Mark Hachman

New FCC “broadband nutrition labels” go into effect beginning today, forcing ISPs to disclose all of the normally hidden costs and speeds. And yes, the term “nutrition label” is accurate -- they’re modeled after the list of ingredients you might find on a box of cereal, say, along with a breakdown of what you’re being charged. Those labels must be posted on the websites of ISPs as well as in retail stores. The labels also cover both wired and wireless broadband plans, so you should see them, fo…

Some of the best AI editing tools Google Photos offers, including Magic Eraser, are coming to Chromebooks -- no subscription required. But PCs are apparently being left out in the cold. Google has traditionally launched new features on its Pixel phones. Those have included Magic Eraser, along with Photo Unblur and Portrait Light, which use various AI tricks to spruce up your photos. Portrait Light, for example, can “reposition” the sun to light up your photo in a more attractive way, and Magic…

Razer has launched the Razer Blade 18 laptop with what the company says are two firsts: an optional 18-inch, 200Hz 4K panel and Thunderbolt 5 capabilities. Pricing on the updated, New Razer Blade 18 is apparently somewhat variable: it’s listed as starting at $2,899.99, but Razer is apparently selling it for $2,699.99. However, Razer’s buying page says that the Razer Blade 18 pricing begins at $3,099.99. Razer is positioning the Blade 18 as a creator-class laptop, pre-installing Nvidia’s conten…

If you’ve ever used Microsoft’s own Clipchamp video editor, Google would like you to know that you now have another alternative: Google Vids, which will leverage Google’s powers of AI with your own documents to create short videos. Google thinks highly enough of Vids that it will elevate it into the pantheon of other Google Workspace apps, including Docs, Slides, and Sheets, the company said. For whatever reason, Google isn’t directly challenging Clipchamp, Microsoft’s rather delightful video…

When Qualcomm showed off its benchmarks of its new Snapdragon X Elite chips last October, there was one flaw in its argument: Qualcomm was comparing the new Snapdragon platform to Intel’s older 13th-gen Core chips. That’s been fixed. Now Qualcomm says that the Snapdragon X Elite is faster than Intel’s new Core Ultra (Meteor Lake) chips, too. Last October, Qualcomm said that its Snapdragon X Elite could match the performance of the Intel Core i9-13980HX at 70 percent less power. Subsequent hands…

Choosing the best Thunderbolt and DisplayLink dock simply can’t be done with an eye on specs alone. It’s a process that can take time and resources, but pays off in the confidence that I’ve reached the right decision about which Thunderbolt or DisplayLink docks are worth buying. A docking station for laptops typically uses the USB-C port, over which one of two things can happen: the laptop routes a 10Gbps USB connection to the laptop docking station, or it uses a 40Gbps Thunderbolt connection i…

Twenty years ago in 2004, I vaguely remember Google’s announcement of Gmail as a topic of conversation. Was it another of Google’s infamous April Fool’s pranks? I was a young reporter, about a decade into covering the semiconductor industry. The internet wasn’t all that new; it had been around for about a decade. Ironically, I don’t remember how exactly we had been notified of Gmail’s launch. Was it via fax? Or our rudimentary Lotus 1-2-3 email? I can’t even remember if my publication, a busine…

Historically, you’ve had two options to expand the port capabilities of your laptop: an inexpensive USB-C dongle or a more powerful, pricey Thunderbolt docking station. A third option is quietly emerging, trying to split the difference. A DisplayLink docking station (sometimes called a USB-C dock) uses data compression to offer the capabilities of a Thunderbolt dock over a standard USB-C or Thunderbolt cable. Why buy one? DisplayLink docking stations works great for normal day-to-day productivi…

Spring is here and that means weeding, cleaning, packing away winter clothes... and tuning up your PC! Optimizing your PC’s performance isn’t as complicated as it sounds, however. Just a few tweaks here and there and you’ll have your computer running faster than ever. How to make a PC run faster Improving your PC’s efficiency can take a little effort, though some processes can be automated. Your PC is like a Roomba in that streamlining your laptop or desktop often happens when you’re not looki…

Portable gaming handhelds like the Asus ROG Ally and the Lenovo Legion Go run on Windows, true. But if Microsoft itself were to make such a console, it appears that Xbox, not Windows, may have the upper hand. In an interview with Polygon, Microsoft Xbox and gaming chief Phil Spencer described how he wants portable gaming consoles like the Lenovo Legion Go or the ROG Ally to feel “more like an Xbox,” he said. But the killer quote is one that blames Windows itself: “The things that usually frustr…

Choosing the best USB-C hub or dongle feels a bit like visiting a salad bar: The sheer variety of products means that you can literally shop for a device that has exactly what you’re looking for, and for the best price. That doesn’t always mean a USB-C hub or dongle works as advertised, or that it will satisfy you. To know that requires actual hands-on testing. I consider a USB-C dongle to be a cheaper alternative to either a DisplayLink dock or Thunderbolt docking station, which share some tes…

One of the biggest knocks on Windows on Arm PCs powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon chips has been how well applications run. Natively coded apps run just fine, but apps written for traditional X86 processors (read: the vast majority of PCs) have suffered. In part, that’s because they’ve had to run via emulation, a way of translating the X86 code into instructions that can be understood by the Arm processor. Qualcomm claims that performance won’t be a problem for its upcoming Snapdragon X Elite proc…

Microsoft announced the Surface Pro 10 for Business and the Surface Laptop 6 for Business on Thursday, as expected. But what differentiates these new Surfaces from earlier models is that these new laptops actually feel like they were designed with businesses in mind -- and the Surface Pro 10 is perfect if you’re coming down with spring fever. Microsoft is accepting orders for both devices today, with shipments beginning April 9. Prices begin at $1,199 for both. Consumer versions of the Surface…

My favorite USB-C hub, the Anker 555 is on sale for 33 percent off during Amazon’s Spring Sale -- and a full 50 percent off the original retail price. The Anker 555, currently priced at $39.99 at Amazon, simply checks all the boxes for a USB-C hub’s essential ports -- two USB-A ports for a mouse and keyboard, a USB-C port, microSD/SD, plus an HDMI port and Ethernet -- and that’s all. There’s a little power LED. That’s it. The Anker 555 tops my list of the best USB-C hubs and dongles, and for…

AMD on Thursday introduced AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 3.1 (FSR 3.1), an improved version of its FSR3 frame-boosting gaming technology that AMD said will be available in 40 games, both available now and coming soon. The new FSR 3.1 technology adds a “Native AA” mode, as well as a very subtle though interesting tweak: AMD has decoupled FSR 3.1’s upscaling capability from frame generation, meaning that it’s possible that AMD’s FSR could be tasked to pair with Nvidia’s DLSS or Intel’s XeSS gra…

Microsoft will kick off its Build conference with a special event on May 20 focusing on the company’s “AI vision,” the company said Monday. “Satya Nadella will share our AI vision across hardware and software as part of a dedicated news briefing,” the company said, the day before Microsoft Build kicks off in Seattle. The “hardware” in question is expected to be the consumer version of the Surface Pro 10 and the Surface Laptop 6, which should ship with versions of the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite…

After three years, it’s finally time to upgrade to Windows 11. With Windows 11, Microsoft shifted into productivity mode, and to this day Windows 11 still feels like the operating system for work, while Windows 10 still feels lively and fun. But Windows 11 not only is where entertaining new features are landing, but also includes new AI capabilities that may improve your lives. It’s time to embrace the change. Last year, I was split: I wrote five reasons to switch to Windows 11, and five more…

Intel continued its climb up the clock-speed ladder by launching the Core i9-14900KS, a “special edition” desktop chip that offers the very fastest clock speed of any current PC processor, at 6.2GHz. As expected, though, you’ll pay for it, with a price of $689. But don’t expect it to easily outclass the competition, either. Intel acknowledged that, in certain games, AMD’s recent Ryzen 7000X-series chips outperform it. Last year, Intel announced the Core i9-13900KS, a 6.0GHz chip that supersede…

AMD has bet big internally on AI in a goal to increase its chip output, chief executive Dr. Lisa Su told an audience at SXSW on Monday. And that includes her, too -- as she uses it to manage her calendar and send email. In a conversation with podcaster Ryan Patel, Su outlined the number of ways in which AI is being used, stating that it would become virtually ubiquitous in a few years. Here are the most important takeaways from her conversation. “I think the best thing to kind of keep in mind…

Microsoft plans to launch the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 in a few weeks’ time, boasting a new OLED screen as a key upgrade to the Surface Pro tablet, according to a report. Windows Central, usually a reliable source for Surface leaks, reported that the two Surface devices will launch on March 21. Unsurprisingly, they will include new Core Ultra processors, and also a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite option -- which will also be available to the Surface Laptop 6, which would be a noteworthy…