I have always believed in optimizing my workflow, but my mastery and knowledge of Microsoft Excel remained stuck in the basics. I knew there were advanced tricks out there, but they always felt intimidating and out of reach. Here is where I turned to NotebookLM, which helped me cut through the noise of complex tutorials and pinpoint the most effective, advanced Excel tricks that immediately shaved hours off my weekly tasks.

Notion has been my go-to note-taking app for years, and I’d argue it’s still a decent option for those who aren’t too bothered by the pricing model and privacy issues - few tools come close to its note-taking and database capabilities. But I’ve almost completely replaced Notion with open-source alternatives at this point, some of which even outperform it.

PC users might differ on which components are still relevant and which ones are effectively obsolete. After all, it's stupid to throw away your old Gen3 NVMe SSD or non-modular PSU just because they've been replaced by far better models. However, when you're in the market for new components, there are some specs you shouldn't consider anymore, even if you're building a budget PC. From outdated displays to insufficient storage and memory, here are six PC specs that shouldn't feature on your new PC in 2026.

Everyone had a good laugh at HBO Max this week when the new 4K Mad Men remaster debuted with a number of glaring errors that should have been caught before the show was uploaded to the streamer's servers. Episodes went live with incorrect titles, and in one instance you could still see members of the show's production crew who shouldn't have been visible on-camera. The mistakes were reportedly the result of Lionsgate Television - Mad Men's original production company - sending over the incorrect set of exported files.It is wild to think that no one at HBO noticed that the remastered "Red in the Face" episode still included a clear shot of …Read the full story at The Verge.

It was only in June that Jeremy Carrasco uploaded his first videos to TikTok and Instagram. In that short time, he's amassed over 300,000 followers on each platform. No, it's not exactly Charli D'Amelio numbers, but that does make him one of the biggest names in AI literacy on social media. Jeremy told The Verge that he always wanted to try his hand at being a YouTuber. Instead, he found himself behind the camera, working as a producer and director on multicamera livestreams. But he finally decided to take the plunge after realizing that most of the dialogue around generative AI was being driven by the tech companies. "We need other people …Read the full story at The Verge.

On December 8, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 will be widely released on PS5. It's already available on the platform through early access, marking the first time the long-running flight simulation game series has ever been available on a PlayStation console. This port is part of a wider initiative from Xbox Game Studios in recent years to bring its previously exclusive games to other platforms. This past week, I hopped on a call with Head of Microsoft Flight Simulator Jorg Neumann to discuss the PS5 port.

Horses has become the current face of the fight against video game censorship and what gets to be art. After getting banned from Steam and the Epic Game Store, the narrative horror game has become a bestseller on GOG.com, and has brought gamers of all stripes together in support of it. But as a game, Horses doesn't deserve all this - neither its bans nor, after playing it myself, all the glowing praise.Horses is a collaboration between indie studio Santa Ragione and Italian filmmaker Andrea Lucco Bolera. Bolera wrote the game and acted in and directed the FMV cutscenes that are interspersed throughout, while the developers at Santa Ragione …Read the full story at The Verge.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman is reporting that Johny Srouji, senior vice president of hardware technologies, told Tim Cook he is “seriously considering” leaving Apple for another company in the near future. It was reported in October that Srouji was “evaluating his future at the tech giant.” While nothing is confirmed, it seems the executive is leaning towards not having a future at Cupertino.If Srouji leaves, he would be just the latest in a string of high-profile shakeups in the company’s C-suite. COO Jeff Williams announced his retirement in July, which led to some shifting of roles. But things have only accelerated in December, with AI chief John Giannandrea stepping down, policy lead Lisa Jackson and general counsel Kate Adams announcing plans to retire, and UI design lead Alan Dye departing for Meta, all in the last few days.Apple has struggled somewhat to find its footing as the industry further embraces AI. Now Tim Cook is tasked with trying to stem the bleeding, while being subject to rumors of his own departure. Gurman, who is usually reliable, has said those rumors are premature, but it still adds to the uncertainty surrounding what is typically one of the more stable companies in Silicon Valley.

It's been a few years since the official introduction of the Bluetooth technology Auracast, which allows devices like earbuds, headphones, speakers, and hearing aids to connect to a single source without the need for pairing. Like a radio picks up your local radio stations, all you have to do is connect to the right broadcast. These could be flight announcements from your gate at the airport, the microphone a teacher is using during a presentation, or the TV you're watching while on the treadmill at the gym.By letting you link directly into one of these broadcasts, Auracast can increase auditory accessibility for those who are hard of hear …Read the full story at The Verge.

Like most people, I stuck to the resource-hogging familiarity of Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge and believed there was no true alternative that could simplify my digital workflow. That was until I discovered Comet. Created by Perplexity, Comet is the new AI-native browser that redesigns how we interact with the web.

Home servers run quietly in the background, yet they carry a surprising amount of responsibility for media streaming, file serving, automation, backups, and self-hosting. The hardware you choose determines how smooth this experience feels over months or even years of continuous uptime.

It’s a great time to consider buying Nintendo’s latest console. | Photo: Cameron Faulkner / The Verge Cyber week has just about wrapped up, but there are still some amazing Cyber Monday leftovers that you can save money on. The one deal we can’t stop telling readers about is the unexpected $50 discount on Nintendo’s Switch 2 console bundle that includes Mario Kart World, bringing it down to $449.99 (was $499.99). Currently, you can snag the bundle at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy. It’s the best Switch 2 console to buy for the holidays because it comes with Mario Kart World, a fun racing game that’s $79.99 to buy outside of the bundle. You’re getting it for free instead.A price drop for the new handheld was about the last thing we expected to see this week, and we’re happy that the deal has endured over multiple days. We don’t know when it will end, so we’re treating every day like it’ll be the last.If you’re shopping for a Switch 2 console, there are some extras that you may want to consider buying along with it. Games aside, we have buying guides with recommendations if you’re looking for cheap, but great wireless controllers, protective cases that are better than the rest, as well as the best Switch 2 screen protectors we tried.Nintendo Switch 2The Nintendo Switch 2 has a 7.9-inch LCD display, magnetically attached Joy-Con 2 controllers, backwards compatibility with most original Switch games, and exclusive titles including Donkey Kong Bananza and Kirby Air Riders. Read our review.Where to Buy: $499.99 $449 at Amazon (Mario Kart World bundle) $499.99 $449.99 at Walmart (Mario Kart World bundle) $499.99 $449 at Best Buy (Mario Kart World bundle)We learned something interesting, but not entirely surprising, about people who were reading our Black Friday coverage: they love ice cream. They flocked to the $70 off deal that’s still happening at Amazon and Best Buy on Ninja’s Creami ice cream maker that can seemingly do it all. You’ll have a tough time finding a more capable machine at its $279.99 sale price (if you frequently treat yourself and the family to ice cream cones, the Creami’s cost will be offset faster than you might think). This machine has a ton of modes, letting you craft soft serve or thicker, scoopable ice cream. You can use it to craft sorbet, gelato, frozen custard, or froyo – or whip up a milkshake. One full batch of ice cream can fill four small cones, or four scooped bowls.Ninja Creami Scoop & SwirlNinja’s clever 2-in-1 machine can spin up soft serve and traditional hard scoops in a few easy steps, not to mention creamy milkshakes, gelato, and frozen yogurt. Where to Buy: $349.99 $279.99 at Amazon $349.99 $279.99 at Best Buy $349.99 $279.99 at SharkNinjaNot everyone is ready for smart glasses that have cameras built into them. We get it (some Verge staffers feel the same way). However, if you want glasses with some smarts — the ability to take audio calls and listen to music and podcasts, or get Alexa assistance with questions or commands — look no further than the Black Friday bundle that includes Amazon’s latest Echo Frames glasses. The glasses typically sold for over $300 before Black Friday, but you can get the glasses in multiple styles for just $114.99 at Amazon.Amazon Echo Frames (latest verion)The smart glasses resemble a pair of regular eyeglasses but can be used to listen to music, take calls, and perform a range of Alexa-enabled tasks. They feature up to six hours of audio playback with their open-ear design.Where to Buy: $299.99 $114.99 at Amazon (original)Other Verge-approved deals we dug this weekFor a limited time, B&H Photo has the best price on the M4 Mac Mini that has 24GB of RAM and 256GB of storage — definitely an odd configuration, but a fast one, nevertheless! Normally $779, you can snag it for $679. Of course, most people who want this much memory probably want a bigger SSD than what’s offered here. Unfortunately, getting 24GB RAM with a 512GB SSD costs $904 at Amazon. If you prefer having a 512GB SSD and are alright settling with just 16GB of RAM, Amazon has that model for $729. As for my opinion on the matter, get the model with more RAM. Read our review.JBL’s Tour One M3 over-ear headphones plummeted to their lowest price yet at Amazon and B&H Photo, where the black or blue color schemes are $249.99 (originally $449, but commonly discounted to about $380). These hang with other flagship headphones in terms of sound quality, comfort, and have a robust active noise cancellation effect (they hit my radar thanks to a May 2025 review from Wirecutter). They’re especially interesting because they include an Auracast transmitter, with which you can plug into any device to beam a Bluetooth signal that any other Auracast-enabled device can connect to (the Tour One M3 is supported, obviously). In normal use, the transmitter is handy for setting up no-fuss connections to really any device with a headphone jack, be it in-flight entertainment, a treadmill, a laptop, or a portable gaming console, to provide some examples.I have another treat for your ears — this one being particularly good for PC gamers. The Fractal Scape is a wireless gaming headset better than most at its sale price of $169.99 ($30 off) at Amazon and Walmart. Not only does it sound very good while playing games and listening to music, its web browser-based tool makes it very easy to customize equalizers, in addition to tweaking the built-in LEDs built into the ear cups. Two other things make this one worth considering: recharging them is really easy, as you simply put them on the included docking station, and its Digital Crown-esque knob makes adjusting the volume or skipping tracks a breeze. Read our review.