Kensington has released an absolute battlestation of a laptop docking station, the SD7100T5 EQ Pro 19-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 Docking Station, complete with dedicated function buttons, a CompactFlash slot, and a Copilot button. Priced at $449.99, the SD7100T5 is the older cousin of the Kensington SD5000T5 Thunderbolt 5 dock that we saw last year. (That dock, with an MSRP of $399.99, received a substantial discount of about 34 percent on Amazon when we checked last week, bringing the price down to a much more reasonable $258.) Kensington usually fares well in my reviews of laptop docking stations, and we recommend one of its older Thunderbolt 4 docks as one of the best docking stations you can buy. They’re typically among the most stable I’ve tested, but those features and flexibility come with a price. The three standout features that this dock adds are worth calling out. First, there’s a CompactFlash slot, a relative rarity that caters to photographers. Second, it offers a whopping four audio options, including dedicated headphone and mic jacks, even an optical connection for high-end audio. Finally, there are two “hot key” buttons. By default, these are configured to trigger the Copilot application and lock the PC, though they can be configured by Kensington’s utility software to perform other functions as well. The company will also ship an EQ Pro version designed for the Mac, with the buttons configured to perform photo backup. Inside the dock hides a locking M.2 slot for an SSD.Kensington There’s one more: other docks are now moving towards adding a dedicated M.2 slot for an SSD, and this Kensington dock does as well. Still, the connectivity options goes far beyond those of a typical dock. In addition to three Thunderbolt 5 ports (plus one to connect to the laptop), the SD7100T5 includes a CompactFlash connector, as well as SD and microSD slots. It also offers a pair of 10Gbps USB-A ports and two 10Gbps USB-C ports, one of which is configured for 30W charging — even when a laptop isn’t connected. (Two additional USB-A ports are located on the rear of the dock.) There’s a 2.5Gbps Ethernet connection, too. The charging capabilities are a little less important as phones now ask for 30W to 40W to fast charge a phone, with some Asian smartphones now demanding 100W or more. Granted, Kensington’s SD7100T5 EQ Pro 19-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 Docking Station might just be total overkill for those looking to save a buck or two during this holiday season. Since Intel’s 2026 laptop platform, Panther Lake, still uses Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 5 isn’t quite necessary. On the other hand, this dock offers features I’ve rarely seen elsewhere, making the $400 price tag potentially worthwhile. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Compact Good looking IP54-rated Up to 4TB Cons Slower than most with large file writes Our Verdict We like the look, and we like the performance of the ruggedized PD20 — until we throw larger data sets at it. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Teamgroup PD20 SSD Retailer Price Check Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket The PD20 has a lot to offer. It looks good, is lightweight, rugged, and performs well with smaller amounts of data. However, sequential writing lagged in CrystalDiskMark 8 with the 64GiB data set we test all SSDs with. It recovered to the promised write performance with the 32GiB data set, which is well beyond what most users write. But the issue hurt the PD20’s standing in the performance charts, dropping it to last place among 20Gbps USB SSDs. Teamgroup PD20 SSD: Features The PD20 is a 20Gbps USB drive of diminutive proportions. It’s approximately 2.95 inches long, 1.33 inches wide, and 0.59 inches thick, weighing around 0.8 ounces. There’s a lanyard opening on one end, and a Type-C port (with captive plug) on the other. The unit is dark gray and pewter with the dark gray portion a grippy silicone jacket. It feels nice in the hand and the grippy jacket gives you the torque to insert the drive in tricky ports. Teamgroup claims an IP54 rating for the PD20. If you’re not familiar, you can read about IP ratings here. But basically, IP54 means functionally, if not perfectly, dustproof and safe from water spray. No immersion resistance is claimed, but having looked at hundreds of IP-rated drives, you could probably get away with a quick dip in the tub or sink. Teamgroup was not inclined to provide us with the info on the type of controller, amount of DRAM (I doubt there’s any as 4K performance is just so-so), or type of NAND inside the PD20. I was not inclined to bash it with a hammer to find out. But my guess is, from the 300MBps write performance off secondary cache, the NAND is either recent QLC or generation-old TLC. The company warranties the PD20 for five years, but again, was disinclined to provide a TBW rating. Given my guess on the NAND figure of 250-600TBW, you’re unlikely to write that much data in ten, let alone five years. If you think you’ll exceed that, look to a USB4/TLC unit instead. Note that SSD longevity ratings apply only to writes, SSDs will continue to allow reads far beyond any stated write limits. Teamgroup PD20: Price At the time of this writing, the Teamgroup PD20 was available for $95 for 1TB and $151 for 2TB. Not bad at all. 20Gbps USB SSDs, even light duty models such as the PD20, are generally a bit more expensive. There were also 512GB and 4TB models listed on Amazon, but with no availability or pricing info. Teamgroup PD20: Speed The PD20 performs on par with a 20Gbps SSD — until you hit it with a large amount of data all at once. Then, it seems the controller, caching, and NAND simply can’t keep up. The 2TB drive we tested ramped down its write pace throughout the 450GB copy. First to around 700MBps at about the 50GB mark, which is a hint as to why the PD20 had issues with CrystalDiskMark 8 and its 64GiB data set. Once you start writing very large files to the PD20, performance drops. The PD20 later dropped to 500MBps, stalled at 0MBps for a couple of seconds, then dropped down to 300MBps for the majority of the operation, with a couple of quick, but fleeting jumps back up to 500MBps. You can see this phenomenon in the image above. Though the CrystalDiskMark 8 sequential write tests are anemic compared to the competition, the reads are top-notch. Though the CrystalDiskMark 8 sequential write tests look rather pathetic compared to the competition, when we tested with the 31GiB data set, the PD20 turned in numbers similar to that of said competitors. See the next image for confirmation of that. Longer bars are better. And, when we tested with the 32GiB data set, the PD20 turned in numbers similar to that of said competitors. See below. GiB = GibiBytes, 2^30 rather than GB 10^9. If you don’t stress it with a lot of data contiguously, the PD20 will do the job. The CrystalDiskMark 8 4K performance (64GiB) for the PD20 was more competitive, but still behind overall. The CrystalDiskMark 8 4K performance by the PD20 was more competitive, if still not earthshaking. Longer bars are better. The PD20 was also slightly off the pace of the Corsair EX400U and Adata PD820 in our 48GB transfers, particularly during the 48GB folder write in FastCopy. The PD20 was slightly off pace of the Corsair EX400U and Adata PD820 with our 48GB transfers, especially with the 48GB folder write. As already discussed, the PD20 was slothful writing our really large 450GB file — taking almost twice as long as the competition, which were also 2TB drives. To be fair, those drives also slow down drastically when writing off secondary cache; it just happens later in the process. Yeah, the news isn’t great when it comes to the PD20 writing really large files. Shorter bars are better. Note: FastCopy is nominally effective with external drives, but often twice as fast as Explorer with internal NVMe SSDs. The end result is that the PD20 is simply not the SSD you want for writing very large files. Say more than 50GB. Anything beyond that, it’s thumb-twiddling time. The attractive, ruggedized PD20 will do the job for most users and at an attractive price point. But as I’ve stated or intimated about a dozen times already, it’s for light duty writing only. That said, how many users write data sets this large on a regular basis? Not many. Even we don’t during our normal workday routine. Teamgroup PD20: Conclusion The attractive, ruggedized PD20 will do the job for most users and at an attractive price point. But as I’ve stated or intimated about a dozen times already, it’s for light duty writing only. Of course, as always — shop around. There’s plenty of zippier competition, albeit for a bit more coin. How we test Drive tests currently utilize Windows 11 24H2, 64-bit running off of a PCIe 4.0 Samsung 990 Pro in an Asus Z890-Creator WiFi (PCIe 4.0/5.0) motherboard. The CPU is a Core Ultra i5 225 feeding/fed by two Crucial 64GB DDR5 5600MHz modules (128GB of memory total). Both 20Gbps USB and Thunderbolt 5 are integrated into the motherboard and Intel CPU/GPU graphics are used. Internal PCIe 5.0 SSDs involved in testing are mounted in an Asus Hyper M.2 x16 Gen5 adapter card siting in a PCIe 5.0 slot. We run the CrystalDiskMark 8.04 (and 9), AS SSD 2, and ATTO 4 synthetic benchmarks (to keep article length down, we report only the former) to find the storage device’s potential performance. Then we run a series of 48GB transfer and 450GB write tests using Windows Explorer drag and drop to show what users will see during routine copy operations, as well as the far faster FastCopy run as administrator to show what’s possible. A 25GBps two-SSD RAID 0 array on the aforementioned Asus Hyper M.2 x16 Gen5 is used as the second drive in our transfer tests. Formerly the 48GB tests were done with a RAM disk serving that purpose. Each test is performed on a NTFS-formatted and newly TRIM’d drive so the results are optimal. Note that in normal use, as a drive fills up, performance may decrease due to less NAND for secondary caching, as well as other factors. This issue has abated somewhat with the current crop of SSDs utilizing more mature controllers and far faster, late-generation NAND. Note that our testing MO evolves and these results may not match those from previous articles. Only comparisons inside the article are 100% valid as those results are gathered using the current hardware and MO. Read...

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At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros USB-C connectivity with 65 watts of power  Attractive contrast, particularly at lower levels of brightness  Very wide color gamut and accurate color performance  Good HDR in bright scenes  Cons Stand is larger than it needs to be  200Hz refresh rate is not that impressive for the price  HDMI ports only hit 100Hz  “Blooming” effect is distracting in darker content  Our Verdict The Acer Predator X34 X0 is an affordable Mini-LED monitor that delivers a bright and vivid image with good HDR and contrast, but distracting “blooming” will turn off some shoppers.  Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Acer Predator X34 X0 Retailer Price $479.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Remember Mini-LED monitors? If not, I can hardly blame you. Though they seemed as if they might be a popular alternative to OLED several years ago, the rapid decrease in OLED monitor pricing pushed many of them aside.  Mini-LED still has its perks, though, and the Acer Predator X34 X0 is a new, affordable Mini-LED option for those who want very bright HDR and a low-glare display on a budget. Read on to learn more, then see our roundup of the best gaming monitors for comparison. Acer Predator X34 X0 (X34 X0bmiiphux) specs and features  The Acer Predator X34 X0’s size and resolution are precisely the same as hundreds of 34-inch ultrawide monitors sold over the past half-decade. It’s a 34-inch diagonal display with a 21:9 aspect ratio and a resolution of 3440×1440.  Display size: 34-inch 21:9 aspect ratio  Native resolution: 3440×1440 Panel type: Mini-LED VA panel with 1,152 dimming zones  Refresh rate: 200Hz Adaptive Sync: Yes, AMD FreeSync Premium HDR: VESA DisplayHDR 1000 Ports: 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x USB Type-C with 65 watts of Power Delivery, 1x 3.5mm audio out Audio: 2x five-watt speakers Price: $599.99 MSRP, $479.99 current retail What makes this Acer different from most monitors is the Mini-LED backlight with 1,152 independent dimming zones, which is paired with a Vertical Alignment (VA) LCD panel. The monitor also has built-in speakers and a USB-C port with up to 65 watts of Power Delivery, both of which are uncommon for a gaming monitor.  Acer released the Predator X34 X0 at a $599.99 MSRP, but it’s already on sale for $479.99 on Amazon. I expect sales to be frequent on this model, as Acer is often highly competitive on price.  Acer Predator X34 X0 design  The Acer Predator X34 X0 looks handsome, though basic. It uses a simple matte-black color scheme with a bit of flair, which includes a faux heatsink on the rear and an attractive fabric cover over the monitor’s speakers located on the lower lip.  Build quality is average but good enough. Aside from the stand, which includes some metal, the monitor’s exterior is plastic. That’s typical for a monitor at any price bracket, and the few monitors that buck that trend, like some Samsung Odyssey monitors, are more expensive.  This is a curved monitor with a 1500R curve (a lower number means a more noticeable curve). The curve is obvious but not so extreme that it makes the display’s image look extremely warped. I do tend to prefer an even less aggressive curve, though.  Matthew Smith / Foundry Acer ships the monitor bundled with an ergonomic stand that provides height, tilt, and swivel adjustment. It does its job, but I have a beef with the stand base, which is both wide and deep. It’s so deep that I wasn’t able to position the monitor at my preferred viewing distance on my desk, which is about 26 inches deep. A smaller stand base would’ve been a better choice.  The monitor does provide a 100x100mm VESA mount, so third-party monitor arms and stands are an option.  Matthew Smith / Foundry Acer Predator X34 X0 connectivity  You’ll find two HDMI ports, one DisplayPort, and one USB-C port on the rear of the Acer Predator X34 X0. That’s a total of four video inputs, which is one more than the average for a gaming monitor. It’s also great to see USB-C included, particularly at this price point. Some brands, like Alienware, are giving USB-C the cold shoulder.  There’s a problem, though: The HDMI ports only support a refresh rate of up to 100Hz. That’s a disappointment, as it means you won’t see ideal motion clarity from any HDMI source.  The monitor also has two USB-A downstream ports, which expand USB connectivity when using the USB-C port or, alternatively, when using a separate USB-B upstream port. Acer’s specifications didn’t list the version of USB that the USB-A ports offer, but the speeds seem in line with USB-A 3.2 Gen 1.  It’s great to see USB-C included, particularly at this price point. Acer Predator X34 X0 menus  A joystick on the Acer Predator X34 X0’s rear right flank offers quick, responsive access to the monitor’s on-screen menu system. The menu itself is well arranged and provides a good range of image quality options, which include correct gamma settings, as well as six-axis color customization. I do feel the text could be larger and easier to read, though.  Matthew Smith / Foundry Acer offers a Windows utility called Acer Display Widget that can provide access to most monitor settings inside Windows. It works well enough but the user interface feels half-baked when compared to similar software from Asus and Dell.  There’s also a range of gaming options, such as a timer and on-screen crosshair. One feature to note is a mode that restricts the visible space of the monitor to a smaller, 16:9 aspect ratio with several size options. That’s handy if you want to play an older PC game that doesn’t work well with ultrawide resolutions.  Acer Predator X34 X0 audio  Acer packs a pair of five-watt speakers in the Predator X34 X0, and wants you to know it. The fabric covering the monitor’s lower lip, where the speakers are located, looks premium. Audio quality is decent though you’ll need to keep expectations in check.  The good news is that the pair of five-watt speakers are much louder than typical monitor speakers and provide a more precise, full sound. They’re enjoyable if you want to listen to ambient music while working, or if you’re playing a game where the audio experience isn’t front and center.  The Predator X34 X0 doesn’t have a built-in woofer, though, so there are still limits to what the speakers can offer. The soundstage is narrow and bass-heavy situations can make the audio sound muddy.  I also noticed a quiet but audible buzz from the speakers on my review unit, as if the wiring for the speakers wasn’t properly shielded. I didn’t pick up on it until over a week using the monitor, but it was there.  Gamers will want headphones for more immersive titles, but the speakers work well enough for the price, and most competitors don’t have speakers at all.  Acer Predator X34 X0 SDR image quality  The Acer Predator X34 X0 has a Vertical Alignment (VA) LCD display panel. This is a common type of panel found in hundreds of monitors and televisions.  What’s more unusual, though, is the Mini-LED backlight. It includes 1,152 individual dimming zones which can turn on and off independently for better control of contrast and brightness. Most LCD monitors have a lower number of LED backlights placed only along the edges of the display.  The Mini-LED backlight has advantages but also comes with downsides.  Matthew Smith / Foundry First up is brightness, where the Acer Predator X34 X0 provides a maximum of 379 nits in SDR. That is bright, though not unusually bright for an LCD display. As the HDR results will show, the monitor could get brighter, but it appears Acer placed a limit on the brightness in SDR.  It’s also worth mention the display has a matte finish with modest glare, so reflections are rarely an issue. That means the monitor appears bright and readable in a wide variety of lighting situations.  Matthew Smith / Foundry The monitor’s contrast is difficult to sum up in one graph.  As shown above, I measured a contrast ratio of 8,930:1 at 50 percent of maximum brightness. But contrast can vary greatly depending on the brightness of the display, which is not typical for most displays.  The contrast ratio is effectively infinite at lower levels of brightness, where the display’s minimum brightness registers a perfect result of zero nits. At 100 percent brightness, meanwhile, I measured a contrast ratio of 16,470:1, which is still a great result.  I suspect most gamers will use this display at lower levels of SDR brightness, in which case the contrast ratio is effectively infinite.  But the Mini-LED backlight further complicates the issue because, unlike OLED monitors such as the Alienware AW3425DW, it can’t dim or brighten individual pixels. The Predator X34 X0’s 1,152 dimming zones are a lot, but you’ll still see a splotchy “halo” or “blooming” effect around small bright objects—like your mouse cursor—when they’re on a dark background.  This is often not that noticeable in games, but it’s more obvious on the Windows desktop. Even something as simple as white text on a dark background can cause an obvious blooming effect. This will also be an issue if you turn on subtitles in movies or games.  Personally, I don’t mind this overly much, but your mileage will vary. Some people may hardly notice while others may find it completely unacceptable.  It’s worth mention, too, that the dynamic backlight can be turned off. I wouldn’t recommend that for games, as you’ll lose the contrast benefits of the Mini-LED backlight, but it’s a fine option if you dislike how blooming looks in Windows desktop apps.  Matthew Smith / Foundry Next up is color gamut, and the Predator X34 X0 knocks this metric out of the park. It managed to cover 100 percent of sRGB, 98 precent of DCI-P3, and 95 precent of AdobeRGB.  Those figures are similar to OLED monitors and mean the Predator X34 X0 can deliver a vivid, colorful, highly saturated experience. The monitor also covers enough of the DCI-P3 and AdobeRGB color gamut to be useful for photo and video editing or digital art in those wider color spaces.  Matthew Smith / Foundry Color accuracy is good, too. Though not the very best, the average color error was consistently low, which means the image looks realistic. The monitor also hit the preferred gamma target of 2.2. Color temperature was only slightly off at 6600K, slightly cooler than the target of 6500K. Overall, the monitor’s image feels balanced and true-to-life.  Sharpness is just okay. The monitor’s 3440×1440 resolution works out to roughly 110 pixels per inch across the 34-inch ultrawide panel. That’s fairly sharp, but a lot less so than the ultrawide equivalent to 4K resolution, which is 5120×2160 and delivers about 163 pixels per inch. However, 34-inch ultrawides with 5120×2160 are rare, so you’ll probably have to settle for 1440p if you want a 34-inch ultrawide monitor.  The Acer Predator X34 X0 puts in a solid SDR performance for the price. It has color performance similar to more expensive OLED competitors alongside higher brightness and somewhat competitive contrast. The question you need to ask yourself is whether you can put up with Mini-LED’s “blooming” effect, which I think most users will notice and can be distracting.  Personally, I find it most noticeable in games with a lot of menus, like Crusader Kings 3, and much less so in games where you’re typically immersed in the world, such as Cyberpunk 2077. The monitor’s competitive retail price of $479.99 may also help budget-conscious shoppers overlook the blooming effect.    Acer Predator X34 X0 HDR Image Quality  HDR used to be an advantage for Mini-LED, as OLED displays couldn’t reach brightness levels high enough for good HDR. OLED has improved, however, and the competition between Mini-LED and OLED is now mixed.  Matthew Smith / Foundry As the graph shows, the way the Acer Predator X34 X0 performs in HDR is much different from how an OLED monitor will perform.  The Predator X34 X0 actually displayed a lower maximum brightness than some recent OLED monitors, which surprised me. However, the Predator X34 X0 still shows a significant advantage in HDR brightness when larger areas of the display are lit.  Subjectively, I think there’s a brilliance with Mini-LED that you don’t quite get from OLED. This was most obvious in the “Into the Storm” scene from Mad Max: Fury Road. Here, bursts of lighting weave their way through a dust storm. The best OLED monitors also perform well here, but the lighting seems to leap from the scene on the Predator X34 X0.  The flipside is that OLED will perform better in dark scenes, which can make Mini-LED’s “blooming” issue obvious. You can expect to see obvious orbs of light surrounding small, bright HDR details.  It’s worth keeping price in mind, too. At $600 MSRP, and sub-$500 current retail, the Acer Predator X34 X0’s HDR performance will be difficult to beat. OLED ultrawides are often $100 to $200 more expensive. The Predator X34 X0’s HDR performance has pros and cons, but it’s the best I’ve seen recently in a monitor sold under $500.  Acer Predator X34 X0 motion performance  The Acer Predator X34 X0 provides a refresh rate up to 200Hz.  That’s definitely a lot higher than 60Hz, and it means the Predator X34 X0 can feel rather smooth. But 240Hz monitors are now very common, so 200Hz doesn’t feel as special as it used to. You can buy 34-inch ultrawide monitors with a 240Hz refresh rate for less than $300.  Because of that, the Predator X34 X0’s motion clarity is merely okay for the price. It’s smooth and reasonably crisp in fast-paced content. I could use the monitor for many game genres and never have an issue with the clarity. But if you’ve ever used a 240Hz OLED, or even a 240Hz IPS monitor with a low pixel refresh time, you won’t be impressed.  Also, as mentioned earlier, the 200Hz refresh rate is only available over DisplayPort and USB-C. HDMI is stuck at 100Hz. That’s a bit weird. I even thought it might be a typo in the monitor specifications, but I tried it with HDMI and I can confirm 100Hz is the limit at 3440×1440 resolution.  The Predator X34 X0 supports adaptive sync with official AMD FreeSync Premium certification. Nvidia G-Sync support is not official, though it did work with an Nvidia-powered laptop I had on hand.  Should you buy the Acer Predator X34 X0?  The Acer Predator X34 X0 is an interesting addition to the sub-$500 monitor market. It delivers a Mini-LED panel with high brightness, solid contrast, a wide color gamut, and good HDR performance, though these traits come paired with a “blooming” effect that can be distracting.  The monitor also provides USB-C and decent speakers, both of which are an advantage at this price, though it also has a refresh rate of only 200Hz (and just 100Hz over HDMI), which isn’t all that impressive for close to $500.  That makes the Predator X34 X0 a confusing monitor to consider. I can’t recommend it to everyone, but the Predator X34 X0 is a solid pick if you want a vivid ultrawide monitor with decent HDR and USB-C connectivity in the sub-$500 price bracket. Read...

Haptic trackpads are only in a tiny number of Windows laptops, most notably the newer Surface devices. But they’re pretty neat if you get a chance to try them out, enhancing the experience in the same way haptic feedback on phones does. According to some features spotted in a pre-release version of Windows, it’s coming to more interactions in the operating system. PhantomofEarth, a tireless and spot-on investigator of Windows builds, spotted it hidden in the newest developer/beta build of Windows 11, 26220.7070. Though it’s hidden by default, they were able to explore a setting for “Haptic signals” under the main Mouse settings menu. “Feel subtle vibrations when you snap windows, align objects, and more” says the setting, along with a slider for the intensity. phantomofearth Presumably this will mean a little buzz of feedback when you use Windows’ Snap feature, the way to quickly set a specific window to take up half the screen, a quadrant, et cetera. (Incidentally, if you use this often, you simply must download PowerToys and use FancyZones to customize your layouts.) Similar user interface tricks are found on phones and tablets — I get something like this when I open side-by-side apps on an Android phone or tablet, for example. Right now haptic feedback for Windows elements is pretty limited, though it’s expanding since Apple added it as a default on MacBooks, characteristically branded as “Force Touch.” But Logitech recently added haptic feedback to the brand new MX Master Mouse 4, so it looks like it’s definitely a trend. It’s not clear when or if this new option will make its way to general users, considering that it’s got to be a pretty low priority. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros The indoor video monitor is an excellent addition Outstanding battery life Reasonably priced Considering it comes bundled with a display Cons We encountered some playback bugs Display has very low resolution Subscription plan doesn’t add much Our Verdict Pairing a small monitor with this video doorbell is a no-brainer way to get more out of what has become a something of a commodity device. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: SwitchBot Smart Video Doorbell Retailer Price $129.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices Part of the trouble with video doorbells is that you don’t always have your phone at the ready to see who’s ringing. If you’re standing in the kitchen when the bell rings, but you’ve left your phone in the bedroom, do you rush to your phone to get a peek at who’s there, or do you take a chance and just answer the door? SwitchBot takes aim at this situation by bundling its doorbell with a stand-alone battery-powered display that gives you an extra way to peek at who’s outside. If you’re in on the SwitchBot ecosystem—and even if you’re not—it’s an affordable combo that’s worth a look. Specifications Not to be redundant, but there are two components in the box: the doorbell and the monitor/display. I’ll break down each of them. The SwitchBot Smart Video Doorbell can be installed in seconds if you use adhesive, and setup in the SwitchBot app is especially quick. The SwitchBot Smart Video Doorbell is a plain-Jane design, available only in silver and vaguely resembling an old cell phone. It measures 4.96 x 3.70 x 1.50 inches (126 x 94 x 38 mm) (HxWxD) and carries an IP65 rating for protection from the elements. According to our IP code guide, that means it’s impervious to particulate matter and that it can withstand jets of water coming from any direction (short of a pressure washer, that is). SwitchBot provides everything you need to set up the Smart Video Doorbell, including angle wedges.Christopher Null/Foundry The doorbell is outfitted with a 2K camera lens with maximum resolution of 2304 x 1296 pixels and a 165-degree field of view. It records video with a 16:9 aspect ratio that promises to capture head-to-toe views of your visitors. There’s also an onboard motion sensor and two small LED spotlights at the top of the device that activate on demand. A speaker and ring button that illuminates when motion is detected, are at the bottom of the doorbell. SwitchBot includes straight and angled mounting brackets in the box. The doorbell is powered by an internal 5,000mAh battery that SwitchBot says can last for up to 19 months on a full charge. That battery can be charged three ways: with a 5V/2A power supply and a USB-C cable plugged into a port on the bottom of the device, trickle-charged with a connection to a standard 24V doorbell transformer, or SwitchBot sells a solar panel as a $50 option that’s designed specifically to keep the doorbell’s battery topped off. (One pet peeve: The doorbell has no indicator to let you know when it’s fully charged. A simple LED would be a nice addition for those who must remove the doorbell to top it up periodically.) The display—a “new-generation super monitor,” per the company—features a 4.3-inch screen with a mere 480 x 272-pixel resolution. A smattering of physical controls let you accept or hang up on video calls, manually check the live view, and playback recent videos. (These buttons have other functions when video is streaming live.) The SwitchBot Smart Video Doorbell isn’t what I’d call a fashion-forward smart home device. Christopher Null/Foundry The screen is dark by default unless the doorbell button is pressed, at which point it displays a live view of what’s happening outside. You can set the monitor to be always on, but this simply shows the time (in 24-hour format) and date, and this can’t be adjusted. It’s powered by a standard two-prong electrical plug. Videos can be stored on SwitchBot’s cloud service or on a microSD card that’s slotted into the monitor. Cards up to 512GB is supported, but SwitchBot throws in a 4GB card for you to use out of the box. You can choose from five canned, quick-reply responses (such as “Please leave the package at the door. Leave a message if you’d like to.”) that conflict-averse types can deliver on demand. These responses can be sent by either the app or the monitor. The SwitchBot app is easy enough to use, but it’s odd that it doesn’t provide you with any means to scrub back and forth along a timeline when you’re watching a recorded event.Christopher Null/Foundry Both devices can be wall-mounted via included screws or adhesive mounting options, and the monitor has a kickstand for placement on a tabletop. The display and the doorbell must be within 100 meters (in open air) to communicate with one another; any physical barriers between the two will, of course, quickly reduce that range. And SwitchBot recommends a more realistic range of just 5 to 10 meters. The two devices communicate with each other (and the web, via your router) using 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Installation and setup Physical installation will vary based on which components you’re mounting to the wall and how, but even the screw-mounted options require just two screws for each device. Use adhesive and installation can be done in seconds. Setup in the SwitchBot app is especially quick, particularly since it does not require a SwitchBot Hub to connect to Wi-Fi. In fact, the Video Doorbell includes its own version of a hub that allows it to also work with SwitchBot Lock devices, allowing remote control of the lock via the doorbell interface, though it can’t serve as a hub for other SwitchBot gear. To complete setup in the app, the Video Doorbell is served up as a new device once it’s powered up, and a few basic steps complete the bridging to your Wi-Fi network. Using the SwitchBot Smart Video Doorbell The SwitchBot Video Doorbell works largely as expected. When approaching the doorbell, its ring button gently illuminates. Pressing the button causes the bell to ring (very loudly, by default), the monitor to ring, and a push notification to be sent to your phone. If the device is paired with Alexa (its only third-party support), Echo devices will also announce that the bell has been rung. Oddly, ringing the bell does not cause the monitor to automatically display a video feed from the door. You must press the “play” button on the monitor to start the video, after which it takes a few seconds for the stream to start. The display that comes with the SwitchBot Smart Video Doorbell is a decided low-res affair. Christopher Null/Foundry It’s also worth noting that the low resolution of the monitor is immediately evident. While color representation looks fine, the grainy quality won’t win any awards and is useful only for a quick check of who’s outside. Both bell rings and motion detection trigger video to begin recording, stored by default to the microSD card on the monitor. Clips are limited to a maximum of 60 seconds, after which they are available in the SwitchBot app for playback for three months. The playback interface is segregated by day, with thumbnails for each recorded event appearing chronologically. A few thumbnails were randomly missing in my testing, and I found recent clips would often fail to load without a force-quit and restarting of the app. The app includes AI-based technology to categorize human motion and tag it as such; this was hit-and-miss in my testing. Paying for cloud-storage subscription unlocks pet and vehicle tagging; plus, unlimited online storage space for 30 days of recordings. This plan costs $4/month or $35/year for a single device, with discounts for additional devices available. A one-month free trial is included with your purchase. The absence of significant distortion was a pleasant surprise.Christopher Null/Foundry I found the motion sensor on the device to be extremely sensitive, and at the highest sensitivity it was flagging activity constantly, day and night, even tagging a random bug flying by as a “human” detected. Dialing the sensitivity down helped a lot toward averting false positives. Video looks good when played back on your phone, particularly during the day, and while the viewing angle is wide, it’s not too terribly distorted. The infrared night vision mode looks fine, though its usable range is limited to about 15 feet, and while the device claims a “color night vision” mode, I found this completely useless; all video recorded at night with this mode active resulted in an image that was almost completely black. One oddity about playback: There is no way to rewind or fast-forward through clips in the app, and even the pause button does not work. If you want to carefully scrub through a clip, you’ll need to download it to your phone for viewing elsewhere. (Fortunately, this is easy to do.) Should you buy the SwitchBot Smart Video Doorbell? This doorbell lists for $150 and I’ve seen it on sale at Amazon for as little as $120. That’s less than many competing products, none of which come with a video monitor. Since it’s not especially tied to the SwitchBot ecosystem, there’s really nothing that should block any smart home user from picking it up; although if you’re not interested in the monitor, a no-frills doorbell will be the cheaper and more effective way to go. This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best video doorbells. Read...

Over the past few days, there have been an increasing number of reports about supposed YouTube outages. The number of reports rose sharply on fault-tracking platforms such as Downdetector, but this time there was no technical error. Apparently, the “issue” is simply that YouTube has tightened its measures against ad blockers once more. Many users are suddenly only seeing gray elements instead of videos or thumbnails, and playback only works again when their ad blockers are deactivated. The Opera GX gaming browser, which blocks ads by default, appears to be especially affected—and the issue persists even when the feature has been deactivated, according to some users. Different effects in different browsers As various reports show, the current crop of problems on YouTube occur differently depending on the browser. In Chrome, many users can apparently continue to use YouTube with their ad blockers activated, especially if they aren’t logged in to Google. In Firefox or Edge using the uBlock Origin extension, YouTube seems to work without issues. YouTube already started taking action against ad blockers back in the summer, for example by issuing warning messages or slowing down video playback. The “outages” that are now being observed are apparently a further escalation stage of that initiative. How YouTube detects ad blockers According to a report by Tom’s Guide, YouTube doesn’t directly detect whether an ad blocker is installed and active. Instead, the platform checks whether certain ad scripts are blocked when the page is loaded. YouTube also uses so-called “bait” ads—invisible code that, if removed, basically serves as an indication of ad blocker use. That said, it’s still possible that YouTube recognizes when an ad blocker is installed via the public ID of a browser extension. YouTube Premium as an alternative If you don’t fancy the cat-and-mouse game between YouTube and ad blocker developers, you can opt for YouTube Premium. The subscription costs $13.99/month or $139.99/year and removes ads from videos, plus unlocks features like downloads and background playback. We don’t blame you if you proudly block ads on YouTube, and maybe you’ll continue to do so out of principle despite the inconveniences. But if YouTube succeeds in its efforts, the war might end in favor of the platform, with YouTube Premium emerging as the “best” solution. Read...

The Framework Mini PC brings together sustainability, modular design, and solid performance in a compact form factor. With AMD Ryzen 7040 or 8000 APUs and integrated graphics, it’s ideal for quiet office tasks, media playback, or software development, all while keeping hardware upgrades and customization straightforward. The concept behind the Framework Mini PC is exciting for anyone who wants a flexible, repairable system that can fit under a desk or on a shelf. Rather than a traditional mainboard, it features a fully interchangeable module, which is similar to what you’d find in other Framework machines. check out our review of the Framework Mini PC Framework Desktop Read our review Best Prices Today: $2515 at Framework If you want to upgrade the processor or switch platform generations, you don’t have to discard the entire Framework Mini PC–you can simply replace the motherboard. This rare flexibility is great for anyone who values long-term investments or regularly updates their hardware. The mainboard of the Framework Mini PC can be removed from the housing like a module. If necessary, the unit can be replaced with a new platform.Framework Computer The housing itself is compact but functional, with ports that can be customized via modules at the rear: HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C, and Ethernet. This flexibility helps with changing requirements or special applications. The external power supply ensures good heat distribution, the airflow is thoughtfully designed, and the fan remains quiet even under load. The design aims to make maintenance and upgrades as uncomplicated as possible. The Framework Mini PC prioritizes modularity over monolithic design and spare parts availability over one-way thinking. Nearly every component (RAM, SSD, WLAN, mainboard, etc) can be replaced in just a few simple steps. There’s also detailed online documentation for the less technically-inclined among us. Rear modules can be replaced or added to the Framework Mini PC as required in order to customize connections and functions.Framework Computer The approach is particularly interesting for anyone looking for a compact yet fully controllable system–whether for software development, light to medium rendering, a home office, or a private media server. That said, the Framework Mini PC isn’t designed for intensive workloads or complex 3D games, as a dedicated GPU cannot be retrofitted. For those who want to forgo traditional towers, Framework’s Mini PC offers an unusually open, quiet, and upgradeable system. In an era of increasingly complexity and decreasing reparability, it sends a clear message: there is another way, and it’s actually pretty elegant. Read...

Windows 11 comes with many hidden features that Microsoft has already built into the system, but hasn’t yet activated for general use. With the ViVeTool program, you can activate those hidden functions yourself. This small command-line tool lets you test new system elements weeks or months before their official rollout date and customize the interface to fit your needs. The tool works on all current builds of Windows 10 and Windows 11 and uses the same internal A/B test logic that Microsoft uses for internal feature distributions. The special thing about it is that you can use it to unlock real system functions, not apply unofficial hacks. Microsoft integrates many new features into Windows in advance, but holds them back via so-called feature flags. ViVeTool addresses these flags directly. You can activate or deactivate individual functions or check the status without having to intervene in the system files. In this way, the system usually remains stable and you retain full control over the functional scope of your computer. Thomas Joos Caution: ViVeTool intervenes deeply in internal system mechanisms and is therefore falsely recognized as potentially dangerous by some security programs. This is not an indication of malicious code, but a consequence of the fact that the tool uses the same internal interfaces that Windows uses to control experimental functions. Incorrect or incompatible feature IDs can lead to system instability, display errors, or crashes. Not every function can be activated, as Microsoft deactivates some switches in certain builds. Before making extensive changes, you should create a backup or a restore point so that you can easily reset the system in the event of a problem. Create a restore point before using ViVeTool A restore point can be created in PowerShell with a single command, as long as computer protection is activated for the system drive. To do this, run PowerShell as an administrator and enter the following: Checkpoint-Computer -Description “Before ViVeTool activation” -RestorePointType “MODIFY_SETTINGS” This command creates a system restore point with the description “Before ViVeTool activation.” If the error message “System Protection is not enabled” appears, you must enable computer protection. This can be done via the classic Control Panel: Open sysdm.cpl Select the “Computer protection” tab Highlight drive C: and click on “Configure” Select “Activate computer protection” and confirm By default, Windows only allows one restore point every 24 hours. If you want to force another point immediately, use: Checkpoint-Computer -Description “Previous point overwritten” -RestorePointType “MODIFY_SETTINGS” -Verbose After successful execution, you can reset the system to this state at any time using the system restore function. How it works After unpacking the downloaded archive, the file “vivetool.exe” is located in the target folder, for example in “C:\vive.” Open the command prompt with administrator rights (via the context menu) and change to the directory using “cd C:\vive.” From here you can control the tool with simple commands. The basic command is “vivetool/enable/id:XXXXX,” where the ID denotes the respective function. You can deactivate it again with “vivetool /disable /id:XXXXX.” The command “vivetool /query” shows which features are currently active and “vivetool /fullreset” resets all switches. A restart is required after each change so that Windows loads the new components. Thomas Joos The command line work sounds technical at first, but is uncomplicated in practice. The command prompt confirms each successful activation with “Successfully set feature configuration(s).” This means that the function is available immediately after the restart. A modern take on File Explorer One of the most interesting tests concerns the new File Explorer, which is based on WinUI components. Use the following command to activate the revised interface: vivetool/enable /id:40950262 Afterward, File Explorer responds noticeably more smoothly, the context menu is clearly structured, and access to network drives or OneDrive uses standardized interfaces. AI-supported suggestions are also already integrated and visible. Thomas Joos You can gain initial experience with the upcoming Windows interface and directly compare the differences to the standard version. If necessary, deactivate the new Explorer again with the following command: vivetool/disable /id:40950262 Animated video backgrounds A highlight for visually interested users is the return of animated backgrounds. Use the following command to activate the video wallpaper function, which is reminiscent of Dreamscene from Windows Vista: vivetool/enable /id:57645315 Next, open the Settings, go to “Personalization” > “Background,” and set the type to “Image.” You can now select an MP4 or MKV file that Windows will play as a moving wallpaper. The clip starts automatically as soon as the desktop is visible. This option is interesting for presentation systems or information monitors because it can display dynamic scenes in a corporate design or subtle ambient videos in the background. If you want to switch off the function later, use “/disable” again. This will revert the desktop to a static background. New start menu and search functions The ViVeTool can also be activated in the user interface. Use the following commands to enable experimental versions of the Start menu and taskbar search: vivetool/enable /id:38937525 vivetool/enable /id:40887771 After restarting, the search responds faster, the results appear grouped and easier to filter, and Windows may display context-related suggestions, such as system settings or recently opened documents. Users who rely heavily on search will benefit from the smoother interface and additional categories, while developers can test how API calls behave in the new search system. Windows Latest Activating feature packages Microsoft often bundles major innovations in monthly security or function updates, but releases them in stages. This delay can be avoided with the ViVeTool. After installing the October update, activate the new functions with the following command: vivetool/enable /id:57048226 Additional options will now appear in the system settings, including a revised hardware display, new AI areas in the “Settings” app, and an extended sharing menu that allows you to pin your favorite applications. These changes will only appear on selected devices, but are already available in the system. By activating them manually, you can test the new features before Microsoft opens them up to all users. Advanced use and troubleshooting Use the following command to check which features are currently activated: vivetool/query This allows you to maintain an overview if you change several IDs at the same time. If an activated feature causes problems, such as display errors or instability, you can use the following command: vivetool/disable /id:XXXXX or, if needed, vivetool/fullreset This will reset all customizations. ViVeTool does not modify any system files, so changes are reversible. If a command has no effect, this is usually due to an incompatible Windows build. Updating Windows typically fixes this. Benefits for users and IT With the ViVeTool, private users can get an early look at upcoming features and customize their system, while developers and IT administrators can test the compatibility of their applications with new Windows components. The benefit for both groups is that changes can be tested with minimal risk. As the tool works directly with the feature management integrated in Windows, the system generally remains stable and can return to its original state at any time. Nevertheless, creating a backup is recommended to ensure you can restore the PC if any issues arise. In corporate environments, ViVeTool is ideal for evaluating experimental functions in test environments. It allows you to check in advance whether new operating elements, interfaces, or security options are useful for your devices. If you manage several systems in parallel, you can integrate the commands into scripts and roll them out automatically. Read...

When historians look back at the PC industry in 2025, they’ll probably remember a time of intense turmoil. Between wildly unpredictable tariffs, geopolitical strife, the AI boom, hardware shortages caused by the AI boom (and tariffs), and hundreds of thousands of industry layoffs, it’s been an eventful – and stressful – year for the PC. Nonetheless, great things happened. We’ve seen the launch of entire new graphics card generations from Nvidia and AMD. The laptops of today are the laptops of tomorrow we’ve always dreamed of. Handheld gaming is exploding in popularity, leaving Microsoft scrambling to make Windows a viable alternative to Valve’s SteamOS on those devices. Security is evolving daily to protect a new breed of AI-powered attacks. Today is a day to celebrate the best of times. This is the Best PC Hardware and Software of 2025, as chosen by PCWorld’s editors. Best laptop: Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Read our review Best Prices Today: $1,650 at Amazon The Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 (Aura Edition) is the most impressive Windows laptop we tested this year, and I’ll tell you exactly why. It combines a stunning 14-inch 2880×1800 OLED display with HDR and a 120Hz refresh rate, beastly specs (including an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V CPU, 32GB of RAM, 1TB SSD, and Intel Arc 140V graphics), and a battery that can last up to 23 hours. It’s speedy enough to handle work tasks and binge-watching your favorite show on Netflix and, at under three pounds, it won’t break your back.  The 2-in-1 design is nice too, especially if you move around a lot. You can flip it into tablet mode or set it up like a little tent. This versatility is cool when you’re working with limited space like in an airplane seat, for example. The keyboard and trackpad also feel great, and the Yoga Pen sticks right to the top so it’s always handy when you’re ready to create your next masterpiece… or just doodle for fun! -Ashley Biancuzzo Best graphics card: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Read our review Nvidia bet the fate of the GeForce RTX 50-series on DLSS 4’s incredible multi-frame gen feature. As magical as the feature can be, it left most of the RTX 50 lineup feeling flat at best, or as uninspiring sidegrades at best. Not the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti. Unlike most of the 50-series lineup, the 5070 Ti includes a sizeable performance uplift, while costing less – versus the 4070 Ti, you get 25 percent faster performance for $50 less. Better yet, the 5070 Ti’s prowess makes it the perfect vehicle for DLSS 4’s multi-frame gen – the card delivers killer 1440p and solid 4K performance as-is, but flipping on MFG takes visual smoothness and frame pacing to utterly sublime levels. You’re going to want to pair this beast with a 240Hz monitor if you can manage it. In a weak and price-engorged generation for graphics cards, only the RTX 5070 Ti and AMD’s Radeon RX 9070 series stand out as particularly appealing. The amazing power of DLSS 4 earns Nvidia this well-deserved nod. If you’re dismissing MFG as “fake frames,” you’re missing out. –Brad Chacos Best laptop for battery life: HP OmniBook 5 14 HP OmniBook 5 14 Best Prices Today: $549.99 at Amazon The battery life on the HP OmniBook 5 14 is utter insanity. We’re talking over 25 hours in our testing–you can thank the super-efficient Snapdragon X Plus processor for that one. The 14-inch 1920×1200 OLED touchscreen also looks great because of its wide color gamut and high contrast ratio. While it’ll breeze through most day-to-day tasks, it isn’t a gaming rig or a 3D workstation, so you may want to mind how you use it. That said, the main draw here is the ridiculous battery life and an OLED display that truly pops… all for under $900! This is one stunner of a laptop. -Ashley Biancuzzo Best monitor: Dell 32 Plus 4K QD-OLED  Dell 32 Plus 4K QD-OLED Monitor S3225QC Read our review Best Prices Today: $695 at Amazon | Not Available at Amazon Prime This year, the monitor that stood out as the best overall – i.e., the monitor most likely to satisfy the versatile needs of the majority of users – was the Dell 32 Plus 4K QD-OLED. Our high regard began with its big, sharp, colorful 4K QD-OLED panel. It grew with the 120Hz refresh rate and support for Adaptive Sync, making it a suitable option for work as well as entertainment, even gaming.   With two video inputs (HDMI 2.1 and USB-C with DisplayPort 1.4 support), 90 watts of Power Delivery for connecting to either Windows or Mac laptops, and two USB-C downstream ports supporting 15 watts of USB Power Delivery and 5Gbps of data, it’s up for productivity. The monitor goes on to sweeten the pot with five speakers – wait, what? — for 25 total watts and support for spatial audio. Finally, it seals the deal with a price that undercuts the competition — $850 MSRP, but currently hovering around $700 on Amazon. – Katherine Stevenson   Best password manager: Dashlane Dashlane Read our review Best Prices Today: $4.99 at Dashlane Staying sane while dealing with online security is much easier with a password manager. A good password manager, that is—one that quickly creates and fills in strong passwords, stores passkeys, immediately alerts you to compromised or weak passwords, and lets you securely share credentials with others. Dashlane gets the highest possible marks from us not just for its dependability, but its regular updates, too. In particular, the service now supports full passwordless login, which lets you sign in to your Dashlane account without a password. It’s also one of the first to implement secure import/export of passkeys and passwords (aka CXP). This puts it on the leading edge of credential security—other password managers are still working on their rollout. Combined with standard features like passkey support and dark web monitoring, plus surprising extras like VPN access and real-time phishing protection, Dashlane provides a lot of broad protection for your logins. Other password managers may be cheaper, but not as complete. -Alaina Yee Best SSD: WD Black SN7100 WD Black SN7100 1TB Read our review Best Prices Today: $79.99 at Amazon You might expect our pick for best SSD to use the latest-gen PCIe 5.0 interface, which can be 100 percent faster than the previous generation. But while the prospect of such blazing-fast transfer speeds is certainly tantalizing, for most everyday computing activities, including gaming, PCIe 4.0 performs comparably to PCIe 5.0 — and for a lot less money!    This is why our pick for best SSD is the WD Black SN7100 SSD, a PCIe 4.0 drive whose overall benchmark performance bested those of its peers, even if only by small margins. The upshot is that this drive is fast, and it features a reassuring five-year warranty. Better still, at $74 for 1TB, it’s half the cost of the best PCIe 5.0 drive. Need we say more? – Katherine Stevenson  Best desktop CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D Adam Patrick Murray / Foundry It’s been a slow year for CPUs. Perhaps in reaction to 2024’s performance issues and regressions, both Intel and AMD have been quiet on the desktop front. Instead, focus has been on laptop CPUs. The lone bright spot for desktop enthusiasts? AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D. We saw it coming. Last year, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D delivered stupendous performance in both gaming and content creation. A flagship version would be even beastlier—and the 9950X3D proved that assumption right. Against the Intel Core 9 285K, the 9950X3D showed gaming performance lifts ranging from 25 to 48 percent (!) and a content creation performance boost of about 10 percent on average. And that’s at stock settings. Turn on PBO and you get another bump in performance. The only disappointing thing about the Ryzen 9 9950X3D is that it takes the title with no real competition. But that doesn’t make it a bad chip. On its own merits—and no matter what kind of PC user you are—it’s a win. -Alaina Yee Best Thunderbolt docking station: Plugable TBT-UDT3  Plugable 11-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 Docking Station Read our review Best Prices Today: $299.95 at Amazon | $299.95 at Plugable I expected 2025 to be a breakout year for Thunderbolt 5 docking stations, and I wasn’t disappointed. Many docks I received, however, were priced at the high end of the spectrum. Plugable’s TBT-UDT3 was a notable exception, a moderately-priced laptop docking station I could recommend to those who needed a current-generation Thunderbolt 4 dock or who were looking to invest in next-gen Thunderbolt 5 hardware. Why did I weigh price so heavily? Two reasons: first, the omnipresent tariff concerns, and second, because Intel has reserved (again!) Thunderbolt 5 as a discrete add-on component, making it the domain of high-end, premium laptops, and not the mainstream. Eventually, that will change. But Plugable gives you tomorrow’s hardware at today’s prices. Plugable’s docking station offers the choice of three displays (or two plus an external SSD), Thunderbolt Share, and a general overall stability that unfortunately isn’t that commonplace. I think it’s the best overall docking station I tested, even though others had standout features that I ranked highly. –Mark Hachman Best antivirus: Norton 360 Deluxe Norton 360 Deluxe Read our review Data breaches keep piling up. So too attacks via phishing links and malware. AI may be helping people with dinner recipes and email writing, but it has also sped up the discovery of vulnerabilities—and exploits of them. Even with good online browsing habits, the most careful person can still fall prey to common tricks. You need a safety net. That’s why we love Norton 360 Deluxe. You could stitch together your own equivalent suite yourself, but this antivirus app pulls together and simplifies a very broad range of features for users. In addition to blocking malware and shady websites, Norton 360 Deluxe also offers dark web monitoring, a VPN, parental controls, a password manager, and 50GB of cloud storage for automated backups of critical documents. The subscription even includes general PC utilities like file cleanup, too. This highly comprehensive level of defense is rare—especially given how little Norton charges. You’ll be hard-pressed to find rivals that cost as little or provide as many features. -Alaina Yee Best gaming handheld: Valve Steam Deck Willis Lai / IDG If you want a solid, affordable handheld gaming PC…just get Valve’s Steam Deck. It’s nearly four years old now, but with a starting price of $400 and a “sweet spot” OLED upgrade at $550, it’s still the best option out there for most gamers (especially if you pair the Steam Deck with a GeForce Now subscription, an utterly transformative duo). SteamOS, smoother and better integrated than Windows 11, is a big part of that. If you want a little more gaming power or a bigger screen, the Legion Go S comes with a SteamOS option that doesn’t require any tweaking…but maybe wait for a sale. –Michael Crider Best high-end gaming handheld: Lenovo Legion Go 2 Lenovo Legion Go 2 Read our review For those who want a lot more oomph and options, and don’t mind paying for it, the Lenovo Legion Go 2 is our pick. This beast of a handheld includes the larger screen and Switch-style breakaway controllers of the original design, plus an OLED upgrade and screaming Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor. It runs Windows 11, but Bazzite is a Steam-powered option (and probably official SteamOS, later). Just be prepared to pay for it: this thing starts at $1350 USD. –Michael Crider Best gaming laptop: Alienware 16X Aurora Alienware 16X Aurora Not only did the Alienware 16X Aurora impress us with its raw performance, but its high refresh rate display also makes everything look positively delicious. This laptop is equipped to keep up with the latest titles thanks to its Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU and RTX 5070 GPU. You can jump straight into the latest triple-A games without problem, with all the eye candy cranked, and they’ll play amazing. The 16-inch 2560×1600 IPS screen is crisp and big, and the 240Hz refresh rate makes every frame feel as smooth as silk. -Ashley Biancuzzo Best personal data removal service: Incogni Incogni Read our review Best Prices Today: $7.99 at Incogni You might be surprised how much of your personal data is being collected and sold online. Data brokers and people search sites are hoovering up your data at an alarming rate and it’s nearly impossible to keep a lid on it yourself. So the best solution is to let a personal data removal service handle the arduous task of removing this data for you. And none are doing it better than Incogni. The service is dead simple to use, and the set-it-and-forget-it automation begins to work in a flash. After only the first day of using it, Incogni had already sent out hundreds of removal requests on my behalf, saving me months’ worth of effort. Plus, the service regularly follows up with every site to ensure my data doesn’t ever reappear. The addition of Custom removals means there is practically no site that Incogni won’t attempt to wipe your data from either. It can be a bit expensive, but if you’re concerned about your personal data being shared online, the piece of mind Incogni offers is unparalleled. –Sam Singleton  Best gaming monitor: MSI MPG 272URX MSI MPG 272URX Read our review Best Prices Today: $999 at Amazon | $1099.99 at MSI For a gaming monitor to even warrant consideration, it needs to be fast and it needs to have a damn good picture. Those are just table stakes, which the MSI MPG 272URX delivers handily. Not content with the standard 1440p resolution, the 272URX goes full 4K for maximum clarity, and its 240Hz refresh rate renders even fast-paced games with buttery smoothness. Adaptive sync support is a given.   But lest you think the 272URX’s talents begin and end with gaming, consider this: generous connectivity, including four video inputs, Power Delivery, and a KVM switch; a full complement of image-quality adjustments via a user-friendly on-screen menu; and HDR support. In sum, it’s an all-around winner. – Katherine Stevenson  Best Chromebook: Asus Chromebook Plus CX34 Asus Chromebook Plus CX34 Read our review Best Prices Today: $499.99 at Amazon Prime | $559.99 at Amazon When it comes to Chromebooks, the Asus Chromebook Plus CX34 is damned near flawless. It’s got an Intel i5 processor and 8GB of RAM, so it’s zippy when running everyday tasks, and the 14-inch 1080p touchscreen display looks sharp whether you’re cranking on daily workflows or zoning out to YouTube. It’ll also last around 13 hours on a single charge. You’ll get through a full workday, no problem – and with how great the keyboard feels, you won’t have any complaints while doing so. -Ashley Biancuzzo Best webcam: eMeet Piko+ 4K EMeet Piko+ Read our review Best Prices Today: $89.99 at Amazon Prime | $95.99 at Amazon I am so glad I picked eMeet’s Piko+ 4K for our best webcam of 2025: the only flaw that I could find with this cute little 4K webcam is that it lacked a traditional webcam mount. Imagine my surprise when I double-checked my review and our shopping listings, only to discover that eMeet now ships a “traditional” version of this webcam, too! I absolutely loved the clarity that this dual-lens 4K webcam offered, especially in low light. This webcam’s visual capabilities were simply excellent (the mic is merely average, but that’s okay) and the $90 price splits the difference between our $40 budget webcams and the $150-$250 you’d pay for an ultrapremium offering. I wasn’t expecting much from this webcam, but I was blown away by what it offers. –Mark Hachman Best VPN: NordVPN NordVPN Read our review Best Prices Today: $3.39 at NordVPN (Monthly) It’s never easy to select the best VPN overall. There are so many factors to consider such as privacy, ease of use, server network size, unblocking capabilities, and speed. The reasons people have for using a VPN varies widely and that all needs to be taken into account. Will the VPN be used to get around country blocks for streaming, staying anonymous online, torrenting, or something else—the list goes on and on. Many VPNs excel at a few of these functions, but rarely manage to shine across the board. That is, except NordVPN. It’s one of the only services that consistently ranks at the top, or close to it, of each category. That’s why it’s my pick for this year’s best VPN. Not only does it continue to be the fastest VPN I’ve ever tested, but it has a huge server network, a vast array of security extras, and its no-logs policy is backed by plenty of independent audits. It also never fails to unblock streaming services and fully supports P2P. No other current service exemplifies all of the elements of a great VPN like NordVPN, full stop. –Sam Singleton Best cheap VPN: Surfshark Surfshark Read our review Best Prices Today: $2.19 at Surfshark (Monthly) Each time I review Surfshark I’m amazed at the new and interesting features it adds to the service while maintaining such an inexpensive subscription price. At this point, I find myself asking, what doesn’t Surfshark have? Not only do you get the VPN with an outstanding server network and lightning-fast speeds, but you also have access to a whole slew of top-notch privacy and security extras such as multi-hop, antivirus protection, rotating IP, ad- and tracker-blocking, and more. The best part is that all of these great features and tools can be had for less than the price of a cup of coffee every month with Surfshark’s long-term plans. Even shady off-brand VPNs that market themselves as “cheap” barely offer subscriptions for this price—and none of them have the feature set or verified privacy record of Surfshark. It’s by far the best value VPN for those on a budget—and one of the best VPNs overall. –Sam Singleton  Best portable SSD: Teamgroup X2 Max  Teamgroup X2 Max Read our review Best Prices Today: $96.99 at Amazon For truly portable storage that can be carried with ease and used without the need for any additional cables or adapters, look no further than the Teamgroup X2 Max USB stick. This USB 3.2 Gen2 drive uses NVMe internals to deliver sustained transfers of approximately 1.1GBps.   Sure, you can find portable drives that are even faster than that – USB 3.2×2 or USB4, for example. But they won’t feature this lil’ one’s unique flexibility in the form of dual connectors. With both USB-A and USB-C connectors, one on each end, you are assured of being able to plug into any device as-is. Now that’s convenience! – Katherine Stevenson Best Windows Backup software: EaseUS Todo Backup 2025 Easeus ToDo Backup 2025 Read our review Best Prices Today: $39.95 at EaseUS This year, things got interesting in the backup software space. Our long-time favorite backup program was knocked from its perch by EaseUS Todo Backup 2025, which made impressive strides to achieve what our reviewer dubbed “the most efficient workflow I’ve seen.” He also described the interface as “a joy.” Wow. These are the kind of superlatives that make the tedious chore of backing up data much more welcoming.    Of course, EaseUS Todo Backup 2025 provides all the necessary functionality you need for complete confidence: whole drive and partition imaging, file and folder backup, sync, disaster recovery including a WinPE recover disk, and more. We also love that EaseUS bucks the trend by offering a perpetual licence ($59.99, or $79.99 for lifetime upgrades) in addition to a yearly subscription ($39.99). Although, to take advantage of EaseUS’s optional cloud storage at a respectable $20 per year for 1TB, you will need to opt for the subscription tier. – Katherine Stevenson   Best online backup service: iDrive  iDrive Online Cloud Backup Read our review Best Prices Today: $69.65 at iDrive It makes a lot of sense to use an online backup service. In the context of the trusty 3-2-1 rule for backups, an online backup suffices as one of the two distinct types of media that’s suggested, as well as checks the box that a backup be kept in a remote location.   What’s really great about iDrive, our pick for best online backup service, is that it offers even more than that, such as a client for local backups and basic imaging and disaster recovery, which is pretty rare among online services.     The Personal tier, which starts at $69.65 per year, has support for multiple devices and includes 5TB of online storage. With its comprehensive feature set and user-friendliness, iDrive is tough to beat. – Katherine Stevenson Best USB-C Hub: OWC USB-C Travel Dock OWC USB-C Travel Dock Read our review Best Prices Today: $29.99 at Amazon Most USB-C hubs are dongles: you get a long rectangular slab of plastic or aluminum about the length of a utility knife, with a number of ports attached. OWC’s Travel Dock looks a bit more like a docking station without the size of a docking station. It’s only 3.2 inches on a side, and ports sprout from all three sides of this 5-in-1 hub: USB-A, Ethernet, USB-C power input, HDMI, and an SD card reader. Even the cord tucks away. For about $35 ($30 as I write this) you get the most important four ports you’ll need, all in a compact little square that still fits inside a pouch, purse, or pack. Or…perhaps a stocking? –Mark Hachman Read...