Lego’s Donkey Kong arcade machine lets Mario jump endless barrels — Miyamoto is reportedly happy
Carl Merriam has designed some of my favorite nostalgia-inducing Lego sets, including the Lego Nintendo Game Boy and Piranha Plant. He's assisted on the incredible Lion Knights' Castle, Galaxy Explorer, and Pirates of Barracuda Bay.
Now, he's helped the company create a $200 Donkey Kong arcade machine set that managed to win even Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto's favor - or so he's told.
It doesn't play quite like Donkey Kong, of course. Jumpman, the character that would be renamed Mario, can never reach the top under his own power. But like Lego's $230 pinball machine, it does contain a basic fully functional game. There's a working joyst …
Meta won’t have to face the next planned social media addiction trial
Less than a week before Meta's lawyers were set to return to a Los Angeles courtroom, the plaintiff accusing the platform of inflicting harm dropped the case. Brought by 15-year-old Florida plaintiff going by initials R.K.C., the case was set to be the second in a set of bellwether trials meant to test legal arguments that social media giants allegedly broke the law by creating features that hooked and harmed teens.
TikTok, Snap, and YouTube previously settled claims brought by R.K.C. for undisclosed amounts. "In light of the overall successful result of the litigation and his concerns about enduring a grueling weekslong trial, he has elect …
Tesla’s revenues are bouncing back, but profits are still weak
After a dismal two years of weakening demand, falling sales, and damage to its brand by Elon Musk's political activities, Tesla's road to recovery continues apace. On the heels of an impressive delivery report, the company released its earnings for the second quarter of 2026 - giving us the latest glimpse at the EV company that Musk has said he wants to transform into a leader of AI and robotics.
Despite that mission, Tesla remains a car company. And in the second quarter, it sold an impressive 480,126 vehicles, about a 25 percent increase compared to the second quarter of 2025. (For a direct-to-consumer company like Tesla, deliveries are …
Price-hiked iPads are a little cheaper right now
A number of Apple products got more expensive last month, so we’re happy to find deals wherever and whenever we can. If you’re searching for a high-end iPad, one of the more notable deals currently happening is on the 13-inch iPad Pro M5 with 512GB of storage. Normally $1,699, it’s $150 off at Amazon, costing $1,549.99. It’s $100 off at Best Buy. This is the most premium iPad that Apple sells, with impressive performance from its M5 processor, a gorgeous OLED screen, up to 60W of fast charging, and support for the Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard. Read our iPad Pro (2025) review.
13-inch iPad Pro (2025)
Where to Buy:
There’s also a deep discount on some configurations of the 11-inch iPad Air M3. This model sports 1TB of storage, an optional 5G cellular connection, and it’s marked down to $749, a $500 discount from the suggested retail price. While the M3 chip is on the older side, you get 1TB of storage for just $40 more than the base M4 version with 128GB. The discount is available in all four colors: blue, purple, space gray, and starlight. Read our Apple iPad Air M3 review.
11-inch iPad Air M3
The last-gen 11-inch iPad Air comes with Apple’s M3 chip and GPU upgrades. It’s available in dark gray, blue, purple, and a “starlight” cream shade. Read our review.
Where to Buy:
Other deals to consider
- Sony is selling refurbished Playstation 5 Slim consoles for $499, a $100 break from the usual price. They may have some minor cosmetic imperfections, but are tested and certified by Sony to perform just as well as a new console. These slightly older digital only models have the full 1TB of storage, as opposed to the newer 825GB models, and have a one year warranty in case there are any issues.
- Normally $99.99, a four pack of the second-generation Apple AirTags are on sale for $89.99 at Amazon, matching their lowest price ever. The updated version of Apple’s popular Bluetooth tracker boosts the speaker volume, making it easier to find your stuff, and have more precise tracking. They’re still easy to setup, with one-touch pairing on iOS devices, and will run for over a year on a single replaceable battery.
- Amazon has the Razer Viper V3 Pro wireless gaming mouse listed for $99.99, about $30 lower than its usual price. The symmetrical mouse features an 8K polling rate and 35K DPI sensor, specs that will let you customize it to your play style, and eight programmable buttons to put every action right where you need it. At just 54 grams, the Viper V3 Pro is impressively lightweight, yet it still manages to last 95 hours of battery life on a single charge. There are plenty of less expensive gaming mice on the market, but this one’s well-rounded.
iOS code could reportedly let Apple cut off apps when users miss iPhone payments
Code found in an iOS 27 beta would allow Apple to put a financed iPhone in "Restricted Mode" if it detects any missed payments, 9to5Mac reports. The finding follows a story from Bloomberg earlier this week claiming Apple is preparing to launch a new "Apple Upgrade" financing program for leasing new devices.
iPhones in "Restricted Mode" would reportedly lose access to nearly all apps, except for basics like the Phone app, Settings, and the App Store. It uses a new "App Managed Features" system that allows financing or partner apps to continually check if a financed device is in good standing.
According to 9to5Mac, the code also includes a …
Apple is reportedly testing a MacBook Neo with more RAM
Following the MacBook Neo's huge popularity so far, Apple is reportedly developing an updated version of its budget laptop with a new processor and more memory, and even has plans to refresh the model with new colors. Following a similar report from analyst Tim Culpan earlier this year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says the new Neo will run on an A19 Pro processor, which currently powers the iPhone 17 Pro / Pro Max and the iPhone Air, unlike the current laptop's A18 Pro that was originally in the iPhone 16 Pro. The chip upgrade also means the updated Neo may have more RAM, likely 12GB rather than the original 8GB.
However, ongoing component sho …
Here’s what Samsung’s smart glasses actually look like
Samsung has given us our first chance to check out its upcoming smart glasses in person, revealing two new designs and the first specs in the process, including an impressive 9-hour battery life. The glasses, developed in collaboration with Google and the eyewear brands Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, are due to launch this fall.
Google and Samsung have been teasing the new glasses for some time, and revealed the first two designs at I/O in May. Now there are two more frames: Both are unsurprisingly boxy, with a new set of squared off black glasses from Gentle Monster, and a more rounded, red-brown pair from Warby Parker. Jaein Choi, the e …
How the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 phones compare
Samsung's latest round of folding Galaxy Z phones and updated smartwatches were announced at its July 2026 Unpacked event and are set to launch on August 7th. The Galaxy Z Flip 8, Fold 8, and Fold 8 Ultra don't seem geared toward people who bought last year's model; aside from a few design updates and AI features, there's not a whole lot that's new - unless we're talking about the Z Fold 8.
The Z Fold 8 is the foldable that will probably get the most attention in the US this year, that is, unless Apple's rumored foldable arrives in the coming months. While its name makes it sound like the successor to last year's Z Fold 7, it's a new, short …
Preorders for Samsung’s new Z Fold and Flip 8 come with up to $350 in gift cards
Samsung's newest foldables are here. At Galaxy Unpacked, the company announced the Galaxy Z Flip 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8, and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. All three devices will be available on August 7th, but you can preorder them now starting at $1,199.99, $1,899.99, and $2,099.99, respectively.
You probably noticed that Samsung's foldable lineup looks a little different this year. Rather than simply updating the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Samsung now has two book-style foldables: the productivity-focused Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and the shorter, wider (when folded) Galaxy Z Fold 8 that's geared more toward entertainment. The Galaxy Z Flip 8, meanwhile, is a tou …
Philips’ new smart toothbrush shows you where you didn’t properly brush
The latest addition to Philips' Sonicare line of smart electric toothbrushes could take the guesswork out of your brushing routine. The Next-Generation DiamondClean 9900 Prestige uses a third-generation AI model to provide real-time feedback on how you're brushing through a glowing ring on its base, while a touchscreen highlights areas of your mouth that may need more attention when you think you're done.
The Sonicare Next-Generation DiamondClean 9900 Prestige is expected to launch in Europe and the US this fall, with a wider global rollout coming in 2027. Pricing hasn't been announced, but previous versions sell for $430, and you can expec …