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Nvidia’s Deal With Meta Signals a New Era in Computing Power

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Ask anyone what Nvidia makes, and they’re likely to first say “GPUs.” For decades, the chipmaker has been defined by advanced parallel computing, and the emergence of generative AI and the resulting surge in demand for GPUs has been a boon for the company.

But Nvidia’s recent moves signal that it’s looking to lock in more customers at the less compute-intensive end of the AI market—customers who don’t necessarily need the beefiest, most powerful GPUs to train AI models, but instead are looking for the most efficient ways to run agentic AI software. Nvidia recently spent billions to license technology from a chip startup focused on low-latency AI computing, and it also started selling stand-alone CPUs as part of its latest superchip system.

Yesterday, Nvidia and Meta announced that the social media giant had agreed to buy billions of dollars’ worth of Nvidia chips to provide computing power for its massive infrastructure projects—with Nvidia’s CPUs as part of the deal.

The multiyear deal is an expansion of a cozy ongoing partnership between the two companies. Meta previously estimated that by the end of 2024, it would have purchased 350,000 H100 chips from Nvidia, and that by the end of 2025 the company would have access to 1.3 million GPUs in total (though it wasn’t clear whether those would all be Nvidia chips).

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As part of the latest announcement, Nvidia said that Meta would “build hyperscale data centers optimized for both training and inference in support of the company’s long-term AI infrastructure roadmap.” This includes a “large-scale deployment” of Nvidia’s CPUs and “millions of Nvidia Blackwell and Rubin GPUs.”

Notably, Meta is the first tech giant to announce it was making a large-scale purchase of Nvidia’s Grace CPU as a stand-alone chip, something Nvidia said would be an option when it revealed the full specs of its new Vera Rubin superchip in January. Nvidia has also been emphasizing that it offers technology that connects various chips, as part of its “soup-to-nuts approach” to compute power, as one analyst puts it.

Ben Bajarin, CEO and principal analyst at the tech market research firm Creative Strategies, says the move signaled that Nvidia recognizes that a growing range of AI software now needs to run on CPUs, much in the same way that conventional cloud applications do. “The reason why the industry is so bullish on CPUs within data centers right now is agentic AI, which puts new demands on general-purpose CPU architectures,” he says.

A recent report from the chip newsletter Semianalysis underscored this point. Analysts noted that CPU usage is accelerating to support AI training and inference, citing one of Microsoft’s data centers for OpenAI as an example, where “tens of thousands of CPUs are now needed to process and manage the petabytes of data generated by the GPUs, a use case that wouldn’t have otherwise been required without AI.”

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Bajarin notes, though, that CPUs are still just one component of the most advanced AI hardware systems. The number of GPUs Meta is purchasing from Nvidia still outnumbers the CPUs.

“If you’re one of the hyperscalers, you’re not going to be running all of your inference computing on CPUs,” Bajarin says. “You just need whatever software you’re running to be fast enough on the CPU to interact with the GPU architecture that’s actually the driving force of that computing. Otherwise, the CPU becomes a bottleneck.”

Meta declined to comment on its expanded deal with Nvidia. During a recent earnings call, the social media giant said that it planned to dramatically increase its spending on AI infrastructure this year to between $115 billion and $135 billion, up from $72.2 billion last year.

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Ring and Kidde’s Newest Smoke Detector Is Here, and It’s Battery Powered (2026)

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19 February 2026

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Kidde has become the best-known name in the world of smart smoke detectors—a relatively low bar given how few people know the brand of their smoke detector. Still, you’ll find Kidde recommended by reviewers and customers across the internet with surprising enthusiasm, which has only increased since the brand started collaborating with Ring and Amazon, making it an easy add-on to Alexa-powered smart homes.

Until now, if you wanted a Kidde smart smoke alarm connected to your other devices, one that would send you alerts by Ring app, you could only choose a hardwired model. Anyone who wanted something battery-powered from Kidde along the lines of the now-discontinued Google Nest Protect had to skip the smarts.

At the CES trade show in January, Kidde announced its first battery-only smart smoke alarm, once again in collaboration with Ring. The Kidde Ring Smart Smoke + CO Alarm has been available for preorder since the announcement, but as of today is fully available to buy.

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Kidde

Ring Smart Smoke Alarm, AA Battery Powered

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How It’ll Work

Kidde’s Ring Smart Smoke + CO Alarm will use two AA batteries (included in the box). It’ll come with a mounting bracket for installation, and you can choose to mount it wherever you see fit, thanks to the battery flexibility. Kidde recommends not installing a smoke detector within six feet of heating appliances, less than four inches from an A-frame type ceiling, or in areas like garages or near things like lights, fans, vents, windows, and anything that could directly expose it to the weather.

Once it’s installed, you can connect it to your Wi-Fi and the Ring app. You won’t need any additional Ring technology—no hub is required, even though you’ll find one in most Alexa speakers these days—to have it work with the Ring app. Ideally, you’d already have an app and be a Ring user if you’ve chosen this smoke detector, but if you haven’t, make sure to get the app and set up your account.

Third-Party Smoke

Both Amazon and Google have chosen to partner with brands instead of making their own in-house smoke detectors. Google now partners with First Alert for a smart smoke and carbon monoxide alarm replacement after discontinuing the Google Nest Protect, and Ring both has this partnership with Kidde and can work with Z-Wave models from First Alert too.

It’s not a surprising move from Google, which has been moving to make less of its own hardware and instead place its smarts in other brand’s products. Amazon usually likes to make its own massive range of hardware, so it’s worth noting that if Amazon isn’t making this device itself, there’s a reason. It may be a poor investment to maintain such a specific line of products, or maybe because it’s hard enough to do well that the company would rather leverage someone else’s tech. Whichever reason—maybe both—if you’re shopping for a new smart smoke alarm, Kidde’s newest model is one to consider, especially if you have an Alexa household.

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Seahawks parade drone incident underscores security concerns ahead of World Cup in Seattle

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19 February 2026

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Fans gather at Lumen Field on Feb. 11 ahead of a parade through Seattle to celebrate the Seahawks’ Super Bowl victory. (GeekWire Photo / James Cook)

A pilot is facing charges after flying a drone into Lumen Field in Seattle during last week’s Seahawks Super Bowl victory celebration — an incident that underscores growing concerns about drone threats as Seattle prepares to host 2026 FIFA World Cup matches.

KOMO News reported that at least 30 drones were spotted flying over last Wednesday’s parade through Seattle, which attracted hundreds of thousands of fans along the route from the stadium to Belltown.

The King County Sheriff’s Office told GeekWire that seven pilots were contacted the day of the parade. One pilot ignored warnings and continued to fly his drone into Lumen, despite temporary flight restrictions in place.

The pilot is facing reckless endangerment charges from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and potential federal charges and fines for flying into an airspace restricted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

A drone can be seen, upper right, flying above the Seahawks parade and crowd in Seattle. (GeekWire Photo / Holly Grambihler)

Officials in Washington state are especially concerned about drone activity ahead of the World Cup and Seattle’s role hosting matches at Lumen Field. The Washington National Guard hosted a FIFA Field Ready Range Day last week at Joint Base Lewis-McChord to help prepare for countering unmanned aerial system threats. It also held a Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (CUAS) Summit last fall that included a simluation of a coordinated drone attack on Lumen Field during a soccer match.

The National Guard has voiced support for a proposed Washington state law, HB 2462, that would formalize the state’s role in counter-drone operations.

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KOMO says it was granted a waiver by the FAA to fly its own drone during the Seahawks parade to capture video.

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Remitly CEO Matt Oppenheimer steps down, hands reins of fintech company to former Amazon exec

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19 February 2026

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Remitly CEO Matt Oppenheimer helped launch the company back in 2011, helping grow the firm into a global remittance platform. (Remitly Photo)

Remitly co-founder Matt Oppenheimer is stepping down as CEO after nearly 15 years growing the Seattle-based digital remittance company into a profitable, publicly traded fintech giant valued at nearly $3 billion.

Veteran tech and finance executive Sebastian Gunningham will replace Oppenheimer, effective Feb. 19. Oppenheimer will become chairman as the company leans into what it calls its next chapter.

“This transition isn’t about stepping back. It’s about stepping up into the role that best serves Remitly’s long-term success,” Oppenheimer wrote in an email to employees. He stressed that the leadership change “didn’t happen overnight,” as he approached the company’s board “a while back” to discuss long-term succession planning.

Gunningham previously led Amazon’s marketplace and payments businesses, working directly for Jeff Bezos, and was a member of Amazon’s executive “S-team.” He also did a brief stint as co-CEO at WeWork and more recently helped lead a digital transformation push at Spanish banking giant Santander. “I’ve long admired Remitly’s mission and the real difference it makes in people’s lives,” Gunningham said in a statement.

Remitly stock was up more than 10% in after-hours trading Wednesday.

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The CEO change marks the end of an era for Oppenheimer and Remitly, which also on Wednesday reported double-digit increases in customers and transaction volume in the fourth quarter, along with adjusted EBITDA of $88.6 million, nearly doubling from the prior year. Send volume on the platform rose 35% to $20.8 billion.

Sebastian Gunningham. (Remitly Photo)

Remitly’s mobile technology lets people send and receive money across borders, including immigrants in the U.S. and U.K. who support families back home in countries such as the Philippines, India, El Salvador, and others. The service eliminates many of the forms, codes, and agents typically associated with international money transfers.

The Remitly story began more than a decade ago after Oppenheimer had just returned from Kenya, where he was working for Barclays and realized how hard it was for families to send and receive money overseas.

He teamed up with co-founders Josh Hug and Shivaas Gulati, taking Remitly from a tiny upstart that graduated from Techstars Seattle in 2011 into a global remittance player that battled incumbents such as Western Union and MoneyGram. Remitly raised around $400 million from private investors and went public in 2021 at a valuation of nearly $7 billion.

Remitly now has more than 9.3 million quarterly active users — up 19% year-over-year — and employs 3,200 people across the globe. It reported $442.2 million in Q4 revenue, up 26% year-over-year.

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The company has been laying out a new evolution that keeps remittances at the core but adds products like a small‑business payments service, a membership offering with multi‑currency wallets and debit cards, the ability to access a line of credit, and new tools for stablecoin-based balances.

Recent earnings language notes that Remitly is evolving beyond a remittance company into a diversified, cross-border financial services provider, serving both consumers and businesses across a growing set of use cases.

In his memo to staff, Oppenheimer highlighted Gunningham’s personal story — “Argentine by birth, Scottish by heritage, and American by journey” — noting that he brings a global perspective that aligns with the company’s customer base. “He knows what it feels like to navigate a global financial services system.,” Oppenheimer wrote. “He understands that we aren’t just moving money; we are moving hope.”

Oppenheimer, who won Ernst & Young’s Pacific Northwest Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2016, told employees he will remain Remitly’s largest individual shareholder “with no plans to sell” and will stay “deeply engaged as chairman, not as an operator of the business where I will defer to Sebastian.” He said he intends to spend more time on cross-industry initiatives where Remitly’s scale and technology can address systemic issues; invest more energy in external relationships and additional board roles; and be more present with his family while pursuing personal goals such as training for a Half Ironman in July.

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“This transition isn’t a conclusion. It’s a renewal. It is a deeper commitment to the vision we have held from the beginning,” he wrote. “I’m grateful. I’m humbled. And I’m excited for the bright future ahead.”

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‘Ireland is a strong environment for early-career AI talent’

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46 minutes ago

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18 February 2026

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Mallory Triano discusses her role in securing key technical talent for the financial sector and the importance of collaboration with educational and workplace institutions.

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The global head of campus recruiting at investment firm Millennium Management, Mallory Triano is responsible for creating a recruitment pipeline of skilled students and graduates – particularly those with engineering and technology qualifications. 

She has found that in the investment management sphere, AI skills are largely being used to enhance decision-making, simplify workflows and redefine team expectations. “As a result, firms are evolving their hiring strategies to meet the demands of this new era,” she told SiliconRepublic.com. 

“AI-native talent is increasingly important as these individuals are comfortable applying AI in their daily roles and are not held back by traditional ways of working. For our firm, this means doubling down on early-career talent who are using AI regularly in both their personal and professional lives.”

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Triano’s experience has led her to believe that Ireland has emerged as a strong environment for “cultivating early-career AI talent”, due in part to a vibrant and collaborative technology ecosystem that includes leading universities and established financial services infrastructure. 

She said: “The expansion of our AI-focused internship programme in Ireland is an acknowledgement of this trend and demonstrates our commitment to investing in early-career talent from leading Irish universities.”

Noting the importance of partnership between educational facilities and organisations in creating opportunities for students to access careers in the finance and fintech spaces, Triano explained that industry and academic collaboration can help bridge the gap between academic excellence and real-world experience. 

She finds internship programmes are an ideal example of this, where firms can partner with universities and career centres to ensure students are aware of professional development opportunities.

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“In finance, internships are often the primary pathway to full-time employment for recent graduates and provide opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience while learning from industry experts.”

The four Cs

Of the skills students and graduates looking to move into this space should prioritise, Triano emphasised the importance of strong technical proficiency, alongside what she referred to as the four Cs: creativity, curiosity, critical thinking and commercial awareness.

“These skills allow professionals to thrive in AI-driven workplaces, collaborate across technology and business teams, and apply AI effectively to evolving business challenges.

“AI is here to stay and it’s an opportunity for early-career talent to show that innovation can come from every level of an organisation,” she added. 

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“For those who can ask the right questions and critically evaluate AI outputs, they can contribute immediately while continuing to build the domain expertise that will always be an important foundation for working in a technology role.”

To that point, Triano finds that there are a range of diverse and exciting opportunities for technologists within finance. However, there are barriers.

For example, she said the larger challenge is often the level of awareness. People may not have an in-depth understanding of the alternatives that exist outside of the traditional definition of Big Tech, she explained. 

She said: “Never has this been more true than today with rapid advances in AI. In my view, early-career talent will play a critical role in shaping the future of our industry, not in spite of AI, but because of it.”

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Triano’s opinion that there is opportunity in the air for professionals, as a response to AI advancements, is supported by a recent report published by professional networking platform LinkedIn. 

The company’s research found that AI is creating more jobs globally than it is replacing, as in the past two years, employers across the world have created at least 1.3m ‘new collar’ AI‑related job opportunities, including for data annotators, AI engineers and forward‑deployed engineers.

LinkedIn’s data also identified the potential mobility of experts with AI skills, as those with AI engineering talent were found to be eight times more likely to move across borders than the average LinkedIn member.

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Mark Zuckerberg Testifies During Landmark Trial On Social Media Addiction

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59 minutes ago

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18 February 2026

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Mark Zuckerberg is testifying in a landmark Los Angeles trial examining whether Meta and other social media firms can be held liable for designing platforms that allegedly addict and harm children. NBC News reports: It’s the first of a consolidated group of cases — from more than 1,600 plaintiffs, including over 350 families and over 250 school districts — scheduled to be argued before a jury in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Plaintiffs accuse the owners of Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Snap of knowingly designing addictive products harmful to young users’ mental health. Historically, social media platforms have been largely shielded by Section 230, a provision added to the Communications Act of 1934, that says internet companies are not liable for content users post. TikTok and Snap reached settlements with the first plaintiff, a 20-year-old woman identified in court as K.G.M., ahead of the trial. The companies remain defendants in a series of similar lawsuits expected to go to trial this year.

[…] Matt Bergman, founding attorney of Social Media Victims Law Center — which is representing about 750 plaintiffs in the California proceeding and about 500 in the federal proceeding — called Wednesday’s testimony “more than a legal milestone — it is a moment that families across this country have been waiting for.” “For the first time, a Meta CEO will have to sit before a jury, under oath, and explain why the company released a product its own safety teams warned were addictive and harmful to children,” Bergman said in a statement Tuesday, adding that the moment “carries profound weight” for parents “who have spent years fighting to be heard.” “They deserve the truth about what company executives knew,” he said. “And they deserve accountability from the people who chose growth and engagement over the safety of their children.”

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Creating The World’s Most Efficient Quadcopter Drone

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1 hour ago

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18 February 2026

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Keeping an eye on remaining battery charge. (credit: Luke Maximo Bell, YouTube)
Keeping an eye on remaining battery charge. (credit: Luke Maximo Bell, YouTube)

Although not a typical focus of people who fly quadcopter drones for a hobby or living, endurance flying has a certain appeal to it for the challenge it offers. Thus, as part of his efforts to collect all the world records pertaining to quadcopter drones, [Luke Maximo Bell] has been working on a design that would allow him to beat the record set by SiFly Aviation at 3 hours and 11 minutes.

By using knowledge gained from his PV solar-powered quadcopter, [Luke] set about to take it all a few steps further. The goal was to get as much performance out of a single Watt, which requires careful balancing of weight, power output and many other parameters.

Crucial is that power usage goes up drastically when you increase the RPM of the propellers, ergo massive 40″ propellers were picked to minimize the required RPM to achieve sufficient lift, necessitating a very large, but lightweight frame.

The battery packs are another major factor since they make up so much of the weight. By picking high-density Tattu batteries and stripping these down even more this was optimized for as well, before even the wire gauge of the power wires running to the motors were investigated to not waste a single Watt or gram.

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All of this seems to have paid off, as a first serious test flight resulted in a 3 hour, 31 minutes result, making it quite feasible that [Luke] will succeed with his upcoming attempt at the world’s longest flying electric multirotor record. Another ace up his sleeve here is that of forward movement as well as wind provides effectively free lift, massively reducing power usage and possibly putting the 4 hour endurance score within easy reach.

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Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints, Answers for Feb. 19 #514

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2 hours ago

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18 February 2026

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Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one, although I got a kick out of the blue group. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

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Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta.

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Torso clothing.

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Green group hint: Start your engines.

Blue group hint: Team towns.

Purple group hint: Blue Devils.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Upper-body wear.

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Green group: Flags in NASCAR.

Blue group: Last words in two-word NFL team locations.

Purple group: Duke players drafted No. 1 in NBA.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words.

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What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

completed NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Feb. 19, 2026.

The completed NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Feb. 19, 2026.

NYT/Screenshot by CNET

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is upper-body wear. The four answers are jersey, pinnie, sweater and tee.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is flags in NASCAR. The four answers are checkered, green, red and yellow.

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The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is last words in two-word NFL team locations. The four answers are (Green) Bay, (Kansas) City, (New) England and (San) Francisco.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is Duke players drafted No. 1 in NBA. The four answers are Banchero, Brand, Flagg and Irving.

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The best Beats for all budgets

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18 February 2026

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If you’re a fan after Beats headphones, we’re here to help you make the right choice with this list of the best Beats headphones.

Beats has changed its tune (quite literally) in recent years, changing from the bass-heavy approach of its earlier years to a more neutral and balanced sound. It’s also launched an array of headphones in different forms, so you can now choose from on-ears, over-ears or true wireless earbuds.

We’ve reviewed practically all the Beats headphones out there, so we’re very familiar with the brand and what makes a good Beats headphone. We’ve tested each pair of Beats headphones like we would do with any other pair of headphones.

Our testing process goes through the design to determine how well they fit and how comfortable they are to wear. We’ll test the features they have, carrying out battery drains to see how long they last, test the call quality where necessary, and judge how good the ANC and wireless connection are by taking them out in the world. And of course we’ll test how they sound, judging them against previous Beats headphones.

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We put all this effort into testing these headphones to give you insights into their performance, so you can be confident that you’re getting value for money.

If you’re considering other pairs to buy, have a look at our list of the best headphones and best over-ears to the best wireless earbuds and best noise-cancelling headphones.

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How we test

Our headphone tests are done by some of the best and most prolific reviewers in the industry, with years of experience listening to everything from the plasticky freebie earbuds that come with your smartphone, to five-figure beasts of glass and marble. We love music and we want your tunes to sound good, too.

So we listen every pair of headphones we can get on or in our ears. We use a variety of sources, from basic MP3s playing on a laptop to high-quality tracks on dedicated hi-res audio players.

Our test tracks are wide-ranging to give headphones a thorough challenge. They’re also familiar, so we know every track backwards, and we know which bits might trouble the lesser performers.

We listen again and again, and we do that for weeks in case the sound changes – because it usually does. Then we’ll listen to similarly priced rivals and come up with a verdict that reflects the performance and features for the money.

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Pros

  • Strong noise-cancelling
  • Neutral, clear presentation
  • Excellent wireless performance
  • Physical controls
  • USB-C audio

Cons

  • ANC suffers with wind noise
  • No room for higher quality Bluetooth codecs
  • Design better suited for smaller ears

Pros

  • Clear, detailed and balanced sound
  • Strong noise-cancellation performance
  • Long battery life
  • Comfortable to wear

Cons

  • Not the most exciting audio delivery
  • No customisation of sound or ANC
  • Charging case is still on the big side
  • Expensive

Pros

  • Clear, detailed sound
  • Improved noise-cancellation
  • Smaller design and case
  • Better battery life than Fit Pro
  • Comfortable to wear

Cons

  • Lack of any new features
  • Still only IPX4
  • Strong alternatives from Bose and JBL

Pros

  • Improved noise-cancellation over original
  • Clear, spacious audio
  • Excellent call performance
  • Improved battery
  • Feature parity on Android and iOS

Cons

  • Patchy performance in busy signal areas
  • Slightly loose fit
  • More expensive
  • No support for higher-quality Bluetooth codecs

Pros

  • Natural, balanced tone
  • Solid noise cancellation/transparency mode
  • iOS and Android support
  • Comfortable to wear

Cons

  • Battery life less than rivals
  • No wireless charging
  • App is slim on features

Pros

  • Small package
  • Plenty of features
  • Long battery life

  • Strong noise-cancelling

  • Neutral, clear presentation

  • Excellent wireless performance

  • Physical controls

  • USB-C audio

  • ANC suffers with wind noise

  • No room for higher quality Bluetooth codecs

  • Design better suited for smaller ears

The Studio Pro are a largely successful reboot of Beats full-sized headphones. They’re comfortable enough to wear with their soft, pliable earpads, though we would say they’re best suited for smaller ears. The space inside the earcups is a little compact and can pinch around the ears.

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The design is more minimalist than before, and feels better constructed than the heavily plastic vibes of previous models, with physical buttons provided for playback, noise-cancellation and volume control which we liked. There’s no wear sensor so the headphones won’t automatically pause audio when taken off.

Like the other Beats headphones on this list, there’s support for Android and iOS with the ‘Find My’ functionality that searches for the headphone’s last known location: one-touch pairing on iOS and Google Fast Pair, and the ability to switch between devices within their respective ecosystems.

The Bluetooth performance is vastly better than the Studio Buds Plus and among some of the best headphones we’ve tested with barely any signal disruption. The call quality is solid but an area we feel there is room for improvement. While background noise was effectively muzzled, in busy areas we were told our voices sounded robotic and fuzzy.

The noise-cancelling is very strong though it comes with a few caveats. One is that the headphones are susceptible to wind noise, and the second is that noise leaks through when we turned our head. Otherwise the Studio Pro put the kibosh on the most noises we came across, including crying children. They’re an excellent choice for commuter journeys.

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The transparency mode is very natural sounding but our only other issue is that there’s no room to customise the performance of the noise-cancellation to hear what we want to hear.

Battery life is claimed to be 24 hours but we found these headphones can go even longer streaming audio at about 50%. The headphones don’t sound as good at that volume level but you get more than 24 hours from each charge.

The sound quality is neutral with lots of detail and clarity. Some may feel that the Beats’ sound lacks character, but in our minds it serves to present music as is without much tweaking. Bass is weighty and punchy; midrange clarity is excellent, and while the treble isn’t as bright as we’d like, it is clear and detailed.

Plug them into a wired USB-C connection and they sound even better, able to support 24-bit/96kHz files. In this mode the Studio Pro sound more energetic, lively, and dynamic.

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  • Clear, detailed and balanced sound

  • Strong noise-cancellation performance

  • Long battery life

  • Comfortable to wear

  • Not the most exciting audio delivery

  • No customisation of sound or ANC

  • Charging case is still on the big side

  • Expensive

For those searching for a pair of Beats headphones for running and fitness, the  Powerbeats Pro 2 are your best bet.

While the Powerbeats Fit and Fit Pro offer a sturdy enough fit and IP resistance to be used in the gym, the Powerbeats have a sporty design with a lightweight plastic build, hook design and a malleable rubber stem. They offer the better, more stable fit.

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As far as features go, these are a big upgrade on the original Powerbeats Pro.

There’s the addition of noise cancellation, which is the best we’ve heard from a Beats true wireless. There’s transparency mode for when you need to hear what’s around you.

There’s also a heart-rate monitor, which tracks your heart rate via various apps so you can keep track fo your cardiovascular health; and battery life has been boosted to up to 45 hours.

Disappointingly the earbuds stick with their water IPX4 and include a wear sensor to automatically play and pause your tunes.

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When it comes to sound, the Powerbeats Pro 2 share the same charateristics as the other models on this list. It’s not the most exciting sound, but it’s clear, spacious and detailed; with a solid bass performance. They lack a little fun with their sound but they are a clear, balanced listen.


  • Clear, detailed sound

  • Improved noise-cancellation

  • Smaller design and case

  • Better battery life than Fit Pro

  • Comfortable to wear

  • Lack of any new features

  • Still only IPX4

  • Strong alternatives from Bose and JBL

The Powerbeats Fit can be worn for casual use or exercise with its wing-tip design.

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It’s still powered by Apple’s H1 chip (the same one found in the AirPods), the headphones have a number of iOS-exclusive features but work with Android devices too.

Connected to an iOS device and the earbuds operate at a system level, which means there’s no need for a separate iOS app – and users benefit from exclusive features such as dynamic head tracking with Spatial Audio with head tracking and Dolby Atmos.

There’s also automatic switching between iOS devices, audio sharing with Apple products and hands-free voice assistance from Siri, and for even more convenience there’s one-touch pairing and support for the Find My app in case they go missing.

Android users benefit from the Beats app, which includes control customisation, battery levels and the Ear Tip Fit Test, with one-touch pairing possible when setting the buds up. However, some Apple-exclusive features such as Spatial audio aren’t available.

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We’re at the point where the feature set is a little samey, and the Powerbeats Fit doesn’t bring anything new to the table, not even an increase in the IP rating.

The noise-cancelling performance is a big improvement over the Fit Pro. When we used them in the gym they reduced the noise of the machinery around us, and when we took them for a run outside, we found they removed most noises, though cars and bigger vehicles can penetrate your bubble of isolation.

The audio performance is much better than the Fit Pro, a bigger soundstage, louder, clearer and more detailed sound; with a better bass performance and a clearer treble response.

They’re an upgrade of the Fit Pro, but we were hoping for more on the feature front. Regardless, if you’re after a pair for sports and general use, this Beats true wireless is recommended.

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  • Improved noise-cancellation over original

  • Clear, spacious audio

  • Excellent call performance

  • Improved battery

  • Feature parity on Android and iOS

  • Patchy performance in busy signal areas

  • Slightly loose fit

  • More expensive

  • No support for higher-quality Bluetooth codecs

The Studio Buds Plus carry the same design as other efforts in the Beats range with its sculpted boot-shape design but there are now vents to relieve pressure in the ear and allow for a better fit to improve the noise-cancelling performance.

We found the fit does feel more secure, although they still have a habit of moving about.

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Otherwise they’re pretty much the same as the original pair. They’re nice to use with the glossy multi-function button providing good feedback, and volume control is included though it has to be activated within the app which comes at the expense of onboard control over noise-cancellation. It’s not the best compromise.

The Studio Buds Plus pack features for Android and IOS users, a list that includes one-touch pairing, the Find My function on both platforms, and device switching. Apple users get hands-free Siri too.

Battery life is better than the original, as we tested you can get around six hours of battery from a charge. There is no wireless charging support, but fast-charging is provided with a five-minute providing an hour of playback.

The earbuds’ active noise cancellation performance is better as it suppresses more noise. The transparency mode is clear, avoiding any noise; and call quality is strong, with very little noise affecting the levels of clarity. An area we find  the Beats are poorer in is its wireless connection, which gets patchy in busy areas.

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As far as audio quality goes, the performance mirrors previous models in being flat and balanced across the frequency range, and it sounds punchier and more spacious too. Bass is slightly more effective than it was on the original model.


  • Natural, balanced tone

  • Solid noise cancellation/transparency mode

  • iOS and Android support

  • Comfortable to wear

  • Battery life less than rivals

  • No wireless charging

  • App is slim on features

The Beats Studio Buds are a solid pair of all-rounders for anyone searching for Beats on a budget.

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The earbuds feature a sculpted boot-shaped design with ear-tips to help them slot into the ear. However, the fit isn’t quite secure enough that you could take them on a run – instead, we’d recommend the Powerbeats Pro or Fit Pro if that’s your use case.

Like the Beats Fit Pro, the Studio Buds come with a good range of features for both Android and iOS users, including one-touch pairing and the Find My headphones feature.

The earbuds offer solid active noise cancellation for their price provided you get a tight seal, and there’s a Transparency mode along with voice assistant support for whichever device you’re using. All of this operates at a system level for iOS users, whereas Android users will need to download the Beats app.

As far as audio quality goes, the Studio Buds offer a neutral and balanced sound across the frequency range, though the soundstage is limited in width compared to the Fit Pro. Highs are described with a sharpness but can become too bright if the fit isn’t correct, while the bass is solid it does lack depth. The Studio Buds Plus are better in pretty much every way, though they come with a jump in price to around £180 / $170. For an even cheaper true wireless pair, there are the Solo Buds, which we’re still yet to review.

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  • Small package

  • Plenty of features

  • Long battery life

With the Solo 4, Beats now offers headphones in true wireless, over-ear and on-ear forms, so there’s a choice for anyone depending on the form factor you prefer.

On-ears can be uncomfortable for some but at first we didn’t find the headphones to be uncomfortable to wear but after a few hours we did find that they pinched our earlobes. We wouldn’t recommend that you wear these headphones for hours on end.

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However, for those who can wear on-ears for several hours, the compact form factor means you can carry and store them without taking up much space. Build quality is fine but there are some creaks to in the plastic structure of the headband. It’s an area where the Solo 4 could be better in.

In terms of features there is no noise-cancelling but the battery life is excellent wiht 50 hours of charge available, and there is Spatial Audio support, though that’s only for iOS users. Despite that, like the rest of Beats’ headphones, it supports features across the iOS and Android ecosystem with Find My support.

The sound quality is also like the rest of the Beats’ headphones: balanced, clear, and works solidly across a range of music genres. The Solo 4 doesn’t excel in terms of sound, but nor does it sound bad with anything you pass through it. There’s enough clarity and detail to make for an enjoyable listen.

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Full Specs

  Beats Studio Pro Review Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 Review Beats Powerbeats Fit Review Beats Studio Buds Plus Review Beats Studio Buds Review Beats Solo 4 Review
UK RRP £349.99 £249 – £179.99 £130 £199
USA RRP $349.99 $249 – $169.99 $149.99 $199
EU RRP €399.95 €299 – €199.95 €149.95 –
CA RRP CA$466.95 – – CA$229.95 CA$179.95 –
AUD RRP AU$529.95 – – AU$269.95 AU$199.95 –
Manufacturer Beats by Dr Dre Beats Beats Beats by Dr Dre Beats by Dr Dre Beats
IP rating No IPX4 IPX4 IPX4 IPX4 No
Battery Hours 24 45 30 24 24 50 00
Wireless charging – Yes – – – –
Fast Charging Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Size (Dimensions) x x INCHES – – x x INCHES x x INCHES x x INCHES
Weight 260 G 86.4 G 61.3 G 59 G 58.2 G 217 G
ASIN B0C95J98LV B0DT4WR7ZB B0FPGQZTFB B0C384VMY2 B0979RDMR4 B0CZPMXGSH
Release Date 2023 2025 2025 2023 2021 2024
First Reviewed Date – – – – – 26/06/2024
Model Number Studio Pro Powerbeats Pro 2 – Studio Buds + – –
Audio Resolution SBC, AAC SBC, AAC SBC, AAC SBC, AAC – –
Driver (s) Beats custom-designed, two-layer dynamic diaphragm transducer Custom-designed, dual-element dynamic diaphragm transducer – – 8.2mm dual-element diaphragm –
Noise Cancellation? Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes –
Connectivity Bluetooth 5.3 Bluetooth 5.3 Bluetooth 5 Bluetooth 5.3 Bluetooth 5.2 Bluetooth
Colours Sandstone, Navy, Black, and Deep Brown Jet Black, Quick Sand, Hyper Purple,, Electric Orange Jet Black, Spark Orange, Gravel Grey, and Power Pin Black/Gold, Ivory, Transpareny Black, White, Beats Red Black, Pink, Blue
Frequency Range 20 20000 – Hz – Hz 20 20000 – Hz 20 20000 – Hz – Hz – Hz
Headphone Type Over-ear True Wireless True Wireless True Wireless True Wireless On-ear
Voice Assistant Siri Siri – – Yes Siri, Google Assistant

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Save on Gaming Earbuds Perfect for Playing on Switch or ROG Xbox Ally

Published

2 hours ago

on

18 February 2026

By

While I’ve tested a lot of gaming headsets meant for sitting on a couch or at a desk, very few are easy to pocket and take on the go. The SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds fill that need, and are perfectly matched for consoles like the Nintendo Switch 2 and ROG Xbox Ally. They’re currently marked down to just $160 at Best Buy, a $40 discount from their usual price.

Image may contain: Electronics, Phone, Mobile Phone, Computer Hardware, Hardware, and Mouse

Photograph: Eric Ravenscraft

SteelSeries

Arctis GameBuds

While most gamers prefer over-ear headsets for the sound isolation and comfort, these earbuds have some special features that help them bridge the gap. The Arctis mobile app has a huge variety of sound profiles for individual games, letting you quickly swap your EQ when you move from a shooter to a racing game. The included USB-C dongle ensures a latency-free 2.4-GHz wireless connection, much better than Bluetooth for the serious gamer on the go. They have great battery life, too, at around 10 hours on a single charge, and up to 40 when you include the battery in the case. They’re compact enough that they fit in the extra compartment on my favorite Switch 2 carrying case, the Belkin Charger Case.

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They aren’t just great for gaming, either. I often use these while I’m out doing yard work or walking the dog, thanks to their snug fit. I also appreciate that they have physical buttons instead of touch controls, which helps prevent accidental track skips during intense workouts. While they may not sound as sharp as some of our other favorite nongaming wireless earbuds, they have a clear and punchy sound profile that works just fine for a little Steely Dan. The noise canceling is surprisingly adept too. I recently took a short flight with just these and didn’t bring my usual Sony over-ear ANC headset, and they worked perfectly for squeezing in a few hours of Donkey Kong Bonanza without missing out on that great soundtrack.

If you’re ready to turn your portable gaming up a notch, head on over to Best Buy for a $40 discount on the black Arctis Earbuds, or check out our other favorite gaming headsets for something more traditional.

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IEEE Course Improves Technical Writing Skills

Published

3 hours ago

on

18 February 2026

By

In the rapidly evolving world of engineering technology, professionals devote enormous energy to such tasks as mastering the latest frameworks, optimizing architectures, and refining machine learning models. It’s easy to let technical expertise become the sole measure of professional value. However, one of the most important skills an engineer can develop is the capacity to write and communicate effectively.

Whether you’re conducting research at a university or leading systems development projects at a global firm, your expertise can become impactful only when you share it in a way that others can understand and act upon. Without a clear narrative, even groundbreaking data or innovative designs can fail to gain traction, limiting their reach among colleagues and stakeholders, and in peer‑reviewed journals.

The cost of the “soft skill” misnomer

Writing is often labeled a “soft skill”—which can diminish its importance. In reality, communication is a core engineering competency. It lets us document methods, articulate research findings, and persuade decision-makers who determine whether projects move forward.

If your writing is dense, disorganized, or overloaded with technical jargon, the value of the underlying work can become obscured. A strong proposal might be dismissed not because the idea lacks merit but because the justification is difficult to follow.

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Clear writing can strengthen the impact of your work. Poor writing can distract from the points you’re trying to make, as readers might not understand what you’re saying.

The architecture of authority

Technical writing differs from other forms of prose because readers expect information to follow predictable, logical patterns. Unclear writing can leave readers unsure of the author’s intent.

One of the most enduring frameworks for writing about technology in an understandable manner is the IMRaD structure: introduction, methods, results, and discussion.

  • Introduction: Define the problem and its relevance.
  • Methods: Detail the approach and justify the choices.
  • Results: Present the empirical findings.
  • Discussion: Interpret the outcomes and their implications.

More than just a template for academic papers, IMRaD is a road map for logical reasoning. Mastering the structure can help engineers communicate in a way that aligns with professional writing standards used in technical journals, so their work is better understood and more respected.

Bridging the training gap

Despite technical communication’s importance, engineering curricula often limit or lack formal instruction in it.

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Recognizing that gap, IEEE has expanded its role as a global knowledge leader by offering From Research to Publication: A Step-by-Step Guide to Technical Writing. The course is led by Traci Nathans-Kelly, director of the engineering communications program at Cornell.

Developed by IEEE Educational Activities and the IEEE Professional Communication Society, the learning opportunity goes beyond foundational writing skills. It addresses today’s challenges, such as the ethical use of generative AI in the writing workflow, the complexities of team-based authorship, and publishing strategies.

The program centers on core skill areas that can influence an engineer’s ability to communicate. Participants learn to master the IMRaD structure and learn advanced editing techniques to help strip away jargon, making complex ideas more accessible. In addition, the course covers strategic approaches to publishing work in high‑impact journals and improving a writer’s visibility within the technical community.

The course is available on the IEEE Learning Network. Participants earn professional development credit and a shareable digital badge. IEEE members receive a US $100 discount. Organizations can connect with an IEEE content specialist to offer the training to their teams.

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