The 2026 Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks will air on NBC today, Feb. 8, at 6:30PM ET/3:30PM PT. The Big Game will also stream live on Peacock. If you no longer subscribe to cable, don’t have access to NBC over the air and aren’t currently signed up for Peacock, there are still ways to watch Super Bowl LX — and Bad Bunny’s history-making Super Bowl halftime show — for free. Here’s how to tune in.

How to watch Super Bowl LX free:

Date: Sunday, Feb. 8

Time: 6:30 p.m. ET

Location: Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

TV channel: NBC, Telemundo

Streaming: Peacock, DirecTV, NFL+ and more

2026 Super Bowl game channel

Super Bowl LX will air on NBC. A Spanish-language broadcast is available on Telemundo.

How to watch the 2026 Super Bowl for free

You can stream NBC and Telemundo on platforms like DirecTV and Hulu + Live TV; both offer free trials and are among Engadget’s choices for best streaming services for live TV. (Note that Fubo and NBC are currently in the midst of a contract dispute and NBC channels are not available on the platform.)

In addition to hosting NBC’s Super Bowl broadcast, DirecTV’s Entertainment tier gets you access to loads of channels where you can tune in to college and pro sports throughout the year, including ESPN, TNT, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, and, depending on where you live, local affiliates for ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC.

Whichever package you choose, you’ll get unlimited Cloud DVR storage and access to ESPN Unlimited.

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DirecTV’s Entertainment tier package is $89.99/month. But you can currently try all this out for free for 5 days. If you’re interested in trying out a live-TV streaming service for football, but aren’t ready to commit, we recommend starting with DirecTV.

Peacock is the streaming home of the 2026 Super Bowl.

While a regular Peacock subscription begins at $10.99 a month for a Premium Plan and goes up to $16.99 for the ad-free Premium Plus plan, you can get an ad-supported subscription for free if you’re a Walmart+ subscriber. 

Walmart+ members actually get their choice between Paramount+ or Peacock included in their membership at no additional cost. A monthly subscription to Walmart+ costs $12.99, and an annual plan usually costs $98. But you can try the service out totally free. Beyond free Peacock, Walmart+ has additional perks like five free months of Apple Music, discounts on Cinemark movie theater memberships, free shipping and delivery on Walmart purchases, discounts on gas and much more.

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Instacart+ subscribers are able to get an annual Peacock Premium plan (a $109.99 value) for free. After a free 14-day trial, Instacart+ plans cost $99/year, meaning you’ll save more on Peacock simply by subscribing to the delivery service, but you’ll get tons of extras, like free grocery and restaurant delivery and a free subscription to the New York Times Cooking app.

What time is the 2026 Super Bowl?

The 2026 Super Bowl kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT on Sunday, Feb. 8. Green Day will be performing a pre-game special starting at 6 p.m. ET.

Who is playing in the Super Bowl?

The AFC champions, the New England Patriots, will play the NFC champions, the Seattle Seahawks.

Where is the 2026 Super Bowl being played?

The 2026 Super Bowl will be held at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., home of the San Francisco 49ers.

Who is performing at the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show?

Bad Bunny is headlining the 2026 Super Bowl halftime performance. You can expect that show to begin after the second quarter, likely between 8-8:30 p.m. ET. Green Day will perform a pre-game show starting at 6 p.m. ET. If you’re tuning in before the game, singer Charlie Puth will perform the National Anthem, Brandi Carlile is scheduled to sing “America the Beautiful,” and Grammy winner Coco Jones will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

More ways to watch Super Bowl LX

Apple is keeping the entry level for iPhones at $599, according to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman. In the latest Power On report, Gurman said that the iPhone 17e is “due imminently” and will keep the same price as its predecessor.

Considering we’re about a year away from the iPhone 16e’s announcement, we’re due for a successor to Apple’s more affordable smartphone. According to Gurman, Apple upgraded the new budget-friendly iPhone with MagSafe charging and the A19 chip that’s seen in the iPhone 17 base model. The iPhone 17e will also get Apple’s latest in-house cellular and wireless chips, Gurman reported.

In our review of the iPhone 16e, we weren’t particularly sold because of its limited camera capabilities, particularly when compared to the iPhone 17‘s release a few months later. However, for the same $599 price, Apple’s iPhone 17e is getting a few notable upgrades and will compete with Google’s Pixel 10a. More specifically, Gurman expects Apple to target the emerging economies and enterprise demographics with the iPhone 17e. While Apple faces a lot more competition in overseas markets, iPhone sales have been experiencing a resurgence in China. Apple is even forecasting strong sales for iPhones across Asia, especially in China and India.

On January 26, 2026, an astronaut on the International Space Station looked earthward and captured a view of the Grand Canyon that few people have ever seen. A fresh layer of snow from a few days of flurries clings to the canyon’s rim, framing the huge abyss in stark white against the deep red-brown rock below. The Colorado Plateau looks like a flat canvas sprinkled with dust, while the canyon itself, carved out by the Colorado River over millions of years, plunges into darkness.

Sunlight floods in from the bottom right, throwing lengthy shadows up the canyon walls. These shadows occasionally play a devious trick on you. Flat plateaus might appear high and almost like mountain peaks because most people believe light enters from above. However, the snow on the higher land puts the record straight, telling your eye that the snowy pieces belong on the higher edges, not the valley level. The South Rim is roughly 7,000 feet tall, whereas the North Rim is much higher at 8,000 feet. And you can notice the contrast in the coating of white that remained after the storm passed.

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Warmer air at ground level inside the canyon converted the same precipitation to rain. Phantom Ranch received only 0.06 inches, while the canyon’s margins were holding onto several inches of fresh fall. Winter averages are 58 inches on the South Rim and 142 on the North Rim, so a light dusting like this is not unusual. But from up high in orbit, the contrast is everything, as the snow highlights every twist and curve of the canyon margins, transforming a recognizable landmark into something like to a map of its own elevation lines.

The astronauts on Expedition 74 captured this photo with a Nikon Z9 at 400mm as part of routine Earth observation missions from the station. The files were processed at Johnson Space Center, trimmed, and contrast adjusted to bring out the details without getting too fancy. The archives contain two versions of the photograph, both of which are high enough resolution to show the road along Desert View Drive, which was briefly closed owing to ice during the flurry.

The Winter Olympic Games have begun, and once again the sport of curling is set to draw in scores of new converts.

Although dominated by Sweden, Canada, Switzerland, and Scotland, many eyes during the 2026 Winter Olympics will be on the team from host country Italy thanks to Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner, the reigning Olympic and world curling champions in mixed doubles.

Regardless of which country takes home the gold, the real attention during the Olympics this year might be on the cool gadgets curlers use. Somewhat similar to a game of shuffleboard played with brooms and stones, curling has seen some pretty interesting advances in the gear that’s used on the ice.

In addition to raw skill and strategy, here’s everything you need to know about the state of the sport.

Scottish Stones

Nearly every curling stone—the round rock that slides down the ice—comes from the same place: Ailsa Craig. The 99-hectare island site in the Firth of Clyde inlet on Scotland’s west coast is known for its granite, and by extension its ability to provide enough of it to outfit curlers the world over.

Each stone must weigh between 19.96 and 17.24 kilograms and is made from one of two varieties of Scottish granite, common green and blue hone. These two types are the most resistant to heat and humidity and to the cracks and condensation that can form thanks to the 28 meters of ice the stones slide on during competitions.

The stones used at the Olympics, as well as the World Championships, are produced by Kays of Scotland. Many curling stones also come from Canada Curling Stone. (The sport has seen a recent spike in popularity in Canada.) Both companies produce the stones using a meticulous process of grinding and polishing.

Broom Boom

In addition to the stones, the main tools necessary to curl are a broom and shoes—this is where advancements in gear really come to the fore. For one, there are scores of sensors and microchips that allow players to manage the power of their throws.

For another, there are new-and-improved brooms that allow sweepers to maximize their skills. More than anything, what curlers need to work a broom are dexterity, physicality, and coordination. But beyond that, good tools don’t hurt.

“Broom technology continues to be a major focus because the physical demands of the sport continue to evolve, and one of the biggest challenges is finding the right balance between weight, strength, and effective energy transfer,” says Dale Matchett, general manager at curling equipment company BalancePlus.

As with any kind of sporting equipment, quality depends on how much a team or player is willing to spend. Carbon fiber brooms are best for their combination of strength and lightness. Composite fiber works well for midrange players. Fiberglass is the cheapest option. The broom’s handle and bearing factor into its weight and sweeping efficiency.

• NASA formally approves personal smartphones for government missions beginning with Crew-12
• Artemis II will carry consumer phones alongside traditional spaceflight imaging equipment
• Fast-tracked hardware approval marks a procedural shift inside NASA operations

NASA has confirmed its astronauts will now be allowed to carry personal smartphones on crewed missions, starting with Crew-12 and the delayed Artemis II flight.

Crew-12 is scheduled to travel to the International Space Station in mid-February 2026, while Artemis II is now expected to launch in March.

Earlier this year Donut Lab caused quite the furore when they unveiled what they claimed was the world’s first production-ready solid state battery, featuring some pretty stellar specifications. Since then many experts and enthusiasts in the battery space have raised concerns that this claimed battery may not be real, or even possible at all. After seeing the battery demonstrated at CES’26 and having his own concerns, [Ziroth] decided to do some investigating on what part of the stated claims actually hold up when subjected to known science.

On paper, the Donut Lab battery sounds amazing: full charge in less than 10 minutes, 400 Wh/kg energy density, 100,000 charge cycles, extremely safe and low cost. Basically it ticks every single box on a battery wish list, yet the problem is that this is all based on Donut’s own claims. Even aside from the concerns also raised in the video about the company itself, pinning down what internal chemistry and configuration would enable this feature set proves to be basically impossible.

In this summary of research done on Donut’s claimed battery as well as current battery research, a number of options were considered, including carbon nanotube-based super capacitors. Yet although this features 418 Wh/kg capacity, this pertains only to the basic material, not the entire battery which would hit something closer to 50 Wh/kg.

Other options include surface-redox sodium-ion chemistry with titanium oxide. This too would allow for fast charging and high endurance, but Donut has already come out to state that their battery is not capacitor-based and uses no lithium, so that gets shot down too.

Combined with the ‘cheap’ and ‘scalable’ claims this effectively shoots down any potential battery chemistry and architecture. Barring some amazing breakthrough this thus raises many red flags, especially when you consider Donut Lab’s major promises for investors that should make any reasonable person feel skittish about pouring money into the venture.

Sadly, it seems that this one too will not be the battery breakthrough that we’re all waiting for. Even new chemistries like sodium-ion are struggling to make much of inroads, although lithium-titanate shows real promise. Albeit it not with amazing power density increases that would make it better than plain lithium-ion for portable applications.

‘It’s been a rollercoaster year for Irish SMEs looking to raise capital,’ said Caroline Gaynor, chair of the IVCA.

For the first time since 2018, annual venture capital (VC) funding into Irish technology small and medium enterprises (SMEs) has fallen, according to the Irish Venture Capital Association (IVCA) Venture Pulse report. 

The report, which was published today (8 February), in partnership with Irish law firm William Fry, indicated that funding in 2025 fell by 23pc to €1.1bn – a decline from 2024’s record €1.48bn. A total of 186 deals were completed in 2025, down from 217 in 2024 – representing a drop of 14pc.

Meanwhile, funding in the fourth quarter specifically fell by 46pc to €291.4m.

For Sarah-Jane Larkin, the director general of IVCA, the fourth quarter and IVCA’s research highlighted the weakness of not being able to tap into local private capital. “A major reason for the 46pc decline in fourth quarter funding was the 71pc fall off in international investment,” she said.

“Another reason for the decrease in international funding may be that US investors may be overly focused on local AI opportunities and certainly the amount of money being invested there is sucking up a lot of venture capital. Unicorn status is being achieved by early stage start-ups in generative AI in the US much quicker than in the past.”

The lack of overseas investment, according to Larkin, is reflected in the significant drop in deals valued at more than €30m, which saw a drop of more than 33pc compared to 2024 at €540.8m. In the fourth quarter specifically, this category fell by 69pc to €111m.

Funding in the €10m-30m range for the year overall also fell, dropping 14pc to €269.4m, while deals under €1m dropped by 26pc to €21.3m.

However, the IVCA indicated that transactions for other smaller rounds held up “reasonably well” in 2025, with funding in the €3m-5m category rising by 39pc to €113.8m. There was a small decline of 3pc in the €1-3m range to €102.2m, and seed funding dropped by 5pc to €141m.

The top five funding deals in quarter four were quantum computing company Equal 1 (€30m), Shorla Oncology (€25m), Aerska (€17m), Fresco (€15m) and Luminate Medical (€14m). 

Life science companies attracted the most funding in 2025 in Ireland, raising 40pc of the total at €461m. This was followed by software at €156m, cybersecurity with €136m, AI and machine learning with €104m, and fintech with €96m. 

Remaining positive

“It’s been a rollercoaster year for Irish SMEs looking to raise capital,” commented Caroline Gaynor, who is the chair of IVCA. She suggested that instability as a result of US president Donald Trump’s tariffs has, in part, led to the worst second quarter on record seen in the last 10 years. 

“In addition, the fourth quarter saw a 71pc retreat from the Irish market by international investors from €470m to €132.4m. This may be due to hesitation and uncertainty by US VC firms due to a number of factors including an ‘America first’ focus, negativity from across the Atlantic about Europe and the impact of a weakening dollar.”

However, Gaynor said she remained positive about Irish entrepreneurs looking to raise capital in 2026. She explained that the Irish Government’s Seed and Venture Capital Scheme 2025 has a record allocation of €250m and the benefits of the scheme should be coming into effect shortly. 

“Progress is being made on the Government’s important Enterprise Scaling Fund 2, as well as other policy measures to mobilise capital to Irish SMEs. Current geopolitical events have highlighted the need for us to be more self-reliant, have more access to local capital and not be dependent on overseas investors to fund our indigenous tech sectors.”

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A new open-source and cross-platform tool called Tirith can detect homoglyph attacks over command-line environments by analyzing URLs in typed commands and stopping their execution. 

Available on GitHub and also as an npm package, the tool works by hooking into the user’s shell (zsh, bash, fish, PowerShell) and inspecting every command the user pastes for execution.

The idea is to block deceptive attacks that rely on URLs containing symbols from different alphabets that appear identical or nearly identical to the user but are treated as different characters by the computer (homoglyph attacks).

This lets attackers create a domain names that looks the same as that of a legitimate brand but have one or more characters from a different alphabet. On the computer screen, the domain looks legitimate for the human eye, but machines interpret the anomalous character correctly and resolve the domain to the server controlled by the attacker.

While browsers have addressed the issue, terminals continue to be susceptible as they can still render Unicode, ANSI escapes, and invisible characters, says Tirith’s author, Sheeki, in the description of the tool.  

According to Sheeki, the Tirith can detect and block the following types of attack:

• Homograph attacks (Unicode lookalike characters in domains, punycode, and mixed scripts)
• Terminal injection (ANSI escapes, bidi overrides, zero-width chars)
• Pipe-to-shell patterns (curl | bash, wget | sh, eval $(…))
• Dotfile hijacking (~/.bashrc, ~/.ssh/authorized_keys, etc.)
• Insecure transport (HTTP to shell, TLS disabled)
• Supply-chain risks (typosquatted git repos, untrusted Docker registries)
• Credential exposure (userinfo URLs, shorteners hiding destinations)

Unicode homoglyph characters have been used in the past in URLs delivered over email that led to a malicious website. One example is a phishing campaign last year impersonating Booking.com.

 and hidden characters in commands are very common in ClickFix attacks used by a broad range of cybercriminals, so Tirith could provide some level of defense against them on supported PowerShell sessions.

It should be noted that Tirith does not hook onto Windows Command Prompt (cmd.exe), which is used in many ClickFix attacks that instruct users to execute malicious commands.

Sheeki says the overhead of using Tirith is sub-millisecond level, so the checks are performed instantaneously, and the tool terminates immediately when done.

The tool can also analyze commands without running them, break down a URL’s trust signals, perform byte-level Unicode inspection, and audit receipts with SHA-256 for executed scripts.

The creator assures that Tirith performs all analysis actions locally, without making any network calls, does not modify the user’s pasted commands, and does not run in the background. Also, it does not require cloud access or network, accounts, or API keys, and does not send any telemetry data to the creator.

Tirith works on Windows, Linux, and macOS, and can be installed through Homebrew, apt/dnf, npm, Cargo, Nix, Scoop, Chocolatey, and Docker.

BleepingComputer has not tested Tirith against the listed attack scenarios, but the project has 46 forks and almost 1,600 stars on GitHub, less than a week from being published.

Modern IT infrastructure moves faster than manual workflows can handle.

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