It's a common assumption that a home-built NAS beats cloud storage when it comes to storage pricing, even when it's easy to point to Backblaze's $6 per TB-month rate and say, "Just use the cloud; hardware is a sunk cost." That statement will often be supported by the need for a 3-2-1 backup strategy, where an off-site backup is crucial in the event of catastrophic data loss. On the one hand, it can be perfectly correct to assert that a cheap cloud-based provider is a more cost-effective strategy for long-term storage; that's only half the story. On the other hand, a NAS can work out to be more expensive in the long run, even if it's worth it.

When you're preparing to move, you can find yourself faced with a lot of paper documents. Holiday cards, leases, letters, tax documents, notes, doodles - whatever - can really stack up over time. If your choices are only "keep" or "trash," it can be hard to let go, even if you choose one of the more responsible ways to get rid of your stuff. Digitization makes these decisions easier by adding a third option: create a virtual version for safekeeping and say goodbye to the physical paper.These days, digitization only requires a smartphone or a tablet, but you'll want to optimize the process while reducing the risk of data loss. Decide what to do with your papersIn my experience - and I've been digitizing boxes upon boxes of documents for the past six months - there are only a few types of records worth keeping on hand after creating a digital version. These are original government documents, legal agreements such as a will or a current lease, items that might lose their form or meaning when reduced to images on a screen, and anything you may want to display in your home. Of course, there will be exceptions. Maybe you decide to toss every birthday card but keep the one your …Read the full story at The Verge.

The Nintendo Switch 2 is almost here, marking the next generation of Nintendo consoles. It's going to run games better, feature new accessories, and has an exclusive FromSoftware game coming next year. It's also going to have new goodies like GameCube games on Nintendo Switch Online, but one of the biggest potential updates could be coming from the Switch operating system itself. While it seems like the OS is going to be similar to the original Switch, hopefully, it means an improved eShop experience. The eShop on Nintendo Switch runs poorly, is filled with garbage games, and is terrible at surfacing anything outside the most popular games on the platform.

So you want to start up a smart home, do you? They can be a lot of fun, especially when you really get into the rhythm of setting up devices and getting them on your network. Best of all, because it's all local, you don't need to have your devices broadcasting on the internet if you don't want them to.

Windows is one of the most feature-packed desktop operating systems out there, and each new release seems to add something new that becomes essential for your PC. Sometimes, though, these features can feel like bloatware, and that's especially true when they're left to rot in the deep recesses of Windows, even after being replaced with more modern and accessible alternatives.

There is no better way to elevate your living room than by elevating that big TV from a stand and onto a wall. Wall-mounting a TV may seem daunting, but if your space allows it you can reclaim precious real estate on your entertainment center and help your living area feel more open and airy. It'll also have the benefit of keeping your precious TV out of reach from meddlesome children or rambunctious petsAll it takes are some basic tools, a bit of labor, and a buddy to help lift larger TVs. Here's all you need to prepare yourself.Get readyPick a wall mountTV wall mounts are a commodity item these days, so there are all kinds of similar looking models from all kinds of brands. Amazon is awash with options and even Amazon Basics sells some. The first things you want to look for are what size of TV a mount is rated for, and how much weight it can hold. Check the tech specs of your exact TV model, and make sure you're well within the mount's range. You should also double-check the VESA sizing of your TV, and ensure the wall mount is compatible. VESA mount sizes correspond to the distance between the bolt connector holes on the rear of your TV.Another important thing to c …Read the full story at The Verge.

Nvidia's recent RTX 5060 wasn't met with a warm reception, largely due to controversy over how Nvidia decided to handle reviews for the graphics card, and its 8GB frame buffer. Despite earning some criticism, one aspect of the RTX 5060 that hasn't gotten enough attention is just how much faster it is over the RTX 4060. Although the RTX 5060 falls short of competitors like the Arc B580 and RX 9060 XT, it's much better than you probably think when stacked up against last-gen's RTX 4060.

When planning out and setting up your home lab, there are a few viable routes to go about it. This includes choosing the right operating system (OS) for the job. We'd often recommend Proxmox, but it's not the only option out there. Ubuntu is one of the most popular Linux distros for PCs, and it's also great for creating servers. Although I've switched to Proxmox as my primary system, I still have a few ideas to run some hardware on the side, and Ubuntu makes for quite the compelling foundation.

Think back to 2013, a year where we saw some amazing big titles launch, such as Battlefield 4, Metro: Last Light, and Grand Theft Auto V. Some of these were tough to run at maximum settings, but there was an answer: Nvidia's GeForce GTX Titan. It packed seven billion transistors, 6GB of GDDR5 VRAM, and drew, what was considered at the time, a pretty high 250W to run. There were no RT or Tensor cores either; just 2,668 regular GPU cores, and it supported SLI too.

United Airlines is expanding its in-flight entertainment catalog with audiobooks and video podcasts, courtesy of Spotify. The partnership with Spotify provides passengers with free access to more than 450 hours of curated playlists, audiobooks, and podcasts, including Good Hang with Amy Poehler, The Dave Chang Show, and The Comment Section with Drew Afualo.This content is available now across more than 130,000 seat-based entertainment screens on United flights. Spotify says this is the first time it’s offered audiobooks and video podcasts onboard an airline, with the United partnership allowing passengers to access Spotify content without creating an account for the streaming service.“Spotify has a huge audience and people love their content,” MileagePlus CEO Richard Nunn said in the announcement. “And now our customers can enjoy it all in a simple and easy way, at 35,000 feet.United says it’s working on adding the ability for passengers to sign into their own Spotify accounts on the in-flight entertainment screen via their personal device. The feature is expected to be available in 2026 and will allow users to pick up where they left off on playlists, audiobooks, and podcasts, and enjoy video content for the latter on a large screen without setting up a tablet or laptop.Passengers on United’s Starlink-equipped planes can already browse and stream Spotify on their own devices, alongside other services like YouTube and Apple Music. The upgraded in-flight Wi-Fi was introduced in March and can be accessed for free by logging into a MileagePlus loyalty program account, with streaming supported gate-to-gate.

The Nintendo Switch 2 has finally arrived, and after the first day with mine, I'm quite happy with the new console. Not only does much of the hardware feel upgraded, the Joy-Cons are better, the Switch is a bit bigger, and the Pro Controller has a great new feel to it. All of that is great, but what I care most about are the games. Mario Kart World was an obvious first pick to boot up, since it came packed in with my console, but on top of that I checked out a few other games. None of those other games are new, technically, but the Switch 2 enhancements have made some games feel new.

Recently, I was on a hunt for a new notes app as Windows Notepad wasn't enough for me. Although Notepad has improved in Windows 11, my work required more advanced features in my note-taking app. I just wanted something light, fast, and simple, unlike comparatively heavy tools like Notion or Evernote.