Innehållsförteckning för Oct-15 från PCWorld

Trying to figure out which sixth-generation Intel Core chip to buy in Intel’s Skylake family is like going to a preseason baseball or football game: There are numbers everywhere. Somewhere in the crowd are the superstars. But which ones? We can’t test everything at PCWorld, but what we can do is provide a handy scorecard of the Skylake chips Intel launched at the IFA show in Berlin in early September. We’ve already told you why Skylake is a “sixth-generation CPU,” (go.pcworld.com/6thgencpu) what you need to know about Skylake, and even an early review of the i7-6700K (go. pcworld.com/i7-6700k), one of the high-end desktop Skylake chips Intel will ship this fall. (For a general overview of Intel’s Skylake announcements, please see our main Skylake launch story (go. pcworld.com/skylakecpu). Here’s what you…

WINDOWS 10 ADOPTION hasn’t caught up with Windows 8.1 yet, but it may be getting close. According to AdDuplex, the split between Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 devices is currently 61 percent for the former, and 39 percent for the latter. If you don’t count Windows RT devices such as Microsoft’s Surface tablets, the ratio is 58.8 percent for Windows 8.1 to 41.2 percent for Windows 10. The data comes from 173 Windows Store that use AdDuplex for cross-promotional ads. Granted, this is hardly a complete measure of Windows 10 usage, as AdDuplex isn’t even counting devices that run Windows 8.0 or earlier. As we know from other metrics firms, Windows 7 is still the dominant version of Microsoft’s operating system, running on roughly half of all laptops, desktops, and…

ENGINEERS AT XEROX PARC have developed a chip that will self-destruct upon command, providing a potentially revolutionary tool for high-security applications. The chip, developed as part of DARPA’s vanishing programmable resources project, could be used to store data such as encryption keys and, on command, shatter into thousands of pieces so small, reconstruction is impossible. (See the demo in the video above.) It was demonstrated at DARPA’s Wait, What? event in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 10. “The applications we are interested in are data security and things like that,” said Gregory Whiting, a senior scientist at PARC in Palo Alto, California. “We really wanted to come up with a system that was very rapid and compatible with commercial electronics.” The result is a chip based on Gorilla Glass, the…

THE BEST BROWSERS go beyond benchmarks, racing through real-world webpages as well as canned routines. They’re easy to set up, flexible and extensible, and connect other devices and services into an ecosystem. Look, throwing a few benchmarks at a browser just doesn’t cut it any more. Just as you expect us to test graphics cards against the latest games, we think your browsers should be tested against a collection of live sites. Can they handle dozens of tabs at once? Or do they shudder, struggle, and crash, chewing through your PC’s processor and memory? To pick a winner, we put Google Chrome, Microsoft’s Edge and Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Opera to the test, barring Apple’s abandoned Safari for Windows. We used the latest available version of each browser, except…

Five years after its launch, the iPad is growing up. The new iPad Pro (apple.com/ipad-pro), introduced at Apple’s media event recently, blurs the line between iPad and MacBook just a little more, with a 12.9-inch screen capable of running two apps side by side without either of them feeling cramped in the slightest. But as large as it is, the iPad Pro doesn’t feel unwieldy, even to me, an avowed fan of the iPad mini. We’ve learned from both the iMac and the iPhone that people love giant screens with tons and tons of pixels crammed on to them, and that’s what the iPad Pro delivers, along with performance that should let more people than ever leave their laptops at home. Thin and light The iPad Pro is only 1.57…

THE BATTLE FOR PC gaming’s sweet spot is on. The $150 to $200 price range is crucial for AMD, Nvidia, and all of their assorted partners. The overwhelming majority of graphics cards sold cost less than $200, with cards in that price range delivering a solid 1080p experience in modern games—and over 50 percent off all PC gamers rock 720p or 1080p displays, according to the Steam hardware survey. Mainstream graphics cards are a big deal. Case in point: Just last month, Nvidia released a new GeForce GTX 950 graphics card in order to snatch the $150 crown away from AMD’s Radeon R7 370. That prompted AMD to release a more powerful R9 370X in some parts of the world. The tables turn when you hit the $200 mark. First…

With Windows 10, Microsoft has added a ton of new keyboard shortcuts to give you easier access to the new Action Center, Cortana, Task View, and virtual desktops. So much so, in fact, that Microsoft recently released a handy-dandy Word document with Windows 10’s Windows key shortcuts to aid in your study. If you’re new to keyboard shortcuts, however, one glance at that list can be overwhelming—and there are plenty of keyboard shortcuts that don’t involve the Windows key whatsoever. To help you streamline it a bit, here’s a list of 20 must-know shortcuts for Windows 10. This isn’t just a list for Windows 10, however. Many of these shortcuts work with older versions of Windows, and you’ll find a few standard browser shortcuts as well. If you’re on Windows…

WE’VE TALKED ABOUT File Explorer (go.pcworld.com/w7file-explorer; Windows Explorer in Windows 7) several times before, and if you ask me it’s one of the most important parts of Windows to customize. Unlike a smartphone or tablet, you spend a lot of time diving into your PC’s file system and it’s worth it to get things organized just how you like it. One good way to do that is to customize a folder’s column order—name, size, type, date modified, and so on—under the details view. It’s really easy to organize columns in the order you’d like instead of just using the defaults. In fact, you can even apply a particular column order that you create to most other folders on your system. I’ll be showing how it’s done in Windows 10,…

AFTER LAUNCHING A LARGER iPhone 5 Plus last year that mimicked phablets like the Lumia 1520, Apple has taken another page from Microsoft’s playbook with the Apple iPad Pro—which now includes a Surface-like keyboard and stylus. Apple’s new iPad Pro—available from $799 to $1079, with storage ranging from 32GB to 128GB—will be available this November, a bit after the reported introduction of the Surface Pro 4. But for right now, the comparisons between it and the Surface Pro 3 are undeniable. Before we dive into the hardware specs, let’s make one key software difference clear: The iPad Pro still runs iOS, instead of the full Windows desktop OS you can use on a Surface Pro. For many power users, that’s the difference between an accessory and an essential piece of…

WHETHER YOU WANT Windows 10 or not, Microsoft says it may download the files to your PC regardless. In a statement to the Inquirer, Microsoft confirmed that it automatically downloads Windows 10 installation files on eligible PCs, provided automatic updates are enabled through Windows Update. The download occurs even if users haven’t opted in through the Windows 10 reservation dialog. “For individuals who have chosen to receive automatic updates through Windows Update, we help upgradable devices get ready for Windows 10 by downloading the files they’ll need if they decide to upgrade,” Microsoft told the Inquirer. “When the upgrade is ready, the customer will be prompted to install Windows 10 on the device.” When reached for comment, Microsoft told PCWorld that the downloads occurred around the time of Windows 10’s…

IN DECEMBER 2014, Samsung rolled out a new type of mobile DRAM that would allow smartphones to carry up to 4GB of volatile memory. Less than a year later, Samsung says it’s getting ready to cram up to 6GB of RAM into our handsets. The increased RAM comes courtesy of Samsung’s mass production of 12 gigabit LPDDR4 (low power, double-data-rate 4) mobile DRAM. The new memory is being produced using Samsung’s 20-nanometer (nm) process. Samsung says the new DRAM is 30 percent faster than the previous 20nm-based 8Gb LPDDR4 and twice as fast as DDR4 DRAM for PCs. The new mobile memory means a single package can use two chips to carry 3GB of RAM or four chips for 6GB. This will not only result in premium smartphones packing more…

Last month, the axe seemingly came down on Adobe Flash: three undiscovered vulnerabilities in Flash were leaked (go.pcworld.com/flashleaked) and exploited (go.pcworld.com/flashexploited). In response, Mozilla’s Firefox blocked Flash by default (go.pcworld.com/ffblockedflash) until Adobe issued a patch. You should know by now that installing Flash equals a security risk. But are you aware of how badly your PC can slow down as well? Try 80 percent. As part of our roundup of the major browsers, we tested their abilities to handle Flash. Two browsers, Mozilla Firefox and Opera, do not include Flash, although you can download a plugin from Adobe to enable it. A third, Microsoft’s new Edge browser, enables Flash by default, although you can manually turn it off. Both Internet Explorer 11 and Google’s Chrome also include Flash, which you…

AMD DESERVES SOME serious props for even creating the Radeon R9 Nano (go. pcworld.com/r9nano) in the first place. This pint-sized powerhouse is the latest in a long line of AMD technical innovations that skate to where the puck is going, rather than where the puck is lingering today. Built around revolutionarily tiny—and fast—high-bandwidth memory, the six-inch Radeon R9 Nano delivers flagship-level performance in a form factor that fits where most other graphics cards simply can’t. In an age where graphics cards keep expanding with heat pipes and heat sinks and fans in order to push performance to 11, the Nano’s more holistic design approach is a breath of fresh air, dragging mini-ITX (mITX) graphics cards out from the shadows and into the spotlight. It truly feels forward-thinking—the first top-tier graphics…

THE NARRATIVE IS already in place on Intel’s new Broadwell for desktop CPU: It’s the chip no one wanted. As someone who watched this story unfold, I know the truth is actually the opposite. You see, Intel’s 3.3GHz Core i7-5775C is actually something the Internet demanded. Remember that in 2012, the Internet said Intel would effectively “kill the desktop” PC because the company had no plans for a socketed CPU past Haswell. The truth is, Broadwell was always intended as a lower-power part with no practical appeal outside of laptops, NUC-style computers and all-in-one PCs. Instead, Intel told me at the time, desktop sockets will get a workout with the next big thing: Skylake. Anger and hand-wringing ensued. Soon, bowing to pressure from its die-hard desktop community and PC vendors,…

SO THERE YOU are, doing your best to connect with a friend over a cup of coffee, and you can’t help but notice the pulsing alert on your phone’s touchscreen. What if it’s your babysitter trying to reach you, or a nasty email from your boss? You surreptitiously unlock your phone to see what the fuss is about—and just like that, you become one of those people who can’t keep their hands off their handsets, even when there’s a flesh-and blood person in front of them. (Oh, and that message on the screen? It was a promo for a half-off sale. Great.) The good news is that your Android phone or iPhone boasts a series of tools that can help you concentrate on the people who matter, rather than being…

J Confusion worries that, despite assumptions that it would be removed, the final version of Windows 10 still has a keylogger Last fall, I discussed the keylogger that Microsoft openly put into the Windows 10 Technical Preview. The company admitted that “we may collect voice information” and “typed characters.” At the time I defended Microsoft, pointing out that the Preview was “intended for testing, not day-to-day use,” and that Microsoft recommended against installing the Preview on a computer with sensitive files. I said that “I seriously doubt that the worst spyware features will remain in the finished product.” I was wrong. Microsoft pretty much admits it has a keylogger in its Windows 10 speech, inking, typing, and privacy FAQ: “When you interact with your Windows device by speaking, writing…

IN A SURPRISE MOVE, Microsoft sent a pair of representatives to Apple’s big press event in San Francisco early in September to demonstrate new features in Office for iOS that are tailored for the new iPad Pro. Kirk Koenigsbauer, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of Office 365 client applications, came on stage at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium to show new changes to the company’s suite of apps for Apple’s tablet, including the ability to draw freehand shapes on a Word or PowerPoint document, and then get them translated into shapes like arrows or circles. It’s designed to take advantage of Apple’s new Pencil stylus for the iPad Pro, a $99 accessory the company announced just ahead of Koenigsbauer’s appearance on stage. Users can also draw annotations on documents, and have…

ALL THE BIG NEWS from IFA Berlin 2015 is in and, wow, if this eye-grabbing lineup doesn’t help the PC industry make it rain this holiday season, what will? As a follow-up to the Windows 10 introduction in July, we got details on Intel’s latest “Skylake” Core chips, some amazing gaming laptops, a modular PC, a new Compute Stick design, wireless charging for your laptop, and…oh, geez, just check it out—and prepare for a serious case of tech envy. 1. Skylake’s full launch Intel’s “Skylake” sixth-generation Core processors (go.pcworld.com/ skylake10) are the key to everything that was announced at IFA Berlin. It’s kind of like the second act for PCs following Microsoft’s introduction of Windows 10. Combined, the WinTel alliance will deliver powerhouse PCs rocking 4K displays, infrared cameras for…

THERE’S NO DOUBT about it: Windows 10 is studded with data-tracking tidbits and hooks into all sorts of Microsoft online services. Handing over all that data has some tangible benefits, like Windows 10’s OneDrive integration and the Bing-powered brains behind the Cortana digital assistant, but not everyone is thrilled with the idea of an operating system that’s constantly looking over their digital shoulder. Don’t fret. I’m here to show you how to get your PC and its data out of the cloud and back on silicona firma. (Yes, I did just make that up.) This guide will show you how to disable Windows 10’s integration, as well as provide tips on what those features actually do. That way, you can decide whether you want to keep any of it active…

SONY MOBILE IS changing its stance over its waterproof phones. Apparently, when the company says Xperia phones are waterproof, it just means that if you try to use them underwater you’ll end up with proof that H2O can destroy your phone. Well, not quite—but Sony’s got a lot of explaining to do. The company was not available for comment at the time of this writing. The waterproof explanation page (go.pcworld.com/xperian-h20proof) for Sony Mobile Xperia phones now includes the following disclaimer, “Remember not to use the device underwater,” as first noted by Xperia Blog (go.pcworld.com/xperianblog). That’s a surprising turnaround considering the company has advertised Xperia waterproof phones with images of people using their phones underwater. Xperia waterproof phones typically have an IP65/68 rating, which means they are completely resistant to dust,…

THE LENOVO IDEAPAD Miix 700 is simply a Lenovo Surface—just a bit better. That might not be the most intriguing way of introducing Lenovo’s Surface clone, but it’s the most accurate. Place them side by side, eliminate some of the external markings, and you’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference between the two. But which Surface? It depends on which one you’re comparing Lenovo’s tablet against. The Miix 700 is a 12-inch tablet, the same form factor as the Surface Pro 3. But with processors reportedly ranging up to the new Skylake Core m7 (Lenovo demonstrated it with a Core m5 at its stand at IFA) it might be more on a par with the Surface 3. The Miix 700 can be configured with up to 8GB of memory, and…

When Asus announced the Asus ROG GX700 (go.pcworld.com/rog-gx700) at IFA in Berlin, we knew its massive cooling block would be one of the must-sees of the show. We weren’t disappointed. On the other hand, what they showed was just a semi-functional prototype. So although we spent some hands-on time with it, we can describe only in vague detail what’s going on inside of it. Asus has yet to reveal any specs. We can be almost certain that one of Intel’s new, overclockable Skylake chips is inside. One Asus employee told us it would include the forthcoming Nvidia GTX 990M, but we can’t confirm that. All we do know is that the watercooling system inside the notebook will cool both the GPU and CPU. And oh, what a watercooling system it…

EXCEL FUNCTIONS, OR formulas, lie at the heart of the application’s deep well of capabilities. Today we’ll tackle IF statements, a string of commands that determine whether a condition is met or not. Just like a yes-no question, if the specified condition is true, Excel returns one user-determined value and, if false, it returns another. The IF statement is also known as a logical formula: IF, then, else. If something is true, then do this, else/otherwise do that. For example, if it’s raining, then close the windows, else/otherwise leave the windows open. The syntax (or sentence structure; that is, the way the commands are organized in the formula) of an Excel IF statement is: =IF(logic_ test, value_if true, value_if_false). IF statements are used in all programming languages and, although the…