Dash cams have come a long way from the rather primitive 480p products that were state-of-the-art when we first began our coverage eight years ago. These days, multi-channel front/interior/rear models abound, and capture quality is vastly improved — including 4K resolution. Amenities such as phone connectivity, driver alerts, and voice commands are now common, and some dash cams will even upload videos to the cloud or call 911. What follows are the criteria and test methodology we employ as we examine, install, and bang on one of these puppies in our test vehicle. Further reading: The best dash cams Suitability to task: Single or multiple channels Of course, the first thing we consider in a dash cam system (some have multiple cameras) is suitability to task. If you’re driving a semi, you’ll only need front coverage, or a far more complex system than we generally review — one that can cover the obscured areas to the side and rear. If you’re a ride-giver you’ll want coverage of the interior, and likely out the back of the vehicle as well. A single-channel dash cam is always front-only. Dual-channel dash cam systems can be front/interior or front/rear. Three-channel systems cover the front, interior, and rear. We have seen the occasional four-channel system that attempts 360 coverage, but it’s not common. Dash cam features we look for Vendors always try to distinguish their products via clever or ground-breaking features. Other vendors tend to catch up quickly once something unique and sell-able is introduced. However, the basics are what we value most. Here’s what we look for: The essentials — At least 1080p resolution. A resolution of 1440p or 2160p often (but not always) offers better detail, but chews through storage more rapidly (as do multiple cameras) and requires fast TF cards or internal (mostly eMMC) storage. — Good optics and processing. Higher resolution and a high-end sensor mean nothing if the lens and post-processing aren’t up to snuff. We’ve seen 4K captures that are worse than top-notch 1080p captures. Resolution and compression settings from the Ombar dash cam app. Resolution and compression settings from the Ombar dash cam app. Resolution and compression settings from the Ombar dash cam app. — Linked to resolution are compression and storage requirements. 4K video can take up a lot of space. Less so with h.265 than with h.264. Most vendors offer both methods since, while h.265 saves space, it’s not as compatible with older playback devices. Dash cams vary in storage support, such as what capacity Micro SD/TF card they will accept, or the amount of internal memory, if that’s what they employ, so we take that into consideration as well. — GPS. Global positioning data can pinpoint the location of an accident, as well as provide mapping data of your drives. I’ve used it to locate a pleasant eatery in the mid-west I’d forgotten the location of. The less essential — Voice control and alerts are nice features that help you keep your eye on the road. — Bad-driver hand-holding features, err… driving aids, such as lane-departure warnings, are far less important to us. Not only are they not particularly smart in many cases, but they can distract you at the wrong time. Do us all a favor, and if you find these useful, let someone else drive. — On the other hand, stop-sign and speed-zone warnings might save you some money, if they don’t distract. Of course, if you always abide by the posted instructions, you don’t need these either. Dash cam mounting methods Dash cam mounts come in two flavors: semi-permanent adhesive (sticky), and slightly less “semi-permanent” suction mounts. You can almost always remove the camera from it’s base so that’s rarely an issue. But occasionally you can’t, and the exceptions tend to be high-end cameras. Go figure. Sticky mounts sometimes come with easier-to-remove, but still-sticky film adhesive. Which style you prefer largely depends on your circumstances. If you intend to use the same dash cam in multiple vehicles, a suction mount is best. Otherwise, a sticky mount (some cameras come with a couple of base plates) is less likely to come loose. Suction and semi-adhesive sticky mounts. (Thinkware) Suction and semi-adhesive sticky mounts. (Thinkware) Suction and semi-adhesive sticky mounts. (Thinkware) If you’re parked in locations where theft is less likely than damage, then leaving your dash cam in the car can be beneficial, waking up (constant power required) and capturing damage that may occur when you’re not in the car. If the camera is cloud-capable, it might even manage to upload images before a thief can unplug or remove it. One thing most vendors skip (we’ve only seen two) is a removable rear camera. Parking on the street in San Francisco, I often long for this, though honestly, most thieves don’t look for stuff on your back window. At least that’s the working theory as to why I have yet to have one stolen, despite my leaving the car unlocked and it having been visited several times. Unless it’s something special (magnetic, etc.) we don’t award or subtract brownie points for the mounting system. You quite often have a choice when ordering so mull it over. Power source How a dash cam is powered is something that weighs more heavily into our evaluation than mounts — the power method makes a difference in both convenience and cabin clutter. There are three possible sources for dash cam power: the auxiliary (cigarette lighter) port, the OBDII port, or a hardwire kit that taps into your car’s wiring. There are also adapters that pull juice from powered mirrors, but we’ve never seen a dash cam vendor provide one, as the required connector varies by auto manufacturer. This is an OBDII power adapter. Though you can’t see it, there’s a pass-through port on the other side so you can still attach diagnostic equipment without cutting power to the dash cam. This is an OBDII power adapter. Though you can’t see it, there’s a pass-through port on the other side so you can still attach diagnostic equipment without cutting power to the dash cam. This is an OBDII power adapter. Though you can’t see it, there’s a pass-through port on the other side so you can still attach diagnostic equipment without cutting power to the dash cam. Grabbing power via the auxiliary port (nee cigarette lighter) is the most common and easiest method, but quite often it also means a cable running up the center of the dash that’s hard to hide. Additionally, most auxiliary ports lose power when you turn off the car. Hardwire kits allow you to hide the cable more easily, but require a lot more time and tapping the wires under your dash. If installed correctly, a hardwire kit provides a constant power source for parking surveillance. Cameras that offer that will, or should, sense a low-battery condition and power all the way down in response. If they don’t, we dock points. An OBDII cable is the most elegant solution, simply plugging into that diagnostic port and also providing constant power. The OBDII port is generally found in a less-exposed location, most often in the driver’s side foot well. Most OBDII cables provide a pass-through port so you can still connect diagnostic equipment without cutting power to the dash cam. The connector port on the camera is also something we consider. Non-proprietary connector types such as Type-C are much easier to source than proprietary coax connectors and the like. You can even find Type-C cables at gas stations these days. Proprietary cables may require a visit to the dash cam vendor’s site to replace, and might be more expensive, might take a while to get, or even worse, be unavailable. Beyond that, cable type is a relatively minor concern rating-wise. Size and build quality There are laws in some states concerning objects that obstruct your view through the windshield. Most cameras will fit nicely, if not completely, behind your rear view mirror, but we do like small and unobtrusive. Small is also less obvious to thieves. That said, some of our favorite, and most capable cameras are on the large side. Nextbase’s rather large and intrusive but highly capable IQ dash cam. Nextbase’s rather large and intrusive but highly capable IQ dash cam. Jan Sandbladh Nextbase’s rather large and intrusive but highly capable IQ dash cam. Jan Sandbladh Jan Sandbladh The reason we consider build quality should be obvious. You don’t want something that breaks when you drop it during the mounting process, and a certain amount of heft is indicative of the general concern for quality. On the other hand, you don’t want something too heavy that strains the mount so that it parts from your windshield. Then there’s heat shedding. We inspect the camera for adequate ventilation. We’ve seen some very good cameras that run a bit warmer than they should due to the relative lack of venting. Basically, we’re just looking for something inconspicuous and that we think will last for a suitable amount of time (see the Longevity section below). Capture quality Capture quality counts by far the most in our evaluation as providing legal evidence is the raison d’etre of dash cams. We of course look for vivid, accurate color; however, detail is by far the most important aspect. Easily legible license plate numbers (along with embedded GPS data) could be the key to reliably establishing the identity of an offending vehicle. There’s often a large difference in how well a dash cam works in daylight and at night. Night means numerous bright areas imposed on a much darker background, which is harder for a sensor to handle, and much harder to process. How much you worry about day versus night depends, again, on when you do most of your driving. But the quality of a dash cam’s night captures is by far the most telling aspect when it comes to judging its quality. In other words, if the night captures are good, just about everything else will be as well. If you want to shorten your reading time of our reviews just skip to the night capture evaluation. Interface, phone apps, and connectivity While a touch display is always a nice perquisite, we’re generally more interested in how efficiently, ergonomically, and intuitively the settings menus and physical buttons are laid out. You’re going to be monkeying around in the settings menus often, so how the buttons (or touchscreen) facilitate common operations such as locking a capture (make sure it’s never overwritten), taking a photo, or toggling the microphone or display on/off is weighted heavily. The ability to respond to voice commands is a plus, and is a virtual necessity for dash cams that lack a display. Vantrue phone app. Vantrue phone app. Vantrue phone app. For the same reason, phone connectivity is a major plus. The larger displays on today’s cellular devices make adjusting settings considerably easier, while also letting you leave the camera on its mount. (It’s easiest to adjust a dash cam using its own interface when holding it in your hand rather than reaching to the window). Above is the Vantrue phone app interface. To connect to an app, some sort of wireless is required. Dash cams use either Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or a combination of both. Wi-Fi allows much faster transfer of files, so if you’re using a display-less dash cam or one that relies on internal memory, it’s basically a necessity, and we’ve never seen one without it. It’s merely a luxury on dash cams with a display and removable memory cards. LTE is also available, but I’ll cover that next. Though removing an SD/TF card and using a card reader on a computer is easy, we also appreciate the ability to connect the dash cam itself to the computer and offload videos directly from it. Sadly, this isn’t as common as one might hope, despite the vast majority of dash cams using USB connectors of one type or another. All in all, the more ways to retrieve your videos that a dash cam provides, the better. Cloud connections and storage Several dash cams we’ve tested from companies such as the now defunct Owl, Nextbase, Garmin, etc. offer uploads to the web. This can be very handy. Some cameras offer this via integrated LTE, which always requires a subscription, while some offload to your phone then upload using your phone’s connectivity. The latter of course requires connecting your phone to the dash cam and doesn’t offer the immediacy of the dedicated LTE. We consider LTE dash cams to be almost a separate category, for no other reason than they are expensive to own and operate. But if you have the means, they can be super handy — especially if you’re not the only one driving the vehicle. With LTE, the GPS data can be relayed for tricks such as locating your car, reporting collisions, or making sure that prom date doesn’t wind up at a hotel. How we test The first step in testing is of course evaluating the installation, though it’s generally so similar, it’s rarely something that counts heavily for or against. Hand-holding features such as an onscreen alignment routine are great, but they certainly won’t save a camera with bad captures from a low rating. Once installed, we go for diurnal and nocturnal rides. Most of the video is shot while the vehicle is in motion, though we often use parked shots in the same location so you can more easily compare. After capturing enough video, we set to inspecting it for quality — primarily detail, color, and stabilization. As previously discussed, quality is not necessarily joined at the hip with resolution, though bigger numbers are generally better. The optics and post capture processing are equally important. As noted, we’ve seen poorly processed 4K captures that are no better, and occasionally worse than competently processed 1080p captures. We also look at defects and artifacts. These range from the wobblies, where bumps or vibrations induce a shot-through-jiggling-jello effect (a defect common to early GoPros); to shearing, where two half-frames are visible at once; to moire, where details in motion shimmer rather than move smoothly; to severe fish-eye in cameras, with a wider field of view (FOV). Note that these defects have become rarer and rarer over the years. For night video we check for lens flare from headlights; blown-out bright areas that render dark details invisible; and the level of detail in darker areas. We also look for how well details are handled in different quadrants. Weak detail to the sides can be induced by cheap optics. Front, interior, and rear day/night captures from several cameras. These are stills taken from live videos. And not necessarily from the best dash cams. Front, interior, and rear day/night captures from several cameras. These are stills taken from live videos. And not necessarily from the best dash cams. Front, interior, and rear day/night captures from several cameras. These are stills taken from live videos. And not necessarily from the best dash cams. Once again, by far the most important aspect of captures is the amount of detail they provide, which is directly related to the video’s validity as evidence. That said, if you want to document your road trips, the more pleasing the overall quality of the video, the better. Longevity testing To be brutally honest, most dash cams aren’t going to last a lifetime. In fact, you’ll be doing well if you get a year from a cheap one and five years from a good one. It’s not always the dash cam’s fault — any piece of operating electronic equipment constantly exposed to direct sunlight will have a hard time of it. That said, some dash cams run warmer than others, which can’t help longevity when combined with constant exposure to the sun. As noted earlier, we look for lots of ventilation. Once we’ve finished initial testing, we hand off the dash cam to another individual for long-term testing. Though we rarely report it, end-user feedback gives us an idea of the lifespan of a product, how satisfying it is to use, and in many cases, whether said user even found it useful. As with many things in life, you don’t need a dash cam until you do. And then, if you don’t have one — it’s too late. The final rating To reiterate, our considerations are, in order of appearance: suitability to task, capture detail, capture color quality, physical size and build quality, GPS, connectivity, and price. Yes, as with all the products we review, we factor in how much it costs. Price won’t change our mind about what’s the actual best tech, but it will result in a bang-for-your-buck opinion. Not everyone needs or can afford the absolute best. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Great real-world battery life Excellent performance thanks to Ryzen AI 300 Solid build quality Cons AI features are still questionable No Copilot+ PC AI features at lunch Port selection is minimal An OLED display would look nicer Our Verdict The HP OmniBook Ultra 14 shines thanks to AMD’s Ryzen AI 300 series processors, which delivers long battery life in real-world use with excellent performance. But “AI laptops” aren’t as futuristic as the marketing might lead you to expect. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: HP Omnibook Ultra 14 Retailer Price Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket The HP OmniBook Ultra 14 is a “next-gen AI PC” thanks to its AMD Ryzen AI 300 series processor. But, while this machine has a neural processing unit (NPU) for local AI applications — plus Copilot+ PC features coming soon — AI isn’t the big story here. Look past the “AI” logos on this machine and you’ll find a solid laptop that gets long battery life and excellent performance in real-world use thanks to AMD’s latest hardware. First, a word about the name: Back in May 2024, HP announced a rebranding of its entire PC lineup, dumping names like “Spectre” and “Dragonfly.” The word “OmniBook” here means this is a consumer laptop. If this was intended for commercial users, HP would call it an “EliteBook” or “ProBook.” (However, HP will still use “Omen” to refer to gaming PCs). Further reading: Best laptops 2024: Premium, budget, gaming, 2-in-1s, and more HP OmniBook Ultra 14: Specs The HP OmniBook Ultra 14 comes with an AMD Ryzen AI 300 series processor. This hardware includes a neural processing unit (NPU) with up to 55 TOPS for local AI applications. That’s why HP is positioning this as a “next-gen AI PC” — it will soon be compatible with Copilot+ PC features, unlike previous-generation “AI PCs” with hardware like Intel’s Meteor Lake. There are several variations of this PC. HP loaned us a “top of the line” model with an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 CPU, 32 GB of RAM, and 2 TB of solid-state storage. This package is available at Best Buy for a retail price of $1,689.99. A few other variations are also available, with the least expensive one being a AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 processor, 16 GB of RAM, and a 512 GB SSD. This is available through HP’s online store for $1,349.99. Model number: HP OmniBook Ultra 14-fd0023dx CPU: AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 Memory: 32 GB LPDDR5 RAM Graphics/GPU: AMD Radeon 890M Display: 14-inch 2240×1400 IPS display with 60Hz refresh rate and touch screen Storage: 2 TB PCIe Gen 4 solid-state drive Webcam: 9MP 1440p webcam with physical privacy shutter Connectivity: 2x USB Type-C (Thunderbolt 4, USB4 40Gbps), 1x USB Type-A (10Gbps), 1x combo audio jack Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 Biometrics: IR camera and fingerprint reader Battery capacity: 68 Watt-hours Dimensions: 12.41 x 8.96 x 0.65 inches Weight: 3.47 pounds MSRP: $1,689 as tested The HP OmniBook Ultra 14 is a great computer. It’s sturdy and well put together — and, most importantly, it has an AMD Ryzen AI 300 series processor. These just have better performance and longer battery life than Intel’s Meteor Lake chips. HP OmniBook Ultra 14: Design and build quality IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman The HP OmniBook Ultra 14 is a well-designed, solid piece of mostly silver metal on the parts of the laptop you’ll touch. (There are just a few plastic elements, like the bezel.) While HP has changed the branding of its consumer laptops, there’s a lot of the “Spectre” design language here. The angular corners where the display meets the bottom tray of the laptop are immediately and recognizably HP. The 14-inch OmniBook Ultra 14 feels like a solid machine. At 3.47 pounds, it’s a tad heavier than some “thin-and-light” laptops, but it has a good weight distribution and it’s a very reasonable size and weight. The hinge is sturdy. The charger HP bundles is unusually nice, too — it has a nice braided cable. As many of us have noticed with phones, braided USB charging cables tend to hold up better over the long run. While HP is pushing the “AI PC” angle here — complete with an “AI” logo below the left side of the keyboard and on the back of the hinge — bear in mind that this machine won’t get Copilot+ PC features until Microsoft rolls them out in November 2024. However, those Copilot+ PC features aren’t too interesting yet anyway. HP does bundle an “HP AI Companion” app with this machine. This app integrates a variety of AI tools that use the system’s NPU to analyze data in files, for example, and to guide you through changing various PC settings. It’s good to see PC manufacturers include tools that demonstrate the power of the AI hardware they’re pushing, but this isn’t life-changing software that will make you want to seek out an AI laptop. There’s a bit of bloatware installed here. The noisiest one is McAfee antivirus, which nags you to set it up, but you can easily uninstall McAfee. There’s also a Dropbox promotion, as well as Adobe offers and Google essentials apps in the Start menu. It’s not the cleanest setup out of the box, but it’s easy to uninstall what you don’t want. HP OmniBook Ultra 14: Keyboard and trackpad IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman The HP OmniBook Ultra 14 has a full-size keyboard with a backlight you can toggle off and on. It’s placed nicely at the center of the laptop, and the keys feel great to type on. I don’t consider them mushy at all. I was able to type accurately at high speeds. And naturally, since this is an AI laptop, it has a Copilot key to the right of the right Alt key on the keyboard. This machine has well-size trackpad sitting centered right below the keyboard, too. It’s a good size for the laptop —  not too small and not too large. Palm rejection worked excellently well typing. The surface felt smooth and responsive, whether I was moving the cursor with a finger, scrolling with two fingers, or using multi-touch gestures. The trackpad’s click action also felt pleasantly responsive, although I’ve been spoiled by haptic touchpads like those on the Surface Laptop 7 and would like to see more laptops use them. HP OmniBook Ultra 14: Display and speakers The HP OmniBook Ultra 14 includes a 14-inch IPS display with 2.2K resolution —  that’s 2240×1400 pixels. This is a 60 Hz display with up to 400 nits of brightness, and it’s also a touchscreen. The screen looks good, although it could offer more brightness. For a productivity-focused laptop like this one, it works well. For productivity and general web-browsing and media consumption, I was perfectly happy with it. Still, the limitations are obvious, even on paper: 400 nits on the low side for brightness, and some people may want more. A refresh rate faster than 60Hz is always nicer, too. OLED screens are much more beautiful, but they’re also expensive and tend to use more power, decreasing battery life. The screen is also a little glossy, and an antireflective coating, higher brightness, or a matte finish may be preferrable. That’s up to you and how you plan to use your laptop. This laptop’s quad-speaker setup is one of the better speaker configurations I’ve heard on a 14-inch productivity laptop. It has a good amount of volume, a fairly wide soundstage, and more bass than the average 14-inch laptop — which, I’m aware, isn’t saying much! Laptop speakers will always be fighting an uphill battle, but these are solid speakers. These aren’t the cheap tinny speakers you’ll unfortunately see on many low-priced laptops HP OmniBook Ultra 14: Webcam, microphone, biometrics The HP OmniBook Ultra 14 has a nicer webcam than most laptops — at least on paper. It features a 9 megapixel 1440p webcam — most laptops I review tend to have 1080p webcams at most. The picture looks clear in a variety of lighting conditions, although I would’ve expected it to look a tad sharper. You also have access to a variety of AI effects for tweaking your webcam video through Windows Studio Effects as well as HP’s bundled software. There’s also a physical shutter switch above the webcam, which you can slide to block the webcam. That’s always a great feature to have. The OmniBook Ultra 14’s built-in microphone did a good job of picking up my voice, although I feel like I’ve heard clearer audio from some other laptops. Between the webcam and microphone, this is a perfectly fine laptop for online meetings, although I imagine the ProBook and EliteBook laptops HP is targeting at professional users might have upgraded webcams and microphones. This laptop features both an IR camera for facial recognition and a fingerprint sensor. The fingerprint sensor is integrated into the blue power button at the top-right corner of the keyboard. You can use either or both with Windows Hello. Both facial recognition and fingerprint recognition worked well, quickly letting me sign into the laptop. HP OmniBook Ultra 14: Connectivity IDG / Josh Hendrickson IDG / Josh Hendrickson IDG / Josh Hendrickson The HP OmniBook Ultra 14’s port selections are limited. On the right side, you’ve got two USB Type-C (Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 40Gbps) ports — one of which is on the angled edge. It works very nicely with the laptop’s own power cable. HP was proud to inform me that this is the first AMD-powered consumer laptop the company has released with Thunderbolt 4 ports. Bear in mind that you will use one of these ports to charge the laptop, leaving one port free while the laptop is charging. On the left side of the laptop, you’ve got a USB Type-A port (10Gbps) and a combo audio jack. This isn’t a terrible selection of ports — some modern laptops are ditching USB Type-A ports or even the audio jacks. But, if it’s important for you to have more USB Type-C ports, more USB Type-A ports, or features like a microSD reader or HDMI out port, you’ll need to look elsewhere or get a dongle. Since this machine is using AMD’s Ryzen AI 300 series hardware, it offers both Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 wireless connectivity. It’s a great futureproof hardware setup. HP OmniBook Ultra 14: Performance The HP OmniBook Ultra 14 delivered excellent performance in desktop productivity apps thanks to its modern AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 processor combined with 32GB of RAM and a 2TB solid-state drive. AMD’s new hardware is no slouch. As always, we ran the HP OmniBook Ultra 14 through our standard benchmarks to see how it performs in more detail. IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman First, we run PCMark 10 to get an idea of overall system performance. This benchmark is designed to measure overall system performance, but it’s particularly focused on CPU performance. The HP OmniBook Ultra 14 posted an overall PCMark 10 score of 7,801. That’s a tad behind the more expensive, creator-focused Asus ProArt PX13, which has a similar Ryzen AI 300 series CPU. But it’s nicely ahead of Intel Meteor Lake-powered laptops. IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman Next, we run Cinebench R20. This is a heavily multithreaded benchmark that focuses on overall CPU performance. It’s a quick benchmark, so cooling under extended workloads isn’t a factor. But, since it’s heavily multithreaded, CPUs with more cores have a huge advantage. With a multi-threaded score of 7,582 in Cinebench R20, the HP OmniBook Ultra 14 performed well. It’s somewhat behind the Asus ProArt PX13. But, once again, it’s nicely ahead of Intel Meteor Lake laptops. IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman We also run an encode with Handbrake. This is another heavily multithreaded benchmark, but it runs over an extended period. This demands the laptop’s cooling kick in, and many laptops will throttle and slow down under load. The HP OmniBook Ultra 14 took 896 seconds — that’s just under fifteen minutes — to complete the encode process. That’s a big longer than the Asus ProArt PX13, but once again beats those Intel Meteor Lake-powered laptops. IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman Next, we run a graphical benchmark. This isn’t a gaming laptop, but it’s still good to check how the GPU performs. We run 3Dmark Time Spy, a graphical benchmark that focuses on GPU performance. The HP OmniBook Ultra 14 and its Radon 890M graphics delivered a score of 3909 in 3DMark Time Spy. Most of the other laptops we’re comparing this machine to have discrete Nvidia graphics, so you can see how critical discrete graphics are. But the Radeon 890M graphics are a nice step up over the older Radeon graphics in the older Asus ZenBook 14 OLED system we’re comparing it to here. Overall, the HP OmniBook Ultra 14 delivered excellent performance. It’s not quite as fast as the Asus ProArt PX13 in our benchmarks, but it handily beats similar systems powered by Intel Meteor Lake processors. Of course, this system doesn’t have discrete graphics, so it’s not ideal for gamers and people who need more 3D horsepower for professional applications. HP OmniBook Ultra 14: Battery life The HP OmniBook Ultra 14 includes a 68 Watt-hour battery. This has AMD’s new Ryzen AI 300 series hardware. While our benchmarks show it may not be as long-lasting as Intel Lunar Lake or Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite hardware, it is AMD’s latest hardware that delivers more power efficiency than most of the laptops you’ll find on the shelves. IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman To benchmark the battery life, we play a 4K copy of Tears of Steel on repeat on Windows 11 with airplane mode enabled until the laptop suspends itself. We set the screen to 250 nits of brightness for our battery benchmarks. This is a best-case scenario for any laptop since local video playback is so efficient, and real battery life in day-to-day use is always going to be less than this. The HP OmniBook Ultra 14 lasted 1,091 minutes, which is just over 18 hours. That’s a great result — and it beats the Asus ProArt PX13 along with those Intel Meteor Lake-powered systems. But lots of laptops post high numbers in this benchmark only to drain faster in day-to-day use. Synthetic benchmarks aside, I’ve found that Ryzen AI 300 series laptops — both this machine and the Asus ProArt PX13 I reviewed — deliver long battery life in typical desktop usage with the productivity apps I use. (For me, that means applications like Google Chrome, Microsoft Word, Slack, OneNote, Excel, and other desktop applications). This machine lands in the ballpark of all-workday battery life for my usage — though, again, it really depends on the applications you’re using, the screen brightness you choose, and so on. HP OmniBook Ultra 14: Conclusion The HP OmniBook Ultra 14 is a great computer. It’s sturdy and well put together — and, most importantly, it has an AMD Ryzen AI 300 series processor. These just have better performance and longer battery life than Intel’s Meteor Lake chips. Plus, unlike with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite-powered laptop, you don’t have to worry about compatibility concerns. Because of that, I’d happily take this over an Intel Meteor Lake-powered laptop. The base model starts at $1349, which is a reasonable price for this new hardware — and it could be quite a good price if you find it on sale. Still, it’s not for everyone. Some people will want a more beautiful OLED display, for example. Or you may be looking for discrete graphics so you can game or use professional tools that require that hardware. Or, perhaps you simply need more ports and aren’t looking forward to the dongle life. The big question is Intel’s Lunar Lake. When Lunar Lake laptops have taken Meteor Lake’s place in the market, you may have many more options for this kind of performance and energy efficiency. Still, this is a great laptop at a fair price — if this hardware is what you’re looking for. Read...

Avec appoints Alex Gray as General Manager for New Zealand, tasking the industry veteran with expanding the company`s footprint in the region. Read...

Microsoft has discontinued production of the HoloLens 2, apparently ending its love affair with its augmented-reality headset and perhaps the metaverse in general. UploadVR cited a Microsoft representative who told the outlet that Microsoft has stopped producing the HoloLens 2. While the company will support the headset until the end of 2027 with security updates, it will stop support in 2028. Microsoft is making that decision as it ends support for Windows Mixed Reality devices in Windows 11’s 2024 Update, which has begun rolling out today. Microsoft’s list of deprecated Windows features notes that users who own a Windows Mixed Reality headset — the virtual reality counterpart to the HoloLens augmented-reality headset — should not update to the 2024 feature release if they wish to keep on using their headsets with Valve’s Steam service. Microsoft’s HoloLens was surprisingly great, buoyed by a stable of games virtually no one saw. But when Microsoft debuted the HoloLens 2, it quietly vanished into the enterprise market that Microsoft was courting at the time. Unfortunately, enterprises apparently didn’t really bite either, and even a shift into the metaverse — and then away from it yet again — didn’t help matters. Microsoft’s VR chief Alex Kipman left, and the HoloLens business suffered layoffs, UploadVR noted. Meanwhile, the U.S. Army continues to test what’s known as the HoloLens IVAS as an assistive tool for soldiers, though it reportedly failed some early tests. I still remember the amazing demonstrations Microsoft had of the HoloLens at its headquarters in Redmond, Wash. One still stands out in my mind: a living room where Minecraft used the space to create a level, viewed from the top down, as if you were a god overlooking the world. But today HoloLens is a pale shadow of Microsoft’s early vision, and a product that we’ll have to add to the Microsoft graveyard before long. Read...

Google invited me to New York to look at the newest Gemini AI tools going into Chromebooks. But I don’t want to talk about that, because it’s boring. Instead I want to talk about the new Chromebook models they showed me after: an updated version of Lenovo’s mega-popular Chromebook Duet, and a crazy-sleek design from Samsung on the Chromebook Plus platform. The (New) Lenovo Chromebook Duet The original Chromebook Duet was launched back in 2020, and it turned some heads. With a 10-inch tablet form factor plus a detachable keyboard and kickstand in the box, it was basically a perfect mix between Microsoft’s Surface form factor and an iPad’s ease of access. The fact that it started at under $300 didn’t hurt — Google told us this might be the best-selling Chromebook model ever. My colleague at the time called the Duet “The Basically Perfect Chrome OS Device.” You can still find that tablet everywhere, especially after a mild refresh in 2022 (the Duet 3, sold alongside the bigger Duet 5) with a new processor and a second USB-C port. But this 2024 model, simply called the Duet again, is a rebuild from the ground up. It’s the same general form factor, but the whole thing is considerably more solid, reaching much closer to a Surface Go in terms of fit and finish than the older model. This variant model for the education market comes with an impact-resistant case fully surrounding the tablet.  This variant model for the education market comes with an impact-resistant case fully surrounding the tablet.  Michael Crider/Foundry This variant model for the education market comes with an impact-resistant case fully surrounding the tablet.  Michael Crider/Foundry Michael Crider/Foundry I’d say it feels better than the Duet 5, though it’s lacking that 13-inch tablet’s OLED screen. The 1920×1200 display here feels a lot brighter than the original Duet, and the rounded corners make it feel a lot newer, especially when holding it like a standard tablet. That 16:10 aspect ratio makes it a lot more natural for use with Android apps, too. The standard “desktop-style” experience is improved thanks to a better keyboard. It’s thicker and heavier, making it feel much more solid and natural for a mechanical keyboard nut like me, more akin to Lenovo’s ThinkPads than the original. The plastic touchpad is about the same, which is to say pretty bad, but you make sacrifices for a budget machine. Considering that this is a budget machine (it starts at $340 with the pen included), I’m happy to see a couple of very deliberate upgrades over the original design. The secondary USB-C port is a bit awkward, sticking out of the top of the machine instead of the side — I’m guessing this was done to make more contiguous space inside for the battery. But you can plug in a USB-C flash drive without unplugging from a monitor or charging cable, so it’s a definite usability upgrade. On the same note, there’s a headphone jack, something that was inexplicably missing from the original Duet, and shouldn’t be from anything that’s aiming for a budget market. Michael Crider/Foundry Michael Crider/Foundry Michael Crider/Foundry Like almost everything Lenovo makes as of late, there’s a physical shutter to cover the front-facing webcam. I bet that’ll make some parents happy, as Google tells us that these models are sold in bulk to a lot of education customers. Lenovo is making an education version, as a matter of fact, with a much more durable and impact-resistant case that completely surrounds the tablet (above, and not available at standard retailers, from what I was told). The tablet is compatible with any USI 2.0 stylus, and it comes with new “99.7 percent effective” palm rejection tech in the screen. The new Duet has a slanted kickstand that works in portrait mode, but offers fewer positions in landscape.  The new Duet has a slanted kickstand that works in portrait mode, but offers fewer positions in landscape.  Michael Crider/Foundry The new Duet has a slanted kickstand that works in portrait mode, but offers fewer positions in landscape.  Michael Crider/Foundry Michael Crider/Foundry After using the Duet for a few hours, I’m not thrilled with the updated rear kickstand cover. The jaunty angle of the hinge lets it work in either landscape or portrait mode, which is nice…but it also means that it only works with one, count ’em, one angle. That could make the Duet far less flexible for anyone who wants to use it as a laptop in tight spaces. I’m just fine with a low-price machine coming with low specs (a MediaTek Komanio 838 Arm processor, 8MP rear camera, et cetera), but the base model comes with just 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM. Low storage, fine, that’s expected on a Chromebook, even though this one might benefit from a lot more space for Android apps. But I suspect this thing might start to chug on so little memory, especially considering how much of a hog Chrome (and to be fair, most modern websites) is. And sadly the review unit they lent me has that 8GB/128GB setup, which will run $390 at retail, so I won’t be able to check how it performs on the model most budget-conscious buyers will be drawn to. I’ll be giving this one a full review on PCWorld, but it should go up for pre-order sometime later this month. Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus If you want a more conventional laptop and/or your budget will stretch a little higher, you’ve got to check out Samsung’s first entry in the Chromebook Plus arena. This thing is shockingly thin and light, reminding me a lot of LG’s Gram series. Google told us it’s the thinnest and lightest Chromebook available that meets those Chromebook Plus (and extra AI) requirements. Michael Crider/Foundry Michael Crider/Foundry Michael Crider/Foundry But even though it’s just 2.58 pounds and 0.46-inches thick, it’s packing some impressive hardware. The most obvious thing is that 15.6-inch OLED screen, the kind of panel you don’t often see on a Chromebook of any size (at least since Google stopped making its own Pixel laptops). The all-aluminum chassis is smooth and feels great, though I have to admit I miss the fire-engine red of Samsung’s earlier premium Chromebook designs. This thing is so thin the HDMI port sticks out of the bottom of the case.  This thing is so thin the HDMI port sticks out of the bottom of the case.  Michael Crider/Foundry This thing is so thin the HDMI port sticks out of the bottom of the case.  Michael Crider/Foundry Michael Crider/Foundry I’m impressed that even with something so thin and light, Samsung squeezed in two USB-C ports, full-sized USB-A, and a full HDMI port — taking up so much of the Z-height that it’s actually sticking out of the case at the bottom. (Don’t drop it at the wrong angle.) With a Core i3 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage, the specs are pretty mid…but that $699.99 price tag is shockingly low for a Samsung laptop with an OLED screen. You’ll find cheaper Chromebooks out there, and maybe even cheaper ones that qualify for the Chromebook Plus designation. But they won’t be anywhere near this nice. Michael Crider/Foundry Michael Crider/Foundry Michael Crider/Foundry The one thing I’m wondering about is the battery life, something Samsung struggled to deliver on earlier high-end Chromebook models. But we’ll let the review sort that out — Ashley Biancuzzo should have that one for you. New interface tweaks As you might have spotted on the Galaxy Chromebook Plus above (but not the Duet, tellingly), the Chromebook keyboard is looking a little…different. Since the launch of the platform Google has replaced Caps Lock with a dedicated Search button and omitted an omni key (the Windows button on most keyboards). Now Caps Lock is back, sort of, and there’s a dedicated Google “G” where you might expect a Windows button on most laptops. New Chromebooks will get some keyboard layout tweaks.  New Chromebooks will get some keyboard layout tweaks. Michael Crider/Foundry New Chromebooks will get some keyboard layout tweaks. Michael Crider/Foundry Michael Crider/Foundry Here’s what’s changing. The “G” button is what Google is calling the Launcher key, which will bring up the Windows-style menu that has all the most recent apps and automatically begins the search with any letter or number. That’s pretty standard. The Caps Lock key is not Caps Lock by default (though you can change that just like you could before), now it will be “Quick Insert.” It’s a hard-coded shortcut to Gemini tools. Google Google Google The F11 key is also an accessibility shortcut — it’ll default to a voice dictation tool. For all existing Chromebooks, or new ones that don’t have the updated layout, you can launch the Quick Insert tool by using Search/Launcher + F. And at this point I guess I can’t put off talking about AI stuff any longer. New Gemini tools Google’s presentation focused on the way its Gemini AI tool is improving users’ access to both information on the web and their own info, synced through using Chromebooks, Chrome on desktops, and Android-powered phones. Presumably you’ll get more access to this if you have a phone that integrates with Gemini like a Pixel, but using Google services on your iPhone should be able to hook into it, too. Google Google Google The big draw according to Google’s video is that you can “do less so you can do more.” This is typified with large language text expansion and contraction tools; we’ve seen “Help Me Write” before, now there’s a companion service called “Help Me Read.” This can summarize any web page or document on your Chromebook (even those open in, say, the Office 365 Word app) and give you the tl;dr on its contents. Perhaps more helpful is that it can answer natural language questions. Say you’re studying Moby Dick, you could ask for all the times that Queequeg talks to Ishmael about his homeland. That’s just an example, by the way — I didn’t get a chance to try out something that would tax Gemini quite so hard. Star Wars-style translation tools But it’s more than LLM tricks with text. Something that really impressed me was the way Chromebook Plus demos could do live language translations. One speaker in front of us was talking to a coworker in another room. The man in the room with us spoke English, the woman in the other room spoke Spanish. Her speech showed up immediately on the live video in English subtitles. It wasn’t perfect, even with my high school level of Spanish language comprehension I spotted a couple of errors. But it was fast and natural enough that you could carry out a real conversation in real time, no need to wait for the tools to catch up with you. Google Google Google It reminded me of how Han spoke to Greedo in Star Wars, both speaking their own language, both understanding each other instantly. Is that too dated a reference? Anyway, this capability will also work across services, so it’s ready to go for Zoom, Teams, and whatever Google is calling its video chat platform this year. Google also says it’s using on-device AI to improve video and audio. Google Google Google Another very cool trick: The recording app could not only give you a text transcript of a recording session, but identify different speakers. The live recording showed these differentiated people as “Speaker 1,” “Speaker 2,” et cetera, but you can go back and assign names to the speakers manually and it’ll fill in the rest of the document. I could see that being extremely handy for students and anyone who needs to transcribe an interview. Welcome Recap remembers everything you’re doing The other impressive tool on offer was the Welcome Recap. This is kind of a more refined version of your browser remembering your last-used tabs and bringing them back when you reboot your computer. But Chromebook Plus extends this idea to, well, pretty much everything you’re doing, on every device. (With the obvious limit that Google has to “see” what you’re doing, of course.) Upon starting up or logging into your Chromebook, it’ll give you an option to initiate Welcome Recap, which will not only open your relevant Chrome tabs, but any apps that you were using too. Yes, most Chromebook apps are essentially just web apps, but this should work with Android apps as well, according to the demo we were given. What’s more, it’ll work across the spaces where you engage with Google services: Chromebook to Chromebook, Chrome on Windows or Mac, Android apps on your phone, presumably even Chrome on iPhones and iPads. If you’re doing it in Chrome, your Chromebook will remember, and let you resume. Welcome Recap will work on all Chromebooks, not just Chromebook Plus models, though sadly it doesn’t seem to be live on my Duet review unit. Google Google Google This recovery system works even if you happen to have multiple monitors connected — Welcome Recap will put them right back where they were. It’ll offer up quick links to your most recent web searches. It was impressive as hell to watch, especially when the demo laptop (one of the Galaxy Chromebook Plus units at the event) crashed right in the middle of the demo. That isn’t really unusual for a pre-release demonstration like this, but what happened next was. The unflappable presenter just pressed the power button and kept on with her impromptu script, and the laptop (and its attached display) were back in action after about 25 seconds. Welcome Recap worked exactly as it was intended. Assuming those of us watching hadn’t been easy marks — and I seriously doubt it — it was a serendipitous example of how useful Welcome Recap might be for regular users. That seems to encapsulate Google’s approach to Gemini AI as a whole. Google knows Chromebooks are swinging for a budget- and education-focused space that Windows and Mac laptops sometimes overlook, so the company is trying to make a case for Gemini as the AI that’s useful for everyone, in every situation. Gemini and Google One freebies To wit, they’ve included an impressive one year of Google One Premium at the 2TB tier with any Chromebook Plus purchase. That also includes a year of Gemini advanced AI tools. If you buy a regular, non-Plus Chromebook, you get three months instead. Those perks also include YouTube Premium and YouTube Music, three months of access to Photoshop, and the Minecraft Realms game, and a few other goodies. Keep in mind that once your freebies run out, the 2TB + Gemini Advanced tier will run you $20 a month. Read...

Last week, Microsoft released an optional Windows 11 update that brought some new features to the Start menu, taskbar, and lock screen. Unfortunately, that update is wreaking havoc for some users. As reported by Windows Latest, after installing Windows update KB5043145, you may not be able to restart your PC as you’ll be hit with the infamous Blue Screen of Death or the less common Green Screen of Death. In some cases, BitLocker recovery may also be triggered. Microsoft has confirmed this as a known issue, stating that all users on Windows 11 versions 23H2 and 22H2 can be affected. As of right now, Microsoft has taken down the update. What’s wrong with the update? Long story short, affected computers get stuck in a permanent boot loop with Windows automatically launching the recovery screen in an attempt to repair or reset the update. One desperate user writes: “After installing KB5043145 and restarting, my laptop is sitting at the laptop manufacturer logo screen with a spinning circle forever (forever = 20 minutes). I had to press ‘Power’ (5 seconds) and Windows 11 begins its recovery. It succeeds, but the update is not installed. My Windows 11 is up to date with all the latest updates (23H2, 22631.4169) and drivers.” Get Windows 11 Pro for cheap Windows 11 Pro Microsoft support staff told Windows Latest that they were aware of the reports. The affected machines automatically boot to the “Automatic Repair” screen after users hit BSODs/GSODs a few times. You may also need your BitLocker recovery password afterwards. Apart from the Blue/Green Screens of Death, users also complain that they can no longer use their mice and/or keyboards after installing patch KB5043145 (because the corresponding USB connections no longer work). For other users, the WLAN connection disappears. The Windows Subsystem for Linux also appears to stop working on some computers after installing KB5043145. Microsoft is currently investigating all of these problem reports. If you’re affected, you should report your experience in the Feedback Hub app. What you can do about the update First of all, there’s no need to install update KB5043145 if you haven’t already. It’s an optional update for Windows Insiders on the Release Preview Channel, so simply refrain from grabbing it until it’s been fixed, tested, and released to the general public. If you’ve already installed update KB5043145 and you’re running into problems, you can uninstall the update in Windows Recovery under the Troubleshoot > Advanced Options menu. After uninstalling it, Windows should be able to restart correctly. If you’ve already installed update KB5043145 but aren’t experiencing any problems, you might want to consider uninstalling it anyway. Navigate to Settings > Windows Update > Update history > Uninstall updates, locate patch KB5043145, and click Uninstall. Further reading: How to roll back a problematic Windows update Read...

Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov took aim at backers of Ukraine who support Kyiv`s peace proposal. Read...

Ransomware is nasty stuff. This type of malware encrypts files on your PC so that you can’t access them—unless you pay the attacker to unlock the data. In other words, your files are held hostage until you cough up the demanded ransom, unless you’re able to survive the ransomware attack using other means. CBS News recently ran a cautionary segment on the Scattered Spider ransomware group, underscoring just how much damage ransomware can do—so it pays to be prepared. The hackers shut down Las Vegas casinos, causing millions in damage. Your personal computer is less of a target, but why tempt fate? get windows 11 pro for cheap Windows 11 Pro The best defense against ransomware is avoiding sites and downloads riddled with it, but you can take other protective measures, too. Modern antivirus software often restrict which apps can change files in folders commonly targeted by ransomware. Microsoft Defender, which is built into Windows, can do this too. (Microsoft changed the name from Windows Defender several years ago, but it’s the same program.) Some antivirus suites also run automatic backups, in case you need to restore your files. The catch? Unlike third-party antivirus software, these extra safeguards are not turned on by default in Microsoft Defender. You have to enable them yourself. Further reading: PCWorld’s top picks for best antivirus software 2024. How to turn on ransomware protection in Windows Step One: Open Windows Security Open the Windows Security app on your PC. You can access it in one of several ways: Press Alt + Spacebar on your keyboard, type in windows security, then hit Enter Open your Start Menu and type in windows security, then press Enter Open your Settings app, then choose Windows Security in the left pane Step Two: Find your ransomware settings In the Windows Security app, click on Virus & threat protection. Then click Manage ransomware protection at the bottom of the screen. Next, turn on Controlled folder access. This setting restricts app access to your PC’s default OneDrive, Documents, Pictures, Videos, Music, and Favorites folders. You can also manually add other folders to the list. Not all apps will be barred from these areas in Windows—Microsoft Office programs are automatically allowed to open and alter files. But if it’s not on Microsoft’s internal list of trusted apps, a program can’t see anything in those folders until explicit permission is granted in Windows Security. Further reading: Is Windows 11’s built-in antivirus enough for normal people? Step three: Make sure you’re logged into OneDrive Limiting access to files and folders won’t completely protect them. Another important method of defense is to have good backups—which Windows automatically does if you’re logged into OneDrive. (You can either connect a Microsoft account to your whole Windows PC, or just the OneDrive app specifically.) To confirm that this protection is on, you can look at Ransomware protection > Ransomware data recovery. Of course, for the purpose of warding off ransomware’s worst effects, the safest backup of your files is the one you keep offline. You should make one in addition to anything stored in the cloud—if you only have one copy of your data, you’re not properly backed up after all. Should you turn on ransomware protection in Windows? Security and convenience live on opposite ends of a spectrum, and that’s the case here, too. Controlling folder access in Windows can keep attackers out of your important folders, but it can also be slightly inconvenient. Gamers, for example, may find that access to save files might be blocked by default, as they’re often saved in your Documents folder. You can solve this problem with minimal work—add the app to the access list. Or save game files to a different folder on your PC that does not have controlled access to it. (You’ll just have to use third-party software to set up a schedule for regular backups.) OUr CURRENT PICK FOR BEST ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE Norton 360 Deluxe Read our review Protect your Windows PC from other online threats, too For more information about Windows Security (and its different components), you can check out our video overview on YouTube. If you prefer more sophisticated software, plus additional protections, you can also look into upgrading your antivirus software. For example, Norton 360 Deluxe, our current top pick for antivirus, bundles strong malware protection with a VPN, password manager, dark web monitoring for your personal data, and more. It can help simplify staying safer online. Finally, if you’re interested in learning more about ransomware protection, check out our separate guide on how to prevent (or survive) a ransomware attack. Editor’s note: This article was updated to include links to additional helpful resources related to ransomware and general security. Read...

While Windows 11 provides a decent enough out of the box experience—atrocious new task bar aside—it handles so much better after tweaking just a handful of settings to make it feel more like the Windows of yesteryear. Get windows 11 pro for cheap Windows 11 Pro No, I’m not talking about making Windows 11 look like Windows 10 through an extensive overhaul (though if you’re a Windows veteran that’s worth doing) or tinkering with the newfangled AI options on Copilot+ PCs. I’m talking about fast, simple changes that improve the feel of the operating system, turn off annoying ads, reduce the data you send to Microsoft, and more. Better yet, you can do them all in under five minutes—something I did mere weeks ago when I needed to pick up a Windows 11 laptop for some travel. Here are five Windows 11 settings worth changing immediately, with an added bonus at the end. 1. Move the Start button to the left corner What can I say, I’m a traditionalist. I understand Microsoft’s desire to revamp Windows 10’s interface to more closely mirror the style of Macs and Chromebooks—legions of kids get schooled on those, after all—but Windows 11’s shifting taskbar icons drive me batty. I want mousing over to the Start menu to be muscle memory in a set location, not yet another task I have to look at and mentally process. Brad Chacos/IDG Brad Chacos/IDG Brad Chacos/IDG Fortunately, Microsoft makes it easy to move the Start menu back to the left-hand corner. Simply open the Start menu and head to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors. You’ll see a field labeled Taskbar alignment with a drop-down menu. Change the drop-dox menu from Center to Left. Boom! Onto the next. 2. Turn off annoying notifications Next, it’s time to turn off those annoying pop-up notifications. Windows 11 itself spawns some, but the worst offenders are third-party apps, especially if your laptop or desktop came preloaded with bloatware. Making the distractions stop is simple. Brad Chacos/IDG Brad Chacos/IDG Brad Chacos/IDG Head to Start > System > Notifications. You can turn notifications off universally if you desire. I prefer to work through the list manually, leaving notifications on for critical tools like Slack, Discord, and my antivirus software. (If my AV scanner wants to shout about something, I want to hear it!) Either way, this menu cures many headaches. 3. Turn off Microsoft ads That segues neatly into the next tip. Keep scrolling down beyond the bottom of the list of apps that can send you notifications. There, you’ll see a couple of additional boxes that relate to Windows 11 itself providing “tips and suggestions” on how to use your PC. If you know your way around well enough, deselect the Offer suggestions on how I can set up my device and Get tips and suggestions when I use Windows boxes. I personally prefer to leave the Show me the Windows welcome experience… option checked so I’m notified of new features when a big update drops. Brad Chacos/IDG Brad Chacos/IDG Brad Chacos/IDG We’re not done yet, though. If you don’t like seeing Microsoft promotions (like Office and Xbox ads) pop up in your Settings app, head to Start > Settings > Privacy & security > General. Disabling “Show me suggested content in the Settings app” does the trick, though you may want to turn off all these options. Brad Chacos/IDG Brad Chacos/IDG Brad Chacos/IDG Finally, head to Settings > Personalization > Device Usage. The options here tell Microsoft how you use your computer so Windows 11 can provide tailored recommendations for apps, websites, Office 365 trials, and more. Turn them all off if you’re not interested in your $100+ copy of Windows 11 upselling you on more Microsoft services. There are other places Microsoft promotions lurk such as the beautiful “Windows Spotlight” lock screens provided by Bing Images, but tweaking this handful of settings eradicates the most irritating ones. 4. Change your default browser Microsoft Edge is pretty darned good, actually, but if you’re a diehard Chrome, Firefox, Opera, or Brave user, switching your default browser is easy. Brad Chacos/IDG Brad Chacos/IDG Brad Chacos/IDG After downloading and installing the browser of your choice, it should ask if you want to make it the default. Do so, duh. But if you missed your chance during setup, navigate to Settings > Apps > Default apps, find the name of your browser in the list, and click on it. A “Make your default browser” banner with a Set default button at the top of the page does the trick. Further reading: Browser speed showdown: Chrome vs. Edge vs. Firefox and more 5. Declutter the taskbar Sure, Windows 11’s nerfed taskbar is getting better over time, but it still sucks and Microsoft stuffs it to the brim with icons and features you probably have no interest in. Make it easier on the eyes and reclaim some space by heading to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar and deselecting any of the taskbar items you’ll never use. Adios, Widgets and Teams Chat. Brad Chacos/IDG Brad Chacos/IDG Brad Chacos/IDG While we’re on the topic, spending $5 on Stardock’s Start11 or StartIsBack is well worth it. The programs offer granular options that expand the look and functionality of the taskbar and Start menu alike, making it a lot easier to make Windows 11 look like Windows 10. They’re beyond the scope of this article but deserve a shout-out. Bonus: Dark mode, baby! Finally, an optional personal preference. Some folks like staring at black text on white screens all day. Others, like me, prefer not to sear their retinas. So, the very first thing I always do with a new Windows install is activate dark mode, a preference that carries over into several apps once you’ve set it. Brad Chacos/IDG Brad Chacos/IDG Brad Chacos/IDG Simply head to Settings > Personalization > Colors and look for a field called Choose your mode. Change the drop-down menu from Light to Dark. Your eyes will thank you. That’s about it for this rundown of quick Windows 11 settings to change immediately. This rabbit hole goes as deep as you want it, though. Check out our guides to 5 helpful tips and tricks that make Windows easier to use, 10 obscure Windows features that will blow your mind, and 7 frustrating Windows 11 annoyances (and how to fix them) to make your PC your own! Get windows 11 pro for dirt cheap Windows 11 Pro Read...

The prime minister urged Israel and Hezbollah to `stop the violence` in his first speech to the UN General Assembly. Read...