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16 Aug 2025

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Recap: Warriors come from behind to beat Dragons in NRL round 245
Look back at live coverage of the NRL round 24 match between the Warriors and the Dragons from Go Media Stadium in Auckland

Chris Martin surprises fans with impromptu pub gig
The Coldplay frontman rocked up to the Puzzle Hall Inn at Sowerby Bridge for an hour-long set.

This Apple AirTag alternative is just as good and only $10 right now
I love being able to track my luggage when I’m on vacation or my keys when I leave the house. It gives me peace of mind. But Apple’s AirTags can be pretty pricey, which sucks when you need several of them. Looking for a cheap Bluetooth tracker? Ugreen’s FineTrack smart tracker is only $10 on Amazon right now with a whopping 40% discount. The FineTrack works just like an AirTag, except it won’t burn a hole in your wallet. It’s fully compatible with Apple’s Find My app and works with all iOS, iPadOS, and macOS devices. When it’s within range, you can make it reveal its location with a loud alarm; when it’s beyond range, you can track its location as it pings off nearby iOS, iPadOS, and macOS devices. Two things I love about the FineTrack apart from its affordable price: it’s pretty darn small at 1.4 x 1.4 x 0.3 inches, and it has a replaceable battery (a huge step up from other trackers with built-in batteries). It runs on a CR2032 button battery and lasts up to 2 years, plus it’s small enough to keep inside a wallet in case of emergencies. Considering a single AirTag is $29, this is a no-brainer alternative. Get the Ugreen FineTrack for just $10 on sale while you still can! This is the cheapest price it’s ever been and it’ll pay for itself in no time. Ugreen's FineTrack costs a fraction of an Apple AirTagBuy now at Amazon

Certes launch quantum-safe technology to nullify stolen data
Certes launches quantum-safe technology that renders stolen data useless, protecting organisations against evolving cyber threats amid rising quantum computing risks.

AOL is killing dial-up service. What it did for ’90s internet culture must never be forgotten
Welcome to The Full Nerd newsletter—your weekly dose of hardcore hardware talk from the enthusiasts at PCWorld. Missed the latest topics on our YouTube show or fresh news from across the web? You’re in the right place. Want this newsletter to come directly to your inbox? Sign up on our website! I remember the sound of my modem. I owned only one—a 14.4K baud model that felt like a clunker, compared to what my peers owned. They all had newer computers. AOL is actually how I first made it fully online—and how I found out I owned a turtle of a modem. Until then, I’d only logged into a free local BBS. But then I learned of the world wide web, and how it held more info about my favorite TV show. I secretly signed up for a trial without my parents’ permission. I discovered quickly that I hated the interface, and also that I couldn’t load webpages quickly at all. (1.0kbps download speeds feel bad, man.) These restrictions didn’t keep me from exploring or meeting new people, but after I burned through my free hours, I returned to my BBS. I never gave much thought to AOL’s dial-up service again. I got back on the internet a year or so later in a different way—a boy at school who shared his unlimited plan though the local phone company. Most everyone I knew also chose competing ISPs. So like many others, I was surprised to hear of AOL’s plan to axe its dial-up service on September 30. I had long relegated the shambling joined corpses of Yahoo and AOL to the past, not allowed to rest in peace. Doomed to forever live on as web portals used by few but remembered by many. facesintime / eBay Initially, I didn’t think much on the news. The end of an era, sure, but a time best left to the past. Back then, we put up with slow downloads, rudimentary interfaces, and questionable web design. (Remember marquee text?) But I couldn’t shake the nostalgia. The internet felt special in the mid-’90s. A shared interest in the medium itself brought together strangers from all over the world—a new, earnest, and optimistic community. Everyone online wanted to be there, and they also wanted to connect. For my part, I spent hours and hours of my formative years online, whether in text-based games (I still recall Kryandia with great fondness), forum discussions, or entire troves of fanfiction. That spirit still lingers in the internet today, even in its dark pockets. We still form communities, message one another, and use netspeak. The Full Nerd’s Discord server is a great example of the evolution—the emotes have become more sophisticated and the animated GIFs upload much faster, but the vibe is still there. You could even argue current robust industries got their start in early internet culture—I see a direct link between the prevalence of self-publishing and fanfiction. Many of us carry forward other habits too, like sending messages in short clusters of one to two sentences at a time. Long-form comments on Reddit. Connecting for the sole purpose of just being able to say you talked to someone half a world away. Just as the PC did for computing, AOL brought the internet into homes for millions of people. I wouldn’t be able to write for this newsletter if its dial-up service hadn’t made going online normal and common. I hope the influence from the era that it represents—the whimsy and hope of the early ’90s internet—always lives on. Irony is having to take a screenshot of ASCII art to make sure it retains proper spacing in this write-up.PCWorld / patorjk.com In this episode of The Full Nerd In this episode of The Full Nerd, Adam Patrick Murray, Alaina Yee, Will Smith, and special guest Russ of Retro Game Corps chat about AMD dominance in PC gaming handhelds (and Intel’s current uphill battle), our wishes for the Steam Deck 2, and Thunderbolt 5 eGPUs. The delicate subject of Steam Machines once again comes up—as does Will’s quiet vehemence that the concept belongs in the past. Will isn’t against anarchy though, given his take on transferring boot drives between PCs during the Q&A. Also of note: The pre-show, during which Adam sniffs yet another scented product. It led to this gem of a quote from Will: “I’m getting a mix of metal and industrial lubricants and a little bit of a laundry cleaner.” Just another day at the office.Alex Esteves / Foundry Missed our live show? Subscribe now to The Full Nerd YouTube channel, and activate notifications. We also answer viewer questions in real-time! And if you need more hardware talk during the rest of the week, come join our Discord community—it’s full of cool, laid-back nerds. This week’s plentiful nerd news I started writing this newsletter expecting slim pickings, given how quiet this summer has been. But people have been staying busy—think nifty modding projects, a whole cardboard PC reproduction, and CT scans of a legendary Intel CPU. Or you know, just ignoring social norms. It works for me.Asus Guess I’m not the only one: Last week, I pondered Intel’s shrinking influence on tech. Seems the topic was also on other people’s minds—Steve Burke over at Gamers Nexus also dove into the topic, armed with numbers (as you’d expect). You can make a floppy disk from scratch: Speaking of 1990s throwbacks, this engineering project is so cool. I can’t think of the ’90s without also thinking of my collection of 3.5-inch floppies. (Yes, technically the floppy originated in the ’80s, but I refuse to think of them as over 40 years old. That would mean I’m old.) I think I like the Noctua RTX 5080: Asus makes it look classy. A classy block of hardware that could be mistaken for a slab of chocolate. I want my own reverse-engineered Game Boy Color: This modder’s project is incredible—look at the detail! (She has a new fan of her work in me.) As we said back in the day: So dope. Would Gordon approve? This cardboard PC is beautifully elegant versus Dave Murphy’s iconic, epic take during Maximum PC’s heyday. Corrugated edges simulating mobo slots? Genius. On the other hand…the waifu stickers. (I appreciate this attention to detail.) The keyboard really sets the whole tone.Korea Herald Maybe it’s not the Year of Linux yet: RIP Intel Linux driver projects. Hate AI? Too bad, you’re still paying for it: Yep, literally. Check your electricity bill—your costs likely have gone up, and this is a contributing factor. Someone did a CT scan of an Intel 386 CPU: You know how art does infrared and other types of scans of old paintings, to see what might be buried underneath? I love that we can do something similar for old tech. (Also, before anyone asks if this week’s link section is just a ’90s nostalgia list, I’d like to point out that I don’t control the tech zeitgeist.) What’s in your clipboard history? Just a friendly PSA reminder that Windows Recall isn’t the only thing that could give away sensitive info about you. Starbucks Korea patrons apparently give zero effs: You may have already read this news, but what you don’t know is that I am a very lone minority among the The Full Nerd and PCWorld crews. I wouldn’t mind partitions at cafes. (My coworkers say this is a monstrous take, but a time-limit policy would deal with the seat-hogging issue.) Also, did you see some of those setups? Respect. This also works for me.Teenage Engineering RIP 5700X3D? I guess maybe AM4 could finally enter the Hall of Fame next year. Provided I can successfully navigate the inevitable rule-breaking and anarchy during the show. I found Adam’s next fidget toy: I might get the 10-pack—my contribution to helping prevent future table banging during TFN episodes. I’m still thinking about this Teenage Engineering case: Is it art? Is it madness? Maybe it’s both. I’m sad I missed the limited availability. The AI industry is nervous about its future: A copyright class action lawsuit has trade groups claiming a loss would result in total financial ruin for the industry. As someone who writes for a living, all I can say is: Know Your Meme I’ll leave you all with a tip for the week—when giving away old hardware to your friends, don’t forget to check if the mobo’s UEFI needs an update. Otherwise you’ll mess up the timing for hand-off and set back their build plans by weeks. Sigh. Alaina This newsletter is dedicated to the memory of Gordon Mah Ung, founder and host of The Full Nerd, and executive editor of hardware at PCWorld.

Get HP’s 2-in-1 AI laptop with crazy battery life for only $530 today
A daily driver laptop doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. If you’re patient, you can snag a decent configuration at an excellent price—like this HP OmniBook X Flip 2-in-1 laptop that’s now just $530 at Best Buy, slashed down in price with a $320 discount. It’s hard to find something this good in this range, and it’ll serve you well for years. The HP OmniBook X Flip 2-in-1 is a gorgeous 14-inch laptop that can double as a tablet thanks to its touchscreen on a 360-degree hinge. But it doesn’t have to be used like a tablet. You can use that hinge to turn it into a tent, propping it up to read documents or watch movies—and you’ll love doing both with its crisp 1920×1200 resolution on its IPS panel. It’s perfect for school, work, hobbies, and leisure. As for specs, you’re looking at a powerful Intel Core Ultra 5 226V processor that qualifies as a Copilot+ PC, meaning it can run all of the snazzy AI features coming to Windows 11. It’s also equipped with 16GB of LPDDR5 memory, 512GB of PCIe 4.0 storage, and Intel Arc graphics that can push modest frames for light gaming. Not to mention the 22 hours of promised battery life. Even if it falls several hours short of that with your own level of usage, you’re still getting tons of battery life on a single charge. It’s also up-to-date with Thunderbolt 4 and HDMI 2.1 ports, plus USB-C and double USB-A. The HP OmniBook X Flip 2-in-1 is a downright steal for $530, so snag it while you can before Best Buy ends this crazy discount! Get HP's long-lasting 2-in-1 AI laptop for $320 offBuy now from Best Buy

Samsung’s 4K IPS gaming monitor is shockingly cheap right now
If you’ve been looking to upgrade your monitor, this 4K Samsung model may be just what your setup needs. The 28-inch Samsung Odyssey G7 is only $299 at Walmart right now, an enormous drop from its original $699.99 and the absolute best price it’s ever been. The Samsung Odyssey G70B was made with gamers in mind. It’s a gorgeous 4K (3840×2160) monitor with an IPS panel on a 28-inch frame, which means crisp images, accurate colors, wide viewing angles, and excellent contrast, blacks, and whites thanks to DisplayHDR 400 tech. Maybe now you can finally see better in shadows while gaming! It also boasts a 144Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time—not the greatest specs in monitor history, but plenty for anyone who sits anywhere between “casual” and “enthusiast” as a gamer, especially considering the 4K resolution. With Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, you’ll get the best possible experience as the monitor syncs to what your graphics card can put out. Other bits worth knowing: Odyssey G7 doubles as a smart TV, enabling you to switch between your favorite streaming apps and enjoy all that content in gorgeous 4K. Connectivity-wise, you get a DisplayPort, double HDMI, double USB-A for peripherals, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a LAN port so that any connected devices can have wired internet. The Samsung Odyssey G7 is a winner for $299, so get your hands on one at this excellent price before Walmart’s stock runs out. Or if you’d rather level up or down to another tier, check out our roundup of the best monitors currently on the market. Get this 28-inch Samsung 4K IPS gaming monitor for $400 offBuy now from Walmart