Opotiki council is being urged to ban or limit the number of overnight campers due to fears the public toilets are putting pressure on the delicate environment. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Transcendent battery life A purposeful use of space Lovely, surprisingly large OLED screen Lighter than a MacBook Air Great audio Cons Keyboard needs more key travel Performance needs improvement, especially on battery Our Verdict If it weren’t for the keyboard, the Asus Zenbook S 14 (UX5406) would be my go-to productivity laptop. It’s a potent lightweight package that allows you to work over a day without a charge. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Asus Zenbook S 14 (UX5406SA) Retailer Price Asus $1499.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket You might approach buying the Asus Zenbook S 14 (UX5406) for a variety of reasons such as its status as an AI-infused Copilot+ PC and its lovely OLED screen. But it’s the long-lasting battery — 21 hours in our tests! — that will change your life. I don’t mean this lightly. I’m used to packing a charger in my bag because I know instinctively that the laptop will run out of battery. This, the launch platform for Intel’s Core Ultra Series 2 (Lunar Lake) mobile chip, simply does not. I’m not overly impressed with the performance, especially when run on battery alone. I would also prefer a springier, more responsive keyboard. But this laptop simply makes battery anxiety a thing of the past. “Tight” is a word that has come to connote an efficiency of space and effort. This laptop feels tight in that very little is without purpose. My review score reflects a less-than-ideal keyboard. Intel’s Lunar Lake certainly could improve in terms of performance, and that’s reflected here too. But otherwise, this laptop is close to perfect in my eyes. Further reading: Best laptops 2024: Premium, budget, gaming, 2-in-1s, and more Asus Zenbook S 14: Buying options Asus sells a single version of the Zenbook S 14 (UX5406) for $1,499, with an Intel Core Ultra 7 Processor 258V as well as 32GB of memory. Our review unit was the UX5406SA, which shipped with a 512GB SSD instead. Remember, Intel’s Core Ultra Series 2 chips (Lunar Lake) package the system memory directly on the package. That limits the available configurations and prevents you from upgrading the memory later. Best Buy and Walmart are selling versions with a Core Ultra 7 processor, but only 16GB of RAM for slightly cheaper. Otherwise, Asus offers this laptop in a pair of colors: Scandinavian White and a blackish tint formally called Zumaia Gray. Asus also offers the Vivobook, which is aimed more at budget buyers. Best Buy just announced the related Asus Vivobook S 14 Q423, with a Core Ultra 5, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a 1200p screen for $949. Mark Hachman / IDG Asus Zenbook S 14: Specifications Display: 14-inch (2880×1800) touchscreen OLED up to 120Hz Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7 258V (eight cores, eight threads) Graphics: Intel Arc NPU: Yes, 47 TOPS Memory: 32GB LPDDR5X, integrated Storage: 1 TB NVMe PCI 4.0 SSD (512GB as tested) Ports: 2 USB-C (Thunderbolt 4), 1 10Gbps USB-A, HDMI 2.1, 3.5mm audio jack Security: Windows Hello (camera) Camera: 1080p30 Battery: 72Wh (design), (71.9Wh (full, as tested) Wireless: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 Operating system: Windows 11 Home 24H2 Dimensions: 12.22 x 8.45 x 0.47 inches Weight: 2.65 pounds Color: Scandinavian White, Zumaia Gray Price: $1,499 as tested Asus Zenbook S 14: Build quality and first impressions The Asus Zenbook S 14 was Intel’s launch laptop for its latest Core Ultra Series 2 (Lunar Lake) processors, so most of my early experience with this clamshell laptop was quickly installing and running benchmarks for our review of the Lunar Lake chip. (While I’ll reproduce some of my benchmarks there, the Lunar Lake review dives much deeper into the laptop’s performance while on battery and on maximum performance settings). For this review, I treat the laptop much more holistically. Asus and Intel sent us the Zumaia Gray version for review. The Zenbook S 14 is constructed of what Asus calls Ceraluminum, a portmanteau of “ceramic aluminum.” While it does have a bit of a ceramic feel to it, your fingers will probably take away a somewhat plasticky feel from it all. Asus etched silvery lines on to the chassis on the back of the display, giving it the unfortunate look that a few cracks appeared. Overall, the laptop has a prestigious look to it, but nothing especially luxurious. Mark Hachman / IDG Structurally, it’s sound, too. I noticed just a minimal amount of flex when pressing hard upon the center of the keyboard and the display doesn’t demonstrate meaningful wobble. My overall impression of the Zenbook S 14 is of a compact little productivity powerhouse, and picking up and opening this notebook reinforces this idea rather quickly. The Zenbook weighs just 2.65 pounds, with a screen-to-body ratio of 90 percent — with a 14-inch screen that pushes up right against the borders of the chassis, in other words. Did you know that the 13-inch MacBook Air weighs 2.7 pounds? The left side of the Zenbook S 1 4 boats two Thunderbolt 4 ports as well as an HDMI connection.Mark Hachman / IDG There isn’t too much room between the left and right sides of the keyboard and the edges of the keyboard tray, and the touchpad feels like they had to lean hard against it to squeeze it — as well as the integrated functions it controls — in. The downside is that the keyboard looks and feels a mite cramped. Still, all of these things contribute to the impression that this little laptop is jam-packed with features. This new Asus Zenbook is extremely quiet. I tested it in a variety of modes, accessible via the MyAsus app, and forgot I had left it in “performance” mode. Normally, that means a loud, noisy fan blowing hard to keep the laptop cool. At least while performing office tasks, “Performance” is basically as loud as many laptops’ standard or “quiet” modes. There’s no real need to run the laptop in a high-performance mode, but rest assured that if you do, you probably won’t even notice. Even “full speed” mode, the laptop’s highest performance setting, declined to actually run the fan at high speed when it wasn’t needed. The Zenbook S 14 sucks air via vents on the bottom of the chassis and blows it out through the hinge. Is that a properly labeled USB-A port? It is!Mark Hachman / IDG Asus has added a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports to the left side of the chassis, next to an HDMI 2.1 port. Asus has also included a single USB-A port on the right side, with a 3.5mm audio jack. It’s a nice mix of ports, able to accommodate an external display and mouse without the need for an optional Thunderbolt dock or USB-C hub. Inside, Asus has added an up-to-date Wi-Fi 7 radio, paired with Bluetooth 5.4. Asus Zenbook S 14: Display Asus chose a 14.0-inch, 3K (2880 x 1800) touch OLED panel with refresh rates up to 120Hz for use with the Zenbook S 14. The display is rated for 500 nits HDR peak brightness, which isn’t that much. At maximum brightness, the display produces 358 nits by my measurements, which is good for indoor use but not direct sun. Lenovo’s rival Lunar Lake platform, the Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition, uses a traditional IPS panel instead. The difference is one of image quality and a power tradeoff. An IPS panel typically uses a single, uniform backlight, which brightens and dims the entire screen depending upon the demands of the image it’s rendering. That can cause a bit of backlight “glow” in darker scenes, which OLED displays don’t have. OLEDs regulate brightness on a per-pixel basis, which gives darker scenes richer, deeper blacks. But they have a reputation for consuming more power than an IPS display if rendering a bright scene, such as you might use for apps like Microsoft Word or Outlook. It’s likely, given the stellar battery life this notebook already has, that chips like the Intel Core 200 series found inside will allow for visually richer OLED displays to be more common than in the past. Mark Hachman / IDG We’ve thankfully begun to move from a standard 1080p, 60Hz display to higher-resolution displays like the 1800p display here. That allows for a crisper image, and the dynamic 120Hz screen should feel more comfortable to look at for longer periods of time. (It will dip down to 60Hz when it thinks it can to save power, though you can fix it at 120Hz using the MyAsus settings app). An 120Hz screen refresh rate also allows for smoother inking and mousing, which isn’t so much of an issue because of the lack of an integrated stylus. (The laptop does boast stylus support). The Zenbook reclines to an approximate 30-40 degrees off the horizontal, which is fine for office work — reclining flat would allow for easier inking, however. In the real world, what this means is that you’ll be able to work in either light or dark mode, while enjoying a lovely screen for enjoying streamed video after hours. I’m an unabashed fan of OLED displays, and the Zenbook’s choice of an OLED display is probably a good thing. Inside the MyAsus app you’ll find various controls to tweak the display, from adjusting the color gamut to tweaking how the OLED displays visible pixels at low brightness. Probably the most important control from a visual sense is whether you enable a screensaver to kick in at about 30 minutes; OLEDs can suffer from “burn in,” but the issue is less of a concern now than it once was. Peer in closely, however, and you may notice the “speckling” that affected the Surface Pro 11th Edition’s OLED screen as well. Think of it as a very light coat of dust upon the “inside” of the screen. It’s extremely faint, not distracting at all, but it’s there. Asus Zenbook S 14: Keyboard and touchpad I’ve never found Asus keyboards particularly appealing, and that still holds with Zenbook S 14. The keys themselves aren’t any smaller than other notebooks I’ve tried, but the pitch — the space between the keys — is less than some competitors, contributing to a cramped feel. Mark Hachman / IDG Key travel is only 1.1mm, too, which is at the minimum end of the spectrum. Again, I prefer keyboards with at least 1.25mm of travel. You might think, does just 0.15mm make a difference? I believe it does and you’ll notice it. I typed this review on the Zenbook itself and I don’t feel like my fingers were as comfortable as on an Acer, Microsoft, or HP keyboard. The keyboard includes three levels of backlighting, which feels pretty necessary given the rather poor contrast between the key markings and the “gray” background. The backlighting will turn off after one minute on battery, a configurable setting. It remains on constantly while on wall power, unless disabled or unless the MyAsus setting disables it when the notebook detects bright light. If it weren’t for the keyboard, the Asus Zenbook S 14 (UX5406) would be my go-to productivity laptop. It’s a potent lightweight package that allows you to work over a day without a charge. Asus places a row of function keys atop the keyboard, which can be triggered either by tapping the Windows key or just the function key itself. There’s a dedicated emoji key, as well as one (F11) which is surprisingly without purpose. There are camera and mic control on the Asus Zenbook S 14, but no physical covers or slides.Mark Hachman / IDG The Zenbook S 14 is not the first Asus notebook to use its configurable touchpad, which incorporates the standard Windows touchpad gestures as well as its own: A swipe along the left edge to raise or lower the volume, along the right edge for brightness, and along the top to scrub back and forth within a video. They’re all surprisingly useful little tweaks. Otherwise, the mammoth touchpad is clickable just two-thirds or so up the screen. That’s acceptable, though not stellar. Asus Zenbook S 14: Audio, mic, and webcam The Zenbook S 14 has stellar audio, boosted by four integrated Harmon Kardon speakers and augmented by Dolby Atmos audio. Dolby’s “dynamic” setting is on by default, which will carry you across the finish line as far as audio quality is concerned. (The “music” setting sounds a bit better, but not by much). Again, the MyAsus app hides a few settings that may be of interest. Using AI to adjust the speakers didn’t do much, but the volume booster control nudges the volume up a bit. The AI mic control, though, continues to be really impressive. I’ve written before how Asus essentially filters out background noises, even music, almost perfectly from apps like Zoom or Teams using the NPU’s AI powers. If you do buy this notebook, try this out with a friend — it’s really remarkable. About the only knock on it is that it does cause your voice to sound somewhat hollow, and unless you start speaking immediately the tech might briefly and incorrectly “focus” on the background music instead. The bottom of the Zenbook, with a vent grille and speakers to the far left.Mark Hachman / IDG The Zenbook’s integrated 1080p, 30Hz webcam is decent. The video quality is sharp enough that you’ll come across pretty well on a video-conferencing app. The color balance, though, is hit or miss: my skin tone looked pretty normal, but my green shirt appeared brown. There are no physical slides or covers for the webcam, though Asus dedicated two function keys to turning off the webcam and mic. The webcam does have a depth camera attached, which is configured during setup to recognize your face. It worked flawlessly in my experience. Asus Zenbook S 14: Performance Whenever we test something, we try to minimize any potential conflicts or sources of trouble. In certain situations, though, that’s unavoidable. In this case, I tested the Asus Zenbook S 14, one of the first laptops out the door with Intel’s latest chip, together with one of the first Thunderbolt 5 docks in existence, the Kensington S5000T5. The Zenbook only has a Thunderbolt 4 port inside, not a Thunderbolt 5. But the dock played well with other laptops I own with a TB4 port. That wasn’t the case with the Zenbook S 14 — every hour or so, it would drop the connection to a monitor for a second or two. The displays wouldn’t disconnect, but the screen would blank. Also, I conducted a Web video chat with a vendor, using a Web-based “white box” video client that featured the vendor’s name — not Zoom or Teams. The laptop locked up completely, becoming totally unresponsive until I held down the power button to reboot it. I can’t say for certain what the cause was, but my time using this Asus notebook was not without issue. This review, though, will run through our standard benchmarks, plugged in on wall power. Qualcomm has been vehement that this generation of laptop testing should be performed on wall power as well as on battery, to show how sharply the Lunar Lake chip’s performance drops while on battery power. I absolutely agree, and conducted numerous tests on wall power and battery power — on this laptop, no less — to test the chip itself. Basically, expect that this laptop’s performance, unplugged, will drop to about 50 to 70 percent of what our test results show here. Office work and web browsing are just fine on battery, but if you plan to do something like intensive editing work, I’d plug in. A close competitor: the Surface Laptop, powered by Qualcomm.Chris Hoffman / IDG Should you buy a Lunar Lake laptop like this one over one powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chip, such as the 2024 version of the Microsoft Surface Laptop? I don’t think it’s a conclusive win for either side. Qualcomm, like it or not, still has some lingering, minor compatibility issues, but the Snapdragon is a more power-efficient chip than the Core Ultra Series 200 / Lunar Lake chip found within this Asus Zenbook S 14. For comparison’s sake, I’ve chosen the 13.8-inch, $1,999 Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition (aka the Surface Laptop 7) with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chip, the 15.3-inch, $1,379 Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition with another Lunar Lake processor, the 14-inch $1,689 HP OmniBook Ultra 14 with AMD’s latest Ryzen AI 300 chip inside, plus Acer’s 14-inch, $1,329 TravelMate P4 Spin 14 with a Core Ultra Series 1 chip inside. I’ve also added a budget 14-inch $849 Asus Zenbook 14 from earlier this year as well as the surprisingly inexpensive $769 16-inch HP Pavilion Laptop 16 with a Core Ultra 7 155U inside, just to demonstrate what an extra $1,000 or so supposedly buys you. We use four major tests to determine the laptop’s performance, beginning with PCMark 10. This benchmark puts the laptop through a number of tasks, from videoconferencing to web browsing, to general Office tasks, and even some mildly intensive CAD work. It’s a good approximation of many daily tasks in a variety of applications, and a good score here means that this laptop will be able to hold up over a day’s work. Mark Hachman / IDG You would expect this laptop to hold up, however, and it does. There’s one thing I noticed, however, that stands out. If you drill down inside the PCMark scores (which we don’t usually break out), the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i falls just below the Zenbook in the total score, which includes a variety of factors. In a single category, spreadsheet performance, the Yoga far exceeds the Zenbook, with a score of 14,646 to 10,855, a whopping 35 percent difference. I don’t know why that is, but it’s noteworthy. Cinebench is a synthetic benchmark that pushes all of the laptop’s CPU cores to their limit. In this case, we’re trying to understand how well the laptop to respond to an application’s demands for the full capabilities of the PC, whatever that application may be. Don’t expect Lunar Lake laptops to be especially powerful; battery life is now the focus. Still, this laptop can hold its own. We use an older version of the test, Cinebench R20, as the version we test here. On the latest iterations, Cinebench R23 and Cinebench 2024, the laptop scored 1,855 and 589, respectively. You can find more context in our Lunar Lake review, which used this laptop as a test bed. Mark Hachman / IDG Handbrake is a similar test, though with prolonged exertion in mind. Handbrake takes an approximately 90-minute video file and transcodes it into a more compact format. It’s a practical task, one that people still perform for copying videos onto a tablet for a plane flight. But it’s really a test of how well the laptop can deal with a prolonged workload. After a while, running at full speed can cause the laptop to dial back its performance to prevent it from overheating. What this test evaluates is how well the laptop can cool itself and modulate its own power to prevent that from happening. Cutting back the performance increases the time it takes to complete the transcoding test, and we don’t want that. Mark Hachman / IDG While I wouldn’t look at the Asus Zenbook S 14 as a gaming laptop, we use the 3DMark test suite to evaluate the laptop’s 3D performance. UL, the developer behind the benchmark, has a variety of different benchmarks, which have slowly become more complex throughout the years. Time Spy is the test we use to compare laptops both past and present. Intel’s promised that the GPU inside this generation of Core Ultra chips has been significantly improved, and that’s true. Still, this isn’t a gaming laptop. Mark Hachman / IDG Our final test is of battery life, and it’s here that the competition between Intel and Qualcomm has been especially fervent. We take a 4K video and loop it over and over until the battery expires — which it does, hours and hours later. The laptop lasts so long that we even ran tests using UL’s Procyon battery life tests, which simulates someone “working” in the Microsoft Office apps for hours on end. That’s a long workday, for in this environment the laptop lasted for 17 hours, seven minutes instead of the 21 hours it persisted on our video rundown test. Basically, you can argue that this laptop will last about two workdays without a charge. Granted, Lunar Lake is not the absolute most efficient chip. The Surface Laptop 7th Edition with its Snapdragon X Elite chip is paired with a 54Wh battery. Asus includes a 73Wh battery inside, and the two laptops are neck and neck in overall battery life. That’s where I’m impressed with Asus. Yes, it stuffs more battery inside to keep up with Qualcomm and Microsoft, but it does so without the penalty of substantial extra weight. Mark Hachman / IDG There’s really no conclusion to draw here but the obvious one: This laptop will just keep going and going and going. Asus Zenbook S 14: Conclusion I typically prefer a laptop with a 15-inch screen, in part because I prefer as much information as possible to be on the screen at any one time. Seated at my desk, I’d prefer something a bit larger. Small and light is for on the go. On the last few trips I’ve made this year, however, I’ve found that for whatever reason, the charging ports that are now ubiquitous on most airlines aren’t as common in conference rooms. Teachers tell me that they simply don’t always have a charger at their podium or desk. If you arrive at a city for work, you may be shuttled around from appointment to appointment. You’d rather think about other things besides where your laptop can get a sip of juice. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite and the laptops it appears in are excellent. I have only tested one, the most recent Surface Laptop, and I would take that along on a trip, too. I already have. Some people, like me, are a bit nervous about the lingering compatibility issues Windows on Arm still have — though they’re minor, and Qualcomm and Microsoft are doggedly working to eliminate them. But the battery life, like Intel’s Lunar Lake laptops offer, is superb. If this new way of working appeals to you, I’d recommend you take a hard look at Asus Zenbook S 14. We’re headed into a new era of computing, and this laptop is on the cutting edge. Read...

You might think that simply having upgraded from Windows 10 to Windows 11 means you’re getting the latest and greatest Windows experience. But the fact is there are many hidden features within Windows 11 that can boost your experience even further, if you know how and where to find them. Whether it’s speeding up performance or improving efficiency or recoverying from a crash, the following tips can help you optimize Windows 11 like a power user. Tip 1: Use Windows 11 without a Microsoft account Microsoft is making it increasingly difficult for users to use the operating system without a Microsoft account. This also applies to the new version 24H2. We have already dealt with this topic in a separate article. get windows 11 pro for cheap Windows 11 Pro With Windows 11, it’s possible to start a command line with the key combination SHIFT F10. By entering oobe\bypassnro Windows 11 bypasses the online constraint. After entering the command, the installation restarts. If this does not work, try the Rufus tool to create an installation disc that allows local user accounts. Another trick, which does not work with all installation files, is to enter a nonexistent email address. Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise are somewhat more flexible than Windows 11 Home when using local accounts. Here, the message “Set up for work or school/university” appears during installation. You can then select the option “Logon options” and finally “Join the domain instead.” You can then use a local user account in Windows 11 Pro/Enterprise; a Windows domain/active directory is not necessary. Tip 2: Dev Drive can speed up access to storage drives If you are a little more experienced and want to speed up access to your drives significantly, you can set up a dev drive in Windows 11. The ReFS file system is used for this. A dev drive can significantly increase access to data through internal system settings, depending on the respective environment. To set up a dev drive in Windows 11, at least 8GB RAM (preferably 16GB RAM) and 50GB free storage space are required. Whether the installed version of Windows 11 already supports the Dev Drive can be checked in the settings under System > Storage > Advanced storage settings. Here you will see the option “Create a developer drive” under “Disks & volumes.” Foundry Developer drives are particularly interesting for advanced users and not just for developers. Tip 3: Simply install Windows 11 over the network using PXE and iVentoy With the small and free tool iVentoy, you can easily install Windows 11 on several PCs via the network. To do this, boot the relevant PC in network mode and use PXE. PXE (Preboot Execution Environment) enables private users and small offices to install operating systems such as Windows 11 directly on a PC via the network without the need for a physical installation medium such as a USB stick or DVD. To do this, a PXE server is set up on the home network, which provides the client computer with the Windows 11 installation image when it is started via the network. This is done using iVentoy, which simply needs to be started on a Windows computer. This method saves time if several computers are to be installed simultaneously and simplifies the process as no physical media needs to be distributed. PXE offers an efficient solution for the centralized management of operating system installations, particularly for small offices with multiple devices. The PC searches the network for a suitable server and finds iVentoy when the tool is started. You can then transfer the installation files to the new PCs via the network and install Windows 11. The tool also supports the installation of Linux over the network via PXE. Thomas Joos You can also experiment with iVentoy at home. The tool is not very complex to use, but does require some familiarization. Tip 4: Quit programs that hang more easily It happens from time to time that a program stops responding. In most cases, you then switch to the Task Manager, but this does not always work. The Task Manager is not always easy to access, especially when games or other programs are in full-screen mode. Normally, you use the context menu of the taskbar or the key combination Shift + Ctrl + Esc. In Windows 11, it is even easier to activate the “End task” option under System > For developers. The new “End task” command is then available for all programs in the taskbar. This is much quicker to access than the diversions via the Task Manager. Foundry Tip 5: Prevent bloatware during new installations of Windows 11 Unfortunately, Microsoft is increasingly installing bloatware on your computer with Windows 11. Bloatware refers to pre-installed software on devices that is often unnecessary and takes up system resources. With Windows 11, it is noticeable that many new devices are delivered with additional programs that the user did not request. This bloatware can affect system performance, take up memory, and negatively impact the user experience. While some of these programs can be useful, many users find them unnecessary and uninstall them to optimize the system and eliminate unnecessary background processes. When reinstalling Windows 11, select the “English (World)” option for “Time and currency format” on the “Select language settings” page. In this case, Windows 11 will not install any bloatware. Tip 6: Trigger an emergency restart If Windows no longer functions properly, press the key combination Ctrl+Alt+Del. You will find the icon for switching off the PC at the bottom right. If you hold down the Ctrl key when you press the switch-off icon, the option “Immediate restart (for emergencies)” will appear. Restarting is faster and also works if other restart options no longer work. Windows 11 does not wait for any programs or services. Tip 7: Windows no longer responds or only a black screen is visible The key combination Windows+Ctrl+Shift+B restarts the entire display process so that it can rebuild itself. Windows can then be restarted if the display hangs. In some cases, Windows restarts the graphics card driver, but only if there is no other option. Tip 8: Using the sound mixer Use the volume icon and select the small icon to the right of the volume bar to call up the volume mixer. This allows you to specifically adjust the volume of individual programs, for example games. It can also be opened using the Windows+Ctrl+V key combination. Tip 9: Pause the view of processes in Task Manager If you have opened the Task Manager, for example via the context menu of the taskbar or with the key combination Ctrl+Shift+Esc, you can display the view of processes according to CPU consumption, for example. The processes jump back and forth due to the changing resource consumption. Use the Ctrl key to pause the view so that you can end hung processes more quickly. This makes it easier for you to check the utilization of individual programs in Windows 11. Foundry Tip 10: Keyboard shortcuts for opening Office programs and LinkedIn Ctrl+Shift+Alt+Windows+W opens Word if you have Microsoft 365 installed. Press Ctrl+Shift+Alt+Windows+P to open PowerPoint, Ctrl+Shift+Alt+Windows+O to start Outlook and Ctrl+Shift+Alt+Windows+L to open the LinkedIn homepage. You can also open Excel with Ctrl+Shift+Alt+Windows+X. Tip 11: Are there updates for installed programs? You can find out in the command line If you enter the command “winget upgrade” in the command line, Windows displays the versions of the installed programs and at the same time whether there are new versions of the programs. However, this only applies to programs that can also be installed via Winget. However, you do not need to have installed the programs via Winget. If you now want to update all programs, use “winget update -h -all”. Thomas Joos Read...

Robot vacuums have become indispensable in our homes. From pet hair to daily dust, these devices keep floors clean with minimal hands-on help. But like any tool, a robot vacuum needs regular upkeep to keep running at peak performance—and to avoid early retirement. Fortunately, the steps to extending your vacuum’s lifespan are simple, and many are directly recommended by manufacturers. Here’s what you need to know to get the most out of your robo-cleaner. 1. Clean it regularly, and it’ll clean for longer The brushes, rollers, and wheels are where dust and debris accumulate most, making them critical maintenance points. Built-up dirt and hair can reduce suction and potentially damage the motor. Most manufacturers suggest cleaning these components every week if you have pets or bi-weekly for homes without furry companions. With these simple maintenance habits, you can keep your robotic helper running at peak performance for years to come. The brushes and rollers will likely see the most action and giving them a thorough clean will prevent tangles that can stop them from spinning properly. Just pull them out, untangle any hair, and wipe them down. The wheels can also accumulate gunk over time, so it’s worth giving them a once-over with a cloth to make sure they keep rolling smoothly. Related: Your Roomba is filthy. Here’s how to get it completely clean Keep your brushes clear of hair tangles that can keep them from spinning properly.Ben Patterson/Foundry And don’t forget about the sensors. They may seem like a small part of the system, but if they’re smudged with dust, your robot vacuum may start missing spots or bumping into furniture more often. A gentle wipe with a soft, dry cloth is all they need. 2. Take care of the battery Batteries don’t last forever, but with proper usage, you can significantly extend their lifespan. Most robot vacuums today use lithium-ion batteries, which benefit from partial discharges rather than being run all the way down to 0%. Manufacturers like iRobot and Narwal recommend avoiding frequent deep discharges, as it can shorten the battery’s life. Over time, even the best maintained battery will lose its capacity, but you can recognize when it’s time to replace yours. If your vacuum’s runtime is half of what it was out of the box, that’s a clear sign the battery is wearing out. Fortunately, many manufacturers make battery replacement easy, so you don’t necessarily have to retire the entire vacuum when the battery gives out. 3. Don’t let the dustbin overflow One of the simplest, yet most important, tasks in robot vacuum care is keeping the dustbin empty. A full dustbin not only reduces suction but can also force the motor to work harder, leading to premature wear. Most robot vacuums come with sensors that alert you when the bin is full, but it’s a good habit to empty it after every cleaning session, or as often as the manufacturer suggests. Periodically check the dust bag in your robot vacuum’s base station. Overfilled bags can prevent your robot from emptying properly..Michael Ansaldo/Foundry If your vacuum has a self-emptying feature, don’t assume it’s maintenance-free. The base station that collects debris from the vacuum needs occasional attention. While manufacturers promise a month or more of dust collection before you need to replace the dust bag in these docking stations, replacement frequency depends largely on your cleaning habits and environment. It’s best to check the bin or bag inside the station periodically and replace it as needed, rather than relying on the manufacturer’s specs. Keeping the area around the base station clean will also ensure that your vacuum docks and empties itself without issue. Related: Our top picks for robot vacuums and mops in 2024 4. Keep software updated Just like your smartphone or computer, your robot vacuum benefits from regular software updates. Manufacturers frequently roll out firmware improvements that fix bugs, enhance navigation, and optimize battery life. While most vacuums update automatically through their apps, it’s worth checking periodically to ensure yours is running the latest version. 5. Optimize the environment Optimizing your home’s layout sets the stage for effective cleaning. Clear the vacuum’s path of small objects, toys, and loose cords that could cause tangles or jams. Also, don’t forget to take advantage of your vacuum’s virtual walls or no-go zones—set these up in the app to protect delicate areas and prevent the vacuum from getting stuck under furniture. These digital boundaries, combined with a clutter-free space, help your vacuum clean more efficiently while reducing wear and tear on its components. You can help your robot vacuum clean more efficiently by removing clutter from the floor.iRobot 6. Regularly replace consumable parts While cleaning your robot vacuum’s components will help keep it in good working order, some parts have a natural lifespan and will eventually need to be replaced. Filters, brushes, and rollers wear down over time, which can lead to reduced cleaning performance if they’re not swapped out regularly. Most manufacturers provide specific timelines for when to replace these parts, but if you notice that your vacuum isn’t picking up as much dirt as it used to or is making more noise than usual, it’s probably time for a replacement. Stick to using parts from the manufacturer or compatible third-party parts that meet the same specifications. This helps maintain optimal performance and avoids any warranty issues. Replacing parts is generally straightforward, and it can go a long way toward keeping your vacuum working efficiently for years. Related: 8 robot vacuums hacks: Try these essential tips ASAP 7. Maintain and store the docking station properly When your vacuum isn’t cleaning, it’s either charging or sitting idle on its docking station. Keep the area around the docking station clean and ensure your vacuum has a clear path to return home after cleaning. This ensures efficient charging and prevents unnecessary wear from failed docking attempts. If you’re not using your robot vacuum for an extended period—whether it’s due to a vacation or a cleaning hiatus—store it in a cool, dry location. Batteries can degrade faster in extreme temperatures, so keeping the vacuum away from heat sources or moisture can help preserve its lifespan. Manufacturers recommend storing the vacuum with a partially charged battery, around 50%, to prevent damage to the battery over time. Keeping the area around the docking station clear will ensure your vacuum has a safe path to return home after cleaning.Ben Patterson/Foundry 8. Know when to repair or replace the robot Despite your best efforts, things can go wrong. Fortunately, many basic repairs—such as replacing a brush or fixing a stuck wheel—can be done at home. Manufacturers usually offer detailed instructions for these repairs, and it’s worth consulting the user manual or online guides for help. However, for more complex issues like malfunctioning sensors or electrical problems, professional repairs might be necessary. Many manufacturers provide repair services or can recommend certified technicians, ensuring that your vacuum is in good hands. Knowing when to repair versus when to replace your vacuum is crucial. If repairs become frequent and costly, it may be time to consider upgrading to a new model. Smart care, longer life A robot vacuum is an investment in your home’s cleanliness and your free time. With these simple maintenance habits, you can protect that investment and keep your robotic helper running at peak performance for years to come. 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At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Compact and lightweight Looks like a headphone and can be used just as well as one Plush and comfortable earcups The cups swivel and the headband is adjustable The volume wheel allows for precise control Cons Hybrid listening mode needs a second to let sound in There’s no chat mixer wheel Lacks a dedicated boom microphone Our Verdict The HyperX Cloud Mix 2 can be used just as easily as a headphone and as a gaming headset, and is highly portable. That makes it ideal for the gamer with a busy lifestyle. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today The HyperX Cloud Mix 2 has deep appeal for me because it’s the kind of headset I can use anywhere at any time. Why? Because despite its on-ear controls, Active Noise Cancellation, and premium sound, it’s both compact and lightweight and its headphone aesthetic looks great in any environment. The Mix 2 is also extremely comfortable and has excellent connectivity. Gamers looking for deep functionality like a dedicated boom mic and game chat mixer wheel won’t find it here, but for portability and versatility this headset really can’t be beaten. If you’re a casual gamer and you need something to match your busy lifestyle, this headset will fit like a glove. HyperX Cloud Mix 2 design and build If ever there was a versatile gaming headset suitable for just about any kind of listening, this is it. There are no obvious gaming traits that stand out in the Mix 2’s design, no RGB lighting or boom microphone. Instead, these cans display discrete black-on-black logos and an on-ear microphone that sits flush against the earcup’s outer rim. The headset’s build is flexible and durable. It sports a strong metal frame, swiveling cups, and an adjustable headband. The plush leatherette coverings are just the right thickness to prevent overheating, and the top cushioning keeps comfort levels high. If you just want tons of comfort and control in a headset that is so headphone-like you can use it anywhere at any time, then look no further — the Cloud Mix 2 is ideal… The Cloud Mix 2 is a petite size, measuring just 8 inches from top to bottom. The earcups are also small, measuring a mere 3.5 inches at their longest point. This compactness allows it to pack away into a slim hard case that takes up just a sliver of a backpack. One tip though: You will want to keep it cased when you’re not using it to prevent the exposed wires near the yokes from being severed. As well as being so versatile, the Mix 2 serves up equal dollops of comfort. The black leatherette earcup coverings are just the right thickness to prevent your ears getting hot. The Mix 2 totally nails clamp pressure too, with just the right amount of grasp. Indeed, you can wear this headset for many hours without getting the uncomfortable feeling some bulky headsets give you. So, if you’re thinking of working through long playlists or staying put for long gaming marathons, you can! HyperX Cloud Mix 2 compatibility, connectivity, controls The Cloud Mix 2 has good cross-platform connectivity. It connects to PC, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and mobile devices, so it can be your sole headset if you don’t own an Xbox. Connectivity consists of low-latency 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, or you can use Bluetooth. Everything you need is packed into the headset’s case — a dongle for the Wi-Fi and a USB-C to USB-A cable for charging and a USB extension adaptor. Additionally, a 3.5mm cable lets you plug in an old-fashioned analog cable. The Cloud Mix 2’s controls are evenly split between the left and right earcups. On the left is the power button, mute button, a USB-C port, and the 3.5mm jack. The right houses the volume wheel, ANC button, and a multifunction button. The latter allows you to control your media or answer and end phone calls at a second’s notice. I found the controls quite easy once I mastered the different press combinations that activated things like hybrid listening mode, or media controls like play, pause, or skip tracks. The right earcup houses a multifunction button with which you can control your media or answer and end phone calls.  Dominic Bayley / IDG Special mention goes to the volume wheel, which had a tight friction that makes micro adjustments very easy. This allowed me to get the perfect volume setting each time. HyperX Cloud Mix 2 performance The Cloud Mix 2 may have pint-sized earcups, but it has a big sound presence. In my testing, I was impressed by the power of the game music and effects like rings, pings, pops, and chimes beamed into my ears The audio sounded just the right distance away, neither too far nor close. The sound quality was also very refined. There was a distinct absence of the kind of distortion I hear sometimes when I switch from Wi-Fi mode to Bluetooth mode. To be sure, this headset sounded clear and crisp playing all kinds of media. I listened closely to how the frequencies played out, and in default mode the Cloud Mix 2 was strongest across the mids and treble frequencies. It dropped bass admirably too, although lower tones did play second fiddle to higher tones. That suited me to a tee, accentuating my go-to games that were riddled with medium-to-higher tones. For instance, the frantic throng of the music and realistic swipes and slashes of swords and staves in Black Myth: Wukong made the action a whole lot more frenetic. Music was equally enjoyable. Instrumentals in the treble zone floated above the rest of the audio while vocals occupied more of a middle ground, sounding natural and unstrained. That said, the sound from the microphone was less impressive. It had a veiled quality at times, which a dedicated boom microphone might have avoided. The ANC worked well to keep noise at bay too, but it blocked sources further away better than those close by. It subdued the low groan of a leaf blower outside my house, but not the knock of my coffee cup against my table. Dominic Bayley / IDG As well as ANC, the headset has a hybrid listening mode, which allowed me to hear environmental sounds like family members talking. This worked well most of the time, although I did find the headset’s algorithm needed a second to drop out the audio source in the earcup closest to the direction the sound was coming from. This meant I lost a little of the first part of what was being said to me. What I loved most about the Cloud Mix 2 was its portability. It’s a lot smaller and more portable than other headphone-like headsets like the Razer Barracuda Pro, which makes it lighter to carry and easier pack away. Consequently, it became a permanent fixture in my travels between work and home, where I put it to good use for gaming, music, and or podcasts. To be sure, passengers on my morning bus ride would never have suspected that I’d just finished up a session of Black Myth: Wukong and was now making my way through my song playlist — it really was that discreet. The battery life is also excellent. HyperX says you can expect approximately 110 hours of playtime between charges. I didn’t drain the battery in my playtesting, but it was still going strong after 27 hours of intermittent use, which is a promising result. HyperX Cloud Mix 2 software I made settings changes to the Cloud Mix 2 in the Ngenuity software app. I was pleased to see that the app found my headset first go, and that it had five readymade presets that covered most of my audio requirements. I could also adjust the master volume and the mic volume and toggle control of the ANC on or off. The app also gave me the option to create or export my own profiles, although upon trying to do this there didn’t appear to be any equalizer with which to adjust frequencies. I’m not sure why that was… whether the Cloud Mix 2 just doesn’t support this feature, or if the app required further updating. Either way, its absence limited my personalization options with the Cloud Mix 2. Should you buy the HyperX Cloud Mix 2? With its clear and refined sound, excellent controls, and a full smattering of connectivity options, the HyperX Cloud Mix 2 makes a great headset for causal gamers. If you need a mixer wheel and boom microphone for your gaming, then this headset won’t suit you. But, if you just want tons of comfort and control in a headset that is so headphone-like you can use it anywhere at any time, then look no further — the Cloud Mix 2 is ideal. Read...

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As remote working becomes the norm, organisations must prioritise Zero Trust strategies to enhance cybersecurity in a perimeter-less environment. Read...

Earlier this year at the BSides Exeter security conference, Microsoft security software engineer Ross Bevington — the company’s self-proclaimed “Head of Deception” — described the exciting process by which Microsoft tricks scammers and prevents phishing attacks. As reported by BleepingComputer, Microsoft uses realistic “honeypot tenants” with access to Azure to attract cyber criminals. The company then collects data about their attack patterns in these virtual honeypots to gain a deeper understanding of how sophisticated phishing operations work and how to better mitigate criminal campaigns. Related: Common phishing scam types to be aware of Bringing the honeypots to scammers In his presentation, Ross Bevington cited Microsoft’s now-retired code.microsoft.com website as an example of one such honeypot that was used to collect data on all kinds of attackers, from individual actors to state-sponsored groups targeting Microsoft’s infrastructure. To make the honeypots as realistic as possible, Bevington and his team ensured that all kinds of activity took place within them, even going as far as creating thousands of artificial user accounts that communicated with each other and shared files without adequate protection. While the concept of a honeypot isn’t new, Microsoft cleverly took these honeypots to the hackers instead of simply waiting for them, and they did this by having the fake user accounts actively visit websites that are widely recognized as phishing threats. This brought the user accounts to the attention of scammers, drawing them to the honeypots. Related: Antivirus and security terms you need to know The success rate of the honeypots According to Microsoft, the company monitors 25,000 phishing websites every day, and 20 percent of these are fed with access data for the honeypot to gather important insights into cybercriminal behaviors. Of the lured attackers, around 5 percent fall into the honeypot trap and end up being tracked and logged by Microsoft at every turn. On average, it takes around 30 days for attackers to realize they’ve landed in a fake environment and have no access to any real user data. According to Bevington, Microsoft wasn’t only able to lure smaller players into its honeypot, but also “big fish” like the Russian hacker group Midnight Blizzard (NOBELIUM). Because of this, the company is able to develop stronger strategies against phishing attempts of all kinds. Further reading: Watch out for these online banking scams Read...

Online shooters can get contentious, so it’s no surprise that they’re filled with cheaters and regular players whose behaviors get them banned. But some hackers were able to exploit Call of Duty‘s automated anti-cheating system to get innocent players banned, simply by sending them one line of text in a direct message. That’s right, a single message from a stranger would get your account permanently disabled. The Verge reports that hackers who sold cheats for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III and Call of Duty: Warzone bragged of their exploit on Twitter. The Ricochet anti-cheat system apparently scanned player files for text including the phrase “trigger bot,” so sending someone a message with those words would trigger the system to ban the receiver’s account. The hackers claimed that this technique was used to ban “several thousand” players, including some popular streamers who got sent the messages and were banned while playing live. For you good little video gamers, a “triggerbot” is a cheating tool that automatically clicks your mouse (or fire button) when it detects that an enemy is in your crosshairs. It’s a more subtle variation of an “aimbot” that requires the player to move and look around the environment, but can still offer a massive competitive advantage. Using one is, of course, grounds for being banned from pretty much any online multiplayer game. Activision’s own Call of Duty Updates Twitter account announced that the Ricochet exploit had been fixed yesterday and that the “small number of legitimate player accounts” that were banned have been restored. In Activision’s defense, millions of people play the Call of Duty games, so thousands of bans would still be a relatively small number. Policing these online systems is essentially impossible without a large degree of automation, and it’s inevitable that cheaters will always find some way to exploit them on a pretty regular basis. Read...