Why I’ll Never Buy a Gaming Laptop (Even Though They’re Good Now)

Quick Links Summary I’ve been surrounded by gamers who use gaming laptops for as long as I can remember. I’ve tried many of those same gaming laptops during sleepovers, but I never really liked them that much, so I decided that I’m probably never going to buy one for myself. I Just Don’t Travel That Much Let’s face it: the main reason anyone buys a gaming laptop is its portability. However, I simply don’t need a portable gaming station in my life....

July 2, 2025 · 6 min · 1254 words · Johnny Henderson

Windows 11's Big Update, a Better Narrator, and More: Windows Wednesday

Microsoft just rolled out a major update for Windows 11, and other changes are currently being tested in the Windows Insider program. Welcome back to Windows Wednesday—here’s everything Microsoft rolled out in Windows this week. You canjoin the Windows Insider programto try out experimental features, but some changes are on a gradual rollout and not yet available to all Insider program members. You should not install Windows Insider builds on an important computer....

July 2, 2025 · 4 min · 642 words · Angel Stewart

Your Google Doc Can Now Have a Stylish Cover

Google Docs has adopted a new feature that lets you add a full-width cover image at the top of your document to set the tone from the start and make your document look more professional. While you may print documents containing cover images, they’re primarily intended for people creating a document to be read on-screen, such as an onboarding pack, a virtual brochure, or a training manual. When added, the cover image spans the full width of your screen, like it would at the top of a website’s homepage....

July 2, 2025 · 2 min · 335 words · Peter Foster

6 Ways to Get LEGO for Free

Quick Links It’s no secret thatLEGO isn’t cheap. If you want to indulge your brick-building habit, you might think you need to take on a second job or start a special LEGO savings account. However, you can support your love of LEGO while keeping money in the bank, thanks to these ways to get LEGO for free. Are you all signed up? Good because being a member of LEGO VIP is one of the best ways to get free LEGO....

July 1, 2025 · 5 min · 877 words · Wendy Moran

7 Reasons Your Smart Home Needs a Hub, Despite the Matter Standard

Quick Links Do you or don’t you need a smart home hub? With the introduction of thesemi-universal Matter protocol, many may say no. However, there’s still plenty a smart hub can do for you that may warrant integrating one into your automated home. If you’re unfamiliar with smart home automation terminology, asmart home hub is a centralized device, either with or without a screen, that can connect to different smart gadgets, like lightbulbs, doorbell cameras, thermostats, and security systems....

July 1, 2025 · 6 min · 1203 words · Robert Jones

8 Default Microsoft Word Settings You Should Change

Quick Links If you use Microsoft Word often, the need to change settings such as font or margin spacing each time you start a new document can be frustrating. Luckily, there are manydefault settingsyou can change once and never touch again (unless you want to). AutoCorrect Options UsingAutoCorrect, as you type your text, Word will automatically capitalize specific words, replace double hyphens with a dash, turn special characters into symbols, and more....

July 1, 2025 · 6 min · 1157 words · Jillian Boyd

A Travel Power Adapter Is a Domestic Flight Must-Have Accessory

Summary You only need an international power adapter if you’re flying out of the country, right? Not so fast, packing one in your carry-on for your next domestic flight is an unbelievably underrated travel hack. Why Pack a Travel Power Adapter for a Domestic Flight? A travel, or international, power adapter seems like a strange thing to pack if you’re not leaving the country. But this travel hack comes to us by way of Justin Duino—the Valnet Reviews Director and one of my favorite work travel buddies—and after trying it on several flights I’m confident you’ll want to use it too....

July 1, 2025 · 3 min · 636 words · Andres Stewart

Adobe's New Cheapest Photoshop Plan Has a Big Catch

With the launch of a brand new version of Photoshop for smartphones, Adobe has also launched what is now its cheapest premium Photoshop plan. We’re not sure if it’s a good replacement for that 20GB Photography Plan that Adobe killed off a couple of months ago, though. Adobe has just launched a new “Photoshop Mobile and Web” plan, which now fills the spot of the cheapest Adobe subscription plan that was left by the removal of the 20GB Photography plan....

July 1, 2025 · 3 min · 622 words · Jimmy Scott

Apple's Belated M3 Ultra Boasts Up to 512GB of RAM

We’re already immersed in the M4 era of Macs, but Apple is now stepping back to unveil the M3 Ultra, its most powerful desktop chipset to date. M3 Ultra is currently limited to the 2025 Mac Studio and, unsurprisingly, costs a fortune. Packed with up to 32 CPU cores, 80 graphics cores, and a maximum 512GB of RAM, theM3 Ultrais a monstrously powerful platform. It boasts 1.5x faster performance than the M2 Ultra and nearly twice the speed of the original M1 Ultra, according to Apple....

July 1, 2025 · 3 min · 591 words · James Hernandez

Can a Mini PC Replace Your Desktop PC?

Quick Links We typically see desktop PCs as powerful, zero-compromise machines that easily trump mini PCs in every single aspect. But is this really the case? While nothing can fully replace a desktop for certain tasks, mini PCs can serve as excellent desktop alternatives with few, if any, compromises for most people. Mini PCs Are Great Everyday Work Machines If you’re using your desktop PC for relatively non-demanding work, like working inGoogle Workspaceor Microsoft Office apps, light photo and video editing, maybe some hobbyist-level programming and such, a mini PC can definitely replace it, and it doesn’t have to entail compromises....

July 1, 2025 · 5 min · 1039 words · Elaine Brown

Chipolo Debuts a Pair of AirTag-Like Trackers for Android

Now that Android’s Find My Device network is off the ground, Chipolo is launching a pair of AirTag-like tracking devices that are specially designed for wallets and bags. The Chipolo ONE Point and CARD Point arrive May 27th, just in time for summer vacation. Find My Deviceis the Android equivalent of Apple’sFind Mynetwork. Every phone running Android 9 or later will use low-power Bluetooth connectivity to detect and anonymously report the location of nearby Find My Device-enabled products, such as earbuds, trackers, smartwatches, and other smartphones....

July 1, 2025 · 3 min · 436 words · Megan Silva

Dell’s Sustainability Deals Help Save Money and the Planet

With an ever-increasing need to take care of our planet, Dell is offering consumers the chance to buy exceptional products without the worry of significant environmental impact. With the tech giant’s use of sustainable materials, Dell is on target to achieve its goal of ensuring that 50% of product content and 100% of packaging are manufactured from recycled and renewable materials by 2030. Packaging and products are crafted from sustainable materials such as bamboo, recycled paper pulp, bio-based and recycled plastic, hydropower-produced aluminum, recycled metals, and recovered e-waste....

July 1, 2025 · 6 min · 1201 words · Karen Hall

Do You Really Need to Safely Eject External Drives?

Summary We’ve all seen those “Safely Remove Hardware” prompts when unplugging external drives. But in modern computing, do they still matter? It depends on your OS, file system, and write caching. Let’s break down when it’s necessary and when you can safely skip it. Safe Eject Practices on Windows Windows has evolved in its handling of external storage devices. In earlier versions, safely ejecting was essential due to write caching—a process where data is temporarily stored before being written to the drive....

July 1, 2025 · 6 min · 1082 words · Frank Taylor Jr.