Tech

DJI Osmo 360 review: Specs, features, price

Published

1 hour ago

3 May 2026

The DJI Osmo 360 is an excellent example of how to do a 360-degree camera system right. Its massive optional selfie stick is overkill for most people.

Apple has, in recent years, made its iPhones more useful for videography. However, while it has features like Action Mode to make it useful for filming fast activities, it’s still not exactly the best choice for some more hazardous situations.

In cases where someone wants to ski down a mountain, the action camera is still king. In cases where you want more control over how a shot is framed instead of a fixed-on-body position that looks bad, you need a 360-degree camera.

The DJI Osmo 360 is DJI’s latest take on the action cam genre is the Osmo 360, a camera with a pair of fisheye lenses and cameras. Each camera and lens pair covers a 180-degree field of view, or half a sphere, which are then combined into a single image.

Like other 360-degree cameras, this can be used to capture footage from all possible angles. The resulting footage can then be viewed as a 360-degree video or cropped into a more standard video frame from the perfect angle.

The DJI Osmo 360 is a pretty good version of this form, and one that could be a viable choice for avid snowboarders and sports enthusiasts.

DJI sent over the DJI Osmo 360 Adventure Combo, which includes the camera, extra batteries and battery case, a rubber lens protector, protective pouch, cleaning cloth, a quick-release adapter mount, a USB-C PD cable, and a 1.2-meter (3.9 foot) Invisible Selfie Stick.

The Standard Combo includes all but the selfie stick, the quick-release adapter mount, and the battery case.

DJI also shipped along two accessories: the Osmo Battery Extension Rod and the Osmo 2.5-meter (8.2 feet) Extension Carbon Fiber Selfie Stick.

DJI Osmo 360 review: Physical design

The actual DJI Osmo camera is a chunky block of plastic, measuring 2.4 inches wide by 3.1 inches tall and 1.4 inches thick. At 6.5 ounces, it’s also pretty dense for a piece of kit, though not necessarily for something that will be used as an action camera.

Some of the thickness is due to the two camera lenses, which stick out from each side.

The front face has one camera lens with an indicator LED and DJI branding, while the other has the second lens and a large 2-inch touchscreen, as well as two physical buttons. That screen is nice and bright when turned on, and gives a view of what the cameras are picking up that you can quickly flick to change.

The two buttons below the screen deal with recording duties and changing the view for the screen, among other functions. On one edge side is the power, as well as a locked panel hiding a USB-C connection.

360 action camera with side door open showing battery slot, a separate rectangular battery charger behind it, and another spare 1950 mAh battery lying on a concrete surface outdoors

DJI Osmo 360 review: The battery charger also functions as a case.

The other edge side has another locked panel, which houses the battery compartment and a microSD card slot. DJI does include 105GB of built-in storage, which is great to have since you don’t specifically need a microSD card to use it.

Both of these panels are treated to prevent water from seeping in, which helps since it is billed as being waterproof. However, DJI does warn that while it has an IP68 rating, it shouldn’t be used for long underwater sessions, and to stick to a depth of at most 10 meters (32.8 feet).

Of the non-stick inclusions, the battery case is a similar rugged plastic design, and is capable of recharging up to three of the 1,950mAh batteries used by camera.

While the included case is just the right size for the Osmo 360, I get the feeling that the protective rubber lens cover will get more use. It’s easy to think of someone tossing the camera in its rubber cover into a bag along with a selfie stick for a weekend’s recording session.

DJI Osmo 360 review: Main specifications

The main feature of this action camera is that it uses square high-dynamic-range image sensors instead of rectangular versions. Instead of a trimmed rectangular sensor, DJI went with 1-inch image field square sensors to reduce the bulk.

The pixel allocation as a 4K-resolution square means it also uses more of the pixels than a rectangular counterpart.

This gives it quite a few benefits, such as shooting native 8K panoramic videos. It also uses 2.4-micrometer pixels which are quite large, allowing it to capture more light, including to a 13.5-stop dynamic range at 8K 50Hz.

Its connectivity goes further, including shooting at 4K 100Hz for panoramic slo-mo video, which can be pushed to 4K 120Hz for one lens.

Close-up of a 360-degree action camera on concrete, showing its front lens and color screen displaying an outdoor scene with trees, battery status, recording time, and 8K50/W settings

DJI Osmo 360 review: The preview touchscreen can be scrolled around.

DJI also boasts that it has a SuperNight Mode for capturing late-night shots.

This is also recorded using built-in image stabilization systems, including RockSteady 3.0 and HorizonSteady. The former can be used when exporting via the mobile app, while the latter works with regular flat videos in a standard field of view, not 360 video.

When it comes to creating the actual 360-degree video, there’s a minimum stitching distance of 75 centimeters (2.4 feet), otherwise, you get artifacting for anything closer to the lens and at the edge of the image. It also has an invisible selfie stick feature which hides the mount, but that’s quite a standard thing to use now.

DJI Osmo 360 review: In use

Getting up and running with the Osmo 360 is fairly quick and easy when using it directly. Powering it up, you can then press the circle button to immediately start recording 8K 360-degree footage for up to an hour.

The two-inch screen gives one view, which you can scroll around with your finger. It’s a pretty neat system, and can help you visualize shots like a selfie on the fly.

Around the edge of the screen are indicators for different options, like viewing recorded local video, switching between modes, adjusting camera settings, and swiping down for the general settings.

The modes include Panoramic Video and Photo, as well as Supernight, Selfie, Vortex, and Hyperlapse for the 360-degree camera view. There are also single lens modes like Photo, Video, Supernight, and Boost, which is a wider field of view than normal.

Going through the camera settings, there are options to enable Anti Motion Blur and to adjust the texture and noise reduction of an image, while a Pro button takes you to a lot more of the advanced settings. This includes things like exposure and white balance control, and whether you want 10-bit “Normal” color or the D-Log M 10-bit version.

The latter of the two will be of interest to videographers who want more control of the colors of the final clip.

Smartphone screen showing a video camera app: left side displays Pro video settings menu, right side shows backyard scene with houses, trees, and a large red recording button.

DJI Osmo 360 review:Using the camera from an iPhone

The main settings handles everything from connectivity to a mobile device, locking the orientation, enabling gesture controls, connecting wireless earbuds, if you’re using built-in storage or microSD, and other elements.

While there are four onboard mics that do a fairly good job of environmental recording, DJI does give the option to use its ecosystem of microphones with the Osmo 360. If you happen to own a Mic Mini or Mic 2, you can record two audio tracks with the cameras as well.

In our time with it, we found it to have pretty good image quality overall. You can still see seams where the two camera pictures meet up, but the majority of the time that is for items that are closer than the minimum advised join distance.

As a camera in its own right, it feels intuitive to use, even if you don’t consider using it with other devices. Though, for the purposes of editing, you really should.

DJI Osmo 360 review: Sticks

There are three selfie sticks for this review, including the default 1.2M Invisible Selfie Stick. Made from plastic with a rubber grip, it has a thread in the base and a screw thread at the other end, for attaching to the camera.

It’s a fairly beefy version of a selfie stick, and certainly isn’t flimsy. There’s no articulation at the business end, as you would anticipate with a fairly cheap and run-of-the-mill selfie stick, but you can remedy that with the Adjustable Quick Release Adapter Mount in the Adventure Combo.

Three black handheld camera accessories on rough concrete: a DJI Osmo grip with control buttons, a long OSMO-branded extension pole with orange end, and a shorter adjustable mounting arm

DJI Osmo 360 review: A trio of selfie sticks

While you can attach the camera using the typical thread method, the mount uses two side hooks and strong magnets to pull the camera into position and to dock. Pressing the side buttons to unhook and a small pull releases the camera again.

The mount doesn’t freely move from straight to angled, but instead uses a button to unlock the angular movement. On the one hand, this is really smart and prevents any unwanted movement, but it does also limit the mount to two locked positions.

The second sent for review is the Battery Extension Rod. As a selfie stick, it works like the included Invisible version, with the mount built-in, except it only extends to 2.9 feet.

It’s a chunkier version, because it has a built-in battery that feeds the camera for another four hours.

Handily, it also has limited controls for the camera, letting you start the record or switch the screen’s view without fiddling directly with the camera. This is very useful as a quality-of-life feature, but it’s the only one of the group to have it.

At $99.99, it’s an add-on that is probably worth it for the occasional holiday, especially since it would save you from carrying around extra batteries for the camera.

Person holding a long black telescopic pole with an orange ring, extending upward toward a clear blue sky, viewed from below with a wristband visible on their arm

DJI Osmo 360 review: The 2.5M Extended Carbon Fiber Selfie Stick at full stretch

The 2.5M Extended Carbon Fiber Selfie Stick is the last and somewhat absurd option. It’s an absurd length for a selfie stick, at 8.2 feet, making it taller than anyone actually using it. Few will probably have much use for it, aside from those who want selfies from really far away.

More practically, it could give the effect of having a drone nearby while not breaking any local laws surrounding drone usage. There’s also no buzzing blades either, so feasibly less of a problem for recording animals.

It too is $99.99, but it’s really only useful for a small number of people who want the drone effect without the drone hassle.

DJI Osmo 360 review: Mobile and Mac app

The mobile app that works with the DJI Osmo 360 is DJI Mimo, which handles multiple duties on an iPhone.

For live shooting, it provides a view from the Osmo 360, which you can again scroll around at will.. There are controls for resolution, frame rate, various shooting modes, and advanced “Pro” settings, which are easier to use than having to reach for the camera mid-use.

The mobile app also lets you watch footage stored on the Osmo 360, thanks to its Wi-Fi connection, which you can either stream from the camera or download locally for a better resolution.

In this view, you can scroll around the footage and change the camera angle, which then changes what the final standard non-spherical video shows on export. You can do this manually with swipes and keyframes, but there are options like GyroFrame that uses your iPhone’s movements to change what is in frame, as well as subject tracking.

If you can’t face going through that process, there’s also an AI-based Highlights feature that creates clips for you.

Video editing software window showing a fisheye aerial view of a green field, trees, a small shed, and distant coastline under blue sky, framed by desktop ocean wallpaper

DJI Osmo 360 review:DJI Studio can be used to edit videos.

While this is good for sharing and short clips, you can also import the videos to DJI’s Studio for macOS. It’s an application for viewing the files from the Osmo 360, complete with mouse drags to move around the frame, as well as for editing clips.

You can add clips, change the angle and set them with keyframes, and perform more advanced movements than you can on the iPhone app. The results will be much better from this tool, which may not necessarily need any further changes to the exported video in iMovie or Premiere afterward either, if you’re careful.

DJI Osmo 360 review: A good allrounder

DJI’s experience with drone videography and action cameras have resulted in a 360-degree camera that does an awful lot of work. It’s small enough to go on holiday with, and usable enough to treat like a typical action camera, in cases when you wouldn’t want to use your iPhone.

Despite its size, its resolution and capabilites makes it a viable option for videography usage. Its use of 10-bit footage and optional use of Log will be welcomed, along with the more advanced camera settings.

As a good action camera should, the DJI Osmo 360 is user-friendly for the general public, but with enough options to make more adventurous users happy.

The only real problem is finding a justifiable excuse to whip out the massive selfie stick.

DJI Osmo 360 pros

8K resolution, 10-bit video

Easy to use, with expert options

Mobile and Mac apps are intuitive and useful

Pocketable design

DJI Osmo 360 cons

High MSRP, buy on a discount

Flaps are a litle fiddly to open

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Where to buy the DJI Osmo 360

The Osmo 360 Standard Combo is $549.99, with the Adventure Combo at $699.99.

The two bundles are available on Amazon, at $357.49, discounted from $549 for the standard bundle. The Adventure combo can be bought for $493.70, discounted from $699.99.

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Tech

Ottocast Cabin Care Wireless CarPlay Adapter Review: Tiny Tracker

Published

8 minutes ago

3 May 2026

NewsAdmin

Because everything runs wirelessly via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, there is also no cable clutter to deal with. This isn’t just a convenience thing. It means no wires dangling within reach of sneaky toddler hands.

Where Tech Collides

This is where the real test comes in. In split screen mode, the system shows CarPlay and the camera feed side by side, with CarPlay positioned on the left for easier tapping access. It’s a smart layout in theory because you get the best of both worlds, but there are some limitations. To fit the camera feed, the CarPlay interface is significantly condensed. It’s still usable, but small enough that I often touch the wrong icon, especially while driving, when precision tapping isn’t exactly my priority. It’s not a deal-breaker, but you’ll notice it, especially if your fingers aren’t very dainty.

Switching to camera mode gives a full-screen view of the back seat, but it comes at the cost of CarPlay controls. Music still plays and calls don’t drop, but I lose access to inputs like my steering wheel’s “skip track” and “end call” buttons. If you rely heavily on steering wheel controls, the trade-off is noticeable, but I find myself sticking with split screen mode most of the time anyway.

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One more interface quirk worth flagging is that whenever I tap the screen, Ottocast overlays a back arrow in the top-left corner and a camera icon (the brand’s owl) in the top-right corner. The issue is that CarPlay uses these corners for key controls: the back button in Spotify, the exit button in Google maps, the now-playing shortcut. The Ottocast overlay gets in the way of your tap. It disappears after a few seconds, but if my next tap doesn’t land precisely where I want it, the Ottocast icons pop right back up and get in the way again.

Overall, the Ottocast Cabin Care works best when you treat it as a convenient upgrade, rather than a perfect solution. It solves the problem of being able to check on your kid in the car without turning around, and does so in a way that feels (mostly) seamless in daily use.

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Consumer Reports Stopped Recommending 18 Cars For 2026

Published

22 minutes ago

3 May 2026

NewsAdmin

To earn a spot as one of Consumer Reports’ thoroughly tested top picks, cars not only have to drive well but also be reliable. Some models prove to be consistently durable and stay at the top of the outlet’s rankings year after year, but some slip down the table as owners begin to report issues. For 2026, Consumer Reports stopped recommending 18 models from 12 different manufacturers, primarily due to reliability concerns.

These models included a mix of EVs such as the Audi Q4 e-tron, which saw owners report a variety of issues with its onboard electrical systems, and gas-powered cars like the Chevrolet Equinox, which suffered transmission issues. The Chevy wasn’t the only car that lost its recommended status due to transmission issues, either, with the Chrysler Pacifica, GMC Terrain, and Ford Explorer all seeing similar problems reported.

Genesis told Consumer Reports that issues with the GV60 and GV80, both of which lost recommended status for 2026, had been fixed. However, owners of some other non-recommended vehicles are still waiting for remedial work to be carried out. Owners of the Chevrolet Traverse, as well as the related GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave, are affected by an all-wheel drive issue that GM currently doesn’t have a permanent fix for. In a bulletin, the company said its engineering department is reportedly working on solving it, but advised dealers to simply clear the fault code and hand cars back to customers for now.

Data suggests cars are getting more unreliable overall

Driver interacting with a modern infotainment system

Dusan Petkovic/Shutterstock

The latest Consumer Reports data highlights several specific car models that have seen a rise in reported problems over the last year, but data suggests that decreasing reliability is a much wider problem. In its latest Vehicle Dependability Study, J.D. Power says that it received the highest level of reports from owners about reliability problems since its survey was launched in its current format.

On average, the 2026 study found that owners reported 204 problems per 100 vehicles after their cars had been on the road for three years. The majority of those problems were classified as infotainment problems, which can include issues with smartphone connectivity, wireless charging pads, and bugs and glitches with the car’s integrated apps. Tellingly, almost all of the cars that lost their recommended status from Consumer Reports suffered from issues with their in-car electrical systems or electrical accessories to some degree.

At the other end of the reliability spectrum, Consumer Reports’ most reliable manufacturers list was dominated by Japanese brands. Toyota, Subaru, Lexus, and Honda all scored highly, with one of those brands dethroning the previous year’s winner as the least-complained about on the market.

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Peripherals Hacks | Hackaday

Published

31 minutes ago

3 May 2026

NewsAdmin

Custom peripheral projects are among the most rewarding. Especially if you’re like me and you sit at the computer eight hours per day, anything that you can use on a daily basis is super satisfying. This topic of DIY peripherals came up on the podcast while chatting with Kristina, who is no stranger to odd inputs herself.

We were talking about a trackball that had been modified to read twisting gestures, by a clever hijacking of the twin mouse sensors inside. If you do a lot of 3D modeling, you can absolutely get by with just a mouse and shift-ctrl-alt as modifiers, but it’s so much more immediate to use a dedicated 3D input device. (I’ve got an ancient serial Space Mouse just under my left hand as I type this.)

My old favorite, which I haven’t used in ages, is the guts of a 5” hard-drive platter stack that I turned into a scroll wheel. Unfortunately, I don’t have space for it on my desk anymore, but it was just so pleasing to scroll through a document with something that had some real chonky momentum to it.

And it’s easier than ever to make your own. The classic blocky macropad is a great introduction, but as long as you’re doing the design yourself, why not extend it, or at least make it fit your hand? Or take your flights of fancy even further away from the mainstream. Consider the Bluetooth mouse ring, for instance.

Point is, the software side of almost any peripheral device you can imagine is sorted out already, and interfacing with the hardware is equally simple. Peripheral hacks have such a low barrier to entry, but afford so many creative hardware possibilities. And nothing says “Jedi” like building your own lightsaber.

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Game Jam Winner Spotlight: Diary Of A Provincial Lady

Published

44 minutes ago

3 May 2026

NewsAdmin

from the gaming-like-it’s-1930 dept

We’ve arrived at the end of our series of spotlight posts looking at the winners of our eighth annual public domain game jam, Gaming Like It’s 1930! We’ve already covered the Best Adaptation, Best Deep Cut, Best Visuals, Best Remix, and Best Digital Game winners, and now we’re wrapping things up with a look at the Best Analog Game: Diary of a Provincial Lady by donnabooby.

E. M. Delafield’s novel Diary of a Provincial Lady was a smash hit when it was published in 1930, and it’s remained in print ever since. Its success came from its combination of comedy with authentic slice-of-life insight into a particular lifestyle, and its stylistic influence can be seen even in modern classics like Bridget Jones’s Diary. This game of the same name might not quite achieve the same status, but there’s no reason it couldn’t: it’s an excellent little party game that blends the mechanics of games like Apples to Apples with the appropriation-and-remix techniques of blackout poetry and similar art forms.

Like many such games, it all starts with a randomly selected prompt — in this case, a random combination of an illustration from the novel with a short question or fill-in-the-blank sentence.

Players compete to impress the rotating judge (or Provincial Lady) for the round by deploying a card from their hand to match the prompt. But rather than just making a selection, first they make alterations. Players are asked to modify a diary entry from the novel by crossing out, changing, and inserting words, adding emphasis with underlines and circles, and otherwise editing the text on their card to craft the best prompt response.

Like any such party game, how it plays out depends entirely on the creativity and taste of the players. The creative freedom of the editing aspect opens it up to so many expressive possibilities beyond the acts of contrast and juxtaposition that dominate other similar games. The charming illustrations and tone-setting text of the diary entries give shape to this freedom, rooting everything in the sometimes-dated, sometimes-timeless atmosphere of the novel. Put it all together and you’ve got a genuinely fun and replayable exercise that is this year’s Best Analog Game.

Congratulations to donnabooby for the win! You can get everything you need to play Diary of a Provincial Lady from its page on Itch. That’s the end of our winner spotlights this time around, but don’t forget to check out the many great entries that didn’t quite make the cut. Thanks again to everyone who participated in the jam, and stay tuned for next year when we’ll be back for Gaming Like It’s 1931!

Filed Under: game jam, games, gaming, gaming like it’s 1930, public domain

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Tech

Apple AirPods Max 2 Review: The Best Over-Ears for iOS

Published

58 minutes ago

3 May 2026

NewsAdmin

The Bluetooth connection has also been improved, from Bluetooth 5.0 to Bluetooth 5.3. As anyone who has ever experienced having 45 different strangers’ headphones pop up on your iPhone in an airport, the improvement in connection stability is the most noticeable in Bluetooth-heavy environments; I didn’t notice any dropouts. You can also now plug the headphones into your phone to reduce latency and for better sound quality, which is a bit useless for me since I’m one of the vast majority for whom lossless audio makes no difference.

As far as the sound goes: These are some of the best-sounding headphones I’ve ever tried. (I compared them in listening tests with the Sonos Ace.) Anything with a big bass line sounds amazing with Apple headphones, and that iconic “headbanger” intro to Missy Elliott’s “Get Ur Freak On” vibrated right through my skull without sounding muddy.

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The main criticism of the AirPods Max line in general is that the highs are painfully bright, but I didn’t notice this with Kacey Musgraves’ pure, clear vocals on “Everybody Wants to Be a Cowboy”. I could also enjoy the full speed and articulation of Billy Strings’ intricate fingerpicking. Dance music also sounds incredible—I loved the big brass in La Roux’s Trouble in Paradise and also found myself listening to a lot of Robyn’s Sexistential. There’s still no manually adjustable EQ, so you better be happy with how it sounds because you’re not changing it.

As is the case with most Apple products, if you already own a pair of the OG AirPods Max, you don’t really need to shell out the money to upgrade. However, if you own an iPhone and you’ve been considering whether to get these, the Sony pair, or the Bose, you should probably just get these.

They sound amazing; they block out the whirring of the giant propeller blades of death and your children shrieking while playing Paper Mario in the next room. They now come with a whole new set of software upgrades that make them, along with the AirPods Pro 3, the most useful headphones for iOS.

And if this matters to you—it probably does, since you’re reading this review—the AirPods Max 2 still look and feel totally different from every other headphone around. Why mess with a design that anyone can still spot at 100 yards away? I wish they still came in green, though.

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Let Twitch Chat Control Your LED Strings

Published

1 hour ago

3 May 2026

NewsAdmin

Once upon a time, someone set up a livestream wherein the messages from Twitch chat could control a game of Pokemon. Since then, we’ve seen Twitch control all sorts of things. If you’d like to have them play with some LEDs in your house, you might like this project from [pfeiffer3000].

The concept is simple enough. The heart of the build is an ESP32 microcontroller, which is easy to integrate with web services thanks to its onboard WiFi capability. It’s hooked upt o a string of WS2812B addressable RGB LEDs. The LEDs themselves are installed within table tennis balls to act as nice, spherical diffusers, and installed in a square frame made of PVC pipes. As for code, the rig uses the WLED library to drive the LED strings, and code from TwitchIO to interface with Twitch chat itself. It’s as simple as rigging up a bit of Python. With everything assembled, [pfeiffer3000] had an attractive LED grid that could be controlled directly by anyone watching their Twitch stream.

We’ve explored how to control things via Twitch before, too. It’s a fun way to add some interactivity to your livestream that really gets viewers involved. If you’ve been building your own audience-controlled projects, we’d love to hear about them on the tipsline!

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5 SUVs That Have Notoriously Bad Transmission Problems

Published

2 hours ago

3 May 2026

NewsAdmin

A close-up of a transmission cross-section held in a mechanic's hand.

Malkovstock/Getty Images

The transmission is one of the most critical components in any motor vehicle. It’s the mechanical bridge between the engine and the road. If it starts to fail, the entire driving experience can easily fall apart with it. A slipping, shuddering, or hesitating gearbox doesn’t just make a daily drive miserable. It can strand you in traffic or cause sudden power loss at high speeds.

It can also be a safety hazard. When Consumer Reports made a list of the least satisfying cars to own, most were SUVs, and some were there because of the transmission. An expensive family hauler that lurches through gears poses a serious risk of rolling away or unexpectedly shifting into park because it feels like it has fundamentally broken its promise to the driver.

Moreover, transmission repair bills can easily run into the thousands — and in some cases, owners have needed multiple replacements on the very same vehicle. The worst part? Some of these issues were known to manufacturers long before customers started complaining about them. Here are five SUVs that have notoriously bad transmission problems.

1. Jeep Grand Cherokee

A front-end view of a red Jeep Grand Cherokee driving down a road.

Artistic Operations/Getty Images

The Grand Cherokee — the worst Jeep model in terms of resale value — experiences transmission problems that are anything but anecdotal. They are documented across multiple recall filings. One of the most consequential is NHTSA Recall 16V-240, issued in 2016. Per the notice, certain 2014–2015 Jeep Grand Cherokees equipped with an eight-speed automatic transmission and monostable gear selector were prone to dangerous rollaways. FCA’s own defect description states that the spring-loaded shifter, which returns to center after each selection like a joystick, led drivers to incorrectly believe the transmission was in Park.

NHTSA (PE15-030) identified 306 rollaway incidents from this defect, resulting in 117 alleged crashes and 26 injuries. This wasn’t the only time the Grand Cherokee faced a rollaway threat. In November 2024, Kelley Blue Book reported that Jeep recalled another 206,502 SUVs — this time 2018–2019 Grand Cherokees — over a faulty ABS sensor that could allow the vehicle to start and shift out of Park without the driver pressing the brake pedal. These problems extend to the Grand Cherokee’s plug-in hybrid, too.

Consumer Reports noted that in 2023, Stellantis recalled 12,458 4xe SUVs after a fault caused the transmission to shut down the engine. NHTSA campaign number 25V-576 later expanded that recall to nearly 92,000 models from 2022 to 2026. A more recent problem involves the 2021–2024 Grand Cherokee. TSB 21-009-25, issued in 2025, documents D-clutch failure in this transmission, triggering DTCs P0733 (third-gear incorrect ratio) and P1DA8 (clutch defective). Owners reported the transmission slipping, failing to move in reverse, and not shifting above third gear.

2. Nissan Pathfinder

A red Nissan Pathfinder parked in front of a Nissan dealership.

Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock

The Nissan Pathfinder’s CVT problems are documented in Nissan’s own filings with NHTSA — and the timeline is notable. In 2013, Nissan issued a TSB (NTB13-002) to reprogram the TCM on 2013 Pathfinders to “prevent a CVT belt slip condition from occurring.” The bulletin was dated the same month the 2013 Pathfinder went on sale. A second TSB followed in September 2013. Neither fixed the problem, and the situation turned to legal means.

According to ClassAction, the class action alleged Nissan began reprogramming software in undelivered vehicles five weeks after the first sales. By the time Nissan issued a voluntary service campaign (PC500) — covering 2013–2014 Pathfinders and filed with NHTSA — the repair tree had three branches: reprogram the TCM, replace the valve body, or replace the entire CVT assembly. That a full CVT replacement was a documented option on vehicles still in their factory warranty window tells you everything about how far the defect had progressed.

The ClassAction page includes verbatim NHTSA complaints from owners — one driver described losing power while merging onto a freeway with a semi behind them; another reported the shuddering occurring on every drive. Nissan did not admit wrongdoing but agreed to a $277.7 million settlement covering 2015–2018 Pathfinders. The problems were severe enough that Nissan ultimately abandoned the CVT. In our own review of the 2022 Pathfinder, we noted that the switch to a 9-speed automatic was a major improvement over what we called the “unlovable old CVT.”

3. Ford Explorer

A red 2020 Ford Explorer hybrid being driven in a green country setting.

Tramino/Getty Images

The 2020-generation Ford Explorer’s transmission problems aren’t singular — they are a cascade of different defects. Ford Safety Recall (23S05), issued in 2023 and covering 2020–2022 Explorers with the 10R60 transmission, documents an unintended PCM reset that could occur while driving. Per the dealer bulletin filed with NHTSA, when this happens, the park pawl engages unexpectedly. This leads to grinding noises, a loss of drive power, and the vehicle either rolling while in Park or becoming completely stuck in Park.

Another defect involves the rear axle horizontal mounting bolt fracturing under heavy torque loads, disconnecting the driveshaft, and eliminating transmission torque to the rear wheels. Consumer Reports reported that Ford recalled 238,000 2020–2022 Explorers under NHTSA campaign 23V675 after 396 reports of bolt failures. Critically, Ford had already attempted a fix on this same defect under a prior recall — and it had not worked. The 2020 Explorer accumulated 33 NHTSA recalls in total — seven directly related to the parking brake.

This earned it a spot on Consumer Reports’ list of used cars to avoid. A separate TSB (22-2428) documents harsh and delayed shifts caused by sticking valves in the main control valve body, with the repair escalating from reprogramming to a full overhaul. The 2020 Explorer’s CarComplaints page shows over 1,000 NHTSA powertrain complaints, earning it a severity rating of 10 out of 10 — “Really Awful.”

4. Chevrolet Tahoe

Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock

The Chevrolet Tahoe’s 10-speed transmission has a documented paper trail stretching across two safety recalls, multiple TSBs, and nearly 1,900 field reports of rear wheel lockup — all filed with NHTSA. NHTSA Recall (24V-797), in 2024, covers 461,839 vehicles — including 2021 Tahoes — and stems from 1,888 lockup reports, 11 road incidents, and 3 injuries. NHTSA Recall (26V-085), issued in 2026, covers an additional 43,732 2022 vehicles (including the Tahoe) after the first recall’s software fix missed vehicles built with unique internal hardware.

GM’s own remedy for both recalls is a software patch, not a physical replacement of the defective valve. A separate GM TSB (22-NA-182) documents harsh shifts, shudder, surge, stall, neutral flare, and transmission overheating as known conditions. Another GM TSB (PIP5893) covering 2021–2023 Tahoes documents a broken or damaged park pawl actuator piston servo triggering a “Service Transmission — Unable to Shift Soon” dashboard message.

The Consumer Reports 2022 Tahoe reliability page lists rough shifting and slipping transmission among owner-reported problems, with one subscriber writing: “Shifts rough, and there’s a lot of slack in gears… I fear transmission will go out next.” As was the case with the Pathfinder, these problems have also attracted legal attention. ClassAction documents an active lawsuit investigation into GM’s 10-speed transmission covering the Tahoe, Silverado, and Sierra. Beyond the recalls, common problems with Chevrolet’s 10-speed transmission reported by owners include rough shifting, gear slippage, delayed engagement from park to drive, and overheating under towing loads.

5. Mercedes-Benz GLE

A red 2020 Mercedes GLE Coupe parked on an urban French setting.

Alexandre Prevot/Shutterstock

Spending a better part of six figures on a luxury SUV should buy refinement above all else. However, nothing undermines that promise faster than an unexpected transmission stall. NHTSA Recall (24V-118), issued in 2024, covers 105,071 model-year 2020–2023 GLE 450 and GLS 450 vehicles equipped with the 9-speed 9G-Tronic automatic. Per the filing, the transmission software fails to complete a downshift from 7th to 6th gear under certain braking conditions, causing the engine to stall.

Mercedes opened its investigation in March 2022 after receiving stall incident reports, but didn’t succeed in replicating the fault on a test vehicle until May 2023 — more than a year later. By the time of the recall, the manufacturer had logged 261 field reports and 730 warranty claims related to the condition, per Autoevolution. The stalling recall isn’t the only transmission-related issue on record. On MBWorld forums, owners report harsh, unpredictable downshifts from 5th to 4th during every deceleration.

One owner even described the 9-speed as a “trashcan transmission” that clunks on the 3-to-2 downshift across multiple vehicles. Consumer Reports named the GLE the least reliable mid-size SUV for 2025, with transmission listed among the problem categories driving that ranking. The 2020 GLE’s broader reliability record is so poor that it earned a spot on our list of used Mercedes-Benz models to avoid, which cited up to 36 NHTSA recalls for that model year alone.

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A $7 Raspberry Pi can do something Sony refuses to: give the DualSense wireless haptics on PC

Published

2 hours ago

3 May 2026

NewsAdmin

Modder “awalol” has spent the past several weeks developing firmware that, when installed on a 2-inch-long Raspberry Pi device, allows PCs to use adaptive triggers and haptic feedback on Sony’s DualSense controllers without a wired connection. Living room PC gamers will likely appreciate the cheap custom add-on.
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8 Best Travel Adapters (2026), Tested and Reviewed

Published

2 hours ago

3 May 2026

NewsAdmin

Travel Adapter Comparison Table

Travel Adapters: Your Questions, Answered

What Type of Adapter Do You Need?

There are 15 plug types in use across the world. Universal adapters tend to cover all of these types.

Type A and Type B are used in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Japan.
Type C is common across Europe, South America, and Asia.
Type E and Type F are found across Europe in places like Germany, Russia, and France.
Type G is used in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and a handful of other places.
Type I is used in Australia, New Zealand, China, and Argentina.

Some countries are not usually covered by universal adapters, such as India (Type D), Israel (Type H), and South Africa (Type M or N). You’ll need to buy specific plug adapters for those places. To avoid any surprises when you land, double-check what type you need before you travel.

If you’re visiting just one destination, a basic plug adapter that caters to one plug type is all you need. For trips to multiple destinations or for frequent flyers, a universal travel adapter can prove more versatile. The universal adapters I recommend here have the bonus of including multiple USB ports for charging several mobile devices from a single outlet.

Do You Really Need a Voltage Converter?

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Voltage converters are big, heavy, and expensive, and they don’t always work, so it’s probably best to avoid them. The reason you might think you need one is that the AC sockets on all of our recommended travel adapters do not convert the voltage coming from the socket. This means plugging into a UK socket will deliver 220 volts at 50 hertz, which is very different from the 120 volts at 60 hertz you can expect in the US. Don’t worry! Your gear won’t get fried. You just need to make sure anything you plug into one of these universal travel adapters has something like this printed on it:

Input: 100–220V 50/60Hz

That should include most modern gadgets. If your device or charger can’t handle a variable voltage, it’s probably best to leave it at home. Most places provide hair dryers, irons, and kettles, so there’s no need to take them with you. It’s often cheaper to buy a set with the correct plug at your destination and save the luggage space and hassle.

If you are determined to try a voltage converter (again, I recommend you don’t), the Ceptics 2,000-watt Travel Voltage Converter ($70) seems to work well. It has a special 2,000-watt outlet for hair dryers, but only ones that work via a mechanical switch (anything with an electronic circuit board for automatic switch-off or temperature control won’t work and is at risk of being fried if plugged in). It also has two outlets that go up to 200 watts, one USB-C port, and three USB-A ports, though the ports do not support fast charging.

For USB-C and USB-A ports, retractable cables, and wireless charging, travel adapters and chargers usually state the wattage they can deliver. If you’re interested in getting the fastest rates possible, you’ll want a charger and cable that can deliver the maximum wattage to your device. A laptop might want 100 watts, while a phone only needs 30 watts. There’s no need to worry if the charger can deliver more wattage than is required because the device will dictate how much power to draw. If the wattage is lower than required, most devices will simply charge slowly. You can find out more about charging standards like Power Delivery (PD), Quick Charge (QC), and others in my guide on how to fast charge your phone.

Can Travel Adapters Go in a Suitcase?

Can I Buy Travel Adapters at the Airport or Hotel?

You certainly can buy travel adapters at the airport, but like everything else, they will be far more expensive than they should be, and your choice will be limited.

Some hotels have travel adapters, and some even have outlets for other countries (or USB-A and USB-C ports), but most do not, so don’t bank on it. You can always check with your hotel or accommodation before you depart, but it’s safer to snag a travel adapter to take with you.

Test Your Travel Adapter Before You Go

Seriously, nothing is worse than thinking you’re being very clever by packing light and getting to your hotel to discover that your gadgets refuse to charge. Between the adapter, cable, and your device, plenty can go wrong, so do a quick test with everything you are taking before you set off.

How I Test Travel Adapters

Anytime I fly for work or vacation, I take a few travel adapters and chargers with me to test. I also test them for longer periods at home in the UK. I have power stations and power strips with US and EU outlets to test those plugs. I test each charger with a variety of devices (iPhone, Pixel, iPad, MacBook, AirPods). I try charging with every port and outlet simultaneously to see if the charger gets warm. I assess the charging rates, durability, size, weight, and usability of each device. If there are any special features, I test them too.

More Travel Adapters I Like

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There are many travel adapters out there. These are a few others I tested and liked, but they missed out on a place above for one reason or another.

Epicka Air 40W for $27: I’m not keen on this style of folding design because it’s a bit fiddly to use, and the prongs sometimes fold back if you bump them when you plug it in. That said, it is a bit slimmer than some of the sliding-prong adapters above, and you get one USB-A and three USB-C ports (limited to 40 watts in total).

UGreen Travel Plug Adapter for £17: This travel adapter is for UK folks visiting Europe, and it’s a solid option with a fixed plug (no mechanism). It has only two USB-A and one USB-C port for smaller devices, and it’s very bulky. I prefer the OneBeat above for this type of design.

Statik SmartCharge Pro for $100: This is a nice combo device that includes a 15,000 mAh power bank and a 60-watt wall charger. There are fold-out US prongs and slide-on adapters for the UK, EU, and AU. You also get one USB-A port, one USB-C port, a fold-out USB-C cable, and a wireless charging pad on top that works with your iPhone or Apple Watch.

D-Link 65W Multi-Port GaN Charger (DCP-651) for $40: If two USB-C ports and a USB-A port are enough for your travel needs, this affordable D-Link charger could be for you. It comes with interchangeable plugs for different countries. The 65-watt limit is enough for overnight charging a laptop and a couple of smartphones.

Aunno Universal Travel Adapter for £17: Affordable and compact, this sliding prong travel adapter is a decent choice for folks in the UK. The prongs slot securely in place with a release button, and you get two USB-C ports and two USB-A ports, though the wattage is limited.

Image may contain Electrical Device Electrical Outlet and Mailbox

Arsmel VisaPro All-in-One Travel Adapter for $80: This chunky power adapter can charge laptops or multiple small devices with a whopping 170-watt maximum output. It works with any outlet in the US, UK, or EU, thanks to sliding plugs that slot in securely, and you can spin the prongs on the US plug to support the total number of countries (more than 200). I love the mecha-inspired paint job too. There are four ports along the bottom: two USB-C ports rated at 140 watts, with the third USB-C and USB-A ports rated at 18 watts. It supports PD 3.1, QC 3.0, PPS, FCP, and SCP, and has a 10-amp fuse.

Satechi GaN Travel Charger for $120: Most of us only take small gadgets when we travel, so a compact, multi-port wall charger could be the best way to pack light. It plugs directly into the wall and comes with four interchangeable travel adapters for the EU, UK, and Australia, plus a mesh bag to store them. There are four USB-C ports that you can plug your gadgets into, including laptops like the MacBook Pro, tablets, phones, and wearables. With support for Power Delivery 3.1, the first two ports can supply up to 140 watts, and the bottom two ports up to 45 watts. However, the maximum output when all four ports are used simultaneously is 145 watts.

Baseus 70W Universal Travel Adapter With Retractable Cable for $50: This excellent travel adapter is almost identical to our top pick from Ceptics, offering up to 70 watts, sliding prongs to cover more than 200 countries, and a built-in retractable USB-C cable, not to mention a USB-C port and two USB-A ports. It also has a snazzy black-and-yellow finish. It only misses out because it’s slightly more expensive, but if you can snag one on sale or prefer the colors, it’s a solid option.

Epicka Universal Travel Adapter for $20: Our budget pick for many months, this travel adapter from Epicka is still a solid option. The sliding plugs cover 150 countries, and there are four USB-A ports on the bottom and a 15-watt USB-C port on the side. There’s also an 8-amp fuse with a spare, and this adapter is RoHS-, CE-, and FCC-certified.

Masterplug Visitor to UK Travel Adapter (3 Pack) for £12: For visitors to the UK, this simple trio of adapters accepts European, American, Australian, and Asian plugs. They are single-outlet adapters with 13-amp fuses inside, and they work perfectly. These are the adapters I use for long-term testing of devices from the US and elsewhere that lack UK plugs. If you forgot to buy an adapter before arriving in the UK, you can find this affordable three-pack at any Argos store.

Anker European Travel Plug Adapter for $14: One of our favorite portable charger brands, Anker, also makes travel adapters. This one plugs into most European outlets to provide a single grounded US outlet, a USB-A port, and two USB-C ports. Unfortunately, the three USB ports max out at 15 watts total, so it’s best for overnight gadget charging, but I appreciate the temperature and overload protection. There is also a UK version ($16).

Epicka Hybrid European Travel Plug Adapter for $16: This handy adapter turns one outlet into four and includes four USB ports (two A and two C). It has fold-out Type A prongs, but you can also slide on a fold-out Type C plug for use in Europe. While the USB ports support QC 3.0 or PD 3.0, they max out at 20 watts in total. I prefer the OneBeat adapters recommended above.

Don’t Bother

You can do better than these travel adapters.

Image may contain Adapter Electronics Computer Hardware and Hardware

EZQuest WorldTravel GaN 5 Port With PD Wall Charger for $35: This travel adapter has a generous four USB-C ports and one USB-A port with a familiar slide-out prong design that covers more than 150 countries. There’s also a built-in 10-amp fuse and a spare. It has RoHS, CE, and FCC certification. It works fine, but it’s kinda boxy, and the sliders don’t lock in place as securely as some of our other picks. There’s also a 65W version ($60).

Rolling Square Pocket Travel Adapter for $30: I admire any attempt to shrink travel adapters down, but the three-pronged UK plugs are usually the obstacle. Rolling Square’s solution is to have a flip-out third prong, but you’ll need a good fingernail to unhitch it. This charger has a single USB-C port capable of delivering up to 30 watts and is a compact option that covers the US, UK, and Europe.

Image may contain Adapter Electronics and Plug

Ceptics 65W World Travel Adapter for $35: This versatile adapter comes with Type A, B, C, E/F, G, and I slide-on plugs. They fit onto the rectangular brick and plug directly into the outlet, or you can attach them to the optional 5-foot cable. The brick has one grounded US outlet and a second non-grounded outlet, with one USB-A (30-watt) and two USB-C (65 and 33-watt) ports at the other end. It works fine, and it’s affordable, but it’s bulky and ugly.

Ceptics Travel Power Strip for $35: Much like the World Travel Adapter Kit 2 above, this small power strip offers two grounded US outlets, but it has only one USB-A and one USB-C port, and instead of plugging directly into the wall, a cable attaches to an interchangeable plug head with Type A, B, C, E/F, G, and I adapters. The adapters can be stiff to change, but they work well otherwise.

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Pushing As Many Pixels As Possible To A CRT: Interlaced 4K

Published

2 hours ago

2 May 2026

NewsAdmin

Some people love CRTs to a degree that the uninitiated may find obsessive. We all have our thing, and for [Found Tech], it’s absolutely pointing particle accelerators at his face to play video games. He likes modern games, with modern resolutions– none of this 1080p nonsense. Today’s gamers demand 4K! Can a CRT keep up? The answer is a resounding “No, but actually, yes!”

[Found Tech] has an IBM P275 monitor, which is one of the last generation of CRTs. Officially, the resolution maxes out at 1920 dots by 1440 lines. While one might (inaccurately) call that UHD output “2K”, you certainly cannot claim it is 4K. So, what’s the secret? Interlacing. Yes, interlacing, like old analog TV signals.

Apparently, in spite of what the manual says, getting the screen to absorb the 2880×2160 interlaced signal wasn’t the hard part, but generating it was. NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards are absolutely unable to create an interlaced signal, but Intel integrated GPUs are– if you get the right combo of chip and old driver. Sadly, the video doesn’t list exactly what he used. Of course an iGPU isn’t going to give you a very good gaming experience at this high resolution, so [Found Tech] has his games do their rendering on the discrete card before piping that over to the iGPU for display on the CRT.

Technically, you still can’t call the 2880×2160 picture “4K”, as that trademark refers to 2160p at 16:9, and this is both interlaced and 4:3. Still, close enough. In spite of the artifacting that turned us all against interlaced signals back in the day, this apparently has [Found Tech]’s eyes fooled– he says it’s as good as 2160p on his OLED, plus the extra magic that comes with glowing phosphors.

It certainly looks great in a recording, but the monitor in the recording isn’t displayed at a high enough resolution to say for sure if it’s 4K. Still, if you’re into CRT gaming, maybe give this high-res interlacing a try. If you still don’t get what’s so great about CRTs, check here, and remember it could be worse– at least we’re not going on about Plasma TVs.