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Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust. Because, Why Not: There has been a growing trend among many PC builders recently: in-case displays. Not only have these screens been getting bigger and more advanced, but some people find that one just isn’t enough. That’s where Chinese firm Jonsbo comes in. The company’s new AIO cooler series packs a bewildering four customizable LCDs. Jonsbo’s TF3-360SC series initially looks like a typical AIO cooler with a 3.5-inch 640 x 480 screen built into the pump block – a design we’ve seen many times before. But Jonsbo has decided that one screen is far from enough. Embedded into the frames of the 120mm fans are three 3.38-inch 640 x 180 displays, ensuring users have all the data they could possibly want on display at all times. The three panels, which operate at 350 nits brightness, can be customized to show system information such as temperatures, fan speeds, and clock rates. They can also be programmed using Jonsbo’s proprietary software to display JPG images, GIFs, and MP4 videos. The pump block has a detachable top cover that can be rotated to allow for different installation orientations, too. The radiator, meanwhile, measures 397 x 120 x 27mm and is able to fit standard triple-fan mounting spots. The fans operate between 700 and 2,400 RPM, are rated between 21.46 and 62.40 CFM of airflow, and reach a maximum noise level of 37.3 dBA. The pump runs at 2,500 RPM and keeps below 30 dBA. The TF3-360SC is compatible with a wide range of new and old Intel and AMD sockets: it fits Team Blue’s LGA2011, 1851, 1700, 1200, and 115x, as well as Team Red’s AM5 and AM4. The displays can be managed through Jonsbo’s Windows app, allowing different content to appear on each individual screen. The app connects to the AIO via USB headers and SATA power, which means that unlike some similar products, it doesn’t require extra power cables. The TF3-360SC series is available in matte black and gloss white to match specific PC builds. No word yet on pricing, but expect to take a big chunk out of your wallet. For comparison, Thermaltake’s TH360 V2 Ultra AIO, which has “only” a single screen on the water block, is $150. Read More

Tony Anderson/Getty Images Few things are as satisfying for DIYers as coming to a personal workspace complete with all the tools they ever wanted. However, having a fully-operational home garage or workshop means finding tools that serve a strong functional purpose first and foremost. Whether you’re looking to break in your new workspace or need to refresh your current inventory, a trip to your local Lowe’s will get you everything you need and then some.  The famous blue and white chain needs little introduction as one of the most well-known home improvement retailers alongside The Home Depot, Harbor Freight, and Ace Hardware — and even being the most cost-effective option in some instances. You’ll find no shortage of top-tier brands, some of which are even exclusive to Lowe’s, in a variety of categories ranging from simple hand tools to heavy-duty automotive accessories. At the end of the day, what populates your garage will depend entirely on your needs and personal preferences, so an item that works well for one person may not be as organic a fit for someone else.  The four tools we’ll be covering on this list are ones that possess enough versatility to prove useful in practically any work environment. Along with their functionality, the price, overall value, and user reviews attached to each item influenced our decision-making. More about our methodology can be read at the end of this article. Pony 6-inch Cast Iron Bench Vise Stability is key to the success of countless projects. Bench vises are easy to use, versatile additions to any workshop, adept at firmly securing work pieces to a surface so your hands can carry out other tasks. Lowe’s has no shortage of these powerful tools and one of the best offered by the retailer is the Pony 6-Inch Cast Iron Bench Vise.  For most, this bench vise will be more than sufficient. Its jaws can open up a maximum of 5-inches and possess nearly 4-inches of throat depth. When those teeth come together, the tool can deliver upwards of 5,500 pounds of clamping force. This, combined with its set of serrated steel teeth, gives you the ultra security needed to keep practically any wood, plastic, or metal material in place. The vise’s heft adds to its overall stability, weighing in at nearly 40 pounds and being fitted with a sturdy base that can pivot 180 degrees for extra versatility.  On Lowe’s website, the Pony Bench Vise holds a 4.3 out of five-star rating average from nearly 60 reviewers. Buyers have praised it as an economical and overall effective option, even if it’s not the best pick for super heavy-duty work. It can currently be purchased for $129 from the retailer.  Craftsman 25 -Piece 6-inch Screwdriver Set You don’t need to be a tool aficionado to know how important a screwdriver is to any work or living situation. Even in a world of high-tech drills and similarly heavy-duty solutions, the humble screwdriver remains as practical and versatile as ever. Investing in a collection of these, such as those found in the 25-Piece Screwdriver Set from Craftsman, means that you’ll have a tool on hand for just about every occasion.  Craftsman may be a name you’re well-aware of, but you may not know that Lowe’s is one of the few retailers that officially sells its products (and that it is owned by the same company as DeWalt). The Craftsman Screwdriver Set is emblematic of the manufacturer’s commitment to delivering high-quality yet accessible products. The 25-piece set contains screwdrivers of varying lengths and tip types including Philips, flatheads, piece hooks, and offset screwdrivers. Each piece is well-suited for a unique function, allowing you to switch between them depending on the task.  Their durable alloy steel construction gives each enhanced durability to take on tough work and be resistant to corrosion and similar damage. It sports a near perfect 4.8 out of five-star rating average on Lowe’s website from nearly 280 buyers. Its variety, ease of handling, and durable nature have won the approval of customers, as has its $44 price range and the lifetime warranty that comes standard with Craftsman products. Irwin Strait-Line 25-foot Tape Measure Measuring is an important step of many projects to ensure the greatest level of accuracy. There are countless tools you can use to get the job done, some more advanced than others, but a tape measure is a standard tool shop staple for good reason. Their compact build, straightforward operation, and ability to extend great distances makes them the ideal measurement tool for many — and that’s not even going into their numerous hidden features and capabilities.  Staying in line with those perks is the Irwin Strait-Line 25-Foot Tape Measure from Lowe’s. While it can be easily used by users of all experience levels, this tape measure is primarily built with professional work environments in mind. This becomes readily apparent when you examine its build quality and durability. The rubber casing itself is made to take quite the beating, with the ability to withstand falls from up to 80-feet. Likewise, the blade is built to remain rigid and is coated to make it resistant to tears. It possesses additional features that reflect its heavy-duty potential, including a two-sided blade and hook, a finger break to aid in safe retraction, and large clear numbers and markings for easier reading.  The Irwin tape measure currently possesses a 4.5-star rating average from more than 200 customers. Users have been pleasantly surprised by the length of the blade and the level of control they’ve achieved with it, with only minor complaints pointed towards details such as its belt clip. The tape measure can be purchased for $30. Kobalt 5-Piece Assorted Pliers From grabbing and trimming to pulling and twisting, pliers can be the extra pair of fingers we didn’t know we needed. They’re strong enough to hang on to objects while possessing the ability to latch on to nimble, delicate items with ease. But not all pliers are built the

Tokariev Dmytro/Shutterstock Swapping out a mower blade might seem like a straightforward task — unbolt the old one, slap on the new one, and you’re done. But there’s one detail that trips up more people than you’d think: which side of the blade is supposed to face up? Believe it or not, flipping that blade the wrong way can do serious harm, similar to using a wet lawn mower. It can actually wreck your grass, damage your mower, and cost you more time and effort than you signed up for. Lawn mower blades aren’t symmetrical tools. They’re engineered with specific curves, angles, and edges to cut cleanly through grass. The sharp edge always needs to face downward, toward the grass, while the dull, curved part should point upward toward the mower deck. Many blades are stamped with markings like “This Side Up” or “Toward Grass,” but if yours isn’t labeled, a little knowledge of blade design can go a long way. What happens if you install it upside down? Povozniuk/Getty Images A correctly installed blade cuts cleanly by spinning with its sharpened edge leading the way. If it’s upside down, though, the dull edge hits the grass, and that doesn’t really cut anything at all. Instead of a crisp trim, you’ll see grass that looks shredded, torn, or bruised. This leaves your lawn looking patchy, with high chances of slow growth over time. You might also notice clumps of grass left behind, as the blade fails to cut cleanly and struggles to throw the clippings evenly. Over time, this can lead to frustrated mowing sessions and an unhealthy-looking lawn, even if you use the lawn mower from the best brands. That’s not the only issue. The curved wing of the blade, which is meant to face up toward the deck, helps create suction that lifts the grass for an even cut. When flipped, that lift disappears, causing patchy clippings, uneven mowing, and extra strain on the engine. Prolonged use can also damage the crankshaft, bend the blade, or loosen the mounting bolt. If your mower suddenly vibrates more than usual or the grass looks ragged, the blade might be installed the wrong way. Tips for blade maintenance and sharpening Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty Images Once installed correctly, keeping your lawn mower blade sharp is key to a healthy lawn. Most lawn mower blades need to be sharpened (and balanced) every 20–25 hours of mowing, though this can vary depending on the type of grass and terrain. If you mow over sticks, rocks, or thick patches, the blade may dull even faster. Use a file, angle grinder, or rotary tool, and only sharpen the edge that faces the grass. Avoid over-sharpening, as blades don’t need to be razor-sharp. A clean, even edge on both sides is enough for smooth cuts and balanced rotation. And remember, not all blades are created equal. For example, the mulching blades have a more curved shape and raised flaps for chopping clippings finely. High-lift blades are best when you want the mower to collect grass clippings in a bag, while low-lift ones suit sandy soil. Don’t forget to match the blade to your mower’s specs — size, hole diameter, and design, for safe and efficient performance. A properly matched and sharpened blade not only makes your job easier but also keeps your lawn looking its best. Read More

SyarTok/Shutterstock Tools come in a virtually unlimited number of different shapes, sizes, and applications. If you work in the trades or are a hardcore DIY enthusiast, you probably know that a big part of performing any given task properly and efficiently involves selecting the right tools for the job. In order to do that, it’s critical that you understand the difference between various tools and their applications, including the different versions of very similar items like socket tools and their drive sizes.  Socket tools are wildly versatile and essential for a vast number of trades, hobbies, and DIY tasks. They’re designed to install or remove fasteners, like nuts and bolts, using a socket that fits over the fastener’s head along with either a special type of ratcheting wrench or a power tool to apply rotational force. Sockets attach to these tools via a square drive end on the tool itself and a corresponding hole on the socket. A socket or socket tool’s drive size refers to the width of the square connections and, in the United States, is written in inches. Different sockets and tools have different drive sizes and are usually designed to handle a series of fasteners, ranging from small to large. Depending on the type of socket and socket tool, drive ends may contain detent pins or hog rings, which help prevent the socket from falling off the tool while in use.  When it comes to using socket tools, it’s important to understand the differences between different drive sizes and the jobs you can perform with each. If you’re interested in learning more about why socket drive size matters, stick around. Here’s what you need to know. Why does drive size matter? As mentioned, sockets and socket tools are built with specified drive sizes. A set of sockets in any particular drive size tends to contain a range of sockets from small to large. Understanding the difference between drive sizes can help you not only select the right tool for the job, but it can also help you avoid damaging your gear by using it incorrectly. For example, larger drive sizes are built to handle bigger and heavier-duty jobs. If you use a massive impact wrench on a tiny fastener, you’re liable to break the fastener, as the large impact wrench is too powerful for such a small job. Similarly, a small ratchet or an impact wrench with a small drive end won’t be able to apply sufficient torque to loosen and remove many larger nuts and bolts — you could even damage your tools by using them in this way.  Even if you forget about the power and torque that different drive sizes provide, you still have to remember that not every drive size can handle every job for other reasons, too. For instance, if you buy a ½-inch drive ratchet to use while building your own computer, you’ll likely be unable to find ½-inch sockets small enough to handle your PC fasteners. Because of that, it’s critical that you select the right socket tool for the job. If you work in the trades or enjoy DIY tasks, you probably deal with a lot of fasteners of relatively similar size. You can purchase tools designed specifically for these jobs and fasteners, or you can purchase a kit containing various socket tools and sockets in different drive sizes to cover all your bases. What are the most common drive sizes and their applications? While sockets and socket tools can come in numerous different drive sizes, there are a few sizes that see the most use, in both the trades and general DIY projects. These drive sizes include ¼-inch, ⅜-inch, and ½-inch. Of those three, ⅜-inch is among the most versatile, capable of handling socket sizes typically found in both the upper and lower ranges of ¼-inch and ½-inch drive sizes.  Many trades regularly require the use of all three of those drive sizes. Small, ¼-inch drive sockets and socket tools are frequently used for things like small fasteners up to around 10-millimeters to 14-millimeters, depending on the socket set. They’re ideal for low torque requirements, and in the automotive world, are useful for tasks like replacing car batteries or ABS speed sensors. As mentioned, ⅜-inch sockets and socket tools represent one of the most versatile drive sizes, and ⅜-inch socket sets typically contain sizes ranging from around 10 or 12 millimeters up to 19 millimeters to 22 millimeters. These tools are ideal for everything from replacing spark plugs to disassembling engines and performing numerous home improvement and DIY jobs, and if you can only own one drive size, ⅜-inch is a solid choice. The largest drive size you’ll see commonly is ½-inch. These tools are designed to offer substantially greater torque and breakaway torque capacities, and they’re frequently used for tasks like removing car lug nuts and construction.  Besides those three drive sizes, other sizes exist. Larger drive sizes, like ¾-inch and 1-inch, are used primarily in heavy-duty applications, like diesel truck repair. Although ¼-inch is the smallest drive size you’ll usually see, there are other smaller tools that work similarly, like impact drivers, which usually feature a ¼-inch chuck for small hex bits. Read More

The entry-level graphics card market is shrinking fast, mainly because of inflation. Today, even basic cards like the Nvidia RTX 5050 start at $250, while AMD’s RX 9060XT 8 GB is priced at $299. Just a few years ago, you could get an RX 480, a solid mid-range GPU, for $199. As affordable discrete GPUs become rare, integrated graphics and APUs are stepping up. AMD’s Ryzen 5 8600G and Ryzen 7 8700G already offer decent 1080p gaming without needing a separate GPU, making them a great option for budget builds. But AMD isn’t stopping there: At the top of its new Ryzen AI 300 series is the Strix Halo (formerly Ryzen AI Max+ 395), which shows how far integrated chips have come. It packs a powerful 16-core x86 CPU running at 3.0 GHz base and up to 5.1 GHz boost, along with the Radeon 8060S; an integrated GPU based on the RDNA 3.5 architecture. With speeds up to 2.9 GHz, it handles both CPU and GPU tasks within a 120-watt power limit. While it’s not cheap, it offers serious performance without needing a separate graphics card, especially in laptops and compact PCs. Compared to Apple’s M4 and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite, both built on ARM architecture, AMD’s chip has one major advantage: Full support for x86 apps and games. Apple and Qualcomm are great for creative work and battery life, but struggle with PC gaming due to software emulation. The Ryzen AI Max+ 395, on the other hand, runs games natively, making it an all-in-one choice for users who want performance and compatibility in a single chip. How well does it perform? Looking at synthetic benchmarks like 3DMark Fire Strike, the Radeon 8060S delivers an impressive graphics score of 25,940 on average, putting it on par with a desktop Radeon RX 7600, and just slightly below a desktop Nvidia RTX 4060. Mobile GPUs are often choked by firm power limits and low core counts and are tuned for efficiency, making them significantly worse than their desktop counterparts. Hardware Canucks got their hands on an ROG Flow Z13 running a Ryzen AI Max+ 395 chip at 70-watt TDP and compared it against laptops equipped with discrete Nvidia RTX 4060, 4070 mobile GPUs, as well as a MacBook M4 Pro. In real-world productivity benchmarks like Blender and Houdini, the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 beats out its predecessor (Ryzen 9 AI HX 370) and even Apple’s M4 Pro. In tasks like Adobe Photoshop, though, where Apple’s chip runs natively, AMD falls behind. Still, the new Max+ 395 chip is faster than all x86 chips tested in productivity, AI workloads, and more. For gaming performance, the Radeon 8060S held its own and even outperformed the laptops with a powerful RTX 4070 in some titles, while breaking even in others. In “Cyberpunk 2077,” for instance, the 8060S averaged 39 fps at 1600p, compared to the RTX 4070’s 37 fps. In “Baldur’s Gate 3” and “Doom Eternal,” the 8060S averaged 57 fps and 149 fps at 1600p, while the RTX 4070 managed marginally better at 62 fps and 153 fps, respectively. How does it compare to Intel’s most powerful iGPU? Intel The closest rival to the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is Intel’s Lunar Lake Core Ultra 9 288V APU. It features the Intel ARC 140V, an 8-core Xe2-based iGPU clocked up to 2050 MHz. However, AMD’s Strix Halo has a clear lead in gaming. In tests conducted by ETA Prime, “Forza Horizon 5” ran at an average of 63 fps on the Intel chip at 1080p using Intel XeSS and medium settings, while the AMD APU pulled off a staggering 82 fps at 1200p and extreme settings, without any upscaling. In “Cyberpunk 2077,” AMD managed to score an average of 73 fps running at 1200p at high settings with FSR set to auto, while Intel’s ARC 140 V only managed an average fps of 67 fps on low settings on 1080p, even with XeSS set to performance mode. The Strix Halo is a major win for AMD, bringing almost discrete graphics performance to the iGPU. APUs are also more power-efficient than traditional CPU+GPU setups, giving laptop makers the freedom to build smaller, lighter devices without compromising on gaming performance or battery life. That said, the Radeon 8060S currently only ships with flagship CPUs, meaning it’s limited to high-end machines.  Expect to pay at least $1,499 for mini PCs like the GMKtec EVO X2 and over $2,00 for laptops. For example, the Asus ROG Flow Z13 starts at a steep $2,100. Though it’s only a matter of time before AMD trickles down the Radeon 8060S to midrange systems by pairing it with affordable six or eight-core Ryzen CPUs. Read More

Drop of Light/Shutterstock They started out as simple, inexpensive, compact, and easy to fly gadgets but over time, some drones used by the military have carved out a much bigger role than anyone expected. Built from everyday parts and flown with surprising ease, these drones, known as First Person View, or FPV, have become a serious threat on modern battlefields, especially to the kinds of weapons that once seemed untouchable. FPV drones are controlled remotely by a pilot who can see everything the drone sees and while they cost as little as $3,000, they are actually responsible for incapacitating significantly more expensive tanks. The FPVs receive a tank’s location from a reconnaissance drone, then target and attack the tank, taking out their wheels or tracks. This blitz forces the crew to bail out, leaving the tank vulnerable to large bomber drones. The bombers swoop in to finish the job, reducing the tank to a smoldering heap of scrap metal. When this strategy works as planned, it turns one of the most intimidating vehicles in a military into little more than a scrap heap. During Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine used FPV loitering munitions to change the battlefield. Ukraine’s tactics proved so effective that drone production exploded to meet demand and as of early 2025, the country was manufacturing around 200,000 FPVs every month, a staggering tenfold increase from just a year earlier. Even with their flaws, FPV drones are here to stay Kosmos_kom/Shutterstock Despite their growing role on the battlefield, First Person View drones come with serious trade-offs. Most of them are single-use, meaning once they’re deployed, they’re not coming back. Their short range and relatively slow speed make them easy targets for jamming or signal interference. They’re especially vulnerable to electronic countermeasures. While they are effective, they struggle to make an impact against heavily fortified positions or advanced air defenses. Compared to weapons like the Taurus cruise missiles or high-end combat drones, FPVs are also far less durable and far more limited in what they can strike. However, FPVs are becoming a focus of the U.S. military, thanks to the experimental wargame known as the Technology Readiness Experimentation, or T-REX. Drone pilots will face off in real-time air combat drills, testing their skills against advanced anti-drone defenses. It’s modeled loosely on the U.S. Navy’s famous Topgun fighter pilot school, with a format that pits offensive teams against defenders in high-pressure scenarios. The idea is to train operators to outmaneuver jamming, spoofing, and other modern countermeasures, while stress-testing new tech in a setting that mimics real-world combat. This initiative is part of a larger military shift toward faster, more flexible development. T-REX doesn’t just test the FPVs, but the entire system that supports them, including sensors, software, human decision-making, and artificial intelligence. The program aims to ultimately turn affordable, disposable tech into a real strategic advantage. Read More

We’re in the heart of summer fun, but it’s already time for back-to-school planning, especially if that involves buying a new laptop. The dizzying number of different laptops and configurations can feel overwhelming, especially if you want something that doesn’t cost too much but will still last a long time. My general guidelines are to first pick the operating system you need (based on personal preference or class requirements), and then get the best specs you can afford. If your school has specific requirements or recommendations, they are likely found on the school website. A quality laptop should also have a good screen, keyboard, and trackpad — and preferably enough ports and some decent speakers. Unless you’re buying a Chromebook, aim for an M4 processor (for Macs) or an Intel Core Ultra 5 or 7, an AMD Ryzen AI 300 series, or a Qualcomm Snapdragon X processor on a Windows machine, especially if you want your laptop to last at least four years. Aim for at least 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. If your budget allows for more RAM or storage then go for it, especially if neither is user-replaceable — it’ll help with performance and longevity. If you have to choose based on budget, prioritize RAM, since external storage is easily available. What we’re looking for The Verge tests laptops with an emphasis on real-world use. That means I use it for everyday work, which is not too different from the way many college students would work: getting a feel for multitasking performance while running lots of apps and browser tabs, running the battery down to see how long it lasts, and spending ample time with the laptop as my primary computer. I also run some synthetic benchmarks to quantify things like graphics processing, but, just like a student, a laptop is more than its test scores. Much like our general buying guide, I’m looking for laptops with all-day battery life and decent performance for a good price. Keeping students and family budgets in mind, it should be a machine that can last five or more school years before getting bogged down or feeling outdated. A good keyboard and quality trackpad are essential, especially since students in classrooms are less likely to plug in peripherals. The keyboard should be pleasant to type on, durable, and ideally backlit. The trackpad should be accurate and big enough to use comfortably. Screen size can come down to preference, since what you give up in size is typically made up in portability. In most cases, around 13 inches is as small as you want to go, with 16 inches being the maximum before things get unwieldy. A 14-incher is a happy middle ground (and represented by more than half of our picks here). Aim for at least a 1920 x 1080 / 60Hz display that gets fairly bright, though higher is better, especially on larger screens, if it doesn’t get too expensive. A student’s laptop should be well built and portable. For younger kids especially, it should be durable. For older kids and young adults, it should be easy to repair or at least readily serviceable to last as many years as possible. A student laptop should be able to get through a student’s day of classes without needing to be constantly charged. For ports, at least a couple of USB-C are essential. Taking much of that into account, here are our top picks among current laptops. The best laptop for most students $849 The Good Easily lasts a full day on battery Excellent choice for most people’s everyday needs Nails the basics in a thin-and-light while feeling like a nice place to be The Bad Still starts with just 256GB of storage Still has limited ports Still prone to throttling under heavy creative tasks Unless you’re going into a field involving lots of graphics rendering or video editing, a MacBook Air should be more than enough computer to last through the student years. The Air is our top laptop recommendation for most people, and that includes students — particularly students in high school or starting college. Nothing else offers quite the same balance of performance, build quality, and battery life as Apple’s entry-level laptop. It’s a speedy little machine that can even handle some heftier content creation work. Its battery can easily get you through a packed day of classes. And it has the best trackpad around. The only major downside with an Air (as with all modern MacBooks) is that you can’t upgrade the storage or memory after you buy it. Now that MacBooks start with 16GB of RAM, even the base $999 13-inch model is excellent, if a little short on storage space at 256GB. So you may want to consider the $1,199 model with 512GB of storage. For the same price you can get the larger 15-inch model with roomier screen real estate and even better speakers, but then you’re once again starting with 256GB. $1049 The Good Easily lasts a full day on battery Excellent choice for most people’s everyday needs Nails the basics in a thin-and-light while feeling like a nice place to be Louder speakers over its smaller counterpart The Bad Still starts with just 256GB of storage Still has limited ports Still prone to throttling under heavy creative tasks A note on older M-series Airs: The original M1 MacBook Air can still be bought new from Walmart for $649 or less. Even at five years old, it remains a very good machine for those on tighter budgets, but it’s worth hunting for a deal on an M2 MacBook Air or newer if you can. That lingering M1 only has 8GB of RAM, and newer M2 and M3 versions have MagSafe chargers, better keyboards, and markedly better screens. You can often find one with 16GB of RAM for just a bit more than the M1, and it’ll be better for the long haul. The best student laptop for serious content creation $1433 The

When it comes to defending Donald Trump from the worst accusations, the MAGA influencer-industrial complex, whether out of loyalty or self-preservation, often defaults to whataboutism, arguing that the Democrats are just as guilty as Trump, or (ideally) worse. This principle has held true with the current Jeffrey Epstein saga, and as their audience’s anger against the Trump administration skyrockets, the MAGA influencer world is trying a new tack: blame the Democrats, not Trump, for keeping the “Epstein Files” under lock and key. Trump, the person who could feasibly order the release of said documents, has spent the past few weeks trying to smother the drama from a few different angles, ultimately only fanning flames every time he attempted to deemphasize Epstein. He tried dismissing it during a Cabinet meeting (“Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?”), downplaying it on Truth Social (“Let’s … not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about”), and criticizing a reporter for asking about Epstein (“Are people still talking about this guy?”). But there’s no indication that the MAGA-influencer complex will ever stop talking about Epstein, or that their audiences will ever let it go. But over the past week, the influencer class, and subsequently the GOP, has started to maneuver Trump’s spin into a more acceptable talking point, inspired by a recent Wall Street Journal bombshell reporting that the Justice Department had told Trump back in May that his name was in the pile of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. “Of course there’s going to be mentions of Epstein, who was a member of Mar-a-Lago until Trump kicked him out” over a decade ago, said Alex Jones, the Infowars host who’d spent the past several days raging about the Epstein Files. But while he had been calling for the head of anyone in the administration for failing to deliver, it was much easier to circle the wagon around Trump the moment that a mainstream publication tied him to bad behavior. Laura Loomer, another prominent influencer who’d been criticizing the administration for its underwhelming response, also took the opportunity to try coming home by questioning where exactly Trump’s name appeared in the files, while also glazing Trump. “Are they trying to say that a file is somebody’s name in an address book?” she rhetorically asked Politico Playbook on Thursday, adding that she, too, had a large address book. “Some of those people in my address book have committed crimes. Does that mean I’m implicated in their crimes? President Trump is not a pedophile. And I look forward to seeing him sue every journalist and publication that is trying to imply that he is one.” Either cater to their audience’s demand to keep asking what the elites are hiding about Epstein, or maintain their relationship and standing with the White House In the days and weeks since the Trump administration released their brief memo about the Epstein files, the MAGA influencer world — specifically, those who built their careers “just asking questions” about Epstein while also cozying up to Trump — has grappled with a difficult choice: either cater to their audience’s demand to keep asking what the elites are hiding about Epstein, or maintain their relationship and standing with the White House. Some have chosen their audiences, gambling that their following is loyal beyond Trump, and that their influence isn’t contingent on their White House access. (Tucker Carlson, for instance, published a two-hour episode that was entirely focused on the Epstein conspiracies — one week after he implied that Epstein was a Mossad agent.) Others have completely flipped back to Trump, such as the influencer Catturd, an onetime Epstein truther who began implying that “the podcast bro ‘influencers’” now criticizing Trump may have taken Russian money to do so. (In 2024, US prosecutors indicted two employees of RT for illegally funneling money to spread Kremlin propaganda, alleging that they had put $10 million into a Tennessee-based media company whose description matched up with Tenet Media, which worked with Tim Pool, Benny Johnson, and others.) Catturd then tweeted that he was “never abandoning Trump”, and spent the subsequent week calling for Barack Obama’s indictment and posting memes of press secretary Karoline Leavitt. But for everyone else, it’s been difficult to have it both ways. Loomer’s attempt to pin the blame on Attorney General Pam Bondi, for instance, failed when Trump refused to fire Bondi, while influencers who attempted to convince their audience to move onto different topics saw their audience revolt (particularly if those influencers, such as Benny Johnson, cited their conversations with government officials as reason enough). Normal, everyday constituents also hold deep suspicions about the entire Epstein matter And before you dismiss it as sturm-and-drang on the internet, the very same dynamic can be seen in Congress, where the Republicans are trying their best to satisfy the base while appeasing the President — a task made difficult because their normal, everyday constituents also hold deep suspicions about the entire Epstein matter. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released last week found that the vast majority of voters — including a majority of Republicans — believe that the government is hiding information about the infamous “client list”. And tellingly, only 35 percent of Republicans believed that the Trump administration was handling it well. (30 percent said Trump was not, and 35 percent were unsure.) On Wednesday, a House Oversight subcommittee voted to subpoena the Department of Justice for the Epstein Files, with a majority composed of five Democrats and three Republicans. The two Republicans who opposed the subpoena ended up tacking on other requests for Epstein-related communications from Biden officials and the DOJ. Per ABC News, the “officials” included the Democratic subjects of MAGA’s most enduring conspiracy theories: “Bill and Hillary Clinton, James Comey, Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder, Merrick Garland, Robert Mueller, William Barr, Jeff Sessions and Alberto Gonzales.” In other words, no one seems to be able to run with Trump’s assessment that Epstein is “somebody that nobody cares about.” Unable to

Point-and-click adventure games often tell silly, lighthearted stories. For me, the mishaps of the pirate Guybrush Threepwood in the Monkey Island series come to mind. The nature of the genre — wandering around, talking to people, and trying to solve puzzles — lends itself well to humor, as every interaction with a person or object offers an opportunity for a joke. The Drifter, a new point-and-click game from Powerhoof, cleverly uses the format to instead tell a dark, twist-filled thriller, and it sucked me in like a gripping novel. In The Drifter, you play as Mick Carter, who you meet shortly after he hops aboard a train as a stowaway. Within moments you’ll witness a brutal, unexplained murder and be forced to go on the run, and the story quickly becomes a complex web of characters, pursuers, and mysteries to poke at. Mick serves as the game’s narrator, often describing what he’s doing in a grim, first-person tone with full voice acting by Adrian Vaughan. Mick’s tone sometimes feels a bit heavy-handed and overdramatic, but I enjoyed Vaughan’s performance anyway — it really sets a pulpy tone that’s fun to sink into. The game’s gorgeous pixel art helps, too, and locations have dramatic lighting and moody shadows. This being a point-and-click adventure, the primary way to move the story forward is by solving puzzles, often by using the right object at the right place at the right time. The game is usually pretty good at suggesting where you need to go through conversations or through a list of broader story threads you’re investigating. Actually doing the investigating is straightforward. I played The Drifter on Steam Deck, and it has a smart control scheme seemingly inspired by twin-stick shooters that shaves off a lot of the clunkiness of old-school LucasArts adventure games. You move Mick around with the left control stick, but when you move the right control stick, a little circle pops up around him with squares that indicate things nearby that you can interact with. You can select things you want to look at with a press of a trigger button. (You can, of course, use a more traditional mouse to play the game, too.) More than once, though, I got completely stuck, and I often just brute-forced every item in my inventory with every person I could talk to until I found a way to move forward. I also occasionally leaned on online guides to figure out where to go next or if I missed something while investigating. When I hit walls, I really wished there was some kind of direct in-game hint system to give me a push in the right direction — this is an old-school issue with the genre, but a lot of modern games have figured it out. Pushing through those more obtuse head-scratchers was worth it, though: in the later parts of my eight-hour run of The Drifter, the narrative threads all started to come together in some truly mind-bending ways. More than once, I stayed up way past my bedtime as I raced to figure out what would happen next. I’m glad this story for Mick is over, but part of me hopes he runs into trouble again so I can cozy up with another point-and-click thriller. The Drifter is available now on PC. Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates. Jay Peters Read More

The OnePlus Nord 5 does exactly what the company’s Nord phones have always done: deliver strong specs at a relatively low price. It’s one of the more powerful phones at this price point and should easily outstrip Samsung and Google’s more expensive alternatives. This is a function-over-form phone, one where the key selling points are a powerful processor and long battery life, which are the boring mainstays that tend to matter the most in midrange models like this. The problem for the Nord 5 is that other midrange phones in the markets where it’s available — including Europe and India, but not the US — offer even faster chipsets and bigger batteries, leaving the new OnePlus phone a little stranded and reliant on an above-average selfie camera to help it stand out. $530 The Good Impressive selfies — especially in low light Strong specs for the price 144Hz display The Bad Other cameras are so-so Plus Mind AI feature feels half-baked Poco F7 offers even more bang for your buck Performance sits at the heart of the Nord 5 sales pitch. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8S Gen 3 chipset was designed for more expensive phones than this, albeit when it launched a little over a year ago. Combined with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage in the base £399 / €449 (around $530) model, and 12GB RAM and 512GB storage for £100 / €100 (around $125) more, it offers potent specs for the price. That lends itself well to gaming, which explains why OnePlus has opted for a display that’s big, bright, and fast: a 6.81-inch OLED panel with a 144Hz refresh rate. I’m still skeptical about such high refresh rates in phones — few games are ever going to break past 120fps anyway. OnePlus says it’s repositioned the antennae to perform better when the phone’s held in landscape mode for gaming, though manufacturers have been touting that sort of work for years. Battery is the other half of the performance equation, and the 5,200mAh capacity here is good, too. I spent my first week with the phone traveling (which is how I discovered one annoyance: there’s no eSIM support), which is always demanding on power, and never felt much battery anxiety. It’ll last a day comfortably, and about halfway into a second, but I think you’d struggle to make a full two days without a top-up. The 80W wired charging delivers a full charge in 45 minutes, including bypass charging that powers the phone directly, without overcharging the battery, if you wanted to keep it plugged in during long gaming sessions. The major concession to price is that there’s no wireless charging. The problem is that for all that power, this isn’t the most capable phone at this price point. The Poco F7 is slightly cheaper than the Nord 5 and comes with a better chipset, bigger battery, and faster charging. The OnePlus phone wins on refresh rate, but that’s hardly enough to make up for being comfortably less powerful elsewhere, meaning the F7 is still likely to hit higher frame rates during demanding games. Anyone looking for gaming performance first and foremost will likely be drawn to the F7, so what can the Nord 5 offer elsewhere to make up the difference? The most unique element of the hardware is the Plus Key, a new button that replaces OnePlus’ traditional Alert Slider. This is a customizable key that, by default, does the same thing the Alert Slider did — it lets you cycle between ring, vibrate, and silent modes. But it can also be set to open the camera, turn on the flashlight, take a screenshot, and more. It’s not fully customizable, though, so you can’t set it to open any app or trigger custom functions. The Plus Key can also be used to take a screenshot and add it to Mind Space, an AI tool that analyzes images to summarize them, create reminders, or generate calendar events. It’s remarkably similar to Nothing’s Essential Space, which does almost the same thing — also using a dedicated hardware key — but unlike Nothing’s version, you can’t add voice notes to give the AI more information, get summaries of longer audio recordings, or even open Mind Space itself using the Plus Key, so OnePlus’ take on the software is more basic. There’s little else to complain about on the software side. The Nord 5 ships running OxygenOS 15, based on Android 15, and will get a respectable (but certainly not category-leading) four years of major OS updates and six years of security support. One extra bonus is easy wireless file-sharing between the phone and a Windows PC, Mac, iPad, or iPhone, though you’ll need to install the O Plus Connect software on the other device — and sadly, there’s no support for the full Mac remote control found on the OnePlus Pad 3. OnePlus has made an unusual choice by prioritizing the phone’s selfie camera, which features a 50-megapixel sensor that’s larger than the average selfie cam. I’m not a natural selfie-taker, but the results are good and packed with detail. They’re not markedly better than rivals in normal lighting, but that’s because most phone cameras now handle daylight comfortably. The portrait mode is the only small weak point, struggling to separate the strands of my hair most of the time. But this camera comes into its own at night: the large sensor and fast f/2.0 aperture helping the Nord 5 to capture impressive detail in the dark, when most other selfie cameras fall apart. If you need a phone to capture you and your crew on nights out and at dimly lit dinners, this might be the one. The main 50-megapixel rear camera is good but not great. It struggles with fast-moving subjects like pets and kids, and you’ll need a steady hand to get great shots at night, but that’s all typical for phones at this price. Colors tend to be a little oversaturated and artificial from this lens;