Technologies
Lenovo’s New Loq Laptops Offer Better Gaming on a Budget
Pronounced «lock,» the 15- and 16-inch laptops borrow from the higher-end Legion line while keeping the starting price under $1,000.
Although it’s the high-end gaming laptops most people crave, many of us don’t have the cash to quench that thirst. The good news is that PC makers, including Dell, HP, Acer and Asus, stepped up the designs and features of their more budget-friendly gaming laptops. And now Lenovo is doing the same with its new Loq line.
Available in 15- and 16-inch sizes, the Loq (pronounced «lock») models follow the design touches of Lenovo’s premium Legion gaming laptops. They also don’t look too different from Lenovo’s IdeaPad Gaming 3, its current sub-$1,000 gaming laptop.


Both sizes are available with AMD and Intel processors and up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics chip. Other specs include:
- Up to a 13th-gen Intel Core i7-13700H or AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS
- Up to 16GB dual-channel 5,600Mhz DDR5 memory
- 512 or 1TB Gen4 PCIe NVMeSSD
- Up to a 165Hz 2,560×1,440-resolution display (15-inch)
- Up to a 165Hz 2,560×1,600-resolution display (16-inch)
Also, if you decide you need more RAM or storage later on, both can be upgraded; there are two PCIe slots and two memory slots. Up to 32GB of memory is supported.


There is a lot of overlap between the two sizes. In fact, it looks like the main difference between the two is the display, and it’s less about the size and more about ratio; the 15-inch is a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio, while the 16-inch is a taller 16:10 panel. The larger laptop also gets a bigger battery — 80 watt-hour to the 15’s 60Whr.
Other premium touches include their keyboard with 100% anti-ghosting, 1.5mm key travel and an optional four-zone RGB backlight (white is standard); a MUX switch to change from power-efficient integrated graphics to full-time discrete graphics for peak performance; and a 1080p webcam with an electronic privacy shutter.


The 15-inch Lenovo Loq with Intel or AMD processors starts at $900, which converts to approximately £730 and AU$1,340. The AMD-powered 16-inch Loq starts at $960, while the Intel version starts at $1,150. Models start arriving in April and continue to roll out through June.
Lenovo also announced a Loq Tower desktop. It’s expected to start at $980 this fall, and can be configured with up to a 13th-gen Intel Core i7-13700 processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 40-series desktop graphics, up to 32GB 3,200MHz DDR4 RAM and up to a 2TB 7,200rpm hard drive and a 1TB PCIe NVMe solid-state drive.
Technologies
Google’s Pixel 10A Is Coming to Japan With an Exclusive Blue Edition and Special Wallpaper
This model comes with creatively designed stickers and a special look for Pixel’s 10th anniversary.
Don’t be blue: Google is releasing an Isai blue edition of the Pixel 10A to celebrate the Android phone line’s 10th anniversary, setting it apart with its own sticker set, specialized wallpaper and custom icons. But it’ll only be available in Japan.
Announced Tuesday on the Google Japan blog, the Isai blue Pixel 10A has a dark blue look and includes bonus decorations designed in collaboration with Japan’s Heralbony art company. These include an exclusive bumper case and stickers for customization.
This edition of the Pixel 10A will arrive in Japan on May 20, following the April 14 release of the Pixel 10A in its original colors of lavender, berry, fog and obsidian. The Isai blue model costs 94,900 yen, which roughly translates to $595, and includes 256GB of storage.
This makes it slightly less expensive than the US model’s 256GB edition, but it comes with a number of fun extras at no additional cost.
Google’s creation of a country-specific model for Japan may also reflect strong sales in that market. In 2023, the IDC analytics firm (via 9to5Google) reported that the Pixel 7 series accounted for 10.7% of the country’s market share, a 527% increase from 2022.
Technologies
Can’t Wait for New Emoji? Here’s How to Create Your Own on iPhone
Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhones can create custom emoji in a few easy steps.
Apple brought new emoji to all iPhones when the company released iOS 26.4 on March 24. The new emoji include «» orca, «» distorted face and «» hairy creature — or as we might normally call it, Sasquatch. According to Emojipedia, there are 3,953 emoji with more on the way, including a pickle. But there’s no emoji for a dog wearing pajamas, a plate with burgers and fries and many other things. But if you have Genmoji on your iPhone you can create these emoji and many more.
Apple released iOS 18.2 in 2024 and the company introduced its own emoji generator, called Genmoji, to Apple Intelligence-capable iPhones at that time. The Unicode Standard, a universal character encoding standard, is responsible for creating new emoji, and approved emoji are added to all devices once a year. With Genmoji, you don’t have to wait for new emoji to appear on your iPhone each year. You can just create them as you need them.
Read on to learn how to use Genmoji on iPhone to create your own custom emoji. Just note that only iPhones with Apple Intelligence, like the iPhone 17 lineup, can use Genmoji at this time.
Note: The new emoji may not display correctly for Apple users whose devices aren’t on a 26.4 software version.
How to make custom emoji
1. Open Messages and go into a chat.
2. Tap the plus (+) button next to your text box.
3. Tap Genmoji.
You can then type a description of an emoji into the text box near the bottom of your screen and tap the check mark on your keyboard to enter that description into Genmoji. You can also tap different suggestions and themes that are right above the text box. And with iOS 26 or later, you can also combine and use emoji to create others rather than describing a new emoji or using suggestions.
Your iPhone will generate a series of new emoji for you to pick from according to your description, and you can swipe through these new emoji. When you find the one you want, tap Add in the top right corner of your screen and the new emoji will be available to use as an emoji, tapback or a sticker. Now you don’t have to wait for the Unicode Standard to propose, create and bring new emoji to devices.
For more iOS news, here’s what to know about iOS 26.4 and iOS 26.3. You can also check out our iOS 26 cheat sheet for other tips and tricks.
Technologies
Save Over 20% on This Handy 10,000-mAh Anker Nano Power Bank
Keep your devices charged on the go with this Anker Nano power bank, now down to just $46.
We’ve just spotted the Anker Nano 45-watt portable power bank for just $46 at Amazon right now. This saves you $14 — a 23% discount on its list price. Though it’s $6 more than the lowest-ever price we saw during Black Friday, it’s still a solid discount when you take the rising cost of tech accessories into account. It also matches the lowest price we’ve seen in 2026. It comes in four colors: black, green, pink and white. They’re all on sale for the same price.
This Anker Nano portable charger weighs approximately 8.2 ounces and measures a compact 3.21×1.99×1.42 inches. Despite its small size, it has a retractable cable and supports fast charging in compatible Apple, Samsung, Google Pixel and other smartphones. It also has a large 10,000-mAh capacity and a smart display so you always know how much juice is left in your power bank.
The Nano can charge an iPhone 17 to up to 50% battery in an estimated 20 minutes, and is powerful enough to charge tablets and laptops. Need to charge your devices while charging your power bank? You can do so safely thanks to pass-through charging so you’ll never have to go without battery life.
We’ve also compiled a list of the best power banks for iPhones and for Android, in case this deal isn’t quite a fit for you.
Why this deal matters
If you travel, have a long commute time or are otherwise always on the go, a portable charger can help you keep your devices fully powered. This 45-watt Anker Nano power bank is compact, includes a loop that lets you keep track of it easily and has a built-in cable so you don’t have to keep up with extra cords. Amazon’s $14 discount makes this a solid deal for anyone looking for a compact power bank.
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