How Google’s Earthquake Alerts Protected Millions — And How to Turn It On in Quake-Prone Countries When two massive earthquakes (7.2 and 7.5) struck Venezuela recently, the country had no national early warning system. But millions of Android phones lit up with loud alerts seconds to minutes before the shaking hit — giving people precious time to drop, cover, and hold on. Google’s clever system turns the accelerometers in over 2 billion Android phones into a giant crowdsourced seismic network. It detects the first waves, confirms the quake, and blasts notifications to users in the affected area. In Venezuela, it reached 11.4 million people — proving technology can save lives even where governments can’t. How to activate it (works in nearly 100 countries): Open Settings on your Android phone. Tap Safety & Emergency (or search for “Earthquake alerts”). Select Earthquake Alerts and toggle it ON. Keep Location services ena...
The console war just got more interesting. Following the success of the Steam Deck, Valve has officially entered the living room with the new Steam Machine (2026) — a compact hybrid console-PC built to take on Sony’s PS5 Pro head-on. At first glance, the PS5 Pro seems like the clear winner for most gamers: Lower price Superior native 4K visuals Strong first-party exclusives A dead-simple plug-and-play experience But dig a little deeper, and Valve’s machine starts to look like the smarter long-term choice for many people — especially if you value flexibility and ownership over pure out-of-the-box console polish. Quick Specs Comparison Feature Valve Steam Machine PS5 Pro Starting Price $1,049 (512GB) $899–900 (2TB) Storage 512GB or 2TB (expandable) 2TB SSD Online Multiplayer Free ...