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Comcast and Spectrum are trying new tactics to win back cord-cutters and keep their existing TV customers from jumping ship. Last week, Comcast retooled its TV plans and made them easier to understand. Instead of needing to provide a service address and scrutinize the fine print for hidden fees, you can now just go to an Xfinity web page to compare the actual prices up front. Spectrum, meanwhile, has focused on bundling streaming services with its main cable TV packages. (It also stopped doing sneaky fees last year.) The upshot is that it’s now a lot easier to decide whether cable TV is still worth it, or to determine whether your current cable TV plan is overpriced. Let’s walk through Comcast’s and Spectrum’s offerings to help you figure it out. Spectrum’s $100 cable TV deal vs. streaming Spectrum is currently offering a promo for its “TV Select Signature” plan, bringing the price to $100 per month for 12 months instead of the usual $120 per month. Spectrum’s “TV Select Plus” plan, which includes regional sports, costs an additional $10 per month. Both plans include cloud DVR for up to 50 shows, and you can use Spectrum’s streaming TV apps instead of a cable box. Jared Newman / Foundry On the surface, neither plan compares favorably to the likes of YouTube TV ($83 per month) or Hulu + Live TV ($90 per month). Spectrum’s big pitch, though, is that you get a bunch of streaming services at no extra cost, including Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max, ESPN Unlimited, Paramount+, Peacock, AMC+, and Vix. (Tennis Channel is also included in Spectrum’s TV Select Plus and TV Platinum plans.) Spectrum says these the value of these services equals more than $100 per month, but that claim relies on some double-dipping. ESPN Unlimited and Fox One consist mainly of the same content that’s already on their respective cable channels, and Spectrum’s adding up the individual costs of Disney+ and Hulu instead of their bundled price with ESPN. When we look at the real value of these streaming freebies, it adds up to $63 or $73 per month: Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Select (all with ads): a $20-per-month value HBO Max (with ads): an $11-per-month value Paramount+ (with ads): an $8-per-month value Peacock (with ads): an $11-per-month value AMC+ (with ads): a $7-per-month value Vix (with ads): a $6-per-month value Tennis Channel (TV Select Plus and TV Platinum only): a $10-per-month value So, is Spectrum’s TV plan a good deal? It depends on which services and channels you’d normally pay for year round. YouTube TV combined with just the first four streaming services listed above, for instance, would cost you a total $133 per month, versus $120 per month with Spectrum ($100 per month in year one). Hulu with Live TV combined with Peacock, Paramount+, and AMC+ would cost you $120 per month, same as Spectrum’s non-promotional rate. (Hulu’s service includes Disney+, Hulu on demand, and ESPN Select at no extra charge.) In those scenarios, Spectrum comes out ahead. But if you don’t need a full-sized pay TV package, or your streaming needs are more narrow, Spectrum’s TV plans could be a waste of money. As I’ve previously documented, cheaper bundles with fewer channels are starting to become available, some of which include free streaming services themselves. I encourage you to look at all those options before committing to a TV bill of $100 per month or more, because even when you factor in Spectrum’s freebies, the cost might not be worth it. (While Spectrum also offers a $40-per-month option called TV Stream, with dozens of entertainment channels along with CNN and Fox News, you won’t get local channels, live sports, or any streaming freebies.) Comcast’s updated packages vs. streaming Unlike Spectrum, Comcast isn’t bundling any free streaming services with its standard cable TV packages. That makes the comparison a lot simpler. Comcast’s main TV package is now called “Xfinity TV Plus,” and it costs $95 per month if you also have Xfinity home internet service. “Xfinity TV Premium” costs $125 per month for internet customers, and it includes regional sports networks and sports league channels. (Each is $10-per-month pricier without an Xfinity home internet service.) Comcast includes an X1 cable box and 300 hours of DVR with all plans, and you can use the Xfinity Stream app on connected smart TVs, PCs, and mobile devices as well. Jared Newman / Foundry Compared to YouTube TV at $83 per month or Hulu + Live TV at $90 per month, Comcast’s full-sized TV packages are still more expensive, though not by lot. You’d be paying a premium for the creature comforts of a cable box (and tying yourself to Comcast’s internet service if you want the $10-per-month discount). But Comcast is also wading into the skinny bundle business. Its Sports & News TV package includes local channels, major national sports networks, cable news channels, and Peacock for $80 per month. An $85-per-month World Soccer Ticket plan adds Spanish-language channels such as TUDN, Fox Deportes, and ESPN Deportes. (While these plans include Peacock, Comcast’s larger packages strangely do not.) Other sports bundles are still cheaper, including DirecTV MySports ($70 per month) and Fubo Sports ($56 per month), but as with Comcast’s full-sized packages, DirecTV’s sports offerings might be worthwhile if you want the cable-box experience. More to come Last week, YouTube announced that it will launch more than 10 of its own genre-specific packages early next year. It hasn’t revealed pricing or many details, except that one of the packages will focus on sports. All of which means that the cable companies will soon need to adapt once more. It’s great that they’ve finally embraced price transparency and are finding ways to deliver value, but without more flexible options for cord cutters, they’ll again find themselves behind the times. Sign up for Jared’s Cord Cutter Weekly newsletter for more streaming TV advice. Read...

Over the past few years at LDShop, we’ve been watching something subtle but important happen in the background of the games industry. On the surface, it’s the same mix of new seasons, fresh banners, and limited-time events—but underneath, the way players pay, the tools they use, and the risks they face have all started to shift. Drawing on what we see in our own data, combined with public reports from payment providers and security researchers, we’ve identified a few key trends that are quietly reshaping how global top-ups actually work in 2025 and beyond. Shifting player spend patterns Players aren’t exactly tightening their belts; they’re just spending in a much more scattered way. That’s the clearest thing we see, looking at LDShop’s orders every day. On the surface, the market still looks healthy. In 2024, global games revenue sits at around $187.7 billion, up about 2.1% from the previous year. PC and console together make up roughly half of that, while mobile remains the single biggest slice of the pie. So the crowd of people willing to pay for games is still growing. The market hasn’t exploded, but it definitely hasn’t shrunk. LDShop What has really changed is how that money is sliced up. Not long ago, plenty of players had “one main game”. You’d lock into an MMO, a big gacha, or a favourite sports title, and most of your money went there: big bundles, expansions, season passes. Now it looks very different. One month of spending might be: a pity chase in a gacha RPG a battle pass in a competitive or sports game a couple of event packs in another title plus one or two ongoing subscriptions quietly renewing in the background Once spending is spread out like this, “Where do I top up?” stops being a one-off question. It turns into, “Which place am I okay using across all these games, all year?” That’s why aggregators like LDShop or Razer Gold keep showing up in comparison posts: one login covers multiple titles, regions, and denominations. Instead of rotating between four or five unfamiliar stores, people lean toward a single platform that fits into their existing routine. The thinking has shifted from “How much can I shave off this one order?” to “Over a whole year of small purchases, how do I keep costs and hassle under control?” When you look at it on that timescale, multi-game platforms naturally have an edge over the old model of “one official store plus a random mix of third-party sites”. Digital wallet shift The bigger change, though, is in how people pay. By 2022, digital wallets already handled close to half of global e-commerce transaction value. In China, mobile and digital wallets made up about 67.3% of e-commerce payments in 2023, with Alipay and WeChat Pay leading the charge. In the US, roughly 72% of consumers were using services like PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, or Cash App in 2023, and that share is still creeping up. If you think about your own day, it makes sense. Food delivery, ride-hailing, streaming, online shopping – it’s all wallet-based now. Pulling out a physical credit card for a small cross-border game top-up almost feels old-fashioned. Banks don’t love those transactions either: they’re low value, foreign, and often flagged as risky. People run into extra one-time passwords, random declines, or “please call the bank” moments. After that happens a few times, they simply stop using that card for games. LDShop has been built around that reality from the start. The goal is simple to say but tricky to execute: global game coverage, local payment habits. That doesn’t just mean pasting more logos on the checkout page. In Taiwan, for example, LDShop supports LINEPay, MyCard and can issue local e-invoices. In Russia, players can conveniently pay using ??? (SBP) and Tinkoff Pay. The point is that when a player reaches checkout, the experience should feel like any other familiar local e-commerce site, not like learning a new financial product from scratch. And that familiarity matters more than any “fast and secure” tagline. When people see payment options they already use for groceries or transport, the decision to reuse the same platform next time becomes almost automatic. Escalating account threats As volumes grow, risk has stopped being a niche concern and turned into a daily one. You don’t need insider data to see it. Microsoft’s Digital Defense Report mentioned blocking roughly 450 million cyber-attack attempts per day, with a notable share pointed at digital goods, small payments, and login credentials. For attackers, small game top-ups are ideal: frequent, cross-border, and historically lighter on verification — a pattern that also explains why even a few basic security tweaks can make a noticeable difference for everyday users. The problem is that the damage rarely stays small. A compromised payment method or account can link out into other games, platforms, and cards. So the question “Is this top-up channel safe?” is no longer a throwaway line. It has become a very real issue that can directly affect account reputation, virtual assets, and even the exposure risk of your payment methods. When users choose a platform now, they’re looking much more closely at how much information they have to hand over, how transparent the platform’s processes are, and whether real-world cases and resolution records exist for them to reference if something goes wrong. In this environment, LDShop’s strategy is to put itself in a position where it can be examined, rather than limiting users to one-way official messaging. We keep our Trustpilot page open and active, where the platform currently holds a 4.8/5 rating with around 2,800 reviews. The feedback isn’t a wall of perfection—it looks like a real operating business: Some users highlight stable pricing, fast delivery, and the fact that they don’t have to hand over their game passwords. Others point out that there can be slight delays during peak periods, or that extra checks may be needed when risk controls are triggered. To many players, that mix feels more like a real business than a sales brochure. Things mostly work; sometimes they don’t; and there’s a transparent history of both. Combined with LDShop’s connection to the LDPlayer ecosystem, it paints a picture of a long-term operation rather than a fly-by-night site that could vanish or rebrand overnight. Real trust doesn’t come from saying “we are safe” in a banner. It comes from giving people enough information to decide for themselves what level of risk they’re comfortable with. Choosing trusted platforms: LDShop LDShop So, what actually drives the choice of a top-up platform now? Most players are quietly managing a small personal bundle of games and launchers. Almost nobody wants to learn a new payment flow every time they chase a limited banner or renew a battle pass. Saving a small amount on one order feels less exciting if it comes with extra verification steps, dispute emails, and a nervous chat with the bank. From what we observe, people are effectively rating platforms on four broad axes: 1. CoverageDoes this place support the few games and regions I truly care about, all in one account, or only look impressive on a long list? 2. Fit with daily payment habitsCan I pay the same way I already pay for other online services, or do I have to dig out a rarely used card or method just for this? 3. Comfort around security and frictionAre the rules consistent? Is sensitive data kept to a minimum? Do I get hit by random checks every other purchase? 4. Outside reputationAre there public reviews, discussions, and past cases that I can look up in a few minutes, beyond whatever the platform says about itself? LDShop’s place in that landscape is fairly clear. We’re backed by the LDPlayer brand, we position ourselves as a global professional top-up platform with clear product lines (UID direct recharge, gift cards, game cards) on our official site, we work to make local payment and invoicing feel like normal e-commerce, and we put our reputation on public platforms knowing it will be scrutinized over time. For LDShop, the key has always been on the user’s side: everyone’s game library, payment habits, and risk tolerance are different. The more useful question is not “who is the cheapest for this one transaction,” but rather: “which platform can I rely on month after month without thinking twice?” LDShop’s aim is straightforward — to be the go-to top-up service players trust all year, no matter the game or device. Read...

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I’ve seen things. I’ve seen TVs, wearables, smart home gear, small appliances, computer accessories, office furniture, and all the other gadgets that a consumer-tech journalist might have encountered over some 30 years of product testing. Well, now it’s December 2025, and I’m ready to go on the record and make some holiday gift suggestions. Buy these for some GenX dude in your life. Or buy them for yourself. I don’t care. Why are we still talking? Read my list. Ryobi 18V Hand Vacuum Jon Phillips/Foundry When I fired up my Ryobi hand vac the very first time, I was surprised by the aggressive suction power. It’s got more oomph than any other hand vac I’ve either broken or lost before. Whether it’s lint from my dryer or dirt tracked in by my shoes, small debris is dispatched with a quickness. It’s got a fairly large capacity for a handheld vacuum, and this model is one of some 300 other cordless Ryobi products that use the same 18-volt battery system. That means the battery and charger that come with this $99 package will work with Ryobi’s ONE+ cordless task lights, shop fans, power drills, impact drivers, tire inflators, and other 18-volt products. Just don’t get the leaf blower. Leaf blowers are Satan. See it on home depot Twinkly Christmas Curtain Lights Jon Phillips/Foundry Dude, I’m in my 50s. I want to fulfill my neighborhood lighting obligations (which are 100% only in my head), but I’m done with putting a tree in the window. So, a few years ago I began researching programmable string lights, and landed on the Twinkly Christmas Curtain Lights, which are now $114 on Amazon. They’re festive as all hell… AND PUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD ON BLAST. Each curtain contains 210 RGB lights that can be animated with pre-programmed effects, or you can design your own effects, mixing up stripes, sparkles, gradients, and other designs across the RGB spectrum. It’s all Wi-Fi controlled, and you can set brightness levels and even a timing schedule with the Twinkly app. I now have three curtains projecting joy to the neighborhood. I swap out the effects a few times between Thanksgiving and New Years to keep the neighbors guessing. These animated candy canes are for you, Peterson. Your yard display is weaksauce. See it on amazon Epson SureColor P900 Photo Printer Jon Phillips/Foundry OK, this one is pricey at $1,129. But even if you can’t afford Epson’s 17-inch P900 photo printer, I want to make a case for why you may want to buy a photo printer of this caliber. You travel. You have loved ones. You have experiences. You shoot tons of photos. You shoot tons of photos on your outrageously priced smartphone. And then, what? Those memories just sit on your phone? Or you post to Facebook and Instagram? For what? The likes? Printing your memories in glorious high resolution, on 17×22-inch, museum-quality, archival paper may be the hobby you’ve been looking for. Yes, it’s expensive. And, yes, you’d do well to learn the nuances of digital imaging to produce great large format prints (especially if you’re shooting on a phone and not a DSLR). But there’s something incredibly satisfying about seeing your memories so spectacularly reproduced, and hanging on your walls. I know: It’s crazy. A printer, of all things, has become one of my most coveted pieces of tech. The P900 uses 10 different inks to reproduce vivid colors and deep, rich grayscale (there are four different ink cartridges dedicated to just gray and black!). If you want to save some money, consider the Epson P700 for $719. It uses the same ink system, but paper size is limited to 13×19 inches. You can save even more money by printing on 8.5×11-inch paper, as seen here. See it on amazon Ezvalo Picture Light Jon Phillips/Foundry Are you an adult? Do you have art in your house that’s not just a Star Wars poster stuck on the wall with thumbtacks? Would you like your grown-ass man artwork to look better? Have you considered an “art display light” but don’t want cords slithering down your wall? I got you, man. The 16-inch Ezvalo Picture Light exceeded my expectations. At just $28, this cordless, USB-C-powered light is super easy to install; features three color temperatures; more than adequately illuminates my artwork even at its dimmer settings; and lasts between 13 and 60 hours, depending on the brightness setting you choose. The light bar attaches to its mount with a strong battery and is easily removed for recharging. I love it. And it doesn’t look cheap despite its cheap price. See it on amazon Band recommendation: Rolling Quartz Somehow in 2025 I stumbled into K-Rock—and Rolling Quartz. They may look like K-Pop idols, but these five Korean women are no-BS, amazeballs musical virtuosos. Their sound recalls the melodic heavy metal of the 80s, anchored by screaming dual lead guitars and a theatrical singer/front woman. Believe it: All the discipline, teamwork and hard work that goes into K-Pop transfers directly to Korean hard rock, too. PhoneLock Pro – Retractable Anti-Theft Phone Holder PhoneLock I had my phone pick-pocketed in Mexico City this year. It was a classic distract/bump/snatch gambit. The crook stole it right from my front pocket. I vowed never again, and after testing a few anti-theft phone tethers, I decided the $20 PhoneLock Pro is the best option on Amazon. The concept is simple. You sandwich a PhoneLock attachment between your phone and phone case, right above the charging port. That attachment then connects to the PhoneLock’s retractable tether, which you attach to your front belt loop. Your phone is now reliably leashed to your person, and it’s easy to pull it from your pocket throughout the day. I’m sure a crook could still steal the phone if they yanked really hard on the retractable cord. But by that time, you’ll know you’re being robbed, and you can use your mad fighting skills as needed. User reviews say the PhoneLock is also good for “festivals” where phone theft is rampant. OK, GenZ. see it on Amazon Worx Zipsnip Cordless Electric Scissors Foundry/Jon Phillips We in the tech-testing game break down a lot of cardboard boxes, and for most of my career I’ve done that with a utility knife. But this year, TikTok turned me on to a whole new product category: cordless electric scissors. This $43 specimen—the Worx Zipsnip—has a battery-powered rotating blade that slices through cardboard and blister packs with a satisfying whir. It’s very ASMR. The Zipsnip is great for cutting really big pieces of cardboard into smaller pieces, which means you can pack more into the recycling bin. Plus, it’s sort of fun to Zen out and cut things. Such is the reality of getting older. see it on amazon Milwaukee Fastback Press and Flip Utility Knife Jon Phillips/Foundry Who am I kidding! I still love a good utility knife, and this $20 Fastback Press and Flip model from Milwaukee is outstanding. Push the button and it opens with one hand. It’s got a wire stripper, and with the press of another button, you can change the blade with no other tools necessary. A belt clip assures you’ll never lose it, and when you do lose it, you can see it from a distance because it’s bright red. Is it weird to get excited about a utility knife? I don’t care. This one taunts all the utility knives you’ve ever used before, daring them to match its greatness. See It on Amazon Podcast recommendation: The Rewatchables Anchored by Bill Simmons of sports punditry fame, The Rewatchables is a weekly roundtable discussion of those 70s, 80s and 90s movie classics you can’t help but rewatching whenever they drift back into your streaming catalogs. From Alien to Heat to Glengarry Glen Ross, Bill and his Ringer Network crew somehow always pick the movies I’m interested in. The team is bro-y without being douchey, and they’re all stealthily strong film critics. It’s a really great hang. TCL 32-Inch Smart TV Jon Phillips/Foundry I love, love, love my 55-inch LG OLED TV. It’s stunning… and it goes in the living room. But sometimes a dude needs more of a “burner TV”—something small, cheap, and very low-commitment for the garage or home gym. So, let me recommend the 32-inch TCL S3 Smart TV for just $150. It’s got a 60Hz, 1080P display that’s perfectly serviceable, and comes with Fire TV OS for easy access to all the streaming apps. The TV has been a game changer during workouts downstairs. Most often, I play podcasts on YouTube. For example, The Watch (above), staring Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald, two remarkably thoughtful TV critics. But it’s also good for music video playlists (shout out, Rolling Quartz). Or sometimes I just play Deadwood or Band of Brothers as “background shows.” See it on Amazon Larksound Small Sound Bar Jon Phillips/Foundry A burner TV needs an appropriately burner-caliber soundbar, because those music videos I reference above should still sound better than a portable AM radio from 1979. I went with the Larksound Small Sound Bar (sexy name, right?) which costs a “sure, what the hell, why not” price of $35. It’s 16 inches wide and rated for 60 watts. It has some speakers inside. There’s also a remote to choose EQ modes: Music, Movie, Voice, and Normal. OK, now stop asking questions! Man. It’s not the best soundbar in the world, but improves the tiny TV’s audio game by about 10x. See it on Amazon Apple Watch Series 10 Jon Phillips/Foundry For years I was a mechanical watch snob. I didn’t want a screen on my wrist. I wanted a beautiful marriage of art and engineering. Then I discovered the appeal of personal data tracking (sleep, steps, heart rate mostly) and I was off to the races with FitBit smartwatches. But everything changed last July. Getting more and more dissatisfied with Fitbit’s app and sleep tracking, I did my research and found Apple Watch has some of the best wrist-based sleep tracking available (shout out, The Quantified Scientist). But would I be OK with Apple’s pathetic battery life? Could I cope with the daily recharging? I decided to take a chance. Turns out the Apple Watch Series 10 at $364 is the wearable to beat. I’m confident the sleep tracking is more accurate than other wrist wearables, and as a smartwatch, it complements the iPhone experience much, much better than the Fitbit Versa. The Series 10 has become one of my favorite tech purchases of 2025, and it turns out that charging the watch daily, as soon as I wake, isn’t a hassle. See on Amazon YouTube creator recommendation: Coop of Garage Gym Reviews Cooper Mitchell, the creator of Garage Gym Reviews, should be your number one source for home gym equipment coverage. From barbells and dumbbells to squat racks and consumer-grade gym machines, he sets the standard for depth, transparency and likeability in the home gym creator space (which exploded big-time during the pandemic). Coop is my go-to recommendation when people ask for gym equipment advice, and I still think he did one of best YouTube explainers on how tariffs affect consumer pricing. Cella Crema Da Barba Shaving Cream Cella I’ve been shaving since I was 12 years old, and for the majority of my tenure I was dumping money on disposable blades and cans of shaving cream. Then I discovered the rewards of old-school safety razors and artisan shaving soaps. Not only do you get a closer shave, you ultimately save a lot of money, and don’t pad the coffers of Schick and Gillette, the twin titans of Big Shaving. Even if you’re too chicken to use a straight blade or safety razor, you can stick with disposable cartridges and baby-step your way into artisanal shaving with Cella’s Crema Da Barba. This formula lathers up extremely well, and smells amazing with almond and cherry notes. The gift box pictured here even includes the requisite shaving brush—and as an extra bonus, everyone who uses your bathroom will see the old Italian man on the packaging and ask, “What is this?” If you just want the shaving cream itself, it’s a very affordable $14.69 on Amazon. Just remember, you’ll still need a brush. See on Cella Milano Speak language learning app Jon Phillips/Foundry I’ve done Duolingo. It’s fun and fine, but it’s more of a language-learning game. I’ve also tried Pimsleur (too difficult and inscrutable) and Jumpspeak (slow, frustrating UI). I finally landed on Speak as my preferred language-learning app because it’s packed with so many entry points for learning the nuances of language. Different modules help you build vocabulary, improve pronunciation, and practice in simulated, AI-driven conversations. The Speak UI is intuitive, engaging, and reliably responsive, and that’s especially critical when you’re in the AI free talk mode. The annual Premium membership is currently $84, and lets English speakers learn Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese and Korean. Speak is definitely more challenging than Duolingo, but it feels like much more like a real-world curriculum, with a method to improve through exposure to native speakers (however AI they may be!). See on Speak.com FlexiSpot C7 Office Chair Jon Phillips/Foundry I won’t even try to lie: I moved the C7 office chair, $299 direct from FlexiSpot, into the living room because my home office was too cluttered for a good photograph. But let that be a testimony to the chair’s comfort. It makes me feel comfortable enough in my home office to, you know… wreck my work-life balance and watch my work space turn into Sanford and Sons. I’ve gone through no fewer than four other office chairs in the last 20 years, and the FlexiSpot C7 is the first I’d happily buy a second time. It ships direct to your home, and you have to assemble it yourself, but this keeps costs down. On that point, it’s a very firm, comfortable, ergonomically sound chair for its price. The C7 offers near endless adjustment possibilities, and has excellent lumbar support (my main requirement). I love the arm rests, and it even reclines into full kickback mode (though I have no idea why anyone would want to). I’ve been using it for about two years now, and it still feels as solid as Day One. Hell, I think Boomers would like the C7—once they get past complaining about the assembly instructions. Transfer me to your manager. Read...

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