Strava's New 'Power Skills' Feature Gives Cyclists Even More Training Insights

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Strava's latest Power Skills feature is a nice addition for data-driven cyclists. Built on technology from The Breakaway (which Strava acquired earlier this year), this tool transforms your power meter data into actionable training insights. Here's everything you need to know about using it to improve your riding.

How does Strava's Power Skills work

Power Skills uses your cycling power meter data to identify your strengths and areas for improvement across different types of efforts. Think of it as a fitness report card that analyzes your cycling performance across multiple disciplines. You’ll see twelve specific Power Intervals that you can work on, each benchmarked against thresholds adjusted for age, gender, weight, and so on. Then, each skill is made up of different combinations of these Power Intervals.

From here, Power Skills breaks down cycling performance into three main categories, each targeting different aspects of cycling fitness. Here's how Strava describes them:

• Sprinting: Short bursts of extremely high output. Reflects your ability to generate explosive power. Power Intervals: 15 sec, 30 sec, and 1 minute.

• Attacking: Balanced efforts that combine sprinting power with climbing endurance. Useful for short climbs or race breakaways. Power Intervals: 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, and 10 minutes.

• Climbing: Long, sustained efforts on climbs, flats, or workouts requiring steady pacing and endurance. Power Intervals: 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, and 60 minutes.

Before going any further, I should clarify that to use Strava's Power Skills, you do need a Strava subscription and actual power meter data from your bicycle or indoor bike. If you're interested in making this serious biking upgrade (which Strava historically recommends), Garmin offers trusted options here.

Garmin® Rally™ RK210, Dual-Sensing Power Meter for Cyclists, with Cycling Dynamics, Rechargeable, Easy-to-Transfer, Look KEO Cleat Compatible

$1,099.99 at Amazon

$1,099.99 at Amazon

What makes this special?

For cyclists, power meters measure the actual watts of energy they're producing while pedaling; it's like having a direct measurement of your engine's output. The tool breaks down a rider's personal power records across those 12 intervals and highlights strengths and weaknesses, with the option to compare recent efforts against lifetime bests.

What's particularly helpful is that it ranks your performances against a standard that adjusts for age and body weight, showing where they stand relative to "what's possible" (your potential) across eight levels. This means a 50-year-old cyclist isn't being compared to 20-year-old pros, which is huge for Strava's famously competitive social media ecosystem.

Understanding your Power Skills profile

Power Skills compares your recent efforts against lifetime bests, so you can see if your training is moving you in the right direction across different intervals. Here's what else to know to really make the most of it.

The visual breakdown

Your Power Skills profile shows a visual representation of your 12 key power intervals, from 5-second sprints to 60-minute efforts. Each interval is color-coded to show your relative strength in that area.

Skill rankings

Like I describe above, this system ranks your performance across eight levels, adjusting for age and weight. This means you're being compared to realistic benchmarks for your demographic, not just elite riders. These rankings help you understand where you sit in the broader cycling population.

Strength and growth areas

The main point of Power Skills is to identify your natural strengths and highlights areas with the most room for improvement. This is crucial for targeted training. Instead of generic "ride more," you get specific guidance on which energy systems need work.

Limitations to keep in mind

Elephant in the room: This feature only works for cyclists, not runners. So as a runner myself, I'm holding out hope that Strava finds a way to make this feature work even without a physical power meter on a bike. For now, Garmin seems to have figured it out.

Some other limitations to keep in mind are that this sort of feature requires consistent power meter data to be meaningful. Plus, it's historical analysis only; it doesn't prescribe specific workouts. It's probably best used as one tool in a broader training approach, not the only metric you look toward for guidance. Still, Power Skills is a cool way to use data-driven insights to train smarter, not just harder.

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Amazon Will Give You Twice the Storage on a New Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 for Free

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Samsung's newest tablet, the Galaxy Tab S11, just released this month, and you can already score a deal when buying one. Right now, Amazon is selling it with a free storage upgrade (from 128GB to 256GB) for $799.99 (originally $859.99).

At its latest Galaxy Event, the company unveiled three other devices alongside the Galaxy Tab S11: the Galaxy Buds 3 FE, the Galaxy Tab S10 Lite, and the Galaxy S25 FE phone. All of these devices are seeing similar deals right now.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 (256 GB)

High Performance, Long Battery Life, S Pen for Note-Taking, AI Assist.

$799.99 at Amazon

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$799.99 at Amazon

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The Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 comes in two models: the Galaxy Tab S11, which is the one available with a free storage upgrade; and the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra, which starts at $1,200. Both come with 12GB of RAM, but the Ultra has a giant 14.6-inch screen, while the Galaxy Tab S11 is a more portable 11 inches, replacing the Plus model from previous generations.

You can add more storage with the microSD slot (up to 2TB), but you might not need it with the free upgrade to 256GB. The 8,400 mAh battery should last about 18 hours, depending on use, which is on par with other Tab devices since the Tab S9. The front camera has a 12-MP Ultrawide lens, while the rear camera is a 13-MP. The Mediatek Dimensity 9400 Plus processor is about 25% faster than the previous model's, so you should notice AI tools and apps running a little more smoothly.

The S Pen is included with the tablet, which is fair considering you need it to get the most out of the device. It comes with Samsung's DeX mode, so you can hook it up to a screen, making it a pseudo computer with the addition of a keyboard. You can read more about the tablet on CNET's first-look.

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Apple's iOS 26 Comes Out Today

The iPhone 17 is officially here. Last week, Apple took to the virtual stage to announce its next generation of smartphones. There were some big updates, like the ultra-thin iPhone Air and redesigned camera bump on the Pro, as well as some more standard revisions across all models, like the base iPhone 17. But while Apple's new iPhones may be quite different, they all have at least one thing in common: They'll ship with iOS 26, Apple's latest and great(est?) iPhone OS, out of the box.

Apple has big plans for iOS 26, including the new Liquid Glass redesign, fresh messaging features, and updates to Apple Music, among many other changes. Of course, you won't need to buy an iPhone 17 series device to run iOS 26: Apple is supporting iPhone 11 and newer with this upcoming update. In fact, iOS 26 launches today, so any owners of existing iPhones will get a chance to try out the live version before the iPhone 17 line ships on Friday.

When will iOS 26 come out?

While Apple had been pretty cagey with iOS 26's official release date until now, we can confirm that it's finally dropping: iOS 26 will be available today, Monday, Sept. 15. Additionally, the company's other software updates, including iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, and visionOS 26, are also slated to come out today as well.

Previously, I thought Apple would drop iOS 26 on the 16th. Wccftech had made that argument, since that was the strategy last year: Apple announced the iPhone 16 on Sept. 9, then dropped the official iOS 18 update on Sept. 16. The year before, Apple deviated from this pattern slightly, releasing iOS 17 six days after unveiling the iPhone 15 series. One year before that, however, Apple followed the one-week-later pattern for iOS 16. It seems the company has finally reverted to the strategy behind the iOS 17 timeline.

What time does iOS 26 come out?

While iOS 26 is set to come out today, that doesn't mean you can run off to your phone and install it as soon as you're done reading this article. Going by past releases and Apple's global websites, the operating system is set to go live at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, or 1 p.m. Eastern Time. If you're desperate, the iOS 26 beta is already available, but with scant few hours until the live release, I'd suggest holding off for the real thing.

How to install iOS 26?

Once iOS 26 goes live, you can install it as an over-the-air update, by simply navigating to Settings > General > Software Update. Before you start the download, you'll want to ensure that your phone is fully charged, as it could take a while. Also expect a potential delay as others try the same thing—Apple's servers might take a bit to get to you.

Alternatively, if you're not in a rush, you can simply enable Automatic Updates (in the same menu), which will choose a time to install iOS 26 for you, while your phone is connected to wifi, charging, and locked. In my experience, this usually happens overnight.

If you want to update using a wired connection, you can also plug your iPhone into your Mac, then select it in the Finder app, click General, and choose Check for Update.

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These Are the Best Smart (and Dumb) Bathroom Scales

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Keeping track of what you weigh is important (although there are reasonable arguments against keeping track of it too much). I am really into tracking all of all my health-related data and organizing it on my phone so I can monitor trends and changes, so weighing myself consistently is just part of that larger mission. For me, that involves using a smart scale, which syncs with all my other health apps and creates a full picture of how I'm doing, fitness-wise—but if you don't want to get that tech-y with it, you have other options, too. Here are the best smart and dumb scales.

The best bathroom scales with cool features

These have additional or cool features like body fat measurement—though you should probably take those figures with a grain of salt—that go beyond just telling you your weight.

• I have this iHealth Nexus Smart Scale ($35) and love it so much I bought another one for my boyfriend. We've been using them for about two years with no problems. I weigh myself every other morning or so and the batteries lasted about 18 months before needing to be replaced. The price is accessible, but it still comes with a ton of features. It connects to your phone via Bluetooth, then it assesses your weight, BMI, and even makes some estimates of things like muscle mass and bone mass, importing all of that information to your device, making it downloadable, and creating graphs of changes over time. Because it syncs so easily with your phone's native health app, it also, technically, syncs with any other apps that are also tied in there. For instance, I use a nutrient-tracking app called Lifesum. My weight is automatically updated and inputted there when I weigh myself on the iHealth Nexus and Lifesum adjusts my calorie and nutrient suggestions for the day to keep me on track with my goals.

• I'm an Apple Watch girl, so I'm a fan of my scale for its easy integration with Apple Health. Generally, if you're using a specific product or suite of products, I think you should stay in the same family as much as you can. The easier tracking is, the more likely you are to do it and stick with it. If you're a Fitbit user, grab the Fitbit Aria Air ($50), which syncs directly with your Fitbit dashboard, not Apple Health. It's relatively simple, only showing your weight and BMI, but really, that might be all you need. It's lightweight, "sleek," and "minimalist," according to reviewers, so it's not a bulky addition to the bathroom, either.

Fitbit Aria Air

$49.95 at Amazon

$49.95 at Amazon

• The Shapa scale ($120) is an innovative smart scale that shows you colors, not numbers, so you don't get too caught up monitoring your exact weight. I have a friend who is a big fan of this approach and this device. The colors refer to your average weight over time and if you see blue on your app, you're losing weight. Teal means you're starting to lose weight, green means you're maintaining it, light gray means you're starting to gain, and dark gray means you are gaining weight. That's it. It's popular on Reddit, too, where users praise it for helping them get over scale anxiety. It's not helpful to use a device if it's going to stress you out or, worse, demoralize you to the point that you stop using it. This simple, color-based approach helps you ignore numbers (which fluctuate over the course of an average day) and think more long-term.

• This Renpho smart scale ($43) is cool because it lights up, either to remind you periodically to weigh yourself or to serve as a nightlight, depending on your preferences and needs. It's a versatile option that's great for small bathrooms. For its low price, it also packs quite a few punches: It syncs with Google Fit, Samsung Health, Fitbit, and MyFitnessPal, estimates metrics like body fat percentage and muscle mass, and even has baby- and pet-weighing modes, plus specialized modes for athletes.

The best cheap scales

Don't need the bells and whistles? That's fine. You can pick up an inexpensive one that just shows you your weight, easy peasy. You might still want to track this somewhere, like an Excel spreadsheet, so you can do half the work the smart scales do on your own, but if you're someone who gets a little too into weighing yourself or number-crunching, you can also just use these on their own for periodic check-ins.

• The basic scale I use when I'm not using my iNexus isn't available on Amazon anymore, but this HomeBuds digital scale ($13) is very similar: There's an easy-to-read, bright LED display and the machine turns on automatically when you step on it. There isn't much else to say—and for a lot of people, that's the point!

• This GE digital scale ($30) displays your body weight and BMI. I'll be real with you: This one has gone up in price (while the rest of the ones have gone down) over the past year, so now that it's inching into the $30+ range, it might be worth considering spending an extra $10 on a smart scale, or at least doing so down the line. You can use this as a bridge between the classic way and the more modern way, as it comes from a trusted brand and displays more measurements than the standard scale without diving into phone-connected territory.

GE Bathroom Scale

$33.99 at Amazon

$37.99 Save $4.00

$33.99 at Amazon

$37.99 Save $4.00

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This Samsung Q-Series Dolby Atmos Soundbar Is on Sale for $600

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The Samsung HW-Q800F soundbar is down to $597.99 on Woot right now, which is a good chunk less than its $797.99 Amazon price tag, and even lower than the lowest price it’s ever gone for before ($697.99), according to price-trackers. This offer is valid for the next two weeks or until it sells out, with free shipping for Prime members and a $6 fee for others. Plus, it comes with a 90-day Woot limited warranty, but the real appeal here is the performance: It’s a 5.1.2-channel system with Dolby Atmos support, meaning you get immersive audio, even without extra satellite speakers.

When it comes to performance, the Q800F feels most at home with TV and movies. The subwoofer has plenty of rumble for action-heavy scenes, while the dedicated center channel makes dialogue stand out even when everything else gets loud. That’s something a lot of cheaper soundbars miss, and it makes a big difference if you don’t want to ride the volume button during every show. Additionally, it plays nice with just about any device you throw at it—HDMI passthrough for 4K at 60Hz with HDR and Dolby Vision, plus Bluetooth, wifi, AirPlay, and Spotify Connect. If you’ve got a recent Samsung TV, you can even skip the HDMI cable altogether and stream Atmos wirelessly. Voice control is built in through Alexa; however, reportedly, connecting it to Google Assistant requires a little extra effort using Samsung’s app.

There are some trade-offs, though. The Q800F doesn’t offer HDMI 2.1 support or features like VRR, which limits its appeal if you’re chasing cutting-edge gaming specs. And Atmos performance, while present, doesn’t match that of the more expensive Q990F with dedicated satellites (the surround effect feels wider than a basic stereo bar, but not always fully convincing). Also, the bass can skew a little boomy, and there’s a dip in the mids that can thin out certain dialogue. Still, for a clean setup with powerful sound and strong format support, the Q800F offers a lot of the premium experience at mid-range price.

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The Out-of-Touch Adults' Guide to Kids' Culture: What Does 'Let's Get Sendy' Mean?

Back in your day, slang made sense, trends were harmless, and young people didn’t go around painting their faces green and peeing on stuff. But those days are dead (and they never existed in the first place). Today’s kids and teens have a language, a culture, and a set of rituals that makes no sense, but only to you and I, because we’re old and washed-up. This column won’t bring back your youth, but it might help you be less offended if someone tells you to “start digging in your butt, twin.” 

What do “sendy” and “let’s get sendy" mean?

The hottest piece of generation alpha slang this week is “sendy.” It’s an adjective that describes a person who does bold and/or exciting things. The phrase "let’s get sendy” means something like “let’s do something big/crazy.” 

Or it doesn’t mean anything. Gen Alpha slang is brain-rot, so saying "let’s get sendy” especially when said in a sing-songy way, could be just a way to make your friends laugh/annoy everyone over 15. 

“Sendy” originally came from the phrase “send it,” slang that (probably) originated in the rock climbing community of the 1980s or 1990s, as a shortening of “ascend it.” When faced with a particularly difficult section, one climber might yell, “send it!” to encourage their bro/broettes to go for it, or you might say “send it” to announce that you are about to do something sketchy yourself. “Send it” went on to be used in the same way in other action sports like mountain biking, skateboarding, and snowboarding. 

“Sendy” as an adjective seems to have originated with The Nelk Boys, who have been posting mainly prank videos on their YouTube channel for over a decade. The Nelk Boys said/say “send it” a lot, and in this videos from 2023, one of them said, “let’s get sendy”:

This probably isn’t the first time anyone ever said “sendy” (it seems fairly obvious if you say “send it” a lot) but it might be the first time anyone ever said, “let’s get sendy.” If it is, it’s documented proof of the exact moment a piece of slang came into being—catnip for etymologists. Anyway, it took a couple years for “let’s get sendy” to make it from a podcast into every middle school in the country/world, but here we are in 2025, getting sendy.   

What does SDIYBT ("start digging in your butt, twin") mean

This acronym and phrase is growing very popular among the kids in Generation Alpha. SDIYBT stands for “start digging in your butt, twin.” 

What “start digging in your butt, twin” actually means is debatable. Some have suggested it means something like “dig deep,” or focus and access your inner strength, but it’s more likely that the phrase doesn’t mean anything, because words meaning things is becoming passé.

The origin of SDIYBT as a slang phrase is a meme someone made of SpongeBob Squarepants saying “start digging in yo butt, twin.”  (SpongeBob doesn’t say SDIYBT in the original cartoon; that was added by the memer):

Before long, people started lip-syncing the video:

or singing the phrase like this:

and this:

and this:

Before long, there were more than 26,000 videos in the SDIYBT hashtag on TikTok. 

Summary: SDIYBT doesn’t mean anything; kids say it because it's funny to them and annoying to you.

What does “Dih” mean?

“Dih” is algospeak for “dick.” It’s a way to keep internet content from being removed for using a word that might be flagged by censoring programs. 

(For more Gen Z and Gen A slang, check out my post, “'Clanker,' 'Dwerking,' and Other Gen Z and Gen Alpha Slang You Might Need Help Decoding.”) 

What is “the great lock in?”

Let us leave the world of annoyingly vague Generation Alpha slang to take a look at Generation Z, many of whom who have outgrown brain-rot and are trying to become better people. “The great lock-in” or “The September lock-in" is a collective, online self-improvement initiative where young people are vowing to devote September through December to achieving one’s personal goals, like eating healthily, exercising regularly, and otherwise building better habits. Think of it as a post-summer reset for bad habits. 

It can't be a thing online (particularly a thing that mainly women are doing) without people getting judgy, of course. Some are concerned that the trend could be an unhealthy part of a “major reversal of body positivity,” or evidence of a collapsing society, but I don’t see it. Having spent some time poking around popular videos in the great lock-in hashtag, all I’ve seen are people listing their own goals, offering tips on how to successfully stick to a plan, or just generally trying to motivate. None are focused on, say, starving yourself. As for this being evidence of society collapsing, I'm not seeing that either. Self-improvement/self-help trends in America date back to at least the 1800s, and there are a lot clearer indications that society is collapsing than this.

Hottest college trend: public urination

Gen Z isn’t only about wholesome self-improvement. There are also college students peeing on things in public. College students have always peed on things in public of course, but social media is making it into a trend. TikTok accounts like @brockport.pisser, @thesunycantonpisser, and @buff_state_pisser are getting thousands of views on videos of them letting loose near various landmarks at the schools they presumably attend. A pee-boy at The University of West Florida marked the UWF Welcome sign, and that sign reportedly cost the school over $2 million. Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, and the University of Maine have all been victims of anonymous urinators, and there’s even been an arrest. Nicholls State University cops recently busted a dude who goes by “Nicholls Pisser” for violating an unnamed state law and city ordinance. Given how these videos are shot—a stream of liquid emanating from a source off camera—it seems like a tough case to prove. These videos could easily have been made with a water bottle, a fact that at least one “pisser” points out. 

Viral video of the week: TikToker paints face green

It’s a pretty safe assumption that all of the peeing-on-stuff accounts above are operated by dudes. Dudes are cool and all, but they can be a bit much. That’s the story behind today’s viral video.

TikToker Hailey was having a nice life, posting amusing slice of life videos, reactions to books, and lip-syncs to her 14k followers. But one day she posted this:

Whatever demon is in charge of TikTok’s recommend algorithm decided to spread the video, and nearly a million people watched it—but they were the wrong people. According to Bailey, that one video changed the demographics of her viewerships from primarily female to primarily male, and the change was not good. “Now my inbox and comments are littered with disgusting messages,” Bailey reports. But she came up with a unique solution for getting rid of all those creeps/men, as you can see in the below video:

Did Bailey painting her face green work? Sure seems like it. Her comment section is packed with women reporting in, and Bailey’s taken the idea further with a cool red face job too:

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Eight Ways to Make Your Old iPhone Feel New Again

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Okay, I'll admit, the new iPhone Air is really cool. Not to mention, the battery life on the 17 Pro Max is legitimately impressive. And even the base model iPhone 17 is a great deal, offering pro-features and 256GB of storage at that same $799. Once again, Apple is tempting me with new iPhones.

It's normal to want the latest and greatest device, especially when Apple is behind it. But if you're like me, you really don't need a new iPhone. To be honest, had it not meant an accidental untimely end, I'd still be rocking with my pacific blue iPhone 12 Pro Max (RIP). My 15 Pro Max is alive and well, however, though it is looking a bit vintage against Apple's fresh slate of devices.

Rather than shell out a significant amount of money on an iPhone 17 and unnecessarily retire a perfectly working device, I suggest many of us try to breathe some life back into our aging iPhones.

Replace the battery

If your phone is a few years old, you’re likely not getting the same power-on time as you did when you first bought it. A new battery usually costs a fraction the price of even a mid-range phone, but it can do more than just extend your time away from the charger.

Some phones—especially iPhones—slow themselves down automatically when the battery gets too old. (Apple got in some hot water years ago for not disclosing this practice.) The operating system system does this to prevent your phone from shutting down unexpectedly, and while you can turn this feature off, you probably won’t see nearly the same performance you would with a new battery. Even if it did, you run the risk of your iPhone crashing at a moment's notice. A fresh battery can change all that.

To see whether your battery might be due for an upgrade, open Settings > Battery > Battery Health. Here, check your "Maximum Capacity," which is the amount of charge the battery can hold relative to when it was new. When this number reaches 80% or below, it's likely a good idea to replace the battery. Take note of any warnings that your battery has degraded. These are also excellent clues that you probably need a replacement.

Clear up some storage space

Storage management isn’t fun, but it’s essential no matter your device. If you have apps, photos, videos, and more filling your phone to the brim, it’s going to cause problems. That’s because all computers need some extra storage space to function properly. If your phone keeps screaming at you that’s it’s nearly full, believe it.

The good news is, if it's time to clear some storage, you don’t need to clear a whole lot—just at least 5–10% of your total memory. These days, iOS makes it easy to see what’s taking up the most storage on your device. Head to Settings > General > iPhone Storage. Here, iOS will offer tips for deleting large files to free up room. For example, when I head to this page, I see suggestions to "Review Large Attachments" in Messages, which would save me up to 40.55 GB, apparently; and "Offload Unused Apps," which would clear out 16.31 GB. Whittle things down until you see that you have at least a small chunk of free space available.

Clean out your charging port

If you find that charging your phone is impossible, or that it charges slowly or inconsistently, you don’t necessarily need to buy a whole new device. Instead, try cleaning out the charging port. You wouldn’t believe how clogged these things get; lint and debris from your pockets can get trapped and packed down into the port, blocking the charger’s ability to properly connect.

To clean it, use a thin piece of wire (like a SIM tool or an untwisted paperclip) to carefully scoop any obstructions out of the port. The key word here is carefully; this port is fragile, and if you scrape the connections too hard, you could damage them irrevocably.

If your port still won't charge after a good cleaning, all hope isn't lost. If your iPhone supports wireless charging, consider using one of these chargers instead of a wired connection. Even better, use MagSafe, if your iPhone supports it, so you can hold your iPhone while its charging.

Swap out your wallpaper

Every time you look at your phone, you’re probably looking at the same Lock Screen wallpaper. If you’ve gotten bored of it, that sameness could be influencing your desire to upgrade.

It’s a small change, but see if you feel different after replacing the wallpaper, preferably to something totally different from what you had before. Pick something with an opposite color scheme, subject, art style, etc. If you haven't changed your wallpaper in a while, you might be surprised by the amount of customization Apple allows for now. You can choose to match your Home Screen's wallpaper to your Lock Screen, or have a different option altogether.

Change up your app and widget arrangements

Your Home Screen layout is likely getting stale as well. As with the new wallpaper options, Apple has made some significant changes to the way you can customize your Home Screen in recent years. Try adding new widgets that you haven’t used before and mix up the order of the apps you use on a daily basis. You can even put them anywhere you want now, a la Android.

Get a new case

Part of the appeal of a new phone is the new look; instead of buying a new device just for a new color or because your old one is dinged up, trying slapping a new case on your existing phone instead. You’d be surprised how transformative this can be. A leather case can make your device feel a bit more premium, while a colorful silicone one can brighten up its appearance. You can even find one that will replace your wallet.

Or, if you're feeling daring, try going caseless for a bit. You'll put your iPhone at risk of damage, sure, but it's nice to be reminded of how these devices really look and feel from time to time.

Replace your screen or screen protector

Stop living with that beat-up screen protector. A good one can be a bit pricey, but a cracked and scratched piece of plastic or glass is likely taking its toll on your perception of your phone. Similarly, if your phone’s display has taken a beating, think about getting it fixed, too. Depending on the phone, that can get really expensive (for newer devices, Apple charges up to $379 for the favor), but if it’s between that or a $1,000 iPhone 17 Pro, there’s a clear winner for your wallet. (It’s also worth noting that you typically can’t trade in a phone with a broken screen.)

Upgrade to iOS 26

iOS 26 is just about to drop, and it marks arguably the biggest design change for iPhones since iOS 7. That's in large part due to the new Liquid Glass design, and while it may not be for everyone, I think a lot of people are going to find it refreshing. You can even choose to see your apps and widgets in clear mode, going back to Home Screen customization.

The thing about iOS 26 is, it doesn't require a new iPhone to run. In fact, it works with iPhones as old as the iPhone 11, which dropped back in 2019. While you need an iPhone 15 Pro or newer to run Apple Intelligence features, I'd wager most of us don't need these. Instead, the visual refresh of iOS 26, coupled with the new features that everyone gets, should make even an iPhone 11 feel a bit newer.

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Google Has Finally Set Usage Limits for Gemini AI (Based on How Much You Pay)

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Before now, Google has been somewhat vague about just how many prompts, pictures, and videos you can get through with its Gemini AI, and the level of quality and AI model you can expect: The end results can vary depending on the Google AI plan you're on, and the tool you're using, with imprecise phrasing like "higher limits" and "highest limits" used in the official documentation.

Thankfully, Google has finally gotten around to giving us some clarity, as spotted by the team at 9to5Google. The new figures should give you a better idea of whether or not it's worth upgrading the plan you're currently on, and it means you won't be caught by surprise quite so much when you reach your daily limits.

The limits of Gemini

You can get the official lowdown on the limits of Google AI by heading to the Gemini support page. There are three plans to know about: The free tier (you don't pay anything), the Google AI Pro tier ($20 a month), and the Google AI Ultra tier ($250 a month). The basics are as follows, though it doesn't quite cover everything.

If you're a free user, you get five prompts a day using the best 2.5 Pro model, after which the 2.5 Flash model kicks in. You also get a context window (reading capacity) of 32 thousand tokens, up to five Deep Research reports a month (using 2.5 Flash), up to 20 audio overviews a day, and up to 100 images a day. There are no Deep Think or AI video generation options.

If you're on the Google AI Pro plan, you get pushed up to 100 prompts per day using 2.5 Pro. The context window grows to 1 million tokens, and you can run up to 20 Deep Research reports a day (using 2.5 Pro). The other limits are up to 20 audio overviews a day, up to 1,000 images a day, and up to three videos a day using the slightly inferior Veo 3 Fast. You can schedule up to 10 active actions, but there's no access to Deep Think.

Finally, there's the top Google AI Ultra tier. This gives you up to 500 prompts per day with 2.5 Pro, the same 1 million token context window as the AI Pro plan, and the same 20 audio overviews per day. You can run up to 200 Deep Research reports a day (with 2.5 Pro), and up to 10 Deep Think prompts per day. The 1,000 images-per-day limit is the same as the AI Pro plan, but you can also generate up to five videos per day with the slightly superior Veo 3 model.

Credit: Google

What to consider

You might think all those figures are complicated enough, but they don't quite cover everything. If you use other tools besides the Gemini app, other limits apply. The Flow movie-making web app, for example, works differently: It's exclusively for Google AI Pro and Google AI Ultra subscribers, who get 1,000 monthly AI credits and 25,000 monthly AI credits respectively, to put towards their creations.

Another tool that's affected is NotebookLM, because if you're subscribed to one of the Google AI plans, you get higher usage limits and access to more features here as well. You can create more notebooks, add more sources, and work with longer documents if you upgrade from the free plan.

Then you've got the new features that are added over time, which are sometimes paywalled. The Canvas feature (a more expansive working area) was rolled out to everyone at the same time, for example, whereas the Gems feature (custom chatbots) was originally only for paying subscribers.

Eventually, most features trickle down to become available to everyone, but it's something else to bear in mind if you're wondering whether a Google AI Pro or Google AI Ultra plan is worth the investment. Google is obviously going to want to push users towards subscribing with a number of exclusives, but many will be able to get by on the free plan.

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Nintendo Is Bringing Back Its Most Infamous Console As a Switch Accessory

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Nintendo is bringing virtual reality to the Switch 2 (and more VR to the Switch 1), but not in the way you probably expected. During the company's hour long Nintendo Direct this morning, the Mario makers announced that 14 Virtual Boy games will be coming to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service, complete with stereoscopic 3D and a replica Virtual Boy accessory to make it all possible.

If you're anything like one of my editors, you might be asking yourself "what's a Virtual Boy?" Well, for all you gamers that weren't around during the '90s, it turns out the Oculus Rift wasn't the first 3D headset to try courting gamers.

In 1995, five years after the release of the original Game Boy, Nintendo dipped its toes into VR, launching the Virtual Boy "portable" console. This 32-bit system had a decent amount of power and promise at the time—the original PlayStation was also 32-bit—but was held back from greatness by two major flaws. First, unlike VR headsets today, it didn't strap around your head, and instead rested on a stand that needed you to lean into it, kind of like Han Solo getting dunked into the torture machine in The Empire Strikes Back. Second, it only displayed games in an eye-searing red-and-black graphics.

Though the reasons behind its eventual failure are bit more complicated than just that, suffice it to say, it didn't sell well. Only 14 Virtual Boy games were ever released in the U.S., and Nintendo was quick to encourage us to forget about its flop—until now.

While unofficial emulators have tried to recreate the Virtual Boy experience for 3DS and Meta Quest, Nintendo is now throwing its own hat into the ring. Starting on Feb. 17, 2025, the company will begin releasing Virtual Boy games as part of its Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription service—with an adorable catch.

Virtual Boy as Switch accessory

Credit: Nintendo

Like many 3DS games, most of the Virtual Boy library technically doesn't rely on 3D for gameplay too much, and some unofficial emulators have settled on displaying them in 2D without much issue to players. But Nintendo is, as it is wont to do, going all-in on the gimmick. In order to play Virtual Boy on Nintendo Switch Online, you'll need an official Virtual Boy accessory that enables stereoscopic 3D for your system. It's available for pre-order later today (the order links aren't live as of this writing), and the actual release date remains unannounced

You've got two choices: First, you can get a full-blown replica of the Virtual Boy, stand and all. Personally, I'd be tempted to buy it even if it were just a hunk of nonfunctional plastic—it's just that cute. But if you're not with me there, or you want to save some money, you'll also be able to buy a cardboard version, similar to the Nintendo Labo VR headset for Switch 1.

Regardless of which Virtual Boy accessory you get, you'll slot your Switch or Switch 2 into it (Virtual Boy games will be available on both consoles), and the headset will divide the console's screen into two halves to create a 3D image when you look at them through its lenses. It's a similar approach to the Nintendo Labo, which allowed the Switch 1 to play Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and a few other choice games in VR. (You might be more familiar with using your phone to achieve this technique via Google Cardboard.)

Nintendo said that all 14 Virtual Boy games released in North America will be coming to Nintendo Switch Online this way, although the eight additional Virtual Boy games that were only released in Japan appear to be MIA for now.

Credit: Nintendo

And that's about all we know currently. Like Nintendo's other retro replica devices, the Virtual Boy accessories needed to play these games with Nintendo Switch Online will only by available for purchase by paying Nintendo Switch Online subscribers. That's a bit of a bummer if you just want one as a desk toy, but unlike the Gamecube controller also released for Switch 2, it'll probably sting a bit less—that device can be used to play all sorts of games, but the Virtual Boy accessory will be limited to Virtual Boy games.

That is, unless Nintendo has plans to follow up on Labo and bring VR modes to existing Switch 2 titles like Donkey Kong Bananza. That's just speculation at the moment, but hey, the Switch 2 is plenty more powerful than the Switch 1, and you could play Mario Odyssey in VR on that. A girl can dream.

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This Ring Indoor/Outdoor Camera Is $70 Right Now

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The Ring Outdoor Cam Plus is a versatile indoor and outdoor security camera that offers up to 2K video and is powered via a quick-release battery pack (though a wired version is also available at the same discount). Right now, it’s 30% off on Amazon in both black and white for Prime members, bringing its price down to $70 and marking its lowest price ever, according to price-tracking tools.

Ring Outdoor Cam Plus

$69.99 at Amazon

$99.99 Save $30.00

$69.99 at Amazon

$99.99 Save $30.00

Its high-res 2K video is a major upgrade compared to 1080p cameras on the market (including older Ring cams) with basic black-and-white night vision. Per this PCMag review, the camera features Low-Light Sight, which provides more visibility and color detail in near-dark settings. Its 160° diagonal field of view also covers a decent area, leading to fewer blind spots on porches, yards, or other outdoor areas than older models with an approximately 143° diagonal FOV, and many reviewers cite the improved view as a standout feature. Unlike older models, which only supported 2.5GHz, this one has dual-band wifi.

Compared to wired outdoor security cameras, the battery-powered quick-release pack offers more flexibility, letting you recharge the device without removing the whole camera or keeping it attached to a constant power source. That said, frequent motion, high-traffic area placement, or continuous live view may drain the battery quickly, and some users do say it uses more power than other Ring models. Like most outdoor cameras, it can handle a wide range of conditions and has a durable build that can be mounted on surfaces, walls, or a ceiling. However, it is slightly larger than their Indoor Cams and Stick Up Cams, making it less discreet. 

Features like motion detection (with customizable zones), live view, two-way talk, and Alexa integration are standard for Ring devices, but users report that this model has improved night vision and motion detection compared to predecessors. And as with most Ring devices, certain features like long-term storage or advanced analytics will require a paid Ring Home Plan subscription. If you’re looking for stronger image quality and a wider field of view than older Ring cams or Stick Up Cam models, the Ring Outdoor Cam Plus is worth considering, especially at its current price. 

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