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You should definitely be using a password manager. Data breaches are happening more frequently, and that flood of stolen info has made cracking passwords even easier. And it’s not just the “password12345” variety that is at risk—passwords that use variations on a single password or substituting numbers for letters are also vulnerable. Even if you’re using unique, random passwords, storing them in a document or spreadsheet is not truly keeping them safe and secure. While paid password managers offer nice extras, a free password manager still protects you from the risks of using weak passwords (or worse, using the same one everywhere). Instead of remembering all of your passwords, you just have to remember one password to access a single, secure place where all of the rest are stored. And because free password managers come in different flavors and styles, you should be able to find one that fits your needs. Even Google’s password manager, built into Chrome and Android, can work as a no-cost option with a nifty Windows tie-in. Plus, if you find that the free versions aren’t enough, down the road you can always upgrade to a paid service as your needs grow. Not sure what features you’ll need? Generally, you want a service that offers password generation, autoform filling, two-factor authentication, and the ability to move between different devices -and- device types. For more info, you can read our explanation of what you need to know about password managers. Update April 22, 2024: Our latest evaluation of NordPass revealed a still-robust free password manager—a rarity given how restrictive other free services are. But though this service can be convenient if you’re already using other Nord Security products (e.g., NordVPN), Bitwarden remains a better option. Bitwarden – Best free password manager for most people Pros Free plan offers unlimited vault entries and device syncing Paid plan is 70% cheaper (or more!) than rival services Supports two-factor authentication Send feature allows you to securely share notes and files with others Cons Has occasional trouble capturing and filling credentials on websites Requires more manual setup than many paid password managers Price When Reviewed: $0 Best Prices Today: $0 at Bitwarden Like several other services, Bitwarden offers a free tier and a paid tier—but its free tier packs in so many features that most individuals won’t need more. You can access the service across an unlimited amount of devices and a multitude of device types, enable basic TOTP two-factor authentication, and fill your vault with as many passwords as you’d like. The free personal plan also allows privacy-minded users to avoid the company’s cloud hosting and instead self-host. And in recent months, Bitwarden has added security features that let you generate random user names and email aliases (via integration with email masking services) in addition to random passwords. Rivals dole out far less to their free users, and it’s particularly rare for them to grant unrestricted movement between multiple device types. (LastPass and Dashlane begin charging as soon as you[…]
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Is there such a thing as a monitor that’s too big? Asus doesn’t think so, especially when it comes to fancy OLED screens. That’s why it made the ROG Swift PG42UQ, a 4K gaming monitor that straddles the border between PC screen and TV. (It even comes with side ports and a remote control.) Normally $1,399, Amazon is selling it for just $999 today. The PG42UQ’s 41.5-inch panel has a 3840×2160 resolution, so you’ll need a pretty beefy gaming PC to take full advantage of it, especially at its maximum 138Hz refresh rate (with G-Sync on top). But if your system is up to the challenge, you can see some jaw-dropping colors and perfect black levels thanks to the OLED panel, which is still hard to find at any kind of discount. The monitor makes a pretty good addition to a combined PC-and-console space, too, thanks to no less than four HDMI ports (two 2.1, two 2.0) on top of a DisplayPort. It also acts as a basic USB hub with four extra 3.2 Gen 1 ports, one of which is on top of the case for easily plugging in a webcam. While the screen can be VESA mounted, it needs a larger TV-standard mount, so it probably won’t work with most monitor arms. This is the lowest price we’ve seen for a new, non-refurbished version of the ROG Swift PG42UQ, and there’s no telling how long it’ll stay there. It looks like you can also score a free PC code for Ghostrunner 2 to christen your new TV, or monitor, or whatever you want to call it. Get a 42-inch Asus OLED 4K monitor for $999 at Amazon Monitors
Working from home has gone from being a growing trend to a full-scale phenomenon. There are many perks to a work-from-home arrangement, to be sure, but there can also be downsides: For example, there’s a good chance you’ll need to supply your own monitor. Fortunately, there are many great home office monitors to choose from, as I’ve discovered through extensive real-world testing. Below you’ll find my picks for the best home office monitors, and below that you can learn more about what specs and features matter when shopping for a home office monitor. For even more monitor recommendations, check out our roundups of the best monitors and the best portable monitors. The latter can be especially useful if you like to be able to work from locations in and out of the home. Updated April 25, 2024: We recently reviewed a couple monitors that each have something to offer home-office dwellers. The Viewsonic VX1655-4K-OLED, for its part, is a portable 4K monitor that offers excellent color performance and an array of customization options — perfect for creative professionals who demand portability or space saving, or both. The BenQ PD3225U is a larger-screen option at 32 inches, featuring an impressive IPS Black display and a built-in USB-C hub. Dell Ultrasharp U2724DE – Best home office monitor Pros Attractive and functional design Class-leading Thunderbolt and USB connectivity IPS Black improves contrast 120Hz refresh rate Cons Most competitors offer 4K resolution No HDR support Adaptive Sync has some caveats Best Prices Today: $649.99 at Dell Dell’s Ultrasharp U2724DE is the perfect home office monitor. It has a bright, vivid, sharp panel with excellent color performance. That comes alongside a buffet of ports that make it easy to connect multiple peripherals and expand a laptop’s connectivity. The star of the show is the monitor’s IPS Black panel. It has a better contrast ratio than other IPS panels, which leads to a more alluring and attractive picture. That comes alongside excellent color accuracy and a wide color gamut. Dell pairs the IPS Black panel with an enhanced 120Hz refresh rate. This is great for gaming and improves the monitor’s versatility. You won’t have to buy a second gaming monitor to enjoy games after work. The 120Hz refresh rate can also make the Windows desktop feel snappy, as it reduces input latency and improves motion clarity. The U2724DE is packed to the gills with ports. Thunderbolt 4, USB-C, USB-A, HDMI, DisplayPort, and 2.5G Ethernet are included. These effectively turn the monitor into a USB-C hub or dock. It has USB Power Delivery, too, which means the USB-C port can charge a connected laptop. Resolution is the only downside. The U2724DE’s 1440p resolution isn’t bad, but picky owners may notice the image is softer than a 4K alternative, and some may need 4K to work on specific content (such as editing a 4K video). Those who want 4K should consider the Dell Ultrasharp U2723QE, which upgrades the resolution to 4K but reduces the refresh rate to 60Hz.[…]
Macworld Apple makes very good keyboards, but some users don’t like the feel of the keys–that’s important, especially if you spend most of your day working at your Mac. Many people like the clicky feel of a mechanical keyboard, and you can get a discount on some clicky goodness on Amazon. Amazon is selling the Logitech MX Mechanical Mini for Mac keyboard for 26 percent off the regular price–it’s $111.51, down from the regular price of $150, the best price we’ve ever seen. It’s a mini keyboard, so it doesn’t have a number pad, but it has low-profile keys and a backlight that automatically adjusts to your room’s lighting. It connects via Bluetooth, charges through USB-C, and is available in a classy pale grey and white combo. Logitech also offers a space gray/dark gray version, but its price cut isn’t as much–that model is $125.49, a 16 percent discount. Logitech’s MX Mechanical Mini has other cool features. It can connect to up to three different Bluetooth devices (so a Mac, iPad, and iPhone), and switching between them is done with the touch of a button. The keyboard is made of recycled plastic and aluminum, and it includes a one-year limited warranty. The Amazon sale (only for the pale grey/white keyboard model) comes with a bonus: Two free months of the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan, or one free month of Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps. That’s like getting another $39.96 ($19.98 for two months) or $54.99 off, respectively, though you’ll need to pay the full monthly price if you want to keep it. The Creative Cloud offer is automatically applied at checkout and you’ll receive an email code for the free offer once the keyboard ships. While we haven’t reviewed this particular model, we’re big fans of Logitech’s keyboards. Mechanical keyboards are generally pretty pricey, especially with Mac keycaps, so go grab this deal if you’re looking for a new keyboard for your Apple device. Keyboards, Mac
If you’re looking to pick up an affordable yet powerful laptop for office work or day-to-day use, you’re in luck. Dell’s currently selling the Inspiron 16 for just $729.99, which is a massive savings of $420. Not only does this machine come with a powerful Intel Core i7-1360P processor, but it also has a spacious 16-inch 1600p display with barely there bezels and a 60Hz refresh rate. It also has a solid selection of connectivity options, including one Thunderbolt 4.0 port, allowing for faster data transfer. Crack this nutshell open and you’ll find the aforementioned Intel Core i7-1360P, Intel Iris Xe graphics, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage. Given the hardware, this laptop should have no problem handling spreadsheet work, Twitch streams, and so on. For ports, you’re getting one HDMI 1.4, one Thunderbolt 4.0, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, one power jack, and on universal audio jack. Other cool features include a 1080p webcam, a backlit keyboard, a precision touchpad, a fingerprint reader, and an aluminum chassis. This is an excellent deal for a laptop with a large, high resolution display and a powerful processor. Don’t miss out. Get the Inspiron 16 Laptop for $729.99 at Dell Laptops
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MSI’s Claw looks like a lot of PC-based gaming handhelds that have come out in the last year to compete with the Steam Deck. But underneath it’s packing something wholly unique for the form factor: an Intel CPU and integrated GPU. And Intel’s new-ish Arc GPUs sometimes make huge gains with a little software tweaking. MSI claims that the latest updates can give it some big boosts. According to a forum post from last week, Claw owners should install both the latest BIOS for the custom-built mobile system (based on a Core Ultra 5-135H) and the latest driver for the Intel Arc graphics. Doing so can boost performance in games from 10.3 percent (Helldivers 2) to a whopping 43.5 percent (F1 ’23.). MSI MSI MSI If those benchmarks seem a little optimistic, well, they are. But they might not be complete balderdash. We’ve seen dramatic improvements from new drivers in Intel’s Arc discrete GPUs before and the Claw is both new and unique with its Intel-powered mobile form factor. The Core Ultra 5-135H CPU appears in the Claw and just a couple of other commercial products like some of the newest Dell Precision laptops. It’s quite possible that Intel has tweaked its software enough to see these kinds of big gains…or that the initial release of the Claw came with software that was less than optimal. Either way, I’d be pretty keen to check the new stuff out. You can get the new drivers via Intel’s dedicated page or the Claw’s Live Update tool and the BIOS update tool is available right here. Gaming Laptops
Macworld The iPhone 15 is lots of things, but it isn’t indestructible. Drop it, knock it, or scratch it, and it will suffer damage that no one would wish on their expensive new purchase. The most obvious way to protect your iPhone 15, 15 Pro, 15 Plus, or 15 Pro Max—aside from leaving it in the box—is to buy a case that will take the hard knocks and scrapes, leaving your iPhone as Apple intended. A case is more than just a pretty backplate, so we have some expert tips for you to start. We have tested a wide range of iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro, and 15 Pro Max cases. Here you can jump straight to the cases that most appeal to you. We have tested plain cases, wallet cases, cases that support bike and car mounts, pouches, sleeves and cases with belt-clips. Best clear cases Best-looking cases Best protective cases Best leather and leather-alternative cases Best battery cases What to look for in an iPhone case Protection: According to surveys in the U.S., 45 percent of phone owners will accidentally damage their phones, on average only 10 weeks after purchase. Keep your iPhone in a case and, whichever way it lands, it should be protected from everyday drops. Make sure the case has a raised lip around the front, which will save the screen from a crack when dropped or scratch when placed face down. Look also for a raised edge around the cameras at the back—1mm should be your minimum; some goes as high as 3.6mm. Apple doesn’t bother, but many case makers claim their cases either meet or exceed “certified military-grade protection”, usually MIL-STD-810G, which is a series of U.S. Department of Defense tests to determine the “overall durability of material system design” of objects. This doesn’t mean you can take them into combat, but does imply that the protection offered is robust and tested. The product should have been sequentially dropped onto each face, edge, and corner for a total of 26 drops onto two-inch thick plywood over concrete. Big and bulky doesn’t guarantee protection but it’s a fact that for superior protection your case will add more bulk to your iPhone than a flimsy one. Materials: Thin, soft, and rubbery silicone is a popular phone case material that provides a comfortable grip while not adding any real bulk of the phone. It’s great at protecting a phone from abrasions and scratches but not for fall/drop protection. Silicone can attract dirt more easily and is less durable so you might have to change your case more often than products made with tougher materials. Sand-based silicone is a more sustainable material than oil-based plastic. More rigid cases are usually built with polycarbonate plastic. Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) are more flexible and softer to the touch than Thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU), which are also flexible but more rigid. Both are more resistant to scratches, shock, and abrasion than basic polycarbonate. While not as thin as silicone, they aren’t[…]
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For too long, PCs with Snapdragon Arm chips inside of them have been a mixed bag: some native apps run well, but others have stuttered and hung if they weren’t coded correctly. Those days may be over: the man in charge of the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus says Qualcomm has addressed the compatibility issues. I interviewed Kedar Kondap, the senior vice president and general manager of Compute and Gaming for Qualcomm, a few weeks ago. At the time, Qualcomm was showing off how the Snapdragon X Elite compared to Intel’s latest Core Ultra chips. Kondap also gave us a sneak peek of the Snapdragon X Plus, the X Elite’s younger cousin. What we didn’t have then was the awkward model numbers Qualcomm is using to describe the speeds and feeds of the new chips. Kondap also addressed the compatibility topic, after I noted that many people just want Snapdragon PCs to, well, just work. Kondap stopped short of an absolute commitment, but the future seems brighter than before. (Of course, some of the weight has to be borne by Microsoft, which architects the Windows on Arm operating system.) “I’ll tell you, Mark, I am using a Snapdragon PC right now and I am not running into any of those issues,” Kondap told me. “We’ve definitely put in a lot of focus for the consumers that we’re targeting, so the applications run. We’ve solved a lot of issues with enterprise applications, so we feel very good.” Hear Kondap’s full answer, and our discussion of many other Snapdragon topics, in the interview below. CPUs and Processors
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) 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 Intel Core i3-1315U processor and robust connectivity[…]
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Macworld I don’t need to have a new iPhone every year, just the procedure of changing over with various authentications is sometimes a bit annoying. What’s more, the iPhone has matured to such an extent that there are only evolutionary changes from year to year, rarely an innovation that really knocks my socks off. A new device every three to four years, possibly a replacement battery in between—that’s quite enough. After three to four years, a new iPhone really does feel revolutionary compared to the old one. But now I’m in the situation of having to change every year for professional reasons. Because even if the innovations from generation to generation are rather sparse, iI need to be familiar with each annual upgrade to make sure I give our valued readers the best possible information. But which model is best for me? Deciding on a downgrade In recent years, I have had a red iPhone 11, a green iPhone 12, a lilac-coloured iPhone 13 and a gold iPhone 14 Pro in constant use. I didn’t buy any of them myself, most of them were test models from Apple that we returned after a year, well-looked-after and undamaged. But what does a spoiled iPhone user buy when they’ve been using the iPhone 14 Pro for a whole year? Your mileage may vary, but I opted for an iPhone 15, without the “Pro.” All iPhone 15s come with USB-C instead of Lightning. All iPhone 15s come with USB-C instead of Lightning.Apple All iPhone 15s come with USB-C instead of Lightning.Apple Apple Why is that? Sure, the price plays a role. Would the features of the iPhone 15 Pro justify the extra cost? Six months after making the switch, I have an answer. Current best price: iPhone 15 Retailer Price $829 View Deal $829.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket The camera: Just as good, minus the zoom Most people now make their purchase decision based on the smartphone’s camera, so most smartphone tests are actually camera tests. I had always used the normal model with its wide-angle and ultra-wide-angle lens until I got a telephoto lens with the iPhone 14 Pro. It made a difference compared to the previous iPhone 13, no question about it. On holiday, I was able to leave the other cameras at home for the first time (one a compact digital camera with 6x zoom, one a system camera with 3x zoom), especially as the iPhone simply takes better pictures. Okay, I like the computational processing of the real images better on the iPhone, but I can’t really judge whether the images are really better. 48 megapixels for full resolution – better for zooming 48 megapixels for full resolution – better for zoomingApple 48 megapixels for full resolution – better for zoomingApple Apple At the end of 2023, Apple also gave the standard iPhone a 2x zoom. The trick is that the scene photographed with the 48-megapixel sensor just[…]
Macworld You may have been led to believe that you don’t have to worry about computer viruses on your Mac. And, to some extent, there’s truth to that. While your Mac can definitely be infected with malware, Apple’s built-in malware detection and file quarantine capabilities should make it less likely that you’ll download and run malicious software. Apple introduced malware detection to the macOS back in 2009 with Snow Leopard (Mac OS 10.6). This system consists of the quarantine of any app downloaded from the Internet, the use of Code Signing certificates to verify that an app is coming from a legitimate source, and regular security updates that include databases of known malware targeting the macOS. If you want some tips to help you keep your Mac secure from any potential malware read: How to protect your Mac from malware. We also discuss How secure is a Mac and what to do if you think your Mac has a virus separately. Here we will discuss how you can check your Mac for viruses and how to run a Mac virus scan. Read on to find out more. How Apple scans your Mac for viruses and malware Apple includes antivirus software in macOS that monitors your Mac for malware, blocks malware and removes it if necessary. There are three elements to this: XProtect, Gatekeeper and Notarization. PROMOTIONAntivirus Deal: Intego Mac Premium Bundle Get Intego’s Mac Premium Bundle X9 with antivirus, firewall, backup and system performance tools for just $29.99 (down from $84.99) for the first year. Intego is Macworld’s #1 choice of antivirus for Macs. Get Deal 1. Apps are checked before they can be installed Foundry Apple makes it hard to install an app that might not be safe on a Mac. Mac users can choose to only install apps from the Mac App Store, which is the safest option as it means that the app has been thoroughly checked by Apple before being distributed. Alternatively, there is an option to install apps from the App Store and identified developers. An identified developer is one whose software has been scanned by Apple to ensure it is safe. As long as the app has passed Apple’s tests it will have a Notarization ticket, which Gatekeeper looks for before telling macOS that it is safe to open. If you only install apps from the Mac App Store, or notarised apps from identified developers, you should be safe, but sticking to the Mac App Store is the safest option as apps on the Mac App Store can’t be tampered with. If you want to make sure your Mac can only install apps from the Mac App Store these are the steps to follow: On Ventura or later: Open System Settings. Click on Privacy & Security. Scroll down to Security and select App Store below Allow applications downloaded from. On Monterey or earlier: Open System Preferences. Click on Security & Privacy. Click on General. Under Allow applications downloaded from select App Store. If you[…]
At a glanceExpert's Rating ProsRespectable performanceLong battery lifeElegant designBrilliant OLED touchscreenConsHefty for a thin-and-lightDesign has usability issuesPricey for the performanceOur VerdictThe Dell XPS 14 is a looker, but even though it can offer respectable performance, it comes at such a high cost above competent — and often faster — competitors that there’s little reason to consider it. Price When Reviewed$2,699 Best Prices Today: Dell XPS 14 (2024) Retailer Price $1699 View Deal $2299.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Dell introduced a revamped XPS line in 2022, adding a “Plus” to the name to indicate a new design scheme. In the 2024 XPS lineup, that “Plus” is gone because the design of all of Dell’s XPS laptops has changed to the new look — a shift that may make sense since Dell has also changed its size options to accommodate 13-inch, 14-inch, and 16-inch displays. The Dell XPS 14 inherits the stylish looks of its recent predecessors and packs in some powerful hardware to make doing serious work look good. But style alone isn’t enough to merit the lofty price tag the XPS 14 wears, and with so many cheaper alternatives running equally capable hardware in attractive packages of their own, the XPS 14 has its work cut out for it. Looking for more options? Check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best laptops. Dell XPS 14 (2024): Specs and features The new Dell XPS 14 9440 has a range of configuration options that can start it from a modest $1699 MSRP or range it up to $3479. All configurations run on the Intel Core 7 Ultra 155H, but Dell provides options for graphics, memory, storage, display, Windows version, color, and whether or not Intel vPro is included. CPU: Intel Core 7 Ultra 155H Memory: 32GB LPDDR5 Graphics/GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 (30W TGP) Display: 14.5-inch 3.2K OLED Storage: 1TB PCIe Gen4 SSD Webcam: 1080p Connectivity: 3x Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C with Power Delivery and DisplayPort, 1x microSDXC card reader, 1x 3.5mm combo audio Networking: WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 Biometrics: Windows Hello fingerprint, facial recognition Battery capacity: 68 watt-hours Dimensions: 12.6 x 8.5 x 0.71 inches Weight: 3.95 pounds MSRP: $2,699 ($1,699 base) Memory options range from 16GB to 64GB while storage ranges from 512GB up to 4TB. Intel Arc graphics are the base, but there’s an option to bump up to an NVIDIA RTX 4050 for $300 extra, which also comes with an automatic bump to transfer rate on the memory from 6,000MT/s to 7,467MT/s. The laptop can come with either a 1920×1200 anti-glare LCD display with 30-120Hz variable refresh rate or the 3200×2000 anti-reflective OLED with 48-120HZ refresh rate tested here, with the former covering the sRGB color space and the latter covering the DCI-P3 color space. Dell XPS 14 (2024): Design and build quality IDG / Mark Knapp IDG / Mark Knapp IDG / Mark Knapp The design of the Dell XPS 14 calls for a lot of aluminum[…]
If you’re using a Linux desktop, the graphical user interface isn’t an integral part of the system, it’s additional software that’s loaded as required. The desktop and everything that goes with it is an independent add-on and consists of several components. This article lists those components and their tasks and provides tips on how to put this knowledge into practice. Display server: Xorg or Wayland Among Linux desktops, the X server Xorg still generally works as a display server. The X server is the hardware-related basis of the graphical user interface. All the components mentioned below are clients that depend on the X server. Xorg is pre-installed on every Linux desktop and runs as standard. Only on pure server systems without an interface (e.g. the Ubuntu server) is Xorg consistently missing, as are all downstream desktop components. Wayland is still an experimental replacement for the old Xorg in some desktop distributions, optionally in Ubuntu Gnome and already as standard in Fedora. Wayland has a significant, simplifying advantage over the old X server. It combines the functions of the display server (point 1) and the window manager (point 3), including the compositor. Display server, display manager and desktop: X server Xorg and display manager Lightdm run (or sleep) in the root context, the subordinate desktop Cinnamon in the user context. Display server, display manager and desktop: X server Xorg and display manager Lightdm run (or sleep) in the root context, the subordinate desktop Cinnamon in the user context. IDG Display server, display manager and desktop: X server Xorg and display manager Lightdm run (or sleep) in the root context, the subordinate desktop Cinnamon in the user context. IDG IDG The system user only sees and operates the client components of the display server: the i.e. display manager (point 2), the window manager (point 3), and the desktop shell (point 4). There’s no contact with the display server, nor is there any need for configuration. The numerous optimization experiments in the configuration files of Xorg (“/etc/X11/ xorg.conf” and today “/usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/”) in earlier decades are generally obsolete today. Display manager: Lightdm, GDM & Co. The display manager allows a user to log in and select a desktop if several are installed. Display managers are therefore known as log-in managers. After logging in, the display manager starts the desktop as a subordinate process. In order for the display manager to start automatically after booting and logging off, it must be set up as a service (e.g. service lightdm start). The most common display managers are Lightdm (Cinnamon, XFCE) and GDM (Gnome) as well as SDDM (KDE, LXQT) and LXDM (LXDE). In principle, however, you’re free to choose which display manager you want to use for each desktop. Depending on the desktop, some optical settings of the display manager can be adjusted in the system settings under “Login window,” “Login screen,” or an automatic login under “Users & groups.” What is not offered on the graphical user interface can be set by researching the respective[…]
At a glanceExpert's Rating ProsPhysically stableReasonable price4K60 outputConsVery niche product — specific to the Microsoft Surface Pro 9Single 4K display support, even for USB4 hardwareOur VerdictSatechi’s Dual USB-C Surface Pro 9 Hub is an affordable, suitable hub for the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 tablet. Just be aware that it might be the only product that can use it. Best Prices Today: Satechi Dual USB-C Surface Pro 9 Hub Retailer Price Satechi $59.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Satechi’s Dual USB-C Surface Pro 9 Hub is, well, a little messy. And that’s maybe putting it lightly. First, it’s designed specifically for the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 tablet. Second, there are two different Surface Pro 9 models, and they each have different internal hardware. Does this matter? To an extent, yes. But the real question is whether you’ll be able to buy this hub if you own other Surface Pro hardware. A hub designed specifically for the Surface Pro 9 is obviously a little limiting. Will the Satechi Dual USB-C Surface Pro 9 Hub work with the Surface Pro 8? No, not really. And will it work with the Surface Pro 10? I think so. I’ll try to tease out the differences for you. This review informs our roundup of the best USB-C hubs and dongles. Satechi’s Dual USB-C Surface Pro 9 Hub: Fit, ports, physical construction Let’s start with the basics. Satechi’s Dual USB-C Surface Pro 9 Hub lacks a cord. Instead, two USB-C connectors on the hub slot into the pair of USB-C ports on a Surface device. The hub is just 1.4 ounces, measuring 4.45 x 1.3 x 0.31 inches. It’s light and thin, and it fit just fine into our in-house Surface Pro 9 (5G) review unit, and into a Surface Pro 8, too — with a big caveat, which we’ll discuss later. But the spacing of the ports is slightly different on some of the Surface clamshell notebooks — the Surface Laptop Studio’s ports, for example, are spaced just differently enough that the hub won’t fit. Satechi’s Dual USB-C Surface Pro 9 Hub Satechi’s Dual USB-C Surface Pro 9 HubMark Hachman / IDG Satechi’s Dual USB-C Surface Pro 9 HubMark Hachman / IDG Mark Hachman / IDG The lack of a cord is a good thing. Even at just a few ounces, the weight of a dongle dangling from the Surface Pro 9’s USB-C port would probably stress that connection. Satechi’s approach is the correct one. The Surface Pro 9 has the two USB-C ports on the left side of the tablet, with the Surface power connector on the right side. So, yes, the Satechi Dual USB-C Surface Pro 9 Hub works just fine with that device. From press photos of the Surface Pro 10 (we don’t have a review model), I would assume that Satechi’s hub will work just fine with that tablet, too. The Surface Pro 8, however, places the ports on the right, tucked[…]
Macworld I have an admission: Though I frequently review new Apple products, I don’t always buy them. Like many of you, I can’t afford to update every bit of Apple hardware every time the company revises one of its products. So I have to carefully measure when my stuff has now become too old and needs to be replaced with the shiny and new. Of course, Apple would love us all to buy new stuff all the time. But the company has to earn its sales the hard way. I might buy a new iPhone because of an upgraded camera or a new MacBook Air because of a new design and a faster processor. I might bypass the latest Apple Watch because the new features just don’t matter to me. As the heat from the iPhone’s huge acceleration of growth begins to cool down and iPad and Mac sales drop from their pandemic-driven heights, Apple is looking for reasons to sell new hardware. And now, it may have found a big one in a somewhat unexpected place: AI. AI models eat RAM Artificial Intelligence algorithms are software, of course. Theoretically, all current Apple hardware should be able to run AI stuff. Apple’s been building Neural Engines into its chips for years, for example. And yet the rumored addition of major AI features to Apple’s platforms starting this fall may fuel a new wave of upgrades. This is because when we discuss AI these days, we’re largely discussing Large Language Models (LLMs), things like OpenAI’s Chat GPT and Google’s Gemini. Apple is reportedly building its own LLM, intending it to run natively on Apple devices rather than being outsourced to the cloud. This could increase speed dramatically, as well as enhance privacy. But here’s the thing: LLMs really need memory. Google has barred Gemini Nano, a model likely quite similar to what Apple is planning for the iPhone, from all but the largest Google Pixel phone, seemingly because of memory limitations. The most RAM ever in an iPhone is the 8GB of memory in the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. While iOS has proven generally to be better at managing memory usage than Android, that’s still a relatively small amount of RAM, and would seem to be the bare minimum capable of running an on-device LLM of the kind Apple and Google are working on. Given that Apple reportedly will unveil its AI efforts at WWDC in June, it can’t really show off iPhone features that don’t work on any current models. But it’s not unreasonable to assume that many of the iOS AI features might be limited to iPhone 15 Pro models–because they’re the only ones with 8GB of memory. (A new line of iPhones in the fall would presumably all ship with sufficient memory.) Neural Engines have been part of Apple silicon for a while, but is it enough to address the needs of generastive AI? Neural Engines have been part of Apple silicon for a while, but[…]
Macworld Whether you’re streaming or browsing online, we can all agree that ads pose a serious annoyance to any digital experience. Fortunately, you can rid your browser of ads, protect yourself and your devices from malware, and more with AdGuard. AdGuard is a comprehensive security solution offering data privacy tools for life. Now, the Family Plan is less than $25 through April 30. Compatible with iOS and Android operating systems, AdGuard provides users with impressive ad-blocking support. It can eliminate ads of all types to guarantee you have a more enjoyable browsing experience. AdGuard additionally shields your device (up to 9 devices with the Family Plan!) from dangerous malware and phishing sites. AdGuard goes even further, stopping invasive trackers and activity analyzers from harvesting your personal data. By preventing your data from being exploited by advertisers, data miners, and other potentially malicious entities, users can have a more secure digital world. This ad blocker is also a beneficial resource for parents, offering easy-to-use parental controls to protect their children from inappropriate or restricted content. Secure your digital experience and banish ads with lifetime access to the AdGuard Family Plan, now just $24.97 until April 30 at 11:59 PM Pacific. AdGuard Family Plan: Lifetime Subscription Only $24.97 at Macworld StackSocial prices subject to change. Accessories
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Macworld If you need to move text, an image or another object from one part of a document to another, or from one app to another, you need to use copy (or cut) and paste. On a Mac or MacBook, the keyboard shortcuts for this are different from other devices, so if you are coming from Windows you might be confused. We’ll explain the simple steps you need to take to cut, copy and paste on a Mac. Our tips will show you how to copy and paste on a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini or any other Mac. We’ll also cover how to copy and paste using the keyboard on a Mac and copy and paste using a Mac mouse or a trackpad, how to paste without formatting, how to copy multiple items on Mac, and how to copy and paste between Macs and iPhones. The main difference between Windows and Macs is the key you need to press – on a Mac this is the Command key. Command has a ⌘ symbol on it and is located next to the space bar. Read: Where is the Command key? You may also require the Option key, which on some Mac keyboards is marked as the Alt key. Another issue may be if you are using a PC keyboard with your Mac, in which case you won’t have a Command key. In that case the Windows key tends to act as the Command key. SImilarly the Alt key on a Windows keyboards is the Option key if you use it with a Mac. To save yourself the confusion, take a look at our round up of the best Mac keyboards. At a glance These are the basic keyboard combinations you need to copy and paste on a MacBook (or Mac): Copy: Command + C Cut: Command + X Paste: Command + V How to copy on a MacBook or Mac Want to copy something on a Mac? Here’s what to do: Highlight the text/object you want to copy: If it’s a word double-click on it, if it’s a sentence or a paragraph click at the beginning and drag your cursor to the end of the section, or click at the top of a section, press shift, and then click at the bottom of the section. Copy the selection by pressing Command + C, or Cut with Command + X. Both save the selected text/object to the pasteboard, but Copy leaves it in place while Cut removes it. How to paste on a Mac or MacBook The process is similar if you want to know “how do I paste on a Mac”. As above, you need to first select the text or object you want to copy or cut. Then press Command + C to copy, or Command + X to cut. Put the cursor where you want to place the text/object, and paste by pressing Command + V. Note that the target can be in a different document or[…]
Macworld Apple’s M3 chip has been available since the end of October 2023. It features in the MacBook Pro M3 and iMac and was recently added to the MacBook Air, but it is still absent from the Mac mini. How long will we have to wait for Apple to roll out the M3 to the rest of the range? Or will Apple skip it and decide to release a new Mac mini with an M4 chip? This article is designed to help you figure out what’s happening with the M3 and M3 Pro versions of the Mac mini–or if Apple skips the M3 series and goes straight to M4. We’ve gathered all the information from rumors and reports in one spot and will provide insight as to what’s feasible and what’s not. We’ll update this article whenever new information becomes available. Update 25 April 2024: A Bloomberg report claims that the Mac mini could be updated with an M4 chip later this year, skipping an M3 update. But, with a Spring Apple Event looming, could we see a new Mac mini sooner? See our MacBook Pro M3 review and our MacBook Pro M3 Pro review. We also have an iMac M3 review and M3 MacBook Air review. New Mac mini: Skipping the M3, straight to M4? An April 11 report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said that Apple plans to update the Mac mini with an AI-enhanced M4 chip in the second half of 2024. On Apple 21, Gurman stated that Apple will likely skip an M3 update for the Mac mini and go straight to M4 later this year. New Mac mini: Release date M3 Mac mini: May 7 event M4 Mac mini: Late 2024 Apple released the M2 & M2 Pro Mac mini over a year ago in January 2023. Before that, the M1 Mac mini was released in November 2020. That’s over two years between the M1 and M2 Mac mini, but the Covid pandemic affected production. There should be no reason for the launch of the M3 and M3 Pro Mac mini to be delayed, especially since the M3 and M3 Pro chips are available in other models. If Apple does continue with an M3 Mac mini, we could see it at Apple’s spring event on May 7, or at WWDC in June. In early August 2023, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple was performing preliminary tests on a M3 Mac mini, suggesting a new M3 model is in the pipeline. However, Gurman’s April 2024 reports indicate that Apple is going to skip the M3 and go straight to M4. He reported that the M4 Mac mini could arrive later this year. The M2 Pro Mac mini. The M2 Pro Mac mini.Jason Cross / Foundry The M2 Pro Mac mini.Jason Cross / Foundry Jason Cross / Foundry New Mac mini: Price Price drops outside the U.S. are somewhat likely. Rumors about the M3/M4 Mac mini have not addressed prices and the price is unlikely to change inside[…]
Macworld Apple’s fees for iCloud+ storage tiers are a sore point among enough people that I’ve seen the question come up repeatedly: How can I be sure I have a local copy of all my files if I want to reduce my iCloud+ storage payment or stop paying for iCloud storage at all? (Apple includes a meager 5GB of storage for all iCloud accounts; iCloud+ starts at $0.99 monthly for 50GB of storage.) Time Machine isn’t the answer, nor are any volume-cloning or archive tools, local or internet-based. File and media stored only in iCloud, with a placeholder for them in macOS, cannot be backed up except by forcing downloads to a Mac across three places: Photos, Music, and iCloud Drive. (I dream of a future in which Apple would offer an option to force a monthly local backup of iCloud-only files.) I recently wrote “How to migrate away from iCloud+,” a short guide to finding alternatives to iCloud+ services and storage. But you may want to keep using iCloud or downgrade to a lower-tier iCloud+ plan for the basics and be sure you aren’t locking away or losing files that aren’t on your Mac and are stored in iCloud. Here’s how. 1. iCloud Photos Switch to “Download Originals to this Mac” to ensure a local copy of all media. Foundry The big issue for most people is media synced via iCloud Photos. If you have a large Photos library, you may have enabled optimization in Photos > Settings > iCloud. With Optimize Mac Storage chosen, macOS automatically purges locally stored images and videos that have been uploaded to iCloud if local storage is needed. You can’t be sure what’s stored locally or not, as there’s no criterion you can use with a smart folder to create a set of “iCloud only” images. The only way to be sure that you have a local copy of everything is to change from Optimize Mac Storage to “Download Originals to this Mac” in the Photos iCloud setting. It may take a while for your Mac to retrieve all media that it didn’t have locally cached. Apple doesn’t provide a tool that shows how much local storage you would need to hold your Photos Library, so you need to figure out ahead of time if you have enough room on your startup volume. If you believe you don’t, consider moving your Photos Library to an external drive with plenty of storage before disabling optimization. This article from 2021, “How to move your Mac’s Photos library to an SSD for better performance,” remains accurate (though Preferences has become Settings in menus). 2. Music A smart album in Music lets you create a list of all files you need to download.Foundry You may not even know you are syncing music files from your Music Library with iCloud. Go to Music > Settings > General to see if Sync Library is turned on. If so, you’re syncing–but some files may be on your Mac synced from other devices. You can also[…]
Macworld With news that iPadOS 18 might bring a calculator to the iPad we’ll refresh our memories as to why the iPad doesn’t have a calculator right now, and what the alternatives are if you want to do some math and it’s the only device you have handy. Ever since the iPad first arrived, there’s been a curious omission in the apps that come preinstalled by Apple. Whereas the iPhone, Mac, Apple Watch and even the iPod touch feature a calculator as standard, there’s never been one on the iPad. Why is that? Of all the platforms, it’s probably the one most suited to the task, especially if it was one of the scientific variety with all the additional capabilities. We’re not ones to leave a stone unturned, so we set out to find why the iPad comes calculator-free. The Steve Jobs story In preparing this article, we reached out to Apple to see if there was an official reason why it withholds the calculator app from the iPad. At the time of writing, we hadn’t had a response, so we couldn’t ask if it was something to do with an Apple executive standing at a crossroads at midnight, playing on a prototype iPad until a shadowy figure arrived, promising to make it the king of all tablets, but at a terrible cost – that of the calculator app. Maybe this theory is why no one at Apple wanted to talk to us? Or is it something forbidden? Who knows? There is another theory, though, as reported by Luke Dormehl of Cult of Mac back in 2016: This story, that came from someone who was working at Apple at the time, says that in the run up to the launch of the original iPad release, Steve Jobs called Scott Forstall (who was leading the software development for the tablet) into his office. Jobs then asked where the new calculator app designed specifically for the iPad was. To which Forstall replied that there wasn’t one. They were planning on using the iPhone version instead. Jobs, who was known for his incredible attention to detail, wasn’t happy with this, as the app looked awful in his eyes. He subsequently pulled the app, much to Forstall’s chagrin, and it simply fell to the bottom of the pile of things that needed to be done for every update or upgrade to iOS and then iPadOS ever since. It’s entirely possible that this tale could be apocryphal, as it’s a little hard to believe that no one at Apple could rustle up a decent calculator app over the past decade, but the continued absence of said program does give some weight to the idea. We prefer the crossroads version, but maybe that’s just the fatalistic romantics in us, plus we suspect Craig Federighi may have made a similar exchange to ensure the magnificence of his luscious mane. How to use the Calculator on the iPad Whatever the reason why Apple doesn’t include its Calculator app[…]
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Seeking ways on how to use AI in sales? Step into the future of sales with AI-driven techniques. The post How to Use AI in Sales: Top Strategies, Examples, and Tools appeared first on eWEEK.
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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.
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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.
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.