I only started creating a smart home last year, so nearly all of my devices communicate via Matter. For the most part, things have just worked. As I try out different smart home hubs and troubleshoot the occasional issue, there’s only one simple thing I wish I did from the beginning that would have saved me a lot of frustration—write down my Matter pairing codes.

I’ve owned a Samsung Galaxy XR headset for a few months now, and I enjoy most things about it. But my experience joining video calls in particular has called into question not only whether we can place video calls from such a device, but should we?

I love shiny gadgets as much as the next person, but few things bring me as much joy as splitting wood. As someone conditioned to look at specs, I thought a bigger chainsaw would be a better chainsaw for the job, but I’ve since purchased a tiny one, and I’m quite glad I did.

Verizon recently suffered a significant outage that left millions across the US without calls, texts, or internet for an entire day. This was a huge hit, restricting friends’ and families’ ability to communicate and forcing some businesses to shut down for the day. What can you do to protect yourself from the next time a mobile network goes down?

It initially pained me to write this article. As I jokingly told my colleagues, I felt shame, and I felt I should feel shame. But it’s time I acknowledge the truth—I watch more YouTube Shorts on my TV than on my phone, and I know I’m not alone.

There are many reasons why Samsung Galaxy XR is the first VR headset I’ve actually wanted, but the best thing about it is something that neither Samsung nor Google felt the need to highlight. This is the most open, unrestricted headset on the market today—a device I can truly make my own.

IKEA is known for its furniture, but it’s the little odds and ends that can easily justify a visit on their own. Phone accessories are no exception. Here are some of the best you can currently find at the store, and you may also be able to order them online if you don’t have an IKEA in your area.