Walmart could be preparing to launch a Google TV streaming stick that's capable of 4K video output, offering a true replacement to Google's dead Chromecast and a viable alternative to Amazon's ad-filled Fire TV Stick line, according to Android TV Guide (via 9to5Google).

If you're an avid Windows 11 user, you may have noticed that Microsoft's apps don't feel like...well, apps. Microsoft has been using web-based wrappers for its apps lately, meaning the app is essentially a website running inside a lightweight browser shell. There are some perks for moving to a web-based app model, but some people aren't pleased that the software they use on their PC uses web technologies to render their software, which usually means higher memory usage and slower performance.

With my smart home more or less set up the way I wanted it, I've been looking for the next 'fun' project to take on. Right now, that's optimizing my NAS storage to feel faster in everyday use. I run a few NAS boxes around the house and the ones that serve as long-term storage are perfectly fine as is. However, I've been curious if swapping out the SATA drives from my SSD NAS for NVMe drives could unlock higher speeds. On paper, transfers should be faster and apps should feel a lot snappier, helping the system keep up with heavier workloads.

Sometimes people spend months building a digital second brain, only to realize their most valuable thoughts are being held hostage. Whether it’s proprietary file formats (looking at you, Evernote) that refuse to export cleanly or a cloud-only architecture that goes away the moment you go offline, most modern note-taking apps feel restrictive.

I may be a writer and might find comfort in expressing my thoughts through words, but that doesn't mean my raw thoughts aren't a mess. My brain works at a speed I frankly can't keep up with most days. Endless (and I literally mean endless) random ideas, tasks, deadlines, half-remembered conversations, things I'm pretty sure I completely forgot to do yesterday, meetings I need to attend, meetings I need to schedule, and...

Linux has always been an alternative to mainstream operating systems. As Windows and macOS became more rigid and closed over time, a gap emerged. Users wanted an OS that didn't inflict extensive tracking, telemetry, and bloatware, and Linux gained traction due to this problem. However, gaming has been a Windows-only thing for the last two decades, and it was one of the extremely weak points for Linux. You could switch to it and even use open-source tools for every other task, but gaming didn't feel the way it performed on Windows.

Amazon’s Big Spring Sale is underway, so naturally, a lot of the deals are geared toward the season, including plenty of gadgets to help with spring cleaning. We’ve already rounded up a selection of great robot vacuum deals, but they’re just one part of a much broader swath of Verge-approved tools that can make tidying up a little easier.If you’ve been putting off small fixes around the house, now is as good a time as any to tackle them with an electric screwdriver like Hoto’s entry-level model. Meanwhile, if you’re looking to clean the dust that collects in your keyboard or along shelves, Fanttik’s electric air duster can clear it out in seconds. Then there’s Bissell’s Little Green Mini, which is great for cleaning up spills and pet stains on carpet.If you’re not interested in a high-end robot vacuum or an air purifier, rest assured that there are plenty of other useful items on sale through March 31st, from pet hair removers to reusable disclothes.Deebot X8 Pro OmniThe Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni features an extendable mop that can clean itself and 18,000Pa of suction power. It also comes with a multifunction dock that can refill the robovac using an integrated water tank and move dirty water into a separate waste tank to prevent it from dragging stains across your home.Where to Buy: $1399.99 $839.99 at Amazon $1399.99 $839.99 at Evovacs $1399.99 $839.99 at Best BuyCoway Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty air purifierCoway’s surprisingly efficient Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty is compact enough to fit in any corner of your home and offers a three-stage filtration system, including a true HEPA filter.Where to Buy: $239.99 $153.99 at Amazon (white) $239.99 $153.99 at Amazon (black) $239.99 $153.99 at CowayHoto 3.6V Electric Screwdriver Kit ProHoto’s rechargeable screwdriver is ideal for small repairs. It offers three torque modes, a rotational speed of up to 220RPM, and a helpful circular LED to illuminate dark spaces. The durable case also holds all 25 steel bits and an extension bar for getting into hard-to-reach places.Where to Buy: $79.99 $29.99 at Amazon $79.99 $29.99 at WalmartSuperscandi Swedish Dishcloths (10-pack)Superscandi’s reusable dishcloths are made from a blend of biodegradable wood pulp and recycled cotton, making them a more sustainable alternative to paper towels. Each cloth is highly absorbent and can be washed and reused up to 50 times.Where to Buy: $20.95 $16.99 at AmazonChomChom Roller Pet Hair RemoverThe ChomChom is a reusable roller that works great for removing unwanted pet hair from furniture, allowing you to skip lint rollers, vacuuming, and other cleaning tools in a pinch.Where to Buy: $27.99 $14.7 at Amazon $31.95 $24.99 at ChewyBissell Little Green Mini portable carpet cleanerLook, a carpet cleaner is not a very Verge-y gadget. But we’ve all got carpets and / or upholstery to keep clean, right? Luckily, Bissell’s relatively compact cleaner does a great job of restoring fabrics to their original sheen with just a little elbow grease.Where to Buy: $99.99 $74.99 at Amazon $99.99 at Bissell $99.99 at Best BuyAmazon Smart Air Quality MonitorAmazon’s Smart Air Quality Monitor touts a compact design, voice alerts, and automated triggers that allow it to turn on air purifiers and other Alexa-enabled devices. It lacks a display, however, and pairs best with an Echo device. Read our review.Where to Buy: $69.99 $49.99 at AmazonSlice Auto-Retractable Box CutterSlice’s retractable, finger-friendly ceramic blade is great for tearing through packing tape and cutting plastic wrapping. The comfy tool also features a sturdy, reinforced nylon handle and a hooked design that makes it easy to stow when not in use.Where to Buy: $28.04 $18.99 at Amazon $28.04 at SliceNIIMBOT D110 Label Printer with TapeNiimbot’s inkless, rechargeable label printer can help you stay organized anytime, anywhere. The portable Bluetooth gadget effortlessly pairs with any iOS or Android phone and features a range of simple templates, so you can create custom labels for everything from pantry items to office supplies.Where to Buy: $29.99 $15.19 at Amazon $25.99 $16.99 at NIIMBOTAmazon Echo Show 15Amazon’s 15.6-inch Echo Show acts as a mountable, shared digital hub for calendars, reminders, and to-do lists, helping keep the whole family on track. It’s also great to have on in the background while you clean, with support for the Fire TV interface so you can stream shows on Netflix or play music.Where to Buy: $299.99 $254.99 at Amazon $299.99 $254.99 at Best Buy $299.99 $254.99 at TargetHoto Electric Spin ScrubberHoto’s cordless spin scrubber features a motor that delivers up to 300RPM, along with two speed modes for everyday or deep cleaning. It’s fully waterproof, includes a telescoping extension pole, and offers six interchangeable brush heads for tackling tile, grout, tubs, and other surfaces.Where to Buy: $89.99 $67.99 at AmazonPencilVac FluffyconesDyson’s PencilVac is an engineering marvel. While the superskinny stick vac won’t clean your whole house, it’s a simple, stylish option for performing quick touchups and other small tasks.Where to Buy: $599.99 $449.99 at Dyson $599.99 $449.99 at Best Buy $599.99 $449.99 at AmazonFanttik B10 Pro Electric Air DusterFanttik’s B10 Pro is a small, cordless air duster that can remove dust and debris from keyboards, desks, and other hard-to-reach spots. It offers multiple speed settings, built-in LED lighting, and several nozzles. It’s also rechargeable via USB-C.Where to Buy: $49.99 $39.99 at AmazonBlack & Decker Furbuster handheld vaccumBlack & Decker’s rechargeable Furbuster is a great handheld alternative that’s well-suited for picking up fur, dirt, and other unwanted debris, especially when you tack on the extra-long crevice tool or the included motorized pet brush.Where to Buy: $99.99 $84.99 at Amazon $99.99 $84.99 at The Home Depot $99.99 $84.99 at ChewyNarwal FlowThe Flow has one of the best roller mops we tested, and it offers top-notch vacuuming and excellent obstacle avoidance. It can also hook directly into your plumbing, and while a low mop lift and some navigation issues hold it back, it’s ideal for tackling hard floors like tile.Where to Buy: $1499.99 $899.99 at Narwal $1499.99 $899.99 at AmazonRoborock Q10 S5 PlusThe Roborock Q10 S5 Plus delivers 10,000Pa of suction power and features a sonic mop that scrubs 3,000 times per minute. It also comes with a 2.7-liter self-emptying dock that can store up to 70 days’ worth of debris, along with room-specific mapping, no-go zones, and customizable cleaning schedules.Where to Buy: $549.99 $279.99 at Amazon $549.99 $279.99 at Roborock

Being a content creator can be pretty challenging, especially when you stack it on top of a "regular" job. And to turn streaming into a career, you have to be in as many places as possible to grow your audience, which can be difficult if you're not willing to pay up or do tons of research.

Rec Room, a Roblox-like social gaming platform that lets users create games and experiences for others to play, is shutting down on June 1st. Despite reaching more than 150 million players and creators and, at one point, being valued at $3.5 billion, the company says in a blog post that "we never quite figured out how to make Rec Room a sustainably profitable business" and that "our costs always ended up overwhelming the revenue we brought in."The company also notes that "with the recent shift in the VR market, along with broader headwinds in gaming, the path to profitability has gotten tough enough that we've made the difficult decision t …Read the full story at The Verge.

Windows' Task Manager has been a key part of the operating system for decades now, but it has the issue of needing to keep up with all the modern-day innovations that we couldn't imagine happening ten years ago. For instance, it's totally possible for people to pick up a new computer equipped with a Neural Processing Unit (NPU), which joins the CPU and GPU as a dedicated chip for handling AI tasks.

Intel just launched the Arc Pro B70, and on paper, it looks like a local AI dream. You get 32GB of GDDR6 memory, 256 Xe Matrix Extensions engines, and PCIe 5.0 support, all for $949. That's the same VRAM capacity as an RTX 5090, albeit GDDR6 instead of GDDR7, at less than half the price. If you're someone who runs local LLMs and has been watching Nvidia's pricing climb year after year, that probably sounds almost too good to be true.

At a recent press event in Berlin, Germany, Nextcloud, Ionos, and a "coalition of other European enterprises and community organizations" announced Euro-Office, an open-source fork of OnlyOffice that aims to offer an alternative to more restrictive office platforms like Microsoft Office 365 and Google Docs.