Innehållsförteckning för February 2024 från Tech Advisor

Intel has published a presentation that uses ‘snake oil’ and used-car salesmen to imply that AMD is misleading customers with its recent Ryzen branding. Unfortunately, the launch comes on the eve of major changes being made to Intel’s branding, too, as part of the launch of its ‘Core Ultra’ Meteor Lake chips. The PDF presentation (fave.co/3RszobX is titled Core Truths – How the Latest Technology is not always what it seems. “There’s a long history of selling half-truths to unsuspecting customers,” the presentation reads, next to a man holding a bottle that’s labelled ‘Snake Oil’. The presentation then specifically goes on to call out AMD’s Ryzen branding, asking “Can I trust that this is the latest?” “No”, the presentation responds, with an arrow pointing to Intel’s own Core i5 branding.…

One of the ways that advertisers build a profile of you is based on your location – that is, your IP address. Whenever you visit a website or a service, it’s part of the information passed along when you connect. But now Google wants to change how IP addresses are shared by Chrome, in order to better protect user privacy. Unlike cookies, your browser can’t block requests for your IP address. It’s a fundamental part of the way the Internet works. Your Internet service provider assigns you one for a reason, so that it knows where a connection request comes from, and where to send the resulting data. Every device at your location will be seen as that IP address, regardless of the internal IP addresses assigned by your router…

Price: £449 from fave.co/3Tagl7u I really like Google’s new Chromebook Plus concept introduced in 2023. Intel Core-class performance, good screens, good webcam, fast connectivity and some other things to tick off, which means that a Chromebook Plus can compete with an affordable mid-range laptop, and then also get a bunch of features, mainly AI for image and sound management. The models I’ve tested so far have all met the minimum requirements, but Lenovo raises the bar with its Chromebook Plus IdeaPad Flex 5. DESIGN This is a sturdy little computer in a 14-inch format, with a higher weight than many others of the same size. This is partly due to a sturdy chassis with a brushed metal exterior that gives a high quality feel, and partly due to the 360-degree…

Price: £349 from fave.co/47Vd2Fl It took forever for Google to make its own smartwatch and now we’ve quickly arrived at the second-generation in the form of the aptly named Pixel Watch 2. The wearable arrived alongside the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro smartphones and while it’s still one of the most attractive smartwatches around and has some upgrades, it’s very similar to the original. It’s had a small price increase, so has Google focused its efforts in the right places to make it worth the cost? DESIGN You’d be forgiven for thinking the photos here are of the original Pixel Watch, as the Pixel Watch 2 is identical in design and build. Until you put it under a microscope, that is. One of the main changes is a new…

If you ask Windows 11 users what bothers them most about Microsoft’s current operating system, the answers are usually similar. Only the order differs slightly. The inflexible taskbar: In Windows 11, the Start menu and icons in the taskbar are moved to the centre by default and the customization options for the taskbar are limited. Annoying updates: Windows 11 requires a restart too often for updates. Microsoft has also removed the option of manually pausing or delaying updates. Missing functions: In Windows 11, Microsoft has removed some Windows 10 features, for example the Live Tiles, Timeline feature, Skype, and so on. Unwanted adverts: Windows 11 still – and even increasingly – displays ads in various places, for example in the Start menu, on the lock screen, or in Explorer. Annoying…

Microsoft’s Windows 12 will launch in June of 2024, according to Taiwan media quoting the chairmen of Acer and contract manufacturer Quanta. The Commercial Times, Taiwan’s largest financial paper, led its report (fave.co/3uRonb7) about a recent medical conference by stating that Microsoft’s Windows 12 will launch in June 2024. The paper was reporting on comments made by Barry Lam, the founder and chairman of PC contract manufacturer Quanta, and by Junsheng (Jason) Chen, the chairman and chief executive of Acer. The CT did not directly attribute the Windows date to either executive, though it said that Lam stated that Quanta would be the “first to invest in AI PCs”, a new category of PCs that Intel chief executive Pat Gelsinger announced in July. Though the definition differs slightly between companies,…

Price: £1,599 from fave.co/3Tt2yJB There are loads of laptops to choose from in 2023, but the vast majority have a display between 13- and 15 inches. If you need something a bit bigger, your options are far more limited. One of the main devices in this category is the Gram 17, LG’s largest laptop. Its key selling point is an incredibly lightweight design – it weighs an incredible 1.35kg, making it more portable than many 14-inch laptops. But are the compromises in other areas worth it, given its high price tag? The short answer is yes, but only for a very specific type of user. Here are my thoughts after testing it for a few weeks. DESIGN Let’s get the obvious out of the way first: the Gram 17 is…

Price: £1,599 from fave.co/3sqA4Vo We’ve had to wait a while for it, but the OnePlus Open stands out among foldables for a variety of reasons. The first is its name: rather than opting for the tried-and-tested ‘Fold’ branding, OnePlus wants the device to be ‘Open for Everything’, hinting at its versatility as phone-tablet hybrid. But the same can be said of parent company Oppo’s Find N3, which launched at the same time as the OnePlus Open with near-identical hardware and software. And then there’s the simple fact that it’s taken until 2023 for OnePlus to release a folding phone, making it one of the late comers to the party. However, none of that matters if the OnePlus Open performs well in the real world. While that’s certainly the case, it…

If you’re thinking about a new tablet, one company will almost certainly come to mind first: Apple. Thirteen years after making its debut, the iPad (in its various sizes) remains the go-to device for millions of people. They’re a no-brainer if you own an iPhone, but what if you prefer Android phones? In that situation, it usually makes most sense to get a tablet that’s also running Android. The software experience isn’t quite as good as iPadOS, but there are plenty of tablet apps these days and extensive customization options. There’s also loads of choice, with Samsung, Google, Xiaomi, OnePlus and Lenovo all represented below. Each has its own set of strengths and weaknesses, but there’s a device here to suit any prospective buyer. SIZE The first thing to consider…

There’s no question about it: LAI is the new hotness in personal computers. An intriguing new report claims Microsoft will push the pedal to the metal even harder with a revolutionary new version of Windows 11 (or 12) in 2024, which is designed to make AI helpful at deeply practical levels. Microsoft just put AI front-and-centre with Windows 11’s massive 2023 Update, which added the Windows Copilot AI assistant and awesome AI ‘Cocreator’ features to Paint. Copilot is coming to Windows 10, too. And Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm have been busy integrating AI-boosting ‘NPUs’ (neural processing units) to the PC chips destined to hit the streets next year, aiming to enhance tasks with local AI that runs on your computer’s hardware rather than hitting up servers in the cloud. Now,…

Microsoft has started to roll out the Copilot AI tool introduced with Windows 11 to Windows 10 computers. Windows 10 Insider test versions get first crack at Copilot, if they’re running a current version of the operating system. Windows 10 Insider testers can now try out the Copilot in the Release Preview Channel (fave.co/3RuUcQe). To do this, you must activate the option ‘Get the latest updates as soon as they are available’ in the Windows menu Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update, then check for updates after installing Windows 10 22H2 Build 19045.3757 (KB5032278). Microsoft will gradually roll out Copilot to all Windows 10 machines over the next few months, including those with the main release versions of Windows 10. Individual Windows 10 users will get Copilot first.…

Price: £799 from fave.co/46GXPGR Microsoft’s Surface laptops have a special feature: objectively, they seem overpriced, because they offer less computing power, features and connections compared to similarly priced laptops. Subjectively, however, they are fascinating because they are beautiful and pleasant to work with. They offer soft skills that aren’t immediately obvious, but make everyday life much easier, such as an excellent keyboard, quiet fans, an elegant case, touchscreen and low weight. This is especially true for the models from the Surface Laptop Go series – where Microsoft assembles its cheapest, lightest and smallest notebooks. In this respect, it is not surprising that the new Surface Laptop Go 3 relies almost unchanged on the virtues of its predecessors: The only new feature compared to the Laptop Go 2 is the Alder…

Price: £389 from fave.co/3t7dd1u With a 10.9-inch display, a premium flat-edged design, and pricing that starts from £389, the Galaxy Tab S9 FE clearly has Apple’s iPad (2022) firmly in its sights. Samsung even bundles a stylus with every tablet, unlike Apple. Of course, Samsung isn’t the only Android manufacturer thinking along these lines, as the OnePlus Pad and the Lenovo Tab P12 go to show. But really, only Samsung is in any kind of position to take the fight to Apple in the premium tablet market. For some time now, if you’ve wanted a classy tablet that isn’t an iPad, Samsung has supplied the primary alternative. The previous FE (fan edition) tablet Samsung supplied, the Galaxy Tab S7 FE, didn’t quite nail the formula, with a slightly high price…

Microsoft is significantly expanding the functions of Paint in Windows 11. The app is also getting a new version. The outdated program is to become a modern image editor that also contains AI functions. In the future, you will be able to use the OpenAI-LLM Dall-E directly in Windows 11 and in Paint. The new functions are also available after installing the Microsoft Paint app from the App Store (fave.co/46NtSFp). Updating the Paint app usually also works via the Store app in Windows 11 and selecting Library > Get updates. If the Paint update can be found in the window, you can install it here. Microsoft is also constantly expanding the functions of Paint. If you already have the new version, you may receive additional new functions through an update.…