Tech updates from around the web

I replaced Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook with free apps, and I don't miss Microsoft 365

Stop paying for these 5 apps, their free open-source rivals are just as good

Netflix's most overlooked war drama looks like nothing else on the service

I replaced one soundbar with two speakers, and the TV finally sounded as good as it looked

I've used premium Macs for years, but this Lenovo all-in-one won me over in two weeks

Microsoft has a better 25-year-old Task Manager that nobody knows about

I installed a free firewall, and one blocked connection led me somewhere I didn't expect

Arduino’s new board wants to be a Raspberry Pi and an ESP32, but the timing is awful

I wouldn't put USB ports in my walls and neither should you

I benchmarked GPU performance on Windows vs. Linux, and the driver tax was unbelievable

I turned Claude into a brainstorming partner by fighting every idea it gave me

I gave Samsung DeX a full workout on One UI 9, and it finally feels ready