Donghua Jinlong’s factory. | Image: Donghua Jinlong Chemical Co. TikTok isn’t just useful for videos on robotic tape storage, Radiohead songs on step motors, and regretful congressmen. It’s also a place where businesses can go viral by marketing their industrial products. Because of that, I now know that a company called Donghua Jinlong Chemical makes food-grade glycine which, as the company reminds us in its TikTok marketing video, is “suitable as a flavor enhancer, sweetener, and nutritional supplement.” Not only that, but it’s “also used in pickles, sweet sauces, soy sauce, vinegar, and juices to improve taste.” And, bonus, it’s “a well-established brand in a large factory.” If that doesn’t get you ready to get some Donghua Jinlong food-grade glycine, I’m not sure there’s anything I can do for... Continue reading…

When looking for an excellent laptop, you can easily be overwhelmed by the sheer number of options. However, convertible laptops and Apple machines are popular picks, and Microsoft's Surface Pro 10 and Apple's latest MacBook Air are capable computers. But how do you choose?

Over the years, chargers have gotten better and better, which creates obvious reasons to upgrade from the ones that are currently in your home or office. While there's nothing wrong with the ones you have right now, these might be better, thanks to their ultra-compact size, superb power delivery and ultra-low price. This charger cable bundle includes two Anker 20W chargers and two USB-C cables for just $12.99.

Just as the internet has evolved, so too have connection methods. Early modems relied on telephone cables and prevented users from making calls while online – and made downright iconic sounds. These old devices were slow and only supported one connected computer at a time. Nowadays, you can hook multiple PCs and several smart home devices into the network, all using one modem. Sort of. Technically, you need a modem and a router, which has led to all sorts of confusion. What’s the difference between a modem and a router? Do you need both or just one?

Image: The Verge Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 33, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, so psyched you found us, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) This week, I’ve been writing about the end of Google Podcasts and the rise of AI gadgets, watching Girls5eva and rewatching Middleditch and Schwartz, reading about the ubiquity of AllTrails and Danny McBride’s comedy compound, listening to Ezra Klein’s podcasts about AI, seeing if 5K Runner can finally make me like running, and playing altogether too much Retro Goal.I also have for you a lot of people’s smart thoughts on AI, a bunch of new AI tools in web browsers, a fun new newsletter about good stuff on the... Continue reading…

When you're looking for a great Surface laptop, the all-new Surface Laptop 6 for Business is a top-notch choice. However, IO is limited, so you'll need a solid docking station. You can check out the best Surface docking stations, but we've gone the extra mile to find docks that would be best for the Surface Laptop 6 for Business. Below, you'll see all the top options.

The Raspberry Pi is one of the greatest SBCs (single-board computers) you can buy right now. Thanks to the gigantic community and its growing popularity, setting up and using this development board is easier than ever before. After you finish the initial setup process, the next step is to find your Raspberry Pi's IP address if you want to connect it with other devices over your network — establishing an SSH for remote access into Windows would be one such example.

The Raspberry Pi is a technological chameleon. This miniature motherboard is designed to teach users the ways of computer engineering and computer science. You can use the device to practice installing operating systems, create a custom gaming console, or power a miniature piano. However, while the software you put in the Raspberry Pi determines its functions, all potential projects rely on the device’s underlying firmware. Even if an installed Windows 11 OS is bug-free, if something goes wrong with the firmware, you’re going to need to fix it to get your Raspberry Pi up and running again. And usually, the best way to fix a firmware fault is through an update.

Spotify says it will continue working on its generative playlist feature “over the coming months.” | Image: Spotify / Verge After experimenting with AI playlist generation in its DJ feature last year, Spotify is now launching a beta tool that allows users to create a curated tracklist based on text descriptions. Its new AI Playlist beta is initially rolling out to Spotify Premium subscribers on mobile devices in the United Kingdom and Australia.Android and iOS users in those locations can find the AI Playlist generator by heading into “Your Library” and tapping the “+” button at the top-right of the page. After selecting the AI Playlist option from the drop-down menu, users can type in a prompt — such as “music to read to on a cold, rainy day” — to get a playlist of 30 songs that match that vibe. The results can be tweaked using additional prompts like “more... Continue reading…

A little while ago, we learned that Windows 11 wouldn't update if StartAllBack was installed. This is because Microsoft cites performance and security issues with the app, and asks the user to uninstall it before they're allowed to upgrade to the newest version. Now, someone has unearthed a full list of apps that Microsoft dislikes, and if you have one of them installed, you can expect a difficult time upgrading Windows 11 in the future.

Remember waiting for the BIOS to finish loading? In the space of a decade or two, we've really sped up how fast a computer can boot up, from staring at endless white text on a black background to arriving at the operating system's login page within seconds. But what if you didn't even have to wait that long to talk to your friends? If you're truly impatient (or insane) enough, someone has created an app that lets you run an IRC client within the UEFI. Why? Not even they really know.

Copilot is growing in popularity and so is Microsoft's attempt to add the chatbot pretty much everywhere, including replacing the swipe gesture on Windows 11 tablets. Last week, Microsoft highlighted a plethora of Copilot features for various Microsoft 365 apps on its roadmap site, making a clear statement that the company is quite serious about making Copilot a helpful productivity tool.