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2026-02-09 22:18:52

Elon Musk says SpaceX has shifted its near-term priorities from Mars settlement plans to building what he called a “self-growing city on the Moon,” arguing the lunar target is faster and more achievable. In a post on X, Musk claims the company could complete this in less than 10 years, while doing the same on Mars would take over 20 years.

This marks a major shift for the aerospace company, as Musk points out that the logistics of first completing a proof of concept on the moon are easier with respect to launch windows and proximity to Earth. The SpaceX founder is notorious for promising optimistic timelines that never come to pass, and said in 2017 that a base on Mars would be ready for its first settlers as early as 2024.

In subsequent replies to other posts Musk predicted "Mars will start in 5 or 6 years, so will be done parallel with the Moon, but the Moon will be the initial focus." He also said a manned Mars flight might happen in 2031.

Early last year Musk said in a post on X that SpaceX would be going "straight to Mars" and that "the Moon is a distraction." This was in response to Space industry analyst Peter Hague pointing out that among other considerations, lunar regolith, a material found on the surface of the moon, is about 45 percent oxygen. In 2023 NASA proved this oxygen could be extracted, which would yield enormous payload savings as opposed to shipping liquid oxygen between Earth and Mars.

NASA's Artemis missions, which SpaceX is a contractor for at certain stages, are planned to see humans back on the lunar surface by 2028. Artemis II, during which astronauts will circle the moon before returning to Earth, is set to launch in March of this year.

2026-02-09 22:05:35

If you need a little help with your New Year's resolution to be more active, you can save on the latest Apple Watch right now. The Apple Watch Series 11 is on sale for $299, which is $100 off and the lowest price we've seen.

We named the Apple Watch Series 11 as our choice for best smartwatch overall. It scored a 90 in our review thanks to its 24 hours-plus of battery life and a thin, light design that's easy to wear. It also offers new health metrics, including Apple's hypertension alerts system and Sleep Score. 

The Apple Watch Series 11 deal is available on the 42mm case with a small/medium band. It also only includes GPS and four colorways: the Jet Black and Space Gray aluminum cases with a Black sport band, the Rose Gold aluminum case with a Light Blush sport band and the Silver aluminum case with a Purple Fog sport band.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

2026-02-09 22:00:00

Discord is the latest company looking to bolster its child safety (again). Starting in March, all users will have a "teen-appropriate experience" by default. Unlocking adult content and age-gated spaces will require a (usually one-time) verification process.

The platform's big safety update encompasses communication settings, restricted access to age-gated spaces and content filtering. Users who aren't verified as adults will see blurred sensitive content. In addition, age-restricted channels, servers and app commands will be blocked. DMs and friend requests from unknown users will be routed to a separate inbox.

If you're an adult, removing these restrictions will require one of two verification methods at launch. You can take a selfie video for age estimation or submit a government ID to Discord's vendor partners. (Let's just hope the age estimations work better than Roblox's.) The company stresses that the video selfies you submit for age estimation never leave your device. And it claims ID documents sent to its vendor partners are deleted quickly, "in most cases, immediately after age confirmation."

Although Discord says the process will be one-and-done for most people, some may be required to submit multiple forms of verification. It also says that additional verification options will arrive in the future, including an age inference model that runs in the background.

This isn’t the company’s first attempt at beefing up its child safety measures. In 2023, it banned teen dating channels and AI-generated CSAM. Later that year, it added content filters and automated warnings. Those changes followed an NBC News report that 35 adults had been prosecuted on charges of "kidnapping, grooming or sexual assault" that involved Discord communication.

Alongside today’s changes, Discord is recruiting for a new Teen Council. The group will include 10 to 12 teens aged 13 to 17. The company says this "will help ensure Discord understands — not assumes — what teens need, how they build meaningful connections, and what makes them feel safe and supported online." This sounds like the corporate equivalent of the parenting advice: “Don’t just talk to your children; listen to them, too.”

The child safety changes will start rolling out globally in early March. Both new and existing users will be required to submit verification for adult content.

2026-02-09 21:50:36

At this point, you can find discounts on AirTags fairly often but if you want to spend as little as possible, it's worth waiting for a discount like this. A four-pack of the first-gen Bluetooth trackers is on sale for $64, which is just about a record-low price (only $1 more). That's a 35 percent discount on the pack.

Bear in mind that this deal brings the price per AirTag down to about $16 if you were to buy them individually, and when not on sale they usually cost $29.

If you use Apple devices and consider yourself to be a serial thing-misplacer, AirTags are extremely useful. Adding one to your account takes a single tap, and with Apple’s Find My network so well established, locating missing items has never been easier.

Using your iPhone you can trigger a sound from the AirTag’s built-in speaker, or alternatively Precision Finding can be used to pinpoint its location via Find My. You just follow the instructions on your iPhone, paying attention to the vibrations that signal you’re getting closer.

A reminder again that the above deals apply to the first-generation AirTag only. Apple introduced a refreshed tracker with greater range and a louder speaker last month, which retails at the same price as its predecessor. For deals on the new AirTag, you may have to wait a bit.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

2026-02-09 21:30:37

Anker introduced a nifty little charger at CES 2026, which is a refresh of the pre-existing Nano Charger. It's already on sale for $30, which is a discount of $10 when you clip the on-page coupon on Amazon.

The 45W charger includes a smart display that shows real-time data like power flow, temperature and charging status. It also features "fun animations to keep things cheerful." Anker says it can recognize what's being charged and automatically adjust certain metrics to ensure a longer battery lifespan.

To that end, it works with just about everything. The company advertises that this charger is a good fit for the iPhone, Apple Watch, AirPods and Samsung devices, among others. The new Nano Charger is on the smaller side, with dual folding prongs that rotate to fit most outlets.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

2026-02-09 21:17:33

If you're looking to expand the storage on your Switch 2, the 512GB Samsung P9 microSD Express card is on sale right now for 33 percent off, marked down to $80 from $120. With component prices skyrocketing these days, it's getting increasingly rare to see good storage on sale, and 512GB for $80 is a much better deal than you'll currently find directly from Nintendo.

The P9 boasts transfer speeds of up to 800MB/s, making moving games to the card that much faster. As for load times, in our testing we found that any microSD Express, the standard the Switch 2 requires, will offer roughly the same performance. This format is pretty new, so there aren't a ton of cards on the market. As such, the P9 makes our list of best microSD cards for the Nintendo Switch 2.

The P9 microSD Express is also compatible with the Steam Deck or any other gaming console that accepts the format, as well as cameras and more.

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