That’s a nice looking charger. | Image by Elago MagSafe isn’t a particularly controversial standard, but I’ve heard people grumble about it. They get upset because it doesn’t charge quite as efficiently as an old-fashioned cable and they get annoyed that any phone case needs to be MagSafe-compatible. But could charging by cable provide you with something as stupidly fun as this new phone stand from Elago?The Elago MagSafe MS W5 Charging Stand is a mouthful of a name for what’s just a Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP shaped MagSafe stand. Do the buttons and switches work? No! Does it fold close? Absolutely not! It’s merely a piece of plastic you slot a MagSafe charger into. It’s so simple you could probably 3D print something similar at home. Image by Elago Don’t... Continue reading…

Eight years ago, Valve began offering no-questions-asked refunds for any game you buy on Steam — as long as you asked for that refund within 14 days of purchase and hadn’t played more than two hours of a game. But when Valve started letting you play games ahead of their release dates with its “Early Access” and “Advanced Access” programs, it introduced a loophole: people could play for many, many hours ahead of launch and still request a refund after. Today, Valve’s closing the loophole: Your Advanced Access and Early Access playtime now counts against the two-hour refund limit.Here’s what Valve’s updated refund policy says about that as of today:REFUNDS ON TITLES PURCHASED PRIOR TO RELEASE DATEWhen you purchase a title on Steam... Continue reading…

Hard drives and even the best SSDs don't always work as intended, there are some telltale signs. Your Windows install may start acting off or some things may just not work. These are warning signs you should pay attention to, and if you see them, you should try to fix these issues as soon as possible.

The Model 3 might get an affordable younger sibling in 2025. | Image: Tesla Tesla says it will build more affordable electric vehicles — perhaps as soon as 2025 — refuting recent reports that Tesla CEO Elon Musk had canceled plans for a cheaper “Model 2” vehicle in favor of getting a robotaxi out the door. But Musk didn’t clarify whether the lower-cost EV would be a brand new model for Tesla or simplified versions of its current vehicles.“In terms of a new product roadmap, there’s been a lot of talk,” Musk said during the company’s first quarter earnings call, addressing the concerns investors have expressed over the past month about the delayed plans for a low-cost EV. “We’ve updated our future vehicle lineup to accelerate the launch of new models.” Musk said we might see the vehicles in early 2025, if not... Continue reading…

Intel has been going through a bit of a transformation of sorts in the last few months. Pushed by the improvements of chip competitor AMD and the AI dominance of Nvidia, the company has put its foot down and committed to supporting both AI and improving its fabrication nodes at a breakneck pace. Intel doesn't just want to ensure its processors are powerful, but it also wants them to be the smartest in the business.

Jabra’s latest midrange earbuds aren’t the best at any one thing, but they do offer a lot of bang for your buck. | Image: Jabra At this point, it’s safe to say that Jabra makes some of the most reliable earbuds you can buy, especially for the price. The Jabra Elite 5, like the company’s prior midrange models, are good example of a pair that checks all the right boxes, offering up ANC, multipoint, and a host of other welcome features at a competitive price point. And now, thanks to a $60 discount from Amazon and Jabra, you can grab them for a mere $89.99, which nearly matches their second-best price to date.We’ve long considered the Jabra Elite 3 one of the best pairs of sub-$100 earbuds you could buy, though, at the current price, I’d argue the Elite 5 are the better value. The comfy, teardrop-shaped buds don’t excel at any one thing but rather offer a laundry... Continue reading…

An Apple AirTag is arguably the best Find My tracker for iPhone users, featuring many offerings and a wide coverage range. One of the handy features available on iPadOS and iOS 17 is the ability to share an AirTag with another user who also has a vested interest in keeping track of it. It allows up to six people to track the same AirTag from their iDevices simultaneously. To share an AirTag on your iPhone or iPad, follow the easy steps listed below.

A small-board computer (SBC) is a compact system that can run the same software as a desktop PC on some Linux flavor or Windows. They're capable devices with powerful processors, upgradable and expandable parts, and healthy modding ecosystems. You can find SBCs powering surveillance systems, media centers, and storage solutions. It's possible to transform an SBC into a network-attached storage (NAS) server where you can store backups, sensitive data, and more. Compared to pre-built NAS enclosures from Synology, Asustor, and other brands, this could save you money.

Illustration by The Verge | Photo via Getty Images The Federal Trade Commission has voted to ban noncompete agreements nationwide, saying that they are an “unfair method of competition.” Noncompete agreements — which attempt to prevent employees from working for or starting competing businesses — are especially prevalent in the world of tech, where we’ve seen companies like Amazon enforce and then retract a noncompete agreement for warehouse workers. Acer even sued its former CEO for allegedly breaching a noncompete policy by becoming a consultant for Lenovo. The change will force companies to reverse existing noncompete agreements and notify employees about the change. Existing noncompete agreements for senior executives can stay in place, but companies can’t enter or enforce new... Continue reading…

More and more, we see companies try to move away from traditional passwords. Windows 11 (and 10) both recommend that you set up a PIN after signing in using a Microsoft account. This is so your Microsoft account password isn't exposed every time you login, and instead you have a unique code to your device.

Cath Virginia / The Verge The European Union has officially adopted a new set of right-to-repair rules designed to encourage people to repair broken devices, rather than replace them. One of the rules extends a product’s warranty by one year if it’s repaired while still covered.The European Union already requires companies to offer a two-year minimum warranty on products, but these new rules take things a step further. Even after the warranty period ends, companies are “still required to repair common household products,” including smartphones, TVs, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, and other items. If a product breaks while under warranty, consumers can choose between a replacement or a repair. If they choose to repair, the warranty will be extended for a... Continue reading…

Portable gaming PCs are great, but they don't have the same "buildability" as PCs do. If you don't like the look of the current prebuilt gaming PCs on the market, you can simply buy the parts and make one yourself. While it's not as intuitive to make your own portable gaming powerhouse, that hasn't stopped some people, as one Redditor proved by building a Ryzen 7 7840HS unit that took them three months to make.