TechCapsules

Nintendo Switch 2 cases vary in size and style. The Turtle Beach PlayTrek hard‑shell slim case, officially licensed, fits the console and Joy‑Cons. Amazon sells it for $14.99 after a 20% discount. The case uses a rigid EVA shell and TPU coating for grip, and a padded flap holds up to fourteen game cards. Compared to the Tomtoc Slim, the PlayTrek is $10 cheaper, offering a budget option for gamers. It also features a zipper and a [...]

Instagram has begun testing a new long‑form horizontal video format called Features, allowing creators to upload up to 90‑minute videos. The pilot targets podcasters, comedians, and other long‑form content producers, with a link‑back system that lets short Reels lead viewers to full episodes. The feature is currently available to select U.S. creators after initial trials in Brazil and will be promoted on Explore and other app sections. Instagram aims to monetize this format through brand partnerships and [...]

Apple released visionOS 27.2, a minor update focused on bug fixes and small OS changes rather than new features. The update skips the 27.1 version, which was reserved for iPhone Duo, and includes expanded Siri AI language support in French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish. EU users will see an annual App Tracking Transparency prompt. The Vision Pro hardware remains unchanged, and users can install the update automatically or manually via Settings → General → Software Update.

Focus Features has partnered with niche fragrance house Heretic Parfum to launch an official three‑bottle perfume set inspired by Robert Eggers’ upcoming horror film Werwulf. The collection, priced at $55 for the set, follows the creature’s metamorphosis with “Wode Hath Teth” (cold bark, frozen soil, smoke), “Werwulf” (damp earth, resin, wet fur) and “Blodwode” (bleeding bark, leather, musk, human flesh). Shipping begins November 6, and individual bottles are available for $125 each. Heretic’s film‑linked releases include a Nosferatu [...]

Ollama, the open‑source platform that lets users run AI models locally, has added text‑to‑speech (TTS) generation to its macOS app, with Windows and Linux support slated for later. The new feature uses Gradium’s Phonon family of TTS models, offering real‑time speech output in five languages and multiple accents. Tests on a MacBook Pro with an M5 Max chip showed a 35 % speed gain over Gradium’s native implementation while maintaining the same word‑error rate as the reference Hugging Face Transformers model. [...]

Indie actress Inde Navarrette, known for her role in the series Obsession and her Twitch streaming, expressed enthusiasm for a role in the upcoming Call of Duty film directed by Peter Berg and co‑written by Taylor Sheridan. Navarrette, a longtime fan of the franchise, said she would accept a part with minimal effort, noting she would be ready if contacted. The movie, slated for release on June 30, 2028, aims to portray the franchise’s characters with depth [...]

A Transport & Environment study released on October 26, 2026 reports that Swiss travelers are largely open to high‑speed rail links to the UK. The survey, conducted with 1,048 adults between September 11 and 24, found that half already use international rail, and 60 % would choose a train for journeys up to six hours. The findings support policy recommendations for developing direct Swiss‑UK rail services, with priority actions outlined for infrastructure and regulatory alignment.

Instagram has introduced “Features,” a new long‑form, horizontal video format aimed at rivaling YouTube. The launch, announced by head Adam Mosseri and VP Tessa Lyons, positions Features as an extension of Reels, allowing creators to build audiences with short clips before delivering longer content. Initially available only in the U.S., the platform will honor existing creator ad deals but offers no ad‑sharing program comparable to YouTube’s. The move reflects Instagram’s push to diversify content while addressing creator [...]