Top story · Oct 30, 2026
A backdoored Claude Code extension sat in Cursor's marketplace for 11 hours. One command tells you if you were hit.
Malicious versions 2.1.312 and 2.1.313 of Anthropic's Claude Code extension went out through Cursor's extension marketplace on October 29 and planted an SSH key and a persistent tunnel on Macs and Windows PCs. Cursor has pulled them and published a check and cleanup scripts. Anthropic hasn't explained how its account was used.
Latest news · Oct 30, 2026
OpenAI, Google, Microsoft and Anthropic will honor one robots.txt line that opts your site out of AI training
A new IETF draft written at Anthropic defines a shared robots.txt token, __usage_ai-training, that tells participating AI companies not to train on your pages. Anthropic already honors it, Microsoft starts February 1, 2027, Google plans to in 2027 and OpenAI in the coming months. It covers training only.
Latest news · Oct 30, 2026
Anthropic renames Claude Max 20x to Ultra and drops the 5-hour limit for verified accounts
Claude's $100 Max 5x plan is now Max and the $200 Max 20x plan is now Ultra. Prices don't change. Ultra loses the rolling 5-hour cap once Anthropic verifies the account, and both plans now include monthly API credits equal to their price. The weekly limit still applies.
Latest review · Keyboards · Oct 23, 2026
Fire Phoenix BK-F75 Pro review: a great budget keyboard with a Bluetooth catch
Yes, if you can buy it where you live. The Fire Phoenix BK-F75 Pro is a budget 75% keyboard with a volume knob and three ways to connect. Two weeks between a Windows PC and a Mac turned up one catch: Bluetooth switching.
7.0
My score after 2 weeksout of 10
About this site
I sell for a living, and most of the day is calls. The monitors, earbuds, mics and watches here are the ones I use for that job, scored after weeks on the desk. Each review says whether I bought the unit or a brand sent it. How I test
News
All newsOpenAI, Google, Microsoft and Anthropic will honor one robots.txt line that opts your site out of AI training
A new IETF draft written at Anthropic defines a shared robots.txt token, __usage_ai-training, that tells participating AI companies not to train on your pages. Anthropic already honors it, Microsoft starts February 1, 2027, Google plans to in 2027 and OpenAI in the coming months. It covers training only.
Anthropic renames Claude Max 20x to Ultra and drops the 5-hour limit for verified accounts
Claude's $100 Max 5x plan is now Max and the $200 Max 20x plan is now Ultra. Prices don't change. Ultra loses the rolling 5-hour cap once Anthropic verifies the account, and both plans now include monthly API credits equal to their price. The weekly limit still applies.
Google announces Gemini 4 Carbon, but only security defenders can use it for now
Google announced Gemini 4 Carbon on October 28 with API pricing of $2 and $10 per million tokens at launch. Access is limited to cyber defenders. What it costs and what to do before it reaches your plan.
All reviews
By category
Fire Phoenix BK-F75 Pro after two weeks
Two computers, one keyboard, and a Bluetooth switch that didn't always switch.KeyboardsTested 2 weeksOct 23, 2026
Colmi R09, the $20 smart ring
The sleep data matched my Apple Watch. Colmi’s sizing guide didn’t.WearablesTested 1 weekOct 12, 2026
Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 after a month
Nobody in a client meeting has noticed the camera. Two things still hold them back.Smart glassesTested 4 weeksOct 12, 2026
Gawfolk GF005 after two weeks
Same brand as my main monitor, an unusual shape, and a very different score.MonitorsTested 2 weeksOct 11, 2026
Gawfolk GF270J after two weeks
Budget 4K at a refresh rate Macs rarely get. Two weeks in, one thing I miss.MonitorsTested 2 weeksOct 11, 2026
SoloCast after three years
Three years of calls. Then I moved it 15 cm and people stopped hearing me.MicrophonesTested 3+ yearsOct 11, 2026
AirPods Pro 3 after 10 months and 3 pairs
Ten months, three pairs, and I still reach for them first.HeadphonesTested 10 monthsSep 29, 2026
Apple Watch Ultra (1st gen) after watchOS 27
Apple dropped it from watchOS 27. That changes who should buy one used.WearablesTested 10 monthsSep 29, 2026
Buying guides
All guidesMonitor stuck at 60Hz on a MacBook? How to get 120Hz or 160Hz
If a 4K monitor offers only 60Hz on a MacBook, check the connection first. Connect it directly with a DisplayPort or Ultra High Speed HDMI cable, then pick the rate in System Settings.MonitorsOct 30, 2026How to use Ray-Ban Meta glasses for work calls on a Mac
Pair Ray-Ban Meta glasses with a MacBook over Bluetooth, pick them as the sound input and output in System Settings, and switch back to your phone without re-pairing. Steps from Meta and Apple's own help pages.Smart glassesOct 29, 2026Colmi R09 vs R02: I wear the R09, and it's the cheap ring to buy
Buy the Colmi R09. It costs $4 more than the R02 at Colmi's store, and it's the one of the two with confirmed skin temperature. I wear the R09; the R02 side is from Colmi's specs and Gadgetbridge.WearablesOct 27, 2026iPhone Duo screen cracked or broken? What to do, what Apple covers and what it costs
If your iPhone Duo's inner screen cracked at the fold, contact AppleCare for a replacement. Apple confirmed the issue on October 26, AppleCare+ is not required, and carrier buyers are covered too. Drop damage is different: $999, or $99 with AppleCare+.—Oct 27, 2026Is Gawfolk a good monitor brand? I own two of its monitors, and the answer is one model
Gawfolk sells one monitor I'd buy again, the $299.99 GF270J (8/10), and one I'd skip, the GF005 (4/10). Buy the model, register the warranty within 30 days, and test it inside the return window.MonitorsOct 26, 2026A cheap 27-inch OLED or the $300 4K IPS I use: buy the IPS for work
A 27-inch OLED costs $269 now, less than the $299.99 Gawfolk GF270J I use. For a work desk, buy the IPS: the cheapest OLEDs run 200 to 250 nits on a full white screen, under my 350-nit floor.MonitorsOct 25, 2026How to make an Apple Watch battery last a workday and a night of sleep tracking
Charge it on a schedule, two short top-ups at fixed times. Then turn off Always On, stop mirroring every iPhone alert, use Low Power Mode on flights and check battery health.WearablesOct 23, 2026AirPods Pro 3 settings to change for work calls and travel (iOS 27)
Stop them jumping from your Mac to your iPhone, mute from the stem, turn on Voice Isolation and run the seal test. Then the iOS 27 equalizer and the battery setting to switch off before a long flight.HeadphonesOct 22, 2026Gawfolk GF270J vs GF005: I own both, and only one of them is worth buying
Buy the $299.99 Gawfolk GF270J, and buy two of them if you want two screens. The $149.99 GF005 is dimmer, slower, and often isn't recognized until you replug it.MonitorsOct 22, 2026How to buy a cheap monitor from a brand you've never heard of: the five checks, and the one nobody makes
Check five things, above all whether it reliably wakes up — the one no spec sheet lists. I bought two monitors from one unknown brand: one scored 8, one 4.MonitorsOct 22, 2026How to choose a keyboard for a workday: the nine specs, in the order that matters
Decide in this order: layout, switch, noise, connection. If you talk for a living, how a keyboard sounds on a call outranks how it feels under your hands.KeyboardsOct 22, 2026How to choose a monitor: the nine specs, in the order that matters
Decide in this order: resolution and size, panel, brightness, refresh rate. More is not always better — my main monitor is rated at exactly 350 nits and it's fine.MonitorsOct 22, 2026Your iPhone has the better camera. That isn't what decides whether you need a webcam.
Continuity Camera gives your Mac a better camera than any $200 webcam, free. The catch is your phone. The fix is the iPhone already in your drawer.—Oct 22, 202627-inch or 32-inch monitor for a Mac? Size, resolution and the settings that make each one sharp
Buy a 27-inch 4K for most Mac desks, especially if you run two screens. Go 32-inch only with 4K or 6K, never 1440p, and set macOS to 3008 x 1692 so text stays a normal size.MonitorsOct 21, 2026Which Apple Watch to buy in 2026: SE 3, Series 12 or Ultra 4?
Buy the $449 Series 12 in 46mm. It's thin enough to sleep in and has Apple's new heart sensor. The $249 SE 3 covers Apple Pay and Mac unlock. Pay for an Ultra only for two-day battery.WearablesOct 20, 2026How to set up two monitors with a MacBook in 2026: which Macs can, which cables, and should one go vertical?
Any M4 or M5 MacBook drives two external monitors with the lid open. Give each screen its own cable, skip cheap dual-HDMI hubs, and put the second one in portrait only if it's for chat and email.MonitorsOct 29, 2026Best smart glasses for work in 2026: Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2, Gen 3, Audio, Display or Even G2?
Buy the $379 Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 for a strong call mic and a camera in frames you can wear to a client meeting. When the $449 Gen 3, the camera-free $349 Audio, the $599 Even G2 or the $799 Meta Ray-Ban Display is the better buy.Smart glassesOct 28, 2026Best microphone for video calls in 2026: USB mic, earbuds or boom arm?
Keep any mic within 15 cm of your mouth. At a desk, buy the $59.99 HyperX SoloCast 2 or a $149 Shure MV6 on a boom arm. On the road, which earbuds sound best on calls.MicrophonesOct 21, 2026Best earbuds for work calls and travel in 2026: AirPods Pro 3, AirPods 5, Sony or Samsung?
On an iPhone, buy the $249 AirPods Pro 3 with AppleCare. On Android, the $249 Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. When the $149 AirPods 5 are enough, and who should pay $330 for Sony's WF-1000XM6.HeadphonesOct 21, 2026Best monitor for a MacBook Pro in 2026: picks at $300, $700 and $1,599
Buy a 27-inch 4K that runs at 120Hz or faster. I work 15-hour days on a $300 one. When 5K, OLED or Apple's Studio Display is worth paying more for.MonitorsOct 27, 2026Best sleep tracker in 2026: ring, band or watch?
Wear a ring to bed. Start with the $20 Colmi R09, then move to a $349 RingConn Gen 3 if it sticks. How Oura, Whoop, Fitbit Air and Apple Watch compare on price, battery and subscriptions.WearablesOct 13, 2026HomeView or HomePod mini 2: which Apple home device to preorder
Buy the $149 HomePod mini 2 if you want a speaker for your Mac or a room. Pay $299 for the tabletop HomeView only if you want Siri AI on a screen from day one. Skip the wall model.—Oct 30, 2026
Field notes
All notesBuilding with AI without outsourcing taste
Where I let AI do the work, where I only let it help, and how I tell the two apart.
The outbound system that helped double revenue
Four years of building and fixing outbound at two B2B SaaS companies, and what each step did to the numbers.
How I built a SaaS alone and shipped it to the App Store
Seven apps that didn't talk to each other, one codebase for web and iOS, and eleven days of App Store review.
For brands
How review units workIf you make desk gear, email me what it is. I’ll tell you how I’d test it and whether it fits this desk. You read the review when everyone else does.