Pocket-lint

This HDMI fix is so frustrating and unnecessary

Eli Becht — Sat, 16 May 2026 14:00:19 GMT

HDMI runs the world, at least in my house. The only DisplayPort cable that I own is plugged into my PC, and that's largely because I don't have any other choice. For everything else in my house, it's HDMI or nothing. That's not a bad thing, however, as HDMI does everything I want it to. It even has some advantages over DisplayPort -- HDMI-CEC being a big one.

Apple Watch rings stopped motivating me - so I found something better

Sanuj Bhatia — Sat, 16 May 2026 14:00:19 GMT

Smartwatches are supposed to help you stay healthier, more active, and more mindful of your body. But honestly, over the past couple of years, I've slowly fallen out of love with them.

The future of streaming isn't looking very bright - but I have no fear thanks to this retro tech

Tshaka Armstrong — Fri, 15 May 2026 23:00:19 GMT

I installed my first HTIB, or “home theater in a box,” in 1995. It was a 5.1 Sony system that, as the number implies, consisted of two front speakers, a center channel speaker, two rear surrounds, and a subwoofer. I immediately popped on the DVD of my favorite action flick at the time, Blade, and it sounded better at home than in theaters. I was gobsmacked! Those days seem long gone now, but there are many reasons in 2026 to move back to physical media, and I’m ready to explore them.

Why don’t Apple, Google, or Samsung phones charge faster?

Roger Fingas — Fri, 15 May 2026 20:00:18 GMT

There's a huge discrepancy in charging between smartphones designed in the US and South Korea and the ones designed in China. If you're American or Canadian, there's a good chance you've never even been aware -- Apple's iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy phones are so dominant in the North American market that Chinese brands like OnePlus are a blip, and even Google has struggled to grow its marketshare. There isn't much in the way of brand migration going on.

Amazon finally just gave Fire Sticks the upgrade they desperately needed

Craig Donaldson — Fri, 15 May 2026 17:05:59 GMT

When Amazon launched its new Fire TV Stick HD last month, a refreshed version of its entry-level 1080p streaming stick, there was a lot to unpack. For starters, it's been completely redesigned and is now noticeably thinner and smaller than any Fire TV Stick Amazon has released before. And as you'd expect from a next-gen model, it delivers performance improvements alongside Amazon's newly redesigned Fire TV interface.

How to watch free live TV on any Samsung TV

John Kanellakos — Fri, 15 May 2026 16:01:20 GMT

Samsung-branded smart television sets are a bit different than average. Rather than running Google's Android TV operating system, they're powered by Samsung's in-house Tizen platform instead. Tizen has many of the same smart TV hallmarks you'd expect to find in a 2026 flat panel, including, critically, access to a dedicated free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service.

I didn't expect this to be the Roku Ultra's best feature, but now I use it constantly

Craig Donaldson — Fri, 15 May 2026 14:35:36 GMT

When I decided to venture into the Roku streaming world, I was torn between the Roku Streaming Stick 4K and the Roku Ultra. In the end, I went with the Roku Ultra thanks to a good sale, and I've been really happy with it ever since. Coming from the Fire TV Stick world, I've been especially impressed with Roku's user interface. I like how the home screen prominently displays all your apps with big icons and how easy it is to jump into free live TV, thanks to The Roku Channel being such a core part of Roku OS.

This TV setting is a marketing gimmick and you shouldn't fall for it

Anthony Marcusa — Fri, 15 May 2026 11:00:22 GMT

When shopping for a new smart TV to act as your central home entertainment hub, there's a lot of value in leaving the house and physically inspecting potential models. You can get a better feel for the operating system, navigation setup, and how it's designed.

4 big gaps Apple needs to fill in the home theater space

Roger Fingas — Thu, 14 May 2026 23:00:20 GMT

For a company that doesn't focus on it, Apple has a surprising amount of popularity in the home theater arena. TheApple TV 4K is often the go-to media streamer for people who can afford one, even if they're reasonably satisfied with their smart TV's native interface. For Apple diehards, pairing a couple of second-gen HomePods can be a convenient (if pricey) way of incorporating wireless Dolby Atmos with voice control.

Google just made Android even prettier in its latest Canary release

John Kanellakos — Thu, 14 May 2026 21:03:36 GMT

Hot off the heals of The Android Show: I/O 2026 Edition, Google has seeded an all-new preview build of Android to users of the operating system's Canary branch. Known technically as Android Canary 2605, this latest update doubles down on the translucent blur effects that first shipped on the Pixel in Android 16 Quarterly Platform Release 1 (QPR1) in the fall of last year.