Peacock’s The Office spin-off arrives this September

The Paper, a new spin-off of The Office set at a small Ohio newspaper, will premiere exclusively on Peacock in September, according to a post from the streaming service’s X account. Considering NBCUniversal’s streaming service has mostly existed as a dedicated The Office and Parks & Recreation rewatch tool, this is a pretty big get.

The new series “features the documentary crew that immortalized Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch,” but this time looks at a different industry — in this case, journalism. The Paper covers “a historic Toledo newspaper, The Truth Teller, and the eager publisher that is trying to revive it,” according to a press release from NBCUniversal’s Upfront presentation.

The Scranton documentary crew is heading to Toledo. #ThePaper arrives this September on Peacock. pic.twitter.com/Mzmbw7TBzF

— Peacock (@peacock) May 12, 2025

Domhnall Gleeson (Ex Machina) and Sabrina Impacciatore (The White Lotus) star alongside Oscar Nuñez, who is reprising his role as Oscar from The Office, following a lateral career move that finds his character as the accountant for a struggling newspaper. The Paper is very explicitly described as being “from the universe of The Office,” though, so it’s possible the connections to the previous series don’t end there.

The Paper was co-created by Greg Daniels, the creator of the US version of The Office, and Michael Koman, an executive producer and writer on Nathan for You. NBCUniversal hasn’t shared a specific date for when the series will premiere, beyond that it will land in September.

Like most streaming services, Peacock launched with splashy prestige TV shows, but has continually struggled to find original content that keeps subscribers around beyond its back catalog of classic sitcoms and reality shows. Streaming rights to the Olympics and weird experiments like the “AI vs. a nun” drama Mrs. Davis definitely appeal to someone (me, primarily), but it hasn’t produced explosive growth in Peacock’s subscriber numbers. Per NBCUniversal’s last earnings report, Peacock has grown from 36 million paid subscribers at the end of 2024 to 41 million in March 2025, but it’s still a money-losing operation. The Paper seems like a safer bet to keep current subscribers happy and draw lapsed The Office fans back in.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/peacocks-the-office-spin-off-arrives-this-september-182859797.html?src=rss 

The new F1 trailer has star power, fast cars and product placement

The high-octane racing film F1 hits theaters this June and there’s a brand-new trailer to prove it. The new footage shows more of the story and gives a deeper dive into Brad Pitt’s main character.

There’s still gobs of actual Formula 1 racing, as the movie has received extensive involvement from the organization. It looks fast, frenetic and fun. There’s also plenty of product placement during these scenes, which may be annoying to some but could add to the realism for others. In addition to F1 sponsors you’d see during a real race, we spotted logos for Shark/Ninja and Expensify on the fictional team that features in the film.

Brad Pitt is the primary star here, but the film also features Damson Idris, Javier Bardem, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies and Kim Bodnia. F1 is directed by Joseph Kosinski, who helmed the box office monster Top Gun: Maverick. He also made Tron: Legacy, though has no involvement with the upcoming Tron: Ares.

Ehren Kruger wrote the screenplay, who penned the aforementioned Top Gun sequel. The legendary Hans Zimmer created the score. This is certainly a high-end production.

Formula 1 has been growing in popularity these past few years, with a surge in filmmaking about this type of racing. Netflix released a documentary series about the organization called Formula 1: Drive to Survive, which is credited in growing the sport’s audience away from Europe.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-new-f1-trailer-has-star-power-fast-cars-and-product-placement-165742662.html?src=rss 

NASA’s Webb telescope captures mesmerizing images of Jupiter’s auroras

The James Webb Space Telescope, NASA’s successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, has captured new images of the auroras at Jupiter’s north pole. These massive auroras, caused by charged particles crashing into Jupiter’s atmosphere, are hundreds of times brighter than our own Aurora Borealis, and, for the first time, we can now see them in greater detail thanks to these new images.

Auroras on Earth are caused by solar storms, which occur when charged particles from the Sun collide with our upper atmosphere. This energizes the gases in the atmosphere, which gives them that distinctive colored glow that we know as the Northern (or Southern) Lights.

Among the coolest things we’ve gleaned from the telescope’s observations is that particles from solar storms are not the only source for Jupiter’s auroras. The giant planet’s strong magnetic field is also pulling in charged particles from its surroundings, which includes particles thrown into the atmosphere from volcanic eruptions on Io, a moon orbiting Jupiter. Together, these varied sources lead to a more complex auroral system than the one on Earth.

The high sensitivity of Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) helps shed light (pun intended) on the rapidly changing features of Jupiter’s auroras. Scientists were able to see details and bright spots that weren’t visible with Hubble. Jonathan Nichols, who leads the team at the UK’s University of Leicester that captured the images, shared his excitement over the discovery with NASA.

In describing seeing the images, he said, “What a Christmas present it was — it just blew me away!” In describing what they learned from the images, he explained: “We wanted to see how quickly the auroras change, expecting them to fade in and out ponderously, perhaps over a quarter of an hour or so. Instead, we observed the whole auroral region fizzing and popping with light, sometimes varying by the second.”

The team was able to capture images of the auroras from the Hubble and Webb telescope simultaneously, which allowed them to directly compare data from both Ultraviolet and Near-Infrared images at once. It became evident with these comparisons that the Webb telescope was capturing details and nuance that the Hubble was completely missing. This is a testament to the power of the newer telescope and raised further questions about how the auroras function. 

Researchers hope these findings will help them further understand the inner workings of Jupiter’s magnetic field, and even help provide insights into how the planet heats and cools. There is a lot to learn about the gas giant’s atmosphere, and these images are just one step along the way.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/nasas-webb-telescope-captures-mesmerizing-images-of-jupiters-auroras-171107945.html?src=rss 

iOS 18.5 arrives with a new wallpaper for Pride Month

Apple pushed iOS 18.5 on Monday. The most eye-popping new feature is a new wallpaper to honor the LGBTQ+ community ahead of Pride Month. Apart from that, the iPhone update isn’t exactly a barnburner, with only minor features and bug fixes.

Apple’s Pride Harmony wallpaper has bold, colorful stripes that change position as you move, lock or unlock your device. You can find it in Settings > Wallpaper or by long-pressing on your lock screen. If you’re an Apple Watch owner, you’ll find a corresponding Pride Harmony watch face in watchOS 11.5. That can pair well with Apple’s new Pride Edition Sport Band, which went on sale earlier this month.

Apart from that, there are only a couple of (barely) notable features in iOS 18.5. The Mail app has a new option to show or hide contact photos within the app. (Before, you had to dig into Settings.) Tap the three-dot context menu and toggle “Show Contact Photos.” There’s also a redesigned AppleCare and Warranty banner in the Settings app with an option to “Learn more about coverage.” (Do try to contain your excitement.)

As always, you can install the update by heading to Settings > General > Software Update.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/ios-185-arrives-with-a-new-wallpaper-for-pride-month-172836075.html?src=rss 

Google Keep launches text formatting for the web

One of the best things about writing on a computer versus by hand is all the things you can do with text, from bolding a HARSH word to italicizing a quippy point. Now, Google’s note-taking app, Keep, is adding these rich text formatting options and more to its web app. The text options have been available for Keep users on Android devices since late 2023. 

Anyone who uses Keep on the web will be able to bold, italicize and underline their words. They will also be able to create specific sections using the heading one (H1) and heading two (H2) buttons. All of these formatting options will be available by clicking on the underlined A in the editors left-hand corner. It’s a simple but beneficial update for anyone who wants to customize text from the web. 

Google

Google is currently rolling out this update to Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains, with the latter getting new features at least a week later than the former. The rich text formatting options are available to people with an individual Google account, Workspace Individual Subscribers and Google Workspace users

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/google-keep-launches-text-formatting-for-the-web-154609726.html?src=rss 

Fox One is a new streaming service that should launch before September

Fox is releasing its very own streaming service, according to a report by Variety. It’s appropriately called Fox One and the company plans to launch the platform by the start of the NFL season, which is in early September.

This will be something of a one-stop shop for Fox content, as it’ll air sporting events like NFL games, traditional TV shows and, of course, Fox News programming. CEO Lachlan Murdoch, son of Rupert, says it will be “holistic of all of our content, sports and news.” Finally, a platform for both Bob’s Burgers and angry rants about men with painted nails or whatever.

FOX unveils the name of its new streaming service – FOX One.

It’s set to feature all of FOX’s premium news, sports and entertainment programming in one dynamic platform.

🔗: https://t.co/uKSkpmE1En pic.twitter.com/mVHWHgsKDN

— FOX Sports PR (@FOXSportsPR) May 12, 2025

Fox is a fairly decent network for sports. There are NFL games on Sunday afternoons and a spate of MLB and LIV Golf events. However, if you want to stream every NFL game, you’ll need a combination of several platforms. Matches air on Peacock, Prime Video and ESPN, among others.

Disney is also planning a standalone streaming platform for sports, which will just be called ESPN. This all-access streaming service should launch in the near future, with availability and pricing details arriving this week.

There seems to be some confusion regarding the potential price of Fox One. Murdoch suggested today that it “will be healthy. It will not be a discounted price.” However, in February the CEO said the cost would be “relatively low.” We’ll have to wait and see.

All of these new streaming services are popping up after the demise of Venu Sports. This platform was supposed to be a joint effort by Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery and would have allowed access to sporting events from all over the cable landscape. It was preemptively axed back in January.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/fox-one-is-a-new-streaming-service-that-should-launch-before-september-152650429.html?src=rss 

The Beats Pill portable speaker drops back down to a record-low price

It’s finally that time of year where you can sit on the beach or by the pool without freezing — hallelujah. But that means you need a durable and portable speaker to accompany you. Right now, one of our favorite portable Bluetooth speakers for 2025 is back down to its record-low price.

You can pick up the Beats Pill for $100, down from $150 — a 33 percent discount. We gave the Bluetooth speaker an 83 in our review thanks, in big part, to its durability. The Beats Pill has an IP67 dust and water resistance rating, meaning it’s dust tight and could last about three feet under water for up to 30 minutes. So, if it accidentally tumbles into the pool, you shouldn’t have to worry about it. 

The Beats Pill also offers a solid sound quality boost over its predecessor and 24 hours of battery life. Though the audio does suffer a bit if you have the speaker at very loud volumes and the bass tone can be inconsistent. 

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

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-beats-pill-portable-speaker-drops-back-down-to-a-record-low-price-140421604.html?src=rss 

The only thing I want from Apple’s big 2025 redesign is a

There are a lot of rumors flying around about a big iOS and macOS redesign coming this year, perhaps as a distraction to the continued issues around Apple Intelligence. And while I’m game for a fresh coat of paint across the software I use every single day, I have one plea while Apple’s at it: Please, for the love of god, make the Notes app render the letter “a” properly.

Let me back up a bit. Apple first introduced the San Francisco typeface with the first Apple Watch in 2015; a few years later it became the default on basically every device Apple sells. The text you see in Messages, Apple Music, Maps and many other system apps are all different San Francisco fonts, and for the most part the multiple variations all feel consistent and cohesive.

But, at some point in the last seven or eight years I noticed something odd in the Apple Notes app. The font appears the same as the other San Francisco fonts, but something just felt “off.” It took forever before I put my finger on it: the lowercase “a” renders differently in the Notes app than it does anywhere else across the entire system.

You see, the Notes app uses a “single storey a,” the sort of “a” that most people use when writing by hand. That’s the only first-party app, as far as I can tell, where you’ll find a single-storey a. The rest of the time, it uses the double-storey a (just as you’ll see on this website and almost everywhere else a lowercase a is used these days outside of handwriting).

To be clear, this does not matter even a little bit. In fact, the completely inconsequential and random nature of this situation is probably why it irks me so. Part of me is glad I figured out exactly what was throwing me off, because for years Notes just looked wrong in a way that I found impossible to describe. Now at least I know what my brain was reacting to.

One day recently we were having a lively discussion about fonts in the Engadget Slack, which triggered me to bring up this mystery. My colleagues both agreed that this was bizarre and also thought I was a bit of a lunatic for spending this much time thinking about a single character in a single app. This, of course, drove me to download and dig through all of Apple’s system fonts and their variations to find the dreaded “Latin small letter Alpha,” or α, that our resident Greek Cypriot Aaron Souppouris suggested I search for. Indeed, that’s what pops up in Notes instead of the usual “a.” It’s not even one of the font variants, as far as I can tell. [Ed. note: Nathan did no other work during this time.]

Even though this is a ridiculous thing to think about, I want to know what’s going on here! How did this happen? Who made this decision, and for what reason? Maybe it’s because the Notes app originally used a skeuomorphic “Marker Felt” sort of text that emulated handwriting — using the single storey “a” is perhaps a nod to how most people actually handwrite the letter. Or, perhaps, it’s just something that slipped through the cracks years ago and hasn’t been worth changing because most people probably haven’t consciously noticed the difference (you’re welcome).

Whatever the reason, I sure would love it if Apple unified things with the iOS 19 (and corresponding macOS) redesign. I generally find the default Apple font to be just fine, though people certainly have their own very strongly held opinions about typography. But if I’m being honest, I’d also probably miss that oddball α — it’s always fun to have an unsolved mystery to ponder over, no matter how inconsequential.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/the-only-thing-i-want-from-apples-big-2025-redesign-is-a-120023531.html?src=rss 

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