ComputersNews

Microsoft says the Surface gaming laptop dream is dead

For years, consumers have wondered if Microsoft would ship a gaming laptop. We have an answer, at least from the Surface side of the house: No. Brett Ostrum, the corporate vice president of Surface Devices at Microsoft, told PCWorld that Microsoft doesn’t feel obligated to ship a gaming laptop with the Surface brand attached. It was a timely question, as Microsoft is navigating the role of…
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ComputersNews

Intel wants cheap Windows laptops to stop feeling cheap

People everywhere are talking about Apple’s cheaper MacBook Neo laptop. Now Windows is preparing to retake the mainstream laptop market with Project Firefly, inspired by smartphone design. Firefly aims to deliver characteristics associated with premium laptops like…
ComputersNews

SteamOS is coming for Intel handhelds - if Intel can keep up

Summary created by Smart Answers AI In summary: PCWorld reports that Valve’s SteamOS is now expanding to Intel-based handhelds, with the MSI Claw becoming the first major Intel device to receive beta support. Early benchmarks show SteamOS performing slightly behind Windows 11 on Intel hardware, while Intel’s Arc G3 platform aims to compete with AMD in the handheld market. This expansion could…
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ComputersNews

The AI PC era has a benchmarking problem

I like numbers. Data feels sure. What could be better than measurable progress, a way of quantifying the world to stop arguments before they start? But as we all know, people find plenty of reason still to fight about performance, even in spite of PC benchmarks. (Half the…
ComputersNews

Surface Laptop 8 for Business review: Yesterday’s laptop at tomorrow’s price

For the first time in decades, I wasn’t excited to review a Surface device. Now that I’m finished, I’m still not. The Surface Laptop 8th Edition (or Surface Laptop 8) for Business has two things going for it: an upgrade to Intel’s excellent Core Ultra 300 series processors (Panther Lake) and a moderately useful privacy screen, which can dim and obfuscate the display at the touch of a…
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ComputersNews

Your browser is too nosy. Change these 5 settings now

Freshly installed and straight into browsing — that’s how most users start their browser. Consequently, Chrome, Edge, and Firefox remain set to their default settings, which prioritize convenience and data collection over privacy or efficiency. Browsers regularly prompt…
ComputersNews

Mullvad VPN review: The ultimate privacy-first VPN

Sweden-based Mullvad has long been the privacy purist’s VPN. It collects remarkably little information about its users and continues to prioritize anonymity over the convenience features favored by most competitors. When I say that Mullvad takes your privacy seriously, I…
ComputersNews

Google Search knows where you live. Here’s how to claw back some privacy

With one quick search you’ll find that Google knows a lot about you. Type your name into Google Search and you may be surprised to see your old addresses, phone numbers, forgotten social media profiles, sketchy people-search listings, or other personal information you never realized was out there. Sometimes it’s just annoying, but other times it can be dangerous. The good news is that it’s…
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