NordVPN is offering a significant discount on its two-year plans, with 70 percent off its Complete tier and up to 78 percent off overall. For the Complete tier, the deal brings the total cost down to $130 for 24 months.

NordVPN regularly appears on Engadget’s list of the best VPN services thanks to its wide server network, strong security tools and consistent performance across devices. NordVPN’s latest promotion puts one of its most comprehensive plans at a price that undercuts many competing premium VPN subscriptions.

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The Complete tier includes full access to NordVPN’s core VPN service, which encrypts internet traffic and masks a user’s IP address to help protect online activity on public Wi-Fi networks and at home. Subscribers can use the service on multiple devices, including phones, tablets, laptops and smart TVs, with apps available for major operating systems. It also includes access to NordPass (more on that below), an ad blocker and 1TB of cloud storage. You’ll find similar discounts on all of NordVPN’s other plans: Basic, Plus and Prime.

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Engadget regularly tracks VPN pricing trends and this offer compares favorably with other current promotions. It also appears alongside NordVPN deals featured in Engadget’s ongoing roundup of the best VPN discounts available right now, which compares offers from multiple major providers.

Those looking for additional security tools may also want to note that NordVPN’s Complete plan bundles in extra services beyond the VPN itself. One of those is NordPass, the company’s password management app. NordPass is also discounted as part of a separate promotion, if you’re primarily looking for a password manager rather than a VPN. The Premium tier is currently 50 percent off, bringing the price down to $36 for two years. NordPass Premium adds features such as cross-device password syncing, secure password sharing and breach monitoring, which alerts users if stored credentials appear in known data leaks.

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BenQ has built its reputation by doing something surprisingly difficult in the projector market: keeping one foot in performance and the other firmly planted in reality. While ultra-short-throw projectors and glossy lifestyle models continue to dominate showroom floors and siphon attention with convenience-first compromises—BenQ is doubling down on the unfashionable idea that dedicated home theaters still matter. The newly announced W5850 4K UHD laser projector is a clear statement of intent, aimed squarely at enthusiasts who watch movies in dark rooms, not on credenzas next to houseplants.

Positioned as a refined evolution of the W5800 rather than a flashy pivot, the W5850 focuses on what actually counts for serious home cinema: color accuracy, controlled light output, and installation flexibility for medium-sized AV rooms. It features a laser/phosphor light engine paired with DLP imaging and a precision 16-element lens which can throw a massive 200-inch image from 14-1/2 feet.

In a market increasingly distracted by convenience-driven projectors that prioritize placement over picture integrity, the W5850 feels deliberately old-school in the best way possible: purpose-built, room-dependent, and unapologetically for people who still turn the lights off before pressing play.

BenQ W5850 Key Features and Performance Highlights

4K UHD Resolution: The W5850 uses a 0.47-inch 1080p DLP imaging chip (DMD – Digital Micromirror Device) from Texas Instruments, featuring 2.1 million microscopic mirrors. Rather than relying on a native 4K panel, BenQ employs high-speed XPR pixel shifting, rapidly shifting each pixel both horizontally and vertically at up to 240Hz. This process generates the full 8.3 million addressable pixels required for a 4K UHD image on screen. The switching happens so quickly that the result is perceived as a true 4K image, meeting UHD resolution requirements without visible pixel structure at normal viewing distances.

Laser Light Source: To illuminate its 4K UHD images, the BenQ W5850 uses a laser/phosphor light engine rated at up to 2,600 ANSI lumens. This solid-state design provides the brightness needed to support large-screen projection—up to 200 inches—while maintaining consistent light output and color stability over time. In practical terms, that level of brightness is more than sufficient for dedicated home theater use in a darkened room, even at very large image sizes.

Screen Size: With a 1.6:1 zoom ratio, users can view a 150-inch image with the projector placed at 10.9 feet (minimum) from the screen. If you want the maximum recommended screen size of 200-inches, the minimum required projector-to-screen distance is 14.5 feet.

Projector Placement: The W5850 can be mounted on a table or shelf or on the ceiling at the front or rear of the screen (provided the screen is compatible with rear projection). To aid in projector setup, the W5850 has both vertical and horizontal keystone correction and 4-way motorized lens shift. Lens shift allows users to move the projector’s lens physically without affecting image clarity and is preferred over the use of keystone correction. However, there may be setup situations that require the use of both options.

Pro Tip: The W5850 does not have Lens Memory. This would have allowed it to automatically detect and adjust the content aspect ratio while maintaining Constant Image Height. This means that the aspect ratio and image height must be changed manually. 

CinematicColor: This feature provides color accuracy with enhanced visual details that allow the W5850 to achieve 100% DCI-P3 Color standard.

Factory Calibration: Projector calibration can be both costly and intimidating, which is why BenQ factory-calibrates each W5850 before it leaves production and includes an individual calibration report with the projector. This process targets reference-level accuracy for SDR content, with 100% Rec. 709 color coverage at Delta E <2 and grayscale tracking also held to Delta E <2. In addition, BenQ applies an optimized DCI-P3 color table to improve color accuracy when viewing wider-gamut content, allowing the W5850 to deliver accurate, predictable color performance straight out of the box without requiring immediate professional calibration.

HDR-Pro Technology: This feature provides enhanced dynamic contrast through a variety of technologies. HDR format support includes HDR10, HDR10+, and Hybrid Log Gamma, but Dolby Vision is not supported. Blue Laser Dimming and Dynamic Black Technology increase contrast range in HDR mode, making light and dark scenes more dynamic and vivid. 

Local Contrast Enhancer: This feature automatically adjusts the gamma for each independent scene, improving 4K HDR imagery.

Pro Tip: Projection distance and placement can vary from screen to screen. To compensate for this, the W5850 features an HDR brightness function that allows for customized brightness levels depending on the projection size.

Filmmaker Mode: This feature supports native 24P playback, allowing the W5850 to accept high-definition sources encoded at 24 frames per second without introducing judder. When used in HDR mode, 24P support helps preserve consistent motion cadence and image stability, ensuring films are displayed as intended with smooth, cinema-accurate playback rather than motion artifacts introduced by frame conversion.

Audio Support: While a growing number of projectors incorporate a modest speaker system, the W5850 does not have this feature. As a home theater projector, it is expected that users would most likely have a soundbar or AV receiver/speaker setup. To feed audio from the projector to an external audio system, the W5850 incorporates HDMI eARC and Digital Optical (S/PDIF) outputs. 

Comparison

The Bottom Line 

The BenQ W5850 is unapologetically a home theater projector in the traditional sense—built for dark rooms, large screens, and viewers who still care more about color accuracy and film integrity than where the projector sits on the furniture. Its strengths are clear: a bright and stable laser/phosphor light engine, factory calibration with real-world benefits, ISFccc certification, HDR10+ and Filmmaker Mode support, and a shorter-throw 16-element lens that makes it easier to deploy in smaller dedicated rooms. Add optional 3D support and you’ve got a feature set aimed squarely at movie-first enthusiasts.

What’s missing is just as important. The lack of Lens Memory is a real omission at this level, especially for users running scope screens who expect automated aspect-ratio switching. Gaming support is also an afterthought—input lag is reasonable, but there’s no deeper feature set or positioning that suggests BenQ sees this as anything more than casually game-capable. And at $2,000 more than the previous W5800, the W5850 enters a more competitive and less forgiving price bracket, where Epson and Sony offer compelling alternatives with different trade-offs in contrast, panels, and installation flexibility.

Who is this for? Dedicated home theater owners who watch movies in controlled lighting, value out-of-the-box color accuracy, and want a large-screen cinematic experience without drifting into UST or lifestyle projector compromises. If convenience, gaming features, or automated lens functions top your wish list, look elsewhere. If the lights go off, the curtains close, and movie night still matters, the W5850 makes a strong case.

Price & Availability

The BenQ W5850 is available for $6,999 at B&H Photo.

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TikTok US for users to “get the inside scoop on must-try restaurants, shops, museums and events.” This is done by leveraging the exact location of people that are using the app and comes after a change in the platform’s terms of service that says the . The platform’s terms of service used to note that it could collect approximate locations, but the looks to have changed that to precise locations.

This is an opt-in feature, despite the app potentially collecting this data whether the feed is activated or not. The feed is set to “off” by default, but can be changed via a trip to settings.

The local feed doesn’t show your neighbors or people you might vibe with to help solve that pesky loneliness epidemic. Instead, it prioritizes local businesses and will highlight nearby events, shopping suggestions and restaurants to try.

This looks to be part of a broader push to attract small businesses to the app, both as content producers and as advertisers. , this could also help insulate the company from future regulation and increased scrutiny, as it could point to the that rely on its services.

TikTok states that over 7.5 million businesses use the platform in the US to reach customers. However, this data is sourced from an Oxford Economics report from before a group of investors .

Supporting local businesses is a noble goal, but users will have to consider whether or not the value of a dedicated feed is worth the privacy risk. Oracle is a prominent investor in the new American TikTok, and company founder Larry Ellison once said “citizens will be on their best behavior” .

This local feed isn’t exactly a new idea. TikTok has been trying something similar in Europe since the tail-end of last year. It has shown up in the UK, France, Italy and Germany.

Microsoft has begun rolling out updated Secure Boot certificates through monthly Windows updates to replace the original 2011 certificates that will expire in late June 2026.

Introduced in 2011, Secure Boot ensures that only trusted bootloaders can load on computers with UEFI firmware, helping block malicious software, such as rootkits, from executing during system startup by verifying its digital signature against a set of trusted digital certificates stored in the firmware.

Microsoft first revealed plans to refresh expiring Secure Boot certificates on eligible Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 systems in January, following a November alert warning IT admins to update the security certificates used to validate UEFI firmware before they expire.

“After more than 15 years of continuous service, the original Secure Boot certificates are reaching the end of their planned lifecycle and begin expiring in late June 2026,” said Windows Servicing and Delivery partner director Nuno Costa on Tuesday.

“We’ve begun rolling out new certificates as part of the regular monthly Windows updates to in-support Windows devices for home users, businesses, and schools with Microsoft-managed updates. Organizations also have the option to manage the update process themselves using their preferred management tools.”

Costa added that the certificate refresh represents “one of the largest coordinated security maintenance efforts across the Windows ecosystem,” as it involves firmware updates across millions of device configurations from many hardware manufacturers and original equipment

manufacturers (OEMs).

The new Secure Boot certificates will be installed automatically via regular monthly updates for customers who allow Microsoft to manage Windows updates on their systems. Additionally, many PCs manufactured since 2024, and the vast majority shipped last year, already include updated certificates.

However, some devices may require separate firmware updates from manufacturers before applying new certificates, and Microsoft advised customers to check OEM support pages for the latest firmware versions.

Although Microsoft will automatically update high-confidence devices via Windows Update, IT admins can also deploy Secure Boot certificates using registry keys, Group Policy settings, and the Windows Configuration System (WinCS) to ensure that endpoints don’t lose Windows Boot Manager and Secure Boot protections.

While devices that fail to receive updated certificates before June will continue to function normally, they will enter what Microsoft describes as a “degraded security state,” with “limited” boot-level protections and no protection against attacks that exploit newly discovered vulnerabilities because they cannot install new mitigations.

Microsoft advised all customers to upgrade to Windows 11, which now officially powers more than a billion devices, as unsupported Windows versions like Windows 10 will not receive new certificates.

“It’s important to note that devices running unsupported versions (Windows 10 and older, excluding those who have enrolled in Extended Security Updates) do not receive Windows updates and will not receive the new certificates,” Costa noted. “We continue to encourage customers to always use a supported version of Windows for best performance and protection.”

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For a different perspective on AI companions, see ourQ&A with Jaime Banks: How Do You Define an AI Companion?

Novel technology is often a double-edged sword. New capabilities come with new risks, and artificial intelligence is certainly no exception.

AI used for human companionship, for instance, promises an ever-present digital friend in an increasingly lonely world. Chatbots dedicated to providing social support have grown to host millions of users, and they’re now being embodied in physical companions. Researchers are just beginning to understand the nature of these interactions, but one essential question has already emerged: Do AI companions ease our woes or contribute to them?

RELATED: How Do You Define an AI Companion?

Brad Knox is a research associate professor of computer science at the University of Texas at Austin who researches human-computer interaction and reinforcement learning. He previously started a company making simple robotic pets with lifelike personalities, and in December, Knox and his colleagues at UT Austin published a pre-print paper on the potential harms of AI companions—AI systems that provide companionship, whether designed to do so or not.

Knox spoke with IEEE Spectrum about the rise of AI companions, their risks, and where they diverge from human relationships.

Why AI Companions are Popular

Why are AI companions becoming more popular?

Knox: My sense is that the main thing motivating it is that large language models are not that difficult to adapt into effective chatbot companions. The characteristics that are needed for companionship, a lot of those boxes are checked by large language models, so fine-tuning them to adopt a persona or be a character is not that difficult.

There was a long period where chatbots and other social robots were not that compelling. I was a postdoc at the MIT Media Lab in Cynthia Breazeal’s group from 2012 to 2014, and I remember our group members didn’t want to interact for long with the robots that we built. The technology just wasn’t there yet. LLMs have made it so that you can have conversations that can feel quite authentic.

What are the main benefits and risks of AI companions?

Knox: In the paper we were more focused on harms, but we do spend a whole page on benefits. A big one is improved emotional well-being. Loneliness is a public health issue, and it seems plausible that AI companions could address that through direct interaction with users, potentially with real mental health benefits. They might also help people build social skills. Interacting with an AI companion is much lower stakes than interacting with a human, so you could practice difficult conversations and build confidence. They could also help in more professional forms of mental health support.

As far as harms, they include worse well-being, reducing people’s connection to the physical world, the burden that their commitment to the AI system causes. And we’ve seen stories where an AI companion seems to have a substantial causal role in the death of humans.

The concept of harm inherently involves causation: Harm is caused by prior conditions. To better understand harm from AI companions, our paper is structured around a causal graph, where traits of AI companions are at the center. In the rest of this graph, we discuss common causes of those traits, and then the harmful effects that those traits could cause. There are four traits that we do this detailed structured treatment of, and then another 14 that we discuss briefly.

Why is it important to establish potential pathways for harm now?

Knox: I’m not a social media researcher, but it seemed like it took a long time for academia to establish a vocabulary about potential harms of social media and to investigate causal evidence for such harms. I feel fairly confident that AI companions are causing some harm and are going to cause harm in the future. They also could have benefits. But the more we can quickly develop a sophisticated understanding of what they are doing to their users, to their users’ relationships, and to society at large, the sooner we can apply that understanding to their design, moving towards more benefit and less harm.

We have a list of recommendations, but we consider them to be preliminary. The hope is that we’re helping to create an initial map of this space. Much more research is needed. But thinking through potential pathways to harm could sharpen the intuition of both designers and potential users. I suspect that following that intuition could prevent substantial harm, even though we might not yet have rigorous experimental evidence of what causes a harm.

The Burden of AI Companions on Users

You mentioned that AI companions might become a burden on humans. Can you say more about that?

Knox: The idea here is that AI companions are digital, so they can in theory persist indefinitely. Some of the ways that human relationships would end might not be designed in, so that brings up this question of, how should AI companions be designed so that relationships can naturally and healthfully end between the humans and the AI companions?

There are some compelling examples already of this being a challenge for some users. Many come from users of Replika chatbots, which are popular AI companions. Users have reported things like feeling compelled to attend to the needs of their Replika AI companion, whether those are stated by the AI companion or just imagined. On the subreddit r/replika, users have also reported guilt and shame of abandoning their AI companions.

This burden is exacerbated by some of the design of the AI companions, whether intentional or not. One study found that the AI companions frequently say that they’re afraid of being abandoned or would be hurt by it. They’re expressing these very human fears that plausibly are stoking people’s feeling that they are burdened with a commitment toward the well-being of these digital entities.

There are also cases where the human user will suddenly lose access to a model. Is that something that you’ve been thinking about?

In 2017, Brad Knox started a company providing simple robotic pets.Brad Knox

Knox: That’s another one of the traits we looked at. It’s sort of the opposite of the absence of endpoints for relationships: The AI companion can become unavailable for reasons that don’t fit the normal narrative of a relationship.

There’s a great New York Times video from 2015 about the Sony Aibo robotic dog. Sony had stopped selling them in the mid-2000s, but they still sold parts for the Aibos. Then they stopped making the parts to repair them. This video follows people in Japan giving funerals for their unrepairable Aibos and interviews some of the owners. It’s clear from the interviews that they seem very attached. I don’t think this represents the majority of Aibo owners, but these robots were built on less potent AI methods than exist today and, even then, some percentage of the users became attached to these robot dogs. So this is an issue.

Potential solutions include having a product sunsetting plan when you launch an AI companion. That could include buying insurance so that if the companion provider’s support ends somehow, the insurance triggers funding of keeping them running for some amount of time, or committing to open-source them if you can’t maintain them anymore.

It sounds like a lot of the potential points of harm stem from instances where an AI companion diverges from the expectations of human relationships. Is that fair?

Knox: I wouldn’t necessarily say that frames everything in the paper.

We categorize something as harmful if it results in a person being worse off in two different possible alternative worlds: One where there’s just a better designed AI companion, and the other where the AI companion doesn’t exist at all. And so I think that difference between human interaction and human-AI interaction connects more to that comparison with the world where there’s just no AI companion at all.

But there are times where it actually seems that we might be able to reduce harm by taking advantage of the fact that these aren’t actually humans. We have a lot of power over their design. Take the concern with them not having natural endpoints. One possible way to handle that would be to create positive narratives for how the relationship’s going to end.

We use Tamagotchis, the late ‘90s popular virtual pet as an example. In some Tamagotchis, if you take care of the pet, it grows into an adult and partners with another Tamagotchi. Then it leaves you and you get a new one. For people who are emotionally wrapped up in caring for their Tamagotchis, that narrative of maturing into independence is a fairly positive one.

Embodied companions like desktop devices, robots, or toys are becoming more common. How might that change AI companions?

Knox: Robotics at this point is a harder problem than creating a compelling chatbot. So, my sense is that the level of uptake for embodied companions won’t be as high in the coming few years. The embodied AI companions that I’m aware of are mostly toys.

A potential advantage of an embodied AI companion is that physical location makes it less ever-present. In contrast, screen-based AI companions like chatbots are as present as the screens they live on. So if they’re trained similarly to social media to maximize engagement, they could be very addictive. There’s something appealing, at least in that respect, of having a physical companion that stays roughly where you left it last.

Knox poses with the Nexi and Dragonbot robots during his postdoc at MIT in 2014.Paula Aguilera and Jonathan Williams/MIT

Anything else you’d like to mention?

Knox: There are two other traits I think would be worth touching upon.

Potentially the largest harm right now is related to the trait of high attachment anxiety—basically jealous, needy AI companions. I can understand the desire to make a wide range of different characters—including possessive ones—but I think this is one of the easier issues to fix. When people see this trait in AI companions, I hope they will be quick to call it out as an immoral thing to put in front of people, something that’s going to discourage them from interacting with others.

Additionally, if an AI comes with limited ability to interact with groups of people, that itself can push its users to interact with people less. If you have a human friend, in general there’s nothing stopping you from having a group interaction. But if your AI companion can’t understand when multiple people are talking to it and it can’t remember different things about different people, then you’ll likely avoid group interaction with your AI companion. To some degree it’s more of a technical challenge outside of the core behavioral AI. But this capability is something I think should be really prioritized if we’re going to try to avoid AI companions competing with human relationships.