Category: 4. Technology

Walmart is currently offering some of the best Lego deals and exclusive bundles during what it’s calling the “Bricktember Lego Sale”, which will run throughout September. Walmart is dropping Lego deals regularly during the month and will include some of the best Lego space sets, as well as the best Lego Star Wars sets, and some of the most collectable sets from Lego, so it’s well worth checking back regularly if you’re after a specific set.

One Lego set, discounted at Walmart to its best-ever price, is one of the best space Lego sets – the Lego Technic NASA Lunar Roving Vehicle, which is an incredibly detailed reproduction of the historic NASA buggy that took to the Moon’s surface during the Apollo 15, 16 and 17 lunar missions.

WhatsApp on Friday announced it patched a zero-day vulnerability it believes was used to launch sophisticated attacks against specific individuals.

The Meta-owned messaging platform said in a security advisory that the bug, labeled CVE-2025-55177, involves “incomplete authorization of linked device synchronization messages.”

The issue “could have allowed an unrelated user to trigger processing of content from an arbitrary URL on a target’s device,” the advisory says. 

WhatsApp believes the vulnerability could have been combined with a separate OS-level vulnerability on Apple devices (CVE-2025-43300) to potentially launch sophisticated attacks against “specific targeted users,” the advisory says.

Apple, which patched CVE-2025-43300 on August 20, has described it as an “out-of-bounds write issue.” 

The tech giant said it is “aware of a report that this issue may have been exploited in an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals.”

CVE-2025-43300 affected Apple’s iOS, iPadOS and macOS products.

No technical details were released by either company.

In 2019, WhatsApp was exploited with a zero-day attack carried out by the NSO Group, which manufactures the zero-click spyware known as Pegasus. That attack impacted some 1,400 Apple users and resulted in a court finding holding NSO Group liable. 

In January WhatsApp accused a separate spyware company, Paragon, of targeting about 90 of its users with spyware. Digital forensic experts from the Citizen Lab subsequently verified some of those attacks occurred.

Learn more.

WhatsApp is rolling out a major new feature that will allow users to connect and chat with unique usernames, eliminating the long-standing requirement of exchanging phone numbers.

According to reports from WABetaInfo, the update has been spotted in the Android beta version 2.25.24.22 and is currently in advanced development. The change, which mirrors a model used by rival platforms like Telegram, is set to offer a significant boost to user privacy and control.

How it Works: A New Way to Connect

The new system fundamentally changes how users discover and connect with one another, all while retaining WhatsApp’s signature end-to-end encryption. Here’s how it will go:

• Create a Username: Users will be able to choose a unique identifier, subject to specific rules (e.g., must include at least one letter, be between 3 and 30 characters, and avoid certain symbols).
• Search Directly: A new search function in the “Chats” tab will enable users to find others by their username, even if they aren’t in their contact list.
• Hide Your Number: With this feature, only your username and profile picture will be visible. Your personal phone number remains hidden unless you choose to share it.
• Seamless Chatting: All conversations initiated via usernames will function just like normal chats, supporting media, voice notes, and documents while remaining fully end-to-end encrypted.
• Extra Layer of Security: Even if someone discovers your username, they will be unable to send you a message without the corresponding key.
• Control over Connections: This acts as a clear gatekeeper, offering users more control over their inbox and a defense against unsolicited messages.
• Built-In Spam Protection: To combat abuse, WhatsApp will also use behavior detection systems to flag and remove users involved in spam, helping to enforce its terms of service.

Broader Impact and Significance

The introduction of usernames is a major move that addresses several long-standing privacy concerns for WhatsApp users. This update will be particularly beneficial for users who previously had to share their phone numbers in large group chats or with new contacts, exposing them to potential misuse across other apps or scams.

The new system is optional. Users can opt in and set their username at any time, or continue to use WhatsApp with their phone number just as they always have. The feature is expected to be rolled out to all users in the coming months, following the beta testing period.

Prior to writing and translating for Notebookcheck, I worked for various companies including Apple and Neowin. I have a BA in International History and Politics from the University of Leeds, which I have since converted to a Law Degree. Happy to chat on Twitter or Notebookchat.

SAVE $1,000: Through Sept. 4, the Roborock Saros Z70 robot vacuum with an arm is $1,000 off for Roborock’s anniversary sale, bringing the cost down to $1,599.

The Roborock Saros Z70 has been the last robot vacuum I’ve been telling people to buy since it came out in May. The allure of the arm alone (and its quirks, as I found out in testing) just couldn’t justify the $2,599 price tag. But Roborock is having an anniversary sale through Sept. 4, and during it, I might judge you a little less hard for taking the plunge on the robot vacuum with an arm — because it’s a whole $1,000 off.

Yes, the Saros Z70 is on sale for $1,599, which is a much more digestible amount that we’re used to seeing from Roborock. $1,599 is the normal asking price for the rest of the Saros trilogy, the Saros 10 and Saros 10R, that I’ve been vouching for hard after testing and comparing them both. They’re both $300 cheaper for the sale, now both $1,299 each. Oddly enough, the Saros Z70 is the only of the three deals that’s strictly available at Roborock’s website, not at Amazon.

To give credit where it’s due, the Roborock Saros Z70 is actually a good robot vacuum and mop combo. (It was just overpriced, especially with erratic arm functionality.) With 22,000 Pa of suction power and hinged spinning mopping pads that scrub right up against edges and corners, it’s a real cleaning powerhouse that competes with (or beats) most other premium robot vacuums on the market. Everything gets dumped into the sleek automatic self-empty dock.

The Saros Z70’s mops can flex out past the circular edge of the vacuum.
Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The Saros Z70 washes and dries its own mopping pads automatically.
Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

Its smart mapping room to room is highly accurate, just as I’ve grown to expect from Roborock. It’s the accuracy of the obstacle-dodging capabilities within those rooms that isn’t so spot on. Yes, the arm can successfully pick select items up from time to time, but its consistency is a little iffy, and so is the vacuum’s small obstacle avoidance tech. (Don’t worry, it was spot on with fake pet waste.) Still, the livestream camera is an awesome tool for pet parents to have, even if it’s not super helpful when trying to pick up a sock or pet toy claw machine style. I documented my experience at home on video, so you can see for yourself before buying.

We’re now just about a week away from the Apple’s “Awe dropping” event, where the company is likely to unveil the iPhone 17. This year’s theme of “Awe dropping,” which was featured in Apple’s invitations to the media sent on August 26 doesn’t reveal much by way of clues, but maybe the “dropping” is in reference to lightweight devices dropping somehow? Anyway, the keynote will be livestreamed on YouTube September 9 at 1PM ET from Cupertino. We’ll have three Engadget team members reporting and liveblogging from Apple Park, as well as to give their hands-on impressions, so make sure you come back here for the latest coverage.

This year is shaping up to be a departure from recent September product rollouts, with the strong possibility of an all-new superthin iPhone expected to join the company’s lineup. Also on tap could be new Apple Watch models — including the first truly new Ultra model in two years — and (maybe) the long-awaited AirPods Pro 3.

We got a full rundown of what to expect at the event from the best possible source: Bloomberg Apple reporter Mark Gurman. During his recent guest appearance on the Engadget Podcast, Gurman shared his analysis of what we expect to see, including the expected battery and camera compromises of that rumored thin iPhone (which everyone already calls the iPhone Air).

Expected to be roughly 5.55 mm thick, the iPhone Air would be the thinnest iPhone yet, besting 2014’s iPhone 6 which, at 6.9 mm, was the previous svelteness champ. And they’ve only gotten chunkier since then. (The iPhone 16 Pro has a depth of 8.25 mm.) The Air would also give Apple a direct rival to Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge, which we found to be more than a gimmick.

But the iPhone Air’s thin design will likely lead to some compromises. It’s rumored to have only a single 48 MP camera and a smaller battery. So, expect a stylish phone that… won’t be for everyone.

The Pro lineup could offer some design tweaks and performance improvements. The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max are rumored to switch from titanium to aluminum. They could also see the rear camera array expand to an entire “island” that extends across most of the phone’s backside. It’s expected to house three cameras (as before), but multiple rumors have suggested it will have an improved telephoto one. The zoom lens could jump to 48MP, which would strengthen its digital zooming / cropping chops. The phones may also add an anti-glare coating, similar to those found on iPads.

The standard iPhone 17 could see some welcome display upgrades. At least one supply chain source claimed it will add a 120Hz variable refresh rate (ProMotion) display, which the Pro series has used since 2021.

One thing we know without a doubt is that the new iPhones will launch with iOS 26, which brings Apple’s biggest design refresh in years. It’s easy to imagine the company highlighting the new model’s displays as the best way to experience the new Liquid Glass visual language. As for the naming scheme, there haven’t been any leaks pointing to a similar hardware rebranding (“iPhone 26,” “iPhone 26 Pro,” etc.). But hey, Apple does like surprises.

Engadget’s iPhone 17 rumor roundup gives you a deeper dive into what to expect from the new models.

Apple’s fall event isn’t just for iPhones. The company is also expected to roll out new Apple Watch models. 5G and a processor upgrade are expected for the Apple Watch Ultra 3. It may also let you send texts via satellite, handy for those who use it out in the wilderness. Regardless of the details, Apple hasn’t launched a new rugged and premium model since 2023 (apart from a new color), so it’s due for an upgrade.

The Series 11 model is unlikely to depart dramatically from the Series 10. After all, that model introduced a new design, with a thinner body and larger screen. (And Apple has historically kept those around in three-year cycles.). But a faster chip also seems logical. Perhaps we’ll see 5G arrive on the standard wearable, too.

The Apple Watch lineup and the company’s Fitness team has been in the news of late too. In addition to ongoing legal battles over the wearable’s blood oxygen monitoring feature, Apple’s vice president of fitness technologies Jay Blahnik has been accused of creating a toxic workplace environment, according to a New York Times report. It’s unlikely that the company even mentions either of these situations at its event on September 9, but it is interesting background information for the fitness and wearable portions of its presentation.

We may also see the AirPods Pro 3 at the event. It’s been about three years since Apple last upgraded its premium earbuds. The new model could also bring some biometric sensors to the earphones: an in-ear heart-rate monitor and (maybe) temperature sensing. Live translation is also rumored, although that may not be exclusive to the third-gen model. But don’t expect major design changes, if the latest reports from leaker Majin Bu (via MacRumors) are to be believed: In addition to a “slight reduction in size,” Bu notes the case will lose the physical pairing button, while gaining capacitive controls.

Will there be other announcements? Time will tell, but now we know we won’t have to wait long to find out. The official countdown clock has begun, and the answers are just days away.

Update, September 2, 2025, 11:15AM ET: Tweaked the intro to accurately reflect how far we are from the event at this point in time, and added a paragraph on recent happenings around Apple’s Watch and Fitness products.

Update, August 29, 2025, 2:32PM ET: Added insights from Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman based on his appearance on the Engadget Podcast.

Update, August 28, 2025, 10:45AM ET: Added new report on AirPods 3 case details.

Update, August 26, 2025, 5:41PM ET: Added confirmation of official event invitation, date and time.

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ZDNET’s key takeaways

• Google Calendar isn’t the only game in town.
• There are a handful of options that blow Google’s away.
• These calendars offer more features and better UIs.

My calendar is an important tool to help keep me organized, and the busier I get, the more I depend on it. For as long as I can remember, Google Calendar has been my go-to for this function, but over the past year, I’ve been looking for an alternative to help wean me off Google apps.

That goes for the Calendar.

Also: How to quickly search Google Calendar for past or future events

It’s not that I have anything against Google’s Calendar app; it’s just that Google has such a crush on AI that I’m afraid any piece of data I enter into any Google app will be used to help train their LLMs (or create profiles of me).

Because of that alone, alternatives are slowly becoming a necessity. Ergo, this list. Let’s find out what calendar apps I believe can serve as not just a drop-in replacement for Google Calendar, but a superior alternative.

1. Business Calendar 2

Don’t let the name fool you, Business Calendar 2 is not just for business. Anyone can use this alternative and will quickly find that the feature set blows Google Calendar out of the water. Business Calendar 2 has been around for over a decade and has a special weekly layout that will immediately win you over. 

What’s so special about the weekly layout? Simple: once you switch to the weekly layout (the default is monthly), you can use a slider to determine how many days make up a week. You might only want to see three days at a time, so you can move the slider to the left until you only see three days. Or maybe you want a weekly view that is two weeks. The reason why I like this feature is that I can shrink the number of days, which allows me to see more information for each entry. It’s genius. 

Also: This wall-mounted smart calendar has been a game changer in my home (and it’s $50 off)

Other features include the ability to quickly select between your various Google Calendars, built-in tasks, a daily agenda view, a Birthdays view, and more. There’s also one more game-changing feature that I’ve not seen in any other calendar app: natural language input for event creation. With this feature, you can tap the mic button and say something like, “Meeting this Tuesday at 10 am,” and the app will automatically add the event.

Business Calendar 2 is free to use, but you might see a random ad when adding events. From what I’ve experienced, the ads are limited to two per day, so it’s not like you’ll be inundated.

2. DigiCal

There are two reasons why I really like DigiCal. First, the layout is reminiscent of Google Calendar, so it’s very easy to transition to this app. Second, it includes the weather for your location that is always (subtly) present. 

Another reason I prefer DigiCal over Google Calendar is that with the Month view, you’ll see the calendar at the top and your daily agenda below, so you can not only see an entire month’s worth of events but also see what you’ve got going on that day. It’s brilliant and lifts that app above Google Calendar. There’s one other feature that I much prefer in DigiCal (over Google Calendar). 

This feature is subtle and may not be of use to everyone. When you go to create a new event and you want to choose a specific color for that event, you’re not limited to a small collection of colors like you are in Google’s app. You not only get Google’s 11 colors to choose from, but you also get 31 other colors. For me, that’s an important feature because I have several clients, and I like to associate different colors with each client so I know exactly who I’m dealing with at a glance. 

Also: Google Calendar’s bookable appointment scheduling is pretty sweet

Other than those features, DigiCal will remind you very much of Google Calendar, so if you’re afraid of change, this app should ease those fears.

DigiCal is free to use, but there is a premium version that gives you more features, like a 10-day weather forecast (as opposed to the 3-day forecast in the free version).

3. Proton Calendar

If it has the name Proton in it, you know it’s secure, and that’s reason enough to consider this calendar app. If privacy and security are important to you, I would say this should be your top choice. Proton Calendar is fully encrypted, so even the company behind the app cannot read your data. In this day of too much intrusiveness, that’s a big deal. 

Beyond the extra layers of security Proton offers, the calendar app is fairly basic, but it gets the job done. You’ll find the typical views (agenda, day, week, month) and the ability to import two of your Google Calendars. Yes, that’s about the limit of the Proton Calendar features, and you have to import your Google Calendars after installation and initial setup. 

Also: How to change the task overdue sound on Google Calendar so you never miss a deadline

Don’t let that minimal feature set fool you, Proton Calendar is still a good option on features alone, but the addition of extra security makes it a great option.

Proton Calendar can be used for free, but you do have to have a Proton Account to do so.

Our secret developer blogs allow mobile games industry figures to air their views anonymously. You can find more secret developer blogs here.

Below, a King veteran who has worked across multiple studios at the Candy Crush maker outlines the five things they think have gone wrong at the company, in response to our report on the working culture at the Candy Crush maker. 

It’s too focused on Candy Crush

When I worked there, the company had a massive imbalance in its priorities, heavily favouring the original Candy Crush over anything else. Pretty much every staffing question would come back to the same question: “Yes – but if those resources were put onto Candy we would make more money”.

There was a narrow-minded belief that just putting more resources on Candy would always make more money… and unfortunately the data did, to some extent, back this up – it’s a monster of a franchise and a license to print money for them.

The problem is this built an air of entitlement in the Candy team and to a large extent laziness in the team. They would become very defensive if anything about efficiency was raised. We had hard data showing that the team was slower at producing new levels than any other team in the company – worse than Soda, Jelly, Farm Heroes and the others.

Candy was slow to adopt new technology, always wanting to protect the golden goose. This caused lots of problems with the central engine team, who struggled to have meaningful impact on the team when I was there. How much this has changed since I left, I don’t know – not much would be my guess.

Other games would be charged with delivering innovations to game modes and monetisation models, and if they were successful, Candy would then copy them. That was essentially the model that formed in the company over time.

It’s driven by short term thinking

Leadership is fully incentivised to deliver against quite strict profit goals, and share bonuses are linked to continued achievement of KPIs over multiple years. So it is very much in leadership’s mind to achieve these targets at the expense of longer-term thinking.

If an element of work won’t deliver an increase in player numbers or monetisation now, it was de-prioritised. So people played it safe and things stagnated in tried and tested workflows.

Many of the mid and junior staff are graduates who haven’t worked across many other companies, or at least not in larger game development studios. So they lack the experience to see the bigger picture and problems within the team.

And many of the long-term staff, who have only ever worked at King since it was a small company, lack experience in how other companies operate. They view the success of King as meaning that they are great at their job, but this isn’t always the case. They are on very substantial salaries, as King pays employees very well.

The inevitability of Machine Learning/AI

When King purchased the AI/Machine Learning company Peltarion it was obvious what would happen. You have a large in-house dataset of levels and player data which is perfect for Machine Learning. It was only a matter of time before level designers and artists were let go.

‘Pampered’ work culture

When people talk about a toxic culture, I find that very hard to recognise at King, certainly in my time there. I know of a few people let go for inappropriate behaviour and language at parties, and it was one of the safest work environments I have ever known.

People were treated with respect and support was always there for people. So, unless this has drastically changed since I left, I don’t buy into the ‘toxic’ comments from staff. If anything, there might have been a problem the other way, where people felt so pampered that they thought it was correct to try and take offence at anything and everything.

The issue I had with the culture was the tolerance for bad management. There were a number of people who, whilst being nice, didn’t really do anything. They just passed information around, never followed up and were just there to have nice chats with people. These people were well-liked but added nothing to the company, so when you reported that middle management were being targeted with layoffs I could see why.

American influence

American companies like Microsoft and Activision don’t really ‘get’ European culture. Company emails are so focused on US issues and views that it is quite insulting at times. If they see an issue in an American studio, they’d sometimes implement sweeping changes everywhere.

The fallout from the Blizzard stories meant alcohol was banned from all studios. You couldn’t even take in an unopened bottle of alcohol for a friend’s birthday at King, even if it was not to be consumed on-site; this would be deemed a workplace violation and could lead to dismissal. They also wanted to ban the company Swedish tradition of the Helan Går drinking song at the King company conference, Kingfomarket.

Conclusion

The layoffs and reports about King’s workplace culture have been a long time coming. Sadly, there were some people who felt entitled and lacked true perspective on the situation around Candy Crush and other projects.

There were a large number of middle managers who were lovely people, but ultimately ineffective in their roles. The company had problems, as does anywhere, but I don’t believe it was a toxic environment, just ill-managed.

These changes have been years in the making and come from a lack of people driving change because the money was pouring in and people were focused on the here and now, rather than longer-term vision – with the exception of introducing Machine Learning and AI, which they were on point with…

Google is making big changes to its Play Games profiles. Starting from September 23, Play Games profiles will get “new social features” and show “gaming stats and milestones” to other players.

Play Games already has profiles, but they are hard to access by other players and mostly just show your achievements. Google’s description of the updates isn’t very clear on what social features it will be adding, but it sounds similar to what Steam does.

On Steam, your profile is easily visible to your friends, and they can see which games you’ve played, are playing right now, and your achievements in those games.

The update to Google Play Games will automatically roll out on September 23 to most global users, with the UK and EU following on October 1.

Here’s Google’s email to users.

We’ll soon update the way gamer profiles work on Google Play.

Starting on September 23rd, we’ll begin updating Play Games profiles, including yours. Your profile will include your gaming stats and milestones from games you’ve installed from Google Play and new social features. Your profile and related features will soon show up right on Google Play so it’s easier to access all of our gaming offerings.

To power features and services related to your gaming profile, Google will collect information about your game usage, such as which games you’ve played and when you’ve played them. We’ll also use this data to improve the Google Play gaming experience. Just like today, developers may receive information about your profile and your activity and purchases in their game to help them provide and improve the game, subject to their privacy policies. Developers may also send data to Google about your activity in their games, such as your achievements and game progress.

When we update your profile, we’ll use your existing profile visibility settings as the default settings for your updated profile. For example, if your current profile is set to “visible to everyone,” then information about your updated profile will also be visible to everyone. You can learn more about or update your current profile visibility settings here.

Your profile will be updated automatically, so you don’t need to take any action. Remember that you can delete your Play Games profile from your Google Account at any time.

You can also delete your Google Account entirely. Deleting your Google Account will delete all data and content in that account, like emails, files and photos.

We’re excited to show you your new integrated gaming experience and look forward to seeing you on Google Play.

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