Emergence Capital has closed its $1 billion seventh fund, it reported on TuesdayIts the firms first raise in nearly four years. In May 2021, the San Mateo, California-based venture firm rounded up nearly a billion dollars in capital commitments across two funds.At that time, it closed its sixth early-stage fund with $575 million; the firm also raised an opportunity fund for the first time, closing it with $375 million in capital commitments.Founded in 2003, Emergence was historically focused on enterprise tech startups. Like many other venture firms, Emergence appears to be all in on artificial intelligence, with general partner Joe Floyd telling Fortune: Its a generational opportunity for AI investing, period.Over the years, Emergence has backed the likes of Bill.com, Salesforce, Gusto, Zoom, Box, andBill.com.Stanford University has backed Emergence since 2007. Rob Wallace, CEO of Stanford Management Company, told Fortune that Emergence has careful investors and deep domain specialists in SaaS and software.

Linda Napolitano was your everyday New York housewife. That was until she claimed to have been abducted by aliens from her second-floor apartment in 1989 a story she still believes to be true to this day. Netflixs three-part docuseries The Manhattan Alien Abduction follows this tale, featuring Lindas firsthand accounts and fantastical recreations of her experience.Leading the series production was Story Films Director Dan Vernon, who wanted to tap into 80s retrofuturism within the narrative. The Manhattan Alien Abduction was the perfect opportunity to evoke old sci-fi movie flavor, he says. And for this, I wanted to add subtle nuances in post to enhance its authenticity. Lux Aeterna was brought on to help pull the look together, meticulously crafting paranormal and archival-looking scenes.Here's the trailer:Blending VFX and videographyA major focus of ours was perfecting the lighting, explains Rob Hifle, Creative Director of Lux Aeterna. The shots we worked on included a lot of dynamic assets, such as curtains moving, so it was crucial to make sure we made it look lifelike in line with Dans vision. The first step to achieve this was to reference the series principal photography.DoP Tim Cragg was the studio's main point of reference; his Cooke lenses created flare, chromatic fall off, and a specific bokeh. I wanted to use a docu-drama interview style while speaking to those involved, he says. The lighting, color, and tone were all very important to keep in mind. To achieve an 80s comic-book style, Cragg shot using an LUT to bring out the cyans, reds, and yellows in the scenes.It was from these shots that Lux Aeterna started to build its visual effects. The team worked carefully to replicate the bold colors and hyper-realistic lighting style, ensuring their creations blended seamlessly with the rest of the series. We needed to make our work as subtle as possible, explains Tav Flett, VFX Supervisor. This not only made it lifelike but also ensured consistency with the shows aesthetic and Tims unique shot style.Lux Aeterna captured references on-set through a combination of lens grids, and bokeh and flare characteristics. These were used to create an optical gizmo that matched the Cooke lens characteristics at every focal length. Presets were then created based on this enabling the team to recreate dynamic lens flares for integrations with CG elements and retaining the pivotal 80s sci-fi aesthetic. Referencing 80s cinemaIn addition to the principal photography, Lux Aeterna drew inspiration from classic 80s films. Vernon provided the team with a series of movies he was inspired by, from Ghostbusters to Close Encounters Of The Third Kind. The VFX studio took these bold, contemporary lighting styles and applied them to the series.To integrate the neon colors commonly used by directors like Spielberg and Kubrick, Lux Aeterna adopted cloud tank visuals licensed from artist Chris Parks. This was a traditional technique used in films at the time, continues Flett. Combining it with a modern production process made for a truly unique lighting set-up.Shining a light on the UFOEvery aspect of The Manhattan Alien Abduction was thoroughly researched to align with both the directors vision and accounts from the people who experienced it. This was no different when the team created their largest asset: the spaceship used in the abduction. We used descriptions from Bud Hopkins, an American UFOlogist who interviewed eyewitnesses of paranormal events, says Flett. The amount of material we had to base our UFO on really helped us create a well-rounded CG asset.After various iterations, the team decided on a classic, retro UFO shape, which was highly detailed thanks to the combination of references. The next challenge was for Lux Aeterna to light it in a convincing and hyper-realistic way, making an older concept fit for modern-day viewers.Flett and his team used light groups when rendering the spaceship to maximize integration control within the composites streamlining the process by rendering a single set of global AOVs. These were subtracted from specific light groups to control material properties in compositing, reducing the number of render layers required. To enhance efficiency, the team wrapped this approach into the gizmo for the benefit of the compositing team.Building a convincing spaceship was an incredibly careful process, he continues. We used multiple AOVs to perfect the look, making sure the lights shone down in a sci-fi-esque, intimidating way. The end product was highly realistic with cloud visuals layered in the back, but with all the retrofuturistic inspirations from the 1980s.The Manhattan Alien Abduction turns Linda Napolitanos story into a visually striking, culturally rich docuseries. Using a combination of retro SFX, modern VFX, and a variety of references, the Lux Aeterna team was able to create a lighting style that perfectly matched the tale.

An activation from the 1939 Worlds Fair in New York City was the inspiration for an exhibition at ABC Stone in Greenpoint, Brooklyn that challenged five landscape architects with designing a 350-square-foot vignette with a single stone species as the centerpiece. Stone in Landscape Architecture: A Sensory Journey started as a clever marketing ploy from ASLANY and supplier and host ABC Stone, based on the showcase at the Worlds Fair that staged a 5-acre exhibition with 50 landscaped gardens. Stone in Landscape Architecture features vignettes by Design Workshop; LaGuardia Design Group; Oehme, Van Sweden (OvS); RKLA Studio; and Supermass Studio. Leaders from each group joined a panel moderated by Elizabeth Maskalenko of Hazen and Sawyer to discuss the ideas for their firms displays, which range from a terminal stone fountain by LaGuardia Design Group to a series of vertical stone pillars featuring stone sourced from the Danby Quarry in Vermont. Their work, introduced at a launch event last week and is on display at ABC Stones exhibition space (189 Banker Street, Brooklyn), through June 20.Supermass Studio reinterpreted its planter seating area from inside LaGuardia Airport Terminal B, using stone instead of GFRC. (Julie Florio/Courtesy ABC Stone)Supermass Studio chose to reinterpret one of its most well-known projects, a Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete (GFRC) planter seating area from inside LaGuardia Airport Terminal B. Founding principal Taewook Cha explained the concept behind the display, titled Fluid, which replaced GFRC with stone to showcase its versatility as a material. A display card with Supermasss exhibit reads: While the hollow precast GFRC planter modules of the original project sought to mimic the rough, coarse texture of stone, working with real stone resulted in a smoother, more fluid surface, revealing an unexpected dimension of its materiality.A terminal stone fountain by LaGuardia Design Group is augmented with blocks featuring quotes from architects including Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. (Julie Florio/Courtesy ABC Stone)LaGuardia Design Group lead Carl Carlson discussed the provenance of the Renaissance Gray Limestone it sourced from Germany for its vignette, the terminal stone fountain augmented with blocks featuring quotes from architects including Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Antoni Gaud. One of the things I like about this stone is that it actually has fossils in it, he said during the presentation. When it gets processed, sometimes you can actually see the fossils. It brings out this other element that reminds you that this is a very old substance. This was created a really, really long time ago. Design Workshop contributed a more sculptural piece, sited at the entrance to ABC Stones exhibition space. Principal Ben Roush explained that the concept, which features two sets of stones seemingly growing from the ground and undulating upward toward a meeting in the middle, was to spotlight the Global Carbon Project, which he described as an international initiative that is focused on greenhouse gas carbon emission. He introduced the concept with a slide that read: Design Workshops installation gives physical form to a profound and urgent storyone that spans two centuries yet unfolds in mere moments of geological time. By transforming a dataset of global fossil fuel emissions into stone, it renders visible the invisible, making tangible the lasting impact of human industry on our planet.Design Workshop contributed a more sculptural piece that transforms a dataset of global fossil fuel emissions into stone. (Julie Florio/Courtesy ABC Stone)Its easy to lose sight of the impact we all have as landscape architects, Roush added.Other vignettes by OvS and RKLA took perhaps more traditional approaches to incorporating stone into landscape design, intermingling trees and plants with stone structures. OvS principal Stacilyn Feldman, known for her planting design and detailing in botanical gardens and residential estates, took inspiration from Henry Moore, incorporating the landscape legends quote, Sculpture is an art of the open air, daylight, sunlight, is necessary to it, and for me its best setting and complement is nature, into the exhibit. OvS was influenced by planting design and detailing in botanical gardens and residential estates and incorporated a quote from Henry Moore. (Julie Florio/Courtesy ABC Stone)RKLA, meanwhile, created a pocket park designed to tell the story of Danby Marble, the Vermont quarry that has supplied stone to New York City for decadesincluding the United Nations Secretariat Building and New York Public Library. Managing partner Gareth Mahon explained that RKLAs vignette celebrates the varied qualities of the stone with vertical pillars placed in the park-like setting, which also features a paving pattern meant to mimic the New York City street grid.RKLA designed vertical pillars in a park-like setting. (Julie Florio/Courtesy ABC Stone)Lyndsey Belle Tyler, the creative director and marketing executive at ABC Stone who created the exhibits concept, took heat from attendees for the rushed timeline for the unusual project, but the landscape architects convivial atmosphere suggested the exhibit inspired them to create memorable vignetteswhich you can now see for yourself.

Bounded by three streets and overlooking the town Common, this stately house in Salem, Massachusetts, showcases a blending of Queen Anne and Colonial revival styles. Built in 1897 from plans by Boston architect, Alfred Fernald, the house was constructed by and for its first owner, Joseph Parsons, a Civil War veteran and house builder. The Parsons family continued to live in the house until Josephs death in 1915, after which his widow, Minnie, sold the property and moved to Florida. Dr. Ignatius Zielinski purchased the property in the 1920s and divided the house into a physicians office and several residential units. Tragically, Dr. Zielinski died while serving his country during WWII, and the family would retain the property until 1987. The house is unique for its materiality with the first floor consisting of ashlar, rough-faced stonework with a wood-shingled second story, stained glass windows and a wrap-around porch.

Amazon is discounting plenty of robot vacuums during its Big Spring Sale event running through March 31. Get a start on spring cleaning with these deals.

When is Amazon's Spring Sale 2025?This year, Amazon's Big Spring Sale begins on March 25 and ends on March 31.Are headphones and earbuds really cheaper during Amazon sales?Yes, you can find many headphones and earbuds at cheaper prices during Amazon's sales. However, the spring sale typically offers smaller discounts than Amazon's fall and holiday sales later in the year. During Amazon's sales, headphone and earbud brands also slash prices on their sites to compete for your dollars. Sometimes, prices are lower at other retailers, so you should compare factors like prices, return policies, and free items included with your purchase before buying. If you want all-time low prices on the latest headphones and earbuds, wait until later in the year.How did we choose these Spring Sale deals?I spend most of my time testing the latest headphones and earbuds and revisiting headphones and earbuds released in past years to provide our readers with the most sound buying advice. I also notice products' retail prices and when the lowest prices were offered, typically later in the year.Additionally, by retesting products, I can determine if they're still worth hundreds of dollars a year or two later. If they are, I will still recommend them during significant sales. Another factor I consider is when newly-released products are on sale; if a product I recommended was released six months ago and is already on sale, I'll notify our readers to take advantage of the sale price.What are the best Amazon Spring Sale 2025 deals?ZDNET's experts are searching through Amazon's Spring Sale deals to find the best discounts by category. These are the best deals so far:You can also find the best Amazon Spring Sale deals by price:And the best deals from other retailers this week:Best anti-Amazon Spring Sale dealsLooking for the next best product? Get expert reviews and editor favorites withZDNET Recommends

ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott in 2024. Photographer: Bridget Bennett/Bloomberg 2024 Bloomberg Finance LPThere are many in the tech world Satya Nadella, for one suggesting that major SaaS platforms will face obsolescence because of the increasing maturity of generative AI and agentic applications. And on a superficial level, the idea that a person could use agents to automate their daily tasks in a compelling and data-driven way does seem plausible. That plausibility forces providers like ServiceNow to deal with a possibly existential threat.Whether that threat is actually feasible now or in the near future is almost irrelevant. What is relevant and strategically consequential is how SaaS companies respond. ServiceNows response has been to proactively lean into the disruption and marginalize the threat as shown in the past couple of weeks by its Yokohama platform release and the announcement of its planned acquisition of Moveworks. I think its a great case study for dealing with rapid and disruptive technology evolution.Responding To Disruptive ThreatsTo start, I am not in the camp of those who think that agents will kill SaaS. My rationale is that SaaS platforms provide a number of important services in a very contextual way. And while I do see agents taking on an increasing (and possibly dominant) role within a given SaaS platform, the notion of a contextual enterprise-class platform will continue to exist. Just the stability of the data model and business logic almost guarantee a long life for many SaaS platforms. But, maybe needless to say, my opinion could be wrong.So, whats most interesting to me about ServiceNows recent announcements is not necessarily the technology (its good more on that later), but how the company is responding to disruption. Realistically, when a tech company is faced with a disruptive threat like AI and agents, there are only a few ways to respond. Most of the time, the company adopts a combination of the available approaches as the threat evolves. Here are the main responses as I see them.Denial The easy thing to do early on is to frame the disruptor as immature; maybe even the idea that the new technology could be disruptive is framed as being frankly silly. A great example of this came in the early days of open source, when nobody thought that free software could be taken seriously.Arrogance If denial stops working, some companies will choose to disrespect the disruptor. But technology history is littered with good enough disruptors beating the best legacy answers. A great example of this was the x86 architecture and Windows versus Unix in the server market.Bolting On A company may attempt to annex a disruptive technology and bolt it onto the main solution. For instance, VMware has done a good amount of this over the years with containers. While this seems like a good idea, its tough to make it work, and it can be perceived as an endorsement of the competition.Leaning In While the other responses are reactive, leaning in is proactive and can be applied at multiple points in the disruption timeline. Although its riskier in the short term, it is also customer-centric, because it demonstrates a willingness to disrupt your own business by doing the right thing for your customers. Microsoft shifting to the cloud might be the most successful recent example of this type of competitive response.ServiceNows Response Is To Lean InA key element of leaning in is that it may appear to happen overnight, but thats a myth. It takes a while. The starting point is building belief amongst the organization that (a) things need to change, and (b) it will be a risky bet. Therefore, its notable that ServiceNow was an early believer in deploying AI within SaaS. In fact, my colleagues Melody Brue, Robert Kramer and I wrote about ServiceNows major AI announcements last year.But the next step is to go beyond building belief and, as an organization, to back up the belief with action or conviction. ServiceNows latest platform release, coupled with its planned acquisition of Moveworks, is a demonstration of its conviction that AI and agents are the right way forward for its customers and other organizations. This is a clear signal that, despite a positive initial response from customers, its commitment to AI needed to continue to evolve with the market. This could not be a one-time technology injection followed by a retreat to the core technology.ServiceNow Yokohama release highlightsServiceNowAgentic Transformation Is The CornerstoneAs I evaluate the SaaS platforms, I see that the agentic story has been heavily focused on automation of end-user tasks and personal productivity. Included in that strategy are also typically a number of canned agents targeted at common business tasks to help customers get started. These features are becoming table stakes for both ServiceNow and its competition. But what we see from ServiceNows latest announcements suggests a more strategic and enterprise-focused approach. For instance:More professional developer capabilities ServiceNow already has some solid no-code agent-builder capabilities and a very good agent-friendly workflow engine. However, the new Yokohama release adds to this with more robust AI Agent Studio tooling, which unifies workflows and agents in one interface. This also includes the addition of agent-to-agent collaboration, which is something I covered in a recent article about horizontal AI development platforms like AWS Bedrock. There is also a major update to Workflow Data Fabric that aims to improve data integration and preparation.Backend analytics I am particularly interested in the Moveworks Employee Experience Insights solution, as it is able to prioritize, align and aggregate corporate data better than just using RAG attached to an AI chatbot. Whats really interesting is how AI can be used to gather issues and find trends; in other words, it helps spot where employees are asking the most questions or struggling with a process. This moves the agent game towards team and corporate productivity rather than staying at the level of the individual. I like to think of this as an agentic feedback loop where agents are not only automating a process but helping figure out how to improve it.Governance and management For successful deployment of agents in the enterprise, enhanced governance and management will be key. In the absence of attentive governance, lowering the development barriers to creating agents is sure to lead to infrastructure sprawl and possible security gaps. The new ServiceNow release has agent governance features, including new role definitions in the security model and new cataloging and workspace functionality. Also, Moveworks already has approvals built into workflows to help manage business processes via agents.Things ServiceNow Needs To ConsiderServiceNow has taken concrete steps to not only build competitive SaaS features but also expand into horizontal AI platforms. As impressive as the strategy and specific steps have been, Id like to propose a few areas for attention.Beware going too broad too fast.It might be time to provide a more futuristic viewpoint. ServiceNow has done well in articulating and delivering its strategy. But Id like to see something more futuristic from the company to really set itself apart from the competition. For example, instead of agents handling human-centric tasks, ServiceNow should consider completely autonomous agents. For example, consider demonstrating self-healing infrastructure agents, or possibly adding value to a robotic solution.A targeted agent development platform. Its not clear whether adding AI and agentic features over the past year has helped drive net-new customer growth or deepen existing customer relationships. ServiceNow may want to consider standalone offerings (possibly from Moveworks) that dont require the full ServiceNow platform. This could open the door to new customers that arent already ServiceNow shops, and maybe provide a long-term migration path. This would be in contrast to what we have seen from other SaaS platforms like Salesforce, which requires use of the core Salesforce platform to deploy its new Agentforce capabilities.To its credit, ServiceNow has taken big steps in AI over the past 12 months. Instead of trying to deflect or deny the threat of AI, it has embraced and integrated AI into its SaaS offerings. Its latest moves only reinforce the companys conviction and purpose in that direction. Hopefully, it can keep moving forward with the conviction needed to thrive in the next wave of computing.Follow me onTwitter or LinkedIn.Check outmywebsite.Moor Insights & Strategy provides or has provided paid services to technology companies, like all tech industry research and analyst firms. These services include research, analysis, advising, consulting, benchmarking, acquisition matchmaking and video and speaking sponsorships. Of the companies mentioned in this article, Moor Insights & Strategy currently has (or has had) a paid business relationship with AWS, Microsoft, Salesforce, ServiceNow and VMware (Broadcom).Editorial StandardsForbes Accolades

HP CEO Enrique Lores Sits Down With Intel CEO Of Intel Products Michelle Johnston HolthausDave AltavillaAt this years HP Amplify conference in Nashville, HP reinforced its vision for the future. For the company, AI is no longer a futuristic concept, its a present-day transformation that its driving throughout all of its products and services. With over 80 new, AI-enhanced products and services announced at the show, HP is making a big effort to deeply integrate artificial intelligence into its ecosystem, to enhance product experiences, efficiency, improve collaboration, and simplify IT management for businesses and individuals alike. Part of this initiative stems from HPs 2024 Work Relationship Index that reports (PDF) only 28 percent of workers have a healthy relationship with work itself.From Copilot+ PCs to gaming, AI-enhanced printing and IT management tools, HP made it clear that its embedding AI across its product lines to streamline workflows, boost security, and optimize hybrid work environments. There were a dizzying array of announcements, and though this list is not comprehensive, heres a quick rundown of my key takeaways from the showHP Copilot+ PCs: AI-Powered Computing EvolvesHPs latest entries into the Copilot+ PC category, including the EliteBook Ultra and HP OmniBook X, mark a clear step toward AI-first computing. The OmniBook X Series, and other offerings in HPs lineup, feature Snapdragon X Elite processors, as well as models powered by Intel Core Ultra (Lunar Lake) and AMD Ryzen AI chips, giving users a variety of options based on their performance and workload needs. These devices leverage on-chip NPUs, while claiming to deliver superior battery life, enhanced workflow automation, and local AI processing without cloud dependency.With a new AI-driven tool called AI Companion for things like document summarization, real-time translation, and adaptive video conferencing, HP is designing these PCs for creators, hybrid professionals and enterprise users who need smarter, more responsive devices, no matter their processor preference.AI in Gaming: Performance Meets IntelligenceHP is also bringing AI-powered enhancements to the gaming world through its OMEN and HyperX brands. With AI-driven optimizations designed to improve gaming performance, streamline system management, and personalize player experiences, HP is focusing on making gaming PCs and peripherals more intelligent and responsive.Key announcements included:OMEN AI Performance Boost And Gaming Hub Updates AI-enhanced system tuning that dynamically adjusts device settings for CPU, GPU, power, etc. for optimal frame rates. HPs Personal Systems President, Alex Cho, noted to me that the company has developed a model that has trained on billions of datapoints captured with gamers on HP laptops and desktops over the years, such that it can capture optimal settings for a specific game title with one click and improve frame rates dramatically. Theres a short list of supported games and Omen AI is currently in beta, but HP promises to expand its support list significantly as it rolls out the software. You can see hints of it in the hands-on demo of the Omen Max 16 laptop, that I captured above.HyperX AI Audio Enhancements New AI-driven noise filtering and immersive spatial audio features designed to improve in-game communication and streaming quality.By infusing its gaming systems and peripherals with AI, HP is striving to provide optimized, responsive, and personalized gaming experiences for players at every level.HP President, Personal Systems, Alex Cho On Stage At Amplify 2025Dave AltavillaIntelligent IT Management With HP WXPHPs Workforce Experience Platform gives IT teams deeper levels of AI-powered device monitoring, security oversight, and predictive analytics. This platform helps IT departments predict maintenance needs, optimize device performance, and automate security compliance, which in turn improves efficiency and reduces downtime.By leveraging AI-powered analytics, IT managers can make data-driven decisions to enhance workforce productivity and device longevity, ensuring a more seamless experience for employees.AI In Printing: Smarter Workflows For BusinessesHP is also extending AI innovation to its printing solutions, targeting both small businesses and enterprise clients. The company introduced several AI-powered advancements, including:HP AI Print Solutions Machine learning is utilized to predict maintenance needs, automate supply replenishment, and optimize print output. Theres also a new AI scan to email feature for all-in-one printers that creates a PDF and produces an email summary, complete with subject line to fire off to a recipient of your choice.HP All-In Plan A subscription-based model bundling hardware, ink/toner, and next-day service.Hybrid Collaboration And Enhancing The Future of WorkAs hybrid work continues to evolve, HP is investing in AI-powered collaboration tools to improve the remote and in-office experience. The latest Poly Studio and Poly Voyager Free 60 earbuds, for example, enhance virtual meetings with AI-driven noise cancellation, immersive audio, and enhanced voice clarity.With more professionals relying on platforms like Microsoft Teams and Zoom, HP is investing in products that will give hybrid teams enterprise-grade audio and video solutions to stay connected with ease. Beyond product innovation, HP is also focusing on AI education. Its AI partner training and certification program is designed to help businesses and resellers integrate AI efficiently into their workflows. This program is intended to help companies implement AI effectively and maximize its potential for business growth.Sustainability And Security: A Commitment To Greener, More Secure Tech Sustainability remains a key focus for many businesses in the AI era, and HP is making a concerted effort for its products and innovations to align with eco-conscious initiatives. From recycled materials in PC and printer construction to energy-efficient hardware and AI-assisted workflow optimization, HP underscored its plans to create greener technology solutions.On the security front, HPs Wolf Security solution provides multilayered defenses against physical and remote cyberattacks and equips IT administrators with tools to detect unauthorized hardware and firmware tampering. Simple but effective technologies like HP Sure Click allow companies to monitor email phishing threats, for example. In fact, the company was quick to claim that Wolf Security customers have clicked on over 65 billion email attachments, web pages and downloadable files, with no reported security breaches. Thats a big number.Final Thoughts, Market Impact And HPs AI-Driven FutureHP OmniBook X Flip 14 Next Gen AI PC - Powered Intel Core Ultra 200V Series Or AMD Ryzen AI 300 ... More Series ProcessorsHPThe AI-driven announcements at HP Amplify 2025 highlight its strategic focus on integrating AI across a broad range of products and services. As artificial intelligence continues to reshape technology, HP is aligning its product innovations to support businesses, partners, and consumers in navigating this evolving landscape.The growing demand for AI-powered solutions presents both opportunities and challenges. Businesses are increasingly seeking tools that enhance efficiency, automate workflows, and streamline IT management, and HPs comprehensive AI strategy appears to position the company well to meet these needs. However, as AI adoption accelerates, ensuring seamless implementations that deliver real-world, measurable benefits will be critical to its long-term success.By offering a diverse range of AI-powered computing options, including devices with Snapdragon, Intel, and AMD processors, HP is ensuring flexibility and choice for a wider range of users. This portfolio adaptability allows HP to serve both high-performance and cost-conscious markets while fostering greater adoption of AI-driven technology.Ultimately, HPs AI push represents a broader shift in the industryone where AI-driven automation, sustainability, and personalization are becoming key differentiators. While the long-term impact of AI on the market is still unknown, HPs ongoing investments in AI-enhanced computing, hybrid work solutions, and gaming innovation position it as a major player thats shaping the future of the technology verticals it serves.

With Amazons Big Spring Sale 2025 in full swing, nows the perfect time to upgrade with gaming PC deals. Youll still have to spend a significant amount if you want a powerful machine, but you can enjoy huge savings with offers like this Asus ROG G13CH discount. From this configurations original price of $1,300, its available for only $1,100 following a 15% discount. Thats $200 in savings that youll be able to put toward a new screen from monitor deals, but youre going to have to act fast if you want it because were not sure if stocks of the gaming desktop will last until the event ends on March 31.The Asus ROG G13CH aims to challenge the performance of the best gaming PCs with its 14th-generation Intel Core i7 processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Dual graphics card, alongside 16GB of RAM that will be enough for most gamers, according to your guide on how to buy a gaming desktop. Youre not going to run the most demanding titles at their highest settings on the Asus ROG G13CH, but at the very least youll be able to enjoy all of the best PC games with this machine.With plenty of storage space on its 1TB SSD, youll be able to install multiple titles with all of their updates and DLCs on the Asus ROG G13CH gaming PC. It even ships with Windows 11 Home pre-loaded, so after hooking it up to the necessary peripherals, you can already start setting up your library of video games. The gaming desktop also features an airflow-optimized chassis with extra vents on the front and top panels, so playing for hours wont result in overheating.RelatedThe Asus ROG G13CH gaming PC is available from Amazon with a 15% discount as part of its Big Spring Sale, bringing its price down to $1,100 from $1,300. Youll need to be quick if you want to get the machine at $200 off though, as stocks may run out any moment. Push forward with your purchase of the Asus ROG G13CH gaming PC as soon as possible to secure your own unit for a lower price than usual. However, if you want a device thats portable, take a look at the gaming laptop deals weve rounded up.Editors Recommendations

Table of ContentsTable of ContentsWhy you shouldnt use your bare wallThe best projection screen optionsThe biggest reason to get a projector is because its image can be, well, big. When you first experience watching a blockbuster movie, or playing a game, or cheering on your local sports team in your living room with the picture taking up most of your wall, its exciting and intoxicating. But if youre watching that wall-sized picture on the literal wall, youre not only visually doing yourself (and the money you spent on an excellent projector) a disservice, youre affecting the projectors performance. Potentially to a drastic degree.Now, if youre using a pico projector or something thats designed for its portability that only costs a few hundred dollars, by all means use a wall for some quick temporary viewing or to have on in the background. But if the whole idea was to replace your TV with a projector, its important to understand why you should stop using a wall as your screen surface.Derek Malcolm / Digital TrendsAs you step back and admire your wall and maybe the effort you put in to that new coat of paint it probably looks pretty decent. Even coverage, a nice solid color, and no extra markings (until your kid get close with a crayon). Look closer, though, and the texture from the paint and the drywall becomes quickly apparent. With the paint job in my living room, I can even see the texture from a normal viewing distance. When you project on to that texture, it in turn affects the texture and sharpness of the picture, degrading the image and reducing perceived resolution.Recommended VideosA projection screen, on the other hand, has a significantly smoother surface. Even older or less expensive screens that have a small amount of texture are miles ahead of a painted wall. You can see below a comparison of the wall a few inches to the left of my screen (left image) and the Stewart Filmscreen GrayHawk screen surface, both taken from about a foot away.1. A closeup of painted drywall.2. A closeup of the Stewart GrayHawk screen material.Its not just unwanted added texture that a painted wall instills on the image. Projection screens are designed to be neutral and not affect the color of the image being projected onto them (Ill admit, some screens are better at this than others), as well as boost the brightness of a projected image and improve contrast, depending on the screen material. A painted wall will do none of that (at least on purpose). This is even more important for ultra-short throw (UST) projectors that work best with an ALR (Ambient Light Rejecting) screen that is designed to reflect the light being projected at it from below or above towards the viewers eyes at their seating position.The contrast performance is the biggest concern to me, as projectors already have issues with contrast when compared to other display options (e.g. TVs). By projecting on a painted wall that reduces brightness or lifts black levels or both a projector that could be getting 1000:1 will underperform. (As an aside, most contrast measurements published by manufacturers are drastically inflated and shouldnt be taken as accurate.)Really what it comes down to is this: Youve spent hard-earned money on a projector, but by projecting on a wall, youre diminishing the value of that purchase. So what can you do?Sony Bravia Projector 8 SonyYou dont need to spend thousands of dollars to get something better than your wall although you absolutely can. If youve spent up to $2,000 on a projector, Id recommend budgeting at least $200-300 for a screen. And as the price of the projector goes up, increase the screen budget. If youre planning to drop $16k to equip your home theater room with a JVC DLA-NZ8 or Sony Bravia Projector 8, youll definitely want to consider something like the Stewart StudioTek 130 (a bit of an industry standard for quite some time). But for the rest of us, what are some of the options out there?Screen paint: If youre dead set against hanging a screen on your wall, there are different types of screen paint you can use, but expect to spend a bit of sweat equity to get it right. And if your wall isnt already smooth, the texture will likely show through the screen paint.Fixed-frame screen: This is what I currently have. The screen is attached to a frame that mounts to the wall, so its similar to wall mounting a TV.Retractable screen: This is what Im considering upgrading to. The screen housing is a long tube that mounts to the ceiling or the top of a free-standing stand and can be pulled down when needed. There are also motorized versions that can be connected to a control system, so when you turn on your projector, the screen automatically descends for viewing.Portable screen: These are usually retractable screens, but can be broken down and put away in the closet when not used. They also dont need to be mounted on the wall or the ceiling, and if backyard movie nights are in your future (and with summer coming, I hope they are), a portable screen is the best option for periodically setting something up outside.Which option is best will depend on your current situation, but the most important thing you can do for your projector is get it off the wall and onto a projection screen.