All monitors have HDMI and DisplayPort to connect to a PC (or even VGA if it’s a really old one). Those are the basics. If you want the latest of these port standards in monitors, you’re looking for HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 2.1. More and more monitors nowadays include a built-in USB hub, which can…
CR assessed five portable induction cooktops from about $60 to over $200. Members can read our evaluations of the best and worst portable induction cooktops below. Four of these cooktops have only a single burner, while one has two burners. All use a standard two- or three-prong cord that plugs into a regular 110- or 120-volt…
When a new batch of refrigerators comes into our labs, we start by setting the ambient temperature in our climate-controlled chambers to 70° F to simulate conditions in a typical home kitchen. Then we determine which thermostat setting on each refrigerator will get the internal temperature in the center of the unit to between 36°…
Now that Amazon Prime Day is over, it’s time to start gearing up for Fourth of July sales. Most large retailers pivoted their summer-sale timing to compete head-on with Amazon’s accelerated schedule, but you can still snag great deals this July 4th, particularly in active and outdoorsy categories. REI has the hottest sale of the…
“If you’re going to bring Faces of Death into the modern era,” says director Daniel Goldhaber, “on some level, you have to contend with the fact that Faces of Death is everywhere.” In 1978, John Alan Schwartz’s low-budget, exploitation horror movie Faces of Death was unleashed upon the world. Less a movie than a feature-length…
A pro-Russia disinformation campaign is leveraging consumer artificial intelligence tools to fuel a “content explosion” focused on exacerbating existing tensions around global elections, Ukraine, and immigration, among other controversial issues, according to new research published last week. The campaign, known by many names including Operation Overload and Matryoshka (other researchers have also tied it to…
When a loved one dies, who downloads their important files from their cloud storage account? Who monitors their email inbox? Who decides what happens to the photos and videos on their social media accounts? And what if those tasks fall to you? Everyone will die, but not everyone has planned what they want to happen…
Layla mattresses let you flip between a softer or firmer side, depending on your needs. I’ve been testing iterations they’ve come up with for years. We’re testing Layla’s bamboo sheets at the moment, and I can report that they’re ridiculously silky and breathable. If you’re looking to score the whole nine yards—mattress, sheets, bedding, and…
Screens can scratch easily, and even paper towels and tissues contain fibers that can cause damage. “Your best bet is to use a soft, anti-static microfiber cloth—the kind used to clean eyeglasses and camera lenses—and wipe in a circular motion,” says Scott Meadows, who cleans more than 200 TVs a year in his role as…
If you only do one thing, do this. The biggest power hog in your laptop is, by far, the screen. The brighter it is, the more power it consumes. Unless you’re working under direct sunlight, you probably don’t need it at its highest setting. Lowering the brightness is as simple as tapping a function key…