Don't Trust Manufacturer's Device Power Use Estimates

November 19, 2022

Did You Know?

Moose antlers aren’t just for defense and mating rituals, they also help the moose hear better by reflecting sound towards its ears.

Hope you’re having a great weekend so far! Next week is Black Friday, and there are already many noteworthy sales. The 9th-generation iPad is down to $270, and the Galaxy S22 Ultra is $300 off, to name two examples.

There’s also some news in the Microsoft ecosystem. VMWare Fusion 13 is now available for running Windows 11 on any Mac, and Microsoft has decided not to discontinue SwiftKey for iPhone and iPad after all.

– Corbin

Poke around in the technical specs for just about any product on the market, especially devices like TVs and media equipment, and you’ll find official stats about their power usage. In our experience, you shouldn’t trust them and should test their consumption yourself. Here’s why. Read More »

Now is a great time to refresh your daily mouth cleaning routine with these awesome Black Friday deals from Quip! Save up to 50% on wireless, rechargeable toothbrushes, plus other dental hygiene necessities like flossers, gum, mouthwash, and toothpaste. Savings last through 11/29, so be sure to get yours now while supplies last!

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is a powerful graphics card, and also one of the most expensive ones out there. That isn’t stopping its power cables from seemingly melting left and right. Luckily, NVIDIA has finally spoken out about the issue. Read More »

If you have two monitors or an external monitor with a laptop, some video games may start on the wrong screen. Not a big deal, right? Except it’s not always obvious how to move a fullscreen game to another monitor. Read More »

Televisions are always one of the hottest items when Black Friday sales roll around. Many people wait until the holiday season to buy a TV. The deals sometimes sound too good to be true, but is that actually the case? Read More »

The Galaxy S22 Ultra is Samsung’s top-tier smartphone, with a massive screen, built-in S Pen stylus, and advanced cameras. Now you can get a carrier-unlocked model for $900, a discount of $300 from the original price. Read More »

Windows PCs don’t have to slow down over time. Whether your PC has gradually become slower or it suddenly ground to a halt a few minutes ago, there could be quite a few reasons for that slowness. Read More »

SwiftKey is a popular third-party keyboard for Android, iPhone, and iPad, acquired by Microsoft in 2016. The company said in September that the iPhone and iPad versions were going away, but Microsoft has now reversed course. Read More »

Since its 1973 premiere on CBS, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving has been a holiday TV staple. Starting in 2020, after decades of airing on broadcast and cable channels, this special and other Peanuts animated short films moved exclusively to Apple TV+. Read More »

With smart plugs, you can schedule appliances to turn on and off, control them with your voice, and track their energy consumption. Use our recommended list of smart plugs to find one that’s right for your home. Read More »

The Windows Task Manager is a powerful tool packed with useful information, from your system’s overall resource usage to detailed statistics about each process. This guide explains every feature and technical term in the Task Manager. Read More »

Amazon Fire Tablets restrict you to the Amazon Appstore, but they run Fire OS, a custom version of Android. That means you can install Google’s Play Store to gain access to millions of Android apps and games, including Google apps like Gmail, Chrome, Google Maps, and more. Read More »

Apple just introduced a new 10th-generation iPad last month, which is currently on sale for $50 off. However, it’s still not as inexpensive as the 9th-generation model, which Apple has now dropped to a new all-time low: $270. Read More »

Yoga is known for its relaxing and mind-calming properties, but it can also be a great and challenging workout that will tone your muscles, strengthen your core, and definitely make you break a sweat. Read More »

Microsoft overhauled the Start Menu in Windows 11, giving it a new center-aligned grid design and better organization. There’s another change on the way: suggested links to websites. Read More »

VMware Fusion is a popular virtualization app, and on Mac, it has been one of the best ways to run Windows and Linux applications. It took a while, but VMware is now updated for Apple’s new generation of ARM-powered Mac computers. Read More »

Across the United States and other countries, millions of people are surprised to receive packages they never ordered. In most cases, the source is a scam called “brushing.” Here’s why you’re getting free loot. Read More »