Up until now, whenever you signed into your Microsoft account, you’ve been asked whether you want to remain signed in. This is typical for most sites and services, where you need to manually tick a checkbox to express that you want to stay logged in the next time you visit. Starting next month, Microsoft is doing away with that. Going forward, users who sign into a Microsoft account will automatically remain signed in until they manually sign out. The Verge reports that this change is especially relevant for anyone who uses public computers, such as in a library or a computer lab. Once this change takes effect, you’ll need to remember to log out every time you use a shared device. Alternatively, if you’re logging into your Microsoft account in a browser, you can use private browsing mode. In the event that you forget to log out of your Microsoft account, you still have some recourse: log into your Microsoft account elsewhere, visit your security dashboard page, then scroll down and click Sign out everywhere. You’ll be signed out of your account on all devices (but it won’t sign you out of Xbox). Further reading: Microsoft accounts now support passkeys Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Imaging of drives and partitions One-way file sync Remote backup of other computers running ShadowMaker Disaster recovery media Free version available Cons Some odd operational omissions HiDPI scaling fills most of the screen Our Verdict ShadowMaker is a supreme bargain, while the Pro version adds a lot of features that power users need. Good stuff, though we ran into some issues with sync function. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: MiniTool ShadowMaker 4.6 Retailer Price MiniTool $36 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket My last look at MiniTool ShadowMaker was several years ago at version 3.6. It was more than competent at the time, and it remains so during my latest tire-kicking efforts. The interface has been updated to appear a bit more fetching, though there are still some foibles. That said, how many imaging programs offer a generously featured free version? What are MiniTool ShadowMaker Pro 4.6’s features? First and foremost, ShadowMaker is an imaging program. That is, it creates sector-by-sector copies of entire hard drives, or individual partitions stored in a single large file. That generally only includes sectors with data on them, but you can also copy the “blank” sectors if needs be. If you’re going to indulge in any recovery operations on drive in question or the image of it, that would indicate a “needs be” situation. Data may remain in sectors that are marked unused. Further reading: See our roundup of the best Windows backup software to learn about competing hardware. ShadowMaker Pro 4.6 offers full, incremental, and differential imaging. Either data sectors only, or all sectors. Beyond imaging, there’s a sync function that may be used to back up individual files and folders. I say back up because the “sync” function is one-way, i.e. it copies files to the destination but not from the destination back to the original folder. There is no option for two-way or mirroring (i.e., delete files from the destination that have been deleted from the source) that I could find. ShadowMaker will also clone disks, create an OS startup menu, as well as mount and unmount its images as virtual drives. A PXE network service is also provided that you can instruct other PCs to boot from so they’re on the same network as your host computer. That, dear user, is a very professional feature. ShadowMaker is able to interface with other computers running ShadowMaker on the same network. Select the Remote Control option from the Tools page, then type in the remote computer’s URL (e.g., 192.168.1.119). The program will reboot, and you’ll see all the storage devices, jobs, and logs from the remote machine. I most decidedly liked the way ShadowMaker automatically displays the drive with the most space as the first choice for the destination. It’s a little confusing at first, as there are no other real indications or notifications that this is what you’re doing. But once you see what’s going on, it’s cool, and extremely handy if you’re managing backups on several computers in the house. Simply restart the program to return to managing the host computer. You can see many of ShadowMaker Pr 4.6’s imaging options here. ShadowMaker delivers all the usual backup options such as compression, password encryption (128-bit), email notification, filters, shut down on completion, verification, and scheduling as granular as hourly. It will also fire off a backup at log-on or log-off if you so desire, and supports bare metal (divergent hardware) restore. ShadowMaker Pro 4.6’s Tools page, including the remote control and boot menu options. I like the look of ShadowMaker 4.6; however, I do have a couple of nits with the interface. There didn’t see to be a way to create a new folder at the destination. ShadowMaker creates its own folder to store your backup, which is something that will save new users from putting a bunch of junk where they might not want it, but I’d rather create my own. Also, I could find no way to refresh the file and folder list, so when I did create my own new folders using Windows Explorer, I had to reboot ShadowMaker before they would appear. An exceedingly mild complaint is ShadowMaker’s High DPI scaling. Without it, the program was rendered too tiny, but with it on, the interface took up most of my 2160p display as you see in the lead photo. A middle ground might be nice. Enough nit-picking. Generally speaking, the interface is easy and intuitive. I most decidedly liked the way ShadowMaker automatically displays the drive with the most space as the first choice for the destination. ShadowMaker also offers a Windows PE-based recovery disc that includes all the features of the main program, as shown below. The boot screen and the backup page from the ShadowMaker recovery disc. How much does MiniTool ShadowMaker 4.6 cost? Good news here. A free version of ShadowMaker is available that handles most of the chores (imaging, sync, restore, etc.) that the average user really needs. Beyond that, a perpetual license for the Professional version reviewed here is $80 and you can rent it for $36 yearly, or $10 a month. If you should opt for the yearly (the monthly is rather a bad deal), you’ll still be able to restore with the recovery disc at the very least. Also available is a $129 business version that supports server usage. 10 seats for this version will set you back $399. The differences between the versions can be viewed in their totality here. The features you might miss most with the free version are: system disk cloning (non-system disks are supported), full/differential backups (incremental is supported), backup using the recovery media, backup on events, and of course — remote control. At least those are the ones I’d miss. How did ShadowMaker 4.6 perform? ShadowMaker took 33 minutes to image 626GB, faster than our number-one ranked imaging program R-Drive Image 7.2 by a goodly margin, if not as fast as Easeus ToDo Backup. All imaging tasks to all locations and media went off without a hitch at approximately the same speed. Sync was fine for the most part, but quit during a copy of a folder on my desktop. This log entry is informative about what happened, but not why. Alas, the log didn’t provide sufficient information, saying which file caused the sync to quit, but not why. When I removed the offending folder (it continued to hang on other files in the folder), the sync could complete. Removing the offending folder allowed the job to complete. Note that I’d far prefer that the process skip the offending files rather than stop completely. I might be able to live without that folder and would like the rest of them to be backed up. As imaging is the program’s primary appeal and it was perfect at that, I didn’t knock off half a star for this little sync faux pas, but I certainly considered it. Should you buy ShadowMaker Pro 4.6? Given that it’s more expensive than the uber-reliable R-Drive Image, the pay/pro version of ShadowMaker is a bit hard to recommend for a single PC. However, the network support is unique in the category and makes the program a good choice for home networks. The free version? Have at it, folks. Read...

If you’re reading this, you’re likely one of the billions of people who work on computers all day long. Whether that’s from home or in a corporate office, the result is the same: too many hours spent each day sitting at a desk and staring at a computer screen. This can have adverse effects on your physical and mental wellbeing. Fortunately, there are some simple, healthy habits you can adopt to stay relatively healthy — and you really should adopt them sooner than later, before you’re in agony and trying to rewind time. Invest in the right setup from the start The first thing to get right is your setup, otherwise you’ll be fighting a losing battle from the start. Your setup includes everything you use while working on a PC: desk, chair, monitor, keyboard, and mouse. If you’re working in a corporate office, your options are likely limited as you’ll be stuck with the equipment provided by your company. But even then, you can always make some adjustments that improve your setup and make it better-suited to your individual needs. Tim van der Kuip / Unsplash You should make sure that your monitor is positioned correctly with the top of the screen level with your eyes. You should also invest in an ergonomic mouse that minimizes wrist stress, and you should make sure your desk, chair, keyboard, and mouse are positioned to maintain good posture throughout the day. In a nutshell, your feet should be flat on the ground, your head directly over your hips, your knees and elbows bent at 90 degrees, with your elbows touching the sides of your rib cage. If you work from home and need to kit out your own office, be sure to invest in the best equipment you can afford. Don’t cheap out on your office chair. (It’s true, those pro-tier office chairs are worth it.) It’s essential that every part of your chair is adjustable to fit your body frame and posture, especially the lumbar support for your spine. The importance of ergonomics in preventing pain and physical disorders can’t be overstated. For in-depth guidelines, check out New Hampshire’s Workplace Ergonomics Reference Guide (PDF). Maintain a proper posture Even with the right workstation setup, you still have to consciously maintain good posture at all times. The more you slack, the more you train your body into accepting bad habits. As someone who has worked from home for almost 20 years, believe me when I say this is crucial. There are plenty of times throughout the day when you probably feel like slouching your shoulders, reclining back in your chair, or even putting your feet up on your desk. But you must resist the urge! All of that will build up and lead to bad posture, even injury. Sitting like this will wreak havoc on your back, shoulders, and neck over time.Studio Republic / Unsplash The best way to maintain good posture at all times is to establish an ergonomic setup (see the previous tip) that organically encourages you to sit properly. Sitting in your chair should automatically put you in a good posture with your spine supported, your arms bent at the elbows, and the top of your monitor positioned at eye level. If your back hurts and you find yourself always slouching and leaning and sitting in bad posture no matter what you do, consider switching to a standing desk. It’s an investment, but it’s one of the best things you can do to curb back pain as a desk worker. Keep your workspace uncluttered The old adage “tidy home, tidy mind” suggests that living in a clean and well-organized environment is beneficial to mental health — and the same applies to keeping your workspace clean and tidy. Robert Bye / Unsplash According to Harvard Business Review, research suggests that maintaining a clean, tidy, and well-organized workspace can help you both physically (fewer germs and dust means you’re less likely to get sick from your work environment) and mentally (organized workspaces have been shown to reduce stress and increase productivity). Stay hydrated at all times Staying hydrated is important no matter what you’re doing, but it’s especially key when you’re trying to focus. When working at a desk all day, it’s easy to forget the need to replenish fluids. Staying hydrated generally means drinking water, but can also include tea and coffee as long as you don’t overdo the caffeine intake. Sarah Dorweiler / Unsplash Again, while proper hydration is non-negotiable no matter what you’re doing, it’s especially crucial for concentration. As numerous studies have shown, even mild dehydration can make you groggy, irritable, unfocused, unproductive, and lead to physical ailments. Take regular breaks throughout the day Taking regular breaks feels counterintuitive, but your body needs them. While you might be inclined to power through the day to get done as much as you can, you’d likely get more done with a few strategic breaks sprinkled in throughout the day. There’s conflicting advice when it comes to how many breaks you should take and how often you should take them, but don’t take that to mean nobody knows what they’re talking about. All the experts agree on this: a sedentary lifestyle shortens life and decreases quality of life. Computer workers are quite literally sitting themselves to death. Vitaly Gariev / Unsplash I do two specific things to protect myself while working on my PC: First, I schedule two extended breaks that split my day up into three blocks. Both breaks are spent away from my desk, and if possible, I try to take them outside to ensure I get some fresh air into my lungs. Second, as soon as I feel any kind of strain on my body, I stand up and move around for a minute or so. This doesn’t have to be anything too strenuous. Just the act of standing up and walking around can limber up your muscles/joints and get your blood circulating. Stretch and exercise regularly During your regular breaks, you shouldn’t be zoning out and doing nothing. Sure, grab a glass of water and hit the bathroom if you need to, but most breaks should involve stretching and exercise of some kind. Do exercises that work your abs, upper back, glutes, and hamstrings to encourage good posture and prevent muscular imbalances. Take a short walk and get those legs moving. Stretch out your hips, legs, shoulders, chest, and neck before they get too stiff. Exercises and stretches go a long way to helping you maintain fitness and flexibility. Studio Romantic / Shutterstock There’s a host of good advice online about specific stretches to do while working at your desk and how to avoid work-related injuries. But you should also supplement them with real exercise, either before or after work. That could mean going to the gym, or you could focus on bodyweight exercises from the comfort of your home. You might even try an exercise bike desk that also charges your devices. Follow the 20-20-20 rule for your eyes Here’s one aspect of health that many white collar workers often overlook, especially when you’re younger (e.g., in your 20s). You need to protect your eyes and minimize computer vision syndrome (also known as digital eye strain). G-Stock Studio / Shutterstock The 20-20-20 rule works by forcing you to relax your eyes. Your computer screen is only two or three feet from you, and it can strain your eyes to focus at that distance for extended periods. By focusing on something 20 feet away, your eye muscles can relax — and doing this regularly can help prevent tiredness, blurry vision, and headaches/migraines. It’s worth doing whether you have perfect vision or wear vision correction. Be aware of lighting and brightness levels Good lighting is a necessary element of any good workspace. This applies to both environmental lighting and the light being emitted by that screen you’re staring at for hours and hours every day. For environmental lighting, try to maximize natural light (i.e., sunlight) and supplement it with lamps if needed. Avoid going too bright or too dark, as both extremes will force your eyes to work harder. Try to position your light sources off to the side, not behind your monitor (so you aren’t staring into more light) and not behind you (so it doesn’t cast a glare on your screen that could strain your eyes). Zhyar Ibrahim / Unsplash As for your monitor brightness, there are two factors to consider: first, try to match its brightness to ambient brightness (i.e., not too dim and not too bright), and second, make sure it’s comfortable to your eyes. The best brightness for you will depend on your circumstances, and it might even change depending on the time of day. If your operating system has adaptive brightness or if your monitor has auto-brightness, consider using those features — but it’s possible they may not work well for you. If your eyes are still suffering and uncomfortable, switch to manual control and adjust your lighting as needed. Further reading: Tech gadgets that’ll supercharge your home office Read...

TL;DR: Boost your PC’s performance with a lifetime license to Ashampoo WinOptimizer 27 for $15.99. Does your PC feel like it’s stuck in slow motion? Meet Ashampoo WinOptimizer 27, the tool that transforms sluggish computers into well-oiled machines. Whether you’re battling cluttered hard drives or want to secure your system, this software is built to streamline and enhance your PC experience. Ashampoo WinOptimizer 27 is designed to speed up boot times and gives you an arsenal of features to tackle performance issues. The Crash Analyzer provides detailed information about system crashes and their root causes, while specialized cleaning tools remove unnecessary files, temporary data, and browser junk that bog down your PC and focus on safeguarding privacy and maintaining your PC’s performance. What’s new in version 27? It’s packed with updated tools that give you even deeper insights into your system’s performance. With an intuitive interface, keeping your computer in shape is now simpler than ever. Ashampoo WinOptimizer 27 is a simple, affordable way to make your PC run better and last longer, with lifetime access on sale for $15.99 (reg. $55).   Ashampoo WinOptimizer 27: Lifetime License [Digital Key] – $15.99 See Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

Lenovo’s iconic crimson red TrackPoint nub, which has been going strong for three decades, is a staple of ThinkPad laptops. However, this year at CES, Lenovo announced that it’s ditching the nub on the ThinkPad X9 Aura Edition laptops.  It’s a surprising move and although Lenovo’s not removing the nub on every single laptop at this time, who knows what the future holds. It’s entirely possible Lenovo may completely phase out the TrackPoint nub in the next couple of years. So, as a way to celebrate the nub, let’s dive into its long and sometimes complicated history. Further reading: Lenovo’s newest ThinkBook laptop ‘unrolls’ for extra screen space The TrackPoint served as an alternative to the traditional mouse The TrackPoint burst onto the scene in 1992 with the release of the IBM ThinkPad 700C laptop, which was originally designed as a data entry tablet for hospitals and health care workers. The nub, which sits in the middle of the G, H, and B keys, allows you to move the cursor on your screen without ever having to lift your hands off of the keyboard. Essentially, it’s a joystick that sits in the middle of the keyboard. It works by applying direct pressure with a fingertip — the more pressure you apply, the faster the cursor moves.  Computer scientist Ted Selker originally developed the pointing-stick technology for IBM, which later became known as the TrackPoint. This was innovative at the time because trackpads weren’t invented yet, so computer users were still relying on traditional mice to navigate the content on their screens. Not only did the pointing stick reduce wrist strain, but it also saves the user “0.75 seconds” (according to a study from Selker), which is the time it takes to shift from the keyboard to the mouse.  Nowadays, trackpads are the norm on laptops. While TrackPoint technology still exists, there’s a steep learning curve. Personally, I find that I have better control over the cursor with the trackpad than with the TrackPoint nub. That said, there’s a whole Reddit community of true TrackPoint fanatics if you’re looking to find your people. IBM adds negative inertia to the TrackPoint The TrackPoint underwent a couple of different revisions under IBM. However, the most notable revisions arrived in the third and fourth iteration of the nub. IBM added negative inertia to the TrackPoint III, which increases accuracy by counteracting the positive inertia with applied force, making it feel less sluggish. The fourth iteration, dubbed the TrackPoint IV, had a press-to-select feature that allowed you to select items on the screen by pressing down on the pointing stick. These days you can disable the TrackPoint altogether if you prefer to use the trackpad. The TrackPoint is also compatible with other operating systems (including Windows and Linux), and you can adjust the cursor speed and acceleration. The nub and its various designs The TrackPoint’s crimson cap went through a series of changes, too. In the above interview with Laptop Retrospective, former IBM designer David Hill explains the evolution of the iconic red cap. The original TrackPoint had a smooth rubber red cap that was dome-like, but it was prone to wear and tear and it had poor traction. The “Cat Tongue” nub, on the other hand, exhibited excellent traction but it was a dirt magnet. It also felt a bit like sandpaper and was uncomfortable to use. Hill even experimented with a design that resembled a bicycle seat in shape. The idea behind this design was to increase the diameter of the nub, but there were concerns that it would hinder the user’s typing experience. Though the design never came to fruition, it’s still an interesting little tidbit of information. Speaking of interesting tidbits of information, the blood red red cap that we know and love almost didn’t happen! IBM’s product safety division had a lot of power at the time. In fact, they said the color red was reserved for the emergency button on their mainframe computers, so it couldn’t be used for the TrackPoint. You want to know how ThinkPad designer Richard Sapper got around this? The nub’s red color was altered slightly and called magenta. However, when the first batch of ThinkPad laptops shipped, the engineers made the TrackPoint more crimson in color. Talk about a loophole, yeah? Lenovo acquired the TrackPoint brand from IBM in 2005 Lenovo purchased IBM’s PC division in 2005 for approximately $1.75 billion, thus acquiring the ThinkPad brand of laptops and the TrackPoint technology that came along with it. This was a big deal at the time because, according to this article from PC Mag, “no Chinese company had acquired a major U.S. company” up until that point. It turns out that Lenovo’s acquisition was pretty damn lucrative. As of October 2022, Lenovo has sold over 200 million ThinkPads. IBM sold its PC division to shift focus from hardware to software. The company was also up against some pretty stiff competition and profits from the PC division were declining; selling off the PC division helped improve its financial situation. Lenovo removed the TrackPoint nub from the ThinkPad 11e in 2014 Lenovo removed the TrackPoint from the (now discontinued) ThinkPad 11e back in 2014, which was a surprising move from the company. However, the reasoning was perfectly sound (at least in my eyes!). The ThinkPad 11e was designed for the education market, so the company didn’t want to risk including the TrackPoint nub because it posed a potential choking hazard for younger PC users. Of course, die-hard fans weren’t happy about the missing TrackPoint on the ThinkPad 11e, but the thing that really pissed them off was the removal of the left and right mouse buttons at the top of the touchpad on the X1 Carbon model. This design choice caused a rebellion so great that Lenovo quickly changed course and permanently brought back the left and right mouse buttons on the second generation of the X1 Carbon. Wild, right? The takeaway nobody asked for The TrackPoint is something of a legacy item, a beloved relic of the past. While it was innovative at the time, I’m not sure it’ll survive the rising tide of modern laptop technology and design. Though long-time fans will likely raise their pitchforks and torches at Lenovo’s TrackPoint-less Aura Edition laptops, I can’t help but wonder… is this a glimpse into what’s to come? Will Lenovo finally ditch the TrackPoint nub for good? It’s likely. Very likely. Read...

I don’t know about you, but working on multiple devices at once makes me feel like some kind of 90s hacker. I’m programming on my PC, answering emails on my laptop, responding to chat messages on my tablet, all while transferring files on my other PC. But while that whole process is cool, it’s certainly not efficient. Jumping from keyboard to keyboard to keyboard, getting mixed up between mice and touchpads, and being forced to use those shallow 2-in-1 laptop keyboards… it’s too messy and chaotic for me. What if there was a better way? What if you could use a single keyboard and mouse for all of your devices, switching from PC to laptop to tablet back to PC with a single button? Well, you can! The solution is a nifty accessory called a KVM switch. What’s a KVM switch? A KVM switch is a hub device that takes in multiple inputs (e.g., keyboard and mouse) and routes them to multiple outputs (i.e., laptop, PC, tablet). A proper KVM switch can also route monitor connections, allowing you to use a single set of keyboard, video, and mouse (KVM) with multiple systems, switching between them on demand. When using a KVM switch, the actual switching might be done with a physical button, but more premium options may also come with a handy remote control. Others can activate with a keyboard shortcut. Although most KVM switches have this same basic setup, you can use them in different ways and some have additional advanced features. For example, you could use a single display that changes between systems, or you could have multiple displays that you change between. Some KVM switches even support wireless peripherals and displays, and others expand your connectivity with extra audio and video ports. Wait, that sounds like a docking station, doesn’t it? Well, they’re similar, but not the same. Both KVM switches and docking stations provide ports for connecting peripherals, but a docking station routes all of those peripherals to a single device whereas a KVM switch routes them to multiple devices and lets you switch between them. Of course, as useful as KVM switches are, they do have some drawbacks. Let’s dive into the pros and cons below. Pro: KVM switches are efficient Evatek HDMI KVM SwitchEvatek These days, you can get multi-device Bluetooth mice and keyboards (that can pair with multiple devices and switch between them) without spending much at all. That nearly replicates the KVM switch experience, and if that’s all you need, then that’s fine. But what if you have a premium keyboard and mouse with wired USB connections? And what about your monitors, which connect via HDMI or DisplayPort cables? To switch those, you’d have to unplug from one and plug into another — and doing that for a keyboard, mouse, and monitor is such a pain. Then you have to do it again when you switch back. Ugh! A KVM switch can handle that for you, and it doesn’t have to cost much if you go with a budget option. For example, this cheap KVM switch on Amazon is only $20 but lets you use a set of keyboard, mouse, and 4K@60Hz monitor with two systems. And with it, you don’t have to pigeonhole yourself into using multi-device Bluetooth accessories — use your mechanical keyboard and wired gaming mouse freely. Con: KVM switches add input lag All KVM switches introduce some measure of input lag. Not only are you adding more cable length, but the switch itself needs to process signals before passing them on. It may only be a few milliseconds, but certain models will be worse about it — and it’ll be perceptible. Fortunately, most high-quality KVM switches are built around this flaw and designed to minimize input lag. Premium KVM switches will barely be noticeable while cheaper KVM switches will stick out. That said, unless you’re gaming or doing latency-sensitive tasks, you can probably get by with a cheaper one without much issue. Pro: KVM switches ease compatibility Sabrent Thunderbolt 4 KVM SwitchSabrent If you’re working across not only multiple devices but multiple operating systems, then compatibility with peripherals can be tricky. Support for multiple monitors is handled differently on macOS than it is on Windows. Or maybe there isn’t a ChromeOS app for your gaming keyboard, making it hard to remap it. This is one of the times when a KVM switch can really come in handy. Your peripherals don’t have to be compatible with every device as long as your KVM switch is. With a cross-platform KVM switch, the only thing that matters is whether it can detect your plugged-in peripherals. If it can, then it can also forward those inputs to any supported OS. For example, the Sabrent Thunderbolt 4 KVM Switch doesn’t just support super-fast Thunderbolt 4 accessories, but it seamlessly works across Windows and macOS computers. Another example is this triple 8K KVM switch by DXchip, which not only works with Windows and macOS but also Linux, ChromeOS, Raspberry Pi, PS4, DVRs, and more. Cons: KVM switches are tricky to shop for When you’re buying a KVM switch, you need to ensure that it properly supports everything you intend to plug in. That means the right connections and the right performance characteristics. In other words, if you want to run multiple 4K displays, the KVM switch you get needs to not only have multiple DisplayPort and/or HDMI ports, but those ports need to be 4K-capable. Don’t expect to manage 4K@120Hz monitors with a switch that only has HDMI 2.0. Not all KVM switches support multi-monitor setups, either. Make sure yours does, if you need it to. Pro: KVM switches can add extra ports Ugreen 4-Port USB 3.0 Switch HubUgreen Earlier in this article, I explained the differences between KVM switches and docking stations. The truth is, they’re quite similar and overlap in many ways — and a KVM switch can even double as a docking station if you just connect it to one system and don’t ever switch. But that’s only true if you get a KVM switch that actually offers additional ports beyond the ones used for connecting your keyboard, mouse, and display. Fortunately, most KVM switches do come with extra ports as long as you aren’t scraping the bottom of the bargain bin. So, for example, if you want to transfer photos from your camera’s SD card to multiple systems, it’d be way easier to just plug it into your KVM switch than to unplug and replug into each individual device. Cons: Quality KVM switches are pricey Basic KVM switches are quite affordable, often priced at $30 or less. However, if you want support for higher resolutions, wireless connectivity, USB-C charging, Thunderbolt ports, HDMI 2.1, and more, then you’re going to end up spending quite a bit more. The upper limit of consumer KVM switches can reach close to a grand in price, but these are high-end models for techies who know what they’re doing. For example, this triple-monitor KVM switch by L1Techs retails for $750 while this quad-monitor KVM switch by TESmart retails for $800. That said, expect to spend between $100 and $200 for a quality KVM switch that performs well enough and isn’t nerfed in features. Pro: KVM switches save space Space saving starts becoming a big deal when you’re juggling all kinds of peripherals and accessories in your workstation, and that’s true in both professional and personal settings. Being able to reclaim space by paring down to a single keyboard and mouse for your multiple systems isn’t just good for workspace clutter — it helps with productivity by keeping you undistracted and freeing up space for other things, like paperwork and helpful gadgets. That extra space could even be enough to let you upgrade to a larger monitor or add in another display, further boosting productivity. Con: KVM switches increase cable clutter Ugreen 8K DisplayPort KVM SwitchUgreen While a KVM switch might help you cut back on the number of peripherals on your desk, it doesn’t cut back on cabling. In the case of laptops and standalone systems that don’t need more than a power cord, a KVM switch could actually increase cable clutter. That’s because your KVM switch needs to be connected to all your peripherals and connected to every device to be served. Plus, the better KVM switches also need their own external power source, so they have their own power cord that adds to the chaos. In short, a KVM switch is the middleman through whom all those cords get routed, so it isn’t exactly easy to just tuck it aside somewhere out of sight. You can tidy those cables, but you can’t hide them. (One way to minimize this is to use wireless peripherals with Wi-Fi receivers. That way, the KVM switch can be somewhat tucked away and you don’t have to deal with cables running from peripherals to the KVM switch.) Further reading: Best wireless keyboards and best wireless mice Read...

According to one analyst firm, the combined shipment of desktop and laptop computers in 2024 was 245.3 million units. That’s a big number — a new computer for one out of every thirty or so people on the planet — and it’s showing a growth over 2023. But with the previous post-pandemic slump in sales, and big pushes around AI and Windows 11, it still feels like a big disappointment. The numbers come from Gartner, which lays out a lot of statistics for the global and US markets broken down by major manufacturers. Apple’s Mac computers and ChromeOS devices are included. In the fourth quarter of 2024, Asus (9.8 percent growth), Acer, Apple, and Lenovo are the big winners in terms of total shipment increase over Q42023, with HP and Dell getting small dips. Apple, Asus, and Lenovo showed the biggest jumps in market share globally, while HP had a sizable seven percent dip. Restricting the focus to the US market shows a healthier shipment increase, 17.192 million shipments in Q4 with an increase of 3.5 percent. Asus and Acer made huge gains over the same period in previous year, 35 percent and 20 percent respectively, while Dell and HP were both down by small margins. Gartner summarizes 2024 as a “modest recovery” for the PC market, with the consideration that 2023 was the weakest year in the last decade. Compared to 2021, when 340 million units were shipped at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, sports fans would say we’re still very much in a rebuilding phase. Considering the hard marketing pushes this year, I can’t help but feel like a modest recovery is still damning with faint praise. Microsoft partnered with Qualcomm and most of the major laptop manufacturers to push the Arm-based Snapdragon platform, arm-in-arm with Copilot AI and a renewed plea for consumers to buy new machines and upgrade to Windows 11. Google had its own AI-focused marketing around Chromebook Plus-certified devices. But since Microsoft and Google have both been forced to integrate AI features into existing software and web services while upping the price, it’s safe to assume that not enough people were interested in the original $20-a-month upsell. And while “AI-capable” PCs appear to be on the rise, it’s not at all clear that consumers are actually interested in those features instead of, you know, just buying a new PC. At the close of the third quarter 2024 Canalys says that 20 percent of new PCs sold were “AI-capable” (read: had an NPU), but only 720,000 of the sales in that quarter were the Snapdragon-equipped laptops Microsoft had so aggressively promoted. Microsft is still pushing hard for Windows 11 with the out of service deadline for Windows 10 looming later this year, and opening up Windows on Arm to other chip makers like Nvidia and MediaTek might shake up the market a bit. But I doubt I’ll be contradicted if I say that the PC market is hoping for a much bigger jump in 2025. Read...

There’s a lot of stuff happening right now. Here in the US, it seems kind of inescapable. And it surely doesn’t help that a lot of people might be without their short-form social video fix very soon. TikTok, for all its many, many faults, is something millions of people use in the US. That said, a TikTok ban seems increasingly likely. But there is another. There are a lot of others, actually, all initially trying to ape TikTok’s success, now poised to try and fully replace it. My personal poison (only slightly joking) is YouTube Shorts, perhaps because it happens to be built into the thing I already use. I have a lot of beef with YouTube as a platform, but that doesn’t take away from the many talented creators that are on it. YouTube Shorts is filled with a lot of the same garbage littering TikTok. Clips blatantly stolen from movies and TV shows, reactions that add nothing to the original video, AI-generated slop that the uploader didn’t even bother to check. But there’s some genuinely entertaining, interesting, and instructional stuff too. Here are 25 of my favorites to get you started. I’m so sorry, puppets. We’ve all failed you. Food I don’t know how to cook SJohnsonVoiceOvers, AKA SnackDaddy: Stefan Johnson is a professional voice actor, but lately he’s been diving into his love of food, in both the snack/junk and home-cooked varieties. He’ll do earnest and often hilarious reviews of fast food and restaurant products, try out trending recipes, and generally give you some great ideas. It doesn’t hurt that his takes and advice are easy to follow even for amateur cooks like me. Turkuaz Kitchen: Betel Tunc is a cook who loves using traditional methods, ingredients, and tools to make amazing meals. Frankly she’s way beyond me in all of these areas, but I love watching her intense focus in short, bite-sized videos that leave my mouth watering from whatever she ends up with, all set to some chill music with no narration. Check out her full YouTube channel (and cookbook!) if you want more detailed instructions. Jose.elcook: As a recovering Texan, I almost hate this guy, if only because it’s really hard to find good Mexican food in rural Pennsylvania. Jose’s passion for Mexican and other recipes from Latin America shines through in his simple and straightforward delivery, though he’s not at all limited to that niche. Inject that salsa verde straight into my veins, please. Longer recipes and equipment reviews are on his main YouTube channel. CookShowTrevor: This idiot makes pizzas that should not exist, and I say that in full confidence that he would agree with me. Trevor, or at least the caricature that he plays for YouTube, puts pretty much everything on lovingly handmade pizza just to see what happens. Frequently it burns, occasionally it explodes, every once in a while it’s a legitimately good result. I give it the highest honor I can bestow: a seven out of ten. Crafts I don’t know how to do JonPaulsBalls: Get your hand off that HR report, this is a guy named Jon-Paul Wheatley who makes soccer balls. That’s footballs, if you live somewhere civilized. Watching Jon-Paul’s design process from start to finish for balls I never would have imagined is hypnotizing, as is his soothing narration. Watch as he combines modern and old-fashioned methods and materials to create the best balls of them all, and give it a try yourself if you want with his personal website. SaraMicsPottery: Sarah Luepker mixes the usual crafting instruction videos with a bit of personal insight and vlogging. I appreciate that she includes her pottery screw-ups in her videos — it makes me feel better about spending six hours on a PC build that won’t boot. Sara’s shorts are less about full instruction than the satisfying tactile process and a lot of commentary, but there are plenty of of things to learn if you dive deep. EoinReardon: I’m even more useless at carpentry than I am at most crafts, and that’s amazing, because my first job was at a sawmill. Eoin Reardon gives me a glimpse into the life I might have had, if I hadn’t quit after six weeks and six stomachfuls of sawdust. Though he’s all about traditional techniques and results, his practical and straightforward techniques could be applied to household jobs. I assume they could, anyway. I fix computers. Tanner.Leathertein: Less about the actual craft of leatherworking and more about educating yourself on leather goods and the designer fashion industry, Tanner’s channel literally dissects handbags, wallets, and other goods to… well, show you the goods. In addition to the cathartic thrill of seeing fashionista items destroyed, he breaks down the value of the components and materials, helping you spot a good deal versus an unconscionable markup (or a plain old fake). GirlWithTheDogs: As a life-long dog owner, I can appreciate that washing and grooming one is not a task for the faint of heart. Vanessa De Prohetis is positively unflappable as she cleans dogs and cats of all stripes (and spots, and stippling… you get the picture). You might find some great tips for DIY pet grooming, but I’m more impressed by how she handles the toughest cases — no dog is too big, no cat is too crazy. Animals I don’t own HaydenKristialandandCo: My grandparents raised racehorses and my parents still raise miniature horses. So I’ve spent decades taking care of them, which is why I really don’t like them. But pro standup comedian Hayden Kristal does, and shares the best and worst of keeping a bunch of horses and donkeys on a Colorado ranch. Her hilarious insights and off-the-cuff takes almost make me want to go back to Texas. Almost. Cleolonglegs: Good grief these Borzoi dogs are goofy. DustyMDouglas: Okay, this is one of the most prolific and popular shorts makers out there. I am basic. But come on, you can’t deny that the voiceovers done in the style of America’s Funniest Home Videos (I am also old), cliché and pun-filled as they are, are often freakin’ hilarious. Other stuff I watch UFDTech: I’d be doing a real disservice if I didn’t acknowledge the work of Brett Stelmaszek and his team, who put out some fantastic and punchy short-form consumer tech videos. UFD Tech covers PCs, phones, video games… pretty much all the stuff that I’m interested in. And yeah, their pointed, no-frills style is definitely an influence around here. Check out their full channel for more long-form videos on topics that don’t fit into 50 seconds. PunkeyDoodles8: Audio from popular videos, with cartoon illustrations and a bit of animation. It ain’t much, but it’s honest work. Who am I kidding, it’s a lot more than I can do. Miniminuteman773: Pro archeologist Milo Rossi has made it his life’s mission to take apart the kind of conspiracy theory bullshit you see thrown around Facebook by amateurs and Ancient Aliens by actual, paid adults. Rossi’s short-form videos are quick and dirty debunks (in both the literal and figurative senses). But if you really want to dig into the ridiculousness of the topic (or alternately, look at some real archeology), check out his full channel. MakeSomeNoiseDO: Dropout.TV is great. It’s the best five bucks I spend every month. And while the all-improv quasi-game show Make Some Noise is often hilarious, a little bit goes a long way — I often struggle to get through the half-hour episodes. I think the skits tend to work better in short form, which is fortunate, because a lot more people can enjoy them for free. ProZD: SungWon Cho got his comedy start in ye olden days of Vine, basically doing TikTok before TikTok was a thing. He’s now a full-time voice actor (you can hear his flexible pipes in everything from the latest Batman and Pokémon cartoons to games like Yakuza), his older geeky YouTube skits make great shorts. Check out his full channel for longer compilations. Jill Bearup: I fell into a deep hole of Jill Bearup’s longer-form content, breaking down movie swordfights from a theatrical perspective using her expertise in stage combat. But her shorts are great too, generally eviscerating fantasy and romance tropes. Her series of back-and-forths between a heroine and the author writer her has been adapted into a full novel, Just Stab Me Now. Jerry Wayne Live: Fellow Texan Jerry Wayne is a standup comedian who’s kind of like Larry the Cable Guy, if that character was actually a genuine person instead of a city slicker’s idiotic impression. His series of “Truck Astrology” videos demonstrates real and loving knowledge of what pickup trucks and SUVs are supposed to be, and for that, I am grateful. I’d ask Jerry to review my ’03 Ranger Edge if it hadn’t blown its transmission long ago. OceanX: I was that kid in elementary school who was obsessed with Robert Ballard and the Titanic, before the movie came out. So there’s no small amount of envy in my recommendation for this channel, which chronicles the work of a team of oceanographers on a research vessel complete with submersibles and ROVs. They also have general education videos on a variety of topics. Oh yeah, follow PCWorld please Did you know that PCWorld is on TikTok? At least at the time of writing. Including me, Michael, the guy writing this. I record short little summaries of some of the articles that I and my coworkers write, and the video team over in California posts it with neato backgrounds and links. And they do it on YouTube Shorts, too. The PCWorld YouTube channel also has longer dives into all the latest PC news and hands-on coverage of the newest parts, laptops, handhelds, and anything else that strikes our fancy. Subscribe to TheFullNerd while you’re at it — that’s our sister channel for the weekly podcast (live every Tuesday and for most major PC-related events). Read...

When I first saw that photo of Nvidia’s new Project Digits mini PC unveiled at CES 2025, I couldn’t help but notice the Apple influence — minimalist, sleek, next to a monitor that looks like Apple’s Studio Display. Apple’s latest Mac Mini is revolutionary in many ways, delivering the company’s impressive M4 silicon in an efficient, affordable package. Windows PCs haven’t yet been able to reach the same level of design beauty and overall balanced unit. Could Nvidia’s new Mac Mini-like small-form-factor AI supercomputer usher in a major disruption for Windows PCs? Let’s dive into Project Digits, what it is, and what it brings to the table for the future. Project Digits: What it is and what it isn’t It’s a little unfair to compare the Mac Mini and Nvidia’s Project Digits, mainly because they target vastly different users and markets. After all, the Mac Mini is for home users who just want to do some web browsing, media streaming, and maybe light content creation or gaming. And on the side, you have Apple Intelligence for AI in that ecosystem. But then you have Project Digits, a powerhouse mini PC infused with the power of Nvidia’s Grace Blackwell GB10 Superchip. The idea here is to pack an AI supercomputer into a small chassis that’s usable by scientists, students, and AI researchers in a very focused manner. That’s reflected in its price: A whopping $3,000 that proves it’s meant to be more of a professional-level device. It launches around May 2025. Project Digits runs on the GB10 Superchip, meant to run large language models (LLMs) with up to 200 billion parameters. If you connect two of them, they can together handle up to 405 billion parameters. It’s perfect for AI researchers and inference models. The internal components in Nvidia’s Project Digits.Nvidia Yet while the built-in GPU is fine-tuned for AI with 128GB of unified memory, there’s no reason why Nvidia couldn’t adapt it for use in a Windows-like gaming PC in the future. Even now, Project Digits is already much more powerful than any traditional PC or laptop, with 1 petaflop of power. (For comparison, modern high-end gaming PCs only reach up to 10 teraflops — the equivalent of 0.01 petaflops.) Mac Mini users could use their systems for some AI work, but most are just using them as personal computers for mundane, personal tasks. Imagine if Nvidia tuned Project Digits in that direction? As is, Project Digits is an enthusiast- and professional-level product, but what if Nvidia honed it to become like the Mac Mini? A consumer-grade PC with unprecedented power that’s even more revolutionary than the M4 Mac Mini. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang believes AI will go mainstream and make its way into virtually every industry and facet of human life. If he’s right about that, a small yet powerful AI supercomputer could be a game-changer, much like the smartphone was for everyday life. (I wouldn’t doubt Jensen Huang, who’s been a near-unparalleled visionary thus far.) That’s it. That tiny thing is Nvidia’s Project Digits mini PC.Nvidia This means Nvidia would want its AI to have more personal applications for everyday consumers, not just for research or data center purposes. For now, Project Digits gives those who would normally be working in such environments the ability to bring their work home, and that’s one step closer to bringing AI into the personal home space. Nvidia already meddles in the consumer market, of course. Just look at their GeForce RTX GPUs, which are the company’s DNA — and AI came after developing those graphics chips for gamers. So while Nvidia makes bank on data centers and AI, these applications aren’t the be-all and end-all for the company. Gaming remains important, and there remain plenty of other consumer markets — like this — that Nvidia could explore. Project Digits could be a looming threat Nvidia’s Project Digits mini supercomputer runs on Linux, not Windows. A strange choice, perhaps, considering that Nvidia is already intimately familiar with Windows drivers for its GPUs. Could this be a sign that Nvidia wants to move away from Windows, at least in some capacity? Could it even mean that Nvidia wants to develop their own operating system, one that’s based on Unix (much like Linux and macOS are) and not Windows? This would be an Apple-like endeavor, paving the way for Nvidia to have complete control over their entire portfolio by way of in-house solutions. Lenovo This isn’t the first rumbling of a Windows disruption that we’ve heard at CES 2025. Last month, Valve announced its “Powered by SteamOS” branding for partners, signaling a new era in which third-party gaming handhelds, laptops, and PCs will increasingly run on SteamOS. Valve told us more about their plans at CES 2025, and we saw the debut of the first non-Valve SteamOS gaming handheld. In short, Microsoft should be terrified of SteamOS. It works well enough without Windows and it’s slowly converting Windows gamers over. The Steam Deck has been the big showcase for SteamOS for a while now, but with Valve opening it up to all kinds of other manufacturers, we’re undoubtedly going to see a big shift in years to come. Now, to be clear, Nvidia has made no indication that they plan to do anything like this. All of this is speculation. But it would certainly make some sense for Nvidia to start forging their own path, detached from Windows and all its baggage. Nvidia has the capital and influence to make it happen, and they could easily argue that their AI and hardware are so bespoke that they need bespoke software solutions. In that case, Microsoft would have something greater than SteamOS to fear. Mac Mini and Nvidia GeForce RTX GPUs. Will these worlds ever collide to form a Nvidia mini PC that offers the best of everything?Thiago Trevisan / IDG Indeed, I can see a possible near-future where Nvidia doesn’t just sell GPUs but entire mini PCs to their board partners. How does a superpowered Asus ROG Strix Project Digits mini PC sound? It could have a GPU, CPU, and NPU all packed into one tiny unit — and that would certainly feel like Apple’s silicon and tight integration of hardware. But you never know. The future could be boring. Nvidia may well stick with Windows PCs and take the easier, simpler, well-trodden path. It’s not like they couldn’t do big things here, as Windows PCs need the power and tight integration that Nvidia’s hardware brings to the table. Rumors suggest Nvidia is working on an Arm-powered PC chip now that Qualcomm’s long-leaked Arm Windows exclusivity agreement has ended. Imagine a small Windows PC the size of a Mac Mini but running on a superpowered chip that delivers RTX-grade graphics and next-gen AI performance. This is an area where even Apple hasn’t yet caught up to Nvidia, and a solid execution of such an idea would sway consumer markets to new form factors and possibilities. Read...

The recent release of Firefox 134 brings several improvements to the browser, including better video playback on Windows and better support for touchpads on Linux, as well as fixes to several security flaws. Firefox ESR and Tor Browser have also received security updates. What’s new in Firefox 134? With this update, Firefox now plays HEVC-encoded (H.265) videos hardware-accelerated on Windows computers. On Linux, Firefox now supports a stop gesture on the touchpad — a scroll action can be stopped by placing two fingers on the touchpad. The Ecosia search engine is now also available in other countries, including Austria, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. A modified layout of the new tab page is initially reserved for users in the US and Canada. Mozilla plans to release Firefox 135 on February 4, 2025. Security vulnerabilities fixed in Firefox 134 In Mozilla’s 2025-01 security advisory, we see at least 11 security vulnerabilities that have been addressed with Firefox 134, three of them having a “high” impact rating. The vulnerabilities CVE-2025-0244 (high impact), CVE-2025-0245, and CVE-2025-0246 (medium impact) only affect Android. Meanwhile, CVE-2025-0242, CVE-2025-0243, and CVE-2025-0247 are summarized reports of internally discovered vulnerabilities that could potentially be exploited to execute arbitrary code. Updates for Firefox ESR and Tor Browser Mozilla has also updated its long-term versions — Firefox ESR 128 and ESR 115 — to eliminate vulnerabilities. Seven security flaws have been fixed in Firefox ESR 128.6.0 and two in Firefox ESR 115.19.0. Tor Browser 14.0.4, based on Firefox ESR 128.6.0, will be available soon. An update for Tor Browser 13.5 to version 13.5.11 is already available if you’re running Windows 7 or 8.1 or macOS 10.13 or 10.14. Firefox ESR 115 and Tor Browser 13.5 based on it will continue to be supported until at least March 4, 2025. Mozilla will soon announce whether there will be a further extension on that. Read...