Backbone’s versatile pro controller is nearly matching its best price to date
Mobile gaming has come a long way over the course of the last decade or so, but we all know that smartphones simply can’t match the visceral, tactile feel you get while playing with a dedicated controller. Luckily, Backbone makes some excellent mobile options — including last year’s Backbone Pro, which is on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target right now for $139.99 ($30 off), its second-best price to date. Backbone Pro mobile controller The Backbone Pro is an excellent mobile controller that retains the same overall design and feel as the company’s cheaper model, only with some comfort-boosting improvements. It features a built-in battery and Bluetooth support, so you can use it for gaming on the TV, computer, VR headset, or handheld PC. Where to Buy: $169.99 $139.99 at Amazon $169.99 $139.99 at Best Buy $169.99 $139.99 at Target In many ways, Backbone’s latest mobile controller is merely an updated take on what came before....
Mobile gaming has come a long way over the course of the last decade or so, but we all know that smartphones simply can’t match the visceral, tactile feel you get while playing with a dedicated controller. Luckily, Backbone makes some excellent mobile options — including last year’s Backbone Pro, which is on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target right now for $139.99 ($30 off), its second-best price to date.
Backbone Pro mobile controller
The Backbone Pro is an excellent mobile controller that retains the same overall design and feel as the company’s cheaper model, only with some comfort-boosting improvements. It features a built-in battery and Bluetooth support, so you can use it for gaming on the TV, computer, VR headset, or handheld PC.
Where to Buy:
$169.99 $139.99 at Amazon
$169.99 $139.99 at Best Buy
$169.99 $139.99 at Target
In many ways, Backbone’s latest mobile controller is merely an updated take on what came before. The handheld device consists of two oblong halves with an extendable strip of plastic in the middle, allowing you to use it with Android devices and iPhone 15, 16, and 17 series phones. It plugs into your phone’s USB-C port and, once connected, you can game with two full-sized ALPs thumbsticks, a responsive D-pad, and A, B, X, and Y b***ons. It also features two programmable back b***ons, a 3.5mm headphone jack, better ergonomics than your phone, and averages up to 40 hours of battery life on a single charge.The hardware is only part of the equation, though. Backbone’s intent with the Pro is for it to function as a more universal gamepad, and as such, the company’s software pulls together games from Apple Arcade, Netflix, Google Play, and other services into a singular app, allowing you to discover and launch games with little fuss. What’s more, you can use it to stream Xbox or PlayStation games — either from your console or the cloud —and connect it to a wealth of other devices via Bluetooth, including your PC, Steam Deck, and Apple devices like the iPad and Mac. Sure, the beefy controller looks a little awkward when you’re using it without a phone, but it’s a small price to pay for its added versatility.
More ways to save today
Nothing’s latest CMF smartwatch, the CMF Watch 3 Pro, is still available from Amazon and Nothing in a multitude of colors for $79 ($20 off), which is about $5 shy of its best price to date. It’s pretty slick-looking for a budget watch, with a 1.43-inch OLED display, 131 sports modes, dual-band GPS, and a four-channel heart rate sensor. It also delivers up to 13 days of battery life under normal use and supports all your typical app integrations (Strava, Apple Health, etc.), though the lack of customizable bezels — a hallmark of the Watch Pro 2 — certainly does sting a bit.
If you missed your chance to play Hogwarts Legacy upon its debut in 2023, Amazon and Walmart are both offering the Nintendo Switch 2 version for $29.99 ($20 off), an all-time low. The Switch 2 version is a substantially better port than the original in terms of performance, and while I found the open-world RPG to be a little generic / dated at times, diehard Harry Potter fans will surely appreciate the ability to roam around Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, and all the fan-favorite locales from the landmark book series.
Govee’s quirky Outdoor Garden Lights are currently on sale at Amazon and Govee’s online storefront for $99.99 ($70 off), matching the all-time low we last saw during Christmas. The stemmed, color-changing smart lights support 64 preset RGBIC scenes and carry a robust IP66 rating, meaning you shouldn’t have to worry about using them outside year-round. Plus, they support the newer Matter standard, allowing you to control them with smart home platforms like Amazon Alexa and Google Home.
Framework gave its 12-inch laptop some hardware upgrades
Framework launched a second-generation of its colorful 2-in-1 convertible laptop. | Image: Framework Framework has refreshed its 12-inch convertible laptop, introducing Intel's latest Core Series 3 processors, expanded hardware customizations, and a pre-built Linux option. The cheapest pre-built base configuration for the Framework Laptop 12 now starts at $699 -...
Framework launched a second-generation of its colorful 2-in-1 convertible laptop. | Image: Framework Framework has refreshed its 12-inch convertible laptop, introducing Intel's latest Core Series 3 processors, expanded hardware customizations, and a pre-built Linux option. The cheapest pre-built base configuration for the Framework Laptop 12 now starts at $699 - $100 less than the previous version when it launched last year. Preorders are open now, with the first wave of deliveries expected to ship in October.That pre-built base configuration is only available in green, and includes an Intel Core 3 304 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. It also comes preloaded with Linux Fedora 44 KDE Plasma, a decision brought on by Framework finding …Read the full story at The Verge.
Arlo Johnson New Zealand
Published by: aplhsindia.in
Amazon’s drones will soon deliver to nearly 500 US cities and towns
Prime Air is launching in Georgia, Ohio, Illinois, Idaho, and New York soon. | Image: Joseph Ciembroniewicz/Omaha World-Herald via Getty Images Amazon says its drone delivery service will reach "nearly 500 cities and towns in the United States" by the end of this year, increasing its coverage by six times compared...
Prime Air is launching in Georgia, Ohio, Illinois, Idaho, and New York soon. | Image: Joseph Ciembroniewicz/Omaha World-Herald via Getty Images Amazon says its drone delivery service will reach "nearly 500 cities and towns in the United States" by the end of this year, increasing its coverage by six times compared to the current footprint. Prime Air deliveries will soon be launched in the Chicago, Illinois; Syracuse, New York; Cleveland, Ohio; Atlanta, Georgia; and Boise, Idaho metro areas, according to Amazon's announcement, with "more communities to come later this year."These will join 11 locations across the US where Amazon already offers drone deliveries, with each Prime Air site serving an area of approximately 175 square miles. The service aims to quickly deliver packages o …Read the full story at The Verge.
Ece Özdenak Turkey
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Someone made a Raspberry Pi D&D DM cyberdeck that tracks campaigns, rolls dice, and generates NPCs
There's nothing like being put on the spot as a D&D dungeon master when your players ask to talk to someone you haven't made notes for. And you know you can't just make up a random name and backstory, because your players will somehow make that one NPC a bigger...
There's nothing like being put on the spot as a D&D dungeon master when your players ask to talk to someone you haven't made notes for. And you know you can't just make up a random name and backstory, because your players will somehow make that one NPC a bigger part of the story than your planned villain.
Aziz Novaes Brazil
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I disabled these Google features and my Pixel battery life instantly improved
Pixel phones have never been battery champions for me, but I had mostly learned to live with it. I blamed the usual suspects without realizing that some of Google’s own features were quietly adding to the drain. Once I started digging through their settings and disabled a few things I...
Pixel phones have never been battery champions for me, but I had mostly learned to live with it. I blamed the usual suspects without realizing that some of Google’s own features were quietly adding to the drain. Once I started digging through their settings and disabled a few things I barely used, the difference was noticeable almost immediately.
Emily Brown Houston
Published by: aplhsindia.in
The everyday tech I use to track my corgi
The Apple AirTag may be a jack-of-all-trades - people use it for keeping track of keys, suitcases, backpacks, purses - but I think the most logical use case for it, by far, is keeping track of your pet. I attach it to my corgi Jelly's collar via a matching silicone...
The Apple AirTag may be a jack-of-all-trades - people use it for keeping track of keys, suitcases, backpacks, purses - but I think the most logical use case for it, by far, is keeping track of your pet. I attach it to my corgi Jelly's collar via a matching silicone holder. Have I ever once truly needed it to find her, and do I think she'd ever run off on me? No - she's a pretty loyal herding dog, so she likes to keep an eye on her parents - but just like whatever else you may attach an AirTag to, there's a significant chance that the one time you truly need it, you'll be thanking God that you had it. (Kind of like insurance.)I think it'd b …Read the full story at The Verge.
Jane Smith Los Angeles
Published by: aplhsindia.in
It took me a year to find a real Pocket replacement, and it was self-hosted the whole time
I was genuinely annoyed when Pocket disappeared because it was one of those apps I never thought much about until I no longer had it. I tried different apps that promised to fill the gap, but most felt too complicated or lacked the simplicity I wanted. Eventually, I stopped looking...
I was genuinely annoyed when Pocket disappeared because it was one of those apps I never thought much about until I no longer had it. I tried different apps that promised to fill the gap, but most felt too complicated or lacked the simplicity I wanted. Eventually, I stopped looking at the usual cloud-based options and started exploring what was available in the self-hosted world. That's when I came across Karakeep.
Manuela Fuentes Spain
Published by: aplhsindia.in
Nvidia’s new financial strategy does not compute
“Compute is an asset class! Compute is an asset class!” I continue to insist as I slowly shrink down and turn into a corncob | Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images April - 1805 Napoleon is master of Europe Only the British fleet stands before him Compute is...
“Compute is an asset class! Compute is an asset class!” I continue to insist as I slowly shrink down and turn into a corncob | Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images April - 1805Napoleon is master of EuropeOnly the British fleet stands before himCompute is now an asset classI see it is once again time to talk financial innovation. Apollo, BlackRock, Blackstone, Brookfield, Goldman Sachs, and KKR are all working with Nvidia to put together $500 billion in financing to turn compute into an asset class."This is really the first time that technology chips have become an investable asset class," Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said to CNBC. "These are revenue-generating assets now. They're productive, they're long-lived, they're fungible, they're flexible.""This is the very beginning, like what it was whe …Read the full story at The Verge.
William Garcia Boston
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Microsoft is finally adding privacy tools to Windows 11 that block microphone and webcam access to apps
After Microsoft came out of its Copilot-driven stupor earlier this year, we've seen the company focus its attention back on Windows 11. We've already seen the start of its big Windows K2 rollout, which aims to tackle some of the operating system's biggest pain points. Now, it seems the company...
After Microsoft came out of its Copilot-driven stupor earlier this year, we've seen the company focus its attention back on Windows 11. We've already seen the start of its big Windows K2 rollout, which aims to tackle some of the operating system's biggest pain points. Now, it seems the company is also taking note of the privacy concerns people have had with Windows 11, as it is adding a way to disable microphone and webcam access to certain Win32 apps.
Jane Smith Los Angeles
Published by: aplhsindia.in
The women’s soccer league trying to fix fantasy sports
The WSL’s first official fantasy game is putting player photos front and center, which is less common than you might expect. | Image: WSL Football Most fantasy sports leagues suffer the same problem: retention. Leagues play out over months-long seasons, require regular attention, and can punish players severely for missing...
The WSL’s first official fantasy game is putting player photos front and center, which is less common than you might expect. | Image: WSL Football Most fantasy sports leagues suffer the same problem: retention. Leagues play out over months-long seasons, require regular attention, and can punish players severely for missing even a single week. I've started Fantasy Premier League (FPL) multiple times, but never finished a season. That's a problem for any fantasy league, but especially so for a new game in a growing sport, hoping to attract new fans who might grow along with it. And so when Manchester United take on London City Lionesses on the opening day of the Women's Super League (WSL) season next month, fans will have a chance to compete in a fantasy league that's a little differen …Read the full story at The Verge.
Daniel Martinez Dallas
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Handheld prices aren’t coming back down, and the one worth buying now isn’t the new one
The handheld gaming market is vastly different today. While there are plenty of options, their sticker prices feel like they belong in a different league than two years ago. It’s tempting to treat this supply-demand blip as a temporary situation and assume that MSRPs will drift down once component costs...
The handheld gaming market is vastly different today. While there are plenty of options, their sticker prices feel like they belong in a different league than two years ago. It’s tempting to treat this supply-demand blip as a temporary situation and assume that MSRPs will drift down once component costs settle. That’s not how this plays out.
William Garcia Boston
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This $30 Scythe CPU cooler handles Intel and AMD’s latest chips, and it’s 60% off
The Scythe Mugen 6 Black Edition CPU cooler is compatible with Intel and AMD's latest chips and delivers impressive cooling with its six-heat-pipe design and two Wonder Tornado 120 fans. If the hardware lineup doesn't sound like much, know this fan moves a lot of air. The MSRP is $75,...
The Scythe Mugen 6 Black Edition CPU cooler is compatible with Intel and AMD's latest chips and delivers impressive cooling with its six-heat-pipe design and two Wonder Tornado 120 fans. If the hardware lineup doesn't sound like much, know this fan moves a lot of air. The MSRP is $75, but you can now get one from Woot for 60% off, down to $30 for a limited time.
Jane Smith Los Angeles
Published by: aplhsindia.in
I found out my GPU wasn’t hitting its boost clock, and the fix was easier than I thought
As a PC gamer, I always want to get the most out of my graphics card. In this economy, I don't really want to upgrade from my RTX 3080 to any new GPU, at least not for the next two years. So, ensuring I squeeze every last ounce of performance...
As a PC gamer, I always want to get the most out of my graphics card. In this economy, I don't really want to upgrade from my RTX 3080 to any new GPU, at least not for the next two years. So, ensuring I squeeze every last ounce of performance from my Ampere card is always on my mind.
