ikhsanmuliadi16/Shutterstock Are you all about this bass? If so, a subwoofer has a place in your home audio setup. Despite the jargon in the name, a subwoofer is really just a speaker designed specifically for low frequencies. However, simply installing a subwoofer doesn’t guarantee that the bass in your favorite songs (and movies, TV shows, games, etc.) will shine to its full potential. A few key steps to optimizing your subwoofer will help you get the most out of this component of your audio system. One of the easiest ways…
Author: Amelia Scott
First rolling out to select devices (in early access) in March 2025, before rolling out in the United States in February 2026, Alexa+ is an enhanced version of Amazon’s Alexa personal assistant. Powered by Amazon’s large-language generative AI models Nova and Anthropic, Alexa+ delivers a more personalized, conversational, and smarter overall experience than its predecessor, as well as a set of Alexa+-specific features, like the ability to order takeout or chat about the news. However, Alexa+ isn’t perfect. Users have reported several issues with the AI personal assistant, including factual inaccuracies, becoming frustrated with…
Algi Febri Sugita/Shutterstock Although Dropbox is one of the most widely used cloud storage services among users, it is far from the only platform available for storing your files. The Internet offers many services to anyone who wants more space to save data on their computer, including many little-known options that can help anyone who wants to avoid big companies like Google or Microsoft. Even if you don’t yet subscribe to a cloud storage service, they can be very useful. Files stored on your phone or computer may be subject…
S3studio/Getty Images Whether you’re navigating a bustling city on vacation or just trying to find a new coffee shop in your hometown, getting help from a navigation app like Google Maps has become second nature to most of us. And it makes sense, because Google Maps offers many great features to improve travel. But if you’ve ever looked at Google Maps while waiting for your route to load, you may have noticed a curious visual quirk: the location marker isn’t always perfectly still. Instead, the blue dot that represents your…
Apple’s Touch ID button on the MacBook is secure. The biometric authentication tool reads the skin pattern directly beneath your outer skin, then transforms it into a mathematical representation of your fingerprint that is stored in the device’s Secure Enclave. The Secure Enclave is like a security chip. It stores sensitive information, such as your passwords, health data, and fingerprint representation, so that no one can access it, including Apple. First introduced more than a decade ago on the iPhone 5s, Apple quickly expanded the Touch ID button to all of its products, arriving…
Wireframe/Getty Images Mechanical keyboards are generally considered superior to their cheaper membrane counterparts, not only in terms of ergonomics, but also in terms of longevity. The rubber components of a membrane keyboard tend to wear out more quickly than the solid components of a mechanical keyboard. However, mechanical keyboards are not indestructible; Even though they can last potentially tens of millions of keystrokes with proper care, they will still eventually fail. Precise lifespan estimates vary, but based on user feedback on the r/MechanicalKeyboards subreddit, a properly maintained keyboard can last…
Whether you turn off or put your Mac to sleep, you will normally have no problem getting back to work. But sometimes your computer suddenly crashes. Instead of seeing the usual home screen when you start your Mac, you’re greeted by a flashing folder with a question mark on a blank screen. In some cases, it disappears after a few seconds and your Mac boots normally. But other times, your Mac gets stuck on the flashing folder screen. This error icon can mean one of two things. First, there is a problem with your…
Gints Ivuskans/Shutterstock Google has built a ton of features right into Android and continues to offer even more through various apps like Google Messages and even the Google Phone app. However, while many of these features appear to be available for free in apps like Google Docs and even Gemini, they actually require signing up for one of Google’s monthly subscription plans to take full advantage of them. Many of these features are nice added bonuses to your phone’s capabilities and offer ways to expand the capabilities of your Android…
Pitch Seara/Shutterstock We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. Cheap headphones aren’t necessarily as reliable and often don’t offer much in the way of audio fidelity. Maybe that’s the problem, because you can technically compare a pair of affordable “ears” to cheap shoes. Both get the job done but won’t impress you, and both will fall apart pretty quickly…but they won’t cost you much. However, once you’ve shelled out a few hundred dollars (or more) for one of the best major headphone brands, like Sennheiser, it’s a…
Creative Family/Getty Images We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. The screen is one of the most delicate parts of a smartphone and official replacements can be expensive. Therefore, many phone buyers opt for a screen protector to protect their screen. Although a screen protector isn’t much use in a serious drop, it can protect the screen from bumps, impacts, and scratches. There’s no shortage of screen protector brands on the market, from well-known mobile accessory companies to cheap alphabet soup brands from China. You can also…