Justin Sullivan/Getty Images We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. Today’s flagship Android phones are technological marvels, all boasting high-resolution cameras, huge batteries, and blazing-fast processors that would have blown your collective mind just a decade ago. But despite their advancements in display glass and IP resistance, these phones remain fundamentally fragile pieces of glass and metal. Even though a phone case takes care of this, many people don’t think about the fact that this same vulnerability also extends to their phone’s accessories. They must also be…
Author: Amelia Scott
tinhkhuong/Shutterstock GaN stands for Gallium Nitride, a wide bandgap semiconductor material that now replaces traditional silicon inside charging bricks. If you’ve been looking for a new charger in recent years, you’ve probably realized that many companies use the term “GaN” as they introduce small chargers with impressive power capabilities. This is because GaN has a wider bandgap than silicon, meaning electricity can pass through the material at much higher voltages and temperatures without causing a breakdown. In practical terms, GaN technology enables chargers that are significantly more efficient than silicon-based…
Dark Artistic/Shutterstock The GenAI boom has sparked a surge in the number of data centers in the United States. Although these installations were already scattered, most were in sparsely populated areas like the open plains of Virginia. As tech companies continue to pursue readily available land and more affordable utility costs, these data centers have begun to encroach on smaller, rural communities, and residents in these communities are worried. A data center serves a variety of digital and AI purposes and requires several types of resources, including physical space to…
If you want to change your Android Auto settings, this is a good place to check. Smith Collection/gado/Getty Images Android Auto does a great job of mirroring your phone’s most useful apps to your car’s infotainment screen. From maps to music and messaging, Android Auto handles the expected tasks very well. But buried inside the app is a developer menu that most haven’t even seen, let alone used. Android Auto’s hidden developer menu unlocks many powerful settings, starting with a wireless toggle and an “Unknown Sources” option that allows non-Play Store apps to run on your…
DC Studio/Shutterstock When uploading files to a cloud storage service, users probably don’t think about the massive, humming infrastructure that operates remotely behind the scenes to keep their digital lives intact and secure. They also don’t think about the advanced cooling methods and large number of GPUs needed to process their AI chatbot requests. People expect their photos, documents and applications to be available or sent instantly with the click of a digital button or when opening an app on their smartphone. The rapid evolution (or inflation, as some see…
BloombergMark Gurman of , today explained what to expect from the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 this year. Spoiler: not much. While it was rumored that Touch ID could come to the Apple Watch Series 12, Gurman said he doesn’t expect the Series 12 or Ultra 4 to see any major design changes compared to the current Series 11 and Ultra 3 models. Touch ID likely counts as a major design change, so the rumor now seems increasingly unlikely. Another sketchy rumor claimed that the Series 12 would have a wristband with a built-in health sensor,…
José Adorno/BGR We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. If you’re always on the go with an iPad, you probably already have some very useful accessories like Apple’s Magic Keyboard and an Apple Pencil. After all, it seems like these two Apple accessories are indispensable in every situation, like when working at a coffee shop, on a lazy Sunday morning at home, and more. Still, if you want to up your game, there are other not-so-obvious accessories you should have every time you travel, like a portable…
Renata Angerami/Getty Images We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. While most people today rely on streaming for their music, there is a growing interest in older forms of audio like iPods, CDs, and even cassette tapes making a comeback. These formats aren’t just nostalgic. They can offer you an escape from the modern world, allowing you to listen to music on devices that can’t disrupt your listening experiences thanks to message notifications and breaking news alerts. There are even companies offering new cassette players that combine…
Stockinq/Shutterstock Google now limits the total cloud storage available to free users to just 5GB on all platforms for new accounts; it was 15 GB. That means your emails, photos, documents, anything stored in Google Drive, your app settings on Android, and backups all count toward that total. Where previously some datasets were exempt, now everything is included, including Android backups. In most cases, Android backups use minimal space, around 40 MB according to Google estimates, but this is an average. Yours could use more or less. These backups include…
Thaspol Sangsee/Shutterstock We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. As a retailer, Amazon offers many products. Maybe too much. In fact, at least one browser extension aims to hide any counterfeit brands available on the site, but there are additional methods to help you navigate the retailer’s many offerings. With millions of items to search through, it can be quite easy to get lost in all the results, but there are a few search tips to help you cut through the clutter. Besides some basics, like making…