Technologies

This Portable Power Station Was My Lifeline During an Outage. Here’s Why I Recommend It

The Duracell M150 isn’t the biggest battery backup, but it has two killer features most power stations don’t.

I recently had Hurricane Erin blow through my area, resulting in lots of rain, some fallen trees and the seemingly inevitable power outage. It was the worst possible timing since I’m currently in the middle of moving into a new apartment, meaning my Jackery portable power station and emergency lantern are both sitting in a pile of boxes. Fortunately, I still had the Duracell M150 Power Station on my desk, and it helped save the night, allowing me to continue packing in the dark.

It looks like a giant two-tone Duracell AA battery, with a copper accent on the top. The charging hub with multiple high-output USB-C and USB-A ports has a built-in light ring and a dock that keeps it topped up all the time. It usually runs $159, but right now it’s available on Amazon with a new $149 price tag.

There’s also an adjustable MagSafe-compatible wireless charging pad up top, along with a storage compartment to stow away cables. Its larger sibling, the M250, is even featured on CNET’s list of favorite portable power stations for its unique design, though if you want something with more capacity, you should consider our best portable power stations list.

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The Duracell’s charging dock and light is the killer feature

The thing about most portable power stations is that you need to top them up periodically or leave them plugged in all the time so they’re always ready for emergencies, at the cost of battery lifespan. That’s the case with the Jackery Explorer 300 power station, which I also own and used as my mainstay power backup option. It’s a good device with pretty of runtime, but it requires me to be frequently plugging and unplugging it, which can be a hassle.

The Duracell M150 makes this process easier with the included charging dock, which keeps the M150 topped up whenever I need it. When my power went out, all I had to do was pull the dock off the charging stand and move it to where I needed it. That’s also where the built-in light came in handy. Unlike the Jackery Explorer 300, an unexpected outage didn’t leave me reaching for my phone’s flashlight. With a press of a button, I got immediate light and I was able to find my way around my dark and cluttered apartment.

The light isn’t as bright as an emergency lantern or camping light, but it’s more than enough to do in a pinch, giving me the time to check my breaker box to confirm that it wasn’t the cause of the outage and to find some back up entertainment options like my Steam Deck and Kobo Libra Color, while also serving as a tabletop light if I needed to head to the bathroom.

The Duracell also stands out for its size and weight. At just 1.8 pounds for the battery section and 0.6 pounds for the included charging dock, you can tote the whole thing around without too much trouble. However, it doesn’t have a carrying handle like the Jackery Explorer 300, which would have been a nice touch for added portability.

Does a portable power station make a good gift?

The Duracell M150 provides power whenever you need it, making it a great gift for those in areas more prone to outages. This can include places like Florida and the Gulf Coast or even people like me who live in older buildings with more decrepit infrastructure.

With its mix of USB-A and high-output USB-C ports and a wireless charging stand, it can charge devices ranging from laptops and phones to earbuds and smartwatches. There are also two additional models, the smaller and more compact M100 and the larger, more capacious M250 so you can pick whichever one suits your needs best. All three come with the charging dock and built-in light.

For other options, check out CNET’s list of the best portable power stations.

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Technologies

Chrome Autofill Now Supports Passport, Driver’s License and Vehicle Info

Soon, you’ll never need to remember anything ever again.

Computer users are accustomed to web browsers autofilling everything from names and addresses to credit card numbers. Now, Google Chrome is adding new enhanced autofill options that allow users to automatically populate fields for passports, driver’s licenses, and their vehicle’s license plate or VIN, Google said in a blog post on Monday.

Desktop users must choose to turn on the feature, which is called enhanced autofill. Otherwise, it stays off. To turn it on, open Chrome, and at the top right of your browser, select more, then settings, then autofill and passwords. Finally, choose enhanced autofill and turn it in.

Google says Chrome now can «better understand complex forms and varied formatting requirements, improving accuracy across the web.» The company also says that enhanced autofill will be «private and secure.»

This enhanced autofill update is available in all languages, and more data options will be supported in the coming months.

A representative for Google said the company had no additional comment.

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Chrome is a critical component in Google’s business. The web browser, currently the most popular in the world with a 73% market share, according to GlobalStats, provides the company with valuable user data that it uses to sell advertising. Advertising is how Google makes the majority of its revenues. New features help keep users loyal to Chrome, making it more difficult for them to switch to other browsers, including those from companies like Perplexity and OpenAI.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Nov. 4, #407

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Nov. 4, No. 407.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one. The Connections: Sports Edition puzzle makers will never run out of categories because they have discovered they can just pick one athlete and make a connections group out of four facts about that person. They do that today with the blue category, so if you don’t know that one player, you’re out of luck. If you’re struggling but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Get up and go!

Green group hint: College hoops.

Blue group hint: Famous basketball player.

Purple group hint: Not fair, but…

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Energy.

Green group: Men’s college basketball teams with the most championships.

Blue group: Associated with Damian Lillard.

Purple group: Foul ____.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is energy. The four answers are pep, verve, vigor and zip.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is men’s college basketball teams with the most championships. The four answers are Kentucky, UCLA, UCONN and UNC.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is associated with Damian Lillard. The four answers are 0, Dame Time, Trail Blazers and Weber State.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is foul ____. The four answers are out, shot, territory and tip.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, Nov. 4

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Nov. 4.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? There are a few tricky clues, so read on for the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.