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Government Workers Say Their Out-of-Office Replies Were Forcibly Changed to Blame Democrats for Shutdown
Product Reviews

Government Workers Say Their Out-of-Office Replies Were Forcibly Changed to Blame Democrats for Shutdown

by admin October 3, 2025


On Wednesday, the first day of the US government shutdown, employees at the Department of Education (DOE) set their automatic out-of-office email responses to inform recipients that they would be unable to respond until after the shutdown. Hours later, many DOE employees realized their response message had been altered to contain partisan language without their consent. The automatic reply now blamed Senate Democrats for the entire shutdown.

It’s not clear who made the change to email accounts, which was first posted about on Bluesky by journalist Marisa Kabas. “It’s disturbing,” says a DOE employee who asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak to the press. Some employees changed their responses back to the more neutral language, only to have it changed yet again to the partisan response, multiple sources tell WIRED.

As government employees began to log off in preparation for a shutdown, many agencies sent out guidance, including suggested language for their out-of-office message. While some agencies offered employees neutral language, simply explaining they would not be able to reply until the shutdown concluded, employees at the Small Business Administration and, according to sources and screenshots reviewed by WIRED, the Department of Labor, received suggested language that blamed Democrats for the shutdown.

At the DOE, human resources sent employees standard language ahead of the shutdown, and many employees used this as their OOO text. Originally, the suggested language given to DOE employees read, “Thank you for your email. There is a temporary shutdown of the US government due to a lapse in appropriations. I will respond to your message as soon as possible after the temporary shutdown ends. Please visit Ed.gov for the latest information on the Department’s operational status.” Many employees set this neutral language as their OOO status.

The new, changed message reads:

“Thank you for contacting me. On September 19, 2025, the House of Representatives passed HR 5371, a clean continuing resolution. Unfortunately, Democrat Senators are blocking passage of HR 5371 in the Senate which has led to a lapse in appropriations. Due to the lapse in appropriations I am currently in furlough status. I will respond to emails once government functions resume.”



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Product Reviews

Strava sues Garmin in bizarre patent infringement lawsuit

by admin October 3, 2025


Fitness tech appears to be having a strange spat. Earlier this week, Strava filed a lawsuit alleging that Garmin infringed on its patents for two features related to tracking exercise routes: segments and heatmaps. It’s also claiming that Garmin violated a Master Cooperation Agreement by developing its own heat map feature. The complaint (via The Verge) is seeking a permanent injunction to stop Garmin from selling any items with segments or a heat map features, which would amount to a majority of Garmin’s hardware products as well as its Connect tracking program.

The lawsuit on its own is a surprise. Strava and Garmin are two major players in fitness tech that have worked together for about a decade, the pair have a number of integrations between their platforms. It also seems unlikely that Strava will make much headway with the case. DC Rainmaker, which first picked up on the lawsuit, has a thorough timeline of the companies’ patent filings that strongly suggests the arguments won’t hold water in court. It’s also strange that these alleged infringements, by Strava’s own assertions, began a long time ago and yet the company is only taking issue with them now.

But the situation got even stranger when Strava Chief Product Officer Matt Salazar took to Reddit today to give some insight into why the company is taking such aggressive action against a frequent partner. According to Salazar’s post, Strava is invoking the lawyers because Garmin is adopting new developer guidelines for API partners “that required the Garmin logo to be present on every single activity post, screen, graph, image, sharing card etc.” Although he frames it as a move to protect users’ data, the argument sounds more like a petty complaint that Garmin is putting its brand on the data its products are used to collect.

It’s a weird lawsuit, and hopefully one that won’t cause any disruptions for either company’s customers.



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SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite review: $599 for premium, pricey perfection
Product Reviews

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite review: $599 for premium, pricey perfection

by admin October 3, 2025


I’ve been hooked on SteelSeries gaming headsets ever since the Arctis Pro launched more than five years ago. The Nova range upped the quality with feature, fit, and software improvements, and the company is now going one step further with a $599.99 Nova Elite headset — a price that I’ve been questioning every day during my last month of testing.

With the Nova Elite, SteelSeries has created a category of luxury gaming headsets that doesn’t really exist right now. It’s banking on hi-res wireless audio, carbon fiber speaker drivers, a metal frame, and the ability to simultaneously stream audio from a PC, Xbox, and PlayStation to make it the best gaming headset on the market.

But is $599.99 too much, even for the best gaming headset?

$600

The Good

  • Excellent metal build quality
  • Better wireless signal
  • Hi-res audio with carbon fiber speakers
  • Swappable battery dock

The Bad

  • That $599 price tag
  • Cryptic low-battery audio alerts

Aside from the new sage and gold color option, the Nova Elite looks very similar to the existing $379.99 Nova Pro — especially when comparing the black versions. The frame and control wheel are both metal now instead of plastic, and the memory foam ear cups are more plush and feel more comfortable on my ears this time around.

The mixture of aluminum and stainless steel materials also makes the Nova Elite a lot sturdier than the plastic Nova Pro, which also makes it fit better for me. I have a fairly large head so the Nova Elite fits snugly over my ears, instead of slightly loose like the Nova Pro. And while the active noise canceling nub inside the ear cans irritated me on the original Nova Pro, I don’t even notice it on the Elite.

The Nova Elite’s frame is metal instead of plastic.

The plush memory foam ear cups are super comfortable.

There’s an adjustable band to improve the fit.

The GameHub DAC lets you control the headset and charge its batteries.

All of these material and comfort improvements are coupled with a first for a gaming headset: hi-res wireless audio. You can stream 96kHz / 24-bit audio over 2.4GHz with the included GameHub DAC or via Bluetooth with LC3+. It’s a little fiddly to set up thanks to the complex audio interface in Windows, and once enabled, you’ll really need the right game or audio file to tell the difference.

The hi-res audio support is a subtle enough improvement that I had trouble noticing it, but the overall sound quality improvements, along with the carbon fiber drivers, are more obvious. I played the Battlefield 6 beta for hours last month with the Nova Elite, and then I switched back to my Nova Pro headset. The explosions, tanks, and gunfire all sounded better with the Nova Elite, but it really depends on what games you’re playing.

In a game like Valorant, I could barely notice the difference, because there’s far less environmental sound and you’re really only listening for footsteps and audio cues. I wouldn’t buy the Nova Elite over the Nova Pro if you’re mostly playing multiplayer shooters.

SteelSeries has improved the microphone system on the Nova Elite for multiplayer games and Discord calls. You now have the choice between a retractable boom mic or a new on-ear mic if you don’t want the boom mic getting in the way. Neither come anywhere close in quality to replacing the Shure SM7B that I use daily, but they’re both useful if I’m using the Nova Elite on my phone or a game console.

You can easily hot swap batteries, and the Nova Elite intelligently turns back on.

There’s always a battery ready and charged in the included GameHub.

One of the best things about the Nova Elite is the way that it works with up to four audio sources simultaneously. I can connect to my phone over Bluetooth, which is useful to take calls while I’m working on my PC, and I can also connect to a game console, like an Xbox Series X or PS5, via USB-C at the same time. Omniplay, as SteelSeries calls it, can mix the audio from up to four sources. You could be chatting on Discord on your PC with the GameHub 2.4GHz wireless connection while hearing the audio from an Xbox game using the USB-C connection, listening to TikTok videos on your phone via Bluetooth, and even getting audio from yet another source through the 3.5mm aux port.

While I primarily used the Nova Elite with my PC, SteelSeries also has a mobile app that lets you control EQ levels and even game audio presets for consoles or mobile play. These presets already impressed me with SteelSeries’ Arctis GameBuds, and they’re equally great on the Nova Elite, allowing you to use custom EQ levels for more than 200 games.

These presets are also available in the GG app on Windows. The GG app takes over the clunky Windows audio experience and makes it easy to manage what microphone you want to use and whether you want audio to play out of speakers or a monitor when you turn your headset off. SteelSeries’ Sonar software is also part of GG, and I really like how effortless it is to set up multiple audio channels so I can adjust the volume levels and sound profiles of media apps, Discord chat, and games individually.

The ANC on the Elite is very similar to the Pro. It’s good for a gaming headset, but it falls behind the ANC on Bose or Sony headsets I’ve used. SteelSeries does a good job of using AI-powered noise rejection to block out any unwanted sounds (like typing noises) from the headset microphone, so you’ll always sound clear over Discord or a call.

The GG app also pairs with the GameHub DAC that sits on your desk to give you volume information, battery level, and more control over the headset. You can adjust the headset volume and mute the microphone from the headset itself, but the GameHub also lets you customize the ANC levels, enable transparency mode, and even adjust all the microphone settings. The GameHub is relatively unchanged from the Nova Pro, but I did find that the wireless signal it provides is a lot better in the dead spots in my house where the Pro used to disconnect.

The GameHub also includes a charging dock for the Nova Elite’s battery. Like the Pro, the Elite comes with two batteries, so you never have to worry about battery life. Each battery lasts around 30 hours of use, and when it’s low, you simply swap it with the one charging in the GameHub. I love this system so much, and I wish every gaming headset had it.

The only thing I’ve found annoying about this headset are the low-battery alerts. At 15 percent battery, the headset starts playing a low beeping tone every five minutes. There’s no other indication of what’s going on, and the sound is close enough to those web chat bots that I kept hunting for a rogue browser tab at first. When the battery hits 8 percent, it plays a more urgent tone, and a light on the GameHub DAC starts to blink. There’s really no need for the 15 percent warning.

The Nova Elite is available in sage and gold or black.

After testing the Nova Elite over the past month, I don’t want to go back to the Nova Pro. The changes are often subtle enough that I only notice them when I do switch back, but then they’re obvious. Using the Nova Pro after using the Nova Elite feels like going back to a 60Hz panel after upgrading to a high refresh rate monitor.

The trouble is the price. SteelSeries wants to create a new category of luxury and premium gaming headsets, and how well it succeeds could come down to the $599 price tag, which is the same as an already expensive Xbox Series X console.

You’ll have to really want the compatibility with all game consoles, the hi-res audio support, the added comfort, and the material improvements in order to warrant the $220 premium over the Nova Pro. If you’re looking for one of the best gaming headsets on the market, then I’d pick the Nova Pro. But if you can stretch to the Nova Elite’s luxury territory, then I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Photography by Tom Warren / The Verge

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A King of Meat screenshot taken on PS5.
Product Reviews

King of Meat review: not the wurst

by admin October 2, 2025



Why you can trust TechRadar


We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

This party platformer serves up a steady stream of challenges with buckets of content to unlock, ranging all the way from a robust roster of weapons to neat cosmetics that help you run wild in the excellent character creator.

Personalization and customization are consistent highlights in King of Meat, and when you’re not tackling its wide selection of community-made levels, the expansive dungeon maker gives you a powerful but approachable set of tools for crafting your own.

Review info

Platform reviewed: PS5
Available on: PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X, and Series S
Release date: October 7, 2025

It’s a meaty package given the modest $29.99 / £24.99 asking price, but there are some rough edges to bear in mind before you dive in. Its copious animated cutscenes are gorgeous, but the constant parody humor can sometimes grate. It’s perfectly serviceable if you’re willing to regard it with some degree of irony, but hardly entertaining material. The platforming can also be a drag, as it’s quite slow and precise – the opposite of what you would usually expect from a colorful multiplayer party game like this.

Pair this with a difficulty level that ranges all the way from a complete cakewalk to unbelievably punishing, depending on the design of your current dungeon, and the experience can often frustrate.

Meat your maker

(Image credit: Amazon Games)

Set in the fantasy kingdom of Loregok, everything in King of Meat is centered around the titular in-universe TV show.

Although online play is the focus, there’s a surprising amount of story here and heaps of voiced dialogue. The handful of vendors in its small hub world frequently dispense world-building lines, and there’s even a pretty solid single-player mode that has you traversing through a series of developer-crafted dungeons as little narrative segments play out.

Despite the reliance on rather passé parody humor, it’s certainly entertaining enough and offers a nice little diversion if you’re waiting for your friends to hop on for a multiplayer session. Reaching new high scores in these levels unlocks loads of neat goodies too, including in-game currency and some nifty cosmetics, giving you a good reason to replay each of them a handful of times.

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The star of the show is the multiplayer, though, divided into three distinct leagues that can be tackled with up to three other players. The league tryouts are your beginner levels, intended to be immediately approachable to low-level players. Populated by basic skeleton enemies or simplistic puzzles, they’re not particularly thrilling, leading to a rather weak first few matches, but soon give way to the much more exciting Global League playlist and the super challenging Imperial League.

Global League is where I routinely have the most fun, but enjoyment does hinge heavily on the design of the level that you’re playing. Although there is a fairly large selection of developer-made stages (which comprised the bulk of my early testing time), the community also has the power to create new levels that feed into the mix.

Sizzle reel

(Image credit: Amazon Games)

When you’re playing a well-designed level, everything just clicks.

One particularly memorable example had me completing quite complex spike-based puzzles with a team of randoms, all of us communicating through the in-game chat wheel (populated by barks like ‘nice’ or ‘sorry’) and the quick ping feature.

Carefully timing my position on pressure plates to disable traps so the other players could progress and do the same for me was immensely satisfying and had us all frictionlessly working like a hive mind despite the lack of detailed communication.

Going head-to-head with just the right mix of enemies in more wave-based challenges also helps the shockingly deep combat shine. Chaining different combos together to fill up the on-screen audience excitement meter is immediately rewarding, with more elaborate streaks resulting in louder cheers and higher points.

Best bit

(Image credit: Amazon Games)

The specials mode offers up a platter of limited-time challenges, with some aimed at solo players and others geared towards teams. They’re some of the best levels that I’ve seen, with a good mix of devious traps and combat challenges. Competing in them puts you on a huge leader board, and yes I managed to reach number one a handful of times.

There are loads of weapons to try too, with both a primary and secondary slot. Primaries range from your average medieval fare like swords and hammers to magical knuckle dusters and electric guitars, while secondaries include a bomb launcher and, my personal favorite, a literal gun. Completing challenges with each weapon feeds into a large set of skill trees, with unlocks increasing key stats and improving the efficiency of attacks.

Powerful Glory Moves are charged like an ultimate ability as your brawl, unleashing powerful effects, including healing for your team and an amusing burp that sends enemies flying. It’s all very strong on paper, but the issues start to come to the fore when you’re playing a less well-designed stage.

One random choice dumped me in a long, straight corridor that was just overflowing with super powerful enemies – a wildly unfair slog that saw me losing all five of my lives in a matter of seconds.

(Image credit: Amazon Games)

Platforming is rather slow and cumbersome, too, which makes some of the more parkour-oriented stages feel unfair. Your maximum running speed is a snail’s pace, and your jump is floaty and inaccurate. Throw in some consistent issues with hit direction thanks to server latency, and you have a recipe for annoyance when you’re trying to navigate everything from spike pits to moving platforms – which unfortunately are practically omnipresent.

I’m not exactly sure why developer Glowmade didn’t go for a lighter, faster style of platforming here, as it would easily make everything so much more exciting.

Dungeon master

(Image credit: Amazon Games)

Those with a creative streak will likely be able to forgive this, though, as King of Meat doesn’t fall short when it comes to customization.

The character creator is excellent, giving you loads of control over your armored competitor with a variety of outfit parts, plus decals and accessories that you can place anywhere. The unique, almost-modern-but-still-medieval look is cute too, and means that traffic cones and tracksuit bottoms don’t look at all out of place next to suits of armor.

There’s also the superb dungeon creator. It’s not quite as expensive as something like the level builder in Super Mario Maker, as it fundamentally relies on placing pre-set rooms, but you can achieve an awful lot with it. There are loads of decor items to place freely, tons of enemies, special effects, and a robust logic system for those keen to create more adventurous contraptions and puzzles.

The ability to quickly play your dungeon from the start or your current room in order to spot any sore spots is a blessing and makes creation fun and easy. Uploading your tracks for others to try is simple too, and I personally can’t wait to discover what kind of things players will come up with.

All of this leaves me a bit conflicted about King of Meat. The groundwork is all here for a fantastic experience, and the team behind the game has clearly put a huge amount of care and attention into almost all of its core elements – I just wish the platforming and comedy weren’t quite so tedious.

Should I play King of Meat?

Play it if…

Don’t play it if…

Accessibility features

There are loads of accessibility options in King of Meat. This includes a range of speech-to-text options, including narration of the in-game menus and chat box. Subtitles are enabled by default, and you’re free and customize the size, color, and background opacity of them. The controls can also be customized with a huge range of input options that remove the need to hit buttons.

Photosensitive users can remove the screen flash that occurs when you take damage, or disable a selection of other in-game effects.

How I reviewed King of Meat

I played more than ten hours of King of Meat on PlayStation 5 ahead of the game’s launch. During that time, I played a heap of levels both alone and with other players online.

I also had a lengthy co-op session with a colleague in order to assess the game’s potential when you’re playing with friends. I unlocked the bulk of the game’s content, including most of its weapons, and played with all of the ones that were available to me. I became global number one in a handful of the daily challenge levels and also spent some time as the level creator, experimenting with the tools on offer.

Throughout my time with the game, I played it with the standard DualSense Wireless Controller and an Astro A20 X gaming headset for audio.

First reviewed September 2025

King of Meat: Price Comparison



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Chief got some
Product Reviews

If you missed Master Chief having sex on Paramount+ now you can see Master Chief having sex on Netflix

by admin October 2, 2025



Did you miss the Halo TV show when it first came out because it was on Paramount+ and, like, who even subscribes to Paramount+, right?

Well, now you can catch the Halo TV show on Netflix because it’s on Netflix, and if you’re like me, you probably still subscribe to Netflix even though there’s less and less of a reason to still subscribe to Netflix. Right?

The Halo series began in March of 2022, with a second season following in February 2024 and a third season following never because it was canceled. The show didn’t really do all that well critically, as far as I can recall: I don’t remember anyone saying they liked it much, though I also didn’t hear that it was absolutely terrible. Former Halo art director Marcos Lehto stated that he didn’t hate the show, but said it was “Not the Halo I made.”


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The general consensus about the Halo show seemed to be just sort of… eh. But a show being eh is sometimes just the sort of thing I’m in the mood for, and since it’s on Netflix, the one subscription I doggedly forget to cancel, it sounds like the perfect thing to stream on a rainy weekend while only half paying attention because I’m also playing Super Video Golf on my Steam Deck.

Besides, I want to see Master Chief have sex because I missed it the first time around.

That was just one of the show’s controversies. First, Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 took his helmet off, something that never happened in the game, and then he showed his naked butt. Then he just went and straight-up boned someone. None of that went over all that well among the fandom.

There was so much backlash that Pablo Schreiber, who plays Master Chief, threw the production under the bus by saying he argued against the sex scene, calling it a “huge mistake.” Way to have your coworkers’ backs, dude. What you could have said was nothing.

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The second season was better received than the first, which seemed promising for the future of the show, but Halo was canceled in July of 2024—just at the point that an actual Halo finally appeared on the show called Halo. Will it gain new life on Netflix, maybe even enough that it’ll get picked up for more seasons? I doubt it, but you never know: I’ll certainly be watching, at least when I look up intermittently from my Steam Deck.



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Amazon Add to Delivery feature
Product Reviews

Amazon Is Finally Let Users Add More Items to Upcoming Deliveries

by admin October 2, 2025



Amazon is making it easier than ever to keep shopping after you’ve already checked out. A new feature lets users add extra items onto upcoming deliveries instead of starting a whole new order.

Say you forgot to add eggs to your grocery cart or you realize an hour later that you are running low on toilet paper, now you can drop those last-minute items into your order before it ships with no need to go through checkout again.

The e-commerce giant announced the feature today, calling it “Add to Delivery.” With a single tap, shoppers can add eligible items to their next scheduled delivery.

Add to Delivery follows a long line of options the company has rolled out over the years to make shopping feel more flexible. Amazon Day lets users choose a specific weekday for all their packages to arrive at once. No-Rush Shipping, meanwhile, nudges shoppers to slow down their orders in exchange for discounts or credits that can be spent on digital goods like eBooks, movies, and apps.

By contrast, Add to Delivery goes in the opposite direction, allowing users to buy more things and get them faster.

It also comes as Amazon keeps upgrading its shipping machine. In August, the company expanded same-day grocery delivery to 2,000 U.S. cities, covering perishables like milk, meat, and seafood. That feat is powered by the logistics muscle Amazon has been building since it launched same-day delivery in 2015. For fresh groceries, the company relies on a network of temperature-controlled facilities designed to keep food safe in transit.

How Add to Delivery works

When users browse the Amazon Shopping app or Amazon.com on mobile, eligible items will now show a bright blue “Add to Delivery” button right on the product page.

“If we can still add to your delivery that’s arriving later today or tomorrow, you’ll see the Add to Delivery option as you shop, and with one tap you’ll be done,” the company said in a press release.

Tapping the button instantly adds the item to the next scheduled delivery. If a user hits the button by mistake or just changes their mind, there’s also an “Undo” option to remove an item.

Items available for Add to Delivery include pantry staples, pet toys, electronics, clothes, and books.

For now, Add to Delivery is exclusively available to U.S. Prime members.



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Our Favorite All-in-One Printer and Scanner Is $50 Off
Product Reviews

Our Favorite All-in-One Printer and Scanner Is $50 Off

by admin October 2, 2025


While a printer upgrade might not sound like the most exciting way to spend your hard-earned dollars, the right machine can save you a ton of time and money. My favorite all-in-one printer and scanner, the Epson EcoTank ET-2980, is marked down by $50 on Amazon. It has all the features most home users will need, even daily printers, and is a much better value than ink cartridge, and even some laser printers.

Photograph: Brad Bourque

In my testing, the Epson EcoTank ET-2980 was my favorite printer that included a scanner. I’ve continued to use the EcoTank long-term for the past few months, and I’ve been consistently impressed with the reliability and excellent print quality. I’ve printed photos, flyers for garage sales, and order invoices for my side business selling TCG cards, and everything has come out pristine and detailed. It was surprisingly easy to set up, with ink bottles that don’t drip or leave stains, and very little initial configuration.

While it may seem like a steep price for a new printer, the ink tanks make a huge difference when it comes to value. Epson includes enough ink in the box for thousands of pages, enough for the average home to print for years, and even if you do need more, the replacement ink is much cheaper than cartridges. In my quick and dirty estimates, you’ll generally break even on the more expensive Epson in just two rounds of cartridge replacements, depending on the brand. You’ll also sidestep concerns about subscription plans or first-party limitations.

There are really only two drawbacks to the ET-2980, and they’re both pretty minor. The first is, like any ink tank printer, it would really prefer to stay put. You can secure the parts for moving it, and I’ve had no issues swapping it from one desk to another, or moving it between rooms, but you’ll want to avoid tilting it or leaving it at an angle for too long, lest you end up with a mess on your hands. The other drawback is the paper tray, which has a solid path and good sensing for alignment, but only holds about 100 regular pages, or less than 20 envelopes.



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Product Reviews

Save on sets from TCL, Sony, Hisense and more

by admin October 2, 2025


Black Friday remains the best time to grab a new TV at a discount, but Amazon’s latest October Prime Day sale should be a decent time to take the plunge if you need to upgrade right away. While the two-day Prime Big Deal Days event doesn’t officially start until October 7, a small handful of well-regarded TVs from the likes of TCL, Hisense, Sony and Samsung are cheaper than usual right now. You can find our full list of the best October Prime Day TV deals below. We’ll update this roundup as prices change and new offers arise in the days ahead.

Best Prime Day TV deals

TCL

The TCL QM6K is widely regarded by reviewers we trust as one of the year’s better TV bargains. It’s a budget-oriented model, so it won’t get you the same level of contrast, color volume or brightness as more expensive sets, nor will it be ideal for HDR content (especially in well-lit rooms). Still, its quantum-dot color, mini-LED backlighting and full-array local dimming more than hold their own for the price, plus it runs on the useful Google TV platform. It’s also a nice buy for gaming on the cheap, since its input lag is relatively low and it has a native 144Hz refresh rate that can reach as high as 288Hz at 1080p. This discount ties the lowest price we’ve seen for the 75-inch model.

$750 at Amazon

Hisense U8QG 65-inch Mini-LED TV for $1,082 ($416 off): Several reviews suggest that the Hisense U8QG ticks most of the requisite boxes for a LCD TV in 2025: robust local dimming and mini-LED backlighting, exceptionally high brightness, vibrant quantum-dot colors, a fast refresh rate (165Hz in this case), support for the major HDR formats and so on. It’s a higher-end option than something like the TCL QM6K with much better brightness and contrast, though it still falls short of a good OLED TV when it comes to the latter. Like most LCD panels, it’ll also look a bit washed out if you view it from an angle. It has three HDMI 2.1 ports, which is one fewer than many other TVs in this price range, though it uniquely includes a USB-C video input if you want to hook up a gaming laptop or Nintendo Switch. (Just note that you won’t get VRR or HDR when using that.) You’d mainly get it over an OLED TV if you’re willing to trade some picture quality for something that’s better-suited in a bright room. This deal on the 65-inch model isn’t an all-time low, but it matches the best price we’ve tracked since July.

Samsung S90F 55-inch QD-OLED TV for $1,498 ($100 off): The Samsung S90F is an upper-tier model with a QD-OLED panel, which blends the usual perks of a quality OLED set — near-perfect contrast, wide viewing angles, clear motion, low input lag — with a layer of quantum dots. This helps it produce a wider gamut of more vivid colors compared to traditional WOLED TVs. It also comes with four HDMI 2.1 ports and has a fast refresh rate of 144Hz. It doesn’t support Dolby Vision HDR, however, and reviews we trust say that the LG C5, a competing WOLED model, retains darker black levels in a bright room. (The S90F has a more colorful image, though.) We saw this 55-inch model go for $100 less earlier in the month, but this deal matches the best price we’ve tracked otherwise. The 65-inch version is similarly discounted. Just make sure you only buy the 55-, 65- or 77-inch model, as every other size in the US uses a lesser WOLED panel. Shady, we know.

Sony Bravia 8 II 65-inch QD-OLED TV for $2,998 ($502 off): It’s certainly not cheap, but the Sony Bravia 8 II has earned plaudits for its excellent image processing, upscaling and overall accuracy alongside the expected color, contrast and motion benefits of its QD-OLED display. This should help it make lots of movies and shows look closer to their original intent. It also uses the handy Google TV interface. Outside of an extremely brief dip in June, this deal matches the best price to date for the 65-inch version. That said, if you can’t stomach the high price, other reviews note that the older Sony A95L offers similar performance a bit less, while more recent competitors like the LG G5 and Samsung S95F can get noticeably brighter (even if they’re not always as accurate). Those two should be better for gaming as well, as the Bravia 8 II only has two HDMI 2.1 ports — one of which is an eARC port for soundbars — and its input lag is slightly higher.

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K for $25 ($25 off): The standard Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K offers the same core experience as the pricier Fire TV Stick 4K Max, only it comes with a slightly slower processor, half the storage (8GB) and Wi-Fi 6 instead of Wi-Fi 6E. For most people just looking for a casual streamer on the cheap, those shouldn’t be huge losses. This model is also more powerful than the just-announced Fire TV 4K Select, though its Fire OS interface can still be messy and ad-heavy, with special emphasis on Amazon’s own services. This deal is $3 more than the stick’s all-time low, though it matches the best price we’ve seen since Black Friday last year.

Amazon Fire TV Stick HD for $18 ($17 off): The Fire TV Stick HD is the budget pick in our guide to the best streaming devices. It can only stream up to 1080p, and it can run a bit choppier than the 4K models since it has a slower chipset and half the RAM (1GB). The usual issues with the Fire TV interface still apply here too. But if you just want to add streaming apps to an aging TV or basic monitor for as little cash as possible, it should get the job done. This discount ties the device’s lowest price to date.



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Peloton increases fees and introduces new hardware including a $6,695 treadmill
Product Reviews

Peloton increases fees and introduces new hardware including a $6,695 treadmill

by admin October 2, 2025


Peloton has been angling for a redemption arc ever since its status as a pandemic darling started faltering when the world reopened for business. It tried to steady the ship with a series of layoffs, a pivot to subscriptions, and a leadership shuffle. Now, Peloton’s hoping to kick off a new era with the Cross Training Series, a total refresh of its product lineup consisting of a new Bike, Bike Plus, Tread, Tread Plus, and Row Plus.

“The impetus behind the Cross Training series is, ‘Let’s just give people one place to do all the strength and cardio workouts in one spot,” says Nick Caldwell, Peloton’s chief product officer. “We now make that convenient, all in one.”

The Cross Training Series takes the swivel display from the original Bike Plus, enables it to spin 360 degrees, and spreads it across the entire product lineup. Meaning, a Peloton machine is no longer for cardio alone. In a smaller space, the display can swing out so you can do strength training or other types of exercises alongside running, cycling, or rowing. The new lineup also adds better audio, updated processors, and improved Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. The Bike and Bike Plus will also get a new, cushier seat — a feature that Caldwell says was hotly requested from the Peloton community.

This AI treadmill is $6,695.

The Plus models add even more upgrades. That includes a movement tracking camera so the device can provide form feedback, rep tracking, and suggested weights. The speakers now include a woofer, presumably so the bass drop hits harder in a class, and Peloton partnered with Sonos on the specs and tuning. The machines will also support an “Ok Peloton” voice command that will let members skip moves or pause classes. Meanwhile, the Bike Plus will get a dedicated phone tray that attaches to the handlebars.

The Plus models sort of feel like the company decided to squish the Guide — Peloton’s little-known strength training camera — into its exercise machines. When I suggest this to Caldwell, he says that was basically the feedback Peloton got on the original device. “People who got the Guide put it on their TV and actually used it. They love it. It’s one of our highest-rated products,” he says. “The problem is it having to be plugged into the TV all the time. People really wanted an integrated solution.”

Caldwell says Peloton has also refined some of the features that were first introduced on the Guide. The Plus models support form feedback across a wider range of exercises and the camera has been improved. The devices also have more storage, so they can run larger machine vision models.

This AI rower is $3,495.

Given all the upgrades, these machines won’t come cheap. The two Bikes are the most affordable at $1,695 for the base model and $2,695 for the Plus. It only gets more expensive from there. The Row Plus will cost $3,495, while the regular Tread will cost $3,295. The Tread Plus is a whopping $6,695. At a small New York City launch keynote, CEO Peter Stern also noted that Peloton’s subscription would also be increasing from $44 to $49 per month. Despite the hefty cost, the company’s diehard fans often cite the hardware as a key reason why they love the platform.

But Peloton isn’t pinning all its hopes on hardware alone. Stern declared that “AI has the potential to give humans superpowers” in the company’s Q3 earnings call, and now, it’s adding an AI-powered feature called Peloton IQ across its entire portfolio — as in, old and new machines alike.

I got see a brief demo of Peloton IQ in action, and as a hardcore AI fitness skeptic, I’m begrudgingly curious. The flashiest part of Peloton IQ is for strength training classes. On the new Plus machines, the camera enables Peloton IQ to give real-time feedback and form correction. I watched as a Peloton employee purposefully used bad form on overhead dumbbell presses. It then surfaced a tip to “avoid swinging your body for momentum.” After several poor reps, the AI then advised that employee try a lighter weight. Conversely, when a few lifts were done too quickly, the AI suggested trying heavier weights.

Much of this was reminiscent of the Guide, but more refined. My biggest gripe with the Guide was that it never gave you tips on how to correct poor form — this does. And, if you can’t look at the screen while, say, planking, the machines will give audio tips instead. These specific features require Peloton machines with the new camera, and at launch there’ll be 2,000 compatible classes and 50 programs.

You can manually open or close the camera for privacy. It is needed, however, for the form feedback, rep tracking, and suggested weights features.

More generally, Peloton IQ also gives insights based on your workout history, class performance, and any third-party wearable history you give Peloton access to from Apple Health, Garmin Connect, or Fitbit. You can set a goal (e.g., get stronger, lose weight, etc.), and the AI will generate a weekly workout schedule across different exercise types, experience level, and workout durations and frequency. When browsing classes, it also lets you know whether a given class may be “harder than your usual” or give recommendations or modifications to your goals based on how you perform in a given week. There’s also the option for Peloton IQ to generate workouts outside of classes, so that users can have a more customized program at their own pace.

When I bring up the lackluster AI fitness features currently on the market, Caldwell tells me, “When I got to Peloton and I looked around, I said, ‘Hey, if we’re going to do AI, we’re going to hire an actual AI team.” He said that while ChatGPT and Llama are part of Peloton IQ’s makeup, the rest is trained on years of Peloton class data and input from the company’s stable of instructors. That, and he actually did hire an in-house AI team to create the product. He insists that the goal isn’t to simply regurgitate information users already know.

“It’s not just that we’re updating your plan and swapping in classes. We’re looking at your activity and trying to teach you something about yourself at the same time, the same way a trainer would.”

1/3Peloton IQ adds effort estimates to classes while you’re browsing the library.

I got to see demos of insights for a fictional Peloton user. To my surprise, they weren’t complete garbage. In one, it noted that the user had spent two weeks performing chest presses at the same weight and suggested they try adding weight or increasing reps in their next workout. Solid advice. On the same screen, it also noted that adding a mid-week 20-minute yoga workout would better prepare them for scheduled strength workouts. This is the sort of actionable insight fitness tech companies always promise when they tack on AI, but we’ll have to see how well Peloton IQ holds up outside of a controlled demo.

Rounding out the updates, Peloton says it’s investing more heavily into wellness via new third-party partnerships. One partnership is with the Hospital for Special Surgery, an orthopedic hospital, for a collection of workouts to help prevent injuries such as runner’s knee and tennis elbow. The company is also partnering with Halle Berry’s Respin — a wellness community centering around menopause and perimenopause — to create an eight-week program that encourages symptom relief from those conditions. Peloton has also acquired Breathwrk, a wellness app that specializes in breathing exercises, and will make the app’s content available to its members.

It’s hard to say whether this is enough for Peloton to put its woes behind it. On the one hand, Peloton fans are relentlessly loyal. Many of the upgrades are direct responses to fan requests. On the other, $6,695 is a bonkers price for an AI treadmill, even if it’s the Ferrari of connected fitness equipment. AI fitness and health features have also yet to fully impress. Regardless, one thing is clear: Peloton is back to betting big on itself — and on its hardware.

Photography by Victoria Song / The Verge

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PolarPro Peter McKinnon VND Edition II filter review
Product Reviews

PolarPro Peter McKinnon VND Edition II filter review

by admin October 2, 2025



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We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

PolarPro VND Filter Peter McKinnon Edition II: Two-minute review

The latest product of PolarPro’s ongoing collaboration with hugely popular videographer and YouTube creator Peter McKinnon, the VND Filter Peter McKinnon Edition II has become an interesting and valuable part of my camera setup over the past few weeks.

First, a quick explanation of what a ND filter does. One of the key principles of photography and videography is the so-called “exposure triangle” – the way that ISO, aperture and shutter speed interact to control the amount of light that hits an image sensor.

By adding a neutral-density (ND) filter – which reduces the amount of light coming in without affecting the color hue – to the equation, photographers gain one extra factor to influence how the camera behaves, and more control over shutter speed and aperture.

For photographers, the ability to reduce light means we can use longer shutter speeds than the lighting conditions would ordinarily allow. That means artfully blurred waterfalls, or night-time shots with streaking, laser-like car headlights. For videographers, control over shutter speed allows for motion blur and wide-open aperture shooting in brighter conditions.

The main selling point of the PolarPro VND Filter Peter McKinnon Edition II (also known as the PMVND II) is that it’s a variable ND filter. In other words, twisting the filter allows the photographer to select an ND value from anything between two and five stops, saving them the bother of having to add filters to and them filters from their lens. (PolarPro also sells a stronger 6-9 stop edition of the VND filter, plus mist-diffusion Black Mist versions of both).

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

  • PolarPro Peter McKinnon VND Edition II at Adorama for $199.99

Because my review sample sits at the weaker end of the range for ND filters, I found that it couldn’t stop enough light to get truly long exposures outdoors on a bright, sunny day. Even at its highest 5-stop setting, and with my camera at its lowest ISO setting, a shutter speed of anything longer than a second resulted in a blown-out, overexposed image. So, if you want to shoot multi-second daytime exposures on sunny days or in bright landscapes (like snowfields), you’ll want to have the 6-9 stop filter to hand. If you’re feeling flush, buying both filters provides a wide stopping range.

On more overcast days, at night or indoors, however, the two to five stop range feels very usable. Even during the day, it allowed me to set a wider aperture than I’d normally be able to use for video, resulting in a shallow depth of field with background bokeh while maintaining an ideal shutter speed (of roughly double my frame rate, as the rule of thumb suggests).

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The filter glass is extremely clear and neutral, although it does appear to add a very slight warm color cast when compared to shots with no filter attached. I couldn’t spot a single incidence of ghosting or chromatic aberration, however – two issues that can plague cheaper filters. And it doesn’t seem to affect the sharpness of images at all, which is what I would expect of a filter in this price range.

Today’s best PolarPro Peter McKinnon VND Edition II deals

I also encountered no vignetting when shooting with a wide-open aperture at my lens’ widest field of view (12mm on a Micro Four Thirds camera, equivalent to 24mm on a 35mm or full-frame camera). PolarPro claims the filter exhibits no vignetting right down to 16mm, but I wasn’t able to put that to the test myself.

I also noticed that a small amount of additional contrast could creep into shots as I moved up the ND stop range. That’s a side effect of the variable ND filter design, I think – VNDs require polarized glass to achieve their variable effect, and that will affect the final image slightly. If that’s a no-no for you, you’ll need to use regular, non-variable ND filters instead.

While performance is strong, build quality might be even better. I was sent a 67mm filter to review (it’s also available in 49mm, 77mm, 82mm and 95mm sizes), and used a step-up ring (also by PolarPro) to fit it to the 62mm thread on my Panasonic 12-60mm F2.8-4.0 lens. Both the filter and ring screwed on smoothly and securely, with no awkward threading.

Image 1 of 5

No filter attached(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)ND 2(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)ND 3(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)ND 4(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)ND 5 (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

The combined case and lens cap (known as the Defender 360) makes fitting even easier – and ensures greasy fingerprints stay well away from the filter glass. The cap features two parts, one metal (aluminum to be precise) and one rubber, with the rubber element gripping around the filter’s frame so that you can, with a twist, add or remove the filter from your lens. When not in use, the filter sits inside the rubber part while the metal screws back on over one side to keep it safe. It’s an ingenious piece of design.

The filter itself feels beautifully precision engineered. The machined ridges or knurls on the edge give your fingers plenty to grip onto, while the subtle ‘click’ expressed as each ND stop is reached is welcome (and useful) feedback. Of course, some users might prefer a completely smooth turn, particularly videographers who want to adjust the stopping value while rolling the camera. It’s something to note, but I personally found it a clever design touch.

And, while this is a subjective thing, I think the PMVND II looks really classy too, with its two-tone black and brass finish. It’s hydrophobic too, with water beading and running off the glass easily.

Overall, I’m hugely impressed by the quality of the PolarPro VND Filter Peter McKinnon Edition II. Yes, it’s expensive – but it’s also thoughtfully designed, impeccably constructed, and works exactly as a variable ND filter should. If you’re looking for an ND filter to expand your creative repertoire, this 4-in-1 champion should certainly be on your radar.

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

PolarPro VND Filter Peter McKinnon Edition II: Price and availability

The PolarPro VND Filter Peter McKinnon Edition II is available now worldwide, priced at around $150 / £150 / AU$260 for the 49mm size or around $250 / £240 / AU$450 for the 67mm, 77mm, 82mm and 92mm sizes.

The filter is available in two ND stop ranges: 2-5 (which I’m reviewing here) and 6-9, with both models additionally available in a Black Mist version designed to soften highlights for a different look.

These are high prices for ND filters, but I think the quality and adaptability of the PMVND II makes it well worth the price to the right buyer.

Should I buy the PolarPro Peter McKinnon VND Edition II filter?

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

How I tested the PolarPro Peter McKinnon VND Edition II filter

  • I used it for several weeks
  • I fitted it to a Panasonic Lumix GH6
  • I tested it for photo and video capture

I used a 67mm PMVND II on and off for several weeks in the late summer and early autumn on the English south coast, threading it to a 12-60mm zoom lens on my Panasonic Lumix GH6 via a 62mm-to-67mm step-up ring (also supplied by PolarPro). I recorded video and shot photos using all of the filter’s ND levels, and tested it in various weather and light conditions, from overcast drizzly evenings to blazingly sunlit mornings.

First reviewed October 2025

PolarPro Peter McKinnon VND Edition II: Price Comparison



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