The iPad is one of the best tablets that you can buy right now. Of course, there are a lot of different options, with Apple providing something for nearly every budget thanks to its extensive lineup. With that said, if you're looking to go all out and want the very best, you'll want to go with the brand's iPad Pro.

LG’s new microwave mounted above its range, thereby ‘eliminating the need to bend down and check the oven manually.’ | Image: LG LG has responded to Samsung in the battle to slap displays on every home appliance you own, culminating in the LG Signature microwave which puts a superfluous 27-inch LCD touchscreen and speakers into an appliance you probably don’t even need. LG says the microwave’s display provides “an immersive entertainment experience” that’ll surely prevent the onset of buyer’s remorse at having overpaid for a potential advertising machine centrally located in your kitchen. And when paired with LG’s oven, it “conveniently shows the cooking progress of dishes in the range, eliminating the need to bend down and check the oven manually.”In 2023, LG announced plans to transform its hardware-based business into a platform-based service model that continuously generates profits. In September, the company started displaying full-screen ads on its idle televisions. Image: LG LG’s latest Signature devices. The company’s second-generation Signature lineup of Wi-Fi appliances continues the tradition of putting a giant transparent OLED “Instaview” touchscreen on its fridge, alongside smaller LCDs on its washer and dryer. LG’s Signature displays can be used to operate the local appliance, access entertainment, and control devices in the LG smart home. The announcement follows Samsung recently announcing a wider variety of display choices on its home appliances, ranging from 4.3 inches all the way up to 32 inches. It’s all part of the company’s strategy to put “screens everywhere,” instead of easy-to-use buttons and dials that rarely fail and are cheap to replace.LG hasn’t announced any prices, countries of availability, or shipping dates for its new Signature lineup of appliances. But we’ll surely learn more when everything is demonstrated at the giant CES show which kicks off on January 7th in Las Vegas.

The Raspberry Pi 5 is the latest entry in the uber-popular SBC lineup, and it packs enough upgrades to make it a worthwhile addition to any tinkerer's workshop. From its superior quad-core Arm Cortex A76 processor to the new PCIe Gen 2 interface and a dedicated power button, this powerful little SBC is not only great for hobbyist projects, but can also serve as a portable PC for everyday tasks.

With CES 2025 just around the corner, companies have been eager to give us a sneak peek at what they have up their sleeves. However, not all of them can say that they've already won several CES 2025 awards before the doors have even opened. LG is one of those lucky few who can, as its new monitor has picked up several trophies before the public even saw it.

It's the end of the road for PCIe 4.0 SSDs, which debuted in 2019. The best drives are hitting the limit of what's possible with PCIe 4.0, which begs the question: how much faster is Samsung's 990 Pro than the 980 Pro, two of the best drives on the market, and which one is the best overall for laptops and desktops? For most users, thankfully, the choice won't be difficult to make.

Notion is one of the most popular organizational and productivity platforms available, recently surpassing 100M users. Its block-based system is highly flexible, allowing users to create customized solutions for managing data. Whether used as a time tracker, project management tool, CRM, event planner, or simply for organizing notes, Notion enables users to build systems tailored to their needs. This broad applicability made it an appealing choice when a multimillion-dollar outdoor advertising company approached me to design a custom system.

When looking at ways to transfer files between network-attached storage (NAS) and connected hardware, you'll likely come across server message block (SMB) and network file system (NFS). Both are valid protocols for moving data between a NAS and your PC or mobile device, but which is better? Unfortunately, this is one of those questions that can be answered with "it depends" so I'll highlight a few reasons why you should (and shouldn't) use NFS over SMB.

Image: LG LG isn’t waiting until CES begins to reveal its new collection of gaming monitors. The 2025 lineup is led by the UltraGear OLED Bendable Gaming Monitor, which LG claims is the “world’s first 5K2K-resolution bendable OLED display.” That strikes me as extremely specific, but hey, it’s always worth bragging when you’re first, I suppose. The 45-inch monitor has an expansive resolution of 5120x2160, so you’re getting the same vertical pixel count as a typical 4K screen but a much wider canvas to game on.And with a 21:9 aspect ratio, LG believes it provides “a more immersive gaming experience than standard 16:9 displays, while maintaining better content compatibility than 32:9 monitors.” This format also makes the display a great fit for productivity work when you’re not immersed in gameplay.The UltraGear OLED Bendable Gaming Monitor (model 45GX990A) can transition from completely flat to a 900R curvature, and the latest version of LG’s Dual-Mode feature “allows users to switch effortlessly between resolution and refresh rate presets, and customize the aspect ratio and picture size.” It’s certified for Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, but the press materials don’t specify a maximum refresh rate. I’ve asked for more details there. Image: LG Both 45-inch monitors have a 5K2K resolution of 5120x2160. LG is also releasing a non-bendable model with a permanent 800R curve. Otherwise, it’s the same 45-inch size, same aspect ratio, and same 5K2K resolution. LG’s press release says you can expect “sharp, lifelike images with the stunning colors and exceptional contrast LG OLED products are known for.” Shared specs between both monitors include a 0.03ms (GtG) response time and support for DisplayPort 2.1, HDMI 2.1, and USB-C with 90W power delivery. The 45GX950A uses a RGWB subpixel layout to improve readability of text on the screen and make the aforementioned productivity work easier on your eyes. Along with these two monitors, LG is also introducing the curved UltraGear 39GX90SA, a webOS-powered “home entertainment hub” with easy access to streaming services — just like LG’s TVs. It seems like the company has taken some cues from Samsung’s smart monitors here. At 39 inches, this one’s a bit smaller than the other GX9 displays, but it retains the 21:9 aspect ratio and 800R curve. “Equipped with USB Type-C ports, it offers convenient connectivity, and incorporates LG’s ergonomic and space-saving L-shaped stand for a clutter-free desk setup,” LG said in tonight’s press release.As per usual with CES news, pricing and a specific release date are still to come later in 2025. But we’ll be getting our first in-person look at the UltraGear GX9 series in Las Vegas, so stay tuned for impressions early next month — along with an avalanche of stunning screens from many other companies, too.

Building your own NAS is one of the best upgrades you can make to your home network, whether you're going all out with a TrueNAS setup or just setting up a basic file share. Distributed, resilient, and high-performance storage is often the bottleneck in the highest performance systems, with considerations like locking, asynchronous operations, and durability becoming serious problems to solve. Such systems can often be extremely complex and prohibitively expensive, reserved for only the largest enterprises with the most intense storage needs.

Intel's new Battlemage GPUs are now out in the wild, and if the company's own reports are to be trusted, they seem to be selling more of them than expected. It's a nice story at the end of a rough year for the chip giant and a close shave for its GPU department: there were rumors that Intel would shutter its entire high-end graphics card venture if Battlemage flopped. Fortunately, that seems to have been averted, as the company is reportedly planning a 24GB version for 2025.

DJI’s new fast car charger connected to a DJI power station. | Image: DJI DJI has quietly introduced a powerful new car charger for its giant portable batteries. The $299 / €269 Power 1kW Super Fast Car Charger can charge the company’s expanding lineup of power stations at up to 1000W from your car’s alternator when the engine is running.This new class of (nearly) do-it-yourself alternator chargers are having a moment now that the most popular makers of solar generators and power stations have embraced DC-to-DC chargers. I wouldn’t have survived without one when remote working from my van last summer.Once the Power 1kW is mounted inside your vehicle and connected to the car’s battery via the included 5m (16 feet 5 inches) fused cable, it then connects to the proprietary SDC port of the dongle-happy DJI Power 1000 power station I recently reviewed. It’ll also charge DJI’s 2048Wh Power 2000 Expansion Batteries when daisy-chained together with SDC cables for up to 11kWh of stackable storage capacity. The Power 1kW can also be configured to reverse-charge your car’s battery to prevent battery drain.At full power the DJI Power 1kW Super Fast Car Charger can charge the Power 1000’s 1024Wh battery in just over an hour’s drive. However, out of the box the Power 1kW is pegged to 500W of charging output. To reach 1000W you have to purchase yet another dongle — the $25 DJI Power Dongle — and then adjust the setting to 1000W in the app. Fortunately, DJI is bundling that dongle as a “free gift” with new purchases of the DJI Power 1kW Super Fast Car Charger, at least in the US.DJI’s announcement follows the arrival of the 800W EcoFlow Alternator Charger I reviewed last summer and the new 560W Bluetti AC500 announced in the fall (review is coming). EcoFlow’s charger, like DJI’s, uses a proprietary connector making it best suited to charge its own giant batteries, whereas the Bluetti AC500 can charge solar generators and power stations from nearly every manufacturer, but at half the rate of the DJI. Of course, all this assumes that your vehicle is fitted with a high-capacity alternator that can spare the amps.

The state of PC gaming doesn't exactly fill me with confidence, considering the string of broken launches, cash grabs, and straight-up scams we've had to deal with in the last few years. Despite having more powerful hardware and advanced development techniques than ever before, AAA games are increasingly characterized by unoptimized performance and visuals that seem to be going backward.