Tech

Flock Offers Employees Buyouts as Customers Flee

Published

49 minutes ago

19 September 2026

Flock Safety announced a voluntary employee separation program on Friday, offering a “generous” severance package to those who want to leave amid growing backlash against the surveillance technology company, according to an internal email shared with WIRED.

Applications for Flock’s voluntary severance program opened Friday, and employees have until October 2 to decide whether to leave the company. Flock expects to grant buyouts to the majority of workers who apply, according to the email. People familiar with the program but not authorized to discuss it publicly say they believe that a significant number of the startup’s roughly 1,500 employees may try to depart.

Flock is making the severance offers as it continues to lose customers amid growing frustration across the US about its sprawling network of license plate readers, which have raised concerns about privacy and misuse. In the last month, WIRED has documented officers allegedly abusing Flock to track former romantic partners and colleagues, exposed how widely some agencies share access to the system, shown how little is known about the manufacturing of the devices, and revealed in new detail how much information Flock’s cameras collect based on data from a dismantled Flock device.

Founded in 2017, Flock raised money at a valuation of more than $8 billion in a funding round that closed in April. The company has had many of its contracts either not extended or dropped this year, which could leave it short of revenue goals, according to two of the people. A wave of vandalism targeting its cameras has unexpectedly increased expenses. Without buyouts, Flock almost certainly would have to lay off some staff, one of the people believes.

In an internal announcement, Flock said the separation program provides “greater agency” for its workers and “treats employees with transparency, respect, and choice.” It also described the package as the “most generous” ever offered by the company, roughly double its previous severance offers.

Flock did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Some Flock employees have said they have received buyout offers in the range of tens of thousands of dollars, one of the people said. The package also gives employees several months of health care coverage and the ability to exercise stock options within two years after separation, a longer period than the company typically offers resigning employees, according to the email and people familiar with the offer.

Flock employees are expected to learn whether their applications were accepted on October 9, according to the email. Most accepted employees would leave the company by October 29, though in some cases Flock may ask employees to remain for another one to three months.

People familiar with Flock’s severance plan tell WIRED that some employees may take the offer amid speculation that the company, which has raised about $1.2 billion in venture capital, might resort to selling off parts or all of its business to stay afloat. “When you see enough of the vandalism” targeting Flock cameras this year, one of the people says, “you know the writing is the wall” that something has to change.

Flock CEO Garrett Langley said on the All-In podcast last month that “the biggest damage” caused by the backlash against the company had been “internal morale.”

“Because you go on to X or you go on to Reddit and you go, why are people so mad at us when we’ve been doing the same thing for nine years?” Langley said. “And why are they so mad at us for things we don’t do? And we just want people to be safe.”

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Disney Hires Ex-CEO Of AI Company It Accused Of Copyright Infringement

Published

8 minutes ago

19 September 2026

NewsAdmin

Formerly head of Character.AI, Karandeep Anand is now Disney’s chief technology officer.

Disney

Disney hasn’t been a big fan of the apparent copyright infringement that makes the AI industry possible, going as far as to threaten companies like Midjourney and Character.AI for using its intellectual property. The company is also apparently willing to let bygones be bygones — Disney has announced that it’s hiring Karandeep Anand, the former CEO of Character.AI, as its first chief technology officer.

“Karandeep brings a rare mix of experience across infrastructure, consumer technology and AI, and will be a vital addition to Disney’s senior leadership team as we further our three priorities: great storytelling as our North Star, technology in service of creativity, and operating as One Disney,” Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro said in a statement. “He also has real enthusiasm and respect for Disney, a clear sense of where technology and creativity meet and shares our belief that technology creates the most value when it helps people do their best work.”

Since becoming CEO in February, D’Amaro has leaned hard into Disney’s capabilities as a technology company, pitching the Disney+ streaming service and app as central to its future. Hiring Anand, and making him a direct report, is a further attempt to sell that idea. As CTO, Disney says Anand will oversee things like enterprise technology and the company’s data and AI platforms, and bring several of Character.AI’s technical staff along with him in the process. As part of his hiring, Variety writes that Disney is also promoting Adam Smith, the former chief product and technology officer for Disney Entertainment and ESPN, to a new role as Chairman of Direct-to-Consumer for Disney Entertainment.

Disney’s praise for Anand is surprisingly, given how differently it viewed the company he was leading less than a year ago. In September 2025, Disney sent a cease and desist letter to Character.AI, claiming the platform offered chatbots based on its characters and that they were bad for children. Character.AI had already been named in wrongful death lawsuits involving multiple underage users at the time, so Disney claim that the company’s products were “harmful and dangerous to children” carried some weight.

Of course, one could assume Disney was less worried about the negative effects of using generative AI and more concerned that it wasn’t cut in appropriately. The company did agree to license Disney characters to OpenAI for its failed Sora app only a few months later in December 2025. If the company truly believes AI is part of its future, Anand’s experience is much more important than any misgivings it had about Character.AI.

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The New Resident Evil Movie Captures The Survival Horror Magic Of The Games

Published

22 minutes ago

19 September 2026

NewsAdmin

Despite touting the name “Resident Evil,” the movie adaptations of Capcom’s series have mostly ignored the best elements of survival horror games: the sense of dread as you creep into a new location; the desperation you feel when you’re running low on ammo and health items. The six Resident Evil movies starring Milla Jovovich were more interested in bombastic action. So leave it up to Zach Cregger, the director of Barbarian and Weapons, to crack the code of making a genuinely great adaptation: Just make it feel like the best games in the franchise.

And to be clear, I’m not talking about delivering fan service. There are a slew of terrible CG Resident Evil movies that exist to do just that, including the failed 2021 live action reboot, Welcome to Raccoon City. Cregger’s secret weapon is that he’s both an excellent horror filmmaker — someone who knows how to write interesting characters, build tension and deliver scares in unique ways. And he’s a fan of the franchise who understands the true magic of survival horror games.

Resident Evil centers on Bryan (Austin Abrams), a medical courier tasked with making a last-minute run to a remote mountainside town. Of course, that’s Raccoon City. Along the way, he’s also dealing with the anxiety of potentially becoming a father after his girlfriend discovers she’s pregnant. He’s an everyman with deep flaws, the ideal protagonist for a Resident Evil story.

After an accident on a snowy road, we shift into a first-person view as Bryan creeps towards an injured woman, much like the camera slowly approaching the first zombie in the original Resident Evil. Once the victim reveals herself to be some sort of crazed monster (not a zombie), it almost feels as if we’re controlling Bryan over the shoulder as he tries to avoid her around an overturned police car. Of course, the film can never deliver the interactivity of the games, but Cregger’s camera gets close. Throughout the film, we’re often following Bryan from directly behind, or right over the shoulder, evoking the iconic camera angle of Resident Evil 4.

Sony Pictures

Bryan finds a conveniently placed pistol and manages to take down the crazed woman, but of course, that’s only the beginning. A mad dog chases him into a barn, where he encounters (and fails) a classic ladder puzzle. He finds an even more conveniently placed shotgun when he seeks refuge in an abandoned farm house, but it’s useless to him until he finds shells. (In one of the few overt callbacks, he encounters a room with a lone typewriter, like the classic Resident Evil save rooms.)

Anyone unfamiliar with the games would have no problem enjoying this film. But Cregger’s understanding of the series also makes it feel like a true survival horror game. We’re viewing every new room and dark corner from Bryan’s perspective, and the sense of dread is palpable. Even though it doesn’t take long for Bryan to snag a few guns, he’s also always aware of the precise amount of ammunition he’s holding. Much like the games, resource scarcity is a constant source of tension. He masterfully uses the first-person perspective several more times throughout the film, and at times the camera jerkily shifts in different directions, as if someone is quickly pushing a gamepad’s right stick for camera controls.

Sony Pictures

Cregger’s Resident Evil is a lesson in making a good video game adaptation. You can’t just slavishly recreate things the fans want to see – like the atrocious Super Mario Galaxy or the forgettable Uncharted – but you also shouldn’t completely reject the best elements of the games, like the terrible ’90s Super Mario Bros. film. A small amount of creativity and effort managed to make the Sonic and Minecraft movies watchable. With Nintendo spinning up a Legend of Zelda movie and Hollywood broadly eager to crib from video game source material, I hope more creatives take notes from this reboot.

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Watch Hawthorn vs Brisbane for FREE: Live streams & TV channels

Published

35 minutes ago

19 September 2026

NewsAdmin

Hawthorn’s reward for trouncing the minor premiers is the matchup they’d been hoping to avoid – a date with back-to-back reigning premiers Brisbane, who pasted the Hawks by 67 points just last month. On a more positive note, Sam Mitchell’s men do at least have home advantage after a week off.

The reason it stings so much is that Hawthorn, who last reached the Grand Final back in 2015, have beaten both of the other preliminary finalists this season. Meanwhile, they’ve lost each of their past three meetings with the Lions.

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Paris probes smart glasses use for suspected sexual harassment

Published

1 hour ago

19 September 2026

NewsAdmin

Several countries are planning to regulate smart glasses over growing concerns around nonconsensual recording and harassment.

Prosecutors in Paris have launched a criminal probe into suspected sexual harassment committed using smart glasses, Reuters reported earlier today (18 September), citing local officials.

According to the publication, at least one probe has been launched following complaints over users filming women nonconsensually using smart glasses to post to social media – a trend that has risen in popularity since the launch of Meta’s AI glasses earlier this summer.

The French prosecutors, however, did not name a company or brand in their response to Reuters’ questions about the investigation. SiliconRepublic.com has reached out for further information.

The French data protection authority CNIL further told Reuters that it had received fewer than 10 complaints regarding smart glasses being used in the workplace.

While smart glasses are not new technology, Meta’s growing portfolio has contributed to a steep rise in global sales, according to a Counterpoint report from February.

AI-equipped smart glasses accounted for 88pc of total shipments in the sector as of H2 last year, while Meta held more than 80pc of global smart glasses shipments – AI-powered and otherwise.

The social media giant sold more than 7m of its AI glasses made in partnership with the French-Italian eyewear brand Essilor last year. The two were also reportedly in discussions to double production of their glasses to at least 20m by the end of this year to meet the “unprecedented” demand for their products, mainly in the US.

The sharp growth in sales and popularity of these types of glasses comes despite huge public backlash against the technology, with people highlighting issues around covert recording and sexual harassment.

This year, in particular, has seen a rise in social media videos of men approaching unsuspecting women while wearing camera-fitted glasses, and recording them without consent to post to social media.

Some wearers have also tampered with an indicator light on the Meta devices to hide the fact that glasses were recording. Although Meta updated the glasses to address the issue, many still say it is hard to discern whether a recording indicator is active or not.

The backlash has led to a number of UK cinemas considering banning smart glasses, while a German consumer advocacy group filed a complaint against Meta and other companies that sell these devices in the country.

Australia, meanwhile, is considering banning camera-equipped smart glasses in the workplace, while Norway said it is also planning to regulate their use.

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Single-Phase Direct Liquid Cooling Is Proven for the Next Decade of Ultra-Dense Compute

Published

1 hour ago

19 September 2026

NewsAdmin

More Information

As computing systems move toward denser processors, tightly coupled server nodes, and higher-power racks, managing the heat they generate has become a defining challenge in data center design. Modern AI accelerators can dissipate well over 1,000 watts, and a single rack may release more than 100 kilowatts of heat. This is far beyond what air cooling can practically remove. Single-phase direct liquid cooling addresses this by circulating water or a water-glycol coolant through coldplates mounted directly on high-heat components. The coolant absorbs the heat and carries it away in a closed loop to a coolant distribution unit. Because liquid stores far more heat than air and removes it much faster, this approach supports higher chip and rack densities within a smaller footprint. This paper explains how single-phase direct liquid cooling works, how it compares with two-phase and immersion cooling, and how rising processor power and rack density are shaping the future of thermal

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New AI Glasses, A Mixed Reality Headset And More

Published

2 hours ago

19 September 2026

NewsAdmin

There’s a lot for Mark Zuckerberg to cover at this year’s keynote.

New and updated smart glasses

As with the last few years, there’s likely to be a lot of glasses-related news. One interesting change with this year’s strategy is that the company is reportedly working on a pair of camera-free frames. These glasses, which will reportedly come in two styles, will instead come with extra microphones for chatting with Meta’s AI assistant. The lack of cameras could offer Meta a couple of advantages. The frames will reportedly be a bit slimmer and look more like “normal glasses.”

More significantly, they could also help Meta address ongoing privacy concerns and backlash against its current lineup of glasses. Meta has been trying to get ahead of the “creep glasses” narrative in recent weeks by cracking down on people who tamper with the LED lights and post videos of themselves harassing others. In a recent AMA on Instagram, Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth said the company would have “more to say” about the issue during Connect.

Ray-Ban has recently hinted that it has new Meta-branded glasses coming soon. That could be a reference to these camera-free frames or, perhaps, a new Gen 3 lineup (the first Gen 2 models debuted at last year’s Connect). Another possibility is the next generation of Meta Ray-Ban Display. There have been reports that Meta is working on a version of the glasses that will come with displays in both lenses, which would open up some interesting possibilities in terms of their UI. But it’s been a while since we’ve heard anything about the rumored device, sometimes called “Hypernova 2,” so Meta could be holding that one back for now.

‘Phoenix’ Mixed Reality headset

An image of the rear view of Meta's upcoming headset.

Meta (via UploadVR)

It’s been a while since we’ve seen a new headset from Meta, and we’ve never seen anything from them quite like the device currently known as “Phoenix.” The mixed reality headset has been rumored for some time, but it certainly seems like the company is gearing up for it to make its official debut at Connect.

Several images of the lightweight device recently surfaced in a HorizonOS update. Those images show a thin device that almost looks more like a pair of goggles than a headset. It also clearly shows a cable, which supports previous reporting that Phoenix will rely on a tethered connection to a separate puck. It’s also rumored to support hand and eye tracking rather than a dedicated controller.

And while we don’t know much about what Phoenix will look like in the way of specs, it seems like a pretty good bet the headset will be among the first devices to use the new Snapdragon Reality Elite chip Qualcomm announced earlier this year. Intended for mixed reality headsets, the chip was specifically designed to support slimmed-down form factors.

Avatars and the metaverse

A new kind of headset will probably also mean some updates to HorizonOS, and it will be interesting to see what kinds of experiences Meta will promote alongside the new hardware. The company has been shuttering VR studios left and right, so I doubt we would see any huge game announcements to go with Phoenix. But it does seem like Meta could promote more entertainment-focused offerings. Deadline reported last year that Meta was backing a new “3D horror series” based on A24’s Talk to Me that’s apparently meant for viewing in the company’s headsets.

We may also hear more about Meta’s holographic avatars that we first saw two years ago with its Orion prototype. Meta told me at the time that the technology would eventually come to virtual reality and, given that Qualcomm has highlighted “photorealistic avatars” as one of the benefits of its aforementioned chip, this seems like a very real possibility. The Information also recently reported that an avatar of Meta’s CTO could make an appearance during the Connect keynote. These avatars could also factor into Meta’s evolving vision for the metaverse. When the company almost shut down Horizon Worlds in VR earlier this year, Bosworth said that augmented reality was very much part of the company’s “expansive construct of the metaverse.”

AI and developers

The last few years of Connect have included a lot of AI news and this year shouldn’t be any different. This will be the first Connect since we’ve seen a flood of new AI releases from the company’s superintelligence group, and I’m sure the company is saving some AI-focused updates for Connect.

I fully expect Meta to talk a lot more about its AI agent, Muse. The company teased that glasses support for the agent would be coming “soon,” so I wouldn’t be surprised if we hear more about how this will work at Connect. (Agent capabilities could also be a good selling point for camera-free glasses.)

I’m also hoping to hear more about Meta’s work to bring more third-party apps to its glasses ecosystem. Last year at Connect, the company announced a handful of apps that would be coming to its camera glasses, but we haven’t seen a whole lot of momentum since. And earlier this year it started allowing developers to create dedicated apps for Meta Ray-Ban Display. Showing off a new slate of third-party apps for the frames could be a good way to build more excitement for the product even if we don’t see updated hardware.

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5 Tech Brands Trying To Compete With Apple’s MacBook Neo

Published

2 hours ago

19 September 2026

NewsAdmin

Open MacBook Neo placed atop its packaging box

Brittany Roston / SlashGear

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Amid the ongoing silicon crisis that has led prices of consumer gadgets to rise, Apple introduced the MacBook Neo, its cheapest laptop ever. The MacBook Neo was first announced at a starting price of $599 for the 256 GB model, and $699 for the 512 GB variant. Although Apple hiked its gadget prices in July in response to the memory crisis by adding an extra $100 to each variant of the Neo, it still remains the cheapest MacBook model you can buy brand new. The MacBook Neo features a 13-inch IPS display, 8 GB of memory, 256 or 512 GB of storage, a 36.5 Wh battery, and a 1080p webcam in a lightweight 2.7 lbs package.

With Apple finally taking a stab at the entry-level laptop market, it was only a matter of time before other major laptop manufacturers were forced to step up their game to try and take on the Neo. Because of its affordable sticker price, the MacBook Neo is simply a product that other tech companies couldn’t afford to ignore. Indeed, barely a few months after its launch, several tech brands have responded by introducing different laptops in an attempt to compete.

If you’re in the market for a cheap laptop, there are quite a number of alternatives that you can consider. To identify these five tech brands trying to compete with the MacBook Neo, we’ve done our research by digging through manufacturer websites and news sites to find companies that have launched models that directly target Apple’s cheapest laptop.

Dell

Apple launched the MacBook Neo on March 4, 2026, and Dell didn’t wait long to reveal its answer. The company revealed toward the end of May that it would launch a new XPS 13 model starting at $699. Given its portability and price, it’s clear that Dell was trying to pitch the XPS 13 as an alternative to the MacBook Neo. In fact, Dell has a dedicated page on its website that pits the two models against each other.

We’ve compared the XPS 13 and the MacBook Neo, and it’s a pretty tight race between the two. Although both models start at $699 — $599 for students – Dell offers 512 GB of storage in the base variant, while Apple only gives you 256 GB. The XPS 13 is also a tad lighter than the Neo, 2.2 lbs compared to 2.7 lbs. Screen-wise, you’re also getting a better panel on the XPS, as it not only offers touch-screen functionality but also 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 color space and up to a 120 Hz high refresh rate.

Dell’s XPS 13 also wins over the Neo by offering a backlit keyboard, more configuration options, and promises up to 17 hours of battery life (vs. the Neo’s 16 hours). In addition to the XPS 13, Dell has also announced the Dell 14S, another potential MacBook Neo competitor, and it also has other models that can be considered alternatives, like the $699 Dell 15.

Asus

Asus has also stepped up its game, and is now yet another tech brand trying to give the MacBook Neo a run for its money. The company’s model leading the charge is the ZenBook 14. For context, the ZenBook 14 starts at $799, $100 more expensive than the Neo. Despite a slight price disadvantage, the Asus ZenBook 14 looks like a good competitor to the Neo. It comes with a slightly bigger 14-inch screen, which supports 100% of the DCI-P3 color space and uses OLED display technology for inky blacks and richer colors, and you can configure it to include touchscreen functionality.

While the MacBook Neo only offers a headphone jack and two USB-C ports, the ZenBook 14 is more versatile as it has a USB-A, HDMI 2.1, 3.5 mm headphone jack, and four USB-C ports. Its keyboard is backlit, which is something the Neo doesn’t offer. The ZenBook 14 promises over 21 hours of battery life and is powered by either an Intel, AMD, or Qualcomm chip, with up to 24 GB of memory and 512 GB of storage, depending on the processor.

Besides the ZenBook 14, the company also has other laptop models that can compete with the MacBook Neo. For example, the Vivobook 16 sells at $619.99 and includes 8 GB of memory and 512 GB of storage, making it worth considering if you’re shopping for cheaper alternatives to the MacBook Neo that offer better specs. Also, the Vivobook 14 (X1407QA) is another worthy alternative.

Acer

Acer unveiled its MacBook Neo competitor, the Swift Air 14, at this year’s Computex in Taipei, Taiwan. The Swift Air 14 also has nearly the same selling points as the Neo. For starters, its $699.99 starting price makes it pretty affordable as well, and it also comes in a thin and light package for portability. However, it offers some extra goodies that make it a worthy alternative.

The Swift Air 14 features a slightly larger 14-inch IPS display panel with a higher 120 Hz refresh rate, which is something you won’t find on the Neo. An Intel Core Series 3 processor powers this laptop, paired with 8 GB of LPDDR5X memory (upgradeable to 16 GB) and up to 512 GB of storage. With a 69 Wh battery, nearly twice as much as the Neo’s 36.5 Wh cell, the Swift Air 14 promises up to 19 hours of video playback. This model offers you four ports: two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C, one USB-A, and a headphone jack.

Apple offers the Neo in more fun colors than the MacBook Air and Pro, and Acer didn’t miss out on that detail on the Swift Air 14 — in addition to black and silver, it’s also available in purple, blue, pink, and green. Besides the Swift Air 14, which was clearly launched to compete with the Neo, there are other models in the company’s lineup that can take on Apple’s laptop, like the Acer Swift Go 15 and Aspire Vero Green.

Lenovo

Lenovo already has a well-diversified laptop portfolio that targets different types of users and price points, from the entry-level consumer to users seeking a premium high-end laptop. Despite that, the company responded to Apple’s launch of the MacBook Neo by launching a competitor, dubbed the Lenovo IdeaPad Vibe, that targets the same type of user.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Vibe was launched at the IFA event held in Berlin, Germany. It’s an ultra-thin and lightweight laptop that sports either a 14-inch or 15-inch display. Lenovo gives you a choice between a Qualcomm Snapdragon, Intel Core or AMD Ryzen series chip, and the memory and storage are also configurable up to 24 GB and 1 TB, respectively. For the display, you also get to pick between LCD and OLED technology. The Lenovo IdeaPad Vibe launched at a starting price of $699, although as of this writing, it’s not available to order just yet.

It will only be available to buy from November 2026. Taking notes from Apple’s MacBook Neo playbook, Lenovo is also offering the IdeaPad Vibe in colors that pop. However, it has gone a mile further by offering a total of seven color options. Besides the IdeaPad Vibe, there are other laptop models in Lenovo’s lineup that can compete with the Neo, such as the IdeaPad Slim 3i, IdeaPad Slim 5x and IdeaPad Slim 3x.

MSI

While MSI revealed its Modern 14S AI+ laptop at CES 2026 back in January (before Apple unveiled the Neo), it was powered by Intel’s Core Ultra series chip. Then, once Apple dropped the Neo at the beginning of March, MSI revealed a shift in strategy at an event in Tokyo, revealing plans to introduce a budget non-AI+ Modern 14S powered by Intel’s Core Series 3 chip, indicating the company’s intention to compete with it. However, as of this writing, MSI has yet to reveal when the Modern 14S will be unveiled and what it will cost.

But even before the Modern 14S is launched, the Modern 14S AI+ is also a worthy competitor. The MSI Modern 14S AI+ is a thin and light laptop with an aluminum alloy chassis. With a starting weight of 3.09 pounds, it’s heavier than the 2.7-lb Neo, but only by a slight margin. It features a 14-inch screen, and you get to pick between an IPS panel with a 48 to 120Hz refresh rate, as well as a 60 Hz OLED panel.

Unlike the Neo, MSI’s model offers seven ports, including HDMI 2.1, RJ45 Ethernet, a micro SD card reader, two USB Type-C ports, and two USB Type-A ports. The Modern 14S AI+ is yet to launch in the U.S. Besides the MSI Modern 14S AI and Modern 14S, the company also has plans to launch the Modern 14 LE that will also compete with the Neo.

How we selected these tech brands

Wongsakorn 2468/Shutterstock

Even before the MacBook Neo hit the market, there were Windows and ChromeOS-powered laptops that you could get for cheap. As a result, to put together this list of tech brands that are positioning themselves to compete with Apple’s entry-level MacBook, we focused on more than just companies that have laptops selling for around the same price as the Neo. For a brand to be selected, it had to have launched (or plan to launch) a model or models specifically aimed at taking a stab at the MacBook Neo. We did so by checking the different models that have been revealed by various laptop brands since Apple launched the Neo in March.

We’ve discussed how some of the MacBook Neo alternatives from each brand stack up against the Neo, but that doesn’t mean the mentioned model is the only worthy competitor. For those that haven’t released new models trying to compete with the Neo, we went through their current laptop lineup to see if there’s at least one model that offers a solid overall package that can compete with the Neo. We didn’t focus on the price alone, so some of the alternative models from these brands are pricier than the Neo.

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Clicks Communicator Shipments Begin In December

Published

2 hours ago

19 September 2026

NewsAdmin

The BlackBerry-like phone also got a spec bump and an impending price hike.

Clicks

Gadget maker Clicks will soon learn how much pent-up demand there is for a modern-day BlackBerry. The company’s first smartphone, the Clicks Communicator, will begin shipping in December, nearly a year after its CES 2026 rollout. The final version is getting a few spec upgrades, along with an October 1 price hike.

The Communicator will now ship with 12GB of RAM, up from the originally announced 8GB. Its battery capacity has grown from 4,000mAh to 4,350mAh and is rated to handle more than 800 charge cycles. It will run Android 17 out of the box with software support through Android 20, along with five years of security updates.

The device embraces a combination of quirky design and nostalgia. Inspired by BlackBerry phones of old, the Communicator has a physical keyboard below its 4.03-inch, 120Hz AMOLED display. It runs on a MediaTek Dimensity 8300 chip and has 256GB of internal storage with microSD expansion. In another old-school nod, it has a 3.5mm headphone jack.

That keyboard is more than rows of tiny buttons. Its surface is touch-sensitive, so you can swipe across it to scroll and navigate. Its spacebar doubles as a dedicated fingerprint sensor. In addition to the English QWERTY layout, Clicks offers versions for French (AZERTY), German (QWERTZ), Korean and Arabic.

Clicks is pitching the Communicator as a second phone, better suited for messages and calls than endless scrolling. The company isn’t trying to go head-to-head with the latest flagships, instead branding it as “a new kind of mobile communicator.” (A new spin on an old kind of mobile communicator may be more accurate.) Not every Android app will be ideal for this squareish aspect ratio, its processor is a notch or two below flagship-level and there’s no multi-lens camera array on the backside, opting for a 50MP rear camera and a 24MP front-facing one.

Availability

Clicks

Now for the bad news: although you can still reserve a Communicator now for its original $499, its price will go up to $649 on October 1. That’s arguably pushing past a reasonable limit for something marketed as a novelty-infused second phone.

Clicks Communicator is available to pre-order on the company website. Reservation holders can configure their phones now, choosing colors, keyboard layouts and charging covers. While you mull over the decision, you can read our founder interview from CES and check out the new demo video below.

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10 boats in one van: Russia goes DIY with a plywood vessel that can be built in 4 hours and can carry 4 fiber-optic UAVs

Published

2 hours ago

19 September 2026

NewsAdmin

Russia’s Scientific and Production Center Ushkuynik says ten disassembled Skorlupa hulls fit in one GAZelle van
Each hull can be assembled in an estimated four hours (by Russian estimates) using a cordless screwdriver and can travel up to 200 km while carrying up to 250 kg of payloads
The Skorlupa comes with up to four communication modules and can carry up to four fiber-optic drones, allowing it to serve as both a mothership for attack or recon drones and a one-way attack craft

Russia’s Scientific and Production Center Ushkuynik has released new details on Skorlupa, a light uncrewed surface vessel whose headline feature isn’t speed, stealth, or sensors.

According to www1.ru, company CEO Alexey Chadayev says ten of the boats fit into the cargo bed of a single GAZelle light van when broken down, and that one hull goes together in about four hours with an ordinary screwdriver.

The hull is cut from water-repellent plywood, and Chadayev told the Russian government daily Rossiyskaya Gazeta, in an interview published on September 8 (RU) around the International Technological Congress 2026, that the craft can be produced at any furniture factory and costs roughly a fifth of a conventional naval drone.

A low-cost alternative in an increasingly asymmetrical war?

As the Russia-Ukraine conflict enters its fifth year, both sides have innovated, focusing on drones and autonomous vehicles to save lives, operate remotely, and minimize costs.

The Skorlupa does just that: the developer cites a 200 km range and a 250 kg payload, letting operators use it remotely while cutting costs as Russia and Ukraine struggle to fund their war efforts.

It can also be used in two ways: as a one-way strike platform, delivering an explosive against a ship’s hull; or as a mothership, carrying four fiber-optic aerial drones housed under a deck skin that folds open on command.

As the war drags on, it’s increasingly becoming one that demands practical and cost-effective solutions that do not endanger lives, with Ukraine also often pulling off similar approaches, including retrofitting remote-controlled kits to Humvees and Operation Spiderweb, which ingeniously launched attacks from within Russia’s borders on its airfields, dealing damage that amounted to billions of dollars.

Skorlupa does something similar that makes it immune to jamming: it is controlled by a physical fiber-optic cable that lets it function even in areas where it would otherwise be cut off from wireless communications. This is also why the KVN has become one of Russia’s most-used FPV drones.

A non-emitting boat carrying non-emitting drones is effectively unjammable and hard to counter, and with millions of Russia’s KVN drones already in play, it would be a well-supplied Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) to build up a naval and aerial threat in a region where Ukraine regularly takes the initiative on the former.

As Alexey Chadayev pointed out in his interview, “With a Skorlupa like this, you can wreck any seaport without missiles,” while noting that it can be made at any furniture factory.

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How to watch Family Full House With Rohit Sharma online from anywhere

Published

3 hours ago

19 September 2026

NewsAdmin

Sony’s all-new show, Family Full House With Rohit Sharma, is set to go on floors this Saturday, September 19, 2026. Indian cricket star Sharma, best known for his three ODI double centuries and leading India to the 2024 T20 World Cup title, is all set for yet another debut – this time, off the field.

The date is special for Rohit himself, as it was the same date when he made his T20I debut. This time, though, fans will be seeing Rohit off the field in his quirky, outspoken “Shana” avatar. He’s well known for his cheeky stump-cam remarks, which have gone viral on multiple occasions.