The new LaCie Rugged SSD4 is compatible with computers, tablets, and smartphones. | Image: Seagate Neil Poulton succeeded in elevating the design of external drives two decades ago with the introduction of LaCie’s Rugged line, which features a bright orange bumper to protect data from drops. Today, Seagate announced an updated version of the LaCie Rugged Mini SSD with a few small design tweaks and a big boost to transfer speeds.The drive is now called the LaCie Rugged SSD4 and is available starting today in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities (Seagate is dropping the 500MB option) for $134.99, $249.99, and $479.99, respectively.The Rugged SSD4 is exactly the same size as its predecessor but now features a brushed aluminum finish and a centered USB-C port. It now supports transfer speeds up to 40Gbps with 4,000MB/s read speeds and 3,000MB/s write speeds. Seagate’s older Rugged Mini SSD had a USB-C port that was slightly off-center, a smoother aluminum finish, and read speeds that maxed out at 2,000MB/s.The new drive isn’t quite as fast as the LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5 that was introduced earlier this year at CES with 6,700MB/s read and 5,300MB/s write speeds, but when it’s connected to a USB-C iPhone, the Rugged SSD4 is fast enough to capture ProRes 4K footage at 120fps.As with the previous version, the new Rugged SSD4 has an IP54 rating against dust and water, but it’s definitely not waterproof so while splashes are okay, a complete dunking would not be. Its orange bumper also protects it from drops as high as nearly 10 feet, but that’s definitely not an invitation to casually toss it around.

My old Lenovo laptop no longer supports Windows. The last OS that worked on it was Windows 7, and after that, every app, including modern browsers, stopped working due to the operating system being unsupported. The obvious choice was to install an operating system that runs without hiccups, given the laptop's 2-core second-gen Intel i3 processor and 4GB DDR3 memory. I previously tried the Raspberry Pi Desktop OS, but it had a few flaws. It lacked a 64-bit version and was based on Debian 11, with no chance of future upgrades.

After relying on Pocket for years, I found myself in a familiar dilemma when it announced its shutdown: finding a new home for my endless "to-read" list. I tried dozens of alternatives, from big-name apps to smaller services, but nothing felt right. They were all either too messy, too confusing, or they just didn't have the features I needed. It seemed impossible to find a service that truly felt like my own.

While many people prefer to use wireless connections for their devices, wired connections still play a crucial role — especially when reliability is key. With a wired network, not only are you able to achieve faster speed with increased stability, but you can also power devices through the same cable, which is essential for building out a robust smart home. And if you're someone that's considering wiring up their location, that's where a solid PoE switch comes in.

Microsoft has started testing a change to how Xbox controllers operate on Windows 11. The change will allow Xbox controllers to easily access the Task View on Windows 11 to tab between apps and games, using the Xbox button.“A new change we’re introducing is when you long press the Xbox button, it will open Task View,” explains Microsoft’s Windows Insider team. “Pressing and holding the Xbox button continues to turn off the game controller.”The change will align Xbox controllers with the work Microsoft is doing for handheld gaming PCs with Windows 11. The upcoming Xbox Ally devices will have an Xbox button, which opens a handheld-friendly task switcher with a long press. Microsoft has tweaked the task switcher on handhelds so it has new animations, and it’s not clear if this same interface will come to all Windows 11 gaming PCs.You can already use a single press of the Xbox button on handhelds or controllers to open the Game Bar in Windows 11, and access widgets, games, and performance information. Microsoft has started testing this change with Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel, so they should be available to all Windows 11 users in the coming months.

The AirPods Pro 3 are the slam dunk win of this product cycle. The AirPods Pro are about as ubiquitous as earbuds can get. Step outside your door, and you're almost certain to see people wearing them. For good reason, too. Their active noise cancelling (ANC) is excellent for the price, sound quality is great, and they're comfortable and convenient. If it ain't broke, why fix it? After all, messing with a winning formula just for the sake of change often ends up in disappointment.That's not the case with the $249.99 AirPods Pro 3. Of all the shiny new gadgets Apple launched last week, this is the sole no-brainer upgrade. Everything you liked about the AirPods Pro just got better - and so did everythin …Read the full story at The Verge.

Earlier this year, I decided to try out Donetick to help me with my chores. While my experience with the app was positive, I often find that I stop using many self-hosted services after some time. This is partly due to my becoming overwhelmed when switching between too many apps and my general resistance to changing my routine.

Nintendo is often embroiled in a battle against pirates and individuals who emulate its games. Every new hardware generation, Nintendo adds some new countermeasures to protect its systems, and people find a way to circumvent them. It ends up being an arms race until Nintendo pulls out the strongest counter-attack it can muster: full-blown legal action.

We've seen a few good sales on Steam lately (such as this popular military sim going as low as $3), but when you're talking pure value for money, you really can't go wrong with free. Steam often hosts "play for free" events, where people can try out a game without paying a cent, with the caveat that it's only available for a short amount of time, after which you'll need to buy it. However, very rarely, we'll see a game go "free to keep", which means that if you grab it during its promotional window, you own it—forever.

Apple’s 40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max. | Image: Apple Alongside its new iPhone 17 lineup, Apple casually launched a world’s first last week inside the very dull sounding “Apple 40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max.” It’s the first charger to support the USB PD 3.2 AVS protocol, giving you some of the benefits of a more powerful 60W charger in a compact 40W package.AVS — which stands for Adjustable Voltage Supply — provides granular voltage options allowing the power source to offer more precise and efficient charging of devices like smartphones and laptops. You can see it listed on the charger specs from Apple Insider’s hands-on.For reasons of safety, efficiency, and longevity, the batteries in our phones and laptops do not charge at their maximum possible input for the entirety of the charging cycle. Instead it’s regulated at predefined voltages to slow down charging as the battery fills. With AVS, the power source can provide a very specific voltage that is closer to the ideal needed for the device being charged, speeding up charging without overheating.However, unlike a true 60W charger, Apple’s little 40W GaN charger can not maintain that peak 60W rate forever — only 18 minutes as demonstrated by Privaterbok over at the r/UsbCHardware subreddit. That makes it suitable for fast charging a new iPhone 17 but not a MacBook Pro, which is why Apple sells it as a 40W charger “with 60W Max” and not a 60W charger.It also means that you might need Apple’s $39 Dynamic Power Adapter if you want to match Apple’s fast charging claim for the iPhone 17 models (“up to 50 percent in 20 minutes”) or wait for Anker and others to provide a compatible USB PD 3.2 AVS charger of their own.

When I was thinking about getting my first e-reader, I kept coming back to the same question: why not just get a tablet? After all, a tablet, like an iPad, can do a lot more than an e-reader. And what about e-ink notepads like the ReMarkable tablet? They’re more expensive than e-readers, but offer more versatility for note-taking and annotating what you’re reading.

Qualcomm has explained why this isn’t the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2. Qualcomm has announced that its upcoming flagship mobile chipset is the “Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5,” a confusingly named successor to the Snapdragon 8 Elite. While the processor itself will be unveiled during the Snapdragon Summit on September 23rd-25th, Qualcomm has already published an explanation for the branding update.“It might look like we skipped generations, but the truth is simpler— and more powerful. Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 marks the fifth generation of our premium 8-series platforms since we introduced our new single-digit naming and visual identity, ” Qualcomm said in a blog post. “So, while the naming may look new, it’s actually a continuation of our established framework.”This move aims to make the generational Snapdragon mobile chip lineup easier for consumers to understand. After releasing the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, Gen 2, and Gen 3, Qualcomm broke its naming conventions with last year’s Snapdragon 8 Elite, which is technically the fourth generation of the Snapdragon 8-series. Reintroducing generation numbers will help to make it clearer that these products all exist within the same family and release timeline, while (perhaps not coincidentally) avoiding the number four — which is considered to be unlucky in Chinese culture.To Qualcomm’s credit, this is less confusing than the numerical branding it previously used for its Snapdragon mobile chips, but it’s amusing that it still had to justify the switch to people who were expecting this to be called the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2.The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is poised to rival Apple’s new A19 Pro chipset, and is expected to power the next generation of flagship Android phones, such as Samsung’s Galaxy S26 series and the OnePlus 15.