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Latest by Luke Larsen

HP DreamColor Z27X G2 Review

HP DreamColor Z27X G2 Studio Monitor review

What videographers, animators, and photographers need from a monitor is different from the rest of us. We tested the second generation of the HP DreamColor Z27X to see if it lived up to the hype. If you want 4K or ultrawide, you’ll have to look elsewhere, but this monitor is more about precision.
macbook pro t2 coprocessor security issues 2016 touchbar1

The MacBook Pro’s tight security comes with an annoying compromise

Apple has brought its T2 coprocessor to the new MacBook Pros, offering advanced security features such as encrypted storage and secured boot. But as with many aspects of the MacBook Pro, it comes with a compromise that a lot of us feel weary about. Here’s why it feels like Apple is taking one step forward and two steps back.
Woman pulling out credit card in front of laptop.

Pay-n-pray cybersecurity isn’t working. What if we just paid when it works?

Companies and individuals sink loads of money into cybersecurity each year, and yet with each passing month, the situation seems to worsen. We spoke with a former NSA expert about a new approach to cybersecurity that could keep individuals much more aware of how they were being protected.
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The launch of the new MacBook Pro has been a complete disaster

Apple has completely flubbed what could have been a simple, reassuring processor bump to the MacBook Pro. From issues with pricing and CPU throttling to the puzzling keyboard, the MacBook Pro lineup has been left in an even more volatile and controversial state than before the 2018 update.
Mark Zuckerberg Tagged

Facebook wants to own your face. Here’s why that’s a privacy disaster

We all love using facial recognition technology in services like FaceID or Windows Hello. But it has a serious dark side too. We spoke with a former White House official who has some legitimate concerns with what companies like Facebook is doing with it -- and how it’s being secured online.
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Don’t like the Touch Bar? Too bad. Apple’s new Macbooks make it almost mandatory

Apple surprised the world by launching the 2018 update of its MacBook Pro. While these new six-core laptops are powerful, we were disappointed to learn that the entry-level models were completely out of luck. Once again, Apple has left budget-minded fans hanging out to dry with this recent update.
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How Logitech continues to thrive in the post-PC world

The PC is in decline, yet a company like Logitech continues to find ways to stay relevant. From its high-end audio to emphasis on gaming, the company is more determined than ever to not go down with the desktop. We took a behind-the-scenes look at its state-of-the-art facility in Washington to see just how it's all done.
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People are reading your email. Here’s how to make them stop

The contents of your email are no private, at least not to third party applications that connect to Gmail. Considering what happened with Facebook and Cambridge Analytica, that should worry you. Follow these instructions to see exactly who is reading your email and how to turn them away.
Ben-Q EX3501R monitor

BenQ EX3501R ultrawide monitor review

BenQ is known for shipping excellent displays, and that’s no different with this curved, ultrawide monster of a monitor. The hidden surprise? Its implementation of HDR, 100Hz refresh rate, and even FreeSync support. That’s right -- the EX3501R is a monitor that works as well for games as it does for work.
how mastercard is making real money more like bitcoin insecure 1

Why Mastercard is ripping a page from Bitcoin’s book

Mastercard wants to use the inherent security of blockchain to make money more intuitive and less hackable. Its new blockchain patents seeks to put an end to credit card skimmers. Regardless of what you think about cryptocurrency, the largest financial institutions are transforming real money to be more like it every day.
Intel Chip being removed from a computer panel

Why Intel’s monopoly could soon end (and you should be stoked)

When’s the last time you saw a laptop without an Intel chip in it? The company’s near-monopoly status has made it difficult for new players. When one company completely dominates, innovation is stifled, prices remain high, and the average person ends up losing out. Here's why that could all change soon.
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Lenovo revamps Legion brand with affordable gaming laptops and desktops

Just in time for E3, Lenovo launched an assortment of new gaming PCs, ranging from affordable gaming laptops to conventional desktop towers. This time around, these Legion PCs have left behind the chrome and flash of traditional gaming designs to favor a simpler, more modest aesthetic.
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Brace yourself! The age of keyboard-less laptops is upon us

One of the biggest trends at Computex this year was dual-screen laptops -- 2-in-1s that have completely ditched keyboards. With prototypes from Intel and Asus on display, you can expect to see more of these keyboard-less laptops coming in the future.
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Apple’s new privacy features are bad for Facebook, but great for everyone else

At WWDC this year, Apple announced several new privacy and cybersecurity features, specifically in its Safari web browser. Apple didn’t shy away from naming names. It had Facebook right in its crosshairs. Here's how Apple is making a case for its more secure ecosystem, blocking Facebook in the process.
macos mojave hands on review app store

To save the Mac, the App Store needs more than just a redesign

In its newest version of MacOS, Apple announced a complete revamp of the Mac App Store. But if it wants to revive the Mac, it's going to need more than a fresh coat of paint and some slight changes to its API. In order to truly save the Mac, Apple needs to do the thing it's been insisting it'll never do.
qualcomm snapdragon 850

Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 is made for Windows PCs with ‘innovative form factors’

At Computex 2018, Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 850, a chipset designed specifically for Windows PCs. Unlike the first generation of Always Connected PCs, these devices will use a chipset designed specifically for the Windows PC experience. In addition, we may see some "innovative" and "aggressive" new designs.
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Can we get an apology? Two big MacBook fails that Apple should fix at WWDC

WWDC is just around the corner, but if you're hoping for a new MacBook Pro, don't hold your breath. Even though it'll probably only be a CPU bump, there are two significant problems with the current MacBook Pro that have been ignored for too long now. Unfortunately, Apple isn't exactly the kind of company that likes to apologize.
the fbi wants you to reboot your router insecure getty

Duck, cover, and reboot your router? Why the FBI’s new warning is no joke

The FBI has discovered up to 500,000 home or office routers could be vulnerable to a dangerous cyberattack. According to experts, there are a couple of important factors that make this malware an unprecedented situation. But can resetting your router really prevent a major cyberattack?
even apple haters cant afford to ignore iphone x and 8 launch tim cook 12 2017 event

Apple fans shouldn’t expect new MacBooks at WWDC this year

A number of new MacBooks are in the works, but according to a new report, we won't see them at WWDC. In the past, Apple hasn't been afraid to use its annual developers conference to announce new products, whether in the MacOS or the iOS world. But this year, it looks like it'll be focused on software.
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Apple could be secretly working on an ARM-based, touchscreen computer

A recent report indicates that Apple may be working on an entirely new computer under the codename, Project Star. The supposed device is said to be some kind of a hybrid touchscreen computer that "runs a derivative of iOS," but creates an entirely new family of products. Is it an iOS laptop? A touchscreen MacBook?
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Razer’s Core X and V2 turn your tiny laptop into a monster gaming rig

Most PC gamers end up with two computers: A dedicated gaming PC and a thin-and-light laptop. But what if you could do it all with one device? Razer's external GPU promises a plug-and-play experience that makes that fantasy a reality. The crazy thing is that the experience is almost as magical as it sounds.
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Tomorrow’s laptop will work more like your phone — and you’re going to love it

Thanks to the proliferation of the smartphone, the operating systems we use today couldn’t be more fragmented. But we’ve been reading the tea leaves and see an important event on the horizon, perhaps the most important since the iPhone. A unified operating system is coming.
razer blade 2018 display

5 reasons why the new Razer Blade looks amazing

Razer introduced a new Blade gaming laptop, and it's a huge step up from the previous version. With a 144 Hz display, some top-of-the-line hardware under the hood, and a modernized design, it's hard not to get excited about getting our hands on it. Here are five reasons why we're excited to check it out.
Razor Blade Stealth 2018

Razer Blade Stealth (2018) review

Despite the brand, and the looks of it, the Blade Stealth is not a gaming laptop. Instead, Razer has made a thin-and-light laptop that competes with the Dell XPS 13 and MacBook Pros of the world. But Razer has an ace in its sleeve. The Razer Core external GPU can transform this laptop into a desktop-grade gaming machine.
Huawei MateBook X Pro review |

Huawei’s MateBook X Pro is everything that’s right with modern laptop design

With tiny bezels and beautiful design, Huawei revealed the MateBook X Pro at the Mobile World Congress. With all the bland laptops on the market, this one has us excited again for the future of laptop design. Now, the MateBook X Pro is available for purchase in the U.S., starting at $1200.
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AMD’s ready to do work with Ryzen Pro Mobile, coming to a laptop near you

AMD has announced a slew of new mobile APUs, which pair a Ryzen CPU and a Radeon Vega GPU on one board. The best news is that Dell, HP, and Lenovo are all supporting the new APUs with laptops coming soon. The companies also announced new desktop systems in both full-size towers and in compact PCs, powered by AMD's APUs.
microsoft 365 windows build 2018 ceo satya nadella at feature

There’s a whole world outside Windows, and Microsoft finally gets it

At its annual Build developers conference, Microsoft showed how its no longer walling off its services to Windows PCs. Microsoft 365 is a new cloud-based initiative at Microsoft to bring its platforms to as many devices as possible, regardless of what company makes it. The good news? That's always a good thing for us.
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How Google’s Pixelbook broke the laptop mold with a Swedish design

Most laptops look the same. But the second I first saw the Pixelbook, I knew there something different about it. It felt designed in a way that the sea of silver MacBook clones flooding the store shelves don’t. We sat down with the people who designed it to see how and why it was made.
Dell XPS 13

The untold story of how the XPS 13 defied odds to become the world’s best laptop

Dell’s XPS 13 is the best laptop you can buy today, but it wasn’t created out thin air. A perfect storm of events happened in the late 2000s that made the creation of the forward-thinking laptop possible. Here’s how Dell is being reshaped from within by a small team of risk-takers who aren’t willing to compromise on their vision of the future of laptops.
brittany kaiser cambridge analytica iovo feature stolen data

Cambridge Analytica’s ex-director wants to fix data privacy. Can we trust her?

Brittany Kaiser, the former director of Cambridge Analytica, is now partnering with a initiative called IOVO, or the Internet of Value Omniledger. She wants to pioneer a new understanding of data privacy, but can someone who abused data in the past really be trusted with the internet's future?
Dell Inspiron 5680 review

Dell Inspiron 5680 Gaming Desktop review

If you aren't interested in building your computer, PC gaming can get expensive, but not so with the Dell Inspiron 5680 Gaming Desktop. Starting at just $600, it provides nearly everything you’d want in a cheap gaming PC. It has enough power to play modern games at reasonable framerates without breaking the bank.
most anticipated laptop 2018 laptops 2

What laptop are you looking forward to most in 2018?

The new MacBook, the Surface Book 3, the HP Spectre x360 15, and more -- which laptop still to come in 2018 are you most excited for? Take our poll and tell us what laptop has you anxious to try out that's still to come in 2018.
cloudflare cofounder on an encrypted internet dns is not safe michelle zatlyn 2

Your ISP can peep on your browsing, so Cloudflare is pulling down the shade

In a world still reeling from the Cambridge Analytica revelations, Cloudflare has introduced a new privacy-first DNS resolver called 1.1.1.1. It claims to make the internet safer – and faster.
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Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 review

Dell has a vision of the future of laptops -- and it’s the XPS 15 2-in-1. With an advanced new keyboard and surprisingly good gaming performance, the XPS 15 2-in-1 is a vision of the future.