For the last three years that I've owned my gaming rig, I've always been happy to get the most out of my 1440p machine. Buying a new 4K mini-LED TV, however, has changed that: it has planted in me the idea that maybe the console doesn't have to be the only thing plugged into it. The PS5 Pro is great, sure, but a PC, even one built around a three-year-old GPU, still offers better image controls, more flexibility, and far more room to experiment.

While other companies have been quick to add AI to their browsers, Mozilla has been walking a tightrope. On one hand, Mozilla's CEO believes that Firefox needs to get with the times and add AI tools. On the other hand, Firefox's users aren't too happy with the idea. As such, Mozilla has been trying to find a middle ground between adding AI without forcing AI, allowing people to choose their tools, and giving them a big 'nuke all AI' button.

Given how KDE Plasma was one of the driving factors for me to ditch Windows to good, you'll very often hear me sing its praises either here on XDA or in person. However, I will also be the first to admit that KDE Plasma isn't perfect. It's definitely one of the closest desktop environments to perfection in my eyes, but it's not quite there yet.

Would it surprise you to learn Microsoft booted Jeffrey Epstein from its online gaming platform? As spotted by XboxEra, the latest batch of Epstein's emails shows that in December 2013, he was "permanently suspended due to harassment, threats, and/or abuse of other players."But it appears the real reason may be simpler: A second email from Microsoft to Epstein the very same day shows he was banned because he was a registered sex offender, and because Microsoft was among the companies that agreed to purge registered sex offenders from their systems.While Epstein became a registered sex offender years earlier, another email shows he ma …Read the full story at The Verge.

Project Genie’s version of Link from an experience I made. | Image: Google The stock prices of some major video game companies, including Take-Two Interactive, Roblox, and Unity, had notable declines on Friday, just a day after Google announced its Project Genie tool that lets users prompt AI to generate interactive experiences, Reuters reports. Take-Two's stock price closed at $220.30 (down 7.93 percent from yesterday), Roblox's closed at $65.76 (down 13.17 percent), and Unity's closed at $29.10 (down 24.22 percent).Other AI tools have received significant pushback from artists and creators over allegations of theft of their work to train the underlying AI models, AI's water and electricity usage, and what this …Read the full story at The Verge.

Nothing brings out my internal crotchety old man like the current state of Windows 11's Notepad app. Back in my day, you could enter text, save a document, and that's your lot. It was perfect for what it was: a way to take notes that didn't require the full gamut of features that Word offers. And then Microsoft added formatting, tables, and Copilot to the app, and now it's just not the same.

Back in November, Microsoft got a reality check. Pavan Davuluri, the President of Windows and Devices, took to X to announce that they plan to make Windows 11 an agentic operating system. Microsoft is very pro-AI and sees a lot of potential with the tech, so there's a good chance Pavan expected people to respond in kind. Instead, they caught the ire of Windows users who were sick to death with Copilot.

My job means I spend a lot of time writing, and as a result, I spend a lot of time — more than is productive, probably — looking for the best possible writing apps. Over time, what I look for in apps has changed. An abundance of features has become less of a necessity; instead, I want something straightforward that lets me get the job done with minimal distractions.

Peloton said on Friday that it's cutting around 11 percent of its staff, mostly impacting "engineers working on technology and enterprise-related efforts," reports Bloomberg. Last August, Peloton laid off six percent of its workforce and told investors it would continue layoffs globally in 2026, in an attempt to cut at least $100 million of annual spending by the end of the fiscal year. Peloton's latest strategy shift to reverse the effect of its pandemic-era boom stalling out has also brought new hardware with Peloton IQ AI features. The Cross Training Series that debuted last October includes a new Bike, Bike Plus, Tread, Tread Plus, …Read the full story at The Verge.

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) talks to reporters following the weekly Senate Democratic policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on January 28, 2026 in Washington, DC. | Getty Images The Senate voted on Friday evening to pass the federal budget, funding everything except for one entity: the Department of Homeland Security, which was given a two-week funding extension in order to negotiate new guardrails around Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE). If no agreement is reached, DHS funding will lapse and the department will face a shutdown.The agreement - the result of frenzied negotiations between a united Senate Democrat caucus, their Republican counterparts, and the White House - passed 71-29. DHS will remain unfunded over the weekend, however, until the House of Representatives reconvenes on Monday to approve th …Read the full story at The Verge.

We've all been there at one point or another. We're working hard on a project, and we just need more ports, and they aren't available. It's common on laptops and tablets, and even some desktop PCs as well.

I built my first personal cloud on an SBC because I wanted something I owned end-to-end. No subscription math, no account juggling, and no feeling like my files lived on somebody else’s schedule. It worked, and I still prefer the idea to most commercial cloud pitches. But the part I didn’t anticipate was how quickly “small and simple” can turn into a painful nightmare when you are the admin, the support desk, and the warranty department.