Sometimes, it can be a hassle to carry around a charger. For this reason, it's important to choose one that's going to fit your lifestyle. So, if you're someone that travels alot, it's going to be a good idea to have one that packs up small, doesn't weight a lot, and can supply plenty of power to all your devices.

Many of us rely on our laptops for work, school, or entertainment, but even the best laptops trade power and features for the convenience of portability. Gaming laptops come with power-limited GPUs, pretty much all laptops are limited in storage space, and the thinner they get, the harder they are to cool. But with a few wisely chosen pieces of external hardware, that laptop can turn into a powerhouse of productivity and graphical prowess.

You don’t have to pay a lot for do-it-all robot vacuums like the SwitchBot S10. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge We’re in an age where you can realistically delegate tasks to smart hunks of metal, whether it’s a self-driving car or a robot that can clean on your behalf. Most of us probably won’t be able to afford the helpful sentient humanoids being developed in our lifetimes, but robot vacuums are an affordable way to experience that promised utopia right now. Today’s floor cleaners are also more advanced than ever. In addition to vacuuming, many of the best models can now mop, allowing you to tackle both carpet and hardwood flooring. Some can automatically dispense of their trash and dirty water, too, and clean their own components without intervention. Soon, we’ll even have models that can pick up dirty laundry and purify the air in your home, preventing you from having to lift a finger.But if you need something relatively affordable for daily cleaning, you’d be surprised how little you have to pay for premium features. Below, we’ve listed the best deals currently available on a slate of Verge-approved robot vacuums, whether you prefer a budget entry-level model from Yeedi or top-of-the-line offerings from iRobot, Dreame, and more.Best robot vacuum dealsiRobot’s Roomba Combo j7 Plus is available from Amazon, Best Buy, and iRobot for around $599 ($600 off), which is an all-time low. The j7 Plus was once our favorite Roomba robovac, and the Combo j7 Plus builds upon the base model with an auto-retractable mop. That means it can lift its mop pads and pick up dirt from your carpets without wetting them and then vacuum / mop hardwood flooring with no mid-cycle management needed. The mopping performance isn’t the best we’ve seen, though, and you’ll need to frequently change its 210ml water tank and detach and clean the mop pads yourself. Thankfully, it can automatically dispose of dirt using the included auto-empty dock. The Combo j7 Plus isn’t easily tripped up thanks to AI-powered obstacle avoidance, which allows it to navigate toys and pet droppings. You can also direct it to clean specific areas using Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands.Read our Roomba Combo j7 Plus review.The Dreame X40 Ultra is another mopping robot, and while it’s on the more expensive side, you can currently pick it up for $1,099.99 ($630 off) from Dreame and Amazon (using an on-page coupon). You’re paying a premium for 12,000Pa of suction power and a pair of removable, self-retracting mop pads, which it can automatically clean and dry on its own using the included base. It can also empty its own bin and refill its own water tank. The Dreame X40 Ultra features an extendable side brush and mop pads, too, offering better coverage for baseboards, corners, and the underside of your furniture. It uses a combination of AI-powered cameras and “3D-structured light” (presumably based on lidar technology) to map and navigate rooms, with customizable keep-out zones and more functions available in the app. There’s also a dirt detection system that can identify messier spills and adjust its cleaning routine accordingly.You can get the SwitchBot S10 for an all-time low of $664.99 ($535 off) at Amazon with an on-page coupon or for $699.99 ($500 off) directly from SwitchBot with code BFCM500A. The S10 is one of the most affordable robot vacuum / mop hybrids you can buy that can refill its own tank at a battery-powered base station — with the caveat that it requires hooking into your home’s plumbing. It can also dry its own mop pads and empty its bin at a separate docking bay and offers enough capacity to go up to 90 days without intervention. Its self-cleaning roller mop is more effective than the typical pads we see in most other units, but the downside is a smaller coverage area. It only has a single roller brush for vacuuming, but its respectable 6,500Pa suction can make up for it. And while it has lidar mapping and AI-powered obstacle avoidance, we found it still has a tendency to get stuck on laundry, bath mats, and other obstacles. The S10 is also one of the few robovacs with Matter support, which effectively enables native control through Apple Home, Google Home, and Alexa (though said platforms don’t yet fully support robot vacuums).Read our SwitchBot S10 review.The big-wheeled Roborock Q5 Pro is down to $159.99 ($270 off) at Roborock’s online storefront and Amazon — if you’re a Prime member — which is only $20 more than its all-time low. Not only is it one of the most affordable robovacs you can buy, but thanks to its dual rubber roller brushes and 5,500Pa of suction power, the entry-level Roborock model remains one of the best we’ve found at dealing with unwanted pet hair. The lidar-mapping Q5 Pro features voice controls, digital keep-out zones, and mopping pads with an onboard reservoir, but no self-cleaning functions. This particular SKU doesn’t include a self-emptying base, but the 770ml dust bin is one of the largest you’ll find, so you can go a few weeks without touching it. That being said, Roborock sells a version with a self-emptying dock, which is also on sale right now for $329.99 ($270 off).The Yeedi Cube is currently down to an all-time low of $299.99 ($260 off) at Amazon when you clip the on-page coupon for $190 off. It’s not easy to find a self-emptying / self-cleaning vacuum at this price, as those features are typically only available on robots that cost upward of $600 or more. With 5,100Pa of suction power, the Cube can tackle most common vacuuming scenarios, though its single hybrid rubber / bristle brush can get easily tangled with pet hair. It mops better than most models in its range, however, namely because its vibrating microfiber pads can actually scrub your floors. The Cube uses lasers for object avoidance, too, though it’s not as effective for navigation as those with lidar and AI smarts. It can avoid large furniture and other objects, but it might need your help rerouting around cables, toys, and laundry. Still, we found it navigates better than most other robots under $300.

"Can it run Doom" is a classic trend where people try to put the classic FPS on as many devices as possible. However, what about the humble Tetris? Everyone knows the famous block-moving game, but people don't really try to get it running on as many weird and wonderful devices as they do Doom.

Image: The Verge Nearly a week after it was removed, the TikTok app is still missing from Apple and Google’s app stores.The app was pulled from both stores after the US’ ban-or-divest law went into effect last weekend, which resulted in the service going dark within the United States. While TikTok came back online shortly after the ban, the app didn’t return to either mobile store. Apple and Google are at risk of paying billions in fines if they make TikTok available, and it’s unclear if President Donald Trump’s executive order refusing to enforce the ban actually removes that risk.Apple and Google haven’t replied to multiple requests for comment from The Verge — including requests I made today — about if or when the app might be available again. Apple and Google do have statements about the removal of TikTok and other ByteDance-owned apps like Lemon8 and Marvel Snap, but otherwise, no comment since. TikTok didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment, either, however, Marvel Snap developer Second Dinner posted Friday evening on X, saying, “Our current estimation is that Marvel Snap will be back in the app stores as early as next week barring any setbacks.” Without explaining further, Second Dinner co-founder Ben Brode answered a question on Bluesky about what would happen for next month’s updates, saying, “we’re hoping to have it back before then.”Because these app stores are the primary way many people get the software, TikTok’s absence basically means you can’t newly install the app — at least, for the time being — without jumping through a lot of hoops. It also means they can’t deliver updates to add new features or address any bugs, including potential security flaws.If you had TikTok on your phone before the ban kicked in, however, the app should work for you as normal. (As a result, people are trying to sell used phones with the TikTok app still on them.) You can also use TikTok in a browser — including on your phone.Update, January 24th: Added new details about Marvel Snap.

Ayaneo builds the best-looking handheld PCs in the business, but they’ve always been boutique. The 2023 Ayaneo 2, for example, cost $1,300 for an arguably worse experience than the $400 Steam Deck. But that experience isn’t dampening my excitement for the new 7-inch Ayaneo 3. Not only does this one start at $900, within striking distance of the highest-end handhelds you’ll find at retail, it’s the most feature-packed portable I’ve seen — with two USB4 ports and OcuLink and RGB-ringed Hall effect joysticks and your choice of two seemingly killer screens. Perhaps most exciting: a way to finally fix a handheld’s joystick and button layout to match your ergonomic preferences!Just watch: Animation by Ayaneo Finally. Ayaneo is calling the Ayaneo 3 “the world’s first modular handheld,” because there’ll be other modular options too. An extra $139 buys a set of six modules that let you swap out your joysticks for analog sticks, a six-button microswitch pad for fighting games, or even D-pads and face buttons with conductive silicone underneath for a different feel. Image: Ayaneo Six modules and extra joystick toppers come with the “Magic Module” kit. But importantly, that basic module that lets you change joystick and button orientation and swap joystick caps comes with the handheld by default, and it’s not the only feature Ayaneo is impressively cramming into the $900 kit. While you’ll “only” get a Ryzen 8840U, 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and 512GB of storage that that price — no Z2 option, and the HX 370 model starts at $1500 — you do get your choice of OLED or IPS right away. That OLED screen is a 1080p 144Hz HDR OLED panel promising 800 nits of global brightness and 110 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut, specs which suggest it could even beat the Steam Deck OLED’s excellent screen. Image: Ayaneo An actual photo of the Ayaneo 3. Like the Deck OLED, it unfortunately doesn’t have variable refresh rate for added smoothness — but if that’s important, the IPS panel option does! That one’s a 120Hz, 500-nit, native landscape 1080p display, according to the company, with 7ms response time and only 100 percent sRGB coverage (read: nowhere near as colorful as the OLED panel). On top of all that, the Ayaneo 3 comes standard with both top and bottom USB4 ports, both of which are capable of 65W PD charging, plus the still-rare-on-handhelds Oculink port for eGPUs, and it takes full-length M.2 2280 SSDs for easy storage upgrades. Plus, there’s a dedicated hardware mode switch on the bottom edge to switch the controller and virtual-mouse-and-keyboard modes. I doubt that will make up for the current state of Windows, but it could help! Also, new trigger locks for its Hall effect triggers, if you want to switch them into a hair trigger mode.I do have a few hesitations, even without having touched the Ayaneo 3. First, the company says its modules electronically latch into the frame — you have to eject them by pressing a software button, which activates a motor to release the latch. Sounds potentially fiddly? Second, I’m sorry to report that this 1.5-pound handheld only fits a 49 watt-hour battery, even though the Asus ROG Ally X manages to fit an 80 watt-hour pack into roughly the same weight. Fingers crossed, but I wouldn’t expect great battery life here with neither a giant battery pack nor a particularly handheld-optimized chip.Lastly, it’s always important to point out that these products are crowdfunded, and while Ayaneo has a history of delivering its promised handhelds, they haven’t always been great — and this is the most ambitious one yet. If that sounds worthwhile, you can find the Ayaneo 3 on Indiegogo here. The company says the handheld should ship at the end of April; here’s the whole price breakdown. Image: Ayaneo

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge Apple is making an executive change to try and improve its AI efforts and Siri. Kim Vorrath, who recently helped get the Vision Pro software out the door and has been at Apple for 36 years, has been brought over to Apple’s artificial intelligence and machine learning division and will serve as a “top deputy” to AI boss John Giannandrea, Bloomberg reports.The company made a big splash about its AI / Apple Intelligence efforts at WWDC last year, but they haven’t had the same impact as things like OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini. Apple has also been slowly rolling out what it announced, and a big Siri upgrade that lets it understand what’s happening on your screen and take action may not arrive until iOS 18.4. And the company’s AI-powered news notification summaries will be put on pause with iOS 18.3 after criticism that the summaries were incorrect.By bringing on Vorrath, whose resume at Apple includes work on the original iPhone software group, over to the AI team, it appears Apple wants to bring more rigor to Apple’s AI development. It also indicates that Apple may see AI as a bigger deal for its future than the Vision Pro.Bloomberg also reports that “the artificial intelligence group is focused on revamping the underlying infrastructure of Siri and improving the company’s in-house AI models” this year, per a memo from Giannandrea.

The battery icon in Windows 11 is getting a colorful update. | Image: Microsoft Microsoft is releasing a new Windows 11 Insider Preview Build today with some welcome improvements to the operating system’s battery icon – possibly sparing you the realization that you’ve chosen a dead outlet, or improperly plugged in your power adapter, or let your battery drain too much, before it’s far too late. Windows’ battery icon, which has traditionally been black, is being updated with three colors “designed to communicate battery status of your PC with just a quick glance,” the company writes today on its Windows Blog. A green icon will indicate your computer is charging and “in a good state,” but will turn yellow when your battery has dropped below 20 percent charge and has entered energy saving mode. A red icon indicates you have a “critically low battery” and will need to plug in your computer as soon as possible before it dies.The new colored battery icons will appear on the taskbar’s system tray, in the quick settings flyout, and in the general Windows Settings. Microsoft says they’ll also eventually be used on the Lock screen, but that functionality is coming in a future build.Today’s preview release includes two additional improvements to the battery icon. Microsoft has simplified overlays, such as the lightning bolt charging icon, so that they won’t block the icon’s progress bar, and added the ability to show the battery’s charge percentage next to the icon in the system tray. It can be enabled by going to Settings > Power & battery and turning on the new “Battery Percentage” setting.Microsoft says this is a “highly requested feature by Insiders and customers” and it should be a welcome upgrade over the battery icon Windows currently uses that provides minimal information and a vague representation of a battery’s remaining charge.The colors should make it immediately obvious that a laptop has started charging when plugged in, and it’s a lot harder to ignore (or forget about) a near-dead battery when it’s bright red with a single digit charge percentage right next to it.The battery icon updates should already be available to Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel who have opted to get the latest updates as soon as they’re available. It’ll take longer to reach general release and might even get tweaks before it reaches other early adopters:Microsoft says the “experience isn’t available to all Insiders just yet as we plan to monitor feedback before pushing it out to everyone.”

When it comes to making PC upgrades, most people think of their componenets, or a monitor, or maybe even peripherals. However, one upgrade that's turned out to be one of the best I've ever made has actually been an audio interface.

Over the years, the Raspberry Pi SBCs have brought numerous types of projects to life. For coders, you’ve got LAMP web servers, Flask websites, and portable Kali Linux workstations. Meanwhile, home lab enthusiasts can use these tiny boards to build a reliable Docker ecosystem that includes everything from the containers to management/orchestration platforms like Portainer and Kubernetes. Then there are the more practical projects like media servers, NAS, VPN machines, and Home Assistant hubs.

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images Ever since Elon Musk closed his deal to buy Twitter he’s claimed the company, now called X, is in “a very dire situation from a revenue standpoint.” Now, the Wall Street Journal reports that banks are preparing a coordinated move to sell off some of the $13 billion in debt they loaned Musk to finance the deal. It mentions an email sent to employees this month, also confirmed by The Verge, where the Chief Twit said, “...we’ve witnessed the power of X in shaping national conversations and outcomes,” but also claimed, “Our user growth is stagnant, revenue is unimpressive, and we’re barely breaking even.”Part of the reason Bank of America, Barclays, and Morgan Stanley are holding so much of the debt is from trying to avoid selling at a loss after economic conditions changed, and Musk had an extended court battle attempting to get out of the deal. While equity investors have reportedly slashed the value of their stakes by as much as 78 percent, the Journal reports, “banks hope to sell senior debt at 90-95 cents on the dollar, while retaining more-junior holdings.”As Musk referenced in his email, the report says the banks hope to use the narrative of Musk’s link to Donald Trump, as some unnamed investors may be interested in buying based on a belief that its financials are on the way up. However, Musk also said that the company could become cash-flow positive “within months” nearly two years ago, and it still faces over $1 billion in annual interest payments on the loans. The platform is increasingly turning into a testing ground for his AI ambitions, as we reported earlier this month, and while X has added some features, like job listings and a new video tab, there’s little sign of the service he’d said would be able to “someone’s entire financial life” by the end of 2024.

Looking like a true brute of an off-roader. | Image: Audi Audi has revealed a new dual-motor electric off-road vehicle concept based on the Q6 E-tron that looks ready for a snowpocalypse. The automaker built a working prototype that lifts the vehicle by 6.3 inches and widens it by 9.8 inches, giving it a stance that wouldn’t be out of place if it appeared in Truck Country, USA.Audi’s CEO Gernot Döllner calls the “Q6 E-Tron Off-road concept” a “reinterpretation of Quattro,” which is the company’s marketing term for its all-wheel-drive models. The extra ride height is courtesy of four bespoke portal axles integrated into the wheel hub assemblies at the front and rear that Audi says increase torque at the wheel by 50 percent. Each axle is powered by an electric motor with a combined power output of 380kW and up to 9,883 lb ft of torque at its peak. That’s up 3,245 lb ft of torque from the normal Q6 E-tron, which is Audi’s first vehicle built on Volkswagen’s modular Premium Platform Electric (PPE) platform (also used in the new A6 E-tron and Porsche Macan EV).The vehicle is designed to climb hills as steep as 45 degrees but the company did nerf the Q6’s top speed a bit down to 108 mph. Still, no one should drive that fast anyway in a vehicle lifted this high. This also makes the Off-road concept a much more realistic one compared to more sci-fi Audi concepts like the Activesphere coupe / pickup truck combo with a mixed reality cockpit or the truly apocalyptic all-terrain “AI:Trail” that has drones for headlights.Audi’s Q6 E-tron Offroad concept will be featured at the FAT International Ice Race in Austria on February 1st. The company will also show it in action via its social media channels.