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Hey PCWorlders! Today I want to show you a neat trick. As you no doubt understand, getting dead batteries in any device can be a real drag. To stop that happening I frequently swap my batteries out with fresh ones before they go totally flat.

As to the old ones, I usually store them in a bag to recycle later — or to use in a pinch. But on the odd occasion I forget to swap out my battery, get a flat in my device, and have no spares left, I have to rifle through that bag and test out each battery to find one with enough charge left in it.

Correction: That’s what I used to do. Now I have a method that saves me a bunch of time…

What to do

• Find a flat, firm surface, like a table or a book — this will be your test surface.
• Now drop the battery vertically onto that surface from a height of roughly 8 inches (20cm). Watch what the battery does.
• A fully charged battery will tend to tip over and stay put. A flat battery, however, often bounces back up a few centimeters so you know it’s not worth using.

We cover battery tips and explainers like this on PCWorld from time to time. For example, I found this one about whether fast charging your phone’s battery causes any damage to be interesting.

Best of luck with the battery testing, and if you want more awesome tips like this one delivered into your inbox twice a week, every week, be sure to sign up to our Try This newsletter!

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is withdrawing the nomination of Tech Billionaire Jared Isaacmanan associate of Elon Muskto lead NASA, a person familiar with the decision said Saturday.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly on the administration’s personnel decisions. The White House and NASA did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment.

Trump announced last December during the presidential transition that he had chosen Isaacman to be the space agency’s next administrator. Isaacman has been a close collaborator with Musk ever since he bought his first chartered flight on Musk’s SpaceX in 2021.

He is the CEO and founder of Shift4, a credit card processing company. He also bought a series of spaceflights from SpaceX and conducted the first private spacewalk.

Isaacman testified at his Senate confirmation hearing on April 9 and a vote to send his nomination to the full Senate was expected soon.

SpaceX is owned by Musk, a Trump supporter and adviser who announced this week that he is leaving the government after several months at the helm of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Trump created the agency to slash the size of government and put Musk in charge.

Semafor was first to report that the White House had decided to pull Isaacman’s nomination.

When the U.S. Naval Academy stripped 381 books tied to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) from its library, retired Commander William Marks saw more than censorship — he saw a threat to the Navy’s future. But last week, after immense public outcry, most of those books returned to Nimitz Library shelves.

“Do you believe it?” asked Marks, a 1996 alum who spearheaded a campaign to maintain student access to the books. “What great news. We’re thrilled.”

All the books the academy removed in early April had one thing in common: Officials flagged them for DEI themes. They include Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” and Elizabeth Reis’ “Bodies in Doubt: An American History of Intersex.” The purge followed directives from Trump-appointed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has called DEI initiatives “divisive.”

Determined to ensure that students could still read the works, Marks began crowdfunding to replace them on April 5.

“The motto of the Naval Academy is ‘from knowledge, seapower,’” said Marks, who served as a Navy commander for 22 years. “What we mean is without knowledge, education and intellectual growth, we will never become a strong Navy. So this contradiction really struck me, that instead of encouraging knowledge and encouraging discussion, the Pentagon was actually suppressing knowledge and limiting discussion.”

About 4,400 students, members of the Brigade of Midshipmen, attend the Naval Academy while on active duty in the U.S. Navy. After graduation, they are required to serve in the Navy or Marine Corps for at least five years. Women represent more than a quarter of the student body, while men make up over 70 percent of midshipmen.

Initially, Marks hoped to fundraise $3,810, which he figured would be enough to cover the cost of the books pulled from Nimitz Library. Since Marks lives in Arlington, Texas, he tapped Old Fox Books & Coffeehouse in Annapolis, Maryland, home to the academy, to be his local partner.

Donations have far exceeded his goal, topping $70,000.

Jinny Amundson, an owner of Old Fox Books, said by the time she got the call from Marks, she had already heard about the books removed and had started compiling a list of them to purchase for the store’s inventory.

“For a bookseller, the idea of censoring any kind of books just gives us heart palpitations,” Amundson said. “And it’s our community. The [midshipmen] think of our shop as a place that they love and one of their sort of unofficial bookstores. We have the mids, the faculty, the administration that come in and think of our space as their own.”

Amundson said she understood that the removal of books was an order, which has to be followed within the military. But she found the loophole: Her bookshop could store the titles targeted. It is conveniently located about a block away from the Naval Academy gates.

The day before the institution’s May 23 graduation, Amundson learned that most of the pulled books were back on the library’s shelves. She went to see for herself, took pictures of the books and sent them to many of the authors, who had personally contacted her when the restrictions on the works took effect.

Now, just 20 books are being sequestered pending a formal compliance review, according to the Department of Defense. A Navy spokesperson did not provide details to The 19th about those titles. Ultimately, a narrowing of the search terms used to flag books for review resulted in the return of hundreds of books to the Nimitz Library, as the Department of Defense first issued broad guidance about book removals to the military services.

“What struck me was the very arbitrary and even cruel nature of the books that got removed,” Marks said. “These books were a cross-section of American culture. They were important to the discussion of American history.”

In an updated May 9 memo, the Pentagon instructed the military services to use 20 search terms to pinpoint books in their academic libraries that might need to be set aside because of how they engage race or gender. Among those terms were affirmative action; critical race theory; gender-affirming care; transgender people; and diversity, equity and inclusion.

People across the political spectrum expressed alarm about the book restrictions, which have been widely opposed, according to Marks. “We really shouldn’t be banning any books,” he said. That includes those with unpopular, or even offensive, ideas like Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf,” which managed to evade the Naval Academy’s book purge, he noted.

He calls his effort to maintain the midshipmen’s access to all books in the Nimitz Library Operation Caged Birdafter the 1969 Angelou memoir that was likely targeted because it describes racial segregation and child abuse.

The name Operation Caged Bird also alludes to the feeling of being restrained by censorship. “I almost felt like I could feel the bars closing in on me in terms of what I can read and can’t read,” Marks said. “That didn’t sit right.”

Marks’ GoFundMe campaign has raised enough money to supply 1,000 books in 2025 and fund a three-year initiative at Old Fox, ensuring midshipmen can access any contested title for free.

“If you’re a midshipman and you’re writing an essay paper and there’s a book you can’t find, maybe it’s been removed or banned, you can call them, and they’ll order it for you, and then you just pick it up free of charge,” Marks said. He’s also coordinating with other service academies, anticipating similar battles.

At the Navy’s three other educational institutions, fewer than 20 books have been flagged as potentially incompatible with the military’s mission, as have a few dozen at the Air Force Academy and other Air Force academic institutions. The Army has also been ordered to assess library books at its educational institutions, but a spokesperson from West Point told The 19th that no books have been pulled at this time, as its compliance review is still underway.

The return of nearly 400 books to the Naval Academy library coincides with a pending lawsuit accusing Department of Defense-run schools of violating K-12 students’ constitutional rights for limiting books and subject matter related to gender, race and sexuality. The American Civil Liberties Union filed E.K. v. Department of Defense Education Activity in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on behalf of 12 students. A hearing will take place June 3. The ACLU seeks a preliminary injunction to give the youth access to materials it argues have been restricted to align with President Donald Trump’s executive orders and political agenda.

Amundson said she was pleasantly surprised that it took just weeks for the books to be returned to the Naval Academy.

“I believe that what happened and the response that was given in Annapolis — I think that made the administration be much more careful this time around as they’re going for these other libraries, the other Department of Defense libraries around the world,” she said.

Amundson said using the funds raised from the GoFundMe campaign, the bookstore was able to give away nearly 500 books in the days leading up to the  Naval Academy graduation. For weeks, letters of support piled up and people stopped by the bookstore with gratitude, some even driving from hours away to show their support in person.

In addition to Operation Caged Bird, Amundson said there were “powerful arms at work.” There was pushback on the book removals from members of Congress, the Naval Academy’s Board of Visitors and the superintendent — who wrote an open letter signed by hundreds of alumni.

“For right now, this was a huge win for us,” Amundson said.

The upcoming hike in US tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, announced by President Donald Trump, is set to impact Indian metal exports worth $4.56 billion, according to a new analysis by the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI).Beginning June 4, the higher duties are expected to raise product costs for Indian manufacturers and exporters in the American market, potentially affecting their competitiveness.“For India, the consequences are direct. In FY2025, India exported $4.56 billion worth of iron, steel, and aluminum products to the US,” said GTRI, as quoted by ANI.The US continues to be a key market for India’s metal sector. In FY2025, exports included $587.5 million worth of iron and steel, $3.1 billion in iron or steel products, and $860 million in aluminium and related items. The GTRI report cautions that increased tariffs on these categories will challenge India’s market share and profitability in the US.Trump on Friday announced plans to raise existing tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from 25 per cent to 50 per cent, citing national security concerns under Section 232 of the US Trade Expansion Act of 1962. The legislation enables the US president to impose trade restrictions if certain imports are found to pose a threat to national security.Read more: Donald Trump announces 50% tariff on steel imports from June 4 to ‘secure industry in US’Trump initially invoked this provision in 2018, setting a 25 per cent tariff on steel and 10 per cent on aluminium. These rates were revised in February 2025, with aluminium tariffs raised to 25 per cent.According to GTRI, the latest increase could drive US steel prices above $1,180 per tonne, with ripple effects on key sectors like automotive, construction, and manufacturing.India has filed a notification with the World Trade Organization (WTO) regarding the tariff hike and is exploring additional response measures.GTRI also flagged the environmental implications of the US move. “Steel and aluminium manufacturing are significant carbon emitters globally. While other nations invest in environmentally friendly production methods, the US policy lacks environmental considerations,” the think tank noted.“This decision demonstrates the Trump administration’s preference for economic nationalism over environmental stewardship,” GTRI said, adding that it raises questions about the US commitment to global climate goals and sustainable industrial development.

The Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis shows that arts and cultural economic activity, adjusted for inflation, increased 6.6 percent in 2023 after increasing 3.8 percent in 2022 (chart 1 and table 1). By comparison, the broader economy, as measured by real gross domestic product (GDP), increased 2.9 percent in 2023 after increasing 2.5 percent in 2022 (chart 1). Arts and cultural economic activity accounted for 4.2 percent of GDP, or $1.17 trillion, in 2023 (tables 2 and 3).

Real (inflation-adjusted) value added for core arts and cultural production industries, which include performing arts, museums, design services, fine arts education, and education services, increased 5.5 percent in 2023. Supporting arts and cultural production industries, which include art support services and information services, increased 7.1 percent in 2023 (chart 2 and table 1).

• Performing arts increased 3.5 percent in 2023 after increasing 24.9 percent in 2022. One of the leading contributors to the increase was performing arts companies, which increased 31.6 percent in 2023 after increasing 42.0 percent in 2022.
• Museums increased 18.0 percent after decreasing 12.0 percent.
• Design services increased 6.3 percent after increasing 8.0 percent.
• Education services increased 1.8 percent after increasing 3.9 percent.

Nominal value added

Nominal value added (not adjusted for inflation) increased 7.6 percent nationally in 2023 (table 2). The leading contributor to the increase was supporting arts and cultural production industries (table 4). Supporting arts and cultural production industries increased 6.8 percent to a level of $873.8 billion; the leading contributor to the increase was information services. Core arts and cultural production industries increased 10.6 percent in 2023 to a level of $265.8 billion; the leading contributors to the increase were performing arts and design services.

In 2023, nominal value added in arts and cultural production industries increased in 47 states and the District of Columbia. The percent change across all states ranged from 14.7 percent in Nevada to –3.4 percent in Louisiana (table 2).

In Nevada—the state with the largest increase in value added—promoters of performing arts and similar events, publishing, and performing arts companies were the leading contributors to the increase in value added. In Louisiana—the state with the largest decrease in value added—motion pictures was the leading contributor to the decline (table 4).

For all states and the District of Columbia, the arts and cultural share of total GDP ranged from 9.8 percent in Washington state to 1.2 percent in Delaware. The share for most states ranged between 2 and 5 percent. Washington state, the District of Columbia, New York, California, and Nevada were the only areas where the arts and cultural share of total GDP exceeded 5 percent (table 3).

The top arts and cultural production industries varied among the states. In Washington state, publishing and retail industries were the leading contributors to the share of total state GDP. Government and advertising were the leading contributors in the District of Columbia. Broadcasting and “other information services” were the leading contributors in New York. Other information services and motion pictures were the leading contributors in California. Other information services and promoters of performing arts and similar events were the leading contributors in Nevada (table 3).

Employment

Arts and cultural employment nationwide increased 0.3 percent in 2023. The total number of arts and cultural jobs for the nation was 5.4 million. Arts and cultural employment increased in 27 states. The percent change across all states ranged from 7.6 percent in North Carolina to –6.6 percent in Hawaii (table 8).

North Carolina had 167,254 jobs related to arts and culture, representing 3.3 percent of all jobs in the state. Government and retail industries were the leading contributors to the increase in arts and cultural employment in North Carolina. In Hawaii, construction and motion pictures were the leading contributors to the decrease in arts and cultural employment (table 9).

Compensation

Arts and cultural compensation nationwide increased 3.6 percent in 2023. Arts and cultural compensation increased in 43 states and the District of Columbia. The percent change across all states ranged from 12.7 percent in Nevada to –6.9 percent in Georgia (table 8).

Update of arts and cultural production statistics

Today, BEA released updated national-level arts and cultural production statistics on output, value added, intermediate inputs, employment, and compensation from 1998 to 2022, with new statistics for 2023, and updated state-level statistics on value added, employment, and compensation from 2001 to 2022, with new statistics for 2023. The 2017 to 2023 statistics primarily reflect the incorporation of new and updated source data as well as the results of the 2024 annual update of BEA’s National and Regional Economic Accounts. The updates to the 1998 to 2016 statistics reflect the incorporation of the 2023 comprehensive update of BEA’s National and Regional Economic accounts. These data, combined with new and revised arts and cultural production-specific source data, allow the arts and cultural production statistics to capture the dynamics of this sector more accurately.

BEA’s Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account is supported by funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Next release: March 2026
Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account, U.S. and States, 2024

The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis announced today that the goods and services deficit was $140.5 billion in March, up $17.3 billion from $123.2 billion in February, revised.

Exports, Imports, and Balance (exhibit 1)

March exports were $278.5 billion, $0.5 billion more than February exports. March imports were $419.0 billion, $17.8 billion more than February imports.

The March increase in the goods and services deficit reflected an increase in the goods deficit of $16.5 billion to $163.5 billion and a decrease in the services surplus of $0.8 billion to $23.0 billion.

Year-to-date, the goods and services deficit increased $189.6 billion, or 92.6 percent, from the same period in 2024. Exports increased $41.1 billion or 5.2 percent. Imports increased $230.7 billion or 23.3 percent.

Three-Month Moving Averages (exhibit 2)

The average goods and services deficit increased $14.1 billion to $131.4 billion for the three months ending in March.

• Average exports increased $4.0 billion to $275.7 billion in March.
• Average imports increased $18.1 billion to $407.1 billion in March.

Year-over-year, the average goods and services deficit increased $63.2 billion from the three months ending in March 2024.

• Average exports increased $13.7 billion from March 2024.
• Average imports increased $76.9 billion from March 2024.

Exports (exhibits 3, 6, and 7)

Exports of goods increased $1.3 billion to $183.2 billion in March.

Exports of goods on a Census basis increased $2.5 billion.

• Industrial supplies and materials increased $2.2 billion.
  • Natural gas increased $0.8 billion.
  • Nonmonetary gold increased $0.7 billion.
• Automotive vehicles, parts, and engines increased $1.2 billion.
  • Passenger cars increased $0.9 billion.
• Capital goods decreased $1.5 billion.
  • Civilian aircraft decreased $1.8 billion.
  • Computer accessories increased $0.7 billion.

Net balance of payments adjustments decreased $1.2 billion.

Exports of services decreased $0.9 billion to $95.2 billion in March.

• Travel decreased $1.3 billion.
• Transport increased $0.3 billion.
• Financial services increased $0.2 billion.

Imports (exhibits 4, 6, and 8)

Imports of goods increased $17.8 billion to $346.8 billion in March.

Imports of goods on a Census basis increased $17.8 billion.

• Consumer goods increased $22.5 billion.
  • Pharmaceutical preparations increased $20.9 billion.
• Capital goods increased $3.7 billion.
  • Computer accessories increased $2.0 billion.
• Automotive vehicles, parts, and engines increased $2.6 billion.
  • Passenger cars increased $2.1 billion.
• Industrial supplies and materials decreased $10.7 billion.
  • Finished metal shapes decreased $10.3 billion.
  • Nonmonetary gold decreased $1.8 billion.
  • Crude oil decreased $1.2 billion.

Net balance of payments adjustments decreased less than $0.1 billion.

Imports of services decreased $0.1 billion to $72.2 billion in March.

• Travel decreased $0.4 billion.
• Transport increased $0.2 billion.

Real Goods in 2017 Dollars – Census Basis (exhibit 11)

The real goods deficit increased $14.0 billion, or 10.2 percent, to $150.9 billion in March, compared to a 10.3 percent increase in the nominal deficit.

• Real exports of goods increased $2.4 billion, or 1.6 percent, to $149.7 billion, compared to a 1.4 percent increase in nominal exports.
• Real imports of goods increased $16.4 billion, or 5.8 percent, to $300.6 billion, compared to a 5.5 percent increase in nominal imports.

Revisions

Revisions to February exports

• Exports of goods were revised down less than $0.1 billion.
• Exports of services were revised down $0.4 billion.

Revisions to February imports

• Imports of goods were revised up less than $0.1 billion.
• Imports of services were revised up $0.1 billion.

Goods by Selected Countries and Areas: Monthly – Census Basis (exhibit 19)

The March figures show surpluses, in billions of dollars, with Netherlands ($4.5), South and Central America ($3.2), Hong Kong ($1.9), United Kingdom ($1.2), Singapore ($0.5), Brazil ($0.5), and Saudi Arabia ($0.2). Deficits were recorded, in billions of dollars, with European Union ($48.3), Ireland ($29.3), China ($24.8), Mexico ($16.8), Switzerland ($14.7), Vietnam ($14.1), Taiwan ($8.7), India ($7.7), Germany ($7.5), South Korea ($6.8), Japan ($5.8), Canada ($4.9), Italy ($4.4), France ($3.9), Malaysia ($3.2), Australia ($1.0), Israel ($1.0), and Belgium ($0.1).

• The deficit with Ireland increased $15.3 billion to $29.3 billion in March. Exports increased $0.1 billion to $1.4 billion and imports increased $15.5 billion to $30.7 billion.
• The deficit with France increased $2.4 billion to $3.9 billion in March. Exports increased $0.1 billion to $4.0 billion and imports increased $2.6 billion to $7.9 billion.
• The deficit with Switzerland decreased $4.1 billion to $14.7 billion in March. Exports increased $1.1 billion to $3.5 billion and imports decreased $3.0 billion to $18.3 billion.

All statistics referenced are seasonally adjusted; statistics are on a balance of payments basis unless otherwise specified. Additional statistics, including not seasonally adjusted statistics and details for goods on a Census basis, are available in exhibits 1-20b of this release. For information on data sources, definitions, and revision procedures, see the explanatory notes in this release. The full release can be found at www.census.gov/foreign-trade/Press-Release/current_press_release/index.html or www.bea.gov/data/intl-trade-investment/international-trade-goods-and-services. The full schedule is available in the Census Bureau’s Economic Briefing Room at www.census.gov/economic-indicators/ or on BEA’s website at www.bea.gov/news/schedule.

Next release: June 5, 2025, at 8:30 a.m. EDT
U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services, April 2025

I used to think negotiation was about being smart. Or charming. Or stubborn.

Or going full crazy.

Ask for 200% of the profits and a helicopter.

Then “compromise” with: “Fine, I’ll just take some equity.”

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

Turns out, it’s mostly about shutting up.

Chris Voss—the FBI’s lead hostage negotiator—didn’t build his career on yelling louder.

He built it on something he calls tactical empathy.

And I’ve seen his methods work firsthand in my own life.

It’s so powerful, it can get you basically everything you want. But it’s so simple, you don’t have to memorize any weird tricks or phrases and feel like a slimeball.

AND… it’s universal.

It works whether you’re defusing a terrorist in Baghdad or negotiating a raise with a manager named Craig who still uses a Blackberry. (Not knocking you, Craig. I wish I still had my Blackberry.)

That’s why I had Chris on my podcast recently. (Link below.)

In the next few minutes, I’m going to show you how Chris can help you get a raise, save your marriage, or even save a life…

And in 18 words or less.

It’s not manipulation. It’s the most authentic way to live. And, if you practice it, it can turn you into a superhero.

Let me explain.

Lessons From the Suicide Hotline

Chris Voss was the FBI’s lead negotiator for 24 years. In that time, he was involved in more than 150 international hostage cases, including high-profile incidents in Iraq, Gaza, the Philippines, Colombia, and Haiti.

The first thing he told me: Tactical empathy has nothing to do with being agreeable. Nothing to do with being nice. And everything to do with basic neuroscience.

It’s about weaponized listening.

You make the other person feel heard—deeply, viscerally heard—and their brain floods with oxytocin, serotonin, and all the trust chemicals that turn enemies into collaborators.

Chris told me about his time volunteering at a suicide hotline.

Noble, right? Helping people.

Turns out, half the callers were “energy vampires”—people who didn’t want help, just attention. Others were… let’s just say OnlyFans pioneers. (You’ll have to listen to the episode to get the full story.)

The lesson he learned early on? You don’t always have to respond to these people. No sermon. No rebuttal. Just remove the stimulus. You starve the behavior, not the person.

It’s a pattern interrupt. And pattern interrupts, says Voss, are negotiation gold.

Empathy ≠ Agreement. Empathy = Intel.

Forget the candles and yoga mats. Tactical empathy is less therapy and more sonar.

You bounce statements off your counterpart and listen—really listen—to what comes back. Are they defensive? Evasive? Emotional? That tells you where the leverage is.

The goal isn’t “winning.” It’s getting information.

In one case, Voss told a Muslim witness who was skeptical of the US government: “You feel like you’ve never been heard. You’re doing this because the colonial powers crushed your people, your faith, and your future.”

Then he shut up. That pause was the power move.

The guy, previously cold, softened. And then he did what Chris wanted: He testified voluntarily in U.S. court against a known terrorist—because he felt respected by Voss.

That’s the thing.

People don’t want you to agree—they want you to get it.

Not manipulated. Not coerced. Just… heard. That’s the magic. Not persuasion. Not dominance. Just accurate articulation of someone’s pain—without adding your own opinion.

Voss breaks it down like this:

• When someone feels heard → oxytocin release
• Oxytocin → bonding
• Bonding → honesty
• Honesty → actual negotiation

You don’t get that from yelling, posturing, or saying “I understand.” You get that by making them say, “That’s right.” Not “you’re right.”

There’s a difference. One is resignation. The other is resonance.

Get a Raise. Save Your Marriage. Save a Life.

One of Voss’ favorite questions is NOT “Can I get a raise?”

It’s: “How can I be involved in projects critical to the strategic future of this company?”

Try that in your next review and watch your boss’s brain light up like Times Square. You’re no longer “just another employee.” You’re suddenly a co-conspirator in their legacy.

You don’t get paid more by asking for more. You get paid more by becoming more valuable. Ask better questions, earn bigger equity.

To save a marriage or a life, it’s the same thing. Stop arguing and name the pain they haven’t been able to say out loud.

Say these 18 words:

“You feel alone. Like nothing you do is enough. Like I see your mistakes more than your effort.”

Then shut up.

Let the silence do what your words never could: make them feel understood.

That moment of being deeply heard can be the turning point—because people don’t change when they’re told they’re wrong.

People change when they no longer need to defend their pain.

Listen to the whole podcast here.

At a glance

Expert’s Rating

Pros

• Easy to use
• Works beyond expectations
• Very flexible format
• 300 minutes of free transcription

Cons

• If you lose the charging cable, you’ll have to buy a new one, as it has a non-standard magnetic attachment.

Our Verdict

Plaud Note is a compact AI-powered voice recorder that automatically transcribes audio into text in 112 languages. It magnetically attaches to your phone, has long battery life, and saves time for both journalists and everyday users.

Price When Reviewed

This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined

Best Pricing Today

The Plaude Note is built for users who want to capture conversations and quickly convert audio into text. If I’d had one of these when I started writing over 30 years ago, I could’ve saved myself weeks of work! But the Plaude Note isn’t just for journalists, it’s equally handy if you need to record a doctor’s advice during an appointment and later share it with the Social Security office, an insurance company, or anyone else who needs the information in writing.

Plaud Note: Small but powerful

Crafted from aluminum alloy, the Plaud Note takes up as much space as a credit card. In the package, you get a small credit card holder that attaches magnetically to the back of your phone. If you don’t have such a phone, take comfort in knowing it comes with a magnet you can tape to the back of your phone. Plus, at just 30 grams, it’s impressively lightweight.

Petter Ahrnstedt

The Plaude itself has two buttons: one to switch it on or off and one to start and stop recording. The charging cable is attached to the Plaude via a magnet while the other end plugs into any USB-C port. Plug it into the computer and it pops up as an external disc. I understand that it requires a special kind of cord, but if you lose it, you’ll have to buy a new one.

When you want to record, press and hold the appropriate button. After a couple of seconds, Plaude will vibrate and a red light turn on indicating that recording is in progress.

Plaud Note: Requires the app

Like everything else these days, you need an app. Plaude supports both Android and iOS (I tested it on an iPhone) and it requires you to create an account to gain access to the AI features.

Plaude supports transcription in up to 112 languages using AI models like GPT-4 and Claude 3.5 Sonnet. The basic package includes 300 transcription minutes per month. Transcription is done in the cloud, so you’ll need an internet connection to convert audio files into text.

And it works better than expected! The different AI models have their own strengths. For example, Claude is better at transcribing text while ChatGPT is better at summarizing and analyzing text.

Petter Ahrnstedt

There are also paid subscriptions, though they’re not much cheaper than other online services already out there. Still, 300 minutes (five hours) is a long time and Plaude says the free service tier will be around forever.

Plaud Note: Take the shell off

The Plaude Note uses a dual recording mode system: an ambient microphone for in-room calls and a vibration sensor (V.C.S.) that records phone calls when the device is magnetically attached to your phone. You can switch between these modes depending on the situation.

However, if your phone has a protective case, it won’t work. You’ll only hear your own voice.

The battery is 400 mAh and reportedly provide up to 30 hours of active recording and 60 days of standby time. Recordings are stored in the cloud via AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure.

Plaude Note: Final thoughts

The Plaude Note Black is a really nice and useful little gadget, and you can supplement it with an external microphone kit if you want. It’s easy to use, lets you import recordings you’ve already made, and will save you loads of time!

Specifications

Manufacturer: Woven
Model: Note Black
Dimensions: 8.56 × 5.41 × 0.30 cm
Weight: 30 g
Connection: USB-C (proprietary cord, included)
Battery: 400 mAh, 2 hours charging time
Continuous recording: Up to 30 hours
Standby time: Up to 60 days
Recording quality: 1 536 kbps
Effective recording range: 10 meters
Storage space: 64 GB (up to 480 hours of recordings)
Price at the time of testing: $159

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

It’s been over two weeks since Microsoft released update KB5058405 for Windows 11 23H2, which was supposed to fix several security problems in the operating system. That urgency is why the update was installed and applied automatically on relevant PCs. But it turns out that KB5058405 is causing serious problems for some users.

After installing update KB5058405, affected PCs no longer boot and instead exit the startup process with error code 0xc0000098. According to Microsoft’s note, Windows 11 23H2 and Windows 11 22H2 are both affected by the issue. Windows Server versions remain unaffected.

Microsoft writes the following regarding the issue:

“We are aware of an issue installing the May Windows security update (KB5058405) on some Windows 11, version 22H2 and 23H2 devices. Affected devices might encounter the following recovery error:

Your PC/Device needs to be repaired
The operating system couldn't be loaded because a required file is missing or contains errors.
File: ACPI.sys
Error code: 0xc0000098

This issue has been observed on a small number of physical devices, but primarily on devices running in virtual environments, including:

• Azure Virtual Machines
• ​Azure Virtual Desktop
• ​On-premises virtual machines hosted on Citrix or Hyper-V

Home users of Windows using Home or Pro editions are unlikely to face this issue, as virtual machines are mostly used in IT environments.

The ACPI.sys file (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) is a critical Windows system driver that enables Windows to manage hardware resources and power states. Note: There are also reports of this same error occurring with a different file name.”

Microsoft doesn’t currently offer a solution to this problem. The company is still looking for a solution and has also stated that the error can also occur in connection with other file names.

I’ve been reading ebooks on Kindles for close to 15 years now, swapping them out every so often when newer and better versions come out. Throughout that time, I’ve tried all sorts of Kindle cases to protect my precious. But it wasn’t until last year that my reading experience got leveled up in an entirely new way with one simple $15 buy.

I’m talking about a Kindle case with a built-in elastic hand strap. Yes, yes, I know—it sounds unremarkable. Trust me, I was skeptical of it for a long time myself. But once I gave it a try, suddenly all of my “reading yoga” became a lot easier. No matter what weird position I ended up in, I could still grip my Kindle and read comfortable.

Gabriela wander / FOUNDRY

Sometimes I put my whole hand through the strap, other times I just hook a finger through it. Either way, it works. The beauty of this case’s design is that the strap goes straight down the middle, so I can use either left or right hand without issue. I’ve seen other cases where the strap is off to one side, but I like the flexibility in switching hands when I want to.

Honestly, of the many Kindle cases I’ve tried over the years, they mainly focus on protecting the screen than maximizing my comfort as a reader. And guess who ends up dropping her Kindle on her face more often than she’d like to admit? Me, that’s who. The built-in hand strap seems like a small thing, but the impact has been huge for me.

Okay, so why not use a clip-on elastic hand strap that you can put on and take off on demand? How is a case with a built-in strap better? If you don’t know what I’m talking about, here’s an example of one such grip belt that I’ve used with my Kindle before:

Gabriela wander / FOUNDRY

These are actually pretty great! You can position them however you want, whether diagonally across the device or down the middle. But in order for the straps to stay in place, they need tension, right? What I noticed is that when I put my hand through it, the hooks press into the sides of my Kindle, and even though they’re only plastic, they caused marks and imprints—not acceptable to me, especially with a pristine device.

I also want to mention that there are Kindle cases with built-in kickstands AND hand straps, but I don’t like them for two reasons. First, the kickstand usually adds extra weight and that’s more of a net-negative to my reading comfort. Second, the kickstand usually pushes the strap to one side or the other, whereas I prefer my strap down the middle.

So, I think I’ve found my ideal Kindle case—and it only cost me $15 on Amazon. It’s one of the best Kindle upgrades I’ve ever made, and it has transformed my reading comfort more than I ever expected. If holding your Kindle while you read is a pain, try out this case!