We’ve all got that “shelf of shame” — a graveyard of ancient laptops, tangled power bricks and printers that haven’t seen an ink cartridge since 2010. Letting this e-waste sit in your house is a waste of space, but most people assume that recycling tech requires a trip to a waste facility in the middle of nowhere. The reality is much simpler.

Major retailers like Best Buy and Staples have become drop-off hubs for your digital junk. You can walk into a store with a dead PC or a clunky old scanner and hand it over for free, regardless of where you bought it. Some of these places will even throw you a bone — like a discount on new gear or a trade-in credit — just for helping them reclaim the heavy metals and plastics that don’t belong in a landfill. It’s the easiest way to reclaim your storage space without feeling like a jerk for tossing electronics in the trash.

The only real “work” on your end is making sure you aren’t handing over your entire life history along with the hardware. Before you dump a device, you need to do a legitimate data wipe — not just drag files to the trash can. A 10-minute factory reset or a dedicated drive-scrubbing tool ensures your old tax returns and saved passwords don’t become someone else’s property. Stop acting like you’re going to “fix” that laptop from 2015 and let a professional recycler break it down for parts instead.

What to do before you recycle your old computer

Wherever you take or mail in your items to be recycled, you’ll want to protect your data by removing it as best you can. One way to do this is to perform a factory reset on your computer. Our guide walks you through the process.

Where to recycle your old printers and computers

Some retail stores will accept computers and printers for recycling, but it’s not always a free service. Policies vary by company.

Apple

You can recycle your old Apple computers, monitors and peripherals, such as printers, for free at an Apple store, but there’s a costly catch. According to the Apple Free Recycling program, you must purchase a qualifying Apple computer or monitor to receive this service. Need another option? A third-party company called Gazelle buys old MacBooks to recycle them. After accepting Gazelle’s offer, you print a prepaid label or request a prepaid box and ship the machine to them.

Read more: Phone and Laptop Repair Goes Mainstream With Push From iFixit

Best Buy

Best Buy generally accepts up to three household items per household per day to be recycled for free, including desktop computers and printers, as well as other items ranging from e-readers to vacuum cleaners. While three is the limit for most items, there’s a higher limit for laptops — Best Buy will take five of those per household per day. Note that rules for dropping off monitors vary by state, and it’s not always free to do so. Best Buy also offers a mail-in recycling service for select items, but that’s also not free. A small box that holds up to 6 pounds costs $23, while a large box (up to 15 pounds) costs $30. One CNET editor recently lugged in an old, nonworking tube TV-VCR combo for e-cycling, and was happy to pay $30 to be rid of it.

Office Depot 

Office Depot and OfficeMax merged in 2013. The retailers offer a tech trade-in program both in-store and online, where you may be able to get a store gift card in exchange for your old computers and printers. If the device has no trade-in value, the company will recycle it for free. Office Depot also sells e-waste recycling boxes that you can fill with electronics to be recycled and then drop off at the stores, but they aren’t free. The small boxes cost $8.39 and hold up to 20 pounds, the medium ones cost $18.29 and hold up to 40 pounds, and the large boxes cost $28 and hold up to 60 pounds.

Staples 

You can bring your old desktop computers, laptops, printers and more to the Staples checkout counter to be recycled for free, even if they weren’t purchased there. According to a Staples rep, the retailer also has a free at-home battery recycling box, which has led customers to recycle thousands of batteries per week, up from an earlier average of 50 per week. Here’s a list of everything that can be recycled at Staples.

Watch this: Give Your Old Phone a Second Life: The Right Way to Recycle and Reuse It

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Where to find electronics recycling centers

If you don’t live near a major retailer or would rather take your computers and printers to a recycling center, you can locate places near you by using search tools provided by Earth911 and the Consumer Technology Association.

Earth911

Use the recycling center search function on Earth911 to find recycling centers near your ZIP code that accept laptops, desktops and printers. Note that the results may also turn up places that accept mobile phones and not computers or printers, so you may have to do a little filtering.

Greener Gadgets

Consult the Consumer Technology Association’s Greener Gadgets Recycle Locator to find local recycling centers in your area that will take old items. The search function also allows you to filter the results to separately hunt for places that take computers versus printers.

After the success of the Find X9 series in pushing camera boundaries, the Chinese smartphone maker has just had its “one more thing” moment. It’s just officially confirmed that the OPPO Find X9 Ultra will make its global debut later this year. For the first time, OPPO’s Ultra platform will expand beyond China, which is the most exciting thing I’ve heard in a long time.

The announcement was made during OPPO’s media event in Barcelona, where the company positioned the Find X9 Ultra as its most advanced imaging smartphone yet.

OPPO Find X9 Ultra Going Global

Until now, OPPO’s Ultra-branded flagships have largely been limited to China. With the Find X9 Ultra, that changes. The company has confirmed that the device will launch globally.

Elvis Zhou, CEO of OPPO Europe, addressed the growing use of the “Ultra” branding across the industry. “In 2026, many devices will carry the ‘Ultra’ label. We believe the title must be earned. With Find X9 Ultra, we are setting a new benchmark for mobile imaging,” Zhou said.

Unfortunately, while no camera specs have yet been revealed, OPPO says the Find X9 Ultra combines next-generation optical engineering with refined computational imaging. Rumors have hinted towards a 200MP 1/1.28″ ultra-large sensor periscope telephoto lens, and a 50MP 10X periscope telephoto lens. Though these speculations should be taken with a grain of salt.

Nestled between two conference halls at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona is a pathway lined with Google’s latest tech — and its cutest robot figures. Here, spectators can step inside homey, wood-paneled booths and try out features across Pixel, Android XR and Search. Welcome to Android Avenue. 

I swung by Google’s setup to check out demos for its latest products and features. Greeting me at the entrance and setting the scene was an adorably colorful Android statue waving hello.

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In one booth, I tried on the Android XR smart glasses prototype for the first time and explored some promising use cases. I saw and heard real-time, AI-powered translations through the glasses as a Google employee spoke to me in Spanish. I also followed a Google Maps overlay that guided me along my route without obstructing my vision, thanks to the display projected onto the right lens. 

Hot off the heels of Samsung’s S26 launch, Google demoed a new Gemini capability that takes on a more assistive role. You can long-press the power button and ask Gemini to plan a vegetarian tapas tour, for instance, then have it drop that information in a Google Keep note, all through voice command. 

Other use cases include having Gemini book an Uber for you, which it’ll do in the background so you can keep using other apps on your Galaxy S26 phone. 

In another booth, I toyed around with an update to Google’s Circle to Search that’ll simultaneously find all the pieces of an outfit on your screen, then let you try them on virtually. 

After long-pressing the home button and circling a picture of an ensemble I liked, Google showed a list of product results for each element. Tapping “try it on” generated a lifelike image of me wearing the orange-red pants I was eyeing. 

Amusingly, the AI took the liberty of replacing my real-life dress and jacket with a black T-shirt. It’s not the first time Gemini has decided to play around with the parameters of my modest clothing, but hopefully it’ll get better at avoiding those gaffes with time.

The Circle to Search update is rolling out on the Galaxy S26 series and Pixel 10 devices.

One of my favorite Pixel features lets you use Apple’s AirDrop and Android’s Quick Share across both ecosystems. With a couple of taps, I sent an image from a Pixel 10 phone to an iPhone, and also received one in return. The feature is also available on Pixel 9 devices.

Seeing new tech is always neat, but what I really loved were these Android figurines that appeared to be cleaning a demo booth window. Such diligent little workers.

And that wrapped up my tour of the block. At a tech conference largely dominated by monotonous booths, it was nice to get some fresh air, explore a few demos and, primarily, fawn over cute statues big and small.  

• Leon S. Kennedy is hiding a huge secret about himself in Resident Evil Requiem
• The secret can only be discovered after you beat the game
• Concept art also seems to confirm player’s theories

Capcom has hidden a pretty huge secret about Leon S. Kennedy in Resident Evil Requiem that can only discovered when players reach the end of the game.

The latest entry in the Resident Evil franchise launched last week, and already, players are beating the game with some even on their second or third playthroughs.

The Honor Robot Phone is officially out of the teaser phase and on full display at MWC 2026 in Barcelona, and what a show it put on. A functioning prototype was on display, demonstrating a smartphone with a camera attached on a small robotic arm, rather than just an afterthought to make the phone look flashier.

To fit the mechanism without making the phone a behemoth, Honor created an extremely compact bespoke micro motor that is 70% smaller than what is typically seen in a phone. When the phone is not in use, the arm pops out of a small compartment on the back, slides open a panel to expose the entire thing, and then tucks itself back in.

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This camera serves as the phone’s expressive little face, with a 200-megapixel sensor and a four-degrees-of-freedom gimbal technology that happens to be the smallest of its kind, according to Honor. The gimbal has three-axis stabilization, so even when the arm moves about, the footage remains smooth as silk. The gimbal can perform a variety of precise movements, including tilting, panning, and rotating a full 360 degrees. In demos, it appears that the phone is attempting to converse with you, nodding in agreement, shaking its head no, tilting its head in curiosity, and bobbing along to the beat when music is playing. Honor customized a few melodies for these small rhythmic reactions, transforming the phone into a dance partner rather than a brick on a table.

However, AI drives the majority of the phone’s behaviour. Object tracking allows the camera to latch onto and smoothly follow someone during video conversations and recordings, eliminating the need for human corrections. They also have Super Steady Video mode, which compensates for arm shaking, and SpinShot, which allows for one-handed 90- or 180-degree spin shots, giving your videos a dramatic sense. They collaborated with ARRI Image Science to perfect the colors, highlights, and depth rendering, resulting in footage that looks professionally shot.

The prototype appears to be ready to go, as they used materials from their foldable phone experience to make the moving parts nice and robust. You’d have to be concerned about durability, of course; previous attempts with mechanical cameras have been questionable, but they say they’ve taken the phone through its paces in testing, so hopefully it’ll hold up well. The phone’s rear is slightly thicker due to the compartment and gimbal housing, but it still feels comfortable in the hand.

Honor is focused on what it calls “embodied AI,” meaning intelligence that shows up through movement rather than just voice responses or something confined to a screen. There is no information yet on the exact specs, such as the processor, battery, and display, or how much it will cost. It will be released in the second half of 2026, beginning in China, but that is all they are saying about global availability for the time being.

from the on-the-horizon dept

We’ve talked a lot about the resurgence of measles in America over the past 14 or so months, and for good reason. It’s a horrible disease of historic significance. Equally historic was America achieving elimination status of the measles 26 years ago, only to see that almost certainly fall away thanks to the incompetence and inaction by Secretary of HHS, RFK Jr. This is all connected with a surge of anti-vaxxer nonsense that has proliferated across several decades, but which is now peaking thanks to the clowns this administration has put in charge of American health.

But as bad as the measles is, and it is really bad, it would be nothing to the visible horror show that any real return of polio in America would be. It was only weeks ago that the chair of ACIP, the CDC’s committee for recommendations on vaccine policies, wondered aloud if we should be vaccinating for polio any longer. Perhaps in part because of those comments, healthcare professionals throughout the country are ringing the alarm bells, warning that the country is in no way prepared for a return of polio.

Part of the problem, ironically enough, is that vaccines have done such a wonderful job of eliminating polio that healthcare professionals are no longer proficient in treating it.

“We don’t have a healthcare infrastructure to take care of a polio outbreak,” said Grace Rossow, an operating-room communications coordinator in Illinois, who has long-term health issues following a case of polio as an infant.

“They don’t know how to treat it. It is a massive problem if we have a resurgence of polio.”

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Polio has no cure. Those who get it merely get their symptoms treated as best they can. Up to half of those who get the disease will suffer from long-term effects for the rest of their lives. Symptoms of post-polio syndrome include such fun things as increasing weakness in the muscles, fatigue, pain and muscle atrophy, problems breathing and swallowing, and an inability to be mobile without mechanical assistance. And that’s what you can deal with once you get past the acute symptoms, like paralysis in the lower extremities and the inability to breath without the help of an iron lung.

And if Polio does indeed return, it will be because selfish or misguided people, typically clinging to religious excuses that are simply unserious, have refused to be good members of their communities by getting them and their children vaccinated.

Art Caplan is a polio survivor, who has suffered from post-polio syndrome and now currently teaches medical ethics at NYU.

When Kirk Milhoan, the chair of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, said the vaccine advisers were reconsidering routine childhood vaccines because the risks of illnesses such as polio had dropped, “that makes me furious”, Caplan said.

“If you could gather up the kids I saw die or become really severely disabled from 50 years ago, they would want you arrested … It’s horrifying, and the height of irresponsibility to leave the door open even a crack,” he continued.

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As more families choose not to vaccinate, particularly after the US stopped fully recommending several key vaccines, Caplan said: “You are begging to have a recurrence of the disease.”

Betting on the return of a disease as infectious as polio while witnessing falling vaccination rates is an easy bet. That’s how these diseases work. And if the angry rash and a few dead children haven’t gotten through to the masses on the measles, I dare say that children with deformed and mangled joints, bones, and bodies, either stuffed into iron lungs or getting by with the help of dual walking canes, would likely clarify the minds of Americans on this matter.

But, and I cannot stress this enough, there is no reason we should have to sacrifice so many people, so many children, to re-convince ourselves to do the right thing.

Filed Under: anti-vaxxers, health, health & human services, measles, polio, rfk jr., vaccines

Samsung is not playing it safe in 2026. With the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Buds4 and Buds4 Pro, the company is taking a direct shot at the top of the premium wireless earbud market and squarely targeting both Apple and Sony.

The new Galaxy Buds4 series combines improved sound performance with a more refined industrial design built around Samsung’s signature blade form. That shape was developed using hundreds of millions of global ear data points and more than 10,000 simulations to create a fit that feels more natural and secure. This is not a cosmetic tweak. Samsung is leaning into computational modeling and ergonomic data to improve comfort, stability, and long term wear.

The earbuds now feature smaller heads for a tighter seal, a stabilized blade with a premium metal finish, and an engraved pinch control area that makes it easier to find and adjust settings without guesswork. It is a focused evolution designed to elevate both usability and perceived quality.

Samsung is clearly aiming higher. The question is whether better fit, smarter processing, and upgraded audio features are enough to disrupt the two companies that currently define this space. The Galaxy Buds4 and Buds4 Pro look ready for the fight. But do they deliver enough to change the outcome?

“Samsung understands that a truly premium audio experience combines technical sound quality with how that sound feels throughout a user’s day,” said Ikhyun Cho, Corporate Vice President of the Mobile Enhancement R&D Team within the Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics. “With the Galaxy Buds4 series, our design philosophy was uncompromising. We focused on delivering all day comfort without sacrificing audio performance because those are what consumers value most. We engineered our most powerful hi-fi audio and our most secure ergonomic fit to enhance one another, delivering the best listening experience we have ever created.”

Ear Wearing Style Engineered by Data

Galaxy Buds4 Pro and Buds4 offer two distinct design approaches to suit different listening preferences.

The Galaxy Buds4 Pro features a traditional in ear design built to maximize sound isolation, performance, and advanced functionality.

The Galaxy Buds4 adopts an open ear design focused on everyday comfort and a more natural, user friendly listening experience. Both models are available in multiple color options, giving customers the flexibility to match their personal style.

Transparent Clamshell Case Puts the Design on Display

The Buds4 series introduces a new transparent clamshell style case that simplifies storage and charging while showcasing the refined blade design for a more distinctive look on the go. The Galaxy Buds4 Pro case features a 530 mAh battery and measures 51 x 28.3 x 51 mm, with a total case weight of 44.3 grams.

The Galaxy Buds4 case includes a 515 mAh battery in the same 51 x 28.3 x 51 mm footprint, weighing slightly more at 45.1 grams.

Buds4 Pro Enhancements

The Galaxy Buds4 Pro features a wider woofer paired with enhanced Active Noise Cancellation and an upgraded Adaptive Equalizer. Together, these technologies are designed to deliver more accurate sound while intelligently responding to real world listening conditions.

The enhanced ANC system reduces everything from heavy transit noise to everyday background distractions, helping create a more immersive listening experience that adjusts as your environment changes.

Targeted design updates, including intuitive hands free controls and deeper AI integration, reinforce Samsung’s focus on earbuds built for how people actually listen throughout the day.

The Galaxy Buds4 Pro uses a two-way driver system positioned along the upper portion of the metal housing to optimize Active Noise Cancellation performance while reducing interference from wind and other external factors.

It also introduces a newly engineered wider woofer that makes more efficient use of internal space. By expanding the vibration area and minimizing the speaker edge, Samsung increases the effective speaker surface by nearly 20 percent compared to the previous generation without compromising comfort or wearability.

Combined with the dedicated tweeter, the Galaxy Buds4 Pro delivers immersive audio with cleaner bass and more refined treble response. The system supports 24-bit/96kHz playback, bringing listeners closer to the original recording with higher resolution detail and greater dynamic range.

These hardware upgrades allow the earbuds to reproduce everything from the soaring resonance of violins to the deep, textured weight of double bass notes, resolving nuances that were more difficult to capture in earlier generations.

Clearer Calls Without the Tunnel Effect

For phone calls, the Super Clear Call feature on both the Galaxy Buds4 Pro and Buds4 uses super wideband call technology along with machine learning based noise reduction and voice enhancement. This system delivers up to twice the bandwidth of conventional Bluetooth calls, improving clarity and vocal presence.

Whether at a packed baseball game, in a busy restaurant, or at a noisy playground, the technology is designed to keep voices sounding natural and intelligible, closer to a face-to-face conversation.

For Samsung Galaxy Phone Users

For Galaxy Phone users, the Buds4 series provides features that enhance the Galaxy Phone/Earbud ecosystem experience.

Users can activate AI agents including Bixby, Google Gemini, and Perplexity using hands free voice controls, allowing them to stay aware of their surroundings while managing their audio experience.

The Galaxy Buds4 Pro enables direct access to supported AI features without reaching for a phone, making AI assistance easier to incorporate into everyday routines.

Galaxy AI Live Translate and Interpreter are supported in up to 22 languages on compatible Samsung Galaxy devices, including the Galaxy S26 series, when signed in with a Samsung account. Some languages require additional downloads.

For Galaxy ecosystem users, setup is streamlined. Opening the charging case prompts a quick connection option through the Buds shortcut menu or Quick Panel, eliminating the need to install the Galaxy Wearable app. From there, users can adjust volume, manage EQ settings, and customize controls directly from their device.

Galaxy ecosystem users benefit from a more streamlined setup process. Opening the charging case triggers a quick connection prompt on compatible Galaxy phones or tablets, eliminating the need to install the Galaxy Wearable app. Through the Buds shortcut menu or Quick Panel, users can immediately adjust volume, customize EQ settings, and manage controls for a more personalized listening experience.

The Galaxy Buds4 Pro also introduces Head Gesture controls for managing calls and interacting with Bixby, enabling additional hands free functionality. Combined with voice commands, these gesture based controls allow users to handle everyday tasks without reaching for their device, helping keep daily routines fluid and uninterrupted.

Galaxy Buds4 Pro vs Galaxy Buds4 Key Differences

Earbud Design: The Galaxy Buds4 uses an open type design without silicone tips, while the Galaxy Buds4 Pro features a sealed in ear design with silicone ear tips for improved noise isolation and a more secure fit.

Speaker Drivers: The Buds4 Pro employs a two way driver system with an 11 mm woofer and 5.5 mm tweeter for deeper bass and more detailed highs. The Buds4 uses a single 11 mm driver in a one way configuration.

Active Noise Cancellation: The Pro model includes Adaptive ANC 2.0 with more precise, multi level, and responsive noise cancellation compared to the standard Buds4.

Battery Life: The Buds4 Pro delivers approximately six hours of playback with ANC enabled, about one hour longer than the Buds4, which offers up to five hours with ANC on.

Water and Dust Resistance: The Buds4 Pro carries an IP57 rating for greater resistance to water and dust, while the Buds4 is rated IP54.

Microphones and AI Features: Both models support voice commands and AI functionality, but the Buds4 Pro includes upgraded microphones designed to improve call clarity in louder environments.

Comparison

The Bottom Line 

The Samsung Galaxy Buds4 and Buds4 Pro are clearly designed to tighten Samsung’s grip on its own ecosystem while taking aim at premium rivals from Apple and Sony. What makes them stand out is the combination of data driven ergonomic design, a refined blade aesthetic, upgraded driver architecture on the Pro model, and deeper AI integration that goes well beyond simple voice commands.

Features like Adaptive EQ, enhanced ANC, 24-bit/96kHz support on the Pro, head gesture controls, and Galaxy AI powered Live Translate and Interpreter give Samsung users a tightly integrated, forward looking experience.

These earbuds are best suited for Galaxy phone owners who want seamless setup, native control through the Quick Panel, automatic device switching, and full access to Samsung’s AI and audio processing features. If you own a newer Galaxy device such as the S26 series, the experience is cohesive and clearly optimized.

The limitation is obvious. While both models will pair with an iPhone over Bluetooth, key Samsung specific features including Adaptive EQ, 360 Audio, automatic switching, and high resolution playback are not available, and audio is capped at 16-bit/44.1kHz.

There is also no Samsung Wearable app for iPhone. In other words, these are built first and foremost for the Galaxy ecosystem. Outside of it, they are still solid wireless earbuds. Inside it, they are operating at full strength.

Price & Availability

General availability and shipping are expected to begin on March 11, 2026.

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