Email remains the greatest risk for sensitive data breaches, with 90% of business communications exposed, warns Kiteworks` 2025 security report. Read...

TechHive Editors Choice At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Roku’s least expensive 4K HDR player Compact design fits behind a TV and is suitable for travel Better performance and Wi-Fi reception than the cheaper Roku Streaming Stick Cons Increasingly cluttered home screen Some old TVs might require a separate power adapter No Dolby Vision or Dolby Atmos support Our Verdict The middle dongle in Roku’s latest streamer lineup is just right. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Roku Streaming Stick Plus Retailer Price $29 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices At a list price of $40—and often on sale for less—the Roku Streaming Stick Plus hits a sweet spot. It’s not the cheapest streaming dongle Roku sells, but it’s the least expensive option with 4K HDR video, and it sports slightly better performance than the $30 Roku Streaming Stick. Its portable design is also an improvement over the Roku Express 4K+, which Roku previously sold at the same price. I still have some misgivings about Roku’s software, which is gradually getting more complicated and bloated. But if you enjoy the Roku experience as it is, the Roku Streaming Stick Plus is a solid option. What’s included with the Roku Streaming Stick Plus The Roku Streaming Stick Plus has the same finger-sized design as the cheaper Roku Streaming Stick I reviewed in July, distinguished only by its embossed black “Roku” logo instead of a painted-on purple one. Its built-in HDMI connector plugs directly into one of your TV’s HDMI ports, and if it doesn’t fit within the spacing of those ports, you can request a free extender cable. Unlike earlier Roku models, the Streaming Stick Plus does not include a power adapter. Instead, you get a five-foot USB-A-to USB-C cable to plug into the USB power port on most modern TVs. The dongle had no trouble drawing enough power this way from the TVs I tested it with, but you might need to go hunting for an outlet adapter for old TVs that don’t provide USB power. For video, the Roku Streaming Stick Plus streams at up to 4K resolution with support for HDR and HDR10+, but not Dolby Vision. You need to step up to the $50 Roku Streaming Stick 4K for that. On the audio side, Dolby Atmos is also missing, as that feature is only available on the $100 Roku Ultra. Jared Newman / Foundry Roku now ships the same basic Voice Remote with all of its lower-end players. Like every other Roku current model, it includes buttons to control your TV’s volume and power, providing a single-remote solution unless you have an external sound system that doesn’t support HDMI-CEC. If that’s the case, you’ll need a separate remote for volume adjustments. (Because the Streaming Stick Plus doesn’t accept IR input, it won’t work with basic universal remotes.) One thing missing from this model is Bluetooth support. You can still connect earbuds to your phone and use Roku’s mobile app for private listening, but the Roku Ultra remains the only player that supports pairing headphones or earbuds directly to the streaming device. Roku Streaming Stick Plus performance and Wi-Fi reception Roku does an admirable job optimizing its software to run on lightweight hardware, so there isn’t a huge performance difference between each of its players. Still, the Roku Streaming Stick Plus does have some noticeable improvements over the cheaper Streaming Stick. In my side-by-side testing, the Streaming Stick Plus typically loaded apps a few seconds faster, and was quicker at filling program guide details as I scrolled through the Pluto TV app. Netflix in particular seemed to benefit, as the Streaming Stick Plus would often would return to where I was in Netflix’s menu system after switching to a different app. (With the cheaper Streaming Stick, Netflix usually needed a full reload.) The Roku Streaming Stick Plus also supports Wi-Fi 5, rather than Wi-Fi 4 as on the Streaming Stick, and I observed better Wi-Fi performance at long range as a result. Testing from the far end of my back yard on a portable monitor, the Roku Streaming Stick Plus maintained speeds around 20Mbps, while the Streaming Stick averaged less than 10Mbps and displayed a weak signal warning. Meanwhile, the $50 Roku Streaming Stick 4K achieved speeds of around 100Mbps in the same test. The improved Wi-Fi won’t matter in areas with solid reception—both models maintained 100Mbps connections in the office where my router is located—but it could make a difference on the fringes. If you want to use wired ethernet, Roku says the Streaming Stick Plus is compatible with USB-C-to-ethernet adapters that supply power, but I was unable to get it connected with several multiport USB-C hubs. The Roku Ultra is a better bet if ethernet is a must. Roku software: Familiar layout, new distractions Jared Newman / Foundry While Roku has traditionally prided itself on simplicity, in recent years that mission has been at odds with the economics of Roku’s business, which calls for ever-more ad revenue and—more recently—a push for more subscriptions. This manifests itself in a bunch of ways: The Home section, which once presented a straightforward list of your installed apps, now includes promotional content tiles and links to various content submenus. The left sidebar menu now has a banner ad at the bottom, which means the default menu options don’t all fit and you must scroll up and down to see them all. The banner ads in both the Home section and sidebar menu now have animations and video. More of Roku’s own apps are now pre-installed, including the recently acquired Frndly TV and the recently launched Howdy. The bottom-left banner covers up some menu options.Jared Newman / Foundry Fundamentally, it’s fine for Roku to try moving past the app grid paradigm and recommending more things to watch from the home screen. People do need help sorting through all their streaming services, and other streaming platforms have been trying to tackle that problem for years. But a lot of what Roku’s doing weighs too heavily on the side of upselling more services instead of helping navigate what you’re already paying for. To wit: Roku has a useful “Continue Watching” feature that tracks all the shows you’re watching across different services, but it’s buried in a “What to Watch” menu that’s all too easy to ignore. Why not put it in the newly-expanded Home section instead? “Continue Watching” is a great feature that’s too hard to reach.Jared Newman / Foundry Roku still deserves credit for nailing a lot of the little things. Many folks appreciate the remote’s dedicated fast-forward, rewind, and play/pause buttons—Google TV and Apple TV devices omit these—as well as the “Replay” button that jumps back in time with closed captions temporarily enabled. Roku also does a great job surfacing free content through its Featured Free menu and Roku Channel app, and support for Apple’s AirPlay comes in handy for sharing content from iPhones and iPads. The experience is overall positive; there’s just so much room for improvement. “Featured Free” is a dedicated menu for free movies and shows (with ads).Jared Newman / Foundry Roku Streaming Stick Plus vs. the rest For most Roku fans, the Streaming Stick Plus is a better option than the $30 Streaming Stick, with speedier app load times, better Wi-Fi connectivity, and 4K HDR video support. It’s also worth considering over the $50 Roku Streaming Stick 4K if you don’t care about Dolby Vision and have a decent Wi-Fi setup. I’d also pick the Roku Streaming Stick Plus over Amazon’s low-cost Fire TV Sticks, because for as cluttered as Roku’s software has become, Amazon’s is still a lot worse. If you prefer a more content-forward interface, consider Walmart’s Onn streaming devices (the $20 Onn box, $30 Onn 4K Plus, or $50 Onn 4K Pro) as alternatives. Otherwise, the middle dongle in Roku’s lineup should be all you need. This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best streaming devices. Read...

Small things are cute. That’s practically the entire business plan behind everything from Polly Pocket to Reese’s Pieces. And it holds true for desktop PCs, where small form factor builds are all the rage now. Over at the PCWorld Labs, Adam and Will are going hog wild on a bunch of different designs, including the Teenage Engineering “$0” plastic case, the Framework Desktop, the LiquidHause ISO Chassis, and more. In this over-three-hour-long build video, the duo waxes poetic on all the ins and outs of building computers in itty bitty spaces, comparing tons of different layouts and design philosophies. It makes great background watching for a long gaming session or some housework. (Yeah, we know what you guys are doing with these.) If this is your jam, be sure to subscribe to PCWorld on YouTube and check out our weekly podcast The Full Nerd. Read...

TL;DR: An AdGuard Family Plan lifetime subscription is just $15.97 (MSRP: $169.99) with code FAMPLAN—block ads, protect up to 9 devices, and keep browsing safe—forever. Nobody likes ads—especially the kind that pop up when you’re trying to watch a video or read an article. They’re distracting, slow down your device, and sometimes even carry malware. That’s why this AdGuard Family Plan offer is a game changer. For a single one-time payment of $15.97, you’ll get lifetime protection across up to nine devices. With AdGuard, your digital life gets a major upgrade. It blocks intrusive banners, autoplay videos, and other web clutter while giving you peace of mind with built-in privacy tools. You’ll stay safe from trackers and phishing attempts, plus you’ll have parental controls ready for younger users. Because it works on both iOS and Android, AdGuard is flexible enough for families, small business owners, or just anyone tired of seeing too many ads. And since it’s lifetime access, you don’t have to worry about another subscription fee sneaking onto your credit card statement. Clean, fast, safe browsing—for you, your family, and your devices. Get a lifetime of AdGuard for the one-time price of $15.97 (MSRP: $169.99) with code FAMPLAN for a limited time. AdGuard Family Plan: Lifetime SubscriptionSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

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If you’ve been looking for a laptop that can handle both gaming and heavy creative work, Lenovo just dropped something at IFA that’s worth checking out. The Legion Pro 7 16 Gen 10 now rocks AMD’s new Ryzen 9 9000 HX series. Yep, that’s the kind of chip that makes even the most intense games and demanding video editing software feel smooth. Equipped with the powerful Ryzen 9955HX3D processor and RTX 5080 graphics, this thing isn’t kidding around when it comes to raw performance. Lenovo’s cooling setup, called Legion Coldfront: Vapor, includes hyperchamber tech that can push up to 275W TDP. Basically, it’s built to keep things cool while you’re blasting through max settings. Cooling is serious business, y’all. Oh, and if you’re worried about storage, it can come with up to 2TB Gen 5 PCIe SSD. That’s plenty of room for your games, files, and whatever else. The Lenovo Legion Pro 7 16 Gen 10 features a 16-inch 2560×1600 OLED display with a wildly fast 240Hz refresh rate and 0.08ms response time. On paper, colors should pop and motion should look silky smooth. Throw in up to 32GB of DDR5 RAM and this force of nature can totally handle streaming and heavy-duty work.  It also comes with Windows 11, so you’re all set for the latest features and security. But honestly, the real magic is how the CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage work together–this laptop should absolutely fly, just like Falkor the luck dragon from Neverending Story. The Lenovo Legion Pro 7 16 Gen 10 is expected to launch in November 2025 with a starting price of $2,399. Read...

Lenovo has previously shown off a prototype display that can intelligently align itself for optimal ergonomics. Now, it’s doing something similar with a laptop stand, too. At the IFA 2025 show in Berlin, Lenovo is showing off what it’s calling the Smart Motion Concept, a smart multidirectional laptop stand that can track your face and optimize itself so that presumably its alignment will place little stress on your eyes and neck. The company is also showing off what it calls a “VertiFlex” concept, which would allow a laptop’s landscape screen to rotate into a portrait mode, and a “Magic Bay Tiko” smart screen. Lenovo typically exposes some of what its engineers have been working on at various trade shows, hearkening back to the days when IBM — which sold its laptop business to Lenovo — would open the doors of its iconic Almaden Research Lab in the foothills of San Jose. There, IBM would show off some of its research, seeding the industry with new ideas while soliciting feedback. At CES 2025 as well as the MWC 2025 show, Lenovo demonstrated the AI Display, which placed an NPU inside of a display both to add AI capabilities to older PCs, as well as to allow the monitor to automatically swivel, tilt, and elevate. The idea was that in a shared communal workplace, where workers might cycle in and out with laptops connected to docking stations, the AI Display could automatically configure itself to a new worker. Before the work-from-home movement took over, however, communal workspaces were also jammed together with laptop stands, with their displays doubling as external monitors. The Smart Motion Concept basically does the same thing as the AI Monitor, aligning the laptop both to minimize eyestrain as well as to position it and its camera for video calls. Analyst Olivier Blanchard of the Futurum Group captured a video of the Smart Motion Concept in action, as it turned and followed him. Olivier Blanchard / X Lenovo also uses an AI ring to enable gesture controls of the entire setup, the company said. It’s all very reminiscent of webcams like the OBSBOT Tiny 4K, which has a small gimbal and tracking software to allow the webcam to twist and turn and track your face as you move about the room. Tweaking the display is also the theme of Lenovo’s other concepts. The ThinkBook VertiFlex Concept (top image) imagines a traditional clamshell laptop whose 14-inch screen can be vertically rotated into portrait mode. The 3.06-pound laptop is designed to switch into portrait mode for use with reviewing documents or writing code. While in portrait mode, Lenovo said that it intends that a smartphone could connect to the laptop by lying with its back facing the portion of the display — though whether for charging or just ergonomics is unclear. Lenovo’s VertiFlex (Pivo) concept, transitioning from landscape to portrait mode.Lenovo Lenovo also showed off what it calls a “NaturaSynth” display, with blue light being throttled down to under 1 percent to reduce eye strain and fatigue. The blue-light controls are managed in hardware, Lenovo said. Finally, Lenovo also showed off (but didn’t announce) the Magic Bay Tiko concept, which is essentially another small display which can be attached to the back of your laptop. Lenovo is positioning the small rectangular display (about the size of an old car-mounted CD deck) as both a teleprompter and a second screen for speaker notes without your eyes drifting too far away from a webcam during a meeting. Olivier Blanchard / X Keep in mind while these are technically concepts, Lenovo also brings some of these to reality. The latest example? The ThinkBook Plus Rollable, a superb laptop with an extensible rollable screen that began life as a concept but which Lenovo eventually brought to market. Ironically, the Rollable essentially beats VertiFlex to market by “unrolling” into a portrait mode. Either way, it’s great to see companies trying new things — and talking about them publicly. Read...