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Samsung HW-Q800A soundbar review: Sonically powerful all-rounder

(Pocket-lint) – The Samsung HW-Q800A soundbar replaces the previous HW-Q800T, but offers an almost identical set of features. That includes a 3.1.2-channel speaker layout, a powerful subwoofer, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X object-based decoding, eARC, and built-in Amazon Alexa for voice control. New this generation is the inclusion of Apple AirPlay 2, and optional wireless rear… Read more

Today I learned that card grading companies are drowning in Pokémon cards

A report from Vice has opened my eyes to just how big the Pokémon trading card collecting market is getting — apparently to the point where card rating companies have waitlists that range from six to ten months, with one company claiming it’s receiving over 500,000 cards to grade per week. The card graders, who… Read more

30 Apple Music tips, tricks and features

Home Advice Since its launch in 2015, Apple Music garnered 72 million subscribers by the end of 2020 and even more impressively (depending on who you ask) racked up a five-star review from us. Five iOS updates and a couple of hefty interface refreshes later, the arrival of the splendid HomePod Mini (despite the discontinuation… Read more

‘Disaster Girl’ has sold her popular meme as an NFT for $500,000

Another internet meme has sold for big bucks online: Zoë Roth, best known as “Disaster Girl” for the popular image macro taken by her father in 2005 of her smirking at the camera while a house burns down in the background, has sold the original copy of the meme as an NFT for 180 Ether,… Read more

How the video game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. inspired a wave of real-world Chernobyl tourists

A virtual world leads to IRL excursions By Darmon Richter Apr 29, 2021, 12:32pm EDT Illustration by Alex Castro At the entrance to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in Ukraine, 35 years on from the worst nuclear disaster in history, a yellow souvenir van sells T-shirts, key rings, and glow-in-the-dark “Chernobyl condoms,” all branded with gas… Read more

Samsung loses over $270M from Texas plant shutdown as quarterly profits boom

Shutting down its semiconductor plant in Austin, Texas lost Samsung over 300 billion won (around $270 million), Yonhap News reports. Speaking during a conference call, a senior vice president at Samsung’s foundry business Han Seung-hoon said that the shutdown affected around 71,000 wafers, corresponding to “around 300 to 400 billion won in damage.” The statement… Read more

Bitcoin’s Value Plummets as Biden Mulls Nearly Doubled Capital Gains Tax

Home News (Image credit: Shutterstock) Bitcoin is falling back to earth. This morning, the cryptocurrency’s price was nearly 25% lower than the all-time high set a few weeks ago, and reports that U.S. President Joe Biden plans to nearly double the capital gains tax might be partly responsible. The cryptocurrency’s value peaked at nearly $65,000… Read more

Potential 23% RAM Price Rise Means It’s an Expensive Time To Build a PC

Home News (Image credit: Photo by Athena from Pexels) More bad news for the prospective PC builder comes out of Taiwanese research institute TrendForce, which is predicting a rise in DRAM prices of between 18 and 23% for the second quarter of 2021. (Image credit: TrendForce) While negotiations between OEMs and resellers are still ongoing,… Read more

Luigi is joining Lego’s interactive Mario sets

Luigi — everyone’s favorite also-ran brother of the most famous mushroom-stomping plumber — is joining Lego’s interactive Super Mario collection of sets in a new starter kit (creatively titled the LEGO Super Mario Adventures with Luigi Starter Course.) The new Luigi figure is technologically similar to the Mario one, with a built-in display that animates… Read more

EPOS’ new $119 H3 wired gaming headset is basic, but comfortable

The gaming audio company EPOS has debuted a new wired gaming headset called the H3. It’s not as exciting as its GTW 270 truly wireless earbuds for gaming, and depending on your needs, its short list of features might not be worth its $119 price. But a few things stick out in the H3’s favor… Read more

New York City selects Bird, Lime, and VeoRide for its coveted e-scooter pilot

New York City’s days as one of the last remaining holdouts in the dockless electric scooter boom is finally at an end. The city’s Department of Transportation (DOT) announced the selection of Bird, Lime, and VeoRide as the participants in its inaugural e-scooter pilot. The companies are expected to begin operations in the Bronx by… Read more

Sonos Roam review: Portable perfection

(Pocket-lint) – Sonos Roam is the second portable Bluetooth speaker in the company’s portfolio, but really it’s the first when talking portability – because the Sonos Move isn’t all that portable by comparison. A Bluetooth speaker by day, Sonos speaker by night, or vice versa, the Sonos Roam is very portable, very smart and has… Read more

Sonos Roam review: portable potential

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. The Sonos Roam is the most focused, calculated product from Sonos yet. It’s a small $169 speaker that’s meant to compete with portable Bluetooth speakers that people so often carry everywhere without a second thought. But it’s… Read more

Go read this story on the real history of NFTs

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are big business now, at least for the moment. Everything from one of Creepy Chan’s first Myspace posts to a New York Times article has been put up for sale. (The Times piece went for the Ether equivalent of $560,000.) But they weren’t always a speculative, suspiciously scammy garden. In fact, according… Read more

Best PC gaming headsets 2021: The best wired, wireless and surround sound headsets around

(Pocket-lint) – Setting out on a mission to find the very best gaming headsets was a daunting task. There are a multitude of options out there – wired, wireless, closed and open cup designs, stereo and surround sound headsets, oval and round earcups, leather and material finishes, the list goes on and on. A lot… Read more