Microsoft is pushing advertising into every possible corner of Windows 11 that it can find, and the Start menu is definitely not a safe space. We reported a few weeks ago that Windows Insider builds were showing “Promoted” applications once again. In a shockingly short amount of time, that function has been pushed into the current Windows 11 wide release build. get windows 11 pro for cheap Windows 11 Pro Price When Reviewed: 199.99 Best Prices Today: $59 at PCWorld Store – Win 11 Pro Upgrade Only | $79.99 at PCWorld Software Store The Verge spotted the update as part of the documentation for build KB5036980, which is an optional update at the moment, but will be headed to all current builds as Windows Update propagates. The Recommended section of the Windows 11 Start menu, normally reserved for apps you’ve just downloaded or frequently accessed user files, will add oh-so-helpful links to the Microsoft Store. And by “helpful,” I mean they’re apps that have paid to suddenly appear on millions of users’ Start menu before they actually choose to install them. While we were expecting this to roll out to wide users at some point, Microsoft’s usual pace for these kinds of updates would have put it months away at the earliest. Moving from Insider builds to wide release this quickly is shocking. Microsoft Microsoft Microsoft While we’ve seen anecdotal reports of the ads popping into Start menus on new Windows 11 installations, we can’t actually generate one on our own systems, even with the KB5036980 update applied. It’s possible that Microsoft hasn’t “flipped the switch” yet, at least not for everyone with the requisite Windows update applied. If you see the new “Promoted” ads in the Recommended section of your Start menu, and you would rather not, you can disable them. Head to the main Windows menu, then click Personalization>Start. Disable the toggle for “Show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps, and more.” Hopefully this option doesn’t disappear on a future update. Windows
Macworld If you follow tech outside the world of Apple, you may have noticed that Qualcomm has been getting a lot of attention lately. That’s because the company is promoting its upcoming Snapdragon X Plus and Elite chips, which aren’t going to be in PC laptops until this summer. As part of its marketing, Qualcomm compares its chips’ performance to Intel (of course), but it also calls out Appl’s latest M3 chip. According to Qualcomm (via PCWorld), its Snapdragon X Elite chip is 28 percent faster and the Snapdragon X Plus chip is 10 percent faster than the Apple M3 in a MacBook Pro in Geekbench testing. Which, for chips that will ship some seven months after the M3 launched, leaves an impression–at least Qualcomm thinks so. However, these are Qualcomm-provided numbers and one major point that is left out of the M3 comparison is power consumption (not to mention memory and price). Apple takes a great deal of pride in the fact that its chips provide top performance while being efficient. In fact, Qualcomm’s chart below comparing multi-threaded performance based on power consumption conspicuously doesn’t include any Apple chips. For a mobile chip, that’s a notable exclusion—especially since it challenges Apple at every other turn. Qualcomm Qualcomm Qualcomm That are other flags, such as the fact that Qualcomm doesn’t include the M3 Pro or M3 Max. Wouldn’t an X Elite (which has 12 CPU cores) versus a M3 Pro or M3 Max be a better comparison? Seems so. Then there’s the whole issue of whether Qualcomm’s benchmarks are believable at all, which the website SemiAccurate claims isn’t the case, and “the numbers that they are showing to the press and are not achievable with the settings they claim.” In any case, why should Apple users even care what these new Qualcomm chips do? After all, you can’t (officially) run macOS on a PC laptop–even our sister site, PCWorld, says it “doesn’t care as much about how the X Elite and X Plus shape up to Apple’s best.” If anything, it just shows the importance of Apple in the market, and in the very competitive world of PC laptops, you try to find customers wherever you can. Even with a significantly undersized market share, Apple makes a ton of noise with the Mac, and PC makers will do everything they can to convince PC buyers that the devices they sell are just as good. As for whether the X Plus and X Elite really do outperform the M3, we’ll just have to wait and see when PCWorld tests the chips after they become available this summer. They’ll probably match up in some benchmarks with some asterisks and caveats. Also, Apple’s M4 is expected later this year, so this comparison will eventually be moot. CPUs and Processors
Macworld Updated 4/24/24: Analyst Ross Young is now saying (on X for paid subscribers) that the new 12.9-inch iPad Air will have an LED screen, not a Mini LED display as he previously said last week. The original report is posted below. We’re expecting Apple to unveil a new set of iPads during the first week of May. A new report on Thursday may provide a peek into what could be in store, and it says a lot about what the company is doing with its iPad lineup. Analyst Ross Young posted on X (subscription required) that, “The upcoming 12.9″ iPad Air has a MiniLED display,” which is the same display technology used by the current 12.9-inch iPad Pro. Young states that Apple is using leftover supply from production of that Pro model since it is expected to upgrade the iPad Pro to OLED displays. Implementing a Mini LED display would provide a power consumption savings over the current LED displays. Mini LEDs also produce better blacks, so the image quality on the iPad Air could see an improvement. A 12.9-inch iPad Air has been rumored to be a new addition to the iPad lineup to complement the current 10.9-inch iPad Air. This creates a non-pro pairing that’s an alternative to the 11- and 12.9-inch iPad Pro. Young, however, doesn’t mention if the smaller Air will also upgrade from its current LED display to Mini LED. If the current iPad Pro setup is any indication–the 11-inch model has a standard LED, while the 12.9-inch model uses Mini LED–it’s possible Apple wouldn’t upgrade it. Also, no comment was made about how the Mini LED upgrade would affect the price. The current 12.9-inch iPad Pro with 128GB of storage starts at $1,099, while the iPad Air line is much cheaper with an entry-level price of $599. The rumored upgrade to OLED for this model could increase the price, which would leave room for the 12.9-inch iPad Air to come in at the $999 range. Apple could also lower the Air’s standard SSD configuration to 64GB (versus the iPad Pro’s 128GB) to lower the price a bit. Stay up-to-date with the latest news by checking out our iPad Air and iPad Pro rumor roundups. iPad
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Macworld The iPad Air was last updated in March 2022 and the latest rumors strongly suggest that the arrival of a new model (or two!) will be coming soon. Here’s all we know so far about the 6th generation iPad Air. Update April 24: Apple has announced its Let Loose event for May 7 when the iPad Air will likely be unveiled. Also, the new 12.9-inch iPad Air will have an LED display, not Mini LED as reported last week. 2024 iPad Air release date: When will the new model arrive? Expected: May 7, 2024 Apple’s event on October 30 saw the company only launch new Macs, and 2023 passed without a single iPad update for the first time since Apple’s late CEO and founder Steve Jobs introduced the category in 2010. The past three generations of iPad Air arrived about 18 months apart, and since the 5th generation arrived in March 2022, we are overdue for an update. We don’t have much longer to wait. Apple has announced that its Let Loose event will be held on May 7 at 7am PT, when we are almost certianly going to get a new iPad Air. The event invite shows a person holding an Apple Pencil with several artistic Apple logos. This tracks with earlier rumors. After Ross Young of Display Supply Chain Consultants reported that the new iPads were expected to ship in April, a follow-up from Mark Gurman to his earlier rumors suggests that the new software wasn’t quite ready yet and the new iPads would ship in early May. On April 7, Gurman again reported on the iPad Air, stating that it would “probably” arrive the week of May 6. After Apple announced the M3 MacBook Air in early March, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reiterated his report that Apple is planning to release new iPads along with a special build of iOS 17.4 before the end of April. He claimed earlier in the year, reporting that new iPads had gone into production ahead of a spring launch. The iPad Air is unlikely to be the only iPad getting an update in 2024. In November 2023, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo wrote that Apple will refresh all four iPad lines—standard, mini, Air, and Pro—in 2024. The iPad Pro is also expected to get an update at the Let Loose event. 2024 iPad Air sizes: Is Apple preparing to release a larger model? Rumored: The standard 10.9-inch model and a new 12.9-inch option. An October 2023 9to5Mac report claimed, not only that “there are multiple new iPads on track for the coming months,” but that this includes two new iPad Air models. The site indicates that Apple “may be considering introducing a larger version of the iPad Air, or a more expensive model with better specs.” This theory seems to be based on the fact that there are two codenames associated with the new iPad Air: J507 and J508, with the only other iPad having two codenames being the iPad Pro, which also comes[…]
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Humans are terrible at passwords. Simply put, we suck at creating them, we can never remember them, and we share them way too freely. Indeed, the very thing that can ensure our online security has become our biggest obstacle to it. And if you think you have good reasons not to use a password manager, here is why you’re wrong. The best password managers relieve you of the burden of two of these problems—having to create and then memorize unique, complex logins on your own. Sharing your passwords is on you. Plus, these applications protect your passwords by encrypting your login info in a virtual vault—either locally or in the cloud—only allowing access with a single master password. So, if you’re looking to step up your security game, a password manager is one of the best ways to do it. And sure, web browsers are starting to offer password management features, but they’re not yet good enough. All of our top picks for password mangers support a variety of operating systems such as Windows, Mac OS, Android, and iOS, as well as the major browsers. And all will let you sync your data across multiple devices, though you may have to pay extra for that privilege. Once you’ve found the right password manager for your needs, head over to our guide on mastering your password manager to make sure you’re getting the most from your software. Update April 24, 2024: In our recent re-evaluation of NordPass, we found that it had made big strides toward improving its service, enough to put it on similar footing with more established players in the field—and at a more affordable price, too. You can read all the details in our full review. Dashlane – Best password manager overall Pros Analyzes and rates the strength of your passwords Supports auto-filling web forms with personal profiles VPN and Dark Web scanning available with paid plan Cons Expensive premium tiers Free plan limited to one device Price When Reviewed: Free I Advanced: $2.75/mo I Premium: $4.99/mo I Friends & Family: $7.49/mo Best Prices Today: $4.99 at Dashlane Dashlane has always been a close contender with LastPass, so after the latter’s big data breach, it’s great to know that users still have Dashlane. A full-service password manager, Dashlane offers easy access to your logins, secure notes, payment data, and other information, all through its elegantly designed web portal or via one of its browser extensions for Firefox, Chrome, Edge, Opera, or Safari. Most importantly, its password game is strong, making it easy to generate and store complex, unique passwords and safely keep sensitive payment and personal data at your fingertips. With autofill deployed, Dashlane doesn’t just ensure you use best password practices, but that doing so is practically effortless. Dashlane is free for a single device, but if you want syncing across multiple devices you’ll need a paid plan: The Advanced plan costs $33 annually or $2.75 per month, and adds dark web monitoring, to alert you whether[…]
Ugh, Alienware, you’re killing me here. I’m trying to save up for some new kayak gear, and you’re pushing your OLED ultrawide gaming monitor prices down to the lowest we’ve ever seen. Specifically, Best Buy has the Alienware AW3423DWF, our current pick for the best gaming monitor you can buy, for just $777.77. That’s cheaper than any other retailer, and more than $300 off the $1,099 MSRP. This monitor uses the near-standard 34-inch, 3440×1440 resolution, and 21:9 aspect ratio, a great choice for gamers who want more screen real estate without stepping up to a GPU-punishing 4K resolution. The OLED panel with its vibrant colors and perfect blacks is the big draw, of course, but at 165Hz with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, the AW3423DWF can also handle fast-paced competitive games with aplomb. Connections include double DisplayPort plus HDMI, so this makes a great pick if you’re building a battlestation with multiple PCs or a console on the side. Though the monitor doesn’t do USB-C video or rapid laptop charging it does have four USB-C ports for accessories and a pass-through headphone jack, plus a little bit of RGB bling on the rear logos. It’s compatible with VESA mounts if you’re looking for a clean setup. You can read the full review right here. This deal is the best one we’ve seen yet for any OLED monitor, beating out many 27-inch models with a lower resolution. But Best Buy’s deepest discounts tend to disappear without warning, so get an order in quickly if you’re ready to buy. And if you’re ready to wait another year for that kayak, I suppose. Get an Alienware 34-inch Ultrawide OLED gaming monitor for $777.77 Monitors
Macworld If you own a recent iPhone before the latest model, two things are true: It has a Lightning port and it doesn’t have a headphone jack. Today’s deal can fix that for very cheap: Best Buy is selling a 2-pack of Insignia Lightning to 3.5 mm Headphone adapters for just $6, a savings of $11.50 and the best price you’re ever going to see. This adapter has one job: One end connects to the Lightning port on your iPhone and the other accepts a 3.5mm jack from your headphones or some other audio device. The cables are braided, so they should stay free from frays and breaks, and since you get two, you can keep one in a bag, use it on another device, or give it to a lucky friend. For comparison, Apple sells a similar adapter for $9, so this deal is quite a bargain. We’re not sure how long stock will remain, so if you want one go grab one now. iPhone
Apple has scheduled a May event where it is expected to unveil new OLED-based iPad Pros and a larger iPad Air.
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Wondering what the numbering system for the next-gen AMD CPU you buy for your AM5 system will be called? Me too — frankly the names and numbers for modern CPUs make my head spin. But we have reliable information that the company is going with “Ryzen 9000” as the family name for the upcoming models, widely expected to debut later this year. That’s according to motherboard manufacturers, including Asus, MSI, and now Gigabyte, quoting a report from VideoCardz.com. Asus and MSI simply said their boards will support “AMD’s next-gen CPUs, but Gigabyte specifically stated “Ryzen 9000.” Though the upcoming AMD “Granite Ridge” processors will be based on a new Zen5 architecture, they’ll still be using the popular AM5 socket, and should therefore work with existing AM5-based motherboards as long as you make sure and update the BIOS. If you’re scratching your head about why Ryzen 9000 is following Ryzen 7000, you’re not alone. There are Ryzen 8000-series desktop chips based on the Zen4 architecture, but they’re primarily G-series APU designs meant to efficiently combine CPUs and GPUs with powerful integrated graphics. They aren’t the chips you pick for a gaming PC or high-power media machine. Instead, Ryzen 8000 was largely a laptop series, similar to Ryzen 4000 a few generations ago. Ryzen 9000 will be the new series you’re looking for if you’re hoping to build an AMD-based gaming desktop in the latter half of this year and into 2025, at least if you want the bleeding edge of performance. (If AMD follows its recent pattern, Granite Ridge “X3D” processors with extra V-Cache will probably be released sometime in late 2024 or early 2025.) Of course, existing Ryzen 7000 series CPUs — and even some still-pretty-great 5000 CPUs for the long-lasting AM4 platform — will still be widely available. CPUs and Processors
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Macworld Apple’s smallest iPad was given a substantial facelift at the end of 2021. The 6th-generation iPad mini sports a complete redesign with a bigger display, Touch ID on the power button, USB C instead of Lightning, and an upgraded front camera. This represented the first major change to the design since the iPad mini was first introduced back in 2012. The mini celebrated its 10-year anniversary in 2022 without an update and no update was forthcoming in 2023 either. But a new iPad mini 7th generation is rumored to be in the works for 2024. Update April 24: Apple announced its Let Loose iPad event for May 5, but the iPad mini is not expected to be announced. iPad mini 7 release date: When is the new iPad mini coming out? It’s been more than two years since the 6th generation iPad mini launched in September 2021, and, based on the dates when other iPad mini models have launched, a fall 2023 update for the iPad mini would have made sense. But now it’s looking like a new iPad mini won’t arrive until fall 2024. Apple will hold its Let Loose event on May 7 to launch new iPads, but the iPad mini isn’t expected to be among them. Apple will reportedly release new iPad Pro and iPad Air models at the event, but the mini isn’t expected to arrive until the fall. Way back in December 2022, respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the new iPad mini won’t arrive until late 2023 or early 2024. However, in November 2023, Kuo pushed that prediction back: saying the 7th-gen iPad mini won’t arrive until the second half of 2024. iPad mini 7 price: How much will the new iPad mini cost? The arrival of the redesigned iPad mini 6th generation saw a $100 increase in price over the previous model to $499. Here’s how the prices of the 6th and 5th generations compared: iPad mini 6th generation: $499/£569 (At launch was £479 in the U.K) iPad mini 5th generation: $399/£379 That price increased even further outside the U.S. including in the U.K. where the price increased again by £90 a few months after the launch. However, it is hoped with the new generation that prices will drop in some markets. We hope that when the new models launch pricing in the U.K. will match the U.S., so $499/£499, rather than $499/£569. iPad mini 7 specs: What new features will the iPad mini have? There’s an expectation the new iPad mini will feature a more impressive processor than it does currently. We are also hoping for some small internal improvements. A16 processor The iPad mini 6 offers the A15 Bionic chip as found in the iPhone 13, mini, Pro and Max, however, this chip is down-clocked compared to the one inside the iPhone 13 series. Here’s how that chip compares to the rest of the range and what is expected for the next generation. iPad Pro: M2. The next generation is[…]
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Macworld Sometimes, you need to turn a piece of paper into a digital file. Maybe you need to include a receipt, registration, or other form of proof in an online form. Or, you want to keep copies of your important documents in the cloud, so they’re always accessible and safe from being lost or destroyed. Such documents are often digitized as Portable Document Format files (or PDFs). It used to be that you needed to use either dedicated hardware or a third-party iPhone app to take a photo of a document and convert it to PDF. That is no longer the case: Apple includes a very handy document scanner in the iPhone’s Notes and Files apps, and it does a surprisingly good job of capturing most documents and converting them to PDF. Because it’s not very obvious, you’d be forgiven for not even knowing it exists. Here’s how you scan documents using an iPhone. We also cover how to convert the scan into a PDF and how to autofill the PDF on an iPhone. We also have a round up of the best free PDF editors for Mac and explain How to edit a PDF on a Mac. You may also be interested How to create a PDF on an iPhone. At a glance Time to complete: 5 minutesTools required: iPhone with iOS 11 or laterCost: 0 1. How to scan a document on iPhone using Notes Foundry Open the Notes app. Create a new Note or select an existing one. Tap the camera button and select Scan Documents. Hold your iPhone over your document until it is highlighted. Try to get it as level and square as possible. Either hold your iPhone (or iPad) still until the scan captures automatically or press the shutter. Depending on whether you are happy or not choose Retake or Keep Scan. Unhappy with the scan? There are two modes: if you use Auto (the word Auto appears in the upper-right corner), Notes captures a page whenever it detects a document. Most of the time the results are pretty accurate, but if they aren’t good enough you can switch to Manual by tapping Auto in the top right, then you can drag the corners to adjust the scan until you are happy. Keystoning will be applied. (Keystoning is the effect of a rectangle appearing to be a different shape when not captured—or projected as with a slide projector—absolutely squarely.) Once you are happy with the scan, tap Keep Scan. Continue scanning until all pages are captured, or tap Save. Notes will attempt to extract some text at the top of the document to use as its title. 2. How to turn a scan into a PDF on iPhone Foundry The method above allows you to scan a document into Notes, which is useful if you want to store your scans in Notes. But what if you’d rather store it as a PDF? Luckily if you save the scan it will automatically save as a PDF.[…]
OLED monitors are the cream of the crop when it comes to gaming, and Samsung makes one of the biggest, widest ones out there. The Odyssey OLED G9 is 49 inches of super-saturated, perfect-black glory, but it doesn’t come cheap, with a regular retail price of $1799. But today Amazon is offering it at one of the best prices we’ve seen yet, just $1099.99, matching a low we saw for a few days last month. In terms of dollars to pixels, it’s probably the best deal on any OLED gaming monitor at the moment. The Odyssey OLED G9 G95SC offers a resolution of 5120×1440 (basically two 27-inch gaming monitors squished together in one panel) with a blisteringly fast refresh rate of 240Hz. Load up any recent 3D game at that resolution and you’re likely to make your PC beg for mercy. So it’s a good thing the screen is compatible with both G-Sync and FreeSync, and includes HDR10+ color capabilities on top of HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4. Gaming laptops aren’t left out, like some other OLED monitors: it has a built-in USB-C hub with 65 watts of power delivery. It has tons of software tricks, too, including smart TV-style app support (with game streaming services like GeForce Now), splitscreen for multiple inputs, and support for Samsung’s wireless DeX from mobile devices. For a full rundown on this monstrously massive monitor, check out PCWorld’s review. There’s no indication of how long this discount will last, so if you’re interested, don’t miss out on this screaming-hot deal. Get the Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 for $1099.99 This article was updated after Amazon removed a coupon for an additional $100 off, and when the price returned to its previous low-water mark. Monitors
When it comes to a lot of mechanical keyboard enthusiasts, smaller is better. A mainstream gaming company like Corsair isn’t going to be popping out keyboards without a number row, but this K70 Pro Mini Wireless RGB is about as small as you can find on a store shelf at 60 percent layout. At launch it went for over $150, but today you can pick one up at Amazon for just $63.99. The Corsair K70 Pro Mini Wireless RGB (hoochimama what a mouthful) packs most of the features you’d expect from a high-end board, including high-quality PBT doubleshot keycaps and dual-mode wireless with 2.4GHz dongle for gaming and Bluetooth for mobile devices. It also has a really satisfying aluminum case, and comes with speedy Cherry MX switches from the famous German switch maker. RGB and sub-1ms wireless speed are a given for Corsair keyboards at this point. But for my money, the best feature is the hot-swap sockets, which allow you to pop in any MX-compatible switches that you like. That makes the K70 a great platform for customization, both for keycaps with its standard layout and for typing or gaming feel. The only real downer is that Corsair’s programming software won’t let you move the Fn key, which makes it tricky to get arrow keys in the top layer. You can read my full review of the keyboard here. At the moment Amazon’s deep discount is only available for the white version of the keyboard, and then only with the linear Red switches. But it’s still a savings of about a hundred bucks on a design that was prohibitively expensive at launch. If you want a gaming keyboard that can customize deeply and also throw in a backpack, this will fit the bill. For more options at any price range, check out PCWorld’s roundup for wireless gaming keyboards. Get a wireless hotswap mini keyboard from Corsair for just $63.99 Keyboards
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Gamers, as Samuel L. Jackson once famously said, you better hold onto your butts. If you’ve been looking around for a powerful yet affordable gaming laptop, you’re in luck, as we’ve unearthed an absolutely killer deal today. Dell’s selling the Alienware m16 for $1,049.99, which is a whopping $700 off of the original $1,749.99 price. Not only is this machine packing RTX 4060 graphics, but it also has a wickedly fast 240Hz display. When we reviewed the newer, more expensive R2 configuration back in October, we awarded it 4 out of 5 stars plus an Editor’s Choice Badge; it’s currently the top option in our roundup of the best gaming laptops. Inside the model on sale today, you’ll find an AMD Ryzen 7 7745HX CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage. That means it’s capable of blitzing through most modern games on higher graphics settings. The spacious 16-inch 2540x1600p display should also produce buttery smooth visuals thanks to the screaming 240Hz refresh rate and 3ms response time, though you may need to drop the in-game resolution closer to 1080p for the fastest frames rates with the RTX 4060 . If you’re willing to spend an extra $50, you can upgrade to a 480Hz (!!!) 1920x1200p display. That’s an absurdly fast refresh rate–perfect for more competitive games in which every second matters. Additional goodies include an RGB backlit keyboard, a giant 86 watt-hour battery, and an attractive Dark Metallic Moon colorway. This is a terrific deal, especially for a gaming laptop with RTX 4060 graphics and a 240Hz screen. Don’t sit on this deal for too long. It’ll be gone before you know it! Get the Alienware m16 for $1,049.99 at Dell Laptops
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If you’re looking to score a fast laptop at a killer price, you’ve come to the right place. Whether you’re on the hunt for a blazing fast gaming rig, a lightweight 2-in-1, or an everyday Chromebook, we’ve assembled a list of the best laptop deals available right now, using our finely honed editorial judgement to only recommend truly compelling deals on worthwhile notebooks. For more notebook options, check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best laptops available right now. We’ve got can’t-miss picks for every use case and budget, putting our thousands of hours of hands-on testing to work for you. Best laptop deals (at a glance) Asus Vivobook 14, $229.99 ($200 off at Best Buy) Lenovo IdeaPad 1, $249.99 ($170 off at Microcenter) Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3, $299 ($230 off at B&H) HP Pavilion x360, $459.99 ($340 off at HP) HP Envy x360, $569.99 ($379.01 off at Adorama) Lenovo LOQ 15IRH8, $749 ($560 off at B&H) HP Dragonfly Pro, $799 ($600 off at B&H) Dell Inspiron 16, $819.99 ($540 off at Dell) XPG Xenia, $999 ($700.99 off at Walmart) Lenovo Flex 7, $1,039.99 ($220 off at Adorama) Alienware m16, $1,049.99 ($700 off at Dell) Lenovo Legion Pro 5i, $1,179 ($620 off at B&H) Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4, $1,229 ($650 off at Adorama) Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon $1,391.42 ($1,007.58 off at Lenovo) Best laptops deals under $500 Asus Vivobook 14: $229.99 ($200 off at Best Buy) Asus Asus Asus The Asus Vivobook is an inexpensive Windows laptop with a 1080p display. The laptop’s Intel i3-1215U CPU is a few generations behind at this point, but it’s still powerful enough to handle everyday tasks like checking e-mail and watching Netflix. It also comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of SSD storage. The 14-inch 1080p display has a brightness level of 250 nits, which isn’t super bright, but it’s perfectly fine for web surfing and office work. In fact, with dimmer displays, you’ll likely get better battery life out of the machine, as the display can be a major power suck. This is a great machine for anyone that’s on a tight budget. View Deal Lenovo IdeaPad 1: $249.99 ($170 off at Microcenter) Lenovo Lenovo Lenovo The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 has an AMD Ryzen 5 5599Y processor inside of it, which is capable of handling day-to-day tasks like browsing the web and checking e-mail. The 14-inch 1080p display is perfect for everyday use and the connectivity options include one USB 2.0 Type-A, one USB 3.2 Type-C, one USB 3.2 Type-A, one HDMI, and one audio. The port selection is surprisingly diverse for such an inexpensive machine, so you don’t have to carry around an adapter. The 720p webcam isn’t great, but you can always plug into an external webcam if you want to look better on Zoom calls. View Deal Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3: $299 ($230 off at B&H) Lenovo Lenovo Lenovo The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is another good option for everyday work, school, or home use because of its[…]
Qualcomm is now breaking down exactly how fast each of its new Snapdragon X Elite and Plus Arm processors are…but with a list of chips and a product number decoder that is virtually impenetrable to read, let alone say. Let’s face it: Processor naming schemes have become ridiculously complex. AMD launched its with an actual decoder ring, and the names still don’t make sense. But Intel began this nonsense more than five years ago, when trying to figure out what the 10th-gen Core chip names meant necessitated its own story. Now it’s Qualcomm’s turn. And boy, is it a doozy. (Qualcomm also released a list of the four Snapdragon X Elite and Plus processors, complete with names and clock speeds — which it hasn’t done before. Unfortunately, before we list those, we have to explain what the names and numbers mean. We apologize in advance. Take note of the similarity to the name of Elon Musk and singer Grimes’ child: X Æ A-12.) How to talk about the Snapdragon X Series to your teens Let’s face it: The Snapdragon X1E-78-100 will never be mentioned in polite society. It will not appear in a sonnet, or in a card you send to your spouse for your anniversary. If it is ever mentioned that evening, it will be in anger, with one of you sulking off with the half-finished bottle of chardonnay. These are “names” that practically demand to be opened inside a PDF, or on a mimeographed requisition form that requires seven signatures, some in triplicate. Somewhere, a military supply sergeant’s eyes are lighting up. Keep in mind that Qualcomm has two brands (the X Elite and the Plus) and four total chips. This naming scheme has room for…how many, exactly? The Bible has less complexity than this. Qualcomm Qualcomm Qualcomm I could probably give this a pass if Qualcomm’s naming scheme just ended on the SKU. But there are three whole digits reserved for something in the future. (They’re all just “100,” for now.) A mystery! So: Snapdragon X1 E (Elite) or P (Plus), plus the standard “bigger number is better” naming scheme. Qualcomm could have just gone with the Snapdragon X Elite 80, say, or the X1E-80. Instead, we have something that looks like a Social Security number. And are the dashes silent? Or are we really going to have to say “SnapdragonXOneEdashEightyFourdashonehundred” over the phone? C’mon, Qualcomm. There’s an entire generation of older folks who are going to run out of breath and keel over. The Snapdragon X Elite and Plus: Speeds and feeds Qualcomm originally launched the Snapdragon X Elite. On Wednesday, it added the Snapdragon X Plus, a slightly cut-down version of the Elite with a slower 3.4GHz clock speed and no turbo boost. Fortunately, there’s only one Snapdragon X Plus name to worry about: the X1P-64-100. What we didn’t know previously is that the Snapdragon X Elite now has not one, but three chips inside the family: the X1E-84-100, the X1E-80-100, and the X1E-78-100. Qualcomm[…]
Laptops using Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon chips have yet to ship. But PC makers — and you — will now have another option: the Snapdragon X Plus. Think of the Snapdragon X Plus as Qualcomm’s version of the Intel Core i5: It’s based on the same design as the Snapdragon X Elite, the Arm PC processor that Qualcomm has been talking about since last fall. But it’s stripped down, with fewer cores, and without the “turbo” characteristics of its more powerful sibling. On the other hand, Qualcomm still believes that it will compete with and surpass Intel’s latest processors. Qualcomm began talking about the Snapdragon X Elite last fall, and has since made waves with a pretty open quasi-testing process where journalists have been able to monitor benchmarks Qualcomm employees have run, along with hands-on gaming opportunities. At the beginning of the month, Qualcomm began comparing the Snapdragon X Elite to the latest Core Ultra processors, and let me have a turn playing the PC games Control and Redout 2. Both games ran above 30fps at 1900×1200 resolution and Low settings. Now the company is taking Snapdragon performance down a notch… or is it? Qualcomm is claiming that the Snapdragon X Plus will still outperform the Core Ultra 7 155H at the same power levels by a whopping 28 percent in the latest multithreaded Cinebench benchmark, Cinebench 2024. And it’s 10 percent faster than the Apple M3, too. Although the Snapdragon X Plus offers less performance than the X Elite, Qualcomm still claims that it outperforms an Intel Core Ultra. Although the Snapdragon X Plus offers less performance than the X Elite, Qualcomm still claims that it outperforms an Intel Core Ultra.Qualcomm Although the Snapdragon X Plus offers less performance than the X Elite, Qualcomm still claims that it outperforms an Intel Core Ultra.Qualcomm Qualcomm Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus: What is it? In the words of Nitin Kumar, senior director of product management, Qualcomm is aiming the X Plus toward a “broader range of devices.” Qualcomm’s chip designs aren’t overly complex. The 4nm Snapdragon X Elite includes 12 single-threaded Oryon CPU cores, with two cores able to boost to 4.3GHz from the base speed of 3.8GHz. (Qualcomm plans to further subdivide the Snapdragon X Elite by adjusting the boost clock speed.) The Plus is similar. It, too, is fabricated at 4nm. But it has 10 single-threaded Oryon cores, not 12, all of which run at a slower 3.4GHz, alongside the same 42MB of cache. There is no turbo option available. Inside is the same Adreno GPU core as the Snapdragon X Elite. And it has the same AI NPU, too, running at the same 45 TOPS as its larger sibling. Qualcomm Qualcomm Qualcomm Qualcomm will offer just one Snapdragon X Plus chip, at least for now, using its new, complex naming scheme: the Snapdragon X Plus X1P-64-100. “As experiences evolve, as there are more use cases that are going to play a more prominent role in these next-gen PCs, we want[…]
Macworld After a little more than a half-year on the market, a new report claims that Apple has stopped production of its beleaguered FineWoven products, which were introduced in September as an eco-friendly alternative to leather iPhone cases and Apple Watch bands. There may be a new round of spring colors (likely launched at the Let Loose event in May) but rumors say Apple will switch to some other synthetic material in the fall and dump FineWoven just 12 months after it launched. FineWoven was supposed to be Apple’s big move away from leather. The accessories are made from “68 percent post-consumer recycled content” as part of Apple’s long-standing efforts to reduce carbon emissions. Still, even customers who wanted Apple to get rid of leather were less than thrilled about the new material, which Apple says “may show wear over time as the fibers get compressed with normal use.” Pictures posted around social media have shown how worn down the cases look after a short time compared to the old leather cases. We won’t know for sure until September if Apple is truly planning to discontinue the line of accessories, but if it is, FineWoven will have some well-known company in the annals of short-lived Apple products: Macintosh XL (3 months) If the Macintosh precursor Lisa was troubled, the Macintosh XL, released in January 1985 at the tail end of Lisa’s run, was downright doomed. It wasn’t for the lack of specs or interest—in fact it sold quite well—but the line was overshadowed by the cheaper Macintosh. Resources and parts were scarce for the Macintosh XL and Apple ran out of stock forever just three months later. Macintosh TV (4 months) The original Apple TV before streaming was a thing, the Macintosh TV was supposed to be the device that combined personal computing with home entertainment. With a built-in 14-inch Sony Trinitron display and all of the necessary audio/video inputs including a coaxial cable input, the Macintosh TV combined Apple’s iconic all-in-one design with “new media capabilities that create a whole new category of computing and entertainment devices.” It didn’t catch on and Apple pulled the plug on its first TV project just four months later. The Power Mac G4 Cube was built for success, but never got off the ground. The Power Mac G4 Cube was built for success, but never got off the ground.RR Auction The Power Mac G4 Cube was built for success, but never got off the ground.RR Auction RR Auction Power Mac G4 Cube (11 months) The Power Mac G4 Cube made a huge splash at Macworld New York in 2000. A mini high-end tower packed inside a beautiful floating acrylic square with an ingenious handle to access the internal parts, the Power Mac G4 Cube should have been a runaway hit. Instead, the high price and various cosmetic and performance issues kept sales at bay, and less than a year later, Apple put the whole project “on ice.” eMate (11 months) Before the iBook[…]
Iruyo, a new creation from Nissan, uses two-way cameras, microphones, and a whole lot of cuteness to connect you with your baby in the back seat.
Macworld Did you hear the big iPad news today? No, not that news! Sources have told MacRumors that iPadOS 18 will include the longest-awaited feature of the iPad: a Calculator app. It’s expected to be part of the iPadOS 18 unveiling at WWDC on June 10. Apple’s plans with the Calculator app have been making the rounds lately. AppleInsider reported last week that the company plans a major overhaul for the Calculator in macOS 15 with an iOS-inspired redesign, a new history tape feature, support for the new Math Notes feature in the Notes app, and more. The new iPadOS 18 Calculator is probably the same as the one rumored for macOS 15, so we assume it will have similar features. Since M-series Macs can run iPad apps, it makes sense that Apple is merely developing a new Calculator for iPadOS 18 and bringing it over to macOS 15. The new iPad Calculator will be available for all iPads on the iPadOS 18 compatibility list. While that list is not yet available, a MacRumors report from February stated that iPads that are on the iPadOS 17 compatibility list will also work with iPadOS 18 except for iPads that have an A10 or A10X Fusion chip. Those iPads were released between 2017 and 2019. The Calculator was not part of the iPad’s original release in 2011, so for the past 14 years, users have had to rely on third-party calculators such as PCalc ($9.99), Calzy ($4.99), or Calcbot 2 (free with in-app purchases). It seems unlikely that the new iPad Calculator will be on par with the feature set of these third-party apps, but for users who need to perform relatively basic math functions, it’ll be a handy tool to have (finally). Apple will hold its “Let Loose” event on May 7 where it is expected to unveil new iPad Air and Pro models, and likely a new Apple Pencil. You can catch up on the iPad Air and iPad Pro rumors before the event, but calculator fans will need to wait another month for the WWDC keynote. iPad
WIRED went along to the company’s launch event where customers picked up the very first R1s and learned of an inbound “all-seeing” accompanying AI device.
If your mentions, inboxes, and DMs are blowing up with hateful comments, here are the technological and psychological tools you need to weather the storm.
Macworld The danger of using an unprotected identity Venturing online can be a dangerous business. Bad actors want your personal data, and will go to almost any lengths to get hold of it for their own benefit, and at your cost. If you use an unprotected identity online, and the wrong person gets hold of your email address, for example, the very least you can expect is an avalanche of spam and phishing messages. And it can get a lot worse than that. Let’s say you’re trying to get a discount code, and the codes site asks you to enter your email address. And then you use the discount code to buy from an ecommerce website, and this too requires the use of an email address. Maybe it’s a site you’ve not used before, or one with a sketchy reputation, or a data protection policy that’s alarmingly vague. In these scenarios, how confident are you that your email address will be kept securely and used responsibly, rather than being sold on to a data broker who will add it to dozens of marketing subscription lists? You’re probably familiar with the annoying way that buying from a website, even if you carefully tick all the boxes saying “please don’t send me marketing messages,” still seems to generate a ton of spam afterwards. But it could be worse. If your email address ends up in particularly unscrupulous hands, you may start to receive phishing emails. These are sometimes easy to spot, but get this wrong just once and you may find yourself the victim of identity theft, financial harm or a wrecked credit score, the leaking of embarrassing personal information and more. And that’s before we get to the frightening dangers presented by online stalkers. Some of these scenarios are predictable–such as after buying from an obviously dodgy website. But even reputable sites get it wrong some of the time, or may end up losing your data in the event of a breach. And there are many other seemingly innocuous interactions that can spell trouble if your identity isn’t protected. Subscribing to an email newsletter can keep you entertained and informed, but who knows what else you’ll be signed up to? When applying for jobs, entering competitions, dating, or pursuing social activities, are you always certain that the person you’re contacting is who they say they are, and can be trusted with your details? Any time you send an email or tell a person or business your contact details, there is a danger that the information will be scraped and put to nefarious purposes. The advantages of multiple identities In many online interactions, particularly those with a contact and business with whom you haven’t yet built up a relationship of trust, it makes sense to use a secondary identity: one based around a backup email address you don’t normally use but which you can access if needed. Many of us have second or third email addresses we habitually use when a business[…]
Macworld The iPhone 16 lineup will bring in more money for Apple than anything else this year. As many other parts of the company (namely services) are growing, the overall fortunes of Apple still rise and fall on iPhone sales. You would think that would make the iPhone 16 Apple’s most important product this year, but no. That distinction belongs to iOS 18; or more specifically, the on-device AI features it is expected to bring to our pockets this fall. For better or worse, it’s all about AI these days. Every tech company has to have a “leader in AI” story to satisfy investors, even if users are starting to get bored with AI chatbots already. And Apple, though the company has used lots of AI and ML (machine learning) in many of its products for years, has been really slow to release anything that could be considered competitive in the white-hot “generative AI” space. You know: image/video/music creation, smart chatbots that can write and hold natural conversations, code generation, and so on. While some gen-AI tools out there are little more than a gimmick or fad, others are being used by millions every day. Whether it’s using AI to turn your selfie into a Monet for your avatar image or removing an unwanted person in the background of your favorite beach photo with a single tap…the tech world is racing toward gen-AI, and Apple needs to deliver. Apple’s big selling point: On-device privacy We expect Apple to release a suite of gen-AI tools with iOS 18. Rumors say to expect many of the features you would imagine, centered on a smarter, more capable, and more natural Siri that can do more of what ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot can instead of just sometimes setting timers or telling you the weather correctly. Pages, Numbers, and Keynote are expected to get gen-AI features to help you more easily create great documents, Xcode could get code generation features, Safari may get AI-powered page summaries, and we wouldn’t be at all surprised to see enhanced photo or even video editing that leverages advanced AI features. The software that runs on the iPhone will be far more important this year. The software that runs on the iPhone will be far more important this year.Jason Snell / Foundry The software that runs on the iPhone will be far more important this year.Jason Snell / Foundry Jason Snell / Foundry But Apple’s big hook, according to Mark Gurman’s tipsters, is that it will use an LLM (Large Language Model, the core intelligence of many types of generative AI) that runs entirely on-device. Some of Apple’s recent AI company acquisitions like Datakalab and DarwinAI have specialized in creating AI models that run on limited hardware. Recent research papers like LLM in a Flash focus on taking big AI models that notoriously require lots of RAM and compute power and finding new optimization methods to let them run efficiently on devices with less resources (like an iPhone). It all[…]
Decades after her dad’s iconic sports car time-traveled into movie history, Kat DeLorean wants to build a modern remake. There’s just one problem: Someone else owns the trademark on her name.
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The tendency of AI models to make stuff up is helping medical researchers explore new molecules.
Bang & Olufsen has released just 200 units of its new-old CD changer, but it reminds us that a corporation can’t ever delete a physical, plastic disc out of your great big honking CD collection.
Steps to keep Meta's AI from selling your data to anyone and everyone.
Elon Musk’s automaker told investors Tuesday that sales and revenue are down but that new “more affordable models” will launch before mid-2025, sooner than originally planned.
Developing a competitive artificial intelligence business strategy has quickly become an essential leadership strategy as AI has grown into an indispensable business tool. Businesses from all different industries are incorporating new enterprise AI use cases in their workflows to improve products and disrupt their respective industries. To keep up with the competition, business leaders need […] The post Creating a Winning AI Business Strategy: 8 Steps appeared first on eWEEK.
From new hobbyist to professional, get the AI tools that unleash your creativity with Greydient – no credit counting required. Imagine: You’re working on your next AI masterpiece.
We tested the latest and greatest gaming laptops—from portable machines to an 18-inch gargantuan—so you can level up your game anywhere.
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Free VPNs can sell your data for a profit, thus compromising your privacy. Use this instead.
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Prompt engineering tools are software platforms that help business owners, content creators and prompt engineers craft effective prompts that maximize output from their large language models (LLMs) and generative AI tools. In other words, the best prompt engineering tools provide you with the instructions and support for getting your AI tools to create what you […] The post 6 Best Prompt Engineering Tools in 2024 appeared first on eWEEK.
From quickly bookmarking a website to better controlling your tabs, here are eight keyboard shortcuts.
Everybody makes mistakes. But when it comes to cybersecurity, you need to be on your A game at all times. Avoid these three dangerous errors.
Clever ways to protect your kids from identity thieves.
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Best ways to track down stuff you misplace, like your phone, keys and wallet.
Retrieval-augmented generation, or RAG, is a technique for enhancing the output of large language models by incorporating information from external knowledge bases or sources. By retrieving relevant data or documents before generating a response, RAG improves the generated text’s accuracy, reliability, and informativeness. This approach helps ground the generated content in external sources of information, […] The post What is Retrieval-Augmented Generation? How it Works & Use Cases appeared first on eWEEK.
A deepfake is a type of synthetic media where the likeness of someone in an existing image or video is replaced with someone else’s likeness using artificial intelligence. This technology utilizes sophisticated AI algorithms to create or manipulate audio and video content with a high degree of realism. Deepfake technology represents one of the most […] The post Ultimate Guide to AI Deepfake Technology appeared first on eWEEK.
Empower your AI with optimization. Discover 6 strategies to enhance efficiency through AI model optimization. The post AI Model Optimization: 6 Key Techniques appeared first on eWEEK.
Generative AI startups have emerged as the newest and most formidable players in the tech world, using natural language processing, machine learning, and other forms of artificial intelligence to generate new, original content for a variety of business use cases. Larger tech companies like Google, Microsoft, and AWS are working hard to build their generative […] The post Top 75 Generative AI Startups Innovating In 2024 appeared first on eWEEK.
Cisco looks to leverage Splunk to be a world-class data company The post Cisco’s Splunk Acquisition: A Data-First AI Company Transformation appeared first on eWEEK.
Looking to take your business to a new level through large language models (LLMs)? Check out our complete list of the best LLMs. The post 6 Best Large Language Models (LLMs) in 2024 appeared first on eWEEK.
Artificial intelligence (AI) social media tools are software built to enhance and optimize social media marketing efforts in a wide variety of ways. These AI social media apps help automate content creation, scheduling, monitoring, engagement, and audience-targeting tasks. Some AI tools even offer advanced capabilities that enable analyzing data, identifying trends, making data-driven recommendations, and […] The post 10 Best AI Social Media Tools 2024 appeared first on eWEEK.
Why are AI CRM use cases crucial for modern CRM? Dive into our guide for examples and insights. The post AI CRM Use Cases: 10 Top Examples and Platforms Explored appeared first on eWEEK.