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Mar 27, 2023
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Why buy a Windows Hello webcam? A top 1080p webcam helps you look your best in video calls in Microsoft Teams or Zoom. But Microsoft's secure-login Windows Hello system uses a depth camera plus facial-recognition technology to log in Windows 10 or Windows 11 in a split second. It makes sense people would want to pair a desktop PC or laptop with a Windows Hello-compatible webcam in order to get its convenient security benefits.
Windows Hello webcams from Dell and Logitech top our list, but the good news is that there are now Windows Hello webcams available for well under $100. Most include premium features such as 1080p resolution, making them an excellent choice as a primary webcam.
Below, we've listed several Windows Hello webcams that we recommend, though we trimmed several that simply didn't live up to what our preferred webcams delivered. Want more information? We've included a buying guide and a FAQ after our best Windows Hello webcam picks. You can also review our 1080p webcam buyer's guide for recommendations of webcams without Windows Hello support.
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Mar 27, 2023
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But far too many people still think the free password management tools that comes with their phones is good enough, and just go with what's convenient rather than what's best. Here's why you should ditch that free password management utility and upgrade to the more robust protection of a premium password manager like Dashlane or Keeper.
Separation of Data
Keeping all your data in one place is super convenient, to be sure. But it also creates a single point of failure. Since everything in your iCloud or Google account is ultimately protected by just one password, using the password utility provided by those big vendors means that anyone who gets in grabs not only access to your email and other data, but also takes everything they need to get into every single other account you have, anywhere on the internet.
Given that current hacker automations are designed to crank through that kind of credential data in seconds, you've created a one-and-done opportunity for the very people you're defending against. So you'll want to separate your password management data from everything else.
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Mar 27, 2023
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Price When ReviewedFrom $2,099.99
Best Prices Today: Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra
Retailer
Price
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Mar 27, 2023
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When you know you're going to incur annoying fees, it's helpful to have a tool like an Instabridge eSIM in your pocket. This innovative app lets you activate a data eSIM on your device to get a fast, reliable internet connection that helps you avoid data overages or roaming charges.
With Instabridge, you can access free mobile data packages by simply watching ads. Better yet, you can pay upfront for a Lifetime Plan to ensure you always have data available without having to waste time with ads. And during our Spring Digital Blowout, the plan is 85% off. Just make sure to order between 3/22 and 4/3.
Don't suffer surprise fees and data overages. Now through 11:59 pm on 4/3, you can get an Instabridge eSIM Lifetime Plan for 85% off $1,000 at just $149.
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Mar 26, 2023
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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 desktop computer deals
Currently, we're seeing some great deals on gaming computers from the likes of HP, Skytech, and Alienware.
Alienware Aurora R14, Ryzen 7/RTX 3080/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,499.99 (39% off on Dell)
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Mar 26, 2023
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When determining the best VPNs for Android, we consider several criteria. First, it's crucial that it is a top performer on the OS. Also, since Wi-Fi can be inconsistent at times, we test these apps over the course of three days, running a total of 15 tests each day (three times for each test country location) to look at speed and consistency of service. Finally, we considered 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. We provide links to the stand-alone app in the Google Play store as well as links to our reviews of the full desktop program—in case you want a complete AV solution for all your devices.
Without further ado, here are our recommendations for the best VPNs for Android.
Updated 03/24/2023: We've updated the NordVPN summary with info from our latest review of the service. Read more about this best pick below.
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Mar 26, 2023
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If you're not sure where to begin your search, don't worry. We've assembled a list of top picks. Not only are these machines graphically powerful, but they've also got awesome screens for those times when detail and color accuracy are paramount. We've also included options at different price points. So, whatever your budget may be, we've got something for every type of graphic designer. If you're looking for something different, be sure to check out our comprehensive roundup of the best laptops for all purposes.
Updated 03/23/2023 To include the Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 as our recommendation for the best overall option. Scroll down to learn more about this best-of-class laptop and why it's perfectly suited for content creation.
Samsung Galaxy B
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Mar 26, 2023
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This innovative solution for travelers allows you to stay connected in more than 120 countries and regions around the world. Once it's activated on your device, you can connect to data networks in other countries, operating basically like mobile data to give you an internet connection that isn't subject to roaming charges. You can load prepaid eSIM data packages onto your phone, tablet, or computer, and if you run out, you can always add more. Data packages cost as little as $4.50 and last seven days.
Find out why aloSIM has earned 4.2/5 stars on the Google Play Store and 4.5/5 stars on the App Store. As part of our Spring Digital Blowout, you can get the aloSIM Mobile Data Traveler Lifetime eSim Credit for a special price of just $19.97 (reg. $50) from March 22
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Mar 25, 2023
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That means you can run VPN apps right on the Fire Stick as opposed to trying to add a VPN to your router, or having to resort to a smart DNS feature—a hacky solution that's not always as consistent as it should be.
With a VPN running, you can get access to your favorite content regardless of geographic restrictions. Whether you want U.S. Netflix in Paris, or BBC iPlayer in Toledo, using a VPN can help.
Here's our picks of the five best VPN choices for Amazon's Fire TV Stick, but one thing to keep in mind is that VPN connections do not work on the first-generation Fire Stick. Also, all VPNs discussed here require a paid subscription and they all support Netflix streaming—the reigning champion of VPN blocking. ((To learn even more about all the VPN services we've tested, see our roundup of the best VPNs for all sorts of uses.)
Updated 03/24/2023: We've updated our summary of NordVPN with our latest review of the service. Read more about this best pick below.
1. ExpressVPN - Best overall
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Mar 25, 2023
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Intel confirmed the news Friday afternoon, along with the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, which Moore and his wife founded in 2000. In 2017, The Chronicle of Philanthropy marked the two as California's most generous donors, giving a total of $6.3 billion to "create positive outcomes for future generations."
Moore co-founded Fairchild Semiconductor in 1957, then left to co-found Intel with Robert Noyce. (Andy Grove is largely credited as being the third of the trio that were responsible for Intel's success, but he joined on the day Intel was first incorporated.) Moore served as executive vice president until 1975, then became president and later chief executive in 1979. He gave up the chief executive position in 1987 to Grove, though remained chairman through 1997.
It was Moore's Law, though, that survived Moore's entire tenure. Not a law but an axiom, Moore originally postulated the transistor density would double every year, a "law" that varied between 12 to 18 months or so for the remainder of his life. The regularity of such advancements was so fixed that Intel itself began measuring its own processor advancements on a "tick-tock" model: shrinking the chip one year, and redesigning it the next. Corollaries to Moore's Law also governed the number of transistors found on a chip, and suggested that a chipmaker moving to a new generation could reduce the power of the chip while keeping the speed the same, or use a similar amount of power but increase its speed.
Moore only came up with the concept when asked by Electronics Magazine to essentially predict the future.
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Mar 25, 2023
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It might be a bit overwhelming shopping for a new laptop if you don't know where to start, but don't worry. We went ahead and carefully curated a list of the best gaming laptops specifically for students. We've taken everything from display quality to portability to budget into consideration. Read on to learn more about our picks.
[Need something strictly for schoolwork? Check out our picks for the best laptops for college students]
Updated 03/23/2023: To include the Acer Nitro 5 as our choice for best budget option runner-up and the MSI Sword 15 A12UE as our new choice for unique style. Read our summaries for both of these picks below.
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro (2022) - Best overall
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Mar 25, 2023
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iBrave Cloud Web Hosting was designed by experts with more than 20 years of industry experience to create a web hosting service that is both powerful and cost-effective. It provides market-leading technology and lightning-fast servers through a global Content Delivery Network (CDN). You can easily migrate your existing website(s) to their secure, state-of-the-art data centers or perform one-click WordPress installation for a new site. You'll also have a user-friendly control panel with more than 80 one-click install apps.
With a Premium Plan, you can add unlimited websites and subdomains, and get unlimited monthly bandwidth, SSD storage, MySQL databases, custom email addresses, and more.
Don't overpay for something as essential as hosting. From March 22 to April 3, you can get a lifetime Premium subscription to
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Mar 24, 2023
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Price When Reviewed149.99
Best Prices Today: Nacon RIG 800 Pro HX
Retailer
Price
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Mar 24, 2023
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Early examples of Engelbart's mouse design are museum pieces and coveted collector's items. For example, a slightly refined three-button mouse and its accompanying five-key coding input tool were sold on March 16th by the RR Auction House, as reported by Metro. This combination of serial inputs was essential to the famous demonstration that revolutionized the way computer input was imagined. It's easy enough to draw a line between this mouse design and the one included with the Xerox Alto as the first consumer model, though by 1973 various engineers had figured out
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Mar 24, 2023
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Most laptops still ship with a 720p webcam, so a 1080p webcam can be a step up—what better way to stand out from the pack on your next Teams call? There are even premium models with integrated ring lights for a few dollars more. Other, more expensive options feature 4K resolution or higher-refresh rates, which will make a noticeable difference to both you, your friends, and your colleagues.
We haven't tested every one of these webcams, but we've pored over the available models to pick out the best webcams based on specs and bundled extras, including our own reviews. You can also refer to our separate story on the best Windows Hello webcams to buy a webcam for videoconferencing and to log you in to your PC. We've taken two recommendations from that list, however, and added them here: a premium and budget webcam with Windows Hello.
To help you choose, check out our buying advice below our recommendations.
Logitech C920e Business Webcam - Best overall webca
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Mar 24, 2023
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Organizations can sign up for https://t.co/RlN5BbuGA3…
— Twitter Verified (@verified)
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Mar 24, 2023
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In a 3-1 vote, the FTC has proposed to amend a statute first put in place in 1973 to make unsubscribing from services easier and more consistent in the modern world, as reported by Ars Technica. Called the "click to cancel" provision to the original Negative Option Rule, the Commission wants to "require businesses to make it at least as easy to cancel a subscription as it was to start it." So, if it takes three clicks from the Amazon home page to subscribe to Amazon Prime, it shoul
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Mar 24, 2023
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A few days ago security researchers found that screenshots taken and cropped on Google Pixel phones could be analyzed with specialized recovery tools, making at least some of the cropped portion of the images visible again. This "Acropalypse" caused users to take a good, hard look at other default screenshot tools. As Bleeping Computer reports, several researchers found similar issues with the Windows 11 Snipping Tool and the older Snip & Sketch interface for the same function.
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Mar 24, 2023
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You can find even more monitor recommendations in our roundup of the best monitors.
1. Alienware AW3423DWF - Best ultrawide monitor
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Mar 24, 2023
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The 24-inch monitor features a resolution of 1920×1080, a response time of 1ms, and a refresh rate of 144Hz. You can expect smooth, ultra-responsive visuals and gameplay. It also has AMD FreeSync Premium, which syncs up your PC's graphics card with the monitor. This results in reduced screen tearing issues, which can be incredibly annoying to deal with in faster paced games. Not only is it borderless (meaning you're getting more screen), but the stand is adjustable, so you can tilt and pivot it to your heart's delight.
According to Newegg, this is the lowest price in 30 days, so you better jump in and pick this peripheral up now before it's gone.
Get the LG UltraGear gaming monitor for $176.99 at Newegg
Monitors
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Mar 24, 2023
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The pressure of choosing between consoles so you don't miss any of the big games used to be nerve-wracking. Microsoft acquiring Xbox and taking it to the PC changed all of that and made the decision so easy for me. Now, I have access to almost any game. You can really have your cake and eat it too.
Having Xbox Game Pass on PC fills in those game gaps
My Xbox had been my go-to console for years, so it was weird for me to consider switching to PlayStation. That said, PlayStation exclusive games like The Last of Us had me feel like I was missing out. Fortunately, the Xbox Game Pass is available on PC, which means I can still play all of my old favorites while still enjoying PlayStation exclusives. No more missing out on upcoming games because I chose the wrong console.
My gaming PC actually has more storage and better graphics than the Xbox Series X console. Playing Xbox titles on a better equipped machine makes for a seamless and beauti
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Mar 24, 2023
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The pressure of choosing between consoles so you don't miss any of the big games used to be nerve-wracking. Microsoft acquiring Xbox and taking it to the PC changed all of that and made the decision so easy for me. Now, I have access to almost any game. You can really have your cake and eat it too.
Having Xbox Game Pass on PC fills in those game gaps
My Xbox had been my go-to console for years, so it was weird for me to consider switching to PlayStation. That said, PlayStation exclusive games like The Last of Us had me feel like I was missing out. Fortunately, the Xbox Game Pass is available on PC, which means I can still play all of my old favorites while still enjoying PlayStation exclusives. No more missing out on upcoming games because I chose the wrong console.
My gaming PC actually has more storage and better graphics than the Xbox Series X console. Playing Xbox titles on a better equipped machine makes for a seamless and beauti
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Mar 24, 2023
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Price When Reviewed$1,499.99
Best Prices Today: Acer Predator X32 FP
Retailer
Price
Micro Center
$1099.99
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Mar 24, 2023
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This offer is only available between March 22 and April 3, so make sure to jump on it now. With the deal, you can get a Windows package that incudes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, OneNote, Publisher, Access, and Skype for Business. It's everything you need to be more productive and scale your business from home. The Mac version includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and OneNote.
Take advantage of this limited-time deal and shore up all of your office software needs. Grab a lifetime license to
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Mar 23, 2023
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And a huge part of their business model hinges on Amazon Prime. You may have heard of it. It's a subscription service that incentivizes and rewards shopping through Amazon. Prime Members get access to exclusive deals and bonus perks, like access to Amazon's Prime Video streaming service.
If you're considering signing up for Amazon Prime in Australia, here's everything you need to know before you pull the trigger.
How is Amazon Prime different in Australia?
Martyn Williams
In the US, Amazon Prime has an enormous presence. However, the logistical and infrastructure realities involved mean that what Australian Amazon Prime members get for their subscription fee is slightly different to what American Amazon Prime members do.
For one, the amount of items on Amazon US that are covered by the free and fast shipping bonuses that your Prime subscription gets you is much larger than those on Amazon's Australian storefront.
Expedited deliveries are also a lot faster for US-based Amazon Prime members. In
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Mar 23, 2023
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What is Mesh Wi-Fi?
Mesh Wi-Fi (also known as Whole Home Wi-Fi) systems are home networking solutions that opt for a more decentralized approach to the problem of local connectivity.
Rather than force every device in your home to wirelessly connect to the internet through the same router, Mesh Wi-Fi systems rely on multiple Wi-Fi nodes. They start from a place of accepting that your regular router probably isn't located in the perfect spot to serve every connected device in your house and work forward from there.
Linksys
In a mesh Wi-Fi system, one node is designated the primary router and is directly wired into your gateway connection while the other nodes act as satellites. Collectively, these nodes behave like a single seamless network.
If you're in the living room, you'll connect to the closest Wi-Fi node. If you're in the kitchen, you'll connect to the closest Wi-Fi node. If you're in the backyard, you'll connect to the closest Wi-Fi node. It's all the same network but your devices will connect in the way that makes the most sense. This allows for better performance and less network congestion.
In some situations, mesh Wi-Fi can allow for faster speeds,
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Mar 23, 2023
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OpenAI's major update to ChatGPT actually added three significant features: its newfound ability to browse the web, new plugin capabilities, and a sandbox in which it can execute and test code. The latter feature means that you'll actually see graphics in ChatGPT output, though what was shown was (for now) simple line graphs and charts, as well as some image manipulation. A fourth feature, a retrieval plugin, also means that developers can begin asking ChatGPT to incorporate documents of the developer's choosing, in the future.
The update means that ChatGPT is expanding on several fronts, potentially eliminating a competitor's advantage: Google's Bard may be boring, but it knows what's going on in the present, thanks to its integration with Google Search.
ChatGPT uses a text browser to surf the web and find out what it needs to.OpenAI
ChatGPT won't open a web browser, per se, but behind the scenes it's working with Microsoft's Bi
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Mar 23, 2023
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The new Framework Laptop 13 is a refined version of the initial Framework Laptop, which got an upgrade to 12th-gen Intel chips and a Chromebook edition last year. This new version will offer a choice of either 13th-gen Core processors or an AMD Ryzen 7040 motherboard. The AMD variant will come with DDR5 memory and a specific Wi-Fi module for better compatibility, but will otherwise be identical to other Framework 13 laptops. Best of all, both the new Intel and AMD motherboards are compatible with older Framework Laptops — you'll be able to order the motherboards alone and slip them into your existing hardware for a cost-effective upgrade.
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Mar 23, 2023
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Many SSDs come in a 2.5-inch form factor and connect to your PC via the same SATA port used by a traditional hard drive. But tiny NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) "gumstick" SSDs that fit in an M.2 connection on a modern motherboard are becoming increasingly common, along with blazing-fast PCIe 4.0 solid-state drives for compatible PCs, and you'll even find SSDs that sit on a PCIe adapter and slot into your motherboard like a graphics card or sound card. Picking the perfect SSD isn't as simple as it used to be, though excellent new drives like the SK Hynix Platinum P41 are certainly trying to achieve no-brainer upgrade status.
That's the purpose of this guide. We've tested numerous drives to find the best SSDs for any use case, and offer our top picks below. In addition to that we give you useful information on what to look for in an SSD so you can be a more knowledgable shopper. Quick note: This roundup only covers internal solid-state drives. Check out PCWorld's guide to
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Mar 23, 2023
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While we always recommend keeping a local backup for quick restores (see our roundup of the best Windows backup software for desktop solutions), uploading your data to an online backup service can be a reliable way to cover your bases. That's why we've put together a list of the best online backup services.
The good news for consumers is that all of the major online backup services we reviewed this year are exceptional products. But while all of the contenders received the same high verdict, each product has its own unique selling point. Our primary concern here is backup, but we do note other roles that a service can fulfill, such as sharing, multi-device support, and emergency-restore options.
Below our picks, check out how we tested the services and information on how to choose the best backup service for you.
Updated 03/20/2023: To include Sync.com as our choice for best free cloud backup. Read our summary below to learn more about this new pick.
iDrive Online Cloud
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Mar 23, 2023
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A TV network had to call in the local police after a flash drive exploded when a journalist inserted the drive into a USB port. Reportedly the gadget was rigged to trigger a small amount of RDX, a military-grade chemical explosive, when the computer's electrical charge engaged over the USB connection.
As reported by the local TV channel, police, and the Associated Press (via PCMag), no one was hurt in the small explosion. Police determined that only half of the drive's explosive load was triggered. Four other explosive USB drives have been sent to journalists and news agencies in Ecuador, three of which failed to detonate and the last of which was intercepted by postal carriers before it arrived. Police have one suspect so far, but the investigation is ongoing.
Organized crime is suspected. The journalist who unknowingly triggered the explosion, Lenín Artieda, covers crime and corruption in Ecuador, where hundreds of attacks against journalists and media outlets occur every year. While the improvised flash drive bombs have failed to hurt anyone so far, even a small amount of e
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Mar 23, 2023
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Better yet, if you purchase an eligible TV and soundbar package, you'll get an instant savings of $200 at checkout. This promotion expires at the end of the month, however, so you better swoop in sooner rather than later. We'll highlight some of our favorite deals below, but there are a lot more where these came from.
LG TV deals
LG 65-inch Class NANO75, $649.99 (Save $250)LG 55-inch Class A2 PUA Series OLED, $899.99 (Save $100)LG C2 55-inch Class 4K OLED, $1,249.99 (Save $550)
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Mar 23, 2023
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Price When ReviewedPlans from $2.99 to $13.99 / mo
Best Prices Today: InMotion Hosting
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Mar 23, 2023
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User communities across the web are reporting unexpected GPU failures while playing Diablo 4 in sessions as short as 20 minutes, and they go far beyond the usual Windows graphics crash. While the number of affected users seems to be relatively small at the moment, Tom's Hardware has tabulated that the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is the most common card that shows problems, in various versions from Gigabyte, EVGA, and other vendors. At least one player each reported the same failure for the less-powerful RTX 3080 and the Radeon RX 6900 XT. At the time of writing less than 20 total users are reporting catastrophic problems.
Afflicted cards cause the PC to crash, with some giving a slight warning of haywire cooling fans just before. Upon a reboot the video doesn't return unless the user switches to another card or integrated graphics, which tends to be the point at which an RMA return is the best soluti
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Mar 23, 2023
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The first series of LOQ gaming PCs include two laptops and a desktop. The LOQ 15 and 16 come standard with AMD-powered internals, with the 15i and 16i variants sporting Intel hardware. Despite being budget machines, they're offering some serious hardware, at least on the high end. Both come with your choice of "up to" Ryzen 7 7840HS or Core i7-13700H processors, with the GPUs topping out at the Nvidia RTX 4060. (Note the lack of AMD options on the graphics side.) RAM goes up to 16GB DDR5, while storage is up to 1TB Gen 4.
Lenovo
The laptops inherit a lot of the design language from the Legion family, with dark grey bodies and straight lines. Rear-facing ports along the chunky hinge are great for when you sit down at a desk for an extended play session. These ports include full Ethernet and HDMI, plus double USB-A, in addition to the USB-A and USB-C ports on the side. Both laptops can charge via USB-C at up to 140 watts, though the dedicated proprietary charger will be faster. Other hardware features include Lenovo's signature ded
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Mar 23, 2023
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For my part, I've been working primarily in Google apps since 2009, across half a dozen different companies, and I've reached the point where I just roll my eyes when someone emails me a .docx or .xlsx attachment. Is it time for you to make the switch? Here are five reasons you should cut MS Office loose, and two big reasons it's worth holding onto Microsoft's suite.
1. Google Workspace is mostly free, and for businesses it's pretty cheap.
Google Workspace delivers the entire range of Google apps as an integrated suite.
Robert Strohmeyer / PCWorld
Microsoft has been charging hundreds of dollars for its Office suite for as long as Office has been a thing. Today, Office 365 comes in a variety of slightly different and apparently arbitrary versions consisting of different combinations of its various applications at prices ranging from $70 a year for Personal to $264 a year for Business Premium. Yes, business rates are comparable, $72 and $264 annually, with larger enterprises getting reduced rates off the big bundle. But for personal use, Google apps are flat-out free. Not a pe
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Mar 23, 2023
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Price When Reviewed 500GB for $79.99 | 1TB for $112.99 | 2TB for $221.99 | 4TB for $629.99
Best Prices Today: Kingston Fury Renegade NVMe SSD
Retailer
Price
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Mar 23, 2023
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Fortunately, you don't have to hire a voice actor when you have access to Micmonster AI Voiceovers, a massive library of more than 600 voices in 140 languages, including English, Chinese, French, Japanese, and more. In just a few clicks, you'll find the perfect voice for your project, and have tools to adjust the inflection, add multiple voices to a script, and add custom pronunciation to give your project the exact sound you envisioned.
Micmonster can transform up to 12,000 characters into voiceover at once using its powerful AI, and you can also use it to merge multiple audio files.
Whether you're a podcaster, video marketer, corporate trainer, or anything in-between, you never know when you might need a good voiceover. During our Spring Digital Blowout, you can lock in a special discount on a lifetime subscription to
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Mar 23, 2023
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Although Microsoft has far many more users than Canva — Canva's monthly user base now tops 110 million, which was about half of where Microsoft was in late 2019 — Canva has grown its user base by 30 million since last September in part by quickly launching new features. One example: Canva launched Magic Write last December, an AI-powered content tool that can write copy or suggest ideas. Microsoft launched Edge Copilot, which offers similar features, earlier this month.
Microsoft 365 Copilot promises to be a game-changer, with features that will allow users to create PowerPoint presentations via a user prompt: type in "a marketing deck for RuffRuffFunStuff's new spring line of dog chews," for example, and PowerPoint will attempt to generate a deck based on what it knows of the hypothetical brand and its products.
But Canva's Magic Presentations looks similar. Type in a similar prompt, and Magic Presentations will incorporate your brand imagery, if you have any, and lay out a presentation in various templates from the images it finds in your catalog. Canva will create the entire presentation from start to finish, tho
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Mar 22, 2023
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Until earlier today, a malware copy of the "ChatGPT for Google" extension that stole Facebook session cookies could be found in the Chrome Web Store, allowing hackers to infiltrate accounts and lock users out. Discovered by security firm Guardio Labs and reported by BleepingComputer, the false extension leveraged the Chrome Extension API to sniff out active Facebook cookies and sent the pilfered data to the attacker's server. Hackers then logged into Facebook, changed the account credentials, and converted profiles to that of a false persona named "Lily Collins." These zombie accounts were used to spread malicious advertising and extremist propaganda.
The best windows antivirus
Norton 360 Deluxe
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Mar 22, 2023
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The game's developers describe it as "the next era of Counter-Strike," and it's not hard to see why. Counter-Strike 2‘s gameplay video looks up-to-date and that's saying something, especially for a game that players have valued more for its gameplay than anything else. Counter-Strike 2 will be released as a free upgrade to the current Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO).
— CS:GO (@CounterStrike) March 22, 2023
Counter-Strike 2‘s new features include:
Upgraded and overhauled mapsGame-changing dynamic smoke grenadesTick-rate-independent gameplayRedesigned visual effects and audio
Smoke grenades
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Mar 22, 2023
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And they're definitely happening.
On Tuesday, Microsoft announced Windows 11 Build 22621.1483 for its Windows Insider program. The key new feature? Notifications for Microsoft accounts in the Start menu.
"This update introduces notifications for Microsoft accounts in the Start menu," Microsoft wrote in a blog post. "This is only available to a small audience right now. It will deploy more broadly in the coming months. Some devices might notice different visual treatments as we gather feedback."
Microsoft added this tiny example to its blog post to illustrate it. Open this image in a new tab to zoom in.Microsoft
If this sounds familiar, it should. Last Nov
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Mar 22, 2023
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As you'd expect, there's no shortage of gaming headsets out there. We know you don't want to wade through the many options only to settle on one that doesn't live up to the hype. That's why we've done all the heavy lifting for you by highlighting the best gaming headset models, whether wired or wireless.
We'll keep updating our chart below as we review more products and find even better headsets. To see the criteria we use to test each product and some helpful buying advice be sure to read our post scrip explainer below our list.
Updated 03/20/2023 Check out our latest review of the Logitech G Astro A30 headset. This very attractive headset produces a clear and natural sound and has excellent connectivity and cross-compatibility so you can use it with just about all your devices, which is why we recommend it as the best wireless gaming headset. Scroll down to learn more about it.
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Mar 22, 2023
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As WCCFTech reports, this is the 2023 update of the ROG XG external GPU, which packs an incredible GeForce RTX 4090 (the laptop card) into a portable dock that interfaces with select ROG laptops and tablets. It's the same basic setup that PCWorld reviewed one year ago, now with even more pixel-pushing power. At least one Japanese retailer has the GC33Y version of the XG Mobile ready to ship…for a whopping 399,800 yen. If you haven't checked your exchange rates yet, that's a hair over $3,000 USD. And that's just for the dock — you'll need to buy
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Mar 22, 2023
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The Voyager features an AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS CPU, an AMD Radeon 6800M GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of PCIe NVMe SSD storage. This machine should be able to zip through most games on the High or Ultra graphics presets. The 16-inch display is the real star of the show, though. It has a resolution of 2560×1600, a refresh rate of 240Hz, a response time of 3ms, and an aspect ratio of 16:10. You can expect vibrant, buttery smooth visuals. The full-sized keyboard also has Cherry MX Ultra-Low Profile mechanical switches, which have a more tactile feel to them.
This is a fantastic deal. You better act now before it's gone.
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Mar 22, 2023
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A few days ago security researchers found that screenshots taken and cropped on Google Pixel phones could be analyzed with specialized recovery tools, making at least some of the cropped portion of the images visible again. This "Acropalypse" caused users to take a good, hard look at other default screenshot tools. As Bleeping Computer reports, several researchers found similar issues with the Windows 11 Snipping Tool and the older Snip & Sketch interface for the same function.
Easy test:
1. Copy an image (to have a backup)
2. Open one with Snipping tool
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Mar 22, 2023
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Price When Reviewed399.99
Best Prices Today: Viofo A139 Pro 3-channel dash cam
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Mar 22, 2023
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Everyday monitor deals
Sometimes all you need is a simple monitor for everyday tasks like web surfing, writing email's, and so on. The picks below are great options for both work or personal use. They're also good sizes for a home office.
Acer R240HY, 23.8-inch 1080p display/60Hz refresh rate/16:9 aspect ratio/4ms response time, $109.99 (27%/$40 off at Amazon)Sceptre E248W-1920, 24-inch 1080p display/75Hz refresh rate/5ms response time, $89.97 (38%/$56.47 off at Walmart)
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Mar 22, 2023
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For more laptop options, check out our roundup of the best laptops.
The best laptop deals in 2023
Microsoft Surface Pro X
From: Woot (Amazon's store)
Was: $1,499.99
Now: $589 ($910.99 off)
Microsoft
My jaw dropped to the floor when I first spotted this deal. Microsoft's Surface Pro X tablet, which usually costs $1,499.99 at full price, is on sale for $549 at Woot's Amazon store. Although this tablet weighs a featherlight 1.7 lbs, it's still durable for such a portable device. Under the hood, you'll find a QUalcomm-powered Microsoft SQ 2 processor, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of SSD storage. It's powerful enough for browsing the web, writing e-mail's, and so on and so forth. It'
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Mar 22, 2023
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Look in the right places, though, and much of this data collection can be minimized or prevented, and you can even opt out of Amazon's targeted ads entirely. If you're an Amazon customer in any capacity, it's worth taking a minute to sweep through the company's labyrinthine privacy menus and put some limits on its vast data collection apparatus.
Opt out of Amazon's targeted ads
Jared Newman / Foundry
First, visit Amazon's Advertising Preferences page and select "Do not show me interest-based ads provided by Amazon." This will prevent the items you buy on the site from creepily following you around the web.
While here, you can also hit the "Delete ad data" button to remove existing information from Amazon's ad systems.
Limit Alexa data collection
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Mar 22, 2023
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Here comes Intel, a behemoth company in its own right. There's a problem, though. The Arc GPUs such as the A750 and A770 are promising, but full of early teething issues. The hardware seems capable, but the driver software side is playing catchup.
Today we're going to answer whether daily driving an Intel Arc A770 is reasonable in 2023. Is it going to be too buggy to even consider? We'll take it through the basic driver installation, and the quality of that experience. We will then put it to work in some popular games and see if it's up to snuff in real-world use. Questions about performance metrics compared to the competition aside, our goal is to find a smooth, competent experience foremost.
Arc A770 Limited Edition
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Mar 22, 2023
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If you have some international travel planned (or even if you don't), take advantage of this special offer on Rosetta Stone during our Spring Digital Blowout. The Wall Street Journal says Rosetta Stone "may be the next best thing to living in a country" when it comes to learning a new language, which is why it has been trusted for nearly three decades by international organizations like NASA and TripAdvisor.
Between March 22 and April 3, you can get a lifetime subscription for more than half off at just $144.97 (reg. $299) with promo code SPRING20. You'll have access to all 24 languages in the Rosetta Stone ecosystem, with award-winning interactive software and proprietary speech recognition technology to help you learn how to read, write, and speak a new language in your own time.
This deal ends at 11:59 p.m. on April 3, so jump on it now. Grab a lifetime subscription to
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Mar 21, 2023
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What is Bard? Google describes it as a "complementary experience to Google Search," in its blog post Tuesday. Google announced the Bard chatbot in February, noting that it uses a different language model, called LaMDA (or Language Model for Dialogue Applications), which it will use to power the chatbot.
But if you're wondering if Google is taking a mighty swing at chat-powered search? No, not right now. In fact, its blog post seems quite muted, as if it's simply trying to stand at the plate and not strike out.
For one, there's simply the approach: Complementing Google Search sounds rather conservative—since Google already controls roughly 90 percent of the search market, it's clearly not willing to swing for the fences quite yet. Bard looks like the first instances of Bing's AI chat: simple answers, idea generation, that sort of thing. We don't know, for example, how long answers can be, and whether Bard will allow for creative responses like Bing and ChatGPT generate. It will, however, allow you to select from various "drafts" of the response, where you can actually see a sentence or two. Um, cool?
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Mar 21, 2023
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The overwhelming amount of options on the market now means that it can take some time to find the right model for you, so we've highlighted our top picks to make the search easier. Read on to find your match. (To find laptop recommendations that span all price ranges, see our roundup of the best laptops).
Updated 03/16/2023: Check out our review of the MSI Sword 15 A12UE. With a really unique and attractive design, the Sword 15 will definitely turn heads. It also features good budget level performance, but its price is a bit high for the features included. Also, be sure to read our latest review of the Acer Chromebook Spin 513. It offers a sharp screen with plenty of real-estate due to its 3:2 aspect ratio and an excellent battery life.
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Mar 21, 2023
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Microsoft began previewing Image Creator last fall in select markets, and its generative AI art later became the foundation for Microsoft Designer, the excellent design application that also uses AI art to help create templates, flyers, and simple greeting cards. Today, Bing Image Creator will begin integrating with Bing Chat's textual chatbot, but also generate images at its own site, Bing.com/create .
Put another way, that means that you'll be able to ask Bing's chatbot to create your own images from an integrated text prompt within Bing Chat, or else use the dedicated site. There's a third option, too: Use the new Edge Copilot sidebar within Microsoft Edge, which has been used for textual generation via AI. Microsoft now says that you'll see a small image icon within the sidebar—or you will, when it rolls out. Image generation will be integrated within preview versions of Microsoft Edge, the company
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Mar 21, 2023
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How to adjust the laptop brightness on your keyboard
On most laptop keyboards, there are function keys with brightness adjustment icons that look like a sun with a positive or negative symbol next to it.
IDG / Alex Huebner
The positive will make it brighter while the negative will make it dim. The function keys are at the top of the keyboard and labeled F and a number from one to 12. To use them, hold the "Fn" button at the bottom of the keyboard while pressing the desired function.
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Mar 21, 2023
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The massive card is festooned with dual Noctua 120mm fans in that unmistakable brown-on-tan color scheme (which would probably look good in
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Mar 21, 2023
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Price When Reviewed$179.99
Best Prices Today: Razer Naga V2 Pro
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Mar 21, 2023
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These aren't fake
Samsung 980 Pro PCIe 4 NVMe SSD (1TB)
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Mar 21, 2023
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The keyboard features 104 floating keys, LED RGB backlights, multimedia keys, and anti-ghosting keys. It's a "mechanical feel" keyboard that mimics the look and feel of a traditional mechanical keyboards while costing much less. This peripheral is also equipped deal with accidental spills thanks to the four drain hole design. According to the reviews on Best Buy, the keyboard and mouse are easy to set up and the customizable RGB lights are a lot of fun.
This is one heck of a value. You better scoop it up sooner rather than later.
Get the Shipadoo gaming keyboard and mouse for $19.99 at Walmart
Keyboards
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Mar 21, 2023
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The off-white is a somewhat muted white overall, but subtle shades of purple, green, and gold shine through depending on the lighting conditions. The design also stands out with a thin chassis (0.63 inches/16 mm for both models) that still manages a full-sized fold-out USB-A port, and an "invisible" haptic trackpad that blends seamlessly into the palm rest. Other notable features include OLED screens standard on all models, a MicroSD card slot, and MIL-STD 810H compliance for added toughness.
LG
The 14-inch model starts at a fairly hefty $1500, though that much dough gets you a 13th-gen Core i7-1360p processor, 16GB of DDR5 RAM, 1TB of PCIe Gen 4 storage, and a high-res 2880×1800 screen at 120Hz. (If the screen is touch-enabled,
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Mar 21, 2023
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Price When Reviewed$829.99
A decade has passed since the first high-refresh LCD gaming monitors hit store shelves. The desire for ever-faster refresh rates has only increased in the years since and now, with the Alienware AW2524H, we've hit a new pinnacle: 500Hz, over eight times better than the 60Hz refresh rate that was once a gamer's only option. That's a whole lot of hertz, but Alienware charges a whole lot of money. Is it a worthy investment?
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Mar 21, 2023
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There are hints that Microsoft may add tabs to more built-in Windows apps, but it really ought to take another look at how people use tabs before doing that. Luckily, it needs to look no further than web browsers. Like, for example, the one Microsoft itself makes.
More tabs, more problems
For the entire history of Windows until late 2022, the File Explorer only showed one directory per window. Microsoft toyed with tabbed interface for Explorer in the Windows 10 era, but the feature was not fully realized until an after-the-fact patch for the big Windows 11 2022 Update. Now, you can click the "plus" button or hit Ctrl T to open a new tab in File Explorer. While that part is the same as any modern web browser, that's where the similarities end.
Bizarrely, Microsoft still treats tabbed Explorer windows as separate entities. If you open a new directory in Windows 11, it will open in a new window. Surely you can simply drag one tab over to the
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Mar 21, 2023
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You can use any old keyboard to play PC games, but there's an additional element to consider when you're looking for the best wireless gaming keyboard: latency. The Bluetooth connection on a keyboard like the otherwise excellent Keychron Q1 Pro just isn't up to snuff for the fast-paced world of online shooters and other multiplayer games, so you'll want something with a dedicated RF connection and a USB-based dongle. This is what truly makes a wireless keyboard a gaming keyboard, more so than fancy lighting or programming options.
For more tips about what to look for in a wireless gaming keyboard, scroll to our buying guide below our list of recommendations.
Razer BlackWidow V3 Pro - Best wireless gaming keyboard overall
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Mar 21, 2023
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If you're running a Mac, Linux, or ChromeOS operating system, CrossOver Windows Compatibility App is a major asset. CrossOver is the easiest way to run Microsoft applications on your non-Windows computer without dealing with the clunkiness of a Windows emulator. Rather than an emulator, CrossOver translates Windows commands to your present operating system, allowing you to run Windows software as if it was designed for your native environment. From productivity software to games, it all runs better, and you can set it up in a matter of minutes.
Michelle Delio of Wired writes, "In general, running CrossOver Office was so similar to using Office on a standard Windows system that it was sometimes difficult to remember the PC was actually running Linux."
Enjoy a smooth PC experience even when you're not using a PC. Right now, you can get a one-year subscription to CrossOver Windows Compatibility App for
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Mar 20, 2023
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The company said that it's offering a waitlist to join what it calls "Gen 2" of text-to-video AI, after offering a similar waitlist for its first, simpler text-to-video tools that use a real-world scene as a model.
When AI art emerged last year, it used a text-to-image model. A user would input a text prompt describing the scene, and the tool would attempt to create an image using what it knew of real-world "seeds," artistic styles and so forth. Services like Midjourney perform these tasks on a cloud server, while Stable Diffusion and Stable Horde take advantage of similar AI models running on home PCs.
Text-to-video, however, is the next step. There are various ways of accomplishing this: Pollinations.ai has accumulated a few models which you can try out, one of which simply takes a few related scenes and constructs an animation stringing them together. Another
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Mar 20, 2023
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During the coming months, Microsoft plans to add two changes to Windows. First, it will give developers new API access to the default apps settings. Second, another API change will pop up notifications asking you to add the app to the taskbar.
Here's what it all means. In Windows, the Settings menu has a list of default apps (Apps Default apps). As the name suggests, this controls which app will open a PDF, for example, or an HTML web page. Chances are you never bother adjusting these after you've selected your web browser and so on. But your choice also cuts out any of the competing third-party apps that reside on your machine, such as the multiple free web browsers that are available.
What the change would mean is that the new browser would have access to the Default apps page, implicitly asking you to change your preference to the new browser. (Microsoft calls this a "deep link" URI [Uniform Resource Identifier], simply meaning that a file type is associated with an app.)
Windows 11's Default apps page.Microsoft
It gets worse. Most apps don't really ask you to pin them to the Windows taskbar, letting you decide if you want to add a quick shortcut to the apps down below.
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Mar 20, 2023
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But there's an easy way to prevent this annoyance. Just open the link in an incognito browsing window.
You won't be logged into your account within a private window—it's a blank slate. What you do in the incognito window won't affect your normal browser windows and tabs, either, so when you close the window, it'll be as if you never accessed those sites. (From the perspective of your browser, anyway. Your internet provider can still see what you've visited unless you use a VPN.)
For Chrome, the fastest way to open a link in an incognito window is by right-clicking on the link, then hitting g on your keyboard or selecting "Open link in incognito window." For Edge, Firefox, and Brave, right-click and hit p on your keyboard. If your browser doesn't offer keyboard shortcuts in the right-click context menu, select and click on "Open link in private window."
In Chrome, you can open a link in an incognito by right-clicking the link, then hitting "g" on your keyboard. Or just select "Open link in incognito window."
As for general browsing (e.g., you're not clicking on someone else's link but you're hunting for content on your own), you can use Ctrl Shift N (Chrome, Edge, Brave, Opera, and other Ch
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Mar 20, 2023
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As files get larger and you accumulate more of them, you're all but guaranteed to continually need more storage. An external drive is one of the best ways to ensure you have enough storage capacity and to cover yourself in case of an emergency. Here at PCWorld we've tested numerous external drives and curated a list of the best external drives below. We've provided recommendations for everything from blazing-fast performance to budget options to portability and everything in between. Below our recommendations you'll find additional helpful information on what you need to know to choose the best external drive for your needs.
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Mar 20, 2023
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Adding an adult user to Windows 11 on PC
To add more users to Windows 11, click the Windows icon in the task bar and select the settings icon.
IDG / Alex Huebner
In the settings menu, select "Accounts" from the left-hand menu.
IDG / Alex Huebner
In the Accounts settings page, click "Other users" toward the bottom of the menu.
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Mar 20, 2023
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The reason is that, very much like seafood and livestock, the price of the raw materials and manufactured parts that go into your computer's guts is part of a worldwide market that shifts in both the short and long term. And for a variety of reasons, there's a huge abundance of NAND flash storage right now — the kind of storage that goes into SSD drives and flash drives of all sizes. Most of the major manufacturers of this hardware are experiencing a huge drop in demand from both consumers and enterprise customers.
With industrial chip manufacturing unable to nimbly lower its output to match that demand, the result is an overabundance of NAND flash hardware on the market. As Anton Shilov of AnandTech notes, pretty much every storage maker is seeing huge drops in revenue as a result. And that sucks if you're a flash memory manufacturer…but it's a really good time to be in the market for a new storage drive.
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Mar 20, 2023
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And this license doesn't only keep your PC protected. You can activate it on up to three devices, including phones, Macs, and iPads, where Norton's value-adding features—like Dark Web monitoring, VPN access, cloud backup, and password management—come into play. Of course, Norton 360 Deluxe's antivirus chops remain top-notch too.
Our independent review of the security suite summed things up well: "Norton 360 Deluxe is a very good suite with a good price. If you're looking for excellent antivirus protection that won't get in your way, and which offers a good number of features, then this is the suite to buy."
That does doubly so when you're able to pick it up for under $20. Don't miss out!
Norton 360 Deluxe for $19.99 on PCWorld Software Store
Security
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Mar 20, 2023
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Price When Reviewed$189.99
Best Prices Today: Arzopa A1 Gamut
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$169.99
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Mar 20, 2023
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You also may have already seen the advertisements about Comcast's new 10G Xfinity network blanketing the airwaves and other platforms. And since the Xfinity website doesn't really clarify what "10G" really means, you might assume that the company's home internet service is a faster version of 5G.
That's likely what Comcast's marketing team wants. But don't let them confuse you. "10G" is a reference to 10Gbps, or the maximum speed the Xfinity broadband network is capable of. You're reading that right: It has nothing to do with cellular network terminology (like 5G) whatsoever, and Comcast's service is for home internet, not mobile. It's deeply misleading.
In fact, Xfinity's 10G network is actually slower than 5G. A 5G network is capable of zippier speeds, up to 20Gbps download and 10Gbps upload. Xfinity caps out at 10Gbps down and up.
Comcast's offerings become even more complicated when you consider what's currently available—most customers can only get about 1 Gbps down as the maximum speed, with an absurdly asymmetrical upload speed of 35Mbps (yes, megabits). Faster uploads are slowly rolling out to different locations, but you only get access by opting into the company's $30/month xFi Complete add-on, which includes unlimited data. Oof.
Long story short, take Comcast's boasts about its new network wi
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Mar 20, 2023
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Price When Reviewed$1,399
Best Prices Today: HP Dragonfly Pro
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Price
$1399.99
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Mar 20, 2023
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And on that note: LastPass. I was a happy user of LastPass for years, and an evangelist of the service for my less technical friends and family. (No, Aunt Laura, you can't just have "password1" as your password for everything.) But if you've been following the news lately, you know that LastPass and its parent company GoTo have been getting an absolute shellacking among users of all levels after a series of high-profile hacks.
LastPass deserves no sympathy
Now, a company getting hacked isn't necessarily its fault, and it doesn't necessarily indicate any kind of deficiency. After all, criminals are criminals, and they'll hack any high-profile target that they can. But in the case of LastPass, the hacks absolutely were its fault — a series of lax security standards and vulnerabilities to targeted phishing attempts were how the malefactors got in.
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Mar 20, 2023
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A #1 Product of the Week and #2 Product of the Month on Product Hunt (with a 5/5-star rating), xTiles is an intuitive project management and collaboration tool that creators and managers alike will love.
This visual workspace gives you a personalized place to layout your ideas with notes, links, and media. You can mix and match pieces of information using tiles to dive deeper into the ideas you're most excited about, and flag them for collaboration and building off into new areas. You can make everything action-oriented with tasks and enjoy a visual form of collaboration.
Lidia Vijga, Co-founder and CEO of DeckLinks writes, "xTiles is my happy place where I can plan and organize all my social media content for the upcoming weeks. I feel like anything is possible when you plan with xTiles."
Find out why xTiles has earned 4.9/5 stars on Capterra and a perfect 5-star rating on G2. For a limited time, you can get a
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Mar 19, 2023
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An update of MSCHF's wildly popular One Million Dollar Puzzle, this puzzle is pretty much exactly what you're thinking. Get your 500-piece jigsaw puzzle, complete it, and scan the resulting QR code, and you'll win money. Seriously, that's all there is to it. Every single puzzle is a winner, and while most will win just $1, you'll have an equal shot at one of two $1 million prizes. And, at the very least, you get the joy of completing the puzzle!
This deal is rated an impressive 4.5/5 stars by verified purchasers. One buyer named Kyle J. wrote that it's a, "Cool, fun product,. Even if you don't win, it's still a neat idea!"
So, how are we making it easier to change your luck? Because between March 17 and March 20, we are offering The 2 Million Dollar Puzzle for a special $17.77 price — more than 20% off the $30 retail price.
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Mar 18, 2023
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The best password managers relieve you of the burden of having to create and memorize unique, complex logins on your own. And they protect your passwords by encrypting your login info in a virtual vault—either locally or in the cloud—only allowing access with a single master password. If you're looking to step up your security game, a password manager is a way to do it. Yes, web browsers are starting to offer password management features, but they're not good enough.
All of our top picks for password mangers support Windows, Mac OS, Android, and iOS, as well as the major browsers. And all will let you sync your data across multiple devices, though you may have pay extra for that privilege. Once you've found the right password manager for your needs, head over to our guide on mastering your password manager.
Updated 3/7/23: Our recent reviews of Keeper and LogMeOnce find both of these password managers as strong as ever, each having a unique value proposition that sets its apart from our top pick. Read our summ
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Mar 18, 2023
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Xbox Game Pass Ultimate gives you all the benefits of Xbox Live Gold, letting you join the world's most advanced online console multiplayer network to play with millions of other gamers worldwide. Plus, you'll get access to more than 100 high-quality games, with new titles added all the time. Not to mention, you'll also get member discounts and deals and access to Xbox Game Studios titles the day they release. You'll even get an EA Play membership for no additional cost, and the capability of playing console games on your mobile devices with the Xbox Cloud Gaming beta.
This deal is naturally rated an average of 5/5 stars by verified purchasers. One buyer named Daniel called it a "great option for anyone looking to reactivate a Game Pass subscription.
Enjoy a better gaming experience. Right now, you can get a one-month subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for just $
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Mar 17, 2023
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Two-factor authentication (2FA) offers additional protection to your online accounts by requiring a password and a one-time code via text or app. It's the first line of defense in keeping unwanted hackers out of your social media account. The fact that Twitter is stripping away SMS (text) 2FA (unless you pay up) might be annoying, but it doesn't mean you are without recourse
Getting 2FA codes via SMS isn't the most reliable option anyway, as the code could be potentially intercepted by hackers. That's why we recommend opting for an authentication app like Authy or Google Authenticator. If you're not sure how to add these apps to Twitter, don't worry. The team at PCWorld put together an easy step-by-step guide below.
How to add an authentication app to Twitter
Adding an authentication app to Twitter is easier than you'd think. There are quite a few options to choose from. In our roundup of the
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Mar 17, 2023
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In the support notes attached to the Windows 11 2022 Update (in this case, build 22621.1413), Microsoft says that big, multi-gigabyte file transfers may be slower than usual because of a bug that Microsoft is working to fix. Microsoft says that you'll likely experience this issue when downloading files from a network server, "but local file copy might also be affected."
Microsoft is working on a permanent fix, but it isn't here yet.
In December, users complained to Microsoft that they were seeing drastically reduced performance on some NVMe SSD drives, with write speeds dropping by half in some cases. Microsoft later issued a patch to fix the SSD slowdowns, but by then consumers had been frustrated by their slow performance. That patch took about 10 days to issue, and Microsoft published its initial warning of the storage slowdown problem on March 14.
Microsoft insists that Windows devices used by consumers in their home or small offices are not likely to be affected by this issue, though Hot Hardware unearthed a
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Mar 17, 2023
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Well I got news for you: We all got together last night and decided that your days of freeloading are finally over.
By "we," I mean those of us who still keep a serviceable printer up and running. In my case, I'm down to just one active printer from a high of five—a Canon all-in-one inkjet—while my only other printer, a Brother color laser printer sits offline as quiet as Chernobyl reactor 4 due to an unfortunate off-brand toner accident.
I still carefully track the ink on the Canon to make sure each of the individual six—yeah, six, count ‘em—color slots is sufficiently full and there's a spare on hand for when the ink gets low. Sure, it's annoying and expensive, but I like having a printer available to me at any time.
And the thing, is so do you people—it's just that you don't want to pay for it. Sure, you dismiss the need for a printer with a wave of the hand and make snarky comments about printers and the people who buy them. But every few months I get that ding on my phone and a message that reads: "Hey, are you home? Can I print something?"
Like a pass to a concert, a contract you need to sign, or a government form, and then another government form.
"How come you don't have a printer anymore?" I ask. The response: "I don't need one."
And that's where last night's group meeting comes in. I talked to them—everyone who still has a printer—and we have collectively decided to stop enabling your freeloading ways.
No more Phish concert tickets, no more Braniff boarding passes, and no more passport applications will be printed for you at 10 p.m. on a Sunday.
Even wors
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Mar 17, 2023
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Assault on Dragon Keep is the precursor to
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Mar 17, 2023
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If you're absolutely desperate for $5 worth of PC accessory, you might just want to dig around in your couch cushions instead. Microsoft says that its supplies are limited — and sure to run out quickly, as these things often do — and that shipping might take six to eight weeks. And there's no way to simply ask for one: You'll need an email invitation and a verification code, as noted by Beta News.
Perhaps more interesting than the allure of some free hardware is what it indicates for the new Canary channel. "Canary" is developer speak for "the newest features that are likely to break everything," as in "canary in the coal mine." If Microsoft is willing to send out a bunch of freebies to users just to get them to try out the latest builds of Windows 11, it might be evidence that there are some very big features in the works. Big enough that Microsoft is willing to spend considerable money to expand its pool of testers.
It's possible, though certainly not confirmed, that the featur
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Mar 17, 2023
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The 27-inch Predator XB3 has a resolution of 2560×1440, a refresh rate of 165Hz, an aspect ratio of 16.9, and a response time of 1ms. That means you're in for sharp, responsive visuals. It's designed with faster paced games in mind, where the tiniest fraction of a second means winning or losing a match. This monitor also has a 4.5 average user rating at Best Buy across a total of 216 reviews. Folks love it.
The one thing you should be aware of: This is such an absolute steal because it's a certified refurbished unit. But don't let that bit of info deter you, as the monitor comes direct from Acer on Ebay. According to Ebay's refurbished policy, "all items are tested by qualified refurbishers and function as intended," and this display works like an all-new one would. Ebay also includes a two-year warranty, which covers repairs and replacements. In other words, you're getting a like-new Predator XB3 monitor with a multi-year warranty for 44 percent off the usual price.
Yup, this is a fantastic deal. You better swoop in now though. As of this writing, 1,329 units have already been sold and only a limited number are available.
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Mar 17, 2023
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Compared to some of the other bombastic products in Razer's catalog, like a soundbar that will scan for your head position or a headset with interchangeable animal ears, it's surprisingly tame. The Atlas is a 450-by-400 millimeter (17.72 x 15.75 inches) pane of tempered glass, set onto a rubber base that gives it a gunmetal look. It's super-smooth and hard — duh, it's glass! — but a slightly frosted etching pattern means it works great for optical mice. As opposed to regular transparent glass, which, you know, doesn't.
No Chroma lighting,
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Mar 17, 2023
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The important thing is that you make the right compromises. We've compiled a list of the best gaming laptops under $1,000 to help you in that quest. (Note that laptop prices can fluctuate and there might be times when the price of one of our picks hovers over $1,000.) We'll keep adding more budget gaming options as we find them. And in case you're lucky enough to find some extra money under the sofa cushion, we've added a pick for those who can stretch their budget a little bit further.
For more recommendations on gaming laptop, see our roundup of the best gaming laptops across all prices. Additionally, before you buy, take a look at our roundup of the best laptop deals, updated weekly—it could help you save even more!
Updated 03/15/2023: To include the MSI Sword 15 A12UE as our pick for unique style. Read our summary below for more info. Also, check out our latest review of the MSI Katana GF66. It's a capable, if rather average gaming laptop that can handle most modern titles, but buyers would do best to wait for a sale
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Mar 17, 2023
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Price When Reviewed$69
Best Prices Today: Sony DualSense controller
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Price
$69.00
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Mar 17, 2023
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Price When Reviewed$899.99
Best Prices Today: Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 7900 XT
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Pric
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Mar 17, 2023
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Microsoft 365 Copilot essentially injects AI into the various Office apps. You'll still interact with them the way you normally would, but Copilot will also live in the toolbar atop those apps, and you'll interact with it in a sidebar. If you've ever hauled a coworker over and told them, "Show me how to do this," you'll understand what Microsoft 365 Copilot can do. Except it will actually, you know, do it.
It's really the next generation of AI chatbots: Not bots that talk to you like Bing Chat, but assistants that take orders.
Jared Spataro, corporate vice president of Modern Work & Business Applications at Microsoft, probably best explained the potential in a blog post Microsoft published Thursday. "Copilot makes you better at what you're good at and lets you quickly master what you've yet to learn," he wrote. "The average person uses only a handful of commands — such as "animate a slide" or "insert a table" — from the thousands available across Microsoft 365. Now, all that rich functionality is unlocked using just natural language. And this is only the beginni
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Mar 17, 2023
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This pocket-sized device is engineered for those who find inspiration everywhere. The ingenious little scanner works on any surface, from painted walls to fabric, and instantly matches the color to more than 100,000 brand name paint colors or sRGB HEX, CMYK, and LAB colors via the Nix Digital app. Wherever you see an interesting color that you like, just place the Nix Mini on it. The sensor blocks out all ambient light and provides its own calibrated light source for an accurate reading, sending the information via Bluetooth to your phone. You can save and organize all of your favorite color palettes, share scans with friends, and more.
Mashable writes, "The Nix Mini Color Sensor could be an awesome tool to feed your innate perfectionism."
Get a head start on your big spring projects. Right now, you can get th
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Mar 16, 2023
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In welcome news for all Firefox users, Mozilla announced this week that Firefox Relay, its version of email masking, will become integrated into its browser. Launched in 2020, Relay has only been accessible so far through a browser add-on. That separation has likely kept masked email and its privacy benefits from becoming more popular, despite Mozilla offering all Relay users up to five email masks for free.
Most people aren't aware they can easily block email tracking and spam via Relay, much less protect themselves in the wake of endless data breaches. With even just one email mask in use, you can shield your true address, making a hacker's attempts to take over that account much harder. And if you have unlimited masks and create a new one for each site and app, malicious actors can't easily take info from data breaches and apply it widely across the web.
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Mar 16, 2023
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The new 12VHPWR connector is a compact power connector that combines the capability of multiple older 6- and 8-pin connectors into one tiny plug. It was originally adopted with the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti Founders Edition and is now used in the GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition as well as custom versions of the RTX 4090 built by the likes of Asus, MSI, et cetera. The 12VHPWR connector was also used in newer RTX 40-series graphics cards like the RTX 4080 and RTX 4070 Ti, though not in AMD's Radeon RX 7000-series GPUs.
GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition
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Mar 16, 2023
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The other two models of the Steam Deck — the 256GB and 512GB models, which use faster NVMe storage and upgraded glass on the 512GB version — also get the 10 percent discount. That brings them down to $476.10 and $584.10, respectively. All three models come with a free carrying case. The sale will continue until the end of the Steam Spring Sale on March 23rd, though delivery times might be severely delayed as Valve's stock runs low.
On top of the first-ever hardware discount for the Steam Deck, the regular Steam sale hullaballoo is worth your attention. Hundreds and hundreds of PC games are on sale for up to 90 percent off their regular prices. Here are 10 great deals we saw from the sale, in no particular order:
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Mar 16, 2023
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Best Prices Today: R-Drive Image 7
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Mar 16, 2023
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Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella introduced its vision for the future of work as a "symbiosis" between human and machine. Microsoft announced Microsoft 365 Copilot, with AI embedded in Word, PowerPoint, Teams, and more. Business Chat will serve as an assistant to that. Microsoft also applied AI to its Power Platform, a little-known tool for actually writing code — something Bing and rival ChatGPT have already shown that they can do.
Microsoft previously launched AI as a consumer initiative, revealing the AI-powered Bing chatbot at the beginning of February. While Bing was originally subject to a waitlist, it now appears that the waitlist has disappeared. Microsoft also placed Bing AI conversations under strict limits. After going through some growing pains with reports of weird content and worse, Microsoft migrated Bing Chat to the Microsoft Edge browser sidebar with its Edge Copilot, using Bing as a content-creation tool.
"Today we are at the start of a new era of computing and another step on this journey," Nadella said. "You can say that we've been using AI on autopilot and now moving from autopilot to copilot," he added.
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Mar 16, 2023
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The long-awaited Diablo IV (June 6), Arkane's Redfall (May 2), and The Finals (beta available) will all ship with DLSS 3 out of the gate, while Forza Horizon 5—still the best arcade racer available—will add Frame Generation on March 28. Indie titles Deceive Inc., Gripper, and Smalland: Survive the Wilds will debut with DLSS 2's performance-boosting upscaling available.
DLSS 3 is actually a suite of technologies that builds atop the bones of DLSS 2's fantastic AI-powered image upscaling, which increases gaming performance. To support DLSS 3, a game has to include separate options for DLSS 2; the Frame Generation feature, which inserts an AI-generated frame between every GPU-generated frame to super
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Mar 16, 2023
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The Surface Pro X features Qualcomm-powered Microsoft SQ 2 processor, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of SSD storage. You should be able to zip through most day-to-day tasks like surfing the web, responding to e-mail, and so on, though Arm-based processors sometimes hiccup with apps downloaded from somewhere other than Windows 11's Microsoft Store. It's not the most powerful machine we've ever seen, but that's not what it was designed for, and at a whopping $940 off, that's an acceptable trade-off. The 13-inch PixelSense touchscreen also has a resolution of 2880×1920, so visuals should be nice and vibrant. The only drawback is that it doesn't come with a keyboard or pen. The keyboard alone will set you back $98.99, which is a real bummer.
If you don't mind spending extra on the accessories, and can live mostly off the web or apps found in the Microsoft Store, then the Surface Pro X is a really good deal. You won't find a versatile tablet this powerful and well-designed going for under $600 very often.
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Mar 16, 2023
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We've tested several PCIe 4.0 SSDs and the best one to cross our labs thus far is the WD Black SN850X in a field of tough contenders, though it's neck-and-neck with the rival Seagate FireCuda 530. Ultimately, due to its better overall performance, the WD Black SN850X takes our top spot.
Read on to learn more, including what to look for in PCIe 4.0 SSD.
Updated 03/14/2023: To include the Adata Legend 850, our new pick for best budget PCIe 4.0 SSD runner-up. Check out our summary below for more info.
1. WD Black SN850X - Best PCIe 4.0 SSD
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