Everyone generates a huge amount of data daily, and it needs to be stored securely in our devices' storage. But whether that's an external drive used on a Mac, a hard drive inside a NAS, or an SSD inside a Windows PC, our storage drives won't last forever, even if we want our data to. There are many utilities for checking the built-in S.M.A.R.T. monitoring data that every hard drive and SSD produces, but how often should you check that data to avoid failing drives? Let's answer that, and show you which tools to use to check your hard drive's health.

Have you given Android handheld gaming a shot yet? If you're a fan of all things portable gaming, you really owe it to yourself to give it a try one day. While using your phone as a gaming device may not have the same powerful specs as a dedicated handheld, the battle between PC and Android handhelds is closer than you think. If you fancy giving it a try, this new controller from 8BitDo brings Hall Effect control sticks to your Android device, and it comes in at a pretty great price point.

The HP Omen series are some of the best gaming PCs that you can buy. So it makes complete sense why the Omen 35L scored so high in our review, offering the perfect balance of style and substance. This particular model is available at Best Buy and is powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 processor that's paired with an Nvidia RTX 4080 Super. As you can imagine, this PC is going to be able to handle pretty much anything you can throw at it. And while it normally comes priced at a whopping $2,450, you can now score $400 off in this limited-time deal, as the price falls down to its lowest to date.

It feels like every week we see someone try to squeeze an operating system on an unorthodox device, and this one is no different. This time around, someone has documented how they managed to get macOS on a Steam Deck, showing off their progress in a YouTube video. The best part is, this isn't even the first time he has done something like this.

You'd think listening to podcasts on Windows 11 would be a straightforward experience, much like using Apple Podcasts on the best Macs but that's not quite the case. Instead, you're left relying on third-party apps like Spotify or a web browser to listen to your favorite shows. Since their debut in the early 2000s, podcasts have become one of the most popular outlets for listening to talk shows, stories, and more. Creating a podcast is just as easy too, meaning there are thousands of shows to follow and listen to throughout your day.

Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos by Getty Images Adobe is going all in on generative AI models and tools, even if that means turning away creators who dislike the technology. Artists who refuse to embrace AI in their work are “not going to be successful in this new world without using it,” says Alexandru Costin, vice president of generative AI at Adobe.In an interview with The Verge, Costin said that he “isn’t aware” of any plans for Adobe to launch products that don’t include generative AI for creators who prefer to manually complete tasks or oppose how AI is changing the creative industry.“We have older versions of our products that don’t use gen AI, but I wouldn’t recommend using them,” Costin said. “Our goal is to make our customers successful, and we think that in order for them... Continue reading…

Thanks to its Markdown-based editor, canvas, graph views, linked notes, and more, Obsidian has become a powerhouse for note-takers and knowledge curators. Among all the features, Obsidian also supports tables to create different databases. Nevertheless, the standard Markdown method requires using a mix of vertical bars and hyphens to construct tables with various columns, which is far from perfect. If you frequently deal with databases in your Obsidian notes, read along to learn how to use advanced tables in your vaults.

Using a virtual private network (VPN) is a great way to protect yourself from prying eyes. Whether you want to get around some geo-blocking for video streaming or protect your privacy, a VPN is a must-have in today's digital world. Most of the best VPN services have easy apps to install on devices, which connect to servers worldwide and shield your connections. Not all ISP-provided routers can be configured with a VPN. If you're looking to build your own firewall/router, there's a way to hook up your VPN for all connections made outside your network.

If you're looking to build a NAS (or buy one) and want to make sure that your data is safe and secure, then there are a few ways to approach that while making sure that your data is okay no matter what happens. There are different ways to approach it, but they all basically achieve the same thing in backing up your NAS.

The graphics processing unit (GPU) or graphics card is vital for your gaming PC. It's the part that handles all the heavy work in games, allowing you to enjoy all your favorite titles. The more powerful (and expensive) the GPU, the better your PC will be able to play games at higher resolutions. The goal is to have as many frames per second at your desired resolution as possible with no frame drops and low latency. This creates the best gaming experience, but you'll need to buy a discrete GPU. This is where our collection of the best GPUs for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K comes into play.

You can never have enough protection for your home, which is why investing in security devices is a sound option. Not only are most mainstream devices extremely reliable, they are also relatively affordable as well. Ring has been around for quite some time, offering some of the best security products on the market. And its video doorbell is perhaps one of its most popular products, offering simple installation and ease of use.

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge Apple got a mixed victory in a patent infringement lawsuit against medical device maker Masimo. On Friday, a federal jury determined that Masimo had infringed on some Apple patents, and as part of the verdict, Apple was awarded $250 — yes, just $250 — as a statutory remedy for Masimo’s infringement.$250 is the statutory minimum damages for the alleged infringement and Apple had sought that figure, Bloomberg Law reports. “We’re not here for the money,” Apple attorney John Desmarais said to jurors in closing arguments, according to the publication.Masimo’s W1 smartwatch, Freedom smartwatch, and health module infringed on one patent, while Masimo’s charger infringed on another, per the verdict form. The jury also found that Masimo’s... Continue reading…