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While laptops are still great for taking your work on the go, they’re no longer the only option, or even the best one. These days, you can use a tablet instead and turn it into a solid laptop replacement. Over the years, tablets have become larger, clearer, and more powerful, and recent updates like Android’s desktop mode and new iPadOS 26 features that turn it into a touchscreen MacBook make it clear that developers are leaning into this functionality. 

Depending on the accessories you pick and whether you already have a tablet, this conversion will likely be far cheaper than purchasing a new laptop. Plus, you’ll have all the crucial capabilities of a laptop along with the flexibility of a tablet that is even lighter and more portable for your convenience. If you’re looking to change the way you use your device without breaking the bank, here are some settings and accessories that will help you turn your tablet into a laptop.

Enable desktop features you probably didn’t know about

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Recent updates make it easier to use your tablet like a laptop, but some of these features need to be enabled in your device’s settings. If you’re on iPad, go to Multitasking & Gestures in Settings to turn on Stage Manager. This feature gives you more control over the display by allowing you to group apps and move windows freely, which is great for multitasking and feels more like using a laptop or desktop.

As for Android tablets, those vary more from brand to brand. If you have a Google Pixel tablet, for example, a March 2026 Android update adds desktop mode. Samsung Galaxy tablets can use DeX mode, and Xiaomi Pad has Workstation Mode, both of which offer laptop-like displays with improved options for multitasking. 

Just going into the settings won’t turn your tablet into a functional laptop replacement on its own. Still, it’s the most important piece of the puzzle on the software side, and it’s 100% free. Knowing what your tablet can (or cannot) do can also help you decide if you need an upgrade, as older models may not have access to these kinds of features.

Pick the right keyboard and mouse

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There are plenty of keyboards out there that will instantly make your tablet feel and function more like a laptop or desktop computer. Apple’s Magic Keyboard is considered the best for iPad, but they start at $249, only $100 less than the cheapest iPad model. For a fraction of that price, you can get the Harvopu keyboard case on Amazon, which sells for between $25 and $35 depending on the color. For a platform-neutral option, consider eoso’s TouchPad Keyboard case, which currently sells for $36.99 and fits any tablet between nine and 11 inches.

These two accessories stand out for their trackpads, a feature not many keyboards in this price range include that helps emulate the laptop experience. Depending on personal preference, you may be able to forgo a mouse and use either a trackpad or the touchscreen. If you do want a mouse, most any USB or Bluetooth model will do, but some cheap but reliable options include the Logitech B100 ($7.99) and the Logitech M196 ($14.99), both of which have over 4.5 stars (out of five) on Amazon and lots of positive reviews.

Increase utility with other accessories

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Adjusting system and display settings and adding a keyboard will make your tablet look and feel more like a laptop, but there are other things you’ll need if you want it to be a true replacement. First, a USB hub will open up more options for storage and accessories, especially on an iPad, which notoriously only has its charging port. These devices start around $10 on Amazon, with the BENFEI USB C Hub 5-in-1 being a cheap and popular option.

You’ll also need to increase your tablet’s storage capacity and battery life if you want it to be as efficient as a laptop. Starting with storage, cloud solutions are the easiest and cheapest option, at least in terms of upfront costs. Price and features vary depending on which service you use, but iCloud+ starts at $0.99 a month for 50 gigabytes, and Microsoft 365 and Google One’s Basic plans give you 100 gigabytes for $1.99 per month. If you’d rather avoid the cloud or a subscription, there are external storage options. An external SSD is ideal, but the reliable ones are pricy, so a USB flash drive will often suffice.

Finally, if you want to take your computer on the go and don’t want to be wired to the wall, get a power bank to give your battery life a boost. As with other tablet accessories, they vary greatly in price, but there are decent ones available for around $20, like the INIU Portable Charger. With the right accessories and settings, you can turn almost any modern tablet into a working laptop substitute without spending a fortune.

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In the modern digital age, where people have all manner of sensitive files and information stored on their computers, it has become more important than ever before to safeguard their data from harm. Some people are lackadaisical in this department, which can have grievous repercussions when an unforeseen issue leads to a massive chunk of your data going down the drain. If you don’t have a backup handy, then say goodbye to all the important information you’d spent years gathering.

Instead of blaming any external problem for this data loss, you’re better off taking preventive measures and avoiding the common data mistakes many people make. We highly recommend that you back up your PC often and check if it’s protected from any debilitating attacks or incidents.

Never use data backup and cloud storage plans

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Given the many ways you can store your data on the cloud, it would be a huge misstep if you decide to ignore this crucial service and choose to either keep your data backed up offline only… or not at all. This puts your data at risk if an unforeseen issue causes your PC to lose everything. 

While you can always rely on free plans for backup purposes, keep in mind that these services are usually limited, either in terms of storage space or features. This is why you should shell out some money for a data backup subscription, ideally for a reliable, cost-effective service that does justice to your investment and gives you a reliable option to safeguard your data from getting wiped.

Your options are massive. Google Drive, Apple iCloud, and Microsoft OneDrive are the three usual providers that are the easiest to use and give you a simple, easy-to-access cloud platform where you can store your data, although free storage is limited to 15GB for Google Drive and 5GB for the other two. If you need more space for your backup, pay for a plan that lets you store all your data with ease. However, if you want to check out other services that rival these cloud services in efficiency — and even surpass them, in some cases — then why not try Dropbox or IDrive? Finally, if you don’t mind dealing with complex interfaces when backing up your data, services like ShadowProtect SPX, Acronis True Image, Backblaze, and pCloud are worth considering.

Run insecure, risky programs regularly

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When it comes to running third-party programs, most people believe that Mac is more secure than Windows. The built-in XProtect malware-detecting software, along with Gatekeeper’s runtime protection, means that your macOS device should be free from any debilitating third-party software. However, this isn’t an absolute truth, and being careless leaves both Windows and macOS at risk of viruses and malware that eat into the system and make it unusable, possibly forcing you to wipe your hard drive and start fresh.

The obvious step to avoid this issue is to avoid any untrustworthy third-party apps. This might not be ideal for people who want to run certain programs that seem useful, despite causing an alert from Windows SmartScreen to pop up whenever they try to run them. In this event, a valid course of action is to run Windows Sandbox, which serves as a virtual machine segregated from your main device. It’s simple to use and provides you with a staging ground to run suspicious apps and see whether they perform as advertised… or just want to corrupt your data.

While macOS lacks an ingrained virtual machine that you can use to recreate this effect, there are alternative third-party solutions like UTM and VMware, which are free, trustworthy, and give you the peace of mind you need to install third-party apps and see whether they’re secure enough to warrant a place on your main system.

Fail to follow the 3-2-1 rule

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The golden 3-2-1 rule of data backups states that you should maintain three copies of your data, two of which are on different devices, and one of these is offsite and away from your PC. A good example of this would be to keep your data on your computer, an external hard drive, and the cloud. The computer and your hard drive become two different physical devices, while cloud storage takes care of the offsite data requirement.

As online data backups have become more prevalent, this rule has changed somewhat to accommodate these changing times. One notable tweak is the 3-2-1-1-0 rule, which entails that at least one backup copy of the data should always be offline. Hammering in this fact is important, since most people keep copies of their data on two different cloud storage services and call it a day. If hackers get your personal information and target both these sources, say goodbye to all your data. Along with this, the “0” is meant to push you to double-check your backed-up data and ensure that it’s error-free.

On top of this, there’s a 4-3-2 backup rule. It states that you should have four copies of your data, including your main system. The three backups you’ve made should be stored in different forms of media. Two of these data backups should be kept offsite, far away from your main system. Usually, a cloud storage service takes care of this. Alternatively, use an old hard drive and safely store it in an electrostatic bag that you can keep in a secure location.

Ensure that your system is safe and protected

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The importance of antivirus software can’t be overstated. Defender on Windows and XProtect on macOS are both ingrained software that are effective enough to get the job done without any outside help. However, that doesn’t mean you should leave it as is and not configure any settings to further safeguard your device. While XProtect works automatically and doesn’t let users access its settings, the same can’t be said for Windows Defender.

Go to the Windows Security tab in your Settings, and you’ll see a wealth of options that you can peruse, double-check, and customize to your liking. “Virus & threat protection” lets you carry out scans, manage its settings, and even set up OneDrive if it isn’t already to protect from ransomware attacks. Aside from this, other relevant tabs that will help unlock the highest level of protection possible for your Windows PC include “Firewall & network protection” and “Device security.”

You can take additional steps that aren’t limited to your OS’s ingrained protection measures. A third-party software to detect and get rid of viruses and malware can be a great addition to your PC, with Avira Antivirus Pro considered the best antivirus software for Windows by Consumer Reports. Ensure that your system has the latest security updates to prevent any outdated protocols from being targeted by hackers. Your Wi-Fi network should also be safeguarded to block any access from suspicious individuals. Last but not least, if you have multiple smart home devices, then we highly suggest that you connect them to a separate mesh network like Zigbee or Z-Wave to prevent them from serving as a gateway for hackers to infiltrate your network.

Rely on an SSD for an offline data backup

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It’s understandable why beginners to data backup would purchase a fast, portable solid-state drive to store their data in. However, this is a very costly mistake that can cause your data to be corrupted when this drive is not in use. This is because SSDs use NAND memory flash cells, which require a regular inflow of electricity to charge these components and keep them active. Even when not in use, these cells hold a charge that slowly leaks over time.

For drives in regular use, this isn’t a big deal. However, for long-term storage, an SSD is far from reliable. Usually, these solid-state drives can last for a few years with this ingrained charge before it loses power and your data is lost forever. In case you feel that you back up your data regularly enough for this external SSD to never lose this charge, keep in mind that hotter temperatures will cause the drive’s charge to degrade faster.

So, you’re better off not taking this risk and resorting to a regular HDD for all your storage needs. Will the process of copying over data be slower? Sure, but what you’ll get in exchange is a backup drive that can be left inactive for years without any fear of data loss. This is because hard disk drives use magnetic platters to store data, which don’t require an electrical charge to remain functional. So, if you have an old external hard drive lying around, it’ll be perfect to turn into a cold storage device. That said, HDDs have moving parts that can seize and fail if left idle too long. 

Never account for power outages and surges

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A power outage can be a major issue to deal with for people who use their system constantly. Without a backup system set in place, your computer can shut down at inopportune moments, with this instant loss of power leaving your data at risk. Sometimes, localized packets of data will be corrupted, such as your game’s save file that was in the middle of an autosave process, or a media file that was in the middle of being copied right before the power went off. However, if your system was in the middle of a software update when a power outage hit, then you might have to say goodbye to your data as you format your corrupted hard drive and install your OS from scratch.

Power surges can also be a major hassle to deal with, for understandable reasons. While outages may not be all that damaging unless you’re very unlucky, voltage fluctuations aren’t as lenient and will turn your hardware into a smoking piece of junk if you don’t set certain safeguards in place. A massive power surge can fry your device’s internal components, easily and irreparably breaking your computer.

To prevent data loss from a power outage or a surge, a UPS is your best bet. As the abbreviation suggests, this uninterrupted power supply gives you the time you need to safely shut off your system in the event of a power outage, holding enough charge to keep the system active as you perform the needful. Another lesser-known feature of UPS appliances is that they come with surge protection, regulating voltage in the event of a sudden spike and saving your hardware from destroyed.

Become lax about regularly testing your data

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Are you careful about carrying out backups to multiple sources and following the best practices to safeguard your data? Great! However, the data backup journey doesn’t stop here — you also need to be prudent when it comes to checking whether your data has been backed up flawlessly. This quality check is something that most data backup newbies skip, which is a critical mistake and can leave you in a dire situation if your data is lost and the backup you were confident about ends up being corrupted.

Meanwhile, if you check your backup right after it’s completed, you can cover three major bases. Firstly, you’ll be able to identify firsthand whether this data is perfect or corrupted, with the latter situation meaning that you’ll have to carry out the backup again and see why this data is exhibiting such errors in the first place. Along with this, you’ll also be able to identify if a data backup is incomplete and change the settings accordingly so that all relevant data is backed up. Finally, you can instantly gauge the effectiveness of the data backup service you’re using and see whether you should stick with this program or opt for something else if speed and quality are lacking.

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Regardless of where the Marvel Cinematic Universe might’ve ended up in recent years, there’s no question that Marvel Studios head, Kevin Feige, has made the right calls for some of its most pivotal moments. Heroes and villains have been brought to life by stars audiences can no longer separate them from, and well-known storylines and events have taken detours that have even left comic book fans agog at where they went next. For Feige, though, there was one golden rule that he was set on the franchise never breaking, and it involves avoiding a trope that it has done for most of the films and television shows that followed.

In an interview with Rotten Tomatoes, Feige explained that he would usher in a new era of superhero movies and change how women would play a role in them. “From the beginning of my career, the notion of the damsel in distress was outdated, and when we started to make our own movies, we didn’t want to fall into that trope –- we wanted to avoid it as much as possible,” explained the massive mind behind the MCU.

“We really wanted to create these female characters that were as strong and as capable as the heroes. Now, as we’ve continued to grow, that’s gotten even more apparent, to the point where they are the heroes.” It’s this kind of mindset that has led to some of the best moments in the franchise, and what fans could be getting more of in the future, whether some fans like it or not.

Review bombs can’t stop female superheroes powering through the MCU

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While Feige might’ve been fighting for a progressive franchise, certain chapters that tried to be shining examples of that didn’t always land as well as others. Shows like “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law,” and “Ms. Marvel,” while some of the MCU’s most confident shows, were review bombed from week to week (via Forbes). Be that as it may, there were thankfully still some entries into the world of thunder gods and rage monsters that were hits, and sparked fan demand for more of the female characters that fought alongside them.

“What Ryan Coogler did with Okoye, Nakia, and Shuri in ‘Black Panther’… they’re already iconic characters, and people are already asking, ‘When are they getting their movies? When are we getting the Shuri movie?'” Feige added. “The answer is: Nobody wants to see that more than me. And that’s a testament to that film and to those actresses. And to the world being ready, and overdue, to see these types of characters on the screen.”

As it stands, Phase Six of the MCU will be coming to an end this year with “Avengers: Doomsday,” with no solid details on what comes next. Thankfully, with heroes like Yelena (Florence Pugh), the Fantastic Four’s Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), and the current Black Panther, Shuri (Letitia Wright), making an appearance to join the fight against Victor von Doom (Robert Downey Jr.), Feige’s rule doesn’t look to be getting broken any time soon.

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It has probably happened to you before, or at least someone you know. You lose your phone, it’s stolen, or it goes kaput. With it goes all your precious photos, videos, and other important content. This is an easily avoidable issue by keeping your phone backed up on your computer or a separate drive. Some also work with companion services like Apple’s iCloud or Google Cloud. 

While you know how important it is to back up your phone, you might wonder how often you should do it. While there’s no specific right or wrong answer, most experts agree that you should do so at least weekly, depending on how much new data is added to your device. For casual users, weekly or biweekly might suffice. You can get away with monthly if you don’t often save much new data to the device. On the other hand, if you take a lot of photos, save a lot of important files, log notes, or anything else that involves potentially important data, you might want to back up your phone daily.  There’s no harm in backing up more frequently to avoid data loss, whether it’s that video of your toddler’s first steps or the audio recording of an important overseas business meeting.

When deciding on a backup schedule, consider how important your data is and how you may lose it. If you travel often, there’s a greater chance your device will be lost or stolen. If it’s a phone for a child or teen, you might want a safeguard in case they misplace or damage it. If the phone isn’t durable or is on its last legs, backing up gives you peace of mind that you have all your data to copy over to a new device.

What options do you have for phone back ups?

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If you’re worried about losing data, daily, automatic cloud backups might be the way to go. Once turned on, this works as long as the phone is plugged in and connected to Wi-Fi. With both Apple iCloud and Android, you can customize what content you back up, choosing only the most important data to conserve space in your account. Note that both iCloud and Google provide limited storage for free, after which you’ll have to pay for a subscription. If preferred, you could use one of the other popular cloud storage apps, such as Dropbox or OneDrive. 

If you want to avoid the cloud or don’t have access, you can back up your iPhone to a laptop using iTunes on both Mac and Windows devices, or your Android device using file transfer on a Windows PC or Android File Transfer on a Mac. A new Android feature may use Quick Share to back up files to your PC, too, but it’s not out yet as of this writing. For physical backup you keep locally, copy important files to a portable hard drive at a desired frequency.

The cloud is the simplest option, and if you want to stick within the free tier, occasionally clean out your phone and your cloud files by removing duplicates, bad photos, or items you no longer need. Whichever method you use, at the very least, light users should back up once a month, casual users should back up weekly or biweekly, and heavy users should set up a daily automatic backup for important files.

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Have you ever plugged a fast-charging-capable device, like a smartphone, into a USB-C cable that only charges slowly? It happens to the best of us. It’s because, although the USB Type-C standard ensures most connectors are similar, it doesn’t necessarily standardize the technology inside the cable. Not all USB-C cables are created equal. If you’re wondering why the USB-C standard matters so much then — and that’s a valid question — it’s because it makes device ports and connectors on cables and attachments fundamentally more versatile.

You still need to be aware of a cable’s power output. USB-C is actually spread across several variants, where standardization exists for the connector. It starts with USB-C 2.0, the entry-level version, capable of data transfer rates up to 480Mbps. From there, you have USB 3.2 Gen 1, Gen 2, Gen 2×2, and USB 4, which has PD (power delivery) support, and Thunderbolt. USB-C PD supports fast-charging with power delivery up to 100-watts in some cables and with a maximum of 240-watts in newer cables.

Because it can be confusing, the best explanation is that each version of USB-C is capable of delivering different power outputs. You need at least 18-watts or higher to facilitate fast-charging. Ideally, for modern devices, you want a 40-watt to 65-watt charger and cable, depending on the device’s power requirements. If you use a cable that’s not rated for higher power output, it doesn’t matter what the power adapter delivers, your devices won’t be able to fast-charge. The cable limits the amount of power supplied. Moreover, there are specialized cables for data, video, audio, and power over other options.

What changes the charging performance of a USB Type-C cable?

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The connector for USB Type-C is the standardized piece you’ll recognize that makes it easy to link modern charging cables and data cables between compatible devices. It’s reversible and shares the same design across platforms. But it’s what’s inside the cable that truly influences the power capabilities of the entire connection.

The cable “gauge” or the thickness of the wires inside determines data or power limits. A lower gauge number means a thicker design while a higher gauge number means thinner. Higher gauges can interfere with efficient power delivery, resulting in less power flow and slower charging times. The cable length can also change the performance of the cable. Longer cables must deal with more resistance, which means more power or voltage loss and decreased charging rates.

The final piece of the puzzle is general compatibility. For example, the PD or power delivery standard is necessary for high power output. If the cable in question doesn’t support PD over USB-C, you won’t be able to get the high wattage necessary for fast-charging. Moreover, because some cables are specialized, if you opt for a data cable over one that prioritizes power delivery, you might see slower charging speeds.

How do I tell which USB-C cable is the right one to use?

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USB-C cables are manufactured in various ways — that’s exactly why they’re not all the same. The easiest way to identify a cable’s specifications is to read and follow the manufacturer’s product information, whether on the brand’s site or the retail listing. That may not always be available, in which case you can look for a certification logo from the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF). It should appear on the original cable’s packaging and sometimes, very rarely, on the cable itself. Certified cables have passed the necessary tests for high-performance.

You can also consider features like the thickness and feel of the cable, whether it’s braided or made of premium materials, and whether or not the e-marker chip is present in high-power cables. That chip, which stands for Electronically Marked, exists in cables rated for 60-watts and above and acts as a safety controller preventing more power from flowing than the cable can handle. If the chip isn’t present, and the cable advertises 60-watts or above, it’s a safety hazard.

Ultimately, if you have trouble finding information about the cable’s PD support or specs, cannot identify any USB-IF logos on the packaging, or if it seems cheap, you’ll want to steer clear. There is a lot of confusion around USB-C, beyond just the cables. If your device isn’t fast-charging, there is a chance that it’s not because of the cable. For instance, a common myth about USB-C ports is that the ports themselves are all the same — they’re not. Some ports may support high power delivery and fast-charging while others don’t.

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It wasn’t long ago that the death of the DVD age was an accepted consequence of streaming. According to one CNBC report, between 2008 and 2019, DVD sales dropped by more than 86%. However, a shift may be occurring. Per a recent Los Angeles Times story, the decline in physical media sales is slowing. Generation Z appears to be particularly responsible for reversing the trend of the DVD’s downfall. Thus, you might wonder if now’s a good time to invest in a new DVD player. While there may be some niche reasons to buy one of these devices, for most consumers, a dedicated DVD player is still an unnecessary purchase. There are so many ways to stream video of all types these days that physical media usually isn’t a real necessity.

This isn’t to suggest you shouldn’t buy any device for the purposes of playing physical media. The issue is that a DVD player doesn’t offer the versatility you might desire. Specifically, a base DVD player alone can’t play Blu-ray discs, which offer superior image and audio quality. A Blu-ray player, however, can play both Blu-rays and DVDs. It allows a viewer to enjoy their old DVD collection while also giving them the freedom to expand their physical media collection with more impressive discs. For a true cinephile, a 4K Blu-ray player can be a particularly worthwhile investment.

Why you should buy a Blu-ray player instead of a DVD player in 2026

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The sole practical reason the average consumer might have for buying a DVD player instead of a Blu-ray player is cost. A Blu-ray player will usually cost more than an equivalent DVD player. Still, the overall price of both has dropped over the years, to the point where someone in the market for a physical media player can probably afford either one. The money a consumer might save buying a DVD player doesn’t justify the loss of compatibility with the Blu-ray format in most cases.

It’s also worth noting that in discussions in some Reddit communities and other similar forums, users point out that budget DVD players can be unreliable machines that break relatively easily. You might not actually be saving much money in the long run if you buy a cheap DVD player. Users also point out that it might be easier to find a quality Blu-ray player than a DVD player these days.

Of course, not all Blu-ray players are equally impressive. It’s important to do your research to ensure you’re not wasting money on a Blu-ray player that ends up being unreliable. You should also consider how factors like your choice of HDMI cable can affect your Blu-ray player’s performance. The main point to remember, though, is that a new DVD player might not be the right purchase if you’re trying to get in on the physical media renaissance. A Blu-ray player is generally the superior option.

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Smartphone dependence is so common in our digital age that it’s easy to overlook the very real consequences of over-reliance on this technology. Research indicates that smartphone overuse comes with risks that can lead to several problems, from physical discomfort to mental health issues like depression. Luckily, you may not need to rely on sheer willpower to take a break from your device. In fact, various pieces of tech can, perhaps ironically, help you stop relying on your smartphone as much as you currently do.

These devices serve different purposes. One such device blocks certain apps, letting you still use your phone without getting caught up hopping from one app to another. Another item here addresses the very real difficulty of setting a smartphone aside when so many of us use these devices for work and other practical purposes. When deciding which of these gadgets may be worth your money, consider their specific features and how they address the roots of your particular smartphone addiction.

Cell2Jack lets you receive smartphone calls on a landline

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Not all the functions a smartphone serves are necessarily optional. For example, you probably receive important calls on your smartphone. While it might be nice to put the phone in another room and ignore it from time to time, doing so could lead to missing calls. Or, if you do retrieve the phone to pick up a call, you run the risk of being tempted to bring the phone back into the room with you. This essentially reverses the attempt you made to put some distance between yourself and the device.

Cell2Jack addresses this by letting you receive calls from your cell phone via a traditional landline phone. Thus, as long as you have a traditional phone in the room with you, you can answer calls without needing to have the smartphone nearby. In addition, Cell2Jack receives calls via your cell plan, eliminating the need for a landline plan. That means it can theoretically save you money in the long run.

Brick disables the apps that distract you

The Brick is another solution to consider when you can’t justify turning the phone off or setting it aside. If you have to use your phone for work or general productivity, the Brick device and companion app let you at least guard against the temptation to check all your unnecessary apps when you should be focusing on other tasks. With Brick, you can select which apps on your phone you want to disable when using this gadget.

Once you’re ready to be productive, you can tap your phone to the Brick unit. The apps you selected will be disabled accordingly. All you have to do is tap your phone to the Brick again to enable the apps once you want to use them again. You can also create custom modes. For example, during the work day, you may want to disable a wider range of apps than you might necessarily need to disable when using your phone during family time.

The Mindsight timed lock box is perfect when willpower isn’t enough

Knowing you should limit your screen time isn’t the same as being able to do so. Try as you might, you may find that fighting the urge to check your phone is a losing battle. Consider investing in the Mindsight timed locked box if so.

With this helpful tool, you can place your phone in a locked container and set a countdown timer so that the box will stay locked until the timer runs out. Naturally, you need to be confident you won’t need your phone during the time it’s locked up. However, the gadget offers a range of modes. The least stringent mode lets you unlock the box whenever you wish. The next one allows you to set a countdown timer, which you can override with an unlock code. The strictest mode lets you set a timer without an unlock code. The timer offers a maximum countdown of 30 days, letting you take a fairly extended break from your smartphone if you’d like.

Not just gadgets: Find ways to stop looking at your phone

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These gadgets aren’t the only tools available to help you conquer smartphone addiction. There are also various apps designed to help users be less dependent on their devices. In addition, taking simple steps like disabling the internet on your phone can be so effective at addressing the ill effects of smartphone reliance that they could even reverse signs of brain aging.

There’s also an argument to be made for investing in devices that simply offer less functionality than a smartphone. For example, buying a camera that’s strictly a camera can let you take pictures without necessarily needing to have your phone on hand. An e-reader can let you enjoy the benefits of a digital library of books without the distractions that come with using an e-reader app on your phone. Experiment with different solutions to find which serve your needs. If you can break free from smartphone addiction, greater focus (and even happiness!) may be the welcome result.

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As the name seems to suggest, a laptop is designed for your lap. That’s even how it’s described in the dictionary. It’s a more convenient and portable computer you can take with you for work, school, or play. All that portability means you may use it in some more comfortable locations such as your bed or the couch. While it’s easy to move from room to room or to a coffee shop where you may put it in your lap, working on a laptop on a soft surface may harm it more than you’d expect.

Placing a laptop on a couch cushion or on the bed can obscure its fan and block airflow. Doing so may cause the laptop to overheat as the fans are forced into overdrive in an attempt to cool it down. That strain can, over time, damage parts such as the battery, leading the laptop to run less efficiently. A big tell that a laptop could be too hot is if the fan sounds much louder.

There are ways to make sure the laptop is properly vented and cooled even if you use it on a soft surface. There are a few things around the house you can use to help, but one of the most effective ways is to get a cooling device. You can also prevent overheating laptops with this cooling pad.

How to use your laptop on a soft surface without damaging it

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Using a laptop on the bed, couch, floor, or your lap can be done without it overheating if you plan ahead. If you prefer browsing the net or working that way, a cooling pad provides cool air for your laptop. They come in many shapes and forms, but work by blowing cool air into the underside of the laptop so it does not overheat.

Cooling pads, sometimes called mats or fans, are flat mats that are placed between your laptop and the surface it’s resting on. They can be used just about anywhere you please from a bed, a carpeted floor, your lap, a comfy recliner, or a table. Many work through batteries or come with a USB cable to connect directly to the laptop. Though if it’s your first time using a cooling pad, make sure you aren’t accidentally using it wrong.

Cooling pads are a great way to cool down a laptop or to make sure it doesn’t reach hot temperatures. If you are in a pinch and are waiting for your cooling pad to arrive, you could always elevate your laptop on the soft surface. Another suggestion is to use a hardbound book to prop up the laptop, just make sure it’s not blocking any vents or fans. You could also invest in a stand you can place on the surface as well.

Ways you can cool down your laptop

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Keeping a laptop from overheating comes down to making sure it’s elevated, cooled, and can vent properly. However, using a laptop on a soft surface isn’t the only reason it could get overheated. There are several other ways your laptop could heat up even if you use a cooling pad or elevate it properly.

As you use your laptop, it will collect dust and dirt that can clog the interior components. You could open up the laptop and clean it yourself, but using a can of compressed air on the vents may do the trick best. Another cause of overheating is running too many applications at once. If you’re playing a graphically heavy game, chatting on Discord, and streaming, your laptop’s CPU and GPU may struggle, causing the fan to work harder. Though you may not need a new laptop as there are laptop upgrades cheaper than buying a new computer.

If you want to use your laptop on a soft surface, using a cooling pad or stand is a good idea to prevent it from potentially overheating. Taking care of your laptop by blowing out dirt, using less applications, and tools that manually control the speed of the fan can help. Though, when in doubt, shutting it down if it gets too hot, waiting until it cools, and turning it back on can help.

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Connecting to a mobile hotspot can be great in a pinch, but can you use your smartphone to replace your whole home’s internet? While the short answer is yes, your connection’s effectiveness will vary based on your carrier and where you live. As with basic call reception, the strength of a mobile hotspot depends on your location, but your network provider also plays a role in whether or not it makes sense to use your phone’s mobile hotspot for home internet.

With the advances of 5G now taking hold across most major U.S. cities, those who live within the urban sprawl might find that it’s faster than their home connection. Those in rural areas, however, will likely find that the cellular connection just isn’t good enough to use their phone properly let alone as a mobile hotspot. Hotspots rely on a steady signal, and the lower it goes, the worse it’ll be. 

You will also need to double-check your carrier’s permissions for hosting a hotspot as some networks will limit the number of devices and the amount of data. For example, Verizon’s device limit is five, while most carriers have tiered data caps starting at 5GB per month. Your particular device could also play into your decision, but generally speaking, it’s pretty easy to turn on your phone’s mobile hotspot, especially if you’re an Android user. 

There’s more than just 5G connections to think about

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Of course, there are other limitations to using a phone’s mobile hotspot to replace your home internet, and your home itself could be a key factor. The size of the house can also play into how effective your phone’s hotspot is for other devices. While newer phones’ hotspots meet a larger range, the connection can be weakened if there’s too much in the way, such as walls and furniture. 

Another hurdle with relying on your phone to provide internet service for your entire home is the battery. Turning your phone into a bite-sized router could be added to the list of habits that are draining your phone battery, especially older models with weaker batteries. Even if it’s plugged in and charging during use, this can potentially lead to overheating situations, as the phone isn’t sitting idle with the hotspot on. 

Rather than using your phone’s hotspot, it’s probably better to use USB tethering or investigate 5G or 4G routers. These take a SIM card subscribed to a network and essentially acts as a hotspot without requiring a phone. If you already have an active SIM card, it can be used as well. Looking at networks that are already providing this, Verizon, for example, now has a 5G Home Internet package that you can take advantage of.

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When you’re talking about radiation, it’s not unreasonable to immediately jump to man-made, weaponized radiation and the horrible effects it can have on human life. However, radiation itself is a completely natural phenomenon brought about by radioactive isotopes, unstable atoms that give off energy as they decay. These radioisotopes can be found in harmless quantities just about everywhere, from gadgets like smoke detectors and exit signs to natural things like gemstones or fruit.

What makes weaponized radiation so dangerous is that it bombards the ground with massive quantities of radioisotopes in a rapid fashion, well past the point that it would induce radiation sickness and damage your body. In the tiny quantities that radioisotopes occur in everyday objects, though, they can’t hurt you, and in the case of man-made objects, they wouldn’t be able to serve their purposes properly without that teensy bit of radiation. To help assuage concerns, the United States Department of Nuclear Energy maintains a small list of odds and ends where radioisotopes can be found, at least one of which may be right next to you.

Clocks and watches

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When you think of radiation and clocks, the first thing that springs to mind is probably the famous atomic clocks used by organizations like the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the gold standard in the complicated pursuit of perfect timekeeping. These clocks measure the passage of time through the resonant frequencies of atoms, which naturally involves some radioactive materials. Any consumer-grade clock that purports to be “atomic” doesn’t actually contain radioactive materials; however, it’s just synced to the clock used by the NIST.

While a full clock in your home isn’t radioactive, there are some timepieces that may contain radioactive elements, specifically watches. If you’ve ever had a wristwatch with the ability to glow in the dark, you’ve got a little bit of radiation on your wrist. That glowing phenomenon is caused by a little glass container, within which is housed a little bit of radioactive tritium gas. Because the glass is completely sealed, you don’t need to worry about being exposed to its radiation, and even if you were, because a watch is so small and the container even smaller, the actual level of radiation you would be exposed to if it broke would be minuscule. The radioactive particles in tritium gas can only travel a couple of millimeters before dissipating, anyway, and it can’t penetrate human skin.

Exit signs

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Speaking of glowing things, anyone who’s ever worked in an office building or lived in an apartment building is likely familiar with the distinctive glow of an exit sign. Even in the event of a power outage, those signs keep on glowing, clearly marking the path to the nearest safe exit in an emergency. You might expect these signs to be powered by batteries, but in fact, that glow comes from the same place as those glowing watches.

A typical exit sign contains a handful of sealed glass tubes containing tritium gas, the sides of which are lined with luminescent phosphor. That tritium gas emits radioactive particles, which cause a mild chemical reaction with the phosphor and make it glow. This is how an exit sign stays lit up even if there’s no external power, and that’s why every commercial building in the United States needs to have them installed for safety purposes. Again, tritium gas barely moves through the air, can’t penetrate human skin, and its actual radiation dosage is minuscule. Even if an exit sign fell right on top of your face, rather than radiation poisoning, the only pressing concern would be your injured nose.

Smoke detectors

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Radioisotopes aren’t only used to make things glow. Despite the dangers associated with radiation, it’s actually thanks to radioactive elements that society has some of the most vital safety equipment in human history. Case in point: the smoke detector, the vital fire and smoke warning system that’s been saving lives since the 1960s. Obviously, a smoke detector’s job is to detect smoke, but how can a machine do that when it can’t smell? Rather than odors, the answer lies in the flow of ions in and around the detector, the disruptive elements of smoke, and the radioactive isotope at the center of it all.

Many consumer-grade smoke detectors contain a small amount of Americium-241, a radioisotope, which is encased in a shielding layer of foil and ceramic. The presence of this radioisotope ionizes ambient air molecules, creating both positively and negatively charged ions that flow between two charged plates in the detector. When smoke passes nearby, the flow of ions within the detector is interrupted, and the alarm is triggered. Thanks to that foil and ceramic shielding, the Americium in the detector poses no radiation threat to you.

Even if it were damaged, the radiation dose is very small and can be stopped by something as thin as a piece of paper. You may be exposed to trace amounts of radiation if you stood right next to a damaged smoke detector every day for years on end, but no more than you would from sitting in front of an old CRT TV.

Gemstones

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As previously mentioned, radiation is a completely natural phenomenon, brought about merely by the decay of atoms. Because it’s naturally occurring, there are also many natural objects in the world that may contain various amounts of radiation. One good example of this is minerals; uranium, for example, is a naturally occurring mineral that is very rich in radioisotopes. While that’s an extreme example, even something as simple as the gems in jewelry can also contain natural radiation, albeit in a much, much smaller dose. Certain kinds of gemstones, particularly very vibrant and colorful ones, are actually the product of radiation exposure.

Gemstones like amethyst, green diamond, and yellow sapphire are produced when minerals are bombarded with radioactive energies, including gamma, neutron, or electron beams. Gem manufacturers will perform this process deliberately to make their gems look more appealing. These manufacturers can just blast a regular, dull gem with a radioactive laser for a while, and it’ll turn vibrant and shiny. Don’t worry about wearing radioactive stones, though; as required by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, any gems produced in this manner must be set aside for several months to allow the radiation to dissipate, then be submitted to a radiological survey to verify their safety before they can go on sale.

Bananas

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It may seem like the best way to keep radiation away from you is to ensure none of it enters your body. However, even some of the foods you eat on a regular basis may contain trace amounts of naturally occurring radioisotopes. For instance, one of the human body’s most important minerals, potassium, can contain a particular radioactive offshoot called potassium-40. You know what has a lot of potassium in it? Bananas.

A single banana can contain a very small dose of radiation via its potassium content. Technically, your body would actually absorb more radiation from eating a single banana than it would standing next to a nuclear power plant. However, the actual amount of radiation present in a single banana is positively paltry. A single banana may emit about 0.01 millirems of natural radiation. For reference, it takes 1,000 millirems to make one rem of radiation, and radiation sickness usually starts to manifest around 50 rems. By that math, you would need to consume about 5,000,000 bananas in a single sitting before you even start to develop radiation sickness, and at that point, you’d probably have more important things to worry about.

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