OpenAI Delays Release of Latest Model Over Safety Concerns

The company said its latest Astra model would undergo more work to meet safety standards, and issued an apology for the way it handled the hacking of an Australian government website.

7 Best Smartwatch Models: Apple, Google, Garmin (2026)

These WIRED-tested wearables reduce your reliance on a phone while keeping you connected.

How to Beat Surveillance Pricing Before It Bleeds You Dry

Consumer advocate Lindsay Owen’s new book, Gouged, traces how corporations use software—from ever-changing prices to opaque algorithms—to squeeze every penny from you.

I Found National Coffee Day Deals Worth Making Coffee at Home For (2026)

From a $100 Keurig to a rare discount on a De’Longhi espresso machine, these WIRED-tested picks caught my eye.

Best Apple Watch: Series 12, Ultra 4, and SE 3 (2026)

From the latest Ultra to last year’s SE, these are the Apple Watches worth considering.

Space Lasers Are About to Get Their First Real Test Generating Energy

Startup Star Catcher is launching a system that, if successful, would be the first time energy has been beamed between two separate spacecraft.

OpenAI Pauses Training Its Most Powerful Models After Rogue Agents Target Government

Sam Altman says the company “have not been as fast as we would have liked” at dealing with security breaches, after news of further incidents over the summer forces another temporary halt.

Bose Launches New Wired Earbuds After More Than a Decade

The Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds are the first new wired headphones from the brand since 2015, inspired directly by teen preferences. We got an early listen.

Nicotine Is Mounting a Comeback in the Wellness Movement

Improving mood and increasing longevity are just some of the unfounded claims about this substance circling around the “natural” medicine corners of the internet.

The Data Center Backlash Should Also Be a Climate Reckoning. It Isn’t Yet

Climate groups are latching onto the data center opposition movement, but it remains to be seen if they can get people to care about the facilities’ impact on the atmosphere.