WhatsApp has rolled out a dozen new features across chats, calls, and channels that make it easier to manage group conversations, alongside other general quality-of-life improvements. One of the more notable additions is a new “Online” indicator for groups, which displays how many participants are currently using the app in real time.This is one of several new features that are similar to capabilities on competing communications platforms like Discord, which highlights the online status of server participants. WhatsApp hasn’t mentioned if users will be able to override their own status indicator to manually set themselves as online/offline, but it should make it easier to see how many users are actively reading the chat.Notifications in group chats will now be easier to manage and organize if you find them overwhelming. Users can select the new “Notify for” setting and tap “Highlight” to place specific limitations on notifications for replies, @mentions, and messages from saved contacts, or select “All” to receive every notification. Group chat participants can also tap on reactions that other users have left on messages to add the same reaction, much like Discord and Slack users can.Events have been updated to allow users to RSVP as “maybe,” invite a plus one, and specify an end date and time. Events can now also be created in direct messages, and pinned in group chats to make them easier to find.Two features that are exclusively for iPhone users include a built-in document reader that allows users to scan, crop, and save document files without opening a separate app, and the ability to set WhatsApp as the default app for calls and messages. iPhone users can make the switch by opening their device settings, tapping on “Default Apps,” and selecting WhatsApp.In the WhatsApp updates tab, users will now find transcriptions of voice messages that they’ve received, and a voice notes feature that allows channel admins to record videos of up to 60 seconds that can be instantly shared with followers. Channel admins can now also link people directly to their channels via a QR code.Finally, WhatsApp says that video calls have been upgraded to make them “more reliable and higher quality.” WhatsApp users can be added to an ongoing call directly within a chat thread by tapping the call icon, and call participants can now pinch to zoom in to get a closer look at the live video.

The hard drive that I have been using since 2017 died on me around two years ago. It was past the 5-year mark, and had started showing signs that it was about to die, such as slow access speeds and occasional file corruption. Alas, I procrastinated backing up my data, ignoring all the well-meaning advice we tend to give readers here. Then, the worst happened, and my HDD stopped working completely one fine day.

Nintendo has a special stranglehold on many gamers, myself included. No matter what the company does to us, we begrudgingly accept our fate and bow to nostalgia. The second a new Mario game is revealed, we all become little kids again, excited to see what new abilities the mustachioed protagonist has. When Nintendo announced the GameCube addition to NSO, everyone jumped for joy despite needing to fork over additional money to get access to the games. There is no denying that I hate the Nintendo Switch 2, but I will be getting it on day one (or whenever I can obtain it in the US). Here is why I hate that I will once again succumb to the whim of the nostalgia factory we call Nintendo.

It's easy to see why portable SSDs are so popular. Not only do they offer excellent performance, but you also get a device that's rugged and compact. Crucial's X9 portable SSD delivers on all fronts, and is now down to its lowest price for a limited time.

When Nintendo announced the Switch 2 would cost $450, my initial reaction was disappointment. “Why does it cost so much more?” I thought to myself. “Why does Japan get it cheaper?” my brain jealously added, once I learned that Nintendo would sell a Japan-only model for the equivalent of just $333.It felt like Nintendo was about to overcharge the entire rest of the world for a modest improvement to its original $300 console, one that doesn’t come with an OLED display or anti-drift magnetic sticks. Surely it can’t cost Nintendo that much more to make, especially seeing how it’s selling the exact same hardware for so much “less” in Japan? But while Nintendo might be charging more than I’d like to spend, particularly with its $80 games and its button that makes you pay extra, I no longer think the company’s being distinctly unfair to gamers outside of Japan. The $450 price makes more sense when you consider what’s happened to the dollar and the yen. Since its March 3rd, 2017, debut, Nintendo basically hasn’t changed the price of the original Switch in either the US or Japan. The portable console cost $300 USD or Â¥32,378 in 2017; it costs the same $300 …Read the full story at The Verge.

The new Digg might look a little like this.Digg’s return to the modern internet is one step closer with the launch of an “early access” group called Groundbreakers. For a one-off $5 fee you can claim your username before someone else does and get a behind the scenes look at the new Digg as it comes together. Digg says that the $5 fee “keeps the bots at bay,” and that proceeds will go to a nonprofit to be chosen by the Groundbreakers community. It’s a one-off charge, not an ongoing subscription.In addition to locking down their username, members of Groundbreakers will get early access to mockups and previews of the new Digg, with the chance to give feedback directly to the development team. They’ll also get a permanent Groundbreakers badge on their profile once Digg goes live. It’s worth noting that this isn’t actually early access to Digg itself just yet, but a group on the Circle community platform.The rebooted Digg was announced last month, with original founder Kevin Rose returning alongside a group that includes Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian. It will still be centered around sharing and voting on links, but takes inspiration from the rise of Reddit and will incorporate AI to help user-led communities with moderation.Invites to join Groundbreakers were initially sent out to Digg’s mailing list, but you can now sign up without an invite. There’s apparently a limited number of spaces, though Digg hasn’t said how many.

I've been going all out on my smart home recently, and that includes finding new ways to integrate older hardware that I have lying around into Home Assistant. That hasn't been too much of an issue; many of my older Tuya devices work with Local Tuya, and I have a lot of self-hosted services that are useful for feeding info into Home Assistant, too. I hit a major snag when it came to my Govee H615B strip lights, though, which led me down a rabbit hole of reverse engineering to integrate them like I had everything else.

No other PC component attracts as much attention and fanfare as graphics cards. Every GPU launch is preceded by a flurry of rumors and leaks, and proceeded by endless coverage, analyses, and criticism. Amid this entire hype, manufacturers do their best to confuse the consumer by marketing features that have little to do with actual performance.

For the first few PCs I used, I didn't have much of a say in the components. I used to shoot for the stars, and my parents used to land a few storeys from the ground, selecting whatever hardware fit the budget. Later, when I started earning, and had full control over my builds for the first time, I started with budget PCs. From using a Pentium 3 pre-built machine to a custom-built Ryzen 7 5700X and RTX 3080 gaming rig, I have a long list of CPUs and GPUs that I wish I had purchased at launch.

Ever since Microsoft added widgets to Windows, I haven't really made use of them. However, the newest Windows 11 Beta patch may change that. Microsoft has pushed a new update full of content, and one of the key features allows you to read articles on MSN right from your Widgets feed.

The ability to craft anything from your imagination makes 3D printers invaluable for DIY projects involving microcontrollers, SBCs, and other computing devices. By letting you concoct everything from custom screws and cable ties to full-on racks and cases for your paraphernalia, a 3D printer serves as a solid investment for home labs.

If you have ever felt overwhelmed by information or struggled to leverage your knowledge effectively, you're not alone. I went on extensive testing and put dozens of PKM tools to their paces. While each tool brought its unique advantages, the real goal wasn't in mastering every feature but in discovering fundamental productivity principles that consistently delivered results.