Pocket-lint

Don’t get burned (literally) by these risks when you’re buying a used iPad

Roger Fingas — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 00:00:19 GMT

Apple is notoriously clingy when it comes to profit margins. That's why it prefers to target "premium" (read: richer) shoppers, rather than focusing on cheaper products like the MacBook Neo, the iPhone 17e, or yes, the base iPad. If you're willing to spend over $1,000 on a tablet, chances are you're not going to complain too much about being milked for features like extra storage. The company also refuses to engage in traditional sales, keeping devices at full price until they're replaced.

I found the smart reason why my TV screen was going black all the time

Roger Fingas — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 19:00:22 GMT

I'm going to be honest with you -- something I struggle with, occasionally, is the risk of painting a rosy picture of a technology that actually has serious flaws. I've said, for instance, that Dolby Vision is considered the gold standard for HDR, which is true. At the same time, a lot of people find its default mode too dark. It's impractical to mention both things every time I talk about the format, so depending on the article you read, you might alternately get the impression that I'm on Dolby's payroll or that I'm not-so-secretly championing HDR10+.

Could the next Apple TV run homeOS? It's not as crazy as you think

Roger Fingas — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 18:00:20 GMT

The inspiration for this piece was Apple's WWDC keynote on June 8. While the focus of that event was Apple Intelligence, particularly the revamped version of Siri based on Google Gemini models, the company did spend time talking about improvements to its flagship operating systems, namely iOS, macOS, iPadOS, and watchOS. Something that was conspicuously minimized, though, was tvOS.

I saved money on a Blu-ray player with this simple substitution

Eli Becht — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 17:00:20 GMT

I love 4K Blu-rays, and while my collection hasn't grown as much as it has before, largely thanks to increasing prices, I'm still a huge fan of the format and will add to it when I can. I've seen a lot of chatter online about people gravitating more toward physical media thanks to the rising costs of streaming services. You tend to see people saying it when Netflix announces a price hike, and to be fair, that's been happening a lot.

Not enough people know about these Dolby MAT downsides

Roger Fingas — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 15:01:20 GMT

Like anything with diehard enthusiasts, the home theater space is sometimes subject to perfectionism. There are people who, knowing the options out there, refuse to settle for anything less than the best -- or at least the best within their budget. When budgets are high, it can lead to some truly wild builds, with Atmos setups that rival your local multiplex for cinematic immersion.

4 easy ways I avoid paying for ebooks

Roger Fingas — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 14:00:19 GMT

With any new media device, it's so easy to focus so much on the hardware you paid for that you forget it's useless without extra content. I made a similar mistake with my Nintendo Switch -- I was so excited to own one that I forgot Nintendo almost never does meaningful discounts on its games. That's one of the reasons I prefer my Steam Deck these days -- it's powerful, but more importantly, I can buy games during a Steam sale for as little as $10 or $20, instead of assuming I'll have to spend upwards of $40.

I wasn't expecting a lamp to become the missing piece of my home theater

Anthony Marcusa — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 14:00:19 GMT

One of the most overlooked parts of the home entertainment experience is lighting. For all the thought that goes into buying the perfect smart TV and an accompanying sound system, it's also worth spending some time considering how ambient lighting is going to support those devices.

This $15 USB-C gadget fixed my Google Pixel's biggest problem

Eli Becht — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 11:00:21 GMT

I upgraded to a Google Pixel 9a a few months ago since I was looking for something that still received security updates. Sadly, it meant I had to say goodbye to my OnePlus 8 Pro, my favorite phone I've ever owned. My OnePlus 8 Pro was a great phone, but one thing it was lacking was a dedicated headphone jack. That's something that many modern phones have gotten rid of over the years, and my Pixel 9a is no different.

Bad Wi-Fi could be the root of your home theater's issues

Roger Fingas — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 00:00:21 GMT

When it comes to setting up a home theater, it's easy to obsess over many details, particularly if you're an enthusiast with a big budget. You might spend weeks or even months going over TV and speaker specs, or plotting out smart lighting for maximum immersion. At the extreme, people will take the "theater" concept literally, installing stadium seating, drink holders, and framed posters of their favorite movies.

This tense psychological thriller is now free to stream

Saeed Wazir — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 23:01:20 GMT

We all love big-budget action and sci-fi movies, but sometimes, smaller-scale films are worth watching for their character-driven plots and claustrophobic settings.