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There are a few ways to wrap your head around watching a seven-and-a-half-hour movie.When I was a kid I used to mark time in “Roseannes,” where 30 minutes would equal one Roseanne—the run time of the sitcom. My junior hockey games were two Roseannes. The drive to my uncle’s was 12. A seven-and-a-half-hour movie is 15 Roseannes, or a flight from New York City to Paris in an economy seat with no headrest. It’s a long time to sit and watch a movie, or do anything, these days. But that didn’t stop 250-plus people from doing it on a recent…

Overall, North Africa’s 5G evolution underscores a widening early adopter gap, where differences in spectrum allocation, rollout timing, and network maturity are shaping distinct national experiences. North Africa’s rollout of 5G networks across Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, and Algeria is revealing a clear “early adopter gap,” with significant differences in user experience driven by launch timing, spectrum strategy, and network maturity. The region’s 5G journey began in phases rather than as a unified rollout. Tunisia led in February 2025, followed by Egypt in June 2025, Morocco in November 2025, and Algeria in December 2025. While all four countries have now entered…

Image Credit: LEGOI’ve never watched the Harry Potter movies or read J. K. Rowling’s books, but something about Hogwarts still pulls me in. The boarding school halls and passageways are filled with mystery and magic, carrying a rich charm that makes the whole place feel alive. On Thursday, I came across the trailer for HBO’s new Harry Potter series, and it got me thinking that you might enjoy checking out some of the coolest Harry Potter gifts that help your friends and family relive the world.Whether you’re shopping for a lifelong fan or someone just stepping into the wizarding world,…

Hot on the heels of the Lava Bold N2 Pro, the Indian manufacturer has expanded the lineup with a new model. The company has unveiled the Bold N2 Lite in the country, featuring a Unisoc chipset and a 5,000mAh battery. The Lava Bold N2 Lite is another budget 4G smartphone that is powered by the Unisoc SC9863A chipset, paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The phone also gets a microSD card slot, allowing for expansion of up to 512GB. It features a 6.75-inch LCD display that offers a 90Hz refresh rate and an HD+ resolution. The…

Investors are pouring money feverishly into solving this challenge, spending over $6 billion on humanoid robots in 2025. And at-home data recording is becoming a booming gig economy around the world. Data companies like Scale AI and Encord are recruiting their own armies of data recorders, while DoorDash pays delivery drivers to film themselves doing chores. And in China, workers in dozens of state-owned robot training centers wear virtual-reality headsets and exoskeletons to teach humanoid robots how to open a microwave and wipe down the table.  “There is a lot of demand, and it’s increasing really fast,” says Ali Ansari,…

The region”s purpose-led initiatives have reached thousands of people, reaffirming Vodacom’s commitment to building a digitally inclusive society while investing in critical infrastructure. Vodacom South Africa  is leveraging technology and purposeful investment for good, driving measurable social impact across the Western Cape. The region’s purpose-led initiatives have reached thousands of people, reaffirming Vodacom’s commitment to building a digitally inclusive society while investing in critical infrastructure. “Guided by our purpose to connect people for a better future, Vodacom Western Cape continues to invest in initiatives that enable access to quality education, empower women and youth with digital skills, provide critical support…

While some companies like to keep a wide margin between their Ultra and non-Ultra devices, Oppo is going the other way – the upcoming Oppo Find X9s Pro will have cameras that will rival the Ultra model. Both the Find X9 Ultra and Find X9s Pro will debut in China on April 21. The Ultra will be about as large as they come with a 6.82” display, while the X9s Pro is expected to be a petite flagship with a 6.32” display – and nearly the same battery size as the Ultra at 7,000mAh. Crucially, both will have two 200MP…

WIRED’s Gear Reviews team is one of the best in the game—reviewing products across various categories to help you shop for the best. These buying guides and reviews involve hours of hands-on testing and frequent updates to ensure readers, like you, looking for a pair of headphones or running shoes, have up-to-date information when shopping. (WIRED also may earn affiliate commission when readers click certain links to retailers to buy a recommended product.)In past tests, product recommendations from AI tools, like ChatGPT, have generally fallen short. But OpenAI recently revamped its product recommendation features in ChatGPT to provide a more…

Thunes enables real-time compensation to be paid into 12 billion bank accounts, mobile wallets, and stablecoin wallets, across 140 countries, 24/7. Thunes,  the Smart Superhighway to move money around the world, has launched a direct-to-workforce cross-border payout solution that allows businesses to pay remote overseas teams, freelancers, and gig workers instantly. Thunes enables real-time compensation to be paid into 12 billion bank accounts, mobile wallets, and stablecoin wallets, across 140 countries, 24/7. The solution is accessible via a single API, eliminating the need for multiple relationships or complicated technical setups. Slow and fragmented cross-border payment structures create a challenge for…

iQOO has brought a new color variant of the iQOO 15 to India, dubbed the iQOO 15 Apex Edition. The standout feature is its distinctive rear panel design, while the specifications remain unchanged from the standard model. The iQOO 15 Apex edition is priced at INR 72,999 ($780) for the 12GB/256GB variant, while the 16GB/512GB model costs INR 79,999 ($860). The device will go on sale in India starting April 5. According to iQOO, the rear panel features a holographic imaging-based dynamic ink wash painting design. Under the hood, the phone is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5…