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Google Messages is taking a page out of iMessage’s book, using color to denote RCS and SMS/MMS users.
Anyone using RCS chats, both on Android and iOS, will have their contact name colored in Material You pastels.
The Google Messages app will also place a small RCS badge to the right of contact names.
While there are a number of visual cues to designateRCS chatsfrom standard SMS/MMS messaging in the Google Messages conversation list, there aren’t any before you create a new conversation.
In the beta version of theGoogle Messages app, the site discovered small RCS badges beside the contact names of people who have enabled RCS when creating a new conversation. After tapping theStart chatbutton in Google Messages, the list of suggested contacts shows the RCS badge for RCS users and nothing for SMS/MMS users. The feature works for both RCS users on Android and iOS, which is notable.
TheNew conversationtab also changes the color of contact names that are using RCS. The color is changed from black to Material You pastels. These light shades are more clearly visible when using light mode compared to dark mode. This tweak bears a strong resemblance tohow Apple handles messages, using blue to denote iMessage users and green for everyone else.
It’s also neat that if a contact has two numbers, you can individually see whether one or both numbers support RCS. The badges and color codes for RCS could be helpful in certain situations when youcan only send an RCS chat, like if mobile service is unavailable and you’re relying on Wi-Fi.
Since this feature is working in the Google Messages app beta, it could come to the stable release soon. However, it’s unclear when or if this feature will be officially released, as Google hasn’t publicly announced it.
When it comes to HDMI vs DVI cables, which should you get? Our guide reveals all.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Although the term DVI isn’t probably one that you’ve heard for a while, it’s important to know the difference between HDMI and DVI cables when you’re looking at the best system for video editing, gaming or productivity. Many of thebest monitors for video editing, graphic design and photography, for example, still offer multiple connectivity options, including DVI. With several peripherals littering our desks, all of which need to be hooked up somehow, it’s important to know how this should it be done to achieve optimum results. Often, that comes down to a simple question: do you need an HDMI or DVI cable?
To the untrained eye, it can be a minefield of resolutions, data rates and supported features. Thebest laptops for graphic design, for example, often don’t offer DVI connectivity anymore as frankly it’s an outmoded option, but if you have one of thebest monitors for graphic designor creativity, you’re able to plug in a DVI cable with a simple adaptor. We’ll look at the topic in a bit more detail in this article, and assess whether DVI, as an industry standard connectivity option in the 1990s and 2000s, is still an option you need to have in your arsenal.
The answer depends on more than just the ports on yourbest laptop for video editing. But fear not, our no-nonsense guide lays out exactly why you might need each cable, and which is the best option for creatives right now.
Comparing HDMI and DVI plugs shows the large difference in size between them(Image credit: Rankie)
There’s a large difference in size between HDMI and DVI.
Being the older standard, it’s perhaps unsurprising that DVI is the larger of the two. A typical DVI plug is rectangular in shape, with 24 pins three rows deep making up the bulk of its front side. To the right of this matrix is a square consisting of four more pins. The whole arrangement is flanked on either side by screws that fix it in place. The number of pins, combined with the screws, make DVI a relatively large plug and unlike HDMI, DVI cables can be quite easy to damage. If you bend the pins, plugging them in can be quite a challenge – definitely up there with one of the more frustrating elements of outdated computer hardware.
HDMI is much smaller than DVI and throughout the course of the mid 2000s became the standard for audio and video connectivity. The plug is a slim rectangle with a sloped lip below it and in the middle is a thin gap surrounded by 19 pins. Despite having close to the same number of pins as DVI, HDMI plugs are much more compact, and much easier to plug in largely thanks to the pins being protected and the lack of securing screws, which can get annoying if the rear of your system is hidden against the wall or an obstacle.
To put a spanner in the works, it is possible to get Mini and Micro versions of both DVI and HDMI plugs, and these are generally found on olderApplecomputers such as the originalMacBook Airand 2009 Mac mini. Mini-HDMI and Micro-HDMI can be found on a wider variety of devices, including some tablets and phones, but are still uncommon compared to standard HDMI plugs.
Need to connect HDMI and DVI devices together? Adapters are simple and won’t break the bank(Image credit: Rankie)
There’s a simple solution you can purchase if you need to connect HDMI and DVI devices together. Adaptors generally work well and are very affordable to get hold of.
One of the most important questions when it comes to deciding between HDMI and DVI is what each standard works with and whether it’ll work with your devices. Check the ports on your hardware as many pieces of hardware, including some olderNvidiaand AMD graphics cards, have ports for both but your TV or monitor may only support one or the other. If your monitor is an older model, it will have both options, and any screen from the early to mid 2000s may only feature a DVI, so it’s worth checking what hardware you already have and its requirements if you’re on an older setup but would like to upgrade.
HDMI is much more common than DVI and that’s been the case for the best part of the last two decades, so it’s unlikely you own a screen that doesn’t support it. When it comes to laptops, HDMI’s smaller connector is much more likely to make an appearance due to its space-saving design. You’re also likely to find it on larger computers, TVs, monitors, games consoles and a variety of other hardware types. It’s worth saying however that we’re entering a new generation of connectivity now – where HDMI replaced DVI, we’re now seeing DisplayPort and USB-C eating into HDMI’s market share. Luckily, no matter what hardware you have, adaptors are relatively easy to come by.
Quality
HDMI plugs are far more compact than their DVI equivalents, allowing them to be used in smaller devices(Image credit: Rankie)
HDMI plugs are far more compact than their DVI equivalents, allowing them to be used in smaller devices, but both DVI and HDMI have certain limitations on what they can display both in terms of an output device’s resolution and its refresh rate. Given that HDMI is newer than DVI, it’s unsurprising that it works with better specifications in both cases.
The latest version of HDMI (2.1b) can support a maximum data rate of 48 Gbit/sec and video resolutions up to 10K, which is far more than most people will need. In terms of refresh rate, HDMI can support up to 4K at 144 Hz natively, or a mind-boggling 8K at 60 Hz natively or 120Hz if using Display Stream Compression. It also works with HDR video output (although its maximum resolutions and refresh rates take a slight hit given the increased bandwidth used by HDR video).
DVI only has a maximum data rate of 9.9 Gbit/sec, so taking that into account, the maximum resolution and refresh rate it can support is 3840×2400 at 30 Hz, or 2560×1600 at 60 Hz. It’s likely that if you own an DVI compatible monitor, you’re running on HD at 1920×1080 or less due to the available technology at the time, and with DVI, you’re also likely suffer from a difference in colour rendition as DVI only supports 8-bit RGB colours, whereas you’ll get 12-bit performance in HDMI, so more colours can be rendered natively.
As well as its visual advantages, HDMI can also transfer audio signals, something DVI is unable to do. That means streaming a video from one device to another only requires one cable with HDMI; with DVI, you also need to account for audio cables and associated sockets.
Price
Regardless of whether you need an HDMI or DVI cable, neither is likely to set you back very much. For example, you can pick up anHDMI cableon Amazon for around $5/£5, orDVI cablefor around $7/£7. There are also plenty of adaptors on offer for around the same amount of money that can convert your video signal from DVI to HDMI and vice-versa, meaning outdated monitors can still be used no matter your setup.
It’s worth noting that you may sometimes see expensive versions of each cable doing the rounds, with fancy-sounding features and eye-watering price tags. Even the cheapest HDMI or DVI cable will get your signal to its destination just as fast as the most expensive one, without leaving a galling dent in your finances.
Which should you buy?
Of course this will very much depend on the system and the screens you are using in your setup, but one simple fact can’t be escaped: DVI is an entirely outmoded connectivity option these days and you’ll achieve better results overall from upgrading your setup to factor in more options like HDMI and USB-C.
If you’re looking at motherboards and must choose between one that supports HDMI and one that supports DVI, we’d advise HDMI every time. HDMI is a more modern standard and supports much higher resolutions and refresh rates, and will also work with a wider variety of peripheral devices. To future-proof your setup, we’d recommend a motherboard that hosts the option for USB-C as well as HDMI.
If you have a DVI device that you need to hook up to another device, you can always use anHDMI to DVI cableoran adapter; neither is likely to cost you much more than a fiver. Given that HDMI cables are more modern, more common and often cheaper than their DVI equivalents, there’s no real reason to stick to DVI unless your equipment dictates, but even then we’d recommend looking at some of our guides to help you upgrade to a more modern system.
The PS5 Digital Edition has seen price rises in some regions
The price has gone up in the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand
The disc drive, however, has seen an overall reduction in price
As of today, thePlayStation 5Digital Edition has been hit with another wave of price increases in some regions. But there is some good news for PS5 Pro owners looking to pick up the disc drive.
Announced via an officialPlayStation Blog post,Sonyhas confirmed that the PS5’s price will be increased in the UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. The company cited “a challenging economic environment, including high inflation and fluctuating exchange rates” as key reasons for the “tough decision.”
In the UK and Europe, there have been no price changes for the standard PS5. Otherwise, you can see the current changes here:
Europe
PS5 Digital Edition – €499.99
PS5 – No change
UK
PS5 Digital Edition – £429.99
PS5 – No change
Australia
PS5 Digital Edition – AU$749.95
PS5 – AU$829.95
New Zealand
PS5 Digital Edition – NZD $859.95
PS5 – NZD $949.95
In slightly better news, especially for PS5 Pro owners looking to add a physical disc option to their setup, the price of the disc drive has been reduced. The new disc drive prices are as follows:
Europe
€79.99
UK
£69.99
Australia
AU$124.95
New Zealand
NZD $139.95
The new prices in these regions have been reflected on PlayStation Direct, Sony’s official storefront for PlayStation products including the PS5. However, you may still have luck at other retailers if you’re currently in the market for the console.
For example, in the UK, Argos currently has the PS5 Digital Edition bundled withAstro Botat a very wallet-friendly£339.99right now. Currys is also yet to reflect the price increase, and the PS5 Digital Edition is still available here for£389. If you’ve been planning on picking up a PS5 soon, then, it may be a good idea to pounce now before the price increases are reflected across the board.
This is good news for the tech sector as tariff impacts continue.
Amidst the flurry of tariffs imposed by the Trump administration over the last few weeks, we finally have some exemptions that should significantly impact the tech sector. While the initial reciprocal tariffs will remain for imports, U.S. Customs and Border Protection shared some new exemptions on tech-related goods.
The update was announced yesterday evening and follows various tariff increases, particularly on Chinese imports. The exemptions include many products we’re excited to see get some relief. The complete list is available in theofficial bulletin,but it includes computers, smartphones, semiconductor chips, and other tech goods like flat panel TVs, solar cells, and flash drives.
The most recent tariff increase from Trump was 145% on Chinese goods. This sent waves across the tech industry, as many realized the significant impact it would have on many tech products that we rely on, including laptops, desktops, CPUs, semiconductor chips, and any PC component. Large companies like Apple, HP, Dell, and more preemptively imported extra stock before the tariff announcement to skirt some of the impact.
These exemptions should benefit industry leaders and consumers alike, who have been anticipating serious price hikes on imported products. This should offset the price increases for customers and manufacturers who rely on imports for construction materials.
The United States imports around66% ofits tech goodsfrom China, which caused significant concern when tariffs were first announced and subsequently raised on Chinese imports. We recently reported expectations that consoles, monitors, and laptops would be among the most impacted.
Many tariffs initially imposed on April 5th will be reduced for 90 days, but tariffs on China havecontinued to increase. This exemption list is the first we’ve seen concerning the tariff situation with China. That said, tariffs will remain in place for all other imports not included in the exemption list.
The situation is subject to change, but we’ll report any significant updates on the tariff situation as things progress, so be sure to check back regularly for more information.
Become a Windows 11 power user with these simple tips
Whether you’re a lifelong PC user or you just got your firstWindows 11 laptop, there are a few things you can do to make it a little more capable, comfortable and easy to use.
I know because I’ve been using the latest version of Windows since it was in beta, and when I wrote myWindows 11 reviewI was a little underwhelmed by how the finished product failed to live up to Microsoft’s hype.
But it was still a decent operating system when it launched in 2021, and in the years since the company has put in work to shore up its deficiencies and make it (generally) better and easier to use.
That said, there are still a lot of recommendations I make when helping a friend or family member get acquainted with Windows 11 for the first time. And withWindows 10 reaching its end of lifein 2025, I think there are going to be lot of people getting to grips with Windows 11 for the first time this year.
That’s why I collected my top 15 Windows 11 tips together in one place. These tips can help you be happier, more comfortable and more productive, making your time on even thebest Windows laptopsand desktops that much better.
Launches whatever is pinned to your taskbar in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd…etc. position
Windows 11 has a massivelist of keyboard shortcutsyou can use to instantly launch apps, commit actions and generally get things done a lot faster than if you used the mouse.
You don’t need to learn all of them (and trust me, you don’t want to) but there are at least a few dozen that I find super useful for helping me get things done as efficiently as possible.
There are one or two very specific keyboard shortcuts farther down in this list, but I wanted to take a moment to list my favorite and most-used keyboard shortcuts in the chart above for easy reference.
Back in the early days of Windows Microsoft used to sell add-on packs that had a bunch of new features and tools for power users.
Those days are behind us now, thankfully, as all Windows updates and upgrades are free—including PowerToys, a bundle of extras that you can use to do some frankly incredible things in Windows 11.
You can download PowerToys from the Microsoft Store app (check out our guide tohow to get PowerToys in Windows 11for step-by-step guidance) and there are loads of cool tools to play with inside. One of my favorites is PowerToys Run (pictured above), a supercharged version of the Windows Run command that works a lot more like the Spotlight Search in macOS by allowing you to type in natural language.
Windows will then try to find what you’re looking for, whether that’s an app you want to run on your PC, a file hidden in a folder somewhere or a key website somewhere on the web.
There are lots of other PowerToys that replicate or improve upon features in competing operating systems too, like Mouse Without Borders, which lets you use one mouse across multiple PCs the same way you can use a single mouse across multiple Macs and iPads with Universal Control.
Or try Shortcut Guide, which makes it easy to quickly summon a customizable guide to keyboard shortcuts so you don’t have to keep referring to Microsoft’s (or my) lists of shortcuts.
Use Windows 11 Voice Access for extra productivity with no hand strain
Windows has had various forms of voice-to-text typing and voice controls for some time, but with Windows 11 Voice Access I think Microsoft has achieved a new level of utility that makes it worth using for everyone, not just folks who have a hard time typing.
Of course, Voice Access is even more valuable for those of us who have compromised hands and wrists or otherwise have a hard time using a traditional PC because it lets you do the lion’s share of your Windows work without using your hands.
Once you get comfortable using Voice Access you can not only talk to your PC to tell it what to type, you can tell it to launch or close programs, click buttons on websites, enter text and other data in website fields and generally get a lot done without touching the keyboard. It feels kind of futuristic, too, like you’re talking to one of the Esper supercomputers in Blade Runner.
Windows 11 Voice Access has been a game-changer for how I work, and it’s now built right into the latest versions of the operating system, so you should be able to find it by justhitting the Start button and typing “Voice Access”, then launching it from the search results.For more guidance and tips, check out our guide tohow to use Windows 11 Voice Access to tell your PC what to do.
Take advantage of Clipboard history
I don’t know about you, but I spend a lot of my workday copying and pasting text, images and files across various projects I’m working on within Windows 11.
That’s why I was so happy when I discovered the Clipboard history, which is exactly what it sounds like: a historical log of everything you’ve copied to the Windows clipboard recently.
You can access it by simply hitting theWindows key + Vkeyboard shortcut, at which point the little window will appear with a reverse chronological log of everything you’ve copied (you may have to hit the “Turn on” button first to turn it on).
Try it and you’ll see not only is the clipboard history in this little app, it also has tabs for pasting in emoji, GIFs, special characters and more.
Save power and money with Energy Saver
Windows laptops have had some sort of “battery saver” power mode that conserves power for at least a decade, but recently Microsoft built that feature up into a new “Energy Saver” power mode that you can use on both laptopsanddesktops.
The value is obvious if you’re on a laptop that’s running low on juice, because enabling Energy Saver mode lowers the rate at which your machine consumes battery power.
But the fact that you can now use it on Windows 11 desktop PCs means you can fine-tune your PC’s power draw to some extent, which can save you hundreds of dollars on your power bill in the course of a year. You can also dig into theSystem > Power > Energy recommendationssubsection of the Windows 11 Settings menu for more guidance on how to cut down on your power bill.
To enable or disable Energy Saver, just open your Quick Settings menu by clicking the system tray on your taskbar or hitting Windows key + A.
Get to grips with God Mode
If you don’t feel powerful enough in Windows 11 after downloading PowerToys, it’s time to try God Mode.
“God Mode” in Windows 11 is actually a semi-secret list of shortcuts that let you do a lot of things inside Windows without having to dig through menus. They’re very useful for creating shortcuts to do things like create a restore point for Windows, creating or deleting new user accounts, show hidden files and folders and more.
But it’s a little tricky to access God Mode, because you have to create a new folder on your Windows desktop and then rename it to a very specific weird string of characters:GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}
Once you do that a little control panel icon will appear on your desktop, and you can open it to see a list of dozens and dozens of shortcuts to key Windows features. It’s a tricky process, so make sure to consult our guide tohow to enable God Mode in Windowsif you have any questions!
Save your most-used files as Favorites in File Manager
This feature wasn’t in Windows 11 at launch, but less than a year inMicrosoft gave File Explorer a makeoverand added some useful new features that made it a lot more versatile.
One my faves, pardon the pun, is the ability toright-click any file and select Add to Favoritesin the context menu.
That will ensure that file appears in a special “Favorites” section of the File Manager Home screen every time you open the app. I use this for key work documents and regularly-used templates, but you can use it however makes sense for your workflow.
Try the Xbox Game Bar
If you play games on your Windows PC you should check out the Xbox Game Bar, a built-in feature that you can summon by hitting theWindows key + Gkeyboard shortcut.
Doing so brings up an overlay that has key widgets for PC gaming, including an audio control widget for controlling key details like volume levels, which mic and speakers you’re using and more.
There’s also a performance monitor, a screenshot widget, and even a full Widget storefront where you can download additional tools like aSpotifywidget, aRazerCortex widget and even widgets designed to help you in specific games like Valorant.
Microsoft has done a lot to improve this feature since it debuted, so give it a try next time you’re gaming.
Take advantage of Focus assist
I love using Windows 11’s Focus feature when I’m working and when I’m gaming because it puts the kibosh on annoying pop-ups and notifications for as long as you need.
To try it yourself, simplyopen the Focus settings menu within the Windows 11 Settings menu(the fastest way is to hit theStart buttonand typeFocus,then hitEnter) and use the tools therein to customize how long you want a Focus session to last when you start the timer.
Once you do start a Focus session, a timer will appear on-screen (though you can choose to hide it) and Windows’ built-in Do Not Disturb mode will switch on. This will hide things like notification badges on apps and stop apps flashing in the taskbar when they want your attention, but only for the duration of the Focus session.
You can customize which notifications appear and how in the Focus settings menu, which can make it a great resource for managing your attention.
Try out Dark Mode
If you want to take things to the next level, you can even customize your perfect Windows 11 color palette.
Now that so many of us are using monitors with sky-high brightness settings and HDR support, I truly feel that every app and website should offer a dark mode option.
Sadly that’s not yet the case, and even when an app or ‘site does have a dark mode it’s often a hassle to fiddle with the settings on each and every one.
That’s why I’m so grateful Windows 11 has a “dark mode” you can enable which will switch the appearance of Windows to a cooler, darker palette. Even better, it will do its best to automatically switch all apps which support it to dark mode, saving you some time and hassle.
To enable Dark Mode in Windows 11, navigate to Settings > Personalization > Colors and select “Dark” from the “Choose your mode” dropdown menu. You can also set up custom color palettes if you prefer.
Try out Phone Link to get texts on your PC
If you’ve been jealous of the way Macs and iPhones are so deeply integrated that owners of both can get texts right on their PC, it’s time for you to try out Phone Link.
For the last year or so the Phone Link app has been included by default in Windows 11, so you should be able tosummon it by just hitting the Start button and typing Phone, then clicking the Phone Link iconin the search results.
Once you launch it you can sync your iPhone or Android device to your PC and start sending and receiving text messages right from within Windows. Unfortunately, it’s pretty limited with iPhones, so you can only take full advantage of this feature if you’re using an Android device that’s running Android 8 or later.
But I’m still using an iPhone and I find even the basic utilities of Phone Link pretty handy to have, so I recommend you give it a shot.
Clear out annoying taskbar clutter
Trim down your Windows 11 taskbar in the Settings menu.
When I first started using Windows 11 I was so annoyed by what Microsoft did to the taskbar. I’m not talking about the centered Start menu, either; I got used to that pretty quickly, and after all you can move it back to the lefthand corner if you really want (just right-click the taskbar and selectTaskbar settings > Taskbar behaviorsand changeTaskbar alignmenttoLeft).
I like my Windows taskbar to work for me, so one of the first things I do on every new Windows PC I review is to get rid of all the default taskbar icons for apps like Copilot, Edge, the Microsoft Store and Task View.
Some of these, like the Microsoft Store shortcut, can be removed by simply right-clicking the icon on the taskbar and selectingUnpin from taskbarfrom the context menu.
Others take more work to dislodge. You can hide them from the taskbar by navigating toSettings > Personalization > Taskbarand opening theTaskbar itemssub-menu, where you’ll have the choice to disable the Microsoft Teams, Widgets, and Task view buttons.
Note that if you disable the Widgets button it will disappear from the taskbar, meaning you will no longer get live weather updates via it (if you have it configured that way) and you won’t be able to access your Widget menu by mousing over it.
Shake things up to stay focused
Windows 11 has a handy little feature that allows you to quickly minimize all windowsexceptthe one you’re focusing on by simply shaking it around a bit. The window, that is, not your PC—try not to shake that around at all if possible.
This is a fun way to quickly get rid of (without actually closing) everything except what you want to focus on. I’ve found it comes in real handy when working across multiple monitors.
To enable it, simply navigate toSettings > System > Multitaskingandswitch Title bar window shaketoOn.
Fine-tune volume with a spin of your scroll wheel
Hover your mouse over this icon, roll your scroll wheel back and forth and watch the volume percentage go up and down.
Here’s a fun little secret not many Windows 11 users know: you can quickly adjust your PC volume by moving your mouse over the speaker icon in your taskbar and rolling the scroll wheel on your mouse or trackball up and down.
I really love doing this because it saves me at least two clicks every time, and that adds up in the course of a month. But more importantly, it makes me feel both cool and smart to know how to use this little feature.
You can put folders and key settings right on the Start menu
See the little white icons in the lower-right corner of the Start Menu? Those are how these commonly-used folders appear when you enable them.
If you need faster access to key aspects of your PC like the Settings menu, the Downloads folder or your Network settings you can add them right to your Start menu with a few simple clicks.
To do so, navigate toSettings > Personalization > Start > Folders. In this sub-menu you’ll see a list of nine folders (from Downloads to Pictures) you can choose to put back on the Start menu. Note that they appear not with their usual icons alongside everything else, but rather as small white glyphs in the lower-right corner of the Start Menu.
You can do even deeper customization of your Start Menu if you back out of the Folders sub-menu. In the generalSettings > Personalization > Startsettings you’ll find even more options to change the way icons are spaced in the menu, whether or not your most recently-used apps and files appear, and more.
Foldables are here to stay. You were wrong if you figured they would be a short-lived fad or relegated to some niche corner where nobody paid any attention to them, and many people did. While not yet mainstream, they’re not going away anytime soon.
They have their pros and cons, and some models do it better than others. One thing they all have in common is a big sheet of glass that can be bent across itself, then straightened back out (hopefully) hundreds of thousands of times.
It sounds a little bit crazy. I think most of us have broken glass and consider it fragile. It is. But with the right parts and the right techniques glass, like everything else, can be bent.
While a foldable phone may fold, the glass doesn’t. Folding a sheet of glass would instantly break it, so instead it’s bending, and yes there is a difference.
Take a sheet of paper and lay it on a table. Now grab the top corners and bring them to the bottom corners. You’ve bent the paper. If you apply pressure along the bend and create a crease, it’s folded. Your foldable phone never allows the glass to fold, just bend. this sounds a bit like nitpicking, but it matters.
Everything will bend if you make it thin enough. A framing timber in your roof won’t bend, but a thin sheet of wood veneer or a branch on aBonsai treewill because it’s thinner. If you apply enough pressure to bend a thick hunk of wood, it’s going to break because of what’s called tensile strength.
When glass, or anything else, bends, you’re stretching the materialoutsidethe radius of the bend itself. A material’s tensile strength determines how far it can be stretched before it breaks, and dense, thick materials are both stronger and harder to bend than thin materials. The force required to bend a thick piece of wood will cause it to break as soon as or right after it begins to bend.
By using a very thin sheet of glass, you’re stretching less material and putting less tensile strain on it. This allows it to stretch and bend before it reaches its breaking point.
Don’t get too hung up on this because it works just like you think it does — thin things are easier to bend without breaking. But thin glass is only one of the things that lets your foldable fold … erm bend.
Making a phone with a glass screen that folds in half is a pretty amazing accomplishment. But as mentioned, the glass is just one piece of the puzzle.
That thin glass — often calledUTGfor ultra-thin glass — isn’t the same as the glass used on other phones. It’s been treated in ways that allow it to stretch even more than it normally would.
The exact methods and materials used are company secrets, but different polymers are injected into the glass and used as a coating over the glass to allow for a lower tensile strain during the bending process. Making the glass as thin as human hair (thinner, actually) isn’t enough.
Next, you have to make sure the glass doesn’t touch itself while in the bent position, but you need to do it the right way. There are two reasons for this, but from a design standpoint, it is important that the least amount of bending be used to fold the body of the phone on itself. Ideally, there is a larger air gap at the bend point than the outside edges, and the outer case of the phone is built so that it’s doing the touching instead of the glass itself. It doesn’t matter if the phone is a flipper or a folder, the glass can’t touch, and the point nearest to the bend will have a larger gap the the edge.
That’s where the most important part of all this comes into play:the hinge. Hinges have improved dramatically since the failure that was the first Samsung Galaxy Fold, but even that was an engineering feat.
A hinge must be designed to allow for fluid motion only in the way it was designed to, well, to hinge. You can’t have unwanted linear force or any sort of warping during the process, and every time it moves, things must be very consistent. The hinge not only needs to be sturdy, stout, and precise; it needs to be durable as well. The 200,000th time the hinge folds needs to be the same as the first.
We see new hinge designs with every release cycle because it’s the most important component of a foldable, even if it’s not the most spectacular. There is no one correct way to accomplish this, and every company making foldable phones does things a little differently. They all have the same end goal, though: be strong enough to resist unwanted “twisting”, be precise enough to meet design specifications, and be durable enough to do it hundreds of thousands of times before it fails.
The last (and worst) piece: some plastic
If you were to grab a foldable phone and press really hard on the screen with your thumbnail, you would be able to put a tiny dent in it. This is because you’re not really touching the glass itself; there is a thin layer of plastic covering it all. If you were to grab a first-generation foldable you would put a bigger dent on the screen using a lot less force because this process has been refined a lot in a few years. The latest phonesalmostfeel like glass when you touch them.
This isn’t done because phone makers love the feel of plastic, it’s done for the same reason the glass can’t touch itself when bent in half. The glass on a foldable phone needs to stay as defect-free as possible.
If you look at the screen on your “regular” phone very closely you’ll find a bunch of very tiny scratches. These have almost no effect on the operation of your phone and most of the time you wouldn’t even know there were there. But they are, and they would spell the death of a foldable.
Any defect — a chip or a scratch — in a piece of bendable glass creates a weak point that will be prone to expanding as the glass is stretched (on one side) and compressed (on the other side) during the bending process. That means the glass is going to crack where the defect is.
A non-removable screen layer of a thin, flexible plastic material over the glass acts as a sacrificial layer that will absorb the abuse instead of the glass getting it.
A lot of different companies now make foldable phones in several different styles. Now you understand how it works a little bit and know how things will keep getting better each and every year.
The price of some subscription plans is to jump by about 36 per cent in some territories from next week
It has been about 19 months since the last PS Plus price hike
Sony is raising the price ofPlayStation Plusin 22 countries because of the impact of “global market conditions”.
Affected regions include South America, south-east Asia and Australia, where the price of certain subscription plans are jumping almost 36 per cent.
Here is what you need to know about the PS Plus price rise, including affected countries and how you can evade them.
When are PS Plus prices going up?
The new PS Plus prices will come into force onWednesday April 16for new subscribers andJune 24(or when subscriptions run out) for existing subscribers.
Sony said the hike is down to “global market conditions” – in plain terms, that means things like inflation and other economic changes, especially in regions like Latin America where costs have soared.
Sony’s PlayStation Plus service includes access to online multiplayer, free monthly games, and a huge library of titles depending on the subscription tier
Pexels
The company argued the changes are needed to keep delivering top-tier games and perks throughPlayStationPlus. It’s part of a wider trend: asXbox Game Passand Netflix (whichnow offers games) raise their prices, Sony is following suit to stay competitive.
Where are PS Plus prices going up and by how much?
Below we have listed all the countries where Sony is upping the cost of PS Plus, along with the new and old prices for each region (and the percentage difference).
South Korea
Essential:
1 month: KRW 8,900 → KRW 10,800 (+21.3%)
3 months: KRW 23,800 → KRW 28,400 (+19.3%)
12 months: KRW 72,900 → KRW 86,400 (+18.5%)
Extra:
1 month: KRW 13,300 → KRW 16,200 (+21.8%)
3 months: KRW 36,000 → KRW 46,000 (+27.8%)
12 months: KRW 115,900 → KRW 145,800 (+25.8%)
Deluxe (Premium):
1 month: KRW 15,600 → KRW 19,000 (+21.8%)
3 months: KRW 43,200 → KRW 54,000 (+25%)
12 months: KRW 139,900 → KRW 171,000 (+22.2%)
Latin America (general pricing in USD)
Essential:
1 month: $6.99 → $7.99 (+14.31%)
3 months: $17.99 → $20.99 (+16.68%)
12 months: $59.99 → $64.99 (+8.34%)
Extra:
1 month: $9.99 → $11.99 (+20.02%)
3 months: $27.99 → $33.99 (+21.43%)
12 months: $89.99 → $107.99 (+20%)
Premium:
1 month: $11.99 → $13.99 (+16.68%)
3 months: $34.99 → $39.99 (+14.29%)
12 months: $109.99 → $124.99 (+13.64%)
Sony regularly adds new titles to the PlayStation Plus library, with recent additions including Lost Records: Bloom & Rage and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Brazil
The following price increases are for current/new subscribers:
As the increase doesn’t start until April 16, there is still time for users to get the lower price, even if they are current subscribers.
You canpurchase extra cards at a lower priceand add them to your account, andReddit users have reportedthat PlayStation lets them add additional years to their account this way.
Alternatively, Sony has cut the price of membership forBlack Fridayin the past so, if you can’t afford an annual membership now, the chances are you will get a second bite of the cherry come November. Stacking two three-month memberships should see you through till then.
Currently, the US and Europe are safe from these price hikes, but uncertainty prevails with the ongoing tariff situation.
Microsoft’s Recallfeature has had a rocky start to its existence. Designed to capture screenshots of your actions onCopilot Plus PCto find later, it’s been delayed and pushed back since it was first announced.
However, Microsoft appears ready to try again, as the company is starting to preview the feature toWindows Insiders.
Microsoft described Recall in a recentblog post: “You work across so many apps, sites, and documents it can be hard to remember where you saw something you want to get back to. Recall saves you time by offering an entirely new way to search for things you’ve seen or done on your PC securely.”
Recall was initially meant to launch with the first batch of Copilot Plus PCslast June, but it was pushed back due to security concerns. In October, Microsoft planned to re-release it, but it pushed it back to give itself a chance to make “a secure and trusted experience.”
It seems the company is at least close to ready to create that secure experience, as rolling the feature out to those in the Windows Insider program is typically the last step before the company launches a feature to the masses.
Microsoft’s blog post also mentions that you must opt in if you want to have Windows save your screenshots and make them findable.
“You will need to opt-in to saving snapshots, which are images of your activity, and enrol in Windows Hello to confirm your presence so only you can access your snapshots,” reads the company’s blog.
Having Recall on PCs as an opt-in feature instead of on by default is a smart move from Microsoft, as it’ll allow those more security-conscious users to ignore the feature and keep using their Copilot Plus PC without any changes.
Microsoft didn’t say how long the feature would be in testing before launching it to all Copilot Plus PC users. Based on the issues with the initial launch, I assume it’ll keep it in testing for a while to ensure everything is ready for prime time.
For about two decades, traditionalmicroSD cardswere the storage solution of choice for portable devices like mobile phones andhandheld consoles.
However, the evolution of storage solutions has led to the development of microSD Express, an advancement over its predecessor.
While microSD cards and microSD Express appear the same, their specifications and applications differ. You may be wondering why you haven’t heard about microSD Express – that’s because the technology is not only relatively new, but its adoption has been quite slow.
microSD Express vs microSD card – the basics
microSD Express is an advanced version of microSD that uses PCIe and NVMe interfaces similar to high-end SSD storage solutions to achieve significantly faster transfer speeds of up to 985MB/s.
This storage format was first released by the SD Association in 2019, and since then, several brands have developed cards with guaranteed minimum speeds of 150MB/s, 300MB/s, 450MB/s, or 600MB/s, as indicated by the “E” symbol on the card label. These cards, however, have not seen wide usage until recently, when Nintendo announced plans to use them for expanded storage in the upcomingSwitch 2.
On the other hand, a microSD card is a small, removable storage device that has been widely used in smartphones, tablets, cameras, and gaming consoles. Originally launched in 2005, the format has evolved into SDHC, SDXC, and SDUC variants, with capacities up to 2TB.
These cards use the SD interface and are classified based on speed. Most consumer devices today support UHS-I cards, with read speeds up to 100MB/s. Less common UHS-II and UHS-III cards can reach speeds of up to 300MB/s and 600MB/s, respectively.
The obvious advantage of microSD Express over microSD is transfer speed. Its interfaces enable faster write speeds, allowing for seamless recording and quicker file transfers. Another key benefit is reduced latency, thanks to NVMe technology.
Unlike traditional microSD cards, which rely on older interfaces, microSD Express offers lower response times when accessing data. This leads to faster system responsiveness, especially when opening large files, running applications, or switching between stored media.
Backward compatibility concerns
One major drawback of microSD Express is its lack of full backward compatibility. If you use a microSD Express card in an older device with a traditional microSD slot, the transfer speed drops to UHS-I levels, which can be disappointing. In addition, devices made for microSD Express are exclusive, meaning regular microSD cards will not work in them.
This compatibility issue is clear with the Nintendo Switch 2, which only supports microSD Express cards. Users now need to purchase new storage solutions, even if they have plenty of data on older microSD cards from previous Switch models. This shift has caused frustration among users who expected backward compatibility to be preserved.
microSD Express cards are not designed for all use cases. If you mainly store regular photos and videos on mobile phones or cameras, a standard microSD card will do just fine.
microSD Express shines in scenarios where high-speed data transfer is critical, with one key example being gaming.
Games are data-intensive, and faster read/write speeds reduce load times, improve performance, and make gameplay smoother. This is likely a key reason why the Nintendo Switch 2 adopted microSD Express.
Standard microSD cards often struggle with large files, leading to dropped frames or slow transfers when dealing with high data rates, such as4Kor8Kvideo. This makes microSD Express especially valuable for filmmakers and content creators.
Cost and availability
That all said, getting a microSD Express card isn’t easy. Few brands currently produce them, and availability may be limited in some regions.
Also, because the technology is still developing and uses more advanced components, microSD Express cards tend to be more expensive. For example, a 1TB microSD Express card from Lexar costs around $200, while a standard 1TB microSD card from the same brand is priced under $70.
Should you upgrade to microSD Express?
Whether to switch to microSD Express depends on your needs and device compatibility. If your device requires it, like the Nintendo Switch 2, then upgrading is necessary. But if your device only supports standard microSD cards, there’s little benefit, as speeds will drop by almost 90%. That said, if low latency is a priority, it may still be worth considering.
For general users who want affordable storage for smartphones, cameras, or other devices, traditional microSD cards remain a practical choice. Professionals working with high-speed applications, may find microSD Express to be a worthwhile investment.
Future of microSD Express
Portable computing devices, including laptops, tablets, and handheld gaming PCs, now use high-grade hardware and often rely on expandable storage for larger apps and media. For example, some mobile phones and cameras can now record in 8K, which puts a lot of pressure on storage performance.
A one-minute 8K video can be as large as 20GB. Saving this to a regular microSD card could take around four minutes, while a microSD Express card could do it in about 30 seconds. That is a significant difference that could drive the adoption of microSD Express.
Still, the future of microSD Express really depends on how many device manufacturers choose to support it. If more consoles, cameras, and portable devices integrate the format, prices may come down and the market could expand.
It seems Google is pretty happy with the state of its Gemini model at the moment because it’s inserting AI features into every product it has lately. This time,Workspaceis getting the AI refresh, with new features coming to Docs, Sheets, Vids, Meet, and Chat — along with a new “agentic AI” feature called Workspace Flows.
First up, Docs is getting new audio and AI writing capabilities. The podcast feature first used inNotebookLMreceived a lot of praise, and now it’s starting to appear in more places. It came to Gemini a few weeks ago, and now it’s coming to Google Docs in a few weeks.
Google
If you haven’t heard about it,audio overviewsare basically AI-generated summaries of your document but presented in a new way — instead of text, you get a podcast hosted by two AI personas. It sounds quite out there, but Google says it’s had great feedback and there are plenty of people online talking about how great it is for multitasking.
As well as the podcast-style overviews, you can also get an audio version of your document as is. This is meant to help you spot any weird phrasing in your writing or check through a document without actually sitting down and reading it.
The second feature for Docs is Help me refine, and Google says it’s more than just a text-generating tool. Instead, the model has been trained to offer “thoughtful suggestions” to improve both your language and the content of your writing — encouraging you to engage in the process and develop your skills as a writer and communicator.
Tools that “force” you to do something properly like this can be a little unpopular with some users — since there are plenty of LLMs that will just fix everything for you, it can seem a little condescending for Google to decide you need to put some work in yourself.
However, if you can see past this, it likely really is a better way to utilize an AI writing tool. Offloading tasks to AI can quickly affect your own abilities, and while writing assistance can help speed tasks up, most people will still have to spend a lot of time writing documents. It would frankly suck to spend so much time on something just to find your skills degrading rather than improving.
Either way, if this feature works well,Grammarlymight not be so pleased — most people won’t want two different programs highlighting their typos at the same time, so one or the other will probably get the boot.
Moving on to the other features, we’ve got theHelp me analyzebot inGoogle Sheets, built to help you spot patterns and interesting trends in your data that you might have missed. If you’re not sure how to get the results you want, it can point you in the right direction — saving you time while making sure it doesn’t also waste time by taking control and generating charts that aren’t quite what you need.
Google
Vidsis also getting access to in-app video generation, andMeetis adding a personal in-meeting advisor to help you catch up on discussions you missed or draft a point you want to make before saying it. If you have a long discussion in Chat, Gemini will soon be available for you to @ and ask for a summary.
And lastly, Workspace is getting access to its own AI agents, allowing teams to build new automatic processes that help streamline work. These agents, known asGems, can look at the documents in your Drive for context and guidance to inform its decisions.
The exampleGoogle shows offis a customer support Gem that can review request forms, understand the issue, research solutions, draft a reply, and flag it for a team member to review and send. Again, the design of the tool focuses on not going too far, always seeking out human input before it makes any mistakes that could drastically reduce its effectiveness as a time-saving tool.
It looks like there will be a staggered release for all of these features, with most coming in the next couple of weeks or months, and the Sheets feature coming later in the year.
