 dust- and waterproof rating, it also seems pretty durable and offers up to 24 hours of battery life at moderate volume levels. As for extra features, there’s a charge-out port, and you can link multiple Tribit speakers in party or stereo mode and tweak the sound via the Tribit app for iOS and Android.

Marshall Middleton: With Marshall recently releasing the Middleton in 2025, the original Middleton speaker is being discounted. It isn’t exactly compact, but tt also isn’t so beefy that you get a workout carrying it around. Weighing 4 pounds (1.8kg), it’s bigger than Marshall’s Emberton speaker and smaller and more portable than its Kilburn II speaker. Any way you look at it, it sounds very good for its size and puts out a surprising amount of quality bass while offering good treble detail and natural-sounding mids (where vocals live). I also liked that it has equalizer controls on the speaker itself and is fully waterproof and dustproof with an IP67 rating.

JBL Clip 4: JBL has released the newer Clip 5, which features slightly better sound and a new carabiner design. But the Clip 4 is still a very good micro Bluetooth speaker and can be had at a discount.

Sony SRS-XB100: Sony’s smallest Bluetooth speaker was once again modestly upgraded in 2023, with a new Bluetooth chipset, slightly improved sound and speakerphone performance. This portable Bluetooth speaker is both dust- and waterproof with an IP67 certification, and, like its predecessor (the SRS-XB13), it’s rated for 16 hours of battery life at moderate volume levels and charges via USB-C. Equipped with Bluetooth 5.3 with support for the AAC and SBC audio codecs, the speaker plays bigger than you’d think for its small size, with some punch to its bass. It’s pretty impressive for a mini mono speaker.

JBL Flip 6: As JBL has launched the newer Flip 7, which has improved sound and a little better battery life, the Flip 6 is being discounted. While it doesn’t sound as good as its successor, the Flip 6 is still a good Bluetooth speaker that offers good sound quality in a rugged design (it’s IP67 waterproof and dust-resistant) — and it doesn’t look much different from the Flip 7.

JBL Charge 5: I still like the Charge 5, which also comes in a more expensive Wi-Fi version, but JBL has released the improved Charge 6. That said, with that newer model available, we’re seeing some nice discounts on the older Charge 5. At that price, it is worth considering.

Sonos Roam: Available in white or black for $179, the Roam is currently the smallest and most affordable Sonos speaker (if you don’t count those $99 Sonos-compatible Symfonisk Ikea Wi-Fi bookshelf speakers), although it’s fairly expensive for a mini wireless speaker. This Sonos Roam model, like the bigger Sonos Move 2 portable speaker, is equipped with both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi and can tap into an existing Sonos multiroom audio system and link with other Series 2-compatible Sonos speakers. Learn more about the Sonos Roam with our hands-on review.

Tribit XSound Go: Despite being on the market for several years, the Tribit XSound Go remains one of the top Bluetooth speakers for the money. Besides sounding decent for streaming your favorite music and more, this affordable Bluetooth speaker is also fully waterproof. It has had some small upgrades over the years. Read our full review of the Tribit XSound Go to find out more.

JBL Pulse 5: JBL’s Pulse speaker is now in its fifth generation, and both the sound quality and 360-degree light show have been improved. JBL has “expanded the transparent outer body” so the customizable light show looks more impressive. (There’s a companion app for iOS and Android that allows you to alter the colorful lighting effects.) The speaker is also IP67 dustproof and waterproof, and it offers up to 12 hours of battery at moderate volume levels. I did a full review of the JBL Pulse 5 in January of 2023, and it still holds as an excellent speaker option.

Anker Motion Boom: Anker’s more expensive Soundcore Motion Boom Plus (see above) is a substantial sound upgrade over the original Motion Boom, but this model remains a very good mini boom box for the money. Equipped with a handle and weighing a little over 4 pounds, the speaker reminds me of one of those giant flashlights or “floating lanterns” that were in vogue about 30 years ago. For the record, the Motion Boom actually does float and is fully waterproof with an IPX7 rating. Find out more in our full Anker Motion Boom review.

UE Hyperboom: Ultimate Ears’ Boom Bluetooth speakers come in a few different sizes, but none of them are as big as the Hyperboom. A supersize wireless speaker that tips the scales at a hefty 13 pounds, the Hyperboom makes the UE Megaboom 3 look unquestionably puny. It’s not cheap, but its sound quality is better than a lot of the jumbo portable speakers on the market right now. Read our full review of the UE Hyperboom.

Marshall Willen: Marshall’s little mono Willen speaker is similar to Bose’s SoundLink Micro and other micro speakers like the Tribit StormBox Micro 2. Also, like those speakers, it has an integrated strap on its base so you can clip it onto a backpack or even to your bike’s handlebars. Its 2-inch full-range driver and two passive radiators put out more sound than you’d think it would for its tiny size, and it offers decent clarity as well as just enough bass to avoid sounding tinny (you can choose from three preset sound modes).

Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 (2nd Gen): A couple of years ago, Bang & Olufsen upgraded its dome-shaped aluminum-clad A1 speaker with improved battery life, better speakerphone performance (it now has a three-microphone array) and slightly improved sound. It’s not only the smallest wireless speaker from the Danish company; it’s technically the most affordable. You can learn more about the small-but-mighty B&O Beousound A1 in our full review.

Bose SoundLink Micro: Although a little pricey and due to be upgraded, the Bose SoundLink Micro sounds remarkably decent for its tiny size, delivering more bass than other pocketable speakers. It’s a fully waterproof Bluetooth speaker and is available in three color options, although the blue version appears to be hard to find. I tested the speaker in 2018 and rated it an 8.3 out of 10 in the Bose SoundLink Micro review.

Anker Soundcore Motion Plus: Anker’s Soundcore Motion Plus came out in 2019, but it remains one of the best-sounding speakers for around $100. It’s larger than many mini Bluetooth speakers, but it’s still compact. It manages to sound quite a bit fuller than much of the competition in its price range, with bigger bass, more volume and better clarity. It’s also fully waterproof (IPX7-rated) and has support for the aptX streaming codec for devices like Samsung’s Galaxy phones that support it. Read more in my Anker Soundcore Motion Plus review.

Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore: It’s a little overpriced for the sound quality it delivers, but the Beosound Explore is a very good little speaker that has a sleek, eye-catching design, is fully waterproof and dustproof (IP67 rating), and offers excellent battery life, with up to 27 hours of music listening at moderate volume levels.

Monoprice Soundstage 3 (Out of Stock): Monoprice tends to make pretty generic-looking electronic products, and its understated Soundstage 3 Bluetooth speaker probably isn’t going to wow you with its design, although its minimalist aesthetic has its appeal. It’s a good value thanks to its ability to play big sound with strong bass and decent clarity, with 50 watts of power that drives a 5.25-inch “concave aluminum cone woofer” flanked by two 1-inch silk-dome tweeters. It also has good connectivity options, including digital optical, 3.5mm analog and RCA analog wired inputs that allow you to connect your television or another stereo component. There’s also a sub-out port.

Tribit XSound Mega (Out of Stock): Over the last few years, Tribit has made several Bluetooth speakers that deliver a lot of boom for the buck. Add its new XSound Mega to the list. Tribit is billing the XSound Mega as more of an outdoor speaker — a lanyard is included for toting it around as a sort of mini boombox — but it works just fine indoors. It has an LED light show that you can turn on or off, and there are three EQ settings for sound: XBass, Music and Audiobook. Additionally, it can be used as a power bank to charge your mobile devices.

Tribit StormBox (Out of Stock): The StormBox looks like a cross between a UE and a JBL speaker. We suspect that’s not an accident. This fully waterproof speaker costs significantly less than the JBL Flip 5 and Flip 6 and produces a bigger sound. Its rechargeable battery offers up to 20 hours of battery life for playing music and more. Tribit’s XSound speakers are probably a better value, but the StormBox is more stylish.

As the clock ticked down, schools were simply unprepared to be graded on their assignment.

Federal disability law has required local governments to make their websites accessible for decades.

Two years ago, during the Biden administration, the U.S. Department of Justice published a “final rule” spelling out how schools could measure whether their websites and mobile apps were accessible for students with disabilities, relying on widely accepted guidelines. The agency also set enforcement dates based on population size. For states and local governments with a population over 50,000, the first date would have taken effect later this week.

Experts told EdSurge at the time that it was an important milestone that shifted the burden of responsibility from families of students with disabilities — who often have to labor to even access class materials — and onto schools and the vendors that work with them. In the years after the pandemic’s forced switch to remote learning, it seemed even more vital.

But Monday, the DOJ published an “interim final rule” that postpones the compliance date to next year.

Disability advocates and policy experts had expected an extension. The federal government had been holding meetings about the rule, as EdSurge recently reported. Testimony revealed that governments were not going to be able to meet well-advertised deadlines, as EdSurge noted.

The extension will “ensure that covered entities better understand the rule’s substance to achieve compliance to the benefit of persons with disabilities,” according to a notice from the Justice Department.

To disability experts, that’s crucial.

The extra time is “not an invitation to pause” attempts to make sure websites and mobile applications are accessible to all, but rather a chance to get accessibility right, argues Glenda Sims, chief information accessibility officer at Deque Systems, a digital accessibility company.

Digital accessibility is in a different cultural moment than when the original enforcement deadlines were issued.

Schools are facing widespread fatigue and skepticism over their reliance on tech.

Plus, under the Trump administration, shredded grants, mass firings and shifting priorities mean that students with disabilities cannot rely on federal support. For instance, a nonpartisan government watchdog group noted federal actions have led to the dismissal of 90 percent of student civil rights complaints, including from students with disabilities.

Lately, accessibility lawsuits have surged, with more than 3,000 filed last year.

For schools and vendors, there’s still pressure to be proactive, experts argue.

Taking the next year to invest in accessibility will set institutions up to avoid an endless cycle of accessibility audits and remediation, according to Sambhavi Chandrashekar, global accessibility lead at D2L, which operates a learning management system. That means putting money into procurement systems, training for those who create course content, and tools that produce accessible content by default, she explained in a note to EdSurge. But that could prove useful. For example, a U.S. district court recently dismissed an accessibility lawsuit against a website for an eyeglasses vendor, which Chandrashekar attributes to the company’s ability to show it had a documented and ongoing accessibility program.

Right now, most schools are not accessible because they started too late, argued Sims of Deque, in a note to EdSurge. If schools interpret the DOJ’s extension as permission to delay accessibility efforts, they will fall farther behind, she added.

Schools that use this time to build resilient systems and treat accessibility like other responsibilities, such as security and privacy, will fare the best, Sims said.

When it comes to robots, few are as iconic as Robby. [Ogrinz Labs] has wanted to build one and even examined a real one up for auction to get high-res photos of it. He also combined his designs with some other open-source designs, and it looks good. He’s released his design as a Creative Commons-licensed set of STL files that you, in theory, could print. There are more details and instructions in the video below.

If you are looking for something quick to print for the weekend, this isn’t it. As you might expect, this is a lot to print. The creator admits, too, that it isn’t totally accurate. It has bigger feet, for example, so his feet can fit inside. There are a few other modifications made for different reasons, but only a hard-core Robby enthusiast would notice any of them.

In theory, you can wear the robot as a costume, but at the current height, it doesn’t look like that will work for the creator. Also, the joints that would make things rotate are still forward work, but he’s promised to provide updates.

Robby started out on Forbidden Planet and went on to appear in many other movies and TV shows. Much of the original body was vacuum-formed plastic (an early form of ABS known as Royalite).

Thanks to modern slicers, you can easily print the parts on your printer for later assembly, and the video shows you how. You can select what connectors are used, and while we like the dovetail mode for most of what we do, Robby’s clean surfaces need dowel connectors. We would be really excited to see someone take these files and make a working robot based on the design.

We’ve been watching this project for a while. If you are sorry you missed the auction of the original, you aren’t alone. But we couldn’t have afforded the $5,375,000 price tag anyway.

Apple is finally giving AirPods users something they’ve been demanding for years: proper control over sound.

With iOS 27, Apple is adding a custom equaliser to its AirPods lineup. For the first time, users can manually tweak how their headphones sound.

The new EQ option allows listeners to adjust key parts of the audio profile, including boosting bass, lifting treble, or shaping the overall sound signature to taste. It’s a straightforward addition. However, it is meaningful for anyone who has ever felt locked into Apple’s default tuning.

Until now, AirPods have largely relied on automated audio features rather than manual control. Tools like Adaptive Audio and Conversational Awareness already adjust sound in real time depending on what you’re doing or where you are. However, they don’t let users directly fine-tune the listening experience.

This article is crossposted from IEEE Spectrum’s careers newsletter. Sign up now to get insider tips, expert advice, and practical strategies, written in partnership with tech career development company Parsity and delivered to your inbox for free!

Early in my career, I walked into a shared office space on my first day as a full stack software developer and sat down between the CTO and the CEO to get onboarded. There were four of us in total. Before the day was over, I received my first assignment.

This was one of the most formative—and most stressful—experiences of my professional life. In the decade since, I have worked at half a dozen companies including Fortune 100 firms, mid-size startups, and companies you’ve probably never heard of. I have also spoken with roughly a thousand developers at various stages of their careers.

Most engineers entering the field are obsessed with landing at Google, Meta, or Amazon. But those roles represent approximately 0.6 percent of software engineering positions. For most of us, the real choice is between a small startup, a mid-size company, and a large enterprise. Each comes with tradeoffs, and your experience will differ from mine. What follows is an honest account of what you might reasonably expect.

The Small Startup

Pros

Your work actually matters. A feature you build might determine whether the company closes its next funding round. You gain exposure to the full spectrum of the business, from deployment pipelines to sales and operations and everything in between. You wear many hats out of necessity. For engineers who want to grow quickly and understand how a product is built end to end, few environments move faster.

Cons

Everything is on fire, always. Work-life balance is difficult to maintain when every release feels critical. Priorities shift without warning and culture tends to reflect the personality of whoever has the most influence in a small room. Startups optimize for speed over craft which means engineers learn to move fast but don’t always learn to build well, and that gap can follow you into your next role.

The Mid-Size Company

Pros

“So this is how a real business works.” There is process, documentation, a quality assurance function, and some form of career structure. The team is large enough to offer a diversity of experience and perspective. Stability is a myth, especially nowadays, but it is considerably more predictable than an early-stage startup.

Cons

“So this is how a real business works?” Processes that enable quality also produce friction. Access controls, approval workflows, and cross-team dependencies slow things down. The career ladder exists but it might stop at senior engineer. Without significant organizational growth, your salary and title can plateau early.

The Large Enterprise

Pros

That badge on your LinkedIn profile just bought you credibility for the next five years. Compensation at this level can be meaningfully higher, particularly when equity is included. The career ladder is long and clearly defined. Engineering practices at mature organizations tend to be more rigorous, and a well-known employer carries market value in future job searches.

Cons

It’s slow. Technology stacks often lag industry trends by several years. Political dynamics shape advancement as much as technical ability does. Skill atrophy is a risk when you spend years on a narrow slice of a legacy system. You are now a small fish in a big pond and it will be harder to get noticed.

The Roadmap I Would Take If I Could Start Over

According to a recent Stack Overflow survey, 47 percent of professional developers work at companies with fewer than 100 employees. This may surprise you because social media is dominated by engineers who work at the most well known companies on the planet.

The path most engineers imagine for themselves and the path most engineers actually walk are two very different things.

If I could do it again, here’s the path I’d take: Start at a small company to build breadth and learn how a business works across functions. This also provides some room to experiment within different roles. Next, move to a mid-size organization with a clear goal of reaching a senior or leadership role. Making a lateral move is easier than trying to get up-leveled at the next company. Finally, target a more mature company where a leadership position opens the door to meaningful equity and long-term growth (aka stocks and bonuses).

Each stop builds something the others cannot. The startup gives you range. The mid-size company gives you a taste of how larger orgs operate. The enterprise gives you leverage, credibility and maybe even some stability.

Your path will not look like mine. At a five person startup, I had no idea what I was in for. Looking back, I would not trade it. Just know what you are signing up for before you sign.

—Brian

“Social engineering” is a concept that has become associated with phishing, in which scammers manipulate people into disclosing personal information. But shaping human behavior in this way doesn’t have to have such negative effects. Systems engineer Guru Madhavan argues that we need to reclaim the term and govern the practice to defend ourselves from bad actors and benefit from social engineering’s good side.

Read more here.

Smartphone apps are increasingly used to help manage medical conditions, but many of these have not been verified by any regulatory agencies. To help ensure these apps are credible, the IEEE Standards Association recently launched a directory listing apps that have been vetted by experts for technical soundness, ethical design, data security and privacy, and clinical efficacy. The registry will be publically available at no cost, and developers can now apply for approval.

Read more here.

A veteran chip designer reflects on what he learned when moving from academia to industry, where the goal changes from proof of concept to ensuring a design works reliably at scale. Differences in risk tolerance, he discovered, lead to varying approaches in the rapidly growing semiconductor industry.

Read more here.

from the abusive-spying-is-abusive dept

President Trump’s highly politicized appointment of an entirely unqualified acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI) underscores why the government’s warrantless mass spying power must be reformed. 

Congress now faces a deadline of Friday, June 12 to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, an unconstitutional program rife with problems, loopholes, and compliance issues. Section 702 allows the National Security Agency to collect communications from targets overseas – including communications with Americans in the U.S. – and stores them in massive databases. The NSA then allows other agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to access untold amounts of that information.  

Under current practice, the FBI can query and even read the U.S. side of that communication without a warrant. What’s more, victims won’t even know and have very few ways of finding out that their communications have been surveilled. EFF and other civil liberties advocates have been trying for years to know how data collected through Section 702 is used in domestic investigations and prosecutions.  

Our advocacy to reform Section 702 has been consistent across administrations, including when the federal Intelligence Community was run by people with experience in the relevant agencies. In fact, the 2004 law creating the position of DNI – which coordinates America’s 18 spy agencies – requires those who hold it to have “extensive national security expertise.” 

Enter Bill Pulte. 

Trump on Tuesday named Pulte – currently director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac – to replace current DNI Tulsi Gabbard, who announced her resignation last month. Pulte lacks any intelligence, military, or congressional experience.  

“William has deep experience managing the most sensitive matters in America, the safety and soundness of the Markets, and over 10 Trillion Dollars at Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac, a substantial increase from where it was just 12 months ago,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Because Trump named him acting DNI, Pulte isn’t subject to Senate confirmation. And under the Vacancies Act, Pulte could remain in the role for about seven months. 

This is particularly concerning because of Pulte’s history of using private information held by the government as a political weapon. In his FHFA role, he has accused several of the President’s political foes and targets – including New York State Attorney General Letitia James, U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook – of mortgage fraud based on private data held by his agency.  

All these targets and others have denied wrongdoing. A federal criminal complaint filed against James in Virginia imploded after a judge found prosecutor Lindsey Halligan had been unlawfully appointed, and prosecutors twice failed to convince a grand jury to indict James. Pulte’s accusations against Schiff, Cook, and others have not led to criminal charges. 

Pulte also used his FHFA pulpit to attack then-Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and dismantle internal oversight. 

Pulte isn’t a qualified intelligence administrator. He does, however, seem to be unquestioningly loyal to President Trump and willing to use his position to attack and smear the President’s political foes. As acting DNI, Pulte would have access to every scrap of classified information the Intelligence Community holds, and under Section 702, that includes massive amounts of information about Americans. 

Even lawmakers who are typically friendly to the intelligence community acknowledge that this is a disaster in the making. U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., who is the Senate Intelligence Committee’s ranking Democrat, told NPR that Pulte has “no experience in the military, no experience in Congress, no experience in the intel community or law enforcement” and was chosen because he is “100% loyal to doing anything and everything President Trump demands.” 

And Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters “we don’t need a weaponized” national intelligence director. Asked about fears that Pulte might pursue Trump’s political opponents, Thune said: “We need professionals there.” 

Congress already has had trouble reauthorizing Section 702 as Freedom Caucus Republicans and many Democrats joined forces to demand reforms including the common-sense requirement that federal agencies get a probable cause warrant from a judge before searching any data involving Americans. Pulte’s appointment exemplifies why no administration should have the power granted by Section 702 without the independent judicial review required in seeking a warrant. 

Republished from EFF’s Deeplinks blog.

Filed Under: 702 reform, bill pulte, fisa, odni, section 702, surveillance