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The new Google Home Speaker is built for Gemini
Product Reviews

The new Google Home Speaker is built for Gemini

by admin October 2, 2025


Google is finally launching a new smart speaker, and it’s a complete redesign. The new Google Home Speaker features a new flattened sphere shape, new colors, a new light ring, and lots of new AI-powered features.

Announced this week, along with a major Gemini-infused update to its Google Home smart home platform, the speaker will also run the new Gemini voice assistant instead of Google Assistant. It won’t be available until spring 2026, but I got an early look in New York City last week.

Ditching the Nest moniker of its predecessors — the Nest Mini and Nest Audio — the Google Home Speaker features an entirely new design. At $99.99, it’s larger than a Mini but smaller than the Audio, around the same size as a HomePod Mini, but wider and flatter. The speaker is launching in four colors: white, gray, green, and red. I was particularly taken with the berry red color, which is bright and bold — a far cry from the muddy orange of the Nest Mini.

Featuring 360-degree audio, the speaker is catching up to competitors’ offerings from Apple and Amazon sound-wise. I heard it pumping out Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” with clear vocals, nice mids, and some decent bass. You can pair two for stereo sound and connect them wirelessly to a Google TV Streamer for TV surround sound — although I didn’t get to demo this.

Gemini is the primary interface for the speaker, and it has been significantly upgraded from Google Assistant.

Google says the speaker was “designed from the ground up” to support Gemini for Home, Google’s new smart home platform that puts AI front and center. It will be powered by Google’s new voice assistant, Gemini, and also support Gemini Live, a paid version that offers a more conversational AI chatbot experience. It’s also a Google Home hub, a Matter Controller, and a Thread border router, allowing it to connect and control smart home devices in Google Home.

Google Home’s Anish Kattukaran tells me the speaker features custom processing for Gemini and optimized far-field microphones. Also new is a light ring, another feature that Apple and Amazon’s smart speakers also have. Situated at the bottom of the device, the ring changes colors to indicate when Gemini is listening, thinking, or responding.

The new smart speaker comes in four colors and will launch next Spring in the US, Canada, UK, and several other countries.

The new speaker is about the same size as a HomePod Mini.

I saw several demos of the new speaker responding both as Gemini and Gemini Live. The latter requires you to say “hey Google, let’s chat,” to invoke it, whereas the former still responds to “hey Google” (and only “hey Google”). Gemini is the primary interface for the speaker, and it has been significantly upgraded from Google Assistant.

I wasn’t able to make requests myself as the speakers are voice-matched (it can work with up to six people in a home, as well as guests). I watched the tester ask what to substitute for vanilla in a cookie recipe and heard Gemini offer several usable suggestions. It was then asked to create a shopping list with ingredients for an authentic pad thai, which it proceeded to do.

I’ve written more about the capabilities of Gemini here, but my takeaway from these (very on the rails) demos is that the voice assistant appears to be more conversational, able to understand natural language, and has more access to real-time information, all of which should make it more useful. However, I won’t know for sure until I can test it myself.

I’m most excited to try out this natural language control interface with smart home devices, something I’ve enjoyed using with Alexa Plus, Amazon’s LLM-powered upgrade to its voice assistant. Kattukaran tells me that with Gemini, you don’t have to use precise nomenclature to get devices to operate, can string together multiple commands without specific names (so “make it warmer” instead of “turn the thermostat to 68 degrees”), and can use exceptions (“turn all the lights off except those in the bedroom.”)

The jade color is a fetching green.

The white has a clean look.

There’s a physical mute button at the back of the speaker to mute the microphone.

The demos I saw with Gemini Live seemed more limited in a home context. The Live assistant doesn’t require repeating the wake words, making the back and forth more natural, but the interactions were no different from those you can have with the Gemini Live chatbot on your phone or computer; there’s nothing particular to the home here.

The tester asked Gemini to help him create a recipe using eggs, spinach, feta, and bread. It started to respond, then he interrupted it and asked it to make the dish keto. He then interrupted again, asking it to be kid-friendly. The chatbot was able to understand interruptions and easily pivot based on the new instructions.

Gemini Live can’t take any actions, so it is purely a chatbot in a speaker.

However, it couldn’t pull up a recipe on the screen of the Nest Hub Max, which they were also demoing the experience on, or even send it to your phone. Gemini Live can’t take any actions, so it is purely a chatbot in a speaker.

Kattukaran says that having access to Live in the smart speaker is “like having 1000 experts on your countertop or your bedside table or in the living room.” My counter to that is so is my smartphone. However, Google’s long-term plan is to bring everything you can do with Gemini today to Gemini Live. “That’s the world we’re building towards,” he says. That’s when things could start to get really interesting.

Photos by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

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October 2, 2025 0 comments
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CEO of EA, home to studios like Maxis and Bioware, claims company's values will "remain unchanged" following sale to Saudi government, investment firms
Game Reviews

CEO of EA, home to studios like Maxis and Bioware, claims company’s values will “remain unchanged” following sale to Saudi government, investment firms

by admin September 29, 2025


Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson has stated that the company’s values will remain unchanged following a $50bn buyout from the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake, and Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners.

In a statement posted to the Electronic Arts website and titled “Exciting News About Our Future”, Wilson attempted to reassure staff at EA that the future was bright for EA in the wake of the buyout.

He said: “This moment is a recognition of your creativity, your innovation, and your passion. You have built some of the world’s most iconic IP, created stories that have inspired global communities, and helped shape culture through interactive experiences. Everything we have achieved – and everything that lies ahead – is because of you.

Watch the Battlefield 6 multiplayer trailer here.Watch on YouTube

“We are entering a new era of opportunity. This is one of the largest and most significant investments ever made in the entertainment industry. Our new partners bring deep experience across sports, gaming, and entertainment. They are committed with conviction to EA – they believe in our people, our leadership, and the long-term vision we are now building together.

“Our mission at EA to – Inspire The World To Play – continues to guide everything we do. Our values and our commitment to players and fans around the world remain unchanged. With continued rigor and operational excellence, we can amplify the creativity of our teams, accelerate innovation, and pursue transformative opportunities that position EA to lead the future of entertainment. Together, we’ll create experiences that are bold, expressive, and deeply connected to inspire generations of players around the world.”

These values are of particular note. Among EA’s developers stand both Bioware and Maxis Studios, creators of Mass Effect and The Sims respectively. These series are not only popular, but quite outwardly LGBT-positive, featuring same-sex relationships. One of the new private owners – the Saudi Arabian government – continues to keep same-sex relationships illegal.

It’s worth noting that SNK, following its acquisition by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, attempted to reassure the world that its creative input would not be changed as a result. SNK’s next game Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves would then feature Cristiano Ronaldo and Salvatore Ganacci – celebrities that featured heavily in Saudi Arabian events.

The statement from Andrew Wilson continues: “I am excited to continue as CEO, working alongside our leadership team to advance our strategy. United by our vision, we will deliver experiences that transcend platforms and empower players everywhere to create worlds, characters, and stories that are bold, interactive, and deeply connected.”



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September 29, 2025 0 comments
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This Wireless Tech Could Fix the Most Annoying Thing About Using Wireless Earbuds at Home
Gaming Gear

This Wireless Tech Could Fix the Most Annoying Thing About Using Wireless Earbuds at Home

by admin September 28, 2025



Your phone is usually attached to your hip (in terms of the recent iPhone 17’s Crossbody Strap, I mean that literally). But in the comfort of your own home when you’re trying to unwind and escape your phone with your favorite music, needing to stay in Bluetooth range for your headphones and wireless earbuds can be a little annoying. Qualcomm’s audio engineers are trying to solve that issue by seamlessly switching to Wi-Fi if you travel away from your audio source. Sure, that sounds neat, but the tech implies a future where you won’t even need any other device nearby to listen to your favorite tunes on your AirPods.

I can already hear the whining in the comments. The problem this feature hopes to fix is a very niche use case, but it’s one that could end up in many next-gen wireless earbuds in the near future. I tested out this feature at Snapdragon Summer in Hawaii (full disclosure: travel and lodging were paid by Qualcomm, and Gizmodo did not guarantee any coverage as a condition of accepting the trip), dubbed XPAN for “Expanded Personal Area Network,” with a pair of nonspecific reference wireless earbuds used by Qualcomm. With the feature enabled, the buds work with the phone to detect if the device is in Bluetooth range. If you start walking away, they will automatically switch over to Wi-Fi.

© Kyle Barr / Gizmodo

In many ways, the tech is far more interesting than the end result. The wireless earbuds contained a Wi-Fi antenna, though neither the case nor the buds looked much different from what I’ve used in the past. I walked 30 feet away from the phone and back, and I didn’t notice any interruptions in the song playing. The phone showed how it was swapping from a P2P (peer-to-peer) connection through various other connection types. A Bluetooth 5.3 connection range is technically close to 33 feet. While that means you won’t lose connection walking from one end of the room to the other, intervening walls or—in my case—a crowd of bodies could interrupt that signal. XPAN merely expands the range to encompass everywhere there’s a Wi-Fi signal.

Although wireless earbuds with the technology will be limited to local Wi-Fi, the technology could potentially allow you to listen to your device from “anywhere in the world” through a Wi-Fi access point. Dino Bekis, Qualcomm’s general manager of connectivity, told me in a Q&A that there’s no issue with latency on a Wi-Fi connection compared to Bluetooth. Modern wireless earbuds are already so damn good at cutting down on latency even when streaming high-bitrate lossless audio. Wi-Fi networks should be able to handle the 96kHz speeds necessary for lossless. It shouldn’t matter if you’re still using Wi-Fi 6 or the modern Wi-Fi 7 standard, either.

“Today, with XPAN, it’s 96kHz 24-bit, but we see that evolving to 192kHz to be truly lossless,” Bekis said.

Qualcomm has talked up Wi-Fi audio connections for the past two years with its previous-gen S7 and S7 Pro platforms. The first wireless earbuds with XPAN built in were the Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro released earlier this year. They support the 96kHz standard, though Bekis promised we should see more wireless earbuds soon enough with current or future S7 chips. Audiophiles would still extol the benefits of lossless and minimum latency. Regular folk who just want to listen to their tunes simply care that they need to be within close range of their paired music source. Still, the feature may end up being more useful for taking calls with your wireless earbuds than for listening to music.

Inevitably, it seems our wireless earbuds will become as connected as our phones are today. What that means for music listeners is a future where we connect to Spotify or Apple Music right from our wireless earbuds’ or headphones’ case, rather than needing to go through a phone. I don’t think we’ll need to wait long to see more wireless earbuds cases with screens used to control music. Hell, if you were longing for a device as dedicated to music as your old iPod, a Wi-Fi-enabled pair of wireless earbuds could fit the bill. You’ll still have to pay your tithe to your favorite music streaming app, of course.



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September 28, 2025 0 comments
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Ultrahuman Home Review: Overpriced and Underbaked
Gaming Gear

Ultrahuman Home Review: Overpriced and Underbaked

by admin September 28, 2025


The Ultrahuman Home is a futuristic-looking home environment monitor that tracks air quality, light, sound, and temperature. All this data flows into the Ultrahuman app on your phone, offering potential insights into your environment and suggestions on how you could make it healthier. Sadly, this mostly amounts to reminders to crack a window open, because most of the touted features are not yet present and correct, despite the rather hefty $550 price.

Ultrahuman made its name with a subscription-free smart ring that made biohacking more affordable (though it may soon be banned in the US due to a lawsuit from Oura). The Home monitor may seem like a strange sidestep, but if you’re going to hack your body, why not your environment? After all, we know air quality, light and sound exposure, and temperature and humidity can impact our sleep and general health.

Setup and Tracking

Photograph: Simon Hill

Taking a leaf from Apple’s playbook, the Ultrahuman Home is a 4.7-inch anodized aluminum block with rounded corners (it looks like a Mac Mini). There’s an Ultrahuman logo and light sensor on top, a power button and LED on the front, and a USB-C port on the back flanked by privacy switches to turn off the microphone or connectivity (Wi-Fi and Bluetooth).

Setup is super simple: Plug it in and add it via the Ultrahuman app. The Home gets its own tab at the bottom of the Ultrahuman app, alongside the ring, and if you tap on it, you’ll get a score out of 100, indicating how healthy your environment is. Scroll down for a breakdown of the four scores that combine to create your overall Home score (air quality, environmental comfort, light exposure, and UV exposure).

Ultrahuman via Simon Hill

Ultrahuman via Simon Hill

To compile all this data, the Ultrahuman Home is packed with sensors:

  • Air quality sensors to track things like volatile organic compounds (VOCs), typically released by cleaning fluids, and carbon dioxide levels (CO₂) that might indicate poor ventilation. They also watch out for formaldehyde (HCHO), carbon monoxide (CO), and smoke.
  • Particulate matter sensors to track tiny particles in the air, including things like dust, pollen, mold spores, and particles released by cooking. Covering PM1.0, PM2.5, and PM10 (the number refers to the size in microns), the Home warns if you’re in danger of breathing these particles in.
  • Temperature and humidity sensors to track how warm or cool it is and how much moisture is in the air. You get a chart of the temperature in your environment and the humidity level.
  • Light sensors to track the level of light and also its makeup, including the amount of blue light and ultraviolet (UV) exposure.
  • Microphones to track the noise levels in your environment, showing noise in decibels in a chart.

Ultrahuman via Simon Hill

The data is all easy to access and read in the app. You get notifications throughout the day, including alerts if VOC levels spike or there’s prolonged noise. I set the Home up in my office for a few weeks and then tried it for another couple of weeks in my bedroom, after I moved houses. This raises the issue of where to put it, because it must be plugged in and isn’t really designed to be moved around. The bedroom seems like the best bet, but you ideally want both, though I can’t imagine springing for two or more of these to cover all your bases.

Oversensitive and Alarming

Photograph: Simon Hill

The idea of combining body and environment tracking data seems smart, but the Ultrahuman Home doesn’t really do it yet. The touted UltraSync with the Ultrahuman Ring Air is limited to basic common sense advice for now. I don’t think anyone really needs a box to tell them they will sleep better in the dark and quiet, and the air quality advice mostly amounts to opening a window for better ventilation.



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September 28, 2025 0 comments
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Xbox's new ROG Ally handheld now available to pre-order, but it's pricier than a home console
Game Reviews

Xbox’s new ROG Ally handheld now available to pre-order, but it’s pricier than a home console

by admin September 26, 2025


Microsoft has finally revealed the price of its ROG Xbox Ally handheld, and it’s more expensive than an Xbox Series X.

Launching globally on 16th October, the handheld (much like its home console siblings) comes in two flavours:

  • ROG Xbox Ally X (£799) – comes with 24GB RAM and 1TB storage
  • ROG Xbox Ally (£499) – comes with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage

ROG Xbox Ally Pre-Order TrailerWatch on YouTube

For comparison, an Xbox Series X currently costs £499.99 for its disc drive edition with 1TB of storage. The all-digital Series S costs £299.99 for its 512GB edition.

The ROG Xbox Ally is in direct competition with Valve’s Steam Deck, offering a handheld device that merges Xbox and PC capabilities.

While its user interface is inspired by the Xbox console, it has controller-like grips, and there’s a dedicated Xbox button offering a Game Bar overlay, the device also offers an aggregated gaming library across Xbox and other leading PC stores like Steam.

It also offers both Cloud Play to stream your games, and Remote Play to play games from your console.

Microsoft even offers a Handheld Compatibility Programme to indicate which games play well on handheld, just like Valve’s Steam Deck Verified system.

Full details can be found on Xbox Wire.

For further comparison, Valve’s Steam Deck costs £479.99 for its 512GB OLED model and £569.00 for its 1TB OLED model. The Ally isn’t OLED, but then neither is the Switch 2 and that has a gorgeous screen.

The handheld’s release is all part of Xbox’s Play Anywhere campaign, allowing players access to its games wherever they are and across a range of devices.

There’s no denying, though, that this comes at a hefty cost.



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September 26, 2025 0 comments
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Home Depot Promo Codes: 10% Off | September 2025
Gaming Gear

Home Depot Promo Codes: 10% Off | September 2025

by admin September 26, 2025


The company pretty much invented the hardware superstore when it began in 1978, just by being so big. They inflated the neighborhood tool shop into a whole city of lumber, hammers, caulk, power saws, and big rolls of wire. I would know I’m in a Home Depot blindfolded, because of a distinct quality to the air—crisp and particulate, smelling like wood dust and paint and the oiled metal of power tools. The Home Depot smell is buried deep in my childhood, filed somewhere between “building a deck” and “first day of spring.” Anyway, the Home Depot website is just as big. And while it doesn’t smell like sawdust, it’s easier to find stuff. And as it turns out, the hardware giant also goes hard on discounts, slashing grills and garden and outdoor power tools by up to 50%, not to mention smokers like the new Traieger Woodridge (8/10, WIRED Recommends) also sold at Home Depot. Our roundup includes Home Depot promo codes, new customer coupons, free shipping offers, and Pro rewards to drop prices by as much as 60% when you buy online.

Check out WIRED’s recommendations in our guide to the Best Grills to Up Your Cookout Game. Power tools and hand tools are also discounted, as are garden flowers. Nervous about planting? WIRED has some advice for first time gardeners.

Get 10% Off With Home Depot Promo Codes and Coupons

Autumn is in the air, which means falling leaves and everyone’s favorite spooky holiday. Home Depot is the perfect place for a myriad of needs as the seasons change, including leaf blowers and Home Depot’s iconic Halloween decor collection that just launched, including outdoor and yard decor (which includes free delivery). WIRED writer Nena Farrell reviewed Home Depot’s iconic giant Halloween skeleton a few months ago.

If you register for Home Depot’s Style and Decor newsletter, you get a special code for 10 percent off on furniture and home accents. Or if you sign up for the Home Depot coupon newsletter, you get an immediate $5 off the next in-store purchase of $50 or more. Another easy way to get 5% off at Home Depot is to set up a subscription for your go to products and automatically get 5% off and free delivery on your order.

Get 40% Off With Home Depot Deal of the Day Coupons

Home Depot coupons of the moment include whopper deals like 15% off storage solutions, 35% off washers and dryers, and $2,000 off LG kitchen appliances when you buy 2 or more. , Explore more deals on kitchen and other furniture too, by checking out the deals of the moment here. Like we’ve stated, there are so many ways to save at Home Depot, even when you’re shopping online. Special Buy of the Days include steep price drops on certain products or entire brands—but the significant price drops only last for 24 hours. The deals are usually seasonal, so recently they’ve highlighted outdoor patio essentials and seasonal outdoor tools. You can get up to 30% off outdoor essentials, like wicker patio furniture and sectionals from Bella Gray, Sun-Ray umbrellas, and Patio Premier chairs to stay outside for as long as you can this fall.

Deals include smart home items WIRED has covered extensively, like Nest learning thermostats (9/10, WIRED Recommends). Need advice on setting up a smart home? WIRED has your back. Not only do Deals of the Days (and over 1 million products) qualify for free shipping, but you can also get free delivery to your local Home Depot store or straight to your door with online orders over $45.

Save 20% With Home Depot Pro Xtra Discounts

Home Depot also offers a loyalty program called Pro Xtra for frequent flyers, whether you’re a contractor or just undergoing a serious remodel this year. This means exclusive prices up to 20% off, 10% discounts on bulk buys, a rewards point system, and occasional $50 off $250 coupons too. Painting the house? The program also nets you 10 to 20 percent off paint and primers. Pro Xtra offers multiple tiers, from basic membership to Elite and VIP.

Special Buys of the Week are bargains that are worth checking out, and pros can get discounts with the Pro Special Buy of the Week—and that’s on top of exclusive discounts and everyday discounted pricing on items. Hot offers this week include: free tools or batteries with your purchase of tools from Milwaukee, RYOBI, and more premium brands, plus 20% off flooring. Also grab 40% off bathroom products like Kohler showers, tubs, vanities, faucets, tubs, and toilets, including luxury upgrades like Horow smart toilets and bidets.

Get 10% Off With the Home Depot Military Discount

Home Depot has long maintained a program offering discounts to active service members, veterans, and their spouses, offering 10 percent off all eligible purchases. You’ll need to register to verify your military status through SheerID, and from then on you can just scan your virtual ID or enter your phone number at checkout, same way you do at the grocery store. Note that military discounts are limited to $400 each calendar year, and this resets each year. Some commodity products are excluded, including lumber, wire, and building materials. Appliances are also out in the cold, but military families may still find special deals or tax-free shopping through Home Depot’s Military Exchange Program.



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September 26, 2025 0 comments
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Cal Raleigh hits 59th, 60th home runs as Mariners clinch AL West
Esports

Cal Raleigh hits 59th, 60th home runs as Mariners clinch AL West

by admin September 25, 2025



Sep 24, 2025, 11:21 PM ET

SEATTLE — Cal Raleigh hit his MLB-leading 59th and 60th home runs Wednesday night as the Seattle Mariners clinched the AL West with a 9-2 win over the Colorado Rockies.

His 59th was a solo shot in the first inning and his 60th was another solo homer in the eighth.

The Mariners, the lone big league team that has never been to a World Series, clinched the fourth division crown in the franchise’s 49-year history and the first since 2001, when they set an AL record with 116 wins.

“To do it in this fashion, on this night, in front of these fans, mom and dad, obviously, was really cool,” Raleigh said.

He added: “It’s 20-plus years since we’ve done something like this, and it’s special. It’s special to this group, to this organization, to the city.”

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Raleigh, batting left-handed, connected off Tanner Gordon in the first inning for a blast to right field that reached the top deck at T-Mobile Park. In the eighth inning, Raleigh, batting left-handed again, connected off Angel Chivilli.

Raleigh has 11 multi-homer games this season, tied with Aaron Judge (2022), Hank Greenberg (1938) and Sammy Sosa for the MLB record.

With four games remaining in the Mariners’ regular season, Raleigh has a chance to pass New York Yankees star Judge for the American League single-season home run record. Judge hit 62 home runs in 2022 to break the previous record set by Roger Maris, which had stood since 1961.

Raleigh’s latest homers came just four days after he passed Ken Griffey Jr. for the franchise’s single-season home run record with his 57th homer. Griffey hit 56 in 1997 and 1998.

Raleigh also has surpassed Mickey Mantle’s previous MLB record of 54 home runs by a switch-hitter that had stood since 1961. He set the MLB record for homers by a catcher this season, eclipsing the 48 hit by Salvador Perez in 2021.

Raleigh is four home runs ahead of Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber and seven home runs ahead of Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.



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September 25, 2025 0 comments
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60 home runs! Breakdown of Cal Raleigh's historic 2025 season
Esports

60 home runs! Breakdown of Cal Raleigh’s historic 2025 season

by admin September 25, 2025


  • David SchoenfieldSep 25, 2025, 12:02 AM ET

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    • Covers MLB for ESPN.com
    • Former deputy editor of Page 2
    • Been with ESPN.com since 1995

The list of MLB players who never hit 60 home runs in a single season includes many of the game’s all-time greatest sluggers: Willie Mays, Albert Pujols, Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez, Jim Thome and Jimmie Foxx. Heck, Henry Aaron never hit 50. Neither did Frank Robinson or Reggie Jackson or Lou Gehrig or countless other inner-circle Hall of Famers.

But Cal Raleigh, the quiet, humble catcher for the Seattle Mariners, is now part of one of baseball’s most exclusive clubs: 60 home runs in one season. It is an unfathomable, improbable, astonishing performance. It is baseball at its most fun: the unexpected. He has given Mariners fans — all fans, really — something to root for on a nightly basis.

He joins a club that includes Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Aaron Judge, Roger Maris and Babe Ruth — three New York Yankees and three players with tainted legacies. Raleigh most obviously resembles Maris, the quiet, shy slugger from North Dakota who recoiled at all the attention he received from the press when he chased down Ruth’s record in 1961 and finished with 61 home runs.

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Maris, however, was at least the reigning AL MVP entering the 1961 season. Raleigh, on the other hand, had never been an All-Star before 2025. When he recently hit his 55th and 56th home runs in the same game to break Mickey Mantle’s single-season record for home runs by a switch-hitter and tie Griffey’s franchise record, he seemed almost embarrassed to discuss the achievement.

“I feel like my name shouldn’t be in the same sentence as those guys, Mickey Mantle and Ken Griffey Jr.,” Raleigh said. “I don’t really have words for it. I don’t really know what to say. I’m sure one day it will set in, but for now it’s just ‘keep it going.'”

He has kept it going — all the way to the 60-home-run mark (in another double-homer performance, naturally). With his 60th blast of the season now in the books, let’s look back at each month of his remarkable 2025 campaign.

March/April

Number of home runs: 10

Longest home run: 422 feet in Cincinnati off Emilio Pagan (April 17)

Most clutch home run: Two-run blast off the Texas Rangers’ Chris Martin in the bottom of the eighth to give the Mariners a 5-3 victory (April 11)

Raleigh didn’t begin the season giving any indication he was about to embark upon a record-setting campaign. In his first 13 games, he hit .184 with two home runs and just three RBIs. Indeed, the biggest news surrounding Raleigh at this point was the Mariners’ announcement the day before the regular season began that they had signed him to a six-year, $105 million extension that began with the 2025 season and runs through 2030, with a player vesting option for 2031. Interestingly, Raleigh had switched agents in the offseason, changing from Scott Boras to Excel Sports Management. Boras, of course, has a reputation for pushing his clients to free agency — and, certainly now, Raleigh’s deal looks like a relative bargain for the Mariners.

But the home run off Martin on April 11 got Raleigh going on a hot streak. He homered six times in six games and eight times the rest of the month. The home run off Pagan was another big one: That led off the top of the ninth and Randy Arozarena followed with another home run to tie the game, which the Mariners won in 10 innings.

We didn’t know it at the time, but the chase for 60 was on.

May

Number of home runs: 12

Longest home run: 432 feet in Texas off Jack Leiter (May 2)

Most clutch home run: Two-out, two-run HR off the Houston Astros’ Bryan Abreu in the seventh inning to turn a 3-3 tie into a 5-3 victory (May 23)

Cal Raleigh sets new catcher HR record

The Mariners slugger made long ball history with his 49th blast of 2025. Here’s how his year stacks up with other shocking breakouts. David Schoenfield »

In the Mariners’ first game of May, Raleigh homered twice off Leiter: The first one was his longest blast of the month, off a first-pitch slider. The second was a grand slam, off a 2-2 curveball — the first of his three grand slams in 2025. Raleigh then hit a little lull, going homerless for eight games, but then really got hot, hitting .313 with 10 home runs over his final 18 games in May, including two more two-homer games, against the Washington Nationals on May 27 and the Minnesota Twins on May 30. The game against the Twins pushed his OPS over 1.000, and while it was still just a third of the way through the season, MVP talk began percolating.

June

Number of home runs: 11

Longest home run: 440 feet at Wrigley Field off Colin Rea (June 22)

Most clutch home run: Two-run shot off the Chicago Cubs’ Caleb Thielbar with two outs in the seventh inning to give the Mariners a 6-4 lead (June 20)

Raleigh began June with a home run, homered again on June 5, homered twice on June 7, went seven games without a home run and then blasted six over another six-game stretch, including a two-homer game against the Cubs on June 20. From May 16 to June 23, Raleigh had his hottest stretch of the season, hitting .313/.401/.794 with 19 home runs and 40 RBIs in 34 games.

The key to his success:

  1. He improved dramatically against left-handers this season: He has 22 home runs and a 1.030 OPS from the right side of the plate compared to 13 and a .696 OPS in 2024.

  2. He’s really good at pulling fly balls.

The latter skill has allowed Raleigh to punch his ticket to 60, even if he doesn’t hit his home runs quite as far as the season’s other big sluggers — Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Schwarber and Judge. Here’s a breakdown of each player’s home runs in 2025, with Raleigh lagging behind the others in home runs of both 400-plus feet and 425-plus feet:

As you can see, however, Raleigh’s ability to pull the ball more often means his rate of home runs to fly balls remains extraordinarily high, just like the other three.

July

Number of home runs: 9

Longest home run: 440 feet in Seattle off the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Bailey Falter (July 4)

Most clutch home run: A solo homer off the Milwaukee Brewers’ Nick Mears in the sixth inning — the only run in a 1-0 victory (July 22)

The season of Cal continued in July. He hit a second homer off Falter on July 4 and added another two-homer game against the Tigers just before the All-Star break, which he entered hitting .259/.377/.634 with 38 home runs in 94 games. The Mariners had played 96 games at the break, so that put Raleigh on a 64-homer pace and made him the talk of baseball at the Home Run Derby.

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Which, of course, he won, becoming the first catcher to win the Derby and doing it with his dad Todd Sr. pitching and his 15-year-old brother Todd Jr. doing the catching. In one of the season’s most charming moments, a video of an 8-year-old Cal singing, “I’m the Home Run Derby champ! I’m the man, I’m the man, oh yeah, oh yeah” went viral leading up to the contest.

“That video is crazy,” the always understated Raleigh said from Truist Park in Atlanta. “I mean, I don’t know where they found that thing in the archives. Yeah, just kind of surreal. You don’t think you’re going to win it. You don’t think you’ll ever get invited. Then you get invited. The fact that you win it with your family, super special. Just what a night.”

August

Number of home runs: 8

Longest home run: 448 feet in Seattle off the Athletics’ Jacob Lopez (Aug. 24)

Most clutch home run: Three-run HR off the Tampa Bay Rays’ Griffin Jax with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, turning a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 win (Aug. 8)

Raleigh continued a slump at the plate this month. After hitting .304 in May and .300 in June, he hit .194 in July and .173 in August, although the home runs kept coming at a steady pace. His most clutch home run of the season came at home against the Rays. Facing tough right-handed reliever Jax with runners at first and second, Raleigh got ahead in the count with two balls. Jax could have just pitched around him with two outs but threw a sweeper at the bottom of the strike zone — not a terrible pitch but not quite on the outside corner where Jax wanted it — and Raleigh crushed it 417 feet over the center-field wall.

Along the way, he hit his 49th home run to break Salvador Perez’s record set in 2021 for most home runs by a primary catcher. That was part of a two-homer game in which he hit Nos. 48 and 49, and the next day he hit No. 50. He finished the month with a five-game homerless stretch, however, so entered September with 50 home runs in the 137 games the Mariners had played up to that point, which left him on a 59-homer pace.

September

Number of home runs: 10

Longest home run: 426 feet in Atlanta off Rolddy Munoz (Sept. 7)

Most clutch home run: First-inning two-run shot off the Los Angeles Angels’ Kyle Hendricks (Sept. 14)

Raleigh hit just one home in the first four games of September, which meant he’d hit just one home run in a nine-game stretch — a period in which the Mariners had gone 2-7 and were barely hanging on to the third wild-card spot by a half-game over the Texas Rangers with three other teams within 2½ games. Raleigh would hit two garbage-time home runs against the Atlanta Braves on the road: a ninth-inning shot in a 10-2 win and then the ninth-inning three-run blast off Munoz in an 18-2 victory.

Suddenly, Raleigh’s chase for 60 and the Mariners’ pursuit of a division title were back on. Starting Sept. 7, the Mariners won 14 of 15 games heading into Tuesday’s series against the Colorado Rockies, as Raleigh hit .286/.437/.714 with seven home runs. He had his 10th two-homer game of the season against the Kansas City Royals to pass Mantle’s switch-hitting record and tie Griffey’s club record (he broke Griffey’s record with a blast against the Astros on Saturday). With his 11th — which came Wednesday night, sending Raleigh to the 60-mark, he tied Hank Greenberg (1938), Sosa (1998) and Judge (2022) for the record for two-homer games in one season.

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I don’t know if 8-year-old Cal Raleigh ever envisioned something like this happening, but here’s the thing that has endeared Raleigh to Mariners fans and made him one of the most popular players in franchise history: He’ll be much happier about the Mariners winning their first division title since 2001 on Wednesday than hitting his 60th home run.



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September 25, 2025 0 comments
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Diminish Distractions by Setting Your iPhone to Gray Scale When You're Home
Product Reviews

Diminish Distractions by Setting Your iPhone to Gray Scale When You’re Home

by admin September 22, 2025


Phones are undeniably useful when you’re out and about in the world. Directions, photos, music, messaging the people you’re meeting up with, or even just scrolling while you’re waiting for the bus—it’s all great.

The problem with phones, in my opinion, is when you’re at home. Home is the place where you might rather spend your time reading a book, practicing an instrument, or messing around in the garden. But everything is hard, almost impossible, when your phone is so freaking interesting.

That’s why it’s important to make your phone boring on purpose. Whenever we talk about how to break your smartphone addiction, a trick that’s commonly cited is to set your phone to gray scale. The problem: making your phone black and white and gray all the time makes it less useful during the times you actually need it.

That’s why I set up an automation that sets my phone to gray scale when I arrive at home and turns it back to color when I leave my house. This gives me the best of both worlds: a fully functional phone on the road and a less distracting one at home. Even better, because I’m using Apple Shortcuts to do this, I don’t need to buy or install any apps. I don’t even need to tap a button to make it work.

Here’s how you can set this up. And yes, because these tools are specific to iOS, you’ll need an iPhone.

Step 1: Make 2 Shortcuts

To get started, open the Shortcuts app on your iPhone. We’re going to make two shortcuts, one for when you get home and one for when you leave home. Name both appropriately.

Courtesy of Justin Pot

For the first shortcut, which will trigger when you get home, search for the action Set Color Filters. Add it and make sure that the shortcut is set to turn color filters On. This will filter out onscreen colors and turn your display gray scale. For the other shortcut make sure it will turn color filters Off. You should now have two shortcuts.

Step 2: Set Up the Automation

From the main screen of the Shortcuts app, tap Automations in the bottom toolbar. We are going to set up two automations: one for when you leave home and another for when you get home.

Courtesy of Justin Pot



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Making cappuccino with Terra Kaffe TK-02
Product Reviews

Terra Kaffe TK-02 brings the high-end coffee shop to your home

by admin September 21, 2025



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Terra Kaffe TK-02: two-minute review

Who knew excellent coffee could be so easy? Fill up the water tank and pour your bag of whole coffee beans into the hopper. If you like milk-based drinks, put your milk of choice into the milk carafe and attach it to the machine. The Terra Kaffe TK-02 will craft your favorite drink that rivals your local coffee shop with just a tap.

Choose from a limited menu on the Terra Kaffe TK-02’s screen, or select from a longer list in the app. Create custom beverages to suit your personal taste. You can also teach (Amazon assistant) Alexa to brew your drink of choice on your voice command.

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

While it’s certainly not perfect, this is the be-all, end-all coffee maker that replaces the two Nespresso machines, drip coffee machine, and coffee grinder I had in my coffee nook. The Terra Kaffe TK-02 is an expensive machine, though one could argue that if this gets you to eliminate your daily coffee shop runs it could pay for itself in a couple of years or less. The footprint is pretty large, though not nearly as big as the four machines it replaces for me. And like any coffee machine, it does require regular cleaning and maintenance, though none of it is difficult.

The bottom line is this: I’ve tested a lot of coffee machines in my personal and professional life, but I have never made better-tasting coffee and espresso drinks more quickly and easily than I have with the Terra Kaffe TK-02.

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

Terra Kaffe TK-02: price and availability

  • Available at Terra Kaffe and several high-end online and brick-and-mortar retailers
  • Retails for $1,995 (£1,461 / AU$2,991)
  • Terra Kaffe has a rental program

You can purchase the Terra Kaffe TK-02 directly from Terra Kaffe’s website, where it retails for $1,995 (£1,461 / AU$2,991). Currently, there is a $300 discount offer if you pair the machine with a coffee subscription. You can also rent the machine from Terra Kaffe for $119 per month.

Other places you can purchase the machine include high-end retailers like Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, CB2, and Seattle Coffee Gear. The Terra Kaffe TK-02 is available in two colors: black and white.

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

Terra Kaffe TK-02: specs

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Name

Terra Kaffe TK-02

Type

Automatic

Dimensions (D x W x H)

17.5” (D) x 10.4” (W) x 14.3” (H) / 44.45 cm (D) x 26.42 cm (W) x 36.32 cm (H)

Weight

29.5 lbs / 13.38 kg

Water reservoir capacity

75 fl oz / 2.22 liters

Milk frother

Yes

Bars of pressure

9

Terra Kaffe TK-02: design

  • Modern, sleek design
  • Everything you need except coffee and cups included
  • So easy to use

The Terra Kaffe TK-02 is sleek and modern, basically a giant rectangular cube with a drip tray sticking out the front. It’s not immediately identifiable as a coffee machine, on looks alone. I tested the white model, but it also comes in black. I’d recommend the black version if you don’t have a strong preference, since white shows the coffee spatters. The touchscreen on the top left front of the machine comes awake when you tap it.

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(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

The Terra Kaffe TK-02 is pretty big and heavy, at 17.5” (D) x 10.4” (W) x 14.3” (H) / 44.45 cm (D) x 26.42 cm (W) x 36.32 cm (H) and weighing in at 29.5 lbs / 13.38 kg. Still, it easily fits into my coffee nook with plenty of room to spare. And it takes up a lot less room than the four machines I had in there previously. My husband likes to use his own beans, so his coffee grinder and drip machine, plus my two pod machines (both coffee and espresso) were previously filling up that entire nook. The Terra Kaffe TK-02 eliminates the need for all the other machines.

It comes with a milk carafe that hooks up to the Terra Kaffe TK-02 to make lattes and other milk drinks, a wooden spoon for measuring ground coffee, a water filter, cleaning solution, and descaling solution.

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

There are two coffee compartments on top. The main hopper holds up to 16 ounces (a typical bag) of whole bean coffee. A smaller, secondary compartment is for pre-ground coffee. If you use this option, add just one scoop of ground coffee and select the pre-ground coffee option from the brewing menu. Note that Terra Kaffe does not recommend using oily or flavored coffee beans.

A dial on the right side of the machine adjust the amount of steam you get in your milk. Dial it to the top to just heat your milk, or dial it to the bottom marker to froth.

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

The water tank sits behind a door on the front of the machine. As with all maintenance, the Terra Kaffe TK-02 will alert you when the water is running low, though the water level is visible even with the door closed.

The touch screen is the brain of the machine, and it will also let you know when the grounds container (which holds nine pucks) or drip tray needs to be emptied, when you need to descale or deep clean the machine, and when you need to refill the coffee hopper.

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

Terra Kaffe TK-02: performance

  • Crafts amazing coffee and espresso drinks
  • Steam or froth your milk of choice
  • Could not be easier to use

What you really want from a coffee machine is delicious coffee, and the Terra Kaffe TK-02 delivers. You probably also want flexibility to create different kinds of beverages, easy/quick brewing, and easy clean-up. You get all of that with this machine. There are definitely some quirks, but overall, this machine’s performance is excellent.

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

The Terra Kaffe TK-02 has lots of pre-set coffee and espresso settings, but any of them can be altered to your tastes. You can adjust the grind size, the amount of coffee, the amount of water, and the amount of milk. When making espresso, you can choose between “TK Standard” and “TK Specialty” brew. The TK Specialty tastes slightly stronger to me, so I reached out the company and they confirmed that it is indeed a stronger brew.

You can create your own custom beverages to your exact specifications, so the possibilities are nearly endless. You can only put 10 drinks at a time on the machine’s touchscreen menu, but it’s easy enough to add and remove your favorites in the Terra Kaffe app.

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

I brewed an iced coffee, which comes out at a slightly lower temperature and is specially designed for drinking over ice. I found it a bit weak, so I just changed the recipe, reducing the amount of water and increasing the amount of coffee. That made it perfect for my tastes. I also created a drink just for my husband, which is basically a standard Americano with an extra two shots of espresso. You can literally create anything and make it an option on your touchscreen menu.

The touchscreen menu is limited to ten drinks, so put your ten favorites there. You can still access plenty more (or create more anytime) easily with the Terra Kaffe app. You can teach your Alexa Amazon Assistant to work your Terra Kaffe TK-02, but I found that connection to be rather inconsistent.

The machine has to be on already; Alexa won’t turn it on. Then you have to ask Alexa to launch the machine, because if you just ask to brew right away, she won’t get it. Even then, sometimes she doesn’t do what you ask. And she keeps asking you questions when you’re done brewing, which is kind of annoying. Frankly, I found myself not really using Alexa much; both the touchscreen and the app are so easy to use. I open the app and wake the machine while I’m still in bed; by the time I get downstairs, the Terra Kaffe TK-02 is ready to brew.

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

Though I’m not really a milky coffee drinker, I did test out a number of milk-based drinks such as latte, cappuccino, macchiato, and flat white. They were all quite good, the milk frother heats and froths the milk as you’d expect. How much foam you get can also depend on the sort of milk you use. I used 2% dairy milk.

(Image credit: Karen Freeman /Future)

The Terra Kaffe TK-02 automatically grinds your beans to the correct size for the type of coffee you’re brewing. For drip coffee, the beans will be ground on the coarser side. For espresso, you’ll get a finer grind. Both of those can be adjusted to your preferences. Like all the best espresso machines, the Terra Kaffe TK-02 brews espresso at 9 bars of pressure.

If you prefer to use pre-ground beans, you put them in a separate designated hopper and select the pre-ground beans option before brewing. This is helpful for the occasional cup of decaf or using gifted grounds, but otherwise I’d stick to fresh whole beans.

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

Cleaning is pretty simple, but the machine does require regular attention. The Terra Kaffe TK-02 self-rinses frequently. I got in the habit of keeping a cup under the spout when not in use to catch the majority of rinse cycles. You can expect the machine to rinse out a few ounces of water when warming up, and again when shutting down. It also just rinses itself at random times.

We drink four cups a day on average, and even with the cup under the spout, I still have to empty the drip tray roughly daily. This is because water comes out directly into the drip tray sometimes too. If you froth milk, you’ll need to run a rinse of the milk system right after. As you might expect, the water tank needs to be refilled pretty frequently as well.

Cleaning up the grounds couldn’t be easier. All of the grounds end up as pucks in the grounds bin, you just have to pull it out and dump it roughly every nine brew sessions.

At some point, I’ll need to do a deep clean and a descale. But in several weeks of use, it has not come up yet. You do not have to guess when to do any of this maintenance, as the machine will let you know when to do it and offer guidance if you’re not sure how to go about it.

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

Should you buy the Terra Kaffe TK-02?

Swipe to scroll horizontallyTerra Kaffe TK-02 score card

Attribute

Notes

Score

Value

It’s expensive, but is it cheaper than your daily coffee shop runs?

4/5

Design

It’s cleverly designed and looks sleek on your countertop.

4.5/5

Performance

There’s no learning curve. Brewing amazing coffee and espresso drinks is so easy.

5/5

Buy it if

Don’t buy it if

Terra Kaffe TK-02: also consider

How I tested the Terra Kaffe TK-02

Over the course of two weeks, I brewed multiple variations of coffee, espresso, iced coffee, and Americanos. I also made espresso-based milk drinks such as latte, cappuccino, macchiato, and flat white using cold 2% dairy milk. I performed maintenance on the Terra Kaffe TK-02 as directed by the machine: emptying the drip tray, refilling the water, emptying the coffee grounds, and adding new coffee beans.

First reviewed September 2025



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September 21, 2025 0 comments
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