I’ve tested my fair share of Bluetooth speakers, and I’m always impressed when it comes to Bose. I personally love the sound its speakers make, and the Bose SoundLink Micro 2 is no exception to that fact. It delivers a balanced sound that can be turned up without distortion, is compact and lightweight for easy portability, and is waterproof and dust-resistant for any outdoor activities. There are loads of color choices too, and the useful connectivity options mean you can pair multiple speakers for a bigger sound. However, there are far cheaper options on the market that can save you half the price and give you comparable sound and better battery life.

A24's highest-grossing film to date, the surreal horror flick "Backrooms," is finally on HBO Max. One of the biggest hits of the year so far, it grossed nearly $400 million and — along with "Obsession" and "The Odyssey" — turned this summer into the busiest season theaters have seen since the pandemic. If you’ve ever fallen down the internet’s weirdest rabbit holes, chances are you’ve encountered the backrooms, a concept that first began as a photo posted online of an empty department store under renovation. The unsettling liminal expanse hooked itself into the collective consciousness of the internet, spawning countless videos, games, and theories about what might be lurking just out of sight in those yellowed halls. After the trainwreck that was 2018's "Slender Man," I didn't have high hopes for another bit of internet lore getting the big-screen treatment. But I was happily surprised! For his first movie, director Kane Parsons' artistry and vision are incredibly impressive. The composition alone had me seeing "Backrooms" twice in theaters. Now that it's one of a ton of new movies on HBO Max in September, I'm excited for even more folks to check out this delightfully bizarre horror movie. Also, there's no lore you need to know to enjoy it (trust me, I went in knowing zilch).

Ever since the Pixel 9 Pro XL, Google’s flagships have consistently impressed me with their astrophotography performance — and the latest Pixel 11 Pro XL is shaping up to be no exception. That’s largely down to its updated Night Sight engine, which directly dictates how effectively it navigates the nuances of night-sky imaging. But that effortless automation is precisely one of the biggest strengths of shooting on the Pixel: all the heavy processing happens silently in the background. Google claims this updated Night Sight captures up to 4.5 times faster than prior generations, but I wanted to see how it holds up against dedicated hardware. To find out, I pitted it against an OM SYSTEM OM-3 Astro setup — a $2,500 specialized mirrorless body meant to capture the night sky paired with a fast Olympus 12mm f/2 lens. On paper, it looks like an absurd mismatch, but the side-by-side results downright surprised me.

Some games are made for PC gaming. There are classics like Half-Life, Crysis, Counter-Strike and Diablo, but also ones that push graphics to the limit, like Black Myth: Wukong, Cyberpunk 2077, or Baldur's Gate III. One I'd gladly add to that list? Control Resonant. I got to preview Remedy Entertainment's latest action-heavy sequel, Control Resonant, over the summer on PC, and I was already impressed with the striking visuals and performance it showed off. And that was still when it was a work in progress; as in, lighting and framerate were still being worked on, and I didn't even see the full extent of Nvidia's DLSS 4.5 or its ray reconstruction. Now, after spending over 30 hours leaping between rooftops, pummeling an assortment of warped creatures and generally defying gravity in a distorted Manhattan, I've seen what Control Resonant has to show off. Aside from its tremendously satisfying combat and engaging story, this has some truly outstanding visuals, from its detailed particle effects to its range of lighting and scenery — especially for its semi-open world setting. Control Resonant is an excellently optimized title for PC, only made better by its wide variety of graphics settings to tinker with. So, if you're wondering where to play this action-packed RPG, I'd point you towards PC.

At the Meta Connect 2026 keynote, Mark Zuckerberg announced a raft of new devices: VR glasses that could rival the Apple Vision Pro, audio-only smart glasses, and even a clever-looking pendant to house its new Muse AI. However, there was one thing that I was waiting to hear, which never came. An apology. This entire year, there have been dozens upon dozens of reports of smart glasses being used to record and harass individuals (many of them women), with those recordings appearing on Instagram and other social media platforms, where they’ve been amplified.