There are several ways to transfer files from your smartphone to your PC. You can do it via USB cable, stick, Bluetooth, or Android apps. Microsoft’s Edge, Windows’ main browser, is also capable of such an exchange. Whether you’re looking to store your photos or music on your PC or vice versa, we’ll show you how to do it with Edge. Further reading: How to turn off the AI features in Microsoft Edge How to transfer files between your phone and PC using Microsoft Edge First, activate the drop function on the PC. To do this, click on the plus sign in the right-hand sidebar of the browser and navigate to Through Microsoft. Scroll down and click on Drop. A new icon with this name will appear in the bar. Make sure that you’re signed in to your Microsoft account by clicking on the profile button in the top left-hand corner of Edge, selecting the appropriate account under Select account and then Sign in to synchronize data. Now install Edge on your smartphone via the Google Play Store. In Edge, tap on the Add icon with the plus sign and then on Drop under Function shortcuts. Go back to the start page and sign in to your Microsoft account (if you have not already done so). To do this, tap on the profile icon at the top left and select Sign in for synchronization. Click on your account and then Sign in. A new Edge function allows you to send short messages and files to other devices using the browser. IDG You can now send a note from one device to another by entering a text message at the bottom of the window and then tapping the arrow pointing to the right. To send a file, click on the plus sign, select the desired file in the Explorer view and click on Open. After a short time, the file will appear on the smartphone. Tap on Open to view the content in the assigned app. To save the file on your phone, simply tap on the three dots in the top right-hand corner and click on Save copy. It works in the same way from the smartphone to the computer. Windows will display a notification when a message or file arrives. Read...

Microsoft wants to be done with Windows 10 and have everyone move to Windows 11. It’s given the nine-year-old operating system an official expiration date next year, and it’s not shy about leaving those users behind. But its latest attempt to spur them on is its most brazen yet: full-page ads telling you to just go buy a Copilot+ laptop. This isn’t Microsoft’s first alert to users that Windows 10 is being retired, and it’s not even the first time it has resorted to full-screen alerts to drive the message home. But the newest flavor of the, ahem, helpful message is much more blatant about being an advertisement. It isn’t telling users to upgrade their current operating system, which would be a legitimate and fairly easy option for any machine sold in the last three years or so. It’s something that similar alerts offered earlier this year. Get Windows 11 Pro for cheap Windows 11 Pro Rather, this new alert spotted by The Verge is just a full-on advertisement for a brand-new laptop. Specifically, Microsoft’s own Surface Laptop line, though it’s merely pictured instead of named. “Want the ultimate Windows 11 experience?” asks the message. “Level up to the new Copilot+ PCs — the fastest, most intelligent Windows PCs ever.” The message reminds you that Windows 10 will no longer be supported after October 2025. There are ways around that, but they’re expensive and temporary. Microsoft seems increasingly insistent — or possibly desperate — to get users off the older operating system. While Microsoft tells users that they’re running out of time, you might say the same for the company itself. Less than a year away from its ultimatum, just under 61 percent of Windows machines are still running Windows 10 while Windows 11 only makes up about 35 percent. The numbers are shifting — six months ago, Windows 10 was almost 70 percent of the Windows market — but it’s a slow drift. Let’s compare that to the same figures for Windows 8.1 and Windows 10, respectively, a year before Windows 8.1 was retired for Windows 10. According to Statcounter, at the same point in January 2017, Windows 8.1 was just 9.65 percent of the market while Windows 10 was 32.84 percent. There’s an X factor here in Windows 7, which was still running on an astonishing 47.46 percent of machines. It would take another year for Windows 10 to overtake it. Microsoft has had a tumultuous time with the last few major releases of Windows, even while it maintains its dominance of the desktop and laptop market. In brief, people hated Windows Vista, loved Windows 7, hated Windows 8, tolerated the less-radical Windows 8.1, and loved the more conventional and powerful Windows 10 again. I wouldn’t say that people hate Windows 11, but it’s definitely gotten a much colder reception than its predecessor due to some major interface shifts and a lot more in-your-face advertising and promotion. The forced integration of Copilot AI features is also turning off a lot of power users. Microsoft probably feels comfortable trying to strong-arm users off its older OS — it’s no stranger to doing that, after all. But 2024 is a very different time than 2017. A lot of users (possibly even the majority?) now interact with their phones more than their primary PCs, and both Macs and Chromebooks are more competitive. Microsoft still has a stranglehold on the business market, but general consumers have a lot more options in a lot more form factors. I wonder if trying to nag people off of an OS they like and onto one they don’t is the wisest move. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Rock-solid stability A lovely mix of display ports Superb front-mounted charging options A nice mix of USB-A ports Good performance Cons Way, way overpriced at MSRP Dock gets finicky when connecting to more than two displays Our Verdict If price is no object, Anker’s 778 12-in-1 Thunderbolt dock is one of the best docks you can buy. I love all of its features…just not its price tag. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Anker 778 Thunderbolt Docking Station (12-in-1, Thunderbolt 4) Retailer Price $299.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Anker’s 778 12-in-1 Thunderbolt 4 laptop docking station is superb, with a solid feature set minus a couple of puzzling omissions. It’s simply overpriced. Our sister site, TechAdvisor, has previously reviewed the Anker 778 12-in-1 Thunderbolt 4 docking station. Now it’s moved to the front of my testing queue, too, where I can take a fresh look. As the name suggests, this dock is similar to the Anker 777, a $299 Thunderbolt 4 dock that I was less impressed with. On paper, the 778 is about as flexible a dock as you might like. With a dedicated Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) upstream port, DisplayPort as well as HDMI, chances are that you can connect to an external display or two without the need for an adapter. In fact, if you use the Thunderbolt port as well as two of the other ports, Anker says you’ll be able to connect up to three 4K displays. Four displays is also possible, though with limitations. Even though Thunderbolt 5 should be a 2024-2025 product, the lack of virtually any laptops or docking stations that support the technology makes Thunderbolt 3 and 4 still viable. (One customer on Amazon complained that this dock didn’t work with her Thunderbolt 3 laptop.) In fact, if you don’t really care about running a 4K display at 144Hz, as Thunderbolt 5 allows, this dock will be just fine. It’s just a pricy solution. Further reading: The best Thunderbolt docks On the front of the Anker 778 Thunderbolt 4 docking station are a pair of USB-C slots offering 30W charging.Mark Hachman / IDG There are a couple of features that I’ve always liked about Anker’s docks: The charging ports on the front of the dock are labeled — in this case, two 10Gbps USB-C ports supplying a rated 30W each. I’ve also liked the fact that Anker indicates which ports are which — USB-A ports can be tricky. I wish Anker would have labeled its two “USB 3.0” port on the back with a marker indicating its 5Gbps speed, but the other two USB-A ports at least have a “mouse and keyboard” icon over the top of them to indicate their legacy 480Mbps speeds. Anker’s 778 12-in-1 docking station is excellent, and one I’d absolutely recommend buying if the price fell within the range other docks cost. As it is, Anker charges way too much, even as good as it is. To reiterate, this dock includes two 10Gbps USB-C charging ports (30W) on the front. On the side, Anker includes a somewhat short charging cord, about 27 inches. On the rear, Anker’s dock includes a Thunderbolt 4 upstream port, two DisplayPort 1.4 ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, gigabit Ethernet, and four USB-A ports (two 480Mbps, and two 5Gbps). A Kensington lock slot is tucked into the other side. The only two notable omissions? A headphone jack and SD/microSD card slots. I think the latter is of less concern, save for photographers. A headphone jack is optional, especially if you already have a laptop in front of you. But it’s a nice feature whose absence feels a bit out of place. The dock is made out of what appears to be plastic, and it will warm up a bit more than a dock made of metal. It’s rather long at about 8 inches across, and 3 inches deep and an inch high. Anker added a Kensington locking slot to the side of the Anker 778 Thunderbolt 4 docking station. The opposite side houses the Thunderbolt 4 cable.Mark Hachman / IDG Anker is one of the few dock makers that offers a downloadable utility, through which you can update the device firmware. There was an update waiting for me, which promised to clear out a few random bugs. It’s worth noting that even after updating the firmware there were a lot of on-again, off-again disconnections from my connected monitors; if this happens, simply restart your computer. The dock became absolutely stable after that. The Anker 778’s performance is mostly solid Anker allows you to connect two 4K displays at 60Hz via either the HDMI or DisplayPort ports, plus a third 4K display at 60Hz if you connect it to the Thunderbolt port. If you use all four ports (two DisplayPort, HDMI, plus Thunderbolt), Anker says you can connect four 4K displays. Only one will light up at 60Hz, however; the others will use a 30Hz refresh rate instead. You may struggle to get this dock to connect to multiple displays. As a “generic” Thunderbolt 4 dock, connecting to two 4K60 displays, this dock works perfectly well. But adding a third display required downloading the Anker software, rebooting, and fiddling with the display configurator within the Windows settings menu. I typically use a variety of laptops to test docks. In general, more modern hardware is more compatible with a modern dock like the Anker 778, and most laptops with a 12th- or 13th-gen Intel Core chip seemed to do well connecting to the dock, after I downloaded the utility software and rebooted. The rear of the Anker 778 Thunderbolt 4 docking station, with four USB-A ports, an HDMI port, two DisplayPort ports, and an upstream Thunderbolt 4 connection.Mark Hachman / IDG You may have a less satisfactory time with some of the power-sipping laptops that have shipped recently; Microsoft’s Surface Laptop with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chip only “saw” two displays. An Asus VivoBook with Intel’s Lunar Lake/Core Ultra 200-series chip would only connect to three displays, period — if I tried to connect it to three external displays, the laptop’s own display shut off. That’s not the way it’s supposed to work! With two 4K displays, this dock was absolutely solid, stability-wise. When I connected three, I felt less certain that the average user would have a good experience, especially with variations in hardware. Four seems like a bridge too far for most setups. Anker’s docks (like the Anker 568 we reviewed last year) have always performed excellently in terms of charging power, and the Anker 778 is no exception. The front charging ports, rated at 30W, still deliver 26W by my measurements, which pushes into fast-charging territory for a smartphone. Traditionally, the upstream Thunderbolt port can double as a charging port. Don’t bother with the USB-A ports, except for bus-powered devices under 5W. The dock itself is rated for 100W power delivery. I usually take a laptop and run a game to push its power draw. On one laptop, power surged to over its rated 100W, which I’ve never seen before — it touched 102W a few times. On another laptop, the power draw was rock-solid at 87W. Either way, the Anker 778 delivers the power your laptop needs, consistently. Anker’s dock doesn’t suffer in the performance category, either. The dock didn’t drop a single frame while playing back a 4K, 60Hz video. My storage tests were maybe a tad low: 126.8MBps, as opposed to the 130- to 132MBps I usually see. (For more, see how I test Thunderbolt docks at PCWorld.) That dropped to 126MBps when I streamed the video at the same time. My file-copy test completed in one minute, five seconds — again, quite normal. Should you buy the Anker 778? I would absolutely buy this docking station. But I would absolutely not spend what Amazon, Anker, and other retailers are asking for it. Too many of our best Thunderbolt docks hover at or around $250, and this goes way above that. Ironically, many vendors on eBay have adopted that price point (or lower) in selling the 778. If you don’t mind buying through eBay, go for it. Otherwise, I’d opt for the Anker 568 instead. The lack of an SD card slot and headphone jack isn’t a dealbreaker. I’m surprised, however, that Anker hasn’t lowered the overall price to attract more business. This is a premium dock of premium quality, but at an ultra-premium price that you might not be willing to pay. Read...

Apple’s latest MacBook Air is getting the Black Friday treatment, dropping to a new best price of $849 on Amazon, a rare 23 percent off its original $1,099 price. That’s an absolutely lit discount for a laptop that’s only been out for about eight months, and doubly so because Apple tends to be stingy with its sales. This 13.6-inch laptop features Apple’s speedy M3 chip, which is phenomenal for multitasking, streaming content, and even casual gaming. The 16GB of RAM ensures you have a smooth experience no matter what you’re doing. This is a productivity powerhouse. But if there’s one thing that truly sets MacBooks apart from their counterparts, it’s their gorgeous displays equipped with Liquid Retina technology. The latest MacBook Air is no different, delivering vibrant colors and sharp details and an overall great viewing experience. Also worth noting is this laptop’s incredible battery life. Apple claims you can get up to 18 hours of active use on a full charge, so you won’t have to worry about taking the charger with you if you decide to work out of a coffee shop, for instance. This is a stunning early Black Friday deal that you don’t want to miss, especially if you’ve been eyeing a MacBook Air for a while. Save $250 on this MacBook Air M3 on Amazon while you still can! This MacBook Air M3 is the perfect Black Friday treatBuy now on Amazon Read...

Denodo has launched Platform 9.1, enhancing data lakehouses with AI capabilities, including a new Denodo Assistant for intuitive data management. Read...

As Black Friday draws closer, we’re seeing more and more stunning discounts for cool tech, and that includes this gaming-capable Acemagician AMR5 mini PC for just $339 on Amazon. That’s a huge drop from its original $499 price tag, and a killer price for the hardware it’s packing inside. (The only catch here is that this price is for Prime members, but if you don’t have Prime, you can still snag this deal by signing up for a free 30-day Prime trial.) This tiny PC features a powerful AMD Ryzen 7 5700U processor that’s coupled with 16GB of DDR4 RAM, so you’ll have no issue running demanding apps and games. And if you want more power, you can later pop up the magnetic side cover and upgrade to 64GB of RAM. The Acemagician AMR5 also comes with a 512GB M.2 NVMe SSD, which should be enough speed and space for most of your files, apps, and games. If not, you can use the same accessible magnetic cover to add a second drive. Each drive can be up to 2TB, for a total of 4TB. And if you’re going to be using this mini PC as a workflow powerhouse, you can optimize your productivity with three 4K@60Hz displays, one through HDMI 2.0, one through full-feature USB-C, and one through DisplayPort. Other ports include four USB-A 3.0, full-size Gigabit Ethernet, and an audio in/out jack. Simply put, this thing is a miniscule monster. You can’t find a laptop or desktop PC with specs like this anywhere near this price. Act fast and grab this Acemagician AMR5 mini PC for just $339 while you can! Score this powerful gaming mini PC for 32% offBuy now on Amazon Read...

At Ignite 2024, Microsoft unveiled a new feature for the Windows 11 taskbar. It’s called Microsoft 365 Companions and it’ll give users quick access to important data, reports The Verge. These so-called “companions” are additional bits of information that are integrated into the taskbar and Start menu, and you can spot these details — which include contacts, files, and calendar events — at a glance. Get Windows 11 Pro for cheap Windows 11 Pro Microsoft didn’t give a detailed explanation of how it will all work, but companions are very similar to the new Phone Link app features in the Windows 11 24H2 update. Phone Link’s companion experience adds a floating window next to the Start menu that shows recent messages, recent calls, and battery percentage for the connected phone. It’s currently unclear whether third-party developers will also be able to create their own companions for Windows 11. Further reading: Microsoft teases AI interpreter that can translate speech between languages in real time Read...

With Black Friday approaching fast (also Thanksgiving if you’re in the US, but who cares about that?), we’re already seeing some amazing deals on monitors. For example, Newegg is offering this MSI 27-inch OLED gaming monitor with 1440p resolution and 240Hz of refresh for just $499.99 with a coupon code. That’s $200 off its retail price! But you have to act fast because Newegg says it’s only available today. The MSI MAG 271QPX is designed to be a fantastic, gaming-focused OLED screen without a lot of extras. 240Hz at 2560×1440 hits the “sweet spot” for a 27-inch monitor, offering a little extra sharpness for high-end AAA games and plenty of speed for online multiplayer. Connections are a bit basic with one DisplayPort and double HDMI. The monitor does support USB-C video, but with just 15 watts of charging you won’t be able to charge up a gaming laptop at the same time. A headphone port for your gaming headset and VESA mounting for a monitor arm round out the features. MSI is offering a 3-year warranty on the OLED panel, which is a nice boost for peace of mind. Newegg At this price for an OLED, beggars can’t be choosers. In order to get it, you’ll need to be quick. Add the monitor to your cart on Newegg, then apply the coupon code MAG27E2 to get $200 off. Newegg says that this code expires at midnight today, Eastern time. We’ve seen this price in and out over the last few days, so it might come back in time for Black Friday. But I’d be surprised if it gets any lower, so if you’re hunting for an OLED deal, you might want to jump on it now. Use coupon code MAG27E2 to get this OLED monitor for $500Buy now at Newegg Read...

Charging your laptop on the go isn’t just possible — it’s the way to go if you’re constantly out and about and working away from home. All you need is a portable charger that’s capable of the job. The Baseus Blade laptop power bank is super fast, packs a lot of power, and currently has a jaw-dropping discount: get it now for just $51 on Amazon. (You’ll need a Prime membership, but if you don’t have one, sign up for a 30-day free trial. You’ll also need to clip the on-page coupon.) That’s 61 percent off its original price of $130! This Baseus portable charger has a 20,000mAh capacity, which is more than enough to charge most laptops. The 100W output is also fast enough to get it recharged within minutes, not hours. It features two USB-C ports and two USB-C ports, allowing you to charge up to four devices at once if you want to. And it’s slim so it fits right next to your laptop when you pack it away in your bag. Note that only the USB-C ports support the max 100W speed, as the USB-A ports have a 30W limit. And even though it’s nice to be able to charge so many devices at once, note that the charging throughput will need to be split between them, so don’t expect max speed like that. That said, a laptop power bank like the Baseus Blade is definitely something you need, especially when it’s only $51. Remember, this is a Prime deal, so grab a free Prime trial if you need to! Save big on this travel-friendly portable charger for laptopsBuy now on Amazon Read...

If you’re a regular web surfer, you’re probably familiar with cookies, which are data files that are designed to remember things about you like your login information and what you’ve put in your shopping cart. That said, cookies can have an impact on your data and security. If you’re looking to better secure your data, you best listen up. Microsoft Edge offers a number of options for better data protection, but these settings are difficult to find. We’ll show you three easy ways to protect your data. Further reading: 5 ways Microsoft Edge is better than Chrome 1. Prevent third-party cookies Cookies are small text files that are copied to your PC from the websites you surf. First-party cookies can only be read by the website that set them. In online shops, for example, they are used to identify the customer’s shopping basket. Third-party cookies, on the other hand, are usually placed by advertisers. They’re used to recognize the user, which is why they’re also called tracking cookies. Microsoft To block cookies, proceed as follows in Edge: Open the menu at the top right via the three dots and select “Settings.” Click on “Privacy, Search, and Services” and take a look at “Tracking Prevention.” In the default setting “Balanced,” the browser only blocks third-party cookies. With “Strict,” all cookies are rejected. If this setting causes problems with a website, you can add it to the list of “Exceptions.” 2. Delete browser data Microsoft Depending on the cookie settings you’ve selected, you should actively delete the accumulated cookies every few weeks. Edge summarizes these functions under “Settings – Privacy, search, and services.” Click on “Select Elements to be Deleted” and define a “Time Range.” Tick the box next to “Cookies and Other Website Data” and click on “Delete Now.” Windows 11 Pro 3. Use sandbox tabs To increase security, Edge can be run in a sandboxed environment. To do this, follow these steps: Tick the “Microsoft Defender Application Guard” option in the Windows Control Panel under “Programs and Features – Enable or Disable Windows Features.” Confirm by clicking “OK” and restart Windows. Note: This option is only available in the Pro and Enterprise versions of Windows 10 and 11. You’ll find the “New Application Guard Window” entry in the top right-hand corner of the three-dot menu in Edge. This opens the browser in a sandbox from which nothing can escape. If you use it to open a malware-infected page on the Internet, the malware cannot jump over to your PC. Read...