This high-end park model tiny house isn't intended for frequent travel. Instead, it uses its increased width to create a roomy apartment-style home on wheels that includes a spacious living area and even a porch.
Category: Tiny Houses, Outdoors
Tags: Building and Construction, Tiny Footprint, Micro-House, House, Home
Northrop Grumman is teasing us again with another glimpse of its candidate for the US Navy's F/A-XX fighter program. The company posted a brief video on X (formerly Twitter) that gives the most complete look yet of the 6th-Gen aircraft.
Category: Military, Engineering
Tags: Northrop Grumman, Aircraft, Fighter
With the sheer preponderance of flappy, fabric-walled pop-up truck campers, hard-sided pop-up pickup camping systems feel cutting edge, even today. But they actually have a long, proud history dating back to the mid-20th century. And no manufacturer then or now has been as integral to that history as Alaskan Campers, a true pioneer that's been building telescopic-roofed pickup campers for over 60 years. Now the company takes a detour and turns its attention to a different style of camper, launching a fixed high-roof composite camper meant to save weight and expand availability to more truck platforms. The all-new HS640 kickstarts a new era in Alaskan truck camping.
Category: Pickup Campers, Adventure Vehicles, Outdoors
Tags: Pickup, Truck, RV, Camping, Outdoors and Camping, Off-road, Lightweight
You don’t just turn up at Nürburgring Nordschleife with an eye on Corvette ZR1X’s record. And who better to do it than the manufacturer who lost that record to Corvette itself? Well, Ford did exactly that with the new Ford Mustang GTD.
Category: Automotive, Transport
Tags: Ford, Mustang, Ford Mustang, Nurburgring, Record, World's Fastest, Mercedes-Benz, Chevrolet, Corvette
Earbuds are small, which is great for comfort, but their tininess is a serious limitation for actually doing things other than letting you hear and talk. You can’t use them to fly, fry, pry, or purify. Compare them with a smartphone and they’re one-hit (two, actually) wonders, right? They’ll never even compete with a Swiss Army Knife. Pathetic.
Category: Wearables, Consumer Tech, Technology
Tags: University of Washington, Smart Glasses, Earbuds, Artificial Intelligence
The latest small electric vehicle (EV) to join the crowded battle for European family car buyers has arrived. It’s important, firstly because the Ioniq 3 is from Hyundai, the world’s third biggest auto manufacturer, and secondly, because it looks pretty darn cool.
Category: Automotive, Transport
Tags: Hyundai, Hot hatch, Electric Vehicles
Let's be honest … tools that are made to be gun-like are generally pretty childish. They can also be practical at the same time, however, which is where the rifle-inspired Dream Knight ratcheting screwdriver comes in.
Category: Around The Home, Consumer Tech, Technology
Tags: Tools, Kickstarter, xxKickbooster
The Panasonic Lumix S 40mm F2, pictured on an S1II body
Photo: Richard Butler
Panasonic has announced the Lumix S 40mm F2, a small, fast lens for L-mount that recalls its much-loved 20mm F1.7 prime for Micro Four Thirds.
The lens gives a fractionally-wider-than-normal field of view on full frame sensors and has been designed to match the dimensions of the 18-40mm F4.5-6.3 kit zoom for the S9, in its retracted, carry-around state.
Panasonic described it to us as "more of a muffin lens than a pancake."
The $400 lens features seven elements in six groups, with three of those elements being aspherics. Its relatively modest price results in a 7-blade aperture design, but despite this, sees seals deployed at all the key points around the lens to provide dust, splash and freeze resistance down to -10°C (14°F).
Likewise, while Panasonic has avoided the cost of including a lens hood (and the costs of designing one to match it), it's made sure to include a lens function button on the side of the barrel. The focus ring has the usual options to control focus throw and focus direction, or act as a control ring.
The S 40mm F2.0 weighs just 144g (5.1oz). It accepts the same 62mm filters as the 18-40mm and its front element has a fluorine coating.
The 40mm F2 will be available from Early June at a recommended price of $399, exc sales tax.
Panasonic Lumix S 40mm F2.0 sample galleryWe've been shooting with the 40mm for a while and, even paired with an S1RII, found it plays a big part in making the camera/lens combination more carryable.
While a distortion correction profile is embedded in the lens, and we've applied it to the images in the gallery, its effects are extremely subtle. The lens is not utilizing high levels of correction.
Please do not reproduce any of these images on a website or any newsletter/magazine without prior permission (see our copyright page). We make the originals available for private users to download to their own machines for personal examination or printing (in conjunction with this review); we do so in good faith, so please don't abuse it.
Sample galleryThis widget is not optimized for RSS feed readers. Click here to open it in a new browser window / tab.News Release
Panasonic Introduces New Compact Standard Prime Lens to its Full Frame LUMIX S Series: LUMIX S 40mm F2 (S-S40)Newark, N.J. (April. 21, 2026) – Panasonic is pleased to introduce the new LUMIX S 40mm F2 (S-S40), an interchangeable lens based on the L-Mount system standard.
A compact, lightweight prime designed for everyday versatility, the LUMIX S 40mm F2 delivers natural-looking images with beautiful bokeh — ideal for street photography, portraits, and landscapes.
Featuring a 40mm focal length, often regarded as close to the field of view of the human eye, this single focal length lens delivers a natural perspective suited to a wide range of scenes. Its bright F2 maximum aperture creates soft and beautiful bokeh for strong subject separation in portraits and helps maintain faster shutter speeds in low-light to keep clear images without pushing ISO unnecessarily.
With an overall length of approximately 40.9mm and a weight of approximately 144g, it pairs perfectly with the compact body of the LUMIX S9, creating a lightweight, portable setup that’s easy to carry. The lens shares a similar profile with the LUMIX S 18-40mm F4.5-6.3 when collapsed and maintains the same 62mm filter diameter.
While remaining compact and lightweight, the lens features a dust- and splash-resistant design for reliability in changing weather conditions. The front lens element is coated with fluorine, making it easy to remove dirt and oil from the surface.
To meet the growing demand for video production, the lens also incorporates features such as focus breathing suppression and micro-step aperture control, enabling smooth exposure transitions and high-quality video expression.
Alongside this announcement, Panasonic is also sharing its lens development roadmap, featuring a wide-angle prime lens designed to complement the compact LUMIX S9 body, and a large-aperture telephoto zoom lens to further expand the L-Mount lens lineup.
With the introduction of the new 40mm lens and its continued commitment to future lens development, Panasonic continues to expand creative possibilities for both camera enthusiasts and professionals by delivering a strong balance of image quality and mobility, contributing to the growth of the interchangeable-lens camera market.
Main FeaturesThe LUMIX S 40mm F2 (S-S40) will go on sale for $399.99 USD and is expected to begin shipping to customers in early June 2026.
Panasonic Lumix S 40mm F2 specifications Principal specificationsLens typePrime lensMax Format size35mm FFFocal length40 mmImage stabilizationNoLens mountL-MountApertureMaximum apertureF2Minimum apertureF22Aperture ringNoNumber of diaphragm blades7OpticsElements7Groups6Special elements / coatings3 aspheric elementsFocusMinimum focus0.30 m (11.81″)Maximum magnification0.17×AutofocusYesMotor typeStepper motorFull time manualNoFocus methodInternalDistance scaleNoDoF scaleNoPhysicalWeight144 g (0.32 lb)Diameter69 mm (2.72″)Length41 mm (1.61″)SealingYesColourBlack or SilverFilter thread62 mmHood suppliedNoTripod collarNoSoftware company DxO has announced the ninth iteration of Nik Collection, its suite of seven creative editing plugins. Nik Collection 9 introduces updated masking tools and new filters for photographers looking to add creative finishing touches to their images.
The most notable update is the addition of more advanced masking tools via the Local Adjustments toolbar. In Nik Collection 8, DxO added the ability to import Photoshop's AI-powered selections (such as Select Subject), but otherwise, selection tools remained rather simple and required direct user input. Now, the company has added AI-powered masking to Nik Collection apps, no Photoshop or manual selections required.
One of the newly added masking tools promises to select parts of a scene based on how far they were from the camera.
Image: DxO
The updated AI masks come in two different forms. First, users can select subjects and objects, just like they can in Photoshop. There's also the new Depth Mask option, which uses AI to create a depth map, allowing users to make adjustments to specific areas based on the distance from the camera. Because it's AI-powered, it works without embedded distance data from the camera.
Both types of masking rely on local processing, so images stay on the user's computer. They can be fully adjusted and fine-tuned as needed. To aid with that, DxO added new Mask Overlays that make it easier to see where a mask is. Masks can also be copied and pasted from one filter to another, saving time from having to reselect that same area for a different adjustment.
Halation filter Blending Modes Glass Effect Chromatic Shift Images: DxONik Collection 9 also features three new filters. The Chromatic Shift option recreates the look of ink misalignment from magazine days, with full control over the direction and level of shift and the colors shifted. The Glass Effect filter makes it look like your subject is behind a sheet of textured glass, and the Halation filter aims to replicate the look of the glowing highlights characteristic of certain film stocks.
DxO is also giving users more control over how those filters interact with the image. It has added 18 different blending modes to Color Efex and Analog Efex, which will be a familiar option to Photoshop users. There's also a new Preset Hover Preview option, providing instant, real-time previews of presets without clicking back and forth between the options.
A new Color Grading menu aims to make it easier to adjust the colors in a photo.
Image DxO
Lastly, there is now a color grading menu, which keeps all color controls in a single color wheel. Users can select three points for highlights, shadows and midtones, adjusting the color of each area. Additionally, a slider below the color wheel shows the color grade from shadows to highlights and allows users to shift all tones at once.
DxO's Nik Collection 9 is available for download now. It costs $180 for a new perpetual license, or $100 for those upgrading from Nik Collection 7 or 8.
An ambitious new supertall skyscraper is planned for New York City – and this one's a real head-turner. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), the building will be defined by an external steel lattice that forms part of its structural system.
Category: Architecture, Engineering
Tags: Building and Construction, Skyscrapers, New York, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Parrot feathers found at a thousand-year-old burial tomb in Peru provide new evidence for an expansive live bird trade network across the Andes Mountains that pre-dates the Inca Empire, a new study suggests.
Category: Archaeology, Science
Tags: Parrot, Birds, Inca, Archaeology, Australian National University
Bridging the gap between portability and precision, the Spesyn Tool 3 is a smart cordless drill that's more like a workshop on-the-go. However, you only have a day left to grab it at US$179, 36% off its expected retail price, before its hugely successful launch campaign ends.
Category: Knives and Multitools, Gear, Outdoors
Tags: Kickstarter, Construction, Tools, Smart technology, Portable, Home-built
Bigme’s HiBreak Dual pairs a 6.13-inch E Ink display with a secondary LCD screen, aiming to create a distraction-free reading device which also offers the functionality of an everyday smartphone.
Category: Mobile Technology, Consumer Tech, Technology
Tags: E-Ink, smartphones, LCD
For over a decade, Saildrone has been building extreme long-endurance sail/hybrid autonomous sea vessels for ocean data collection and mapping. Now, the company is adapting the tech to create a super-quiet, long-range sub-hunter craft.
Category: Military, Engineering
Tags: Autonomous Vehicles, Submarine
It’s been 12 years since KTM first introduced the Freeride E as a proper off-road electric. Come to think of it, KTM can actually be considered one of the pioneers in the electric revolution.
Category: Motorcycles, Transport
Tags: KTM, Electric Motorcycles, Off-road, Dirt Bikes, Enduro, stark
For decades, scientists believed that associative learning – understanding that two events are linked to each other, like a stimulus and a response – required at least some form of neural machinery. But now, a tiny unicellular creature without a trace of gray matter and living at the bottom of ponds may upend this long-held assumption.
A flat single ounce is about as light as electric inflators for camping, backpacking and all-around outdoor fun get at this point in 2026. But that's for a model built to hold its own battery. If you're willing to forego onboard battery capability for an external power source, you can dip well below an ounce into double- or even single-digit gram territory. With its all-new AP01 Nitecore bests itself with a weight of just 0.77-oz (22-g) for a micro-inflator that can fill up a sleeping pad in just over a minute.
Tags: Camping, Pump, Backpacking, Bikepacking, nitecore, Inflatable, Outdoors and Camping
After months of swirling rumors, Apple CEO Tim Cook has announced that he'll be stepping down from the position later this year. He's been in the role since 2011, after being named as successor to co-founder Steve Jobs.
Replacing him will be John Ternus, who is currently senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, responsible for leading the teams that make the hardware for the iPhone, iPad, Mac and more. In his letter, Cook describes Ternus as "a brilliant engineer and thinker who has spent the past 25 years building the Apple products our users love so much, obsessed with every detail, focused on every possible way we can make something better, bolder, more beautiful, and more meaningful."
Of course, a transition this big isn't happening in a day; Cook will remain as head of the company until September 1st, 2026, and will continue on as executive chairman. (That does mean there's a chance Ternus is the one to announce the next iPhone, as those typically debut in September; a monumental task in your first few weeks as CEO.)
Apple is a massive player in the camera industryWhile Apple is, at its core, a computer and phone company, it's also a massive player in the camera industry thanks to the iPhone. When Tim Cook became CEO, the company's flagship product was the iPhone 4, a phone with a single camera taking single-shot exposures that was nevertheless just beginning to have an impact on the sales of compact cameras. Since then, smartphones have largely taken over that market, now sporting much larger sensors, advanced multi-shot stacking and several camera modules to provide a selection of focal lengths.
We'll have to wait and see if Ternus' background in hardware leads him to make different decisions than Cook, who came from the operations and logistics side of the company. And any high-level changes in the iPhone as a camera, or the Mac as an editing platform, won't be immediately obvious starting with their next versions. But over a few years, we'll start to see the impact of having a new person in charge of what is one of the world's largest camera companies.
Fully-enclosed velomobiles may offer weather protection and an aerodynamic advantage over bicycles, but their three wheels do add weight and rolling resistance. The outrigger-equipped Manta ebike, however, takes a unique alternative approach.
Tags: Velomobile, ebikes, Solar Powered
For more than 140 years, the bicycle chain has barely changed. Inspired Cycle Engineering (ICE), a UK-based recumbent trike maker founded in 1999, thinks it's finally time. ICE has launched PERS Chainless, a fully electric drivetrain that eliminates the chain, the gear shifter, and essentially every component that can stretch, snap, or get caked in grease. It's a world first for the industry, the company says.
Category: Urban Transport, Transport
Tags: Electric Vehicles, Drives, ebikes, Trike, Tricycle, Pedal-assisted
