He also used his speech to announce New Zealand would campaign for a seat on the UN Security Council for the 2039-2040 term. Read...

The Foreign Minister was due to speak in ‘leaders week’, after the UK and Nepal prime ministers. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Well-built and elegant Good performance Extra custom AI program Cons Some fan noise Can get hot A bit expensive for what you get Our Verdict The HP Omnibook X makes no obvious mistakes and is a comfortable, reliable little laptop with good performance and battery life. But there are plenty of others that offer something extra and cost a little less. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today HP’s first laptop with Windows AI features Copilot Plus is called the Omnibook. It’s a new brand name — around the turn of the millennium it was used for business laptops — but after a 22-year hiatus, Omni is now being reintroduced as a name for consumer computers. It replaces the Pavilion series in particular. The 14-inch Omnibook X we tested today starts off strong. Equipped with Qualcomm’s 12-core Snapdragon X Elite, the Omnibook X is fast enough for office work and day-to-day tasks. The battery life is good as well, which isn’t all that surprising, as Snapdragon processors are known for being more power-efficient. That said, it does get hot on the underside, making it difficult to hold in your lap. Despite a few nitpicks, this laptop generally leaves a favorable impression. Read on to learn more. Further reading: Best laptops 2024: Premium, budget, gaming, 2-in-1s, and more Mattias Inghe Mattias Inghe Mattias Inghe HP Omnibook X: Fast enough It’s still going fast, though. These new Snapdragon-based laptops are on par or better than Intel Core Ultra and AMD’s latest low-power Ryzen processors for laptops, or the Apple M3 in a Macbook Air. The graphics circuitry isn’t as sharp as what’s in those three, but this isn’t a gaming PC, so it does what’s expected of it with no problem. And above all, it’s the powerful NPU part you want, 45 tops neural performance for AI operations. It provides both faster processing in many creative applications and enables new features such as localized AI for both language models and image generation. It’s also more energy efficient than before. I’d like to see more applications that can utilize it and that’ll come eventually. At the moment, Copilot Plus itself isn’t revolutionary, but with image generation, live captioning of both streamed film and video meetings, webcam effects, and the upcoming Recall feature, it’s well on its way. HP Omnibook X: AI assistant HP has its own AI Companion pre-installed. It’s a digital assistant that can summarize texts, search for information and create text-based content, as well as catalogue documents and make them smartly indexed for searches. It works well and is useful, but I don’t know if the chat function itself does much more than what I can already do with Copilot. Mattias Inghe Mattias Inghe Mattias Inghe Windows 11 for ARM works fine, as far as the occasional USB accessory whose drivers and support software are not compatible, so be prepared for that if you want to buy a webcam or USB microphone, for example. The built-in 1440p webcam looks good enough that the need for it is minimal, and the voice recording with microphone also gets a pass. Of previous HP laptops, the Omnibook X is most like a Pavilion, with good build quality but not so much luxury detail. Its dark grey aluminum surfaces give a sober impression, and with a tapered design to the sides and rounded edges, it’s comfortable to grip. The narrow edges leave the computer’s single USB-A port with a door that needs to be opened. It feels a bit unnecessary just to make it look nice. More ports in general would have been nice. Now you get two USB-C and one USB-A and one for headphones. The USB-C ports are fast, with USB 4 speed, and both support screen output. Wireless connectivity is best with Wi-Fi 6e. Good enough, but Wi-Fi 7 would have been preferable. HP Omnibook X: Colorful but dim The screen, a glassy IPS panel with 1400p resolution, has a touch function that allows you to use the active stylus pen on it. However, none is included. The screen has good colors, well above SRGB in color gamut and high accuracy. Unfortunately, the brightness is lower than other competitors in its class, so there may be problems with sunlight when used outdoors. It also means HDR mode isn’t an option, and there’s no support for it. But for indoor office work, it’s very comfortable to rest your eyes on. Mattias Inghe Mattias Inghe Mattias Inghe The built-in speakers get a pass, but there’s a lack of warmth in the tone so it’s not fully enjoyable to play music on them, but I’m also really picky. As with all Snapgdragon X laptops, battery life is impressive, but with a 59 Wh battery, it’s a little behind the best I’ve tested. With moderate mixed use over the course of a working day, the Omnibook was able to cope fine, so it’s definitely not under-performing. The new Snapdragon computers are impressive in many ways, and Windows is finally ready to run on ARM for most users. The question is whether the HP Omnibook X is a good choice in a wide range of good competitors. It’s hard to really see why, although it’s mostly high quality on offer. With a price a couple of thousand higher than several equivalent competitors, it’s not possible to put top marks. HP Omnibook X: Specifications Product Name: HP Omnibook X 14-fe0845noTested: September 2024Manufacturer: HPProcessor: Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite X1E-78-100, 12pcs Oryon 3.42 GHzGraphics: Adreno X1-85 1250 MHzNPU: Hexagon, 45 topsMemory: 16 GB lpddr5xStorage: 1 TB SSDDisplay: 14 inch glossy IPS, 2240×1400 pixels, 60 Hz, multi-touchWebcam: 1440p with irConnections: USB C-4, USB C-3 Gen 2 with DisplayPort, USB-A 3 Gen 1, headsetWireless: Wi-Fi 6e, Bluetooth 5.3Operating system: Windows 11 HomeOther: Backlit keyboard, face recognitionNoise level: 0-36 dBaBattery: 59 Wh, 3h 20 min (high load, full brightness) to about 21 h (low load, low brightness)Size: 31.3 x 22.4 x 1.44 cmWeight: 2.95 pounds Rating: 4 out of 5 Performance Cinebench 2024, CPU all cores: 788 pointsCinebench 2024, CPU single core: 108 pointsGeekbench 6, CPU all cores: 14,489 pointsGeekbench 6, CPU single core: 2,462 pointsGeekbench 6, GPU: 23,900 pointsGeekbench AI 1, NPU (Quantized): 21,890 pointsDisk, read: 4,070, 14 MB/sDisk, write: 2,942, 43 MB/s Read...

A report by the Office of the Auditor General has found that Auckland Council is now better placed to respond to the next natural disaster, compared to early 2023. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Windows and Android in one device A better “2-in-1” experience than the average 2-in-1 Decent PC performance with good build quality cons Expensive Attaching the screen feels a little clunky Very few ports A separate Windows laptop and Android tablet may be more convenient Our Verdict This machine combines a Windows laptop and Android tablet. It’s expensive, but there’s nothing else like it. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid Retailer Price Lenovo $3518 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid (Station & Tab) is truly a 2-in-1 laptop, combining a 14-inch Windows laptop and an Android tablet in one unusually interesting form factor. You can detach this laptop’s screen and use it as an Android tablet. Or you can press a button on the keyboard to instantly swap between Windows laptop and Android laptop modes. Yes, this really is two computers in one. You can even plug the base of the laptop (aka the Station) into an external monitor and use it separately from the screen while the screen (aka the Tab) functions as an independent Android tablet. Plus, Lenovo includes a stylus and an easel stand for this machine. There’s a lot going on here. I’m happy this machine exists – it feels like the type of product I’d see at a tech show like CES or IFA, where the hardware manufacturer would say it’s an experimental device that isn’t planned for a real release. But this is a real machine that Lenovo is selling today and that’s awesome, even if the $3,500 price point will be more than many people will want to spend. Further reading: Best laptops 2024: Premium, budget, gaming, 2-in-1s, and more Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid: Specs The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid includes an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H CPU. This is one of Intel’s Meteor Lake CPUs. With Lunar Lake on the horizon, it’s important to note that this machine doesn’t have a fast enough NPU to get Copilot+ PC features, if that’s important to you. Lunar Lake-powered systems will also likely have much better battery life and performance – if you believe Intel’s promises. (We haven’t had a chance to benchmark them yet). You’re also getting 32GB of RAM along with Intel Arc graphics. It’s a reasonable setup, although people who want more powerful discrete graphics for gaming or content creation work will need to look elsewhere. I’ve included the specs of the base station – the Intel Windows PC — in the below list. The ThinkBook Plus G5 Tab has its own hardware: A Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, Qualcomm Adreno GPU, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. It also has its own 38.7 Watt-hour battery. CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 155H Memory: 32GB LPDDRX5 RAM Graphics/GPU: Intel Arc graphics Display: 2880×1800 OLED display with 60Hz refresh rate Storage: 1 TB SSD Webcam: 1080p webcam with physical shutter switch on the front, 13MP autofocus camera on the back Connectivity: 2x USB Type-C (Thunderbolt 4 / USB4), 1x combo audio jack Networking: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 Biometrics: IR camera for facial recognition, fingerprint reader (in the power button) Battery capacity: 75 Watt-hours for Station, 38.7 Watt-hours for Tab Dimensions: 0.63 x 12.3 x 9.2 inches combined (0.37 x 12.3 x 9.2 inches for Station and 0.26 x 12.3 x 8.8 inches for Tab) Weight: 3.87 pounds combined (2.14 pounds for Station and 1.73 pounds for Tab) MSRP: $3,518 as tested The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid is a very cool machine. I’m glad Lenovo is creating interesting and unique experiences like this one and bringing them to market. Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid: Design and build quality IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid has a smart design. It’s incredibly solid, made out of silver and gray aluminum with a very dense feeling. At 3.87 pounds, it’s heavier than the average “thin-and-light” 14-inch laptop. That’s no surprise, as this machine includes two separate computers. There’s much more weight in the screen than there is in an average laptop – that has to be the case, as the screen can function as an Android tablet when detached from the device. I’m a big fan of the design overall. The average 2-in-1 laptop simply has a hinge that can rotate 360 degrees. So sure, you can rotate it back, but then you’re using an incredibly heavy tablet and you feel the keyboard’s keys on the back of the tablet. With this machine, you just pop the display off: Rotate the screen so that it’s at a 90-degree angle relative to the keyboard, and then pull the screen up and away from the base station. The mechanism that attaches the screen to the base station of the laptop is incredibly solid, and the hinge works smoothly while it’s attached. The weight of the screen isn’t a problem for the hinge. This is a more solid hinge than you’ll find on the average laptop. IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman Still, there’s a problem I have to highlight: The display-attaching process doesn’t quite feel like I think it should. When I received the laptop, I attached the screen to the base station by snapping it into place. The screen didn’t stay fully closed. Lenovo informed me that this was because the display wasn’t securely attached to the base station. To attach the display to the base station, I had to press down much harder than I expected until it snapped into place. The mechanism did seem to break in over time, becoming easier to attach — and with less force — than it was the first time I used it. But, weeks later on my review unit, I still had to press down separately on the right side of the screen and then on the left side to make each side snap securely into place. It’s not a huge problem once I got a feel for how to attach it, but ideally it would work more smoothly. That being said, I still prefer this detachable screen to a 2-in-1 experience that requires your fingers are resting on a keyboard on the back of a screen. Unlike other 2-in-1 machines like Microsoft’s Surface Pro, you’re also getting a full Android environment when the screen is detached. That’s a big deal – while I love Windows, we all know that Android is a more touch-optimized environment that has more touch-first tablet applications. The main issue with using this machine as an Android tablet is the screen size. That 14-inch 16:10 screen is great in laptop mode. However, in tablet mode, it’s unusually large and perhaps a little unwieldy. Lenovo also includes an easel-style stand for this machine along with an active pen, however. That’s a hint that this machine is more designed for content creation, even in tablet mode. Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid: How does the Android integration work? IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman You can detach the ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid’s screen to have it function as an Android tablet. (You can’t use the screen as a separate Windows tablet, though: The Windows PC hardware is in the base of the laptop while the Android hardware is in the display). You can also use this machine as an Android laptop. The keyboard has a special function key where the Insert key is. Marked by a sticker that comes on the laptop, this key will swap between Windows mode and Android mode. It takes one or two seconds to swap between environments, like if you were flipping an internal KVM switch to switch between devices. I’ve never used a laptop that ran two operating systems at once and let me switch between them at the press of a key. It’s a neat idea. Lenovo also bundles software that lets you access the Android environment in a window on your Windows desktop. You’re able to run Android software in a window without emulation – it’s running right on the hardware in the display part of the machine. A Hybrid Center application included with the PC provides one place to set things up and learn how to use these hybrid features. The Windows PC and Android system have separate storage. To ease file transfers, Lenovo bundles Hybrid Folder software. Once you pair the Windows and Android sides of the laptop, changes you make to this folder – including files you add and remove – will by synced to the other machine. It can even sync wirelessly if the Gen 5 Hybrid’s screen is removed. It works pretty well, but it’s once again a reminder that this Hybrid machine is two separate computers: A Station and a Tab. For example, if you’re connecting to a Wi-Fi network, you’ll need to enter the network’s passphrase in both Windows and Android to use it in each environment. Settings like this don’t sync between each system. Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid: Keyboard and trackpad IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman The full-size keyboard on the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid works well, both in Windows laptop mode and Android laptop mode. It’s a high-quality keyboard. I feel like I’ve used snappier laptop keyboards with crisper key action, but I had no problem sitting down at the laptop and accurately typing at a high speed. This machine’s trackpad also works well. It’s plenty large, the click action feels pleasantly clicky, and the surface is smooth to the touch. Palm rejection worked well while I was typing. It’s not quite as nice as new haptic touchpads found on machines like Microsoft’s Surface Laptop 7, but those aren’t widespread yet. Lenovo also includes a pen with this package. It works in both Android and Windows, and it can attach magnetically to the lid of the laptop. Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid: Display and speakers IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid has a 14-inch 2880×1800 OLED display with a 60Hz refresh rate. Naturally, this is a touch screen and the touch screen functions in both Windows and Android modes. The screen looks beautiful, which is no surprise for a 2.8K OLED display. However, some displays do have higher refresh rates than 60Hz. Though it’s a glossy display, it had enough brightness to work well outside on a sunny day. The Station and Tab have separate speaker systems here. In laptop mode, you’re getting the best speaker setup — no surprise there. This machine can output a surprising amount of volume while the audio remains clear, and it has decent bass for a 14-inch laptop, too. Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid: Webcam, microphone, biometrics The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid has a 1080p webcam integrated into the Tab portion – the screen, in other words. It’s a solid webcam that produces a good picture. You also get access to the AI-powered Windows Studio Effects for features like background blur and faked eye contact in any application. There’s also a physical shutter switch above the webcam that blocks the webcam, which is always a nice privacy feature. This machine also has a dual-camera array on the back, just like a smartphone would. It’s a 13MP auto-focusing camera along with a 5MP wide camera with a flash. This feature doesn’t just work in Android – it’s also accessible in apps like the Camera app on Windows. It probably won’t replace your smartphone camera – modern high-end smartphones have cameras with more megapixels. But it’s nice to have and it’s the kind of feature included with tablets. The microphone sounds good and picked up my voice well even in an environment with a good amount of background noise. Between that and the webcam, this is a great machine for online meetings. The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid includes both an IR camera for facial recognition and a fingerprint reader. The fingerprint reader is part of the power button at the right side of the laptop. Both worked well — and the machine also offers facial recognition for signing into the Android tablet environment. Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid: Connectivity IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman The connectivity options on the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid are somewhat minimal. You’re getting two USB Type-C ports – one on the left, and one on the right. You’ll use one of these ports to charge the laptop. You’re also getting a combo audio jack port on the left. That’s it. When the screen is detached from the base station and functioning as an Android tablet, you’ll get one USB Type-C port on the screen. This provides a way to charge the tablet and connect devices to it even while it’s not connected to the base station. There’s no way around it: Many people are going to want additional ports on a $3,500 laptop, including USB Type-A ports, microSD card slots, HDMI out ports, or even just more USB Type-C ports. This machine includes Wi-Fi 6E hardware, and it worked well. Wi-Fi 7 would be nice to see – especially at this price point – and it should be standard on future laptops that move beyond Intel’s Meteor Lake hardware. Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid: Performance While the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid may include Android hardware, the PC hardware in the Station is no slouch. The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid performed well in day-to-day Windows PC productivity applications. We’d be shocked if it didn’t thanks to its capable Intel Core Ultra 7 155H CPU, 32GB of RAM, and high-end-for-integrated-graphics Intel Arc graphics. As always, though we ran the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid through our standard benchmarks to see how it performs. Note that we focused on benchmarking the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid as a Windows laptop. IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman First, we run PCMark 10 to get an idea of overall system performance. In this benchmark, the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid delivered a very respectable score of 7,398 and beat out other Intel Core Ultra 7 155H-powered systems. 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 an average score of 5,181, the Gen 5 Hybrid falls behind some similar laptops here, including the HP Omen Transcend 14 gaming laptop, which is also a 14-inch laptop and has a similar CPU. 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 ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid completed the encode process in 1,707 seconds, which is about 28 and a half minutes. That’s a rather low score compared to other laptops with the same CPU and suggests thermal throttling under load here. This machine likely isn’t the ideal workhorse system if you’re performing CPU-heavy tasks and need sustained high CPU performance. (On the other hand, the PCMark 10 score suggests it’s better than similar systems for general desktop productivity performance). 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. With a score of 3,916, this machine falls behind because of its Intel Arc graphics. The chart here shows how much more performance you can expect if you go for discrete Nvidia graphics in a laptop. However, unless you’re playing games on this laptop or using professional applications that need a GPU, you won’t notice a difference and the Intel Arc graphics will do the job well. Overall, the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid delivers fine overall application performance on par with many other Intel Meteor Lake-powered laptops. It’s not the ideal gaming laptop thanks to its CPU. And, due to the thermal throttling, it’s not the ideal system for people who need to perform demanding CPU-heavy tasks for long periods of time. But the day-to-day desktop application performance is very solid, as the PCMark 10 score highlights. Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid: Battery life The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid includes a 75 Watt-hour battery. In day-to-day desktop use, it delivered similar battery life to many other Intel Core Ultra 7 155H laptops I’ve used. Battery life was reasonable — although, like most Intel Meteor Lake-powered PCs I’ve used, it didn’t quite deliver “all-day battery life” when using basic productivity applications like Microsoft Word, OneNote, Slack, and Google Chrome. 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 in the Movies & TV app 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. Also, this machine has an advantage in this benchmark because it has an OLED display, which means it uses less power to display the black bars beside the video during playback. The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid lasted for an average of 806 minutes in our battery life benchmark. That’s nearly 13 and a half hours. Of course, you won’t get that much battery life in real use. It’s worth noting that Lenovo says you’ll get better battery life when using the laptop as an Android laptop instead of a Windows laptop. So, when the battery is getting low, you could switch to an Android experience to prolong your usage. Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid: Conclusion The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid is a very cool machine. I’m glad Lenovo is creating interesting and unique experiences like this one and bringing them to market. (I was also impressed by the dual-screen Lenovo Yoga Book 9i laptop, which I reviewed earlier this year). The elephant in the room is the price. $3,518 is a lot of money for a laptop. For that much money, you could get both a capable Windows laptop and a high-quality Android tablet. You could use both devices at once. In fact, you’d probably spend less than $3,518 on that dual-device setup – even if you splurged. Many people looking at a machine like this one may prefer a 2-in-1 that runs Windows in both modes, like Microsoft’s Surface Pro. Other people may want a separate Windows laptop and Android tablet. Or, if you just want a laptop that runs Android apps, you may want to get a Chromebook. I wish the mechanism for attaching the display worked more smoothly and didn’t feel so clunky to use. But I got used to it, and some people are going to love this machine. There’s nothing else like this on the market. If you want a two-in-one Windows and Android experience like this one, there’s no substitute. Read...

The referral relates to comments Takuta Ferris made during last week`s general debate. Read...

The referral relates to comments Takuta Ferris made during last week`s general debate. Read...

Although Amazon is currently readying the troops for its Prime Big Deal Days event (aka October Prime Day), which officially begins October 8, we’re already seeing a number of early laptop deals. I’ve curated a list of the best laptop deals below. Why should you listen to my recommendations? Valid question! I oversee PCWorld’s laptop review program, so I handle everything from assignment to publication. I also carefully maintain our best laptop deals roundup on a day-to-day basis as well as our best laptops of 2024 roundup on a weekly basis. Since I spend a good amount of time every day searching the web for the best laptop deals, I’m pretty tuned in to popular trends and able to pluck the good deals from a sea of bad ones. To assemble the list below, I looked at everything from graphics and storage space to design and form factor. I also checked out Amazon’s pricing history with Camel Camel Camel. Don’t forget to check out our Prime Big Deal Days 2024 hub for more great deals in other tech categories. First published on Sept. 24, 2024. Last updated on Sept. 24, 2024. Best Prime Big Deal Days deals on budget and mid-range laptops HP Stream 14, includes 16GB of RAM and an Intel Celeron N4120 CPU, $309 ($90 off at Amazon) HP Envy 360, includes a convertible form factor and an Intel Core Ultra 5 125U CPU, $759.99 ($240 off at Amazon) Acer Swift Go 14, includes an OLED display and an Intel Core Ultra processor 155H, $799.99 ($200 off at Amazon) The HP Envy x360 is a great laptop with a powerful Intel Core Ultra 5 125U processor and a versatile convertible form factor. It’s zippy enough for general browsing and productivity tasks, and the convertible form factor means you can fold the screen all the way back. Being able to use a laptop in different positions is useful if you’re a frequent traveler, especially when using the device in a cramped space like an airplane seat. The 15.6-inch 1080p display is also nice as it has touch capability. This is good news if you’re a regular doodler or note taker. Best Prime Big Deal Days deals on premium laptops Asus VivoBook S 16 OLED, includes an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H CPU and a 3200×2000 OLED display, $999.99 ($100 off at Amazon) Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro, includes an OLED touchscreen and an Intel Core 7 Ultra CPU, $1,371.99 ($78 off at Amazon) Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6, includes Wi-Fi 7 connectivity and a Snapdragon X Elite CPU, $1,604 ($95.99 off at Amazon) The above laptop deals are all fantastic, but there’s one that really stands out from the rest. For under a grand, you can pick up the Asus VivoBook S 16 OLED, which boasts a powerful Intel Core Ultra 9 185H CPU as well as a stunning 3200×2000 OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The CPU has 16 cores, 22 threads, and can run up to 5.1GHz. That means it should blitz right through day-to-day tasks and office work. The OLED display is ideal for entertainment or graphic design work, as this type of panel is capable of producing inky blacks and rich colors. The laptop itself also weighs just 3.31 pounds, which is perfect if you travel often. Best Prime Big Deal Days deals on high-end gaming laptops Asus TUF Gaming A15, includes a 1080p 144Hz refresh rate display and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, $1,034.99 ($365 off at Amazon) MSI Katana 17, includes 32GB of RAM and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, $1,259 ($140 off at Amazon) Asus ROG Strix G16, includes a 165Hz refresh rate display and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, $1,282.76 ($117.23 off at Amazon) MSI Katana A17, includes a 240Hz refresh rate display and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, $1,699.99 ($300 off at Amazon) If you’re looking for a great gaming experience at a reasonable price point, the Asus TUF Gaming A15 is definitely worth checking out, as it’s a very well-rounded machine. Between the AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS CPU and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, this laptop should fly through most games on the higher graphics settings. The 1080p display is also quite spacious at 15.6-inches and the 144Hz refresh rate should keep things looking nice and smooth in the heat of battle. It also comes with 1TB of SSD storage, which is a good amount of space if you’ve got a massive games library. Best early Prime Big Deals Day deals on gaming laptops under $1,000 HP Victus, includes an Intel Core i5-12450H CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2050 GPU, $589.99 ($110 off at Amazon) Gigabyte Aorus 15, includes a 360Hz refresh rate display, an Intel Core i5-12500H CPU, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU, $979 ($120 off at Amazon) Acer Nitro 16, includes 1TB of SSD storage, an AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, $957.47 ($342.52 off at Amazon) Acer Nitro V 16, includes a 165Hz refresh rate display, a AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, $967.49 ($162.05 off at Amazon) The Gigabyte Aorus 15 deserves a call-out because of its wickedly fast 360Hz refresh rate display. That’s an incredibly high number, so this display should churn out silky-smooth visuals, which is important during more intensive matches. It also comes with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU and an Intel Core i5-12500H CPU, meaning it has enough juice to run most games on the Medium or High graphics settings, but you may want to dial those settings back on more modern titles. The display, measuring a roomy 15.6-inches, is pretty spacious with a resolution of 1920×1080. It’s not the highest resolution we’ve ever seen, but it’s perfectly fine for most games. More awesome Prime Big Deal Days 2024 tech deals Our PCWorld editors have curated best deal roundups across all the major tech categories: Best Amazon tech deals across PCWorld’s top categories Laptop deals: Best of Prime Day 2024 Monitor deals: Best of Prime Day 2024 SSD and storage deals: Best of Prime Day 2024 USB flash drive deals: Best of Prime Day 2024 Thunderbolt dock and USB-C hub deals: Best of Prime Day 2024 Office chairs and standing desks: Best of Prime Day 2024 Battery charger deals: Best of Prime Day 2024 Chromebook deals: Best of Prime Day 2024 Laptop deals FAQ 1. What kind of laptop should I get? Well, it depends on your needs and lifestyle. A 2-in-1, for example, is a good fit for someone who travels often. You can swing the screen back 360 degrees and use it in tablet mode for taking notes or you can prop it up like a tent for watching movies with others. If gaming is a top priority, then you’ll want to look into a laptop with powerful internal hardware and a display with a high refresh rate. For those of us who need a basic laptop for general web browsing, a low-powered Windows laptop should do you just fine. 2. How can I tell whether a laptop is a good Prime Day deal? I always use Camel Camel Camel, which is a pricing history platform. You can make a free account and the interface is pretty easy to navigate. Let’s use the Asus VivoBook 16 as an example. Plug the ASIN, which is the part of the URL that starts with the letter B (B0BT6NKLQR in this case), into the search bar and hit search. Once the result generates, scroll down and you’ll see a graph of its price history. You’ll see a big dip in the price this month, the lowest price it has ever been in fact. That’s a big drop from the end of March when it was as high as $741.16. 3. Do laptop brands matter? Not particularly when you’re hunting for deals, as long as you stick to household names. All of the big manufacturers like HP and Acer make perfectly capable machines and they all offer pretty steep discounts on their online retail storefronts. You may have a personal preference, though. Dell, for example, has great customer service and their website is easy to navigate. As for HP, their back-to-school guide is laid out in a really straightforward way. 4. How much memory do I need in a laptop? I always tell my friends and family to shoot for at least 8GB of RAM. Anything less than that and you may very well notice a slowdown. If you can go higher than 8GB, that’s great! The more RAM you have, the snappier your laptop will be, especially when it comes to general browsing or making spreadsheets. 16GB of RAM is better for productivity tasks and gaming, and 32GB of RAM is perfect for photo editors. Read...

Another update just rolled out to Windows 11 Insiders that brings new features like jump lists for apps pinned to the Start menu and the ability to share files from the Windows Search panel, reports Windows Latest. But the most intriguing part of the update is an improvement to File Explorer that adds a new Shared section to the Home folder, right next to the Recent and Favorite sections that are already there. This new Shared section of File Explorer integrates with your Microsoft account and showcases the files that have been shared with you across Microsoft’s other products, including OneDrive and Teams. Get Windows 11 Pro for cheap Windows 11 Pro For enterprise and education accounts, the Shared section will also include files that have been shared within the organization. It will also work with Microsoft Entra ID, used by companies for managing access to internal resources for employees. Though still buggy, File Explorer’s new Shared feature could end up being quite useful if you’re part of a fast-moving team or organization with lots of files flying around. Having all those shared files from across many apps in one central location should make it far easier to find the exact documents or images you need. As of now, this feature is only available in the optional KB5043185 update that’s available to Windows Insiders on the Dev Channel. This update is expected to reach the general public in early October. Further reading: Should you become a Windows Insider? What you need to know before signing up Read...

The director-general of health has denied Tauranga an extension which would have allowed the city to delay water fluoridation. Read...