I've been using Claude Code for all kinds of things lately, but I'm always worried about my token usage, even on the Max plan. Especially with Opus 4.7, where my allocation seems to get burned through on simple tasks it used to handle quickly. I've also been moving into locally hosting LLMs, after getting a couple of DGX Spark units from Asus to play with, which has enabled me to run much larger models, and hence more capable ones.

In 2022, we were promised one logo to rule them all: no more hubs, no more working with HomeKit versus works with Alexa fragmentation, just a universal standard. The reality of this is that Matter has become a standard of standards. Instead of one hub, you now have three Thread border routers from different brands creating fragmented Thread partitions in your house.

Despite being a fan of the Raspberry Pi as a teenager, I'm starting to grow disillusioned with this single-board computer family. After all, rival boards, especially those based on the x86 architecture, have gotten significantly cheaper over the years, while the mainline RPi SBCs have crept up in pricing without offering tangible benefits in DIY projects. While I still have a collection of Raspberry Pi systems I’ve bought over the years, I’ve stopped buying them after the RAM shortage drove their prices to the red zone, and switched to old thin clients for server experiments.

You can update this photo as often as you want. I love when my friends have their fridges covered in Polaroids. It’s often a visual crash course of what’s been going on in their lives chronicling recent adventures, get-togethers, and other fun moments. But I don’t love the idea of schlepping around a clunky instant camera or paying a premium for instant film with hit-or-miss results. That’s why I’m infatuated with these magnetic digital Polaroids from a small company called VidaBay. They look like instant photos, but use NFC tech and color E Ink screens so you can change the image as often as you want without ever having to charge a battery.At roughly 4mm thick and 2.5 inches in size, the VidaBay NFC E-Paper Fridge Magnet — also known as the Snap — reminds me of Xteink’s tiny X3 e-reader, but it doesn’t have any buttons, ports, or connectors. The Snap is more like a very tiny version of the Aura Ink digital photo frame you can stick to your fridge.VidaBay NFC E-Paper Fridge MagnetWhere to Buy: $35.99 $30.99 at VidaBay $99.99 $88.99 at VidaBay (three-pack) $29.99 at AmazonThe Snap uses the same kind of NFC chip that lets your smartphone double as your credit or debit card. Using an accompanying mobile app images are wirelessly transferred by aligning your smartphone’s NFC antenna to the one located inside the lower left corner of the Snap.Changing the photo the Snap displays takes about 25 to 30 seconds. While the actual image transfer is a 10-second process, the rest of the time is used to refresh the Snap’s E Ink screen. Unlike devices such as the Kindle Colorsoft that use a black and white e-paper screen overlaid with a color filter so screen refreshes happen almost instantly, the Snap uses e-paper with multiple color pigments that take much longer to refresh. The results look better, but you’ll have to wait a little longer for them.The process of updating the Snap with a new image using NFC is easy once you master it, but it can take a few attempts to get there. Out of the box the device comes with a plastic screen protector that’s printed with a guide so you know exactly how to position your smartphone to ensure the NFC antennas line up. But the guide only works for the iPhone. Android is also supported, but its up to you to figure out exactly where your device’s NFC chip is located which can take some trial and error. The Snap and your smartphone also need to be held very close for the NFC pairing to work – closer than a case allows. The process doesn’t work with my iPhone 16 Pro inside a leather Nomad case, and even the thin silicone case protecting my OnePlus 12 was too thick for the NFC transfers to succeed.One of the many advantages of E Ink’s display tech is that, similar to an Etch A Sketch or Magna Doodle toy, once an image is formed it remains on screen without any additional power. That’s why e-readers have such excellent battery life. The Snap comes with a 2.5-inch E Ink screen, and while it uses color technology similar to what you’ll find in large, vibrant, and expensive E Ink posters, it’s actually a repurposed Spectra 3100 screen that E Ink specifically developed for retail use as an electronic shelf label.They’re cheaper, but the Snap’s color screen is also limited to only displaying black, white, red, and yellow, which limits its ability to accurately reproduce colors. It’s a big tradeoff, but not necessarily a dealbreaker. The VidaBay mobile app lets you crop, zoom, rotate, add filters, and make basic brightness, contrast, and color saturation adjustments to images selected from your phone’s camera roll. Because the transfer process can take upwards of 30 seconds, the app also generates a preview of what the image will look like on the Snap’s four-color screen.After using the Snap for a couple of weeks I have a better idea of what images will look good on its E Ink screen, and which won’t. Brighter photos with lots of contrast work well, as do photos with color palettes leaning toward reds and yellows. Blue and green areas in an image end up completely desaturated instead of disappearing, but the results aren’t entirely unpleasant. The limitations of the Spectra 3100 screen actually result in color images reminiscent of the lo-fi aesthetic of classic Polaroid photos.The Snap has no screen lighting so it looks best in a place with lots of ambient light. The device also features a non-removable plastic cover over the E Ink panel, which protects it but also produces a lot of glare and reflections. Removing that for future versions would definitely improve viewing angles and image quality.At $35.99 each (currently discounted to $29.99), the VidaBay Snap comes close to impulse purchase territory. When I first covered them earlier this year I was skeptical of how effective repurposing the screens many grocery stores now use to display prices could be for displaying photos and memories. But the price, and the fact that the Snap never needs to be charged, more than makes up for its color fidelity limitations. Instant photos might still be cheaper per shot, but the Snap is a good alternative if you don’t have an endless budget for film. Either way, your fridge is a blank palette just waiting to be decorated with memories.Photography by Andrew Liszewski / The Verge

The Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 come in a variety of colors, including a traditional black hue. | Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge If you’re looking to pick up a pair of open-ear headphones for yourself — or your mom — Shokz is running a Mother’s Day sale. Now through May 10th, the company’s best pair of bone conduction headphones, the OpenRun Pro 2, are available from Amazon, Best Buy, and Shokz for around $139.95 ($40 off), their lowest price of the year. If you purchase direct, you’ll also receive a free waist bag (a $29.99 value).Shokz OpenRun Pro 2Where to Buy: $179.95 $139.95 at Amazon $179.95 $139.99 at Best Buy $179.95 $139.95 at Shokz (with free waist bag)While traditional headphones tend to block out the world, open-style headphones provide a safer alternative, letting you listen to music and podcasts while remaining vigilant. After testing the OpenRun Pro 2, The Verge’s Victoria Song said using them felt “like the stars finally aligning.” Unlike many open-ear headphones, they don’t skimp on bass or clarity thanks to a dedicated air conduction speaker, though they still won’t rival a traditional pair of in-ears when it comes to sound quality. Still, they’re more comfortable than earlier Shokz models, with flexible ear hooks and a lightweight neckband that creates a secure, natural fit, even for those who wear glasses.The fact that the Pro 2 vibrate significantly less than other models is another highlight, as is battery life. They offer up to 12 hours on a single charge, which was enough for us to go nearly a week without plugging them in (they charge incredibly fast via USB-C, too). They also include AI-powered noise cancellation for calls (though results were mixed in our testing) and an IP55 rating, making them well-suited for both sweaty workouts and outdoor use.Read our full OpenRun Pro 2 review.Other Shokz deals to considerShokz OpenFit 2 PlusThe OpenFit 2 Plus are nearly identical to the OpenFit 2 we tested in June. The wireless earbuds feature the same open-style design, a set of onboard controls, and dedicated bass speakers, but they also support wireless charging and Dolby Audio.Where to Buy: $199 $149.95 at Amazon $199 $169.95 at Shokz (with free waist bag) $199 $149.99 at Best BuyShokz OpenRunThe standard OpenRun are a lighter option than the newer OpenRun Pro 2, with a streamlined wraparound design, up to eight hours of battery life, and an IP67 rating for better water resistance. However, they don’t offer the same bass performance or USB-C charging.Where to Buy: $149.95 $89.94 at Amazon $149.95 $104.95 at Shokz (with free waist bag) $149.95 $89.99 at Best Buy

If you've owned a Steam Deck OLED for a few years, you may have noticed that the Linux 6.8 kernel messed with its audio probe. It happened late in 2023, and for years, people were waiting for a patch to be released for it. As it turns out, the lack of any updates wasn't due to nobody caring, but because the problem required some delicate care to ensure it didn't break everything else in the process.

Motherboard defaults are built so that users get up and running as easily as possible. They're safe, reliable, and give your system the best chance to boot and continue to function properly, but they're not optimal. This includes fan curves, which are often forgotten about among the other more tangible ways to increase performance through the BIOS. Changing them using the built-in options can seem like a shortcut to a quieter, more performant PC, but they're also imperfect. By spending just a few minutes building a custom curve, my PC has become quieter and cooler, and it's something anyone can do.

I've been gaming ever since this century started, and I spent the first two decades gaming at native resolution. In 2020, however, I bought an RTX 2070 Super, and ever since then, I've been a believer in Nvidia's DLSS technology. It started off shaky, as all things tend to do, but today, DLSS is inarguably the strongest and most popular rendering technique in video games.

Downey at home in LA with one of his channel’s frequent guest stars. | Image: The Verge; Shutterstock It's not hyperbole to call DualShot Recorder an overnight sensation. It took only 12 hours from the time it was released to hit number one on the App Store's list of top paid apps. It was a surprise success - but what's even more surprising is the app's origin story: it all started with a cadre of friendly neighborhood squirrels and their favorite caretaker.Derrick Downey Jr. built a career on short-form videos documenting his interactions with the squirrels that visit his patio in LA. His Instagram and TikTok accounts each have well over a million followers (myself included) who know well the regular cast of characters: Maxine, Richard, …Read the full story at The Verge.

This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on how AI is changing music and the music industry, follow Terrence O'Brien. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers' inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here.How it startedThe use of generative AI in pop music started almost as a gimmick. There was a sense of experimentalism to 2018's I AM AI by Taryn Southern and 2019's Proto by Holly Herndon, albums that were created with significant assistance from AI. Others got in on the action too, exploring the outer limits of tools like Google's Magenta and even training their own mod …Read the full story at The Verge.

I have a bad habit of over-explaining things to Claude. I'd write these long-winded prompts trying to describe something, and often just talking in circles. This involves typing prompts that are almost as long as short stories, but also lots of copy-pasting text from web pages or notes apps, or downloading the whole page as a PDF to then upload to the chat for reference. All because I want Claude to have the full picture. It's not like this doesn't work, there just had to be a more efficient way to handle it.

In the tech business, you sometimes have a weird moment where you learn that a service is being discontinued, and your first reaction is "Wait, that was still a thing?" For instance, around this time last year, we caught wind that AOL was finally stopping its dial-up service, and I grimace to think what watching a modern-day YouTube video would be like over a 56k modem.