Stop the presses! Samsung’s T9 portable SSD just dropped to the best price we’ve seen in 18 months. You can now get the 2TB model for $170, which is a huge cut down from its $300 MSRP. You’ll need Prime to score this price, but that’s not a big deal when you can start a free 30-day Prime trial. (Afterwards, you can use the Prime trial to save even more on deals when Prime Day starts next week.) When we reviewed the Samsung T9, we gave it 4.5 stars and our Editors’ Choice award, appreciating its overall fast performance, its grippy textured surface, and its reassuring five-year warranty. At this price, the T9 is a fantastic deal. You’re getting a super-sleek and super-fast portable SSD that hits data speeds up to 2,000 MB/s, plus protection against accidents like bumps and drops. You’ll be able to use the Samsung T9 with just about any device you have at home, be it your laptop, smartphone, gaming console, or camera. And don’t worry about carrying this one with you anywhere you go because it’s compact, slim, and lightweight. It’s barely larger than your credit card, measuring 0.55 inches thick and weighing just 0.27 pounds. So, what are you waiting for? Snag the 2TB Samsung T9 for $170 before this deal vanishes into thin air. And remember, it’s a Prime deal, so start a 30-day free trial if you aren’t a Prime member yet. Not the right SSD for you? Check out our other best portable SSD picks. Save 43% on Samsung`s super-fast T9 portable SSDBuy now at Amazon Read...

The mouse is configured by default in Windows for use by right-handed users. This primarily means that the left button is the default “click” button. But it’s possible to change the mouse for left-handed use in two ways: The first way is via the Windows “Settings.” Open “Settings” via the Start menu and go to “Bluetooth & devices.” Select the “Mouse” option. Next to the “Primary mouse button” option, select “right” if you’re left-handed. You can also make the change via the Control Panel. To do so, click on the “View by” option near the upper-right corner and select “small icons.” You’ll see a “Mouse” option appear; click on it. In the window that opens, select the “Buttons” tab. Tick the “Switch primary and secondary buttons” box and close the window with “OK.” Read...

GPUs are getting insanely expensive. With the latest increases in prices and gaming demand, some gamers were already scoffing at 8GB of VRAM on allegedly mid-range cards. But if sales data is any indication, there’s a shocking lack of interest in that part of the market, with a 16GB card outselling the 8GB variant by more than 10-to-1. The RTX 5060 Ti is the subject of this particular chunk of data. When it launched in April, Nvidia offered it at two different memory capacities: 8GB for $379 and 16GB for $429. (Those are the base retail prices. Real prices are significantly higher for most models.) Nvidia declined to offer advance reviews for the 8GB model, and based on sales data, it looks like gamers themselves are similarly disinterested. According to TechPowerUp, German retailer Mindfactory.de has sold 16 times as many RTX 5060 Ti 16GB versions as 8GB versions. In the small slice of available data, 16GB cards from various OEM partners sold 1,675 units while 8GB versions moved only 105. TechPowerUp indicates that this isn’t a supply issue. It’s no surprise that the more powerful version of the card is more popular, given that it’s a relatively small price increase for a pretty huge bump in VRAM. But the sheer scale of the demand for one card over the other seems very telling. I should highlight that even tech media rarely gets this kind of glance behind the retail curtain, usually having to rely on much broader market reports to try and get a finger on the pulse of industry trends. And this is, indeed, just one retailer in one country with a relatively narrow view of the market. Obviously, you can’t apply the same thinking for a $400+ graphics card to a “budget” one… though I’ll point out that the $220 Intel Arc B570 uses 10GB of somewhat-dated GDDR6 memory, still more than Nvidia’s $250 RTX 5050. Drop the price down into that $200 range and 8GB is probably a lot more acceptable to buyers. A single model of a graphics card being a sales dud wouldn’t exactly be unprecedented, even for the near-monopoly giant that is Nvidia. Just last generation, the company canceled a 12GB variant of the RTX 4080 after getting negative feedback on its pricing, and even then the 16GB version of the card has sold far less than the RTX 4070 and 4090. We’ll have to wait for a more complete look at how the RTX 5060 Ti breaks down when it comes to actual gamers. It’s possible that sales of the 8GB model are far greater for system integrators, and it’ll be crucial to see how things stack up versus AMD’s competition. The Radeon RX 9060 XT is also offered in both 8GB and 16GB variants, though it’s considerably less expensive at $300 and $350, respectively, competing more directly with the $300 8GB RTX 5060 (non-Ti). Again, those are MSRP numbers—actual prices may be considerably higher. Read...

According to the latest statistics from Statcounter, 47.8 percent of desktop Windows users are now running Windows 11, which means that the operating system has pretty much caught up with its predecessor Windows 10, which now sits at 48.9 percent of market share. The data shows a noticeable jump in Windows 11 users between May 2025 and June 2025, with market share getting a significant boost of 4.76 percentage points—and nearly all of it taken away from Windows 10. Microsoft’s recent hard push to promote Windows 11’s benefits and scare Windows 10 users with the looming end-of-support deadline seems to be working. If the pace keeps up, Windows 11 should officially sit atop the throne by the end of July and the market share numbers will likely continue to grow from there. The Statcounter data also shows that 2.2 percent of Windows users are still on Windows 7, while 0.6 percent are still on Windows 8 or 8.1. An astonishing 0.43 percent are somehow still managing to get by on Windows XP, which lost support over a decade ago. Read...

Elon Musk`s controversial role in the Trump administration has been blamed for the collapse in sales. Read...

Finding the right gaming laptop can be difficult with so many options out there and so many factors to consider. And if price is a priority for you, it’s even harder—you want a good processor, enough RAM, and maybe even a dedicated graphics card, all without burning a hole in your wallet. Fortunately, here’s a deal you can jump on: the Lenovo LOQ 15IRX9 is only $800 at B&H right now (was $1,100). This laptop has a pretty standard 15.6-inch IPS display with 1080p resolution, but the 144Hz refresh rate is great for gaming—and you’ll be gaming well on this machine thanks to the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 dedicated graphics card. Sure, it’s not the newest or the best you can get, but it’ll let you take advantage of new tech like DLSS without breaking the bank. Given the price, you can’t really complain. What else do you get? An Intel Core i5 CPU (not bad, not great), 16GB of DDR5 RAM (adequate), 512GB of SSD storage (also adequate). This combo is enough to handle Windows 11, your work apps, your Chrome tabs, and your games without falling apart. The RAM and SSD are user-upgradeable in case you want to add more power. Other features include HDMI, USB-C video, three fast USB-A, 3.5mm headset jack, Gigabit LAN, and built-in Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2. The Lenovo LOQ 15IRX9 has always been quite affordable, but it’s even more enticing now that it’s only $800 at B&H. Snap to it and add this one to your cart before the deal vanishes into thin air! Save $300 on this affordable RTX-powered gaming laptopBuy now from B&H Read...

For years, Notepad has existed as a bare-bones text editor. No longer. Microsoft keeps adding to it, including a new update that includes capabilities that you might have expected in another Windows application, WordPad. In May, Microsoft said in this blog post that it was adding “lightweight formatting” in Notepad, including Markdown input and file support, but also bold and italic fonts, bullet and numbered lists, and even hyperlinks, which would all be accessible via a new toolbar. According to Windows Latest, these features are now rolling out to all users outside the Windows Insider Program. Microsoft says the new features won’t gobble up resources or impact Notepad’s performance. Two things seem to be going on here. In late 2023, Microsoft killed off WordPad, the rich text editor that served as a poor man’s alternative to Microsoft Word. (There’s a way to bring WordPad back, but you’d need access to an older version of Windows where WordPad still exists.) Traditionally, Notepad has been the Windows answer to a lightweight text editor that coders can use or write in, although more sophisticated alternatives like vim exist. It seems Microsoft is adding more features to try and help those users, while moving towards a WordPad replacement. Microsoft, meanwhile, is bringing the Edit app to Windows as well. Edit is an open-source app that was basically designed as a command-line interface (or CLI) and Microsoft specifically referenced how obtuse vim was to use when announcing it. Either way, by beefing up Notepad—heck, even with Copilot!—and adding the Edit option as well, Windows is offering a number of lightweight CLI and text-editing interfaces without bloating the operating system even further. Editor’s note: This article was originally published on May 30 when the feature was announced, and updated when the new Notepad capabilities went live. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Attractive industrial design Rechargeable battery Excellent keypad/fingerprint reader add-on Reasonably priced Cons Extremely loud during operation App runs very slowly Subscription required for Wi-Fi connectivity Our Verdict This petite retrofit smart lock is a discreet choice for just about any environment, though it’s incredibly loud and its app drags. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Nuki Smart Lock Retailer Price Check Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices Nuki has been producing smart locks for Europeans since 2015 and is only now entering the U.S. market. With 10 years of development under its belt, Nuki has reached a level of sophistication that few competitors can boast of—and stateside homeowners get to skip the awkward growing pain years that mar so many early-generation smart home products. The U.S. release of the Nuki Smart Lock is the fifth generation of the product, and it has evolved considerably from its initial design, which had a large battery pack fused to its underside. It now looks like a shrunken version of the now-classic August Smart Lock. Like the August, the Nuki is a retrofit lock that replaces only the interior escutcheon on your door, leaving the exterior as is. As such, it carries no ANSI or BHMA ratings, which aren’t issued for retrofit locks. The Nuki Smart Lock replaces your existing deadbolt’s interior escutcheon; noting else about your lock changes–except that you’ll now be able to open it with an app or with the keypad accessory if you add that to your purchase. Nuki Also like the August, the lock is designed as a cylinder that turns in its entirety to lock and unlock the deadbolt, although measuring just 2.25 inches across, small hands will find it much easier to grip compared to the rather thick August. Anyone shopping for a retrofit smart lock is likely to also consider the Level Bolt, which is even less visually obtrusive than the Nuki Smart Lock. I’d say the biggest advantage the Nuki offers over both August’s and Level’s offerings is its rechargeable battery. More on that in a bit. The Nuki Smart Lock works exactly as you’d expect: Just rotate the lock one way or the other to engage or disengage the lock, as you would with a regular thumbturn. Installation and setup Installation proceeds much like any other smart lock, although Nuki does not include printed instructions with its packaging. Rather, you only get a QR code printed on a slip of cardboard—and because I reviewed this lock before the Nuki officially launched, scanning it took me only to the home page of Nuki’s website. I presume future users will have a more elegant experience, but in any case, I find smart locks to be much easier to set up when you have printed installation instructions, regardless of how sophisticated the app is. Nuki’s app is well designed and easy to use.Christopher Null/Foundry The Nuki app at least does a passable job at walking you through setup. That, combined with years of experience reviewing similar products, I was able to get the lock mounted on the door without much trouble. The process includes attaching an adjustable frame to the door, then using your existing lock’s bolts to connect through your current deadbolt and into the exterior escutcheon. (Unlike some other lock producers, Nuki doesn’t provide the extra bolts that I always appreciate having on hand.) Next, you choose one of three included adapters to slip into this frame and attach to the lock’s tailpiece, depending on its shape, and then you just clip the Nuki lock directly into the frame, with no extra hardware required. There are a few extra pieces in the box whose function I wasn’t entirely sure of (again, no manual), but they appear to be designed for use with locks that have longer than standard tailpieces. The good news is that, presuming you have a standard door and lock, the entire affair goes together with just two screws. A rechargeable battery The Nuki Smart Lock has a rechargeable battery, so you won’t want to misplace the proprietary USB-C cable you’ll need for that purpose.Christopher Null/Foundry The Nuki lock is a sealed device with a rechargeable battery inside. Nuki says the battery should offer up to 12 months of life before it needs a refill via a magnetic cable with a USB-C plug on the other end. Just clip the cable to the charging point on the underside of the lock, connect the other end to a power source, and it’s off and running. The lock can be charged while on the door if you have power nearby (which allows the lock to continue operating), or popped off via a concealed button and charged elsewhere. Note that the charging cable is only about 6.5 feet long, and no A/C adapter is included. While the convenience of the magnetic charger is nice, I’d have been happier with a standard USB-C port, which would allow me to use my own (longer) cable—I’d also worry less about misplacing Nuki’s. Using the Nuki Smart Lock Nuki Physically, the lock works exactly as you’d expect: Just rotate the lock one way or the other to engage or disengage the lock, as you would with a regular thumbturn. (A calibration mechanism during setup automatically orients the rotation direction.) There’s also an illuminated button on the face of the lock that can be pressed to initiate a lock or unlock sequence without needing to twist the lock itself. Tapping the button gently causes a ring around it to illuminate: A solid circle means the lock is engaged; a U-shaped design means the lock is open. (When the door is unlocked, an LED flashes periodically as a gentle reminder; when the door is locked, all lights remain off.) Nuki’s app is a little convoluted but reasonably easy to master, starting with a walkthrough that connects the lock to both Bluetooth and your 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network. A (lengthy) checklist system then steps you some basic settings before throwing you into the management system. By default, you can either swipe left or right on the app’s home screen to lock or unlock the door, or tap once to access the ability to lock or unlock with a second tap. This LED light ring illuminates to inform you of the lock’s status: A solid ring indicates a locked state, while a half-circle means it’s unlocked.Christopher Null/Foundry The settings menu gives you deep-dive access into advanced features such as fine-grained control over how the button on the lock face works, a night mode that automatically locks the door at night, an auto-unlocking or auto-locking scheduling system, and an automatic lock timer that re-locks the door after it’s unlocked (settable from 30 seconds to 30 minutes). I didn’t have trouble with any of these modes. A geofencing auto-unlocking system is also available, which was mostly effective at registering my arrivals during my testing. Note that through all of this you will be faced with a barrage of come-ons for Nuki Premium, a subscription service whose purpose might not immediately be apparent. Turns out Nuki Premium ($5.90 per month month) is required if you want to use any of the lock’s features over Wi-Fi and to receive real-time activity alerts. Plot twist: This plan is free for life if you buy the lock and enroll in the program prior no later than September 30, 2025. Add-on devices We tested the $159 Nuki Smart Lock with its fingerprint-reader keypad, a $149 option. You can purchase both items as a bundle for $229–a substantial discount over buying the two devices a la carte.Christopher Null/Foundry The Nuki lock offers several add-on peripherals: an external numeric keypad ($59), a keypad/fingerprint reader combo ($149), and a door sensor ($59). I received the keypad/fingerprint reader with my test lock; it’s available as a bundle with the lock for $229. I found the slim keypad to be elegant and effective, with buttons that emit a reassuring click when pressed along with a reliable fingerprint reader. The six LEDs across the top are especially handy, as they illuminate, one by one, when you enter a PIN, so you know for sure that your digits were successfully entered. Oddly, all PINs must be precisely six digits long. User management is a little haphazard, as permissions must be set per device—lock or keypad—separately. With the lock, you can share app-based access (which can be time restricted based on hours of the day and day of the week), which creates a QR code that you send along via other means. With the keypad, access can be configured with a PIN or both PIN and fingerprint (but not just fingerprint), and this access can also be similarly time-restricted. Up to 200 PINs are allowed, but only 20 fingerprints. There is no option to create one-time access codes. If you don’t like the Nuki app, note that the lock also supports Matter over Thread, and I was easily able to connect it to an Apple Home ecosystem. As with most smart locks controlled over Matter, all you can really do is lock and unlock the door (as well as receive iOS notifications about those changes), but this is nonetheless a convenient option if you don’t want to dig into the Nuki app just to open the door. Considering the Nuki app is often quite slow, having this available, at least as an option, is a good idea. This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart locks. Should you buy the Nuki Smart Lock? My only major issue with the Nuki lock is how loud it is. When I first heard it in action, I thought there was something wrong with it; but no, that’s just how the motor sounds: a lot like an old-school dot matrix printer. If you’re not expecting it, the abrupt, grinding noise can even make you jump a bit. At $159 (for the lock alone), Nuki is competitive in price with August’s flagship lock and most other retrofit locks, but it’s much less expensive than the Level Bolt with Bluetooth + Matter ($229, plus $59 for a numeric keypad). Like that lock, the Nuki’s petite, inobtrusive presentation makes it an appealing choice for homeowners with a strong sense of aesthetics. That said, there’s room for improvement with the scattered and ploddingly slow app—and something must be done about the noisy motor. Read...

Every year, we look forward to July because it brings Amazon’s annual Prime Day with it—and that means deep, delicious discounts for all kinds of tech. Right now, we’re still a few days away from the big event (which runs July 8-11), but we’re already seeing some killer early Prime Day flash drive deals. Everyone needs a great USB flash drive, and Prime Day is an excellent time to grab one for cheap. I’ve been a journalist for 19 years, with 13 of those years focused on consumer technology. I love sifting through deals and spend every day hunting down the very best sales on the very best tech. With Prime Day, I’m exercising those muscles to help you find the best USB thumb drives worth your money. These hand-curated recommendations take price, reviews, and brand reputation into consideration. Best early Prime Day deals on 64GB to 256GB flash drives Samsung Fit Plus, 128GB, USB 3.1 — $15 (35% off, was $23) SanDisk Ultra, 128GB, USB 3.0 — $12 (23% off, was $15.49) Samsung Type-C, 128GB, USB 3.2 — $18 (22% off, was $23) Lexar JumpDrive Dual, 128GB, USB 3.2 — $19 (14% off, was $22) Amazon Basics, 256GB, USB 3.1 — $11 (45% off, was $20) PNY Turbo Attache 3, 256GB, USB 3.0 — $11 (45% off, was $20) Samsung Bar Plus, 256GB, USB 3.1 — $22 (45% off, was $40) Kingston DataTraveler Kyson, 256GB, USB 3.2 — $25 (15% off, was $30) PNY Elite-X Fit, 256GB, USB 3.1 — $23 (12% off, was $26) The best deal of the lot is for the Samsung Bar Plus, where you can get 256GB of storage space for just $22. This is a super-fast flash drive that can reach up to 400 MB/s transfer speeds, comes with a rugged metal casing, and is even waterproof and shockproof. If you want a more affordable option, the Amazon Basics for $11 is a decent cheapie. Best early Prime Day deals on 512GB to 2TB flash drives SanDisk Ultra Flair, 512GB, USB 3.0 — $37 (21% off, was $47) Samsung Fit Plus, 512GB, USB 3.2 — $60 (25% off, was $80) PNY Pro Elite V3, 512GB, USB 3.2 — $54 (11% off, was $61) SanDisk Ultra Fit, 512GB, USB 3.2 — $40 (20% off, was $50) SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Go, 1TB, USB 3.2, both USB-A and USB-C connections — $74 (32% off, was $110) SanDisk Extreme Pro, 1TB, USB 3.2 — $110 (25% off, was $145) A superb pick off this list is the Ultra Dual Drive Go from SanDisk. This is a flash drive with both USB-C and USB-A connectors, thus it’s a lot more versatile. It can reach up to 400 MB/s read speeds, too! USB flash drive deals FAQs 1. What capacity do I need in a USB flash drive? This is a question that you need to answer yourself because it really depends on what you plan to use it for. If you’re only moving work documents around, a small capacity like 64GB will be fine. If you want to use a flash drive for backing up photos, videos, games, and other big files, then you might want to go 512GB or larger. 2. What features should I prioritize when choosing a USB flash drive? First of all, our recommendation is to look at the flash drive’s transfer speeds. To ensure you get fast read/write speeds, you should get a USB 3.0 or above. USB 2.x drives are sorely outdated. Then, you have to make sure the flash drive can survive living in your pocket, getting crushed by your laptop, falling through your fingers, and so on. Aluminum casings will offer better protection in such cases. If the flash drive offers 128-bit AES encryption or better, your data will also have some extra protection in case you lose it, as the drive will be inaccessible and block out others from reading your data. 3. How did we find the best USB flash drive Prime Day deals? Finding great deals can be difficult because not all discounts are worth covering. When looking for good Prime Day deals, we compare the prices on Amazon with the regular retail price and check pricing history to see if there have been any changes lately and that the price drops are truly noteworthy. We also check product reviews to see if they’re reliable in the long run and live up to their promises. Read...

If you’ve been itching to upgrade your computer’s internal storage at a great price, your day has come. Samsung’s super-speedy 990 EVO Plus just dropped to its all-time best price, plummeting down to a mere $235 for the 4TB model. That’s 28% off the MSRP. In our review of the Samsung 990 EVO Plus, we gave it a 4-star rating despite our verdict that it’s a fantastic daily driver SSD with excellent performance and fast data speeds, able to read at up to 7,250 MB/s and write at up to 6,300 MB/s. Why the missing star? Because it was too expensive at the time. But with this hefty discount, it’s a phenomenal buy—one that will have you booting up, loading apps, and transferring files in record time. It also doesn’t hurt that it’s compatible with both PCIe 4.0 x4 and PCI 5.0 x2, which means it offers some future-proofing in case you ever upgrade your PC or swap to a newer one. Act fast to get the 4TB Samsung 990 EVO Plus for only $235. But it’s not just the 4TB model that’s on sale. If you want to spend less, you can also score the 1TB version for only $80 (was $110) and the 2TB version for only $140 (was $177). If none of these suit you, check out PCWorld’s picks for the best SSDs for all price ranges. Samsung`s ultra-fast 990 EVO Plus just hit its best-ever priceBuy now at Amazon Read...