At an event in the Rose Garden on Wednesday, Donald Trump unveiled a new set of planned tariffs that are being described as “short-sighted,” and having “no basis in logic,” and being compared to Great Depression-era policies. Holding a giant poster board blowing in the wind, Trump announced staggering new taxes on products coming into the US from abroad. Among the 60 countries listed, tariff rates ranged anywhere from 10 percent to nearly 50 percent: 34 percent for China, 46 percent for Vietnam, 20 percent for the EU, and 49 percent for Cambodia, among others.The US is the world’s biggest importer, bringing in trillions of dollars of goods every year. Relatively little is produced in the US, and the eye-watering taxes will impact supply chains across industries: tech products and gadgets, clothing, food, automobiles, and more. Seeing souring relations between the US and China, some companies have worked to diversify supply chains by moving manufacturing to other countries — Apple, for example, was producing billions of dollars worth of iPhones in India last fall to move away from China. Under Trump’s new plan, Indian imports would get slapped with 26 percent tariffs.The President did not explain how the rates were calculated, but if implemented the steep taxes will like make costs for retailers — and by extension, consumers — skyrocket. The Trump administration has regularly lied about who pays for tariffs, claiming that the exporting nation foots the bill. That’s not how tariffs work, no matter how many times Trump claims otherwise.The New York Times reports that the figures on the chart include a 10 percent “baseline” tariff, meaning the additional hike on Chinese products is 24 percent, plus 10 percent.After the event, Trump also signed an executive order closing the de minimis exemption, a little-known carve out that allows packages valued under $800 to enter the US duty free. Ultra cheap retailers like Shein, Temu, and Amazon Haul use the rule as a loophole to keep prices low, and buyers don’t have to pay any taxes that would otherwise apply to their purchases. By ending the exemption, Trump could destabilize the business model that has hooked Americans looking for a deal on China-reliant online retailers.The massive taxes on imports are reportedly in addition to existing tariffs the Trump administration has levied on imports. He’s also separately added taxes to vehicles and imports from top US trading partners like Canada and Mexico.

NotebookLM, Google's AI-powered note-taking app, is one of the best AI tools available for students and researchers alike. While it's impressive, it's not without its flaws. I recently outlined four features I’d love for Google to add to NotebookLM next, but they just introduced a feature I never even knew I needed. And while part of me worries that NotebookLM could start hallucinating information (which, for now, it doesn’t), it’s still a neat addition.

After years of rumors, Nintendo has finally announced a release date for the Switch 2. The long-awaited successor to the Switch will be available on June 5th for $449.99, bringing a handing of games and accessories along with it. It will be available for preorder in the US from select retailers starting on April 9th, as both a standalone console and as a limited-edition bundle with Mario Kart World for $499.99.As predicted, the Switch 2 features a larger 7.9-inch LCD display, with support for 1080p resolution and HDR, 256GB of built-in storage, and up to 6.5 hours of battery life. The Joy-Cons are bigger, too, and now magnetically attach to the console instead of relying on a pair of sliding rails to snap into place. They also offer mouse-like functionality with select games, and the right Joy-Con sports a “C” button, which can be used for in-game chat features, screensharing, and other actions.As for games, the Switch 2 will launch with Mario Kart World, along with third-party games like Split Fiction and Cyberpunk 2077. The console will also be backward-compatible with original Switch games and support enhanced versions of select titles, including The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.Below, we’ve rounded up all the preorder information you need if you want to be one of the first to get your hands on it. We’ll be updating this post regularly as more information becomes available, so bookmark this page if you’re keen on learning more ahead of the launch.How to preorder via NintendoHow to preorder at Best BuyHow to preorder at WalmartHow to preorder elsewhereHow to preorder via NintendoAs expected, one of the few confirmed retailers right now is the My Nintendo Store, which comes with a string of eligibility requirements — one of which requires you to register your interest in advance of April 9th. To do so, you’ll need to sign in with your Nintendo account and choose which console configuration you prefer (and which accessories). Then, you’ll receive an invitation email when it’s time to buy it, assuming you’ve satisfied several other conditions.As of right now, the reservation process is limited to Nintendo account holders in the US and Canada who are at least 18 years old. Invitations will be valid for 72 hours and will be “prioritized on a first-come, first-served basis,” according to Nintendo; you’ll also need to have purchased a Nintendo Switch Online membership for a minimum of 12 months and have logged 50 hours of gameplay on the original Switch as of April 2nd, 2025, to be eligible. What’s more, you must have opted in to share gameplay data with Nintendo (you can see if you’ve done so in the privacy section when logged into your account).Once invitations have been sent to account holders who have met these criteria, Nintendo says it will send invitations to “remaining eligible registrants” on a first-come, first-served basis. Unsurprisingly, the invitations will be nontransferable and sent to the email address you used while registering your interest with Nintendo. Console and accessory purchases will be limited to one per eligible account, at least during the initial invitation period, with the first batch of invitations going out on May 8th.Additional invitations will follow periodically, though Nintendo hasn’t specified details beyond that.How to preorder at Best BuyThankfully, if Nintendo’s strict requirements are an issue, the preorder process at Best Buy appears to be far more straightforward. Preorders for the Nintendo Switch 2, games, and accessories will begin on April 9 via the Best Buy app and BestBuy.com. What’s more, most stores in the US will open at 12AM ET, 11PM CT, 10PM MT, and 9PM PT on June 5th for preorder pickup, signaling a welcome return to a more old-school, midnight release schedule we last saw prior to the pandemic.Details are sparse beyond that; however, My Best Buy Plus and Total members can land a $20 certificate for every $150 they spend (up to $100) on Nintendo games and gear, which is a nice perk for members of Best Buy’s premium loyalty program. That privilege will run you at least $49.99 a year, though both membership tiers will also grant you access to exclusive discounts, free two-day shipping, and other perks.We expect Best Buy to provide some more preorder information ahead of April 9th — including details on whether the retailer intends to implement a queue system, as it did with the PlayStation 5 release. In the meantime, you can sign up to receive notifications regarding the Switch 2 and its various launch titles.How to preorder at WalmartWalmart hasn’t officially dished out many details regarding the Switch 2 launch, but the retailer has published dedicated landing pages for both the standalone Switch 2 ($449.99) and the Mario Kart World bundle ($499.99), along with games like Donkey Kong Bananza ($69.99) and the Switch 2 version of Breath of the Wild ($69.9). A small banner beneath the pricing details also indicates that preorders will begin on April 9th — the same day other retailers will open reservations.How to preorder elsewhereNintendo and Best Buy are the only retailers, thus far, to have provided any insight into how preorders will work when they open on April 9th. That said, you can also sign up GameStop to receive notifications about the upcoming console, various games, and accessories. Presumingly, this will also include preorder details once they’re available.Like with previous launches, we anticipate that Amazon and Target will all have limited stock of the console, as well. But despite Nintendo “taking risks” to ensure it can meet demands, reports indicate that US retailers might not have enough Switch 2 consoles to meet preorder demands. With any luck, Nintendo’s stringent reservation requirements will thwart any potential scalpers.Update, April 2nd: Updated to include additional preorder details for Walmart.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is coming in the Switch 2's GameCube collection at launch.Before this morning, I knew I was going to buy the Nintendo Switch 2 but I didn’t know when. After watching Nintendo’s Switch 2 Direct today, in which a purple block traced the GameCube’s stylized “G” logo, followed by high-res footage from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and F-Zero GX and an announcement that they’ll be playable at launch, I realized I’ll be doing my damndest to get it on day one. It was the cherry on top of a stellar presentation that made the console’s $449.99 price tag way easier to swallow.GameCube games are coming to the Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) subscription’s Classic Game Library feature, which the company is now shortening to “Nintendo Classics.” It lets you play games from the NES, SNES, and Sega Genesis. Like the Game Boy and Nintendo 64 game collections, you’ll need the NSO Expansion Pack for GameCube games. The existing catalog of playable Classic Game Library games is far from complete, but together (and combined with DLC for contemporary Switch games), they make the Expansion Pack well worth it.The subscription gets even more enticing on the Switch 2, starting before the console even comes out — Nintendo is prioritizing long-time subscribers (with certain caveats) when it sends out Switch 2 preorder invites. The Expansion Pack will also let you play the Switch 2 editions of Zelda games Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom (provided you own their respective Switch 1 versions). But the GameCube games are what I’m most excited about. I’d love for the Wii U’s Wind Waker HD to get a Switch re-release, but the GameCube version is still one of the most beautiful games I’ve ever played and looks great in Nintendo’s trailer for it. So does F-Zero GX, a game with such well-executed style and tight control that I would pit it against any futuristic racer today. The Switch 2 is also launching with Soul Calibur II, a game that featured adult Link as a playable character in his post-Ocarina of Time fighting-people-for-sport era.The company flashed a few other re-releases coming down the line, like Super Mario Strikers and Chibi-Robo!, in the latter of which you play a tiny, toothbrush-armed robot tasked with cleaning up a very messy house. It’s way more fun than it sounds, and gives me hope for what Nintendo could announce. There are some excellent, but more obscure gems that never really leapt beyond the GameCube, like the creepy, Lovecraft-inspired Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem and Cubivore, in which you play a small, wild cube trying to bring color back to the world by eating other boxy creatures, winning the chance to mate, die, and be reborn over and over again until you’ve become the fittest survivor of them all. And all of these will be playable with a forthcoming wireless recreation of the GameCube controller, as they should be. The GameCube wasn’t an abject failure, but it sold nowhere near as well as the Wii or the Switch. There’s no guarantee that the Switch 2 will keep up the sales pace set by its predecessor, but even if it manages half that console’s sales, it could give some games a well-deserved second look. 

The Nintendo Switch 2 is basically a bigger, more capable Switch.The Switch 2 is here — well, almost. Nintendo took the wraps off its new console during its latest Direct event, providing us with a closer look at the $449.99 console ahead of its release on June 5th.In many ways, the sequel is a generational leap from the original console / handheld hybrid that rocked the gaming world over eight years ago. Nintendo is building upon the successful foundation it laid with the original Switch by offering a larger screen, more internal storage, and magnetic Joy-Con controllers that can operate like mice. It’s also introducing some new features, like GameChat, which lets players make voice calls, screen share, and video chat.Below, we’re taking a closer look at the on-paper differences between the Switch 2 and its various predecessors — specifically, the original Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch OLED. We’ve even thrown in the handheld-only Nintendo Switch Lite, just for good measure.Pricing and availabilityDisplay technologyPerformance and battery lifeJoy-Cons and other controllersStorage, dock, and moreGames and softwareBy the numbersPricing and availabilityThe Switch 2 will retail for $449.99 at launch, or you can b …Read the full story at The Verge.

NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month)is shutting down after more than 20 years of hosting its annual challenge for writers. In a video and an email sent to community members, the nonprofit organization explains that it can no longer continue “after years of financial struggles.” Before officially becoming a nonprofit in 2006, NaNoWriMo started out with just 21 writers in 1999. More than 400,000 writers participated in NaNoWriMo’s programs that challenged people to finish writing a novel within the month of November in 2022.In 2023, many writers abandoned NaNoWriMo after it refused to take a stand against the use of AI tools in writing. Around the same time, one of its moderators faced child grooming accusations, leading to more criticism from the community.As shown in the video, NaNoWriMo interim executive director Kilby Blades details how participation and fundraising in the program have decreased in recent years. The NaNoWriMo site will remain online for “as long as possible,” though it will no longer formally host its writing challenges.“We recognize that the closure of NaNoWriMo represents a huge loss to the writing community, and that grief over this outcome will be exacerbated by the challenges of the past sixteen months,” NaNoWriMo’s email to the community says. “This is not the ending that anybody wanted or planned. And—believe us—if we could hit the delete button and rewrite this last chapter, we would. But we do have hope for the epilogue.”Even with the closure of NaNoWriMo, writers can still challenge themselves to write a novel during November. Or, they can try out an alternative.

The Command Line terminal is one of the most useful Windows tools available to the average user (or to advanced users, for that matter.) It allows you to bypass programs and issue commands straight to the core of your machine and is particularly useful for troubleshooting everything from your computer's hardware to issues on your network. Getting started with the Command Line terminal can be a little intimidating, but it doesn't have to. Behind the abbreviations and shortened entries are simple-to-understand commands.

If you're looking to improve your audio, a microphone is going to be the way to go. And while there are plenty of good options, we think this one from Razer is going to offer a good mix of features that you'll appreciate, along with a price that you can afford. While it's normally $60, you can now score a 40% discount that brings it down to just $36 for a limited time.

There’s something uniquely satisfying about nailing that perfect jump, dodging a last-second hazard, or finally clearing a level that’s been stomping you into the ground for hours. Platformers have a way of making you feel like a god when you succeed, and like an absolute fool when you fail. The greatest ones don’t just test your reflexes — they test your patience, endurance, and maybe even your willingness to keep your controller intact.

I don’t blame you if Clementine slipped past your memory. The app was (sort of) dead for eight years, with its last stable release in 2016. But in late 2024, developers decided to revive it with rolling releases. Even with the rise of music streaming services, offline-first apps like Clementine serve as a great reminder of the past and can be useful if you have a large music collection. And if you happen to be looking for a music player, I’d like to make the case that Clementine is the best option available. Its clean user interface, wide platform support, and extensive audio format compatibility are hard to beat.

It’s perhaps no surprise that Nintendo opened its Switch 2 Direct with Mario Kart World, a Switch 2-exclusive launch title that’s a sequel to the original Switch’s most popular game. But it was more of a surprise that the Direct’s second segment, instead of focusing on the console’s specs, was all about Nintendo’s Discord-like GameChat system – a system that seems to show that Nintendo is finally catching up with its online services.For playing with your pals, GameChat looks like it could be a lot of fun. You can join a shared call with your buddies and play games together or hang out and share screens of the games you’re playing separately. The Switch 2’s onboard microphone picks up your voice for voice chat, and you can use the Switch 2 Camera accessory, which is designed to sit next to your TV while you play on the couch, to host video chats. Nintendo says other “compatible” USB-C cameras will work, too.Even in Nintendo’s demo video, you can see that the shared screens have lower framerates than your main screen, and the sound quality from the mics seems iffy. But it appears to be a pretty low-fuss way to hang out and play games with your friends that could be a major selling point for the Switch 2 and a Nintendo Switch Online membership. (Though GameChat will be available in an “Open-Access Period” that doesn’t require Nintendo Switch Online through March 31st, 2026.)GameChat is just one of a few smart new things Nintendo is doing with its online services. GameShare, which lets you share a Switch game you have with friends who don’t have it so you can play multiplayer together, works online. (This was another feature Nintendo showed before digging into the Switch 2’s specs.) The Nintendo Switch Online app is getting some upgrades, too. There’s a new name: just Nintendo Switch App. Nintendo Switch 2 players will also be able to access their most recent 100 screenshots or video captures. And the app will contain a new section called “Zelda Notes” that you can use for help while playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears for the Kingdom.Nintendo Switch Online is becoming a better deal, too – at least the premium Expansion Pack tier. That more expensive option will let you play Nintendo’s available collection of GameCube games, which will include The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and will let you access upgraded Nintendo Switch 2 Editions of certain games at no extra cost.Nintendo has so far only said that this benefit applies to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. But an image on a Nintendo website discussing the perk includes an image of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Super Mario Party Jamboree, and Kirby and the Forgotten Land, so it seems like those Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrades, when they’re available, will be eventually included in the Expansion Pack, too.All of these new changes are in addition to the recent launch of the dedicated Nintendo Music app, to which Nintendo is drip-feeding some of its best soundtracks, and the Nintendo Today news app, which it’s already used to break news. It seems like Nintendo is taking its online services more seriously than ever to make its games better and broaden its overall footprint in your life, and all in a very Nintendo way.Let’s just hope that GameChat is actually good.

I've been testing many note-taking apps in search of the right one for me, and how to increase my productivity. With endless options promising to streamline my workflow, I distilled my experience into a few simple and powerful hacks that can transform the note-taking game. Whether you're jotting down ideas, organizing projects, or just keeping track of life’s chaos, these hacks will help you make the most of any app. I used Standard Notes, Obsidian, and Notion for reference.