I don’t know what parallel universe we woke up in, but right now you can score a powerful RTX 5060 gaming laptop for just $1,050. The HP Victus is on sale at Best Buy with a crazy $320 discount! If you’ve been waiting to level up your aging rig, don’t pass up this chance. Not too long ago, if you wanted a proper RTX 50-series gaming laptop, you needed to shell out upwards of $2,000. Now, you can get one for half that. Not that we’re complaining! But seriously, why spend a grand on an RTX 4070 laptop when you can get one with an RTX 5060 instead? This HP Victus runs on a 13th-gen Intel Core i7-13620H processor paired with 16GB of fast DDR5 RAM and a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD. That’s a relatively speedy config that’ll deftly handle Windows 11 plus any apps plus all your browser tabs plus your gaming needs. Throw in the cutting-edge Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 and you have a winner that’s capable of powering the latest 3D games with Nvidia’s DLSS 4 and other AI-powered features. You’ll love the gaming experience on this laptop’s gorgeous 15.6-inch IPS display with its crisp 1920×1080 resolution and 144Hz refresh rate, smoothly painting those higher frame rates without any tearing. Would it be better with an OLED screen? Of course. But you have to be reasonable with your expectations at a price like this. What are you waiting for? Get this HP Victus with RTX 5060 for only $1,050 at Best Buy before this hot sale expires! But if it isn’t quite right for what you need, check out our roundup of the best overall gaming laptops as well as the best budget gaming laptops under $1,000. Save a huge $320 on this Intel-powered RTX 5060 gaming laptopBuy now from Best Buy Read...

Your PC’s operating system and running applications store countless temporary files on its mass storage device. One of the best-known examples of this is web browsers. In addition to the temporary data from the cache, there are download logs, cookies, saved passwords, updates downloaded in the background, or log files. System and application programs don’t always take care of removing such files themselves. As a result, more and more junk data accumulates on the hard drive, which then wastes unnecessary time and space during backups. This is exactly where the BleachBit program comes in. And the latest version 5.0 is the first major update in around two years. Bleachbit removes superfluous data such as temporary files or remnants from updates and thus frees up space on the hard drive. IDG The new features of version 5.0 Are you already familiar with Bleachbit? Then you’re probably primarily interested in the new features of the fifth version. First and foremost, this includes the expansion of supported programs. With this version, the tool can remove defective “.desktop” files (i.e. the shortcuts to applications). In addition, the program now also removes temporary files from Discord, Geary, Librewolf and Microsoft’s Edge browser. The temporary data created by Bash can also be deleted. As the developers reveal in the release notes, the cleaning up of log files has also been further optimized. The small icon for the desktop panel is more of a minor optimization. This allows you to recognize more quickly whether the software is running and currently active. How the program works Essentially, BleachBit can be used for two main tasks. Firstly, the program completely removes files and directories from the system. And it does so in such a way that they can no longer be restored. In other words: If you want to securely delete confidential information via a GUI, Bleachbit is the right app for the job. To delete one or more files or a folder as a whole, start the program and then call up the menu in the top right-hand corner of the program window. Decide on one of the two options and then select the objects to be deleted via the system’s file dialogue. The second, probably more popular function area deals with cleaning up data rubbish left behind by programs or the system itself. It works like this: Under “Places” on the left-hand side of the program window, you select the applications whose data you want to check and delete. Depending on the application, further sub-items appear. For Firefox, for example, you will find ten detailed options to get rid of clutter. In order not to reduce performance, you could, for example, leave the cache and cookies as they are, but selectively remove form histories or crash reports. After starting the program for the first time, switch to the basic settings to set updates or automatically hide unnecessary cleaners.Sam Singleton The “System” section is also interesting. It provides access to entries such as the list of programs used, the content of the clipboard or rotating log files. You make your selection here step by step. If you’re satisfied, it’s best to click on “Preview” first. The test run shows how much memory would be freed up by the action. BleachBit provides a list of all the objects that would be removed if you actually deleted them. This gives you the option of deciding in advance whether you’ve selected too little or too much. Only when you click on “Clean” does the program actually remove these items. Once you make your selections, these settings are retained for the future. This means you don’t have to select the deleted objects again each time. BleachBit therefore proves to be a useful helper in everyday life. Anyone who regularly exchanges data on a system with users from the Apple world will be familiar with the “DS_Store” files. This is where the Mac’s file manager stores meta information about the files. These are completely useless under Linux and Windows, but require storage space. With the corresponding function in BleachBit, you can elegantly get rid of these troublemakers. Finally, there are two functions that contribute to greater data security. You can access “Clean up free storage space” via the menu. As the name suggests, this will overwrite free space so that deleted files cannot be restored. You can specify which areas these are under “Drives“. The entry “Create chaff” requires explanation: BleachBit uses this to insert a number of files in the selected folder according to your specifications in order to fill it. You can then “hide” documents in between that should not be immediately recognizable. Compared to secure encryption, however, this is a rather obscure method. Command line mode BleachBit can be controlled entirely via the command line. Without the addition of a parameter, entering “bleachbit” in a terminal starts the GUI. However, if you add “–list” to the call, the program displays all available modules. bleachbit --list Bleachbit has a complete mode for the command line, which enables complete automation or quick deletion aliases in the terminal. IDG The CLI mode is interesting for all those who regularly delete the same data and want to automate this process. Commands such as bleachbit --clean system.cache can be used in scripts or even automated as a cron job. It’s always advisable to check the effects of a “cleaner” in advance. This is done with the switch “–preview” (or “-p”). For example, when bleachbit --preview firefox.cache is executed, the program shows which files would be affected, just like on the graphical user interface. If you’re then sure that this is what you want, use the “–clean” (or “-c”) switch. If you’ve familiarized yourself with programming, you can even write your own cleaners. These are XML files; you can find an example on the project’s Github page. Read...

Current laptops with Intel Core Ultra Series 2 processors rely on a hybrid chip design that is specifically geared towards energy efficiency. The Neural Processing Unit (NPU), used for the first time in consumer systems, plays a central role here. This dedicated computing unit for AI tasks relieves the CPU and GPU of inference-based processes such as image recognition, language processing, or modelling. While the CPU had to take on many of these tasks in conventional systems, the NPU enables a significantly more differentiated load distribution. This lowers the average system load and noticeably reduces energy requirements. As many NPU calculations can be carried out at a low clock frequency and in parallel, the energy balance is significantly improved compared to purely CPU- or GPU-based architectures. Energy-saving components in Intel Core Ultra The Intel Core Ultra V models in particular combine four performance cores with four efficiency cores and a dedicated NPU to form a tiered computing unit. The P-cores take over performance-critical tasks, while the E-cores and NPU remain continuously active in the background and run routine processes and AI functions with low power requirements. Mark Hachman / IDG The integrated Intel Arc Graphics also plays a role in this context: it enables hardware-accelerated video decoding and graphics-intensive display without an additional dedicated GPU, which relieves the cooling system and reduces the overall power consumption. The NPU delivers up to 48 TOPS of computing power with minimal power consumption. This benefits AI applications and AI functions as well as users, as the energy requirements of notebooks can be significantly minimised. Intel Microsoft’s energy-saving mechanisms under Windows 11 Parallel to the hardware platform, new energy-saving strategies have been implemented with Windows 11. The “User Interaction-Aware CPU Power Management” analyzes user activity in real time. If no interaction via keyboard, mouse, or touchpad is detected, the system automatically throttles CPU performance without interrupting active media playback or presentations. In addition, the “Adaptive Energy Saver” function also activates the energy-saving mode regardless of the battery status, provided the system load and usage scenario allow this. Sam Singleton In both cases, the NPU can ensure that AI-supported functions remain active in the background without negatively impacting the energy balance. The AI also balances priorities in the background, for example by delaying cloud synchronization or adaptive process rest. HP Omnibook and other Copilot models in comparison Devices such as the HP’s Omnibook X line already integrate these technologies system-wide. In combination with an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V and an Intel Arc 140V GPU, the NPU enables locally executed features such as Windows Studio Effects or AI functions in HP AI Companion without noticeably draining the battery. Many other models also achieve battery runtimes of over 24 hours in mixed operation thanks to the use of NPUs. Models such as the Surface Laptop 6 or the Surface Pro 10 integrate a dedicated NPU directly into the Intel Core Ultra SoC, supplemented by high-performance CPU cores and integrated graphics. Other compatible devices also rely on the Copilot concept, which combines powerful NPUs with intelligent energy management. Devices such as the Galaxy Book with RTX 4050/4070 or the Surface Pro 10 with Intel Core Ultra 7 demonstrate these possibilities. In practice, this means that even when language translation, background blurring or real-time image optimization are actively used, power consumption remains low. Software-based optimization and AI offloading A significant contribution to energy savings is made by shifting compute-intensive workloads to the NPU on the software side. Applications such as Zoom, Adobe Premiere Pro or Amuse are increasingly using native ONNX runtime-based interfaces to offload AI processes such as image generation, object tracking or audio filters to the NPU. Adobe This reduces the energy requirements of the CPU, which is particularly noticeable during long periods of use in video conferences or creative applications. The NPU is accessed via standardized interfaces such as DirectML and Intel and AMD platforms, which have native integration into the ONNX runtime. The resulting reduction in load on the main processors makes a decisive contribution to more even load distribution and therefore longer battery life. Interaction of CPU, GPU, and NPU in practice In modern notebooks, the CPU, GPU, and NPU work as a dynamic processing trio. While the CPU continues to control the operating system and general applications, the GPU takes over graphics-intensive tasks or parallelized computing operations. The NPU concentrates on dedicated AI processes and enables continuous processing with low energy consumption. Windows 11 assigns these tasks specifically, and continuously evaluates which unit is most efficient for execution. IDG / Mark Hachman This means that recurring tasks such as speech transcription, person recognition, or background noise filters can be processed directly on the NPU. This not only lowers power consumption, but also reduces the system temperature, which enables lighter cooling systems and therefore more compact and lighter notebook designs overall. Local processing instead of cloud offloading The local execution of AI workloads on the NPU replaces the usual cloud access in many cases. This means that image analyses, language models, or layout suggestions no longer have to be calculated online, but run entirely on the device. This not only reduces latencies, but also avoids unnecessary network activity. This is another factor that reduces power consumption. At the same time, the availability of these functions is increased even without a network connection, for example on the train or when travelling. Battery life then benefits in two ways: through lower computing load on the CPU and GPU and through reduced Wi-Fi or LTE/5G activity. Windows 11 shows NPU utilization in Task Manager for the first time Microsoft has expanded the Task Manager for control and transparency of this new architecture. In addition to CPU, GPU, and RAM, NPU utilization is now also displayed as a separate measured value. This allows users to understand how much their AI applications are actually benefiting from the dedicated hardware. For developers, the ONNX runtime in combination with the Windows Performance Analyzer also offers detailed diagnostic functions that can be used to specifically analyze inference times, operator load, and load curves. This enables fine-tuned optimization for maximum energy gain and minimum runtime delay. Sam Singleton Battery life as the new benchmark for AI PCs While attention has long focused on computing power and model size, there is now a paradigm shift. The actual runtime of a device is increasingly becoming the most important quality criterion for AI-optimized notebooks. Modern AI notebooks achieve video playback times of over 26 hours under realistic conditions, a value that would be almost impossible to realize without NPU-supported power distribution. At the same time, the combination of an adaptive energy-saving mode, local AI offloading, and intelligent load controls opens up new possibilities for mobile applications where the power supply is not always guaranteed. Conclusion: Saving energy with specialized AI hardware The integration of NPUs into current notebook platforms not only marks a technological advance in terms of AI performance, but also enables a sustainable reduction in energy consumption through intelligent task sharing for the first time. In combination with the new energy-saving functions of Windows 11, the result is a platform that not only works faster in everyday use, but also noticeably more efficiently. For users, this means longer battery life, less waste heat, quieter systems, and an overall better balance between performance and mobility, without sacrificing modern AI functions. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Fast 40Gbps USB4 performer Ruggedized and weatherized to IP54 Fantastically easy to pick out of the crowd Cons Type-C port cover isn’t captive Our Verdict The Rugged SSD4 is the fastest 40Gbps USB4 drives I’ve tested to date. It’s also IP54 rated and orange. We like it. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: LaCie Rugged SSD4 Retailer Price Check Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket I’ve always enjoyed LaCie’s use of the friendly color orange in many of the company’s external storage devices. So I was happy to open the Rugged SSD4 box and spot the familiar joyous hue adorning the device. That it’s super-compatible 40Gbps USB4 and fast-as-all-get-out didn’t hurt my mood either. Read on to learn more, then see our roundup of the best external drives for comparison. What are the LaCie Rugged SSD4’s features? Beyond the USB4 I’ve already rattled on about, the Rugged SSD4 is a silver and white rectangle approximately 3.75-inches long, 2.25-inches wide, and half an inch thick without its jacket. The orange silicone jacket extends that to around 4.15-inches long, 2.65-inches wide, and 0.75 inches thick. Weight is a little under 4 ounces. There’s also an orange silicone plug that covers the Type-C port on the end of the unit, but in my only nit about this drive — it’s not captive. Not captive means easier to lose — even if it’s bright orange. There’s also a power/activity light next to the USB port and you can see it through the jacket. The LaCie Rugged SSD4 sans Type-C covering end cap. Besides brightening up your day, the nice thing about the orange color is that it stands out. If you’re prone to misplacing things, especially outside, orange is much easier to spot than most colors. The Rugged SSD4 is IP54 rated, meaning that it can withstand dust as well as water spray. However, having seen hundreds of IP-rated designs, I think you’d be okay with even dropping the Rugged SSD4 in a bucket of water — assuming the end cap is in place. Not that I’m recommending it, mind you. You’re on your own if you do. As to such a situation, LaCie (Seagate) warranties the drive for three years and also offers free data recovery. Make sure you dry the unit thoroughly first, as water dripping out on the company’s test station might void the guarantee — and the company’s good will. How much does the LaCie Rugged SSD4 cost? Although not cheap, the Rugged SSD4 is affordable given the performance, and a lot less than the 80Gbps competition including LaCie’s own Thunderbolt 5 Rugged SSD Pro5. The 1TB version is $135, the 2TB is $250, and $480 for 4TB model we tested. How fast is the LaCie Rugged SSD4? Pretty darn fast, I’m here to tell you. The Rugged SSD4 is the speediest 40Gbps USB4 SSD I’ve tested overall, though not by a ton. In the real world, it’s also competitive with the 80Gbps drives we’ve tested under most circumstances. I’ve included LaCie’s own Rugged SSD Pro5 to baseline the Rugged series, but it’s an 80Gbps Thunderbolt 5 SSD. Hence the massive advantage in a couple of synthetic benchmarks. Overall, however, the performance gap isn’t nearly as wide as you might think. Note that I now use FastCopy in transfer tests as it’s far faster than Windows Explorer at transferring files, though the advantage is more apparent with internal PCIe 4.0/5.0 SSDs than with external ones. Note that optimal performance requires disabling real time virus checking and setting your external SSD for maximum performance in Disk Management. The Rugged SSD4 turned in stellar 40Gbps scores in CrystalDiskMark 8. The Rugged SSD Pro5 is 80Gbps and is expected to dominate a 40Gbps SSD. At least in synthetic benchmarks. Longer bars are better. The Rugged SSD4 outstripped the Rugged SSD Pro5 in two of CrystalDiskMark 8’s 4K tests, falling short in two others. Note that all these results are from retests on our new test bed, and may not match the numbers in the older reviews. The Rugged SSD4 more than held its own in CrystalDiskMark 8’s 4K tests. Even besting its 80Gbps stablemate in two of the tests. Longer bars are better. Yes, the Adata SE920 is aces at real-world transfers under Explorer, and the Rugged SSD4 managed to also outperform the Rugged SSD Pro5 in two tests in Explorer. We weren’t expecting that. Then again, it’s a newer drive. The industry moves fast. The Rugged SSD4 managed to outperform the Rugged SSD Pro5 in two tests. But the Rugged SSD Pro5 was the faster drive in most. Shorter bars are better. Again, the newer Rugged SSD4 actually beat the Pro5 in both Explorer and FastCopy when writing 450GB. Go figure. Again, the newer Rugged SSD4 actually beat the Pro5 in both Explorer and FastCopy. Go figure. Shorter bars are better. Note that I banged on the Rugged SSD4 hard trying to get it to slow down its write pace, writing several 950GB files to it consecutively. It never dropped below 1.65GBps. Sweet, and great for videographers. The vast majority of SSDs will drop to 5,000- to 800MBps. This was actually the third consecutive 950GB write and the Rugged SSD4 maintained a very high write rate. Sweet! Overall, the Rugged SSD4 is a great performer and in the real world outperformed its far pricier cousin. Should you buy the LaCie Rugged SSD4? If you’re looking for the best performing 40Gbps USB4 SSD on the market — yes. If you’re looking for a ruggedized SSD that you can plug into just about anything — yes. If you like the color orange — yes. On the other hand, if performance is paramount, the soon-to-be-reviewed (Macworld) 80Gbps OWC 1M2 80G is the fastest external SSD I’ve tested. Albeit at a much, much higher price. How we test Drive tests currently utilize Windows 11 24H2, 64-bit running off of a PCIe 4.0 Samsung 990 Pro in an Asus Z890-Creator WiFi (PCIe 4.0/5.0) motherboard. The CPU is a Core Ultra i5 225 feeding/fed by two Crucial 64GB DDR5 4800MHz modules (128GB of memory total). Both 20Gbps USB and Thunderbolt 5 are integrated and Intel CPU/GPU graphics are used. Internal PCIe 5.0 SSDs involved in testing are mounted in a Asus ROG PCIe 5.0 M.2 adapter card and a HighPoint 7604A 16x PCIe 5.0 4-port M.2 adapter card. We run the CrystalDiskMark 8.04 (and 9), AS SSD 2, and ATTO 4 synthetic benchmarks (to keep article length down, we only report one) to find the storage device’s potential performance, then a series of 48GB and 450GB transfers tests using Windows Explorer drag and drop to show what you’ll see under Window, as well as the far faster Xcopy and FastCopy to show what’s possible. A 25GBps two-SSD RAID 0 array on the aforementioned Highpoint 7604A is used as the second drive in our transfer tests. Formerly the 48GB tests were done with a RAM disk. Each test is performed on a NTFS-formatted and newly TRIM’d drive so the results are optimal. Note that in normal use, as a drive fills up, performance may decrease due to less NAND for secondary caching, as well as other factors. This issue has abated somewher with the current crop of SSDs with more mature controllers and far faster late-generation NAND. Caveat: The performance numbers shown apply only to the drive we were shipped and to the capacity tested. SSD performance can and will vary by capacity due to more or fewer chips to shotgun reads/writes across and the amount of NAND available for secondary caching. Vendors also occasionally swap components. If you ever notice a large discrepancy between the performance you experience and that which we report, by all means, let us know. Read...

I don’t know how your tech drawers look, but mine are filled with wires I’ll likely never use again because technology has advanced quite a bit. Thankfully, USB-C seems to be here to stay since there is no wrong way to plug these things in. It’s not just smartphones, tablets, and laptops that use these, however, but also a long list of gadgets. We’ve scoured the market for hidden gems: 12 gadgets that will make you think “Wow, I didn’t know I needed that, but it will make my life so much easier!” Let’s dive in and see what cool devices you’ll be able to use your type-C cables and ports with. Wowstick 1F+ mini electric screwdriver Wowstick If you often have to fiddle around with your computer or other gadgets, this Wowstick mini electric screwdriver may be just what you need. This pen-shaped screwdriver features three LED lights so it’s easier to see what you’re working on and rotates 200 times per minute so you can finish the job faster. The screwdriver has a stylish base so you can hold it on your desk, and a whole collection of 56 aluminum alloy bits. The screwdriver can be charged via USB-C and it can last for hours. This super fun electric screwdriver usually goes for $41. Anker Nano Power Bank Anker One thing you need to have in you bag/pocket/backpack is a power bank because you never really know when your phone will fail you and cry for a recharge. Well, the Anker Nano power bank is tiny enough to fit just about anywhere. It comes with a foldable USB-C connector and a port on the side so you can charge two devices at once if you need to. The 5,000mAh capacity is just about enough for a full phone recharge, so it will be great in a pinch. It’s also only $30, but we’ve seen it as low as $16. Endoscope camera with light Ennovor Although it’s not something you’ll use every day, this Ennover endoscope camera can definitely come in handy. You just plug it in your phone, install and app, and see everything your camera does. Our team swears by it, using it for finding whatever they dropped behind the desk, while working on the car, or looking for pipe leaks. Since it has an IP67 rating, you can even plop it in your aquarium. The camera comes with a 16.4ft semi-rigid cable and several accessories, including a hook, magnet, and a mirror. You can get this one for $23 right now. Blukar flashlight Blukar I don’t care who you are—you need a flashlight. The smaller, the better, because you get to shove it into any pocket. This model from Blukar comes with a built-in 1800mAh battery that you’ll recharge with one of those many type-C cables you have in that tech drawer we were talking about. It can work for up to 16 hours on a single charge, which is pretty decent. There are four different lightning modes to cycle through, including one that will help you signal for help. Plus, one of these is only $10, so no excuse to pass on this one. Heat It insect bite healer Anyone plagued by mosquitoes in the summer will be particularly pleased with this ingenious gadget. This tiny device, which can be easily connected to your smartphone via USB-C, can significantly reduce the itching of bites and stings with targeted heat. You simply charge the small Heat It bite healer via the app and then hold it on the bite. The heat then does the rest, breaking down the proteins in the mosquito bite that cause the area to swell, itch, and hurt. A true must-have for summer, and it costs only $20. A tiny air pump Also perfect for summer is this small air pump from Cycplus, which fits in any bag while on the go. Not only can it inflate a bicycle tire in two minutes at the touch of a button, but it’s also USB-charged. According to the manufacturer, it’s suitable for mountain bikes, road bikes, motorcycles, and even cars! In addition to being an air pump, this practical gadget can also be used as a flashlight or power bank for on-the-go use — all things that come in very handy on a bike ride. And at just $57, it’s highly recommended if you need quick help with a flat tire. USB-C mini fan These little fans are also pretty ingenious; you can easily carry them in your pocket in the summer and quickly use them whenever you need them. Anyone who’s ever sat on a crowded subway train in 30-degree heat and wished for at least a little fresh air will love this gadget. The mini fan, which costs just $20, has a USB-C port and can be easily powered by power banks, computers, laptops, or USB chargers. There are even smaller and cheaper fans available that can be connected directly to your phone, costing under $10 each. But these also provide less powerful airflow, so we recommend the standalone version. Reading light with a book clamp Anyone who enjoys reading a lot, sometimes late into the night, will appreciate this little gadget: a reading lamp that you can simply clip onto your book. It may not be groundbreaking, but with a total of three color temperatures and five different light modes, you can individually adjust how much light you need for reading. The Gritin reading lamp costs just $15 on Amazon and features a 1200 mAh battery that lasts up to 80 hours depending on usage. Afterward, you can easily recharge it via USB. You can swivel the neck of the lamp back and forth as desired, and there’s even a small charging indicator. What more could you want? External DVD Drive Amicool If your laptop is like mine and lacks a DVD drive, then this little gadget will come in handy for you. This Amicool external DVD drive uses a USB-C (or USB-A) to connect to your laptop and give yout he optical drive you sometimes need. It can read and burn DVDs and CDs with ease, allowing you to install software, copy files, back up data, play games, and so on. You won’t even need to install drives as this thing is plug and play. While this thing’s usually $29, you can often get it for around $20, which is an absolute bargain. Samsung flash drive Samsung The vast majority of flash drives have a USB-A connector, but this one from Samsung has a Type-C connector. With transfer speeds of up to 400MB/s, you’ll move files around in no time. The beauty of this thumb drive is that you can even pop it in your smartphone to record 4K vids directly on it. The Samsung Type-C flash drive comes in multiple storage options, starting at 64GB and up to 512GB and they start at $14. The 256GB version, for instance, is $27 at the time of writing. Type-C microSD card reader Ugreen Most laptops nowadays don’t come with a card reader anymore (I know mine doesn’t), so finding other ways to get data off those little buggers is a must. Whether you need to pull data off your dashcam’s card or if it’s from your camera, this tiny Ugreen USB-C microSD reader will work just fine. This reader is tiny enough that you should probably put it on a keychain of some kind. If you’d rather a slightly more versatile version, Ugreen has a model that also works with SD cards and features both USB-C and USB-A connectors. Any of these will cost you less than $10, so they’re worthwhile investments. USB-C to HDMI adapter Anker If your laptop has a USB-C port but you haven’t updated your monitor in ages, your display won’t feature a Type-C port. This Anker adapter fixes this problem for you, enabling you to connect the regular HDMI cable you plug in your monitor with this gadget. The adapter supports resolutions of up to 4K at 60Hz, which is pretty awesome. This is also a nifty way to connect your phone or tablet to your monitor or TV. This thing’s $20, but we’ve seen it as low as $12. Editor’s note: This article was originally published on May 16, but was updated to include additional devices. Read...

TL;DR: These software subscriptions normally cost hundreds every year — but this $99.99 bundle gives you three years of Acrobat Classic plus a lifetime of Microsoft Office you’ll only pay for once. Subscriptions have become the default for most big-name software, but they also drain your wallet fast. That’s why this deal stands out: you can score both Adobe Acrobat Classic (Pro 2024) and Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for just $99.99. Normally, you’d be paying multiple times this price annually just to keep these tools active. Adobe Acrobat Classic gives you three full years of pro-level PDF editing, conversion, and protection — all offline, without needing cloud access. Whether you’re editing text and images, securing sensitive files, or converting PDFs into Word, Excel, or PowerPoint documents, Acrobat Classic has the features you’d expect from Adobe, minus the subscription fee. On top of that, you get Microsoft Office Professional 2021 as a lifetime license. That means Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, OneNote, Publisher, and Access are yours permanently with a one-time install on your Windows PC. No ongoing payments, just the complete productivity suite most professionals rely on daily. Stop renting your tools and own them outright. For $99.99, this bundle delivers serious value by combining a 3-year subscription to Adobe Acrobat Classic and a lifetime Microsoft Office license into one purchase. Adobe Acrobat Classic + Microsoft Office Professional License BundleSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

TL;DR: A PDF Converter and Editor Lifetime License is now only $29.99 (reg. $99.99). Managing PDFs shouldn’t require a subscription. Whether you’re editing a contract, converting scanned forms, or just trying to extract text from an image-based file, there’s no reason to pay monthly for basic tools you’ll use over and over. This PDF Converter and Editor Lifetime License gives you a simpler, one-time alternative to monthly subscriptions, and it’s on sale for $29.99 (reg. $99.99). This all-in-one software lets you convert PDFs into formats like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and images, and convert those file types back into PDFs with just a few clicks. It also includes built-in OCR, which can recognize text in scanned documents and turn them into searchable, editable files. That makes it especially helpful if you’re digitizing paperwork or working with older files. Beyond conversions, the platform has editing tools that let you split, merge, rotate, annotate, or secure your PDFs. You can add watermarks, compress large files, unlock password-protected documents, and even create custom forms with interactive fields. Instead of relying on multiple programs, this software brings everything into one tool. The full version is available for Windows, with core conversion and creation features currently supported on macOS as well. All features come unlocked with a one-time license, and updates are included. Right now, you can get a PDF Converter and Editor Lifetime License on sale for $29.99. PDF Converter & Editor: Lifetime LicenseSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

Norton Small Business now helps protect against leaked credentials and account takeovers as breaches impacting businesses surge. Read...

Combining 55 years of audio expertise with a fresh, contemporary design, the SL-40CBT delivers iconic Technics performance with new features designed for modern vinyl enthusiasts. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Far more powerful than most robot mowers Outstanding app Fast, efficient cut even at its default speed Cons Unreliable Bluetooth connectivity during manual mapping Poor navigation through narrow passageways Some slope and cliff detection issues Our Verdict While the Ecovacs Goat A3000 excels in a few areas, its shortcomings are disruptive enough to give us pause. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Ecovacs Goat A3000 Retailer Price $2,999.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices Robot lawn mowers are very similar to robot vacuum cleaners, at least in principle. So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that a leading robot vacuum manufacturer—namely, Ecovacs—should try its hand at building them. But I can’t get past the naming convention Ecovacs chose for this series: The acronym GOAT stands for “greatest of all time” and is commonly used to describe generational figures: Tom Brady in football, Willie Mays in baseball, Richard Petty in NASCAR, and so on. Ecovacs has set an extremely high bar for its entry into an entirely new market, and it doesn’t quite clear it. Specifications There are three models in the Ecovacs Goat series, with the model A3000 reviewed here at the top of the line. Capable of mowing lawns up to 3/4 acre (32,000 square feet or 2,973 square meters), it features a dual-LiDAR navigation system with a 360-degree LiDAR sensor on top of the mower, and a second forward-facing LiDAR with an AI camera for smoother operation in complex environments. This eliminates the need for a GPS antenna. The A3000 has dual cutting blades with a combined cutting width of 12.9 inches and an electronically adjustable cutting height with a range of 1.2- to 3.6 inches. The 5Ah lithium-ion battery powering its 32-volt motor can be fully charged in just 45 minutes, but that motor only drives the mower’s rear wheels. Set up and installation The Ecovacs Goat A3000’s charging contacts are located on the top of the mower and its charging station, which led to more reliable docing and charging. This could go double if you struggle to contain weed growth where you locate the dock. Ed Oswald/Foundry The Goat A3000 was mostly assembled when it arrived, which made the initial setup—with the app walking me through the entire process—very easy. The mower’s charging interface snaps onto its charging base, and the two-prong plug at the other end of the cord can be plugged into any available outlet. I let the mower create its own map of the level portions of my yard, and it did so more quickly than any other machine I’ve tested—by a significant margin. The map was fairly accurate, too, although too sensitive to “passable” obstructions such as overgrowth. Ecovcacs recommends using the manual navigation function to map a yard’s sloped portions. I followed that advice but still ran into significant trouble. The mower’s Bluetooth connection to my smartphone was unstable, disconnecting dozens of times over the 30 or so minutes it needed to map the yard. Fortunately, this was the only major problem I had with the mower. When Bluetooth works, the controls are easy to use. And since the Goat is a 32V mower, you’ll notice a significant amount of get-up-and-go compared to robot mowers with 18V or less motors. One feature the Goat A3000 lacks is any form of lighting, but that doesn’t mean you’re limited to mowing only during the daylight hours. Watching this mower efficiently navigate my oddly shaped yard in low-light conditions was an amazing experience. While you might worry about it hitting pets or other animals while mowing at night, the noise of the approaching mower should scare them off. Using the Ecovacs Goat A3000 The Ecovacs Goat A3000 is impressively maneuverable for its size, and it was able to mow much closer to obstacles in its path. Ed Oswald/Foundry The Ecovacs Goat A3000 performed well throughout my tests, exhibiting only the typical problems rear-wheel-drive models encounter in my yard. One thing I did notice with the A3000 is that it is slightly louder (by a matter of a few decibels) than most robot mowers. This is likely due to the Goat A3000’s cutting power: Its twin disc blades spin at 3,000 rpm. If you’re cutting moderately tall grass, the Goat will leave behind trails of clipped grass much like a traditional mower will—it will shoot some grass clippings out its rear deck, too, which most robot mowers won’t. Those trails will disappear within a day or two as the mower mulches those past clippings (you can also prevent this by cutting your yard down to less than 3 inches or so before your first mow). Like the Segway Navimow X350 robot mower I reviewed in July, the Goat A3000 cuts at a default speed much closer to a human (although there’s also a faster speed). Gone are hours-long mowing sessions: on our 0.28 acre yard, it was done in about 40 minutes, with plenty of battery power left. The Goat A3000’s extra power will come in handy if the mower gets into trouble, too. I’ve tested quite a few that just don’t have enough torque to get themselves unstuck. Fair warning, however; with that torque, this mower can also rip up your yard if things go haywire. The Goat A3000 struggled when navigating through the tight spots in my yard that are just a bit wider than the mower itself. And it would sit and think for several seconds about how to tackle my grass median strips before it finally determined that the best—and only—way to handle them was to run parallel to the longest edge. But those medians have posed problems for every AI-powered mower I’ve tested. And median strips are everywhere. To date, the Sunseeker Orion X7 has been the only robot mower capable of mowing mine without issue on a consistent basis. Using the Ecovacs app If you also use an Ecovacs robot vacuum, you’ll control the Ecovacs Goat A3000 with the same excellent app. Ed Oswald/Foundry As does Anker with its Eufy E18 robot mower, Ecovacs uses the same app for operating its mower as it does with its robot vacuum cleaners. That saves you from needing to download yet another app on your phone—provided, of course, you also use an Ecovacs robot vac. And the app works well, although I could do without the cutesy animations. The Ecovacs app has an uncluttered user interface, putting only the most important features on screen and with thought and consideration given to where buttons and switches are placed. You’ll rarely need to adjust  the mower’s cutting height, for instance, but you’ll want to check the mower’s location frequently, so prominently displaying the mower’s camera button in the app is the best use of screen real estate. Should you buy the Ecovacs Goat A3000? The Ecovacs Goat A3000 has a second LiDAR camera on its top, giving the mower a 360-degree of its surroundings as well as excellent low-light vision.Ed Oswald/Foundry As I said at the beginning, putting the word “Goat” in this mower’s name leads one to expect top-tier performance. The Goat A3000 is a very good robot lawn mower, but it’s certainly not the “greatest of all time.” That’s not to say it never will be: It has awesome navigation skills, and its cutting performance is at the top end of my experience. The right firmware updates could put it over the top. Steady Bluetooth connectivity, so essential during setup and initial mapping, is crucial. Ecovacs needs to fix that as soon as possible. It might seem like a minor bump in the road, but that bump is nearly the first thing you’ll encounter in your experience with this mower. AI is the second area in which Ecovacs needs to improve. So far, Sunseeker is the only robot lawn mower manufacturer to successfully implement AI. The Orion X7 didn’t need to make several mistakes to learn the most efficient mowing method; it was able to determine that ahead of time, even if it meant the robot had to sit and “think” about it. Ecovac’s AI isn’t among the worst I’ve seen, but it’s also not the best. The Ecovacs Goat A3000 is a very good robot lawn mower with the potential to be much better. It’s up to Ecovacs to see just how close to great it can be. This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best robot lawn mowers. Read...