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 It was a volatile morning for Apple's stock, which quickly had a $17 swing during intraday trading.
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Measles cases continue to rise in the US. Find out if you need an MMR booster to stay protected.
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Why you should trust me: Here at PCWorld we've been testing computer hardware, software, and services since the 1980s. For my part, I'm continually testing all of the major VPNs on the market and many lesser-known services in order to curate a list of the very best VPNs across a variety of categories. Below you'll find my favorite VPNs, and below those, helpful advice about what to look for when choosing a VPN on your own.
If you're looking to use your VPN for more than streaming, be sure to check out our comprehensive roundup of the best VPNs in all categories, as well.
NordVPN - Best VPN overall for Netflix
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Name any kind of tech device, and it's affected: laptops, desktop computers, PC components, monitors, smartphones, e-readers, and much more. An overwhelming majority of electronics are produced in China.
When the first tariff was announced, big retailers warned about imminent price hikes. The CEOs of both Best Buy and Target commenting on the breadth and immediacy of the tariff effects. Here at PCWorld, I wondered specifically about the impact on computers (surprise!)—laptops and desktop PCs are both major interests of our readers.
To answer my own questions—as well as those of readers, friends, and family—I reached out to industry contacts to better understand what these tariffs mean for the cost of PCs, and what to expect in the coming days. Those who responded manufacture laptops, prebuilt desktop machines, and PC components. Much of this information is generally applicable to electronics overall.
The short answer: Expect pain at the cash register. Businesses won't be able to shield customers from these increases. As Falcon Northwest president Kelt Reeves said to me back in March, "[The] PC industry is infamously low margin, so no one can afford to ‘cushion' 20 percent. Prices already went up incredibly fast on almost every component we buy to build a PC. Stock that was already here vanished, as anything new will be minimum 20% more." Now
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 Today we're tracking a collection of discounts on Apple's M4 MacBook Pro at Amazon, including as much as $400 off select models of the computer. All of these deals have been applied automatically on Amazon and do not require an on-page coupon in order to see the final sale price.
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Taylor argued that Quip and other online-first services like Google Docs, Netflix, and Spotify were making file management unnecessary, and that conventional file formats like .DOC or .MP3 would eventually seem as antiquated as the floppy disk.
His prediction has, in many ways, proven accurate. File management is now a foreign concept to an entire generation of young tech users, and you have to be a special kind of nerdy to consume media without relying on streaming services. If someone emails you a Word document, you might be more annoyed than if they'd linked to a Google Doc.
But I've always found the humble computer file to be more than just an occasional nuisance. I enjoy using apps that produce easily-accessible files on my devices, because those files are under my command and can't be taken away. Not the case with many of the online services we rely on.
And this philosophy is gaining fresh life in some tech circles as people reckon with the trade-offs of a file-free future.
This column first appeared in Advisorator, Jared's weekly tech advice newsletter. Sign up to get
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With the last Mission: Impossible film, Dead Reckoning, the long-running franchise officially entered science fiction territory by making intelligent AI its villain. We've seen Tom Cruise's Ethan hunt jump off of buildings and hang from the side of planes, but how can he fight a computer program? The latest trailer for the series' next film, and potentially the last to feature Hunt, doesn't answer that question, but clearly it will involve even more death-defying stunts (like hanging on to a flipping bi-plane!), geeky gadgets and Tom Cruise running inhumanly fast.
As I wrote in my review of Deck Reckoning: "As much as I love other action film franchises - like John Wick's increasingly elaborate choreography, or the sheer ridiculousness of the Fast and the Furious - Mission: Impossible remains uniquely enjoyable. It's committed to delivering astonishing practical stunt work. It's self-aware just enough to poke fun at itself. And a part of me hopes that somehow, a team of geeks can also fight back against the excesses of AI."
Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning hits theaters on May 23.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/tom-cruise-gears-up-to-save-us-from-ai-in-the-latest-mission-impossible---the-final-reckoning-trailer-181032815.html?src=rss
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Germ-ridden and gluttonous, rodents are about as bad as houseguests get. Here's what a professional says to do to keep mice out in the first place.
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The iPhone designer's venture, io Products, is reportedly developing a range of AI-powered devices.
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According to Microsoft, the driver "provides encryption protection and is used by specialized security software and enterprise solutions" and "can be automatically introduced into a system as part of the installation process of many different applications" (e.g., antivirus software).
In serious cases, the compatibility problems caused by the latest Windows 11 24H2 update can lead to an increase in blue screen errors or black screen crashes. If a system no longer responds at all, often only on-board resources or repair tools can help with troubleshooting.
What you need to watch out for
Microsoft states that the issue currently affects sprotect.sys drivers with version numbers 1.0.2.372 and 1.0.3.48903. System administrators should check whether these drivers have been installed on devices. As already mentioned, these drivers can be installed and updated by various applications, and there's no comprehensive overview at this time.
To prevent the error on affected devices, Microsoft has instated
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 Anker's lifestyle brand Eufy has already swallowed a big chunk of the robot vacuum market and now it's got its sights on your yard. The company has been sharing details of its first two robot mowers since the start of the year, and now they're ready to start selling them. Eufy's E15 and E18 are designed to automate one of the most tedious jobs around the home — if you're able to pay. I've been testing an E15 for the last few weeks ahead of their retail debut today and I'm fairly impressed.
Early robot mowers needed a boundary wire to tell them where they were allowed to mow. But digging a trench around your lawn is time consuming, costly and less than ideal if you eventually move. It prompted companies to pivot to other methods, such as GPS or RTK (real time kinematics) to navigate. Eufy, however, is harnessing its computer vision know-how to trim your lawn with even less fuss, calling its technology "visual full self-driving," or vFSD. Yes, I know. Anker says there are plenty of benefits in using cameras over GPS, like more reliable mowing and better obstacle avoidance.
Daniel Cooper for Engadget
The E15 is capable of covering lawns up to 800 square meters while the E18 will conquer lands as broad as 1,200 square meters. If you assumed, like I did, that the difference between the two is battery
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 OpenAI is considering acquiring the AI hardware startup founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, according to a new report from The Information. The deal could be worth at least $500 million.
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When the AirPods Max arrived in late 2020, there wasn't much spatial audio content for Apple's high-end headphones. What's more, there wasn't any support at all for lossless audio. The company hadn't added Dolby Atmos and lossless tunes to Apple Music yet, but even when those arrived, Apple still hadn't solved my biggest problem with the $549 headphones. With iOS 18.4 and a firmware update for the AirPods Max with USB-C, Apple has finally put the finishing touches on its only headphones with lossless audio.
Let's back up a few months. Last September, Apple gave the AirPods Max its only significant update since the original launch: it swapped the Lightning jack for a USB-C port. The headphones are still running on the aging H1 chip when the rest of the current AirPods lineup has moved on to the more recent and more capable H2. I wasn't upset that the company didn't take the opportunity to update the AirPods Max design, but the failure to upgrade that chip was a head scratcher.
Now that lossless audio is here on the lightly refreshed AirPods Max, the headphones feel more complete. But that took over four years to finally happen, and if you bought the 2020 model
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The eufy E15 and E18, available for sale now, are a pair of connected robot lawn mowers. These clever gadgets can take this chore off your hands by bringing smart tech into your yard. Read on for more details and a $300 off discount code.
Designed to simplify maintaining a perfectly trimmed lawn, eufy E15 and E18 deliver precision cutting, smart navigation, and energy-efficient operation.
Much like a robotic vacuum cleaner, these eufy lawn mowers make use of a feature called Vision Full-Self Driving. It spots and avoids obstacles, from lawn edges and stone pathways to that football your kid left out in the yard yesterday. It can also dodge any pets that are too lazy to move out the way of the robot approaching them.
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While the Nintendo Switch 2 had its splashy debut last week, including details about the hardware and launch games, there's still lots about the console that Nintendo has yet to clear up. For instance, the company hasn't gone into specifics about the CPU and GPU that are powering the Switch 2, other than to touch on the performance enhancements that they offer over the Switch (NVIDIA separately confirmed that the Switch 2 uses its Deep Learning Super Sampling tech).
However, since last Wednesday's blockbuster Direct, Nintendo has touched on some new Switch 2 details in interviews with the press. For one thing, Nate Bihldorff, Senior Vice President of Product Development & Publishing at Nintendo of America, told Nintendo Life that the console's Joy-Con 2 controllers do not use Hall effect tech. "The Joy-Con 2's controllers have been designed from the ground up," Bihldorff said. "They're not Hall effect sticks, but they feel really good."
Switch 2 producer Kouichi Kawamoto separately said that the Joy-Con 2 joysticks "are quieter and don't make noise, even when they're moved
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Searching for the top internet provider in the Windy City? We've rounded up the fastest and most budget-friendly ISPs in Chicago.
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Like this powerful 4-port Ugreen Nexode X charging block, now on sale on Amazon for just $80 (was $100). This is a special Prime-only deal, but you can still snag it at this price by simply signing up for a 30-day free trial of Prime. You'll also get all those other Prime perks for the duration.
That's a fantastic price for such a powerful model that can handle this many devices at once. With its 140W throughput, you can fast-charge your laptops, phones, earbuds, and more with minimal wait. And this thing has 3x USB-C and 1x USB-A, so it's versatile no matter what kinds of devices and cables you have on you. But do note that when using multiple ports, the 140W total charging will get split up between ports.
What's nice is that this is a GaN charger, which is newer and more efficient tech—that means faster, smaller, and less heat given off. It's not just great for home, but also perfect for travel thanks to its compact build and foldable prongs, which tuck in to save space and prevent damage.
I have the non-foldable version of this and it's easily my favorite wall plug because it's so fast and convenient. With the foldable prongs, it'd be the ultimate travel plug. Go ahead and snag this Ugreen Nexode X on sale at Amazon while you can! And remember to sign
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 Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Pro models will feature a redesigned rear camera panel that spans the width of the device, but it will be the same color as the iPhone itself, rather than being part of a two-tone design.
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The tech billionaire and Trump adviser "donated" Starlink service to the White House. The move resembles a previous maneuver by Microsoft.
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On Friday, at Microsoft's 50th anniversary celebration, the company showed off its Copilot redesign. The company introduced Copilot Vision for Windows as well as a more intuitive Copilot assistant. But Copilot's knowledge capabilities are also being improved with Copilot Search, Deep Research, podcasts, and Pages.
The podcasts and Pages features may seem familiar. Google unveiled a hidden feature that allowed users to upload their own documents on a certain topic, and Google's own AIs would create an engaging podcast about them. Microsoft appears to be doing the same.
Pages also feels like it's been done before, as Google also allows you to upload content to a workspace. Pages might be a bit more thorough, as it's designed to synthesize various research into a draft document.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAVywhF4p2Q
Microsoft also isn't the first to enable Deep Research, a feature that both ChatGPT and Google Gemini offer.
Deep Research can take several minutes, but the output is worth it. Deep Research can read several, even dozens, of web pages, synthesizing their content, then producing a research report based upon what it's read. It's a powerful tool and generally considered more accurate since the output is drawn from live web pages.
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The Earfun Air Pro 4's passive noise cancellation helps me read in my noisy house, and they're 20% off their already discounted price.
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 For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with ColorWare to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a set of AirPods Pro 2 or AirPods 4 that have been custom designed with a classic Mac aesthetic.
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 Apple today released new 7E101 firmware for the AirPods Max with USB-C, addressing an issue that made the previously released firmware unable to be downloaded.
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The new administration has frozen a $42 billion plan to get broadband into rural areas as it shifts toward satellite service from Elon Musk's Starlink and Jeff Bezos' Kuiper.
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USEFUL STUFF Mashable: YouTube channels to help keep your mind calm. "The age of being extremely online has produced many unusual meditative practices. Many of us apparently enjoy singing bowl TikToks. Others […]
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 Amazon's Big Spring Sale is winding down, and is set to end tomorrow, March 31. There are still plenty of notable discounts available before the sale ends, including low prices on AirPods 4, AirPods Pro 2, AirTag, iPad Air, and more.
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As the volume of IoT devices connecting to enterprise networks continues to climb, the number of security threats has been increasing in lockstep. Cybersecurity threats, alongside supply chain issues, chip shortages and geopolitical instability, are a major reason that IoT growth has been slower than many analysts had predicted.
Even so, the scale of the IoT security problem is great enough that 52 IoT startups raised a total of $840 million in the latest quarter, and even cautious analysts believe the IoT market will grow steadily in the coming years. In fact, research firm IDC predicts that the IoT market will expand to 55.7 billion connected IoT devices by 2025, with those devices generating 80B zettabytes (ZB) of data.
To read this article in full, please click here
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