You’ve updated to Windows 11, changed all the settings to optimize the system, cleaned out the junk, and turned off Microsoft advertising. You’ve gotten used to the new Start menu and other quirks. In short, you’re warmed up to Windows 11. So now what? Time to roll up your sleeves and become a power user with these tricks! PowerToys Jon Martindale / IDG Microsoft has developed a bunch of smart features that the company has deemed a little too advanced or unique to fit directly into Windows. Instead, they are included in something called PowerToys. It’s a program you install from Github, the Microsoft store, or via Winget in Terminal (see below), which then acts as a setup and installation program for the many features included. You can choose which features you want to enable, and can use PowerToys even if you’re only looking for one or two features. Here are three of my favorites: PowerToys: Workspaces and Fancyzones – pin layouts on steroids Jon Martindale / IDG Do you like Windows pinned layouts, but wish they were a bit more flexible and above all more permanent? Then you should look at Workspaces and Fancyzones. Workspaces are a way of creating sets of applications whose windows are pinned to different parts of the screen, which you can reopen at any time, even after restarting. Fancyzones are a more advanced version of the system’s built-in pinned layouts that allows you to create your own layouts. You can then position application windows quickly and easily in any of the preset areas of the screen. This is most useful on large, high-resolution screens — especially ultrawide screens where using applications in full-screen mode is a waste of space. PowerToys: Run An example of the Run commands as found on Microsoft’s web page for the utility.Microsoft A launcher for more efficient keyboard control — press a keyboard shortcut, start typing the name of what you want to open and press return to open. Can also be used as a calculator and for a range of other functions. For example, you can start with a question mark to search for files, an equal sign for calculators, two exclamation marks to see previous commands, and so on. Powertoys: Peek Have a look with Powertoys.Foundry Preview images and other files from Explorer with a keyboard shortcut. Similar to the Overview feature on Mac. You can choose the keyboard shortcut yourself and the preview can fill most of the screen, unlike the usual small previews that Explorer can show on the right. Further reading: Hate Windows 11? These 9 free apps make it feel like Windows 10 again Windows Terminal Windows 11 and later updates of Windows 10 have a new and more modern program for control via text commands. It’s basically a shell for the old Command Prompt and Powershell, and you can open tabs with both to access unique commands that only exist in one or the other. In everyday computer use, there may not be much to do in Terminal, but it can be very handy to know how it works. For example, there are system settings that can only be made from here, and it is often easier to add or change in the Windows registry. However, there is one feature that even a regular user can benefit from in everyday life: the ability to install, update, and uninstall programs. The system has a built-in tool called Winget that is used for everything in the Microsoft store. For other programs and terminal commands, there are several third-party options, such as Chocolatey. For example, here’s how to install Microsoft Powertoys for your user account. Type the command and exit with return: winget install Microsoft.PowerToys -s winget If you type just winget and hit return, you will see a list of available features. If you add –help (should be double hyphen-minus), the help file for a particular feature will be displayed — for example, winget install –help for info on how to use the install feature. If you want to install a program for all users on your computer, you can add –scope machine after install. Terminal and Winget.Foundry You can also update installed applications via Winget instead of having to launch the application and check for updates. Type the following command followed by return to update all installed applications for which Winget finds updates: winget upgrade –all –silent For applications that require admin privileges to install/update, you will need to approve each update, but you can bypass this by running Terminal as administrator. Chocolatey is a package manager similar to ones you may have seen on Linux. It’s a bit more complicated to install, so if you’re curious, I recommend reading the developers’ instructions. Let the keyboard work for you Florian Krumm The keyboard is often a faster way to work with your computer than clicking around with a mouse or trackpad. Both Windows itself and most programs are full of keyboard shortcuts that instantly perform a function, open a tool, or change a setting. Sometimes it saves just one click on a toolbar, but often it shortens the work by several steps — and you don’t have to take your hands off the keyboard. You’re probably already familiar with common keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl+C/V for copy and paste, Ctrl+P for print and Ctrl+T for new tab, but there are many, many more. Microsoft has a huge list of shortcuts in the system, but for third-party programs you either have to look in the menus yourself or search online. Below I have collected some really useful examples. 10 handy keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+W – close an open document or tab, normally without closing the program. In Word, for example, closing the last open document takes you to the File menu.Ctrl+Shift+T – opens the last closed tab in a browser. Handy as the undo function rarely works to undo when you have closed a tab by mistake.Ctrl+Alt+V – this one you have to activate first in Powertoys, but is incredibly handy. Pastes text from the clipboard without formatting.Win+Point – displays the emoji and character selector.Win+Shift+S – displays the screenshot tool for screenshots and screen recordings.Ctrl+Shift+Esc – opens the Task Manager.Win+[number key] – opens the nth program from the left in the Taskbar, for example Ctrl+1 for Explorer if it is on the far left of the shortcuts.Win+D – display the desktop.Win+Ctrl+Shift+B – restarts the graphics driver, can sometimes save you from a reboot if the screen has gone black or is behaving strangely.Ctrl+arrow keys – navigate one word (left/right) or paragraph (up/down) at a time. Combine with Shift to highlight. While you’re at it, you can also learn that Ctrl+Backspace deletes backwards one word at a time and Ctrl+Delete forwards one word at a time. Change the way your keyboard works with Autohotkey Autohotkey is a versatile program that can extend the functionality of your keyboard in a variety of ways. In short, it involves writing macros — text files with a kind of code — that add or change the way your keyboard works. You can also download and use macros created by others, or copy the parts of a macro that you find useful. As an example, I use a macro myself that makes the Windows keyboard work like the macOS, where it’s easy to type with diacritics that aren’t built into the keyboard layout. For example, it’s easy to type ü by pressing Alt+U followed by U, or ñ with Alt+N followed by N. Check out the Autohotkey Reddit group for help and inspiration. Use a local account Using a Microsoft account to sign in to Windows has some advantages. For example, it’s easier to activate the system and you’ll be automatically logged into some Microsoft applications. But there are also advantages to using a local account, and some people prefer it for ideological reasons. In fact, the easiest way to use your computer with a local account is to start with a Microsoft account and then create a separate local account that you use normally. If you need to do something with the Microsoft account, such as activate Windows, you can temporarily log in to it. Open Settings > Accounts > Other users and click Add account. In the dialogue box that appears, click on I don’t have this person’s login information and then on Add a user without a Microsoft account. Now another dialog box will open where you fill in the username and password. You can set a pin code or use your face to sign in with Windows Hello even with a local account. Further reading: Speed up your Windows 11 PC: 12 must-do tweaks Control the volume of individual programs Volume mixer for individual programs. Foundry Windows has a built-in sound mixer that makes it easy to change the volume of individual programs. The only trick is that the application must be open to be visible in the settings, but the setting is not reset when you shut down the application. You can access the volume controls in several ways, either in Settings > System > Sound > Volume mixer or by clicking the volume button on the far right of the Taskbar and then the button to the right of the volume slider (scroll down a bit to see each program’s slider). Windows X menu Foundry Right-click on the Start menu to display the X menu, also called the power user menu. It brings together shortcuts to a wide range of advanced settings that you’d normally have to root around in the old Control Panel or find via the search function, like Device Manager and Disk Management. Also the fastest way to launch Terminal as an administrator. Phone Link connects your mobile to your computer Microsoft Windows 11 can have a really close connection to your mobile, thanks to the Phone Link feature. Microsoft has also continued to develop it so that today it is more competent than a few years ago. For iPhone users, you can now make and receive calls, manage notifications, read and send text messages, view contacts and share files. For Android users, everything that’s on the iPhone is included, but you also get access to the photo library. Type Phone Link into Windows search bar to get started. Back up smart Hopefully you’re aware of the importance of backing up important files, so that you don’t lose priceless photos or other important items just because a hard drive fails, a computer is stolen, or if disaster strikes and a fire destroys all your electronics. Windows 11 has a built-in backup feature that can keep certain folders and your computer settings backed up to OneDrive. Microsoft is keen for users to activate it and will nag you if you haven’t done so, but of course it’s not a requirement. There are many other backup solutions that are more competent, and where neither Microsoft nor anyone else can access your files. A common recommendation among security experts that I follow myself is called the 3-2-1 principle. It means that you should always have at least three copies of your files, on at least two different media, with at least one backup physically located in a different place. Having 10 different backups on different hard drives in your home won’t help if your house burns down. Windows’ backup feature can be an easy way to accomplish the latter without, for example, subscribing to a cloud backup service. But since having enough space on OneDrive requires a Microsoft 365 subscription, there’s a better, more privacy-protective way that also allows you to back up everything on your computer if you want to: Get a third-party online backup software that supports OneDrive as a target. Skärmdump I recommend Arq Backup or Duplicati. Both of these encrypt the backups so that no one but you can ever access the files. They use deduplication which means they can save many full backups without taking up huge amounts of space. This way, you can open a months-old backup and restore individual files, or restore the entire disc from the last backup. Further reading: Your PC’s Windows install needs spring cleaning too. Here’s how to do it Read...

Google unveils Android 16 with a major redesign, enhanced Gemini assistant, and new security features, rolling out from next month on Pixel and Samsung devices. Read...

Apple will launch new accessibility features this year, including Accessibility Nutrition Labels, a Mac Magnifier app, Braille Access and an Accessibility Reader. Read...

Peter Sullivan`s release after 38 years wrongly spent behind bars features on many of Wednesday`s papers. Read...

Apple will launch new accessibility features, including Magnifier for Mac, which enhances device use for people with disabilities, later this year. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Attractive industrial design RGBWW LEDs deliver millions of colors and selectable white color temperatures Individual lights are rated IP65 for protection from the elements Can be triggered by Eufy security cameras Cons Lights deliver more ambience than illumination (350 lumens each) Maximum reach from the power supply to the fourth and final bollard is 50 feet Power supply has only an IP44 weatherization rating Our Verdict Eufy Outdoor Pathway Lights E10 are an affordable means of illuminating your walkways, decorating your landscaping, and enhancing your home security when combined with cameras, but they’re not best in class.  Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Eufy Outdoor Pathway Lights E10 Retailer Price $129.99 ($32.50 / Count) View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Anker’s Eufy division has been going all out developing new and innovative outdoor lighting products, with its latest offering being the Eufy Outdoor Pathway Lights E10 reviewed here. As with Eufy’s other landscape lighting products, including the Eufy Outdoor Spotlights E10 we reviewed in December 2024, these path lights connect directly to your 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network (after an initial connection via Bluetooth; 5GHz Wi-Fi networks are not supported). You can also use a Bluetooth-only connection with these lights, but a Wi-Fi connection is needed to unlock their complete feature set. I’ll go into more detail about what you can do with the lights later. Specifications These tall and attractive bollard-style lights feature aluminum enclosures with a matte black finish and RGBWW LEDs inside, meaning each light has discrete red, green, blue, and warm white diods to deliver saturated colors and tunable white color temperatures. Each bollard’s light radiates from a 3.5-inch-high band of frosted plastic encircling the enclosure and a second shorter lens of the same style atop the cylinder, so light shines up as well as out. The Eufy Outdoor Pathway Lights E10 kit consists of four bollard-style lights and stakes, a power supply, and an on/off switch inline of 50 feet of low-voltage electrical cable.Michael Brown/Foundry The lights aren’t super bright, however, delivering just 350 lumens each; don’t expect a large pool of light to illuminate a path (the Eufy Outdoor Spotlights E10 are brighter, producing 500 lumens each, but four of those would set you back $200 versus $170 for this kit). In addition to a rainbow of colors, you can tune these pathlights’ white color temperature from a very warm 1500 Kelvin to an extremely cool 9000K (natural sunlight is roughly between 4000- and 6500K, depending on conditions and the time of day). The lights are individually addressable, so you can choose a distinct shade for each light. You can also assign animation routines that will cycle the colors through the chain. That’s in addition to the many preset lighting effects that I’ll discuss in more detail later. Eufy Outdoor Pathway Lights E10 are rugged and well protected from the elements, and they produce very good quality light. Each Eufy Outdoor Pathway Light is about 15 inches tall, and they come with 6-inch stakes for installation in soft soil. Unlike the much more expensive Philips Hue Calla bollard light I reviewed several years ago ($130 for one, not including the power supply or the required Hue bridge), Eufy doesn’t provide any means for installing the lights on hardscape, such as a deck or a concrete patio. While Eufy gives the individual bollards a weatherization rating of IP65, meaning the lights are impervious to dust ingress and that they can withstand a blast from a pressure washer at a reasonable distance, the power supply they depend on is an ordinary wall wart with a much weaker weatherization rating of just IP44. Eufy uses rugged DIN-style barrel connectors that are well protected from the elements.Michael Brown/Foundry According to TechHive’s IP code guide, that means the power supply is only protected against particulate matter larger than 1 millimeter, but that it can withstand water sprayed from any direction. Given that, you’ll want to ensure the power supply is at least plugged into an outlet with a bubble cover to protect it from rain. The lights have an operating temperature range of -4 degrees Fahrenheit to 104F. Installation and setup Eufy uses barrel-type DIN connectors that are well protected from water to make each cable connection. The cable itself carries only 27 volts of electricity, so it can be buried directly in a 6-inch trench, as per the National Electrical Code (specifically, NEC 3000.5(A)). For this temporary installation, I took the easy way out and just covered it with mulch. (Pro gardening tip: mulch also happens to be the best weed deterrent for the money, provided you put it down thick enough to prevent sunlight from reaching any weed seeds in your soil). The system’s maximum cable run is about 50 feet, with each bollard spaced 9.8 feet apart. You can put the lights closer together if you’d like, but they can be no more than 9.8 feet apart. There’s an 11-inch first segment, leading from the power supply to a 13.4-foot cable that has a small puck-style on/off switch in the middle. The next segment is 4.9 feet long and goes from that cable to the first light in your run. The remaining three lights are then spaced 9.8 feet apart, as I’ve already mentioned. The first three lights connect to a T junction on the low-voltage cable, but the cable terminates in a single-ended connection; the run cannot be extended beyond four lights.Michael Brown/Foundry As does Philips, Eufy uses T-connectors to connect the first three lights to the run of power cable (there’s a single-ended connector at the end of the run). Unlike Philips, however, Eufy’s system cannot be extended beyond four lights—its power supply can’t handle the additional load, and the cable terminates in a single connector (not a T). If 50 feet isn’t enough to run the length of your walkway, you’ll need to buy another 4-light kit and power supply. But that alone won’t solve your distance issue, because you shouldn’t rely on even an outdoor-rated extension cord for permanent lighting—and you certainly shouldn’t bury such a high-voltage (120V) cord in the ground. These are some of the reasons I like the Philips Hue approach so much. You can buy larger or smaller power supplies, depending on how many lights you intend to deploy, and Philips Hue cables and connectors are much more versatile when it comes to overall length, the distance between lights, and branching. Using the Eufy Outdoor Pathway Lights E10 This inline on/off button will be useful for those times when you don’t have your phone and you’re out of range of a smart speaker.Michael Brown/Foundry You’ll want to plug in all the lights and add them to either the Eufy app or the Eufy Life app before you place them permanently, just in case you encounter any defects that would prompt you to return the kit. This will also give you an opportunity to install any firmware updates that might be available. The Eufy app is used primarily for Eufy security cameras, smart locks, video doorbells, and its security system, but you can use it to set up and later control at least some of the features of the Eufy Outdoor Pathway Lights. You’ll need to use the Eufy Life app, however, to access all the features of Eufy’s smart lighting products. You control Eufy’s pathlights over a Bluetooth connection, but you’ll want to use Wi-Fi to get the full value out of the product, including its AI features.Michael Brown/Foundry You can use either app to customize the color or the white color temperature of the lights or to choose from dozens of lighting scenes based on holidays, seasons, emotions, events, or even flags or the weather. An AI feature, meanwhile, will generate custom lighting scenes based on up to 100-character phrases you type into the app. Some of the phrases the app suggests are: “Today is my birthday;” “My wife loves me;” and “Ocean waves at sunset.” You can use your phone’s camera to capture text for this purpose, but you can’t use its mic to record phrases. This novel AI feature is mildly entertaining, but it doesn’t really add all that much value to the package. Linking Eufy’s pathlights to a Eufy security camera The most important feature you’ll want to enable in the Eufy Life app—assuming you also own one of the many Eufy security cameras that features Eufy’s WonderLink technology—is to configure one of those cameras to trigger Eufy smart lights. This capability isn’t unique to Eufy smart home products; Ring security cameras, for example, can trigger Ring smart lights, and Philips Hue security cameras can do the same with Philips Hue lights. But in all three cases, the cameras can only trigger lights made by the same manufacturer. There are workarounds—you can set up a routine in IFTTT or in the Alexa app, for example—but workarounds are never as easy as using a native app. Perhaps when security cameras become a category in the Matter standard, that limitation will fall away. If you also own Eufy security cameras, video doorbells, or certain other Eufy products, you can use the Eufy Life app to have those devices trigger the pathlights to light up with your choice of scenes. Michael Brown/Foundry In any event, you’ll click on the LuminoLink button at the bottom right-hand side of the Eufy Life app. This will open an IFTTT-like configuration screen that lets you choose devices to serve as triggers and devices that will perform actions when your defined conditions are met. Within the Eufy Life app, I configured a Eufy S330 security camera to trigger the Eufy Outdoor Pathway Lights to turn on a “Welcome” scene at 100 percent brightness when the camera detects a person in its field of view between sunset and sunrise. You can choose from dozens of such lighting scenes or create your own. This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart lighting. You can also set up a trigger that sets the pathlights to flashing red if the camera detects a person, but while the camera and the Eufy Homebase 3 NAS box that works with it can discern between friends, family, neighbors, and strangers, you can’t restrict the light’s triggered behavior to when a stranger is detected. Should you buy Eufy Outdoor Pathway Lights E10? The Eufy Outdoor Pathway Lights E10 is one of the better smart lighting solutions out there. The lights are rugged and well protected from the elements, and they produce very good quality light in colors and white color temperatures. And its ability to link to Eufy cameras is a very good feature, although it would be even more useful if it could trigger a lighting behavior when the camera detects a stranger. But a power supply that’s limited to supporting four lights and 50 feet of wire is only enough for a relatively short path. The maximum distance between each bollard is another drawback. If money is no object, Philips Hue landscape lighting is a far superior alternative. That said, I don’t know anyone for whom money is no barrier to outfitting their home out with the absolute best smart products on the market, and a single Philips Hue Calla light and power supply costs more than a 4-pack of these Eufy lights. Read...

Microsoft has finally introduced a long-awaited Windows 11 feature that allows you to easily remove paired Android or iPhone devices from both the Phone Link app and mobile device settings, reports Windows Latest. Up until now, you could only disconnect all paired mobile devices and had to re-pair the ones you wanted to keep. You can now remove a specific paired mobile device through the Settings app by navigating to Bluetooth & devices > Mobile devices > Manage devices, then selecting the device and clicking Remove. Or using the Phone Link app, you can click on the gear icon to open the settings, then navigate to the Devices tab, find the device you want to disconnect, and click Remove by its name. The new feature is currently available for both Stable and Insider versions of Windows 11 24H2. Phone Link is one of the best lesser-known features of Windows and you should use it more often if you aren’t already! Further reading: Windows 11’s new Start menu design adds a useful “phone companion” panel Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Over 3GBps reading and 2.5GBps writing Tiny, shirt-pocketable form factor Magnetic mounting ring included Astoundingly affordable for USB4 Cons Slightly off the performance pace for USB4 Our Verdict The uber-small form factor, good performance, and super-low price make the Addlink P30 one of my favorite USB4 SSDs. The magnetic mounting ring is a hoot as well, though pros might prefer faster real-world performance. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Addlink P30 USB4 SSD Retailer Price $89.44 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Absolutely the first thing you’ll notice upon unboxing Addlink’s P30 portable USB4 SSD is how tiny it is. And while not really large enough to show it off fully, it’s a good-looking little critter. It’s also light in the hand, and light on your wallet. Read on to learn more, then see our roundup of the best external drives for comparison. What are the Addlink P30’s features? The P30 is a super-small USB4 SSD measuring a mere 2.5-inches square, by approximately 0.5-inches thick. It weighs only 1.9 ounces solo, and 2.1 ounces with the included 5-inch, 40Gbps Type-C to Type-C cable. Unlike many vendors, Addlink let us know exactly what controller and NAND are inside: a Phison PS2251-21 and 162-layer Kioxia BiCS6 TLC (Triple-Level Cell/3-bit) NAND. Thanks, guys! The back of the Addlink P30 with the included, optional magnetic ring in place. The P30 is warrantied for five years. And though I wasn’t provided a TBW rating, given that the NAND is TLC, I’d guess 600TBW per terabyte of capacity. Whatever it is, it’s highly unlikely you’ll exceed it before the warranty period expires. If you’re not familiar, TBW is terabytes written, and represents how much data you can write to the drive before it goes into read/write mode. Note that TBW is a worst-case estimate, and part of a financial liability formula. You might get a lot more — out of warranty. How much does the Addlink P30 cost? The P30 is available in 1TB capacity for $89.44 (tested) and 2TB for $158.44. That’s darn affordable for USB4. In fact, it’s about half the cost of the top-rated Adata SE920. Of course, with larger amounts of data, the SE920 borders on twice as fast, but our test P30 was slightly handicapped as a 1TB unit with less secondary cache than its rival. A 4TB version is in the works, but not yet available. The P30’s value proposition is lots of capacity in a tiny form factor. How fast is the Addlink P30? After a recent spate of compatibility issues with Sandisk and WD (Sandisk), it was a joy to test the P30, which both behaved itself, and turned in a relatively smooth performance. That said, and as just mentioned, being only a 1TB drive, it did run out of steam at points during our 48GB and 450GB write tests. Although not as fast as some larger drives (thermal considerations are no doubt a thing), the P30 is still quite fast in the grand scheme. You can see where the P30 lagged in CrystalDiskMark 8’s sequential tests below, but it still edged out the Corsair EX400U — a similar design. The P30 lagged in CrystalDiskMark 8’s sequential tests below, but it edged out the Corsair EX400U ,which is a similar design. The Addlink P30’s random performance was more in keeping with the competition in CrystalDiskMark 8. Note that we’re still puzzled by the Sandisk Extreme Pro SSD with USB4’s miserable single-queue/single-thread write score. Not to mention the reasoning behind its ponderous moniker. The P30’s random performance was more in keeping with the competition in CrystalDiskMark 8. Where the P30 really started to lag behind was in the 48GB transfers. While not horrible, they’re certainly nothing to write home about. Again, 1TB. Where the P30 really started to lag behind was in the 48GB transfers. While not horrible, they’re not particularly fast either. At twice the price, the SE920 is actually more than twice as fast as the P30 writing our 450GB file. But some of the difference was due to the SE920 having twice the capacity (2TB) and twice the secondary cache. Not to hammer the excuse, but the Addlink P30 would turn in much better 450GB write times in its 2TB or 4TB flavors. The P30 will turn in much better 450GB write times in its 2TB or 4TB flavors. Below you can see the why behind the slowish 450GB write — only about 50GB of secondary cache — i.e., TLC written as SLC to avoid the ponderous error-checking (in SSD terms) induced by multiple possible cell-voltage levels. The good news is that the write speed drops only to around 830MBps. Previous generations of NAND, especially QLC (Quad-Level Cell.4-bit) could drop to 100MBps — slower than a hard drive. Even modern QLC writes at only a little over twice that. Though not exactly what you want to see from your USB4 SSD, 830MBps is actually a very good pace for TLC written natively (no secondary caching in play). While not the best USB4 performer I’ve tested (it’s actually in last place and slower in the real-world transfers than several 20Gbps SSDs), the P30’s value proposition is lots of capacity in a tiny form factor. Given that, I’ll call it fast enough. For light data-transfer duties, it’s certainly that. Should you buy the Addlink P30? I say, have at it. This tiny P30 has found a place in my heart and one of my computers — magnetically attached of course. Cool, inexpensive (for USB4), and very portable beans from Addlink. On the other hand, if you’re after top 40Gbps performance, you’ll need to spend more bucks on an SSD such as the oft-mentioned Adata SE920. How we test Our storage tests currently utilize Windows 11 (22H2) 64-bit running on a Z790 (PCIe 5.0) motherboard/i5-12400 CPU combo with two Kingston Fury 32GB DDR5 modules (64GB of memory total). Intel integrated graphics are used. The 48GB transfer tests utilize an ImDisk RAM disk taking up 58GB of the 64GB total memory. The 450GB file is transferred from a Samsung 990 Pro 2TB, which also contains the operating system. Each test is performed on a newly formatted and TRIM’d drive so the results are optimal. Note that as any drive fills up, performance will decrease due to less NAND for secondary caching, and other factors. The performance numbers shown apply only to the drive we were shipped as well as the capacity tested. SSD performance can vary by capacity due to more or fewer chips to read/write across and the amount of NAND available for secondary caching (writing TLC/QLC as SLC). Vendors also occasionally swap components. If you ever notice a large discrepancy between the performance you experience and that which we report (systems being roughly equal), by all means — let us know. Read...

We have a soft spot for OLED laptops, and it’s easy to see why the second you lay eyes on one—they’re gorgeous! The Acer Swift 16 AI falls into this category, and you can get it for just $850 right now. That’s a massive $400 discount on its original $1,250 price at Best Buy, and that’s a real bargain price for a cutting-edge Copilot+ laptop like this. This is a 16-inch laptop, which is just about perfect for productivity fiends as it’s neither too big nor too small, with plenty of screen real estate in its 2880×1800 resolution for apps, tabs, and content. The OLED panel delivers vibrant colors, excellent contrast, and a fast response time, and it doesn’t hurt that it’s thinner than other screen types. The OLED screen isn’t the only reason to get this laptop, of course. There’s quite a bit of power under the hood, equipped with an AI-ready Intel Core Ultra 7 256V processor that qualifies it as a Copilot+ PC and unlocks access to Microsoft’s AI features in Windows 11. You also get 16GB of RAM and a spacious 1TB SSD, which is enough for a smoothly productive experience without hiccups or sluggishness. When we reviewed the Acer Swift 16 AI, we scored it with 4 stars for its sleek design, sharp OLED display, and long-lasting battery life. The keyboard is pleasantly tactile, the chassis is robust, and the overall machine is capable for day-to-day needs, making it an excellent option for working on the go and trying out the latest AI features. Get the Acer Swift 16 AI for just $850 at Best Buy while you can because we don’t know how long this deal will last. If you end up missing out, consider checking out some of our other favorite laptops to get. Save $400 on the Acer Swift 16 AI productivity laptopBuy now from Best Buy Read...

I just spent $3,000 on a new gaming PC with a high-end AMD CPU and a screaming-fast Nvidia GeForce 5080 GPU. You’d think I’d be able to run the latest AI features in Windows with that, right? And yeah, I’d love AI-powered file search! But my PC can’t have it—no desktop PC can. Right now, there’s no way to put together a desktop PC that meets Microsoft’s requirements for accessing Copilot+ AI features. You need a qualified NPU for Copilot+, period. (What’s an NPU?) It’s been this way ever since Microsoft’s Copilot+ PCs launched in 2024, and there still aren’t any qualified NPUs for desktops. Intel’s newer desktop NPUs aren’t fast enough and AMD’s desktop CPUs don’t have NPUs yet. Long story short, if you want a proper desktop PC, then no Copilot+ AI features for you! This is one of the biggest problems with Microsoft’s Copilot+ movement, and there’s no good reason for it. The dual meaning of “AI PC” in 2025 The term “AI PC” has gotten pretty confusing. In recent months, I’ve reviewed multiple laptops classified as “AI PCs” or “AI laptops,” but that has meant different things from different people: Some so-called AI PCs are lightweight laptops with NPUs but no GPUs. These are proper Copilot+ laptops with access to Copilot+ features and perhaps even preinstalled AI applications that connect to OpenAI’s GPT models or other cloud-based AI solutions. Other so-called AI PCs are heavier, pricier, performance-based gaming laptops without NPUs but with powerful GPUs. These are high-end laptops that can use their graphics processor for local AI applications, yet can’t run Copilot+ AI features. These two terms are basically the opposites of each other—completely different hardware and completely different features. But manufacturers tend to call both “AI laptops,” which muddies the waters. The PC industry dubbed 2024 “the year of the AI PC,” and yet those first-wave AI PCs were left behind by Copilot+ PCs. What’s worse, many new PCs being sold today in 2025 are still being left behind. The solution here is simple: Microsoft should let PCs run Copilot+ AI features on GPUs. Then all the so-called AI PCs would be able to run AI features, not just the ones equipped with cutting-edge NPUs. GPUs can handle it, so let ’em rip Here’s the question you have to ask yourself if you’re interested in a desktop PC right now: Do you want to wait an unspecified amount of time for desktop NPUs to be announced and released some time in the future, or do you want to get a desktop PC right now? As of mid-2025, Copilot+ AI features only run on laptops with qualified NPUs. That means Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite/Plus laptops, Intel Lunar Lake laptops, and AMD Ryzen AI 300 series laptops. Technically, there are also a few lightweight mini PCs with mobile CPUs, like the Asus ROG NUC series, that also fit the bill. No desktop PCs. For me, I decided that Copilot+ features didn’t matter enough to wait. I have a Surface Laptop 7 with Insider builds of Windows 11 and I never use the Copilot+ features on it. I have Recall activated, but I haven’t touched it in months. (Privacy concerns aside, the worst thing about Recall is that it’s just not very interesting or useful.) Other AI features—like generating images directly in the Photos app—feel like tech demos at best. Windows Studio Effects is just one of the many growing number of Windows AI features that are only for Copilot+ PCs.Chris Hoffman / Foundry Still, looking at Microsoft’s feature announcements in the past few days, it’s clear that Microsoft is going full steam ahead with Copilot+, and some of those newer features are getting more interesting. Why yes, I would like AI to change PC settings more quickly! And guess what? My PC’s GeForce 5080 GPU could certainly run features like that… if Microsoft would just let it. (My blazing-fast AMD CPU probably could, too.) When it comes to running AI tasks, NPUs sit somewhere between CPUs and GPUs—they’re faster at AI processing than CPUs, but slower than GPUs. NPUs are also way more power efficient than GPUs, and that’s a big deal when you’re handling AI tasks on a laptop. But with a desktop PC that’s always plugged in? Battery life doesn’t matter. And while AI features might hog GPU resources, I don’t necessarily care if my GPU takes a hit for a second when I search the Settings app, for example. There’s so much potential to take advantage of in a GPU that isn’t doing anything else. Might as well use it for AI, right? It’s not just about Windows AI features All of the above aside, this whole problem encompasses so much more than just the Copilot+ AI features built into Windows. Microsoft is encouraging third-party developers to integrate the “Copilot Runtime” in their apps for AI features, and said features will use the NPU in a PC to accelerate AI processing—but, again, only on Copilot+ PCs. For example, the popular DaVinci Resolve video editor can already use the Copilot Runtime to offload some tasks to the NPU. Let’s assume most developers take Microsoft up on this and integrate the Copilot Runtime for demanding AI tasks. And let’s assume that one day every desktop PC will have a capable NPU. Even then, restricting the Copilot Runtime to only NPUs would still be a mistake. These apps won’t be able to take advantage of the powerful GPUs in desktop gaming PCs and laptop workstations. These apps will be much slower than they could otherwise be when processing AI tasks. (Remember, GPUs hog more power but beat NPUs on raw AI performance.) GPUs can handle AI tasks well. They just use more power than NPUs to do so. Is that enough reason to lock them out of Copilot+ features completely?Nvidia Even worse, developers may have to implement multiple AI processing “backends” in their applications—one for NPUs on Copilot+ PCs and one to take advantage of powerful GPUs. That’s more work for developers, which makes Windows less appealing as an app platform. Right now, developers can offload the AI work to cloud servers and ensure it’ll work with their apps on any platform, whether that’s a Chromebook, iPad, Android phone, or Windows PC without an NPU. If Copilot+ features ran on GPUs, they’d “just work” on a much wider variety of machines, and they’d run much faster on any system with a capable GPU. That would give Microsoft a head start, and that’s key when the PC industry has struggled to make a case for local AI. Microsoft, it’s time to change course I understand why Microsoft first launched Copilot+ AI features for NPUs only. It was a great way to push Arm laptops like the Surface Laptop 7 and their Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite/Plus CPUs. The company took many months to get those features working on Intel and AMD systems with the required NPUs. It took time to support more hardware, and Microsoft probably hoped that the PC industry would have lots of PCs with NPUs ready by now. At least Recall was only on Copilot+ PCs, which limited how bad Microsoft’s PR disaster was around its launch.Chris Hoffman / Foundry But nearly a year later, we still have no options for Copilot+ features on desktop PCs, no Copilot+ features on most laptops, and laptop manufacturers pushing some “AI PCs” and “AI laptops” that can’t run built-in Windows AI features at all—but could, if only Microsoft let them. That’s why Microsoft should embrace GPUs and let Copilot+ PCs tap into GPU power, too. It’s not just good for users. It’s good for the future of Windows as an AI application platform. Copilot+ for desktops? One can hope Unfortunately, Microsoft may never extend Copilot+ features to GPUs. After all, the Copilot+ PC branding is all about selling more PC hardware, and it’s a big part of Microsoft’s current push to get people upgrading from Windows 10. If I were Microsoft, I’d be asking why I should freely give away all these AI features to current PCs. That stance is understandable, but it’s a shame that PC hardware manufacturers haven’t caught up to Microsoft. Spending $3,000 on a powerful desktop rig with the latest hardware and feeling like it’s already out of date is not a good experience. If only you had bought a lightweight Arm laptop instead! Is that the future of Windows? Maybe. But I’d prefer a future that doesn’t leave behind desktop PCs with powerful hardware. It doesn’t have to be this way, Microsoft! There’s still time to fix things. Honestly, I hope Microsoft announces Copilot+ features coming to GPUs at Build 2025 in late May. That’d be a win-win, if you ask me. Further reading: I tried local AI chatbots on my laptop. They kinda suck Read...