With a streaming stick, you can add apps and streaming services to any TV or display, instantly unlocking access to a wide range of movies, TV shows, and music. Amazon’s Fire TV sticks are among the most popular models as they’re easy to use and bundled with numerous options. Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K Plus—the newest model—is currently on sale for just $30. That’s a whopping 40 percent discount on its original $50 price tag, and it’s so popular that more than 10,000 units were bought in the past month alone. The more powerful version—the Fire TV Stick 4K Max—has also been price-dropped, this one by 33 percent, down from its original $60 to a more affordable $40. Nice! See the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus on Amazon See the Fire TV Stick 4K Max on Amazon Note! The regular Fire TV Stick 4K was recently renamed as the “4K Plus” for the newest refresh, but the overall features remain identical. The Fire TV Stick 4K Plus The Fire TV Stick 4K Plus delivers 4K resolution with Dolby Vision, HDR10, and Dolby Atmos for a cinema-like home media experience—provided your TV and sound system support these standards. You can stream content from Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, and more. In addition, thousands of free films and series are available via ad-supported streaming apps such as Pluto TV. With its quad-core 1.7GHz processor, apps launch faster and navigation through screens is more responsive than in previous models. Thanks to Wi-Fi 6 support, you can stream smoothly even with several devices connected at the same time. (A compatible Wi-Fi 6 router is required to benefit, but this stick also works with older routers.) The included Alexa Voice Remote allows you to control your TV, apps, and connected smart home devices with voice commands. This means you can control your smart lights, security cameras, and thermostats directly via the TV without having to juggle devices. One standout feature worth noting: Xbox games! With an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, you can stream games like Starfield and Forza Motorsport directly via the stick even without an Xbox console. For casual gamers, this offers an easy way to play the latest games. Get the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus on Amazon The Fire TV Stick 4K Max The Fire TV Stick 4K Max on sale is the second-generation model, an improvement on the basic 4K model with a faster quad-core 2.0GHz processor, Wi-Fi 6E for even more stable streaming, and twice as much storage space (16GB). The enhanced Alexa Voice Remote enables additional control functions and faster access to content. The 4K Max also supports 4K resolution, Dolby Vision, HDR10, and Dolby Atmos. A special feature is the Fire TV Ambient TV, which lets you choose from over 2,000 works of art and photographs to be displayed on the TV as a background piece, complete in museum quality. Get the Fire TV Stick 4K Max on Amazon Why these deals are worthwhile For just $30, the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus is a cost-effective way to upgrade your existing TV setup. The resolution is crisp and clear, the sound support is great, the app selection is vast, and the Xbox game streaming is a huge cherry on top. It works with any HDMI-compatible display, so you can even use it with a lone monitor instead of a TV. And for $40, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max provides even smoother performance thanks to upgraded hardware, better internet stability with Wi-Fi 6E, and twice as much storage space. It’s a worthwhile jump up for users who depend on cloud gaming or smart home integration. Get the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus on Amazon Get the Fire TV Stick 4K Max on Amazon Read...

This JBL PartyBox Encore Essential portable Bluetooth speaker has been the heart of nearly all my friend and family gatherings in the past year. The best news for you, though, is that it’s on sale right now! Act fast and you can get it for 39% off on Amazon, an incredible discount that brings it down to one of its best prices ever: $200 (was $330). View this Amazon deal The JBL PartyBox Encore Essential is one of the best portable Bluetooth speakers for parties and events. It’s large, fairly heavy, and loud. Seriously, it gets really loud. To set the mood, it even features a dynamic light show feature that’ll dazzle your guests, but you can turn it off and ignore it if that’s not really the vibe you want to put out. It comes with a built-in handle, too, so it’s easy to move around. That said, although it’s a “portable” Bluetooth speaker, don’t expect it to be small or light enough that you can carry it with you when you go, say, hiking—it’s definitely not for that. It’s more for indoor venues or your backyard patio. You could take it to the pool, though, and you won’t have to worry about water damage because it’s IPX4 splash-proof. Measurement-wise, it’s 12.9 inches tall, 10.9 inches wide, and 11.5 inches deep. It ain’t massive, but it’s pretty hefty. If you want to take things to the next level, you can wirelessly pair it with two other speakers using JBL’s True Wireless Stereo technology. But for the most part, it’s an incredible speaker on its own—and this is a fantastic deal, so get it now for just $200 before this deal expires! Save $130 on the JBL Partybox Encore Essential while you canBuy now at Amazon Read...

Nobody home? No problem, with the AI-revamped Alexa now capable of greeting people on your doorstep—anyone from a loved one to a delivery person—with customized, natural-language responses.  The new Alexa+ Greetings feature, which was first announced back in February at Amazon’s big AI-enhanced Alexa reveal, is rolling out today for a pair of wired Ring doorbells.   Not only does Alexa+ Greetings allow the updated voice assistant to converse naturally with visitors, it also helps Alexa+ recognize who’s there based on what they’re wearing, holding, or doing.   Once Alexa+ has determined who’s at your door, it can then chat with them based on your pre-set instructions, Amazon says.  For example, Alexa+ should be able to recognize a delivery person who’s wearing a FedEx uniform and holding a package, and then ask them to place the delivery in a designated spot or somewhere out of sight.  Alexa+ will also be able to spot people you know in conjunction with the previously launched Familiar Faces feature, which lets the assistant recognize friends, loved ones, and any other frequent visitors whose faces you’ve enrolled in the Alexa app.  Aside from greeting friends and visitors or helping with deliveries, Alexa+’s Greetings feature could be helpful in dealing with door-to-door solicitors. For example, you could give Alexa+ an instruction like, “If someone comes to the door trying to sell something, politely let them know we’re not interested,” according to Amazon.  The “classic” Alexa also has a greeting-style feature on Ring doorbells, but that feature employs only canned greetings, versus the generative-AI responses that Alexa+ Greetings can deliver.  To use Alexa+ Greetings, you’ll need one of two Ring video doorbells—either the third-generation Ring Wired Doorbell Pro or the second-gen Ring Wired Doorbell Plus.   You’ll also need to be subscribed to the Ring Home Premium plan, which covers all your Ring cameras and offers 180 days of video history, AI-enabled person, vehicle, and package detection, plus 24-7 video recording, a multi-cam view of your live feeds, and other features for $20 a month.  This story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best security cameras. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Both Type-A and TypeC connectors (captive) Good 10Gbps performance with smaller amounts of data Solid Construction Cons Sustained writes slow to 600MBps after only 20GB Our Verdict Though not a fantastic writer with larger amounts of data, the SanDisk Extreme Pro Dual is an on-par 10Gbps reader, and its captive Type-A/Type-C connectors make for no-hassle connection to any device. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: SanDisk Extreme Pro Dual flash drive Retailer Price $54.99 View Deal SanDisk $55 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices It’s a frustrating experience when the only port on the device you want to connect to is Type-A, and your connecting device is Type-C. Or vice versa. Hope you brought an adapter. Yeah, it’s a fiddling problem, but can be a real time-waster and it’s one that many vendors have addressed with dual Type-A/Type-C drives such as the SanDisk Extreme Pro Dual that’s reviewed here. Read on to learn more, then see our roundup of the best external drives for comparison. What are the SanDisk Extreme Pro Dual’s features? The Extreme Pro Dual measures approximately 3.2 inches long (including connector), 0.65-inches wide, and 0.4-inches thick. It weighs a bit more than most at 1.2 ounces — largely because of the sturdy metal housing that the drive portion rotates inside of. The weight gives it a pleasant, solid heft. You swivel the drive inside said housing to expose either the Type-A or Type-C (one is always out in the open). The drive clicks into place if you orient the connectors parallel to the housing, but you can have both exposed (see the lead image) if you choose. The Dual’s metal housing makes for a nice heft and feeling of quality.Jon L. Jacobi The Extreme Pro Dual is 10Gbps 3.x Gen 2 USB (around 1GBps transfers optimally) and the NAND is late generation if my tests are accurate. While the write rate drops, it’s only to around 350MBps. SanDisk warranties the Extreme Pro Dual for life (limited). That’s a bit of a shocker, as most external drives carry a three-year, or more rarely, a five-year warranty. I’m assuming the “limited” is based on the number of writes possible and not running it over with a Zamboni. But the company rightly figures there’s no way you can write enough data to exceed the NAND’s write-cycle limit. Whatever the logic, I like it and it does warrant the “Pro” in the moniker. How much is the SanDisk Extreme Pro Dual? At the time of this writing the Extreme Pro Dual was available on Amazon in 256GB/$55, 512GB/$73, and 2TB/$180 capacities. The 1TB version I tested was $110 on SanDisk’s website, and as the rest of the prices were the same, I would expect Amazon to sell 1TB for that price as well, when it’s available. How are those prices comparatively? A tad high actually, especially when the most excellent Teamgroup X2 Max is cheaper. How fast is the SanDisk Extreme Pro Dual? While not on par with Teamgroup’s X2 Max, the Extreme Pro Dual put in a credible performance — in most cases. It’s actually capable of better write numbers than those shown for CrystalDiskMark 8 (over 900MBps), but only when using a 32GiB or smaller data set. Our test unit was 1TB. The 2TB unit would no doubt have put in better numbers, though likely still not as good as the X2 Max’s. As we test all drives with the 64GiB data set, those are the numbers you see below. Sorry SanDisk. The Extreme Pro Dual held its own when reading, but with the 64GiB data set writes ran out of steam early, resulting in these numbers. Longer bars are better. The Extreme Pro Dual’s random performance under CrystalDiskMark was much better than what you see below, but only, again, with 32GiB and smaller data sets. These are not good random operations numbers, but they were much faster with smaller data sets. Longer bars are better. With the 1TB version of the drive I tested, writing 48GB went beyond the allotted secondary cache. The numbers are directly below, followed by a screenshot of the drive slowing down during the 48GB write process. The Extreme Pro Dual’s 48GB transfer results aren’t head of the class, but workable. Shorter bars are better. There’s just not a lot of secondary cache on board the Extreme Pro Dual, as you can see in this screen grab of the Windows Explorer copy process. Even when writing our smaller 48GB file, the Extreme Pro Dual’s write speed dropped to around 350MBps. Compared to any drive but the PNY Duo Link V3, the Extreme Pro Dual would rate as slow writing 450GB. But while it lost out to the excellent Teamgroup X2 Max, 20 minutes is not horrible for a thumb drive. The native write rate is over 350MBps, which isn’t comedically tragic like the PNY’s 15MBps. The PNY was also a 1TB drive, while the X2 Max was 2TB which gives is more NAND for secondary caching. However, the X2 Max’s native write rate was double the Extreme Pro Dual’s and would’ve cleaned its clock regardless. Compared to any drive but the PNY Duo Link V3, the Extreme Pro Dual would rate as slow writing 450GB. Shorter bars are better. The NAND inside the Extreme Pro Dual is relatively new if it can sustain 350MBps or so. Note that the native write rate kicks in pretty quickly at around 20GB. The NAND inside the Extreme Pro Dual is relatively new if it can sustain 300MBps. Note that the native write rate kicks in pretty quickly at right around 20GB. A quick note: I put these drives through the wringer. Few users write the amount of data required to experience a slowdown on any sort of regular basis. Should you buy the SanDisk Extreme Pro Dual? If your normal write data sets are small, the convenience of the dual captive USB connectors makes the Extreme Pro Dual a good choice. Especially in light of its super-solid construction. But there are a lot of options out there. Shop wisely. How we test Drive tests currently utilize Windows 11 24H2, 64-bit running off of a PCIe 4.0 Samsung 990 Pro in an Asus Z890-Creator WiFi (PCIe 4.0/5.0) motherboard. The CPU is a Core Ultra i5 225 feeding/fed by two Crucial 64GB DDR5 5600MHz modules (128GB of memory total). Both 20Gbps USB and Thunderbolt 5 are integrated into the motherboard and Intel CPU/GPU graphics are used. Internal PCIe 5.0 SSDs involved in testing are mounted in an Asus Hyper M.2 x16 Gen5 adapter card sitting in a PCIe 5.0 slot. We run the CrystalDiskMark 8.04 (and 9), AS SSD 2, and ATTO 4 synthetic benchmarks (to keep article length down, we report only the former) to find the storage device’s potential performance. Then we run a series of 48GB transfer and 450GB write tests using Windows Explorer drag and drop to show what users will see during routine copy operations, as well as the far faster FastCopy run as administrator to show what’s possible. A 25GBps two-SSD RAID 0 array on the aforementioned Asus Hyper M.2 x16 Gen5 is used as the second drive in our transfer tests. Formerly the 48GB tests were done with a RAM disk serving that purpose. Each test is performed on a NTFS-formatted and newly TRIM’d drive so the results are optimal. Note that in normal use, as a drive fills up, performance may decrease due to less NAND for secondary caching, as well as other factors. This issue has abated somewhat with the current crop of SSDs utilizing more mature controllers and far faster, late-generation NAND. Our testing MO constantly evolves and these results may not match those from previous articles. Only comparisons inside the article are 100% valid as those are gathered using the current hardware and MO. Read...

When it comes to home security cameras, you have so many great options these days. But even among those, the tiny Arlo Essential stands out, especially for first-timers who don’t have any security cameras. Why? Because it’s so friggin’ affordable! Why spend $50 or $100 if you aren’t sure you’ll make full use of it? The Arlo Essential Indoor 2K is on sale for $15 right now, a massive 50% off with this Amazon deal. View this Amazon deal The Arlo Essential Indoor 2K security cam really is small for what it is, measuring just under 4 inches tall and under 2 inches wide. Despite that, it captures 2560×1440 (2K) resolution footage, which is absolutely insane for a $15 camera. With its 130-degree field of view, you’ll be able to keep an eye on everything in the room in exquisite detail thanks to the ultra-crisp and clear recordings. And it has a physical privacy shutter, so you can “turn it off” and have peace of mind as needed. It’s great for use during the day and night, what with its night vision support. It also supports motion detection, so it can start recording only when there’s motion and send you alerts when it catches said motion. Use the Arlo app to check in on the live video feed whenever you want from your phone, and take advantage of two-way audio to chat with whoever’s in the room via your phone. Again, all of these features are crazy to have in a dirt-cheap $15 camera. Setting it up is super easy: plug into any outlet with the included 6-foot USB-C cable and power adapter, then connect it to home Wi-Fi and maybe even integrate it with Alexa, Google Home, or IFTTT for automation. The only downside is it doesn’t support microSD cards, so if you want to keep recorded videos, you either need an Arlo Pro SmartHub for local storage (sold separately) or an Arlo Secure subscription for cloud storage (also sold separately). Frankly, this deal is incredible. The Arlo Essential Indoor 2K has never been this cheap before, and the features are mind-blowing for the price. Get it now for $15 before this limited-time deal expires! Save 50% on this tiny Wi-Fi security camera and pay just $15 for itBuy now at Amazon Read...

The end of the year is always a great time to get mid-range laptops at close to budget-tier prices. These are the kinds of laptops that will carry you through an entire day without getting on your nerves, so why settle for an entry-level clunker when you can score an awesome holiday discount instead? Right now, the HP OmniBook X Flip 2-in-1 laptop used to be $1,050 but is currently on sale for $630 at Best Buy. View this Best Buy deal At the core of this machine is an Intel Core Ultra 7 256V processor with Intel Arc 140V integrated graphics, which handles tasks like a boss and pushes a meaningful gaming experience at reasonable frame rates. That CPU qualifies this laptop as a Copilot+ PC, meaning it can access all the newfangled AI features in Windows 11. And with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, it’s powerful enough to handle Windows 11 without choking. In short, the HP OmniBook X Flip 2-in-1 is an all-around winner. Sporting a beautiful 14-inch 1920×1200 IPS touchscreen display, this laptop is made for an elevated viewing experience that won’t break the bank. That touchscreen will prove useful in tandem with the OmniBook’s 360-degree hinge that lets you lay the machine flat, prop it up like a tent, or swing all the way back in tablet mode. Use it to effortlessly read PDFs, scroll through websites, or watch video in absolute comfort. With 400 nits of brightness, it’s a great screen for most environments. Other bits worth noting include both HDMI 2.1 and Thunderbolt 4 ports, a few more USB ports for peripherals and external drives, up to 22 hours of battery life (real-world usage might be half that, but even then it’s still amazing), Wi-Fi 6E, a backlit keyboard, and an aluminum chassis that gives it that premium feel. Weighing just 3 pounds and measuring half an inch thick, it’s pretty darn portable, too. I mean, what else is there to say? You’d be hard-pressed to find another laptop that’s anywhere close to this in the $600 range. When’s the next time you’ll be able to snag a $1k laptop at this price? With RAM prices spiking, probably never! Don’t pass up this chance. HP`s highly productive 2-in-1 laptop is a steal now that it`s $420 offBuy now from Best Buy Read...

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At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Serious performance Good battery life Excellent webcam and mic Long warranty Cons Expensive 4GB of VRAM puts many local AI models out of reach NPU too slow for Copilot+ PC features Our Verdict HP’s ZBook 8 G1i is a capable professional workstation with fast performance, good thermals, and an unusually long warranty. But this machine can’t run many AI workflows. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: HP ZBook 8 G1i Retailer Price Check Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices The HP ZBook 8 G1i is a high-end workstation laptop designed for professional workloads: CAD, 3D modeling, and video editing. It’s priced to match, too. At an eye-watering price of $5,755, this machine seems priced with enough margin to allow big discounts to businesses procuring a fleet for their employees. As I wrapped up this review, HP was offering it at 61 percent off — a price of $2,199. With a three-year warranty, a bundled Windows 11 Professional license, a fast Intel Core Ultra 7 265H CPU, workstation-class Nvidia graphics, and plenty of RAM and storage, that sale price seems fair for a professional tool like this one. But HP’s promises of “pro-level graphics designed for advanced AI workflows” fall a little flat here. While this machine has Nvidia graphics that can run local AI features in professional apps, this isn’t the ideal AI workstation PC. Both the GPU and NPU hold it back in AI workloads. HP ZBook 8 G1i: Specs The HP ZBook 8 G1i is available in a variety of configurations, both in 14-Inch and 16-inch models. The 16-inch review model HP let us borrow had an Intel Core Ultra 7 265H CPU, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and a dual-GPU setup with a workstation-class discrete Nvidia RTX 500 Ada GPU and integrated Intel Arc Pro 140T graphics. The 16-core Intel Core Ultra 7 265H CPU is based on Intel’s Arrow Lake architecture with a max speed of 5.3 GHz, and it delivered CPU and overall system performance that wowed in our benchmark suite. The RTX 500 Ada GPU here is an entry-level GPU designed for workstation PCs, including CAD software and lightweight AI tasks. Professionals get certified drivers for use with software like AutoCAD, with a promise of greater stability. This machine is not intended for gaming, and the RTX 500 Ada GPU here only has 4 GB of VRAM. So, while HP talks up this machine as an AI workhorse, the lack of VRAM means it isn’t ideal for heavy local AI tasks that need a lot of VRAM, including running larger local models and fine-tuning them. Quite frankly, the AI story is the weakest part of this machine. With a slow Intel NPU that doesn’t meet the minimum requirements for Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC features and an Nvidia GPU with only 4 GB of VRAM, people looking for an “AI workstation” would do well to look elsewhere. For running local LLMs, a consumer GPU with 12GB of VRAM or more would be ideal. If you download LM Studio, you’ll discover that only the smallest models will run on a GPU like this one. You’re getting a professional GPU intended for CAD applications that can do some lightweight work with AI-accelerated features in professional apps — as long as they don’t need much video RAM. Model number: HP ZBook 8 G1i C01CTUA#ABA / BQ2Z7AA#ABA CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 265H Memory: 32GB DDR5-5600 RAM Graphics/GPU: Nvidia RTX 500 Ada and Intel Arc Pro 140T NPU: Intel AI Boost (13 TOPS) Display: 16-inch 1920×1200 IPS display Storage: 1TB PCIe Gen4 SSD Webcam: 5 MP webcam Connectivity: 3x USB Type-C (2x Thunderbolt 4, 1x USB 20Gbps), 1x USB Type-A (5Gbps), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x combo audio jack, 1x RJ-45 Ethernet, 1x security lock slot Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 Biometrics: Fingerprint reader and IR camera for facial recognition Battery capacity: 77 Watt-hours Dimensions: 14.13 x 9.84 x 0.76 inches Weight: 3.87 pounds MSRP: $5,755 as tested ($2,199 on sale) If you’re looking for a fast professional workstation, the HP ZBook 8 G1i fits the bill. Just don’t pay $5,755 for it. HP ZBook 8 G1i: Design and build quality Foundry / Chris Hoffman The 16-inch HP ZBook 8 G1i has a metal chassis. Weighing just under four pounds, it’s a reasonable weight for a laptop of this size and capability. It’s not the thinnest machine, but the cooling works well. The CPU here posted high marks in our benchmarks. The thermals are excellent: In a long-running CPU-heavy task like the Cinebench benchmark we perform, the fan whirs away, keeping the CPU running cool. It’s not unusually loud even at high performance levels. For professionals looking for high performance on CPU-heavy workloads, this machine’s CPU performance will outmatch many high-performance “gaming PCs” that spend their performance budget on a faster GPU and opt for a slower CPU. The design is standard for a laptop: A blue or gray-tinged silver color that HP calls “Meteor Silver” combined with a black bezel around the display. The hinge feels solid, and the machine is easy to open with one hand. The metal construction feels premium. HP ZBook 8 G1i: Keyboard and trackpad Foundry / Chris Hoffman The 16-inch HP ZBook 8 G1i has a large keyboard that feels responsive, with a number pad and keys that are reasonably snappy. The trackpad is large, smooth, and clicks down with a pleasantly rubbery, bouncy feel. Both the keyboard and the trackpad here are quiet, which would make them a good fit for an office environment or coffee shop. (Many consumer laptops have surprisingly loud keyboards and trackpads, and they wouldn’t be ideal to type on in an office or in a meeting room with your boss.) HP ZBook 8 G1i: Display and speakers Foundry / Chris Hoffman The HP ZBook 8 G1i has a display designed for a business laptop. The 16-inch 1920×1200 IPS display here looks good, but the 60Hz refresh rate is standard and doesn’t go above and beyond on the pixel density. With up to 400 nits of brightness and an anti-glare coating, it stays nicely readable in challenging lighting environments with direct sun or overhead fluorescent lighting. The display is designed for long battery life and readability, not high-end gaming and multimedia tasks. HP offers other models with higher-end displays — for example, you can get a 3840×2400 IPS display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 500 nits of brightness on some models. But that will negatively impact battery life. The lower-end display delivers better battery life. The HP ZBook 8 G1i’s speakers get surprisingly loud for a laptop, if you want them to be. Unfortunately, there’s not much bass. At high volume levels, the highs in songs like Steely Dan’s Aja can become somewhat shrill and fatiguing. This machine’s speakers are likely optimized more for speech and meetings. Set at 50 percent volume, this laptop was about as loud as many other laptops I’ve used. HP ZBook 8 G1i: Webcam, microphone, biometrics The HP ZBook 8 G1i’s 5 MP webcam is unusually good, which is what I’d hope to see in a high-end laptop designed for work. Even on a cloudy winter day in New England, the ambient light coming through the window in my office resulted in a clear, crisp image without much visual noise. The microphone setup here is also impressive: It picked up my voice with a good amount of vocal depth and canceled out background noise. Cheaper laptop mics often sound “tinny.” This machine is an excellent choice if you take part in a lot of online meetings. HP included multiple biometrics options on our review model: Both an IR camera for facial recognition and a fingerprint reader at the top-right corner of the keyboard tray. HP ZBook 8 G1i: Connectivity Foundry / Chris Hoffman The HP ZBook 8 G1i has a good selection of ports. On the left side, it has two Thunderbolt 4 (USB Type-C) ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a combo audio jack. On the right side, it has a third USB Type-C port (20Gbps), a USB Type-A port (5Gbps), a RJ-45 Ethernet port, and a security lock slot. It’s great having USB Type-C ports on both sides. As the laptop charges via USB Type-C, this means you can plug the charging cable into either side. That’s always great to see on a laptop. It’s a capable loadout of ports, especially with Ethernet — a critical business port. And our review model supported both Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, although the hardware on different ZBook models varies. HP also offers an optional external nano SIM slot on some models, so you can connect this laptop to cellular data. HP ZBook 8 G1i: Performance The HP ZBook 8 G1i flew in day-to-day desktop tasks. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265H CPU here is fast, and this machine’s thermals are set up to let it run hard without slowing down under load. With 32GB of RAM and a fast 1TB SSD, the machine is set up for high performance in professional apps. As always, we ran the HP ZBook 8 G1i through our standard benchmarks. Foundry / Chris Hoffman First, we run PCMark 10 to get an idea of overall system performance. The HP ZBook 8 G1i delivered an overall PCMark 10 score of 9,171. This is a CPU-focused benchmark where the GPU is less important, but the SSD and overall system performance come into play. This is higher overall system performance than many gaming laptops I’ve reviewed, and the ZBook can deliver it over extended periods of time with a fan that isn’t all that loud. This alone will make this machine a great option for many professionals. Foundry / 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 multithreaded score of 7,534, the HP ZBook 8 G1i again notched serious multithreaded CPU performance that outmatched many other laptops. Foundry / Chris Hoffman We also run an encode with Handbrake. This is another heavily multithreaded benchmark, but it runs over an extended period. This forces the laptop’s cooling to kick in, and many laptops will throttle and slow down under load. The HP ZBook 8 G1i completed the encode process in an average of 783 seconds — that’s just over 13 minutes. It’s an unusually good score and shows the machine’s thermals are well-designed. It can deliver serious performance for extended periods of time under load. Foundry / Chris Hoffman Next, we run a graphical benchmark. This isn’t a gaming laptop, and the GPU will generally be used for GPU-based professional apps and perhaps accelerating some local AI tasks. We run 3Dmark Time Spy, a graphical benchmark that focuses on GPU performance. With a 3DMark Time Spy score of 6,053, we see where the raw GPU performance falls: More comparable to an older RTX 3050 Ti GPU than a newer 50-series GPU. But you don’t buy a workstation-class GPU for raw gaming performance. You buy it for the stability and certified drivers for apps like AutoCAD and SolidWorks. Overall, the HP ZBook 8 G1i delivered amazing performance in the kind of professional apps you’d be running on a machine like this one. HP ZBook 8 G1i: Battery life The HP ZBook 8 G1i has a sizable 77 Watt-hour battery. Intel’s Arrow Lake CPUs are more focused on performance than battery life, but the power-efficient display and sizable battery deliver solid battery life for a workstation. Foundry / 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 until the laptop suspends itself. We set the screen to 250 nits of brightness for our battery benchmarks. This is a best-case scenario for any laptop since local video playback is so efficient, and real battery life in day-to-day use is always going to be less than this. The HP ZBook lasted for about 14 and a half hours before suspending itself. It should get you through a full workday away from an outlet, if you like. But you’ll need to plug the laptop in to get the best performance from the hardware, anyway. What you end up with is a laptop that can last away from an outlet when it needs to. The battery life is solid for this hardware. HP ZBook 8 G1i: Conclusion The HP ZBook 8 G1i knows exactly what it is: A portable workstation for professionals complete with high-end CPU performance, a long warranty, workstation-class Nvidia graphics, a generous amount of RAM, and a big SSD. And HP knows exactly how to price it: While $5,755 seemed extreme, the fact that the machine was already 61 percent off when I finished reviewing it shows how ready HP will be to cut the price to something reasonable. If you’re looking for a fast professional workstation, the HP ZBook 8 G1i fits the bill. Just don’t pay $5,755 for it. Read...

When you’re shopping for new speakers it’s easy to make mistakes that can have an impact on your listening experience. Buying speakers requires a certain amount of knowledge to ensure you find a model that’s a right fit. Here I look at five common mistakes people make when choosing speakers and suggest what you should do instead. 1. Not defining what you want them for One of the biggest mistakes when buying speakers is not being clear about why you want them. That can lead to you getting speakers that are a poor fit for your circumstances. Ask, what do I really want them for? Do I want passive speakers to listen to music, or a surround sound system to get good game audio? You should be as specific as possible and think about the kind of music you want to listen to and the kind of games you want to play. What you want to use the speakers for should be the biggest determinant as to what kind of speakers you should get. 2. Ignoring room size and acoustics Another problem is not considering the size of the room and acoustics of the room that you’re placing the speakers in. Buying speakers that are too large for a small room can result in an overly loud and unbalanced sound. On the other hand, small speakers in a large space can lose their impact and clarity. It’s also essential to consider other factors like whether your speakers will have a subwoofer, be connected to the TV, or be used with floor or desktop stands. These things can all affect the acoustics and determine whether your speakers fit the space or whether they will stick out like a sore thumb. 3. Believing power is everything While power is an important factor, it doesn’t define sound quality. In fact, the internal components and the frequency response of a speaker are far more important than a speaker’s wattage. If you must look at power, then look at RMS power rather than peak power. RMS power is the amount of continuous power a speaker can handle without distortion or damage. Whereas peak power is often exaggerated and doesn’t reflect the speaker’s actual performance. A better test of a speaker is just to pay close attention to the sound quality. That way you’ll get a real gauge of its performance. Pexels: Karol D 4. Not paying attention to connectivity As important as sound quality is it’s not the only factor to think about. A speaker’s connectivity is also critical to get right if you plan on connecting it to multiple devices. Digital and analog connections have different characteristics and connecting speakers to a TV, console, or PC is not the same. When choosing your speakers make sure they have the necessary inputs and outputs for your devices. Opting for speakers with the right connectivity will save you hassle in the long run. 5. Not researching additional features While sound quality, size, power, and connectivity are all important considerations when choosing speakers, you’ll also want to ensure your speakers have additional features that can enrich your experience. For example, having manual sound modes or an equalizer allows you to personalize the sound to your liking. A remote control can make hands-free remote-control operation more convenient. Additionally, features like RGB lighting, large controls, and voice assistance offer greater convenience and add to your user experience over time. It really depends on what your needs are. Related content Best budget computer speakers: PC audio for less than $100 I ditched my PC speakers for a soundbar and never looked back Is 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound better for gaming? Read...

Adobe Acrobat’s popularity is a given because of its advanced editing features. But it’s also pricey, lags with big files sometimes, and is packed with features you might never use. Plenty of users aren’t fans of the whole subscription thing, and many of them are now on the hunt for an Adobe Acrobat alternative that’s faster, cheaper, and more closely matches their needs. Here are three alternatives for Adobe Acrobat. We’ve compared feature sets and noted why each program stands out and where it falls short, so you can make a selection accordingly. Tenorshare PDNob – An affordable Adobe Acrobat alternative for advanced PDF editing. PDNob skips the heavy, expensive features of big PDF tools and gives you just what you need: fast loading, dependable OCR, easy editing, and flawless conversions. LibreOffice Draw – An open-source Adobe alternative for simple edits. Good for basic layout tweaks and quick edits without cost, though it lacks advanced automation and precision tools. Inkscape – An Adobe alternative for Linux and graphic-heavy PDFs. Ideal for design-focused PDFs thanks to its vector-editing strength, but not as convenient for text-heavy documents. Affordable Adobe Acrobat alternative for Windows and Mac Tenorshare PDNob is a lightweight, fast, and affordable Adobe Acrobat alternative for Windows and Mac users. It offers almost all basic PDF editing features and skips the heavy extras of bigger tools. The tool focuses on clean design, quick performance, and the functions most people actually use. If you want a PDF tool that functions flawlessly right away, without long tutorials or complex menus, PDNob is an easy, practical choice. If you’re tired of expensive subscriptions and cluttered interfaces, its clean, straightforward design offers a refreshing change. It focuses on what matters: quick loading, easy editing, a clean interface, and dependable performance. For daily PDF tasks like contracts, reports, schoolwork, and conversions, it gets the job done without the bulk of advanced enterprise software. What makes Tenorshare PDNob an Adobe Acrobat alternative Editing feels simple and natural, almost like working in Word. All PDF editing tools are included, such as OCR, conversion, merging, splitting, annotation, and signing. Fast and lightweight with no freezing and no heavy CPU or RAM usage. Affordable one-time lifetime purchase pricing — $69.99, with official promotions sometimes bringing it down to about $55.99. Ideal for individuals, students, freelancers, professionals, and small businesses. Who is Tenorshare PDNob for? PDNob is ideal for anyone who wants an easy, lightweight PDF editor with no steep learning curve. Perfect for individuals, students, freelancers, or small businesses, it provides crucial PDF editing features at an affordable price, serving advanced PDF features in a lightweight package. How to edit a PDF with Tenorshare PDNob Launch Tenorshare PDNob. The PDF can be loaded by selecting “Open PDF” in PDNob. The file can also be zoomed in or out for a clearer view. Tenorshare Under the “Edit” tab, the software provides a wide range of advanced tools for modifying the document, including options to edit text, replace images, adjust fonts, and change backgrounds. Tenorshare For annotations, the “Comments” tab offers free tools for highlighting, adding notes, and other markups. Tenorshare The OCR feature is accessed from the Home tab by selecting “OCR” and then “Perform OCR.” After choosing the scan type, language, and page range, the pages are processed automatically and quickly, with high recognition accuracy. Tenorshare The free AI Summarizer also works effectively for answering questions about the document. Tenorshare Why Tenorshare PDNob stands out Offers very accurate OCR (around 99%) for scanned PDFs. Includes various tools for editing text, images, and other PDF elements and provides 200+ annotation options like highlights, stamps, shapes, and notes. Converts PDFs to 30+ formats, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, images, EPUB, and PDF/A. Can create, rewrite, compress, split, or merge PDF files easily. Offers fast and responsive customer support. Compatible with Windows and macOS, with free access now on iOS mobile devices. Offers team licensing options, making it a practical Adobe Acrobat alternative for business use Where Tenorshare PDNob falls short There’s no Android mobile version available, but the official site has announced that it will be released soon. Extremely large PDFs, especially those with thousands of pages, may take a moment to render or process. It doesn’t support Linux. Open Source Adobe Acrobat alternative LibreOffice, an Adobe Acrobat alternative, is an open source vector graphics tool, but it can still edit PDFs by letting you change text and images, add or rearrange pages, and include basic annotations. It’s useful when you need to directly adjust the content and layout of a PDF. Who is LibreOffice for? It’s for Mac, Windows, and Linux users who need a free tool for basic PDF editing without advanced features like forms or signatures. How to edit a PDF in LibreOffice In LibreOffice, text is edited by selecting each individual text block, where words, fonts, sizes, and colors can be changed. As every line is treated as a separate box, editing long paragraphs requires a lot of manual adjustment. Tenorshare The text box tool allows typing anywhere on the page, which helps with non-interactive forms, but it can shift surrounding text and disrupt layouts with columns or tables. Tenorshare Images can be moved, resized, deleted, or added through “Insert” > “Image,” but the software does not support interactive form filling, digital signatures, or OCR for scanned documents. Page thumbnails on the left make it easy to navigate through the document. What makes LibreOffice an Adobe Acrobat alternative? Compared to Acrobat, LibreOffice Draw is a lightweight Adobe Acrobat alternative that’s free for simple edits, rearranging pages, and adding basic annotations. Why LibreOffice stands out No cost, no subscriptions, and great for basic PDF tasks. An Adobe Acrobat alternative for Mac, Windows, and Linux without needing the internet. Can change text, move or resize images, and adjust basic page elements. You also get Writer, Calc, Impress, and more, all able to export PDFs. Where LibreOffice falls short Complex PDFs open with changed layouts, shifted text, or missing fonts. No form-filling, digital signatures, OCR, or other pro features. Large PDFs can cause lag or crashes. No built-in sharing, syncing, or real-time teamwork options. Help mostly comes from community forums, not official customer service. Adobe Acrobat alternative for Linux Inkscape is an Adobe Acrobat alternative for Linux users. It’s a vector graphics editor for editing PDFs with images, graphs, and illustrations. Moreover, it’s highly customizable, supporting plugins and command-line scripting to automate tasks like batch conversions. Who is Inkscape for? Inkscape is for Linux users who need to edit PDFs with images, charts, logos, or other design elements rather than long text documents or forms. How to edit a PDF in Inkscape In Inkscape, only one page can be edited at a time, so a page must be selected before working on it. Choosing “Internal import” helps keep text editable, but complex layouts, special fonts, and detailed images may not import accurately. Tenorshare Text can be edited by double-clicking it, though changes may leave gaps or require retyping entire sections. Forms, buttons, and annotations are not supported for editing. Tenorshare Unwanted objects can be removed by selecting them and pressing “Delete.” Tenorshare New content can be added with the text and shape tools. For complex PDFs, elements often need to be ungrouped (Ctrl+Shift+G) to adjust individual parts. Tenorshare What makes Inkscape an Adobe Acrobat alternative? Compared to Adobe, Inkscape is completely free and open-source, so there are no subscription fees or hidden costs. It’s a better Adobe Acrobat alternative for editing PDFs with logos, charts, illustrations, or other design elements, letting you adjust shapes, colors, and paths with precision. Why Inkscape stands out Lets you edit text, images, and vector objects, and choose specific pages to work on. Keeps text sharp and graphics clear for professional-looking PDFs. Ideal for brochures, charts, logos, and other design-heavy PDFs. Where Inkscape falls short Inkscape is a graphics tool, so many typical PDF tasks aren’t supported. Editing long reports or contracts is difficult since Inkscape lacks flowing text features. Each page must be edited separately, making large PDFs time-Where It Falls Shortuming. Can’t edit forms, add signatures, or use OCR and other pro PDF tools. FAQ: About Free Adobe Acrobat Alternatives 1. Does Google have an Adobe Acrobat equivalent? No. Google doesn’t have a dedicated PDF editor like Adobe Acrobat. But you can upload the PDF to Google Drive and edit it in Google Docs, though formatting may not stay perfect. 2. Is there a cheaper option than Adobe? Yes, there is. In fact, Tenorshare PDNob offers all advanced PDF editing features at no cost. The only tool that requires a subscription is the AI Summarizer if the given file limit exceeds, and that too is quite affordable. 3. Is there a free version of Adobe Acrobat? Yes, Adobe still offers a free online PDF editor, but it’s basic. You can use it to add text boxes, comments, highlights, and sign forms for free. But you cannot change existing text or images. 4. Is there an Adobe Acrobat alternative online? Yes. Several online PDF editors, such as PDNob Online, Smallpdf, iLovePDF, and Sejda, support basic editing, signing, and converting directly in the browser. They’re convenient for quick tasks and require no installation, but they often come with limitations. For heavier workflows, a desktop editor is generally more dependable. Conclusion Each Adobe Acrobat alternative we’ve shared here offers something different. LibreOffice is a solid free choice for simple tasks, and Inkscape is for graphic-heavy PDFs on Linux. Tenorshare PDNob is for advanced PDF editing on Mac, iOS, and Windows, offering a clutter-free interface. It’s lightweight, offering only the functions mostly used for PDF editing, like OCR, annotations, text/image editing, and an AI Summarizer as a bonus. Read...