Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. To get this in your inbox, sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility!
Waymo’s acceleration over the past 18 months is undeniable. The Alphabet-owned self-driving company now operates commercial robotaxi services in six markets, including the San Francisco Bay Area, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Austin, Atlanta, and Miami. It has plans to grow its fleet of driverless taxicabs this year to more than a dozen new cities internationally, including London and Tokyo.
And now it has $16 billion to fuel that expansion. Is it enough?
Talking to a few industry watchers, the answer kept landing in the squishy “sort of” and “it depends” territory.
Advertisement
First the bull case. Alphabet is clearly committed to ensuring Waymo’s success; the parent company is, and continues to be, the primary investor. Which means Waymo isn’t exposed like other AV startups that suddenly lost funding after their backers (often legacy automakers) got skittish or pivoted.
Its ridership and autonomous miles driven stats are also exploding and will likely continue in that trajectory unless it is derailed by regulators. (Waymo provides 400,000 rides every week across six major U.S. metropolitan areas, and in 2025 alone, it more than tripled its annual volume to 15 million rides.)
This doesn’t guarantee success, though, especially if the gauge is set to profitability. Waymo still must solve several problems, including cost and increasing attention from regulators (the company’s chief safety officer just testified in a Senate Commerce hearing). If Waymo wants to simply be the licensor of its AV tech, it will have to move away from being the operator, which means giving up some control. That’s hard with a nascent technology under scrutiny.
Techcrunch event
Advertisement
Boston, MA | June 23, 2026
And while some of you will fight me on this, it also lacks the in-house manufacturing that Tesla has. Yes, Waymo has automotive partners. But it doesn’t come with the same financial leverage or ability to drive down costs with scale.
The investors behind the now-defunct EV startup Canoo were always mysterious — in fact, they were only revealed as part of a lawsuit. Six years ago, I received a tip to look into one of them in particular: David Stern. He had connections to Prince Andrew but was otherwise a ghost.
He was on my mind, though, as the Department of Justice started releasing its files on Jeffrey Epstein. My curiosity as to whether he would turn up in the documents was quickly overwhelmed by the fact that he was, in fact, a close business partner of the convicted sex offender. He brought Epstein investment opportunities from around the world, and in particular, pitched him on investing in Faraday Future, Lucid Motors, and Canoo during the go-go days of mobility funding. Read my story on Stern and Epstein’s relationship and how mobility startups were once in the mix.
Autonomous vehicle technology is about more than just robotaxis — it is a difficult and costly business that only a handful of well-capitalized companies like Tesla,Waymo, and Zoox are pursuing. Many startup founders are applying the AV systems they’ve developed to other use cases, including off-road defense, trucking, forklifts, mining, and construction. Investors, anxious about missing out on the AV party, are jumping into these sectors.
Bedrock Robotics is the latest example of investor interest. The Silicon Valley autonomous vehicle technology startup, founded by veterans of Waymo and Segment, are developing a self-driving system that can be retrofitted onto construction equipment. And it just raised $270 million in Series B funding co-led by CapitalG and the Valor Atreides AI Fund. Other investors include Xora, 8VC, Eclipse, Emergence Capital, Perry Creek Capital, NVentures (Nvidia’s venture capital arm), Tishman Speyer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Georgian, Incharge Capital, C4 Ventures, and others.
Bedrock raised more than $350 million in a short time (the company was formed in 2024). And while that might not seem like a lot compared to the size of some seed rounds in the AI labs sector, it shows money is flowing into physical AI startups. I expect more deal flow; importantly I expect the startups focused on practical applications of automated driving systems to attract talent — if they can afford them. Bedrock, for instance, hired Vincent Gonguet, who previously led AI safety and alignment at Meta for all Llama models, as its head of evaluation. It also hired John Chu away from Waymo.
Keep an eye out for my interview with Bedrock Robotics co-founder and CEO Boris Sofman.
Other deals that got my attention this week …
Advertisement
German electric motor maker Additive Drivesraised €25 million ($29.5 million) from Nordic Alpha Partners.
Autonomous underwater vehicles startup Apeiron Labsclosed a $9.5 million Series A round led by Dyne Ventures, RA Capital Management Planetary Health, and S2G Investments. Assembly Ventures, Bay Bridge Ventures, and TFX Capital participated.
GoCab, the African mobility fintech startup, raised a $45 million financing round comprising $15 million in equity and $30 million in debt. The equity round was co-led by E3 Capital and Janngo Capital, with participation from KawiSafi Ventures and Cur8 Capital.
Mitra EV, a commercial EV fleet company in Los Angeles, raised $27 million in financing, including equity funding from lead investor Ultra Capital and a credit facility from S2G Investments.
Advertisement
Overland AI, a Seattle-based developer of self-driving systems designed for military operations, raised $100 million in a round led by 8VC. Other investors included Point72 Ventures, Ascend Venture Capital, Shasta Ventures, Overmatch Ventures, Valor Equity Partners, and StepStone Group.
Plug, the used EV marketplace, raised $20 million in a Series A led by Lightspeed with participation from Galvanize and existing investors Autotech Ventures, Leap Forward Ventures, and Renn Global.
R3 Robotics, a European startup that wants to automate the disassembly of EV systems at scale, raised €20 million ($23.6 million) in combination of grants and venture funding. The €14 million ($16.5 million) Series A funding was co-led by HG Ventures and Suma Capital. Oetker Collection, the European Innovation Council Fund (EIC Fund), and existing shareholders, including BONVENTURE, FlixFounders, and EIT Urban Mobility also participated.
Skyryse, an El Segundo, California-based aviation automation startup, has raised more than $300 million in a Series C investment. The round, led by Autopilot Ventures, pushes its valuation to $1.15 billion. Other investors include Fidelity Management & Research Company, ArrowMark Partners, Atreides Management LP, BAM Elevate, Baron Capital Group, Durable Capital Partners, Positive Sum, Qatar Investment Authority, RCM Private Markets Fund managed by Rokos Capital Management, and Woodline Partners.
Advertisement
Notable reads and other tidbits
Image Credits:Bryce Durbin
China has banned concealed electronically actuated door handles popularized by Tesla. The ruling, published by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, says all new cars sold in the country must have mechanical releases on their door handles by January 1, 2027. There is chatter that Europe could soon follow.
Uber continues to make moves designed to make it competitive in the autonomous vehicle sector. The company has promoted Balaji Krishnamurthy, its VP of strategic finance and investor relations, to be its CFO. This may not seem connected to AVs, but it is. Krishnamurthy actively promotes the company’s autonomous ride-hailing partnerships and has a board seat at AV company Waabi. During the company’s Q4 call, he talked about AVs, saying the company would invest capital in its AV software partners, work with AV makers by investing equity or via offtake agreements, and “support our AV infrastructure partners.”
Meanwhile, a high-profile lawsuit against Uber has delivered a mixed verdict for the ride-hailing company, which was sued after a woman alleged she was raped by her Uber driver in November 2023. A jury determined Uber was liable as an apparent agent of the driver and awarded $8.5 million to the plaintiff. The jury rejected claims that Uber was liable for negligence or design defects and declined to award punitive damages. An Uber spokesperson, who emailed TechCrunch a statement, said the “verdict affirms that Uber acted responsibly and has invested meaningfully in rider safety. We will continue to put safety at the heart of everything we do.” Uber plans to appeal the decision.
One more thing …
Last week in our newsletter, we did a poll asking what the name or ticker of Elon Musk’s combined supercompany should be. Thanks to those who emailed their suggestions, many of which had space themes, like Galactic X (great one). As for the poll, the majority picked plain ol’ X.
That makes sense, considering Musk has often talked, and posted, about X, the everything app. About 50% voted for X, while 20.7% picked ELON, 17.2% selected SpaceAI, and 12.1% chose K2, a reference to one of the corporate entities created in January.
Advertisement
My pick? I think it will ultimately be X, and the company will include more than just SpaceX and xAI.
Super Bowl Sunday has arrived. Today, the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks will face off for Super Bowl 60. The Big Game is being played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA, and kicks off at 6:30PM ET. Pre-game coverage for the 2026 NFL Championship Game starts at 12PM ET. Like all Sunday Night Football games during the regular season, Super Bowl 60 will be broadcast on NBC, and will stream live on Peacock. Here’s everything you need to know to tune in to Super Bowl LX today, including the game channel, where to stream, and all about the Halftime Show.
How to watch Super Bowl LX
Date: Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026
Time: 6:30PM ET
TV channel: NBC, Telemundo
Streaming: Peacock, DirecTV, NFL+ and more
Advertisement
2026 Super Bowl game time
The 2026 Super Bowl is set to begin at 6:30PM ET/3:30PM PT on Feb. 8, 2026.
2026 Super Bowl game channel
The 2026 Super Bowl will air on NBC, with a Spanish-language broadcast available on Telemundo.
2026 Super Bowl teams:
The New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks will play in the 2026 Super Bowl.
Where is the 2026 Super Bowl being played?
The 2026 Super Bowl will be held at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA, home of the San Francisco 49ers.
Advertisement
What teams are playing in the 2026 Super Bowl?
The teams for the 2026 Super Bowl will be determined after the AFC and NFC Championship games are played on Sunday, Jan. 25. You can keep tabs on the post-season playoff bracket here.
How to watch the 2026 Super Bowl without cable
You can stream NBC and Telemundo on platforms like DirecTV and Hulu + Live TV, both of which are among Engadget’s choices for best streaming services for live TV. (Note that Fubo and NBC are currently in the midst of a contract dispute and NBC channels are not available on the platform.) The game will also be streaming on Peacock and on NFL+, though with an NFL+ subscription, you’re limited to watching the game on mobile devices.
In addition to hosting NBC’s Super Bowl broadcast, DirecTV’s Entertainment tier gets you access to loads of channels where you can tune in to college and pro sports throughout the year, including ESPN, TNT, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, and, depending on where you live, local affiliates for ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC.
Whichever package you choose, you’ll get unlimited Cloud DVR storage and access to ESPN Unlimited.
DirecTV’s Entertainment tier package is $49.99 for your first month. But you can currently try all this out for free for 5 days. If you’re interested in trying out a live-TV streaming service for football, but aren’t ready to commit, we recommend starting with DirecTV.
Advertisement
For $11/month, an ad-supported Peacock subscription lets you stream live sports and events airing on NBC, including the 2026 Super Bowl, Winter Olympics coverage, and more. Plus, you’ll get access to thousands of hours of shows and movies, including beloved sitcoms such as Parks and Recreationand The Office, every Bravo show and much more.
For $17 monthly you can upgrade to an ad-free subscription which includes live access to your local NBC affiliate (not just during designated sports and events) and the ability to download select titles to watch offline.
Who is performing at the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show?
Bad Bunny, who holds the title as the most-streamed artist in the world, will be headlining the 2026 Super Bowl halftime performance. You can expect that show to begin after the second quarter, likely between 8-8:30PM ET. Singer Charlie Puth will also be at the game to perform the National Anthem, Brandi Carlile is scheduled to sing “America The Beautiful,” and Coco Jones will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
On Sunday evening, during Bad Bunny’s electrifying halftime performance at Super Bowl LX, a crowd of what appeared to be fewer than 200 people in an undisclosed location were treated to an alternative concert, “The All-American Halftime Show,” presented by the right-wing student organization Turning Point USA.
Conceived as culture-war counterprogramming for a show by a Puerto Rican mega-star who raps and sings in Spanish, and has been a vocal critic of ICE, the event featured four MAGA-aligned country stars and was headlined by Kid Rock, who made his entrance in jorts and trademark fedora. But for all the ideological outrage behind this challenge to globally popular Latin music, TPUSA’s star-spangled jamboree wasn’t particularly message-driven nor even provocative.
It streamed on platforms including Rumble, DailyWire+, and multiple YouTube channels. Blake Neff, producer of The Charlie Kirk Show, claimed there were over 5 million live viewers on the Turning Point USA YouTube stream; as of publication time, it has been viewed over 16 million times. Shortly before going live, TPUSA announced that it would not be able to air the special on X due to “licensing issues.”
Super Bowl LX, meanwhile, was expected to draw as many as 130 million viewers.
Advertisement
Though largely framed as a memorial to Charlie Kirk, the TPUSA founder killed in September during a campus talk, “The All-American Halftime Show” included no appearance by his widow, Erika Kirk, who has been on an extended media tour since her husband’s death. President Trump did not comment directly on the concert, choosing instead to rant about Bad Bunny’s performance.
“The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!” Trump wrote on his digital platform, Truth Social. “It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence. Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World.” These comments came amid renewed scrutiny of Trump’s relationship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Democratic party’s official X account screenshotted Trump’s post about Bad Bunny, observing: “Guess he wasn’t watching Kid Rock then.”
The livestream of the TPUSA event was preceded by a message from defense secretary Pete Hegseth, who said that the so-called Department of War was “proud to support” it. Viewers were also directed to a phone number they could call to “start or join a Turning Point USA chapter.” Comments on the stream were filled with remarks such as “Protect kids,” “No NFL on screen,” “GOD BLESS AMERICA,” and “JESUS.”
Advertisement
Country singer Brantley Gilbert kicked off the concert, heavy on pyrotechnic visual effects throughout, rapping into a microphone with brass knuckles on it and performing the hit “Dirt Road Anthem,” which he cowrote but was originally made famous by Jason Aldean in 2010. It features the line “Better watch out for the boys in blue,” a reference to trouble with police. The crowd, some wearing MAGA hats, then swayed to a couple of tunes by Gabby Barrett, who won the 2021 Female Artist of the Year award at the Academy of Country Music Awards.
Next came Lee Brice, who shouted out Kirk directly. “Charlie, he gave people microphones so they could say what was on their minds,” he declared before launching into a premiere performance of a new song called “Country Nowadays.” The lyrics included an allusion to gender politics. “I turn the TV on and sit and watch the evening news / Be told if I tell my own daughter that little boys ain’t little girls / I’d be up the creek in hot water,” he sang. The chorus noted: “It ain’t easy being country in this country nowadays.”
The 2026 Winter Olympics are taking place in Italy this year, with all the action taking place in Milan and the Alpine city of Cortina. This year marks the fourth time Italy has hosted the Winter Games; most recently, Turin hosted in 2006. Of the 16 sports that will be featured at the Winter Olympics, there will be 15 returning favorites, including figure skating, Alpine skiing, curling, ice hockey, speedskating, snowboarding, freestyle skiing and ski jumping, and one entirely new sport, snow mountaineering. (Will it be as big a hit as the 2024 Summer Games’ new addition, breaking? It remains to be seen.)
Live coverage of every event at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 will be available to stream on Peacock — though thanks to the time difference between Italy and the U.S., to watch many of the events live, you’ll have to wake up (or stay up) until 2AM or 3AM ET. Primetime replays and select live coverage will air on NBC. The games officially kick off with the opening ceremony on Feb. 6, 2026.
Here’s what else you need to know about watching the 2026 Winter Olympics.
How to watch the 2026 Winter Olympics
Dates: Feb. 6 – Feb. 22
TV channel: NBC
Advertisement
Streaming: Peacock
When are the 2026 Winter Olympics?
The Winter Olympics officially begin with the opening ceremony on Feb. 6, although some events will start as early as Feb. 4). The Milano Cortina 2026 games will run through Feb. 22. The closing ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics will take place in the Arena di Verona on Feb. 22.
Where are the Winter Olympics this year?
The 2026 Winter Olympics will be held in Northern Italy, primarily in Milan and also the Alpine mountain resort town of Cortina d’Ampezzo, where events like bobsled, skeleton, alpine skiing, curling, para snowboard, and more will take place.
What channel are the Olympics on?
The 2026 Winter Olympics will air on NBC and stream live on Peacock.
Advertisement
How to watch the 2026 Winter Olympics without cable
For $11/month, an ad-supported Peacock subscription lets you stream live sports and events airing on NBC, including the 2026 Winter Olympics, Super Bowl LX and more. Plus, you’ll get access to thousands of hours of shows and movies, including beloved sitcoms such as Parks and Recreationand The Office, every Bravo show and much more.
For $17 monthly you can upgrade to an ad-free subscription which includes live access to your local NBC affiliate (not just during designated sports and events) and the ability to download select titles to watch offline.
When is the Winter Olympics opening ceremony?
The Milano Cortina 2026 opening ceremony will be held on Feb. 6, 2026. Due to the time difference, the ceremony will kick off around 2PM ET/11AM PT.
Winter Olympics time difference
This year’s Olympic Games are in Italy, which is 6 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time. Meaning that some events will start bright and early for U.S. viewers, and live coverage will likely wrap up around 4PM ET each day. NBC will have primetime replays of the biggest moments each night.
Hockey (bronze medal games) – 1PM (Peacock – Live)
Friday, Feb. 20
Biathlon mass start – 6AM (Peacock – Live)
Speedskating final medals – 8AM (Peacock – Live)
Figure skating gala – 1PM (Peacock – Live)
Saturday, Feb. 21
Men’s hockey gold medal game – 12PM (Peacock – Live)
Women’s hockey gold medal game – 3PM (Peacock – Live)
Men’s hockey gold medal game – 8PM (NBC – Primetime)
Sunday, Feb. 22 – closing ceremony
Cross-country skiing final event – 6AM (Peacock – Live)
closing ceremony – 2PM (Peacock – Live)
closing ceremony – 8PM (NBC – Primetime)
More ways to watch the 2026 Winter Olympics on NBC
While Peacock is the best way to watch the Winter Olympics, there are other options if you restrict yourself to the NBC broadcasts. As our guide to the best live TV streaming services to cut cable notes, both YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV are excellent options, but you’ll want to skip Fubo until and unless the service resolves its contract dispute with Comcast, as NBC channels remain unavailable for now.
Looking to watch Bad Bunny free live streams – aka the Super Bowl 2026Apple Music Halftime Show? The Patriots may be 0-9 down, but you won’t want to miss a replay of Bad Bunny’s halftime concert with special guests!
Good news: We found out you can watch Bad Bunny FREE live streams and replays online, and from anywhere with a VPN – including the UK, US, Australia, Canada, Spain, Mexico and Brazil.
If the Bad Bunny live stream isn’t free where you are, you can unblock your local free stream with a VPN… but not any VPN. You’ll need a fast, stable VPN that unblocks like a pro.
How to watch Bad Bunny free in US (official stream)
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Want to catch Bad Bunny Super Bowl live stream with Peacock Premium ($10.99/month) — you’ll get live Apple Music halftime show, plus full Bad Bunny replays and highlights after the game.
💡 Want to watch Bad Bunny FREE in the US? You can get Walmart+ 30-day trial = FREE Peacock. Perfect for catching every Bad Bunny song – plus the trophy lifting.
Advertisement
🌎 Outside the US or in Canada? Use NordVPN to access the free trial and stream like you’re stateside.
When time does Bad Bunny 2026 start?
The 2026 Bad Bunny show is expected to start at around 8pm ET / 5pm PT / 1am GMT on Sunday, February 8. That’s 12 noon AEDT on Monday, February 9 if you’re a Bad Bunny fan in Australia.
Can I watch Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime 2026 free on my mobile?
Of course, most broadcasters have streaming apps that you can access through mobile phones or via your tablet browser. For example, Channel 5 in the UK.
You can also stay up-to-date with the latest Super Bowl Halftime Show news via the NFL’s official X/Twitter (@NFL), Bad Bunny’s official Instagram (@BadBunnyPR) and Apple Music 2026 Halftime Show.
Advertisement
Who are Bad Bunny’s special guests?
Rumored special guests joining Mr. Bunny include Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Cardi B, Marc Anthony. We’re also told that Bad Bunny could invite reggaeton OGs Tego Calderon or Hector el Father on stage at Super Bowl 2026. And there are even whispers about Ricky Martin.
You may also like:
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.
The often-rumored budget MacBook is still expected to arrive at some point in the first half of 2026, as Apple prepares to compete directly with Chromebooks.
The MacBook should be cheaper than the MacBook Air at launch
Rumors have repeatedly insisted that Apple will bring out a MacBook with an iPhone chip running the show instead of an M-series chip. As more forecasts come in, it seems the rumor mill is more insistent than ever that it will launch this year. The latest volley, coming from Mark Gurman’s “Power On” newsletter for Bloomberg on Sunday, the MacBook will be the centerpiece Mac launch for early 2026. Gurman doesn’t offer much new about the model, recapping previous claims about it, but he also doesn’t narrow down the timing to beyond the first six months of the year. Rumor Score: 🤯 Likely Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
A march supporting California’s billionaires didn’t exactly attract a huge crowd on Saturday — the San Francisco Chronicle counted around three dozen attendees, along with another dozen tongue-in-cheek counter-protesters.
To be fair, organizer Derik Kauffman had predicted attendance of only “a few dozen” beforehand. But the incongruous idea of the “March for Billionaires” has provoked an outsized response on social media. And according to Mission Local, journalists nearly outnumbered demonstrators at the event itself, where marchers carried signs with messages like “We ❤️ You Jeffrey Bezos” and “It’s very difficult to write a nuanced argument on a sign.”
The ostensible reason for the demonstration was to protest the Billionaire Tax Act, a proposed state ballot measure that would require Californians worth more than $1 billion to pay a one-time, 5% tax on their total wealth. If the measure actually passes, Governor Gavin Newsom said he will veto it.
Kauffman, who founded the AI startup RunRL and is not a billionaire himself, told reporters, “California is, I believe, the only state to give health insurance to people who come into the country illegally. I think we probably should not be providing that.” (Fourteen states offer health care to undocumented immigrants.)
One of the constants in consumer electronics is that designers will try to put as many features into a single device as possible, whether it’s a Walkman with a radio tuner or a new class of devices that crams a photo and video camera in the same enclosure as a music player. At the time that the Kodak MC3 was released this made it a rather unique device, with it in hindsight being basically a smartphone without the phone, as [Tech Tangents] aptly notes in his recent video on the device.
Six years before Apple’s iPhone would be announced, and eight years before the first iPod with a video camera, the Kodak MC3 was in many respects bleeding edge technology targeted straight at tech enthusiasts. For less than $300 you got VGA-quality images, CompactFlash storage, and MP3 playback capability. The videos it produced were 320×240 resolution, h.263 encoded MOVs with a maximum length of 4 seconds at 20 FPS, or 4 minutes with a 64 MB CF card.
The unit that [Tech Tangents] got used came with a 128 MB CF card, but couldn’t use a 2 GB CF card, which is a shame. The screen on it got a lot of flak for not not having a backlight, but this was common for the era, as were the poor viewing angles. Ditto for the poor video quality, as anyone who invested in consumer digital cameras in the early 2000s can attest to. In that respect this Kodak device was probably a bit too ambitious with its features for the era, maybe to compensate for it completely missing the boat on the rise of digital camera technology around the time.
The Super Bowl gifted us a new trailer for the upcoming Star Wars movie, The Mandalorian and Grogu, and for that fact alone, we’re truly thankful. Pedro Pascal is back as Din Djarin (aka the Mandalorian), along with Grogu — or I suppose you could still call him Baby Yoda or The Child.
It’s been three years since season 3 of The Mandalorian ended on Disney Plus, so Mando’s return is a welcome one. The Mandalorian and Grogu will find the duo doing what they do best: Being best buds while traveling the galaxy. There’s a catch, though. They’ve been enlisted to protect the New Republic. The Galactic Empire may have fallen, but there are insidious evil-doers out there who threaten this new era of peace.
Sigourney Weaver also stars alongside The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White, who plays Rotta the Hutt (the son of Jabba), and Jonny Coyne, who plays an Imperial Warlord who leads a crew of those looking to keep the evil glory of the Galactic Empire alive.
Advertisement
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu was directed by Jon Favreau, who co-wrote the script with Dave Filoni. It’ll premiere in theaters on Friday, May 22.
The Mophie 3-in-1 Travel Charger with MagSafe, priced at $40 (was $150), sits quietly on your nightstand, desk, or kitchen counter, charging three devices simultaneously without taking up too much space. People who use this charger frequently reach for it, even when they are not on a trip. A few days in, it’s easy to see why: it just makes sense to have one compact accessory that can handle all of your gadgets rather than a mess of cables and individual pads scattered about.
When folded up, the charger is incredibly compact, measuring 3.3 by 3.1 by 1 inches and weighing less than half a pound, allowing it to nestle neatly in a drawer or backpack without being noticed. When you open it, you’ll find three small spaces waiting to be filled: one magnetic pad for your iPhone, a flip-up module for your Apple Watch, and a flat bit for your AirPods or AirPods Pro.
Mophie developed the entire thing with MagSafe in mind, and it’s also Qi2 certified, so any iPhone 12 series and up will just snap into place securely. That connection provides up to 15 watts of wireless power, quickly charging your phone from dead to “good enough to get through breakfast or a quick meeting.” The Apple Watch spot supports fast charging and even allows you to put it up in nightstand mode if desired. AirPods simply sit on the third pad and deliver up to 5 watts; it’s not rocket science, but it’s consistent and reliable.
The package includes a 40-watt wall converter, a USB-C cable, and a set of international plug heads for outlets in the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia. People who travel will undoubtedly appreciate the global coverage, but the converter also works well for powering the charger at home. The entire package folds flat into a small travel pouch that keeps everything neat and safe.
Just set it on the bedside table, drop your iPhone on the MagSafe pad, flip up the Watch charger and pop the AirPods case below. By morning, everything is charged and you can just pick up your phone and go, with no miles of cables strewn across the bed to tangle in. Plus, the elevated iPhone pad is nicely oriented, allowing you to view your phone screen in landscape mode, which is a great small convenience.
