Are you ready for your PC to communicate by light? Don’t hold your breath, unfortunately. But the possibility became more real as the PCI Express Special Interest Group (PCI-SIG) said today that it’s working on a way for future PCI Express communication to take place over optical interconnections. It was a busy day for the PCI-SIG: the standards company announced the final version of PCI Express 7.0 and that it was working on PCI Express 8 (PCIe 8) as well. Meanwhile, PCI Express 6.0 products have a good chance to ship this year, as our other story discusses. Otherwise, you’ll have a while to wait for products based upon PCI Express 7.0. Though the final PCIe 7.0 specification was announced today, the SIG doesn’t expect compliance testing to begin until 2027. The projected date for the PCIe 7.0 integrators’ list is projected for 2028, the SIG said, when the first products will likely roll out. PCI-SIG Technically, PCIe 7 transfers information bidirectionally at 128 gigatransfers per second, without any encoding overhead, using the same PAM4 signaling as PCIe 6. The total bandwidth is 256GB/s across an x16 link. The SIG hasn’t said anything about PCIe 8, but with bandwidth essentially doubling since the 8 gigatransfers/s of PCI 3.0, we can guess that the target will be 256GT/s, or the first terabyte connection (1.024TB/s) in PCI Express history. Using light instead of electricity Essentially, the SIG’s work takes years to migrate to the real world. In the case of silicon photonics, where electricity interfaces with light and vice versa, it can take even longer. The other specification that the SIG announced today, or what it calls the Optical Aware Retimer Engineering Change Notice, may end up as a groundbreaking path for PCIe in and of itself. It amends the PCIe 6.4 as well as the PCIe 7.0 specification to include a PCIe retimer solution, “providing the first industry-standardized way to implement PCIe technology over optical fiber” for switch, root-complex, and endpoint silicon, the SIG said. It’s designed for “AI, cloud, and data center applications.” Retimers can be used to synchronize clocks as the signal moves further and further from the source. That’s a more critical capability in larger data centers, at least for now. Right now, electrical connections still rule the computing world. But Intel has been working on what’s called silicon photonics for at least a decade, and AMD acquired Enosemi in May 2025 to “develop a variety of photonics and co-packaged optics solutions across next-gen AI systems.” Those investments signal that a future based on optical connections may arrive, even if it’s some time off for now. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros High GPU and CPU performance Competitive price for the hardware Mechanical keyboard Lots of high-end touches Cons No HDR for games Copilot key is rather large “Liquid Teal” color scheme may be divisive Low battery life (obviously) Our Verdict The Alienware 16 Area-51 delivers serious gaming performance in an excellent package, complete with a mechanical keyboard and other high-end touches. It’s competitively priced for the hardware, too. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today The Alienware 16 Area-51 is a high-end gaming laptop with a high-end Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU and Nvidia RTX 5080 graphics, which were both just recently released. It’s a beautiful machine with premium touches like a mechanical keyboard. While it’s no budget gaming laptop, it’s competitively priced compared to other laptops with similar hardware — and Alienware’s version may just be a better package. Alienware 16 Area-51: Specs The Alienware 16 Area-51 is a 16-inch gaming laptop that combines a 24-core Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU along with an Nvidia RTX 50-series GPU. Our review model had an RTX 5080 GPU, but you can also get this machine with an RTX 5070 Ti or 5090 GPU. While the model we reviewed retails for $3,349, the base model starts at $2,999. That Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX is worth highlighting! This Core Ultra (Series 2) processor is based on the Arrow Lake architecture and is screaming fast. In our benchmarks, this machine topped out the charts. However, it has a slow neural processing unit (NPU) and doesn’t meet the bar for Windows 11’s Copilot+ PC AI features, if those matter to you. (Unless this is something you know you care about, I wouldn’t worry about it — especially since Microsoft is signaling it may one day roll out these features more widely. But they aren’t here at launch, and that may matter to some people.) Model number: Alienware 16 Area-51 AW30 CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX Memory: 32GB DDR5 RAM Graphics/GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 NPU: Intel AI Boost (up to 13 TOPS) Display: 16-inch 3200×1800 IPS display with 240Hz refresh rate Storage: 1 TB SSD Webcam: 8MP 3840×2160 camera Connectivity: 2x Thunderbolt 5 (USB Type-C), 3x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x combo audio jack, 1x SD card slot Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 Biometrics: IR camera for Windows Hello Battery capacity: 96 Watt-hours Dimensions: 14.37 x 11.41 x 1.12 inches Weight: 7.49 pounds MSRP: $3,349 as tested This thing looks like it’s about to blast the thrusters and head to outer space. Alienware 16 Area-51: Design and build quality IDG / Chris Hoffman The Alienware laptops I’ve reviewed have had solid build quality, and this laptop is no exception. The “Liquid Teal” color has a lid that looks a lot like forest green in some lighting. Dell describes it as “a dark iridescent finish on the anodized aluminum [that] gives the system a dynamic sheen.” At about seven and a half pounds, it’s no thin-and-light laptop, but it is very reasonable for a machine this powerful. With a glowing Alienware logo on the lid, a light bar on the bump at the back, and black used throughout the rest of the machine — including on the keyboard tray and lid, so you aren’t looking at that Liquid Teal all the time — this is very much an Alienware design. I like the look and how the color stands out. It doesn’t look like just another gaming laptop, but you’ll have to decide whether it’s the right look for you. I know not everyone is looking for this type of color scheme, and there’s a reason why so many gaming laptops are a traditional black or a sharp and clean white. IDG / Chris Hoffman On the bottom, there’s a “thermal bump” with gorilla glass that isn’t just about airflow intake: it lets you look inside the bottom of the machine. This is the kind of high-end touch you’ll find on this machine. It does look cool! The anodized aluminum finish does pick up fingerprints a little more than I’d like — something you’ll see in a few of the photos. That’s not unusual, but since we’re talking high-end touches, it’s worth noting. Alienware 16 Area-51: Keyboard and trackpad IDG / Chris Hoffman The Alienware 16 Area-51’s keyboard is absolutely excellent. Our review unit had a Cherry MX ultra low-profile mechanical keyboard. A mechanical keyboard in a laptop is almost unheard of — I think the only time I’ve ever used a mechanical keyboard built into a laptop was when I reviewed another Alienware machine. It’s definitely a tiny bit louder than the usual non-mechanical keyboards, but it’s fairly quiet. There’s not much room to complain, although I will say that many gamers would probably prefer that the Copilot key wasn’t so large. Located just to the left of the arrow keys, it’s bound to get in the way. Sure, it seems laptops must have a Copilot key these days — but why does the key have to be so wide? Luckily, you can disable it or remap it to another function. The laptop’s keyboard also has per-key backlighting you can customize. Even the touchpad is an RGB touchpad that lights up when you touch it — and shortly after, so it’s not on all the time. The touchpad itself feels great to use, with a smooth surface, a crisp mechanical clicking action, and a good position below the keyboard. Alienware 16 Area-51: Display and speakers IDG / Chris Hoffman The Alienware 16 Area-51 has a 16-inch IPS display with a QHD+ resolution (that’s 3200×1800) along with a fast 240Hz refresh rate, 3ms response time, Nvidia G-Sync, and 500 nits of brightness. On paper, these are great specs — and they look great in real life, too. It’s an awesome display that makes games look great, and the fast refresh rate and response time are part of what makes it feel so good. Combined with the speedy hardware, this laptop delivered excellent performance in Doom: The Dark Ages, rendering high detail settings at a high frame rate. The downsides are the same ones you see on paper. There’s no support for HDR in games here, and the resolution comes short of 4K. This isn’t an OLED—some people will prefer the more vivid colors of an OLED display, even if it comes with a lower refresh rate or lower response time. But, if you aren’t itching for HDR or an OLED display, I think you’ll be happy with this display. The speakers are also unusually good for a laptop. Many gaming laptops — even expensive ones — cut corners on the speakers. Audio sounded great and punchy in games like Doom: The Dark Ages. Music was unusually good for a laptop, but I’ll be honest: when it came to the clarity of the instruments in Steely Dan’s Aja and the bass in Daft Punk’s Get Lucky, the speakers didn’t wow as much as the other components on this laptop. The experience is always best with a good pair of headphones or external speakers — no surprise there. Alienware 16 Area-51: Webcam, microphone, biometrics The Alienware 16 Area-51’s 8MP 3840×2160 camera sounds impressive on paper. And it looks fine in the real world, but it doesn’t wow. Look at a good external webcam. This is more than good enough for online meetings and video chats. But, this being a gaming laptop, I’d plan to get an external webcam if you plan on streaming. There’s no physical camera privacy shutter, which I know many people like to see. The microphone setup also just sounds fine to me — it can pick up clear enough audio, but you won’t be getting the kind of crisp, high-quality audio you would with an external microphone. It’s fine, but you’ll always have a better gaming experience with external audio. When it comes to biometrics, this machine has an IR camera for Windows Hello so you can sign in with your face. As usual on Windows 11 laptops, it worked well. There’s no fingerprint reader here, however. Alienware 16 Area-51: Connectivity IDG / Chris Hoffman The Alienware 16 Area-51 has a solid collection of connectivity options. On the left side, you’ve got a combo audio jack as well as a full-size SD card reader. You’ll find most of the ports on the back — which is where I prefer to see them, as it gets them out of the way of your mouse and minimizes annoying cable clutter on your desk. On the back of the machine, you’ll find two Thunderbolt 5 (USB Type-C) ports, three USB Type-A ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a place to plug in the power adapter. Thunderbolt 5 has been missing in action, so it’s impressive to see it at all — although configurations with an RTX 5070 and below get those ports in Thunderbolt 4 form. While it’s always nice to see higher-end hardware, it likely won’t make a difference in the real world. On the other hand, that’s it. If you were looking for an Ethernet port, for example, you’ll have to add it via a dongle. Wireless connectivity is good now that Intel’s hardware has caught up — this laptop supports the latest Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 wireless standards, and I had no problems with the Wi-Fi. Alienware 16 Area-51: Performance The Alienware 16 Area-51 delivered screaming-good gaming performance, and I was tearing through demons in the just-released Doom: The Dark Ages on the highest “Ultra Nightmare” settings with smooth performance. Dell has a lot to say about the “cryo-tech cooling technology” and this laptop’s increased airflow, quieter fans, and all-around improved cooling performance. While gaming, the cooling worked well, with the keyboard staying reasonably cool and the machine blasting most of the hot air straight out of the back where it won’t bother you. As always, though, we ran the Alienware 16 Area-51 through our standard benchmarks to see how it performs. IDG / Chris Hoffman First, we run PCMark 10 to get an idea of overall system performance. With an overall PCMark 10 score of 8,768, this Alienware machine beat other recent gaming laptops we tested with Nvidia RTX 50-series GPUs. It noticeably outpaced the HP Omen Max 16, despite both machines having the same CPU. IDG / Chris Hoffman Next, we run Cinebench R20. This is a heavily multithreaded benchmark that focuses on overall CPU performance. It’s a quick benchmark, so cooling under extended workloads isn’t a factor. But, since it’s heavily multithreaded, CPUs with more cores have a huge advantage. With a Cinebench R20 multi-threaded score of 14,145, the Alienware 16 Area-51 topped out the charts once again, narrowly scraping ahead of the Asus ROG Strix G16 and its AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D. (Although, to be fair, the results are basically within the margin of error here.) 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 Alienware 16 Area-51 completed the encode process in an average of 434 seconds, which is just over seven minutes. The only other machine even within spitting distance was the HP Omen Max 16, which has the same CPU. (HP’s machine was ahead here for some reason, but we can put it down to the margin of error.) The results show just how powerful Intel’s 24-core Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU is for multithreaded performance. This thing is a beast. IDG / Chris Hoffman Next, getting to gaming performance, we start with a standard graphical benchmark. We run 3DMark Time Spy, a graphical benchmark that focuses on GPU performance. With a 3DMark Time Spy score of 20960, the Alienware 16 Area-51 delivered high performance — coming second to the HP Omen Max 16. Both have the same Nvidia RTX 5080 GPU. Again, this may be the margin of error, or the HP Omen Max 16’s cooling may be a bit more effective. Both machines beat the Razer Blade 16 despite that machine having a faster RTX 5090 GPU. That machine lags in performance, sacrificing it for a sleeker design. This shows how important benchmarks are instead of just on-paper specs! After that, we run the benchmarks built into some standard games. First, we use the benchmark in Shadow of the Tomb Raider to test all the gaming laptops we review. It’s an older game, but it’s a great way to compare graphical performance across different PCs. IDG / Chris Hoffman With an average FPS of 213, the Alienware 16 Area-51 delivered high-end performance and left many similar systems in the dust. Finally, we run the benchmark in Metro Exodus. This is a more demanding game, and we set the benchmark to 1080p resolution at the extreme detail setting. IDG / Chris Hoffman With an average FPS of 92 in this high-end Metro Exodus benchmark, the Alienware 16 Area-51 topped all its competitors — even the Razer Blade with its RTX 5090 GPU couldn’t outpace it, which just goes to show the downsides of packing such powerful hardware into such a thin machine. Overall, the Alienware 16 Area-51 is an absolute monster that squeezes an incredible amount of performance out of its high-end Intel CPU and Nvidia GPU. There’s not much room to improve here — outside of splurging for an upgrade to an RTX 5090 GPU in this machine or getting a desktop gaming PC instead! Alienware 16 Area-51: Battery life The Alienware 16 Area-51 is a gaming laptop designed for maximum performance, not for long battery life. However, Dell has put a huge 96 watt-hour battery in this machine — it couldn’t be much larger or the U.S. Transportation Security Administration wouldn’t allow it on an airplane. IDG / Chris Hoffman To benchmark the battery life, we play a 4K copy of Tears of Steel on repeat on Windows 11 with airplane mode enabled at 250 nits screen brightness until the laptop suspends itself. This is a best-case scenario for any laptop since local video playback is so efficient, and real battery life in day-to-day use is always going to be less than this. The Alienware 16 Area-51 ran for an average of 253 minutes before suspending itself — that’s just over four hours. It’s lower than some of its competitors, though not by much. And that doesn’t really matter if you’re looking for a beefy gaming laptop to use while plugged into an outlet. In other words, you can use this laptop away from an outlet for a few hours in a pinch, but you won’t want to. Also, it’s worth mentioning that, for serious gaming performance, you need to have the laptop plugged into an outlet anyway. Alienware 16 Area-51: Conclusion The Alienware 16 Area-51 is an amazing 16-inch gaming laptop. Yes, it’s a good amount of money — but it’s competitively priced with other high-end gaming laptops with similar hardware, and you also get an amazing package. I love having a mechanical keyboard in a laptop. If you’re looking for a capable PC with the latest high-end hardware and this fits your budget, you’ll be happy with this machine. It’s excellent. But not everything is for everyone! Be sure to consider what type of display you want — if you want an OLED screen, the HP Omen Max 16 may be a better pick. That greenish “Liquid Teal” may give some people pause, too — I like the look, but I imagine it’s not everyone’s style. It’d be nice if Dell offered multiple color options for this laptop. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Easy to install Excellent app makes the system operation simple Can be used without a subscription Ideal for an apartment or condo Cons Adding enough sensors for a large home can be pricey Users must provide their own microSD card for offline video storage Professional monitoring not available, not even as a paid option Our Verdict The Aqara Camera Protect Kit Y100 is one of the easiest to install and set up tech products I’ve tested, and it does an outstanding job of monitoring a relatively small space. But steer clear if you’re looking for a professional monitoring option, as that’s not on offer. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Aqara Camera Protect Kit Y100 Retailer Price $119.99 ($30.00 / Count) View Deal $139.99 ($35.00 / Count) View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket The Aqara Camera Protect Kit Y100 bundles the company’s flagship Camera Hub G3—a Zigbee and Matter bridge—with a door and window sensor, a Motion Sensor P1, and a Vibration Sensor T1 for a solid entry-level security system at a bargain asking price of $140 ($120 street). But before I get too deep into this review, be aware that Aqara does not offer any professional monitoring service, where someone in a central office monitors your security system and can dispatch first responders in the event of a break-in, fire, or medical emergency. While such plans are always paid subscriptions, its absence here will be a deal-breaker for some (Aqara does manufacture a Zigbee smart smoke detector if self-monitoring is all you’re looking for). The Matter-compatible Aqara Camera Hub G3 includes a Zigbee radio and a dual-band Wi-Fi adapter. James Barber/Foundry The camera is a pan/tilt model with 340 degrees of pan, 45 degrees upward tilt, and 15 degrees downward tilt. It has a stationary field of view of 110 degrees. While I can’t imagine anyone setting up a smart home hub outside the house, the camera does boast an IP65 weatherization rating. According to our IP code guide, that means it’s impervious to dust ingress and that it’s protected against water projected in jets from any direction. The Aqara Camera Protect Kit Y100 is ideal for a small apartment or condo. Each of the bundled smart home components comes from the factory pre-paired to the hub, so the system works almost immediately after you take it out of the box. Matter compatibility means it can be integrated into any of the major smart home platforms, including Alexa, Apple Home (along with support for Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video), and Google Home. There’s also support for Home Assistant, IFTTT, and SmartThings. The hub itself supports the Zigbee smart home protocol, and it connects to your home Wi-Fi network via either 2.4- or 5GHz spectrum (with support for WPA3). Buyers also get up to 7 days of cloud storage for video recordings, 24/7 local recording to a user-provided microSD card, and full remote access, all without paying for a subscription. Aqara’s optional HomeGuardian service offers a more extensive set of features, including up to 90 days of cloud storage for video recordings. Installation and setup Installation was incredibly simple and took less than five minutes. I rotated the camera-hub’s face up to reveal the microSD card slot and inserted one of my own (Aqara doesn’t include one, but the camera can support cards with capacities up to 128GB). You should consider these features when shopping for a microSD card for a home security camera. Once I plugged in the camera, the Aqara iOS app walked me through adding the unit to my home’s Wi-Fi network, and I used its setting to adjust the tracking and alarm capabilities for the preconfigured Home, Away, and Night profiles. The starter kit includes all the basics, but most people will want to buy more sensors for complete protection. James Barber/Foundry Setting up the door/window sensor, vibration sensor, and motion sensor was just as easy. The app offers suggestions as to where to place these devices, and the batteries come preinstalled. Once I pulled out the plastic strips and made the batteries active, each of the sensors was automatically added to the network. Users can activate or disarm any of those profiles from a pane on the app’s home screen. Just below that pane is the live-camera view. Scroll down to see panels that display the status of each of the kit’s four devices. Real-time usage The Aqara Camera Protect Kit Y100 seemed perfect for a small apartment, so I set it up in my home media room. My dog assisted in the testing, playing the role of intruder. Aqara’s app is well made, easy to use, and responsive. James Barber/Foundry Over the course of a couple of weeks, I learned just how much time he spends snoozing on my ottoman. The system alerted me whenever he nudged the door open (triggering the door/window sensor), nudged a cabinet door (doing the same with the vibration sensor), and bolted in and out of the room (thanks to both the camera and the motion sensor). The camera’s 2K video recordings (encoded as MPEG4 files) were clear when the room was lit, and its night vision was equally good when the room was dark. When I had the system in Away mode, the piercing sound triggered by the tripped sensors sent the dog scrambling from the room. Made for expansion If you have exceedingly modest home-security needs, the Aqara Camera Protect Kit Y100 might be all you need; most people, however, will want to avail themselves of the wide variety of compatible add-on products that are also available. And those expenditures can add up quickly. Most people’s homes have both doors and windows, for example, so if you want to monitor multiple entry points, you’ll need to spend $30 for each additional door/window sensor or $20 for each additional vibration sensor. An alternative means of security would be to install a motion sensor in a room with several windows, but then you might not be notified of a break-in until an intruder is already in the house. One motion sensor can substitute for mounting contact sensors on several doors and windows, with the caveat that an intruder will already be in the house when the system gets triggered. James Barber/Foundry You can also go beyond basic home security to build out a complete smart home system by adding the Matter-compatible Aqara Smart Lock U200 ($270), Aqara LED Bulb T2 color LED smart bulbs ($23 each), the Aqara Water Leak Sensor ($20), and/or the Aqara Climate Sensor W100 ($40). You can start with the Y100 kit and expand one sensor or complementary product at a time if you decide you need them. I’m sure I could cover my entire house with an added investment of $200 for additional door/window and vibration sensors, while continuing to depend on my doorbell camera to see what’s going on outside. Users can purchase a HomeGuardian subscription from within the app. If you’re using a single camera, the “limited offer” price is $4.99/month or $49.99/year (marked down from $6.99/month or $83.88/year. HomeGuardian also supports an unlimited number of Aqara cameras for $9.99/month or $99.99/year (marked down from $14.99/month or $179.88/year). With that subscription, you get 90 days of cloud storage for event-triggered recordings (in 2K resolution); plus, logs of security events and camera recordings for the same period. Subscribers in North America and select countries in Europe will also receive security alerts via SMS and email. A 30-day free trial is included with your purchase. Placing these stickers on your windows might deter the casual burglars, but Aqara doesn’t offer professional monitoring, even as a paid option.James Barber/Foundry One of the several things I like about Aqara’s offering is that I don’t think I’ll ever need the HomeGuardian plan after installing a 128GB microSD card in the camera (that’s the max supported capacity, by the way). I get alerts on my phone when anything trips the sensors, so I don’t think I need the SMS/email security alerts that come with that plan. Without the automatic back up of video recordings to the cloud, I might lose the camera footage in a fire or a flood. I don’t think making those backups would be top of mind during that kind of disaster. And if a burglar steals the camera, I won’t have any evidence of the crime to provide the police. So, having a subscription is more than a simple matter of convenience. Should you buy the Aqara Camera Protect Kit Y100? Aqara has created a bundle that’s incredibly easy to set up and even easier to use. Most users will find they can use the well-designed app with minimal or even no tweaks required.  This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best DIY home security systems. I’ve previously tried a Ring Alarm Pro system, and that experience involved watching a lot of installation guide videos at the beginning and ended up with what seemed like endless tweaks to unreliable door and window sensors. The Aqara sensors have worked exactly as advertised, and the camera’s video quality is excellent. Aqara’s support for Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home means this security setup can grow with an owner’s interest in smart home technology. Anyone who’s taking their first steps into home security will find the Aqara Camera Protect Kit Y100 a strong way to start. Read...

Ancient technologies like Windows XP, Commodore 64, and legacy COBOL programs are still being used for all kinds of critical functions, and here’s another example to add to the list. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) still relies on Windows 95 and floppy disks for air travel, though hopefully not for too much longer. NPR reports that the FAA wants to finally bring the United States’ aviation control system up to 21st century standards—and that means getting rid of floppy disks. The legacy storage format is still used in many air traffic control towers, in computers that still run on Windows 95. In some cases, paper flight strips are still used. The 1990s control air traffic in the USA The lives of millions of passengers and crew members depend on software and hardware from the 1990s. Back then, Bill Clinton was still President and Bill Gates was still head of Microsoft. According to the FAA, this antiquated technology is used on about one-third of all flight control systems, and some of these systems are now starting to fail. A recent example is the radar and communication failures that led to significant delays and cancellations at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. On top of this, maintaining such old IT equipment requires a lot of money and arcane knowledge. The US Secretary of Transportation now wants a brand new air traffic control system (PDF). So far, there’s been no official word on costs, but it could surpass tens of billions of dollars. The switch to a modern air traffic control system (PDF) could be completed in four years if all goes well, but it does sound like a very ambitious plan. Further reading: Yes, you can still use floppy disks with Windows 11! Read...

Peel High School in Tamworth has upgraded its AV system with Amber Technology, enhancing learning and performance with professional-grade audio-visual tools. Read...

New Zealand technology experts are increasing calls for people and businesses to upgrade their Microsoft devices, as Windows 10`s support expiration looms. Read...

Smart home technology is designed to make our lives easier, taking chores off our list and giving us more time to enjoy other pursuits. With the rapid onset of AI technology, autonomous tech is smarter than ever. Gadgets like Beatbot’s line of robot pool cleaners take over one of life’s necessary but time-consuming tasks, freeing you up to take full advantage of the summer sun. At the top of Beatbot’s robot pool cleaner line is the Aquasense 2 Ultra, a cordless model designed for effortless operation that does away with the safety concerns of tangled, damaged or trip-hazard cords. It builds in several industry-first features, including automotive-grade coating technology for enhanced durability, and comes with a strong three-year full-replacement warranty for additional peace of mind. Beatbot makes pool maintenance easy Cordless design HybridSense Pool Mapping with AI Camera 5-in-1 Cleaning: Water surface, waterline, floors, walls, water clarification Advanced AI Cruise Debris Detection Superior water surface cleaning with side brushes and app navigational control Smart water surface parking and one-touch app retrieval Skin-safe and eco-friendly ClearWater Natural Clarification The Aquasense 2 Ultra is a super-sleek robot that will not only clean the water surface in your pool, but also scrub the waterline, the floor, and walls, and purify the water to make it clearer. Get this robot and wave goodbye to manually cleaning your pool. As soon as you flip it into the water, it puts its 27 sensors and proprietary HybridSense AI technology to use, mapping out the pool and deciding on the best cleaning path. An AI camera also helps the robot detect debris on the pool floor for more thorough cleaning. The dual-side brushes and 5,500GPH suction power make cleaning any pool surfaces a breeze, and the robot will easily scale concrete, tile, vinyl, or fiberglass walls. Beatbot’s Aquasense 2 Ultra won’t just clean the pool, but it will also filtrate the water, removing dirt, oil, and residue, thus helping you keep the water clean. Buy Beatbot Aquasense 2 Ultra at Amazon Beatbot Simple operation An appealing feature of this robot pool cleaner is just how long it lasts. Unlike other similar models, it has a 13,400mAh battery that can keep going up to 10 hours when cleaning the water surface, or five hours when cleaning the pool floor or walls. The Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra is easily controlled using a smartphone app. After completing its cleaning task, you’ll be able to see the pool map on your phone. You can also view cleaning history and real-time stat, check the planned cleaning path, and choose between multiple available cleaning modes. You can even use the app to take full manual control and navigate the robot around your pool when it’s on the water surface and Wi-Fi connected. An added bonus of the mobile app is its ability to report on water and environmental temperatures, making it easy to decide whether it’s too cold for a dip without getting wet. Once the cleaning job is complete, the robot automatically parks itself at the waterline so you can pick it up and set it to recharge. The wireless charging dock has a sleek design that you will be proud to have on show at your next pool party. New features The latest update from Beatbot adds three new features to the AquaSense 2 Ultra: AI Quick Mode: AquaSense 2 Ultra takes advantage of AI vision technology to enable focused and immediate cleaning of debris from the pool floor in just half the time of the standard Floor mode–perfect for when you need to clean up the pool in a hurry. Night Cleaning Mode: Available in Floor, Standard, Pro and AI Quick modes, a pair of lights and an AI camera enable enhanced visibility for improved night-time cleaning, meaning you can wake up to a sparkling clean pool. ECO Mode: Also available for AquaSense 2, Pro and 2 Pro, ECO Mode is perfect for continued maintenance while you’re away from home. Schedule programmed pool floor cleaning every 48 hours, and it’ll keep going up to 10 days (based on a 30m² pool), so you can dive right in to a cleaner pool when you return. Time-limited offers Beatbot’s range of AquaSense pool cleaners are on sale for Father’s Day, and between June 9 and 22 you can save up to $820 on these helpful robots. Usually priced at $3,550, the AquaSense 2 Ultra is now available for $2,840, while the AquaSense 2 Pro, with a retail price of $2,899, can be purchased for $2,079. The simpler AquaSense 2 is usually $1,599, but you can save $500 and get it for $1,099. Save up to $820 on Beatbot pool cleaners in the Father`s Day sale! View Deals at Amazon Read...

It’s always a strange moment saying goodbye to a technology you’ve used forever, and I now find myself waving farewell to another one: the humble spinning-platter hard drive. Sure, I’ve been using SSDs for close to 15 years for my operating system and gaming drives, and SSDs are obviously superior for performance and durability. But for a very long time, cost and capacity have been against them and firmly in favor of traditional hard drives. I think it’s time to call it—I don’t need a hard drive in my main PC anymore, and neither do you. Here’s why you should make the switch. Why I stayed stuck on my HDD I first started building and working on PCs in the early ’00s, and back then hard drives were a must-have component. They were the only way to store data in a consumer PC—outside of crazy RAM drives—and I usually rocked a pair of them: a fast drive for the operating system and games, and another cheaper one for longer-term storage. Cut to a few years later when I started testing SSDs and the future was suddenly clear: HDDs for gaming were done. While I still have some friends I’ve yet to convince of this, the writing has been on the wall for a long, long, long time. SSDs outperform HDDs by a long shot. Replacing an internal drive with an SSD is one of the best upgrades you can make.Western Digital But even as lucky as I was—I’d been getting sent SSDs for testing—I still never used an SSD as my large backup storage drive option. I still only trusted hard drives with my precious family photos and expansive collections of (legally) ripped movies and TV shows. Because even though SSDs were faster, HDDs were more reliable for years-long storage. And that’s how it stayed for over a decade. I kept adding newer, faster SSDs to the point where I now have a hodge-podge collection of NVMe and SATA drives cluttering up my rig, with my Steam library stretched across 10+ TBs of super-fast SSD storage. All the while, in the background, I had my lone hard drive keeping charge of my important data. It too was replaced over time, but always remained an HDD. But in mid-2025, it’s time to hang up its hat. With a new 4TB SSD, I’ve ended the longest reign of any PC component type I’ve ever used. The cost of a large-capacity SSD SSDs are still more expensive than HDDs. Not as dramatically as they once were, but more expensive nonetheless. A 1TB hard drive will cost you around $35 while a 1TB NVMe SSD about $50. A 2TB HDD is around $65 while a 2TB NVMe SSD starts around $90. The 4TB Seagate BarraCuda HDD that I replaced is about $85 new today while you can get something like the 4TB Crucial P3 Plus NVMe SSD for $220 or the 4TB Samsung 990 EVO Plus NVMe SSD for $250. So, yeah, on a GB-for-GB level, the hard drive is far more cost effective. And when you get up into the really big capacities (think 20+ TBs), SSDs don’t even have comparable alternatives at this time. The Biwin Black Opal NV7400 released in 2024 and packs a lot of performance in capacities up to 4TB. Who’s ready for the future?Jon Martindale / Foundry But let’s be real here. How much did you spend on your last graphics card upgrade? How much on your gaming PC as a whole? Is the speed difference between an SSD and HDD really worth $150 or so? Because believe me, while you don’t need cutting-edge performance to store your family photos and video collections, you’ll definitely notice the day-to-day benefit of a (much) faster drive. SSDs aren’t just good at launching games quickly, but also at reading files without lag—no matter what file it is or how many you’re trying to read at once. Don’t sniff at the performance difference When you’re using a computer all day every day, every second matters. It all adds up, especially when it takes forever to launch apps, load files, and transfer data from drive to drive. Who has time to waste? I have tens of thousands of photos from over the years, and my Plex media library chugs I scroll through photos from years ago. It only takes a few seconds here and there, but when it happens every time I load a new page or every time a video buffers, it’s a real pain. Here’s what my Plex media library looks like with an HDD—it takes a while for the thumbnails to load. Not the case with an SSD.Jon Martindale / Foundry After switching over to an SSD, those waits are largely non-existent. It may hitch now and again on spectacularly large files, but the overall experience is smoother and feels more responsive. With an SSD, my library is working at my speed, not the other way around. The same goes for adding new files to the drive, too. Where once backing up my phone with a few thousand images took many minutes, now it’s more like a few seconds. That’s true for backing up in general, too. Where previously I was stuck to the glacial write speed of my hard drive, now I can move entire catalogs of old work documents and other important data over to a new drive near instantaneously. HDDs still last longer… probably Outside of the ever-shrinking cost disparity between hard drives and SSDs, there is one area where hard drives still hold an advantage. I’m talking longevity. Hard drives have been clearly shown to operate for years, or even decades, without data degradation. Backblaze’s annual drive stats paint a strong picture of most HDD models, that they can operate at high capacity for long periods of time without failing. SSDs don’t have the same pedigree, but they can still last a long time before needing to be replaced. The latest models have Terabytes Written (TBW) ratings in the hundreds or even thousands of terabytes, so they can be written to over and over again without fear of diminished drive performance or instability when reading/writing data. In reality, most of us aren’t going to use up that many write cycles. Andrey Matveev / Unsplash And it’s not like HDDs are immune from wear and tear. While conventional wisdom suggests that a hard drive can run for 5 to 10 years with light-to-moderate use, hard drive manufacturers typically only offer warranties of 2 to 3 years. Professional hard drives get about five years—and SSDs get about the same. For most consumers, 3 to 5 years is plenty. There’s one large caveat here, though. When it comes to archiving data, or storing data in a drive that’s powered off for a long time, then hard drives absolutely take the cake. Since SSDs store data electronically rather than magnetically, the data itself can degrade if the SSD isn’t powered on for a long time. Hard drives don’t suffer that issue. If you’re saving data offline in a drawer somewhere, then use a hard drive. Otherwise, you’ll benefit from using an SSD. I’m keeping my hard drive, by the way Main operating system drives? Replace them with SSDs. Secondary storage drives that see day-to-day activity? Make ’em SSDs. Media streaming drives for things like Plex? That’s right. SSDs! They just make the most sense in nearly all scenarios. But that doesn’t mean I’m tossing the HDD I replaced. It doesn’t have to go in the bin just because it’s ageing or slow. A hard drive is the better choice when you need extreme capacities or long-term offline storage, and the latter is what I’m going to use it for. The HDD is handy for a 3-2-1 backup strategy: 3 copies of your data on 2 different media, with 1 of those copies stored remotely off-site. The hard drive forms part of my long-term storage design. So you can live on a little longer, my old hard drive. You’ll be buried even further away from relevance and I hope to never call on you—but if I do, I know you’ll be there to save my butt. Further reading: Why everyone should have a NAS drive Read...

TL;DR: A lifetime subscription to Babbel gives you access to 14 languages with on-demand lessons—grab it for $129.99 with code LEARN40 with this limited-time offer from StackSocial. The pressure of traditional language classes can be overwhelming for those who dislike speaking English in public. Babbel offers the solution for isolationists with its lifetime subscription, allowing you to learn 14 languages on your terms—no need to show off until you’re ready. Steven Haines Babbel’s lessons are designed for real-life conversations, teaching phrases you’ll actually use. It won’t throw you into the deep end but will challenge your brain to learn. The platform’s speech-recognition technology helps you improve your pronunciation privately to perfect your skills without the anxiety of live practice. Plus, personalized lessons adapt to your progress. Another perk: you can download lessons for offline use, so when you travel, you’ll be prepared to practice before you even get there. No recurring fees—this lesson plan fits your life without worrying about subscriptions. Whether you’re tackling Spanish, German, or Italian, Babbel’s 14 language options are available whenever you’re ready to dive in. Don’t miss out—this exclusive StackSocial deal is available for $129.99 with code LEARN40, but only through June 30 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Babbel Language Learning: Lifetime Subscription (All Languages)See Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

For more than a decade, footy fans have watched MND gradually compromise Neale Daniher’s ability to communicate. But for this year’s Big Freeze match, the footy legend has his own voice back. Here’s how the remarkable technology works and how he tells it what he wants to say. Read...