Prior to 1969, nobody alive on the face of our planet had ever walked on the moon. Within a few short years we will be returned to that pre-1969 status. Read...

I don’t know how things are for you, but in my house, I have little gremlins that pop in when I’m not looking to steal my charging cables. There’s no other way to explain how they keep disappearing! So, if gremlins visit your house too, or if you just need some high-speed charging cables to take advantage of your high-speed charging plugs, then you might want to grab this two-pack of Anker USB-C cables for just $10 on Amazon. This flirts with the lowest price they’ve ever been, more than a year ago. The best part about these USB-C cables is that they deliver charging speeds of up to 100 watts. That’s more than most power blocks can even output, so you’re good to go for several years at least. You can use these to charge your phone, laptop, or anything else that connects via USB-C. And these are excellent for use with fast-charging power banks, too. These are 6-foot cables, the perfect length for plugging your phone into its charger at night while still being able to doomscroll comfortably in bed instead of hanging off the edge. And with this being a 2-pack, you no longer have to fight with your spouse over who gets the “long cord.” You can each have one for your own sides. These cables are protected with braided nylon, which feels premium and makes them more resistant to bends and other potential causes of damage. This deal on this two-pack of Anker USB-C cables won’t last forever at Amazon, so hurry up and snag it for just $1 while you can. It’s a brilliant price for long, fast-charging USB-C cables. Get two fast-charging USB-C cables for just $10Buy now at Amazon Read...

About a week ago, I decided I would never buy another Ethernet cable, ever. If you’re like me, you have a box or drawer with dozens of cables. And while some cables have specific connections, like USB-C, my wired network (such as it is) is just a random collection of colored Ethernet cables with tiny little markings telling me what they can or can’t do. How much data can that cable transfer? I had no idea. And that’s bad. I had never really thought about which Ethernet cables were being run between my cable modem, router, Xbox, and desktop PC. But I had performed speed tests more than once, and worried that my network was running slower than usual. And I also knew the problem: my network would run only as fast as its slowest segment. If my Ethernet cables were transferring less data than my router or gateway, I was potentially wasting money. I didn’t need to spend time researching the fastest mesh router or the best Internet gateway. If my cables were ancient, my entire network would be bogged down by my slowest cable. If my ISP quietly increased the speed of my broadband connection, I might not see any benefit. And I had already found an old Cat5 cable hooked up to my Xbox, a standard which had been basically extinct for about two decades. Ew! A Cat5 cable may be good enough for your current router, but it might not be for long.Mark Hachman / Foundry About a week before my colleague Dominic Bayley published a helpful explainer on the differences between Ethernet cables, I researched the problem myself. Ethernet comes in different categories, all the way from the ancient Category 3 to the latest Category 8. So Category 8 is the latest and greatest? OK, fine. How much does a Category 8 cable cost? Basically nothing, as it turns out. I discovered I could buy a five-pack of color-coded, nylon-braided Category 8 Ethernet cables for $26.99 on Amazon. Broadband services are always getting faster. Cable modems are, too. But even the fastest cable modems and broadband plans offer just a few gigabits per second, while this Cat8 cable offers a whopping 40Gbits/s of speed. Owning color-coded, braided Ethernet cables for about the price of a nice lunch made me happy.Mark Hachman / Foundry For me, it was a no-brainer. I bought the cables from Amazon, quickly swapped out my existing cables for the new color-coded options, and resolved never to think about what Ethernet cable I owned ever again. Get a five-pack of color-coded, nylon-braided Cat8 Ethernet cables for $26.99Buy Now at Amazon Read...

The CPU market experienced its most tumultuous quarter in some time, decreasing as a whole for AMD and Intel in terms of unit shipments. As Intel struggles, however, its competitors are seizing opportunity where they can. Mercury Research released its report for the CPU market for the first quarter of 2025, and behind the numbers are multiple stories to tell. Arm’s market share has finally broken into double digits. AMD, meanwhile, is all over the place: strong in servers, especially strong in desktop PCs, but unexpectedly weak in notebook shipments. Overall X86 processor units declined, Mercury said. That’s normal for the second quarter, as hardware sales tend to crest in the fall and drop in the spring or summer. (Mercury saves this precise information for its paid clients.) Total X86 share — including PCs, embedded processors and systems-on-a-chip (SOCs) like game processors, again favors AMD, as it grew 1.5 percentage points to 27.1 percent. Intel holds the remaining 72.9 percent. Subtract embedded and SOC numbers, however, and AMD lost slightly, shrinking 0.3 percentage points to 24.4 percent and leaving Intel with the remainder. Mercury Research Both AMD and Intel also saw sequential increases in server processors, as well, supporting what seems to be Wall Street’s belief that the more silicon shipped into the enterprise and AI space, the better. Compared to the same quarter last year, server processor unit shipments grew a whopping 20 percent, Mercury found. Arm continues to surge And Arm? That’s on the the rise, too, reaching double-digit market share in the client PC market, which includes PCs and Chromebooks. PCs, Chromebooks, and Apple Mac PCs with Arm chips inside them now make up 13.9 percent of the market, up from 10.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2024. It’s the first time Arm has reached double digits in overall share, including servers — that climbed from 9.6 percent in the fourth quarter to 11.9 percent in the first quarter of 2024. Mercury Research “While Apple’s Mac shipments were lower, we noted a modest increase in ARM CPUs going into Copilot enabled PCs,” Mercury principal analyst Dean McCarron said in an emailed statement. “However, the overall estimate for ARM client was much higher in the quarter primarily to what we believe was a large increase in shipments of processors into Chromebooks.” Mercury acknowledged, as it has in the past, that it has more difficulty tracking the Chromebook processor market than the major PC vendors. Still, he said, “the increase in ARM Chromebook activity in the past quarter also strongly supports a large increase in ARM CPU shipments into the segment” alongside wins for Intel’s X86-based N-series chips as well. AMD: up and down, all at once Intel, of course, has weathered the departure of one CEO, the hiring of another, and layoffs which have stitched together both administrations. Both AMD and Qualcomm have benefited. The unexpected surge in AMD’s desktop shipments took an unexpected turn. Normally, consumers buy PC processors during holiday sales. But Mercury found that consumers snapped up AMD’s Ryzen 9000 (Granite Ridge) as well as the 9000X3D versions of those CPUs, pushing the selling price of AMD’s desktop (and overall client) to record levels. The average selling price actually exceeded Intel’s ASP for the first time ever, McCarron said. Mercury Research “The average price increase [was] so large that AMD’s revenues were up substantially and set new records even though desktop unit shipments declined and are less than half of AMD’s peak for the segment,” Mercury’s McCarron wrote. AMD’s growth in the server space was “multiples” of Intel’s own, McCarron said, setting a new record high at 27.2 percent overall, AMD, however, couldn’t keep up with the competition in mobile. Though AMD and Intel both declined, Intel’s declines were much smaller than AMD, and so it gained 1.2 percentage points of market share. Mercury attributed that to Intel capitalizing on its traditional success in business PCs, and AMD suffering normal declines. (PC vendors and especially Microsoft have pushed hard for customers to replace their Windows 10 PCs with a Windows 11 machine when Windows 10 support ends this October.) Mercury Research Qualcomm has yet to launch a desktop CPU, too, meaning that Arm’s influence in the PC market has focused solely on notebook PCs. However, that drop was partially offset in AMD’s growth in SOCs, which basically equate to the processors found in game consoles. Here, AMD gained 1.5 percentage points. The one word which didn’t appear in Mercury’s report: tariffs. PC vendors have said previously that the CPU market is one segment that does not suffer from tariffs, as the three top CPU vendors all have their “point of origin” in the United States. Read...

At its own Brandcast 2025 event, YouTube presented a new way of inserting advertisements in particularly exciting places, which was recapped in this official YouTube blog post. The new feature, called “Peak Points,” uses Gemini AI to analyze videos to find the most important, meaningful, and engaging moments that viewers are watching. Content creators are then able to place their ads at these exact moments to maximize viewership and engagement. Google / Youtube In one example, YouTube shows a marriage proposal, which it considered to be a “peak” moment in the video. The advertisement would play directly after that moment. The concept is clear: ads should play at high-viewership and high-engagement moments to maximize impact. “Peak points” are only peak for creators This new way to wring every last dollar out of monetized videos is, of course, great news for content creators who want more cash in their pockets. But it’s less exciting for viewers. One point of contention is that an ad break directly after an exciting or engaging moment diminishes the experience of that moment. An alternative to that could be for creators to place ads directly before these peak moments, perhaps as a way to spark curiosity and anticipation in the viewer, amping up interest in what’s about to happen. Then again, that could also backfire by increasing viewer frustration. YouTube hasn’t yet announced an official date when Peak Points will be made available to content creators. Alongside Peak Points, YouTube also wants to bring so-called “edge-to-edge” ads on connected TVs (when watching YouTube on your large-screen living room TV, for example) as well as shopping ads where viewers can browse and engage with products on TVs. Further reading: Fed up with YouTube TV’s price hikes? Try this Read...

Google has released a new security update for its Chrome 136 browser, one day later than expected. Several vulnerabilities have been fixed in Chrome versions 136.0.7103.113/114 for Windows and macOS and 136.0.7103.113 for Linux. According to Google, one of the vulnerabilities is already being exploited in the wild. Other Chromium-based browsers are expected to follow suit in the next few days. In the Chrome Releases blog post, Srinivas Sista names the two of the four fixed vulnerabilities that were discovered by external security researchers and reported to Google. Google classifies these two vulnerabilities (CVE-2025-4664 and CVE-2025-4609) as high risk. Google didn’t provide details on the other two internally discovered vulnerabilities. Google also released Chrome for Android 136.0.7103.125. This fixes the same vulnerabilities as the desktop versions. Google plans to release Chrome 137 at the end of May. As a rule, Chrome updates itself automatically when a new version is released. However, if it doesn’t, you can manually update via three-dot menu > Help > About Google Chrome. Other Chromium-based browsers The other Chromium-based browsers will be following suit with their own updates. Brave and Microsoft Edge are currently at the security level prior to this Chrome update, with both having switched to Chromium 136 in the first week of May. Vivaldi isn’t expected to do this until the weekend. The current pre-release version Vivaldi 7.4 RC 2 already contains Chromium 136.0.7103.113. For the current Vivaldi version 7.3.3635.12, the developers have backported a patch against the security vulnerability CVE-2025-4096 from Chromium 136 to Chromium 134. Google closed this vulnerability with a high risk rating two weeks ago. Opera released version 119 this week, which uses the outdated Chromium 134, for which Google no longer provides updates. In order to catch up, Opera will have to take a big step with its next browser version and skip at least one, preferably two, Chromium generations. Further reading: The best browsers for security and privacy Read...

Are you ready for this year’s summer adventures? I’m already daydreaming about mine and I can’t wait to start capturing all those special moments once June finally arrive. If you’re feeling the same, you’re going to want a proper action camera like GoPro Hero11 Black Mini, which is now 44% off at Best Buy, bringing it down to just $140. Mount it on your helmet, put it on a stick, take it for a swim—whatever fun things you want to do this summer, this compact GoPro can record it all. Not only does the camera capture gloriously stable video in 5.3K resolution at 60 FPS (or 2.7K at 240 FPS), but it can automatically upload all footage to the cloud so you don’t have to worry about it. With video stabilization, it’s perfect for action-heavy sports and activities. And while GoPros have always been pretty small, this model is even smaller. It’s a miniscule square that weighs an equally miniscule 133 grams (or 0.29 pounds) and it’s built to withstand falls, bumps, crashes, mud, snow, rain, dirt, and more. It can dive down to 33 feet in water and has a scratch-resistant lens. You’ll need a microSD card for it (sold separately), but those are fairly inexpensive these days. Don’t wait until it’s too late! Prep for the summer by grabbing this GoPro Hero11 Black Mini for $140 at Best Buy. That’s a steep drop from its original $250 price tag and a deal you won’t want to pass up. This tiny 5K GoPro is a steal now that it`s 44% offBuy now at Best Buy Read...

Like most other tech companies, Google is investing heavily in the development of AI models and trying to incorporate AI into anything and everything in their portfolio. The latest endeavor involves Google integrating its Gemini AI assistant into its world-popular Chrome browser. What was once a rumor back in March has now been confirmed by Google, who intends to incorporate its Gemini AI assistant directly into Chrome, reports Windows Latest. We’ll probably learn exactly how it will all work at Google I/O 2025, which will be held on May 20 and 21. From what we know so far based on leaks and rumors, the new feature is called GLIC (which stands for “Gemini Live in Chrome”) and it comes with a new “Glic” section in Chrome’s settings page. Toggling Glic causes a Gemini icon to appear next to the minimize-maximize-close window buttons, and clicking the icon launches Gemini in a floating modal. You’ll also be able to configure Gemini to appear in the system tray as a convenient way to launch the AI assistant. It seems the overall idea is to bring Gemini front and center while using Chrome, and that could be useful if you need answers to questions or want to run some AI prompts without leaving your browser. Further reading: Bye, Google Assistant. It’s Gemini’s world now Read...

This deal had me rubbing my eyes because I couldn’t believe it was real. Right now, it’ll only cost you $549 for a touchscreen 2-in-1 laptop with an Intel Core 7 processor and 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM. I’m talking about the Lenovo IdeaPad 5i 2-in-1 that’s currently 39% off at B&H. We’ve seen affordable laptops of this type before, but at this price point you’re usually only getting a Core 5 CPU and maybe half the RAM. If you want to run Windows 11 plus other apps smoothly, you’re going to want at least 16GB of memory and a speedy processor like this. It’s a solid combo that’ll carry you through the day, whether you have emails to write, doomscrolling to do, or shopping to get done. The IdeaPad 5i 2-in-1 has a 16-inch IPS touchscreen display with a crisp 1920×1200 resolution and an office-level 60Hz refresh rate. With it being a 2-in-1, you can quickly shift between tablet and laptop modes thanks to the 360-degree hinge, and you can even prop it up like a tent for an angled display that’s perfect when streaming Netflix or reading PDFs. Connectivity won’t be an issue with this laptop either, which features two USB-A and two USB-C ports as well as an HDMI. Quit hemming and hawing and grab this Lenovo IdeaPad 5i 2-in-1 for $549 while it’s still on sale because this deal is bonkers! The Lenovo IdeaPad 5i 2-in-1 for $549 is a bargainBuy now from B&H Read...

What’s the easiest way to protect your Windows-based PC? Aside from the usual stuff about keeping your security updated, you really shouldn’t be logged in as an administrator if all you’re doing is watching Netflix. An upcoming tweak to Chrome will keep it from launching with administrator privileges, and that’s a good thing. Microsoft’s own Edge browser, which is based on the open-source Chromium project, has been doing this since 2019. The code that attempts to relaunch Edge without the (typically unnecessary) elevated permissions was recently committed back into the base version of Chromium, which means we’ll see it in a future update to the world’s most popular browser. Running a browser with elevated permissions is generally a bad idea, as BleepingComputer explains. It’s just about the easiest way to get a sketchy download to lead to a full malware infection. This is a surprisingly good example of Edge contributing back into Chrome to everyone’s benefit. The change will be a subtle one for most users, and there are smart little touches that will keep things running smoothly. For example, it’ll add a command line switch after an automatic relaunch to prevent an infinite loop of the browser restarting itself, and the change won’t apply to Chrome processes launched in automation mode, which some programs need for critical functions. But overall, it’s a good thing. Again, the less you can use Windows with administrator privileges, the safer you’ll be — and that’s coming from a Microsoft security vice president. It’s unclear when this change will be in Chrome builds, but it could be before the year’s end. That is, provided Google retains ownership of Chrome by then. Read...