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The Mac mini M4 is back on sale for $499

The Mac mini M4 is back on sale for $499

The holiday season may be behind us, but that doesn't mean you can't still find good deals on some of our favorite tech. Take the Apple Mac mini M4 , which is on sale for $100 off. The 17 percent discount gives you 16GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD for $499, which is only about $20 more than its Black Friday sale price. Its beefier models are also on sale: opting for 512GB of SSD will cost you $689, down from $799, while also upping your RAM to 24GB is available for $890, dropping from $999. We gave the Apple Mac mini M4 a 90 in our review thanks in large part to its powerful chip. The M4 works very fast despite being in such a small device. It also offers front-facing headphone and USB-C ports. You can further upgrade to the Apple M4 Pro chip for $1,270, down from $1,399 — a nine percent discount. The Pro model also has Thunderbolt 5 support. Check out our coverage of the best Apple deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-mac-mini-m4-is-back-on-sale-for-499-141615907.html?src=rss

Gemini just got scarily smart for you where Apple’s Siri dream failed

Gemini just got scarily smart for you where Apple’s Siri dream failed

This new avatar of Gemini means smaller prompts. Instead of typing an allergy exclusion like "exclude pine nuts," Gemini automatically handles it using data from your connected Google products. Everything is going to be hyper-personalized in your Gemini chats with Personal Intelligence. The post Gemini just got scarily smart for you where Apple’s Siri dream failed appeared first on Digital Trends .

Sources: the Trump administration is weighing a substantial shift in its cyberstrategy, including by enlisting private companies to assist with cyberattacks (Adam Sella/New York Times)

Sources: the Trump administration is weighing a substantial shift in its cyberstrategy, including by enlisting private companies to assist with cyberattacks (Adam Sella/New York Times)

Adam Sella / New York Times : Sources: the Trump administration is weighing a substantial shift in its cyberstrategy, including by enlisting private companies to assist with cyberattacks —  The proposal raises a host of questions about the legality and practicality of bolstering the involvement of the private sector in offensive cyberoperations.

Gemini can now pull context the rest of your Google apps, if you let it

Gemini can now pull context the rest of your Google apps, if you let it

Gemini is adding a feature that’s designed to feel more tailored to individual users. Once enabled, "Personal Intelligence" can pull context from across your Google ecosystem, including Gmail, Google Photos, Search and YouTube History, to gain specific insight that will shape its answers and recommendations. Personal Intelligence is available starting today in the US for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers. The feature is opt-in only and is off by default. Google Google says users will have the ability to control what apps Gemini pulls from and, in the future, which chats it uses Personal Intelligence for. The company says this new feature might still make some mistakes, such as “over-personalization” where it draws connections between unrelated things. According to Google, Gemini will not train directly on the data it pulls for personalization like your photos and emails, but will instead train on your prompts and its responses. Users can also prompt Gemini to "try again" without personalization and will have the option to delete chat histories. For now, Personal Intelligence works in the Gemini app across web, Android and iOS for personal Google accounts. Google says it’s coming to Search’s AI Mode soon, with plans to expand to more countries and the free tier down the line. Google has been on a tear integrating Gemini into everything, including Gmail , TVs and Chrome on mobile . This week, Apple announced that Siri AI will be powered by Gemini as part of a multi-year collaboration . AI remains an imperfect tool, and Google's AI has a long history of malfunctions like explaining made-up idioms , calling itself a "failure" in a depressing doom loop and generating images of the Founding Fathers as people of color. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/gemini-can-now-pull-context-the-rest-of-your-google-apps-if-you-let-it-160039468.html?src=rss

Windows 11 26H1 preview build gets missing features from 25H2

Windows 11 26H1 preview build gets missing features from 25H2

Microsoft began testing Windows 11 version 26H1 for the first time with Insider Preview Build 28000 . The version is only available in the Canary channel of the Windows Insider Program. Starting with this build, Windows officially displays “Windows 11, version 26H1” for the first time under Settings > System > About and via winver . Microsoft made it clear that this is not a feature update for Windows 11 25H2, but rather a new technical platform version. Here’s what’s new in Windows 11 26H1 and why you should be aware. The purpose of Windows 11 26H1 Windows 11 26H1 is preparation for new hardware platforms. Microsoft is gearing the operating system towards upcoming processors, such as Windows-on-Arm devices. Among others, that includes Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 and X2 Elite plus Nvidia N1 and N1x. These processors differ significantly from traditional x64 CPUs, so Microsoft is making adjustments to key system components for compatibility. These include power management, process planning, driver architecture, and other hardware-dependent parts of the operating system. These changes are hardly noticeable to users in everyday use, but they’re necessary to ensure that new devices will later run stably, efficiently, and at full performance. Thomas Joos For existing x64 PCs, Windows 11 26H1 offers no functional advantages and Windows 11 25H2 remains the main branch for new features. Microsoft is sticking to its familiar update strategy here, with major feature updates released once a year in the second half of the year. What is the enablement package? Windows 11 26H1, similar to 25H2 before it, will be delivered as an “enablement package.” An enablement package is not a complete operating system upgrade—instead, it’s a small activation package that unlocks existing but previously disabled system components. Thomas Joos Microsoft integrates new or modified components into the system in advance via regular cumulative updates. The enablement package then activates the new version identifier and unlocks those existing features. For users, this means shorter installation times, smaller download sizes, and no major changes to interfaces or operation. Canary channel and early development The Canary channel serves as the earliest test environment in the Windows Insider Program. The builds published there aren’t assigned to any specific Windows version and may contain features that will later be changed or discarded. Microsoft expressly says that content from Canary builds won’t necessarily make it into a final Windows version. Another important point concerns channel switching. Leaving the Canary channel is only possible via reinstallation, as switching to channels with lower build numbers is not supported. New features in the Canary channel With the latest Canary builds—for example, starting with Build 28020.1362 (KB5073095) and onwards—Microsoft has integrated numerous features into the Canary branch that were previously available in Dev, Beta, and stable versions of Windows 11 25H2. Microsoft is aligning the feature set, which includes: The Xbox Full Screen Experience (FSE) is now available on more devices, including desktop systems. The interface is based on a console, prioritizes games, and reduces background processes. Click to Do has been redesigned on Copilot+ PCs. The context menu appears automatically for large images or tables and offers direct access to actions such as copying, saving, sharing, and AI-assisted processing. Learn more about why Click to Do is Microsoft’s next big AI move . The Windows Settings agent now allows direct changes from the search field on Copilot+ PCs. Recommended settings can be adjusted via inline action. If a setting can’t be changed further, Windows displays a corresponding explanation. Windows Studio Effects now also support external USB webcams. They can be activated via Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Cameras or via the quick settings in the taskbar. The Drag Tray now supports simultaneous sharing of multiple files, automatically displays matching apps, and allows direct placement in destination folders. The feature can be enabled or disabled via Settings > System > Nearby sharing. Learn more about why Nearby Sharing is one of the best features in Windows . Thomas Joos File Explorer now has a more consistent dark mode . Copy, move, delete, progress, replace, and error dialogues now fully match the dark design. Chart and progress views have also been adjusted. When hovering over files in the Explorer start area, new quick actions such as “Open file location” or “Ask Copilot” appear, depending on the region and account type. There’s a new “Mobile Devices” page in the settings that can be used to manage smartphones. Windows can use mobile devices as cameras or display files directly in File Explorer. Desktop Spotlight adds options such as “Learn more about this background” and “Next desktop background” to the desktop context menu. Thomas Joos Additional settings have been moved from the classic Control Panel to the Windows 11 settings. These include the keyboard character repeat rate and cursor blink rate. Control of keyboard backlighting on supported HID keyboards has also been improved. Thomas Joos Pens with haptic support now provide tactile feedback for certain UI interactions, such as moving or docking windows. Microsoft has also fixed various bugs, including issues in File Explorer, Task Manager, Settings, Windows Update, Display and Graphics, and Sign-in. A known bug where Task Manager continued to run as a background process after being closed has been corrected. Known issues with Windows 11 26H1 Microsoft lists several known limitations in these early Windows 11 26H1 builds, which include unexpected scrolling in the new Start menu and issues with hibernation and shutdown on certain systems. Such bugs are typical for early Canary builds. Windows Home users can already test version 26H1 by registering for the Windows Insider Program free of charge and activating the Canary channel. This will let you try out new platform changes while they’re still in early development. Learn more about why you should or shouldn’t become a Windows Insider . Thomas Joos At the same time, it’s important to note that pre-release versions are not stable . Crashes, performance issues, faulty updates, or incompatibilities are possible. The Canary channel is therefore not recommended for systems that need stability and reliability. Should you use Windows 11 26H1? Windows 11 26H1 forms a technical basis for new hardware generations and paves the way for Windows 11 26H2, which is expected to deliver the actual innovations for all users in fall 2026. If stability is a concern, Windows 11 25H2 remains the better choice right now. However, those who are interested in upcoming hardware, especially Arm-based Windows devices, or who want to keep abreast of technical developments at an early stage, will gain deep insight into the future of Windows with version 26H1.