You probably know that it’s easy enough to fake audio and video of someone at this point, so you might think to do a little bit of research if you see, say, Jeff Bezos spouting his love for the newest cryptocurrency on Facebook. But more targeted scam campaigns are sprouting up thanks to “AI” fakery, according to the FBI, and they’re not content to settle for small-scale rug pulls or romance scams. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation issued a public service announcement yesterday, stating that there’s an “ongoing malicious text and voice messaging campaign” that’s using faked audio to impersonate a senior US official. Exactly who the campaign is impersonating, or who it’s targeting, isn’t made clear. But a little imagination—and perhaps a lack of faith in our elected officials and their appointees—could illustrate some fairly dire scenarios. “One way the actors gain such access is by sending targeted individuals a malicious link under the guise of transitioning to a separate messaging platform,” warns the FBI. It’s a familiar tactic, with romance scammers often trying to get their victims off dating apps and onto something more anonymous like Telegram before pumping them for cash or blackmail material. And recent stories of federal employees and bosses communicating over Signal, or some less savory alternatives, have given these messaging systems a lot of exposure. Presumably, the scammers contact a specific target using an unknown number and pretend to be their boss or some other high-ranking official, using an attached voice message to “prove” their identity. These have become trivially easy to fake, as recently demonstrated when billionaires like “Elon Musk” and “Mark Zuckerberg” started confessing to heinous crimes via the speakers at Silicon Valley crosswalks. “Deepfakes” (i.e., impersonating celebrities via animated video and voice) have now become extremely common online. The FBI recommends the usual protection steps to avoid being hoodwinked: don’t click on sketchy links over text or email, don’t send money (or crypto) to anyone without lots of verification, and use two-factor authentication. One thing I’ve recently done with my family (since my ugly mug is all over TikTok via PCWorld’s short videos) is to establish a secret phrase with my family to give us a way to authenticate each other over voice calls. But with automation tools and hundreds of thousands of potential targets in the US government, it seems inevitable that someone will slip up at some point. Hopefully, federal law enforcement won’t be too busy with other matters to take care of real threats. Read...

Proton VPN is one of the very best VPNs on the market, and it’s currently offering a can’t-miss discount. Swiss company Proton is celebrating its 11th birthday right now, and for the next two weeks, from May 14 to May 28, you can snag a huge 70 percent discount on Proton VPN’s Plus plan. For just $2.99 per month for a two-year contract, you’ll enjoy great speeds, stellar privacy, and advanced security features. ProtonVPN Read our review Best Prices Today: $9.99 at Proton VPN In our latest review, Proton VPN earned a coveted Editor’s Choice rating for its abundant privacy and security features. It excels at just about everything you’d want a VPN service to do, plus some things you didn’t even know you needed. Aside from the great features, Proton VPN boasts a large server network, and all of its servers also work to unblock streaming services. Plus, its transparent, privacy-first approach to VPNs is positively refreshing when compared to other services just out to make a quick buck. In fact, transparency is so essential to parent company Proton that it has made it the guiding principle in everything it does. From all apps being open-source to regular independent audits of its no-logs policy, users can rest assured that their data is being protected to the highest degree. Be sure to sign up before May 28 to take advantage of the sale. Proton even offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can cancel anytime beforehand should you decide it’s not for you. Get 70 percent off on Proton VPN`s Plus planSave now at Proton VPN Read...

For best ergonomic results, you need to bring your laptop to eye level, else you’ll ruin your posture and cause strain across your neck, shoulders, back, and more. One way to do this is with a laptop stand, but don’t just get any old stand! You can do better with this Ugreen USB-C docking station laptop stand that’s on sale for $34 on Amazon. Right off the bat, you can see how practical this thing is. It has four angle settings from 15 degrees to 33 degrees, and it uses an anti-slip material to prevent your laptop from shifting no matter the angle. It folds down into a compact size and it’s easy to toss into your bag, able to be taken wherever you go with your laptop. And it’s not just good for ergonomics but heat dissipation so your laptop doesn’t overwork itself. But the best part is that this laptop stand also doubles as a docking station with five essential ports. It hooks up to your laptop via USB-C, and then you can use the stand’s two USB-A ports, HDMI port, and SD/microSD slots to connect extra drives and devices on top of whatever other ports you might have built into your laptop. The HDMI even supports 4K output to an external display. Why buy a laptop stand and docking station separately when you can get them together at a better price? Get the Ugreen USB-C docking station laptop stand for just $34 while you still can! Get the 5-in-1 USB-C laptop dock stand for $34Buy now at Amazon Read...

New owners of VPNSecure have been taking major flak recently after unexpectedly cancelling all lifetime subscriptions for users of the VPN service. The owners claimed that they didn’t know about the lifetime subscriptions when they first bought VPNSecure and are now unable to continue honoring them. Per Ars Technica, the first complaints from users losing their lifetime access began in March of this year. In April, users with lifetime subscriptions received an email stating, “To continue providing a secure and high-quality experience for all users, Lifetime Deal accounts have now been deactivated as of April 28th, 2025.” In response to a sudden wave—24 pages in total—of negative 1-star customer reviews on TrustPilot, a representative for the provider clarified, “In 2023, we acquired only the infrastructure and brand in a distressed asset sale after that company shut down. No contracts, payment data, or customer obligations were transferred.” VPNSecure has apologized to customers who were caught off guard by the sudden cancellations but reinforced its new position by saying it “never will” sell lifetime subscriptions. The whole ordeal seems to have been bungled from the start, but the company drew further ire with the way in which it so abruptly cut subscriptions. While it may have mitigated some of these issues by giving more advanced notice of the cancellations, it was never going to be an easy pill to swallow for previous lifetime plan holders. Adding insult to injury, there is no evidence that VPNSecure is offering refunds to those who purchased lifetime subscriptions. Instead, it’s offering affected users “an exclusive deal starting at just $1.87/month to continue using the service.” Insert eyeroll here. The whole ordeal is a great reminder that lifetime subscriptions are rarely as trustworthy as advertisements lead you to believe. Should the company ever go out of business or be sold, these previous ‘guarantees’ can be nothing but hot air. If you happen to be someone affected by these cancellations or are just looking for a VPN service that you can trust, refer to our list of the best VPNs. Read...

I am not a video editor. But Alex Esteves is — in fact he edits most of the videos on PCWorld’s YouTube channel and TikTok. So he knows a thing or two about what kind of PC works best for Adobe Premiere and other video editing software. And he’s in the studio, in front of the camera this time, to break it down for us. First of all, it’s not a straight matter of Bigger Bar Better. So simply shelling out the most you can possibly afford on a processor, or tracking down the one with the best benchmarks for your budget, might not be the optimal approach. More and faster processor scores are generally better, but that’s a generality. Examining the subscores in PugetBench’s Premiere Pro test breaks them down into Intraframe, LongGOP, and uncompressed RAW scores, different measures of performance based on how codecs are processing video. Once again, I am not video editor — watch Alex’s explanations for the technical details. But the gist of it is that how you edit your video, the hardware you use, the specific methods you choose between the different editing steps, affect which processor will be the ideal choice for you. For example, if you’re using LongGOP heavily, shelling out for a processor with more performance cores probably isn’t going to benefit you that much. The good news is that the delta between more affordable, mid-range desktop processors and the most expensive stuff on the market isn’t absolutely insurmountable, so you can do plenty of quality editing without sinking multiple thousands of dollars into hardware. For more on PC hardware, be sure to subscribe to PCWorld on YouTube, and check out our weekly podcast The Full Nerd. Read...

If your office chair leaves your back begging for mercy after long hours at your desk, you’re not alone! And now here’s an opportunity to change that. The Staples Hyken is one of Reddit’s most recommended budget desk chairs and right now it’s on sale for just $150. That’s 50% off! With a price drop this impressive, you really shouldn’t sit around (literally) on your old chair when you have a chance to upgrade to an alternative that’s comfortable, supportive, and affordable. The Staples Hyken checks all the boxes for ergonomic comfort, complete with an adjustable headrest and armrests, customizable seat height, swivel and tilt settings, as well as the one key feature that you always need in a good task chair: dynamic lumbar support that you can adjust to fit your back just right. The breathable mesh seat and back are the cherry on top, keeping you cool during those hot summer days. For remote workers and PC gamers on a tight budget, the Staples Hyken has become a go-to option, with its versatility and affordability praised across various communities on Reddit. What are you waiting for? Snag the Hyken chair for just $150 while you can! This deal expires tomorrow or when supplies run out, which could be sooner than later. The Staples Hyken with dynamic lumbar support is 50% offBuy now from Staples Read...

For most people, the best computing option for a home office these days is not a laptop, not a desktop, but a mini PC. It takes up a lot less space and offers a lot more bang for your buck in terms of performance. For instance, the Kamrui E3B mini PC is only $272 at Amazon right now with Prime and special discount code 6IFOASQQ (down from its original $430). Snag a free Prime trial to score this extra-low price! This thing is absolutely tiny, fitting comfortably under your monitor or even on your monitor’s back if you use the VESA mount. Despite its size, it’s still rather powerful, running on a Ryzen 7 5700U CPU and a hefty 32GB of RAM. That’s more than enough to smoothly run Windows 11, apps, and browser tabs without choking. The Kamrui E3B only comes with a 512GB SSD (boo), but it’s pre-loaded with Windows 11 Pro (nice). If you outgrow it and need more space, you can manually upgrade the storage up to 2TB and the memory up to 64GB, turning it into a real powerhouse. You can also get away with some light gaming thanks to the integrated RX Vega 8 graphics. Lastly, the Kamrui E3B has solid connectivity with built-in Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2, plus numerous ports including HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB-C video for triple 4K@60Hz support along with six high-speed USB-A, a Gigabit LAN port, and a 3.5mm audio jack. Overall, this is a fantastic mini PC for any budget, especially with this crazy discount. Get the Kamrui E3B for just $272 at Amazon, but don’t forget you need both a Prime subscription—start a 30-day free trial now—and code 6IFOASQQ at checkout! Get this Ryzen 7 mini PC with 32GB RAM for just $272Buy now at Amazon Read...

Acer’s new Aspire notebooks for Computex 2025 offer the choice of all three processor platforms, with either 14- or 16-inch display options. But there’s one big problem that the company can’t do anything about. In a word? Tariffs. Acer’s Aspire notebooks typically are its most affordable, so America’s fluctuating import tariffs add a confusing wrinkle to anything Acer announces. As a result, Acer isn’t announcing either the pricing or the ship date for its six new Copilot+ PCs. It is, however, disclosing what European customers will pay. Acer’s new Aspires are easy to understand: the company is shipping two notebooks, each with Intel’s Core Ultra (Lunar Lake) series, the AMD Ryzen AI 300 series, and the low-end Qualcomm Snapdragon X platform inside. In each processor category, Acer is shipping both a 14-inch and a 16-inch version. All qualify as Copilot+ PCs. Perhaps because of the price, Acer executives told us that the emphasis is on the Snapdragon-based Aspires. The 14-inch version will ship for 899 euros ($1,006) and will be available in June to European customers. Naturally, we just don’t know what tariffs will do to your wallet. Acer While there are slight differences, each of the 14-inch Aspires generally shares the same features as the others, and the same goes for the 16-inch Aspires, too. There are some slight variations, we’re told: for example, the Snapdragon PC platform includes a 1440p webcam, while the AMD and Intel versions include a more basic 1080p webcam. The Intel- and Qualcomm-based Aspires include Wi-Fi 7, while the AMD-based Aspire ships with a Wi-Fi 6e radio instead. The Intel variant also includes Thunderbolt 4 ports, while the others include the virtually identical USB4. Finally, the Intel-based Aspire ships with a 1920 x 1280 display option (and a 60Hz panel), while the others ship with a 1920 x 1200 display instead but nudge up to 120Hz. Qualcomm These are the specifications for the new 14-inch and 16-inch Aspire AI notebooks, with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X chip inside. I had a chance to briefly check out the new Aspires in a press preview before Computex. The displays of the new Aspires are better than you might expect, with both OLED options and conventional IPS panels that can reach 500 nits and top out at 120Hz refresh rates — not what you would normally expect for a budget PC. Memory options climb to 32GB of LPDDR5X, with storage options of up to a 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSDs. In general, the 14-inch Aspires measure 12.28 x 8.89 x 0.63in. and weigh about 2.73 pounds, while the 16-inch versions measure 13.97 x 9.85 x 0.63in. and weigh about 3.28 pounds. There are some slight variations depending upon the processor. Acer Acer’s 14- and 16-inch Aspire AI notebooks, this time with an Intel Lunar Lake chip inside them. Again, the key is the price. Acer’s two Snapdragon Aspires, the A14-11M and A16-11M, will ship for 899 euros ($1,006) and 999 euros ($1,118) in June and July, respectively. The Acer Aspire A14-53M, a 14-inch Aspire with Intel’s Core Ultra chip, will ship for 999 euros ($1,118) in July and accompany the 16-inch A16-52M for 1,099 euros ($1,230), which will ship in August to the European market. Finally, Acer will ship its 14-inch A14-61M and the 16-inch A16-61M with Ryzen AI 300 processors inside to Europe in July and August for 999 euros ($1,118) and 1,099 euros ($1,230). As for the United States? Acer said that it will announce a ship date and price for the various models closer to when you can buy them. Read...

Acer is launching two creator-class laptops at Computex 2025: the Swift X 14 and Swift X 14 AI, which give buyers the choice of either an AMD or Intel processor as well as an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070. A creator-class laptop splits the difference between a traditional productivity laptop and a gaming device, with a midrange GPU that can handle both tasks, and with decent battery life, too. In the case of the Acer Swift X line, the two laptops have identical measurements (12.69 x 8.95 x 0.38-0.71 inches) and weigh about 3.5 pounds. What the Swift X offers is demure performance: It lacks the RGB keyboards of Acer’s Predator lineup, and includes a haptic touchpad as an additional feature. A haptic touchpad is equally clickable all along its surface, with minimal effort. Acer even includes a stylus for taking notes on the touchpad or the laptop’s 14.5-inch 2800×1800 OLED display, which delivers 100 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut. That display appears to be just 60Hz, however. The only difference between the two Swift X’s is in the processor: The Swift X 14 AI features the choice of a Copilot+ capable Ryzen AI 300-series chip, from the AI 5 340 on up to the AI 9 365. Alternatively, the Swift X 14 includes either Intel’s Core Ultra 225H, 255H, and 285H. All are members of Intel’s Arrow Lake family, which can only provide 13 TOPS and do not meet Copilot+ requirements. Mark Hachman / Foundry Inside, Acer offers up to 32GB of LPDDR5X system memory as well as up to a terabyte of storage — but with two M.2 slots for SSDs, so users can add more. Acer provides a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports, and a pair of USB-A ports, with one available for charging. The laptop also includes an SD slot, as well as an undisclosed HDMI port. Acer includes a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports in additional to USB-A and HDMI.Mark Hachman / Foundry Though there’s just a 1080p webcam, it can identify you for Windows Hello biometric recognition. There’s a fingerprint reader underneath the power button, too. The wrinkle is the pricing and availability. Because of the constantly changing tariffs, Acer isn’t disclosing pricing or availability quite yet. The company will ship the Swift X in 30 to 90 days, but isn’t saying exactly when. “We will announce U.S. pricing, availability, and configurations closer to market availability in the United States/North America,” Acer said in a statement. Both Swift X laptops will be available in Europe in July, for 1,799 euro, or about $2,012. Acer Read...

Acer’s Swift Edge 14 AI laptops already feel like one of the standouts of next week’s Computex 2025 show, combining a matte OLED display with an incredibly light weight. If you’re constantly on the go, this might be a laptop for you. All told, the Acer Swift Edge’s magnesium-aluminum chassis eliminates the vast majority of the weight. At 2.18 pounds, this puts the emphasis on light, which should be one of the focus points for a laptop that is constantly dropped into a bag or backpack. Acer’s Swift Edge 14 AI (SFE14-51 and -51T) and the Swift Go 14 and 16 AI are among the number of laptops that the company is debuting at Computex in the thin-and-light category, along with the Swift X creator series and the cheaper Aspire notebooks as well. Acer is also launching updates to its Predator line of gaming notebooks, too. I had a chance to go hands-on with the new Swift Edge in a preview of Acer’s Computex lineup. The Swift Edge is incredibly light, easily drawn out and moved around with a single hand. The real star of this Core Ultra (Lunar Lake) notebook may be its 14-inch screen, a 2880 x 1800 OLED coated with a Corning Gorilla Matte Pro finish. Laptop makers typically offer reflective screen which can mirror the light and background of your nearby environment. If you’ve ever worked in a library or cafe with overhead lighting, you’ll notice it. On the other hand, a matte screen dulls all that, eliminating reflections and minimizing the reflected light. That’s even more important with an OLED display, whose rich blacks tend to emphasize a reflective display. Acer’s Swift Go laptops, available in 14-inch and 16-inch screen sizes, are a bit more conventional. Like the Swift Edge AI, these are Copilot+ laptops, so the Intel Core 200V chips (Lunar Lake) inside these Swift Go 14 AI and Swift Go 16 AI allow for Microsoft’s Copilot+ experiences like Windows Studio Effects, Windows Recall, and more. The signature feature here is one you may have seen before: the Acer Multi-Control touchpad that provides contextual controls — such as play, pause, and fast-forward/rewind — during specific applications. The Swift Gos also include Acer Assist, a dedicated AI app, which provides a folder into which users can load documents and then assign an LLM to make sense of them all. The new Swift Go platform also includes Purified Voice 2.0, which can filter out ambient noise during video calls like magic. (Rival Asus offers a similar technology. Both use the NPU for noise filtering, which I’ve tested.) Because of the variability of the Trump tariffs, Acer isn’t disclosing pricing or the ship date of these laptops for the U.S. markets. In general, however, you should expect them to ship in between 30 and 90 days, Acer tells us. “We will announce U.S. pricing, availability, and configurations closer to market availability in the United States/North America,” Acer said in a statement. Acer did provide European pricing, however, as a point of comparison. Acer Swift Edge 14 AI Previously, Acer’s Swift Edge featured AMD’s Ryzen AI 300 CPUs. At least for Computex, Acer is showcasing the Swift Edge AI with just Intel inside. Acer’s Swift Edge 14 AI helps set the bar for the thin- and-light laptop category.Mark Hachman / Foundry Acer’s Swift Edge 14 AI measures 12.35 x 9.02 x 0.37in (9.3-16mm) and includes processor options from Intel Core Ultra 5 226V to the Core Ultra 9 288V, plus Intel’s integrated Arc graphics GPUs. Though it’s thin and light, it’s not flimsy; the laptop is rated at MIL-STD 810H resilience. Inside the notebook are options for either 32GB of LPDDR5X memory and up to a terabyte of PCIe Gen 4 SSD storage. This is the advantage of a matte screen: look at your phone or laptop edge-on, and note the reflections…which don’t appear here.Mark Hachman / Foundry Although battery life will vary based on a number of factors, the Swift Edge boasts a 65Wh battery, enough for what the company says is good for 21 hours of battery life. Wireless connectivity is supplied by Intel’s Killer Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 and above. There are also plenty of ports: a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports, plus two USB-A ports, one that’s capable of charging. The specifications of Acer’s Swift Edge 14 AI.Acer Acer includes a standard 1080p webcam on the Acer Swift Edge 14 AI, but with an additional fingerprint reader mounted behind the power button. The Acer Swift Edge 14 AI (SFE14-51/T) will be available in Europe in June, starting at EUR1,599 ($1,788) and in Australia in the second quarter, starting at AUD3,999. Acer Swift Go 16 AI and Acer Swift Go 14 AI Acer’s Swift Go laptops are thicker, and built out of aluminum. Acer’s 14-inch Swift Go 14 AI, for example, measures 12.3 x 8.89 x 0.63 inches and measures 3.06 pounds; the 16-inch version measures 14 x 9.87 x 0.63 inches and weighs a chunkier 3.53 pounds. They both include 64Wh batteries. Acer’s Swift Go 16 AI.Acer The two laptops are built around either your choice of an OLED (a 16-inch 2040 x 1280 or 14-inch 1920 x 1200) or a standard 1200p IPS display — put another way, the 16-inch offers significant differences in screen resolution while the 14-inch does not. In both, you’ll have a choice between four different Core Ultra (Lunar Lake) processors, with up to 32GB of LPDDR5X memory and a whopping 2TB of storage. Both laptops have two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports, WiFi 7, and Bluetooth 5.4. The Acer Swift Go 16 AI (SFG16-74) will be available in Europe beginning in August, starting at 1,299 euros ($1,453). The Acer Swift Go 14 AI (SFG14-75) will be available in Europe in July, starting at EUR1,199 ($1,341). Acer Read...