I've been a smart home enthusiast for as long as I can remember. IoT devices have always piqued my interest, since connecting multiple devices to the network and controlling all of them remotely is extremely convenient. However, as I started to delve deeper into the world of smart home devices, I realized that it's anything but convenient. My lightbulbs connect via a proprietary hub, the security cameras in my home office can only be controlled using the companion app, and my smart plugs connect to a Zigbee device. Owing to this, I have to juggle between multiple apps and services on my devices to control my smart home. An experience that's far from ideal.

Push a button and get more screen. | GIF by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Part of me still can't believe it, but Lenovo did the thing: it took a bonkers concept for a laptop with a rollable screen and built the tech into something you can actually own and use like a normal computer. Except, as conventional as the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 can be, it's far from a normal computer. It's a $3,300 laptop with a screen that expands from 14 inches to 16.7 inches at the push of a button.Oh, and it's actually good. Not just good, but very good. I still can't believe it. The expanding screen is genuinely useful, and it makes the ThinkBook by far one of the coolest and most futuristic-looking laptops I've ever used. But, as w …Read the full story at The Verge.

The Nintendo Switch 2 has been a bit controversial since it was first unveiled this spring. Not only was the new Nintendo handheld more expensive than the original, the games would cost more as well. However, those early gripes were somewhat assauged once fans got their hands on the Switch 2, reporting solid performance upgrades and raving over the first Switch 2 games like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza.

The original Nintendo Switch, which has cost $299.99 in the US since its release in 2017, is now priced at $339.99 on Nintendo’s online store. Other first-gen Switch models are now more expensive, too, with the Switch OLED going from $349.99 to $399.99, and the Switch Lite increasing from $199.99 to $229.99. Nintendo said on Friday that its decision to raise the price was “based on market conditions,” just after implementing a similar new set of prices in Canada on August 1st. The US announcement came just one day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order that will impose new “reciprocal” tariffs on a range of countries. Trump’s growing list of tariffs now includes a 20 percent levy on products imported from Vietnam, where Nintendo has transferred most of its production.Nintendo also issued $10 price increases for the Alarmo and Switch 1 Joy-Cons, which now cost $109.99 and $89.99, respectively. Prices aren’t changing for the Switch 2 console, as well as Switch and Switch 2 games, whether physical or digital.With the price increase, the Switch OLED is now only slightly less expensive than the $449.99 Switch 2 (which doesn’t have an OLED display). The Switch 2 has been a massive hit so far, selling over 6 million units since launch despite Nintendo struggling to keep up with demand.

The console wars of the 90s were an interesting time for anyone that was into playing video games. Two titans of the industry, Nintendo and Sega, were constantly at odds for the attention of young gamers and customers who purchased games. In the midst of that competition, the companies developed and released accessories for their respective consoles that enhanced the experience that players would have playing different games. One of those accessories by Sega was an add-on to the Sega Genesis console named the Sega 32X. This was an attachment that enabled a Genesis to play new games that took advantage of better hardware, expanding upon the lifespan of the Genesis to compete with the Super Nintendo longer.

My laptop is nearing retirement, and I need a replacement. The most obvious alternative is the hardware I already own, and while a Raspberry Pi 5 might be a smart and affordable option, it lacks grunt on the media production side of things.

We've all dealt with uptime issues when it comes to self-hosted services, be it that our servers go down or their availability is sporadic and spotty. Sometimes, it can be easy to miss if they do go down until either someone you know who relies on the service is sending you an angry message, or you go to use it and face a timeout or a gateway error. That's why I turned a lamp in my living room into a messenger for Uptime Kuma.

Like Google and all other big names in tech, Microsoft has a reputation for laying off both employees and the software it creates. Publisher is a rather niche Office suite utility that's one of the casualties this year. It was a great alternative to the annoyances of Word, but after decades of service as the go-to desktop publishing tool for small businesses, schools, and home users, Microsoft announced Publisher is going away in October 2026.

I used to jump between a mix of apps, notebooks, and sticky notes to desperately keep track of my tasks, projects, and endless stream of ideas. It was time-consuming, counterintuitive, and broke my flow. And then I discovered Nodegram, and it transformed how I visually manage everything. It’s truly a game-changer, and I can confidently say I’m not going back to my old ways.

Many gamers upgrade their CPUs every two or three generations to make sure they pair well with newer graphics cards and avoid potential bottlenecks. That makes perfect sense since an older CPU can hold back a newer GPU, especially a high-end one, from reaching its full potential. I learned this firsthand when I upgraded to the RTX 4090 in 2022 without upgrading my Ryzen 9 5900X. The GPU utilization was pretty low across a variety of games, and I saw nowhere near the 60 to 70 percent performance gains over the RTX 3090.

Sick and tired of being paranoid about who may be watching what you use your PC for? Are you tired of trying to outsmart malicious parties who would love nothing more than to infect your system with malware? It may be time for you to switch from macOS and Windows 11 to try a privacy-focused Linux distro. There are a few of them available, and I've compiled a list of some I would recommend trying if you're at least slightly security-conscious.

On Monday, the Freedom of the Press Foundation filed a complaint against Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr. The filing, sent to the Office of Disciplinary Counsel at the DC Court of Appeals, alleges that Carr had repeatedly broken basic principles of conduct as a licensed attorney, including by leveraging his power to control media outlets' speech. As a legal complaint it's a long shot - but as a document, it sums up months of Carr's escalating war on free speech.While the complaint's examples go back months, Status reports that the FPF's "tipping point" was Carr's recent approval of a merger between Paramount and Sky …Read the full story at The Verge.