Home labs are perfect for computing enthusiasts looking to bring their tinkering fantasies to life, whether it's experimenting with different operating systems or self-hosting myriads of useful services. But if you keep collecting a ton of server hardware and deploying VMs for every distro imaginable, you might end up at a point where your home lab starts to take over your life. So, if you don’t wish to turn into a home lab fanatic like me, here's a list of early signs that indicate it’s time to reassess your server equipment.

For about a year, Microsoft's Office suite was my software of choice for the occasional document and spreadsheet I might need to write, but at the start of 2025, I decided I was no longer interested in paying such a high recurring fee for Office, and I left it behind. So I had to find an alternative I could use on my Mac Mini.

The new see-through Beats Studio buds along with other transparent tech. | Photo by Chris Welch / The VergeGadgets, much like fashion, can make style comebacks. For tech: we’ve lived through the ’80s beige keyboards, transitioned to the ’90s with gray and black plastic video game systems plus bright colors for Sony’s Walkman and Nintendo’s Game Boy handhelds, and then, at the turn of the millennium, welcomed the amazing see-through iMacs, N64 controllers, and other gadgets with clear casings.And just like the return of grunge makeup and baggy jeans, transparent tech is back. See-through devices are leapfrogging over the ’00s piano white iPods, ’10s matte black smartphones, and some of today’s colored aluminum and glass finishes to (hopefully) become the next big trend. Now, we’ve got clear smartphones like the Nothing Phone, see-through earbuds like the Beats Studio buds, colorful translucent shell casings for game consoles, and even chargers and USB-C cables that show off some capacitors for your pleasure.So dust off your Apple Studio Display CRT monitor, Toys R Us-exclusive Extreme Green colored N64 controller, and your other favorite transparent gadgets as you scroll through all of our clear tech news. Meta’s next limited-edition transparent Ray-Bans will drop in March. The Xbox Wireless Controller is just $39 right now Scuf’s Valor Pro is a promising start for its Hall effect Xbox controllers Leaked images reveal a transparent color option for Sony’s new ANC earbuds. Retro Remake opens preorders for its PS One FPGA clone Red, white, and see-through. Asus announced a NUC AI mini PC topped with a color E Ink display. Asus just announced the world’s first Thunderbolt 5 eGPU Hyperkin’s modernized Xbox Controller S is going translucent green. 8BitDo’s new mini Xbox controller fits gamers with smaller hands You can now buy this nostalgic Game Boy Advance clone This Game Boy Advance clone could satisfy your purple taco nostalgia 8BitDo added RGB backlights to the new Xbox version of its mechanical keyboard This killer translucent keyboard kit is on sale for $95 Maybe don’t buy this cool transparent magnetic Sharge battery — a Qi2 version is imminent. Why I’m returning Meta’s limited-edition translucent Ray-Bans. A lot of work went into making this transparent iPhone 16 Pro. Turns out, there are only 7,500 of those clear Meta Ray-Bans… Meta’s translucent Meta Ray-Bans now come in a crystal-clear colorway. Meta’s Ray-Bans will now ‘remember’ things for you Anbernic’s Game Boy Advance SP is now available in three new transparent colors. New Xbox Design Lab translucent Elite controller options are clearly great Genki’s transparent PocketPro might be the best-looking 8BitDo gamepad yet. This tiny gamepad isn’t ‘one-of-a-kind,’ but it sure is adorable. 8BitDo’s new Pro 2 controller colorways are clearly superior. Microsoft’s new Xbox controller is more translucent than ever before 8BitDo’s $24.99 dock makes your Xbox controllers rechargeable. Elgato’s limited-edition atomic purple Stream Deck is $35 off for Prime Day Backbone and Post Malone have collaborated on a new translucent green smartphone controller. The Beats Solo Buds have a great look and an even better price Mini Maker Turbo Mini X: your socketed desktop processor in a transparent PC less than 1.5 inches thin. Can you resist Anbernic’s Game Boy Advance SP that plays PS1 and N64 games? The BattlerGC Pro might be the GameCube controller’s final form The Boring Phone is a nostalgic branding exercise by HMD and Heineken DJI’s wireless Mic 2 adds noise-canceling and recording quality upgrades. LG’s other transparent TV is the one I want in my living room. Samsung’s got its own transparent display. I’ve looked through LG’s new transparent OLED TV and seen something special Sharge’s newest sci-fi power banks look pretty sweet in person. LG puts vacuum tube audio behind transparent OLED display. Dbrand’s new X-Ray skins let you ‘see inside’ 125 different gadgets Here is Valve’s own transparent Steam Deck. Your Asus ROG Ally could be transparent with Jsaux’s RGB backplate The best price ever on Sharge’s transparent batteries and retro Mac chargers This limited-edition Flipper Zero is the latest transparent gadget New Genki ShadowCast video capture card goes ‘Pro,’ Covert Dock gets an upgrade My favorite Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses feature: they’re a transparent gadget. The Lamborghini-inspired Dry Studio Black Diamond 75 gaming keyboard is more cool than cringe The Analogue Pocket is getting a delightful limited-edition transparent version Microsoft’s Starfield gamepad has windows for triggers. I have never wanted a PDP gamepad until this very moment. Transparent batteries are hot. It’s like if the Game Boy Advance SP was even tinier. 25 years after the iMac, transparent gadgets are coming back. Jsaux’s Steam Deck RGB transparent cover and docks are now on sale. See-through VR headsets should be a thing. Want to see photos of some PlayStation VR 2 prototypes? If you own a Steam Deck, it should be (at least partially) see-through. Jsaux’s RGB transparent back cover for Steam Deck is $40 next month. Carl Pei teases a see-through USB-C cable for the Nothing Phone 2. iFixit now sells a see-thru 65W USB-C PD power adapter. I made my PS5 Fire Orange and Atomic Purple with Dbrand’s transparent Darkplates A fully transparent Steam Deck could soon be yours with these new front plates Beats Studio Buds Plus review: it’s cool to be clear It’s not Nothing to manufacture transparent gadgets. I banished my Joy-Con drift just in time for Zelda. Case-Mate’s iMac-inspired translucent USB-C chargers are half off See-thru screen-equipped supercap SSD. Amazon just spoiled the next Beats earbuds before Apple could even announce them This $39 Cooler Master case turns your old Framework Laptop parts into a tiny PC Nothing Ear 2 review: it’s what’s on the inside that counts Atomic purple? Yes please. Don’t attempt this RGB Steam Deck mod just yet My favorite new Steam Deck mod is this $30 see-through heatsink backplate MSI’s new laptop is see-through but not see-through enough See inside your Steam Deck with JSAUX’s $30 transparent backplate So damn clean. Nothing Ear Stick review: fewer features, more polish Nomad’s bringing back the early 2000s with a transparent charging brick LG Display shows off a versatile lineup of transparent OLED screens at CES 2022 These transparent Apple prototypes clearly show the greatness of see-through gadgets Microsoft is releasing a translucent controller for Xbox’s 20th birthday Forza is getting a colorful, translucent controller for Xbox Series X LG imagines a bed with a hidden see-thru OLED TV set Kano’s second-generation buildable Windows 10 PC has a faster processor and USB-C Microsoft’s translucent Xbox controller looks the best in new pink option How to customize the look of your Nintendo Switch Joy-Con controllers Sony’s Death Stranding PS4 has a translucent BB pod controller LG patents a transparent foldable phone Microsoft’s translucent Phantom controller now comes in white Xiaomi is finally being more transparent about its see-through Mi 9 Microsoft’s translucent Phantom Black Xbox controller is a mesmerizing gaming gadget Leaked parts confirm that Xiaomi’s ‘transparent’ Mi 8 Explorer Edition was too good to be true Leaked HTC U11 Plus shows a translucent option This translucent Japanese speaker displays animated lyrics You have to live life on the edge to get this transparent Galaxy S8 phone Small Transparent Speaker is a cheaper, smaller transparent speaker These are transparent directional glass speakers and they look amazing Panasonic’s transparent display is hard for your eyes to believe Samsung’s transparent and mirrored displays look like optical illusions First Click: The clear appeal of transparent gadgets Microsoft imagines an incredible transparent smart cover for Surface tablets

Gaming doesn’t need to be an adrenaline-fueled affair all the time. After a long, tough day, retro games can provide just the right blend of nostalgia and relaxation to help you unwind. While emulators are easily accessible at home, installing RetroPie on a Raspberry Pi transforms it into a personal arcade that you can take anywhere. Even if you're not a traveler, it's a fun little side project to do with your family in about an hour, or you can lend it to friends to share the joy. However you choose to use it, this guide will make setting it up easy and effortless.

Brave and Firefox are two of the most secure browsers out there. Brave has made privacy its key selling point, integrating features that block ads, prevent tracking, and stop fingerprinting. Firefox, on the other hand, is the OG secure browser, challenging Chrome’s dominance for as long as we can remember. Both Firefox and Brave offer strong security, but if you’re looking for the most secure option, Firefox takes the lead. There are many reasons why, and I’ve listed some of them below.

Microsoft Excel is all about tables and data organization, while Microsoft Word is primarily a word processing tool. However, if you’re working on a small table and don’t know how to work with the complicated features of Excel, you can do some basic table and chart magic with Word instead. Here is how you can manage some simple tasks from Excel in Word instead.

Have you seen those videos of those devices where a little marble draws patterns in sand, driven by a magnet? I've never owned one of those, but I can imagine myself staring at it for hours on end. There's just something mesmerising about a small marble making visually pleasing patterns in the sand, as if it was a small insect performing some mysterious ritual.

Finder is Apple’s built-in file manager for macOS, but the problem is that sometimes it just misses the mark. There isn’t much customization available, and it still doesn’t offer a dual pane view. Luckily, you aren’t stuck permanently with Finder. You can always switch to a third-party file manager. And while there are a bunch of alternatives out there, ForkLift might just be the right choice.

When choosing between PNG and JPG, it's important to understand their strengths. PNG is often the better choice, especially when quality and transparency matter. Here are some compelling reasons why PNG is superior to JPG for saving images.

If you remember the first file manager tools for PC, such as File Commander, or Midnight Commander, you will love HiFile. It has many more features than File Explorer, doesn’t get stuck all the time, and has an excellent file search tool. Without further ado, here are the main reasons why HiFile should become your trusty file manager on any PC.

Tech companies are always looking for the next big thing and are sometimes too ambitious or release half-baked products that nobody wants. There's a fine line between success and failure, and the only way to know if new products like the Apple Vision Pro or Humane AI Pin will work is to release them to the market. Other hyped tech, like AI chatbots, get pushed by companies until the market gets saturated and people get put off using them.

There are plenty of great M.2 SSDs on the market, but if you want something cheap that also delivers good performance, then the Crucial P310 is going to be for you. This 1TB model usually comes priced at $98, but it can now be had at its best price with a 34% discount that drops it down to just $65. This is the lowest price we've seen, so get it while you still can.