Explaining the Windows Insider Program channels for Windows 11 betas
Microsoft's Windows Insider Program can be confusing if you're new, so here's everything you need to know for testing the Windows 11 beta.
It's been a few years since Windows 11 first launched, and just like Windows 10 before it, the operating system is always evolving. Microsoft has committed to updating Windows 11 every so often with "Moment" updates, which are basically feature drops every few months. The most recent one was the Moment 3 update, with delivered features like seconds on the clock in the Taskbar, as well as tweaks to the widgets experience.
Surface Pro 9 with 5G review: Windows on Arm keeps getting better
Microsoft's Surface Pro 9 with 5G comes with a Qualcomm processor, giving it Windows Studio capabilities and great battery life.
In 2019, Microsoft introduced the Surface Pro X, the first ever Surface Pro not to include an Intel processor. Living side-by-side with the Surface Pro 7, Surface Pro 7+, and finally the Surface Pro 8, the Redmond firm decided this year that Windows on Arm is mature enough to merge the two brands. The Surface Pro 9 with 5G is the first product from the mainstream Surface Pro lineup to include an Arm processor.
Lenovo Yoga Book 9i review: It's shockingly good
It's like having a dual-monitor setup, but portable
Whether it’s the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold with its foldable screen, or a Surface Pro tablet that was released in the early 2010s, Windows never seems to work well on a new form factor. In most cases, I’ll walk away from the review saying the product is good for a certain niche, but I’m looking forward to getting back to a real laptop. The Lenovo Yoga Book 9i is a different story though, because this thing is shockingly good.
iOS 17 will stop your Android friends from ruining your group texts with their green bubbles
Say goodbye to crippled group texts because of that one friend
We've all been there. Whether you're an iPhone user with iMessage or an Android user with RCS, the group chat gets crippled by that one person that doesn't have the same kind of phone as the rest. That means that the messaging protocol falls back to SMS/MMS, which is decades old and can't handle what we'd even call a small file today. But with the announcement of iOS 17 yesterday and the subsequent release of the first developer betas, it seems that Apple has a solution that didn't get talked about in the WWC keynote.
How to install tvOS 17 beta on your Apple TV
Apple's new tvOS 17 update won't be here for at least a few months, but you can start testing the beta now.
In addition to the new iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS Sonoma, Apple also announced tvOS 17 during its WWDC23 keynote. The new version of tvOS brings some exciting new features to Apple TV, including a new Control Center, a FaceTime app that uses Continuity Camera support to connect to your iPhone or iPad, and more. All these enhancements are coming to your Apple TV later this year, but you can download the tvOS developer beta that's available through the Apple Developer Program to experience them now.
RIP: Microsoft is finally killing Cortana on Windows
Microsoft confirmed it's killing Cortana, despite recent denial
Microsoft is finally killing off its Cortana virtual assistant, at least on Windows, the company wrote today in a support document. The standalone Cortana app that you probably don't even realize is installed on your PC won't be supported beginning later on this year.
Hands on: Motorola's Razr+ is way better than I expected. Samsung should be scared.
Motorola has finally returned with a new Razr lineup for 2023, and it's actually pretty great.
When I walked into the briefing room at this week's Motorola event, I jokingly asked Doug Michau, the company's executive director of North America business development, if he was excited to get a temporary reprieve from constantly being asked when there would be a new Razr. Indeed, the last one that we saw in the U.S. came out in 2020, and its 2022 successor was a China exclusive.
Acer Swift 14 (2023) review: A great laptop with common shortcomings
Acer's latest Swift 14 adds 13th-generation Intel processors, a better webcam, and more.
I always feel like Acer's laptops are underrated. I'm always impressed every time the company sends me a new model, but when the discussion comes up over which are the best laptops, the company is frequently overshadowed by the likes of HP, Lenovo, and Dell. And that continues to be true with the Acer Swift 14, which took things up a notch from its predecessor, the Swift 5.
Hands on: The Google Pixel Tablet is what the Android ecosystem needs
The most exciting part of the Google Pixel Tablet is what it means for Android
Over the last year, Google has been expanding its Pixel lineup in some big ways. After six generations of just making smartphones, it introduced the Pixel Watch and teased the Pixel Tablet last fall. At Google I/O, the Pixel Tablet officially launched, along with the Pixel Fold.
It's a device that's been rumored for a long time now, and frankly, the Google Pixel Fold is a device that we were all hoping would be good. After all, we've seen four generations of Samsung foldables now, along with plenty of competitors in other markets. With the Pixel Fold launching at I/O and OnePlus poised to launch a foldable in Q3, the US is finally about to get some choice when it comes to foldable smartphones.
5 ways that Bing AI is about to get a whole lot better
Microsoft is announcing a bunch of improvements to Bing Chat.
Microsoft's Bing Chat has been around for three months, although it kind of seems like it's been here for longer, as it's part of a larger AI movement that's taken the internet by storm, for lack of a better term. The larger movement, of course, includes GPT-4 and ChatGPT, and even Google Bard.
Dell XPS 15 (2023) review: The best 15-inch laptop in a shrinking market
For creators, this year's Dell XPS 15 once again nails it.
When it comes to the best 15-inch laptops, Dell's XPS 15 has been at the top of the list for as long as I remember. One of the reasons is that it pretty much defined its category. Up until a few years ago, a premium 15-inch laptop with the power to edit videos was really something you'd either find in the gaming laptop market, or from Apple.
ThinkPhone by Motorola review: Finally, a phone for ThinkPad stans
Can it live up to the Think brand?
The Lenovo ThinkPhone by Motorola, despite being a really strange branding decision, is a really good phone with some really smart features. It's designed for ThinkPad users, and the Lenovo-owned Motorola is finally starting to find ways to make its devices work with each other.
Hands on: Acer's new TravelMate P6 brings OLED to the business space
Looking for a business laptop with a pretty display? Acer has you covered.
Acer held its spring next@acer event today, introducing a wide range of products from Chromebooks to gaming laptops. In the business laptop department, we have the new TravelMate P6, and Acer was kind enough to send us a pre-production unit to check out.
Lenovo Yoga 9i (2023) review: The best laptop on the market
The Lenovo Yoga 9i is our favorite laptop, and the 2023 model is even better.
The 2023 Lenovo Yoga 9i is just a plain old spec bump, now including Intel 13th-gen processors. Of course, the good news is that when I reviewed the 2022 model, I called it the best laptop on the market, and it's topped our list of best laptops ever since. If there's one thing you need to take away from this review, it should be that this laptop will take the place of its predecessor topping many of our best guides. It's just that good.
HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook review: The new Pixelbook
HP's Dragonfly Pro Chromebook is the best Chromebook there is, showing how a close collaboration with Google can change everything.
Google doesn't make Pixelbooks anymore, so if you want that kind of premium ChromeOS experience, where do you turn? As it turns out, you turn to HP, which partnered closely with Google on the Dragonfly Pro Chromebook. I attended an in-person workshop where I talked to people from both HP and Google about it. It makes a lot of sense for Google to make this move since it can work with its partners instead of competing with them.
HP Dragonfly Pro review: Trying to compete with Apple
HP and AMD say that the Dragonfly Pro laptop is made to compete with Apple's MacBook Pro, but did it succeed?
When HP held a workshop in New York City and gave out our Dragonfly Pro review units, there was talk about competing with not just Apple Silicon but the new MacBook Pro. That's a bold statement, something I've never heard anyone on the Windows side make. But AMD has Apple in its crosshairs, and frankly, it's put a lot of work into the custom Ryzen chip that's in the Dragonfly Pro to hit some of the features that only Apple has been able to deliver.
Which Samsung Galaxy laptops have 5G?
While Samsung doesn't make as many laptops as some competitors, it does have a bunch of 5G and 4G LTE Galaxy laptops to choose from.
There are lots of reasons to want a cellular laptop. It's more secure than connecting to public Wi-Fi, or maybe you just don't want to end up on the Starbucks mailing list. Maybe you just want the convenience of being connected to the internet all the time, because you know, it's 2023, and connecting to the internet shouldn't be something that you have to think about.
Microsoft is adding a Canary Channel to the Windows Insider Program, likely for Windows 12 testing
Microsoft is adding a fourth channel to its Windows Insider Program called Canary, where a new branch of builds will be tested.
It's once again that time of the year when Microsoft's Amanda Langowski pens a blog post to outline what's in store for the Windows Insider Program. This time, there are some big changes, as the team is introducing a public Canary Channel. No, this isn't the daily-update internal that you've heard of. This seems a lot like the Dev channel, but for testing Windows 12.
Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro review: Two steps forward, one step back
Samsung's Galaxy Book 3 Pro fixes the pain points of its predecessor but takes away what made it special.
Samsung's Galaxy Book laptops have always been some of my favorite laptops, but they've also definitely been flawed. Last year's Galaxy Book 2 series came with AMOLED screens standard, but they only had a 16:9 aspect ratio and FHD, even on the 15.6-inch models.