Disney+ will unhinge its jaw and swallow Hulu in 2026

It’s almost the end of the road for Hulu as a standalone app. Now that it fully owns Hulu, Disney will entirely integrate the streaming service into Disney+. It will roll out a new, unified app next year.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that the price of a Disney+ subscription is going to skyrocket in 2026. A Disney spokesperson told Variety the company will still offer standalone plans for Disney+ and Hulu.

Disney CEO Bob Igor said on an earnings call that having Disney+ and Hulu on the same tech platform should help the company reduce costs and provide it with more ways to package ad sales. For users, Iger said the unified app will offer an “improved consumer experience.” Iger and Disney CFO Hugh Johnston said merging the services “will create an impressive package of entertainment, pairing the highest-caliber brands and franchises, great general entertainment, family programming, news and industry-leading live sports content in a single app.” Disney+ is also slated to get a more personalized homepage and other new features in the coming months.

There will be a notable change for Disney+ users outside of the US as well. Disney will rebrand the Star tile in the app to Hulu starting this fall.

Disney has been nudging its streaming services more closely together for a while. Last year, it integrated Hulu content into Disney+ in the hopes of getting more people to pay for a bundle that includes the two services.

On top of all that, Disney says it will soon (for the most part) stop disclosing subscriber numbers for Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, following the likes of Netflix in taking such a step. Between them, Disney+ and Hulu had 183 million subscribers at the end of June, up 2.6 million from the end of March. Meanwhile, the new ESPN streaming service is set to debut on August 21.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/disney-will-unhinge-its-jaw-and-swallow-hulu-in-2026-144458503.html?src=rss 

ESPN’s new streaming service arrives August 21

ESPN’s long-awaited new standalone streaming service will launch on August 21, alongside an overhauled ESPN app that gives users a “more personalized, dynamic viewing experience.” Simply (and potentially confusingly) called ESPN, the new platform arrives just ahead of the new NFL season and the US Open tennis competition, as well as a number of other returning sports that ESPN broadcasts.

ESPN’s streaming service will be offered with a choice of two plans. The $30 per month ($300 annually) “unlimited” offering includes access to all of ESPN’s linear networks, as well as ESPN on ABC, ESPN+, ESPN3, SECN+ and ACCNX. With this plan, you’ll have access to all of ESPN’s live events, on-demand content and original documentaries, and if you bundle it with Disney+ and Hulu you’ll pay nothing extra for the first 12 months. This is a launch offer, so no guarantees it’ll apply for long.

The alternative is ESPN’s “select” plan, which costs $12 per month ($120 per year) and includes access to all content on ESPN+, the company’s other streaming subscription service that will continue to operate beyond the arrival of the new platform. ESPN says existing ESPN+ subscribers will automatically be put onto an ESPN select plan.

ESPN also announced today that it has agreed a deal to exclusively broadcast all WWE Premium Live Events in the US, from 2026. All WWE PLEs will stream on ESPN’s new platform, with major events like WrestleMania, SummerSlam and the Royal Rumble available to watch in their entirety. You’ll be able to stream 2026’s NFL Draft, as well as a new daily show dedicated to the draft.

Alongside the new streaming service, ESPN has also redesigned its app to offer a more personalized experience. New features include an updated multiview screen, integrated game stats, betting information and built-in fantasy sports management.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/espns-new-streaming-service-arrives-august-21-150026297.html?src=rss 

NASA explains how it keeps the Curiosity rover running, 13 years later

Thirteen years ago, the Curiosity rover landed on Mars, inside Gale crater in particular. It was originally sent to the red planet for a two-year mission, but it was extended indefinitely just a few months into its operations. The rover has several goals, most of which are meant to help scientists determine whether Mars could ever have supported life in the past. And while it’s still very much operational and doing science, NASA has had to make adjustments and give it new capabilities to ensure that it can keep running. 

In a new post celebrating the 13th anniversary of the rover’s landing, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has detailed the updates the Curiosity team has had to implement. To start with, the team manages the rover’s daily power budget with great care to make sure it can do its job and last longer. See, Curiosity uses a power system called Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG), which relies on decaying plutonium pellets to generate energy. As the plutonium decays over time, it takes longer and longer for the system to recharge the rover’s battery. 

That’s why the team now meticulously factors in every device that draws on the batteries. They consolidate Curiosity’s tasks to shorten the time the rover is active to also reduce the energy used. The ground team, for instance, tells Curiosity to talk to an orbiter while driving or moving its robotic arm instead of doing one task at a time. If the rover finishes its tasks early, it can go to sleep early and recharge for the next day, which JPL says maximizes the life of the MMRTG. 

Over the past years, NASA has also rolled out updates to change how the rover’s robotic arm drill collects samples and to improve its driving capabilities. JPL developed an algorithm to reduce wear on the rover’s wheels, as well, so they can last longer. 

From the time Curiosity had landed on Mars, it has provided us with multiple discoveries and new information. It discovered organic molecules in Martian atmosphere and soil, detected “startlingly high” levels of methane that’s a gas typically produced by life as we know it, and it found evidence of ancient megafloods on the red planet. And water, as you know, could indicate the presence of life. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/nasa-explains-how-it-keeps-the-curiosity-rover-running-13-years-later-124530184.html?src=rss 

Dell Premium 14 review: New name, same great laptop

Every now and then companies make truly boneheaded decisions, which is exactly what happened when Dell killed off the name of its most iconic PC line and replaced it with something generic. It’s like if Ford decided to rebrand Mustang and call it The Prime Sportscar instead. It doesn’t make sense. But now that XPS has become Premium, it’s time to see if Dell’s latest flagship 14-inch ultraportable — the Dell 14 Premium (you see how dumb that sounds?) — still has the DNA that made its predecessors one of the best notebook families for more than a decade.

Design and display: How Dell puts the P in Premium

Instead of doing a full redesign to match its updated name, for 2025 Dell kept the same chassis it used on last year’s XPS 14. And I’m not mad at all because it’s still one of the most beautiful and elegant notebooks on the market today. Its aluminum chassis has clean lines, a Gorilla Glass 3 surface and just the right amount of ports for a laptop this size: three USB-C slots with Thunderbolt 4, a 3.5mm audio jack and a microSD slot. That’s important, because the 14 Premium’s smaller sibling — the XPS 13 (which isn’t being renamed yet because it isn’t getting updated this year) — doesn’t have a headphone jack or a built-in card reader. That said, at between 3.66 and 3.79 pounds depending on which display you pick, the 14 Premium is a touch heavier than some of its similarly-sized rivals like a 14-inch MacBook Pro (3.4 pounds). The difference is small enough that I’m not bothered, though.

There’s also a glass wrist rest with a touchpad that blends invisibly into the deck, which might make it seem potentially hard to use. However, because the tracking area is absolutely massive (it spans the entire area below the spacebar plus the right ALT and Copilot keys), I never felt cramped or like I needed to actively search for my cursor. I also appreciate how Dell found room for speakers on either side of the keyboard.

On the other hand, Dell’s touch buttons above the number row may be a bit more contentious. I don’t mind the ones for adjusting volume and display brightness, but replacing the physical keys for Escape and Delete with the touchscreen options just feels a bit weird. Especially if you ever need to use the classic Windows CTRL + ALT + DEL shortcut and have to press regular keys and touch controls in a single motion. The touch keys also don’t turn off when you disable the keyboard’s backlight, but at least they’re dim enough that they’re not distracting.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

As for its display, by default the 14 Premium comes with a 14.5-inch 2K 120Hz non-touch IPS display. However, on our review unit, I’ve been using Dell’s optional 3.2K 120Hz touch OLED panel and I must say, it’s definitely worth the $200 upcharge. That’s because while the OLED screen has slightly lower max brightness (400 nits versus 500 nits for the IPS), its wider color gamut and improved contrast ratio more than make up for that shortcoming.

Performance: Not the most up-to-date, but still very versatile

A base Dell 14 Premium comes with an Intel Core Ultra 7 255H CPU, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of M.2 storage. However, our review unit includes extra memory (32GB), a bigger SSD (1TB) and perhaps most importantly, an optional NVIDIA RTX 4050 GPU.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

All told, that’s a pretty well-rounded package, as Dell’s default config has more than enough performance to handle pretty much any level of regular productivity. And by adding in support for discrete graphics, suddenly you have a machine that’s significantly better equipped to take care of more demanding tasks like video editing or even gaming in your off hours. Granted, the 14 Premium’s RTX 4050 card is an entry-level component that recently became a generation old, but it was strong enough to hit 60 fps in Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p on high settings (with DLSS set to balanced), which ain’t too shabby considering its portability.

Battery life: Good enough

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

The Dell 14 Premium packs good but not outstanding battery life thanks to its 69.5WHr power pack. On PCMark10’s Modern Office rundown test, it lasted 8 hours and 30 minutes on the dot That’s significantly longer than ASUS’ ROG Z Flow 13 (6:54) and last year’s Razer Blade 14 (6:46), but still a far cry from true power-sipping systems like the ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED (12:43) or even Dell’s own XPS 13 (13:15).

Wrap-up

Even with a new and rather uninspired name, it probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Dell 14 Premium remains one of the best Windows laptops on the market. It has the same sleek design from back when it was still called the XPS 14 but with some refreshed specs and components for 2025. Its chassis strikes a brilliant balance between modern minimalism and usability, while upgrades like its OLED display and discrete graphics give you the ability to build out a versatile but still very portable device.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Now I admit that our fully loaded review unit is a bit pricey with a retail price of $2,450, though I’d be remiss to mention that Dell is currently running a sale that knocks $200 off that cost. Regardless, with the base model starting at $1,650 (before discounts) or $1,850 when paired with Dell’s optional OLED panel (which everyone should at least consider), the 14 Premium still feels like a great deal. And when you consider that the XPS 13 isn’t getting any updates this year on top of having fewer ports, the choice becomes even clearer. If I were going to spend my own money on a traditional Windows ultraportable laptop, this is the laptop I’d get.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/dell-premium-14-review-new-name-same-great-laptop-120047563.html?src=rss 

Trump tells states they’ll lose out on broadband fund if they try to dictate rates

States will lose out on their share of a $42 billion broadband fund if they attempt to dictate rates that internet services providers (ISPs) charge low-income customers, according to a new FAQ from the Trump administration seen by Ars Technica. That means ISPs — which are subsidized by the government in order to provide low-cost plans — will be able to set such rates under the BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment) program.

The new language appeared in a BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice (RPN) from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in June. “Per the RPN, states may not apply state laws to reimpose LSCO (low-cost service option) requirements removed by the RPN… violation would result in rejection of the final proposal [for states to receive funds].” It added that the the NTIA would only approve plans with low-cost rates set by ISPs. 

The new language would hand ISPs a major win if it holds up. New York state, for one, requires ISPs with more than 20,000 customers to offer $15 broadband plans with minimum 25Mbps download speeds, or $20 plans with 200Mbps speeds, to low-income customers. That law, the Affordable Broadband Act, has held up despite attempts by providers to strike it down in court.

Other states are reconsidering similar laws now. California recently withdrew a bill requiring $15 broadband plans after the NTIA said it could lose out on BEAD funds worth up to $1.86 billion. That decision was excoriated by consumer groups who pointed out that the Supreme Court itself declined to overturn New York’s law. 

As he’s done many times now, Trump is using federal funds as a cudgel to keep states in line — despite the fact that states’ rights are usually supported by US courts. New York assemblymember Amy Paulin, who spearheaded the state’s $15 broadband law, said that she believes the NTIA rule only applies to the other 49 states that don’t have price mandates. “It’s our understanding that any [ISP] BEAD awardee would have to comply with the Affordable Broadband Act regardless of federal subsidy,” she told Ars Technica. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/trump-tells-states-theyll-lose-out-on-broadband-fund-if-they-try-to-dictate-rates-123020395.html?src=rss 

Google’s latest Pixel update fixes unresponsive button issue

Google is rolling a fix for a bug that made some Pixel users’ three-button navigation unresponsive with its monthly software update this August. As The Verge notes, after the company released Android 16 in June, Pixel users have been reporting that their buttons are being unresponsive or that it’s taking up to 30 seconds for their device to register a tap. Some said they have to press the back button several times for the three-button menu to start working. Users from across Pixel models, including the latest Pixel 9 line have reported experiencing those issues and other similar problems. Some also said they were experiencing problems with gesture navigation, such as the swipe gesture not working at all. 

In Google’s announcement, it said the update includes a “fix for issues with 3-button navigation and gesture navigation in certain conditions.” The update also comes with a “fix for an issue where the scheduled dark theme was not working in certain conditions” so people have had to manually toggle on dark mode instead. That’s another problem that’s been plaguing some users since Pixel’s March update. Pixel’s August update will be available for all devices running Android 16, from Pixel 6 to the Pixel 8 lineup. Google said the update will roll out in phases over the next week, so some may have to wait a bit before they’re able to download and install it. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/googles-latest-pixel-update-fixes-unresponsive-button-issue-123024740.html?src=rss 

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