Engadget review recap: Dell 14 Premium, Framework Desktop, Sony Theater Bar 6 and more
While Dell rebranded the XPS 14 with a new and frankly worse name, it's still every bit the world-class Windows laptop that its predecessors were. $1,500 at Dell
While we're still trying to wrap our heads around Dell's naming scheme decision, the company continues to churn out new devices. The latest to cross senior reviews writer Sam Rutherford's desk was the Dell 14 Premium. You might remember this model as the XPS 14, and according to Sam, Dell retained "the DNA" that made previous versions some of the best notebook PCs you could buy. "Even with a new and rather uninspired name, it probably shouldn't come as a surprise that the Dell 14 Premium remains one of the best Windows laptops on the market," he said. "It has the same sleek design from back when it was still called the XPS 14 but with some refreshed specs and components for 2025." Framework Desktop (2025)
Framework's first desktop is powerful and efficient. But it's not as modular, or repairable as a regular PC. $1,099 at Framework
Framework is known for its modular, repairable laptops, but the company has now tried its hand at bringing the same formula to a desktop. Unfortunately, the first attempt isn't nearly as modular or repairable as a regular PC, according to senior editor Daniel Cooper. "Framework was open about the fact this was something akin to a side project, outside its regular remit to build modular laptops, based on a particularly exciting chip," he explained. "So while I think the all-in-one approach is a backward step compared to regular PCs, I get the rationale for doing so here." Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6
Sony's midrange soundbar offers impressive audio that pushes the limits of its 3.1.2-channel configuration. However, the lack of Wi-Fi leaves major features off the spec sheet. $548 at Macy's Explore More Buying Options $548 at Amazon$550 at Best Buy
This year's crop of soundbars finally arrived over the summer, so I've been spending lots of time with home theater speakers recently. The latest was the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6, a soundbar/subwoofer combo that sits in the middle of the company's current lineup. Despite great sound and dialogue performance, the caveats here are real dealbreakers. "The lack of Wi-Fi on a $650 soundbar is absurd, mostly because it strips users of the convenience of AirPlay, Chromecast and other wireless connection options," I wrote. "I also can't get over the need to use a thumb drive for updates when OTA downloads for new firmware have been the norm on soundbars for years." Lenovo ThinkPad X9-14 Aura Edition
The ThinkPad X9-14 Aura Edition is Lenovo's newest business laptop gunning for the X1 Carbon's throne with its ultraportable design, stunning display, and long battery life. But a mushy keyboard and lack of USB-A port hold it back. $1,090 at Lenovo
Lenovo's ThinkPads are popular office laptops, and the X9-14 is the latest in a long line of business machines. Contributing writer Rami Tabari explains that this model offers a lot of the qualities that make ThinkPads great, but the price, low-power CPU and subpar keyboard leave something to be desired. "I can't justify the average consumer paying $1,283 for the ThinkPad X9-14 with specs you'd find in laptops that cost hundreds of dollars less (minus the RAM, of course)," he noted. "For small business owners, I recommend waiting for a sale or consider a business laptop marketed more toward you (again, the ASUS ExpertBook P5 (P5405) is a great choice)." watchOS 26 preview and Norton VPN review
We're quickly approaching the arrival of a new set of Apple Watches, so senior buying advice reporter Amy Skorheim spent two weeks with the upcoming version of watchOS. Her favorite new features are the AI workout partner and added gesture, but she explained that it's the little things that make this annual overhaul worthwhile.
Meanwhile, senior writer Sam Chapman returned to the land of VPNs to test Norton's version as a standalone app. While this service isn't necessarily bad, it also doesn't offer enough to rise above the heap that includes ExpressVPN, Surfshark and others. "After a week of working with Norton VPN, I have to conclude that the only way it distinguishes itself is the Norton name," he said. "For everything else it does, a competitor does it better."
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WATCH | CBC Kids News explains how to opt in or out of Instagram's map feature: What's Instagram's map feature? Meta, Instagram's parent company, stresses that its new Maps feature is turned off by default. Users who opt in can also select who they want to see their location, turn off location sharing for certain geographical locations and turn the feature off entirely at any time. In a blog post, the company pitched the map feature as a "new, lightweight way to connect with each other." But so far the feature doesn't seem to have taken off, and a few claimed they saw their location shared automatically. Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, said in a post on Meta's Threads that those users likely weren't broadcasting their locations in real time. "We're double checking everything, but so far it looks mostly like people are confused and assume that, because they can see themselves on the map when they open, other people can see them, too," Mosseri wrote. Adding a location to an Instagram post or story — for example, tagging the Rogers Centre when posting a photo from a Jays game — will make the post appear on the map even though you're no longer at the event. FOMO and managing perceptions Experts say that letting people see your location in real time comes at a cost. A 2023 report on U.S. teen girls' social media use asked respondents about the impact different social media features had on them. Forty-five per cent of respondents said location sharing had a negative impact, making it the function with the biggest reported negative impact. There were also concerns about safety — including the fear of stalking, which has beenwelldocumented. The fear of missing out (or FOMO) was another. That's a feeling Rachel McHugh knows well from when her best friend was vacationing in Europe. She used Apple's Find My function to see where her friend was dining or what landmarks she was visiting. In part, it brought her joy to know her friend was having an amazing time. "[I could] pop it open and be like, 'Oh, she's at a castle now. She gets to explore this. I can't wait to ask her about it,' " McHugh said. But it also made her acutely aware of what she was missing out on while stuck at her desk job. Emma Duerden, Canada Research Chair in Neuroscience and Learning Disorders and a professor at Western University in London, Ont., says FOMO does have a real impact, with research suggesting that those who felt FOMO also experienced changes in the region of the brain associated with social networking and how we process feelings. And unlike other kinds of social sharing where users can choose what image or words to use, location data doesn't allow you the "ability to curate how you're presenting yourself," said Xinru Page, an associate professor at Colorado's Brigham Young University, who has studied location sharing. She says worrying about what people might think if you suddenly stop sharing your location can also have a big impact, which makes disconnecting easier said than done. Off by default the right move: expert Location sharing is nothing new — FourSquare, Google Latitude and Life360 have all been around since the late 2000s, while Snapchat and Apple's Find My came about in the mid 2010s. But Page says its introduction on Instagram — one of the most popular social media sites — makes the function more widely available. She says Instagram made the right choice in turning location sharing off by default, and appreciates the controls that allow parents to make sure it stays turned off for their kids. But she still worries about whether teens will use it safely and responsibly. LISTEN | Would you track your kids with AirTags?: Pamela Wisniewski, who studies social computing and privacy as the director of the U.S.-based Sociotechnical Interaction Research Lab says the best practice is to weigh the benefits and risks carefully before sharing your location data, and to only do it on a case-by-case basis, rather than having it on all the time. "Realize that some of the risks are unknown at the time that you make the post," Wisniewski said. "And then once it's out there, sometimes you can't take that back." McHugh says she doesn't mind the idea of Instagram's Map function, but for now, she says she'll keep it off since she's already sharing her location with close friends and family on Apple's Find My, which she trusts more. But it's "something I might investigate to turn on … in the future."
