zgharbi/Shutterstock Today, almost all monitors, computers, and laptops use HDMI or DisplayPort as their connection ports, but two cables have paved the way for both: digital visual interface (DVI) and video graphics array (VGA). If you wanted to connect a display to your computer, these are the two main cables for doing so. Nowadays, such cables, especially VGA, are considered a novelty, since they were once popular TV ports, now obsolete. VGA predated DVI and is an analog interface that allows computers to connect to display devices such as a…
Author: Amelia Scott
CalmFocus SV/Shutterstock There’s nothing wrong with using your laptop’s touchpad. In fact, you can fine-tune your experience by learning some nifty touchpad tricks, like creating custom gestures or changing cursor speed. Yet even the most elaborate gestures won’t match the speed you can achieve with a mouse. So, should you use a touchpad or mouse on your laptop? A mouse is simply faster and more precise. If you’ve ever had to drag something on a screen, you probably know how much harder it is to do it with a touchpad.…
New Africa/Shutterstock The current chip shortage driven by AI data centers is causing prices for everyday technology to skyrocket as manufacturers prioritize AI-enabled hardware over that used in things like PCs, smartphones and gaming consoles. In recent months, products like the PlayStation 5 and Samsung Galaxy tablets have seen price increases. Even USB drives and SD cards, storage options known for their affordability and constant price drops, have not been spared. In just one year, the prices of USB drives and SD cards have risen dramatically. PCWorld and Tom’s Hardware…
Fotokostic/Getty Images Diving into the world of audio equipment can be intimidating. With so many options, where do you start? Increasingly, people are putting aside modern technological advances and returning to the past. Vintage audio equipment is highly sought after in 2026, as is other retro or vintage technology. A combination of audiophiles in search of a particular sound and nostalgia drives part of this hunt. Another reason is that in 2026, the culture of flipping and scalping has become more prevalent. Nerds everywhere have noticed the tendency of people…
Victor Aune/Shutterstock Shopping for a pair of headphones can seem like a pretty daunting task, considering they have spec sheets covering a wide range of details like battery life, digital sound processing, and even extra features like active noise cancellation. We recently explained how noise cancellation works, and it’s clearly an important detail for consumer headphones. But something you may not know is that there is a key specification of high-end studio-quality headphones that tells us that these headphones might have better audio quality. This specification is impedance. Simply put,…
Apple’s annual WWDC developer conference is in the rearview mirror, but there’s still a lot to look forward to over the next year and beyond. In his To light up newsletter today, BloombergMark Gurman of , listed around 20 products he expects Apple to launch by 2026 and 2027. Now that the most intelligent and personal version of Siri has finally arrived in beta, two years after Apple first showed it off at WWDC 2024, we should start seeing new devices that were reportedly delayed until the new Siri is ready. Beyond the usual annual updates to iPhones and Apple…
Pugun Sj/Getty Images Almost everyone wants to keep their Internet activity private. Even if you don’t visit embarrassing sites, you probably want to make sure that Facebook doesn’t decide which ads to show you. But even if you can minimize the extent to which your browser spies on your browsing history, potential hackers can use your own Solid State Drive (SSD) against you and learn about your Internet habits. Recently, researchers from the Graz University of Technology in Austria published a study that found hackers can potentially spy on their…
Nvidia may be widely considered the king of the GPU industry, but some customers may prefer to look for alternatives. Nvidia’s flagship RTX 5090 is incredible, but surely there must be a cheaper option? Well, China tried to fill this niche – and, unfortunately, it failed from the start. Recently, Chinese company Lisuan Tech launched the LX 7G100. Some of the marketing for the local graphics card claimed that it could compete with an RTX 4060, a last-generation but reliable component. However, according to 潮玩客, a reviewer of BiliBili, these claims are grossly exaggerated.…
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images The Apple HomePod is more than just a smart speaker; it’s a robust command center for all things music streaming, smart home, and Siri. The Apple HomePod returned in 2023 with even more bass and clarity than its predecessor, and the HomePod mini is a very small option for those looking to get into an Apple ecosystem on the cheap – the mini costs $99, compared to $299 for the standard model. Both Apple speakers offer solid sound quality and a host of features and customizations, but…
Wongsakorn 2468/Shutterstock As laptops become more and more affordable, they have also become as essential to the student experience as backpacks and laptops. The demands of being a student haven’t necessarily changed much, however, writing papers, conducting research, taking notes in class, and adjusting to new schedules remain among the main challenges of each semester. Apple’s MacBook line is a favorite tool to help meet the challenges of students of all ages, with macOS offering features that put more capabilities in their hands with each passing year. Since there’s a…