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Amazon’s kid-focused version of the Kindle Paperwhite is on sale right now at a price that matches its last Black Friday deal price! That means you can score the Kindle Paperwhite Kids for just $140 (was $180) and have it ready for tons of fun-filled summer reading ahead! You know as much as I do that getting our kids away from their digital screens is hard enough, doubly so when summer vacation hits. But maybe it’s not so bad if that digital screen is used for reading books? Especially with a device that has a gentle-on-the-eyes e-ink display that helps to provide a more immersive reading experience? This Kindle Paperwhite Kids deal is a fantastic opportunity for both parents and kids. With its large 7-inch display, this e-reader has plenty of screen real estate for comfortable reading without being so big that it’s a pain to carry around. The glare-free, e-ink technology makes it as close in feel to reading actual ink on paper, too, and it’s good in all lighting conditions. This is the latest model, by the way, which is the thinnest yet and the most responsive when it comes to page turns. The cherry on top of the Kindle Paperwhite Kids is that it comes with a child-friendly cover and a 2-year worry-free warranty with a free no-questions-asked replacement if your child breaks it, plus 6 complimentary months of Amazon Kids+, a digital subscription service with unlimited access to thousands of age-appropriate ebooks. No matter how you slice it, this world-class e-reader is a gift to both you and your kid—and now’s the best time to get one with summer rearing its head and the price down to its all-time best. Snag the Kindle Paperwhite Kids for just $140 while this limited-time deal is still available! The latest Kindle Paperwhite Kids is at its best sale price againBuy now at Amazon Read...

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Nowadays, if you’re looking for a home office PC that can handle work and fun without taking up a bunch of space or costing a ton of money, you need to be thinking mini PCs. They offer better price-performance than laptops and are way smaller than desktop PCs. The Beelink EQI12 is a great example, especially now that it’s $319 on Amazon (was $389). This particular model comes with an Intel Core i5-12450H processor and a solid 24GB of LPDDR5 RAM, a smooth combination that offers good performance and power efficiency without breaking the bank. It’s capable of running productivity apps, lots of browser tabs, and most other day-to-day tasks. And it’s rounded off with a 500GB M.2 SSD that offers plenty of storage space for your apps and files. If you feel the need to upgrade later, it’s bumpable up to 2x2TB drives. The Beelink EQI12 is particularly great for home offices because it supports dual 4K monitors running at 60Hz each—more than enough screen real estate to fit all your apps. It’s not bad as far as connectivity is concerned either, with four USB-A ports, a USB-C port, two LAN ports, and a 3.5mm audio jack. Don’t forget Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi 6. Snag your very own Beelink EQI12 mini PC for $319 on Amazon, a real bargain price for the specs you get. Snag this Beelink mini PC for just $319 while you still canBuy now at Amazon Read...

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It’s never easy to decide what to pack for a trip. Whether you’re packing light for some quick business or heading out on the next big family vacation, it’s important to bring the right tech. Here at PCWorld we’re continually testing the latest gadgets to sort the good from the bad. This means we’ve had the opportunity to find the best tech gear and accessories built for travel. From voltage converters to noise-cancelling headphones, we’ve curated a list of the very best tech gear to optimize your next travel experience. The items below are worthy of any packing list and will help you prepare for anything you may encounter on the road—or in the sky. Manage electrical needs with a voltage converter BESTEK Universal Travel Adapter 220V to 110V Bestek, Mapambo When you’re traveling from the U.S. to Europe, for instance, you don’t just need a different type of plug for your chargers and gadgets, but also a voltage converter because Europe runs on different settings. The Bestek Universal Travel Adapter will convert 220V outlets to U.S.-standard 110V, thus ensuring that your devices don’t burn out. It’s not only affordable, but it has three AC outlets and four USB ports. Plus, the product comes with a couple of extra plug adapters. If a more compact version is all you need, then the Mapambo converter will work just fine with one AC plug, two type-C, and two type-A ports. Buy the BESTEK Universal Travel Adapter at Amazon Buy the Mapambo 220V to 110V Voltage Converter at Amazon Take control of tangled cords Rolling Square inCharge 6 Portable Keychain Charger Cable Rolling Square If you’re like most travelers, you bring multiple electronics to make the most of your experience—we’re talking camera, phone, laptop, headphones, etc. But along with all of these items, you’ll need to carry all of their charging cables. That can take up space and lead to a tangled web of cords in your bag if you’re not careful. With the Rolling Square inCharge 6 Portable Charger Cable on Amazon, you have the option of USB-C or USB-A inputs and Micro USB or USB-C outputs all in a cable that is small enough for your keychain. Buy the Rolling Square Portable Charger Cable at Amazon Keep your devices charged with a portable power bank Anker GaN Prime Power Bank 2-in-1 10,000mAh portable power bank with wall charger Anker Traveling is always fun, but ending up with a depleted phone battery in an unknown place can be terrifying. This Anker Prime power bank takes up two roles in one. On one hand, it can plug into a wall outlet and give you the recharge you need while you’re at your hotel, for instance, but it can also act as a power bank when you’re out and about exploring. 10,000mAh is enough to charge your phone twice over (or close to that). There are three ports on this Anker hybrid charger, two of which are type-C that can reach 65W charging. It’s available for $110, but you can often find it closer to $70 when on sale. Buy the Anker GaN Prime Power Bank 2-in-1 Charger at Amazon Never lose your valuables again Apple AirTag, Tile Pro, Samsung SmartThings, Tile Slim Apple, Tile, Samsung We’ve all been there. You arrive at your destination and you’re waiting for your checked bag to show up on the carousel, but it never does. Baggage handling is at it again. With a Bluetooth tracker you can easily keep tabs on where your bag is and maybe even help TSA locate it, should it be lost. There are quite a few Bluetooth trackers on the market that you can get. Apple users should look into the AirTag, while Android users can choose Samsung’s SmartTag2. Anyone can go for the Tile Pro. If you’re more worried about your wallet, Tile’s Slim tracker will neatly fit in there. These are all around $30 a piece, but you can quite often get them for less or in bundles, thus lowering the price even more. Buy the Apple AirTag at Amazon Buy the Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2 at Amazon Buy the Tile Pro at Amazon Buy the TIle Slim at Amazon Enjoy an in-flight movie without annoying headphone cables Twelve South AirFly Pro or Ugreen Airplane Bluetooth Transmitter Receiver Ugreen, Twelve South Twelve South’s AirFly Pro Bluetooth wireless audio transmitter for $54.99 on Amazon (although it’s frequently on sale) allows you to turn any audio jack into a wireless Bluetooth transmitter. Simply plug in the device to the headphone jack on the back of the airplane seat and connect your wireless headphones. Then sit back and relax while you enjoy the in-flight entertainment on your sweet noise-canceling headphones. Alternatively, you can also go for the more affordable Ugreen Airplane Bluetooth Transmitter Receiver, which is $36.99 but often drops below $30. Either will allow you to connect up to two earbuds or headphones. Buy the Twelve South AirFly Pro at Amazon Buy the Ugreen Airplane Bluetooth Transmitter Receiver at Amazon Drown out noise with noise-canceling earbuds AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) or Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 Apple, Bose Flying on an airplane is loud. Engines roar, babies cry, passengers snore. That’s why you need noise-canceling headphones, which have become essential tools in making your flight as easy as possible. And because you’re traveling and bag space is a premium, your headphones need to be small. Not just for iPhone users, but for anyone who needs good headphones, the AirPods Pro 2 for $225.00 on Amazon continue to be the best choice due to their convenient size and noise-canceling capability. If you’re an Android user, you may want to look into the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2, which deliver something our buddies at TechAdvisor have called “astonishing noise cancellation” on top of superb sound quality and a secure fit. Get the AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) at Amazon Buy the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 at Amazon Or get some noise-canceling headphones Sony WH-1000XM5 or Apple AirPods Max Apple, Sony If earbuds aren’t for you, then perhaps a pair of proper headphones will do the trick. The Sony WH-1000XM5 are easily some of the best noise-canceling headphones out there (as our friends at TechAdvisor attested with a 5-star review), delivering phenomenal audio and a comfortable build. Apple fans may want to look into the AirPods Max that are also known for what our friends at MacWorld call “industry leading active noise cancelling”. Buy the Sony WH-1000XM5 at Amazon Buy the Apple AirPods Max at Amazon Capture and print your favorite memories Fuji Instax Mini 12 instant camera Fujifilm Sure, you could bring a giant SLR camera with multiple lenses and an extra special carry-on bag to store everything. Or for those who aren’t professionals, you can opt for a small, retro instant camera such as the Fuji Instax Mini 12 for $143.95 on Amazon. Just like an old-school Polaroid, you can take a picture and instantly print it out to capture the moment. Just be aware that you’ll need to purchase and carry the film separately. Buy the Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 at Amazon Keep your wires from getting crossed Bellroy Tech Kit Bellroy Bellroy is known for making great tech cases and kits, and the Bellroy Tech Kit for $59.00 on Amazon is our favorite. This well designed, travel-friendly bag allows you to keep all of your cables and small peripherals stored and organized with ease. The folio style means that you can open the entire kit out flat for easy access to everything stored inside. Plus, the fabric is waterproof so you shouldn’t have to worry about a little liquid spilling on your precious gear. Buy the Bellroy Tech Kit at Amazon Game in-route to your destination Steam Deck, Switch OLED, or Backbone One Backbone, Nintendo, Valve The Steam Deck for $399 on the Steam store is a great handheld gaming system that allows you to play your favorite PC games on the go. It wasn’t so long ago that the Steam Deck was sold out everywhere and people were clamoring to get one. Thankfully, Valve has increased its supply and it’s easier than ever to get your hands on this excellent gaming portable. Play games from your Steam library on the go or load up on new titles for your next vacation. Gaming makes those long-haul flights a breeze. If you’d rather go for a different platform, the Switch OLED is an absolutely fantastic gaming console. And yes, we know the Switch 2 is en route, but good luck getting your hands on one of those anytime soon. If you’d really just play on your phone, but have an upgraded experience, the Backbone One will mold to your phone, whether that’s an Android or iPhone model, and will help you play anything you want, including titles in your Xbox, PlayStation, or Steam libraries. Buy the Steam Deck at Steam Store Buy the Nintedo Switch OLED at Amazon Buy the Backbone One at Amazon Keep your hands and wrists happy while typing Logitech MX Keys Mini Logitech Laptop keyboards are cramped and can lead to some serious wrist pain if you type on them for long enough. Save yourself the carpal tunnel and grab a wireless keyboard like the Logitech MX Keys Mini. This compact keyboard is not only easy to travel with, but offers convenient features such as a semi-customizable layout, multi-device switching, and more. And the most important part is that it offers a great typing experience with comfortable and quiet keys that won’t bother your fellow travelers. The MX Keys Mini is currently $99.99 on Amazon. Buy the Logitech MX Keys Mini at Amazon Carry a library everywhere you go Kindle Paperwhite Amazon Books are a great thing to have around on vacation, but they’re heavy and they take up precious space in your luggage. Instead opt for an e-reader like the Kindle Paperwhite for $159.99 on Amazon and bring an entire library worth of books in this lightweight tablet. Plus the Paperwhite version comes with an anti-glare screen and adjustable brightness settings making it perfect for a bright beach or dark airplane. Not sure which Kindle to buy? Check out our handy Kindle buying guide to help you make the right choice. Buy the Kindle Paperwhite at Amazon Grab a mobile hotspot to stay in range of Wi-Fi range Solis Lite 4G LTE WiFi Mobile Hotspot Solis Those who travel a lot know that Wi-Fi is essential. From being able to work online while on the road or just looking up restaurant recommendations in another country, it’s an invaluable tool to get the most out of your travel experience. There are quite a few services nowadays offering pocket Wi-Fi for travelers, but Solis is one of the best with reliable global coverage across 135 countries. Plus, it has flexible plans depending upon your needs. You’ll need to purchase the Solis Lite Mobile Hotspot for $159.99 on Amazon before registering for a Wi-Fi plan, but it’s only a one-time fee and you can then use it on all of your future trips. Buy the Solis Lite Mobile Hotspot at Amazon Never worry about safe tap water again Philips Water GoZero self-cleaning water bottle Philips No matter if you’re traveling to a new city or going camping, making sure that you have access to clean and potable water is a necessity. The Philips Water GoZero bottles bring in some smart technology to ensure the water is safe to drink. Available for $73.89 at Amazon (or lower when on sale), the bottle uses UV technology to eliminate up to 99.999 percent of bacteria and 99.9 percent of viruses in just a few minutes. Even when empty, the cap can disinfect your bottle and remove odors. Made out of stainless steel and double-walled, the bottle won’t just purify your water, it will also keep your drinks hot for up to 12 hours or cold for 24 hours. Buy the Philips Water GoZero water bottle at Amazon Mount your smartphone on anything Universal in-flight airplane phone holder mount Perilogics This Universal in-flight airplane phone holder mount for $13.97 on Amazon allows you to easily clip your phone onto an airplane seat for hands-free convenience. Maybe you loaded up that latest season of your favorite show or have a game to occupy that long-haul flight. Either way, holding your phone with a craned neck for hours and hours is bound to give you a strain. Just hook this bad boy up to the back of the seat in front of you on the airplane then sit back, relax, and enjoy. Buy the Universal in flight phone holder at Amazon Travel with an ultraportable laptop Asus ZenBook S 14 Thomas Rau If you’re going to get a super-light laptop, the Zenbook S 14 is a fantastic pick because it weighs just 2.65 pounds, which make sit lighter than the 13-inch MacBook Air. We gave this one a 4.5-star rating and our Editors’ Choice award, appreciating the fantastic battery life and lovely large OLED screen. Plus, the laptop has an Ultra 7 processor, 32GB RAM, and a 1TB SSD. You can also check out our other best ultraportables or our best laptop roundup for even more options. Buy the Asus ZenBook S 14 at Best Buy Or opt for a 2-in-1 for even more versatility HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 IDG / Josh Hendrickson If you want a more versatile laptop, then a 2-in-1 model will do like our very favorite HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14. The 360-degree hinge will make it easy for you to turn this laptop into a tablet and into a Netflix-watching tent in a blink. The 14-inch 2880×1800 OLED touch display is absolutely gorgeous and the 500 nits make it perfect to use everywhere you go. Buy the HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 at Amazon Increase your screen real-estate with a travel monitor Azorpa A1 Gamut Matt Smith Sometimes you just need a second monitor, even when you’re traveling. The extra screen really helps productivity for business travelers and it makes for a great way to play your portable games on a larger screen while on the road. We really like the Azorpa A1 Gamut which delivers good image quality for an extremely budget friendly price—the A1 Gamut is usually about $70 on Amazon. It also comes with useful connectivity options and a solid build quality that will stand up the rigors of travel.  Buy the Arzopa A1 at Amazon Grab some extra storage Crucial X9 Pro IDG If you plan on taking about a million pictures and videos and you want to have a safe way to back them up without relying on random hotel Wi-Fi, then you can also grab a portable SSD. The Crucial X9 Pro is the best external SSD for most folks because it’s not only affordable but also super fast. We gave the X9 Pro a near-perfect score and our Editors’ Choice award, utterly impressed with the 10Gbps performance and the small form factor. Buy the Crucial X9 Pro at Amazon Stream content in your hotel room Amazon Fire TV Stick HD Amazon If you’re going to travel, you may as well keep up with your shows. The Amazon Fire TV Stick HD makes it super easy to bring all your favorite shows with you anywhere you go. You’ll just need to pop this thing in the TV, connect it to the hotel’s Wi-Fi (or the hotspot you set up), and just have fun. It’s also super affordable, available for $35 (although it’s frequently on sale for $20 or less). Buy now at Amazon Read...

It’s easy to spend a lot of money on a laptop, but you don’t have to. In fact, most people don’t need to spend much at all. Whether you’re on a budget or you’re buying for a student or child, sometimes the best laptop is the one that’s most affordable. But just because you’re spending less doesn’t mean you should settle for less. To make sure your laptop won’t leave you frustrated and pulling your hair out, there are a few key specs that you shouldn’t compromise on—or else you’ll probably regret your purchase. What counts as a budget laptop? In this case, we’re aiming for a price around $500 and we’re using PCWorld’s best budget laptop picks to get a sense of what’s possible, what’s reasonable, and what’s non-negotiable. Just be aware that you’ll give up some luxuries (like a dedicated graphics card) at this price point, but you’ll end up with a great daily driver laptop for work, school, and everyday activities. That said, let’s dive into the most important specs for a budget laptop and the absolute minimum acceptable for each one. Further reading: Buying a laptop before China tariffs kick in? Don’t fall for these tricks Operating system Asus, Samsung, Lenovo The very first choice you must make is the operating system. And if you’re on a budget, you really only have two options: Windows or ChromeOS. (You could also run Linux if you’re tech-savvy enough, but if you know enough to run Linux, you likely don’t need this article.) Windows is the de facto choice because it’s used everywhere, everyone is familiar with it, and most apps “just work” on Windows computers. But it has a lot of system overhead so it doesn’t run as well on low-end hardware and you might experience subpar performance. ChromeOS, which is the operating system for Chromebooks, is far more restricted in what apps it can run. If it isn’t available in the Chrome Web Store, you’re pretty much out of luck. (Sure, you can use workarounds like remote desktop-ing into a separate Windows machine, but that kind of defeats the point of buying a budget laptop!) That said, there are plenty of good reasons to buy a Chromebook over a laptop, like the bang-for-your-buck on performance and price, so don’t be turned off. Chromebooks are quite good these days. Note: If you’re buying a laptop for a student, you should definitely check with their school first because some schools have mandatory OS requirements. Even if they don’t, they might have specific software needs—and if that software isn’t available on ChromeOS, you’ll have to go with Windows. What about MacBooks? While it’s possible to buy a MacBook on a budget, you’ll have to give up a lot in the process—or stretch your definition of “budget.” Even the cheapest MacBooks far exceed $500, and they tend to be older discounted models. Generally speaking, Macs aren’t great for getting the best specs for your money. RAM Framework You can think of RAM like the amount of workspace you have on your desk: more RAM means more space to concurrently run apps and keep numerous files open, allowing you to jump between and multitask without having to close and re-open stuff all the time. That’s why RAM is key to laptop performance, and it’s important to get a laptop that has enough RAM to run smoothly. I recommend a minimum 8GB of RAM, but bump it up to 16GB if you want to “future proof” against growing needs in the future. The good news is, finding solid laptops with at least 8GB of RAM isn’t difficult—but if your budget is limited to around $300, you’re likely to be stuck with 4GB options at best. If you can afford it, it’s definitely worth the extra cash to hit 8GB, even on Chromebooks. Otherwise, you’ll find that your laptop’s sluggishness will affect your enjoyment of it. CPU BLKstudio / Shutterstock.com When it comes to CPUs on budget laptops, you have to temper your expectations. You won’t be able to get anything truly powerful, but you will be able to find something that suits your needs and gets you through non-intensive tasks like office work, studying, and watching videos. Among the more affordable Windows laptops, Intel i3 and i5 processors are the most common options. Ideally you should opt for the i5, but you can settle for an i3 if you’re on a tight budget; it should keep up with regular tasks as long as you pair it with at least 8GB of RAM. AMD Ryzen 3 and Ryzen 5 processors are also frequently seen in budget-tier laptops, and they can save you a little more money than their Intel alternatives. In Chromebooks, you’ll mostly find Intel i3 and i5 processors along with MediaTek options. MediaTek processors are typically found in budget phones because they have better battery life, but they have the disadvantage of being less powerful. Either way, opt for Intel or AMD if you care about performance. Just don’t expect any high-end gaming! You’d need a dedicated GPU for that, and that’s not happening in a budget laptop. Battery life Panos Sakalakis / Unsplash You have lots of options when it comes to battery life, even in the affordable laptop territory. Not only do weaker processors give you longer staying power, but larger batteries can help too—if you’re willing to sacrifice weight and portability. And here, too, is an area where your choice of OS matters. Generally speaking, Chromebooks usually last longer on a single charge than an equivalent Windows laptop. If you travel frequently or simply prefer to use your laptop unplugged, then aim for one that promises 10 to 12 hours of battery life. Most manufacturers overpromise and under deliver, so it’s quite possible you’ll only get around 8 hours despite their claims. Still, 8 hours of battery life on a laptop should be enough to last a workday or a school day, all while letting you live comfortably untethered. If in doubt about a particular laptop, check if PCWorld has reviewed it—we run battery tests to confirm if laptops live up to their promises. Storage capacity Jon L. Jacobi Sticking to a budget means cutting some corners, and storage space is usually among the first areas hit by compromise. That can be a problem if you aren’t careful, though. For the best laptop experience, you’ll want ample storage and you’ll want it to be fast. A slow hard drive with inadequate capacity will leave you micromanaging your files and apps as well as waiting inordinately long for files and apps to load. Among good budget options, you’ll find storage options ranging from 64GB to 256GB. Obviously, more is better, but if you’re on Windows, you shouldn’t dip below 128GB at the very least. (The operating system alone will take up around 30GB, and modern apps are space hogs on top.) Anything less than 128GB and you’ll find yourself running out of space so often that you’ll be tearing out your hair. Chromebooks, on the other hand, can survive pretty well on 64GB of storage for several reasons: the OS doesn’t take up as much space, Chromebook apps are typically smaller, and ChromeOS relies more on cloud storage than local storage. The downside is that you basically need 24/7 internet access for day-to-day use. Note: If you have to settle for a laptop with inadequate storage space, you can always add an external drive to expand capacity. Just make sure the laptop you get has enough ports for it (addressed later in this article), and stick to our picks for best external drives. Storage types Maxx-Studio / Shutterstock.com Modern Windows laptops come with two primary options: SSD or eMMC. Don’t settle for anything less than an SSD. Some cheaper laptops may offer eMMC drives, but eMMC drives run very slow and fill up faster due to their smaller capacities. You’ll be frustrated, trust me. Chromebooks, however, tend to come with three options: SSD, eMMC, and UFS. Again, I don’t recommend eMMC drives for the same reasons, but UFS is worth considering. Universal Flash Storage is “newer” and more typically found on mobile devices, but since ChromeOS is a mobile-like operating system, it’s well-suited to run on UFS. In general, UFS is faster than eMMC but slower than an SSD. If you want the best speeds, an SSD is still the best (but most expensive) option. If your goal is to save money, you’ll do fine with a UFS drive. Display resolution guteksk7 / Shutterstock.com At cheaper tiers, laptops mainly come with 720p or 1080p resolutions. I only saw one laptop featuring a higher resolution, but that came at the expense of cutting other corners. So, when buying a budget laptop, you’ll want to stick to 1080p unless you’re particularly strapped for cash. Going with 720p can save money, but the experience is subpar: text is harder to read, video content suffers, and you have less screen real estate for apps and files. Stepping up to 1080p solves all of that, and you’ll appreciate the improved resolution if you end up using your laptop to watch Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, etc. Laptop size Thiago Trevisan / IDG The ideal laptop size really depends on your needs. On the larger end, you have 15-inch and 17-inch laptops that provide bigger screens and wider keyboards, but laptops at this size tend to be heavy and detract from portability. And be aware that larger laptop screens may sometimes have lower resolutions, which can affect crispness of image and the actual amount of usable screen real estate. On the flip side, you have smaller 13-inch laptops that are lighter and more portable but generally more cramped with tighter keyboards. I find that the sweet spot for portable productivity is with a 13-inch laptop that has a 1080p resolution. You get ample screen real estate and crisp images, a lightweight body that doesn’t take up much space in a bag, and the price is usually quite affordable. Ports and connectivity Immo Wegmann / Unsplash Ports are important on budget laptops, especially if you’re sacrificing storage space and screen size. With the right ports, you have the flexibility to connect external drives and external monitors. Thankfully, unless you go very low on price, you have good options. If possible, aim for at least one USB-C port and one USB-A port. USB-C has taken over as the dominant connector, but plenty of storage devices and other accessories still rely on USB-A. If you can find a budget laptop with an HDMI port as well, you should consider it because it’ll make it easy to connect an external monitor. USB-C can theoretically handle monitors as well, but not every USB-C port is built the same and capable of supporting the same devices. Note: If you have to settle for a laptop with inadequate ports, you can always add extra ports separately with a USB-C hub or docking station. See our picks for best USB-C hubs and best Thunderbolt docks. Min specs for budget laptops in a nutshell Phew, that’s a lot to digest, so here’s a quick summary of my recommended minimum specs for budget laptops without all the contextual explanations and rationale: RAM: 8GB minimum, 16GB if you can afford it. CPU: Intel i3 or AMD Ryzen 3 minimum, Intel i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 if you can afford it. Battery life: At least 10 to 12 hours of claimed battery life (which is likely closer to 8 hours in real-world usage). Storage capacity: 128GB minimum for Windows, 64GB minimum for Chromebooks. If you need more space, you can always expand with an external storage drive. Storage types: SSD is what you want. For Chromebooks, you can get away with UFS. Avoid eMMC at all cost. Display resolution: 1080p minimum. Laptop size: 13-inch for portability, 15-inch for screen space (as long as you don’t sacrifice resolution to get there). Ports: At least one USB-C and one USB-A port, plus an HDMI port if you plan to use an external monitor. Alternatively, buy a separate USB-C hub or docking station to expand connectivity. All of this can be had for under $500 if you shop around, especially if you can be patient and wait for deals. I’ve seen laptops—both conventional and 2-in-1 laptops—that meet all these minimum specs, so you definitely don’t have to spend a lot for a decent laptop. As long as you aren’t expecting a powerhouse gaming machine that can rip videos in no time flat, you’ll be fine. For more tips, check out our guide to buying a budget laptop without getting screwed, or head over to our guide on the best laptops under $500 if you want explicit recommendations. Read...

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Google Chrome is the most popular desktop web browser in the world by a long shot, with a current market share of about 65.7%, according to Statista. And for good reason! While it’s far from perfect, Chrome offers a simple, reliable, and seamless way to access the web for both work and play, right out of the box, with lots of power and functionality. But it doesn’t offer a lot in the way of personalization. When you install Chrome, it comes ready to use with minimal fuss, but the overall experience is standardized. Some might even call it sterile. What if you want to tweak it? Make it look different? Make it your own? Your options are pretty limited, unfortunately, but there are some things you can do. Here are some easy but effective ways to customize the look and feel of Google Chrome on Windows. Install a new Chrome theme Dave Parrack / Foundry There are two ways to change Chrome’s theme. The easiest, but most restrictive, is to change the colors that Chrome uses. To do this, simply click Settings > Appearance, then click Theme: Chrome colors. You’ll have various suggested options, plus a custom color picker. However, if you want to make more drastic changes, you can install a new theme. These are available on the Chrome Web Store’s Themes section. You can browse all sorts of themes across a range of categories. Once you’ve found one you like, click on it and Add to Chrome. Always check out the reviews before installing a theme like this. Personalize your New Tab page Dave Parrack / Foundry Normally, when you open a new tab in Chrome, you’re presented with a blank (or almost blank) New Tab page. Did you know the New Tab page can be personalized so that it works better for you? You can change themes, add/remove/edit shortcuts, and even switch the display from “My shortcuts” to “Most visited sites.” To change the New Tab display, open a new tab and click Customize Chrome in the bottom-right corner. From here, you’ll be able to Change theme and choose from a host of colorful options, change what links appear under the Google Search bar, and more besides. For more granular control over what links appear, hover your cursor over a link and click its three-dot menu. You’ll then be able to edit the shortcut or remove it entirely. You can also drag and drop the shortcuts to position them where you want them on the New Tab page. Customize new tabs with extensions Dave Parrack / Foundry If you really want to change the New Tab page, you can install extensions that alter the look and functionality in various ways. To do this, navigate to the Chrome Web Store’s Extensions section and search for “new tab” to get a list of extensions pertaining to the New Tab page. Customize your Chrome toolbar Dave Parrack / Foundry The Chrome toolbar sits above the bookmarks bar and contains shortcuts to various actions and features, including the Home button, the Print and Copy link actions, and optional extras such as a link to the Google Password Manager and your browsing history. If you find that Chrome’s toolbar doesn’t have all the stuff you want right out of the box, or if it’s too packed and you want to pare it down, then you can customize it by going to Settings > Customize your toolbar. There, you can enable or disable the various elements, which will add or remove them from the toolbar. You can also rearrange the buttons on the toolbar by dragging and dropping them into place. This is just one of the many things you can do to tweak Chrome and make everyday web browsing smoother and faster. Show or hide the bookmarks bar Dave Parrack / Foundry One of the simplest ways to change the appearance of Chrome is to hide the bookmarks bar. It’s enabled by default, but if you rarely use it, then you can free up some screen real estate by disabling it: navigate to Settings > Appearance, then disable the option labeled Show bookmarks bar. With the bookmarks bar hidden, if you want to access your bookmarks at any point, you’ll need to click the three-dot menu and scroll down to Bookmarks and lists. Switch between Light and Dark modes Dave Parrack / Foundry One of the simplest and most effective ways to change the appearance of Chrome is to switch between Light and Dark modes. I personally prefer using Light mode at all times, but I know tons of people swear by Dark mode (even in the daytime). To change from Light to Dark, or vice versa, open the Settings menu via Chrome’s three-dot menu, then tap Appearance and look for Mode. You have three options: Light, Dark, and Device, with the latter meaning the browser will match the light/dark setting of your operating system. Adjust your fonts and font sizes Dave Parrack / Foundry By default, Chrome uses certain web-safe fonts as default options (for web pages that don’t specify any fonts) as well as default font sizes for each one. You can adjust these if you want to. Open Chrome’s Settings menu, then select Appearance, then scroll down until you see Font size. You’ll have a drop-down menu allowing you to choose one of five sizes ranging from “Very small” to “Very large.” If you want to change the fonts themselves, or have more granular control over their sizes, select Customize fonts directly underneath instead. Here, you’ll be able to select fonts for several scenarios as well as the default font size and minimum font size (for accessibility reasons). Adjust the default page zoom Dave Parrack / Foundry Every web page is, by default, set to a page zoom of 100% (which is the “normal” amount of zoom). However, if you have vision struggles or if you’d prefer to shrink the size of web pages, you can adjust the default page zoom from 25% all the way up to 500%. To adjust Chrome’s default page zoom, navigate to Settings > Appearance, then scroll down to Page Zoom. Tap the drop-down menu and select the level you want. You can also change zoom on a per-domain basis by using the dedicated Zoom option in the three-dots menu. When you manually change zoom like this, Chrome remembers it and applies it to all pages on the same domain. (For example, if I change zoom to 80% on a PCWorld article, Chrome will show every page on PCWorld at 80% zoom.) Customize your Chrome profile Dave Parrack / Foundry While customizing your Chrome profile won’t change the appearance of Chrome itself, it’s still worth exploring—especially if you have multiple Chrome profiles and need to differentiate them from each other. The available options when customizing a Chrome profile include naming your profile, adding or changing your avatar, and picking a window color that applies when using that particular profile in Chrome. To customize your Chrome profile, click your profile avatar in the top-right corner of the Chrome window, then select Customize profile. You can also access the same options via Settings > You and Google > Customize your Chrome profile. Further reading: Essential tips to make Chrome more secure Read...