I don’t have a great PC configuration, and if you’re like me, you have to make ends meet with what you’ve got. Therefore, I’ve created a short list of free alternatives to some of the notorious resource hogs. These options have earned praise for being both lightweight and highly functional, ideal if you’re trying to spare your system’s RAM and CPU without compromising capability.

“Your honor, the FTC calls Mark Zuckerberg.” Flanked by two bodyguards, Meta’s CEO solemnly strode into a Washington, DC courtroom. Despite his last-ditch efforts to avoid a trial, he was there, jaw clenched, to defend his company from being broken up by the US government.Shortly after he was sworn in, the Federal Trade Commission’s lead attorney for the case, Daniel Matheson, asked Zuckerberg to reflect back on when Facebook was the underdog.“In hindsight, you’re glad you didn’t sell to MySpace?” Matheson asked. â€œYes,” Zuckerberg responded.Over the next several hours of questioning, Matheson walked Zuckerberg down memory lane to the period just before Facebook’s $1 billion acquisition of Instagram in 2012, which the FTC claims was the first in a series of anti-competitive steps that locked out other companies. In a lawsuit that was initially filed five years ago and went to trial this week, the agency argues that Meta should be forced to spin off both Instagram and WhatsApp, which it later acquired for roughly $19 billion in 2014. While on the stand, Zuckerberg seemed to slowly relax as he recounted major moments from Facebook’s early history, …Read the full story at The Verge.

Android is launching a new security feature that will force devices to reboot themselves if you haven’t unlocked them for a while, making it harder for other people to access the data inside. The feature included in the latest Google Play services update says that Android phones will automatically restart “if locked for 3 consecutive days,” requiring users to enter their passcode the next time they want to open the device.As 9to5Google notes, this update should apply to both Android phones and tablets, but will exclude other device categories like Auto, TV, and WearOS. The reboot function — not to be confused with a device reset that returns it to factory settings — puts phones and tablets into a Before First Unlock (BFU) state that encrypts data files and disables biometric login support until the device PIN has been entered.Apple introduced a similar iPhone “Inactivity Reboot” feature in iOS 18.1 that triggers a device restart after four days of being locked.We’ve asked Google to clarify when the Google Play services 25.14 update will be rolling out, and which Android devices will support the new auto-reboot feature. These Android feature drops can typically take a week or two to appear. It’s unclear if devices will notify users why an automatic reboot has occurred, though Android phones already display a message on the PIN screen if users need to enter their passcode to fully unlock the device after a reboot.

Every summer, the gaming community gets together to find out what new video games are on the horizon. The biggest publishers and developers take this chance to show what they have been working on for years, and while we don’t have a centralized space for everything to appear at anymore, like E3, many large events are still spread out over the summer months. One of the biggest shows every year is the Xbox Games Showcase, which will take place on June 8, 2025 at 10 AM PT.

Hertz says it’s “not aware of any misuse of personal information” stemming from the breach. | Image: Getty ImagesCar rental giant Hertz is alerting customers that personal information including credit card details and Social Security numbers may have been stolen in a data breach that impacted one of the firm’s vendors. In a notice posted to its website, Hertz says that company data “was acquired by an unauthorized third-party” during a cyberattack exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities within the Cleo Communications file transfer platform between October 2024 and December 2024.The data theft was confirmed by Hertz on February 10th, with further analysis on April 2nd concluding that customers’ names, contact information, dates of birth, credit card information, driver’s license details, and information related to workers’ compensation claims may have been exposed by the breach. Hertz also says that “a very small number of individuals” had their Social Security numbers taken in the breach, along with passport numbers and other government-issued identification data.Hertz says that the incident is being reported to law enforcement and relevant regulators, and that Cleo has since addressed “the identified vulnerabilities.”The website notice is viewable across multiple regions, including the US, Canada, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Hertz has not revealed how many of its customers have been impacted by the breach but says it is “not aware of any misuse of personal information for fraudulent purposes in connection with the event.” We have asked Hertz to clarify how many customers are affected.The group or individual responsible for the cyberattack has not been identified. Cleo, which is used by a wide range of global organizations, was notably targeted by a mass-hacking campaign in October last year. The Russia-affiliated Clop ransomware gang later claimed responsibility for those attacks, leaking Cleo company data on its extortion site and listing 59 organizations it claimed to have breached via vulnerabilities in Cleo’s platform.

Raspberry Pis are versatile and can work as backup servers, run cameras, and perform numerous other tasks. Everyone should buy these single-board computers because they are inexpensive and have enough power to run many apps. They also have multiple ports to connect to most hardware devices and offer flexibility for countless projects.

I’ve tried just about every project management tool out there: Trello, Asana, ClickUp, Notion, you name it. Most are powerful, but there’s always a catch. They’re either bloated with too many features or missing just enough to leave you wanting more. And then there’s the issue of data privacy, handing over all your sensitive project info to a third-party cloud? Not ideal. Especially for someone like me, who is otherwise deeply entrenched in the self-hosting ecosystem.

As one of the big three NAS distributions, TrueNAS Scale has several perks that make it worth setting up on your storage server. It’s compatible with the ZFS file system, offers terrific performance in virtualization tasks, and includes superb RAID provisions – without costing you a penny (looking at you, Unraid).

Handheld devices have become some of the most popular ways to experience our favorite games, and without a doubt, two of the most prolific ones are the Nintendo Switch and Valve's Steam Deck. Both devices have captivated demographics far beyond the gamer that's "tuned in" to the tech space, and despite being quite different, both have sold exceedingly well.

Windows runs on laptops, PCs, and, I guess, phones, right? Well, what if I told you you could run it on your wrist, too? It turns out it's entirely possible, and while you probably shouldn't do it, someone installed Windows Pre-installation Edition (Windows PE) on a Google Pixel Watch 3 just because they could.

Turning a Raspberry Pi into a budget-friendly NAS is one of the most popular projects for the SBC family, and for good reason. The Arm processor powering the Raspberry Pi consumes a fraction of the energy guzzled by power-hungry server CPUs, and you can outfit it with everything from fast NVMe SSD drives to hardcore HDDs with the right HAT. That said, the makeshift NAS has one too many drawbacks if you're planning to use it as a primary storage server – especially when there are better, cheaper options on the market.

The Polaroid Flip is available in black and white color options. | Image: PolaroidPolaroid’s new Flip camera can prevent unwanted surprises when an instant photo develops. Using a new scene analysis feature, the instant camera warns you when the image you’re framing is overexposed, underexposed, or when there’s potential focus issues before you press the shutter button — all through a red LED warning light in the viewfinder that’s impossible to miss. The camera will be available on April 29th through Polaroid’s online store for $199.99 and from other retailers on May 13th. If you’d rather not wait that long, you can become a Polaroid member by creating a free account on the company’s website and then purchase the camera starting today.The Polaroid Flip resurrects a folding design that was first introduced in the early ‘80s. The flash, which folds down to protect the lens and block the shutter button when the camera’s not in use, is the most powerful the company has put on one of its modern instant cameras. It’s bright enough to illuminate subjects over 14 feet away, but its intensity can be adjusted so as not to overexpose subjects that are closer.The camera features autofocus capabilities courtesy of a sonar sensor, but unlike the pricey Polaroid I-2 that will set you back $599.99, the new Flip doesn’t feature a continuous focus system with lens elements that move forward and back. It instead relies on four fixed lenses, each with their own sweet spot (0.65, 0.85, 1.2, and 2.5 meters away), on a wheel that rotates them into place based on measurements from that sonar sensor. Compatible with Polaroid i-Type and 600 instant film, the Flip includes a replaceable rechargeable battery that’s charged with USB-C and connectivity with the Polaroid mobile app over Bluetooth. The app isn’t necessary, but it unlocks additional functionality including full control over the camera’s exposure settings, a self timer, and the option to shoot double exposure images.