87 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Thomas Ricker

Thomas Ricker

Deputy Editor

Deputy Editor

    More From Thomas Ricker

    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    Why Matter matters in one chart.

    See the green and blue bars on the far right? That giant blue bar represents the expected growth in smart devices by 2030. Matter is here to make sure they work easily together. Good luck.

    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    Today is Matter launch day.

    Matter, the long awaited fix to smart home interoperability, is having its big coming out party today in Amsterdam. The Matter launch event is expected to yield several product announcements as companies reveal specific plans to make old devices Matter-compatible, and demonstrate new devices that can be plugged directly into any Matter network.

    Matter is being developed by Amazon, Apple, Google, and Samsung, alongside many other smart home companies like Eve, Nanoleaf, Wyze, Lutron, Somfy, and Signify (Philips Hue) to name just a few.

    Matter: what you need to know

    Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    Twitter bans won’t be lifted for a few more weeks, at least.

    The midterm US elections will be spared the @realdonaldtrump and other Twitter miscreants after Elon Musk said that any reinstatement of banned accounts is still “at least a few more weeks” away.

    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    A $999 folding e-bike meant for two.

    The Lectric XP 3.0 is a thorough update to the XP 2.0 with improved motor, brakes, and suspension to accommodate a second rider up to 150lbs. Introductory pricing starts at $999, but jumps by $75 for the comfy passenger package, and another $200 if you want the long-range battery. It’ll even accommodate a pet trailer for an extra $170.

    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    Europeans love e-bikes.

    52 percent of all new bicycles sold in the Netherlands are now electric, followed by Austria (45%), Germany (43%), Belgium (39%), and Switzerland (38%), with numbers expected to continue to rise, according to Bike Europe. Subsidizing the purchase price has helped spur adoption in some countries like France.

    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    Bring back Vine.

    Ever since Twitter shut down the original short-form video service Vine, we’ve seen the rise of populism, a global pandemic, and Tom and Gisele get divorced. That’s no coincidence. Even Vine’s former boss thinks shutting it down was a mistake.

    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    All the Apple devices still using Lightning ports.

    The USB-C iPhone is definitely coming to comply with that new EU law. But Apple still has many other Lightning devices that will have to be transitioned to USB-C (or wireless charging) before the EU law takes effect in late 2024. These include the Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard, Apple Pencil gen... Here, I’ll just let Vjeran list them all out on Verge TikTok.

    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    Adidas is releasing a meme sneaker of Homer backing into bush.

    This Adidas x Simpsons collaboration is also the shoe I’d release if I had a former business partner like Ye.