The Trump administration's preliminary 2026 budget proposes the biggest single-year cut to NASA funding in the agency's 67-year history. The cuts are part of the White House's broader government "skinny budget," which aligns with Elon Musk's DOGE wishlist. The NASA portion would gut the agency’s science programs, cancel the Gateway space station project and phase out the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion capsule after a measly three flights.

Trump's proposal would cut NASA's funding by more than $6 billion from its 2025 budget, from $24.8 billion to $18.8 billion. That's a 24 percent decrease and, according to The Planetary Society, the biggest single-year drop in NASA funding ever. Space.com says the most brutal cuts would be to space science (a $2.3 billion decrease), Earth science ($1.2 billion less) and legacy human exploration programs ($900 million less).

Also on the chopping block would be Gateway, the planned lunar orbit space station that would act as a hub for missions to the Moon and (eventually) Mars. Ditto for a joint program with the European Space Station to return Mars soil samples to Earth. The White House proposes ending NASA's sustainable aviation efforts (who needs a healthy planet, amirite?) and "any funding toward misaligned DEIA [diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility] initiatives."

NASA

In addition, the White House's budget would phase out Boeing's SLS and Lockheed Martin's Orion after only three flights — projects that cost $26.4 billion and $21.5 billion to produce. The Trump administration wants "more cost-effective commercial systems" to replace them. (I'm no NASA budget expert, but that sounds like quite the potential score for the president's billionaire backers, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.)

The only area that would see an increase would be human space exploration, which would see a $650 million boost. Bloomberg says it calls for over a $7 billion increase in lunar exploration funding and a new $1 billion investment in Mars exploration.

If there's a silver lining for those who care about science, Congress would have to approve the budget, so some or all of those bullet points could be slashed before the 2026 funding is approved. Trump's political capital is nowhere near where it was on Inauguration Day. Recent polling reveals plummeting support, including over half of Americans viewing the 47th president as a "dangerous dictator."

If you've been eyeing the Google Pixel 9a, now's a good time to pounce. That's because you can get a $100 gift card for free when you buy the flagship-quality midrange phone. In Engadget's review, Sam Rutherford deemed it "the best value of any Android phone.”

The $100 gift card bonus is live at Amazon, Best Buy and the Google Store. Each has pros and cons, but it makes the most sense to order from the retailer where you shop the most.

The Pixel 9a is Google's entry point into the Pixel ecosystem. Its sub-flagship pricing masks a handset that, in many ways, rivals phones that cost twice as much. It has a 6.3-inch OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. We found it to be sharp, colorful and "one of the best displays in this price range.”

It uses the same Tensor G4 processor found in the more expensive Pixel 9 brethren. The only performance compromise you'll find is its 8GB of RAM vs. the 12GB in the standard Pixel 9. That will only reveal itself if you're heavy into multitasking or gaming. Given the $300 price discrepancy between it and the Pixel 9, it's hard to nitpick much about that.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Google's Pixel lineup is known for its camera prowess, and the 9a is no exception. It pairs a 48MP main camera with a 13MP ultra-wide lens. Although there's no telephoto, it compensates with AI-based Super Res Zoom that can achieve up to 8x digital zoom. The phone also has Google's Night Sight feature for sharp, balanced low-light photography.

We found that the camera outperforms the $1,299 Galaxy S25 Ultra in color accuracy, detail and low-light performance. It's also competitive with the S25U in ultra-wide shots. The latter edges it out there (if only slightly) because of better color saturation. Still, we're talking about a $800 pricing discrepancy, so the fact that it's in the conversation is no small achievement.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

The Pixel 9a's only drawbacks are its lower 8GB of RAM, slower charging speeds than flagships, its lack of optical zoom and its plastic backing (rather than glass). But for $499 — essentially $399 if you use that gift card forpurchases you'd make anyway — this is a nice deal for a nearly flagship Android handset that made our list of the best smartphones.

The gaming industry continues to bleed workers and cancel games, with EA back for another round of brutal news. The company said on Tuesday it decided to "make some targeted team adjustments," which Bloomberg reported as between 300 and 400 eliminated positions, including 100 at Respawn, and the cancellation of an unannounced Titanfall game. Again.

The canned Titanfall game, code-named R7, was reportedly an extraction shooter set in the mech-meets-parkour franchise. Bloomberg says it wasn't close to release, and Respawn's statement that it canceled two "early-stage incubation projects" reflects that. Details about the other scrapped game haven't leaked, but Bloomberg reports that it was canceled earlier this year.

Respawn says it will refocus its resources on Apex Legends and Star Wars Jedi, franchises where EA appears more confident it can profit. Earlier this month, the company previewed another game set in a galaxy far, far away: the Xcom-like tactics game, Star Wars Zero Company.

After culling an estimated 1,130 jobs in 2023, EA laid off five percent of its workforce in 2024. "These decisions aren't easy, and we are deeply grateful to every teammate affected - their creativity and contributions have helped build Respawn into what it is today," Respawn wrote on Tuesday.

Firefox now lets you organize your tabs. Four years after its biggest rivals launched tab groups, Mozilla published a nearly 1,000-word blog post recounting the feature's long road from user requests to launch. (Consider skipping it if you don’t like long-winded acceptance speeches.) "What happens when 4,500 people ask for the same feature?" the company asked rhetorically. "At Firefox, we build it."

Of course, those users may have requested tab groups partly because Firefox was the only major browser without them. Chrome, Safari and Edge launched tab groups in 2021. Hell, Vivaldi has had them since 2016.

Tardiness aside, Firefox users will welcome the chance to tidy up the clutter. The feature lets you drag and drop tabs into groups and label them by name or color. Mozilla says tab groups are on-device and never uploaded to the cloud. "Tab groups aren't just about decluttering," Firefox product manager Stefan Smagula said. "It's about reclaiming your flow and finding focus again."

Up next for Firefox tabs: The tech industry's favorite buzzword. Mozilla is testing smart tab groups, powered by AI, which suggest names and groups based on your open tabs.

Meta didn't wait for Tuesday's LlamaCon keynote to unveil its first big AI announcement of the week. The company launched a standalone app that competes with ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and other multimodal AI chatbots. Sticking to the company’s roots, the app also includes a social feed and the ability to draw on info from your profile and posts you’ve shared.

The Meta AI app offers similar features to rival chatbots, including text and voice chats, live web access and the ability to generate and edit images. But it also includes a Discover feed that (for better or worse) adds a social element to your AI queries. The company describes it as "a place to share and explore how others are using AI." It highlights the prompts that others share and lets you "remix them to make them your own."

Meta stresses that none of your private chats will post to others' feeds unless you explicitly choose to share them.

Meta

For users in the US and Canada, Meta AI can personalize its answers based on data you've shared with Meta products. This includes info like your social profile and content you like or engage with. The company says linking your Facebook and Instagram accounts to the same Meta AI account will provide "an even stronger personalized experience." If you don't want that, this might be a good time to check your privacy settings.

The app has a live conversation mode for users in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Much like a similar feature in ChatGPT and Gemini, Meta’s version lets you and the AI assistant listen and speak simultaneously, with a natural flow that should feel more like a real conversation. However, Meta only describes it as a demo that provides "a glimpse into the future," suggesting it's still in an early stage. This mode also doesn't offer live web access.

Meta

The Meta AI web version includes the app's new features, including voice interactions and the Discover feed. This version has a few differences, including enhanced image generation (more presets and new editing modes for style, mood, lighting and colors). The web version also lets you test a rich document editor (in some countries) that can spit out text- and image-rich docs to export as PDFs.

The app has merged with the Meta View companion app for the company's Ray-Ban glasses collab. The company says it will include a handoff feature that lets you start a conversation on the glasses and then access it in your history tab on the app or web. After installing the update, you can manage your glasses in the Meta AI app's Devices tab.

You can download the new Meta AI app from the App Store and Google Play.

Android tablet or foldable owners can now adjust the divider between Gmail's message list and conversation views. 9to5Google spotted the change, which arrived in version 2025.04.13.x of Gmail for Android.

The update lets you drag your finger on the divider to dynamically change the sizes of the Gmail app's two panes: the list on the left with multiple messages and the pane on the right that shows individual emails and threads. Alternatively, you can drag the boundary to the display's edge to show only one or the other.

The adjustable divider is also available in the Google Chat app for large-screen Android devices. The new feature is available to everyone with a personal Google or Google Workspace account in both apps.

Boox, a company that makes E Ink gear ranging from palm-sized devices to desktop monitors, has a new pair of ereaders. The Go 7 and Go Color 7 (Gen II) combine a Kindle Oasis-like form factor with Android 13. For the first time in this lineup, they support handwriting, courtesy of a $46 stylus. And since the E Ink tablets ship with the Play Store, you can use any ebook storefront you like.

The Boox Go Color 7 (Gen II) uses E Ink Kaleido 3 tech, also found in the Kobo Libra Colour and Kindle Colorsoft. (However, Amazon modified the latter with a custom display stack.) Like those competitors, the Go Color 7 shows color content at 150 ppi and black and white at 300 ppi.

Meanwhile, the Go 7 has a monochrome Carta 1300 Monochrome display that shows content at 300 ppi.

Boox

Both devices have an asymmetrical form factor with physical page turn buttons on one side. They're the latest design inspired by the Kindle Oasis, which Amazon discontinued last year. Variations of this form are also found in the Kobo Libra, Sage and Elipsa lines. If you've never tried one of these offshoots, they're made for maximum one-handed ease.

One advantage Boox's readers have over competitors is that, since they run Android and include the Play Store, you can install whatever reading app you like. Ditto for note-taking apps, browsers, mail clients, social apps or anything else you want. (But don't expect anything with video to be usable on E Ink screens.)

The Go 7 and Go Color 7 each have 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage and microSD support. Each device weighs 195g (6.9oz).

Boox

Although both Go 7 readers support pen input for note-taking, highlights and markups, you'll have to spend more to enjoy that. That's because, alongside the devices, Boox is launching a $46 InkSense stylus with 4,096 pressure levels of sensitivity. The pen, which looks a bit like a gray Apple Pencil, has a multifunction button on the side and recharges via USB-C.

You can preorder the $250 monochrome Go 7 from Boox's website today. The company expects it to ship around May 7. Meanwhile, the $280 Go Color 7 is listed as "coming soon."

Netflix is adding a new way to watch with subtitles. Starting with season five of the psychological thriller You, captions with only dialogue will be available alongside the standard Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (SDH/CC).

If you aren't already familiar, SDH/CC subtitles include not only dialogue but audio cues like [alarm rings], [knock on door] or [Don't Stop Believing intensifies over the jukebox]. Netflix's new option cuts those non-dialogue audio descriptions.

You'll find the dialogue-only subtitles in Netflix's language picker labeled "English." Meanwhile, SDH/CC captions will remain as "English (CC)." The company says that, in addition to You season five, the new type will be available in all upcoming Netflix originals in every language it supports for SDH/CC subtitles.

Google is offering free repairs and (in some countries) payments to remedy Pixel 7a battery issues. 9to5Google spotted a Google support page detailing an extended repair program in 40 countries. If your Pixel 7a is visibly swelling or its battery drains faster than usual, you may get a battery replacement on the house.

The company says it's "determined that certain Pixel 7a phones may experience unexpected battery swelling." Telltale signs include the phone appearing thicker than usual, a bulging back cover, visible gaps or openings along its edges or faster-than-expected battery drain.

Google faced complaints on social media about the Pixel 7a issue before taking action. For example, in December, u/Eszence08 posted in the Pixel subreddit that, after failing to get help from Google support about the battery swelling issue, they only got a solution from the company after posting about it on Reddit. Their conclusion: "Make a post; Google is more helpful on Reddit than their chat support."

Even if your device exhibits one or more symptoms, it still needs to pass a check before moving forward. You can start by visiting Google's eligibility page, which will walk you through the steps to determine eligibility for your specific device. After that, a repairperson will inspect it before proceeding.

That last step is necessary because unrelated damages, including liquid damage, exposure to sharp objects or excessive force, will void the repair. (Most of those precautions sound like "we need to make sure you didn't pry your phone open to get a free battery.") In addition, out-of-warranty damage like display or cover glass cracks will incur a repair cost, for which Google will provide an estimate before starting.

When we get to the country-by-country breakdown, things get more complicated. You have two options in the US and India: Mail your device to Google or take it to an authorized walk-in repair center. In-person repairs are also available in Canada, the UK, Germany, Japan and Singapore. (Those countries don't offer mail-in fixes.)

The program also extends to those who bought their device in Australia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Switzerland and EEA countries. If your country isn't listed, you get nothing.

However, for countries without a mail-in option (all but the US and India), Google offers alternate "appeasement options," i.e., payouts or store credit. If your Pixel 7a is out of warranty, you can claim $200 converted to your local currency or $300 (also converted locally) in a Google discount code toward purchasing another Pixel phone on the Google Store. If it's still under warranty, you can get a healthier $456 payment converted to your local currency.

If you think your Pixel 7a is eligible, you can head to Google's support page to get started.

Meta AI, the most interesting thing you can do with Ray-Ban Meta glasses, will soon be available to more people. The company's Live Translation feature is rolling out to all the product's markets, and Live AI (where you can hold a free-flowing conversation about what you're looking at) will soon be available in the US and Canada. In addition, glasses owners in the EU can finally use Meta AI with their high-tech specs.

Live translation, previously available in early access, is now rolling out in every region where Ray-Ban Meta glasses are available. Handy for trips abroad or chats with locals who speak a different language, the AI-powered feature speaks a translation in your preferred language in real time. You can also view a translated transcript on your phone.

Live translation is available in English, French, Italian and Spanish. And if you download your preferred language pack in advance, you can use it without a Wi-Fi connection or even mobile data from your paired phone. You can launch the feature by saying, "Hey Meta, start live translation."

Meta

US and Canadian users can now use Meta's Live AI feature, which lets you ask questions about your surroundings without saying "Hey Meta" every time. (You can even interrupt it.) Another feature previously only available in beta, live AI lets you chat with your glasses in natural language about your environment, asking it to explain things like missing ingredients for a meal or the best wine to pair with it. You can say, "Hey Meta, start live AI" to begin.

In addition, Meta AI is finally rolling out to all of the product's supported countries in the European Union. And starting next week, EU countries will get the visual search feature that can answer individually prompted questions about your surroundings, but (unlike Live AI) can't perform a free-flowing conversation with interruptions.

The glasses' Instagram integration is also expanding. Meta says you can soon send and receive Instagram DMs, photos, audio calls and video calls on your Ray-Bans. They already supported calls and messages through WhatsApp and Messenger and your phone's messaging app, so the glasses now have a solid list of communications options. You can start by saying, "Hey Meta, send a message to [your recipient's name] on Instagram."

Meta

Music app support is expanding beyond the US and Canada. The company is rolling out support for Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music and Shazam in the product's non-North American regions. Once the update is live, you can ask your glasses things like, "Hey Meta, what's the name of this song?" or "Hey Meta, when did this album come out?"

Although no major hardware upgrades were announced today (the next revision with a screen is rumored to launch later this year), Meta and Ray-Ban are rolling out new styles for the second-gen glasses. These include new Skyler frame and lens color combinations, including the cat-eye-shaped Shiny Chalky Gray with Transitions Sapphire lenses and the "more timeless" Skyler Shiny Black with G15 Green lenses and Skyler Shiny Black with Clear lenses.