Tangle Tech

As physical media makes a comeback, we've been tracking some of our favorite external CD/DVD writers. And while most do exactly that, this external drive from Suidek does...well, I won't say everything, but it does a lot. Alongside playing and burning CDs and DVDs, as you'd expect, it also has six other ports - notably, an M.2 NVMe interface with 10Gbps transfer rates. There's also two USB-A 2.0 and a single USB-C port, and SD and microSD card slots. So, it goes well beyond a device to creating and playing traditional physical media. • Best for: Collectors, archivists and laptop owners who want a disc drive that also reads cards and SSDs. • The deal: The Suidek 7-in-1 external CD/DVD drive with M.2 NVMe slot is now $45 (was $50) at Amazon . Today's top CD/DVD writer deal External CD/DVD Drive: was $49.99 now $44.99 The drive reads CDs at 24x and DVDs at 8x and burns full-siz...

Nvidia claims that for each gigawatt an AI data center uses, only 70% is used for AI work Inefficiencies include cooling and power distribution, failures, and restarts While a chip shortage was considered to be the main bottleneck to AI data center capacity, it is now a facility’s connection to the grid AI data centers are inefficient, says Nvidia, with various physical and systems issues contributing to power use beyond AI processing. This opinion, shared by data center builder Vertiv at its recent annual EMEA event, underpins future development steps, in which it plans to assemble sustainable facilities. Vertiv and Nvidia have been collaborating since early 2026 on co-designing the next generation of data centers, with Vertiv providing power and infrastructure management for Nvidia’s GPUs. With a maximum of 70% of electricity drawn from the grid used for AI processing, the remaining 30% represe...

The US exported 7,592 military drones, narrowly ahead of Iran's 6,800 Iran overtook America in 2025 after US deliveries dropped to 402 Russia received 99% of Iran's exported drones, mostly Shahed-136 attack systems The United States exported the most military drones between 2022 and 2025, narrowly beating Iran, which ranked second worldwide during the period. Data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) records 7,592 American exports against 6,800 Iranian deliveries, while Germany ranked a distant third with 1,000 exports. Together, the US and Iran accounted for 86% of global exports, with Ukraine receiving 95% of American shipments while Russia got 99% of Iran’s deliveries, most of which were Shahed-136 one-way attack drones . Iran overtakes the US as exports shift Although Washington maintained the lead across most of the period, annual figures changed signific...

The latest Google Play Services update brings four upgrades to Google Wallet The biggest of these is the ability to scan and store receipts It also adds an in-app message center, improved merchant names, and a smoother payment process If you have an Android phone then you’re probably already using Google Wallet, and with the latest Google Play Services update it’s getting slightly better in four ways. As spotted by Android Police , the October Google Play Services update (v26.40) is rolling out now, and it — among other things — brings the ability to scan receipts into Google Wallet, so you’ll be able to save and view them in the wallet interface. Additionally, this update improves merchant names in transaction notifications. Google hasn’t specified how they’re improved, but presumably this is aimed at providing more clarity about who or what you’ve sent money to. More messages and fewer payment...

Where were you when the first iPhone went on sale back in 2007? I remember clearly that I was working for Phones4U — a third-party phone reseller in the UK — and the iPhone launch completely decimated the business, as suddenly Phones4U wasn't a reseller of the most popular phone on the market. The same existential threat applied to all carriers except AT&T and O2, which had exclusive launch rights to the iPhone in the US and UK, respectively. Fast-forward 19 years, and Apple has repeatedly proven that the iPhone's popularity gives it considerable power over its carrier partners — customers are no longer loyal to the carrier providing the mobile service, but to the brand behind their favorite phone. Apple's newest commercial venture, the Apple Upgrade program — which was announced earlier this year and is, at the time of writing, still only available in the US — is the latest dagg...

Mozilla accused Microsoft of using Windows, Edge, Bing, and Copilot to steer users toward Edge Firefox maker claims stricter EU regulations force fairer browser choice than elsewhere Browser competition increasingly overlaps with the fight for AI distribution and user reach Mozilla has accused Microsoft of abusing its dominant position wherever it can to push people towards Edge, and away from other browsers . The company framed the story as if it wants “better for the people”, while Microsoft only does it when it’s forced to, but is that really the case? In a newly released blog , Mozilla noted it has now been 100 days since it published Over The Edge 2.0, a report from “leading experts on deceptive design Dr. Harry Brignull and Cennydd Bowles on how Windows, Edge, Bing, and Copilot are designed to steer people away from the browser they choose.” Better for the people In the report, Mozilla said...

Sony ULT Tower 5 review The Sony ULT Tower 5 is one of the stand-out audio products I've reviewed in 2026. In many ways, it defies belief. Despite being pretty small for a traditional party speaker, it produces almighty audio, with the sort of bass you’d expect from a model twice its size. And, what’s more, it's pretty affordable. Sony has made a bunch of changes to its new ULT range, and they appear to have paid off. Perhaps the highest-profile change is the shift towards newly developed rounded woofers, marking a departure from the almost rectangular X-Balanced woofer units seen on previous ULT models. The tech giant told me that this was in an effort to maximize deep bass — something that’s crucial for a party environment. And this, in my view, was a great choice. As with all of the best Bluetooth speakers in this size-class, the ULT Tower 5 plates up incredibly powerful yet regimente...