Sommaire pour June 2020 de PCWorld

Apple’s MacBook Pro 13 just came out, and it already has a tough adversary. That foe is not the usual high-end, high-priced Windows workhorse like the Dell XPS 13 we just tested, as great as it is. No, the reason Apple should worry is because based on our sister site Macworld’s preliminary performance tests, this $1,799 premium laptop could be lapped by the $650 Acer Swift 3. That’s not a typo. The Acer Swift 3 costs just six hundred fifty dollars. But this budget laptop has a secret weapon: AMD’s Ryzen 7 4700U. When we reviewed the Acer Swift 3 (see page 37), it surpassed all expectations by keeping pace with laptops far bigger and more expensive. And sorry to say, the MacBook Pro 13 is in the same pickle as…

If you’re an Apple user who uses the Google Drive app to share files, a cool security feature just landed on your iOS device. If you’re an Android user who uses the Google Drive app to share files, however, you’re out of luck. The new feature is called Privacy Screen, and it adds an extra layer of protection for the Google Drive app. Instead of instantly logging you in like before, you can opt to need to verify your identity via Face ID or Touch ID, depending on the device you’re using. When activated, Google Drive won’t open without proper authentication, so if someone borrows your phone they won’t be able to access what’s inside your drive without your permission. After updating the app to version 4.2020.18204, you can find…

Next year will see the introduction of laptops and desktops that should be able to connect to massive 16K displays running HDR across USB-C, thanks to a new DisplayPort Alt Mode 2.0 standard released by the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) on April 29. The new standard takes the DisplayPort 2.0 standard launched last year and eliminates the need for a dedicated DisplayPort connector. Instead, it allows the same protocols to run over USB-C, the interface increasingly common among laptops, giving them a massive boost in I/O bandwidth for displays and other external devices. The new specification will allow for supported laptops to connect up to three 4K (3840×2160) displays, each running at 90Hz, and with 30 bpp (bits per pixel) 4:4:4 HDR (no compression). The spec will also allow you…

With Dell’s XPS 13 9300, you can mark a momentous date in laptop history: the death of the laptop bezel. Previous models killed the top and sides, but that last useless part has stuck around until now. Dell’s XPS 13 9300, however, kills that bottom bezel dead. More importantly, the smaller bezel makes the XPS 13 possibly one of most compact laptops around. The story of the XPS 13 is a long and storied one at this point. When the first “InfinityBezel” version hit the scene in 2015, it set the trend for what could be done in a tiny laptop, forcing competitors to reevaluate their designs. The latest XPS 13 9300 ($1,749 at Dell.com) may not move the ball forward much in performance, but its 16:10 aspect-ratio InfinityBezel touch…

After an endless drip of teases, Minecraft for Windows 10 has rolled out a beta that adds support for real-time ray tracing and Nvidia’s faster, better Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) 2.0 technology. Friends, the wait was worth it. Ray-traced Minecraft is glorious to behold, completely altering the look and feel of the game—though this low-fi legend can make even the most fearsome graphics cards sweat when you activate the cutting-edge lighting technology. We’ve already discussed the technical details in our Minecraft beta announcement coverage. Hit that up to learn what you’ll need to run this new-look Minecraft. (Spoiler: A GeForce RTX 20-series GPU is mandatory at the moment, as it’s the only gaming hardware with dedicated ray-tracing hardware built-in.) This article will only tackle visual comparisons and performance…

Sometimes, you get what you pay for. Outfitting your computer with useful software doesn’t have to cost a dime, as our roundup of the best free software for your PC proves. But paying up for programs often gets you perks you won’t find with freeware, from smoother interfaces to more plentiful features, or even customer support if you need help. Some of the most useful software is available only in premium form. Freebies tend to get the headlines, but today, let’s shine a light on some programs and services that are actually worth paying for, drawing on both our extensive testing archives and a few personal picks. Break out your wallet, you won’t regret it. GROUPY Before we dive into better-known categories, I want to recommend a program that’s completely…

Microsoft’s conversion from Office 365 subscriptions to Microsoft 365, beginning Tuesday, will be accompanied by features that will be rolled out over the coming months. But there’s an exception that’s already available: Microsoft’s new Editor for the online version of Word, which provides a handy dashboard of suggestions to improve your writing. As the name suggests, the new Editor feature isn’t available for the downloadable version of Word, whether it be in Office 365/Microsoft 365 or in Word 2019. You’ll need to load Word Online to use it, as well as subscribe to Office 365/Microsoft 365. (Microsoft sometimes refers to it as Word Online, Word for the Web, or Office Online.) Editor is also available as a plug-in for Google Chrome or the “new” Microsoft Edge browser, too, which may be even…

Microsoft has launched a new generation of Surface devices that aims to offer something for everyone. Announced in early May, the devices include the new Surface Book 3, Surface Go 2, and Surface Dock 2. To help you stay focused, Microsoft will soon ship the Surface Earbuds, and—surprise!—the Surface Headphones 2. While the Surface Book 3, Surface Go 2, and Surface Dock 2 were not unexpected, the breadth of Microsoft’s Surface-related hardware comes as a bit of a shock. Virtually all of the new Surfaces can be classified as refreshes. The Surface Book 3 adds new 10th-gen Ice Lake Core processors, as well as Nvidia GTX and Quadro RTX ray-tracing GPU options. The Surface Go 2, meanwhile, boasts 8th-gen Intel Core m chips. Tying them to displays and other peripherals…

The Lenovo IdeaPad Chromebook Duet is bringing its message to the people. The message is about the versatility of a 2-in-1 Chromebook tablet with detachable keyboard, and it’s for the people because this avant-garde design is available for the affordable starting price of $279. The price point is important. Chromebook 2-in-1s already available, such as the Google Pixel Slate and the Asus Chromebook Flip, start well north of $400. The most popular Chromebooks continue to be traditional, small clamshells costing around $200. The IdeaPad Chromebook Duet splits the difference, and that could bring in budget buyers as well as Chromebook fans looking for something different. Announced on May 11 and available at launch, the IdeaPad Chromebook Duet consists of a 10.1-inch tablet with detachable kickstand and keyboard. In addition to the…

Can it run Crysis?” has been a PC-building meme for over a decade now, but once upon a time it was a legitimate question. When Crysis released in 2007, very few PCs could run it, and even fewer could run it well. The game itself was fine, but the foliage? The foliage was incredible. It felt like Crysis pulled back the curtain on the future and showed people what games might look like in 2012 or 2013. Those moments come once in a hardware generation, at best. And now it runs on a Nintendo Switch. Go figure. On April 16, Crytek announced Crysis Remastered, due to release this summer on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and yes, the Nintendo Switch. Lumping all those consoles in with the PC version does…

Most ultraportable SSDs are rugged by design, but Adata’s SE800 Potable SSD takes the cake with a real, honest-to-goodness IP68 rating. That means you can drop it in the pool or bury it in the garden without fear of damage. Why you’d want to do those things is another question. We’d recommend you simply keep it in your pocket, given that it’s cheaper and just as fast as the top-tier competition. DESIGN AND FEATURES When we classify the SE800 as an ultraportable, it’s because it’s a mere 2.8 x 1.7 x 0.4 inches thick, and weighs only 1.4 ounces. It’s the most compact we’ve seen, though none of the competition (Samsung’s T5 and T7, SanDisk’s Extreme Pro Portable, Crucial’s X8, etc., is significantly larger. All will lay lightly in the palm…

To say I had low expectations for Fallout 76’s new Wastelanders expansion would be an understatement. My original Fallout 76 review was not kind, but at least ended on a hopeful note. “Maybe like Elder Scrolls Online, Bethesda can tease a decent game out of this foundation in a year or two,” I wrote. But as time went on, and as the controversies mounted, I became less and less convinced. Still, when Wastelanders released in April, I figured I might as well give it a shot. After all, the expansion is free for anyone who owned the game, and…well, I owned the game. Why not, right? It’s not like there’s much releasing this spring. And you know what? I’m glad I gave it a shot, because it’s surprisingly solid. SKELETONS…

Your old Android phone needs some help. Maybe it’s feeling sluggish. Maybe it’s groaning under the weight of excess photos and apps. Maybe the battery dies way too soon. Or maybe you’re not quite ready to part with it. The good news is, you can save it. With a little work, you can make your sluggish Android phone feel fresh enough to get you through at least a little more time together. Here are seven ways to make your old Android phone feel a little younger, starting with…restarts! 1. RESTART YOUR ANDROID PHONE REGULARLY Let’s start simple. You might not think about restarting your phone unless an update comes along, but just like a PC, it can do a lot to fix an ailing handset. A simple 30-second restart will…

Kindle e-readers make it easy to amass and read books. Unfortunately, they don’t make it particularly easy to organize them. There’s no folder structure or tagging system to impose order on large libraries. Instead, Kindle offers Collections, a way of sorting books into logical groupings on the device screen. Alas, Collections are far from perfect. You can’t drag-and-drop books, even if your Kindle has a touchscreen, or otherwise organize books en masse. You have to open each book and assign it to a collection individually. Still, with some effort and patience, Collections can help you streamline your library, which will definitely help you better enjoy your Kindle. Here’s how to get started. HOW TO DELETE BOOKS FROM YOUR KINDLE The first step to organizing a big library is to trim…

The first week of May was a big week for Microsoft. On May 6, the company introduced an army of enticing Surface updates (see page 11). On the 7th, it held an Xbox event to introduce the first batch of next-gen games coming to the Xbox Series X console launching this year. But what I want is something that straddles those two worlds and solidifies Microsoft’s position as a driving force in gaming—and yes, that includes PC gaming. I want an Xbox gaming laptop, built with the same attention to detail as the Surface lineup, but focused on highlighting the best of Microsoft’s gaming innovations and what’s possible on the PC. Diehard PC enthusiasts may scoff—it’s hard to look past the epic failure of Games for Windows Live—but hear me out. WHY…

Microsoft has officially confirmed that it’s delaying its dual-screen Windows experiences, including the Surface Neo, until “the right moment” arrives. That announcement was part of a blog post in which Panos Panay, the new chief product officer of Windows and Devices, laid out his vision of what he sees for Microsoft’s Windows 10 and related hardware programs. In some sense, the blog post announcing the changes reads like a recap of what we already know: The Windows 10 May 2020 Update will begin shipping to the general public in May; Microsoft is turning its Build conference into a free, online-only event; and Microsoft is postponing its own dual-screen devices. Microsoft had only internally communicated the latter choice internally, according to a recent ZDNet report. That report said Panay had indicated that…

The latest Acer Swift 3 has a surprise for you. Concealed within its unassuming and borderline generic aluminum body is Ryzen 7 4700U, an 8-core CPU based on AMD’s new 7nm Ryzen 4000 with Radeon graphics. As a budget box, you don’t get Symmetrical Multi Threading (AMD’s version of Hyper-Threading) but that hardly seems to matter. This $650, 14-inch, 2.6-pound laptop is so fast, it actually can compete with larger, pricier gaming and content-creation laptops in CPU tasks. Keep reading to find out more about this unlikely screamer of a PC. SPECS The Acer Swift 3’s configuration (Model SF314-42-R9YN) mostly jibes with its affordable price (currently $650 from Amazon.com). For instance, the 8GB of RAM is the minimum you’d want in a Windows 10 system for loading up a bunch…

The OnePlus 8 Pro ushers in a bunch of firsts for the humble Android phone maker. It’s the first OnePlus display with a hole-punch camera and a 120Hz refresh rate. It’s the first OnePlus phone with wireless charging and a quadcamera. It’s the first time OnePlus has made Wi-Fi 6 and 5G standard. Heck, it’s even the first OnePlus phone with IP-rated water resistance. It’s also the first OnePlus handset to top a thousand bucks (with tax), more than three times the cost of the original OnePlus One. To be fair, things have changed quite a bit since 2014, when Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S5 cost just $650 off-contract. But even though OnePlus can claim the 8 Pro costs $300 less than the closest apples-to-apples comparison Galaxy phone, a four-figure sticker…

Is it worth it to upgrade a laptop’s RAM or storage? We had a chance to find out when Dell asked us to test the upgradability of its Inspiron 15 7000. I admit that as I faced this challenge, I started sweating. Panic-sweating. In my experience, upgrading a laptop is never a fun time. Cracking the case open feels borderline illegal, and once you’re inside you find a maze of tiny screws, tiny parts, tiny wires—like disarming a bomb built for ants. Many laptops don’t want to be opened, hiding the screws or voiding the warranty if you dare. Imagine my surprise when I found the Inspiron 15 7000 almost…friendly? Getting inside still feels a bit illicit, but it was pretty easy to do. Was it worth it? We ran…

Should you buy a 1080p or 4K monitor for your home office? This is a question you’ll inevitably face, especially if you’ve been trying to work off of a single monitor or a cramped laptop display at home. If you have the budget and space to add a second or third monitor, you then have the choice between buying the ubiquitous 1080p resolution (1920x1080 pixels), or 4K (3840x2160 pixels), the higher resolution that’s already common on TVs and some high-end laptops. PCWorld’s editors have been through exactly the same debate with our own home offices. The strategy we’ve landed on is this: Buy a 1080p monitor (or two!) now, to create your own dual-monitor or insane multi-monitor setup. Then save your pennies and upgrade to a far more expensive 4K display…