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These 5 paid services are worth the cost to escape Google's surveillance
It's hard to keep the idea at bay that we're actually living in a cyberpunk dystopia. After all, we're all living under a small handful of trillion-dollar mega-corporations that seem to have a huge amount of clout, and a very unhealthy interest in knowing absolutely everything we do every day. Worst of all, we didn't even get the cool '80s synthwave aesthetic in this deal.
4 cozy shows to watch on Netflix this fall
Fall is the perfect excuse to slow down your pace, stay home, and pick up a show that's easy to settle into. And while cozy TV usually brings comforting romances to mind, it can also mean a coming-of-age story, a close-knit friendship, or even something a little bittersweet.
First discount: The new Bose QuietComfort 2nd Gen headphones are marked down by $40
SAVE $40: As of Sept. 29, the Bose QuietComfort 2nd Gen headphones are available for $319 at Amazon. That's a $40 saving on the regular list price of $359.
Opens in a new window Credit: Bose Bose QuietComfort 2nd Gen $319 at Amazon$359 Save $40 Get Deal
One of the great pleasures of sale events such as October Prime Day is finding unexpected bargains — markdowns on items you didn't expect to see.
October Prime Day is a two-day savings bonanza that officially kicks off on Oct. 6, but we're already seeing surprise deals on devices like the Bose QuietComfort 2nd Gen headphones. Indeed, this is the first time these particular headphones have been discounted on Amazon.
As of Sept. 29, the Bose QuietComfort 2nd Gen headphones are priced at $319, saving you $40 off the usual $359 price.
There's a reason that these are among the most popular headphones available. They're well known for the quality of their active noise cancellation, which allows you to fully immerse yourself in your music or podcasts. That's further bolstered by Bose's own spatial audio technology, putting you at the center of a three-dimensional soundscape.
With this first-time discount, there could be major interest in these Bose QuietComfort headphones ahead of Prime Day. Don't miss the deal — the Bose QuietComfort 2nd Gen headphones are now $319.
The best deals this week, hand-picked by our shopping expertsApple iPhone 18 Pro — free at T-Mobile
Paramount+ — $0.99 for 2 months with code p2mcs26prem
Pokémon 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box — $89.99 (save vs. market price)
Apple iPad Pro — $1,899 $2,099 (save $200)
TCL 85-Inch Class QM8L Series TV — $2,497.99 $3,999.99 (save $1,502)
Casetify’s new Hello Kitty Y2K collection just launched: Where to buy exclusive collection
Casetify just dropped the dreamiest Y2K collection to upgrade your everyday carry. Launching globally today, the new Hello Kitty by Casetify Collection turns everyday tech into wild 2000s statement pieces. Since your vibe is completely one-of-a-kind, this drop gives you full permission to build the custom setup your inner child has been dreaming about.
You can mix Y2K sticker prints, vintage graphics, and iconic Hello Kitty poses, or layer custom phrases like "Y2K Cutie" and "Friendship Forever" in gothic script over glossy mirror and leopard backdrops. To serve a full attitude, Casetify brought back leopard spots in hot pink, cool grey, jet black, and classic tan — perfect for matching whatever vibe you are in the mood for.
Credit: Casetify / SanrioFrom your morning commute to your main desk setup, every piece effortlessly takes your gear from simple tech to full desk glam. For quick style and screen protection, the Hello Kitty Y2K Lens Protector protects your iPhone 17 Pro Max camera glass with a cute mirror finish. For your travel gear, the Hello Kitty Wild Pink Leopard Laptop Sleeve cushions your 16-inch laptop from bumps and scrapes whenever you throw it in your bag.
That same protection carries over to your larger screens, too. The Hello Kitty Wild Golden Tan Leopard Tablet Case gives your 13-inch iPad Pro (M4/M5) serious drop defense while keeping your aesthetic effortlessly chic. Meanwhile, the Hello Kitty Pink Camo Custom Case for the iPhone 18 Pro Max keeps your daily scroll convenient with a built-in MagSafe ring stand for hands-free streaming, wrapped in a super glossy finish.
SEE ALSO: Skullpanda's Sanrio collab just gave me my new emotional support bag charmAnd if you prefer a sleek, dark print for your laptop, the Hello Kitty Wild Black Leopard Laptop Case keeps your MacBook protected from everyday wear and tear while matching your other desk accessories. Finally, for your desk space, the Hello Kitty Wild Black Leopard 2-in-1 Charging Stand declutters your nightstand by powering your phone and wireless earbuds and eliminating tangled cords.
Check out the full Hello Kitty Casetify collection to build your dream 2000s tech aesthetic today.
What LoRa actually is, and why it can send messages miles without cell towers
If you’ve spent any time in hobbyist electronic spaces, you’ve probably come across the term “LoRa” before. Like Wi-Fi and cell networks, LoRa can be used to send and receive data through the air.
Introducing Quine: An AI research system designed for the complexity of biology
- Quine (opens in new tab) is a research effort to create a multimodal world model of biology and an interactive harness connecting models, scientific tools, literature, and researchers.
- In collaboration with researchers at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, we have used this system to prioritize compounds predicted to drive therapeutic tumor-state shifts and validated several top-ranked candidates across multiple wet-lab assays.
- The Quine Fellows program (opens in new tab) will give a cohort of scientists access to the system and an opportunity to accelerate their own research and provide scientific feedback.
- Quine is experimental research technology intended only for research, not clinical or medical use, and its outputs may be incomplete or inaccurate and require review by qualified researchers and appropriate scientific and experimental validation. As the technology matures, we expect to expand access through products like Microsoft Discovery (opens in new tab).
For more than two decades, Microsoft Research has worked at the intersection of computation and biology. Our research has spanned immunology, virology, genomics, biomedical imaging, cell biology, and protein engineering. That work has produced foundational methods, new science, and technology that reached the clinic, from rare and infectious disease diagnosis to cancer biomarker detection.
Across that work, one lesson has become increasingly clear: biology does not divide itself into the neat boundaries our models and tools often do. Genes influence proteins; proteins interact within cells; cells organize into tissues; and experiments continually reshape what scientists know and what they choose to ask next. Making progress on the hardest biological questions therefore requires more than increasingly capable models of individual datasets or tasks. It requires systems that can connect knowledge across scale and modalities, reason about experiments and evidence, and participate in the iterative process through which science advances.
Today, Microsoft Research is introducing Quine (opens in new tab), a research effort designed to work across those boundaries, reflecting our long-term vision for a discovery system that evolves through scientific use. Quine brings together a world model of biology with a harness that connects scientific tools, literature, the wet lab, and the researchers using them.
The limits of experimentationEven as experimental techniques have improved and wet-lab throughput has increased, biology remains fundamentally constrained by time and complexity. Nature cannot be rushed, nor can it be derived from first principles. Experiments are slow, iteration cycles are long, and many of the most important questions involve interactions, combinatorial design spaces, and downstream effects that are simply too large to explore experimentally alone.
At the same time, advances in large-scale machine learning, particularly the emergence of general-purpose foundation models and reasoning models that can iteratively work through problems, suggest a new possibility. These systems are beginning to demonstrate capabilities beyond pattern recognition: integrating information across domains, reasoning over abstractions, and supporting iterative problem-solving. Just as importantly, many of the techniques developed for human language have proven remarkably adaptable to aspects of biology, enabling models to learn representations of biological systems across diverse data types and scales.
This raised a provocative question for us: what would it take to build a world model for biology? By world model, we mean a system that can represent the state of a biological system, predict how that state will evolve in response to interventions, and reason over the consequences of those interventions multiple steps into the future. Such a system would not replace experimentation. Rather, it would allow us to use computation to explore, propose, rank, and prioritize potential paths forward before committing scarce laboratory resources. Our north star is a future in which scientists, models, and experiments operate in a continuously accelerating loop.
What we’ve builtQuine is our first step toward that vision. It includes both a world model of biology and a harness that connects the model to orchestration and reasoning models, scientific tools, the literature, and the teams of scientists using them.
Figure 1: Quine’s two frontier components — a world model of biology and an interactive harness — sit inside a loop that begins and ends with the scientist. A question becomes a set of proposals, proposals become designs worth testing, and the experiment returns measurements that sharpen both the scientist’s next question and the model itself.Core to this effort is the world model, which learns shared representations across biological modalities and scales, including sequence, structure, function, cellular state, and imaging data. By training across these modalities jointly, Quine can use evidence from one modality to inform predictions in another, capturing relationships that would otherwise remain siloed or lost when separate single-domain specialist models are orchestrated by the system. This multimodal design reflects the reality of biology: understanding any one level requires context from the others. Rather than diluting performance, we find that learning across these connected representations strengthens it, enabling the model to generalize more effectively and to support a broader range of biological reasoning tasks.
Figure 2: Biology is multiscale and multimodal. (A) Biological evidence stacks from molecules to cells to tissues to patients, with scientific language running underneath all of it. (B) The modalities Project Quine trains on — genomics, proteins, chemistry, RNA and cell state, bioimaging — each observe a different span of that range, and they overlap. Reading down is the causal path from genotype to phenotype; reading across is physical scale. Because the model learns these representations jointly rather than orchestrating separate specialists, evidence at one level can inform predictions at another.By integrating this model in a unified system that facilitates computational experimentation and learns from iteration, researchers can generate predictions across modalities and reason about the consequences of biological interventions before they are tested in the lab. Critically, the world model doesn’t need to be perfect—indeed, it will never perfectly model biology—it simply needs to usefully inform experimental design.
What this looks like in cancer biologyA concrete example comes from our work on pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the most common form of pancreatic cancer and one of the most challenging to treat. In collaboration with researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, we have spent years developing and applying patient-derived ex vivo models to investigate a longstanding hypothesis: that tumor behavior and drug response depend not only on genetics, but also on transcriptional cell state. In PDAC, tumor cells can occupy different cellular states associated with how they respond to treatment.
With Quine, we have now put that hypothesis into practice, exploring whether non-genetic features of cancer, particularly cellular state, can serve as actionable therapeutic targets. We used Quine to predict and prioritize thousands of compounds based on their potential to shift tumor cells between therapeutically relevant states. In wet-lab studies focused on the transition from classical to basal cell states, Quine’s highest-ranked compounds produced the largest intended shifts across experimental assays. The entire process—from rapidly narrowing the compound search space to prioritizing a handful of promising candidates to be validated in the lab—took just one weekend, potentially saving months of experimental work and significant research costs. Notably, some of the strongest effects came from compounds with unexpected mechanisms of action, offering early evidence that AI can uncover new opportunities for drug repurposing and discovery.
While the reverse state transition proved more difficult (from basal to classical cell states), Quine predicted that available compounds would have this weaker effect. More notably, the experiments revealed something we did not fully anticipate: Quine predicted that several compounds would consistently move cells toward a distinct third phenotype—an observation borne out in the lab—suggesting that the pancreatic cancer cell-state landscape is richer than a simple classical-basal axis. The experiments not only tested the model’s hypotheses but also generated new ones.
Figure 3: Quine-guided exploration of pancreatic cancer cell states. In pancreatic ductaladenocarcinoma (PDAC) cell lines, top-ranked compounds produced the largest classical-to-basal transcriptional shifts as validated by wet lab experiments. Weaker reverse shifts and unexpected movement toward an additional phenotype were also consistent with Quine’s predictions.Our continued work here will use newly integrated RNA datasets and tasks to represent this richer landscape, strengthen state-transition predictions, and provide calibrated confidence estimates that help scientists prioritize the most promising hypotheses for wet-lab testing. And this is exactly the feedback loop Quine was built to support. Each round of experimentation improves our understanding of biology, and each new insight can become training signal for the next generation of the system.
Learning through discovery – an invitationWe created Quine to improve how we do science ourselves. As the system evolved, we embedded it in our ongoing scientific programs. Every research question, experimental result, and unexpected finding became an opportunity to refine the models, improve the workflows, and better understand where AI could meaningfully accelerate our research. Over time, the system became central to how we approached discovery across multiple domains, including in cancer biology, protein engineering, genomics, and bioimaging.
We’d like to continue building on that foundation by introducing Quine at this early stage. Quine grew out of our own research, but we don’t want its continued development to happen in isolation. Many of the questions that will determine where it goes next are not ones we can answer alone; they require the expertise, creativity, and perspectives of the broader scientific community. For this reason, we’re opening the Quine Fellows program to put the system directly into the hands of scientists working at the frontier of biology and medicine.
Applications for the first Quine Fellows cohort open nowBuilding responsibly will always come first. We believe progress in AI and biology must go hand in hand with safety, security, and responsible stewardship. We are taking a deliberate, phased approach to Quine’s development and access, with initial availability limited to the Quine Fellows program and select research collaborations. Ongoing internal review and built-in safeguards will help us maintain appropriate oversight as the system evolves. As the technology matures, we expect to expand access through products like Microsoft Discovery (opens in new tab).
It’s tempting to frame progress in AI for biology around benchmarks and leaderboards. Those matter, but the real test of Quine is what happens when it encounters science as it’s actually practiced. Can it be useful when evidence is incomplete? When facing questions genuinely never asked before? Can it help make the path from questions to discovery shorter?
Ultimately that’s the standard we care about. The ambition is for Quine to recede into the background of scientific practice, while the science moves faster in the foreground. The protagonists are not the model or the platform. They are the scientists, the experiments, and the discoveries that follow.
Opens in a new tabThe post Introducing Quine: An AI research system designed for the complexity of biology appeared first on Microsoft Research.
This open-source Linux app got me to ditch the git command
This beautiful Linux terminal app will help you ditch the git command line for good. Its responsive layout and keyboard interface help to tackle the challenge of even complex git commands.
New Sonos Ace Ultra headphones have a genius linking feature I can’t live without
A decade ago, when my daughter was still very little, I had a genius idea: I was going to watch content on my TV, but I’d use my headphones instead of speakers so I wouldn’t wake the baby. The key, or so I thought, would be the ability to quickly switch from one to the other as needed, as watching an entire movie with headphones can be a little tiresome.
As simple as that sounds, it didn’t really work. My TV didn’t support Bluetooth, and a wired connection required a very long cable that constantly got in the way. Later, TVs started getting Bluetooth, but connecting headphones always required an extra step, took a little too long, and the sound often lagged behind what was happening on screen.
A few days ago, Sonos came up with a solution: The new Sonos Ace Ultra headphones can take over the audio from a compatible Sonos soundbar or speaker connected to the TV (in my case, Sonos provided a Sonos Beam Ultra soundbar). It's called headphone linking.
Sonos Ace Ultra have a volume button that doubles as audio handover button. Credit: Stan Schroder/MashableFor the intricacies of that setup, and the performance of the headphones, I’ll point you to our detailed review of the Sonos Ace Ultra.
How Sonos headphone linking worksClicking and holding the volume button on the Sonos Ace Ultra headphones magically switches the audio from the soundbar to the headphones. And it wasn't just regular stereo; I immediately got the whole, immersive surround experience in the headphones, complete with head tracking so the sounds always came from the right spot.
(Note: The original Sonos Ace had a similar feature called TV Swap, but headphone linking expands this to cover any sound source, be it TV audio or music.)
If I clicked that same button again, the audio would be sent back to the soundbar. I could also control what’s playing through Sonos’s app, but the ability to do it with a click of a button was the key part of the experience.
Immersing yourself in a game or a movie is nice, but you probably don’t want to be cut off from all sounds in the household, especially if you have a small child. For that purpose, Sonos Ace Ultra’s Aware mode did the trick; I could (quietly!) listen to the sounds coming from my TV, but I also heard when someone called or rang the doorbell.
Sonos Ace Ultra in Agave; Sonos Beam Ultra in black. Credit: Stan Schroder/MashableAll of this sounds amazingly simple, but it's really not. Sonos had to add WiFi support to its headphones, as using Bluetooth alone isn’t enough to fix the occasional lag and connection issues.
SEE ALSO: Sonos Ace Ultra headphones review: Comfy, versatile, and a little oddIn my testing, Sonos headphone linking didn’t always work perfectly, though sometimes it was my home WiFi to blame. Sometimes, the switching wouldn’t work until I mashed the button a few times. For the feature to work as intended, you need to have your entire system connected to the same WiFi network, and that includes the TV, the soundbar, the headphones, and your phone. That’s fairly typical in a Sonos household, so it wasn’t a big issue for me. And it’s worth noting that Sonos marks this feature as “early access,” and points out that it’s opt-in, provided as is, and subject to changes in the future.
Still, I’m happy to report that I finally got the feature I wanted all those years ago, and my family is happy that they don’t have to hear, to quote my daughter, “whatever weird stuff dad always listens to.”
Sonos Ace Ultra Over-Ear Headphones with Noise Cancellation - Black $449 at AmazonShop Now at Amazon
After using CarPlay, I can't unsee Android Auto's glaring flaws
While driving, I have always turned to Android Auto as my infotainment ecosystem to get directions, control music, and contact people. It’s a staple in my driving experience, and I personally can’t drive without it.
K-Pop Demon Hunters collector boxes just landed at Costco: Price, promo cards, and exclusive bonuses
TL;DR: The Kayou K-Pop Demon Hunters Collector Box is available now at Costco for $53.99. The bundled set comes in two versions — Huntrix and Saja Boys — saving you over 20% compared to buying the items separately.
Opens in a new window Credit: Kayou / K-Pop Kayou K-Pop Demon Hunters Collector Box (Huntrix) $53.99 at CostcoShop Now Opens in a new window Credit: Kayou / K-Pop Kayou K-Pop Demon Hunters Collector Box (Saja Boys) $53.99 at Costco
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Fans of Netflix's hit animated film K-Pop Demon Hunters have a brand-new way to expand their merch collection without paying full price.
Trading card giant Kayou has officially launched an exclusive K-Pop Demon Hunters Collector Box available only at Costco warehouses and Costco online. Priced at $53.99 (with shipping and handling included online), the bundle delivers over 20% in savings compared to buying each item individually, which normally totals around $69.89.
Choose your side: Huntrix or Saja BoysCostco is offering the collector box in two distinct themed versions, letting you rep your favorite group from the movie:
Huntrix Version — Features group-themed packaging and a dedicated Huntrix acrylic card frame.
Saja Boys Version — Features group-themed packaging and a dedicated Saja Boys acrylic card frame.
Both versions come packed with 82 total cards and a premium display piece:
10 Energy Edition Card Packs (80 cards total) — Each pack contains 8 cards from Kayou’s Wave 1 collection. The set features 130 possible cards across 11 rarity levels, ranging from high-end character illustrations to chibi artwork.
1 SDCC Promo Card — Includes the fan-favorite Derpy Tiger and Sussie Bird promo card, which previously only debuted at San Diego Comic-Con.
1 Three-Layer Acrylic Card Frame — A custom display case featuring a layered character scene designed to showcase your favorite card pulling on a desk or shelf.
Because this is a member-exclusive release, you will need an active Costco membership to order online or purchase in-store. Costco is currently capping purchases to one transaction with a maximum of two units per membership every 24 hours.
Head over to Costco online or visit your local warehouse to pick up the Kayou K-Pop Demon Hunters Collector Box for $53.99 before stock runs out.
Early Prime Day power station deal: The Bluetti Elite 300 is now marked down by more than $400
SAVE OVER $499: As of Sept. 29, the Bluetti Elite 300 portable power station is available for $1,099.99 at Amazon. That's a total saving of $499.01 from the regular list price of $1,599.
Opens in a new window Credit: Bluetti Bluetti Elite 300 $1,099.99 at Amazon$1,599 Save $499.01 Get Deal
Who's in the mood to spend thousands on a power station? There's little pleasure in handing over all that cash for an item that's purely practical. But in this day and age, when we're all connected to everything and going off-grid means a serious disruption, a high-quality power station is essential. And thanks to the upcoming October Prime Day, there are already some great power station discounts on Amazon.
As of Sept. 29, the Bluetti Elite 300 portable power station is priced at $1,099.99, a $499.01 markdown from the regular price of $1,599.
One of the best things about this power station is how compact it is — it's even more portable than your average portable model, but it doesn't sacrifice any power. It delivers a full 3014Wh capacity with 2400W of continuous output and boasts enough power to handle a fridge. You can keep various devices running at once thanks to its selection of AC and USB ports.
You know you can rely on its power, as it's built specifically for off-grid living and for taking on the road in your RV. You can charge it via the mains or with solar panels.
Pick up the Bluetti Elite 300 portable power station while it's priced at $1,099.99.
The best deals this week, hand-picked by our shopping expertsApple iPhone 18 Pro — free at T-Mobile
Paramount+ — $0.99 for 2 months with code p2mcs26prem
Pokémon 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box — $89.99 (save vs. market price)
Apple iPad Pro — $1,899 $2,099 (save $200)
TCL 85-Inch Class QM8L Series TV — $2,497.99 $3,999.99 (save $1,502)
5 ways Linux breathed new life into my old gaming laptop
I bought my Lenovo Legion Y520 in mid-2018, roughly a year after Lenovo released it. At the time, its specs made it a perfectly capable gaming laptop. It was never particularly light or refined, though, and the mediocre speakers and usual gaming-laptop quirks were always part of the package.
Marshalls new party speaker packs concert lights and karaoke inputs — where to order the Bromley 150
TL;DR: Marshall just unveiled the Bromley 150, a 14-pound portable party speaker with 360-degree sound, built-in stage lighting, dual mic/instrument inputs, and 40+ hours of battery life. Preorders open on Sept. 29 at $499.99, ahead of the full launch on Oct. 13.
Opens in a new window Credit: Marshall Marshall Bromley 150 $499.99 at MarshallPre-order Here
Marshall is shrinking its party speaker lineup to make it a whole lot easier to bring big sound on the go. The audio brand just unveiled the Bromley 150, a compact wireless speaker designed to bring concert-style sound and lighting anywhere you go.
Joining the larger Bromley 450 and 750 models, the new 150 chops the weight down to just 14 pounds — roughly half the weight of the 450 — without stripping away the features that make party speakers fun.
Even with its smaller size, the Bromley 150 gets loud enough to easily fill a backyard or room. It delivers 360-degree sound from the front and back of the speaker, so everyone hears the same clear audio no matter where they stand. Inside, a heavy-duty woofer and dual speaker setup team up to deliver booming bass and sharp highs that keep the music crisp even when cranked all the way up.
Marshall also shifted the tactile control knobs over to the side of the cabinet, freeing up the front grille to showcase an integrated, stage-inspired light show. The lights move in sync with your music, offering three visual modes to match the room's mood.
Credit: Marshall Credit: MarshallThe speaker delivers over 40 hours of playtime on a single charge. It uses a small, user-replaceable LFP battery that swaps out in seconds, and a quick 20-minute USB-C charge gives you five extra hours of music. It is also built for spontaneous jams and late-night karaoke sessions. On the back, you will find two XLR/6.35mm combo inputs for plugging in microphones or instruments, each with dedicated volume and effect controls.
The Bromley 150 also comes with an IP55 dirt and water resistance rating, protected by silicone covers over the ports and battery compartment. The cabinet is crafted from FSC-certified wood wrapped in PU leather, with soft TPU corner caps to take everyday bumps.
The Marshall Bromley 150 is available for preorder starting Sept. 29 for $499.99. Official retail sales and shipping begin Oct. 13.
The Pokémon TCG Perfect Order Booster Bundle is back under $45 at Amazon — save $15
TL;DR: The Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Perfect Order Booster Bundle is on sale for $44.99 at Amazon, down from its $59.99 list price.
Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Perfect Order Booster Bundle $44.99 at Amazon$59.99 Save $15 Get Deal
Perfect Order Booster Bundles have repeatedly hovered around the $50 mark this year, but Amazon has finally knocked another few dollars off just before Prime Day — putting the six-pack Pokémon TCG box below $45 once again.
As of Sept. 29, the Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution Perfect Order Booster Bundle is now as low as $44.99 at Amazon, taking $15.36 off its $59.99 list price. With that, buying the six-pack box is now the equivalent of paying roughly $7.44 per booster.
SEE ALSO: Shop the best early Prime Day deals on Pokémon, including 30th Celebration trading cards for under market priceThis cheaper $44.63 listing is sold and shipped by Amazon, with free delivery set for Oct. 5 (at the time of writing).
If you’re keen to add on an extra pack or two, individual Perfect Order booster packs are also on sale for just $7.94 at Amazon.
You can save even more money on Booster Bundles shopping beyond Amazon. For example, Walmart is currently selling these for just $41.77 — while listings at trading card marketplace TCGplayer are going for as low as $41.49. That’s only $2.62 above its estimated $38.87 market price.
God of War Laufey preorders set to go live for PS5: Digital Deluxe Edition, preorder bonuses, and new gameplay
TL; DR: Starting Sept. 29, preorders for God of War Laufey are set to go live ahead of its Feb. 16, 2027 launch on PS5. Santa Monica Studio revealed exclusive preorder armor, the Digital Deluxe Edition contents, and fresh combat footage highlighting Faye's new transforming Serpent Bow.
Opens in a new window Credit: Playstation / Sony / Santa Monica studio God of War Laufey God of War Laufey preorders open on Sept. 29. Claim exclusive armor and in-game bonuses before the Feb. 16 launch. Pre-order HereSanta Monica Studio just pulled back the curtain on the next major chapter in the Norse saga, giving PlayStation fans a full breakdown of what to expect when preorders open today. God of War Laufey officially launches for the PS5 on Feb. 16, 2027. Preorders go live on Sept. 29, giving players their first chance to lock in physical and digital copies, along with extra in-game loot.
If you reserve any edition of the game before launch, you will receive a downloadable preorder pack containing the Last Wish Armor Set, the Phranque Golden Leaves Appearance cosmetic, and an in-game resource pack to jumpstart your adventure. Note that while these items are unlocked naturally through story progression, preordering gives you early access.
For players looking for extra gear, the Digital Deluxe Edition comes loaded with exclusive items:
Dark Alchemy Gear — Includes the Dark Alchemy Armor Set, Dark Alchemy Blade, Dark Alchemy Bow Scales, and Dark Alchemy Catalyst.
In-Game Resource Pack — Gives you extra crafting materials right out of the gate.
Digital Extras — Includes the Official God of War Laufey Digital Soundtrack and a Digital Mini Artbook.
Santa Monica Studio also dropped fresh gameplay footage showing off Faye's main weapon: the Serpent Bow. This enchanted weapon transforms on the fly, making it easy to switch between sniping enemies from a distance and beating them up close.
How the bow fires depends entirely on how far you pull the aim trigger:
Full-aim mode — Squeezing the trigger all the way down zooms in for extra accuracy and distance. Striking specific body parts slows enemies down, and you can charge up to five arrows at once to unleash a powerful volley.
Half-aim mode — Lightly pulling the trigger lets you fire off quick bursts of arrows on the move. It is built for close-range fights, letting you pop enemies up into the air and keep combo chains going as you swap weapons.
You can customize the bow using swapable Scales — like the Dark Alchemy Scales included in the Digital Deluxe Edition — which change both the weapon's appearance and its gameplay perks. Paired with customizable sword blades, magic-channeling Catalysts, and stat-boosting armor, Faye’s kit offers tons of flexibility for different playstyles in the realm of the Everywhen.
Preorders for God of War Laufey open on Sept. 29 through the PlayStation Store and major retailers, ahead of its Feb. 16 release date.
SpaceX Starship Flight 14 reaches Earths orbit and explodes in the Pacific
SpaceX's Starship Flight 14 saw it reach orbit for the first time, 170 miles above the Earth, marking a major milestone for the company. The Starship also deployed 26 V3 Starlink satellites, adding to the company's constellation. See all the highlights in our supercut video.
Read more about SpaceX and Starlink: Starship reaches orbit for the first time ever but returns home early
Starlink satellites are becoming a barometer for Earth’s atmosphere
Timecode chapters
00:00 Liftoff and ascent
00:58 Max Q (maximum aerodynamic pressure)
02:19 Hot staging
03:15 Boostback burn complete
06:45 Booster landing burn
07:09 Booster soft splashdown
08:17 Starship engine cut off (SECO)
09:18 Go for orbit poll
09:37 Orbital insertion burn
11:12 De-orbit burn
11:38 De-orbit burn complete
12:52 Starship landing burn
13:36 Starship landing and Starlink deployment
Video credits
Producer: Stephen Beacham
Video editor: Stephen Beacham
Thumbnail designer: Stephen Beacham
I stopped using my laptop’s HDMI port after realizing USB-C was more reliable
We have two Windows gaming laptops in the house, and both of them are hooked up to TVs. For the most part, this works well, but even though the laptops and TVs are all different brands and models, I keep getting stability issues using a direct HDMI connection.
Early Prime Day Ninja deal: The Ninja FrostVault Cooler is marked down by $50
SAVE $50: As of Sept. 29, the Ninja FrostVault 50-QT Cooler is available for $199.99 at Amazon. That's a $50 saving on the regular list price of $249.99.
Opens in a new window Credit: SharkNinja Ninja FrostVault 50-QT Cooler $199.99 at Amazon$249.99 Save $50 Get Deal
Camping season is pretty much done for the year, which is why you're likely to find some nice outdoors deals across October Prime Day, which kicks off on Oct. 6 and runs for two days. Yes, there's over a week to go, but there are already good deals popping up, including one on the FrostVault, a massive cooler from top brand Ninja. It's worth investing in now for future trips while there's 20% off.
As of Sept. 29, the Ninja FrostVault 50-QT Cooler is marked down to $199.99, saving you $50 off the list price of $249.99.
We all know Ninja's rep for making the very best air fryers and other top-rated kitchen gear, so it's no surprise that the FrostVault is up there with the very best coolers you'll find. For starters, it's huge — you'll have no problem fitting a day's worth of drinks in there, with space for both ice and up to 45 cans. And that ice will last for days.
Our favorite detail is a special dry-zone drawer where you can store food at chilled temperatures without worrying about it spoiling from melting ice. You don't even have to wait to take it camping — it's also great for the garden and parties.
Grab the Ninja FrostVault 50-QT Cooler while it's priced at just $199.99 and save $50 ahead of October Prime Day.
The best deals this week, hand-picked by our shopping expertsApple iPhone 18 Pro — free at T-Mobile
Paramount+ — $0.99 for 2 months with code p2mcs26prem
Pokémon 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box — $89.99 (save vs. market price)
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Jimmy Kimmel evicts Matt Damon midway through monologue
Jimmy Kimmel's rivalry with Matt Damon is a joke that's been going for decades, and it appears it won't be stopping anytime soon.
During his Monday night monologue in New York, Kimmel is interrupted when Damon pops up in the crowd to cheer for the Boston Red Sox — alongside Kimmel's own mother and sister.
Kimmel wastes no time in throwing Damon out, but isn't too happy when he leaves with the host's family in tow.
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2 Obsidian replacements that let you self-host without any ridiculous workarounds
Obsidian is one of my favorite apps. I use it to build Knowledge Bases, write articles, take notes, and learn as much as I can. It's pretty versatile. It works well, but I don't pay for a premium subscription. Instead, I will either email my notes in MD (Markdown) format to myself, transfer them directly from the device via USB, or sync them using Syncthing inside Termux and a special folder on my desktop computer. But that seems like a lot of work to merely sync some files. So, I found two excellent alternatives that let you self-host your syncing without an insane workaround like mine.


