At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Robust design with 2-in-1 versatility Enjoyable keyboard Good battery life Plenty of RAM, storage for the price Cons Design doesn’t look appealing at first glance Display could be brighter and more vibrant CPU, GPU performance doesn’t stand out Our Verdict The Dell Plus 14 2-in-1 isn’t exciting, but it’s a well-rounded budget 2-in-1 that offers good bang for your buck. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today If you haven’t heard, Dell dropped a bombshell earlier this year. It announced the company has done away with its well-known Inspiron, XPS, and Precision brands and instead opted for an entirely new hierarchy. At the bottom of this hierarchy, you’ll find laptops like the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1. Last year, this would’ve been called a Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1, and despite the change in name, it still fills its role of providing an affordable entry point into computing. Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Specifications The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 that PC World received for testing is an entry-level AMD configuration with an AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 processor at its heart. Dell offers many different Ryzen AI processors, as well as Intel models, but this is among the least powerful configurations available. CPU: AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 (6 cores, up to 4.8GHz) Memory: 16GB LPDDR5x Graphics/GPU: AMD Radeon 840M NPU: AMD 50 TOPs Display: 14-inch 1920×1200 60Hz WVA 300-nits touchscreen Storage: 512GB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe solid state drive Webcam: 1080p 30fps camera Connectivity: 2x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 with Power Delivery and DisplayPort, 1x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1x HDMI 1.4, 3.5mm audio jack Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 Biometrics: Fingerprint reader Battery capacity: 64 watt-hours Dimensions: 12.36 inch x 8.9 in x 0.65 in Weight: 3.51 pounds Operating System: Windows 11 Home Price: $849.99 MSRP / $599.99 at time of testing (Best Buy) That’s reflected in the price. Although it technically carries an MSRP of $849.99 on Dell.com, which feels a bit steep, it currently sells on Best Buy for $599.99, which is among the lowest prices you can expect from a Windows laptop that has the most recent generation of AMD or Intel processor inside. While this is a sale price, the laptop was listed just a couple weeks ago—so I’d expect this “sale” to occur frequently. Despite its low sale price, the laptop doesn’t cut corners too closely. It still provides 16GB of RAM and a 512GB solid-state drive. You can expect to pay higher prices if you do decide to go with a Plus 14 2-in-1 from Dell’s website. However, some of the models available on Dell.com offer a 1TB solid-state drive, and there’s also an option for a 2560×1600 resolution display on the Intel variant, which is an upgrade over the entry-level model’s 1920×1200 display. The Dell Plus 14 2-in-1 is a good option for shoppers looking to snag a do-it-all Windows device on a tight budget. Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Design and build quality IDG / Matthew Smith Budget Windows 2-in-1s aren’t exactly known for their riveting or dramatic design, and the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 is no exception. It’s a simple, slim 14-inch machine that measures no greater than 0.65 inches thick, available in a silver or navy-blue colorway, neither of which is remarkable. With that said, it’s a well-executed laptop when it comes to build quality. Opening the laptop lid reveals a bit of display flex, but not enough to raise any concerns. It’s a similar story with the lower chassis, which does slightly creak if handled roughly but doesn’t visibly flex unless truly abused. I also like the materials used. I felt the plastics on the lower chassis had a nice texture to them and didn’t try to fake a metallic finish. The rear of the display panel, meanwhile, seems to be made of aluminum and offers a premium feel. Of course, as the name indicates, the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 is a 2-in-1 device with a touchscreen, and the hinge allows the display to be rotated back 360 degrees for use like a tablet. It’s too large and heavy to be comfortably used as a tablet for any length of time, but the option is useful if you want to take notes or draw. Dell doesn’t include an Active Pen with the 2-in-1, but one is available for about $40. Owners can also rotate the display partway back to use the keyboard like a kickstand, which can be handy if you want to use the laptop to watch Netflix or YouTube. Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Keyboard, trackpad IDG / Matthew Smith The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1’s keyboard ranks among its best traits. The keys have good travel and a definitive tactile feel with a subtle, clicky bottoming action. I found the keyboard comfortable to use for long typing sessions. The comfort is aided by a good amount of palm rest space below the bottom of the keyboard. Keyboard backlighting is standard, and it does what it says on the tin. The touchpad is less remarkable, but also competent. It measures about 4.5 inches wide and about 3 inches deep. The touchpad felt responsive in my testing and handled multi-touch gestures well. However, some competitors—most notably, Asus—offer budget models with larger touchpads. Of course, since this is a 2-in-1 with a touchscreen, it’s possible to use the touchscreen instead of the touchpad. I personally prefer having the option to touch the screen over not having that option, if it doesn’t add too much to the price, and the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 is certainly affordable. Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Display, audio IDG / Matthew Smith Most Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 configurations have a WVA-LCD touchscreen display with a resolution of 1920×1200 and a refresh rate of 60 Hz. A 2560×1600 upgrade is available on some models from Dell.com, but PC World did not receive that display to test. Display quality is passable. On the plus side, the 14-inch display’s 1920×1200 resolution is quite sharp. However, the display is only rated for 300 nits of brightness, and on top of that it has a glossy coating that shows quite a bit of glare. That is a recipe for problems if you intend to use the laptop in a bright room or outdoors. Color performance is also mediocre. The display looks reasonably saturated and vibrant on its own, but if compared to an OLED display (which can be found on some price-competitive laptops, like the Lenovo IdeaPad 5x and Asus Zenbook 14) the difference is night and day in OLED’s favor. The same is true for contrast, since OLED displays have an effectively infinite contrast ratio that results in a deeper, more immersive image. To put it simply, the display is not among the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1’s strong points, and it’s the one feature that cuts strongly against a recommendation. If you want a budget laptop with a great display, this isn’t it. Audio quality is better, though still mixed. The speakers deliver good volume and clarity, especially with dialogue, which is more than can be said for many budget laptops. Throw a bit of bass at them, however, and distortion can result. Even the laptop chassis itself can vibrate, creating an annoying rattle. The speakers are good for podcasts and video calls, but not for games or music. Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Webcam, microphone, biometrics The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 comes with a 1080p webcam and a dual array microphone, both of which are common specifications for modern Windows laptops. The webcam is sharp, and the microphone picks up good audio quality with great noise rejection, especially if AI noise rejection features are enabled. The camera includes a physical privacy shutter, which is always nice to see. The one slightly unusual specification for the price point is the inclusion of a fingerprint reader on the power button in the upper left corner of the keyboard. It works well in most situations, although a bit of grime or moisture on your finger can fool it. So, don’t try to log in after taking a swig of Mountain Dew. Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Connectivity IDG / Matthew Smith Dell has a reputation for leaning on modern connectivity, and the 14 Plus 2-in-1 is no exception. It provides two USB-C ports, both of which offer power delivery and DisplayPort video connectivity, and both of which can be used to power the laptop with the included USB-C power adapter. They are joined by one USB-A port, an HDMI 1.4 port, and a 3.5mm audio jack. Although I could nitpick about the lack of a second USB-A port, which means you’ll need an adapter if you happen to want to connect a wired keyboard and mouse, this type of connectivity is typical for a modern Windows laptop. When it comes to wireless connectivity, the laptop supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, which are the latest versions of the respective wireless standards. Although this is common for modern Windows laptops, at this price point you might end up looking at some older models from the 2024 or 2023 model years, and it’s likely they would not have Wi-Fi 7 or Bluetooth 5.4. Keep that in mind if wireless performance matters to you. Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Performance The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 that PC World received for testing was an entry-level model with an AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 processor. This APU has a 6-core CPU and AMD Radeon 840M graphics. As you might expect, the entry-level CPU and integrated GPU result in modest overall performance. IDG / Matthew Smith PCMark 10, a holistic system benchmark, didn’t put the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 off to the best start. While the score of 5,579 isn’t bad for a budget laptop, it’s also a long way from what systems equipped with Ryzen AI 7/9 or Intel Core Ultra Series 2 processors tend to achieve. The AMD Radeon 840M, which is relatively less capable than many IGPs today, doesn’t help matters. IDG / Matthew Smith Handbrake, a heavily multi-threaded long-duration benchmark, is a bit more favorable. The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 churned through a transcode of a two-hour-long movie in 1,498 seconds using purely the CPU cores (i.e. without special encoding features enabled). That’s not a bad result for the price, and it places the Ryzen AI 5 340 in a similar league to the Intel Core Ultra 5 226V. IDG / Matthew Smith The Ryzen AI 5 340 delivers a respectable but hardly earth-shattering multi-core score of 7,993 in Cinebench R23. Although a long way from the top, this is again a decent result. The main issue here, I think, is the lack of cores. Six isn’t a lot in 2025, and Cinebench R23 does tend to make good use of available cores, whatever they might be. The Ryzen AI 5 340’s Cinebench R23 single-core score was 1,828, which is basically the same as the other processors listed in the graph above (they score between 1,700 to 1,900). This indicates the cores that are available are speedy. IDG / Matthew Smith As mentioned earlier, the AMD Ryzen AI 5 has AMD Radeon 840M graphics, which is much less capable than the more widely known and well-regarded AMD Radeon 880M and AMD Radeon 890M. Specifically, the Radeon 840M has just four graphics cores, a big cut from the 880M (12) and 890M (16). 3DMark Time Spy shows the result with a score of just 1,427. That’s much lower than an AMD Radeon 880M or 890M, as well as Intel’s Arc 140V or even 130V graphics. These solutions tend to score 3,000 to 4,000, as the graphs show. To be fair, you do often need to pay a bit more for them—and laptops with the Intel Core Ultra 7 256V are available for just a couple hundred dollars more. That’s not to say the Dell Plus 14 2-in-1 is hopeless when it comes to graphics and gaming. The 2-in-1 could comfortably play Grim Dawn, an action-RPG released in 2016, at 1080p and medium detail. If you want to play Diablo 4, though, you’re out of luck. It can technically launch and play, but in my experience no amount of fiddling with the settings made it an enjoyable experience. The Dell Plus 14 2-in-1’s overall performance is about what you should expect for the price. It’s worth mention, however, that Dell provides 16GB of RAM and 512GB of solid-state storage. It’s not uncommon for price-competitive 2-in-1s to only provide 8GB of RAM or 256GB of storage, both of which are a significant downgrade. These upgrades don’t necessarily improve benchmark performance, but do make the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 more usable day-to-day and over time. Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Battery life and portability A 64-watt-hour battery powers the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1. That’s an average size for a laptop in this category, and while the AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 is miserly when it’s not under heavy load, it does struggle to compete with the latest Intel and Qualcomm hardware. IDG / Matthew Smith I measured a tad over 15 hours of battery life in PC World’s standard battery test, which loops a 4K file of the short film Tears of Steel. If 15 hours sounds like a lot, I agree. However, as the graph shows, a lot of modern laptops can achieve 18 to 22 hours on this test. The test result matched my subjective experience. I spent some of my time with the Dell Plus 14 2-in-1 traveling, and I found it could easily endure a day of mixed web browsing and writing, with occasional breaks, with 40 percent of the battery (or more) left once I arrived at a destination. I think the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1’s battery life is fine, and certainly more than a typical user is likely to need. Still, it appears that AMD’s Ryzen AI 340 is behind Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Plus and Intel’s Core Ultra Series 2 where battery life is concerned.  Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1: Conclusion The Dell Plus 14 2-in-1 is a good option for shoppers looking to snag a do-it-all Windows device on a tight budget. It offers versatile design, a nice keyboard, and well-rounded specifications while avoiding a major issue or downside that would take it out of contention. The Plus 14 2-in-1 is a particularly alluring when on sale for $599.99 at Best Buy, which is less than many comparable Windows 2-in-1s and laptops. While I would prefer to see a better display, or a slightly larger touchpad, I enjoyed my time with the 2-in-1. Read...

TikTok has announced a suite of new features aimed at giving users more control over their experience on the platform, including content customisation tools and bedtime nudges. Read...

TL;DR: Accounting can be costly, but small business owners can now score pro-level accounting tools with a one-time payment of $250 for Intuit QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus 2024. For small business owners seeking a reliable and cost-effective accounting solution, Intuit QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus 2024 is now offering a lifetime license for a one-time payment of $249.99 (reg. $699). This version provides robust features designed to streamline your business’s financial management without the burden of recurring subscription fees.? Let’s dive into what QuickBooks comes with to simplify your accounting needs: Enhanced reporting: Access advanced reporting tools, including custom dashboards and reports, to gain deeper insights into your business finances.? Inventory management: Track inventory with improved reports and manage stock more efficiently to prevent shortages or overbuying. Data security: Your business can become vulnerable to bad actors, which is why QuickBooks has AES 256-bit encryption—the industry-leading security standard—to ensure your financial data is protected. User-friendly interface: Navigate through an updated and intuitive interface, all designed to make it easy to manage your business accounting tasks.? With a lifetime license, you’ll never need to pay for a pesky subscription again. This version is optimized for Windows 10 and 11, so be sure that your PC’s operating system meets download requirements before purchasing. Whether you’re a freelancer, contractor, or small business owner, you can streamline your finance management by grabbing this Intuit QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus 2024 lifetime subscription, now available for $249.99 (reg. $699) while supplies last. Intuit QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus 2024 (1 User) for Windows: Lifetime LicenseSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

We love multi-purpose laptops that aren’t just great when you’re working but also performant when you’re gaming. And when such laptops are on sale, that’s something worth jumping on! Like this MSI Stealth 14 AI that’s now $1,250 at Best Buy, which might seem like a steep price except it was originally $1,600. That’s a $350 discount on an AI-ready laptop that’s going to rock your productive hours and your chill-out time. The MSI Stealth 14 AI moves fast, loading up your apps in a flash and swapping between them with little effort, able to handle hundreds of open tabs without choking. The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor is relatively recent from 2023, and the 16GB of DDR5 RAM gives it the high-performance memory you need to get things done. The 1TB SSD is plentiful on storage space and quick for booting up and loading data. And if you’re hoping to squeeze some gaming in as well, then you’re in luck because the MSI Stealth 14 AI Studio features an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card. We know it’s not the newest and greatest GPU, even of the 40-series cards, but it strikes a good balance between speed, features, and affordability. The 14-inch IPS screen is all-around gorgeous, complete with 1200p resolution and 165Hz refresh rate. It comes with Windows 11 Home pre-installed and ports include Thunderbolt 4, USB-C, USB-A, HDMI, and 3.5mm headset jack. Beware that despite it having “AI Studio” in its name, this laptop is NOT a Copilot+ PC, meaning it doesn’t have enough AI power to handle Microsoft’s AI features in Windows 11. At 0.75 inches thin and 3.75 pounds light, it’s pretty portable—and it’ll last long enough with its 72 watt-hour battery as long as you aren’t gaming too heavily. The MSI Stealth 14 AI Studio was pretty expensive at retail, but it’s not bad at all now that you can get it for just $1,250 at Best Buy. If you want to hold out for even better, check out the best laptops for your money. Save $350 on this AI-ready work laptop with RTX for gamingBuy now from Best Buy Read...

It’s only been a month since Microsoft released version 136 of its Edge browser, and they’re already rolling out version 137. But according to Neowin, this update isn’t just adding new features per usual—it’s actually removing a handful of features at the same time. The Image Editor, Image Hover Menu, Mini Menu, Video Super Resolution, and Wallet Hub features have all been removed in Edge version 137. All of your personal data from the Wallet Hub has now been moved to the browser’s password manager. (Incidentally, Microsoft also killed Authenticator’s password manager last month and is transitioning those passwords over to Edge’s password manager, too.) In addition to nixing features, Microsoft has added some improvements to Edge with this update. The browser’s Picture-in-Picture mode has been boosted with new controls for scrubbing through the progress bar, and you can now set up web content filters to block inappropriate sites by selecting various filter categories. Lastly, Microsoft has fixed 8 security vulnerabilities in the browser, making it a little safer for all. Read...

TL;DR: If you manage timelines, budgets, or team workflows, this one-time deal gives you Microsoft Project 2021 Pro for life—just $15. Project managers, team leads, and spreadsheet warriors—rejoice. If you’ve ever stared at a chaotic to-do list and thought, There has to be a better way, you’re absolutely right. And it’s called Microsoft Project Professional 2021. Even better? Through this offer, you can grab a lifetime license for just $14.97 (reg. $249.99). Whether you’re managing a massive launch, juggling timelines and stakeholders, or just trying to stay ahead of deliverables, Microsoft Project Pro gives you everything you need to stay organized and keep things moving. With features like pre-built templates, multiple timeline views, budget tracking, and automated scheduling, it’s like having a project manager for your project management. This version is yours forever, meaning you’ll never be caught off guard by another price hike or renewal email. And because it’s a one-time download for Windows PCs, you’ll be up and running the same day—no delays, no IT help required. It’s perfect for freelancers, small teams, or anyone who’s sick of cobbling together apps that don’t quite get the job done. Pick up a lifetime of organizational support when you purchase Microsoft Project 2021 Pro for just $14.97. Microsoft Project 2021 Professional: Lifetime License for WindowsSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

For years, Notepad has existed as a bare-bones text editor. No longer. Microsoft keeps adding to it, including a new update that includes capabilities that you might have expected in another Windows application, WordPad. Microsoft said Friday that it is adding “lightweight formatting” in Notepad, including markdown input and file support, but also bold and italic fonts and even hyperlinks. They’re all accessible via a new toolbar that includes these new formatting options. Microsoft didn’t indicate that it is testing the new Notepad or offering these features in preview, so presumably these updates will arrive on your Windows PC soon. Two things seem to be going on here. In late 2023, Microsoft killed off WordPad, the rich text editor that served as a poor man’s alternative to Microsoft Word. (There’s a way to bring WordPad back, but you’d need access to an older version of Windows where WordPad still existed.) Traditionally, Notepad has been the Windows answer to a light text editor that coders can use or write in, although more sophisticated alternatives like vim exist. It seems that Microsoft is adding more features to try and help those users, while moving towards a WordPad replacement. Microsoft, meanwhile, is bringing the Edit app to Windows as well. Edit is an open-source app that was basically designed as a command-line interface, or CLI, and Microsoft specifically references how obtuse vim was to use when it announced it. Either way, by beefing up Notepad –heck, even with Copilot! — and adding the Edit option as well, Windows is offering a number of lightweight CLI and text-editing interfaces without bloating the operating system even further. Read...

Microsoft Edge Game Assist has worked its way through Microsoft’s development cycle, and has been released for everybody. It’s your new tool for solving those pesky puzzles in your favorite PC games. Even though we associate “Microsoft” with “Windows,” Microsoft has numerous little platforms that it bolts features on to. Microsoft Edge Game Assist is one of these: It’s a specialized hint tool for Game Bar, a Windows gaming feature that’s been around for over half a decade with a steadily advancing feature set that includes performance tools, screen capture, and more. Microsoft Edge Game Assist bolts Edge to Game Bar. Instead of forcing you to stop what you’re doing and start typing terms into search boxes, Game Assist “knows” what game you’re playing and opens up what you might call a specialized hint browser. I went hands-on with Microsoft Edge Game Assist in January, where I launched it alongside Baldur’s Gate 3 to see what sort of tips it could offer. At the time, Microsoft Edge Game Assist supported just a handful of games. Now, the list of games that Microsoft Edge Game Assist supports has grown quite long from newer games like Split Fiction, Avowed, and the “new” The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, to more interesting strategic choices like Hearts of Iron IV. Each of the games has been enhanced with tips and guides, Microsoft says. Personally, I find all of this fascinating, because Microsoft seems to be converging on an AI-powered game assistant that will steer you to some of your favorite games’ more challenging puzzles. Game guides are one thing; bringing them into the game is another. But combine this with the new (and somewhat mediocre) talents of Copilot Vision, and the future clearly is an AI assistant who can see what you see and offer advice. Give it a year or two. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Extends the range at which Blink Outdoor 4 cameras can be deployed Can store motion-triggered video recordings on up to a 256GB microSD card Much faster than the Blink Sync Module 2 Cons Extended range functionality reduces video resolution, and is limited to two Blink Outdoor 4 cameras Local storage still limited to 256GB Our Verdict If you’re using Blink home security cameras and you don’t already have a Blink Sync Module 2, the Blink Sync Module XR delivers a host of benefits. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Blink Sync Module XR Retailer Price $69.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket I’m a big fan of security cameras with the capacity to stream their recordings to local storage on my home network. Amazon’s Blink family of cameras, floodlight cameras, and video doorbells has long had one of the most inexpensive options thanks to its Sync Module series. And the all-new Sync Module XR is a significant improvement over the Blink Sync Module 2 that precedes it. Most security camera hubs must be hardwired to your router or to an ethernet switch connected to your router, but the 3.25-inch-square, 0.75-inch-thick Sync Module XR connects to your 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network (5GHz networks are not supported). You can view live streams and recordings from up to 10 Blink cameras—one at a time—in the Blink app. The Sync Module XR provides a superior means of storing video recordings from up to 10 Blink cameras. Specifications The Blink Sync Module XR is easy to set up; just scan the QR code on the bottom of the device to get started.Michael Brown/Foundry The XR in the product’s name is related to a new Extended Range feature that works with the latest generation of battery-powered outdoor cameras, the Blink Outdoor 4. When you connect one of these to the hub, you can choose between a Wi-Fi connection; Extended Range (XR), to reach cameras up to 250 feet from the hub; or Extended Range Plus (XR+), to service cameras up to 400 feet away. The latter two connections use a Blink-proprietary network operating in the 900MHz spectrum. Note that these range estimates assume a single wall between the hub and the camera, and that you’re limited to using two XR-capable cameras with these settings. The longer-range features also entail trade-offs: Using an XR connection reduces video resolution from 1080p to either 720p or 360p, and using XR+ drops resolution down to 360p. You also lose the two-way talk feature with this setting. Performance You can install up to a 256GB microSD card in the Blink Sync Module XR for local storage of motion-triggered video recordings. Michael Brown/Foundry The Sync Module XR also provides a superior means of storing video recordings from up to 10 Blink cameras. Where you’d plug a USB thumb drive into the Sync Module 2, tempting curious toddlers to yank it out, this new model features a microSD card slot. You’ll need to provide the storage device in both cases. There’s been no improvement in capacity, however; the Sync Module XR still limits your storage to 256GB. If you find you need more storage than that, sign up for a Blink subscription plan that provides 60 days of cloud storage for all your Blink cameras (30 days in the EU and UK) in the cloud. Subscriptions cost $10 per month or $100 per year. There’s also a $3/mo, $30/year plan, but that only covers a single Blink camera. The Blink Sync Module XR supports up to 10 Blink cameras, but only two Blink Outdoor 4 cameras can use its proprietary extended range feature. Michael Brown/Foundry In addition to cloud storage, a Blink Subscription provides person detection (on cameras that support it), the ability to send video recordings via email or text message, extended live viewing (you get 5 minutes without a plan, and up to 90 minutes with one), automatic thumbnail image refresh, and a few other perks. I had been using three of Amazon’s impressively inexpensive Blink Outdoor cameras (two 4th-generation and one 3rd-gen) for the past couple of years, along with a Blink Sync Module 2. The cameras deliver impressive battery life of nearly a full year on a pair of AA Lithium disposable batteries. The Blink Sync Module XR comes with a power supply and a USB-A to USB-C cable.Michael Brown/Foundry Removing the old sync module and migrating the three cameras to the Sync Module XR was a snap. While I couldn’t migrate the old recordings to the new storage, I was able to plug the thumb drive I was using into my PC and watch the recordings and move them to my NAS box as unencrypted MP4 files. This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best home security cameras. Should you buy a Blink Sync Module XR? Anyone who owns Blink security cameras will benefit from adding a Blink Sync Module XR to their home security portfolio. The increased range promise is genuine, even if it does compromise video quality. While the Blink Sync Module XR doesn’t offer any more storage capacity than the Sync Module 2, it initiates live streams and plays recordings with much less delay than the older model did. If you don’t already have a Blink Sync Module 2, the $20 difference in price between the second-generation model and the XR is fully justified. The calculus is a little more complicated for those who already own the earlier product. Personally, I don’t need the extended range, and the speedier performance and the support for a microSD card with the same storage limit as a USB thumb drive aren’t enough to justify the cost of the upgrade. My bottom-line score, therefore, is from the perspective of a Blink camera owner who doesn’t want to pay for a subscription and who doesn’t own a previous-generation Sync Module. Read...

Finding a solid computer at an affordable price can be tough because they have to tick so many boxes, and you can’t always get everything you need within your budget. But with this discount, the Acer Swift 16 AI might be the unicorn you’re looking for. It’s now just $850 at Best Buy, which is a crazy $400 off its original price! When we reviewed the Acer Swift 16 AI, it came close to being one of our favorites. We gave it a 4-star rating for its sleek and sturdy design, its sharp OLED display with 3K resolution, its lovely keyboard feel, and its long battery life. And keep in mind that this is a 16-inch laptop! Between that and the OLED panel, battery life usually suffers. But not here. The laptop runs on a brand-new Intel Core Ultra 7 256V processor that’s AI-ready and compatible with Microsoft’s Copilot+ features on Windows 11. It also comes with 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and a 1TB SSD. All combined, this is the perfect workstation for daily work and browsing, with over 17 hours of battery life on a single charge. The Intel Arc integrated graphics are even good enough for some light gaming. Other features of note include two USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 ports (both on the same side), two high-speed USB-A ports (one on either side), a full-sized HDMI, and a 3.5mm audio jack. The laptop itself is 0.63 inches thin and 3.37 pounds light, making it perfect as a thin-and-light for portable productivity. Windows 11 Home comes pre-installed. The Acer Swift 16 AI was a bit pricey when it first released, but it’s a darn good bargain now that it’s slashed down to $850! Take advantage of this deal soon because we don’t know when it expires. Save $400 on Acer`s AI-ready OLED productivity laptopBuy now from Best Buy Read...