Gear News and Events

The latest news and updates on gear, gadgets, and consumer tech. Plus, dispatches from the events that shape your world.

Motor Control

The 1X Neo Robot Has Freaky Fast Fingers

The soft, oddly intimate home-chore robot has been given some very tactile hands.

Boone Ashworth

Color Us Happy

Slate’s Gray $25,000 Truck Just Got a Crayola Makeover

Jeremy White

Call to Action

Self-Driving Cars Are Interfering With First Responders. Feds Aren’t Happy

Aarian Marshall

News and Events

The FTC Settlement With John Deere Is a Huge Win for the Right-to-Repair Movement

After more than a decade of pushback, farmers and repair advocates have won access to equipment and services John Deere had long kept under its control.

Boone Ashworth

Free Waymo Rides in California? You Can Thank a Regulatory Quirk

A key delay from a state agency means robotaxi rides in the company’s new Ojai vehicle might be free for a few more months.

Aarian Marshall

Meta Now Lets Anyone Use Your Instagram Photos in AI Images—Unless You Opt Out

As part of Meta’s Muse Image model rollout, Instagram users with public accounts need to opt out to block AI generations of their content.

Reece Rogers

Shut Those Laptops! Anthropic Puts Its Claude Cowork Agent on Your Phone

Claude Cowork now keeps working on tasks even after you close your laptop. It’s part of a larger push toward smartphone-controlled agents.

Reece Rogers

Trends

We Make Lovely Home-Cooked Meals for Ourselves. Why Not Do the Same for Our Dogs?

More dog owners have begun cooking for their canine companions in recent years. When my own dog fell ill, I became part of this growing group.

Alicia Kennedy

I’m Addicted to Sun Hoodies

Sun hoodies are the greatest new garment since the original hoodie.

Martin Cizmar

An Open Strait of Hormuz Won’t Fix Gas Prices Overnight

Even if peace holds up between the US and Iran, oil prices aren’t going back down to where they were any time soon.

Aarian Marshall

Qobuz Is the Anti-Spotify Music Streamer You’ve Been Waiting For

With its music focus, no-AI content policy, and larger artist royalties, the hi-res streaming service is scooping up all sorts of switchers.

Sophie Charara

How To and Advice

Skylight’s Touchscreen Calendar Got my Whole Family on the Same Page

The Skylight has become the informational and organizational hub of my household. My touchscreen-native kids have also gained more agency over our family activities.

Jaclyn Greenberg