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14 Jun 2025

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If you have this Anker power bank, STOP using it! It’s a fire hazard
Anker Innovations, the Chinese power bank and accessory manufacturer, has issued a product recall for PowerCore 10000 power banks (model A1263). This model—sold in the US between June 2016 and December 2022—has a lithium-ion battery that can overheat, potentially causing burn injuries or even catching fire. The product recall notice from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission states the hazard as: “The lithium-ion battery in the power bank can overheat, posing fire and burn hazards to consumers.” Anker will replace the affected power banks. According to the Commission, the exact number of recalled power banks is 1,158,000. Anker has so far received 19 reports of burns, fires, and explosions, including two reports of minor burns and 11 reports of property damage totalling over $60,700. What should you do if you have one? Only Anker PowerCore 10000 power banks with model number A1263 are affected. If you have an Anker PowerCore 10000 power bank with model number A1263, immediately stop using it and contact Anker for a free replacement power bank. Instructions on identifying your power bank model and submitting a product recall claim can be found on this Anker product recall page. To receive a replacement unit, you’ll have to submit a photo of your recalled power bank with the model number and serial number, plus your name, date of photo, and the word “recalled” written on the power bank in permanent marker. Proof of purchase will be requested but isn’t required to participate in the recall. You’ll also have to confirm that the power bank is disposed of in accordance with applicable laws and regulations before receiving a replacement device.

Google simplifies its Gemini AI offerings with streamlined branding
Google is reshuffling its AI service brands, no longer to use the terms “Gemini Pro” or “Gemini Ultra” going forward, reports 9to5Google. Previously, the company had also stopped using the “Gemini Advanced” brand in connection with Google I/O 2025. Instead of giving the impression that there are several different versions of Gemini, Google will now simply call its AI assistant “Gemini.” The AI ??assistant will now be available in Free, Pro, and Ultra tiers. Those who already use the Gemini AI ??assistant should already see the corresponding change in their relevant apps, but if not, the switch should arrive soon. The decision may initially cause confusion, but should bring more clarity in the long run. In the same spirit, Google has also stopped using the name “NotebookLM Plus” and settled for just “NotebookLM,” which is available in the Pro or Ultra tiers. Further reading: How to ace your exams with NotebookLM

Orico IG740-Pro SSD review: An okay performer with cool extras
At a glanceExpert's Rating Pros Good PCIe 4.0, host memory buffer performance Relatively affordable Beefier heat spreader, screwdriver, and mounting screw included Cons Slower-than-average random operations Pricier than some of its ilk Our Verdict Though not a standout performer, the Orico IG740-Pro is fast enough, decently affordable, and ships with some nice-to-have extras. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Oirco IG740-Pro SSD Retailer Price Orico $70.99 View Deal $79.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket I’ve long tracked and tested Orico’s drive enclosures to good effect, but this is my first encounter with an SSD from company. It proved to be a more-than-capable NVMe drive, and as affordable as the competition. All in all, it’s a welcome addition to the market. Read on to learn more, then see our roundup of the best SSDs for comparison. What are the Orico IG740-Pro’s features? The IG740-Pro is a PCIe 4.0 x4, NVMe M.2, 2280 (22mm wide, 80mm long) SSD. The controller is a Maxio MAP1602A and the NAND is 232–layer 3D TLC. Orico warrantees the IG740-Pro for the usual five years, and the usual 600TBW per 1TB of capacity. If you write more than 600TB within the five years, the drive could go read-only. Most vendors rate their SSDs’ TBW (terabytes that can be written) far more conservatively than they’re actually capable of lasting. It’s a liability thing. Orico thoughtfully includes a slightly beefier heat spreader with a thermal compound strip, as well as a screwdriver and even a retaining screw for installing the drive should you need them. These are very nice touches — the screw especially, as they are small and can be easy to lose. How much is the Orico IG740-Pro? The Orico IG740 Pro is available in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities for $71, $135, and $240, respectively. That’s roughly on par for a host memory buffer TLC SSD. How fast is the Orico IG740-Pro? The IG740-Pro is hardly a barn burner, but it’s not half-bad considering the price. That’s my laid-back way of saying it’s more than fast enough, but not near the top of the heap. It was the 5th fastest PCIe 4.0 host memory buffer drive overall, but 29th among all the NVMe SSDs we’ve tested. I stacked the IG740-Pro up against some pretty heady PCIe 4.0/HMB competition in the charts by way of the WD Black SN7100, Teamgroup MP44Q, and the uber-affordable Kingston NV3. You can see its CrystalDiskMark sequential performance numbers directly below. It largely held its own. Orico thoughtfully includes a slightly beefier heat spreader with a thermal compound strip, as well as a screwdriver and even a retaining screw… The Orico IG740-Pro did quite well in CrystalDiskMark 8’s sequential throughput tests. Host memory buffer SSDs tend to have significantly slower random operations, but the Orico IG740-Pro was particularly far off the pace. It’s not the optimal drive for running your operating system (which performs myriad small file ops). Host memory buffer SSDs tend to have significantly slower random operations, but the Orico IG740-Pro was particularly far off the pace. It’s not the optimal drive for running your operating system with its myriad small file ops. Two minutes, nine seconds is a good aggregate time for the Orico IG740-Pro, if not the fastest we’ve seen from an HMB design. Note that host memory buffer drives tend to do very well in our real-world transfers. Two minutes, nine seconds ifsa good aggregate time for the Orico IG740-Pro. The Orico IG740-Pro slowed from around 3GBps to 2GBps around the 75 percent point in the 450GB write, hence it lagged slightly behind the competition. The Orico IG740-Pro slowed from around 3GBps to 2GBps around the 75% point in the 450GB write. Note that the drop to 2GBps was not the drive writing natively. When that occurs (well beyond 450GB — which you’ll likely never see) the write rate actually hovers between 500MBps and 750MBps. The image below was a second consecutive 450GB write without giving the IG740-Pro time to reconstitute secondary cache. When the IG740-Pro writes natively the rate actually hovers between 500MBps and 750MBps. Note also that the Teamgroup MP44Q is a QLC (Quad-Level Cell/4-bit) drive, so when you exceed its secondary cache, the write rate drops off a cliff to around 100MBps. Should you buy the Orico IG740 Pro? While the Orico IG740’s performance performance is strictly median for its class, in truth all NVMe SSDs are really, really fast. Call this another “pick’-em based on what drives are cheaper at the moment.” A solid effort from Orico. How we test Our storage tests currently utilize Windows 11 (22H2) 64-bit running on a Z790 (PCIe 5.0) motherboard/i5-12400 CPU combo with two Kingston Fury 32GB DDR5 modules (64GB of memory total). Intel integrated graphics are used. The 48GB transfer tests utilize an ImDisk RAM disk taking up 58GB of the 64GB total memory. The 450GB file is transferred from a Samsung 990 Pro 2TB, which also contains the operating system. Each test is performed on a newly formatted and TRIM’d drive so the results are optimal. Note that as any drive fills up, performance will decrease due to less NAND for secondary caching, and other factors. The performance numbers shown apply only to the drive we were shipped as well as the capacity tested. SSD performance can vary by capacity due to more or fewer chips to read/write across and the amount of NAND available for secondary caching (writing TLC/QLC as SLC). Vendors also occasionally swap components. If you ever notice a large discrepancy between the performance you experience and that which we report (systems being roughly equal), by all means — let us know.