A lot of people still have weak security practices, especially for their passwords. They’re reusing them, relying on easily cracked ones, or are unaware of current recommended guidelines. Their reasons for not using a password manager are usually understandable, too. But they’re still wrong. Passwords are similar to the locks on the front door of a house. And when you live in a city (the internet is definitely that crowded), everyone throws on at least one lock. But choose the doorknob’s lock, and it takes but a minute for an experienced burglar to get past it. You want a deadbolt at a minimum, and in higher traffic or rougher neighborhoods, you might have a thicker door (or even an iron gate before your door), sturdier hinges, and longer screws for your deadbolt strike plate. And yet, you don’t have to rely solely on keys to deal with your door locks. These days you can tailor your safety setup to make life easier and still more secure—e.g., using PIN pads, Bluetooth readers, and other methods to gain entry. Password managers are the same. You can choose one that works for you, whatever your needs or concerns—you don’t need to rearrange your life for it. Don’t believe me? Watch as I dismantle the top six reasons people don’t use a password manager lickety-split. Already using a password manager? Here are 10 ways to make the most of it. Reason 1: I have my own system and it works fine Your passwords are hopefully not this weak, but a homebrew system still can’t beat out a password manager.Shutterstock A lot of folks still believe using numbers and symbols in place of letters or riffing off of a base password is sufficient protection. The sad news is that those strategies aren’t strong enough anymore and haven’t been for a while. My colleague Mark Hachman explains how easy it can be to crack a password—and extrapolate patterns and habits to make cracking future passwords even easier. In other words, it’s becoming easier and easier to pick the lock on a digital door. You can gamble on never getting hit with an account takeover attempt, but you’re going to lose that bet sooner rather than later. Data breaches are only increasing in frequency (and scope), with potential fallout also increasing as vital services move further online. And even if you are generating your own long passphrases or even randomized passwords, keeping track of them will either be less protected than in a password manager (a spreadsheet with an innocuous name isn’t secure, alas) or slip your memory at some point. Reason 2: It takes too much time You can set up a password manager to automatically fill in your login info, as well as generate and save passwords. It’s much faster than manual input. (Shown here: iCloud Keychain on an iPhone.)PCWorld Not true! Typing out your login info takes longer than having your password manager pop up and autofill the credentials for you. So while it may seem like it’s slowing down your process to use one, it’s not.  As for setting up the password manager—some require no work to make them part of your routine. The ones built into Google, Apple, and Microsoft’s ecosystems (heck, even into browsers like Firefox) tie in with your existing account and offer automated password management across devices. Even third-party password managers are pretty seamless if you can spare a few minutes to sign up and then install a browser extension and mobile app. You might have to also tweak a system setting or two to ensure full integration into your flow, but it’s fast if you do. Once that’s complete, the experience is nearly as effortless as with first-party password managers—and you get more robust features. Oh, and entering all your passwords into the manager doesn’t have to happen all at once, either. It’s ideal, but if you take care of the sensitive accounts (and upgrade the quality of your passwords for them too!), you can then gradually add more credentials as you log into those accounts. Reason 3: It costs too much Bitwarden, our top pick for free password managers, offers a ton of features. You don’t have to spend any money in order to have good security.PCWorld You don’t have to spend a single cent for a good password manager. OUr favorite paid password manager Dashlane Read our review Best Prices Today: $4.99 at Dashlane Yes, paid password managers do often get recommended, but that’s because of their extra useful features—not their level of protection. A paid service will offer a wider range of two-factor authentication options (like hardware authentication keys or the ability in the password manager to generate software-based tokens), easier password sharing, family plans with group access to passwords, special travel-oriented features, and more. For not much cash, you get a tangible quality of life improvement. But a good free password manager will store all of your login info securely and also easily generate long, random passwords for every website and app. And just like paid password managers, it will also recognize sites you visit and offer to automatically fill in your credentials, as well as support basic two-factor authentication.  The better free services also provide a way to share passwords securely, set an emergency access for trusted contacts, and can generate unique user names (not just passwords), email masks, and more. Reason 4: Having all my passwords in one place is dangerous You can use an app like Authy or Aegis to generate two-factor authentication tokens.PCWorld I hear you on this one. The idea that you would put all of your passwords in one place can seem like a direct contradiction with security. If someone breaks in, you could be in for a world of pain. But you can mitigate this concern with little difficulty. Your first line of defense: Choose a good master password and enable two-factor authentication. This is arguably the most important thing you can do to safeguard yourself. You can (and should) also protect your accounts by requiring a PIN, biometric authentication, or your master password for all installed browser extensions and apps. How you choose to store your passwords can minimize or eliminate this issue, too. For example, you can lean on KeePass as your manager, which gives you complete control over the file holding all your login info. Save it on a trusted PC or external drive (don’t forget to back it up!) and access to your passwords will remain limited. KeePass might not look like much, but it gets the job done while giving you complete control over your password database. You can also opt for one of its forks, like KeePassXC, for a more modern interface.PCWorld Or you can spread your passwords between different services and apps. Maybe you sign up for both Dashlane and Bitwarden, storing a mix of accounts in each. Alternatively, you could put your info for less valuable accounts in a cloud-based manager, while your high-value account info stays locked up tight in a KeePass file. Another riff on this idea: Split passwords themselves into different fragments and store them across different accounts. For all of these scenarios, you can have both browser extensions or apps installed on your devices for simultaneous use. These options are a little more complicated, but you’ll still be remembering no more than a couple of mega-strong passwords. And you’ll have a faster and stronger system than typing out passwords kept in your brain. Reason 5: Storing my passwords in the cloud seems risky You can approximate a DIY cloud-based password system if you choose KeePass and store its database with a cloud provider you trust. Or just keep the file offline for complete control—the choice is yours.Microsoft This is a fair concern. Even the most diligent company could have a vulnerability in their system. Bugs are an unfortunate but regular part of software development. But you still have options. As mentioned earlier, KeePass saves passwords to a local file, which lets you keep that data out of cloud-based storage. Or you can DIY your own cloud solution by uploading a KeePass vault file to a cloud storage provider you trust (one that has enough engineers to properly ward off hackers and have proper safeguards against rogue employees)—e.g., Dropbox, OneDrive, iCloud Drive, or Google Drive. You can go with a hybrid system instead as well. Use an online password manager for medium- and lower-value accounts (places that have your address and billing info, but not more), while financial and other highly personal accounts are stored in a more tightly controlled environment. If you’ve been OK with using Ilovetarget.com as your password for shopping online at Target, this solution surely can’t be that objectionable. Reason 6: I’ll get stuck with a password manager I hate Nope, you can move at will. A standard practice for all reputable password managers is the ability to export your passwords. The better services allow you to export as an encrypted file, which minimizes the risk of sensitive data falling into the wrong hands. By the way, always choose the encrypted option, because a plain-text file of all your passwords is no bueno. (This one’s easy to lay to rest!) Good password managers will let you export your passwords in an encrypted format for easy and safe transfers. (Shown here: Bitwarden’s browser extension.) PCWorld Any (reputable) password manager is better than none This won’t be the last time I write about password managers, much less try to convince people to use them. But let me say, whenever you hear different arguments from tech journalists (even right here among the PCWorld staff!) about why paid password managers are better, or that browser-based password managers should be passed over—don’t let that confuse you. Or turn that into a reason to write off online security as too complicated. The reputable password manager that you use is the best one. Simple as that. I just want you all to be safe. Having to frantically recover an account or deal with identity theft is no one’s idea of a good time. Read...

A ton of arbitrary holidays exist (ahem, Tin Can Day), but World Password Day is one fully supported by the PCWorld staff. We’re all for ditching weak passwords — especially when strengthening your security takes only a little effort. Follow these four easy suggestions and you’ll thank yourself for years to come. Not only will data breaches and hackers stop being immediate threats, but you won’t have to scramble to remember a collection of user name and passwords. That’s especially true if you opt for a newer form of account protection that’s simpler to use than passwords. Trust us, you want to safeguard yourself. Data breaches are common these days, and as Bitwarden’s 2024 survey results indicate, a concerning number of people still reuse passwords (31 percent in the U.S. do so for 11 to 20+ sites!). A lot of people also use very weak PIN codes, too. With so many data leaks, hackers can more easily figure out bad passwords and the personal info you might use in a password — another common bad habit (42 percent in the U.S.). Yikes. Get a password manager The best password manager Dashlane Read our review Best Prices Today: $4.99 at Dashlane Password managers make better account security so easy. You only have to memorize one strong password to safeguard nearly all your other login info. (Here’s how to come up with a good master password.) You shouldn’t have an issue finding a password manager that suits you, either — it’s perfectly normal to have reservations about them, but there are so many options out there. Want something that integrates seamlessly with your phone or browser? Google, Apple, and Firefox’s password managers are basic but solid. Hate the idea of all your passwords sitting in the cloud? Try KeePass or one of its variants. Need support for advanced two-factor authentication methods, like a YubiKey? Many paid services include it. Password managers now also generally support passkeys, a simpler yet more secure method of account protection. Paying for a good solution isn’t always necessary either, as you’ll see when going over our lists of the best paid password managers and the best free password managers. The kinds of features that unlock when paying for services are helpful indeed, especially if you’re using multiple devices or want to secure passwords for multiple people, but they’re not absolutely vital otherwise. That said, our go-to solution — Dashlane — makes managing passwords dead simple and only costs $33 per year, or $2.75 per month. It’s money well spent for the added security (and the extra polish). And don’t worry if you try one service and don’t like it. Exporting and importing password databases is simple. Use strong, unique passwords for everything Companies like Terahash can combine several hundred GPUs to crack short passwords instantly. This chart shows how longer passwords can make the process impossibly long, even with such computing power on hand.Terahash / Twitter Even websites that barely register in your memory deserve a strong, unique password. If you’ve left behind traces of personal information — or financial information, like stored credit card info — unauthorized access to your account could lead to future headaches. Normally, remembering a strong, random, and unique password for every place you visit on the internet would be a pain in the rear. Everything requires a login these days. But with a password manager (which of course you’ve just set up!), you no longer have that responsibility. So long as you have the browser extension (or app installed on your phone), you can let it choose a password for you. Just tell it how many characters in length and what mix of them. (Security experts currently recommend 24 characters in length, randomly generated with numbers, letters, and special characters; you can also opt for a similarly long passphrase for things you need to manually type.) The fun part is that because you don’t have to memorize each password yourself, long and complex strings aren’t a hassle. If you want to really level up your login security, you can also use strong, unique user names, too. With a password manager tracking everything, being randominternetuser13960 on one site, ithurtstomove4582 on another, and pizzacoma2259 on a third is a cinch. Have to use an email address for your login? Gmail and some other email providers let you create aliases by adding a plus sign (+) and phrase after your account name. So for example, you could use emailaddress+likesbooks@gmail.com to distinguish that particular site. Or better yet, you can wholesale upgrade to email masks for true anonymity. Enable two-factor authentication, too Two-factor authentication adds a second layer of security while logging in.Apple We hate to say it, but these days, strong passwords alone aren’t enough to ward off threats. Data breaches happen, and so do moments of being caught off-guard by phishing attempts. Two-factor authentication adds another layer to your login process. Instead of having immediate access to your account upon entering your user name and password, you’ll have to pass another security check before access is granted. (You can read more about how 2FA works in our explainer, which also gives more details on the common forms available.) Like using a password manager, two-factor authentication doesn’t have to be a cumbersome addition to your login process. Apps like Authy, Aegis, and Ravio make accessing your 2FA codes on multiple devices simple, and support easy security measures like biometric authentication to protect those codes from prying eyes. We of course recommend enabling two-factor authentication on as many accounts as possible, but at minimum, do it for major accounts like email and financial services — places with info that could wreak havoc on your life if someone else got unauthorized access. Also consider protecting your Amazon, social media, Steam, and work accounts (and their info ripe for use in social engineering) in this way, too. For sites that don’t have two-factor authentication — which sadly includes a large number of e-commerce sites — you can help limit damage from unauthorized account access by not leaving your credit card information and address on file. Use a passkey Most people will probably use a phone for their passkey storage, but they work with Windows PCs, Apple hardware, and security keys, too.Google This newer form of account authentication has been spreading steadily since last year, and just in time, too. Passkeys cut out a lot of the hassle of using passwords while also providing strong security out the gate — a quality of life upgrade sorely needed as online security gets more complex. You just need a device like a phone, tablet, or even your PC to serve as an authenticator. It’ll be registered to your account when you generate the passkey. Afterward, you’ll get prompts on the device to authorize logins, which you’ll approve using face identification, a fingerprint, or a PIN. It’s incredibly simple, and more importantly, passkeys are more resistant to the current effects of data breaches. Because they are an asymmetrical form of encryption, a hacker can’t guess at your passkey based on the compromised website’s encrypted login data. Only you have the other part of the puzzle, and it’s a different kind of piece than the part saved to your website account. You can also use a password manager to store passkeys, though they’re currently a bit less secure than using a physical device. You can read more about passkeys in our coverage of Google’s launch of passkey support for its accounts (as well as in Google’s own excellent overview of the topic), but basically, this is the cutting-edge of online security. A passkey eliminates the hassles of passwords, along with the pressing need for two-factor authentication, and should make protecting your accounts much easier. Good websites support both passwords and passkeys — so you can still have a password + 2FA combo as an alternate method to login (just in case you lose your device with stored passkeys), but use your passkey day-to-day with less hassle. There’s more you can do, of course — and it’s also easy seriously, dashlane rocks Dashlane Read our review Best Prices Today: $4.99 at Dashlane All set up with your password manager and two-factor authentication, and feeling primed to go even further? Learning more of the ins and outs of your password manager will help integrate it into your life even more seamlessly. Installing your service’s companion smartphone app and browser extension is just a starting point — check out our guide on how to make most of your password manager for more tips. You can also have a look at our story about 5 easy tasks that supercharge your security. If you’ve followed this article’s advice, you’re already more than halfway there! Editor’s note: This article first ran on World Password Day 2024, but we’re bumping it again for 2025. It’s helpful info! Read...

TL;DR: When you buy a Microsoft Office lifetime license for $54.97, you’ll get a Windows 11 Pro license for free—only while supplies last. Normally a $418 value. If your PC setup is starting to feel outdated, there’s a simple way to refresh it without spending hundreds. With this bundle, you’ll unlock the complete Microsoft Office suite for life—no subscriptions or hidden fees like Microsoft 365—and upgrade your computer to Windows 11 Pro to boost security, performance, and productivity ahead of the discontinuation of Windows 10. Microsoft Office Professional 2021 includes essential apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, Publisher, and Teams, all unlocked with a one-time payment. You’ll have lifetime access to the full suite, helping you tackle everything from business reports to personal projects. Along with Office, you’ll also get Windows 11 Pro, Microsoft’s latest and most advanced operating system, at no additional cost. Designed for serious multitasking, Windows 11 Pro brings enhanced productivity tools like snap layouts, a modern interface, virtual desktops, and enterprise-level security features like BitLocker and Windows Hello. Don’t forget the AI-powered assistant, Windows Copilot. Don’t miss your chance to get this Microsoft Office and Windows 11 Pro bundle for $54.97 while supplies last (a $418 value). The Ultimate Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License + Windows 11 Pro BundleSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

EZVIZ has established itself as a market leader in smart security cameras. The brand has a robust lineup of products to suit every household, including options with solar panel support, high-resolution video, pan and tilt tracking, security lighting and more. It doesn’t stop there, though. EZVIZ also has a lineup of smart entry products that can further enhance your home security. These solutions provide convenient entry to your home for yourself and your guests, as well as advanced security features for peace of mind when you’re away. EZVIZ has been recognised for its advancements in smart entry tech, and it recently won a prestigious Plus X Award as the Best Brand for Smart Entry Products 2025. Let’s take a closer look at some of the brand’s solutions to find out why. EZVIZ HP7 Pro 4K Palm Vein Video Doorphone The HP7 Pro is EZVIZ’s latest innovation, and if you’re looking for solutions to upgrade a large house or a villa, it could be just what you need. The HP7 Pro is so slick that it has been awarded Gold Winner at the MUSE Design Awards. The HP7 Pro is a video doorphone that’s designed to replace an aging intercom system, and it installs easily using the existing wiring. It combines many of the benefits of the other products mentioned in this article, offering keyless entry, remote access, two-way talk and more. If that wasn’t enough, the HP7 Pro takes keyless entry a step further. It benefits from palm vein recognition technology, as well as facial recognition. So, rather than fumbling for your RFID card, you can unlock your gate with a wave. It’s great for older relatives and children who might not have a smartphone to unlock the property, as the camera will recognise them automatically. The staggered launch of the HP7 Pro will begin worldwide in May. Stay tuned. EZVIZ DL05 Smart Fingerprint Lock EZVIZ Keys have been around for thousands of years, and they serve their purpose, but they can be annoying to carry, and even more annoying if you lose them. With the EZVIZ DL05 smart lock, you can make keys a thing of the past. The DL05 supports multiple keyless entry methods, including fingerprint scanning, NFC cards, passcodes and smartphone unlocking. What’s more, you can share temporary passcodes for visitors, or even grant access remotely – if a maintenance worker arrives when you’re away, for instance. Installation is simple, and the battery lasts for up to a year on a charge, so maintenance is barely an inconvenience. It’s also weatherproof, so no matter which door you want to upgrade, it’ll be well sealed against the elements. Learn more about the EZVIZ DL05 Smart Fingerprint Lock EZVIZ EP3x Pro Battery-Powered Video Doorbell EZVIZ If you get a lot of packages, the EP3x Pro is a dream come true. This innovative video doorbell includes a second camera that points down towards your doorstep, so you can check on your packages while away from home. At the same time, you get a wide-angle forward-facing camera with a crisp 2K resolution, so you can see visitors and the front of your property. The EP3x Pro is packed with useful features like human motion detection, package detection, two-way talk and color night vision. It can be easily installed with no need for wires, thanks to a capacious 5200 mAh built-in battery. The battery life is outstanding as standard, but if you want to go even longer between charges, it’s available with a solar panel kit to keep it topped up all year round. Learn more about the EZVIZ EP3x Pro Battery-Powered Video Doorbell EZVIZ HP2 Wire-Free Peephole Door Viewer EZVIZ If you live in an apartment complex, you likely have an old-school peephole on your front door. It’s better than nothing, but with this simple and affordable upgrade from EZVIZ, you can make your peephole so much more useful. It installs easily without requiring modification to most doors with an existing peephole. Then you’ll be able to see who’s at the door on a large 4.3-inch color screen, rather than pressing your face up to the tiny hole. What’s more, the camera feed can be viewed remotely using the EZVIZ app on your mobile phone. So, even if you’re away from home, you can keep an eye on your hallway. Learn more about the EZVIZ HP2 Peephole Door Viewer Read...

Zoho unveils ten new AI features on its Creator platform, enhancing app development speed and ease with no extra cost to users` existing subscriptions. Read...

A new weekly podcast, Inside Netball, features former Silver Ferns. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Available in a fantastically capable free version File-level and imaging (Pro version) backup Supports prosumer/IT online storage services Cons Pro version with imaging is subscription only Lacks support for Consumer-grade online storage services Proprietary data containers and images Our Verdict In its free incarnation, MSP360 Desktop Backup is a worthwhile upgrade to Windows File History. However, the Pro version is subscription-only which makes it very pricey over time. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: MSP360 Desktop Backup Retailer Price MSP360 $29.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket I checked out both the free and paid versions of MSP360 Desktop Backup for this review. Shockingly, the free version maintains enough of the paid version’s features to warrant a 4-star rating — even without support for consumer-grade online storage support that its Cloudberry Backup ancestor featured. MSP360 Desktop Backup Jon L. Jacobi Consider the free MSP360 Desktop Backup a nicely robust upgrade from Windows eminently useful File History. Read on to learn more, then see our roundup of the best Windows backup software for comparison. What are MSP360 Desktop Backup’s features? The most salient difference between the free and paid versions of MSP360 Desktop Backup is the former’s lack of support for image backups. It also lacks encryption/compression, backup of virtual machines, support for Exchange, and other decidedly pro features. Like I said, think File History. Beyond that, a surprising amount of functionality is present and as far as I could tell, it’s not neutered at every turn as with a number of other freebies. There are full and incremental backups; scheduling that’s granular down to minutes; culling of backups (purging older backups, including grandfather/father/son options; as well as pre- and post- program execution). Even the free version of MSP360 offers extremely granular scheduling down to the minute. Also on the feature list: NTFS options (permissions); file filters; a backup consistency check; email notifications; and a disaster recovery boot disk, albeit minus bare metal restore — i.e. the ability to restore to new, dissimilar hardware. Bare metal restore is nice, but Windows includes generic drivers for everything basic these days, so the need isn’t nearly what it was back in the day when you might need to inject the Ethernet or Wi-Fi drivers to facilitate downloading all the other drivers. You can even back up from, as well as to, network locations — if they’re already mounted as drive letters under Windows. Online storage may serve as a source as well. More on supported services in a bit. Whew! I did mention that this is the freebie, right? MSP360 Desktop’s file filtering options are extensive. My biggest disappointment with MSP360 Desktop Backup, including the paid version, is that, unlike its Cloudberry Backup predecessor, online storage support is limited to prosumer/IT-oriented services such as Microsoft Azure, Amazon S3, S3-compatibles, Google cloud, etc. In other words, there’s no support for the Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Box, etc., that most of us use. Only prosumer online storage services (and local destinations) are supported by MSP360 Desktop Backup. That pretty much means that the freebie, when it comes to the average user, is good only for local storage and local network backup. I do have one or two other minor gripes. Numero uno, I wish there was support for non-proprietary container files such as VHD so that the program wasn’t required for restore operations. Also, it would be nice to be able to define multiple destinations for each data set rather than having to create a new job for every destination. On the other hand, you can chain backup jobs for execution. Those are standard suggestions on my part for a lot of backup software and don’t really affect overall functionality — or the rating. Not much at least. MSP360 also offers a WinPE boot disk, though the disk produced by the free version is limited like the Windows version. How much does MSP360 Desktop Backup cost? MSP360 Desktop Backup is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Obviously, the free version costs nothing, but the Standalone version with imaging will set you back $30 a year. There is no perpetual option — a bit of a bummer, as rarely do backup programs improve drastically in a year’s time. Blame that on their existing maturity. Are you listening, Acronis? The Pro version of MSP360 Desktop with imaging is $30 yearly. If you are interested in the paid-level features and online (remote) management of multiple computers, there’s also MSP360 Managed Backup for $2.50 per seat, per month, or $30 per seat yearly. However, storage is extra, with $72 yearly for 1TB Wasabi being the default. Alas, no consumer-grade online storage services are supported so you can’t leverage those. That makes the Managed Backup version possibly the better deal than Desktop, but only if your storage service aligns. Note that restore functionality remains intact perpetually so you can always restore your backups if you drop your paid subscription. That’s essential if you’re using proprietary data containers as MSP360 does. How does MSP360 Desktop Backup perform? I did my initial testing with the free version, and my only issue was self-inflicted — choosing a drive without enough free space to contain the backup. This forced an error. Hitting the restart button caused another error as the program tried to create an incremental backup. Obviously, the program didn’t realize that the first job had failed. I reformatted the destination to free up enough space in the mean time, and choosing the “Force full backup” command solved that issue. Am I a bit hasty? Yes. I tend to rush testing in order to better spot possible weaknesses that might bite end users. You’d be surprised how often it works. That said, the program could be just a tad smarter about checking that there’s enough space on the destination, or that there’s a valid full backup before trying to create an incremental addition. Without space-challenged destinations, MSP360 Desktop Backup proceeded through numerous jobs without issue. Restore functionality remains intact perpetually so you can always restore your backups if you drop your paid subscription. Green bars at 100% are what we like to see with any backup program. Too much red and the rating plummets. The company sent me a license for the paid version so I could test the imaging backup. I’m very happy to report that the imaging works quite well. The disaster recovery disk booted fine, and restore operations (image and file) went off without a hitch. Good on ya’, MSP360. Should you buy MS360 Desktop Backup? If you need something more powerful than Windows File History for your file backups, then the free version of MS360 Desktop Backup is a no-brainer. However, it’s difficult to recommend the paid version, which is subscription software that’s not going to evolve significantly on a year-to-year basis. On the other hand, the soon-to-be-reviewed, and like-priced MS360 Managed Backup might just be worth the expense if you need to monitor and control backup chores for several computers remotely. Read...

ADT offers Yale Assure locks with its ADT+ home security systems, and now the security service provider has partnered with Yale and the Z-Wave Alliance to introduce the Yale Assure Lock 2 Touch with Z-Wave. This is the first Z-Wave lock with fingerprint recognition that is certified to use the Z-Wave User Credential Command Class specification that was released in June 2024. The new lock also features the latest generation Z-Wave 800 chipset, which promises longer battery life and improved range on a Z-Wave mesh network. Thanks to its use of the Z-Wave User Credential Command Class spec, ADT+ subscribers will be able arm and disarm their security system at the same time they lock or unlock the new deadbolt, all by just touching their previously enrolled finger to the new lock. ADT offers the Yale Assure Lock 2 Touch with Z-Wave with its ADT+ home security systems, which can be self- or professionally installed.ADT “ADT, alongside our partners at Yale and the Z-Wave Alliance, is setting a new standard for smart home security,” ADT EVP and Chief Business Officer Omar Khan” said in a press release. “With the introduction of the User Credential Command Class and updates to ADT+, we’re not just launching a new lock—we’re redefining how security systems and smart locks work together. This is a leap forward for home security, combining convenience and protection in a way that has never been done before.” Version 3.6 of the ADT+ app, available now, also adds a new Home/Away feature that detects the location of registered smartphones within the home’s geofence to determine occupancy. If everyone leaves the home and takes their phones with them, the security system can automatically switch to Away mode, triggering all unlocked smart locks in the home to lock. Using ADT’s Trusted Neighbors feature, subscribers can enroll their neighbors and grant them permission to enter the home to check in on the home if, for example, a water leak sensor detects the presence of water where it shouldn’t be. They can do the same for regular household help while restricting their access to a defined window of time. This news story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart locks. The latest ADT+ app update also allows ADT monitoring agents to check the system’s security cameras for threat assessment if the system goes into an alarm state while the home is unoccupied. The Yale Assure Lock 2 Touch with Z-Wave is available now at ADT.com for $279.99. ADT customers can install the lock themselves or pay an ADT technician to do the job. We’re working on a full review of the ADT+ home security system now, and we’ll also be putting the new lock through its paces. Look for that coverage soon. Read...

Intel said Tuesday that the company’s Arizona fab has run the first lots of the company’s Intel 18A wafers, the manufacturing technology powering its Panther Lake chips, while announcing a high-performance derivative process. Intel also offered a sneak peek at its 14A process, the next-generation manufacturing technology, which will include “turbo cells” for faster clock speeds. Intel made the announcements at its Foundry Direct Connect symposium on Tuesday, as the company tries to convince Wall Street and its customers that its manufacturing processes are back on track. Despite Intel executives’ on-stage promotion of their foundry roadmap, the products consumers will purchase directly influence Intel’s process roadmap. Intel’s upcoming Panther Lake processors will be manufactured on Intel’s 18A process node, completing the “five nodes in four years” goal that former chief executive Pat Gelsinger laid out. Intel’s next-gen 14A should be the technology Intel uses to fabricate “Nova Lake,” due in 2026. Intel has used foundry partner TSMC to fabricate many of the tiles found within its disaggregated processors like Lunar Lake, and bringing that production in-house will save Intel money as well as demonstrate to customers that it can compete with TSMC. Intel chief executive Lip-Bu Tan has said previously that Intel 18A is now in “risk production” and will reach volume production this year. Intel 18A includes technologies like RibbonFET, a next-gen “gate all around” transistor, as well as PowerVia, a backside power delivery architecture that can nudge up power performance by 4 percent. Intel 18A is “ready for full product design start” — just another way that Intel is saying that it’s ready to go. This is Intel’s process technology roadmap as of April 2025.Intel On top of the generic 18A process, Intel has now added two new variants: what it calls 18A-P, designed for “enhanced performance” to a small subset of customers; and 18A-PT, which “builds on 18A-PT performance and power efficiency variants.” Early wafers based on Intel 18A-P are in the fab now, the company said. Intel 18A-PT can be connected to the top die using Foveros Direct 3D with a hybrid bonding interconnect pitch of less than 5 micrometers, Intel said in a statement. Intel 14A, by contrast, improves upon PowerVia with a new technology called PowerDirect, its second-gen power delivery network. RibbonFET 2 will also improve upon RibbonFET, Intel said. Intel was supposed to move next to an intermediary 20A process but cancelled it. The most intriguing part of the new 14A process may be something called “turbo cells,” which Intel refers to as a “boosted cell technology.” It will further enhance speed (including CPU maximum frequency and GPU critical paths) when paired with RibbonFET 2, Intel said. That might be key, as Intel and other chipmakers continually struggle with how to improve chip performance. “Turbo Cells allows designers to optimize a mix of more performant cells and more power-efficient cells within a design block, enabling a tailored balance between power, performance, and area for target applications,” Intel said. It will be combined with High Numerical Aperture (High NA) EUV technology for smaller process features. Intel 14A and Intel 18A-PT dies can be packaged together, Intel added, using Foveros Connect 3D stacking and embedded multi-die interconnected bridging, or EMIB. Intel is also announcing EMIB-T for future high-bandwidth memory needs as well as two additional Foveros derivatives, Foveros-R and Foveros-B. Read...

Roku is best known for its streaming boxes and sticks, but it also offers free TV entertainment on its Roku Channel, including live linear TV and some original movies, and you don’t need to have Roku’s hardware—or a Roku TV—to watch it. We’ll show you all the ways you can enjoy the bounty. You can access the Roku Channel via a web browser or via Roku’s mobile apps for Android and iOS. To watch on a smart TV or another brand of streaming device (an Amazon Fire TV, Google TV, Samsung smart TV), you’ll need to install the Roku Channel app from that device’s app store. Unfortunately, Roku doesn’t have a version of the Roku Channel app for LG smart TVs or the Apple TV streamer. But we’ll show you some workarounds for those platforms later. You don’t need a Roku-powered streaming device or TV to watch the free entertainment on the Roku Channel; in fact, you don’t need a media streamer at all. Just point your web browser to theRokuChannel.com and pick what you want to watch.Michael Brown/Foundry What’s available on the Roku Channel? The Roku Channel offers a wide array of FAST (free ad-supported TV) channels, movies and TV series you can watch on demand, as well as live linear TV (movies and shows are streamed on a fixed schedule—as in the good ol’ days of broadcast television—but you can drop in whenever you want). You’ll find some of this same content on other FAST services, such as Pluto and Tubi, but Roku always has a selection of popular films and shows that are exclusive to the Roku Channel. Roku’s most high-profile original project so far is the Emmy-winning Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, starring Daniel Radcliffe as the satirical singer. Roku offers a small amount of its own original programming, including Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, starring Daniel Radcliffe.Jared Newman / Foundry Other original shows include The Great American Baking Show, Honest Renovations, and Visionaries: The Arch Project with Keanu Reeves. It’s a tiny catalog when compared to what’s streaming on Max or Netflix, but you can watch all these shows for free (with ads). Roku has also gone bargain hunting, picking up worthy projects other streaming services have dropped. That includes the entire library of Quibi, the failed “quick bites” short form video service that Hollywood mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg (former chief executive of Disney and co-founder of Dreamworks), designed for phones. Roku rescued an entire library of Quibi shows like Die Hart with Kevin Hart, Most Dangerous Game, a Punk’d revival with Chance the Rapper, the Reno 911! revival, and Bill Burr Presents Immoral Compass. Roku also picked up The Spiderwick Chronicles TV series from Disney+. Roku acquired the entire Quibi library of short films and offers it for free on the Roku Channel.Quibi Since The Roku Channel was designed as a hub for Roku streaming devices, there’s a lot of emphasis on luring users to subscribe to other streaming services, such as Prime Video, Peacock, MGM+, and Paramount+. If you’re not familiar with the catalogs of those streaming services, you might find yourself routed to their apps or websites when you click on a title. If you are interested in subscribing to those services, it’s best to sign up for them directly, so that your customer relationship is with the service provider and not a go-between. How to use a browser to watch the Roku Channel First, point your browser to therokuchannel.com. You’ll see a large grid with thumbnail images of the movies and TV shows on offer. At the risk of contradicting everything I’ve said about this entertainment being free and ad supported; well, some of it—a little of it—isn’t. But the Roku Channel user interface makes it easy to tell the difference.Roku’s browser view makes it easy to identify which content is free with ads and which requires a subscription to one service or another. Each section features tiles that slide to the left or right with arrows on each side of the screen, much like the navigation on Netflix. You’ll need to scroll down three times to see the entire user interface when viewing the Roku Channel in a web browser on an iPhone. Michael Brown/Foundry What you can’t do is adjust the view of the page to hide the Premium Subscription content. That makes sense—for Roku, at least—because part of the company’s business model revolves around you subscribing to outside services from within its site, for which Roku collects a commission. But it would be nice if users could hide the subscription options they don’t plan to use. A Browse tab allows a viewer to focus on such categories as Roku Originals, Movies, Series, Comedy, Drama, Western, and dozens of others. You can click a + button next to a program’s description to add it to a Saved tab. The Live TV tab shows what’s streaming now with the same sliding tile interface the rest of The Roku Channel site uses. It’s a bit counterintuitive for anyone who grew up with the traditional cable guide grid interface that Pluto and Tubi use for their live TV offerings. How to use the Roku Channel mobile app The Roku Channel lives inside the Roku app for iOS and Android. That app is primarily designed to act as a remote for a Roku device or Roku-powered television, so you’ll need to get used to working around that capability if you’re primarily using the app to just watch the Roku Channel. There is no Roku Channel app for the Apple TV streaming box, but you can play the service on your phone and cast it to the box connected your big-screen TV via Apple AirPlay.Michael Brown/Foundry For example, I use an Apple TV streamer with a TCL television that happens to have the Roku software built in. I don’t use the Roku software on the television, but I do have a Roku account. Press the wrong icon on the screen, and the Roku interface launches on the TV screen. There’s no way to turn that off or eliminate the icons for apps you may have installed on a Roku device or television. The mobile app uses the same sliding tile interface as the web version, but it’s far more difficult to use on a smaller screen. There’s no way to get an overview of what’s streaming live, and it’s impossible to surface a list of Roku Originals if you’re looking to focus on movies and shows exclusive to the channel. If you own an Apple TV, you can watch The Roku Channel on your television screen via mirroring. There’s no support for AirPlay. That means you won’t have access to anything but the streaming video when watching. What’s the best way to watch the Roku Channel? If have a Google-, Amazon Fire- or Roku-powered streaming device or television, download the Roku Channel app for your respective device, as that’s the easiest way to watch the service, as you’ll be able to use a remote control. If you don’t have one of those devices, the easiest way to watch the Roku Channel is on a web browser on a computer or tablet. If you’re looking to use your mobile device and want to have access to the full catalog of movies and shows, your best bet is to log in via a web browser and add what you want to your Save List. That content will then be easily accessed on the mobile app. Free streaming has become a major player in home entertainment. If you’re willing to put up with a few commercials (and sometimes the same commercials playing during every single ad break), there’s a wide variety of classic and relatively new movies and shows available on the Roku Channel—and other FAST services—to pass the time. Read...