Most people might figure that once you set up your network security-wise, what's done is done, and besides routine updates, not much is going to change. You fix things when something breaks, when a service stops responding, or when you notice suspicious behavior, and other than that, you should be good to go, right?

Windows Search has been a thorn in my side for as long as I have used the OS. I often rely on the search field in the Start menu or taskbar to locate a file I very well know the location of, and yet, Search takes longer that clicking through File Explorer would, or just disappoints with irrelevant results. It’s slow, often inaccurate, and seems more interested in serving me Bing results I didn't ask for. Even Microsoft's answer to this frustration for power users—PowerToys Run—feels half-baked. While it is certainly a step up from the start menu, it still largely relies on the same sluggish underlying indexing service that plagues the OS. It mimics Spotlight Search from macOS, but the semblance is only skin-deep.

The Lockin V7 Max looks nothing like other smart locks. | Image: Lockin While using a smart lock has a lot of positives, one of the negatives is having to deal with a battery that has unexpectedly gone dead. Lockin is introducing a smart lock that bypasses that problem: the V7 Max, which is powered by wireless optical charging. According to the company, the lock uses "eye-safe optical output to provide rapid power delivery with zero waste within a four-meter range."This is how it works, according to Lockin: The smart lock's lithium battery is wirelessly charged by a transmitter, call an AuraCharge, which is plugged into an outlet and installed inside the house within 4 meters of the lock (you can mount the Aur …Read the full story at The Verge.

Every year around this time, gamers usually start making plans. We start budgeting for new GPUs, maybe some more RAM, and an SSD or two. Heck, even a full rebuild if things line up just right. This year, though, that entire conversation feels dead on arrival. Across the board, hardware upgrade plans are being stalled or outright scrapped, and it's not because we've suddenly stopped caring about performance. It's because the price tags for RAM, SSDs, and GPUs have all shot straight through the stratosphere.

Mammotion is upgrading its flagship robotic lawnmower with its new lidar-equipped navigation system, allowing it to generate a live 3D map of your yard while it mows. The company revealed the Luba 3 AWD, which comes with lidar sensors that can scan "from the ground to the treetops" with centimeter-level accuracy, during CES 2026.The lidar system is part of Mammotion's "Tri-Fusion" system that combines lidar, geopositioning technology, and an AI chip that uses built-in cameras to analyze your yard for more accurate navigation. Though Mammotion's Luba Mini AWD lidar was the first to come with the tri-sensor tech, the company says the Luba 3 …Read the full story at The Verge.

Modern GPUs are running hot, and that's inevitable. They are pushing higher frames than ever, and that's not possible without generating a ton of heat. Now, while advancements in process nodes and architecture mean that they aren't running too hot compared to older generations, there's still a problem, especially with CPUs, SSDs, and RAM picking up as well. With all that heat combined, undervolting emerged as a widely used tweak for anyone running mid- to high-end GPUs from the last few generations. But another tweak that should be just as relevant is power limiting.

The Aliro standard will launch this year. The long-delayed smart lock standard Aliro is finally launching. The first specification, which standardizes NFC-based tap-to-unlock and UWB hands-free unlocking for smart locks, will arrive early this year, according to the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA). "We're delighted to share that Aliro, the CSA's standardized credential and communication protocol that lets trusted smartphones and wearables act as digital keys with smart locks and readers in your home and where you badge, has passed its final verification milestone and will come to market in Q1 2026," Nelson Henry, Chair of the Aliro Steering Committee, told The Verge in an em …Read the full story at The Verge.

Up down, touch the ground… | Image: Mui Lab The Mui Board is, as far as smart home controllers go, soothing and nondescript. There's no bright HD screen, or even anything obviously technological. It's a smooth piece of wood that gently glows when you interact with it. So it makes sense that Mui Lab would suggest it as an excellent option for the bedroom. And, if you're gonna have this weird connected bar hanging near your bed, it might be nice if it could also track your sleep.The company's new Mui Calm Sleep Platform for the Mui Board Gen 2 will work with millimeter-wave sensors to track your sleep state without you having to strap on a smartwatch, headband, or even a ring. Instead …Read the full story at The Verge.

New OLED gaming monitors from top companies coming out this year should look clearer and crisper. LG Display and Samsung Display, which typically provide the actual panels used in gaming monitors, are finally lining up the colors of their subpixels in vertical RGB stripes - remember when we used to worry about Pentile OLED displays? - which means, among other improvements, the panels should have easier-to-read text.You can see for yourself how Asus and MSI are touting changes to their upcoming monitors with Stripe RGB technology - for Asus, with the ROG Swift OLED PG27UCWM, ROG Swift OLED PG34WCDN, and ROG Strix OLED XG34WCDMS, and for MSI …Read the full story at The Verge.

For me, as a tech blogger, productivity isn’t about trying every new app that shows up on my feed. It’s about building a setup I can trust every single day. Over the years, I’ve slowly moved toward self-hosting most of my core tools, not because it’s trendy, but because it gives me control, speed, and peace of mind. When my data stays with me and my tools work the same way every time, my focus improves naturally. This stack is the result of that mindset. These are the tools I rely on daily, and they will be a non-negotiable part of my self-hosted productivity stack for 2026.

The new year brings new devices to the market, new use cases emerge, and the lines between product categories become easier to understand. But heading into 2026, no upcoming piece of hardware leaves me more puzzled than Valve's Steam Machine. Not because of what's under the hood, or its unique design, but because it's remarkably difficult to explain who it's actually for.

The debate between console gaming and PC gaming has been ongoing for decades. While some people prefer to pick up a home console to plug into their television, others are open to utilizing their desktop and laptop PCs to play their favorite games. For me, I grew up up as a console gamer during the 90s, and have remained so throughout most of my life. And while I don't dislike PC gaming as a whole, there are a few reasons why I don't find myself committing to it as much as other people do.