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For the past few years, the European Union and its 27 member states have been debating a rule that would require phones, tablets, and other devices to have a USB Type-C port for charging and data transfer. Now the rule has a due date for device makers. Earlier this year,the EU reached a provisional agreementthat established a single charging solution, USB Type-C, for electronics like phones, tablets, eReaders, earbuds, digital cameras, portable speakers, headsets, and handheld consoles....

Over the years, notches have been an integral part of smartphone design. They give the front-facing camera a place to live in an all-screen design. However, with an abundance of punch-hole cameras on phones nowadays, it is easy to forget the humble beginnings of the notch. The First Smartphone With a Notch Wasn’t an iPhone We’ve come a long way from the teardrop notch in 2017 to the punch-hole onAndroid phonesor Dynamic Island on iPhones in 2024....

Summary 4X games make for some of most complex experiences a gamer can experience. In a world dominated by fast-paced shooters, there is still a place for these games in the modern gaming landscape. Let’s take a look at what makes them special, and what the future may hold for one of gaming’s oldest genres. What Are 4X Games Anyway? If you’ve ever played titles likeSid Meier’s CivilizationorStellaris, you’ve played a 4X game....

Withings, a company known for itssmart health and fitness products, has revealed a new piece of technology at CES 2023: a miniature urine analysis lab dubbed the “U-Scan” that clips into your toilet. 🎉 The Withings U-Scan is aHow-To Geek Best of CES 2023 award winner! Make sure to check out our full list of winners to learn more about exciting products coming in 2023. Related:How-To Geek’s Best of CES 2023 Award Winners What your body expels as waste is often quite revealing, and its why urine analysis is used diagnostically for an untold number of medical conditions....

Summary AI and supercomputers, step aside. I much prefer this approach to robotics which uses naught but a low-power gaming handheld and a 3D printer. What Is a Playdate? You might knowPanic Inc.for publishing bona fide hit video games likeFirewatchandUntitled Goose Game. However,I’m partial to the Playdate, the company’s crank-controlled gaming handheld that throws back to the original Game Boy. A large part of the Playdate’s appeal comes from its active and passionate indie development scene....

Battery swelling is one of those unexpected problems that can often catch us off guard. If left unaddressed, it can inflict serious internal damage to your device and is a safety hazard. But what causes this concerning issue, and what steps can you take to prevent it? Overcharging Keeping your device plugged in after it’s fully charged and frequently charging it to 100% are leading causes of battery swelling. While most lithium-ion batteries stop drawing power once fully charged, a continuous power supply keeps the battery at 100% for extended periods....

Summary The iPhone 16 and 16 Pro add a few new buttons to the design, so you’ll need a case that can accommodate them. However, there are specific criteria this time around that complicates the case-choosing process more than usual. An iPhone 16 Won’t Fit in an iPhone 15 Case iPhone 15 cases won’t fit the iPhone 16 because the camera configuration has changedfrom a square design to a vertical one....

Summary There’s no way around it: Factory car speakers suck, and buying new quality speakers is not a low-budget purchase. I’ve been carted around in many clunkers and even an actual non-clunker that one time. Regardless of the make or model, any car I’ve been in tends to have abysmal factory speakers, but I’ve picked up a few tricks that definitely help make in-car audio better, and none of these methods cost anywhere near the price of a new amplifier and speaker....

We’ve been using computer passwords for decades, yet it seems like no one can agree on how you should pick a password, what it should contain, and if a password is good enough. Let’s cut through it. Phrases Are Inherently Unsafe Passwords Passphrases, unlike typical passwords, are strings of words rather than random characters. Because they’re composed of words rather than a random string of letters, numbers, and special characters, there is sometimes a misconception that they’re more vulnerable to being brute-forced, especially if hackers are usinga dictionary attack....

Python is a great language designed to make it easy for beginners to learn, but a few common Python beginner questions come up often. Beginners will always have questions when learning a new language, and these Python beginner questions are a great place to start. 1What is Python, and Why Should I Learn It? Many people have simply asked me, “What is Python?” It’s probably the most frequently asked beginner Python question I have received....

Quick Links I never liked the idea of cloud gaming or gaming subscriptions, but I’ve found myself using both. They make a lot of sense for someone who likes gaming on their phone. Still, I’ve stopped allowing these services to auto-renew, and I feel it’s for the better. 5​Expiration Dates Help Me Digitally Detox​ I’m not going to tell you that gaming is bad. There are many games that I absolutely love....

Quick Links Plexis a multifaceted service that ties together your own personal media library with various sources from across the web. While paying for a Plex Pass subscription gets you hardware-accelerated encoding and other media server features, there are a bunch of other features that make it well worth the money. 1Use Plex to Watch and Record Live TV If you’re not totally familiar, Plex is both a streaming aggregator and a server that lets you essentiallybuild your own streaming service....

Quick Links Given how much our Windows computers handle, they need some upkeep to run smoothly. Without regular maintenance, performance may dip, security can be at risk, and hardware issues might go unnoticed. Here are some routine tasks you should do to help your computer run without hiccups. 6Review and Install Optional Updates Windows automatically installs critical security and system updates, but it leaves some updates as optional, letting youdecide whether or not to install them....