Charge

Apple’s independent repair program is expanding to ‘nearly every country where Apple products are sold’

Getting an Apple product repaired often involves going directly to the (expensive) source — an Apple Store — or a big third-party firm. If you live somewhere with limited choices, Apple’s recently announced expansion of its Independent Repair Provider program might change that. The company plans to expand its repair program to “nearly every country… Read more

Ratchet & Clank is currently free, and it’s getting a PS5 update, too

Insomniac Games’ 2016 remake of Ratchet and Clank is one of the most popular first-party exclusives released during the PS4’s life span. And today, the developer announced that the game will receive a next-gen optimization patch sometime next month to take advantage of the PS5’s hardware. The new update will allow PS5 owners to run… Read more

GeForce RTX 3090 Gets 3% Performance Boost From Resizable BAR

Home News A user from the Chiphell forums has evaluated the impact of Resizable BAR on Nvidia’s flagship GeForce RTX 3090. While the results aren’t phenomenal, the extra performance comes free of charge, so we welcome it with open arms. While Nvidia has pledged to bring Resizable BAR to its entire stack of Ampere graphics… Read more

Xiaomi’s wireless charging pad is the latest clone to attempt the AirPower dream

Xiaomi unveiled a new wireless charging pad during its Mi Mix event this morning. The pad is capable of simultaneously charging three devices without precise placement, similar to the canceled Apple AirPower charger. According to Xiaomi, this wireless charging pad features up to 20W of wireless power per device and includes 19 coils, allowing users… Read more

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 review: a ThinkPad with a twist

The ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 3 is a ThinkPad through and through. It’s got the keyboard nub, the discrete mouse buttons, and the all-black chassis with scattered dots of red. (If you’ve seen its predecessor, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 2, you’ll know what you’re getting — the models are identical, with different chips.) But… Read more

Comic-Con will hold an in-person event in San Diego over Thanksgiving weekend

Comic-Con won’t be hosting its regular in-person annual gathering this summer, as the organization behind the cosplay and fan gathering cancel the event for the second year in a row due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But there is now an in-person event on the books for the fall to compliment the limited online versions the… Read more

Bose Frames Tempo review: the specs to beat

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. It’s still fair to call audio sunglasses a niche category, but with Bose offering several models, Amazon in the game, and counting recent announcements from Razer and JLab, it’s certainly a growing one. There are people out… Read more

BMW and PG&E think electric vehicles could stabilize California grid

As blackouts become more common during California’s fire season, utility PG&E is looking to electric vehicles as one potential backup plan for the state’s stressed-out grid. It’s been working with carmaker BMW to test whether electric vehicles could provide power when there’s an outage or not enough energy to meet demand. Theoretically, a network of… Read more

Apple iPhone SE (2020) vs iPhone XR vs iPhone 11: What’s the difference?

(Pocket-lint) – The iPhone SE (second generation) is essentially an iPhone 8 externally but with the innards from the iPhone 11. It’s the natural successor to the long-discontinued but very popular iPhone SE from 2016. squirrel_widget_167218 That means you’re getting some flagship features for a mid-range price. Wireless charging and waterproofing stick around, plus the single-camera… Read more

OnePlus 9 Pro vs Oppo Find X3 Pro: Battle of the super flagships

(Pocket-lint) – The line between Oppo and OnePlus may be blurring at the management level, and when it comes to launching smartphones in their homeland in China, but when it comes to delivering flagships in western markets, they still take different approaches to things. For the start of 2021, Oppo delivered the Find X3 Pro… Read more

Best PS4 cooling systems 2021: Keep your console cool

(Pocket-lint) – The PlayStation 4 is a superb console, and over the course of its lifespan it’s played host to some of the finest games ever released, so whether you’ve had a PS4 for ages or you’re picking up a new one you’ve got a lot to look forward to. However, one problem the console… Read more

KEF Mu3

Our Verdict KEF’s first noise-cancelling wireless earbuds make a positive impression, even if they fall short of being best-in-class For Refined, mature balance Weighty bass Good battery life Against Beaten for dynamics and expression Call quality could be better KEF has dabbled in the headphone market since 2013, experimenting with both over-ear and in-ear models… Read more

Area-codeless local calls will largely go away in October — but for a good reason

In many places, you can call up a neighbor or local pizza parlor just by dialing seven numbers, as long as you have the same area code — but that ability will soon be going away, in order to make the National Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Lifeline easier to reach. If you live… Read more

Oculus Quest 2 vs Oculus Quest: What’s the difference between these VR headsets?

(Pocket-lint) – The Oculus Quest 2 is an updated version of Oculus’ wireless virtual reality headset, but what makes it different to the original? Buy the Oculus Quest 2 Well, there are a number of both aesthetic and technical changes that make the Quest 2 worth considering. It might well be a brilliant purchase for… Read more

The lower-cost OnePlus 9R is official, and it sounds surprisingly strong

Yesterday’s OnePlus event covered the high-end 9 and 9 Pro, but outside of that spotlight, the company has quietly revealed a smartly specced, less-expensive model: the OnePlus 9R. CEO Pete Lau confirmed last week that the 9R was on the way and would launch in India. It’s now listed on the company’s Indian website starting… Read more