When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. There's also a big Bluetooth upgrade for Roku's newest streaming dongles. Roku is jumping onto the AI bandwagon with its next batch of software updates. In the months ahead, the company will add AI-powered voice search for its smart TVs and streaming players. While Roku's existing voice search can find specific programs, actors, or genres, the upgrade will allow for more conversational queries, such as "What's the Barbie movie about?" or "How scary is The Shining."

A couple weeks ago, a reader asked me about the best streaming TV setup for a 90-year-old neighbor who is not tech-savvy. My mind immediately jumped to Roku, whose smart TVs and streaming players have always emphasized simplicity. But I also know that Roku's streaming platform has become more complicated in recent years, and its once-basic menu system is not what it used to be. While I'd still recommend Roku to someone who's on the lower end of the tech learning curve, our neighbor in this scenario would benefit from some out-of-the-box settings tweaks. Whether you're setting up a Roku for yourself of someone else, here's how to make the streamer as easy to use as possible: Roku is now requiring new users to put a payment method on file during setup.

An external streaming device is the best way to access online video services without replacing your entire TV. By plugging one of these devices into your TV's HDMI port, you'll be able to use apps like Netflix and Hulu, possibly with a faster and smoother experience than your TV's built-in software. But between Roku, Fire TV, Google TV, and Apple TV, picking a streaming device can be overwhelming. We've reviewed them all and have come up with a list of recommendations for every need and budget. As TechHive's resident cord-cutting expert, I've reviewed practically every streaming device that's come out over the past decade, and I've been a cord-cutter myself since 2008.

Nearly every TV on the market today is a smart TV, but not every operating system is a winner. A media streaming device lets you pair whichever user interface you prefer with just about any screen that has an HDMI port. In some cases, such as with older or less expensive smart TVs, a streaming stick or dongle could even be speedier and less glitchy than your TV's built-in system. At home, these handy gadgets make it easier for cord cutters to watch the millions of hours of content streaming services provide without cable. And while traveling, a streaming player lets you watch your preferred content on hotel sets (without painstakingly typing in a bunch of passwords or activation codes). We tested out streaming players from Roku, Google, Apple, Amazon and more, gauging the usability and the performance of each to come up with our list of the best streaming devices you can buy. Google's TV Streamer, the Apple TV 4K, Amazon's Fire TV Sticks and Roku devices are the most popular players in the space.

When you're not watching Barkitecture or the Weird Al movie on your Roku, the device turns on its familiar scrolling, purple city-scape. Now you don't just have to settle for a Flintstones-esque background of neoclassical buildings and the occasional billboard for PlutoTV when your Roku goes into rest mode. The TV viewing platform is introducing a new screensaver feature called Backdrops. The new viewing feature turns your TV or viewing device into an Amazon Echo Show 8 Photos Edition, except Roku hasn't taken away the only feature that gave it its name. Backdrops will show pictures of classic works of art by masters like Claude Monet and beautiful photos of landscapes that you can choose to display on your Roku device.

Your first apartment after graduation is probably not your forever home, but you can make it something you're proud of with gadgets that do your bidding. You can automate your lights, keep an eye on your pets and clean up your floors more efficiently with relatively affordable devices that won't eat up too much of your paycheck. We've tried out a lot of smart home tech over the years and here's what we recommend for newbies and those with tight budgets. Think of the smart display as your smart home command center. This one works with Alexa, fits just about anywhere and is comparatively inexpensive.

You probably want a streaming device(Opens in a new tab) for your TV, whether you're a cord cutter(Opens in a new tab) or not. Roku is a popular choice, particularly as it ramps up its own original content(Opens in a new tab). Roku devices offer plenty of variety and portability, from the budget Roku Express(Opens in a new tab) to the feature-packed Roku Ultra(Opens in a new tab). Whichever one you have, there's more to know beyond the basics. Here's how to get more out of your streaming device.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday may be behind us, but many of the deals are still live as of today. A few deals even popped up after the shopping holidays ended, keeping our deals radar from getting rusty. Samsung still has a few good discounts including the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Frame TVs. Apple's latest iPad is $30 off and sales on a few games for the PS5 and Nintendo Switch are still going strong. If you missed out on Black Friday or still have some shopping to do, now is a good time to grab an Instant Pot for holiday cooking, a Roomba to keep the floors spotless or a great pair of earbuds to unwind with some music. Here are the best deals from Cyber Week that you can still get today. Most of Roku's streaming devices are still on sale. Including the Roku Streaming Stick 4K, which is half price. At just $25, it matches the price of Amazon's 4K stick, and it's our current favorite streaming device. The Roku Streambar is down to $80, which is $50 less than usual and a record low. Roku's 2022 Ultra set-top box has dropped to a new low of $69. Roku's Streaming Stick 4K is on sale for $25 right now, which is half off its usual price.

Black Friday doesn't officially arrive for a few more weeks, but we're already starting to see retailers run early holiday sales on several gadgets we recommend. Roku's Streaming Stick 4K, for instance, has fallen to a new low of $25, while Sony's WH-1000XM5 headphones are back down to the price we saw during Amazon's Prime Early Access Sale last month. There are offers on Amazon and Google devices beyond that, plus discounts on Roombas, MacBooks, Logitech gaming mice, and Samsung storage gear, among others. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today. This drop to $25 represents a new low for Roku's Streaming Stick 4K, which is currently the top streaming stick in our guide to the best streaming devices.

After a full 48 hours, the second Amazon Prime Day 2022 is officially over. We hope you were able to find useful discounts among the Kindles, Echo Dots, Stasher bags, LifeStraws, and other great deals we found sifting through Amazon. If you missed out, fear not, a few great deals remain--at least for now. Below are the best remaining deals not just at Amazon, but at other retailers like Best Buy and Walmart too. Special offer for Gear readers: Get a 1-year subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com and our print magazine (if you'd like). Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day. If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission.