The Bic Lamp can be hung, mounted, or used as a vertical standing lamp. | Image: Seletti Seletti, an Italian design brand known for everything from furniture to tableware, has debuted an unusual tribute to an icon of design: the Bic Cristal pen. To celebrate its 75th anniversary, Seletti has supersized the pen and replaced its ink cartridge with a long LED-filled tube to illuminate your living room, office, or that closet where they keep all the stationery at work. The Bic Lamp, as it's simply called, was introduced at the 2026 Maison&Objet show in Paris - think CES, but for interior designers. Seletti says it was created at a 12:1 scale, which makes it just shy of six feet long given the Bic Cristal pen typically measures arou … Read the full story at The Verge.

The Zenfone 12 Ultra is Asus’s latest — and perhaps final — flagship phone. Asus chairman Jonney Shih told Taiwan's Inside that the company is done making phones for now, marking the end of its Zenfone and ROG Phone lines. "Asus will no longer add new mobile phone models in the future," Shih reportedly said (translated with Google Translate). He didn't entirely rule out a return though, instead saying the company is entering a state of "indefinite observation" of the market, and that it will "continue to take care of the brand's mobile phone users." Asus's own-brand phones haven't been particularly exciting since the teeny-tiny Zenfone 10 in 2023, though its ROG Phone line has more or less been the gold standard … Read the full story at The Verge.

Animal Crossing has always been anti-instant gratification. By design, you have to take your time, wait for days to pass in real time, and complete a seemingly endless list of chores to build a meaningful life with your animal friends. The slowness is part of its appeal. But with New Horizons, some of that slowness became tedious: crafting its many items one at a time, painstakingly building cliffs and rivers by hand, picking up and placing objects one by one. As I gathered when I previewed it last month, the newly released, free 3.0 update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons addresses those issues with quality-of-life fixes that still fit t … Read the full story at The Verge.

After launching almost three years ago, Meta's Threads is now reportedly attracting more daily mobile users than rival platform X. According to Similarweb data shared by TechCrunch, Threads has 141.5 million daily active iOS and Android global app users as of January 7th, compared to 125 million users for Elon Musk's mobile platform. Similarweb reports that Threads actually overtook X sometime between late October and early November after a consistent period of growth, meaning this milestone wasn't suddenly achieved in reaction to recent Grok-related controversies. X still has more mobile users than Threads in the US, according to Similarwe … Read the full story at The Verge.

It's relatively rare for a podcast to last 14 years, especially a fiction one. In fact, as far as I can tell, Welcome to Night Vale is the longest continually running fiction podcast out there. (Some will argue it's actually We're Alive, but that has taken a few significant breaks between seasons.) The story of Night Vale, the titular desert town, now spans 12 seasons, over 280 episodes, three books, and at least 10 live standalone shows. While dedicating several hundred hours of your life to listening to every episode might seem like a big ask, I believe you'll be hooked once you dive in. The show is written by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cran … Read the full story at The Verge.

Microsoft released its first security update of 2026 for Windows 11 on January 13th. Just four days later, it was forced to release an emergency out-of-band update to fix some pretty serious bugs, the first one introduced. The security patch was stopping some systems from shutting down or hibernating properly, and also preventing some users from logging in via remote desktop. The impact of the shutdown bug was limited to machines still running Windows 11 23H2, and only those running either the Enterprise of IoT editions. Still, this is just the latest buggy update that has forced Microsoft to issue an out-of-band update, something that use … Read the full story at The Verge.

Sony’s terrific Bravia 8 II is $900 off for a limited time. Good deals are often hard to come by at the beginning of the year — which is precisely what makes Best Buy’s Winter Sale worth checking out. The ongoing sales event features discounts on everything from big-ticket OLED TVs to smaller electronics, including fitness trackers that can help you achieve your New Year’s resolutions. There are also solid deals to be had on laptops, Bose headphones, and other Verge-approved pieces of tech, many of which are matching their best prices to date. The sale ends on January 19th, meaning you have the rest of the weekend to shop. Below, we’ve rounded up the deals — both big and small — that are genuinely worth your attention. LG B5 OLED TV Where to Buy: $2999.99 $1499.99 at Best Buy (77-inch) If you’re after a big-screen OLED, LG’s entry-level B5 Series TV remains one of the most affordable options available. And right now, it’s an even better value at Best Buy, where it has fallen to a new low of $1,499.99 ($1,500 off) in the larger 77-inch configuration. Although it’s considered one of LG’s budget TVs and doesn’t get as bright as its pricier siblings, the B4 still delivers impressive image quality. You get rich colors, deep blacks, and great viewing angles, along with support for Dolby Vision. It supports Dolby Atmos, too, along with a solid set of gaming specs, including a 120Hz panel with a variable refresh rate, support for AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync, and four HDMI 2.1 ports for connecting the latest consoles. It runs on LG’s webOS platform as well, which lets you take advantage of Amazon Alexa and provides easy access to popular streaming apps like Netflix, HBO Max, and more. Sony Bravia 8 II OLED TV Where to Buy: $3299.99 $2398 at Amazon (65-inch) $3299.99 $2399.99 at Best Buy (65-inch) $3299.99 $2399.99 at Sony (65-inch) Sony’s Bravia 8 II is also worth a look if you’re okay with splurging on a high-end TV. Named “King of TV” at the Value Electronics’ 2025 TV Shootout, Sony’s Bravia 8 II delivers one of the closest theater-level experiences you can get at home. And right now, you can buy the 65-inch panel for around $2,399.99 ($900 off) from Best Buy, Amazon, and directly from Sony, which is one of its better prices to date. John Higgins, The Verge’s new(ish) TV reviewer, said that if he had to buy a TV today, this is the one he’d choose. It delivers deep blacks, excellent shadow detail, and some of the best image processing and upscaling we’ve seen, making lower-quality 1080p content look noticeably cleaner than on rivals. The Bravia 8 II also runs Google TV, which feels more intuitive and less cluttered than LG’s webOS, and features a 120Hz panel with two HDMI 2.1 ports for 4K gaming at 120Hz, plus two HDMI 2.0 ports capped at 4K / 60Hz. It doesn’t support Nvidia G-Sync or AMD FreeSync Premium, but for watching movies and TV shows, it’s one of the best OLEDs you can buy.   Read our full Sony Bravia 8 II review. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Bose’s first-gen flagships are a replacement for the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 that offer a more travel-friendly design, spatial audio, better call quality, excellent comfort, and some of the best noise cancellation around. Where to Buy: $429 $279 at Best Buy $429 $279 at Bose If you’re looking for an excellent pair of noise-canceling headphones that are easy to take on the go, Bose’s first-gen QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are on sale in select colors for $279 ($150 off) at Best Buy, matching their all-time low. Bose is also offering the over-ear headphones at that price, though, again, only in select colors. The original QC Ultra remain our favorite pair for travel, thanks to a foldable design that makes them easy to pack, a lightweight and comfortable fit, and battery life that lasts up to 24 hours. They also deliver top-tier ANC and pleasing sound, with an Immersive Audio feature that isn’t always consistent but works well when it does. Plus, you get a natural-sounding transparency mode for when you want to let outside sound in. If you’re fine skipping newer upgrades found in the second-gen model, such as support for lossless audio over USB, the first-gen pair are a great value — especially since they’re currently about $100 cheaper. Read our full QC Ultra Headphones review. Amazfit Active 2 The Amazfit Active 2 delivers outsized value for the price. It looks spiffy and has a wide array of health tracking features, plus built-in GPS and AI chatbots to provide extra context to your data. Read our review. Where to Buy: $99.99 $84.99 at Amazon $99.99 $84.99 at Best Buy $99.99 $84.99 at Target If you’re looking for a great all-around fitness tracker, the Amazfit Active 2 is still available for $84.99 ($15 off) at Best Buy, Amazon, and Target, which is just $5 shy of its lowest price to date.  The Active 2, which is currently our favorite fitness tracker, delivers far more than you’d expect at this price. It features a comfortable design with a chic stainless steel case and a bright, tempered-glass OLED display, along with up to nine days of battery life. It covers all the basics and then some, too, allowing you to leverage more premium features like menstrual cycle tracking, abnormal heart rate notifications, continuous heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring, and detailed sleep tracking. You also get support for more than 160 sport types, including a strength training mode that counts reps for you, as well as offline maps with turn-by-turn navigation. Read our full Amazfit Active 2 review. Bose SoundLink Micro Portable Speaker (2nd Gen) Where to Buy: $129 $99 at Amazon $129 $99 at Walmart $129 $99 at Bose Speaking of Bose, Best Buy is also currently selling the latest Bose SoundLink Micro for a new low of $99 ($30 off), with retailers like Amazon and Walmart matching said price. Bose’s pocketable Bluetooth speaker delivers solid sound for its size and even lets you adjust EQ through a companion app, unlike the first-gen model. It also offers up to 12 hours of battery life, recharges quickly via USB-C, and is surprisingly rugged thanks to an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance. A built-in strap lets you easily attach it to a bag or bike, too, and if you already own a compatible Bose speaker or soundbar, you can pair the two together — or link a second-gen SoundLink Micro for stereo sound. A few more ways to save You can buy Apple’s latest MagSafe Charger for $29.99 ($20 off) at Best Buy, which matches its lowest price to date. The 2-meter, magnetic charging puck can provide up to 25W of power when paired with a 30W USB-C adapter, assuming you have a compatible phone like the iPhone 17 or 17 Pro. It can also deliver the same wireless speeds to non-Apple phones that support the newer Q2.2 standard, like Google’s Pixel 10 Pro XL. Best Buy is selling the Shokz OpenFit 2 Plus in blue for $149.95, which is $10 shy of their lowest price to date. The wireless earbuds are nearly identical to the Shokz OpenFit 2 — they feature the same open-ear design, onboard controls, and dedicated bass speakers — only they add wireless charging and support for Dolby Audio. Samsung’s 128GB Galaxy S25 FE is available from Amazon, Best Buy, and Samsung for around $448.99 ($200 off), which is a new low price. The budget-friendly Android phone is nearly as slim as the Galaxy S25 Plus and carries the same IP68 rating for water and dust resistance; however, its triple rear camera setup isn’t as impressive as what you’ll find on Samsung’s higher-end models, even if it is decent. That said, you do get support for wireless charging and a large, 6.7-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate. Amazon and Best Buy are selling the latest 13-inch MacBook Air for $799.99 ($200 off), which is $50 shy of its best price to date. Apple’s entry-level Air is our top pick for most people, one outfitted with a speedy M4 chip that makes it well-suited for a host of everyday tasks. It’s better for multitasking than prior models, too, as it lets you connect two external displays with the lid open. It also features a 12-megapixel Center Stage webcam with a wider view, while continuing to deliver all-day battery life. Read our review. You can pick up the Polaroid Flip, our favorite retro instant camera, for $199.99 ($20 off) at Best Buy, which is one of its better prices to date. The instant camera delivers a nostalgic, old-school shooting experience, producing dreamy, vintage-style photos that are sharper and more consistently in focus than what you’ll get from other similarly priced Polaroid cameras. It also offers a few modern touches, including Bluetooth, USB-C charging, and a companion app that lets you tweak settings like exposure.

The Kaoss Pad has seen many different iterations, but the mainline effect unit and sampler hasn't received an update since the launch of the KP3+ in 2013. Korg has finally given it the attention it deserves with the release of the Kaoss Pad V. Rather than a dramatic reimagining of what a Kaoss Pad is, the V takes the core idea - an effect unit with an X / Y pad for controlling parameters in a natural, performance-focused way. The big innovation on the Kaoss Pad V is that it can recognize two fingers simultaneously to control two distinct sets of parameters, or even two entirely different effects. It also has a dedicated voice effects engine … Read the full story at The Verge.

Brian Armstrong, chief executive officer of Coinbase Global Inc., speaks to members of the media on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. | Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images. January was going to be a landmark month for the crypto industry. The Senate would start negotiating the finer details of the CLARITY Act, a major law that would finally enshrine the fundamental structure of how the crypto market could legally operate in the United States: what digital assets counted as a security versus a commodity, what regulatory responsibilities companies had to abide by, what legal protections consumers could have. The House had already passed their version months ago. The White House was ready to sign it. Democrats and Republicans seemed to agree on the bill's fundamentals. And crypto, which had spent decades navigat … Read the full story at The Verge.