2026-01-08 01:44:40
LIFX, known for its smart lighting options, debuted a new SuperColor Mirror at CES 2026. The SuperColor Mirror features both front and back lighting options, and it connects to an Apple Home setup using Matter.
There are lighting modes like Make Up Check and Anti-Fog that users can select, plus brightness and color can be adjusted. LIFX says that other Matter-enabled devices can be controlled using three physical buttons that are on the mirror.
The mirror features polychrome blended color technology with multiple lighting zones. Like other SuperColor LIFX products, the mirror's lights can shift and morph smoothly between different colors, and there are color effects like flame and paint.
The SuperColor Mirror and other LIFX devices will get a Thread upgrade later in 2026, so they can connect to Matter over Thread in addition to Wi-Fi.
LIFX is launching new Smart Dimmer switches that include four customizable buttons and a built-in 8-zone light bar. The Dimmer Switch has Matter support and it is designed to work with both smart and traditional lights. There are single tap, double tap, and long press gestures, so it can perform multiple tasks when assigned to activate scenes.
The Smart Dimmer includes dimming support for LED, Halogen, or incandescent bulbs, along with full scene and effect control for LIFX lights. With the Matter integration, it should also be able to control other Matter-connected lights.
There are also new affordable Matter-connected smart lighting options that are available from LIFX. The Everyday A19 LED Light Bulb features 800 lumens and support for multiple colors, while the 20-foot Everyday Lightstrip features 24 addressable zones for flowing effects and a 4-button physical controller for activating scenes. The Everyday Bulb is priced at $23 for two and it is available now from Amazon, while the Everyday Lightstrip will launch later in January.
The Smart Dimmer is set to launch in the second quarter of 2026 for $30. The SuperColor Mirror will also come out in the second quarter, but pricing has yet to be announced.
2026-01-08 00:52:21
WhatsApp announced three new group chat features today, expanding how users can interact and add context to their role within conversations involving many participants.
The Meta-owned messaging app is rolling out Member Tags, Text Stickers, and Event Reminders, all of which are designed to give group chats more flexibility and organization.
Member Tags let you assign yourself different roles in different group chats for more context – so you can be "Coach" in one thread and "Dad" in another, for example. Meanwhile, Text Stickers instantly turn typed words into sticker graphics that users can then save to custom packs.
Lastly, with Event Reminders, now when you create and send an event in your group chat you can set custom early reminders for your invitees. Meta says that "this helps everyone remember to commute to the party you're hosting or hop on the call at the right time."
The new group chat features are available to WhatsApp users worldwide, and follow other recent upgrades to the chat platform, including third-party chat support in the EU and WhatsApp for Apple Watch.
2026-01-08 00:01:19
Spotify is bringing its long-running Listening Activity feature to its mobile apps, so now you can see what your friends are listening to on the streaming service when you're away from your desk.
For years, Spotify's desktop app has allowed users to check on their friends' listening habits via a Friend Activity sidebar, but the ability has not been available on iOS and Android apps until now.
If you're familiar with Listening Activity, its appearance on mobile shouldn't throw up any real surprises. You can view what people are listening to in the app's sidebar, next to any messages, and you can tap the track to listen to it yourself, add it to your library, or react to it with emoji.
The feature remains opt-in, and can be enabled in the app's settings, under "Privacy and social." There's also an option here to start a private session, which temporarily hides your listening activity from your followers (private sessions automatically end after six hours), plus you can choose to make any recently played artists show on your profile.
As noted by The Verge, another addition in this update is a Request to Jam feature. If you're a premium user, you can now tap a Jam button in a chat to send a request. If the person accepts, their listening is remotely synced with your own, and the two of you can add songs to the queue while chatting about what's playing.
Spotify will also suggest songs based on your shared tastes. As for users on Spotify's free plan, they can be invited to a jam, but they can't start their own jam to invite others.
Listening Activity and Request a Jam are rolling out to Spotify users on iOS and Android now in markets where messages are available.
2026-01-07 23:14:11
Amazon this week is offering discounts across the M5 iPad Pro lineup, including both 11-inch and 13-inch models. The highlight this time around is the 2TB Wi-Fi 11-inch M5 iPad Pro, which is on sale for $1,480.80 with an on-page coupon, a massive discount of $518 on the original price of $1,999.00.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Otherwise, prices start at $899.99 for the 256GB Wi-Fi 11-inch M5 iPad Pro at Amazon, down from $999.00. Many of the deals in this sale match — or beat — the record low prices we tracked during Black Friday.
2026-01-07 23:06:19
Dell announced the UltraSharp 52 Thunderbolt Hub Monitor at CES 2026, billing it as the "world's first 52-inch 6K display."
At 52 inches, the ultra-wide curved monitor features a 21:9 aspect ratio with 6,144 x 2,560 resolution at 129 pixels per inch and supports refresh rates up to 120Hz.
The display uses IPS Black panel technology for deeper blacks and improved contrast compared to standard IPS panels, with brightness listed as 400 cd/m. Dell says it emits up to 60% less blue light than competing monitors while maintaining professional-grade color accuracy, and it includes an ambient light sensor for eye comfort during extended use.
The display's connectivity support is pretty eye-watering, since it basically doubles as a Thunderbolt dock around the back. It includes one Thunderbolt 4 port delivering up to 140W power delivery, two HDMI 2.1 ports, two DisplayPort 1.4 ports, three USB-C upstream ports, and several downstream USB-C and USB-A ports. If that wasn't enough, a 2.5Gbps Ethernet port rounds out the package.
The monitor supports connecting up to four PCs simultaneously through its Picture-by-Picture mode with screen partitioning, while built-in KVM functionality allows users to control multiple connected machines with a single keyboard and mouse.
Dell is touting the display as a multi-monitor replacement for financial traders, data scientists, engineers, and executives who need maximum screen real estate, so naturally it doesn't come cheap: The UltraSharp 52 Thunderbolt Hub Monitor is available now from the Dell website for $2,899 with a stand or $2,799 without.
2026-01-07 21:27:41
Logitech users on macOS found themselves locked out of their mouse customizations yesterday after the company let a security certificate expire, breaking both its Logi Options+ and G HUB configuration apps.
Logitech devices like its MX Master series mice and MX Keys keyboards stopped working properly as a result of the oversight, with users unable to access their custom scrolling setup, button mappings, and gestures. It wasn't long before the Logitech subreddit was awash with frustrated reports as people discovered their configured peripherals had suddenly reverted to default settings.
The Developer ID certificate is the digital signature macOS uses to verify legitimate software. When Logitech allowed its certificate to lapse, the company's apps lost verified authenticity. As such, macOS refused to run them, in some cases leading to an endless boot loop.
Logitech has since released a patch for macOS 26 Tahoe, macOS 15 Sequoia, macOS 14 Sonoma, and macOS 13 Ventura that resolves the issue. However, users need to download and install it themselves, since the certificate expiry also prevented the apps' built-in updaters from working. Older macOS versions will get a fix "at a later time," said Logitech in a support page acknowledging the issue.
On a positive note, it seems user settings survived the blunder, with Logitech promising that profiles and customizations remain intact after manual patching is completed.
"We dropped the ball here. This is an inexcusable mistake," Logitech spokesperson ATXsantucci admitted on Reddit. "We're extremely sorry for the inconvenience caused."
(Thanks, Brad!)
