Technology

A sports radio host told MS NOW that public debate often reduces transgender participation to the idea of "men playing in women's sports," and he said the matter requires sport-by-sport nuance, noting hormone effects and conversations with transgender women athletes.

Insta360's Link 2 Pro and Link 2C Pro are AI-enhanced 4K webcams that add subject tracking; the Link 2 Pro uses a two-axis mechanical gimbal while the Link 2C Pro relies on software-based tracking.

Meta has begun cutting jobs while shifting resources away from metaverse projects and toward AI devices.

Organizers cancelled Adelaide Writers' Week after the festival board disinvited Australian-Palestinian writer Randa Abdel-Fattah; more than 180 speakers and some sponsors withdrew in response.

Nintendo is offering a free 7-day trial of the standard Nintendo Switch Online membership that grants access to NES, SNES and Game Boy Color classic catalogs but does not include Expansion Pack content; the trial requires a linked payment method and will auto-bill after seven days.

The Mangoslab Nemonic Dot is a compact wireless label printer that transcribes spoken input from a companion mobile app and embosses it as tactile Braille labels on adhesive paper.

Mobileye announced a planned acquisition of Israeli startup Mentee Robotics for about $900 million and said the deal would create a dedicated robotics arm focused on “physical AI.” The companies outlined pilots for humanoid robots this year and broader commercialization targeted around 2028, subject to approvals and deal closure.

Team Wendy Ceradyne and THEON International announced a DEVCOM Soldier Center‑funded partnership to build an Integrated Multi‑Threat Headborne System prototype, with testing planned in the fourth quarter of FY26 during a Soldier Touchpoint.

Blizzard announced leaderboards for Diablo 4 will arrive in a Tower beta beginning January 12, 2026, with two-week ranking rounds; players must reach Rank 2 of Seasonal Rankings to access the Tower via the Obelisk in Cerrigar.

Nintendo has added Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance to the Switch Online GameCube library; the article reports physical copies often sell for around $200 or more depending on condition.

The LEGO Group and The Pokémon Company unveiled the first official LEGO Pokémon sets featuring Pikachu, Eevee, Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise; pre-orders began 12 January 2026 and retail availability is set for 27 February 2026.

Crystal Dynamics plans a UE5 remake, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, to arrive in 2026 and a new canon entry, Tomb Raider: Catalyst, in 2027.

Greenland sits on large rare earth deposits, but harsh climate, remote infrastructure and difficult geology have so far prevented commercial mining.

Shopify said it will let merchants sell through Google's Gemini and Microsoft Copilot using agentic AI chatbots, and launched an Agentic plan that lets other brands list products in its catalogue using a Universal Commerce Protocol.

Environment and Climate Change Canada says an atmospheric river will reach B.C.'s south coast with the main brunt due Sunday and 75–125 mm of rain expected; provincial flood watches and streamflow advisories are in effect.

The article reports there is no official announcement for Injustice 3 and notes DC Comics' current event DC K.O. uses a tournament bracket of high-profile matchups that the writer says could translate well into an Injustice reboot.

Hytale, a Minecraft-inspired open-world RPG from Hypixel Studios, enters Early Access on January 13, 2026. The Early Access build will include Exploration Mode, Creative Mode, and modding support, with additional modes planned during the Early Access period.

Stellantis will phase out plug‑in hybrid (PHEV) programs in North America beginning with the 2026 model year, affecting models such as the Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Chrysler Pacifica; the company says the move reflects shifting customer demand and a shift toward other electrified solutions.

Dan Richards recommends spending about five hours a week in three 90-minute sessions — Learn, Use and Build — to bring AI into daily work; a Gallup Poll found fewer than one in four employees use AI several times a week and about 10% use it daily.

Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for Waterloo region, Guelph and Wellington County calling for wind gusts near 70–80 km/h on Friday; a cold front in the afternoon was reported as possibly increasing gusts to 80–90 km/h. Rain and winds are expected to ease late Friday afternoon or early evening.

TSMC said fourth-quarter revenue rose 20.45% to T$1.046 trillion (US$33.11 billion), beating market estimates. The company will report full fourth-quarter earnings on Jan. 15 and is expected to update guidance then.

Embark Studios told GamesBeat that ARC Raiders will not add PvP kill leaderboards or a nemesis system. The studio said such incentives would push the game toward competitive play and undermine the intended sandbox atmosphere.

Devices shown at CES featured AI health tools, and experts warned about accuracy limits and consumer data protections as federal regulators move to relax rules for some low-risk wellness products.

Xbox Game Pass has quietly added Little Nightmares Enhanced Edition, Brews & Bastards, and Assassin's Creed Mirage to its library; the rollout was reported as part of early 2026 updates. Game Pass items can be bought at a discount by subscribers and titles are not guaranteed to remain on the service permanently.

Riot Games' free-to-play fighting game 2XKO launches worldwide on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on Jan. 20–21, 2026 and will be downloadable without a PlayStation Plus or Xbox Game Pass subscription.

The Dragon Quest VII Reimagined demo is available free on PlayStation and other platforms, and it does not require PlayStation Plus or similar subscriptions to play.

China said it will assess Meta's acquisition of Singapore-based Manus for compliance with Chinese laws, and Meta announced the purchase and said Manus would discontinue operations in China with no continuing Chinese ownership interests.

Clarios announced Trailer Battery Manager, which provides real-time monitoring of trailer battery health and charge status and extends its Connected Services platform to include trailers.

Spotify said it has invested more than US$10 billion in podcasts and is lowering eligibility for its monetization program from 2,000 listeners/10,000 hours/12 episodes to 1,000 engaged audience members/2,000 hours/3 episodes while adding video podcast and sponsorship tools.

The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) included three Case IH technologies from CNH on its AE50 2026 list. The winners — Seedbed Sense Speed Control, the Draft Tube Free Toolbar System on the Early Riser 2160, and Case IH SenseApply — are available through Case IH and integrated with the Case IH FieldOps digital farm management platform.