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29 Apr 2025

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Struggling with frozen apps? Windows 11 has a faster fix
If you’ve ever found it frustrating to force-close a program in Windows 11, there’s now a quicker alternative to the old Ctrl + Alt + Delete method. Microsoft has introduced a simpler option that lets you end tasks directly from the taskbar. To enable this feature, go to Settings > System > For Developers, and select End Task (sometimes it’s called End Activity). Now you can right-click any app in the taskbar and choose End Task from the menu. This new shortcut can save you both time and frustration, especially when an app stops responding. Instead of waiting for the Task Manager to load or dealing with laggy windows, you can now nix the unresponsive program with just a couple of clicks.

Lenovo’s RTX 4060 gaming laptop is stunningly cheap right now: $849
If you’ve been holding out for a fantastic gaming laptop deal, we found it for you: this Lenovo LOQ for $300 off at B&H! This limited-time deal makes this stellar gaming laptop available for a mere $849, a fantastic price point for what the device has to offer. First off, this is a laptop that can handle pretty much anything, from your daily workload to the creative hobbies you love, from kicking back with Netflix all day to boring spreadsheet stuff. This Lenovo laptop runs on a 13th-gen Intel Core i5 processor and 16GB of RAM, which is enough power to run Windows 11 plus apps without choking. The Lenovo LOQ 15IRX9 is also gaming-ready with an RTX 4060 graphics card, good enough to run most modern games at decent settings at great frame rates. The 15.6-inch IPS display makes content pop with accurate colors, and it’s able to deliver 1080p visuals at a 144Hz refresh rate. Whether you like slow-paced games or action-packed ones, this laptop has you covered—and it’s a winner for the price. Stop wasting time and don’t miss this chance to get the Lenovo LOQ 15IRX9 for $849 at B&H before this deal vanishes! Snag this Lenovo gaming laptop with RTX 4060 for $849Buy now from B&H

Ultraloq Z-Wave smart locks get Home Assistant integration
The free and open-source smart home platform Home Assistant got another vote of confidence today, with the IoT manufacturer Xthings announcing that its Ultraloq U-Bolt series of Z-Wave smart deadbolts will be integrated with it. Both the U-Bolt Z-Wave ($180) and the up-market U-Bolt Pro Z-Wave ($220) smart locks are getting the Home Assistant treatment; both locks are already compatible with Samsung SmartThings and other Z-Wave smart home hubs, as well as Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, and IFTTT. Both of Xthings’ Ultraloq U-Bolt Z-Wave smart deadbolts will be getting Works with Home Assistant certification. The U-Bolt Z-Wave model is shown here, and the U-Bolt Pro Z-Wave is pictured up top.Xthings “We’re thrilled to renew our partnership with Xthings and expand the certified ‘Works with Home Assistant’ Ultraloq products in the coming months,” said Miranda Bishop, Partnership Manager at The Open Home Foundation. The cheaper U-Bolt Z-Wave is equipped with a key cylinder and a semi-circular PIN pad, while the pricier U-Bolt Pro Z-Wave adds a fingerprint reader. Both models come with a plug-in Z-Wave-to-Wi-Fi bridge and a door sensor that can inform you when the door has been left ajar. This news story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart locks. When incorporated into a Home Assistant or other smart home platform, either Ultraloq model can arm your security system when you leave—and disarm it when you arrive home and unlock the door; trigger smart lights to illuminate your path into the home when unlocked—or turn them off when you leave; command your smart thermostat to kick your HVAC system into high gear when you arrive home—or to go dormant when you depart, and more. Xthings says its latest Z-Wave smart locks deliver 40-percent faster response time and longer range for deployments in larger homes.

Brave browser’s newest tool swats away those annoying cookie pop-ups
I appreciate and respect what the GDPR was trying to accomplish. The hours of corporate training and “please let us track you with cookies, we pinky-promise we need them” messages that appear on nearly every website? Not so much. Now, the latest version of the Brave browser hopes to get rid of them—the pop-ups, not the training—with a new tool. The developers are calling it “Cookiecrumbler,” a method for detecting and blocking the ubiquitous cookie consent notices across the web with a variety of approaches. The thing is, blocking these pop-ups was already built into Brave… but blocking the pop-ups wasn’t the biggest problem. According to the announcement post (spotted by BleepingComputer), it’s doing so without breaking the page afterward. It requires an approach that’s almost tailored to each individual site, as these notices are similar but not identical across the web. Cookiecrumbler aggregates auto-detection with large language models (“AI”), combined with human reviewers who can iron out the wrinkles where the LLM makes mistakes in detection or automatic translation. The tool is running on Brave’s backend servers at the moment so it can crawl the web and set up rules on a site-by-site basis. The team says it wants to switch things into a browser-based version eventually. The best news? Brave is publishing Cookiecrumbler as an open-source tool, so it could be implemented and iterated by other teams. If you prefer another alternative browser (like my personal fave Vivaldi) or you’re uncomfortable with some of Brave’s (ahem) less altruistic moves, you could see Cookiecrumbler pop up in your browser of choice soon.

This travel-friendly portable IPS laptop monitor is 41% off right now
Working with a single monitor can be such a chore. But what are you to do when you’re mostly on a laptop on the go? Well, the answer is to get yourself a portable travel monitor—like this 15.6-inch Arzopa S1 Table that’s now on sale for $65 on Amazon (41% off its MSRP). This Arzopa display has an IPS panel so you can expect great color accuracy and wide viewing angles, complete with its 1080p resolution and anti-glare coating. The 15.6-inch size of the display is a great match for modern laptops, offering a similar visual experience whether you’re at home or when you’re out and about. The monitor comes with a built-in stand that doubles as a cover for the screen, protecting it from bumps and scratches while in your backpack. You don’t need apps or drives to make this screen work—just a USB-C cable that connects it to your laptop. Weighing 1.7 pounds and measuring just 0.3 inches in thickness, this monitor is truly portable and can slip right next to your laptop in your backpack. Of course, it doesn’t just work with laptops but other gadgets, too! From your PC to your Mac, smartphone to gaming console, including your Nintendo Switch. Besides the USB-C port with DP support, there’s a second USB-C port and a Mini HDMI. Snag the Arzopa S1 Table for $65 at Amazon before this deal expires! Get this travel-friendly 15.6-inch portable monitor for 41% offBuy now at Amazon