In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic took everyone, including the IRS, by surprise. Because of the issues people were dealing with last spring, the filing deadline for federal tax payments was moved from the usual mid-April date to July 15th.
This year,…

How to file and pay your 2020 taxes online

Let’s face it: some of us are so busy these days — what with pandemics and presidential elections and attempted overthrows of the government — that we don’t pay enough attention to what we are subscribed to (and paying for). Especially now, when…

How to cancel your account at Netflix, Amazon Prime, and others

Samsung will be presenting its latest flagship phone, the Galaxy S21, today at the streaming event titled Galaxy Unpacked 2021. The company is so confident that people will want the new device that it is inviting people to get in line to preorder…

How to watch Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2021

While Zoom remains popular for its ease of use and features such as the ability to pop in different backgrounds, it’s not the only video meeting app out there that lets you do those things. For example, Microsoft’s Teams office communications app…

How to change your video background in Microsoft Teams

Many of us were not commuting as usual during 2020, so our podcast listening time may have been somewhat lessened. However, podcasts are still popular. They’re great to listen to while driving, cleaning your home, exercising, or just hanging out.…

The Verge’s 17 favorite podcasts of 2020

Like I imagine many of us do these days, I often have trouble sleeping. To add to that, I have always been a light sleeper and can be easily awakened by a variety of noises: an especially loud siren outside, a crack of thunder, the heat suddenly…

Bose Sleepbuds II review: get your eight hours

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
After COVID-19 started dominating the headlines, one of the changes that we started making in our lives (well, most of us, anyway) was to wear a mask.
As you probably remember, initially masks were…

Make the most of wearing a mask

Working from home has its advantages, but one of the problems that many people have to face is trying to find enough space in a crowded environment. Jon Porter, who is the London-based news reporter for The Verge, has had to be especially resourceful…

What’s on your desk, Jon Porter?

Photo by Alexander Kramer for The Verge
Apple’s brand-new computers based on its own custom M1 chip have both been getting sterling reviews due to their great performance and better life. (Well, almost sterling reviews; The Verge’s Nilay Patel is not…

Apple MacBook Pro 13 with M1

Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge
Smart homes are no longer just for the rich or digital experimenters. Your speakers, locks, lights, security cameras, and kitchen utensils can now be controlled via your phone or other digital device — and there are a…

Best Black Friday deals on smart home tech

Things have been tough this year for many of us, and while everyone loves giving great gifts to friends and family, you also don’t want to spend more than you’ve got. Well, don’t worry — we’ve got your back. There are loads of great gifts being…

The best Black Friday deals under $50

If you’re looking for something to do while recovering from your Thanksgiving meal — whether you’ve enjoyed it with family or ate it while zooming with friends — something to enjoy are this year’s biggest shopping events: Black Friday and Cyber…

The Verge’s Guide to Black Friday 2020

Moving to a home office sometimes means making the most of a little space. Taylor Lyles, a writer at The Verge, is one of those who has used imagination and tech know-how to create a great working area out of a small part of her room. Here’s how she…

What’s on your desk, Taylor Lyles?

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Nothing is more frustrating than buying a new computer, phone, game console, or backpack and finding out that you could have gotten it for a lot cheaper somewhere else. In order to keep customers happy —…

Know the price-matching policies for Apple, Google, Microsoft, and others

The holidays are approaching — and the retailers are in tight competition for your dollars. In order to convince you that they’re the place to buy from, they are not just dropping prices on their products; they’re making it a lot easier to have those…

Know the holiday shipping and return policies for Apple, Google, Microsoft, and others

Photo by Vlad Savov / The Verge
Back in 2019, photo storage service Flickr changed its previous policy of offering 1TB of free storage to its users, limiting free storage to 1,000 photos instead. There was, as you could imagine, a great outcry from…

How to choose a photo storage service

Photo: Linux Mint
By the federal government’s Digital Analytics Program (DAP) count in October 2020, 3.2 percent of computer users still are on Windows 7 — even though Microsoft no longer supports it for free. If you have an older system but are…

How to switch an old Windows laptop to Linux

While most of us wouldn’t say no to a $6,000 Apple Mac Pro or an $1,100 electric bike, sometimes it’s just as much fun to be gifted a low-cost gadget that is just fun or useful. It may not let you edit your latest video or take you to the store, but…

The Verge’s 10 favorite gadgets that cost less than $50

Photo by Monica Chin / The Verge
If you’re now working at home, if your kids are now learning at home, if you’re just stuck at home and looking for a good computing experience, you may be in the market for a new laptop. Unfortunately — especially for…

Budget roundup: the latest lower-cost Windows and Chromebook systems

Photo by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge
Music can be said to be the universal language: while our tastes in tunes may differ, there are few people who don’t have their own favorite songs to listen to. New technologies have increased the quality of that…