Tech Boys

Last year, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 was the best foldable I'd ever tested, thanks to an extremely sleek form factor that made it by far the most comfortable phone in the category to actually hold in your hands. This year's follow-up has a new name, but it's broadly the same phone, for better and worse. Meet the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, a re-branded follow-up to the Z Fold 7. Confusingly, there is also a phone called the Z Fold 8 , but it's a totally different device. Regardless of that, Samsung's newest and most premium flagship foldable checks most of the boxes you would want it to check: It's still very comfortable in the hands, the displays are bright and vivid, and the battery has gotten a sizable boost over last year. But, sadly, that's about it. Aside from all of that and a modest camera upgrade, you're paying $2,099 (a $100 price increase year-over-year) for a phone that's very similar to its predecessor. The Z Fold 8 Ultra might be a great...

The congressman thinks it's time for a "Data Center Bill of Rights." from Engadget - Technology News & Expert Reviews https://ift.tt/r5CVYUd via IFTTT

It would be an ambitiously high price for the AI-powered hardware pivot. from Engadget - Technology News & Expert Reviews https://ift.tt/qW9VKs3 via IFTTT

We need to talk about Ariana Grande. Quite literally, the recent nonstop internet discourse about Grande suggests an urgent need to name what's happening to the movie and pop star's body. Concern mounted in recent weeks as Grande posted Instagram photos of her physique while performing on tour. Some worried the singer was disappearing before their eyes. SEE ALSO: I tried to scrub weight loss content from my FYP. Here's what I learned. Then Grande released the music video "Petal." The imagery in the seven-minute-long film prompted worried fans and onlookers to claim Grande has an eating disorder, though she's never shared such information. Rather, Grande has previously pleaded with the public not to comment on her body. The furor led to an announcement from her team Sunday that she'd be " taking a step back from visibility " following the end of her tour next month. How to respond to im...

"Play an interactive video nasty." from Engadget - Technology News & Expert Reviews https://ift.tt/duhlCpz via IFTTT

When I was growing up, there were few words more devastating than "poser." I still remember getting called one during my freshman year of high school after showing up in a pair of DC skate shoes. It didn't matter that I genuinely liked them. Someone decided I hadn't "earned" them, that I was trying on an identity that wasn't really mine. Two decades later, I still remember how much it stung. The internet has always had a vocabulary for sniffing out inauthenticity. First, it was "poser." Then came "try-hard," "hipster," and, more recently, "NPC" and "industry plant." Now there's a new favorite: "larper." SEE ALSO: Chat, are we cooked? A guide to internet slang in 2026. The word originally referred to people who participate in live-action role-playing (LARP), dressing up as fantasy characters and acting out fictional worlds. But onlin...

Amazon's public fight with Perplexity over online shopping started in November 2025. from Engadget - Technology News & Expert Reviews https://ift.tt/14SYM6P via IFTTT

Advertisers seem to be spending a whole lot less than they used to on the platform. from Engadget - Technology News & Expert Reviews https://ift.tt/NPnSkom via IFTTT

That's a lot of capital expenditure. from Engadget - Technology News & Expert Reviews https://ift.tt/xzbc9kt via IFTTT

Texas is putting a halt to data center projects that try to tap into public utilities under new regulations issued by Governor Greg Abbott. The new order mandates the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) complete extensive audits of data center developers before they can connect to the state's utility grid. Notably, developers must provide information on "state and local tax incentives, grants, abatements, or other public financial assistance," prospective water and electricity use, and controlling interests in their projects. SEE ALSO: How 3 very different people use AI chatbots There are currently 1,800 projects awaiting ERCOT approval to join the state grid. Around 90 percent of them are for data centers, and the projects would cumulatively demand 474 gigawatts of electricity, according to the governor's office. The projected demand is more than five time...