Pakistan

 gimi’sXgimi’s latest all-in-one smart projector not only looks good, but it supports native 4K and HDR content. Better yet, the Xgimi Horizon Pro boots straight into Android TV and features a pair of 8W Harman Kardon speakers that sound great despite the projector’s compact size. Couple that with a bright LED light source, built-in Wi-Fi, and the ability to automatically avoid obstacles when determining where to project the image, and you’ve got a 300-inch display that can go anywhere there’s a power outlet and a flat surface. Hell, it’ll even double as a Bluetooth speaker in a pinch. I’ve never been a fan of smart televisions when it’s so easy to offload those smarts to a more capable streaming box or stick, which can be neatly hidden out of sight. But it’s much harder to do the same thing with a projector when they’re mounted to ceilings or placed on a coffee table for an impromptu movie or gaming night with friends. With projectors, the more self-contained they are, the better....

 Lenovo is a big player in the convertible laptop sphere, and the Yoga 9i is its top dog. A sequel to the Yoga C940, the $1,299.99-and-up 14-inch Yoga 9i is a capable laptop in almost every area that matters, with a comfortable keyboard, respectable battery life, and some of the better specs you can get at its price point. But there’s one area where it’s far ahead of the pack — the audio. Yes, you read that correctly. There’s actually a 14-inch laptop out there with very good audio. I know. I’m shocked to be typing that, too. Though it doesn’t quite surpass the likes of HP’s Spectre x360 and Microsoft’s Surface Pro 7 Plus in many other areas, the Yoga 9i’s innovative speaker design keeps it very much in the premium mix as an exceptional entertainment and multimedia machine. About this speaker system, to start. There are two downward-firing woofers on the bottom. But the 9i’s secret is that the custom tweeters are housed in a rotating soundbar, which is built into the laptop’s hinge...

 While we usually look for major features in a device — speed or sound quality or picture sharpness — sometimes it’s the little things that can make or break your experience with that device. I realized this recently when I bought myself a pair of Jabra Elite 75t earbuds for day-to-day use. I really liked my new earbuds. But while my previous headset came with a detachable loop that you could use to attach it to a bag or a keyring or whatever, the Jabra case has no way of attaching to anything. Now, I wasn’t about to return the earbuds because of this, but it did cause me to growl a little. In order to get that same convenient functionality I had enjoyed with my previous earbuds, I had to buy a cheap silicone cover for the case — one that came with a carabiner that I could hook onto my bag. It also started me thinking about other easily overlooked design features that we may not even think about when we buy a device but become issues once we start using the device on a day-to-day b...

 The ShadowCast from Genki is a dongle-size video capture card that might provide all that some gamers and streamers need. It’s $45, a relatively low price for a no-frills device that can get your console games onto your PC. But it has some limitations. The video quality isn’t great, and there’s a noticeable amount of lag if you’re trying to play along with the stream. These compromises aren’t a surprise, considering the ShadowCast costs a fraction of the price of something more capable like Elgato’s HD60 S+. You can actually go a bit cheaper than Genki’s $45 if you’re willing to roll the dice on quality control. Last year we covered an affordable (between $10 and $30, usually) no-brand HDMI capture card that’s very similar to this one, and perhaps its port arrangement may be more convenient for you. Unlike the ShadowCast, which plugs into an HDMI port and has a USB-C-in port on its other end, the cheaper alternative has HDMI-in and USB-out, so you can just plug in an HDMI cable yo...

 Let’sLet’s get this out of the way: you shouldn’t buy the HTC Vive Focus 3 for home VR. The Vive Focus 3 is HTC’s latest virtual reality headset, part of the Vive line that it first released in 2016. The Vive helped establish the modern VR industry, and the Focus 3 is one of only two big-brand standalone (as opposed to PC- or console-tethered) headsets on the market alongside Facebook’s Oculus Quest 2. But as Facebook lengthens its lead in consumer VR, HTC has voluntarily taken itself out of the running. The Focus 3, which opened for preorders last month, is meant for businesses, research institutions, and other professional settings. It’s equipped with a small suite of apps that hold little consumer appeal, and it is sold with HTC tech support and other enterprise-oriented features. At $1,300, it costs more than four times as much as the Quest 2’s $299 base price. Again: if you want a device for playing video games, exercising, or using most VR social spaces, don’t buy HTC’s stan...

 Alexa’s pleasant, feminine voice has filled the homes of millions over the past few years, but now Amazon has finally released a masculine counterpart for it. Amazon is late to this — both Apple and Google have offered different voices, both feminine and masculine, in their virtual assistants for years. But late or not, it’s nice that Amazon is finally giving some choice for Alexa. In addition to the two main Alexa voices, Amazon also has celebrity voices (right now you can choose between Samuel L. Jackson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Melissa McCarthy). These are programmed to work with certain phrases and answer select questions — mostly alarms and timers, jokes, or weather reports. They also cost $5 each. Any query to an Echo device that’s not supported by the chosen celebrity voice will get a response from the native Alexa voice. There are two ways you can change the voice of Alexa on your Echo devices: through the device itself or through the Alexa app. Note that changing the voice ...

 Green screens used to be reserved for those with access to, well, a green screen. This method has been around for a long time: allowing creators to superimpose a photo or video onto a background in a film or video. Traditionally, that means using a setup that has a large sheet of (usually) green material behind the subject. The solid color makes it easy to digitally remove that color in post-production and add whatever image or video should be there. Now the idea of green screens has gone digital as a way to hide backgrounds in meetings or to create fun videos on social media. TikTok has taken this idea and run with it by creating an effect within the app that does basically the same thing. While not as polished as a traditional green screen, it still gets the job done and allows the creator to remain on-screen while showing the audience an image in the background of the video. The effect is a great way to spice up a video and provide an interesting visual. I use it regularly on T...

TikTok’s algorithms can be very perceptive when it comes to the types of videos you want to see in your For You feed. But when it doesn’t work, you may find yourself facing a steady stream of the type of video you really don’t want to deal with. I’m not just talking about something egregious — like, for example, political or religious or social statements that you might feel are completely counter to your beliefs. I’m also referring to videos that you might simply find annoying, such as a type of music that you don’t like, or a type of humor that doesn’t suit. For example, for some reason I suddenly found myself swiping though a bunch of videos from so-called fortune tellers offering advice to their commenters. I really didn’t need to see those. So what can you do? Well, it turns out that you can actually “dislike” TikTok videos — or, at least, you can tell TikTok that you are not interested in it, and so (hopefully) tweak the algorithm to not show you other videos like it. Here’s how:...

The Nintendo Switch was, like most consoles during the pandemic, once in short supply. Thankfully, retailers like Best Buy, Amazon, and Walmart now routinely stock the Nintendo Switch and Switch Lite in multiple color configurations and models, giving those who struck out ample opportunity to purchase Nintendo’s versatile console. We’re keeping an eye across the web to find where you can buy a Nintendo Switch, the Nintendo Switch Lite (the portable-only version of the console), and the forthcoming Nintendo Switch OLED model, as well as any bundles that seem like good deals. Keep in mind that stock — new, preowned, or otherwise — may still occasionally sell out as a result of the pandemic. However, we’ll do our best to keep this article current with the latest in-stock offers. When something gets sold out, we’ll try to let you know. WHERE CAN I BUY A NINTENDO SWITCH OR SWITCH LITE RIGHT NOW? Over at Amazon, you can buy an updated Nintendo Switch model with gray Joy-Cons, plus a 64GB San...

 hings are starting to open up, but for now, the COVID-19 pandemic is still with us and many are still relying on video calls to keep in touch with work colleagues, family, and friends. And for most of us — especially those who are facing financial difficulties — free is best. Zoom continues to top the list of videoconferencing apps, but there are a bunch of applications out there that will allow you to meet others online for free. We’ve listed a few of the best known videoconferencing apps, along with a couple of popular text chat apps that include video calling features. While most of these already have free versions, some are offering access to additional features for those who are currently working from home or who want to check up on friends and relatives online. There are a number of apps we have not included, such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and FaceTime, that allow you to do video chats. We’ve left them out because they require that all participants be members of a specific soci...

 As fantastic as products like the Sony WF-1000XM4, Bose QuietComfort Earbuds, and AirPods Pro are, it doesn’t take spending over $200 to get a perfectly good set of wireless earbuds. You can even drop below the price level of Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Plus or Jabra’s Elite 75ts and still find something that’ll do the job just fine. For this set of recommendations, I’m going to stick to an MRSP of around $100, give or take $30 in either direction. Odds are at least a few of these picks will go on sale for Amazon Prime Day 2021. You can find an endless list of true wireless earbuds under $100 on Amazon from random brands you’ve probably never heard of. But I’m sticking with some tried and true companies that can also be had in retail stores — and are more likely to have established customer support. Just because you’re being sensible about money doesn’t mean you should be left in the lurch if something goes wrong. These picks won’t fully match the audio fidelity or deep bench of feature...

 If you’re shopping for a new phone on a budget, we’ve got good news: there are more great, affordable phones on the market than ever. Companies like Apple, Google, and Samsung are spreading the wealth of features enjoyed by their flagships down to less expensive options. Other brands like OnePlus are finding ways to challenge more established manufacturers with budget devices that make smart sacrifices to keep costs down. The bad news is this makes the job of picking the best budget phone that much harder. Bear in mind that it’s impossible to buy a phone that does everything at this price point; instead, prioritize the features that matter most to you. You’ll have an easier time deciding, and you’ll end up with a great phone that you should be able to use for years to come. Our pick for the best inexpensive iPhone is the 2020 edition of the Apple iPhone SE. Even though it’s just over a year old, we think it’s still the best bet for most people. While it does a competent job at eve...