Phil Spencer, head of Xbox at Microsoft, at the Xbox E3 Briefing at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles in 2019. (Microsoft Photo)
Phil Spencer, the Xbox leader who spent 38 years at Microsoft and helped reshape the gaming industry through big acquisitions and a bet on cloud gaming, is retiring from the company.
He will be succeeded as CEO of Microsoft Gaming by Asha Sharma, a former Instacart chief operating officer and Meta vice president who joined Microsoft two years ago, the company said Friday.
The transition also includes the departure of Sarah Bond, the Xbox president who was widely seen as a potential Spencer successor, and the promotion of Matt Booty to executive vice president and chief content officer overseeing Microsoft’s nearly 40 game studios.
In an email to employees, Spencer said he told Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella last fall that he was ready to step back, and that they had been planning the transition since then. He called his nearly four decades at Microsoft “an epic ride and truly the privilege of a lifetime.”
Spencer “expanded our reach across PC, mobile, and cloud; nearly tripled the size of the business; helped shape our strategy through the acquisitions of Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax, and Minecraft; and strengthened our culture across our studios and platforms,” Nadella wrote in a separate memo.
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The longtime Xbox leader will remain in an advisory role through the summer to support the handoff. Bond is also expected to remain at the company through a transition period.
Asha Sharma and Matt Booty, the new leadership team for Microsoft Gaming. (Microsoft Photo)
Sharma, who is currently president of Microsoft’s CoreAI product organization, has roots in the Seattle startup community, with deep experience in consumer platforms and operations, and no prior experience in the video-game industry.
That’s where Booty’s new role will presumably come in — as chief content officer, the industry veteran will oversee Microsoft’s sprawling studio portfolio, pairing his decades of gaming experience with Sharma’s operational background.
In her first message to the gaming team, Sharma pledged to recommit to Xbox’s core console fans and vowed that the company would not “flood our ecosystem with soulless AI slop,” calling games “art, crafted by humans.”
Microsoft had been planning to make the announcement next week, but accelerated its timeline after IGN learned about the plans from inside sources. The gaming publication broke the news a short time ago.
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Xbox is facing headwinds heading into the transition.
Gaming revenue fell 9%, or $623 million, during Microsoft’s most recent quarter, with Xbox content and services revenue declining 5% and hardware revenue falling 32%. Microsoft’s CFO Amy Hood attributed the decline in part to a prior-year quarter that benefited from stronger first-party game releases.
The business accounts for just over 7% of Microsoft’s total revenue — about $5.96 billion of the company’s $81.3 billion in the most recent quarter — but remains core to the tech giant’s consumer ambitions.
Here is the full text of the Microsoft memos announcing the news:
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From Satya Nadella:
Gaming has been part of Microsoft from the start. Flight Simulator shipped before Windows, and you can practically ray‑trace a line from DirectX in the ’90s to the accelerated‑compute era we’re in today.
As we celebrate Xbox’s 25th year, the opportunity and innovation agenda in front of us is expansive. Today we reach over 500 million monthly active users, are a top publisher across all platforms, and continue to innovate across gaming hardware, content and community, in service of creators and players everywhere.
I am long on gaming and its role at the center of our consumer ambition, and as we look ahead, I’m excited to share that Asha Sharma will become Executive Vice President and CEO, Microsoft Gaming, reporting to me. Over the last two years at Microsoft, and previously as Chief Operating Officer at Instacart and a Vice President at Meta, Asha has helped build and scale services that reach billions of people and support thriving consumer and developer ecosystems. She brings deep experience building and growing platforms, aligning business models to long-term value, and operating at global scale, which will be critical in leading our gaming business into its next era of growth.
Matt Booty will become Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer, reporting to Asha. Matt’s career reflects a lifelong commitment to games and to the people who make them. Under his leadership, Microsoft Gaming has grown to span nearly 40 studios across Xbox, Bethesda, Activision Blizzard, and King, which are home to beloved franchises including Halo, The Elder Scrolls, Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Diablo, Candy Crush, and Fallout.
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Together, Asha and Matt have the right combination of consumer product leadership and gaming depth to push our platform innovation and content pipeline forward. Last year, Phil Spencer made the decision to retire from the company, and since then we’ve been talking about succession planning. I want to thank Phil for his extraordinary leadership and partnership. Over 38 years at Microsoft, including 12 years leading Gaming, Phil helped transform what we do and how we do it. He expanded our reach across PC, mobile, and cloud; nearly tripled the size of the business; helped shape our strategy through the acquisitions of Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax, and Minecraft; and strengthened our culture across our studios and platforms. I’ve long admired Phil’s unwavering commitment to players, creators, and his team, and I am personally grateful for his leadership and counsel. He will continue working closely with Asha to ensure a smooth transition.
We have extraordinary creative talent across our studios and a global platform that is second to none. I’m excited for how we will capture the opportunity ahead and define what comes next, while staying grounded in what players and creators value.
Please join me in congratulating Asha and Matt on their new roles, and in thanking Phil for everything he has done for Microsoft and for our industry.
From Phil Spencer:
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When I walked through Microsoft’s doors as an intern in June of 1988, I could never have imagined the products I’d help build, the players and customers we’d serve, or the extraordinary teams I’d be lucky enough to join. It’s been an epic ride and truly the privilege of a lifetime.
Last fall, I shared with Satya that I was thinking about stepping back and starting the next chapter of my life. From that moment, we aligned on approaching this transition with intention, ensuring stability, and strengthening the foundation we’ve built. Xbox has always been more than a business. It’s a vibrant community of players, creators, and teams who care deeply about what we build and how we build it. And it deserves a thoughtful, deliberate plan for the road ahead.
Today marks an exciting new chapter for Microsoft Gaming as Asha Sharma steps into the role of CEO, and I want to be the first to welcome her to this incredible team.Working with her over the past several months has given me tremendous confidence. She brings genuine curiosity, clarity and a deep commitment to understanding players, creators, and the decisions that shape our future. We know this is an important moment for our fans, partners, and team, and we’re committed to getting it right. I’ll remain in an advisory role through the summer to support a smooth handoff.
I’m also grateful for the strength of our studios organization. Matt Booty and our studios teams continue to build an incredible portfolio, and I have full confidence in the leadership and creative momentum across our global studios. I want to congratulate Matt on his promotion to EVP and Chief Content Officer.
As part of this transition, Sarah Bond has decided to leave Microsoft to begin a new chapter. Sarah has been instrumental during a defining period for Xbox, shaping our platform strategy, expanding Game Pass and cloud gaming, supporting new hardware launches, and guiding some of the most significant moments in our history. I’m grateful for her partnership and the impact she’s had, and I wish her the very best in what comes next.
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Most of all, to everyone in Microsoft Gaming, I want to say “thank you”. I’ve learned so much from this team and community, grown alongside you, and been continually inspired by the creativity, courage, and care you bring to players, creators, and to one another every day.
I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built together over the last 25 years, and I have complete confidence in all of you and in the opportunities ahead. I’ll be cheering you on in this next chapter as Xbox’s proudest fan and player.
Phil
XBL: P3
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From Asha Sharma:
Dear team,
Today I begin my role as CEO of Microsoft Gaming.
I feel two things at once: humility and urgency.
Humility because this team has built something extraordinary over decades. Urgency because gaming is in a period of rapid change, and we need to move with clarity and conviction.
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I am stepping into work shaped by generations of artists, engineers, designers, writers, musicians, operators and more who create worlds that have brought joy and deep personal meaning to hundreds of millions of players. The level of craft here is exceptional, and it is amplified by Xbox, which was founded in the belief that the power of games connect people and push the industry forward.
Thank you to Phil for his leadership, and to every studio, platform, and operations team that built this foundation. We are stewards of some of the most loved stories and characters in entertainment and bring players and creators together around the fun and community of gaming in entirely new ways.
My first job is simple: understand what makes this work and protect it.
That starts with three commitments.
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First, great games.
Everything begins here. We must have great games beloved by players before we do anything. Unforgettable characters, stories that make us feel, innovative game play, and creative excellence. We will empower our studios, invest in iconic franchises, and back bold new ideas. We will take risks. We will enter new categories and markets where we can add real value, grounded in what players care about most.
I promoted Matt Booty in honor of this commitment. He understands the craft and the challenges of building great games, has led teams that deliver award-winning work, and has earned the trust of game developers across the industry.
Second, the return of Xbox.
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We will recommit to our core Xbox fans and players, those who have invested with us for the past 25 years, and to the developers who build the expansive universes and experiences that are embraced by players across the world.
We will celebrate our roots with a renewed commitment to Xbox starting with console which has shaped who we are. It connects us to the players and fans who invest in Xbox, and to the developers who build ambitious experiences for it.
Gaming now lives across devices, not within the limits of any single piece of hardware. As we expand across PC, mobile, and cloud, Xbox should feel seamless, instant, and worthy of the communities we serve. We will break down barriers so developers can build once and reach players everywhere without compromise.
Third, future of play.
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We are witnessing the reinvention of play.
To meet the moment, we will invent new business models and new ways to play by leaning into what we already have: iconic teams, characters, and worlds that people love. But we will not treat those worlds as static IP to milk and monetize. We will build a shared platform and tools that empower developers and players to create and share their own stories.
As monetization and AI evolve and influence this future, we will not chase short-term efficiency or flood our ecosystem with soulless AI slop. Games are and always will be art, crafted by humans, and created with the most innovative technology provided by us.
The next 25 years belong to the teams who dare to build something surprising, something no one else is willing to try, and have the patience to see it through. We have done this before, and I am here to help us do it again. I want to return to the renegade spirit that built Xbox in the first place. It will require us to relentlessly question everything, revisit processes, protect what works, and be brave enough to change what does not.
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Thank you for welcoming me into this journey.
Asha
From Matt Booty:
I read Phil’s note with much gratitude. He has been a steady champion for game creators and our studio teams, and I’ve learned so much from his leadership over the years. All our games have benefited from his foundational support. I’m also grateful to Satya for his ongoing commitment to gaming and holding a vision of how it can connect back to the larger company.
Looking forward, I’m excited to partner with Asha as our next CEO. Our first conversations centered on her commitment to making great games and the role that plays in our overall success. She asks questions, pushes for clarity, and wants our choices grounded in player and developer needs. That mindset matters as the industry around us is changing quickly: how players engage, how games are made, and how business models and platforms evolve.
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We have good reasons to believe in what’s ahead. This organization and its franchises have navigated change for decades, and our strength comes from teams who know how to adapt and keep delivering. That confidence is grounded in a strong pipeline of established franchises, new bets we believe in, and clear player demand for what we are building.
My focus is on supporting the teams and leaders we have in place and creating the conditions for them to do their best work. To be clear, there are no organizational changes underway for our studios.
Thanks for everything you do for players and for each other.
True or false? Your green laser pointer is more powerful than your red one. The answer is almost certainly false. They are, most likely, the same power, but your eye is far more sensitive to green, so it seems stronger. [Brandon Li] was thinking about how to best represent colors on computer screens and fell down the rabbit hole of what colors look like when arranged in a spectrum. Spoiler alert: almost all the images you see of the spectrum are incorrect in some way. The problem isn’t in our understanding of the physics, but more in the understanding of how humans perceive color.
Perception may start with physics, but it also extends to the biology of your eye and the psychology of your brain. What follows is a lot of math that finally winds up with the CIE 1931 color space diagram and the CIE 2012 system.
Some people obsess about fonts, and some about colors. If you are in the latter camp, this is probably old hat for you. However, if you want a glimpse into just how complicated it is to accurately represent colors, this is a fascinating read. You can learn about the Bezold-Brücke shift, the Helmholtz-Kohlrausch effect, and the Abney effect. Maybe that’ll help you win a bar bet one day.
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The post winds up in the strangest place: spectroscopy. So if you want to see how color representation applies to analyzing blue sky, neon tubes, and a MacBook display, you’ll want to skip to the end.
Spending a Friday evening doing your taxes probably isn’t the most appealing way to kick off your weekend…but what if you added drinks, delicious takeout, and a couple of buddies who were also tending to all the annoying little tasks they’ve been avoiding?
That’s the idea behind “admin nights,” a new trend that is proliferating on TikTok. The conceit is simple: Friends get together, pull out their laptops, and start hacking away at their to-do lists. Think of a girls’ night out, but…in, and centered on tedious tasks instead of cocktails and clubbing.
“It’s the perfect blend of both,” Brie Ever, a Birmingham, Alabama-based content creator who hosts weekly “admin nights,” told Vox. “There are moments when I know I need to lock in, and I’ll just put in my headphones. But for the most part, everyone’s talking, working, and having a glass of wine all at the same time.”
While it might seem strange that people are opting for errands or chores over happy hour, task-themed meetups have become a popular form of hanging out. Other examples you’ll see online include “freezer meal parties,” where friends prepare ready-to-microwave dinners and “vision board nights,” where groups make collages of their life goals.
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These gatherings represent the experimental and less obvious ways people are prioritizing friendship while tackling the struggles of modern living. Everything has the potential to be a party now.
Hanging out has become more complicated
Spending time with friends can naturally become more difficult as you get older. Work, romantic relationships, kids, and other caregiving responsibilities can completely drain your social battery and cut into the time that was once reserved for your pals. But even younger adults who theoretically have less on their plates aren’t free of the exhaustion that accompanies modern living.
Anna Goldfarb, author of Modern Friendship: How to Nurture Our Most Valued Connections, told Vox that a lot of friend groups have become decentralized, as people relocate and change jobs more frequently. “Our grandparents might’ve stayed in the same town for most of their lives,” Goldfarb said. “They might have stayed at the same job. They didn’t have to work so hard to keep these connections afloat.”
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Life has also become more expensive for a lot of people due to inflation and tariffs. Going to the movies, restaurants, or out for drinks regularly can feel like a luxury for many consumers, and just might not feel worth it. (YouGov’s 2025 Dining Out Report found that 37 percent of US diners say they’re dining out less frequently than they were a year ago, with 69 percent citing “a perceived rise in expensiveness.” And a 2025 CivicScience poll found that 27 percent of respondents are ditching the multiplex and staying home due to movie ticket prices.)
With all these hurdles in mind, it’s not surprising that social gatherings are beginning to look a lot different.
Gathering is all about intention now
In the past few years, social activities have started to look a lot more productive and intentional. Running clubs, for example, became a more visible trend during the first two years of the pandemic, and book club events have been increasing, according to data from Eventbrite. There’s also the phenomenon of “soft clubbing,” first reported last summer, which sees typical nightlife activities replaced with sober, wellness-focused gatherings. (Think: cold-plunge parties and saunas featuring DJ sessions.) Admin nights are a natural evolution of this optimization of social activities, or at least just a collective desire to avoid hangovers.
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Vision board nights and meal prep parties are a welcome hangout for organized, goal-oriented pals. In other instances, friends are getting together to clean each other’s homes, bake, and even provide life updates. Many of these gatherings lean into a psychological concept called “body doubling,” which is often used by people with ADHD. (Ever, the content creator, used the term when discussing the appeal of admin nights.) It simply means having other people present while you complete tasks to help you stay focused.
Irene S. Levine, a psychologist and author of the book Best Friends Forever: Surviving A Breakup With Your Best Friend, sees a lot of value in tackling errands with your pals, although it doesn’t have to be as structured as a planned party. “That could extend to going to the gym together or doing your food shopping together,” she told Vox. “When you’re stretched for time, doing things simultaneously with your friends kills two birds with one stone. You’re taking care of business, so there’s less guilt associated with it.”
But, Levine clarified, there’s nothing self-indulgent about spending quality time with your friends. “It’s actually so important to our health and emotional well-being,” she said.
There have been plenty of reports and casual handwringing over the idea that people are partying less nowadays, and that Gen Z isn’t having as much fun as their peers were at the same age. At first glance, these new modes of hanging out may not look like the stereotypical young person’s idea of a good time. There’s presumably no hard drugs, no sex, no stumbling home at 4 am involved in admin nights. But it makes sense that gatherings would look a bit different when the world looks dramatically different. As life becomes more difficult to manage and relationships get harder to maintain, the hottest club in town might be your friend’s couch, laptop open, finally setting up automated bill pay.
Even though digital cameras have lowered the barrier of entry to photography dramatically, as well as made it much easier for professionals and amateurs alike to capture stunning images without the burden of developing film, the technology behind them is considerably more complex than their analog counterparts. In fact, an analog film camera (not counting the lens) can be as simple as a lightproof box and a way to activate a shutter. Knowing that, any kind of film camera could be built for any number of applications, like this 3D-printed panoramic camera from [Denis Aminev].
The custom-built camera works by taking a standard roll of 35mm film, which is standardized to take 36 pictures, and exposing a wider section of the film to create a panorama. This reduces the number of pictures on the roll to 19. This is the fifth version of this camera, called the Infidex 176 V, and has everything a standard film camera would have, from an exposure counter, pressure plate for the film, a winder, interchangable lenses, a viewfinder, and a tripod mounting point. It does take a bit of work to assemble, as shown in the video linked below, but the final result is impressive and delivers a custom finished product not easily found or reproducible in off-the-shelf cameras.
The path to creating this camera was interesting as well, as [Denis]’s first custom film camera was a pinhole camera. From there he moved on to disassembling an SLR camera and attempting to reproduce all of its parts with 3D printed ones. With that in hand, he was able to modify this design into this panoramic camera which he likes because it reproduces the feel of widescreen movies. Although this camera reproduces all of the bells and whistles of a high quality analog camera, not all of these features are strictly necessary for taking pictures on film. Have a look at this minimum viable camera as well.
LG is returning to the UK microwave market after a 10-year break, unveiling a new eight-model lineup set to roll out through 2026.
The move marks a renewed push into small kitchen appliances, as the company looks to expand its smart home portfolio beyond its traditional stronghold in TVs and large white goods.
The refreshed range covers everything from entry-level 20L models to a premium 39L convection microwave, with prices starting at £84 and rising to £299 (MSRP).
At the top of the lineup is the MJ3965BPS, a 39L NeoChef Convection model priced at £299 and arriving in June 2026.
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It combines microwave, grill, convection and steam cooking in one unit, powered by LG’s Smart Inverter technology for more consistent heating. Features like the Infrared Convection System, Charcoal & Quartz Heater, and Healthy Fry mode position it as an all-in-one solution for more ambitious home cooks.
Below that sits the MH6565CPS, a £179 25L model that LG describes as its flagship standard microwave. It delivers 1,000W Smart Inverter power and a 900W grill, wrapped in a minimalist One Body Design with both touch controls and a physical dial.
Mid-range options include the MH6535GIS (£159) and MH6336GIB (£149), both offering 1,000W inverter cooking and 6-point turntables designed for better weight distribution and more even heating. LG says the continuous power delivery of Smart Inverter helps eliminate cold spots and overcooked edges compared to traditional pulsed microwaves.
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At the more affordable end, the lineup includes several 20L, 700W models such as the MS2042D (£89) and MS2082F (£84). These focus on everyday heating and defrosting, with panel touch or dial controls, auto-cook presets and LG’s Anti-Bacterial EasyClean coating.
Across the range, LG is emphasising usability and durability, with LED interiors, child lock features, and a two-year warranty included as standard. Some models are already available via LG’s UK store and selected retailers, with wider availability expected from June 2026.
While these models focus on practical cooking performance today, LG also hinted at a longer-term smart vision. This includes potential AI-powered dish recognition and ThinQ app integration down the line.
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For now, though, this is a straightforward re-entry into a competitive category, and a clear signal that LG wants a bigger slice of the modern UK kitchen.
Ten months after Trump imposed sweeping tariffs that hurt US businesses and consumers, and hit Apple to the tune of $3.2 billion, the Supreme Court has ruled that it was done illegally. Refunds will be messy.
Trump launching his tariffs in April 2205
Trump was always expected to introduce tariffs, but the extent of his April 2025 “Liberation Day” ones caught the world by surprise. The claimed mathematics behind the original rates was ridiculed, and then Trump further raised them to ostensibly punish countries, or even individuals like Tim Cook. The Supreme Court has ruled 6 to 3 that imposing the tariffs without Congress’s involvement was illegal. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the ruling, which denied Trump’s claim that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) gave him the authority to act unilaterally. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
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Home improvement retailers like Home Depot sell a long list of gadgets that will help you in the garage, whether that’s working on a project, maintaining a car, or simply cleaning the space. Of course, a gadget that makes plenty of promises doesn’t always turn out to be as useful or capable as it claims. That’s where user reviews come in handy — they can help verify that the product in question is actually worth your hard-earned money.
These 12 garage-ready gadgets all get consistently good reviews from Home Depot customers. Many can also be found for under $100, and some cost less than $50. Each pick here is available through Home Depot’s website at the time of writing, but stock levels in stores might vary, so it’s worth checking before you head down to your nearest branch.
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Chamberlain myQ Smart Garage Control with Wi-Fi Hub
If you want to make your garage door opener smarter, there’s no need to buy an entirely new system. The Chamberlain myQ smart garage control is designed to work with most existing opener systems that were manufactured after 1993, yet it offers several advantages compared to a non-smart system. One of those advantages is its Amazon Key compatibility, which allows delivery drivers temporary access to your garage to drop parcels away from porch pirates.
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If you’d like to keep a closer eye on who’s using your garage and when they’re using it, you can also enable real-time notifications on the smartphone app to let you know when the door is opened. That’s a lot of additional functionality, particularly since the smart garage control retails for only $29.98.
It’s a popular choice among Home Depot buyers, who have given it an average rating of 4.2 out of five stars from around 1,400 reviews at the time of writing. One reviewer calls it an “amazing upgrade for [an] old garage opener,” while another says they “would recommend it to anyone who needs to control their garage away from home.”
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Sensor Brite Motion Activated Step Lights
Retailing for $9.98, the Sensor Brite motion-activated step lights are a cheap way to ensure you can always see clearly in your garage during the darker hours. They use motion sensors to automatically activate when you walk within ten feet of them, and they run on battery power, so there’s no need to worry about wiring them in. Screwing them into walls or stairways isn’t necessary either, since they come with adhesive backing.
Each pack contains two lights, but they’re cheap enough that you could buy enough packs to completely illuminate even the largest of garages without breaking the bank. The lights are well-liked by reviewers, and they’ve accrued more than 500 reviews on Home Depot’s website to date. Overall, the lights achieve an average score of 4.3 out of five stars, with reviewers saying they make “great lighting for garage steps” and are “an added benefit to the home.”
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DeWalt 20V Max Cordless Electric Portable Inflator Kit
Alongside its core range of power tools, DeWalt also makes a range of useful gadgets including the 20V Max portable inflator kit. It’s a good entry point into the brand’s cordless 20V Max line for anyone who’s new to the DeWalt brand, since it includes everything you’ll need to get started. Alongside the inflator itself, the kit includes a 3Ah battery and a charger that’s compatible with both 12V and 20V DeWalt batteries.
DeWalt is far from the only tool brand that makes a portable inflator. Its arch-rival Milwaukee also sells a similarly priced tire inflator kit, and which one is better comes down to personal preference as much as performance. Still, anyone who buys the DeWalt inflator kit shouldn’t be disappointed. It’s a versatile offering, since it can run off battery power but can also be plugged into an outlet if you don’t have any battery charge remaining. It comes with all the usual features you’d expect to see at this price point — think auto-shut off, a high-volume inflation mode, and a choice of nozzles to fit everything from tires to sports balls.
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Buyers are very positive about the inflator’s capabilities and versatility, awarding it an average score of 4.7 out of five stars from more than 2,700 reviews.
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TP-Link Wi-Fi 6 Range Extender Adapter
Spotty wi-fi in the garage can be a pain, but it doesn’t have to be. The TP-Link Wi-Fi 6 range extender adapter promises to increase your coverage area within your home, garage, or workshop, and it can connect to all TP-Link OneMesh compatible routers. The setup process is straightforward, with one reviewer saying they “set the relay up in our garage and everything from start to finish took no more than 15 minutes.”
Another reviewer explains that they “installed a couple of wi-fi cameras at the far corner of our garage that couldn’t connect with the router in the other end of [the] house.” They added that “while I was wondering what I’d have to configure to get it to work everything just started working.” Other reviewers are similarly positive, giving the device an average rating of 4.3 out of five stars from more than 100 reviews. While it might be a useful solution, wi-fi extenders do come with some drawbacks, so it’s worth considering whether a wi-fi booster or an extender is best for your network before you add the $84.99 TP-Link extender to your basket.
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Klein Tools Jobsite Speaker With Magnetic Mount
A good soundtrack can make even the most tiring jobs more bearable, and if your garage needs a speaker to provide that soundtrack, it’s worth checking out the Klein Tools jobsite speaker. It’s available from Home Depot for $38.76 and it has accrued an average score of 4.4 out of five stars from around 200 reviews at the time of writing. The speaker features a magnetic mount and so it can be securely attached to tool chests or metal shelving, but it’s also compatible with tripods and even lanyards too.
Since it’s designed for the jobsite, it’s tough enough to withstand all of the common hazards that garage use presents. It’ll survive getting dusty or getting showered with debris, and it’s also resistant to water splashes thanks to its IP45 rating. When the speaker is connected to your smartphone, it can also be used to answer calls using the built-in microphone.
Klein Tools says it has a 10-hour battery life, and it can be recharged using the included USB charging cable. The brand’s reputation for durability seems to have carried over to the speaker, too, with one reviewer saying, “I’ve had mine for over five years now and it’s been the toughest, longest lasting speaker I’ve ever had.”
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Chamberlain myQ Smart Garage Home Security Camera
To complement the myQ smart garage controller and build a comprehensive smart garage setup, buyers could consider the brand’s smart garage security camera. It’s available for $28.85, making it a cost-effective way to see who’s in your garage while you’re travelling or at work. The most affordable version of the camera needs to be plugged in to function, then connected to a wi-fi network. Its feed can then be accessed via the myQ app.
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If you need to place the camera in a spot where there’s no outlet available, Chamberlain also offers a battery-powered option, but it’s considerably pricier. A two-pack of battery-powered cameras is available for $118.29. The cheaper option is more commonly reviewed by Home Depot buyers, and has received close to 1,000 reviews to date.
Across those reviews, it has been awarded an average score of four out of five stars. That’s less than most of the other products here, but it’s still enough to make the camera one of the best-reviewed products at Home Depot at its price point. Some of the more negative feedback focuses on the camera’s optional subscription fee to access features like video storage. However, one reviewer notes that “you don’t need a monthly subscription, it helps if you want to store a lot of video but [it’s] not necessary.”
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Ryobi USB Lithium Clamp Fan Kit
Ryobi’s USB Lithium clamp fan kit will keep you cool in the garage, the house, or on the road. The kit retails for $39.97 and includes the fan, a 2Ah USB Lithium battery, and a charging cable. It can clamp to surfaces up to 1-¼ inches thick and can be attached to worktops and toolboxes, among many other things.
The kit racked up more than 1,800 reviews from Home Depot customers, and the vast majority are very positive. At the time of writing, it has an average score of 4.7 out of five stars. Even fans of other tool brands have been won over by its value for money, with one reviewer saying that “most of my tools for work are Milwaukee but Milwaukee doesn’t make a small [battery] powered fan.”
Surprisingly, the fan isn’t the only product that Ryobi makes that Milwaukee doesn’t either. The brand with the bright green tools also makes a power carver and a foam cutter, neither of which has a direct Milwaukee equivalent.
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Ridgid 3 Gallon Handheld Wet/Dry Shop Vac
A range of manufacturers offer wet/dry shop vacs, but in our comparison of every major vac brand, it was Ridgid which came out on top. The brand’s reputation for durability and the useful extra features available with its vacuums were two reasons for its placement at the top of the pile. A third was the brand’s lifetime warranty, which covers key components against defects in their material or in the vac’s construction.
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One of Ridgid’s most compact vacuums is its three gallon handheld wet/dry shop vac, which has an average rating of 4.6 out of five stars from more than 2,000 reviews. While a handful of reviewers report being irritated with the aforementioned warranty’s exclusion of the vac’s hose, most reviewers are satisfied with their purchase. One says that “From car to garage to shop, it is a champ,” while another says that it works “a lot better than dragging out my big Ridgid vac out just to do […] small things […] in the garage or in the house.” It’s available from Home Depot for $69.97.
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Chamberlain Wireless Garage Door Keypad
Even if you’re not set on creating the perfect smart garage setup with app-connected door openers and cameras, there are still plenty of ways to add an extra dash of tech to your garage. The Chamberlain wireless garage door keypad is a great example: it costs $50.04, and it lets users with the correct code temporarily gain garage access. Temporary codes can be created for delivery drivers and can be configured to expire after a set amount of time.
Reviewers are generally in agreement that installing and programming the keypad is straightforward, with one calling it “a great product [that] works exactly as I expected.” Durability shouldn’t be a concern either, since according to one reviewer, their last Chamberlain keypad “worked for 22 years before I had to replace it.” At the time of writing, the keypad has amassed close to 2,000 reviews, with an average rating of 4.5 out of five stars.
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Ryobi USB Lithium Magnetic Clamp Light Kit
Look beyond its tool range and there are a whole lot of underrated Ryobi finds that users swear by. One of the top-rated of the bunch is the USB Lithium magnetic clamp light kit, which has an exceptional average rating of 4.9 out of five stars from over 100 reviews at the time of writing. Home Depot reviewers say it “lights up the entire garage,” and that “the little clip that comes with it is very handy to hang it from anywhere you want.” Others call it “very convenient to use” and say that “the magnetic feature is especially helpful when you need both hands free.”
As well as its magnetic base, the light is also compatible with Ryobi’s Link storage system, and so can be hung on the wall with a suitable Link wall mount. The head of the light turns 360°, and it can also pivot up to 180°, making it easy to mount it in a wide variety of locations and still get the perfect lighting angle. The light is available as part of a kit for $49.97, and it’s bundled with a 2Ah USB Lithium battery and a charging cable.
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Genie Signature Series 2 HPc Smart Garage Door Opener
If your garage door opener is in good working condition, the most affordable way to add extra smart features is to fit a myQ smart garage door controller. However, if you’re in need of a new opener system, the Genie Signature Series smart garage door opener is a worthy alternative. The system is integrated with the brand’s app from the get-go, and it also comes with two garage remotes for good measure.
When used with the companion app, the garage door can be opened using voice assistants like Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. When it’s being lowered again, an infrared sensor cuts down the chance of the door accidentally coming into contact with a vehicle, object, or person by automatically stopping the door if it detects an obstruction. At a retail price of $379, the system is a larger investment than most of the other gadgets here, but it’s one of the best reviewed products in its category at Home Depot.
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At the time of writing, it has an average rating of 4.2 out of five stars from more than 1,300 reviews. While some reviewers criticize its rail design and construction, others are won over by the system, calling it “one of the best purchases from Home Depot” and adding that it was easy to install.
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Klein Tools 600V Digital Multimeter
Keeping a multimeter around is always a good idea, since you never know when it might come in useful. There are more ways to use one around the home and garage than you might think, from automotive diagnosis to battery testing. With any gadget, there can be a temptation to pay more for an example with additional features, but the Klein Tools 600V digital multimeter should strike the right balance of features and pricing for most people.
It offers lead alert protection, a backlit display, and a kickstand so it can stand freely during use or storage. Furthermore, it’s able to measure voltage, current, and resistance, and is designed to be easy to use for novices and professionals alike. Few reviewers have bad things to say about the multimeter, giving it an average of 4.7 out of five stars from almost 400 reviews. One reviewer summed up the tool’s appeal by saying it “works perfectly for my needs, [and] for the price and brand, [you] can’t really go wrong.”
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How we picked these handy gadgets
Even the most attractively priced gadget is no good if it doesn’t live up to expectations when you actually start using it. To ensure that these handy garage gadgets were up to the task, we relied on feedback from reviewers at Home Depot. Each of the listed picks was among the top-rated products in its category at the retailer, with an average rating of at least four out of five stars from at least 100 reviews. All prices listed refer to the retail price on Home Depot’s website at the time of writing, and do not account for promotions or limited-time discounts.
Microsoft is preparing to bring another change to the humble Notepad app. According to Windows Latest, internal testing on Windows 11 shows that the classic text editor is gaining full image support.
Notepad was once just a simple tool for typing plain text, but that simplicity has steadily evolved over multiple updates. Microsoft has modernized Notepad with autosave, undo history, and Markdown formatting. You can now apply basic styling, such as bold text, italics, and links.
WordPad, the older rich text editor that could handle images, has been removed from Windows, leaving Notepad to fill the gap. With WordPad gone, Microsoft appears to be expanding Notepad’s capabilities to cover more use cases.
The new image support will be part of Notepad’s extended formatting features. Microsoft sources told Windows Latest that image support is being tested in internal versions of Notepad. You’d be able to turn the feature off in Settings if you prefer the classic text-only experience.
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How Notepad has been quietly changing
Microsoft
Image support in Notepad can be seen as a natural step toward a more capable note-taking tool, similar to Apple’s Notes or other built-in apps that support text formatting and images.
However, adding too many features could dilute what made Notepad appealing to users in the first place. Adding visual elements risks blurring the line between Notepad and more complex apps like OneNote.
Notepad’s evolution reflects broader changes in how people use built-in apps. If image support rolls out widely, the simple editor could become a more flexible space for jotting down ideas, links, and pictures all in one place.
Think you can quickly identify fake faces generated by AI models? Think again. According to a recently published study by Australian researchers, AI-generated faces are now essentially too difficult to spot – except for a small minority of people who are exceptionally skilled at analyzing facial features. As a result,… Read Entire Article Source link
TCS’s Gavin McPaul discusses how he got his start in cyber and the benefits of working out of picturesque Donegal.
“From an early age, I’ve always been fascinated by technology: phones, laptops, any new gadgets really,” says Gavin McPaul, the head of enterprise vulnerability management at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).
His family soon noticed his skill in the area of IT and at home he became the go-to person for all things tech related. “And I still am, unfortunately,” he jokes. “Towards the end of secondary school, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in IT.”
But like many young people at that stage of their lives, he was unsure of the educational direction he wanted to take, especially as his research showed him just how vast the IT sector was, indicated by the sheer volume of courses available at his chosen college, ATU Letterkenny.
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He explains: “One course immediately jumped out at me because of its title, Computing with Computer Security and Digital Forensics. It sounded incredibly interesting, and I’m certainly glad I made that choice. It was towards the end of my degree that I realised I wanted to specialise in penetration testing.”
How have you progressed in your career as quickly as you have?
I believe my quick progression comes down to curiosity. I’ve always been driven to learn new things, take on more responsibility, question the status quo to find better ways of working, and I’m always interested in helping other people.
When I first started at TCS, we had a large team, but much of the work was individual projects. I made an effort to speak to everyone, understanding how they approached their tasks. I quickly realised everyone had their own methods. This led me to create a central collaboration space where ideas could be shared, benefiting the entire team and new joiners alike.
My curiosity and fresh perspective straight out of college meant that within my first five months, I identified an opportunity for improvement with one of our applications. This was a significant career boost, demonstrating my ability and knowledge. It got me noticed by senior leadership and opened doors to new projects.
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What aspects of the TCS culture do you believe make it an attractive place to begin a career?
What I truly appreciate about TCS is the incredible team environment. An office space with genuine collaboration and where you can learn from team members is invaluable, especially early in your career. Nobody at TCS wants to see you fail. There’s a robust support system ready to guide you in the right direction.
As a large consultancy, our core goal at TCS is to support clients through their technology transformation journeys. Working with numerous clients across diverse sectors means there are always opportunities to explore and specialise in areas of interest. Our clients are often undergoing significant transformations, actively seeking fresh ideas and innovative solutions, and they truly value the insights and solutions we bring.
What does a typical day look like for you?
The most exciting aspect of cybersecurity and penetration testing is that no two days are the same; you truly never know what challenges might arise. I’m fortunate to work with one of our financial services clients in the US, collaborating with an excellent team spread across the US, Ireland and India. As a lead within their offensive security team, I’m currently helping them transform their entire penetration testing programme.
As the technical lead for our teams in Ireland and India, I provide advice, guidance and support on all aspects of penetration testing. Our core goal for the client is to secure their applications and data from external threats.
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Beyond that, my work is diverse and includes meeting potential new clients, building out new capabilities, developing internal training programmes, interviewing and onboarding new resources, and helping manage our team of 10 people, which we’re looking to expand by another six.
What do you enjoy most about living and working in the north-west?
I love the beauty and quiet of living in Donegal. We’re fortunate to have several large organisations here, which is fantastic for our county. These provide great opportunities for people living in the area, especially with a local university like ATU Letterkenny feeding directly into places like TCS.
I feel incredibly fortunate to have found a cybersecurity career in Donegal, working here since college and still being given opportunities to further my career with TCS, even after six years.
What advice would you give someone looking to start a career in cybersecurity or penetration testing?
We all leave college with the same degree after four years, but what truly sets you apart from everyone else? Most students haven’t considered this question, so they often don’t have an immediate answer. When I interview graduates, I’m really looking for passion and genuine interest in cybersecurity. Often, this shines through in what they’ve done outside of their degree. Here are a few things I always recommend to students.
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Sign up for any IT or cybersecurity societies at your college. If there isn’t one, take the initiative to start it. Attend conferences like BSides, IRISSCON, or OWASP local chapters. Get involved in ‘capture the flag’ competitions, like Zero Days CTF or the many free online options. These are fantastic for hands-on experience and for networking with other students and industry professionals. You can even prepare for them through your college society.
Create a LinkedIn account. It’s an excellent way to connect with like-minded people, and recruiters are always on the lookout there. During summer, reach out to companies about internship programmes. They offer invaluable insight and hands-on industry experience.
If you can, pursue certifications. In Ireland, anyone can access industry-recognised certs like CompTIA Security+ or Pentest+ for free, funded by the Irish government. Research areas you’re interested in, read blogs, follow specialists, or even start a personal project.
If application penetration testing interests you, get to know OWASP – it will become your best friend in this field.
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TCS are currently recruiting for application penetration testing roles. Click here to apply.
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