In the last few days, AI-generated text-to-video has taken off, with Google’s lifelike Veo 3 model generating video and dialogue that approach realism. Now Microsoft has entered the fray, by offering the video-generation portion for free with Bing Video Creator. Unfortunately, the new Bing Video Creator is accompanied by a cadre of compromises, although the premise is still true: Download the Bing mobile application for your smartphone, and you can generate 10 “fast” 5-second creations for free, although you’ll have to pay for more with credits in Microsoft’s system or just wait longer. Here’s how Bing Video Creator works, and what works…and what doesn’t. How to use Bing Video Creator Microsoft’s free Bing app for your smartphone is essentially a Start menu for all of Microsoft’s mobile services. (I’ll use the Android application for reference.) You can use it to search Bing, read news (including even a selection of paywalled news), and more. Although Google would prefer you to use its Gemini application, Microsoft’s Copilot appears prominently. First, download and open the Bing app on your smartphone and navigate to the “apps” button.Mark Hachman / Foundry For now, Microsoft has hidden its new Bing Video Creator behind the “apps” icon in the lower right-hand corner. There, you’ll find a number of little utility applications, from a stock tracker to wallpapers, selected videos, and more. “Video Creator” hides in the third rank of the “all apps” listings. Essentially, Bing Video Creator is the video complement to Bing Image Creator, and the apps work similarly. Type in a prompt, and Bing will create an image or a video, depending on which tab is selected. Only one format is currently accessible: the 9:16 portrait mode of your phone. The videos are only five seconds long, and contain no dialogue or sound at all. The “Video Creator” tool.Mark Hachman / Foundry Microsoft says that its videos are generated using Sora, the video generator from OpenAI, which was previously available just to paid ChatGPT subscribers. Because of the relative simplicity of the task, don’t really worry about adding the complexity that you might find in tutorials about how to create text-to-video, such as in Veo or even locally using Intel’s new AI Playground application. You can try something complex, such as specifying the camera or how you might like the “camera” to pan. Panning seems to work, though five seconds doesn’t give you that much time for complex instructions. Does it work? Well, kind of. You might think that a prompt like “Microsoft Clippy in a mosh pit, jumping around to the music” would be understood by Bing Video Creator. Not at all. Bing Video Creator fails somewhat spectacularly here…Bing Video Creator Poor Clippy, reduced to a garbage can. Or maybe that’s a recycling bin? A second prompt, “A leprechaun working as a bartender in an Irish pub, serving a beer” actually worked much better. There’s no “beer” in the scene, but the leprechaun otherwise looks happy and consistent with the scene. …but redeems itself with this video clip/GIF.Bing Video Creator Don’t expect to generate videos of popular figures doing meme-ish things; a quick few prompts of recent politicians and celebrities generated a content warning. Microsoft has taken pains to make its AI generation as vanilla as possible — after some early, notable mistakes — and this seems to be be consistent with that trend. There’s one more catch: You’ll need to download or otherwise save the video generations, since Microsoft will erase them after 90 days have expired. So what happens if you become hooked on Microsoft’s free video generation and want to create more and more and more? Remember that Microsoft grants you 10 free “fast” generations, which produce the video in a few minutes. You also have unlimited “Standard” generations, but those can take hours, Microsoft warns, presumably because you’ll be relegated to the back of the queue. You can also “buy” new Fast generations by “paying” for them with 100 Microsoft Rewards points, a program that if you haven’t signed up for, you really should. Will Bing Video Creator eventually arrive on Windows, Copilot, and/or Microsoft’s web pages and apps? Presumably. Microsoft’s blog post announcing Bing Video Creator shows some videos in landscape mode rather than portrait, which seems to signal that it will. Personally, I’ve found Google’s AI image generation tools to be superior to what Microsoft offers, at least recently. I haven’t yet tried out Google’s Veo 3 video generation, but that’s clearly the superior option based on the examples floating about the web. Nevertheless, Microsoft’s Bing Video Creator gives you free, “meme”-able video, and that’s something…until the competition delivers something better, for cheaper. Read...

Although Tor and VPNs both serve to protect privacy, they’re fundamentally different in the way they work. Tor encrypts your data multiple times and forwards it via three independent servers worldwide. It separates the user’s identity from their traffic path, helping protect against tracking. Tor also creates new connections every ten minutes to make it considerably more difficult to permanently allocate traffic. A VPN, on the other hand, protects your traffic through a single tunnel via a provider server that hides your IP address, but is able to know your identity. Thomas Joos Why using a VPN and Tor together can put your anonymity at risk Many users hope to achieve double security by combining VPN and Tor, but this approach actually introduces new risks. The VPN provider can see your original IP address and knows you’re connecting to Tor. If the provider keeps logs or comes under pressure, your identity could be exposed. This risk is especially significant when VPNs store personal data like email addresses or payment information, details often required during registration, which makes tracing you easier. Also, using a VPN and Tor together can actually make you less safe. VPN servers are often targeted by hackers, and if the VPN app isn’t open source, it might have junk, trackers, or hidden backdoors that can put your security at risk. Christoph Hoffmann Why VPN over Tor and Tor over VPN can undermine your privacy VPN over Tor and Tor over VPN are different setups, both with risks. VPN over Tor is complex and weakens Tor’s privacy. Tor over VPN means trusting the VPN. It’s usually better to just use one—Tor or a VPN, not both. VPN connections to the Tor network are more conspicuous Connections from VPN servers to the Tor network stand out from regular Internet traffic, drawing close attention from surveillance authorities. Even when VPN and Tor encryption are used together, these connections remain conspicuous. Advanced techniques like deep packet inspection can detect and classify VPN data streams despite encryption. Additionally, website fingerprinting attacks can analyze traffic patterns to infer which sites have been visited, meaning VPNs do not provide complete anonymity or camouflage. Thomas Joos Technical risks associated with simultaneous use VPN connections can be interrupted or incorrectly configured. Without special protection mechanisms such as a VPN firewall, your real IP address would be transmitted immediately in this case. Complex configurations such as setting up transparent proxies are also prone to errors and difficult to control. The developers of the Tor project expressly warn against such setups because they create new vulnerabilities instead of security. Paying for a VPN subscription poses a further risk. Anyone who enters personal data when registering or pays by credit card can be deanonymized by payment service providers. Only a few providers accept anonymous payment methods such as Monero. Operating your own VPN server could theoretically minimize some risks, but does not protect you from being monitored by your internet provider. Further reading: 14 VPN terms and features everyone should know When VPN and Tor could be useful together There are a few exceptional cases in which a combination can be useful. In countries with strong internet censorship in which the Tor network is blocked (like China or Iran), a VPN can help to establish a connection. However, in these cases, the VPN provider would have to be absolutely trustworthy and not keep any logs. A better solution is Obfs4 bridges, which disguises Tor traffic so that it looks like regular internet traffic. This is useful in countries with strong censorship, as they hide the typical signature of Tor traffic. Thomas Joos Whistleblowers, who place particularly high demands on their anonymity, could also benefit from additional protection in individual cases. Nevertheless, the risk remains that VPNs can be exposed by traffic fingerprinting techniques. Tor alone is often the better choice Tor is designed to achieve anonymity through diversity and distribution. Every user benefits from the fact that their data traffic is lost in the flow of other connections. If you build additional tunnels, you are more likely to attract attention and thus weaken the actual advantage of the network. It would make more sense than an additional VPN service to invest resources in the operation of a dedicated Tor relay and thus strengthen the security of the entire network. The Tor project points out that a large number of connections with standard-compliant patterns are crucial for individual users to be able to disappear into the masses. The more a connection stands out from this pattern, the easier it becomes to identify. Analyzing real cases such as the arrest of the Silk Road operator also shows that the greatest dangers lie less in technical weaknesses than in human error. A clear separation of real names, personal accounts, and anonymous surfing therefore remains essential. Rely on the strengths of Tor The simultaneous use of VPN and Tor does not make sense in most cases. Not only does it make anonymity more difficult, it also makes your connection more conspicuous and potentially more vulnerable. If you’re looking for maximum privacy, you should use Tor directly, without additional tunnels, and ensure that your own activities are properly separated. Consciously using Tor bridges and supporting the Tor network with your own relays also contributes effectively to protecting your privacy. Read...

Abuse allows Meta and Yandex to attach persistent identifiers to detailed browsing histories. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Robust design with 2-in-1 versatility Enjoyable keyboard Good battery life Plenty of RAM, storage for the price Cons Design doesn’t look appealing at first glance Display could be brighter and more vibrant CPU, GPU performance doesn’t stand out Our Verdict The Dell Plus 14 2-in-1 isn’t exciting, but it’s a well-rounded budget 2-in-1 that offers good bang for your buck. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today If you haven’t heard, Dell dropped a bombshell earlier this year. It announced the company has done away with its well-known Inspiron, XPS, and Precision brands and instead opted for an entirely new hierarchy. At the bottom of this hierarchy, you’ll find laptops like the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1. Last year, this would’ve been called a Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1, and despite the change in name, it still fills its role of providing an affordable entry point into computing. Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Specifications The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 that PC World received for testing is an entry-level AMD configuration with an AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 processor at its heart. Dell offers many different Ryzen AI processors, as well as Intel models, but this is among the least powerful configurations available. CPU: AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 (6 cores, up to 4.8GHz) Memory: 16GB LPDDR5x Graphics/GPU: AMD Radeon 840M NPU: AMD 50 TOPs Display: 14-inch 1920×1200 60Hz WVA 300-nits touchscreen Storage: 512GB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe solid state drive Webcam: 1080p 30fps camera Connectivity: 2x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 with Power Delivery and DisplayPort, 1x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1x HDMI 1.4, 3.5mm audio jack Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 Biometrics: Fingerprint reader Battery capacity: 64 watt-hours Dimensions: 12.36 inch x 8.9 in x 0.65 in Weight: 3.51 pounds Operating System: Windows 11 Home Price: $849.99 MSRP / $599.99 at time of testing (Best Buy) That’s reflected in the price. Although it technically carries an MSRP of $849.99 on Dell.com, which feels a bit steep, it currently sells on Best Buy for $599.99, which is among the lowest prices you can expect from a Windows laptop that has the most recent generation of AMD or Intel processor inside. While this is a sale price, the laptop was listed just a couple weeks ago—so I’d expect this “sale” to occur frequently. Despite its low sale price, the laptop doesn’t cut corners too closely. It still provides 16GB of RAM and a 512GB solid-state drive. You can expect to pay higher prices if you do decide to go with a Plus 14 2-in-1 from Dell’s website. However, some of the models available on Dell.com offer a 1TB solid-state drive, and there’s also an option for a 2560×1600 resolution display on the Intel variant, which is an upgrade over the entry-level model’s 1920×1200 display. The Dell Plus 14 2-in-1 is a good option for shoppers looking to snag a do-it-all Windows device on a tight budget. Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Design and build quality IDG / Matthew Smith Budget Windows 2-in-1s aren’t exactly known for their riveting or dramatic design, and the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 is no exception. It’s a simple, slim 14-inch machine that measures no greater than 0.65 inches thick, available in a silver or navy-blue colorway, neither of which is remarkable. With that said, it’s a well-executed laptop when it comes to build quality. Opening the laptop lid reveals a bit of display flex, but not enough to raise any concerns. It’s a similar story with the lower chassis, which does slightly creak if handled roughly but doesn’t visibly flex unless truly abused. I also like the materials used. I felt the plastics on the lower chassis had a nice texture to them and didn’t try to fake a metallic finish. The rear of the display panel, meanwhile, seems to be made of aluminum and offers a premium feel. Of course, as the name indicates, the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 is a 2-in-1 device with a touchscreen, and the hinge allows the display to be rotated back 360 degrees for use like a tablet. It’s too large and heavy to be comfortably used as a tablet for any length of time, but the option is useful if you want to take notes or draw. Dell doesn’t include an Active Pen with the 2-in-1, but one is available for about $40. Owners can also rotate the display partway back to use the keyboard like a kickstand, which can be handy if you want to use the laptop to watch Netflix or YouTube. Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Keyboard, trackpad IDG / Matthew Smith The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1’s keyboard ranks among its best traits. The keys have good travel and a definitive tactile feel with a subtle, clicky bottoming action. I found the keyboard comfortable to use for long typing sessions. The comfort is aided by a good amount of palm rest space below the bottom of the keyboard. Keyboard backlighting is standard, and it does what it says on the tin. The touchpad is less remarkable, but also competent. It measures about 4.5 inches wide and about 3 inches deep. The touchpad felt responsive in my testing and handled multi-touch gestures well. However, some competitors—most notably, Asus—offer budget models with larger touchpads. Of course, since this is a 2-in-1 with a touchscreen, it’s possible to use the touchscreen instead of the touchpad. I personally prefer having the option to touch the screen over not having that option, if it doesn’t add too much to the price, and the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 is certainly affordable. Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Display, audio IDG / Matthew Smith Most Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 configurations have a WVA-LCD touchscreen display with a resolution of 1920×1200 and a refresh rate of 60 Hz. A 2560×1600 upgrade is available on some models from Dell.com, but PC World did not receive that display to test. Display quality is passable. On the plus side, the 14-inch display’s 1920×1200 resolution is quite sharp. However, the display is only rated for 300 nits of brightness, and on top of that it has a glossy coating that shows quite a bit of glare. That is a recipe for problems if you intend to use the laptop in a bright room or outdoors. Color performance is also mediocre. The display looks reasonably saturated and vibrant on its own, but if compared to an OLED display (which can be found on some price-competitive laptops, like the Lenovo IdeaPad 5x and Asus Zenbook 14) the difference is night and day in OLED’s favor. The same is true for contrast, since OLED displays have an effectively infinite contrast ratio that results in a deeper, more immersive image. To put it simply, the display is not among the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1’s strong points, and it’s the one feature that cuts strongly against a recommendation. If you want a budget laptop with a great display, this isn’t it. Audio quality is better, though still mixed. The speakers deliver good volume and clarity, especially with dialogue, which is more than can be said for many budget laptops. Throw a bit of bass at them, however, and distortion can result. Even the laptop chassis itself can vibrate, creating an annoying rattle. The speakers are good for podcasts and video calls, but not for games or music. Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Webcam, microphone, biometrics The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 comes with a 1080p webcam and a dual array microphone, both of which are common specifications for modern Windows laptops. The webcam is sharp, and the microphone picks up good audio quality with great noise rejection, especially if AI noise rejection features are enabled. The camera includes a physical privacy shutter, which is always nice to see. The one slightly unusual specification for the price point is the inclusion of a fingerprint reader on the power button in the upper left corner of the keyboard. It works well in most situations, although a bit of grime or moisture on your finger can fool it. So, don’t try to log in after taking a swig of Mountain Dew. Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Connectivity IDG / Matthew Smith Dell has a reputation for leaning on modern connectivity, and the 14 Plus 2-in-1 is no exception. It provides two USB-C ports, both of which offer power delivery and DisplayPort video connectivity, and both of which can be used to power the laptop with the included USB-C power adapter. They are joined by one USB-A port, an HDMI 1.4 port, and a 3.5mm audio jack. Although I could nitpick about the lack of a second USB-A port, which means you’ll need an adapter if you happen to want to connect a wired keyboard and mouse, this type of connectivity is typical for a modern Windows laptop. When it comes to wireless connectivity, the laptop supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, which are the latest versions of the respective wireless standards. Although this is common for modern Windows laptops, at this price point you might end up looking at some older models from the 2024 or 2023 model years, and it’s likely they would not have Wi-Fi 7 or Bluetooth 5.4. Keep that in mind if wireless performance matters to you. Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Performance The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 that PC World received for testing was an entry-level model with an AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 processor. This APU has a 6-core CPU and AMD Radeon 840M graphics. As you might expect, the entry-level CPU and integrated GPU result in modest overall performance. IDG / Matthew Smith PCMark 10, a holistic system benchmark, didn’t put the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 off to the best start. While the score of 5,579 isn’t bad for a budget laptop, it’s also a long way from what systems equipped with Ryzen AI 7/9 or Intel Core Ultra Series 2 processors tend to achieve. The AMD Radeon 840M, which is relatively less capable than many IGPs today, doesn’t help matters. IDG / Matthew Smith Handbrake, a heavily multi-threaded long-duration benchmark, is a bit more favorable. The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 churned through a transcode of a two-hour-long movie in 1,498 seconds using purely the CPU cores (i.e. without special encoding features enabled). That’s not a bad result for the price, and it places the Ryzen AI 5 340 in a similar league to the Intel Core Ultra 5 226V. IDG / Matthew Smith The Ryzen AI 5 340 delivers a respectable but hardly earth-shattering multi-core score of 7,993 in Cinebench R23. Although a long way from the top, this is again a decent result. The main issue here, I think, is the lack of cores. Six isn’t a lot in 2025, and Cinebench R23 does tend to make good use of available cores, whatever they might be. The Ryzen AI 5 340’s Cinebench R23 single-core score was 1,828, which is basically the same as the other processors listed in the graph above (they score between 1,700 to 1,900). This indicates the cores that are available are speedy. IDG / Matthew Smith As mentioned earlier, the AMD Ryzen AI 5 has AMD Radeon 840M graphics, which is much less capable than the more widely known and well-regarded AMD Radeon 880M and AMD Radeon 890M. Specifically, the Radeon 840M has just four graphics cores, a big cut from the 880M (12) and 890M (16). 3DMark Time Spy shows the result with a score of just 1,427. That’s much lower than an AMD Radeon 880M or 890M, as well as Intel’s Arc 140V or even 130V graphics. These solutions tend to score 3,000 to 4,000, as the graphs show. To be fair, you do often need to pay a bit more for them—and laptops with the Intel Core Ultra 7 256V are available for just a couple hundred dollars more. That’s not to say the Dell Plus 14 2-in-1 is hopeless when it comes to graphics and gaming. The 2-in-1 could comfortably play Grim Dawn, an action-RPG released in 2016, at 1080p and medium detail. If you want to play Diablo 4, though, you’re out of luck. It can technically launch and play, but in my experience no amount of fiddling with the settings made it an enjoyable experience. The Dell Plus 14 2-in-1’s overall performance is about what you should expect for the price. It’s worth mention, however, that Dell provides 16GB of RAM and 512GB of solid-state storage. It’s not uncommon for price-competitive 2-in-1s to only provide 8GB of RAM or 256GB of storage, both of which are a significant downgrade. These upgrades don’t necessarily improve benchmark performance, but do make the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 more usable day-to-day and over time. Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Battery life and portability A 64-watt-hour battery powers the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1. That’s an average size for a laptop in this category, and while the AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 is miserly when it’s not under heavy load, it does struggle to compete with the latest Intel and Qualcomm hardware. IDG / Matthew Smith I measured a tad over 15 hours of battery life in PC World’s standard battery test, which loops a 4K file of the short film Tears of Steel. If 15 hours sounds like a lot, I agree. However, as the graph shows, a lot of modern laptops can achieve 18 to 22 hours on this test. The test result matched my subjective experience. I spent some of my time with the Dell Plus 14 2-in-1 traveling, and I found it could easily endure a day of mixed web browsing and writing, with occasional breaks, with 40 percent of the battery (or more) left once I arrived at a destination. I think the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1’s battery life is fine, and certainly more than a typical user is likely to need. Still, it appears that AMD’s Ryzen AI 340 is behind Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Plus and Intel’s Core Ultra Series 2 where battery life is concerned.  Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Conclusion The Dell Plus 14 2-in-1 is a good option for shoppers looking to snag a do-it-all Windows device on a tight budget. It offers versatile design, a nice keyboard, and well-rounded specifications while avoiding a major issue or downside that would take it out of contention. The Plus 14 2-in-1 is a particularly alluring when on sale for $599.99 at Best Buy, which is less than many comparable Windows 2-in-1s and laptops. While I would prefer to see a better display, or a slightly larger touchpad, I enjoyed my time with the 2-in-1. Read...

Some of the best reasons to use a password manager don’t involve passwords at all. Think of a password manager not just as a tool for storing your login credentials, but as a secure and searchable database for important personal info. No matter which password manager you use, chances are you could be doing a lot more with it. Here are some other types of data you can save in a password manager beyond just passwords. This column first appeared in Advisorator, Jared’s weekly tech advice newsletter. Sign up to get tech advice like this every Tuesday. Credit cards and banking info Your web browser and phone may already be able to auto-fill credit card details when shopping online, but adding credit card info to your password manager lets you access it from any web browser on any device. That’s helpful if you’re a frequent browser switcher like me. You can also use a password manager to store your banking account and routing numbers, so you don’t have to go looking for your checkbook every time a site requires a direct deposit. Standard form info In addition to your logins and passwords, password managers can also store your addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers, allowing you to populate various web forms with just a click or two. As with credit cards, you could always just use your browser’s auto-fill feature for this purpose, but browser auto-fill can easily become infested with garbage data, requiring regular maintenance to get rid of it. Passport numbers Jared Newman / Foundry If you travel abroad, you’ll inevitably have to fill out some kind of embarkation form online. Being able to easily look up and copy your passport number will make that process much easier. Consider saving the passport’s issue and expiration dates as well, so you can quickly look up when you need to renew. You might even expand to other state-issued identification, like your driver’s license. Library and membership cards If your local library supports checking out with an account number and PIN—as mine does here in Cincinnati—you can leave the physical card at home and go completely digital. Storing your library membership details in your password manager is also helpful when signing up for apps like Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy, and Freegal, which offer free digital content with your library membership. Software licenses Jared Newman / Foundry Instead of digging through your email inbox for desktop software licenses, create a login entry for each product and enter the license key where the password would normally be. If you save the download link in your password manager’s URL field, that’ll make re-installing the software easier as well. 1Password even has a dedicated Software License item type. Wi-Fi passwords I used to take pictures of Wi-Fi passwords when visiting a friend’s house or staying at an Airbnb, so I could quickly look it up when connecting additional devices. Saving that info to a password manager is a bit more secure, and it’s much easier to reference on subsequent visits. If you run a home media server or other application that uses a local IP address, consider storing that in your password manager as well. Important instructions A password manager can also help you remember where you (or a loved one) has saved important documents, keys, or other personal items. Create a secure note with the relevant details and/or instructions, then label it in a way that’s easily searchable. If your password manager lets you share logins and notes with others, you can make sure other family members have access to the same info. Knowing what’s saved where Jared Newman / Foundry Here’s a clever idea I spotted on Reddit: for password managers that support tags, you can use them to remember what type of information is saved with each account. For instance, you can tag which accounts collect your mailing address or your credit card, so when that information changes, you can quickly look up all those accounts and update your info. 1Password, Enpass, and KeePass all have tagging support built-in. For password managers that don’t, you can always add your own hashtags to the notes or title field instead. Protect your password manager Obviously, the more kinds of information you store in your password manager, the more you’re putting at risk if access to your vault becomes compromised. Some folks mistakenly believe password managers are dangerous for this reason, but it really just underscores the importance of a strong master password and two-factor authentication. Once you’re feeling confident about the security of a password manager, there’s no limit to what you can store in it. If you aren’t using one yet, it’s time to start—for free! Get started with one of our top picks for password managers that don’t cost anything. This column first appeared in Advisorator, Jared’s weekly tech advice newsletter. Sign up to get tech advice like this every Tuesday. Read...

It’s only been a month since Microsoft released version 136 of its Edge browser, and they’re already rolling out version 137. But according to Neowin, this update isn’t just adding new features per usual—it’s actually removing a handful of features at the same time. The Image Editor, Image Hover Menu, Mini Menu, Video Super Resolution, and Wallet Hub features have all been removed in Edge version 137. All of your personal data from the Wallet Hub has now been moved to the browser’s password manager. (Incidentally, Microsoft also killed Authenticator’s password manager last month and is transitioning those passwords over to Edge’s password manager, too.) In addition to nixing features, Microsoft has added some improvements to Edge with this update. The browser’s Picture-in-Picture mode has been boosted with new controls for scrubbing through the progress bar, and you can now set up web content filters to block inappropriate sites by selecting various filter categories. Lastly, Microsoft has fixed 8 security vulnerabilities in the browser, making it a little safer for all. Read...

The internet search bar is giving way to talking machines scouring the web to answer our queries, and this time around, its Google that’s doing the chasing. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Easy to use Works beyond expectations Very flexible format 300 minutes of free transcription Cons If you lose the charging cable, you’ll have to buy a new one, as it has a non-standard magnetic attachment. Our Verdict Plaud Note is a compact AI-powered voice recorder that automatically transcribes audio into text in 112 languages. It magnetically attaches to your phone, has long battery life, and saves time for both journalists and everyday users. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today The Plaude Note is built for users who want to capture conversations and quickly convert audio into text. If I’d had one of these when I started writing over 30 years ago, I could’ve saved myself weeks of work! But the Plaude Note isn’t just for journalists, it’s equally handy if you need to record a doctor’s advice during an appointment and later share it with the Social Security office, an insurance company, or anyone else who needs the information in writing. Plaud Note: Small but powerful Crafted from aluminum alloy, the Plaud Note takes up as much space as a credit card. In the package, you get a small credit card holder that attaches magnetically to the back of your phone. If you don’t have such a phone, take comfort in knowing it comes with a magnet you can tape to the back of your phone. Plus, at just 30 grams, it’s impressively lightweight. Petter Ahrnstedt The Plaude itself has two buttons: one to switch it on or off and one to start and stop recording. The charging cable is attached to the Plaude via a magnet while the other end plugs into any USB-C port. Plug it into the computer and it pops up as an external disc. I understand that it requires a special kind of cord, but if you lose it, you’ll have to buy a new one. When you want to record, press and hold the appropriate button. After a couple of seconds, Plaude will vibrate and a red light turn on indicating that recording is in progress. Plaud Note: Requires the app Like everything else these days, you need an app. Plaude supports both Android and iOS (I tested it on an iPhone) and it requires you to create an account to gain access to the AI features. Plaude supports transcription in up to 112 languages using AI models like GPT-4 and Claude 3.5 Sonnet. The basic package includes 300 transcription minutes per month. Transcription is done in the cloud, so you’ll need an internet connection to convert audio files into text. And it works better than expected! The different AI models have their own strengths. For example, Claude is better at transcribing text while ChatGPT is better at summarizing and analyzing text. You can choose which AI to use.Petter Ahrnstedt There are also paid subscriptions, though they’re not much cheaper than other online services already out there. Still, 300 minutes (five hours) is a long time and Plaude says the free service tier will be around forever. Plaud Note: Take the shell off The Plaude Note uses a dual recording mode system: an ambient microphone for in-room calls and a vibration sensor (V.C.S.) that records phone calls when the device is magnetically attached to your phone. You can switch between these modes depending on the situation. However, if your phone has a protective case, it won’t work. You’ll only hear your own voice. The battery is 400 mAh and reportedly provide up to 30 hours of active recording and 60 days of standby time. Recordings are stored in the cloud via AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure. Plaude Note: Final thoughts The Plaude Note Black is a really nice and useful little gadget, and you can supplement it with an external microphone kit if you want. It’s easy to use, lets you import recordings you’ve already made, and will save you loads of time! Specifications Manufacturer: PlaudeModel: Note BlackDimensions: 8.56 × 5.41 × 0.30 cmWeight: 30 gConnection: USB-C (proprietary cord, included) Battery: 400 mAh, 2 hours charging timeContinuous recording: Up to 30 hoursStandby time: Up to 60 daysRecording quality: 1 536 kbpsEffective recording range: 10 metersStorage space: 64 GB (up to 480 hours of recordings)Price at the time of testing: $159 Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Read...

Summer vacation seems just around the corner and you have to decide what to pack for the trip. While you may want to limit your tech time, you’ll still need a few things, whether you’re heading on hiking trip or a family vacation by the beach. Here at PCWorld we’re continually testing the latest gadgets to sort the good from the bad. This means we’ve had the opportunity to find the best tech gear and accessories built for travel. From voltage converters to noise-canceling headphones, we’ve curated a list of the very best tech gear to optimize your next travel experience. The items below are worthy of any packing list and will help you prepare for anything you may encounter on the road—or in the sky. Manage electrical needs with a voltage converter BESTEK Universal Travel Adapter 220V to 110V Bestek, Mapambo When you’re traveling from the U.S. to Europe, for instance, you don’t just need a different type of plug for your chargers and gadgets, but also a voltage converter because Europe runs on different settings. The Bestek Universal Travel Adapter will convert 220V outlets to U.S.-standard 110V, thus ensuring that your devices don’t burn out. It’s not only affordable, but it has three AC outlets and four USB ports. Plus, the product comes with a couple of extra plug adapters. If a more compact version is all you need, then the Mapambo converter will work just fine with one AC plug, two type-C, and two type-A ports. Buy the BESTEK Universal Travel Adapter at Amazon Buy the Mapambo 220V to 110V Voltage Converter at Amazon Take control of tangled cords Rolling Square inCharge 6 Portable Keychain Charger Cable Rolling Square If you’re like most travelers, you bring multiple electronics to make the most of your experience—we’re talking camera, phone, laptop, headphones, etc. But along with all of these items, you’ll need to carry all of their charging cables. That can take up space and lead to a tangled web of cords in your bag if you’re not careful. With the Rolling Square inCharge 6 Portable Charger Cable on Amazon, you have the option of USB-C or USB-A inputs and Micro USB or USB-C outputs all in a cable that is small enough for your keychain. Buy the Rolling Square Portable Charger Cable at Amazon Or get a retractable cable Baseus USB-C Retractable Cable Baseus If you’d rather have a simpler cable, then this one from Baseus will do the trick. The retractable design ensures it’s going to be safe in your luggage, preventing any type of tangling issues and considerably lowering the chances of your cable breaking. You can get this one in two length versions—3.3ft and 6.6ft— and you can pay as little as $10 on the shorter one if it’s on sale. Buy the Baseus retractable USB-C cable at Amazon Keep your devices charged with a portable power bank Anker GaN Prime Power Bank 2-in-1 10,000mAh portable power bank with wall charger Anker Traveling is always fun, but ending up with a depleted phone battery in an unknown place can be terrifying. This Anker Prime power bank takes up two roles in one. On one hand, it can plug into a wall outlet and give you the recharge you need while you’re at your hotel, for instance, but it can also act as a power bank when you’re out and about exploring. 10,000mAh is enough to charge your phone twice over (or close to that). There are three ports on this Anker hybrid charger, two of which are type-C that can reach 65W charging. It’s available for $110, but you can often find it closer to $70 when on sale. Buy the Anker GaN Prime Power Bank 2-in-1 Charger at Amazon Make that hotel outlet actually useful Anker Prime 6-in-1 charging station Anker One of the main issues we all have when traveling is that it’s tough to find multiple outlets in your hotel room. You’ll get one by the bedside table and another that’s taken up by the TV. Well, this compact power strip from Anker makes good use of that outlet and turns it into six. You get two AC outlets, two USB-A and two USB-C ports and a maximum output of 140W via those type-C ports. That’s just about perfect for laptops, smartphones and whatever else you have on you. The cool part is that the power strip is flat and the power cord detaches, so it’s ideal for your tight-packed luggage. Buy the Anker Prime 6-in-1 power strip at Amazon Never lose your valuables again Apple AirTag, Tile Pro, Samsung SmartThings, Tile Slim Apple, Tile, Samsung We’ve all been there. You arrive at your destination and you’re waiting for your checked bag to show up on the carousel, but it never does. Baggage handling is at it again. With a Bluetooth tracker you can easily keep tabs on where your bag is and maybe even help TSA locate it, should it be lost. There are quite a few Bluetooth trackers on the market that you can get. Apple users should look into the AirTag, while Android users can choose Samsung’s SmartTag2. Anyone can go for the Tile Pro. If you’re more worried about your wallet, Tile’s Slim tracker will fit inside it neatly. These are all around $30 a piece, but you can quite often get them for less or in bundles, thus lowering the price even more. Buy the Apple AirTag at Amazon Buy the Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2 at Amazon Buy the Tile Pro at Amazon Buy the TIle Slim at Amazon Enjoy an in-flight movie without annoying headphone cables Twelve South AirFly Pro or Ugreen Airplane Bluetooth Transmitter Receiver Ugreen, Twelve South Twelve South’s AirFly Pro Bluetooth wireless audio transmitter for $54.99 on Amazon (although it’s frequently on sale) allows you to turn any audio jack into a wireless Bluetooth transmitter. Simply plug in the device to the headphone jack on the back of the airplane seat and connect your wireless headphones. Then sit back and relax while you enjoy the in-flight entertainment on your sweet noise-canceling headphones. Alternatively, you can also go for the more affordable Ugreen Airplane Bluetooth Transmitter Receiver, which is $36.99 but often drops below $30. Either will allow you to connect up to two earbuds or headphones. Buy the Twelve South AirFly Pro at Amazon Buy the Ugreen Airplane Bluetooth Transmitter Receiver at Amazon Drown out noise with noise-canceling earbuds AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) or Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 Apple, Bose Flying on an airplane is loud. Engines roar, babies cry, passengers snore. That’s why you need noise-canceling headphones, which have become essential tools in making your flight as easy as possible. And because you’re traveling and bag space is a premium, your headphones need to be small. Not just for iPhone users, but for anyone who needs good headphones, the AirPods Pro 2 for $225.00 on Amazon continue to be the best choice due to their convenient size and noise-canceling capability. If you’re an Android user, you may want to look into the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2, which deliver something our buddies at TechAdvisor have called “astonishing noise cancellation” on top of superb sound quality and a secure fit. Get the AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) at Amazon Buy the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 at Amazon Or get some noise-canceling headphones Sony WH-1000XM5 or Apple AirPods Max Apple, Sony If earbuds aren’t for you, then perhaps a pair of proper headphones will do the trick. The Sony WH-1000XM5 are easily some of the best noise-canceling headphones out there (as our friends at TechAdvisor attested with a 5-star review), delivering phenomenal audio and a comfortable build. Apple fans may want to look into the AirPods Max that are also known for what our friends at MacWorld call “industry leading active noise canceling”. Buy the Sony WH-1000XM5 at Amazon Buy the Apple AirPods Max at Amazon Capture and print your favorite memories Fuji Instax Mini 12 instant camera Fujifilm Sure, you could bring a giant SLR camera with multiple lenses and an extra special carry-on bag to store everything. Or for those who aren’t professionals, you can opt for a small, retro instant camera such as the Fuji Instax Mini 12 for $143.95 on Amazon. Just like an old-school Polaroid, you can take a picture and instantly print it out to capture the moment. Just be aware that you’ll need to purchase and carry the film separately. Buy the Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 at Amazon Keep your wires from getting crossed Bellroy Tech Kit Bellroy Bellroy is known for making great tech cases and kits, and the Bellroy Tech Kit for $59 on Amazon is our favorite. This well-designed, travel-friendly bag allows you to keep all of your cables and small peripherals stored and organized with ease. The folio style means that you can open the entire kit out flat for easy access to everything stored inside. Plus, the fabric is waterproof so you shouldn’t have to worry about a little liquid spilling on your precious gear. Buy the Bellroy Tech Kit at Amazon Game in-route to your destination Steam Deck, Switch OLED, or Backbone One Backbone, Nintendo, Valve The Steam Deck for $399 on the Steam store is a great handheld gaming system that allows you to play your favorite PC games on the go. It wasn’t so long ago that the Steam Deck was sold out everywhere and people were clamoring to get one. Thankfully, Valve has increased its supply and it’s easier than ever to get your hands on this excellent gaming portable. Play games from your Steam library on the go or load up on new titles for your next vacation. Gaming makes those long-haul flights a breeze. If you’d rather go for a different platform, the Switch OLED is an absolutely fantastic gaming console. And yes, we know the Switch 2 is en route, but good luck getting your hands on one of those anytime soon. If you’d rather just play on your phone, but have an upgraded experience, the Backbone One will mold to your phone, whether that’s an Android or iPhone model, and will help you play anything you want, including titles in your Xbox, PlayStation, or Steam libraries. Buy the Steam Deck at Steam Store Buy the Nintedo Switch OLED at Amazon Buy the Backbone One at Amazon Keep your hands and wrists happy while typing Logitech MX Keys Mini Logitech Laptop keyboards are cramped and can lead to some serious wrist pain if you type on them for long enough. Save yourself the carpal tunnel and grab a wireless keyboard like the Logitech MX Keys Mini. This compact keyboard is not only easy to travel with, but offers convenient features such as a semi-customizable layout, multi-device switching, and more. And the most important part is that it offers a great typing experience with comfortable and quiet keys that won’t bother your fellow travelers. The MX Keys Mini is currently $99.99 on Amazon. Buy the Logitech MX Keys Mini at Amazon Carry a library everywhere you go Kindle Paperwhite Amazon Books are a great thing to have around on vacation, but they’re heavy and they take up precious space in your luggage. Instead opt for an e-reader like the Kindle Paperwhite for $159.99 on Amazon and bring an entire library worth of books in this lightweight tablet. Plus the Paperwhite version comes with an anti-glare screen and adjustable brightness settings, making it perfect for a bright beach or dark airplane. Not sure which Kindle to buy? Check out our handy Kindle buying guide to help you make the right choice. Buy the Kindle Paperwhite at Amazon Grab a mobile hotspot to stay in range of Wi-Fi range Solis Lite 4G LTE WiFi Mobile Hotspot Solis Those who travel a lot know that Wi-Fi is essential. From being able to work online while on the road or just looking up restaurant recommendations in another country, it’s an invaluable tool to get the most out of your travel experience. There are quite a few services nowadays offering pocket Wi-Fi for travelers, but Solis is one of the best with reliable global coverage across 135 countries. Plus, it has flexible plans depending upon your needs. You’ll need to purchase the Solis Lite Mobile Hotspot for $159.99 on Amazon before registering for a Wi-Fi plan, but it’s only a one-time fee and you can then use it on all of your future trips. Buy the Solis Lite Mobile Hotspot at Amazon Safe surfing NordVPN  Pexels: Stefan Coders If you’re going to travel anywhere, connecting to shady Wi-Fi networks, you absolutely need to have a VPN on your device. We’ve tested what feels like a million of them and recommend you go for NordVPN, which we found to be the best overall. There are tons of configuration options if you want to deep-dive, but you can also just take the easy route and press a single button every time. It even comes with a built-in antivirus and password manager, so you have a three 3-in-1 solution. Get NordVPN Never worry about safe tap water again Philips Water GoZero self-cleaning water bottle Philips No matter if you’re traveling to a new city or going camping, making sure that you have access to clean and potable water is a necessity. The Philips Water GoZero bottles bring in some smart technology to ensure the water is safe to drink. Available for $73.89 at Amazon (or lower when on sale), the bottle uses UV technology to eliminate up to 99.999 percent of bacteria and 99.9 percent of viruses in just a few minutes. Even when empty, the cap can disinfect your bottle and remove odors. Made out of stainless steel and double-walled, the bottle won’t just purify your water, it will also keep your drinks hot for up to 12 hours or cold for 24 hours. Buy the Philips Water GoZero water bottle at Amazon Mount your smartphone on anything Universal in-flight airplane phone holder mount Perilogics This Universal in-flight airplane phone holder mount for $13.97 on Amazon allows you to easily clip your phone onto an airplane seat for hands-free convenience. Maybe you loaded up that latest season of your favorite show or have a game to occupy that long-haul flight. Either way, holding your phone with a craned neck for hours and hours is bound to give you a strain. Just hook this bad boy up to the back of the seat in front of you on the airplane then sit back, relax, and enjoy. Buy the Universal in flight phone holder at Amazon Travel with an ultraportable laptop Asus ZenBook S 14 Thomas Rau If you’re going to get a super-light laptop, the Zenbook S 14 is a fantastic pick because it weighs just 2.65 pounds, which makes sit lighter than the 13-inch MacBook Air. We gave this one a 4.5-star rating and our Editors’ Choice award, appreciating the fantastic battery life and lovely large OLED screen. Plus, the laptop has an Ultra 7 processor, 32GB RAM, and a 1TB SSD. You can also check out our other best ultraportables or our best laptop roundup for even more options. Buy the Asus ZenBook S 14 at Best Buy Or opt for a 2-in-1 for even more versatility HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 IDG / Josh Hendrickson If you want a more versatile laptop, then a 2-in-1 model will do, like our very favorite HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14. The 360-degree hinge will make it easy for you to turn this laptop into a tablet and into a Netflix-watching tent in a blink. The 14-inch 2880×1800 OLED touch display is absolutely gorgeous and the 500 nits make it perfect to use everywhere you go. Buy the HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 at Amazon Increase your screen real-estate with a travel monitor Azorpa A1 Gamut Matt Smith Sometimes you just need a second monitor, even when you’re traveling. The extra screen really helps productivity for business travelers and it makes for a great way to play your portable games on a larger screen while on the road. We really like the Azorpa A1 Gamut which delivers good image quality for an extremely budget friendly price—the A1 Gamut is usually about $70 on Amazon. It also comes with useful connectivity options and a solid build quality that will stand up to the rigors of travel.  Buy the Arzopa A1 at Amazon Grab some extra storage Crucial X9 Pro IDG If you plan on taking about a million pictures and videos and you want to have a safe way to back them up without relying on random hotel Wi-Fi, then you can also grab a portable SSD. The Crucial X9 Pro is the best external SSD for most folks because it’s not only affordable but also super fast. We gave the X9 Pro a near-perfect score and our Editors’ Choice award, utterly impressed with the 10Gbps performance and the small form factor. Buy the Crucial X9 Pro at Amazon Stream content in your hotel room Amazon Fire TV Stick HD Amazon If you’re going to travel, you may as well keep up with your shows. The Amazon Fire TV Stick HD makes it super easy to bring all your favorite shows with you anywhere you go. You’ll just need to pop this thing in the TV, connect it to the hotel’s Wi-Fi (or the hotspot you set up), and just have fun. It’s also super affordable, available for $35 (although it’s frequently on sale for $20 or less). Buy now at Amazon Read...

Maybe you’re like me—when a company refreshes its branding, I don’t give the news much of my time. In fact, when Google first announced an update to its favicon logo (the four-color “G”), I didn’t have a reaction. But I did memorize the change. Why? Because that info makes scam emails and phishing links easier to spot.  Lazier or sloppier fraudsters sometimes use older logos (or even badly approximated logos) in their campaigns. If you know what a company’s most current branding looks like, you can quickly avoid these lower-effort scam attempts. This particular overhaul on Google’s part is notable too, as subtle as it is. After almost a decade of the four distinct color blocks in the “G,” Google’s designers switched to gradients between the red, yellow, green, and blue. (Somewhere print designers are weeping, but the web doesn’t care.) Google Of course, with AI tools aiding scammers in creating more sophisticated messages and phony websites, it no longer takes much work for phishing attacks to match a company’s new look. That’s why you should still use other techniques to help dodge scams, lest you be taken off-guard at a weak moment. The simplest and strongest defense? Choosing a login method that’s resistant to phishing attempts—i.e., passkeys. If you use a password, first make sure your password manager offers to autofill your credentials on that site (a signal that it’s the legitimate site). Also enable two-factor authentication where available—and if practical, choose the hardware key method (e.g., a YubiKey), as it’s phishing resistant compared to software-generated tokens. There’s a lot to memorize these days. But even making a fuzzy note in your brain of changes to major services can help you from falling for an online scam. For most people, Gmail acts as a linchpin for everything online—banking, travel, shopping, you name it. You don’t want to lose access to that kind of account. Read...