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Latest by M. Smith

HP Sprout

Interview: How HP’s Sprout wants to change tomorrow’s workplace

HP's Sprout is being rolled out for companies and educators. We spoke with two HP managers working on Sprout to learn more about what it offers.
Apple MacBook Gold 2015 hero

Apple MacBook (2015) review

The MacBook is beautiful, light and thin, but how well does it hold up in the real world? We took it on vacation to find out.
gaming laptops have come a long time but desktops still reign supreme asus rog g501jw ds71 hero

Asus ROG G501 review

The Asus G501 is a slim gaming notebook that goes toe-to-toe with the Razer Blade and Acer Aspire V15 Nitro Black Edition, but can a system this thin really play modern games at high detail?
15 microsoft surface 3 problems fix feature v2

Microsoft Surface 3 review

Microsoft’s entry-level Surface has always played second fiddle to the supercharged Surface Pro, but the new Surface 3 runs full-blown Windows 8.1 just like its Pro sibling. Does that make it almost as capable, or does its budget hardware hold it back?
hololens developer forum hololenspanel

Developers from NASA, Skype and Trimble discuss building for HoloLens

In a panel discussion hosted by Microsoft four developers came together to discuss apps for HoloLens. They described a creatively challenging experience.
Microsoft HoloLens bottom angle

Hands on: Microsoft HoloLens

We saw HoloLens in January, but it was a crude prototype. At BUILD 2015, it was back, and this time it was exactly like the sleek headset shown on-stage.
XBox DVR Windows 10

Developers can port games between Windows 10 devices with just a few lines of code

Microsoft's vision for cross-device gaming includes easy porting of titles from Windows 10 for desktop to mobile devices and even to the Xbox One.
build 2015 focus shifts away from surface pro windows 10 20a7121 web

BUILD 2015 held plenty of surprises, but where was the new Surface Pro?

This year’s BUILD keynote offered plenty of surprises, but it was also notably lacking several expected announcements, such as a new Surface Pro 4. Does this mean Microsoft is shifting focus once more?
how to watch microsoft build 2015 day 2 satya nadella

From Windows 10 to the next Surface, here’s what we expect from Microsoft BUILD

Microsoft’s annual BUILD conference is always a big event for the company, but with Windows 10 on the horizon, this year will be even bigger than normal. That’s not all we’re likely to see, though, as a redesigned Surface Pro 4 and a flagship Windows Phone are rumored.
Digital Storm Velox

Digital Storm Velox (2015) review

Digital Storm’s Velox is a powerful, highly configurable system, but it’s up against some incredibly tenacious competitors. Can the Velox overcome them, or is it just another competent – yet not incredible – enthusiast rig?
Game of Thrones Season 5

Is it Daenerys, or Daeneres? Microsoft Word knows, even if you don’t

Not sure how to spell the name of your favorite Game of Thrones character? That's no problem, as long as you use Microsoft Word.
Cybertron PC Thallium

CyberTronPC Thallium review

The best desktop gaming rigs aren’t always made by brands you know, as passionate enthusiasts can often trump larger, less agile companies. Is CybertronPC’s Thallium a love song to gamers, or does it hit too many off-notes?
Falcon Northwest Talon

Falcon Northwest Talon (2015) review

Want a subtle but powerful desktop PC? Falcon Northwest’s Talon may be for you. It has the hardware to compete with much larger systems, but its compact form factor comes at the price of upgradability and fan noise.
Lenovo ThinkPad T450S in hand

Lenovo ThinkPad T450s review

While most notebooks fight to be the thinnest on the shelf, Lenovo’s stalwart ThinkPad T450s takes a more traditional approach. The result is a sturdy work laptop that may lure you away from newer, shinier rivals – if you can afford to pay up.
Samsung's ATIV Book 9

Why don’t laptops with Intel’s Core M processors run longer? We tested to find out

Intel's Core M promises efficiency beyond the standard Core line. Yet in reviews, notebooks with Core M inside don't necessarily offer record-breaking battery life. Why?
Intel Compute Stick scale 2

Intel Compute Stick review

The latest miniature PC from Intel is so small it can plug directly into an HDMI input like a Chromecast or Amazon Fire Stick, and it costs just $150. But reducing size and price to this extreme requires sacrifice.
Intel 750 Series SSD

Drives using the new NVMe standard are taking the solid state market by storm

Non-Volatile Storage Express, a new standard for solid state drives, is taking the PC world by storm. Four manufacturers have drives based on the standard.
Dell M3800 Precision in hand

Dell Precision M3800 review

Dell’s M3800 is essentially a tweaked version of the XPS 15, the company’s flagship 15-incher. That means it is priced to compete with the very best notebooks. Can it hold its own?
hp announces 32 inch ultrahd monitor and thin bezel professional displays hpzdisplaythumb

HP announces 32-inch UltraHD monitor and thin-bezel professional displays

HP has announced an impressive new 31.5-inch, 4K monitor that promises excellent color gamut and accuracy, and new thin bezel professional displays.
HP zBook 15 top back logo

HP’s Z Turbo Drive G2 might be the new SSD performance champion

HP has announced a new NVMe solid state drive, the Z Turbo Drive G2. Its official specifications suggest it may even outperform Intel's 750 Series.
HP Omen

HP transforms the Omen into its thinnest workstation laptop yet

HP has transformed its razor-thin gaming laptop, the Omen, into a workstation notebook. The Omen Pro offers quad-core processors and Nvidia Quadro graphics.
Sorry Apple, Microsoft is right

Sorry Apple, Microsoft is right: Windows is for people who get things done

When it comes to productivity, Microsoft is right; Windows is the best operating system for those who do. Nothing compares to Windows in the workplace.

Three years of laptop battery life explored

You might think your three year old laptop is still modern, fast, and portable. But can it really compare to the endurance of modern, portable PC?
Processor Speed

Has clock speed outlived its usefulness as a processor specification?

A recent article from Anandtech found that CPU speed does not necessarily correlate with clock speed, throwing doubt on its usefulness as a specification.
which macbook should you buy mem 3

MacBook review round-up: Apple’s latest laptop is a beautiful compromise

The first wave of MacBook reviews have come in. While they offer some praise, most notably the system's design, the verdicts are surprisingly lukewarm.
msi brings skylake to its line of high end gaming laptops motherboard logo

MSI’s new, tiny motherboards offer passively cooled quad-cores and 4K support

Want to build a small, quiet home theater PC? MSI's new Mini-ITX motherboards might be perfect for you. Passively cooled, they still feature up to quad-core processing power and 4K support.
dell xps 13 2015 review lid angle v2

Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition now available for $949

Dell has announced the Developer Edition of its popular XPS 13. It ships with Ubuntu and offers upgraded hardware over the base $799 Windows model.
Origin Chronos (2015)

Origin Chronos (2015) review

Can a Titan X fit comfortably in a small gaming rig? Origin seems to think so, and has set out to prove it with the latest Chronos, a system that can even tackle 4K gaming – for the most part.

Star Trek enthusiast docks Wi-Fi router into model of the original Enterprise

A clever Star Trek enthusiast has figured out how to stuff Wi-Fi hardware into a model of the Enterprise, creating a surprisingly functional router.
LG 22CV241 Chromebase review peripherals

Are Chrome OS desktops useful, or toys

Chrome OS is coming to desktops ranging from the $100 Asus Chromebit to HP's powerful Core i7 Chromebox. Are these systems a viable alternative to Windows?
zoom on mac

Early MacBook benchmarks show performance well behind Pro, Air

A pair of GeekBench results for the base model MacBook have appeared online, and the figures don't speak favorably for the performance of Apple's notebook.
get a sneak peak at the new macbook in this early un boxing video macbookunboxing

Check out the new MacBook and its USB Type-C charger in un-boxing video

A video from Vietnamese website Tinhte.vn un-boxes the new MacBook in detail, and also provides a first close-up look at the USB Type-C charger.
project spartan hands on review browser feature

Hands on: Project Spartan browser

Microsoft’s replacement for Internet Explorer is now available, but it Spartan isn’t as lean, mean and ready to fight as its name suggests.
microsoft loops adobe spartan web browser project spartanbrowser

Project Spartan now available in the Windows 10 Technical Preview

The hotly anticipated replacement to Internet Explorer, Project Spartan, has finally landed in Windows 10 Technical Preview build 10049.