Computing - Organizer

2:50 am | March 31, 2020

Editor's Note

• Original review date: March 2020
• Launch price: Starts at $1,449 / £1,449 (about AU$2,351)
• Target price now (updated model): Starts at $1,599 / £1,499 (about AU$2,440)

Update – July 2024: Don't panic when you look at those updated prices - the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 we reviewed here is now more than four years old, and the new versions that are currently available have seen a pretty huge redesign as well as a range of more powerful internal configurations.

Still, a lot of the points we loved about this older model continue to ring true, with the new iterations being even thinner than their predecessors while still offering top-notch performance and plenty of bang for your buck. In truth, most of Asus's ROG Zephyrus laptops are worthy of standing among the best gaming laptops.

If you're looking for a great deal on the current-gen ROG Zephyrus G14, you're in luck - we track the best Zephyrus G14 deals month-by-month to help you snag a bargain!

Two minute review

The Asus Zephyrus G14 was the laptop AMD used when it showed the world its Ryzen 4000 processors for gaming laptops, and now we kind of see why. This is a relatively thin and light device that delivers performance and battery life that we've never seen before in this category. Both AMD and Asus knocked it out of the park.

At $1,449 (about £1,170, AU$2,351), the Zephyrus G14 is a bit pricey, but compared to similar systems like the Lenovo Legion Y740, you can get an RTX 2060-equipped model at the same price, but with less RAM and a much weaker processor.

So, really, if you look at that high price tag in another context, Asus is positioning an AMD Ryzen 9-equipped laptop against Intel Core i7 systems that simply cannot compete. Sure, when it comes to design it's not quite as sexy as the MSI GS65 Stealths of the world, but if you're after a gaming system that's both powerful and packed with battery life, you shouldn't be looking at an Intel system right now.

Still, the Asus Zephyrus G14 is limited to an RTX 2060. The level of performance that the processor brings to the table leads us to wonder what a system with a more powerful GPU would be capable of, but at the end of the day, with a 1080p display it's more than enough to max out every single game on the market today – and then some.

As the first gaming laptop out of the gate with AMD's new Ryzen 4000 processors, the Asus Zephyrus G14 has a lot to prove. But in our time with the device, we can definitely see this laptop as a precursor to some of the most incredible laptops in history coming out later in 2020.

Spec sheet

Here are the specs of the Asus Zephyrus G14 sent to TechRadar for review:

CPU: 3.0GHz AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS (8-core, 12MB cache, up to 4.3GHz)
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 (6GB GDDR6)
RAM: 16GB DDR4 (3,200MHz)
Screen: 14-inch Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) IPS, 120Hz
Storage: 1TB SSD (PCIe)
Ports: 2 x USB 3.1 Gen2, HDMI-out, Gigabit Ethernet, 2 x USB 3.2 Gen1, 1 x Mic-in, 1 x Headphone-out
Connectivity: Intel Wi-Fi6 (802.11ax); Bluetooth 5.0
Weight: 3.53 pounds (1.60kg)
Size: 12.75 x 8.82 x 0.70 inches (32.4 x 22.4 x 1.79 cm); W x D x H

Price and availability

Currently, there's only one configuration of the Asus Zephyrus G14 listed on Asus' store page in the US, and it's the same as what's listed to the right. For $1,449 (about £1,170, AU$2,351), you're getting the Ryzen 9 4900HS, 16GB of RAM and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060. But things are a bit more complicated when we look at other territories.

In the UK, there are two models, coming in at £999 and £1,599, but neither of them have quite the same hardware. The £1,599 model is packing an AMD Ryzen 7 4800H, 16GB of RAM and the same GPU, but has a QHD (2,560 x 1,440) display, rather than the FHD 120Hz panel found in the model we reviewed here. The base model in the UK is limited to an AMD Ryzen 5 4600H and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650. We haven't tested a Ryzen 5-equipped laptop yet, so we can't really say whether £999 is a good price for this system. We can say that with just 8GB of RAM, it might be pushing it.

It doesn't look like the Asus Zephyrus G14 is available in Australia quite yet.

There are other configurations on the way, and they should be filtering out by June. But, if you want to get your hands on any of the configurations we explored, you can pre-order the laptop now.

When you look at the Asus Zephyrus G14 specs for the various configurations and how they change so drastically from region to region, making a recommendation is difficult. AMD Ryzen 4000 is a brand new platform, so we can only speak for the model we have in front of us right now. But that configuration is absolutely worth it.

Design

Considering the hardware on offer, the Asus Zephyrus G14 is thinner and lighter than you may expect. Coming in at just 0.7 inches thick and weighing just 3.53 lb, this is extremely portable for a gaming laptop. It's not as thin and light as, say, your average XPS 13, but it doesn't need to be.

Even compared to other thin and light gaming laptops like the Razer Blade 15 and the MSI GS65 Stealth, it's just as thin and even lighter than either of them, thanks to the magnesium alloy-equipped chassis. If you were after a thin and light gaming laptop that'll fit in your bag without weighing you down, the Asus Zephyrus G14 is it.

Being thin and light isn't everything, though, and the laptop needs to hold up elsewhere.

The Asus Zephyrus G14 has a general aesthetic that might be bordering a little much on the capital-G Gamer for some folks, but it's not too bad. The lid of the laptop is divided diagonally, with one half covered in these little dots. There is a version of this laptop that has these light up with white LEDs, and while we've seen that version at a ton of trade shows, that is not present in our review model, so we can't report back what kind of impact this has on usability or battery life.

There are a ton of vents all over the place, along with a very angular look. The way we see it, having all of these vents is ultimately a good thing for a device that's packing hardware on this level. When you're looking for a device to either play the best PC games or get some creative work done, you don't want to run into thermal limits.

The chiclet keyboard is extremely well spaced and comfortable to type on. This is surprising just because of how small of a footprint the device actually has. However, there will likely be some folks that are turned off by the softer feel of the keyboard, as it's not as tactile or clicky as some gaming laptops out there with mechanical keyboards.

What we really like about the keyboard, however is the dedicated buttons at the top. We don't know about you, but the ability to change volume on the fly without messing around with combining the Fn key with one of the Function Keys at the top is a nice touch. There's also a dedicated key for opening Armory Crate, which will let you control system performance and RGB lighting with supported Aura Sync-ready components. This is a nice touch, but because there's no RGB on the system we reviewed, we couldn't use our creativity to really put it to the test. For the record: we want RGB on everything.

The touchpad is generally serviceable. Multi-touch gestures work here, and it's accurate enough – basically it gets the job done. Because this is a gaming laptop and a lot of folks are going to be using this thing with one of the best gaming mice, the touchpad doesn't need to blow anyone's mind. Creative folks who are just after the awesome multi-core performance, however, will be able to get by with this touchpad. But, we recommend a mouse either away.

The display is also pretty amazing for the price you're paying. Sure, it's not one of these 4K OLED panels we're seeing on ultra-premium laptops, but that doesn't matter with the hardware on offer here. You're getting an incredibly solid 1080p display with a blazingly-fast 120Hz refresh rate. The display hits 100% of the sRGB spectrum so it's more than colorful enough for gaming. Plus, at just 14-inches, the display doesn't need to have a higher resolution anyway.

There's a trend in laptops where manufacturers are shoving in super-high-resolution displays, and we don't think it's worth it. You lose out on battery life and most people won't really tell the difference with a laptop this size. Plus, when it's paired with an RTX 2060, you can actually hit that 120Hz while gaming. Which we can.

We were able to play Doom Eternal at 1080p on Ultra Nightmare settings (though just Ultra textures, thanks 6GB frame buffer). Motion was so smooth on this display it feels close enough to playing on our premium gaming monitor.

As for speakers, we have to applaud Asus here: they're not on the bottom of the laptop. We do wish the speakers had a little more oomph to them, as Doom Eternal doesn't sound quite as bombastic as we'd like. Still, plugging in a gaming headset into one of the many ports available remedies that problem.

And when we say there are many ports, we mean there are many. With the Asus Zephyrus G14 you're getting two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A ports and two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports, one of which can be used for charging the laptop. You also get a dedicated charging port, a HDMI and a combo 3.5mm headphone/mic jack. In a laptop that's this easy to carry around, we absolutely adore the wide range of I/O here.

There's only really one thing missing here, but it might be kind of a big deal for certain users: no webcam. Now, we don't think that's a huge deal, as you don't really need a webcam for games unless you're streaming. And even if you are streaming, you're better off with one of the best webcams anyway. There is probably a certain subset of users that are looking to use this laptop for work, and they might run into some issues. Basically, it's just something to keep in mind. If having a built-in webcam is a deal breaker, you might want to look elsewhere.

Benchmarks

Here's how the Asus Zephyrus G14 fared in our suite of benchmark tests:

3DMark Sky Diver: 34,347; Fire Strike: 13,950; Time Spy: 5,872
Cinebench R20: 3,961 cb
Geekbench 4 Single-Core: 5,265; Multi-Core: 29,907
Geekbench 5 Single-Core: 1,202; Multi-Core: 7,815
PCMark 8 Home: 4,692
PCMark 8 Battery Life: 5 hours 37 minutes
Battery Life (TechRadar movie test): 8 hours 10 minutes
Total War: Three Kingdoms: 128fps (1080p, Low) 44fps (1080p Ultra)
Metro Exodus: 115fps (1080p, Low), 38fps (1080p, Ultra)

Performance

Wow, is that AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS something. Packed with 8-cores and 16-threads with a base clock of 3.0GHz and a boost of 4.3GHz, this is a speed monster. In all of our CPU-heavy testing workloads, this processor absolutely smashed the competition.

Even compared to the full-fat and overclockable Intel Core i9-9980HK found in the Alienware m17, we're seeing wins for AMD. For instance, in Cinebench R15, the AMD-powered Zephyrus gets a solid 1,782 points, compared to the Alienware's 1,182. That's a whopping 34% jump in performance, found in a laptop that's literally half the price of the Alienware m17 configuration we reviewed back in December.

The fun doesn't end there. In Geekbench 4 not only does the Zephyrus obviously win the multi-core contest with 29,907 points, beating the Core i9 by 24%, but even comes within margin of error when it comes to its single-core score of 5,265.

A lot of this is possible because of the move down to the 7nm AMD Zen 2 architecture on mobile. This, plus some creative engineering from the folks over at AMD, has allowed this processor to offer truly desktop-class performance on a laptop that weighs just over 3 lb.

But, of course, the Asus Zephyrus G14 is a gaming laptop, so gaming performance is perhaps more important than raw CPU power. And, well, thanks to the RTX 2060 Max-Q included here, the Zephyrus kills it in games too – up to a point.

With a 3DMark Time Spy score of 5,872 and the ability to run Metro Exodus on Ultra settings with a decent 38 fps frame rate, you can expect solid gaming performance here. And, we'll even reiterate: we're able to get a steady 120 fps in the recently-released Doom Eternal.

It's hard to compare this to a similarly specced system with an Intel chip, simply because there aren't a lot of laptops out there that pair an Intel Core i9 processor with the RTX 2060. It's strange that this pairing exists with the Asus Zephyrus G14, but AMD seems committed to avoiding the high-end of the market for now, so hopefully we'll be able to see exactly where these chips line up in terms of gaming with future systems – we'd love to see a gaming laptop with a Ryzen 9 and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080, and we don't think we're alone in that.

Battery life

AMD Ryzen 4000 CPU performance is definitely a huge reason to pick this laptop up, but battery life is far more interesting. But first, a bit of background.

Generally speaking, when it comes to gaming laptops, we've got to a point where we don't even expect them to break three or four hours of juice. If we're lucky, we'll see a gaming laptop hit 5 hours, but it's incredibly rare that we'll ever see one that you can use to work all day away from a charger.

Those days are over.

In our movie test, where we loop 1080p video back to back, the Asus Zephyrus G14 lasted an incredible 8 hours and 10 minutes. The HP Elite Dragonfly, a laptop that is sold based on its battery life scores 8 hours and 11 minutes in the same test. Plus, that's with a CPU that has less than half the TDP of the AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS – and with no dedicated GPU, either.

In the PCMark8 battery test, the Asus Zephyrus G14 scores 4 hours and 47 minutes. To put it in perspective with recent gaming laptops, the amazing Alienware m15 R2 only manages 2 hours and 45 minutes in that test.

We have never seen a gaming laptop that can reach this level of battery life or even anywhere near it. AMD has made some bold claims about Ryzen 4000 battery life, and it actually delivered. Intel should be taking notes right now.

Software and features

There are really only three pieces of software that Asus includes on the Zephyrus G14. ROG Game Visual, Armory Crate and GameFirst VI. All three of these pieces of software let you tinker with how the laptop performs. Game Visual lets you tinker with the display, swapping between different presets and allowing you to adjust color temperature.

GameFirst VI will help you optimize your network for online gaming, even helping you sniff out the strongest network in your proximity. We're in the middle of New York City, which means that the screen showing all the networks looks wild, but if you're in a home with access to multiple networks, this will help you pick the right one.

Then, Armory Crate lets you tinker with basically everything else. Through this software you can adjust everything from fan speed to RGB (through connected peripherals, there is no RGB built into the laptop). There's even a tab that will scan your computer for installed games and let you launch them from there, without worrying about sorting through the dozens of PC game services that we have to live with these days.

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Check out our Asus coupon codes for the latest savings and deals.

Microsoft Surface Pro X review

9:22 pm | November 21, 2019

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops | Tags: Battery Life, CPU, RAM, Surface Pro | Comments: Off

Editor's Note

• Original review date: November 2019
• Launch price: $999 (£999, AU$1,699)
• More modern Surface devices are much more successful

Update – September 2024: In many ways, the Surface Pro X was ahead of its time. When it launched in 2019 it was notable for coming with a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, based on Arm technology, rather than the Intel hardware previous Surfaces came with. Unfortunately, back then, support for Arm hardware within Windows wasn't very good, and that meant the Surface Pro X felt underpowered and over priced, especially as many popular Windows 11 apps couldn't run on the device. These days, however, Arm-based Windows laptops are much more popular, thanks to Microsoft's Copilot+ PC initiative, which has seen the company, along with the likes of Asus, HP and Dell, release laptops like the Surface Pro 11 and Dell XPS 13 (2024), that come with Arm-based chips with specialist NPUs (Neural Processing Units) that are designed to perform AI tasks. While the Surface Pro X ended up being a noble failure, many of these new Copilot+ PCs are truly excellent devices, and many have started to appear on our best laptops of 2024 list.

Original review follows.

Two Minute Review

The Microsoft Surface Pro X is an undoubtedly stellar looking and feeling tablet. Microsoft’s newest attempt at an ARM-based Surface Pro device could have been impressive as well. It even boasts Microsoft’s first-ever original processor, the SQ1, which it co-developed with Qualcomm.

However, it unfortunately falls short of expectations. We’re more than a little let down by a few key Pro X design choices. Particularly, this tablet/laptop hybrid doesn’t have an audio jack, and its battery life, while decent, is subpar compared to predecessors and contemporaries. And, that’s without getting into the pricing.

At first glance, the Surface Pro X's price tag might seem rather appealing, especially next to some of its rivals. However, in reality, it's simply too pricey for the level of performance you’re getting. All told, we find the Surface Pro X hard to recommend for most people.

Microsoft Surface Pro X review — All Surface Pro X models include Microsoft’s Qualcomm Snapdragon-based processor and the 13-inch PixelSense touch display. (Image credit: Future)

Spec Sheet

Here is the Surface Pro X configuration sent to TechRadar for review:

CPU: 3.0GHz Microsoft SQ1 (based on Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx; octa-core)
Graphics: Qualcomm Adreno 680 GPU
RAM: 16GB LPDDR4x (2,133MHz)
Screen: 13-inch 2,880 x 1,920 (267 ppi) PixelSense display (3:2; 450 nits)
Storage: 256GB SSD
Ports: 2 x USB-C 3.1; Surface Connect port; nano SIM slot
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac); Bluetooth 5.0; Snapdragon X24 LTE modem
Cameras: 5.0MP webcam (1080p video; Windows Hello); 10.0MP rear camera (1080p/4K video; autofocus)
Weight: 1.7 pounds ( 774g)
Size: 11.3 x 8.2 x 0.28 inches (287x 208 x 7.3 mm; W x D x H)

Price and availability

The price of entry into Microsoft’s future-gazing Surface Pro X is $999 (£999, AU$1,699) – that gets you 8GB of memory (RAM) and a 128GB solid-state drive (SSD). You can double the storage, which ups the price to $1,299 (£1,269, AU$2,149), and double the RAM (16GB) with a 512GB SSD, which costs $1,799 (£1,819, AU$2,899).

All Surface Pro X models include Microsoft’s Qualcomm Snapdragon-based, 3.0GHz SQ1 system-on-a-chip (SoC) processor, as well as the 13-inch, 2,880 x 1,920-pixel (267 pixels per inch) PixelSense touch display in the signature 3:2 aspect ratio.

You already know the kicker, don’t you? That’s right, these prices do not include the Type Cover with the stowable and automatically charging Surface Slim Pen. That will cost you an additional $269 (£259, AU$429).

This means that the cheapest version of the complete Surface Pro X experience will cost you $1,269 in the US to start. That’s for the bare minimum of acceptable memory and storage these days, meanwhile a Surface Pro 7 goes for nearly $150 less and will get you a much stronger Intel Core i5 (Ice Lake) processor.

While the Surface Pro X is certainly an expensive device, it's price starts to look a little more tempting when compared to its chief rival: the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. That starts at $999 (£999, AU$1,699) for half as much storage (64GB), with a similarly-sharp display and just one USB-C port.

Its keyboard accessory costs an exorbitant $199 (£199, AU$299), while the tablet’s Apple Pencil goes for another $129 (£119, AU$199). All told, that’s $1,329 in the US to get a comparable experience to the complete Surface Pro X.

So, unless you have a very specific use case that only the Surface Pro X can solve, there are a number of far more powerful, versatile and feature-rich (even thin-and-light) laptops out there for similar prices – just check out our best 2-in-1 laptops and best tablets with keyboards buying guides for some brilliant alternatives.

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The Surface Pro X feels just as pleasing and accurate to doodle and draw with. (Image credit: Future)

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The Surface Pro X simply trims and rounds out the classic yet dated Surface Pro design. (Image credit: Future)

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The new Type Cover is comfortable and impressively accurate for a keyboard cover. (Image credit: Future)

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The tablet feels impressively light, and slips easily into almost any bag – even with the Type Cover attached. (Image credit: Future)

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The stylus is now flatter than before in order to accommodate the new storing and charging functions. (Image credit: Future)

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The Surface Pro X has gained not one, but two USB-C ports. (Image credit: Future)

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The Surface Pro X has a 13-inch 2,880 x 1,920-pixel PixelSense touch display. (Image credit: Future)

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The new Type Cover bounces under key presses more noticeably than before. (Image credit: Future)

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The Surface Pro X looks and feels thinner, lighter and better than previous Surface Pro models. (Image credit: Future)

Design

The Surface Pro X simply trims and rounds out the classic yet dated Surface Pro design, bringing down its thinness and weight even further. Specifically, the Pro X measures 11.3 x 8.2 x 0.28 inches (287 x 208 x 7.3mm) and weighs 1.7 pounds (774g).

The tablet feels impressively light, and slips easily into almost any bag – even with the Type Cover attached. Microsoft has also eliminated the hard angles of the classic Surface Pro design, giving the Pro X a much more rounded and modern look and feel that's closer to that of a smartphone.

We appreciate these subtle design changes that make the Surface Pro X feel more like an iPhone XR than a Windows tablet – which is a compliment.

There’s just one color option for the Surface Pro X: a matte black aluminum finish paired with a black Type Cover that drops the Alcantara fabric, and that’s unfortunate. This is certainly a sleek and unassuming look, to be sure, so it’s not all that bad.

However, we have one massive problem with the Surface Pro X design. While it has gained not one, but two USB-C ports, there is no headphone jack on the tablet. This is essentially a $1,300 Windows laptop (after all, Microsoft claims that this tablet can replace your laptop) with no 3.5mm audio support.

We know that the iPad Pro has also dropped the headphone jack, and folks didn’t break a sweat over that. However, no one in their right mind seriously expects a laptop experience from an iPad, while that’s exactly what we’ve been trained to expect from a Surface Pro. This is a major detraction in our book, and should be rectified in any followup device that Microsoft produces.

As for typing on the new Type Cover, it’s plenty comfortable and impressively accurate for a keyboard cover, though it does bounce under key presses more noticeably than before. We also appreciate the ergonomic angle staying with the new stowaway barrel for the Surface Pen Slim.

While we’re at it, let’s discuss the Surface Pen Slim. The stylus is now flatter than before in order to accommodate the new storing and charging functions. However, it feels just as pleasing and accurate to doodle and draw with. All of the standard pressure sensitivity is present, and the display's palm rejection is still spot-on.

As for that display, it is a 13-inch PixelSense touchscreen with a 2,880 x 1,920 resolution (267 pixels per inch) and a 3:2 aspect ratio. This is a simply gorgeous screen with excellent color, and it's also impressively bright at 450 nits.

Honestly, we’re left a little puzzled by the Surface Pro X design. It certainly looks and feels thinner, lighter and better than previous Surface Pro models. However, it dropped the headphone jack to achieve that thinness, and that’s a really tough pill to swallow.

Performance

We’re getting similar vibes from the Surface Pro X’s power profile that we are from its design: some big sacrifices were made in the name of thinness, lightness and lasting power. Here’s the kicker: the latter point doesn’t even see a huge improvement.

Benchmarks

Here’s how the Surface Pro X performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

PCMark 8 Home: Unable to run
3DMark: Unable to run
Geekbench 4 (Single-Core): 3,563; (Multi-Core): 11,769
Cinebench: Unable to run
PCMark 8 Battery Life: Unable to run
TechRadar Battery Life Test: 7 hours and 54 minutes

Unfortunately, because of the ARM-based SoC, we were only able to run Geekbench and our video-based battery rundown test on the Surface Pro X. That’s at least enough for us to compare it against its number one rival, the iPad Pro.

So, how does Qualcomm’s 7-nanometer SoC compare against the Apple A12X Bionic? Well, it gets trounced, to be frank. We’ve seen the latest 12.9-inch iPad Pro achieve numbers 40% to 50% higher than the Surface Pro X in the Geekbench 4 single- and- multi-core tests.

Granted, these are two different operating systems (OS), but both processors were designed specifically to perform within their respective OSes, so that explanation doesn’t fly these days.

While day-to-day tasks, like checking your emails, browsing the web and creating documents in Microsoft Office, ran pretty well on the Surface Pro X, trying to do anything more strenuous than that could cause problems. You might get away with editing photos and other images on this tablet via Photoshop, but that’s about it.

Microsoft Surface Pro X — The Surface Pro X battery life is undoubtedly long. (Image credit: Future)

Battery life

Microsoft promises up to 13 hours of mixed usage time for the Surface Pro X, touted as one of the tablet’s most appealing features due to its new ARM-based silicon. Well, we’re sad to say that this hasn’t panned out in our testing.

The Surface Pro X did last longer than the Surface Pro 7 (6 hours and 2 minutes) in our video rundown battery test, but the older Surface Pro 6 (8 hours and 45 minutes) lasted nearly an hour longer than this version.

This is more than likely due to the even sharper display within the Surface Pro X than its two predecessors, not to mention brand new silicon compared to the umpteenth iteration of the 14nm Intel processor in the Surface Pro 6.

In the end, while the Surface Pro X battery life is undoubtedly long, it’s just not as long as Microsoft’s Pro 6, which holds the crown for longest lasting Surface Pro tablet to date.

Software and features

As with every Surface that has preceded it, the Surface Pro X isn’t feature-rich nor are there many key pieces of software to discuss – in fact, many apps aren’t supported at all, due to the underlying processor architecture – which has its ups and downs. The major benefit here is that there is basically no bloatware on this tablet at all, as it’s sold directly by Microsoft.

Another gain is the Windows Hello facial recognition, using the tablet’s infrared camera next to its webcam, and is as quick and accurate as before. Just as they have before, we can open the tablet from its Type Cover and it’s already logged us into Windows 10. Talk about instant-on performance.

That said, this Surface in particular has the added benefit of optional LTE connectivity through a nanoSIM slot. This makes for an always-connected device, but will cost additional cash on a monthly basis. It’s up to you whether this feature is worthwhile, but we’ll keep on tethering on our laptops via our iPhone.

Buy it if...

You want the thinnest, lightest Surface yet
If portability is your chief concern in buying a new laptop, then consider the Pro X for sure. This is the thinnest, lightest Surface to date, making the ultimate Surface Pro for frequent travelers and others who simply appreciate these kinds of devices.

You want LTE baked into a laptop
If you absolutely must have instant LTE connectivity from a tablet and are willing to pay extra for that, then the Surface Pro X might be for you. This turns the Pro X into a more smartphone-like experience in that it is truly always connected, but it’s also additional cash.

Don’t buy it if…

You want the most powerful Surface Pro
Despite Microsoft’s team up with Qualcomm for its unique SQ1 processor, we’re not seeing better numbers from this tablet versus the Surface Pro 7. That’s a real shame, but again the focus here is portability.

You want the longest lasting Surface Pro
In spite of Microsoft’s promises, the Pro X is not the longest lasting tablet of this year (much less last year). We chalk this up to the upgraded display resolution and new silicon that isn’t as widely tested or established.

Get the best deal on you next Microsoft product with our Microsoft coupon codes.

Sejda PDF editor review

5:51 pm | September 25, 2019

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Creative Software Gadgets Software | Tags: PDF | Comments: Off

Sejda is a PDF editor that comes in free and paid-for versions, as well as online and desktop editions. The web and desktop interfaces look remarkably similar, and in fact the major difference here is that the Desktop version handles all of the processing locally rather than in the cloud – files never leave your computer, which will appeal to the security conscious.

That sounds great to us, but how does it compare to the best free PDF editor and best PDF editor software out there? We put the latest version to the test.

Sedja: Pricing & plans

You have access to Sejda’s arsenal of tools for free - but are laden with severe limitations. To remove them, get a subscription

Although you have access to all available tools with the free version, some severe limitations are applied to the service. For instance, you’re restricted to only being able to perform three tasks per day, can’t work with files larger than 50MB or 200 pages, can only OCR ten pages, and can only convert one file at a time.

If you want to remove these restrictions, getting a subscription is the way to go. Prices vary depending on how long you wish your contract to last. One week will cost you $5, a recurring monthly contract will set you back $7.50, and for a recurring yearly one, that’s $63.

You can try out Sejda by clicking here.

Sejda: Interface

Sejda PDF editor during our review — Sejda has many tools available, and its search feature makes it easy to highlight the one you’re looking for (Image credit: Sejda)

The interface is simple, with some nice features, including instructions on how each tool works just below the tool itself

Sejda’s available tools are sorted by categories on the main page, which you can scroll through. Alternatively, going to the menu bar at the top of the page and clicking on ‘All Tools’, will not only showcase them in a smaller, condensed format, allowing you to see more of them in one go, but you’ll also find a search field at the bottom, helping you find what you’re after quicker.

We did appreciate the fact that as you select a tool, you’ll see at the bottom of the page instructions on how to use it. It’s a great way to get to grips with how Sejda works, while also not getting in the way, once you know your way around, although do note that these instructions only appear on the webpages, and don’t feature in the desktop version.

Score: 3.5/5

Sejda: Tools

The gamut of the usual range of tools for such a service are available for you to choose from, and work with

The tools at your disposal will be familiar to anyone who’s explored such online PDF services before. You’re able to merge and split PDFs, delete pages, rearrange others, convert files from PDF to other formats, and vice versa, number pages, resize them, extract images, create bookmarks and edit a document’s metadata, among many others.

More advanced tools are also available such as watermarking a file, password protecting it, filling in and signing a form, and of course, being able to edit a PDF.

Score: 4/5

Sejda: Editing

Although you can edit a PDF’s existing text, you’re restricted to altering each line individually, making it tricky to rewrite a paragraph

Sejda’s editing capabilities are quite extensive, and in fact you gain access to additional tools within it, enabling you to do most of your editing in one place. For instance, you’re also able to fill in forms, sign a document, and even whiteout sections right from here. Do be aware however that whiteout is not the same as a proper redaction tool: the former’s hidden text can still be selected, whereas the latter won’t be - if you need to remove sensitive data, don’t use the whiteout tool; Sedja does not appear to have a redaction tool.

In addition to that, you have annotation tools to write notes, or even insert shapes. You can add or delete existing images, create new text boxes, and perhaps more crucially, edit a PDF’s existing text. This is great in many ways but there are some strong limitations, especially compared to other competing services. Take I Love PDF for instance: its PDF editing prowess is much greater. Not only can you move existing text boxes and images around, but I Love PDF is able to recognise entire sections of text as belonging together, making it much easier to rewrite paragraphs. With Sejda, the layout is fixed, and you can only select one line of text at a time. If your needs are simple, like fixing a typo, this is fine, but should you have to rewrite an entire section, this becomes a bit of a nightmare as the new text doesn’t flow to the next existing line, but instead creates an entirely new one, overlapping on top of any other already existing text, which you then have to select and delete. This also can affect line spacing, potentially making a mess of the page layout - unless you decide to select each line individually as you edit, which is really a very frustrating way to edit text.

Score: 3/5

Should I try Sejda PDF editor?

Try it if...

You need to work with PDF files, make simple edits, extract pages, delete others, and move from one format to another, all within a simple clean interface.

Don't try it if...

You have more extensive editing needs, or are looking for a proper way to redact information.

For more PDF tools, we reviewed the best Adobe Acrobat alternatives.

HandBrake review

7:17 pm | February 23, 2018

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Creative Software Gadgets Software | Comments: Off

Originally a Mac-only title, HandBrake ultimately made its way to PC users where it found an audience eager to lap up its capabilities.

At its heart, this is a video encoding tool, and this includes the ability to rip DVDs – as long as they aren’t copy protected. In fact, this is the best free video converters and best free DVD ripper right now. However, it's the video conversion side of things that we're interested in. If your needs are more complex take a look at our guide to the best free video editing software.

Getting the software couldn’t be easier: visit handbrake.fr, and download the version that matches your operating system. As of this writing, version 1.9.0 is compatible with MacOS 10.13 and later, Windows 10 and later, and 64-bit Linux.

HandBrake: Interface

HandBrake during our review process — Curious what your conversion will look like? HandBrake offers 10 thumbnails taken through the video’s runtime; it even allows you to check a live preview (Image credit: HandBrake)

It’s as simple as you need it to be, or a complex as you can handle

You can’t do much with the interface itself until you’ve given it a video to analyse. Now we ourselves have accumulated a fair number of clips over the years, videos whose formats used to be the default but have been cruelly abandoned and discarded over time. Well, we found that HandBrake was able to breathe new life into these vintage clips, reformatting them into something more suitable for today. But HandBrake is also just as adept at taking any current video, and reformatting it for a specific audience, be it for the web, for YouTube, for your Playstation, or even for more high-end professional formats. So click on ‘Open Source’, choose a video file you have at hand and let’s see how HandBrake performs.

If you’re new to HandBrake, the myriad of options can feel daunting. After all you’ve got a Summary tab, one for Dimensions, Filters, Video, Audio, etc, each with a slew of parameters. It’s easy to think this is not the software for you.

However, although HandBrake was designed with versatility at the forefront, giving the user as much control as possible, the open source designers were wise enough to realise not everyone wants or even needs such power. With that in mind, there’s a handy ‘Preset’ button, near the top right of the interface.

Click on it and you’ll find a very generous list of ready-made presets, which should cater for anyone’s needs. However, don’t feel you’re stuck between having to choose a template, or have to tweak the settings from scratch on your lonesome: once a preset has been chosen, you’re free to make alterations to its settings, and better yet, you can then save these changes as your very own preset, which you can use over and over again. Although be aware: HandBrake doesn’t explain the video encoding terminology, so if you’re unfamiliar with the jargon, you're going to have to do a little research before you’ll feel confident to tweak some of the obscure settings on offer.

We very much appreciated the fact that when you next launch HandBrake, the last configuration you used is the one already selected, so once you’ve found the combination that works best for you, you don’t really need to touch anything, just load up a video, click on ‘Start’, and job done.

Before long, as you get comfortable with the interface, and you’re happy with the results you’re achieving, you'll be adding subtitles and editing sound settings in addition to the main video-related options.

Interface: 4/5

HandBrake: Documentation

The online documentation is kept up to date, and will help you understand how the software works

All this is great when you’re used to HandBrake, but what do you do until you do? Well, the community hasn’t let you down: if you go to their website, you’ll find a ‘Docs’ menu. Within that is the documentation for the latest version (and a few older ones) in English (there’s also a German page, but sadly it hasn’t been updated since version 1.3, and don’t even ask about other languages).

The instructions are clear, but can also feel a bit cold and technical. Still they go guide you through the basics, like how to load a new video, to more advanced features, such as adjusting the quality of your output. It should help you understand how the software works and how you can make the most of it.

Documentation: 4/5

HandBrake: Converting

Even though it’s free, HandBrake is fast and delivers high quality reformats, as well as being an adept multitasker

You’ll find HandBrake is incredibly versatile, not to mention fast. As video encoding can be a time-consuming process, it's good to see that there's a queuing feature, and the batch conversion tool can be used to encode a folder full of videos in one fell swoop. It became our go-to conversion program when we realised the quality of its output, not to mention its sheer speed, rivalled those of ‘professional’ alternatives - ie, those you have to pay for.

If there’s one downside, aside from its steep learning curve, is the fact that this is a community-lead open source project, and this means updates don’t come on a regular basis. However, we found HandBrake is already an incredibly powerful and stable piece of software: it has never crashed on us and we’ve been using it for well over a decade.

The software is also well designed enough that it can multitask: you’re able to load others, choose different presets, make alterations, type in information, check the preview section, add clips to the queue, all while it works in the background.

One thing to bear in mind though: it uses up a lot of processing power. Now this is great of course, as it means the reformatting will be done quicker, but it also means you’ll notice a noticeable lag with anything else you do on your machine which is also processor intensive.

Converting: 5/5

Should I buy?

Buy it if...

You need to alter the format of your videos, or resurrect old clips whose format has fallen out of favour these days, and your budget is non-existent.View Deal

Don't buy it if...

You’re intimidated by a seemingly overly complex interface which throws far too many parameters your way, and would rather pay than use open source software.View Deal

Freemake Video Converter review

2:30 pm | January 10, 2018

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Creative Software Gadgets Software | Comments: Off

FreeMake Video Converter is enormously popular, with over 103 million users. Its name implies that it only encodes videos into different formats – and it does that very well – but it's also capable of converting audio files and images, and ripping unprotected DVDs.

Freemake Video Converter provides a good selection of output options, including AVI, WMV, MPG and MP4. It can also burn videos to DVD or Blu-ray, and has preset profiles for games consoles, smartphones and tablets. You can even export the video straight to YouTube (if you need even more tools, take a look at our roundup of the best free video editing software).

There are two ways to make use of Freemake Video Converter: through a dedicated, Windows-only app, or via a webpage. We’ll explore both here.

Freemake Video Converter: Pricing & plans

Freemake Video Converter during our review process — Your output will be prominently watermarked - unless you pay, of course (Image credit: Freemake)

You can opt for a subscription or a one-time purchase, and it also unlocks more powerful features… but why call an app ‘Freemake’ if it isn’t really free?

Despite its name, Freemake isn’t actually free - you'll want to check out our round-up of the best free video converters for that. Sure, you can use it without paying, but the large watermark in the centre of the screen totally prevents you from using the output, even for casual purposes. So, you have to fork out some dosh.

The cheapest way to do it is paying less than $1 for a week’s access. This removes the watermark and the speed throttling, but you gain nothing else.

A yearly subscription of $70 introduces full HD support, being able to convert embedded videos via their URL, additional presets for TV and DVD, and more. And if the idea of getting yet another subscription doesn’t appeal, there’s also a lifetime one-off price of $100 (currently reduced to $60), offering the same features as those found with the subscription.

Pricing & plans: 3/5

Freemake Video Converter: Windows App

The app’s name makes you think this is free software - although you can use it for free, its speed is deliberately throttled and a massive watermark is plastered over the output, rendering it pretty much useless outside of a ‘try before you buy’ concept

You can grab a copy of Freemake Video Converter (currently at version 4.1.12 at time of review) by clicking here. No need to log in, or give your credit card details, or anything; just click, download, install, and you’re good to go.

Prior to converting a file, you have the option of turning Freemake Video Converter into a very rudimentary editor by trimming any clip you’ve loaded into the app. This could certainly be of use if you only wish to keep a section of the file you’ve chosen, but there isn’t much else there to do.

To convert a file from your PC or a DVD, simply select the appropriate button from the list along the top, then pick an output format from the one at the bottom. Options include current formats, such as the ubiquitous MP4, to others we thought had been laid to rest years ago, such as 3GP and SWF. There’s also a range of presets to convert your file for Apple devices, Androids, Samsung, and… BlackBerry (is anyone really still using that one?).

Each destination comes with a handful of preconfigured settings from which you can choose the one will do the job for you. If none appeal, ‘Add your preset’ will grant you access to all changeable parameters to customise the output as you require.

Be aware that not all formats can be read by Freemake Video Converter. In fact we found some ancient ones (which HandBrake, a competing converter, had no problem with), turned out to not be compatible with the software. But more recent ones, even some over 20 years old, were fine.

When you’re ready and click on the ‘Convert’ button, you’ll realise Freemake isn’t as free as its name implies. The first clue is the fact it’ll add a large watermark all over your converted file by default… unless you pay. If a watermark isn’t an concern for you (even though it’s a pretty darn big one), the next clue is the throttled process. That’s right: the conversion is deliberated slowed down… unless you pay…

Windows app: 2.5/5

Freemake Video Converter: Online app

No changeable parameters: choose the format you want and hit convert. We were able to do this with video files from our own library, but YouTube URLs just refused to work for us

Accessing the online service is done through a different URL, which we actually couldn’t find through Freemake’s main page, but it exists nonetheless: You can check it out by clicking here

Here, as you’d expect, there’s no need to download any software: everything is handled through your browser. You can upload a file from your computer, or paste the URL of a YouTube video.

By default the format Freemake Video Converter will use is MP4, but you’ve got a choice of 15 others. You cannot however access or modify any parameters: you choose MP4, for instance, and that’s it. No tweaking, no fine tuning, no nothing.

Click on ‘Convert Now’ and the online Freemake Video Converter service will get to work… except it wouldn’t for us. For YouTube videos at least. No matter what we tried, we ended up staring at a blank page. Nothing happened.

Thankfully, compatible files from our own computer worked just fine. On the plus side, the conversion was quick, ie, we didn’t notice any speed throttling as was so obvious using the software we’d installed on our Windows PC. And lastly, no watermark. The output’s quality was excellent.

So if you’re looking for a free service that can convert your video files into some other formats, is quick, has no watermark, and doesn’t offer you any parameters to tweak and alter, then the online version of Freemake Video Converter is the way to go.

Online app: 3/5

Should I buy Freemake Video Converter?

Buy it if...

You need a conversion tool with the ability to either choose a format preset or change the parameters as you please, with a very simple user interface.View Deal

Don't buy it if...

If you just want to use the online service… or if you know of other software that does the same job - and sometimes more - and is completely free (like HandBrake).View Deal

For more creative tools, we reviewed the best video editing software and the best video editing apps.

Cobian Backup and Cobian Reflector review

6:10 pm | October 23, 2017

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Computing Components Gadgets Storage & Backup | Comments: Off

The current state of Cobian Backup and Cobian Reflector

What Cobian Backup and Cobian Reflector lack in appealing aesthetics and instant allure, it more than makes up for in terms of powerful options.

That’s no real surprise when you realize that this app comes from a sole developer, Luis Cobian, rather than a software house with the resources to make an app both powerful and pretty.

It’s also no shock when you realize that Cobian Backup and its successor, Cobian Reflector, are freeware, too, so these apps very much prize function over form.

Cobian Backup began life in 2000, and it’s still available – although the last update was released in July 2024. Cobian Reflector, its successor, was first released in 2021 and also last updated in July 2024, but the future of the app is uncertain as the developer, Luis Cobian, is unsure about whether to continue the project.

For now, though, Cobian Backup and Reflector are still available and extremely viable options for home and SMB backups.

Plans & pricing

Cobian Backup and Cobian Reflector are both freeware, so you don’t have to pay a penny.

That said, it’s possible to donate to the developer on Cobian’s website. If you’re a power user or a big fan and choose to donate, who knows – it may help convince Cobian to keep working on this app.

Features

Cobian Backup and Reflector both have similar feature sets. They’re specific backup apps without the extra features you’ll find elsewhere, like options to create bootable media, wipe drives or manage your PC.

Cobian Backup allows users to back up files, folders, directories or entire disks to any local or FTP destination, and it’s packed with scheduling options – you can choose to backup on particular days of the week or days of the month or when your PC turns on.

There are compression options, up to 256-bit encryption available to protect backups, and you can filter to include or exclude files and specify pre- or post-backup events for extra customization. That’s ideal if you want to script or customize backups, or run them in conjunction with other tools.

Cobian Backup also has modules to decrypt and decompress your backups, wipe files securely, and manage backups remotely.

Scheduling a task in Cobian Backup — (Image credit: Cobian)

Switch over to Cobian Reflector and you’ll find a similar suite of features with improvements throughout.

In Reflector you can choose from full, incremental and differential backups, and more scheduling options help users take full advantage of incremental backups. Encryption has been improved, with compression and password options available, and there are more filtering options.

Reflector also now includes tools for database optimization and file repair alongside all of the modules that were available in Cobian Backup. It also has decompression and decryption options that weren’t present in Cobian Backup, which is a boon for restoring preserved files.

Business users will be pleased to see options to run either app as a service or using System or standard user accounts, and you can back up to your network – handy for those using NAS devices.

For home and SMB backups, it has a solid range of features, especially for a freeware app. But open up a paid-for rival, like tools from EaseUS or Paragon, and you’ll find options to back up entire operating systems, data from specific apps, or smartphones. It’s also common to find tools to clone drives, create bootable media, and mount or unmount images.

Still, Cobian Backup and Reflector are both free apps, so it’s worth tempering your expectations and remembering that both offer an excellent range of core functionality.

Interface & use

Cobian Reflector's main interface — (Image credit: Cobian)

Cobian Backup and Reflector both have straightforward, unfussy interfaces. At the top of each app is a large row of icons for starting, pausing, creating and cancelling backup jobs, and a big icon for the options menu.

On the left is a pane with your list of tasks, and if you click those tasks, a pane on the right shows its properties. If you run a backup, its progress is shown in that pane on the right-hand side, and a graphical representation of its progress appears at the bottom of the window.

Opt to create a new backup, and a wizard-style window will guide you through the process, from files and destinations to archival, filtering, and encryption settings.

It’s straightforward, and Cobian Reflector uses the same system – albeit with a slightly cleaner and updated visual style.

We tested our latest slate of backup apps with a 42GB document folder, a 2.5GB spreadsheet folder, a 162GB folder of media and an 82GB file that mixes all of those file types. We backed them up to three different SSDs to weed out any inconsistency.

These two apps may be free, but they’re not fast. Cobian Backup averaged just over 90 minutes to back up those document folders, which was the slowest result across the nearly 20 apps in our latest testing slate. Its Excel and mixed media results of 51 minutes 26 seconds and 73 minutes 46 seconds aren’t much better.

Strangely, Cobian Backup’s media average of 11 minutes and 12 seconds was actually one of the best in our tests, which indicates that this app performs better when working with a smaller number of large files than with many tiny files.

Cobian Reflector performed similarly in the media test, with an average of 13 minutes and 1 second. Its Document performance also improved with a mid-table average of 19 minutes 28 seconds. But its Excel and mixed folder performance didn’t improve when compared to the original Cobian Backup.

Both of Cobian’s apps are among the slowest in our tests, with media performance the only highlight. That bodes well for media backups and it’s understandable from a one-person band software house and free pieces of software.

Support

Perhaps understandably for free software, there are no extensive support options available for Cobian Backup or Reflector.

Emailing the developer directly is possible, but it’s unclear if that will bear much fruit since the project appears to be in limbo. If you’re having trouble with either of Cobian’s apps, your best bet is to head to the forum and ask the experts, even if the forum doesn’t seem to be particularly active.

Competition

Cobian Backup and Reflector are not the only free backup software options if you want to preserve your files: EaseUS ToDo Backup, FBackup and Paragon Backup & Recovery all have free versions too.

Those apps tend to have a similar set of features to Cobian’s tools, but they excel in other areas, with slicker user interfaces and more accessible support options – even if you sometimes have to see adverts when you use the apps.

They’re often faster, too. FBackup is faster with documents, spreadsheets and mixed files, but slower with media. EaseUS and Paragon’s apps are far quicker in every category.

Verdict

Cobian Backup and Reflector are straightforward, effective backup tools with every key option that home users and small businesses need, and their interfaces ensure that they are easy to use. The free cost can’t be discounted, either.

But if you’re after free backup tools, there are faster options elsewhere – Cobian’s tools only offer effective speed if you’re preserving media files. Those alternatives also have more accessible support options.

Cobian Backup and Reflector are effective free backup tools, especially if you’re more comfortable navigating old-school software designs that hark back to the earlier days of Windows. But other free rivals are faster, and Cobian’s uncertain future means it may not be the best long-term solution.

WPS Office Free review

7:00 pm | August 17, 2017

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Office Suites Software | Comments: Off

WPS Office Free is a remarkable Microsoft Office alternative, replicating its overall appearance and fundamental functionalities. It offers a word processor, presentation software, and spreadsheet, and all are freely accessible, albeit with some advertising tied to specific features. Notably, this office suite exhibits seamless compatibility with Microsoft document formats, providing a seamless user experience.

The cloud integration is a truly remarkable feature of this software. While the 1GB of free storage space may appear limited at first glance, it can actually be incredibly useful for storing a variety of small files, especially text documents. These documents, such as notes, reports, articles, and scripts, typically don't require a lot of storage space. With 1GB of free cloud storage, you can easily store a significant number of text files without worrying about running out of space.

Then, there’s also the portability and accessibility, which allows you to access your text documents from anywhere with an internet connection. This means you can work on, edit, and share your documents from any device, whether it's your laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

We also appreciate the collaboration and sharing as the cloud also facilitates seamless collaboration on text documents. You can easily share your documents with colleagues, friends, or family members, allowing for real-time editing and feedback.

Finally, there is the backup and data protection for storing your text documents in the cloud that provides an extra layer of protection against data loss due to accidental deletion, hardware failure, or device theft. Your files are securely stored in the cloud, ensuring that you can recover them if needed.

Overall, while 1GB of free storage may seem limited for storing large files like videos or audio, it's an incredibly valuable asset for managing and storing text documents. With the cloud integration, you can enjoy the convenience of accessing, editing, sharing, and protecting your text documents from anywhere, anytime.

Other enhancements, like converting PDF files into Word format, elevate WPS Office Free above other free office suites. Additionally, its remarkably low system requirements make it exceptionally suitable for installation on even the oldest Windows PCs.

For those who prefer working on the go and utilizing cloud storage, this software suite offers iOS, Android, and Linux versions. With a wide range of supported languages, it provides incredible versatility.

WPS Office Free: User experience

If you're accustomed to Microsoft Office's recent iterations, WPS Office Free will instantly feel like home. Its intuitive ribbon interface and well-organized tools and options mirror those of Microsoft Office, making it easy to transition between the two. The thoughtful design ensures that you won't spend an eternity searching for the setting or tool you need. Moreover, with its light system requirements, even users with older or less powerful computers can experience swift performance and smooth operation.

Key features of WPS Office Free's interface include:

A clean and modern design that is easy on the eyes.
A ribbon interface that organizes tools and options into logical groups, making it easy to find what you need.
A customizable Quick Access Toolbar that allows you to tailor the software to your specific needs.
A status bar that provides information about the current document, such as the page number, word count, and language.
A help system that provides comprehensive documentation and tutorials.

WPS Office Free's interface is designed to be efficient and user-friendly, allowing you to focus on your work without having to worry about the software getting in your way.

The only downside to WPS Office Free is the occasional advertisements that must be endured to gain temporary access to certain features. However, this is a small price to pay for an otherwise exceptional software suite.-----While WPS Office Free offers a plethora of impressive features, there is one minor drawback that users may encounter. Occasionally, advertisements may appear, requiring users to watch them in order to gain temporary access to certain premium features. While this may be inconvenient at times, it's important to consider that WPS Office Free is a freemium software suite, meaning that it provides a substantial range of features without requiring a monetary investment. In the grand scheme of things, enduring the occasional advertisement seems like a small price to pay for an otherwise exceptional software suite.

It's worth noting that the advertisements in WPS Office Free are generally unobtrusive and do not hinder the overall user experience. They typically appear as small banners or pop-up windows that can be easily closed or dismissed. Additionally, the frequency of these advertisements is relatively low, so users can enjoy extended periods of uninterrupted work without being bombarded with ads.

Moreover, it's crucial to recognize the value that WPS Office Free offers in terms of its features and capabilities. The software suite includes a comprehensive word processor, spreadsheet application, and presentation software, all of which are compatible with Microsoft Office formats. This compatibility ensures seamless collaboration and exchange of documents with others who may be using Microsoft Office. Furthermore, WPS Office Free provides a wide range of advanced features, including cloud storage integration, real-time collaboration, and mobile apps, which greatly enhance productivity and convenience for users.

WPS Office Free: Final verdict

At the end of the day, while the occasional advertisements in WPS Office Free may be a minor inconvenience, they should not overshadow the exceptional value and functionality that the software suite offers. For users seeking a free and feature-rich office suite, WPS Office Free stands out as a top choice, providing a compelling combination of powerful tools and ease of use.

We feature the best free office software.

Google Chrome Review: Features, Usage, and Competition

6:00 pm | July 26, 2017

Author: admin | Category: Browsers Chrome Computers Computing Gadgets Internet | Comments: Off

Google Chrome needs no introduction. For many of us, Google Chrome was our first browser. Credit to its simplicity and close knit integration with the Google ecosystem of apps and services, Chrome remains the #1 browser in searches, user base, integrations, and more.

While the exact figures vary, all benchmarks give Chrome well over 50% of the web browser market share, across all platforms. Many suggest that over two-thirds of the world uses Chrome to browse the web.

If you’re looking for an all-in-one browser that’s fast, secure, and easy to use, Chrome could be the best web browser for you. Read on for more details.

Google Chrome: Features

Google Chrome browser review — (Image credit: Chrome)

Google Chrome offers a built-in password manager that automatically asks if you want to save your passwords and then later offers to autofill when you log back in. The browser will also warn you if any of your passwords is compromised due to a data breach anywhere on the web. It’ll also help you identify weak passwords and offer to change reused ones.

The browser’s dark mode is perfect for night owls. If you don't want the pertinent blue light to hurt your eyes, this feature is for you. Google also lets you experiment with many other artistic themes along with the default and dark themes.

The Chrome browser is automatically integrated with other Google products such as Google Drive, Google Sheets, and Google Docs. If you look up something on the browser, all your files containing that keyword will pop up in the suggestions.

Tab management is a cakewalk with Google Chrome. To increase your productivity, Google lets you open and manage multiple tabs at once. You can also group tabs with similar topics so that you keep track of all of them in the crowd.

The best feature of Google’s tab management is that it lets you pin tabs that you use frequently. This way, the pinned tab or website will open automatically, saving you the hassle of starting the process from the beginning.

Managing your other Google accounts is also quite easy. All you have to do is click on your profile picture in the top-right corner, and it’ll roll down a list of your other Google accounts. Having separate accounts is a great way to keep your professional and personal life apart.

Google analyzes your searches to see what exactly you’re interested in. This data is then used to create a personalized news feed for you on your mobile.

For example, you might have noticed that if you research a new college course, all details regarding the best colleges and upcoming exam dates will pop up in your news feed — that’s Google Chrome’s doing.

To top it all, Chrome also bakes in popular Google services like Google Translate and Google Lens. You can use Google Lens to search and ask questions about anything you see on a webpage, including text in a video. Chrome can also translate captions in near real-time while playing audio and video.

The browser also ships with Google Cast built-in, which means you can also stream content from Chrome to your Google TV/Android TV or Chromecast device without much effort. Similarly, you can also quickly access other Google services that aren’t included with Chrome, such as the Gemini AI.

Google Chrome: Privacy

Google Chrome has a built-in security system that protects you from malware and viruses even before they reach your device. It also uses high-level encryption to keep your data safe, especially during transit through emails.

Chrome also has a Privacy Guide feature that’s accessible via the Settings, which takes you through multiple steps to help you strengthen and customize the browser’s privacy settings.

However, despite all these claims of security and privacy, Chrome has often been accused of selling personal user data. Sure, almost every other browser does it, but Chrome does it more than anyone else. In fact, Google had many long-running consumer privacy lawsuits filed against it. One was settled in 2022 for a whopping $85 million. Another seeking $5 billion for misleading consumers regarding Chrome’s Incognito mode was settled in 2024.

So if you’re looking for a truly secure and private browser, you're much better off with Tor, Firefox, or Brave.

Google Chrome: Ease of use

Google Chrome is undoubtedly an easy-to-use browser, at least on a basic level. Your first and most basic interaction with Chrome would be to look up things on the internet. Just open the app and type in your query in the search box located right in the center — it's impossible to miss it.

This design is so popular that it has now been adopted by several of the other leading web browsers in the market.

Next, you can access other Google apps via Chrome. Pretty straightforward again, Click on the dotted square next to your profile picture. All Google apps, such as YouTube, Drive, Contacts, Photos, Google Meet, etc., will pop right up. It won't take you long to learn your way around the app.

On top of this, most of Google’s powerful tools such as Translate, Lens, and Cast are easily accessible via the right-click context-menu.

Google Chrome: Competitors

Google Chrome remains the number one choice of many users due to its wide availability. Unlike many of its peers like Opera or Brave, a majority of devices and operating systems have Chrome as their default browser.

Google’s number one competitor these days is Microsoft Edge. Sure, Edge's market share is far below Chrome, but it has a few points over Chrome with its tab management feature that lets you stack them vertically. Chrome, on the other hand, has only one option, and that’s to line them up horizontally. Another benefit of using Edge, and Opera, are their built-in VPN service.

However, on the flip side, Chrome is faster at pushing out updates and fixing vulnerabilities with security patches. Others do it, too, but not as fast as Chrome.

Also, Chrome’s extension store is much better than Edge, or any other browser. You have about 130,000 options that are easy to add and will drastically improve your experience.

Google Chrome: Final verdict

Google Chrome is the most popular browser in the world commanding well over 50% of the market share. So it's needless to say that Chrome is certainly a reliable and worthy browser that should surely win you over.

Also, you won't have to go through too much trouble to get started with Chrome. The interface is quite simple, and while it offers enough options to maximize your experience, it doesn’t demand technical adeptness.

The browser is especially useful for those who rely on Google’s apps and services. Once you settle in, have all your documents saved in the drive, upload your passwords to the password manager, and get your Gmail account — Chrome will offer an integrated experience and ecosystem that you’ll never want to leave.

Try secure private browsing with the best VPN service.

Money Manager Ex review

2:00 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Software | Comments: Off

Finance software may not be the most existing type you could install on your computer, but it's certainly one of the most useful. Money Manager Ex aims to be simple enough for just about anyone to use, while being powerful enough to keep demanding users happy.

Money Manager Ex

Where to download: http://www.moneymanagerex.org/

Type: Personal finance

Developer: Money Manager Ex

Operating system: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android

Version: 1.3

If you’ve been using a spreadsheet or other financial program to manage your money until now, Money Manager Ex's import feature will get you up and running fairly quickly, but otherwise you have a lengthier manual task ahead of you.

Despite Money Manager Ex allowing for fairly in-depth analysis of your finances, the interface is approachable, and the program rarely feel intimidating – although at times you may feel as though you're building a database from scratch.

Everything in Money Manager Ex is stored in an SQLite database with AES encryption, meaning it's nice and secure, and the support for a range of currencies is useful for anyone with overseas investments.

It's a shame that Money Manager Ex is an entirely offline application. It would be nice if bank statements could be pulled in automatically, or online payment could be made through the program, but sadly this isn't possible.

As it stands, Money Manager Ex is a wonderful halfway house between managing your money in a simple spreadsheet and going all-out with a fully-fledged finance app.

User experience

To get the most out of Money Manager Ex, it's important to stick with it. Getting the initial database set up, while not particularly difficult, can be time consuming, as is the process of creating all of the categories you need to keep things organised.

Once you have this somewhat arduous task out of the way, it's really just a matter of simple maintenance, and the program provides you with a raft of tool to analyze your spending, make predictions for the future. The reporting on offer is impressive, and the ability to run the program from a USB drive means it's easy to take with you and update your finances from another computer if necessary.

Latest updates

The latest version of Money Manager Ex makes a few minor bug fixes, including resolving an issue that caused the search box to stop working in some circumstances. For a full list of changes, see the Money Manger Ex release notes.

TinyWall review

6:19 pm | July 3, 2017

Author: admin | Category: Antivirus Computers Computing Computing Security Gadgets | Comments: Off

Windows has had its own firewall, which is now known as part of the built-in Windows Security offering, since Windows XP, but while early versions were a bit wonky, it’s actually been very good since the days of Windows Vista. Unfortunately, it’s not very easy to configure, and some malware knows how to turn it off altogether.

This is where TinyWall comes in. The brainchild of Hungarian developer and computer scientist Károly Pados, TinyWall is designed to address those shortcomings and many others. It starts off with a much more secure default configuration, and gives the firewall a sane, albeit slightly obsolete-looking user interface that makes it easier to decide what to allow and what to block.

On top of that, TinyWall introduces a rather straightforward way of adding new apps to the approved list without blasting you with pop-ups all the time - although it blocks everything by default. It also makes sure unknown apps can’t simply creep into your system, turn off the firewall, and start doing bad things to your PC.

As Pados says, the Windows firewall “possesses almost everything a man” - or woman - “could ask from a firewall engine.” What TinyWall offers is a better way to use that engine and access all of its power. If you want a simple but effective and powerful firewall for Windows versions from Vista onwards, this one does a decent job, though with a dash of overprotectiveness.

That said, TinyWall’s best feature is perhaps the fact that it’s 100% free of charge, and there aren’t any ads, artificial limitations, or upgrade limitations that other free-to-download security apps might impose instead of outright demanding payment. According to the website it also doesn’t collect any user data or telemetry behind your back, so you can rest easy knowing your sensitive information is for your eyes only.

Notably, it only checks for updates once in a while automatically, during which time the current version of TinyWall running on your computer is delivered. This automatic option is on by default, but you can choose to opt out of automatic updates in the app’s settings (right-click on the TinyWall icon on the right-hand side of your taskbar).

It is also open-source, and anyone interested in its code and other details can access the source repository on the platform’s GitHub page.

Nonetheless, if you’re really happy with the app and insist on paying at least something, there’s a Donate button in its settings, where you can choose to pay whatever amount of money you wish to cover the hosting, hardware, and software costs of running the software - through the developer’s Patreon account.

Furthermore, TinyWall was designed with single private users, small-office, home-office computers, and family PCs in mind, and Pados points out that it can’t really cope with headless machines, servers, and networks with more than five computers as it lacks support for a command-line interface, remote management, and domain-controller integration.

TinyWall review — (Image credit: TinyWall)

Setup

Installing TinyWall on your device is as simple as it gets. Just head over to its official website, download the installer (its latest version as of the time of writing was released on April 6, 2025), and run it from your PC. The app has no drivers or kernel components installed, which keeps your system stable and clutter-free.

However, if you aren’t able to access the internet after the installation, there’s a reason for it. TinyWall has just blocked everything on your device from accessing the World Wide Web, and you’ll have to unblock it manually, app by app, process by process, until you get to what you need.

This isn’t particularly user-friendly, especially for a beginner who isn’t well-versed in the ways of firewalls of this kind. Nonetheless, we managed to unblock our WiFi and could continue using TinyWall as intended. This mechanism also had a positive side in making us feel super-protected, so there’s that.

According to Pados, the latest TinyWall release - 3.4.1 - has introduced some changes, including a quicker way to open the Connections window by middle-clicking on the tray icon, a Last Modified column to keep track of exceptions and allow you to easily spot auto-learned rules, as well as a much faster opening of UI windows in case of multi-second delays.

The developer has also fixed the tray icon not showing up after each device boot, something many users had complained about, as well as bringing other improvements, such as fixes for some rare crashes or a dependency update to a non-vulnerable version - in a what was the first update after three years of no significant news (March 14, 2022).

User experience

If overly chatty firewall apps drive you crazy you’ll appreciate TinyWall’s approach: rather than bother you with every single thing it discovers, it automatically blocks known baddies and doesn’t use a single popup. Approving new apps goes manually, and it offers some advanced features such as time-based rules and blocklists.

We particularly liked the use of hotkeys: when you want to approve an app, simply press the hotkey combination (Ctrl + Shift + W) and then click on the app’s window. It’s a tiny app too, so it won’t have any negative effect on your PC’s performance.

Meanwhile, the interface (well, the app’s settings, as there’s no interface per se) was nothing to write home about, looking like it needed a little refresh and a coat of paint to go with the times, but for a completely free-of-charge app, we’re not complaining. Much.

Here, in the ‘General’ tab, you can access options such as language selection (automatic, English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian, and a handful of others), whether you want the app to automatically check for updates, prevent modifications to hosts file, prompt for exception details, block internet during display power-save, as well as enable/disable global hotkeys, blocklists (port-based or domain-based malware), and password protection.

The second tab pertains to ‘Application Exceptions,’ where you can choose to detect software automatically and edit the list of applications that you’d like to grant network access - thus allowing only those apps to communicate, add or remove them, or collectively remove all of the listed software.

Then, there are Special Exceptions, referring to special tasks or applications that you’d like to enable on your machine, including the recommended ones (Filtered ICMP Traffic, Windows DHCP Client, Windows DNS Client, Windows Network Discovery, Windows Store Update, Windows Time Sync, and Windows Update) and optional ones (File and Printer Sharing, Pingable local machine, VPN L2TP/IPSec, VPN PPTP, Windows Defender, Windows Remote Assistance, and Windows Remote Desktop).

Finally, the Maintenance tab is where the Donate button is, alongside the information about the platform, its developer, and links for importing/exporting settings, updating, the app’s official website, and the GitHub page.

Clicking on the TinyWall icon in the taskbar will show you your download and upload activity in KiB/s, allow you to change the protection mode (Normal, Block all, Allow outgoing, Disable firewall, and Autolearn), enter the Manage interface (settings), list the active connections, elevate the protection, unblock LAN traffic, enable blocklists, whitelist by executable/process/window, and shut down the platform.

And the best part? TinyWall is compatible with other security software, including all antivirus file system protections and blocklisting software, although certain ‘web shields’ by specific security suites might prevent control of applications separately using TinyWall.

That said, the developer notes that no other firewall except Windows’ should be active alongside it. Furthermore, he also recommends making sure that any HIPS, anti-malware, or behavioral analysis programs are set not to restrict TinyWall, which often requires additional configuration in the other security software.

Protection

TinyWall doesn’t operate the way other firewalls do. Specifically, most firewalls work on the same interaction principles in which, in essence, whenever an application is trying to access the internet, they display a popup asking the user what to do, which may sometimes be annoying but also less secure.

This is because, on an average computer, a lot of applications want to access the internet. Displaying a popup for each of them makes it possible for unneeded programs to gain access to the network, by way of the user ending up blindly granting unnecessary rights to many different apps without verifying, something that Pados refers to as ‘security fatigue.’

On the other hand, TinyWall takes a different approach, entirely forgoing popups that urge users to whitelist apps. In fact, it doesn’t even notify users of any blocked action in real-time, initiating whitelisting or unblocking manually from the list of running processes in the app or by using a hotkey and then clicking on a window they wish to allow.

According to Pados, this approach is better because it avoids popups, but “still keeps the firewall very easy to use,” and the user will only notice that a program has been denied internet access when they can’t use it anymore and users will only unblock applications that they actually need and none more, which he believes is “optimal from a security standpoint.”

Indeed, this does sound sensible, and in the end, it all comes down to weighing between user-friendliness and security.

The features that help TinyWall protect your device from malicious actors hiding on the internet include the platform’s automatic learning mode, firewall tampering protection, optional password lockdown of settings, Windows Store and UWP support, and support for both WSL and WSL 2.

But that’s not all - TinyWall also boasts various quick modes, support for temporary/timed firewall rules, boot-time filtering, filtering of promiscuous apps, port-scan prevention, the option to always allow communication within LAN, and another option to restrict an application to the LAN.

Add the recognition of safe software and impostors, full IPv6 support, active blocking of hundreds of trojans, viruses, and worms, hosts file protection, integrated port and domain blocklists, open port listing, and lists of established and blocked connections, and you’re getting quite a capable security app.

Being such a tiny platform, as in, without an antivirus, scanning, and other cybersecurity features present, TinyWall hasn’t been the subject of interest by any third-party antivirus testing labs like SE Labs, AV-Test, AV-Comparatives, or even MRG-Effitas that we usually consult with to get an independent opinion on the products we analyze.

If you’re concerned about the lack of independent tests or the missing security suite features, then it might be a good idea to use TinyWall with Windows’ built-in Microsoft Defender, and if you do - note that the performance impact on your device will be minimal.

Indeed, upon installing and running TinyWall, we haven’t noticed absolutely any effect on our testing machine. It was like there was nothing running on it at all - no RAM wasting, no CPU overload, just a plain and simple firewall running in the background at all times.

Final verdict

TinyWall will actively block trojans, viruses, worms, and other forms of malware, and prevent the modification of Windows firewall’s settings by malicious programs. And it will do all of this without you needing to know about ports, protocols, or application details.

But probably its most appealing feature is its no-popup approach. Most firewalls will display a popup asking you what you want to do whenever an application is trying to access the Internet. Not only is this annoying, but eventually you’ll just start granting access to everything to get rid of the popups, which isn’t very secure.

TinyWall gets around this problem by expecting you to whitelist programs that you actually want to be able to access the Internet. When you find a program has been blocked, it’s easy to add it to the whitelist, and then you can continue with what you were doing.

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