Google targets Apple's AirTag with it's Pixel Tag bluetooth tracker

 

As part of its Made By Google event on Wednesday, the tech giant unveiled its very own smart tracker, the Pixel Tag, alongside the Pixel 11 smartphone lineup and the Pixel Watch 5. The new tracker is oblong-shaped to match the rest of the Pixel accessory ecosystem. It also packs advanced tracking features like Ultra Wideband (UWB) and Bluetooth Channel Sounding, a rare feature among the more popular Android-compatible smart trackers.

Unlike other Bluetooth trackers on the market right now, the Pixel Tag only comes in one color: white, or Fog, as it's officially called. The tracker is made of plastic and metal. It weighs less than half an ounce, is IP67-rated for water- and dust-resistance, and Google says the replaceable CR2032 coin cell battery inside will last you over a year.

uk.pcmag.com

E-scooter riders face triple the brain injury risk of motorcyclists

E-scooter riders are far more likely to suffer serious head and internal injuries than motorcyclists, according to a major new study – despite riding a machine that needs no test, no training and, for almost all of them, no helmet (or protective gear).

Researchers behind the study, published in Scientific Reports, dug through NHS trauma records for England and Wales alongside rental operator data covering more than 33 million rides.

Compared with motorcyclists, e-scooter riders were more than three times as likely to suffer a traumatic brain injury, more than three times as likely to suffer vascular trauma, and around 1.5 times as likely to injure an internal organ. The only category where they came off better was broken bones, where they had a slightly lower risk.

www.motorcyclenews.com

Laptops without power adapters from 2026

From 28 April 2026, new EU regulations will noticeably change the notebook market: laptops must be chargeable via USB-C. The goal is to allow users to reuse existing power adapters instead of buying a new one with every device. This is the core of the EU Common Charger regulation, which will apply to laptops from this date onward.

At the same time, the scope of delivery will change. Manufacturers must offer devices without power adapters and will increasingly ship notebooks without one by default. The background is the same sustainability and interoperability approach: less electronic waste, fewer duplicate chargers, and more standardization.

“USB-C” initially refers only to the connector shape. For charging, the relevant standard is USB Power Delivery (USB-PD). A notebook may have a USB-C port, but charging capability, charging speed, and compatibility depend on which USB-PD profiles are supported.

Confused? Contact Donline.

www.dev.to

Honda CB1000GT tops the charts on its debut month

The UK’s new bike market kept up its 2026 recovery in July, with fresh figures from the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) showing registrations climbing across almost every category.

A total of 10,644 machines were registered in July 2026, up 17.5% on the 9057 recorded in the same month last year. That leaves the market up 15.6% year-to-date compared with last year.

The standout story is the Honda CB1000GT, which topped the adventure category in July – its first month on sale. The £11,999 tall-rounder only reached UK dealers from July, after Honda delayed its launch to prioritise a permanent fix for the excessive oil consumption affecting the related CB1000 Hornet.

And the CB1000GT was far from Honda’s only success. The big H was the runaway best-selling manufacturer with 2292 registrations, more than double second-placed Yamaha, with BMW, Triumph and Lexmoto rounding out the top five.

www.motorcyclenews.com

Today's Reading, by C.S.Lewis. On goodness...

Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance. 

The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of. 

An apparently trivial indulgence in lust or anger today is the loss of a ridge or railway line or bridgehead from which the enemy may launch an attack otherwise impossible.

From Mere Christianity

British Motorcyclists Federation (BMF) rider survey

 

🚨 Got 2 minutes? It could be worth £200! 🚨

The British Motorcyclists Federation wants to hear from riders across the UK.

Complete our quick survey and you'll be entered into a prize draw to WIN a £200 motorcycle accessories voucher – perfect timing for Christmas! (apologies we've mentioned "you know what" while we are still enjoying our summer riding 🌲 😂) 

Your feedback helps shape the future of motorcycling, so make your voice count. Take the survey by CLICKING HERE and good luck!

BMF Survey

How headlights got brighter, whiter, and more blinding after dark

 

Every so often, I’ll be piloting some sensor-laden, software-defined press car down a dark stretch of highway when an oncoming driver’s high beams arrive like a targeted retinal strike, an involuntary reminder that modern automotive lighting has entered its own lumen arms race.

Anyone who has driven at night in the last few years knows what I’m talking about: A modern crossover crests a hill in the opposite lane, and the cabin briefly fills with enough cold-white light to suggest a police helicopter has joined traffic. The obvious assumption is that drivers are simply leaving their high beams on more often, but the reality is more complicated. READ MORE...

www.arstechnica.com