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

With apologies for contradicting the weird stickers and meme-obsessed teenagers you’ve been seeing for the last few years, birds are actually quite real. They aren’t robots built by the government to spy on you. But, at the risk of contradicting myself, their brains are computers. Let me explain—or rather, let me sum up since there is too much. You probably know that birds are smarter than we give them credit for. Corvids like crows and ravens can be as smart as human children, with a shocking capacity to retain information. YouTuber and audio scientist Benn Jordan knows this, and he knows that the sounds birds make to communicate between themselves can be incredibly complex. But is it complex enough to retain and transmit digital information? The digital information of an image made and encoded by humans, perhaps? Turns out, yes! Over a few months, Jordan studied several species of birds to find complex birdsong, settling on the European starling for its intelligence and impressive ability to mimic sounds with the specific structure of its lungs and larynx. Specifically, he visited The Mouth, a semi-domesticated rescued starling owned by Sarah Tidwell, who has been around humans his whole life. Almost as a goof, Jordan drew a simple photo of a bird in a spectral synthesizer. (This is an extremely basic way of representing audible sounds as a 2D image.) Jordan then played the sounds corresponding to the image to The Mouth (the starling). While Jordan didn’t immediately hear the bird repeat the sequence of sounds corresponding to the image during his visit to Tidwell’s home, after analyzing the recordings of his visit, he spotted something strange in the visual graph of the recordings. Benn Jordan’s original image and The Mouth’s audio recreation, visualized. Benn Jordan There was the bird drawing. The one that Jordan had drawn in the synthesizer days or weeks previously, reproduced in the starling’s song, and showing up in a completely different visualization of the data. While the reproduction isn’t digitally perfect, Jordan estimates that The Mouth effectively retained and re-transmitted 176 kilobytes of data in audio format. Not enough to replace your SSD, perhaps, but more than enough to transmit, say, a large text file. Oh crap, maybe the birds are spying on us after all. Bird mimicry isn’t anything new, of course. And again, we’ve known for a while that birds can be much more intelligent than we previously assumed, especially when you expand the definition of “intelligence” beyond a human standard. But the ability of The Mouth to so accurately retain and then transmit data is incredible, and Jordan’s video is such a vivid, literal illustration of that ability. Read...

Remote access to another PC via the internet can be a blessing, solving many IT problems quickly and easily. The helper can get a clear picture and often solve the problem immediately, even without being physically present. It also avoids the often frustrating process of troubleshooting over the phone. A surge in support needs is expected around October 14, when Microsoft stops providing free updates for Windows 10. Millions of users will have to upgrade their computers to Windows 11 unless they pay for further support. Supporting others remotely is efficient and easy. This saves travel time and costs, and lets you spread support over multiple sessions. And, if you have to send an installation stick by mail, it can take a few days to get things moving. Best to get started while there’s still time. While Microsoft frequently displayed the Windows 10 end of support notice last year, it has only appeared once on our systems in recent months. IDG Our guide explains how to prepare, walks you through the upgrade process, explains how to bypass the installation lock on older PCs, and shows you how remote maintenance works even if Windows is not yet running before a new installation. After all, it’s not easy to start every computer from a USB setup stick instead of the “normal” way from the hard drive. Without video support and control, this can certainly fail. For this, we’ve chosen TeamViewer Remote, a remote maintenance tool that’s free for personal use, works reliably, and makes things easy for the person you’re helping. With the TeamViewer QuickSupport variant, all you have to do is click on a link sent to you by email and you’re ready to go. How to prepare for remote support Probably not every Windows 10 user realizes what the imminent end of support really means: namely, that continuing to use the PC as usual (without security updates) will become extremely risky. It’s crucial to start by raising awareness about the need to switch to the new operating system for security reasons—by mid-October at the latest! It’s also important to check whether the existing computer is compatible with the current Windows 11, version 24H2, or whether new hardware needs to be purchased. The next steps will depend on that. The requirements for remote PC maintenance are minimal: both computers need an internet connection, and you should also be able to talk to each other during the support session, either by phone or via WhatsApp. This makes it easier to ask questions and explain what’s being done. If you’re the one providing help, install the client version on your computer (TeamViewer Remote) and start the tool. Confirm the license terms and wait briefly until the program interface appears. If available, log in with your existing TeamViewer account and click on the “Trusted Devices” confirmation link in the email sent by TeamViewer. Otherwise, create a new account via “Create Account.” TeamViewer QuickSupport runs without installation, and its simplified interface makes remote support easy: just share your ID and password by phone, and you’re ready to go.IDG Now to your counterpart: It’s easiest for them if you send the download link for TeamViewer Quicksupport by e-mail: https://download.teamviewer.com/download/TeamViewerQS_x64.exe All they then have to do is click the link, download the tool, and double-click to start it. No installation required. The QuickSupport interface is very minimal, showing just two fields: “Your ID” and “Password.” The ID identifies the computer to be accessed and remains fixed. The password, on the other hand, is newly generated each session for security reasons. Both are sent to you by the person you’re supporting, either by phone or via e-mail using the clipboard button on the right. As the helper, enter the remote PC’s ID in your TeamViewer client in the “Participant ID” field, click on “Connect,” enter the password in the next window, and confirm with “Log in.” The connection starts automatically without the other person having to do anything. They’ll know you’ve taken over their PC by the darkened desktop background. You now have full control of their mouse and keyboard. If necessary, adjust the desktop display in TeamViewer via “View” > Scale. In most cases, the “Original” option works best. Upgrade compatible computers from Windows 10 to 11 Check the status: If the other PC is running Windows 10 and you don’t know the hardware in detail, use Microsoft’s PC Integrity Check app to see whether the computer fulfills the system requirements of the new operating system. If it doesn’t, the app will tell you why. Otherwise, if it says… This PC fulfils the requirements of Windows 11 You can simply carry out the installation via Windows Update. However, please consult with the other person briefly beforehand, as they’ll need to be comfortable working with the new system afterwards. The upgrade from Windows 10 to 11 takes a maximum of around 30 minutes, depending on the hardware. Since all programs, data, and settings are retained during the upgrade, you can continue working on the new system right away. In most cases, existing Windows 10 license usually remains valid for Windows 11, which means you don’t have to buy a new one. If Windows Update shows this message instead of the Windows 11 upgrade option, you can still force the upgrade remotely.IDG Force upgrade: If Windows Update doesn’t offer the Windows 11 upgrade despite compatible hardware, you can force the upgrade using the Windows 11 installation wizard or the Media Creation Tool. The upgrade usually starts with one of these Microsoft programs, so you can save yourself the trouble of searching for the cause. Here too, Windows 11 takes over all existing programs, data, and settings. What to do if the upgrade fails due to system requirements It’s more difficult if the Windows 10 PC doesn’t meet the hardware requirements for Windows 11. However, you can bypass the setup lock on most PCs from the past ten years using an installation stick modified with Rufus. This stick must be inserted into a bootable USB socket on the remotely maintained PC, so you’ll need some help. Depending on the other person’s skill level, video calls via smartphone can be helpful. PC Integrity Check: If a computer doesn’t meet Windows 11 hardware requirements, the installation can be forced using a modified setup stick.IDG Tip: Video support is smoother with the TeamViewer Assist AR app (Android and iOS). This allows you to show your partner exactly what needs to be done and where on their smartphone using a live camera feed. However, AR support places high demands on your mobile device. Alternatively, you can configure the USB stick at home so that Windows 11 also runs on hardware that’s not formally compatible and then send it by mail. Even then, the stick must be plugged into the computer before you can remotely start the installation by double-clicking the Setup.exe file via TeamViewer. Setting up a computer from scratch Remote support gets more difficult when replacing an old PC with a new one running Windows 11. In theory, the existing system can be migrated one-to-one to the new hardware using an image and cloning tool such as Easeus Todo Backup, then upgrade to Windows 11. However, this process takes time due to large data transfers, requires an external hard drive, and other various steps. Explaining it on the phone can be tedious. It might be easier to do this onsite or have the old PC sent to you for setup at home. Sending a PC is definitely a practical option. Easeus Todo PC Trans Free transfers data and software between PCs, but the free version limits you to five programs per transfer.IDG As an alternative to cloning, you can migrate your data and programs from the old PC to the new one, especially since Windows 11 comes pre-installed. If there’s a large enough hard drive available, back up all important data using AomeiBackupper via TeamViewer and transfer it to the new computer. Once again, minimal support is required when moving the computer. Easeus Todo PC Trans Free also helps transfer the programs and data. Using the “Backup & Restore” option, the tool saves the applications, data, accounts, and settings from the Windows 10 system. This backup is then saved on a data carrier, a network share, or in the cloud, and restored from there to the new PC. The free software version is limited to two gigabytes of data and five programs. The unlimited Pro version costs just under $50. For installing new freeware in bulk, you can use the “Package Bundle” function in UnigetUI, which serves as an interface for Windows’ built-in Winget package manager. Unattended Windows installation If you’re installing Windows 11 from scratch, an installation disc and manual boot on site are unavoidable. Booting from a USB stick or DVD can’t be done via remote access, but you can still help. First, look up the computer-specific key for calling up the boot menu and then guide the user through the setup process. Use an online unattended generator to configure a USB stick for automatic Windows 11 installation with all desired settings—no confirmation needed.IDG You can make things easier for your counterpart with an unattended installation that skips the setup prompts, data protection, and more. Configuring the setup stick with Rufus already handles part of this. For complete automation, use an unattended generator. It creates an Autounattended.xml file based on your specifications, which you copy to the top level of the installation stick. The setup then runs automatically. Read...

So many people haven’t been able to upgrade their older Windows computers to Windows 11 because of the latter’s TPM 2.0 hardware requirement. Learn more about why you need TPM 2.0 for Windows 11, why TPM 2.0 makes PCs better, and why Microsoft is adamant about not letting older PCs without TPM 2.0 run Windows 11. Some users, however, are saying that they’ve been offered upgrades to Windows 11 on older PCs that don’t meet the TPM 2.0 hardware requirements, reports Neowin. It’s a bit of a head-scratcher since Microsoft hasn’t announced anything official about lowering the system requirements for Windows 11, but this isn’t the first time the company has offered Windows 11 upgrades on incompatible computers that don’t meet the requirements. It’s highly likely that this is a bug or an exception. Some users have reported that their system theoretically had TPM 2.0 but was manually disabled it before the update was offered. Whether Microsoft makes a distinction here, however, is questionable. So far, Microsoft has not deviated from its strict hardware requirements for Windows 11. However, users who want to receive an additional year of security updates on Windows 10 can now sign up for the ESU program. If we hear anything official about relaxed requirements, we will inform you accordingly. Until then, however, you should assume that TPM 2.0 will continue to be a requirement for all Windows 11 PCs. Read...

Microsoft has tacitly confirmed that the mandatory Windows 11 24H2 updates from past months negatively impacted the operating system’s stability, which is bad timing for the company who recently claimed that Windows 11 is the “most reliable” version of Windows ever. The issues continued with mandatory updates KB5060842 and KB5063060 in June, which brought their own problems. Windows 11 users might’ve seen error messages such as 0x800f0922, 0x80070002, 0x80070306 or 0x800f0991 when they tried to install the updates. According to Windows Latest, system stability issues include: games like Fortnite randomly restarting on affected PCs, Windows taskbar freezes, incorrect Windows Firewall events, and FPS drops and performance hits in games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Microsoft has now quietly confirmed these problems. In an addendum to the currently optional preview update KB5062660, Microsoft writes: [Stability issue] This update addresses an issue observed in rare cases after installing the May 2025 security update and subsequent updates causing devices to experience stability issues. Some devices became unresponsive and stopped responding in specific scenarios. [Windows Firewall] Fixed: This update addresses an issue found in Event Viewer as Event 2042 for Windows Firewall with Advanced Security. The event appears as “Config Read Failed” with the message “More data is available.” For more information about this issue, see “Error events are logged for Windows Firewall” in the Windows Health Dashboard.??????? No details are provided on the exact reasons for the problems, but you can address these issues by installing update KB5062660. How to get update KB5062660 Update KB5062660 is currently still an optional update that Microsoft does not yet install as standard on all Windows computers. It will be released for all Windows computers on Patch Tuesday in August. If you’re experiencing any of the problems described above and therefore want to install the optional update to fix those problems, you must do so manually via Windows Update or the Microsoft Update Catalog. Microsoft has recently committed to improving Windows 11 performance and made moves to improve Windows 11 stability with stricter driver standards. Hopefully the company will hold true to its words and these sorts of issue-laden Windows 11 updates will become a thing of the past. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Surprising CPU performance Standard number pad Cons Very weak graphics Drab, glossy display Big and heavy No Thunderbolt or USB4 Disappointing battery Our Verdict The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10 just has too little going for it. It’s a functional machine, but that’s the bar a $300 laptop should have to clear. It may have decent CPU performance, but you can also find that on laptops worth owning. This one just has nothing to get excited about except its too-high price tag. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 Retailer Price Check Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices Lenovo’s IdeaPad family is a broad one, with all sorts of devices from traditional clamshells, Chromebooks, and 2-in-1s like the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10 here. But its diversity also makes it hard to anticipate. Some of its laptops can be impressive, but you can’t count on that to mean they all are. Lenovo suggests this IdeaPad is intended to bring premium features to a more affordable price, but the laptop instead follows in the footsteps of the disappointing IdeaPad Slim 3, offering very little to get excited for and a rather basic all-around experience that begs for the $1,099 list price to get a severe discount.  Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10: Specs and features Model number: F0J20012US   CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 255U Memory: 16GB LPDDR5x-8000 Graphics/GPU: Intel Graphics Display: 16-inch 1200p IPS Touchscreen, glossy Storage: 512GB PCIe Gen4 SSD Webcam: 1080p + IR Connectivity: 2x USB-C 10Gbps with Power Delivery and DisplayPort 1.4 Alternate Mode, 1 HDMI 1.4b, 2x USB-A 5Gbps, 1x microSD card reader, 1x 3.5mm combo audio Networking: WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 Biometrics: Windows Hello facial recognition Battery capacity: 57 watt-hours Dimensions: 14.02 x 10.03 x 0.72 inches Weight: 4.59 pounds measured MSRP: $1,099 as-tested ($679 base) The configuration of the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10 that was sent over for review is specific to B&H Photo, and it comes with a $1,099 price tag and Intel Core Ultra 7 255U processor, 16GB of memory, and 512GB of storage. This is a pretty sour deal when Lenovo offers the same configuration but with double the storage for an “estimated value” of $1,079, which naturally gets some sort of discount, lowering the price to $829 at the time of writing. Lenovo offers a lower base configuration that drops the CPU to an Intel Core Ultra 5 225U but leaves everything else unchanged. This lowers the price to an “Est Value” of $919, which had a discount to $689 at the time of writing. Lenovo also offers a configuration that doubles the storage to 1TB while only increasing the “Est Value” by $10, and that model is confusingly just $679 at the time of writing.  You can create a custom configuration, but the options are exceedingly limited. You get to choose from the two CPUs mentioned, 512GB or 1TB of storage, Windows 11 Home or Pro versions, and a Luna Grey or Cosmic Blue color. While these are the options at the time of writing, it’s possible Lenovo will be expanding them. In its product specifications reference, it mentions the Intel Core Ultra 5 225H and 7 255H CPUs with Intel Arc 130T and Arc 140T graphics, respectively, as well as 32GB of possible memory. It’s just fumble after fumble, and the only nod to quality Lenovo seems to have made is an aluminum lid. Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10: Design and build quality IDG / Mark Knapp The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10 is about as boring as it gets. The whole thing is a large slab of gray, and even the keyboard is a bland gray. Lenovo opted for a pleasant, aluminum lid, but as large as it is, it certainly could have used some adornment other than Lenovo’s branding. Beyond that lid, the rest of the build is just plastic, and not a particularly impressive-feeling plastic either. As a 2-in-1, the IdeaPad has Lenovo’s typical hinge design, but it looks awkward in the thick base of the laptop. The hinge is pretty firm, avoiding too much wiggle, but this can make it a little effortful to fold the laptop around into different poses. It’s also so firm that it will lift the bottom of the laptop up when moving it, so no easy one-handed opening.  At a hair over 14 inches wide and 10 inches long, it’s a big machine, and it’s bigger than it needed to be as the 2-in-1 design always seems to entail extra chin bezels below the display. At 4.59 pounds, it’s a hefty machine as well. Lenovo states it is 0.72 inches thick (though I measured it at 0.78 inches and the rubber feet add another tenth of an inch to that), so at least it’s not too big in every dimension. But still, the system is also simply too large and heavy to use practically as a tablet. I’ve seen HP integrate magnets into its 2-in-1 laptops to keep them folded open in their tablet mode, but the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10 hasn’t done this, and this sees the two halves flop around a bit in tablet mode. Lenovo took some, but not full, advantage of the extra space it had. It squeezed a traditional number pad next to the keyboard, albeit with slightly narrow keys. The number pad gets dedicated audio playback controls above it as well. There’s a ton of space above the keyboard as well, and Lenovo has put its speakers there behind a wide grille. Below the keyboard, Lenovo hasn’t been as ambitious. The trackpad is quite small for a machine this size, and it’s centered below the alphanumerics, so it sits very far to the left.  Above the display, Lenovo’s webcam fits into a small extra section of bezel that also houses a physical privacy shutter. When closed, this little lip also makes opening the laptop easier, though still doesn’t sort out the need for a second hand.  Underneath, the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10 sits on two small rubber feet at the front and a wide foot at the rear. These hold it almost astoundingly securely in place on tables and desks and provide room for air to get in. There’s a wide grille underneath for air intake, though only one fan actually pulls air in. This exhausts out the back edge of the base.   Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10: Keyboard, trackpad IDG / Mark Knapp The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10 keyboard is a serious mixed bag. It’s far enough up the laptop to be uncomfortable to reach, with my wrists resting uncomfortably on the front edge. The feel of each key is also very inconsistent. Some feel reasonably well stabilized while others don’t. Some have more of a tactile pop to them as they depress and others just mush down. Those dynamics also shift depending on where on the key you press. The keys aren’t very contoured either. It’s perhaps just from my experience with Lenovo keyboard over the years that I was still able to reach a typing speed of 115 words per minute with 97 percent accuracy in Monkeytype without much time to adapt, but I can’t say that I was comfortable while I did it. The keys are at least easily legible and get useful backlighting to see in the dark.  The trackpad feels fine. It has a mylar coating that’s plenty smooth, though there’s a bit of friction to the texture. It’s not bad, but it’s not like sliding across ice fresh from the Zamboni. The size of the trackpad is modest, which is plenty for four-finger gestures and a good fit on a 14-inch laptop. But it’s awkwardly small here. I have to reach far across the laptop to use it with my right hand, and often I end up still so far to the right side of the trackpad that my clicks register as right-clicks.  The touchscreen works as an alternative to using the trackpad for everything. I found it reasonably responsive, though it would have felt even more so with a faster refresh rate from the display. The screen is made with glass, and this didn’t prove as smooth to the touch as I’d have hoped. Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10: Display, audio IDG / Mark Knapp You get a big display on the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10. The panel stretches 16 inches from corner to corner, and though its 1920×1200 resolution isn’t exceedingly sharp, it doesn’t look bad at regular viewing distances. But that’s about all the credit the display is going to get. The screen is otherwise very lackluster.  In some ways, it actually exceeds expectations, but only because the expectations were set low. Lenovo rates it for a 300-nit peak brightness and a pitiful 800:1 contrast ratio, but my test sample managed 323.8 nits and a 1,680:1 contrast ratio. That brightness might have been decent on a matte or anti-glare display, but the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10 has a glossy panel that struggles in bright conditions and will only get worse looking when it’s covered in finger grease — it’s a touchscreen after all.  Then there’s the color. This is one of those bottom-of-the-barrel displays that almost seems to think of color as an afterthought. It achieves just 65 percent coverage of the sRGB colorspace. If you want to see just about anything on your computer the way a creator or web designer intended it, this computer won’t show it to you.  The speakers on the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10 are also rather pitiful. They don’t sound bad, but they’re wimpy, offering such low volume that even a fan running in the same room will make it a bit hard to hear everything clearly. They’re also lacking in low-end, so you won’t get any oomph in movies or music. Thankfully, they don’t have any awful qualities, like distortion or reverberation with the chassis. The speakers also work better with the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10 in its laptop pose, since they’re positioned above the keyboard. When the laptop is in its tent mode — you know, the one ideal for casually watching something — the audio is firing in the wrong direction and sounds even quieter. Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10: Webcam, microphone, biometrics IDG / Mark Knapp You won’t be getting the best webcam and mic setup in the world with the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10. Even though the camera has a 1080p resolution, it won’t do you much good. In dimmer environments, the camera looks dreary and very noisy. Even with a strong light, the video looks oversharpened and not quite lifelike. On the bright side, the camera offers a very wide viewing angle, so you can get other people in the view with you. The mics aren’t adding much either. They don’t seem to pick up too much background noise, but they also don’t pick up much. In a test recording, my voice sounded thin and a bit far off thanks to ample room echo. Having heard superb noise suppression from the HP OmniBook X Flip 14 recently, it’s all too apparent how far this laptop falls behind. The webcam at least supports Windows Hello facial recognition, which provides a convenient way to sign in to the computer. It only takes a second or two most of the time. Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10: Connectivity IDG / Mark Knapp At first glance, it appears as though the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10 has done a fine job with its port selection — not amazing for a 16-incher like this, but not bad. And then you discover the specifications of each port, and things go downhill. The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10 has two USB-C ports on the left side, but these cap out at 10Gbps, not the 20Gbps of USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 or the much faster speeds of USB4 or Thunderbolt 4, both of which have become exceedingly common. There’s an HDMI port on the left edge as well, but it’s an HDMI 1.4 port, which can only support 4K at 30Hz. You can use the USB-C ports for video output, but then you’ll likely be looking for an adapter. The left edge is rounded off with a 3.5mm audio combo jack.  On the right side of the computer, you’ll find a microSD card reader — fine, but there’s definitely room for a full card slot. That sits next to two USB lowly USB-A 5Gbps ports. You can at least get fast data speeds over Wi-Fi, as the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10 supports Wi-Fi 6. Even that is beginning to feel a little behind the times, as Wi-Fi 6E can give you faster speeds over a 6GHz band, and Wi-Fi 7 is starting to show up on many more devices. The connection was fast and stable in testing, and it’s likely going to be a few years before Wi-Fi 6 starts to feel like a real shortcoming, but the $1000+ price tag of this system inflates every little shortcoming when its competitors don’t have the same issues. Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10: Performance The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10 hasn’t won itself much commendation in any other department, so its hopes bank on its performance. Inside, our test unit is packing a Intel Core Ultra 7 255U, which may not sound like much, but it includes two performance, eight efficiency, and two low-power efficiency cores, racking up a total core count of 12. Unfortunately, that chip doesn’t include the peppy Intel Arc graphics I’ve seen on countless other systems in the past year.  That puts it in a bit of a challenging position. Lenovo’s own Yoga 7i 2-in-1 16ILL10 carries a comparable price tag, similar design, and similar display while swapping its innards for a Intel Core Ultra 7 256V that does include Intel Arc graphics. The Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1 7640 cost just $1,349 back when it launched over a year ago, and it includes the very capable Intel Core Ultra 7 155H with Intel Arc graphics as well as a brighter 2560×1600 Mini-LED touchscreen. The $1,659 HP OmniBook X Flip 16 shows what it looks like when you go a bit more upscale with the full package. And if you’re not sure a 2-in-1 is necessary, the $1,149 Acer Swift Go 16 demonstrates what you can get from a similarly priced clamshell laptop with its sharp OLED display, higher performance internals, and substantially reduced weight.  The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10 is slow out of the gate, not doing itself any favors in PCMark 10’s holistic benchmark. This simulates a wide variety of office workloads, and while the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10 offers respectable performance, it trails every single other system in this group, even the systems with lower-power processors. A crucial issue is the graphical performance of the system, which couldn’t keep up with the Intel Arc graphics on the other systems when it came to digital content creation like photo and video editing.  We can see pretty clearly that it’s not the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10’s CPU performance holding it back. The Intel Core Ultra 7 255U offers quite respectable speeds, and Lenovo manages to keep it relatively cool. Our Handbrake test tasks the system with encoding a large video file, which takes a lot of CPU horsepower and a long time, giving the system a chance to throttle. Here we see the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10 actually beat out last year’s Intel Core Ultra 7 155H by a narrow margin with a lower power envelope and four fewer performance cores, though the Dell system in question did face some thermal throttling. This kind of performance gives the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10 a leg up on the Yoga 9i and OmniBook X Flip 16, though it still can’t touch the extra performance that the Acer Swift Go 16’s Core Ultra 9 285H brings.  Like Handbrake, Cinebench pushes the CPU, but it provides the opportunity to evaluate both single- and multi-core performance and run bursty and extended tests. In Cinebench R23, we can see that the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10 actually falls behind Dell’s Inspiron, which doesn’t run into the same throttling issues here as it did in Handbrake. The IdeaPad also continues to lead the Yoga and OmniBook, but it still can’t scratch the Acer Swift Go 16.  Despite this extra horsepower, the actual responsiveness of the system may not always be as impressive as some of these other machines. In Cinebench R23 and R24, the IdeaPad showed that its single-core performance was actually among the slowest of the pack, even falling far behind the Yoga and OmniBook it had otherwise been leading. While CPU performance was respectable, the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10 fell hard in the graphics department. The lack of Intel Arc graphics on this chip drags the system down dramatically. It simply can’t keep up with these others, offering about half the performance of all of these alternatives. 3DMark tasks the system with 3D scenes as you might see in video games, the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10 struggles. Integrated graphics have generally been a poor option, but recent Intel Arc solutions have proven commendable even if they didn’t come close to matching discrete GPUs. The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10’s basic Intel Graphics, however, is a throwback to how wimpy integrated graphics can be.  Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10: Battery life As big and heavy as the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10 is, Lenovo didn’t bother to pack in a massive battery. Instead, it has just a 57-watt-hour pack. I have seen bigger batteries in 14-inch laptops. This combines with relatively inefficient performance, and as a result, we see the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10 only narrowly exceed 12.5 hours in our offline video playback test. We’ve seen some systems exceed 24 hours on new intel chips, and even 20 hours is becoming more common. An offline video runtime of 12 hours isn’t awful, but with the bar getting pushed so high lately, it’s what I’d call bad on anything other than a gaming laptop. The Yoga and OmniBook may not have offered quite as much CPU performance, but they both hit around 18 hours. Dell’s Inspiron system even narrowly beat the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10, and it had a higher-wattage CPU and sharper display. This left the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10 with a victory only over the Acer Swift Go 16, and you can almost forgive that system for only hitting 10 hours when factoring in its better display and how much more powerful, thinner, and lighter it is. As good as 12.5 hours might sound, offline video playback is something of a best-case scenario. Computers these days play local video very efficiently. Regular office use will suck the battery down much faster. It also doesn’t help that the glossy display more or less requires the screen to run at its highest brightness levels. As a result, I was lucky to see between 6 and 8 hours of runtime — not quite enough to count on safely making it through a workday. At least the 65W charger isn’t too big to easily fit into a bag with the laptop.  Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10: Conclusion The Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1 16 Gen 10 just feels like it has nothing going for it. Its design is forgettable and doesn’t feel good in the hands (or on the wrists). The display is about as bad as Lenovo can get away with. The ports are several generations behind the times. While the performance looks bright at times, it’s weighed back down by the severely lacking graphics performance. And all that is tied up into a big and heavy machine that doesn’t even pack a long-lasting battery. It’s just fumble after fumble, and the only nod to quality Lenovo seems to have made is an aluminum lid. At its full price, just don’t buy this laptop. If you need a machine with a big touchscreen that’ll do the basics, maybe consider this one if Lenovo cuts it to $500, and even then, make sure there’s not a better deal on something else first. Read...

Find out about the AI safe driving system that`s watching the road ahead, and the driver. Read...

Mozilla is bringing all kinds of new features and improvements with the latest Firefox 141 update, including the ability to organize tag groups with the help of AI and use the address bar as a unit converter. In addition, the developers have addressed several security vulnerabilities per usual, in both Firefox and Firefox ESR versions. Mozilla plans to release the next versions—including Firefox 142 and Firefox ESR 140.2, ESR 128.14, and ESR 115.27—on August 19th, 2025. Firefox ESR 128 will receive its last update in August, as will Firefox ESR 115 (subject to Mozilla’s pending decision). What’s new in Firefox 141? You can now partially automate the organization of multiple tabs in tab groups with AI support. A local AI model (which doesn’t send any information to the cloud and thus preserves privacy) can automatically group similar tabs and suggest suitable names for the tab group. Mozilla will be gradually rolling out this feature over the next few weeks. Furthermore, if you use the vertical tabs layout introduced in Firefox 136, you can now create more space for even more tabs by minimizing the toolbar at the bottom of the sidebar. Since version 136, Firefox has been initially displaying placeholders when a website embeds content from Instagram or TikTok, and the content is only loaded after clicking on it. With Firefox 138, similar support was added for X/Twitter, and with Firefox 141, Disqus is also supported. You can now also use the address bar to convert units without referring to Google or another search engine. The built-in unit calculator recognizes metric and imperial units for length, mass, temperature, force, and angles. Firefox 141 can also convert time to different time zones. For example, “10:00 CEST in EDT” presents the time as it would be in US East Coast for when it’s 10:00 (summer time) in Germany. Then, “now in JST” would give the current time in Japan. Other conversion examples: “100 km in mi” converts to English miles, “28 C in F” converts degrees Celsius to Fahrenheit, and if you click on the result, it ends up in your clipboard. Incidentally, the address bar has been able to do math since Firefox 137. Security updates in Firefox 141 Mozilla’s 2025-56 Security Advisory shows more than 18 fixed vulnerabilities in Firefox 141. Mozilla categorizes two of the externally reported vulnerabilities (CVE-2025-8027 and CVE-2025-8028) as high risk. For example, the JavaScript JIT compiler IonMonkey only writes 32 bits of a 64-bit return value to the stack, but the base JIT reads all 64 bits, which could invite abuse. Four entries in the security report concern internally discovered vulnerabilities, each summarized under a CVE number. They are also considered high risk. The other vulnerabilities that Mozilla’s developers have fixed in Firefox 141 are categorized as medium or low risk. Updates for Firefox ESR Mozilla is currently maintaining three transitional Firefox ESR generations: versions 140, 128, and 115. Firefox ESR 140.1.0 is the most technically up-to-date version and also the one with the longest life expectancy (until September 2026). The developers have fixed at least 14 security vulnerabilities in this version, which have also been fixed in Firefox 141. Firefox ESR 128.13.0 is the latest version of the previous generation, which is nearing its end. The update fixes at least nine vulnerabilities. The update to Firefox ESR 115.26 addresses four security flaws, but this one is only available on Windows 7/8.1 and macOS 10.12 to 10.14 computers. In August, Mozilla will decide whether to continue or end maintenance for Firefox ESR 115. Further reading: Firefox is getting WebGPU, but only on Windows Read...

Nostalgia never goes out of fashion, it just moves to new eras. Right now, the early days of 3D gaming are all the rage, with the latest indie games aping the low-polygon, low-res texture look of PC and PS1-era games from the 90s and early 2000s. The latest Higround mechanical keyboard brings a chunk of those games into the real world. We’ve featured Higround before, who’s no stranger to sweet keyboard designs, like this one featuring a full-width Sonic retro print. The “BLUR” variant of the Basecamp 75+ keyboard (spotted by PCGamer) features keycaps meant to mimic the look of in-game computers from games like the original Half-Life and Deus Ex. No, you don’t need to reload the page, that’s what they’re supposed to look like. Even the Higround logo on the spacebar is blurred and faded, as if your desk itself was being rendered by a GeForce 256 that was chugging on the game engine. Higround The keyboard itself is kind of pricey at $160 for a wired design with a plastic case, but this is an artsy, limited-edition kinda product. With a 75% layout, hot-swap switches (disappointing TTC switches included in the box), RGB lighting, an aluminum plate, and multiple layers of sound dampening, it’s definitely not a value proposition. I kind of wish Higround would just sell me a set of those PBT keycaps alone. The keyboard is limited to just two orders per buyer at the moment, but the keycaps might show up here at a later date, like the Sonic ones did a while back. Read...

Microsoft has released update KB5062660 for Windows 11 24H2, and that means the iconic “Blue Screen of Death” has officially been replaced by the long-awaited “Black Screen of Death” (which coincidentally shared the same BSOD acronym). We previously reported on this when Microsoft began testing the new black screen in a preview version of Windows. With this optional cumulative update, the change is now available to all Windows users. How to get update KB5062660 Update KB5062660 is an optional update for Windows 11 24H2, which means the OS won’t automatically download it even if it’s available. You have to install it manually using Windows Update. Alternatively, you can also download and install update KB5062660 directly from the Microsoft Update Catalog. The full name of the update is 2025-07 Cumulative Update Preview for Windows 11 Version 24H2, and it’s available for both x64 and arm64 systems. After installing update KB5062660, Windows 11 will be brought up to Build 26100.4770 and will gain a preview of all the new features Microsoft plans to release on Patch Tuesday in August 2025. That future update will be auto-installed on all compatible computers. The new Black Screen of Death The most obvious new feature of update KB5062660, which you hopefully won’t see any time soon, is the Black Screen of Death that replaces the former Blue Screen of Death. The only difference between the two BSODs is visual, as nothing changes from a technical standpoint. Not only does the new BSOD have a black background, but it also no longer shows the sad emoticon or the QR code in addition to explanatory text. Instead, the new BSOD only informs you that a problem has occurred and that Windows needs to be restarted. The problem with the new BSOD is that it’s usually only displayed for about two seconds before it disappears, so a Windows user who isn’t expecting a BSOD might not even recognize that Windows has run into a problem before it restarts, especially if you’re preoccupied with something else (e.g., on your phone or talking with someone). Other new features in the update According to Windows Latest, update KB5062660 will bring many improvements for so-called AI PCs, and many of these new features will be exclusive to Copilot+ PCs. In addition, the controversial Recall feature is to be introduced to EU users, though you’ll be able to block access to Recall for certain applications and websites. Recall will only work locally on your PC, and you’ll be able to disable Recall completely in Windows settings. Another improvement brings faster recovery for Windows computers that run into widespread issues. The new Quick Machine Recovery feature automatically detects and fixes widespread issues via Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE), attempting to restore the PC by downloading a patch from Windows Update. This new feature is designed to help repair computers that can no longer boot up. Further reading: Microsoft explains how the new wireless PC-to-PC migration feature works Read...