Saving cash is never a bad thing. When words and phrases like “inflation” and “cost-of-living crisis” are all over the news, finding value for money has become even more important. WIRED’s Gear team has tested a broad range of products across many categories—many of which, handily, cost under $30. This guide brings together those top value-for-money picks into one list.
The choices here are useful for any time of year, but if you’re specifically looking to spend thriftily for a holiday or birthday gift, check out our 25 Amazing Gifts Under $25 for ideas. And dive into our other buying guides for more recommendations.
Updated August 2024: We’ve refreshed this guide with our current favorite budget finds.
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Indiegogo has just introduced a Shipping Guarantee program to assure buyers they’ll get their products. Previously, there was no guarantee that you would receive the product you backed, but things are now changing. The program will be open to companies that have a reliable track record on the crowdfunding platform. Having a history of successful campaigns will help increase the chances of being approved for the program. The program is a step up from the “Trust-Proven” badge from two years ago, which indicates consistent fulfillment, positive backer ratings and proof of exemplary campaign management.
According to Indiegogo’s Shipping Guarantee Program FAQ page, a campaign must be vetted by the platform’s Trust & Safety team to qualify. All products must also be in the “final manufacturing stages.”
The first campaign under this program is the HoverAIR X1 PRO and X1 PRO MAX flying action cameras. As seen on the campaign’s product page, there is a “Shipping Guarantee” badge. Those who back the project will get their money back if the drones don’t ship by October 31, 2024.
Note that backers are required to fill out surveys sent out by campaign owners to qualify for the protection program. So, don’t complain if you simply forgot to fill out your shipping information — you’ll be on your own unless customer service helps you.
I once backed the Status Audio Between Pro earbuds years ago, and while they arrived safely, the many stories of failed campaigns from over the years have kept me (and surely other potential buyers) wary. Since Indiegogo only ensures reliable companies have access to the Shipping Guaranteed program, backers could be more confident if a company misses its shipping goals.
Monday is National Dog Day, and Lyft seized the opportunity to catch up on a feature equivalent to one Uber has had for about five years. When heading somewhere with a furry companion, Lyft’s new Pet Mode lets you designate that you’ll bring them along, ensuring you’ll get a driver to accommodate your dog or cat.
Like Uber Pet, Lyft’s Pet Mode adds a surcharge — in this case, $4 plus tax. The company says the fee goes directly to the driver.
The new Pet Mode could’ve come in handy a year ago during the saga of Tux the Cat, who was being taken to the vet by her owner Palash Pandey. A Lyft driver in Austin, TX, was accused of speeding off with Tux (inside a carrier) still in the car’s backseat, ignoring Pandey’s pleas as he banged on the window. The driver responded to Pandey’s in-app messages, claiming not to have the feline.
Days passed as Pandey made desperate calls to the Austin Police Department and viral postings on Reddit and X (Twitter). Eventually, media outlets picked up the story, and Lyft’s PR team went into crisis mode. CEO David Risher even got involved.
Tux was finally located under a stairwell about a mile from the drop-off point. It was a momentarily viral fiasco with a feel-good ending, but a feature that ensured passengers got matched with pet-friendly drivers would have likely prevented it. “[The driver] told me that if he’d known I’d had a cat, he wouldn’t have picked me up,” The Washington Postreported Pandey as saying. “He said he was allergic to cats and would have canceled the ride. My drop-off location was a pet hospital, and I was holding a pet carrier, so it’s hard to figure that one out.”
Threads is testing the option for users to put a 24-hour expiration timer on their posts, after which the post and all replies would disappear, Stories-style. A spokesperson confirmed to that the feature is being tested among a group of users after it was first spotted earlier this summer by developer . It sounds a lot like pre-X Twitter’s Fleets, . But, the ephemeral format could save habitual post-deleters some trouble.
It comes a few months after Instagram head Adam Mosseri shared that Threads was . That optional feature would let users designate a date for their posts to be hidden from the feed. But Threads users in the past have indicated that they of automatic archiving, and such a feature hasn’t yet shown up on a wider scale. Threads at the beginning of August, and recently introduced an for users — particularly those with large followings — to keep track of their account’s performance. Meta also said the option to schedule posts is on the way.
After more than two months of tests and discussions, NASA has decided that astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will come home in February 2025 on a SpaceX Crew Dragon, and the Boeing Starliner they flew to the International Space Station on in June will return uncrewed. In a press conference on Saturday, Steve Stich, manager for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, said “there was too much uncertainty” around the predictions for Starliner’s thrusters to move forward with a crewed return flight.
The plan now is that Starliner’s first crew will return with SpaceX’s Crew-9, which is scheduled to launch to the ISS at the end of September. Crew-9 was initially supposed to carry four crew members, but will instead have to go ahead with two, so as to make room for Wilmore and Williams on the way back. That spacecraft is being reconfigured with seats for the two astronauts, and Dragon spacesuits will be added to its cargo for them to wear home. By the time Wilmore and Williams depart, the duo will have been on the space station for about eight months. The Starliner flight test was only supposed to last a little over a week.
The next step is to get Starliner ready for undocking and wrap up as an uncrewed flight test. The agency plans to conduct the second part of its readiness review for the process this coming week, and expects undocking to take place around early next month. “We are changing the separation sequence that we planned and we will review those aspects at the readiness review,” Stich said. “We’re going to go with a simplified separation technique to get away from the station a little more quickly.”
The issue with Starliner’s thrusters has been “very complex,” Stich said, and their performance has been “challenging to predict.” Without being able to accurately predict how the thrusters would perform from undocking through the deorbit burn, the potential risks for the astronauts were just too high, he explained.
“We have had mistakes in the past,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “We have lost two space shuttles as a result of there not being a culture in which information can come forward.” With that context looming over the discussions, he said, “We have been very solicitous of all of our employees that if you have some objection, you come forward. Spaceflight is risky, even at its safest and and its most routine, and a test flight by its nature is neither safe nor routine. And so the decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and bring the Boeing Starliner home uncrewed is the result of a commitment to safety.”
Meta has blocked WhatsApp accounts involved in “a small cluster of likely social engineering activity” on the service. In its report, it has revealed that it traced the activity to APT42 (also called UNC788 and Mint Sandstorm), which the FBI previously linked to a phishing campaign that targeted members of the Trump and Harris camps. The company said that the suspicious activity on WhatsApp “attempted to target individuals in Israel, Palestine, Iran, the United States and the UK.” It also seemed to have focused on political and diplomatic officials, which included people associated with both presidential candidates.
The bad actors on WhatsApp pretended to be technical support representatives from AOL, Google, Yahoo and Microsoft, though Meta didn’t say how they tried to compromise their targets’ accounts. Some of those targets reported the activity to the company, which compelled it to start an investigation. Meta said it believes the perpetrators’ efforts were unsuccessful and that it has not seen any evidence that the targets’ accounts had been compromised. It still reported the malicious activity to law enforcement, though, and shared information with both presidential campaigns.
Earlier this month, Google also published a report detailing how APT42 has been targeting high-profile users in Israel and the US for years. The company said it observed “unsuccessful attempts” to compromise the “accounts of individuals affiliated with President Biden, Vice President Harris and former President Trump.” While Google described APT42’s attacks as “unsuccessful,” the group had successfully infiltrated the account of at least one high-profile victim: Roger Stone, who is a close political confidante of Trump. The FBI previously reported that he had fallen victim to the phishing emails sent by the Iranian hackers, who then used his account to send more phishing emails to his contacts.
If you own an Amazon Echo Show 8 Photos edition, be prepared for your device to start showing ads. According to emails posted by customers on and and first reported by , Amazon will discontinue its PhotosPlus subscription feature that let people upload and display their own pictures on the Echo Show 8.
Reddit/amazonecho
PhotosPlus subscriptions will end on September 12 and Amazon will end support for the photo feature on September 23. Instead, affected customers will have to upload their photos to Amazon Photos with 25 GB of storage and learn to live with the ads on their home screen.
The feature, which costs $2 a month, let users upload their own photos for display on the home screen turning the voice and touch controlled screen device into a digital picture frame. The screen would rotate the owners’ photos every 30 seconds, a feature that could be left on indefinitely (or as long as it could last on its chargeable battery).
Any mention of the PhotosPlus subscription has been removed from Amazon’s website. The Amazon Echo Show 8 Photos Edition is also no longer for sale.
Amazon has seen some major struggles with Alexa devices. reported last month that Alexa lost Amazon more than $25 billion from 2017 to 2021. Amazon has tried to recoup some of those losses by . The tech giant is also reportedly working on an advanced version of Alexa known as that could come with a monthly subscription fee.
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iFixit took apart Samsung’s Galaxy Ring, scrutinized its components and wrote its findings, which could make you think twice about buying the device. It warned that the Galaxy Ring is “100 percent disposable” which is to say: once the battery died, the whole thing becomes junk. It “isn’t designed to last more than two years,” iFixit warned.
To be fair the website did say that “all smart rings like it” are disposable, because they can’t be non-destructively opened. It explained that lithium ion batteries “have a shelf life,” and while they could be replaced on other devices, it’s not possible to dismantle a smart ring to do that without wrecking the device completely. If the battery dies in the ring, you’ll have to throw it away.
The website also put the Galaxy Ring through a CT scanner found that Samsung used a press connector to attach the battery to a circuit board. A press connector, as its name implies, connects components inside a device without solder. iFixit said it typically loves press connectors, because they make replacing individual parts easier. However, the one inside the Galaxy Ring is apparently sealed and doesn’t make the device repairable. It said that the company most likely used a connector instead of soldering the components for its own benefit, because the parts came from different production facilities.
We gave the Galaxy Ring a score of 80 in our review; we found it basic and expensive at $400 — $100 more than its competitor, the Oura Ring. That said, Oura charges $6 a month to use its software, which does add up over time.
Google has reached with California lawmakers to fund local news in the state after previously protesting a proposed law that would have required it to pay media outlets. Under the terms of the deal, Google will commit tens of millions of dollars to a fund supporting local news as well as an AI “accelerator program” in the state.
The agreement ends a months-long dispute between lawmakers and Google over the California Journalism Preservation Act, a bill that would have required Google, Meta and other large platforms to pay California publishers in exchange for linking to their websites. Google strongly opposed the measure, which was similar to laws passed in Canada and Australia.
Earlier this year, Google began a “” in the state that removed links to local news for some users in California. The company also halted some of its own spending on local news in the state.
Now, under the new agreement, Google will direct “at least $55 million” to “a nonprofit public charity housed at UC Berkeley’s journalism school,” Politico. The university will distribute the fund, which also includes “at least $70 million” from the state of California. Google will also “commit $50 million over five years to unspecified ‘existing journalism programs.’”
The agreement also includes funding for a “National AI Innovation Accelerator.” Details of that program are unclear, but Cal Matters that Google will dedicate “at least $17.5 million” to the effort, which will fund AI experiments for local businesses and other organizations, including newsrooms. That aspect of the deal, which is so far unique to Google’s agreement in California, could end up being more controversial as it could exacerbate existing tensions between publishers and AI companies.
In , Alphabet’s President of Global Affairs, Kent Walker, credited the “thoughtful leadership” of California Governor Gavin Newsom and other state officials in reaching the agreement. “California lawmakers have worked with the tech and news sectors to develop a collaborative framework to accelerate AI innovation and support local and national businesses and nonprofit organizations,” he said. “This public-private partnership builds on our long history of working with journalism and the local news ecosystem in our home state, while developing a national center of excellence on AI policy.”
Having a strong home Wi-Fi signal that doesn’t drop out on you is crucial for a seamless and productive lifestyle. Whether you’re working from home, streaming your favorite shows, or have a small army of smart home devices, a reliable internet connection has become essential to keep it all running. Traditional routers often struggle to cover every corner of your house, especially if your home has thick walls or multiple floors. This is where mesh Wi-Fi routers come to the rescue, offering a robust solution to extend Wi-Fi coverage throughout your entire home.
Mesh Wi-Fi routers work by using multiple nodes placed strategically around your home to create a unified and extensive home network. These systems are designed to ensure that you have a strong Wi-Fi signal in every room, eliminating dead zones and offering consistent performance. We’ve tested numerous mesh systems for connection reliability, coverage, ease of setup, and additional features like parental controls. To help you decide and take the hassle out of choosing, we’ve put together a list of the best mesh Wi-Fi systems available today. If you’re looking to boost your existing Wi-Fi network and don’t want to invest in a new Wi-Fi system, check out our top picks for the best Wi-Fi extenders instead.
What to look for in a mesh Wi-Fi system
It’s a pretty good time to buy a mesh Wi-Fi system, since Wi-Fi 6E represents a fairly significant leap in the technology. Matt MacPherson, Cisco’s Chief Technology Officer for Wireless, said that Wi-Fi 6E is a substantial “inflection point” and can take advantage of a much broader chunk of the wireless spectrum than its predecessors. “If you’re using that spectrum with a Wi-Fi 6 [device],” he said, “you’re going to get significant gains [in speed.]”
MacPherson added that Wi-Fi 6E will likely “carry you for a long time,” thanks to the fact that its “top throughputs now typically exceed what people can actually connect their home to.” In short, with a top theoretical per-stream speed of 1.2 Gbps, Wi-Fi 6E is fast enough to outrun all but the fastest internet connection. (You may also see talk of Wi-Fi 7 devices, some of which have been released already before the standard is officially launched next year. Given that it will take a generation for all of the devices in your home to be compatible with Wi-Fi 7, it’s not worth thinking about this for several years yet, so a Wi-Fi 6 system will suffice for now.)
Range and speed
All mesh routers boast a theoretical broadcast range in square feet, as well as its theoretical top speed. Given there are so many factors outside of the manufacturer’s control, these numbers don’t really mean much in the real world. Your internet service provider’s (ISP) real speed, the construction materials and layout of your home, amongst other things, will all affect your Wi-Fi coverage. Simply investing in a wireless router or mesh Wi-Fi system isn’t going to offer faster speeds on its own.
It’s worth saying that raw speed isn’t everything, and that for most normal users, you probably need a lot less than you’re paying for. Netflix recommends a minimum speed of just 15 Mbps to stream a 4K video to a single device. Naturally, that’s just for one connection, so you’ll need some more capacity if you’ve got other connected devices all running at the same time. As cool as it is to say you’ve got 100, 200 or 500 Mbps download speed, factors like latency and reliability are way more crucial. And unless you have Gigabit internet that can reach speeds of up to 1Gbps, you won’t need a mesh router that offers these specs.
Backhaul
Mesh Wi-Fi systems work by connecting every hardware node to a single wireless network, letting them all communicate with each other. Imagine four people in a busy, noisy restaurant all trying to order their dinner from a weary staff member, all at once. Now imagine, while this is going on, that four more people at that same table are also trying to tell a funny anecdote. It’s no surprise that it might take a long while for the right information to reach its intended destination.
To combat this, higher-end mesh routers offer dedicated wireless backhaul; a slice of the spectrum for node-to-node communication. So rather than everyone talking at once in the same space, the conversations are essentially separated, reducing the invisible clutter in the air. Because there’s less confusing cross-chatter, everything moves faster, offering a significant performance boost to those systems.
Connectivity
These days, even your washing machine has a wireless connection, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore the joys of wired internet. No matter how fast WiFi is, a hard line will always be faster, and some gear, like Philips’ Hue bridge, still needs an ethernet connection. Plenty of routers can also use these hard connections as backhaul, eliminating further wireless clutter. It’s convenient for spread-out systems and power users, but it will mean running more wires through your home. The most common standard is Cat 5e, or gigabit ethernet which, unsurprisingly, has a top speed of 1 Gigabit per second (Gbps). Since Ethernet cables are backward compatible, you should be able to easily find one that works with your system. However, to make the most out of your mesh routers, it’s worth investing in an Ethernet cable that meets the standard your router uses — if it’s Cat5e, use a Cat5e cable. You can check your router’s specs via the manufacturer’s website to be sure.
Flexibility and scalability
Mesh routers enable you to add (or subtract) modules from your home network to suit your needs. D-Link’s Alan Jones said users should “check how scalable the prospective product is” before you buy. This sense of scale doesn’t just apply to the number of nodes on the network, but how many simultaneous connections it can handle.
Placement
Mesh networks use multiple access points in order to create a bigger network, resulting in better indoor Wi-Fi coverage. You might see the term “whole home coverage”, which is more easily achieved with multiple access points or nodes. Modern mesh routers offer one, two or three (or more) pieces of equipment that are commonly the same hardware inside and out. It normally doesn’t matter which module you make the primary one to connect to your modem, usually over ethernet. You’ll then set up the other, secondary nodes around your home, which is often just a case of adding them to the existing mesh network.
When installing your hardware, remember that every physical obstacle between nodes may hurt your performance. The ideal spot is, at the very least, at waist height on a piece of furniture without too many obstructions. Tables, sideboards, free-standing cupboards, and bookcases make for a good home. The rule of thumb is to place each node no more than two rooms away from the last one.
How we test Wi-Fi routers
My home covers around 2,200 square feet across three stories, with my office on the third floor. It’s relatively long and thin, with the living room at the front of the house, the kitchen at the back and three bedrooms on the second floor. Its age means there are a lot of solid brick walls, old school lathe and plaster, as well as aluminum foil-backed insulation boards to help with energy efficiency. There are two major Wi-Fi dead zones in the house, the bathroom and the bedroom behind it, since there’s lots of old and new pipework in the walls and floors.
For mesh routers that have two nodes, I placed the first in my living room, connected via ethernet to my cable modem, with the second on the first-floor landing in the (ostensible) center of the house. For three-node sets, the third went in my kitchen, which I’ve found is the optimal layout to get the bulk of my house covered in Wi-Fi.
Each mesh is judged on ease of setup, Wi-Fi coverage, reliability, speed and any additional features. I looked at how user-friendly each companion app is from the perspective of a novice, as well. My tests included checking for dead zones, moving from room to room to measure consistency, and streaming multiple videos at once.
Best mesh Wi-Fi systems for 2024
Photo by Daniel Cooper / Engadget
Wireless band count: 3 | Wireless speed rating: Up to 2,402 Mbps (6GHz band) | Ethernet ports: 3 | USB ports: 0 | Coverage area: Up to 7,200 sq. ft.
There’s no single glitzy feature that sets TP-Link’s Deco XE75 apart from its competition. Instead it just expertly balances raw power and user-friendliness. And if you’re looking for a no-fuss upgrade for your existing wireless router that enables faster speeds, this could be the right option, especially for large homes.
It’s not perfect, but many of my biggest gripes could also be described as nitpicking. I’m annoyed by the slightly shorter power cable length, compared to some of the other devices I tested. Similarly, I wish the app had a little more polish, but it’s not an unusable eyesore by any means.
But, while I dock it a few points for that stuff, I still think this tri-band mesh Wi-Fi system is the best for most people. Even in my spacious and wireless-hostile home, the $400 three pack was probably overkill. And if the $300 two pack can cover your home, offering a reliable Wi-Fi signal, then it’s a more wallet-friendly proposition than some of its rivals.
The Nest WIFi Pro offers a simple experience for folks who want to set their network up and then forget about it. It’s not as powerful or customizable as many of its competitors, but it should be more than suitable, providing reliable tri-band Wi-Fi for streaming movies and plain old web browsing. And it’s not that pricey, so while I have reservations about its long-term potential, it’s a good deal in the short term.
If you’re already inside Google’s smart home world, then the various integrations Assistant already offers, as well as support for Matter and Thread, will be a bonus. That, combined with the promise of regular updates and support from Google should mean that you can pick this up and not think about your WiFi again for several years.
Pros
Super simple to set up and use
Relatively affordable
Integrates nicely with Google services
Cons
Doesn’t offer as many customizations as some comeptitors
Wireless band count: 3 | Wireless speed rating: Up to 4,804 Mbps (6GHz band) | Ethernet ports: 2 | USB ports: 0 | Coverage area: Up to 3,000 sq. ft.
The ASUS ZenWiFi Pro ET12 is a great option for folks who want something that justifies a Pro suffix. Each individual node has the power to cover your home in Wi-Fi, and those extra gigabit and 2.5 Gbps ethernet ports will let you add fast backhaul or a speedy NAS. I’d say that both pro users and gamers who prioritize faster speeds will find things to love in this package. Hell, it might even be good enough to support a small office without too much stress.
And that’s before you get to the unique expandability that ASUS’ AiMesh offers, letting you add more ZenWiFi nodes or, more importantly, compatible standalone ASUS routers. That’ll help you evolve your network in a cost-effective way as you and your home’s needs change over time. Power users will be better-equipped to deal with some of its more idiosyncratic control options, and they’re more likely to take advantage of the 160MHz band support. The upfront cost is pretty expensive, that’s for sure, and it’s certainly not for general users, but it’s a very attractive tri-band Wi-Fi package for someone looking for faster speeds and a strong Wi-Fi connection.
Pros
Superb performance
Easy to expand system with additional nodes and routers
On one hand, Eero Pro 6E does count as an “easy” device, the sort you could hand to a total novice and expect them to thrive with. There’s very little brain work needed to get things set up, and the app has a clean UI with plenty of hand-holding. But — and it’s a big but — the fact so many common management tools aren’t available to me here because they’re paywalled irks me. Amazon and Eero are playing in the same slightly shallow waters as Google / Nest, building a “good enough” mesh product for “everyone;” types who want to set up the hardware and more or less forget about it for several years at a time knowing that everything is in hand. But the fact that the Nest WiFi Pro offers more features for free compared to Eero’s package means that, despite my gripes about Google’s system, it wins out in a straight duel.
Netgear Orbi 960
The Orbi 96T0 (RBKE963) is Netgear’s flagship mesh WiFi product, which the company calls the “world’s most powerful WiFi 6E system.” It’s also one of the most expensive consumer-level kits on the market, setting you back $1,499.99 for a three pack. It’s a fantastic piece of gear but it’s worth saying that the subset of people who could, would or should buy it remains far smaller than you might expect. Ultimately, I feel that if you’re paying luxury prices, you should expect a luxury product. There were plenty of times during testing that I went looking for a feature that was either only available via the web client, or behind a paywall. While, yes, much of your cash is going to the superlative hardware, but for this sort of money, the fact you have to pay extra for some table-stakes features is insulting. If you’re looking for a new Wi-Fi system and aren’t prepared to spend almost $1,500, it’s worth considering our other top picks for the best Wi-Fi routers and mesh systems.
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi is governed by the International Standard IEEE 802.11, and every few years the standards evolve. Until 2018, routers were sold under their IEEE designation, leaving consumers to deal with the word soup of products labeled 802.11 b/a/g/n/ac et cetera. Mercifully, wiser heads opted to rebrand the standards with numbers: Wi-Fi 4, Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6. We’re presently between two Wi-Fi generations, Wi-Fi 6 and 6E, which relates to the frequencies the standard uses. Wi-Fi 6 covers routers which operate on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, while the latter means it can also use the 6GHz band.
Each Wi-Fi band has tradeoffs, because the slower radio frequencies have greater range but less speed. 2.4GHz signals will travel a long way in your home but aren’t quick, while 6GHz is blisteringly fast, but can be defeated by a sturdy brick wall. A lot of Wi-Fi-enabled gear, like a lot of smart home products, only use 2.4GHz because the range is better and it’s a lot cheaper. But it means that the band is also overcrowded and slow. You can check the speed of your Wi-Fi by using an online speed test like Speedtest by Ookla. This will display your download and upload speeds, offering better insight.
Linksys’ CEO Jonathan Bettino told Engadget why mesh systems are an “advancement in Wi-Fi technology” over buying a single point router. With one transmitter, the signal can degrade the further away from the router you go, or the local environment isn’t ideal. “You can have a small [home], but there’s thick walls […] or things in the way that just interfere with your wireless signal,” he said.
Historically, the solution to a home’s Wi-Fi dead zone was to buy a Wi-Fi Range Extender but Bettino said the hardware has both a “terrible user experience” and one of the highest return rates of any consumer electronics product. Mesh Wi-Fi, by comparison, offers “multiple nodes that can be placed anywhere in your home,” says Bettino, resulting in “ubiquitous Wi-Fi” that feels as if you have a “router in every room.”
Rather than having one main router in your home, having a “router in every room” is the biggest selling point for mesh Wi-Fi given how reliant we all are on the internet. Each node is in constant contact with each other, broadcasting a single, seamless network to all of your connected devices. There’s no separate network for the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, just a single name that you connect to.
You may also see mesh Wi-Fi systems advertised as dual-band or tri-band routers. Dual-band routers typically offer a 2.4GHz and 5GHz band. Wi-Fi 6E tri-band routers, on the other hand, provide a 2.4GHz, a 5GHz and a 6GHz band —or in the case of Wi-Fi 5 or Wi-Fi 6 routers, a 2.4GHz band and two 5GHz bands. Once you’ve got your head wrapped around the concept of dual-band and tri-band, you should also be aware that the width of each band is measured in MHz. The wider the band, the more MHz it can support, typically 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz or 320MHz. The wider the channel, the more bandwidth it offers.
If you’re looking for an iPad that’s more affordable than cutting-edge, Amazon has the 2021 base model for only $199. Although that’s a generation behind the current version, this ninth-generation edition could be great for kids, seniors or those wanting a HomeKit-based smart home hub.
Apple
The three-year-old model is still a capable tablet for anyone content with forgoing the latest and greatest hardware. The ninth-gen iPad has a 10.2-inch Retina display and Apple’s old home button-based Touch ID sensor. It runs on the A13 Bionic chip, which has a six-core processor, quad-core GPU and octal-core Neural Engine. This isn’t the model to get if you want screaming-fast speeds, the most eye-popping display or the upcoming Apple Intelligence, but it’s hard to nitpick too much about any of that when you look at the price.
Engadget’s 2021 review found this model to be “a modest update” over the previous version. Nathan Ingraham described it as “a fast, lightweight tablet with a nice display and tons of apps, without having to spend too much.” In our battery test, we found that it outperformed Apple’s 10-hour estimate, lasting about 14 hours of video streaming.
This model runs iPadOS 17 and will support iPadOS 18 when it launches this fall. It isn’t known how many annual updates it will be eligible for after that, but the upcoming 2024 software will still run on two hardware generations behind this model, hinting that it may not be approaching the end of the line just yet.
It’s also well-suited for video chat, and its 12MP ultrawide front-facing camera supports Center Stage. Apple’s machine learning-based feature tracks your and anyone else’s faces in the shot, adjusting the call’s framing accordingly through automatic pans and zooms.
It’s worth keeping in mind that this model uses a Lightning connector rather than the USB-C that Apple has shifted its product lineup toward. It includes a charger in the box, but you may want to consider that if you’ve already chucked all your old Lightning cables. On the other hand, some may consider it a bonus that it still includes Apple’s now-defunct headphone jack.
X says it’s ending business operations in Brazil effective immediately, but the service will remain available to users in the country. The company says Alexandre de Moraes, the president of the Superior Electoral Court and a justice of the Supreme Federal Court, threatened one of X’s legal representatives with arrest if it did not “comply with his censorship orders.”
According to Reuters, de Moreas demanded that X remove certain content from its platform. Rather than comply, X has opted to end its local operations “to protect the safety of our staff.”
According to X, de Moraes made the threat in a “secret order,” which it shared publicly. X owner Elon Musk claimed that the demand “would require us to break (in secret) Brazilian, Argentinian, American and international law.” He added that, “The decision to close the 𝕏 office in Brazil was difficult, but, if we had agreed to @alexandre’s (illegal) secret censorship and private information handover demands, there was no way we could explain our actions without being ashamed.”
Last night, Alexandre de Moraes threatened our legal representative in Brazil with arrest if we do not comply with his censorship orders. He did so in a secret order, which we share here to expose his actions.
— Global Government Affairs (@GlobalAffairs) August 17, 2024
“Despite our numerous appeals to the Supreme Court not being heard, the Brazilian public not being informed about these orders and our Brazilian staff having no responsibility or control over whether content is blocked on our platform, Moraes has chosen to threaten our staff in Brazil rather than respect the law or due process,” X said in a statement on its Global Government Affairs account. “[de Moraes’] actions are incompatible with democratic government. The people of Brazil have a choice to make — democracy, or Alexandre de Moraes.”
Musk has been railing against de Moraes for months. In April, he said he would defy orders from the legislator to block certain accounts in Brazil, claiming that they were unconstitutional. In response, de Moraes opened an obstruction of justice inquiry against Musk. X said later in April it would comply with every order issued by Brazil’s top courts.
That same month, the House Judiciary Committee released an interim staff report claiming that the Brazilian government was trying to force X (and other social media platforms) to censor more than 300 accounts. It said that the accounts included those belonging to former Brazil president Jair Bolsonaro, a member of the country’s federal senate and a journalist.
X does not have a public relations team that can be reached for comment.
Instagram is testing a new profile grid layout that features rectangular images instead of the squares you’re used to. In an Instagram story, Adam Mosseri has revealed that the app is testing a vertical grid for users’ profiles. He explained that the original square grid was designed back in the day when the app only allowed users to upload square photos. Those days are long gone, and the vast majority of Instagram uploads are apparently vertical, specifically 4 x 3 images and 9 x 16 videos. He called cropping those uploads down to square as “pretty brutal.”
When you click on Instagram’s video tab, you’ll already see a rectangular grid, so the experimental layout won’t look terribly unfamiliar. In fact, the test profile looks exactly the same, based on a screenshot that a user posted on Threads, except the grid includes photo posts and not just videos. A spokesperson told The Verge that the test has only rolled out to a small number of users and that the Instagram team will listen to feedback before expanding the redesigned grid’s availability.
Based on an old post by reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi, the app has been working on the new rectangular grid layout since at least 2022. It looks like the test is making its way to more users — and it seems like not everyone’s happy about it. Mosseri posted his Story in response to a comment submitted to his “Ask Me Anything” session, pleading for the app not to kill the old layout.
Good laptops can do everything desktop computers can do, plus they fit in a backpack when it’s time to work or play elsewhere. One notable difference, though, is the number of ports on a portable computer versus a tower setup. If you want extensive connectivity when you’re at your desk, while still reserving the ability to pack up and go at a moment’s notice, docking stations can get you there. Relying on just one USB-C port on your laptop and a DC power supply, a docking station lets you plug in your wired mice and keyboards, hook up a monitor with HDMI or DisplayPort jacks and transfer data to external drives and SD cards. Determining the best docking station depends on exactly which ports you need and whether the supported standards of each port will deliver the speeds or resolutions you’re looking for. We tested more than 15 highly rated docks to help you determine the best laptop docking station for your needs.
What to look for in a docking station
First and foremost, consider what you need to plug in. This will likely be the deciding factor when you go to actually buy a docking station. Do you need three screens for an expanded work view? A quick way to upload photos from an SD card? Are you looking to plug in a webcam, mic and streaming light, while simultaneously taking advantage of faster Ethernet connections? Once you’ve settled on the type of ports you need, you may also want to consider the generation of those ports as well; even ports with the same shape can have different capabilities. Here’s a brief overview of the connectivity different docking stations offer.
Monitor ports
External monitors typically need one of three ports to connect to a PC: HDMI, DisplayPort or USB-C. HDMI connections are more common than DisplayPort and the cables and devices that use them are sometimes more affordable. The most popular version of the DisplayPort interface (v1.4) can handle higher resolutions and refresh rates than the most common HDMI version (2.0). All of the docking stations with HDMI ports that we recommend here use version 2.0, which can handle 4K resolution at 60Hz or 1080p up to 240Hz. The DisplayPort-enabled docks support either version 1.2, which allows for 4K resolution at 60Hz, or version 1.4, which can handle 8K at 60Hz or 4K at 120Hz.
You can also use your dock’s downstream (non-host) Thunderbolt ports to hook up your monitors. If your external display has a USB-C socket, you can connect directly. If you have an HDMI or DisplayPort-only monitor, you can use an adapter or a conversion cable.
Of course, the number of monitors you can connect and the resolutions/rates they’ll achieve depend on both your computer’s GPU and your monitors — and the more monitors you plug in can bring down those numbers as well. Be sure to also use cables that support the bandwidth you’re hoping for. MacOS users should keep in mind that MacBooks with the standard M1 or M2 chips support just one external monitor natively and require DisplayLink hardware and software to support two external displays. MacBooks with M1 Pro, M2 Pro or M2 Max chips can run multiple monitors from a single port.
USB ports
Most docking stations offer a few USB Type-A ports, which are great for peripherals like wired mice and keyboards, bus-powered ring lights and flash drives. For faster data transfer speeds to your flash drive, go for USB-A sockets labeled 3.1 or 3.2 — or better yet, use a USB-C Thunderbolt port.
Type-C USB ports come in many different flavors. The Thunderbolt 3, 4 and USB4 protocols are newer, more capable specifications that support power delivery of up to 100W, multiple 4K displays and data transfer speeds of up to 40Gbps. Other USB-C ports come in a range of versions, with some supporting video, data and power and some only able to manage data and power. Transfer rates and wattages can vary from port to port, but most docks list the wattage or GB/s on either the dock itself or on the product page. And again, achieving the fastest speeds will depend on factors like the cables you use and the devices you’re transferring data to.
Nearly every dock available today connects to a computer via USB-C, often Thunderbolt, and those host ports are nearly always labeled with a laptop icon. They also allow power delivery to your laptop: available wattage varies, but most docks are rated between 85 and 100 watts. That should be enough to keep most computers powered — and it also means you won’t have to take up an extra laptop connector for charging.
Other ports
None of our currently recommended laptops include an Ethernet jack; a docking station is a great way to get that connection back. We all know objectively that wired internet is faster than Wi-Fi, but it might take running a basic speed comparison test to really get it on a gut level. For reference, on Wi-Fi I get about a 45 megabit-per-second download speed. Over Ethernet, it’s 925 Mbps. If you pay for a high-speed plan, but only ever connect wirelessly, you’re probably leaving a lot of bandwidth on the table. Every docking station I tested includes an Ethernet port, and it could be the connector you end up getting the most use out of.
Just two of our favorite laptops have SD card readers, and if you need a quick way to upload files from cameras or audio recorders, you may want to get a dock with one of those slots. Of the docks we tested, about half had SD readers. For now, most (but not all) laptops still include a 3.5mm audio jack, but if you prefer wired headphones and want a more accessible place to plug them in, many docking stations will provide.
When you’re counting up the ports for your new dock, remember that most companies include the host port (the one that connects to your computer) in the total number. So if you’re looking for a dock with three Thunderbolt connections, be sure to check whether one of them will be used to plug in your laptop.
Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Design
Most docking stations have either a lay-flat or upright design. Most docks put the more “permanent” connections in back — such as Ethernet, DC power, monitor connections and a few USBs. Up-front USB ports can be used for flash drive transfers, or even plugging in your phone for a charge (just make sure the port can deliver the power you need). USBs in the rear are best for keyboards, mice, webcams and other things you’re likely to always use. Some docks position the host port up front, which might make it easier to plug in your laptop when you return to your desk, but a host port in back may look neater overall.
How we tested
We started out by looking at online reviews, spec sheets from various brands and docking stations that our fellow tech sites have covered. We considered brands we’ve tested before and have liked, and weeded out anything that didn’t have what we consider a modern suite of connections (such as a dock with no downstream USB-C ports). We narrowed it down to 12 contenders and I tested each dock in a home office, using an M1 MacBook Pro, a Dell XPS 13 Plus and an Acer Chromebook Spin 514. I plugged in and evaluated the quality of the connections for 12 different peripherals including a 4K and an HD monitor, a 4K and an HD webcam, plus USB devices like a mouse, keyboard, streaming light and mic. I plugged in wired earbuds, and transferred data to a USB-C flash drive and an external SSD. I ran basic speed tests on the Ethernet connections as well as the file transfers. I judged how easy the docks were to use as well as the various design factors I described earlier. I made spreadsheets and had enough wires snaking around my work area that my cat stayed off my desk for three weeks (a new record).
Best docking stations
Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Host connection: 2 x USB-C | Power delivery to host: 75W (USB-C) | USB-C: 1 x USB 3.0, 1 x 3.1 | USB-A: 2 | Monitor: 2 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x DisplayPort 1.4 | Aux 3.5mm: No | SD Card: No
The Satechi Dual Dock Stand is different from all the other docks we tested in two respects: it doesn’t require a power source and it goes beneath your MacBook instead of beside it. You could almost classify it as a hub, but I think the high number of ports earns it docking-station status. It plugs into the two USB-C ports at the side of a Mac, which allows MacBooks with M1, M2 or M3 Pro or Max chips to operate dual monitors in extended mode. Unfortunately, MacBooks with standard M1 or M2 chips, can natively only power a second external display in mirrored mode. The new MacBook Air with the M3 chip can only power two displays in extended mode with the laptop lid closed. If you have a Mac with a standard chip and need two monitors, you’ll need a docking station that supports DisplayLink hardware and software, such as the Kensington SD4780P, which is our top pick for Chromebooks.
Since the Dual Dock works without power, it’s a lot easier to set up than other docks with transformer boxes and DC cables. I found it made the most sense to just use the MagSafe connector on the laptop, but you can also supply power to the dock using the non-data USB-C port and it will pass 75 watts to your machine.
Both the 4K and HD monitors I tested looked great and worked well in extended mode. There are two USB-Cs for a webcam and mic, plus two USB-As which could be used for a dongle mouse and a streaming light — that’s likely enough ports for conferencing or even a basic video creator setup. The dock is ultimately limited by the fact that none of the USB-C connections are Thunderbolt and there are only two USB-A sockets to work with. But it’s a great choice for extending productivity in a way that tucks beneath a MacBook, neatly moving the cords to the back of the machine and out of the way.
Pros
Unique design complements MacBooks
Can power two monitors on Macs with M1 Pro or M2 Pro chips
Host connection: Thunderbolt 4 | Power delivery to host: 96W (DC) | USB-C: 3 x TB4 | USB-A: 2 | Monitor: 2 x HDMI 2.0 | Aux 3.5mm: Yes | SD Card: Yes
It’s as though Satechi called me up and asked for the design of my ideal docking station. They didn’t, to be clear, but the manages to get right what so many docks almost do. First off, there are enough downstream USB4 ports to handle a variety of setups, whether you like a monitor array or just want to run a USB-C keyboard at the same time as your webcam and still have a port left over. You also get two HDMI 2.0 connections, an Ethernet jack, two USB-A ports, an SD card slot and a headphone jack.
That’s only a total of 10 downstream ports but for most people they’re the ones that offer the most versatility. The trio of Thunderbolt 4 ports can support up to 8K monitors at 60Hz and 40Gbps data transfers. They can even deliver 15 watts of power if you just need to charge your phone while you work.
You can also hook up your screens via HDMI. MacBook users will need to install the DisplayLink driver to work around Apple’s extended monitor limitations. With the software, even M1 and M2 MacBooks can hook up two external monitors in extended mode. Windows laptops and M2/M3 Pro and Max chips can have up to four extended monitors connected — two via the Thunderbolt ports and two through the HDMI connections (again using DisplayLink tech).
In addition to the goldilocks port selection, the arrangement of those ports is quite logical. From this slim and sleek slab, a host connection lives on one side, allowing for one neat line to your computer. Connections that are likely to stay put (monitors, DC power, Ethernet and Thunderbolts) are all around back, while the jacks you’ll probably switch up more often, such as the USB-A for thumb drives, the 3.5mm jack for headphones and the SD card reader, are in the front. Right next to those is a handy on-off switch, so you can easily turn off all your peripherals at night to reduce your power draw.
The dock delivers on the promise of its clever port selection and arrangement. My dual extended monitors looked great and achieved the advertised refresh rates and resolutions, the data transfers were smoking quick and I was able to (finally) fully connect my very basic setup without compromise: Two monitors, a webcam, streaming light, microphone, keyboard and mouse. I did notice my 4K monitor had the slightest lag when the second monitor was plugged in, but it was minor and only noticeable when displaying the webcam video.
One minor criticism is the DisplayLink and Thunderbolt branding across the front and top. They distract from the otherwise elegant look of the high-end aluminum exterior. One not-so-minor concern is how warm the unit got as I used it over the course of a couple days. At times, it was nearly too hot to hold my hand on comfortably. I never noticed any adverse performance effects as a result, but it’s possible that could become an issue in the long term. As for price, it’s listed at $300; that’s not the most expensive dock we’ve tested, but it’s certainly not the cheapest. But for the performance and thoughtful design, it’s a Thunderbolt dock that could be worth it for a lot of people.
Pros
Excellent array of ports
Ports cleverly arranged
Can support up to four external monitors
DisplayLink driver allows for dual extended monitors on standard-chip MacBooks
Cons
Lay-flat design can take up a lot of desk space without a mount
Host connection: Thunderbolt 4 | Power delivery to host: 98W (DC) | USB-C: 2 x TB4, 3 x 3.2 | USB-A: 5 | Monitor: 1 x DisplayPort 1.4 | Aux 3.5mm: 1 x audio combo, 1 x audio in, 1 x audio out | SD Card: SD and microSD
There’s a lot to appreciate about CalDigit’s TS4 docking station: It has a sturdy, upright design with a host connection at the rear and a whopping five downstream USB-C ports, two of which are Thunderbolt 4. Up front, you get an SD and a microSD card slot along with a headphone jack, two USB-C and a USB-A connector. In back, there’s room for four more USB-A devices and two 3.5mm jacks, one for audio in and one for audio out. One area where the dock may feel lacking is in display inputs. It only has one DisplayPort 1.4, but it has plenty of TB4 ports, which you can easily use to outfit a full command center (if you don’t have a USB-C monitor, there are plenty of adapters).
The multi-gig Ethernet jack can handle up to 2.5Gbps, so if you’re paying for a screaming-fast internet plan, this dock can help you take advantage of it. The TS4 can deliver up to 98W of power to your laptop, though like any docking station, the wattage goes down when other items are also drawing power.
The TS4 worked equally well with my MacBook Pro and the Dell XPS13 Plus and was even compatible with a Chromebook. I tested read/write speeds on a Samsung T7 SSD via a Thunderbolt port and got 734 MB/s read and 655 MB/s write speeds on the Mac and 1048/994 on the Dell. Compared to the other docks, that was in the lower-middle range for the Mac and the fastest overall for the PC. On PC, it also handled a 1GB folder transfer to a flash drive faster than any other dock and delivered the fastest connection speeds over the Ethernet. It’s the only unit that let me plug in every single peripheral I had on hand at once. If you’ve got lots of tech you want to use simultaneously (and money isn’t a concern), this is the one to get.
Host connection: USB-C | Power delivery to host: 100W (DC) | USB-C: 1 x 3.1 | USB-A: 5 | Monitor: 2 x HDMI 2.0, 2 x DisplayPort 1.2 | Aux 3.5mm: 1 x audio combo | SD Card: No
The Kensington SD4780P Dual 4K typically requires a DisplayLink driver, but any Chromebook made after 2017 supports the connection from the jump. Finding a docking station that works with ChromeOS is tough; of the 12 units I tested, only four connected at all with the Acer Chromebook Spin 514, and one of those four couldn’t run two monitors. The SD4780P uses a USB-C host connection, through which it offers a maximum power delivery of 100W and was able to run both the 4K and HD screens cleanly.
It allows for a wide range of USB-A peripherals through five such ports, but there’s only a single downstream USB-C, so I wasn’t able to use both a webcam and mic at the same time. That means you’ll need to use your Chromebook’s built-in ports if you want more than one of those types of devices set up. The plastic build makes it look a little cheap and I’m not crazy about the lay-flat design, but the host port is in the back, which will make your setup neater. If all you’re looking for is a way to get a few extra monitors and use your wired USB accessories, this is a good pick for Chromebooks.
When I pulled the Plugable TBT4-UDZ Thunderbolt 4 out of the box, I was convinced it would make the cut: It has a practical upright design, an attractive metal finish, and the host connection is TB4. While there are plenty of USB-A and monitor ports, there’s just one downstream USB-C. A modern dock, particularly one that costs $300, should let you run, say, a USB-C cam and mic at the same time. Otherwise, it’s pretty limiting.
Anker 575 USB-C
At $250 (and more often $235), the Anker 575 USB-C could make for a good budget pick for Windows. It performed well with the Dell XPS 13 Plus, but had trouble with the third screen, the 4K webcam and headphone jack when connected to the MacBook Pro. It’s quite compact, which means it can get wobbly when a bunch of cables are plugged in, but it has a good selection of ports and was able to handle my basic setup well.
Belkin Connect Pro Thunderbolt 4
Belkin’s Connect Pro Thunderbolt 4 Dock is a contender for a Thunderbolt 4 alternative. It has nearly the same ports as the AD2010 (minus the microSD slot) and an attractive rounded design — but it’s $90 more, so I’d only recommend getting it if you find it on sale.
Acer USB Type-C Dock
Acer’s USB Type-C Dock D501 costs $10 more than our Kensington pick for Chromebooks, but it performs similarly and is worth a mention. It has nearly the same ports (including the rather limiting single downstream USB-C) but both the Ethernet and data transfer speeds were faster.
Docking station FAQs
Are docking stations worth it?
Docking stations are worth it if you have more accessories to plug in than your laptop permits. Say you have a USB-C camera and mic, plus a USB-A mouse, keyboard and streaming light; very few modern laptops have enough connections to support all of that at once. A docking station can make that setup feasible while also giving you extra ports like an Ethernet connection, and supplying power to your laptop. However, if you just need a few extra USB sockets, you might be better off going with a hub, as those tend to be cheaper.
How much does a laptop dock cost?
Laptop docking stations tend to be bigger and more expensive than simple USB-A or USB-C hubs, thanks to the wider array of connections. You can find them as low as $50 and they can get as expensive as $450. A reasonable price for a dock with a good selection of ports from a reputable brand will average around $200.
How do I set up my laptop dock?
Most docking stations are plug and play. First, connect the DC power cable to the dock and a wall outlet. Then look for the “host” or upstream port on the dock — it’s almost always a USB-C/Thunderbolt port and often branded with an icon of a laptop. Use the provided cable to connect to your computer. After that, you can connect your peripherals to the dock and they should be ready to use with your laptop. A few docking stations, particularly those that handle more complex monitor setups, require a driver. The instructions that come with your dock will point you to a website where you can download that companion software.
Does a laptop charge on a docking station?
Nearly all docking stations allow you to charge your laptop through the host connection (the cable running from the dock to your computer). That capability, plus the higher number of ports is what separates a docking station from a hub. Docks can pass on between 65W and 100W of power to laptops, and nearly all include a DC adapter.
Are all docking stations compatible with all laptops?
No, not all docking stations are compatible with every laptop. In our tests, the Chromebook had the biggest compatibility issues, the Dell PC had the least, and the MacBook fell somewhere in between. All docks will list which brands and models they work with on the online product page — be sure to also check the generation of your laptop as some docks can’t support certain chips.
What are some popular docking station brands?
Kensington, Anker, Pluggable and Belkin are reputable and well-known brands making docking stations for all laptops. Lenovo, Dell and HP all make docks that will work with their own computers as well as other brands.
Kim Dotcom, the Megaupload founder and hard-partying face of early 2010s online piracy, is finally headed to the US. Reutersreports that New Zealand’s justice minister signed an extradition order on Thursday to end the entrepreneur’s nearly 13-year legal battle, paving the way for the German-born Dotcom to face charges from the US government.
“I considered all of the information carefully, and have decided that Mr Dotcom should be surrendered to the U.S. to face trial,” Goldsmith said in a statement. The decision came more than six years after a New Zealand court ruled Dotcom could be extradited to the US, paving the way for appeals that culminated in today’s decision.
YouTube / Kim Dotcom
Once the 13th most visited site online, the file-hosting site Megaupload was a hotbed for pirated content. In early 2012, American authorities charged Dotcom and six others with racketeering, copyright infringement, money laundering and copyright distribution. The US indictment claimed Megaupload cost copyright holders $500 million in damages while making $175 million from ads and premium subscriptions.
The raid on Dotcom’s Auckland mansion was dramatic fare among 2012’s relatively tame headlines. The New York Timesreported at the time that when he saw the police, Dotcom barricaded himself inside, activating several electronic locks and waited in a safe room. When officers cut their way inside, they saw Dotcom standing near “a firearm that they said looked like a sawed-off shotgun.”
YouTube / Kim Dotcom
Dotcom (born Kim Schmitz) had several brushes with the law before that. He at least claimed to have spent three months in a Munich jail in 1994 for “breaking into Pentagon computers and observing real-time satellite photos of Saddam Hussein’s palaces.” Soon after, he received a suspended two-year sentence for a scam involving stolen phone card numbers.
In 2001, he was accused in the largest insider-trading case in German history. He reportedly fled Germany to escape those charges, was captured in Thailand, extradited (this week isn’t his first go-round) and convicted in 2002. At some point after that, he moved to New Zealand, holing up in a luxurious mansion.
You can see that mansion — and a taste of his larger-than-life persona — in his music video “Good Life.”
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith signed the extradition order on Thursday and followed standard practice in giving Dotcom “a short period of time to consider and take advice” on his decision.
Dotcom, never one to mince words, posted a message on X that “the obedient US colony in the South Pacific just decided to extradite me for what users uploaded to Megaupload.”
Instagram is failing to enforce its own rules and allowing some of its most high-profile accounts to be targeted with abusive comments “with impunity,” according to a new report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate. The anti-hate group claims that Meta failed to remove 93 percent of comments it reported to the company, including ones that contain racial slurs, violent threats and other disturbing language that would seem to clearly violate the social network’s rules.
CCDH’s researchers zeroed in on five Republican and five Democratic lawmakers who are up for election this year. The group included Vice President Kamala Harris, Representative Nancy Pelosi, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Representative Marjorie Taylor-Greene, Senator Marsha Blackburn and Representative Lauren Boebert.
The researchers reported 1,000 comments that appeared on the lawmakers’ Instagram posts between January and June of this year and found that Meta took “no action” against the vast majority of those comments, with 926 of them still visible in the app one week after being reported. The reported content included comments with racial slurs and other racist language, calls for violence and other abuse.
“We’re simulating the moment at which someone reaches out their hand asking for help, and actually, Instagram’s failure to act on that compounds the harm done,” CCDH CEO Imran Ahmed said in a briefing about the report.
The CCDH also found that many of the abusive comments came from “repeat offenders” which, according to Ahmed, has “created a culture of impunity” on the platform. The report comes less than three months before the US presidential election, and it notes that attacks targeting Harris, who is now campaigning for president seem to have “intensified” since she took over the ticket. “Instagram failed to remove 97 out of 105 abusive comments targeting Vice President Kamala Harris, equivalent to a failure to act on 92% of abusive comments targeting her,” the report says. It notes that Instagram failed to remove comments targeting Harris that used the n-word, as well as gender-based slurs.
In a statement, Meta said it would review the report. “We provide tools so that anyone can control who can comment on their posts, automatically filter out offensive comments, phrases or emojis, and automatically hide comments from people who don’t follow them,” Meta’s Head of Women’s Safety, said in a statement. “We work with hundreds of safety partners around the world to continually improve our policies, tools, detection and enforcement, and we will review the CCDH report and take action on any content that violates our policies.”
X has introduced new options for sorting replies that should make it easier to see the comments you’re actually interested in. The social media platform announced that replies can now be sorted by most relevant, most recent and most liked. While the average X user may not be getting hundreds of replies to their posts, the reply section on posts from accounts with thousands or millions of followers can be chaotic. And since replies from , what shows up at the top may not be what’s newest or most pertinent.
Being able to sort replies by most recent or most liked could help to cut through some of the noise. X hasn’t said how it will determine which replies are most relevant, but it appears that option just shows replies ranked the way already used to seeing them. The change started rolling out this weekend.
Reddit just wrapped up its second earnings call as a public company and CEO Steve Huffman hinted at some significant changes that could be coming to the platform. During the call, the Reddit co-founder said the company would begin testing AI-powered search results later this year.
“Later this year, we will begin testing new search result pages powered by AI to summarize and recommend content, helping users dive deeper into products, shows, games and discover new communities on Reddit,” Huffman said. He didn’t say when those tests would begin, but said it would use both first-party and third-party models.
Huffman noted that search on Reddit has “gone unchanged for a long time” but that it’s a significant opportunity to bring in new users. He also said that search could one day be a significant source of advertising revenue for the company.
Huffman hinted at other non-advertising sources of revenue as well. He suggested that the company might experiment with paywalled subreddits as it looks to monetize new features. “I think the existing, altruistic, free version of Reddit will continue to exist and grow and thrive just the way it has,” Huffman said. “But now we will unlock the door for new use cases, new types of subreddits that can be built that may have exclusive content or private areas, things of that nature.”
A Reddit spokesperson declined to elaborate on Huffman’s remarks. But it’s no secret the company has been eyeing new ways to expand its business since going public earlier this year. It’s struck multi million-dollar licensing deals and , and search engines that aren’t paying the company.
“Some players in the ecosystem have not been transparent with their use of Reddit’s content, and in those instances, we block access to protect Reddit content and user privacy,” Huffman said. “We want to know where Reddit data is going and what it’s being used for, and so those are the terms of engagement.”
It can be hard to keep track of all your belongings with our busy lives, work, kids — you name it. The Apple AirTag is an affordable little Bluetooth tracker that can be placed on or inside your bag or luggage, attached to your pet’s collar or your keys, or anything else you might have a habit of losing. But to make the most of your AirTag, it’s worth investing in the best AirTag accessories, like a keychain, holder or case. Convenience is key here, and we’ve tested dozens of AirTag accessories to help you choose the best AirTag holders for your needs.
Best AirTag holders
Elevation Lab
It’s easy to throw an AirTag into your coat pocket or in the bottom of your backpack, but it’s also easy for the tracker to fall out of those things. Enter Elevation Lab’s TagVault Fabric mount, which adheres to a number of different types of fabric to discreetly track your stuff. The exterior ring of the Vault is super flexible, so once you stick it to the lining of your jacket or bag, it’ll move and adjust as you do the same with your stuff. The adhesive is quite strong, but it’s still easy to insert or remove the AirTag as much as you need. The plastic enclosure’s cap comes off with a bit of force, so you can take out your AirTag whenever you need to replace its battery. If you want something similar with an even more durable, water-resistant design, Elevation Lab makes these surface adhesive mounts that fit the bill, too.
If you’d prefer to attach your AirTag to the outside of your backpack or carry on, consider doing so with Belkin’s Secure Holder with Wire Cable. Whereas other holders use a simple keyring to attach the tracker to your stuff, this case uses a braided wire cable that’s extra tough. The case itself unlocks via a small Allen key to let you insert the AirTag, and then you can lock it back up again before putting the tag to use. Not only is it highly unlikely for your AirTag to get knocked out of this thing, it’s also just as unlikely for the wire strap to get caught on something and break. Overall, it’s a thoughtfully designed holder than would make a great luggage tag.
Spigen’s Valentinus AirTag cover is one of the best alternatives I’ve found to Apple’s own leather key rings. It has a very similar design to the first-party accessory (albeit made with pleather) , but it comes in much cheaper at only $8. Your tracker nestles into the perfectly-shaped leather AirTag loop and snaps shut, and since the leather extends slightly over both sides of the tracker, there’s very little chance it will pop out unexpectedly. I also appreciate that it comes with a carabiner-style key ring, which makes it easier to secure to your belongings.
Caseology’s Vault has a more utilitarian design, made with tough, textured TPU. The oval-shaped holder has an opening on one side into which you pop your AirTag. The other side has a smaller opening that attaches to the included carabiner, which is one of the best clips I came across in my testing. It’s pretty basic as far as carabiners go, but it’s better than a standard key ring — especially if you want to easily attach your AirTag to something other than your keys like straps on a backpack, or even a pet collar. Overall, the Caseology Vault is one of the most attractive holders I tested and it will be a solid choice for anyone who doesn’t need leather.
Orbitkey’s Leather Holder for AirTag is a more elegant version of Apple’s accessory. It’s a genuine leather sleeve that opens just wide enough for you to slide your AirTag into its pocket. Attached to it is a quick-release ring that takes some getting used to, but once you know how to open it up, it’s easy to secure onto your keys. You essentially just have to push in one direction on the holder’s ring to unlock it, which then allows you to secure the AirTag to a lanyard, your car keys and the like. It’s a good option if you prefer that your accessories have a more polished look.
AirTags can also help you keep track of larger bags and luggage, and you could easily slip one into an interior pocket and call it a day. But if you’d rather hook the tracker to the outside, you’ll need something a bit larger and more flexible than a standard key ring. Belkin’s Secure Holder with Strap is a good option, and it’s budget friendly at only $13. The case opens up into two pieces, allowing you to sit the AirTag inside the circle and twist and snap the two halves together to lock it in. You can then attach the AirTag to your luggage handle, dog collar, water bottle or other item with the strap, which feels quite strong.
I appreciate the unique design of Belkin’s Secure Holder, although it was hard to twist open when the AirTag was inside of it. But that’s a good thing for daily use; your AirTag isn’t going anywhere when in the Secure Holder. I also liked its slightly raised edges, which provide extra protection against impacts and bumps.
Incase’s Woolenex AirTag holder is one that is just as attractive as it is durable. The company’s Woolenex fabric is made of a woven blend of polyester fibers that make the accessory lightweight, water repellant and fade- and tear-resistant. Incase makes a bunch of accessories out of this material, and those who like premium fabrics that can also handle a bit of wear-and-tear will gravitate to it. The holder has a TPU snap closure and circular cutout so it won’t interrupt the AirTag’s signal — plus, it lets you see any cute engraving you may have on your tracker.
Whether you’re attaching an AirTag to your house keys or clipping one to your kid’s backpack, you don’t need to settle for a boring holder. There are a number of fun AirTag cases available now and some of our favorites come from Elago. The accessory company makes a bunch of minimalist AirTag holders – which are good options if you’re looking for something simple and cheap – but it also has silicone cases in the shapes of avocados, ice cream bars, floppy disks and even retro game controllers. The best part is that, unlike other brands that can quickly raise prices when you want a fancily-shaped case or a holder with your favorite character on it, Elago’s playful cases will run you no more than $15 apiece.
Keyrings and straps aren’t the best way to attach an AirTag to anything and everything. Things like bikes, coolers, luggage and other items would be better served by an adhesive mount. Pelican makes one of the most protective ones available at the moment – the Protector Sticker Mount case has a two-piece design that you pop open to insert your AirTag inside. It basically acts as a little box in which your AirTag lives while it’s tracking your stuff. You can stick it to your items using the strong adhesive panel on the back of the case, and Pelican even includes an extra adhesive pad in the package as well, just in case you need another one. While the case itself is a bit tough to get open at first, that just shows how hard it would be for your AirTag to accidentally pop out of it.
AirTags need a holder because they do not have built-in keyring holes like Tile, Chipolo and other Bluetooth trackers do.
How do you attach an AirTag to things?
You’ll need a holder or case to attach an AirTag to your stuff. If you’re comfortable slipping an AirTag into an interior pocket of a bag or coat, you can do so without an extra accessory. But if you want to use one to keep track of your keys, wallet, backpack or even your pet on their collar, you’ll need an accessory that can accommodate that use case.
In the latest example of a troubling industry pattern, NVIDIA appears to have scraped troves of copyrighted content for AI training. On Monday, 404 Media’s Samantha Cole reported that the $2.4 trillion company asked workers to download videos from YouTube, Netflix and other datasets to develop commercial AI projects. The graphics card maker is among the tech companies appearing to have adopted a “move fast and break things” ethos as they race to establish dominance in this feverish, too-often-shameful AI gold rush.
The training was reportedly to develop models for products like its Omniverse 3D world generator, self-driving car systems and “digital human” efforts.
NVIDIA defended its practice in an email to Engadget. A company spokesperson said its research is “in full compliance with the letter and the spirit of copyright law” while claiming IP laws protect specific expressions “but not facts, ideas, data, or information.” The company equated the practice to a person’s right to “learn facts, ideas, data, or information from another source and use it to make their own expression.” Human, computer… what’s the difference?
YouTube doesn’t appear to agree. Spokesperson Jack Malon pointed us to a Bloomberg story from April, quoting CEO Neal Mohan saying using YouTube to train AI models would be a “clear violation” of its terms. “Our previous comment still stands,” the YouTube policy communications manager wrote to Engadget.
NVIDIA employees who raised ethical and legal concerns about the practice were reportedly told by their managers that it had already been green-lit by the company’s highest levels. “This is an executive decision,” Ming-Yu Liu, vice president of research at NVIDIA, replied. “We have an umbrella approval for all of the data.” Others at the company allegedly described its scraping as an “open legal issue” they’d tackle down the road.
In addition to the YouTube and Netflix videos, NVIDIA reportedly instructed workers to train on movie trailer database MovieNet, internal libraries of video game footage and Github video datasets WebVid (now taken down after a cease-and-desist) and InternVid-10M. The latter is a dataset containing 10 million YouTube video IDs.
Some of the data NVIDIA allegedly trained on was only marked as eligible for academic (or otherwise non-commercial) use. HD-VG-130M, a library of 130 million YouTube videos, includes a usage license specifying that it’s only meant for academic research. NVIDIA reportedly brushed aside concerns about academic-only terms, insisting their batches were fair game for its commercial AI products.
To evade detection from YouTube, NVIDIA reportedly downloaded content using virtual machines (VMs) with rotating IP addresses to avoid bans. In response to a worker’s suggestion to use a third-party IP address-rotating tool, another NVIDIA employee reportedly wrote, “We are on [Amazon Web Services](#) and restarting a [virtual machine](#) instance gives a new public IP[.](#) So, that’s not a problem so far.”
404 Media’s full report on NVIDIA’s practices is worth a read.
