‘More Bang for Your Buck’: 7 Easy Ways to Boost Your MacBook Neo’s Performance for Free
Apple’s $599 MacBook Neo packs a mobile‑class A18 Pro chip, delivering performance that rivals higher‑priced laptops. TechRadar outlines seven free, user‑level tweaks—from storage management to visual setting adjustments—that can squeeze extra speed from the device. The guide emphasizes practical steps like freeing disk space, keeping macOS current, and using the faster USB‑3.0 port for peripherals. Together, these tips help owners maximize the Neo’s value without additional hardware costs.
You Can Grab a Refurbished 2021 Kindle Paperwhite Starting at Just $49.99
The 2021 Kindle Paperwhite is now available refurbished on Woot, with prices as low as $49.99 for an 8GB, ad‑supported, scratch‑and‑dent unit. Non‑S&D models start at $69.99, while the refurbished Signature Edition with wireless charging is $99.99. All units include...
I Had No Idea What USB Standard My Laptop Ports Actually Used Until I Found This in Device Manager
The author discovered that laptop USB ports are often unlabeled or mislabeled, making it hard to know which standards they support. By opening Windows Device Manager, he identified the USB host controller generation and traced each physical port to its...
Apple AI Glasses Will Rival Meta’s With Several Styles, Oval Cameras
Apple is developing its first AI-powered smart glasses, featuring multiple frame styles and a unique oval camera design. The company aims to rival Meta’s Ray‑Ban smart glasses by leveraging its iOS ecosystem and upcoming AI platform. Apple also hinted that...
The Hisense UR9 Is a Great First Shot Against OLED’s Bow
Hisense introduced the UR9, a 2026 RGB LED TV that promises full BT.2020 color coverage, high brightness, and advanced HDR support. The 65‑inch model starts at $3,500, putting it squarely against premium OLEDs from LG and Samsung. Reviewers praised its vivid...
How AT&T Created the Most Iconic Phone Ever
The Western Electric 500, introduced by AT&T’s manufacturing arm, became the de‑facto landline phone for decades, shaping American households and even modern smartphone UI icons. Its ubiquity stemmed from AT&T’s monopoly, which allowed the company to dictate the design and distribution...
Scientists Say Removing One Feature From Your Phone Could Reverse Social Media’s Brain Effects in Just 14 Days
Heavy social media use has been linked to reduced attention, memory, and mental health, but new research suggests the damage may be reversible. A study of over 400 adults used the Freedom app to block internet access, cutting daily screen...
Why Android Phones Used to Feel More Innovative (and What We Lost)
In the early 2010s Android smartphones were a hotbed of hardware‑driven experimentation, from Samsung’s Air Gestures to IR blasters, Android Beam’s NFC sharing, and Google’s Project Tango AR platform. Each innovation promised a new way to interact with devices but ultimately...
RedMagic 11 Air Unboxing: What's in the Box for the $499 Gaming Phone Video
RedMagic unveiled its 11 Air gaming phone at $499, positioning it as a budget-friendly alternative to premium gaming devices. The handset retains flagship features such as an 80W wired fast‑charging system, a built‑in active cooling fan, and a massive 7,000 mAh...
I Put a Moisture Sensor in the "Wrong" Place and Learned some Awesome Home Assistant Automations
A DIY enthusiast repurposed inexpensive moisture sensors in unconventional spots—clothesline, rain gauge, garage dehumidifier, espresso‑machine tank, and Christmas‑tree stand—by wiring them into Home Assistant automations. The sensors trigger alerts when towels dry, rain begins, a dehumidifier hose clogs, coffee‑machine water...
Keychron Q6 Ultra 8K Review: 660 Hours of Battery Life at 8 KHz
Keychron unveiled the Q6 Ultra 8K, a full‑size wireless mechanical keyboard that boasts an industry‑leading 660‑hour battery life (about 27 days) when running at an 8 KHz polling rate with lighting off. The board features an all‑metal chassis, double‑shot PBT keycaps, a...
YouTube TV Rolls Out Major App Update, & It’s Signing Customers Out of Their Accounts
YouTube TV is rolling out a major app update across mobile, TV and streaming platforms, prompting temporary sign‑outs for some users. Affected customers receive in‑app alerts and must re‑enter their credentials to regain access to live channels, cloud DVR and...
Best 2-in-1 Laptops (2026): Microsoft, Lenovo, and the iPad
The 2026 roundup of 2‑in‑1 laptops highlights Microsoft’s Surface Pro 13‑inch (2024) with Snapdragon X Elite and OLED options, Apple’s M4‑powered iPad Air paired with the Magic Keyboard, and Lenovo’s premium Yoga 9i convertible. Budget‑friendly choices include the Framework Laptop 12, notable for...
I Switched to This Notes App for Its Built-In Encryption and Haven't Looked Back
Notesnook, a cross‑platform note‑taking app, differentiates itself with built‑in end‑to‑end encryption and an open‑source verification tool. It encrypts each note locally using XChaCha‑Poly1305 and hashes passwords with Argon2, ensuring the server never sees readable data. The free tier covers core...
This $400 MacBook Pro Still Has Plenty Left in It
The refurbished 2020 13‑inch MacBook Pro is on sale for $399.99, a steep discount from its $1,580 original price. It ships with a 10th‑gen Intel i5, 16 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD, offering enough power for everyday productivity and...
What's The Average Lifespan Of USB Drives & SD Memory Cards?
USB flash drives and SD memory cards rely on flash memory, giving them a typical lifespan of at least ten years under normal conditions. Their endurance is measured in program‑and‑erase (P/E) cycles, with SLC cells lasting around 100,000 cycles, MLC...
$27 Platypus PCIe Adapter Converts Half-Height GPUs Into Full-Height While Adding Two M.2 Slots for SSDs — Enthusiast Demos Low-Profile...
RIITOP’s $27 PCIe adapter merges a half‑height GPU riser with two M.2 SSD slots, converting low‑profile graphics cards to full‑height while adding storage expansion. It leverages PCIe bifurcation, splitting an x16 lane into x8 for the GPU and two x4...
Mammotion Spino E1 Review: A Budget Pool Bot That Comes Up Short
Mammotion’s Spino E1 pool robot launches at $499, positioning itself as a budget‑friendly alternative to higher‑priced cleaners. The unit offers a 6,000 mAh battery, four cleaning modes, and Bluetooth/Wi‑Fi connectivity, but real‑world run times fall short of the advertised 3.5 hours. In independent...
IOS 26.4.1 Isn't a Big Update, but You Should Download It Anyway
Apple rolled out iOS 26.4.1 on April 8, 2026, two weeks after iOS 26.4. The patch is modest, primarily delivering bug fixes rather than new features. Apple did not list any CVE identifiers, mirroring its approach with the earlier iOS 26.3.1 update. Users are...
Govee Outdoor Chromatic String Lights Review: Bright, Colorful, and Matter-Compatible
Govee’s Outdoor Chromatic String Lights bring vivid RGBICW colors, IP67 weatherproofing, and native Matter support to patios without a hub. Available in 32.8‑ft and 65.6‑ft lengths, they retail for $170 and $300 respectively and draw 26 W at 240 lumens per bulb....
Are These the Best-Designed Workout Headphones Ever? I Used Them for a Month to Find Out
The H20 Audio Ript Ultra is an over‑ear headset built specifically for workouts, featuring sweat‑proof silicone ear cups and a secure clamping force. Priced around $250 (originally $249/£244/AU$410) it offers up to 50 hours of battery life but only modest active...
Apple Update Looks Like Czech Mate for Locked-Out iPhone User
Apple’s latest iOS 26.4 update unintentionally disabled the háček character on the lock‑screen Czech keyboard, preventing users from entering alphanumeric passcodes that include the symbol. University student Connor Byrne, who relied on a custom passcode containing the háček, was locked...
Your Samsung Phone Can Optimize Itself Overnight — Here's How to Set It Up
Samsung’s Galaxy devices include hidden performance tools that can be scheduled to run overnight, delivering a faster, fully charged phone each morning. Users can enable an auto-reboot, turn off battery‑protection to charge to 100 %, keep auto‑updates active for up to...
Want Cafe-Quality Lattes at Home without Buying an Expensive New Coffee Machine? Jura's New Gadget Upgrades Your Drinks with Perfectly...
Jura has launched a standalone milk‑frothing gadget that promises café‑quality lattes without the expense of a full espresso machine. Priced around $199, the device works with any Jura coffee maker and creates silky micro‑foam in about 15 seconds. It features...
This Registry Edit Actually Reduces What Windows 11 Sends Back to Microsoft
Windows 11 separates required and optional telemetry, but the Settings toggle only disables the optional tier. Editing the AllowTelemetry DWORD in the registry forces the lowest telemetry level and grays out the UI control, persisting across updates. Pairing this with...
This 4-in-1 Wireless Charging Station Is a Cheap Spring Refresh for Apple Users — Now $16.12
GETPALS has reduced the price of its 4‑in‑1 wireless charging station by 38%, now selling for $16.12 versus the original $25.99. The compact dock simultaneously powers an iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods, targeting users entrenched in the Apple ecosystem. Its...
The AI RAM Shortage Is Also Driving Up SSD Prices
AI‑driven demand for RAM is spilling over into the SSD market, creating a sharp supply crunch. Consumer NVMe drives have surged in price since late 2025, with the WD Black 2TB jumping from $173 to $649 and Samsung’s 4TB 990 Pro...
I've Had a Pixel for Years and Just Found the Photo Editing Tool that Made Me Ditch My Mirrorless
Google introduced a conversational editing feature called "Help me edit" in the Google Photos app, debuting on the Pixel 10 series and now available on iOS and Android. The tool lets users describe desired changes in plain English, automatically selecting the...
Snap, Edit, and Multitask Faster — Pixel 9a Sale Brings Flagship Features to a Midrange Price
Google has launched the Pixel 9a at a starting price of $442.99, positioning it as a high‑value mid‑range handset. The device packs flagship‑grade features such as the Gemini AI assistant, a Tensor G4 processor, 8 GB RAM, and a robust camera suite. It...
My Router Was in the Worst Possible Position — Moving It Changed Everything
A consumer discovered that slow Wi‑Fi wasn’t due to a weak broadband plan but to the router’s poor location. By moving the same ISP‑provided device from a low, corner spot to a central, elevated position, signal strength and stability improved...
This Built-In Android Privacy Feature Deserves Your Attention
Google’s Android Privacy Dashboard, introduced in Android 12, gives users a seven‑day visual log of how apps access sensitive permissions such as camera, microphone, location, contacts and sensors. The dashboard presents a timeline and a count‑by‑permission view, allowing users to spot...
Save $680 Instantly on This Massive Corsair 96GB DDR5-6000 RAM Kit — 57% Discount Slashes Price Tag to $499
Corsair’s Vengeance 96 GB DDR5‑6000 memory kit is on sale for $499 on Newegg, representing a $680 discount from its typical price. The kit comprises two 48 GB sticks with CL36 latency, targeting high‑performance PCs and AI workloads. Prices for comparable 96 GB...
I Use These Two Android Features to Trick My International Friends Into Thinking I'm Fluent in Their Languages
Google has embedded its Translate engine into two Android features—Circle to Search and Gboard—allowing users to translate screen content and typed messages without leaving the current app. The Circle to Search Translate button captures any on‑screen text, while Gboard’s shortcut...
These Android Phones Support AirDrop Sharing with iPhone and Mac
Google integrated Apple’s AirDrop into Android’s Quick Share, starting with the Pixel 10 series in November 2025. The feature rolled out to the Pixel 9 line in February and to select Samsung Galaxy S26 and Z Fold 7 models in March‑April, requiring both devices to...
Google’s Latest Nest Doorbells Just Hit Their Lowest Prices of the Year
Google has slashed prices on its Nest video doorbells, making the battery‑powered second‑generation model $129.99—a $50 discount—and the wired third‑generation model $139.99, $40 off. The reductions bring both devices to their lowest price points of the year across Amazon, Best Buy...
I've Been Using Nvidia's Dynamic Multi-Frame Generation, and It Feels Like a Natural Step Forward for DLSS
Nvidia's DLSS 4.5 now includes a dynamic multi‑frame generation mode that automatically scales AI‑generated frames based on scene complexity. The feature, accessible through the Nvidia Control Panel, lets users target a specific FPS, reducing unnecessary frame generation and its associated latency....
Amazon Echo Pop Kids Gets Massive Price Cut — A Fun Smart Speaker Upgrade for Kids’ Rooms
Amazon has slashed the price of its Echo Pop Kids smart speaker to $29.99, a 40% discount from the original $49.99, with an extra 20% off for eligible trade‑ins. The device arrives in four kid‑friendly designs and bundles six months of Amazon...
How OpenAI's Codex Figured Out How to Use Adobe Software
OpenAI's Codex was used to batch‑denoise 50 images in Adobe Lightroom without any official API or plugin. Engineer Peter Gostev prompted Codex to discover a way to automate the task, and the model successfully interfaced directly with the desktop application....
Engadget Review Recap: ASUS ZenBook A16, AirPods Max 2, Sonos Play and LG Sound Suite
Engadget’s latest review roundup spotlights a diverse set of consumer tech, from ASUS’s new ZenBook A16 laptop to Apple’s AirPods Max 2 headphones, Sonos’s portable speaker, and LG’s Sound Suite home‑audio system. The ZenBook A16 impresses with a 16‑inch OLED display,...
Google's Gemma 4 Puts Free Agentic AI on Your Phone and No Data Ever Leaves the Device
Google unveiled Gemma 4, an open‑source, on‑device AI model that handles text, images, and audio without sending data to the cloud. The model ships in four sizes—E2B and E4B for smartphones, 26B and 31B for servers—and is bundled with the free...
Let's Talk About It: Which Xbox Console Is the Best-Looking of All Time and Why Is It the Xbox One...
The Windows Central editorial argues the Xbox One X is the most attractive console Microsoft has ever released. Its matte finish, solid weight and premium feel are highlighted against the slimmer One S and the performance‑first Series X. The piece also contrasts Xbox’s...
"It Still Won’t Be My Dream Surface Pro": The Missing Piece Microsoft Never Built Vanished — and It’s Not Coming...
Microsoft is set to refresh its Surface Pro line this spring, but the device still lacks a true laptop‑style accessory. In the past, third‑party maker Brydge offered premium keyboards that turned Surface Pros into clamshells, yet its designs suffered from...
Roku Fixes a Massive Bug That Broke Roku TVs – Here Is What You Need to Know
Roku has begun pushing a software update that fixes a bug which prevented OTA antenna channels from working when the internet was down. The issue originated from a recent Live TV Guide integration that unintentionally tied broadcast playback to an...
I've Finally Swapped Out My Beloved Six-Button Sega Mega Drive Controller for the 8Bitdo M30, but It Has a Gruelling...
Phil Hayton of GamesRadar+ is putting the 8Bitdo M30 2.4 GHz Sega Genesis controller through its paces with multiple Sonic the Hedgehog 2 play‑throughs. He chose the 2.4 GHz version at $24.99 because it includes a 9‑pin adapter, avoiding the extra $20 Retro...
How to Stop Your Smart TV From Tracking You
Popular Science published a step‑by‑step guide for consumers to curb data collection on modern smart TVs. It outlines universal tactics—such as disconnecting Wi‑Fi or using a guest network—and brand‑specific settings for LG, Samsung, Sony, and Roku to disable advertising IDs...
It Doesn’t Get Cooler Than a ’90s NASCAR Sim Rig Running Daytona USA
An enthusiast in Long Island is selling a converted 1990s NASCAR stock car that now serves as a home racing simulator. The rig, painted in Alan Kulwicki’s No. 7 Hooters livery, runs Sega’s classic Daytona USA and is listed for $6,000...
X's Messaging App, XChat, May Be Available Soon
Elon Musk’s X has opened pre‑orders for XChat, a standalone messaging app slated to launch on April 17, 2026. The app, separate from X’s core platform, lets users send end‑to‑end encrypted messages, make calls, and create group chats of up to...
Roku Quietly Adds A New Feature to Its Popular Roku City on Roku TVs & Roku Players
Roku has quietly upgraded its popular Roku City screensaver by embedding interactive billboards on the virtual cityscape. Pressing the up button on a Roku remote now jumps viewers directly to the highlighted movie or series instead of returning to the...
This £11.99 Aldi Night Light Has 4 Modes, a Colour Cycle and a 60-Minute Timer
Aldi is offering the Casalux Kids Night Light for £11.99 (about $15), a rechargeable, portable lamp with four lighting modes, an RGB colour‑cycle and a 60‑minute automatic shut‑off. The device features a touch‑sensitive switch and dimmable warmth, giving children control...
Benchmarking Nvidia's RTX Neural Texture Compression Tech that Can Reduce VRAM Usage by over 80%
Nvidia’s RTX Neural Texture Compression (NTC) uses Tensor‑core AI inference to compress textures, delivering up to an 85% reduction in VRAM usage. The technology supports three DirectX 12 modes—Inference on Load, Sample, and Feedback—each balancing memory savings against runtime cost. Benchmarks...