News

EU will force phones to have a removable battery

iPhone and Galaxy alike

Published

on

The European Union is at the forefront of sweeping changes coming to the world of technology. In a few years’ time, the continent will force the iPhone to adopt USB-C in some form. Now, the continent’s government has another component in its sights — the battery.

In a new piece of regulation from the European Parliament, the continent will soon force appliances  — including smartphones — to ship with easily removable batteries. The policy, which targets the sustainability and durability of batteries, will introduce changes for the entire smartphone market.

Though the policy heavily focuses on sustainability, the key measure involving smartphones focuses on a way for consumers to “easily remove and replace” the battery. The change mimics the reasoning behind the forced USB-C adoption, which melds both sustainability and ease-of-use.

There is currently no timeline for replaceable batteries in smartphones. However, the change should affect all smartphone brands out in the market today. Most brands, including Apple and Samsung, feature non-removable batteries on their devices. While a repair kit can certainly open up a phone, things are not as easy as they were in the old Nokia days. Remember when you could buy a spare battery from a random stall in the mall and pop it into your phone?

SEE ALSO: Europe starts banning ChatGPT

Accessories

CASETiFY x Tamagotchi brings back nostalgia

Retro pets meet modern accessories

Published

on

CASETiFY Tamagotchi

From phone cases to luggage, the collaboration turns the classic virtual pet into a lifestyle collection

CASETiFY has announced a new collaboration with Bandai Namco Entertainment inspired by Tamagotchi.

The collection mixes retro digital pet nostalgia with modern accessories. Designs feature bright colors, pixel-inspired graphics, and classic Tamagotchi characters.

First released in 1996, Tamagotchi became a global hit. The interactive virtual pet encouraged players to care for their digital companion. More than 100 million units have been sold worldwide.

The new collaboration includes phone cases, tech accessories, straps, charms, and customizable luggage.

One of the highlights is the CASETiFY Travel Tamagotchi luggage collection. Customers can choose their favorite Tamagotchi character and add custom text using the franchise’s signature font style.

 

The 21-inch Carry-On Bounce Suitcase comes in Primrose Pink and Cobalt Blue.

The collection also introduces a CASETiFY-exclusive Tamagotchi device. It features a custom CASETiFY shell design.

Fans can also pick up the Tamagotchi Plush Earbuds Pouch designed by Bandai. CASETiFY is also offering themed straps and charms for added personalization.

Accessories include a 3-Way Strap with adjustable lengths and a silicone phone charm with a detachable plush accessory. A Tamagotchi-shaped metal charm hook is also available.

CASETiFY is also launching Tamagotchi Chase Cards alongside the collection. The collectible cards come in seven rarity levels. These range from Common to Supreme Ultra Rare.

To celebrate the launch, CASETiFY will host activations at its Shibuya PARCO store in Tokyo and its Dosan flagship store in Seoul.

Visitors can try the exclusive CASETiFY Tamagotchi device and enjoy interactive photo activities.

Price and availability

The CASETiFY x Tamagotchi collection starts at US$36. It launches on May 29 through CASETiFY and select CASETiFY STUDiO stores worldwide.

Continue Reading

Gaming

Kingdom Come devs are working on a Lord of the Rings RPG

This is alongside a new adventure in the Kingdom Come universe.

Published

on

Proven by both entries in the duology, Kingdom Come: Deliverance is the quintessential medieval life simulator, bolstered by an engaging story to go along with its impressive gameplay. Despite having the series as the only items in its resume, Warhorse Studios has emerged as a developer you’d want to believe in, no matter what. And now, the studio is asking fans to stick with it in an entirely new world: Middle-earth.

Through now-viral posts on social media, Warhorse Studios announced two upcoming projects after Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. Firstly, the studio will return to the Holy Roman Empire in “a new Kingdom Come adventure.”

A return to the series that made them famous is notable enough. After all, the two games were worthy candidates for their respective Game of the Year awards. However, the bigger news is the announcement of an upcoming open-world Middle-earth RPG.

Yes, that’s the same Middle-earth as The Lord of the Rings. Beyond that single description, Warhorse Studios has not announced anything else about the upcoming title, but there’s naturally a lot of excitement for the game.

Tolkien’s world has had a rough history littered with lackluster titles and outright flops like Return to Moria and Gollum. The last Middle-earth games that truly made heads turn in a good way were Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War, which were both open-world RPGs.

There’s a lot of pressure riding on yet another Middle-earth game. Then again, Warhorse Studios has the chops to make it work.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is a more rigorous RPG that has players learning to do everything including how to read. Will the Middle-earth RPG follow the same style?

Continue Reading

Computers

AMD expands Ryzen PRO 9000 series processor lineup

AMD brings 3D V-Cache technology to commercial segment

Published

on

AMD has announced an expansion of its enterprise desktop lineup with new Ryzen PRO 9000 Series processors. These are built on the Zen 5 architecture and set to debut in the second half of 2026.

This is the first time AMD is bringing its high-bandwidth 3D V-Cache technology into the commercial workstation segment.

This way, the company unlocks massive performance leaps for data-heavy professional industries.

The introduction of 3D V-Cache directly targets power users handling complex, intensive digital pipelines.

By vertically stacking additional last-level cache directly onto the processor die, the hardware drastically cuts down memory latency and accelerates data access.

Primary beneficiaries of this architecture are creative and technical professionals, including:

  • video editors and animators
  • 3D artists and VFX creators
  • engineers and architects
  • developers and data scientists

The expanded hardware lineup spans configurations from six to 16 performance cores. Power limits break past traditional limits, or up to a sustained 170 watts to maintain peak clock speeds during overnight renders.

The range also makes the lineup scalable from compact desktop systems to full-scale tower workstation systems.

The AMD Ryzen PRO 9000 series also supports up to 256GB of memory to prevent system crashes. Enterprise system rollouts are expected to begin later this year.

Continue Reading

Trending