Guides
Headphones, laptops, Wi-Fi and smart-home gear explained without the jargon.
For most majors a last-generation MacBook Air or a $500-class Windows thin-and-light is the whole answer. The one spec worth paying for, the ones that aren't, and the four laptops we'd shortlist.
Mesh fixes dead zones, not slow internet. If your Wi-Fi is fine in the living room and dead in the bedroom, you need mesh; if it's slow everywhere, you need a better plan or a better single router. Here's the decision and four systems we'd choose from.
Over-ears cancel more noise and last longer per charge; earbuds disappear into a pocket and work at the gym. Here's how to choose by where you'll actually wear them, and the three budget picks that punch above their price.
The mAh number on the box overstates what you'll get by about a third, wattage decides whether it charges your laptop or just your phone, and the airline limit is 100 Wh. Here's the math and the four we'd buy.
You don't need a hub, an ecosystem or a weekend of setup. Start with a smart bulb, a smart plug and a video doorbell — here's why those three, what to check before you buy, and the models we'd start with.