Building a home lab started as a fun experiment for me, but has since doubled as a way to save money by replacing some subscription-based services with self-hosted alternatives. Google was one of the ecosystems that I was most excited to get out of, since I was paying monthly on a few of their products and never felt right about giving them so much of my data.

On paper, smart home products are the biggest quality-of-life improvement you can add to your living space. Being able to control everything from your lighting system to thermostats and security cameras from mobile apps makes them pretty convenient, and you can integrate them with voice-control hubs to manage your smart home with simple voice commands.

The internet has done wonders in connecting me to people living around the world, but it has also made me learn about time zones the hard way. It's difficult enough trying to organize a group spread across the US's different time zones, Europe, and Australia together when time zones come into play, and then some people change their clocks while others don't, and it throws everything off kilter.

Did you know that, in the 70s, people could purchase a portable CRT TV to bring with them wherever they went? It seems like the laptop equivalent of the era, except the body was huge and the TV wasn't the best quality. But it did have a CRT screen, and if you ask some retro hardware fans, that's a good enough reason to fall in love with it.

All hail true remote access. My Starlink Mini has radically changed the way I live. It's the biggest reason I can work remotely from my converted van, providing fast and reliable internet in places that traditional 4G and 5G data signals don't reach. Peakdo's latest LinkPower battery makes the smallest Starlink terminal even better by setting it free from power cables for hours at a time.While that might not sound like a big deal, I can assure you it is. For example, I can park in the shade and place the Mini far away to avoid trees and other obstructions, just so long as I'm within reach of its Wi-Fi signal. It even works on my dashboard without any long cables to sn …Read the full story at The Verge.

It just looks like, well, most other MacBook Pros. | Photo: Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge Apple's flagship 16-inch MacBook Pro has reigned supreme in the world of creator-focused laptops since its M-series processor overhaul in 2021. Since then, we've mostly seen the same design with year-over-year chip bumps and small refinements. "If it ain't broke," right?If you want to know everything about this machine, you can read our review of the last-gen M4 Pro / M4 Max models - it pretty much all holds up with the M5 models that replace them. But this time around, in addition to the usual testing and use of the new M5 Max model, it's worth asking a specific new question: whether you should consider a new MacBook Pro if you're current …Read the full story at The Verge.

Amazon’s Big Spring Sale doesn’t kick off until next week, but the retailer is already dropping a host of good deals, especially on robot vacuums. We recently saw Ecovacs’ Deebot X8 and X9 Pro Omni drop to $599 ($501 off) and $679 ($621 off), respectively; however, if you’re looking for a cheaper robot vacuum / mop, the Dreame L10s Pro Ultra is down to $349.98 ($950 off its original list price) at Amazon, matching its lowest price to date. You can also pick it up from Best Buy and Dreame for the same price, the latter with code L10PUXM. Dreame L10s Pro Ultra Robot VacuumWhere to Buy: $1299.99 $349.98 at Amazon $1299.99 $349.99 at Best Buy $1299.99 $349.99 at Dreame (with code L10PUXM)The L10s Pro Ultra is designed to be as low-maintenance as possible. The vacuum’s self-cleaning dock can wash the mops with hot water, dry them with hot air, and automatically dispense cleaning solution. The dock can also empty the robovac’s contents into a 3.2L dust bag, allowing you to go 75 days without emptying it yourself, and refills the water tank as needed. You don’t need to constantly keep an eye on the robovac, either; it uses lidar navigation to map your home and AI-powered obstacle avoidance to clean around clutter.While it’s not as powerful as higher-end models like the aforementioned Ecovacs, the L10s Pro Ultra still delivers a respectable 7,000Pa of suction. It does a good job cleaning hardwood floors, too, with a mop that can lift itself to avoid getting carpets wet and extend into edges, corners, and other hard-to-reach areas. It also lets you choose which rooms to clean, and uses AI to adjust its cleaning approach based on the room type and layout. Plus, it can automatically return to mop areas if it detects they’re still dirty, providing for a more thorough clean.

I have this tendency to save articles whenever I see an interesting title, telling myself that I'll be sure to read it later. But the truth is, if I didn't have time to read it at that moment, there's a good chance I won't have time later either. I've tried chipping away at my list of articles to read, but it always seems to grow and never shrink.

This year is shaping up to be a big one for self-driving trucks. In addition to Aurora's plan to deploy hundreds of autonomous big rigs and Waabi expanding into robotaxis, you've also got Kodiak AI aiming to launch its own fully driverless long-haul freight operation by the end of 2026. While robotaxis may still win all the headlines, driverless trucks are making their own progress, slowly but surely. But in a recent interview, Kodiak AI CEO Don Burnette said that deploying autonomous trucks is really only half the battle. He said that while most of his competitors are fussing over details like AI, perception, and mileage milestones, Kodia …Read the full story at The Verge.

An AI assistant that can actually get things done. I've been testing out Gemini's new task automation on the Pixel 10 Pro and the Galaxy S26 Ultra, which for the first time lets Gemini take the wheel and use apps for you. It's limited to a small subset right now - a handful of food delivery and rideshare services - and it's still in beta. It's slow, it's clunky at times, and it doesn't solve any serious problem you had using your phone. But it's impressive as hell, and I don't think it's hyperbole to say this is a glimpse of the future. We're still a long way off, but this is the first time I've seen a true AI assistant actually working on a phone - not in a keynote presentation or a careful …Read the full story at The Verge.

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 120, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you're new here, welcome, get ready for Pen Opinions, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) This week, I've been reading about Banksy and music apps and influencer agents, watching Netflix docs about the manosphere and The Red Hot Chili Peppers, marveling at Ed Sheeran and Benny Blanco writing songs, enjoying Young Sherlock more than I expected, instantly subscribing to Joanna Stern's new tech channel, using the Sleep With Me podcast to fall asleep, and making a lot of brownies with the unbeatable Costco …Read the full story at The Verge.

Most gamers probably know that an overheating GPU can cause thermal throttling, effectively stealing performance from right under their nose. That's why they are fixated on keeping the GPU core temperature under 80℃. Whether it's using MSI Afterburner, HWiNFO, or something else, PC gamers will keep an eye on the core temperature, but ignore another important one. The VRAM temperature is also linked to the optimum performance of your graphics card. If the GPU memory overheats due to excessive load, lack of airflow, or expired thermal pads, your gaming experience will be reduced to a stuttering mess. Most people ignore the VRAM temperature completely, and find something to blame when their performance drops despite a seemingly okay core temperature.