A great mouse mat is a must for gamers, reducing wear on wrists during hours of intensive play. Many modern ones use chemical coatings or specially engineered surfaces to improve sensor accuracy or reduce drag?a boon if you?re doing repetitive motion that requires high accuracy.

(Don't mistake mouse mats for the smaller mouse pads, once an absolute necessity in the era of mechanical mice. Because optical and laser mice can work on so many different kinds of surfaces, the humble mouse pad has largely disappeared.) 

Plenty of mouse mat manufacturers exist, but few provide clarity or consistency in describing their products. For example, most don?t report how much friction you?ll encounter when using their mats with the most popular mice. To help you find the best mouse mat for your needs, we?ve tested several from a few different companies that represent a range of surface types (metal, plastic, or cloth) and usage cases (business or gaming).

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Saint?s Row?s Achilles heel was always combat. It hid this fact by peppering each game with a handful of absurd weapons, from a recliner that fired missiles to the Dubstep gun to the iconic purple dildo bat?still the weapon I most associate with the series.

But even armaments that creative couldn?t hide the fact that combat was often a by-the-book affair. Enemies were brainless, and each encounter involved simply trying to get through it as fast as possible without dying. It?s telling that most of the memorable moments in Saint?s Row had nothing to do with combat, be it the Tron-esque ?Deckers Die? mission, singing Biz Markie in a car with your friends, or an Aerosmith-backed rocket ride into space.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Choosing a gaming keyboard is a matter of personal taste. One person could be into Cherry Browns and white backlighting. Another might favor Razer Greens and a rippling RGB glow. Gigantic wrist pads, compact shapes, numeric keypads, macro keys, volume controls?a plethora of keyboards exists because everyone wants a different mix of features.

To help you sort through the many options, we?ve sifted through the latest and greatest planks to come up with our top recommendations. All of these are mechanical keyboards, and for good reason?they?re simply more comfortable to use over the long haul. But we?re open-minded, so if we encounter an alternative that works well, you may see it appear on this list. We?ll keep updating it periodically as we test new keyboards.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Earbud makers have been busy doing away with wires?a good thing whether or not your phone still has a headset jack. At most, Bluetooth earbuds might have a wire that connects the buds themselves to each other?a nice option if you?re prone to misplacing small objects, or you want in-line controls. This is often the more affordable option too, although that is changing over time.

So-called true wireless earbuds are just that, free of any wire whatsoever. Apple AirPods are the standard bearer of this category, but there are plenty of alternatives?some more worthy than others.

That?s just one decision you have to make. Wireless earbuds also vary on price, sometimes greatly, and some might be better for audiophiles while others are better for sports. Our picks for best wireless earbuds run the gamut, so you can easily find a pair that meets your needs. Read our guide on what to look for in wireless earbuds below our recommendations.

To read this article in full, please click here

In Greyhound, Tom Hanks plays George Krause, a U.S. naval officer whose first command is in charge of a destroyer escort group in World War II...annnnd your dad is already watching it.

This is only the third non-documentary film to release on Apple TV+, and it is easily the ?biggest? release yet. It is a bombastic war film that looks fantastic and definitely feels made for the big screen. Originally a Sony Pictures film intended for theatrical release, Apple bought the distribution rights when Sony killed the cinema release due to COVID-19.

It?s worth watching, especially for World War II buffs; this is Tom Hanks, after all. But the surprisingly short run-time (just over 1 hour 20 minutes until the credits roll) leaves no time for character development.

To read this article in full, please click here

Apple Arcade is here, and you can play some of the subscription service?s many games with select models of Xbox One and PlayStation 4 controllers as well as Mfi (Made for iOS) controllers like the SteelSeries Nimbus+.

To read this article in full, please click here

Apple?s new Apple Arcade subscription-based gaming service is basically Apple?s way of helping customers sort through the chaff in the App Store, as the highly curated service features premium games that are untainted by in-app purchases and ads. If all goes well, it could elevate the perception of mobile gaming in general.

Got questions? We've got plenty of answers. 

Updated 07/10/20: Added puzzle adventure game Creaks to the list of available games. 

To read this article in full, please click here

iCloud Photos offers two options for syncing images and videos across your devices and into your iCloud account?s cloud storage: downloading and retaining originals or ?optimizing storage,? which means only thumbnails are retrieved?full-resolution media is downloaded as needed, but otherwise not retained to free up storage on your device.

One reader switched to Download and Keep Originals on their iPhone, but didn?t have enough storage space. They believe about 2,000 images are missing. They are worried about switching back to optimized?will that permanently delete those images?

It?s likely they are not, but rather the phone stopped downloading because it lacked storage. iCloud Photos doesn?t delete images in that case; it just stops syncing them.

To read this article in full, please click here

Apple Maps got off to an ignominious start, but Apple has done a really great job in the last couple years of bringing it up to par.

The new in-house maps data has now expanded throughout the entire U.S. and it has made a huge difference in the precision, accuracy, and reliability of Maps. Though not technically part of iOS 14, Apple is expanding its new map data throughout the U.K., Canada, and Ireland this year.

The new maps data is only one piece of the puzzle. When you update to iOS 14 this fall, you can expect these useful new features.

Cycling directions

Walking, driving, and transit directions are table stakes these days. What about getting around on your bike?

To read this article in full, please click here