They used to just be called “books.” | Image: Spotify Spotify is going all in on books in 2026 and partnering with Bookshop.org to let you buy physical copies of audiobooks and support local retailers starting in the Spring. The announcement dovetails with the launch of Page Match, a new feature that lets you sync physical books and ebooks with audiobooks in the Spotify app using your camera. When the partnership launches later this year in the US and UK, there will be a button at the bottom of pages for audiobooks, prompting you to "get a copy for your bookshelf." The process will take you out of the Spotify app to complete the purchase on Bookshop.org, leading you directly to the checkout p …Read the full story at The Verge.

I've been really impressed with how far COSMIC Desktop has come in so little time. When I gave it a go, I felt that, while COSMIC didn't quite dethrone KDE Plasma as my favorite desktop environment, it did cement itself as my second-fave, and something I'll be keeping a close eye on. The fact that a desktop environment that got its first stable release two months ago could even make a dent on KDE Plasma in my mind is awe-inspiring.

The ability to scale your hardware to match your tinkering needs is one of the biggest advantages of a home lab. You can start off your server journey with an old PC and throw in spare storage rigs as your backup needs grow. And once your arsenal of virtual guests and archived data can’t be housed in your current systems, you can start upgrading them the same way you would a gaming PC.

Well, it seems that even Valve isn't immune to the sheer weight of the RAM situation right now. While the company has been working away on a console-like device called the Steam Machine, it seems the device has been delayed for a few more months at the very least. Worse, it seems that the shortage has caused Valve to go back to the drawing board and reconsider how much it wants to charge for this device, and its answer has a chance to really scupper the Steam Machine's changes.

Spotify has launched a new feature called Page Match that lets you quickly sync your spot in a physical or ebook with an audiobook. Point your camera at a page, and the Spotify app uses computer vision to match text with audio. If you have to jump behind the wheel for a long drive, but didn't want to put down The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, you can just snap a pic to jump to the spot in the audiobook where you left off in the physical book.It's not unlike Amazon's Whispersync for Voice, which lets you seamlessly jump back and forth between Kindle books and Audible audiobooks. The difference is that Spotify's version works with physical books an …Read the full story at The Verge.

A Pi-Hole is one of the first self-hosted projects most people turn to. I, too, have been running one for years, and it's one of the easiest ways to cut out ads, tracking, and telemetry noise from your entire home network. But as good as Pi-Hole is, it can be borderline overkill for some people. For example, on my iPad, I actually prefer seeing ads as it helps me do research for my marketing business.

If you often travel with your gadgets, a fast, reliable portable battery like Anker’s Laptop Power Bank is a worthwhile purchase. Right now, you can buy the silver model at its all-time low price of $87.99 ($47 off) from Anker via Newegg when you apply promo code ENCF232 at checkout. Alternatively, the black color scheme costs $89.99 from Newegg (with code BGSF33) and directly from Anker (with code VergeYWP0QJDE).Anker Laptop Power BankWhere to Buy: $119.99 $87.99 at Newegg (silver, with code ENCF232) $119.99 $89.99 at Newegg (black, with code BGSF33) $119.99 $89.99 at Anker (black, with code VergeYWP0QJDE)The 25,000mAh / 90Wh power bank can charge up to four gadgets at once with its  three USB-C ports along with a single USB-A port. It’s powerful, too, delivering up to 165W of power to two devices, or a maximum of 130W when charging up to four. It has a convenient LCD screen that shows power levels and remaining charge, so you don’t have to worry about it running out of power unexpectedly. This travel-friendly, carry-on compliant battery offers everything you need to charge devices, including a retractable USB-C cable and another built-in cable that doubles as a carrying strap. It’s roughly the size of a soda can, making it easier to toss into your bag or pack than a bunch of cables and chargers.Some more ways to saveAmazon’s selling the 41mm Google Pixel Watch 4 with Wi-Fi support for $299.99 ($50 off), which matches its best price. It’s currently one of our favorite smartwatches (not to mention our favorite Fitbit smartwatch, too), offering Gemini AI support along with a wide range of health and fitness features, including dual-frequency GPS and retroactive AI activity recognition. The wearable was also named the most repairable smartwatch by iFixit, and improves on its predecessor with longer battery life, and a side-mounted charger that lets the watch double as an at-a-glance display. Read our review.You can pick up the tiny Blink Mini 2 camera for $23.99 ($16 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. Along with outdoor mounting options, the indoor camera improves on the original with better image and audio quality, USB-C connectivity, and a wider 143-degree field of view. It also continues to offer two-way audio, motion alerts, and Amazon Alexa integration. You can also buy it at Amazon bundled with the weather-resistant adapter for $33.98 ($16 off) if you want to mount it outdoors. Read our review.The new Mui Board Gen 2 is on sale for $849 ($150 off) directly from Mui. Made from real wood, the smart home controller looks like a simple wooden panel on your wall, but when you touch it, glowing icons appear so you can control music, lights, and thermostats, check messages, or even glance at the news. It supports Matter as well as platforms and devices like Sonos and Philips Hue, and also adds playful features like built-in piano and drum modes and the ability to handwrite messages directly on the surface. Read our review.

RAM is often blamed first for abrupt slowdowns and overall sluggish PC performance. In both gaming and productivity workloads, a lack of free system memory can cause these symptoms, but increasing capacity isn't always the surefire way to fix them. In fact, modern systems running out of memory to the point of significant performance loss isn't as common as you think. Configuration plays a big part in your RAM's ability to do its job, and sometimes, the best upgrade can be as easy as a toggle in your BIOS.

Substack is notifying some users that the email addresses and phone numbers linked to their accounts were exposed in a "security incident" last year. In an email to account holders, Substack CEO Chris Best said that a hacker had accessed internal data without authorization in October 2025, but that passwords, credit card numbers, and other financial information remain secure."On February 3rd, we identified evidence of a problem with our systems that allowed an unauthorized third party to access limited user data without permission, including email addresses, phone numbers, and other internal metadata," Best said in the email. "We do not ha …Read the full story at The Verge.

Adobe software used to be the place you’d turn to if you wanted to create anything worthwhile. Or at least, that’s what people, including myself, assumed. However, there’s a whole world of options that don’t cost a fortune and don’t keep you tied to the cloud or proprietary formats. Ever since canceling my Adobe subscriptions, I’ve been able to continue working on the same projects using my new open-source graphics stack.

One of my favorite things people do with microcontrollers is to make really itty-bitty versions of classic games. While it may not be practical to play a game on a tiny screen for long periods of time, I feel like these projects win on geek cred alone. Well, someone has gone and added Pac-Man to a 1.69'' screen, and you can control it using tilt controls. Very cool.

For a while now, I've been in search of a proper grocery tracking app that not only helps me balance my shopping list, but also lets me stay on top of pantry staples I already have at home. I've tried a variety of options (including a way too complex Notion setup), but nothing has quite hit the nail on the head. When I discovered Grocy, I thought I'd struck gold — it seems custom-built for that purpose. Unfortunately, after using it daily for a week, it turned into a massive headache that took more time to maintain than it saved.