pc magazine's tech@home – august-november 2016

Sep - Nov 2016 Tech@Home 3

ContentsEditorial and Contents 03News 04How to Access Your Wi-Fi Routers Settings 10How to Get Google to Quit Tracking You 12How to Start Purging Your Digital Life 14Gaming Laptops 16Gaming Monitors 18Ultraportables 20Smartphones 222-in-1 Hybrids 24All-in-One PCs 26Tablets 28Wearable Tech 3010 Reasons to Upgrade to Windows 10 32How to Make a Smart Home From Dumb One 36Six Tools for Wannabe Makers 40

EditorialBack to School Gear You Need Its almost back to school time! Which means its time for frantic purchasing of all sorts of stuff one (or ones kid) may or may not need for the school year.

Regardless of what youre studying or where youre doing it, you need technology that will keep you productive and connected. We at PC Mag understand the importance of technology in a students life. Hence we have come up with this Back to School Special Edition under our Tech@Home banner.

This issue of Tech@Home is fi lled with buying guides about 2-in-1 hybrids, ultrabooks, smartphones, tablets, gaming laptops, gaming monitors, all-in-one PCs, wearables and so much more. And while we are at it, we have also included a series of How to articles.

So, fl ip through the few pages to update yourself with the latest in tech today, and do not forget to send in your comments to [email protected].

EDITORIAL Editor:

Chris N. [email protected]

DESIGNArt Director:Manisha Badle

ADVERTISING AND SALESBusiness Development Manager:

Ranbir [email protected]

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4 Tech@Home Sep - Nov 2016

REPORT: APPLE PREPPING TV GUIDE FOR STREAMING APPSWith so many people now streaming video as their only form of TV, Apple is reportedly working on a guide that will bring content from several different streaming apps into one place. The new Apple TV guide may let users see what kind of programming is available in video apps like HBO, Netflix, and ESPN without having to open up each one individually.

Apple is reportedly developing the interface and letting programmers, distributors, and customers work out how revenue would be shared. If the report is accurate, it would be a natural outgrowth of the single sign-on service Apple unveiled at WWDC in June. That feature will let customers authenticate all the video channels from their pay-TV providers with a single password.

Starting this fall, once Apple TV users are signed into one network app, theyll be automatically logged into all other supported apps requiring authentication. But the TV guide would take the idea one step further: besides signing in, users could browse all the shows and movies from the supported apps in one place.

Roku already has a similar feature, but its limited to the search function you can search for a specific title across multiple apps, but cant browse their collections at once. One thing thats unclear is whether or not Apples TV guide service would extend to Macs and iOS devices as well as the Apple TV. An Apple spokesperson declined to comment.

POKEMON GO PLAYERS BUYING BATTERIES FOR THEIR BINGESPokemon Go has accomplished a lot of things. Its gotten people to go outside, to make friends, to realize parks exist, and to complain a lot when their favorite third-party apps for finding the hard-to-get digital creatures get taken offline.

The game has also gotten people buying. And while few are likely to go out and make a smartphone upgrade just to play the game, thats not to say they wont pick up an accessory or two that enhances their Pokemon Go experience.

The first thing at the top of our must-have list is a mobile battery pack, since youre going to need to frequently refer to your smartphones (battery-draining) screen to catch em all. And were not the only ones who need a bit of a battery boost. According to the most recent figures from NPD, Pokemon Go players are to blame for a recent surge in sales of mobile battery packs.

According to The NPD Groups Weekly Retail Tracking Service, unit sales of portable power packs designed to charge mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, have grown 101 percent during the two-week period between July 10 and July 23 compared to the year prior. While product promotions played a role in the sales increases experienced within the category, it was the extraordinary popularity of the mobile video game, Pokmon Go, that drove the most demand over this time period, reads NPDs announcement.

Demand for portable power packs has been strong this year, with unit sales increasing 35 percent year-over-year for the 12 months ending June 2016. More recently, though, sales growth for the devices has slowed. In the six weeks leading up to Pokmon Gos launch, unit sales were just four percent above the same period a year ago. However, in the two weeks since the game launched, sales of portable power packs reached nearly 1.2 million units, representing a marked increase in sales growth.

REPORT: APPLE PREPPING TV GUIDE

POKEMON GO PLAYERS BUYING BATTERIES FOR THEIR BINGESPokemon Go has accomplished a lot of things. Pokemon Go has accomplished a lot of things. Its gotten people to go outside, to make friends, Its gotten people to go outside, to make friends, to realize parks exist, and to complain a lot when to realize parks exist, and to complain a lot when their favorite third-party apps for finding the hard-their favorite third-party apps for finding the hard-to-get digital creatures get taken offline. to-get digital creatures get taken offline.

And while few are likely to go out and make a And while few are likely to go out and make a smartphone upgrade just to play the game, thats smartphone upgrade just to play the game, thats not to say they wont pick up an accessory or two not to say they wont pick up an accessory or two that enhances their Pokemon Go experience. that enhances their Pokemon Go experience.

a mobile battery pack, since youre going to need a mobile battery pack, since youre going to need to frequently refer to your smartphones (battery-to frequently refer to your smartphones (battery-

NEWS

Trigon LLCUAE, Yemen, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, BahrainTel.: +971 4 342 6060Email: [email protected]


HTC LAUNCHING NEW VIVEPORT APP STORE THIS FALLSteam is mostly for games, no question about that. And while thats probably fine for most owners of HTCs virtual reality headset, the Vive, there are still

a number of people who are looking for experiences that dont just have you waving your hands around and shooting

at things. To solve that issue, HTC has announced the official rollout of its new Viveport app store, which headset-owners will be able to use to download new virtual reality experiences.

Viveport will feature content across exciting, new categories for VRlike information, edutainment, social media, 360 video, news,

sports, health, travel and shopping. The upcoming release will also introduce an update to Vive Home, which is our personal and customizable virtual space with interactive widgets and more, reads HTCs description. Dont start sleuthing through HTCs website for a link, though. Viveport is going to have a developer beta first, and thatll arrive in a few weeks.

HTC is looking to launch Viveport in around 30 countries in fall, though the app has already been live in China since this spring. Thats mostly due to the fact that Steam doesnt seem to have a huge foothold in the region.

JEEP HACKERS RETURN WITH NEW TRICKSA year after Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek disclosed a major security vulnerability that could allow hackers to remotely hijack your Jeep, the infamous auto hackers are at it again. The duo, who now work at Uber, again teamed up with Wired writer Andy Greenberg to publicize a new arsenal of attacks against the same 2014 Jeep Cherokee they hacked last year.

By sending carefully crafted messages on the vehicles internal network known as a CAN bus, theyre now able to pull off even more dangerous, unprecedented tricks like causing unintended acceleration and slamming on the cars brakes or turning the vehicles steering wheel at any speed, Greenberg writes. The researchers plan to present their findings at the

NEWS

Black Hat conference later this week. Check out the video below for a peek at what they can do.

On the plus side, this new round of attacks isnt quite as menacing as last years, as they cant be carried out remotely over the Internet. At this time, the hackers can only perform the attacks with a laptop plugged into the Jeep, though researchers cited in Greenbergs story say its only a matter of time before another remote vulnerability, like the one Jeep patched last year as a

result of Miller and Valaseks work, is discovered.

Jeep parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles did not immediately respond to a request for comment from PCMag, but told Greenberg that Miller and Valasek were using an old version of the cars software, and its highly unlikely the exploit could be possible on the latest version. The company also reiterated that the attack requires a computer to be connected to the vehicles onboard diagnostic port.


TRANSCEND INTROS DRIVE-PRO CAR VIDEO RECORDERSTranscend has introduced the complete DrivePro Car Video Recorder series, including the DrivePro 50, DrivePro 100, DrivePro 200, DrivePro 220, and DrivePro 520. Day or night, your DrivePro Car Video Recorder is your most reliable eyewitness on the road. Every model in the DrivePro series captures crystal-clear Full HD 1080P (1920 x 1080) video at 30 frames every second, faithfully recording everything happening on the road with its wide 130 to 160 viewing angle and large aperture lens.

Your DrivePro safeguards your valuable video record with its built-in battery to keep recording for 30 seconds in the event of power failure or interruption, plus the G-sensor emergency recording function protects video files from erasure after any unusual shock or impact is detected. The Auto Power On/Off feature ensures your DrivePro is ready whenever you need it, said the company in a statement.

The bright built-in 2.4-inch colour LCD screen lets you review video at any time, and your recordings can also be copied to PCs and other devices, and viewed with Transcends free-to-download DrivePro PC Tool for Windows. Theres also a quick snapshot feature to take photos at any time.

ANDROID WILL NOTIFY YOU WHEN NEW DEVICES ACCESS YOUR ACCOUNTGoogle is beefing up Android security with a new feature that aims to give you more information about whats happening with your account in real time. The Web giant is rolling out a feature that will alert you when a new device accesses your account. The feature is gradually making its way to all users, meaning you may not see it for another two weeks or more.

But when its live, youll get a push notification if a new device is added to your account. Did you just sign in? the message reads. A new device accessed your Google Account. If something looks fishy, you can choose to review account activity, and Google will inform you what type of device was added, from what location, and other information (such as the browser and IP address used). If all is well after all, just select the option yes, that was me.

If you dont recognise the listed device, it means someone else has your password, and youll need to select the option no, secure account so Google can help you get your account shored back up.

NEWS


Everyone has a story, and Instagram wants to help tell yours. Instagram Stories lets users share all the moments of your day, not just ones you want to keep on your profile. As you post multiple images and videos, content is automatically assembled into a slideshow, which disappears after 24 hours and does not appear on your profile grid or in your photo feed. You dont have to worry about over-posting, the company said in a blog post.

You can share as much as you want throughout the daywith as much creativity as you want. Sound familiar? Nearly three years ago, Snapchat launched Stories, which lets users share snaps with multiple people at once. Users can add text and drawings to the photo canvases, which live for 24 hours before disappearing. Instagrams version is rolling out globally on iOS and Android over the next few weeks.

ASUS ANNOUNCES NEW PRODUCTS AT COMPUTEX 2016

Asus Chairman Jonney Shih took the stage at the Zenvolution press event at Computex 2016 to unveil Zenbo, the first Asus robot, along with a portfolio of third-generation mobile products designed to provide users with revolutionary

functionality for pursuing their passions. The incredible line-up includes the all-new ZenFone 3 family, featuring ZenFone 3 Deluxe, the new flagship Asus smartphone with advanced camera technology that takes

mobile photography to the next level; ZenFone 3, a feature-packed smartphone that brings premium design and empowering performance to users; and ZenFone 3 Ultra, an incredibly powerful smartphone with a 6.8-inch Full HD display that excels at entertainment. Also announced were ZenBook 3, an ultra-sleek and lightweight notebook with a premium aluminum design, along with Asus Transformer 3

and Asus Transformer 3 Pro, the worlds most versatile PCs that feature a combination of mobility, convenience, and expandability. While revealing Asus Zenbo, Shih said, For decades, humans have dreamed of owning such a companion: one that is smart, dear to our hearts, and always at our disposal. Our ambition is to enable robotic computing for every household. Joining Shih on stage, Intels Corporate Vice President and General Manager of the Client Computing Group, Navin Shenoy said, For nearly thirty years, Intel and Asus have been collaborating to bring some of the most innovative PCs and devices to market. We are excited to continue that collaboration on the new ZenBook and Transformer 3 family powered by Intel Core processors, and we look forward to working closely with Asus on expanding beyond traditional clients into new, emerging markets like robotics.

INSTAGRAM STORIES RIPS OFF SNAPCHAT

FEATURE


How to Access

Your Wi-Fi Routers Settings

Your router stores the settings for your home Wi-Fi network. So if you want to change something, you have to log into your routers software, also known as firmware. From there, you can change the name of your network, the password, the security level, create a guest network, and set up or change a variety of other options. But how do you get into your router to make those changes?

You log into your routers firmware through a browser. Any browser will do. At the address field, type the IP address of your router. Most routers use an address of 192.168.1.1. But thats not always the case, so first you want to confirm the address of your router.

Open up a command prompt from within Windows. In Windows 7, click on the Start button and type cmd in the search programs and files field. In Windows 8.1

and above, press the Windows + R buttons and type cmd. At the command prompt window, type ipconfig at the prompt itself and press Enter. Scroll to the top of the window until you see a setting for Default Gateway under Wi-Fi. Thats your router, and the number next to it is your routers IP address. Note that address.

Close the command-prompt window by typing exit at the prompt or clicking X on the pop-up. Type your routers IP address in the address field of your Web browser and press Enter. Youll be asked for a username and password to access your routers firmware. This is either the default username and password for your router, or a unique username and password that you may have created when you set up the router.

If you created a unique username and password, and you remember what they are,

thats great. Just enter them in the appropriate fields, and your routers firmware settings appear. You can now change whatever elements you want, typically screen by screen. On each screen, you may need to apply any changes before you move onto the next screen. When youre done, you may be asked to log in again to your router. After youve done that, just close your browser.

Okay, that doesnt sound too hard. Butyep, theres always a but, what if you dont know the username and password for logging into your router? Many routers use a default username of admin and a default password of password. You can try those to see if they get you in.

If not, some routers offer a password-recovery feature. If this is true of your router, this option should appear if you enter the wrong username and password and then press Cancel at the login

Heres how to change a home Wi-Fi networks

name, password, or other elements.


prompt.Still cant get in? Then youll

need to try to find the default username and password. Your best bet is to run a Google or Bing search with the brand name of your router followed by the phrase default username and password, such as netgear router default username and password or linksys router default username and password.

The search results should display the default username and password. Now try logging into your router with those default credentials. Hopefully, that will get you in. If not, then that probably means you or someone else changed the default username and password at some point. In that case, you may simply want to reset your router so all settings revert back to their defaults. Youll usually find a small Reset button on your router. Use a pointed object such as a pen or paper

clip to push in and hold the Reset button for around 10 seconds. Then release the button.

You should now be able to log into your router using the default username and password. Your first task will be to change the wireless network name, wireless network password, and security level. You should also go through each screen to see if there are other settings you wish to change. Documentation and built-in help should be available to assist you with these screens if youre not sure how to set them. Most current or recent routers also have setup wizards that can take care of some of this labor for you.

The process for logging into your router should be the same whether you use your Internet providers router or you purchased your own router. It should also be the same whether you use a dedicated router or a combination modem/router supplied by your provider.

Finally, you can and should change your routers username and password from their default values. This better secures your router so only you can access the firmware screens. Just remember the new credentials to avoid having to reset the router to make any changes in the future.

FEATURE


How to Get Google to Quit Tracking You

Where you go, Google goes. If you have location services turned on, then Google Maps has keeps track of every step you (and your smartphone) take. Your Google Timeline, introduced last year, can be a true walk down memory lane, but it can also lead straight to you and leave the door to your privacy

wide open.With Timeline, not only can

Google Maps show you where youre going, but where youve been. There might also be photographic evidence since Timeline syncs with any shots uploaded to Google Photos.

If youve turned on location services, Google is constantly pinging your phone from cell

towers and Wi-Fi and using GPS to see where you are. The frequency with which it finds you can be every few minutes or every few seconds, painting a pretty accurate picture of where you are at all times.

If this all seems less helpful and more harmful, you can remove your location history and tell Google to quit it already and stop

On Google Maps, the search giant is with you every step of the way. But you can do something about it.


following you. Heres how.

ANDROIDWhen you upgrade to the latest version of Google Maps, and check out your Timeline (Hamburger icon > Your timeline), Google will ask you to turn on Location History. You can then check out where youve been. I signed in on a borrowed Galaxy Note 4, so the only thing it had tracked was my location at the office.

If youd rather not have your Android phone tracking your location, go back to Your timeline and tap on the three dots on the upper-right corner.

Select Timeline SettingsScroll down to Location Settings.Tap Location History is on.A pop-up window will appear; tap the checkmark next to OnTap OK on the window

that appears.

You can also navigate to Hamburger icon > Settings > Google Location Settings > Location and toggle it to off.

You can also get rid of everything under Delete All Location History. A pop-up will warn you that everything is about to be deleted, which might affect how Google Now and other apps that use Location History work. If thats okay with you, check the box next to I understand and want to delete and then Delete.

APPLE IOSFor iOS, go to Google Maps, make sure youre signed in, and scroll to Settings. Tap Location History, where youll see a slider that can go from On to Off. Slide it Off.

To erase the past, navigate to

Settings > Maps History and tap the X next to the location you want to delete. On iOS, there is not currently an option to delete everything at once.

To only enable location tracking while youre using the app (not in the background), go to your iOS devices Settings > Privacy > Location Services > Google Maps and select While Using the App. This can be helpful if you want the phone to remember where youve been for future searches but not be constantly tracking you.

WEBYou can also clear your history from a desktop. Go to Google Maps and sign in to your account. Select Menu and then Your Timeline. Youll see every place youve been while Google Maps has been with you.

You can delete just one day by selecting the day on the top left and clicking the garbage can icon.

To delete your entire location history, go to the Timeline, click the gear icon on the right side of the screen and select Delete all Location History. Like on mobile, a pop-up will ask you if you really want to do that. If so, check the box next to I understand and want to delete all Location History and then Delete Location History.


How to Start Purging Your Digital Life

A few times during the year, I get an urge to purge. Whether its spring cleaning my closet or taking an hour on New Years Day to archive all of last years emails, I find it incredibly gratifying to dump (or sometimes simply hide) stuff I dont need. Theres a whole lot of hippie rhetoric about how clutter-free environments lead to clarity of mind, and Im not necessarily saying I believe it all, but I sure do feel less stressed when the junk is gone.

If you enjoy a good purge and have a messy digital life, here are some suggestions and tips for getting rid of some old data.

DESKTOPThe computer desktop becomes messy when we stick a file there

for convenience, usually so it will be in our line of sight and well remember it exists. When we repeat this behavior over and over, the principle defeats itself. How can you see and remember a file among a heap of others, all crowding the desktop?

The easiest way to clean up the desktop is to view all the files in a list, rather than looking at the graphical representation of the desktop itself. In other words, open a Finder window in OS X or File Explorer in Windows. It makes it easier to spot files that are ready to be deleted. You can much more easily see their file names, file type, and date they were created or last edited. You can also turn on the preview option for images, PDFs, and other files because taking a

FEATURE

Bogged down with digital clutter? Start purging junk from your digital life with these tips.

glance at them might help you determine whether theyve come to the end of their usefulness.

Also, dont leave your year folders on the desktop! It will only clutter it again. Put them somewhere youll remember easily, such as within the My Documents folder or maybe in a file-syncing folder, like the main Dropbox folder.

EMAILNo one has time to sort through their email messages one by one. Dont do that. Instead, apply the same concept that you used to clean up your desktop to sweep old emails out of sight. Create a new email folder (or a label in Gmail) called 2015. Create another one called 2014. Scroll through your inbox or filter it by date and select everything from that year. Now move all those messages en masse to the corresponding year folder. Your messages are still in your email account. You know where you can find them. You can read them and reply to them any time. But your inbox is now much cleaner, and you can feel good about that.

PHOTOS ON YOUR PHONEI have a really quick and easy way to move photos off an iPhone (or any smartphone) that involves using cloud storage. If you follow the steps in that article, you shouldnt have any trouble cleaning up your phone. Quite a few cloud storage apps have a button that quickly and efficiently copies all your photos to the online account, which means you can delete the photos from your phone. If cloud storage is not something you want to use, you can check out devices such as the SanDisk iXpand to do the trick for you.

APPS (MOBILE)To sort through your apps and decide which ones you dont want, first start by backing up your phone (see how to back up an iPhone), just in case you delete something accidentally and want to restore the data in it. In many cases, your data will be in a cloud account, and it will restore as soon as you reinstall the app and log into the account. But not all apps work that way, and its a good idea to back up regardless.

Now, go to the screen thats farthest from your home screen. The reason is that your homescreen probably has apps you do use,

whereas the screen thats hardest to reach likely has apps you dont use.

BROWSER TABSAre you a tab hoarder? Do you leave open dozens of tabs in your browser, sure that any day now youre going to read all those articles or watch all those videos you opened? here are a number of solutions for managing excessive browser tabs. An easy one is to bookmark all your open tabs, which is generally a one-click option in the browser. All your tabs will be saved so you can open them again any time, but you can close them for now, dump the cache, and start over with a fresh browsing session.

FRESH STARTFew people have good habits of purging their digital junk, but thats to be expected. Digital junk is new. We dont yet have a lot of established rules of hygiene. But try cleaning out your desktop, email, phone, and browser. It can be as rewarding as cleaning out your physical junk.


GAMING LAPTOPS


If you want to win while on the road, here are the latest gaming laptops you could consider.

Gaming on the Go!

Purists will argue that you need a PC to truly play games, especially if youre a fan of pushing the levels of graphics quality beyond the capabilities of a mobile phone or a mere gaming console. In this regard gaming desktop is still the king, particularly when it comes to having the kind of components and horsepower needed to smoothly run 4K gaming and to support virtual reality (VR) setups. But sometimes you want something to tote around the house or over to your friends place. If thats what you need, were here to help you choose the right gaming laptop.


ASUS ROG GX700Asus new ROG GX700 is the worlds fi rst

liquid-cooled gaming laptop. It is designed to give you a gaming laptop with the over-

clocking potential to go toe-to-toe with extreme gaming desktops. GX700 features Windows 10 Home, an overclockable Intel Mobile K-SKU processor, Nvidia GeForce

GTX 980 graphics, and DDR4 RAM to give you desktop-like power at home, and

ultra-performance on-the-go.

ASUS ROG G752The latest ROG gaming laptop the G752 showcases the evolution of the brand, with

a revolutionary design fi nished in a new Armor Titanium and Plasma Copper color scheme. With Windows 10, a 6th-genera-tion IntelSkylake Core i7 processor, up to

64GB DDR4 RAM, and the latest NvidiaGe-Force GTX graphics, ROG G752 delivers

exceptional gaming performance.

DELL ALIENWARE 15This is one gaming laptop that has been built to push every boundary. The Alien-

ware 15 is a 15-inch laptop with Intel Core processors, dynamic overclocking and car-bon-fi ber materials for the ultimate gam-ing experience. Add an optional graphics amplifi er for 4K gaming.Its outfi tted with copper heat sinks that enable proper cool-ing, full-throttle graphics performance for up to 100W of dedicated graphics power

from AMD or Nvidia.

MSI GT80S 6QE TITAN SLI

The engineers and designers at MSI made a serious impression with the arrival of the GT80 Titan gaming notebook. This 18-inch behemoths confi guration delivers two GTX

980M graphics cards and a fantastic me-chanical keyboard that made the GT80 so impressive, but also leverages a new Intel Skylake processor and DDR4 system RAM

for even greater performance.

ACER PREDATOR 17The new Acer Predator 17 comes with

an impressive list of specs, which include an Intel Core i7-6700HQ, 32GB of RAM,

Nvidia GTX 980M graphics chip, and two hard drives, one a 512GB PCIe solid state

unit, the other a 1TB mechanical drive with solid-state cache.

GAMING MONITORS


Whether youre a serious PC gamer or a casual after-hours warrior, your hardware can mean the difference between victory and defeat. In this guide, well help you choose a display that will give you an edge over your opponents while delivering a smooth, immersive gaming experience. We highlight the factors to consider when choosing a gaming monitor, and give our current favorites.

When it comes to gaming monitors, bigger is almost always better. If you have the room, a 27-inch screen provides plenty of real estate and offers the opportunity to go beyond Full High-Definition (FHD). Many of the newer 27-inch models are Wide, Quad High-Definition (WQHD) monitors with maximum resolutions of 2,560 by 1,440 pixels. You could also opt

for a 30-inch, 4K or Ultra-High-Definition (UHD) monitor or a 34-inch ultra-wide monitor with or without a curved panel.

Gaming monitors should have a fast pixel response and a high refresh rate. The most commonly used pixel response spec is gray to gray, which is measured in milliseconds and signifies the time it takes a pixel to transition from one shade of gray to another. A low pixel response will help eliminate the smearing of moving images and provide a smoother overall picture than a higher pixel response.

A monitors refresh rate refers to the time (per second) it takes to redraw the entire screen and is measured in Hertz (Hz). Most LCD monitors have a 60Hz refresh rate, which means the screen is refreshed 60 times per second, but fast-moving images may appear

blurry at this refresh rate, or the panel may suffer from screen tearing.

The latest crop of gaming monitors use synchronization technology to help reduce tearing and other motion artifacts while lowering input lag (which we measure on all displays we review using the Leo Bodnar Video Signal Lag Tester). Displays equipped with Nvidias G-Sync or AMDs FreeSync modules give control of the screens refresh rate to the GPU (instead of the monitor), which allows the display to operate with a variable refresh rate. The result is a very smooth gaming experience, with decreased input lag. However, G-Sync and FreeSync monitors require a compatible graphics card with a DisplayPort 1.2 or HDMI 2.0 output.

All You Need to Know About

Gaming MonitorsA fast, well-connected display is a key element in any PC gamers arsenal.

Heres what you should look for in a monitor for gaming.


LG 34UC87CThe LG 34UC87C is a 34-inch, 21:9 Curved UltraWide

display that allows multi-display set-up tailored to users refi ned needs. With multi-display stand and a

few accessories available at LG, what you have is a va-riety of customized set-up options. With this one, you can enjoy its 2x3 cinematic viewing experience as the graphic motion sweeps across massive screen estate

LG 25UM58-PThe LG 25U58-P is a 25-inches 21:9 UltraWide FHD (2560*1080) display that offers visual comfort and

ensures your best viewing pleasure. There is no color shift or no distortion of color at all. The display comes with a Game Mode, consisting of FPS, RTS, and Cus-

tom modes, provides a customized gaming experience that varies with genres.

AOC AG271QGThe AOC AGON AG271QG is a 27-inch Flat QHD mon-itor. The monitor supports both G-Sync and Free Sync technologies, offers a refresh rate of 144Hz & 1ms,

and comes with a Gaming Mode Setting. The monitor also comes with a Control Keypad, 1 HDMI Input and

1 DisplayPort Input, among other features.

AOC AG322FCXThe AOC AG322FCX is a 32-inch Full HD MVA Curved Monitor featuring a refresh rate of 1800R/144Hz and supporting Free Sync technology. The monitor comes

with Gaming Light Effect and an optional Control Key-pad. In terms of connectivity, the monitor comes with

ports such as 1 VGA (Analog) Input, 1 DVI (Digital) Input, 1 HDMI Input and 1 DisplayPort Input.

ASUS ROG SWIFT PG248QThis one is a 24-inch Full HD gaming monitor with

an ultra-fast 1ms response time to eliminate smear-ing and motion blur. It comes with an overclock-

able 180Hz refresh rate and G-SYNC technology for super-smooth gameplay. ASUS-exclusive GamePlus hotkey is also included for in-game enhancements

while GameVisual is also present for optimized visuals.

ACER PREDATOR X34Designed for discerning gamers, the Acer Predator

X34 is a 34-inch ultra-wide gaming monitor featuring a curved screen and Nvidias G-Sync

anti-tearing technology. It uses an In-Plane Switching (IPS) panel to deliver rich, accurate colors and crisp gray-scale reproduction, and its UWQHD

resolution provides outstanding image detail.

SLUG


If you need a laptop thats a breeze to carry everywhere and will last all day on a single

charge, these thin, light, power-efficient ultraportables are worth a look.

Ultraportables Become

Mainstream!The evolution of laptops has always been driven by the push for thinner, lighter, and more power-efficient designs, but in recent years these demands have coalesced into what may be the perfect expression of laptop design: the ultraportable.

What exactly defines this category? In general, most ultraportables weigh less than 1.8-kgs (and often less than 1.36-kgs), have screens 14-inches or smaller, use processors more powerful than the Intel Atom, and offer enough battery life to survive most of a workday off-plug.

These systems are now faster than ever, are well suited to travel, and come with a variety of features and display resolutions wide enough to fit anyones needs. Here then are the latest Ultraportables on the market today

ULTRAPORTABLES


The Dell XPS 13 isthe smallest 13-inch on the planet with the

worlds fi rst Infi nityEdge displayMore screen, less to carry: The virtually borderless Infi nityEdge display maximises screen space

by squeezing a 13-inch display in an 11-inch frame. It comes with

the latest 6th gen Intel Core-i processor and Windows 10 for

enhanced performance.

The Asus ZenBook UX305CA is designed to go everywhere you go. Weighing a mere 1.2kg and

just 1.23cm thin, its never a burden, always a delight. But

its not just an amazingly-beautiful, lightweight laptop: its seriously powerful too, packed

with the latest high-performance technology.

The LG Gram 15 provides size without the weight. With its

innovative design, the 15.6-inch screen weighs under 1kg. It is a

large ultrabook that offers ample workspace while being shock-ingly lightweight and ideal for

travel.

DELL XPS 13

ASUS UX305CALG GRAM 15

Combine a thin form factor, long battery life, the latest 6th Gen Intel Core processors, improved fundamentals,

and you get the Aspire S 13 ultrabook. At 14.58mm (0.57 inch) the Aspire S 13 is one of the thinnest 13

notebooks in its class, making for a beautifully slender notebook thats easy to carry around.The USB 3.1 Type-C port supports ultrafast data transfers while

the USB 3.0 port can charge your devices when the notebook is powered off.

ACER ASPIRE S13 (2016)

The Spectre 13 is one of the thinnest laptops around. Despite

that, HP has managed to cram in Intels Core i-series of

processors rather than Core M, which is quite a feat. In terms

of looks, it easily has one of the most-eye-catching designs. The bottom portion and lid of the

laptop is built using carbon fi bre and the copper accents add a lot

of bling.

HP SPECTRE 13


We test and rate hundreds of smartphones each year. These are some of the latest models on the

market today

Mobility Matters

FEATURE

LG G5 smartphone comes with a 5.3-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of

1440 pixels by 2560 pixels at a PPI of 554 pixels per inch. The device is powered by

2.15GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snap-dragon 820 processor and it comes with 4GB of RAM. The phone packs 32GB of

internal storage that can be expanded up to 200GB via a microSD card.

LG G5Oppo F1 Plus smartphone comes with

a 5.5-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1080 pixels by 1920

pixels. The phone is powered by a 2GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6755 processor

and it comes with 4GB of RAM. The phone packs 64GB of internal storage

that can be expanded up to 128GB via a microSD card.

OPPO F1 PLUS

For most of us, smartphones are at the center of our universe. The typical feature set of these palm-size marvels is astounding. Its your phone, your messaging device, your on-the-go Web browser, your camera, your music player, your GPS, and more.

Here then are the latest smartphones available on the market today.


Apple iPhone 6S smartphone comes with a 4.7-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 750 pixels. The phone is powered by A9 processor and it comes with 2GB of RAM. The phone packs

16GB of internal storage. The iPhone 6S also packs a 12-megapixel primary camera on the rear and a 5-megapixel front shooter for

selfi es.

The Note 7 comes with a wraparound screen, 12-megapixel camera, expandable storage and water-resistant coating. It is one of the fi rst smartphones to ship with an iris scanner that can read your eyes and let you into your phone in seconds.

The Alcatel Idol 4S comes with a 5.2-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1080 pixels by 1920 pixels. The device is powered by 1.4GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 processor and it comes with 3GB of RAM. The phone packs

32GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 512GB via a microSD card.

HTC 10 smartphone comes with a 5.2-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1440 pixels by 2560 pixels. It is powered by 1.6GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor and it comes with 4GB of RAM. The phone packs 32GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 2TB via a microSD card.

The BlackBerry DTEK50 smartphone comes with a 5.2-inch touch-screen display with a resolution of 1080 pixels by 1920 pixels. It is

powered by 1.2GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processor and it comes with 3GB of RAM. The phone packs

16GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 2TB via a microSD card.

APPLE IPHONE 6S

SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 7

ALCATEL IDOL 4S

HTC 10

BLACKBERRY DTEK 50

Xiaomi Mi 5 smartphone comes with a 5.15-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1080 pixels by 1920 pixels. The

device is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor and it comes with 3GB of RAM.

The phone also packs 32GB of internal storage.

XIAOMI MI5

Huawei P9 smartphone comes with a 5.2-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1080 pixels by 1920 pixels. The device is powered by 1.8GHz octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 955

processor and it comes with 3GB of RAM. The phone packs 32GB of internal storage that can be expanded via

a microSD card.

HUAWEI P9

2-IN-1 LAPTOPS


HOW TO BUY A 2-IN-1 HYBRID?

There are plenty of reasons to scoop up a 2-in-1, the most important of which is to have one device that can double as a laptop and a tablet. When you need to get work done, you can use a keyboard and touchpad while running traditional desktop programs, and when you want to kick back and play games, check Facebook and enjoy other touch-based apps, you can go into slate mode. But how do you decide which hybrid is right for you?

Use these five essential buying tips, and youll be guaranteed to double your computing pleasure.

1. CHOOSE YOUR SIZEThe first step in determining which 2-in-1 is right for you is to figure out how big of a device you need. 2-in-1s range from 10-inch models, which are the best for on-the-go types; to all-purpose hybrids between 11 and 13 inches; to giant models with 15-inch screens.

2. DETACHABLE OR ROTATING HINGE?2-in-1s typically come in one of two designs: detachable or bendable. If you prefer a tablet-

like, touch-based experience or you wont need to do a lot of typing, a detachable is probably the type of 2-in-1 youll want. However, if you do a lot of writing or prefer a touchpad for navigating the user interface, you may want to opt for a bendable 2-in-1s with hinges that bend back a full 360 degrees to go into tablet mode.

3. GET THE RIGHT PROCESSOR AND SPECSMost 2-in-1s feature an Intel processor, but thanks to the companys relatively simple naming scheme, its not too difficult to target the kind of performance youre seeking. The highest-power systems feature an Intel Core i7 or m7 chip. The main differences between the two are that the m7 sacrifices a bit of speed in exchange for a little extra battery life, and it doesnt need fans for cooling. Midrange models often have Core i3, i5, m3 and m5 CPUs, which offer a good balance between price and performance. 4GB of RAM is standard on almost every 2-in-1 nowadays, but 8GB is better if you can afford it. For storage, solid-state drives (SSDs)

offer the best performance, but if youre looking to save a few bucks, you can opt for a traditional hard disk, which is more common among less expensive systems. Many budget systems also feature eMMC (embedded multimedia card) flash storage, which is essentially a stack of SD cards attached to the motherboard.

4. DONT SKIMP ON SCREEN RESOLUTIONThe most affordable 2-in-1 hybrids have 1366 x 768-pixel displays, but we strongly prefer sharper 1920 x 1080 full-HD screens. With these panels, youll enjoy better image quality and the ability to snap two wide windows side by side for some serious multitasking. Some models have even higher-resolution quad-HD (2560 x 1440 pixels) or ultra-HD (3840 x 2160) displays, which offer more detail and are better choices for people who do photo or video editing. Ultra-HD is the same resolution as the 4K content thats becoming more widely available both in Blu-ray discs and online, so it makes this the resolution of choice for movie fiends as well.


ASUS UX360ASUS NEW ALL-METAL convertible laptop

is the ZenBook Flip UX360. The 13.9 mm thick laptop weighs in at 1.31kgs and em-ploys a fanless design, which likely contrib-utes to its stated 12 hours of battery life.

It runs on an Intel Core M3-6Y30 Processor with Windows 10 (64bit) operating system pre-installed on the device. It also comes with 8GB of RAM, 256GB M.2 SSD SATA3

and a 13.3-inches LED Back-lit display.

DELL INSPIRON 17 7000 2-IN-1

THIS ONE IS THE FIRST of its size, the powerful Inspiron 17 7000 2-in-1 with a 17-inch display. It also packs in discrete

graphics capability and a brushed aluminum design. The Intel Core processor guarantees high-level performance so you can conquer your workload. Paired with discrete graphics you can power through video edits and en-joy more detailed gaming without slowing

down.

ACER SWITCH ALPHA 12

ACERS NEW SWITCH ALPHA 12 is a 2-in-1 notebook with Windows 10. It delivers a heightened level of mobility with Acer

LiquidLoop cooling, excellent performance, and an ultra-slim, flexible notebook-to-tablet

design that is both elegant and sturdy helping people do more.

HP SPECTRE X360 15TCONVERTIBLE-HYBRID LAPTOPS like the HP Spectre X360 15t have a rotating hinge that lets you access the touch screen easily. For day-to-day use, using the systems 15.6-inch 4K-resolution screen in traditional Note-book mode is more comfortable. But when youre watching movies, youll appreciate

being able to rotate the screen into Stand or Tent mode, so the keyboard is out of sight.

MICROSOFT SURFACE BOOK

MICROSOFTS NEW SURFACE BOOK, is a powerful, capable hybrid that marries the best qualities of a laptop with the versa-tility of a Windows tablet. Its innovative

design and big, beautiful display, along with class-leading performance and more than

15 hours of battery life in our tests are well worth the price.


Are You Ready for AIO?

So the 15-inch display on your laptop is starting to feel cramped, and you work mainly in one location. Yes, you could attach an additional screen to your notebook, or opt for a tower PC with a separate monitor, but you should consider an all-in-one (AIO) desktop.

For about the same amount you would spend on a midrange-to-high-end laptop with a 17-inch screen (or more likely less), you can get an AIO desktop PC with a 23-inch-or-larger screen. Heres what to look for when youre shopping for an all-in-one PC.

The first thing to look at is the screen. While less expensive AIO PCs will come with 20-inch screens, those are better suited to cramped spaces like classroom labs or dorm rooms. What you really want is a display at least 23 inches on the diagonaland larger is better if you can do it. Look for In-Plane Switching (IPS) technology for the best screen quality. IPS screens are inherently better at off-axis viewing, which means you wont have to be sitting perfectly centered to see accurate colors and all the detail in your images.

To touch screen or not to touch screenthat is the question. Windows 10s tiled Start interface was designed with touch screens in mind, and makes interacting with your various applications as easy as its ever been. But although these can be fun and functional for families, a touch screen isnt

ALL IN ONES

100% necessary yet, especially if you plan to use the all-in-one like a traditional computer, in which case youd be better off using a keyboard and mouse.

If youre planning on using the touchscreen at least 50% of the time, look for systems with screens that can recline down to horizontal (90 degrees) or almost horizontal. This lets you use the system like a large tablet, so you dont have to hold your arm out constantly to use the touch screen.

Some AIO stands let you pivot the screen into a portrait

orientation. Portrait mode lets you view content like webpages and some pictures without wasted space to the sides of the screen. Its a boon for Web developers and layout artists still working on print publications. If Portrait mode is something youd be interested in, make sure the system features auto-rotate; without it, youll need to switch display settings every time you pivot the display. Here then are the latest AIOs on the market today.

Short on space? All-in-ones (AIOs) combine the sleekness of laptops with the power of a traditional desktop PCs. Heres our buying advice along with our top picks at a variety of price points.

1. ASUS ZEN AIO PRO Z240ICGTIf youre a multimedia professional or a visual-arts enthusiast, the Asus Zen AiO Pro Z240ICGT may be right up your alley. The Z240ICGT heralds the next wave

of premium all-in-one desktops, with a bright Full HD screen and the processing power to create stunning visuals. A quad-core Intel Core i7-6700T CPU and an

Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M discrete graphics card give the Asus AiO Pro the pow-er to breeze through any graphics processing test you put it through.

3. DELL OPTIPLEX 24 7000 SERIES ALL-IN-ONE (7440)

The Dell OptiPlex 24 7000 Series All-In-One (7440) is a terrific business all-in-one desktop that has a vivid 4K screen and tons of I/O ports, and is a strong per-

former on the kinds of tasks that will matter most to you at work. Its expensive, but if your business is in need of reliable new desktops that wont give your IT

technicians headaches, the OptiPlex 7440 is an ideal choice.

2. APPLE IMAC WITH RETINA 5K DISPLAY (2015)

The 2015 Apple iMac features a brilliant 5K Retina In-Plane Switching (IPS) display backed by a beefy Intel Core i5 processor and AMD R9 graphics. Its the

system to get if you perform a lot of tasks that require insane levels of visual detail, like graphics, photography, scientific analysis, and video. The 8GB of sys-tem memory and 1TB of hard drive storage are more than adequate for intricate

graphics work.

4. MSI GAMING 24GE 2QE-014USMSI has expanded its all-in-one (AIO) gaming desktop line with its Gaming 24GE 2QE-014US. It ticks off the requisite component checkboxes with an Intel Core

i7 processor, a mainstream, enthusiast-level Nvidia GeForce GTX graphics, and a solid-state drive (SSD) for quick bootups and app launching. This third-genera-tion model shows a lot of promise, and its certainly fast enough to play games

at full HD resolution.

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5. ACER ASPIRE AZ3-710-UR54The Acer Aspire AZ3-710-UR54 is a sleek, midrange all-in-one desktop with a large 1080p touch display, plenty of storage, and decent performance in our

tests. This Windows 10 system does not have any one particular weak point, and its moderate pricing makes it appealing, but that lower cost means it lacks the

power of slightly more expensive systems.

TABLETS


Take a Tablet!

Tablets may not be as popular as they once were, but that doesnt mean there arent any great ones out there. Whether youre looking for a tablet on the high or low end of the spectrum, youll be sure to find plenty of options.

Although Apples iPads may come to mind first, there are many high-quality Android tablets out there, and even a Windows option. For those of you who are on a budget, the market does offer a wide range for each budget no matter how small or big the budget is.

In this guide, theres plenty of choice in tablets and the list includes all the ones you should seriously consider. The main players are Apple with the iPads, the latest

of which is the 9.7-inch iPad Pro and Microsoft with its Windows 10 Surface tablets.

The Android efforts from the likes of Asus, Acer, LG and so on, also make up a big part of the overall tablet market in this region. The main things to consider are size and price, though there are a few specialist tablets these days that offer something different.

The general rule is the bigger the tablet, the higher the fee. Tablets mainly come in three screen sizes 7-inch, 8-inch and 10-inch though smaller and larger tablets do exist.

7-inch tablets are usually cheap, light and perfect for reading while youre on the way to or from work. However, theyre not terrific for watching videos. 10-inch

tablets are good for productivity and watching videos on, but theyre a lot heavier and more expensive. 8-inchers strike a decent balance between the two and are increasingly the most popular tablet size.

You also need to think about which type of tablet you want. For example, if youre after a tablet to replace your laptop, a hybrid could be your best bet. In that scenario, check out our 2-in-1 feature in this issue for the options available. Weve included some of the best specialist tablets too, including one thats great for gaming.

Here then are the latest tablets you can lay your hands on!

Whether youre looking for an Android, Apple, or Windows tablet, heres what to consider, along with the latest crop on the market today.


ASUS ZENPAD Z580CAThe Zenpad Z580CA is Asus latest flagship small tablet.

Its designed to replicate the success of Asus original Nexus 7 and offer buyers top end specifications, while costing a piddly relatively less. The tablets key selling points include an 8-inch high-resolution Quad-HD display and, Intel quad-core Moore-field processor. It also comes with 4GB of RAM, 64GB of stor-

age, and 8-MP rear and 5-MP front cameras.

ASUS ZENPAD Z300CNL

The new Asus Zenpad Z300CNL comes with An-

droid 6.0 OS. It also packs in a 10-inch screen, Intel quad-core Moorefield processor,

2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, and 5-MP rear and 2-MP front

cameras.

ACER ICONIA TAB 10

The Iconia Tab 10s 10-inch full HD display is the right balance of portability and comfortable view-

ing. It also features IPS technology, which provides uncompromised

visuals from wide viewing angles, making it great for sharing. With

four front-facing Acer speakers with 160 surround sound and DTS-HD Premium Sound, youll enjoy audio

thats clear and immersive.SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB E

Impeccably portable at just 8.5 mm thick and 495-gms, the Galaxy Tab E

couples sleek-look design with incred-ible practicality. Its unique, non-slip fabric-style rear casing provides you with a secure and comfortable grip.

The tablet comes with a powerful 5MP rear camera, as well as easy-to-use one-click photo and video controls.

APPLE IPAD PROThe iPad Pro 9.7-inch, Apples appealing

new mid-size tablet, proves that while laptops might still be the best tool for working on the go, theyre no longer necessary. The iPad Pro offers good build quality and new features

compared to other iPads on the market.


New Wave of Wearable Technology

Todays technology makes it easy to monitor daily activity and stay connected. From basic activity trackers to sophisticated smartwatches, find the ideal wearable to help you stay up-to-date with the important details of your life.

Youll find wearable technology for every level of fitness, whether you want to monitor everyday activity, start a fitness program or train for an athletic competition. And when you pair your wearable tech device with a compatible app, its easy to set fitness goals and log your progress. Many activity trackers are worn on your wrist, and youll find a variety of styles that look like bracelets or watches. More discreet fitness wearables, can be tucked into your pocket, worn on your belt, worn around your neck or attached to your clothing. The display options can show your progress in real time, or alert you to progress using lighted codes

One of the simplest ways to track your activity level is by logging the number of steps you take. You can find a variety of affordable pedometers to track

your steps. Youll also find more advanced wearables that can track stairs climbed, distance traveled, sleep quality, heart rate and more. Some can even calculate your calories burned based on this data.

If youre interested in tracking more advanced fitness data, a wearable with GPS function can log a variety of information. Youll find trackers and GPS watches to track your speed, number of laps and more. If you are training for a triathlon or just like to include aquatic activities as part of your fitness routine, you can also find water-resistant wearable tech devices to log strokes and distance.

A popular wearable technology option is the smartwatch. These stylish yet functional devices allow you to conveniently and discreetly manage your digital life. Smartwatches sync with your iPhone or android phone and can even double as activity trackers. Most smartwatches deliver alerts, notifications and apps to your wrist.

Here then are some of the latest on the market today.

WEARABLE TECH

ASUS ZENWATCH 2A great watch experience starts with the perfect fit. Available in two sizes, the Asus ZenWatch 2 brings sophisticated style and

powerful functionality to any wrist. The watch comes with curved glass and a stainless steel casing that conforms to your wrist, with soft leather or rubber straps for all-day wear. You can also get a full charge in as little as 1 hour, so the watch can spend more time on

your wrist and less time on the nightstand.

APPLE WATCHThe Apple Watch does all things that other smartwatches on the market can. It can deliver all of the notifications from your iPhone to your wrist, so youll never miss anything important. With your

phone connected, you can make calls through the watch itself, and Apple has added some new methods of communication, including

the ability to send taps, sketches, and even your heartbeat. The Apple Watch can tell you when to turn right when youre walking

down the street, or hail a cab with the tap of a button.

SAMSUNG GEAR S2Samsungs latest smartwatch abandons the Android Wear OS in favour of the companys homegrown Tizen OS, which proves to be a smart choice indeed. The Samsung Gear S2 has a user-friendly interface thats worlds easier to use than Android Wear. And the watch itself has a great design that combines the round face and

stainless steel case of a traditional timepiece with a futuristic, rotat-ing bezel that makes navigation even easier.


HUAWEI WATCHThe new Huawei Watch looks good and runs Android Wear operating system. It comes with a longer battery life than most

smartwatches, a sharp display, and a solid heart rate monitor that gives it an edge over other smartwatches. There are six models of the Huawei Watch available. They come in combinations of black,

stainless steel, and rose gold-plated watch cases with black leather, steel link, stainless steel mesh, black-plated link, alligator-pressed

brown leather, or rose gold-plated link bracelets.

MISFIT RAYThe Misfit Ray is a modular device with a central tracking compo-nent you can switch between bands to match your outfit. The track-er portion is a tiny cylinder made of brushed matte aluminum that measures 1.5 inches long, 0.5-inch around, and weighs 8.5-gms. It comes in black, green, navy, white, stainless steel, or rose gold with

a silicone band for $99.99, or with a leather band for $119.99.

FEATURE


Theres a heck of lot to gain with the Windows 10 upgrade. Take our visual tour of its top new features.

We keep hearing and reading things about how scary Windows 10 is, but in our own experience, its been pretty delightful to use. Things such as Windows Hello face login, touch-screen support, multiple desktops, Quick Access in File Explorer, and even the Edge browser improve my daily computing.

Sure, those few souls who depend on Windows Media Center for their home entertainment will be disappointed, and some may be running very ancient software that will no longer work. Privacy is another fear, but you can disable any usage reporting if you like (though you lose some of the

best new features), and you dont even need to sign into an account (something not possible on Macs).

The key takeaway, however, is this: In most of the things that really matterspeed, security, interface, compatibility, and software toolsWindows 10 is a vast improvement over its forbears.

A major thrust of Windows 10s design was to be more familiar to users of pre-8 versions of Windows and more attuned to use with a mouse and keyboard than Windows 8, with the return of the Start menu (albeit in modernized form) a major part of that effort. Nevertheless, Windows 10 is a chance for everyone who missed out on all the real performance,

10 Reasons to Upgrade to Windows 10


security, and feature advances in Windows 8 and 8.1 to get caught up.

With Windows 10 having reached the one-year mark, a major update, Windows 10 Anniversary Update, has already rolled out. The operating system was a free upgrade for a year, but now that party is over, and youll have to pay. The Home edition costs $119.99, and the business-focused Pro edition goes for $199.99. If youve already made the upgrade to Windows 10, the Anniversary Update is free, and if you buy a new PC, it will most likely come with the new OS. You can also purchase USB installers for both editions at a physical Microsoft Store or on the Microsoft Store website.

Tablet users should now upgrade to Windows 10, since the Anniversary Update takes their needs into account as well. For example, the Edge Web browser now lets them swipe back and forth through browsing history, and the All Apps view on tablets now fills the screen, rather than being a very deep list. Of course, the vast majority of update candidates are running existing Windows versions on laptops and desktop PCs, and for them the upgrade, as the list below shows, is highly recommended.

Note that the new operating

system sheds some features that werent used by a large enough audience for Microsoft to continue offering them. Things like the aforementioned Windows Media Center, Windows 7 desktop gadgets, and a few more trifles bite the dust. You can read more about whats going away and how to replace it in 6 Features Disappearing in Windows 10 (and How to Replace Them).

An underlying reason to upgrade, aside from any features listed here, is to take advantage of advances that come with newer technology; simply experiencing the little conveniences and updated design that accompany any new

operating system can be refreshing. Several of the advantages listed below were also features of Windows 8.1. But a major goal of Windows 10 is familiarity and a much simpler learning curve than Windows 8. From that standpoint, Windows 10 aims to give you the best of both worlds.

Without further ado, here is why you should upgrade that old Windows box:

1. SPEEDStartup and more. If you never made the move to Windows 8 or 8.1, youve missed out on one of


the best things to hit Windows operating systems in forever: Fast startup. There are even comparison videos showing that Windows 8.1 starts up faster on a MacBook than OS X. And thats compared to a fast booting operating system. Compared with Windows 7, the newer Microsoft OSes leave the older one at the gates. Another speed boost mostly aimed at gamers will come from DirectX 12, the new 3D engine that will get game developers closer to the metal for a new level of immersive performance.

2. THE START MENUThe loud voices in the tech community have long clamored for the return of the Start menu after its replacement by the Start screen in Windows 8. Which is kind of funny, since the same group scoffed at Start when it first appeared in Windows 95,

as something too noob-like to bother with. Anyway, Microsoft has heeded the cries for its return, but given it a tile-based appendage, so as not to lose live tile info, and to still allow for the OS to be touch-enabled.

3. CORTANAIts nice to be able to talk to your technology. If youve used an Xbox One or talked with Siri, you know how convenient it can be to interact with your technology hands-free. Hey Cortana, play music, or take a note are just for starters. You can get more specific with reminders that will show up on any device running Cortanawhich will soon include Androids and iPhones along with Windows Phones. You can say, Remind me to buy milk when Im near a supermarket, or remind me to ask my wife about her mother when she

calls. And Cortana isnt just about voice commands: Her Notebook keeps track of your interests, popping up info such as your favorite sports team scores, local weather, and even traffic conditions for your commute home.

4. UNIVERSAL APPSIf you use Windows 7, you dont have an app store. Windows 10 lets you find software you need for large and small tasks, and you can

run apps either windowed or full-screen. These apps run in their own sandboxes, so theyre more secure than old-school Windows apps. They also integrate with the system by offering notifications in Action Center and built-in sharing; for example, a photo app could share to an Instagram app using a standard share button. Windows 10 also comes with slicker and more powerful productivity and media apps, including new Photos, Videos, Music, Maps, People, Mail, and Calendar. The apps work equally well as full-screen, modern Windows apps using touch or with traditional desktop mouse and keyboard input.

5. TOUCHJust about every screen in your life these days is a touch screenyour smartphone, your tablet, even your car

calls. And Cortana isnt just calls. And Cortana isnt just about voice commands: Her about voice commands: Her Notebook keeps track of your Notebook keeps track of your interests, popping up info such interests, popping up info such as your favorite sports team as your favorite sports team scores, local weather, and scores, local weather, and even traffic conditions for your even traffic conditions for your commute home.commute home.

4. UNIVERSAL APPSIf you use Windows 7, you If you use Windows 7, you dont have an app store. dont have an app store. Windows 10 lets you find Windows 10 lets you find software you need for large software you need for large and small tasks, and you can and small tasks, and you can

FEATURE


navigation system. So why not your desktop or laptop PC? Ive heard the whining about fingerprints on the screen, but why is that more of a problem than on a smartphone, where a fingerprint takes up a much larger percentage of the surface area? Ive used the all-in-one PCs like the Asus Zen AiO Pro Z240IC, the Surface Pro 4 convertible tablet, and a tower with an Acer T232HL, and I can tell you that, while touch isnt my primary way to input to the computers, it can be darned convenient at times.

6. ACTION CENTERYour smartphone pops up notifications for messages, updates, and even breaking news, so why shouldnt your PC? With Windows 10 it does. Similar to the Mac OS X Notification Center, the Action Center shows messages from email, the system itself (youve installed an update, for example), and from apps. You may see a weather warning or a birthday reminder. An advantage of these over Windows 8/8.1s Toast Notifications is that you can go back and looks at the entries you missed, until you specifically dismiss them. The same holds for Windows 7s ephemeral system tray notifications.

7. A BETTER BROWSERFormerly known as Project Spartan, Microsoft Edge brings the OSs

default browser into the modern world of browsers. That means improved compatibility and speed, and add a few helpful new capabilities like webpage markup and reading mode. Edge has also been shown to be much less demanding on laptop and table batteries than Chrome. New for the Anniversary Update version is support for extensions, with a few heavy hitters like LastPass and Adblock available already.

8. SECURITYWindows 10 inherits the Secure Boot feature from Windows 8 and makes it even more secure. This requires any code that runs right when the OS starts be signed by Microsoft or the hardware maker. Unlike Windows 8, Windows 10 PCs can be set up so that this feature may not be bypassed. Three other security feature for Windows 10 are Device Guard, Microsoft Passport, and Windows Hello.

9. VIRTUAL DESKTOPSFor years, some of the more-sophisticated Mac users have found the ability to switch among several virtual desktops useful. Windows 10 finally brings the capability to Microsofts desktop operating system. In Windows 10, the feature is incredibly easy to use: Just click or tap the task-switching icon next to the Cortana search box in the taskbar.

10. XBOX APPIf youre a gamer, youll love the integration with Xbox that comes in Windows 10. Not only does the Windows 10 Xbox app let you keep track of your friends and achievements, you can also stream games from the console to the PC and play multiplayer games from your PC against other players on Xbox. The Windows Store now eases the process of finding games and purchasing them for use across PC and Xbox.


Its summer, 40+ degrees outside, and youre about to leave home. As you leave your bedroom, the lights dim slowly and eventually turn off. You walk down the hall, step out the door, and lock it. Inside, you can hear the air condition sputter to a stop.

As you saunter down the street,

you wonder if you left the coffee pot on, but dont think twice about it, as the appliance is running an automated check right now to ensure its off. Later that night, around 11:15, your mattress cover will cool down your side of the bed so its just the way you like it by 11:30, when you hit the hay.

This kind of smart home system is already possible. All kinds of small appliances, light bulbs, door sensors, and other home products can automatically turn on and off when triggered by certain actions. Smart homes make life more comfortable, and theyre typically designed to be power-efficient,

How to Make a

Home From a Dumb OneSmart

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which could save you money.If youre interested in taking

your home from dumb to smart, how do you start? And how can you build on it to make it incrementally more intelligent all the time? One very important note about smart home components is that you must change the default user name and password when you set them up. If you dont, youre leaving your home exposed to hackers and other threats.

My First Smart HomeAt PCMag we analyse and review smart home products. We can obviously recommend a good first buy for someone making his or her home smart for the first time.

Some of the most affordable products are smart light bulbs. But dont get suckered into buying them right away. On their own, they cant do much at all. The best place to get started is to start with a hub. One that we can recommend for beginners is the $50 Wink Connected Home Hub. It isnt perfect, but its cheap, and it supports most of the digital home connectivity protocols out there. Once you have a hub, then you can add a few light bulbs.

Some smart lightbulb sets can cost upward of $200. Part of the reason we recommend the Wink hub is because it works with GE Link Connected LEDs, another great product for first-timers. At $15 each, theyre some of the least expensive connected bulbs

on the market. If 15 bucks sounds stiff for one bulb, you should know that their life expectancy is 22 years, and they use 80 percent less power than traditional bulbs. So the savings could add up fast.

You can control individual bulbs or groups of them from your smartphone. And you can schedule bulbs so that they turn on when you wake up, or turn off when you leave for work.

Lets say you like your current bulbs and lighting exactly the way they are. Another route into the same baby-step is to add dimmer modules to your existing lamps. The $99 Insteon Starter Kit includes one hub and two lamp dimmers, which are like plug adapters. You plug your existing lamp into the module and plug the module into the wall. Insteon CEO Joe Dada told us that a new user can be up and running with this kit in just a few minutes.

One more simple product that we can recommend for beginners is theQuirky Pivot Power Genius. Similar to lamp dimmer adapters, the Quirky Pivot is a power strip that lets you plug in things you already own. It has two outlets that can be controlled remotely using a mobile app (plus two dumb outlets). Anything you plug in can be scheduled to turn on and off according to a schedule or times you set.

Step Up Your Smart HomeLight bulbs might keep you busy for a while, but at some point, youll want to connect more things. Very few products around the home cant be connected to the Internet, according to Ryan Fant and Nayeem Hussain, co-founders at Keen Home, another smart home device company that

makes smart air vents.

ADT Pulse

Insteon Starter Kit

Nest Thermostat


Everything from speakers to slow cookers are smart these days, they told us by email. Soup pots and coffee makers are limited in their utility, though, and if youre really ready to step up your smart home, youll want a device thats simply, well, smarter. The new Luna smart mattress cover is a perfect example.

The Luna cover (available to pre-order for $199 in a queen size, $219 for king, and $229 for

California king) fits over your existing mattress and

connects with other devices that are related

to sleeping, like alarm clocks, lights, and thermostat. I

saw the new mattress cover in action recently,

when Luna co-founders Matteo Franceschetti and Massimo AndreasiBassi set up an

entire fake bedroom to demonstrate how it works.

Luna is full of sensors that learn what time you go to bed, how quickly you fall asleep, and what temperature you like your side of the mattress. It tracks your heart rate and respiratory rate while you sleep, and that helps it figure out when youre in light and deep sleep. With that information, it can work with a smart alarm clock to wake you up during a window that you set, say between 6:15 a.m. and 6:35 a.m., but it wont wake you if youre in deep sleep.

Franceschetti and Bassi mentioned one other key

component to making a smart home a little smarter: IFTTT. IFTTT stands for if this, then that. Its a website and mobile app that you use to write little commands, but without any programming. You create an account on IFTTT and authenticate it to connect to other online services that you use, everything from email to Facebook to the account that controls your smart mattress cover. Then, by selecting options on the screen, you make what IFTTT calls recipes, such as, If the mattress senses I got out bed, then turn on the smart coffeemaker.

Going Whole HogOnce you have the basics down, you might want to go whole hog with your smart home. So whats next?

To deck a house out, switches and keypads are crucial, said Insteon CEO Joe Dada. They give you control of all your lighting and appliances whether theyre in the same room or not. They also give you the status of devices you cant directly see, for example knowing

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GE Link Connected LEDs

Quirky Pivot Power Genius


whether my kids lights are still on.

Dada said if youre interested in really ramping up your home, think about adding a smart thermostat for climate control, like the Nest Thermostat, and door sensors to see movement in and out of the home. Peoples coming and going can inform the actions of your smart appliances, creating those if-then commands.

Fant and Hussain of Keen Home suggested three areas in which someone might specialize while kitting out their home. If the customer is focused primarily on security, then perhaps they should invest in ADT Pulse, they explained. It is important to note that the Pulse platform charges a premium monthly price compared to other options on the market. If the customer is focused primarily on entertainment, then perhaps they should look into smart home offerings from regional telecom operators such as Etisalat and Du. They have packages which tie in enriched video (cable and streaming) with smart lighting and thermostat controls. If the customer is focused primarily on comfort, then perhaps they should build their smart home around the Nest Learning Thermostatwhich also acts as connected home hub to communicate and coordinate other devices.

Part of the beauty of the Nest system family of products is it includes a smart smoke detector called Protect as well as a simple security camera, the Dropcam Pro. Nest supports a huge number of devices made by other companies, too, so its flexible to your needs.

Dada recommended the pros look into his companys Insteon Connected Kit (about $349), which includes an Insteon Hub, two dimmer modules, a thermostat, an open/close door sensor, a motion sensor, a leak water sensor, and a Wi-Fi camera.

Luna bedcover

Wink Connected Home Hub The Upkeep QuestionDeciding on products to buy, getting them, installing them, and setting up commands for their use takes a little time, but by and large, its a one-shot investment per product on the order of about 30 minutes. Keeping up those appliances and home systems, however, will cost you, but not very much, according to Fant and Hussain at Keen Home.

Outside of a product occasionally losing network connectivity and replacing batteries, there shouldnt be too much ongoing maintenance for someones smart home, they told me. Most of the products that receive great customer reviews and that I would recommend to friends are quite robust and reliable. Upkeep time over time, they add, should be about the same as maintain an average smoke detector. Any connected home product that adds complexity to a consumers life is at best a poorly designed product and at worst a solution chasing a problem.


DIY ALERT: Tools for Wannabe Makers

Humans have been making things for pretty much our entire existence. In fact, some claim that the ability to create things for functional or recreational purposes from our imagination is at least part of what makes us human. But only in relatively recent times have technical tools and components been available for use by individuals, giving us the opportunity to make more sophisticated things than ever before.

Some are disguised as toyswhich is doubly great, since theyre STEM-inspiring for kids and perfectly usable by grownups, too. Here are just some of the amazing maker tools you can find today.

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Here are just some of the amazing maker tools you can find today.

DIY ALERT: DIY ALERT: Tools for Wannabe Makers

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RASPBERRY PIA DEVICE INTENDED to be an educational jumping-off point for nascent geeky DIYers is essentially an inexpensive computer: You can plug in a mouse and keyboard, add whichever components you wish, and use it like any other computer. Makers have created some amazing projects using the Raspberry Pi, including a solar smart meter, a 3D scanner, and even a mobile phone.

LITTLEBITSFOR DIYERS 8 AND OLDER, LittleBits are magnetic modules that snap together to create working electronic circuitsfor fun and/or to power cool little projects. Numerous versions of the kit are available. The Little Bits Base Kit is a great way to get started: It comes with 10 modules, including a DC motor, dimmer, and light sensor. For more ambitious creators, the LittleBits Gizmo & Gadgets Kit, which earned our Editors Choice award, gives you 15 modules, including two 9-volt power modules with batteries included, two slide dimmers, a light sensor, and more. LittleBits Smart Home Kit supplies what you need to experiment with home automation and networked robotics. And the LittleBits Arduino Bit, an individual module, is an Arduino-based microcomputer thats built into a three-input, three-output LittleBits module.

ARDUINOARDUINO IS AN open-source prototyping platform that, simply put, can read all sorts of inputs and turn them into outputs. Like Raspberry Pi, Arduino was originally created for students, but is now used by a large community of makers for a crazy variety of projects. Want build a mood light that changes according to Twitter trends? Or a photography rig to capture splash photos? How about a power meter that tweets usage data? The possibilities are endless. Recently, Arduino debuted the Primo board for Internet of Things projects. You wont have to add components for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth low energy, NFC (near-field communications), and infrared, because theyre already built in.


ELLO 2MA SMALL DIY COMPUTER thats designed to be tinkered with; in fact, you have to assemble it yourself. Youll end up with a computer thats perfect for learning programming, designing electronics, and general hackery. You get six stacked circuit boards (all pre-soldered components) that you sandwich together to create the body of the device. A 7-inch touch-screen LCD, electronics prototyping board, and a full keyboard are all built in. You can pre-order one now through Crowd Supply (a DIY-oriented crowdfunding site) with an expected delivery date later this year.

LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3THE ROBOTICS KIT thats the best and most accessible way to teach your kidsor yourselfhow to build and program robots earned 5 stars and a PCMag Editors Choice award. In the box are a Mindstorms EV3 Intelligent Brick (the brain of the set), an infrared remote control, three servo motors, a color sensor, a touch sensor, an infrared sensor, and 550 Lego Technic pieces. Even better, you can integrate your standard Lego pieces into your robotic creations. The Lego Mindstorms Commander app for iOS and Android includes preset control panels for five robots you can build in the 3D Builder app. More important, it lets you create manual control panels for your own creations, with different buttons, switches, and displays available to control motors and check sensor inputs.

3D PRINTERSNOT VERY LONG AGO, the few 3D printers in existence were hulking, expensive machines reserved for factories and well-heeled corporations. But these amazing devices (which youll find all over at any Maker Faire) have become viable and affordable products for use by designers, engineers, hobbyists, schools, and even consumers. You can print out one of the myriad designs available online (see Thingiverse, Pinshape, and more) or even design your own.

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