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Should you buy an RTX 4070 or RTX 5070 laptop?
With the arrival of NVIDIA’s new 50XX series GPUs, overall scarcity and very high prices are a big barrier to purchase — even for relatively “casual” and commodity-grade cards like the RTX 5070 Laptop, your options can be surprisingly low. Does it still make sense, then, to buy an older gaming laptop with NVIDIA’s previous-generation…
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Soundcore Sleep A20 review: Great design, middling smarts
Sleep earbuds are a growing segment — initially pioneered by Bose, more value-oriented brands are starting to get into the space, and Soundcore’s Sleep A20 are one of the most well-known entrants. At around $180 retail, they’re certainly not “cheap.” I bought a pair a few months back and have been using them regularly. (Because…
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Lenovo Legion Slim 5 gaming laptop review (RTX 4070)
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 is a 16-inch gaming laptop powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 processor (7435HS or 7735HS) and NVIDIA RTX 4060 or RTX 4070 GPU — the exact configuration specification depends on the retailer and country (this model specifically is known as the 16ARP9 or 83EX). I bought this laptop on Amazon…
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Anker Laptop Power Bank review
Anker’s new 25,000mAh Laptop Power Bank is a game-changer for one, simple reason: Built-in USB-C cables. I bought this power bank thinking the smaller size and enhanced display versus the older Anker 737 (my review of the Anker 737 is here) would be the big upgrades, but nope! Two built-in USB-C cables (one of which…
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Anker 555 (A8383) USB 8-in-1 hub review
The Anker 555 is a multi-function USB hub — it has two USB-A 3.2 ports, one 1 USB-C 3.2 port, one HDMI output (4K60Hz), a gigabit (1Gbps) Ethernet port, SD and microSD slots, and a USB-C PD (Power Delivery) port that passes up to 85W of power to a connected computer (laptop, tablet, or mini…
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Anker 737 power bank long-term review
Choosing the right power bank is like choosing the right pair of socks. Everyone’s criteria is a little bit different. It may come down to size, fit, intended use case, style, or just plain old price. The Anker 737, then, is a very expensive pair of socks. (And that’s the end of this analogy.) I’ve…
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The best Steam Deck charger with USB-C
The Steam Deck charger that Valve ships the device with is nothing special — a 45 Watt USB-PD (USB Power Delivery) wall plug. The official charger actually can supply far more power than the Steam Deck can draw, because it’s designed for use with the Steam Deck Dock, which requires additional power for its HDMI…
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What is the lifespan of a Steam Deck?
Assuming you don’t subject it to extreme conditions (high heat, high humidity, excessive physical force on controls, many hours of play every day), you can probably expect a Steam Deck to last 3-4 years before some kind of maintenance — likely, a battery replacement — is needed. And aside from replacing the battery, there’s no…
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Anker Nano USB C 30W charger review (German version)
The Anker Nano USB-C 30W GaN charger is a case study in building a compact single-port charger that meets the most needs for the most people possible at an attractive price point. And, it looks nice! That’s no small feat in the boring world of charging bricks. (The matte finish enclosure is even made of…
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We are at end-stage gadget
One of my favorite concepts in evolutionary biology is carcinization, a theory that describes how various unrelated species have all converged on the basic shape we know as a crab. The meme version of carcinization is basically “all roads lead to crab.” Like evolution’s odd predilection with the crab, almost all of tech’s innovative might…