PCWorldJanuary 2025的目錄

One day after Bloomberg’s initial report, it’s now official: The Department of Justice has requested that the judge in the antitrust case order Google to divest itself of the Chrome browser. The prosecutors are also suggesting that Google be forced to offer its search result data to competitors in a syndication model and no longer bundle Search with the Android mobile operating system. The original story continues below. Back in August a U.S. federal court found Google guilty of violating anti-trust laws, and the fallout could be the biggest antitrust action since the breakup of AT&T and Bell way back in the 1980s. But exactly what the enforcement action will look like is still very much up in the air. Recent reports indicate that the U.S. Department of Justice is…

The next generation of Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi 8, is currently being developed behind closed doors. This time, the emphasis isn’t on pure speed, but instead on improving the user experience. Wi-Fi 8, known right now as IEEE 802.11bn Ultra High Reliability, still remains years away. Wireless technology is in a constant state of improvement: Each progression in the evolution of Wi-Fi takes several years to discuss, approve, and then deploy. Wi-Fi 7, the current standard, hasn’t even been formally ratified quite yet. But that’s not stopping the development of Wi-Fi 8 behind the scenes, and we already know some details. MediaTek’s Filogic wireless division has released some of what you can expect, with the caveat that final details won’t be nailed down until the final specification is released around Sept. 2028.…

Microsoft wants to be done with Windows 10 and have everyone move to Windows 11. It’s given the nine-year-old operating system an official expiration date next year, and it’s not shy about leaving those users behind. But its latest attempt to spur them on is its most brazen yet: full-page ads telling you to just go buy a Copilot+ laptop. This isn’t Microsoft’s first alert to users that Windows 10 is being retired, and it’s not even the first time it has resorted to full-screen alerts to drive the message home. But the newest flavor of the, ahem, helpful message is much more blatant about being an advertisement. It isn’t telling users to upgrade their current operating system, which would be a legitimate and fairly easy option for any machine sold…

If Elgato’s Facecam Mk. 2 sounds like a sequel, that’s exactly what it is. Unfortunately, the lack of a key feature—a microphone—still hasn’t been resolved, leaving this 1080p webcam still a little overpriced. Otherwise, it’s quite good. Our review of Elgato’s original Facecam noted several features were left out, including a privacy shutter and HDR. To its credit, Elgato listened, and those features have now been built in. The Facecam is one of the few webcams that captures at a TV-like 60Hz, though at fixed focus. It also maintains its Sony CMOS sensor, a strong point in favor of the original Facecam. If 1080p resolution is too limiting, Elgato also sells a 4K60 Pro version for $299—though that webcam lacks a mic too. (Elgato’s argument is that these mics were originally…

Almost a year has passed since PCWorld reviewed the Gigabyte GS34WQC, a budget ultrawide monitor that earned our Editors’ Choice award. Now, Gigabyte is updating that model with the new Gigabyte G34WQCP. It’s similar to its predecessor but increases the maximum refresh rate from 144Hz to 180Hz. SPECS AND FEATURES The Gigabyte G34WQCP’s basic specifications are similar to other budget ultrawide monitors. It’s a 34-inch, 21:9 aspect ratio display with a resolution of 3440×1440. The monitor also uses a Vertical Alignment (VA) panel, which is the more common choice in this category, though some competitors use an In-Plane Switching (IPS) panel. The monitor supports Adaptive Sync through AMD FreeSync and also supports HDR. Display size: 34-inch 21:9 widescreen Native resolution: 3440×1440 Panel type: VA Refresh rate: Up to 180Hz Adaptive…

It seems like every new laptop lately is a “Windows Copilot+ PC.” With Intel’s Lunar Lake and AMD’s Ryzen AI 300 CPUs, AI-infused Copilot+ PCs have finally expanded into traditional x86 laptop territory. They aren’t limited to just Arm-powered laptops with Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite hardware anymore. That’s good news for everyone. Along with speedy neural processing units (NPU), which are capable of at least 40 trillion operations per second (TOPS), Copilot+ PCs must have at least 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. If that’s the new baseline for Windows PCs, that’s awesome. It will benefit you even if you don’t care about AI. So, your next laptop might just be a Copilot+ PC. But if you ask me, Copilot+ PCs still leave a lot to be desired. While those minimum specs…

There is no joy in Mudville Intel’s corporate headquarters. The company has had an epically horrible year, with widespread issues plaguing its flagship chips, massive upswings from rivals AMD and Nvidia, and a stock downturn so dramatic it’s been called one of the worst performers in the industry. So maybe it isn’t surprising that CEO Pat Gelsinger is leaving. The announcement was made via press release, calling the move a retirement. Two current executives, David Zinsner and Michelle Johnston Holthaus, will function as co-CEOs while Intel’s board searches for a more permanent replacement. While Gelsinger has only been CEO since February 2021, he began working at Intel in 1979 as a technician, was instrumental as a programmer and architect for many notable Intel chips, and was a vice president by…

Along with millions of other people who no longer enjoy the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, I recently switched from X to Bluesky. I still have an account on X, but it’s pretty much inactive now that I’m spending my time on Bluesky instead. And despite having been present on Twitter since 2007, I’ll delete my X account at some point. There’s a lot to love about Bluesky, and it truly feels like a return to the glory days of Twitter, but there are also some obvious issues that may turn you off if you’re switching from X. Here are some things you might want to consider before switching to Bluesky. LOVE: IT LOOKS LIKE THE TWITTER OF OLD Bluesky’s layout, interface, and user experience are pretty much…

The Trump administration will arrive in Washington this coming January with an enormous question mark over its head: Will Trump deliver on his promise to impose tariffs of up to 60 percent, and how will that affect the technology products that Americans buy? The short answer? No one really knows. For now, however, we have to take Trump’s words at face value, even if he eventually changes his mind. And if we do that, we can point you to where you’ll be paying more. Specifically, Trump’s statements indicate that two tariffs would be imposed: a flat tariff of about 10 percent on all imports, plus an additional 60 percent tariff on goods imported from China. The Consumer Technology Association has estimated that, based on current levels and patterns of trade,…

Google representatives tell me that the Lenovo Chromebook Duet series is the best-selling Chromebook ever, and I believe them. With a low price, a Surface-style form factor, and a bit of an iPad look when all the extras are stripped off, it’s an appealing package, especially if you’re more comfortable with a touchscreen than with a mouse. The new revision to the model is an improvement in almost every way. While it still doesn’t handle heavy desktop-style tasks or Android apps very adroitly, it’s an excellent budget device if you want a little more flexibility than a standard laptop offers. PHYSICAL DESIGN The newest Gen 9 model looks extremely similar to the first two models but has more refinement. It’s still a tablet first, at least in a purely physical…

The titans of the PC industry slugged things out in 2024, jockeying for dominance in the new AI era blossoming before our eyes. It was most evident in laptops: Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite chips kicked off Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC era with long life and surprisingly competitive performance, only to be rivaled by Intel’s Macbook-killing Lunar Lake chips months later. AMD, meanwhile, focused on bringing high-octane speed to Copilot+ PCs, zigging for oomph while the others zagged to endurance. With competition flourishing, PCWorld expects to review over 120 laptops by the end of the year, by far a new high water mark! But laptops weren’t the only category laser-focused on innovation and performance. This year, cutting-edge monitors became the norm, Thunderbolt docks and SSDs embraced newer, faster standards, Intel and AMD…

One of the easiest ways to store your passwords and passkeys is within your browser—but you may not give much thought to how to find them within Chrome, since it’ll autofill your credentials whenever you need to log into a site. If you need to look up a particular password, it takes just a few quick clicks to access them directly. Here’s how to locate them—and how to access all the different settings related to them. (Spoiler: You may need to use both methods to fully configure Google’s password storage to your liking). METHOD 1: LOOK WITHIN CHROME You have a couple of ways to get to your passwords within Chrome. On a PC, the fastest method is entering chrome://password-manager/passwords into the address bar of your browser tab. If for…

Microsoft is positioning its contentious Recall feature for Windows 11 as a headline capability for Copilot+ laptops. So it’s kind of weird that when the previously delayed tool went live, it only did so for x64-based machines and not the Arm-based Snapdragon laptops that made such a splash earlier this year. Well, if you have one of those, you can now try Recall via the Windows Insider program. Microsoft just announced that Recall, which records pretty much everything you do on Windows, is now available to Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs. You’ll need to get on the Insider Program (a fancy title for a beta) and join the Dev Channel if you want to see what all the hubbub is about. Fortunately, it’s easy enough to get back off when the updates reach…

Your email address is a liability when yet another of your accounts get hacked. After your login credentials are leaked, attackers can use those same credentials to try logging into different services across the web to see what else they might unlock. But there’s a better way—and Google seems poised to bring it to the masses. As spotted by Android Authority, a new Shielded Email feature in the Gmail app for Android devices is seemingly on the way. It would let you create disposable email addresses, temporary burner email addresses that forward email to your real account. My colleague Michael Crider covered how Shielded Email could serve as a defense against spam, but there’s another payoff to this privacy protection: stronger online security. Using a random, unique email address for…

Intel heard your screams of anguish, PC gamers. Budget graphics cards that are actually worth your money have all but disappeared this pandemic-, crypto-, and AI-crazed decade, with modern “budget” GPUs going for $300 or more, while simultaneously being nerfed by substandard memory configurations that limit your gaming to 1080p resolution unless you make some serious visual sacrifices. No more. Today, Intel announced the $249 Arc B580 graphics card (launching December 13) and $219 Arc B570 (January 16), built using the company’s next-gen Battlemage GPU architecture. The Arc B580 not only comes with enough firepower to best Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4060 in raw frame rates, it has a 12GB memory system target-built for 1440p gaming—something the 8GB RTX 4060 sorely lacks despite costing more. As if that wasn’t an appealing…

Hide.me from Malaysia-based eVenture continues to hang with today’s most popular services, even if it doesn’t have the same name recognition. Since my last review of its service, Hide.me has passed a new independent security audit and updated its interface to be more user-friendly. It has also added a few features such as a new protocol and server sorting options. So with these new advances in mind, let’s take another look and see where it stands in the current VPN market. Hide.me VPN in brief: P2P allowed: Yes Simultaneous device connections: 10 Business location: Malaysia Number of servers: 2,000-plus Number of country locations: 91 Cost: $11.95 per month, $53.88 for 1 year, or $61.83 for 27 months FEATURES AND SERVICES Since my last review of Hide.me, it hasn’t significantly changed up…

Portable apps are applications and tools that can be started directly upon clicking them, with no prior installation needed. The advantage of this is that the programs are immediately ready for use and can be started from any storage drive—including a USB flash drive. These useful tools are then available for analyzing and maintaining any computer you slap the flash drive into, making them utterly invaluable for informal tech support duties. Let’s take a look at the best portable applications for hardware analysis and system tuning, as well as a basic setup with media player, image editing, and word processing tools. SET UP AND USE THE PORTABLEAPPS.COM PLATFORM As a starting point for most portable applications, the PortableApp.com Platform is used to manage the programs and as a convenient program launcher.…

One of the things that may hold you back from using an old monitor for gaming, photography, graphics editing, or some other visual purpose is that it’s not displaying the kind of vibrant color you want or will find in a new monitor. There are different reasons that may be the case, ranging from your software settings to the hardware you are using. The good news is that most old monitors whose colors look washed out or inaccurate can be corrected to look a lot more colorful and vibrant. Here’s how to make that happen. ENSURE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT COLOR PROFILES INSTALLED Windows 11 should automatically detect your monitor’s correct color profile and apply it, but if colors still don’t look right, there’s a chance the profile could still…