Riot Games has confirmed that its working on a massive update for League of Legends after Bloomberg published a report saying that the company has plans to remake the game. Back in November, a Chinese esports insider also reported that a League of Legends 2 is in development and is coming as early as the second half of 2026. In a video announcement discussing Riots plans for League after 2026, executive producer Paul Belleza denied that the developer is working on League 2 like rumors have been suggesting, but he admitted that it is working on a big update that will arrive in 2027. Andrei van Roon, Head of League Studio, then enumerated some of the things his team is already working on, including a brand new around-game client thats fully integrated with the in-game experience, a full visual overhaul of the Summoners Rift, changes to Runes and an overall improvement to the player experience. The update is looking to be as big as the one from back in the mid-2010s when Riot reworked Leagues graphics and is meant to bring in new players. Belleza and van Roon said theyll share more details between MSI in the summer and Worlds in the fall of 2026. While the timeline is pretty vaugue, the window of release for a major update like this is most likely the end of November until early January when competitive league is on break. A look at some of our plans for League after 2026. pic.twitter.com/vqsnBksg1Y League of Legends (@LeagueOfLegends) December 18, 2025
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/a-total-league-of-legends-revamp-is-coming-in-2027-130000644.html?src=rss
The best phone of 2025: The iPhone 17 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro? Perhaps the Galaxy Z Fold 7? All three rank as some of the best tech we reviewed in 2025.
Engadget
We have compiled all the best gear with our highest review scores in each category, after thousands of hours of testing. Weve got the Switch 2, AirPods Pro 3 and DJIs top drone for most of you. Anecdotally, Ankers Laptop Power Bank, with two built-in charging cables, has been the sleeper hit of the Engadget team, with four editors making it their power bank of choice. I think its the retractable cable.
Mat Smith
OpenAI just launched an app store inside ChatGPT
Some use locally stored data, and others let you organize Apple Music songs.
OpenAI has introduced an app directory right inside ChatGPT. The new apps section (on iOS, Android and web) divides into Feature, Lifestyle and Productivity categories, letting you connect to commonly used apps and even websites like Booking.com, Spotify and Dropbox.
With Dropbox, for instance, you can gather insights, prepare briefs and summarize reports or internal documents, using ChatGPTs smarts, according to the description. OpenAI says developers can only monetize apps by linking out from the ChatGPT app to a native app or website, but the company is exploring internal monetization options as well.
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Trump Mobiles T1 still doesnt exist, but the company is now selling refurbished phones
Who wouldnt want to overpay for an old phone?
The T1 smartphone from Trump Mobile remains non-existent vaporware, but you can still give the company your money. If you want, you can buy a refurbished phone from Trump Mobile. The businesss website lists Samsung S24 and S23 and the iPhone 15 and 14. Gizmodo noted Trump Mobile is selling other brands phones at the same price as or higher than other retailers.
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Sony is buying Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the rest of Peanuts
It will own 80 percent of the franchise.
Peanuts
Its the wildcard news story no one saw coming. Sony, of Walkman and PlayStation fame, is buying an 80 percent stake of Peanuts for a cool $460 million. Sony already bought 39 percent of the franchise back in 2018 something most of us were entirely unaware of.
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The other big stories (and deals) this morning
Dont panic! The 12 best last-minute Christmas gifts for 2025
Avatar Fire and Ash review: Maybe its time to sunset Pandora
Big Tech bent the knee for Trump in 2025
OnePlus 15R review: A 165Hz display and big battery for $700
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-121536612.html?src=rss
SpaceX said it experienced an anomaly with one if its Starlink satellites that was likely caused by a small explosion. "The anomaly led to venting of the propulsion tank, a rapid decay in semi-major axis by about 4 km [2.5 miles] and the release of a small number of trackable low relatively velocity objects," Starlink wrote in a post on X. Orbital tracking company LeoLabs assessed that the issue was caused by an "internal energetic source rather than a collision with space debris or another object."
SpaceX said it's working with NASA and the US Space Force to track the remains of the object. "The satellite is largely intact, tumbling and will reenter the Earth's atmosphere and fully demise within weeks," the company said. It's trajectory is well below the International Space Station (ISS) so it poses no risk to the lab or its crew. Starlink has yet to say how many pieces it's tracking.
The incident happened just days after a Starlink satellite narrowly avoided a collision with a rival Chinese satellite from CAS Space last week. Starlink vice president Michael Nicholls said that the incident happened due to a lack of coordination between the two companies. "When satellite operators do not share emphemeris for their satellites, dangerously close approaches can occur in space," he wrote on X.
Starlink's constellation consists of almost 9,300 active satellites making up around 65 percent of all orbiting spacecraft, not including defunct units. That number grew by more than 3,000 this year alone, launched aboard 121 separate SpaceX missions around one every three days. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/a-starlink-satellite-just-exploded-and-left-trackable-debris-120002814.html?src=rss
Leo Design and Lake of Bays Brewery create a Holiday Detox Pack for easing people into Dry January.Dry January has become something of a cultural institution, with millions pledging to give up alcohol after the festive season. But for many, the abrupt shift from holiday indulgence to total abstinence proves too jarring to sustain. Leo Toronto and Leo Design, working with Muskoka-based Lake of Bays Brewery, have developed a more graduated solution: the Holiday Detox Pack, a six-pack where each beer contains one percentage point less alcohol than the last.
Sony is paying approximately $460 milliion to purchase Peanuts [PDF] and its characters, including Snoopy and Charlie Brown, created by Charles M. Schulz. Thats a 41 percent stake Sony is buying from Canadian firm WildBrain. Since Sony bought 39 percent of the franchise back in 2018, this will give the company an 80 percent stake. The deal is still subject to regulatory approvals, but Peanuts will become Sonys consolidated subsidiary once its closed. Schulzs family still owns the remaining 20 percent stake in the franchise. Schulz launched the Peanuts universe in comic strips 75 years ago, back in 1950. The franchise has grown massively since then, spawning animated series, cartoon musicals and movies that made Snoopy a household name. The company said that it has focused on expanding the Peanuts IP since it bought 39 percent of the brand years ago. With this additional ownership stake, we are thrilled to be able to further elevate the value of the PEANUTS brand by drawing on the Sony Groups extensive global network and collective expertise, Sony Music Entertainment Japan CEO Shunsuke Muramatsu added. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/sony-is-buying-peanuts-022341467.html?src=rss
Remember back in September when President Donald Trump signed an executive order that seemingly finalized some of the terms of a deal to spin off TikTok's US business? Three months later, that same deal is apparently one step closer to being official.According to Bloomberg, TikTok CEO Shou Chew told employees that TikTok and ByteDance had signed off the agreement for control of TikTok's US business. It sounds like terms of the deal are roughly the same as what Trump announced earlier this year. A group of US investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX will control a majority of the new entity while ByteDance will keep a smaller stake in the venture. According to Chew's memo, the deal is expected to close January 22, 2026. Upon the closing, the US joint venture, built on the foundation of the current TikTok US Data Security (USDS) organization, will operate as an independent entity with authority over US data protection, algorithm security, content moderation and software assurance, he wrote according to Bloomberg. TikTok didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.Notably, it's still not clear where Chinese officials stand on the deal. Trump said back in September that China was "fully on board," but subsequent meetings between the two sides have so far produced vague statements. In October, China's Commerce Ministry said it would "work with the U.S. to properly resolve issues related to TikTok." If a deal is indeed finalized by next month, it will come almost exactly a year after Trump's first executive order to delay a law that required a sale or ban of the app front taking effect. He has signed off several other extensions since. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/trumps-tiktok-deal-is-another-step-closer-to-finally-actually-happening-001813404.html?src=rss
Holiday shopping is in full swing, which means it's about time for the Steam Winter Sale. This go-around, Valves sale runs from December 18, 2025 through January 5, 2026, and includes discounts on some of this year's hit games, like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Silent Hill f and Assassin's Creed Shadows.Clair Obscur is available for $40, down from its normal $50, Silent Hill f is 40 percent off, bringing its price down to $42, and the normally $70 Assassin's Creed Shadows is selling for $35, a solid deal on what was somewhat of a comeback for the long-running Ubisoft series. On top of those sales, you can get Stardew Valley for $9, or the difficult-to-master walking sim Baby Steps for $13. I'm also considering picking up Consume Me for $10 and Ball x Pit for $12, just to round out my collection of indie hits from 2025.Valve runs Steam sales on a pretty regular cadence, so if the game you're eyeing isn't on sale, there's a good chance it could be soon. With holiday vacations coming up, and hopefully time to play games on the menu, though, now's the perfect time to pick up something new. And if you don't get to it this year, consider it an investment of sorts for the Steam Machine you might purchase in 2026.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/steam-winter-sale-discounts-clair-obscur-silent-hill-f-and-more-230834279.html?src=rss
Google's latest addition to its NotebookLM artificial intelligence research platform is a feature called Data Tables. The tool can collect and synthesize information across multiple sources into a chart that can be exported to Google Sheets. All Pro and Ultra users will have access to the feature today, and Data Tables will roll out to all users over the coming weeks.In practice, Google suggested that Data Tables can be used to organize scattered notes, create price comparison charts or aggregate results from multiple research projects. The example of the interface shows the desired table components requested in natural language statements. Last month, Google added a Deep Research mode to NotebookLM. Deep Research was initially unveiled for its Gemini chatbot in late 2024 as an option for handling complex user queries.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/googles-notebooklm-introduces-data-tables-feature-225548565.html?src=rss
Several LG smart TV owners, including some Engadget staff, were surprised to find what looked like an unremovable Microsoft Copilot app suddenly installed on their devices earlier this week. After all the raised eyebrows, a representative from LG has reached out to say that the company "will take steps to allow users to delete the shortcut icon if they wish."
According to the spokesperson, the Copilot icon is a shortcut for launching the AI chatbot in the TV's web browser rather than an application embedded in the appliance. We've asked for more specifics about when people will be able to get rid of the Copilot prompt, but have not received a response at this time.
Apparently we're still learning the lessons of U2's notorious iTunes album giveaway. It might seem like free additions would be something people would enjoy, but it turns out customers want to choose which services they use. Particularly when smart TVs don't have the best track record on privacy, the surprise appearance of an AI chatbot wasn't likely to be well received.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/lg-will-let-you-delete-the-previously-unremovable-microsoft-copilot-shortcut-on-its-smart-tvs-215352944.html?src=rss
Apple keeps most of its product pricing on a tight leash, but we do see the company's AirTags go on sale pretty frequently. Another cost cut has come around for this item just in time for the holidays. Amazon is currently selling a four-pack of AirTags for $65. At a third off the regular cost, that price is pretty close to the record low discount of $63 we've seen for these Bluetooth trackers.
If you place an order quickly, the AirTags should arrive in time for Christmas, making this a solid choice as a gift for someone with a tendency to misplace stuff. AirTags can also be useful for people who travel frequently, helping you to keep track of essentials like your passport as well as a way to keep tabs on luggage while you're on the go.
If you do purchase some AirTags, we have some recommendations for useful accessories to go along with them, such as different styles of cases to best attach the trackers to different types of items. These are worth looking over and adding to your shopping cart in order to make the most of the product.
AirTags have an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance and their replaceable batteries should last for about a year. They can also support Precision Finding, which gives more exact directions to a lost item, when paired with most models after the iPhone 11. Up to five people can share an AirTag's location, which is helpful for families or large travel groups.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/airtags-are-back-on-sale-with-a-four-pack-retailing-for-65-202333979.html?src=rss
