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Latest by Luke Larsen

windows core os concept feel like the future

This Windows Core OS concept feels like the future I’ve always wanted

Microsoft is rumored to debut its own Windows Core OS-powered device at its upcoming Oct. 2 hardware event. But this concept mock-up takes the potential of a modular operating system to the next level, showing how it would function in active workplaces that might not have access to a desktop interface.
facebook horizon is second life all over again horizon2

Facebook’s Horizon VR world looks like Second Life all over again

At Oculus Connect 6, Facebook announced a new social VR platform called Facebook Horizon. It won't launch in beta until 2020, but will let users build their own avatar, explore worlds, play games, and even create their own environments using the built-in creator tools. Sound familiar? It's Second Life all over again.
facebook confims ar glasses

Facebook reconfirms it’s working on AR glasses, just weeks after leak said it was

At its annual Oculus Connect 6 keynote, Facebook took to the stage and confirmed that it is indeed working on a set of AR glasses. The confirmation comes just weeks after a leaked report was published that indicated the company was working Ray-Ban on a project that's set to launch in a few years.
oculus quest finger tracking coming in 2020

Finger-tracking on Oculus Quest is coming in 2020, no gloves required

At the Oculus Connect 6 event on September 25, Facebook announced a new virtual reality technology coming to its Oculus Quest headsets. We don't know all the details about the new tech, but Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says it is is coming to the Oculus Quest in early 2020.
AMD Ryzen Threadripper

AMD’s Threadripper 3000 will launch in November. Here’s the first official image

AMD has officially announced that its third-generation Threadripper processor will launch in November. The release of Threadripper 3000 has always been scheduled for 2019, though recent 7nm supply issues had cast some doubt on AMD's ability to deliver its promise for a 3rd-gen Threadripper this year.
hp omen x 2s gaming laptop review hero

HP Omen X 2S gaming laptop review: The Nintendo DS of laptops

Gaming laptops have gotten so good, that manufacturers have resorted to some surprising experimentation to stand out from the crowd. The HP Omen X 2S does that with a second screen, built right into the keyboard deck of the laptop. Is it useful? Is it just a gimmick?
AMD Ryzen 9 3900x

AMD Ryzen 9 3900X review: The new king

AMD's latest Ryzen processor is a 12-core monster of a CPU. The Ryzen 9 3900X goes head-to-head with the Intel Core i9-9900K, formerly declared as the best gaming processor you can buy. Has AMD finally closed the gap on Intel in terms of raw performance and efficiency?
Dell 2019 XPS 13 2 in 1 (2019) review

Intel awards five more laptops with Project Athena badges

Ahead of IFA 2019, Intel has announced the expansion of its Project Athena program,which now includes more laptops from Dell, HP, and Lenovo. These new laptops will be sold with the Engineered for Mobile Performance badge, allowing Intel to play a more direct role in selling to potential buyers.
best laptop deals for labor day 2019 laptops ldw

The best laptop deals for Labor Day 2019: XPS, Spectre, ThinkPad, and more

Labor Day is one of the best weeks of the year to pick up a new laptop, and we have the roundup of the best discounts on offer. Whether you're looking for a sleek Dell XPS 13 for school or a robust ThinkPad X1 Carbon for work, these are some of the best laptop deals you'll find all year.
Surface Pro 6 Review

Windows 10 tablet mode isn’t disappearing, but it’s now harder to find

Microsoft has announced the latest Windows 10 Insider build, which includes some changes to how a 2-in-1 hybrid laptop will deal with "tablet posture." When a keyboard is removed from the screen, such as on a Surface Pro, Windows will no longer prompt you to enter tablet mode as it currently does.

MacBook airline ban: Everything you need to know

Following Apple's battery recall on a wide range of MacBooks, U.S. regulators have moved to ban these certain models from flying. But that doesn't necessarily mean you have to leave your MacBook Pro at home on your next flight. Here's everything you need to know.
apple macbook air m1 vs dell xps 13  ces 2019 21

Thanks, Intel. Buying a new laptop just got more confusing

Intel has announced its two rounds of 10th-gen mobile processors: Ice Lake and Comet Lake. While interesting in their own right, these new processors have a convoluted new naming scheme that might make your next laptop buying decision a lot more difficult. Thanks Intel!
intel 10th gen ice lake project athena

Intel powers up its 10th-gen Comet Lake processors with six cores

Intel has rolled out its second round of 10th-gen mobile processors, with this family code-named Comet Lake. Including both U-series and Y-series parts, these Comet Lake chips are a traditional continuation of its 8th-gen predecessor, still using the 14nm process.
Desk Envy

Showcasing unique desk setups and the products that bring them together

samsung galaxy book s review hands on 4

The Galaxy Book S is the most exciting Samsung laptop I’ve ever seen

The Galaxy Book S is the newest laptop from Samsung, but unlike a lot of other laptops the company has launched, this one has my interest. Its ultra-portable design is the most eye-catching feature it has, but it's the performance of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx CPU that has me curious.
Samsung Galaxy Book S side view.

Samsung’s upcoming $999 Galaxy Book S is the first Snapdragon 8cx laptop

Samsung took the stage at its Unpacked event to announce the Galaxy Book S, a new Qualcomm-powered clamshell laptop. The new device starts at $999 as a direct competitor to the MacBook Air, and includes a 1080p touchscreen, LTE connectivity, and a sleek, lightweight design.
intel 10th gen ice lake project athena

Intel unveils 10th-gen CPUs with significantly improved integrated graphics

Intel's highly-anticipated 10th-gen chips have finally arrived. The first batch is mobile-only, including both U-series and Y-series processors. For the first time, we have a good idea of just how powerful these chips will be, including the addition of new Iris Plus integrated graphics.
Nvidia RTX 2080 Super impressions

The $699 Nvidia RTX 2080 Super takes another lap in a race AMD isn’t running

The conclusion of Nvidia's RTX Super trilogy of graphics card has arrived. The RTX 2080 Super replaces the RTX 2080, bumping up performance and cutting the price by $100. But does this high-end graphics card earn its $699 price tag?
benq pd3220u monitor review feat

BenQ PD3220U monitor review

Most photographers and videographers still use MacBooks, but even expensive 4K monitors don’t always match the colors of those laptop screens. The BenQ PD3220U is a monitor specifically made to solve that problem. But can that possibly be worth its $1,200 price tag?
Razer Deathadder Elite

The best mouse deals for Prime Day 2019: Razer, Logitech, and more

This year's big shopping event, Amazon Prime Day, offers some fantastic discounts on mice. We've scoured this year's sales and made picks for what we think are the best mice you can buy on Prime Day. Whether it's for gaming or for work, you're bound to find something here that suits your needs.

The 12-inch MacBook was Apple’s most revolutionary laptop. That couldn’t save it

Apple's most experimental laptop, the 12-inch MacBook, has been canned. Rife with controversy from the very beginning, this expensive, futuristic laptop seemed destined to be the future of the MacBook lineup. What does the death of the 12-inch MacBook mean for the future of Mac laptops?
AMD Radeon RX 5700 and 5700 XT sitting on a table.

AMD Radeon RX 5700 and 5700 XT review

AMD has launched its new Navi graphics cards, the RX 5700 and RX 5700 XT. We've given the new cards a spin, putting them through the paces of our standard suite of tests and benchmarks. Has AMD finally toppled Nvidia or did the recent RTX Super cards put a damper on how these news perform?
Nvidia RTX 2060 Super and RTX 2070 Super review

Nvidia RTX 2060 Super and RTX 2070 Super review

Nvidia has launched its new RTX Super cards, set to preemptively upset AMD's Navi victory parade this week. We took the new RTX 2060 Super and RTX 2070 Super GPUs for a spin, seeing how they perform in benchmarks and games. The results just might worthy of the 'Super' branding after all.
2019 Razer Blade Pro 17

Razer Blade Pro 17 (2019) review

The Razer Blade Pro 17 might have “pro” in the name, but it’s a powerhouse gaming laptop made with performance aimed right at gamers. Here’s how this redesigned Razer flagship fares in its 2019 redesign.
microsoft surface pro 6 review 3

The Surface Centaurus might run Android apps, but is that a good idea?

A new leak hints that Microsoft's rumored Project Centaurus is a dual-screen device that will run Android apps. Microsoft and Google working together seems like a strange proposition at first, but maybe this is just what Microsoft needs to save its desperately-ignored Windows tablet mode.
oled laptops have returned but are they worth it gaming laptop

OLED laptops have returned, but read this before buying one

Whether it's for gaming or content creation, OLED laptops have returned. However, they are only available in certain laptops such as the Dell XPS 15 or the new Alienware m15. I took the latter for a spin to see if OLED screens make a big enough difference to be worth the cost. Is OLED the future of laptop screens?
amd radeon everywhere stadia ps5 e3 2019 cross platform

The true advantage of AMD’s next-gen chips isn’t power, it’s platforms

AMD announced some impressive new processors and GPUs at E3 this week, with plenty of muscle to flex. But the real strength of AMD in the future isn't its power -- or even its price. It's the cross-platform scalability, providing chips for everything from game streaming services to mobile devices.
amd ryzen 9 3950x first 16 core gaming processor

AMD’s new 16-core CPU takes aim at PC gamers, throws shade at Intel

At its E3 press conference, AMD announced a surprising new entry to its Ryzen 3000 processors: The Ryzen 9 3950X. What's so special about it? Well, it's the first 16-core gaming processor, complete with 32 threads and a 4.7GHz boost clock speed.
amd radeon image sharpening dlss ray tracing e3 2019

AMD has an answer to Nvidia’s DLSS, but not ray tracing

AMD has launched its own solution to resolution upscaling, called Radeon Image Sharpening. It simulates the effect of moving from 1080p to 1440p, and offers a compelling alternative to Nvidia's DLSS. But ray tracing? AMD says that's still waiting for the right time.
amd announces radeon rx 5700 navi gpu

AMD’s new Radeon RX 5700 wants you to leave 1080p gaming behind for good

At E3 2019, AMD has announced the first two graphics cards in its new 7nm Navi lineup. The Radeon RX 5700 and RX 5700 XT are built on a new RDNA microarchitecture that brings DDR6 memory and support for PCIe 4.0. Can these cards help AMD take back the lead from Nvidia?
how to watch amd e3 press conference new horizon2

How to watch AMD’s E3 Next Horizon Gaming press conference

AMD is scheduled to deliver a press conference to kick off E3 on Monday, June 10. The presentation is set to focus on gaming, and we expect to hear more about the company's new Navi RX 5000 graphics cards. The event will be broadcast live, so here's all the details on how to follow along.
best games pc game show e3 2019 gaming

E3 2019: The five best games from the PC Game Show

At the annual PC Game Show at E3, more than 30 PC games were featured in trailer form, plenty of which represented our first look at these games. From Chivalry II to Midnight Ghost Hunt Remnant: From the Ashes and more here are the five games that really have us excited.
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The new Mac Pro was the only way to save the Mac from the iPad’s killing blow

The Mac Pro and the iPad were in the spotlight this year at WWDC 2019. Why? Well, the two products paint an interesting picture about the future of both platforms. Whether you like it or not, the incredibly niche Mac Pro may have been the only way to save the Mac from the jaws of the iPad.
dell xps 15 oled eight core processor snexbtzu

With an OLED screen and 8-core CPU, is the new XPS 15 a must-have for creators?

At Computex 2019, Dell has announced an update to its popular Dell XPS 15 laptop. The new version looks similar on the outside, but comes with some significant upgrades once you open it up. First is an option for a 4K OLED screen, followed by all-new 9th-gen Intel processors.