If your iPhone keeps throwing that dreaded "Storage Almost Full" warning, it's probably not you — it's the clutter. The Cleaner Kit Premium is your AI-powered iPhone declutterer and is now available for a one-time payment of just $29.99 (MSRP: $104.97).
This isn't just a photo dump tool. Cleaner Kit intelligently finds and removes duplicate or low-quality photos, trims down oversized videos without ruining quality, and merges duplicate contacts so you don't have six entries for the same person. It even tidies up your calendar and clears out old emails by sender in just a few taps.
The best part? All the scanning and sorting happens right on your device — nothing gets shipped off to some mysterious server. That means your private files and
If your main laptop is for "serious work" and you've been wishing for a no-stress, no-tears backup for emails, Netflix, and homework, the refurbished Lenovo 300E Chromebook might just be your new sidekick.
At just $79.99 (MSRP: $284.99) and with free shipping, this 2-in-1 touchscreen notebook is compact, lightweight, and ready to roll. It's powered by an Intel N3450 quad-core processor with 4GB RAM, meaning it can juggle browser tabs, video calls, and streaming without sounding like it's about to take off.
The 11.6? HD touchscreen makes navigation easy (especially for younger users), while Chrome OS keeps everything simple, secure, and synced. You've
We've also included some helpful answers to common questions about VPN shopping at the bottom of this article. Before you decide on a new VPN, be sure to check out our roundup of the best VPNs to help you choose the right service for your needs.
Note: Tech deals come and go quickly, so it's possible some of these VPN discounts will have expired before this article's next update.
Best VPN deals
NordVPN, now $3.99 per month for 24 months 3 free months (73% off at NordVPN)
ExpressVPN, now $4.99 per month for 24 months 4 free months (61% off at ExpressVPN)
Surfshark VPN, now $2.49 per month for 24 months 3 free months (86% off at Surfshark)
When determining what makes for a good VPN for Android, I consider several criteria on top of standard VPN essentials. It's crucial that it has full functionality on the Android OS. Also, since Wi-Fi can be inconsistent at times, I test these apps over multiple days to look at speed and consistency of service. I then take into consideration the Android app itself and its ease of use, as well as other things such as pricing and the number of simultaneous devices allowed per account. All of these factors help make the VPNs on this list my top picks.
Intel announced that SoftBank Group Corp., the Japanese investment giant, would put $2 billion at $23 per share into the struggling company, with the stated goal of investing in semiconductor manufacturing in the United States. That would give it about two percent of the company, as the Wall Street Journal noted.
The real question is what the United States government is pushing for, and if it will be allowed to: essentially convert the $10.9 billion previously earmarked for Intel as part of the U.S. Chips Act into equity. Though Bloomberg reported the proposed deal on Monday, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick confirmed the government's intentions publicly on CNBC on Tuesday morning.
"We should get an equity stake for our money, so we'll deliver the money which was already committed under the Biden administration," Lutnick told CNBC, as quoted by NBC News. "We'll get equity in return for it," he added, and "get a good return for the American taxpayer."
Bloomberg has stated that the government's investment would equate to about a 10 percent equity stake in Intel, though this has not been confirmed. Intel has also not commented on whether it would agree to such a deal. It's also unclear whether the company would have any say in the matter. The government does
Part of the changes in GPT-5 involved addressing the sycophantic positivity found in previous models, where the AI chatbot would incessantly praise the user to an undo degree and emphatically agree to make the user feel better. Lots of users disliked this, so GPT-5 was made to be "less effusively agreeable" and "use fewer unnecessary emojis."
But GPT-5 faced its own backlash—for being too cold, too distant, too corporate. Now, the latest news is that OpenAI is rolling out an update that will make the GPT-5 "warmer and friendlier," reports TechCrunch.
The changes will reportedly include encouraging phrases such as "Good question" or "Good start," but no outright flattery and fawning. "Internal tests show no rise in sycophancy compared to the previous GPT-5 personality," OpenAI said in a social media post.
Mark Knapp said something similar when he reviewed this laptop for PCWorld just last month. He praised the Ryzen AI 370 processor, the latest 8-core model with an impressive Radeon 860M integrated graphics card for some mid-range gaming power. That CPU also makes this a Copilot PC, capable of Windows 11's AI features. He also liked the "exceptional" touchscreen display, packing 2880×1800 into a sweet little OLED panel with impressive brightness and 120Hz of refresh rate.
On the other hand, he wasn't a fan of the "gapless" keyboard, and the battery life lags behind some Windows competitors even when you take out the massive longevity of Snapdragon designs. In short, it's a middle-of-the-road design that doesn't really justify its high MSRP.
"I'd wait for a discount on this one," writes Mark. Fortunately, the wait is over. I'd say with this 24GB RAM/1TB SSD configuration, $700 is more than fair. That should be enough to smoothly run Windows 11 and blaze through all the browser tabs you can throw at it.
Best Buy isn't marking this as any kind of limited sale, so
If I misplace something, it's almost guaranteed that I won't be able to find it again. That's bad news for my precious devices! Especially my Jabra Elite 8 Active wireless earbuds, which sit in a tiny case that I could lose one day. I hope I don't, given how expensive they are…
So, what do I do? I use this sticky Bluetooth tracker. There are many like it, but this one is mine—and this one I recommend.
With 65W of total output, this charger is fast enough to get your phone back to 100% in no time. It's a 3-port charger, too, with two USB-C ports and a USB-A port, so you can simultaneously charge up to 3 devices. Note that when multiple ports are in use, the top USB-C maxes out at 45W while the other USB-C and USB-A max out at 15W combined. But when used solo, each USB-C maxes out at 65W while the USB-A maxes out at 60W—so no worries there!
What makes this charger so good is that it's built with GaN technology. GaN chargers are faster, smaller, and safer, offering better temperature control and protection against short circuits. It's why this charger can be so compact yet high performance, and it even has foldable prongs so it's ultra-portable and perfect for traveling.
A USB-C charger like this usually costs about $25 to $30 for a single one, so this is an excellent deal for two. What are you waiting for? Snag it while you can because who knows how long this price will last?
Save 40% on a pair of fast-charging 3-port USB-C power adaptersBuy now at Amazon
ASRock makes reliable gaming displays, even if the brand tends to shoot for the budget market. This particular model (PG27QFT1B) is light on extras, with nothing but two HDMI ports, one DisplayPort, and a 3.5mm headphone jack—no USB in sight. But it has a few things I always look for in a display, starting with that IPS LCD panel. That's much better for color accuracy than faster-but-cheaper VA panels, meaning I can do Photoshop work on the same monitor that I use for gaming. At 180Hz, it's not the fastest gaming monitor around, but it's downright speedy for IPS.
With a standard VESA mount, this makes a great screen for a multi-monitor setup (grab a reliable monitor arm for that) or all on its own for a thrifty desktop gaming setup. Newegg has marked this as a "Shell Shocker" deal, so it might not stick around for very long. If you're looking for more monitor recommendations, check out PCWorld's roundup of the best displays on the market.
Get a 27-inch 1440p 180Hz IPS gaming monitor for only $158
This NVMe M.2 SSD delivers jaw-dropping read and write speeds of up to 7,450 MB/s and 6,900 MB/s, respectively, which means it's an excellent choice for gamers, content creators, and anyone who needs a lightning-fast PC storage solution (that's basically everyone).
When we reviewed the Samsung 990 PRO, we gave it a 4-star rating and our Editors' Choice award. Our only gripe at the time was its steep price, but it's a no-brainer now that it's 30% off. And if you really want to ramp up its power, make sure to get the version with the heatsink (which is also on sale but a little pricier at $110).
While it didn't shatter records in our tests, the Samsung 990 PRO's top-tier performance ranks among the best we've ever reviewed. It's a solid get now that it's 30% off, so don't miss it. Otherwise, if you want to spend less, check out our picks for the best SSDs for all budgets and needs.
Save 30% on Samsung's ultra-fast 1TB internal SSDBuy now at Amazon
Starting on October 3, subscribers to Philo's $16 per month and $20 per month legacy plans will see their monthly rates rise to $25 a month, according to an email sent to Philo subscribers.
The email, which was signed by Philo CEO Andrew McCollum, said that legacy subscribers will gain access to one year unlimited DVR functionality as part of the price hike.
In the message, McCollum noted that Philo had never hiked prices on its existing subscribers or "forced them to upgrade" prior to October's slated price increase.
"Unfortunately, the trust is that we lose money on our oldest plans, and have for some time," McCollum said in the statement. "We've done what we can to absorb those costs out of loyalty to our subscribers. But in order to deliver on our values, we have to build a sustainable business, so we're making changes to some of our subscription plans."
Contacted by TechHive, a Philo rep confirmed the price hike for legacy plans.
As noted by The Streamable, Philo closed its old $16 a month plan to new subscribers back in 2019, but had allowed existing subscribers to stay on at the same price.
The new $25 per month Philo plan for legacy subscribers will still be cheaper than Philo Core, the streamer's standard tier.
Both plans offer access to roughly 70 live streaming channels, including A&E, Animal Planet, BET, SMT, Comedy Cent
VideoCardz noticed the price drop, specifically for the RTX 5090, 5080, and 5070. The top-of-the-line RTX 5090 gets the biggest drop, from €2,329 to €2,099, just a hair under 10 percent. The RTX 5080 goes from €1,169 to €1,059, while the RTX 5070 drops from €649 to €589. The RTX 5070 Ti, 5060, and 5060 Ti are not getting any price drops at the moment. Note that the prices are for Nvidia's Founders Edition cards, though a small amount of cards from other manufacturers should be available at that "base" price with no extras.
Why the price drop? Since Nvidia changed the European prices without ceremony, there's no official word. But VideoCardz notes that the 9 to 10 percent drop roughly follows the rise of the Euro currency versus the US dollar over the last six months, a 12 percent gain for the former. That would explain why US prices are unchanged, despite high demand across the board for Nvidia's graphics cards.
For the sake of comparison, €2,099 is $2449 at today's exchange rates, and the US price of the RTX 5090 Founder's Edition is still allegedly $2,000, so Europe's general higher prices (accounting for factors like Value Added Tax,
These bubbly, bright cases feel like fresh air among the monochrome boxes across the landscape. I could see them in many more homes than a black mid-tower—whether for young kids or fans of colorful, maximalist décor.
But why did I like it so much? And why haven't I seen more cases that don't look like what we expect? These questions fueled the chat I recently had with Hyte product director Rob Teller, where we discussed case design.
Teller covers this and more during the interview, dropping a couple of pieces of info that helped me understand the reasons I don't always love other cases with unique colors. For example: The X50 was created to look good in color first.
Also, the fatigue I feel about today's fiercely minimalistic chassis, with their crisp lines and subtle mesh panel variations? That makes more sense, if PC cases reflect ever more of our personal taste and aesthetic preferences. Fashion over pure
One of the more critical issues, according to Microsoft's Release Health support documents, is that attempts to reset or recover your device might fail. Specifically, this could happen if you perform a "Reset my PC" action, a "Fix problems using Windows Update" action, or a "RemoteWipe CSP" action, all after installing the August 2025 update.
The lawsuit was filed by publisher Axel Springer SE against ad-filtering software company Eyeo and it mainly concerns the browser extension Adblock Plus, which calls itself the "world's #1 free ad blocker" and is used by millions to block ads on websites—including those owned by Axel Springer, like Politico and Business Insider.
The lawsuit was originally dismissed by a Hamburg court, but according to the report, it's now being reopened to examine whether the initial judgement was incorrect. After a detailed review, another court could even rule in favor of Axel Springer this time.
Mozilla warns against ad blocker ban
Daniel Nazer, Senior IP & Product Counsel at Mozilla, the provider of Firefox, warned of the possible consequences of this case in a blog post . According to him, a court-ordered ban on Adblock Plus could lead to the banning of other browser extensions that block ads the
Yesterday, the official Asus ROG account on Instagram posted a promo image of the upcoming ROG Xbox Ally handheld with the new Gears of War Reloaded, saying that the game is "officially ROG Xbox Ally certified." This is the first we're hearing of any such certification, leading with an "official" designation and tagging the Xbox Gamescom presentation to boot. According to previous Microsoft announcements, the ROG Xbox Ally will be on display at the European trade show, and a date and price for the upcoming hardware are expected there.
Microsoft and its partner Asus are positioning the ROG Xbox Ally as a true brother—or perhaps a close cousin—to the Xbox console. But no matter what the marketing says, the ROG Xbox Ally is not an Xbox in the technical sense because it runs Windows, like most handheld gaming PCs that aren't made by Valve. Windows 11 has been a pain point for the Steam Deck's competition,
A surge in support needs is expected around October 14, when Microsoft stops providing free updates for Windows 10. Millions of users will have to upgrade their computers to Windows 11 unless they pay for further support.
Supporting others remotely is efficient and easy. This saves travel time and costs, and lets you spread support over multiple sessions. And, if you have to send an installation stick by mail, it can take a few days to get things moving. Best to get started while there's still time.
Our guide explains how to prepare, walks you through the upgrade process, explains how to bypass the installation lock on older PCs, and shows you how remote maintenance works even if Windows is not yet running before a new installation.
After all, it's not easy to start every computer from a USB setup stick instead of the "normal" way from the hard drive. Without video support and control, this can certainly fail.
For this, we've chosen TeamViewer Remote, a remote maintenance tool that's free for personal use, works reliably, and makes things easy for the person you're helping. With the TeamViewer QuickSupport variant, all you have to do is
The Anker Prime 6-in-1 charging station is a sleek upgrade for any bulky, traditional power strip. It offers two AC outlets on its face plus two USB-C and two USB-A along its bottom edge, allowing you to charge up to six devices at once. With a total 140W power output, it'll charge fast and get those devices up to 100% in no time.
Its slim, compact design is a refreshing change from the conventionally long and clunky power strips you're familiar with. And since it's about the size of a smartphone, this charger is also travel-friendly and perfect for hotels, Airbnbs, and airports. The detachable 5-foot cable provides plenty of range flexibility, and the flat plug design ensures it fits neatly behind furniture without getting in the way.
If you're still using chunky power strips with chunky USB power adapters, why not consolidate with this nifty all-in-one charging station? Get it now for just $80 while this special price lasts!
Save $30 on Anker's slim and fast 6-device charging stationBuy now at Amazon
Here's what you get for that crazy low price: a decent AMD Ryzen 5 7430U processor, a decent 16GB of RAM, and a decent 512GB of SSD storage. Overall, it's a decent package that's capable of running Windows 11 Pro (included) without lagging along with all the apps and browser tabs you'll need. It's also user-upgradeable to 64GB of memory and 4TB of storage, so you can beef it up later on the cheap.
Those specs are powerful enough to support up to three 4K@60Hz monitors as well. Available connections include HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB-C video, as well as six high-speed USB-A, Ethernet, and 3.5mm audio. It also comes with a VESA mounting kit, so you can attach it to the back of a VESA-compatible monitor and keep it out of sight.
If you're in the market for a compact-yet-capable PC, the Acemagician K1 mini PC is a steal for just $250, so don't miss your chance to grab this deal while it lasts! It's a crazy good value for what you pay.
Save 22% on this Ryzen 5 mini PC with 16GB RAM and Windows 11 ProBuy now at Amazon
Most people don't think about this threat—and truthfully, I haven't either, even though I cover security for PCWorld. Back in 2011, security on phone operating systems was more basic. Since then, both Google and Apple have updated their operating systems to be more resistant to juice jacking.
But at the start of this summer (and since), various news outlets have recirculated a warning from the United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA) about an updated version of juice jacking at airports. Called "choice jacking," a rogue USB charging port's malware can bypass the required interaction with your phone or tablet's screen to grant access to storage. It tricks the device into believing you've pressed the on-screen buttons that give the permission.
I'm still not very worried about this updated attack method—and not because security experts and software vendors say that this threat is more theoretical than actual. Why? It's incredibly easy to avoid this threat, no matter how real or imagined.
Unfortunately, the streaming experience isn't consistent around the world. Different territories have access to different streaming services and different content on those services. That makes mainlining episodes of your favorite show every night a bit tricky when you're travelling for work or vacation. Did you know you can use a VPN to keep watching your favorites, no matter where you are?
Be where you want to be
One of the neatest aspects of using a VPN is that you can decide where you appear to be. So if you're holidaying in Europe, you can use a VPN like Norton's to make it seem as if you're in the US. So you can still get on to your favorite streaming platform an
If you're keen to find a way to protect yourself from fake calls from ‘relatives', or the latest AI-enhanced phishing text messages, Norton 360 might be the tool for you. Alongside classic defensive measures like real-time antivirus and a smart firewall, it now comes equipped with Genie Scam Protection. This anti-scam tool uses AI to fight AI, and can detect scams before you've even had a chance to read through one.
How can you tell if a text message is a scam?
Got a suspicious SMS message? Genie's AI engine can detect a scam and warn you before you even open it. Encountered an image you think might be a deepfake, or an offer in an email that seems to good to be true? Genie is just a click away with useful advice and the ability to scan for scams, so you're never caught out by nefarious actors ever ag
But after reviewing a lot of Arm laptops with Snapdragon X chips this past year, I've noticed a big problem: if you want an Arm laptop, MacBooks are much more compelling. While Apple lowers prices on its high-end laptops, PC makers are pricing down by cutting corners.
In other words, the PC industry is failing to compete properly in the Arm laptop market, with Microsoft's Surface laptop lineup as the perfect example of it all—and we deserve better than this.
Arm PCs vs. Arm MacBooks: Let's compare
I love Windows and I love PCs. But when it comes to Arm laptops, you lose a lot of the PC's advantages—like upgradeable hardware, near-perfect backwards compatibility, a huge library of PC games, etc. Arm laptops fail to deliver on those fronts, and if those are your highest priorities, then you're better off with an Intel or AMD laptop.
Moreover, Arm-based Windows laptops with Qualcomm Snapdragon chips are fail
Microsoft Office Professional 2021 is now available as a one-time purchase, now only $49.97 (reg. $219.99). There are no subscriptions or hidden fees. You get the full suite: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher, Access, OneNote, and even the free version of Teams.
You install it on one Windows PC and you're done. Built for Windows 10 and 11, the software runs smoothly and comes with improved performance, modern interface tweaks, and productivity enhancements across the board.
What makes this deal especially compelling is the savings. Normally tagged at around $220, this offer delivers top-tier Office tools for le
It is set to stop working on December 1, 2025 at which time all associated functionality will be removed. All other NordVPN features and services outside of Meshnet will be unaffected.
First introduced in 2022, Meshnet offered a unique and functional way to securely connect multiple devices similar to a LAN connection.
Despite the end of Meshnet, NordVPN remains our favorite VPN overall thanks to its blazing-fast speeds, ability to access all streaming sites, and excellent security features.
But wait, you say. Copilot is already in Excel! For one thing, there's already a bit Copilot button in the upper right! If I hover my cursor over an empty Excel shell, a Copilot icon appears!
Bless your heart. That's not Excel! Real Excel nerds know that nothing is nothing without that equals sign in front of it, designating an actual function. An average isn't an AVERAGE unless it uses the correct syntax. Now you can highlight a range, and use the COPILOT function to provide additional information or context.
To be fair, that's something that the existing Copilot functions don't really allow for. The Copilot icon, for example, can suggest a formula or function or be used to learn something new about Excel, but it can't really be used in conjunction with a prompt. (Excel can also be used to open a document sidebar, where you can "talk" to Copilot as you would normally.) That's what the new COPILOT function is good for, as the example below shows. Here, the user is tallying feedback about a coffee machine.
Nvidia is leaving the price of the GeForce Now Ultimate tier unchanged at $19.99 per month, and $99.99 for six months, Nvidia said at the Gamescom show. Nvidia is also adding an annual GeForce Now Ultimate subscription for $199.99. A GeForce Now Ultimate daily membership will be available at launch, Nvidia said, presumably for the current price of $7.99. Session lengths will remain at eight hours for Ultimate subscribers.
The point of Nvidia's GeForce Now service has always been to deliver a cloud gaming experience that's as close as possible to what a gamer would experience on a PC. The price of graphics cards, of course, has climbed to astronomical heights, making GeForce Now a way of partially offsetting the hundreds of dollars a gamer would need to shell out for the latest RTX 4000 or 5000 series cards.
Of course, playing a game in the cloud has traditionally meant forcing certain restrictions upon the subscriber: a limited resolution and image quality to minimize the amount of data sent back and forth over a broadband connection, and some level of latency or delay between a user's input and a corresponding response from the game running on the server. Nvidia's GeForce Now upgrades attack all of those angles to improve the experience.
In fact, these cameras are so useful you might want to mount one next to every entry point into your home: side entrances, at your garage door, and the door to your backyard, for example.
Whether you're waiting for friends to visit, watching for trouble-makers, tracking parcel deliveries, or hiding from that weird neighbor who keeps asking to borrow your lawn mower, the video doorbell is an essential security tool.
Ring Battery Doorbell Plus - Best video doorbell for most people
I've covered this before. I bought a Brother printer basically identical to this HL-L2420DW model years ago and I love it. (The only difference I can tell is that this one's slightly faster.) It's dead simple, just printing black-and-white pages super fast. It's wireless, so once you go through an admittedly tedious setup process on the one-line LCD, you never need to keep it near your actual computer.
Oh, and best of all, it uses cheap toner instead of ink. That means one cartridge will last you for an incredible amount of time—I still haven't swapped mine out after three years of maybe 2 to 3 pages a week—and you can fill it up with a cheap generic replacement, no need to buy official ink from Brother. If you only need the occasional shipping label, boarding pass, or Dungeons & Dragons character sheet, this printer is perfect.
Normally these go for a little over $100, but today you can get a refurbished model with a 1-year warranty for $79.99 directly from Brother. And as SlickDeals forum posters discovered, you can take
Echoing my sentiments, PCWorld contributor Chris Hoffman said "wait for a sale" when he reviewed the Inspiron 14 Plus last year. (Hey, that's this sale, right here!) He gave it high marks for its long battery life and solid keyboard, but wasn't impressed with the basic build quality, especially for a four-figure price. This standard model comes with a nice 14-inch, 2560×1600 touchscreen, 16GB of RAM (the lowest I'd recommend for Windows), and 512GB of storage. That's a significantly better package than you normally find in laptops anywhere near this cheap.
You also get an IR camera and fingerprint reader for super-fast logins, plus plenty of USB ports (two C, one A), though I'd have swapped out the MicroSD card slot for HDMI if I had my druthers. It's light, but not incredibly so, at a hair over three pounds (1.4 kilos) and .67 inches (17 mm) thick.
Best Buy has marked this as a sale, but it doesn't have an expiration date. If it's not quite what you're looking for, be sure to check out PCWorld's roundup of the best laptops on the market.
According to the company, this only happens in particularly serious or concerning situations. For example, Claude may choose to stop engaging with you if you repeatedly attempt to get the AI chatbot to discuss child sexual abuse, terrorism, or other "harmful or abusive" interactions.
This feature was added not just because such topics are controversial, but because it provides the AI an out when multiple attempts at redirection have failed and productive dialogue is no longer possible.
If a conversation ends, the user cannot continue that thread but can start a new chat or edit previous messages.
The initiative is part of Anthropic's research on AI well-being, which explores how AI can be protected from stressful interactions.
The Logitech G305 Lightspeed is a tried-and-true wireless gaming mouse, delivering a maximum DPI of 12,000 for high sensitivity, allowing you to be super accurate with your clicks whether you're playing FPSes, RTSes, or RPGs. Don't want it so sensitive? Cycle through DPI options with a convenient button. It also has 6 other programmable buttons that you can optimize through the Logitech G Hub app.
Comfort-wise, this is an uber-light mouse that weighs just 99 grams, so you'll barely feel you're holding it. It comes with a AA battery included, which will give you 250 hours of use before needing to be replaced.
You'd be hard-pressed to do better for a wireless gaming mouse at this price, so snag the Logitech G305 Lightspeed for $30 while this deal's still around and get your game on!
Save 40% on this tried-and-true Logitech wireless gaming mouseBuy now at Amazon
That's where a Windows Hello webcam comes in. Microsoft's biometric Windows Hello system uses a depth camera plus facial-recognition technology to log you in to Windows 10 or Windows 11 in a split second. Most laptops include Windows Hello webcams with depth cameras. Desktops don't, however.
PCWorld reviews and tests the best 1080p and 4K webcams, but we go a bit further with our recommendations here: We not only look at image quality, but also noise cancellation as well as how well each camera serves to log you in.
The Verge writes that the Mini SSD measures 15mm x 17mm x 1.4mm, only slightly larger than a microSD card yet delivering up to 3,700 MB/s read speeds and 3,400 MB/s write speeds via a PCIe 4×2 connection.
The Mini SSD is IP68-rated so it's resistant to both water and dust, plus it can withstand drops from a height of 3 meters, and it uses a SIM-like slot with a slide-out tray, designed for laptops, mobiles, cameras, and more.
The price and launch date are not yet known, but two Chinese handheld gaming computers—the GPD Win 5 and the OneXPlayer Super X—are already reportedly incorporating the technology.
According to Japanese user Necoru_cat on Twitter/X, the Microsoft Defender update issued last week for Windows 11 and Windows 10 introduced a new bug that's causing some storage drives to be inaccessible. That includes drives that are hosting Windows itself, effectively borking the entire PC. Neowin reports that it's an issue specifically for the latest 24H2 versions of Windows 11 (KB5063878, KB5063875) and Windows 10 (KB5063709, KB5063877, KB5063871, KB5063889).
Several other users are having the same issue, worried that their storage drives are broken. Neowin thinks that it might be a problem with some drives that have a specific NAND controller from supplier Phison, showing a mix of issues, some of which can be fixed automatically with a reboot and some of which can't.
Reportedly, this bug is being triggered by heavy write sessions to NVMe SSDs and hard drives, possibly resulting in file corruption. Rebooting might help, but the problem seems to be persistent in the small amount of users it's affecting, apparently only showing up when writing or backing up 50 gigabytes or more. Unfortunately it hasn't been narrowed down to a specific range of drive models affected, and which might be saved by a firmware update. A similar issue was resolved in that way last year
This Acer XV272U is a 27-inch display that features an IPS panel with a crisp 1440p resolution—the "sweet spot" for many PC gamers—that delivers crystal-clear images, vibrant contrast, and impressive color accuracy. Whether you're working, studying, streaming Netflix, or gaming, you'll love the visuals here.
The cherry on top is the 240Hz refresh rate, which is hard to come by at this price. If you have a PC that's capable of pushing that many frames per second, you'll have an amazing time with this affordable monitor. Even during fast-paced action scenes and boss fights, you'll enjoy ultra-smooth visuals. And with its 1ms response time, ghosting is kept to a minimum.
The monitor also offers solid connectivity, including DisplayPort 1.4, double HDMI 2.0, and 3.5mm audio. You can set this monitor up exactly how you need it, allowing you to adjust its position by tilting, swiveling, pivoting, and adjusting its height. Alternatively, the VESA mount makes it easy to set this up on a monitor arm.
Don't miss this chance to grab this 27-inch 1440p 240Hz gaming monitor for just $220 on Amazon, the best price we've seen this year.
Save 27% on Acer's budget 27-inch 1440p 240Hz gaming monitorBuy now at Amazon
Google has confirmed the attacks and states that general data like customer and company names were leaked, but not passwords. The resulting data leak means that users of Google services—including Gmail and Google Cloud—are now at risk of falling victim to phishing attempts.
How the phishing attacks work
Initial reports of attempted attacks have already been seen on Reddit, which are likely related to the data leak. Users describe how alleged Google employees have contacted them by phone to inform them of a security breach in their accounts.
In these scam attempts, attackers are trying to take over Gmail accounts by triggering alleged "account resets" and then intercepting passwords to subsequently lock out the account holders. Another attack method involves "dangling buckets" (i.e., outdated access addresses) to steal data from or inje
Setting my phone on a tray table or holding it in my lap is fine for a couple of minutes… but on a long-haul flight or a slow train ride across state lines, it just won't do. And even if you aren't as tall as I am, you've probably felt the neck strain that comes from hunching too long over your phone. It's that much worse when combined with the extra discomforts of travel. Who wants a kinked neck at the start of a trip?
If you're actually looking to use this thing for a project instead of a mean-spirited gaming handicap, then you'll probably be doing so for some kind of small gadget or monitor. The Raspberry Pi's 5-inch 1280×720 touchscreen (spotted by Tom's Hardware) is perfect for that, mounting directly on the bottom of a Pi and featuring a 5-point multitouch panel. It's powered directly from the Pi's GPIO with just 5 volts, so it won't take up one of your precious USB ports. A few simple settings in rasp-config is all it takes to get it all working.
The new version of the screen shares almost all the same specifications as the 7-inch model (which has now been around for 10 years, wow) with the obvious exception of its size, and it's compatible with all full-sized Pi models going back to the B . It's not especially impressive in terms of its panel, with a viewing angle of just 80 degrees and a rather chunky bezel. But for a standalone controller or some neat little project gadget that sits on
Even if its components are powerful enough for Windows 11, it may become electronic waste: This is because Microsoft has strict requirements for the hardware on which the new operating system can run — especially when it comes to the processor.
Most PCs and laptops that are more than eight years old are therefore excluded from the upgrade — even though they work without any problems under Windows 10 and would certainly do the same under Windows 11.
However, you can make your computer officially fit for Windows 11 with small hardware upgrades: Whether this is worthwhile, whether it is even possible, and how much it costs depends on the specific PC or laptop.
What your computer needs for Windows 11
The requirements that Microsoft places on a computer for Windows 11 look low at first glance:
Processor with 64-bit support, two cores and a clock speed of 1GHz
4GB RAM
64GB storage for the installation
Many old computers fulfill these requirements, which aren't dissimilar from the requirements for graphics hardware with Direct X 12: Even PCs that are over 10 years old have suitable components.
I could be referring to Netflix, which started down that exact path with its "Watch Now" streaming catalog way back in 2007. But I could also be prognosticating about Howdy, the $3-per-month streaming service that Roku launched just last week.
The parallels are obvious. Roku is starting with a small catalog, heavy on filler, and claims it's not trying to compete with incumbents. But it's also arriving at a time when consumers are increasingly frustrated with the larger streaming services, which are becoming more like the bloated, expensive cable packages they once aimed to displace.
Howdy might seem insignificant now, but like Netflix, it could become the start of something bigger.
What makes this mini PC worthy of your attention? It's powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 6800U processor that's paired with a robust 32GB of LPDDR5 memory and a spacious 1TB of SSD storage. Those specs aren't exactly cutting-edge, but that's a lot of power for what you're paying. A laptop of equivalent price would be way weaker than that. Plus, you can always upgrade yourself later (up to 64GB memory and 8TB storage).
It's also the perfect mini PC for home offices, as it can support up to three 4K@60Hz monitors via the available HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB-C video connections. You also get two high-speed USB-A, two slower USB-A for peripherals, Gigabit LAN, and 3.5mm audio jack. It also has built-in support for Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2.
That's a loaded setup for just $339! Act fast and get the Beelink SER5 Max mini PC on sale while you can because this is a hot deal you won't want to pass up. Remember, you'll need Prime for this exclusive deal price, so start your free 30-day Prime trial now to score this price!
Save 24% on this Ryzen 7 mini PC with a whopping 32GB RAM
This is a rock-solid gaming laptop that can handle all your non-gaming tasks, too. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 processor makes this a Copilot PC, meaning it's capable of all the fancy AI features in Windows 11. And between the 16GB of DDR5 memory and 1TB of SSD storage, it's fast and spacious enough for all your apps, browser tabs, and games.
But the pièce de résistance here is the cutting-edge Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 graphics card, just released earlier this year. It unlocks Nvidia's latest gaming features, including DLSS 4 and ray tracing, so your games will look and feel their best—especially on this laptop's 16-inch IPS display with gorgeous 2560×1600 resoluton and 165Hz refresh rate.
Take it further and connect an up-to-4K external monitor via HDMI 2.1 or USB4 video with power delivery. Other connections include two high-speed USB-A and one slower USB-A for peripherals, plus Gigabit LAN and a 3.5mm audio jack. Wireless includes Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2.
The Gigabyte Aero X16 is a phenomenal laptop for $1,200 so snag it while this deal's active if you're interested. If you need something even more powerful, check out the best overall gaming la
Fortunately, we've got everything they'll need to make the most of their setup in a one-stop shop. Kit them out with some or all of these extras, and they'll be a studying, class-taking, test-passing machine. Or possibly just play a lot of League of Legends. Don't judge, college is stressful.
I've ranked this list starting with what I consider the most essential additions to a standard laptop. If you're on a budget, go for the top items first.
An HDD can also be more attractive from a financial perspective. A 2TB internal SSD typically costs $130-$180, while an HDD of the same size can be found for just $60-$90. Users who focus on price-performance ratio or prefer to put their budget toward a graphics card or RAM may be better off with an HDD.
Still juggling work across multiple apps and paying separate fees for different AI tools? Get on the 1min.AI bandwagon. It combines all the heavy hitters, like GPT, Claude, Gemini, and Llama, into one dashboard with powerful tools for writing, image editing, video production, audio transcription, PDF analysis, and more. You can save 85% for a limited time on the lifetime plan, meaning no recurring fees—ever.
Need to crank out a blog post, summarize a research PDF, or translate a client document? You can do it without hopping between tabs or leaking sensitive data into a dozen different services. Want to generate product images, replace a background, or upscale assets? The same workspace handles it. Audio and video work—including transcription, translation, and editing is just as seamless.
Tech-savvy users will appreciate the flagship AI models, unlimited storage, custom brand voices, and a public roadmap of weekly updates. Collaboration is built in with up to 20 team member
We've also included some helpful answers to common questions about buying a computer at the bottom of this article. If you're considering a laptop instead, be sure to check out our best laptop deals, updated daily.
Note: Tech deals come and go quickly, so it's possible some of these computer discounts will have expired before this article's next update.
Best gaming desktop computer deals
Omen 16L, Ryzen 7 8700G/RTX 5060/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,049.99 (16% off on HP)
Alienware Aurora
Our entire newsroom has had to adjust to remote work over the past few years, like most of the world, so we've spent a long time testing and reviewing hardware and optimizing our workspaces. Here are some of our favorite work-from-home essentials.
Look sharp during Zoom meetings: Anker PowerConf C200 Webcam
Large image files can drag down your website's performance, especially on mobile or slower connections. BabyPNG helps you clean things up without losing image quality, and it just went on sale.
This slim, browser-based tool compresses JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF, TIFF, and SVG files without making them look worse. You get smaller file sizes that load faster, take up less space, and are easier to manage, whether you're running a personal site or handling client work. It's simple to use and doesn't require software or technical know-how.
Once you upload an image, BabyPNG processes it quickly and securely. Files are automatically deleted after compression, and everything runs over HTTPS for peace of mind. If you're using the Pro plan, you also get access to faster processing, AI-powered compression, and PDF optimization tools.
The Solo plan supports up to 50 images per day with batch compression for up to 10 files. Pro users can upload unlimited files, compress up to 200 images per day, and work through priority queues for faster results. Both plans offer lifetime access, so you c
Software subscriptions can seem harmless at first, but over time, they add up. If you're using Microsoft 365 and are tired of paying $99.99 every year for software you're always going to rely on, there's a simpler option. Microsoft Office 2024 Home is a one-time purchase that gives you access to the core apps most people actually use, without the recurring fees. It works on both Mac and PC, and it's currently on sale for $129.97, down from $149.99.
This version of Microsoft Office comes with
Word
Excel
PowerPoint
OneNote
These are the full desktop apps, not the web-based versions. They run locally on your device and include the latest features, including AI tools like Smart Compose in Word, which can suggest sentence completions and ideas as you write. Excel includes dynamic arrays and upgraded filtering options for faster data handling, while PowerPoint lets you record presentations with video, audio, and captions. OneNote continues to s
Here at PCWorld we're always testing the latest gadgets to sort the good from the don't-bother. In the process, we've come across a lot of tech gear that's built for travel.
Here we've curated a list of the gear that we believe is worthy of any packing list and sure to help prepare you for anything you may encounter on the road—or in the sky.
Happy travels!
Manage electrical needs with a voltage converter
BESTEK Universal Travel Adapter 220V to 110V
Monthly subscription fees for cloud storage add up quickly, especially if you need a lot of space. Instead of paying for Dropbox every month, try FolderFort. FolderFort is a way to skip those recurring charges entirely with 5TB of secure cloud storage that lasts for life, and it's on sale now for $299.99 (reg. $1,499).
When you have that much space, security is more important than ever. FolderFort uses Backblaze's cloud infrastructure for encryption, speed, and scalability, so your files are protected and always available. If you ever need more space, upgrades happen instantly, and downgrades are just as simple. Uploading is quick, even for large files, and the interface keeps everything organized without unnecessary clutter.
This plan includes unlimited workspaces and unlimited user access, so you can collaborate without paying for additional accounts. Each invited user gets 1GB of personal storage at no cost. File sharing is simple, with public or restricted links, and there are no complicated installations. Everything
Webcams exploded during the work-from-home movement in 2020, and we've covered them closely ever since. Below, you'll find our pick for the best webcam overall, budget webcam offerings, and premium 4K webcams that offer the best of everything. We have a separate article covering the best Windows Hello webcams, which use biometrics to help eliminate passwords.
Our webcam testing methodology emphasizes showing you screenshots of how the webcam will take photos and video in multiple lighting conditions, audio tests, and more. Price matters, and we may adjust our recommendations on price fluctuations due to sales or tariffs.
Bob Duffy, who oversees Intel's AI Playground application for running AI art and local chatbots on your PC, tweeted that the company's latest Arc driver for its integrated GPUs now offers a "shared GPU memory override" that offers the ability to adjust your PC's VRAM, provided that you have a supported processor.
This is a big deal for AI and even some games, though not an obvious one. Until now, laptops with an Intel Core processor split the available memory down the middle, assigning half to the PC's operating system and half to VRAM. If you owned an Intel Core laptop with 32GB of memory, 16GB of it would be assigned to AI and games. AMD took a different route: Although a Ryzen laptop would generally do the same by default, users could either use AMD's Adrenalin software or the laptop's BIOS to manually adjust the VRAM.
In day-to-day office work, the split means little. But to an AI model, more VRAM theoretically means more performance.
Over the years, I've set up an elaborate array of smart automations that control my lights, switch fans on and off, take charge of my robot vacuums, and warn me about rogue water leaks (the latter of which has yet to happen, thankfully). Indeed, I depend on these eight smart routines for keeping our household perfectly lit, clean, and protected from water damage and backyard threats.
Here's a rundown on the smart automations that I absolutely, positively depend on. While they're probably not perfect for you, they might spark some ideas for automating your own household.
Wake-up routine
When it‘s triggered: Weekdays at 6:10 a.m., weekends at 7:45 a.m.
What it does: Gradually ramps up the brightness of the smart lights in our two bedrooms
Why it's important: It ensures our household sleepyheads don't binge-snooze their alarm clocks
I'm an early riser, but my wife and teenage daughter will snooze their alarms to infinity if you let them—and that's a problem, given that they need to be wheels-up for work and school by roughly 7:30 in the morning.
That's why the wake-up routines for our smart lights (Philips Hue, in our case) are so critical. On weekdays, the bedroom lights switch on automatically at 6:10 a.m.-not all the way, mind you, but at the very lowest brightness setting, almost like a nightlight.
Ever so gradually, those bedroom lights ramp up their brightness, and within five minutes, they're glowing in a sunrise-like warm glow at a full 100-percent power.
The MX Master 2S came out in 2018, a gentle refresh of the iconic design with compatibility for Logitech's multi-device Flow software. It's got all the big features of the series, including that big, comfy shape, a secondary scroll wheel for your thumb, tons of programming options for the many buttons, and compatibility with 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth. While 4,000 DPI on the sensor isn't exactly gaming-grade these days, the Darkfield tech is good enough to track on glass. It should last up to 70 days on a charge, too. You can read PCWorld's full review here.
All that being said, you might want to pass on the Master 2S if you've gone all-in on USB-C since this one recharges with a Micro USB cable that can be harder to find these days. Newer MX Master designs have USB-C charging, quieter clicks, and scroll wheels that can dynamically switch between clicky and fast scrolling. I'm not a fan of the Master 2S's stacked thumb buttons, and there's an unofficial MX Master 4 mouse that'll probably arrive sometime later this year. It has three thumb buttons in what looks like a more comfy arrangement.
But that'll be well over the $100 mark when it comes out, as are the current models. If you're deal hunting, then you can
We've featured AOC's Agon Pro AG276QZD2 before, it's one of the more affordable options in this space and it goes on sale frequently, but I haven't seen it go this low since well before Prime Day. As a 27-inch 1440p option with 240Hz of refresh, it's hitting just about the baseline for current OLED upgrades. That speed should make your gaming PC sweat if you turn all the settings up on a recent triple-A game, especially if you turn on Nvidia G-Sync.
Sadly, a lack of USB-C options (there are two USB-A ports) means this OLED is best suited for desktop PCs, not laptops. But with double HDMI and DisplayPort inputs, it's a welcome companion for any game consoles that happen to be on your desk, too. Oh, and the VESA mount means it's perfect for adding on a monitor arm.
Amazon says this is a "limited time deal," but there's no countdown so I assume it's allocated a specific amount of monitors to sell at this price. But if you're not fast enough to grab one, don't fret—I'll bet there'll be something in this same range coming down the pipe before too long. If it's not precisely what you're looking for, check out PCWorld's picks for the best monitors on the market.
We've tested every laptop on this list ourselves, and we didn't just look at the specs. We also paid attention to frame rates, thermals, keyboard feel, screen quality, and more. No fluff or filler here!
Well, the part that monitors your graphics card, anyway. In the notes for the latest Steam beta release, Valve says it uses a new method to compute GPU utilization—one that's been optimized to more accurately reflect changes when other processes beyond the game you're playing utilize the GPU. (More common now as browsers and apps are optimized for more powerful graphics cards, including integrated graphics.)
As PC Gamer notes, the tool will sometimes report higher GPU utilization than the built-in monitor in Windows Task Manager, which Valve claims "appears to also under report in similar situations to our prior implementation." Granted, unless you really know your computer science, you'll have to take Valve's word and trust that its implementation is interested in showing you data that's fully optimized for gamers.
Other changes in the beta include various bug fixes and wider format Steam game store pages that should look better on bigger monitors. Exactly when these
Reuter's review of the policy document revealed that the governing standards for Meta AI (and other chatbots across the company's social media platforms) permitted the tool to "engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual," generate false medical information, and help users argue that Black people are "dumber than white people."
The policy document reportedly distinguished between "acceptable" and "unacceptable" language, drawing the line at explicit sexualization or dehumanization but still allowing derogatory statements.
Meta confirmed the document's authenticity, but claims that it "removed portions which stated it is permissible for chatbots to flirt and engage in romantic roleplay with children." One spokesperson also said that Meta is revising the policy document, clarifying that the company has policies that "prohibit content that sexualizes children and sexualized role play between adults and minors."
Nevertheless, the authenticated document was reportedly "approved by Meta's legal, public policy, and engineering staff, including its chief ethicist, according to the document."
Now's a great time to get one, by the way, because Arzopa's S1 Table portable monitor is just $70 on Amazon, down from its original $110. You'll need Prime for this exclusive price, but don't worry if you aren't a member. Start a free 30-day Prime trial and score this deal while you can!
This travel-friendly portable monitor features a 15.6-inch IPS screen with a standard 1080p resolution and a 178-degree viewing angle, delivering the vibrant colors and sharp details you need for Netflix, spreadsheets, social media, and whatever else you're doing on your laptop. With full-featured USB-C video ports and a Mini HDMI port, it's easy to connect and widely compatible with laptops, tablets, phones, and even your Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck.
The Arzopa S1 Table is uber portable, too, measuring just 0.3 inches thick and weighing only 1.7 pounds. It slips neatly into any bag right beside your laptop, so you can take it anywhere hassle-free. It also comes with a smart cover that serves a dual purrpose: it protects the screen during travel and acts as a kickstand to prop up the display.
This is a must-have accessory for any laptop user, especially now that it's on sale. Snap up this Arzopa S1 Table portable monitor for $70 before this awesome price expires! And remember, if you don't have Prime, you can s
According to Razer's promotional material, the BlackWidow V4 Low-Profile HyperSpeed keyboards deliver all the same performance as their bigger, thicker stablemates while cramming parts into an 18.5mm-thick body. That includes custom, low-profile switches in linear, tactile, and clicky varieties (yellow, orange, and green, respectively), two layers of foam for vibration and noise isolation, PBT keycaps (finally!), 2.4GHz and Bluetooth multi-device wireless, and a 980-hour battery life.
Some of the recent additions to Notepad include spell check, AI-generated text, and Markdown formatting—and the improvements aren't done yet. The latest news is that Notepad will soon have updated context menus in Windows 11, reports Neowin.
In Notepad version 11.2507.26.0, which is currently rolling out to Windows Insiders, the updated context menu now matches the look of Windows 11 24H2's context menus, with quick actions for Copy, Cut, Paste, Select all, and Delete, plus other actions like Write, Rewrite, Summarize, Define with Bing, and more.
You can technically get this new version of Notepad on non-Insider versions
The HP OmniBook X Flip 2-in-1 is a gorgeous 14-inch laptop that can double as a tablet thanks to its touchscreen on a 360-degree hinge. But it doesn't have to be used like a tablet. You can use that hinge to turn it into a tent, propping it up to read documents or watch movies—and you'll love doing both with its crisp 1920×1200 resolution on its IPS panel. It's perfect for school, work, hobbies, and leisure.
As for specs, you're looking at a powerful Intel Core Ultra 5 226V processor that qualifies as a Copilot PC, meaning it can run all of the snazzy AI features coming to Windows 11. It's also equipped with 16GB of LPDDR5 memory, 512GB of PCIe 4.0 storage, and Intel Arc graphics that can push modest frames for light gaming.
Not to mention the 22 hours of promised battery life. Even if it falls several hours short of that with your own level of usage, you're still getting tons of battery life on a single charge. It's also up-to-date with Thunderbolt 4 and HDMI 2.1 ports, plus USB-C and double USB-A.
The HP OmniBook X Flip 2-in-1 is a downright steal for $530, so snag it while you
The FineTrack works just like an AirTag, except it won't burn a hole in your wallet. It's fully compatible with Apple's Find My app and works with all iOS, iPadOS, and macOS devices. When it's within range, you can make it reveal its location with a loud alarm; when it's beyond range, you can track its location as it pings off nearby iOS, iPadOS, and macOS devices.
Two things I love about the FineTrack apart from its affordable price: it's pretty darn small at 1.4 x 1.4 x 0.3 inches, and it has a replaceable battery (a huge step up from other trackers with built-in batteries). It runs on a CR2032 button battery and lasts up to 2 years, plus it's small enough to keep inside a wallet in case of emergencies.
Considering a single AirTag is $29, this is a no-brainer alternative. Get the Ugreen FineTrack for just $10 on sale while you still can! This is the cheapest price it's ever been and it'll pay for itself in no time.
Ugreen's FineTrack costs a fraction of an Apple AirTagBuy now at Amazon
The Samsung Odyssey G70B was made with gamers in mind. It's a gorgeous 4K (3840×2160) monitor with an IPS panel on a 28-inch frame, which means crisp images, accurate colors, wide viewing angles, and excellent contrast, blacks, and whites thanks to DisplayHDR 400 tech. Maybe now you can finally see better in shadows while gaming!
It also boasts a 144Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time—not the greatest specs in monitor history, but plenty for anyone who sits anywhere between "casual" and "enthusiast" as a gamer, especially considering the 4K resolution. With Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, you'll get the best possible experience as the monitor syncs to what your graphics card can put out.
Other bits worth knowing: Odyssey G7 doubles as a smart TV, enabling you to switch between your favorite streaming apps and enjoy all that content in gorgeous 4K. Connectivity-wise, you get a DisplayPort, double HDMI, double USB-A for peripherals, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a LAN port so that any connected devices can have wired internet.
The Samsung Odyssey G7 is a winner for $299, so get your hands on one at this excellent price before Walmart's stock runs out. Or if you'd rather level up or down to another tie
A simple solution to that problem is to create a QR code in Windows for your Wi-Fi that people can then easily scan with their own device's camera and connect to at a moment's notice.
There have been apps that can do this available for some time, but Microsoft began providing a native feature to generate QR codes for Wi-Fi in Windows 11 in late 2024.
I've seen this feature in use by savvy hotels and cafes, and it makes connecting to Wi-Fi so convenient, but who says it can only be used by businesses? You can do it at home too! Here's how.
What to do:
Open Windows Settings and navigate to Network & internet Wi-Fi Manage Known networks.
Click on the arrow to the right of your Wi-Fi account name.
In the next window click on the Show tab located next to Wi-Fi network password.
You should now see your Wi-Fi password and a QR code generated for your Wi-Fi network.
Take a screenshot of the QR code and print it out to make it accessible to the people who need it.
I remember the sound of my modem. I owned only one—a 14.4K baud model that felt like a clunker, compared to what my peers owned. They all had newer computers.
AOL is actually how I first made it fully online—and how I found out I owned a turtle of a modem. Until then, I'd only logged into a free local BBS. But then I learned of the world wide web, and how it held more info about my favorite TV show.
I secretly signed up for a trial without my parents' permission. I discovered quickly that I hated the interface, and also that I couldn't load webpages quickly at all. (1.0kbps download speeds feel bad, man.) These restrictions didn't keep me from exploring or meeting new people, but after I burned through my free hours, I returned to my BBS.
I never gave much thought to AOL's dial-up service again. I got back on the internet a year or so later in a different way—a boy at school who shared his unlimited plan though the local phone company. Most everyone I knew also chose competing ISPs.
So like many others, I was surprised to hear of AOL's plan to axe its dial-up service
Even if its components are powerful enough for Windows 11, it may become electronic waste: This is because Microsoft has strict requirements for the hardware on which the new operating system can run — especially when it comes to the processor.
Most PCs and laptops that are more than eight years old are therefore excluded from the upgrade — even though they work without any problems under Windows 10 and would certainly do the same under Windows 11.
However, you can make your computer officially fit for Windows 11 with small hardware upgrades: Whether this is worthwhile, whether it is even possible, and how much it costs depends on the specific PC or laptop.
What your computer needs for Windows 11
The requirements that Microsoft places on a computer for Windows 11 look low at first glance:
Processor with 64-bit support, two cores and a clock speed of 1GHz
4GB RAM
64GB storage for the installation
Many old computers fulfill these requirements, which aren't dissimilar from the requirements for graphics hardware with Direct X 12: Even PCs that are over 10 years old have suitable components.
If you've ever stared at a stock chart like it was an alien language, Sterling Stock Picker is here to be your translator, strategist, and hype team all in one.
Right now, you can lock in a lifetime subscription for just $55.19 (regularly $486) when you use code SAVE20 at checkout. That's a one-time payment for an AI-powered investing platform built to simplify smart investing for everyone—from spreadsheet-loving finance pros to total market rookies.
The magic lies in its patent-pending North Star technology, which offers clear guidance on whether to buy, sell, hold, or avoid a stock. Add in Finley, your built-in AI financial coach, and you'll get custom recommendations, portfolio management suggestions, risk analysis, and detailed breakdowns that actually ma
This exact scenario actually played out at a family cookout a few weeks ago. When a well-meaning relative showed me an AI-altered family photo, my stomach dropped to my feet. I couldn't help but think: Ah, crap… that photo's just out there now, and who knows what could happen to it. I advised her to be more careful next time, but honestly? I'm not sure if my warning truly landed.
The problem here? It's just plain unawareness. Pure, unfiltered unawareness.
Should you really be uploading that photo to a chatbot?
Please, just stop uploading photos of kids to chatbots. Or really, anyone who hasn't said it's okay. It might feel innocent, but there are real privacy risks here and not just for you. You might be giving up way more than you realize, and it's easy to forget that when you're just playing around.
Questions to ask before uploading any photo
Before uploading any photos to your chatbot of choice, it'd be wise to have a conference with yourself and ask the following questions:
Where's this photo actually going?
Could it be used to train the AI or shared without you knowing?
Is there anything in it that gives away too much? (House number? Street sign?)
Do you even know what the privacy policy says? (Be honest!)
Did every
More and more people are flocking to ChatGPT as their primary mode of query fulfillment, and why not? ChatGPT isn't merely an answer engine. It offers a much more interactive experience than traditional search. Google helps you find links, while ChatGPT does more.
Here are all the ways ChatGPT beats Google Search and why people are choosing ChatGPT over Google for their queries.
Note: We're only comparing to Google Search here. Google technically has AI Overviews as well as AI Mode now, which are attempts to replicate the magic of ChatGPT—and while even those still fall seriously short of what ChatGPT is capable of, they're beyond this article's scope.
Bloomberg reported that the two sides were in discussions, but nothing has been decided: not when or even if it could happen, nor the amount of equity Intel would give up or what terms would be attached to the agreement.
What does appear to be clear, however, is that the U.S. government is at least talking about taking a direct stake in Intel, which would be a first for the company.
In May, the Saudi national AI company Humain — a company funded by the sovereign wealth fund of Saudia Arabia — formed a joint venture with rival AMD with no direct investment. Saudi Arabia formed a Public Investment Fund (PIF) for those investments. Mubadala Investment Company, one of Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth funds, made an initial investment of $622 million in AMD in 2007 but has since sold its entire stake.
The U.S. does not have a direct equivalent to the PIF, though President Trump proposed forming one in February. It's not clear whether such a fund could be authorized and put to use in this scenario.
Bloomberg pointed out that the U.S. Department of Defense took a $400 million preferred equity stake in MP Materials Corp., a producer of rare earths — a deal that would make the Pentagon the company's largest shareholder and set a precedent for how the government could interact with private companies.
Regardless, the talks apparently are a direct consequence of
AMD snatched headlines for its first-quarter performance, where its desktop market share grew by 4.1 percentage points, or just 0.9 of a percentage point from the previous quarter. During the second quarter, AMD's share climbed 4.2 percentage points in just a single quarter, and 9.2 percent from the second quarter of 2024.
In all, AMD now owns basically a third of the desktop PC market, at 32.2 percent. That represents record revenues for AMD, according to the company, and a record high in terms of unit share, according to Mercury Research, which produced the market-share estimates.
Intel, too, found something to be proud of: a quarter-over-quarter increase in mobile processors, which has been a key focus of the company over the past few years. But Mercury's numbers also sparked some questions about Arm: Chromebook sales shrank, and the percentage of Arm chips in Chromebooks also fell. Overall, Chromebooks, PCs, and Macs using Arm saw their market share percentage slightly dip to 13.2 percent, down from 13.9 percent.
AMD continues to rapidly gain ground in desktop
Overall, AMD's share of the X86 market increased to 24.2 percent, up 2.9 percentage points from a year ago. In client shipments (desktop, mobile, and server) it was virtually the same, with AMD gaining 2.8 percentage points to 23.9 percent. Intel owns 75.8 percent of the overall X86 market and 76.1 percent of the client market, ac
While I advise that you opt for a premium VPN, such as those in our roundup of the best VPNs, I understand that sometimes you just don't want to pay for yet another service. Therefore I've curated a list of the best and most trustworthy free VPNs around. I detail what restrictions they may impose and what activities they're best used for — streaming, torrenting, browsing, etc. Check out my my top picks below.
This just about hits the baseline for gaming-focused OLED monitors right now, with a 2560×1440 resolution and fast 240Hz refresh rate. That's far from the fastest on the market, but it'll make your gaming PC sweat if you try to load up a recent triple-A game with all the graphical fixins. It also offers a little more than just the basics, with USB-C support and a built-in KVM switch, though with just 15 watts of power delivery it's not an ideal companion for a single-cable laptop setup.
However, it is a pretty good pick if you like to play both PC and console games at your desk, thanks to double DisplayPort and HDMI inputs. You also get a standard VESA mount included, in case you want to add on a monitor arm. Overall, at this price, it's a solid get.
Newegg hasn't put a time limit on this deal, but since it's currently the cheapest OLED around, I wouldn't be surprised if it went pretty quickly—so grab it quick if you're interested. If you're looking for something else, check out PCWorld's picks for the best monitors.
In an interview with Microsoft AI product manager Christiaan Brinkhoff, the chief of Microsoft's Windows Devices group, Pavan Davuluri, explained that the company is trying to work toward a future where you can access Windows pretty much anywhere via the cloud, then use AI to fine-tune what you're trying to accomplish.
Microsoft described the conversation as "the next chapter of Windows," with an eye toward delivering the changes within the next few years. Davuluri described what he hoped the Windows team could accomplish from a strategic level, without targeting any future version of Windows with these goals in mind.
Like many projects at Microsoft, Davuluri's vision begins with businesses in mind. Instead of (or adjacent to) the PC, Microsoft said it's backing the Windows 365 Link, a sort of dumb mini PC that connects directly to the cloud and to Windows 365. "People are not talking about multiple steps; they're just trying to get to the cloud PC as seamlessly as possible," he said.
"They can't tell when they're using their local CPU and when they're using a CPU in Azure," Microsoft's cloud, Davuluri added.
According to a representative speaking to investors on an earnings call, over 90 percent of PCs and motherboards destined for the U.S. market are now being manufactured outside of China, primarily in Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia. The translation provided by PCMag does not explicitly call out U.S. president Trump's deep and constantly shifting import taxes as a cause. After a wild escalation of tariffs earlier this year capped at 145 percent, the current tax rate for goods and materials shipped from China to the US sits at 30 percent. Most other countries have a 10 percent tariff, with higher taxes set for certain countries and industries.
Trump has often wildly swung back and forth on tariffs and other economic policies, most recently threatening a 100 percent tax on all imported chips with exceptions for companies that are investing in U.S. manufacturing. Asus, notably, would not qualify for this exception, though the chips contained in its products might, as they're provided by companies like Intel, AMD, and TSMC.
Motherboard manufacturing, which relies on hundreds of individual components for each board, is an especially unlikely candidate for shifting to U.S.-based manufacturing. Aside from the higher costs of l
But two new members of HP's Omen series turned my head at a press event. One is adding some genuine cooling innovation, and the other is being a little more low-key in a very cool way.
Omen Max 45L: It's got a little AIO hat
The Omen 45L isn't actually a brand new design, as it's been available for most of this calendar year. But this was the first time I'd seen what HP is calling the "Omen Cryo Chamber"—a dedicated area above the primary PC component compartment, specifically made for an all-in-one cooler.
The one installed in the demo unit (and presumably any pre-built you buy) was 360mm, but any standard cooler with the usual radiator-and-fans combo should work. The pump and heat spreader is connected to the coolant lines through a narrow channel between the compartments.
I could be referring to Netflix, which started down that exact path with its "Watch Now" streaming catalog way back in 2007. But I could also be prognosticating about Howdy, the $3-per-month streaming service that Roku launched just last week.
The parallels are obvious. Roku is starting with a small catalog, heavy on filler, and claims it's not trying to compete with incumbents. But it's also arriving at a time when consumers are increasingly frustrated with the larger streaming services, which are becoming more like the bloated, expensive cable packages they once aimed to displace.
Howdy might seem insignificant now, but like Netflix, it could become the start of something bigger.
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is a gorgeous 14-inch laptop that runs on a powerful AMD Ryzen 9 270 processor supported by 16GB of LPDDR5X memory and a spacious 1TB of SSD storage. That's an okay config—nothing too exciting yet, but certainly enough to handle Windows 11, your apps, and your browser tabs without choking.
Here's where it gets interesting: it comes with a cutting-edge Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 graphics card, granting you access to DLSS 4 and all the other newest Nvidia features. This is a pricey GPU, so it's surprising to see it available in this range. (Normally you're getting an RTX 4070 at this price!) This card will keep your laptop future-proofed for quite some time.
But the other key highlight here is the OLED display with its crisp 2880×1800 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. That'll look great whether you're playing games or watching Netflix. It's also equipped with a USB4, a USB-C, two USB-A, and an HDMI, plus a 3.5mm audio jack—plenty of connectivity for all your peripherals—and Wi-Fi 7 support.
If you've been wanting an RTX 50-series gaming laptop, you know how expensive they can be. Jump on this chance to get thi
Said testing comes from TechPowerUp, which re-ran some numbers on the latest MSI Claw device at Intel's request after a new update from the MSI Center M app. Specifically, the tweak allows one of the Core Ultra 7 258V CPU's four performance cores to run at its maximum 37-watt power level. (Most AMD-based handhelds like the Steam Deck max out at 15 watts of TDP.) In most games, this resulted in about a 10 percent performance boost—but some were even better.
Update: An Intel representative reached out to PCWorld to point out that TechPowerUp manually set some TDP values for comparison, which resulted in lower performance. Presumably, most users who don't tweak the default settings would see those improvements as their baseline, no changes necessary.
TechPowerUp says this makes the MSI Claw 8 AI the best-performing handheld they've tested, handily beating out the Ryzen-based competition. That doesn't make the Claw the best handheld for everyone, though. It's still running Windows 11, which is a deal-breaker for some, and there are now even more powerful chips on the market. But we've seen other updates to Intel graphics, like
Whether you're constantly working on your laptop or it's been a few years and it just doesn't hold its charge as well as it used to, there's nothing worse than seeing that red "low battery" ping when you're far from home. This Baseus EnerGeek has a 20,000mAh capacity, enough to fully recharge your laptop and maybe have a little extra leftover.
The built-in retractable USB-C cable supports up to 100W of charging, is compatible with all modern laptops, and pulls out to about 2 feet, which should be long enough for most use cases. This power bank also has two other USB-C ports (up to 100W each) and a USB-A port (up to 45W), so you can charge up to 4 devices at once. That said, it has a 145W max throughput across all ports, so charging will be slower with more devices.
This is an incredible price for how fast and convenient this power bank is, so don't skip this chance to get this Baseus 4-port power bank for $62.99 on Amazon! This limited-time deal won't last forever.
Save 37% on this versatile 20K power bank with built-in USB-C cableBuy now at Amazon
The unannounced products, which have since been yanked from the "New on Hue" page, included the "faster" Hue Bridge Pro as well as a wired video doorbell, a refreshed and more efficient A19 bulb, permanent and globe-style versions of Hue's Festavia outdoor string lights, a gradient light strip, and the ability to control your Hue lights with the Sonos voice assistant.
No pricing details were included in the leaked details, which were live on the Hue website for several hours Wednesday. The leaked products on the Hue website were initially spotted by users on Reddit.
I've reached out to Philips Hue for comment.
Philips Hue generally rolls out its big product releases during the annual IFA conference in Berlin, with this year's show slated to kick off on September 5, just a few weeks from now. It's entirely possible that the leaked devices represent Hue's upcoming IFA product lineup, but that hasn't been confirmed.
The highlight of the leaked Hue devices is the Hue Bridge Pro, which is "faster, has more capacity," and offers "ultra-fast response times" along with "advanced AI features" and "expanded capacity," according to the since-deleted marketing copy on Hue's website.
Even better, the Hue Bridge Pro boasts "built-in MotionAware technology" that can "turn your smart lights into motion sensors," the Hue leak said.
GPD has been at this game even longer than Valve, delivering tiny, almost-pocketable gaming machines since long before the Steam Deck. But the Chinese manufacturer has definitely gotten a boost from the new craze for PC-powered handhelds, and the new GPD Win 5 is its most ambitious design yet.
With a 7-inch screen, a chassis that looks a PSP with gigantism, and AMD's top-of-the-line laptop/workstation Ryzen AI Max 395 chip inside, it can turn heads all on its own. (That's the same chip in the Framework Desktop!) But it might also raise some eyebrows, because it can't actually turn on without external power.
That power comes in the form of an 80-watt-hour external battery pack or a 180-watt DC adapter. The body of the device itself, which is remarkably small despite cramming in the most powerful 16-core mobi
It hasn't even been that long, but we're back with another call from Microsoft to ignore yet another error message, reports BleepingComputer. Specifically, Microsoft says users may be seeing incorrect CertificateServicesClient (CertEnroll) errors after intalling the optional July 2025 update or subsequent updates.
The error message in question is shown as Error ID 57 in Event Viewer and the text reads: "The ‘Microsoft Pluton Cryptographic Provider' provider was not loaded because initialization failed." Microsoft provides a note in its Windows Release Health support document:
