Sony made a $5,900 gold-plated Walkman MP3 player
Sony has announced a trio of new Walkman portable media players that start at an already absurd $1,899.99 for the NW-ZX900 and climb all the way up to $5,899 for the gold-plated NW-WM1ZM3. Sandwiched in between is the $2,999.99 Walkman NW-WM1AM3, which is nearly identical to the WM1ZM3, just minus the gaudy gold shell.
All three devices are aimed squarely at the audiophile market, if the price tag didn't make that clear. All three feature Sony's DSD (Direct Stream Digital) Remastering Engine, which upsamples standard PCM audio to an 11.2MHz DSD stream, which it claims delivers a more analog-like sound. They also all feature gold-plating on …
Volvo will use Nvidia’s tech for hands-free, point-to-point driving
Volvo plans to launch hands-free, point-to-point driving by 2030, powered by Nvidia's latest AI technology. The Chinese-owned, Swedish-designed automaker said Thursday it would use Nvidia's autonomous driving stack to power a new partially automated driving system similar to Tesla's Full Self-Driving (Supervised).
Volvo says the new point-to-point system will be Level 2++, meaning it can handle complex urban environments, including traffic lights, stop signs, and unprotected left turns without explicit driver control. In addition to Tesla's FSD, it will also resemble the Nvidia-powered system that Mercedes-Benz recently rolled out for the …
Alienware’s latest 34-inch QD-OLED gaming monitor is $50 off
The Alienware AW3426DW is discounted to $742.22 at Amazon, just over $50 off its usual price of $799.99. It’s not quite the lowest price we’ve seen on this well-equipped gaming monitor, but still a decent discount. The 34-inch screen just came out a couple months ago, and is equipped with Penta Tandem quantum dots for bolder colors than you’ll find on other QD-OLED panel. And of course, it provides the deep blacks and high contrast expected of the display tech.
Alienware 34-inch AW3426DW curved OLED gaming monitor
This ultrawide (21:9) QHD OLED gaming monitor has a 280Hz refresh rate, a fast response time, and a slick design. It’s tough to get more OLED for your money than with this model when it’s discounted.
Where to Buy:
Alienware supports both Nvidia G-Sync and FreeSync Premium Pro adaptive refresh rate tech, so PC gamers with modern GPUs can enjoy a smooth frame rate when their systems can’t output a frame rate that matches its native 280Hz refresh rate. The 1800R curve adds an immersive element to the setup, and it has two HDMI 2.1 ports, as well as DisplayPort, and USB-A and USB-C for charging and connecting peripherals.
Other deals to consider
- You can take 25 percent off the price of eligible Belkin Screen Skinz custom screen protectors when you use code Screenskinz25 at checkout. These unique screen protectors come in both clear and privacy versions that keep onlookers for seeing your screen. They have a hidden design that show up only when the phone’s display is off, or when viewed from the side with the privacy versions. There are options for custom designs or collaborations with sports teams and brands.
- The Baseus Bowie MC2 Open Ear earbuds are only $45.99 at Amazon when you use code HNDCWYO8 at checkout, a nice discount from their usual price of $79.99. These lightweight clip-on style earbuds last over 11 hours on a single charge, and are IP67 water and dust resistant, making them a great choice for working out or walking the dog.
- Best Buy has the 2025 edition of the Corsair RM850e on sale for just $72.99, just over half its usual price of $144.99. This fully modular desktop power supply is 80 PLUS Gold rated for excellent efficiency, with full ATX 3.1 support and a dedicated 12V-2×6 connector for single cable operation on newer GPUs.
Google is making inline links more prominent in AI responses
Google is updating its AI search results to make inline links appear "higher up in responses more frequently," according to a blog post. The company's search results from AI Overviews and AI Mode give you answers in a customized view instead of the traditional list of links, but there are concerns that the format reduces traffic to publishers. Google says it's been making "continued and substantial increases to the presence of inline links in our AI experiences," and this new change will help ensure "ensure key sources are easily clickable right when you need them."
The company is announcing several other changes to highlight links an …
Sony’s WH-1000XM6 headphones are $130 off today only
If you missed out on Prime Day’s headphones deals, you’re in luck. Sony’s latest flagship headphones are selling for even less than they did during Amazon’s big fall sale. As part of B&H Photo’s Deals of the Day, you can currently pick up Sony’s WH-1000XM6 noise-canceling headphones in silver for just $328 at checkout ($130 off) for the rest of the day. That’s one of the best prices we’ve seen, and much cheaper than what you’ll typically pay at major retailers like Amazon and Best Buy, even during seasonal sales.
The WH-1000XM6 are Sony’s best over-ear headphones yet, thanks in part to a new chip, which Sony says delivers the most powerful active noise cancellation in the series. Unsurprisingly, they also deliver the best sound of any WH-1000XM-series headphones to date, with new drivers that produce clearer vocals and richer bass. They’re great for work and life outside the office, too, thanks to improved call quality and multipoint Bluetooth, which lets you stay connected to two devices at once.
If you travel or commute frequently, you might appreciate that Sony brought back the foldable design of the XM4, making the headphones easier to pack. Their wider headband also helps with comfort during long listening sessions, and the earcups can be easily removed for cleaning or to be replaced when needed. Battery life remains solid at up to 30 hours with ANC enabled, and as an added convenience, you can now charge them while listening — provided you use a 3.5mm audio cable alongside a USB-C charging cable.
Read our Sony WH-1000XM6 hands-on impressions.
Friends don’t let friends feed their data to AI agents
There's a growing trend in the consumer tech world: gadgets designed to spy on everything and everyone around you, regardless of whether or not anyone else actually consented to it. Now, with the advent of "AI personal assistants" like Meta's Muse, you're being cheerfully asked not just to give up your own data, but also the information of your friends, family, the person you went on a Hinge date with five years ago - and virtually anyone else you've ever come in contact with.
Since Muse was released last month, the agent has already been downloaded millions of times and hit No. 1 on Apple's App Store. With the help of its creepy virtual av …
E Ink upgraded the screen found in most color e-readers
E Ink announced the next generation of its Kaleido color e-paper screen technology today, delivering several welcome improvements. The company's existing Kaleido 3 displays can be found in e-readers and tablets from companies like Kobo, PocketBook, and Boox, while Amazon's Kindle Colorsoft uses a customized version to improve performance. The new Kaleido 4 technology addresses some of Kaleido 3's shortcomings with improved color reproduction, better contrast, and faster screen refreshes.
Other E Ink technologies, like its Gallery 3 display found in the Remarkable Paper Pro, use colored pigments that move around to form full-color images, bu …
The best reason to care about Nvidia’s RTX Spark: ‘everything’ will run on Arm
Fourteen years ago this month, Microsoft released an Nvidia-powered Windows PC that would become one of the greatest tech flops in modern history. The original Microsoft Surface, which ran a stripped-down version of Windows on an Nvidia Tegra chip, bombed so hard that Microsoft had to write off $900 million in inventory.
The problem was that Nvidia's Arm chip couldn't run existing Windows apps. Buyers had to leave their legacy programs behind.
This Friday, October 16th, Nvidia will once again be at the heart of Arm-powered Windows PCs with the first wave of RTX Spark laptops. But now, the company says, they'll run everything. Adobe. Offic …
Nvidia, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta gave Trump a combined $92 million for his ballroom
We knew that a number of big tech firms were helping to fund the construction of Trump's ballroom, but we didn't know just how much they were giving to the cause. Now the Washington Post published a list of all the major donors to the White House ballroom project, along with how much each contributed. In total, Silicon Valley and the crypto industry have reportedly delivered over $150 million for the effort.
Some of that money has come from individuals, some from charitable organizations tied to major firms or industry players, and some directly from the companies themselves. In Google's case, the $22 million was part of a controversial se …
Shelly’s new presence sensor simultaneously detects up to 10 people without a camera
Following the launch of its $50 subscription-free security camera last month, Shelly announced another new accessory for smart home automation today that can keep track of multiple people as they move through rooms or large spaces without recording them. The Shelly Presence Gen4 sensor uses mmWave radar technology instead of a camera to detect the presence, motions, and activities of people and pets. It's available starting today for $84.99 through Shelly's online store and is expected to hit other retailers like Amazon and Best Buy soon.
The Presence Gen4 can be perched on a shelf or a table using its built-in stand or permanently mounted …