Ars Technica Features

1. It's a weird time to buy a laptop, but the new MacBook Pro doesn't skimp on quality

   It has the best laptop screen we've used, but there may be reasons to wait.

2. 2026 iPad mini review: Maximizing the mini

   It's more compelling than ever, but also more expensive.

3. Trump wanted to give No Kings no air. Then, Meta suspended its Instagram.

   Meta faces pressure to protect No Kings Instagram on election day.

4. This $48 e-paper display can be whatever you want it to be

   This DIY e-paper display works in two official ecosystems or on your own server.

5. SpaceX no longer needs NASA, and that's a problem for America's space agency

   "NASA desperately needs SpaceX, and SpaceX knows it, and Elon knows it."

6. Apple iPhone Duo review: Two screens, two experiences, two thousand dollars

   I respect Apple's first crack at a foldable phone, but I'm not sure I like it.

7. From impulse purchase to pocket studio: The M-Vave FM-1

   M-Vave's cheap FM-1 pocket synth has exploded as a community firmware playground.

8. Rocket Report: SpaceX says no thanks to military launches; Spanish rocket nearly ready

   "We believe Canada should be able to reach orbit on its own terms."

9. Meta shocked by $25B fine after N.M. refused to join multistate settlement

   Meta will appeal a ruling imposing the largest fine Mark Zuckerberg has ever seen.

10. The past, present, and future share a show floor at Pinball Expo 2026

    Flipping through the highlights in and around Pinball Expo 2026.

11. Visiting Slate’s first showroom as its $25,000 electric truck nears production

    Slate's first showroom sells the promise. Mass production will determine the rest.

12. DIY VR: How to build your own headset, and why you probably won't want to

    A primer on the joys and pains of building your own head-mounted display.

13. Googlebook review: Android on a laptop is still Android

    Android laptops are here, but Google has a lot of work ahead to make them good.

14. OpenAI, Google pushing new AI models easily tricked into making nudes, researchers say

    Attack method exposes flaws in OpenAI, Google safeguards against AI nudes.

15. Amazon has over 1 million robot workers. What’s next for human employees?

    The second-largest corporate employer has bet big on robot workers to scale.

16. A senator tried to ban gambling on prediction markets—now she's a Kalshi lobbyist

    Sen. Blanche Lincoln wrote law that let US ban sports-event contracts. She lobbies for the other side now.

17. If you're looking, here's a "good deal" for NASA and the European Space Agency

    "We are in the era of people interested in having good deals, and LISA is a very good deal for the US."

18. Explaining Hall-effect, TMR, and other new types of "mechanical" switches

    Ars Technica's guide to new keyboard sensing technologies.

19. TCL is right to question Samsung’s use of the term “Mini LED”

    Can it be Mini LED without a FALD backlight?

20. NASA has a Dragon dilemma, and there appear to be no good answers

    So is SpaceX just being selfish or what?