It more than doubles your gaming time while giving you a better grip.
Belkin
Belkin has introduced a new charging grip for the Switch 2 that lets you game longer and be more comfortable doing it. The Gaming Charging Grip for Nintendo Switch 2 comes with a 10,000 mAh power bank, built-in charging cable and modular grips for the Joy-Cons.
To use it, you slide your Switch 2 into the charger case and snap the modular grips onto the Joy-Con 2s. Once connected via the built-in 30 watt USB-C cable, the power bank can recharge the console 1.5 times, letting you play well over twice as long as without it (150 percent longer, of course). The charging level is shown in a digital display on the back.
Belkin
The grips are ergonomic and non-slip, Belkin says, and detach with the Joy-Con 2s when you remove them. They look pretty thick, so should support your hands well even if they get a bit slick after some hours of play. On the main charging case, there’s a slot at the bottom so it won’t interfere with the Switch 2’s kickstand.
Belkin also introduced the Travel Bag for Nintendo Switch 2, a cross-body everyday bag for gamers looking for a practical way to tote their console and accessories. It comes with a dedicated soft-lined pocket with a velcro strap, spacious storage, quick-access front pockets and a hidden compartment for trackers.
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Belkin loves to experiment with Switch 2 charging, having already released a Charging Case that doubles as a tabletop stand and a Charging Case Pro. The Gaming Charging Grip is now available at belkin.com, Amazon and other retailers for $100 in black, lilac and olive, while the travel bag can be purchased in those same colors for $50.
HP has announced a new line of Windows PCs equipped with NVIDIA RTX Spark, designed to enhance AI computing experiences. They’re targeting creators, gamers, and developers who need to run intense apps and use new AI workflows. HP wants these PCs to be super capable, ultra-responsive, and ready for what’s ahead.
The new lineup includes the OmniBook Ultra 16 and OmniBook X 14. Both come with NVIDIA RTX Spark tech, which blends AI and superior graphics while boosting battery efficiency. So, HP is all about amazing performance without sacrificing battery life or mobility. The company claims these laptops will rank among the world’s thinnest models without compromising battery life.
Built For Creators, Gamers, And AI Developers
The platform gives us the computing power for video production, digital design, and content creation. Plus, gamers get better graphics and a more responsive experience. AI developers can make and test AI models right on their computers, too. This mix of AI and graphics tech makes advanced computing easier for a lot more people to use.
Along with its new AI laptops, HP is expanding into desktops, workstations, and enterprise systems. The company is preparing a compact RTX Spark-powered desktop that combines strong AI performance with a space-saving design. HP is also building advanced systems using NVIDIA GB300 technology for demanding business tasks. Furthermore, for those needing more security, there’s the ZGX Nano. It provides a safe space to develop and deploy AI without worries.
Expected Price and Availability
HP plans to launch the OmniBook Ultra 16 and OmniBook X 14 later in 2026. The company has not revealed pricing details for either laptop yet. More details about the devices are expected closer to release. HP also plans to launch the OmniDesk Mini Desktop PC in August 2026. Buyers can expect further information about features and pricing before the products reach the market.
A new research report has Apple’s first MacBook Pro with OLED shipping weeks or months sooner than other, more reliable leakers have been claiming for months, if not years.
We’ve seen rumors about the fabled OLED Apple laptop for years, all with various release dates. But recently, reports have coalesced on a release window of anywhere between October 2026 from older reports, and newer ones saying the early months of 2027.
Despite that, research outfit Omdia now believes that Apple is readying the MacBook Ultra for a release sooner than that. In its report on OLED display demand, Omdia says the new premium laptop will debut in the third calendar quarter of 2026.
If accurate, that means the MacBook Ultra could debut as soon as July 2026. There’s almost no chance of that.
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But more realistically, we’re looking at a September timeframe at the very earliest.
The thing is, September is normally new iPhone and Apple Watch season. It remains to be seen whether Apple is willing to have its biggest product launches of the year share the month with a brand-new laptop.
This news also flies in the face of an April 2026 report claiming the MacBook Ultra had been delayed to 2027. Global RAM and SSD shortages were blamed for the delay, and they’ve certainly not improved.
Going back to August 2025, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman pointed to a late 2026 or early 2027 release.
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More recently, the same outlet’s February 2026 report believed the OLED laptops would debut near the end of the year, but no sooner.
With all of this in mind, it’s a surprise to now see mention of a release as early as September.
OLED, coming soon
Release window aside, the report notes that Samsung Display is set to produce 14.3- and 16.3-inch OLED panels for the unannounced laptop. It’ll use a hybrid OLED technology based on TFT and RGB tandem technology, Jerry Kang, Practice Leader at Omdia, believes.
The move to a hybrid OLED display is expected to gather pace following the MacBook Ultra’s release. It’s easy to see why, with the technology allowing for a thinner construction.
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A recent report believed Samsung Display would be capable of supplying Apple with two million OLED displays by year’s end.
The new “AI for All” plan prioritizes strengthening data protections and increasing AI adoption.
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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced a new AI strategy that will guide Canada’s next five years of legislation and infrastructure investment. While the new “AI for All” plan is slightly more focused on the impact the technology will have on normal people than President Donald Trump’s similar framework for the US, it’s just as concerned with growing his country’s domestic AI industry, while ignoring the growing backlash.
“With the global AI market projected to reach US $4.8 trillion by 2033,” the announcement claims, “Canada has a limited but real opportunity to ensure AI works for all Canadians — to harness this technology to create jobs, protect Canadians and strengthen our prosperity.” The plan aims to achieve those goals by building Canadians’ trust in AI, increasing AI adoption and investing in the foundations of AI technology that’s built, hosted and run in Canada.
AI for All calls for legislative frameworks to be updated to “[strengthen] protections for Canadians’ personal information, including against harmful practices such as deepfakes and surveillance pricing” and the creation of an “online safety regime” to protect chatbot and social media users. The strategy also lays out a plan to establish a National AI Literacy Initiative to provide free entry-level AI training, and commits to offering “access to trusted AI agents for every post-secondary student.” Among other benefits, Carney says the strategy will provide “up to 90,000 AI-related jobs and work placement opportunities.”
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For Canadian businesses, AI for All also calls for the construction of a “public AI supercomputer” and further investment in sovereign — as in Canadian-owned and operated — compute and cloud infrastructure. These infrastructure investments will be made in line with Canada’s clean energy goals and assisted with access to growth capital through government procurement.
While the full strategy document acknowledges Canadians’ skepticism towards AI, it largely ignores evidence that adopting AI technologies doesn’t necessarily increase productivity and that there’s a growing distaste for the technology in general. More laws regulating AI tools seems necessary, but Carney’s plan to increase AI adoption might be focused on the wrong issue. AI for All suggests these problems are a matter of communication and access, but considering tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude can be used for free, Canadians not using AI enough might be reflective of problems with AI and what it produces, not their understanding of it.
MSI just showed off the MEG Vision X2 AI+, a gaming desktop that does something no other mainstream PC has done before. A clear glass cylinder stands on the front of the chassis. A red dragon floats inside it in three dimensions. The creature wears golden armor and sports large lobster-style claws. Its name is LuckyClaw, and it serves as the visible face of an AI that can hear commands and carry them out.
Builders delve beneath the hood of the MEG Vision X2 AI+ to uncover some important hardware within the futuristic cylinder. You can upgrade to an Intel Core Ultra processor, including the 285K variant. Early models contain top-tier NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 graphics cards that can handle anything you throw at them. It’s all topped off with DDR5 RAM and PCIe 5.0 SSDs, which is some very high-end hardware. A large 360mm liquid cooler keeps the heat under control, while an MSI Project Zero motherboard keeps all of the wires neatly tidied up, so you don’t even notice they’re there. This monster can produce up to 3400 TOPS of AI performance when all of the components work together.
MSI installs LuckyClaw on every machine right from the factory floor. When you first load up your PC, you are welcomed with the dragon, and I mean immediately. A microphone is conspicuously placed at the front, waiting for you to express your thoughts (or type into a box on screen if that’s your thing), and the dragon springs into action, since it’s quite the talker! The cartoon mood lends it a “personality,” complete with a high-pitched, excited voice. The dragon is currently aiding with tasks comparable to those carried out on a computer. To change the performance mode, simply bark an order at the dragon, and it will do so. If you want to change the colour of the RGB lighting, simply tell it. If you have an MSI monitor, it can even transfer those settings to the screen via voice commands. Future software updates will surely add new tricks to LuckyClaws’ repertoire, and the MEG Vision X2’s brilliance is that the AI can learn alongside you.
LuckyClaw’s 3D appearance is created by a combination of mirrors and projection, removing the need for specialized holographic equipment. MSI intends to run the AI locally on the GPU to speed things up and reduce the need for server requests in the future. You also have to give them credit for putting the dragon right up front where you can see it, because it completely changes how you interact with the PC. The days of a monotonous PC tower that only lights up when you’re gaming are over, as the MEG Vision X2 is more like having your own tiny copilot sitting on your desk. The AI is basically focused on system control and the MSI ecosystem, which makes logical given that this is the first edition, and it provides a clear purpose to communicate with your PC without having to run apps or know a multitude of hotkeys.
There is no information on pricing yet, but MSI demonstrated it at Computex in Taipei, so it should be accessible through all of the standard retail channels. When it will be available is a little more uncertain, as we expect regional variations to influence this. MSI provides a range of configurations, but it is safe to assume that the CPU, GPU, and RAM options will influence the final price. [Source]
Whenever you feel a grind, jerk, or resistance, it could be your car telling you that something inside the transmission or clutch system isn’t working the way it should. Grinding gears in particular are often a sign that the transmission might not be in order. And the longer you ignore it, the worse it’s going to get. But to understand why it occurs, and how to avoid it in the first place, you need to understand what’s supposed to happen when you shift gears.
To change gears smoothly, your engine and wheels need to be in sync. Specifically, the input and output shafts in your gearbox must be moving at the same speed before a gear can engage cleanly. If they’re not able to sync up, that forces the gears to engage while moving at different speeds. The result is that unmistakable grinding sound you hear when driving.
In modern manual vehicles, there’s a component called a transmission synchronizer, also called synchro, that helps facilitate this process, which is why shifting feels smoother than with a vintage car, for instance, or a commercial truck. However, when that component begins to degrade, it disrupts the synchronization process and eventually causes grinding. For automatic transmissions, although not as frequently as in manual cars, grinding can also occur due to contaminated transmission fluid, a faulty torque converter, or worn internal gears. Let’s go over each potential cause in detail, so you understand what’s going wrong and whether your driving or maintenance habits might be making it worse.
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1. Damaged synchronizers
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If the grinding in your car happens consistently in one particular gear, damaged synchronizers are likely the cause. In a manual transmission, synchronizers function like small individual clutches, each assigned to a gear. Their main role is to spin at the same speed as the output shaft before the gears connect. This process is what allows you to shift smoothly. But when it fails, the gears are forced to engage while still moving at different speeds, and that mismatch is exactly what produces that harsh collision of metals.
These rings are typically made from either brass or steel. Brass is more common and works well under normal driving conditions, but wears out faster. Steel handles heat and heavy use better, though it synchronizes more slowly and costs more. Either way, both types wear down over time — it’s just a question of when.
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Several other factors, however, can speed up how quickly they wear down. The most significant is aggressive shifting. When driving, if you have a habit of forcing the gear lever without fully pressing the clutch pedal, you’re overloading the friction surfaces on the synchro rings, causing them to degrade faster than they normally would. Overheating from heavy-load driving also doesn’t help matters. This will result in some of your car components facing more stress than they are designed to handle. If your synchronizers are worn out, the fix is to replace them. Attending to it quickly is important so it doesn’t lead to broader transmission damage.
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2. Low or contaminated transmission fluid
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Transmission fluid is very important to the functioning of your transmission system in multiple ways. It acts as a lubricant, reducing friction between the moving metal parts inside the transmission. It also serves as a coolant, preventing components from overheating while you’re driving. And in automatic transmissions, it maintains the hydraulic pressure that makes gear shifts possible in the first place. Basically, your transmission system relies on it to keep internal components moving freely and quietly.
But when the fluid level drops too low, air gets mixed into the fluid, which reduces its ability to lubricate and cool effectively. Metal components that were previously separated by this fluid begin to make direct contact with one another, and the resulting friction produces the grinding noise you hear during gear changes. More importantly, if this continues unchecked, this kind of friction increases wear across other components and generates heat that pushes the transmission toward overheating.
You’ll most likely experience the same thing if your fluid gets contaminated. Once this happens, its chemical properties break down, and it loses its ability to do its job properly. One key thing to look out for is that the fluid begins to darken and develop a burnt smell. In severe cases, contaminated fluid can even contribute to burnt torque converters and damaged valves, leaving you with a deep hole in your wallet. Of all the causes of grinding gears, this one is arguably the most preventable. All you need to do is regular maintenance. Make sure your fluid never runs low and always do routine transmission fluid changes.
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3. Malfunctioning clutch
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Despite the dominance of automatic-transmission vehicles, there are still cars that offer manual transmissions. If you drive one, the clutch is one of the components you use the most, so when it’s not working as it should, the effects are easily noticeable. Simply, it is what separates the engine from the transmission. When you press the clutch pedal down, you are telling the engine and the gearbox to temporarily stop communicating, which gives you the window you need to move the gear lever cleanly from one gear to the next. If the clutch fully disengages and then re-engages smoothly, the gear change is seamless. But if it doesn’t, it can cause your car to grind.
The most common reason a clutch reaches this point is simple wear. The clutch relies on friction material to transfer power from the engine to the transmission. This friction material degrades over time through normal use until it can no longer make the clean contact it needs to. It then gets to a point where the clutch begins to slip or fails to engage properly. Any of these can cause the unsettling jolt you feel when the car does not shift properly.
Beyond normal wear, certain driving habits can be harming your transmission. One of the most damaging is riding the clutch, which means keeping the pedal partially engaged rather than fully up or fully down. It’s a common mistake that can ruin your engine. Also, hesitating while changing gears can put additional strain on the clutch assembly. While it’s natural for your clutch to eventually wear out, you’ll be doing yourself a lot of good if you catch it early. It is a far less expensive repair than one that has been driven into the ground.
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4. Faulty torque converter
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The torque converter performs the function of a clutch in an automatic-transmission vehicle. Just like the clutch, it sits between the engine and the gearbox and serves the same fundamental purpose: connecting and disconnecting power between the engine and the transmission. Inside the torque converter, four main components work together, namely the pump, the turbine, the stator, and the transmission fluid that flows between them.
The engine powers the pump, which keeps fluid flowing through the converter. That fluid flow turns the turbine, which is linked to the transmission, and that’s how power is transferred to the wheels. The stator sits between them, redirecting fluid to improve efficiency, particularly at lower speeds. When any component within that system wears out or is damaged, it can lead to slipping gears, vibration, and unusual noise.
Several things can cause a torque converter to deteriorate. High mileage is the most common one. The internal components simply wear down over time with accumulated use. Overheating is another major factor. Towing heavy loads, driving in extreme temperatures, or a cooling system that is not doing its job properly can all generate excessive heat inside the transmission, damaging the internal components of the converter.
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Aside from the grinding noise, a faulty torque converter can give you a serious headache if you don’t attend to it early. Because it regulates the flow of fluid throughout the system, a failing converter can cause the transmission fluid to overheat, which in turn accelerates wear across the entire transmission. So, once you notice the grinding noise or any of the other indicators we listed above, it’s best to take your vehicle to a mechanic to prevent a complete transmission failure.
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How we compiled this list
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We started by going over consumer forums like Reddit to get a good sense of what drivers were actually dealing with. That includes which gears were often grinding, under what conditions, and how they ended up resolving it. From there, we consulted trusted repair shops and transmission specialists to see what the experts had to say about what usually causes these grinding noises. Once we had a shortlist of problems, we went over detailed mechanic breakdowns on each one to understand why it occurs and what often makes the damage worse.
Since grinding noises can happen in both manual and automatic transmissions, we tried to include causes that apply to both. In most cases, you’ll still need a mechanic to diagnose and recommend a repair plan. Our goal, however, is to help you understand what could be going on under the hood and when it might be dangerous to ignore the noise, so you’re in a much better position to decide what to do next.
from the ministry-of-truth-back-on-its-bullshit dept
History is written by the winners, they say. But it can also be written by losers.
Donald Trump lost the 2020 election. In response, he told everyone the election had been rigged, if not actually stolen. He said some of this to his faithful MAGA followers the morning the election results were to be certified. The rest is, as they say, history. His supporters stormed the Capitol building for the sole purpose of preventing the election from being certified. They broke into the building, assaulted police and federal officers, forced the Senate into hiding, and walked off with whatever souvenirs they could.
Many of these insurrectionists were ultimately arrested, charged, and convicted for their crimes. When Trump was elected president for a second time, one of the first things he did was issue pardons to the people who broke the law on his behalf back in 2021.
As awful and self-serving as that move was, it wasn’t the end of it. Playing both sides of a lawsuit, Trump managed to secure a revenge fund via a “settlement” by the IRS over the leaking of his tax files years earlier. Trump claims it’s an “anti-weaponization” fund meant to soothe the nerves of supposedly politically persecuted members of his MAGA flock with cash rewards for criminal acts.
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Of course, he didn’t say exactly that, but everyone knows how this $1.776 billion slush fund is going to be used. The court handling the lawsuit seeking to dismantle the fund knows it as well. Whether or not it can find a way to shut it down remains to be seen. There’s not a whole lot of precedent on transparent self-dealing by a sitting president, mainly because most presidents (and their cabinets) are generally a little more careful to obscure their true motives.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration is continuing to erase history it doesn’t like. This project started far from the White House, forcing national parks to take down anything that presented America as anything less than perfect. This effort, however, takes place on the administration’s home field. Rather than simply allow history to exist, the DOJ is proactively deleting evidence of the agency’s past actions.
A review by NBC News found that the vast majority of press releases pertaining to Jan. 6 defendants have been removed from the DOJ website as of Friday evening.
The move to wipe hundreds of press releases from the official government site is the latest attempt by the Trump administration to reframe the Jan. 6 siege and to paint the rioters who participated in it as victims.
It’s not like the DOJ or administration gave anyone a head’s up that this purge would be happening. It took regular people noticing it for the government to respond. And respond it did, as only this administration can: by gleefully admitting it was engaging in the sort of memory-holing we used to condemn foreign autocracies for doing.
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Washington Post journalist Meryl Kornfield pointed out the “quiet” disappearance of January 6 indictment press releases from the DOJ’s website. The DOJ’s “Rapid Reponse” X account jumped in immediately to gloat about its destruction of the public record:
Nothing “quiet” about it.
We are proud to reverse the DOJ’s weaponization under the Biden administration. We will do everything in our power to make whole those who were persecuted for political purposes. This includes stripping DOJ’s website of partisan propaganda.
There it is: yet another middle finger to Americans from an administration that claims no one loves America as much as it does. Sure, press releases may contain statements from government prosecutors that contain as much opinion as facts, the rest of the releases generally just state the facts as dryly as possible so there’s little room for interpretation.
The question is where the DOJ goes from here. Is it willing to start destroying court records and/or placing these under seal where they’re inaccessible to the general public? Will it deliver a fresh set of non-facts to replace all of the history it’s erasing?
While this makes it more difficult to trust the DOJ to maintain its own records, it doesn’t change the fact that most things on the internet are forever, whether you want them to be or not. What’s been deleted has already been archived. Even if this government is willing to block sites like the Internet Archive from preserving history as it happens, it can’t keep dozens of other people from preventing this administration from simply wishing all of its wrongdoings into the internet cornfield.
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Lawfare is just one site that’s making sure the permanent record remains permanent since this administration is objectively opposed to letting its history speak for itself. The results of its ongoing efforts to prevent Trump, et al. from simply pretending this never happened can be accessed here.
What’s detailed in the deleted documents isn’t evidence of “partisan propaganda” or “DOJ weaponization.” What happened actually fucking happened. The DOJ is supposed to handle federal crimes and it did exactly that. The truth is that Trump supporters committed several crimes in an effort to undermine — if not actually destroy — the democratic process. This was one of the darkest moments in American history. It should never be minimized, much less discarded just because it makes the people in power (and the people who support them) look as awful as they actually are.
These are the acts of a dictator and his enablers. It’s the antithesis of the independence that’s going to be celebrated by the same people who are busy destroying everything this country is supposed to stand for. It’s not something to be tolerated. And it should never be forgiven.
The feat is achieved with the help of a new front panel holding some very thin side-emitting addressable LEDs. The keys are custom-printed, and there’s a TPU mat to hold them all together. The LEDs are driven from one of the device’s GPIOs.
We saw this badge in real life at the recent Hackaday Europe conference in Lecco, Italy. It really is as good as it looks in the video below, the care and attention which has gone into the build is extremely impressive.The original badge used a silicone cast set of keys, and we’d say if you are making a device with a keyboard then these might make a very good option.
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If you’re not familiar with the Communicator, it’s worth having a look at the launch announcement.
HARMAN Luxury Audio Group has arrived at High End Vienna 2026 with several new high-end audio products, but the headline for JBL is the next generation of its Summit Everest and Summit K2 flagship loudspeakers.
Timed with JBL’s 80th anniversary, the updated Everest and K2 join the Summit Makalu, Summit Pumori, and Summit Ama, which debuted at High End Munich in 2025. Together, they complete the five-model JBL Summit Series for residential audio.
JBL describes the Summit Series as one of its most advanced loudspeaker efforts for the home, and only the fifth JBL loudspeaker family to carry the “Project” designation in the company’s eight-decade history. That label matters: JBL has historically reserved it for its most ambitious engineering platforms, not just another expensive box with prettier woodwork and a Sherpa-friendly name.
Each JBL Project loudspeaker reflects a particular stage in the company’s high-end engineering work, with changes in driver design, enclosure construction, horn geometry, crossover design, and system integration shaping each generation.
For nearly 40 years, Project Everest and Project K2 have been central to JBL’s high-end loudspeaker development. Successive versions have introduced updates to transducers, compression drivers, cabinet construction, waveguides, and overall system tuning.
The latest generation Summit Everest and Summit K2 carry that tradition forward with patented and proprietary technologies developed at JBL’s renowned Acoustic Center of Excellence in Northridge, California.
Summit Everest
Summit Everest, named after Earth’s highest mountain, is the flagship of the Summit Series and the successor to four generations of Project Everest loudspeakers released over the years.
Mid/High Frequency: The core of the latest Everest is a newly engineered mid/high-frequency system that combines the output of three patented JBL D2820 2-inch dual-diaphragm, dual-motor compression drivers with a custom-designed, patent-pending 3-into-1 expansion manifold, seamlessly mated to a custom large-format Sonoglass High-Definition Imaging (HDI) horn.
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Mid-Bass/Bass: For mid-bass and bass, there are dual 10-inch cast-frame Differential Drive mid-bass drivers and dual 15-inch cast-frame Differential Drive woofers, each utilizing JBL’s triple-layer Hybrid Carbon Cellulose Composite Cone (HC4) for stiffness, low distortion, and exceptional power handling that define a true reference design.
3.5 Way Configuration: The result of its driver configuration, the Everest is a 3.5 Way floor-standing loudspeaker that is designed to support elevated resolution, dynamic authority, tonal precision, and spatial realism across a bandwidth extending from 20 Hz to beyond 23 kHz.
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Summit K2
The Summit K2, named after Earth’s second-tallest mountain, is JBL’s most accomplished 15-inch 3-way floor-standing loudspeaker, built upon the legacy of four generations of Project K2 development. The K2 brings signature musicality forward with measurable advances in resolution, transparency, and tonal accuracy.
Mid/High Frequency: The latest K2 incorporates a newly engineered mid/high-frequency system pairing three patented D2815 1.5-inch dual-diaphragm, dual-motor compression drivers with a custom-designed, patent-pending 3-into-1 expansion manifold and large-format Sonoglass® HDI™ horn.
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Mid-Bass/Bass A 10-inch cast-frame Differential Drive mid-bass driver and a 15-inch cast-frame Differential Drive woofer are included, both of which feature HC4 cones. This design anchors the K2’s sonic foundation, delivering the dynamic precision and emotional immediacy that have defined this speaker since its 1989 debut.
The Summit Standard
The Summit Everest and Summit K2 bring together the main technologies developed for the Summit Series, including updated transducers, horn/waveguide geometry, crossover design, and cabinet construction.
A MultiCap crossover network, supporting single-wire, bi-amp/bi-wire, and tri-amp/tri-wire connectivity, replaces traditional large capacitors with a greater number of smaller capacitors, reducing electrostatic resistance and minimizing energy loss for greater signal transfer, increased power handling, and ultra-low distortion.
The Everest and K2 are housed in a precisely engineered enclosure with internally offset, multi-braced, and damped pre-stressed pressed curved-wall construction designed to minimize internal standing waves.
Custom-designed JBL | IsoAcoustic isolation feet decouple the loudspeaker from the supporting surface, contributing to tighter bass performance, a more expansive soundstage, and imaging defined by greater clarity and spatial precision.
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Finishes and Binding Posts
Summit Everest and Summit K2 are offered with a choice of high-gloss painted black with Summit Platinum accents or high-gloss Macassar Ebony wood veneer with Summit Gold detailing. The Everest and K2 employ sustainably sourced engineered wood cabinetry that reflects JBL’s commitment to materials and execution.
The speaker binding posts are rhodium-plated, wrapped in carbon fiber, with Ohno-Continuous-Cast (OCC) long-crystal oxygen-free silver-plated copper internal wiring.
Bi-amp / Bi-wire Capable with Dual Sets of Binding Posts
Bi-amp / Bi-wire Capable with Dual Sets of Binding Posts
Bi-amp / Bi-wire Capable with Dual Sets of Binding Posts
Bi-amp / Bi-wire Capable with Dual Sets of Binding Posts
Crossover
MultiCap™ with Bi-amp/Bi-wire and tri-amp/tri-wire
MultiCap™ with Bi-amp/Bi-wire and tri-amp/tri-wire
MultiCap™ with Bi-amp/Bi-wire
MultiCap™ with Bi-amp/Bi-wire
MultiCap™ with Bi-amp/Bi-wire
Finish
High-gloss black with Platinum accents
High-gloss Macassar Ebony wood veneer with Summit Gold detailing
High-gloss black with Platinum accents
High-gloss Macassar Ebony wood veneer with Summit Gold detailing
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Black High Gloss / Ebony Veneer w/ Gloss
Black High Gloss / Ebony Veneer w/ Gloss
Black High Gloss / Ebony Veneer w/ Gloss
Dimensions (HWD)
56.8″ x 39.1″ x 27.3″
50.4″ x 25.0″ x 18.1″
43.4″ x 18.3″ x 15.5″
41.6″ x 15.5″ x 14.7″
Speaker: 18.6″ x 12.1″ x 13.2” Stand: 21.7″ x 16.2″ x 16.2″
Weight
523 lbs
239 lbs
152.6 lbs
140.8 lbs
58 lbs
JBL Celebrates 80th Anniversary
JBL is celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2026, marking eight decades since James B. Lansing founded the company in 1946. That is not a small footnote in audio history. JBL has been part of professional studios, cinemas, concert venues, home audio systems, cars, portable speakers, headphones, and more than a few cultural moments where the sound system mattered as much as the crowd.
The brand’s reach is unusually broad. JBL Professional continues to play a major role in cinemas, studios, stadiums, houses of worship, clubs, and live venues, while JBL’s consumer division has become one of the most visible names in portable audio and headphones. Few audio companies can claim that kind of spread without sounding like the marketing department got loose with the espresso machine. In JBL’s case, the claim has some weight behind it.
Founded by one of the most important loudspeaker engineers of the 20th century, JBL built its reputation on high-output loudspeakers, studio monitors, professional sound reinforcement, and home audio products that helped define what American hi-fi looked and sounded like. The company’s history includes major technical achievements in loudspeaker design and recognition from both the film and recording industries, including Academy Awards for sound engineering achievements and a Grammy Award for its long-running contribution to concert, studio, cinema, and broadcast sound.
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That legacy still matters because JBL is not just trading on old photographs and orange grilles. The company remains active across professional, luxury, portable, automotive, and personal audio, while also investing in spatial audio, adaptive sound, immersive listening, and more sustainable product design. Not every one of those phrases needs a parade, but they do point to where JBL thinks audio is going next.
“For 80 years, JBL has been defined by an uncompromising pursuit of acoustic excellence, and the Project loudspeakers have always represented the absolute summit of that pursuit,” said David Tovissi, Vice President & GM, HARMAN Luxury Audio. “With Summit Everest and Summit K2, we are honoring four generations of legendary engineering while introducing technologies that move the state of the art forward. These are reference loudspeakers built for listeners who refuse to compromise and who recognize what it means to own the very best.”
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JBL Summit Everest Loudspeakers in High-gloss Macassar Ebony wood veneer with Summit Gold detailing.
The Bottom Line
With Summit Makalu, Pumori, and Ama introduced in 2025, JBL expanded the Summit Series below its established Everest and K2 flagships. The arrival of the latest Summit Everest and Summit K2 completes the line at the top, giving JBL a five-model residential flagship range tied directly to its Project loudspeaker heritage.
What makes Everest and K2 different is not just scale or price. These are JBL’s statement platforms for horn-loaded compression-driver design, large-format woofers, advanced cabinet construction, and high-output, low-distortion playback in larger rooms. Everest remains the larger dual-15-inch statement model, while K2 continues as the more compact single-15-inch flagship. Both are built for listeners who want JBL’s studio, cinema, and professional audio DNA translated into a domestic loudspeaker system.
These are not lifestyle speakers, and they are not for casual background listening. They are for large rooms, substantial amplification, careful setup, and buyers who want the most ambitious version of JBL’s high-end sound at home. The Summit Ama, Pumori, and Makalu may be more realistic choices for many systems, but Everest and K2 exist for the customer who wants the top of the JBL mountain and has the room, budget, and patience to let them work properly.
JBL Summit K2 Loudspeakers in High-gloss Macassar Ebony wood veneer with Summit Gold detailing.
Pricing & Availability
The JBL Summit Everest and JBL Summit K2 will be globally available later in 2026 through authorized JBL Summit dealers and partners, with the following prices:
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Everest: $159,990 USD (159,998 EUR / 139,998 GBP) per pair
K2: $99,990 USD (84,998 EUR / 71,998 GBP) per pair
Previously released in 2025, the Summit Models that round out the prestigious speaker line.
Makalu: $45,000 USD (43,998 EUR / 36,998 GBP) per pair
Pumori: $30,000 USD (30,998 EUR / 26,998 GBP) per pair
Ama: $20,000 USD (17,498 EUR / 14,995 GBP) per pair including stands
We’re not talking rappers here — although according to Kendrick Lamar, it’s “just big me” — we’re talking AI companies: Anthropic, SpaceX, and OpenAI.
These three leading artificial intelligence companies are all expected to go public this year. Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which recently acquired another Musk company, xAi, is on track to open up to investors later this month. Anthropic, the company behind the chatbot Claude, just filed confidentially with the States Securities and Exchange Commission for its own initial public offering. Reports say OpenAI could also go public as soon as September. (Disclosure: Vox Media is one of several publishers that have signed partnership agreements with OpenAI. Our reporting remains editorially independent.)
SpaceX’s IPO, when it happens, could be the largest in history and mint Musk as the world’s first trillionaire. With Anthropic and OpenAI, the combined value of AI IPOs could total over $3 trillion.
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But it’s not as simple as going public and raking in cash. “There’s this race that’s been going on between SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic,” Liz Lopatto, a senior writer at The Verge said. “There’s this fear that if you don’t go public at the right time or you don’t go public first, investors aren’t going to wait for you.”
To understand why some of the world’s richest men, at the helm of some of the world’s richest companies, are now courting the public’s money, Today, Explained co-host Sean Rameswaram spoke with Lopatto.
Sean and Lopatto chat about what each of the companies hope to gain from the public, why this moment could be like internet 1.0’s dot-com bubble, and whether these companies chasing shareholder profits will be good for us.
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Below is an excerpt of their conversation, edited for length and clarity. There’s much more in the full podcast, so listen to Today, Explained wherever you get podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Pandora, and Spotify.
Why do [these companies] need to go public right now?
Whoever goes public first is going to scoop up better investors or have an easier time convincing investors. That is fueling this rush toward the market. So that’s thing one.
But thing two is that AI is extremely expensive. And I think that’s something that people often forget about because right now we’re sort of in, like, the early days of Uber, where you’re using this very expensive tool for free and then they’re going to try to get you hooked on it so that you’ll pay real prices later on.
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In order to get the money that you need for compute, to build all of these data centers, to do all of the things that you need to do in order to have these frontier models, that’s just an incredibly capital-intensive business. One way to get capital is to go public.
Anthropic has had some better discipline than the other companies in terms of behaving like actual adults. They might actually tell us a little bit less before it happens than we’ve heard from, for instance, SpaceX.
Tell me more about behaving like adults when it comes to IPOs, which feels like a very adult thing to do.
There are sort of a lot of things that come into play with an IPO. And basically what you’re doing is you are setting out what your company is, what the company’s vision is, how you plan to make money, and what you’re going to do with all the money that you’re raising in the IPO. And for SpaceX, there’s a bunch of nonsense about Mars in there that doesn’t really feel real to me. There’s nothing about the biological risks of going to Mars, for instance, and the risk factors, which, if that were a real thing, you’d see it.
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One of the things that’s been notable is that both Anthropic and OpenAI seem to have better businesses, based on what we know. Anthropic is actually about to make a profit. Anthropic in particular didn’t make any images with its AI. It stuck to text and it focused specifically on programming. It’s not a sexy business, it’s enterprise software. But you don’t have to be sexy to make money.
Just looking at the difference between like the flash we’re seeing about, like, spreading the light of human consciousness among the stars and actually making money, which is the point of a company. I would say that Anthropic seems like it’s run by adults by comparison. And then I would put OpenAI somewhere in the middle.
Why? What is Open AI doing that isn’t very adult-like behavior?
OpenAI as a business is really scattered. They created and shut down Sora, which was AI-generated videos. They have these AI image generators that have created a whole new level of headaches for them. They’re embroiled in a number of lawsuits.
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Sam Altman, the CEO, was running it effectively as a startup composed of little startups within it and was like, “Well, we’ll just see which one of them wins.” And that’s maybe not the best way to run a company. It’s a fine way to run a portfolio, but a company is not a portfolio.
Liz, you’re very tapped into this world out there in Silicon Valley and you were at the trial between Altman and Musk. It sounds like these companies are all being talked about in the same breath even though two of them are very specifically AI companies and one of them wants to colonize Mars. Why is that? Is it just because they all may IPO soon?
I think that’s part of it. I also think there’s been this investment thesis that frontier AI models are effectively going to be a boom on the scale of internet 1.0, if you remember 1999.
This is sort of the moment where we’re going to find out who’s Google and who’s Amazon and who’s Pets.com, right? And so I think that’s why people are talking about them in this way, because it’s not just these three companies that are AI companies. Obviously Google has an AI arm that is very good. But then you have companies like Databricks, which you maybe haven’t heard of.
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Yeah. This is a perfectly fine company. It’s got a business. But it’s not in that conversation because I don’t think people expect it to be one of the behemoths in the way that they’re looking at these three as the potential behemoths of this generation of technology.
This reminds me that when social media companies went public, they started prioritizing things like shareholder profit rather than safety. I think Facebook — Meta — is probably the most prominent example of this.
Do we want the still mostly dudes holding our future in their hands to be beholden to market forces and profits above all else?
Arguably they already are.
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This is one of the arguments that has been made about OpenAI: that the reason they’ve had some of these issues around safety has been because they are motivated by chasing the market and trying to raise money. Because unlike social media, this is a very capital-intensive business.
You need to be showing investors something. You need to be proving yourself out in a way that you didn’t necessarily have to with social media right off the bat. So I think that’s part of it. But I think that going public potentially makes that worse. The chatbot will try to keep you engaged. It will give you an answer and then it will ask a tag question. And that’s an engagement tool that keeps you engaged with the AI.
You see that also with some of the sycophantic behavior you see with these AI where they’re like, “Wow, that’s such a smart question. Gee, you’re so bright.”
And is that really good for us? I don’t think it is. But it does keep people involved, and it does keep people engaged with the AI, and if you need to be showing user numbers or otherwise showing metrics to investors, those are the ones you show.
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It seems almost silly to ask if being a publicly traded company could make these companies more accountable or even safer. But then again, if you think about Anthropic and their whole dustup with the Pentagon, without being publicly traded, they said, you know, you guys are crossing the red line and we have to reassess our relationship.
Do you think something about being publicly traded post-IPO could make a company like Anthropic or OpenAI a little bit more conservative in their developments and their technology?
To the degree that you can say, “Hey, like I was misled by this company as a shareholder because they told me there were these safety practices that actually were not in play and then take them to court” — that is something that can be done, sure. Unless you’re talking about SpaceX, which has a governance structure that effectively bars shareholder suits, unless you have a specific percentage of holding.
So not SpaceX, but maybe Anthropic, maybe OpenAI have this additional measure of accountability where shareholder lawsuits can potentially move the needle.
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But most likely of all we just start to see a lot more ads.
I think that’s right. I think you also see prices go up for the enterprise products — and maybe for all of the other products as well.
OSHA, or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, is a federal body dedicated to overseeing safe working conditions wherever Americans ply their trade. OSHA operates as a regulatory agency with sanction power and plenty of muscle. The organization also produces guides and best practices for workers to ensure they’re always operating as safely as possible, aiming to limit the need for intervention.
OSHA’s internal documentation includes some key safety rules, and it has published what it calls “five basic safety rules” that can prevent hazards when using hand and power tools. These rules are essential for professionals working with tools on a daily basis, but they’re equally important for DIYers and other amateur tool users to follow.
There are obvious hazards to remain wary of while operating machinery. There’s also the important step of avoiding using gasoline-powered tools indoors (alongside some other power tools that should remain strictly outdoor-use only). But these basic frameworks extend to cover virtually all interactions you might have with tools of all sorts, and they can help keep you safe through all of the ambitious projects on your to-do list.
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Maintain your tools to prolong their life
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Proper tool maintenance is one of OSHA’s most important rules. Tools of all varieties get put through the wringer as they go about their business. Heavy-duty power tools like impact wrenches take a beating, and so do basic implements like utility knives and screwdrivers. To make matters worse, tool users often operate in dirty workspaces.
Home mechanics often seek to build entire tool sets that feature oil and solvent-resistant handles and sealed encasements for power tools that protect against the chemicals and other substances found within the workshop. But this doesn’t mean that these tools are impervious. A tool that has been hit with oil or water might become slippery, making it a little less safe to use. But if you leave those irritants on the tool, they can lead to rust or corrosion that degrades its long-term function. Wiping down your tools after use and scrubbing away debris that might have accumulated in grooves are just some of the key practices that all tool users should engage in regularly.
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Always use the right tool for the job
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No matter the job you’re facing, there’s probably a niche piece of equipment designed to handle that specific demand. For every obscure tool you might encounter, there’s a versatile alternative that can probably get the job done. For instance, there are plenty of alternatives to the angle grinder. But this one tool offers coverage for a wide range of tasks, making it a frequently useful inclusion. I’m a tool user with only a few niche solutions in my own collection, and the idea that has stuck with me for many years is that ‘every tool is a hammer.’ In a pinch, you can swing just about any implement at a fastener or workpiece. But this approach runs completely counter to one of OSHA’s critical safety rules.
The reality is that just because you can swing a wrench or even the back end of a drill at a target, this is rarely a good idea. In this example, alternative tools can easily be damaged when used this way, and you may even create more problems than you solve by kicking debris into the air. Using the wrong tool is frequently less efficient, often making your working conditions less safe while adding numerous complications.
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Don’t use damaged tools
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In the same way that using incorrect tools for a job can introduce wild variables into the mix, damaged tools are also a significant hazard. Broken bladed instruments may expose your hands or other body parts to a rapidly spinning cutting edge. This can introduce a grisly hazard to your workspace. Similar issues arise with striking and prying tools. Working with broken instruments can cause additional damage to workpieces, yourself, or the people with whom you share the space.
Damaged equipment will frequently operate in unexpected ways. This creates uncertainty and many unforeseeable potential problems. It’s entirely possible that a broken tool will continue performing the way you anticipate, with only small issues outside its primary function. But you can’t be certain that this is the case and that some kind of hidden structural issue isn’t lurking beneath the surface. The potential for harm or unexpected damage to other equipment or material is just too great. Therefore, damaged gear should be repaired or replaced instead of being used.
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Use your tools as they’re intended
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Sometimes, there is a case to be made for improvisation and augmentation of tools. Cutting away the top of a wrench’s box end, for instance, might provide just enough extra clearance for a tool user to handle work in a uniquely tight area. This should only be done by experienced tool users, however, as it’s reserved for rare situations where standard tools don’t fit. An augmented tool is typically one that has been altered to handle one hyper-specific task. This kind of modification may run afoul of OSHA’s advice.
By intentionally using your equipment outside of its operating guidelines, you place additional strain on the tool. This can also create working conditions vulnerable to new and unexpected hazards. One example that I’ve been guilty of, for instance, involves pushing a circular saw past its stated beveling capacity. My tool was inexplicably able to do it, but the entire experience of using the tool outside of its scope was harrowing to say the least. It felt incredibly dangerous, but I was only cutting a small segment of MDF baseboard material, so it wasn’t a particularly demanding task. Even so, it’s not something I’d recommend and goes directly against the OSHA guidelines for safe tool operation.
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Use the correct personal protective equipment (PPE)
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Lastly, if you’re using inadequate personal safety equipment, you’re placing yourself in harm’s way. Operating heavy machinery without ear protection can lead to tinnitus and other negative ear health issues. The same can be said for eyewear, which keeps flying debris out of your eyes and protects you from things like sparks and even dust that can irritate you or temporarily impair your vision. Masks are important, too. When painting, sanding, or using chemicals, wearing the correct type of mask to protect your lung health can make a huge difference.
Must-have jobsite protective gear isn’t just essential for those using power tools. When removing nails or hand-sanding, these same key protective elements remain at the forefront. Your health is the most important thing, and it stands far above the outcome you’re looking to create with any project. If you aren’t around to fully enjoy the fruits of your labor, these tasks will not have been worth much in the grand scheme of things. Protective equipment is typically fairly inexpensive, and most DIYers and other tool users have been guilty of overlooking these accessories. This is not something that any tool user can afford to do if they want to protect their health and the safety of the people working with them.
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