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This week we're fielding your burning tech questions, as well as diving into a bunch of AI web browser news. Opera has started testing its fully agentic AI browser, the Browser Company is dumping the Arc browser in favor of something AI related and Mozilla is getting in a bit of hot water with experimental AI preview summaries. Try as we might, we just can't escape AI.

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Listener Mailbag: How to set up an Xbox account for your kids, will screens be obsolete, and more – 1:34

Web browsers go AI ‘agentic’: The Browser Company leaves Arc behind. Opera and Firefox debut new features – 25:37

xAI is paying Telegram $300m this year to use Grok – 54:04

Apple’s self repair program extends to iPads – 56:30

Apple might switch its OS numbering next year, iOS26 could be on the way – 58:57

Working on – 1:02:41

Pop culture picks – 1:09:26

Credits

Hosts: Devindra Hardawar and Ben EllmanProducer: Ben EllmanMusic: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/engadget-podcast-who-needs-an-ai-web-browser-124547429.html?src=rss

NordVPN wants to shift the conversation from server quantity to qualityServer count is one of the main metrics for measuring the quality of a VPN service across today's industryNordVPN believes providers should focus on the factors directly impacting user experience insteadNordVPN has just thrown a challenge to the VPN industry – changing how providers talk about VPN servers.Server count has been, and currently is, one of the main recognized standard metrics for measuring the quality of a VPN service across the industry. You may have noticed how today's best VPN providers use these often huge numbers to market themselves among the competition.Yet, NordVPN believes that providers should instead focus on all the other factors directly impacting user experience, such as the server bandwidth, speed, reliability, and more. This is exactly why the team now seeks to shift the conversation from server quantity to quality."The idea that the more VPN servers you have, the better you are, is basically not very true. So, we have to start talking about this," NordVPN CTO Marijus Briedis told TechRadar.TechRadar needs you! We want to know what you think about the world of VPNs. Whether you're a novice or a VPN pro, we want to hear your thoughts. Don't worry, though, your responses are completely anonymous, and it takes less than a minute to complete!To take part, click the link below: https://futurenet.questionpro.eu/tr-vpnVPN servers: what mattersVPN servers are a crucial part of how a VPN works. Every time you connect to a service, your internet traffic is rerouted via the provider's network made up of these servers. This is how virtual private network (VPN) software spoofs your IP address.While it's true that offering worldwide coverage is an important factor in allowing users to access as much international content as possible, it won't matter much if the user experience is poor."Think of it like roads," Briedis explained in a blog post. "More roads don’t solve traffic problems if they’re in poor condition or badly planned. What matters more is having high-capacity lanes and well-planned routes, so millions of cars can move without getting stuck in traffic."All in all, according to Briedis, we should think of a VPN as an internet service provider (ISP) because it's the service that de facto enables us to connect to the internet."ISPs they don't say how many servers have around the world. What they are talking is about how much network capacity do they have, what kind of connection quality do you have, and so on," he told TechRadar.(Image credit: Getty Images)So, what actually makes a good VPN server? Here are the main factors, as per the NordVPN team:Network capacity. This refers to how much data the network can handle at any given time. To go back to the roads example, network capacity is how wide and fast the lanes of a highway are. For example, NordVPN offers 70 Tbps for each servers – but this alone isn't enough.Bandwidth and load management. The amount of data a server can handle is crucial, but is perhaps even more important is how a provider manages it across the whole infrastructure. To avoid server overload even during usage spikes and deliver the best user experience, NordVPN ensures to cap the maximum load to 30% for each server.Speed and reliability. Having a fast and reliable VPN connection is what users ultimately want the most. According to NordVPN, providers achieve this through high network capacity and efficient load management rather than the highest number of servers.Georgaphic distribution. This metric refers to the spread of servers across different locations. "The more strategically distributed the servers are, and the better the infrastructure is designed to handle global traffic, the smoother your VPN experience will be," Briedis explains.A real breakthrough?The VPN industry have been stuck on the server count as the metric is easy to convey to users. Quantity is a definite number, while quality, as we have seen, depends on many other factors.But, is the idea that server quality is what actually matters a real breakthrough?According to TechRadar's Lead Security Reviewer, Mike Williams, the notion isn't totally new nor is going to make much difference."The reality is that the number of servers, overall capacity and most network details won’t tell us very much. To get a proper feel we would need stats based on usage, but I doubt anyone will tell us those because they’re commercially sensitive," said Williams.(Image credit: Getty Images)"Overall, I do agree that server numbers don’t mean much, but I doubt most providers will replace them anytime soon," Williams added. "We have to applaud Nord for trying, though. Even if it doesn’t replace the number server as a benchmark, giving users extra details to consider has to be a positive move."Replying to Williams' comments, Briedis said: "Every company has its own rules how much they are trying to squeeze from the VPN server, but for us no having more than 30% of load is one of the key quality components to make sure that our user has the best quality in that location."All in all, "We have to talk about the user experience in general. This is one of the key strategic areas that we can move forward."You might also likeNordVPN has now a full GUI Linux VPN app – here's how to upgradeWindscribe CEO speaks out against global threats to no-log VPNsIs the future of censorship-resistant VPNs, no VPNs?

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang praises Trump tariffs"Utterly visionary" idea should help boost investment in US, Huang saysHuang also praises AI diffusion rule rescindment, saying it will help accelerate US tech across the worldThe CEO of Nvidia has praised the tariffs recently imposed by US President Donald Trump on nations around the world, calling them "utterly visionary".Speaking to Bloomberg following Nvidia's recent quarterly results, Jensen Huang was effusive with his backing for the tariffs, and for Trump personally.Nvidia had revealed record quarterly revenues of around $44 billion, so it is perhaps unsurprising Huang was keen to stay on good terms with the President, and stay the right side of potential tariff changes in the near future."We're all in"“Obviously, I don’t know all of his ideas, but let me tell you about two that are incredible,” Huang said."The first one is utterly visionary. The idea of tariffs being a pillar of a bold vision to re-industrialize to onshore manufacturing and motivate the world to invest in the United States is just an incredible vision. I think this is going to be a transformative idea for the next century for us.""We're all in on the idea," he declared. "We're setting up plants and encouraging our partners from around the world to invest in the United States, and we have a lot of stuff going on, and so I'm very excited about that.""The second major idea," Huang went on, "is to rescind the AI diffusion role, recognizing that this isn't about limiting American technology, but this is about accelerating American stacks around the world to make sure that, before it's too late that the world builds on American stacks during this extraordinary time, the AI era.""These two initiatives are completely visionary, and it's going to be transformative for America."(Image credit: Getty Images)Huang's comments come a day after HP CEO Enrique Lores revealed his company would be raising prices in order to deal with rising costs incurred by tariffs.Lores noted the company would be forced it to take what he called "price actions", effectively increases across PC and printing hardware, as well as no longer using the US as a distribution hub for products sold in Canada or to Latin America.Huang himself has frequently looked to extol the virtues of the new AI-powered society, where Nvidia has a critical role in powering the new systems.Speaking at the recent Dell Technology World 2025 event, Huang called the current technology landscape, "a once in a lifetime opportunity - in the last 60 years, this is the biggest reinvention that you and I have seen."“This is incredibly exciting technology - you want to engage it. The impact to your company is incredible - and you want to be an early adopter.”“This is the beginning of a decade of transformation. But you don't want to be second - this is the time, and you want to be first.”You might also likeNvidia CEO - AI could be the largest technological leap we’ve ever seen“The world has fundamentally changed” - Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang wants it to be so much more than a chip makerThese are the best business laptops around today

With the world the way that it is, it can't hurt to have a massage gun on hand. And now's a good time to snag one. Wellbots has an exclusive deal for Engadget readers on three popular Therabody models. Save up to $110 today on that tempting Theragun you've been eyeing.

You'll save the most on the top-of-the-line model. The Theragun Pro Plus G6 is a powerhouse with a 16 mm amplitude. (That's how far it can travel with each pulse.) Its motor delivers up to 60 lbs. of force. That should be more than enough to pound out whatever ails you.

The Theragun Pro Plus G6 supports vibration, heat and LED light therapy. It comes with five attachments: standard ball, dampener, thumb, micro-point and wedge. The device has an ergonomic grip, so you can easily reach those shoulder and back muscles. It's long-lasting: up to 300 minutes on a single charge. The gun even integrates with the Therabody app, where you'll find guided routines.

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Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/theragun-percussion-massagers-are-up-to-110-off-right-now-130059571.html?src=rss

The Sonos Arc Ultra is a superb soundbar, but it's also a pricey one – so any discount is very welcome. And right now there's a pretty generous discount at Amazon, where the Sonos Arc Ultra is down from $999 to $899, a saving of $100 (10%). And the deal's good for both the white and the black model.Saving 10% means a pretty big chunk of cash when you're paying this much for a soundbar, especially when it's such a new product: Sonos does discount its products eventually, but it usually waits a while. This is the first time Amazon has offered a discount since the Ultra launched in November last year.Today's best Sonos Arc Ultra dealWe think that the Sonos Arc Ultra is the best one-box Dolby Atmos soundbar in its price bracket, and getting $100 off that price is very welcome. It's a typically Sonos product with superb sound, and we were very impressed by its Dolby Atmos performance: if you want a really immersive spatial audio experience but don't want to run speaker cable everywhere then this is a really good solution. Its bass is very impressive for a subwoofer-less soundbar, giving that home theater impact. And, of course, it's part of the wider Sonos ecosystem of multi-room audio.View DealWhy we like the Sonos Arc Ultra soundbarAs we said in our Sonos Arc Ultra review, "The Sonos Arc Ultra is the best-sounding one-box soundbar you can buy today for the price... it takes everything that was good about the original Arc and cranks it up to the next level. Better Dolby Atmos effects, better bass, better speech clarity, better connectivity."It excels in multiple areas: the bass is exceptional for something so compact; the dialogue is very clear without sounding artificially enhanced; and its Dolby Atmos layering and positioning is genuinely impressive with excellent height and width.(Image credit: Future)There's another important reason to consider this particular soundbar: it's a vast improvement over its predecessors when it comes to music playback. It's an improvement for movie soundtracks too, but the musical performance of the Arc Ultra is streets ahead of previous Sonos soundbars.Our review was based on using the Sonos Arc Ultra on its own, where it did a tremendous job. But you can also use it with other Sonos kit, for example by adding rear Sonos speakers and the Sonos Sub 4. That means if you buy the Arc Ultra now and decide you want an even more impressive home theater setup later on, it's easy to upgrade.