What’s New: There’s a new navigation bar, a discovery feature at the top of the sidebar, a new compose-from-anywhere button, new shortcuts, and collapsible channels, apps, and messages. Navigation & Organization: You’ll be able to search and toggle between conversations here, as well as find mentions, reactions, files, people, and apps all in the new navigation bar. Paid users will be able to organize channels, direct messages, and apps into custom sections in the sidebar, like moving important stuff up top and less-frequently-used things down lower....

With their disastrous handling of misinformation in the lead up to the 2016 election, users lost faith in the once celebrated platforms. Now, with changes made in recent years to address those failures, these companies are hoping to restore that lost respect even as they remain bastions of conspiracy and false narratives. “The more time you spend on these platforms, the more legitimate these messages of propaganda and disinformation are going to seem to you,” said Marc Berkman, CEO of the Organization for Social Media Safety....

It turns out that, even if you tell your Android phone not to track and send your information out, it might be doing it anyway, depending on the OS. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh (UK) and Trinity College Dublin (Ireland) tested six versions of Android OS, finding that most of them never stop collecting data. The paper analyzes the data traffic from Samsung, Xiaomi, Realme, Huawei, LineageOS, and /e/OS variants of Android OS....

The streaming platform initially announced it was testing Podcast Subscriptions in April to see if paid subscriber-only content would be successful on Spotify. In an announcement on Tuesday, however, Spotify said any podcaster now can use the app’s creation platform, Anchor, to create subscriber-only podcast episodes and begin making money. “In the testing period since [April], we’ve activated over 100 podcasts and found that shows across genres and content styles have a massive opportunity to build paying subscriber bases,” Spotify said in its announcement of Podcast Subscriptions....

Protect yourself by ensuring that you have strong passwords that are too rare and too complicated for most hackers to bother trying to crack. Memory-Based Techniques You need not memorize a hundred different passwords: One way to generate unique and secure passwords for every site you visit, yet remember them all in your own head, is to use a set of easy-to-remember rules. Different sites specify different minimum standards for a password—minimum character counts, use of special characters, use of numbers, use of some symbols but not others—so you’ll probably need a base structure that differs for each of these use cases, but your algorithm can remain the same....

The Nintendo Switch’s popularity has made it a new home to some of the Wii U’s best games, and while it may not seem terribly exciting to hail a bunch of ports from one console to another, it is an opportunity to appreciate wonderful games that were overlooked on Nintendo’s middling last-gen platform. Nintendo has arguably saved one of the greatest for the latest: Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury....

While a regular headset is designed primarily for calls and meetings, a gaming headset focuses on in-game audio, connectivity, and easy-to-access controls in addition to voice quality. Whatever your platform or specific communication needs, we’ve rounded up the best gaming headsets currently available. To achieve maximum sound performance, the headset uses titanium 50mm drives each split into three separate parts for precise tuning for low, high, and mid-tones. Additionally, this headset features 7....

You may believe that since the PS5 is here, the PS4 is no longer being supported and there’s no reason to look for new games. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Sony will continue to support the console for years to come, and there are still a lot of amazing games available on the platform, and that will remain true even when no more are released. Not to mention, the PS5 is backward-compatible so any PS4 games you buy now will be playable on the next-gen console....

Here are the best podcasts for road trips. No matter who’s riding along, one of these is bound to be the perfect listen as the miles roll by. Sandra is a tautly written, all-too-plausible look at the tech that has a deeper, more pervasive hold on us than anyone would like to admit. Of note, Kristen Wiig as the voice of Sandra is pitch-perfect. At only seven episodes, the podcast is short, maybe because Sandra was in development for TV....

Here are the best slideshow maker apps that work with both Android and iOS. It’s easy to create a slideshow in Google Photos. All you do is organize the images into an album, then create an MP4 movie. Before you finalize the movie, you can change how long each image appears, move them around, and add additional pictures. You can also add music that plays during the entire length of the movie....

The app’s audio recording features let you listen to yourself snore or talk during your sleep, which can be helpful when diagnosing sleep apnea and other sleep disorders. Install Pillow on your iPhone, and it will automatically track your sleep through your Apple Watch, integrating sleep information with Apple’s Health app. Download and use Pillow for free, but you’ll need to upgrade to its premium version ($4.99 per month or $27....

All the following tips and tricks are great ways to enjoy WhatsApp even more, and entirely for free too. To reply to a specific message so it features as a quote in your reply, long press on the message then tap Reply on the new menu that shows up. On iOS, simply swipe left to right then tap Pin Chat. On Android, long press on the chat display then tap the pin at the top of the screen....

What we like: Team playDifferent classesAvailable on Windows and Mac What we don’t: Lack of polish due to its early development To win, you must reach a rescue flight. Victory comes when you clamber aboard the helicopter, which allows you to win without firing a shot if you find the right strategy to do so. There are also numerous mobility options available, letting players traverse the map in new and creative ways....

Fortunately, listening for that long is no problem with padded earcups that kids can use for hours at a time before feeling fatigue. Additionally, parents who host sleepovers will love the inclusion of the Shareport functionality, which allows other headsets to plug directly into the LilGadgets headset to share the audio that’s coming from just one audio-producing device. If none of the above sells you, the knowledge that a portion every purchase of a LilGadgets headset goes toward bullying prevention in schools just might....

RetroArch operates with what it calls “cores.” These cores are different emulation platforms that let you play games from a whole range of retro consoles, including the Game Boy Advance. With RetroArch’s core system and the continual development on the project, you’ll never run out of things to play. While RetroArch offers a polished interface, it’s still an open-source project and may have some rough edges. Some reviews say it’s not entirely beginner-friendly, but if you can work through the learning curve, you’ll be well rewarded....

If you just want to sing your heart out, our experts say you should just buy The Singing Machine SML385. It’s got lights to set the mood, allows you to play songs from your smartphone through the system, and even includes some effects to make non-singers sound better. If your ambitions are far higher, read on for our selection of the best machines that’ll have your neighbors begging for quiet in no time....

Snipping Tool is a free app that comes standard with most Windows computers running Windows Vista and later. To access it, type Snipping Tool into the Windows search bar. Screenshot is free to download and use on systems running Windows 8.1 or version 10240.0 or higher of Windows 10. ShareX is free to download and use and requires Windows 10 version 17763.0 or higher. QuickCapture is free to download and use on Xbox or version 18362....

You may find it surprising that some of the best laptops under $500 do nearly everything that more expensive models do. Buying a budget-friendly laptop doesn’t mean you have to compromise on what matters most. The worthiest laptops are portable, have a brilliant display, and are easy to use. For people with a more specific use, such as business or distance learning, additional features to consider might be versatility, wireless connectivity, and the ability to boost memory, storage, or graphics....

There are also 10GB of sound built into the library, containing 1,800 different samples and loops. Get creative with the five built-in software instruments to lay down your own original melodies and beats. Plus there are 34 baked-in audio effects (eight dedicated to MIDI), so those looking for post-production won’t be missing anything. Any DJ worth their salt is most likely using Ableton Live 10. The loaded version also gets you a host of exclusive effect plugins, including the RV-7 Digital Reverb, the PH-90 Phaser, and the BV512 Vocoder....

Of course, the big boost to Apple’s big iPhone 12 lineup this year is the inclusion of 5G technology, bringing Apple’s smartphones into the fast lane, and U.S. models now even pack in ultra-fast mmWave technology that can allow for speeds into the gigabit ranges. Combine that with Apple’s ultra-powerful A14 Bionic chip and even more advanced computational photography features across the entire lineup and each and every one of these new iPhones is a winner in its own right....