Inhaltsverzeichnis für April 2019 in PCWorld

By now you’ve surely gotten your fill of the Huawei Mate X and the Samsung Galaxy Fold (if not, don’t worry we’ll have lots more to say about them), but there was plenty of important stuff announced during MWC that didn’t involve folding phones. And with so much hinge hype, some of them might have flown under your radar. Here are five announcements made during MWC that you might have missed: 1. GOOGLE ASSISTANT WILL BE AVAILABLE IN MESSAGES Back when Allo launched, one of its best features was having Google Assistant built right into your conversations. Now that Allo isn’t long for this world, Google has been slowly integrating the shuttered chat service’s features into Android Messages. Now it’s Assistant’s turn. Google announced during MWC that its Messages app will soon…

Windows 7 support ends about nine months from now, on January 14, 2020—and if you’re a Windows 7 user, you’ll see more than this story reminding you of that date. In fact, according to Microsoft, you could see several pop-up reminders warning you to upgrade to Windows 10 before the year is out. Microsoft says that Windows 7 users will see a notification appear on their PC “a handful of times” before the year is out. The company didn’t say what message it would contain, though, or when or where it would appear. “By starting the reminders now, our hope is that you have time to plan and prepare for this transition,” Microsoft said in a blog post. “These notifications are designed to help provide information only and if you would…

Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 is a technically amazing device. In a matter of minutes, the device was comfortably strapped to my head, my eyes were scanned, and a small hummingbird was fluttering in front of my face and “landing” on my outstretched hand. Then I looked to the right, and the hummingbird disappeared. Microsoft made a big deal of HoloLens’s two-fold increase in field of vision (FOV) over the original version’s, but it’s still small enough where I was very aware of the edges of the frame. It might look and feel like a VR headset, but it doesn’t behave like one at all. It’s not really anything like the augmented reality (AR) apps on your phone, either. But it’s definitely a bridge to something better in the not-so-distant future. That potential…

The EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti XC Ultra we’re testing today strikes a balanced compromise. Nvidia’s $280 GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is the best GPU you can buy for 1080p gaming, full stop. It’s an enticing option for 1440p gaming too, usurping the last-gen GTX 1070 that debuted at nearly $100 more. But while Nvidia offers its own “Founders Edition” graphics cards for all RTX 20-series GPUs, it’s skipping direct consumer sales for the return of the GTX brand. That means the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti’s launch consists solely of models sold by Nvidia’s board partners, each with its own unique spin. We’ve already reviewed the Asus ROG Strix GTX 1660 Ti and fell in love with its borderline overkill custom cooler and abundant features. But at $330, the triple-slot behemoth…

I regularly end bargain TLC SSD reviews with the advice “Don’t buy it unless it’s a lot cheaper than the competition.” Until Crucial’s P1, no drive ever met that criteria. But the 17 cents per GB that the 1TB version will set you back is a good 8 cents cheaper than most of the competition. And, while it’s no blazing-fast Samsung 970 Pro, you don’t give up a ton of performance unless you regularly write 50GB (less with smaller capacities) or more. If you do, move along to another review. DESIGN AND SPECS The Crucial P1 is an x4 PCIE NVMe SSD that ships in the 2280 (22 mm wide, 80 mm long) form factor. The drive comes in 500GB and 1TB flavors that retail for $90 and $170 respectively.…

Right on schedule, the first Android Q developer preview has arrived, and there’s a lot to unpack. As with the last few releases, there aren’t a ton of user-facing features just yet—those will likely be reserved for Google I/O and the Pixel 4 launch in September. Nonetheless, the changelog is still filled with plenty of interesting tweaks and additions that will make your phone better than ever once the OS lands in late summer. The biggest change is one that most people won’t get to enjoy for years to come. Google already previewed its new folding interface with Samsung’s ultra-expensive Galaxy Fold, but now it’s making those new app actions—such as pause, resume, and resizing when opening a screen—available to all developers in order to make sure apps are displayed properly…

Yes, you can be anonymous online. At least under the right conditions, but it’s not necessarily easy. Your everyday identity is constantly being tracked by accounts you’re logged into, and third-party advertising companies hoping to better target ads. That means your favorite browser is usually filled with trackers to keep tabs on what you’re doing online. Plus, who knows what’s going on with your internet service provider, passive (or active) government data collection, and all kinds of other interlopers? The bottom line is you have to take deliberate steps to ensure a modicum of anonymity online. That said, if all you want is an anonymous email account that no one in your professional or home life knows about, that’s not as hard. Still, all it takes is one slip up…

In just a few months, the first folding phones will be available for sale, and if you have a couple thousand dollars burning a hole in your pocket, you can buy one for your very own. But while those first few buyers will be the talk of the town, the Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X might not be as top-of-the-line as their price tags would suggest. While they certainly represent an advancement in overall smartphone technology and an exciting new direction for the future, in some ways, folding phones are a step backward from the premium phone we’re used to using. Here are three areas of concern I have as the folding revolution takes shape: 1. DISPLAY QUALITY The odd shapes of the folding displays are the most obvious challenge.…

If you think Windows should never, ever update while you’re using it, a new survey by the University College, London agrees with you. In a survey of 93 participants, the study found that Windows 10 Home’s WIndows Update patching experience proved frustrating, in part because users simply weren’t familiar with the tools that Microsoft provided for automatically updating their PCs. Windows itself also provided limited information to assist users in making decisions on when to allow patches, and its built-in tools were inadequate, the researchers said. The three authors (Jason Morris, Ingolf Becker, and Simon Parkin) recommended that operating systems like Windows 10 obtain explicit permission for restarts to apply Windows Update patches. The paper, though, acknowledges the fundamental tension at the heart of providing updates. Microsoft’s approach of choosing…

The USB standard has just gotten even more confusing for end users. If you’re one of the three people in the world who actually knew the difference between USB 2.0, USB 3.0, USB 3.1 Gen 1/Gen 2, and so on, …well, sorry: USB 3.2 has been announced, and all the names change once again. On the bright side, the USB-IF makes it explicitly clear (PDF) that the latest USB 3.2 specification provides a whopping 20Gbps of throughput. But that’s about the only thing that’s straightforward, because USB 3.2 sucks up the previous specs and makes them part of its own. The new, horrifically-named spec is “USB 3.2 Gen 2x2.” It’s hard to sum it all up, but we’ll give it a try. • USB 3.2 Gen 1 (previously referred to…

The Lenovo IdeaPad 730S is notable not just for what it offers, but for what it doesn’t. Unlike many other laptops in the $900-and-up price range, the IdeaPad 730S doesn’t transform into a tablet and doesn’t even have a touchscreen. It uses a modest 1080p display instead of a battery-chewing QHD or 4K panel, and its wildest flourish is a Dolby Atmos speaker system, which for a laptop actually sounds pretty good. By trimming away fancy gimmicks, Lenovo has delivered a lightweight laptop that looks great and performs well for a reasonable price. One word of caution, though: We’ve tested two of these laptops, and both had constant Wi-Fi connectivity issues across multiple networks. Lenovo’s suggested fix involved installing a newer Wi-Fi driver for a different laptop. This solved the problem,…

The RAT is back, and no I don’t mean your trash-uncle’s favorite glam metal band. Two years ago venerable peripherals maker Mad Catz filed for bankruptcy and then subsequently died, taking its designs to the grave with it. But not permanently, as it turns out! Mad Catz reemerged at CES 2018, or at least there’s a new company wearing the skin of the old, a la corporate Hannibal Lecter. And in addition to reviving the brand, nu-Mad Catz has revived the well-known RAT line of mice. So what’s the verdict? Is the new Mad Catz worthy of the name? We went hands-on with the resurrected RAT 8 to find out. ROUND AND ROUND I still remember the first time I used a RAT. How could I not? Even now, almost…

If your Galaxy S9 was recently updated or you’re planning to buy an S10, then you need to get acquainted with Samsung’s One UI. A complete overhaul of the Samsung Experience 9.5, it brings a stylish interface, redesigned apps, and a brand new philosophy with an emphasis on smart and speedy interactions. While you feel your way around, here are six important tips to start off on the right foot:   1. TURN ON GESTURE NAVIGATION The most important change to One UI is the addition of gesture navigation. Samsung has taken a different tack than Google or Apple with its method. Samsung has basically turned the navigation bar button into gestures: Swipe up from the left to see your recent apps, swipe up from the center to go home,…

Can Microsoft Word translate my documents to and from different languages? Yes, and it’s easy. However, note that the Office 365 version requires the Office Intelligent services (included with subscription) and an Internet connection for the Translator feature to function. Word asks if you want to “Turn On” this service the first time you use the Translate feature, which then remains “On” unless (or until) you disable the service from the Options menus. Additional features such as Editor, Smart Look Up, PowerPoint Designer, and more are included with these services. Word 2013’s and Word 2016’s respective Translate features function essentially the same way, except the languages are located on your local system, and the menu design is slightly different. HOW TO USE WORD’S TRANSLATE FEATURE 1. Open a blank or…

HP has recalled 78,500 batteries used in its laptops and mobile workstations, due to overheating issues which can cause fire and burn hazards. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall on Tuesday, but noted that the recall expansion was previously announced on January 17 by HP, and delayed due to the government furlough. It’s considered an expansion of the previous HP battery recall of January, 2018, which affected 50,000 batteries. HP has received eight new reports of battery packs in the U.S. overheating, melting, or charring, including one report of minor injury and two reports of property damage totaling $1,100, the CPSC said. Specifically, the batteries were either sold inside of or as accessories to: HP ProBooks (64x G2 and G3 series, 65x G2 and G3 series, 4xx…

Here’s a conundrum for PC gamers: A recent Windows 10 patch solves some of the Spectre mitigation issues, increasing performance—but a new, separate issue means that your GPU and mouse performance may be slower than normal. The KB4482887 patch, issued March 1, enables “Retpoline,” a technique for helping reduce the performance hit of the Spectre mitigations Microsoft previously rolled out. But WindowsLatest also noted a catch: One of the known issues with the patch involves graphics and mouse performance degradation on certain games. Whether your PC will be affected depends on a few conditions. The “Retpoline” performance improvements affect only a subset of the processors affected by Spectre, specifically Broadwell or older Core processors. If you own a Skylake or more recent version of Intel’s Core chips, those chips won’t be…

It’s something of a perfect coincidence that Samsung’s Galaxy S10+ goes on sale the same day Captain Marvel lands in theaters. Both were once the most powerful members of their respective universes. Both are struggling with an identity crisis spurred by a larger-than-life existential threat. And both have a gorgeous shimmer when the light hits them just right. And in many ways, they’re both the last of a dying breed. The Galaxy S10+ may represent the culmination of 10 years of Samsung’s Android engineering, but it’s also the phone that doesn’t fold. Much like last year’s iPhone 8 Plus, which existed in the shadow of the button-less and OLED iPhone X, the Galaxy S10+ no longer represents the pinnacle of Samsung innovation. That honor now falls to the Galaxy Fold arriving April…

The 2019 edition of the HP Spectre x360 15 convertible has a hard act to follow. We previously awarded HP’s Spectre x360 15 (2018) an Editor’s Choice award on the merits of its powerful GPU, 4K screen, and solid battery life. This year’s model improves both performance and battery life, with a slightly redesigned aesthetic that appears as functional as it is attractive. There is a price to be paid for such power, though. While our review model (15-df0xxx) starts at $1,550 from HP.com, the price jumps to just over $2,000 for our review unit configuration—about $300 more than the price HP charged for our fairly similar 2018 review unit. At 4.62 pounds, the Spectre x360 15 weighs more than you’d expect. And in the ongoing flagship war between Dell’s XPS…

There are so many VPN services out there that it can often be overwhelming. While that’s a good thing for competition, features, and pricing, it means choosing a VPN can be an absolute nightmare. That goes double for browsing the Google Play Store where it can be difficult to see which services are legitimate and which ones are outright scams. That’s why we’re here to help. Over the past few years we’ve tested a ton of VPN services, looked at their privacy policies, and checked out their extra features. While our main focus was the PC, we’ve also kept our eye on the mobile apps. To determine the top five VPN apps for Android we judged these apps on several criteria. First, it had to come from a service that…

Samsung is so confident in the battery in the Galaxy S10 that it’s letting you give away some of your precious percentage points. A new feature called Wireless PowerShare lets you literally turn your S10 into a wireless charging mat so you can power up your Galaxy Watch, Buds, or just another Qi-enabled phone just by laying it on the back of the S10. It works on all three models. Here’s how to use it:   1. Pull down on the notification shade until the Quick Settings appear. If you don’t see a Wireless PowerShare button, swipe to the left to find it and tap the button to turn it on. 2. Lay the S10 on its face and place a second phone, Galaxy Watch, or Galaxy Buds case back-to-back…