Today at IFA in Berlin, Acer announced an exciting addition to its Chromebook lineup. It’s the first Acer Chromebook to showcase MediaTek’s new Kompanio Ultra 910 chip and all of ChromeOS’ newfangled AI capabilities, and it’s called the new Chromebook Plus Spin 514. This is a big deal because Chromebooks (like the Lenovo Chromebook 14) are starting to wade into the on-device AI pool–Acer’s the latest to join. Now let’s dive right into it. MediaTek flexes its AI muscles The real star of the show here is the Kompanio Ultra 910, an eight-core Arm chip paired with MediaTek’s NPU 890, which can crank out up to 50 TOPS of AI performance. As far as the CPU goes, it’s got one ultra-performance core, three performance cores, and four efficiency cores. We reviewed the Lenovo Chromebook 14 with the new Kompanio chip a while back, and we were delighted by the performance gains. Heck, we even tried Minecraft on it and gameplay was surprisingly smooth. Beyond the chip, the Acer Plus Spin 514 leans into Google AI features. This makes things like searches, workflow, writing, and content creation feel quick and responsive. Smart Grouping keeps tabs and docs organized, especially useful if you’re a chaotic person like me, and Gallery Image Generation lets you play around with on-device AI image editing. Display, form factor Acer You get a 14-inch Gorilla Glass touchscreen, with your pick of a crisp 1920×1200 panel or an even sharper 2880×1800. Both are smooth with multi-touch and play nicely with USI 2.0 styluses. And with its convertible design, it easily flips into whatever you need–ideal for doodling or jotting down notes. Battery, configurations, availability Acer claims up to 17 hours of battery life, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we did in fact see that magic number (we’ve seen batteries last 24+ hours before).  The 1920×1200 touchscreen model with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of UFS storage will be available this month with a starting price of $699.99. The higher-tier configuration featuring a 14-inch 2880×1800 (60Hz) display and 16GB of RAM will also launch in September, starting at $749.99. Read...

TL;DR: Turn complex data into friendly charts with Microsoft Visio, now only $10 through September 14 (reg. $249.99). When data gets too complex to explain in a slide or spreadsheet, a clear visual can make all the difference. Microsoft Visio 2021 Professional helps transform technical details into organized, easy-to-read diagrams, and you don’t need to be a designer to use it. Right now, you can get a lifetime license for Microsoft Visio for only $9.97 (reg. $249.99). This lifetime license gives you unlimited access to a full suite of tools for building flowcharts, organizational charts, floor plans, and network diagrams. With thousands of customizable shapes and dozens of templates, you can start from scratch or jump right in with a layout that matches your project. Whether you’re mapping out a business structure, planning a retail space, or creating a network system, Visio gives you the flexibility to build visuals that actually make sense. Visio Professional 2021 also supports collaboration and automation features. You can automatically generate org charts from Excel or Microsoft Entra ID, and link diagrams to live data sources so they stay up to date. It even supports industry standards like BPMN 2.0, IEEE, and UML 2.5. If you use a touch-enabled device, Visio lets you draw and annotate diagrams naturally with your finger or a stylus. And since this version is for desktop, you don’t need to rely on a web app or an ongoing subscription to access your work. If you want to look like a professional designer, get a Microsoft Visio 2021 Lifetime License on sale for $9.97. Sale ends September 14 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Microsoft Visio 2021 Professional: Lifetime License for WindowsSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

If you’re planning on getting a new iPhone 17 or Apple Watch next week, you’re going to want some shiny new accessories to go with it. Look no further than today’s deal: This stylish Anker MagGo 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station is perfect for your new gear, and it’s down to just $70 at Amazon, a savings of $40 off its MSRP and the best price we’ve seen. This Anker charging station is absolutely gorgeous. With a clean design that features a charging plate and a tree-like structure, it will only take up very little space on your desk or nightstand. The plate serves as a charging spot for your AirPods, for instance, while the tree includes magnetic chargers for your Apple Watch and iPhone. It’s Qi2 certified, so it’ll change your iPhone at a full 15W and you can flip it to landscape to activate StandBy mode. Whether you want to place it on your home office desk or on your nightstand, it’s sure to look great and keep your Apple gear fully charged and ready to go. So go grab one now at it’s lowest price ever so it’s ready for your new iPhone 17 when it arrives. This 3-in-1 MagSafe charger is $40 off todayBuy now at Amazon Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Solid image quality Easy setup Works well with other myQ gear and service plans Cons No interior chime option for now, unless it’s hardwired to an existing chime Weak night vision App needs some TLC A subscription is required for it to be useful Our Verdict The myQ Doorbell Camera fits right in with Chamberlain’s expanding ecosystem, although a few bugs—and for the time being, the absence of an indoor chime—hobble the device. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: myQ Video Doorbell (model MYQ-D49TXXB) Retailer Price $79.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices The world needs another doorbell camera like it needs another social media influencer, but I get it: Every smart home device manufacturer needs a video doorbell to round out its product line. Chamberlain is the latest to enter this space after cranking out myQ-branded indoor and outdoor cameras like mad as it steps further away from its garage door-centric heritage. You can register faces with the myQ Video Doorbell to get a detailed look at who’s coming and going. Specifications The myQ Video Doorbell will surprise absolutely no one in design or function. The oblong, black rectangle is about 6 inches high and features a large doorbell button beneath a camera lens that captures video in a 1:1 aspect ratio (1952 x 1952 pixels) with a 150-degree viewing angle. The unit contains a built-in (and non-removeable) battery that charges via USB-C cable. It can also charge via standard 24V doorbell wiring, via two wiring posts on the back of the device. Chamberlain does not specify the size of the battery but estimates it will run for 4 to 6 months before a recharge will be needed. The myQ Video Doorbell runs on battery power, but it can also be hardwired to a 24V transformer and indoor chime if you have one. Christopher Null/Foundry While there’s no formal IP rating on the device, the only electronic element you might need to worry about–the USB-C port for charging its battery–is well covered by a rubber flap. myQ does specify an operating temperature of -4 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. Installation and setup Physical setup is straightforward. A flat mounting bracket attaches to the wall with two provided screws, and the camera then slips onto the bracket. No angled mounting bracket option is available. As with the myQ Smart Garage Video Keypad, a security screw on the underside of the camera helps hold it in place while adding an obstacle to deter easy theft. As with most myQ devices, electronic setup is a simple affair involving selecting your device of choice and pressing a small button on the back of the camera to complete the connection to the myQ app. Once onboarded to your 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network, the doorbell camera appears in the app alongside any other myQ equipment. Performance The myQ Video Doorbell fits in well if you have other myQ home security products.Christopher Null/Foundry There aren’t a lot of surprises with the way the doorbell works, except for one I noticed right away. The large doorbell button is ringed with a blue light, but this light doesn’t illuminate until after the button is pressed, which also causes a loud chime to erupt from the device (and from your existing chime if you’ve hardwired it. In my mind, the main point of the light ring is so visitors can see the button in the dark before they press it, not after. This needs a simple but important rethink, namely using the camera’s built-in motion sensor to detect when someone is approaching and turning the light on when they’re nearby. The motion sensor does do a good job of detecting people nearby, which promptly causes a small green LED to light up while launching a video recording operation. As with other myQ gear, there’s no way to initiate a manual recording (although the feed can always be viewed on demand) and the resulting clips are short, usually 10 to 30 seconds, but as long as 43 seconds in my testing. Video quality is fine for a doorbell, and although it’s aggressively fish-eyed, the clarity of recordings was solid in my testing. Infrared night vision is less capable, with the camera’s functional range topping out at less than 15 feet. Fortunately, most recordings will be up close and personal, given the camera’s location next to the front door. As with all other myQ camera gear, the doorbell can recognize and categorize clips based on the type of activity in the frame: any type of motion or a person, animal, package, or vehicle. You can turn off push notifications for each of these in the myQ app, but there’s no way to disable the notification for a doorbell press. The light ring around the myQ Video Doorbells ring button glows only after a visitor pushes it. So, it won’t help anyone find the button in the dark.Christopher Null/Foundry You can also register faces with the app, giving you a more detailed look at who’s coming and going. The feature is especially handy with a doorbell, given the likelihood that you’ll see a lot of people’s faces at a range of just a few feet. Other video options let you adjust the range of the motion sensor and establish up to three detection zones if you’re getting too many false motion alerts for distant activity. The microphone can be disabled, and speaker volume can be adjusted in the app, as well. The myQ Video Doorbell drops all recorded clips into a monolithic collection of video snippets, along with all your various myQ camera activity. A filtering system is supposed to make it easier to find what you’re looking for, but I ran into a bug where the doorbell camera shows up in my devices with the name “Camera,” though I have it set with the name “Doorbell.” This is a problem with other myQ devices, as it turns out. Multiple devices are called “Camera” and can’t be easily distinguished. Some thumbnails were also inexplicably missing from my recordings, and the app would frequently crash when trying to refresh the list of clips, requiring a force quit and restart. None of those problems are deal-breakers, but they’re all a nuisance. The bigger issue is that, for now, Chamberlain doesn’t offer an indoor chime, so the only visitor notification you’ll get is via the app on your phone—unless you hardwire the doorbell to an existing chime. myQ says a wireless “myQ Chime” is coming in October, but you never know how real a projected release date is until it happens. Should you buy a myQ Video Doorbell? As with all myQ cameras, the myQ Video Doorbell stores video only to Chamberlain’s cloud service, there is no option for local storage. So, if you don’t subscribe to that service, you’ll only ever see a live video stream from the camera. That cloud service costs $4/month or $40/year for seven days of storage for a single device; $10/month or $100/year for 30 days of storage for all your myQ devices. A 30-day trial of the single-device, seven-day plan is included with your purchase. As with all myQ gear, it probably makes little sense to opt for this doorbell camera unless you already have other myQ products installed and can make use of the $10/month subscription plan. The $100 myQ Video Doorbell isn’t the most full-featured option on the market, and given its inability to fully perform its primary function—letting you know when someone’s at the door— it’s difficult to fully recommend in its current incarnation. Fix the buggy app and release the myQ Chime, and then maybe we can revisit it. Even then, it’s probably only a worthwhile pick for homes with other myQ infrastructure. Read...

How much should you pay for a budget laptop? Well, that depends on your budget, of course. If you’ve only got $400 to spend, then you should find the best one for $400, end of story—but that can be very limiting, especially when it comes to specs. Today, Best Buy is offering an extremely rare deal: a touchscreen Windows laptop with 16GB of RAM for just $379.99. It’s good for today only, September 2nd. This Lenovo IdeaPad 1i is a budget design down to its bones, but it has a few upgrades over the IdeaPad 1i’s extremely underpowered base model: a surprising amount of power from a 13th-gen Intel Core i5 processor, the aforementioned 16GB of DDR4 RAM, and 512GB of SSD storage. The 15.6-inch 1080p screen is a touch panel (a rare sight at this price), and Intel Xe graphics should provide enough juice to run Minecraft on basic settings (or pretty much any 2D game). Don’t expect miracles from the underpowered battery, but you at least get plenty of ports (USB-C, double USB-A, full-sized HDMI, and an SD card reader) and a full-sized keyboard with a number pad. I also like the privacy shutter for the webcam, though there’s no mention of an IR sensor for Windows Hello compatibility. This laptop would be pretty good at $500, but it’s an absolute bargain at $380—and because of that, I don’t suspect it’ll stay in stock for very long. Best Buy is only selling it at this price today, with the deal ending at 1 AM Eastern US time according to the product page. It also says there are only three at my nearest Best Buy retail location. Hop on it quickly if you’re looking for an affordable laptop with some extra power and features. If it isn’t what you’re looking for, then check out PCWorld’s picks for the best laptops. This touchscreen laptop with Core i5 and 16GB RAM is crazy for $380Buy now from Best Buy Read...

If you’re paying for a YouTube Premium account, you need to be extra careful going forward. According to initial reports, Google is apparently taking increased action against account sharing, and the company has reportedly already sent some emails to account holders who are sharing premium benefits with people who don’t live in the same household. According to YouTube’s official guidelines, this has been prohibited since 2023, back when Netflix introduced stricter rules against password sharing, prompting other streaming services to follow suit. There have also been repeated reports of YouTube cancelling cheap subscriptions from abroad—which were often subscribed to using a VPN service—without warning. This is particularly annoying for anyone who would otherwise be unable to afford YouTube Premium yet is still willing to pay YouTube something for the privilege of premium features. 14-day deadline Affected users who receive an email from YouTube are apparently informed of a 14-day deadline. After this period, all premium features (such as ad-free viewing and offline downloads) will be cancelled, regardless of how much time actually remains on the subscription. The YouTube account itself will apparently not be blocked. There’s only talk of blocking the family membership. Presumably, all users (except for the account holder) will be banned if YouTube detects a violation of the household rules. YouTube checks your location According to YouTube, it uses location checks with IP addresses and GPS every 30 days to check whether users on a premium plan are in the same household. The respective region is also compared with the account settings in order to expose pricing arbitrage from abroad. This procedure isn’t yet 100 percent foolproof, as there are still many users who share their premium plans but haven’t yet been caught. Conversely, it’s also possible for legitimate family members to be inadvertently classified as non-household members if they’re away for too long (e.g., due to traveling or studying). What you can do If you receive such an email from YouTube but haven’t actually shared your account beyond your household, you can prevent the account block by contacting YouTube support. If you can prove that all users are in the same household, YouTube should lift the block. Otherwise, if you’ve been caught out, you may want to consider adjusting your subscription. Whereas YouTube Premium Family costs $22.99/month, you might prefer to go individual with YouTube Premium Lite for just $7.99/month. For reference, individual YouTube Premium costs $13.99/month. Read...

If there was ever a good time to upgrade your gaming laptop to one with a cutting-edge GPU, it’s now. The Lenovo Legion 5i with an RTX 5060 is now on sale for $1,350 at B&H, a massive $350 off its MSRP. Who says good things don’t come to those who wait? Not only is it packed with solid specs and features, it’s capped off with a gorgeous 15-inch OLED display with a crisp 2560×1600 resolution and fast 165Hz refresh rate for smooth visuals at high frame rates. And with the RTX 5060 powering it all, you’ll be able to play the latest games with Nvidia’s latest tech, including DLSS 4 and frame generation. Under the hood, this machine is fitted with an Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX processor, a hefty 32GB of speedy DDR5 RAM, and a roomy 1TB SSD. All of this makes for a laptop that easily breezes through your games, apps, and even a million browser tabs without breaking a sweat. Connectivity isn’t a worry here either. On the Lenovo Legion 5i, you’ll find a next-gen USB4, a fast USB-C, three fast USB-A, plus HDMI 2.1 for an external 4K display, as well as LAN and 3.5mm audio. This one also comes with top-of-the-line Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.3. This is an awesome price for an awesome gaming machine, so what are you waiting for? Get the Lenovo Legion 5i for $1,350 at B&H! Save $350 on this high-performance laptop with RTX 5060 GPUBuy now from B&H Read...

If you always feel achy and uncomfortable after a long day at your desk, then you have to look into a chair upgrade. Considering how many hours you spend in that thing, a good chair isn’t a luxury—it’s an essential. But who says a good chair needs to cost a fortune? The Staples Emerge Vortex is on sale for $130 right now, a solid 50% off its usual price. If that’s not an awesome deal, I don’t know what is! Though technically a gaming chair, it has a clean and understated design that makes it a solid addition to any home office. It features a tall back, lumbar support, a comfy headrest, and flip-up armrests that make it easy to slip the chair under your desk when not in use. (While it isn’t flimsy, it isn’t exactly heavy duty—it supports up to 275 pounds.) With over 10,000 reviews and a glowing 4.6-star rating on the Staples online store, the Emerge Vortex has earned high praise for its balance of comfort and affordability. Don’t miss out on this chance to snag the Staples Emerge Vortex gaming chair for $130! Save 50% on this budget-friendly ergonomic Staples gaming chairBuy now at Staples Read...

I love one-handed gaming keypads. I love them so much that I even made my own because I couldn’t find one that had all the features I want. So I’m thrilled whenever I see a new, ultra-premium option on the market… even if it isn’t quite what I’m looking for. Say hello to the Lemokey L0 HE by Keychron. This is ostensibly a premium alternative to the Lemokey X0, the company’s previous attempt at a one-handed gaming keypad. But this one is a lot more blinged out, more akin to the Keychron Q series of keyboards. It’s got a chunky full-aluminum body, magnetic switches for adjustable actuation, and fancy PBT keycaps that still show off some RGB bling thanks to some transparent windows. You also get a snazzy scrolling knob, multiple levels of internal foam, programming options via a browser tool, and the removable USB-C cable missing in the original design. Keychron But it has a price tag of $160. Holy freakin’ crap. I get that this thing has premium materials and it’s a niche product, but that’s a hundred and sixty simoleons for essentially half a gaming keyboard. It sure doesn’t help that it’s missing a wrist rest—essential for this form factor, whether integrated or discrete—and it doesn’t have an option for wireless. Combined with limited options for those semi-proprietary switches and Lemokey’s inability to program settings for individual games, I can’t say I’m rushing to buy one. Razer’s Tartarus Pro pad is cheaper with more options… and yes, I’m aware that that’s an extremely rare thing to say about any Razer product. Read...

If your laptop’s anything like mine, then it lacks many of the ports you need to connect all your displays, peripherals, drives, and accessories. If that’s you, then what you need is a proper docking station—like this Ugreen Revodok Pro, which happens to be 30% off on Amazon right now, knocking its price down to $25.89 (was $36.99). That matches its all-time lowest price, so now’s a great time to get one. The Revodok Pro is a delightful 7-in-1 USB-C hub and a superb pick for anyone who wants to attach more stuff to their laptop without paying too much for the opportunity. This one features dual HDMI ports that each support a 4K@60Hz display, instantly turning your laptop into a proper workstation. Just imagine how much more productive you could be if you had two full-blown 4K monitors for spreading your apps around. On top of those HDMI ports, you also get two 10Gbps USB-A ports and two 10Gbps USB-C ports, plus another charging-only USB-C port with 100W of power delivery. That means you can hook up all kinds of drives and peripherals while keeping your laptop powered, and those fast ports are compatible with both Thunderbolt 3 and 4. This tiny little hub solves so many laptop connectivity issues, and that’s invaluable when you’re on your laptop all day long. Grab this Ugreen 7-in-1 USB-C hub for just $25.89 with this limited-time deal! Save 30% and turn your laptop`s USB-C port into 7 ports todayBuy now at Amazon Read...