Nintendo stops selling the original Switch in Europe

This is the one sideloaded Android Auto app I'll never stop using

Fermata Auto is an open-source Android app that must be sideloaded (installed via APK from GitHub) to bypass Google's restrictions on Android Auto. It enables video playback, YouTube access, and podcast watching directly on a car's infotainment display — features Google does not allow by default. The author uses it daily, particularly for YouTube podcasts and during traffic jams, while emphasizing responsible use and not watching video while actively driving.

6 ESP32 projects that make more sense than buying another smart home gadget

A hands-on overview of six DIY smart home projects built with ESP32 microcontrollers and ESPHome, presented as practical alternatives to commercial smart home gadgets. Projects covered include a local voice assistant using XiaoZhi and a self-hosted Whisper/LLM stack, a $15 LED matrix smart clock, DIY temperature/humidity sensors using DHT11 and BME280, a custom touchscreen TV remote that mimics the Android TV Remote protocol, reverse-engineered Govee smart lights controlled locally over Bluetooth, and a color e-paper desk dashboard. The core argument is that ESP32-based builds are cheaper, fully local, and remain under the owner's control — unlike commercial devices that depend on manufacturer clouds, apps, and ongoing support.

Your devices are picking the wrong Wi-Fi band, and your router can fix it automatically

Running separate 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz SSIDs can cause devices to stubbornly stay on the slower band even when close to the router. Enabling band steering (called Smart Connect on ASUS and TP-Link, Band Steering on Netgear) merges both bands into a single SSID and lets the router automatically guide capable devices to the optimal band. The router uses probe response suppression or 802.11v BSS Transition Management to nudge dual-band devices toward 5 GHz. Legacy or single-band IoT devices that don't cooperate can be moved to a separate 2.4 GHz guest network. The result is less buffering, faster response from smart devices, and a cleaner network setup with minimal manual management.

Nintendo is winding down Switch 1 sales in Europe

Nintendo will stop selling the original Switch console to European retailers in mid-February 2027. The decision is driven by new EU regulations requiring consumer electronics to have replaceable batteries, which has also prompted Nintendo to develop a Switch 2 model compliant with those rules for the European market.

A New Challenger Approaches The Open Source Vehicle

Andy Didorosi is developing an open source kei truck called Mutiny, aimed at low-speed utility applications. Based out of a Detroit factory, the project targets affordability and DIY buildability using hub motors. The design prioritizes low cost over safety, making it suitable for off-road or low-speed road use under US Low Speed Vehicle (LSV) regulations. Fully assembled LSV-compliant trucks are planned once the design matures. The project joins a long line of open source vehicle efforts like OScar, CarBEN, and Wikispeed.

Almost 90 new unicorns have been minted so far this year — here they are

Năm 2026, gần 90 startup được đầu tư bởi VC đã đạt danh hiệu unicorn, trải rộng từ AI, y tế, crypto đến robotics và không gian. Các tên tuổi nổi bật gồm Prometheus (41 tỷ USD, do Jeff Bezos đồng sáng lập), Apptronik (5,3 tỷ USD, robot hình người) và Hark (6 tỷ USD, phần cứng AI tiêu dùng). AI chiếm ưu thế, nhưng nhiều lĩnh vực khác như fintech, y tế và năng lượng cũng góp mặt. Danh sách được cập nhật liên tục trong năm.

Lập trình viên nên theo dõi để hiểu cách các startup mới nổi, đặc biệt là trong lĩnh vực AI và công nghệ, được đầu tư mạnh mẽ và giá trị thị trường tăng vọt, giúp cập nhật xu hướng công nghệ mới và cơ hội hợp tác phát triển dự án.

I pulled my smart home off Wi-Fi and moved to local Zigbee relays, and my router stopped dropping connections

Running 40-50 Wi-Fi smart home devices on a single router exhausts its RAM, ARP cache, and CPU cycles, causing buffer bloat and dropped connections for primary devices. The fix is migrating smart home devices from Wi-Fi to a local Zigbee mesh coordinated by a hub like Home Assistant. Zigbee devices form a self-healing mesh that handles all automation traffic offline, passing only aggregated commands to the controller and leaving Wi-Fi spectrum free. The trade-off is replacing existing Wi-Fi-only smart gear with Zigbee 3.0-compatible hardware or ESPHome-based devices.