Crowd-funding has finally transformed from niche idea to mainstream concept. Credit for this surge in popularity can be thrown at the feet of Kickstarter and its contemporaries. Some highly publicized projects have raised millions of dollars within a few weeks, transforming idea into reality at lightning speed. These success stories make it easy to forget that projects don’t always go as planned. Many flop badly. But how, and why? Kickstarter intentionally makes failure a hard thought to stumble on, so we’ve set out to find some failed projects on our own.

Computers age rapidly. In one year they mature, in three years they become elderly and after five they are ready for retirement. Both geeks and casual users have become accustomed to – or annoyed by – the quick replacement cycle. Part of the annoyance is the uncertainty of replacement. When do you upgrade or repair a computer, and when do you just give up and build or buy a new one?

Each Kickstarter is its own drama representing the hopes and dreams of at least one person. Will it succeed? Will it fail? Will it become a media sensation? It’s impossible to know before the money starts flooding in – or doesn’t. So pop some popcorn and grab your mouse. We’ve got some Kickstarters to watch.

Laptops are small, light and portable. They are also, in a strange twist of fate, often far more uncomfortable than the bulky desktops they replace. Being forced to place the screen, touchpad and keyboard in a compact box creates all sorts of ergonomic issues. And then there’s the matter of carrying it around. Using a laptop as your primary PC doesn’t demand that you sacrifice comfort, however.

Owners of the Raspberry Pi have received some good news with the announcement that all of the tiny ARM computer’s SoC drivers are now available as open source. Better still, all of the open source drivers are vendor provided (direct from the chip’s manufacturer) rather than reverse engineered.

Computer power consumption can be estimated. Most of the components inside a PC have specific minimum and maximum power draw figures and, because quality control is so tight, it’s rare of a part to break from those specifications. But why estimate when you can find out – for certain – how much power you’re using? Many hardware reviewers and hardcore geeks already do this.

The average consumer buys a laptop that costs about $600, a behavior that’s persisted for years. Yet there are also laptops on the market which cost two or even three times as much. Are they really worth the cost? Or does the average consumer have the right idea? I’m going to take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of pricey laptops by comparing them to both their less expensive brethren and desktop computers.

Perhaps you haven’t heard, but there is this nifty website called Kickstarter where people can pledge to support projects that they’re interested in. Each Kickstarter is its own drama representing the hopes and dreams of at least one person. Will it succeed? Will it fail? Will it become a media sensation? So pop some popcorn and grab your mouse. We’ve got some Kickstarters to watch.

The LAN party is an event that started out of necessity. PC gaming was a thing well before the Internet, and no Internet meant no multiplayer – unless you took your machine to a friend’s house. Geeks had no choice but to descend on each other’s homes to play games togethers. The Internet has made local play somewhat obsolete, but LAN parties are still a lot of fun.

Utility developer IObit has announced the release of Advanced SystemCare 6, an update to the long-standing SystemCare software. The new version, which is available immediately, focuses on refreshing and updating the interface while also enhancing the performance and utility of existing features.

First there was The Humble Indie Bundle, and then there was Indie Royale. This imitator so far hasn’t had as many high-profile titles as the Indie Bundle, but the Fall Bundle seems set to offer serious competition. The five games included are To The Moon, Oil Rush, Blackwell Deception, AVSEQ and Reprisal. All of these games can be purchased for a minimum price that fluctuates based on how much others are currently paying.

Magnets are kind of magic. Okay, not really – but to the layman they a bit bewildering. The magnetic field they emit is entirely undetectable by human senses. One can only imagine the confusion our ancestors must have felt when they first discovered them. Today we have an understanding of how magnets work, but that doesn’t mean they no longer trouble us. A magnet has the potential to cause all sorts of issues for electronic devices.

Android’s openness is one of its greatest strengths and makes it possible for most devices to be modified in a number of ways. Customizing your device can add new features and make it feel like it is, well, yours. There’s just one problem. The Android modding community is naturally lead by tech-heads and programmers, two groups of people not known for their ability to communicate with the layman.

I recently reviewed a Samsung 830 512GB solid state drive that now serves as the primary drive for my computer. Before it, however, I was using a 60GB solid state drive. Why? For the same reason as anyone else – price. While prices are slowly coming down, any SSD with a capacity above 128GB remains intimidating for the typical consumer. What do you do when you have so little space?

Android anti-malware and security app Lookout Security & Antivirus has been upgraded to version 3.0. Its most important new feature, known as Signal Flare, is designed to help users locate a phone that is low on battery. It’s a preventative measure that automatically marks the phone’s location when the battery is low.