Innehållsförteckning för August 2023 från PCWorld

Windows Copilot is one part Bing, one part Windows. It’s a ChatGPT artificial intelligence assistant that can perform tasks for you one moment, but then pleads ignorance the next. Microsoft’s AI assistant within Windows 11 certainly has potential, but during my time with it, achieving a consistent experience was one of its unexpected challenges. Windows Copilot, the migration of Microsoft’s AI-powered Bing Chat into Windows, debuted in late June as part of the latest Windows Insider build for the Dev Channel. Microsoft announced Copilot at the end of May, with a promise to bring it into testing by the end of June. It hasn’t reached its full potential yet, but it will see a full release later this year. To experience Copilot, you’ll need to sign up for the Windows Insider…

It comes down to this: Microsoft is killing off its superior Mail and Calendar apps because it believes its brain is smarter than yours. One of my few stressful moments during an otherwise peaceful Hawaii vacation was when I learned Microsoft is doing away with the Mail and Calendar apps. I’ve been an unabashed fan of Mail for years because it does what I want it to do, and nothing else. Mail has a simple, clean, pure interface. But now Microsoft plans to replace Mail and Calendar with the unified Outlook app interface, beginning next year. Current Mail and Calendar users can test-run the new interface by toggling the “try the new Outlook” toggle in Outlook’s upper-right corner, which flips the interface to the new look. You can then flip back…

A new wave of artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT and Google Bard may or may not change the way humans interact with technology forever. But before that happens, that wave is going to make the internet even more annoying. According to a new report, AI is being used to generate a huge amount of websites filled with random, garbage strings of text targeted at search engines, then plastered with advertising to generate revenue. NewsGuard reports that AI text generation tools are being combined with software that autogenerates new sites, creating masses of domains filled with a huge amount of text. The sites are then filled with programmatic advertising slots, which serve up real ads over the fake content. It could be argued that the process is fraudulent, since advertisers are paying in good…

Handheld consoles have been around since the late 1980s, but it recently feels like we’ve entered a new era with home console gaming coming to portable devices. From the Nintendo Switch being the only realistic option for such handheld quality a few years ago, we now have credible competitors from the likes of Valve, Logitech, and Onex. These are consoles that don’t play traditional physical game cartridges, cards, or discs, but instead stream or download games from services such as Steam or Xbox Game Pass. But with the ROG Ally, Asus wants to take things to the next level. Unlike rivals, it runs a full version of Windows 11, meaning you can play the same range of games as on any PC. Alongside dedicated AMD flagship processors and a 120Hz display,…

You know the PCIe 5.0 NVMe market is picking up when venerable storage vendor Seagate enters the fray. The company’s new FireCuda 540 leverages the fifth-gen bus to turn in outstanding real-world performance. It wasn’t quite the measure of the Crucial T700 in other tests, but it was close and is also a bit more affordable. SPECS AND DESIGN The 540 is a 2280 (22mm wide, 80mm long) M.2 type utilizing four lanes of PCIe 5.0 for transfers. The NAND is Micron’s B58R 232-layer TLC, and the controller is Phison’s PS5026-E26. It’s double-sided, but still thin enough to upgrade most laptops. The 540 is currently available in 1TB/$189.99 and 2TB/$319.99 flavors, putting it at the high end of the market, albeit a tad cheaper than Crucial’s top-rated T700 in a 2TB capacity.…

As our lives become more and more digital, keeping our information and devices secure has become more important than ever. And that starts with good security software. An antivirus program is a piece of software that keeps your computer (or phone, tablet, and so forth) safe from other software that tries to attack it. This includes detecting and blocking viruses, a very specific type of program, but also a wide variety of other digital threats. PCWorld is constantly covering the latest news in viruses and other threats, and how to defend against them. For the best antivirus software in 2023, be sure to check out our extensive roundup of the best antivirus programs. WHAT IS A COMPUTER VIRUS? To understand what antivirus software does, you need to know what a…

If you have to work in Microsoft Outlook, you might as well do it smart. Here are several tips to help you work more efficiently in all available versions of Outlook. All of our tips were tested using Outlook 2021, but some tips also work in a similar form with Outlook 2019 and 2016. 1. BACKUP AND RESTORE PROFILE SETTINGS, SIGNATURES, AND EMAIL ACCOUNTS Outlook 2016 and 2019 and Outlook 2021 save their profile settings—including email accounts, favorite folders, settings, and information about the required servers—in the Windows registry. If you export the corresponding keys, you can transfer a large part of Outlook’s settings to a new computer or restore them in the case of new installations. To restore, you only need to double-click on the exported registry file and…

With Twitter seemingly imploding in a new, spectacular way on a weekly basis, Meta has moved in with its own Twitter clone, Threads. The app for the new social media platform is now live for both Android and iOS. Threads looks much like Twitter. Very much. You get to type 500 characters per post (versus 280 characters for Twitter), but your “thread” is aligned in a vertical hierarchy of posts, just as in Twitter, and the user interface feels right at home. Naturally, you have the option of replying to and liking individual posts following others and responding to their own threads, too. And, of course, you can post photos. Threads leverages your Instagram followers—which is important, because there are at least a few other apps named Threads on the…

At long last, parents and guardians can now get better insight into their teens’ social media—at least for Messenger and Instagram. Meta has launched a set of Parental Supervision tools to better aid with controlling usage of both apps. In Meta’s post announcing the new features, the company outlined several ways for parents to track and understand their kids’ habits on Messenger. For starters, you’ll now be able to see how much time a teen spends on Messenger. You can also see their contact list, privacy and safety settings, who can view their Messenger stories, and who can message them (for instance, friends, friends of friends, or nobody), as well as get notifications when changes to those settings occur. If a teen allows, you’ll get alerts if they report someone,…

Your days spent watching YouTube with an ad blocker enabled may soon be over. In what the company is calling a “small experiment,” select users are currently being told to turn off their ad blocker or subscribe to Premium. The punishment if you don’t? Access to video playback gets shut off. If you’re subject to this limitation, you’ll see a pop-up message that says, “It looks like you may be using an ad blocker. Video playback will be blocked unless YouTube is allowlisted or the ad blocker is disabled.” It also states that ads “allow YouTube to stay free for billions of users worldwide,” and that to stay ad free, a subscription to YouTube Premium is necessary. Three video thumbnail slots appear in the notification as well, which presumably fill…

There are lots of good options for local and online backup, but Arq 7 Backup, which is both an online service and a client, stands out thanks to its support for myriad third-party online backup services. Arq even sells the client separately for use with said third-party online repositories. Due to our flawless testing experience with the program, that’s something we can actually recommend. BACKUP PLANS AND FEATURES The Arq 7 backup program on its own (single-seat, perpetual license) is a tad pricey at $49.99. But the alternative Arq Premium subscription plan covers five seats, along with 1TB of storage, for $59.99 yearly. That’s $10 less than I’m currently paying for OneDrive through Microsoft’s Office 365 service. Of course, that has the Office apps, but I opted for it predominantly…

Gamers looking to buy a monitor on a budget have a lot of choices, but sorting through them can be difficult. Small flaws and details can hold back the appeal of many inexpensive monitors. The Dell G2724D is an alluring and reliable budget pick that delivers everything gamers expect and has no significant flaws. SPECS AND FEATURES The Dell G2724D’s specifications are typical for a budget gaming monitor sold at $300 or less. It provides 1440p resolution and a 165Hz refresh rate, and it supports HDR—though it’s only certified for VESA DisplayHDR 400, which is the lowest level of certification provided by VESA. Display size: 27-inch 16:9 widescreen Native resolution: 2560×1440 Panel type: IPS LCD Refresh rate: 165Hz Adaptive Sync: VESA Adaptive Sync, AMD FreeSync Premium, Nvidia G-Sync Compatible HDR: Yes,…

No operating system is without its positives, and that includes Windows 11, as much as I complain about Microsoft’s latest operating system. Its handful of useful features continues to grow as time goes on, with more and more teased for future release (like native RGB lighting controls). But with helpful utilities and settings having trickled out from Microsoft slowly, it’s easy to miss a few here and there, especially when flashier tricks hog the news headlines. We’ve pulled out 10 features that we don’t think get enough love—if you’ve heard of them and you haven’t tried them yet, now’s the time. 1. NOTEPAD TABS Notepad actually predates Windows, but it’s still fully relevant (and useful!) today. The streamlined app lets you open a window to make quick notes. And in…

Modern routers are pretty good at filling your home with a wireless internet connection. Most people know how to fix dead zones by upgrading their router or—better still—by choosing a mesh Wi-Fi system instead. But what about outdoors? Plenty of devices still need a connection outside, such as security cameras, smart lights, doorbells and simply your phone or tablet when you want to use it in your backyard. Even BBQs and other outdoor gadgets are starting to come with Wi-Fi, meaning there’s an even greater need for good alfresco Wi-Fi. Since you’re reading this, you already know that your home’s walls are a fairly effective Wi-Fi barrier, which is why you can’t get an online signal in your garden. And although the signals can penetrate glass without too much of…

Google has made major improvements to how passwords are stored inside Chrome, taking some of its best features from its mobile browser and applying them to the desktop. There has always been some tension between the browser and password managers in terms of which app holds the keys to your digital life. Google already offers to store your passwords within the Google cloud, offering features such as trolling the deep web to ensure they haven’t been leaked in a breach. Recently Google and Chrome have added some new key features: a quick shortcut to your passwords from the desktop, the ability to import passwords stored elsewhere, and, perhaps most importantly, the ability to use biometric identification to unlock your password vault on the desktop browser. You’ll also be able to add…

Is nothing working on your Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer? Is an application hanging, or is your PC completely unresponsive? Most people will reach for the hallowed Ctrl + Alt + Del keyboard shortcut, which has been used since the earliest days of DOS to revive a stuck computer. You can also use the shortcut to call up the task manager (although Ctrl + Shift + Esc is faster at that). What many people probably aren’t aware of, however, is the emergency restart function Microsoft hid inside the Ctrl + Alt + Del screen. I personally didn’t know about it either until I read this article from BetaNews. HOW TO ACTIVATE THE HIDDEN WINDOWS EMERGENCY RESTART To get to the hidden emergency restart function, first press Ctrl + Alt…

The big-screen laptop trend of recent has been moving from a 17.3-inch display with a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio to a 16-inch 16:10 panel that results in a more compact and portable package with nearly the same screen real estate. Despite numerous refreshes over the past few years, the Dell XPS 17 still resides between these two popular panel sizes, with a 17-inch 16:10 display that’s roomier than a 16-inch 16:10 display, but not quite as wide as a 17.3-inch 16:9 display. The result is an absolutely massive display for media editing, multitasking, and perhaps some light gaming. Inside, the XPS 17 9730 serves up the latest Intel and Nvidia silicon. Our test system pairs a 13th-gen Core i7 CPU with RTX 4070 graphics. Dell prioritizes a thin enclosure over raw…

Mechanical keyboards have been around almost as long as personal computers, and the basic switch technology we’re still using first popped up in the 1980s. But it’s not an exaggeration to say that mechanical boards have never been as popular, or as stunningly variable, as they are right now. If you’re just getting into the craze, you might feel paralyzed by the number of options. Allow us to remove some of the questioning and doubt. Below are the best mechanical keyboards we’ve reviewed, in a variety of categories—best overall, on a budget, for gaming, wireless, and so on. Though they excel in different areas, each mechanical keyboard pick is absolutely the best in its class. Our selections are well worth both your attention and your hard-earned dough. BEST MECHANICAL KEYBOARD…

Whether you’re about to take a vacation or just dreaming of one, it’s helpful to have the right tech tools at your disposal. I’ve certainly sampled my fair share, and found that many of them waste more time, energy, money than they purport to save. Below are the apps and tech tips that have become a permanent part of my travel arsenal. Keep these in mind before heading off on your next trip. 1. COZYCOZY FOR HOTEL AND HOME SEARCH When you’re torn between staying at a hotel or in an Airbnb, CozyCozy can search across both at the same time (along with checking VRBO for good measure). Even better, its search results highlight the actual average price per night, including Airbnb’s cleaning and service fees. A couple of suggestions for…

Almost everyone uses Google, and for most of us that means pasting text into our browser’s address bar or typing text into same. But next time you’re reading an article online and come across a name, word, or phrase you want to research further, try this: • Highlight the text. • Right-click on it. • Select Search in the pop-up context menu that appears. Highlight, right-click, search. These three steps will instantly look up the selected text in a new browser tab using your default search engine. It might sound a little clunky, but in practice it’s more efficient than copying, opening a new browser tab, and pasting. This also works for links, for those times when you see a link that doesn’t have an actual hyperlink. Just click “Go…