Kia Recalls 23K EVs Due to Missing Seat Mounting Bolts

Jibin Joseph — Thu, 02 Jan 2025 14:57:01 +0000

The error occurred at the Kia Autoland Gwangmyeong assembly plant in Korea. Without the bolts, the seats 'may not properly restrain an occupant during certain collisions.'

Kia is recalling 22,883 units of its EV9 electric SUVs in the US.

The recall was announced after Kia found that some seat bolts for the second and third rows in the 2024-2025 models were missing. The error occurred …

Gemini Knows Best? I Let Google's AI Weigh In on Tough Parenting Decisions

Tyler Hayes — Thu, 02 Jan 2025 11:00:00 +0000

A commercial featuring a frazzled father turning to Gemini for parenting tips inspired me to test whether the AI had any fresh advice for issues facing my 12- and 14-year-old kids.

Parenting is the scariest and most exhilarating roller coaster ride imaginable. It often leaves you mentally, emotionally, and physically drained, which is why it struck such a chord with me to see a Google commercial depicting its Gemini Live AI as a solution for struggling …

Tesla Cybertruck Explodes in Front of Trump Tower in Las Vegas

Chloe Albanesius — Thu, 02 Jan 2025 01:19:59 +0000

Images from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department show charred gasoline canisters, camp fuel canisters, and large firework mortars in the rear of the Tesla EV.

A Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside Trump Tower in Las Vegas this morning, killing the driver and injuring seven people who were in the vicinity.

Drone footage from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department taken in aftermath of the explosion shows charred gasoline canisters, camp fuel …

How to Use Microsoft's Copilot AI, and 10 Things to Try Right Away

Lance Whitney — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 23:55:50 +0000

Copilot and ChatGPT share a lot of similarities, but Microsoft’s chatbot offers certain advantages. Here’s how to take it for a spin and check out its most compelling features.

ChatGPT has prompted a lot of companies to try to get in on the AI act. One of those is Microsoft, which has its own AI-infused chatbot known as Copilot. Available directly in Windows, on the web, as a sidebar in the …

How to Use Apple Intelligence's Writing Tools to Spot Typos, Rewrite Your Emails

Lance Whitney — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 21:37:28 +0000

The AI-powered Apple Intelligence offers writing tools to help you proofread, rewrite, and summarize text in Mail, Messages, Notes, Pages, and other apps.

Having trouble getting your thoughts down in an email? In need of a proofreader to check your prose for errors in spelling or grammar? Want a quick summary of a text message? You can get all this from a feature called Writing Tools, available through

How to Use ChatGPT With Apple Intelligence on Your iPhone, iPad, or Mac

Lance Whitney — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 20:03:38 +0000

If Siri isn't giving you the information you need, here's how to ask Apple Intelligence to tap into OpenAI's chatbot using a free or paid account on supported devices.

Siri has been Apple's virtual assistant for many years; it's designed to respond to your questions and requests. But Siri can fall down on the job, sometimes failing to properly understand or handle your task. And on its own, Siri is not a generative AI tool, so it can’t tackle …

MSI MPG Z890 Carbon WiFi

Joe Shields — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 19:00:00 +0000

Premium looks, solid performance, and friendly features for Intel "Arrow Lake"

We're not overly impressed when the phrase "sub-$500 motherboard" turns out to mean $499.99, but MSI's MPG Z890 Carbon WiFi pushes its latest Carbon effort (usually a midrange offering) toward the premium end of the market with many specs that users will surely like. From a …

SilverStone Alta D1

Thomas Soderstrom — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 17:00:00 +0000

Hyper-flexible server-like chassis lets you double down on drives, power supplies

At PCMag, we're resolutely not reviewing pedestal servers, being primarily a consumer technology publication. But this PC case blurs the line. SilverStone's super-configurable $799.99 Alta D1 resurrects a bunch of server-style features that once graced high-end desktop PCs of a certain classic type. By "classic," …

US Army Soldier Arrested in Texas for Alleged Role in AT&T, Verizon Breaches

Jibin Joseph — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 16:19:42 +0000

The soldier is suspected to be Kiberphant0m, a cybercriminal who boasted about possessing call logs of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.

A US Army soldier was arrested in Texas for selling customer data stolen from AT&T and Verizon last year, according to KrebsonSecurity's Brian Krebs.

Cameron John Wagenius, 20, was recently stationed as a communications specialist in South Korea and is believed to be the cybercriminal known as …

Judge Upholds California's Ban on Addictive Feeds for Minors

Jibin Joseph — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 14:06:36 +0000

A tech lobbying group representing Google, Meta, and Snap challenged SB 976 on First Amendment grounds, but their efforts were largely unsuccessful.

A federal judge has upheld a California law that bans tech companies from serving addictive feeds to minors. As Neowin reports, the Protecting Our Kids from Social Media Addiction Act (SB 976) was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom in …

Happy New Year: Apple TV+ Is Free for the First Weekend of 2025

Jibin Joseph — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 13:56:32 +0000

If you've been on the fence about Apple TV+, the streaming service is free from Jan. 3-5. All you need is an Apple Account and the Apple TV app.

New year, new streaming service? If you've been curious about Severance or never got around to watching Ted Lasso, access to Apple TV+ is free this weekend.

Between Jan. 3 and Jan. 5, 2025, Apple's entire streaming library will be accessible …

US Sanctions Iran, Russia Over Election Deepfakes, Influence Campaigns

Jibin Joseph — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 13:52:48 +0000

In one scheme, Iranian hackers produced AI-generated fake news websites that told Americans to boycott the 2024 election over the candidates’ support for Israel.

The US has imposed new sanctions on Iranian and Russian entities that attempted to interfere in the 2024 election, the Treasury and State Departments announced on Tuesday.

The sanctions focus on a subordinate of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps called the Cognitive Design Production Center (CPDC), …

5 Things to Do Before Trump Takes Office

Kate Irwin — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 13:00:00 +0000

If you're living in the US, you might want to prepare for tariffs raising the price of just about everything in 2025. And yes, you should be using a VPN and end-to-end encryption, too.

Donald Trump returns to the White House on Jan. 20, and some of his campaign promises could shake things up in the tech world. His plans are subject to change, but they may translate to higher prices in the US. Here a few things you may want to do before …

Essential Apps to Make 2025 Your Best Year Ever

Chandra Steele — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Don't call it a resolution. Apps such as Todoist, MDLive, obe Fitness, and Rocket Money can help you reach or even surpass your health, career, and overall life goals.

The Best Laptops for 2025

Brian Westover, Joe Osborne — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 11:00:00 +0000

The best laptop for you depends on what you do every day. Whether you want a simple budget PC, a productivity workhorse, or a screamer of a gaming notebook, our deep-dive guide has all the advice you need, plus our top product picks in every major laptop category.

Details, details, and more details! Buying the best laptop for you can be maddening, given all specifications and features you'll encounter in your search. Which class of laptops is best for you depends on your budget and how you plan to use it. Take a systematic approach when shopping—here's how …

The Best Business VoIP Services for 2025

Neil Mcallister — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 21:34:01 +0000

Why settle for an ancient, analog PBX? The best voice over IP (VoIP) services we've tested deliver enterprise-grade phone system features for a small-business-friendly price.

What Is a VoIP Phone System?

Traditional landline phones are a form of analog telephony. VoIP, on the other hand, brings voice calling to the digital age. VoIP systems convert voice calls into network packets and transmit them over the internet or other IP-based networks. Most also include a bridge to …

TeamGroup MP44Q

Tony Hoffman — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 21:00:00 +0000

A barebones internal SSD that's zippy for its price

The TeamGroup MP44Q (starts at $69.99 for 1TB; $129.99 for 2TB as tested) does very well as a budget internal solid-state drive (SSD). It is competitively priced and holds its own in our performance benchmarks against a set of drives with similar rated speeds, …

Tryx Luca L70

Thomas Soderstrom — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 19:14:56 +0000

PC case from a new face is pretty but mighty pricey

New PC case maker Tryx is going in a different direction than most of the mid-2020s field. The first offering of a typical new case brand inevitably gets labeled a knock-off by some enthusiasts, but the $239.99 Luca L70 is different enough from anything we’ve …

Hitchcock and Hemingway: All the Good Stuff Coming to the Public Domain in 2025

Rob Pegoraro — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 16:20:33 +0000

This year’s crop of creative works exiting copyright protection includes Gershwin’s 'An American In Paris,' Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One's Own, and the Marx Brothers’ feature-film debut.

You can expand your New Year’s Eve soundtrack at midnight, cost- and guilt-free, with a download of George Gershwin leading one of the first performances of his classic "Rhapsody in Blue"–one of the best-known works that will enter the public domain on Jan. 1.

The expiration of copyright on that recording …

The Best Products of CES 2024: Where Are They Now?

Pcmag Staff — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 15:31:15 +0000

Last January, we tapped these 21 stars as the most promising picks from the world's biggest tech show. Which ones lived up to the hype?

Last year, after scouring the halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center and sifting through hundreds of gadgets, prototypes, and ambitious promises, we brought you our definitive list of the Best Tech of CES 2024. These products were the game-changers, the boundary-pushers, …

Insecure Database Exposes Location Data of 460,000 Volkswagen EVs

PCMag UK — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 15:21:17 +0000

Data on 800,000 VW electric cars sat exposed for months, including the precise location of nearly 460,000 EVs. It does not appear that any of that info was accessed by bad actors, though.

A leak at Volkswagen software subsidiary Cariad exposed customer data from around 800,000 electric cars for months, according to German news magazine Der Spiegel.

Several terabytes of data about VW, Seat, Audi, and Skoda cars in Europe and other parts of the world were publicly accessible …

Intermedia Unite

John Brandon — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 15:00:00 +0000

An advanced business VoIP service that puts usability first

The intuitive and reliable Intermedia Unite business VoIP system offers top-notch call administration features, an AI bot that helps you communicate with customers, and a respectable video conferencing experience. It even has messaging and file-syncing capabilities, along with decent

US Treasury Department Hit by Chinese Hackers in 'Major Incident'

Jibin Joseph — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 14:56:10 +0000

A stolen security key facilitates remote access to workstations and unclassified documents.

A China-backed threat actor accessed workstations and unclassified documents of US Treasury Department employees, The New York Times reports.

In a letter to Senate Banking Committee leaders on Monday, Treasury said it was notified of the cyberattack on Dec. 8 by BeyondTrust, …

What We Expect to See at CES 2025

Pcmag Staff — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 14:10:53 +0000

Our experts have decades of experience covering the year's biggest tech trade show. Here's what they expect to see across 13 key categories: laptops, TVs, displays, AI, and much more.

With the whirlwind holiday season behind us, the PCMag team is heading back to Las Vegas in the coming days for CES 2025. The show floor proper opens on Tues., Jan. 7, but you can expect to see plenty of crucial announcements in the days …

What's in Store for 2025? Chip Wars, TikTok Turmoil, and AI in the Hot Seat

Pcmag Staff — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 14:00:00 +0000

Our expert analysts, reporters, and writers can't predict the future, but they've made some educated guesses for '25. One certainty? A bumpy ride.

2024 was a wild year for technology, and 2025 is poised to be even crazier. As we move into the new year, the fate of TikTok hangs in the balance, the electronics industry is bracing for the possibility of …

Gotta Price 'Em All: 5 Easy Steps for Selling Pokemon Cards Online

Gabriel Zamora — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 11:00:18 +0000

Get the most money flipping Pokemon cards online using these helpful apps and services.

So you pulled a $1,000 Umbreon VMAX Alternate Art Secret card from an Evolving Skies pack you purchased at the Pokemon Center or your local card shop. Or maybe you found a $1,000 Charizard Star (Delta Species) card in an old binder that you now …

Spotify Users Get a Holiday Surprise: Porn in Search Results

Joe Hindy — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 20:21:45 +0000

A user on Reddit looking for a Mia Khalifa song wound up with something else entirely.

Spotify does not allow sexually explicit content, but it still appears from time to time. The most recent instance was on Dec. 28, when a Redditor searched for Mia Khalifa and got a little more than the singer's top hits.

The NSFW post from "Milk_Steak_Jabroni" shows …

Meta Replacing Quest Headsets Bricked by Buggy Software Update

Joe Hindy — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 19:38:03 +0000

Initially, some with older Quest devices were told they were out of luck because the gadgets were out of warranty. But Meta appears to have reversed course there, according to Reddit posts.

Meta is offering replacement VR headsets after a botched software update bricked some Meta Quest 2, Quest 3, and Quest 3S headsets.

"We discovered a software update issue that caused some Quest 2/3/3S headsets …

AT&T, Verizon No Longer Detecting 'Salt Typhoon' Activity on Their Networks

Chloe Albanesius — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 15:24:41 +0000

AT&T blamed China for the hack. Verizon said a 'small number of high-profile customers in government and politics were specifically targeted' by a nation-state threat actor.

AT&T and Verizon are no longer seeing activity from "Salt Typhoon" hackers on their networks.

The Chinese hacking group has hit at least nine US telecom companies as part of a months-long effort to spy on the communications of top politicians.

Earlier …

How to Organize Your Files in 4 Simple, Foolproof Steps

Jill Duffy — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 15:00:00 +0000

Our veteran productivity expert details her method for managing digital files: It's simple to implement, and since it's foundational, it will help you organize practically everything in your life.

If you learn how to organize your computer files, you can organize anything in your life. It's not difficult and doesn't take much time. The trick is figuring out a system that works for your brain. In other words, the system has to line up with the way that you …

Everything You Need to Know About the TikTok Ban: Your Questions Answered

Chloe Albanesius — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 14:00:09 +0000

We're weeks away from a TikTok ban in the US unless the Supreme Court rules that it violates the First Amendment. Here's why it's happening and how it affects you.

TikTok is once again on the rocks in the US. In April, President Biden signed a foreign aid bill that will ban the popular social media app on Jan. 19, 2025, unless it divests from its Chinese owners. …

Tonal and Beyond: The Best Smart Strength Training Equipment for 2025

Angela Moscaritolo — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:00:00 +0000

From workout mirrors to motion-tracking cameras, turn a corner of your bedroom into a home gym with the top equipment we've tested for smart strength training.

What Is Smart Strength Training?

At the most basic level, smart strength training equipment offers greater convenience, interactivity, and guidance than, say, a basic set of dumbbells. These machines connect to the internet, and most have a screen on which you can stream workouts (though more affordable options rely on your …

Hackers May Have Compromised Multiple Popular Google Chrome Extensions

Will Mccurdy — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 17:53:00 +0000

A hacker phished a Cyberhaven employee to upload a malicious version of the company's Chrome extension, but it may not be the only victim.

Hackers have reportedly compromised many popular Google Chrome extensions.

As Reuters reports, that includes Cyberhaven, a tool intended to help businesses stop unauthorized employee access to company information, like copying and pasting an Excel spreadsheet filled with sales leads.

According to an …

HP Sprocket Photobooth

M. David Stone — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 17:01:00 +0000

Click, pic, stick: A photo-booth experience your guests will love

Booths that let guests snap and print photos at events have become increasingly popular, but their rental prices are high enough to limit how often you might want to use one. Enter the HP Sprocket Photobooth ($599.99). It may (or may not) cost more for …

Arcade1Up Photobooth

M. David Stone — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 17:00:00 +0000

Level up your birthday parties

The Arcade1Up Photobooth ($399.99) inevitably invites comparison with the HP Sprocket Photobooth. Even from a quick glance, the similarities go well beyond the names. Both devices share a rectangular shape and have a built-in stand on the back for resting on a flat surface. …

Pipedrive CRM

Dianna Gunn — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:00:00 +0000

A capable CRM with underwhelming customization and support

Pipedrive is a customer relationship management (CRM) service that helps you manage deals, email marketing, meetings, and other sales-related tasks in one place. It integrates with more than 400 third-party tools, making it easy to incorporate into your everyday …

US Healthcare Providers May Be Hit With New Cybersecurity Rules

Will Mccurdy — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:35:11 +0000

The proposed rules from HHS aim to combat rising ransomware attacks and data breaches in the sector, but changes could cost $9 billion in just the first year.

Healthcare providers across the US may be forced to shore up their cybersecurity practices following new proposals from the US Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR).

The proposed measures include implementing multi-factor authentication and encrypting patient data to safeguard it …

Dell Precision 3680

Charles Jefferies — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:00:00 +0000

An entry-level workstation that can be configured far, far beyond that

While desktop workstations often carry hefty price tags due to their server-grade components and specialized hardware, not everyone needs massive parallel processing power. Dell's Precision 3680 (starts at $1,129; $9,132 as tested) keeps starting costs lower by offering Intel Core instead of Xeon processors, yet it offers cutting-edge …

All Devices Sold in the EU Will Now Be USB-C Compatible

Will Mccurdy — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:19:18 +0000

The EU's mandatory push for USB-C comes ahead of India and California enforcing similar rules in 2025 and 2026, respectively.

If you're heading to the EU anytime soon, it’s unlikely you’ll have much trouble finding a USB-C charger. All small and medium-sized portable electronic devices (under 100 watts) sold in the EU must now be compatible with USB-C ports.

This means you’ll only need a USB-C …

What to Watch on Hulu in January 2025

K. Thor Jensen — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:00:00 +0000

Ring in the new year with a slate of solid content on Hulu, including a very online comedy, a nuclear sub snafu, and more

January sees Hulu working on a very diverse selection of content to tempt subscribers. We're getting a bunch of ABC shows starting new seasons, including the perpetually popular The Bachelor, as well as some great movies and a few compelling original series as well. Here are …