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A $7.85 million class action suit filed against Sony and PlayStation has been granted preliminary approval from a judge and will now go through a final approval hearing in October. The lawsuit alleges that Sony illegally removed competition and raised prices. This happened in 2019, when Sony stopped third-party sales (Amazon, Walmart, and GameStop) of digital vouchers. By making the PlayStation Store the only place to buy the related games and raising prices, it violated federal antitrust laws.

If the settlement is approved, around 4 million U.S. PlayStation customers who bought games through the PlayStation Store before April 2019 will be a part of the class-action lawsuit. If your PlayStation Network account is the same, you should receive credits redeemable in your digital wallet automatically. If you deactivated your account, you will need to visit the official PSN Digital Games  Settlement website and contact the administrators to request a paper check instead.

The deadline to do that is August 27, 2026. If you would like to opt out, so you can potentially sue separately, you must submit a manual exclusion request by July 2, 2026. As for how much you’ll receive, there’s no specified amount yet. Around 25% of the $7.85 million settlement fund will go towards attorneys’ fees, and the rest to class members. Another £2 billion suit has been filed against PlayStation in the U.K. and is ongoing.

What games qualify for the settlement?

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As the requirements are fairly specific, here’s what else you need to know. If you are a U.S resident and purchased one qualifying digital game through the PlayStation Store after April 1, 2019, and before December 31, 2023, you may qualify. The affected titles must have had a previously available digital voucher, meaning you could have bought them through a third-party like GameStop or Amazon before Sony removed the option. Several major titles are included, like “The Last of Us,” “Resident Evil 4,” “FIFA,” “Destiny 2,” “God of War Collection,” and many more. The full list of eligible games can be found on the official settlement website.

This isn’t the first time PlayStation players have been part of a class action suit. In 2018, Sony gave PS3 owners a $65 settlement related to an operating system feature removed from the console series. Similar to the previous payout, the current one is likely to be small since it will be distributed among millions of players. A Google class action will see Android users getting $135 million, paid out individually in small increments. Apple is also paying a $250 million lawsuit, which will see about $95 going to some iPhone users.

It may be a while before you see any of those funds added to your PlayStation wallet, as well. The final approval hearing is in October 2026, and that needs to happen before any funds are distributed. In the meantime, Sony raised the price of the PlayStation 5.

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Right now, the best Wi-Fi technology money can buy comes in the form of Wi-Fi 7, also known by its much less sexy name, “IEEE 802.11be.”  There’s no arguing that Wi-Fi 7 is better than what’s come before it in every conceivable way. It’s the closest we’ve come to a wireless equivalent for Ethernet, which has traditionally always been more reliable than Wi-Fi.

Hearing all the hype about Wi-Fi 7 might have you chomping at the bit to upgrade your home Wi-Fi. That is, until you see how much a good Wi-Fi 7 router or mesh system will cost. Yes, as the latest and greatest Wi-Fi standard, the asking price is quite steep, although entry-level routers are coming down to more acceptable prices.

Nonetheless, upgrading your Wi-Fi isn’t just about the costs. It’s a major undertaking. So it’s not something you should do for marginal gains or features you don’t need. With that in mind, let’s look at some good reasons to make the jump to lucky number seven, and some equally good reasons to save your money and stick with what you have.

Wi-Fi 7 is a massive leap in raw speed

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Going from Wi-Fi 6 to Wi-Fi 7 gives you a (theoretical) leap of 9.6Gbps to a whopping 46Gbps. Of course, these raw-speed numbers are pretty far away from real-world results. In situations that you might actually encounter, your Wi-Fi 7 router might hit around 900Mbps and a Wi-Fi 6 router something like 600Mbps. This is with Wi-Fi 7’s MLO (Multi Link Operation) feature turned off, which is a worst-case scenario, but since that feature won’t always be available it’s a fair rough baseline to work from. In some situations, it could be higher of course, the point is to treat those lab experiment speeds with a huge grain of salt.

That said, Wi-Fi 7 truly is a major upgrade over Wi-Fi 6 comparatively when it comes to speed. So, if you need that extra speed and you can’t just install an Ethernet cable, then the choice becomes clear. If you’re on an older Wi-Fi 5 system and it’s starting to buckle under the demand of all the devices in your home, it makes even more sense to upgrade.

Does that mean you need to upgrade to Wi-Fi 7? If you’re coming from Wi-Fi 5, Wi-Fi 6E might also be a good time to consider as it hits the pricing sweet spot thanks to Wi-Fi 7 now positioned as the top technological offering. There really is a worthwhile difference between Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E, in case you’re wondering.

Latency improvements are real and noticeable

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Outright speed isn’t the reason Ethernet has usually been favored over Wi-Fi. For some types of network applications, it doesn’t matter how fast the total throughput of the connection is, if it has high latency then it won’t work as expected. Latency is a measure of delay — the amount it takes for your laptop or phone to receive an answer to a request for data. If you have high latency, but lots of bandwidth, then there’s a noticeable delay between clicking a link and a web page loading, but the actual loading process is fast once it starts. For things like online multiplayer games and video calls high latency can actually make them unusable.

Latency is one area of special focus for Wi-Fi 7. With features like Multi Link Operation active and all working as intended, Wi-Fi 7 offers latency figures somewhere between 10-50ms though sub-10ms results are also possible. That’s perfect for snappy web browsing and real-time video chats, but for hardcore online games, it’s still not good enough. Ethernet offers sub-millisecond latency, which means you can eliminate it as a factor when gaming and only worry about latency from other devices in the chain. For anyone who isn’t a competitive gamer, though, Wi-Fi 7’s latency chops might mean you don’t feel the need to lay cables anymore.

It’s built for the future, not just today

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Wi-Fi 7 doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s a standard that was developed with the growing needs of home networking in mind. We have more and more devices that need network connections, and the bandwidth requirements of online services are growing. Incidentally, have you seen how big console games are now?! While gigabit fiber internet has gone mainstream in many parts of the world, 10Gbps broadband is already rolling out in some (lucky) places and there’s simply no way that older Wi-Fi technologies can dole that amount of bandwidth out across a home full of devices.

It’s not just the future of home internet bandwidth, we need more bandwidth for the growing number of devices inside our homes, too. If you turn your old computer into a media center and start running a Plex or Jellyfin server with multiple 4K streams to everyone in your house, you’ll want fast local links. People are starting to locally host all sorts of services, and smart home technology is just going to become more common. Investing in Wi-Fi 7 now readies you for all of this.

Multi-device households benefit the most

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Wi-Fi-connected devices used to be rare, but, in modern homes, there’s a good chance there are far more Wi-Fi gadgets than people. It’s not outlandish to think that every person in a home these days has their own smartphone, and perhaps even a tablet or laptop. Throw in a few smart TVs, game consoles, and smart appliances, and you’re easily looking at close to a dozen Wi-Fi-connected devices for just a small family. And don’t forget, these devices don’t need to be actively used to consume bandwidth on your Wi-Fi network.

Wi-Fi 7 doubles the number of “spatial streams” compared to Wi-Fi 6, as it makes provision for up to 16 streams. However, the Wi-Fi 7 standard does not mandate 16 streams, which means just because a router has a Wi-Fi 7 badge it doesn’t necessarily have this specification. Even without the full 16 streams, though, the addition of new 320Mhz channels also increases the multitasking capacity of Wi-Fi 7 routers.

Again, there’s lots of leeway in the Wi-Fi standard for router manufacturers, so the specific router you buy determines its true capabilities. If you buy a high-end Wi-Fi 7 router with up to three 320Mhz channels, you’ll get up to 59 20Mhz channels as a result. This significantly increases how many devices can work well at the same time and gives you plenty of future proofing. 

Backward compatibility makes upgrading painless

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Wi-Fi 7 is backward compatible with all the Wi-Fi gear you’re likely to find out in the real world. You’d have to go to a museum to find something that won’t connect. This means that if you’re using a Wi-Fi 4 or Wi-Fi 5 router at the moment, a Wi-Fi 7 router should be a drop-in replacement with no need to replace anything else. At least not right away.

Over time, your devices will naturally be replaced with newer ones, and so they’ll reap the benefits of Wi-Fi 7 fully, but even without a total Wi-Fi 7 system you’ll see improvements in speed, stability, and latency. For some devices, like basic smart home gadgets or IP cameras, you never have to replace them because they’ll get no real added benefit from Wi-Fi 7. They already worked just fine with older Wi-Fi technology and they have basic jobs. So don’t sweat it.

Your devices probably don’t support Wi-Fi 7 yet

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There are many reasons why Wi-Fi 7 makes sense, but chances are, you don’t have to worry about upgrading just yet. Unless you have one of the latest iPhones, MacBooks, or other cutting-edge personal electronics, there’s a good chance you don’t actually have any devices that have Wi-Fi 7. While it’s true, as we just discussed, that Wi-Fi 7 will work just fine with all your current devices, is there a reason to pay the early-adopter tax if you don’t actually have the devices?

Backward compatibility cuts both ways. Any Wi-Fi 7 devices you do get in the meantime will work just fine with your older Wi-Fi system. You won’t get the full benefit, but that’s not the same thing as getting an objectively poor experience. Unless you have a specific Wi-Fi 7 device that you need more performance on, and Ethernet is not an option, then it’s probably not worth upgrading to a Wi-Fi 7 router just yet. It makes more sense to bide your time.

Prices will come down

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There’s no getting around that Wi-Fi 7 routers are quite expensive. For example, the excellent Amazon eero 7 that we recommended as one of the most reliable Wi-Fi mesh systems will run you around $170 per unit. That’s not at the high-end of the Wi-Fi 7 price spectrum either. Something like a Netgear Orbi 870 tri-band mesh system sits at around $400 per unit.

You can get Wi-Fi 7 routers for under $100, but as mentioned earlier, there’s a lot in the Wi-Fi 7 standard that’s optional. Which means those cheap bottom-tier routers are missing the features and specifications that make Wi-Fi 7 an attractive upgrade in the first place. As time goes by, though, and Wi-Fi 7 becomes the norm, prices should naturally come down. Unless money is no object, the rational choice would be to wait for Wi-Fi 7 routers that have the correct number of bells and whistles to move into a price bracket that’s more palatable.

Wi-Fi 6 is already good enough for most people

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There’s always a way to improve Wi-Fi speeds, but there’s also such a thing as being “good enough” for your needs. Wi-Fi 7 is in a tough spot because it’s ultimately a forward-looking technology, and it might take quite a few more years before the true benefits of Wi-Fi 7 (and its successors) become truly apparent.

In the meantime, Wi-Fi 6 and 6E are probably faster and more capable than you need them to be. Unless you’re on an internet connection faster than 1Gbps or you have more devices on Wi-Fi than Wi-Fi 6 can handle and even if you need more capacity, there’s still Wi-Fi 6E with its extended band.

Also, don’t forget about Ethernet. It’s cheap, it’s reliable, and it offers amazing performance and reliability. Even better, every device you shift to Ethernet frees up more room for your Wi-Fi devices on your home network. Perhaps the best solution to your network performance woes is a network switch and a few spools of Cat6 Ethernet cable, along with a few hours of installation. It’s not the sexiest solution, but for a lot of you out there, it’s the most sensible one.

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If you are in the middle of a storm, it may be tempting to charge your phone so you know it’s full and ready to go if the power goes out, but that’s not a good idea. Especially if you see those flashes and hear that cracking, then it means there’s a thunderstorm outside. Should your phone run low on battery power during that thunderstorm, you should by no means plug it into a wall outlet and start charging it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This is important — do not do it.

Charging your phone in the middle of a thunderstorm is a danger to your phone, and most importantly, to your life. The act itself will not attract lightning. In an interview with AccuWeather, John Jensenius, an expert on lightning safety, said that nothing really ever attracts lightning. Getting struck by lightning is a game of chance. It doesn’t matter whether you’re charging your phone at a power outlet or not. However, he did say that “lightning does follow wires and fences and things of that nature.”

That means, should lightning strike the nearest electric pole, it can send tens of thousands of volts surging through your home. Your phone cannot withstand that much voltage and will be fried in the process. It can also cause injury if it bursts, and you could get electrocuted. You can charge your phone during a thunderstorm using a portable charger or a laptop, as long as you don’t plug any of those into a wall outlet.

Preparing your phone for a thunderstorm is key

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Once you learn that a thunderstorm is in the forecast, it’s best to charge your devices well in advance — keep an eye out for warnings from the National Weather Service (NWS) to gauge timing. Charge your phones and tablets well before the storm is set to arrive, and ensure you’re charging them properly. You should also charge your portable chargers, laptops, lamps, and any other devices you might need. Remember, none of your cordless devices will attract lightning, meaning they will be safe to use during a thunderstorm. There is a chance that the strong winds of a thunderstorm can cause a power outage, so avoid any habits that will drain your phone’s battery quickly. You might need it in an emergency.

When the storm hits, it’s time for action. Ensure all your electronics and appliances are unplugged, from the TV to your game console to your fridge and washing machine. Do it even if you have a whole-house surge protector. Although these do a good job of absorbing excess electricity spikes coming from the electric grid and grounding them, the volts from a direct lightning strike can still overwhelm their systems. It can be like emptying a swimming pool into a cup. A lot of it can still spill over and damage anything that is still plugged in, so don’t completely rely on surge protectors, no matter how expensive they are.

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Once upon a time, Tesla was the most popular electric vehicle (EV) brand on the planet. That’s not surprising since it was one of the earliest, and many drivers swear by these cars, even though Consumer Reports ranked Tesla as the least reliable used car brand. Nonetheless, Tesla is quickly losing ground to the Chinese EV manufacturer BYD.

According to reports from outlets such as BBC, BYD sales now surpass Tesla vehicles by a significant margin. In 2025, Tesla sold 1.64 million vehicles worldwide, a 9% decrease from the previous year. Meanwhile, BYD saw an uptick in sales and managed to push 2.25 million EVs, a 28% increase from the prior year. However, this is only half the story. According to CNN, BYD sells more than just EVs — if you also take into account the company’s hybrid vehicles, BYD’s 2025 performance blasted past Tesla with 4.27 million sales.

Of course, sales numbers are one thing, but technology is often the true decider in EV popularity, and BYD is the (alleged) victor on that front as well. BYD utilizes an “ultra-fast charging system” that can give its cars enough energy to last 250 miles in only five minutes. Tesla’s Superchargers, meanwhile, take 15 minutes to provide 200 miles worth of energy. And some Tesla superchargers aren’t approved for use in California — the state with the most registered EVs. Lately, it seems that BYD is outperforming Tesla at every turn.

Why BYD is now speeding past Tesla

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Market performance of cars, especially EVs, is determined by numerous factors. Of course, the vehicle’s actual performance is a major concern (you probably should avoid EVs that take up to 10 hours to charge), but availability is even more important. If your car doesn’t sell well in the world’s largest EV market, expect it to lag behind rivals. Also, it helps when your CEO isn’t politically contentious.

BYD can most likely attribute its success to its home-field advantage in China. The country is considered the world’s largest auto consumer, and in March 2025, BYD controlled a 32% share of China’s EV market. Meanwhile, Tesla lagged behind with a comparatively paltry 6.1% market share. But China isn’t the only battleground. Tesla sales in regions such as Europe have been dropping like a lead weight. According to CNN, the company’s European sales in early 2025 dropped by 40% compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, more and more buyers in the UK have adopted BYD cars — the hybrid version of the company’s Seal U SUV has proven especially popular.

Sites such as CNN have also linked Tesla’s slumping performance to the company’s CEO, Elon Musk. His stint with the U.S. government, namely running the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — which a court has since ruled made unconstitutional cuts — convinced many investors that he wasn’t focusing enough attention on Tesla. Similarly, Musk’s DOGE foray and other political activities have made a number of people reconsider whether his companies are worth supporting.

This news isn’t all sunshine and rainbows

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On paper, BYD sounds like a model company. After all, its market share of the EV industry must reflect the company’s culture, right? Unfortunately, some people have discovered that BYD’s sales numbers belie a potentially rotten core.

The BYD brand is no stranger to controversy. Between 2021 and 2024, 10 BYD showrooms caught fire. While BYD claimed fires such as the one on May 16, 2024, were caused by faulty or old wiring in the showroom offices, the local fire department ruled BYD car batteries as the cause. Moreover, countries such as Israel and Taiwan have restricted the import of BYD vehicles over national security and data-transfer concerns. Recently, the U.S. government banned routers produced in foreign countries on similar grounds before walking back the ban to an extent. However, one of BYD’s biggest controversies doesn’t stem from its country of origin, but rather, its attempts to secure a foothold in foreign markets.

Multiple BYD factories have come under fire for alleged worker mistreatment. In 2025, Brazilian authorities discovered that multiple people hired to build a BYD factory in Bahia were forced to sleep on beds without mattresses, and construction staff had their passports stolen and were forced to work under contracts with “illegal clauses” with next to no rest or pay. And in 2026, Hungarian officials discovered that contractors hired to build a construction plant in the country were forced to work under similar conditions: 12 hours a day, seven days a week. Whether these alleged labor exploitation incidents were the result of a few rogue agents or a broader cultural problem within BYD could determine the company’s future.

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Laptops make for a versatile and convenient way to complete tasks, play games, or get some work done. They’re portable and can be used just about anywhere, be it a desk, a coffee shop table, or even a bed or couch. However, they can run hot if used for gaming, video editing, or other high-performance tasks, or even if they’re older. There are many ways a laptop could overheat and cooling pads are often touted as a solution — but most people are probably using them wrong.

The idea behind a cooling pad is to blow cool air onto the laptop to bring down its temperature and subsequently boost performance. However, real-world tests show there’s only a marginal improvement in performance in most cases — certainly not enough to load the entire third act of “Baldur’s Gate 3” any quicker. At best, the cooling pad will cool the laptop to prevent it from overheating, but it’s not a guarantee.

That said, cooling pads can be useful in some situations. While they may not make that much of a performance difference, they can be useful for older devices and some gaming laptops.

Is a laptop cooling pad ever necessary?

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One of the biggest reasons not to have a laptop cooling pad is if you just do day-to-day tasks on it. Checking email, updating documents, writing, and web-browsing aren’t going to be all that taxing for your laptop. As long as you stick to less demanding projects, you don’t need to invest in a cooling pad.

If you’re into more challenging tasks such as video editing, gaming, or work-related projects that require increased GPU and CPU power, a cooling pad may be necessary, but most high-end gaming laptops have internal software that can help. Nitro Sense is one such program that allows you to control the speed of the internal fans.

Cooling pads may provide cool air that can lower the temperature of your laptop, but they aren’t going to magically dissipate the high heat. Nor will they improve performance dramatically, leading to better graphics or frame rates. That said, if you have an old laptop with weak fans or bad airflow, a cooling pad might provide a noticeable boost in performance. If you are a casual user and even a cooling pad isn’t helping, you may try replacing your laptop with an Android tablet.

Alternatives to using a cooling pad

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A cooling pad acts like a mat that is placed between the laptop and the surface it is resting on. They work for tabletops, couches, floors, and even your lap, which can help prevent toasted skin syndrome caused by contact with a hot laptop over a long period. If your laptop gets too hot, a cooling pad can help, but there are other options available that provide similar results.

Many laptops have fans that blow air out of the rear or bottom air vents of the case. With time, a laptop can collect dust and dirt if it is near a wall, pressed against cushions, or even set on top of a table. This can clog up the air vents, leaving the fans unable to properly cool the laptop. One such alternative is using what is known as a laptop stand.

A laptop stand elevates the laptop so it is off of the surface, freeing up the air vents. This allows the interior fans to blow out air without being blocked, thus better reducing the amount of dust and dirt that could get trapped inside. Moreover, using an ergonomic laptop stand can also keep your posture correct while you work.

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The Chromebook was first introduced to the world way back in 2011, with the first commercial models announced on May 11 and shipping to consumers on June 15, 2011. For the past fifteen years, they’ve been a cornerstone of the ultrabook market, though some have argued they never surpassed budget Windows or macOS laptop options.

Hinging on ChromeOS, a web-first architecture built to deliver fast booting, simplicity, and low-cost hardware, Chromebooks rose to prominence alongside the cloud itself, storing user data online instead of locally. This meant a more lightweight machine with less reliance on built-in storage.

That era ended on May 12, 2026, with Google’s introduction of the Googlebook — a new lineup of machines the search giant says are built around the design philosophy that “intelligence is the new spec.” What that means in practical terms is an increased focus on AI, which appears to have been thoroughly baked into the DNA of the new hardware (timely, given the company just discovered hackers using AI to create a zero-day exploit). There’s also an increased focus on direct integration with Android devices, which translates to adding smartphone-like utility to your laptop.

Gemini is the new ChromeOS

The integration of what Google calls Gemini Intelligence into laptops appears to be the tech firm’s equivalent of Microsoft’s expansive attempts to build Copilot into every facet of consumer computing in the last few years (a strategy it has recently begun scaling back). The most prominent way AI is surfaced is through the cursor. Googlebooks will allow you to shake the cursor to call up the new “Magic Pointer,” which enables contextual Gemini integrations for virtually anything that appears on your laptop’s display. The examples the company provided in the announcement include clicking a date in an email to schedule a meeting or selecting two images to combine them. 

Google also emphasized the introduction of a feature called Create your Widget. The idea is to bring the utility of multiple programs or applications under one umbrella, accessible by clicking a single desktop widget. Google suggests building a widget for an upcoming trip, which would allow a user to quickly visualize a schedule, see airline, hotel, and restaurant reservations, and create reminders all through a single interface.

Erasing the line between your phone and laptop

Googlebooks are also all about getting your phone and laptop to snuggle up more closely, so you don’t have to interrupt your workday to access apps and features available on your phone. The Googlebook interface will allow you to quickly pull up files and apps on your phone directly from your laptop’s taskbar instead of having to access a second device.

Interestingly, the examples Google points to for this closer integration with Android are mostly things you can already do through a browser or existing app. For instance, the company suggests jumping into a Duolingo lesson, but Duolingo is already accessible via browser, no smartphone required. The announcement post also recommends ordering food without needing to grab your phone, but virtually every delivery service, and many restaurants, allow you to order via a website. There’s also mention of quickly accessing files on your phone, which you can do on any Windows PC through the built-in Phone Link program.

Whether Googlebooks are more iteration or revolution remains to be seen, but we shouldn’t have to wait long to find out. The company says it’s partnering with laptop manufacturers such as Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo, and that an announcement about availability is coming this fall. If you do decide to upgrade, we have some tips for clever ways to use an outdated Chromebook. 

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Since 2012, Raspberry Pi has been providing various low-cost single-board computers (commonly known as SBCs) for educators, tinkerers, and beyond. If you’re in the market for a Pi, however, you may be intimidated by the range of available product lines. We’ll break down what each one does to help you decide which option would best suit your needs — but right off the bat, if you’re looking for a Pi with the most up-to-date specs and support, you’ll want to look into the Raspberry Pi 5. These models vary in price significantly based on RAM capacity, however, with the 1GB model costing $45 and the 16GB model costing $305.

The Pi 5 is the “standard” model in the flagship series featuring the tried-and-true hardware layout of what used to be known as Model A or Model B Pis. As of the Pi 5, however, both the Model A and Model B nomenclature have been ditched. The boards in this series are the size of a credit card, yet they’re powerful enough to run local AI agents. They sport several common I/Os, as well as a 40-pin General Purpose Input and Output (GPIO) header. With GPIO, you can hook a Pi board up to countless other electronics using a breadboard or by soldering components on, making this model incredibly versatile. You can even connect HATs, which are purpose-made, rule-based boards that Raspberry Pi introduced back in 2014. Popular HAT choices include NVMe drives for quicker OS boots, as well as Pi’s AI HAT+ for running your very own AI applications.

Alongside the Pi 5, there are two current-gen models of Pi hardware: the Pi 500 and the Compute Module 5. The Pi 500 is conveniently enclosed in a keyboard chassis, and with its relatively low cost and compact form factor for a personal computer, it’s ideal for those in education or for aspiring coders. The Pi 500+, the premium model of the Pi 500, even sports an NVMe SSD and mechanical switches in place of the Pi 500’s embedded storage and membrane keys.

Is it still worth purchasing a Raspberry Pi 4?

Given it was launched in 2019, the Raspberry Pi 4 has been outpaced by the Pi 5, which is 2.5 times faster and can thus be used for more rigorous tasks. There are other limitations to the Pi 4 besides reduced processing power; for instance, it doesn’t have onboard PCIe, so you can’t add hardware like an AI HAT or an NVMe SSD daughterboard without modifying the device itself. Conversely, the Pi 5 supports this hardware out of the box and features embedded PCIe connectors. However, the Pi 4 still holds its own for many types of projects — and if you don’t care about having the latest and greatest Pi model, the Pi 4 is a great bit of kit to grab if you’re interested in undertaking quick, easy, and beginner-friendly Raspberry Pi projects at a more affordable price point. 

While the Pi 4 has been impacted by Raspberry Pi’s recent price increases, it can still be quite affordable. The 1GB model has a modest price tag of $35, although the 8GB model is significantly costlier at $165. You can use a Pi 4 device for complex applications like setting up network-attached storage servers, weather stations, and even closed-circuit television (CCTV) setups with software like Frigate. It’s also great at playing older games using emulation packages, such as RetroPie, or being the brains at the center of your smart home via Home Assistant.

What’s the Raspberry Pi Compute Module all about?

If you’re designing an embedded system or even a commercial product, the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 (aka the CM5) is an excellent purchase. CM5s start at $67.50, although the highest-end version with 16GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage costs $330. These models aren’t ideal if you’re a Raspberry Pi novice, though. Pis in the Compute Module series are typically used for industrial purposes, and they’re specifically catered to those looking to work off their own PCB.

Compute Modules feature the essentials of computer hardware: a processor, RAM, and (optional) eMMC storage. But because they have no I/Os, Compute Modules need to be placed on carrier boards, such as the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 IO Board, with ports to connect to things like power and PCIe interfaces. One major upside to Raspberry Pi’s official carrier boards is that they come with full-sized HDMI ports instead of micro HDMI ports. For complete control over your project, you can design your own carrier board or get one printed through a company like PCBWay. There are also custom, ready-made boards available with specific features — including touch displays and explosion-proof chassis — designed to help you meet a myriad of project goals.

Raspberry Pi first introduced the Compute Module after the Raspberry Pi 1, then followed it up three years later with the Compute Module 3. These looked like RAM sticks and could easily be housed in setups that supported clustering, where the combined power of multiple devices could be put toward executing tasks. Conversely, Compute Modules 4 and 5 are small, rectangular boards that are easier to implement into projects. As it’s technically just a Raspberry Pi 5 in a smaller, more limited form factor, the CM5 is still versatile. You could pack the tiny computer into a custom handheld gaming console, use it to power advanced robotics projects, and much more. And if you choose to design your own carrier board, you can put your CM5 to work in near-limitless ways.

What is the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W for?

The Raspberry Pi Zero is an even smaller form factor device than the flagship Raspberry Pi models are. It outputs just a fraction of the Raspberry Pi 4’s power, but retains the Raspberry Pi essentials: a processor, onboard memory, a GPIO header, and several inputs, including an SD card slot and a mini HDMI port. These boards now come in the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W format, which offers built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 for improved connectivity. With an MSRP of just $15, they’re slightly more expensive than the original Pi Zero, but they do offer more power.

As with the Compute Modules, the Zeros aren’t designed to be used as computers themselves, but rather as embedded solutions for educational purposes and DIY projects. They provide just enough power and flexibility to be implemented into a range of projects, including DIY devices like security cameras and Bluetooth speakers. Zeros, however, run on a single-core 1GHz processor power and feature only 0.5GB of onboard RAM. Barring niche scenarios, browsing the internet or even using a graphical interface is sluggish on Zeros, so they’re best used as headless devices using protocols like SSH.

One common use case for the Pi Zero is turning it into a KVM (kernel-based virtual machine) by leveraging its ability to run Linux. Once connected, the Pi Zero can act as an intermediary controller between whatever device you’re on and other devices on your network. Other networking-centric projects supported by the Zero include Pwnagotchi, which entails experimenting with GPIO connections, e-ink, and networking. 

How about the Raspberry Pi Pico?

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The Raspberry Pi Pico is a remarkably small microcontroller. Often used in hardware-centric projects, these devices act as a brain that can move mechanics or route power to electronics that are connected to them. Picos run off Raspberry Pi’s own RP2350 chips, which were upgraded from the 2040 chips on previous iterations to offer greater power output. Even so, the current version of the Pico remains incredibly affordable, typically costing between $5 and $7. The Pico 2 was even used to power badges at a hacker convention, Def Con 32, in 2024. Besides getting you into the event, they could also run the original Doom.

Picos are ideal for projects that only need a bit of juice to get going, although they’re surprisingly varied in what they can achieve. The latest editions, the Pico 1 W and 2 W, support both Bluetooth 5.2 and wireless LAN, which really expands the range of projects you can delve into with a Pico — like a wireless pump that waters your flowers. With the onboard GPIO, you can hook the Pico up to just about any electronics, and there are custom Python scripting languages like MicroPython and CircuitPython that can run directly on the Pico. There’s plenty of documentation for these languages, as well as online learning resources, libraries, to make them relatively easy to get into, even for beginners.

Raspberry Pi price hikes

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It’s worth mentioning that Raspberry Pi has been hit hard by AI data center-induced RAM shortages. Eben Upton, the head of Raspberry Pi, has announced several price hikes for many Pi models, although he’s also announced a 3GB variant of the Pi 4 as a more affordable alternative. The Pi 5 with 16GB of RAM now runs at $305, up $100 from its prior price, while the higher-end Pi 500+ now costs $410 following a $150 price hike.

The company is still trying to keep its prices as low as possible, but it’s never been more expensive to jump into the Raspberry Pi ecosystem. If you’re just eager to start messing with some GPIO, buying the Raspberry Pi Pico or Zero is a great way to hop on the train without breaking the bank.

It’s unclear when the current RAM crisis will subside, but with enough luck, Raspberry Pi’s prices may start going back to normal, especially if the company can build a healthy stock of RAM and other components. For now, at least the devices are still on the shelves, unlike during the COVID-19 pandemic when they were nigh impossible to find for months.

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While Sony is raising prices for the PlayStation 5, recent leaks — you should take leaks with a grain of salt — suggest that the price hike may not carry over to the PlayStation 6. Consumers might actually see the opposite happen, where the PS6 achieves a lower or equal price by sacrificing some of its raw power. Sony executives shared on an earnings call that they haven’t chosen a definitive launch date for the next console, so nothing is set in stone.

However, it’s likely the memory shortage won’t be ironed out by the time the next-gen console launches, and the best way to cut prices would be to reduce some of the hardware, lowering the memory bus and total video ram. Before anyone gets all fired up, this information was discussed by an AMD leaker named KeplerL2 on the Neogaf forums, and no official details have been shared or discussed publicly by Sony. Where previous leaks suggested the PS6 would have a 30GB RAM configuration, the new ones suggest that it might lower to 24GB of VRAM with a memory bus of 128 bits to keep the costs more reasonable.

KeplerL2 says making these changes “would be a $60 BOM reduction,” without any significant GDDR7 memory price changes, and would provide “a yield boost for the SoC by being able to harvest MC (memory controller) defects.” Apparently, no APU changes would be necessary to achieve this; merely “disabling one memory controller” would provide the necessary results.

What does this mean for PS6 performance?

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Yes, the lower memory bus would reduce the potential performance and bandwidth ceiling of the new console, but it would ultimately make costs cheaper. The PlayStation 5 uses a 256-bit memory bus with 16GB of GDDR6 VRAM. The result of the proposed changes for the PS6 simply means it won’t deliver a huge generational leap in graphics and processing power compared to the previous generation. But it would still provide a performance boost even over the PlayStation 5 Pro, which has the same VRAM and memory bus specs, but an additional 2GB of DDR5 RAM for the OS, allowing games to use more of the main memory.

But with no official launch mentioned, albeit with lots of speculation floating around, nobody really knows when the PlayStation 6 is going to hit stores. Experts have guessed anywhere from 2027, which is not looking likely, to 2028 or as far as 2030. Anyone looking to upgrade soon will most likely end up disappointed, but there are still plenty of ways to get the most out of your PlayStation 5 before that happens. You could also boost your PS5’s performance with a few settings tweaks, if you’re playing one of the latest titles.

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The word is out: Blue light is bad for you. Or is it? Experts will tell you that blue light at night can reduce your sleep quality. It’s partly why the blue-light-blocking glasses industry could reach $5 billion in the next decade. But experts also say blue light is good for you and that your phone may be keeping you up at night for reasons beyond light exposure.

The sun is a primary source of blue light. Humans are programmed to wake up when blue-rich daylight reaches their eyes. Scientists at Oxford say light entering the eye helps sync the body’s internal clock with the outside light-dark cycle of day and night. Blue light at night can confuse our systems, affecting circadian rhythms that regulate appetite, hormone release, and sleep. But it’s not the only light causing problems. Melanopsin, the eye protein that helps tell the brain whether it’s day or night, responds most strongly to blue light but reacts to other kinds of light too.

So, blaming your phone’s blue light for poor sleep is an oversimplification. A Portuguese study found blue-light exposure from common digital devices was less than what people get from natural daylight, which makes timing and bedtime habits more important than blue light exposure alone. Device brightness, time of day, usage duration, and mental stimulation all affect sleep. There are steps you can take to improve how well you sleep – even if you refuse to give up your nightly session of that iPhone word game that’s harder than Wordle.

How to reduce blue light and improve sleep quality

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Reducing blue light while in bed can help you rest, but the impact varies based on how you do so. One comparative study found both your device’s night mode and blue-light glasses reduce short-wavelength light exposure, but night mode was more effective. Yet, reducing blue light alone isn’t the only way to improve sleep quality. A Saudi Arabian medical study found that general device usage before closing your eyes can decrease sleep quality. 

In a University of Washington study, a comparison of people who avoided screens before bed with nightly screen users showed that screen users had a 33% higher rate of poor sleep quality. You already know the basics of how to get a better night’s sleep, like hiding your phone in another room and cutting yourself off from the world at night, but you should also consider putting your phone down at least a half hour before going to sleep. 

University of Southern Mississippi researchers say to get plenty of bright light during the day to regulate circadian rhythms and that morning sun can reinforce your internal clock. Meanwhile, a University of Texas study recommends a pre-bedtime shower. It’ll raise your body temperature for a short time. Afterward, your body cools back down, signaling to the brain that it’s time to sleep.

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So, you’ve convinced yourself that a Kindle would pull you out of your reading slump and help you read more again. But after getting your hands on one and filling it up with all the titles your heart desires, it still ended up sitting on your bedside table, collecting dust. For many users, the Kindle is actually one of the most effective tools that had them breezing through their TBR list (To Be Read list). But for others, it might need a bit of setting up. Maybe it isn’t comfortable to read on. Or the font is too small, too spaced out, or just plain uninspiring.

Lucky for you, you can make reading on the Kindle feel a lot more engaging than it is right now. There are some Kindle settings you can try changing, a few accessories you can use, and a couple of hidden features to explore. If you’re ready to finally clear your backlog, here are five clever tips to get you reading more on your Kindle.

Display the time on the reading interface

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There are instances when while reading, you catch yourself thinking how long it might take before you can finish the book or, at very least, the chapter. Not knowing can make you lose the motivation to continue because it just feels like a never-ending task. Thankfully, the Kindle has two solutions to that: the clock and “Time left in chapter” feature. Both can be displayed on the reading interface to give you a more concrete sense of how much time you need (or want) to put into reading.

The clock sits at the top center of the screen. When a book starts to drag on and on, you can challenge yourself to read for five more minutes. Sometimes, that’s all the push you need to finish a chapter or even the entire book. If not, at least you’ve still made some progress before stopping.

The “Time left in chapter” feature, on the other hand, is located in the bottom-left corner. It’s one of the available reading progress indicators Kindle uses, along with pages and loc numbers. As you might have already guessed, Time left in chapter tells you the total minutes you need until you get to the end of the chapter. It’s based on your personal reading speed, and from user reports, it’s usually a good estimate. This can help you decide whether you can still squeeze in another chapter before bed or going out.

To turn on the clock and Time left in chapter on your Kindle interface, just open any book. Then, tap the space at the top and select the Aa menu. In the More tab, toggle on “Show clock while reading” and set Reading progress to Time left in chapter.

Pair your Kindle with accessories

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While the Kindle works pretty well on its own, there’s no harm in using it with a few cool Kindle accessories that could help you speed through a book in no time. For starters, you can try a page turner like the Datafy Page Turner for Kindle. Its screen sensor simply clips to the e-reader and waits for a signal from the remote to turn the page forward. This is especially handy during reading sessions in bed or on the couch, where you usually have the Kindle on a mount or stand. Instead of moving from your cozy spot and disrupting your reading momentum, all you have to do is press the remote. Before you know it, you’re already hours deep into your book.

Any tablet stand works with the Kindle. But when reading in bed or on the couch, it’s more convenient to go with a tablet floor stand or a gooseneck mount that clamps to a nearby desk or your bed frame. If you prefer to set the Kindle closer to you, though, a pillow stand like the Lamicall Tablet Pillow Stand could work better. For handheld use — like when you’re on the bus home or waiting in line at a diner — you’d want a grip or a case with a hand strap for your Kindle. This makes the e-reader more comfortable to hold.

A pair of headphones with a long-lasting battery is also a must-have for the Kindle. After all, the last thing you want is for your audio device to die right when you’re in the midst of a thrilling audiobook.

Turn on Word Wise

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Reading is one of the best ways to expand your vocabulary, and the Kindle helps with exactly that. It includes a built-in Dictionary feature, which allows you to simply long-press on a word to check what it means — no picking up your phone and looking up the term on Google. Unfortunately, doing so every once in a while can quickly slow you down and discourage you from reading more.

Instead of using the Dictionary, you can switch to another Kindle feature called Word Wise. Word Wise is like a dictionary, but it doesn’t wait for your input before showing you the meaning of the word. It automatically displays a short definition just above the term, making reading so much faster as your flow won’t be distracted. To turn on Word Wise, follow these steps:

1. Connect to the internet if you haven’t already. Word Wise needs an internet connection to download resources.
2. Open a book on your Kindle device.
3. Hit the top of the screen.
4. Go to the Aa menu.
5. Tap on More.
6. Choose Word Wise at the very bottom of the menu.
7. Enable it.

Now, you can go back to your book. A “Downloading Word Wise” indicator should appear in the bottom-right corner of the screen. Once it’s done downloading, tap Word Wise and adjust how many hints you want to see. Less hints mean Word Wise will only display the definition for the hardest words in the book, while More hints mean it will define more words, some of which you might already be familiar with.

Join reading challenges

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Setting a reading goal is great, but if you’re having trouble following through, you might need a little external motivation. That’s where the Kindle reading challenges come into the picture. There are usually two types of Kindle reading challenges available. First is the Reading Challenge, which runs all year round. Second are the seasonal challenges, which change every few months. Beyond these two, Kindle Unlimited subscribers also get a special Kindle Unlimited Welcome Challenge for a limited time.

How these Kindle challenges work is simple. They’re active for a set period, and during that time, you’ll have to complete different types of tasks. For instance, you have to finish one qualifying book before the challenge ends or read every day for an entire month. For every completed task, you earn the corresponding bookmark reward for your collection. For the Reading Challenge, though, your only task is to finish a book.

These Kindle challenges are, unfortunately, only accessible from your Kindle app. To view all the challenges, launch the Kindle app and tap on More. Then, head over to Reading Challenges. To start the year-long Reading Challenge, simply go to Reading Challenges and press Set a goal. Input the number of books you plan on reading within the year and hit Save. To join a seasonal challenge, tap on Challenge details to see all the tasks for that specific challenge. Just accomplish the tasks as instructed to earn the bookmark reward.

Remind yourself not to break your reading streak

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If you’ve ever used Duolingo, Snapchat, or Strava before, then you might already be familiar with streaks. It counts the number of consecutive days or weeks you’ve committed to doing something, gamifying the system to urge you to keep doing what you started. Kindle’s reading streaks work the same way. Yes, if you don’t already know, your Kindle actually monitors whether or not you’ve read something that day. It then provides you with two reading streaks, a weekly streak and a daily streak. The weekly streak just needs at least one reading activity in a week, while the daily streak requires you to read every day — otherwise, it resets.

This hidden feature can help you read more by passively encouraging you not to break the streak. You wouldn’t want to lose your progress and start back at zero. To view your Kindle streaks, you need to hop on your Kindle app. In the app, tap More and go to Reading Challenges. If you already have an ongoing streak, a blue banner with your current streak will appear at the very top. Press it to open your Reading Insights. If there’s no blue banner on your end, scroll down to the very bottom of the page and hit “View classic Reading Insights.”

If you don’t have a Kindle streak yet, there’s no better time to start than today. Keep reading until tomorrow, and you’ll already have a daily streak going. From here, it’s only a matter of consistency. A daily reminder to pick up your Kindle can help with that, but at the moment, the Kindle app is yet to offer such a feature. You’d have to create one on your phone instead.

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